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somali <tsp> mogadishu , somalia ( cnn ) -- the death toll of a twin car bombing at a hotel in mogadishu rose to 11 thursday , with many of the victims security force members , a police spokesman said . at least 40 other people were injured . the death toll has hit 11 people , including three attackers and five security personnel , while the rest were civilians , ' said gen. mohamed yusuf omar madale , a somali police spokesman . at least four people were killed in the first attack wednesday , madale said . a half-hour later , another car bomb exploded just few meters from the scene of the first blast , killing at least seven people , mostly security officers . police official yusuf ali said wednesday that the first suicide car bomb exploded outside the main gate of the jazeera palace hotel , and the second blast came as first responders began gathering to evacuate the injured . at the time of the mogadishu blasts , there were several senior members of the somali government inside the hotel . it is believed the injured guards were part of the government officials'security detail . somali prime minister abdiweli sheikh ahmed condemned the attack wednesday night . the terrorists started 2014 as they finished 2013 with indiscriminate violence & killings . will only serve to unite somalia against them , ' his official twitter account said . a statement posted to a website associated with the al-shabaab terrorist network thursday morning reads : the mujahideen forces carried out the attacks and they will intensify their attacks against the government of somalia and the african union troops in the country . ' last month , another bombing at a hotel in the capital left five people dead and at least 15 wounded , a government spokesman said . a car bomb went off on november 8 outside hotel makkah al-mukarama in central mogadishu , abdikarim hussein guled , the african country 's interior and national security minister , told local media . those killed included abdulkadir ali , the somali government 's former acting envoy to britain better known as dhub , ' said abdirahman omar osman , a presidential representative . other somali violence has been traced to al-shabaab , an al qaeda-linked organization that the u.s. government calls a terrorist group and that was behind the deadly siege this fall of a nairobi , kenya , shopping mall . a u.s. military drone strike in southern somalia in late october killed two suspected al-shabaab members , u.s. officials said . and a recent joint raid by kenyan and somali forces killed at least 30 people believed to be part of that group . in september 2012 , somalia 's new president , hassan sheikh mohamud , escaped an apparent assassination attempt at the jazeera palace hotel , just two days after being selected as the troubled country 's new leader . according to a presidential media officer and several journalists at the scene , early indications are that the attack was carried out by two suicide bombers who set off explosives at the gates of the hotel , where the president was having high-level meetings . at least four somali government soldiers and one african union soldier were killed in that attack , according to journalists at the scene . the jazeera palace hotel is near mogadishu airport and it is frequented by government officials and diplomats . journalist omar nor reported from mogadishu , and cnn 's ray sanchez wrote this story from new york . journalist mohamed nor contributed to this report . | double car bombs explode near a somali hotel |
the playboy club <tsp> ( cnn ) -- washington post critic hank stuever does n't think much of the tv networks'new shows such as the playboy club , ' pan am ' and charlie 's angels . ' if the only women you ever saw were those on these shows , you would have a hard time believing that a liberation movement had ever occurred , ' he wrote in a recent review . it 's all bunnies , baby dolls and broads -- and bridezillas and bimbos , if you get into reality tv . it 's still giggles and jiggles . ' i 'm with you , hank . but you know what ? we are fast becoming dinosaurs . it 's difficult for me to get excited about weekly reminders of a time when cocktail waitresses were paid to be sex objects , if not sex partners . or when young , perfectly coiffed stewardesses worked 12- to 15-hour shifts wearing girdles , tight suits , high heels and a smile , no matter how rude the passengers were or how frisky the pilots . my reservations are not shared , however , by most of the 20-something women i know . the new shows , along with amc 's mad men , ' have little to do with today 's work environment , they say . they are period pieces , nothing more . it would be like you watching westerns , ' said stefanie , who works for a washington nonprofit . ( not exactly , honey . i 'm not that old . but , ouch . ) i asked stefanie and her co-worker lauren , both voracious television viewers , to talk about this latest hollywood run on sexism that started , of course , four years ago with the ad agency drama mad men . ' it 's important to watch such shows to see how women used to be treated , ' stefanie said . as in , a woman back then rarely knew where she stood . peggy , a secretary ( in mad men ' ) , was promoted to copy writer and joan , head of the secretarial pool , was not . it had nothing to do with how hard they worked . ' lauren agreed : the show helps me understand where women had to come from . ' neither stefanie nor lauren are bothered by the butt-shaking , boob-exposing women of the playboy club ' or by the creepy older men throwing back shots of whiskey and pinching young behinds . they were unfazed even by the comment of billy , the manager , that he married his bunny girlfriend in order to get her pregnant and ugly ' so that other men would n't look at her . compared to what else they see on tv -- the reality-tv bimbos on jersey shore , ' for example -- the newest babes are downright classy , said lauren . bunnies were sex symbols , but it was n't porn like it is now , ' she said . porn used to be soft-core , art . now it 's trashy . ' club founder hugh hefner was selling sex , lauren continued . the bunnies were simply putting their best merchandise in the window . hefner did n't create porn ; he just classed it up and monetized it . ' the bunnies made more money than they could have doing other jobs at the time , lauren added , and in some cases , more than their male clients . so who really was being used ? the stewardesses of pan am , ' full-figured and fully clothed , intrigue stefanie and lauren in part because they are n't the stick figures that populate so much of television today ( including the new , vapid charlie 's angels ' ) . full-figure is a healthier view of women , ' lauren said . i had to agree , even as i squirm at the idea that the '60s look she appreciates was dictated by the suits in the airlines'corporate offices . interestingly , the subplots i picked up in pan am ' -- predictable female ' themes such as sister jealousy , having an affair with a married man , spending most of their time serving food and smiling -- are not what stefanie immediately commented on . she liked the fact that one attendant went against her parents'wishes to work for the world 's most experienced airline , ' and that another was recruited to be a cia spy . this suggested some depth to their characters , did n't it ? yes , i said . however , i reminded her , those attendants had gone about as far as they could within the airline 's corporate structure , and if they got married or pregnant , they were grounded . true , she said , and that makes her appreciate the lack of such restrictions today . hard work pays off for women now , ' she said . if you want move up the ladder you can . ' ( just as her tv idol , tami taylor , did on the recently departed friday night lights ' when the taylor family moved to philadelphia so tami could become a college dean . ) a dose of reality is called for here . statistic no . 1 : according to an article in cnnmoney , only 12 fortune 500 companies are run by women , down from 15 last year . no . 2 : while the wage gap between younger women and men has narrowed slightly , men in all age groups still make more than women , according to data from the institute for women 's policy research , a washington think tank . no . 3 : within the last two years , among 18- to 34-year-olds , twice as many women as men have been unemployed and looking for work for a month or longer , according to a forthcoming report by iwpr . i suspect stefanie and lauren will , somewhere along their career paths , encounter sexist attitudes as well as disparities in salary and responsibility . but i 'm delighted they are moving into the workplace with confidence . they do n't have to think about feminism as often as my generation did . they were born feminist , as were many of their friends , male as well as female . they have more choices than did young women of the '60s , are paid more equitably and either laugh off or skewer men who insult them . some of them work for women . they 're coming out of the starting gate with more speed . that 's a good thing , because it will soon be up to them -- and the men who support them -- to move women still further forward . the opinions in this commentary are solely those of laura sessions stepp . | the playboy club ' and pan am ' look back before women 's liberation , says laura stepp |
lost <tsp> los angeles , california ( cnn ) -- listening to writer brian k. vaughan summarize the plot of his comic book , y : the last man , ' makes it sound like just another pulp title . brian k. vaughan says he 's depressed ' about the end of y : the last man , ' but he 's got other projects to work on . a plague of mysterious origin destroys every male mammal , human being and animal on the planet , ' he says , except for one boy and his monkey . and wackiness ensues . ' well , that 's the story boiled down to its basics . but the tale of amateur escapist yorick brown , the last man alive on an earth now home to only women , and his monkey , ampersand , is actually far more complex than vaughan 's description reveals , involving long journeys , the value of memory and the politics of gender roles . the title , which has had a very successful five-year run , is coming to an end this week with the release of issue no . 60 . it is a finale that is equally emotional for both fans and its creator . i guess i 've moved into acceptance but that does n't mean that i 'm not still depressed about it , ' says vaughan , 31 , a soft-spoken cleveland , ohio , native who now makes his home in los angeles . gallery : the worlds of brian k. vaughan » ' it 's been weird because it 's a gradual [ form of ] saying good-bye , ' he says . first , you finish the script , but then it still has to be penciled and inked , and there 's so many stages in comics that it 's sort of been like the stages of death . ' vaughan 's career in comics dates back more than a decade , but his love for the medium stretches back to his adolescence . already an avid fan of comic books , he discovered alan moore 's seminal graphic novel watchmen ' on a family vacation . it would be the spark that inspired him to give life to his own stories . watch vaughan pick out some of his influences » when vaughan first pitched his concept for y : the last man ' to vertigo , an imprint of dc comics , he was focused on a specific ending , without knowing whether the series would last long enough to reach it . we had a long-term idea [ of doing ] five years but realistically , i knew i had just gotten'swamp thing'canceled at vertigo and most people had n't heard of pia [ guerra ] , the artist , ' he says . it 's not like we were destined for a long and successful run , ' he adds , smiling . almost immediately following its debut in 2002 , the series found success , earning critical praise as well as five eisner awards , the comic-book oscars , along the way . yorick 's quest to find his girlfriend , lost somewhere in a world forever changed by this mysterious plague , was just as much an international adventure story as it was the tale of the women in his life : his bodyguard , the enigmatic agent 355 ; medical researcher alison mann ; even his sister , hero , and his mother . their experiences can be read as parables on humanity in a world where gender has been all but eliminated from the equation . now , as their stories come to a close , vaughan likens it to ending a relationship . it 'll be a drag not to get to spend more time with these characters , ' observes vaughan . he adds he will also miss his collaborating with guerra , who has provided the art for the entire series run . it 's hard to not think about working with pia , just because i think she is the best'actor'in comics , ' he says . [ that 's ] a weird thing to say , but she captures emotions better than anyone . i 'm very hopeful we 'll work together again . ' meanwhile , vaughan 's other work in comics , including ex machina ' ( wildstorm ) and runaways ' ( marvel ) , has captured the attention of hollywood . both y ' and ex machina ' are currently being developed into films . meanwhile , vaughan , a one-time film student , has begun a career in television , working as a writer on abc 's lost . ' remaining true to the mysteries of the island , vaughan says he can share just about nothing ' from the upcoming fourth season of the series , which has been cut from 16 episodes to eight as a casualty of the continuing writer 's strike . the fourth season premieres thursday night . everything is still sort of in flux , sadly , but i know i 'm disappointed , ' says vaughan , who was a fan of the show before lost ' producer and fellow comic book geek ' damon lindelof approached him to write for it . i think these eight episodes are eight of the best in the entire series . ' as production remains shut down both on lost ' and the film adaptation of y : the last man , ' vaughan considers himself fortunate . comic books are n't covered by the writer 's guild of america , allowing him to continue to work while his colleagues can not . despite the accolades and opportunities , vaughan sees his growth , both personally and professionally , as very much a work in progress . i was just a kid when i came up with the idea for'y'so i like to think that i 've evolved as much as yorick has over the course of the book . but i 'm a comic book writer , ' he continues , so i 'm still a big dumb child , and i think i always will be . ' dc comics is a unit of time warner , as is cnn . e-mail to a friend | vaughan , now a writer on lost , ' believes the show 's next 8 episodes terrific |
