alito confirmed.thanks ( kinda) to Johnny
4 Democrats ( soon to be kicked out of office) voted for Alito......Senators Byrd,Bydh,Conrad and Johnson.
Lincoln Chaffee of Rhode Island (republican) voted against the dirt bag
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4 Democrats ( soon to be kicked out of office) voted for Alito......Senators Byrd,Bydh,Conrad and Johnson.
Lincoln Chaffee of Rhode Island (republican) voted against the dirt bag
Breaking News
BUSH'S STATE OF THE UNION ADDRESS TO BE SIMULCAST IN ENGLISH
President Hopes to Reach Broader Audience, Aides Say
For the first time since he was elected President of the United States, George W. Bush's State of the Union address tonight will be simulcast in English, the White House confirmed.
With the president's approval ratings sagging, the decision to simulcast the speech in English was widely seen as an attempt by the president to make an appeal to a broader audience.
"The majority of people in this country are English speaking, and quite frankly, we can't afford to ignore them any longer," one senior aide said. "Hopefully, by doing the English simulcast, we'll be reaching out to a lot of those folks."
Once the decision was made earlier in the month to launch the historic first English simulcast of a speech by President Bush, then began the hard work of translating the text of the address from Mr. Bush's language into English.
Davis Logsdon, a professor of linguistics at the University of Minnesota, was one of several scholars approached to do the translation who ultimately quit in frustration.
"The problem is that the language the president speaks, by most measures, is not a language at all," Professor Logsdon said.
Still, the White House remains guardedly optimistic about tonight's simulcast, and aides said that if all goes as planned they might soon offer English simulcasts of press briefings by Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld.
Elsewhere, former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein stormed out of his courtroom today, got a good look at what was going on in the streets of Baghdad, and quickly hurried back in.
Patriots won't pay for Flutie's drop-kick ball
Wire services
Jan. 30, 2006 12:00 AM
Stacey James, New England Patriots executive director of media relations, couldn't understand why his phone calls were not returned, until a fax showed up on his desk last Monday morning that made it all clear.
Ever since Doug Flutie's drop kick split the uprights on New Year's Day, the Patriots had searched for the football.
The Pro Football Hall of Fame called James seeking the ball. But because the Patriots had lined up before Flutie's kick as if it were a play from scrimmage, the net was not raised behind the goalposts, so the ball went into the stands and the waiting arms of a fan who shall remain anonymous at the Patriots' insistence. advertisement
James told the Hall he wasn't sure he could find the football. The team reviewed film to try to locate the lucky fan but came up empty - until James got a phone message from someone purporting to have the ball or at least know where it was. James left several messages in return but the caller didn't reply until the morning of Jan. 23, when a fax arrived from a lawyer.
According to the fax, the law office represents Mr. X, "who is in possession of the football recently drop-kicked by Doug Flutie. . . . My client understands that the New England Patriots may have an interest in purchasing that historic football."
Then came the fan's terms and conditions, as written by the lawyer:
"1. Payment of $100,000 on delivery of the football.
"2. A guarantee of eight season tickets for 25 years in the end zone (preferably sections 142 or 143). The season tickets will be paid for annually by my client at the then-going price for season tickets. The Patriots would not be expected to pay for the tickets.
"3. Delivery by the Patriots to my client, sometime in September 2006, of a Tom Brady Patriots football jersey signed by all the team members as of the beginning of the next football season."
The lawyer's letter goes on to explain that his client "has had a number of offers for the football already, but he is a real Patriot fan and would prefer to see that historic football wind up in the Patriots' possession."
The Kraft family, which owns the team, chose to ignore the whole matter. As someone in the organization said Friday: "I hope he enjoys the football."
Oil execs refuse to testify at U.S. Senate hearing
Mon Jan 30, 2006 5:16 PM ET
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Officials from six major oil companies have refused to testify this week at a Senate hearing looking into whether oil industry mergers in recent years have made gasoline more expensive at the pump.
With oil companies reporting record profits from higher energy prices, consumer groups have complained that mergers in the industry have stifled competition.
Exxon Mobil said on Monday it earned $10.7 billion in the fourth quarter of last year and $36.1 billion for all of 2005 -- bigger than the economies of 125 countries.
The Senate Judiciary Committee, which is holding the hearing on Wednesday morning, said it asked representatives from Exxon Mobil, Chevron, ConocoPhillips, Valero Energy and the U.S. units of BP and Royal Dutch Shell to tell their side of the story.
"All declined the invitation to testify," the committee said in a statement on Monday, without providing details.
This article only reinforces my belief that George Bush and his administration are a greater threat to American Democracy than Osama and his crew. Bush took a country united after 9/11 and overfloowing with international goodwill and has turned us into an internally polarized and internationally mistrusted and disrespected nation. Now he's claiming unprecedented executive authority under an ever expanding cloak of secrecy. Humbug.
On a slightly lighter note, isn't it interesting that President Bush having his picture taken with Abramoff doesn't mean he's a friend -- and yet the fact that John Kerry happened to appear in a news photo in the same frame as Jane Fonda makes him a traitor.
Bush vows to assert presidential power
US spying, storm disputes included
By Jim VandeHei, Washington Post | January 27, 2006
WASHINGTON -- President Bush set limits yesterday on White House cooperation in three political disputes, saying he is determined to assert presidential prerogatives on matters from domestic eavesdropping to congressional inquiries into Hurricane Katrina.
In a midmorning news conference, Bush told reporters he is skeptical of a proposed law imposing new oversight on his use of the National Security Agency to listen in on electronic communications. He also said that he will block White House aides from testifying about the slow federal response to Hurricane Katrina, and that he will not release official White House photos of himself with former Republican lobbyist Jack Abramoff.
Facing repeated questions, Bush distanced himself from Abramoff, who is at the center of the biggest political corruption and bribery scandal in a generation. Bush said he does not recall having his picture taken with Abramoff or ever meeting him. Abramoff was a member of the exclusive club of Bush's $100,000 fund-raisers known as Pioneers.
''Having my picture taken with someone doesn't mean that I'm a friend with him or know him very well," Bush told reporters.
According to three people who reviewed half a dozen photos of the men, Bush is pictured at official gatherings and fund-raisers with Abramoff and his children. He also attended a White House meeting with some of Abramoff's clients, including tribal leaders and the then-speaker of the House for the Northern Mariana Islands, the sources said. Abramoff has pictures from the event, they said. ''If [prosecutors] believe something was done inappropriately in the White House, they'll come and look and they're welcome to do so," Bush said. The White House has also refused to detail meetings between Abramoff and top White House aides.
The president was similarly adamant about not allowing top aides to testify about Hurricane Katrina. Bush, who has moved on several fronts over the past five years to strengthen the power of the presidency, said it would be damaging to him and future presidents if aides feared providing candid advice.
Senator Joseph Lieberman, Democrat of Connecticut, a staunch supporter of Bush on foreign policy, has accused the White House of undermining the probe by refusing to detail the role of White House officials. ''If people give me advice and they're forced to disclose that advice, it means the next time an issue comes up I might not be able to get unvarnished advice from my advisers," Bush said. ''And that's just the way it works."
On the issue of NSA eavesdropping on overseas communications to or from US citizens, Bush said he is concerned about Congress writing a new spying law because it could force the government to provide details and clues about a top-secret program used to hunt down terrorists.
''There's no doubt in my mind it is legal," Bush said. Democrats have accused Bush of breaking the law by authorizing the spying program without approval from Congress or the courts. The debate is expected to dominate hearings, scheduled to begin Feb. 6, on the highly classified NSA program.
Dominatrix Acquitted in Bondage Death
DEDHAM, Mass. (AP) -- A dominatrix was acquitted of manslaughter Monday in the death of a man who prosecutors say suffered a heart attack while strapped to a replica of a medieval rack.
Barbara Asher, a 56-year-old woman who called herself Mistress Lauren M, was also cleared of dismemberment.
Prosecutors said that 53-year-old Michael Lord suffered a heart attack in 2000 during a bondage session in a "dungeon" in Asher's condominium and that Asher did nothing to help him for five minutes for fear authorities would find out about her business.
Asher had her boyfriend chop up the body of the 275-pound retired telephone company worker, and they dumped it behind a restaurant in Maine, prosecutors said. His remains have never been found.
Prosecutors said Asher confessed to police, but the alleged confession was not taped, and investigators testified they did not save their notes.
Asher's lawyer, Stephanie Page, said there was nothing to prove Lord was even dead - no body, no blood, no DNA.
Border Tunnel Probe Yields First Arrest
By SETH HETTENA
Associated Press Writer
SAN DIEGO (AP) -- A Mexican citizen was arrested on drug charges in the investigation into the longest tunnel ever found underneath the U.S.-Mexico border, U.S. officials said Monday.
