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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Malawi 's decision to reject pop star Madonna 's adoption of a local child has reignited global debate about the ethics of international adoption . Author Melissa Fay Greene poses with her family , which includes biological and adopted children . Some international aid groups have praised the decision as best for the child , a 4-year-old girl named Chifundo James . `` I think it really highlights the bigger picture that there are so many children living in poverty in Malawi , and while Madonna has good intentions ... children would be better off staying in their own communities whenever possible , '' said Karen Hansen-Kuhn , policy director for ActionAid USA , a development group that also works in Malawi . `` We really need to stay focused on the needs of Malawi and of all the children there , '' she added . To get another perspective on the situation , CNN also talked with Melissa Fay Greene , an author and mother of five adopted children . Greene , who lives in Atlanta , Georgia , is the mother of four biological children , four children adopted from Ethiopia and one adopted child from Bulgaria . The following is an edited transcript of that conversation : . CNN : What 's your initial reaction to the news that Madonna 's adoption of a Malawian child has been rejected ? Greene : Surprise . ... It was awfully tricky with Madonna 's first adoption , when the child turned out to have devoted family members nearby . -LSB- The singer 's adoption of a Malawian boy was finalized last year . -RSB- And if that 's true with this child also , it seems a similar sticky situation . That 's not the situation for the majority of orphanage children around the world , who do n't have caring grandparents or aunts and uncles a short walk or bike ride away . I think it gives people an odd perspective on what international adoption can mean for children who do n't have any support network outside the walls of an orphanage . You often hear attacks on international adoption as robbing a child of his or her culture , and that 's both true and false . It 's true that an internationally adopted child loses the rich background of history and religion and culture and language that the child was born into , but the cruel fact is that most children do n't have access to the local , beautiful culture within an orphanage . ... There 's a culture in orphanages that children are eager to escape from , and it 's a culture of being reared as a group and not being doted upon by parents . For any child , that 's the bottom line . The fact is that a human child wants that mommy or daddy or both . We 're just wired to want that and to need that . And there 's no way an institutional setting can give a human baby what the child needs . It 's impossible . So you have to balance priorities . ... I think what some of the human rights group say is absolutely accurate : that international adoption does not begin to solve the problems of the world 's orphaned children . It 's truly not the answer . ... At the same time , international adoption , even though it does n't solve the whole problem , it solves a problem for a few . I think it can be a brilliant solution to the problem of adults wanting a child in their lives or wanting more children in their lives and the problem of children who want parents in their lives . CNN : How is it different for a celebrity person seeking an -LSB- international -RSB- adoption than for yourself ? Greene : We do n't jet in , take a child and fly out with a child . For an average citizen trying to adopt , it takes most of a year . First of all , you work with a country that already has international adoption regulations in place , so you have a bureaucracy dealing with international adoption . A big part of that is determining that the child is a true orphan , that there is no one who can care for the child . And in the case of our older kids ' adoptions , people had to come to court to testify that there was no one to take the children . So you do n't run the risk of ` Oh , whoops , there 's a grandmother down the street . ' ... CNN : There 's been some chatter today online questioning why a person would n't adopt an orphaned child from their own country . Greene : Within the adoption world , it 's a non-issue . There are children all over the world who need families , and some find their children in Philadelphia , and some find their children in Bulgaria , you know ? ... It 's just outsiders who look on and judge disapprovingly , but then they do n't go on to adopt the neighborhood children , right ? ... There are many children who need help , and anyone who wants to reach out and adopt a child from foster care or from a Russian orphanage should reach out and do it . CNN : What has the experience been like for your own foster children ? Greene : We 're a white Jewish family in Atlanta , but Atlanta is a major city for eastern African immigrants . So our children are in touch with the Ethiopian diaspora , and they feel very much a part of that . Atlanta is full of Ethiopian restaurants , markets , festivals . For a while , my kids were playing on weekends with an Ethiopian soccer league . I have an Ethiopian baby sitter who speaks to them only in Amharic so they wo n't lose their language , and we always have Ethiopian food here . Two years ago , we went back to Ethiopia with the kids and had a big reunion for one of my sons and his extended family ... We just consider ourselves sort of part of this amazing bicontinental family . CNN : The first time you adopted internationally , can you tell me what your ethical considerations were and how you worked through that personally ? Greene : Our first adoption was of a boy in rural Bulgaria . An incredibly poor orphanage . The kids were hungry , thirsty , no education . I first met our son , Jesse , when he was 4 . He was 4 years old , and he did not know what his own name was ... When he first came , he was just so anxious about food . When he would wake up , he was just shaking , wondering if there was going to be enough food . So I started waking him up with food . He had issues with water . He was n't sure if there was going to be enough water to drink , so I bought him a little canteen so he could wear his water all of the time . Do I have ethical issues about taking him out of that orphanage ? I do n't . CNN : Is there anything else you wanted to add ? Greene : I admire Madonna . And I do n't understand why everyone attacks Madonna . I think that she is in part trying to raise the world 's consciousness about the African orphan crisis . You know , 95 percent of the children orphaned by AIDS -LSB- globally -RSB- are in sub-Saharan Africa . You do n't hear world leaders talking about it . Where is the global outrage ? ... So , into the breach steps a celebrity . But do n't attack her for it , you know . Maybe her methods are not what ours would be , but how many of us are Madonna ? But at least she is out there ; she 's creating a school . Obviously , she 's fallen in love with the Malawian children to such an extent she wants to make some of them her own . And I think that it 's great . I just do n't understand why the world 's attacking her . Let other people step forth and do something . At least she 's trying . That 's my feeling . | Malawian judge rejects Madonna 's request to adopt a 4-year-old girl . Move reignites debate about the ethics of international adoption . Some aid groups say children are best left in their home countries . A mother of 5 adopted kids says adoption can be a `` brilliant solution '' for some . | [[19, 25], [38, 93], [1252, 1311], [0, 15], [94, 166], [538, 603], [952, 975]] |
LOS ANGELES , California -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Farrah Fawcett has been hospitalized in the latest stage of her battle against cancer , a producer working with the actress said Monday . Farrah Fawcett , shown here in 2004 , was first diagnosed with cancer in 2006 . `` She is not unconscious , she is not unresponsive , and she is not comatose , '' Craig Nevius told CNN . He added that Fawcett `` is surrounded by family and friends . '' She `` has a real iron will '' and is `` a fighter , '' he said . Nevius has been working with the 62-year-old on a documentary about her fight with cancer . Earlier , he told People magazine that Fawcett had checked into `` a Los Angeles hospital . '' Fawcett was diagnosed in 2006 . People magazine reported that she has anal cancer . Early in 2007 , Fawcett said she was told her cancer had gone into remission . Her official Web site has posts from February , 2007 celebrating the news . But the cancer returned later that year . Fawcett was a model best known for bit parts and commercials , and as `` Six Million Dollar Man '' actor Lee Majors ' wife , when she shot a best-selling pinup poster in early 1976 at the behest of a Cleveland , Ohio , company called Pro Arts . Photographer Bruce McBroom placed Fawcett -- then known as Farrah Fawcett-Majors -- in the Indian blanket-draped front seat of his 1937 Chevy and snapped away . The poster , with Fawcett 's million-dollar smile front and center and right nipple obvious through the fabric of her red bathing suit , became a sensation . Soon after the photo shoot , Fawcett was asked to join the cast of a new Aaron Spelling TV show , `` Charlie 's Angels , '' about a trio of female detectives who work for a mysterious man named Charlie . Fawcett , who played Jill Munroe , was the last to be cast -- co-star Kate Jackson was the known name at the time -- but , thanks to her poster , Fawcett became the series ' breakout star . The highly rated TV series kicked off what came to be known as `` jiggle TV , '' series full of young actresses who appeared in bikinis at the drop of a hat . `` Denunciations of ` massage parlor television ' and ` voyeurism ' only brought more viewers to the screen , to see what the controversy was about , '' wrote Tim Brooks and Earle Marsh in their exhaustive reference , `` The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows . '' `` Charlie 's Angels '' turned out to be a huge hit , and shows ranging from the sitcom `` Three 's Company '' to the drama `` Baywatch '' owe the show a debt . Fawcett did n't stay with `` Angels '' long . At the end of the first season , unhappy with her contract , she left the show , replaced by Cheryl Ladd . Fawcett 's career stagnated for a time after `` Charlie 's Angels , '' as she appeared in a handful of forgettable films and divorced Majors . But her career received a major boost with her starring role in `` The Burning Bed , '' a 1984 made-for-television movie co-starring Paul LeMat . In the film , Fawcett played an abused wife who sets fire to her husband 's bed as he lies sleeping . Fawcett received an Emmy nomination for her performance . Around that time , Fawcett became romantically involved with actor Ryan O'Neal , with whom she had a son , Redmond , in 1985 . Redmond O'Neal was arrested Sunday morning for narcotics possession . In recent years , Fawcett has appeared sporadically in the public eye . She posed nude for Playboy in 1995 . In 1997 , she appeared on `` The Late Show with David Letterman , '' an interview that became notorious for Fawcett 's apparent incoherence . She later said she was just having fun with Letterman . She reunited with her `` Charlie 's Angels '' co-stars , Jackson and Jaclyn Smith , for an awards-show appearance in 2006 . Fawcett has been making a documentary , `` A Wing and a Prayer , '' for NBC about her cancer battle . `` She is an icon , and you do n't become an icon by being weak , '' Nevius said Monday . `` All you have to do is look back at her 30-year-plus career to see that she is not somebody that has ever stepped down or backed down from a challenge of any kind . '' | NEW : Farrah Fawcett not unconscious , unresponsive or comatose , says producer . Actress in Los Angeles hospital battling cancer . Actress diagnosed with disease in 2006 ; after remission , cancer recurred in 2007 . Fawcett best known for 1970s pinup poster , role in `` Charlie 's Angels '' TV series . | [[132, 181], [44, 129], [182, 196], [230, 261], [603, 684], [182, 196], [220, 229], [240, 261], [182, 196], [230, 261], [688, 719], [931, 968]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Google 's ambitious plan to offer a 3-D street level view of communities across three continents hit a snag when angry residents of a UK village blocked the search engine 's camera car from photographing their homes . Broughton , can be seen from the air on Google Earth , but not from the ground . Fearing the appearance of their well appointed properties on the Web site would attract criminals scouting for burglary targets , villagers in Broughton , north of London , summoned the police after spotting the car . `` I was upstairs when I spotted the camera car driving down the lane , '' resident Paul Jacobs told The Times of London . `` My immediate reaction was anger : How dare anyone take a photograph of my home without my consent ? I ran outside to flag the car down and told the driver he was not only invading our privacy but also facilitating crime . `` This is an affluent area . We 've already had three burglaries locally in the past six weeks . If our houses are plastered all over Google it 's an invitation for more criminals to strike . I was determined to make a stand , so I called the police . '' Google 's Street View project to map 360-degree images of roads and homes across the world has generated numerous complaints over privacy , despite automated software that blurs faces and car licence plates . A Google spokesman , quoted by the UK Press Association , said : `` Embarking on new projects , we sometimes encounter unexpected challenges , and Street View has been no exception . `` We know that some people are uncomfortable with images of their houses or cars being included in the product , which is why we provide an easy way to request removal of imagery . Most imagery requests are processed within hours . '' The spokesman added : `` We take privacy very seriously , and we were careful to ensure that all images in our Street View service abide by UK law . '' | Villagers in Broughton summoned police after Google car arrived . Residents say the Street View service will help burglars scout targets . Google says it is n't breaking any laws . | [[0, 15], [116, 236], [448, 470], [491, 535], [318, 445]] |
WASHINGTON -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The Supreme Court has blocked the imminent release of dozens of sex offenders who have served their federal sentences after the Obama administration claimed many of them remain `` sexually dangerous . '' The Supreme Court has blocked the release of sex offenders after claims they remain dangerous . Chief Justice John Roberts on Friday ordered that the men be kept in custody while the case works its way through a federal appeals court , which had ruled as many as 77 North Carolina inmates should be released , some as early as next week . At issue is whether the government has the power to indefinitely detain prisoners who have served their sentences but could pose a public threat upon release . Such laws are known as `` civil commitments . '' The Justice Department filed papers with the high court Friday , asking that any release be put on hold until the justices have more time to consider the larger legal issues raised in their appeal . Such an early release `` would pose a significant risk to the public and constitute a significant harm to the interest of the United States , '' wrote Solicitor General Elena Kagan , who took office this month . The Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act passed by Congress in 2006 included a provision allowing indefinite confinement of sex offenders . A federal appeals court in Richmond , Virginia , ruled lawmakers had overstepped their authority , prompting the emergency appeal to the Supreme Court . The law was named after the son of `` America 's Most Wanted '' host John Walsh . The boy was kidnapped and murdered by a suspected child molester in 1981 . Four inmates brought suit against the law . They were serving sentences of up to eight years for sexual abuse of a minor or possessing child pornography . Their detention was to have ended two years ago , but corrections officials and prosecutors determined they remained a risk for further sexually deviant behavior if freed . The inmates argued such continued imprisonment violates their constitutional right of due process . The justices ' actions means the men remain behind bars for now . The case is U.S. v. Comstock -LRB- 08A863 -RRB- . | As many as 77 North Carolina inmates are scheduled to be released . Obama administration claims many of them remain `` sexually dangerous '' The men must remain in jail for now . | [[436, 469], [476, 522], [494, 541], [544, 548], [91, 107], [112, 206], [154, 230], [330, 467], [2077, 2142], [2106, 2142]] |
KABUL , Afghanistan -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- NATO-led troops killed 12 insurgents in a firefight Friday in Afghanistan , and a civilian caught in the crossfire was apparently killed by militants , NATO 's International Security Assistance Force said . U.S. Marines fire 120mm mortars on Taliban positions on April 3 in Now Zad in Helmand province , Afghanistan . The incident occurred south of Kabul in the eastern Afghan province of Logar , when Afghan security forces and ISAF troops were conducting an operation . It comes as NATO members meet in Europe to discuss the fight against the Taliban and al Qaeda in Afghanistan and Pakistan , and as human rights groups this week urged NATO and the U.S. military to avoid civilian casualties and develop a well-coordinated condolence payment system for civilians victimized in the war . Troops saw a large group of insurgents placing a roadside bomb . The militants retreated to a compound and attacked ISAF troops with small arms . Troops surrounded the compound and urged them to surrender peacefully after it was cordoned off . It also asked the people in the compound to release women and children but no civilians left . Troops assaulted the compound and 12 male insurgents were killed in gunfire . Troops found one woman who was killed in the crossfire by insurgent small arms fire , ISAF said . An investigation is being conducted by Afghan National Security Forces at the site . Initial indications show that the woman was killed by insurgent small arms fire . Eight AK47 rifles , two rocket propelled grenade launchers , several rocket canisters , 82mm mortars , and two heavy machine guns were found in the compound . `` ANSF and ISAF are making significant progress against insurgent groups in Logar province who are involved in murdering civilians with IEDs , '' said Brig. Gen. Richard Blanchette , ISAF spokesman . `` Today 's firefight illustrates the difference between ISAF troops who risk their lives to protect civilians , and insurgents who deliberately and tragically place civilians at risk . '' Also , ISAF reported the death of a soldier from the NATO-led force Friday in eastern Afghanistan . The soldier died of wounds and another was injured after what was described as a `` hostile incident . '' `` On behalf of the men and women of the International Security Assistance Force , I offer our heartfelt condolences to the loved ones of the brave soldier killed , and our support to the soldier wounded in this incident , '' Blanchette said . `` As we recognize their sacrifice in our battle against a vicious insurgency , we will continue supporting the Afghan National Security Forces so that the Afghan people reap the tangible benefits of peace in their day-to-day lives . '' Overnight in the southern Afghan province of Helmand , troops killed four militants in an operation targeting a mid-level Taliban commander responsible for attacks against Afghan civilians and coalition forces . The commander directed attacks in December in Musa Qala , including one that killed 12 Afghan civilians . | Afghan forces investigating death of woman caught in crossfire of gunbattle . NATO says 12 militants also died in the battle in Logar province . NATO said initial indications are the woman was killed by militants . | [[119, 153], [119, 129], [154, 188], [1246, 1329], [1344, 1428], [1429, 1510], [1454, 1510], [8, 112], [1198, 1245], [119, 129], [154, 188], [1246, 1329], [1429, 1510], [1454, 1510]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Artillery shells slammed into a hospital Sunday in the northern Sri Lankan district of Mullaittivu , where civilians -- including a growing number of children -- are being treated as government forces and Tamil rebels continue to clash . A Sri Lankan soldier walks through Mullaittivu , the former military headquarters of the Tamil rebels . More than 200 civilians and at least 30 children have been injured in the last three days of fighting , a relief worker told CNN Sunday . `` That is the absolute minimum -LRB- number of injured -RRB- , '' the aid worker , who did not want to be identified for fear of jeopardizing the work of relief organizations , said . Government officials are accusing aid organizations and foreign media of sensationalizing civilian casualties . `` It looks as if it 's convenient for certain agencies to exaggerate the numbers so that this can be converted to a humanitarian crisis in the public eye , '' Secretary of Foreign Affairs Dr. Palitha Kohona told CNN . On Sunday , Sri Lankan Defense Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa promised to `` continue with the military offensive until we liberate the remaining area under LTTE -LRB- the rebel group -RRB- control , '' according to Sri Lanka 's state-run news agency . Watch a report on civilians caught in fighting '' A `` handful '' of United Nations staff are working around the clock to save a growing number of children caught in the crossfire , a U.N. spokesman said Saturday . Children as young as 4 months old were being treated in local hospitals for shrapnel injuries and other `` wounds of war , '' spokesman James Elder told CNN . `` There is just intense fighting in a small area where children and other civilians are , '' Elder said . `` The space -LRB- where conflict is taking place -RRB- is shrinking and the fighting is augmenting . '' Thursday , U.N. aid workers rescued 50 critically injured children and 105 adults , he said . `` We are trying to get as many people out of there as we can , '' Elder said . Humanitarian groups say as many as 250,000 unprotected civilians are trapped in the area . Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa has promised to allow safe passage to trapped civilians and urged the Tamil Tigers to promise the same . `` We have declared a safe zone for civilians , the coordinates of which were announced by the security forces , '' Rajapaksa said on his government 's Web site . `` It is unfortunate that the -LRB- Tamil Tiger group -RRB- is exploiting this declared safe zone for civilians by placing their heavy artillery within the safe zone and using it as a launching pad to attack security forces and indiscriminately kill civilians . '' The fighting has created a `` nightmarish '' situation for civilians in the conflict zone , Elder said . An emerging shortage of humanitarian supplies and diminished access to clean water , sanitation , and food are compounding a crisis , he said . Sunday , Sri Lankan soldiers seized a key rebel stronghold in a surprise attack deep in Tamil held territory . Troops crossed a lagoon and entered the town of Mullaittivu before encountering heavy resistance from Tamil fighters , according to the government-run news agency . The The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam -LRB- LTTE -RRB- -- commonly known as the Tamil Tigers -- have fought for an independent homeland for the country 's ethnic Tamil minority since 1983 . The civil war has left more than 70,000 people dead . | Sri Lankan hospital hit by artillery shells . Children young as 4 months treated in local hospitals for shrapnel injuries . Aid workers rescue 50 critically injured children and 105 adults . Sri Lankan President has promised to allow safe passage to trapped civilians . | [[0, 15], [36, 117], [120, 177], [181, 229], [1481, 1574], [361, 462], [1852, 1860], [1863, 1933], [2117, 2238]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- A large ice shelf is `` imminently '' close to breaking away from part of the Antarctic Peninsula , scientists said Friday . Scientists are investigating whether the ice breakup is caused by global climate change . Satellite images released by the European Space Agency on Friday show new cracks in the Wilkins Ice Shelf where it connects to Charcot Island , a piece of land considered part of the peninsula . The cracks are quickly expanding , the ESA said . Scientists are investigating the causes for the breakups and whether it is linked to global climate change . The Wilkins Ice Shelf -- a large mass of floating ice -- would still be connected to Latady Island , which is also part of the peninsula , and Alexander Island , which is not , said professor David Vaughan , a glaciologist at the British Antarctic Survey . The ice shelf experienced a great amount of changes last year , the ESA said . In February 2008 , the shelf dropped 164 square miles -LRB- 425 square kilometers -RRB- of ice . In May it lost a 62-square-mile chunk . That meant the `` bridge '' of ice connecting Wilkins to the islands was just 984 yards wide at its narrowest location , the ESA said . Further rifts developed in October and November , said Angelika Humbert of the Institute of Geophysics at Germany 's Muenster University . `` During the last year the ice shelf has lost about 1800 square kilometers -LRB- 694 square miles -RRB- , or about 14 percent of its size , '' Humbert said . Antarctica 's ice sheet was formed over thousands of years by accumulated and compacted snow . Along the coast , the ice gradually floats on the sea , forming massive ledges known as ice shelves , the ESA says . Several of these ice shelves , including seven in the past 20 years , have retreated and disintegrated . The Wilkins Ice Shelf had been stable for most of the past century before it began retreating in the 1990s . `` It had been there almost unchanged since the first expeditions which mapped it back in the 1930s , so it had a very long period of real stability , and it 's only in the last decade that it 's started to retreat , '' Vaughan said . Wilkins is the size of the state of Connecticut , or about half the area of Scotland . It is the largest ice shelf on the Antarctic Peninsula yet to be threatened . If the ice shelf breaks away from the peninsula , it will not cause a rise in sea level because it is already floating , scientists say . Some plants and animals may have to adapt to the collapse . The Antarctic Peninsula is the piece of the continent that stretches toward South America . | A large Antarctic ice shelf is cracking and may break away . Scientists are investigating whether or not climate change is to blame . Satellite photos show cracks in the Wilkins Ice Shelf . The ice sheet formed over thousands of years by accumulated snow . | [[234, 339], [2249, 2297], [2302, 2320], [144, 233], [173, 233], [540, 587], [234, 339], [1495, 1589], [1495, 1518], [1554, 1568], [1495, 1518], [1573, 1589]] |
NAIROBI , Kenya -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- George Obama , the half brother of U.S. President Barack Obama , told CNN on Sunday that he was released from a Kenyan jail hours after his arrest on suspicion of marijuana possession . George Obama was arrested in Kenya on suspicion of marijuana possession , according to police . Kenyan police did not confirm whether George Obama was still in their custody . Obama spoke to CNN from his cell phone , and a relative also said he was released . He said he was arrested on Saturday and released later that day . Obama was arrested on suspicion of possession of cannabis , known in Kenya as bhang , and resisting arrest , Inspector Augustine Mutembei said . He was held at Huruma police post in Kenya 's capital , Nairobi , and scheduled to appear in court Monday , Mutembei said . But Obama told CNN all charges against him were dropped . Police would not comment on that . Speaking from behind bars on Saturday , Obama denied the allegations . `` They took me from my home , '' he said . `` I do n't know why they are charging me . '' George Obama and the president barely know each other , though they have met . George Obama was one of the few people closely related to the president who did not attend the inauguration in Washington . In his memoir , `` Dreams from My Father , '' Barack Obama describes meeting George as a `` painful affair . '' His trip to Kenya meant meeting family he had never known . CNN tracked down George Obama in August 2008 and found him at a small house in Huruma , a Nairobi slum , where he lives with his mother 's extended family . His birth certificate shows he is Barack Obama 's half brother . The two men share the same Kenyan father . In the memoir , Barack Obama struggles to reconcile with his father after he left him and his mother when he was a child . Barack Obama Sr. died in a car accident when George was 6 months old . And like his half brother , George hardly knew his father . George was his father 's last child and had not been aware of his famous half brother until he rose to prominence in the Democratic primaries last year . Unlike his grandmother in Kogela , in western Kenya , George Obama received little attention from the media until reports about him surfaced in August 2008 . The reports sprung from an Italian Vanity Fair article saying George Obama lived in a shack and was `` earning less than a dollar a day . '' The reports left George Obama angry . `` I was brought up well . I live well even now , '' he said . `` The magazines , they have exaggerated everything . `` I think I kind of like it here . There are some challenges , but maybe it is just like where you come from , there are the same challenges , '' Obama said . Obama , who is in his mid-20s , said at the time that he was learning to become a mechanic and was active in youth groups in Huruma . He said he tries to help the community as much as he can . | George Obama says he 's out of jail , that charges against him have been dropped . Kenyan police wo n't confirm George Obama 's statements . George Obama was arrested in Kenya on suspicion of marijuana possession . Man is half-brother of U.S. President Barack Obama . | [[820, 873], [874, 908], [0, 7], [10, 31], [100, 220], [221, 292], [547, 604], [1603, 1667], [1631, 1667]] |
LOS ANGELES , California -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Heidi Newfield goes into Sunday 's Academy of Country Music Awards with five nominations . It 's more than any other female , but she still considers herself the dark horse -- and in many ways , she is , especially since she 's up for top female vocalist against such heavyweights as Carrie Underwood and Taylor Swift . Heidi Newfield says she considers herself an underdog at Sunday 's Academy of Country Music Awards . For 10 years , Newfield was the lead singer of the honky-tonk trio Trick Pony . Her soulful debut solo album , `` What Am I Waiting for , '' was released in August to stellar reviews -- many from critics who scoffed at the high-energy antics of her former band . If you spend any time with the petite blonde from Northern California , you 're struck by how many times she says , `` Please '' and `` Thank you . '' There 's a smile for everyone -- waiters , doormen , cameramen -- and she steers conversation away from herself to ask how others are doing . Newfield is a nice girl . But her life changed when a fellow musician told her to stop being so nice , as she revealed in the following interview with CNN : Watch Newfield talk about her nominations '' CNN : What went through your head when you received five nominations for this year 's Academy of Country Music Awards ? Heidi Newfield : I thought one or two would be so fabulous , that would be so great . And they kept calling my name , and you know , I wo n't lie -- I 'm going to tell on my husband -- the tears started flowing , and we were just really happy . All the hard work , all the time , and all the road -- and just the experience over time starts to play back in your mind , just like a movie.This is a really special time . CNN : Was it validation that leaving Trick Pony was the right thing to do ? Newfield : People tell you , `` You ca n't do this . '' You know in country music oftentimes it does not work when a front person leaves a group . In other genres -- pop , rock , hip-hop and rap -- people can leave all the time and do amazing things on their own . Beyonce , Justin Timberlake , Sting -- there 's a gazillion people . But in country , we have that tight-knit , almost family relationship with our fans , so when you change something up , they do n't always like that very much . CNN : Did you feel guilty about leaving Trick Pony ? Newfield : No , not an ounce of guilt . I left Trick Pony with my head held high . I felt like I left with total dignity and class , and I did n't leave anybody hanging . I fulfilled every obligation , no matter how hard it was -- and it was hard . There was a lot of drama , and they were n't exactly happy with me . I do n't mind saying this , but it was miserable the last several months . But my intuition was saying it 's time to make a change . So did I stay too long ? I do n't know . I mean , everything happens for a reason . Had I left three years ago , maybe I would n't have been the same person I am today . CNN : John Popper from Blues Traveler kind of gave you a kick in the pants . Newfield : Oh , I love Poppy ! We talk all the time , I kid you not . John was on a USO tour with us for 2 1/2 weeks , so we got to know each other really well . Every night , he would come on stage and do a -LSB- harmonica -RSB- number with me . On the last night of the tour , we were in Germany , and we were at this pub , and Poppy said to me , `` You love this , and it 's clear you 're a musician -- but you need to learn to stop being so nice . You need to speak your mind and step up and step up for yourself . '' His actual words were , `` When you learn to be a b -- , '' that 's what he told me . And I thought , `` Well , my philosophy is I do n't think you ever , ever , ever have to be a diva or a prima donna to make it to a certain level . '' I think you can always treat people with respect and be nice , and I always plan on doing that . But what he said was right . When you start to believe in yourself , that 's when there 's no limit to what you can do . CNN : Your debut solo album , `` What Am I Waiting for , '' shows a lot of growth . It 's much more introspective and mature , whereas Trick Pony 's music was brash and not as multidimensional . Newfield : When my producer Tony Brown and I first sat down to talk about making this album , one of the first things that came out of his mouth was , `` We have to show people who you really are . We need to cut songs , and you need to explore parts of your vocals that you never got a change to showcase . '' All the ACM nominations are validation that we are on the path to doing just that and being taken seriously as an artist -- as a singer , as a songwriter and as a musician . We made a record that made people say , `` Hey , this girl can sing . '' And that 's what I had always hoped . CNN : Still , it 's a building process , and in a lot of ways , you 're starting from scratch . Newfield : At this one fair that I went to , they had my name spelled H-e-d-y instead of H-e-i-d-i . Hedy Newfield . And I thought , `` Oh , that 's just great . '' And , of course , you go up to the promoter and say , `` Come on , hook a sister up here . '' So we 're fixing that . CNN : Of the five awards you 're up for at the ACMs , you have to be most thrilled about top female vocalist . -LSB- Newfield is up against Underwood , Swift , Lee Ann Womack and Miranda Lambert . -RRB- . Newfield : I 'm the biggest dark horse ever . I 'm the big underdog , but I like to be the underdog . I hope the makeup 's rockin ' . I hope I look good at that moment when they call out , `` Carrie Underwood . '' | Heidi Newfield is up for five Academy of Country Music Awards . Newfield pursuing solo career after being lead singer of Trick Pony . Singer does n't want to be a diva but takes advice about not being so nice . | [[44, 134], [1229, 1342], [5240, 5282], [465, 477], [480, 544], [1051, 1121], [3494, 3535]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Johanna Sigurdardottir was sworn in as Iceland 's prime minister on Sunday , becoming the world 's first openly gay premier and the first woman to take the post in Iceland . Johanna Sigurdardottir is a former flight attendant and union leader . Sigurdardottir , 66 , took office less than a week after the Cabinet resigned amid fallout from Iceland 's financial collapse . A former flight attendant who entered politics via the union movement , Sigurdardottir was minister of social affairs and social security in the outgoing Cabinet , which resigned Monday . Iceland has been in political turmoil since October , when its currency , stock market and leading banks collapsed amid the global financial crisis . The island nation 's Nordic neighbors sent billions of dollars to prop up the economy , as did the International Monetary Fund in its first intervention to support a Western European democracy in decades . But weekly demonstrations -- some verging on riots -- finally forced Prime Minister Geir Haarde and his coalition to resign en masse on January 26 . The country 's president turned to the Social Democratic Alliance party to form a new government , and they selected Sigurdardottir to lead it . She has been a member of Iceland 's Parliament for 30 years , and was in her second stint as minister of social affairs . She started her career as a flight attendant for the airline that became IcelandAir . She was active in the flight attendants ' labor union during her 11 years with the airline , according to her official resume . She briefly led her own political party , which merged with other center-left parties to form the Alliance party . Sigurdardottir is Iceland 's first female prime minister , although not the North Atlantic nation 's first female head of state -- Vigdis Finnbogadottir became its fourth president in 1980 . Sigurdardottir lists author and playwright Jonina Leosdottir , 54 , as her spouse on her ministry Web site . She has two children from an earlier marriage . Her prime ministership may be short-lived . The government she is forming is only due to last until the next elections , which must take place by May and could be held in April . A statement posted by the new government on Iceland 's Web site promised elections `` as soon as circumstances allow , '' and said the interim government `` will base itself on a very prudent and responsible policy in economic and fiscal matters . '' The statement added that the government will treat as priorities `` the principles of sustainable development , women 's rights , equality and justice . '' Stonewall , a leading British gay and lesbian rights group , welcomed Sigurdardottir 's appointment as a milestone . `` It really does matter . It is helpful '' to have an openly gay prime minister , said Gary Nunn , a Stonewall spokesperson . `` We are trying to foster the ambition that young people can be anything they want to be . '' | NEW : Johanna Sigurdardottir sworn in Sunday . Sigurdardottir was social affairs minister in outgoing Cabinet . Predecessor Haarde resigned after the collapse of Iceland 's main banks . She has been a member of Iceland 's Parliament for 30 years . | [[0, 9], [19, 93], [464, 553], [264, 278], [286, 391], [1230, 1289]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Parts of the Texas town of Wheeler were evacuated Saturday as strong , shifting winds fanned wildfires that had already destroyed three buildings , law enforcement officials said . Wildfires in the Texas panhandle are being fed by sustained winds of about 40 mph . Two homes and one business had been burned down by a fire that had grown to engulf about 8,000 acres by Saturday night , said Lewis Kearney , a spokesman for Texas emergency services . Another 12 homes had been damaged , and 300 homes and 60 business were threatened , according to a report from state emergency officials . The heavy winds -- sustained at about 40 mph with gusts up to 60 mph -- were making it hard for helicopters and other firefighting vehicles to battle the blaze , Kearney said . Further complicating matters were three other smaller fires , about 100 acres each , elsewhere in the state that had already stretched emergency resources . There were no immediate reports of injuries in the Wheeler fire . About 200 residents of the town of about 1,400 people on the eastern edge of the Texas panhandle were evacuated Saturday , state officials reported . The fire was believed to have started at about 4 p.m. ET Saturday , according to the state report . | NEW : Wind-driven fire had grown to 8,000 acres Saturday night . Two homes and one business destroyed , hundreds threatened in Wheeler . Wind gusts up to 60 mph hampered helicopters and other firefighting vehicles . | [[0, 15], [90, 121], [90, 164], [200, 283], [332, 341], [347, 402], [90, 164], [284, 341], [509, 550], [608, 676], [680, 767]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- A judge ordered Tuesday that the man accused of killing singer and actress Jennifer Hudson 's mother , brother and nephew be moved from a state prison to the Cook County jail to make it easier for his lawyer to meet with him . Jennifer Hudson , at the October premiere of `` The Secret Life of Bees , '' has n't performed in public since the killings . William Balfour , 27 , has been held at Stateville Correctional Center near Joliet , Illinois , since he was arrested in early December in what defense lawyer Joshua Kutnick called `` a difficult position . '' '' -LSB- Balfour -RSB- has exhibited , to me , patience , '' Kutnick told CNN after Tuesday 's hearing . `` He understands that this case is not going to be over this week or next week or next month , '' Kutnick said . `` He realizes in order for us to establish that he 's not guilty , that we 're going to have to go through all the steps of fighting the case . '' Kutnick said the defense is conducting its own investigation of the killings and has subpoenaed the prosecution 's evidence . Nothing has been handed over yet , he said . He would not speculate on when the case might go to trial . `` You 're talking about some time down the road , '' Kutnick said . Balfour , indicted a month ago , entered a not guilty plea last week . Tuesday was the first time Balfour has been before Judge Marjorie Laws , who was appointed last week after prosecutors asked that Judge Evelyn Clay be removed from the case . Prosecutors did not make public their reasons for wanting a new judge . While Judge Laws ordered Balfour to be moved to Chicago , Kutnick said he expects it might just be for 10 days . `` The sheriff of Cook County does not always obey those orders because he is dealing with his own problems such as jail overcrowding , '' Kutnick said . `` He 's doing OK '' despite `` being incarcerated under a difficult position , '' Kutnick said of Balfour . `` When any inmate is serving a sentence on a parole violation , they 're kept in what 's called the receiving unit , '' Kutnick said . `` It 's very restrictive . They do n't get the kind of free time and privileges that general population gets , so that is very difficult for him . '' Hudson has not performed in public since the deaths , but she is scheduled to sing the national anthem Sunday at the Super Bowl . Balfour first was detained for questioning October 24 , the day that Hudson 's mother and brother were found shot to death . At the time , authorities said they were holding Balfour for an unspecified parole violation . Prosecutors have portrayed Balfour as a jealous man who killed three people in a rage at the thought that his estranged wife had a boyfriend . Balfour is the estranged husband of Hudson 's sister , Julia Hudson , and stepfather of one of the victims , 7-year-old Julian King . He also has been charged with one count of home invasion . Balfour denies the charges , and his attorney told the court in December there was no forensic evidence linking him to the killings . Hudson won a best supporting actress Oscar for her portrayal of Effie in the 2006 film version of the Broadway musical `` Dreamgirls . '' She competed on the third season of the TV singing competition `` American Idol '' and was among the top seven contestants before her elimination . | William Balfour has been at Illinois ' Stateville Correctional Center since December . Judge orders Balfour moved to county jail to make attorney visits easier . Suspect charged in killings of Jennifer Hudson 's mother , brother and nephew . Hudson is set to sing national anthem at the Super Bowl . | [[372, 387], [390, 392], [395, 454], [468, 510], [0, 5], [19, 193], [173, 181], [194, 226], [0, 5], [19, 193], [2424, 2484], [2284, 2359]] |
LONDON , England -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Pro-Tibet activists jumped security barriers and scuffled with police outside the Chinese embassy in London Sunday as hundreds of demonstrators gathered to protest a visit by Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao . A pro-Tibet protester runs past a police cordon outside the Chinese Embassy in London . Protesters carrying Tibetan flags chanted `` China Murderers , '' and `` China Out of Tibet , '' as Wen , on a three day trip to Britain , arrived at the embassy . China has long been criticized by the international community for its human rights record in Tibet . Tibetans are pushing for autonomy from China and greater religious freedom . Wen was greeted at the embassy by a firecracker display in honor of the Chinese New Year before being escorted inside by security personnel . A group of protesters attempted to jump over security blockades when Wen 's motorcade arrived at the embassy . Several were wrestled to the ground by police and arrested . Police said five people were detained , according to the UK 's Press Association . Approximately 150 Chinese counter-protesters were also at the demonstration chanting pro-Chinese slogans . Watch demonstrations outside the Chinese embassay in London '' Wen is due to meet British opposition party leaders on Sunday before sitting down with Prime Minister Gordon Brown on Monday . Brown was among a number of international leaders who skipped the opening ceremonies of the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing , amid an intense campaign from human rights groups opposed to China 's international policies and human rights record . | Protesters carrying Tibetan flags chanted `` China Murderers '' Police say five activists arrested . Wen Jiabao on three day visit to UK . | [[328, 419], [984, 1052]] |
Editor 's note : Clarence B. Jones , author of `` What Would Martin Say ? '' is Scholar in Residence at the Stanford University Martin Luther King Jr. . Research & Education Institute . He was a lawyer and speechwriter for Dr. King . Clarence Jones says America is indebted to Martin Luther King Jr. for breaking its addiction to segregation . Next week , the day after our national holiday commemorating the 80th birthday of Dr. King , Barack Obama will be sworn in as the 44th president of the United States , the first African-American elected as president . Obama 's election would not have been possible without the transformative effect of Dr. King 's struggle , leadership and legacy in dismantling segregation and institutional racism in the United States . America owes a great debt to Dr. King . Prior to him , our nation was like a dysfunctional drug addict or alcoholic , hooked and addicted to segregation and institutional racism . His `` tough love '' of nonviolent direct action civil disobedience forced America to confront its conscience and the immorality of racial injustice . Dr. King enabled our country to embark on an extraordinary journey of recovery to reclaim its soul . He enabled us to reactivate those precepts enshrined in our Declaration of Independence : `` all men are created equal , that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights . '' In twelve years and four months , from 1956 to April 4 , 1968 -- except for President Lincoln and the Emancipation Proclamation -- Martin Luther King Jr. may have done more to achieve racial , social and political justice and equality in America than any other person in our country 's history . Dr. King had confidence in the democratic future of America . He believed that we , as a people , would be able to `` transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood . '' I met Martin Luther King , Jr. for the first time 49 years ago when he visited my home in California to enlist my assistance in the defense of a criminal tax indictment against him by the state of Alabama . Only six months earlier , I had graduated from Boston University Law School . I worked for him as a law clerk , political organizer , personal lawyer and , at his request , I drafted speeches for Dr. King until his death on April 4 , 1968 . He was an ordained Christian minister before he was a civil rights leader . His religious faith and abiding belief in God were the fuel that ignited the engine of his moral leadership . President-elect Obama 's religion and belief in God appear central to his political leadership . During the 40 years following Dr , King 's assassination in Memphis , Tennessee , the most recurring question asked of me has been : `` Who today , what black leader , if anyone , is most like Dr. King ? '' I would consistently answer that Dr. King was sui generis , one of a kind And , then ask rhetorically : `` Who today is most like Michelangelo , Mozart , Galileo , Copernicus , Aristotle , Beethoven or Shakespeare ? '' Since Obama 's election , I have been asked : . • Is Barack Obama another Martin Luther King Jr ? • What would Dr. King say about the election of Obama ? • Does the election of Obama , as the first African-American president of the United States , mean that Dr. King 's dream has been fulfilled ? • Does Obama 's election indicate that racism for all practical purposes no longer exists in America ? • Will Obama 's election have any impact on the number of African-American men incarcerated or the high percentage of out-of-wedlock births within the African-American community ? There are no easy answers to these questions , but it is clear that those of us in the civil rights movement of the 1960s never anticipated the event we will witness Tuesday . After the assassination of President John F. Kennedy , and the assumption of the presidency by former Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson , some of us who worked closely with Dr. King , concluded no fundamental change in race relations in America could be accomplished successfully and sustained unless it was done under the political leadership of a white man from the south , people like Presidents Lyndon Johnson , Jimmy Carter , Bill Clinton and George W. Bush . Our belief was predicated on the political assumption that America would be more willing to follow a white southern political leader on the issues of race relations and equal economic opportunity than a politician from another part of our country . We never contemplated the realistic possibility of a black president of the United States in our lifetimes . The 1965 Voting Rights Act sparked the prairie fires of subsequent black voter registration and voting which dramatically altered the political landscape of America . It was this legislative foundation that fostered and facilitated the political possibility of a successful Obama candidacy for president . `` We Shall Overcome '' was our national anthem of the Civil Rights Movement under Dr. King 's leadership . President-elect Obama , like a masterful musical composer with perfect pitch , successfully updated , translated and rearranged `` We Shall Overcome '' to a `` Yes , We Can '' surround-sound mantra for the cell phone , YouTube , Facebook , MySpace and Internet-blackberry generation . This may be the most enduring 21st Century tribute to the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. . The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Clarence Jones . | Clarence Jones : Martin Luther King cured U.S. of addiction to racial segregation . He says King 's work helped make Barack Obama 's victory possible . Jones : Leaders assumed only white Southern presidents could make progress . He says they never anticipated election of an African-American president . | [[234, 343], [254, 343], [562, 765], [4107, 4270], [512, 561], [4527, 4635]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The blog `` Stuff White People Like '' is wildly popular with fans who 've embraced the hilarious , satirical sendup of the white middle class that -- according to the list -- have an ongoing love affair with things such as coffee -LRB- No. 1 -RRB- , organic food -LRB- No. 6 -RRB- , yoga -LRB- 15 -RRB- and the Toyota Prius -LRB- 60 -RRB- . Blogger-turned-author Christian Lander is the force behind `` Stuff White People Like . '' The site also has spurred an outpouring from those who view it as offensive and racist . Now devotees and detractors alike have more to discuss with the release of the book `` Stuff White People Like : A Definitive Guide to the Unique Taste of Millions '' by the blog 's creator , Christian Lander . Filled with photos and some content from the blog , the guide includes new entries exclusive to the book . Lander also worked with a designer to create things such as flow charts on `` How to Name a White Child '' and `` White Career Trajectories '' as well as a test of the reader 's `` whiteness . '' As befitting the genius behind such a site and book , Lander is a bit of a ham -LRB- actually , make that Canadian bacon since he hails from Toronto , Ontario -RRB- . Watch Lander talk about what he likes '' The origins of `` Stuff '' date from January 2008 , he said , because of an instant messenger conversation between him and his friend Miles about the HBO drama `` The Wire . '' Miles , who is Filipino , tossed off that he did n't trust any white person who did n't watch the series . That exchange started a back-and-forth between the two about what white people were doing instead of watching the show . `` We said , ` Oh , they are going to plays , they 're doing yoga , they 're getting divorced , ' '' recalled Lander , who could n't pass up the gold mine of ideas and started blogging . `` The goal was to literally make Miles and a few of my friends laugh , and it just took off . '' Within six weeks , Random House came calling , and a book deal was finalized . CNN talked to the blogger-turned-author about his `` whiteness , '' whether he is like Stephen Colbert but instead mocks earnest , left-wing types , and why `` Stuff White People Like '' will never make the list of `` Stuff White People Like . '' CNN : Where do you get your ideas ? Christian Lander : Farmers ' markets . CNN : How do you get your ideas at farmers ' markets ? Lander : Keeping my eyes open . I just see what people are up to . And the mirror is another good place to look for inspiration . I really make fun of myself . CNN : So what makes you an authority on white people ? Lander : Look at me -LSB- laughing -RSB- . I mean , I have liberal arts degrees ; I look like this . I 'm on the inside . CNN : Do you ever worry about offending people ? Lander : No . I 'm glad when I offend people with this because it 's not offensive . What 's been great about it is the title draws people in , and right away they are like , `` What is this ? Am I going to get offended by this ? '' Then they read it , and it 's not what they expect . People see the title and they expect `` Stuff White People Like '' to be entries like mayonnaise , or dancing poorly , these old stereotypes that are really outdated and are n't even funny anymore . You 're sort of expecting it to be the lame white guy stuff and you go , `` Oh my God , this is all the stuff I actually like . '' It 's playing off white stereotypes , but it 's not stereotypes in a demeaning way . CNN : If those are old stereotypes , could your stuff be considered `` new stereotypes '' ? Lander : No , because they 're true -LSB- laughing -RSB- . I consider these valid observations . It 's an update on this idea of a yuppie . In the '80s , the idea of the yuppie was really about just consumerism : I have an expensive BMW , I have these things , and it 's buying , buying , buying . I think that that attitude is still there , but the materials changed into where it 's `` My carbon footprint 's lower , my music taste is better , I visited more countries than you . '' The quest for status is still there . CNN : What are some of the entries that elicited the most negative responses and really pushed people 's buttons ? Lander : One was written by Miles . Now Miles is Asian , and I ca n't stress that enough . He wrote post No. 11 , which is `` White People Like Asian Girls . '' That has been by far the most commented on . The other ones have all been pretty level in terms of drawing responses from people . CNN : What are some of the things that have been rejected from the list ? Lander : People send in stuff all the time , and one of the things is that people just do n't get what I am going for here . They send in -LSB- suggestions such as -RSB- guns , NASCAR , trailer parks -- these old stereotypes that are not what I 'm after . The one I reject a lot is people say , `` Well , you know what , ` Stuff White People Like ' should be on the list of ` Stuff White People Like . ' '' I 'm just like , `` All right , postmodern hero , you 're not the first person to send this in . I 'm not putting it on the list . '' CNN : Entry No. 92 is book deals , so we are assuming you like that one . What are some other things on the list you like ? Lander : There are things that I like that I am ashamed that I like . My favorite entry , which I wrote and where I attack myself the most , is `` Knowing What 's Best for Poor People . '' That was one that definitely applies to me , and I sort of recognize the ego that 's behind that one and how ridiculous that one is . CNN : What 's some stuff white people do n't like ? Lander : Other white people . That 's it . The wrong kind of white people . CNN : Who are the wrong kind of white people ? Lander : Anyone you blame for everything that 's wrong in America are the wrong kind of white people . Not only do they hate them because they create all of these problems , but if those kinds of people start liking anything on this list , they immediately become unacceptable . CNN : Stephen Colbert made the list , and he 's renowned for making fun of the right wing . Do you consider yourself a type of Stephen Colbert for the lefties ? Lander : I do n't know because Stephen Colbert , in his heart of hearts , is a lefty and so am I. I consider myself a self-aware , left-wing person who 's not afraid to recognize the selfishness and contradictions that come on the left . I think a lot of people who are on that side really fail to do that a lot of the time . I think the people I write about here are very , very self-righteous and believe that everything they do is right , and they are very resistant to cast a critical eye to themselves . It was really fun for me to write in a cathartic way , sort of like I am attacking my own pretentiousness and my own ridiculousness . It 's just amazing because these people are so self-aware but so unaware at the same time . | Popular `` Stuff White People Like '' blog now a book . Blog and book have its fans and detractors . Author says , `` It 's playing off stereotypes '' | [[361, 448], [3411, 3413], [3417, 3446]] |
