Top Washington Stories from the AP

• Obama: Best minds working to capture Bin Laden Sept. 10, 2010, 11:26 a.m. CDT

  WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama says Osama bin Laden has gone "deep underground" because of U.S. pressure on al-Qaida. He says the best intelligence officers and special forces are working night and day to capture him. Obama says it remains a high priority to capture or kill the al-Qaida ...

• Errant drone near DC almost met by fighter jets Sept. 9, 2010, 1:20 p.m. CDT

  WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. military almost launched fighter jets and discussed a possible shoot-down when an errant Navy drone briefly veered into restricted airspace near the nation's capital last month, a senior military official said Thursday. The incident underscores safety concerns with unmanned aircraft as defense officials campaign ...

• Dogs cast DC mayoral vote by munching on treats Sept. 9, 2010, 10:28 a.m. CDT

  WASHINGTON (AP) — The Washington Humane Society is conducting a "paw poll" to let dogs cast their votes for D.C. mayor. The poll was conducted Thursday morning at a dog park in northwest Washington. Bone-shaped biscuits marked with each of the two leading Democrats' names were placed in front of ...

• Obama: Minister must cancel Quran-burning 'stunt' Sept. 9, 2010, 6:33 a.m. CDT

  WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama implored a Florida minister to call off his Quran-burning "stunt," saying it would jeopardize U.S. troops abroad. Obama told ABC's "Good Morning America" in an interview aired Thursday that he hopes the Rev. Terry Jones of Florida listens to "those better angels" and ...

• Pastor cancels Quran-burning, then reconsiders Sept. 9, 2010, 6:17 a.m. CDT

  GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) — An anti-Islamic preacher backed off and then threatened to reconsider burning the Quran on the anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, angrily accusing a Muslim leader of lying to him Thursday with a promise to move an Islamic center and mosque away from New York's ground ...

• Obama implores minister to call off Quran burning Sept. 9, 2010, 2:06 a.m. CDT

  WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama is exhorting a Florida minister to "listen to those better angels" and call off his plan to engage in a Quran-burning protest this weekend. Obama tells ABC's "Good Morning America" he hopes the Rev. Terry Jones listens to the pleas of people who have ...

• Fed survey sees slower growth in East and Midwest Sept. 8, 2010, 1:02 p.m. CDT

  WASHINGTON (AP) — The economy lost strength in late summer as factory production weakened in areas of the East Coast and Midwest. A survey the Federal Reserve released Wednesday found the slower growth spreading to more regions of the country. Of the 12 regions the Fed tracks, economic activity slowed or ...

• Job openings rise for first time since April Sept. 8, 2010, 9:54 a.m. CDT

  WASHINGTON (AP) — Job openings are rising modestly, a sign that employers may step up hiring soon. But rising openings in the past year haven't reduced unemployment, heightening concerns that the unemployed might lack the skills to fill the jobs that are coming available. If companies have openings but can ...

• US terror training in Yemen reflects wider program Sept. 8, 2010, 2:08 a.m. CDT

  WASHINGTON (AP) — Seldom visible in the Yemeni mountains, the elite U.S. commandos training the Yemen's military represent the Obama administration's quest to fight terrorism without inflaming anti-American sentiment. That balancing act has become an administration trademark, funneling millions of dollars in aid and low-profile military trainers to ...

• Microbes are eating BP oil without using up oxygen Sept. 7, 2010, 1 p.m. CDT

  WASHINGTON (AP) — Government scientists studying the BP disaster are reporting the best possible outcome: Microbes are consuming the oil in the Gulf without depleting the oxygen in the water and creating "dead zones" where fish cannot survive. Outside scientists said this so far vindicates the difficult and much-debated decision by ...

• US expects to spend big in Afghanistan for years Sept. 6, 2010, 8:23 a.m. CDT

  WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. government's financial commitment to Afghanistan is likely to linger and reach into the billions long after it pulls combat troops from the country, newly disclosed spending estimates show. The United States expects to spend about $6 billion a year training and supporting Afghan troops ...

• Clinton: Time is now for Mideast peace Sept. 3, 2010, 12:46 p.m. CDT

  WASHINGTON (AP) — Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton sought to inject urgency into Israeli-Palestinian peace talks Friday, warning the negotiations may be "the last chance for a very long time" to reach an agreement. In an unusual joint interview with Israeli and Palestinian television broadcasters a day after she presided ...

• Despite hiring, US unemployment rate seems frozen Sept. 3, 2010, 7:33 a.m. CDT

  WASHINGTON (AP) — Unemployment is stuck at high levels even though some companies are hiring. The problem, government data show, is that too few jobs are being created for the growing number of people looking for work. Private employers added a net total of 67,000 jobs in August. But the ...