The suspect was taken into custody Saturday by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents. He appeared in federal court Monday on charges of conspiracy to import more than a ton of marijuana, which carries a mandatory minimum of 10 years in prison.
The 2,400-foot tunnel runs from a warehouse near the airport in Tijuana to a warehouse in San Diego. It was unclear how long it had been in operation, but more than two tons of marijuana were found inside.
Authorities said the passage was 5 feet high and ran as deep as 90 feet below the surface. It had a concrete floor, lights along one of the hard soil walls, a groundwater pump, and pipes that circulated fresh air.
NYC Coroner Says Indonesian Killed Himself
By TOM HAYS
Associated Press Writer
NEW YORK (AP) -- An Indonesian man found dead in the blood-spattered basement of his country's consulate committed suicide by repeatedly stabbing himself with various knives, authorities said Monday.
Bambang Welianto, 36, was found Sunday with a kitchen knife in his chest and his left wrist almost severed. Several other knives, including a meat cleaver, were found around him in the four-story mansion on the Upper East Side.
The death was ruled a suicide, said a spokeswoman for the medical examiner's office, Ellen Borakove.
Super Bowl Host Is U.S.'s Poorest Big City
By SARAH KARUSH
Associated Press Writer
DETROIT (AP) -- Before the Super Bowl kickoff this weekend, private planes will land here, limousines will clog the streets, and lavish parties will be thrown for those with famous names or lots of money. The kitchens of Ford Field will be stocked with two tons of lobster.
Much of the rest of Detroit, though, is a landscape dotted with burned-out buildings, where liquor stores abound but supermarkets are hard to come by, and where drugs, violence and unemployment are everyday realities.
Officials in the nation's poorest big city see hosting the game as a huge boost. They say it will be a catalyst for further development and provide a chance to improve Detroit's gritty reputation. They hope visitors will take note of new restaurants, clubs and lofts downtown. To make sure the city makes a good impression, dilapidated buildings have been torn down, roads repaved and landmarks renovated.
Yet with the exception of a few square miles in the center of town, many residents say they have not seen any improvement. And they don't expect the Super Bowl to have an effect on their lives.
"They spend all that money on the Super Bowl ... but they ain't doing nothing for here," said Arthur Lauderdale, 59, who lives about four miles from the heart of downtown on Detroit's east side.
The scenery along Van Dyke Street near Lauderdale's home would be familiar to anyone who has seen "8 Mile," Eminem's movie about life in Detroit. The street's once-bustling commercial section is dominated by boarded-up stores, charred buildings and vacant lots. The only signs of activity are at storefront churches and the occasional liquor store and hot-dog joint.
Pastor Gets 18 Months for Selling Church
MANTECA, Calif. (AP) -- A pastor accused of selling the town's oldest church pleaded guilty to embezzlement on Monday and agreed to 18 months in prison, court officials said.
Randall Radic, 53, entered his plea as part of a deal in which prosecutors agreed to drop nine other charges.
Radic had preached at First Congregational Church in Ripon for nearly a decade before he sold the church last October for $525,000, allegedly using the money to buy a BMW. He also faked documents that gave him possession of his house, which was owned by the church, then used the property to take out loans, authorities said.
Fla. Blast Releases Low Level Radiation
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) -- More than 70 people underwent decontamination Monday after being exposed to a small amount of radiation from an exploded krypton gas container at a defense contractor's plant Monday, officials said.
No one was in danger of being exposed to a life-threatening dose, authorities said.
Sixteen people were taken to a hospital after complaining of nausea, said Bennie Seth, a fire and rescue spokeswoman. No one was seriously ill.
No radiation escaped the building at Union Industries.
Seventy-three people were found to be exposed to levels of radiation high enough that they had to be decontaminated, Seth said. A tent was set up between two fire trucks next to the building, and people disrobed and were washed down one by one.
Krypton gas is colorless and nontoxic. It can be made artificially radioactive for use in manufacturing. The krypton at the plant was used for making medical supplies, Seth said.
Coretta Scott King Dies at 78
By ERRIN HAINES
Associated Press Writer
ATLANTA (AP) -- Coretta Scott King, who turned a life shattered by her husband's assassination into one devoted to enshrining his legacy of human rights and equality, has died. She was 78.
Flags at the King Center were lowered to half-staff Tuesday morning.
"We appreciate the prayers and condolences from people across the country," the King family said in a statement. The family said she died overnight, but did not say where she died. She suffered a serious stroke and heart attack in 2005.
Al-Zawahri Calls Bush a 'Butcher' in Video
By NADIA ABOU EL-MAJD
Associated Press Writer
CAIRO, Egypt (AP) -- Al-Qaida No. 2 Ayman al-Zawahri said in a videotape aired Monday that President Bush was a "butcher" and a "failure" because of a deadly U.S. airstrike in Pakistan targeting the bin Laden deputy, and he threatened a new attack on the United States.
Al-Zawahri, shown in the video wearing white robes and a white turban, said a Jan. 13 airstrike in the eastern village of Damadola killed "innocents," and he said the United States had ignored an offer from al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden for a truce.
"Butcher of Washington, you are not only defeated and a liar, but also a failure. You are a curse on your own nation and you have brought and will bring them only catastrophes and tragedies," he said, referring to Bush. "Bush, do you know where I am? I am among the Muslim masses."
The airstrike hit a building in Damadola, where U.S. intelligence believed al-Zawahri had been attending an Islamic holiday dinner. The strike killed four al-Qaida leaders - including a man believed to be al-Zawahri's son-in-law - but intelligence officials said later they believe al-Zawahri sent his aides to the dinner in his place.
Thirteen villagers also were killed in the strike, angering many Pakistanis.
Exxon Sees Record Profits for Any U.S. Co.
Jan 30 11:15 AM US/Eastern
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By STEVE QUINN
AP Business Writer
DALLAS
Exxon Mobil Corp. posted record profits for any U.S. company on Monday _ $10.71 billion for the fourth quarter and $36.13 billion for the year _ as the world's biggest publicly traded oil company benefited from high oil and gas prices and demand for refined products. The results exceeded Wall Street expectations and Exxon shares rose nearly 3 percent in morning trading.
The company's earnings amounted to $1.71 per share for the October- December quarter, up 27 percent from $8.42 billion, or $1.30 per share, in the year ago quarter. The result topped the then-record quarterly profit of $9.92 billion Exxon posted in the third quarter of 2005.
Exxon's profit for the year was also the largest annual reported net income in U.S. history, according to Howard Silverblatt, a stock market analyst for Standard & Poor's. He said the previous high was Exxon's $25.3 billion profit in 2004.
Poll: Most think Bush is failing second term
President 'looking forward' to congressional campaigning
Friday, January 27, 2006; Posted: 8:22 a.m. EST (13:22 GMT)
President Bush defended his job performance Thursday, pointing to an improved economy.
George W. Bush
or Create Your Own
Manage Alerts | What Is This? WASHINGTON (CNN) -- A majority of Americans are more likely to vote for a candidate in November's congressional elections who opposes President Bush, and 58 percent consider his second term a failure so far, according to a poll released Thursday.
Fewer people consider Bush to be honest and trustworthy now than did a year ago, and 53 percent said they believe his administration deliberately misled the public about Iraq's purported weapons program before the U.S. invasion in 2003, the CNN/USA Today/Gallup poll found.
Pollsters interviewed 1,006 American adults Friday through Sunday. Most questions in the survey had a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 3 percentage points. (Poll)
Bush is preparing for his State of the Union address, set for next week, and told reporters Thursday that he is "looking forward" to campaigning for Republicans in November's elections. (Full story)
But the latest poll indicated Americans remain in a pessimistic mood.
Fifty-eight percent of those polled said Bush's second term has been a failure so far, while 38 percent said they consider it a success. A smaller number -- 52 percent -- consider his entire presidency a failure to date, with 46 percent calling it successful. (Complete poll results)
In the latter case, the numbers fall within those two questions' margin of sampling error of plus or minus 4.5 percentage points.
Bush defended his performance Thursday, pointing to an improved economy despite higher prices for gasoline, heating oil and natural gas. He said the November elections would be about "peace and prosperity."
"We've got a record, and a good one," he said. "That's what I intend to campaign on and explain to people why I made the decisions I made, and why they're necessary to protect the American people, and why they've been necessary to keep this economy strong -- and why the policies we've got will keep this economy strong in the future."
But 51 percent of those polled said they were more likely to vote for a candidate in congressional elections who opposes Bush, while 40 percent said they were likely to vote for a candidate who backs the president.
Bush's own approval rating remained at 43 percent, unchanged since mid-December, according to results released earlier this week. Another 54 percent disapproved of his job performance, that survey found.
Nearly two-thirds of those surveyed in the latest poll -- 62 percent -- said they were dissatisfied with the way things are going in the United States, while 35 percent said they were satisfied.