EVERETT , Washington -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Meet Abraham Lincoln . Abraham Lincoln with his parents , Dean and Kryssia Lincoln , at their home in Everett , Washington . Abraham , 23 , may not look like America 's 16th president , but he is a distant relative -- and he uses `` mrprez16 '' in his e-mail address . `` I 've always joked -LSB- that -RSB- Dean , my father , looks like President Abraham Lincoln . It 's through his bloodline that we 're related . '' Dean claims to be a third cousin five times removed . `` There were three brothers that came to America from England in 1635 , '' he says . `` We 're related to Samuel Lincoln , the same one Abraham Lincoln is related to . '' `` I 'm tall and fairly thin , '' Dean adds . `` He did n't have a moustache . If I shaved and grew a beard like him , I 'd probably look a lot like him . '' Dean 's son , Abraham , looks more like his mother . `` I got the color of my skin from my mother , the Hispanic side , '' Abraham says . `` I have the height from my dad , similar to Abraham Lincoln 's height -- though not quite there , three inches shorter . '' Watch Abraham Lincoln speak of his iconic namesake '' Kryssia , Abraham 's mother , is from El Salvador . `` I loved the name Abraham , '' she says . `` I always did . I think it sounds so elegant and in Spanish , it 's ` Aab-ra-haam ' . In the Bible , Abraham is the ` father of our faith . ' '' `` I never knew I was going to marry a man with the last name ` Lincoln , ' never dreamed about it . So when I got married -LRB- in 1982 -RRB- to my husband , Dean Lincoln , and we had our second child , and it was a boy , '' she says , snapping her fingers , `` sure enough , I wanted to name him Abraham . `` We did n't have to argue very much because of course the heritage that he has ... and his great-grandfather 's name was Abraham . '' See photos of the Lincolns '' At the Lincolns ' home in Everett , Washington , the dining room table is full of genealogy lists , old family photos and letters , some dating back to the Civil War . Dean carefully unfolds one of the letters . It 's from William Lincoln , a Union soldier and Dean 's great-great-great-grandfather . `` The ` Rebs ' are getting just where ol' Sherman wants them , '' William Lincoln wrote home to his wife . `` He will rout them soon and drive them back to their holes . '' `` We ai n't heard from the election to any certainty yet . But the soldiers think , if Lincoln is elected , we have hopes of the war playing out . '' Of his famous name , Abraham says , `` At first , people do n't believe me . I usually have to pull out my driver 's license . They 'll usually crack a few jokes ... sort of breaks the ice . '' `` Once in school , a teacher came to my name in roll call . He decided to stop the class and told me to ` make sure I never drive a Ford car . ' ` Do n't ever let my wife convince me to go to a theater . ' `` He asked if I knew John Wilkes Booth . Those are the most common ones . I think he was waiting to get a reaction outta me , but I told him that I 'd heard them before . '' Word spread quickly through his high school that this freshman wanted to be called `` Mr. Prez . '' The nickname stuck . And because of his Hispanic roots , some of his classmates even called him `` El Presidente . '' `` I think I 've heard every one in the book . I still get a chuckle every time someone thinks they 've come up with a new one , '' Abraham says . Abraham grew up in Everett , where , coincidentally , the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln is based . When he was 16 , the local newspaper asked if he would write a letter to crew members returning from a mission to Iraq . Abraham 's letter read , in part : . `` Dear Lincoln crew , . `` My name is Abraham Lincoln . I want to thank you for making me proud to know that the men and women on board the Abraham Lincoln , a ship with the same name as me , are out there fighting as true American heroes . '' At first , Abraham had no desire to walk in the shadow of such a great leader . Then , at the University of Washington , he took a political science class . `` There was something about politics that drew me , '' he says . `` I loved the history behind it . That 's when I made up my own mind : That was the path I wanted to go . '' Abraham spent a semester in Washington , D.C. , as an intern for former Oklahoma Rep. J.C. Watts . On his list of places to visit ? The Lincoln Memorial and Ford 's Theatre . `` The whole atmosphere of that city , knowing someone I was related to , a descendant of mine , had such a huge impact and changed the world as we know it ... And to have a huge memorial dedicated to such a great president . '' This past summer , Abraham married Jenae , whom he met as a church youth leader . He says she likes the history behind the name and the attention they receive . Abe is working as a paralegal . He wants to attend law school and -- you guessed it -- pursue a career in public service or politics . `` If anything , President Abraham Lincoln is a great model to follow after . So if you have the name , might as well go down the same path . '' Of the similarities between Presidents Lincoln and Obama , Abraham says , `` Lincoln came into office with a nation divided in the Civil War , and Obama is the first African-American president , hoping to transcend party lines dividing America . '' Since Abraham 's birthday comes eight days after his famous namesake 's , the Lincoln family will celebrate President Abraham Lincoln 's 200th birthday together with their own son 's birthday . Meanwhile , Dean is growing a beard again . Kryssia wants him to shave the mustache and don a suit to honor President Lincoln 's birthday . She says of her son : `` No , I do n't think he looks like Abraham Lincoln , the president . But he has the name and he serves well the name ... And I think there 's a future for my son . `` I just know in my heart he will keep honoring that name . It 's very special . '' | Abraham Lincoln of Washington state is a 23-year-old paralegal . Nation 's 16th president was a distant ancestor . Abraham 's mother says she knew it was the perfect name . Modern-day Abraham Lincoln hopes for career in public service or politics . | [[4852, 4883], [4921, 4924], [4939, 4986]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said that despite President Bush 's low approval ratings , people will soon `` start to thank this president for what he 's done . '' Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice says `` there is no greater honor than to serve this country , '' `` So we can sit here and talk about the long record , but what I would say to you is that this president has faced tougher circumstances than perhaps at any time since the end of World War II , and he has delivered policies that are going to stand the test of time , '' Rice said in an interview that aired on CBS ' `` Sunday Morning . '' The secretary of state brushed off reports that suggest the United States ' image is suffering abroad . She praised the administration 's ability to change the conversation in the Middle East . `` This is n't a popularity contest . I 'm sorry , it is n't . What the administration is responsible to do is to make good choices about Americans ' interests and values in the long run -- not for today 's headlines , but for history 's judgment , '' she said . `` And I am quite certain that when the final chapters are written and it 's clear that Saddam Hussein 's Iraq is gone in favor of an Iraq that is favorable to the future of the Middle East ; when the history is written of a U.S.-China relationship that is better than it 's ever been ; an India relationship that is deeper and better than it 's ever been ; a relationship with Brazil and other countries of the left of Latin America , better than it 's ever been ... `` When one looks at what we 've been able to do in terms of changing the conversation in the Middle East about democracy and values , this administration will be judged well , and I 'll wait for history 's judgment and not today 's headlines . '' Asked by CBS ' Rita Braver why some former diplomats say Americans are disliked around the world , Rice said that 's `` just not true . '' `` I know what U.S. policy has achieved . And so I do n't know what diplomats you 're talking to , but look at the record , '' she said . Rice said she was n't bothered by criticism about her or the administration 's polices , saying if a person in her business is not being criticized , `` you 're not doing something right . '' `` I 'm here to make tough choices , and this president is here to make tough choices , and we have . And yes , I -- there are some things that I would do very differently if I had it to do over again . You do n't have that luxury . You have to make the choices and take the positions that you do at the time , '' she said . Asked about historians who say Bush is one of the worst presidents , Rice said those `` are n't very good historians . '' `` If you 're making historical judgments before an administration is already out -- even out of office , and if you 're trying to make historical judgments when the nature of the Middle East is still to be determined , and when one can not yet judge the effects of decisions that this President has taken on what the Middle East will become -- I mean , for goodness ' sakes , good historians are still writing books about George Washington . Good historians are certainly still writing books about Harry Truman , '' she said . Rice , 54 , said she has enjoyed working in the Bush administration during the last eight years , first as national security adviser , then as secretary of state . `` There is no greater honor than to serve this country , '' she said , adding that there is also no greater challenge . Rice said when the new administration takes over , she plans to return to the Hoover Institution at Stanford University and write two books -- one on foreign policy and one about her parents . | Condoleezza Rice says Bush 's policies will `` stand the test of time '' Rice says she 's not bothered by criticism ; says she 's `` here to make tough choices '' Secretary of state says historians criticizing Bush `` are n't very good historians '' Rice says she plans to write a book about foreign policy . | [[486, 556], [2081, 2169], [2314, 2358], [2667, 2716]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- A Connecticut woman attacked Monday by her friend 's pet chimpanzee was taken Thursday from a Connecticut hospital to the famed Cleveland Clinic in Ohio , a hospital spokeswoman said . She would not divulge the victim 's condition nor the reason for the move . Travis , seen here as a younger chimp , was fatally shot by police after attacking Nash , authorities say . Charla Nash , 55 , was transferred by airplane and ambulance to the clinic , where doctors in December performed the first facial transplant in the United States . The attack has raised questions about whether exotic animals should be kept as pets . Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal said Wednesday that primates and crocodiles should be added to a state list of animals citizens are not allowed to own . Nash initially was taken to Stamford Hospital , where she underwent seven hours of surgery after she was attacked by the 14-year-old chimp , named Travis . Nash 's friend , Sandra Herold , 70 , had called Nash for help in getting the animal back inside her house after he used a key to escape . When Nash arrived at Herold 's Stamford home , the chimp , who has been featured in TV commercials for Coca-Cola and Old Navy , jumped on her and began biting and mauling her , police said . Doctors said Wednesday that Nash had received extensive injuries to her face and hands . A Stamford police officer fatally shot the nearly 200-pound chimp after the primate turned on him inside a police cruiser , police said . Herold told reporters at her home that she and the chimp slept together and that she considered him like a son . | Charla Nash , 55 , transferred from Connecticut by airplane . Friend 's chimp mauled and bit her on Monday . Woman received extensive injuries to face , hands , doctors have said . Connecticut 's attorney general wants primates banned as pets in that state . | [[388, 399], [402, 462], [19, 86], [1102, 1146], [1149, 1158], [1248, 1272], [1102, 1146], [1149, 1158], [1265, 1276], [1293, 1381], [1321, 1381], [638, 806]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called for tighter controls over tourism and other forms of pollution in Antarctica Monday , arguing for greater global cooperation to help preserve the continent 's environmental and scientific research value . The Dry Valley region of Antarctica has seen an increase in visits by tourists . Addressing a joint session of the Arctic Council and the Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting in Baltimore , Maryland , Clinton said the Obama administration is concerned about the growing popularity of tourism in the southern polar region . She said the United States is proposing new international limits on the number of landings from tourist vessels , as well as greater cooperation to prevent potentially hazardous discharges from those ships . At the same time , the United States is proposing new requirements for lifeboats on tourist ships `` to make sure they can keep passengers alive until rescue comes , '' Clinton noted . Aside from worrying about the environmental impact of tourism , the U.S. is `` concerned about the safety of the tourists and the suitability of the ships that make the journey south , '' she said . Watch Clinton say how the Antarctic has been protected from war '' The issue of tourism in the Antarctic has become an increasingly divisive issue in recent years , pitting scientists and preservationists against a travel industry seeking to capitalize on a growing demand for adventure and nature-oriented tours . Over 46,000 tourists visited Antarctica in the 2007-2008 tour season -- almost four times as many visitors as during the 2000-2001 season , according to the International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators . Clinton 's remarks came as the United States helped mark the 50th anniversary of the Antarctic Treaty , a model for `` how agreements created for one age can serve the world in another , '' Clinton said . Clinton noted that President Obama sent the U.S. Senate an amendment to the treaty Friday that would spell out how the international community should better prevent and respond to environmental emergencies in Antarctica . The amendment would cover the question of liability tied to environmental damage in the ecologically sensitive region . In addition , the United States has proposed an extension of the treaty 's marine pollution rules `` in a manner that more accurately reflects the boundaries of the Antarctic ecosystem , '' she noted . `` The treaty is a blueprint for the kind of international cooperation that will be needed more and more to address the challenges of the 21st century , '' Clinton said . `` It is an example of smart power at its best : governments coming together around a common interest and citizens , scientists and institutions from different countries joined in scientific collaboration to advance peace and understanding . '' Clinton argued that the treaty `` and its related instruments remain a key tool in our efforts to address an urgent threat of this time : climate change . '' A number of international scientific research stations have been established in Antarctica in part to help explore the probable causes and effects of global warming . Twelve nations initially signed the Antarctic Treaty in 1959 ; 47 nations abide by it today . The accord specifies that Antarctic territory can not be used for military purposes . It bans , among other things , nuclear testing and the disposal of radioactive waste material on the continent . It also protects freedom for international scientific research in the region . | Secretary of State Hillary Clinton calls for limits on tourism in Antarctica . U.S. is proposing new limits on the number of landings from tourist vessels . Clinton addressed Arctic Council and Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting . Twelve nations signed the Antarctic Treaty in 1959 ; 47 nations abide by it today . | [[32, 144], [590, 734], [590, 734], [347, 454], [468, 589], [3201, 3261], [3264, 3294]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- An immigration judge with the U.S. Justice Department has granted a stay to John Demjanjuk , the Nazi war crimes suspect who had been ordered deported to Germany , his lawyer said Friday . John Demjanjuk appears in court in Jerusalem in 1987 on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity . John Broadley said the stay was ordered after Judge Wayne Iskra in Arlington , Virginia , decided to reopen deportation proceedings . `` In the four years since his deportation was ordered , his health has seriously deteriorated , '' Broadley told CNN in a telephone interview . Broadley had argued that Sunday 's plan to send Demjanjuk to Germany , which has issued an arrest warrant for him , and putting him through the rigors of a trial there would be tantamount to torture . Demjanjuk -- a Ukrainian -- is accused of involvement during World War II in killings at a Nazi German death camp in Poland . He denies the allegations . The retired auto worker celebrated his 89th birthday Friday with his wife at their home in Cleveland . Broadley said Demjanjuk suffers from pre-leukemia , kidney problems , spinal problems and `` a couple of types of gout . '' German authorities issued the warrant for Demjanjuk on March 10 , accusing him of being an accessory to 29,000 counts of murder as a guard at the Sobibor death camp from March to September 1943 . Demjanjuk says he fought in the Soviet army and later was a prisoner of war held by the Germans . Demjanjuk has been fighting charges of Nazi war crimes for well over two decades . He was extradited from the United States to Israel , where he was convicted in 1986 of being `` Ivan the Terrible , '' a guard at the notorious Treblinka extermination camp . The conviction was overturned by Israeli courts on appeal and he returned to the United States . The United States filed new charges against him in 1999 , again alleging that he had been a concentration camp guard . A federal judge found in 2002 that Demjanjuk had been a guard at the Sobibor death camp , where a quarter of a million people were killed during World War II , and at two other concentration camps . Prosecutors argued that Demjanjuk concealed his history when he came to the United States in 1952 . He was stripped of U.S. citizenship and has been awaiting deportation since 2005 , despite fighting his case all the way to the Supreme Court . CNN 's Diana Magnay contributed to this report . | NEW : Judge reopens deportation hearings on accused former death camp guard . NEW : John Demjanjuk 's attorney says client 's health `` has seriously deteriorated . '' Demjanjuk , 89 , has been fighting charges of war crimes for more than two decades . Germany accuses him of being accessory to 29,000 murders at Sobibor . | [[316, 449], [362, 392], [406, 449], [1826, 1843], [1884, 1944], [450, 496], [507, 544], [1471, 1553], [796, 805], [811, 881], [1177, 1195], [1243, 1372], [2010, 2027], [2035, 2102]] |
WASHINGTON -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- For the first time since media coverage was banned in 1991 , the return of the body of a fallen member of the U.S. armed forces was opened to news outlets late Sunday . A transport plane carries caskets of U.S. servicemen in this photo the Pentagon released in 2005 . The U.S. Air Force informed media on Sunday that the family of Staff Sgt. Phillip Myers consented to allowing coverage of his casket being returned to Dover Air Force Base in Delaware . Myers , 30 , of Hopewell , Virginia , was a member of an engineering unit based in Britain . He died Saturday in a roadside bombing in southern Afghanistan , the U.S. military reported . In February , President Obama and Defense Secretary Robert Gates overturned a policy that dated back to the first Persian Gulf war . They agreed to allow reporters to observe the remains of American troops being returned to the U.S. military mortuary at Dover , as long as families agreed . The policy was supposed to take effect on Monday , and no reason was given why reporters were allowed to view the proceedings on Sunday . Watch report on lifting of the ban '' | Family of Staff Sgt. Phillip Myers consents to coverage of his casket 's return . Body of Myers brought to Dover Air Force Base in Delaware on Sunday night . This is first time that media coverage has been allowed since ban in 1991 . In February , President Obama and Defense Secretary Robert Gates overturned policy . | [[372, 430], [408, 483], [408, 483], [49, 88], [671, 682], [685, 803]] |
LONDON , England -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Deep into injury time in one of Manchester United 's most important games of the English Premier League season a 17-year-old Italian on debut hit a stunning winner and lifted himself to instant stardom . Man of the moment : Seventeen-year-old Federico Macheda is now a legend at Manchester United . Federico Macheda was the teenager who came on as a substitute and scored late on Sunday for the Red Devils -- helping them to a 3-2 win after they had earlier trailed 2-1 to Aston Villa at Old Trafford . The finish was of the highest quality -- as he curled the ball past Villa goal-keeper Brad Freidel from a wide angle . His fine touch , turn and shot were made all the more amazing given their significance in the context of both the match and season . But , who is this 17-year-old hero ? And how did he get to live his fairytale ? Born in Rome in 1991 -LRB- yes , 1991 -RRB- , Macheda , known by team-mates as `` Kiko '' , is a striker who developed his game through the ranks of the Lazio youth programme in Italy -- where he is considered as one of the brightest talents of the future . He made a move to Manchester United in September 2007 , and quickly moved up the ranks -- starting out in the under-18 side , before progressing to the senior reserve team . He officially signed a professional contract with the club on his 17th birthday , in August 2008 . Although Sunday 's goal puts his name permanently on the minds of all Manchester United faithful , it 's not the first time he has made an impression . Just six days before he scored a thrilling hat-trick for the reserve team in a 3-3 draw against Newcastle at St James ' Park . He has also represented Italy at under 19 level . What did you think of Macheda 's goal ? Can he go on to become a top club and international player ? Share your thoughts in the Sound Off box below . Macheda was eventually booked for celebrating with the crowd after his strike -- though he later revealed he had hugged family members -- who were in the crowd to see his debut . He was named man of the match for his goal -LRB- after playing just 30 minutes -RRB- and although he was n't allowed the bottle of wine he won for the honor -- he told Manchester United television `` this is the best day of my life . '' In the post-match interview on Sky Sports , Macheda said : `` I think this is the day of my dreams -- to score a goal like that on my debut . '' The Manchester United Supporters ' Web site has since been inundated with comments praising Macheda , and there are even several proposed supporters ' chants being drafted for their new star . English-based Italian football journalist Gabriele Marcotti told CNN he had been impressed by Macheda 's progress at a young age -- but felt it was important he did n't get ahead of himself . `` When a guy scores like that on debut there 's always excitement . But , he needs to keep his feet on the ground and keep working , '' Marcotti said . Marcotti said the reaction from Italian fans was likely to be mixed . While there would be happiness that he is emerging as a great prospect for Italy in future , there is also concern that players like Macheda are moving to England at a young age and the Italian clubs who train them gain very little in compensation , he said . | Federico Macheda scores stoppage time winner for Manchester United . The 3-2 win for Red Devils is crucial in context of Premier League season . Macheda , a product of Lazio 's youth programme , is just 17 years old . `` This is the best day of my life , '' Macheda said after the victory . | [[335, 441], [427, 430], [445, 470], [703, 790], [147, 199], [260, 334], [871, 914], [963, 1054], [2260, 2293]] |
WASHINGTON -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- North Korea has positioned what is thought to be a long-range missile on its launch pad , a U.S. counter-proliferation official said on Wednesday . A North Korean soldier stands guard in the border village of Panmunjom on December 1 , 2004 in South Korea . The official confirmed a Japanese media report . North Korea recently informed a pair of U.N. agencies that it plans to launch a satellite . The launch is slated for sometime between April 4-8 , according to Yonhap , South Korea 's state-sponsored news agency . North Korea is technically capable of launching a rocket in as little as two to four days , according to Kim Taewoo , an expert at the Korea Institute for Defense Analyses , but who doubts a launch will come that soon . It would not make sense for Pyongyang to make such a move after going through official channels with its plans , Kim said . `` The North could delay the launch if they experience problems with the weather , or within the leadership , but I do n't see any reason why they would fire it ahead of time , '' Kim said . North Korea 's announcement has triggered international consternation . U.S. and South Korean officials have long said the North is actually preparing to test-fire a long-range missile under the guise of a satellite launch . Watch what might motivate Pyongyang to pursue missile tests '' Japan said this month that it could shoot down the satellite that North Korean officials said they plan to launch . What the North Koreans would be testing may not be known until an actual launch . A U.N. Security Council resolution in 2006 banned North Korea from conducting ballistic missile activity . Japanese officials said they could shoot down the object whether it is a missile or a satellite . `` As the U.N. resolutions prohibit -LRB- North Korea -RRB- from engaging in ballistic missile activities , we still consider it to be a violation of a technical aspect , even if -LRB- the North -RRB- claims it is a satellite . We will discuss the matter with related countries based on this view , '' Japanese Foreign Minister Hirofumi Nakasone said this month . The United States has no plans to shoot down the North Korean rocket , U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Wednesday , but will raise the issue with the U.N. Security Council if Pyongyang carries out a launch . `` We are doing our best to dissuade the North Koreans from going forward , because it is provocative action , '' Clinton said . `` It raises questions about their compliance with the Security Council Resolution 1718 . And if they persist and go forward , we will take it up in appropriate channels . '' South Korea echoed Clinton 's statements . `` The South Korean government believes that if the North conducts its launch despite continuous warnings of the South Korean government and the international community , it is a provocative action that constitutes a serious threat to the security of northeast Asia and the Korean peninsula , '' said Foreign Ministry spokesman Moon Tae-Young . `` The launching of the long-range rocket is a clear violation of the U.N. Security Council Resolution No. 1718 , and we strongly urge North Korea to immediately stop such measures . '' The North Korean Taepodong-2 missile is thought to have an intended range of about 4,200 miles -LRB- 6,700 kilometers -RRB- that -- if true -- could strike Alaska or Hawaii . | NEW : U.S. Secretary of State Clinton says U.S. has no plans to shoot rocket down . N. Korea positions what analyst is believes is long-range missile for launch . Taepodong 2 rocket could launch either a warhead or a satellite . North Koreans have said they intend to launch a communications satellite . | [[2139, 2207], [2210, 2264], [30, 117], [1203, 1308], [395, 427], [395, 427], [1394, 1487]] |
Editor 's note : Julian E. Zelizer is a professor of history and public affairs at Princeton University 's Woodrow Wilson School . His new book , `` Arsenal of Democracy : The Politics of National Security -- From World War II to the War on Terrorism , '' will be published this fall by Basic Books . Zelizer writes widely on current events . Julian E. Zelizer says so far the Obama presidency resembles that of Lyndon B. Johnson . PRINCETON , New Jersey -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- While pundits have compared President Obama to Franklin Delano Roosevelt , John F. Kennedy , Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan , less attention has been paid to another , perhaps more apt parallel -- Lyndon Baines Johnson . Sometimes the similarities are striking . Both aimed high , seeking major legislation to reshape America -- Johnson with civil rights and Medicare , Obama with health care and energy legislation . Both Johnson and Obama understood that Congress was a credit-claiming institution whose members did not like to have proposals rammed down their throats . Johnson 's style of political leadership was famous . A creature of the Senate , Johnson loved to lean on legislators and intimidate them into supporting his agenda . As Senate majority leader from 1955 to 1961 , Johnson had been famous for subjecting colleagues to the `` Treatment '' whereby the hulking Texan cornered a legislator in the hallway , stood eye to eye and made his arguments about a bill until he received assurances of support for particular legislation . Although Johnson slightly changed his posture once he was president , he still relied on this kind of interaction to build support . As president from November 1963 until January 1969 , Johnson worked closely with the Southern committee chairmen and ranking Republicans who dominated the House and Senate . Johnson sought to achieve a delicate mix of maintaining control over deliberations -- thinking of ways to obtain what he wanted without giving the appearance of it being a presidential-led idea -- all while responding to the concerns of the chairmen . The back-and-forth deliberations with House Ways and Means Chairman Wilbur Mills over the creation of Medicare in 1965 have become the classic example of how a president can work the chamber while allowing a congressional leader into the room to shape a bill in ways with which he 'll be comfortable . Johnson agreed to redesign the particulars of the legislation so that the final program would protect the fiscal integrity of Social Security -LRB- under which it was included -RRB- and contain long-run costs . Thus far , Obama has taken a similar approach with the economic stimulus and , more recently , with his budget proposal . The president outlined to Congress the basic ideas he wanted in the final product but then left to lawmakers the work of designing the details . While the downside has been that Obama relinquished control over the structure of the legislation , House and Senate Democrats have felt invested and empowered to produce what Obama 's team viewed as successful results . The second similarity is that Johnson , like Obama , distanced himself from the arguments of liberals who said that conservatives did not need to be feared . Johnson was consumed by his fears of a right-wing resurgence , even after trouncing Republican Barry Goldwater in the 1964 election . Johnson constantly warned advisers that the most dangerous political force in the country as far as he was concerned was not the left on college campuses but what he called the `` reactionary element '' within the GOP , and he took this into consideration when shaping legislative proposals . With domestic policy , Johnson avoided programs that could be tagged as `` socialistic , '' and on foreign policy he worked hard to demonstrate a tough stance against communism . Recently released telephone conversations have revealed that Johnson was obsessed with the 1966 midterm elections after the 1964 election was over , realizing that historically those results were not likely to be good for the White House . Obama has been reluctant to embrace liberal arguments about an end to the Age of Reagan , courting conservative journalists such as David Brooks instead of liberal pundits such as Paul Krugman . He accepted compromises on legislation in response to moderates in both parties and agreed to a financial bailout that pleased Wall Street , not Main Street . And his administration has steered clear of explicitly nationalizing banks , a step that could be called socialist . Obama has even touched on sensitive subjects such as deficit reduction and Social Security reform , which are much more appealing to the right than left . During one important conversation , Obama told the centrist Democratic Sen. Evan Bayh of Indiana that he need not worry about his administration going too far on spending since he identified himself as a New Democrat , a reference to members of the party who in the Clinton years believed that they needed to accept some of the arguments of the conservative movement . Finally , both presidents understood the strategic importance of leveraging social movements to their political advantage . During the height of the struggles over civil rights , Johnson frequently pointed to the growing power of the grass-roots civil rights movement as he tried to pressure undecided legislators to support legislation to end public segregation and then to ensure voting rights for African-Americans . Johnson made it clear that the movement had become a potent force in American life , winning the hearts and minds of citizens , and that it could cause political trouble for his opponents . Obama has shown glimmers of a similar strategy with regard to the budget . The administration recently announced that it was trying to mobilize the `` net roots '' operation from the 2008 campaign to build pressure on wavering representatives and senators to support his plans on health care and the environment . The comparisons between Johnson and Obama likewise offer reminders about what could go wrong for the current president . After all , Johnson was a politician who looked like a transformative president in 1965 but within three years found himself to be a defeated man who withdrew from the Democratic primaries . Johnson 's fears of the right , moreover , pushed him and America deeper into the deadly war in Vietnam . The social movements that LBJ used to his benefit in 1964 and 1965 turned against him as the administration plunged deeper into Vietnam , a lesson worth thinking about for the current administration . Johnson 's policy of respect for committee chairmen prompted him to make compromises over social policy -- such as cuts in social spending in 1968 -- that weakened his support among the very Democrats he needed to win re-election . Johnson was never fully aware of how his greatest political skills could also become the source of his downfall . Obama 's challenge is to harness the best parts of this comparison -- such as how Johnson handled Congress to produce dramatic legislative results -- without repeating the destructive characteristics that shattered Johnson 's White House . The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Julian E. Zelizer . | Julian E. Zelizer : The Obama presidency resembles that of Lyndon B. Johnson . Zelizer says both aimed high and worked skillfully with congressional leaders . A president can shape legislation without dictating the details , professor says . Zelizer : Obama has gotten big results from Congress by keeping leaders on his side . | [[343, 431], [369, 431]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Robert Pires is confident Villarreal -- nickname ` the Yellow Submarine ' -- can torpedo the Champions League dreams of former club Arsenal in Tuesday 's quarterfinal first leg clash in Spain . Robert Pires made his final apearance for Arsenal in the 2006 Champions League final defeat against Barcelona . `` We can beat them , for sure , '' said the former French internationa \ . `` We would not come on the pitch if we were not convinced that we are good enough to go through . `` I would say that I expect a spectacular game between two teams that look like each other a lot . Hopefully we will see many goals . '' The 35-year-old spent six successful seasons at Highbury , and made his last appearance for the Gunners in the 2006 Champions League final when he was substituted in an early tactical change following the sending off of goalkeeper Jens Lehmann . Such an exit was not the way Pires wanted to bring the curtain down on an Arsenal career which had seen him help guide Arsene Wenger 's side through an unbeaten Premier League campaign in 2003/2004 . `` I have always had a tremendous relationship with the Arsenal fans and these games will be the occasion for me to say goodbye to them , '' Pires told www.setanta.com . `` Not having been able to say goodbye to them is a pain to me . `` I wanted to have the chance to thank the Highbury public for their support , but I could not do it because my last game was the Champions League final with Barcelona . `` Then I announced my departure to Villarreal three days later and did not see them again . Sincerely , this draw is emotional to me , and fills me with nostalgia as well , that is for sure . '' Pires was sent off in the 3-0 weekend defeat at Almeria that saw midfielder Santi Cazorla break an ankle in a match that left Manuel Pellegrini 's team in fourth place . Spain international midfielder Marcos Senna is , though , expected to be fit to face the Gunners . Arsenal striker Robin van Persie misses the trip to Spain with a groin injury , but Samir Nasri and Theo Walcott have been passed fit for the clash at El Madrigal after a virus and knee injury respectively . Manager Arsene Wenger paid tribute to his players on arrival in Spain and maintained that he is `` confident '' of a positive outcome over the two legs . Midfielder Andrey Arshavin is ineligible having played for Zenit St Petersburg during the group stages . Striker Eduardo -LRB- groin -RRB- and midfielder Abou Diaby -LRB- thigh -RRB- remain sidelined , while long-term absentee Tomas Rosicky continues his recovery . | Robert Pires believes Villarreal can upset Arsenal 's Champions League dream . Pires ' final game for Arsenal came in 2006 Champions final loss to Barcelona . Arsenal striker Robin van Persie misses the trip to Spain with a groin injury . | [[19, 55], [0, 15], [91, 212], [213, 297], [638, 653], [701, 784], [1403, 1489], [1955, 2012]] |
ISTANBUL , Turkey -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Regular programming has just been interrupted by a news conference . A slender black man in a suit steps up to a podium , flanked by American flags and a White House logo . Michael Lamar was laid off in January but has a new job as a Barack Obama look-alike . `` I wish I could announce such an economic package , '' he says , `` but there is a bank in Turkey that did it . It is Garanti . I wish we had Garanti in America . '' Do n't be fooled . This is a commercial on Turkish TV . The actor is a 44-year-old Barack Obama look-alike from Whitehall , Pennsylvania , named Michael Lamar . And he is shilling for a Turkish bank . In the month before the real Barack Obama is to visit Turkey , this ad campaign went out all across the country on television and on billboards , using the iconic , Warholian image of the American president to sell low-interest loans . The `` Mad Men '' behind the concept say their Obama look-alike was the perfect guy to sell what they described as Garanti Bank 's own economic stimulus package . `` We probably would n't be doing this commercial if it was the previous president , '' said Can Celikbilek , a copy writer at the advertising company , Alametifarika . `` But in the case of Obama , he does represent hope , not only for the States but for the whole world . '' For Obama look-alike actor Lamar , there was some irony about getting flown to Turkey to star in a commercial for a bank . He is a recent casualty of the global economic crisis . `` I was laid off in January of this year from JP Morgan Chase Bank in the U.S. , '' Lamar said , in a telephone interview from Pennsylvania . `` After 18 years in the company , I was just laid off . One of the cutbacks . I 'm currently unemployed right now . '' Or , was unemployed . Lamar 's striking resemblance to the American president has suddenly offered the former software analyst a possible new career for supporting his wife and child . `` I 'm available full-time now , '' Lamar said . `` I 'm going to see where this leads me . '' Lamar is now being represented by a casting agency in Los Angeles that specializes in celebrity look-alikes . Since he discovered his new `` talent , '' he has traveled to the Netherlands to appear in a commercial for a liquor chain and to Paris , where an activist organization brought him in to meet lawmakers at the National Assembly , as part of a campaign to raise awareness about racism and racial profiling in France . `` This was very exciting for me , a true privilege ! '' Lamar said . During his brief visit to Turkey , locals did double-takes when they saw Lamar walk past . `` Even in the studio , the crew -LSB- members -RSB- were like , ` Oh ! Is that Obama ? '' said Celikbilek of Alametifarika advertising . Using the image of an American president to promote anything in Turkey is a remarkable reversal . U.S. approval ratings in Turkey plunged to 9 percent , according to a 2007 Pew Research poll , making America less popular in Turkey then almost anywhere else in the world , even though the two countries are NATO allies . There was widespread anger among Turks at the war in neighboring Iraq . But the election of Barack Obama appears to have dramatically improved perceptions of America . `` Bush was a dictator who attacked other countries , '' said Abdurrahman Ozdemir , who sells cigarettes from a small stall on the street . `` But we love Obama ... because he does not want to go to war with other countries . '' `` We started to love and like America because of Obama , '' said a 33-year-old woman named Begum Arinc . `` I do n't want to see people dying . I do n't want to see any war . That 's why I want to believe in Obama . '' | Michael Lamar strikes an Obama-like figure in ads for a bank in Turkey . Lamar worked for JP Morgan Chase for 18 years before being laid off . President Obama will be in Turkey soon on presidential visit . U.S. approval ratings in turkey have plunged in recent years . | [[210, 223], [252, 296], [626, 665], [1522, 1588], [1667, 1696], [1699, 1720], [2888, 2940], [2888, 2919], [2983, 3020]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Norwegian Tony Andre Hansen has been stripped of his Olympic showjumping bronze medal -- and banned for our-and-a-half months by the International Equestrian Federation -- after his horse tested positive for a banned substance at the Beijing Games . Hansen was Norway 's highest-scoring rider as the nation finished third in the Olympic team showjumping . The 29-year-old Hansen was the best performer in a four-rider Norway team which won bronze under a scoring system where the top three count . Without his scores , his teammates -- Morten Djupvik , Stein Endresen , and Geir Gulliksen -- drop out of medal contention . The fourth-placed Switzerland team of Steve Guerdat , Christina Liebherr , Niklaus Schurtenberger and Pius Schwizer will now be awarded the bronze medals by the International Olympic Committee . The United States won gold , beating Canada in a jumpoff in Hong Kong , where the equestrian events were staged last August . Hansen 's horse , Camiro , tested positive for capsaicin , a banned pain relieving medication . He was provisionally suspended and did not complete the individual jumping competition . However , he is free to return to competition on January 3 as his suspension was backdated . `` It is each person 's duty to ensure that no prohibited substance is present in his or her horse 's body during an event , '' said the FEI . Although the drug can be used out-of-competition as a legal medication , it is also classed as a doping substance if used to inflame a horse 's legs . This is done to encourage horses to jump higher because striking an obstacle becomes more painful . Hansen is the fourth rider disqualified and suspended in cases involving capsaicin : Germany 's Christian Ahlmann was suspended for four months , Brazil 's Bernardo Alves for three-and-a-half months , and Irish rider Denis Lynch got a three-month ban . | Norwegian Tony Andre Hansen is stripped of his Olympic showjumping gold . Hansen 's horse horse tested positive for banned substance at Beijing Games . The fourth-placed Switzerland team have now been promoted to third position . | [[197, 268], [963, 978], [990, 1019], [646, 652], [653, 693]] |
Editor 's note : Dr. Thomas H. Murray is chief executive of The Hastings Center , a nonprofit research institute on bioethics in Garrison , New York . Murray was formerly director of the Center for Biomedical Ethics at Case Western Reserve University and president of the Society for Health and Human Values . Thomas Murray says doctors have responsibility for welfare of children conceived through IVF procedure . GARRISON , New York -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The birth of octuplets to a California woman last week raised a boatload of issues that can distract us from the central ethical question posed by the case : How do we take children 's well-being into account in reproductive medicine ? Yes , it 's puzzling why an unemployed single woman who already had six children wanted a passel more . And it is not crazy to wonder who will pay for these children 's needs over the years , beginning with what is sure to be a gobsmacking bill for neonatal intensive care . For now , we can put aside the lifeboat problem : A human uterus is not built for eight passengers ; the odds for each child to be born alive and healthy go down as the number in the lifeboat goes up . Her physicians offered to reduce the number of fetuses she was carrying ; citing her moral convictions , she declined . As of the last reports , all eight survived . Still , knowing what we do about the many risks that come with being born too soon and too small , their medical course is likely to be complex and unsteady . What this case really does is split wide open a fault line running through infertility treatment in American medicine . People who show up at fertility clinics are adults . In the typical case , they 've been trying to get pregnant for a year or more without success . When all goes well , a cycle of IVF -LRB- in-vitro fertilization -RRB- results in a pregnancy and the birth of one , perhaps two , healthy babies . As a son , a father , and now a grandfather , I can attest that there is no more important or enduring relationship in our lives than the one between parents and children . Whether that relationship is forged through infertility medicine , adoption or the old-fashioned way matters not at all : What counts is that adults who want to love and raise a child are matched with a child who needs just that love and care . The point of infertility treatment , after all , is to create a child . But that child-to-be is not the clinic 's patient -- the would-be parents are . I believe that the interests of those children deserve at least as much consideration as the wishes of the prospective parents . The vast majority of infertility patients are no doubt fierce advocates for the well-being of the child they so earnestly seek to bring into their lives . What happens , though , when the client 's request shows little consideration or regard for the welfare of the would-be children ? What happens if a woman in her early 30s with six children wants eight embryos implanted all at once ? A responsible physician could turn down such a request , citing professional guidelines that counsel implanting one , at most two , embryos in women younger than 35 . How Nadya Suleman ended up with eight is a mystery . That 's what Nadya Suleman is claiming . Perhaps there is a physician somewhere willing to defy the wisdom of his or her peers ; perhaps Suleman used fertility drugs rather than IVF as she claimed . Whatever the case , this guideline is based on safety . Carrying more than a couple of fetuses is dangerous to the pregnant woman and to the health and survival of the fetuses in her womb . Citing safety is a prudent way to turn down requests an infertility physician thinks are ill-considered . But sometimes that gambit is n't available . A psychiatrist friend who conducted intake interviews for a well-respected clinic described a rough-looking couple who carried for their up-front payment thousands of dollars in cash stuffed in a bag -- drug money , she was certain . She was able to discourage the couple from following through on their plan . Here 's the rub : Her concern was the ultimate well-being of the child that the clinic was being asked to help create . But the ideology of American infertility medicine allows physicians to escape from making any judgments about the suitability of prospective parents . There is understandable worry that cracking the door to considerations about parents ' motives and capacities would blast it wide open for nasty , petty stereotypes and prejudices . That would be an awful result . The American Society for Reproductive Medicine acknowledged in a 2004 report that fertility programs may withhold services when they can provide `` well-substantiated judgments '' that the child will not receive adequate care . But that same report has a huge loophole . Providers can abdicate almost all responsibility to anticipate the welfare of the children they help create by claiming `` an obligation to treat all patients who would benefit from medical treatment . '' The statement goes on to say that `` except when significant harm to a future child is likely , '' they `` should not be required to make assessments of a patient 's child-rearing abilities or other child welfare issues . '' It 's time for the profession -- and business -- of reproductive medicine to accept their firm , inescapable ethical obligation to give the interests and well-being of the children they help to create the same consideration they give to the desires of the adults they serve . The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Thomas Murray . | Thomas Murray : The case of the birth of octuplets in California raises questions . He says doctors typically cater to the wishes of their patients , the parents . In IVF cases , the doctors also have responsibility for children 's welfare , he says . He says doctors should n't use a loophole to evade their responsibility . | [[5478, 5516], [5506, 5529], [310, 380]] |