romney <tsp> ( cnn ) -- mitt romney and paul ryan hit the campaign trail thursday to pitch energy policy and defense spending , as new polls showed president barack obama maintaining a slight lead in three key swing states after romney named the conservative house budget committee chairman as his running mate . four days ahead of the republican national convention , certain presidential nominee romney sought to build momentum with a continued focus on his economic policies mixed with attacks on obama 's handling of a stalling recovery . however , the controversy this week over republican rep. todd akin 's incendiary remarks on legitimate ' rape and pregnancy has dominated the political chatter and raised questions about whether the conservative christian from suburban st. louis can unseat vulnerable democratic sen. claire mccaskill in missouri . threat against akin being investigated seeking to regain control of the campaign message , romney traveled to new mexico to discuss a plan that he says will make america energy independent by 2020 -- which would coincide with the conclusion of his second presidential term , if he gets elected twice . touting the country 's newly accessible oil and gas reserves , romney repeated familiar themes -- fewer federal regulations , more oil drilling -- that he said would wean the country off imported oil and spark an economic boom at home . democrats : our convention will stall romney he called for states to have control over drilling on federal land within their borders ; opening new offshore areas to energy development ; starting a fast-track approval process for energy projects including nuclear power , and limiting the ability of environmental groups to file lawsuits . acknowledging that conventional sources of oil were dwindling , romney said the new production would come from places like the deepwater gulf of mexico , canada 's oil sands and shale formations . cnn electoral map : do the math in a position paper on the issue , romney listed benefits from achieving energy independence as 3 million new jobs , $ 1 trillion in government revenues , a stronger dollar and lower energy prices . however , a recent report by the nonpartisan congressional budget office was less sanguine . the cbo report , which was requested by ryan , said 70 % of the nation 's oil and gas reserves already were available for drilling . opening the rest , it said , would increase government receipts from an estimated $ 150 billion under current policy to $ 175 billion to $ 200 billion over the next 10 years . strippers count on gop spending when asked to explain the difference , a romney staffer said the campaign 's projections were more inclusive and stretched out over a longer time period . obama has touted increased oil production in recent years , and also opened up new areas for drilling in the gulf of mexico and indicated he 'll issue permits to drill in the arctic . obama 's troubled solar'poster boy' at the same time , the administration has increased environmental and safety standards for offshore drilling and tightened emissions rules on power plants . the current administration has also issued fewer permits for drilling than george w. bush , largely due to the moratorium imposed after the bp spill in 2010 . on thursday , romney criticized obama 's support for renewable energy subsidies and highlighted companies that have received government funding and then gone bankrupt , such as solyndra and ener1 . wal-mart moms not tipping their hand the administration has repeatedly defended its decision to invest in renewable energy companies , noting that energy from wind and solar projects have doubled since obama took office . the republican approach is essentially one that is written by or dictated by big oil and it focuses almost entirely on oil and fossil fuels , ' white house press secretary jay carney said thursday . romney has said he would not support extending the federal subsidy for wind power , which expires at the end of the year . he called thursday for the government to support advanced energy development at the basic research level , not at the commercialization phase . ryan , meanwhile , spoke about about military spending at a defense industry roundtable in fayetteville , north carolina . the event came a day after a new cbo report outlined the potentially dismal impact of the impending fiscal cliff ' that includes the expiration of the bush tax cuts and mandatory reductions in government spending , including defense outlays . ron paul , supporters change strategy the scheduled automatic cuts -- known as sequestration -- came about as a result of a compromise budget measure passed into law after congressional negotiations failed to agree on a deficit-reduction plan last year . ryan voted for the compromise , saying at the time that it represented a victory for those committed to controlling government spending and growing our economy . ' show us your budget , ryan demands now , he and romney call the looming fiscal cliff ' an example of obama 's failed leadership . democrats , however , blame what they call republican intransigence in opposing obama 's push to extend the bush tax cuts only for income over $ 250,000 a year for families and $ 200,000 a year for individuals . under a mitt romney administration , this will not happen , ' ryan said of the automatic cuts to military spending . we will reverse these reckless , devastating defense cuts that the president is bringing us toward . ' at the white house , carney said a quick solution to the issue would come if republicans ease their rigid opposition to ending tax cuts for wealthy americans . rick warren cancels presidential forum the new quinnipiac university/cbs news/new york times polls showed obama leading romney by 49 % -46 % in florida and 49 % -47 % in wisconsin , which is ryan 's home state . both results were within the margin of error , meaning the races are statistically even in those states . in ohio , the poll showed obama with a 50 % -44 % lead , just outside the sampling margin of error . peter a . brown , assistant director of quinnipiac university polling institute , wrote in a statement accompanying the polls'release that romney 's choice of ryan has made small difference ' so far in the race . will money be the difference maker ? in florida , support for romney ticked up 1 percentage point from a poll taken before ryan was added to the ticket . in wisconsin , romney inched up 2 percentage points . the ohio numbers remained identical to a quinnipiac university survey taken prior to the ryan announcement . with a potential hurricane possibly heading toward tampa , florida , the site of the republican convention scheduled to begin monday , gop officials made clear thursday that romney would be nominated as the party 's presidential candidate next week regardless of whether the storm disrupts proceedings . we do have contingency plans to deal with weather related and other circumstances that may occur to ensure that the business can go on at the rnc and mitt romney and paul ryan will become our nominees , ' rnc communications director sean spicer told cnn . isaac gains strength by the mile ' while the safety of delegates and others attending next week 's republican national convention was paramount , the actual business of nominating romney would not be delayed by bad weather , ' spicer said , adding : there are contingency plans in place and rules of the rnc in place that ensure that will always be able to occur . ' the storm 's path is uncertain , though some computer models show it could move up through florida , including tampa . other models send it farther west , into the gulf of mexico . according to the latest forecast map from the national hurricane center in miami , the storm -- named isaac -- will pass near the florida keys early monday as a category 1 hurricane and northwest of tampa by monday evening . the convention is scheduled to run through thursday evening when romney will officially accept the nomination and deliver his acceptance speech . the speech is considered a crucial moment for any presidential nominee because many voters are just beginning to tune in to the presidential election . arrest made after threat to obama neither obama nor vice president joe biden have any campaign events scheduled thursday . a new obama campaign ad released thursday features former president bill clinton -- in increasingly visible surrogate for obama . in the ad , clinton attempts to draw a contrast between republicans and democrats as the november election approaches . whither sarah palin ? this is a clear choice . the republican plan is to cut more taxes on upper income people and go back to deregulation . that 's what got us in trouble in the first place , ' clinton says in the ad . president obama has a plan to rebuild america from the ground up , investing in innovation , education , and job training . it only works if there is a strong middle class . ' he later adds : that 's what happened when i was president . we need to keep going with his plan . ' in his stump speeches , obama frequently credits clinton-era policies for the strong economy in the 1990s . cnn 's tom cohen , paul steinhauser , dana davidsen , kevin liptak , gregory wallace , ashley killough and cnnmoney 's jeanne sahadi contributed to this report . | mitt romney and paul ryan hit the campaign trail on thursday |
romney <tsp> ( cnn ) -- mitt romney and paul ryan hit the campaign trail thursday to pitch energy policy and defense spending , as new polls showed president barack obama maintaining a slight lead in three key swing states after romney named the conservative house budget committee chairman as his running mate . four days ahead of the republican national convention , certain presidential nominee romney sought to build momentum with a continued focus on his economic policies mixed with attacks on obama 's handling of a stalling recovery . however , the controversy this week over republican rep. todd akin 's incendiary remarks on legitimate ' rape and pregnancy has dominated the political chatter and raised questions about whether the conservative christian from suburban st. louis can unseat vulnerable democratic sen. claire mccaskill in missouri . threat against akin being investigated seeking to regain control of the campaign message , romney traveled to new mexico to discuss a plan that he says will make america energy independent by 2020 -- which would coincide with the conclusion of his second presidential term , if he gets elected twice . touting the country 's newly accessible oil and gas reserves , romney repeated familiar themes -- fewer federal regulations , more oil drilling -- that he said would wean the country off imported oil and spark an economic boom at home . democrats : our convention will stall romney he called for states to have control over drilling on federal land within their borders ; opening new offshore areas to energy development ; starting a fast-track approval process for energy projects including nuclear power , and limiting the ability of environmental groups to file lawsuits . acknowledging that conventional sources of oil were dwindling , romney said the new production would come from places like the deepwater gulf of mexico , canada 's oil sands and shale formations . cnn electoral map : do the math in a position paper on the issue , romney listed benefits from achieving energy independence as 3 million new jobs , $ 1 trillion in government revenues , a stronger dollar and lower energy prices . however , a recent report by the nonpartisan congressional budget office was less sanguine . the cbo report , which was requested by ryan , said 70 % of the nation 's oil and gas reserves already were available for drilling . opening the rest , it said , would increase government receipts from an estimated $ 150 billion under current policy to $ 175 billion to $ 200 billion over the next 10 years . strippers count on gop spending when asked to explain the difference , a romney staffer said the campaign 's projections were more inclusive and stretched out over a longer time period . obama has touted increased oil production in recent years , and also opened up new areas for drilling in the gulf of mexico and indicated he 'll issue permits to drill in the arctic . obama 's troubled solar'poster boy' at the same time , the administration has increased environmental and safety standards for offshore drilling and tightened emissions rules on power plants . the current administration has also issued fewer permits for drilling than george w. bush , largely due to the moratorium imposed after the bp spill in 2010 . on thursday , romney criticized obama 's support for renewable energy subsidies and highlighted companies that have received government funding and then gone bankrupt , such as solyndra and ener1 . wal-mart moms not tipping their hand the administration has repeatedly defended its decision to invest in renewable energy companies , noting that energy from wind and solar projects have doubled since obama took office . the republican approach is essentially one that is written by or dictated by big oil and it focuses almost entirely on oil and fossil fuels , ' white house press secretary jay carney said thursday . romney has said he would not support extending the federal subsidy for wind power , which expires at the end of the year . he called thursday for the government to support advanced energy development at the basic research level , not at the commercialization phase . ryan , meanwhile , spoke about about military spending at a defense industry roundtable in fayetteville , north carolina . the event came a day after a new cbo report outlined the potentially dismal impact of the impending fiscal cliff ' that includes the expiration of the bush tax cuts and mandatory reductions in government spending , including defense outlays . ron paul , supporters change strategy the scheduled automatic cuts -- known as sequestration -- came about as a result of a compromise budget measure passed into law after congressional negotiations failed to agree on a deficit-reduction plan last year . ryan voted for the compromise , saying at the time that it represented a victory for those committed to controlling government spending and growing our economy . ' show us your budget , ryan demands now , he and romney call the looming fiscal cliff ' an example of obama 's failed leadership . democrats , however , blame what they call republican intransigence in opposing obama 's push to extend the bush tax cuts only for income over $ 250,000 a year for families and $ 200,000 a year for individuals . under a mitt romney administration , this will not happen , ' ryan said of the automatic cuts to military spending . we will reverse these reckless , devastating defense cuts that the president is bringing us toward . ' at the white house , carney said a quick solution to the issue would come if republicans ease their rigid opposition to ending tax cuts for wealthy americans . rick warren cancels presidential forum the new quinnipiac university/cbs news/new york times polls showed obama leading romney by 49 % -46 % in florida and 49 % -47 % in wisconsin , which is ryan 's home state . both results were within the margin of error , meaning the races are statistically even in those states . in ohio , the poll showed obama with a 50 % -44 % lead , just outside the sampling margin of error . peter a . brown , assistant director of quinnipiac university polling institute , wrote in a statement accompanying the polls'release that romney 's choice of ryan has made small difference ' so far in the race . will money be the difference maker ? in florida , support for romney ticked up 1 percentage point from a poll taken before ryan was added to the ticket . in wisconsin , romney inched up 2 percentage points . the ohio numbers remained identical to a quinnipiac university survey taken prior to the ryan announcement . with a potential hurricane possibly heading toward tampa , florida , the site of the republican convention scheduled to begin monday , gop officials made clear thursday that romney would be nominated as the party 's presidential candidate next week regardless of whether the storm disrupts proceedings . we do have contingency plans to deal with weather related and other circumstances that may occur to ensure that the business can go on at the rnc and mitt romney and paul ryan will become our nominees , ' rnc communications director sean spicer told cnn . isaac gains strength by the mile ' while the safety of delegates and others attending next week 's republican national convention was paramount , the actual business of nominating romney would not be delayed by bad weather , ' spicer said , adding : there are contingency plans in place and rules of the rnc in place that ensure that will always be able to occur . ' the storm 's path is uncertain , though some computer models show it could move up through florida , including tampa . other models send it farther west , into the gulf of mexico . according to the latest forecast map from the national hurricane center in miami , the storm -- named isaac -- will pass near the florida keys early monday as a category 1 hurricane and northwest of tampa by monday evening . the convention is scheduled to run through thursday evening when romney will officially accept the nomination and deliver his acceptance speech . the speech is considered a crucial moment for any presidential nominee because many voters are just beginning to tune in to the presidential election . arrest made after threat to obama neither obama nor vice president joe biden have any campaign events scheduled thursday . a new obama campaign ad released thursday features former president bill clinton -- in increasingly visible surrogate for obama . in the ad , clinton attempts to draw a contrast between republicans and democrats as the november election approaches . whither sarah palin ? this is a clear choice . the republican plan is to cut more taxes on upper income people and go back to deregulation . that 's what got us in trouble in the first place , ' clinton says in the ad . president obama has a plan to rebuild america from the ground up , investing in innovation , education , and job training . it only works if there is a strong middle class . ' he later adds : that 's what happened when i was president . we need to keep going with his plan . ' in his stump speeches , obama frequently credits clinton-era policies for the strong economy in the 1990s . cnn 's tom cohen , paul steinhauser , dana davidsen , kevin liptak , gregory wallace , ashley killough and cnnmoney 's jeanne sahadi contributed to this report . | gop officials say a possible hurricane wo n't derail romney 's nomination next week in tampa |
