Daily News Thread

[lawyerlee]

BTK Suspect's Murder Trial Set to Begin (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20050626/ap_on_re_us/btk_killings&printer=1;_ylt=As7w.sCp186DKCrBio4HmNhH2ocA;_ylu=X 3oDMTA3MXN1bHE0BHNlYwN0bWE-)

By ROXANA HEGEMAN, Associated Press Writer 56 minutes ago
A trial is scheduled to begin Monday for the man accused of being the notorious BTK serial killer, blamed for the killings of 10 people, but no one outside the defense has any idea what's going to happen.

Aside from an early routine defense motion for discovery of evidence, the court record on the case against BTK suspect Dennis Rader has been unusually silent.

None of the typical defense strategies have been filed, said Jim Pratt, a Wichita criminal defense attorney who has watched the case.

No motion for a change of venue is on record in the highly publicized case. There are no motions to suppress evidence or even for a detailed juror questionnaire.

It was only last month that Rader was arraigned, standing mute as District Judge Gregory Waller entered a not guilty plea on his behalf.

The judge set trial to begin Monday, but nearly everyone expected that to be postponed given the complexity of the 10-count, first-degree murder case. Getting a continuance would have been easy; all it usually takes in Sedgwick County is a call to the prosecutors and scheduling clerk rather than a formal motion, Pratt said.

But Rader's court-appointed attorneys have not been talking. Their spokesman, Mark Orr, would say only that whatever happens in the case will happen in court. Orr said the defense attorneys had not divulged to him what they planned to do and were not taking calls from reporters.

"It would be very unusual for a jury trial to begin at first setting, but so far everything about this case has been unusual," said Georgia Cole, spokeswoman for the Sedgwick County District Attorney's Office.

All prosecutors know, Cole said, is that some type of court proceeding will be held on Monday.

"Beyond that, I cannot guess," she said.

Prosecutors insisted there had been no plea deal.

Rader, 60, of Park City, is accused of killing 10 people in the Wichita area between 1974 and 1991. The BTK killer — BTK stands for "Bind, Torture, Kill" — taunted media and police with cryptic messages that became increasingly frequent in the months before Rader's arrest.

Despite the notoriety of the case, the court called no additional prospective jurors. Jury clerk Linda Marvin said the usual pool of 120 prospective jurors would be on hand Monday, with the usual 200 extra people on call.

The most Rader could face is a life sentence because Kansas had no death penalty statute on the books when the crimes with which he is charged were committed.

[lawyerlee]

Plane With Knife on Board Returns to Ill. (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20050626/ap_on_re_us/brf_knife_on_flight&printer=1;_ylt=An4gr19BLbdZp_byTt409kNH2ocA;_ylu=X 3oDMTA3MXN1bHE0BHNlYwN0bWE-)

An American Airlines flight that had taken off on a flight to Rome returned to O'Hare International Airport because a passenger found a small knife on board, an airline spokeswoman said Sunday.

American Airlines Flight 110 had been in the air for more than an hour Saturday when the passenger found the knife inside an airline-provided package containing a pillow and blanket, American spokeswoman Mary Frances Fagan said.

The plane was returned to O'Hare as a security precaution, Fagan said. The Boeing 767-300, which had 199 passengers, landed about 2 1/2 hours after taking off.

Fagan said the airline did not know how the knife got into the plastic-wrapped package. Airline personnel found nothing suspicious on board following the landing.

The federal Transportation Security Administration later cleared the aircraft for takeoff, TSA spokeswoman Jessie Nicholson said.

However, passengers had to spend the night in Chicago because the flight crew had worked too many consecutive hours under federal regulations. The flight left Sunday morning, Fagan said.


Survivors Mourn 178,000 Killed in Tsunami (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20050626/ap_on_re_as/tsunami_remembered&printer=1;_ylt=AtPwjAZ34zErRmV3uek3mvn9xg8F;_ylu=X 3oDMTA3MXN1bHE0BHNlYwN0bWE-)

By KRISHAN FRANCIS, Associated Press Writer 22 minutes ago

Marking the day six months ago that an earthquake and tsunami killed 178,000 people and left another 50,000 missing, volunteers in this Sri Lankan hamlet collected anything left from the rubble for an exhibition meant to help survivors mourn.

School bags, shoes, tea cups, television parts were all brought to a school in Vakarai, about 37 miles northeast of Batticaloa.

"This pair of shoes, my daughter liked most" read an inscription near a shoe.

Elsewhere across Asia, some places held ceremonies Sunday to mourn those lost and mark the day that devastated so many lives.

In India's worst affected area of Nagapattinam, a fisherman burned incense sticks before a coconut sapling planted by the shore. The plant, named after the fisherman Ravi Shankar's niece Nandini K., is among 207 saplings planted in the memory of children who died at the spot.

More than 11,000 people died in India, and fears of another tsunami linger, said Namaswaya, the head of a local fishermen cooperative in Nagapattinam.

"The water is very rough, so people don't want to go. There was also a rumor that there could be another tsunami at 6 a.m. today," he said.

In Indonesia, where people had gathered a day earlier to commemorate the 131,000 killed there, signs of hope mingled with new life as families filled the grounds of the Baiturrahman Grand Mosque in the heart of hardest-hit Banda Aceh and wedding parties were held throughout the provincial capital.

[lawyerlee]

Neo-Nazis outnumbered at historic site (http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/06/25/neo.nazi.rally/index.html)

YORKTOWN, Virginia (CNN) -- Standing at what was once a U.S. Revolutionary War battlefield, about 125 Neo-Nazis and sympathizers held a rally Saturday while two groups of counter demonstrators protested.

One of the counter demonstrations had about twice as many people.

Some of the Neo-Nazis gathered at Yorktown Battlefield dressed in traditional Nazi garb, with brown shirts and swastika arm bands. Many had shaved heads, and called out "Sieg Heil," a slogan of Nazi Germany.

National Socialist Movement leader Jeff Schoep railed against immigrants, calling them "putrid scum" that are "pouring over our borders, destroying our culture, and robbing us of our heritage."

"We must secure the existence of white people and the future of white children," another speaker said.

In its application for a permit, the movement said it was "inviting the Ku Klux Klan, skinheads, Aryan nations, and any other patriotic groups" to take part.

About a third of the participants in the rally were aligned with the Neo-Nazi movement, while others included skinheads and some Klan members, organizers said.

Some participants waved American flags, while others waved flags with swastikas on them.


U.S. officials: Mosul attacks kill 41 (http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/meast/06/26/iraq.main/index.html)
Baghdad deputy chief of emergency police assassinated

BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- U.S. military officials said four suicide bombs in the Mosul area killed 41 people in 18 hours, while Iraqi police said the toll from the attacks was at least 19 dead and 27 wounded.

The most recent blast took place at 2:45 p.m. (6:45 a.m. ET) Sunday at the security entrance of the emergency room of the Jamahoori Hospital, killing five police officers and wounding six, Iraqi police said. U.S. military officials said three people were killed in the hospital attack.

The officers involved were hospital security personnel, police said.

Earlier a suicide bomber attacked the Kasak Iraqi military base parking lot, killing at least five people and wounding 13 more, police said. U.S. military officials, however, put the death toll at 16.

Police said casualties all were civilian laborers at the base -- which houses an Iraqi army division. U.S. officials said the bomber claimed 16 lives.

Earlier, a bomb hidden in a pickup truck under a pile of watermelons exploded outside an Iraqi police station, killing four police officers who were inside along with an Iraqi civilian, said Iraqi police Gen. Sa'id al-Jubori.

Eight people were wounded in the attack -- which occurred Sunday morning at the main gate of al-Toob police station in western Mosul, al-Jubori said. U.S. military officials said the blast killed 15 people.

The string of bombings began Saturday night. A suicide car bomb -- targeting an Iraqi police convoy -- killed four Iraqi police officers, police said. U.S. military officials said seven people died in the attack.

[lawyerlee]

Euan Blair gets job in US as an intern (http://politics.guardian.co.uk/labour/story/0,9061,1515389,00.html)

Prime minister's eldest son to spend three months in Washington after university working for Republican congressman

Michael White, political editor
Monday June 27, 2005
The Guardian
Euan Blair will be spending three months in Washington working as an unpaid intern for a powerful Republican congressman this summer. But he is also hoping to work for a Democrat as well, Downing Street confirmed yesterday.

The prime minister's eldest son, who is about to graduate from Bristol University, will work for Congressman David Dreier, chairman of the House rules committee as part of preparation for what he hopes will be an MBA course at Harvard, possibly after a gap year.

[lawyerlee]

US accused over Muslim detentions (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4625201.stm) BBC News
The US indefinitely detained some 70 Muslim men after the 11 September attacks on baseless accusations of terrorist links, US rights bodies say.

The US Justice Department held the men under a federal law as witnesses likely to flee, Human Rights Watch and the American Civil Liberties Union say.

In a new report, the US is criticised for not arresting the men as criminal suspects, and later releasing many.

The Justice Department says the witness ruling is crucial to crime-fighting.

The material witness law was designed to allow the detention of witnesses thought to have information relating to a crime but who might flee.

Judges were willing to co-operate with FBI calls for detentions in the weeks and months after 11 September 2001 as authorities attempted both to investigate the attacks and to prevent fresh strikes.

[lawyerlee]

Wind, heat challenge Southwest fire crews (http://www.usatoday.com/weather/stormcenter/2005-06-26-wildfires_x.htm) USA Today

ST. GEORGE, Utah (AP) — Firefighters battled in hot, dry and windy weather Sunday to contain a nearly 60,000-acre wildfire that prompted evacuations, closed a major highway for hours and covered much of southwest Utah with a dark, smoky haze.

Evacuation orders remained in place Sunday for the small town of Gunlock and the tiny reservation community of Shivwits, home of the Shivwits Band of Paiutes.

Temperatures in the 90s and high wind pushed the fire through grass and brush made thick by winter rainfall.

"It limits our capabilities and makes it hard to get a handle on it," said Brian Cardoza, 32, of the Boise-based Idaho City Hot Shots team, who was starting his fifth day on the fire.

Elsewhere, firefighters confronted blazes in California, Arizona and Nevada that had consumed more than 200,000 acres.

Crews were able to contain about 15% of the 60,000-acre Utah fire Saturday, and fire management officials predicted full containment by late Thursday.

Residents of Gunlock, about 260 miles southwest of Salt Lake City, were told to leave Saturday after the fire edged to within four miles of town. Flames up to 10 feet high were visible Saturday from Interstate 15 just north of St. George before a separate lightning-caused fire jumped the road and closed it for about seven hours during the night.

[lawyerlee]

Rader pleads guilty to BTK murders (http://www.cnn.com/2005/LAW/06/27/btk.killings.ap/index.html)

Defendant describes for court how he killed

WICHITA, Kansas (AP) -- BTK suspect Dennis Rader pleaded guilty Monday to 10 counts of first-degree murder, admitting in a chillingly matter-of-fact voice to a series of slayings that terrorized the city beginning in the 1970s.

Rader, 60, of Park City, entered the guilty pleas as his trial was scheduled to begin Monday.

"I had never strangled anyone before, so I really didn't know how much pressure you had to put on a person or how long it would take," he told the court in describing his first killings in 1974, a couple and two children.

Prosecutors had said before the hearing that no plea deal had been made. Rader was arrested four months ago.

The onetime president of the church council at Christ Lutheran Church and Boy Scout leader, Rader admitted killing 10 people in the Wichita area between 1974 and 1991. The serial killer known as BTK -- the self-coined nickname that stands for "Bind, Torture, Kill" -- taunted media and police with cryptic messages.

No sentencing date was immediately set. Rader will not face the death penalty because the crimes were committed before the state adopted a new capital punishment law.

Rader, wearing a beige coat and dark tie, told District Judge Gregory Waller that he understood the charges against him and that he was waiving his right to a jury trial.

"The defense worked with me real well," Rader said. "We went over it. I feel like I'm pretty happy with them."

Asked by Waller if he was pleading because he was guilty, Rader answered, "Yes, sir."

The earliest crimes linked to the BTK strangler date to Jan. 15, 1974, when Joseph Otero, 38, and his 34-year-old wife, Julie, and their children Josephine, 11, and Joseph II, 9, were found dead in their home.

"The whole family just panicked on me. I worked pretty quick," he said. "I strangled Mrs. Otero. She passed out. I thought she was dead. I strangled Josephine. She passed out. I thought she was dead. Then I went over and put a bag on Junior's head."

He later said about Mrs. Otero: "I went back and strangled her again."

BTK's next three known victims were young women found strangled in their homes: Kathryn Bright, 21, in April 1974; Shirley Vian, 24, in March 1977; and Nancy Fox, 25, in December 1977.

After years of silence, the killer resurfaced last year with a letter to The Wichita Eagle that included photos of the 1986 strangulation of Vicki Wegerle and a photocopy of her missing driver's license. Her case had not been linked to BTK until then.

The messages became increasingly frequent in the months before Rader's arrest on February 25.

That letter was followed by several other cryptic messages and packages. The break in the case came after a computer diskette the killer had sent was traced to Rader's church.

Rader also is charged with the killings of Marine Hedge, 53, who was abducted from her Park City home on April 27, 1985, and found dead along a dirt road eight days later, and Dolores Davis, 62, who was abducted from her Park City home January 19, 1991. Those deaths were not linked to BTK until Rader's arrest.

[lawyerlee]

Saddam the Novelist (http://www.radaronline.com/the-wire/2005/06/27/index.php#wire_001495) Radar Online

In between Dorito munching and sweaty work-outs, ousted Iraqi dictator and occasional novelist, Saddam Hussein will release his third work of fiction this week in Amman, Jordan. Saddam’s latest novel, “Ekhroj minha ya mak’un,” which translates roughly as “Damned one, Get out of here” (a perhaps not-so-subtle reference to his feelings about the US) was finished a month before the American occupation crushed his regime in April 2003. (Saddam’s previous books, in case you’re looking for some fun summer reading, includes Zabiba and the King and The Impregnable Fortress.)

According to Al Jazeera, the book “tackles the life of a man called Haskeel who moves from his hometown to a city, where he starts making conspiracies to oust the local chief. At the end of the novel, the chief’s daughter, succeeds in kicking Haskeel out of the city with the help of a knight.” But apparently even Saddam had trouble controlling the release of his work: an early unedited copy of the novel, which will be soon made available throughout the Middle East and will eventually be translated into English and French, has been available in Iraq for the past several months without his consent. Hussein’s daughter, Raghd, plays the Dave Eggers role, endorsing the novel with a dedication to her father: “To the maker of heroes and men, to the one who taught us the love of the nation, to my dear father with appreciation and praise.” Now if that isn’t good publicity we don’t know what is. (JB)

[lawyerlee]

Boy critically injured in second shark attack (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/8356537/) MSNBC
Rescuer tells of unsuccessfully trying to save girl from shark on Saturday

PENSACOLA, Fla. - A teenage boy was critically injured Monday in the second shark attack in three days along the Florida Panhandle.

The boy, whose age and name were not released, was taken to Bay Medical Center in Panama City. The nature of his injuries was not immediately released.

He was attacked off Cape San Blas, a popular vacation destination about 80 miles southeast of the Destin area where 14-year-old Jamie Marie Daigle of Gonzales, La., was killed by a shark on Saturday.

[lawyerlee]

Canada’s House of Commons OKs gay marriage (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/8391828/) MSNBC

Bill grants same-sex couples same legal rights as heterosexual couples

The Associated Press

TORONTO - Canada’s House of Commons passed landmark legislation Tuesday to legalize gay marriage, granting same-sex couples legal rights equal to those in traditional unions between a man and a woman.

The bill passed as expected, despite opposition from Conservatives and religious leaders. The legislation drafted by Prime Minister Paul Martin’s minority Liberal Party government was also expected to easily pass the Senate and become federal law by the end of July.

The Netherlands and Belgium are the only other two nations that allow gay marriage nationwide.

Some of Martin’s Liberal lawmakers voted against the bill and a Cabinet minister resigned Tuesday over the legislation. But enough allies rallied to support the bill that has been debated for months, voting 158 to 133 to approve it.

[lawyerlee]

Ex-HealthSouth CEO found not guilty (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/8293846/) MSNBC

Richard Scrushy acquitted on all counts in corporate-fraud trial

The Associated Press

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - HealthSouth Corp. founder Richard Scrushy walked away a free man Tuesday after a jury cleared him of all charges in a stunning setback for federal prosecutors who sought to add his name to a list of CEOs convicted of fraud.

Scrushy was the first of the high-profile chief executives to escape conviction since a wave of corporate scandals and indictments followed Enron Corp.’s collapse almost four years ago, even though the case against him was widely considered among the strongest.

With all five former CFOs pleading guilty and testifying that Scrushy led a scheme to inflate earnings by $2.7 billion at the rehabilitation and medical services chain, some viewed the government’s case as stronger than in other fraud trials.

Yet when it finished 21 days of deliberations, the last five with an alternate replacing a sick juror, the panel acquited Scrushy of all 36 counts of fraud, false corporate reporting and making false statements to regulators.

Eight jurors who met with reporters after the verdict said key witnesses were not credible and the prosecution failed to present substantial evidence linking the fraud to Scrushy. “The smoking gun wasn’t pointing toward Mr. Scrushy,” said one juror, identified only by court-assigned number and not by name.

As the “not guilty” verdicts were read on count after count, Scrushy started crying, then reached around and hugged his wife, Leslie, in the first row behind the defense table.

“I’m going to go to a church and pray,” Scrushy said as he left the courthouse. “I’m going to be with my family. Thank God for this.”

[lawyerlee]

What will $16 billion buy? A Senate energy plan (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/8385903/) MSNBC

Bill passes 85-12, but it differs sharply from House version

The Associated Press

WASHINGTON - The Senate approved an energy bill Tuesday that was more favorable to conservation, wind farms and ethanol and less kind to oil and gas producers than legislation passed by the House.

Whether the sharp differences can be resolved may depend on how much pressure President Bush can bring to bear. The president urged the lawmakers to resolve their differences quickly and send him a bill before August.

"The administration's attitude is we want a bill," Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman told The Associated Press. "I think you will see the president quite proactive on this."

Hard bargaining lies ahead, especially with a pesky issue surrounding the gasoline additive MTBE remaining a potential deal breaker — as it was two years ago.

Dangerous gasoline additive under fire

The House, particularly Majority Leader Tom DeLay of Texas, wants to protect oil companies and refiners who produced MTBE from environmental lawsuits brought by communities whose drinking water has been contaminated by the additive. DeLay said Tuesday an attempt is being made to "come up with a solution" to the MTBE issue, but provided no details.

Supporters of the Senate bill, which has broad bipartisan backing and is silent on MTBE, say such liability protection would trigger a filibuster and send the bill to defeat, as it did in 2003. Sen. Pete Domenici, R-N.M., said the House needs to work out a compromise on MTBE that can pass Senate muster.

After finishing all but a final vote on the bill last week, the Senate approved the 1,250-page document Tuesday 85-12. Seven Democrats and five Republicans voted against the bill.

Despite its broad sweep, which would affect virtually every energy industry while boosting energy conservation, lawmakers acknowledged the bill would have little impact on current high gasoline and crude oil prices. Crude oil eclipsed $60 a barrel this week and gasoline averaged $2.22 a gallon nationwide, according to the Energy Department.

Bush said the Senate-passed bill would help U.S. economic growth by addressing the root causes of high energy prices and the nation's growing dependence on foreign supplies. But the bill's critics argued it does little to reduce demand for oil, two-thirds of which goes for transportation, or reduce oil imports, which account for 58 percent of U.S. demand.

More environmentally friendly than the energy bill passed by the House in April, the Senate bill would funnel 40 percent of $18 billion in tax breaks over 10 years to boost renewable energy sources, energy conservation and alternative transportation fuels.

[lawyerlee]

Tobacco giants face $14bn claim (http://www.guardian.co.uk/usa/story/0,12271,1517017,00.html) The Guardian

David Teather in New York
Wednesday June 29, 2005

The US government yesterday said it was seeking $14bn (£7.7bn) in penalties against tobacco companies in a racketeering case that accused the industry of conspiring to hide the risks of smoking.

The sum includes $4bn to fund an anti-smoking education campaign in addition to the $10bn quit smoking programme outlined by government prosecutors in the trial's closing arguments.

The final amount was detailed formally in a motion filed with the court late on Monday. It still however remains significantly below the $130bn, 25-year programme that had been recommended by a government witness.

The sharp reduction in the penalty sought prompted a political row in the US, with Democrats accusing the Bush administration of bending to the demands of the tobacco industry.

The case had initially been filed by the Clinton administration in 1999, and opponents have argued that the present government has little interest in pursuing claims against big business.

The cut caused even the judge trying the case to wonder aloud whether any pressure had been put on prosecutors to lower their demands. The justice department has agreed to launch a formal investigation.

"It is a serious breach of the justice department's responsibility to the American people and an abuse of power on behalf of the tobacco companies," the Massachusetts Democrat Edward Kennedy said in response to the formal motion.

The $4bn education programme would be administered by the American Legacy Foundation, an anti-smoking organisation set up as part of the 1998 settlement with the various US states.

The $10bn quit-smoking programme would fund telephone advice lines, clinics and research over five years.

The government is also seeking a ban on the use of descriptions such as "mild" and "light" and the appointment of an investigations officer with the authority to monitor and investigate tobacco companies and even to remove executives.

The defendants in the suit were Philip Morris, British American Tobacco, RJ Reynolds, Liggett Group, and Lorillard Tobacco. The companies have denied the charge that they illegally conspired to hide the harmful effects of smoking. "Regardless of what the government is asking for, the law and the facts applied to this case have not changed," said a spokeswoman for Philip Morris parent Altria.

The case accuses the tobacco industry of orchestrating a 50-year conspiracy to hide the harmful health effects and addictive nature of cigarettes.

In closing arguments at the end of the eight month trial, prosecutionlawyers said the industry had misled people with "half truths, deceptions and lies that continue to this day".

The case was brought under the civil Racketeer-Influenced and Corrupt Organisations Act. There were 44,000 pages of testimony from more than 80 witnesses.

[lawyerlee]

Loren fights to ban party's posters (http://www.guardian.co.uk/italy/story/0,12576,1516949,00.html) The Guardian

John Hooper in Rome
Wednesday June 29, 2005

The actor Sophia Loren has begun legal action to stop a poster campaign launched by Italy's former neo-fascists that implicitly links foreigners and rapists.

A lawyer for Loren said she was ready to take "any necessary action" to prevent the National Alliance, the second biggest party in Silvio Berlusconi's government, from using a still from one of her films on posters that have begun to appear in Rome. The party's campaign follows outrage over a string of recent sex attacks.

[lawyerlee]

Dairy Industry Sued Over Weight-Loss Claims (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/06/28/AR2005062800834_pf.html) Washington Post

By Jerry Markon
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, June 29, 2005; A09

An activist physicians group entered the battle of the bulge yesterday, filing lawsuits in Alexandria that accuse the dairy industry of fraudulently claiming that people can shed pounds by consuming more dairy products.

The two lawsuits by the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, filed in Alexandria Circuit Court, contend the industry has promoted the weight-loss notion through a "massive, deceptive advertising campaign." In fact, the committee says, overwhelming scientific evidence shows that dairy products cause weight gain or have no effect on weight.

The sole plaintiff in the suits, Catherine Holmes of Arlington, said in an interview yesterday that she went on the so-called "dairy diet" late last year because she "just wanted to drop a dress size or two." Holmes, 46, said she wound up gaining three pounds.

"I was thinking that I wasn't seeing the fat melting off like all those skinny little girls in the ads," said Holmes, who is 5 feet 5 and weighs 163 pounds. "They need to pull these ads and quit misleading people."

One of the lawsuits seeks an order from a judge halting the dairy industry campaign, and the other lawsuit seeks damages for Holmes. Among the defendants are Kraft Foods Inc., General Mills Inc., the Dannon Co. Inc. and three dairy industry trade groups.

The dairy industry strongly defended the advertising campaign and reiterated its contention that consuming dairy products helps with weight loss when coupled with calorie restriction. One of the groups that was sued yesterday, the National Dairy Council, has spent $200 million promoting the idea since 2003.

[lawyerlee]

New Office to Oversee Intelligence Abroad (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/06/28/AR2005062801376.html?nav=hcmodule) Washington Post

Change Is Result of Panel Recommendation

By Walter Pincus
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, June 29, 2005; Page A19

The White House has decided to establish an office to manage and coordinate all U.S. human intelligence collection overseas, whether carried out by the CIA, the Pentagon or the FBI, one of dozens of recommendations made in March by a presidential commission on intelligence, according to current and former senior intelligence officials.

The administration is scheduled today to announce the new office and other intelligence changes arising from recommendations by the commission, which was headed by Judge Laurence H. Silberman and former senator Charles S. Robb (D-Va.). The office will be modeled after a commission recommendation to establish a Human Intelligence Directorate within the CIA that would be in a position superior to the Directorate of Operations, which now runs the agency's clandestine operations abroad, officials said.

[lawyerlee]

Critics call for more troops in Iraq (http://www.cnn.com/2005/POLITICS/06/29/bush.speech.ap/index.html) CNN

Some Dems accuse Bush of linking Saddam to 9/11 attacks

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Congressional critics of President Bush's stay-the-course commitment to the war in Iraq argued Wednesday that the administration lacks sufficient troops on the ground to mount a successful counterinsurgency.

And Democrats in particular criticized Bush for again raising the September 11 attacks as a justification for the protracted fight in Iraq after the president proclaimed anew that he plans to keep U.S. forces there as long as necessary to ensure peace.

Urging patience on an American public showing doubts about his Iraq policy, Bush mentioned the deadly 2001 terrorist attacks on New York and Washington five times during a 28-minute address Tuesday night at Fort Bragg, North Carolina.

Some Democrats quickly accused him of reviving a questionable link to the war in Iraq -- a rationale that Bush originally used to help justify launching strikes against Baghdad in the spring of 2003.

House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi accused Bush of demonstrating a willingness "exploit the sacred ground of 9/11, knowing that there is no connection between 9/11 and the war in Iraq."

White House press secretary Scott McClellan said Wednesday that some of the president's critics are mischaracterizing his remarks. Bush has said there were no ties between al Qaeda and former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein, but McClellan said Wednesday that "September 11th changed the equation in terms of how we confront the threats that we face in the 21st century."

Bush first mentioned the terrorist attacks on the Pentagon and the World Trade Center at the beginning of his speech, delivered at an Army base that has many troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. He acknowledged that Americans are disturbed by frequent deaths of U.S. troops, but tried to persuade an increasingly skeptical public to stick with the mission.

"The war reached our shores on September the 11th, 2001," Bush told a national television audience and 750 soldiers and airmen in dress uniform who mostly listened quietly as they had been asked to do.

"Iraq is the latest battlefield in this war," he continued.

Bush said he understands the public concerns about a 27-month-old war that has killed more than 1,700 Americans and 12,000 Iraqi civilians and cost $200 billion. But he argued that the sacrifice "is worth it."

[lawyerlee]

New WTC tower design made public (http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/06/29/wtc.tower.redesign/index.html) CNN

http://i.a.cnn.net/cnn/2005/US/06/29/wtc.tower.redesign/vert.nightview.jpg

From Phil Hirschkorn
CNN New York

NEW YORK (CNN) -- New York officials released the latest design for the signature building at the World Trade Center site Wednesday after revising it to make the tower more secure.

Gov. George Pataki ordered the design changes because police were concerned that the tower's placement adjacent to West Street, a major thoroughfare along the west side of Manhattan, would make it vulnerable to a truck bomb.

Instead of being 25 feet from West Street, the tower will be set back 90 feet, and its 200-foot base will be covered in steel and titanium intended to make it blast-resistant.

"This new design reflects a soaring tribute to freedom and a bedrock commitment to safety and security," Pataki said.

The building, which has been dubbed "The Freedom Tower" by Pataki, will remain 1,776 feet, symbolizing the year the United States declared its independence.

It would be almost 100 feet taller than the Taipei 101 Tower in Taiwan, currently the tallest building in the world.

It also will retain a spire, containing a 400-foot broadcast antenna which will emit light at night and is intended to echo the Statue of Liberty's torch.

The tower will be more slender and occupy a smaller footprint in the northwest corner of the 16 acres where the 110-story twin towers once stood, and it won't be completed until 2010, two years later than the original plan.

[lawyerlee]

Report: Putin pockets Patriots owner's Super Bowl ring (http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/06/29/putin.ring.ap/index.html) CNN

BOSTON, Massachusetts (AP) -- Russian President Vladimir Putin walked off with New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft's diamond-encrusted 2005 Super Bowl ring, but was it a generous gift or a very expensive international misunderstanding?

Following a meeting of American business executives and Putin at Konstantinovsky Palace near St. Petersburg on Saturday, Kraft showed the ring to Putin -- who tried it on, put it in his pocket and left, according to Russian news reports.

It wasn't clear if Kraft, whose business interests include paper and packaging companies and venture capital investments, intended that Putin keep the ring.

Stacey James, a spokesman for the football team, said Wednesday that Kraft was traveling and he hadn't talked to him in four or five days, despite e-mails and calls.

"He's still overseas, I can't even tell you where. ... He's not due back until next week."

"It's an incredible story. I just haven't been able to talk to Robert Kraft to confirm the story," James told The Associated Press.

However, a Kremlin official who spoke on condition of anonymity out of fear of compromising his position told the AP the ring was a present. "Such a present was made," the official said.

He said Putin had given the ring to the Kremlin library where other foreign gifts are kept.

James said the ring's worth was "substantially more" than $15,000, as the value had been reported. He refused to be specific, but noted that the ring has 124 diamonds.

Kraft handed out Super Bowl rings to players and coaches at his home two weeks ago.

The Patriots have won three of the last four Super Bowls.

[lawyerlee]

Economy's Growth Is Better Than Expected (http://apnews.excite.com/article/20050629/D8B1BAV80.html)

WASHINGTON (AP) - The economy logged a solid 3.8 percent growth rate in the first quarter of 2005, a performance that was better than previously thought and a fresh sign the expansion is on firm footing.

The new reading on gross domestic product, released by the Commerce Department on Wednesday, marked an improvement from the 3.5 percent annual rate estimated for the quarter just a month ago and matched the showing registered in the final quarter of 2004.

GDP, the broadest gauge of the economy's health, measures the value of all goods and services produced within the United States.

Stronger spending on housing projects, more investment by business in equipment and software, and a trade deficit that was less of a drag on economic growth all played a role in the higher first quarter GDP estimate.

The first-quarter's showing was slightly better than the 3.7 percent growth rate that economists were forecasting before the report was released.

"It was a solid quarter, particularly in the face of high and rising energy prices," said Mark Zandi, chief analyst at Economy.com. "It illustrates the resilience of the economy and the durability of the current economic expansion."

On Wall Street, stocks edged up. The Dow Jones industrials were up around 7 points and the Nasdaq was up around 3 points in morning trading.

While Republicans and Democrats might have different takes on how various parts of the economy are faring, the Bush administration pointed to the latest GDP report as evidence that economic activity is improving. "The economy is showing solid and sustained growth and job creation," White House press secretary Scott McClellan said. "The policies that we have put in place are working. Our economy is growing stronger."

To keep the economy and inflation on an even keel, the Federal Reserve has boosted short-term interest rates eight times - each in quarter-point moves - since June 2004. Another bump-up is expected when the Fed wraps up a two-day meeting on Thursday.

[lawyerlee]

FEC Debates Blog Rules (http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,160971,00.html) Fox News

Wednesday, June 29, 2005

WASHINGTON — The Federal Election Commission says Web logs just might be a threat to democracy and it's considering whether to police them.

The issue, being discussed during FEC hearings on Tuesday and Wednesday, is whether some Web sites actually provide unregulated benefits to specific political campaigns. The famously free-spirited Web community is fighting back.

Markos Moulitsas Zuniga, author of Daily Kos Web Log, or blog, one of the nation's most heavily read political Web sites, says he wants Washington to back off.

"Any regulation presents a potential chilling effect on a medium that is truly the first democratic mass medium in the history of the world," Zuniga said.

Political Web sites like Daily Kos and Wonkette, to name two, have become influential political players by shaping voter perceptions and media coverage. Some also advertise products that benefit a political figure, party or point of view.

"Right now, it is largely a self-regulating community. It is also a pretty small community when you look at the number of people in America versus the number of bloggers. It is a pretty minute proportion," said Wonkette author Ana Marie Cox.

Web sites as political actors became an issue in Republican Sen. John Thune's upset victory over then-Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle. Thune disclosed after the election that he paid two bloggers $35,000 to support Thune and attack coverage of the race by South Dakota's largest newspaper, the Sioux Falls Argus Leader.

"I do think the other thing that the Thune-bloggers-for-pay, blogolla let's call it, scandal probably did was make people much more weary," Cox said.

It also raised new fears that organizations seeking to lobby Congress or curry favor with politicians could use the Web to circumvent campaign finance laws.

"You don't want to force every blogger to go out and get a lawyer. At the same time, you don't want the Internet to become an avenue by which corporations, labor unions, wealthy individuals can pour a lot of money into political campaigns," said Larry Noble, executive director of the Center for Responsive Politics.

Historically, the FEC has left the Internet alone, but it is under a federal court order to apply some campaign finance rules to cyberspace. Commissioner Ellen Weintraub said she favors more disclosure of Web site funding sources, but not much more.

"The commission generally is not terribly interested in anything other than a very limited rulemaking in this regard because it is a new technology, because it's still evolving," Weintraub said.

TV networks can broadcast and newspapers can publish hard-charging political editorials without violating campaign finance laws under a journalist exemption. Bloggers want to be included in the exemption, leaving the FEC to decide whether bloggers are journalists.

[lawyerlee]

Hopefully a lot of state legislatures will be looking at this issue, too, though. I know the Kansas Legislature will be. They did last summer, but decided to wait until the Court had ruled in the Kelo case before they took any action.


Pols Seek to Tighten Eminent Domain Rules (http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,160973,00.html) Fox News

Wednesday, June 29, 2005

WASHINGTON — Reaction continues to reverberate on Capitol Hill in response to the Supreme Court's ruling that local governments may take private property for private economic development that could benefit the community as a whole.

Lawmakers are considering a new legislative effort to curb some of the effects of that decision.

In a ruling handed down last week, the high court decided that Susette Kelo's (search) home could be seized by the state of Connecticut under the 5th Amendment's "takings clause," which allows the government to seize any private property if it's for "public use" and the landowner receives "fair compensation."

Historically, the government has used that power, commonly referred to as "eminent domain," to acquire land for things like railroads, highways and public hospitals.

But the city of New London wants Kelo's home and a handful of others for a riverfront shopping center and condominiums.

Similar projects are happening in other places, too. The city of St. Louis, Mo., is trying to force 79-year-old Reba Thompson (search) out of her family home to make way for a $40 million shopping center.

In the case decided last week, Kelo argued these business projects don't amount to "public use," but the high court in an opinion authored by Justice John Paul Stevens (search) disagreed, finding the goal of "economic development" can justify these seizures.

"For people that believe in private property, this is a nightmare," said George Washington University law professor Jonathan Turley.

Four members of the U.S. Supreme Court said the ruling flies in the face of "basic limitations on government power," and the ruling outraged private landowners, prompting cries for legislation to protect them. On Monday, Sen. John Cornyn (search), R-Texas, obliged.

"This power to seize homes, small businesses, and other private property should be reserved only for true public uses. Most importantly, the power of eminent domain should not be used simply to further private economic development," Cornyn said in introducing legislation.

The high court did acknowledge that states are welcome to set tougher standards for government takings than the baseline in the Constitution, emphasizing that "nothing in our opinion precludes any state from placing further restrictions on its exercise of the takings power."

Cornyn's bill, co-sponsored by Sen. Bill Nelson (search), D-Fla., does attempt to encourage states to pass comparable laws if they haven't already done so. A similar bill was introduced in the House on Tuesday by Rep. Dennis Rehberg, R-Mont.

But Turley and others question whether Cornyn's bill, purporting to change the federal law, will really do any good.

"The vast majority of these cases involve local and state officials. They're not federal questions, and Congress cannot restrict the use of eminent domain on a local level," he said.

[lawyerlee]

Scientist Denies Falsifying Yucca Data (http://apnews.excite.com/article/20050629/D8B1CHO80.html)

By ERICA WERNER

WASHINGTON (AP) - A scientist at the center of a controversy over potential falsification of documents about the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste dump insisted before Congress on Wednesday that he did not alter paperwork on the project.

"I have never falsified any documents related to Yucca Mountain or any other project," Joseph Hevesi, a United States Geological Survey hydrologist in Sacramento, told a House Government Reform subcommittee.

The panel is investigating e-mails written by Hevesi and other scientists that, according to critics, seem to suggest they changed work to reach a predetermined conclusion. The existence of the e-mails, written between 1998 and 2000, was made public by the Energy Department in March.

[lawyerlee]

House Votes to Cut Bush's Democracy Plan (http://apnews.excite.com/article/20050629/D8B1DFUG0.html)

By LIZ SIDOTI

WASHINGTON (AP) - Dealing a blow to President Bush a week before the Group of Eight economic summit in Scotland, the House voted to slash money from the assistance program considered a cornerstone of his campaign to spread democracy around the world.

Money for the program, the Millennium Challenge Account, is included in the $20.3 billion foreign aid bill the House approved on a 393-32 vote Tuesday.

Overall, the bill for next year is roughly 11 percent less than the president proposed but nearly 4 percent more than this year's funding. The Senate has yet to write its version of the bill, which provides health, education, counter-narcotics and military assistance to poor nations.

House lawmakers chose to pad several of the president's other proposals with the $1.25 billion they cut from his request for the Millennium Challenge Account, a program that gives countries extra money if they pursue political, economic and human rights reforms.

Among the winners: a fund to combat HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria. It's slated to get $2.7 billion, about a half-billion dollars more than this year and $131 million above the president's request.

Bush had asked for $3 billion for the third year of the Millennium Challenge Account, double the current funding level. The House bill would provide only $1.75 billion.

Congress has provided $2.5 billion for the program over the last two years - $1.3 billion less than Bush requested. The corporation overseeing the program has spent only about $4 million of that, says the Congressional Research Service, which writes reports for lawmakers.

House lawmakers emphasized they were providing record funding for the program - roughly $262 million more than Congress provided for the current year - and noted that the corporation hasn't spent most of the money it already has.

[lawyerlee]

Apple Upgrades IPod and ITunes (http://apnews.excite.com/article/20050629/D8B1A60G1.html)

By GREG SANDOVAL

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Apple Computer Inc. (AAPL) released new software Tuesday designed to make it easier for users to listen to the increasingly popular, but largely unstructured podcast offerings.

Apple, which also announced color screens for its iPod digital music players, said the new iTunes software comes with a podcast directory that lists more than 3,000 free audio programs. It also sports a new menu and the ability to automatically send new episodes of podcasts to the user's computer.

"Podcasting is the next generation of radio," Apple CEO Steve Jobs said in a statement.

Podcasts are downloadable audio files that are often similar to radio programs. They allow anyone to become a Web broadcaster.

On iTunes, podcasts focus on a range of topics from electronic gadgets to movies and astronomy. Shows come from mainstream organizations such as ABC News and Newsweek as well as Web journals, or blogs, like Engadget.

The software is available for both Mac and Windows computers.

Apple also said it is merging its iPod and iPod photo lines, so all models will now have color displays that can view photos and play slideshows.

The 20-gigabyte model can hold about 5,000 songs and costs $299, while the 60-gigabyte version holds 25,000 songs and sells for $399. That means customers will get a photo model for about the same price they previously paid for the standard, black-and-white screen.

[lawyerlee]

Anti-Meth Bill Revised for Retailers (http://apnews.excite.com/article/20050628/D8B0U7K08.html)

By SAM HANANEL

WASHINGTON (AP) - Lawmakers seeking to restrict over-the-counter access to cold medicines used to make methamphetamine presented a revised bill Tuesday that would soften the impact on some retailers that lack a pharmacy.

The measure originally required all stores to sell Sudafed, Nyquil and other medicines containing pseudoephedrine only from behind the pharmacy counter. In makeshift labs across the country, the ingredient is extracted and used to cook meth.

Pressed by retailers concerned about losing sales, lawmakers said they carved out an exception for stores without a pharmacist on duty, such as convenience stores and some grocery chains.

Under the new version, states have the option of working with the Drug Enforcement Administration to license certain employees who are not pharmacists to sell the medicines.

Consumers would have to show a photo ID, sign a log, and be limited to 7.5 grams - or about 250 30-milligram pills - in a 30-day period. Computer tracking would prevent customers from exceeding the limit at other stores.

"One of the things we wanted to do is make certain legitimate consumers who have allergy or other problems can have access to the cold medicines they need," said Sen. Jim Talent, R-Mo., who sponsored the bill with Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif.