WASHINGTON -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The House of Representatives on Tuesday passed a bill that would make suing for pay discrimination easier by altering a time limit on such suits . The act is named for Lilly Ledbetter , seen here in 2008 . Her discrimination lawsuit victory was overturned in 2007 . The Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act , which passed 250-177 , would give workers alleging unequal pay the right to sue within 180 days of their most recent paycheck . Current law says such employees must sue within 180 days of receiving their first unfair paycheck . Supporters of the new legislation say that , under the current law , an employer merely needs to hide unfair pay practices for three months before being able to continue them without penalty . The act , named for a former Goodyear Tire employee who sued the company for gender discrimination in 1998 , would effectively overturn a 2007 Supreme Court decision on the limit . Ledbetter was awarded $ 360,000 in back pay by a federal judge in Alabama , but the verdict was overturned in a 5-4 Supreme Court ruling in May 2007 . The court said that even though she filed her complaint within 180 days of when she first learned that she was getting paid less than comparable male employees , she had failed to file within 180 days of the first unequal paycheck . After Tuesday 's House vote , Speaker Nancy Pelosi said the chamber had `` taken a bold step '' in passing the legislation . `` In doing so , it has injected fairness , reason and common sense back into policy , '' Pelosi said . The legislation , which passed the Senate on Thursday , now goes to President Barack Obama , who has promised to sign it into law . It is the first major piece of legislation Congress has sent to Obama for his approval . On the campaign trail , Obama and Republican nominee Sen. John McCain debated the bill . Obama heavily emphasized what he called the plan 's benefits to working women , while McCain criticized it as a boon for trial lawyers . Pelosi said Obama called to congratulate her on the bill 's passage . Obama danced with Ledbetter at one of his inaugural balls , and she spoke at the Democrat National Convention at which he accepted his party 's nomination . `` My case is over -- I will never receive the pay I deserve , '' Ledbetter said in that speech . `` But there will be a far richer reward if we secure fair pay for our children and grandchildren , so that no one will ever again experience the discrimination that I did . '' | President Obama has promised to sign Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act . Act would alter time limit for pay-discrimination suits , makes them easier to file . Limit would be based on date of most recent unfair paycheck , not the first . Act named for woman whose discrimination victory was overturned in 2007 . | [[1611, 1638], [1643, 1677], [0, 26], [70, 176], [236, 295], [1013, 1083]] |
WASHINGTON -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The pilot of a small Cessna 172 aircraft reported stolen from a Canadian flight school has been captured , authorities said . The pilot was flying a plane similar to this one -- a Cessna 172 -- before he landed in Missouri . The pilot reportedly stole a small Cessna 172 aircraft from a Canadian flight school , flew hundreds of miles across the Midwest , landed on a dirt road in Missouri late Monday and took off on foot , federal officials said . Federal , state and local authorities launched a manhunt for the pilot , who was identified by the FBI as Adam Leon , 31 , a native of Turkey who became a Canadian citizen last year , according to FBI spokesman Richard Kolko . He was formerly known as Yavuz Berke , though officials did not indicate a reason for the name change . He was taken into custody at an Ellsinore grocery story after a brief manhunt , according to Missouri state police and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police . A federal law enforcement source said the pilot parked the plane under what appeared to be a bridge or culvert , apparently in an attempt to hide it . The plane had been intercepted and tracked by U.S. military aircraft as it flew from Canada into U.S. airspace and meandered southward for several hours before landing , a Department of Homeland Security spokesman said . It landed in the town of Ellsinore , population 360 , in southern Missouri , a dispatcher with the Carter County Sheriff 's Office said . A spokesman for the North American Aerospace Defense Command -LRB- NORAD -RRB- said the pilot flew `` erratically '' over the course of the afternoon , at time reaching 14,000 feet in altitude , then dropping as low as 3,000 feet . The Cessna departed the school in Ontario at about 3 p.m. ET and flew over Lake Superior less than half an hour later , according to NORAD officials . F-16 fighter jets intercepted the pilot near Michigan 's upper peninsula border with Wisconsin at 4:43 p.m. , and tracked the Cessna until its safe landing . The NORAD spokesman , Mike Kucharek , said military pilots who intercepted the Cessna had tried repeatedly to get the pilot 's attention and at one point , the pilot appeared to acknowledge that he saw the other aircraft . `` He looked at them , '' Kucharek said . But the pilot had not communicated with NORAD or the Federal Aviation Administration , Kucharek added later in the evening . At 9:20 p.m. , the pilot was believed to have had roughly 30 minutes of fuel left , Kucharek said . `` We do n't want to suppose the motive of the individual , '' Kucharek told CNN 's `` Anderson Cooper 360 '' after the landing . `` But it certainly made a day for the professional pilots that were flying these missions and a very serious situation from a NORAD perspective . '' Officials allowed the pilot `` to play his hand '' because they '' -LSB- did n't -RSB- want to provoke the situation , '' Kucharek said . A federal law enforcement official told CNN the pilot is a naturalized Canadian citizen , but declined to give his name or country of origin . The source said the pilot was a flight school student for a `` brief '' period and only clocked a few hours of flight time . Canadian officials have received some information that the pilot is `` not a happy individual , '' the official said . The Cessna departed at about 3 p.m. ET and flew over Lake Superior less than half an hour later , according to NORAD officials . F-16 fighter jets intercepted the pilot near Michigan 's upper peninsula border with Wisconsin at 4:43 p.m. , and have tracked the Cessna since . Earlier in the evening , the Wisconsin National Guard deployed two F-16s of its own in an attempt to get the pilot to establish communications with FAA air traffic controllers . The state capitol in Madison , Wisconsin , was evacuated for less than an hour as a precaution . FAA spokeswoman Laura Brown said the plane was reportedly stolen from a flight school in Thunder Bay , Canada , and the pilot had been identified as a student at the flight school . Both Lt. Cmdr. Gary Ross of NORAD and Brown of the FAA said the 14,000-feet altitude is above the level at which the FAA requires use of oxygen . Brown said it was not clear whether the Cessna had supplemental oxygen on board . Ross says the plane is a long-range version of a Cessna 172 . It was fully fueled , giving it about seven hours of flying time . Ross said if NORAD officials believe the aircraft poses a threat , `` we take seriously any intent to harm any of our citizens or critical infrastructure . '' He added that `` all options are on the table although we continue to move towards a resolution that does n't call for -LSB- lethal force -RSB- . '' CNN 's Jeanne Meserve , Adam Levine and Mike Ahlers contributed to this report . | NEW : FBI identifies pilot as Adam Leon of Turkey , who is now a Canadian citizen . NEW : Pilot , formerly known as Yavuz Berke , captured after landing plane , fleeing . Cessna aircraft was reported stolen from Canadian flight school . F-16 fighter jets intercepted plane , but pilot did n't respond . | [[537, 552], [557, 600], [603, 621], [626, 661], [2925, 3012], [707, 722], [729, 743], [707, 709], [714, 743], [0, 26], [71, 116], [43, 70], [80, 116], [255, 339], [3862, 4043], [3895, 3973], [1859, 1966], [1859, 1876], [1973, 2016], [3441, 3548], [3612, 3684]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Police said they are pursuing leads in the death of 8-year-old Sandra Cantu , whose body was found Monday stuffed into a suitcase in a dairy-farm pond near her Tracy , California , home . Sandra Cantu , 8 , disappeared March 27 . Her body was found at a dairy-farm pond near her Calilfornia home . `` We are heading in a direction , '' Tracy police Sgt. Tony Sheneman told reporters . `` To comment on that would compromise the investigation , and I ca n't do that . '' A search warrant was executed at the Tracy mobile home park where the girl lived , and a related search was to be conducted Tuesday at a nearby church , he said . He implied more than one person may have been involved in the death of Sandra , who had been missing since March 27 . `` Investigators are looking at additional information they received since yesterday and , hopefully , that will lead us to Sandra 's killers , '' he said . Asked if his use of the plural meant police were looking for more than one person , he responded , `` We have no specific suspects , ma'am . '' Sheneman also implied the killer likely was familiar with the location where the body was found . He said he himself was unfamiliar with the location where the girl 's body was found , despite having lived in the community for nearly 12 years . `` Someone would have to be familiar with that area to know to go there , '' he said . Watch how the suitcase was found '' Sheneman said police had no one in custody , despite having interviewed hundreds of people regarding the case . `` Everyone that we speak to right now is being considered a person of interest , '' he said . `` We 're not eliminating anyone . '' The autopsy was being conducted Tuesday , but it was not clear when the report would be available . `` It 's going to be some time before we hear from the coroner , '' Sheneman said . `` I ca n't tell you when that 's going to be . '' More than 10 search warrants have been executed as part of the investigation and `` a lot '' of evidence has been recovered , Sheneman said . The day Sandra was last reported seen , she returned home from school , kissed her mother and left to play with a friend who lives nearby . A short time later , wearing a pink Hello Kitty T-shirt and black leggings , she left to go to another friend 's home , according to a family spokeswoman . Police said Monday the girl 's clothing helped them identify the body . | NEW : Police imply person or persons involved in Sandra Cantu 's death from area . Police plan to church near mobile park home where Sandra 's family lived . Sandra was found in suitcase in a dairy-farm pond near her California home . Sandra had been missing since March 27 from her home in Tracy , California . | [[652, 729], [572, 639], [68, 94], [97, 184], [249, 316], [207, 219], [226, 248], [720, 731], [736, 769]] |
WASHINGTON -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Computer hackers have embedded software in the United States ' electricity grid and other infrastructure that could potentially disrupt service or damage equipment , two former federal officials told CNN . The ex-officials say code also has been found in computer systems of oil and gas distributors . The code in the power grid was discovered in 2006 or 2007 , according to one of the officials , who called it `` the 21st century version of Cold War spying . '' Department of Homeland Security Director Janet Napolitano would not confirm such a breach , but said Wednesday that there has been no known damage caused by one . `` There have been , to my knowledge , no disruptions of power on any grid caused by a deliberate cyberattack on our infrastructure -- on the grid , '' Napolitano said . `` Nonetheless , we remain in constant protection , prevention , education , resiliency mode and we work with the utility sector particularly on that . '' Watch security officials explain threat '' The U.S. power grid is n't the only system at risk . The former officials said malicious code has been found in the computer systems of oil and gas distributors , telecommunications companies and financial services industries . Napolitano said the vulnerability of the nation 's power grid to cyberattacks `` has been something that the Department of Homeland Security and the energy sector have known about for years , '' and that the department has programs in place to fight such attacks . Security experts say such computer hacking could be the work of a foreign government -- possibly Russia or China -- seeking to compromise U.S. security in the event of a future military conflict . Former CIA operative Robert Baer said he is not aware of a specific breach like the one the former officials describe . But he said people in the intelligence community assume that such attacks from countries like China go on all the time . `` Their foreign intelligence service has been probing our computers , our defense computers , our defense contractors , our power grids , our telephone system . ... I just came from a speech at the national defense university and they were hit by the Chinese trying to get into their systems , '' Baer said . `` They are testing and have gotten in portals . It 's a serious threat . '' Baer said if the software was embedded by a foreign government , he doubts it would be used to launch a surprise attack . Instead , he said , that government likely would keep the bugs in place in case of a future conflict with the United States . `` It 's deterrence in the event of war , '' he said . `` They will have another weapon at their disposal , which will be to turn off our power . '' When the coding is found , it can be destroyed . But experts said that 's easier said than done . `` If you have somebody who knows what they 're doing writing that code and embedding it in a clever way , you can look right at it and not recognize it , '' said Scott Borg , director and chief economist at the U.S. Cyber Consequences Unit , an independent research institute . And even when it 's found , Borg said , confirming the source of a cyberattack can be next to impossible . `` Anonymity is a fact of life in the cyberworld , '' he said . `` It 's very easy to run an attack through somebody else 's computer . It 's very easy to embed code in Russian or Chinese when you 're not Russian or Chinese . `` So it 's very difficult to be confident on where anything like this comes from . '' Critics of the utilities industry have accused it of not doing enough in the past to defend against cyberassaults . But Ed Legge , spokesman for the Edison Electric Institute , which represents shareholder-owned electric companies , said the industry takes the threat seriously and has made progress in closing some of the loopholes that would allow such attacks . President Obama has started a 60-day review of all the nation 's efforts at cybersecurity that is expected to be completed by April 17 , Napolitano said . While utility grids are owned by industries , not the government , Napolitano said her department will continue working with power companies and other industries to help prevent an attack that could cripple power or other vital services . `` Can we continue to work to enhance efforts within critical infrastructure like the utility grid ? Yes , '' she said . `` Are we continuously looking for ways to enhance and educate for the prevention and protection of the cyberworld ? Absolutely . `` Is this a priority of the president 's and of all of us that are involved with safety and security ? You bet . '' | 2 ex-federal officials say U.S. electrical grid , other infrastructure targeted . Homeland Security does n't confirm a breach , says no damage caused by one . Expert says this kind of code could be difficult to detect . | [[196, 235], [1025, 1077], [494, 583], [494, 551], [590, 640], [595, 656]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- A 93-year-old World War II medic who froze to death last month in his Bay City , Michigan , home left his entire estate to a local hospital , an estate attorney told CNN Wednesday . Martin Schur poses with his wife , Marian , in 1976 . Local and state officials agree that Schur 's death was avoidable . The attorney would not disclose the exact amount left behind by Martin Schur . But his nephew said his uncle indicated to family members two years ago that he had saved up more than a half-million dollars over the years . Schur and his wife , Marian , who died more than a year ago , did not have any children . `` I just know at one time he said he had over $ 600,000 in savings , '' said William Walworth . `` That 's what he told me and my brother , and he was proud that he was able to save and build his estate up to that . '' Cathy Reder , an attorney negotiating on behalf of Bay Regional Medical Center and the Schur family , said she was filing paperwork in probate court Wednesday for the court to determine the validity of the will . A hearing has been set for March 17 . Reder would not specify the amount left to the hospital , other than to say it 's more than $ 1 . `` The will leaves everything to Bay Medical Center , '' she said . The hospital had no immediate comment . Walworth said his uncle was a frugal man who had n't eaten at a restaurant for over 30 years . `` He was very tight , and he was very frugal . But he did manage to save a lot of money . '' He said it 's possible his uncle 's estate could be less than $ 600,000 , but he believes it 's still `` sizable . '' `` Knowing my uncle , that 's him , '' Walworth said . `` He loved his community . He loved Bay City , Michigan . '' He added , `` Hopefully his death is not in vain and we can learn from this , and he 's still able to save lives . ... He was a very unique , special person in my life . I 'm proud of what he was able to do in his life . '' He said he hopes his uncle 's message will spur others to `` look out for their neighbor . '' The size of the estate -- if it 's as large as the nephew believes -- adds another tragic twist to Schur 's death . The power company limited his electricity because he owed about $ 1,000 . Watch neighbor say the death is `` unforgivable '' '' Schur 's death last month shocked Bay City , a town of about 37,000 on Lake Huron 's Saginaw Bay . The World War II veteran 's frozen body was found in his home January 17 , just four days after a device that regulates how much power he uses -- installed because of failure to pay -- shut off his power . A medical examiner said the temperature was 32 degrees in the house when Schur 's body was found . The medical examiner told The Bay City Times that Schur died a `` slow , painful death . '' `` It 's not easy to die from hypothermia without first realizing your fingers and toes feel like they 're burning , '' Dr. Kanu Virani told the paper . The Michigan State Police launched an investigation into Schur 's death for possible criminal violations . `` We have to do everything we can to make sure this does n't happen again , whether it 's Bay City or in any one of the cold weather states , '' Bay City Mayor Charles Brunner said last week . The death has prompted a review of Bay City Electric Light & Power 's rules and procedures for limiting or cutting off power . It also resulted in Bay City residents protesting Monday to the city about its handling of the whole situation . A neighbor who lives down the street called Schur 's death `` unforgivable . '' `` This ca n't be allowed to happen in this country , '' said Jerome Anderson . Walworth said he believes his uncle 's death was `` preventable . '' `` It should never have happened . It 's a tragic loss , '' he said . `` I had a lot of fond memories of my uncle , and that 's the type of memory I do n't want to have : Him freezing to death . '' Utility officials said Schur owed about $ 1,000 resulting in a `` limiter '' being put on his home . Limiters are devices that cut power as a warning for people who have n't paid their bills . Limiters can be reset to restore a lesser degree of power until a bill payment is worked out . In Schur 's case , the limiter was never reset , and it 's unclear whether he knew how to do that . Schur had been living alone since his wife died , Walworth said . Unlike private utilities regulated by the state , Bay City runs and oversees its own utilities and therefore does n't fall under Michigan 's public service commission . By law , Michigan requires private companies to prohibit cutting off service to senior citizens between November and April . Seniors must register for the program . The city has begun questioning whether its rules and procedures for limiting or cutting off power need a major overhaul . The utility has stopped its practice of cutting power to customers who do n't pay their bills . The utility also has removed all `` limiters '' on homes . Walworth said someone should have looked at Schur 's payment history and made direct contact to see whether something was wrong . He 's hoping the nation will learn from his uncle 's death . `` Hopefully , some good can come out of this . I 'm still an optimist . '' CNN 's Susan Candiotti contributed to this report . | Martin Schur , 93 , froze to death in his home last month ; leaves estate to hospital . Attorney wo n't disclose amount ; relative says it 's likely in excess of $ 500,000 . `` Hopefully his death is not in vain and we can learn from this , '' nephew says . The death has prompted a state investigation into the manner in which he died . | [[29, 51], [56, 97], [111, 158], [1207, 1255], [2298, 2340], [2397, 2469], [2472, 2501], [323, 401], [1736, 1744], [1748, 1829], [1747, 1784], [5110, 5170], [5186, 5218], [2947, 3053]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- In anticipation of more flooding next week , residents of Fargo , North Dakota , began stacking sandbags Wednesday for the second time in just over two weeks along the banks of the Red River . A trucker relaxes April 1 on sandbag pallets in Fargo , North Dakota , which is preparing for more flooding . They hoped to fill 1 million , said Fargo spokeswoman Karena Lunday . `` If we get a million , that will be a total of 4 million we 've made since the flood started , '' she said . The first sandbag effort began about March 23 . The Red River crested at nearly 41 feet at Fargo on March 28 , breaking a record that had held since 1897 , when the Red River reached 40.1 feet . The National Weather Service issued a flood warning Tuesday , predicting that melting snow -- and possibly rain -- will start to raise river levels on the Red River south of Oslo , Minnesota , this week . Lunday said forecasters expected the river to crest there between April 16-18 , possibly reaching 35 feet on April 14 . `` I do n't think people are as worried as they were the last time , but the possibility of getting up to 40 feet is a concern , '' Lunday told CNN . The Red River meanders along the border between North Dakota and Minnesota , so many other cities also were bracing for flooding . | Fargo spokeswoman says city has goal of filling 1 million more sandbags . `` I do n't think people are as worried '' as they were in late March , she says . National Weather Service issued flood warning due to precipitation forecast . | [[322, 350], [1026, 1089], [698, 757], [771, 823], [698, 726], [760, 902]] |
LOS ANGELES , California -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- It 's no secret that `` American Idol '' judge Simon Cowell often shows no mercy toward aspiring singers . Quirky , tattooed contestant Megan Joy Corkrey discovered that Wednesday night during the elimination round on the popular singing competition . Megan Joy said she and Simon Cowell remain on good terms . Megan Joy , who dropped her last name , told Cowell that she `` did n't really care '' about his criticisms of her Tuesday night performance of Bob Marley 's `` Turn The Lights Down Low , '' which he described as `` boring , indulgent and monotonous . '' Those comments sealed the 23-year-old single mother 's fate . Host Ryan Seacrest asked Cowell if he would be using the `` save '' rule in Megan 's case . Cowell demurred : `` Megan , with the greatest respect , when you said that you do n't care -- nor do we . So I 'm not going to pretend that we 're even going to contemplate saving you , '' replied Cowell . `` I do n't care that Simon did n't like that song , '' Joy said in an interview with CNN on Friday . `` I truly did n't and I still do n't . I still loved it , I sang it the way I wanted to . '' Watch what CNN 's Michelle Wright said about Megan Joy '' Despite all the bickering , Joy says that she and Cowell remain on good terms . After Wednesday 's program , she says they both laughed and he told her that he enjoyed watching her . Watch what CNN 's Lisa Respers France thought of performance '' Furthermore , the self-described `` dork '' says her `` American Idol '' experience has opened new doors to her future . `` Before all this competition , I thought I was just going to be a stay-at-home mom , '' Joy said . `` Now , I am interested to see all sorts of different things I could possibly try and dabble . ... I 'm excited to just see what 's out there . '' And those bizarre moments onstage Wednesday when she flapped her arms and squawked like a bird ? Joy says that 's just her personality . `` I do a lot of sound effects all the time , bird noises , animal noises , '' she said . `` Wednesday , I kind of had a feeling it was going to be me ... so I decided that I 'm just going to be myself and be silly out there . '' | Megan Joy dropped from `` American Idol '' on Wednesday night . She had dismissed judge Simon Cowell 's criticism ; Cowell dismissed her . Joy says `` Idol '' has opened up new worlds for her . | [[1486, 1592]] |
LONDON , England -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Hip hop is one U.S. commodity that has made it past the trade embargo to Cuba . Cuban rap duo `` Doble Filo '' say hip hop allows them to embrace social issues . Cuba has developed a homegrown rap movement , inspired by the sounds and fashions of U.S. hip hop . But what makes Cuban rappers different is that rather than celebrating bling , girls and guns , their lyrics address social issues in a country where free speech is tightly controlled . Cuban rap began to surface in the 1990s , a grassroots affair , with songs recorded in rappers ' bedrooms and distributed on cassette tapes . The island 's fledgling hip hop scene was given a boost in 1999 , when it was endorsed by the government as `` an authentic expression of Cuban Culture . '' In the following years the government set up the Cuban Rap Agency -LRB- CRA -RRB- to promote the scene , as well as a record label , `` Asere Productions , '' and a rap magazine called `` Movimiento . '' Government approval helped Cuban hip hop emerge from the underground , but some see that endorsement as a gilded cage . Formed in 1996 , rap duo `` Doble Filo '' -LRB- `` Double Edged '' -RRB- have been part of the Havana scene since the beginning and work with the Cuban Rap Agency . But rapper Irak Saenz admits there are contradictions in being part of the system . `` It does limit our creative freedom , '' he told CNN . `` The CRA has an agenda that goes with the government 's agenda . It does n't limit me but it does force me to be creative in how I express my ideas . '' Along with fellow Cuban rap duo `` Los Aldeanos '' -LRB- `` The Villagers '' -RRB- `` Doble Filo '' work with U.S. hip hop audio/visual label , Emetrece Productions . But `` Los Aldeanos '' , who formed in 2003 , are part of a younger generation of Cuban rappers . They do n't belong the CRA , and nor do they want to . They are defiantly underground and outspoken . `` Hip hop is an art form speaks the truth about how people are living , '' says Aldo Rodriguez , one half of Los Aldeanos . Their track `` Niñito Cubano '' is about a young boy growing up during Cuba 's `` special period '' , when the fall of the Soviet Union brought hardship to the island . Their forthright lyrics about life in Cuba do n't make them any friends among Cuba 's authorities , and that limits their opportunities on the island . `` Our lyrics do n't always go with the standard Cuban rhetoric and often that wo n't get airplay , '' says Rodriguez . `` I can be famous in other countries , but here they wo n't let me play a concert in a theater . '' Listen to Doble Filo and Los Aldeanos here '' Doble Filo 's Saenz has performed the U.S. with fellow Cubans `` Obsesion '' , a tour that included playing on the same bill as U.S. rap stars Kanye West and The Roots . He says that where his generation of rappers was forced to limit the way it talked about the realities of daily life , the new generation is bolder with its lyrics . Bian Rodriguez , also known as El B , the other member of `` Los Aldeanos , '' says hip hop gives voice to the concerns of ordinary Cubans . `` People tell me they need this music , not just because they can identify with what we are saying , but because they feel that maybe we can say things they might be afraid to say publicly , '' he told CNN . Like most other Cuban rap groups , `` Los Aldeanos '' are n't yet in a position to make a living from their music . El B has won Cuba 's Red Bull freestyle rapping championship three years in a row , but he still has a day job as a primary school teacher . A lack of funds and equipment means the island 's hip hop producers have to use a certain amount of ingenuity when it comes to recording their music . Doble Filo 's producer Edgaro explains that in the group 's early days , he would make tracks by looping the last few bars of songs on cassette tapes . These days , Edgaro produces songs on his PC , but the software is pirated from copies brought into the country and circulated on the streets . It simply is n't available in the stores . More about Cuba 's arts : Carlos Acosta takes CNN on a tour of Havana . '' As the scene develops the groups are getting more ambitious . Doble Filo are now incorporating live musicians into their sound , weaving in elements of traditional Cuban music , and they are set to release their debut album `` Despierta '' -LRB- `` Wake up '' -RRB- through Emetrece Productions . Emetrece is run by Melisa Riviere , a Ph.D. candidate in the Anthropology Department at the University of Minnesota . More than just promoting good music , she says Emetrece is trying to educate , and to challenge the U.S. embargo on Cuba . Like Cuba 's rappers , she sees hip hop as a tool for social change . As El B puts it , `` I think one of the things people take from the music is the idea that we can do anything , we can change anything , we can be anything we want . '' | Cuba 's homegrown rap scene is known for its socially conscious lyrics . Rap groups `` Doble Filo '' and `` Los Aldeanos '' speak out about life in Cuba . They say hip hop lets them talk about issues ordinary Cubans can not . | [[198, 297], [394, 441], [116, 129], [133, 197], [116, 129], [133, 197], [3060, 3124]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Her school has become a symbol of the kind of crumbling infrastructure that President Obama hopes his stimulus bill will improve . South Carolina student Ty'Sheoma Bethea was invited to the speech after she wrote a letter to lawmakers . But on Tuesday , Ty'Sheoma Bethea became the face of the issue , when she joined first lady Michelle Obama as her guest for the president 's first speech to a joint session of Congress . The White House invited Bethea , a student at the J.V. Martin Junior High School in Dillon , South Carolina , after a letter she sent lawmakers appealing for help rebuilding her school made its way to the president . The eighth-grader flew with her mother , Dina Leach , from South Carolina to Washington to attend Tuesday night 's speech . On Wednesday , back home in South Carolina , Bethea explained what she wanted the president to do . `` I just want for him to help my school out and to get us a bigger and better school and build us a new one , and I would thank him for that . '' she told CNN . The eighth-grader was inspired to write the letter by Obama , who mentioned her school in his first presidential news conference on February 9 . After visiting the school , he referenced J.V. Martin as evidence of educational institutions that would benefit from school construction funding in his $ 787 billion stimulus package . iReport.com : ' A very emotional moment ' In her letter , Bethea described the dilapidated condition of her school , which was built in 1896 , and said the funds would improve the building and the quality of education . `` We are just students trying to become lawyers , doctors , congressmen like yourself , and one day president , so we can make a change to not just the state of South Carolina , but also the world . We are not quitters . '' Watch Obama quote Bethea in speech '' Obama repeated Bethea 's statement about not quitting during his address . `` It was great to hear the president say my quote , '' Bethea said Wednesday . `` We are not quitters because anything is possible , and I do n't think we should give up so easily . We should work harder for it . '' Poorly maintained and ill-equipped schools in South Carolina 's `` corridor of shame '' were an issue during the Democratic primary as evidence that education reform had to be an imperative for the next president . The schools became an issue again last week when South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford , a Republican , said he might turn down some of the money in the stimulus . And South Carolina Rep. James Clyburn , the highest-ranking African-American in Congress , said turning down money was an `` insult '' to blacks . `` We have legislation here now with the money to do something about the schools , do something about water and sewage along that corridor in these 12 counties . And now the governor says , ' I do n't want to accept the money . ' That 's why I called this an insult , that 's why I said this is a slap in the face , because a majority of those counties are , in fact , inhabited by African-Americans , '' Clyburn said on CNN 's Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer . In his speech Tuesday , Obama vowed that education is among the priorities of his administration . He urged Americans to take advantage of the promise of an education . Watch Obama discuss education '' `` In a global economy , where the most valuable skill you can sell is your knowledge , a good education is no longer just a pathway to opportunity . It is a prerequisite , '' he said . `` It is our responsibility as lawmakers and as educators to make this system work , but it is the responsibility of every citizen to participate in it . '' Obama said . iReport.com : What would you fix first ? `` So tonight , I ask every American to commit to at least one year or more of higher education or career training . This can be a community college or a four-year school , vocational training or an apprenticeship . But whatever the training may be , every American will need to get more than a high school diploma . '' | Student Ty'Sheoma Bethea joins Michelle Obama for president 's speech . Bethea wrote a letter to lawmakers appealing for help rebuilding her school . President Obama has referenced school as example of needy infrastructure project . South Carolina 's poorly maintained schools have been a recurring issue . | [[326, 442], [748, 783], [150, 255], [222, 255], [568, 627], [2174, 2283], [2367, 2410]] |
ATLANTA , Georgia -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Wendell Lawing 's eyes light up as the 88-year-old man talks about his last flight in a B-17 bomber . Wendell Lawing , 88 , recently flew on a B-17 for the first time since World War II . `` We were going to Berlin , and we were flying around 20,000 feet . Suddenly , Me 109s headed out of the clouds , '' said the Atlanta native , referring to Germany 's Messerschmitt fighter aircraft . `` We had a big fight , a running fight , and I personally saw my waist gunner shoot down one of those Me 109s right outside the window . '' Seconds later , his bomber was struck in the plane 's radio room . Lawing , who was the radio operator , already had moved farther back in the plane . `` I was back at the waist gun . Otherwise , I would n't be here today . We were set afire , and I was told to bail out , and I bailed out . '' The Liberty Belle , a restored World War II-era B-17 like the one Lawing flew in , starts a nationwide tour this weekend in Atlanta . Its mission is to remind Americans of the sacrifices made by their fathers and grandfathers over the skies of Europe . It 's also sure to spark the memories of servicemen who flew in them . Lawing 's plane went down on the outskirts of Berlin in 1945 . Two of his crew mates never got out of the plane . As he tells a small crowd the story at Atlanta 's Peachtree DeKalb Airport , he is overcome with emotion and walks away briefly to gather himself . When he returns , Lawing talks about how he was captured on the ground and spent the next several months as a prisoner of war before U.S. Gen. George Patton 's Third Army freed him . Lawing is one of two veteran bomber crew members who have been invited out to the airport by the Liberty Foundation . The foundation is responsible for resurrecting and flying this B-17 , often referred to as the `` Flying Fortress '' because of the 13 machine guns carried aboard the plane . Of the 12,732 B-17s built during the war years , only 12 continue to fly . `` Our role is to fly this aircraft as a flying museum , to teach younger people the history of WWII , '' said Ron Gause , a foundation volunteer and part-time pilot of the Belle . `` It is in honor of those men and women who fought and died for us . And to honor those men who are still living . Some of them fly on the aircraft with us , and we get to hear their stories of what happened to them during WWII . That 's the icing on the cake . '' But it 's not just veterans who get to relive the B-17 . Each weekend , for nine months out of the year , the plane tours the United States , providing an opportunity for young and old to take a 30-minute flight on the Liberty Belle . `` It 's a wonderful 30 minutes . You get to move to all of the combat positions other than my seat , '' said Ray Fowler , the Liberty Belle 's chief pilot . `` The best seat in the house is the bombardier seat in the front . It 's a great experience . '' But this `` experience '' does n't come cheap . It costs $ 430 for nonmembers of the foundation to fly a mission . Fowler said the money allows the group to keep the plane airborne . `` About half that is to break even just to fly the plane . The rest goes to operating costs . '' The fuel costs are the weekend 's single largest expenditure . It costs roughly $ 91,000 to fill the tank , and the four engines burn 200 gallons of fuel an hour . `` There are a lot of forces trying to put these things in a museum , '' Fowler said . `` We want to keep these things flying for the public . It 's strictly based on public donations , and we hope to keep it flying for years . '' The Liberty Belle was built in 1945 but never saw combat . No longer needed , the plane was sold for scrap before being passed around to several entities before the Liberty Foundation bought it in 2000 and restored it . Liberty Foundation founder Don Brooks then had it painted as the `` Liberty Belle '' to honor his father who flew on the original Belle in the 390th Bomb Group during the war . Fowler , who is a Continental Airlines pilot when he is not flying the Belle , said it 's important to remember the high casualties B-17 crews suffered during World War II . `` It 's just staggering to think about , '' he said of the more than 45,000 B-17 crewmen killed or wounded during the war years . `` But we tell everybody never pass up an opportunity to tell these guys thank you . '' Jonathan Swift , 84 , ca n't say how many missions he flew . The former bombardier remembers at least 30 . `` I was just busy and did n't keep up with it , '' he said . `` Somebody asked me if I ever got shot at , '' Swift said , recalling , `` Yes , every mission and you were scared . '' He said he 's grateful for what the Liberty Foundation is doing . `` Of course it means a lot to me . ... Thousands -LSB- of B-17s -RCB- were just destroyed , '' he said . Lawing said he 's also appreciative . Lawing ended his first flight aboard a B-17 since his fateful leap in 1945 , gingerly climbing out through the fuselage hatch to show his fellow passengers how he escaped . His smile reveals that at least this day , the Liberty Belle 's mission has been a success . | Liberty Foundation begins tour of World War II-era B-17 in Atlanta this weekend . `` Our role is to fly this aircraft as a flying museum , '' foundation volunteer says . Public gets chance to meet airmen , fly 30-minute missions on Liberty Belle . | [[862, 879], [945, 995], [1999, 2072], [2617, 2680]] |
JUAREZ , Mexico -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Jose Molinar knew something was n't right . He had n't heard from his wife for a few hours , which was not sitting well with him . Marisella Molinar was killed while driving her boss , a target of cartels , across the border into El Paso , Texas . Marisella Molinar worked as a secretary for a top prosecutor in Juarez , Mexico , Jesus Huerta Yedra . She was employed in the office for more than 10 years and though she lived across the border in El Paso , Texas , with her husband , she drove about 20 minutes over the Juarez-El Paso border every day to the job she loved . The growing violence over rival drug cartels had concerned the couple , but Mexico was a part of their lives and they were sure the violence stayed between rival drug gangs , who were fighting over a lucrative drug route into the United States . Without fail , Marisella Molinar would call her husband every day when she arrived to work , went out for lunch and when she was leaving the office . But on December 3 , 2008 , by around 5:30 p.m. , Jose Molinar still had n't heard from his wife . He called the office in Mexico and was told she was giving her boss a ride over the border so he could do some Christmas shopping . Jose Molinar turned on his television , and his life changed forever . `` As soon as the image came up , I saw her truck , '' said Molinar , who was watching the news out of Juarez , `` and I knew what happened right then and there . '' Watch Jose Molinar talk about the moment he knew his wife was killed '' Marisella Molinar was in the wrong place at the wrong time . Her passenger , Jesus Huerta Yedra , was a target of the cartels that day . As Molinar 's car was about a mile away from the border crossing back to the United States , gunmen walked up to her car and fired 85 rounds from an AK-47 into their intended target . One shot hit Marisella Molinar , a mother of two and proud grandmother , in the chest , killing her instantly . `` She was n't involved , she did n't have anything to do with this ! '' said Jose Molinar in a recent interview with CNN . `` She was the guy 's secretary and she was giving him a ride to meet his wife here in El Paso who was Christmas shopping . '' But instead of making it home to help her husband hang Christmas lights , Marisella Molinar became yet another victim in the drug war taking place just steps from the U.S. border . The violence generated by the war of the drug cartels for control of drug routes translated last year into some 6,000 killings . More than 1,600 of them occurred in Juarez , three times more than the most murderous city in the United States . This year , in two months , the body count in Juarez is 400 . Mexican military and police in riot gear now patrol the once popular streets of Juarez . Gone are the Americans shopping , dining and partying . The bars and restaurants are shuttered -- many closed for good . Americans do n't come here anymore . In March 2008 , the Mexican military joined with Mexican states and local law enforcement in the fight against drug cartels in border cities . Mexican President Felipe Calderon has waged a war against business as usual with the cartels who controlled drug routes through Mexico and into the United States . The fallout has led rival drug gangs to launch all-out war not only with the military , but also with each other , because the once-established drug routes are now up for grabs . The violence has been the worst in Juarez , where cartels have killed police officers , forced the chief of police to resign and threatened public officials . `` They started killing police officers , and not when they were doing police work , but when they were coming out of their homes and getting into their cars to go to the police station , '' said Juarez Mayor Jose Reyes Ferriz , whose own family has recently received death threats . At the city 's only morgue , bodies are piling up . The mayor said there are far too many dead for the small facility to handle . The majority of the dead are unidentified members of the cartels . Just last week , the mayor said , 50 corpses were buried in mass graves because no one claimed the bodies . Officials from both sides of the border said the drug war may go on for years . Beheadings , bodies riddled with gunfire and blood-stained streets will continue daily , they said . They added that the appetite for illegal drugs is too great in the United States , and the drug routes are too lucrative for the battles to end . `` It 's not going to be won quickly , '' said Enrique Torres , a spokesman for the Mexican government , adding that the Mexican president is committed to fighting the cartels . `` He ca n't talk about a time frame in this type of situation . We know the monster is big , but we do n't have an idea of how big it is . '' | Marisella Molinar , a secretary , was killed nearly a mile from her U.S. home . Husband : `` She was n't involved , she did n't have anything to do with this ! '' More than 1,600 deaths in Juarez last year , 400 already this year . Cartels have killed cops , forced police chief to resign , threatened public officials . | [[1685, 1772], [1978, 2001], [2004, 2045], [2539, 2581], [2653, 2662], [2665, 2678], [2681, 2714], [3483, 3489], [3492, 3533], [3498, 3505], [3536, 3606], [3803, 3833], [3853, 3865], [3875, 3890], [3803, 3833], [3857, 3890]] |
AMSTERDAM , Netherlands -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The nationalities of the people killed in the Turkish Airlines plane crash near Amsterdam 's main airport have been identified as five Turks and four U.S. citizens . Masked investigators work at the crash site Thursday . Among the dead were two Boeing employees , among four onboard the flight , their company said late Thursday in a posting on its Web site . A third was hospitalized , and a fourth employee 's fate was not yet known , the company said . None of their identities have been released . Investigators were trying to determine what caused the crash of the aircraft , a model with a good safety record flown by a well-respected airline at one of the world 's most modern airports . The crash split the plane into three parts , as it was arriving at Schiphol from Istanbul , Turkey , around 10:40 a.m. -LRB- 4:40 a.m. ET -RRB- . Flight 1951 went down in a farmer 's field about 500 yards short of the runway in favorable weather conditions . It had 135 people onboard . Among those injured in the crash , 63 remained hospitalized Thursday , six of them in critical condition , said Theo Weterings , the mayor of Haarlemmermeer municipality , where Amsterdam 's Schiphol Airport is located . Another 25 passengers were severely injured , an official said Tuesday . Authorities have confirmed the nationalities of all but 15 of the passengers and crew , Weterings said . Those on board the flight included 53 Dutch , 51 Turkish , seven Americans , three Britons , and one each from Germany , Bulgaria , Finland , and Taiwan . Watch crash survivors return home '' `` I want to express my deepest sympathies again to the victims of TK flight 1951 , '' Weterings said . One week ago , an employees ' union accused Turkish Airlines of `` inviting disaster '' by ignoring aircraft maintenance , it emerged Thursday . The Turkish Civil Aviation Union alleged on its Web site on February 18 that Turkish Airlines `` is ignoring the most basic function of flight safety , which is plane maintenance services . '' `` The company administration does not understand the consequences of ripping people from their jobs and inviting a disaster . '' The union , which represents 12,000 Turkish Airline employees , is involved in an ugly dispute with the company 's management . Watch how survivors described crash '' Turkish Airlines posted a statement on its Web site on Thursday saying it takes safety seriously and that it followed all `` maintenance procedures of the plane manufacturer , national and international authorities directives '' for the plane . Two days before the crash , the company statement said , the pilot of the plane reported failure with the `` Master Caution Light '' while taxiing . The part was replaced , and `` after this replacement , the plane had eight take-offs and landings and there were no problems , '' Turkish Airlines said . In the wake of the disaster , Turkish Airlines executives and officials from Turkey 's Transportation Ministry said the Boeing 737-800 had last been inspected December 22 . See where 737-800 has been involved in previous incidents '' `` There was no problem with maintenance in the records of the plane , '' Candan Karlicetin , executive board chairman of Turkish Airlines , said in a news conference just hours after the crash . Teams of investigators arrived at the crash site just after daybreak and set up a large white tent . They fanned out over the debris field , where the white fuselage of the Boeing lay in three pieces . A special Turkish Airlines flight landed in Amsterdam Thursday morning from Istanbul , carrying about 70 relatives of those on board the fatal flight . The relatives were accompanied by trauma specialists , the airline said . The flight data and voice recorders were recovered . Turkish officials have also ruled out weather conditions as a possible reason for the crash . Dutch and Turkish authorities say they await the results of an international investigation into the cause . Aviation experts say Turkish Airlines has a relatively good safety record , though in 2003 , more then 70 people were killed when a Turkish Airlines domestic flight crashed in fog near the southeastern city of Diyarbakir . Turkey 's flagship carrier had been expanding its routes and fleet of aircraft in recent years . Hollywood actor Kevin Costner was recently hired to star in an advertising campaign for the company . Costner 's commercials were to be broadcast in 70 countries . An employee in Turkish Airlines ' advertising department said the promotional campaign was suspended in the wake of the fatal plane crash . CNN 's Jim Bittermann in Amsterdam , Netherlands , and Ivan Watson in Istanbul , Turkey , contributed to this report . | NEW : Two Boeing employees -- among four on flight -- were killed , company says . NEW : Their identities have not been released . 63 people remained in the hospital , six in critical condition , mayor says . Plane crashed near Amsterdam 's main airport , splitting into three parts . | [[264, 304], [480, 498], [499, 544], [1025, 1036], [1060, 1093], [1060, 1062], [1132, 1151], [738, 780], [3456, 3472], [3481, 3535]] |
