Kids in Washington home blast suffered chop wounds

SEATTLE (Reuters) - The two boys of a man who blew up his Washington state home, killing himself and his sons, suffered chop wounds in their final moments and died of smoke inhalation, a law enforcement official said on Monday.

All staff replaced at L.A. school after sex abuse allegations

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - In an attempt to regain parents' trust, educational officials said on Monday they are replacing all staff at a Los Angeles school where two instructors are accused of having sexually abused children.

Court to rule on California gay marriage ban

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - A U.S. appeals court is set to rule on Tuesday whether California's ban on gay marriage is constitutional in a case that is likely to lead to a showdown on the issue in the U.S. Supreme Court.

Former lobbyist Abramoff balks at naming ex-associates

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Jack Abramoff, the former lobbyist at the center of a U.S. bribery scandal six years ago, said on Monday he does not want to publicly identify former associates because he does not want to see more people hurt.

Obama nominates Air Force's first female four-star general

(Reuters) - President Barack Obama has nominated Air Force Lieutenant General Janet Wolfenbarger to become the service's first woman four-star general, military officials said on Monday.

Haditha Marine's lawyers call Anonymous "cowards" after hack

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Lawyers for a U.S. Marine court-martialed for his role in killing Iraqi civilians in Haditha slammed the international hacking collective Anonymous as "cowards" on Monday after they knocked out the firm's website and published internal e-mails on the web.

U.S. judge grants more time for accused Tucson shooter

SAN DIEGO (Reuters) - A federal judge has agreed that the man charged with a deadly shooting spree last year that gravely wounded then-Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords has made "measureable progress" in regaining his mental fitness to stand trial.

Amanda Knox appeals slander conviction in Italy

(Reuters) - Lawyers for Amanda Knox, who was cleared of murder in October by an Italian court, on Monday asked an appeals court there to overturn her slander conviction as well, a spokesman said.

Cab driver admits giving cash to militant linked to al Qaeda

CHICAGO (Reuters) - A Chicago cab driver pleaded guilty on Monday to giving hundreds of dollars to a senior Pakistan-based al Qaeda operative implicated in militant plots in South Asia and Europe who was killed in a suspected U.S. drone strike in June.

Ohio man pleads guilty in U.S. to supporting al Shabaab

MINNEAPOLIS (Reuters) - An Ohio man pleaded guilty on Monday in federal court in Minnesota to U.S. charges of helping raise money for al Shabaab rebels in Somalia, prosecutors said.