Ask AP

Does the news ever leave you wanting more?

Do you read about world events online and wish you could click on a Tell Me More button? Do you watch newscasts, read blogs and download news podcasts, only to end up frustrated by a question that's left ringing in your head?

Here's your chance to get some answers from the people who really know the news: journalists at the world's largest newsgathering organization.

Introducing "Ask AP," a Q&A column where The Associated Press answers your questions about the news — anything from "What's a subprime mortgage?" to "What ever happened to Linda Tripp?" to "How does a reporter prepare to be embedded with the military in Iraq?"

AP editors will choose some of the questions sent in by readers like you and get answers from AP reporters and editors — the people who spend their days covering the very issues you're curious about.

So send your questions to newsquestions@ap.org, with "Ask AP" in the subject line.
Then keep an eye out for installments of the new Q&A column, where you'll finally get some answers.

Your News Questions

Ask AP: What is a "redshirt freshman"?

It seems college teams (and announcers) are always talking about "redshirt" players. Has to be something about eligibility, but I just don't know what the phrase means.

Ask AP: What is the difference between a caucus and a primary?

A caucus is a community meeting held at a selected time where activists discuss politics, elect local officials and make suggestions about a party platform. In general election years, those attending also express a preference for their party's presidential nominee — publicly, amid fellow caucus participants — and elect delegates to later meetings, such as county conventions.

Ask AP: What happened to Meredith Emerson's dog Ella?

The parents of 24-year-old hiker Meredith Emerson have adopted her dog Ella and are taking the black Labrador mix back to their home in Longmont, Colo.

Ask AP: How can oil go up in cost by a factor of five and the cost of gasoline go up by a factor of two?

Background (my numbers maybe a little off, but you will see my point): About five years ago, oil sold for around $20 per barrel and gasoline was around $2 a gallon.

Ask AP: What ever happened to Baghdad Bob?

Saddam Hussein's information minister, Mohammed Saeed al-Sahaf — who earned the moniker "Baghdad Bob" during his break-from-reality news briefings — left Iraq in the chaotic months after Saddam's fall in 2003 and surfaced in the United Arab Emirates.

Ask AP: What does college football eligibility have to do with the price of oil?

Not much, usually. But both topics inspired people to e-mail The Associated Press with questions about the news — questions that are getting answered in this first installment of the interactive Q&A column "Ask AP."