LONGMONT , Colorado -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- A Colorado solar-energy company has high hopes for the economic stimulus bill that President Barack Obama will sign Tuesday in Denver . AVA Solar CEO Pascal Noronha holds one of the solar panels his company produces . Obama touts that the stimulus bill will help create up to a half a million so-called `` green '' jobs in the field of alternative energy . Colorado has a growing green energy industry . Executives of AVA Solar , based in Fort Collins , Colorado , are among green energy industry representatives invited to the bill signing . AVA Solar has its plant in Longmont , about 30 minutes north of Denver . The plant , set to begin production in the spring , will construct solar panels for solar power plants . Once production is up to speed , CEO Pascal Noronha says , the plant should create enough solar panels a year to power 40,000 U.S. homes . Noronha says AVA Solar needs two things : Government loans to expand its factory , and more government assistance to help power companies commit to building large solar power plants in the United States . iReport.com : What would you fix first ? Noronha says those two moves would help AVA Solar create 1,000 to 2,000 new jobs in its factory , plus added employment for its suppliers . The company , founded in 2007 , currently has 175 employees . Without the stimulus , Noronha said , AVA Solar is on track to create 420 new jobs by the end of this year . AVA Solar currently operates on $ 175 million in U.S.-based private venture capital . In 2007 the company also received $ 3 million in seed money from the U.S. Department of Energy . Noronha says Obama is on the right track in terms of the stimulus bill . `` What everybody needs is a little seed money because five years from now there 's no question -LSB- that -RSB- solar has to replace the oil that we import , '' Noronha says . `` What the government needs to do is provide the traction that is needed to get the first few projects on the ground . '' `` We need money from the federal government ... to facilitate production immediately , '' the CEO adds . `` Otherwise , we will be sitting and waiting for projects in the U.S. , and if we have to wait one year or two years -- when we 're able to produce a solution for this country today -- that is a really good reason for the government to say , ` Here it is , let 's go . ' '' Noronha says his company 's biggest customer base is in Germany , a country that is far ahead of the United States in embracing solar energy . Obtaining U.S. customers is a priority , he explains . `` As a company we would very much like to have customers here in the U.S. , '' Noronha says . `` The government needs to be able to facilitate these customers by making it possible for them to put large-scale power plants up . '' Noronha is optimistic about the stimulus bill and the direction of the Obama administration . `` If you look at the vision of the president , you know he is looking out in the future and saying we 've got to reduce our dependence on foreign oil , '' Noronha says . `` Well , to reduce our dependence on foreign oil , there is only renewable energy . And there are two forms that are promising -- one is wind and the other is solar . And solar , you 've got the sun 's resources all over the world . '' | Solar-panel company has high interest in stimulus bill . Creation of `` green '' energy jobs is among hallmarks of stimulus bill . AVA Solar of Colorado says it needs seed money to expand , hire more employees . Obtaining customers in the United States is a priority for the company . | [[257, 395], [269, 395], [2536, 2574], [2597, 2665]] |
MEXICO CITY , Mexico -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Mexican authorities have detained the country 's former drug czar on suspicion that he may have accepted $ 450,000 a month in bribes from drug traffickers , Mexico 's attorney general said Friday . Noe Ramirez Mandujano was in charge from 2006 through August of fighting organized crime in Mexico . Noe Ramirez Mandujano was in charge from 2006 until this August of the attorney general 's office that specializes in combatting organized crime . Ramirez is accused of meeting with members of a drug cartel while he was in office and agreeing to provide information on investigations in exchange for the bribes , Attorney General Eduardo Medina Mora Icaza said at a news conference Friday . The arrest was part of an ongoing investigation called `` Operation Limpieza , '' or `` Operation Cleanup , '' the attorney general said . The operation targets officials who may have passed information to drug cartels . The arrest was announced Thursday night , four days after the house arrest of Ricardo Gutierrez Vargas , the director for International Police Affairs at Mexico 's Federal Investigative Agency and the head of Mexico 's Interpol office . Authorities say more than 30 officials have been arrested since July in connection with the anti-corruption operation . Interpol , which is based in France , announced Wednesday it is sending a team of investigators to Mexico to investigate the possibility that its communications systems and databases may have been compromised , a prospect raised by the arrest of Gutierrez , the top official working with the agency in Mexico . `` A war of master proportions '' between authorities and narcotics traffickers and traffickers among themselves has left more than 4,300 dead so far this year , according to the Council on Hemispheric Affairs , an independent research and information organization . By comparison , the council said in a report this week , there were 2,700 drug-related deaths in 2007 . `` Homegrown drug cartels operating from both within and outside the country are engaging in a vicious turf war to seize control of major trafficking corridors while engaging in almost open warfare against the mobilized forces of the state , '' the council said about what it calls `` narco-fueled crime . '' Mexican leaders have been trying to tamp down the violence by tightening controls on money-laundering and cracking down on corruption among local and municipal police forces infiltrated by drug traffickers . It may not be enough . `` Due to pervasive corruption at the highest levels of the Mexican government , and the almost effortless infiltration of the porous security forces by the cartel , an ultimate victory by the state is far from certain , '' the Hemispheric Council concludes . Drug trafficking in Mexico is a $ 20 billion - to $ 50 billion-a-year industry , as much as the nation earns from tourism or remittances from Mexicans living in the United States , said Robert Pastor , a former National Security adviser to President Jimmy Carter and now a professor of international relations at American University in Washington . He has been studying Latin America for more than four decades . `` This is a huge industry with an extraordinary capacity to corrupt and intimidate the country . And they 're doing both right now , '' said Pastor , also a former director of the Carter Center 's Latin American and Caribbean Program . The drug cartels are paying some Mexican officials bribes of $ 150,000 to $ 450,000 a month , authorities have said . This in a country where the per capita income is $ 12,500 a year and one of every seven Mexicans lives in poverty , according to the CIA World Factbook . | Noe Ramirez Mandujano arrested , suspected of taking $ 450,000 a month in bribes . About 30 officials arrested in massive operation investigating collusion with cartels . Report : 4,300 dead this year in war between authorities and narcotics traffickers . Drug cartels pay some officials bribes of $ 150,000 to $ 450,000 a month . | [[119, 194], [3440, 3531], [1188, 1307], [1204, 1307], [1619, 1778], [119, 194], [3440, 3531]] |
WASHINGTON -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- With thousands of Americans looking for jobs , many businesses are saying : Sorry , we 're not hiring . The Federal Bureau of Investigation is sending out another message : Come right this way . Donna Gill Lumpkin is one of more than 270,000 people to apply for about 2,950 jobs at the FBI . After years of being outgunned in the battle for job applicants by corporations who could pay bigger salaries , hundreds of thousands of job seekers are applying for FBI positions . The FBI announced a hiring blitz in January to fill more than 2,100 professional staff positions . The job postings run the gamut from scientists to accountants to auto mechanics . In addition , the bureau said it wants to hire 850 FBI agents . What happened next caught many at the FBI by surprise . More than 270,000 people applied over about six weeks . The FBI said about 70,000 people seek positions in a normal year . But this is n't a normal year . Just ask Donna Gill Lumpkin , a divorced mother of two who lives in Maryland . Gill Lumpkin lost her job selling radio ad time in November . `` The competition is really stiff , '' she said . `` There 's a lot of people out of work . A lot of people looking for a job . '' Gill Lumpkin has applied for a job as an FBI recruiter . If the FBI thinks she has the skills for the post , that 's just one step toward a job . She 'll have to undergo an FBI background check and take polygraph and drug tests . Watch the applications pile up at the FBI '' The FBI official in charge of human resources concedes the FBI is benefiting a bit from the sour economy and getting a flood of applications this year . `` In years past it was often difficult to find people with the science and technology background or chemistry background or a biology background because we were competing with the private sector , '' said FBI Assistant Director John Raucci . Raucci said during the dotcom explosion , the FBI had a difficult time competing with dotcom start-up salaries . `` Now , what we offer is stability , we offer a job and I think a very exciting environment in which to work , '' said Raucci . Raucci said the average starting salary at the FBI is about $ 35,000 per year . But he adds those with extraordinary academic credentials and prior job experience start at a much higher rate . Donna Gill Lumpkin said the stability of a job with the federal government and the good benefits such as health insurance attracted her to apply . `` In this tough economic climate right now the federal government , I think , is one of the most steady and stable places anyone could be . '' The stakes are high for Gill Lumpkin , who has a 12-year-old daughter and a 14-year-old son . She said her children are covered under her ex-husband 's health insurance . But she needs coverage for herself . And she is not able to put any money away right now for her children 's college years . `` Right now the college fund is on pause , '' said Gill Lumpkin . `` It 's the survival fund . We are trying to survive . '' | Hundreds of thousands of job seekers are applying for FBI positions . Average starting salary at the FBI is about $ 35,000 per year . FBI no longer has same level of competition from private sector . FBI has openings for agents , but also for those in various support roles . | [[254, 321], [322, 401], [434, 503], [815, 860], [1463, 1507], [1469, 1507], [1563, 1570], [1617, 1660], [2146, 2225], [2158, 2225]] |
LONDON , England -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The global economy is in the doldrums but the market for merchandise featuring the world 's new mega-star shows no sign of tailing off . Obama T-shirts and merchandise are flying off the shelves at the moment . At the inauguration ceremony for U.S. President Barack Obama in Washington on Tuesday , thousands wore T-shirts , caps and watches featuring his image and even popping bottles of Barack bubbly . Pens , pin badges and $ 5 cookies emblazoned with Obama 's image are hugely popular in the U.S. while the Internet is helping to satisfy demand for other items around the world . Here are some pieces of merchandise available online : . Barack Obama action figure : 15-centimeter -LRB- 6-inch -RRB- tall , electroplated statue in a gold suit could be yours for $ 39 . However , the seller says that due to high demand the action figure is sold out . Barack Obama thimble : If you 're curious , then these are made out of porcelain so would be unsuitable for conventional sewing . Obama face masks : These flew off the shelves when they first hit the markets in Japan in December and could be a hit at a fancy dress party . Barack Obama earrings : To symbolize Barack Obama 's African heritage , these earrings have a photograph of the president on a tiny map of the continent made from wood . Replica inauguration tickets : The government printed 250,000 tickets for the inauguration in Washington , but some were reportedly sold online for $ 40,000 . Pick up a framed replica then for just a few dollars . Have you purchased any Obama merchandise ? Share your stories with us . Obama campaign poster : A set of six Obama campaign posters are on sale for $ 3,000 . New York Times inauguration newspaper could be yours for $ 10.50 , plus $ 12.80 to post it from the U.S. of course . `` RUN DC '' T-shirt : Was Obama in the 1980s hip-hop band ? He certainly looks like it when dressed in geeky glasses , trilby hat and chain . | Barack Obama merchandise is a big hit among new president 's supporters . T-shirts , earrings , champagne and cookies are popular items . Obama face masks and Spiderman comic featuring Obama fly off shelves . | [[173, 246]] |
NEW YORK -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Hugh Hefner founded Playboy magazine 55 years ago and turned the adult-oriented publication into a multimillion-dollar empire . CNN anchor John Roberts recently sat down with Hefner , now 82 , and talked about Steven Watts ' new book , `` Mr. Playboy : Hugh Hefner and the American Dream . '' Hugh Hefner , 82 , says that `` staying young is what it is all about for me . '' John Roberts , CNN anchor : Mr. Hefner , good to see you . Hugh Hefner : It is my pleasure . Roberts : You have over the decades certainly supported political causes , you 've supported Democratic causes . I 'm wondering what your thoughts are regarding the pending inauguration of Barack Obama and where you think the country is headed in the next four years . Hefner : Well , where the country is headed is obviously a question we would all like to know . But I , certainly , -LSB- say -RSB- this -LSB- is -RSB- a time for a change . I supported Obama . I 'm delighted that I lived to see a black president . I think he 's a very good man . I think we 've had ... eight of the worst years in my memory . And we hope that Obama can make some difference . Watch the interview with Hugh Hefner '' Roberts : You know in the 1950s and through the '60s and the early '70s you were such a factor in the sexual revolution in this country . With the election of Barack Obama , do you believe that the cultural revolution has come to an end ? Hefner : It 's always ongoing . You know , we remain essentially a puritan people . And so I think that conflict is always there . One got a remarkable revolutionary change in pop culture and in moral values in the '60s and '70s , and then there was a backlash . And that backlash , I think , has influenced government . And , um , the Christian right has had , played a major role in all of that . And I think that the complicated problems with religion being involved with politics hopefully will come to an end for a while at least . Roberts : Now in 1953 , when you first launched Playboy magazine , you seemed to be the right publication for the right time . I know that you were very heavily influenced by the Kinsey Report , which had come out not too long prior to that . But 55 years later , is Playboy magazine still relevant ? And if it is , how do you keep it relevant ? Hefner : Well , I do n't think obviously it will ever play the same kind of role that it played back in the 1950s and '60s . But I do think that a magazine of quality always has a place . Increasingly , obviously fewer people are reading magazines and fewer people are reading newspapers and books , but I think that part of that is a change that Playboy is always , is also embracing . We 're very much involved with the Internet . We were the first magazine to use -LSB- the -RSB- Internet and have our own Web site . So I think that we 'll continue to publish and publish both the magazine and then publish through electronics . Roberts : The new Steven Watts biography is a fascinating , very fascinating look at your entire career , from your roots all the way up until the present . And he says , looking back over it , that `` the key to his approach was that he edited Playboy for himself . Aiming it at his own tastes and values . '' Was that also a key to your success as well that you approached this with such a personal passion ? Hefner : I think so , but I think that is one of the things that makes magazines unique . They do speak with a personal voice . And I think it is one of the things that makes magazines special . Roberts : Now this , of course , has been a family enterprise . You founded the magazine , your daughter Christie took over as CEO of the company in 1982 . She has been there for 26 years , but she 's stepping down later on this month . Will you be able to still maintain that same - I do n't want to say `` quality '' because I 'm sure the quality was there -- but can the business continue in the fashion it has for the past 55 years ? Hefner : Well , only time will tell . If you 're talking in terms of family connections , I have two teenage sons . As a matter fact , there was an interview with Marston and Cooper in the current January issue . Roberts : I saw it . Hefner : Marston has just turned 18 and is at Trinity College . Cooper will be graduating in June and will be going to USC , and both have an interest in the magazine . Roberts : So you 'll be able to continue that legacy into the future ? Hefner : That is my hope . Roberts : Hugh , in the early part of the 1980s you ran into a number of problems . You were attacked on a number of different fronts by Reagan conservatives , the feminist movement , business started to suffer . Of course , there was the murder of 1980 Playmate of the Year Dorothy Stratten and charges that you had exploited her . A recent article in the Baltimore Sun described those times this way . It said : . `` Many now viewed Hefner as an anachronism : A creepy old guy padding around the mansion in slippers , pajamas and smoking jacket , pathetically cavorting with the same young bimbos and living the dissolute life of an aging Lothario -- the sexualized Peter Pan who refused to grow up . '' How did you overcome all that and survive another 25 years in the way that you have ? Hefner : Well , I think that 's probably the great question . One of the big questions is `` Why is the brand so hugely popular again ? '' There was a period in the '80s and '90s on which we were in the shade , and the brand has become hugely popular again . Part of it because of the television show . The television show is a global phenomenon . And what is unique about it is the fact that it is more popular with women than with men . Roberts : I know . The program you are talking about is girls gone wild ... sorry , `` Girls Next Door . '' It 's heading into its sixth season . And one of the statistics I saw is that 78 percent of the viewers are women . How do you think you 've tapped into that market ? Hefner : Well , we certainly did n't anticipate it . The original notion of doing the show through the eyes of the girlfriends seemed inspired because it took a lot of the pressure off of me . Because I 'm a very busy guy . I still am very busy involved with the business and with the magazine . So the notion of doing a reality show through the eyes of the girls was a good idea because it took the pressure off the old man . What we did n't anticipate , of course , was as a result ... it is a hugely popular phenomenon with women and that , of course , is really welcome . Because we knew that we were going to have the guys so the fact that the magazine and the brand is now hot with young women bodes well for the future . Roberts : Of course , the three principals in `` Girls Next Door '' are Holly , Bridget and Kendra , and we know that there has been a bit of a change in the relationship between you and Holly , at the very least . Will they be back again next year for the next season ? Hefner : Yes , all three of the girls are scheduled for season six . It will be a season of transitions and we will be meeting some of the new girls , too . Roberts : You 're 82 years old now ? Your latest girlfriends are a pair of 19-year-old twins , Karissa and Kristina Shannon . You are 63 years older than they are . A lot of people would say , `` How do you do it ? '' And other people might say , `` Are you ever going to grow up ? '' Hefner : Well , I 'm never going to grow up . Staying young is what it is all about for me . Holding on to the boy and , um , long ago I decided that age really did n't matter and as long as the ladies ... feel the same way , that 's fine with me . Roberts : Well , you 're definitely the youngest 82-year-old I 've ever seen . Hugh Hefner , thanks for being with us today . Hefner : My pleasure always . Roberts : Take care . Hefner : Thank you . | New book about publisher is `` Mr. Playboy : Hugh Hefner and the American Dream '' Now 82 , publisher-playboy says he still has no plans to `` grow up '' `` You know , we remain essentially a puritan people , '' Hefner says . Hefner 's latest girlfriends are a pair of 19-year-old twins . | [[321, 332], [340, 399], [7170, 7196], [7461, 7490], [1470, 1478], [1481, 1521], [7197, 7285]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden has apparently released a new audio message calling for a jihad , or holy war , against Israel for its Gaza campaign . Osama bin Laden , in an undated photo , apparently taped a message calling for jihad against Israel . The 22-minute message contains `` an invitation '' from bin Laden to take part in `` jihad to stop the aggression against Gaza . '' The audio message was posted on a radical Islamist Web site that has posted other statements from bin Laden in the past . CNN could not independently confirm the authenticity of the message , but the speaker 's voice was similar to other recordings that bin Laden has made . While not naming President-elect Barack Obama , bin Laden refers to the future of the United States in the face of the current global economic crisis . Watch as experts discuss Osama message '' '' -LSB- America is -RSB- now drowning in a global financial crisis , '' he said . `` They 're even begging all nations , small and large , for help . America is no longer feared by its enemies nor respected by its allies . `` The decline of the American power is one of the main reasons for Israel 's rushed and barbaric aggression on Gaza in a desperate attempt to take advantage of the last days of -LSB- President -RSB- Bush 's term in office . '' He appears , however , to refer to Obama , saying `` Bush leaves his successor with the worst inheritance ... two long guerrilla wars and no options . He either withdraws and faces military defeat , or carries on and drowns his nation in financial trouble . '' Watch Obama comment on bin Laden 's message '' The message also names Vice President-elect Joe Biden . `` Here is Biden , the vice president of the president-elect ... -LSB- he -RSB- says that the crisis is bigger than they expected and that the American economy , all of it , is open to collapse , '' bin Laden said . On December 20 , Biden said in an interview that the economy `` is in much worse shape than we thought it was in . '' White House spokesman Gordon Johndroe said the message `` demonstrates -LSB- bin Laden 's -RSB- isolation and continued attempts to remain relevant at a time when al Qaeda 's ideology , mission and agenda are being questioned and challenged throughout the world . '' He noted that the message also appears to be `` an effort to raise money as part of -LSB- al Qaeda 's -RSB- ongoing propaganda campaign . '' `` The United States promotes an alternative , hopeful ideology while continuing to partner with over 90 countries to pursue terrorists wherever they are , '' Johndroe said . The last time bin Laden released an audio message was in mid-May , timed to coincide with Israel 's 60th anniversary . That message urged his followers to liberate Palestine . Israel launched a military offensive in Gaza on December 27 to stop Hamas rocket strikes on southern Israel . The death toll in Gaza was nearing 1,000 on Wednesday , including more than 300 children , according to Palestinian medical sources . The Israeli toll stood at 13 , including three civilians , according to Israeli police and military officials . Bin Laden , who is about 51 , is the head of the al Qaeda terrorist network , which was responsible for the September 11 , 2001 , attack on the United States that killed 2,751 people . He 's been in hiding since the U.S. assault on Afghanistan that followed the 9/11 attacks . The U.S. government is offering a $ 25 million reward for information leading to his capture . President Bush , whose term ends next week , told CNN 's Larry King on Tuesday that he remains optimistic that bin Laden would be found . Asked by King , `` Are we ever going to find bin Laden ? '' Bush replied : `` Yes , of course , absolutely . We 've got a lot of people out there looking for him , a lot of assets . You ca n't run forever . '' The message is important to the incoming U.S. president because it signifies that bin Laden is still `` out there , '' said Tim Roemer , a former Democratic congressman from Indiana who served on both the congressional and the presidential September 11 commissions . `` It 's a reminder of President-elect Obama 's inheritance of some of the difficult problems out there that he has to confront , '' said Roemer , who is president of the Center for National Policy . `` Al Qaeda is trying to be relevant with this tape , '' Roemer said . `` They seek competition with Hamas , Hezbollah , the ongoing battle between Israel and the Palestinians . ... `` This reminds us of what bin Laden said right after 9/11 . He said it was n't 19 Arab armies or 19 Arab states that attacked the United States . It was 19 post-graduate students . It reminds us how much the world has changed , and how many different threats are out there today . '' CNN 's Octavia Nasr and Suzanne Malveaux contributed to this report . | White House says Web message shows bin Laden 's isolation . Message says global economic crisis is reducing U.S. power in the world . Audio message posted on radical Islamist Web urges jihad in Gaza 's defense . Speaker 's voice was similar to recordings that bin Laden has made in the past . | [[2023, 2180], [679, 724], [727, 830], [0, 15], [51, 128], [404, 463], [2725, 2781], [600, 652], [636, 652], [658, 678]] |
BANGKOK , Thailand -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- An Australian author imprisoned last month for insulting the king and crown prince of Thailand was on his way home Saturday after receiving a pardon from the king . Harry Nicolaides behind the bars of a Thai holding cell . Harry Nicolaides , 41 , was arrested last August over his 2005 book titled `` Verisimilitude . '' The book includes a paragraph about the king and crown prince that authorities deemed a violation of a law that makes it illegal to defame , insult or threaten the crown . CNN has chosen not to repeat the language because it could result in CNN staff being prosecuted in Thailand . Mark Dean , a lawyer for Nicolaides , said he was released Friday and taken to the Australian embassy in Bangkok , where he stayed until leaving for Australia at about midnight . `` He is obviously very relieved and grateful that the pardon was granted , '' Dean said . Nicolaides was sentenced to three years in prison after pleading guilty last month . He faced a term of up to six years before the plea . Watch shackled Nicolaides at court '' His lawyers then requested the pardon . King Bhumibol Adulydej had pardoned foreigners in similar cases in the past . Dean said Nicolaides was deported from Thailand , but that he did not know of any other stipulations related to the pardon . In an interview with CNN International , Dean avoided repeating what Nicolaides wrote , but said the passage was presented as a rumor , not a fact . `` This is probably not the best time to repeat the passage that was found to be offensive , '' Dean said . `` But it concerned the crown prince of Thailand and a rumor that was being circulated in Thailand about the crown prince . '' Nicolaides had been living in Thailand since 2003 , lecturing at two universities about tourism . He was about to leave Thailand when he was arrested on August 31 . It is not clear why the authorities waited three years after the publication of his book to bring charges against him . Fifty copies of the book were published , and only seven were sold . Thailand 's king is highly revered in the Buddhist nation . But even he has said in the past that he can be criticized . Thailand 's prime minister , Abhisit Vejjajiva , also has told CNN he is concerned about what he called misuse of the law . Still , other cases of violating the law are pending before the Thai Criminal Court , involving both Thais and foreigners . | Harry Nicolaides , 41 , was arrested last August over his 2005 book . The book includes a paragraph about the king and crown prince . Authorities deemed it a violation of a law that makes it illegal to insult the crown . Man 's lawyer says he was relieved and left for Australia at about midnight . | [[261, 277], [280, 328], [359, 420], [426, 465], [460, 465], [471, 530], [641, 650], [679, 753], [746, 753], [762, 819]] |
WASHINGTON -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Sen. Hillary Clinton was in the White House on multiple occasions when her husband had sexual encounters with Monica Lewinsky , according to newly released documents . The National Archives released 11,000 pages of Hillary Clinton 's schedule as first lady . The National Archives on Wednesday released more than 11,000 pages of Clinton 's schedule when she was first lady . Sen. Barack Obama 's campaign pushed for the documents ' release , arguing that their review is necessary to make a full evaluation of Clinton 's experience as first lady . But the documents also provide a glimpse into Clinton 's life during her husband 's publicized affair . The scandal involving former president Bill Clinton and Lewinsky , first broke in the national media on January 21 , 1998 . According to the documents , Hillary Clinton started that day at a private meeting in the White House . She later made an appearance at a college in Baltimore , Maryland , and stayed there until late in the afternoon before returning to the White House for a black-tie dinner . Watch where Hillary Clinton was during the scandal '' The schedules reveal where Clinton was , but provide no indication of how she dealt with the controversy . Carl Bernstein , who wrote a biography of Hillary Clinton , said there was much more going on behind the scenes . `` She was on the telephone with her aides , she was trying to learn more about what the press was doing , she did not want to give the impression of a firestorm that was raging outside , '' he said . On the day her husband made his first public admission -- August 16 , 1998 -- she was on a trip to Martha 's Vineyard . She had no public schedule for the days that followed . And on December 19 , 1998 -- the day the House voted to impeach her husband -- the calendar shows a holiday party . A dance between the president and first lady is listed as `` optional . '' The papers show Hillary Clinton had no public schedule on the day independent counsel Kenneth Starr was appointed to investigate Bill Clinton 's affair with Monica Lewinsky , or on the day Bill Clinton was deposed in the case . On the day the affair began -- November 15 , 1995 , according to Starr 's report -- Hillary Clinton had a private meeting and a meet-and-greet with then-Vice President Al Gore and Nobel Prize winners . Lewinsky said she and the president had an encounter in the bathroom outside the Oval Office study on January 7 , 1996 . This is the same day the president and his wife had a small dinner gathering at the White House , according to the documents . The president and Lewinsky also had a sexual encounter on February 4 , 1996 , according to Lewinsky . On this day , the president and Hillary Clinton went to the National Governors Association annual dinner . Hillary Clinton kept up a busy schedule as the affair spiraled into impeachment . Thousands of pages are marked by redactions -- blacked-out information like the names of people who attended meetings . `` This is not about someone who is eager to shine a light on her full record . That 's the point . And at the same time , some of this is understandable -- when you 're running for office , the slightest thing can be misinterpreted , '' Bernstein said . But the schedules also show her involvement in policy -- she dove into health care reform just three days after her husband 's inauguration in 1993 , and dozens of related events followed . Despite her efforts , the Clinton health care reform foundered in Congress . Tom Fitton , president of Judicial Watch , said the trove of documents `` shows she was a co-president , '' revealing an `` extraordinary extent of meetings for an unelected official to be meeting with cabinet officials . '' The documents cover nearly 2,900 days . An additional 27 days will be posted in the near future , the archives said . The documents are among those at the center of a legal battle between the archives and Judicial Watch , a conservative public interest group that has long urged a speedier release of files from the Clinton White House years . In a court motion this month , the archives promised to release the schedules by the end of the month but said it will need `` one to two years '' to process remaining documents , including more than 20,000 pages of call logs -- well after the November 4 presidential election . A Clinton spokesman said the lawsuit had nothing to do with the release , and the Clinton team had nothing to do with the redactions . A key aide to the Clintons actually fought to un-redact some parts , the spokesman said . According to the archives statement , 4,746 of the schedules have redactions that largely relate to privacy concerns including Social Security and telephone numbers and home addresses . `` We 'll look them over , and may ask the court for relief if it looks like something important is missing , '' Fitton said of the redacted information . He said Judicial Watch continues to demand phone logs from Clinton 's time in the White House . The documents are from the files of Patti Solis Doyle , director of Clinton 's scheduling as first lady , the archives said in a statement . Doyle stepped down as Clinton 's presidential campaign manager in February after a string of poor showings in primaries . `` Arranged chronologically , these records document in detail the activities of the first lady , including meetings , trips , speaking engagements and social activities for the eight years of the Clinton administration , '' the archives said . The records were simultaneously released on CD-ROM at the William J. Clinton Presidential Library in Little Rock , Arkansas , and at the archives in Washington . The documents are also available for view on the Clinton Library 's Web site . E-mail to a friend . CNN 's Alexander Mooney and Robert Yoon contributed to this report . | Documents shed light on Clinton 's schedule during affair and resulting scandal . Papers also document her involvement in policy , specifically health care reform . More than 11,000 documents cover nearly 2,900 days . | [[289, 404], [582, 595], [601, 681], [2814, 2895], [3275, 3288], [3294, 3324], [198, 288], [289, 404], [3763, 3802]] |
LONDON , England -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Mega-rich Middle Eastern investors are the latest wave of businessmen being linked with some of the biggest clubs in English soccer . Sulaiman Al Fahim eyes Chelsea , while Liverpool 's fans also see a change of ownership looming . They follow an influx of ` foreign ' owners led by Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich at Chelsea , and Americans at Manchester United and Liverpool . Sheikh Mansour , a member of the oil-rich Abu Dhabi royal family , has transformed the financial fortunes of Manchester City -- a team long in the shadow of its more successful neighbor United -- since buying the club last summer . He bought Brazilian Robinho for a record # 32.5 million -LRB- $ 45 million -RRB- at the start of the season , has spent millions more on players in the January 2009 transfer window and had a bid to sign Kaka , a former World Player of the Year , for a record-busting # 100 million -LRB- $ 138 million -RRB- fail . At the weekend British newspapers suggested that two of the Premier League 's `` Big Four '' are attracting the attention of wealthy Gulf investors . Not for the first time , the Kuwaiti Al Kharafi family was linked with Liverpool FC , currently owned by Americans Tom Hicks and George Gillett . Meanwhile , Dr Sulaiman Al Fahim , an Emirates property mogul and TV personality , is fronting an audacious bid to buy a controlling interest in Chelsea from Abramovich . Jassim al Kharafi has shot down speculation that his family is interested in buying Liverpool . The Kharafis , who made much of their estimated $ 9.7 billion fortune in construction and fast-food interests , have been in talks with Liverpool before . They considered a bid last year after the ruler of Dubai , Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum , abandoned his efforts to buy the club . But that may not be the end of the story . Some analysts think potential suitors are biding their time , as Liverpool 's current American owners approach the deadline for refinancing their takeover of the club . That would mean renegotiating the terms of a whopping # 350 million -LRB- $ 550 million -RRB- loan by July . Most analysts think it highly unlikely in the current economic climate that the banks will want to refinance the loan . So if the Kharafi family denies interest in the club , that may be an act of brinkmanship to drive down the price as the July deadline looms . Dr Sulaiman Al Fahim , on the other hand , has already successfully overseen one takeover . He came to the public 's attentions after fronting the Abu Dhabi United Group 's bid for Manchester City , only to be removed when he made several audacious claims concerning City 's future transfer policy . Now he 's back , fronting a collection of investors who want to get their hands on Chelsea FC . `` It 's not entirely clear if Chelsea is for sale , but regardless of that , we first need to see if we are in a position to buy it , '' Al Fahim told Arabian Business.com . `` Given that Roman Abramovich has invested over # 500 million -LRB- $ 694 million -RRB- into the club , it would not be cheap ... but through a number of investors , there is money available to put together a deal . '' The moves highlight just how important money from the region has become . Manchester City has already smashed the British transfer record after signing Robinho and paid what many think are generous fees for other players during a slow transfer window . Middle Eastern investors have been offered the chance to buy anyone from Newcastle United , who are enduring a poor season in the Premiership , to Charlton Athletic , struggling in the second tier of English football . Companies based in the Gulf have been involved in huge sponsorship deals , like the Dubai-owned Emirates Airline who gave Arsenal # 100 million for naming rights for their stadium . Not everyone is happy however . UEFA president Michael Platini has criticized the influx of foreign owners into the Barclays Premier League , claiming that clubs are losing touch with their roots as a result . `` Do you want in Liverpool an Arab sheikh as president with one Brazilian coach and nine or eleven African players ? '' Platini said at a news conference last October . `` Where is Liverpool in that ? We have to make some rules . '' Is Platini right ? Have your say . With half a dozen Premier League clubs known to be up for sale , and Arab investors looking like the only ones willing to do the buying , Kharafi and Fahim wo n't be the last names the footballing world hears from the Middle East . What do you think ? Is Platini right to be wary of foreign owners ? Is the Premier League becoming too dependent on Middle Eastern money ? Or is the influx of money and big names a refreshing shot in the arm for European football ? Have your say . | Two new Arab investors look to buy Liverpool and Chelsea . They 're the latest businessmen to look at buying a Premier League club . The region has pumped millions of dollars into the game in recent years . UEFA boss Platini is wary of foreign owners . What do you think ? Have your say . | [[966, 1115], [1015, 1115], [1262, 1271], [1274, 1294], [1345, 1432], [2749, 2758], [2763, 2802], [0, 6], [9, 105], [91, 169], [966, 1115], [1116, 1138], [1141, 1199], [1262, 1271], [1274, 1294], [1345, 1432], [3884, 3963], [4003, 4050], [3884, 3914], [3994, 4061], [4315, 4330], [4563, 4582], [4583, 4630], [4795, 4810]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The Marines have been making children 's Christmas dreams come true for nearly 60 years , but the corps may be seeing fewer smiles this year . Volunteer Betty Whelan sorts donated toys in a Toys for Tots center in Boston , Massachusetts . With demand up due to the poor economy and toy donations down , Toys for Tots , the Marine Corps ' program that distributes Christmas toys to children in need , is facing one of its toughest years , according to Bill Grein , the Toys for Tots Foundation vice president . Grein said the program last year distributed approximately 16.6 million toys and books , but this year he does n't think they will be able to reach that number . `` We always run out of toys before we run out of children , '' he said , but this year `` it 's a major problem . '' Grein said that the program is getting more requests than in previous years and cities like Philadelphia , Pennsylvania ; Miami , Florida ; Fresno , California ; Atlanta , Georgia , and many others are hurting for donations . `` Every kid deserves a present , '' said Marine Sgt. Daniel Sampson of the Toys for Tots program in Boston , Massachusetts . `` Right now , we 're not sending out as much as we should be . '' In the Washington area , the Marines need to find toys for 82,000 children , but `` we are tens of thousands of toys behind , '' Master Sgt Timothy Butler said . If they ca n't fill the need and get every child on the list a toy for Christmas , Butler said , `` It 's gon na break my heart . '' Last year , the Marines were able to raise $ 13,000 in donations from people at Union Station , a major commuter hub in downtown Washington , but this year the Marines will be `` lucky to get half that , '' Staff Sgt. Johnny Noble said . In Atlanta , Toys for Tots administration chief Edward Barrett said they had received 241,814 donations , well short of their goal of 800,000 . Barrett understands that the economy has a lot to do with the lack of contributions , and he estimates that donations are down by about 30 percent this year . In San Francisco , California , Gunnery Sgt. Timothy Anthamatten said the Toys for Tots program there was also seeing a 30 percent decrease in toy and monetary donations . In Boston , last minute donations came to the rescue . According to volunteer Kay Carpenter , the Boston Toys for Tots program used money that came in last week to buy $ 15,000 worth of toys , hopefully , enough to fill all of their orders . But , nationally , Toys for Tots bins are still empty . `` We 're Marines and we set goals , '' Edwards said , `` and when we ca n't achieve those goals that 's frustrating . '' CNN 's Bethany Swain contributed to this report . | The Marines ' Toys for Tots program has distributed donated toys for 60 years . Bad economy has resulted in more requests for toys and fewer donations . Marines will fall short of 16.6 million toys distributed last year . In Atlanta and San Francisco areas , donations down 30 percent . | [[48, 106], [338, 364], [370, 416], [809, 928], [529, 615], [971, 1034], [1995, 2063], [2134, 2235]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Every dog has his day , but Sir Lancelot -- or at least his carbon copy -- has a second one . Edgar and Nina Otto show off 10-week-old Lancey , a clone of `` the most human of any dog we 've ever had . '' A Boca Raton , Florida , couple paid a California firm $ 155,000 to clone their beloved Labrador retriever , who died from cancer a year ago . The clone , a 10-week-old puppy dubbed Lancey , was hand-delivered to them earlier this week by Lou Hawthorne , chairman of BioArts International , a biotechnology company . `` One minute with Lancey and you know he 's special . He 's both extremely aware and very sweet , '' Hawthorne said in a BioArts statement . Edgar and Nina Otto said they began thinking about cloning Sir Lancelot about five years ago . `` I said ` Well , you know , it would n't hurt to have his DNA frozen , ' and that 's what we did , '' Nina Otto told CNN affiliate WPBF . The Ottos were one of five families to bid and win a BioArts auction for a chance to clone their family dog , according to a BioArts statement . Lancey is the world 's first commercially cloned dog , the company said ; the Ottos are the first of six current clients to receive their clone . Sir Lancelot 's DNA sample was sent to the Sooam Biotech Research Foundation in Seoul , South Korea , which provides cloning services to BioArts . Researchers there put the DNA into an egg , and Lancey was born November 18 , according to BioArts . The Ottos said they have had many beloved dogs over the years -- and have nine others currently -- but maintain Sir Lancelot was special . `` Sir Lancelot was the most human of any dog we 've ever had , '' Edgar Otto said in the BioArts statement . `` He was a prince among dogs . '' In an interview with WPBF , Edgar Otto said Sir Lancelot `` was a very , very , very special dog to us . And we 've given a lot more to the Humane Society than we 've ever spent on this project . '' Watch the Ottos talk about Lancelot and Lancey '' For its part , the Humane Society of the United States says it 's against the commercial cloning of animals . `` Given the current pet overpopulation problem , which costs millions of animals their lives and millions in public tax dollars each year , the cloning of pets has no social value and in fact may lead to increased animal suffering , '' the organization said on its Web site . `` For those looking to replace a lost pet , cloning will not create an animal identical to the one who is gone ; cloning can not replicate an animal 's uniqueness . Cloning can only replicate the pet 's genetics , which influence but do not determine his physical attributes or personality . '' The Ottos , however , said replicating Sir Lancelot 's genetics is enough for them . Edgar Otto said he realizes Lancey might not be just like their departed dog , but `` if he 's different , we 're not going to love him any less . '' Edgar Otto is the son of the late Edwin Otto , who was part of the founding of NASCAR and a `` motorsports pioneer , '' according to www.ottomotorsports.com . | Couple won auction to clone family dog , biotech company says . Lancey is world 's first commercially cloned dog , company says . DNA of deceased dog sent to S. Korea , and cloned puppy born November 18 . Humane Society says it 's against commercial cloning of animals . | [[1063, 1115], [47, 90], [94, 112], [1209, 1294], [1400, 1431], [1990, 2002], [2005, 2099]] |
-LRB- OPRAH.com -RRB- -- Decision-making can be challenging for anyone , but when a couple needs to make a collective decision , the challenge becomes greater , psychologist Dr. Josh Klapow says . Remind your partner that you are a team and collaboration is needed when facing differing opinions . The key is to recognize that the decision-making process is the same regardless of the type of decision , Dr. Klapow says . `` Making decisions as a couple is not so much about what you decide on , but rather how you go about the process of making the decision , '' he says . `` If you approach each decision with the same game plan , then over time , you will become experts at decision-making . '' Dr. Klapow shares his five `` smart '' -LRB- set , monitor , arrange , recruit and treat -RRB- steps to collective decision-making . Set a specific goal . Make sure you are very specific about what you want , Dr. Klapow says . For example , a goal of saving money is not specific enough ; however , saying that you want to save an extra $ 100 per month by automatic deduction from your paychecks to pay off your credit card is specific . `` The more specific you are , the better , '' he says . Monitor your discussion . As you are discussing the decision at hand , make sure you are staying on track , Dr. Klapow says . `` Very often couples will start discussing a goal and stray to some other topic , which can lead to frustration , '' he says . `` If you notice yourself or your spouse getting off the subject , quickly come back to the specific goal . '' Oprah.com : The five best things to do for your relationship . Arrange the situation for success . Decision-making does n't work well when someone is tired , hungry , short of time or preoccupied with other activities . `` Before you start the discussion , make sure each of you is in the right frame of mind and you have the time , '' Dr. Klapow says . If not , take a break from the discussion because it likely wo n't be productive . Recruit support from one another . A collective decision means that sometimes there will be a compromise , Dr. Klapow says . If you are going into the discussion to win , then you are not making a collective decision -- you are fighting a battle , he says . `` Remind each other that you are a team and that you are in it to win collectively , not necessarily individually , '' he says . Treat yourselves . Because decision-making can be one of the toughest challenges a couple faces , celebrate the success of a decision together . `` A hug , a celebratory reward -- anything that acknowledges that together you have accomplished this task -- will help keep you motivated to make decisions together again , '' Dr. Klapow says . From The Peete 's `` Oprah & Friends '' on Sirius XM Radio show . Subscribe to O , The Oprah Magazine for up to 75 % off the newsstand price . That 's like getting 18 issues FREE . Subscribe now ! TM & © 2009 Harpo Productions , Inc. . All Rights Reserved . | Psychologist Dr. Josh Klapow gives tips for couples on decision-making . Be specific about what you want , Dr. Klapow says . Klapow : Stay on track while you are discussing your goals . Collective decisions require a compromise , Dr. Klapow says . | [[404, 421], [831, 852], [853, 899], [863, 904], [907, 924], [2102, 2119], [1222, 1225], [1264, 1298], [404, 421], [907, 924], [2030, 2099], [2102, 2119]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Los Angeles police have launched an internal investigation to determine who leaked a picture that appears to show a bruised and battered Rihanna . Rihanna was allegedly attacked by her boyfriend , singer Chris Brown , before the Grammys on February 8 . The close-up photo -- showing a woman with contusions on her forehead and below her eyes , and cuts on her lip -- was published on the entertainment Web site TMZ Thursday . TMZ said it was a photo of Rihanna . Twenty-one-year-old Rihanna was allegedly attacked by her boyfriend , singer Chris Brown , on a Los Angeles street before the two were to perform at the Grammys on February 8 . `` The unauthorized release of a domestic violence photograph immediately generated an internal investigation , '' an L.A. police spokesman said in a statement . `` The Los Angeles Police Department takes seriously its duty to maintain the confidentiality of victims of domestic violence . A violation of this type is considered serious misconduct , with penalties up to and including termination . '' A spokeswoman for Rihanna declined to comment . The chief investigator in the case had told CNN earlier that authorities had tried to guard against leaks . Detective Deshon Andrews said he had kept the case file closely guarded and that no copies had been made of the original photos and documents . Brown was arrested on February 8 in connection with the case and and booked on suspicion of making criminal threats . Authorities are trying to determine whether Brown should face domestic violence-related charges . Brown apologized for the incident this week . `` Words can not begin to express how sorry and saddened I am over what transpired , '' the 19-year-old said in a statement released by his spokesman . `` I am seeking the counseling of my pastor , my mother and other loved ones and I am committed , with God 's help , to emerging a better person . '' CNN 's Brittany Kaplan contributed to this report . | Los Angeles police investigating leak of photo of a battered woman . TMZ Web site says photo is of R&B singer Rihanna . Rihanna allegedly attacked by her boyfriend , singer Chris Brown , on February 8 . The two were scheduled to perform at the Grammys . | [[0, 15], [19, 111], [659, 768], [445, 481], [454, 481], [166, 213], [237, 271], [482, 549], [604, 658]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- What appears to be a separated human foot inside a shoe -- possibly the sixth discovered in Canada 's British Columbia in the past 15 months -- has been found on a riverbank , Royal Canadian Mounted Police said Wednesday . Some of the feet found this year washed up on Westham Island , south of Vancouver , British Columbia . The shoe -- a left New Balance running shoe -- was found about 11:30 a.m. Tuesday on the south arm of the Fraser River by a Richmond , British Columbia , couple , police said . It was turned over to the British Columbia Coroners Service for examination and DNA testing , authorities said . Before Tuesday , five feet -- all inside running shoes -- had washed ashore in southern British Columbia since August 2007 . One of them , a right New Balance shoe , was found May 22 on Kirkland Island . That foot was determined to belong to a female , authorities said . View a map of where the feet washed ashore '' The provincial coroners ' office said in July that DNA tests determined that two of the five feet -- a right foot found February 8 and a left foot found June 16 -- were from the same male , but they said they did n't know to whom any of the feet belonged . What was initially thought to be a sixth foot inside a running shoe , found in June , was determined to be a hoax . Authorities said a `` skeletonized animal paw '' was put in the shoe with a sock and packed with dried seaweed . `` Obviously , due to the fact that a hoax was perpetrated previously and then extensively reported on , we want to proceed cautiously -LSB- with Tuesday 's discovery -RSB- until we know what exactly we are dealing with , '' said Constable Annie Linteau , an RCMP spokeswoman . The provincial coroners ' service said in July that the five sets of remains found to that point appeared `` to have naturally separated -LRB- disarticulated -RRB- from the body . '' There was no forensic evidence , such as tool or trauma marks , on the remains to suggest that they had separated in any way other than decomposition , the service said . Authorities are investigating multiple possibilities on the origin of the feet , including foul play and the chance they could belong to victims of a plane crash . Missing persons files are also being reviewed . Four of the five feet discovered between August 2007 and June 2008 were in running shoes made between 2003 and 2004 , and the other was made in 1999 , according to police . Royal Canadian Mounted Police have released photos of the shoes , hoping someone can help identify the remains . Here is a timeline of the discoveries in British Columbia , according to police : . August 20 , 2007 . The first foot is found by an American man and his 12-year-old daughter boating near Jedidiah Island . The shoe is later identified as a Campus brand running shoe , primarily white with blue mesh , and is believed to be a size 12 . It is determined that it was produced in 2003 and distributed primarily in India . August 26 , 2007 . The second foot is found on Gabriola Island by a resident walking on a trail . The shoe is a size 12 men 's Reebok running shoe , primarily white in color . It was produced in 2004 and was distributed globally , though mostly in North America . It was first available March 1 , 2004 , but is no longer available . February 2 . A third foot is found by two forest workers on Valdez Island . The shoe is a size 11 blue and white Nike running shoe , made in 2003 and sold in Canada and the United States from February 1 to June 30 , 2003 . May 22 . The fourth foot is found on Kirkland Island by a man walking along the shoreline . The size 7 blue and white New Balance running shoe was made in 1999 and distributed in major retail stores . DNA tests later determine that the remains belonged to a female . June 16 . A fifth foot is found on Westham Island , in the same type of Nike shoe as the foot found February 2 . DNA tests later determine that both feet belonged to the same male . | Shoe with what appears to be human foot found on riverbank , Canadian police say . If it is a human foot , it would be the sixth found in British Columbia since 2007 . All of the separated feet were found washed ashore in running shoes . Authorities investigating multiple possibilities , including foul play and a plane crash . | [[19, 74], [0, 5], [32, 74], [0, 15], [153, 192], [345, 353], [384, 463], [760, 771], [794, 838], [87, 159], [635, 649], [652, 689], [693, 759], [19, 74], [0, 5], [32, 74], [635, 649], [652, 689], [693, 759], [927, 952], [1210, 1214], [1219, 1277], [2283, 2304], [2350, 2371], [2071, 2186]] |