The bill is modeled after an Oklahoma law that took effect last year and has been credited with an 80 percent drop in the number of meth labs seized there. More than a dozen states have enacted similar laws.

Retailers initially resisted the idea of restricting cold medicines, saying it would inconvenience consumers. Now, they seem ready to go along with a federal law in hopes of avoiding a tangle of state regulations. Stores like Wal-Mart and Safeway and the National Association of Chain Drug Stores said Tuesday they have agreed to support the legislation.

A Senate committee plans hearings on the bill this week, and the measure may be ready for a vote in the full Senate next month. Similar legislation is pending in the House.

Feinstein, who has worked to combat meth abuse for a decade, said the measure would dry up the supply of methamphetamine. Other lawmakers stressed the need to stem the problem before it grows even worse.

"We're at the same place now with meth as we were with crack 20 years ago," said Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., a co-sponsor of the bill.

Other changes to the revised anti-meth bill would:

- Create an exception for stores at airports to sell cold medicine containing pseudoephedrine in single packages.

- Fund a national meth treatment center to research treatments for meth abuse.

- Provide $25 million for local law enforcement and federal prosecutors to target meth manufacturers and dealers.

[lawyerlee]

Police Briefly Evacuate the U.S. Capitol (http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,1280,-5107918,00.html) The Guardian

Thursday June 30, 2005

WASHINGTON (AP) - President Bush was hurried from his residence to a safer location Wednesday evening and people were evacuated from the White House and U.S. Capitol when a private plane ventured into restricted airspace.

The all-clear came within minutes when two fighter jets intercepted the small twin-engine propeller-driven plane eight miles northeast of the Capitol. The alert ended before evacuations were complete at the White House.

The White House briefly went to red alert - its highest level, presidential spokesman Scott McClellan said.

The private turboprop entered restricted airspace northeast of Reagan National Airport, according to federal aviation officials. Jets scrambled from Andrews Air Force Base, Md., intercepted the plane and, as of 6:45 p.m. EST, escorted the plane to Winchester, Va., where it landed without incident.

An aircraft could be heard overhead at the Capitol, in an area customarily closed to aircraft.

Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, said Capitol Police notified senators' offices: ``This is an emergency message ... Capitol Police are tracking unidentified aircraft.''

At the White House, Bush had left the Oval Office for the day and was in the residence when the alert sounded. ``The president was temporarily relocated,'' McClellan said. Some senior staff also were seen hurrying from the West Wing to the residence area where a bomb shelter is located.

``We started to relocate some staff,'' McClellan said. ``Officers were prepared to activate the (White House-wide) alert system but we received notification from the jets that were scrambled that the plane had turned away from the White House.''

[lawyerlee]

Prisoner Details Bogus Tax-Return Scheme (http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,1280,-5107914,00.html) The Guardian

Thursday June 30, 2005

By FREDERIC J. FROMMER

AP Economics Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) - A South Carolina prison inmate told a rapt House panel Wednesday about how he defrauded the U.S. government of $3.5 million by filing bogus tax returns.

The man, an anonymous 37-year-old inmate dubbed ``John Doe,'' testified behind a partition to prevent him from being photographed or videotaped during the House Ways and Means subcommittee on oversight hearing.

He said he started out by filing phony returns for 10 inmates in 1991, which netted $4,200 to $5,400. He kept a $1,000 commission on each return.

``Over the years, I filed six to seven hundred returns,'' Doe said. ``The total dollar amount would be approximately $3.5 million, face value,'' of which he netted $600,000 to $700,000.

Doe said inmates spent most of the ill-gotten tax return money to buy illegal drugs.

``The money and drugs eventually lead to beatings, stabbings and extortion,'' he said. ``With the money I personally made, I often looked out for poor or indigent inmates who got no help from home.'' But he conceded he also used the money to buy sneakers, a color TV and ``lots of drugs.''

The Internal Revenue Service estimates that 15 percent of all tax fraud is committed by prison inmates.

[lawyerlee]

Canada to Ban Bulk Export of Rx Drugs (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/06/29/AR2005062901632_pf.html) Washington Post

By BETH DUFF-BROWN
The Associated Press
Wednesday, June 29, 2005

TORONTO -- Canada's health minister threatened Wednesday to overhaul the country's regulations on exporting prescription drugs, saying Canada would no longer be a cheap "drug store for the United States."

Health Minister Ujjal Dosanjh said Canada would ban the bulk export of prescription drugs when their supplies were low at home. But he left vague how the ban would be put into place _ and whether it would affect the thousands of individual purchases that take place across the U.S.-Canada border and over the Internet.

The ban is an attempt to head-off an anticipated onslaught of drug demands from Americans if legislation pending in Congress legalizes Internet and bulk import of prescription drugs from Canada.

"Canada cannot be a drug store for the United States of America; 280 million people cannot expect us to supply drugs to them on a continuous, uncontrolled basis," Dosanjh said at a news conference.

Canadians must be assured access to an adequate supply of safe and affordable prescription drugs, Dosanjh said.

Individual sales would not necessarily be affected by the ban, but it could affect drug wholesalers or manufacturers in Canada. They are not permitted to export to the United States under U.S. law, but could do so under the legislation being considered in Congress.

He said he would introduce legislation when the House of Commons reconvenes this fall that would allow for the temporary ban of bulk exports when supplies are running low at home.

Americans pay the highest prescription drug prices in the world, and U.S. lawmakers are pushing to legalize the importation of wholesale prescription drugs as well as Internet purchases from Canada and other countries. Four bills are pending in Congress, but have met with opposition from the pharmaceutical lobby and from the Food and Drug Administration.

[lawyerlee]

Veterans to Get More Health Care Funds (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/06/29/AR2005062900234_pf.html) Washington Post

By MARY DALRYMPLE
The Associated Press
Wednesday, June 29, 2005; 5:41 PM

WASHINGTON -- Moving to minimize political damage, the Bush administration agreed Wednesday to ask Congress for more money to cover a $1 billion shortfall in veterans' health care expenses.

The decision reversed the Department of Veterans Affairs' insistence, a day earlier, that it could manage the shortage by juggling money in its accounts. The administration also sought to squelch escalating demands from Democrats that the GOP take care of veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan.

"This is just the latest example of how poorly the administration planned for and prepared this nation for what would be required in Iraq and the war on terror," said Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev.

The administration's request could come Thursday. Veterans Affairs Secretary Jim Nicholson was to appear on Capitol Hill to give lawmakers a more precise accounting of health care needs.

The Senate, unwilling to wait for the president's request, readied a $1.5 billion proposal to cover veterans' health care expenses.

"It was a frustration to me and an embarrassment," said the chairman of the Senate Veterans' Affairs, Sen. Larry Craig, R-Idaho.

[lawyerlee]

Arroyo's Husband to Leave Philippines Amid Scandal (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/06/29/AR2005062902541_pf.html) Washington Post

By Manny Mogato
Reuters
Thursday, June 30, 2005; A17

MANILA, June 29 -- Seeking to defuse ongoing charges of corruption against her and her family, Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo said Wednesday that her husband would leave the country.

"Today, my family is once again called to sacrifice our personal happiness to allow me to serve best as president of our country," Arroyo told a business forum in Manila.

"My husband has volunteered to go abroad. I mention this here today because I want to signal to everyone that nothing can stop my administration from implementing . . . our reform agenda."

Arroyo admitted on Monday to speaking to an election official during presidential vote-counting last year, calling it a lapse in judgment but denying she tried to influence the election's outcome.

She did not say how long her husband, Jose Miguel, known as Mike, would remain abroad or where he would go, but there were reports that he would live in San Francisco.

[camberne]

BTK just creeps me out totally... eww!

Yorktown, VA... I'm so glad that so many protesters showed up for that stupid Nazi thing. I thought it was going to get more press coverage here, but I didn't hear a thing about it!! I heard about it before it happened, and this is the first things I've heard about it since.

As far as the new tower in NY... I think all the publicity surrounding making it "blast-proof" might be considered a challenge to some. That was my first thought reading that article.

[lawyerlee]

Panel Targets More Bases for Closure (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20050701/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/base_closings&printer=1;_ylt=Ai_8_aJeAXVfkDwz2x5WloGWwvIE;_ylu=X 3oDMTA3MXN1bHE0BHNlYwN0bWE-)

By LIZ SIDOTI, Associated Press Writer1 hour, 14 minutes ago
Military bases in Hawaii and California are among several a commission is considering adding to Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld's list of proposed closures.

In a letter sent Friday to the Pentagon chief, commission Chairman Anthony Principi identified additional bases the commission may recommend closing and seeks explanations for why the Pentagon decided to leave those facilities open.

Specifically, the letter asks why Marine Corps Recruit Depot and the Navy Broadway Complex, both in San Diego, Calif., and the U.S. Naval Shipyard at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, were not slated for closure.

It also questions the Pentagon's decisions to downsize, rather than close, the Naval Air Station in Brunswick, Maine, Pope Air Force Base in North Carolina, and Grand Forks Air Force Base in North Dakota.

And, the letter asks for more explanation about the proposed reorganization of Air National Guard facilities across the country and the downsizing of several other small facilities.

In May, the Pentagon proposed closing or reducing forces at 62 major bases and hundreds of smaller installations to save money and streamline the services. Dozens of other facilities would grow, absorbing troops from domestic and overseas bases slated for closure or downsizing.

The law that authorized the first round of base closings in a decade requires the Pentagon to answer such questions before the commission can consider recommending closing or downsizing a facility that wasn't on Rumsfeld's original list.

The commission will conduct a public hearing on July 19 in Washington to decide whether bases left off the list should be added. It takes seven of nine votes to add a base. Public hearings and base visits would follow.
The Pentagon says it will save $49 billion over 20 years by streamlining services across the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps and shutting down bases deemed inefficient.

[lawyerlee]

AP: Documents Show Gitmo Inmates Defy U.S. (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20050701/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/guantanamo_prisoners_vs_guards&printer=1;_ylt=AhS40yAYn4QYlwLxhBSHzyqWwvIE;_ylu=X 3oDMTA3MXN1bHE0BHNlYwN0bWE-)

By BEN FOX, Associated Press Writer
Military authorities have previously disclosed some incidents of guard retaliation at Guantanamo Bay, which resulted in mostly minor disciplinary proceedings. What emerges from 278 pages of documents obtained by The Associated Press is the degree of defiance by the terrorism suspects at Guantanamo.

The prisoners banged on their cells to protest the heat. They doused guards with whatever liquid was handy — from spit to urine. Sometimes they struck their jailers, one swinging a steel chair at a military police officer.

And the American MPs at times retaliated with force — punches, pepper spray and a splash of cleaning fluid in the face, according to the newly released documents that detail military investigations and eyewitness accounts of alleged abuse.

Some prisoners at the U.S. base in eastern Cuba have gone on the attack, as in April 2003 when a detainee got out of his cell during a search for contraband food and knocked out a guard's tooth with a punch to the mouth and bit him before he was subdued by MPs. One soldier delivered two blows to the inmate's head with a handheld radio, the documents show.

"Several guards were trying to hold down the detainee who was putting up heavy resistance," recounted a translator who saw the incident. "The detainee was covered in blood as were some of the guards."

The soldier who struck the inmate, and was dropped in rank to private first class as a result, described it as a close call. "The detainee was fighting as if he really wanted to hurt us. ... We all saved each other's lives in my opinion," he wrote.

The documents, obtained under a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit filed by AP, are far from a comprehensive look at Guantanamo and do not provide full details about each incident.

Names and some other identifying details have been blacked out by military censors. Handwriting at times isn't legible and pages appear to be missing or out of sequence. In some cases, it is not possible to decipher who did what to whom. Disciplinary measures against the troops were either relatively minor or unclear in some reports.

The internal investigative reports do, however, provide a snapshot of life behind the wire at Guantanamo, depicting a tense, hostile and sometimes chaotic place.

In one of the more serious incidents described in the documents, detainees told guards that an MP threw the cleaning liquid Pine-Sol in the eyes of a prisoner in the middle of one night in January 2004. In a written statement, another soldier said he came in immediately afterward to find what smelled like cleaning liquid dripping from the cell.

"The detainee could be seen rubbing his eyes intensely and moaning in pain," he said.

Documents show that the guard, from the 661st Military Police Company, did not admit throwing the cleaning fluid when questioned about it that night but did say the detainee had spit on him, and may have thrown urine.

[lawyerlee]

Team of U.S. GIs Missing in Afghanistan (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20050701/ap_on_re_as/afghan_us_helicopter_crash&printer=1;_ylt=AqmmBdI8svtCSHEbPz.3Bdj9xg8F;_ylu=X 3oDMTA3MXN1bHE0BHNlYwN0bWE-)

By DANIEL COONEY, Associated Press Writer 56 minutes ago
U.S. forces desperately scoured rugged Afghan mountains Friday for an elite American military team missing in the same area where a U.S. helicopter was shot down.

A purported Taliban spokesman claimed militants captured one of the men.

In central Afghanistan, Taliban rebels kidnapped and killed Afghan nine tribal leaders and sent a boy to offer to exchange the bodies for those of dead militants, an official said. The tribal leaders were among 25 people killed in three days of fighting in Uruzgan province — yet another troubling sign for a nation hit by an upswing in violence as September elections near.

The loss of the American military team in the remote eastern mountains worsened the already stinging blow suffered by the U.S. military after 16 troops were killed Tuesday aboard the MH-47 Chinook chopper.

[lawyerlee]

Vatican May Declare John Paul II a Martyr (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/john_paul_sainthood&printer=1;_ylt=AgeVgC8ByNk2RWcR1PPcKXRbbBAF;_ylu=X 3oDMTA3MXN1bHE0BHNlYwN0bWE-)

By NICOLE WINFIELD, Associated Press
Vatican officials no longer are dismissing outright the notion that Pope John Paul II could be declared a martyr, a step that could remove the need for a confirmed miracle to beatify the late pontiff and make it easier for him to become a saint.

[lawyerlee]

Al-Jazeera shelves US border film (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4639827.stm) BBC News

The Arabic TV channel al-Jazeera will not film a report about the US-Mexico border after a civilian border patrol group condemned the idea.

The Minuteman Civil Defense Corps, an anti-immigration organisation that patrols the border in Arizona, called al-Jazeera a "terrorist TV station".

The group's leader said allowing al-Jazeera to film would be like aiding an enemy scouting mission.

Al-Jazeera said the group's reaction was a blow to press freedom.

A spokesman for the station, Jihad Ballout, said that its original intention was for its Washington bureau to film a report about economic and security issues in the area, but the safety of its staff was its most important consideration.

But he said the project had not been abandoned.

"The topic remains an important one from an editorial perspective, so it's not abandoned as a project," he told Reuters news agency.

"Misconceptions about al-Jazeera are being perpetuated in some quarters to the detriment of not just al-Jazeera but the concept of a free press."

The minutemen, who began patrolling the Arizona section of the frontier in April, vowed to "resist" any filming in the area, al-Jazeera said.

'Insane policy'

The station's proposal to film prompted a complaint to the US Department of Homeland Security, and drew political criticism.

"It is insane policy to allow al-Jazeera to film Arizona's unsecured border with Mexico and then broadcast it to the very people who perpetrated 9/11," said Trent Franks, a Republican Congressman for Arizona.

On its website, the minutemen portrayed the decision to cancel filming as an "anti-terrorism victory".

"The world's most prolific terrorism television network has cancelled its recon operation at the Arizona/Mexico border," the group said in a statement.

Minuteman President Chris Simcox added: "I'll have no part in aiding and abetting the enemy, and will continue to work to protect our country from terrorists who are clearly looking at our unsecured borders as the pathway to destroy America."

[lawyerlee]

Bush: Abortion Won't Decide Court Nominee (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20050706/ap_on_go_pr_wh/bush&printer=1;_ylt=Am0jVI5zmbAkO_3kQJCBd7sGw_IE;_ylu=X 3oDMTA3MXN1bHE0BHNlYwN0bWE-)

By DEB RIECHMANN, Associated Press Writer
President Bush, shadowed in Europe by a pressing concern back in Washington, said Wednesday he will not select a Supreme Court nominee based on his or her views on abortion or other hot-button political issues.

He urged senators to act "in a dignified way" in what is expected to be a contentious battle over confirming his first nominee to the nation's highest court.

[lawyerlee]

G-8 Leaders Scale Back Goals at Summit (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20050706/ap_on_re_eu/summit&printer=1;_ylt=AvfCmMK2jj8UHJw1sB2Etw9bbBAF;_ylu=X 3oDMTA3MXN1bHE0BHNlYwN0bWE-)

By MARTIN CRUTSINGER, AP Economics Writer
World leaders scaled back goals for relieving African poverty and combatting global warming under U.S. opposition to British Prime Minister Tony Blair's ambitious objectives.

The leaders of the Group of Eight nations began arriving Wednesday at this posh golf resort for three days of discussions. Blair, as the host, was the first to arrive, coming from Singapore where he had engaged in a round of last-minute lobbying on London's successful bid to serve as host for the summer Olympics in 2012.

Speaking to reporters shortly after London was awarded the games, Blair called the decision a "momentous day" and acknowledged he was having trouble concentrating on the G-8 agenda.

"I've been trying to work on the G-8 stuff, but I have to say that my mind has been in two places today," Blair said.

President Bush and his wife arrived in Scotland aboard Air Force One a few hours before the summit was to begin with a dinner among G-8 leaders hosted by Britain's Queen Elizabeth.

Thousands of protesters took the streets in Auchterarder, a village near the resort. They were led by a bagpiper dressed in a traditional Scottish kilt and chanted "Power to the people."

Scottish police at first called off the march because they said public safety could not be guaranteed after a smaller band of 100 protesters smashed car windows, threw rocks and attempted to block one of the main roads leading to the resort. However, the police relented and allowed the march to proceed after organizers complained that their free speech rights were being denied.

Leaders' aides, meanwhile, met behind closed doors on the two issues Blair has made the main focus of this year's meeting — support for Africa, the globe's poorest continent, and increasing efforts to deal with the pollution that scientists believe is linked to planet warming.

Blair challenged G-8 countries to double aid to Africa from a current total of $25 billion to $50 billion by 2010 and to increase giving for all foreign aid to the equivalent of 0.7 percent of national incomes by 2015.

Bush, after initially resisting Blair's call, announced last Thursday that he would seek to double U.S. aid by 2010, to $8.6 billion from $4.3 billion in 2004. But Bush opposes the 0.7 percent target. Anti-poverty activists said that Bush's goal of $8.6 billion fell about $6 billion short of what was needed from the United States to meet Blair's $50 billion target.

As a consequence, the final communique was expected to drop any reference to a $50 billion goal in favor of talk more generally of a "doubling" of assistance.

Bush, stopping in Denmark on the way to Scotland, warned he would emphasize the need for African nations to commit to good governance in order to get increased support.

"I don't know how we can look our taxpayers in the eye and say, this is a good deal to give money to countries that are corrupt," he said. "We want to make sure that the governments invest in their people, invest in the health of their people, the education of their people, and fight corruption."

The differences were even starker on global warming. Blair wanted a plan to curb emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases. But U.S. officials lobbied to prevent the inclusion in the G-8 communique of any specific reduction targets as called for in the 1997 Kyoto Protocol. The United States is the only G-8 country that has refused to ratify the Kyoto treaty, with Bush saying that doing so would have "wrecked" the U.S. economy.

Sir Michael Jay, Blair's representative in the discussions, called the negotiations on global warming "pretty intense." He predicted the G-8 would reach an accord that recognized the problem and the need to combat it without mentioning specific targets.

[lawyerlee]

Activists Plan 'Final Push' to Pressure G-8 (http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-summit6jul06,1,5114580,print.story?coll=la-headlines-world&ctrack=1&cset=true) LA Times
The diverse coalition hopes another concert and a march will get world leaders to address poverty in Africa and climate change.

By John Daniszewski
Times Staff Writer

July 6, 2005
EDINBURGH, Scotland — Activists who have converged on this Scottish capital for the Group of 8 summit said Tuesday that they were hopeful that a worldwide clamor for action would compel President Bush and the leaders of seven other industrialized nations to take firm steps to aid Africa and protect the climate for future generations.

On the eve of the three-day meeting in nearby Gleneagles, a diverse coalition was promising a "final push" to put pressure on the leaders, following a series of 10 concerts around the globe Saturday that attracted nearly 1 million people and aimed to raise awareness about fighting poverty in Africa.

The activists in Edinburgh were planning another concert and a mass march to the meeting site, to press the leaders to double assistance to Africa, relieve African debt and ease trade barriers, as well as take meaningful steps to combat global warming.

The flurry of activity "shows you that people are passionate about ending poverty," said Elaine VanCleave, a selfdescribed "soccer mom" from Birmingham, Ala., whose organization Bread for the World belongs to the coalition of American groups working to influence the world leaders. She arrived here with about 150 activists from the anti-poverty One Campaign in the United States.

"They'll do crazy things, like travel across the Atlantic Ocean, or ride a train from Italy and sleep in a tent. I mean, we're passionate about this, and we believe we can do it," VanCleave said.

Raising the stakes, Irish rock singer Bob Geldof, the lead organizer for Britain's Make Poverty History campaign, said activists would hold the politicians accountable if they did not heed the global push against poverty.

"Believe you me, if they fail [to use] the mandate that we collected on Saturday … then we will ensure as much as possible that they too will fail the next time they stand before the ballot box," Geldof said in an interview with the BBC, referring to the Live 8 concerts held last weekend.

Police were braced for a massive security operation to prevent demonstrators from disrupting the meeting of the leaders from the United States, Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and Russia, who are to begin assembling at the Perthshire golf resort about 40 miles northwest of Edinburgh starting this morning.

As part of the preparations, authorities have built a 5-mile-long fence, dubbed the "ring of steel," around the resort. Checkpoints were put up on the main road leading to Gleneagles from Edinburgh, with officials saying that only 5,000 demonstrators would be allowed to reach the gates of the resort.

A total of 10,600 officers drawn from all over Britain have been brought to Scotland to provide security, said John Vine, the local chief constable.

In his interview, Geldof condemned the anarchists and anti-globalization protesters who clashed with police in Edinburgh on Monday, calling them "a bunch of losers" whose antics detracted from the serious purpose of the campaign to reduce poverty. About 100 protesters appeared in court here Tuesday. Most of them were charged with being a public nuisance.

[lawyerlee]

Reporters Face Jail in Fight Over Sources (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20050706/ap_on_re_us/reporters_contempt&printer=1;_ylt=AjD0T6jPw45y1guGwVR49ehH2ocA;_ylu=X 3oDMTA3MXN1bHE0BHNlYwN0bWE-)

By PETE YOST, Associated Press Writer
In a high-stakes battle over press freedom, two reporters face jail, possibly as early as Wednesday, for refusing to divulge their sources to a prosecutor investigating the Bush administration's leak of a CIA officer's identity.

"Journalists are not entitled to promise complete confidentiality — no one in America is," Special Counsel Patrick Fitzgerald told a judge.

In court papers, Fitzgerald said the source of Matthew Cooper of Time magazine and Judith Miller of The New York Times has waived confidentiality, giving the reporters permission to reveal where they got their information.

The prosecutor did not identify the reporters' source, nor did he specify whether the source of each reporter was the same person.

U.S. District Judge Thomas F. Hogan held the reporters in civil contempt of court in October, rejecting their argument that the First Amendment shielded them from revealing their sources. Hogan was conducting a hearing on the matter Wednesday, at which time he could order the reporters jailed.

The reporters might decide to talk if they are sent to prison, the prosecutor said.

Cooper and Miller seek home confinement, but that would make it easier for them to continue to defy a court order to testify, the prosecutor said.

Cooper has said it is duplicative and unnecessary for him to testify because his employer, Time Inc., on Friday provided Fitzgerald records, notes and e-mail traffic from inside the company.

"By Cooper's own account, his source's confidentiality has been mooted by the production of relevant documents by Time Inc.," the prosecutor said, insisting that Cooper still must testify.

Without elaboration, Fitzgerald said Miller's source "has been identified and has waived confidentiality."

Miller's attorney, Robert Bennett, said he hopes that Time magazine's disclosures "will eliminate the need for Judy's testimony and this crisis can be ended."

In arguing that Miller be jailed, Fitzgerald said other reporters in the case had complied with court orders and that Time Inc.'s editor-in-chief, Norman Pearlstine, had said last Thursday, "I feel we are not above the law." Pearlstine made the comment in explaining why he had turned over documents to the prosecutor.

Columnist Robert Novak revealed in July 2003 that the wife of former U.S. ambassador Joe Wilson was a CIA officer, days after Wilson publicly impugned President Bush's justification for invading Iraq. Revealing the name is a possible federal crime.

[keska]

Russia: Prison Director Sacked After Hundreds of Cases of Self-Mutilation (http://www.rferl.org/featuresarticle/2005/07/0186377d-1840-415f-8e01-614af7841063.html)

Hundreds of inmates have slashed their bodies with razor blades to protest mistreatment and beatings by guards at a prison camp in the city of Lgov, 500 kilometers south of Moscow. The prison director and his two deputies were sacked on 4 July after an investigation backed the inmates' claims of abuse. The unprecedented mass mutilation has outraged human rights groups and drawn attention to the nightmarish conditions that plague many Russian prisons.

Moscow, 6 July 2005 (RFE/RL) -- During the night of 26 to 27 June, hundreds of inmates at the Lgov jail slashed their wrists, stomachs, necks, and limbs with razor blades. Some of them swallowed blades and metal hooks. The mass mutilation was followed by a hunger strike.

Mutilation and hunger strikes are not rare in Russian prisons -- inmates often have to resort to desperate actions to make their protests heard."The conditions in Russian prisons and preliminary detention centers are monstrous.... Conditions are changing very slowly and remain close to torture."

But the scale of this mutilation is unprecedented in Russia. While the authorities say some 300 inmates inflicted wounds on themselves, human rights groups put this figure at around 800.

Aleksandr Malygin, 23, was among those who slashed their bodies, although he then had only three more days to serve. Speaking to reporters in Moscow this week, he said the rebellion broke out when some inmates were beaten up for refusing to become members of special units responsible for helping guards enforce order in the prison.

"Of course, the guys started to refuse," Malygin said. "They were then beaten up, three of them straight away. They began cutting their veins. No one was brought from the medical unit, they were all sent to the solitary confinement cell. They cut their bellies, their necks, their arms. People say there were 200, 300 hundred of them? More than 800 people slashed themselves there, and 1,300 are on hunger strike. They drove nails into their lungs, some swallowed blades, others swallowed hooks."

Malygin showed reporters several cuts on his forearms and stomach. Although the cuts appeared to be deep, they had not been closed with stitches.

An investigation into the incident confirmed that inmates had been beaten up by prison guards. On 4 July, the prison director, Yuri Bushin, was sacked together with his two deputies.

For Human Rights, a rights group that has actively helped the Lgov inmates, has hailed the dismissals as a small victory.

But this has done little to appease the families of the inmates, many of whom are still without news from their imprisoned relatives.

Representatives of For Human Rights say dozens of prisoners have been taken to unknown destinations.

Tatyana Nikitina's son Nikolai was transferred to the Lgov jail in early June. She has managed to see him since the start of the protest, but she says he had severe wounds and was not receiving any medical care.

"He showed his hand to me, his left hand was cut in five places, two cuts were very deep and still bleeding," she said. "No treatment had been given. I asked: 'Kolya, why did you cut yourself?' He said: 'I have very strong stomach pains, we are on hunger strike.' I started crying and said: 'Kolya, for God's sake, stop the hunger strike.' He answered: 'Mom, I can't. We won't stop until they get rid of Bushin.'"

Lev Ponomarev is the executive director of For Human Rights in Moscow. He says his group has received hundreds of letters from inmates describing how prison staff beat and humilate them.

Ponomarev says cases have been reported to his organization where inmates were forced to march and sing at the sound of drums and undress collectively to undergo humiliating body searches.

According to him, it is not rare that bodies of inmates who allegedly committed suicide are returned to their relatives with contusions and broken limbs.

"The conditions in Russian prisons and preliminary detention centers are monstrous," Ponomarev said. "Recently I saw a report on a detention center which has three times more people than it should. People have to take turns to sleep. Conditions are changing very slowly and remain close to torture."

The mass mutilation that took place in Lgov has created outrage in Russia. And Ponomarev said it is now threatening to spark similar violent protests in other Russian prisons: "Our employees are in a state of panic. People are calling from everywhere to say: 'Should we also slash ourselves so that you come and restore order? A similar sadist heads our prison, we are beaten up.' Our phones are simply jammed [with complaints]."

Russian and foreign rights groups regularly criticize Russia over the dire conditions in its prisons. Despite recent progress, many Russian jails remain overcrowded and disease-ridden, with soaring HIV and tuberculosis infection rates.

[lawyerlee]

Dennis reaches hurricane strength (http://www.cnn.com/2005/WEATHER/07/06/tropical.weather/index.html) CNN

Cindy downgraded to tropical depression

MIAMI, Florida (CNN) -- Tropical Storm Dennis became the first Atlantic hurricane of the 2005 season Wednesday evening after an Air Force reconnaissance plane clocked sustained winds of nearly 80 mph, the National Hurricane Center said.

Meanwhile, Cindy shrank to a tropical depression as it dumped heavy rain across Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia.

At 6 p.m. ET, Dennis' center was located about 315 miles east-southeast of Kingston, Jamaica, moving west-northwest at 14 mph, the National Hurricane Center in Miami reported.

The storm was expected to approach Jamaica early Thursday, forecasters said.

Hurricane warnings were posted for Jamaica and the southwestern peninsula of Haiti, where more than 3,000 people died in flooding and landslides after Tropical Storm Jeanne hit the impoverished country in 2004. (Full story)

A tropical storm warning was issued for the southern coast of the Dominican Republic, which shares the island of Hispaniola with Haiti. Hurricane watches were posted for the Cayman Islands and central and eastern Cuba.

The storm appeared poised to scoot between Jamaica and the southern coast of Cuba.

Forecasters said Dennis was likely to increase its intensity as it crosses the Gulf of Mexico later in the week -- possibly developing into a Category 3 storm with winds faster than 115 mph.

[lawyerlee]

Hurricane victims asked to refund $27 million (http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/07/04/fema.payments.ap/index.html) CNN

FEMA says Floridians got overpayments

FORT MYERS, Florida (AP) -- The Federal Emergency Management Agency has asked thousands of Floridians whose homes were damaged by last summer's four hurricanes to give back more than $27 million in aid overpayments.

FEMA earlier this year began mailing letters to residents in efforts to recoup the overpayments from people who received federal aid after Hurricanes Charley, Frances, Ivan and Jeanne hit Florida last August and September.

According to data supplied to The News-Press of Fort Myers through a Freedom of Information Act request, the agency detailed 6,579 cases in which they say people owe a total of $27.2 million.

Many of the problems stem from FEMA providing money for items that were later covered by property insurance policies, more than one person from the same household applying for benefits or from processing errors.

Nicol Andrews, a FEMA spokeswoman in Washington, pointed out that the $27 million is less than 1 percent of the more than $5 billion FEMA has committed to Florida's hurricane recovery.

"Our mission is to get in there and help out and address immediate needs -- food, shelter clothing," Andrews said on Sunday. "Months after or quite a while after, we go back and, as is our obligation to the taxpayers, we try to recoup funds that were distributed in error."

Andrews said those who are asked to repay have the option to appeal.

FEMA is asking one Escambia County household to return $50,723, saying the award was made for a home that was not a primary residence. An additional 63 households owe more than $20,000 each, the newspaper reported.

[lawyerlee]

Study: DNA evidence underutilized (http://www.cnn.com/2005/TECH/science/07/04/untested.dna.ap/index.html) CNN

Researchers find reluctance on many fronts

PULLMAN, Washington (AP) -- Ophelia McKnight was last seen alive on January 5, 1988, in downtown Seattle. Her body was found a month later.

In June, 17 years after the crime, DNA evidence prompted 47-year old Joseph Tice to confess to killing her.

Such outcomes could be much more common, but a new study by researchers at Washington State University finds that forensic DNA analysis is woefully underused in the United States.

The study estimated that 250,000 unsolved rapes and homicides in the United States since 1982 -- more than half of such crimes -- have yet to be subjected to DNA testing.

"The effectiveness of forensic DNA has created a tremendous testing demand that is not met by the available supply," said Travis Pratt, a criminal justice professor at WSU.

The reasons for low usage include lack of money, trained personnel and other resources for performing the complicated tests. The researchers' survey also found that some law enforcement agencies were reluctant to take and store DNA evidence.

Pratt and his fellow researchers from WSU gathered numbers from 120 crime labs and about 3,400 law enforcement agencies in all 50 states, using a grant from the National Institute of Justice, a government research agency.

They found that some law enforcement agencies still are reluctant to use DNA testing because it is expensive and requires more training, researcher Michael J. Gaffney said.

"We heard from agencies that had never submitted a DNA sample for testing," Gaffney said.

The researchers found that most law enforcement agencies still view DNA evidence as supplemental evidence, more useful to prosecutors in obtaining a conviction than to investigators in identifying the perpetrator.

Many law enforcement agencies were still unaware of the existence of the national DNA database, the study found.

[lawyerlee]

Court revives youth nudist camp lawsuit (http://www.cnn.com/2005/LAW/07/06/nudist.camp.ap/index.html) CNN

RICHMOND, Virginia (AP) -- A federal appeals court has reinstated a lawsuit challenging a 2004 Virginia law requiring parental supervision at a nudist camp for juveniles.

A three-judge panel of the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled the American Association for Nude Recreation can pursue its claim that the law violates its free speech rights, crimping its ability to spread its nudism philosophy.

The organization claims it had to cancel last summer's camp because only 11 of the 35 youths who signed up would have been able to bring a parent.

"A regulation that reduces the size of a speaker's audience can constitute an invasion of a legally protected interest," Judge William B. Traxler Jr. wrote in the unanimous ruling.

[lawyerlee]

Mother: Nichols reveals role in bombing (http://www.cnn.com/2005/LAW/07/03/nichols.mother.ap/index.html) CNN

Form of autism made conspirator easily manipulated, she says

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) -- Bombing conspirator Terry Nichols has been meeting with the FBI and has revealed additional details about his involvement in the 1995 attack that destroyed the Oklahoma City federal building, his mother said Sunday.

Nichols, serving life in prison on federal and state convictions for the bombing that killed 168 people, acknowledged that he helped Timothy McVeigh acquire ammonium nitrate fertilizer and racing fuel that were combined to make the explosive, and helped assemble the bomb components, said Nichols' mother, Joyce Wilt of Lapeer, Michigan.

"That's the extent of it," Wilt said in a telephone interview with The Associated Press. "From there on, he had no knowledge."

McVeigh was convicted of federal conspiracy and murder charges in the bombing and was executed on June 11, 2001.

Prosecutors have contended that Nichols willingly helped McVeigh plan and carry out the bombing. Wilt said she believes others were involved in the bombing and that the FBI is hiding it.

Wilt contends her son suffers from Asperger's Syndrome, a form of autism that allowed him to be easily manipulated by others. She said McVeigh took advantage of Nichols to get him to help with the bombing preparations and that he threatened to harm Nichols and his family if he didn't comply.

"Terry was just being protective of all of us," Wilt said. "It just breaks my heart, because he was a good kid. He got out in the world and people started taking advantage of him."

[lawyerlee]

UN troops storm Haiti shanty town (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4658413.stm) BBC News

UN peacekeepers in Haiti have stormed a slum in the capital, Port-au-Prince, killing armed gang members loyal to the country's ousted president.

At least two men were killed during several hours of gunfights between the 350 peacekeepers and armed men.

A powerful gang leader and supporter of former President Jean-Bertrand Aristide was reported to be among the dead.

The raid of the Cite Soleil shanty town, on the edge of the island, was the second slum offensive in two weeks.

Struggle

Haitian police chief Leon Charles said he was quite sure that gang leader Emmanuel Wilmey, known as "Dread Wilmey", had been killed.

"We are not able to give a death toll at this time but we are 80% sure he was killed in the operation," Mr Charles told Agence France Presse.

Haitian authorities say Mr Wilmey is behind a surge in violence in the capital.

A 7,000-strong contingent of UN peacekeepers has struggled to maintain order in Haiti since Mr Aristide's ouster.

Last week, UN peacekeepers stormed the slum of Bel Air, shooting dead six suspected gang members and freeing a kidnapped Red Cross worker who was being held there.

Haiti is scheduled to hold elections later this year, though correspondents say these might be delayed because of the unrest.

Official statistics show that just 200,000 of the country's eligible 4.5 million voters - less than 5% - have registered to vote.

[lawyerlee]

Japan 'war orphans' lose case (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/4654681.stm) BBC News
A Japanese court has ruled that 32 Japanese citizens abandoned as children in China at the end of World War II are not entitled to compensation.

Their parents were killed or forced to abandon them when they fled China for Japan at the end of the war in 1945.

The plaintiffs said Japan failed to repatriate them early enough and that they are now entitled to compensation.

But an Osaka court has ruled that it had no obligation to help the former orphans achieve financial independence.

Thousands of Japanese children were left behind in north-east China amid the fighting and confusion of the war's end.

They were looked after by Chinese parents and grew up as though Chinese nationals, before the Japanese government started repatriating them in the 1980s.

Wednesday's court decision was the first ruling in a series of lawsuits brought by the repatriated individuals.

It affected 32 of 111 plaintiffs who brought a 2003 case before the Osaka court.

[lawyerlee]

Climate change tops full G8 talks (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/4658427.stm) BBC News

Climate change and global trade will top Thursday's agenda when G8 leaders get down to business in earnest.

The first full day of the G8 summit will be dominated by the environment, an issue which could expose fault lines between the US and other countries.

President Bush has made it clear he will not sign up to Kyoto-style limits on greenhouse gas emissions.

The UK is trying to reach a compromise by stressing commitment to eco-friendly technology to cut greenhouse gases.

Police will be braced for further protests across Scotland after a series of demonstrations on Wednesday resulted in more than 160 arrests.

More than 100 arrests were made near the town of Auchterarder after demonstrators left the agreed route of a march and attempted to penetrate the security cordon around the Gleneagles Hotel.

With up to 4,000 police on duty, the summit is at the centre of the biggest security operation in UK history.

For many protesters and observers, the G8 summit is a defining moment in current world politics, amid increased calls for the world's richest countries to act now to help the world's poorest.

Climate divisions

Thursday will see the leaders of the world's richest nations - the United Kingdom, United States, France, Germany, Italy, Russia, Japan and Canada - involved in back-to-back meetings, including a working lunch and dinner.

The leaders of China, India, Mexico, Brazil and South Africa, the world's five emerging economies, will join the discussion on climate change while the International Monetary Fund, World Trade Organization and World Bank will also be represented.

This should focus on developing fuel-efficient technology and exploring alternative sources of energy.

"President Bush has made a statement saying he accepts global warming is a problem, he accepts that it is partly man-made," Mr Brown told ITV's News at Ten.

"What I think will happen is that the World Bank will be asked to bring together not just America and Europe but the developing countries, particularly China and India."

Trade concessions

Another key area of discussion will be the state of the world economy, particularly efforts to reduce global trade barriers.

Anti-poverty campaigners are hopeful the US may make some concessions in this area, curbing cotton and sugar subsidies which critics claim distort world prices and harm producers in developing countries.

However, President Bush has said that reform of US farm subsidies has to be tied to an overhaul of the EU's Common Agricultural Policy.

The G8 leaders will also discuss a range of foreign policy issues including Iraq and the Middle East peace process.

[lawyerlee]

Man Charged With Stealing Wi-Fi Signal (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/techbits_wi_fi_theft&printer=1;_ylt=Atn4C0kEOT5LNMOlvF2fOldk24cA;_ylu=X 3oDMTA3MXN1bHE0BHNlYwN0bWE-) AP

Police have arrested a man for using someone else's wireless Internet network in one of the first criminal cases involving this fairly common practice.

Benjamin Smith III, 41, faces a pretrial hearing this month following his April arrest on charges of unauthorized access to a computer network, a third-degree felony.

Police say Smith admitted using the Wi-Fi signal from the home of Richard Dinon, who had noticed Smith sitting in an SUV outside Dinon's house using a laptop computer.

The practice is so new that the Florida Department of Law Enforcement doesn't even keep statistics, according to the St. Petersburg Times, which reported Smith's arrest this week.

Innocuous use of other people's unsecured Wi-Fi networks is common, though experts say that plenty of illegal use also goes undetected: such as people sneaking on others' networks to traffic in child pornography, steal credit card information and send death threats.

Security experts say people can prevent such access by turning on encryption or requiring passwords, but few bother or are unsure how to do so.

