Posted Thursday, September 9, 2010 --- 7:25 a.m.

Obama on Quran burning...Marines free ship...LA officer's past

WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Barack Obama is exhorting a Florida minister to call off his plan to engage in a Quran-burning protest this weekend. Obama calls it "a recruitment bonanza for al-Qaida." The president tells ABC he hopes the Rev. Terry Jones listens to the pleas of people who have asked him to call off the plan.

UNDATED (AP) -- The Florida minister who plans to burn copies of the Quran on Saturday is reportedly willing to re-think that if the White House, State Department, or Pentagon calls. USA Today says the Rev. Terry Jones told it that a call from high-level Washington is not something they would ignore.

MANAMA, Bahrain (AP) -- The U.S. Navy says Marine commandos have reclaimed control of a pirate-held vessel off the Somali coast and taken nine prisoners. The U.S. Fifth Fleet says the raid took place just before dawn today. The German-owned Megellan Star was commandeered by pirates a day earlier.

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) -- The remnants of Tropical Storm Hermine have moved into Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri and Kansas after wreaking havoc in Texas. Flood watches are in effect. In Texas, the storm swamped streets, produced several tornadoes and killed at least two people.

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- The Los Angeles Times reports that veteran LAPD Officer Frank Hernandez had been involved in two previous shooting incidents before fatally shooting a knife-wielding Guatemalan man on Sunday. The latest shooting has sparked three nights of community protests.

Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.