romney <tsp> ( cnn ) -- mitt romney and paul ryan hit the campaign trail thursday to pitch energy policy and defense spending , as new polls showed president barack obama maintaining a slight lead in three key swing states after romney named the conservative house budget committee chairman as his running mate . four days ahead of the republican national convention , certain presidential nominee romney sought to build momentum with a continued focus on his economic policies mixed with attacks on obama 's handling of a stalling recovery . however , the controversy this week over republican rep. todd akin 's incendiary remarks on legitimate ' rape and pregnancy has dominated the political chatter and raised questions about whether the conservative christian from suburban st. louis can unseat vulnerable democratic sen. claire mccaskill in missouri . threat against akin being investigated seeking to regain control of the campaign message , romney traveled to new mexico to discuss a plan that he says will make america energy independent by 2020 -- which would coincide with the conclusion of his second presidential term , if he gets elected twice . touting the country 's newly accessible oil and gas reserves , romney repeated familiar themes -- fewer federal regulations , more oil drilling -- that he said would wean the country off imported oil and spark an economic boom at home . democrats : our convention will stall romney he called for states to have control over drilling on federal land within their borders ; opening new offshore areas to energy development ; starting a fast-track approval process for energy projects including nuclear power , and limiting the ability of environmental groups to file lawsuits . acknowledging that conventional sources of oil were dwindling , romney said the new production would come from places like the deepwater gulf of mexico , canada 's oil sands and shale formations . cnn electoral map : do the math in a position paper on the issue , romney listed benefits from achieving energy independence as 3 million new jobs , $ 1 trillion in government revenues , a stronger dollar and lower energy prices . however , a recent report by the nonpartisan congressional budget office was less sanguine . the cbo report , which was requested by ryan , said 70 % of the nation 's oil and gas reserves already were available for drilling . opening the rest , it said , would increase government receipts from an estimated $ 150 billion under current policy to $ 175 billion to $ 200 billion over the next 10 years . strippers count on gop spending when asked to explain the difference , a romney staffer said the campaign 's projections were more inclusive and stretched out over a longer time period . obama has touted increased oil production in recent years , and also opened up new areas for drilling in the gulf of mexico and indicated he 'll issue permits to drill in the arctic . obama 's troubled solar'poster boy' at the same time , the administration has increased environmental and safety standards for offshore drilling and tightened emissions rules on power plants . the current administration has also issued fewer permits for drilling than george w. bush , largely due to the moratorium imposed after the bp spill in 2010 . on thursday , romney criticized obama 's support for renewable energy subsidies and highlighted companies that have received government funding and then gone bankrupt , such as solyndra and ener1 . wal-mart moms not tipping their hand the administration has repeatedly defended its decision to invest in renewable energy companies , noting that energy from wind and solar projects have doubled since obama took office . the republican approach is essentially one that is written by or dictated by big oil and it focuses almost entirely on oil and fossil fuels , ' white house press secretary jay carney said thursday . romney has said he would not support extending the federal subsidy for wind power , which expires at the end of the year . he called thursday for the government to support advanced energy development at the basic research level , not at the commercialization phase . ryan , meanwhile , spoke about about military spending at a defense industry roundtable in fayetteville , north carolina . the event came a day after a new cbo report outlined the potentially dismal impact of the impending fiscal cliff ' that includes the expiration of the bush tax cuts and mandatory reductions in government spending , including defense outlays . ron paul , supporters change strategy the scheduled automatic cuts -- known as sequestration -- came about as a result of a compromise budget measure passed into law after congressional negotiations failed to agree on a deficit-reduction plan last year . ryan voted for the compromise , saying at the time that it represented a victory for those committed to controlling government spending and growing our economy . ' show us your budget , ryan demands now , he and romney call the looming fiscal cliff ' an example of obama 's failed leadership . democrats , however , blame what they call republican intransigence in opposing obama 's push to extend the bush tax cuts only for income over $ 250,000 a year for families and $ 200,000 a year for individuals . under a mitt romney administration , this will not happen , ' ryan said of the automatic cuts to military spending . we will reverse these reckless , devastating defense cuts that the president is bringing us toward . ' at the white house , carney said a quick solution to the issue would come if republicans ease their rigid opposition to ending tax cuts for wealthy americans . rick warren cancels presidential forum the new quinnipiac university/cbs news/new york times polls showed obama leading romney by 49 % -46 % in florida and 49 % -47 % in wisconsin , which is ryan 's home state . both results were within the margin of error , meaning the races are statistically even in those states . in ohio , the poll showed obama with a 50 % -44 % lead , just outside the sampling margin of error . peter a . brown , assistant director of quinnipiac university polling institute , wrote in a statement accompanying the polls'release that romney 's choice of ryan has made small difference ' so far in the race . will money be the difference maker ? in florida , support for romney ticked up 1 percentage point from a poll taken before ryan was added to the ticket . in wisconsin , romney inched up 2 percentage points . the ohio numbers remained identical to a quinnipiac university survey taken prior to the ryan announcement . with a potential hurricane possibly heading toward tampa , florida , the site of the republican convention scheduled to begin monday , gop officials made clear thursday that romney would be nominated as the party 's presidential candidate next week regardless of whether the storm disrupts proceedings . we do have contingency plans to deal with weather related and other circumstances that may occur to ensure that the business can go on at the rnc and mitt romney and paul ryan will become our nominees , ' rnc communications director sean spicer told cnn . isaac gains strength by the mile ' while the safety of delegates and others attending next week 's republican national convention was paramount , the actual business of nominating romney would not be delayed by bad weather , ' spicer said , adding : there are contingency plans in place and rules of the rnc in place that ensure that will always be able to occur . ' the storm 's path is uncertain , though some computer models show it could move up through florida , including tampa . other models send it farther west , into the gulf of mexico . according to the latest forecast map from the national hurricane center in miami , the storm -- named isaac -- will pass near the florida keys early monday as a category 1 hurricane and northwest of tampa by monday evening . the convention is scheduled to run through thursday evening when romney will officially accept the nomination and deliver his acceptance speech . the speech is considered a crucial moment for any presidential nominee because many voters are just beginning to tune in to the presidential election . arrest made after threat to obama neither obama nor vice president joe biden have any campaign events scheduled thursday . a new obama campaign ad released thursday features former president bill clinton -- in increasingly visible surrogate for obama . in the ad , clinton attempts to draw a contrast between republicans and democrats as the november election approaches . whither sarah palin ? this is a clear choice . the republican plan is to cut more taxes on upper income people and go back to deregulation . that 's what got us in trouble in the first place , ' clinton says in the ad . president obama has a plan to rebuild america from the ground up , investing in innovation , education , and job training . it only works if there is a strong middle class . ' he later adds : that 's what happened when i was president . we need to keep going with his plan . ' in his stump speeches , obama frequently credits clinton-era policies for the strong economy in the 1990s . cnn 's tom cohen , paul steinhauser , dana davidsen , kevin liptak , gregory wallace , ashley killough and cnnmoney 's jeanne sahadi contributed to this report . | new : romney calls for more oil drilling , less regulation |
detroit <tsp> ( cnn ) -- when howard chiou went to taiwan for his grandmother 's funeral , he had another dead person on his mind -- the cadaver he was dissecting in his anatomy class . the emory university medical student kept dreaming about who this dead man might have been when he was alive . it was at the funeral that i learned that one of my uncles had the ability to see ghosts , ' said chiou , sharing his story at carapace , a monthly oral storytelling event in atlanta . during the entire funeral , my uncle 's there giving a play by play of what my grandmother 's doing in spirit form , ' telling guests that she was happy they were present . after the funeral , the uncle listened to chiou 's dreams and suggested a diagnosis of spirit attachment ' and treatment for the body 's restless spirit . as chiou led up to the last day of his anatomy class three years ago , carapace 's standing room only crowd waited on pins and needles to hear if he applied his uncle 's treatment to the body . atlanta residents randy osborne and joyce mitchell started carapace more than a year ago as a local chapter of the moth , a new york city-based oral storytelling group with a growing number of programs around the country ( and a few in other countries ) . the atlanta group , which broke away from the moth and held its first independent event last month , is one of a growing number of oral storytelling groups across the country telling true stories before a live audience . many people in the audience usually make up the potential list of storytellers for the night . veteran carapace storyteller tim banks , a retired delta employee , shared the tale of a hawk that kept vigil with mourners after his brother 's funeral . only after hawks continued to visit him did he mention it to his sister-in-law , who told him that his brother loved hawks and would stop the car to watch them anytime he spotted them . atlanta advertising executive ben yaun , a first-timer at the event but a teller of stories within his family , held the audience captive with a tale of an enormous , attacking snapping turtle that took over a fishing trip from his childhood . it was prehistoric , i tell you , it was prehistoric ! ' he shouted to laughter from the audience . there 's no other type of performance really where the audience becomes the performer and becomes the audience again , ' osborne said . there 's the intimacy of telling a story without any notes . you 're singing your own song and telling your own story . you 're getting up there and finding your way in front of the audience 's eyes . ' carapace rules are simple : put your name in the hat and you might get picked , tell a personal story , keep it to five minutes , no notes , no political rants , no poetry , no grudges , no propaganda . have a beginning , middle and end . know the last line of your story . pay your tab . check out carapace 's facebook page for the complete set of rules . author george dawes green gets a lot of credit for the recent growth in oral storytelling as performance . green founded the moth in 1997 in his new york loft , inspired by nights with friends drinking jack daniels , playing poker and telling stories at his friend wanda 's home on st. simons island in georgia . the group was named after the moths that would sneak through the rotten porch screens , drawn to the lights . storytelling seems to be in our dna , ' said green , author of the juror , ' ravens ' and the caveman 's valentine . ' stories are the ways in which we can impart dense clusters of information glued together by emotion . it 's really how we learn about the world in a way we can grasp and remember . ' the moth has grown into a nonprofit with professional staff that runs storytelling events and competitions in new york , los angeles , detroit and chicago ( with more cities to come ) as well as storytelling training for corporations and high schools and community centers in underserved neighborhoods . there is also a peabody-award winning moth radio hour on public radio . oral historian stephen sloan says oral storytelling speaks to our identity as human beings , and he is n't surprised at the recent popularity of true stories told live . before technology , storytelling was how you knew what was meaningful , how you had any deep understanding of who you were and what your place was in the world , ' said sloan , a history professor and director of baylor university 's institute for oral history . it was the way those ideas were communicated to us . that same thread is in these stories , the unscripted nature of it , the reality of it , the rawness of it . something significant and very deep is conveyed through the relating of experience . ' those stories attract large crowds to moth 's flagship mainstage programs in new york and elsewhere . the moth staff chooses a theme and invites five people from all walks of life -- some known and some not known to the audience -- to tell 10-minute first person stories on stage , said moth artistic director catherine burns . although the stories are n't strictly memorized , the artistic staff helps the storyteller to frame stories so they know where they 're going with their tales . it takes an enormous amount of work but that 's what we 're dedicating to doing , ' burns said . as the moth has grown and partnered with interested storytellers to launch mothup ' affiliates in various cities around the country , a few local groups have chafed against rules more recently required by the national organization . the moth intended mothup affiliates to help create moth storyslams , which are the moth 's storytelling competitions , in those cities . the local groups in atlanta and st. louis have created communities of storytellers who have found a family , where a laugh or nod tells the teller that he has connected with the audience . the members were n't as interested in competition . founders of both groups found they were violating other moth rules : they had too many people attending to fit into a living room ( a location requirement ) and neither wanted to charge admission . atlanta did n't want to have judging . st. louis gave preference to first-time storytellers . we open the stage to anyone who wants to tell a story and we try to fit in as many stories as we can , ' said stacey wehe , a founder of the st. louis group , now named the saint louis ten . both sides describe the parting as amicable . we underestimated what the demand would be , which is a luxury problem to have , ' burns said . the atlanta and st. louis groups got to a size that was n't what the program was supposed to be . we did n't want to hold them back but we were n't ready to launch a slam there . we hope we 'll do more in those cities eventually . ' back at manuel 's tavern in atlanta , where carapace holds its free monthly get-togethers , any storyteller who did n't get picked to speak was invited to come up on stage at the end of the evening to share their first , last or best line . carapace 's osborne says it tends to be a popular part of the program , and that june night is no different . atlanta resident shannon turner , who was raised in the oral storytelling tradition in appalachia , has the crowd wanting more with her single line : and that , my friends , is how god kept me a virgin . ' | the moth runs storytelling competitions in new york , los angeles , detroit and chicago |
