U.S. faces "Americanization" of terror threat

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Nine years after the September 11 attacks, the United States faces a growing threat from home-grown insurgents and an "Americanization" of al Qaeda leadership, according to a report released on Friday.

New York imam says no meeting planned with pastor

NEW YORK (Reuters) - The imam behind a proposed Islamic cultural center and mosque near the World Trade Center site said on Friday he has no meeting planned with the Florida pastor who had threatened to burn copies of the Koran.

Four dead in San Francisco suburb gas line inferno

SAN BRUNO, California (Reuters) - At least four people died after a gas line explosion and fire razed 38 homes in a San Francisco suburb, and officials expected the death toll to rise on Friday as firefighters search the wreckage.

Would-be Wall Street sheriffs strike cautious tone

NEW YORK (Reuters) - All candidates vying to be the next so-called Sheriff of Wall Street say they will find the bad apples without overturning the applecart in the financial capital's fragile economic recovery.

Judge rules ban on gays in military unconstitutional

WASHINGTON (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.

New York candidate says an insider can be reformer

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Eric Schneiderman's rivals are painting the New York state attorney general candidate as the ultimate insider, a state senator in a corrupt institution who has won the endorsement of some of the state's leading Democrats.

Obama says Koran burning can badly damage U.S. abroad

WASHINGTON/GAINESVILLE, Florida (Reuters) - President Barack Obama on Friday appealed to Americans to respect the "inalienable" right of religious freedom and expressed hope a Florida Christian preacher would abandon a plan to burn the Koran that could deeply hurt the United States abroad.

Qureshi uses U.S. Open platform to call for understanding

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Pakistan's Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi used the platform of the U.S. Open to deliver a message of peace on the eve of the ninth anniversary of the September 11 attacks in New York and Washington.

U.S. proposes new rest rules for airline pilots

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Airlines would be required to give pilots longer rest periods and scale back duty time under a U.S. government proposal on Friday aimed at combating fatigue in the cockpit.

USDA knew of problems at farm behind egg recall: report

BANGALORE (Reuters) - U.S. Department of Agriculture experts knew about sanitary problems at one of the two Iowa farms at the center of a massive nationwide egg recall, but did not notify health authorities, the Wall Street Journal reported.

Factbox: Richard Brodsky, candidate for NY attorney general

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Richard Brodsky, who has represented suburban Westchester County in the state Assembly for nearly three decades, is one of five Democratic candidates competing next Tuesday in the Democratic primary for New York attorney general. Some facts about him:

Anti-Islam pastor called controlling, "mad"

MIAMI (Reuters) - The Florida Christian preacher who has received world fame and condemnation by threatening to burn a pile of Korans demands strict obedience and unpaid labor from his tiny flock and sells used furniture out of his sanctuary, those who know him say.

Scenarios: Possible outcomes in NY attorney general race

NEW YORK (Reuters) - As New York state prepares to elect its next attorney general, an office made nationally prominent for cracking down on Wall Street before the financial crisis erupted, five Democrats will face off in the primary on Tuesday to select who will run against the sole Republican.

Obama makes call for religious tolerance

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama made an impassioned plea for religious tolerance Friday, saying the United States is not at war with Islam, as he sought to quell signs of anti-Muslim sentiment at home that have raised tensions overseas.

Factbox: Republican for NY AG says he'll fight corruption

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Staten Island District Attorney Dan Donovan, the only Republican candidate for New York State Attorney General, will face off in November against the victor in next Tuesday's Democratic primary. Here are some facts about him:

Factbox: Schneiderman, candidate for NY attorney general

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Eric Schneiderman, a New York state senator representing northern Manhattan and parts of the Bronx, is one of five Democratic candidates competing next Tuesday in the Democratic primary for New York attorney general. Some facts about him:

Florida pastor's daughter says "he needs help"

BERLIN (Reuters) - The estranged daughter of a U.S. pastor who has threatened to burn copies of the Koran believes he has gone mad and needs help, she said in a German media interview conducted on Friday.

Koran-burning plan is an attack on Islam: reports

DUBAI (Reuters) - A threat by a U.S. pastor to commemorate the September 11 attacks by burning copies of the Koran is an attack on Islam and a deliberate attempt to infuriate Muslims, Gulf Arab newspapers said.

Enbridge keeps U.S.-bound pipeline shut after leak

HOUSTON/NEW YORK (Reuters) - A key oil pipeline supplying Canadian crude to the United States, Enbridge Inc's 670,000-barrel-per-day Line 6A, remained shut on Friday after the line leaked in Illinois on Thursday.

Factbox: History of Enbridge's pipeline spills in the U.S

CALGARY (Reuters) - Enbridge Inc shut down the largest of its three major oil pipelines due to a leak in Illinois on Thursday, reducing supply on the main transit route for Canadian crude into the United States.