U.S., Japanese leaders discuss North Korea

WASHINGTON -- President Bush and Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi on Saturday discussed ways to pressure North Korea to abandon its reconstituted nuclear weapons program.

The two leaders shared a 15-minute telephone call, in which Bush also told Koizumi he hoped for a "full and speedy recovery" for Japan's Emperor Akihito, said Ken Lisaius, a White House spokesman.

Akihito had prostate surgery Saturday in which doctors discovered no signs the cancer had spread.

Secretary of State Colin Powell said Saturday in Switzerland that a diplomatic solution to North's Korea's nuclear weapons ambitions can be reached and that Russia, China and Japan all are eager for the United States to resume direct talks.

Klan leader, wife of KKK leader charged in slaying

CLINTON, N.C. -- The grand dragon of a Ku Klux Klan group and the wife of a Klan leader in federal custody were among four people charged with murder in the killing of an unidentified man two years ago, authorities said Saturday.

The decomposed body was uncovered in a field earlier this month after a witness called authorities.

Sampson County Sheriff Jim Thornton said Saturday the fatal shooting appeared to be tied to a plot to bomb government offices in Johnston County in July, but he declined to elaborate.

Sharon Barefoot of Benson was arrested Friday, and Marvin Glen Gautier, 50, of Benson, and Michael Anthony Brewer, 30, the grand dragon of a group based in Robeson County, were charged Wednesday, Thornton said. A fourth person who has not been identified was also arrested Friday, Thornton said.

Astronauts hunt for dust, take sides on Super Bowl

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Space shuttle Columbia's astronauts hunted for plumes of dust over the Mediterranean Saturday and tried to further reduce the warm temperatures in their orbiting laboratory.

They also began taking sides for Sunday's Super Bowl.

Shuttle pilot William McCool, who was born in San Diego, said he was rooting for the Oakland Raiders because he watched them play while growing up. Crewmate David Brown favored the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

"Having been launched out of Florida, there are a heck of a lot of people who worked really hard from that state to get us up here and so I'm going to go for Tampa," Brown said.

Librarians say they're bothered by Patriot Act

PHILADELPHIA -- A federal law aimed at catching terrorists has raised the hackles of many of the nation's librarians, who say it goes too far by allowing law enforcement agencies to watch what some people are reading.

The USA Patriot Act, passed after the Sept. 11 attacks, gave the FBI new powers to investigate terrorism, including the ability to look at library records and computer hard drives to see what books patrons have checked out, what Web pages they've visited, and where they've sent e-mails.

--From wire reports