twitter <tsp> los angeles , california ( cnn ) -- erykah badu shed her clothes as she walked along a dallas , texas , sidewalk until she was nude and then fell near where president kennedy was assassinated . the result was a controversial video , released saturday , for her song window seat , ' which badu said was shot guerrilla style ' with no crew and in one take march 17 . children could be seen nearby as badu stripped in dealey plaza , a popular tourist spot since kennedy 's 1963 assassination . the singer 's management did not immediately respond to request for comment , but badu responded to the controversy via twitter . she tweeted that there were children there . i prayed they wouldnt b traumatized . ' badu will not face indecent exposure charges for shedding her clothes on the dallas , texas , sidewalk , a dallas police spokeswoman said . although children were nearby , no one filed a complaint against badu after the march 17 incident , dallas police senior cpl . janice crowther said . but if we had had a call and would have caught ms. badu in the act of walking down the street taking her clothes off , she would have been charge with a class b misdemeanor , ' she said . the r & b singer said she was making a statement against groupthink , ' which she tweeted was an unwritten rule ' that i will not express my true opinion if it opposes those i love and fear . ' some fans sent tweets praising badu 's artistic vision . one fan tweeted to badu on sunday : thank you , because your being brave , i no longer feel afraid to say what i really feel . ' the video opens with a november 22 , 1963 , radio broadcast describing kennedy 's motorcade turning onto elm street seconds before fatal shots were fired . in the video , badu is behind the wheel of a 1965 lincoln continental , parked along kennedy 's route . a single camera focuses on her as she walks toward elm street and the book depository where kennedy 's assassin fired his rifle . badu tweeted that i was petrified while shooting this video ... but liberation began to set in . i conquered many fears in that few moments . ' she said she was too busy lookin for cops ' to be embarrassed by her nudity . i been naked all along in my words actions and deeds . thats the real vulnerable place , ' she tweeted . the video does not include shouts from people off camera , she said . they were yelling ,'this is a public place : you oughta be ashamed : put your clothes on : damn girl ! etc , ' badu tweeted . more than a dozen people stood along the plaza 's grassy knoll ' when badu took off the last piece of clothing . the people caught in the shot were trying hard to ignore me , ' she tweeted . as she reached the spot where kennedy was first struck by a bullet , the crackle of a gunshot is heard and badu 's head snaps back and she falls to the ground as if dead . badu said when the camera stopped we ran . ' the singer was born in dallas , where she is raising her three children -- ages 1 , 5 and 12 she tweeted to fans about her 5-year-old daughter 's response when told of her plans for the video : she looked at me with a blank face and replied ok mama can i have another pudding ? ' the video was released days before the singer 's next album , new amerykah part two : return of the ankh , ' hits record stores . the single window seat ' is at no . 28 on billboard 's r & b/hip-hop chart . | some fans respond via twitter , praising badu 's artistic vision |
christie <tsp> ( cnn ) -- new jersey gov . chris christie built his keynote address to the republican national convention on the theme of telling tough truths to the nation . we have become paralyzed by our desire to be loved , ' announced christie , showing off the gruff , no-nonsense style that catapulted him into the governor 's mansion . it 's only fair to mention some tough truths about his speech , his tenure as governor and the state of the republican campaign for president . the most striking truth ( as democrats pointed out even before the address ) is that new jersey under christie has suffered from a severely troubled economy and soaring costs of government : the very things that republicans like christie blame on democrats . as of july , new jersey 's unemployment rate stands at 9.8 % : higher than the national average , fourth worst among the 50 states and the highest level in 35 years . the rate is higher than on the day christie took office in 2010 and nearly a full percentage point higher than earlier this year , when christie 's state of the state address exultantly and repeatedly claimed that a new jersey comeback ' was under way . and despite christie 's boasts about trimming the cost of government in the garden state -- the keynote speech repeated his frequent claim of balancing three state budgets -- some fiscal watchdogs attribute the budgets to creative accounting , not true cost containment . a hard truth christie absolutely will not tell is that every one of his budgets has been unbalanced by more than $ 2.5 billion , ' notes bloomberg news blogger josh barro , citing christie 's bad habit -- started by previous governors -- of skimping on payments into the state 's pension fund . this year , for example , christie paid just over $ 1 billion into the fund , a record amount but far less than the $ 3.74 billion that actuaries said was needed , according to barro . those unpaid billions are , in effect , a loan that will have to be repaid by taxpayers someday . no wonder christie omitted new jersey comeback ' from his keynote address . put aside the ugly economics , and christie 's speech was unusually good . he read well from the teleprompter , even though he normally speaks without a prepared text . and he was persuasive , showing off the skills of his old job as a federal prosecutor . most important , from a political perspective , christie had a smooth launch onto the national stage , talking more about chris christie -- much more -- than about the man of the hour , candidate mitt romney . in the seven-page text of the address sent to reporters , romney 's name does n't appear until near the bottom of page five . that 's no surprise : keynote addresses at the national conventions often serve as the launching pad for politicians preparing their own bids for president , and christie has not shied away from talk that he might be a candidate in 2016 or later . but even the most successful convention-speech-as-launch-pad of recent times -- the keynote delivered at the 2004 democratic convention by a then-little-known illinois state senator named barack obama -- lavishly praised sen. john kerry , the party 's nominee that year . though obama called kerry 's name 13 times in that speech , christie mentioned romney only seven times . clearly , christie 's political star is rising . but he may also need to refine his tough truths ' mantra . the underlying message -- a promise to shrink government and reduce programs like medicare -- is risky business in an election year . voters , like supermarket shoppers , want as much as they can get for as little as they can get away with paying . our nation 's airwaves and billboards are chock full of companies advertising two-for-one sales and buy-one-get-one-free specials for a reason : it works . by contrast , you rarely see stores advertise the hard truth that the product is n't as good as they thought , the supplies are limited and the cost is going up . if the tough-talk message helps romney win the white house in november , christie is assured a bright future on the national stage . but if he hopes to repeat any version of obama 's astounding leap from keynote to candidate , he 'll have to get new jersey 's fiscal house in order pronto . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of errol louis . | chris christie built his keynote address to rnc on theme of telling tough truths to america |
christie <tsp> ( cnn ) -- new jersey gov . chris christie built his keynote address to the republican national convention on the theme of telling tough truths to the nation . we have become paralyzed by our desire to be loved , ' announced christie , showing off the gruff , no-nonsense style that catapulted him into the governor 's mansion . it 's only fair to mention some tough truths about his speech , his tenure as governor and the state of the republican campaign for president . the most striking truth ( as democrats pointed out even before the address ) is that new jersey under christie has suffered from a severely troubled economy and soaring costs of government : the very things that republicans like christie blame on democrats . as of july , new jersey 's unemployment rate stands at 9.8 % : higher than the national average , fourth worst among the 50 states and the highest level in 35 years . the rate is higher than on the day christie took office in 2010 and nearly a full percentage point higher than earlier this year , when christie 's state of the state address exultantly and repeatedly claimed that a new jersey comeback ' was under way . and despite christie 's boasts about trimming the cost of government in the garden state -- the keynote speech repeated his frequent claim of balancing three state budgets -- some fiscal watchdogs attribute the budgets to creative accounting , not true cost containment . a hard truth christie absolutely will not tell is that every one of his budgets has been unbalanced by more than $ 2.5 billion , ' notes bloomberg news blogger josh barro , citing christie 's bad habit -- started by previous governors -- of skimping on payments into the state 's pension fund . this year , for example , christie paid just over $ 1 billion into the fund , a record amount but far less than the $ 3.74 billion that actuaries said was needed , according to barro . those unpaid billions are , in effect , a loan that will have to be repaid by taxpayers someday . no wonder christie omitted new jersey comeback ' from his keynote address . put aside the ugly economics , and christie 's speech was unusually good . he read well from the teleprompter , even though he normally speaks without a prepared text . and he was persuasive , showing off the skills of his old job as a federal prosecutor . most important , from a political perspective , christie had a smooth launch onto the national stage , talking more about chris christie -- much more -- than about the man of the hour , candidate mitt romney . in the seven-page text of the address sent to reporters , romney 's name does n't appear until near the bottom of page five . that 's no surprise : keynote addresses at the national conventions often serve as the launching pad for politicians preparing their own bids for president , and christie has not shied away from talk that he might be a candidate in 2016 or later . but even the most successful convention-speech-as-launch-pad of recent times -- the keynote delivered at the 2004 democratic convention by a then-little-known illinois state senator named barack obama -- lavishly praised sen. john kerry , the party 's nominee that year . though obama called kerry 's name 13 times in that speech , christie mentioned romney only seven times . clearly , christie 's political star is rising . but he may also need to refine his tough truths ' mantra . the underlying message -- a promise to shrink government and reduce programs like medicare -- is risky business in an election year . voters , like supermarket shoppers , want as much as they can get for as little as they can get away with paying . our nation 's airwaves and billboards are chock full of companies advertising two-for-one sales and buy-one-get-one-free specials for a reason : it works . by contrast , you rarely see stores advertise the hard truth that the product is n't as good as they thought , the supplies are limited and the cost is going up . if the tough-talk message helps romney win the white house in november , christie is assured a bright future on the national stage . but if he hopes to repeat any version of obama 's astounding leap from keynote to candidate , he 'll have to get new jersey 's fiscal house in order pronto . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of errol louis . | louis : christie 's speech went over well , but he did n't mention romney until late in his talk |
ukraine <tsp> ( cnn ) -- ukrainian forces have taken full control of donetsk airport as they continue to fight pro-russian rebels in the eastern ukraine city , a ukrainian military spokesman says . the active stage of the counter-terrorist operation continues . the government is now at full control of the airport and the road leading to it , ' vladislav seleznev told cnn . meantime , two people were killed in fighting in the city , the donetsk city council said in an online statement . the council warned residents not to leave their homes . the bus station is closed . car movement is limited . a nine-story residential building at the train station area has been damaged . a market outside the train station caught on fire as the result of artillery fire . still , the train station is working , ' it said . donetsk is west of the area where malaysia airlines flight 17 crashed thursday , with the loss of 298 lives . the united states says a russian-made surface-to-air missile fired from pro-russian rebel territory took down the boeing 777 . russia has blamed kiev 's resumption of military operations against the rebels at the end of june for the tragedy , while the u.s. has accused russia of supporting the rebels that washington believes fired the missile . since the crash , ukraine 's government and rebels have traded bitter accusations over who was responsible . the ukraine government says terrorists ' fired on the plane . ukrainian officials have distributed recordings of what they say are intercepted communications between pro-russian rebels discussing shooting it down . alexander borodai , the rebel leader who calls himself the prime minister of the self-styled donetsk people 's republic , has conceded that the plane was shot down but says his forces did not do it . he told cnn on sunday that his forces lack the firepower to hit an airplane so high up . the ukraine crisis has its roots in former ukrainian president viktor yanukovych 's decision to shun a european union association agreement last year and work with russia instead . the move unleashed deadly strife that led to yanukovych 's ouster , russia 's annexation of crimea and a pro-russian rebellion . | official : ukrainian forces continue to fight pro-russian rebels in the eastern ukraine city |
donetsk <tsp> ( cnn ) -- ukrainian forces have taken full control of donetsk airport as they continue to fight pro-russian rebels in the eastern ukraine city , a ukrainian military spokesman says . the active stage of the counter-terrorist operation continues . the government is now at full control of the airport and the road leading to it , ' vladislav seleznev told cnn . meantime , two people were killed in fighting in the city , the donetsk city council said in an online statement . the council warned residents not to leave their homes . the bus station is closed . car movement is limited . a nine-story residential building at the train station area has been damaged . a market outside the train station caught on fire as the result of artillery fire . still , the train station is working , ' it said . donetsk is west of the area where malaysia airlines flight 17 crashed thursday , with the loss of 298 lives . the united states says a russian-made surface-to-air missile fired from pro-russian rebel territory took down the boeing 777 . russia has blamed kiev 's resumption of military operations against the rebels at the end of june for the tragedy , while the u.s. has accused russia of supporting the rebels that washington believes fired the missile . since the crash , ukraine 's government and rebels have traded bitter accusations over who was responsible . the ukraine government says terrorists ' fired on the plane . ukrainian officials have distributed recordings of what they say are intercepted communications between pro-russian rebels discussing shooting it down . alexander borodai , the rebel leader who calls himself the prime minister of the self-styled donetsk people 's republic , has conceded that the plane was shot down but says his forces did not do it . he told cnn on sunday that his forces lack the firepower to hit an airplane so high up . the ukraine crisis has its roots in former ukrainian president viktor yanukovych 's decision to shun a european union association agreement last year and work with russia instead . the move unleashed deadly strife that led to yanukovych 's ouster , russia 's annexation of crimea and a pro-russian rebellion . | donetsk is west of the area where malaysia airlines flight 17 crashed thursday |
donetsk <tsp> ( cnn ) -- ukrainian forces have taken full control of donetsk airport as they continue to fight pro-russian rebels in the eastern ukraine city , a ukrainian military spokesman says . the active stage of the counter-terrorist operation continues . the government is now at full control of the airport and the road leading to it , ' vladislav seleznev told cnn . meantime , two people were killed in fighting in the city , the donetsk city council said in an online statement . the council warned residents not to leave their homes . the bus station is closed . car movement is limited . a nine-story residential building at the train station area has been damaged . a market outside the train station caught on fire as the result of artillery fire . still , the train station is working , ' it said . donetsk is west of the area where malaysia airlines flight 17 crashed thursday , with the loss of 298 lives . the united states says a russian-made surface-to-air missile fired from pro-russian rebel territory took down the boeing 777 . russia has blamed kiev 's resumption of military operations against the rebels at the end of june for the tragedy , while the u.s. has accused russia of supporting the rebels that washington believes fired the missile . since the crash , ukraine 's government and rebels have traded bitter accusations over who was responsible . the ukraine government says terrorists ' fired on the plane . ukrainian officials have distributed recordings of what they say are intercepted communications between pro-russian rebels discussing shooting it down . alexander borodai , the rebel leader who calls himself the prime minister of the self-styled donetsk people 's republic , has conceded that the plane was shot down but says his forces did not do it . he told cnn on sunday that his forces lack the firepower to hit an airplane so high up . the ukraine crisis has its roots in former ukrainian president viktor yanukovych 's decision to shun a european union association agreement last year and work with russia instead . the move unleashed deadly strife that led to yanukovych 's ouster , russia 's annexation of crimea and a pro-russian rebellion . | two people were killed in the fighting monday , the donetsk city council says |