NEW YORK -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The wife of accused swindler Bernard Madoff pulled $ 15.5 million out of a Madoff-related brokerage firm in Massachusetts in the weeks before his arrest , authorities there disclosed Wednesday . Bernard Madoff is under 24-hour house arrest in his Upper East Side luxury apartment . The withdrawals by Ruth Madoff took place in November and December , according to a complaint filed by state regulators against Cohmad Securities , a firm they said was `` intertwined '' with Madoff 's New York-based company . The regulators say Cohmad has refused to provide information about its ties to Madoff , who is accused of running a Ponzi scheme that may have cost investors up to $ 50 billion . Daily wire transaction reports show Cohmad was aware of transfers to and from Madoff-related accounts , the filing states . `` For example , the few reports produced by Cohmad show that Ruth Madoff withdrew $ 5.5 million on November 25 , 2008 and withdrew $ 10 million on December 10 , 2008 , '' investigators said . Bernard Madoff , 70 , was arrested December 11 and is currently under house arrest in his Manhattan luxury apartment . He faces one charge of securities fraud in connection with an international scheme that has cost some investors their life savings and could face up to 20 years in prison and a $ 5 million fine if convicted . In January , prosecutors tried to revoke his $ 10 million bail after he mailed more than $ 1 million worth of diamond-studded jewelry to friends and family , a move they said showed he was trying to move assets out of government hands . But a judge ruled Madoff was neither a danger to the community nor a flight risk . Prosecutors and Madoff 's lawyers have agreed for a second time to push back the deadline for an indictment or probable cause hearing for the former investor , sources close to the case said Wednesday . The previous deadline of Wednesday -- which was itself a delay -- has now been moved back another 30 days . Madoff and the Securities and Exchange Commission already have agreed to a partial civil judgment against the disgraced investment manager , one that could eventually force him to pay fines and return investors ' money . Under the terms of the deal , Madoff will keep a previously reached agreement to freeze his assets and not to violate any other securities laws , but it does not require him to admit or deny any allegations . CNN 's Allan Chernoff and Amy Sahba contributed to this report . | NEW : Ruth Madoff made withdrawals in November and December . Money taken from Massachusetts company `` intertwined '' with New York company . Madoff faces one charge of securities fraud and could face up to 20 years in prison . | [[310, 376], [857, 1006], [458, 464], [475, 536], [1152, 1234]] |
Editor 's Note : For more than two decades , world-renowned photojournalist Peter Turnley has covered nearly every significant news event and world conflict in Bosnia , Rwanda , Chechnya , Haiti , Indonesia , Afghanistan , Kosovo and Iraq . His photographs have graced the covers of Newsweek , National Geographic , Le Monde , Le Figaro and The London Sunday Times . Peter Turnley took this photo of an Obama supporter on Inauguration Day . NEW YORK -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- On Sunday morning , I boarded a bus in Brooklyn with a group of approximately 40 citizens from New York , all African-American , each of whom would not have missed for almost anything the inauguration of President Barack Obama . I have been a photojournalist for the past 25 years and have had the incredible opportunity to witness many of modern history 's defining moments : the fall of the Berlin Wall and the end of communism in Eastern Europe in 1989 , the end of apartheid in South Africa and Nelson Mandela walking out of prison in 1991 , and most of the world 's conflicts of the past three decades . This moment means ` everything is possible ' '' When our bus pulled into Maryland on the eve of the inauguration , I knew after hearing the words of my fellow passengers , in some sense fellow pilgrims , that I was in the midst of a moment of history like maybe no other I had ever witnessed -- certainly in terms of its historic magnitude , and certainly not in America . It is the words of these passengers , and those of many others that I have met in the past two days , that are representative to some degree of what this moment means . Read more on the AC360 blog . | Photographer Peter Turnley covered President Barack Obama 's inauguration . He traveled by bus with 40 African-Americans from Brooklyn , New York . Moment was like no other `` in terms of its historic magnitude , '' Turnley says . | [[367, 440], [1287, 1348]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Researchers with a Malaysian university said they have uncovered evidence of an iron industry that dates to the 3rd Century , A.D. , and proves that ancient civilizations in Southeast Asia were more advanced than once thought . The archaeologists from the Universiti Sains Malaysia found the remains of an iron smelting site , tools to pump oxygen into the iron smelting process , rooftops of buildings , beads and pots , said Mokhtar Saidan , a professor and leader of the team . The discovery was made after a month of excavation at Lembah Bujang , a historical site in Malaysia . `` This is the first discovery of the earliest iron industry in Lembah Bujang and has been dated conclusively . This date also adds on to the facts and data on the early history of Southeast Asia , '' he said . He said coal from the site was sent to a laboratory in Florida that said elements in the coal dated to the 3rd Century . The professor said the discovery confirms that human civilization in the area was more advanced than thought and the site probably was a place for exporting iron in the 3rd Century . | Researchers uncover evidence of Malaysian iron industry dating to 3rd Century . Proves ancient civilizations in Southeast Asia more advanced than thought . Discovery was made after a month of excavation at Lembah Bujang . | [[0, 112], [96, 112], [118, 149], [0, 15], [156, 246], [934, 1116], [953, 1116], [500, 567]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Three police officers -- shot to death after responding to a domestic argument call -- will lie in repose at Pittsburgh 's city-county building later this week , Pittsburgh Mayor Luke Ravenstahl told reporters Monday . A statue at Pittsburgh 's police memorial is decorated with a bouquet after the deaths of three officers on Saturday . The public will be allowed to view the officers -- Stephen Mayhle , Paul Sciullo III and Eric Kelly -- from 4 p.m. Wednesday until 10 a.m. Thursday , Ravenstahl said . City offices will close at 2 p.m. Wednesday and remain closed Thursday , he said , adding that city offices were already closing for the Good Friday holiday . Following the viewing , the officers ' bodies will be taken in a procession to an event center , where a public ceremony will be held at 1 p.m. Thursday , Ravenstahl said . Individual funerals will be held for the officers later . A fund for the officers ' families has been established at a local police credit union , Ravenstahl said . Watch mayor tell of plans to honor slain officers '' The three officers were shot to death Saturday after arriving at a Pittsburgh home in response to a 911 call about an argument . Court papers said the argument was triggered by a urinating dog . Richard Poplawski , 22 , is in custody in connection with the shootings . He was hospitalized over the weekend after he was shot in the leg during a four-hour police standoff ; his whereabouts were unclear Monday . Police said Saturday that he would be charged with three counts of homicide , aggravated assault and other charges . Details of the incident were included in the police complaint seeking an arrest warrant for Poplawski . The complaint says Margaret Poplawski called 911 about 7 a.m. Saturday to report that her son was `` giving her a hard time . '' She told police she awoke to discover that `` the dog had urinated on the floor , '' and awakened her son `` to confront him about it . '' The two had an argument , and Margaret Poplawski told her son she was calling police to remove him from her home , according to the complaint . When Mayhle and Sciullo arrived , she opened the door and let them in . `` Mrs. Poplawski reported that as the officers entered approximately 10 feet into the residence , she heard gunshots , turned and saw her son about six feet away with a long rifle in his hands , at which point she fled downstairs after asking him , ` What the hell have you done ? ' '' the complaint said . Margaret Poplawski reported she stayed in the basement during the standoff , and heard her son yell , `` Yeah , I 've been shot , '' and `` I 'm standing down , come in and help me , '' according to the complaint . Kelly was a 14-year veteran of the department , Police Chief Nathan Harper has said , while the other two had worked there for two years each . Watch officers respond at the scene '' The chief said Sciullo was the first to approach the home , and was shot in the head as he entered the doorway . When Mayhle tried to help his fellow officer , he also was shot in the head . Kelly arrived at the scene and was shot before he could aid the other two officers , Harper said . Harper said the suspect fired from a bedroom window , shooting at an armored vehicle carrying a SWAT team -- preventing those officers and medics from reaching the wounded policemen . Two other officers , Timothy McManaway and Brian Jones , were injured . McManaway was shot in the hand and Jones , who was trying to secure the rear of the house , broke his leg trying to get over a fence , Harper said . Autopsies showed that Kelly died of gunshot wounds to the trunk and lower extremities , Sciullo died from gunshot wounds to the head and trunk , and Mayhle was shot in the head , the complaint said . `` We have never had to lose three officers in the line of duty on one call , '' Harper , the police chief , said . `` They have paid the ultimate sacrifice . '' Authorities believe Poplawski , wearing a bullet-proof vest , aimed more than 100 rounds at police , using an AK-47 , Harper said Saturday . Police had responded to calls from the home two or three times previously , Harper said . | Eric Kelly , Stephen Mayhle and Paul Sciullo III were shot to death on Saturday . They were responding to 911 call about an argument at a Pittsburgh home . Suspect Richard Poplawski is in custody ; his whereabouts unclear on Monday . Mayor describes plans for procession for fallen officers , lying in repose . | [[238, 356], [1075, 1203], [0, 15], [44, 102], [0, 5], [78, 178], [1075, 1203], [1075, 1093], [1122, 1203], [1270, 1287], [1295, 1343], [1447, 1484], [684, 705], [708, 778], [1022, 1047], [1048, 1074]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- A British-owned cargo ship on Monday became the latest vessel to be seized by Somali pirates in the Gulf of Aden . International naval patrols have been stepped up in the Gulf of Aden following increased pirate attacks . The 32,000-tonne Malaspina Castle was taken early on Monday and was believed to be heading towards Somalia 's pirate-infested coast , the European Union 's Horn of Africa maritime security center said . `` Few details are known at this stage , but the mixed-nationality crew is believed to be safe , '' a statement on the London-based organization 's Web site said . The vessel , which is operated by an Italian company , carried a crew of 24 , from Bulgaria , Ukraine , Russia and the Philippines , Britain 's Telegraph newspaper reported . `` There have not yet been communications from the Malaspina Castle that we are aware of , so information is limited , '' said Andrew Mwangura of the Seafarers ' Assistance Program in quotes carried by the Telegraph . He added : `` It is likely to be taken towards the Somali coast and negotiations will begin soon . '' Meanwhile , the BBC reported that a Taiwanese fishing boat , with a crew of 29 , was also hijacked Monday approximately 260km -LRB- 160 miles -RRB- from the Seychelles . The latest attacks follow a string of incidents in the pirate-plagued waterway off Somalia at the weekend , with a French yacht , a Yemeni tugboat and a German ship also reported to have been seized . Last year , pirates attacked nearly 100 vessels and hijacked as many as 40 off Somalia , according to the International Maritime Bureau . In response , a number of countries have deployed warships from their navies to the region , including the United States , China and Japan . Monday 's seizure of the Malaspina Castle was immediately condemned by the UK ship masters ' union Nautilus , which has long urged governments to take stronger action to deter piracy . Nautilus assistant general secretary Mark Dickinson told the British Press Association : `` Over the last 10 years , most governments have not really done very much about this . `` More recently they have been motivated to act and there is an EU naval coordination force patrolling off the Gulf of Aden . '' He added : `` I 'm not sure that this is going to be a long-term thing and I 'm also worried that the pirates will start seizing ships well away from the areas being patrolled . `` In Somalia , piracy is like a big , successful industry and the authorities there need to act . The pirates are treated like local heroes . People look up to them and girls want to marry them . They are seen by some locals as good people but they are ruthless . '' | 32,000-tonne Malaspina Castle was taken early on Monday . Crew of 24 , from Bulgaria , Ukraine , Russia and the Philippines . EU 's maritime security center believes crew is safe . Attack took place despite increased international naval patrols in Gulf of Aden . | [[240, 299], [240, 273], [304, 319], [607, 659], [662, 682], [374, 442], [488, 537], [134, 239], [134, 161], [198, 239], [1625, 1701], [2168, 2241]] |
WASHINGTON -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- For the first time since media coverage was banned in 1991 , the return of the body of a fallen member of the U.S. armed forces was opened to news outlets late Sunday . A transport plane carries caskets of U.S. servicemen in this photo the Pentagon released in 2005 . The U.S. Air Force informed media on Sunday that the family of Staff Sgt. Phillip Myers consented to allowing coverage of his casket being returned to Dover Air Force Base in Delaware . Myers , 30 , of Hopewell , Virginia , was a member of an engineering unit based in Britain . He died Saturday in a roadside bombing in southern Afghanistan , the U.S. military reported . In February , President Obama and Defense Secretary Robert Gates overturned a policy that dated back to the first Persian Gulf war . They agreed to allow reporters to observe the remains of American troops being returned to the U.S. military mortuary at Dover , as long as families agreed . The policy was supposed to take effect on Monday , and no reason was given why reporters were allowed to view the proceedings on Sunday . Watch report on lifting of the ban '' | Family of Staff Sgt. Phillip Myers consents to coverage of his casket 's return . Body of Myers brought to Dover Air Force Base in Delaware on Sunday night . This is first time that media coverage has been allowed since ban in 1991 . In February , President Obama and Defense Secretary Robert Gates overturned policy . | [[372, 430], [408, 483], [408, 483], [49, 88], [671, 682], [685, 803]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Fans of the character Easy Rawlins do n't want to hear it , but author Walter Mosley says he has officially moved on . Author Walter Mosley found fame with his Easy Rawlins mysteries and has debuted a new series . The prolific writer seemingly wrapped up his beloved series -- which spawned the 1995 film `` Devil in a Blue Dress '' starring Denzel Washington -- in 2007 with the 10th Easy Rawlins mystery , `` Blonde Faith . '' The ending saddened die-hard fans who had faithfully followed the adventures of the Los Angeles , California-based everyman-turned-private investigator whose stories played out in an era from the Jim Crow 1940s to the politically charged 1960s . Now Mosley , who has found success writing everything from erotica to science fiction , has launched a new mystery series with the release of his book `` The Long Fall '' -LRB- Riverhead -RRB- . The book features an ex-boxer named Leonid Trotter McGill , the latest colorfully named Mosley character . Three of his previous books involved ex-convict Socrates Fortlow , and another trio concerned bookseller Paris Minton . But the new novel takes Mosley to a different place and time . Instead of mid-20th century Los Angeles , `` The Long Fall '' is set in modern-day New York , where McGill is finding it hard to leave his less-than-stellar past behind . That past includes a childhood as a red-diaper baby abandoned by his union organizer father and left to fend for himself at an early age , a loveless marriage to an unfaithful woman named Katrina and a son who 's a burgeoning criminal mastermind . Moreover , he 's at work on a case where you just know people are going to die . Such page turners are nothing new for Mosley , who is known for his strong , black male characters and his passionate musings on race , politics and the writing life . McGill 's creator recently spoke with CNN about the new mystery novel , why he does n't miss Easy , and how the changes in the United States are mirrored in his writing . The following is an edited version of the interview . CNN : Why leave Los Angeles for a setting in modern-day New York ? Walter Mosley : I have been a resident of both cities . The new series being contemporary and about a character who in some murky ways reflects where America is right now , New York seemed the right place for that . CNN : How so ? Where do you think America is right now ? Mosley : I think that America has made a decision , after about 20 years of going in one direction , to go in another direction : to leave rampant and amoral kind of deregulation and also rampant and immoral wars and say , `` Maybe we should be doing the right thing instead of the wrong thing , '' or redefining what the right thing is , at any rate . Those kinds of decisions , there are only two places -LSB- the setting -RSB- can be , and that 's either in Washington , D.C. , which I feel is very limiting because it 's a one-business town , or New York , where everything from economics to government is centered . So I decided on New York . CNN : McGill is trying to leave behind his shady past . Do you feel like America is trying to do the same ? Mosley : Yes , I think that 's exactly what 's happening . I think America is trying to seek redemption after having done many things wrong in the eyes of the world in general . Leonid McGill is trying to seek redemption after a long criminal history . His history is somewhat forgivable , but still it 's criminal . CNN : Did you approach this book differently than you did when you were writing the Easy Rawlins mysteries ? Mosley : Yes and no . All books are different , so each of the Easy Rawlins books I wrote I approached differently . -LSB- Leonid -RSB- is a new character and he has a unique life that I had to begin to learn . I knew Easy very well , but Leonid I had to learn who he was . CNN : In your new book , I love that McGill 's wife 's name is `` Katrina '' and she leaves lots of destruction in her wake . Mosley : -LSB- chuckling -RSB- It 's true , but the first story I wrote about Leonid -LSB- a story called `` Karma '' published in the anthology `` Dangerous Women '' -RSB- was before the hurricane and that was a long time ago . It 's funny that it worked out like that . CNN : What do you like about McGill ? Mosley : This is the first time in my experiments in crime fiction that I 've written a hard-boiled detective character . This is going all the way back to the beginning of the genre in the '30s , where you have a guy who gets thumped upside the head a lot and he 's just as bad as the people he 's after . In the old style , you never knew what was going on inside the hard-boiled character 's head , but in these stories I am actually discovering the underlying character of the hard-boiled detective , and for me that 's been a great deal of fun . CNN : You 've written so many various genres . What is it about the genre of crime fiction that appeals to you ? Mosley : Originally I got into it because you can talk about worlds that people would n't read about ordinarily unless they had a particular interest in it . Everybody reads crime fiction and they read it to find out about different worlds . I like writing in different genres . There 's all this stuff that I really enjoy doing because I think they all serve different purposes . And listen , I 'm known as a crime writer , people like it and I enjoy it . CNN : For your fans , a lot of them miss Easy Rawlins . Do you miss him at all ? Mosley : No , he 's right there on the shelf . All I have to do is reach up and pull him down . I 'm finished with that . I 'm moving on . | Writer Walter Mosley is best known for his Easy Rawlins mystery series . His new book , `` The Long Fall , '' introduces the character of Leonid McGill . Unlike past books , the new novel is set in modern-day New York . Mosley says he enjoyed first time writing a `` hard-boiled detective '' novel . | [[138, 201], [1179, 1206], [1221, 1270], [4382, 4425]] |
LOS ANGELES , California -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Los Angeles Angels pitcher Nick Adenhart was among three people killed in a crash in Fullerton , California , early Thursday , according to the team and a hospital spokesman . Los Angeles Angels pitcher Nick Adenhart was killed Thursday , hours after his fourth MLB start . Adenhart , 22 , of Silver Spring , Maryland , died at UC Irvine Medical Center , according to spokesman John Murray . `` The Angels family has suffered a tremendous loss today , '' Tony Reagins , the team 's general manager , said in a written statement . `` We are deeply saddened and shocked by this tragic loss . Our thoughts and prayers go out to Nick 's family , friends , loved ones and fans . '' One person was arrested in connection with the three-vehicle accident , which occurred about 12:23 a.m. Thursday in Fullerton , south of Los Angeles . Witnesses say a red minivan ran a red light and struck two vehicles at an intersection , police Lt. Craig Brower said . One of the vehicles , a gray Mitsubishi , slammed into a power pole , Brower said . Two of its passengers were declared dead at the scene , he said . The other two were transported to UC Irvine Medical Center . Murray said Adenhart underwent surgery and died at the hospital but did not know whether he died during or after the procedure . Brower said the remaining passenger was in critical condition . The Angels said the two dead at the scene were the female driver of the Mitsubishi and another male . No other members of the Angels organization were involved , the team said . Adenhart reportedly was `` in bad condition at the scene , '' team spokesman Tim Mead said , and there was n't much that could be done for him at the hospital . He died `` mid - to late morning , '' Mead said . A passenger in the minivan was taken to a hospital with minor injuries , Brower said . The third vehicle sustained minor damage , and its driver was unhurt , he said . Police did not identify any of the dead . The minivan 's driver fled the scene and was later arrested , Brower said . Andrew Thomas Gallo , 22 , of Riverside will face charges of manslaughter , felony driving under the influence and hit-and-run , he said . Footage from the scene showed the minivan with a smashed front end and the Mitsubishi , which was heavily damaged . Debris littered the intersection where the crash took place , and it was cordoned off with yellow police tape . The Angels ' game Thursday night with the Oakland A 's was postponed at the direction of Major League Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig . No information was released as to when the game would be played . `` Major League Baseball is in mourning today upon the news of this tragedy that has taken Angels pitcher Nick Adenhart and two others , '' Selig said in a statement . `` Nick was just 22 years of age , with a wonderful life and career ahead of him . On behalf of Major League Baseball , I extend my sincere sympathy to the families and friends of all three victims and to the entire Angels ' organization . I send my deepest condolences to Nick 's parents , Jim and Janet . The hearts of everyone in baseball are with them at this most difficult time . '' The Angels quoted Adenhart 's family in the team statement , saying they express `` sincere gratitude for all the help the Angels have provided . '' `` He lived his dream and was blessed to be part of an organization comprised of such warm , caring and compassionate people , '' Adenhart 's parents said . `` The Angels were his extended family . Thanks to all of Nick 's loyal supporters and fans throughout his career . He will always be in everyone 's hearts forever . '' Funeral and memorial arrangements were pending , the team said . Adenhart pitched in a game against the Oakland A 's on Wednesday night in Anaheim , California , making a `` brilliant effort '' despite the Angels ' 6-4 loss , according to MLB.com . In his fourth major league start , Adenhart pitched a scoreless six innings , with seven hits , three walks and five strikeouts . `` I thought he pitched a terrific game , '' manager Mike Scioscia told MLB.com after the game . `` He gave us a chance to win . He has better tools out there now . He pitched ahead a lot and was able to get back in counts and put guys away . '' `` It felt good to work out of some jams early , '' Adenhart told MLB.com . `` My curveball was really working for me , and then my change came on later when I felt I needed it . '' Jim Adenhart had flown out from Baltimore , Maryland , and was at Wednesday night 's game to watch his son 's start , his first of the season , Mead said . He remained in California on Thursday , and Janet Adenhart was expected to fly out later in the day . The Angels drafted Adenhart in the 14th round of the June 2004 draft , according to the team statement . He was in his fifth professional season and made the Angels ' Opening Day roster for the first time . `` Adenhart earned his spot in the Angels rotation via a spring training in which he recorded a 3-0 record and a 3.12 ERA over the course of six starts , '' the team statement said . `` During that span , he struck out 18 while allowing only five base on balls . '' Adenhart made his major league debut May 1 against Oakland , the team said . At the time , he was the youngest active-roster pitcher in the majors . Adenhart was a 2004 graduate of Williamsport High School in Williamsport , Maryland . His baseball coach there , Rod Steiner , told CNN affiliate WHAG , `` After watching last night , as well as he pitched ... things seemed to be going so smooth . This is the last thing that you ever imagine . '' He remembered Adenhart as a hard worker who knew he wanted to be a major-league pitcher while still in high school and worked hard to achieve that goal , despite a setback when he had to undergo shoulder surgery . He said area residents who did n't even know Adenhart followed his career and cheered him on . `` He touched a lot of lives . '' CNN 's Rosalina Nieves and Irving Last contributed to this report . | Adenhart , 22 , pitched six scoreless innings in Wednesday 's game . Three people killed in crash early Thursday in Fullerton , California . One man arrested , will face charges in wreck , police say . | [[2808, 2840], [3737, 3818], [3921, 3953], [3956, 3996], [95, 168], [764, 790], [799, 846], [721, 790]] |
WASHINGTON -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Despite a hardline U.S. policy , there is no reason why federal officials ca n't negotiate directly with pirates who are holding a U.S. captain hostage off Somalia , a counterterrorism expert said Thursday . Pirates have been plaguing commercial shipping vessels in the waters off the coast of east Africa . Nor is there anything to stop an independent party from paying for his release , said Juan Carlos Zarate , who served as deputy national security adviser for combating terrorism under former President George W. Bush . `` The U.S. has a very clear policy of no concessions ; that 's different than no negotiations , '' said Zarate , now is a senior adviser to the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington . The U.S. policy against concessions translates into a policy against paying for the release of hostages , he said . `` That means no ransoms , nothing of value in return for the safe release of hostages , '' he said . But , he added , `` It 's also important to note that there 's nothing in U.S. policy that restricts family members or private companies -- like a shipping company -- to actually pay a ransom . There 's nothing that the U.S. government can do other than potentially to prosecute if that money is going to a known terrorist organization , which is a fine line . '' Nevertheless , he said it is U.S. government policy to discourage private companies from making payments to hostage takers . `` The U.S. has a very clear sense that , if you start to pay ransoms , you in essence create an industry for kidnapping , '' he said . `` And , frankly , it 's why you see an uptick in the piracy problem in East Africa . It 's a for-profit venture . It 's very lucrative at low cost for the pirates and it 's , in part , fueled by the fact that shipping companies in other countries have been paying ransoms for the release of ships , cargo and personnel . '' Zarate predicted the standoff off Somalia will not be resolved soon . `` I do n't see or forecast the use of massive force inadvertently because of the potential for hurting our citizen , '' he said , referring to Richard Phillips , the captain of the Maersk Alabama who was taken hostage after four gunmen boarded it on Wednesday . `` And so I think this is going to take a while , and it may involve some third-party negotiations . '' Though he approves of the government 's handling of the situation so far , Zarate said the situation not an easy one . `` This , to a certain extent , is the U.S. government 's nightmare scenario , '' said Zarate , who oversaw the U.S. government 's counterterrorism strategy from 2005 to 2009 . `` We had always planned for , but hoped that this kind of situation would n't happen -- where a U.S. vessel was taken or a U.S. citizen was taken in those waters , '' he said . He called the standoff `` a classic hostage situation , which is difficult to resolve . It is certainly difficult to resolve on the high seas where we have limited levers to play . '' iReport.com : How should the U.S. respond ? Zarate said the hostage holders appear to be in the stronger position , though at first glance -- four men holding a fifth aboard a 28-foot powerless lifeboat in the ocean hundreds of miles from shore -- that may not appear to be the case . `` I think they have the upper hand , in part , because we value the life of our citizens , '' he said . `` They may not value their lives as much , and they may not be using the same rational calculus that we would in this situation . '' But , he said , the pirates may not be able to turn that advantage into victory . `` I think the good guys will win , '' he said . iReport.com : ` Stop the pirates , Obama ! ' `` I think we 'll find a way out of this . I think the FBI hostage negotiators , the naval personnel on scene and others will find a way of negotiating their way out of this . They 're professionals ; they know how to do that . But it 's difficult . '' CNN 's Mike Ahlers contributed to this story . | Paying ransom encourages more kidnappings for money , Juan Carlos Zarate says . Standoff in high seas difficult because `` we have limited levers to play , '' he says . Attempts to free American captain off Somalia `` going to take a while , '' he says . `` The good guys will win ... but it 's difficult , '' former Bush security adviser says . | [[2971, 2984], [2991, 3023], [1949, 2001], [2275, 2312], [2444, 2487], [3636, 3666], [3959, 3976]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Nearly one-fifth of American 4-year-olds are obese , and children of color are at higher risk , according to new research . Obese children are at risk for early onset of diabetes , fatty liver and musculoskeletal problems . Researchers calculated the body mass index from a sample of 8,550 Hispanic , black , white , Asian and Native American 4-year-olds . The children were born in 2001 , and in 2005 , their height and weight were measured -- 18.4 percent of them were obese . `` Significant differences in the prevalence of obesity between racial/ethnic groups were evident at 4 years of age , '' the researchers wrote in the April issue of the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine . Using body mass index , they found that 31.2 percent of American Indian/Native Alaskans , 22 percent of Hispanics , 20.8 percent of blacks , 15.9 percent of whites and 12.8 percent of Asians were obese . `` It 's surprising that there are large differences by racial/ethnic group by that age , '' said Sarah Anderson , an assistant professor of epidemiology at The Ohio State University and lead study author . Anderson and co-author Robert Whitaker 's analysis showed that children were becoming obese even before encountering soda and candy vending machines in schools . `` These results really do point to the need for us to focus attention on early childhood and the need for research to understand how these differences can emerge so early , '' Anderson said . `` To do that , we may need to understand the different family and cultural factors that are at play in these children 's lives . '' The cause for the early health disparities is hard to pinpoint , childhood obesity experts said . `` It 's always possible there are biological factors within ethnic groups , '' said Dr. Tom Robinson , director of the Center for Healthy Weight at the Stanford University School of Medicine . `` We know most of the changes that have occurred in body fat tend to occur from being in an environment that promotes very easy access to high-caloric foods and limited opportunities for physical activities . '' Michael Rich , an associate professor of pediatrics at Harvard Medical School , called the disparities between ethnic groups disturbing . `` The expectations , lifestyle , behaviors are different on a cultural and socioeconomic basis , '' he said . `` Kids who live in the inner city , whose neighborhoods are perceived as dangerous , stay at home more , sit more , eat more snacks , because that 's all they can get at the local bodega . There are no supermarkets to get produce . That 's what mom is eating , so that 's what kid is eating . What we 're dealing with here is whole life issues . '' Previous research has shown that older children are becoming less active and spending more time in front of a computer or TV . `` That is displacing physical activity , '' said Dr. Sarah Barlow , director of the Obesity Center at Texas Children 's Hospital in Houston . `` You can imagine strollers , less outdoor play -- all those kinds of things that have shifted how much activity younger kids are getting . At the same time , portion sizes are increasing for everybody . '' According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention , adults fare no better . Approximately 45 percent of blacks , 36.8 percent of Mexican Americans and 30 percent of whites are obese . `` It 's a very bad sign if we see obesity at a young age , '' Robinson said . `` When we see children obese at age 4 , we 're likely to see complications -- high blood pressure , abnormal lipids -- which can lead to heart disease and stroke , diabetes in children . '' Diseases commonly seen in 40 - or 50-year-olds are presenting in 6 - and 7-year-olds . Obese children are developing type 2 diabetes , fatty liver disease and musculoskeletal problems , which occur because their bodies ca n't carry that much weight , doctors said . Calculate your child 's body mass index . `` The heavier you are as a child , the likelier that extra weight will follow you through life , '' Robinson said . `` That 's why we see adolescents who need weight-loss surgery , because they have life-threatening complications from obesity . '' If you have an obese child ... The first step is for the parents to acknowledge that the child is overweight , instead of making excuses or comparing him or her to heavier children . Many of the parents of obese children are overweight themselves , which makes that acknowledgment difficult , said Rich , who is also director of the Center on Media and Child Health at Children 's Hospital in Boston . `` While it 's important to focus on it and take it seriously , it 's also important not to give up or feel hopeless , '' he said . `` Then you wo n't try . You want to look at it for what it is and not be defeated by it . '' When you 're trying to help your child achieve a healthy weight , remove the stigma attached to obesity . `` It should always be about health , not about losing weight , '' Rich said . `` You 're trying to build the positive . '' He recommended the 5-2-1-0 plan . Eat at least five servings of fruits and vegetables , cut screen time down to two hours or less , exercise at least one hour , and have zero soda and sugary drinks . Such changes , which are not seismic shifts to lifestyles , can help the child get into a health weight . `` It 's easier to start that way , rather than try to change habits when they 're 8 or 12 or 16 , '' said Barlow , an associate professor of pediatrics at the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston , Texas . While it 's possible for some kids to outgrow the excess weight , she warned parents not to count on that . `` We 've seen over time that the environment does n't promote that , '' she said . | Research : 18.4 percent of 4-year-olds in the United States are obese . Native Americans , Hispanics , blacks at most risk ; whites and Asians at lowest risk . Socioeconomic and lifestyle factors play a role in likelihood for obesity . | [[413, 420], [464, 497], [76, 112]] |
NORFOLK , Virginia -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Negotiators aboard a U.S. Navy warship are trying to secure the release of an American freighter captain who is being held by pirates on a lifeboat off the coast of Somalia , according to Maersk Line Ltd. . Capt. Richard Phillips of the Maersk Alabama is being held by pirates on a lifeboat off Somalia . The crew aboard the destroyer USS Bainbridge could see the lifeboat where pirates have been holding Capt. Richard Phillips since Wednesday , the company said in a written statement issued at 5 p.m. ET . Phillips has not been hurt , the statement said . Phillips , who has received provisions and batteries for his radio , has been in touch with the crews of the Alabama and the Bainbridge , the statement said . The pirates are the same four men who hijacked Phillips ' vessel , the U.S.-flagged Maersk Alabama , early Wednesday hundreds of miles off the Horn of Africa . The Alabama 's 20-person crew later regained control of the ship , which is owned and operated by the Norfolk-based Maersk Line Ltd. . In a written statement , Maersk spokesman Kevin Speers noted that `` there have been many questions about how the crew re-captured the ship and how the captain came to leave the ship . '' But he would not clarify the matter . `` Our immediate focus has been to bring the current situation to a safe resolution , '' he said . `` There will be time for due diligence and retrospective review once we have the safe return of all parties and the opportunity for a full de-briefing . '' The U.S. Navy , which is in charge of the situation , requested the help of the FBI . FBI negotiators in the United States are in touch with the crew of the Bainbridge , which arrived on the scene earlier Thursday to assist , a senior U.S. defense official said . According to Maersk 's last communication with the Navy , the 28-foot lifeboat was disabled and `` dead in the water , '' Speers said Thursday morning . `` We are encouraged that most of the crew is safe . They have been resilient and courageous throughout this crisis , '' Speers said . `` But we will remain on watch , staffing our situation room and our family hot line until this situation is resolved and the captain is safely returned . '' On Thursday , the Maersk Alabama resumed its journey to Mombasa , Kenya , with an 18-person armed security detail on board , according to Joseph Murphy , the father of the ship 's first officer . Maersk and U.S. military officials confirmed the cargo ship had left the area on Thursday , but would not say where it was heading , citing security concerns . See how pirate attacks have increased '' Gen. David Petraeus , chief of U.S. Central Command , said Thursday that the Bainbridge would be getting backup shortly . `` I can tell you , there are definitely going to be more ships in that area in the next 24 or 48 hours , because there are two more sailing to it right now , '' he said . `` Needless to say , we want to ensure we have all the capacity that may be needed over the course of the coming days . '' Vice Adm. William E. Gortney , commander of U.S. Naval Forces Central Command , told CNN 's Barbara Starr in Bahrain that , `` We have been moving forces in that direction . '' White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said President Obama had been staying apprised of the situation . `` Obviously , his main concern is for the safety of the captain and the rest of the crew on the ship , and he will continue to receive those updates , '' he said . Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said an international coalition of countries is working to address the piracy threat , but the area in question is immense . `` I think the ocean area we 're referring to is three times the size of Texas , '' she told reporters . iReport.com : ` Stop the pirates , Obama ! ' Referring to continuing problems with piracy in those waters , she said instability in Somalia has contributed to the flourishing of `` an old scourge . '' The Alabama was loaded with food aid when the pirates hijacked it Wednesday , 350 miles off Somalia 's coast -- a distance that used to be considered safe from pirate attacks . It was the first time in recent history that pirates targeted an American ship . Watch how pirates work off Somalia '' The pirates were armed with AK-47 assault rifles while the ship 's crew carried no weapons , according to Ken Quinn , the second officer of the ship . Crew members managed to take one of the four pirates hostage , Quinn said . The crew -- apparently minus the captain -- locked themselves in the compartment that contains the ship 's steering gear , where they remained for about 12 hours with their captive , whom Quinn said they had tied up . Watch Quinn describe the hijacking to CNN '' The pirates reneged on their agreement to exchange Phillips for one pirate whom the crew had captured . The pirate was released unharmed , according to Quinn , who spoke to CNN on Wednesday via a satellite call . The pirates had scuttled the small boat they used to reach the ship , Quinn said , so Phillips offered them the Alabama 's 28-foot lifeboat and some money . `` We returned him , but they did n't return the captain , '' Quinn said . The U.S. Navy issued a warning several days ago to ships in the area that pirates were operating farther offshore . Watch former Navy captain discuss options '' There are emergency rations to last 10 days on the lifeboat , but the conditions are most likely `` uncomfortable , '' according to Murphy . `` There 's no toilet facilities or anything like that , '' he said . `` The captain has a VHF radio , and I 'm sure that he 's in voice communication with the ship itself . The problem is , of course , that ... the -LSB- radio 's -RSB- battery is going to die , and I 'm not really sure how they 're going to continue communication after that . '' iReport.com : How should the U.S. respond ? It is common for crews of merchant vessels to travel through the area unarmed despite the risk of pirate attacks , experts said . An armed crew could provoke a firefight that would endanger the crew 's lives or its cargo , which often contains flammable or explosive material . John Reinhart , chief executive and president of Maersk Line Ltd. , said the crew can try to outrun the pirate boats or turn fire hoses on anyone trying to board the ship , `` but we do not carry arms . '' Watch company spokesman say how captain is held '' The vessel was carrying relief supplies for USAID , the U.N. World Food Program and the Christian charities WorldVision and Catholic Relief Services . The U.N. agency said its portion of the cargo included nearly 4,100 metric tons of corn-soya blend bound for Somalia and Uganda , and another 990 metric tons of vegetable oil for refugees in Kenya . CNN 's Jason Carroll contributed to this report . | NEW : Backup heading to scene of standoff , Gen. David Petraeus says . Maersk Alabama leaves scene with armed detail as negotiations for captain continue . FBI assists in negotiations with pirates holding Capt. Richard Phillips in lifeboat . U.S. Navy warned that pirates increasing range of operations . | [[2639, 2658], [2693, 2760], [110, 210], [245, 250], [251, 342], [5262, 5270], [5276, 5317]] |
Editor 's note : José Miguel Vivanco is executive director of the Americas Division of Human Rights Watch , a nonprofit organization that seeks to protect people 's rights . A lawyer from Chile , he was educated there , in Spain and at Harvard Law School . José Miguel Vivanco says conviction of Peru 's ex-president is a warning to those who deny human rights . -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Peruvians are celebrating an extraordinary victory this week : the conviction of their former president , Alberto Fujimori , for death squad killings carried out during his rule in the 1990s . The Peruvian Supreme Court found him guilty of egregious human rights abuses , including the massacre of innocent civilians , and sentenced him to 25 years in prison -- a stiff message to other leaders that justice can eventually catch up to even the most powerful . It is one of the first times a nation 's own independent courts have convicted a former leader for such serious human rights crimes and it sets an important precedent for a region that suffered so much from political violence and rights violations . Equally significant , the ruling came after a lengthy televised trial , which was clearly fair to the defendant -- despite Peru 's previous history of authoritarianism and weak rule of law . Fujimori came to office in 1990 on the promise of crushing a vicious Maoist insurgency but , in the process of restoring order , he corrupted and weakened Peru 's most vital government institutions -- including parliament , the courts and law enforcement . Just a few years ago , Fujimori had near-total control of Peru 's judiciary . For a decade , his government used bribery , extortion , and intimidation to concentrate power in the presidency , subverting the democratic process and eliminating normal checks by the judiciary , legislature , and media on government abuses . He led Peru from 1990 to 2000 , presiding over the war with the Shining Path guerrillas and the Tupac Amaru Revolutionary Movement . He was convicted of authorizing killings and kidnappings by paramilitary death squads . Fujimori is to be tried separately on multiple corruption charges . The landmark decision fits within a global trend of increasing accountability for former heads of state . Just 20 years ago , it was exceedingly rare for even the most brutal leaders to be brought to book . In the late 20th century , Mao Zedong , Idi Amin , Milton Obote , Ferdinand Marcos , Anastasio Somoza , Jean-Claude `` Baby Doc '' Duvalier and Mobutu Sese Seko , to name just a few , were never brought to trial . Since then , however , the tide has turned . In October 1998 , London police arrested General Augusto Pinochet on a warrant from a Spanish judge for human rights crimes . The arrest and the subsequent decisions by the British House of Lords to reject Pinochet 's claim of immunity were a wake-up call to tyrants everywhere , but more important , they gave hope to victims elsewhere that they too could bring their tormentors to justice . In country after country , particularly in Latin America , victims were inspired to challenge the amnesty laws of the 1980s and 1990s that had allowed the perpetrators of atrocities to go unpunished and , often , to remain in power . Thanks to these efforts , former leaders in Argentina , and Uruguay have also faced human rights trials . Pinochet 's arrest also strengthened a nascent international movement -- spurred by the killings in Bosnia and Rwanda , and facilitated by the end of the Cold War -- to make certain the worst abuses are punished . After the creation of UN tribunals for the former Yugoslavia and Rwanda , the world established the International Criminal Court -LRB- ICC -RRB- to prosecute genocide , crimes against humanity and serious war crimes when national courts are unable or unwilling to do so . The ICC is now investigating crimes in the Central African Republic , Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo , and in March the court indicted President Omar al-Bashir of Sudan on charges of crimes against humanity in Darfur . The Fujimori case stands out , though , because it was Peru 's national court system which demonstrated the will , capacity , and independence to try its former president . A second panel of the Supreme Court will now review an appeal by Fujimori . One can hope the second panel will be as transparent and fair as the first . Even after this verdict , impunity for past atrocities continues to be a major problem in Peru and throughout the region . It is likely , however , that yesterday 's verdict will help give momentum to efforts currently underway in many Latin American countries to bring other human rights violators to justice . The verdict will also send a powerful message to current heads of state who may be tempted to use abusive tactics to resolve their political problems . As Fujimori discovered yesterday , crimes they may be able to get away with while in power can come back to haunt them years later . The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of José Miguel Vivanco . | José Miguel Vivanco : Peruvian court verdict in Fujimori case sends strong message . Fujimori was convicted for allowing death squads to murder innocents . Since Pinochet case , Vivanco says , courts have been holding leaders accountable . Vivanco : Leaders who deny human rights may suffer for it years later . | [[511, 574], [575, 698], [1996, 2083], [1996, 1998], [2013, 2083], [333, 338], [343, 362], [4898, 4909], [4945, 4995]] |
