Obama predicts conviction of professed 9/11 mastermind; Holder calls failure 'not an option'. President Barack Obama predicted that professed Sept. 11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed will be convicted and executed as Attorney General Eric Holder proclaimed: "Failure is not an option."

Obama: Professed 9/11 mastermind will be executed; Holder: Trial will reveal he's a coward. From opposite ends of the globe, President Barack Obama and Attorney General Eric Holder firmly rejected criticism Wednesday of the planned New York trial of the professed Sept. 11 mastermind and predicted Khalid Sheikh Mohammed would be exposed as a murderous coward, convicted and executed.

LONDON (Reuters) - The United States pledged $275 million to rainforest protection on Thursday, at an event hosted by Britain's heir to the throne, Prince Charles, in London.

Senate confirms controversial Obama nominee for Chicago appeals court. The Senate on Thursday confirmed U.S. District Judge David Hamilton for the Chicago-based federal appeals court, approving a nominee targeted by conservatives as a liberal activist.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Democratic-led U.S. Senate, having smashed through a Republican wall of opposition, confirmed on Thursday U.S. President Barack Obama's first and longest-stalled judicial nominee.

Federal immigration officials demand payroll records, employee forms from Vermont farmers. Federal immigration officials are cracking down on Vermont dairy farmers as part of a national effort, asking them to provide records to prove their workers are legal.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Trying the accused architect of the September 11, 2001, attacks on the United States in New York criminal court will showcase the U.S. judicial system and will not degenerate into a circus as some critics predict, a senior Democratic senator said on Sunday.

Giuliani, GOP, criticize NY trials of alleged terrorists while Democrats defend decision. Bringing those accused in the Sept. 11 attacks to New York for trial would increase the security threat to the city and give radical Islamists a platform to propagate their ideology, former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani said Sunday.

AP News in Brief at 5:58 p.m. EST. Walking a fine line: Obama seeks Chinese help on global problems while supporting human rights

Report shows DNA evidence often goes unexamined in sexual assault cases. Forensic evidence in rape cases is piling up in police departments across the country without being tested, according to a new study. Working for the Justice Department, a group of North Carolina researchers found that evidence had not been analyzed in nearly 20 percent of unsolved rape cases that have forensic evidence. That totals tens of thousands of cases.

Senate Judiciary chairman wants to limit agencies' exemptions from Freedom of Information Act. The chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee wants new measures to clamp down on special exemptions that federal agencies are using to avoid disclosing information to the public under the Freedom of Information Act.

Hoyer cool to repealing retroactive immunity for telecom companies. House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer made clear Tuesday that he would be cool to a Senate proposal to take away the retroactive immunity now given to telecommunications companies that participated in warrantless wiretapping during the George W. Bush administration.

Senators, AP's Curley: Gov't still hiding info from public despite Obama's openness policy. President Barack Obama's new standards for government openness have not trickled down to some agencies, where officials have used special statutes slipped into bills to skirt the Freedom of Information Act, open government advocates said Wednesday.

Senators, AP's Curley: Gov't still hiding info from public despite Obama's call for openness. Too many agencies are still holding their secrets close nine months after President Barack Obama ordered the federal government to open the flow of information to the public, advocates of access said Wednesday.

Senate Intelligence Committee chairmwoman overcomes doubts, backs USA Patriot Act revisions. The Senate Intelligence Committee chairwoman said Thursday that she no longer had concerns with a proposed modification of the USA Patriot Act, the nation's primary counterintelligence law.

Congress should explain itself when it decides to exempt records from the publicÕs view. Efforts to improve the federal Freedom of Information Act, which provides the public access to government documents, have been hampered by members of Congress.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. patent office, which can take up to three years to approve a patent application, has a $200 million shortfall that may require a temporary 15 percent fee hike, its director said on Tuesday.

PHOENIX (Reuters) - The United States, criticized for holding illegal immigrants in overcrowded and poorly run jails, on Tuesday announced plans to convert hotels to detain some noncriminal immigrants.

Democrats seek to override Supreme Court ruling that raised bar for proving age discrimination. Democrats want to counter a recent Supreme Court ruling that makes it harder for older workers to prove they are the victims of age discrimination.

Senate committee approves Patriot Act revisions, but much opposition remains. A divided Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday approved a revised version of the nation's major counterterrorism law, after intelligence and law enforcement officials assured lawmakers that counterterrorism operations would not be harmed.