And 64 percent said things in the United States have gotten worse in the past five years, while 28 percent said things have improved.
For the first time since Bush took office in 2001, a majority of those polled said the president -- who campaigned as "a uniter, not a divider" -- has been a divisive leader. Fifty-four percent called Bush a divider, while 41 percent called him a uniter.
Just over a third -- 34 percent -- said Bush had a clear plan for solving the nation's problems, and 44 percent agreed that he cared about the needs of people like them and shared their values.
A narrow majority of 51 percent said they consider Bush to be a strong and decisive leader, compared with 48 percent who disagreed. Although those totals fall within the margin of sampling error, they mark a decline from a year ago, when 61 percent called the president strong and decisive.
Split on honesty
Americans were divided evenly -- 49-49 -- on the question of Bush's honesty.
The number of those polled who consider Bush trustworthy improved from a November survey, when only 46 percent rated him honest. But the figure is down from a year ago, when 56 percent considered him honest and trustworthy, and only 41 percent disapproved.
Specifically, 53 percent said they believe his administration deliberately misled the public about whether Iraq had weapons of mass destruction, as Bush and other top officials argued on the eve of the March 2003 invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein.
Once Hussein was overthrown, U.S. inspectors concluded that Iraq had not kept stockpiles of chemical and biological weapons, long-range missiles and a nuclear weapons program, though Iraq had concealed weapons-related research from the United Nations.
U.S. troops are battling a persistent insurgency in Iraq, with two soldiers killed in combat Wednesday, raising the American death toll to 2,238. More than 2,000 of those have died since Bush declared an end to "major combat operations" May 1, 2003.
The war in Iraq topped the list of respondents' concerns going into 2006, with 58 percent calling it extremely important. Terrorism was next with 57 percent, followed by health care with 47 percent, the economy at 46 percent and corruption at 45 percent.
Most of those polled said they believe the United States will have a "significant number" of troops in Iraq for more than a year, with 47 percent believing the U.S. commitment will last one to three years and 33 percent believing the U.S. presence will last longer than that.
Thirty-four percent said they considered economic conditions good and 5 percent excellent, while 41 percent rated the economy fair and 18 percent poor.
Asked which way the economy was headed, 35 percent said they believed it was improving; 54 percent said it was getting worse.
Economic growth has picked up in recent months, and unemployment has declined since 2003. But gasoline prices remain well over $2 a gallon on average, and natural gas and heating oil bills have gone up since 2005.
Al Qaeda Detainee's Mysterious Release
Moroccan Spoke Of Aiding Bin Laden During 2001 Escape
By Craig Whitlock
Washington Post Foreign Service
Monday, January 30, 2006; Page A01
Tabarak was captured and taken to the U.S. Navy base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, where he was classified as such a high-value prisoner that the Pentagon repeatedly denied requests by the International Committee of the Red Cross to see him. Then, after spending almost three years at the base, he was suddenly released.
Today, the al Qaeda loyalist known locally as the "emir" of Guantanamo walks the streets of his old neighborhood near Casablanca, more or less a free man. In a decision that neither the Pentagon nor Moroccan officials will explain publicly, Tabarak was transferred to Morocco in August 2004 and released from police custody four months later.
Tabarak's odyssey from Afghanistan to Guantanamo and back to his native land illustrates the grit and at times fanatical determination of one bin Laden recruit. Yet his story also shows how little is known publicly about al Qaeda figures who were captured after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on New York and the Pentagon. Major gaps remain in his account, and terrorism experts and intelligence officials continue to debate whether he was a member of al Qaeda's inner circle or its rank and file.
His case also highlights mysteries of U.S. priorities in deciding who to keep and who to let go. As the Pentagon gears up to hold its first military tribunals at Guantanamo after four years of preparations, it has released a prisoner it called a key operative. At the same time, it retains under heavy guard men whose background and significance are never discussed.
Eighteen months after he left Guantanamo, Tabarak, 50, still faces minor criminal offenses in Rabat, the capital, such as passport forgery and conspiracy. But his attorney predicts that it's only a matter of time before the case is dropped and all allegations of terrorist activities are dismissed.
Mexico Army Likely Part of Border Incident
By ALICIA A. CALDWELL
Associated Press Writer
EL PASO, Texas (AP) -- It wasn't just Mexican military-style uniforms that suspected drug runners were wearing when they were confronted by Texas lawmen, the Hudspeth County sheriff says.
The men carried Mexican military-issue weapons and drove a military Humvee, said Arvin West, whose officers who were involved in the standoff.
"It was military," he said Friday. "Due to the pending congressional hearings I can't comment further."
West said the determination that the equipment was military-issue came from the federal government, but he would not elaborate.
A U.S. Army spokesman said he could not confirm West's statement, and the Mexican Foreign Relations Department said it would have no comment.
The Mexican government has denied that any soldiers were involved in the standoff Monday in a remote spot along the Rio Grande in West Texas. The smugglers escaped back across the border without a shot fired, abandoning more than a half-ton of marijuana as they fled.
Mexican officials have said the uniforms and other equipment could have been stolen.
Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, and other officials have said they will seek hearings investigating such border incursions.
U.S. Border Patrol Chief David Aguilar, in El Paso Friday, said he could not rule out Mexican soldiers' involvement in the standoff at Neely's Crossing, about 50 miles east of El Paso.
Woman Accused of Driving Bloodmobile Drunk
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) -- The driver of a bloodmobile ran a red light on her way to a blood drive and has been charged with drunken driving, police said.
Sharon Renea Dunlap, 46, told police she quit drinking about 3 a.m. Wednesday, and took some pain pills. She was pulled over about 14 hours later after a Jacksonville police officer saw the Florida Georgia Blood Alliance bloodmobile run a red light, police said.
Police said Dunlap failed a field sobriety test and was charged with driving under the influence and running a red light.
She has been suspended from her job, pending the outcome of the case. A call to her telephone listing said the line had been disconnected. It was not known if Dunlap had an attorney.
Tenn. Certificates Lure Illegal Immigrants
By DUNCAN MANSFIELD
Associated Press Writer
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- Tennessee's driving certificate for illegal immigrants isn't valid as a form of ID, but people are paying hundreds of dollars on the black market and traveling hundreds of miles to get one.
Tennessee has issued more than 51,000 certificates since it became the first state to offer them in July 2004, but not every certificate has gone to someone living there.
Two major federal arrests in recent months exposed shuttles bringing South and Central American immigrants from as far away as New Jersey to state licensing centers in Knoxville, where the immigrants got certificates using fake residency papers.
Last week, a third sweep revealed an alleged conspiracy in which prosecutors say state license examiners in Murfreesboro, outside Nashville, accepted bribes to provide illegal immigrants with driver's licenses and certificates without testing.
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"We have seen individuals coming to Tennessee to take advantage of the driver's certificate program because they are easy to obtain," said acting U.S. Attorney Russ Dedrick.
The disclosures come as Tennessee's certificate system is being studied as a possible model for handling "non-conforming drivers" under the Real ID program recently enacted by Congress that will set a national standard for driver's licenses by 2008.
Although the words "not valid for identification" appear in bold red letters on the face of the wallet-size certificates, Dedrick said banks accept them as legal ID and they "can easily be passed off for other types of identification documents."
Lawyer Mike Whalen, who represents a woman accused of bringing as many as 100 immigrants from New Jersey to Knoxville for certificates, said the government is making too much of the problem. His client represented workers, not terrorists, he said.
"Somebody went through the roof and said, 'Remember 9-11, every one had driver's licenses,'" he said. "Well, none of these Mexican immigrants are in flight school anywhere. There is a difference."
That argument carries little weight in law enforcement circles.
The certificate law "just kind of opened up a flood gate of everyone wanting to come here to get some sort of identification," said Knox County Sheriff Tim Hutchison, whose officers discovered that 58 illegal immigrants used the same Knoxville address to get certificates.
Hamas Sweeps Palestinian Elections, Complicating Peace Efforts in Mideast
RAMALLAH, West Bank, Jan. 26 -- The radical Islamic movement Hamas won a large majority in the new Palestinian parliament, according to official election results announced Thursday, trouncing the governing Fatah party in a contest that could dramatically reshape the Palestinians' relations with...
Bush vows to assert presidential power
US spying, storm disputes included
By Jim VandeHei, Washington Post | January 27, 2006
WASHINGTON -- President Bush set limits yesterday on White House cooperation in three political disputes, saying he is determined to assert presidential prerogatives on matters from domestic eavesdropping to congressional inquiries into Hurricane Katrina.
In a midmorning news conference, Bush told reporters he is skeptical of a proposed law imposing new oversight on his use of the National Security Agency to listen in on electronic communications. He also said that he will block White House aides from testifying about the slow federal response to Hurricane Katrina, and that he will not release official White House photos of himself with former Republican lobbyist Jack Abramoff.