Wi-Fi, short for Wireless Fidelity, has enjoyed prolific growth since 2000. Millions of households have set up wireless home networks that give people like Dinon the ability to use the Web from their backyards but also reach the house next door or down the street.

It's not clear why Smith was using Dinon's network. Prosecutors declined to comment, and a working phone number could not be located for Smith.

[lawyerlee]

Army gives $5 bln of work to Halliburton (http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/iraq_halliburton_dc&printer=1;_ylt=Ar1WGXXAKJuAfQWGr2.lGeYb.3QA;_ylu=X 3oDMTA3MXN1bHE0BHNlYwN0bWE-) Reuters

By Sue Pleming

The U.S. military has signed on Halliburton to do nearly $5 billion in new work in Iraq under a giant logistics contract that has so far earned the Texas-based firm $9.1 billion, the Army said on Wednesday.

Linda Theis, a spokeswoman for U.S. Army Field Support Command in Rock Island, Illinois, said the military signed the work order with Halliburton unit Kellogg Brown and Root in May.

The new deal, worth $4.97 billion over the next year, was not made public when it was signed because the Army did not consider such an announcement necessary, she said.

"We did not announce this task order as this is really not something we ever really thought about doing," said Theis.

Halliburton, which was run by Vice President Dick Cheney from 1995-2000, has been under scrutiny for its contracts in Iraq and several U.S. government agencies are looking into whether it overcharged for some work.

A Halliburton spokeswoman said the new spending package was approved by the Army after the company submitted estimated costs for the year based on services requested.

The $4.97 billion figure represented the maximum under the contract, and the actual amount could be lower since the Army doled out the work on an incremental basis, she said.

The new contract is about $1 billion more than the company earned under last year's services contract.

[lawyerlee]

Police Called to O.J. Simpson's Fla. Home (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20050707/ap_on_re_us/oj_dispute&printer=1;_ylt=ApdUHC8yDg3wXYcP25FoA1FH2ocA;_ylu=X 3oDMTA3MXN1bHE0BHNlYwN0bWE-) AP

By LISA ORKIN EMMANUEL, Associated Press Writer

A neighbor who went to O.J. Simpson's home on the Fourth of July to perform a favor ended up calling police to report a fight. Police responded, but said no one was arrested and no charges will be filed.

Simpson was at his suburban Miami house with girlfriend Christie Prody when he asked the neighbor, Steve Dockendorf, to come over and jump start Prody's car.

Dockendorf said he summoned police because Prody was beating him and Simpson.

"I figured if I called the police, at least he has a record" of the disturbance, Dockendorf said Wednesday. "He said he should have done that with Nicole."

[lawyerlee]

Judge Tosses Bid to Revive Reparation Suit (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20050707/ap_on_re_us/slave_reparations&printer=1;_ylt=AqAEWfpiuzNL3LYR4FUVdGNH2ocA;_ylu=X 3oDMTA3MXN1bHE0BHNlYwN0bWE-) AP

By MIKE ROBINSON, Associated Press Writer

An effort by slave descendants to gain reparations from corporations that allegedly benefited from slavery was dismissed Wednesday by a federal judge.

Judge Charles R. Norgle characterized the issue as basically political, and said it should be decided by the legislative or executive branch.

He added that the plaintiffs have failed to show a link between themselves and the 17 corporations named as defendants, and that the statute of limitations rules out damages for wrongs committed before slavery was abolished in 1868.

It was the second time Norgle dismissed a version of the slave reparations suit and this time he did it with prejudice — meaning that any hopes of reviving it at the District Court level most likely are dead.

Norgle based his decision partly on "the long-standing" doctrine that political issues should be resolved in the Congress or the executive branch, and noted that slavery reparations issues historically have been fought there rather than the courts.

Attorney Benjamin Obi Nwoye said he and other lawyers who have worked on the suit planned to appeal.

"We don't agree with his reasoning," he said. "We are hopeful that we will get justices who are fair-minded so the descendants of slaves can be repaid for the work of their forefathers."

Attorneys for the slave descendants say they want to use any damages to create a fund to help correct problems in the black community.

[lawyerlee]

'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' Case in Court (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20050707/ap_on_re_us/military_gays&printer=1;_ylt=AurTY_SfgmC8U7lM.4MVRZtH2ocA;_ylu=X 3oDMTA3MXN1bHE0BHNlYwN0bWE-)

By DENISE LAVOIE, Associated Press Writer

During her first five years in the Navy, Jen Kopfstein avoided conversations about her personal life, taking the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy seriously.

"I felt like I was being forced to lie and having to be dishonest," Kopfstein said. "I could never share anything about my family or my home life or even say what I did on the weekend. It is hurtful to do that."

After she finally wrote a letter to her commanding officer telling him she was a lesbian, she was discharged.

Now she and 11 other former servicemembers are challenging the "don't ask, don't tell" policy, arguing in a federal lawsuit that it violates their constitutional rights. The Bush administration is asking a federal judge to dismiss the lawsuit in a motion to be heard Friday.

"It's a terrible policy," said Kopfstein, 30, of San Diego. "It's very detrimental to morale. It turns people into second-class citizens.

Established in 1993 under the Clinton administration, "don't ask, don't tell" prohibits the military from asking about the sexual orientation of service members but requires discharge of those who acknowledge being gay or engaging in homosexual activity.

More than 9,400 troops have been discharged since the policy was implemented, a number critics call astonishing with the country at war and recruitment lagging.

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Report: Drug firms spend most on lobbying (http://www.cnn.com/2005/POLITICS/07/07/health.politics.reut/index.html) CNN

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -- The pharmaceutical industry spent a record $128 million last year trying to win over U.S. politicians, more than any other business sector, according to a report released Thursday.

That exceeds the more than $116 million on lobbying efforts and campaign donations in 2003, one of the busiest health-care political years when Congress passed a new Medicare law, the Center for Public Integrity report said.

The nonprofit public policy research group analyzed millions of campaign finance records, lobbyist disclosure forms, Securities and Exchanges Commission filings and other public records.

Larger drug makers spent the most on lobbying efforts, the report said. Pfizer Inc. donated $1.6 million to political candidates and causes, followed by GlaxoSmithKline Plc with $1.09 million.

Even though lobbying politicians is legal, Center for Public Integrity officials questioned how such close ties can impact average Americans.

"Drug prices soared at the same time that the drug industry emerged as one of the most powerful organized interests in Washington," said Executive Director Roberta Baskin.

She also questioned the number of former members of Congress and other federal workers who then work as lobbyists.

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Dino track found in Denali National Park (http://www.cnn.com/2005/TECH/science/07/06/denali.park.dino.ap/index.html) CNN

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) -- A track from a three-toed dinosaur believed to be about 70 million years old has been discovered in Denali National Park, the first evidence that the animals roamed there, scientists said.

The footprint was found June 27 by a University of Alaska Fairbanks student taking a geology field course.

The fossil is 9 inches long and 6 inches wide, officials said.

The discovery's importance was its location in Interior Alaska, far from the coastline where other tracks have been found, said Anthony Fiorillo, curator of earth sciences at the Dallas Museum of Natural History.

"It's not necessarily the track itself that's significant," he said. "It's where it is that's got us all excited."

From the size of the track, he estimates the meat-eater was 9 to 13 feet long.

"You are looking at a very large, birdlike animal except it has teeth and a tail and instead of wings, it has arms," he said. A rough comparison, he said, would be a scaled-down Tyrannosaurus rex.

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Calif. man faints, dies after seeing epidural (http://abcnews.go.com/Health/wireStory?id=918236) ABC News

Reuters
Jul. 7, 2005 - A California woman is suing a hospital for wrongful death because her husband fainted and suffered a fatal injury after helping delivery room staff give her a pain-killing injection.

Jeanette Passalaqua, 32, filed the suit against Kaiser Foundation Hospitals and Southern California Permanente Medical Group Inc. in San Bernardino County state court last week.

In June 2004, Passalaqua's husband, Steven Passalaqua, was asked by Kaiser staff to hold and steady his wife while an employee inserted an epidural needle into her back, court papers said.

The sight of the needle caused Steven Passalaqua, 33, to faint and he fell backward, striking his head on an aluminum cap molding at the base of the wall.

Jeanette Passalaqua delivered the couple's second child, a boy, later that day. Steven Passalaqua, however, suffered a brain hemorrhage as a result of his fall and died two days later, the lawsuit said.

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High-Speed Internet Use Rises 34 Percent (http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/wireStory?id=917864) ABC News

High-Speed Internet Use by U.S. Businesses and Households Rises 34 Percent to 37.9 Million Lines

The Associated Press

WASHINGTON Jul 7, 2005 — High-speed Internet use by U.S. businesses and households rose 34 percent in 2004 to 37.9 million lines, the Federal Communications Commission said Thursday.

The figures were cited by the agency's chairman as proof that the FCC's broadband policy is working.

Digital subscriber line, or DSL, service increased 45 percent last year to 13.8 million lines. Cable modem use climbed 30 percent to 21.4 million lines.

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Sprint Rolls Out Wireless Internet Plan (http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/wireStory?id=918092) ABC News

Sprint Announces New High-Speed Wireless Internet Service, 1 1/2 Years After Verizon Wireless

By BILL DRAPER
The Associated Press

KANSAS CITY, Mo. Jul 7, 2005 — Sprint Corp. announced its arrival onto the wireless broadband scene on Thursday, more than a year and a half after one of its top rivals, Verizon Wireless, started offering broadband Internet service.

Sprint Corp. plans to provide mobile broadband service to about 150 million people by early next year. The service, using EV-DO (Evolution Data Optimized) technology, will be available in business districts and airports in 34 markets by the end of this month. It already came online this month in 17 of those markets, including Kansas City.

The Overland Park, Kan.-based company said rates will start at $40 per month for a limited-access plan, and unlimited access will cost business customers about $80 a month.

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Memo: U.S., UK plan to reduce troops in Iraq (http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2005/7/10/worldupdates/2005-07-10T094113Z_01_NOOTR_RTRJONC_0_-208822-1&sec=Worldupdates) Reuters

LONDON (Reuters) - A leaked document from Britain's Defence Ministry says the British and U.S. governments are planning to reduce their troop levels in Iraq by more than half by mid-2006, the Mail on Sunday reported.
The memo, reported to have been written by Defence Minister John Reid, said Britain would reduce its troop numbers to 3,000 from 8,500 by the middle of next year.

"We have a commitment to hand over to Iraqi control in Al Muthanna and Maysan provinces (two of the four provinces under British control in southern Iraq) in October 2005 and in the other two, Dhi Qar and Basra, in April 2006," the memo was reported to have said.

The memo said Washington planned to cut its forces to 66,000 from about 140,000 by early 2006.

"Emerging U.S. plans assume 14 out of 18 provinces could be handed over to Iraqi control by early 2006," the memo said.

The United States is training Iraqi forces to take over the country's defence in the face of an insurgency involving allies of former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein and foreign militants allied to al Qaeda operative Abu Musab al-Zarqawi.

But critics say Iraqi troops are not ready to take charge of security in their country.

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Body of missing SEAL recovered (http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/asiapcf/07/10/afghan.seal/index.html) CNN
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The body of a U.S. Navy SEAL has been found and recovered in Afghanistan, a senior defense official said Sunday.

This would account for the fourth member of a reconnaissance team that disappeared two weeks ago in Afghanistan. Only one of the four survived.

The body of the SEAL was found near the other two bodies and all three had died in a shootout with insurgents, according to an initial assessment from the field, the senior official said.

This senior official said that "no way" had the SEAL ever been in captivity, contrary to Taliban claims that he had been abducted.

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Dennis spreads across Southeast (http://www.cnn.com/2005/WEATHER/07/10/tropical.weather/index.html) CNN

Bush declares disaster as hurricane weakens to tropical storm

PENSACOLA, Florida (CNN) -- Hurricane Dennis weakened to a tropical storm Sunday night after sweeping ashore with winds up to 120 mph, causing power outages and flooding in the Florida Panhandle and lower Alabama.

But the storm spared the area from the kind of damage Hurricane Ivan inflicted last year.

The eye of the storm -- then a Category 3 -- made landfall at 2:25 p.m. (3:25 p.m. ET) between the towns of Pensacola Beach and Navarre Beach on Santa Rosa Island, the National Hurricane Center in Miami reported.

As it came ashore, crossed the western Florida Panhandle and headed north into Alabama, the storm snapped limbs, tore off roofs and knocked out power to more than 250,000 residents, local officials told CNN.

As of 11 p.m. ET, Dennis had top sustained winds of near 50 mph and was centered about 25 miles southeast of Demopolis, Alabama, moving north-northwest at about 16 mph, the hurricane center said.

Florida authorities received no reports of deaths or injuries, Lt. Gov. Toni Jennings said.

Alabama Homeland Security Director Jim Walker said no deaths were reported in his state, either. But he added, "There are still parts of Alabama that still have got to get through the dangers of this storm."

Forecasters also warned that Dennis remained a powerful storm as it spread across the Southeast.

Tornado warnings were posted Sunday night and Monday for central and northern Alabama, central and northern Mississippi and the western Tennessee Valley.

"People really need to know that this hurricane is not done by any means," said Max Mayfield, director of the National Hurricane Center.

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Insurgent bombers kill 30 in Iraq (http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/meast/07/10/iraq.main/index.html) CNN

3 cities targeted in attacks

BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- Bombs in three Iraqi cities killed 30 people and wounded about 75, authorities said Sunday.

In Baghdad, a suicide bomber killed 22 people, including five Iraqi police officers, and wounded more than 50 others at an Iraqi army recruiting center, Iraqi security sources said.

The blast occurred about 8:55 a.m., police said, when a bomber wearing an explosives vest underneath his clothing detonated among recruits.

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U.S., U.K. Said to Have Iraq Pullout Plan (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20050711/ap_on_re_eu/britain_iraq;_ylt=AhCL4SGxcHf7QW_35N0pfius0NUE;_yl u=X3oDMTA3b2NibDltBHNlYwM3MTY-) AP

By MATT MOORE, Associated Press Writer

Britain and the U.S. are trying to build a new strategy to exit Iraq that could see British troops leaving the country by Christmas, a newspaper reported citing a government memo written by the defense secretary.

The Mail on Sunday reported that British Defense Secretary John Reid drafted a secret paper for Prime Minister Tony Blair outlining how most of the country's 8,500 troops could be sent home from Iraq within three months, with the rest by the end of the year.

The document also said the U.S. was looking to cut back its own troop levels to 66,000, down from the 135,000 there now.

But in a statement released by Britain Defense Ministry, Reid said the document was simply one of several period updates examining possible scenarios for the war in Iraq.

"We have made it absolutely plain that we will stay in Iraq for as long as is needed," Reid said in a statement. "No decisions on the future force posture of UK forces have been taken."

In a copy of the letter, portions of which were printed by the newspaper and marked "Secret — UK Eyes Only," Reid wrote that there was a strong desire in the U.S. military to reduce the number of its troops in Iraq and hand over security duties to Iraqi forces in 14 of the country's 18 provinces by the end of the year.

"There is a debate between the Pentagon/CENTCOM who favor a relatively bold reduction, and MNF-I (U.S. commanders in Iraq) whose approach is more cautious," part of the letter reads.

Support for Britain's backing of the U.S.-led invasion by the British public has been mixed.

A pair of al-Qaida-inspired groups that claimed responsibility for the bombings that killed 49 people and injured at least 700 on Thursday in London cited the country's role in Iraq.

Earlier this week, Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi said 300 of Italy's soldiers would start leaving in September.

Reid, however, said Britain was committed to the coalition.

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Panda cub born at Washington's National Zoo (http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20050710/od_nm/life_panda_dc&printer=1;_ylt=AsyBik2n5GZUi8XjlJ0z2UgZ.3QA;_ylu=X 3oDMTA3MXN1bHE0BHNlYwN0bWE-) Reuters

By Doina Chiacu

A panda cub the size of a stick of butter was born early Saturday at the National Zoo (in Washington), the first for the pair of endangered bears now living there and a milestone for the zoo.

Mei Xiang gave birth at 3:41 a.m. and zoo veterinarians were watching closely to see how the tiny cub, which weighs just ounces (grams), will fare in its first critical days.

"Luckily, right now both mother and cub are doing really, really well," said zoo spokesman John Gibbons. "Mei Xiang is proving that she knows best and she's doing exactly what Mother Nature intended her to do."

That would be cradling and nursing the white-haired cub, which Gibbons said was about "the size of a stick of butter."

The newborn's sex may not be determined for weeks as zoo officials stay out of the panda den while mother and baby bond and the cub builds immunity from infection.

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'Morning-after' pill doesn't increase unsafe sex (http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20050708/hl_nm/morning_after_dc;_ylt=Atnn3uNRHJ18hlxfdte_x7LVJRIF ;_ylu=X3oDMTBiMW04NW9mBHNlYwMlJVRPUCUl) Reuters

Allowing 'morning-after' contraceptive pills to be sold over the counter does not increase their use, suggesting that easy availability does not lead to an upsurge in unprotected sex, British investigators report.

Beginning in January of 2001, emergency contraception has been available without prescription in the UK, Dr. Cicely Marston and associates note in an online report from the British Medical Journal.

Opponents of this policy are concerned that it encourages unprotected sex and increase promiscuity.

Marston, from the Imperial College Faculty of Medicine in London, and her team surveyed women ages 16 to 49 years in 2000, 2001 and 2002 regarding their use of contraceptives in general.

Answers to the surveys showed that the proportion of women reporting current use of contraception remained unchanged over time. Overall use of emergency contraception also remained the same.

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More Than 100 Die in Pakistan Train Crash (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20050713/ap_on_re_as/pakistan_trains_collide&printer=1;_ylt=Ar__FgSmCtRc72bZyF.aGE79xg8F;_ylu=X 3oDMTA3MXN1bHE0BHNlYwN0bWE-) AP

By ZARAR KHAN, Associated Press Writer

Three passenger trains crashed in a chain-reaction pileup in a southern Pakistan station early Wednesday, killing more than 100 people and injuring hundreds of others, officials said.

Pakistan's deadliest train wreck in more than a decade left the station yard covered with twisted steel from at least 13 derailed cars. Officials said body parts were strewn about and emergency crews had to cut through metal to reach some victims.

"It is a very gruesome situation," police chief Agha Mohammed Tahir told The Associated Press. "Rescue workers have started to pull the dead and injured out. There were many people inside and there are a lot of casualties."

Survivors described being awoken to the horror after being thrown from their beds and seats.

"We were sleeping and we woke up to a huge bang," Suraya, a 22-year-old woman who like many Pakistanis goes by just one name, told The Associated Press by telephone. "I fell down to the floor. Then I heard the screams."

Abdul Wahab Awan, general manager of Pakistan Railways, said officials on the scene had told him more than 100 people were dead and hundreds more injured.

Brig. Javed Iqbal Cheema, the national head of the Crisis Management Center at the Interior Ministry, ruled out sabotage, saying the crash was "a pure accident."

"We cannot give a figure for the death toll and a rescue operation is going on," he added.

The crash started about 4 a.m. when a train sitting in a station near the Sindh province city of Ghotki was hit in the rear by a second train, the Karachi Express. A third, oncoming train then slammed into cars derailed in the first crash, said Abdul Aziz, a senior controller at Pakistan Railways.

Chaudhry Nazir Ahmed, a railroad official in Ghotki, said about a thousand people were believed to be traveling in the three trains.

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NASA Fixes Shuttle Tiles; Launch on Track (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20050713/ap_on_sc/space_shuttle&printer=1;_ylt=Av_QoMmBjXZVvtCUyEWskYBxieAA;_ylu=X 3oDMTA3MXN1bHE0BHNlYwN0bWE-) AP

By MARCIA DUNN, AP Aerospace Writer
With the countdown for Discovery in its final hours, NASA was dealt an embarrassing setback Tuesday when a window cover fell off the shuttle and damaged thermal tiles near the tail. But the space agency quickly fixed the problem and said it was still on track for launch Wednesday.

The mishap was an eerie reminder of the very thing that doomed Columbia 2 1/2 years ago — damage to the spaceship's fragile thermal shield.

The lightweight plastic cover on one of Discovery's cockpit windows came loose while the spaceship was on the launch pad, falling more than 60 feet and striking a bulge in the fuselage, said Stephanie Stilson, the NASA manager in charge of Discovery's launch preparations.

No one knows why the cover — held in place with tape and weighing less than 2 pounds — fell off, she said. The covers are used prior to launch to protect the shuttle's windows, then removed before liftoff.

Two tiles on an aluminum panel were damaged, and the entire panel was replaced with a spare in what Stilson said was a minor repair job.

The cover, which weighs less than 2 pounds, struck a part of the fuselage that houses one of the engines used by the shuttle to maneuver in orbit. Launch managers were still awaiting an engineering analysis on whether the blow caused any damage to the engine hardware, but Stilson said she was confident there would be no problems.

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Bolton May Accept Recess Appointment (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/07/12/AR2005071201319_pf.html) Washington Post
Stalemate Continues on U.N. Nomination

By Charles Babington and Dafna Linzer
Washington Post Staff Writers
Wednesday, July 13, 2005; A04
John R. Bolton's nomination to be ambassador to the United Nations was the hottest issue in Congress a few months ago. But it has virtually evaporated this summer, eclipsed by speculation over a Supreme Court nominee and the fate of the president's top political adviser.

With neither the White House nor Senate Democrats showing any sign of yielding in their long-running dispute over documents related to Bolton's State Department work, speculation is rife that Bolton is prepared to accept a recess appointment good through the end of 2006, despite warnings from some GOP senators that it would weaken his influence and effectiveness.

Although the Senate has twice voted to sustain a filibuster against his nominee, President Bush has refused to surrender the fight over Bolton. "The president continues to believe that John Bolton should receive an up-or-down vote, and he encourages the Senate to move forward on his nomination," spokeswoman Erin Healy said yesterday.

But an administration source who is close to Bolton said that Bolton is prepared to accept a recess appointment next month unless the administration and Senate Democrats can resolve differences that have held up the confirmation for four months.

"He'll take the recess" appointment, said the administration source, who is familiar with Bolton's thinking. "The president has made his selection, and the president is asking the Senate to confirm the selection, and if the Senate refuses to do that, then most assuredly [Bush] will make a recess appointment."

The president is constitutionally empowered to fill vacancies when the Senate is in recess, and the appointments are effective through the final adjournment of the sitting Congress. The White House took no action during last week's Fourth of July break. The next recess, scheduled to last a month, starts July 30.

There is no indication that Bush has considered withdrawing the nomination and seeking another candidate.

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Homeland Security To Be Restructured (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/07/12/AR2005071201563_pf.html) Washington Post
Chertoff Aims to Address Criticism

By Spencer S. Hsu and Sara Kehaulani Goo
Washington Post Staff Writers
Wednesday, July 13, 2005; A01

Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff will announce a major restructuring of his 180,000-employee department today, changing how the two-year-old agency handles intelligence, sets policy and manages key law enforcement operations in response to criticism that domestic security remains unfocused and poorly coordinated.

Chertoff will realign agencies that secure the nation's skies and police its borders, replace or reassign the duties of three of five undersecretaries, and emphasize missions such as increasing national preparedness and screening people and cargo before they enter the nation, congressional and department officials said.

Many Americans will notice no immediate impact from the changes. But analysts said the revision could help the department better accomplish fundamental tasks such as protecting computer and financial networks, guiding local preparedness efforts, processing threat information, and identifying key private-sector vulnerabilities.

Chertoff's plan marks a milestone in the difficult evolution of the largest civilian Cabinet department, launched in March 2003 by the Bush administration under pressure from Congress. The government undertook the largest federal reorganization since 1947 to give one department the task of defending the homeland from attack, but critics say the agency has failed to set priorities and is mired in turf disputes.

"This is the last, best chance to get it right," said James Jay Carafano, senior research fellow for defense and homeland security at the Heritage Foundation, who, like others, has faulted the administration's initial effort for failing to give the secretary clear control of 22 component agencies or create a strong planning component. "If the Department of Homeland Security is something the government is really going to do 24-7, 365 days a year, for years, doesn't it make sense to get it done right, now?"

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U.S. Berated Over Indians' Treatment[/b] (][b]Washington Post[/i]
Judge Orders Interior Dept. to Send Written Warnings About Its Credibility

By Evelyn Nieves
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, July 13, 2005; A19

In a scathing rebuke of the federal government's treatment of Native Americans, a federal judge yesterday ordered the Interior Department to include notices in its correspondence with Indians whose land the government holds in trust, warning them that the government's information may not be credible.

U.S. District Judge Royce C. Lamberth, who has presided for nearly 10 years over a class-action suit on behalf of 500,000 Indians whose land the government has leased to mining, ranching and timber interests, issued one of his most strongly worded opinions on the case.

Lamberth ruled that the government essentially has to tell trust-account holders the information it sends them is not reliable. He also described in his 34-page opinion the history of the lawsuit as proof that the government continues to treat Indians "as if they were somehow less than deserving of the respect that should be afforded to everyone in a society where all people are supposed to be equal."

Lamberth wrote: "For those harboring hope that the stories of murder, dispossession, forced marches, assimilationist policy programs, and other incidents of cultural genocide against the Indians are merely the echoes of a horrible, bigoted government-past that has been sanitized by the good deeds of more recent history, this case serves as an appalling reminder of the evils that result when large numbers of the politically powerless are placed at the mercy of institutions engendered and controlled by a politically powerful few."

The Interior Department, in a statement, said the opinion "contains intemperate rhetoric uncommon to jurisprudence, but made common in this case" and pointed out that the District Court's opinion has been overturned in the three most recent appeals filed.

Since 1996, when Eloise Cobell, a member of the Blackfeet Indians of Montana, brought the class-action lawsuit against Interior seeking a complete accounting of the money collected and distributed in the trust accounts dating to 1879, Lamberth has found that the federal government has not lived up to its responsibilities in handling the trust accounts or the lawsuit. He has held two interior secretaries, Gale A. Norton of the Bush administration and Bruce Babbitt of the Clinton administration, in contempt of court.

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Remains of U.S. Soldier ID'd in Vietnam (http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/wire/sns-ap-vietnam-remains,1,544336,print.story?coll=sns-ap-nation-headlines) LA Times
By Associated Press
RUSSELL SPRINGS, Ky. — The family of a soldier listed as missing in action in Vietnam 36 years ago will bury him this weekend with full military honors after his remains were found and identified.

Pfc. Raymond Edward Bobe, 21, and four other soldiers died March 16, 1969, when the U-21A plane they were in crashed in a mountainous region northwest of the Phu Bai airport, said Larry Greer, spokesman for the Pentagon's POW-MIA office.

Bobe's father, Henry Bobe of Russell Springs, said the identification of his son's remains offered a degree of closure, but he declined to comment further.

"I'm pretty tore up about it right now," he said.

U.S. Judge Slams New Deportation Law (http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/wire/sns-ap-deportation-fight,1,29240,print.story?coll=sns-ap-nation-headlines) LA Times

By MICHAEL KUNZELMAN
Associated Press Writer

BOSTON — The chief judge of U.S. District Court in Boston lashed out at Congress on Tuesday for putting what he called a "chokehold" on all federal district courts, stripping them of the authority to rule on deportation cases.

In a scathing ruling, Judge William G. Young said he had been prepared to halt the deportation of a Nigerian national who says the government promised he could stay in the United States after he was charged with drug smuggling in 1986.

But Young said Congress took that decision out of his hands in May when it passed the REAL ID Act, a law that makes it harder for immigrants to gain amnesty.

"Though such direct congressional interference in a pending case is virtually unprecedented in all our history, this surprising mandate has gone utterly unnoticed by our people," Young said. "How can this be in modern day America?"

Instead, Young said he was required by law to transfer the case of 56-year-old Frank Enwonwu to the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

Young argued that the new law endangers immigrants like Enwonwu, who claims he will be jailed, tortured and possibly killed if sent back to Nigeria because he became a federal informant after his arrest.

"Congress does not much care about immigrant aliens, even those who, after endangering themselves assisting our law enforcement efforts to stem international drug trade, are deported into the hands of the very drug traders upon whom they have informed," Young wrote.



Drug Plan May Hurt Some It's Meant to Help (http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-disabled12jul12,0,2802382,print.story?coll=la-home-nation) LA Times

A cost-saving plan could jeopardize people with special needs who straddle the Medicare and Medicaid programs, advocates say.

By Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar
Times Staff Writer

July 12, 2005

WASHINGTON — Although she was partially paralyzed in a car crash 22 years ago, suffers from lung disease and has only a meager income, 64-year-old Margaret Dowling is able to live independently in her own home, thanks to a motorized wheelchair and nine prescription drugs that she takes every day.

But now, Dowling fears that her hard-won independence may be in danger — not from the ravages of injury or disease, but from an effort by the federal government to improve healthcare for older Americans while putting the brakes on rising costs.

Dowling is not alone. About 6 million people with severe medical problems and low incomes face similar threats from the same source. Nobody wants it to happen, but so far at least, no one has come up with a solution.

And Dowling's plight is an early sign of an even larger problem: The healthcare needs of the disabled, the elderly and the poor are complex and the systems serving them huge — 90 million people, $600 billion in annual expenditures.

As Washington struggles to maintain the programs while dealing with seemingly unsustainable cost increases, the law of unintended consequences is likely to strike again and again.

Dowling and others like her fall into a netherworld where Medicare and Medicaid overlap. They are what the government calls "dual eligibles" and, because of their financial situation, receive benefits under both programs — drug coverage from Medicaid, which primarily serves the poor, and hospital and doctors' care from Medicare, which primarily serves the elderly.

In January, for the first time, Medicare will offer a drug plan that is to operate quite differently from Medicaid's system, which provides comprehensive, virtually cost-free prescription coverage. Medicare's plan will rest on competition among private insurance companies and, hoping to save money and streamline the system, Washington has decided that patients such as Dowling will automatically be switched to the Medicare drug system.

The new program was not created with people like Dowling in mind, however.

The private plans that patients will be required to use under Medicare will emphasize reliance on generic drugs and other measures designed to cut costs. Medicaid gave doctors virtually free rein when it came to choosing drugs.

Advocacy groups and experts say that after the switch to private plans, there's no guarantee that Dowling and other "dual eligibles" will be able to keep exactly the same combinations of drugs they now receive under Medicaid. That could upset the delicate balance among the drugs upon which Dowling and others depend.

"My biggest concern is making sure that people with specialized medical problems are not shortchanged," said Sen. Gordon H. Smith (R-Ore.), a supporter of the new drug benefit. "It's really the most vulnerable population we have."


Senate Is Split on Spending Bill for Domestic Security (http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-homeland12jul12,0,4824812,print.story?coll=la-home-nation) LA Times

Emergency response, border security and needs of urban, rural areas divide lawmakers.

By Nicole Gaouette
Times Staff Writer

July 12, 2005

WASHINGTON — As they began debate Monday on a $31.9-billion domestic security bill, members of the Senate agreed that last week's terrorist bombings in London underscored the need to make Americans safer. But they split sharply on how best to spend the limited dollars available.

Senators from urban areas, many of them Democrats, pointed to the attacks on London's mass transit system as evidence that it was time to focus on firefighters, emergency response teams and others who must deal with terrorist episodes — groups that have not always come out on top in the competition for federal funds.

On the other side were senators — many of them Republicans — who said money could be better spent on intelligence, tighter border security and other efforts aimed at preventing attacks in the first place.

The latter approach is the one generally favored by President Bush and his new secretary of Homeland Security, Michael Chertoff. But with the horrific attacks on bus and subway passengers fresh in voters' minds, the strategy debate has become politically sensitive.

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Sharp Increase in Tax Revenue Will Pare U.S. Deficit (http://nytimes.com/2005/07/13/business/13deficit.html?ei=5094&en=929cb865ee87655a&hp=&ex=1121313600&partner=homepage&pagewanted=print) NY Times

By EDMUND L. ANDREWS

WASHINGTON, July 12 - For the first time since President Bush took office, an unexpected leap in tax revenue is about to shrink the federal budget deficit this year, by nearly $100 billion.

On Wednesday, White House officials plan to announce that the deficit for the 2005 fiscal year, which ends in September, will be far smaller than the $427 billion they estimated in February.

Mr. Bush plans to hail the improvement at a cabinet meeting and to cite it as validation of his argument that tax cuts would stimulate the economy and ultimately help pay for themselves.

Based on revenue and spending data through June, the budget deficit for the first nine months of the fiscal year was $251 billion, $76 billion lower than the $327 billion gap recorded at the corresponding point a year earlier.

The Congressional Budget Office estimated last week that the deficit for the full fiscal year, which reached $412 billion in 2004, could be "significantly less than $350 billion, perhaps below $325 billion."

The big surprise has been in tax revenue, which is running nearly 15 percent higher than in 2004. Corporate tax revenue has soared about 40 percent, after languishing for four years, and individual tax revenue is up as well.

Most of the increase in individual tax receipts appears to have come from higher stock market gains and the business income of relatively wealthy taxpayers. The biggest jump was not from taxes withheld from salaries but from quarterly payments on investment gains and business earnings, which were up 20 percent this year.

That was similar, though much smaller than a sharp rise in tax revenue during the stock market boom of the late 1990's, which was followed by plunges in revenue when the market bubble burst.

But many independent analysts cautioned that the improvement, though notable, could prove ephemeral and that it did little to eliminate much bigger fiscal problems just over the horizon. "Lawmakers who allow themselves to be lulled into thinking that the economy is growing its way out of the deficit," wrote Edward McKelvey, an economist at Goldman Sachs in New York, "are unlikely to support the painful measures needed to reach a more lasting solution."

For one thing, analysts note, federal spending has continued to climb rapidly, about 7 percent this year. Despite cutbacks in many domestic programs, spending has surged for the war in Iraq as well as in certain benefit programs providing health coverage.

In addition, while a lot of the increase in tax revenue flows from the improving economy and higher incomes, part of the jump stemmed from a special factor: the expiration of a temporary tax break that allowed companies to write off their investment in new equipment much more rapidly than normal.

That tax break reduced revenue by about $61 billion in 2004, but it merely postponed taxes that companies would have to pay once their equipment was fully depreciated.

Other financial hurdles may be down the road. Mr. Bush's intention to extend his tax cuts indefinitely, and to add new ones, would drain more than $1.4 trillion from government coffers over the next 10 years.

As the Medicare expansion into prescription drugs begins to take effect, the cost is estimated at about $33 billion in 2006, with increases every year after that. In 2015, the annual cost of the program is expected to be about $137 billion.

A senior White House official cautioned that it was too early to make definitive judgments about whether the tax cuts had fulfilled the promises of "supply side" economics, a Reagan era concept that posits a direct relationship between lower tax rates and faster economic growth.

[lawyerlee]

G.O.P. Lawmakers Offer Alternative Bill on Stem Cells (http://www.nytimes.com/2005/07/13/politics/13stem.html?pagewanted=print) NY Times

By SHERYL GAY STOLBERG

WASHINGTON, July 12 - With President Bush vowing to veto a bill to loosen restrictions on federal financing for embryonic stem cell research, leading Congressional Republicans, including Senator Bill Frist, the majority leader, have drafted an alternative that promotes new, unproven methods of obtaining stem cells without destroying embryos.

The new legislation was being promoted on Tuesday as a middle ground between the bill passed by the House to expand federal financing for the research and Mr. Bush's stance, set down four years ago to permit such financing only for studies on existing embryonic stem cell lines.

But at a Senate subcommittee hearing, backers of the House bill characterized the new proposal as an effort to draw Republican support away from that measure. The House bill, which would permit federal financing for studies on embryos left over from fertility treatments, has majority support in the Senate.

"They figure if they can pull enough votes from our bill, then they can stop us from getting the 60 votes that we need," said Senator Tom Harkin, Democrat of Iowa, who is sponsoring the Senate version of the bill, along with Senator Arlen Specter, Republican of Pennsylvania.

But backers of the alternative say Mr. Frist, a heart-lung transplant surgeon, is simply trying to come up with a measure Mr. Bush can sign. The alternative, being sponsored in the House by Representative Roscoe G. Bartlett, Republican of Maryland, would set aside taxpayer money for animal studies that could eventually yield methods of developing human embryonic stem cell lines.

"This is a good alternative," said Senator Tom Coburn, Republican of Oklahoma and a family practice doctor, "and it may solve the ethical constraints."

So far, scientists know of no way to derive human embryonic stem cells without destroying embryos, said James F. Battey, chairman of a stem cell task force at the National Institutes of Health. The alternative bill embraces various new concepts, including carving one or two cells from microscopic eight-cell embryos to be used for research, while allowing the embryos to continue to develop.

The ideas come from a report by President Bush's Council on Bioethics, and their emergence is the latest twist in a thorny moral debate that has divided Republicans.

Mr. Frist is preparing to bring as many as six stem cell measures - including the Specter-Harkin bill, which would permit federal financing of studies of stem cell lines derived from frozen embryos awaiting destruction by fertility clinics - to a vote in the Senate as early as next week.

Mr. Bush has warned that the bill to loosen restrictions "would take us across a critical ethical line," and if it passes, he could face the prospect of the first veto of his presidency. Polls show broad public support for embryonic stem cell research, and scientists and advocates for patients say the studies could yield treatments and cures for a variety of ailments, including Alzheimer's disease and diabetes.

Mr. Frist, who is considered a likely presidential contender in 2008, is under pressure from all sides on the issue. Four years ago, he was instrumental in prodding the president to open the door to federal financing for embryonic stem cell research. But he has said that he now opposes expanding that policy, a position that has put him at odds with prominent members of his own party, including Nancy Reagan, the widow of former President Ronald Reagan, who suffered from Alzheimer's.

Mrs. Reagan has been making telephone calls to undecided senators urging them to support the Specter-Harkin bill, said Doug Wick, a friend of the Reagan family. Mr. Wick, another advocate for embryonic stem cell research, also said Mrs. Reagan had "spoken very frankly to Senator Frist several times on her feelings about embryonic stem cell research."

[lawyerlee]

Town Uses Trespass Law to Fight Illegal Immigrants (http://nytimes.com/2005/07/13/national/13immigrants.html?pagewanted=print) NY Times

By PAM BELLUCK

JAFFREY, N.H., July 12 - One day in April, Jorge Mora Ramírez stopped his car on the side of a road in the small southern New Hampshire town of New Ipswich and was making a cellphone call when a police officer approached him.

The officer questioned Mr. Ramírez, a 21-year-old Mexican who acknowledged that he was in the country illegally, and the New Ipswich police tried to get federal immigration authorities to arrest him. But when immigration officials demurred, not considering him a priority given scarce enforcement resources, the police acted on their own. They took the highly unusual step of charging Mr. Ramírez with criminal trespassing, and held him overnight.

"I wanted the federal government to understand that I was going to take some type of action," said the New Ipswich police chief, W. Garrett Chamberlain. "If I can discourage illegal aliens from coming to or passing through my community, then I think I've succeeded."

At a minimum, Chief Chamberlain has succeeded in creating controversy, as well as interest in his idea. Not far away, the police chief in Hudson, N.H., has charged 10 illegal immigrants with criminal trespassing in recent weeks. Other police departments, in states that include California, Florida and Georgia, have called Chief Chamberlain, and immigration experts say that if the New Hampshire charges are upheld, some local law enforcement officials around the country will most likely copy the approach.

The case against Mr. Ramírez, who lives in Waltham, Mass., and was working as a construction worker here in Jaffrey when he was charged, is also being watched by civil liberties advocates and the Mexican government, which is paying for his lawyers. The matter went to court on Tuesday in Jaffrey/Peterborough District Court, where the defense asked Judge L. Phillips Runyon III to dismiss the case, arguing that immigration enforcement was the federal government's job and that the New Hampshire criminal trespassing statute was intended to apply to those intruding on private property, not to illegal immigrants.

"What the state is attempting to do here is to step into the federal government's shoes and determine whether a person is licensed or able to remain in the United States," said one defense lawyer, Randall Drew.

The prosecutor, Nicole Morse, argued that local police agencies had a right to cite illegal immigrants.

"Just as with a sex offender," Ms. Morse said, "the hope is that they will go and register with the state. And if they don't, then they are violating the law.

"Indeed, the state's interest in this case is security. Being able to identify people who are in our community is essential to the police being able to maintain and keep the peace."

Judge Runyon deferred his decision on whether to dismiss the case until he could hear similar motions in the cases from Hudson. But his questions to both sides underscored the combustible and sensitive nature of immigration enforcement in a post-9/11 world.

On the one hand, he said to defense lawyers, "in this day and age when everyone is so worried about having terrorists in our midst, if a local law enforcement person is dealing with somebody that can't show some basis for their lawfulness of being here," and "they can't get any kind of response that seems to answer their questions from Immigration, are they just hamstrung?"