• Bernanke: Shut down banks if they threaten system Sept. 1, 2010, 11:03 p.m. CDT

  WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke told a panel investigating the financial crisis that regulators must be ready to shutter the largest institutions if they threaten to bring down the financial system. "If the crisis has a single lesson, it is that the too-big-to-fail problem must be solved," Bernanke ...

• Earl threatens East Coast with 125 mph winds Sept. 1, 2010, 10:33 p.m. CDT

  BUXTON, N.C. (AP) — The last ferries pulled away from North Carolina's vulnerable barrier islands Thursday as Hurricane Earl spun closer with winds near 125 mph, putting the East Coast all the way to Canada on alert for what could be a blustery next several days. A hurricane warning ...

• Number of illegal immigrants in US now declining Sept. 1, 2010, 11:21 a.m. CDT

  WASHINGTON (AP) — The number of illegal immigrants living in the U.S. has dropped for the first time in two decades — decreasing by 8 percent since 2007, a new study finds. The reasons range from the sour economy to Mexican violence and increased U.S. enforcement that has made it ...

• Obama opens Mideast talks: Attacks 'won't stop us' Sept. 1, 2010, 11:05 a.m. CDT

  WASHINGTON (AP) — Condemning Mideast peace "rejectionists," President Barack Obama convened a new round of ambitious talks Wednesday and vowed not to allow a fresh burst of violence dim hopes for an accord creating a sovereign Palestinian state beside a secure Israel. Obama, who met separately at the White House with ...

• Israelis, Palestinians resume direct peace talks Sept. 1, 2010, 10:49 a.m. CDT

  WASHINGTON (AP) — Seeking to broker a Mideast peace agreement that has eluded U.S. presidents for decades, the Obama administration is overseeing the first direct negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians in nearly two years. After a day and evening in White House talks with President Barack Obama, Israeli Prime ...

• Analysis: Has Iraq war really ended for Obama, US? Sept. 1, 2010, 2:14 a.m. CDT

  WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama kept a promise but took a risk in boldly declaring an end to 7½ years of war in Iraq and asserting that America had turned the page on the costly, divisive conflict. In relatively brief but politically freighted remarks from the Oval Office on Tuesday ...

• Ex-Lehman CEO says regulators refused to save firm Aug. 31, 2010, 11:03 p.m. CDT

  WASHINGTON (AP) — The former chief of Lehman Brothers told a panel investigating the financial crisis that the Wall Street firm could have been rescued, but regulators refused to help — even though they later bailed out other big banks. Richard S. Fuld Jr. told the Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission at a ...

• Oval Office makeover has comfy, more modern feel Aug. 31, 2010, 9:05 a.m. CDT

  WASHINGTON (AP) — Congressional opponents, stubborn diplomats or wary heads of state, beware: The new Oval Office sofas look so comfy, you just might be lulled into a few reckless compromises. Every president eventually puts his own mark on the Oval Office, decoratively speaking, and the White House unveiled the Obama ...

• Obama: US combat in Iraq over, 'time to turn page' Aug. 31, 2010, 2:07 a.m. CDT

  WASHINGTON (AP) — Claiming no victory, President Barack Obama formally ended the U.S. combat role in Iraq after seven long years of bloodshed, declaring firmly Tuesday night: "It's time to turn the page." Now, he said, the nation's most urgent priority is fixing its own sickly economy. From ...

• Clemens, in court, tells judge: 'Not guilty' Aug. 30, 2010, 8:37 p.m. CDT

  WASHINGTON (AP) — Roger Clemens put his right hand on the lectern, leaned down toward the microphone and made what might be the most important pitch of his life: "Not guilty, your honor." Those words, uttered Monday in a strong, confident voice by the seven-time Cy Young Award winner sporting a ...

• AP source: Unlikely that 2 men plotting terror Aug. 30, 2010, 7:44 p.m. CDT

  WASHINGTON (AP) — The FBI probe of two men arrested in Amsterdam after suspicious items turned up in one of the men's luggage is finding they were probably not on a test run for a future terror attack, a U.S. official said Tuesday, casting doubt on earlier suggestions even ...

• Clemens, in court, tells judge: 'Not guilty' Aug. 30, 2010, 5:48 a.m. CDT

  WASHINGTON (AP) — Roger Clemens put his right hand on the lectern, leaned down toward the microphone and made what might be the most important pitch of his life: "Not guilty, your honor." Those words, uttered Monday in a strong, confident voice by the seven-time Cy Young Award winner sporting a ...