pro-russian <tsp> ( cnn ) -- ukrainian forces have taken full control of donetsk airport as they continue to fight pro-russian rebels in the eastern ukraine city , a ukrainian military spokesman says . the active stage of the counter-terrorist operation continues . the government is now at full control of the airport and the road leading to it , ' vladislav seleznev told cnn . meantime , two people were killed in fighting in the city , the donetsk city council said in an online statement . the council warned residents not to leave their homes . the bus station is closed . car movement is limited . a nine-story residential building at the train station area has been damaged . a market outside the train station caught on fire as the result of artillery fire . still , the train station is working , ' it said . donetsk is west of the area where malaysia airlines flight 17 crashed thursday , with the loss of 298 lives . the united states says a russian-made surface-to-air missile fired from pro-russian rebel territory took down the boeing 777 . russia has blamed kiev 's resumption of military operations against the rebels at the end of june for the tragedy , while the u.s. has accused russia of supporting the rebels that washington believes fired the missile . since the crash , ukraine 's government and rebels have traded bitter accusations over who was responsible . the ukraine government says terrorists ' fired on the plane . ukrainian officials have distributed recordings of what they say are intercepted communications between pro-russian rebels discussing shooting it down . alexander borodai , the rebel leader who calls himself the prime minister of the self-styled donetsk people 's republic , has conceded that the plane was shot down but says his forces did not do it . he told cnn on sunday that his forces lack the firepower to hit an airplane so high up . the ukraine crisis has its roots in former ukrainian president viktor yanukovych 's decision to shun a european union association agreement last year and work with russia instead . the move unleashed deadly strife that led to yanukovych 's ouster , russia 's annexation of crimea and a pro-russian rebellion . | official : ukrainian forces continue to fight pro-russian rebels in the eastern ukraine city |
donetsk city council <tsp> ( cnn ) -- ukrainian forces have taken full control of donetsk airport as they continue to fight pro-russian rebels in the eastern ukraine city , a ukrainian military spokesman says . the active stage of the counter-terrorist operation continues . the government is now at full control of the airport and the road leading to it , ' vladislav seleznev told cnn . meantime , two people were killed in fighting in the city , the donetsk city council said in an online statement . the council warned residents not to leave their homes . the bus station is closed . car movement is limited . a nine-story residential building at the train station area has been damaged . a market outside the train station caught on fire as the result of artillery fire . still , the train station is working , ' it said . donetsk is west of the area where malaysia airlines flight 17 crashed thursday , with the loss of 298 lives . the united states says a russian-made surface-to-air missile fired from pro-russian rebel territory took down the boeing 777 . russia has blamed kiev 's resumption of military operations against the rebels at the end of june for the tragedy , while the u.s. has accused russia of supporting the rebels that washington believes fired the missile . since the crash , ukraine 's government and rebels have traded bitter accusations over who was responsible . the ukraine government says terrorists ' fired on the plane . ukrainian officials have distributed recordings of what they say are intercepted communications between pro-russian rebels discussing shooting it down . alexander borodai , the rebel leader who calls himself the prime minister of the self-styled donetsk people 's republic , has conceded that the plane was shot down but says his forces did not do it . he told cnn on sunday that his forces lack the firepower to hit an airplane so high up . the ukraine crisis has its roots in former ukrainian president viktor yanukovych 's decision to shun a european union association agreement last year and work with russia instead . the move unleashed deadly strife that led to yanukovych 's ouster , russia 's annexation of crimea and a pro-russian rebellion . | two people were killed in the fighting monday , the donetsk city council says |
khan <tsp> ( cnn ) -- a pakistani politician critical of u.s. drone strikes said saturday that american authorities detained and questioned him at a canadian airport . imran khan , a former cricket star , this month led a march to the border of pakistan 's tribal region to protest drone strikes , which he says end up killing more civilians than militants . khan said he boarded a new york-bound plane in toronto on friday when two u.s. immigration officials asked him to step outside . the officials made him wait for about 40 minutes before interviewing him for another 20 minutes , he said . i kept asking them what was this all about , and then one guy interviewed me and he was so confused , he had no idea what he was saying , ' khan told cnn by phone from seattle , another stop on his trip . he was talking about some fund-raising , so i asked him to come to the point , and he said ,'we 're worried you might use violence against drones .'i mean , it was so ridiculous , i did n't even know how to answer it . ' khan : we 'll sweep the election ' khan missed his flight , but he eventually made it to new york , and later seattle , for fund-raisers for his political party , pakistan tehreek-e-insaf . he has two more fund-raisers on the schedule , in san francisco and los angeles , before he returns home to pakistan , khan said . the cricket legend said he suspects u.s. officials simply wanted to make him miss an anti-drone protest khan was scheduled to lead in the united states , without realizing the protest had already been postponed because of the muslim holiday of eid al-adha . a state department official acknowledged that khan was briefly delayed ' before boarding the next flight to the united states . the issue was resolved , ' the official said . mr. khan is welcome in the united states . ' khan has been a fierce critic of u.s. policy in pakistan and the use of drone strikes , calling them a violation of pakistan 's sovereignty and a strategy that stokes militant anger toward washington . in recent years , the u.s. government has sharply stepped up the use of drone attacks in pakistan 's mostly ungoverned tribal region , widely believed to be a safe haven for militant groups fueling the insurgency in afghanistan . american officials say the drone strikes are an effective strategy against militant groups and insist civilian casualties are rare . anti-drone peace march halted in pakistan khan says people he has spoken to in the tribal region say most of the people killed are innocent civilians . that , he said , is counterproductive to the war on terrorism . if you alienate them , you lose the war , because they 're the ones who are going to eventually provide logistical support , ' he said . from these people will be the recruits to the militants . ' cnn 's azadeh ansari and elise labott contributed to this report . | a state department official says khan was briefly detained ' |
khan <tsp> ( cnn ) -- a pakistani politician critical of u.s. drone strikes said saturday that american authorities detained and questioned him at a canadian airport . imran khan , a former cricket star , this month led a march to the border of pakistan 's tribal region to protest drone strikes , which he says end up killing more civilians than militants . khan said he boarded a new york-bound plane in toronto on friday when two u.s. immigration officials asked him to step outside . the officials made him wait for about 40 minutes before interviewing him for another 20 minutes , he said . i kept asking them what was this all about , and then one guy interviewed me and he was so confused , he had no idea what he was saying , ' khan told cnn by phone from seattle , another stop on his trip . he was talking about some fund-raising , so i asked him to come to the point , and he said ,'we 're worried you might use violence against drones .'i mean , it was so ridiculous , i did n't even know how to answer it . ' khan : we 'll sweep the election ' khan missed his flight , but he eventually made it to new york , and later seattle , for fund-raisers for his political party , pakistan tehreek-e-insaf . he has two more fund-raisers on the schedule , in san francisco and los angeles , before he returns home to pakistan , khan said . the cricket legend said he suspects u.s. officials simply wanted to make him miss an anti-drone protest khan was scheduled to lead in the united states , without realizing the protest had already been postponed because of the muslim holiday of eid al-adha . a state department official acknowledged that khan was briefly delayed ' before boarding the next flight to the united states . the issue was resolved , ' the official said . mr. khan is welcome in the united states . ' khan has been a fierce critic of u.s. policy in pakistan and the use of drone strikes , calling them a violation of pakistan 's sovereignty and a strategy that stokes militant anger toward washington . in recent years , the u.s. government has sharply stepped up the use of drone attacks in pakistan 's mostly ungoverned tribal region , widely believed to be a safe haven for militant groups fueling the insurgency in afghanistan . american officials say the drone strikes are an effective strategy against militant groups and insist civilian casualties are rare . anti-drone peace march halted in pakistan khan says people he has spoken to in the tribal region say most of the people killed are innocent civilians . that , he said , is counterproductive to the war on terrorism . if you alienate them , you lose the war , because they 're the ones who are going to eventually provide logistical support , ' he said . from these people will be the recruits to the militants . ' cnn 's azadeh ansari and elise labott contributed to this report . | imran khan is a vocal critic of u.s. drone strikes in pakistan |
turkey <tsp> london ( cnn ) -- despite turkey 's shelling of syria , middle east expert fawaz gerges says neither side wants an escalation of a conflict that has the potential to spill over into a regional war that would be extremely difficult to end . it is important to stress at the outset that we do not know if the shells that landed on turkish border towns , killing at least five people , were ordered by bashar al-assad 's government ; all we know is the shelling came from the area where syrian positions had been firing at rebels . syria has admitted its shelling killed turkish civilians , has apologized , and has promised that the incident will not be repeated , turkey 's deputy prime minister says . syria 's information minister has pledged an investigation into how and why the shell came to be fired at turkey . the big point is that the assad regime is desperately trying to prevent outside military intervention in its war-torn country , and does not want to provide a pretext for turkey to do so , knowing that it would be disastrous . news : turkey strikes targets in retaliation for shelling deaths similarly , i believe the turkish government has no interest in military escalation against its neighbor . according to surveys , public opinion in turkey is strongly against all-out war with syria . equally important is the fact that , although nato and the united states have expressed solidarity with turkey , a nato member , they are urging restraint . western powers , particularly the united states , do not have the desire or political will to intervene militarily in syria . without the full backing of nato and the us , turkish prime minister erdogan would be reluctant to embark on any large-scale military venture against syria . so while we have seen a lot of escalation in the last 48 hours we need to put it into context : neither side has an interest in turning this low-intensity war into something more serious , a full-blown confrontation . what the incident tells us is that syria has now descended into all-out war . it tells us that syria 's neighbors are deeply embroiled in its internal armed struggle . it also tells us that the civil war has become a proxy war between other regional players such as iran and saudi arabia . the syrian conflict has also been internationalized along cold war lines , with the us and russia backing rival camps . the spillover of the syrian war has reached not just turkey but also jordan , lebanon , and iraq , with frequent armed clashes and casualties . if these skirmishes intensify and escalate , the potential of a region-wide war can not be overlooked . world : syrian refugees in turkey -- police are forcing us from homes this is why western powers , particularly the united states , are reluctant to intervene militarily in the syrian civil war , lest they exacerbate an already dangerous situation : they want the civil war to remain an internal conflict where it can be contained . al-assad 's strategy has succeeded : he has forced the opposition to militarize the political uprising . syria is in the grip of a bloody and costly armed struggle , a struggle that does not show signs of an early resolution , but of turning into a long , drawn-out conflict . no one knows how that would end , but it would ensure he has local and regional support to survive for quite a long time . the syrian authorities have little control over all military engagements . the fire has spread across the whole country : assad 's forces are over-extended and thinly spread . despite assurances given by the syrian government that the shelling that killed the turkish civilians wo n't be repeated , it is doubtful whether that pledge can be honored as syria descends into all-out war . turkey has been extremely angry in the last few weeks . for the first time prime minister recep tayip reccip erdogan has criticized the western powers for paying lip service to the opposition cause , implying that his patience is running thin . regardless of how the turkish leadership feels though , i do n't think it will act independently without a security umbrella commitment by nato and a green light from the americans . they have made it very clear they will not act on their own against syria . nato has gone out of its way to impress gently on the turkish leadership not to escalate the situation beyond what it has done so far . news : turkey vows'no interest in war ' | syrian shells hit towns across the border in turkey , killing at least five |