Editor 's note : CNN 's Ed Henry traveled with Barack Obama to Europe on the his first overseas trip as president . President Obama speaks during a news conference after the G-20 summit in London , England , on April 2 . ISTANBUL , Turkey -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- One of the most revealing moments of President Obama 's European tour came early in the trip at the close of the G-20 summit in London , England , where expectations were sky high for the new guy . He had just scored some victories on the financial crisis , while also taking some lumps . And now he had to face the media . Pushed by a reporter on why he could n't get more done , the president was ready with a comeback about how it was far easier for American and British leaders to get their way at summits in years gone by . `` Well , if there 's just Roosevelt and Churchill sitting in a room with a brandy , that 's a -- that 's an easier negotiation , '' the president said to laughter from reporters . `` But that 's not the world we live in , and it should n't be the world that we live in . '' In two simple sentences , the president accomplished a lot . In the first sentence , he made a fair point about how no U.S. president -- Barack Obama or George W. Bush -- can simply wave a magic wand and get the world to follow his lead . And in the second , with the line about how `` it should n't be the world that we live in , '' he was trying to send a signal to Europe that he 's not planning to bully them . Again and again , Obama said he was here to listen and learn -- not to lecture colleagues such as French President Nicolas Sarkozy and German Chancellor Angela Merkel . Left unsaid , since it was plain enough to see , was what Obama was really saying : I 'm not President Bush . That was clearly Obama 's biggest accomplishment on this trip . He was able to effectively press that reset button administration officials have been talking about in order to make the case that traditional U.S. allies should come back into the fold , and it seemed to work . I remember sitting in the front row during a news conference at a palace in France to hear Sarkozy positively gush , `` And it feels really good to be able to work with a U.S. president who wants to change the world and who understands that the world does not boil down to simply American frontiers and borders . And that is a hell of a good piece of news for 2009 . '' Those are the style points where Obama clearly scored , and not just with European leaders . A new CNN/Opinion Research Corp. poll found that 79 percent of Americans surveyed feel that Obama has had a `` more positive '' effect on how people in other countries view the U.S. Only 19 percent of those surveyed thought he 's had a `` more negative '' effect . The much tougher question is on substance , and whether Obama was able to capitalize on those warm feelings to accomplish what he set out to do before this trip . On that he basically has an incomplete because the early record here in Europe has been mixed . At the London summit , the president pushed for big money to be pumped into the world economy , and the leaders responded with $ 1.1 trillion . But that money is being directed to the International Monetary Fund to help developing countries , not pumped into the large economies to stimulate growth as U.S. officials had hoped . And Obama was also able to help prevent Sarkozy and others from getting a global supercop to oversee markets across all borders , a bit of a victory in his effort to make sure new regulations do not go too far . Perhaps the biggest victory came on the sidelines of the G-20 and had nothing to do with the financial crisis . Obama had his first face-to-face with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev , and they seemed to thaw those recently icy relations . Most important , is the two men agreed to begin intense negotiations to drastically reduce each side 's nuclear stockpiles . This could be a dramatic step forward for world peace , so pay close attention to this development . But a cautionary note : There 's a lot of heavy lifting left before this becomes a reality , and we may not know until Obama 's visit to Moscow in July whether or not this deal has legs . At the NATO summit in France and Germany , the president was hoping to get a boost in resources for the war in Afghanistan . He did get allies to cough up about 5,000 troops , but in the form of police and security trainers -- not combat troops . So with Obama already committing 21,000 more U.S. troops to the mission , this is a very U.S.-heavy effort , something to keep a close eye on in the days ahead . In Prague , Czech Republic , at the European Union summit , Obama delivered a speech about nuclear nonproliferation to more than 20,000 people -- a boisterous crowd reminiscent of the campaign . He even used the old line `` yes we can '' to answer critics who think he ca n't follow through on ridding the world of nuclear weapons . But the most important moment of that stop in the tour came a few hours before the speech . It was when the infamous 3 a.m. phone call that Hillary Clinton talked about in the campaign finally arrived . Except it came at 4:30 a.m. , when spokesman Robert Gibbs woke the president with the news that North Korea had tested a missile . He basically passed the test of his first international crisis -LRB- with -- ahem -- Secretary of State Clinton at his side , no less -RRB- , although so far the administration has gotten nowhere at the United Nations despite a clear case against North Korea . Welcome to the U.N. , sir . And finally , in Turkey the president officially began his outreach to try and repair the U.S. image in the Muslim world . Most interesting is that he got personal , alluding to the fact that he grew up in Indonesia and his father was Muslim -- politically risky given that last year he spent so much time having to deny false rumors that he 's Muslim . `` The United States has been enriched by Muslim-Americans , '' Obama said . `` Many other Americans have Muslims in their family , or have lived in a Muslim-majority country -- I know , because I am one of them . '' The speech was very well-received in this Muslim-majority nation . But it will take far more than one speech to fix tensions flared by everything from the war to Iraq to the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay . In all , that 's a hefty agenda to confront in just eight days abroad . It 's no surprise then that I 've noticed the president has been looking very tired on this trip . One aide told me that Obama was planning to go out for a nice unofficial dinner with first lady Michelle Obama in Prague on Saturday night but it was canceled because they simply needed some sleep . The fatigue has been complicated by the fact that Obama has been battling a nasty cold , telling aides he feels like he 's got an `` acorn up my nose '' -- an interesting turn of phrase I had never heard before but seems to mean the president is stuffed up . And that brings me back to that brandy Roosevelt and Churchill shared decades ago . Obama made a legitimate claim about the difficulty of calling the shots in the current global environment , where small and mid-sized countries hold more sway than before . But right now all I can focus on is the brandy itself . After eight long days on the road , and very little sleep , I 'm pretty ragged , too . That sounds like a pretty good way to cap things off . | Obama : World 's fate no longer decided by Roosevelt and Churchill sitting over brandy . Europeans respond favorably to president 's message that it 's a new era . Obama meets Russian President Dmitry Medvedev ; relations start to thaw . Lots of heavy lifting to be done to make lofty goals reality , CNN 's Ed Henry cautions . | [[800, 869], [6995, 6998], [7004, 7078], [3672, 3743], [4051, 4082], [4069, 4117]] |
BINGHAMTON , New York -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Authorities defended the timeliness of police response to Friday 's massacre at an upstate New York immigration services center as funerals were set to begin Sunday for two of the 13 slain . Jiverly Wong , 41 , has been identified by police as the gunman in the Binghamton , New York , rampage . `` No decisions by the police had any bearing on who died , '' Broome County District Attorney Jerry Mollen told reporters Sunday . The first officers arrived at the American Civic Association about three minutes after the first emergency calls were made Friday , according to a timeline by the Binghamton Police Department . Officers did not enter the building for about 40 minutes , police said . `` No one was shot after police arrival , and none of the people who had been shot could have been saved , even if the police had walked in the door within -LSB- the -RSB- first minute , '' Mollen said . `` The injuries were that severe . '' Police said Jiverly Wong , a 41-year-old Vietnamese immigrant from an ethnic Chinese family , fatally shot his victims and then turned his gun on himself . City officials on Sunday released a list of all the victims . A receptionist at the American Civic Association called 911 at 10:31 a.m. Friday while she hid under her desk , said Binghamton Police Chief Joseph Zikuski . She was shot in the stomach and pretended to be dead before crawling under the desk , he said . Watch Zikuski give a timeline of the shooting '' Four people , including the receptionist , remained in serious condition in local hospitals but were expected to survive , the chief said . Wong had been taking English classes at the association and was upset about recently losing a job , police said . But officials on Sunday were still trying to determine a motive . Zikuski said the first 911 calls were in `` broken English , '' and dispatchers `` could not determine what was the problem . '' But two minutes after the first calls , officers were being dispatched to the civic association , and the first units arrived one minute later , the chief said . He said in these types of situations officers have orders to enter a building if shooting is still happening inside , but in this case the shooting had stopped . At 10:38 a.m. , one of the wounded called with a description of the gunman . The department 's tactical squad did not move in until 11:13 a.m. , Zikuski said . Mollen said the issue of the police response was `` an obvious question '' that will be investigated , but `` now 's not the time . '' `` We need a lot more information before any reasoned , intelligent response can be given to you , '' he said . Those who knew Wong said they were not surprised by his actions , Zikuski said Saturday . `` Some of this behavior on his -LSB- Wong 's -RSB- part was n't a total shock , '' the chief said . `` Apparently people were making fun of him . He felt he was being degraded because of his inability to speak English , and he was upset about that , '' Zikuski said . Wong came to the United States in the late 1980s and lived in Binghamton before moving to California in the early 1990s , police said . He returned to Binghamton in July 2007 , Zikuski said . Wong became a U.S. citizen in 1995 and married and divorced while living in California , where he had been convicted on a misdemeanor charge of writing bad checks , according to Zikuski . Police found at the center two semi-automatic handguns , a .45 - caliber and a 9 mm , licensed to Wong . The guns were purchased locally , and Wong made trips to a firing range `` at least once a week , sometimes more than that , '' Zikuski said . Wong had attempted to purchase `` a number of firearms , '' the chief said . Purchasing a gun in New York takes about two weeks , Zikuski said , and Wong would return to a store during that period , `` cancel that order and purchase another one . '' Wong was wearing body armor during the shooting . Investigators are `` looking into that '' because New York limits body armor purchases to law enforcement , Zikuski said . Funerals for two victims were held Sunday afternoon at a local mosque . An interfaith memorial service for all the victims was held Sunday evening , and hundreds of people took part in a candlelight vigil afterward . Watch relatives remember one of the victims , Roberta `` Bobby '' King '' `` In a strange way , this tragedy has brought everyone together , '' Binghamton Mayor Matthew Ryan said . `` We are a good community , a nonviolent community , '' Ryan said earlier of the city of about 50,000 people about 140 miles northwest of New York City . `` And we are going to spread the word that this is a community that will come together and heal . '' More details emerged over the weekend about the shooting . Wong used his car to barricade the center 's back door and entered through the front of the building , authorities said . Ryan said the car belonged to Wong 's father . Wong lived with his parents in Johnson City , near Binghamton , the site of a law enforcement search Friday . `` They took a computer hard drive -- they took an empty long gun case and some other bags , '' the mayor said . Wong was known to practice target shooting there , acquaintances told state police . Angela Leach , a representative of the American Civic Association , read a statement through tears at a news conference Saturday . View photos from the scene in Binghamton '' `` Whatever drove this individual to do what he did I can not possibly fathom , '' Leach said . `` But we will come out of our grief and sadness more resolute in our mission and more dedicated than ever to help people realize the dream of American citizenship . '' One of the victims was Omri Yigal 's wife , Dolores , Yigal told CNN . A native of the Philippines , she was taking English classes at the center to better herself . Yigal said he had no anger for the shooter . `` My thoughts are on my wife . I do n't have time for that now , '' he said . Yigal said he felt `` grief for my wife and that 's it . '' `` She 's come so far , '' he said haltingly . He crossed his arms and his eyes to the ground . `` So much , '' he said . CNN 's Allan Chernoff and Susan Candiotti contributed to this report . | Authorities defend police response ; two funerals held Sunday . Guns found at scene registered to suspected shooter , authorities say . Suspect was taking English classes , also upset at losing job , police say . Gunman kills 13 people , then self at Binghamton , New York , immigration center . | [[41, 117], [169, 231], [4089, 4160], [4906, 4924], [1639, 1694], [1639, 1643], [1699, 1736], [5821, 5885], [1072, 1079], [1101, 1133]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Authorities searched a church near where an 8-year-old California girl was found dead Monday in the hopes of finding clues that would lead to her killer . Mourners leave condolences for Sandra Cantu , who was found dead on April 6 in Tracy , California . The body of Sandra Cantu of Tracy , California , was found stuffed into a suitcase in a dairy-farm pond . Cantu had been missing since March 27 . Tracy police Sgt. Tony Sheneman told CNN 's Nancy Grace he would not elaborate on what evidence led them to Clover Road Baptist Church . He would say only that detectives developed probable cause that persuaded a judge to sign a search warrant . Lane Lawless , the church 's pastor , told CNN affiliate KCRA he was questioned for about three hours by police , adding that he had nothing to do with Cantu 's disappearance or death . `` We have fully cooperated with the police , '' Lawless told KCRA . `` We have answered all their questions . '' Authorities also searched the mobile home park Tuesday where the girl lived . Watch report on murder investigation '' `` Investigators are looking at additional information they received since yesterday -LRB- Monday -RRB- and , hopefully , that will lead us to Sandra 's killers , '' Sheneman said . Asked if his use of the plural meant police were looking for more than one person , Sheneman responded , `` We have no specific suspects . '' Watch Sheneman say there has not been an arrest in the case '' Sheneman also implied the killer likely was familiar with the location where the body was found . He said he himself was unfamiliar with the location where the girl 's body was found , despite having lived in the community for nearly 12 years . `` Someone would have to be familiar with that area to know to go there , '' he said . Watch how the suitcase was found '' Sheneman said police had no one in custody , despite having interviewed hundreds of people regarding the case . `` Everyone that we speak to right now is being considered a person of interest , '' he said . `` We 're not eliminating anyone . '' The autopsy was being conducted Tuesday , but it was not clear when the report would be available . `` It 's going to be some time before we hear from the coroner , '' Sheneman said . `` I ca n't tell you when that 's going to be . '' More than 10 search warrants have been executed as part of the investigation and `` a lot '' of evidence has been recovered , Sheneman said . The day Cantu was last reported seen , she returned home from school , kissed her mother and left to play with a friend who lives nearby . A short time later , wearing a pink Hello Kitty T-shirt and black leggings , she left to go to another friend 's home , according to a family spokeswoman . Police said Monday the girl 's clothing helped them identify the body . | NEW : Police search church near mobile park home where Sandra Cantu lived . Police would not say what evidence led to search of church . Cantu was found in suitcase in a pond near her California home . Cantu had been missing since March 27 . | [[19, 141], [438, 556], [274, 307], [310, 379], [380, 419]] |
MacDILL AIR FORCE BASE , Florida -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- No piece of equipment is more crucial to a soldier in the field than his rifle . And America 's most elite troops are about to get a new series of rifles designed for their unique and dangerous missions . CNN was given an exclusive look at two new rifles for an elite group of U.S. troops . `` The difference is , I 'm gon na have a weapon that 's gon na fit the situation , '' an Army Ranger staff sergeant said . Special Operations Command -LRB- SOCOM -RRB- is about to start training its SEALs , Green Berets and other Special Operations troops in the use of Mark 16 and Mark 17 rifles . Within a year , the new rifles should be in action against terrorists and insurgents in Iraq , Afghanistan and hot spots the public may never hear about . The usually secretive SOCOM gave CNN an exclusive chance to see and even fire the new weapon recently at its headquarters near Tampa , Florida . Watch a preview of the new weapons '' The contractors working with SOCOM to develop the weapon say it is more versatile and more accurate , jams less and lasts longer than the current rifle used by many Special Operations troops , the M-4 . The Mark 16 -LRB- Mk16 -RRB- fires a 5.56 mm round , the same size used for decades in M-16s and M-4s . The Mk17 fires a larger 7.62 mm round that is used in some U.S. military machine guns , but it 's not the same round as in the AK-47 , the world 's most widely used assault rifle . Both of the new rifles are designed to kill regardless of the situation . `` Whether that 's a soft target , a guy without body armor , or whether that 's an enemy force within a vehicle that you need to shoot through a window or the side of the vehicle and you want to ensure that round is not deflected , '' said Tucker Campion , a retired Navy SEAL who now is a civilian contractor working on the new rifles . `` We want a round that , when it hits the enemy soldier , provides the maximum amount of damage . '' Even though they fire different-size bullets , each rifle is largely interchangeable with the other . By changing only a few parts , including the bolt and the barrel , a soldier can switch from a gun that fires the lighter 5.56 mm round to one that shoots the heavier 7.62 mm round in a matter of minutes . That 's just one example of the rifle 's versatility . Each gun comes with three interchangeable barrels , and each gives the troops a specific advantage . `` If you were going to clear an urban environment , buildings , rooms , you 'd probably throw the short barrel on there , '' the staff sergeant said . CNN is honoring the Ranger 's request not to identify him , because in battle , anonymity is crucial for Special Operations troops . `` If you 're in Afghanistan and you 're walking in the mountains and the hills and all that , and your distance is going to be a lot greater to the enemy , and you 're probably going to want to throw the longer barrel on there so you get that extra reach , '' the Ranger said . Even though the rifles fire the same bullets as existing weapons , they are designed to be much more accurate . `` If you look at a current inventory assault rifle , you get 350 to 400 meters , '' Campion said of their range of accuracy . `` Put a long barrel in -LRB- the new rifle -RRB- , and now you 're at 6 to 7 -LRB- hundred meters -RRB- . So we 're extending the standoff between us and the enemy . '' A longer standoff means an American can shoot an enemy soldier from farther away ; thus , the American is safer . One of the main goals was to design a gun that lasts longer . Campion says the M-4 is designed to fire 6,000 rounds over five years . But the Mk16 and Mk17 were designed for Special Operations , who are likely to fire 6,000 rounds in less than one year . The new rifles are designed to handle the greater rate of use and last twice as long . The design changes that make the Mk16 and Mk17 last longer also make them more reliable . Nothing is worse for a GI in battle than for his rifle to jam at the wrong moment , but it happens with all kinds of guns . These new rifles are designed to reduce those jamming problems as much as possible . The new rifle also comes in a Mk13 model , which includes a grenade launcher mounted below the barrel . To those who will use the rifles in the field , what they need first and foremost from the new weapons is success . E-mail to a friend . | Military will train an elite group of troops with versatile new rifles . Mark 16 , Mark 17 rifles designed for their unique and dangerous missions . Usually secretive Special Operation Command gave CNN an exclusive look . The new rifles are designed to handle the greater rate of use and last twice as long . | [[133, 205], [467, 642], [199, 256], [3673, 3727], [798, 890], [3535, 3556], [3561, 3596], [3790, 3876], [3790, 3804], [3818, 3866], [3790, 3804], [3856, 3876], [3877, 3935], [3941, 3966]] |
LONDON , England -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- A British man who has just claimed the world land sailing speed record is now planning to better his speed -- on ice . Greenbird , driven by Briton Richard Jenkins has claimed the land sailing speed record . Using just wind power , Richard Jenkins drove his vehicle , the Greenbird , to 202 km/hour -LRB- 126 miles/hour -RRB- in late March on the dry Lake Ivanpah near the border of California and Nevada in the western United States . Greenbird is a carbon fibre composite craft -- described by the makers on their Web site as `` part airplane , part sailboat and part Formula One car '' -- that uses solid sails to harness the power of the wind . It weighs 600 kg and is able to travel up to four or five times greater than the speed of the wind -- at which point the downward force of the wings increases the craft 's weight to nearly a ton . The only metal in the structure is in the wing bearings and the wheel . Jenkins told CNN the record came after the team , which is sponsored by UK-based green electricity company Ecotricity , made gains in all aspects of the vehicle 's design . `` It 's a real mixture of everything -- all of the margins are so tight you have to make a little gain in every place . '' The technologically advanced Greenbird works by using the flow of air over its vertical sail to push it forward . It transfers the side force of wind into downward energy to keep it from taking off -- a similar concept to that used in Formula One race cars . Greenbird 's record speed defeated the previous record set by American Bob Schumacher in 1999 . Schumacher , in what he described as a `` boat '' called the `` Iron Duck , '' managed 116 miles per hour . View a photo gallery of the successful speed record attempt '' Jenkins told CNN he had been working towards the record for about 10 years and was ecstatic to have managed the feat . `` We had been working on this for a long time . It started when I was at university ... so it was great to finally achieve the record . '' The 32-year-old said bad weather and attracting sponsorship had been the main challenges in preparing to set the record . `` You have to be very lucky for the weather to be right at the right time . For years I thought we were going to be unlucky . '' With the land sailing record under his belt , Jenkins now plans to return to work on his Greenbird ice sailing craft -- which he feels has the potential to be even quicker than the Greenbird land racer . `` Theoretically it should be a lot faster , but currently ice yachts are not as quick as land yachts . We are not completely sure why . '' Jenkins said his next ice sailing attempt would likely take place in December this year on Canyon Ferry Lake in Montana , where the ice is large and secure enough for the vehicle . It is also important to make attempts before snow falls on the ice , creating more drag , Jenkins added . Ice sailing is significantly more risky than land sailing , he told CNN . `` Depending on when you go , the ice can be a lot more unstable . There is the risk that you could go through a water-hole into the ice . We try not to think about it , '' Jenkins said . For more about the Greenbird land and ice craft , go to Greenbird.co.uk . | Greenbird , driven by Richard Jenkins , claims the land sailing speed record . The land yacht reaches 202 km/hour -LRB- 126.1 miles/hour -RRB- on a dry lake in California . Makers describe craft as `` part airplane , part sailboat and part Formula One car '' Jenkins is now aiming to better the speed in Montana in his ice-sailing craft . | [[36, 49], [54, 57], [71, 106], [36, 49], [63, 106], [155, 164], [167, 199], [155, 243], [268, 301], [320, 334], [472, 624], [9, 32], [110, 154]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Three former guerrilla leaders -- who helped command what one activist called `` one of the most brutal rebel movements in modern days '' -- were sentenced Wednesday in Freetown , Sierra Leone , for crimes against humanity . Amputee victims of Sierra Leone 's civil war take part in football training at a beach in Freetown . The U.N. Special Court for Sierra Leone found the men guilty in February of crimes that included murder , rape , sexual slavery and forced marriages stemming from a civil war that lasted from March 1991 to January 2002 . They were arrested in March 2003 , said Peter Anderson , spokesman for the U.N. court . The rebels -- former leaders in the Revolutionary United Front guerrilla movement -- were known for hacking off civilians ' hands and feet during the war , which stood out for its viciousness even on a a continent that has suffered many horrific conflicts . Presiding Judge Pierre Boutet of Canada read the sentences . Former Revolutionary United Front `` interim leader '' Issa Hassan Sesay was sentenced to 52 years in prison , former commander Morris Kallon to 40 years , and former chief of security Augustine Gbao to 25 years . Sesay and Kallon had been found guilty on 16 counts , and Gbao was found guilty on 14 . The former rebels received credit for the six years each already has served in prison , Anderson told CNN . He said they will be imprisoned in another country , maybe Rwanda , because the prisons in Sierra Leone do not meet the standards of the U.N. court . Kallon was the only one of the three to express sorrow at his sentencing , Anderson said . `` He really had made a genuine expression of remorse , '' which is considered a stronger statement than regret , the court spokesman added . The court noted several mitigating factors at the sentencing , but `` in view of the gravity of the crimes , their impact was limited , '' a statement from the court said . The court noted that the crimes `` were committed upon a massive scale across several districts of Sierra Leone '' and that `` the impact of all these crimes upon the Sierra Leonean society has been enormous . '' `` The Chamber concluded that the inherent gravity of the criminal acts for which Sesay , Kallon and Gbao have been convicted is exceptionally high , '' the statement said . Corinne Dufka , a senior researcher in Human Rights Watch 's Africa division , had called the verdict `` very significant . '' `` The RUF were renowned for leading one of the most brutal rebel movements in modern days . Everyone knows about the signature atrocity of limb amputation , but there was also horrific sexual violence , abductions , use of child soldiers and forced marriages , '' she told CNN by phone from Senegal in West Africa . Eight people have been convicted of war crimes connected with the conflict -- some on the rebels ' side and some on the government 's . The U.N. Special Court 's mandate is to try only `` those who bear greatest responsibility for atrocities committed in Sierra Leone . '' The trial of Sesay , Kallon and Gbao lasted nearly five years . The three had pleaded not guilty on all counts . The Special Court can not impose the death penalty . The Revolutionary United Front seized most of Sierra Leone from the government and fought international and African peacekeepers . International forces retook the capital , Freetown , in 2000 . The trial of the three former leaders was the last of three to be held at the Special Court . Former Liberian President Charles Taylor is on trial separately at an international court in The Hague , Netherlands , for his role in the conflict . The prosecution rested in the Taylor case in January after a year of presenting its arguments . Sierra Leone is known for its diamond wealth , but 70 percent of the population lives below the poverty line . The Special Court is an independent tribunal established jointly by the United Nations and the Sierra Leone government . It is mandated to bring to justice those most responsible for atrocities committed in Sierra Leone after November 30 , 1996 . | Three rebels in Sierra Leone sentenced for crimes against humanity . U.N. Special Court for Sierra Leone found the men guilty in February . Men convicted of crimes such as murder , rape , sexual slavery , forced marriages . Charges stem from civil war that lasted from March 1991 to January 2002 . | [[345, 427], [345, 427], [421, 427], [433, 493], [2615, 2712], [508, 519], [525, 565]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- `` Who controls the past controls the future . '' President Reagan 's former aides say Obama 's budget repudiates Reaganomics . It 's a line from George Orwell 's novel `` 1984 . '' But it could also serve as the rallying cry for two groups battling over President Obama 's ambitious domestic agenda -- and the legacy of two former presidents . Critics of Obama 's proposed $ 3.5 trillion federal budget say he 's poised to jeopardize the economic gains unleashed by President Reagan . They say he will make the same mistakes that President Lyndon B. Johnson did when he committed massive amounts of federal money to create a slew of anti-poverty programs dubbed `` The Great Society . '' `` The Great Society created a lot of programs and wasted a lot of money , '' said Kenneth Khachigian , a former Reagan speechwriter and adviser . `` The biggest war on poverty was the economic boom started by Reagan . '' But others like Joseph Califano Jr. , Johnson 's senior domestic adviser , say the notion that the Great Society was a failure is one of the `` greatest political scams '' in American history . Republican leaders who have labeled Obama 's budget proposals socialist are rehashing the rhetoric their predecessors used to attack Great Society programs like Head Start 40 years ago , Califano says . `` I 'm hearing the same round of arguments , '' Califano said . `` The Republicans said that if you provide Head Start and preschool education to poor kids , it would ` Sovietize ' our kids and be communistic . '' ` Failure ' of the Great Society . The clash between both points of view centers on Obama 's plan for reviving the nation 's economy . The Senate and the House of Representatives passed similar versions of Obama 's $ 3.5 trillion budget for 2010 last week . The budget did n't receive a single Republican vote in either chamber . Both chambers will meet after Easter recess to produce a final budget . Even before last week 's vote , though , Obama 's budget was creating a partisan wedge . Proponents said it would use trillions of dollars to transform education , spark a green industrial revolution and provide health care to all Americans . CNN political analyst David Gergen said Obama 's budget `` set forth the most ambitious reform agenda of any president since Lyndon Johnson . '' Gergen 's comment could be taken as a compliment or a reprimand , depending on one 's historical point of view . Craig Shirley , author of `` Reagan 's Revolution : The Untold Story of the Campaign That Started It All , '' took it as a warning . His model for reviving the nation is Reagan , who moved `` power from the government to the people '' by cutting taxes and making government less intrusive . Shirley , alluding to an alleged Reagan quip that `` Johnson declared war on poverty and poverty won , '' says out-of-wedlock births , illiteracy and bloated federal programs increased during the Great Society . He says Medicare and Medicaid , two vaunted Great Society programs that provide health care to the poor and elderly , are now virtually bankrupt . `` All evidence says that the Great Society was a failure , '' Shirley said . Khachigian , Reagan 's speechwriter , says Obama 's budget would also create tension between people who fought their way up the economic ladder and those who did not . Under Obama , the well-off would be `` brought back down through higher taxes and subsidizing benefits for people who have not worked as hard . '' Obama 's budget is influenced by the president 's previous job as a community organizer , Khachigian says . `` You ca n't have been a community organizer and not have in your mindset that agencies of the government exist to , as Obama said , to ` spread the wealth , ' '' Khachigian said . If Obama wants to look at an economic blueprint for lifting the nation out of a nasty recession , he should look at Reagan , Khachigian says . Reagan 's tax cuts helped end the deep recession he inherited when he came into office , he said . The economy took off , and everyone benefited . `` I would argue that the biggest war on poverty took place when the economy started booming in 1983 , '' Khachigian said . The ` myth ' of Reagan 's tax cuts . Other analysts had a different take on the legacy of the Reagan Revolution and what it can teach Obama . Will Bunch , author of `` Tear Down This Myth : How the Reagan Legacy Has Distorted Our Politics and Haunts Our Future , '' says Reaganomics is built on a fable . Reagan did n't prove that tax cuts and small government lead to economic growth , because he never consistently did both , he says . Bunch says Reagan did cut taxes in 1981 but raised them in succeeding years . He also expanded the federal government and created a huge national debt . `` His initial 1981 tax cuts went so far that he was actually forced to increase taxes a half-dozen times in the years that followed , something you never hear about , '' Bunch said . Obama would do better to follow the example of Johnson , not Reagan , says Califano , Johnson 's senior domestic adviser . He says Johnson 's Great Society was designed to give the most vulnerable Americans -- the poor , the elderly , the disabled and racial minorities -- the same opportunities as the affluent . `` The Great Society saw government as providing a hand up , not a handout , '' said Califano , who wrote about his time with the president in `` The Triumph and Tragedy of Lyndon Johnson . '' He says the Great Society proved that government was n't incompetent . Johnson persuaded Congress to pass at least 100 Great Society proposals . Programs awarded college students financial aid , gave struggling families food stamps and gave millions of Americans access to health insurance for the first time . It also reduced poverty , Califano says . About 22 percent of Americans lived below the poverty line when Johnson took office in 1963 . By 1970 , when the impact of Great Society programs was being felt , the poverty rate dropped to 12.6 percent , Califano says . -LRB- The poverty rate in 2007 was 12.5 percent , the U.S. Census Bureau reported . -RRB- . Califano , who calls Obama 's budget a logical extension of the Great Society , says Obama personally benefited from the Great Society `` crown jewel '' : the Voting Rights Act of 1965 , which ensured African American participation at the polls . `` My God , Obama would n't be president if Lyndon Johnson had n't passed that civil rights law , '' Califano said . `` He would not have gotten the votes to get elected . '' Robert Weisbrot , co-author of `` The Liberal Hour : Washington and the Politics of Change in the 1960s , '' says the Great Society also helped lay the foundation for the modern environmental movement with its passage of clean air and water laws . Read why Weisbrot says Obama ca n't create another Great Society . `` We can find much to celebrate in those years in the 1960s when we see a burst of reform when the government is ready to face problems openly and decisively , '' Weisbrot said . There may be , however , one point of agreement for supporters and critics of Obama 's domestic agenda . It was expressed by Khachigian , Reagan 's former speechwriter . When asked whether he was miffed that some people were now comparing Obama to Reagan , he said his opposition to Obama 's budget was based on something deeper : fear . He says the nation could become a Failed Society if Obama 's approach does n't end a brutal recession . `` It 's not a matter of pride but of practicality , '' he said . `` If this does n't work , we 're all in deep doo-doo . '' | Clash over Obama 's budget centers on America 's future , and past . Reagan aides say Obama forgets lessons of Reaganomics . Author says Reagan raised taxes and increased size of government . LBJ 's senior aide says Johnson 's Great Society was a success . | [[4708, 4710], [4716, 4747]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- `` It 's time to talk to Cuba . '' Fidel Castro is not in power , but he 's still a big part of Cuba . He welcomed the U.S. delegation . That frank assessment from Rep. Barbara Lee , D-California , has resonated loud and clear from the island of Cuba -- 90 miles from the southernmost point of Florida -- to the halls of Congress . For the first time in nearly 50 years , relations between the two nations , which have a history steeped in tension , have seemed to ease a bit . That was apparent this week as a delegation from the Congressional Black Caucus traveled to the communist country on a fact-finding mission , with plans to deliver a report to the White House . Watch CNN 's Ed Hornick discuss the story '' `` Our purpose was to see if there were preconditions on the Cuban side . We heard that there were no preconditions , '' Lee said Wednesday . `` And , in fact , we wanted to find out if they were interested . We have to remember that every country in Latin America , 15 countries , have normal relations with Cuba . ... We 're the country which is isolated . '' Watch Lee discuss her visit to Cuba '' But even more significant were the meetings the group had with Cuban President Raúl Castro and with his brother and predecessor , 82-year-old Fidel Castro , a controversial political and social figure . President Obama has said he is in favor of changing the relationship with Cuba . The $ 410 billion budget Obama signed in March makes it easier for Cuban-Americans to travel to Cuba and to send money to family members on the island . It could also allow the sale of agricultural and pharmaceutical products to Cuba . Three provisions attached to the omnibus spending bill loosened restrictions enacted by former President Bush after he came to office in 2001 . Analysts see the lawmakers ' trip and Obama 's campaign rhetoric as a way for the new administration to start thawing relations with Cuba before the Fifth Summit of the Americas . The summit will bring together the U.S. president and 33 other leaders from the Western Hemisphere in mid-April in Trinidad and Tobago . Watch more on the lawmakers ' meeting '' It 's a point that Fidel Castro seemed to hint at . In a letter published Tuesday in the online version of Granma , a state-run Cuban newspaper , Castro wrote that an unnamed caucus member told him `` he was sure that Obama would change Cuba policy but that Cuba should also help him . '' `` I value the gesture of this legislative group , '' Fidel Castro wrote . `` The aura of -LSB- the Rev. Martin -RSB- Luther King is accompanying them . Our press has given broad coverage of their visit . They are exceptional witnesses to the respect that U.S. citizens visiting our homeland always receive . '' U.S. citizens are allowed to visit Cuba , an island shrouded in a virtual blackout to the U.S. and other parts of the world , but must apply for special licenses to do so . Though it is illegal , some citizens travel to a country like Mexico or Canada and then into Cuba . Not everyone is eager for change . Cuban-American members of Congress , in particular , have voiced outrage over the easing of relations . Florida Republican Sen. Mel Martinez , who was born in Cuba , does n't want to see changes to the embargo . `` Having tourists on Cuban beaches is not going to achieve democratic change in Cuba , '' Martinez has said . New Jersey Sen. Robert Menendez , a Democrat and Cuban-American , said in a recent speech that the Cuban government is `` pure and simple a brutal dictatorship . ... The average Cuban lives on an income of less than a dollar a day . '' Fidel Castro led the 1959 revolution that overthrew Cuba 's Batista dictatorship . The United States broke diplomatic ties with the nation in 1961 . The next year , the U.S. government instituted a trade embargo . Both policies remain in effect . Interactive : A look at the Fidel Castro 's life '' The State Department , per its Web site , officially recognizes the country as `` a totalitarian police state which relies on repressive methods to maintain control . These methods , including intense physical and electronic surveillance of Cubans , are also extended to foreign travelers . '' Although Castro was credited with bringing social reforms to Cuba , he has been criticized around the world for oppressing human rights and free speech . Lee said she hopes the meeting in Cuba this week will help open diplomatic channels between the two nations . `` It 's time to change our direction in our foreign policy . The president is doing a phenomenal job in the world , reshaping America 's image and role in the world , '' she said . `` So we want to make sure that we have the proper information to make recommendations to the president , our secretary of state and our speaker with regard to U.S. policy toward Cuba . '' Interactive : Learn more about Cuba '' Though the current stance of the U.S. government toward Cuba fits well with an older generation of Cuban-Americans who despise Castro , not all are of that mind-set . Namely , members of a younger generation see great benefits of opening trade and direct tourism between the United States and Cuba . Jessica Rodriguez , who owns Cuba de Ayer restaurant in Burtonsville , Maryland , is part of that younger generation looking to change the views of her community . `` I think it would be good to open up some of those doors . I have so many customers who say , ` Oh , I 'd like to go to Cuba . ' And I say , ` Me too . ' '' `` I think it would be great for the world to see Cuba for itself , '' she added . Some Cuban-Americans like Tessie Aral , owner of a Miami , Florida , travel agency that specializes in trips to Cuba , see the financial benefits of lifting the travel ban . `` I think a lot of Americans are going to want to travel to Cuba because it 's been the forbidden fruit for so long , '' Aral said . `` For our country to tell us which country we can travel to , I think that 's just archaic . '' Others in Congress see opening greater relations with Cuba as vital to the United States . A group of senators and other supporters unveiled a bill March 31 to lift the 47-year-old travel ban to Cuba . `` I think that we finally reached a new watermark here on this issue , '' said Sen. Byron Dorgan , D-North Dakota , one of the bill 's sponsors . Sen. Richard Lugar , R-Indiana , another sponsor of the bill , issued a draft report in February that said it was time to reconsider the economic sanctions . Lugar is the ranking Republican on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee . Nonetheless , there is more political and diplomatic work to be done before restrictions on travel and trade could be lifted . Though it 's a first step , Lee sees it as a crack in the proverbial ceiling . `` We went to Cuba to listen to Cuban officials to make sure that we had the information and the facts that were necessary to bring back and at least let our administration know what we believe is possible . '' CNN 's Jim Acosta , Arthur Brice and Elise Labott contributed to this report . | Members of Congressional Black Caucus met with Cuba 's Castro brothers . Lawmaker says `` it 's time to talk with Cuba '' and ease travel , trade restrictions . President Obama has said he is in favor of changing the relationship with Cuba . But some members of Congress are against relations opening . | [[20, 50], [5361, 5418], [6664, 6714], [1340, 1420], [1365, 1420], [3068, 3102], [3121, 3171]] |
WASHINGTON -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- A pair of Republican congressmen ripped Congressional Black Caucus members for ignoring Cuba 's `` myriad gross human rights abuses '' Thursday , saying this week 's caucus trip to the island nation ignored the plight of political prisoners under the Castro regime . Rep. Chris Smith , R-New Jersey , blasts members of the Black Caucus on Thursday for their trip to Cuba . They also urged the Obama administration to refrain from easing trade embargo or travel restrictions until the Cuban government releases all `` prisoners of conscience , '' shows greater respect for freedom of religion and speech , and holds `` free and fair '' elections . The call from Reps. Chris Smith , R-New Jersey , and Frank Wolf , R-Virginia , came three days after the administration signaled that new rules on family travel and remittances to Cuba may be announced before President Obama goes to the Summit of the Americas on April 17 . It also followed statements from several Black Caucus members Tuesday arguing for consideration of an end to the trade embargo and other diplomatic restrictions placed on Cuba for five decades . Watch CNN 's Ed Hornick discuss the story '' `` Yes , we have history -- we have good history and not-so-good history , '' said Rep. Laura Richardson , D-California . `` But the point is it 's history , and we need to move forward . '' Three members of the caucus were visiting the Latin American School of Medicine , where students from nations including the United States study , when they received an invitation to Fidel Castro 's home for a meeting . `` Former President Fidel Castro is very engaging , very energetic , '' said CBC Chairwoman Barbara Lee , also a from California Democrat . `` Our conclusion is , given the new direction in our foreign policy , that it 's time to look at a new direction in our policy toward Cuba . Watch Lee discuss her visit to Cuba '' `` The 50-year embargo just has n't worked , '' she said . The caucus members , who also visited current Cuban President Raul Castro , `` did nothing to publicly show any concern for the myriad gross human rights abuses perpetrated by the Cuban government or the tragic fate of hundreds of Cuban democracy and human rights activists , '' Smith said . `` Yet they held press conferences at which they heaped and lavished praise and affection for a government the United States Department of State only six weeks ago called ` totalitarian . ' '' A 2008 State Department human rights report cited , among other things , numerous accounts of beatings of Cuban political prisoners , harsh and life - threatening conditions for dissidents , and severe restrictions on freedom of movement and religion , Smith said . `` Over the past 50 years , the Castros and their secret police have been directly responsible for killing thousands of nonviolent , courageous pro-democracy activists and for jailing and torturing tens of thousands of others . And they continue to this day to perpetrate their brutal crimes , '' he said . `` Before the Obama administration even thinks about permitting further travel to Cuba , or altering the trade embargo on Cuba , both the White House and Congress have a moral obligation , a duty , to ensure that the Cuban dictatorship releases all prisoners of conscience , makes substantial progress in respecting freedom of religion , speech and , press and assembly , and holds free and fair elections . '' Lee responded Thursday that it made no sense to continue what she characterized as a failed policy . `` Everyone is entitled to their own opinion , but by any objective standard our current policy toward Cuba just has n't worked . Simply put , it 's time to open dialogue and discussion with Cuba , '' she said in a statement . `` I am convinced , based on the meetings which were held , that the Cubans do want dialogue , they do want talks , and they do want normal relations with the United States of America . And I believe that it 's in the United States ' best interest to do that . '' On Monday , the White House adviser for the Summit of the Americas , Jeffrey Davidow , refused to be pinned down about when the administration might announce its easing of the restrictions on travel and remittances to Cuba . `` I really could not say . But I would not be surprised if it came before the summit , '' he said . `` They 're going to happen . I ca n't tell you exactly when . '' Before he was elected president , Obama promised to ease restrictions on Cuban-Americans traveling to visit family in Cuba and sending them money . | NEW : Black Caucus Chairwoman responds to GOP criticism on Thursday . Members of the CBC recently visited Cuba , met with Fidel and Raul Castro . GOP reps blast trip , citing Havana 's `` myriad gross human rights violations '' N.J. congressman : Travel , trade restrictions should continue until Cuba reforms . | [[1981, 1999], [2011, 2054], [0, 20], [40, 96], [105, 161], [2105, 2254], [403, 407], [413, 539]] |
SEATTLE , Washington -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Reporters , editors and photographers at the Seattle Post-Intelligencer prepared their final contributions to the paper , toasted one another with shots of Wild Turkey and packed up their desks in an `` eerily clean '' newsroom as the final edition of the paper went to the presses Monday night . SeattlePI.com will continue to cover breaking news , Managing Editor Dave McCumber says . The paper -- which was the oldest continually operating business in Seattle -- published its final print edition Tuesday as the P-I makes a transformation into an online-only news outlet . A skeleton crew of 20 to 25 staffers will remain at the new Seattle PI.com while more than 140 staffers will lose their jobs . `` Its been an opportunity to experience your community first-hand , '' staff photographer Meryl Schenker said of her 13 years with the paper . `` You meet people from all walks of life , and that 's been a real privilege . '' P-I journalists coming into the newsroom Monday morning were told by management that they would `` put the paper to bed for the last time '' that day . Other reporters and photographers on assignment when the news broke received texts about it from their colleagues . The P-I is the largest paper to go under in an economic climate where newspapers are facing a steep drop in advertising revenues and readership . At the same time , newspapers are also forced to compete with Web sites that republish news stories but do not share the costs of producing them . Last month , the Rocky Mountain News in Denver , Colorado , published its final edition after nearly 150 years . Last October , the Christian Science Monitor also announced that in 2009 , it would replace its daily print edition with its Web site . It also offers subscribers weekly print and daily e-mail editions . P-I Publisher Roger Ogelsby said there was no way for the paper to survive in the current environment . See the final front page . `` It was a combination of time and really rotten economic conditions that caught up with us , '' Ogelsby said . The announcement came a little more than two months after Hearst Corp. which owns the paper , announced that it would either sell the P-I or close it . For months , the paper 's staff prayed a buyer would come through while covering the city and the drama surrounding their own future . `` There 's some relief in knowing , '' Managing Editor David McCumber said . `` And some excitement about SeattlePI.com . We 'll be the first paper to go online only . So I am glad the globe will keep spinning on the roof and there will still be a P-I in Seattle even if it will be online only . '' The Web site will solicit contributions from the community , link to other sites and continue to cover breaking news , McCumber said . iReport.com : Are you a newspaper person ? `` We want to engage as many people in the community as possible with the Web site . It 's going to be different , there 's no question , '' he said . P-I staffers who lost their jobs and those who remained said that in its new form , the P-I will no longer be able to cover Seattle with the same depth and resources it once had . Watch as staff puts out the final print edition '' `` I wrote about the port of Seattle . Looked at some of the ways the port was mismanaging public dollars , '' said investigative reporter Ruth Teichroeb , who lost her job after 11 years with the paper . `` I 've looked at vulnerable adults who were being mistreated in group homes across the state . I have written about children at a state school for the deaf who were mistreated for decades . Those are the kinds of stories that the city is losing now . '' The P-I 's rival , the Seattle Times , will still publish a daily newspaper , but that paper also has been plagued with financial difficulties , prompting some Seattleites to worry that they may soon live in a no-newspaper town . Under a joint operating agreement , the Times and P-I shared production costs while remaining editorially independent . That competition was good for both papers , P-I columnist Mike Lewis said . Watch more on the end of the final print edition '' `` You lose two things . You specifically lose all the stories the P-I might be doing , but you also lose a competitive news environment . It makes us a lot sharper , and it certainly has made them a lot sharper . '' David Lonay , a subscriber since 1950 , told CNN affiliate KIRO he 'll miss the morning ritual of picking up the paper . `` The first thing I do every day is get the P-I and read it , '' Lonay said , according to KIRO . `` I really feel like an old friend is dying . '' Sitting in a downtown cafe near the P-I , Jesse Stewart said he does n't read either local paper because of the environmental issues involved with producing newspapers and the convenience factor of reading news online . `` I get to work and pull up my Google news . I guess I am part of the problem . '' | The P-I abandons print format in transformation to online-only news outlet . News comes two months after Hearst Corp. said it would sell the paper or close it . Staff of 20 to 25 will remain at seattlepi.com ; more than 140 others lose jobs . One Seattleite does n't read papers : `` I get to work and pull up my Google news '' | [[557, 615], [1644, 1656], [1694, 1779], [2092, 2162], [2150, 2162], [2186, 2243], [616, 690], [691, 742], [4888, 4930]] |