On the other hand, he told the prosecutor, some immigrants might "have a driver's license from Germany or France but don't have any other papers" with them. "Are you suggesting that those people are going to be charged criminally," he said, "because the police can't figure out that they're supposed to be where they are?"

Noting that if Mr. Ramírez was found guilty, he would be sentenced to nothing more than a $1,000 fine, not jail time, the judge also asked the prosecutor, "How is national security or even local security enhanced by giving someone a citation?"

[LittleFredPunkinHead]

WorldCom's Ebbers Weeps at 25-Year Sentence (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/worldcom_ebbers;_ylt=Ao4zWKPhBGdfgUiGKvoeDLes0NUE; _ylu=X3oDMTA2Z2szazkxBHNlYwN0bQ--) AP

[lawyerlee]

Lawmakers Warn Against Unocal Takeover (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20050713/ap_on_go_co/congress_china_unocal&printer=1;_ylt=Ar9imemsDjBsNjs1pYKLJnmMwfIE;_ylu=X 3oDMTA3MXN1bHE0BHNlYwN0bWE-) AP

By H. JOSEF HEBERT, Associated Press Writer

A Chinese company's attempt to take over California-based Unocal threatens U.S. security and would give China political leverage in areas where the oil company has resources, lawmakers said Wednesday.

"The simple fact is that energy is a strategic commodity," said Rep. Duncan Hunter (news, bio, voting record), chairman of the House Armed Services Committee. Hunter, R-Calif., said Unocal's holdings — from drilling rights to exploratory capabilities in Asia and elsewhere — "represent strategic assets that affect U.S. national security."

The Chinese National Offshore Oil Corp. (CNOOC), based in Hong Kong, has offered to pay $18.2 billion for Unocal. That amount is about $2 billion more than a proposal from Chevron Corp.

The House hearing into the Unocal deal turned into a broad attack on China. Both lawmakers and witnesses dismissed CNOOC's claims that its pursuit of Unocal was simply a commercial business deal, rather than part of a government strategy to gain control of more global oil and natural gas assets.

To accept that it is simply a commercial deal "is extraordinarily naive," former CIA Director James Woolsey told lawmakers. He said CNOOC is 70 percent owned by the Chinese government and its top executive was appointed by the Communist Party.

Two influential senators wrote President Bush on Wednesday to express concern about the extent to which Beijing has agreed to subsidize a Unocal purchase. That has allowed CNOOC to offer at least $7 a share more than what had been offered — and tentatively accepted — from Chevron.

"The offer raises an important question, namely whether it is appropriate for state-owned enterprises to subsidize investment transactions to acquire scarce natural resources that are in high demand," said Sens. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa and Max Baucus, D-Mont., leaders of the Senate Finance Committee.

The House recently passed a resolution urging Bush to give any CNOOC purchase of Unocal a close review, including requirements of divestitures or other action to reduce U.S. national security risks.

"There are both political and military consequences to be considered," said Rep. Ike Skelton (news, bio, voting record) of Missouri, the top Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee.

He noted that Unocal has significant natural gas holdings in Indonesia, an area that supplies fuel to Taiwan. The company also is part of an oil pipeline consortium in central Asia, taking oil from the Caspian region.

[lawyerlee]

NASA Scrubs Shuttle Launch Because of Technical Issue (http://www.latimes.com/news/science/la-071305shuttle_lat,0,3746217,print.story?coll=la-home-headlines) LA Times

By John Johnson Jr. and Ralph Vartabedian
Times Staff Writers

1:04 PM PDT, July 13, 2005

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. — NASA officials scrubbed today's launch of the space shuttle Discovery a little more than two hours before the scheduled takeoff, after engineers noticed a malfunction in a sensor in the external fuel tank.

NASA Administrator Michael Griffin said another launch attempt will not be possible before Monday. Officials indicated that it would be necessary to drain the fuel tank to check the sensors and replace them if necessary.

The fuel tank contains four sensors that show how much hydrogen remains in the tank. One sensor indicated that the tank was almost empty, even though it had been fully loaded with 535,000 gallons of liquid hydrogen and oxygen.

A faulty reading could cause the shuttle's main engines to cut off prematurely or to burn for too long, either of which could be potentially disastrous for the craft and crew.

Engineers began studying the problem within 40 minutes after the aborted launch and hoped to have some idea of the problem before a press conference later today.

A similar sensor had malfunctioned in a tanking test for the fuel tank this year. Engineers did not determine why the sensor was giving wrong readings, but the entire fuel tank was replaced to correct potential icing problems.

Discovery's seven-person crew had boarded the craft despite a light rain and the ominous thunderheads circling over the launch site when engineers called a halt to the operation.

The crew immediately left the spacecraft and returned to the crew quarters. If the launch is delayed for more than a day, they will most likely return to Houston so they can continue training to maintain their proficiency.

[lawyerlee]

Shark attacks teen off Texas coast (http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/07/14/texas.shark/index.html) CNN

(CNN) -- A shark attacked a 14-year-old North Carolina girl in waters off the Texas coast near Galveston on Wednesday, ripping tendons in her left foot and leaving several teeth imbedded in her tissue.

The teen, Lydia Paulk, was taken to the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, where she was in fair condition after surgery, said hospital spokeswoman Jeanette Pretorius. Paulk was attacked in waist-deep water while swimming with family and friends, said her aunt, Kit Marshall.

"She was awake when she came into the emergency room," said Dr. Kelly Carmichael, an orthopedic surgeon. "Prior to her surgery and afterward, she was awake and talking."

A second, follow-up surgery is scheduled for Friday.

The shark, which escaped, was about 5 feet long, Marshall said.

The Galveston County Sheriff's Office said the shark may have been feeding when the attack occurred.

Marshall, of Aledo, Texas, said her sister and Paulk were holding on to either end of a rubber boat -- with Paulk closest to shore -- when the shark swam by and grabbed the foot.


Executed man's case reopened (http://www.cnn.com/2005/LAW/07/12/execution.investigation.ap/index.html) CNN

Ten years after execution, 25 years since killing

ST. LOUIS, Missouri (AP) -- Citing grave concerns that Missouri executed an innocent man, a coalition that includes a congressman, high-profile lawyers and even the victim's family pointed to evidence Tuesday that they said could clear Larry Griffin's name.

Prosecutors have decided to reopen the case of Griffin, who was convicted in 1981 in the murder of Quintin Moss, a 19-year-old drug dealer who was shot to death. Griffin maintained his innocence to the end, but was put to death in 1995.

Now, many people, including some members of Moss' family, believe him.

"What I have heard recently is very troubling and leads me to believe an innocent man was executed for this murder, while the real killers have not been brought to justice," said Rep. William Lacy Clay, D-Missouri, who spoke at a news conference Tuesday with other supporters of Griffin.


Controversy over lobotomies resurfaces (http://www.cnn.com/2005/HEALTH/07/14/lobotomy.debate.ap/index.html) CNN

Relatives of patients urge Nobel Foundation to revoke prize

(AP) -- Thirty years after doctors stopped performing lobotomies to treat mental illness, epilepsy and even chronic headaches, relatives of patients who suffered after undergoing the procedure want the Nobel Prize given to its inventor revoked.

The issue has resurfaced following the release of a new book that contends the crude brain surgery only helped about 10 percent of the estimated 50,000 Americans who received lobotomies from the mid-1930s to the 1970s.

In an editorial in Thursday's New England Journal of Medicine, Dr. Barron H. Lerner, a medical historian and associate professor at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, wrote that the procedure was a desperate effort to help mental patients and that only a small number of patients became calmer and more manageable.

"I think the numbers that were harmed were quite substantial," Lerner said in an interview. "It was way overused, and it was used in inappropriate circumstances -- retardation, anxiety, headaches."

Relatives of patients who underwent the procedure agree. They are pushing the Nobel Foundation to posthumously strip the prize given to the lobotomy's pioneer, Portuguese neurologist Egas Moniz.

"How can anyone trust the Nobel Committee when they won't admit to such a terrible mistake?" asks Christine Johnson, a Levittown, New York, medical librarian who started a campaign to have the prize revoked.

Moniz developed the lobotomy procedure in 1936 as a way to treat people with severe psychiatric illnesses, particularly agitation and depression. Through holes drilled in the skull, he cut through nerve fibers connecting the brain's frontal lobe, which controls thinking, with other brain regions -- believing that as new nerve connections formed the patient's abnormal behavior would end.

[lawyerlee]

Lawmakers Agree to Renew Patriot Act (http://www.nytimes.com/2005/07/14/politics/14patriot.html?pagewanted=print) NY Times

By ERIC LICHTBLAU and CARL HULSE

WASHINGTON, July 13 - Lawmakers on three separate Congressional committees moved Wednesday to impose restrictions on some of the more controversial elements of the law known as the USA Patriot Act, suggesting continued resistance in Congress to the idea of giving the government unchecked authority to fight terrorism.

Senator Arlen Specter, the Pennsylvania Republican who leads the Senate Judiciary Committee, said in introducing proposed restrictions that there must be "a very careful balance" between fighting terrorism and protecting civil liberties.

In a day of wide-ranging debate over the future of the act, Mr. Specter and Senator Dianne Feinstein, Democrat of California, introduced a bill that would require greater judicial oversight for certain surveillance activities and put a four-year "sunset" on two sections of the law, including a provision that allows the government to demand library and medical records in intelligence investigations.

While their bill would permanently extend 14 provisions of the act that are set to expire at the end of this year, it would require Congressional renewal in 2009 for the library provision and for a separate section related to roving wiretaps.

The Justice Department, which has backed a separate plan by the Senate Intelligence Committee giving the Federal Bureau of Investigation broader antiterrorism powers, said it was reviewing Mr. Specter's proposal.

But a senior department official, speaking on condition of anonymity because of sensitive political negotiations, said the department was troubled by several elements of the proposal, including provisions to raise the standard needed to obtain approval for certain types of surveillance and a public accounting of how often such powers are used. A Republican Senate aide, also speaking on condition of anonymity for the same reason, said Justice Department officials had already expressed their concerns privately and were "freaked out" by the prospect of greater restrictions on records.

Mr. Specter's bill is the fifth major proposal in Congress in the last few months to address how and whether the antiterrorism law should be renewed. Several lawmakers said his proposal could be the most politically viable because it renewed the central elements of the law while also including some significant new safeguards.

Some Republicans on the Judiciary Committee had balked at preliminary discussions on Mr. Specter's bill because they said it would hamper antiterrorism efforts, while some committee Democrats said the restrictions were not tough enough. Ultimately, Ms. Feinstein agreed to support the bill after Mr. Specter's office made a strong effort to enlist the aid of a Democrat on the panel.

In the House, the Intelligence Committee, in approving its renewal of the Patriot Act, passed a measure Wednesday that, in contrast to the White House position, would place a five-year limit on a provision of the law that enables investigators to eavesdrop on suspected "lone wolf" terrorists. The committee also toughened rules on roving wiretaps, which are used as suspects switch telephone numbers.

And in the House Judiciary Committee, lawmakers were moving through a series of amendments to that panel's version of the law in an effort to bring legislation before the full House next week. The committee also bucked the White House and put in similar 10-year sunset requirements on provisions that make it easier to obtain library records and use roving wiretaps.

Republicans on both panels beat back Democratic efforts to put more controls on the act, including a provision that would have made it harder for federal investigators who lack hard evidence to gather private records on individuals they suspect are working on behalf of a foreign power.

[lawyerlee]

Senate Democrats Call for Increase in Troops (http://www.nytimes.com/2005/07/14/politics/14army.html?pagewanted=print) NY Times
By DAVID S. CLOUD

WASHINGTON, July 13 - Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York and other Democrats proposed Wednesday to increase the size of the Army by 80,000 troops as a way to alleviate what she called a "crisis" in the military caused by lengthy deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan.

The lawmakers said they would introduce an amendment to the annual Defense Department authorization bill to raise the Army's authorized strength by 20,000 troops annually in each of the next four years, raising the total force to 582,400. Joining Ms. Clinton at a news conference announcing the proposals were three other Democratic senators, Joseph I. Lieberman of Connecticut, Jack Reed of Rhode Island, and Ken Salazar of Colorado.

Increasing the size of the military, which the Pentagon has called unnecessary, is not a new idea for Democrats who have sought to highlight their differences with the Bush administration on national security. Senator John Kerry of Massachusetts proposed a similar plan during his presidential campaign.

But the latest proposal comes amid growing debate, even within the Pentagon, about whether the military at its current size can handle indefinite deployments of 140,000 troops in Iraq and more than 17,000 in Afghanistan.

On Wednesday, the Rand Corporation, a nonprofit research group that does extensive work for the military, released a two-year study of force levels commissioned by the Army that concludes the United States will face "serious problems" maintaining the readiness of many active-duty combat brigades and would have difficulty mobilizing for a crisis elsewhere in the world unless current overseas deployments shrink.

The report examines the strain of maintaining forces of various sizes deployed overseas. At the high end, described as 14 to 20 brigades on continuing overseas rotations, "the Army would experience serious problems" in active duty unit readiness and have "few, if any" active duty brigades "to turn to in a crisis," the report said.

The United States now has 16 combat brigades, which each include 2,500 to 4,200 soldiers, in Iraq and Afghanistan. Nine are active duty and seven are reserve units.

This presence can be maintained, the report found, but the rotation schedule required to maintain it means that heavy and medium brigades - those with armor and helicopter components - will be at their home bases less than two years between rotations. Two years at home, the report found, was a "well-established Army goal for refreshing, refitting and retraining its units."

The blunt assessment surprised some Pentagon officials, and led the Army this week to delay the report's release until senior officers had been briefed on it, according to two Pentagon officials.

[lawyerlee]

Child in L.A. Shootout Was Killed by Police, Officials Say (http://www.nytimes.com/2005/07/14/national/14shooting.html?pagewanted=print) NY Times
By JOHN M. BRODER

LOS ANGELES, July 13 - Facing growing criticism over a shootout on Sunday that left a gunman and his toddler daughter dead, Chief William J. Bratton of the Los Angeles police acknowledged on Tuesday that a shot from a police officer, not the gunman, had killed the child.

The source of the fatal shot had been in dispute, along with other details about the incident in which the father, Jose Raul Pena, 34, held his young daughter, Suzie Marie, in his arms as he repeatedly fired at police officers during a nearly three-hour standoff.

The child died of a single rifle shot to the head, while Mr. Pena was hit by multiple police bullets, Mr. Bratton said, citing the autopsy. One officer was wounded in the shoulder in the incident at Mr. Pena's auto sales and detailing business in the Watts section of Los Angeles.

Mr. Pena fired 40 shots in at least three volleys from a 9 millimeter handgun, while police commandos fired 90 bullets, according to official accounts.

The shooting has raised questions about the police department's use of deadly force and touched off street protests. Chief Bratton has blamed Mr. Pena for the child's death and described him as a "cold-blooded killer" who was high on drugs and alcohol and endangered the lives of family members, bystanders and police officers. The shooting is under investigation by the police department, the independent Los Angeles Police Commission and the district attorney's office.

While admitting police responsibility for the child's death, Chief Bratton continued to insist that the shooting was justified. He said that a preliminary investigation had found no grounds for filing criminal charges against any officers.

"It appears that our officers, while engaged in their lawful duties, may have taken her life," he said of 19-month-old Suzie Marie.

(The Los Angeles coroner's office on Wednesday corrected the girl's age and spelling of her name, which had been given earlier as 17 months and Susie Marie.)

Lorena Lopez, the dead child's mother and the ex-wife of Mr. Pena, has hired a lawyer to conduct a separate investigation into the killings and to consider a wrongful-death claim against the city.

The lawyer, Luis Carrillo, took issue with Chief Bratton's characterization of the Lopez family as dysfunctional and said it was part of the Los Angeles Police Department's typical circling of the wagons when a shooting was questioned.

[LittleFredPunkinHead]

Alzheimer's damage may be reversible, study suggests (http://www.cnn.com/2005/HEALTH/conditions/07/14/alzheimers.new.front.ap/index.html) CNN
Some recovery of memory may be possible in the early stages of Alzheimer's disease, suggests a provocative new study in mice that could help researchers open a two-pronged attack against the mind-robbing illness.
Full story at above link.

[dionysia]

Congressman suggests way to retaliate for nuclear terror

http://www.cnn.com/2005/POLITICS/07/18/congressman.muslims.ap/index.html

:eek: :mad:

Di

[LittleFredPunkinHead]

How crazy is this?
Man Kills Waitress Over Letter to Editor in Local Paper (http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1000988042)
A resident of Hominy, Okla., walked into a local diner Tuesday afternoon and allegedly shot a pregnant waitress, 26-year-old Becky Clements, in the head, then shot her again in the stomach and chest. Sheriff Ty Koch said the motive is apparently a recent letter to the editor of the Hominy newspaper, the News Progress, written by the woman.

Osage County authorities say they'll ask for two first-degree murder charges against 63-year-old Roy Westbrook, who was recently honored by the newspaper as Hominy's 2004 Citizen of the year. The newspaper is a weekly with a circulation of about 1,500.

Clemens was 11 weeks pregnant.

The letter from the dead woman had said local vandalism is done by prominent citizens and referred to spray-painted graffiti on a rental home owned by Westbrook, although it did not name him. The letter did say the spray-painting was done by the owner.

Westbrook was trying to evict the victim's sister from the building.

When the shooting occurred, there were about 50 people inside the diner. Owner Chad Filali said, in a local TV report, "I heard pops. I didn't know if they were guns or not to tell you the truth until people came out and said 'there's a shooting inside, there's a shooting inside.'"

Just this past January, the Hominy News Progress gave Westbrook an award for his generosity to the community.

[miel]

Di-- What does it say when you start to become more afraid of what your government will do than what the terrorists will do?

[lawyerlee]

CNOOC drops $18.5B Unocal bid (http://money.cnn.com/2005/08/02/news/international/unocal_cnooc.reut/index.htm?cnn=yes)
Chinese oil company bows to political opposition in the U.S., leaving field clear for Chevron.
CNN Money

August 2, 2005: 9:45 AM EDT


NEW YORK (Reuters) - China's CNOOC Ltd. on Tuesday abandoned its $18.5 billion all-cash offer to acquire oil and gas producer Unocal Corp. in the face of political opposition, clearing the way for Unocal to conclude a deal already in place with U.S. oil major Chevron Corp.

CNOOC made its bid for Unocal (unchanged at $64.37, Research) on June 22, topping a cash-and-stock offer from Chevron (unchanged at $58.43, Research), but it faced an uphill road in the United States from the start. The parent company of CNOOC is controlled by the Chinese government.

CNOOC Chairman Fu Chengyu, who was the driving force behind the bid, in the end listened to his political advisors, who had warned of the high political hurdles the transaction faced.

"CNOOC has given active consideration to further improving the terms of its offer, and would have done so but for the political environment in the U.S.," the company said in a statement, calling the political response to its offer "regrettable and unjustified."

CNOOC's shares rose to a new record in Hong Kong trading on Tuesday, gaining 2.8 percent to HK$5.50.

"This is good for CNOOC, it clears away the uncertainty risks," said John Koh, fund manager at Daiwa Asset Management, which holds CNOOC shares.

[lawyerlee]

Simple funeral for King Fahd (http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/meast/08/02/fahd.funeral/index.html)
CNN

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia -- Muslim leaders and Saudi princes have bid a final farewell to King Fahd before his body was buried in an unmarked grave in a desert cemetery in keeping with Saudi Arabia's austere Islamic tradition.

The private ceremony in Riyadh Tuesday took place after prayers at the Imam Turki bin Abdullah mosque where Fahd's body, draped in a brown robe, was carried by his sons on a wooden plank.

Mourners carried bright umbrellas to shield them from the sun at the al-Oud cemetery where small uninscribed stones mark the graves.

Fahd's body had been driven in an ambulance from the mosque where a crowd of thousands, including his successor, King Abdullah, paid their respects.

The mourners stood, raising their arms and chanting "Allahu akbar," or "God is great" during a two-minute prayer.

Security was tight in the capital for the ceremonies, with large crowds of ordinary Saudis participating alongside monarchs, presidents and other dignitaries from the Arab world and other Islamic nations.

Western leaders and dignitaries, including Britain's Prince Charles, French President Jacques Chirac and Australia's governor general were also offering condolences.

U.S. President George W. Bush, who has promised a "close partnership" with Saudi Arabia under Abdullah's leadership, sent a delegation. The leaders of Syria, Pakistan and other Muslim states also attended.

There will be no mourning period, in accordance with Saudi Arabia's strict Wahhabi brand of Islam which unquestionably accepts God's will, according to Reuters news agency.

Saudi flags, emblazoned with "There is no God but Allah", were not lowered as this is deemed blasphemous.

After Fahd's death on Sunday, Crown Prince Abdullah, the kingdom's de facto ruler for several years, became king.

[lawyerlee]

Death of Sudan Rebel Leader Imperils Fragile Hope for Peace (http://www.nytimes.com/2005/08/02/international/africa/02sudan.html?pagewanted=print)
NY Times

By MARC LACEY

NEW SITE, Sudan, Aug. 1 - With Sudan's confirmation on Monday that the rebel leader John Garang had died in a helicopter crash, this country's fragile peace plunged into the unknown. And angry southerners rioted in the capital, accusing the government of orchestrating his death just three weeks after he was selected as vice president.

Demonstrators cried, "Murderers! Murderers!" as they burned cars, threw stones, and in some cases physically attacked Arabs in the capital, Khartoum.

Meanwhile, with Mr. Garang's body lying in the next hut, southern rebels huddled in this remote wilderness outpost on Monday night, desperately working to salvage the historic peace agreement that their fallen leader struck with the Sudanese government this year.

A Ugandan military helicopter that had been ferrying Mr. Garang from a meeting with President Yoweri Museveni of Uganda to this rebel command center crashed in the hilly terrain south of here on Saturday night. Mr. Garang's six-man security detail and a crew of seven also died. Sudanese and Ugandan authorities blamed inclement weather for the crash and ruled out foul play.

Mr. Garang's wife, Rebecca, took to the radio to try to calm her countrymen. "It is the body who has gone," she said. "His spirit, his vision, his program, we're going to implement them."

Mr. Garang, 60, had been leader of the Sudan People's Liberation Army for the past 21 years, ruling with a quick wit, ferocious temper and longing to see the long-suffering people of southern Sudan experience a better life.

The sobbing and anger that broke out all across Sudan on Monday was in marked contrast to the jubilation displayed on July 9, when Mr. Garang was swarmed by enthusiastic crowds as he was sworn in as vice president. Mr. Garang became the second in command to President Omar al-Bashir, the man who the rebels had long tried to topple. As they merged into one government, hopes were high for an end to a generation of war. Even beyond that, the agreement was also seen as critical to reaching peace in Sudan's troubled western province, Darfur.

[lawyerlee]

Iran Says It Will Break U.N. Seals Placed at a Nuclear Plant (http://nytimes.com/2005/08/02/international/middleeast/02iran.html?pagewanted=print)
NY Times

By NAZILA FATHI

TEHRAN, Aug. 1 - Defying the warning of European leaders, Iran said Monday that it was removing the seals placed by the United Nations nuclear agency at one of its nuclear sites to restart activities there.

European diplomats said that if Iran did go ahead and resume the nuclear activities, then they would have little choice but to ask for the agency, the International Atomic Energy Agency, to place the issue before the United Nations Security Council for possible political and economic sanctions.

A senior Iranian official, Ali Aghamohammadi, said technicians were going to break the seals to the uranium ore conversion plant in Isfahan on Monday afternoon in the presence of the inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency, who are currently in Iran, the IRNA news agency reported.

By the end of the day, however, it could not be determined whether Iran had actually broken the seals.

In Berlin, a German Foreign Ministry spokesman said at a news briefing that the German foreign minister, Joschka Fischer, had warned that the decision was a miscalculation by Iran.

In a strongly worded statement, the British Foreign Office said that if Iran were to act on its threat and resume nuclear activities, negotiations between Iran and Europe would probably be halted.

Iran agreed nine months ago to freeze all its enrichment-related activities for as long as talks with Germany, France, Britain and the European Union continued. The United States maintains, and the European countries had come to agree, that Iran intends to make nuclear weapons. Iran maintains that its nuclear program is for peaceful energy purposes.

[Belm]

14 US Marines killed in Western Iraq (http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,7374-1719521,00.html)

14 US Marines killed in Western Iraq
By Times Online

Fourteen US Marines and a civilian interpreter were killed today in western Iraq, pushing the death toll of Americans killed in the conflict past 1,800.


The US military said that the Marines, assigned to Regimental Combat Team 2, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force (Forward), were killed in action early today when their vehicle was hit by an improvised explosive device - which usually means a roadside bomb detonated remotely.

One Marine was also wounded in the attack. The incident occurred during combat operations south of the town of Haditha, 140 miles northwest of Baghdad.

At least seven marines were killed on Monday in the same area of Iraq. The US miiltary said that the seven died in two separate attacks.

But Ansar al-Sunna, an extremist group linked with the al-Qaeda network, said in an internet statement posted today that it had killed eight Marines and captured a ninth in an ambush near Haditha. The group said it had killed some of the Marines by "slitting their throats" while others were shot.

Today's killings brought the number of US military personnel killed in Iraq since the March 2003 invasion to 1,811, according to an AFP tally based on Pentagon figures.

[lawyerlee]

Adidas to Buy Reebok in $3.8 Billion Deal (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20050803/ap_on_bi_ge/germany_adidas_reebok&printer=1;_ylt=At.aDwM6DToqLOeSjhiEdLxv24cA;_ylu=X 3oDMTA3MXN1bHE0BHNlYwN0bWE-)

By MATT MOORE, AP Business Writer
Adidas said Wednesday it will buy shoemaker Reebok for $3.8 billion, giving the company about 20 percent of the U.S. market and the potential to better challenge leader Nike Inc. on its home turf.

Under the terms of the deal, Adidas-Salomon AG will pay $59 per share for all of Reebok International Ltd.'s outstanding stock, a premium of 34 percent to Tuesday's closing price, said Adidas Chairman and CEO Herbert Hainer. Shares of Reebok rose $12.79, or 29 percent, to $56.74 in early New York Stock Exchange trading after the news. Adidas shares rose 6 percent to 156.93 euros ($193.11) in Frankfurt trading.

"This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to combine two of the most respected and well-known companies in the worldwide sporting goods industry," he said.

Reebok's board has signaled its approval of the offer price and approval by the company's shareholders appeared likely, Hainer said.

The deal brings together two impressive stables of athletes and entertainment endorsers. English soccer star David Beckham and rap artist Missy Elliott are under contract to Adidas. Reebok sells a line of shoes branded with rapper 50 Cent's G Unit logo and is endorsed by such NBA stars as Allen Iverson and Yao Ming.

It also gives Adidas, which has outfitted soccer stars for years, access to Reebok's licenses to clothe players in the National Football League and National Basketball Association and sell the gear to fans.

[vjel]

Pair Abducts Nun from Convent in Southeast (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/08/03/AR2005080301422.html)


By Del Quentin Wilber
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, August 4, 2005; Page B02

A Catholic nun who works to provide care for pregnant women was found with only minor injuries after a mysterious abduction from her convent in Southeast Washington yesterday, authorities said.

The 38-year-old nun, known as Sister Liann, was hanging laundry about 6:30 a.m. behind Our Lady Queen of Peace Convent when she noticed a man and woman on the grounds, police said.



"It just blows the mind," Cardinal Theodore E. McCarrick said. ". . . What did they have in mind kidnapping her? These sisters have nothing." (By Sarah L. Voisin -- The Washington Post)
She approached them, one of the assailants threw a blanket over her head and the pair forced the nun into the back of a black van and sped off, police said.

The assailants drove the nun around and released her about 11 a.m. in the 1200 block of U Street SE, about two miles from the convent. She then walked to another Missionaries of Charity facility a block away, police said.

She suffered minor injuries, police said.

Detectives had not determined a motive. They were questioning the woman last night to learn more details. She is from India and speaks fractured English, police said.

Police and church officials said the nun's first name is Liann but declined to provide her last name.

She is a member of the Missionaries of Charity order founded in India by Mother Teresa. At Our Lady Queen of Peace Convent in the 3300 block of Wheeler Road SE, nuns run a soup kitchen and a program for pregnant homeless women, church officials said.

Cardinal Theodore E. McCarrick, archbishop of Washington, visited the nuns yesterday afternoon.

"A lot of prayers were answered," he said, standing outside the convent. "It just blows the mind. Thank God they didn't hurt her. What did they have in mind kidnapping her? These sisters have nothing."

Fellow nuns grew concerned when Sister Liann -- who had gone outside to hang laundry and tend the grounds -- did not show up for 7 a.m. Mass.

They alerted police, who swarmed the area with patrol cars, dogs, a helicopter and police recruits. Crime scene technicians and detectives sealed off the back yard and took measurements and photographs of the scene.

The nuns declined to comment, except to say through the convent's fence that they were happy their fellow sister had been released unharmed.

Neighbors and top police officials expressed outrage over the abduction.

"It's just uncalled for," said Police Chief Charles H. Ramsey. "There is no excuse for that. . . . Unfortunately, we have some criminals who prey on others."

Several residents said the neighborhood is violent and a hotbed for drug dealing. The nuns, they said, seemed to take special care with locking their gate at night and keeping a close eye on suspicious people in the area.

"It's wild," said James Kelly, 52, who lives across the street from the convent. "The nuns are here helping people out. They would do anything for you. This is just crazy."

Kenny Baker, a neighborhood advisory commissioner in the area, said the abduction was indicative of the area's crime problem.

"Who would abduct a nun -- an idiot?" he asked, adding that police needed to step up patrols in the area because crime was rampant. "What could you expect to gain from kidnapping a nun?"

[JLRenheos]

BELM -
1 of those 14 U.S. Marines was a (3rd) cousin of mine. His name is Lance Cpl. Michael Cifuentes. The showing will be next Sunday & most likely the funeral service will be held the following Monday. So sad & devasting for all of the families & friends that has lost a loved one/s during the war.

[lawyerlee]

I am so sorry for your family's loss. I greatly respect those men and women for the sacrifices they are making. :(

[JLRenheos]

Thanks Lawyerlee.

I was just talking & hanging out with my 2nd cousin & Great Uncle (Lance Cpl. Michael Cifuente's Dad-Greg & Grandfather Jim) just 2 weeks ago at our family reunion in Cincinnati. I've never met him before. He was supposed to be coming home in 4-6 weeks from Iraq. The viewing (probably closed cakset) will be held at the High School.
My aunt went down today and spent some time with the family & she said they're all doing o.k.. I'm sure they'll def. have their ups & downs. The whole family was working on a bereavement quilt to go to his parents.

[lawyerlee]

A quilt is a really nice idea. Maybe it will help them some to have something to hold onto.

I can't believe how often I hear that a soldier was pretty close to coming home when something like this happens. :(

[lawyerlee]

Passenger Jet Crashes Off Italian Coast, at Least 13 Dead (http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-080605italyplane_wr,0,6209035.story?coll=la-tot-promo)
The passenger jet flying to Tunisia crash-lands in sea off Sicily.

From Associated Press
6:24 PM PDT, August 6, 2005

PALERMO, Sicily — A Tunisian airliner that reportedly lost engine power Saturday plunged into the choppy Mediterranean while trying to make an emergency landing in Sicily, and at least 13 people were killed, officials said. At least three of the 39 people on board were missing.

Some of the 23 survivors clung to the wings and fuselage of the Tuninter airline ATR-72 as they screamed to rescuers. The wreckage was battered by 10-foot waves and strong currents, delaying rescuers' arrival.

"Some people were on the wing, screaming, yelling for help," said Filippo Morgante, an official with the Palermo fire department, which sent boats out for the rescue.

"Others were on the fuselage, and some were trapped inside the plane. Some weren't wearing lifejackets. Maybe they didn't have the time to put them on."

The pilot and co-pilot survived.

The plane went down about 10 miles off Cape Gallo on Sicily's north coast, near Palermo's Falcone-Borsellino airport, authorities said. As divers searched for victims, bits of the passengers' luggage bobbed by: a black flip-flop, a book and a carryon bag resembling a picnic cooler.

The rescue operation went into the night, as fire boat crews and coast guard ships searched for the missing. The Italian news agency Apcom, quoting unidentified Palermo mortuary officials, said three bodies were later recovered, raising the death toll to 16, but that report could not immediately be confirmed.

[lawyerlee]

Netanyahu Quits Over Israeli Gaza Pullout (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20050808/ap_on_re_mi_ea/israel_palestinians&printer=1;_ylt=As8Ak9bl3UZ.0vqdy9sfcC0UewgF;_ylu=X 3oDMTA3MXN1bHE0BHNlYwN0bWE-)

By KARIN LAUB, Associated Press Writer
Benjamin Netanyahu stepped down as Israel's finance minister Sunday in a last-minute protest against next week's Gaza pullout, but his stunned Cabinet colleagues pushed ahead and approved the first stage of the withdrawal plan just moments later.

Netanyahu, a hard-liner and former prime minister with ambitions to reclaim the top job, acknowledged Sunday that he will not be able to stop the withdrawal. He said he resigned nonetheless because he fears the pullout will turn Gaza into a "base of Islamic terror" and endanger Israel.

In an immediate response, Israel's stock market dropped 5 percent within an hour. Netanyahu had adopted a pro-business economic policy and cut welfare benefits in more than two years as finance minister. Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, trying to limit damage to the economy, announced he would stick to that approach.

The resignation could also force early elections; for now, the vote is set for November 2006. Netanyahu enjoys strong support in the ruling Likud Party, which largely opposes the pullout, and could try to wrest Likud leadership from Sharon in coming months as a step toward running for prime minister.

The 55-year-old Netanyahu had given no indication that he would resign, despite his zigzagging over the Gaza pullout in recent months. The weekly Cabinet meeting was already under way for several hours Sunday, with ministers about to give final approval to the first stage of the withdrawal plan — the dismantling of the isolated Gaza settlements of Morag, Kfar Darom and Netzarim.

When it was Netanyahu's turn to speak, he got up from his seat instead and placed a note on the table that he should be counted among those voting "no," said Housing Minister Yitzhak Herzog of the centrist Labor Party.

Netanyahu then gave Sharon the letter of resignation. When Cabinet Minister Tzachi Hanegbi of Likud asked Netanyahu for an explanation, the finance minister said it could be found in the letter, Herzog said.

"It was very dramatic in there," said Cabinet minister Matan Vilnai of Labor. Vilnai said Sharon did not react.

Shortly after Netanyahu left, the ministers voted 17-5 to approve the dismantling of the first three settlements. Netanyahu's note was counted as a "no" vote. In all, some 9,000 settlers will be removed from their homes in 25 settlements — 21 in Gaza and four in the northern West Bank.

Netanyahu later told a news conference he was conflicted because he had hoped to continue guiding economic policy, but could not lend his support to the pullout plan. "I cannot stop this (the pullout), but I can be at peace with myself," he said.

[lawyerlee]

Militant Accused of U.S. Terror Camp Plot (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20050808/ap_on_re_eu/britain_bombings&printer=1;_ylt=AheuoQjMfF.1IGpCLLIDElxbbBAF;_ylu=X 3oDMTA3MXN1bHE0BHNlYwN0bWE-)

By CATHERINE McALOON, Associated Press Writer

A suspected Islamic militant deported to Britain was arrested Sunday on a U.S. warrant accusing him of conspiring to organize a training camp in Oregon to prepare jihad fighters in Afghanistan, police said.

The arrest of Haroon Rashid Aswat, a British citizen of Indian descent, comes as British prosecutors said they would consider treason charges against any Islamic extremists who express support for terrorism.

The U.S. warrant accuses Aswat of conspiring with others between October 1999 and April 2000 to set up a camp in Bly, Ore., aimed at training and equipping individuals to "fight jihad in Afghanistan," police said in a statement.

Aswat, 30, had been detained in Zambia since July 20, where he was questioned about 20 phone calls reportedly made on his South African cell phone with some of the bombers responsible for the July 7 transit attacks in London that killed 52 people and the four bombers. British newspaper reports quoting intelligence sources there have in recent days played down the possibility Aswat masterminded the London bombings.

[lawyerlee]

U.S. Embassy in Saudi Closes Over Threat (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20050808/ap_on_re_mi_ea/saudi_us&printer=1;_ylt=AkmfxKf7nqqeCaBzSdyU2tkUewgF;_ylu=X 3oDMTA3MXN1bHE0BHNlYwN0bWE-)

By DONNA ABU-NASR, Associated Press Writer

The U.S. Embassy and consulates in Saudi Arabia will close Monday and Tuesday because of a threat against U.S. government buildings, the embassy said Sunday.

In a statement, the embassy said mission personnel will limit nonofficial travel during the next two days and urged Americans to keep "a high level of vigilance." The statement did not elaborate on the nature of the threat.

"The American Embassy in Riyadh advises all American citizens living in Saudi Arabia that, in response to a threat against U.S. government buildings in the kingdom, the U.S. Embassy in Riyadh and the U.S. consulate generals in Jiddah and Dhahran will be closed on Aug. 8 and 9," the statement said.

It reminded Americans that, in the past, terrorist groups have targeted housing compounds and other establishments where Westerners may be located.

"American citizens are ... advised to exercise caution and maintain good situational awareness when visiting commercial establishments frequented by Westerners or in primarily Western environments," the statement added.

Hours after the announcement, a Saudi Interior Ministry spokesman, Maj. Gen. Mansour al-Turki, said his government had no information about a possible threat.

"We can't dispel the possibility of a terrorist attack happening in the region. But we have no information about an imminent terrorist attack in the kingdom," he said.

The U.S. Embassy warning was the second in two weeks.

On July 25, the embassy warned Americans that militants likely were plotting new terror attacks in the kingdom. It said U.S. military personnel stationed in Saudi Arabia had been instructed to suspend all off-duty leisure travel outside of their work or housing stations.

[lawyerlee]

U.S. Envoy Presses Iraq To Ensure Equal Rights (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/08/06/AR2005080601029_pf.html)
Washington Post

By Ellen Knickmeyer
Washington Post Foreign Service
Sunday, August 7, 2005; A18

BAGHDAD, Aug. 6 -- The U.S. ambassador to Iraq pressed the country's Shiite Arab majority on Saturday to respect the rights of women and minorities as political parties worked toward a draft constitution that has stalled on issues that include the role of religion.

As debate over the constitution continued ahead of an Aug. 15 deadline to complete the new draft, U.S. tanks and helicopter gunships battled for hours in southwest Baghdad against insurgents armed with machine guns, rockets, mortars and car bombs. In western Iraq, Marines and Iraqi forces destroyed car bombs and booby-trap devices in houses and schools during a sweep through towns where attacks killed at least 22 Marines this week, the military said.

U.S. Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad issued a statement about equal rights after a meeting with unspecified Iraqi religious leaders.

"I assured them that the United States believes strongly that the Iraqi constitution should provide equal rights before the law for all Iraqis regardless of gender, race, ethnicity, religion or sect," Khalilzad said. "There can be no compromise."

Discussion about the extent to which Iraq's constitution should follow Islamic law have fed fears by some that the Shiite-led governing coalition will impose a strict interpretation of Islam. Iraqi political leaders were scheduled to meet Sunday to seek agreement on outstanding constitutional issues, including the role of religion and the extent of federalism.

U.S. and Iraqi leaders have expressed concern that deadlines in the political process stay on track, saying that a slowdown could encourage the insurgency.

[lawyerlee]

Daylight-Saving Switch May Cause Tech Woes (http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/n/a/2005/08/07/national/a134156D73.DTL&type=printable)
SF Gate

By ANICK JESDANUN, Associated Press Writer
Sunday, August 7, 2005

When daylight-saving time starts earlier than usual in the United States come 2007, your VCR or DVD recorder could start recording shows an hour late.

Cell phone companies could give you an extra hour of free weekend calls, and people who depend on online calendars may find themselves late for appointments.

An energy bill President Bush is to sign Monday would start daylight time three weeks earlier and end it a week later as an energy-saving measure.

And that has technologists worried about software and gadgets that now compensate for daylight time based on a schedule unchanged since 1987.

"It is unfortunately going to add a little bit of complexity to consumers," said Reid Sullivan, vice president of the entertainment group at Panasonic Consumer Electronics Co. "In some cases, depending on the product, they may have to manually increase or decrease the time."

The upcoming transition evokes memories of Y2K, the Year 2000 rollover that forced programmers to adjust software and other systems that, relying on two digits for the year, never took the 21st century into account.

"It wouldn't be a society-wide catastrophe, but there would be a problem if nothing's done about it or we try to move too quickly," said Dave Thewlis, executive director of a group that promotes standards for calendar software.

Newer VCRs and DVD recorders have built-in calendars to automatically adjust for daylight time. Users would have to override them, switching to "manual" to ensure shows continue to record correctly.