world food programme <tsp> dhaka , bangladesh ( cnn ) -- more than 1,700 people have died in bangladesh after a devastating tropical cyclone ripped through the western coast of the country , and the toll is expected to rise , a government spokesman tells cnn . families stand amid the wreckage caused by the cyclone friday in southern bangladesh . brig . gen. qazi abedus samad , director of operations for the country 's armed forces , told cnn saturday the toll had reached 1,723 , and the figure is expected to rise . as flood waters recede , aid workers say they expect to find scores more bodies when remote villages are finally reached and the counting is done . they face debris-blocked roads , no electricity and almost nonexistent communications . in addition to the dead , another 15,000 people have been injured . thousands of people have been displaced and many are still missing . cyclone sidr , with sustained winds of at least 131 mph ( 210 kph ) , made landfall thursday night along the western coast of bangladesh near the border with india , unleashing floodwaters . government spokesman fahim munaim told cnn by telephone that the government held an emergency cabinet meeting saturday to assess the disaster and discuss recovery issues . he said the extent of the cyclone 's damage may be much worse because emergency relief had not been able to reach remote areas . the government has identified the 12 worst districts -- all of them located on the southern coast -- out of the 23 affected by the cyclone , munaim said . see victims pick up the pieces after the storm » the bangladeshi air force , army and navy are working to provide shelter for the many people who have been displaced . power is still out in much of the country but it is being restored . watch how the cyclone spawns a large relief effort » vince edwards , national director of the relief agency world vision in bangladesh , said the high wind speeds of cyclone sidr have laid waste to the all-important rice crop and caused a huge loss of livestock . he said 280,000 families have been rendered homeless by the cyclone , but many have been able to get shelter from family members . world vision is deploying 135 staffers and 7,000 volunteers to provide food , shelter and other relief . the group is appealing for $ 1.5 million in further funds to assist some 9.300 families rebuild their homes . in dhaka -- about 200 miles north of the worst-hit region -- there were power outages , massive traffic jams and spotty phone service , cnn 's cal perry said from the city . from an infrastructure perspective , the country absolutely has been brought to its knees , ' he said . red crescent spokeswoman nabiha chowdhury told cnn that communication with her agency 's teams who have arrived in the stricken area is spotty , but they have resources with them to immediately help people with water purification , which she said was a top priority . those teams have cash with them to buy relief supplies from local wholesalers , said chowdhury , who said the latest number of people injured was 15,000 with 1,000 missing . chowdhury said about 600,000 people had fled , adding that about 2 million people lived along the coast . the u.n. world food programme said it has enough high-energy biscuits to feed 400,000 people for several days . another humanitarian group , save the children , appealed for aid from the public . many families have lost everything , including their homes and their crops , and they are struggling to survive , ' said kelly stevenson , save the children 's bangladesh director . we are appealing to the u.s. public to support our efforts to assist children and families affected by this disaster . we remain very concerned about possible outbreaks of cholera and severe diarrhea due to the lack of access to clean water , ' he said in a written statement . the u.s. department of state pledged friday pledging to work with the government and foreign donors to assist in relieving the effects of the disaster . ' department spokesman sean mccormack said the u.s. mission in bangladesh , anticipating the storm , pre-positioned 16 zodiac boats , water treatment systems , water ambulances and food for a more rapid response . u.s. defense secretary robert gates was expected to approve plans to send up to three navy amphibious warships , with up to 3,500 marines , to locations off the coast of bangladesh to assist in relief efforts . e-mail to a friend | u.n. world food programme has food for 400,000 people for three days |
cnn <tsp> ( cnn ) -- the washington navy yard is the home to high-level naval personnel and is the workplace for at least 3,000 service members and civilian employees . located in the heart of washington , d.c. , the premises include a park and many buildings . chief of naval operations jonathan greenert was at his residence at the yard on monday and was evacuated , cnn 's barbara starr said . she added that in her experience visiting the facility , security is extensive . everyone must have clearance to be there or valid identification that allows them entry . but she added that you could have all the authority in the world to be on the installation ' and still plan to do harm without detection by guards . read more about entering the yard the yard includes the headquarters for the naval historical center and the u.s. navy judge advocate general 's corps , among others . it 's the headquarters for the naval sea systems command , where police said shots were fired monday . capt . mark vandroff spoke to reporters , explaining that he and his colleagues remained in a conference room in their building -- 197 -- hunkered down until the scene was safe . he described the building as the largest of three overseen by the naval sea system command , the navy 's organization that procures and maintains ships and submarines . building 197 houses headquarter staff , legal team , contractors , engineers and buyers of various weapon and defense systems , among others , he said . vandroff added that he was very happy that his staff remained calm , though they were scared as they hunkered down in a conference room . 'cause we knew if we sheltered in place eventually the police would come get us , ' he said . the navy museum at the yard is open to the public . leutze park hosts ceremonies and offers walking tours . the yard has a dramatic history , its website says . a former shipyard and ordnance plant , it 's the oldest u.s. onshore installation . it was added to the national register of historic places in 1973 and designated a national historic landmark three years later . the yard was created in 1799 by an act of congress , the naval history and heritage command says . it was envisioned as a shipbuilding and fitting facility on the anacostia river and over the years has serviced several storied vessels , including the uss constitution . during the war of 1812 , the yard burned down and was rebuilt as a weapons manufacturing hub . it has also been the scene of significant advancements in military technology . during the war of 1812 , robert fulton conducted research and testing on his clockwork torpedo , and in 1822 , commodore john rodgers built the united states'first marine railway for the overhaul of large vessels at the yard , according to its site . the yard was crucial to the defense of washington during the civil war , according to its website . president abraham lincoln frequently visited the yard many times , according to the yard 's site . the body of lincoln 's killer , john wilkes booth , was examined and identified on a ship moored at there . amid world war i , the yard made navy ordnance , including the 14-inch naval railway guns used in france in the war . in the years after world war ii and into the cold war era , the yard 's military role lessened . | security is tight at the yard , cnn 's barbara starr reports |
melissa ketunuti <tsp> philadelphia ( cnn ) -- andrew cattaneo is still in shock . it 's been only a day since his neighbor across the street , melissa ketunuti , was found dead in the basement of her row home monday afternoon , her hands and feet bound , her body set on fire . standing in the doorway of his home , cattaneo watched as police detectives returned to the scene tuesday while news reporters huddled nearby trying to stay warm on the blustery january afternoon . she was very pleasant , very nice , very friendly and quiet , ' cattaneo said , looking across the street . it 's very upsetting . ' although authorities were awaiting the final autopsy report , philadelphia police capt . james clark , homicide commanding officer , said at a news conference tuesday morning that ketunuti , a 35-year-old physician , apparently was strangled . there were no immediately obvious signs of sexual assault , clark said . ketunuti lived alone with her dog pooch on a quiet , narrow and tree-lined street in philadelphia 's center city . it was her dog walker , police said , who discovered her smoldering body . the investigation is ongoing , clark said , and the motive for her death is unclear . police continued to canvass the neighborhood tuesday in search of surveillance video . police say ketunuti stopped at several stores monday before making her way home , and there were no signs of struggle , indicating that she may have been followed . we do n't know if she walked in on individuals inside of her property , we do n't know if individuals forced her inside her property , or whether or not she knew her killer , ' clark said . we 're not closing any avenues . ' in 2008 , ketunuti moved from washington to philadelphia , where she was a pediatrics resident at the children 's hospital of philadelphia . this is hopefully the last move for at least 3 years , given that 's how long it should take to finish a pediatrics residency , ' she penned on her personal online blog where she chronicled her globe-trekking adventures and updated her progress with school . as sexy as it was to be a life-saving surgeon , i feel much better suited for pediatrics , ' she wrote . her postings referred to a surgery internship at georgetown university hospital in washington , and a second internship in cardiothoracic surgery at a veterans hospital . across the street from ketunuti 's house , another neighbor who did not want to be identified was visibly upset at the news of her death . who would want to do this ? ' the neighbor said . the neighbor described ketunuti as a private person , but not unfriendly . i 'm struggling for the logic to why my friend is dead , ' the neighbor said , fighting back tears . i 'm sick with this . ' the neighbor said ketunuti was often seen running long distances , and returning home with groceries , that she had very few visitors , and that ketunuti spent a significant amount of time at the hospital . that was a point reiterated by police . she dedicated her whole life to being a doctor and helping kids with cancer , ' clark said . it 's very unfortunate that she died in this manner . ' ketunuti graduated with a doctorate in medicine from stanford university in 2007 . over the years , she completed a clerkship in botswana , as well as internships at new york university and johns hopkins , she wrote on her blog . no arrests had been made or suspects identified in the case as of tuesday , according to police , and there is a $ 20,000 reward for arrest and conviction in relation to the killing . children 's hospital of philadelphia released a statement tuesday afternoon saying ketunuti was a second-year infectious diseases fellow and researcher . she had been at the hospital for five years , the statement said , and had also served as a resident in the department of pediatrics . melissa was a warm , caring , earnest , bright young woman with her whole future ahead of her , ' dr. paul offit , chief of the hospital 's division of infectious diseases , said in an e-mail statement . but more than that , she was admired , respected and loved by those with whom she worked here ... her death will have a profound impact on those who worked with her and we will all miss her deeply . ' | melissa ketunuti was a doctor at children 's hospital of philadelphia |
lakota <tsp> editor 's note : on cnn 's state of the union , ' host and chief national correspondent john king goes outside the beltway to report on the issues affecting communities across the country . herbert hale lives on a check of a little less than $ 17 a week and whatever he can pick up from odd jobs . cherry creek , south dakota ( cnn ) -- the tiny one-room house rests on a hill ; no electricity and no running water . a creaky metal cot and a rusting wood-burning stove is all the comfort herbert hale says he needs . all it is is logs , glue -- dirt and water put together -- then cement and the chicken string , ' hale says of his home . long as the windows do n't break , it 's nice and warm in here . ' the roof leaks a bit , and the floorboards are rotted in one corner , but hale is n't one to complain . it 's home , ' he says , almost under his breath , as he invites a visitor to have a look . firewood is stacked in one corner inside , and more outside as hale uses the summer months to stockpile for prairie winters , where 20 below zero is not all that uncommon . he also pulls bunches of long weeds in the prairie grass , to dry for use as a firestarter . i have to be careful , ' hale says matter-of-factly as he pulls a few fistfuls . sometimes there are some snakes . rattlesnakes . nothing to mess around with . ' he is 54 years old , a member of the lakota tribe and part of two stunning statistics , even as communities across america deal with the pain and challenges of recession : hale worked 16 years as a firefighter . but he began having some back problems in the early 1980s and then , cancer caught up with me . i have a brain tumor . ' he says he gets a check for just shy of $ 17 every week from a tribal welfare fund , and tries to find odd jobs to pay for his food and to help out a diabetic sister . but there 's a catch : tiny cherry creek has no such jobs . there are one or two one-room homes like hale 's , but it is mostly a collection of a couple dozen simple modular homes provided by a federal and tribal housing program . it does n't even have a gas station or general store . so hale heads out most days toward eagle butte -- 17 miles up one road and then 21 miles more up the next . a few more twists and , it 's about 42 to 43 miles , someplace around there . ' herbert hale ca n't afford a car . well , i take off , go to my sister 's , then get some water and take off . somebody along the way will pick me up . ' often , that somebody is bryce in the woods , a member of the tribal council whose district includes cherry creek . it is bad , ' he says of the area 's economic plight , walking a visitor through the gravel streets where many residents , idle because of the lack of jobs , are sitting out front or shout out a greeting from inside their small homes . to spend a day crossing the reservation is to see a place stunningly beautiful and seemingly forgotten all at once , small , poor communities tucked into the hollows of western south dakota 's cheyenne river reservation . the poverty is all the more striking because of the richness of the setting : green and golden rolling hills , roaming horses and cattle , and tall corn and golden sunflowers sprouting from the fertile soil . ziebach county is the no . 1 county statistically with child poverty , ' he said . now that alone is generational , with the trauma of poverty and the broken family . ' breaking that cycle is bryce in the woods'obsession . he highlights a bright spot : a building in the community converted to a makeshift classroom and library where residents can get tutoring help and then take the ged -- - the high school equivalency exam . it is so difficult , ' he says of the challenge facing younger reservation residents . some of our young people join the services , the armed services , some of them go to college or apply to college , ' bryce in the woods told us . the majority , if they are staying here , end up moving to rapid city or some of the bigger cities to try to find employment . ' in eagle butte , the largest community on the reservation , a bustling construction site is a new source of pride . a medical center is under construction , thanks to funding from the obama administration 's stimulus plan , and bryce in the woods says about 65 construction-related jobs so far have gone to tribal members . at this point i am very appreciative of what we have received , ' joseph brings plenty , the elected tribal chairman , says when we ask if the stimulus funding is enough . but as far as expectation , i can say no . there would be a lot more need to be fulfilled by the u.s. government for our tribe before i can say yes . ' outside , brings plenty 's office is a first americans for obama ' sign -- a reminder the tribe was an early backer of barack obama . brings plenty says he hopes the president remembers . i can sympathize , empathize , with the demands , with the pressures that are on his shoulders , on his plate and put in front of him , ' brings plenty said during a break from a tribal council meeting . the biggest help obama and congress could give , the chairman and others told us , is greater water rights . the tribe has money for more housing , but ca n't build because the water pressure is too low and its treatment systems too outdated to handle increased demand . i feel that we are forgotten because we do n't have that voice out there , ' chairman brings plenty said . it 's demoralizing in a way for some of our members that go out and receive an education and come back and are unable to get a job here . ' to be clear , chairman brings plenty and bryce in the woods say not all of the tribe 's problems rest with the federal government . both mentioned obstacles and disagreements born of factional tribal politics and rivalries , which were in full evidence during just a few minutes of the tribal council 's debate . in the woods is also a strong advocate for land reforms he says would get the tribe a better deal for grazing rights on its property . still , they would welcome more economic development help , from the state and from washington , but say their voices do n't always get heard , even in the best of times . when it comes down to a vote , a lot of the urban representatives , i do n't think they really know the plight on the reservation , ' bryce in the woods said . i think there is a stereotype out there that all tribes have casinos and that 's not true . ' herbert hale shrugs when asked if washington has a responsibility to help his struggling community . i ca n't really say , ' he said quietly . i 'm not into politics to tell you the truth . i was when i was younger , back in the '80s . ' now , he lives the simplest of lives . a few hours of work if he is lucky , and perhaps an hour or two collecting wood , even in the scorching august sun . the temperature neared 100 degrees on the day of our visit , yet hale 's wood stove was warm to the touch . prairie mornings can still be chilly . more important , memories of winter 's past remind hale of the value of his growing stockpile . sometimes it 's a long walk , ' he says . especially in february . twenty below and i have to walk . often no cars ... a few times i felt like falling asleep on the road . i told myself ,'fall asleep , you 're froze and you 're gone .'i pushed myself to keep walking . ' once home , he has a battery-powered radio and uses a small kerosene lamp to pass time at night reading . he 's extra careful because he recently broke its glass chimney , so the flame burns without protection from the winds that can pick up suddenly . herbert 's worries are more immediate than whether the president or any other politician understands his plight . they never stopped up here , ' he says . if they did , i was n't home . ' on the odd jobs in town , $ 1 here and $ 5 there adds up -- not too much , but his goals are modest . you know , take the trash out . i sweep the front . a few dollars a day would n't hurt . that 's as good as you need . that 's all i care about . one day at a time . ' | herbert hale , who is a member of the lakota tribe , is unemployed |