Facing repeated questions, Bush distanced himself from Abramoff, who is at the center of the biggest political corruption and bribery scandal in a generation. Bush said he does not recall having his picture taken with Abramoff or ever meeting him. Abramoff was a member of the exclusive club of Bush's $100,000 fund-raisers known as Pioneers.
''Having my picture taken with someone doesn't mean that I'm a friend with him or know him very well," Bush told reporters.
According to three people who reviewed half a dozen photos of the men, Bush is pictured at official gatherings and fund-raisers with Abramoff and his children. He also attended a White House meeting with some of Abramoff's clients, including tribal leaders and the then-speaker of the House for the Northern Mariana Islands, the sources said. Abramoff has pictures from the event, they said. ''If [prosecutors] believe something was done inappropriately in the White House, they'll come and look and they're welcome to do so," Bush said. The White House has also refused to detail meetings between Abramoff and top White House aides.
The president was similarly adamant about not allowing top aides to testify about Hurricane Katrina. Bush, who has moved on several fronts over the past five years to strengthen the power of the presidency, said it would be damaging to him and future presidents if aides feared providing candid advice.
Senator Joseph Lieberman, Democrat of Connecticut, a staunch supporter of Bush on foreign policy, has accused the White House of undermining the probe by refusing to detail the role of White House officials. ''If people give me advice and they're forced to disclose that advice, it means the next time an issue comes up I might not be able to get unvarnished advice from my advisers," Bush said. ''And that's just the way it works."
On the issue of NSA eavesdropping on overseas communications to or from US citizens, Bush said he is concerned about Congress writing a new spying law because it could force the government to provide details and clues about a top-secret program used to hunt down terrorists.
''There's no doubt in my mind it is legal," Bush said. Democrats have accused Bush of breaking the law by authorizing the spying program without approval from Congress or the courts. The debate is expected to dominate hearings, scheduled to begin Feb. 6, on the highly classified NSA program.
''But it's important for people to understand that this program is so sensitive and so important that if information gets out to how we run it or how we operate it, it'll help the enemy," he said. ''Why tell the enemy what we're doing?"
Economic slowdown unexpectedly steep in Q4
WASHINGTON (Reuters) — Economic growth slowed sharply in the fourth quarter to the weakest pace in three years as consumers spent less robustly, growth in homebuilding eased and businesses were less eager to boost investments, a government report Friday showed.
Gross domestic product, the broadest measure of economic activity within U.S. borders, advanced at a 1.1% annual rate in the October-December period — little more than a quarter of the third quarter's 4.1% rate and the weakest for any three months since 0.2% in the fourth quarter of 2002.
Consumer spending, which fuels two-thirds of national economic activity, slowed to a 1.1% annnual rate of growth, sharply below the third-quarter rate and the weakest since a 1% gain in second quarter of 2001.
Fourth-quarter growth was far weaker than the 2.8% rate economists had forecast and reflected widespread softness. Spending on costly durable goods, which include cars and other items intended to last three years or more, plunged at a 17.5% rate. That was the steepest drop in durables spending in nearly 19 years, since a 23.2% fall in the first quarter of 1987.
Prosecutor Will Step Down From Lobbyist Case
By PHILIP SHENON and ELISABETH BUMILLER
The chief prosecutor in the Jack Abramoff inquiry will step down next week because he had been nominated to a federal judgeship by President Bush.
White House Got Early Warning on Katrina
By Joby Warrick
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, January 24, 2006; Page A02
In the 48 hours before Hurricane Katrina hit, the White House received detailed warnings about the storm's likely impact, including eerily prescient predictions of breached levees, massive flooding, and major losses of life and property, documents show.
A 41-page assessment by the Department of Homeland Security's National Infrastructure Simulation and Analysis Center (NISAC), was delivered by e-mail to the White House's "situation room," the nerve center where crises are handled, at 1:47 a.m. on Aug. 29, the day the storm hit, according to an e-mail cover sheet accompanying the document.
The NISAC paper warned that a storm of Katrina's size would "likely lead to severe flooding and/or levee breaching" and specifically noted the potential for levee failures along Lake Pontchartrain. It predicted economic losses in the tens of billions of dollars, including damage to public utilities and industry that would take years to fully repair. Initial response and rescue operations would be hampered by disruption of telecommunications networks and the loss of power to fire, police and emergency workers, it said.
In a second document, also obtained by The Washington Post, a computer slide presentation by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, prepared for a 9 a.m. meeting on Aug. 27, two days before Katrina made landfall, compared Katrina's likely impact to that of "Hurricane Pam," a fictional Category 3 storm used in a series of FEMA disaster-preparedness exercises simulating the effects of a major hurricane striking New Orleans. But Katrina, the report warned, could be worse.
The hurricane's Category 4 storm surge "could greatly overtop levees and protective systems" and destroy nearly 90 percent of city structures, the FEMA report said. It further predicted "incredible search and rescue needs (60,000-plus)" and the displacement of more than a million residents.
The NISAC analysis accurately predicted the collapse of floodwalls along New Orleans's Lake Pontchartrain shoreline, an event that the report described as "the greatest concern." The breach of two canal floodwalls near the lake was the key failure that left much of central New Orleans underwater and accounted for the bulk of Louisiana's 1,100 Katrina-related deaths.
The documents shed new light on the extent on the administration's foreknowledge about Katrina's potential for unleashing epic destruction on New Orleans and other Gulf Coast cities and towns. President Bush, in a televised interview three days after Katrina hit, suggested that the scale of the flooding in New Orleans was unexpected. "I don't think anybody anticipated the breach of the levees. They did anticipate a serious storm," Bush said in a Sept. 1 interview on ABC's "Good Morning America."
War Protester Sentenced for Trespassing
BINGHAMTON, N.Y. (AP) -- A peace activist was sentenced Monday to six months in prison for splattering his own blood at a military recruiting station to protest the then-looming war in Iraq.
Daniel Burns was the first of four activists to be sentenced this week for splattering their blood onto the windows, walls, pictures and an American flag at the Army and Marine Corps recruiting station on March 17, 2003.
The so-called Saint Patrick's Four were convicted for damaging government property and entering a military recruiting station for unlawful purposes.
U.S. District Judge Thomas McAvoy said he wasn't punishing Burns for protesting, but for how he protested and what he did.
"The court doesn't question your motivation," he said. "I know you didn't go there with evil purpose in mind. You went in good conscience. But what you did clearly violated the law."
Burns, 45, was fined $250 for contempt and ordered to share payment of $958 in restitution for cleaning up the damage at the recruiting station near Ithaca.
The four were acquitted of the most serious charge - conspiracy to impede an officer of the United States, which carried a maximum sentence of six years in prison.
Jury Orders Reprimand, No Jail for Soldier
By JON SARCHE
Associated Press Writer
FORT CARSON, Colo. (AP) -- A military jury has recommended that an officer once facing up to life in prison for the interrogation death of an Iraqi general be given only a reprimand, a decision that drew applause from soldiers.
Initially charged with murder, Chief Warrant Officer Lewis Welshofer Jr. now faces no jail time, the forfeiture of $6,000 in salary and what amounts largely to a barracks restriction for 60 days.
"I deeply apologize if my actions tarnished the soldiers serving in Iraq," Welshofer said during his sentencing hearing. "It was never my intent to cast aspersions on their tremendous accomplishments."
Welshofer was convicted Saturday of negligent homicide and negligent dereliction of duty for stuffing the Iraqi general headfirst into a sleeping bag and sitting on his chest
The sentence will be reviewed by Fort Carson's commander, Maj. Gen. Robert W. Mixon. He cannot order a harsher sentence, said Welshofer's defense attorney Frank Spinner.
Prosecutors had described Welshofer as a rogue interrogator who became frustrated with Iraqi Maj. Gen. Abed Hamed Mowhoush's refusal to answer questions and escalated his techniques from simple interviews to beatings to simulating drowning, and finally, to death.
MANHATTAN, Kansas (Reuters) - President George W. Bush rejected charges his domestic eavesdropping program was illegal on Monday, while other administration officials said the war on terrorism had made the federal law on electronic surveillance outdated.
Bush appeared on stage at Kansas State University as part of a White House public relations campaign to defend a National Security Agency spying program that has raised an outcry among Democrats and Republicans who say Bush may have overstepped his authority.
"You know, it's amazing that people say to me, 'Well, he was just breaking the law.'
STRASBOURG, France (Reuters) - A European human rights investigator said on Tuesday there was evidence the United States had "outsourced" torture to other countries and it was likely that European governments knew about it.
But Swiss senator Dick Marty, who heads an investigation by the Council of Europe human rights watchdog, said he had not uncovered any irrefutable evidence to confirm allegations that the CIA operated secret detention centers in Europe.
