AP News in Brief at 5:58 p.m. EDT

She said: "I would hope that a wise Latina woman with the richness of her experiences would more often than not reach a better conclusion than a white male who hasn't lived that life." That came in the context of her saying that "our gender and national origins may and will make a difference in our judging."

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North Korea vows retaliation, US officials say new missile launches feared

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea on Friday vowed to retaliate if punitive U.N. sanctions are imposed for its latest nuclear test, and U.S. officials said there are new signs Pyongyang may be planning more long-range missile launches.

With tensions rising, the communist nation punctuated its barrage of rhetoric with yet another short-range missile launch — the sixth this week.

Perhaps more significantly, officials in Washington said there are indications of increased activity at a site used to fire long-range missiles.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because methods of gathering information about North Korea are sensitive. The officials also said an initial U.S. air sampling from near the underground test site was inconclusive.

Officials said the initial analysis doesn't prove the North successfully completed an atomic reaction. At least one more test is coming.

South Korea's Yonhap news agency said the latest test launch was a surface-to-air missile designed to defend against aircraft or other missile attacks. It said the missile was believed to be a modified version of the Russian SA-5.

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APNewsBreak: Infamous terrorist indicted in plane bombing flees to Lebanon, official says

NEW YORK (AP) — A master bomb maker who once targeted commercial airliners and was suspected of aiding the Iraq insurgency has fled to Lebanon, an FBI official has confirmed.

There is information that 73-year-old Abu Ibrahim was reportedly in Tripoli, a city in northwest Lebanon, the official said earlier this week. The official spoke on the condition of anonymity because the investigation continues.

The Palestinian terrorist is accused of bombings in the 1980s. He was indicted in the 1982 bombing of Pan Am Flight 830. The explosion killed a 16-year-old boy and wounded more than a dozen passengers as the plane headed to Honolulu from Tokyo.

The FBI has been looking to catch Ibrahim for decades and has recently increased its efforts to arrest him. In April, an FBI committee recommended Ibrahim be placed on agency's list of most wanted terrorists.

The FBI is also trying to tap a State Department reward program to boost the bounty for his capture to millions of dollars. Ibrahim's real name is Husayn al-Umari.

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Defense contractor for whom Murtha got earmarks is suspended for alleged fraud

WASHINGTON (AP) — A Pennsylvania defense contractor who got millions of dollars in congressional earmarks from Rep. John Murtha has been blocked from doing business with the Navy amid allegations of fraud.

Details of the suspension surfaced Friday as another Democrat who serves on the Murtha-chaired House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, Rep. Pete Visclosky of Indiana, was subpoenaed in a Justice Department criminal investigation involving a Washington-area lobbying firm with strong links to both Murtha and Visclosky.

A federal grand jury subpoenaed records relating to a firm known as PMA Group from Visclosky's congressional office, his campaign committees and from some of Visclosky's employees. In recent months, FBI agents raided PMA and the suspended Pennsylvania firm, Kuchera Defense Systems Inc.

During a brief news conference Friday at a Johnstown, Pa., trade show for defense contractors, Murtha turned aside questions about the suspension of Kuchera, a family-run business that has supported him with $60,000 to his campaign and to his political action committee since 2002.

Over the past two years, Murtha has secured $14.7 million in congressionally directed funds known as "earmarks" for Kuchera to perform work for the military, a tiny slice of Murtha's earmarks overall.

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Phil Spector sentenced to 19 years to life in prison for murder of actress Lana Clarkson

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Phil Spector was sentenced Friday to 19 years to life in prison for the murder of actress Lana Clarkson, who was shot through the mouth in the music producer's home six years ago.

Spector, 69, looked straight forward and showed no emotion as Superior Court Judge Larry Paul Fidler ordered a term of 15 years to life for second-degree murder plus four years for personal use of a gun.

Clarkson's mother, Donna, made a brief statement before sentencing, speaking of her daughter's fine qualities, sense of humor, intelligence and dedication to her craft of acting.

"I'm very proud of Lana, proud to be her mother," Donna Clarkson said. She added, "No one should suffer the loss of a child."

The judge also ordered Spector to pay $16,811 in funeral expenses, $9,740 to a state victims' restitution fund and other fees.

Spector, dressed in his customary dark pinstripe suit with a red silk tie, was led away immediately. His attorney asked that he be transferred immediately from county jail to a state prison. It was not immediately known to which prison Spector would be assigned.

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NYPD investigates how on-duty officer shot off-duty colleague pursuing suspect

NEW YORK (AP) — A police officer had just opened fire on a man he thought was a criminal, caught running through a desolate stretch of Harlem with a gun in his hand.