washington <tsp> washington ( cnn ) -- in less than a month , the government may shut down . lines are being drawn . vacations are being canceled . friends are becoming enemies . are you concerned yet ? confused ? well , if you 're not , you should be . at the center of complex negotiations in washington is a sturdy little political device known as a continuing resolution , also called a cr . ' a continuing resolution ? a cr ? what in the heck is that ? good question . it is a legislative tool designed to keep the government running when the president and congress ca n't get it together . by october 1 -- the deadline to keep funding everything in the government from the irs to the army -- you 'll probably hear the term hundreds of times in news articles and out of the mouths of commentators and pundits . so let 's explain : q : what is a'cr'? a : it 's a legislative trick to pay the bills . the federal government 's fiscal year starts october 1 . and the one key duty laid out in the constitution for congress is to pass spending bills that fund the government . want a few billion for roads and bridges ? go see congress . that aircraft carrier needs a new paint job ? congress is the place to go . sounds simple enough , but , in reality , the house and the senate have n't done their job . in the past year , congress has n't passed any of the 12 different spending bills that fund the much of the government , including defense programs , transportation projects and education . so when congress does n't do its job , then it has to pass a continuing resolution , also referred to as a short-term spending bill or a stop-gap spending measure . it is a bill that sidesteps the lengthy budget process and funds the government for a specified period of time . it can last anywhere from a day to a year . crs are not an anomaly . they have been used 156 times between 1977 and 2011 . and before 1977 , they were so common that congress changed the start of the fiscal year from july to october to give lawmakers more time to pass the spending bills . that worked for a few years but then congress settled into the new schedule and , like any high school student -- or journalist on deadline -- it procrastinated . so it had to revert back to the use of crs to keep the government open . and here we are . q : why shut down the government ? a : yea , why ? and what does cr have to do with a government shutdown ? often , a cr is a simple legislative extension to accommodate lawmakers who do n't get their work done . it 's not designed to solve a debate embroiled in partisan politics . typically these appropriations bills are not that partisan , ' said steve ellis , vice president of taxpayers for common sense . but that 's not always the case . congress recognizes one of their leverages is the power of the purse , ' ellis said , adding that politicization of the budget process has become more polarized during the obama administration . house speaker john boehner has proposed a short-term spending bill that would fund the government until december 15 . but then politics got in the way . this year , a core group of conservative republicans in the house wants to tie the entire $ 986 billion annual operating budget to a provision to defund the health care law known as obamacare . house gop leaders delay vote on spending bill after conservatives rebel still , it 's rare that the threat of a government shutdown revolves around a partisan legislative poison pill . more often it 's about spending levels and the size of the government . that 's the track republicans usually take . since 2011 , they have used budget battles -- and taken the country to the edge of government shutdown -- to extract $ 2.3 trillion from federal spending . it 's worth it , they say , to rein in the first two years of the obama administration 's spending spree , which included $ 830 billion in economic stimulus and an expensive new health care law . q : have we been here before ? a . yes . in 1995 and 1996 , president bill clinton battled a republican-led congress over spending levels ( his nemesis was then-speaker newt gingrich ) . it ended in a government shutdown -- for 28 days at the end of 1995 and beginning of 1996 -- and the american public largely blamed congress . following the shutdown , clinton gained an enormous political upper hand and gingrich later lost his job as speaker . while politics seem particularly bad during these times , it 's important to remember that the government has n't actually shut down under this congress or this president . yet . q : so why is this so hard ? a . passing spending bills is not easy . they can reflect the fundamental differences of governing philosophy . should we fund school lunches or more tanks ? aid to egypt or money for detroit ? it often takes intense negotiating between the two chambers of congress and the president . but some in congress complain that president barack obama has not been the easiest guy to work with , especially when it comes to bridging partisan gaps . he rarely interacts with members of congress , many say they do n't trust him and he has angered once-friends on the hill with his recent positions on syria . congress shifts its focus away from syria resolution but the fight over the continuing resolution is just an extension of a deeper fight over the budget . much to the dismay of republicans , the senate in recent years has failed to pass even a simple budget , a precursor to spending bills . and even though the senate finally passed a budget -- it did so in march after the house acted -- leaders in both chambers could n't agree to start the process of combining their versions into a final bill . so the budget went nowhere . jim manley , a former aide to senate majority leader harry reid said the budget encapsulates washington . the current budget process symbolizes all that is wrong with congress right now . it 's broken and needs to be fixed , ' he said . q : but they 're really not going to do this , are they ? a : that 's not clear . house republican leaders are well aware of the political risks of threatening to shut down the government . they are reluctantly trying to avoid tying a short-term spending bill to defunding obamacare . not surprisingly , a cnn/orc international poll shows that republicans would again be blamed if the government does shut down . cnn poll : who would get blamed for government shutdown ? only a third would consider president barack obama responsible for a shutdown , with 51 % pointing a finger at the gop - up from 40 % who felt that way earlier this year , ' said cnn polling director keating holland . q : is n't this a really bad way to run the greatest democracy on earth ? a : even if the continuing resolution was n't wrapped up in talks of politics and government shutdown , ellis argues that it 's a terrible way to run government . ' crs fund the government at the same level as the previous year . that means wasteful programs that need to be stopped or cut back are n't , and programs that need more money do n't get it . one way to force government to have waste and inefficiency is to have a cr , ' ellis said . q : can it get any worse ? a : it could . the cr is going to be one fight the congress will have over the next couple of weeks . the next fight will be over the debt ceiling -- permitting the government to borrow more money to pay off its past spending debts . but that 's a different story for a different day . cnn political editor paul steinhauser contributed to this report | more talk of a government shutdown prevails in washington |
aarhus <tsp> ( cnn ) -- clashes broke out saturday as far-right groups from across europe gathered in denmark for a rally they said was meant to make their governments act against the threat of islamic extremism . violence flared in the port city of aarhus as a small group of far-left protesters broke off from a march staged to counter the right-wing rally , said georg husted , a spokesman for aarhus police . protesters carrying masks pulled up paving stones and started throwing them and other missiles , he said . one police officer suffered minor head injuries after he was struck by a bottle , husted said , but no civilians were hurt or damage caused to buildings . police arrested 25 people following the violence , said husted , most of them from extreme left-wing groups . between 200 and 300 people attended the far-right rally , according to police estimates , while about 5,000 people gathered for the anti-fascist demonstration . the left wing march was peaceful apart from the actions of a few hard core ' protesters who wanted to cause trouble , husted said . the far-right rally brought together protesters from the danish defense league , as well as smaller groups from scandinavian countries , germany , poland , eastern europe and the united kingdom . those attending want to send a clear message to the leaders of europe , ' according to the english defence league ( edl ) , one of the organizers of the far-right event . our governments and our media behave as if islamic extremism exists only in the head of a few extremists , and claim that it is unfair to make the connection between islam and extremism , ' an online edl statement said . this is ridiculous , just as it is ridiculous to claim that anyone who criticizes islam must be an extremist in their own right . we believe in fair criticism of islam and in the defence of our cultures , our nations , and the rights and freedoms that they have long protected . ' husted said ahead of the rally that police were focused on making sure the day passed peacefully without confrontations between the groups . we are going to support anyone who is going to talk and to demonstrate for what they feel , according to danish law , ' he said . in its statement , the edl said it does not believe that the way to combat extremism is with more extremism . ' racists and neo-nazis are not welcome , and those supporting the rally have signed an agreement against extremism , it said . the british government has previously banned some marches by the edl , whose members are widely seen as holding extremist views . | new : some 200-300 members of european far-right groups rally in aarhus , police say |
volvo <tsp> shanghai , china ( cnn ) volvo says it will begin exporting vehicles made in a factory in southwest china to the united states next month , the first time chinese-built passenger cars will roll into american showrooms . parent company geely automobile , which bought volvo in 2010 , is seeking to prove that a chinese company can manage a global auto brand . geely 's gambit will be watched to see if it paves the way for other chinese car manufacturers to crack developed markets . ceo håkan samuelsson said volvo planned to sell 1,500 chinese-made s60 inscription sedans in 2015 and 5,000 annually in subsequent years . for many u.s. consumers , china is still more closely linked with cheap clothing and electronics than luxury vehicles , but samuelsson downplayed any concerns about quality . we do n't highlight where the vehicle is built but we do n't keep it a secret . we sell them as volvos and we know they are exactly the same in quality no matter where they are produced , ' he told cnn . the car will be one of four models produced in a manufacturing plant in chengdu that opened in 2013 . but given that volvo 's brand is staked on its reputation for safety , analysts said the company will have to tread carefully . they have a strong enough reputation no matter where they 're made . they will have to make sure they do n't ruin that perception with any quality issues , ' said raymond tsang , a shanghai-based partner at consultants bain & company . china surpassed the u.s. as the largest market for car sales globally in 2009 , and most major automakers build cars in china . but until now those cars have been sold almost exclusively in china . chinese car manufacturers like geely and its rival great wall motor do export their models to countries in africa , the middle east and eastern europe . but none have so far dared tackle developed markets like the u.s. and western europe . geely chairman li shufu said he hoped the company would eventually become a global car brand , but said there were no current plans to begin export its home-grown brand to u.s. showrooms . we have the ambition , yes ; determination yes , but i 'm also [ a ] very realistic person , ' he said . industry analysts say it 's unlikely we will see chinese car makers shake up the u.s. car market in the same way japanese and south korean manufacturers did decades earlier , at least in the near future . hyundai and toyota are now extremely successful but it took them decades to move away from being perceived as lower end and lower quality than u.s. cars , ' said tsang . and now the market is even more competitive , especially for entry level models . ' read more : china wants eyes on cars not models at shanghai auto show | volvo says it will begin exporting chinese-built cars to the u.s. in may |
chinese <tsp> shanghai , china ( cnn ) volvo says it will begin exporting vehicles made in a factory in southwest china to the united states next month , the first time chinese-built passenger cars will roll into american showrooms . parent company geely automobile , which bought volvo in 2010 , is seeking to prove that a chinese company can manage a global auto brand . geely 's gambit will be watched to see if it paves the way for other chinese car manufacturers to crack developed markets . ceo håkan samuelsson said volvo planned to sell 1,500 chinese-made s60 inscription sedans in 2015 and 5,000 annually in subsequent years . for many u.s. consumers , china is still more closely linked with cheap clothing and electronics than luxury vehicles , but samuelsson downplayed any concerns about quality . we do n't highlight where the vehicle is built but we do n't keep it a secret . we sell them as volvos and we know they are exactly the same in quality no matter where they are produced , ' he told cnn . the car will be one of four models produced in a manufacturing plant in chengdu that opened in 2013 . but given that volvo 's brand is staked on its reputation for safety , analysts said the company will have to tread carefully . they have a strong enough reputation no matter where they 're made . they will have to make sure they do n't ruin that perception with any quality issues , ' said raymond tsang , a shanghai-based partner at consultants bain & company . china surpassed the u.s. as the largest market for car sales globally in 2009 , and most major automakers build cars in china . but until now those cars have been sold almost exclusively in china . chinese car manufacturers like geely and its rival great wall motor do export their models to countries in africa , the middle east and eastern europe . but none have so far dared tackle developed markets like the u.s. and western europe . geely chairman li shufu said he hoped the company would eventually become a global car brand , but said there were no current plans to begin export its home-grown brand to u.s. showrooms . we have the ambition , yes ; determination yes , but i 'm also [ a ] very realistic person , ' he said . industry analysts say it 's unlikely we will see chinese car makers shake up the u.s. car market in the same way japanese and south korean manufacturers did decades earlier , at least in the near future . hyundai and toyota are now extremely successful but it took them decades to move away from being perceived as lower end and lower quality than u.s. cars , ' said tsang . and now the market is even more competitive , especially for entry level models . ' read more : china wants eyes on cars not models at shanghai auto show | but it 's unlikely that chinese car brands will take on developed markets |
