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Under fire, Obama adjusts his birth control policy (AP)

President Barack Obama concludes his remarks in the Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House in Washington, Friday, Feb. 10, 2012, where he announced the revamp of his contraception policy requiring religious institutions to fully pay for birth control. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)AP - Under fierce election-year fire, President Barack Obama on Friday abruptly abandoned his stand that religious organizations must pay for birth control for workers, scrambling to end a furor raging from the Catholic Church to Congress to his re-election foes. He demanded that insurance companies step in to provide the coverage instead.



Greek premier says default would lead to 'chaos' (AP)

Riot police detain a protester during clashes in Athens, Friday, Feb. 10, 2012. Thousands took to the streets of Athens as unions launched a two-day general strike against planned austerity measures on Friday, a day after Greece's crucial international bailout was put in limbo by its partners in the 17-nation eurozone. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)AP - Greece's future in the eurozone came under renewed threat Friday as popular protests again turned violent and dissent grew among its lawmakers after European leaders demanded deeper spending cuts.



Social issues rule busy day in presidential race (AP)

Republican presidential candidate, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney addresses the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Washington, Friday, Feb. 10, 2012. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)AP - Social issues dominated the 2012 presidential race Friday, as President Barack Obama tried to calm a storm over religion and birth control and the Republicans vying to replace him jockeyed to outdo each other in proving their conservative fervor.



Gov't on pace for $1T deficit despite January dip (AP)
AP - The federal deficit was lower through the first four months of the budget year than the same period last year. Still, the deficit is expected to top $1 trillion for the fourth year in a row, putting more pressure on Congress and President Barack Obama in an election year.

APNewsBreak: Satellite spots tanks in Syrian city (AP)

This satellite image provided by Digital Globe shows the center of Homs, Syria where activity between the Free Syrian Army and the Syria military have been reported, Friday, Feb. 10, 2012. (AP Photo/Digital Globe)AP - Satellite image provider DigitalGlobe Inc. released photos Friday that appear to show Syrian army tanks and other armored vehicles in the city of Homs.



Uzbek man pleads guilty in plot to kill Obama (AP)

FILE -- An undated handout photo provided by the Shelby County, Ala., Sheriff's Dept. shows 22-year-old Ulugbek Kodirov, who is scheduled for a hearing Friday, Feb.10, 2012 in Birmingham, Ala. A defense lawyer says the Uzbekistan national charged with supporting terrorism in a plot to kill President Barack Obama will plead guilty. Kodirov was indicted last year on a charge of threatening Obama's life and illegally possessing an automatic rifle. Federal authorities added an additional terror charge on Thursday. (AP Photo/Shelby County Sheriff's Dept.)AP - A man from Uzbekistan who pleaded guilty Friday to plotting to kill President Barack Obama with an automatic rifle claimed he was acting at the direction of an Islamic terror group in his home country.



Navy names ship for former congresswoman Giffords (AP)

FILE - This Jan. 23, 2012 file photo shows U.S. Rep Gabrielle Giffords, D-Ariz., touring the Gabrielle Giffords Family Assistance Center, one of her favorite charities, with her staffer Ron Barber in Tucson, Ariz. Barber, a top aide to former Congresswoman Giffords, is expected announce his candidacy to run in a special election to serve as an interim replacement for the Arizona Democrat who was wounded in a shooting rampage a year ago. (AP Photo/Matt York, Pool, File)AP - Gabrielle Giffords, the recently retired congresswoman from Arizona who was shot in an assassination attempt 13 months ago, returned to Washington Friday for double honors. The Navy named a ship after her and she saw President Barack Obama sign the last piece of legislation she authored into law.



First public photos of Blue Ivy Carter go online (AP)

In this undated image released by Beyonce.com, Blue Ivy, the daughter of rapper Jay-Z and his singer wife Beyonce Knowles, is shown in a recent family photo. Photos of the 1-month-old were posted by her parents on Tumblr blog page http://helloblueivycarter.tumblr.com. A hand-written note accompanying the photos reads, 'We welcome you to share our joy.' (AP Photo/Ed Burke for Beyonce.com) MANDATORY CREDITAP - She's been a sensation since she's been born, and now Blue Ivy has made her public debut.



Fight breaks out at a funeral in Phoenix (AP)
AP - A fight broke out during a funeral at a Phoenix church after a friend of the departed punched a man who had reportedly been fighting with the deceased before he died.

Lin scores 38 to lead Knicks over Lakers 92-85 (AP)

New York Knicks' Jeremy Lin (17) drives past Los Angeles Lakers' Matt Barnes (9) during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Friday, Feb. 10, 2012, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)AP - Jeremy Lin keeps getting better. Better even than Kobe Bryant on Friday night.



Anger in Greece as parliament to vote on bailout (Reuters)
Reuters - Greek lawmakers will vote this weekend on a controversial austerity bill that Athens needs to avoid a messy default but which is fuelling a domestic political and social crisis that has brought thousands of Greeks out on the streets in protest.

Obama shift seeks to defuse birth-control fight (Reuters)
Reuters - President Barack Obama, in an abrupt policy shift aimed at quelling an election-year firestorm, announced on Friday that religious employers would not be required to offer free birth control to workers and the onus would instead be put on insurers.

Obama budget declares election-year tax battle (Reuters)
Reuters - President Barack Obama will seek billions of dollars for jobs and infrastructure in his 2013 budget, an appeal to voters that draws election-year battle lines over taxes and spending as Republicans slammed him for "debt, doubt and decline."

Bombings hit Syria, Saudis push for peace at U.N. (Reuters)
Reuters - Violence flared across Syria, including bomb attacks that killed at least 28 people in Aleppo, while at the United Nations diplomats said a new effort was afoot to gain backing for an Arab peace plan to end 11 months of bloodshed in the country.

Exclusive: Walnut growers seek to stop sales to Diamond (Reuters)
Reuters - Some California farmers plan to stop selling their walnuts to Diamond Foods Inc in the wake of an accounting scandal over grower payments that has claimed the jobs of the snack company's chief executive and chief financial officer.

Anxiety over incomes hits consumer morale (Reuters)
Reuters - Americans felt worse about their personal finances in early February, but rising confidence in the labor market's prospects should help to support spending and the broader economy.

Bernanke urges action to heal housing markets (Reuters)
Reuters - Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke on Friday issued a call to action to restore U.S. housing markets, saying depressed house prices and sales are a serious drag on the economic recovery.

U.S. banks agree to $25 billion in homeowner help (Reuters)

A view of a house for sale is seen in Los Angeles in this February 24, 2010 file photo. REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni/FilesReuters - Five big U.S. banks accused of abusive mortgage practices have agreed to a $25 billion government settlement that may help roughly one million borrowers but is no magic bullet for the ailing housing market.



Miramonte sex abuse: Schools facing Catholic Church-like wave of scandal? (The Christian Science Monitor)
The Christian Science Monitor - The reopening of an investigation into teacher misconduct at a high school in Hollywood and the initiation of another in Pacoima – both in the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) – is leading to concerns that the lewd behavior uncovered at Miramonte Elementary School might be more widespread than thought.

Jerry Sandusky case: Should court let suspected pedophile see grandkids? (The Christian Science Monitor)
The Christian Science Monitor - Jerry Sandusky, the embattled former football coach for Pennsylvania State University who is charged with 52 criminal counts relating to the sexual abuse of boys, is tentatively set to go trial May 14. But between now and then, Mr. Sandusky is asking the court for less restrictive bail conditions even as state prosecutors pressed for tighter ones that would force the suspect to be confined indoors at his home.