His remarks, in a preliminary report, kept pressure on the CIA and European governments over allegations that the U.S. intelligence agency flew prisoners through airports in Europe to jails in third countries where they may have been tortured.
"There is a great deal of coherent, convergent evidence pointing to the existence of a system of 'relocation' or 'outsourcing of torture'," Marty said in his initial report into the allegations for the 46-nation Council, based in the eastern French city of Strasbourg.
He said it had been proved that "individuals have been abducted, deprived of their liberty and transported to different destinations in Europe, to be handed over to countries in which they have suffered degrading treatment and torture."
Halliburton Cited in Iraq Contamination
By LARRY MARGASAK
Associated Press Writer
January 23, 2006, 4:12 AM EST
WASHINGTON -- Water supplied to a U.S. base in Iraq was contaminated and the contractor in charge, Halliburton, failed to tell troops and civilians at the facility, according to internal documents from the company and interviews with former Halliburton officials.
Although the allegations came from Halliburton's own water quality experts, the company once headed by Vice President Dick Cheney denied there was a contamination problem at Camp Junction City, in Ramadi.
"We exposed a base camp population (military and civilian) to a water source that was not treated," said a July 15, 2005, memo by William Granger, the official for Halliburton's KBR subsidiary who was in charge of water quality in Iraq and Kuwait.
"The level of contamination was roughly 2x the normal contamination of untreated water from the Euphrates River," Granger wrote in one of several documents.
The Associated Press obtained the documents from Senate Democrats who are holding a public inquiry into the allegations Monday.
Sen. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D., who will chair the session, held a number of similar inquiries last year on contracting abuses in Iraq. He said Democrats were acting on their own because they had not been able to persuade committee chairmen in the Republican-run Senate to investigate.
The company's former water treatment expert at Camp Junction City said he discovered the problem last March, a statement confirmed by his e-mail the day after he tested the water.
While bottled water was available for drinking, the contaminated water was used for virtually everything else, including handwashing, laundry, bathing and making coffee, said water expert Ben Carter of Cedar City, Utah.
Another former Halliburton employee who worked at the base, Ken May of Louisville, Ky., said there were numerous instances of diarrhea and stomach cramps -- problems he also suffered.
A spokeswoman for Halliburton, Melissa Norcross, said its own inspection found neither contaminated water nor medical evidence to substantiate reports of illnesses at the base. The company now operates its own water treatment plant there, she said.
A military medical unit that visited Camp Ramadi in mid-April found nothing out of the ordinary in terms of water quality, said Marine Corps Maj. Tim Keefe, a military spokesman. Water-quality testing records from May 23 show the water within normal parameters, he said.
"The allegations appear not to have merit," Keefe said.
Halliburton has contracts to provide a number of services to U.S. forces in Iraq and was responsible for the water quality at the Ramadi base.
Granger's July 15 memo said the exposure had gone on for "possibly a year" and added, "I am not sure if any attempt to notify the exposed population was ever made."
The first memo on the problem -- written by Carter to Halliburton officials on March 24, 2005 -- was an "incident report" from tests Carter performed the previous day.
"It is my opinion that the water source is without question contaminated with numerous micro-organisms, including Coliform bacteria," Carter wrote. "There is little doubt that raw sewage is routinely dumped upstream of intake much less than the required 2 mile distance.
"Therefore, it is my conclusion that chlorination of our water tanks while certainly beneficial is not sufficient protection from parasitic exposure."
Carter said he resigned in early April after Halliburton officials did not take any action to inform the camp population.
The water expert said he told company officials at the base that they would have to notify the military. "They told me it was none of my concern and to keep my mouth shut," he said.
On at least one occasion, Carter said, he spoke to the chief military surgeon at the base, asking him whether he was aware of stomach problems afflicting people. He said the surgeon told him he would look into it.
"They brushed it under the carpet," Carter said. "I told everyone, 'Don't take showers, use bottled water."
A July 14, 2005, memo showed that Halliburton's public relations department knew of the problem.
"I don't want to turn it into a big issue right now," staff member Jennifer Dellinger wrote in the memo, "but if we end up getting some media calls I want to make sure we have all the facts so we are ready to respond."
Halliburton's performance in Iraq has been criticized in a number of military audits, and congressional Democrats have contended that the Bush administration has favored the company with noncompetitive contracts.
Bush Aide Says Abramoff Photos Coincidence
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By Associated Press
January 23, 2006, 7:52 AM EST
WASHINGTON -- An adviser to President Bush said Monday that Bush's photographs in the company of disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff amount to a coincidence and shouldn't be interpreted any more seriously than that.
"He doesn't have a personal relationship with him," White House counselor Dan Bartlett said of Bush and Abramoff, who recently pleaded guilty to federal charges stemming from his lobbying practices and has pledged to cooperate with government prosecutors.
"We acknowledge he (Abramaoff) attended some Hannukuah celebrations," Bartlett said in an appearance on NBC's "Today" show. "Any suggestions by critics or anyone else to suggest the president is doing something nefarious with Abramoff is absurd."
Bush himself has said that he doesn't recall meeting Abramoff.
Both Washingtonian and Time magazines have reported the existence of about a half-dozen photos showing the two together, however.
Time reported on its Web site Sunday that its staff members have seen at least six photos featuring Bush and Abramoff. They appeared to have been taken at White House functions, according to the reports.
On ABC's "Good Morning America" Monday, Bartlett said, "I don't think it's a surprise to anybody that there's probably widely-gathered events where the president does photo-line opportunities."
The White House has not released any photos featuring the president and Abramoff, who was declared a Bush "pioneer" for raising at least $100,000 for the Bush-Cheney '04 re-election campaign.
Contributions that came directly from Abramoff, his wife and one of the American Indian tribes he represented -- a total of $6,000 -- were donated to the American Heart Association by the campaign just days after Abramoff entered his guilty pleas.
The White House, after playing down the Bush-Abramoff photos and the lobbyist's ties to the president, criticized Abramoff for breaking the law. "Mr. Abramoff admitted being involved in outrageous wrongdoing," spokeswoman Dana Perino said Sunday.
"Intelligent design" debate goes to kids' TV
Fri Jan 20, 2006 7:57 PM ET
By Jamie McGeever
NEW YORK (Reuters) - The debate over whether children should be taught "intelligent design" in U.S. public schools as an alternative to evolution is moving to children's television.
"There's a fight going on the science room," says Linda Ellerbee, presenter of "Nick News," a news magazine on the children's TV cable channel Nickelodeon.
The channel is tackling the subject on Sunday by presenting both sides of the controversy in "God, Science, Politics and Your School."
Supporters of intelligent design say that nature is so complex that it must have been the work of an unnamed creator, rather than the result of random natural selection as outlined in Charles Darwin's theory of evolution.
"The goal of this show is not to debate the issues of evolution, intelligent design or creationism," Ellerbee said in a statement.
"We just want to give kids a better understanding of what all the shouting is about. We also want to hear from kids affected by these disputes."
The controversy, stirred by a recent court case in Pennsylvania, centers on whether teaching intelligent design violates U.S. constitutional separation of church and state.
Syria accuses Israel of assassinating Arafat
Sat Jan 21, 2006 9:57 AM ET
DAMASCUS (Reuters) - Syrian President Bashar al-Assad accused Israel on Saturday of assassinating former Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, the cause of whose death 14 months ago remains a mystery.
"Of the many assassinations that Israel carried out in a methodical and organized way, the most dangerous thing that Israel did was the assassination of President Yasser Arafat," Assad told a gathering of Arab lawyers.
"This was under the world's gaze and its silence, and not one state dared to issue a statement or stance toward this, as though nothing happened."
Arafat died in Paris on November 11, 2004 at the age of 75 after being rushed from his West Bank compound to a French military hospital.
Israel has denied being responsible for the deterioration in Arafat's health before his death and has denied poisoning him.
Israeli officials said he had access to medical treatment, food, water and medication during the two years he spent in his battered compound in Ramallah, which was besieged by Israeli troops for months in 2002.
French doctors denied rumors that Arafat was poisoned but have refused to publish his medical reports, citing strict privacy laws.
Arafat aides had quoted doctors as saying he had a low count of platelets, which help the blood to clot. They later said he had gone into a coma, suffered a brain hemorrhage and lost the use of his vital organs one by one. But no definitive cause of death was announced.
Rove tells Republicans to run on Bush's record
Fri Jan 20, 2006 5:48 PM ET
By John Whitesides, Political Correspondent
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - White House political adviser Karl Rove on Friday said Democratic critics of the Iraq war were wrong and Republicans should highlight the issue in November's congressional elections.
Most polls show majorities of Americans have lost confidence in President George W. Bush's handling of the war. But Rove, still under the threat of indictment in a CIA-leak probe, said Republicans should emphasize Bush's record on security, the economy and the courts during the November campaign.