Computers with Microsoft Corp.'s Windows operating systems would need to obtain updates. Though most affected applications would likely be taken care of by the Microsoft fix, calendar systems will need to be checked to ensure that appointments already entered get properly adjusted.

Some electric utilities have advanced meters to adjust rates based on peak and non-peak hours, and studies would be required to determine if any modifications are needed. The telecommunications industry, meanwhile, must ensure that its clocks are properly adjusted to bill customers properly.

Adding to the complications is the fact that many computer programs now treat U.S. and Canadian time zones as the same. If Canada doesn't adopt the new dates, too, Windows, calendars and other software would have to learn additional zones.

[lawyerlee]

Sex Offenders Kept From Storm Shelters (http://www.nytimes.com/2005/08/08/national/08florida.html?)
NY Times

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Published: August 8, 2005

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla., Aug. 7 (AP) - Sex offenders tracked by the state are banned from public hurricane shelters in Florida under a new policy that allows them to weather the storms in prisons instead.

The policy was created to keep sex offenders and predators away from children, said Robby Cunningham, a spokesman for the Department of Corrections. Offenders who go to a prison will stay in areas like visitor or meeting rooms, he said.

"They are not incarcerated," he said. "We don't want them on the streets. We don't want them violating their probation, either."

The policy affects only sex offenders under state supervision who are not allowed near children. Mr. Cunningham said he did not know how many could be affected. The policy took effect June 1. Six offenders stayed in prisons during Hurricane Dennis.

[lawyerlee]

U.S. and North Korea Blame Each Other for Stalemate in Talks (http://nytimes.com/2005/08/08/international/asia/08korea.html?pagewanted=print)
NY Times

By JIM YARDLEY

BEIJING, Aug. 7 - North Korea and the United States on Sunday each blamed the other after nearly two weeks of six-nation negotiations deadlocked over the issue of "peaceful use" nuclear programs.

But both sides also said an agreement remained possible and confirmed that they would have "contacts" during the three-week break in the talks that was announced Sunday. Negotiators from the six countries taking part are scheduled to reconvene in Beijing during the week of Aug. 29.

Hours before he was scheduled to fly back to Washington, Christopher R. Hill, the top American envoy, said North Korea had derailed the process by unexpectedly making a late demand for the right to operate light-water nuclear reactors. American officials believe the North Koreans could use such reactors to secretly make material for nuclear weapons.

Meanwhile, the chief North Korean negotiator, Vice Foreign Minister Kim Kye Gwan, said the United States had been unwilling to compromise on North Korea's desire for a peaceful nuclear program and needed to acknowledge its right as a sovereign nation for such a program.

"We couldn't meet in the middle because we were too far apart," Mr. Kim said. "What we are making is a just demand."

This fourth round of nuclear talks extended a record 13 days as negotiators tried to agree on a joint statement of principles that would serve as broad but essential framework for future negotiations. The first three rounds of talks - which include China, North Korea, Japan, South Korea, the United States and Russia - ended without progress, and expectations were high for a joint statement in this latest round.

But on Sunday, Wu Dawei, the chief delegate from China, sought to shift expectations, saying that the delegations had made progress and that the 13 days of negotiations were "in depth and useful discussions." Still, Mr. Wu would not predict whether a joint statement would be reached when the parties reconvene in three weeks.

"I cannot say for sure if we will reach agreement on a common paper after the recess, and I also want to stress the ability to issue a joint paper is not the barometer of success of these talks," Mr. Wu said.

Mr. Hill emphasized that agreement on a joint statement of principles is essential to crafting a final disarmament deal. He said that if delegates could agree on such a statement upon their return, he expected that a fifth round of talks could begin as soon as September to address the specifics of a final deal.

"We still have a lot of work to do, but I think there is progress," said Mr. Hill, upon returning to his hotel midday Sunday after a final meeting of the six delegations.

His appearance was the last of what had become regular nightly "doorstop" news conferences inside his hotel lobby at the end of each day. He used these appearances to shape international news coverage of the talks and to present a more flexible public image for American foreign policy.

In the past, China had criticized the United States for being too inflexible in its approach to North Korea, particularly its prior unwillingness for bilateral meetings. But in this round the two sides held almost daily private meetings and even shared a dinner at a local North Korean restaurant. Mr. Hill repeatedly portrayed the United States as a reasonable player willing to work with others. He regularly complimented his "Chinese hosts" and spoke of the draft joint statement as "the Chinese draft text."

[lawyerlee]

Banking on illegal immigrants (http://money.cnn.com/2005/08/08/news/economy/illegal_immigrants/index.htm)
Banks are seeing an untapped resource in providing home loans to undocumented U.S. residents

August 8, 2005: 11:35 AM EDT
By Shaheen Pasha, CNN/Money staff writer

NEW YORK (CNN/Money) - The banking industry is opening its doors to a controversial new market: illegal immigrants.

Despite heated political debate in Washington over illegal immigration in the United States, an increasing number of banks are seeing an untapped resource for growing their own revenue stream and contend that providing undocumented residents with mortgages will help revitalize local communities.

It's a win-win situation, they say.

But skeptics worry about the message these home loans send to illegal immigrants: break our laws and we'll reward you with a home.

"It's institutionalizing illegality," said Marti Dinerstein, president of Immigration Matters, a New York-based think tank. "Now there's no distinction being made between the people that follow all the rules and those who break our laws by entering the country or overstaying their visas."

Dinerstein also worried that lack of knowledge on the part of illegal immigrants could pave the way for abuse in the form of predatory lending.

But advocates of the practice say the benefits outweigh any potential downside.

According to the Center for Immigration Studies, one million illegal immigrants cross the U.S. borders every year. About 500,000 illegal immigrants lose that status every year either by getting legitimate green cards or returning to their native countries. That leaves a 500,000 annual net increase of illegal immigrants – a market that has unmet banking needs.

"This is a huge untapped market with people that live and work in this country and are capable of buying homes to realize the American dream," said Chan Peterson, executive vice president and head of community banking at Banco Popular, one of the earliest banks to enter this field.

He added that there's a common misperception that illegal immigrants will be more likely to default on their loans than a documented resident. But the company has found that there is no higher rate of default in this loan portfolio than any other market the company serves.

"There's a pride that comes with people moving from renting to owning and we've found that these borrowers are driven to hang on to their homes," Peterson said.

[lawyerlee]

Calif. Drug Proposals Spark Huge Campaigns (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20050808/ap_on_he_me/california_drug_discounts&printer=1;_ylt=Ati3Sg0FI2Ft9Z1ejzQK8VRAw_IE;_ylu=X 3oDMTA3MXN1bHE0BHNlYwN0bWE-)

By BETH FOUHY, AP Political Writer
2 hours, 18 minutes ago

The soaring price of prescription drugs has led federal and state lawmakers to seek ways to ease the burden on uninsured residents. But in California, the land of direct democracy, drug companies and consumer groups are going straight to the voters with dueling initiatives in one of the costliest campaigns in U.S. history.

Both measures on California's Nov. 8 special election ballot would cover uninsured residents of all ages who are not eligible for Medicaid, the federal health program for the poor. But they differ on how many people would be eligible and whether drug companies would be forced to participate.

Proposition 79, backed by a coalition of consumer groups and unions, would offer prescription drug discounts to uninsured individuals and families making up to four times the federal poverty level — up to $37,000 for an individual and $75,000 for a family of four. It would discourage any companies that refuse to provide discounts from participating in the state's $4 billion Medicaid program, and would allow residents to sue drug companies for "illegal profiteering."

[lawyerlee]

Iran Resumes Nuclear Work, a Step That May Lead Sanctions (http://www.nytimes.com/2005/08/08/international/middleeast/08cnd-iran.html?ei=5094&en=94f080e4dcdb34b5&hp=&ex=1123560000&partner=homepage&pagewanted=print)
NY Times

By CHRISTINE HAUSER

Iran started work today at its uranium conversion plant in Isfahan, where raw uranium can be converted into gas, according to Iranian officials. The International Atomic Energy Agency, whose inspectors arrived in Isfahan, said Iran started today to feed uranium ore concentrate into the first part of the process line at the facility.

The I.A.E.A. said in its statement that the seals on the process line were still intact. An I.A.E.A. spokesman, Mark Gwozdecky, said that at this point, with the seals still intact on part of the line, the operation was in an early phase in which the ore could be dissolved but not processed beyond an initial stage.

"It is at a very preliminary point in a long process," he said in a telephone interview from Vienna, where the I.A.E.A. is based. "But the seals are not barriers. If they want to, they can break the seals."

A senior Iranian official, Ali Aghamohammadi, said in remarks carried earlier by the official Iranian news agency IRNA, that the Iranians would break the seals today.

"The uranium conversion facility in Isfahan has started its activities under I.A.E.A. supervision," the deputy head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization, Mohammad Saeedi, told reporters at the plant, according to Reuters.

The I.A.E.A. had asked Iran to wait for it to get its surveillance equipment in place this week before the seals were broken and nuclear activities were started.

Britain, Germany and France, which represent Europe in their negotiations with Iran, offered a package of economic, technological, political and security incentives to Iran last week in return for Iran's cooperation to ensure its nuclear program is used strictly for peaceful purposes.

But Iran said that it planned to remove the seals on the plant, and on Saturday it announced that it would reject a proposal by the three countries aimed at ending the confrontation over its nuclear program.

The Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman, Hamid Reza Asefi, told state radio on Saturday that the proposal, which was drawn up by Britain, France and Germany on behalf of the European Union, was "unacceptable."

"The proposals do not meet Iran's minimum expectations," he said, adding that Iran would send its official rejection to the Europeans within days. The West has said it may seek sanctions against Iran at the United Nations Security Council.

[lawyerlee]

Ex-Chief of Oil-for-Food Program at U.N. Is Accused of Fraud (http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/national/AP-UN-Oil-for-Food.html?ei=5094&en=795f9da3227fa758&hp=&ex=1123560000&partner=homepage&pagewanted=print)
NY Times

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Filed at 12:20 p.m. ET

NEW YORK (AP) -- Investigators probing claims of wrongdoing in the Iraq oil-for-food program accused its former chief, Benon Sevan, of corruption for taking illegal kickbacks and recommended his immunity be lifted for prosecution.

The investigators said a former U.N. procurement officer sought a bribe and should have his immunity lifted as well. Alexander Yakovlev also was accused of collecting nearly $1 million in kickbacks outside the oil-for-food program.

The third report by the Independent Inquiry Committee, led by former Federal Reserve Chairman Paul Volcker, was a new blow to the scandal-tainted $64 billion program. For the first time, it gave a motive for Sevan's actions, saying his finances were ''precarious'' shortly before his alleged misdeeds.

Some critics have accused the United Nations of squandering millions -- and even billions -- of dollars in its mismanagement of the program. Yet Volcker's team found that Sevan appeared to have received kickbacks of just $147,184 from December 1998 to January 2002.

The report touched briefly on U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan and his son, Kojo. It said new e-mails suggesting Annan knew more than he said about his son's involvement in the program raised questions that would be answered in the committee's final report, expected in September.

Yakovlev resigned earlier this year and Sevan announced his resignation on Sunday. He criticized investigators, Annan, the U.N. Security Council and the U.N. critics who have cited oil-for-food as emblematic of perceived bungling and outright corruption.

''As I predicted, a high-profile investigative body invested with absolute power would feel compelled to target someone and that someone turned out to be me,'' Sevan wrote. ''The charges are false, and you, who have known me for all these years, should know that they are false.''

Though both men have quit, diplomatic immunity would cover their actions when they were employed. Volcker's recommendation that Annan waive that immunity was a strong indication of his conviction about the claims against them.

Sevan, a Cypriot citizen believed to be in Nicosia, was being investigated by the Manhattan District Attorney's office. There is no known criminal probe against Yakovlev so far.

[lawyerlee]

War Plans Drafted To Counter Terror Attacks in U.S. (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/08/07/AR2005080700843_pf.html)
Domestic Effort Is Big Shift for Military
Washington Post

By Bradley Graham
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, August 8, 2005; A01

COLORADO SPRINGS -- The U.S. military has devised its first-ever war plans for guarding against and responding to terrorist attacks in the United States, envisioning 15 potential crisis scenarios and anticipating several simultaneous strikes around the country, according to officers who drafted the plans.

The classified plans, developed here at Northern Command headquarters, outline a variety of possible roles for quick-reaction forces estimated at as many as 3,000 ground troops per attack, a number that could easily grow depending on the extent of the damage and the abilities of civilian response teams.

The possible scenarios range from "low end," relatively modest crowd-control missions to "high-end," full-scale disaster management after catastrophic attacks such as the release of a deadly biological agent or the explosion of a radiological device, several officers said.

Some of the worst-case scenarios involve three attacks at the same time, in keeping with a Pentagon directive earlier this year ordering Northcom, as the command is called, to plan for multiple simultaneous attacks.

The war plans represent a historic shift for the Pentagon, which has been reluctant to become involved in domestic operations and is legally constrained from engaging in law enforcement. Indeed, defense officials continue to stress that they intend for the troops to play largely a supporting role in homeland emergencies, bolstering police, firefighters and other civilian response groups.

But the new plans provide for what several senior officers acknowledged is the likelihood that the military will have to take charge in some situations, especially when dealing with mass-casualty attacks that could quickly overwhelm civilian resources.

"In my estimation, [in the event of] a biological, a chemical or nuclear attack in any of the 50 states, the Department of Defense is best positioned -- of the various eight federal agencies that would be involved -- to take the lead," said Adm. Timothy J. Keating, the head of Northcom, which coordinates military involvement in homeland security operations.

The plans present the Pentagon with a clearer idea of the kinds and numbers of troops and the training that may be required to build a more credible homeland defense force. They come at a time when senior Pentagon officials are engaged in an internal, year-long review of force levels and weapons systems, attempting to balance the heightened requirements of homeland defense against the heavy demands of overseas deployments in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere.

Keating expressed confidence that existing military assets are sufficient to meet homeland security needs. Maj. Gen. Richard J. Rowe, Northcom's chief operations officer, agreed, but he added that "stress points" in some military capabilities probably would result if troops were called on to deal with multiple homeland attacks.

[lawyerlee]

Japanese Prime Minister Dissolves Parliament (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/08/08/AR2005080800115.html)
Koizumi Calls for Snap Elections
Washington Post

By Anthony Faiola
Washington Post Foreign Service
Monday, August 8, 2005; 1:15 PM

TOKYO, Aug. 8 -- Japan's Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi put his job on the line Monday, dissolving the lower house of parliament and calling snap elections for Sept. 11 in an effort to win a new mandate for sweeping reform of the world's second largest economy.

The move came after ruling party legislators rebelled against the prime minister's plan to privatize Japan's gargantuan postal service -- effectively blocking the centerpiece of Koizumi's drive for economic reform. The decision sets up a public vote of confidence on Koizumi's 4 1/2-year-old administration as well as his efforts to restyle the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), which has ruled Japan for most of the post-World War II era.

[lawyerlee]

Nigerian Food Aid Arrives, but Poor Wait (http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,1280,-5194754,00.html)
The Guardian

Saturday August 6, 2005 10:31 PM
By NAFI DIOUF
Associated Press Writer

MARADI, Niger (AP) - The sacks of beans have been piled on the zinc-roofed warehouse's concrete floor for a week. Bottles of oil are lined up next to them like orange plastic toy soldiers. None of the food, however, was ready to help alleviate the suffering of this hungry nation Saturday.

Aid workers still need to finish training support staff, identify the villages they'll serve and overcome the other hurdles that can make responding to crises frustratingly slow. They also need much more food.

``We have got some food but it is definitely not much and it will not cover the whole area,'' said Hassan Taifour, a nutritionist with Save the Children in Maradi, which has become a humanitarian hub.

During the week that ended Monday, the U.N.'s World Food Program dispatched 2,550 tons of food to agencies like Save the Children that handle getting it to the hungry. But WFP estimates 58,939 more tons need to get out.

The U.N. appealed Friday for $80 million to fight the food crisis.

``You have to understand that food distribution for 2.5 million people cannot start like that, by snapping your fingers,'' Gian Carlo Cirri, who directs the WFP in Niger, said Saturday. ``Now that we have a distribution plan laid out, the way is clear.''

Distribution of supplementary food rations has begun for children under 5, considered the most vulnerable. An estimated 800,000 children in Niger are malnourished.

Niger is the world's second-poorest country, with 64 percent of its 12 million inhabitants surviving on less than $1 day, and hunger always is a problem. But a locust invasion last year followed by drought turned a recurring problem into a disaster.

The crisis has sparked sharp questions about the way the world responds to disasters.

The United Nations first called for help for the northwestern African nation in November and got almost no response. Repeated appeals only recently have been answered, too late for many and only after images of starving children began to appear on TV screens worldwide.

The United States is sending more than 200 tons of high-energy food on two jumbo freighter flights to Niger to help feed thousands of severely undernourished children.

Once money started flowing, planes were loaded with food and sent to Niamey, the capital. A few smaller planes also have landed at Maradi.

But the worst-affected areas are remote and the landlocked country has less than 600 miles of paved roads and no railways. With heavy, seasonal rains just starting, turning dirt roads into quagmires, distribution by truck is likely to be delayed further.

British Red Cross logistics expert Neil Brown said his agency would have sent workers earlier to begin preparations, but it was initially unable to raise the money. Brown's team arrived only days before the first large WFP shipments did on July 30.

The Red Cross got a share of the oil and beans from that shipment. Now, Brown said, it needs cereal so the rations it distributes will have the three basic nutritional requirements - fat, protein and starch. On Saturday, it still was not clear when an expected shipment of enriched flour would arrive.

[lawyerlee]

Iraq Troop Levels Likely To Rise (http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/08/08/iraq/main765309.shtml)
CBS News

(AP) Before the Pentagon begins reducing troop levels in Iraq next year it probably will increase them this fall to provide extra security for a planned October referendum and a December election, a Pentagon official said Monday.

Lawrence Di Rita, spokesman for Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld, noted that troop levels were raised last January during Iraq's first elections, and then returned to the current level of about 138,000 several weeks later.

"It's perfectly plausible to assume we'll do the same thing for this election," he said, while stressing that no decisions have been made.

Di Rita said he did not know how many extra troops might be needed during the referendum and election period.

[lawyerlee]

FCC Eases Limits On Broadband (http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/08/05/tech/main763134.shtml)
CBS News

(AP) Federal regulators on Friday eased rules governing high-speed Internet services offered by phone companies, saying they hope it will speed Internet growth.

The Federal Communications Commission's 4-0 vote means that phone companies delivering Internet access via digital subscriber lines, or DSL, eventually will no longer have to lease access to their networks to competitors at deep discounts.

The decision is a political win for new Chairman Kevin Martin, a Republican, who has made broadband growth his top priority. Martin had delayed the agency's monthly meeting on Thursday by a day to continue negotiations with fellow commissioners on the issue. The commission has an open seat and is split between two Republicans and two Democrats.

The decision follows a Supreme Court ruling in June that upheld the FCC's authority to free cable companies offering broadband from the same regulations that phone companies have faced.

The telephone industry argued that the court's decision put it at a competitive disadvantage and that it should be treated the same as the cable companies.

[lawyerlee]

Army four-star general relieved of command (http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/08/09/general.relieved.ap/index.html)
CNN

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Army, in a rare disciplinary act against a four-star officer, said Tuesday it relieved Gen. Kevin P Byrnes of his command after an investigation into unspecified "personal conduct."

Byrnes was relieved as commander of U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command on Monday by Army Chief of Staff Gen. Peter Schoomaker, according to a brief statement issued by Army headquarters at the Pentagon.

In that post, Byrnes oversaw all Army training programs and the development of war-fighting guidelines.

Although disciplinary action against general officers is not uncommon, it is extremely rare for a four-star general to be relieved of command. Byrnes held the position as commander of Training and Doctrine Command since November 2002. Before that he was director of the Army staff at Army headquarters in the Pentagon.

[lawyerlee]

102 miners feared dead in China (http://www.guardian.co.uk/china/story/0,7369,1545500,00.html)
The Guardian

Reuters in Beijing
Tuesday August 9, 2005

Hopes faded yesterday for 102 Chinese workers trapped in a flooded coalmine after water levels inside the pit failed to drop, while an explosion at another mine killed 14 people, state media reported.

[lawyerlee]

Iran Reopens Uranium Processing Plant as U.N. Agency Meets (http://www.nytimes.com/2005/08/11/international/middleeast/11iran.html?pagewanted=print)
NY Times

By NAZILA FATHI and THOMAS FULLER

TEHRAN, Aug. 10 - Iran removed United Nations seals on uranium processing equipment at its Isfahan nuclear site on Wednesday, making the plant fully operational, as envoys to the United Nations nuclear agency in Vienna continued to pursue consensus on the wording of a resolution calling for the suspension of Iran's nuclear program.

The removal of the seals took place under the supervision of inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency, the United Nations nuclear watchdog, after the agency had installed surveillance cameras intended to ensure that no uranium would be diverted.

The Iranians' move was criticized by the United States, which with Britain, France and Germany is pressing Iran to resume its voluntary suspension of uranium enrichment.

The nuclear agency, based in Vienna, confirmed that Iran had removed the seals at the Isfahan plant, where a first phase of uranium conversion had begun on Monday.

"It's obviously a unilateral decision on Iran's part, taken despite repeated requests from the board of governors to maintain a full suspension," said Melissa Fleming, a spokeswoman for the agency.

The board, which includes representatives from 35 countries, canceled a meeting on Wednesday after failing to achieve consensus on the issue. But the fact that a meeting was called for Thursday indicated that Britain, France and Germany had made significant steps toward winning support for a resolution urging Iran to suspend activities related to uranium enrichment.

[lawyerlee]

Road Bill Reflects The Power Of Pork (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/08/10/AR2005081000223_pf.html)
White House Drops Effort to Rein In Hill
Washington Post

By Jonathan Weisman and Jim VandeHei
Washington Post Staff Writers
Thursday, August 11, 2005; A01

Three years ago, President Bush went to war against congressional pork. His official 2003 budget even featured a color photo of a wind-powered ice sled -- an example of the pet projects and alleged boondoggles he said he would no longer tolerate.

Yesterday, Bush effectively signed a cease-fire -- critics called it more like a surrender -- in his war on pork. He signed into law a $286 billion transportation measure that contains a record 6,371 pet projects inserted by members of Congress from both parties.

[lawyerlee]

CNN probe finds weak link in air security (http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/08/10/air.cargo.safety/index.html)
CNN

From Drew Griffin and Kathleen Johnston

(CNN) -- Nearly four years after 9/11, Americans flying on passenger planes remain vulnerable to another terrorist attack in the air because of lax screening of the millions of tons of cargo loaded into the belly of aircraft, a three-month CNN investigation shows.

While screening of passengers and their luggage has been shored up dramatically since hijackers commandeered four planes and crashed them into the twin towers of the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and a Pennsylvania field, little has changed regarding the security of cargo, according to an FAA inspector and the vice chairman of the 9/11 Commission.

On most of the flights that the FAA inspector observes, almost none of the cargo is inspected.

"In respect to cargo, we're probably as vulnerable or more vulnerable," said the inspector, who insisted on not being identified for fear of employer retaliation. "Cargo still has a lot of loopholes where something could get on an airplane."

Former Indiana Rep. Lee Hamilton, the vice chairman of the 9/11 Commission, said the airline industry and the federal government have failed to seriously address the security of air cargo, a multibillion-dollar industry.

"I think this is a point of real vulnerability for America, for the traveling public," Hamilton said. "We are not doing the kind of safety measures that we should be doing to protect the American public."

CNN crisscrossed the country, traveling from one airport to another, and saw firsthand how easy it would be for a terrorist to slip an explosive or lethal chemicals onto an airplane because of holes in the cargo security network.

At airport after airport, CNN observed cargo containers, known as unit load devices, sitting unattended and unsecured on airport ramps where many people had access to the cargo. Some trucks carrying loads had doors wide open with the cargo within easy view and easy reach.

And for three straight days, outside Chicago's busy O'Hare International Airport, at the U.S. Postal Service Chicago International/Military Service Center, CNN found gates unlocked and wide open, and open containers left at the side of the road. CNN correspondent Drew Griffin was able to walk right up to the containers with a camera rolling. No one stopped him to ask what he was doing.

Two weeks later, CNN returned to the same facility, and again found the gates unlocked and open for anyone to walk or drive through. Some cargo containers once again were left unattended and open by the side of the road.

Asked about the lax security, Jim Ruck, public affairs director for the Postal Service's Chicago region, said the Postal Service doesn't consider the area to be a security risk. He said the Postal Service relies on employees to report suspicious activity, adding that while security cameras are scattered around the grounds, no one regularly monitors what is being recorded.

Ruck added that the gates are left open for convenience because so many airlines require access to the facility to pick up and drop off cargo.

[lawyerlee]

9/11 panel presses for probe of congressman's claim (http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2005-08-09-hijackers_x.htm)
USA Today

WASHINGTON (AP) — Members of the commission that uncovered the government's failures to share intelligence among agencies before the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks want to know whether U.S. defense intelligence officials knew for more than a year that four of the hijackers were part of an al-Qaeda cell but failed to tell law enforcement.

Lee Hamilton, co-chairman of the now-disbanded commission, said Tuesday that members of the Sept. 11 commission could issue a statement by the end of the week after reviewing claims that defense intelligence officials had identified ringleader Mohammed Atta and three other hijackers.

"The 9/11 commission did not learn of any U.S. government knowledge prior to 9/11 of surveillance of Mohammed Atta or of his cell," said Hamilton, a former Democratic congressman from Indiana. "Had we learned of it obviously it would've been a major focus of our investigation."

The commission's report on the terrorist attacks, released last year, traced government mistakes that allowed the hijackers to succeed. Among the problems the commission cited was a lack of coordination across intelligence agencies.

[LittleFredPunkinHead]

Vets see protests as attack on policy
Rallies not taken as personal slight (http://www.pensacolanewsjournal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050821/NEWS01/508210332/1006) Pensacola News Journal
If there's growing sentiment against the war in Iraq, many area veterans of the fight aren't taking it personally.

Vets see the opposition as a protest against policy, not them or their service.

During the Vietnam War, many returning U.S. troops felt taunted, humiliated and treated with little or no respect. In contrast, today's veterans say they don't encounter animosity from people who don't agree with the U.S. military presence in Iraq.

"I have run into people who don't support the president's views on Iraq or our objectives, but I haven't run into a single person who said (he or she) doesn't support the troops," said Jason Crawford, a Purple Heart recipient who was shot in the face by opposition forces in December 2003 while in Iraq. "I think our society learned from Vietnam that it's not the men and women who sacrifice their lives and signed on the dotted lines who make up the plans and objectives. I think pretty much everyone supports the troops."
More at above link.

[LittleFredPunkinHead]

Conservative memos (http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/nation/ny-uscort194389378aug19,0,3268909.story?coll=ny-nationalnews-headlines) Newsday
In internal White House memos written in the 1980s, John G. Roberts often showed his conservative edge, offering critical assessments of government programs for women and minorities, making jokes about Hispanics and discussing how to "defund the left."

Though the Supreme Court nominee offered straight legal advice, and sometimes savvy political suggestions, he also expressed partisan views in the 35,000 pages released yesterday from his years as White House associate counsel from 1982 to 1986.

In some memos, for example, he made jokes about Hispanics and women. For a 1983 Reagan interview in Spanish Today, he said, "I think this audience would be pleased that we are trying to grant legal status to their illegal amigos."

He also joked in 1982 about Kickapoo Indians, saying "a group of them made Newsweek by choosing to live in squalid conditions beneath the International Bridge in Eagle Pass, Texas, rather than their Mexican homeland."

In a 1984 memo advising on how to respond to an eccentric letter to his boss, Fred Fielding, asking if all property had been placed in a public trust, Roberts began, "One Ramon L. Rivera of Los Angeles (where else?) ... "

And in a 1985 memo about a corporate scholarship program for women, Roberts said, "Some might question whether encouraging homemakers to become lawyers contributes to the common good."

Some of his sharpest criticism was aimed at a project headed by Elizabeth Dole, now a Republican senator, that compiled efforts to boost the equality of women in all the states.

In 1983 Roberts wrote that many proposals were "highly objectionable," including a Florida plan to charge lower tuition to women because they have less earning potential and "a staggeringly pernicious law codifying the anti-capitalist notion of 'comparable worth.'"

Discussing a rule change on government funding of nonprofits, Roberts worried the proposal was too broad: "It is possible to 'defund the left' without alienating TRW and Boeing, but the proposals, if enacted, could do both."

The documents also showed the breadth of issues that Roberts addressed, from advising a narrow line to avoid Neutrality Act violations in raising money for the Nicaraguan contras to suggesting a 15-year limit on federal judges' terms, instead of life tenures as they have now.

[lawyerlee]

Court: Gay parents must pay child support (http://www.cnn.com/2005/LAW/08/23/lesbian.parents.ap/index.html)
CNN

SAN FRANCISCO, California (AP) -- In the latest ruling to recognize rights of same-sex couples, the California Supreme Court has said gay and lesbian couples who raise children are lawful parents and must provide for their children if they break up.

The state's custody and child support laws that hold absent fathers accountable also apply to estranged gay and lesbian couples who used reproductive science to conceive, the high court ruled Monday.

Being a legal parent "brings with it the benefits as well as the responsibilities," said Justice Joyce Kennard.

The decision comes a month after the justices ruled that a California domestic partner law grants gays and lesbians who register with the state many of the same rights as married couples, but does not allow them to marry.

"The court is now protecting the children of same sex parents in gay families in the same way children are protected with heterosexual couples in heterosexual families," said Jill Hersh, who argued the case of a Marin County woman who was granted the right to be the second mother of twins after the birth mother moved out of state.

[lawyerlee]

Al Qaeda claims responsibility for rocket attack (http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/meast/08/23/jordan.attack.alqaeda/index.html)
Jordan: 'Prime suspect' arrested in U.S. warship attack

(CNN) -- Al Qaeda in Iraq has issued a claim of responsibility for a rocket attack in Jordan just hours after Jordanian authorities said they had arrested the "prime suspect" in the attack on two U.S. warships that left a Jordanian soldier dead.

The claim of responsibility, dated Tuesday and posted on web sites and distributed by e-mail, said al Qaeda in Iraq -- believed headed by Abu Musab al-Zarqawi -- waited to issue its claim until its fighter had returned safely to Iraq.

[lawyerlee]

Israeli settler pullout in Gaza, West Bank complete (http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/meast/08/23/west.bank.pullout/index.html)
Troops, police use force to evacuate settlers

SANUR, West Bank (CNN) -- Thousands of Israeli troops and police Tuesday evacuated two Jewish settlements under the nation's historic disengagement plan, the military said.

Authorities used force at times in the two West Bank settlements -- Homesh and Sanur.

Before Sanur was evacuated, forces used a crane and container to force protesters off the roof of an old fortress in the settlement. In Homesh, demonstrators in a school refused to move and security forces picked them up and carried them away.

Israel completed its withdrawal from 21 settlements in Gaza on Monday, and settlers had been evacuated from the other West Bank settlements included in the plan -- Ganim and Kadim.

Earlier, authorities said about 600 people remained in Sanur -- as many as 200 of them anti-withdrawal activists.

Military cranes lifted a container which carried police to the top of the fortress that served as Sanur's community center. Police removed about 50 protesters who had barricaded themselves on the roof.

On the outside of the stone fortress, a banner declared: "A curse upon those who evacuate us."

About 300 settlers who had barricaded themselves inside the fortress also were removed, commanders said.

About five miles away in Homesh, Israeli forces raided a religious school, where about 40 protesters waited. They sat praying and singing with arms and legs locked to make their removal more difficult.

Television images broadcast from inside the school showed Israeli soldiers struggling with the student protesters, slowly extracting one at a time and carrying them to a waiting bus outside.

Other soldiers negotiated with students, attempting to get them to give up and leave.

Two settlers, one in Homesh and one in Sanur, tried to stab Israeli soldiers, the Israel Defense Forces said. In Homesh, a settler who was drunk was arrested after attempting to stab a soldier, IDF said.

In Sanur, a civilian stabbed a female soldier during a scuffle, the IDF said, describing the soldier's wounds as light. The civilian was taken into custody.

The clearance of Homesh and Sanur marked the end of the "main part" of Sharon's disengagement process -- the settlements must still be demolished, said Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Gideon Meir.

[lawyerlee]

Lockheed Martin to Build Security System for N.Y. Transit (http://www.nytimes.com/2005/08/23/nyregion/23cnd-mta.html?ei=5094&en=fc7eb20c9f469bf4&hp=&ex=1124856000&partner=homepage&pagewanted=print)
NY Times

By SEWELL CHAN

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority announced today that it will pay up to $200 million to a team led by the Lockheed Martin Corporation, a major defense contractor, to create a surveillance and security system around major bridges, tunnels and train and subway stations.

Lockheed Martin will lead a team of contractors in creating an "integrated electronic security system" that includes closed-circuit television cameras, motion detectors and "intelligent video" software that can automatically determine if a package has been left on a train or if a person is in a restricted area.

The deal is by far the biggest spending commitment so far in the authority's counterterrorism program, which has been hobbled by delays but was given new urgency after the London transit bombings last month. The authority's board approved a $591 million security plan in 2002, but as of last month, it had spent only a fraction of that sum. Now, officials say, most of the money will be committed or spent by the end of this year.

[lawyerlee]

Iraqi Drafter Doubts Sunnis Will Support Constitution in 3 Days (http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/international/AP-Iraq.html?ei=5094&en=8a60ce18eab70d12&hp=&ex=1124856000&partner=homepage&pagewanted=print)
NY Times

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Filed at 12:05 p.m. ET

BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) -- The head of the committee drafting Iraq's constitution said Tuesday that three days are not enough to win over the Sunni Arabs, and the document they rejected may ultimately have to be approved by parliament as is and taken to the people in a referendum.

Iraqi leaders completed a draft Monday night and submitted it to parliament, but -- just minutes from a midnight deadline -- lawmakers delayed a vote to give negotiators time to persuade Sunni Arabs to accept it.

U.S. Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad urged the Iraqis to work ''in spirit of compromise'' and ''take the national interest into account'' when they resume talks Wednesday.

He said ''every effort needs to be made'' to win Sunni Arab support for the draft and that it ''behooves'' Iraq's other communities -- Shiites and Kurds -- to ''reach out'' to the Sunnis in the interest of national unity.

''This is not the time to achieve all that one can at the expense of others,'' Khalilzad told reporters Tuesday. He said the time had come ''to build the new Iraq on new principles.''

President Bush, asked about the possibility that objections to the draft from Sunnis could trigger a civil war, said: ''The Sunnis have got to make a choice: Do they want to live in a society that's free?''

At a news conference Tuesday, drafting committee chairman Humam Hammoudi acknowledged that more time was probably needed to extract a compromise from Sunnis, who objected to wording on federalism, Saddam Hussein's Baath Party, the description of Iraq as an Islamic -- but not Arab -- country, and other parts of the document.

Asked how to break the impasse, Hammoudi said ''the Iraqi people will rule'' and suggested that the elected parliament could debate the issues and make a decision. Shiites and Kurds, who accepted the agreement, dominate the assembly.

Approving the draft and submitting it to voters in an Oct. 15 referendum risks a backlash among Sunni Arabs, who are at the forefront of the insurgency. Luring them away from violence and into the political process was a major U.S. goal for the constitution.

But Hammoudi noted that unlike Shiite and Kurd negotiators, Sunni Arabs were not elected parliament members but appointed to the committee. Sunni Arabs won only 17 of 275 parliament seats because so many Sunnis boycotted the Jan. 30 election.

''Those who are representing the brother Sunni Arabs are not elected,'' Hammoudi said. ''Therefore, who can say that they really represent the people on the street ... therefore the Sunnis have to express their opinion.''

Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari, a Shiite, appeared to make an overture to the minority.

''Some of the political groups have some reservations and we will study them and try to reach a solution in the next three days,'' he said at a news conference in Baghdad on Tuesday.

''Our Sunni Arab brothers faced some circumstances in the past that prevented them from having real representation (in parliament) in what is equal to their demography, and we hope that in the future they will be better represented.''

The wrangling over the constitution came amid persistent violence.

A U.S. soldier, an American contractor and five Iraqis were killed Tuesday when a suicide bomber detonated an explosive device in a city north of Baghdad, the military said.

A statement said the blast occurred in Diyala Provincial Joint Coordination Center in Baquba, 35 miles northeast of Baghdad, at 12:50 p.m. The explosion also killed four Iraqi employees of the center and one Iraqi police officer.

Nine U.S. soldiers were wounded, along with one U.S. civilian contractor, six Iraqi civilians and four police officers. All the wounded were evacuated to a military hospital for treatment, the statement said.

At least 1,872 U.S. troops have died since the Iraq war started in 2003, according to an Associated Press count.

Monday night's last-minute scrambling by the constitutional committee came one week after the original, Aug. 15 deadline.


Iraq's Assembly Is Given Charter, Still Unfinished (http://www.nytimes.com/2005/08/23/international/middleeast/23iraq.html?pagewanted=print)
NY Times

By DEXTER FILKINS and JAMES GLANZ

BAGHDAD, Iraq, Tuesday, Aug. 23 - Iraqi leaders submitted a draft constitution to the National Assembly just before their self-imposed midnight deadline on Monday, but disagreement with Sunni leaders and other, secular Iraqis left the document incomplete, with fundamental issues still in dispute.

In a legal sleight of hand, the Iraqis decided to give themselves three additional days to close the gaps, despite the requirement in the country's interim constitution that the document be completed by a deadline, which already had been extended a week. That left some Iraqis on the 275-member National Assembly wondering whether they were still in charge, and some Sunni leaders asserting that the delay was illegal.

Shiite and Kurdish leaders said they had come close to completing the constitution on Monday night, but had bogged down over a handful of issues they say can be resolved in the next few days. Most of the disputes pitted them against leaders of the embittered Sunni minority, who had been shut out of the negotiations for much of the past week.

But the Sunnis were not alone in their opposition; they were joined on some major issues by a group of secular Iraqis, led by Ayad Allawi, the former prime minister. Mr. Allawi's group is concerned about what its members describe as an Islamist-minded coalition of the majority Shiites that is pushing for a large autonomous region in the oil-rich south.

Indeed, some Iraqis said Monday that the leaders of the main Shiite coalition, called the United Iraqi Alliance, had intended to cut the Sunnis out of the process altogether, and give a completed constitution to the National Assembly over their objections. Mr. Allawi and some Kurdish leaders stepped in to block that move.

Whether to allow a large Shiite-dominated autonomous region in southern Iraq, which also contains the largest oil fields, is the principal unresolved issue. Sunni leaders and the secular Shiites say they are concerned that such a huge and powerful autonomous region could lead to the breakup of the country.


Text of Proposed Iraq Constitution (http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/international/AP-Iraq-Constitution-Text.html?oref=login)

[lawyerlee]

Second Officer Says 9/11 Leader Was Named Before Attacks (http://www.nytimes.com/2005/08/23/politics/23intel.html?pagewanted=print)
NY Times

By PHILIP SHENON

WASHINGTON, Aug. 22 - An active-duty Navy captain has become the second military officer to come forward publicly to say that a secret intelligence program tagged the ringleader of the Sept. 11 attacks as a possible terrorist more than a year before the attacks.

The officer, Scott J. Phillpott, said in a statement on Monday that he could not discuss details of the military program, which was called Able Danger, but confirmed that its analysts had identified the Sept. 11 ringleader, Mohamed Atta, by name by early 2000. "My story is consistent," said Captain Phillpott, who managed the program for the Pentagon's Special Operations Command. "Atta was identified by Able Danger by January-February of 2000."

His comments came on the same day that the Pentagon's chief spokesman, Lawrence Di Rita, told reporters that the Defense Department had been unable to validate the assertions made by an Army intelligence veteran, Lt. Col. Anthony Shaffer, and now backed up by Captain Phillpott, about the early identification of Mr. Atta.

Colonel Shaffer went public with his assertions last week, saying that analysts in the intelligence project were overruled by military lawyers when they tried to share the program's findings with the F.B.I. in 2000 in hopes of tracking down terrorist suspects tied to Al Qaeda.

Mr. Di Rita said in an interview that while the department continued to investigate the assertions, there was no evidence so far that the intelligence unit came up with such specific information about Mr. Atta and any of the other hijackers.

He said that while Colonel Shaffer and Captain Phillpott were respected military officers whose accounts were taken seriously, "thus far we've not been able to uncover what these people said they saw - memory is a complicated thing."

The statement from Captain Phillpott , a 1983 Naval Academy graduate who has served in the Navy for 22 years, was provided to The New York Times and Fox News through the office of Representative Curt Weldon, a Pennsylvania Republican who is vice chairman of the House Armed Services Committee and a longtime proponent of so-called data-mining programs like Able Danger.

