 AP - President Barack Obama insisted Friday that the U.S. economy is showing improvement from the deepest recession in decades but conceded the "progress has been painfully slow." He said he understands that many voters in November's elections may blame the weak recovery on him.
 AP - In the past, the anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks was marked by somber reflection and a call to unity, devoid of politics. No more.
 AP - Fire crews tried to douse the remnants of an enormous blaze and account for the residents of dozens of homes after a gas line ruptured and an explosion ripped through in a neighborhood near San Francisco, killing at least four people and likely more.
 AP - Police say a woman accused of fatally shooting two co-workers and wounding a third at a Kraft Foods plant in Philadelphia had feuded with her victims.
 AP - Hundreds of sex abuse victims have come forward in Belgium with harrowing accounts of molestation by Catholic clergy that reportedly led to at least 13 suicides and affected children as young as two, a special commission said Friday.
 AP - A federal judge said she will issue an order to halt the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy, after she declared the ban on openly gay service members unconstitutional.
 AP - Fire crews held a wildfire outside of Boulder at bay early Friday, allowing some 2,000 evacuees to briefly return to homes and get important belongings and medicine.
 AP - Iran's president intervened to secure the release of Sarah Shourd, one of three Americans jailed for more than 13 months, in part because of her gender, a news agency reported Friday.
AP - Clad in Spiderman pajamas, a 5-year-old southern Illinois boy on a scooter had someplace to be. And he apparently wasn't going to let busy highways stand in his way. Authorities said Jackson County sheriff's deputies picked up the boy and his Razor-type scooter about 2 a.m. Wednesday along Old Illinois 13 in Murphysboro after fielding two 911 calls about the child's trek.
 AP - A day that started badly for Tom Brady turned out to be a pretty good one after all. After a morning crash left Brady's car damaged but the New England Patriots quarterback unhurt, he came to terms on a contract that will make him the highest paid player in the NFL.
Reuters - The pastor of a small Florida church, facing an outpouring of concern from U.S. leaders and anger from Muslims worldwide, said on Friday he did not plan to burn copies of the Koran on the anniversary of the September 11 attacks.
 Reuters - President Barack Obama escalated his offensive against Republicans on Friday as he pushed new ideas to stimulate the sluggish economy and try to counter Democrats' grim election prospects in November.
Reuters - The U.S. military rule banning openly gay people from serving in the armed forces violates constitutional rights to free speech and due process, a federal judge in southern California ruled Thursday.
Reuters - The death toll rose to four on Friday in the fiery gas line explosion that tore through a neighborhood of a San Francisco suburb and razed 38 homes, officials said.
Reuters - President Barack Obama said on Friday he saw "enormous hurdles" ahead in Middle East peace negotiations, but said it was a risk worth taking and the United States would remain engaged even if talks break down.
 Reuters - President Barack Obama has chosen Austan Goolsbee as the new head of the White House Council of Economic Advisers, U.S. administration officials said on Thursday, promoting a longtime adviser from his inner policy circle.
 Reuters - Prime Minister Naoto Kan has widened his lead over powerbroker Ichiro Ozawa ahead in a party leadership vote, Kyodo news agency said on Friday, days before the contest that could set Japan's fiscal priorities.
Reuters - Imagine driving across America using a fuel so new you have to carry your own supply wherever you go.
 AFP - A Florida pastor at the center of a global firestorm insisted Friday he would not proceed with a planned Koran burning ceremony, but failed to stem a tide of Muslim outrage.
 AFP - Afghan President Hamid Karzai Friday used his traditional message marking the Eid Muslim holiday to call on the leader of the Taliban to stop fighting and join peace talks to end Afghanistan's long war.
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