But when paramedics arrived at the scene and cut through the bloodied clothes, the officers realized the man handcuffed and dying in the street was wearing a police academy T-shirt underneath his street clothes, and had a badge in his pocket.

He was a rookie cop chasing down a thief who had just broken into his car.

Now, police are trying to determine whether any disciplinary or legal action will be taken against the officer who fired or whether the victim, Omar J. Edwards, might not have followed proper procedure.

The officer who fired and two others involved were placed on administrative duty during the investigation, and it is too early to say whether anyone was at fault, said police spokesman Paul Browne.

"The matter is under investigation. I'm not going to characterize the shooting in any way," he said Friday.

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Woman accused of faking Pa. abduction, fleeing to Disney World due back in Philly area

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — A woman accused in an abduction hoax that began near Philadelphia and ended at Walt Disney World began heading back to Pennsylvania in police custody on Friday.

A drained-looking Bonnie Sweeten, 38, appeared in an Orlando, Fla., courtroom for a brief hearing Friday morning before detectives from Bucks County, Pa., escorted her to the airport for the flight home.

She was expected to be arraigned on misdemeanor identity theft and false reporting charges late Friday. Local police are also investigating whether Sweeten stole money from a family member or others, but no related charges have been filed.

Sweeten phoned 911 on Tuesday from downtown Philadelphia and told dispatchers that she and her 9-year-old daughter had been carjacked and stuffed in the trunk of a Cadillac near their suburban home. The call touched off a frantic search that ended 30 hours later at a Disney World hotel.

Sweeten had withdrawn $12,000 from several bank accounts and flown to Florida with her daughter under the name of a former co-worker whose driver's license she had taken in a ruse, authorities said. She paid cash for the one-way tickets and for a three-night hotel stay inside the park.

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Add investigation to 'Jon&Kate Plus 8': Pa. probing reality TV show child labor complaint

WERNERSVILLE, Pa. (AP) — Jon, Kate and their eight have attracted a huge TV audience, screaming tabloid headlines and, now, a state labor investigation.

In a possible wake-up call to reality TV, the Pennsylvania Department of Labor says it's looking into whether the hit show "Jon&Kate Plus 8" is complying with the state's child labor law. TLC said Friday it "fully complies" with state laws and regulations.

The TLC series follows Jon and Kate Gosselin as they raise their eight young children, including 8-year-old twins and sextuplets who just turned 5.

The show drew nearly 10 million viewers for its fifth-season premiere Monday — more than double the audience for its fourth-season finale several weeks ago — following media reports that the couple had cheated on each other. They denied it, but conceded their marriage is in trouble.

The Labor Department received a complaint against the show and is "gathering information" from its representatives, department spokesman Justin Fleming told The Associated Press. Fleming would not say when the complaint was filed or who filed it.

The fact a complaint is being investigated doesn't necessarily mean the department believes the show did anything wrong.

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Colorado flight instructor demonstrates lesson No. 1: Check gas BEFORE you take off

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (AP) — A retired Air Force colonel with decades of experience as a flight instructor gave one of his students a hands-on lesson in a key principle of flying: Don't run out of gas.

Al Uhalt of Colorado Springs made a bumpy but safe landing in a field Thursday when the single-engine Aviat Husky he and a student were flying ran out of fuel near the end of a 45-minute lesson.

Neither Uhalt nor the student, 16-year-old Kyle Sundman, was injured and the plane was undamaged.

Uhalt says he's embarrassed. Kyle's grandfather, Jim Young, who owns the plane, was flying behind them. He says he didn't worry because he knew Uhalt was experienced and the plane was rugged.

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Rockies fire manager Clint Hurdle and replace him with bench coach Jim Tracy after 18-28 start

DENVER (AP) — The Colorado Rockies have fired manager Clint Hurdle less than two years after their incredible "Roctober" run to the World Series. He was replaced by bench coach Jim Tracy.

Without reliable hitting, pitching or defense, the Rockies stumbled to an 18-28 start and were 14½ games behind Los Angeles in the NL West heading into Friday night's action.

Hurdle, who had been Colorado's manager since replacing Buddy Bell three weeks into the 2002 season, was 534-625 for a .460 winning percentage in his seven-plus seasons.

Since the Rockies' one and only trip to the World Series in 2007, where they were swept by the Boston Red Sox, Colorado was 24 games under .500 with Hurdle at the helm.

Tracy has a 562-572 managerial record with the Los Angeles Dodgers (2001-05) and Pittsburgh Pirates (2006-07), with a division title in 2004. He joined the Rockies' staff this winter at the behest of general manager Dan O'Dowd.

Hurdle, who was in the final year of his contract, was hamstrung this season by the loss of his best hitter and his best pitcher as the Rockies got off to their second straight slow start, which affected attendance.