"We need a commander in chief and a Congress who understand the nature of the threat and the gravity of the moment America finds itself in," Rove told a meeting of the Republican National Committee in a rare public appearance.
"President Bush and the Republican Party do. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for many Democrats," he said.
Rove, Bush's top political guru, also capitalized on the party's traditional advantage on national security issues to help Republicans sweep to victories in elections in 2002 and 2004, citing new dangers after the September 11 attacks.
This year Rove and Republicans have grown nervous about their prospects in November amid public doubts about the Iraq war and corruption scandals involving prominent party members, including former House Republican Leader Tom DeLay and Republican lobbyist Jack Abramoff.
Rove himself remains under threat of indictment in an investigation into who leaked the name of a CIA agent whose husband is a prominent Iraq-war critic.
Smithfield N.C.- An Iraq war veteran who pleaded no contest to involuntary manslaughter in the death of his 2 year old son was ordered to pay for the funeral but spared from prison. Prosecutors had sought the maximum sentence of almost 2 years in prison for William C. Ullom, but Judge William C. Gore Jr. said Thursday that too much time had passed since Christian Norris was violently shaken in 2002. "Some people will look at your defendant as a baby killer, others will say he is the authentic American hero", the judge said. "At this point, this is far removed from the act,,,,it appears to ot be in the interest of justice to put him in prison."
Clinton-Era Coverup on Cisneros Is Alleged
Special Counsel Ends 10-Year Probe
By Dan Eggen and Albert B. Crenshaw
Washington Post Staff Writers
Friday, January 20, 2006; Page A01
More than a decade and $21 million after it began, the final and longest-running independent counsel investigation in U.S. history ended yesterday with allegations from the prosecutor that "a coverup at high levels of our government" prevented him from bringing further charges in the case of Henry G. Cisneros, former secretary of housing and urban development.
In a 474-page report, independent counsel David M. Barrett conceded that he was "not able to say with certainty whether any criminal laws were broken" by government officials in his inquiry of possible tax violations by Cisneros. But he alleged that officials in the Justice Department and Internal Revenue Service "resisted our efforts to investigate" the possibilities.
Henry Cisneros, right, with President Bill Clinton, was indicted on 18 felony charges but pleaded guilty in 1999 to a single misdemeanor of making false statements. Clinton eventually pardoned him. (By J. Scott Applewhite -- Associated Press)
The report itself does not appear to include clear evidence of obstruction, however. Many officials named in the investigation angrily denied Barrett's accusations in written rebuttals attached to the document.
"Mr. Barrett conjured up a far-fetched theory of a wide-reaching government conspiracy to justify prolonging his tenure for another six years," wrote Susan J. Park, a trial lawyer in the Justice Department's public integrity section. "He has nothing to show for his efforts. If Mr. Barrett is serious about exploring the issue of integrity, he should examine his own."
The investigation began in May 1995 after Cisneros's former mistress, Linda Medlar, accused him of lying to the FBI about money he gave her. Cisneros was eventually indicted on 18 felony charges but pleaded guilty in 1999 to a single misdemeanor of making false statements. He paid a $10,000 fine and was later pardoned by outgoing president Bill Clinton in January 2001.
Cheney says domestic surveillance vital
NEW YORK (AP) — Vice President Dick Cheney on Thursday defended the Bush administration's domestic surveillance program, saying it is an essential tool in monitoring al-Qaeda and other terrorist organizations.
Cheney speaks to the Manhattan Institute for Policy Research in New York City.
By Spencer Platt, Getty Images
But Cheney stressed that the program was limited and conducted in a way that safeguarded civil liberties.
"A spirit of debate is now underway, and our message to the American people is clear and straightforward: These actions are within the president's authority and responsibility under the Constitution and laws, and these actions are vital to our security," Cheney said at the Manhattan Institute, a conservative think tank.
Officials see no indication of impending terror attack
WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. has no plans to raise the security threat level because of a new tape of Osama bin Laden saying al-Qaeda is planning attacks, counterterrorism officials said Thursday.
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Going maybe where no other actor has gone before, "Star Trek" star William Shatner has sold a piece of his body for charity.
Shatner, famed for playing Captain James T. Kirk, commander of the starship U.S.S. Enterprise in the original "Star Trek" TV series, sold his kidney stone to online casino GoldenPalace.Com for $25,000. The money will be donated by Shatner to Habitat for Humanity to build houses for the poor.
But Shatner said it wasn't easy parting with a kidney stone, even if it had already left his body. He also said he would never sell unless he had visitation rights.
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Google Inc. has been subpoenaed by the U.S. Justice Department to turn over a database of search terms as part of a government probe of online pornography but Google rejected the demand as overreaching by the government.
In a Wednesday filing in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, the Justice Department demanded that Google provide all queries entered on the company's Web search system between June 1 and July 31 of last year.
The Justice Department includes a request for Google to produce a random sample of one million Web addresses, known as URLs.
The data request is part of a broader government effort to track the effectiveness of a 1998 law, the Child Online Protection Act, or COPA, which penalizes Web site operators who allow children to view pornography, the filing said.
A 2004 U.S. Supreme Court decision, Ashcroft vs ACLU, upheld an injunction that blocked the government from enforcing the law and the Justice Department is seeking evidence from Google and others as part of an appeal of this injunction.
The motion by U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzalez vs. Google details the negotiations between the government and Google's lawyers, who have resisted the request as overreaching, burdensome and a violation of trade secrets.
"Google is not a party to this lawsuit and their demand for information overreaches," Nicole Wong, Google's associate general counsel, said in a statement. "We had lengthy discussions with them to try to resolve this, but were not able to and we intend to resist their motion vigorously."
Maker of Frisbee, Hula Hoop sold to Hong Kong distributor
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Wham-O, the maker of vintage toys like the Frisbee, Slip'N Slide and Hula Hoop, has been sold to a Hong Kong distributor that's trying to build a one-stop shop for outdoor fun.
Kids demonstrate Hula Hoop techniques on Art Linkletter's House Party show in 1958.
AP file
Financial terms weren't disclosed, but Cornerstone Overseas Investment is paying less than the $80 million price that Wham-O's previous owners, the Charterhouse Group, sought when it put the toymaker on the sales block in 2004, said James Rybakoff, an investment banker representing Cornerstone.
The deal closed last week, but wasn't announced until Thursday.
Charterhouse paid $20 million to acquire Wham-O in 1997 and hired new management to revive a venerable toy line that had been neglected during the three years the company was owned by industry giant Mattel.
Purported bin Laden tape talks of attacks, truce
CAIRO (AP) — Al-Jazeera on Thursday broadcast portions of an audiotape purportedly from Osama bin Laden, saying al-Qaeda is making preparations for attacks in the United States but offering a possible truce to rebuild Iraq and Afghanistan.
The voice on the tape said heightened security in the United States is not the reason there have been no attacks there since the Sept. 11, 2001, suicide hijackings.
Instead, the reason is "because there are operations that need preparations," he said. (Related video: More on the tape)
"The delay in similar operations happening in America has not been because of failure to break through your security measures. But the operations are happening in Baghdad and you will see them here at home the minute they are through (with preparations), with God's permission," he said.
"Based on what I have said, it is better not to fight the Muslims on their land," he said. "We do not mind offering you a truce that is fair and long-term ... so we can build Iraq and Afghanistan. ... There is no shame in this solution because it prevents wasting of billions of dollars ... to merchants of war."
The speaker did not give conditions for a truce in the excerpts aired by Al-Jazeera.
There was no immediate confirmation of the tape's authenticity, although the voice resembled that of bin Laden's in previous messages.
It has been more than a year since the last confirmed message from bin Laden — the longest period without a video or audiotape from the al-Qaeda leader. The last audiotape purported to be from bin Laden was broadcast in December 2004 by Al-Jazeera. In that recording, he endorsed Abu-Musab al-Zarqawi as his deputy in Iraq and called for a boycott of Iraqi elections.
Al-Jazeera's editor-in-chief Ahmed al-Sheik would not comment on when or where the tape was received. He said the full tape was 10 minutes long. The station aired four excerpts with what it "considered newsworthy," he said, but would not say what was on the remainder.
Al-Sheik said the tape seemed to have been made "recently" but would not saw what led him to that conclusion.
Jan 17, 3:34 AM EST
Court Sides With Heir to Looted Nazi Art
By GILLIAN FLACCUS
Associated Press Writer
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Maria Altmann fondly remembers her family's five precious Gustav Klimt paintings - as well as the bitter series of events that took them away.
As a newlywed in Austria, Altmann was forced to watch as the Nazis seized power in 1938 and then stole the possessions of her wealthy Jewish family.
She and her husband - who had been detained in the Dachau concentration camp - eventually escaped to safety in America.