Asked if the Defense Department had questioned Captain Phillpott in its two-week-old investigation of Able Danger, another Pentagon spokesman, Maj. Paul Swiergosz, said he did not know.

Representative Weldon also arranged an interview on Monday with a former employee of a defense contractor who said he had helped create a chart in 2000 for the intelligence program that included Mr. Atta's photograph and name.

The former contractor, James D. Smith, said that Mr. Atta's name and photograph were obtained through a private researcher in California who was paid to gather the information from contacts in the Middle East. Mr. Smith said that he had retained a copy of the chart until last year and that it had been posted on his office wall at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland. He said it had become stuck to the wall and was impossible to remove when he switched jobs.

[lawyerlee]

No Proof Found of Iran Arms Program (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/08/22/AR2005082201447_pf.html)
Uranium Traced to Pakistani Equipment

By Dafna Linzer
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, August 23, 2005; A01

Traces of bomb-grade uranium found two years ago in Iran came from contaminated Pakistani equipment and are not evidence of a clandestine nuclear weapons program, a group of U.S. government experts and other international scientists has determined.

"The biggest smoking gun that everyone was waving is now eliminated with these conclusions," said a senior official who discussed the still-confidential findings on the condition of anonymity.

Scientists from the United States, France, Japan, Britain and Russia met in secret during the past nine months to pore over data collected by inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency, according to U.S. and foreign officials. Recently, the group, whose existence had not been previously reported, definitively matched samples of the highly enriched uranium -- a key ingredient for a nuclear weapon -- with centrifuge equipment turned over by the government of Pakistan.

Iran has long contended that the uranium traces were the result of contaminated equipment bought years ago from Pakistan. But the Bush administration had pointed to the material as evidence that Iran was making bomb-grade ingredients.

The conclusions will be shared with IAEA board members in a report due out the first week in September, according to U.S. and European officials who agreed to discuss details of the investigation on the condition of anonymity. The report "will say the contamination issue is resolved," a Western diplomat said.

U.S. officials have privately acknowledged for months that they were losing confidence that the uranium traces would turn out to be evidence of a nuclear weapons program. A recent U.S. intelligence estimate found that Iran is further away from making bomb-grade uranium than previously thought, according to U.S. officials.

The IAEA findings come as European efforts to negotiate with Iran on the future of its nuclear program have faltered, and could complicate a renewed push by the Bush administration to increase international pressure on Tehran.

[lawyerlee]

Israel Completes Evacuation of Settlements (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/08/23/AR2005082300111_pf.html)
Washington Post

By RAVI NESSMAN
The Associated Press
Tuesday, August 23, 2005; 12:45 PM

SANUR, West Bank -- Israeli soldiers cleared two militant strongholds Tuesday without major violence, completing the country's historic evacuation of 25 settlements in the Gaza Strip and West Bank - the first time Israel has abandoned Jewish communities in lands the Palestinians claim for their future state.

About 6,000 troops - armed with riot gear, circular saws, water hoses and wirecutters - were mobilized to overwhelm the last stand against the pullout in the West Bank settlements of Sanur and Homesh. The resistance was staged largely by 1,600 Israelis who didn't even live there - some of them youths known for their extremism and rejection of the Israeli government's authority.

But security officials' fears of armed violence didn't materialize, and the military declared the evacuation of the two settlements over just nine hours after troops stormed them.

Residents of the other two West Bank settlements slated for removal, Ganim and Kadim, had already left on their own. Military bulldozers Tuesday knocked down all the structures in Kadim, and were razing buildings in Ganim.

The demolition of homes in all evacuated settlements in the West Bank and Gaza Strip will be completed in 10 days, said the Israeli army chief, Lt. Gen. Dan Halutz.

In the West Bank, Israel is destroying homes to prevent Jewish extremists from returning there. The military fears that if left standing, these settlements could also become flashpoints of violence between settlers and Palestinians living in the area.

[lawyerlee]

Iraqi talks head for deadlock (http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,2763,1554945,00.html)
Constitution may face referendum in teeth of opposition from Sunnis

Rory Carroll in Baghdad
Wednesday August 24, 2005
The Guardian

Iraq's leaders conceded yesterday that they were unlikely to win Sunni Arab approval for a new constitution by tomorrow's deadline.

The ruling coalition of Shias and Kurds said the disputed text could be pushed through parliament despite warnings from Sunnis that it was a charter for civil war.

The government ruled out major changes to a draft presented to parliament on Monday and said the restive Sunni minority had to accept that Iraq would become a federal state.

"The draft that was submitted is approximately the draft that will be implemented," said a spokesman for the prime minister, Ibrahim al-Jaafari.

Approval of the text was delayed until tomorrow to give negotiators a last chance to clinch the consensus widely deemed crucial to the constitution's success. "The only possible change now is that the Sunnis become convinced on federalism," said Jalal al-Din al-Sagheer, a Shia member of the drafting committee.

There was little evidence that the once dominant minority was softening its hostility to autonomy for Kurds in the north and Shias in the south, a move it fears will starve Sunnis of oil wealth, cripple central government and break up the country.

It also opposed a provision about de-Ba'athification which outlined punishments and restrictions for officials of the former regime.

[lawyerlee]

Scientists show how sugar pill eases pain (http://www.guardian.co.uk/medicine/story/0,11381,1555164,00.html)

Tim Radford, science editor
Wednesday August 24, 2005
The Guardian

It may be enough just to think about an aspirin, according to US scientists. Ponder painkillers, and the brain begins to release the natural chemicals that ease away the pain.

A team at the University of Michigan report in the Journal of Neuroscience today that they have the first direct evidence of the machinery behind the so-called placebo effect. In large clinical trials, many patients who receive the placebo, or sugar pill, rather than the drug under trial will report an improvement, simply because they believe they have had an effective medicine. The research shows this may not be a trick of the mind.

[lawyerlee]

Rescuers Search for Peru Airliner Victims (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/08/24/AR2005082400204_pf.html)
Washington Post

By CARLA SALAZAR
The Associated Press
Wednesday, August 24, 2005; 11:30 AM

LIMA, Peru -- Rescuers combed a jungle marsh Wednesday for victims of a Peruvian airliner that split in two after an emergency landing during a fierce hailstorm, killing at least 41 people, while 57 survived the burning wreckage by wading away through knee-deep mud.

TANS Peru Flight 204 was the world's fifth major airline accident in August, making it the deadliest month for plane disasters in three years.

The Boeing 737-200 was carrying an estimated 100 people on a domestic flight from the Peruvian capital of Lima to the Amazon city of Pucallpa.

In strong winds and torrential rains, the pilot circled the airport and then tried to make an emergency landing about 20 miles from the destination. He aimed for the marsh to soften the impact, but the landing split the aircraft, said Edwin Vasquez, president of the Ucayali region where the city is located.

Wind shear _ a potentially dangerous sudden change in wind speed or direction, often during a thunderstorm _ possibly pushed the plane down as the pilot was landing, said TANS spokesman Jorge Belevan. He said there did not appear to have been a technical failure in the 22-year-old aircraft.

[lawyerlee]

Man Arrested in Ariz. Wal-Mart Killings (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/08/24/AR2005082400677_pf.html)
Washington Post

By MICHELLE ROBERTS
The Associated Press
Wednesday, August 24, 2005; 10:38 AM

GLENDALE, Ariz. -- Authorities were trying to determine why a gunman fatally shot two Wal-Mart employees gathering shopping carts in the parking lot of one of the retail stores in this Phoenix suburb.

Police said it didn't appear that the suspect in custody knew the victims or had a vendetta against Wal-Mart. The gunman also did not appear to have been under the influence of any substance, authorities said.

"We don't know why he did this. This was barbaric," said Officer Mike Pena, a Glendale police spokesman.

The shootings occurred Tuesday in the middle of the parking lot, about 75 yards from the store entrance. Police said Ed Lui, 53, drove into the lot, got out of his car and shot each victim several times with a handgun.

It did not appear he spoke with the victims.

The gunman then drove away but was followed by two witnesses who were able to provide license plate numbers that police used to track Lui's car.

[lawyerlee]

Federal Funds For Abstinence Group Withheld (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/08/22/AR2005082201230_pf.html)
Washington Post

By Ceci Connolly
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, August 23, 2005; A05

The Bush administration yesterday suspended a federal grant to the Silver Ring Thing abstinence program, saying it appears to use tax money for religious activities.

Officials at the Department of Health and Human Services ordered the group to submit a "corrective action plan" if it hopes to receive an expected $75,000 grant this year.

In a letter to the program director, Harry Wilson, associate commissioner of the Family and Youth Services Bureau, concluded that the project funded with federal dollars "includes both secular and religious components that are not adequately safeguarded."

The action comes three months after the American Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit against HHS, accusing the administration of using tax dollars to promote Christianity. In documents filed in federal court in Boston, the ACLU alleged that the activities, brochures and Web site of Silver Ring Thing were "permeated with religion" and use "taxpayer dollars to promote religious content, instruction and indoctrination."

Teenage graduates of the program sign a covenant "before God Almighty" to remain virgins and earn a silver ring inscribed with a Bible passage reminding them to "keep clear of sexual sin." Many of its events are held at churches.

In filings with the Internal Revenue Service, the organization describes its mission as "evangelistic ministry" with an emphasis on "evangelistic crusade planning."

Representatives of the Pennsylvania-based nonprofit describe Silver Ring Thing as a "faith-based" group but dispute charges it has commingled its public funds with religious activities.

[lawyerlee]

USDA Reverses Itself on Organic Seals (http://www.salon.com/wire/ap/archive.html?wire=D8C69JH01.html)
Salon.com

By LIBBY QUAID Associated Press Writer

August 24,2005 | WASHINGTON -- The government is reversing its decision to yank the "USDA Organic" seal from lotions and lip balms and will now allow cosmetics to carry the round, green label.

An organic soap company and a consumer group had sued the Agriculture Department for ordering removal of the distinctive seal.

Without the government seal, the word organic is "just a fluff marketing claim," David Bronner, president of Dr. Bronner's Magic Soaps, said Wednesday.

"It's kind of a truth in advertising thing -- consumers can trust that it is indeed free of synthetics and does support organic farming and agriculture," said Bronner, whose company and the Organic Consumers Association had sued the department in June.

The department created the label three years ago for food and other products grown without pesticides or fertilizer and made with all-natural, chemical-free ingredients. It applies to meat and dairy products from animals given organic feed and access to the outdoors and never given antibiotics or growth hormones.

Department officials decided in April they didn't have the authority to regulate cosmetics and ordered companies to remove the USDA seal.

The decision frustrated companies that, like Bronner's, spent hundreds of thousands of dollars to find all-organic ingredients and get certified to use the seal. Only products cleared by government-authorized agents can use the seal.

Legal liability was also at stake: Some organic cosmetic companies have been sued for deceptive labeling because they bore the claim.

Now it should be clear that, "just like food, the federal standards pre-empt any state laws, and if you meet federal standards, the product is organic," said William J. Friedman, an attorney defending the companies in state courts.

The department sent a memo out late Tuesday telling certifying agents that cosmetics and personal care products meeting government standards can carry the seal. The memo, from Barbara Robinson, head of the department's National Organic Program, did not give a reason for the reversal.

"If you have an agricultural product, and it meets the standards, and you get it certified, you can market it as organic," program spokeswoman Joan Shaffer said Wednesday.

The department is in the process of creating organic standards for fish and pet food. Still being decided is whether dietary supplements can use the seal.

[lawyerlee]

Panel votes to close Walter Reed hospital (http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2005-08-25-base-closing_x.htm?POE=NEWISVA)
USA Today

WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal commission voted Thursday to close Walter Reed Army Medical Center — the crown jewel of U.S. military hospitals — as part of the Pentagon's sweeping proposal to restructure bases across the country.

Located in the nation's capital, the century-old hospital has treated presidents and foreign leaders as well as veterans and soldiers, including those returning from the Iraq war.

Most of its work would be relocated to a more modern, expanded hospital in Bethesda, Md., to be renamed Walter Reed in a nod to the old facility's heritage.

The nine-member panel was deciding the fate of a host of big-ticket items Thursday. Later in the day it was to begin debating the Air Force's plans, arguably the most contentious of the group, as it steamrolled through hundreds of Pentagon proposals at a brisk pace after four months of study and preparation.

[lawyerlee]

Hawaii Moves To Cap Gas Prices (http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/08/25/national/main794947.shtml)
CBS News

(CBS/AP) Hawaii will begin enforcing a cap on the wholesale price of gasoline next week, hoping to curb the sting of the nation's highest gas costs.

The limit would be the first time a state has capped the price of gasoline — a move critics warn could lead to supply shortages.

But many Hawaii residents are just looking for some relief from soaring costs.

"The gas prices that are continuing to go up — how am I supposed to afford it?" Nathan Slenk, a 25-year-old student at Kapiolani Community College, said as he pumped regular unleaded gas into his black sedan for $2.79 a gallon in Honolulu.

On Wednesday, the average retail price of regular unleaded in Honolulu was at a record $2.761, some 15 cents above the nationwide average. Prices on Maui have already topped $3 a gallon this week. Statewide, prices average $2.84, the highest in the nation, according to AAA's Web site.

The state Public Utilities Commission said the initial price ceiling is due to take effect Sept. 1. Wholesalers may not charge more than about $2.74 including taxes in Honolulu for a gallon of regular unleaded. The commission set separate price caps for other islands.

If retailers keep their usual 12-cent-per-gallon markup, prices for regular unleaded in Honolulu could, in theory, rise to about $2.86 a gallon.

The ceilings will be in effect through Sept. 4. The following week, the commission will announce a new set of caps.

The 2004 law passed by the Legislature that authorized the caps was intended to force Hawaii's two refiners, Chevron Corp. and Tesoro Corp., to set their wholesale prices closer to mainland rates. Proponents of the law said the refiners were taking advantage of the small, isolated market to charge exorbitant prices.

Chevron said in a statement Wednesday it believes the law "is flawed and not in the best interest of the state," The Wall Street Journal reported on its Web site. Tesoro said its Hawaii operation believes any cap "will only serve to distort market forces and will result in long-term negative impacts to the citizens and the economy of Hawaii."

[lawyerlee]

Politician Hurt In S. Russia Blast (http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/08/25/world/main795222.shtml)
CBS News

(AP) The second highest-ranking official in the mostly Muslim southern Russian region of Ingushetia was wounded in an apparent assassination attempt on Thursday when two explosions hit the region's main city, Nazran, a regional official said.

Fyodor Shcherbakov, an aide to the Kremlin envoy to the region, said Ingush Prime Minister Ibragim Malsagov had been wounded but that his life was not in danger.

Malsagov's driver was killed and two people in addition to the premier were wounded, said Nikolai Ivashkevich, a spokesman for the southern regional branch of the Emergency Situations Ministry.

[lawyerlee]

Hackers Attack Via Chinese Web Sites (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/08/24/AR2005082402318_pf.html)
U.S. Agencies' Networks Are Among Targets
Washington Post

By Bradley Graham
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, August 25, 2005; A01

Web sites in China are being used heavily to target computer networks in the Defense Department and other U.S. agencies, successfully breaching hundreds of unclassified networks, according to several U.S. officials.

Classified systems have not been compromised, the officials added. But U.S. authorities remain concerned because, as one official said, even seemingly innocuous information, when pulled together from various sources, can yield useful intelligence to an adversary.

"The scope of this thing is surprisingly big," said one of four government officials who spoke separately about the incidents, which stretch back as far as two or three years and have been code-named Titan Rain by U.S. investigators. All officials insisted on anonymity, given the sensitivity of the matter.

Whether the attacks constitute a coordinated Chinese government campaign to penetrate U.S. networks and spy on government databanks has divided U.S. analysts. Some in the Pentagon are said to be convinced of official Chinese involvement; others see the electronic probing as the work of other hackers simply using Chinese networks to disguise the origins of the attacks.

"It's not just the Defense Department but a wide variety of networks that have been hit," including the departments of State, Energy and Homeland Security as well as defense contractors, the official said. "This is an ongoing, organized attempt to siphon off information from our unclassified systems."

Another official, however, cautioned against exaggerating the severity of the intrusions. He said the attacks, while constituting "a large volume," were "not the biggest thing going on out there."

Apart from acknowledging the existence of Titan Rain and providing a sketchy account of its scope, the officials who were interviewed declined to offer further details, citing legal and political considerations and a desire to avoid giving any advantage to the hackers. One official said the FBI has opened an investigation into the incidents. The FBI declined to comment.

[msnicolea]

The Bush administration yesterday suspended a federal grant to the Silver Ring Thing abstinence program, saying it appears to use tax money for religious activities.

Ya think?

[lawyerlee]

Internet Phone Cos. May Cut Off Customers (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/08/24/AR2005082401534.html?nav=hcmodule)
Washington Post

By BRUCE MEYERSON
The Associated Press
Wednesday, August 24, 2005; 9:33 PM

NEW YORK -- Providers of Internet-based phone services may be forced next week to cut off tens of thousands of customers who haven't formally acknowledged that they understand the problems they may encounter dialing 911 in an emergency.

The Federal Communications Commission had set the Monday deadline as an interim safeguard while providers of Internet calling, also known as "VoIP" for Voice over Internet Protocol, rush to comply with an FCC order requiring full emergency 911 capabilities by late November.

Vonage Holdings Corp., the biggest VoIP carrier with more than 800,000 subscribers, told The Associated Press Wednesday that 96 percent of its customer base have responded to the company's notices about 911 risks. But that still means as many as 31,000 accounts would need to be shut off as early as Tuesday.

Other leading carriers declined to quantify the response rate beyond the updates they were required to file with the FCC two weeks ago. AT&T Corp. spokesman Gary Morgenstern said customer acknowledgments are now "significantly higher" than the 77 percent figure it reported to the FCC on Aug. 10.

The FCC issued its order in May after a series of highly publicized incidents in which VoIP users were unable to connect with a live emergency dispatch operator when calling 911.

[lawyerlee]

U.S. Wants Changes In U.N. Agreement (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/08/24/AR2005082402321_pf.html)
Washington Post

By Colum Lynch
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, August 25, 2005; A01

UNITED NATIONS, Aug. 24 -- Less than a month before world leaders arrive in New York for a world summit on poverty and U.N. reform, the Bush administration has thrown the proceedings in turmoil with a call for drastic renegotiation of a draft agreement to be signed by presidents and prime ministers attending the event.

The United States has only recently introduced more than 750 amendments that would eliminate new pledges of foreign aid to impoverished nations, scrap provisions that call for action to halt climate change and urge nuclear powers to make greater progress in dismantling their nuclear arms. At the same time, the administration is urging members of the United Nations to strengthen language in the 29-page document that would underscore the importance of taking tougher action against terrorism, promoting human rights and democracy, and halting the spread of the world's deadliest weapons.

Next month's summit, an unusual meeting at the United Nations of heads of state, was called by U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan to reinvigorate efforts to fight poverty and to take stronger steps in the battles against terrorism and genocide. The leaders of 175 nations are expected to attend and sign the agreement, which has been under negotiation for six months.

But Annan's effort to press for changes has been hampered by investigations into fraud in the U.N. oil-for-food program and revelations of sexual misconduct by U.N. peacekeepers.

The United Nations originally scheduled the Sept. 14 summit as a follow-up to the 2000 Millennium Summit, which produced commitments by U.N. members to meet deadlines over the next 15 years aimed at reducing poverty, preventable diseases and other scourges of the world's poor. But the Bush administration is seeking to focus attention on the need to streamline U.N. bureaucracy, establish a democracy fund, strengthen the U.N. human rights office and support a U.S. initiative to halt the trade in weapons of mass destruction.

The U.S. amendments call for striking any mention of the Millennium Development Goals, and the administration has publicly complained that the document's section on poverty is too long. Instead, the United States has sought to underscore the importance of the Monterrey Consensus, a 2002 summit in Mexico that focused on free-market reforms, and required governments to improve accountability in exchange for aid and debt relief.

The proposed U.S. amendments, contained in a confidential 36-page document obtained by The Washington Post, have been presented this week to select envoys. The U.N. General Assembly's president, Jean Ping of Gambia, is organizing a core group of 20 to 30 countries, including the United States and other major powers, to engage in an intensive final round of negotiations in an attempt to strike a deal.

[lawyerlee]

Common Police Vest Fails Bulletproof Test (http://www.nytimes.com/2005/08/25/politics/25vests.html)
NY Times

By ERIC LICHTBLAU
Published: August 25, 2005

WASHINGTON, Aug. 24 - A type of lightweight police vest used by tens of thousands of officers failed to stop a bullet in nearly 6 of every 10 tests, according to a Justice Department study released on Wednesday, and the study resulted in immediate changes in federal safety guidelines.

Ballistic tests on 103 vests containing a fiber known as Zylon produced acceptable safety results for just four vests, department researchers said.

"This confirms that these vests simply don't do what they claim to do, which is to stop bullets," said Ed Balzarini Jr., a lawyer from the Pittsburgh metropolitan region who represents an officer in Forest Hills, Pa., Ed Limbacher, who was seriously wounded in 2003 in drug raid when a bullet pierced his vest and lodged in his abdomen.

The shooting death of another officer, in Oceanside, Calif., was linked to a similar type vest.

Police armor using Zylon, patented by a Japanese company, became popular about a decade ago as a lighter alternative to hotter, bulkier vests. The material is found in more than 240,000 vests bought by police departments in the United States in recent years, officials said.

Many departments have stopped using Zylon vests in the last two years in light of increased safety concerns and a flurry of lawsuits against manufacturers.

But law enforcement officials said tens of thousands of officers continued to rely on them.

As a result of its findings, the Justice Department said it would commit $33.6 million to help police departments replace Zylon vests. It also imposed new safety standards for Zylon vests and said it would no longer allow federal reimbursement for departments that bought them.

[wander_woman]

This is barely being reported since all the news coverage is of Katrina. Another horrible tragedy.

More Than 800 Shiites Die in Stampede on Baghdad Bridge (http://www.nytimes.com/2005/08/31/international/middleeast/31cnd-iraq.html?ei=5094&en=1fec59f03215dfde&hp=&ex=1125547200&partner=homepage&pagewanted=print)
By ROBERT F. WORTH
BAGHDAD, Iraq, Aug. 31 - In the highest one-day toll since the American invasion, more than 800 people died this morning after rumors of a suicide bomber led to a stampede in a vast procession of Shiite pilgrims as they crossed a bridge on their way to a shrine in northern Baghdad.

Most of the dead were crushed or suffocated, witnesses said, but many also fell or jumped into the Tigris River after the panicking crowd broke through the bridge's railings.

The pilgrims were among a throng of hundreds of thousands who had converged on the capital over the preceding day to mark the anniversary of the death of Imam Musa al-Kadhim, one of Shiite Islam's holiest figures.

Fear had begun spreading in the crowd an hour earlier, after insurgents fired rockets and mortars near the shrine, killing seven pilgrims and wounding two dozen, and leading to a counter-attack by American military helicopters.

But the stampede appears to have been caused by unfounded rumors of a man wearing a suicide belt in the crowd.

At least 841 people were killed and at least 323 were injured, an Interior Ministry official said early this evening in Baghdad, the greatest loss of life in 24 hours since the war began in March 2003.

In the aftermath of the disaster, with tens of thousands of pilgrims continuing their procession, black-clad Shiite women could be seen keening over dead bodies in the streets of Khadimiya, the Shiite neighborhood where Imam Kadhim's shrine is located.

On the bridge itself, hundreds of sandals and shoes lay in piles. Local hospitals were overwhelmed, with the halls lined with dead bodies, some of them drenched in river water.

Insurgents have often attacked Shiites during religious processions over the past two years, and Iraqi authorities had blocked off roads throughout northern Baghdad starting Tuesday evening, anticipating attacks on the hundreds of thousands of Shiites who were converging on the capital.

Health Minister Abdul-Mutalib Mohammed said on Iraqi television that there were "huge crowds on the bridge and the disaster happened when someone shouted that there is a suicide bomber on the bridge."

"This led to a state of panic among the pilgrims," he said, "and they started pushing each other and there were many case of suffocation."

The panic was confirmed by Brig. Jaleel Khalaf, security commander for the Khadimiya district, in northern Baghdad on the western bank of the Tigris.

The bridge where the stampede took place links a Shiite neighborhood with a Sunni area that has long been a stronghold of support for Saddam Hussein and the insurgency.

The stampede came at a time of high sectarian tensions, days after the new draft constitution was presented to Iraq's Parliament over the angry objections of Sunni representatives.

Many leading Sunnis have called for voters to reject the document when it goes before a nationwide referendum in October, and there have been demonstrations against the charter by Sunnis in central and northern Iraq.

Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari, a Shiite, released a statement of condolence to the victims of the stampede and their families and declared a three-day national mourning period.

[lawyerlee]

Plane Crash in Indonesia Kills at Least 145 (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/09/05/AR2005090500733_pf.html)
Washington Post

By Ellen Nakashima
Washington Post Foreign Service
Monday, September 5, 2005; 4:03 PM

JAKARTA, Indonesia, Sept. 5 -- Investigators began a probe into the cause of an Indonesian jetliner crash on Monday that killed at least 145 people, including dozens on the ground who lived in a crowded residential neighborhood in the city of Medan, according to officials and wire service reports. An airline official said 13 passengers seated in the tail section survived.

Human error and mechanical failure will be among the possibilities explored for the crash of the Boeing 737-200 flown by the budget carrier, Mandala Airlines, said Setyo Rahardjo, chairman of the Indonesia's National Transportation Safety Committee.

He said that the aircraft's black box recorder has been recovered and investigators hoped it will yield clues to the crash. The jet, which was built in 1981 and underwent comprehensive maintenance in June, hit the ground nose first shortly after take-off, officials said. It was bound for Jakarta with a full load of 112 passengers and five crew.

Medan, on the western island of Sumatra, is about 885 miles northwest of Jakarta. It is Indonesia's third-largest city and was a major hub for rescue efforts following the earthquake and tsunami in December.

"The plane had actually taken off, but somehow it started to shake heavily and swerved to the left, and then 'wham,' a ball of fire came from the front of the plane toward the back," said Rohadi Sitepu, interviewed by Metro Television from his hospital bed.

"From our side of the plane, there were maybe 10 people who survived," including his wife, he said. He said he escaped through a hole in the fuselage.

[lawyerlee]

Four Girls Admit Starting Deadly Paris Fire (http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/international/international-france-fire.html?pagewanted=print)
New York Times

By REUTERS
Filed at 4:09 p.m. ET

PARIS (Reuters) - Four girls admitted on Monday to starting a fire in a high-rise apartment block in Paris which killed 16 people, including three children, officials said.

The girls admitted during police questioning to starting the fire in a letter box in the hallway of the 18-storey building, a public prosecutor involved in the case told Reuters.

The letter box belonged to a former friend, with whom they had fallen out.

The weekend fire was the third major one in the French capital in just over a week.

Most of the victims were killed by smoke and fumes that rapidly swept through the building in the southern suburbs of the city.

Unlike the two other fires in the past 10 days, Sunday's blaze did not sweep through rundown housing for immigrants but was in an apartment block aimed at low-income households, known as an HLM, which housed about 800 people in 110 flats.

The fires have raised questions over the safety and the treatment of immigrants, and President Jacques Chirac has demanded action to prevent any similar tragedies.

[lawyerlee]

United Files Reorganization Plan (http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/09/07/national/printable823630.shtml)
CBS News
CHICAGO, Sept. 7, 2005

United Airlines' parent company filed its long-delayed reorganization plan Wednesday, declaring its intention to emerge from federal bankruptcy next February as a "much more competitive" firm than the one that entered Chapter 11 protection in December 2002.

The huge filing, made in U.S. Bankruptcy Court, lays out UAL Corp.'s intentions for United and the 26 other, smaller subsidiaries involved in the restructuring as well as its proposals for repaying creditors.

Glenn Tilton, United's chairman, CEO and president, told employees in a recorded message that the target date for exiting bankruptcy is now Feb. 1.

The airline first faces months of likely heated debate over the plan, however, from creditors and investors who want bigger payouts than the mostly stock distribution envisioned by the company.

"People who assume that this is a done deal are making a mistake," said bankruptcy expert Bill Brandt, president and CEO of Chicago-based restructuring firm Development Specialists Inc. "It's a starting point, a structure. ... In many ways, for many of the parties in this case, it's 'Game on."'

The bankruptcy overhaul, initially expected to last 18 months, is now ensured to take more than three years — complicated by higher fuel prices, the difficulties in obtaining two rounds of labor cuts and the failure to secure federal loan guarantees.

But the No. 2 U.S. carrier is hopeful that its return to the black — excluding hefty restructuring costs — and positive cash flow this summer signals a turnaround is finally under way.

[lawyerlee]

Man Claims Child Rapist Murders (http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/09/06/national/printable820169.shtml)
CBS News
BELLINGHAM, Wash., Sept. 6, 2005

A man turned himself in to authorities in the killing of two convicted child rapists, saying he picked the victims from a sheriff's Web site, police said.

Michael Anthony Mullen, 36, called police Monday to claim responsibility for the killings, and officers who talked to him said he gave information that only the killer would know, according to a police news release. He was jailed for investigation of two counts of first-degree murder.

Hank Eisses, 49, and Victor Vasquez, 68, were found shot to death at their apartment Aug. 27. They were both classified as the type of sex offenders considered most likely to reoffend. Sex offenders in Washington are required to register with local authorities, and the information is posted on the Web.

Mullen told authorities he targeted at least one of the two men after checking the county sheriff's Web site July 13, according to the police statement.

The bodies were found by a roommate, also a sex offender. He said a man wearing a blue jumpsuit and a cap that said FBI came to their home, told them he was an FBI agent and said one of them was on a "hit list" on an Internet site, police said.

The roommate said he left while the "FBI" visitor was still there and found the bodies when he returned about four hours later.

Days after the killings, The Bellingham Herald received an unsigned letter claiming responsibility for the killings. Police notified convicted Level 3 sex offenders in the area as a precaution, but said the letter was vague and could have been a hoax.

Vasquez was convicted in 1991 of molesting several relatives who suffered regular abuse, sexual and otherwise, according to court documents. He was released from prison about two years and remained under Department of Corrections supervision.

Eisses was sentenced to 5½ years in prison in 1997 for raping a 13-year-old boy at his home in Sumas. He was released from supervision about two years ago, said Kit Bail, Corrections Department field supervisor for Whatcom County.

[lawyerlee]

No shuttle flights for a year? (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9241242/)
NASA memo warns impact of Katrina, tank problems could be long lasting
MSNBC

EXCLUSIVE
By James Oberg
NBC News space analyst
Special to MSNBC
Updated: 3:11 p.m. ET Sept. 7, 2005

HOUSTON - As NASA continues to assess the impact of Hurricane Katrina on the future of the shuttle program, at least one official is warning it could take up to a year before the next flight takes off.

The space agency grounded future shuttle flights after a fuel tank insulation problem was found during Discovery's mission a month ago. The pre-Katrina hope was for a new shuttle flight in March 2006, but after NASA’s Michoud facility in New Orleans was hit during the hurricane, analysts expected that mission to slip into May. That now may turn out to be overly optimistic — and not just because of the hurricane damage.

MSNBC.com has obtained an “extremely preliminary” planning document written by Wayne Hale, NASA’s deputy program manager for the space shuttle program, in which he concludes: “Launch dates before the fall of 2006 may not be credible."

Sources point out that this is NOT a proposed schedule, much less an official "schedule slip" — at least so far. A lot of "worst case" planning is going on, to identify bottlenecks. Once that’s been done, reallocation of resources and allocation of high levels of cleverness can do much to streamline the process, they said.

[lawyerlee]

Apple Launches New ITunes Phone (http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/wireStory?id=1105097)
Apple Introduces Music-Playing Phone Capable of Storing About 100 Songs and Podcasts
ABC News

By GREG SANDOVAL
The Associated Press

http://a.abcnews.com/images/Business/CAPS10109071843.jpeg

Sep. 7, 2005 - Apple Computer Inc. CEO Steve Jobs introduced a music-playing phone Wednesday that is capable of storing about 100 songs, as well as a pencil-thin version of the iPod, the company's ubiquitous digital music device.

The iPhone, made by Motorola Inc. and loaded with iTunes software, can store podcasts as well as music. Users can transfer songs to the device from their PC or Macintosh computers and make calls through Cingular Wireless.

"It's an iPod shuffle right on your phone," said Jobs, Apple's chief executive officer, who noted that both the iPhone and iPod shuffle both randomly sort music, hold about the same number of songs and have display screens.

Jobs also introduced the pencil-thin iPod Nano, which will replace the iPod Mini. It is one-third the size of the Mini and holds 1,000 songs.

"It's impossibly small," Jobs said at the Moscone Convention Center. "It's thinner than a No. 2 pencil."

The Nano can store music, games, photos and a calendar. It also has a "screen lock" feature that allows no one except the user to access content.

A 4-gigabyte Nano will retail for $249, and a 2-gigabyte model will sell for $199. Both versions will be available in stores this weekend, Jobs said.

Music-playing cell phones could emerge as a competitor to the iPod, some analysts predict. By branching into phones, Apple would hope to secure its place as the kingpin of digital music regardless of what device is used to listen.

Shares of Apple rose 21 cents to $49.01 in afternoon trading on the Nasdaq Stock Market.

[lawyerlee]

Case of Texas Girl With Cancer Gets Review (http://abcnews.go.com/Health/print?id=1103115)
Review Ordered in Case of Cancer-Stricken Texas Girl Whose Parents Opposed Treatment
ABC News

By LYNN BREZOSKY
The Associated Press

Sep. 7, 2005 - Two independent doctors who specialize in Hodgkin's disease will review the medical records of a 13-year-old girl at the center of a battle over her cancer treatment.

Juvenile Court Judge Carl Lewis agreed to the review Tuesday in a hearing on the custody of Katie Wernecke, who has been in the care of state Child Protective Services since June.

Under the agreement, if the doctors say high-dose chemotherapy followed by radiation is needed, the family will withdraw their objections.

The hearing was continued until Friday to allow the doctors time to review the medical records obtained by the family. The specialists agreed to offer opinions on the course of treatment by then.

Attorney Thomas Stuckey, representing CPS, told Lewis earlier that Katie had been refusing medical care by pulling out catheters and refusing to follow medical directions.

"This is very serious," Stuckey said. "If she does not have this treatment she will die."

Linda Rhodes-Schauer, an attorney representing Katie, said the teen wanted to stop treatment and be returned to her family. Rhodes-Schauer said Katie's father had told her that one in 10 patients does not survive high-dose chemotherapy.

"I'm here telling you, judge, she wants to go home," Rhodes-Schauer said.

Lewis ordered Katie into state custody in June after doctors and social workers said the Werneckes were endangering their daughter's life by refusing radiation treatment for Hodgkin's disease, a cancer of the lymphatic system.

The Werneckes believed chemotherapy had killed the tumor in her chest and they felt radiation treatment would do more harm than good. But at a hearing in June, doctors presented medical scans showing that the cancer had returned.

Lewis ruled then that Katie would remain in CPS custody as she underwent further cancer treatment.

Stuckey blamed Katie's defiance on her father, Ed Wernecke, and asked Lewis on Tuesday to cut off all communication between the girl and her family. Lewis said he was not inclined to do so.

Lewis talked to the girl by phone Tuesday from his chambers.

"She expressed that she just wanted everything explained to her," he said. "She's a little afraid and that's a lot to handle."

[lawyerlee]

Fraud claims mar Egyptian presidential poll (http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,3604,1564503,00.html)
The Guardian UK

Staff and agencies
Wednesday September 7, 2005

Egyptians are voting today in the country's first contested presidential election amid claims of electoral fraud and with the long-time incumbent, Hosni Mubarak, appearing almost certain to win.

The government has billed the election as a major democratic reform and a step away from years of authoritarian rule, but some critics have denounced it as a sham.

There were reports of fraud from voters in Luxor, in the south. They said electoral workers were telling them to vote for Mr Mubarak, who has been president for 24 years.

And in Alexandria, in the north, some voters told reporters they had been offered food if they would help secure a fifth six-year term for the 77-year-old.

This afternoon there were also tensions in the capital, Cairo, as more than 3,000 opposition supporters marched through the centre. The protest, unprecedented in scale, was organised by the opposition group Kifaya, whose name means "enough" in Arabic.

The police, who often quell protests, sometimes violently, watched from a distance despite government warnings that demonstrations would not be allowed.

[lawyerlee]

Senate OKs Restrictions on Cold Medicines (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20050909/ap_on_he_me/meth_cold_medicine&printer=1;_ylt=AphVQ1IuoP2rrM1KupRzssBa24cA;_ylu=X 3oDMTA3MXN1bHE0BHNlYwN0bWE-)
AP

Sales of over-the-counter cold remedies used to make methamphetamine would be restricted under a measure approved by the Senate on Friday.

The bill would require stores to sell Sudafed, Nyquil and other medicines only from behind the pharmacy counter.

Those medicines contain the ingredient pseudoephedrine, which can be extracted to manufacture the highly addictive drug that has wreaked havoc in communities across the country.

"It will very substantially reduce the number of local labs that are out there because it throttles the ability of the cooks to get the pseudoephedrine that they need to make the methamphetamine," said Sen. Jim Talent (news, bio, voting record), R-Mo., who co-sponsored the bill with Sen. Dianne Feinstein (news, bio, voting record), D-Calif.

Consumers would have to show a photo ID, sign a log, and be limited to 7.5 grams — or about 250 30-milligram pills — in a 30-day period. Computer tracking would prevent customers from exceeding the limit at other stores, according to the bipartisan bill.

[lawyerlee]

Mubarak Wins Egypt Presidential Election (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20050909/ap_on_re_mi_ea/egypt_elections&printer=1;_ylt=AvODueoMRGGgxJpkZAR_ClAUewgF;_ylu=X 3oDMTA3MXN1bHE0BHNlYwN0bWE-)
AP

By NADIA ABOU EL-MAGD, Associated Press Writer

Incumbent Hosni Mubarak was officially declared the winner of Egypt's first contested presidential elections on Friday — but the vote was marred by allegations of fraud and a lower than expected turnout of 23 percent.

The low participation reflected widespread skepticism among Egyptians over the government's claims that the election opens the door to greater democratic reform — and apathy over a vote that Mubarak was certain to win.

Before Wednesday's election, officials in Mubarak's ruling party said they hoped at least 30 percent of the 32 million registered voters would cast ballots.

The 77-year-old Mubarak, who has ruled Egypt for 24 years, won a new six-year term with 88.571 percent of the vote, the head of the elections commission, Mahmoud Marie, told reporters.

[LittleFredPunkinHead]

I feel for the overworked officers in New Orleans, but this just doesn't look good at all.

New Orleans officers plead not guilty
Justice Department opens civil rights probe after taped beating (http://www.cnn.com/2005/LAW/10/10/taped.beatings/index.html) CNN
Three New Orleans police officers Monday pleaded not guilty to charges of battery in the videotaped beating of a 64-year-old man, as federal officials opened a civil rights investigation into the incident.

Portions of the arrest were captured on videotape by two news organizations. CNN footage showed the man, Robert Davis, lying on a sidewalk with his head and shirt soaked in blood.

Davis, a retired teacher, was treated and released after the incident. He is scheduled to appear in court Tuesday on an array of charges, including public intoxication, battery on a police officer and resisting arrest.
More at link.

ETA: An even newer story from CNN:
Beating victim: No anger toward police (http://www.cnn.com/2005/LAW/10/11/taped.beatings/index.html)
"I hold no animosity against anyone. I want to thank the new police chief for his quick action. I really do," 64-year-old Robert Davis said Tuesday.

Three officers have been suspended and local and federal authorities have launched investigations into the October 8 incident.

Joseph Bruno, the attorney for Davis, said his client does not believe the assault was racially motivated.

"I know there is a big temptation to go there, but my client firmly believes that is not what is involved here," Bruno said in an interview.

Instead, Bruno said, Davis believes he was assaulted by "a couple of rotten apples that need to be dealt with."

Davis is scheduled to appear in court this week as federal authorities investigate whether his civil rights were violated.
More at this link too.

[LittleFredPunkinHead]

Hidden Angle:
What is John Bolton up to at the United Nations? (http://www.cjrdaily.org/archives/001903.asp) Columbua Journalism Review Daily
If you're a reader of the New York Times, you'll have to get out your magnifying glass today to find out. A small box containing a 150-word Reuters report tells us the latest doings of the controversial new U.S. ambassador to the international body: "John Bolton ... blocked a United Nations envoy on Monday from briefing the Security Council on rights violations in the Darfur region of the Sudan, saying the council had to act against atrocities not just talk about them."

