Source: Abdullah may pull out of Afghan runoff

UNITED NATIONS (AP) - Talks between Afghan President Hamid Karzai and challenger Abdullah Abdullah have broken down, and Abdullah is likely to pull out of next week's presidential runoff, a person with knowledge of the talks said Friday. An announcement could come as early as Saturday but more likely Sunday, the person said.

Cheney told FBI he had no idea who leaked Plame ID

WASHINGTON (AP) - Former Vice President Dick Cheney told the FBI in 2004 he had no idea who leaked to the news media that Valerie Plame, wife of a Bush administration critic, worked for the CIA. A summary of the FBI's interview with the then-vice president reflects that he had deep concern about Plame's husband, Joseph Wilson, a former U.S. ambassador in Africa who said the administration had twisted prewar intelligence on Iraq.

Celebs, lobbyists among White House guests

WASHINGTON (AP) - Celebrities Oprah Winfrey, George Clooney and Denzel Washington, prominent Democratic fundraisers and heavyweights from the financial services and high-tech industries were among those landing visits with President Barack Obama or others at the White House during Obama's first months in office. The White House late Friday afternoon released a partial list of people who have visited since Obama took office in January. It released roughly 480 records in response to questions about whether specific people visited. The White House plans to start disclosing comprehensive visitor lists in coming months.

Path clears for House to OK compromise health bill

WASHINGTON (AP) - They maynot like it, but many House liberals look ready to accept a compromise health care bill, putting Democratic leaders well on the way to delivering on President Barack Obama's call for overhaul. After claiming for months they couldn't vote for a bill without the strongest possible government-run insurance option, liberals are putting aside their disappointment over the weaker version in the legislation for a historic chance to remake America's medical system.

Federal regulators close 9 banks, mostly in West

NEW YORK (AP) - Regulators on Friday shut California National Bank of Los Angeles and eight smaller related banks as the weak economy continues to produce a stream of loan defaults. The banks closed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation were in California, Illinois, Texas and Arizona. They were divisions of privately held FBOP Corp., a bank holding company based in Oak Park., Ill.

Pakistanis confront Clinton over drone attacks

ISLAMABAD (AP) - U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton faced sharp rebukes from Pakistani audiences Friday, including one woman who accused the U.S. of conducting "executions without trial" in aerial drone strikes. Slapping back, Clinton questioned Pakistan's commitment to fighting terrorists. "Somebody, somewhere in Pakistan must know where these people are," Clinton said in an exchange almost as blunt as her exasperated comments a day earlier that Pakistani officials lacked the will to target al-Qaida.

Calif. searchers seek survivors after midair crash

SAN DIEGO (AP) - The nighttime collision of a Coast Guard aircraft on a rescue mission and a Marine helicopter left nine people feared dead at seaFriday as investigators tried to solve the mystery of how the aircrews failed to see each other in a heavily used military training area. Military aircraft and ships searched the ocean off Southern California for any sign of the victims while investigators gathered recordings of air traffic controllers and pilot communications. The search covered 644 square miles of ocean but focused on a debris field 50 miles off the San Diego coast.

ALL BUSINESS: Credit-card rates up before new law

NEW YORK (AP) - Have you checked the interest rates on your credit cards lately? Odds are they're going way up. That's because credit-card companies are rushing to raise rates and tack on extra fees ahead of a law slated to take effect Feb. 22 that is supposed to limit such moves in the future. In some cases, rates are doubling to as high as 30 percent or more, even for people who pay their bills on time.

'Idol' host Ryan Seacrest gets restraining order

LOS ANGELES (AP) - A judge granted "American Idol" host Ryan Seacrest a temporary restraining order against a man arrested on suspicion of stalking the radio and television host outside his workplace on Friday, court records show. Seacrest's attorneys obtained the stay-away order hours after they say Chidi Benjamin Uzomah Jr. was detained at the E! Entertainment Television headquarters in Los Angeles.

South Florida stops No. 20 West Virginia again

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) - Once again, South Florida had all the answers for slowing down West Virginia. B.J. Daniels threw for 232 yards and three touchdowns, and the Bulls rebounded from two subpar defensive performances to frustrate running back Noel Devine and the 20th-ranked Mountaineers in a 30-19 victory Friday night.

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