BUZZARDS BAY , Massachusetts -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- A crew member aboard a freighter seized by pirates off east Africa said Wednesday that the crew had captured one of four pirates who hijacked their vessel , but they released him in a failed hostage trade . Shane Murphy is one of the crew members on board the U.S. ship that was hijacked off Somalia 's coast . The crew of the U.S.-flagged Maersk Alabama had hoped their release of the pirate would lead the pirates to release Capt. Richard Phillips , but it did not , crew member Ken Quinn told CNN in a satellite telephone call . Instead , the four pirates -- who had scuttled their boat when they boarded the ship armed with AK-47s -- took Phillips with them aboard the ship 's 28-foot lifeboat , Quinn said . The crew had earlier overpowered the pirates and forced them off the ship , according to messages from first officer Shane Murphy . Murphy relayed the information in quick phone calls to his wife and father in his home state of Massachusetts -- where his father , Joe Murphy , is a maritime instructor , and his son once lectured about dealing with hostage situations . Watch Shane Murphy 's wife recall the conversation '' Joe Murphy , who teaches at the Massachusetts Maritime Academy , said the crew sent a distress signal to which the U.S. Navy responded immediately from almost 200 miles away . The ship had eluded the pirates for more than three hours off the coast of Somalia before being boarded , Joe Murphy said his son reported . After hiding from their attackers , then leading them to believe they were more in command of the situation than they really were , the crew jumped the pirates , capturing one of them , the elder Murphy said his son told him . `` It was by sheer force , '' he said . `` They have no weapons -- it must have been , obviously , that they overpowered them . '' He said three other pirates `` had gone into the water . '' Pentagon officials confirmed that four hijackers had boarded the Maersk Alabama Wednesday morning , and that one had been in custody . Joe Murphy said his son was in contact with the pirates Wednesday evening , helping negotiate for the release of the captain . He said he can only shake his head at the timing of the attack . Two weeks ago , Shane Murphy visited his father 's class to lecture the students on situations like the one he now faces . `` This is a classic example of Murphy 's law , '' Joe Murphy said . `` I teach the course , my son goes to sea and he gets captured . '' He said that , despite his concerns , he has faith that his son 's experience and knowledge will help wrap up the tense situation . `` Hopefully , it 's all going to work out , '' he said . `` I think this is going to end as a very positive story . '' CNN 's Jason Carroll and Tom Watkins contributed to this report . | NEW : Maersk Alabama eluded pirates for more than three hours . Crew says hijacker released in hopes of freeing captain , but hijackers reneged . 4 hijackers boarded Maersk Alabama off coast of Africa . Crew member details story in quick phone calls to wife , father in U.S. | [[1361, 1464], [359, 440], [164, 176], [181, 202], [298, 317], [323, 358], [1920, 2054], [1949, 2017], [893, 956]] |
WASHINGTON -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- More troops , new legislation , improved troop training and added civilian expertise highlight President Obama 's strategy to fight terrorism in Afghanistan and Pakistan . President Obama , here with Hillary Clinton on Friday , calls the situation in Afghanistan `` increasingly perilous . '' Obama on Friday announced his plan to tackle what he called an `` international security challenge of the highest order . '' Stressing soberly that `` the safety of people around the world is at stake , '' Obama said the `` situation is increasingly perilous '' in the region in and around Afghanistan , where the United States has been fighting al Qaeda and the Taliban for more than 7 1/2 years after attacks in New York and at the Pentagon . `` The United States of America did not choose to fight a war in Afghanistan . Nearly 3,000 of our people were killed on September 11 , 2001 , for doing nothing more than going about their daily lives , '' said Obama , who has vowed to make Afghanistan the central front in the fight against terrorism . `` So let me be clear : Al Qaeda and its allies -- the terrorists who planned and supported the 9/11 attacks -- are in Pakistan and Afghanistan . Multiple intelligence estimates have warned that al Qaeda is actively planning attacks on the U.S. homeland from its safe haven in Pakistan . Watch how the U.S. will target terrorist safe havens '' `` And if the Afghan government falls to the Taliban -- or allows al Qaeda to go unchallenged -- that country will again be a base for terrorists who want to kill as many of our people as they possibly can . '' Obama said it is key Americans understand that Pakistan `` needs our help '' against al Qaeda . `` Al Qaeda and other violent extremists have killed several thousand Pakistanis since 9/11 . They have killed many Pakistani soldiers and police . They assassinated -LSB- former Pakistani Prime Minister -RSB- Benazir Bhutto . They have blown up buildings , derailed foreign investment and threatened the stability of the state . Make no mistake : Al Qaeda and its extremist allies are a cancer that risks killing Pakistan from within . '' Watch Obama 's speech on Afghanistan , Pakistan threats '' Flanked by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Defense Secretary Robert Gates , Obama called on Congress to pass a bipartisan bill co-sponsored by Sens. John Kerry , D-Massachusetts , and Richard Lugar , R-Indiana . The legislation authorizes `` $ 1.5 billion in direct support to the Pakistani people every year over the next five years -- resources that will build schools , roads and hospitals and strengthen Pakistan 's democracy , '' he said . He also urged Congress to pass legislation that would create opportunity zones in the border region . The goal is to develop the economy and bring hope to places plagued by violence . Obama said , `` We will ask our friends and allies to do their part , '' including at a donors conference next month in Tokyo , Japan . `` After years of mixed results , we will not provide a blank check . Pakistan must demonstrate its commitment to rooting out al Qaeda and the violent extremists within its borders . And we will insist that action be taken -- one way or another -- when we have intelligence about high-level terrorist targets . '' Obama said the United States must work with the World Bank and International Monetary Fund and others to help Pakistan get through the economic crisis . `` To lessen tensions between two nuclear-armed nations that too often teeter on the edge of escalation and confrontation , we must pursue constructive diplomacy with both India and Pakistan . '' Afghan President Harmid Karzai watched the speech on CNN from Kabul , said Richard Holbrooke , Obama 's special envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan . Karzai `` is extremely grateful and will issue his statement of support , '' Holbrooke said . Obama stressed that `` Afghanistan has been denied the resources that it demands because of the war in Iraq '' and now a commitment must be made . Obama said he is sending another 4,000 troops to Afghanistan , along with hundreds of civilian specialists , such as agricultural experts , educators and engineers . The troops -- which are in addition to the 17,000 announced earlier -- will be charged with training and building the Afghan army and police force . The stakes are high as al Qaeda and the Taliban have escalated the insurgency and the number of U.S. troops deaths spiked last year -- the highest yearly death toll for them in the war . Obama said the soldiers and Marines `` will take the fight to the Taliban in the south and east '' and will work with Afghan troops along the border . He said such an effort will bolster `` security in advance of the important presidential election in August . '' Watch Obama tell terrorists U.S. will defeat them '' Obama said the coalition `` will accelerate '' efforts to `` build an Afghan army of 134,000 and a police force of 82,000 so that we can meet these goals by 2011 -- and increases in Afghan forces may very well be needed as our plans to turn over security responsibility to the Afghans go forward . '' He said Afghanistan 's government has been `` undermined by corruption and has difficulty delivering basic services to its people '' and its economy is undercut by `` a booming narcotics trade that encourages criminality and funds the insurgency . '' Watch Obama 's remarks on the Afghan situation '' Obama said the United States will set clear benchmarks for international assistance and wo n't ignore attention to corruption . He said the United States will develop a new contact group for Afghanistan and Pakistan that would include not only NATO allies and other partners but also Central Asian states , Gulf nations and Iran , Russia , India and China . Reacting to Obama 's plan , Sen. Russell Feingold , D-Wisconsin , said he is pleased the president is focusing on al Qaeda and is addressing the role of Pakistan but expressed concern the strategy could remain `` overly Afghan-centric . '' Citing Friday 's suicide attack on a mosque in the Pakistani tribal region near Afghanistan , Feingold said , `` This new administration must ensure that we do what we must not only in Afghanistan but also in Pakistan . '' He said , `` As the bombing near the Khyber Pass this morning highlights , we need to fully address the inextricable links between the crisis in Afghanistan and the instability and terrorist threats in Pakistan . '' The bombing killed at least 48 people and wounded 80 to 90 others . Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell praised Obama 's plan , saying it is `` a significant pivot '' away from the Democratic Party 's left wing . `` So the president 's decision to continue Secretary Gates , follow -LSB- U.S. Central Command chief -RSB- Gen. -LSB- David -RSB- Petraeus ' advice -- which may be somewhat exasperating to his own political left -- I think is in the best interest of the country and I think he 's going to enjoy pretty strong Republican support for the plan , '' the Kentucky Republican told reporters . | Intelligence shows al Qaeda planning attacks on U.S. , President Obama says . Part of Afghan strategy is $ 1.5 billion annually for five years in aid for Pakistan . U.S. to send 4,000 more troops to Afghanistan as well as 17,000 announced earlier . Hundreds of civilian specialists also to be deployed . | [[1218, 1359], [1267, 1359], [4046, 4211], [4057, 4211], [4212, 4279], [0, 26], [90, 152], [4046, 4211], [4057, 4211]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Madonna is in Malawi this week attempting to adopt a second child from the African nation . A judge ruled Monday that she will have to wait until Friday to learn a decision . Dominic Nutt of Save the Children UK has urged Madonna to rethink her adoption of a girl from Malawi . In the meantime , a children 's group is saying that she should not adopt and that the child would be better off in her own country . Madonna has brushed off questions from reporters , saying it is `` none of their business . '' CNN 's Kiran Chetry , spoke with Dominic Nutt , the spokesman for Save the Children UK , Monday on `` American Morning . '' Chetry : You heard Madonna ... say it 's no one 's business . Over the weekend , you came out , though , and urged Madonna to rethink this adoption . What is your biggest concern ? Nutt : Well , our biggest concern is that we believe that in the most -- in the majority of cases , orphans , so-called orphans , in fact -LSB- are -RSB- not orphans -- they have at least one parent living -- and even those that do n't , have a wider family that can look after them . And we believe that children in poverty should be best looked after by their own people in their own environment . And that people like Madonna and organizations like Save the Children are best off helping those families by building schools and supporting them to look after these so-called orphans and not transporting them to live across the world in mansions , in pop stars ' mansions , that sort of thing . Watch charity explain position on international adoptions '' Chetry : Now , Madonna also is doing both , I guess you could say , because she founded that organization , Raising Malawi , right , back in 2006 , did a documentary as well , trying to bring attention and money to the plight of the children there . Nutt : Well , absolutely right . So she 's obviously accepted the logic of the Save the Children argument , it 's help children on the ground . If you really do love a child and you want the child to do well , then help them in their own world . Now , look ... something like 10 million children a year die across the world because of poverty before the age of 5 . You can not possibly help all those children by moving them . amFIX : Your thoughts on whether Madonna should adopt . So , what we 're saying clearly is not that Madonna is wrong or families and parents or want-to-be parents who do go for international adoption are wrong . But it must be a last resort . They must make sure there is no family network to support them , and if they do n't help that child , that child is in peril . The life of that child is in peril . Otherwise ... you are better off supporting that child in its own environment . Chetry : All right , well , here 's what a couple of people who actually live there say . One of them is a resident of ... Malawi , who said , `` We 're poor people . If a child 's mother dies , it 's hard for the man to bring the child up . '' He 's saying that because apparently in this situation , the child she 's trying to adopt , Mercy James , both -- neither parent -LSB- is -RSB- living , according to our report . And then I want you to hear also from the Law Commission of Malawi , one member of it , and what he said about this adoption . Let 's listen . Unidentified male : If you project 20 years from now , where will the child be if the child is left in the orphanage where it is , or if it gets a chance to get an education with Madonna . Chetry : The figures also from UNICEF show that for every 1,000 births in Malawi , 120 children die . The life expectancy in that country is only 44 years old . And most children over the age of 10 do not attend school . So , would n't life be better for some of these children who have no living parents , who would at least be in another country where their basic needs could be met and they could get a decent education ? Nutt : Well , would it not be better to solve the problems of Malawi and help Malawians solve their own problems by educating their children and feeding their children and helping their children so they can get off that cycle of poverty ? Not just literally transporting the whole population of Malawi . If we are concerned about the population of Malawi being in a very difficult situation , we ca n't transport them all to Queens in New York or to Kensington in London to make that difference . The difference has to be made on the ground . Otherwise , we really are shuffling the deck chairs on the deck of the Titanic . Chetry : All right , well , they 're not necessarily mutually exclusive . So , the question that I have is : Is your issue really with Madonna ? I mean , you mentioned celebrity and living in mansions . But what about just ... some middle-class ... working people who are unable to have children themselves and would like to try to help out a child in need overseas . Are you against that type of adoption ? Nutt : No , no . All I 'm saying is that it 's definitely a last resort . Because I know the pain of trying to have a child . I 've been trying , my wife , for years , and we just got lucky four weeks ago . But I know that heartache and that lack of being able to bring up a child in a loving environment . But we know from our case studies in working in Liberian orphanages that in many cases , these children are -LSB- picked -RSB- off the Internet , without much research going on , and sometimes it does n't work out , and the children can be sent back to their own country . And all that has happened is that that child 's life has been messed around with . So , of course , it 's difficult . And I wish I could give you an easy answer and offer you a magic wand , but if you challenge poverty on the ground in these countries , you can in the end do very well by these children . Save the Children 's been doing it for 90 years across the world , and it 's making a difference . ... You say it 's not mutually exclusive , of course , but you can bet your bottom dollar that by investing in children , you 'll get a much bigger impact and better outcome than by taking one or two children here and there as a matter of willy-nilly choice . Chetry : All right , Dominic Nutt , spokesman for Save the Children UK , thank you for your point of view this morning . And we also want to let people know that we did reach out to Madonna 's spokeswoman . So far , we 're just getting `` No comment . '' | Save the Children spokesman : Children should be raised by extended family . Celebrities , groups best help children by supporting their communities , he says . Madonna is trying to adopt a girl from Malawi . | [[1044, 1054], [1069, 1115], [1116, 1230], [1136, 1230], [1116, 1230], [1136, 1230], [1240, 1376], [19, 63], [50, 110]] |
WASHINGTON -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Pirates in ships are searching for the lifeboat containing four pirates and their hostage -- the captain of a freighter they failed to hijack earlier this week -- according to a U.S. military official with knowledge of the situation . Capt. Richard Phillips of the Maersk Alabama is being held by pirates on a lifeboat off Somalia . The pirates are using ships they have already hijacked and larger ships from which they are launching skiffs , the official said Friday . One of the pirated ships is the German cargo ship Hansa Stavanger , seized April 4 off the coast of Somalia . The U.S. military has been monitoring communications between the pirates , the official said . The guided missile frigate USS Halyburton , with helicopter capabilities , has now joined the guided missile destroyer USS Bainbridge in the area . A third ship , the amphibious assault ship USS Boxer , which has a large medical facility on board , will be there within a day . Richard Phillips , the hostage , tried to escape from the pirates Thursday night by jumping out of the lifeboat , a U.S. official said Friday . Watch what it 's like inside a lifeboat '' Phillips was believed to be trying to swim to the USS Bainbridge , which is in communication with the four gunmen holding Phillips in the 28-foot boat off Somalia 's coast , the official said . Some of the kidnappers jumped into the water , recaptured Phillips , and returned him to the lifeboat , according to the official . Watch what happened when captain tried to escape '' The pirates fired shots , the military official said , but had no further details . A Defense Department official told CNN that Phillips appeared to be tied up by the pirates after the escape attempt . The U.S. official -- who did not want to be named because of the sensitive nature of the situation -- said the escape attempt is being viewed by negotiators as an `` optimistic sign '' that Phillips is in good health . He has been held since Wednesday , when the hijackers seized control of his U.S.-flagged ship , the Maersk Alabama . Watch expert talk about hostage escape attempts '' The captain 's wife Andrea Phillips thanked everyone for their support in a statement . `` My husband is a strong man and we will remain strong for him , '' she said . `` We ask that you do the same . '' Phillips ' 20-man crew regained control of the vessel , and they and the vessel are en route to Mombasa , Kenya , according to the father of one of the crew members . The ship 's owners -- the Norfolk , Virginia-based Maersk company -- would not say how the crew regained control . `` There will be time for due diligence and retrospective review once we have the safe return of all parties and the opportunity for a full debriefing , '' it said in a statement . For the U.S. Navy , the show of strength is more than just a means to resolve a hostage situation , said Chris Lawrence , CNN 's Pentagon correspondent . Attacks in the area have picked up so drastically in recent months that the Navy has to reposition some of its fleet to deal with the threats , he said . iReport.com : How should the U.S. respond ? The pirates have shown no signs of giving in . The Maersk Alabama was on its way to Mombasa , Kenya , with a cargo of food aid when it was attacked Wednesday . It was the first time in recent history that pirates had targeted an American ship . The ship was hijacked some 350 miles off Somalia 's coast , a distance that used to be considered safe for ships navigating in the pirate-infested waters . CNN 's Mike Mount and Barbara Starr contributed to this report . | NEW : Shots fired in escape attempt , captain apparently tied up , military officials say . Pirates using other hijacked ships to look for lifeboat as Navy ships arrive . Captain 's escape attempt viewed as `` optimistic sign '' of his vitality . Richard Phillips , captain of a U.S.-flagged cargo ship , is being held by four gunmen . | [[1497, 1548], [1522, 1548], [1633, 1750], [1672, 1750], [1522, 1548], [1751, 1768], [1853, 1935], [265, 270], [271, 362], [1970, 2002], [2005, 2063]] |
LONDON , England -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- It is news that will be greeted with despair and joy in equal measure in family homes across the globe -- Computer games might be good for children . According to scientists at Brunel University in West London , `` young people can experience huge benefits from participating in multi player online role playing games '' . Children playing online games have their imaginations stimulated , not stunted . On the one hand , parents will be pleased to learn that their offspring are n't wasting their time as they sit boggle-eyed in front of a computer screen , and may actually be learning important life skills needed in adulthood . But on the other , it 's just another excuse for their children to spend hour upon hour locked away in their bedroom neglecting school studies and family duties . Still , there 's always the off switch . Dr Simon Bradford and Nic Crowe of Brunel University 's School of Sport and Education have just completed a three-year study of 13-16 year olds playing Runescape -- a massively popular online with over nine million members worldwide . The findings are in contrast to ongoing criticism that children are spending too much time indoors -- either voluntarily watching television and playing computer games or at the request of concerned parents afraid to let them play in the street or in parks , where they could be the victim or a perpetrator of crime . This so-called `` bedroom culture '' is , it is often argued , creating a generation of monosyllabic , culturally illiterate group of youngsters who are ill-prepared for the impending roles and responsibilities of adulthood . Researchers have found that far from constricting young people 's imagination , Runescape and similar multiplayer virtual games enhance brain activity . They offer an opportunity to experiment with different identities such as gender , race or ability . Gamers can also benefit from opportunities that they may not have access to in the real world . `` Virtual environments , like Runescape , '' says Nic Crowe , `` form important new leisure spaces for the many young people who occupy them . In the real world , where streets or town centers have become inaccessible to many young people or are considered risky by them or their parents , it is not surprising that virtual public space has become increasingly attractive as a leisure setting . '' Runescape is one of the most popular multiplayer online role-playing games -LRB- MMORPG -RRB- and attracts all age groups , but is particularly popular with teenagers . Players can explore a virtual world which takes its inspiration from children 's fantasy games and books -- think Dungeons and Dragons and JRR Tolkien 's Lord of the Rings -- incorporating dungeons , vast landscapes , forests and towns , with monsters to slay , quests to complete and treasure to find . The Runescape website describes the game as `` an evolving world of remarkable depth and flexibility '' . `` Our research '' , says Nic Crowe , `` explored how Runescape 's appeal lay in the provision of an environment in which young people can experiment -LRB- symbolically -RRB- with the cultural institutions and structures of the material world -- a space in which young people can establish their presence , identity and meaning in ways that might not be accessible or permissible in their everyday lives . '' Runescape is n't just about combat . If you do n't want to fight the monsters you can take on the role of a craftsman providing the tools of battle . Players can also trade goods and services and build up skills through interaction with other characters . The study revealed that many of the players were entrepreneurial , engaging in business deals online . Dr Simon Bradford says `` At a time when emerging technologies such as the Internet , and computer games in particular , continue to be subject to suspicion and concern , it is important that we also recognize the benefits of what is an increasingly popular and important activity for our young people . '' The Brunel University research findings follow hot on the heels of claims by computer giant IBM that online games are helping to groom future business leaders . Multiplayer online games are teaching children the core skills which are required to lead a team . Online games like Runescape , World of Warcraft and Everquest allow players to join forces and work in closely-knit teams to achieve a goal that may take hours or sometimes weeks to complete . With the help of Stanford University , Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Seriosity -LRB- a company who specialize in computer work solutions -RRB- IBM 's research paper `` Virtual Worlds , Real Leaders '' suggests that MMORPG 's can train leaders to deal with motivational , social and emotional needs of their team . `` If you want to see what business leadership may look like in three to five years , look at what is happening in online games , '' says Byron Reeves , professor of communication at Stanford University . According to IBM , online games also give leaders the freedom to fail and to experiment with different approaches which , they say , is something that any Fortune 500 company that hopes to innovate needs to understand . E-mail to a friend . | Three-year study of 13-16 year olds playing online game Runescape . Virtual environments are important new leisure spaces for young people . Online games give leaders the freedom to fail and to experiment . | [[872, 1033], [2064, 2126], [2145, 2162], [2292, 2396], [4839, 4960], [5057, 5069], [5075, 5151]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- For fans of The Beatles , 09/09/09 will mark a new invasion . The Fab Four will be made even more so when the remastered Beatles catalogue is released in September . Apple Corps Ltd. and EMI Music have announced that as the date for the release of the entire original Beatles catalogue , digitally remastered . That includes all 12 Beatles albums in stereo , with track listings and artwork as originally released in the UK . The package will also contain the LP version of `` Magical Mystery Tour '' -LRB- initially released as a double-EP in Britain , though available on CD since 1987 -RRB- and the collections `` Past Masters Vol . I and II '' combined as one title . The release marks the first time that the first four Beatles albums are being made available in their entirety on compact disc , and it also coincides with the release of `` The Beatles : Rock Band '' video game . Robert Levine , executive editor for Billboard , said the timing is genius in terms of marketing . `` Most bands , when they do a big project like this they pay for publicity , '' Levine said . `` The Beatles got paid for ` Rock Band ' and then they are using that for publicity to rerelease a catalogue . It 's pretty amazing . '' Blog : A Beatles fan reflects on the news . Levine pointed out that media have evolved tremendously since 1964 , when the band first burst onto the American scene with an appearance on `` The Ed Sullivan Show . '' Back then , there were only three major television networks , and engineering of albums was much less sophisticated , Levine noted . Previous rereleases have sold well in the past -- indeed , Beatles albums have sold steadily for decades -- and Levine said he expects this one to do even better . `` I think if you were to look at pure catalogue , old bands selling old albums , the Beatles are the kings -- commercially as well as artistically , '' Levine said . `` A lot of -LSB- music -RSB- has been remastered better in the past 22 years , and remastering technology has come a long way . '' Piers Hemmingsen , the author of two books on Beatles music and head of the Web site Capitol6000.com , said there has long been a clamor among fans for good , high-quality versions of Beatles songs . `` The technology that was available back then was very limited , and with the newer technology they are able to do far more with what they have than they have ever been able to do before , '' he said . `` For people who are plugged into iPods and the whole digital music scene , it 's going to be a lot better for them . '' In acknowledgment of the more technologically advanced listeners , each CD will contain , for a limited time , an embedded brief documentary film about the album . The documentaries contain archival footage , rare photographs and never-before-released studio chat from the Beatles . The remastering project was four years in the making . Engineers used de-noising technology and cleaned up glitches like electrical clicks and microphone vocal pops , so long as it did n't affect the original integrity of the songs . They also slightly boosted the volume levels . Andrew Croft , publisher of Beatlology Magazine , said the announcement of the release of the remastered recordings `` is long overdue in the Beatles community and for music fans alike . '' He also said the quest to improve the original recordings is not new . Croft said bootleg releases over the years used rare and obscure vinyl pressings from countries like Japan and Germany to compile the best of the best recordings of The Beatles songs , presenting to the public a better sound that Apple could not offer prior to the remastering . `` While the new remasterings will replace a library full of bootlegs of their commercial releases , there remains a massive market for their more obscure tracks , outtakes and live performances , '' Croft said . The 14 remastered albums , along with a DVD collection of the documentaries , will also be available for purchase together in a stereo boxed set . A second boxed set , `` The Beatles in Mono , '' includes all of the Beatles recordings that were mixed for a mono release . It will contain 10 of the albums with their original mono mixes , plus two additional discs of mono masters -LRB- covering similar ground to the stereo tracks on `` Past Masters '' -RRB- . The mono `` Help ! '' and `` Rubber Soul '' discs also include the original 1965 stereo mixes , which have not been previously released on CD . These albums will be packaged in mini-vinyl CD replicas of the original sleeves with all of the original inserts and label designs . Even with the release date , what is old has become new . Diehard Beatle-ologists may take note that the release date could be viewed as a nod to the Beatles track `` One After 909 '' from the `` Let It Be '' album -- or a reference to the White Album 's `` Revolution 9 . '' -LRB- John Lennon , who was born on October 9 , occasionally talked about his fondness for the number 9 . -RRB- . Hemmingsen said making the music more accessible and attractive to a younger audience helps spread Beatlemania to a new generation . `` Their music is catchy , memorable , interesting and listenable , '' said Hemmingsen , who was a youngster in England when the Beatles hit the scene and has been a fan ever since . `` The time that they evolved their music was an interesting time and their music reflected that time . '' Levine said the band has always captured fans from across generations . `` The songs have lasted for a long time because they are great songs , '' he said . `` It 's just that simple . Those are amazing , amazing albums . '' | The Beatles ' remastered catalogue will be released in September . Release includes all 12 Beatles albums and two later works . Beatles expert says music now more accessible to digital music fans . Release date of 09/09/09 could be a nod to `` One After 909 '' song . | [[81, 184], [125, 184], [185, 329], [267, 304], [307, 329], [185, 329], [267, 304], [307, 329], [4082, 4123], [5017, 5132], [4685, 4790]] |
TOKYO , Japan -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Japan 's Prime Minister Taro Aso announced a historic ¥ 15 trillion -LRB- $ 150 billion -RRB- stimulus package Friday aimed to turn around the recession in the world 's second largest economy . Japan 's Prime Minister Taro Aso has announced a $ 150 billion stimulus package . Steeped in a recession , with a surge in bankruptcies and sentiment among its largest manufacturers at a record low , Japan has seen unemployment reach a three-year high . The stimulus plan is meant to keep Japan 's economy from cracking open , coalition party officials told CNN . It is the biggest-ever supplemental budget to boost the ailing economy . Japan has been hit hard by the global financial slump . Although Japanese banks were spared the brunt of the credit crisis , the drop in exports to the United States has sent the country into its worst recession since World War II . Aso needs the package to boost Japan 's economy and his government 's popularity . `` This could help save his life as prime minister , '' said Satoru Ogasawara , a Tokyo-based economist for Credit Suisse . The Aso administration 's approval rating fell below 10 percent two months ago , but has been buoyed by the stimulus package and the recent North Korea rocket launch , Ogasawara said . If approved , the package could add two points to the country 's gross domestic product , Ogasawara said . But its long-term impact remains an open question . `` It will help the economy from collapsing from this point ... -LSB- but -RSB- unless the package improves productivity or increases demand , it will be a short-term fix , '' Ogasawara said . Jesper Koll , president and chief executive of TRJ Tantallon Research Japan , said the stimulus package was unlike the ¥ 12 trillion injections into the economy in the past eight months . `` This is the first designed with real business input , and that 's reflected in the package , '' he said , referring to a series of meetings Aso held with business leaders last month . `` That 's outside the normal technocratic , bureaucratic fix . ... It is n't just pork-barrel money for the boys . '' Koll cites details of the plan -- such as tax breaks for gift-giving , environmentally friendly cars , or measures to increase employment in health care -- as a step forward . `` This goes way beyond grand-standing fiscal policy . It 's very specific . For Japan , that 's something , '' he said . Still , Japan now has one of the highest amounts of public debt in the world - a rate which could approach 200 percent of GDP next year , according to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development . `` The government has since spent billions and billions of dollars to support the economy , '' Kirby Daley , a strategist for brokerage Newedge , said . `` Japan has been trying this and has now gone into almost two lost decades and will likely enter a third lost decade if they continue down this policy path . It has not worked in Japan . It will not work again . '' Among the package 's highlights : . -- ¥ 1.9 trillion for unemployment benefits and the promotion of job sharing . -- ¥ 3 trillion to boost struggling companies . -- ¥ 1.6 trillion to promote green initiatives , such as the purchase of environmentally friendly cars and energy-efficient electronics . -- ¥ 2.6 trillion for infrastructure , such as airport runways , train networks and road extensions . -- ¥ 1.7 trillion for health and welfare . The proposed stimulus package helped a rally in Japanese stocks this week , with the Nikkei 225 Average briefly breaking the 9000-point level for the first time in three months on Friday morning trading . The Nikkei hit a 26-year record low last month . | Japan announces ¥ 15 trillion -LRB- $ 150 billion -RRB- in extra spending Friday . The stimulus plan is meant to keep Japan 's economy from cracking open . ¥ 1.9 trillion allocated for unemployment benefits and the promotion of job-sharing . | [[0, 5], [8, 150], [107, 226], [227, 308], [481, 551]] |
MIAMI , Florida -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The Department of Veterans Affairs has launched an investigation into whether there is a connection between improperly sterilized endoscopy equipment and a veteran 's positive HIV test . Sen. Bill Nelson , D-Florida , requested that the VA look into potential contamination at its facilities . This comes after more than 10,000 veterans were possibly exposed to HIV and hepatitis at three VA facilities while undergoing colonoscopies and other procedures with equipment that had not been properly cleaned . The VA sent letters to those veterans offering free testing for hepatitis B , hepatitis C and HIV . `` The VA prides itself on being accountable , and we are extremely concerned about this matter , and as a result we have initiated an investigation , '' Dr. Michael J. Kussman , the VA 's undersecretary for health , said in a news release Friday . `` We have an obligation to provide those who have served and sacrificed for our Nation the care they deserve . '' Along with the positive HIV test , the VA says 16 other veterans have tested positive for hepatitis B and hepatitis C at two VA facilities . Of all the 17 positive test results , 11 were at the VA 's Murfreesboro , Tennessee , facility , and six were from the VA 's Augusta , Georgia , hospital . Thousands of other veterans are being tested at the VA hospital in Miami , and the VA says it is waiting to verify results there . So far , 3,174 veterans have been notified of their test results . VA officials decline to say where the veteran who tested positive for HIV was treated . Watch more on the contamination controversy '' Officials stress that the positive results do n't necessarily mean the equipment is to blame . The VA is conducting an epidemiological investigation at the facilities to determine if the veterans who have tested positive for hepatitis have similar strains of the virus . Meanwhile , lawmakers are also calling for an investigation . In a letter last month to Gen. Eric Shinseki , the secretary of Veterans Affairs , Sen. Bill Nelson , D-Florida , requested that the VA Office of Inspector General `` begin an investigation into the potential problems of contamination ; whether any patient has contracted an infection from unsterilized equipment ; and , most importantly , how we can prevent such problems from happening again . '' The VA says it 's reviewing procedures at other facilities . So far , it says , it has encountered no additional problems . In the meantime , the VA has brought in additional personnel to help with testing and counseling in Miami , Murfreesboro and Augusta . It has also set up a toll-free number that VA patients and their families can call , 24 hours a day , seven days a week , for additional information : 1-877-575-7256 . The VA says it will pay for treatment for the infected vets even if they did n't get hepatitis or HIV from the dirty equipment . `` We are making sure to take corrective measures to ensure veterans have the information and the care necessary to deal with this unacceptable development , '' Kussman said . | Agency seeing whether veteran 's AIDS infection , endoscopy equipment linked . 16 other vets at 2 VA facilities also test positive for hepatitis . More than 10,000 vets possibly exposed to HIV , hepatitis while having procedures . Equipment used in procedures at 3 VA facilities had n't been properly cleaned . | [[0, 5], [8, 31], [53, 221], [1041, 1146], [329, 437], [495, 504], [510, 541]] |
LONDON , England -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Coca-Cola , the world 's largest soft drinks group , has bought a minority stake in Innocent , the British fruit drink and `` smoothie '' maker that boasts of its ethical stance . Coca-Cola faces allegations about labor abuses as well as health and environmental concerns . Innocent said on its Web site the U.S. firm had paid # 30 million -LRB- $ 44 million -RRB- for a stake of `` between 10 and 20 percent '' to fund plans to expand in Europe . Innocent employs 275 people , has a turnover of more than # 100 million and sells about two million smoothies each week . Its three founders , who set up the company 10 years by selling smoothies at a London music festival , insisted its ethical stance would not be compromised and they would continue to run and manage the business . Are ethics and business compatible ? Tell us what you think . `` Every promise that Innocent has made -- about making only natural healthy products , pioneering the use of better , socially and environmentally aware ingredients , packaging and production techniques , donating money to charity and having a point of view on the world -- will remain , '' co-founder Richard Reed said . `` We 'll just get to do them even more . '' Coca-Cola `` has been in business for over 120 years , so there will be things we can learn from them . And in some small ways we may be able to influence their thinking too . '' James Quincey , group business unit president for Coca-Cola Europe , said : `` We are delighted to have the opportunity to invest in Innocent 's future . We have long admired their brand , their products and their unique approach to business . '' But the investment is sure to open up Innocent to charges that its ideals are being diluted . Coca-Cola has been criticized over negative health effects resulting from consumption of its products . It has also faced allegations about labor abuses in Colombia and environmental concerns in India , among other places . Sales of Coke are holding up well amid the global economic crisis thanks to strong growth in China and India . In February the company reported a 4 percent rise in sales volumes in the last three months of 2008 and a 10 percent increase in comparable earnings . | Coca-Cola buys a minority stake in Innocent , the British fruit drink maker . Innocent said Coke paid # 30 million for stake of between 10 and 20 percent . Company insists its ethical stance will not be compromised . Coca-Cola faces allegations about labor abuses and environmental concerns . | [[0, 6], [9, 32], [81, 128], [340, 400], [162, 179], [185, 215], [606, 624], [709, 818], [216, 309], [1873, 1992]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Two people were killed and two were severely wounded Tuesday in a shooting at a courthouse in Landshut , Germany , police said . A police car sits outside the courthouse in the German city of Landshut . The gunman , a 60-year-old man , was among the dead , Bavarian Police said in a statement . It happened around 10:15 a.m. -LRB- 4:15 a.m. ET -RRB- during a break in a court proceeding about inheritance , Landshut police spokesman Leonard Mayer told CNN . The man began shooting once he stepped outside the courtroom , police said . He wounded three people before turning the gun on himself , Mayer said . One of the victims , a woman , died about 2 1/2 hours later , Bavarian Police said . Watch more about the shooting '' The lives of the two wounded victims are not in danger , he told CNN . The courthouse has no metal detectors or security checks that would have turned up the shooter 's weapon , Mayer said . This latest shooting in Germany took place less than a month after a school massacre in the southwestern town of Winnenden , in which a total of 16 people were killed . | German TV : Two people killed in a shooting at a courthouse . Report : Gunmen believed to have killed himself . Court spokesman : Reported that there was `` no more danger '' Landshut is about 55 kilometers northeast of Munich . | [[0, 5], [19, 41]] |