A Washington Post article goes into a bit more detail about the dust-up. Bolton didn't want to hear the first-hand report from Juan Mendez, special adviser to Kofi Annan, explaining that the situation had gotten much worse in Darfur, with government forces now attacking refugee camps. "I found the situation much more dangerous and worrisome than I expected it to be," Mendez later told reporters.

In order to block the briefing from taking place, Bolton joined forces with some unlikely bedfellows: Russia, China and Algeria. These are Sudan's closest allies on the Council who, according to an Agence France-Presse, have "blocked all council attempts to impose effective sanctions either against the Khartoum government or against the Khartoum-backed proxy Arab militia Janjaweed." Bolton then followed this up with his characteristically diplomatic language: "We should talk about next steps, not about how to arrange the furniture in the Security Council," he said. He also told Agence France-Presse: "I think we have to consider whether the sanctions that are in place are working or whether there are other steps that the council should take, steps I should say, other than talking."

Great. Did Bolton offer any specifics for how to handle the crisis in Darfur more effectively? Nope.
More at link.

[msnicolea]

BERLIN (Reuters) - Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, who has led Germany since 1998, said for the first time on Wednesday he would not play a role in the next government, in an emotional farewell including broadsides at the United States and Britain.


"I will not be a part of the next government -- definitely not be part of it," a tearful looking Schroeder told a rapt audience of union members in his home city of Hanover.

He quickly composed himself, hitting his stride in a passionate defense of a strong German state and lashing out at "Anglo-Saxon" economic policies favoured in Britain and the United States, which he said had "no chance" in Europe.

In an apparent reference to Hurricane Katrina, Schroeder castigated Washington for liberal, hands-off policies that left it exposed in times of crisis. The Bush administration was widely criticised for its response to the devastating storm.

"I do not want to name any catastrophes where you can see what happens if organised state action is absent. I could name countries, but the position I still hold forbids it, but everyone knows I mean America," he said to loud applause.

Schroeder was speaking two days after his Social Democrats (SPD) said he was ready to step down to allow conservative leader Angela Merkel to front a power-sharing government of their two parties.

Her conservatives narrowly beat Schroeder's SPD in a September 18 general election, but failed to win enough seats to build a majority with their preferred coalition partners.

Schroeder, who has been urged by some members of his party to stay on as vice-chancellor in a new government, hinted on Tuesday evening he would not stay on but had not ruled it out publicly before.

CLASHES OVER IRAQ

Schroeder clashed with Britain and Washington in the run-up to the 2003 Iraq invasion and has been at odds with British Prime Minister Tony Blair over the direction of European economic policy.

Blair has urged European Union countries to cut back state influence on the economy, running into fierce opposition from both Schroeder and his ally, French President Jacques Chirac.

Schroeder stressed the importance of the Franco-German link in his speech, saying it was crucial for the defense of Europe's social model.

Merkel, who advocated far-reaching reforms of the German labor market and tax system during the election campaign, has vowed to take a more even-handed approach with France and is seen to be closer to Blair.

But as she will rule in a coalition with Schroeder's party, her plans are expected to be watered down.

The SPD has won many of the important cabinet positions in the next government, including the foreign and finance ministries. The party plans to decide who will fill those posts on Thursday, SPD sources told Reuters.

Peer Steinbrueck, former state premier of North Rhine-Westphalia, is a "clear favorite" to take the key role of Finance Minister, sources said.

The SPD and the conservatives are due to start formal coalition talks from next Monday. Schroeder will participate in those negotiations, which are due to conclude by November 12.

His withdrawal, while not unexpected, is nevertheless a blow to the SPD, which is likely to struggle to fill the void their most charismatic figure leaves behind him.

Schroeder has not given any signs of what he could do next, although companies could be keen to make use of his connections and deal-making skills, which he used as chancellor to secure lucrative deals for German industry.

(Additional reporting by Iain Rogers)

[LittleFredPunkinHead]

Al Qaeda in Iraq says Zawahri letter is fake (http://today.reuters.com/news/NewsArticle.aspx?type=worldNews&storyID=uri:2005-10-13T175537Z_01_WRI354641_RTRUKOC_0_US-IRAQ-QAEDA-LETTER.xml&pageNumber=0&summit=) Reuters
Al Qaeda's wing in Iraq on Thursday rejected as a fabrication a letter by a top group leader that was issued by U.S. officials and suggested deep internal rifts among militants.

According to the letter, released this week by U.S. intelligence officials, al Qaeda's second in command Ayman al-Zawahri urged the group's leader in Iraq to prepare for an Islamic government to take over when U.S. forces leave.

The letter warns Zarqawi the killing of Shi'ite civilians and hostages risked alienating Sunnis at a time when al Qaeda in Iraq should be seeking support for a religious state.

But Al Qaeda's wing in Iraq said the letter's release showed the "bankruptcy plaguing the infidels' camp".
In Washington, U.S. officials and experts were split on the letter's authenticity.

Ken Katzman, a terrorism expert with the Congressional Research Service -- the in-house think-tank of the U.S. Congress -- said the letter contained elements that raised doubts about its authenticity.

"The purported letter has Zawahri admitting to certain things that it's not realistic for him to admit, because he would know there's a potential this letter might be intercepted," Katzman said.

He said they included a request for money from Zarqawi, an admission that Pakistan's army is hunting for al Qaeda and how the arrest of a top operative affected the network.

A U.S. security official said: "There's every reason to believe it's legitimate. We have high confidence that it's legitimate."
More at link.

Yeah, I'm sure it's just as legitimate as all the proof we had about WMDs in Iraq. :rolleyes:

[LittleFredPunkinHead]

Administration's Tone Signals a Longer, Broader Iraq Conflict (http://www.nytimes.com/2005/10/17/politics/17prexy.html?ei=5094&en=b68ba31afe306f2e&hp=&ex=1129608000&adxnnl=1&partner=homepage&pagewanted=print&adxnnlx=1129651523-AQIBHnZhmNuj/Q9szMnY4Q) NYTimes
That internal struggle was evident this weekend, as Mr. Bush returned to Washington sounding less celebratory about Iraq's constitutional referendum - whose outcome is suspected but still unknown - than he did after Iraq's elections last January. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, speaking from London on "Fox News Sunday," was somewhat more definitive: "The Sunnis are joining the base of this broad political process," she said. "That will ultimately undo this insurgency. But of course, they can still pull off violent and spectacular attacks."

Mr. Bush's own way of talking about the future, in Iraq and beyond, has undergone a subtle but significant change in recent weeks. In several speeches, he has begun warning that the insurgency is already metastasizing into a far broader struggle to "establish a radical Islamic empire that spans from Spain to Indonesia." While he still predicts victory, he appears to be preparing the country for a struggle of cold war proportions.

[LittleFredPunkinHead]

When a bonus isn’t a bonus, Murray fires (http://www.thenewstribune.com/news/local/story/5258954p-4774126c.html) News Tribune
The Pentagon has reneged on its offer to pay a $15,000 bonus to members of the National Guard and Army Reserve who agree to extend their enlistments by six years, according to Sen. Patty Murray (D-Seattle).
The bonuses were offered in January to Active Guard and Reserve and military technician soldiers who were serving overseas. In April, the Office of the Secretary of Defense for Reserve Affairs ordered the bonuses stopped, Murray said.

“This is outrageous,” the senator said in a telephone interview. “It makes me angry that this administration has broken another promise to our troops.”

A Pentagon spokeswoman, Lt. Col. Ellen Krenke, confirmed the bonuses had been canceled, saying they violated Pentagon policies because they duplicated other programs. She said Guard and Reserve members would be eligible for other bonuses.

Krenke said some soldiers had been paid the re-enlistment bonuses, but she was unsure how many or whether the money would have to be repaid. Murray’s office said that as far as it knew, no active Guard or Reserve members had received the bonuses.
Ni-ice... :rolleyes:

[LittleFredPunkinHead]

Things Left Undone (http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/prem/200511/richard-clarke-on-fema) The Atlantic
magine if, in advance of Hurricane Katrina, thousands of trucks had been waiting with water and ice and medicine and other supplies. Imagine if 4,000 National Guardsmen and an equal number of emergency aid workers from around the country had been moved into place, and five million meals had been ready to serve. Imagine if scores of mobile satellite-communications stations had been prepared to move in instantly, ensuring that rescuers could talk to one another. Imagine if all this had been managed by a federal-and-state task force that not only directed the government response but also helped coordinate the Red Cross, the Salvation Army, and other outside groups.

Actually, this requires no imagination: it is exactly what the Bush administration did a year ago when Florida braced for Hurricane Frances. Of course the circumstances then were very special: it was two months before the presidential election, and Florida's twenty-seven electoral votes were hanging in the balance. It is hardly surprising that Washington ensured the success of "the largest response to a natural disaster we've ever had in this country." The president himself passed out water bottles to Floridians driven from their homes.
(You do need a subscription to see the rest.)

[LittleFredPunkinHead]

Letters Show Frist Notified Of Stocks in 'Blind' Trusts
Documents Contradict Comments on Holdings (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/10/23/AR2005102301201.html) Washington Post
Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.) was given considerable information about his stake in his family's hospital company, according to records that are at odds with his past statements that he did not know what was in his stock holdings.

Managers of the trusts that Frist once described as "totally blind," regularly informed him when they added new shares of HCA Inc. or other assets to his holdings, according to the documents.

[LittleFredPunkinHead]

White House to Onion: Stop using seal (http://www.cnn.com/2005/POLITICS/10/26/odd.onion.reut/index.html) CNN
The White House is not amused by The Onion, a newspaper that often spoofs the Bush administration, and has asked it to stop using the presidential seal on its Web site.
Hm. Looks like someone needs to re-read the Constitution.

[LittleFredPunkinHead]

Via http://atrios.blogspot.com
apparently, The Onion's response. (http://www.theonion.com/content/node/42136)
Maybe not work safe. snicker! :eek: :D

[Delta]

U.S. Economy: Third-Quarter Growth Rose at 3.8% Rate (http://quote.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=10000006&sid=alCwrh3fz_.4&refer=home)

The Commerce Department's first estimate of gross domestic product for the quarter, released today in Washington, exceeded the median forecast and compares with a 3.3 percent pace from April through June. A measure of inflation watched by the Federal Reserve rose at the slowest pace since the second quarter of 2003.

[LittleFredPunkinHead]

US ‘had no policy’ in place to rebuild Iraq (http://news.ft.com/cms/s/1005fd16-4984-11da-8686-0000779e2340.html) Financial Times
The US government had “no comprehensive policy or regulatory guidelines” in place for staffing the management of postwar Iraq, according to the top government watchdog overseeing the country’s reconstruction.

The lack of planning had plagued reconstruction since the US-led invasion, and been exacerbated by a “general lack of co-ordination” between US government agencies charged with the rebuilding of Iraq, said Stuart Bowen, the special inspector-general for Iraq reconstruction, in a report released on Sunday.

His 110-page quarterly report, delivered to Congress at the weekend, has underscored how a “reconstruction gap” is emerging that threatens to leave many projects planned by the US on the drawing board.
More at link.

[LittleFredPunkinHead]

GOP Angered by Closed Senate Session
Meeting Reopened After Two Hours (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/11/01/AR2005110101037.html) Washington Post
Democrats forced the Senate into a rare closed-door session yesterday, infuriating Republicans but extracting from them a promise to speed up an inquiry into the Bush administration's handling of intelligence about Iraq's weapons in the run-up to the war.

With no warning in the mid-afternoon, the Senate's top Democrat invoked the little-used Rule 21, which forced aides to turn off the chamber's cameras and close its massive doors after evicting all visitors, reporters and most staffers. Plans to bring in electronic-bug-sniffing dogs were dropped when it became clear that senators would trade barbs but discuss no classified information.

Republicans condemned the Democrats' maneuver, which marked the first time in more than 25 years that one party had insisted on a closed session without consulting the other party. But within two hours, Republicans appointed a bipartisan panel to report on the progress of a Senate intelligence committee report on prewar intelligence, which Democrats say has been delayed for nearly a year.
More at link.

[LittleFredPunkinHead]

Pentagon: Top al-Qaida operative escaped (http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/1152AP_Al_Qaida_Escape.html) Post-Intelligencer
A man once considered a top al-Qaida operative escaped from a U.S.-run detention facility in Afghanistan and cannot testify against the soldier who allegedly mistreated him, a defense lawyer involved in a prison abuse case said Tuesday.

Omar al-Farouq was one of Osama bin Laden's top lieutenants in Southeast Asia until Indonesian authorities captured him in the summer of 2002 and turned him over to the United States.

A Pentagon official in Washington confirmed Tuesday evening that al-Farouq escaped from a U.S. detention facility in Bagram, Afghanistan, on July 10. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the information.

An Army lawyer for Sgt. Alan J. Driver, a reservist accused of abusing Bagram detainees, asked Tuesday where al-Farouq was and what the Army had done to find him in time for Driver's court proceedings.

Capt. John B. Parker, a prosecutor, said al-Farouq and three others escaped from the Bagram detention center and have not been found.
Um, what?!

[LittleFredPunkinHead]

When Cleaner Air Is a Biblical Obligation (http://www.nytimes.com/2005/11/07/politics/07air.html?th=&emc=th&pagewanted=print) NY Times
In their long and frustrated efforts pushing Congress to pass legislation on global warming, environmentalists are gaining a new ally.

With increasing vigor, evangelical groups that are part of the base of conservative support for leading Republicans are campaigning for laws that would reduce carbon dioxide emissions, which scientists have linked with global warming.

In the latest effort, the National Association of Evangelicals, a nonprofit organization that includes 45,000 churches serving 30 million people across the country, is circulating among its leaders the draft of a policy statement that would encourage lawmakers to pass legislation creating mandatory controls for carbon emissions.

Environmentalists rely on empirical evidence as their rationale for Congressional action, and many evangelicals further believe that protecting the planet from human activities that cause global warming is a values issue that fulfills Biblical teachings asking humans to be good stewards of the earth.

"Genesis 2:15," said Richard Cizik, the association's vice president for governmental affairs, citing a passage that serves as the justification for the effort: "The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it."
More at link.

[LittleFredPunkinHead]

US forces 'used chemical weapons' during assault on city of Fallujah (http://news.independent.co.uk/world/middle_east/article325560.ece) The Independent
Powerful new evidence emerged yesterday that the United States dropped massive quantities of white phosphorus on the Iraqi city of Fallujah during the attack on the city in November 2004, killing insurgents and civilians with the appalling burns that are the signature of this weapon.

Ever since the assault, which went unreported by any Western journalists, rumours have swirled that the Americans used chemical weapons on the city.
Oh man... Please tell me this is not true.

[msnicolea]

By TODD PITMAN, Associated Press Writer

MONROVIA, Liberia - A former finance minister and Harvard graduate claimed victory Thursday in Liberia's presidential election, a win that, if certified, would make her the first elected female leader ever in Africa.


With just over 90 percent of the ballots counted, Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf had 59 percent of the vote and former international soccer star George Weah nearly 41 percent, the National Elections Commission said.

"It's clear that the Liberian people have expressed confidence in me," Johnson-Sirleaf told The Associated Press. "They have elected me to lead the team that will bring reform to the country and that will deliver development."

She added that she would lead "a government of inclusion" and said she would offer Weah a post in government — perhaps the Ministry of Youth and Sports.

"We hope that Mr. Weah will get over his disappointment that has led to his rejecting the results, and that ultimately he'll accept it and we'll find a way forward together," she said.

Weah's camp gave no immediate word on whether he was conceding defeat in the vote — Liberia's first since the end of a 1989-2003 civil war and subsequent formation of a transitional government.

Earlier, officials called for calm amid Weah's accusations that poll workers stuffed ballot boxes in Johnson-Sirleaf's favor, charges her campaign denied.

On Thursday, Weah met with Alan Doss, who heads the 15,000-strong U.N. peacekeeping mission in Liberia, and said he would press his formal complaint with the Elections Commission.

"We are seeking the advice of the international community and all the people that are involved to see if everybody can arrest this situation," Weah said. "While we are preparing ourselves for the legal side, we are also asking our people to be very calm."

Weah's supporters include many former warlords, rebel leaders and young men who fought in Liberia's 14-year civil war that killed up to 200,000 people and plunged the country's 3 million residents into abject poverty.

While international observers who monitored the poll said preliminary findings indicated it was fair, Doss said the fraud allegations were being taken seriously.

"Any allegation of any fraud is serious and we don't want allegations of fraud to mar the election," he said.

Johnson-Sirleaf's campaign vigorously denied the charges.

"It's all lies," said Jemima Caulcrick, a top official of Johnson-Sirleaf's Unity Party. "They just don't want a woman to be president in Africa. But she shall be."

Max van den Berg, head of a 50-member European Union observer mission, said the vote was "well-administered in a peaceful, transparent and orderly manner."

David Carroll, leading a 28-person team from the Atlanta-based Carter Center, said that while "minor irregularities" had been noted, "none of our observers saw any serious problems."

Observers from the Economic Community of West African States, which played a key role brokering peace in Liberia, also deemed the vote fair.

Across the country's bombed-out capital, large groups of excited Liberians stood on crumbling street corners, listening to results as they were announced on radio. Some argued with each other, shaking fingers and shouting.

The winner will have to govern a country left in ruins by war, its buildings smashed and nearly one-third of its people in relief camps.

Johnson-Sirleaf, 67, has a master's degree in public administration from Harvard University and has held top regional jobs at the World Bank, the United Nations and within the Liberian government. Her supporters call her the "Iron Lady," borrowing the nickname of former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher.

In elections in 1997, Johnson-Sirleaf ran second to warlord-turned-president Charles Taylor, who many claimed was voted into power by a fearful electorate. Taylor was forced from power two years ago and lives in exile in Nigeria.

Weah's ascent from Monrovia's slums to international soccer stardom had earned him much support in a dirt-poor country short on heroes. The 39-year-old is a high school dropout with no experience in government, but that is seen as a plus by many in a country long-ruled by coup leaders and warlords.

Founded by freed American slaves in the mid-1800s, Liberia was once among Africa's most prosperous countries, rich in diamonds, ancient forests and rubber. Years of war ended in 2003 when Taylor was forced to step down as advancing rebels shelled the capital.

Elected women in high office are rare across Africa. Earlier this year, women were appointed deputy president of South Africa and prime minister of Mozambique. Liberia briefly had an unelected woman president, Ruth Perry, in the mid-1990s.

[dionysia]

Yet another 'less than 1st world' country to elect a woman president before we do.

*sigh*

Di

[msnicolea]

Apparently, Liberia = Ready, USA = notsomuch

[LittleFredPunkinHead]

House Budget Measure Is Pulled
Moderates Buck GOP Leadership In Both Chambers (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/11/10/AR2005111001333.html) Washington Post
House Republican leaders were forced to abruptly pull their $54 billion budget-cutting bill off the House floor yesterday, amid growing dissension in Republican ranks over spending priorities, taxes, oil exploration and the reach of government.

A battle between House Republican conservatives and moderates over energy policy and federal anti-poverty and education programs left GOP leaders without enough votes to pass a budget measure they had framed as one of the most important pieces of legislation in years. Across the Capitol, a moderate GOP revolt in the Senate Finance Committee forced Republicans to postpone action on a bill to extend some of President Bush's most contentious tax cuts.
Hoo-ray! They had been talking about this like it was a done deal.

[wine_o_girlie]

Yay for some moderate Repulicans, like Voinivich, getting a freaking backbone and standing up this crap. Yeah, let's extend tax benefits on dividends (which will primarily benefit wealthier constituents) while cutting social programs and actually raise our deficit even higher while doing so. Makes a ton of sense. :rolleyes:

[LittleFredPunkinHead]

Some things about Ohio bug me, but I do like Voinovich. He does me proud pretty often.

[LittleFredPunkinHead]

CIA allegedly hid evidence of detainee torture - report (http://www.forbes.com/home/feeds/afx/2005/11/13/afx2333394.html) Forbes
CIA interrogators apparently tried to cover up the death of an Iraqi 'ghost detainee' who died while being interrogated at Abu Ghraib prison, Time magazine reported today, after obtaining hundreds of pages of documents, including an autopsy report, about the case.

The death of secret detainee Manadel al-Jamadi was ruled a homicide in a Defense Department autopsy, Time reported, adding that documents it recently obtained included photographs of his battered body, which had been kept on ice to keep it from decomposing, apparently to conceal the circumstances of his death.

The details about his death emerge as US officials continue to debate congressional legislation to ban torture of foreign detainees by US troops overseas, and efforts by the George W. Bush administration to obtain an exemption for the CIA from any future torture ban.

[LittleFredPunkinHead]

A 'fiscal hurricane' on the horizon (http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2005-11-14-fiscal-hurricane-cover_x.htm) USA Today
The comptroller general of the United States is explaining over eggs how the nation's finances are going to hell.
"We face a demographic tsunami" that "will never recede," David Walker tells a group of reporters. He runs through a long list of fiscal challenges, led by the imminent retirement of the baby boomers, whose promised Medicare and Social Security benefits will swamp the federal budget in coming decades.

The breakfast conversation remains somber for most of an hour. Then one reporter smiles and asks, "Aren't you depressed in the morning?"

Sadly, it's no laughing matter. To hear Walker, the nation's top auditor, tell it, the United States can be likened to Rome before the fall of the empire. Its financial condition is "worse than advertised," he says. It has a "broken business model." It faces deficits in its budget, its balance of payments, its savings — and its leadership.

[LittleFredPunkinHead]

Among Insurgents in Iraq, Few Foreigners Are Found (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/11/16/AR2005111602519_pf.html) Washington Post
Before 8,500 U.S. and Iraqi soldiers methodically swept through Tall Afar two months ago in the year's largest counterinsurgency offensive, commanders described the northern city as a logistics hub for fighters, including foreigners entering the country from Syria, 65 miles to the west.

"They come across the border and use Tall Afar as a base to launch attacks across northern Iraq," Col. H.R. McMaster, commander of the Army's 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment, which led the assault, said in a briefing the day before it began.

When the air and ground operation wound down in mid-September, nearly 200 insurgents had been killed and close to 1,000 detained, the military said at the time. But interrogations and other analyses carried out in recent weeks showed that none of those captured was from outside Iraq. According to McMaster's staff, the 3rd Armored Cavalry last detained a foreign fighter in June.
"Both Iraqis and coalition people often exaggerate the role of foreign infiltrators and downplay the role of Iraqi resentment in the insurgency," said Anthony H. Cordesman, a former Pentagon official now at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, who is writing a book about the Iraqi insurgency.

"It makes the government's counterinsurgency efforts seem more legitimate, and it links what's going on in Iraq to the war on terrorism," he continued. "When people go out into battle, they often characterize enemies in the most negative way possible. Obviously there are all kinds of interacting political prejudices they can bring out by blaming outsiders."

[LittleFredPunkinHead]

Propaganda nightmare of chemical hypocrisy (http://www.timesonline.co.uk/printFriendly/0,,1-6047-1875730-6047,00.html) London Times
HOW damaged is the US by the row over its use of white phosphorus in Fallujah last year? On the facts available now, it is within the letter of the law, even though it has not signed the most relevant protocol on the use of the weapon.

But that assertion depends on the US claim that there were few civilians left in Fallujah by the time the assault began last November. There is strong evidence to support the US position. But conflicting reports, inevitable in the circumstances, leave room for debate, and even more for rumour.

Even if the US is right on the legality, there is no question that it has inflicted a serious propaganda blow on itself. No matter the technical explanations of how useful the chemical is in flushing out insurgents from cellars. In using a weapon notorious in Vietnam, with effects on the human body straight from a science fiction film, it has given a gift to its enemies. It is now loudly accused of hypocrisy: justifying the war partly by Saddam Hussein’s use of chemical weapons, but then using particularly nasty ones itself.

[msnicolea]

JERUSALEM - In a bold gamble, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon asked
Israel's president Monday to dissolve parliament, pushing for a quick March election just hours after deciding to leave his hard-line Likud Party and to form a new centrist party.

Sharon's decision to leave Likud sent shock waves through Israel, redrawing the political map, finalizing his transformation from hard-liner to moderate and boosting prospects of progress in peacemaking with the Palestinians.

His confidants say Sharon felt Likud hard-liners, who tried to block this summer's Gaza pullout, were imposing too many constraints and would prevent future peace moves. Palestinian officials expressed hope the political upheaval in Israel would bring them closer to a final peace deal.

Asked Monday whether he was comfortable with the decision, Sharon said: "Yes, certainly." Speaking at the start of a meeting with the prime minister of Trinidad and Tobago, Sharon declined to answer further questions.

The dramatic events began with Sharon's decision late Sunday, after a weekend of agonizing, to leave the party he helped found in 1973.

At midday Monday, Sharon met at his office with 10 breakaway Likud legislators, expected to form the core of the new party, reportedly to be called "National Responsibility."

Sharon told the legislators the party would adhere to the U.S.-backed "road map" peace plan, which asks Israel and the Palestinians to negotiate the borders of a future Palestinian state. Sharon said he did not envision unilateral troop pullbacks in the
West Bank, said Ido Hartuv, an aide to Likud legislator Avraham Hirschson who participated in the meeting.

At the same time, more than 20 Likud lawmakers held their weekly meeting in parliament. The faction chief, Gideon Saar, announced that Sharon had sent a letter announcing his resignation from the party. The oversized brown leather chair, normally reserved for Sharon at the head of the oval table, was pushed to the side.

The acting Likud chairman, Tzahi Hanegbi, said the party would elect a new leader as quickly as possible. The top contender is former Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu, a vehement opponent of the Gaza pullout.

On Monday evening, Sharon was to announce the split formally in a nationally televised news conference.

It appeared increasingly likely the election will be held in March, or eight months ahead of schedule, though there was some wrangling over how the date will be set.

Sharon asked President Moshe Katsav on Monday to dissolve parliament, a step that would move the vote to the beginning of March. Katsav has 21 days to respond, and if he approves the request, the election must be held within 90 days. Katsav has said he would make a quick decision.

Sharon and Labor Party leader Amir Peretz have said they are interested in holding the election in March, but the final date won't be set until Katsav decides whether he dissolves parliament or leaves it up to lawmakers.

If parliament decides, factions could put off the election for months. A preliminary vote on dissolving parliament was scheduled later Monday.

Sharon's decision set the stage for a turbulent campaign.

It would pit a smaller, more hawkish Likud against Sharon and Peretz, a former union boss. Sharon and Netanyahu are bitter political rivals. Peretz rejuvenated the ailing Labor Party with his appeal to Israel's working class and Sephardi Jews of Middle Eastern descent, voter groups that were once was largely out of Labor's reach.

One poll Monday indicated that an alliance of Sharon's new party with the moderate Labor and leftist parties would command a comfortable majority in the 120-member parliament.

It was seen as unlikely Sharon would seek a coalition with Likud after the election, since hard-liners in the party spent months trying to halt the Gaza pullout, and came close at times to bringing down his government.

Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat compared the events to the eruption of a volcano. "I've never seen anything of this significance," he said. "I hope that when the dust settles, we will have a partner in Israel to go to the endgame, toward the end of conflict, toward a final agreement."

The Palestinians also face political turmoil. The Islamic militant group Hamas is competing in Jan. 25 parliament elections and poses a strong challenges to Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas. Sharon has said he would not hold talks with a Palestinian government that includes Hamas members.

Sharon had initially said Israel's general election would be held in November as scheduled, but after Peretz took over control of Labor, an early vote became inevitable. Peretz insisted on pulling Labor out of Sharon's coalition, depriving the prime minister of a parliamentary majority. Late Sunday, Labor voted to bolt the government.

Katsav said Sharon told him Monday he could no longer run the government because he does not have a majority in parliament. "Of course, I think we need to dissolve the Knesset and hold elections as soon as possible," Katsav said.

Among those expected to follow Sharon out of Likud are Vice Premier Ehud Olmert and Justice Minister Tzipi Livni. Former Shin Bet chief Avi Dichter, two top academics and even ousted Labor leader Shimon Peres were mentioned as possibilities. Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz was still undecided Monday.

Those remaining in Likud said they would try to block Sharon's moves. Saar, the Likud faction chief, said he would try to form a coalition of 61 legislators who oppose early elections. Under the law, Katsav has to consult with party leaders to see if any among them can form a new coalition.

"The prime minister and his people are exerting great pressure on Likud legislators to defect from the Likud," Saar told Israel Army Radio. "I call on Likud members ... don't give your hand to bringing down the Likud and to a process whose only purpose is a very deep withdrawal from the West Bank."

Public Security Minister Gideon Ezra said the refusal of the Likud rebels to support Sharon's peace moves forced the prime minister's action.

"I think that it is not an easy day. I had hoped that this wouldn't have to happen, that we would all remain together," Ezra told Israel Radio. "I had hoped ... that the members would say we are all falling into line, but that didn't happen and Ariel Sharon decided what he decided and I am going with him."

Removed from the constraints of Likud, Sharon would be free to pursue the more moderate line he has espoused in recent years — part of a dramatic turnaround from a fervent supporter of Jewish settlements to the first Israeli leader to dismantle West Bank and Gaza communities.

Sharon's departure turns Likud into a hard-line party that opinion polls show will be the main loser in an election. "I regret Sharon's decision to leave and would have preferred that he continue his struggle within Likud," said Likud lawmaker Ehud Yatom, a leader of the rebellion against Sharon.

[LittleFredPunkinHead]

DeLay ex-aide pleads guilty in Abramoff case
Scanlon charged with conspiracy to defraud Indian tribes (http://www.cnn.com/2005/POLITICS/11/21/scanlon.plea/index.html) CNN

[LittleFredPunkinHead]

'Trophy' video exposes private security contractors shooting up Iraqi drivers (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2005/11/27/wirq27.xml&sSheet=/news/2005/11/27/ixworld.html) Telegraph
A "trophy" video appearing to show security guards in Baghdad randomly shooting Iraqi civilians has sparked two investigations after it was posted on the internet, the Sunday Telegraph can reveal.

The video has sparked concern that private security companies, which are not subject to any form of regulation either in Britain or in Iraq, could be responsible for the deaths of hundreds of innocent Iraqis.

[LittleFredPunkinHead]

As if there was nothing more important for them to work on...
'Deeply flawed'
Congress calls hearing on Bowl Championship Series (http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2005/football/ncaa/12/02/congress.bcs.ap/index.html?cnn=yes) Sports Illustrated

[lawyergirl25]

As if there was nothing more important for them to work on...
'Deeply flawed'
Congress calls hearing on Bowl Championship Series (http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2005/football/ncaa/12/02/congress.bcs.ap/index.html?cnn=yes) Sports Illustrated
You have got to be kidding me. I have issues with the BCS, but to waste Congress's time on it? That's ridiculous!

[LittleFredPunkinHead]

Qaeda-Iraq Link U.S. Cited Is Tied to Coercion Claim (http://www.nytimes.com/2005/12/09/politics/09intel.html?pagewanted=all) NY Times
The Bush administration based a crucial prewar assertion about ties between Iraq and Al Qaeda on detailed statements made by a prisoner while in Egyptian custody who later said he had fabricated them to escape harsh treatment, according to current and former government officials.

The officials said the captive, Ibn al-Shaykh al-Libi, provided his most specific and elaborate accounts about ties between Iraq and Al Qaeda only after he was secretly handed over to Egypt by the United States in January 2002, in a process known as rendition.

The new disclosure provides the first public evidence that bad intelligence on Iraq may have resulted partly from the administration's heavy reliance on third countries to carry out interrogations of Qaeda members and others detained as part of American counterterrorism efforts. The Bush administration used Mr. Libi's accounts as the basis for its prewar claims, now discredited, that ties between Iraq and Al Qaeda included training in explosives and chemical weapons.

[LittleFredPunkinHead]

This is messed up:

Airport ID checks legally enforced? (http://news.com.com/Airport+ID+checks+legally+enforced/2100-7348_3-5987820.html?tag=cd.top) CNET News
A federal appeals court wrestled Thursday with what seems to be a straightforward question: Can Americans be required to show ID on a commercial airline flight?

John Gilmore, an early employee of Sun Microsystems and co-founder of the Electronic Frontier Foundation, says the answer should be "no." The libertarian millionaire sued the Bush administration, which claims that the ID requirement is necessary for security but has refused to identify any actual regulation requiring it.

A three-judge panel of the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals seemed skeptical of the Bush administration's defense of secret laws and regulations but stopped short of suggesting that such a rule would be necessarily unconstitutional.

"How do we know there's an order?" Judge Thomas Nelson asked. "Because you said there was?"

Replied Joshua Waldman, a staff attorney for the Department of Justice: "We couldn't confirm or deny the existence of an order." Even though government regulations required his silence, Waldman said, the situation did seem a "bit peculiar."
A bit peculiar. Yeah, that's one way to describe it. More at link.

[LittleFredPunkinHead]

Scientists question possible nanotech risks (http://www.cnn.com/2005/HEALTH/12/13/nanotech.health.ap/index.html) CNN
Those stain-resistant khakis you just picked up at the mall, the tennis ball that holds its bounce longer and sunscreen that's clear instead of white have something in common -- nanotechnology.

Scientists manipulating matter at the molecular level have improved on hundreds of everyday products in recent years and are promising dramatic breakthroughs in medicine and other industries as billions of dollars a year are pumped into the nascent sector.

But relatively little is known about the potential health and environmental effects of the tiny particles -- just atoms wide and small enough to easily penetrate cells in lungs, brains and other organs.

While governments and businesses have begun pumping millions of dollars into researching such effects, scientists and others say nowhere near enough is being spent to determine whether nanomaterials pose a danger to human health.

Michael Crichton's bestselling book "Prey" paints a doomsday scenario in which a swarm of tiny nanomachines escapes the lab and threatens to overwhelm humanity. Scientists believe the potential threat from nanomaterials is more everyday than a sci-fi thriller, but no less serious.
Kind of scary to think about. What's next? Nanoavians?

More at link.

[lawyerlee]

BCS hearings in Congress?! Unreal. :(

I have a few friends who work in nanotechnology. I'm interested to talk to them about their work, to the extent they are allowed to, in the context of that article.

This is disturbing:

Official: Al-Zarqawi caught, released (http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/meast/12/15/zarqawi.captured/index.html)
Authorities didn't realize prisoner was terrorist mastermind
CNN
BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- Iraqi security forces caught the most wanted man in the country last year, but released him because they didn't know who he was, the Iraqi deputy minister of interior said Thursday.

[kemaji]

Senate rejects reauthorization of Patriot Act (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10485860/)
MSNBC

I know this isn't the end of the debate, but I'm so glad that the law in it's extended form has been rejected.

[lawyerlee]

Senate rejects reauthorization of Patriot Act (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10485860/)
MSNBC

I know this isn't the end of the debate, but I'm so glad that the law in it's extended form has been rejected.
It's wonderful to see the Senate have a spine and a conscience, unlike the House.

[lawyerlee]

Bolivia Elects a President Who Supports Coca Farming (http://www.nytimes.com/2005/12/19/international/americas/19bolivia.html?hp=&pagewanted=print)
By JUAN FORERO
NY Times
LA PAZ, Bolivia, Dec. 18 - Evo Morales, a candidate for president who has pledged to reverse a campaign financed by the United States to wipe out coca growing, scored a decisive victory in general elections in Bolivia on Sunday.

Mr. Morales, 46, an Aymara Indian and former coca farmer who also promises to roll back American-prescribed economic changes, had garnered up to 51 percent of the vote, according to televised quick-count polls, which tally a sample of votes at polling places and are considered highly accurate.

At 9 p.m., his leading challenger, Jorge Quiroga, 45, an American-educated former president who was trailing by as much as 20 percentage points, admitted defeat in a nationally televised speech.

[lawyerlee]

Limited transit strike under way in NYC[/b] (]CNN

Monday, December 19, 2005; Posted: 12:50 a.m. EST (05:50 GMT)

NEW YORK (CNN) -- Workers at a pair of private New York bus lines went on strike early Monday -- the first steps in what could be the shutdown of the nation's largest public transportation system.

With no new agreement in place and a 12:01 a.m. ET Tuesday strike deadline set by the Transport Workers Union (TWU), another 33,000 transit workers could join the picket lines in less than 24 hours, knocking out all New York City transit lines.

The Web site for TWU Local 100 announced the strike that will impact some 50,000 commuters in Queens and pull more than 700 workers off the job: "Strike Alert: NO BUSES MONDAY: Jamaica Bus and Triboro Coach on Strike."

"We are proud to serve you every day," the announcement went on to say. "The last thing we want is to inconvenience you and your family at holiday time. We urge you make other arrangements for Monday and be aware that all buses and trains may be shut down on Tuesday."

The limited strike came after Sunday bargaining sessions that produced little or no progress in the deadlocked labor talks.

[batgirl]

ANWR dodges another one. Thank goodness...

Senate Blocks Alaska Refuge Drilling (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20051221/ap_on_go_co/arctic_drilling;_ylt=Arpo0WXTQiYvvMNwKc0pRaI8rowC; _ylu=X3oDMTBiMW04NW9mBHNlYwMlJVRPUCUl)

By H. JOSEF HEBERT, Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON - The Senate blocked oil drilling in an Alaska wildlife refuge Wednesday, rejecting a must-pass defense spending bill where the quarter-century-old environmental issue had been placed to garner broader support.

Drilling backers fell four votes short of getting the required 60 votes to avoid a threatened filibuster of the defense measure over the oil drilling issue. Senate leaders were expected to withdraw the legislation so it could be reworked without the refuge language. The vote was 56-44.

Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist was among those who for procedural reasons cast a "no" vote, so that he could bring the drilling issue up for another vote.

The vote was a stinging defeat for Sen. Ted Stevens (news, bio, voting record), R-Alaska, who for years has waged an intense fight to open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. He had thought this time he would finally get his wish.

Stevens called the refuge's oil vital to national security and bemoaned repeated attempts over the years by opponents using the filibuster to kill drilling proposals.

Democrats, conversely, accused Stevens of holding hostage a military spending bill that includes money to support troops in Iraq and $29 billion for victims of Hurricane Katrina.

"Our military is being held hostage by this issue, Arctic drilling," fumed Sen. Harry Reid (news, bio, voting record), the Democratic leader. The Nevada Democrat said the Senate could move quickly to pass the defense bill once the refuge issue was resolved.

[kemaji]

From cnn.com:

Alito called for overturning Roe in 1985 document (http://www.cnn.com/2005/POLITICS/12/23/alito.ap/index.html)

WASHINGTON - Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito wrote in a June 1985 memo that the landmark Roe v. Wade ruling legalizing abortion should be overturned, a finding certain to enliven January's confirmation hearings.

In a recommendation to the solicitor general on filing a friend-of-court brief, Alito said that the government "should make clear that we disagree with Roe v. Wade and would welcome the opportunity to brief the issue of whether, and if so to what extent, that decision should be overruled."

The June 3, 1985 document was one of 45 released by the National Archives on Friday. A total of 744 pages were made public.

[LittleFredPunkinHead]

US embassy close to admitting Syria rendition flight

· Statement contradicts ambassador's interview
· Correction could leave Britain open to challenge (http://www.guardian.co.uk/usa/story/0,12271,1673958,00.html?gusrc=rss) Guardian U.K.
The US embassy in London was forced to issue a correction yesterday to an interview given by the ambassador, Robert Tuttle, in which he claimed America would not fly suspected terrorists to Syria, which has one of the worst torture records in the Middle East. A statement acknowledged media reports of a suspect taken from the US to Syria.

[LittleFredPunkinHead]

U.S. Has End in Sight on Iraq Rebuilding
Documents Show Much of the Funding Diverted to Security, Justice System and Hussein Inquiry (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/01/02/AR2006010200370.html) Washington Post
The Bush administration does not intend to seek any new funds for Iraq reconstruction in the budget request going before Congress in February, officials say. The decision signals the winding down of an $18.4 billion U.S. rebuilding effort in which roughly half of the money was eaten away by the insurgency, a buildup of Iraq's criminal justice system and the investigation and trial of Saddam Hussein.

[carolc]

GOP Lobbyist Pleads Guilty in Deal with Prosecutors

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/01/03/politics/03cnd-abramoff.html?hp&ex=1136350800&en=7c71b0ec003f73a8&ei=5094&partner=homepage

[Myra]

Never mind.

[LittleFredPunkinHead]

Lobbying Plan Was Central to GOP's Political Strategy
Abramoff was key to the 'K Street Project,' designed to extend the party's influence. Changes are urged to avoid 'huge black eye.' (http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-assess4jan04,0,3655468.story?coll=la-home-headlines) LA Times

[LittleFredPunkinHead]

Bush Appointments Avert Senate Battles (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/01/04/AR2006010401953_pf.html) Washington Post
President Bush yesterday made a raft of controversial recess appointments, including Julie L. Myers to head the Immigration and Customs Enforcement bureau at the Department of Homeland Security, in a maneuver circumventing the need for approval by the Senate.

