In suprise visit to war zone, Obama says US won’t quitKABUL (AP) — President Obama has told American forces during his surprise visit to Afghanistan that U.S. lives would be at risk if the Taliban retake control of the country.Obama says difficult days lie ahead in the 8-year-old war and he says there will be setbacks. But he says the U.S. doesn’t quit and will prevail.Russia eliminates two time zones in attempt to increase efficiencyMOSCOW (AP) — Russia’s president thought the country had too much time on its hands, so on Sunday he eliminated two of its 11 time zones. The changes mean that Chukotka — Russia’s eastern extreme, just across the Bering Strait from Alaska — is now nine hours ahead of Russia’s westernmost area, the Kaliningrad exclave sandwiched between Lithuania and Poland. NY archbishop defends Pope Benedict XVI against abuse furorNEW YORK (AP) — Archbishop Timothy Dolan was greeted with applause after finishing Palm Sunday Mass by defending Pope Benedict XVI against suggestions he aided cover-ups of reports of child abuse.The standing-room-only crowd at St. Patrick’s Cathedral applauded for 20 seconds after Dolan read a statement calling the pope the “leader in purification, reform and renewal that the church so very much needs.”Barbara Bush undergoes tests in Texas hospital, no diagnosis yetHOUSTON (AP) — Former first lady Barbara Bush remains hospitalized in Houston, where she’s undergoing what a family spokeswoman describes as routine tests.Spokeswoman Jean Becker said Sunday that Bush has not been diagnosed with anything and doctors aren’t looking for anything specific.Former President George H.W. Bush drove his wife to Methodist Hospital on Saturday morning. Becker said earlier that the former first lady hadn’t been feeling well for about a week, and doctors suggested she “undergo a battery of tests.”New York officials to search again for Sept. 11 victim remainsNEW YORK (AP) — New York City officials are planning to search through material excavated from around the World Trade Center site for any remains of Sept. 11 victims. The three-month endeavor is scheduled to start Friday at the Fresh Kills landfill on Staten Island. The material being searched was taken from the area around ground zero in the last two years. If there are any possible remains found, the material will undergo testing at the city medical examiner’s office.Mission Impazible wins Louisiana Derby at Fair Grounds on SaturdayNEW ORLEANS (AP) — A spot in the Kentucky Derby now looks quite possible for Mission Impazible.  The Todd Pletcher-trained colt pulled ahead just past the sixteenth pole to win his first race as a 3-year-old in the $750,000 Louisiana Derby at the Fair Grounds on Saturday. Ridden by Rajiv Maragh and starting from the second post at 7-1 odds, he covered the 1 1/8 mile course in 1:50.32 on a dry and fast track. Pletcher credited Maragh for executing “exactly the trip we were hoping for.””That was kind of the way we had talked about it,” Pletcher said. “We wanted to secure a little bit of position from the inside and hopefully come away stalking the leaders. … Then he was able to find a little more down the lane.”Mission Impazible’s first race of the year was a second-place finish in a six furlong allowance.Public officials ask Gov. Bobby Jindal for money to finish I-49SHREVEPORT (AP) — A group of public officials and civic leaders are asking Gov. Bobby Jindal to fund the remaining $44 million needed to complete a portion of Interstate 49 north.The Shreveport Times reported Saturday the piece of roadway in question is a three-mile stretch in Section E of the proposed interstate.Court says decline of inmate’s request for sex books was right(AP) — A Baton Rouge appeals court says Louisiana death row inmate was properly denied access to five books containing depictions of nudity and sexually explicit conduct.According to Saturday’s Advocate, 1st Circuit Court of Appeal ruled Friday, reversing a lower court judge. The nine-page decision did not identify the books.