Editor 's note : Julian E. Zelizer is a professor of history and public affairs at Princeton University 's Woodrow Wilson School . He is completing a book on the history of national security politics since World War II , to be published by Basic Books . Zelizer writes widely on current events . Julian Zelizer says it 's not enough for Republicans to oppose Obama 's plans , they must offer their own ideas . PRINCETON , New Jersey -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- One of the best Marx Brothers movies , `` Horse Feathers , '' played in movie theaters at the height of the Great Depression in 1932 . In the film , the comedian Groucho Marx played the new president of Huxley College , Quincy Adams Wagstaff . During one of the most memorable scenes , Groucho introduces himself to faculty and students by singing about his philosophy of governance : `` Your proposition may be good/But let 's have one thing understood / Whatever it is , I 'm against it ! / And even when you 've changed it or condensed it , I 'm against it / I 'm opposed to it/On general principle . I 'm opposed to it . '' If Republicans want to rebuild their party after the calamity of 2008 , the party leadership needs to avoid the Quincy Adams Wagstaff approach to politics . When Obama proposed his economic recovery bill last week , the first words to come out of House Minority Leader 's John Boehner 's mouth sounded a bit like Wagstaff . With the economy imploding and the international economic crisis worsening , Boehner said : `` Right now , given the concerns that we have over the size of the package and all of the spending in this package , we do n't think it 's going to work . And so if it 's the plan that I see today , put me down in the ` no ' column . '' Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell has been more restrained in his response , leaving open the door to compromise . If Boehner is simply acting as Dr. No to get a better deal , Republicans can come out of the negotiations over the economic recovery bill as partners , planting the seeds for a new Republican approach toward dealing with economic matters . But if Boehner 's plan is for his party to act as an oppositional force -- trying to block , delay and prevent legislative action -- then the GOP could find itself in big trouble . If the Republicans do n't agree with Obama 's approach , given the severity of the crisis , they need to offer an alternative rather than just sitting still . To be sure , there is the possibility that if the economy continues to deteriorate after a bill has passed and the public loses faith in Obama , the House GOP could reap the benefit from their opposition . They could say `` we told you so . '' But even that would be a high-risk maneuver , particularly given the state of public opinion about the Republican Party . Even if a bill passes and the economy continues to struggle , voters would be looking at a Republican Party that did n't have anything better to offer . The public likes hard-working politicians . President Franklin D. Roosevelt 's New Deal ideas did n't always work -- some like the National Recovery Act were downright failures -- but voters valued a president who tried to offer arguments about how to end the crisis and who rolled up his sleeves to make the nation better . The election of 2008 revealed that the Republican Party lacks the kind of big ideas that Ronald Reagan used in 1980 to bring the conservative movement into power . The various factions of the conservative movement came together around the themes of anti-communism , deregulation and tax cuts . Reagan did n't just sell tax cuts for the wealthy as good in themselves , but connected them to supply-side economics , which claimed that cuts would stimulate investment , generate economic growth and ultimately bring more revenue into the coffers of Treasury . Even after the Soviet Union collapsed , Republican leaders found ideas to sell their movement to the public . Newt Gingrich and a cohort of young Republicans focused on sharp attacks about the dangers of government intervention and corruption of government . For a short time it seemed that under George W. Bush , the war on terrorism would provide a new thematic focus to Republican efforts . But this was not to be . The controversies over Iraq and the continued dangers in countries such as Afghanistan undermined Republican claims of superiority on national security policy . Controversies over the erosion of civil liberties and due process in the pursuit of terrorism also weakened their claims . When the economy collapsed in fall 2008 , Republicans ' arguments about the wisdom of tax cuts and deregulation were made suspect . Americans might not always like government , but they dislike being broke even more . Sen. John McCain struggled in his campaign , not just because of the weaknesses of his campaign , but because his party seemed to lack any answers as Wall Street and Main Street spun out of control . Furthermore , the fact that the federal government continued to expand under Bush -- both when Republicans and Democrats controlled Capitol Hill -- made it difficult to sell Republican arguments about the dangers of big government . Back in the 1970s , when Republicans felt as if they were in the political wilderness , they invested a great deal of their resources into the market of ideas . Conservatives built think tanks like the CATO Institute , established talk radio shows , and financed academic scholarship about conservatism so that when opportunities arose in the elections of 1980 and 1994 , Republicans had something to say . At some point , Republicans have to tap into the 1970s enthusiasm about generating ideas if they want to rebuild their party and win over the hearts and minds of voters . Simply reviving the philosophy of the 1970s wo n't work . Rather the GOP needs to offer new arguments and new policies to achieve economic recovery . If they repeat what happened in the 1930s , when Republicans sounded a lot like Groucho Marx and just said no as FDR rebuilt the nation , they are likely to remain on the outskirts of power for decades to come . The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Julian Zelizer . | Julian Zelizer : House Republicans are signaling they will oppose stimulus plan . He says Republicans are in trouble if they simply act as an opposition force . Democrats gained sway for decades by seeking to improve the economy , he says . Zelizer : If GOP opposes stimulus plan , it should offer alternatives of its own . | [[296, 373], [2124, 2165], [2227, 2274], [374, 409], [2367, 2433], [5825, 5885]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi 's energetic response to Monday 's earthquake has been generally praised despite his comparison of the ordeal of survivors staying in emergency tents to a camping weekend . An elderly local resident bursts into tears during a visit by Silvio Berlusconi , wearing a fireman 's helmet . Berlusconi has visited the town of L'Aquila , the epicenter of the 6.3-magnitude quake , every day this week , talking to survivors and pledging government help to rebuild houses . He scrapped a visit to Russia that was planned for this week . The PM has even been greeted with applause on occasions , according to CNN correspondent Paula Newton , who interviewed him on Wednesday . `` He was very tired when I saw him , you could tell he had n't had much sleep , '' Newton said . `` In general he thrives on these events and politically it will probably give him a boost , if only temporarily . '' However , she added that his visit to a dormitory where students were buried under rubble had upset some of the parents and relatives . `` They were kept well back and he did not meet with them , '' she said . Watch Berlusconi talk about the disaster '' -LRB- Italian version -RRB- '' `` One relative , in obvious anger , asked another ` why is he here ? ' and another replied `` he 's taking care of elections , of course . '' And true to form Berlusconi has been unable to avoid putting his foot in it . During a visit to one tent village where thousands who had lost their houses were staying , Berlusconi told German television `` they should see it like a weekend of camping . '' The trademark gaffe sparked predictable outrage . `` He is a completely insensitive man who thinks wisecracks can solve every problem , '' Rina Gagliardi , a former senator of the Refoundation Communist Party , told Agence France-Presse . `` He can never be negative , but an earthquake disorients him because he ca n't blame the left for causing it , so his response is extreme optimism , '' she said . Berlusconi is of course renowned for such off-the-cuff remarks . In November he described Obama as `` handsome and suntanned . '' He was also forced to issue an apology to his wife , Veronica Lario , in 2007 after she read reports of him approaching several women at an awards dinner and declaring : `` If I was n't married , I would marry you straight away . '' Lario received the apology after sending a letter criticizing her husband to a newspaper in which she said his behavior was `` unacceptable '' and `` damaging to my dignity . '' Despite the most recent criticism , Berlusconi has won praise from the media for his limelight-hogging visits to the region . People in the temporary camps also say they are being well looked after by the authorities although they are desperate to collect their own things from their homes . In his interview with CNN on Wednesday Berlusconi said every effort was being made to assess which houses were safe to enter . `` This is an aerial view of Onno , and you can see , unfortunately , how the town has been totally destroyed , '' the prime minister told CNN . `` Here , we can go into greater detail and concentrate on individual houses . This helps us to assess the damage right away and tells us how much it will cost to rebuild . '' The Italian government has said it will cost 1.3 billion euros -LRB- 1.7 billion dollars -RRB- to repair or rebuild about 10,000 buildings damaged in the quake . `` We have the plans for reconstruction and intend to start immediately with the building projects , '' Berlusconi told CNN . `` We will build a new town near the capital , L'Aquila , and keep the possibility open for many families to stay , for the time being , in hotels along the coast , less than a hour away , in pleasant and comfortable circumstances . '' Berlusconi said the plan for the new town would involve low-rate mortgages . `` This is not an alternative to the reconstruction , '' he said Wednesday . `` These are additional houses . '' | Italy PM 's response to Monday 's earthquake has been generally praised . Berlusconi has compared ordeal of survivors in tents to camping weekend . PM has visited town of L'Aquila every day this week , assessing damage . | [[0, 15], [95, 182], [173, 232], [1450, 1484], [1542, 1625]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Josef Fritzl , the Austrian man accused of keeping his daughter in a cellar for decades and fathering her seven children , will go on trial March 16 on six charges including murder and incest . Josef Fritzl admitted fathering seven children by his daughter during her 24-year captivity . The Austrian Press Agency reported Thursday the trial was expected to last about five days and be held behind closed doors . Further details about the case would be announced Friday , it said . Fritzl , 73 , was charged in November with incest and the repeated rape of his daughter , Elisabeth , for 24 years . But he was also charged with the murder of one of the children he fathered with her , an infant who died soon after birth . State Prosecutor Gerhard Sedlacek said Michael Fritzl died from lack of medical care . In all , Fritzl faces six charges at trial : murder , involvement in slave trade -LRB- slavery -RRB- , rape , incest , assault , and deprivation of liberty , Sedlacek 's office said . If convicted , he could face life in prison . The case first came to light in April 2008 when Elisabeth 's then-19-year-old daughter , Kerstin , became seriously ill with convulsions . Elisabeth persuaded her father to allow Kerstin to be taken to a hospital for treatment . Hospital staff became suspicious of the case and alerted police , who discovered the family members in the cellar . Fritzl confessed to police that he raped his daughter , kept her and their children in captivity , and burned the body of the dead infant in an oven in the house . Elisabeth told police the infant was one of twins who died a few days after birth . When Elisabeth gained her freedom , she told police her father began sexually abusing her at age 11 . On August 8 , 1984 , her father enticed her into the basement , where he drugged her , put her in handcuffs and locked her in a room , she told police . Fritzl explained Elisabeth 's disappearance in 1984 by saying the 18-year-old girl had run away from home . He backed up the story with letters he forced Elisabeth to write . Elisabeth Fritzl and all but three of her children lived in the specially designed cellar beneath her father 's home in Amstetten , Austria , west of Vienna . The other three children lived upstairs with Fritzl and his wife ; Fritzl had left them on his own doorstep , pretending his `` missing '' daughter Elisabeth had dropped them off . Under Austrian law , if Fritzl is convicted on several offenses , he will be given the sentence linked to the worst crime . In addition to murder , he will face the following charges : . | Josef Fritzl accused of keeping daughter captive for decades , on trial March 16 . Fritzl faces murder charge as one of 7 children he fathered by daughter died . Other charges include incest , rape , assault and involvement in slave trade . | [[34, 120], [0, 18], [131, 212], [0, 15], [111, 139], [213, 306], [622, 680], [0, 18], [131, 212], [501, 507], [510, 512], [515, 588], [2570, 2604]] |
WASHINGTON -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The federal government is establishing a new system for updating medical records of servicemen and women during and after their military careers , President Obama announced Thursday . President Obama made veterans ' affairs a big priority in the 2008 campaign and continues to do so . The joint virtual lifetime electronic record will , among other things , help ensure a streamlined transition of health care records between the Pentagon and the Veterans Administration . It will provide `` a framework to ensure that all health care providers have all the information they need to deliver high-quality health care while reducing medical errors , '' the White House said in a background statement . `` When a member of the armed forces separates from the military , he or she will no longer have to walk paperwork from a -LSB- Defense Department -RSB- duty station to a local VA health center . Their electronic records will transition along with them and remain with them forever , '' Obama said in remarks delivered near the White House . The system will `` cut through red tape '' and allow new veterans to start receiving their benefits more quickly , he promised . During the announcement , Obama was joined by Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki . `` We welcome this news . ... This is a huge day for veterans and troops , '' Paul Rieckhoff , head of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America , told CNN . `` This is a good way for -LSB- Obama -RSB- to come back from Iraq and make a powerful statement . '' The White House recently proposed a significant budget increase for the Veterans Administration , including an 11 percent hike in fiscal year 2010 . In March , however , the administration abandoned a controversial plan to charge private insurers for treatment of veterans ' service-connected ailments . Veterans ' representatives and members of Congress angrily opposed the proposal , which White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said was never finalized . | NEW : `` This is a huge day for veterans and troops , '' chief of veterans group says . Government is establishing a new system for updating medical records . Joint virtual lifetime electronic record aims to streamline data between Pentagon , VA . Obama : System will `` cut through red tape , '' allow new vets to get benefits faster . | [[1355, 1468], [30, 174], [315, 359], [388, 502], [1072, 1082], [1089, 1114], [1072, 1082], [1119, 1184]] |
MONT TREMBLANT , Quebec -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Natasha Richardson came to Mont Tremblant ski resort in eastern Canada last month for what was supposed to be a skiing getaway . Actress Natasha Richardson died after suffering an epidural hematoma in a fall during a ski lesson . But what she may not have known is some doctors have been arguing that if a person here is in need of urgent care at a medical trauma center , he or she may not be able to get there fast enough . The only way to get to the closest trauma center from here is to drive 2 1/2 hours to Montreal . No helicopter medical service is available . The Canadian newspaper The Globe and Mail obtained 911 recordings from Monday , March 16 , when Richardson fell on a beginners slope on a sunny , clear day at the resort . The first request for help came in at 12:43 p.m. , an urgent call that a woman had fallen on the slopes . That woman was Richardson . Seventeen minutes later , at 1 p.m. , an ambulance arrived , but Richardson had been able to walk away from the fall and was headed back to her hotel room . Ten minutes later the ambulance was told to stand down , the call canceled . What Richardson could n't have known is that she suffered an epidural hematoma . It 's a condition where a blood clot forms between the skull and the outer layer of the brain . Too much pressure can cause brain damage and even death . Symptoms include dizziness , headaches and nausea . `` The person seems to be fine and walks it off , and that 's one of the problems with an injury such as this , '' said Dr. Liam Durkan , a neurologist with the Montreal Neurology Institute . `` Anytime there is any sort of process expanding in the skull , which is a closed space , once the symptoms are apparent , it can be a matter of 30 minutes to an hour to 90 minutes before there is a major deterioration . '' Two hours after her initial fall , while Richardson was back in her hotel room , she was feeling the symptoms . The clock was ticking and she needed to get to a trauma center fast . With the closest trauma center 2 1/2 hours away , time may have been running out on her . It 's recommended that anyone with an epidural hematoma get to the trauma center within 30-90 minutes . At 2:59 p.m. , another ambulance was dispatched to the resort . This time , the paramedics went inside and worked on Richardson for 33 minutes before transporting her to the closest hospital an hour away , but it is not a trauma center . Inside the ambulance , Richardson drifted in and out of consciousness . `` It is a rapidly deteriorating situation and the distance might have been just too much by ambulance , road ambulance or air ambulance . It 's difficult to say , '' said Durkan , who did not treat Richardson . Depending on the severity of the injury at the time , he said , even helicopter services may have been too late . Some trauma doctors have argued for air transport here since the mid-1990s . They say the safest and fastest way to move anyone suffering a trauma injury such as Richardson 's is by helicopter . Helicopter transport is common practice in the United States and other areas of Canada . But in the Quebec region , very few places have access to air transport . In an open letter to the citizens of Quebec sent to the Montreal Gazette , Dr. Michael Churchill Smith , director of professional services at the Montreal General Hospital , said incidents like Natasha Richardson 's should serve as a wake-up call to Quebec . `` It is no longer morally acceptable for our citizens who , in the moment of their greatest needs , do not have access to a rapid transit system that gives them the best chance to not only survive , but to survive with a quality of life . '' Daniel LeFrancois , director of Quebec 's pre-hospital care , told the Gazette that cost is prohibitive when a one-hour flight costs $ 6,000 . It 's a question of resources and priorities focusing on `` the biggest gain for the biggest need , '' he said . Richardson was taken from Mont Tremblant to a hospital in St. Agathe , which does not have the facilities to help someone with a severe head trauma . Richardson was transferred to the trauma center in Montreal about 7 p.m. , more than six hours after her initial fall . Twenty-four hours later she was flown to a New York hospital , where she was taken off life support and died . No one can answer the question whether a helicopter service could have saved Richardson 's life . She refused services immediately after her fall , but with the clock ticking immediately after she felt symptoms from her injury , 2 1/2 hours may have been too far away even if she 'd gotten help immediately . | Resort where Natasha Richardson was injured is 2 1/2 - hour drive from trauma center . No helicopter medical services are available . With epidural hematoma , survival window without treatment is about 90 minutes . Some Canadian trauma doctors have argued for air transport since 1990s . | [[469, 565], [469, 527], [531, 565], [566, 610], [1196, 1231], [2127, 2230], [2867, 2943]] |
ISTANBUL , Turkey -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Regular programming has just been interrupted by a news conference . A slender black man in a suit steps up to a podium , flanked by American flags and a White House logo . Michael Lamar was laid off in January but has a new job as a Barack Obama look-alike . `` I wish I could announce such an economic package , '' he says , `` but there is a bank in Turkey that did it . It is Garanti . I wish we had Garanti in America . '' Do n't be fooled . This is a commercial on Turkish TV . The actor is a 44-year-old Barack Obama look-alike from Whitehall , Pennsylvania , named Michael Lamar . And he is shilling for a Turkish bank . In the month before the real Barack Obama is to visit Turkey , this ad campaign went out all across the country on television and on billboards , using the iconic , Warholian image of the American president to sell low-interest loans . The `` Mad Men '' behind the concept say their Obama look-alike was the perfect guy to sell what they described as Garanti Bank 's own economic stimulus package . `` We probably would n't be doing this commercial if it was the previous president , '' said Can Celikbilek , a copy writer at the advertising company , Alametifarika . `` But in the case of Obama , he does represent hope , not only for the States but for the whole world . '' For Obama look-alike actor Lamar , there was some irony about getting flown to Turkey to star in a commercial for a bank . He is a recent casualty of the global economic crisis . `` I was laid off in January of this year from JP Morgan Chase Bank in the U.S. , '' Lamar said , in a telephone interview from Pennsylvania . `` After 18 years in the company , I was just laid off . One of the cutbacks . I 'm currently unemployed right now . '' Or , was unemployed . Lamar 's striking resemblance to the American president has suddenly offered the former software analyst a possible new career for supporting his wife and child . `` I 'm available full-time now , '' Lamar said . `` I 'm going to see where this leads me . '' Lamar is now being represented by a casting agency in Los Angeles that specializes in celebrity look-alikes . Since he discovered his new `` talent , '' he has traveled to the Netherlands to appear in a commercial for a liquor chain and to Paris , where an activist organization brought him in to meet lawmakers at the National Assembly , as part of a campaign to raise awareness about racism and racial profiling in France . `` This was very exciting for me , a true privilege ! '' Lamar said . During his brief visit to Turkey , locals did double-takes when they saw Lamar walk past . `` Even in the studio , the crew -LSB- members -RSB- were like , ` Oh ! Is that Obama ? '' said Celikbilek of Alametifarika advertising . Using the image of an American president to promote anything in Turkey is a remarkable reversal . U.S. approval ratings in Turkey plunged to 9 percent , according to a 2007 Pew Research poll , making America less popular in Turkey then almost anywhere else in the world , even though the two countries are NATO allies . There was widespread anger among Turks at the war in neighboring Iraq . But the election of Barack Obama appears to have dramatically improved perceptions of America . `` Bush was a dictator who attacked other countries , '' said Abdurrahman Ozdemir , who sells cigarettes from a small stall on the street . `` But we love Obama ... because he does not want to go to war with other countries . '' `` We started to love and like America because of Obama , '' said a 33-year-old woman named Begum Arinc . `` I do n't want to see people dying . I do n't want to see any war . That 's why I want to believe in Obama . '' | Michael Lamar strikes an Obama-like figure in ads for a bank in Turkey . Lamar worked for JP Morgan Chase for 18 years before being laid off . President Obama will be in Turkey soon on presidential visit . U.S. approval ratings in turkey have plunged in recent years . | [[210, 223], [252, 296], [626, 665], [1522, 1588], [1667, 1696], [1699, 1720], [2888, 2940], [2888, 2919], [2983, 3020]] |
NORFOLK , Virginia -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Negotiators aboard a U.S. Navy warship are trying to secure the release of an American freighter captain who is being held by pirates on a lifeboat off the coast of Somalia , according to Maersk Line Ltd. . Capt. Richard Phillips of the Maersk Alabama is being held by pirates on a lifeboat off Somalia . The crew aboard the destroyer USS Bainbridge could see the lifeboat where pirates have been holding Capt. Richard Phillips since Wednesday , the company said in a written statement issued at 5 p.m. ET . Phillips has not been hurt , the statement said . Phillips , who has received provisions and batteries for his radio , has been in touch with the crews of the Alabama and the Bainbridge , the statement said . The pirates are the same four men who hijacked Phillips ' vessel , the U.S.-flagged Maersk Alabama , early Wednesday hundreds of miles off the Horn of Africa . The Alabama 's 20-person crew later regained control of the ship , which is owned and operated by the Norfolk-based Maersk Line Ltd. . In a written statement , Maersk spokesman Kevin Speers noted that `` there have been many questions about how the crew re-captured the ship and how the captain came to leave the ship . '' But he would not clarify the matter . `` Our immediate focus has been to bring the current situation to a safe resolution , '' he said . `` There will be time for due diligence and retrospective review once we have the safe return of all parties and the opportunity for a full de-briefing . '' The U.S. Navy , which is in charge of the situation , requested the help of the FBI . FBI negotiators in the United States are in touch with the crew of the Bainbridge , which arrived on the scene earlier Thursday to assist , a senior U.S. defense official said . According to Maersk 's last communication with the Navy , the 28-foot lifeboat was disabled and `` dead in the water , '' Speers said Thursday morning . `` We are encouraged that most of the crew is safe . They have been resilient and courageous throughout this crisis , '' Speers said . `` But we will remain on watch , staffing our situation room and our family hot line until this situation is resolved and the captain is safely returned . '' On Thursday , the Maersk Alabama resumed its journey to Mombasa , Kenya , with an 18-person armed security detail on board , according to Joseph Murphy , the father of the ship 's first officer . Maersk and U.S. military officials confirmed the cargo ship had left the area on Thursday , but would not say where it was heading , citing security concerns . See how pirate attacks have increased '' Gen. David Petraeus , chief of U.S. Central Command , said Thursday that the Bainbridge would be getting backup shortly . `` I can tell you , there are definitely going to be more ships in that area in the next 24 or 48 hours , because there are two more sailing to it right now , '' he said . `` Needless to say , we want to ensure we have all the capacity that may be needed over the course of the coming days . '' Vice Adm. William E. Gortney , commander of U.S. Naval Forces Central Command , told CNN 's Barbara Starr in Bahrain that , `` We have been moving forces in that direction . '' White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said President Obama had been staying apprised of the situation . `` Obviously , his main concern is for the safety of the captain and the rest of the crew on the ship , and he will continue to receive those updates , '' he said . Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said an international coalition of countries is working to address the piracy threat , but the area in question is immense . `` I think the ocean area we 're referring to is three times the size of Texas , '' she told reporters . iReport.com : ` Stop the pirates , Obama ! ' Referring to continuing problems with piracy in those waters , she said instability in Somalia has contributed to the flourishing of `` an old scourge . '' The Alabama was loaded with food aid when the pirates hijacked it Wednesday , 350 miles off Somalia 's coast -- a distance that used to be considered safe from pirate attacks . It was the first time in recent history that pirates targeted an American ship . Watch how pirates work off Somalia '' The pirates were armed with AK-47 assault rifles while the ship 's crew carried no weapons , according to Ken Quinn , the second officer of the ship . Crew members managed to take one of the four pirates hostage , Quinn said . The crew -- apparently minus the captain -- locked themselves in the compartment that contains the ship 's steering gear , where they remained for about 12 hours with their captive , whom Quinn said they had tied up . Watch Quinn describe the hijacking to CNN '' The pirates reneged on their agreement to exchange Phillips for one pirate whom the crew had captured . The pirate was released unharmed , according to Quinn , who spoke to CNN on Wednesday via a satellite call . The pirates had scuttled the small boat they used to reach the ship , Quinn said , so Phillips offered them the Alabama 's 28-foot lifeboat and some money . `` We returned him , but they did n't return the captain , '' Quinn said . The U.S. Navy issued a warning several days ago to ships in the area that pirates were operating farther offshore . Watch former Navy captain discuss options '' There are emergency rations to last 10 days on the lifeboat , but the conditions are most likely `` uncomfortable , '' according to Murphy . `` There 's no toilet facilities or anything like that , '' he said . `` The captain has a VHF radio , and I 'm sure that he 's in voice communication with the ship itself . The problem is , of course , that ... the -LSB- radio 's -RSB- battery is going to die , and I 'm not really sure how they 're going to continue communication after that . '' iReport.com : How should the U.S. respond ? It is common for crews of merchant vessels to travel through the area unarmed despite the risk of pirate attacks , experts said . An armed crew could provoke a firefight that would endanger the crew 's lives or its cargo , which often contains flammable or explosive material . John Reinhart , chief executive and president of Maersk Line Ltd. , said the crew can try to outrun the pirate boats or turn fire hoses on anyone trying to board the ship , `` but we do not carry arms . '' Watch company spokesman say how captain is held '' The vessel was carrying relief supplies for USAID , the U.N. World Food Program and the Christian charities WorldVision and Catholic Relief Services . The U.N. agency said its portion of the cargo included nearly 4,100 metric tons of corn-soya blend bound for Somalia and Uganda , and another 990 metric tons of vegetable oil for refugees in Kenya . CNN 's Jason Carroll contributed to this report . | NEW : Backup heading to scene of standoff , Gen. David Petraeus says . Maersk Alabama leaves scene with armed detail as negotiations for captain continue . FBI assists in negotiations with pirates holding Capt. Richard Phillips in lifeboat . U.S. Navy warned that pirates increasing range of operations . | [[2639, 2658], [2693, 2760], [110, 210], [245, 250], [251, 342], [5262, 5270], [5276, 5317]] |
ISLAMABAD , Pakistan -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- A suspected U.S. missile struck a village Wednesday in Pakistan 's tribal region , killing three Taliban militants and wounding four others , according to local officials and media reports . People inspect the damage from a suspected U.S. missile strike in northwest Pakistan last month . The strike is the 12th missile attack this year , compared with three attacks during the same period in 2008 . The missile -- fired from an unmanned drone -- was targeting a pickup truck carrying suspected militants near the town of Wana in South Waziristan in Pakistan 's Federally Administered Tribal Areas , according to Nasim Dawar , an official with the South Waziristan administration . Witnesses and intelligence sources said the drone was flying low and the militants fired at it before the missile strike , Dawar said . Two nearby shops were destroyed in the missile attack , he said . The U.S. military in Afghanistan routinely offers no comment on reported cross-border strikes . However , the United States is the only country operating in the region known to have the capability to launch missiles from drones , which are controlled remotely . Journalists Janullah Hashimzada and Nazar Ul-Islam contributed to this report . | Witnesses say missile was fired from drone plane flying low over village , official says . Militants fired back at pilotless drone , according to official in Pakistan 's tribal region . Strike is the 12th this year , compared to just three in same period last year . U.S. military in Afghanistan routinely does n't comment on reports of drone attacks . | [[440, 483], [487, 544], [762, 790], [791, 842], [329, 339], [379, 439], [924, 1019]] |
Editor 's Note : Jack R. Nerad is Executive Editorial Director for Kelley Blue Book and kbb.com , and co-host of `` America on the Road , '' heard on more than 300 radio stations . In the 1980s he served as Editor of Motor Trend magazine . Nerad is the author of `` The Complete Idiot 's Guide to Hybrid and Alternative Fuel Vehicles , '' published recently by Alpha Books . Jack Nerad says bankruptcy would drive car buyers away from GM and imperil suppliers . -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The events of the past week have been unprecedented in the auto industry and in the annals of American business . As the events have unfolded , there is the strong implication from the administration 's automotive task force that Chapter 11 bankruptcy , followed by restructuring and `` cleansing '' of General Motors ' balance sheet , is a potential scenario in the ongoing efforts to keep the giant automaker alive . GM 's new chief executive , Fritz Henderson , acknowledged as much on CNN Sunday . `` You ca n't rule options off the table . So you basically say we will spend time to try to get it -LSB- done -RSB- outside of bankruptcy . But if we ca n't , we 're not going to compromise our goals . We 're going to get it done inside our bankruptcy . Our preferred approach is still to do it outside , but you ca n't rule out going in . '' Over the past few weeks pundits of all stripes have appeared on financial news networks suggesting that entering Chapter 11 is GM 's only way to future viability . `` Get on with it , '' they say , and save us the agony . It is the only way , they argue , General Motors can get relief from its immediate cash-flow issues , tear up or substantially modify its union contracts , dump unnecessary brands , close plants and `` right-size '' its operations . But those pundits who propose Chapter 11 fail to acknowledge that General Motors is a consumer-facing company whose success or failure is in the hands of millions of average Americans . This group will decide to buy or not buy General Motors vehicles based on what they know , hear and even feel about GM 's future . As talk of imminent bankruptcy swirls in the press , the news they hear about General Motors certainly is not reassuring , as they consider which brand to buy . How does that manifest itself in the car-buying public ? We at Kelley Blue Book asked 500 potential new-vehicle buyers a string of related questions that yield answers to that multi-billion dollar question . Their response is telling . Asked `` How likely would you be to buy a car from General Motors if they were to go bankrupt , '' 42.1 percent of new-vehicle buyers said they were either `` not at all likely '' or `` not very likely '' to do so . Even with a warranty guarantee from the federal government , consumers are not very enthusiastic about considering a GM purchase . Such a guarantee only moves the needle about three percentage points with 39.8 percent saying they were either `` not at all likely '' or `` not very likely '' to purchase a GM vehicle in such a situation . Asked , `` How likely would you be to buy a car from General Motors if they were allowed to keep operating but had to renegotiate their contracts and agreements with suppliers and laborers ? '' the responses changed . Given that scenario , only 31.6 percent of new-vehicle buyers said they were either `` not at all likely '' or `` not very likely '' to purchase a GM vehicle , and they were out-numbered by the 41.5 percent who said they were either `` very likely '' or `` extremely likely '' to do so . While one must keep in mind that consumers do n't always do what they say they are going to do , the import of this is clear : Bankruptcy puts a damper on consumer confidence and vehicle demand . There are other reasons to question the wisdom of a Chapter 11 filing as well . Beyond its potentially chilling effect on consumer demand , there is a domino effect on the supplier community . Many GM vendors have operated for years on ever-declining , razor-thin margins and are heavily dependent on GM for cash-flow . If that cash-flow ceases for even a relatively short period of time it could well send many of those suppliers into bankruptcy and force others simply to close their doors . The likely bankruptcies of supplier companies would have a ripple effect through the entire American vehicle manufacturing industry , causing hardships for the healthier companies as well . Further , while a `` quick-cleanse '' bankruptcy is contemplated , it is very difficult to imagine that the Chapter 11 bankruptcy of one of the largest industrial companies in the world would not take a year or more to unravel , rather than weeks or months . And if GM languishes in bankruptcy it is hard to imagine consumers flocking to buy its new vehicles . Nor is it likely the government would subsidize those operations through the potentially lengthy proceedings . The implications of the pronouncements made by President Obama and the auto industry task force indicate clearly that they believe a figurative hammer is needed to move the stakeholders -- the United Auto Workers union , pensioners , bondholders and creditors -- to accept settlements that are , at best , unpalatable to them . The threat of bankruptcy is that hammer . But the question should be asked : Is the hammer the task force is holding over the head of the GM stakeholders in an effort to get concessions , the same hammer that will drive away consumers and require the federal government to make larger and larger cash infusions or see GM founder ? So while some toss out the idea of a Chapter 11 bankruptcy as being a magic elixir for GM , which has found itself trapped in an unprecedented credit crunch and a sharp recession , we have to believe that bankruptcy is a bankrupt idea . The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Jack R. Nerad . | Jack Nerad : Some argue that a quick bankruptcy is best course for GM . He says bankruptcy will reduce sale of GM cars , even with government warranty . Nerad says GM suppliers could be driven into bankruptcy by such a move . He says bankruptcy is being used as a hammer for GM to get concessions . | [[375, 461], [391, 461], [3683, 3751], [375, 461], [391, 461], [4140, 4208], [4246, 4377], [4246, 4291], [4380, 4425], [711, 732], [817, 863], [5393, 5421]] |
WASHINGTON -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Vice President Joe Biden brushed aside recent criticism by predecessor Dick Cheney that moves by the Obama administration had put the United States at risk , telling CNN on Tuesday that the former vice president was `` dead wrong . '' Vice President Joe Biden sits down for an interview with CNN 's Gloria Borger and Wolf Blitzer on Tuesday . `` I do n't think -LSB- Cheney -RSB- is out of line , but he is dead wrong , '' he told CNN 's Wolf Blitzer . `` This administration -- the last administration left us in a weaker posture than we 've been any time since World War II : less regarded in the world , stretched more thinly than we ever have been in the past , two wars under way , virtually no respect in entire parts of the world . '' ... I guarantee you we are safer today , our interests are more secure today than they were any time during the eight years '' of the Bush administration . In an interview with CNN 's John King last month , Cheney said President Obama had been `` making some choices that in my mind will raise the risk to the American people of another attack . '' Biden said former President Bush had not been fully aware of the country 's position in the world . Watch Biden lash out on Bush and Cheney '' `` I remember President Bush saying to me one time in the Oval Office , and he was a great guy , enjoyed being with him . He said to me , he said , ` Well , Joe , ' he said , ` I 'm a leader . ' And I said , ` Mr. President , turn around and look behind you . No one 's following . ' People are beginning to follow the United States again as a consequence of our administration . '' '' ... I think the biggest thing we 're doing is , I 'm operating in concert with the president , '' he said . `` There are not -- there are -- look , everybody talks about how powerful Cheney was . His power weakened America , in my view . '' But he did not deny reports of disagreement within the Obama administration as well , over the president 's plan to widen involvement in Afghanistan . A report last week said Biden had warned about the possibility of getting into a quagmire , while military advisers pushed for more troops . Watch more on Obama 's Afghanistan plan '' `` Well , look . Without commenting specifically on who took what position , there was a healthy debate . There is a healthy debate within our administration . '' The vice president said that he condemned a new Afghan law that would allow men to rape their wives , but that those issues were not the focus of the U.S. presence in that nation . `` I am not prepared to send American troops to die for that , '' he said . As the president made an unannounced visit to Baghdad , Iraq , on Tuesday , Biden said that he had no concerns that a recent uptick in violence in Iraq might affect plans to withdraw most U.S. troops from that country by the summer of 2010 . `` I 'm not worried about that at all . We will draw down along the timeline we suggested , '' the vice president said . Watch the full interview '' Also not a concern for Biden : the possibility of an Israeli strike on Iran 's nuclear facilities . The vice president said he was not worried that Israel 's new government , under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu , would order such an attack . `` I do n't believe that Prime Minister Netanyahu would do that . I think he would be ill-advised to do that . And so my level of concern is no different than it was a year ago . '' A day after North Korea 's rocket test sparked alarm from world leaders , Biden called for a tougher response from Moscow and Beijing . `` What I 'd like to see is a strong condemnation and a united effort on the part of the Chinese , Russians in the six-party talks to say , ` enough is enough , there will be greater sanctions , we will squeeze down even harder on North Korea , ' '' he said . He added that China could `` do a great deal more , '' although he was uncertain it would . `` I think this puts the onus on China and Russia and South Korea and Japan , et cetera , along with us , to be bolder in our condemnation . '' On the domestic front , Biden said that the administration 's economic plan would prevent up to 4 million jobs from being lost and stabilize the economy , but that `` it will take at least another year before you start to see employment , '' and in the meantime , jobs will continue to disappear . Watch Biden answer iReporters ' questions '' `` There will be an additional job loss . ... You 're not going to see reports this calendar year saying there was no job loss this month . That is not going to happen . ... There will continue to be job losses the remainder of this year . The question is will they continually go down before they begin to rebound , and employment -- we go down to zero job loss and back to employment . '' He said it was `` too premature '' to begin discussing another stimulus package , though he has not ruled one out . | VP Biden speaks Tuesday with CNN 's Wolf Blitzer and Gloria Borger . Biden says recent criticism from former vice president Cheney is `` dead wrong '' He says Bush administration left the country in weakest shape since WW II . Biden calls for tougher response from Moscow and Beijing on N. Korea rocket launch . | [[265, 372], [30, 112], [216, 261], [509, 568], [3465, 3536], [3539, 3600]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- A man who was sought by police in Texas after four children were burned with sulfuric acid has turned himself in , authorities said Monday . Tracy Lynn Escobedo is taken into custody for allegedly burning four children with sulfuric acid . Tracy Lynn Escobedo , 27 , called CNN affiliate KXII-TV and asked that a crew videotape him as he turned himself in Sunday . `` I would never throw acid at nobody . It was an accident , '' Escobedo says repeatedly on the video as he surrenders to Cooke County sheriff 's deputies . `` I ran because I was scared . I hurt my kids . It was an accident . ... I would never hurt my kids . I love them . '' Escobedo is charged with four counts of injury to a child , the sheriff 's office said . The children involved were ages 14 , 7 , 4 , and 18 months , authorities said . In the incident last week near Gainesville , Texas , a container of sulfuric acid ruptured in a pickup truck , police said . Cynthia Stout -- a woman believed to be the mother -- and three of the children were left at a cafe by Escobedo , who took the baby with him , authorities said . Escobedo then gave the baby to another woman , believed to be a relative , at a residence , authorities said . When police arrived at the cafe , Stout attempted to flee and resist arrest , but was taken into custody , authorities said . She was being held on suspicion of child endangerment . It was unclear why sulfuric acid was in the truck . Cooke County Sheriff Michael Compton said all four children are being treated at Parkland Hospital in Dallas , Texas . Speaking to CNN early Monday , Compton said the condition of the 7-year-old `` is not very good , I do n't think . The others are stable . '' The state has temporary custody of the children , Compton said . | Suspect says four children accidentally burned with sulfuric acid . Tracy Lynn Escobedo 's surrender documented by local TV station . Children hospitalized ; three stable , one `` not very good , '' police say . | [[65, 109], [160, 258], [160, 179], [206, 258], [661, 718], [1625, 1676], [1696, 1719]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Chronic seizures can present a risk for adolescents , whose bodies and metabolism are changing . Jett Travolta was the elder of John Travolta and Kelly Preston 's two children . A seizure disorder caused the death of Jett Travolta , the 16-year-old son of actors John Travolta and Kelly Preston , a source at a Bahamas funeral home told CNN . `` Literally dozens of different disorders can cause seizures : genetics , stroke , brain tumor , lack of oxygen , low blood sugar , drugs , even certain medications , '' said Dr. Sanjay Gupta , CNN 's chief medical correspondent . Another expert said the teen years bring risks for those with seizures . `` Adolescence is a time , even if you do n't talk about children with any seizure disorder , where things change in a child , '' said Dr. Shlomo Shinnar of Montefiore Medical Center in New York . There are effective drugs to treat seizures . As children grow , their bodies and metabolism change , perhaps causing a need to adjust their dosage , said Shinnar , a professor of neurology and pediatrics and director of the Comprehensive Epilepsy Management Center at Montefiore . `` Seizures during adolescence can get better or worse or stay the same , '' he said . And the risk of seizures is higher for children with disabilities such as autism and cerebral palsy , Shinnar said . Jett Travolta had a developmental disability that his parents have linked to Kawasaki disease , an inflammatory disorder of the artery walls that most commonly occurs in young children . An autopsy of the actors ' son was completed Monday , and the body was cremated that evening , the funeral home source said . Jett was found unconscious in the bathroom Friday while on vacation with his family . Michael Ossi , an attorney for Travolta , told CNN last week that Jett had a seizure that morning at the family 's home in a resort area . He was taken by ambulance to a hospital and pronounced dead on arrival , according to local police . People.com reported that Travolta , Preston and their 8-year-old daughter Ella Blue arrived in Florida on Monday night with Jett 's ashes . The reports that a seizure disorder caused Jett 's death were preliminary , Gupta said . `` It tells us more about what did not happen than the ultimate cause of death . It rules out brain injury , bleeding on brain , skull fractures , rules out heart problems due to Kawasaki disease , which is the disease the Travoltas say their son suffered , '' he said . Kawasaki disease , believed to be caused by an infection , inflames the heart muscles . In 2001 , Travolta told CNN 's Larry King that his son had a near brush with death related to the condition . `` I was obsessive about cleaning -- his space being clean , so we constantly had the carpets cleaned . And I think , between him , the fumes and walking around , maybe picking up pieces or something , he got what is rarely a thing to deal with , but it 's Kawasaki syndrome , '' Travolta said of his then-2-year-old son . Dr. Cam Patterson , general cardiologist at the University of North Carolina and a genetics expert who follows Kawasaki disease , told CNN , `` There is no real good link at all between Kawasaki disease and cleaning products . `` Kawasaki disease is due to an abnormal immunnologic response , probably to an infectious agent or infection we do n't yet understand , '' Patterson said . `` There is nothing that links environmental toxins to this problem . '' Someone with Kawasaki could have seizures for one of two reasons , but they would be rare , he said . `` One , sometime in the past one of the arteries in the brain ruptured and caused stroke , '' he said . `` Two , if the artery had enlarged enough , it could be pressing on parts of brain and that could cause seizure . Both possibilities are unusual for Kawasaki disease . '' A very small study released in 1991 found an association between cases of Kawasaki disease in homes where carpet had been cleaned in the past 30 days . `` It 's very easy to find correlations , but does n't mean causative , '' Patterson said . The next step would have been to conduct more tests , by taking toxicological tests and brain examinations to see what could have caused the seizure . `` Even with physical evidence and a deeper look by neuropathologists , we still may never have an answer , '' Gupta said on CNN 's American Morning . CNN 's Stephanie Smith and Miriam Falco contributed to this report . | Seizures in teenagers can be caused by dozens of disorders , genetics . Seizure said to have caused the death of Jett Travolta , 16 . Family has linked seizures to Kawasaki disease ; experts say it 's unlikely . | [[19, 70], [362, 414], [197, 249], [2129, 2202], [1350, 1443]] |
WASHINGTON -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The Obama administration is abandoning a controversial plan to charge private insurers for treatment of veterans ' service-connected ailments . White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel met with veterans ' groups on Wednesday . In an statement Wednesday night , the White House said that although the president believes the plan would raise more money for veterans ' care , the administration is dropping the idea after hearing the objections of veterans groups . `` The President listened to concerns raised by the VSOs -LSB- veterans service organizations -RSB- that this might , under certain circumstances , affect veterans and their families ' ability to access health care , '' the White House said . `` Therefore , the president has instructed that its consideration be dropped . '' News of the change of heart originally came from Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi , who disclosed the decision to reporters while meeting with a group of veterans on Capitol Hill . `` President Obama has listened to the concerns expressed by veterans ' leaders and veterans ' service organizations , '' Pelosi said . `` We will leave no veteran behind . '' Veterans ' representatives and members of Congress have angrily opposed the proposal , which White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said was never finalized . Leaders from 11 veterans groups discussed their position in a meeting Wednesday afternoon with White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel . `` We stood firm on our stance that there is no way to support charging veterans ' insurance companies for service-connected treatment , '' said Jim King , executive director of AMVETS , a leading veterans ' advocacy organization . Emanuel indicated that the proposal was `` a dead issue , '' King added . `` The administration was quick to say -LSB- that if veterans were -RSB- going to fight it , -LSB- the White House was n't -RSB- going to push it . '' Another attendee , Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America Executive Director Paul Rieckhoff , said Emanuel was quick to come back after hearing the veterans ' groups stand firm and tell them , `` Let 's clarify , it is dead . '' `` They made the right move -- they listened to us . Now we can move on to bigger more important issues , '' Rieckhoff said . The meeting was very short , said King . Despite the difference in opinion , King said the atmosphere was cordial and `` everybody seemed comfortable . '' On Monday , the groups met with President Obama , Emanuel , Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric Shinseki and Steven Kosiak , director in charge of defense spending for the Office of Management and Budget . The administration saw the plan as a way of raising more than $ 500 million in revenues for the Department of Veterans Affairs . However , veterans groups saw it is a violation of what they said is the government 's moral obligation to treat veterans injured during service to their country . In addition , they believed it would lead to veterans and their families losing their private insurance or premiums rising because of the high costs of treating many service-related injuries . The head of the Senate Veterans Affairs committee , Daniel Akaka , D-Hawaii , said Tuesday his committee would `` not advance any such legislation . '' His counterpart in the House , Bob Filner , D-California , said his committee would n't take up the proposal either . In a statement released by his office , Filner said the idea is `` DOA '' and said the budget `` can not be balanced on the backs -LRB- or legs , or kidneys , or hearts -RRB- of our nation 's combat-wounded heroes . '' The president pushed back during the meeting on Monday , telling the groups that private insurance companies were getting a free ride . He challenged the veterans to come up with an alternative way to raise revenues . AMVETS planned to propose that billings be pursued more aggressively for injuries not related to service . But AMVETS director King said Emanuel did n't ask for suggestions in Wednesday 's meeting . A 2008 Government Accountability Office study found that about $ 1.7 billion in treatment that could have been charged to private insurance never was , nor was it collected by the VA. . CNN 's Deirdre Walsh contributed to this report . | White House chief of staff meets with veterans groups . Administration wanted to charge private insurers for treatment of veterans . Vets ' groups and members of Congress have angrily opposed the proposal . | [[174, 255], [1331, 1467], [30, 173], [4111, 4173], [1035, 1116], [1176, 1330]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- It took about 110 years and some delicate surgery on his most private parts , but Henry -- a lizard-like creature from New Zealand -- is now a dad . Henry , the oldest tuatara to mate at Southland Museum , enjoys a cold shower in his home in New Zealand . Henry , a tuatara who , as far as curators at Southland Museum in New Zealand know , had never mated before , hooked up with Mildred , a younger woman of about 80 , in March . In July she laid 11 healthy eggs and , this week , all 11 of them hatched -- the last one on Wednesday . `` Eleven out of eleven , '' curator Lindsay Hazley said Friday morning . `` Bloody brilliant . We had a champagne breakfast to celebrate . '' Henry was the oldest tuatara ever to mate at the museum , on New Zealand 's South Island , Hazley said . Tuataras are the only living descendants of an order , related to dinosaurs , that flourished 200 million years ago . They 're endangered , only living on a handful of islands in New Zealand , which makes Henry 's happy news all the more important to supporters of the species . But it did n't come easy . Until about six years ago , Henry was a nasty , irritable fellow who showed no interest in mating and would attack females when they were introduced . Hazley , who has been breeding tuataras for the past 35 years , eventually had to put him in `` solitary confinement . '' But in 2002 , veterinarians discovered that a lump in Henry 's nether regions was a cancerous tumor . They removed it and , over the next few years , his mood -- and interest in the ladies -- improved . Now , Henry lives peacefully with Mildred and two other females . Breeders are hoping he 'll show interest in Lucy , who is about the same age as Mildred , later this year . Female tuataras only lay eggs every two or three years , so Mildred likely wo n't be interested . Watch a curator take care of the reproducing dinosaur kin '' Henry 's newfound libido does have some limits , however . Hazley said Juliet , a youthful 22 year old , appears to be too hot to handle for the centenarian -- who could live to be 200 years old if he stays healthy . `` I think he 's a bit shy to mate with such a young woman , '' Hazley said . `` After a bit of experience with Mildred and Lucy , maybe he 'll be interested in Juliet next year . '' Maxing out at about two-and-a-half feet long , tuataras are much smaller than their ancestors . The word `` tuatara '' is derived from a Maori word meaning `` spiny back . '' In Maori legend , they are messengers of Whiro , the god of death and disaster , and they were featured on one side of a New Zealand five-cent coin that was phased out in 2006 . It 's been a baby boom at Southland Museum lately . Hazley said another 10 babies were born to another couple recently -- swelling the ranks of the 50 or so tuataras that were already there . Friday morning , Hazley was working to install a camera so Henry 's international fan base can watch him and other tuataras on the Internet . But they should n't expect any images of the proud dad playing with his batch of hatchlings . `` If it 's small and it moves , it 's food , '' Hazley said . `` He 'd have them for lunch . '' | 110-year-old endangered male tuatara dinosaur descendant produces offspring . Henry and his near 80-year-old mate Mildred produced 11 eggs -- all hatched . Henry , disinterested in sex for four decades , lashed out at females . But his reptile dysfunction changed when a cancerous lump was removed . | [[451, 483], [502, 524], [528, 555], [1148, 1149], [1158, 1174], [1179, 1207], [1387, 1394], [1397, 1484]] |
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