WASHINGTON (AP) - President Barack Obama made a last-minute personal appeal to Democrats to pass landmark health care legislation Saturday as the House opened debate on a bill to expand coverage to millions of the uninsured. Emerging from a closed-door meeting with the president, Speaker Nancy Pelosi predicted passage of the bill later in the day, adding, "We will pass health care reform."
FORT HOOD, Texas (AP) - An Army psychiatrist who authorities say went on a shooting rampage at Fort Hood was so conflicted over what to tell fellow soldiers about fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan that a local Islamic leader said Saturday he was deeply troubled by it. Osman Danquah, co-founder of the Islamic Community of Greater Killeen, said he was disturbed by Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan's persistent questioning and recommended the mosque reject Hasan's request to become a lay Muslim leader at the sprawling Army post.
KABUL (AP) - NATO and Afghan authorities were investigating Saturday whether an airstrike during the intensive search for two missing U.S. paratroopers mistakenly killed eight Afghans and wounded more than 20 Afghan and American forces. NATO said the deaths came during an hourslong fight Friday between members of a joint search operation and insurgents in western Afghanistan. Four Afghan soldiers, three policemen and a civilian interpreter died. Five U.S. and 15 Afghan soldiers, as well as two police officers and another civilian interpreter, were wounded, the alliance said.
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) - The engineer accused of fatally shooting one employee and wounding five others at the firm where he once worked is "very mentally ill" and crumbled under the stress of his divorce, bankruptcy and unemployment, his attorney said Saturday. Jason Rodriguez, 40, was ordered held without bail at the Orange County Jail, where he is under suicide watch after Friday's shooting. His mother, Ana Rodriguez, also apologized Saturday, telling reporters she is "so sorry for everything that has happened."
ST. ANDREWS, Scotland (AP) - Finance officials from rich and developing countries pledged Saturday to maintain emergency support for their economies until recovery is assured and committed themselves to urgent action on tackling climate change. U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner said the "process of growth is now beginning" but warned that ending stimulus measures too early would be damaging to the economy.
KABUL (AP) - Pushing back against international criticism, Afghanistan's Foreign Ministry said Saturday that the top U.N. official in the country overstepped his authority by giving instructions on how to rid the government of corruption and warlords. Norwegian diplomat Kai Eide joined a host of international figures, including President Barack Obama and British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, who have called on the Afghan government to take concrete steps to clean up the government following a presidential election that was marred by fraud.
TEHRAN, Iran (AP) - Senior Iranian lawmakers rejected on Saturday any possibility of Tehran shipping uranium abroad for further enrichment, intensifying pressures on the government to reject the U.N.-backed plan altogether. Prominent conservative lawmaker Alaeddin Boroujerdi said Iran won't ship its low enriched uranium abroad in a single batch or in several shipments, a compromise suggested by some government officials, under any circumstances.
As word spread that a gunman had opened fire at Fort Hood leaving a trail of carnage, a chilling realization swept across the U.S. Muslim community: He has an Islamic name. From a professor who just testified in Congress, to a White House adviser appearing before a Jewish group and a former Marine driving home from work, Muslims across the country were shocked, angry and afraid that the attack would erode efforts to erase anti-Islamic stereotypes.
LAS VEGAS (AP) - A 19-year-old woman was the driving force behind a youthful burglary ring that preyed on Hollywood's rich and famous, often brazenly walking into unlocked homes to make off with cash, jewels and family heirlooms, authorities said. A suspect turned informant, Nicholas Prugo, told Los Angeles police detectives that Rachel Jungeon Lee spearheaded the break-ins, motivated by a desire to own the designer clothes and jewelry of such celebrities as Lindsay Lohan and Paris Hilton, according to a Las Vegas police search warrant obtained by The Associated Press on Friday.
SHANGHAI (AP) - Tiger Woods stalled with pars. Phil Mickelson poured it on with birdies. The back nine Saturday at the HSBC Champions changed names atop the leaderboard, as Mickelson made three birdies over the last five holes for a 5-under 67 that took him from a two-shot deficit to a two-shot lead over Woods and Nick Watney in the final World Golf Championship of the year.