"My husband was in the concentration camp and everything was taken - but material values at the time didn't matter one bit. It was only after that it did matter."
Altmann, now 89, celebrated news Monday that an Austrian arbitration court had determined that the country is legally obligated to give her family back the paintings.
The Klimt paintings have been estimated to be worth at least $150 million and are considered national treasures by Austria.
"I tell you, frankly, I had a very good feeling the last few days. I had a very positive feeling, thinking things will go all right," said Altmann, reached by telephone at her home in Los Angeles. "I'm thrilled that it came to this end."
Though the court's ruling is nonbinding, both parties have previously said they will abide by it, and Austria's government is expected to give up the works of art that have been displayed for decades in Vienna's ornate Belvedere Castle.
Altmann's attorney, E. Randol Schoenberg, said it was too early to say exactly what would happen to the paintings in light of the court's ruling. He said Altmann has four siblings - two in Vancouver, British Columbia, one in Montreal and one in Alamo, Calif. - who are also heirs with claims to the artwork.
"We're going to see how things play out now. I don't exactly know what the next step is," he said. "They're going to have to decide that collectively and they haven't made that decision yet because it's a little too early."
The case stemmed from a 1998 Austrian law that required federal museums to review their holdings for any works seized by the Nazis and determine whether they were obtained without remuneration.
A formal announcement of the court decision, and Austrian government reaction, were expected Tuesday. The paintings' return would represent the costliest concession since Austria began returning valuable art objects looted by the Nazis.
One of the disputed paintings - the oil and gold-encrusted 1907 portrait "Adele Bloch-Bauer I" - is considered priceless. Altmann is the niece of Bloch-Bauer, who died in 1925. Her family commissioned the five works.
Lawyers for the two sides have fought since 1998 over rights to the famed portrait and four other paintings - a lesser-known Bloch-Bauer portrait as well as "Apfelbaum" ("Apple Tree"), "Buchenwald/Birkenwald ("Beech Forest/Birch Forest) and "Haeuser in Unterach am Attersee" (Houses in Unterach on Attersee Lake").
The two sides began mediation in March, following a U.S. Supreme Court decision that Altmann, a retired Beverly Hills clothing boutique operator, could sue the Austrian government.
Jane Kallir, co-director of New York City's Galerie St. Etienne, which introduced Klimt to the United States in 1959, calls the 1907 portrait "literally priceless." Stylistically similar to Klimt's world-renowned "The Kiss," the painting is replicated on T-shirts, cups and other souvenirs.
Increased Reserve, Re-up, and Career Bonuses Announced for 2006
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Huge Bonuses for 2006
With the signing of the 2006 National Defense Authorization Act, prior-service and active duty military servicemembers may be eligible for the following new or increased bonuses:
A $20,000 bonus for prior-service members who affiliate with the reserve.
A $10,000 bonus for those who join the reserve officer corps.
A $2,500 bonus for those who agree to transfer from one service to another.
An increase to $90,000 in the maximum Selective Re-enlistment Bonus for servicemembers (active duty and reserve) with critical skills.
A $1,000 finders fee for soldiers who refer a person who enlists and completes training in the Army, Army Reserve or National Guard.
A $5,000 signing bonus for ROTC Nursing Students.
The 2006 NDAA authorizes these increases, however it is still up to the specific services to determine how and when to implement them. Military.com will continue to update this information and implementation plans as they become available.
General Asserts Right On Self-Incrimination In Iraq Abuse Cases
By Josh White
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, January 12, 2006; Page A01
Maj. Gen. Geoffrey D. Miller, a central figure in the U.S. detainee-abuse scandal, this week invoked his right not to incriminate himself in court-martial proceedings against two soldiers accused of using dogs to intimidate captives at the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq, according to lawyers involved in the case.
The move by Miller -- who once supervised the U.S. detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and helped set up operations at Abu Ghraib -- is the first time the general has given an indication that he might have information that could implicate him in wrongdoing, according to military lawyers.
Army Maj. Gen. Geoffrey D. Miller headed prison facilities in Cuba and helped set up Abu Ghraib in Iraq. (By John Moore -- Associated Press)
Harvey Volzer, an attorney for one of the dog handlers, has been seeking to question Miller to determine whether Miller ordered the use of military working dogs to frighten detainees during interrogations at Abu Ghraib. Volzer has argued that the dog handlers were following orders when the animals were used against detainees.
Patriots Report
Paraphrased New England Patriots news and opinions all in one place for those who just don't have the time to find it all themselves.
Wednesday, January 11, 2006
10 count'em 10 reasons why you should have confidence in the Pats @ Denver
The Patriots are all saying the right things. It's tough to win at Denver because the team is good, not because of the altitude. If you listen to Belichick talk about the Broncos you'd think THEY were the 2 time defending Super Bowl Champions. Yes, they are a GOOD all around team, but they certainly can - and will be beat this Saturday night. Here's a look at 10 reasons why.
1- 3 of Denver's TD's in wk 6 were set up by the 3 big plays, two bombs and a long run. Belichick's not going to let 3 long plays happen this time around.
2- The 2 long passes and one TD pass were 'defended' by Starks. He's gone.
3- The writers in Denver proclaimed the wk 6 game as Plummer's best in his 3 seasons with the Broncos. Do you think he's likely to repeat that?
4- In wk 6 the D was without Seymour, Bruschi, Hobbs and Hawkins.
5- Chad Brown and Beisel were the Middle LB's. In watching the replay of the game last night, it was blatently obvious how out of position those two guys got themselves on running plays. They overpursued, and the Denver RB just cut back to where they should have been. Conversely,
re-watching last wks game, Beisel did better, but Vrabel was always in position, never letting an O lineman get to him, and filling the running lanes. Fred Taylor had 24 yds rushing.
6- In wk 6 the O was without Mankins (who was ejected in the 1st) Brown, Faulk and Dillon.
7- In wk 6 WITHOUT all those O players, the pats averaged 4.7 yds/carry and Brady threw for 300 yds.
8- The Pats with Brady are 6-0 when facing a team for the 2nd time in a season when the team beat them the first time around. They learn from their mistakes and correct them. I can give you the details on all six if you need them.
9- As one-sided as the wk 6 game was, the Pats were one drive away from tying the game. On that final drive, the Pats went 3 and out because of a drop from Branch and a drop from Givens. Both would have been for first downs. Brady has shown that he is VERY capable of 4th quarter comebacks, wouldn't you agree? Maybe they could have tied or even won the game without the drops.
10- The Broncos are good, but it appears that their schedule just all fell into place for them this season. Here's week1-16, you decide. They lost @ Miami, beat SD at home, (LT got the ball only 17 times) beat KC at home, (good win) won @ J'ville (they're real good) Scraped by Wash at home by 2, beat a depleted NE team at home, lost @ the Giants, beat up a beat up Eagles team
at home, won at shitty Oakland, beat the Jets at home, won at Dallas by 3 (the game the Dallas kicker missed all the FG's and got cut the next day) Lost @ KC, beat baltimore at home (they suck) won @ Buff (Bills were already thinking about tee times at that point in the season) Beat Oakland again, Won @ SD the week after SD was eliminated from the playoffs.
From where I'm standing, I'm not terribly impressed.
I'll give you one more reason, just in case the first 10 reasons aren't enough for you. Mike Shannahan has NEVER won a playoff game without a guy named Elway.
I hope this makes you feel better about Saturday night. I have no doubts at all that the Pats win this game, it's just a matter of figuring out by how much.
American Deaths
Since war began (3/19/03): 2210
WASHINGTON - In the 50 years that Grant Goodman has known and corresponded with a colleague in the Philippines he never had any reason to suspect that their friendship was anything but spectacularly ordinary.
But now he believes that the relationship has somehow sparked the interest of the Department of Homeland Security and led the agency to place him under surveillance.
Last month Goodman, an 81-year-old retired University of Kansas history professor, received a letter from his friend in the Philippines that had been opened and resealed with a strip of dark green tape bearing the words “by Border Protection” and carrying the official Homeland Security seal.
SAN ANTONIO, Texas (Reuters) - Military medical advances are keeping more soldiers alive in the Iraq War but also creating a growing pool of badly wounded veterans who will need expensive, long-term medical care, the U.S. secretary of Veteran Affairs said on Friday.
"We have cut fatalities a great deal and as a result of that we have people who are now seriously wounded who in previous wars would have been dead," Secretary Jim Nicholson in a visit with wounded soldiers at San Antonio's Brooke Army Medical Center.
"We need to provide and continue to provide these people with world class health care and we need to be there when they need it in the future."
More than 2,000 U.S. soldiers have died in Iraq and nearly 9,000 have been wounded, according to the Pentagon.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A report by a research arm of Congress on Friday concluded the administration's justification for eavesdropping authorized by President George W. Bush conflicts with existing law, the Washington Post reported on Saturday.