Myers, a niece of former Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman Richard B. Myers and the wife of the chief of staff to Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff, had been criticized by Republicans and Democrats who charged that she lacked experience in immigration matters.

Myers's nomination faced a bruising and potentially embarrassing fight on the Senate floor, where Democrats were prepared to argue that politics, not merit, drove her selection for an important job preventing terrorists and weapons from entering the country.

Bush appointed Tracy A. Henke as executive director of the Office of State and Local Government Coordination and Preparedness. She had been accused in her politically appointed post at the Justice Department of demanding that information about racial disparities in police treatment of blacks in traffic cases be deleted from a news release.

The president avoided an abortion rights battle with the recess appointment of former Maryland Republican gubernatorial candidate Ellen R. Sauerbrey as assistant secretary of state for population, refugees and migration. Sauerbrey is an opponent of abortion rights.

For the Federal Election Commission, Bush picked Justice Department employee and former Fulton County, Ga., Republican chairman Hans von Spakovsky for one of three openings. Von Spakovsky is widely viewed as a key player in two disputed Justice Department decisions to overrule career staff in voting rights cases.

A Democratic vacancy will be filled by union lawyer Robert D. Lenhard. He has provoked opposition because of his participation as an attorney for the American Federation of State, Council and Municipal Employees in efforts to have the Supreme Court rule that the 2002 McCain-Feingold law is unconstitutional. Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) indicated that he would fight the Lenhard nomination when Democratic leaders first announced it in 2003.

McCain and Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (D-Mass) issued statements critical of the appointments. Von Spakovsky may have undermined "enforcement of our civil rights laws," Kennedy said. "By appointing von Spakovsky, the White House missed an opportunity to fill this important position with a person clearly committed to these fundamental rights."

The other FEC appointment went to Nevada lawyer Steven T. Walther, who has close ties to Senate Minority Leader Harry M. Reid (D-Nev.).

At the Pentagon, Bush granted recess appointments to Gordon R. England as deputy secretary of defense and Dorrance Smith, a former ABC producer, as assistant secretary for public affairs.

The recess appointments will end at the conclusion of the current congressional session in January 2007.

[LittleFredPunkinHead]

At first glance, this doesn't seem like a big deal, but...
Perspective: Create an e-annoyance, go to jail (http://news.com.com/Create+an+e-annoyance%2C+go+to+jail/2010-1028_3-6022491.html?part=rss&tag=6022491&subj=news) CNET
A new federal law states that when you annoy someone on the Internet, you must disclose your identity. Here's the relevant language.

"Whoever...utilizes any device or software that can be used to originate telecommunications or other types of communications that are transmitted, in whole or in part, by the Internet... without disclosing his identity and with intent to annoy, abuse, threaten, or harass any person...who receives the communications...shall be fined under title 18 or imprisoned not more than two years, or both."
Think about it: A woman fired by a manager who demanded sexual favors wants to blog about it without divulging her full name. An aspiring pundit hopes to set up the next Suck.com. A frustrated citizen wants to send e-mail describing corruption in local government without worrying about reprisals.

In each of those three cases, someone's probably going to be annoyed. That's enough to make the action a crime. (The Justice Department won't file charges in every case, of course, but trusting prosecutorial discretion is hardly reassuring.)
I imagine it won't take too long for the law to be struck down though.

[LittleFredPunkinHead]

Bush using a little-noticed strategy to alter the balance of power (http://www.realcities.com/mld/krwashington/news/nation/13568438.htm?source=rss&channel=krwashington_nation) Knight-Ridder
President Bush agreed with great fanfare last month to accept a ban on torture, but he later quietly reserved the right to ignore it, even as he signed it into law.
Acting from the seclusion of his Texas ranch at the start of New Year's weekend, Bush said he would interpret the new law in keeping with his expansive view of presidential power. He did it by issuing a bill-signing statement - a little-noticed device that has become a favorite tool of presidential power in the Bush White House.
In fact, Bush has used signing statements to reject, revise or put his spin on more than 500 legislative provisions. Experts say he has been far more aggressive than any previous president in using the statements to claim sweeping executive power - and not just on national security issues.
"It's nothing short of breath-taking," said Phillip Cooper, a professor of public administration at Portland State University. "In every case, the White House has interpreted presidential authority as broadly as possible, interpreted legislative authority as narrowly as possible, and pre-empted the judiciary."
Signing statements don't have the force of law, but they can influence judicial interpretations of a statute. They also send a powerful signal to executive branch agencies on how the White House wants them to implement new federal laws.
More at link.

[LittleFredPunkinHead]

Seniors denied Rx drug benefits (http://usatoday.printthis.clickability.com/pt/cpt?action=cpt&title=USATODAY.com+-+Seniors+denied+Rx+drug+benefits&expire=&urlID=16850787&fb=Y&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.usatoday.com%2Fnews%2Fhealth% 2F2006-01-12-seniors-medicare_x.htm&partnerID=1660) USA TODAY
Medicare's new prescription-drug program is causing thousands of low-income seniors and disabled Americans to lose their drug benefits, prompting at least 14 states to pay for their prescriptions.

[LittleFredPunkinHead]

Why Iran Won't Back Down
Viewpoint: Ahmedinajad has engineered the nuclear showdown to shore up his power at home (http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1149323,00.html?cnn=yes) TIME

[msnicolea]

NEW YORK - Sen. Hillary Clinton on Monday blasted the Bush administration as “one of the worst” in U.S. history and compared the Republican-controlled House of Representatives to a plantation where dissenting voices are squelched.

Speaking during a Martin Luther King Jr. Day event, Clinton also offered an apology to a group of Hurricane Katrina survivors “on behalf of a government that left you behind, that turned its back on you.”

Her remarks were met with thunderous applause by a mostly black audience at the Canaan Baptist Church of Christ in Harlem.

The House “has been run like a plantation, and you know what I’m talking about,” said Clinton, D-N.Y. “It has been run in a way so that nobody with a contrary view has had a chance to present legislation, to make an argument, to be heard.”

“We have a culture of corruption, we have cronyism, we have incompetence,” she said. “I predict to you that this administration will go down in history as one of the worst that has ever governed our country.”

A spokeswoman for the White House declined to comment and referred questions to the Republican National Committee.

RNC spokeswoman Tracey Schmitt said: “On a day when Americans are focused on the legacy of Martin Luther King, Hillary Clinton is focused on the legacy of Hillary Clinton.”

[LittleFredPunkinHead]

Corporate Wealth Share Rises for Top-Income Americans (http://www.nytimes.com/2006/01/29/national/29rich.html?_r=2&th=&emc=th&pagewanted=print&oref=slogin) NY Times
New government data indicate that the concentration of corporate wealth among the highest-income Americans grew significantly in 2003, as a trend that began in 1991 accelerated in the first year that President Bush and Congress cut taxes on capital.

In 2003 the top 1 percent of households owned 57.5 percent of corporate wealth, up from 53.4 percent the year before, according to a Congressional Budget Office analysis of the latest income tax data. The top group's share of corporate wealth has grown by half since 1991, when it was 38.7 percent.

In 2003, incomes in the top 1 percent of households ranged from $237,000 to several billion dollars.

For every group below the top 1 percent, shares of corporate wealth have declined since 1991. These declines ranged from 12.7 percent for those on the 96th to 99th rungs on the income ladder to 57 percent for the poorest fifth of Americans, who made less than $16,300 and together owned 0.6 percent of corporate wealth in 2003, down from 1.4 percent in 1991.
More at link.

[lawyerlee]

IRS to Change Refund Fraud Program (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/02/06/AR2006020601296.html)
Washington Post

By MARY DALRYMPLE
The Associated Press
Monday, February 6, 2006; 6:46 PM

WASHINGTON -- The Internal Revenue Service will revamp a fraud detection program and start notifying taxpayers this spring when freezing their refunds for further examination, the nation's tax collectors announced Monday.

The changes address criticism that the agency's Questionable Refund Program deemed thousands of refunds fraudulent and withheld the money without telling taxpayers. The IRS said taxpayers can expect to get notification as quickly as they would have expected to receive the refund.

[lawyerlee]

Judge Removes Moussaoui From Courtroom (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060207/ap_on_re_us/moussaoui_trial&printer=1;_ylt=Av8BlJdHCVpfOvRqzZIMmhFH2ocA;_ylu=X 3oDMTA3MXN1bHE0BHNlYwN0bWE-)
AP

By MICHAEL J. SNIFFEN and MATTHEW BARAKAT, Associated Press Writers

A federal judge is trying to turn the courtroom misbehavior of confessed al-Qaida conspirator Zacarias Moussaoui into a useful tool for picking the jury that will decide whether he is put to death or imprisoned for life.

Five hundred potential jurors from northern Virginia got a taste Monday of what his sentencing trial might entail: Moussaoui was kicked out of court four times as a month of jury selection got underway.

Last April, Moussaoui pleaded guilty to conspiring to fly planes into U.S. buildings, but claimed he had no role in the Sept. 11 plot.

Potential jurors came to court in four separate groups. Moussaoui, a short, bearded Frenchman in a green prison jump suit, interrupted the first session just as it began — to announce "I'm al-Qaida" and disavow the lawyers appointed by the court to represent him.

U.S. District Judge Leonie M. Brinkema warned Moussaoui that it wasn't his time to speak and, when he kept going, had marshals escort him from the room. He left without resistance, but declared, "This trial is a circus."

Court observers wondered if Brinkema would allow Moussaoui, who disrupted many pretrial proceedings, back in the courtroom. She decided to bring him back for the remaining three sessions, each of which played out in nearly identical fashion. In later sessions, he also vowed to "take the stand to tell the whole truth about my involvement."

Brinkema told the first panel of jurors: "If any of you feel that that outburst or the way he conducted himself might affect the way in which you would go about judging this case, you need to clearly put that statement on the jury questionnaire." She repeated that admonition to the other three panels.

4 U.S. Presidents Expected at King Funeral (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060207/ap_on_re_us/coretta_scott_king&printer=1;_ylt=AvkSKcTgNHfewJ_wTTWUTWBH2ocA;_ylu=X 3oDMTA3MXN1bHE0BHNlYwN0bWE-)
AP

By ERRIN HAINES, Associated Press Writer

President Bush ordered flags flown at half-staff on Tuesday in memory of Coretta Scott King, whose funeral was expected to draw up to 10,000 people, including four U.S. presidents.

King, who carried on her husband's dream of equality for nearly 40 years after the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.'s death, died Jan. 30 at the age of 78 after battling ovarian cancer and the effects of a stroke.

The president and first lady Laura Bush planned to attend the funeral along with former presidents Bush, Clinton and Carter and 14 U.S. senators. Maya Angelou, a personal friend of King, was scheduled to speak, and Stevie Wonder and gospel singer Bebe Winans planned to perform.

Delivering the eulogy will be the Kings' youngest child, Bernice, who was 5 when her father was assassinated in 1968 and is perhaps best remembered for the photographs of her lying in her black-veiled mother's lap during her father's funeral.

Bernice is a minister at the funeral site, New Birth Missionary Baptist Church, a 10,000-seat suburban megachurch about 15 miles east of Atlanta.

Reagan Honored on Would-Be 95th Birthday (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060207/ap_on_re_us/reagan_birthday&printer=1;_ylt=AtRT8xNRsu4M1UC2vH58VcBH2ocA;_ylu=X 3oDMTA3MXN1bHE0BHNlYwN0bWE-)
AP

By JEFF WILSON, Associated Press Writer

President Reagan was remembered on what would have been his 95th birthday Monday for his efforts to end the Cold War and restore national pride after a period of malaise.

President Bush sent a wreath in honor of the late president, who died June 5, 2004, after a 10-year battle with Alzheimer's disease.

Haiti Prepares for Presidential Election (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060207/ap_on_re_la_am_ca/haiti_elections&printer=1;_ylt=AiES3jNM28cMiKATWetsf2i9IxIF;_ylu=X 3oDMTA3MXN1bHE0BHNlYwN0bWE-)
AP

By MICHAEL NORTON, Associated Press Writer

Thousands of U.N. peacekeepers fanned out Tuesday to guard against attacks by heavily armed gangs as Haiti prepared to hold its first presidential election in nearly six years, a vote authorities called a key step toward steering this bloodied, impoverished nation away from total collapse.

Helicopters, trucks and even mules ferried election supplies into remote corners of the Caribbean nation on Monday. U.N. officials said that 92 percent of the 3.5 million people who registered to vote had collected their identity cards, a sign that turnout could be high.

"Haiti's future depends on this vote," said Jacques Bernard, director general of the electoral council. "Good elections are the only solution to saving our nation."

[lawyerlee]

Asbestos Fund Effort Survives in Senate (http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-asbestos8feb08,0,2008976.story?coll=la-home-nation)
Lawmakers hope to end years of lawsuits by creating a $140-billion compensation plan for victims of the cancer-causing material.
Los Angeles Times

By Jonathan Peterson
Times Staff Writer

February 8, 2006

WASHINGTON — A painstaking effort to end years of litigation over cancer-causing asbestos survived a procedural hurdle on Tuesday in the Senate, paving the way for a floor debate over a $140-billion plan to compensate victims outside the courtroom.

By a vote of 98 to 1, lawmakers agreed to move forward with the plan to create the compensation fund, designed to stem a tide of litigation that dates back to the 1970s and continues to rise.

"It's not been easy to get to the point where we are," said Sen. Patrick J. Leahy (D-Vt.), urging colleagues to vote to keep the beleaguered plan alive. "It's taken years and years of work."

Throughout the day, the asbestos bill appeared in danger. But Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) ultimately chose not to challenge the Republicans who wanted to bring it up.

Asbestos has been used in insulation, brake linings, cement pipes and many other products. Its negative health effects range from shortness of breath and coughing to an often fatal cancer known as mesothelioma.

Advocates of the compensation plan say it is needed to stem the increasingly costly litigation and economic uncertainty faced by companies being sued; at the same time, they say it would establish a system to ensure that victims get compensated. The fund would be financed by asbestos manufacturers and their insurance firms.

"I think it is an unconscionable vote to vote no," said Sen. Arlen Specter (R-Pa.), a leading architect of the plan. He described the current situation as "an anathema and travesty and unworthy of the American judicial system."

Opponents have argued that the fund could prove insufficient for the large number of claims expected in the coming years, while relieving companies of a financial burden that is theirs to shoulder.

[lawyerlee]

Government-Backed Candidates Win in Nepal (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060209/ap_on_re_as/nepal_elections&printer=1;_ylt=Ak.mV1hw9.ttxfS.OVNF_jn9xg8F;_ylu=X 3oDMTA3MXN1bHE0BHNlYwN0bWE-)
AP

By BINAJ GURUBACHARYA, Associated Press Writer

Candidates backed by Nepal's king swept the country's first election in seven years, officials said Thursday, following balloting marred by rebel attacks, soldiers shooting protesters and a low turnout. The opposition rejected the results.

Six people were killed in violence Wednesday when Nepal held municipal elections that the United States called a "hollow attempt" by King Gyanendra to legitimize his power. One of the dead was a protester shot by soldiers.

Voters trickled into schools, Buddhist shrines and Hindu temples to cast ballots, but many people said they were scared away by a rebel threat to kill anyone who took part and a government warning it would shoot anyone caught disrupting the polls.

Chief Election Commissioner Keshav Raj Rajbhandari said turnout was estimated at more than 20 percent, but that the final figure was still being tabulated.

[chrisinluv]

Couldn't find a Jill Carroll thread:

Hostage reporter: 'There is very short time' (http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/meast/02/09/carroll.video/index.html)

In new videotape, Jill Carroll urges captors' demands be met

CNN

Abducted American journalist Jill Carroll appeared in a video broadcast on Kuwaiti television Thursday, urging the U.S. government to meet her kidnappers' demands.

On the video, Carroll says she is OK.

"I'm here. I'm fine. Please, just do whatever they want. Give them whatever they want as quickly as possible. There is very short time. Please do it fast," she says. "That's all."

In the video, Carroll says the date is February 6, then she shakes her head and corrects herself: "February 2, 2006."

"I sent you a letter written by my hand that you wanted more evidence, so we're sending you this new letter now just to prove that I am with the mujahedeen," Carroll says in English on the tape, broadcast on AlRai television.

The 28-year-old freelance writer for the Christian Science Monitor was kidnapped January 7 in western Baghdad after attempting to meet with an Iraqi official. Her Iraqi interpreter was killed, but her Iraqi driver escaped.

The kidnappers have demanded that the United States release all female prisoners it has in custody in Iraq.

Five of those have been released, but Washington said those releases had nothing to do with the kidnappers' demands. Four others are still in custody.

The most recent tape is the third on which Carroll has appeared.

[lawyerlee]

Bank of America cancels numerous debit cards (http://news.com.com/Bank+of+America+cancels+numerous+debit+cards/2100-1029-6037619.html?part=dht&tag=nl.e703)
CNET News

By Greg Sandoval
Staff Writer, CNET News.com
Published: February 9, 2006, 6:20 PM PST

A security breach involving an undisclosed company has prompted Bank of America to cancel the debit cards of numerous customers, a spokesman for the country's largest bank said Tuesday.

Bank of America refused to release the name of the company involved, the exact number of customers affected or whether the company in question was online or a traditional brick-and-mortar establishment.

The case is unusual in that debit cards appeared to be at risk. Credit cards are typically involved in security breaches at financial institutions because they are used more often than debit cards for retail transactions.

"These are intricate matters...and may involve information that is not exactly clear and concise," said Michael Chee, the bank's spokesman. "It would be premature to discuss any third parties until an investigation is conducted."

Chee said that to this point, there is no evidence that any of its customer accounts have been compromised. The move to cancel debit cards was a precaution, he said.


Army blasted over soldier’s body armor (http://www.wvgazette.com/static/stories/2006020719.html)
Sympathizers raise nearly $6,000 to repay Army for missing item
Charleston, WV Gazette

By Eric Eyre
Staff writer

West Virginia’s two U.S. senators asked top military leaders Tuesday to explain why 1st Lt. William “Eddie” Rebrook IV had to reimburse the U.S. Army $700 last week for body armor and other gear damaged after he was seriously wounded by a roadside bomb in Iraq.

More than 200 people —from West Virginia and across the country — donated more than $5,700 to Rebrook after reading about his body armor payment to the Army.

Rebrook, 25, who was medically discharged from an army base in Fort Hood, Texas, last week, said he wouldn’t keep the donations. He’s passing along the money to charity and a Louisiana woman who lost her home in Hurricane Katrina. He said the woman’s son helped save his life in Iraq.

Sen. Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va., sent a letter to Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld Tuesday, demanding that the Army refund Rebrook’s money immediately.

“I was outraged this morning when I read the story about what happened to Eddie,” said Rockefeller, who nominated Rebrook for admission to the U.S. Military Academy in West Point, N.Y., when Rebrook attended George Washington High School in Charleston. “I’m heartbroken that he can’t continue his career, and I’m shocked that he has been treated this way by our military.”

Rebrook’s right arm was shattered in an explosion while he was standing in the turret of a Bradley Fighting Vehicle in January 2005. Field medics removed his body armor, and it was later incinerated, Rebrook said. A Black Hawk helicopter airlifted him to a combat support hospital in Baghdad.

Rebrook, who graduated with honors from West Point, said he was never given any records that documented the body armor loss.

When he turned in his gear last week, Rebrook said he was told to pay nearly $700 or face not being discharged for weeks. The bill included a $570 charge for his Kevlar vest and gear destroyed in battle, and $130 for other lost items.

Rebrook said he was asked to provide statements from witnesses that he lost his body armor in battle.


Spike Lee: Miss. Should Get Rid of Flag (http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=493&e=5&u=/ap/20060210/ap_en_mo/spike_lee_mspi)
AP

OXFORD, Miss. - Director Spike Lee, known for his stylish and controversial films, said Mississippi should get rid of the state flag during a speech at the University of Mississippi's Black History Month celebration.

Lee said Mississippians cling too tightly to what he considers symbols of oppression.

"You've gotta do something about that flag," he said. "I know people say its representative of history. Well, so's the swastika."

Lee is working on a documentary entitled "When the Levees Broke," which deals with the African-American experience in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.


Open-source iTunes rival launches (http://news.com.com/Open-source+iTunes+rival+launches/2100-1027-6037582.html?part=dht&tag=nl.e703)
CNET NEWS

By John Borland
Staff Writer, CNET News.com
Published: February 9, 2006, 5:18 PM PST

A San Francisco start-up released an early test version of its open-source Songbird music software Wednesday, with which its ultimately hopes to undermine the dominance of Apple Computer's iTunes.

Pioneers of the Inevitable is hoping to create "the Firefox of MP3," a reference to the open source Web browser that has eaten into Microsoft's Internet Explorer market share.

Songbird is indeed built on some of the same open-source technologies as the Firefox Web browser, and hopes to tap into the community of independent developers that has helped add features to Firefox.

The company, which is led by digital music veteran Rob Lord, has cautioned the open-source community not to expect a full-featured music player from this first release, which they are calling only a "proof of concept" for now.

[lawyerlee]

Avalanche Buries Outdoor Spa in Japan (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/japan_avalanche&printer=1;_ylt=AsQChWfe3fLY.QGkTLuh.L_9xg8F;_ylu=X 3oDMTA3MXN1bHE0BHNlYwN0bWE-)
AP

By KOZO MIZOGUCHI, Associated Press Writer

An avalanche buried an outdoor hot spring at a popular traditional inn in northern Japan on Friday, killing one person and injuring 16, as Japan struggles through one of its snowiest winters on record.

A 20-year-old worker pulled from the snow almost six hours after the avalanche struck was confirmed dead upon arrival at a hospital, according to Masakatsu Ito, an official at Omagari Fire Station in Akita.

Another worker, rescued earlier Friday, was hospitalized for acute hypothermia but remained conscious, Ito said.

Nine bathers — eight women and a man — were also hit by falling snow and received treatment at nearby hospitals, together with a group of six South Korean women who were visiting the area, according to Ito.

[LittleFredPunkinHead]

Intelligence, Policy,and the War in Iraq (http://www.foreignaffairs.org/20060301faessay85202/paul-r-pillar/intelligence-policy-and-the-war-in-iraq.html?mode=print) Foreign Affairs
Summary: During the run-up to the invasion of Iraq, writes the intelligence community's former senior analyst for the Middle East, the Bush administration disregarded the community's expertise, politicized the intelligence process, and selected unrepresentative raw intelligence to make its public case.

PAUL R. PILLAR is on the faculty of the Security Studies Program at Georgetown University. Concluding a long career in the Central Intelligence Agency, he served as National Intelligence Officer for the Near East and South Asia from 2000 to 2005.

[jp'swife]

Cheney Accidentally Shoots Fellow Hunter
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060212/ap_on_go_pr_wh/cheney_hunting_accident

Just thought I would post this....because I just knew that this would make this thread.


FWIW....I HATE hunting!!! Gasp! A Republican who hates hunting?? Say it ain't so!!! :rolleyes:

[LittleFredPunkinHead]

FWIW....I HATE hunting!!! Gasp! A Republican who hates hunting?? Say it ain't so!!! :rolleyes:
Well, believe it or not, there are also Democrats who are okay with hunting and with gun possession. Go figure! ;)

[jp'swife]

Well, believe it or not, there are also Democrats who are okay with hunting and with gun possession. Go figure! ;)

Where?? Just kidding!
What a terrible situation though. I feel bad for Cheney. Not a good situation to be in.

[LittleFredPunkinHead]

Where?? Just kidding!
What a terrible situation though. I feel bad for Cheney. Not a good situation to be in.
You know I don't like Cheney, but I agree. It's the kind of thing that's tough on everyone involved. Thank goodness the guy who was hit seems to be okay though!

[jp'swife]

You know I don't like Cheney, but I agree. It's the kind of thing that's tough on everyone involved. Thank goodness the guy who was hit seems to be okay though!

I totally agree. I know that accidents happen and unfortunately, hunting accidents usually have bad outcomes. I'm glad everyone is ok.

[lawyerlee]

Congress grills Internet execs on China policies (http://today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=newsOne&storyID=2006-02-15T225357Z_01_N15276513_RTRUKOC_0_US-INTERNET-CHINA.xml)
Reuters

By Joel Rothstein and Paul Eckert
Wed Feb 15, 2006 5:54 PM ET

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. lawmakers lashed out at Google Inc. and other prominent Internet companies on Wednesday, with one Democrat questioning "how your corporate leadership sleeps at night" because of the companies' alleged complicity in human rights abuses by the Chinese government.

As representatives from Google, Yahoo Inc., Cisco Systems Inc. and Microsoft Corp. looked on, lawmakers from both political parties delivered withering attacks and called for oversight on dealings with China.

"Your abhorrent activities in China are a disgrace. I simply do not understand how your corporate leadership sleeps at night," said Rep. Tom Lantos, the ranking Democrat on a House International Relations subcommittee on human rights. Lantos' California district includes the high-tech empire of Silicon Valley.

The Republican chairman of the subcommittee, Chris Smith of New Jersey, held the hearing to ask the companies about their procedures in China and demands from the Chinese government.

Last week, Paris-based Reporters Without Borders, an advocacy group for journalists, said Yahoo provided electronic records to Chinese authorities that led to an eight-year prison sentence for writer Li Zhi in 2003.

[lawyerlee]

MPs vote for blanket smoking ban next year (http://www.guardian.co.uk/frontpage/story/0,,1710103,00.html)
The Guardian

· Majority of 200 rejects private clubs compromise
· Officials proclaim victory for better public health

Michael White, political editor
Wednesday February 15, 2006
The Guardian

A total ban on smoking inside offices, pubs, restaurants and "virtually every enclosed public place and workplace" throughout England will come into force in the summer of 2007 after a resounding cross-party majority of MPs yesterday rejected last minute compromises designed to exempt some pubs and private clubs.

Tony Blair, Gordon Brown and the health secretary Patricia Hewitt went with the flow of expert, public and backbench opinion, changed their positions during the day and voted to abandon Labour's manifesto position of less than a year ago.

In the crucial free vote, with neither side certain which would prevail, Ms Hewitt's latest compromise was rejected by 384 votes to 184. The 200-vote majority did not include the defence secretary, John Reid.

Health officials proclaimed the vote a historic victory, to be compared with the 1948 NHS Act or the clean air legislation which ended city smog in the 50s. But some MPs predict a backlash among voters who cherish their right to drink and smoke in working men's clubs and the grand private clubs of Pall Mall.

With smoke-free workplaces becoming "the norm", Ms Hewitt told MPs: "Over time we estimate an additional 600,000 people will give up smoking as a result of this law and millions more will be protected from second hand smoke."

We have a smoking ban in all restaurants and clubs in the town where I live, and I love it. It is so nice to not have to deal with getting sick from secondhand smoke if I choose to go out to eat or get a drink, and I think it is an important protection for the health of employees in clubs and restaurants, too.

[LittleFredPunkinHead]

Harvard study blasts Bush education policy (http://www.cnn.com/2006/EDUCATION/02/16/bush.education.reut/index.html) CNN
President Bush's No Child Left Behind education policy has in some cases benefited white middle-class children over blacks and other minorities in poorer regions, a Harvard University study showed Tuesday.

[LittleFredPunkinHead]

Guards Fault Homeland Security Protection (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060306/ap_on_go_co/homeland_insecurity;_ylt=ArqQhxu25WYjGX0MzQN2bTus0 NUE;_ylu=X3oDMTA3ODdxdHBhBHNlYwM5NjQ-) AP
The agency entrusted with protecting the U.S. homeland is having difficulty safeguarding its own headquarters, say private security guards at the complex.

The guards have taken their concerns to Congress, describing inadequate training, failed security tests and slow or confused reactions to bomb and biological threats.

For instance, when an envelope with suspicious powder was opened last fall at Homeland Security Department headquarters, guards said they watched in amazement as superiors carried it by the office of Secretary Michael Chertoff, took it outside and then shook it outside Chertoff's window without evacuating people nearby.

[chrisinluv]

:rolleyes: Not surprising!

[LittleFredPunkinHead]

Government investigators smuggled radioactive materials into U.S. (http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/03/27/radioactive.smuggling/index.html) CNN
Two teams of government investigators using fake documents were able to enter the United States with enough radioactive sources to make two dirty bombs, according to a federal report made available Monday.

[msnicolea]

WASHINGTON - White House chief of staff Andy Card has resigned and will be replaced by budget director Joshua Bolten, President Bush announced Tuesday amid growing calls for a White House shakeup and Republican concern about Bush's tumbling poll ratings. Bush announced the changes in an nationally broadcast appearance in the Oval Office. "I have relied on Andy's wise counsel, his calm in crisis, his absolute integrity and his tireless commitment to public service," Bush said.

http://news.yahoo.com/fc/US/Bush_Administration

[greenbunny]

Found Oregon couple missing again, wanted on drug charges (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12046823/)

PORTLAND, Ore. - If not for their wrong turn in the mountains of southern Oregon, the case of Elbert and Becky Higginbotham might well have lingered in an in-basket of the cash-strapped office of the sheriff of Navajo County, Ariz.

Eleven months ago, they’d been caught with a small amount of methamphetamine and a shotgun, deputies said, but they agreed to cooperate with investigators.

Then they disappeared. They turned up in a big way last Tuesday, momentary national celebrities when they were rescued with four relatives from a snowbound motor home in Oregon’s Coast Range. Lost and stuck in the snow, the six had been missing for more than two weeks.

Now Elbert and Becky Higginbotham have vanished again — with warrants out for their arrest.

...

[lawyerlee]

Arrests Climb to 1,000 in Crackdown on Belarus Protesters (http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-belarus29mar29,1,4101485.story?coll=la-headlines-world&ctrack=1&cset=true)
Los Angeles Times
By Kim Murphy
Times Staff Writer
March 29, 2006

MOSCOW — Arrests in demonstrations since Belarus' elections last week have reached at least 1,000, lawyers and human rights activists said Tuesday, and jailed Belarus presidential candidate Alexander Kozulin has been notified that he could face six years in prison.

"This is the first time we've seen such mass arrests in Belarus. I can remember nothing of this kind in the past," said Ales Byalyatsky, head of the human rights organization Vyasna-96.

Kozulin, former rector of Belarus State University and one of two candidates who challenged President Alexander G. Lukashenko in the March 19 election, is being investigated under a new law that imposes heavy penalties for serious violations of public order, his lawyer, Igor Rynkevich, said in a telephone interview.

He is also being investigated for threatening the president in connection with a statement he made Saturday during a postelection protest rally, which ended in a violent police crackdown and hundreds of arrests.


Israel Begins Talks on Possible Coalition (http://www.nytimes.com/2006/03/29/international/middleeast/30mideast.html?ei=5094&en=e767750a6fa796bc&hp=&ex=1143694800&partner=homepage&pagewanted=print)
New York Times
BY STEVEN ERLANGER and GREG MYRE

JERUSALEM, March 29 — Top aides to Ehud Olmert, the acting prime minister, began talks today with other parties about a possible coalition after Israelis voted to bring to power a new centrist party, Kadima, which is committed to a further pullout from the occupied West Bank.

Mr. Olmert, Kadima's leader, will become prime minister, but his support proved tepid and he will find it harder than expected to impose his agenda on a larger coalition.

Kadima, founded in November by Ariel Sharon when he broke with the Likud Party, won the most seats in the 120-member Knesset, or Parliament. But with 99.7 percent of the vote counted this morning, Kadima won only 28 seats, fewer than voter polls had suggested.

At the same time, Israelis turned away from the right, and Mr. Olmert should be able to carry out his plan for another withdrawal, unilaterally if necessary, from the West Bank to reduce the costs of the continuing occupation.

The Labor Party, which supports a West Bank withdrawal, was second, with 20 seats, giving it a strong position to bargain with Kadima for a powerful role in a coalition government. The Labor leader, the Moroccan-born Amir Peretz, is expected to insist on key ministries like finance, social welfare and possibly defense.


Taylor Flown Back to Liberia After Arrest (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/03/29/AR2006032900329.html?nav=hcmodule)
Washington Post

By BASHIR ADIGUN
The Associated Press
Wednesday, March 29, 2006; 10:50 AM

ABUJA, Nigeria -- Former Liberian President Charles Taylor was being flown back to his homeland Wednesday after being arrested on the run in Nigeria, days after escaping custody while awaiting trial on war crimes charges.

Taylor was captured Tuesday night by security forces in the far northeastern border town of Gamboru, in Borno State, nearly 600 miles from the villa in southern Calabar from which he reportedly disappeared Monday night, Information Minister Frank Nweke said in a statement. He was trying to cross the border into Cameroon.

[Sposa06]

This is rather ridiculous. Being taken off your flight for singing along to The Clash? He was singing along to "London Calling" because he was going to London, for crying out loud, not because he was a terrorist!

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12164830/

Updated: 9:29 a.m. ET April 5, 2006

LONDON - British anti-terrorism detectives escorted a man from a plane after a taxi driver had earlier become suspicious when he started singing along to a track by punk band The Clash, police said on Wednesday.

Detectives halted the London-bound flight at Durham Tees Valley Airport in northern England and Harraj Mann, 24, was taken off.

The taxi driver had become worried on the way to the airport because Mann had been singing along to The Clash’s 1979 anthem “London Calling,” which features the lyrics “Now war is declared -- and battle come down” while other lines warn of a “meltdown expected.”

Mann told British newspapers the taxi had been fitted with a music system which allowed him to plug in his MP3 player and he had been playing The Clash, Procol Harum, Led Zeppelin and the Beatles to the driver.

“He didn’t like Led Zeppelin or The Clash but I don’t think there was any need to tell the police,” Mann told the Daily Mirror.

A Durham police spokeswoman said Mann had been released after questioning -- but had missed his flight.

“The report was made with the best of intentions and we wouldn’t want to discourage people from contacting us with genuine concerns,” she said.

[mgrace]

This is sad. :(

Mom Dies After Boy's 911 Call Considered Prank
Detroit Police Investigate

DETROIT -- A 6-year-old boy's 911 call for help was thought to be a prank, but the call was real and the boy's mother died, according to WDIV-TV in Detroit.

Robert Turner called 911 to get help for his mother, Sherel Turner, 46, whom he found lying unconscious on the kitchen floor of their Detroit apartment in February, the station reported.

"Then I had felt her tummy. She wasn't breathing. Then I had called 911," said Robert. "I told them to send an emergency truck right now."

911 Operator: "911. What's the problem?"

Robert: "My mom has passed out."

The 911 operator, however, did not take him seriously and told him to stop playing on the phone, the station reported.

911 Operator: "Where's the grownups at?"

Robert: (Inaudible)

911 Operator: "Let me speak to her before I send the police over there."

"I tried to tell them she wouldn't talk," said Robert.

Robert: (Inaudible)

911 Operator: "I don't care. You shouldn't be playing on the phone. Now put her on the phone before I send the police out there to knock on the door and you gonna be in trouble."

Robert: "Ugh!" (Hangs up.)

Kimberly Harris, the union president of AFSCME Local 1023, said more than a quarter of phone calls received by 911 operators are prank calls. She also said that everybody does not express their pain or emergencies the same way.

"That operator could have had five prank calls. Kids calling in prior to that call. And please, don't think that I am trying to make an excuse. That was a tragedy," said Harris.

Officials said the 911 operator will be disciplined, but because of her years of service she will not be fired.

"I know that operator. I know that she is a very good operator," said Harris. "She is very thorough."

Robert said every time someone talks about his mother, he starts crying.

Police continue to investigate.
Associated Press

[Sposa06]

This is the most ridiculous statement I've seen in a long time. Federal prosecutors and officials from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives want the grills (gold-capped teeth) removed from the mouths of men facing federal drug charges. A defense expert had this to say:

"I've been doing this for over 30 years and I have never heard of anything like this," said Richard Troberman, past president of the Washington Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers and an expert on forfeiture law. "It sounds like Nazi Germany when they were removing the gold teeth from the bodies, but at least then they waited until they were dead."

The full story is here: http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2002916265_grillz07m.html

[lawyerlee]

"This is especially egregious because these two had not been convicted and are presumed to be innocent," added forfeiture expert Troberman, who is not involved in the case. "What are they going to do next? Start taking artificial limbs from amputees?"
Here, here. Racism in this country reaches a new level of absurdity. :rolleyes:

[msnicolea]

incoherent rambling

Grills? You gotta be kidding me.

[lawyerlee]

U.S. Envoy to Iraq Says Talks With Iran Delayed (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/04/09/AR2006040900881.html?nav=hcmodule)
Khalilzad Fears Appearance of Collusion
Washington Post

Military Plays Up Role of Zarqawi (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/04/09/AR2006040900890.html?nav=hcmodule)
Jordanian Painted As Foreign Threat To Iraq's Stability
Washington Post

By Thomas E. Ricks
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, April 10, 2006; Page A01

The U.S. military is conducting a propaganda campaign to magnify the role of the leader of al-Qaeda in Iraq, according to internal military documents and officers familiar with the program. The effort has raised his profile in a way that some military intelligence officials believe may have overstated his importance and helped the Bush administration tie the war to the organization responsible for the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.

More immigration protests planned (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12240644/)
Activists regroup after legislation stalls in Senate
MSNBC

Updated: 9:19 p.m. ET April 9, 2006

LOS ANGELES - The protests that drew national attention to the future of an estimated 11 million illegal immigrants are relaunching, even though sweeping reform legislation has stalled on Capitol Hill.

Weeks ago, organizers picked Monday for dozens of demonstrations nationwide, a signal that what began as a string of disparate events — attracting tens and even hundreds of thousands of people — has become more coordinated.

[IrishEyes]

RU-486 Ruled Out in 1 of 2 Recent Deaths (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/04/10/AR2006041000829.html)
Washington Post

WASHINGTON -- Health officials said Monday they have ruled out the abortion pill RU-486 in one of two recent deaths of women who had taken the drug. The second remains under investigation.

The one death was unrelated to either abortion or use of the pill, the Food and Drug Administration said. The second woman showed symptoms of infection. One of the women died weeks after her abortion, although it was not immediately clear which of the two.

[kugrrly]

YIKES I use this kind!!! :eek:

http://www.cnn.com/2006/HEALTH/conditions/04/11/eye.fungus.ap/index.html

Lens solution linked to fungus outbreak
Manufacturer suspends shipments of ReNu, generic solution

Tuesday, April 11, 2006; Posted: 8:36 a.m. EDT (12:36 GMT)




WASHINGTON (AP) -- Bausch & Lomb voluntarily suspended shipment of a contact lens solution after federal health officials linked it Monday to a fungal eye infection that can cause temporary blindness.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is investigating 109 reports of Fusarium keratitis infection in patients in 17 states since June 2005.

Federal and state health officials have interviewed just 30 of those patients. However, of the 28 who wore soft contact lens, however, 26 reported using Bausch & Lomb's ReNu brand contact lens solution or a generic type of solution also made by the Rochester, New York, company.

Bausch & Lomb said it would temporarily suspend shipments of ReNu with MoistureLoc made at its Greenville, South Carolina, plant.

"The CDC data released today are both troubling and perplexing, as there is an apparent disproportionate representation of U.S.-manufactured ReNu with MoistureLoc in the underlying data. The source of these infections has not been determined," company chairman and chief executive officer Ronald Zarrella said.

Five of the 26 patients also reported using other types of solutions in addition to ReNu, Bausch & Lomb said. And nine said they wore their lenses overnight, which is known to increase the risk of infection, the CDC said.

Dr. Daniel Schultz, director of the Food and Drug Administration's Center for Devices and Radiological Health, said it was too early to determine if Bausch & Lomb's solution was the cause of the infections. Both the FDA and CDC are investigating a growing number of reports of infection by the fungus. An estimated 30 million Americans wear soft contact lenses.

"We are relatively early in this investigation. It may be we will find this particular product does not have an association. We may find a strong association," Schultz told reporters.

The fungus is commonly found in plant material and soil in tropical and subtropical areas. Singapore health officials noticed an increase in reports of infection in January and discovered 39 cases involving contact lens users from 2005 to February of this year. Cases have also been reported in Malaysia and Hong Kong.

In February, Bausch & Lomb halted sales of its ReNu contact lens solution in Singapore and Hong Kong.

Without treatment, which can last two to three months, the infection can scar the cornea and blind its victims. Eight U.S. patients have required cornea transplants.

Soft contact users with eye redness or pain, tearing, increased light sensitivity, blurred vision or discharge should stop wearing contacts and contact a doctor immediately, said Dr. Malvina Eydelman, director of the FDA's Division of Ophthalmic and Ear, Nose and Throat Devices. The FDA also advises users to wash their hands well with soap and water before handling lenses and to follow cleaning and storage guidelines.

In addition, contact lens wearers who use ReNu with MoistureLoc should do so with caution, the FDA said.