FIRST LOOK: Bank of America settles with investors for $8.5 billion

The Lookout

Welcome to First Look, our daily roundup of early-bird news:

• Bank of America will pay $8.5 billion to settle accusations it sold poor-quality mortgage-backed securities. (Washington Post)

• A new report says the final bill for the U.S. wars in Iraq, Pakistan, and Afghanistan could total $4.4 trillion. (Politico)

• A NATO chopper ended a Taliban attack that left 18 dead in a Kabul hotel. (CNN)

• Salmonella tainted sprouts have sickened 21 in the United States. (AFP)

• State and local revenue grew 4.7 percent in the first quarter of 2011. (Wall Street Journal)

• Ex-New Orleans cop admitted to covering up Katrina shootings in court. (AP)

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