The Congressional Research Services report, the first nonpartisan findings on the program to date, rejects key assertions made by Bush and Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales about the president's authority to order the eavesdropping into telephone calls and e-mails, the paper wrote.
The 44-page CRS report said that Bush likely cannot claim the broad presidential powers he has relied upon as authority to order the secret monitoring of phone calls made by U.S. citizens since the fall of 2001.
A 1978 law, the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, forbids domestic spying on U.S. citizens without the approval of a special court. In the wake of the September 11 attacks, Bush secretly authorized the National Security Agency to intercept communications without court approval.
Critics of the administration warn that civil liberties could be jeopardized by government eavesdropping practices that avoid judicial oversight.
Wednesday, January 04, 2006
NBC changes official transcript of Andrea Mitchell interview, deletes reference to Bush possibly wiretapping CNN's Christane Amanpour
by John in DC - 1/04/2006 04:29:00 PM
Well this is getting interesting. NBC just delete two paragraphs from its Andrea Mitchell interview, the paragraphs that talked about whether Bush was wiretapping ace CNN correspondent Christiane Amanpour (kudos to Atrios for spotting this).
Here's what the NBC "official" transcript used to say (I copied this text from NBC's own page only 2 hours ago):
Mitchell: Do you have any information about reporters being swept up in this net?
Risen: No, I don't. It's not clear to me. That's one of the questions we'll have to look into the future. Were there abuses of this program or not? I don't know the answer to that
Mitchell: You don't have any information, for instance, that a very prominent journalist, Christiane Amanpour, might have been eavesdropped upon?
Risen: No, no I hadn't heard that.
Here's what it says now:
Mitchell: Do you have any information about reporters being swept up in this net?
Risen: No, I don't. It's not clear to me. That's one of the questions we'll have to look into the future. Were there abuses of this program or not? I don't know the answer to that
Mitchell: You are very, very tough on the CIA and the administration in general in both the war on terror and the run up to the war and the war itself Â? the post-war operation. Let's talk about the war on terror. Why do you think they missed so many signals and what do you think caused the CIA to have this sort of break down as you describe it?
Risen: I think that, you know, to me, the greater break down was really on Iraq. It's very difficult to have known ahead of time about these 19 hijackers. They were, you know, probably lucky that they got through and they did something that no one really assumed anybody would ever do. And I think that made 9/11 a lot like Pearl Harbor. That even when you see all the clues in front of you that it's very difficult to put it together.
Since when is NBC in the business of deleting entire paragraphs from their official transcripts? What's going on here?
Some Want to Allow Kids to Hunt Deer at 12
By DAVE KOLPACK
Associated Press Writer
FARGO, N.D. (AP) -- Jeffrey Sapa turned 14 years old just one week after the deer hunting season - a week too late for him to qualify for a hunting license.
His stepfather, Lee Bratlie, and other outdoor enthusiasts in North Dakota believe young hunters like Jeffrey should not have to wait so long to go on their first deer hunt. They want to lower the minimum age requirement for shooting big game from 14 years to 12 - a move they also say would help recruit young hunters.
"He's really disappointed and disgusted," said Bratlie, of Drayton. "He passed his hunter education class with flying colors, but he still has to wait another year."
North Dakota is one of four states that require deer gun hunters to be at least 14 years old. Two of those states, Michigan and Utah, are considering legislation to lower the age.
NEW ORLEANS (Reuters) - An international bus line launched tours of devastated sections of New Orleans on Wednesday, amid controversy over whether so-called disaster tourism would help, hurt or humiliate the hurricane-ravaged city.
Two sold-out Gray Line tour busses slowly prowled along the city's broken levees, through its rubble-strewn streets and past the heavily damaged Superdome where desperate residents took shelter when Hurricane Katrina hit on August 29 and most of the city flooded in the aftermath.
Plans for the "Hurricane Katrina - America's Worst Catastrophe" tour, at $35 per person, prompted debate over whether it is appropriate or exploitative to turn devastation into a tourist attraction.
Gray Line, which runs more than 150 tours around the world, plans to donate $3 of each New Orleans ticket to charity. The three-hour tour will run once a day, Wednesday through Sunday.
Bush to Give Up $6,000 In Abramoff Contributions
By Jonathan Weisman
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, January 5, 2006; Page A01
Republican Party officials said yesterday that President Bush will give up $6,000 in campaign contributions connected to disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff, joining an expansive list of politicians who have shed more than half a million dollars in tainted campaign cash.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Lobbyist Jack Abramoff's guilty plea in a U.S. corruption probe sent shock waves across Washington on Wednesday as top Republicans sought to avoid being tainted by the scandal and Democrats pressed the issue.
President George W. Bush, House of Representatives Speaker Dennis Hastert of Illinois and House Majority Leader Roy Blunt were among Republicans who donated to charities the campaign contributions they had received from Abramoff. Democrats said the issue would loom large in November's congressional elections.
Others said the investigation would bring needed discipline to a lobbying industry that has enjoyed a freewheeling culture and record earnings.
"A lot of the relationships around lobbying have been awfully loose and enforcement of existing laws has been fairly lax," said Doug Pinkham, president of the Public Affairs Council, a lobbying-industry trade group.
The Republican National Committee said Bush will return $6,000 that Abramoff, his wife and the Saginaw Chippewa Indian tribe, an Abramoff client, gave to Bush's 2004 re-election campaign. But the campaign doesn't plan to return more than $100,000 that Abramoff raised from friends and associates, spokeswoman Tracey Schmitt said.
Jack Abramoff used his Republican contacts to create an extensive pay-to-play system with Republican members of Congress where political money was used for policy outcomes
Turkey reports 1st bird flu deaths outside Far East
ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — A Turkish teenager whose brother died of bird flu also succumbed to the disease Thursday, a doctor said, as authorities tried to determine if the siblings had the worrisome H5N1 strain of the virus.
Abramoff Expected to Plead Guilty to 3 Felony Charges
By William Branigin and Fred Barbash
Washington Post Staff Writers
Tuesday, January 3, 2006; 10:39 AM
Former high-powered lobbyist Jack Abramoff is expected to plead guilty today to three felony charges in a Washington courtroom, a Justice Department spokesman said.
The plea deal opens the prospect that Abramoff could provide testimony about members of Congress and congressional staffers in a wide-ranging political corruption investigation focused on his lobbying activities.
U.S. Allies Reducing Troop Levels in Iraq
Associated Press | December 27, 2005
WARSAW, Poland - The U.S. coalition in Iraq saw its size dwindle Tuesday as Ukraine and Bulgaria said all of their troops had left the country while Poland said it would remain, but reduce its number of troops by 600 next year.
The Polish government's decision, which must be approved by President Lech Kaczynski, would be a boost for U.S. President George W. Bush, who has faced withering criticism at home and abroad over his handling of the Iraq war and the growing insurgency there.
Polish Prime Minister Kazimierz Marcinkiewicz said keeping troops there longer would support "the growing democratization of life" in Iraq after the country's constitutional referendum and parliamentary elections.
"We would like to gradually carry the pullout of Polish troops from Iraq, not in an abrupt way, but gradually," he told reporters in Warsaw. "Stabilization is taking place. The high turnout in the October referendum and a still higher turnout in the elections Dec. 15 - all this suggests that within two or three months there will be a government of national unity in place created by all the political forces in Iraq."
Marcinkiewicz conceded it was "a very difficult decision." The deployment, which has cost the lives of 17 Polish soldiers, is unpopular with the public.
Kaczynski, who took office last week, has until the end of the month to decide. As the armed forces' commander in chief, the president approves overseas military deployments.
His approval, however, was considered largely a formality due to his closeness to Marcinkiewicz' government. Kaczynski is a leading member of the prime minister's conservative party, Law and Justice, while the party's chairman is his twin brother, Jaroslaw Kaczynski.
Ukraine and Bulgaria, which had troops serving in Iraq under Polish command, both announced Tuesday that they had completed the withdrawal of their forces from Iraq.
Poland's own troop levels would be cut to 900 from about 1,500 in March, the deputy defense minister, Gen. Stanislaw Koziej, said. The soldiers will focus on advising and training Iraqi security forces, he added.
Marcinkiewicz said the decision also came upon appeals from U.S. leaders, and considering the United Nations Security Council's extension last summer of its mission in Iraq.
Ukraine's defense ministry said Tuesday that its last troops had left Iraq, fulfilling a long-planned withdrawal pledged by President Viktor Yushchenko.
A column of eight armored personnel carriers and 44 soldiers had left the country and arrived in Kuwait, the statement said. Ukraine had kept 867 soldiers in Iraq after partial pullouts earlier this year. By Friday, all are due back in Ukraine, where the deployment has been unpopular.