ellen degeneres <tsp> ( ew.com ) -- safe to say ellen degeneres has won this round . after conservative christian group one million moms railed against j.c. penney for hiring the lesbian talk-show host as a spokesperson , degeneres addressed them on her show , quipping , not that there 's anyone counting , but for a group that calls themselves the million moms , they only have 40,000 members on their page. ' j.c . penney stood by degeneres , and even conservative tv host bill o'reilly voiced his support for the comedian . now facebook fans have validated the retailer for sticking to their guns . since yesterday , a group called 1 million people who support ellen for j.c. penney has popped up , far surpassing the support of one million moms'facebook likes ' ( now 42,634 ) . as of press time , 1 million people has 80,244 members and gaining . according to founder cathie winter miller , the group only had 38 likes ' yesterday , and a recent check of the group 's page showed pages upon pages of team ellen comments in the last 20 minutes alone . are you heartened to see the moms'negative campaign was met by overwhelming positivity for one of the country 's favorite tv personalities ? do you think one million moms will make anything of this surge of support for ellen ? see the full article at ew.com . click here to try 2 risk free issues of entertainment weekly © 2011 entertainment weekly and time inc. all rights reserved . | one million moms railed against j.c. penney for hiring ellen degeneres |
dirksen <tsp> ( cnn ) -- our country has changed , ' wrote chief justice john roberts on june 25 , 2013 , when five of the nine supreme court justices dismantled the historic voting rights act . roberts is correct in at least one respect : today 's republican party is no longer the party of abraham lincoln , as former supreme court justice john paul stevens reminded us again in a recent article in the new york review of books . stevens , a lifelong republican appointed to the court by gerald ford , attacked roberts and his republican colleagues for usurping the authority of congress which had overwhelmingly renewed the act in 2006 . but 48 years ago this week , the republican party supported the cause of voting rights . on august 6 , 1965 , when president lyndon johnson signed the voting rights act into law , he gave the second pen he used to everett dirksen , the republican senate minority leader . dirksen deserved the honor because he was a major architect of the act . in fact , the bill was written in dirksen 's office as he sat next to acting attorney general nicholas katzenbach . later , insiders joked that the bill should be called dirksenbach . ' although suffering from emphysema , ulcers and an enlarged heart , dirksen worked hard defending the bill on the floor of the senate , successfully defeating southern efforts to weaken it . johnson feared that a southern filibuster would delay the bill until the senate adjourned for the summer , a dangerous prospect . they been doin'that for 35 years that i been here , ' johnson fumed , and i been watchin'em do it . ' opinion : 50 years later , civil rights struggle is far from over johnson turned to dirksen for help . the senator from illinois persuaded 23 fellow republicans to vote for cloture , shutting off a filibuster and freeing the voting rights act for an up or down vote . when it came , 30 republicans joined 47 democrats to pass the bill and send it to the house for their consideration . after southern efforts to destroy the bill in the house were defeated and differences between house and senate versions of the bill were resolved in conference committee , the 1965 voting rights act was passed overwhelmingly by both houses of congress that august , with republican support . soon , however , republicans began to court white voters in the south and elsewhere who were alienated by the democratic party 's embrace of civil rights . richard nixon first adopted this southern strategy ' in his 1968 presidential campaign , following the advice of kevin phillips , a political advisor , who later noted that the more negroes who register as democrats in the south , the sooner the negrophobe whites will quit the democrats and become republicans . ' and so it came to be : blacks , who were affiliated with lincoln 's republican party after the civil war and well into the 20th century , moved decisively to join the party of johnson , and later clinton , and obama , while the republican party moved sharply to the right and came to mostly represent white americans . in 2010 , after winning control of 25 state legislatures , republicans enacted a series of laws designed to suppress the votes of those who elected barack obama president in 2008 . then , on june 25 , 2013 , the conservative majority on the supreme court bid a final farewell to the party of lincoln by demolishing the voting rights act in shelby county v. holder . troubled by this development , john paul stevens , a republican appointed to the court in 1975 by president gerald ford , offered his dissent in the new york review of books article . justice stevens felt strongly that the court had erred in taking the case , since congress had thoroughly investigated and found evidence of racial discrimination in voting in 2006 , resulting in the act 's near-unanimous reauthorization that same year . he argued that the chief justice 's opinion had failed to explain why such a decision should be made by the members of the supreme court , ' and not the congress . after all , the fifteenth amendment to the constitution , which prohibits interference with voting on the basis of race , color , and condition of previous servitude , clearly gives the congress the right to pass legislation to enforce that amendment . the members of congress , representing the millions of voters who elected them , are far more likely to evaluate correctly the ... issue ... , ' stevens concluded . conservatives on the court were guilty of the judicial activism they had long decried . veterans of forgotten voting war count the cost in a final ironic twist , stevens quoted antonin scalia 's dissent in the defense of marriage case , which stevens thought applied at least as well , if not better , to what the court had done in shelby county v. holder : we have no power to decide this case . and even if we did , we have no power under the constitution to invalidate this democratically adopted legislation . the court 's errors on both points spring forth from the same diseased root : an exalted conception of the role of this institution in america . ' stevens'dissent , coming as it does from the man who served longer than any other republican appointee on the supreme court , testifies to how far that party has strayed from its origins . with the gutting of the voting rights act , republicans throughout the south are again passing voter suppression laws ( and , in north carolina , legislation which would damage women 's reproductive rights ) . it is no longer the party of lincoln or reagan . it has become the party of jefferson davis . whether the american people wish to turn the clock back to 1861 remains to be seen . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of gary may . | he says leading republican in 1965 , dirksen , was architect of act , rounding up gop votes |
gop <tsp> ( cnn ) -- our country has changed , ' wrote chief justice john roberts on june 25 , 2013 , when five of the nine supreme court justices dismantled the historic voting rights act . roberts is correct in at least one respect : today 's republican party is no longer the party of abraham lincoln , as former supreme court justice john paul stevens reminded us again in a recent article in the new york review of books . stevens , a lifelong republican appointed to the court by gerald ford , attacked roberts and his republican colleagues for usurping the authority of congress which had overwhelmingly renewed the act in 2006 . but 48 years ago this week , the republican party supported the cause of voting rights . on august 6 , 1965 , when president lyndon johnson signed the voting rights act into law , he gave the second pen he used to everett dirksen , the republican senate minority leader . dirksen deserved the honor because he was a major architect of the act . in fact , the bill was written in dirksen 's office as he sat next to acting attorney general nicholas katzenbach . later , insiders joked that the bill should be called dirksenbach . ' although suffering from emphysema , ulcers and an enlarged heart , dirksen worked hard defending the bill on the floor of the senate , successfully defeating southern efforts to weaken it . johnson feared that a southern filibuster would delay the bill until the senate adjourned for the summer , a dangerous prospect . they been doin'that for 35 years that i been here , ' johnson fumed , and i been watchin'em do it . ' opinion : 50 years later , civil rights struggle is far from over johnson turned to dirksen for help . the senator from illinois persuaded 23 fellow republicans to vote for cloture , shutting off a filibuster and freeing the voting rights act for an up or down vote . when it came , 30 republicans joined 47 democrats to pass the bill and send it to the house for their consideration . after southern efforts to destroy the bill in the house were defeated and differences between house and senate versions of the bill were resolved in conference committee , the 1965 voting rights act was passed overwhelmingly by both houses of congress that august , with republican support . soon , however , republicans began to court white voters in the south and elsewhere who were alienated by the democratic party 's embrace of civil rights . richard nixon first adopted this southern strategy ' in his 1968 presidential campaign , following the advice of kevin phillips , a political advisor , who later noted that the more negroes who register as democrats in the south , the sooner the negrophobe whites will quit the democrats and become republicans . ' and so it came to be : blacks , who were affiliated with lincoln 's republican party after the civil war and well into the 20th century , moved decisively to join the party of johnson , and later clinton , and obama , while the republican party moved sharply to the right and came to mostly represent white americans . in 2010 , after winning control of 25 state legislatures , republicans enacted a series of laws designed to suppress the votes of those who elected barack obama president in 2008 . then , on june 25 , 2013 , the conservative majority on the supreme court bid a final farewell to the party of lincoln by demolishing the voting rights act in shelby county v. holder . troubled by this development , john paul stevens , a republican appointed to the court in 1975 by president gerald ford , offered his dissent in the new york review of books article . justice stevens felt strongly that the court had erred in taking the case , since congress had thoroughly investigated and found evidence of racial discrimination in voting in 2006 , resulting in the act 's near-unanimous reauthorization that same year . he argued that the chief justice 's opinion had failed to explain why such a decision should be made by the members of the supreme court , ' and not the congress . after all , the fifteenth amendment to the constitution , which prohibits interference with voting on the basis of race , color , and condition of previous servitude , clearly gives the congress the right to pass legislation to enforce that amendment . the members of congress , representing the millions of voters who elected them , are far more likely to evaluate correctly the ... issue ... , ' stevens concluded . conservatives on the court were guilty of the judicial activism they had long decried . veterans of forgotten voting war count the cost in a final ironic twist , stevens quoted antonin scalia 's dissent in the defense of marriage case , which stevens thought applied at least as well , if not better , to what the court had done in shelby county v. holder : we have no power to decide this case . and even if we did , we have no power under the constitution to invalidate this democratically adopted legislation . the court 's errors on both points spring forth from the same diseased root : an exalted conception of the role of this institution in america . ' stevens'dissent , coming as it does from the man who served longer than any other republican appointee on the supreme court , testifies to how far that party has strayed from its origins . with the gutting of the voting rights act , republicans throughout the south are again passing voter suppression laws ( and , in north carolina , legislation which would damage women 's reproductive rights ) . it is no longer the party of lincoln or reagan . it has become the party of jefferson davis . whether the american people wish to turn the clock back to 1861 remains to be seen . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of gary may . | may : now court has abetted gop , as it tries to obstruct voting rights in states |
gop <tsp> ( cnn ) -- our country has changed , ' wrote chief justice john roberts on june 25 , 2013 , when five of the nine supreme court justices dismantled the historic voting rights act . roberts is correct in at least one respect : today 's republican party is no longer the party of abraham lincoln , as former supreme court justice john paul stevens reminded us again in a recent article in the new york review of books . stevens , a lifelong republican appointed to the court by gerald ford , attacked roberts and his republican colleagues for usurping the authority of congress which had overwhelmingly renewed the act in 2006 . but 48 years ago this week , the republican party supported the cause of voting rights . on august 6 , 1965 , when president lyndon johnson signed the voting rights act into law , he gave the second pen he used to everett dirksen , the republican senate minority leader . dirksen deserved the honor because he was a major architect of the act . in fact , the bill was written in dirksen 's office as he sat next to acting attorney general nicholas katzenbach . later , insiders joked that the bill should be called dirksenbach . ' although suffering from emphysema , ulcers and an enlarged heart , dirksen worked hard defending the bill on the floor of the senate , successfully defeating southern efforts to weaken it . johnson feared that a southern filibuster would delay the bill until the senate adjourned for the summer , a dangerous prospect . they been doin'that for 35 years that i been here , ' johnson fumed , and i been watchin'em do it . ' opinion : 50 years later , civil rights struggle is far from over johnson turned to dirksen for help . the senator from illinois persuaded 23 fellow republicans to vote for cloture , shutting off a filibuster and freeing the voting rights act for an up or down vote . when it came , 30 republicans joined 47 democrats to pass the bill and send it to the house for their consideration . after southern efforts to destroy the bill in the house were defeated and differences between house and senate versions of the bill were resolved in conference committee , the 1965 voting rights act was passed overwhelmingly by both houses of congress that august , with republican support . soon , however , republicans began to court white voters in the south and elsewhere who were alienated by the democratic party 's embrace of civil rights . richard nixon first adopted this southern strategy ' in his 1968 presidential campaign , following the advice of kevin phillips , a political advisor , who later noted that the more negroes who register as democrats in the south , the sooner the negrophobe whites will quit the democrats and become republicans . ' and so it came to be : blacks , who were affiliated with lincoln 's republican party after the civil war and well into the 20th century , moved decisively to join the party of johnson , and later clinton , and obama , while the republican party moved sharply to the right and came to mostly represent white americans . in 2010 , after winning control of 25 state legislatures , republicans enacted a series of laws designed to suppress the votes of those who elected barack obama president in 2008 . then , on june 25 , 2013 , the conservative majority on the supreme court bid a final farewell to the party of lincoln by demolishing the voting rights act in shelby county v. holder . troubled by this development , john paul stevens , a republican appointed to the court in 1975 by president gerald ford , offered his dissent in the new york review of books article . justice stevens felt strongly that the court had erred in taking the case , since congress had thoroughly investigated and found evidence of racial discrimination in voting in 2006 , resulting in the act 's near-unanimous reauthorization that same year . he argued that the chief justice 's opinion had failed to explain why such a decision should be made by the members of the supreme court , ' and not the congress . after all , the fifteenth amendment to the constitution , which prohibits interference with voting on the basis of race , color , and condition of previous servitude , clearly gives the congress the right to pass legislation to enforce that amendment . the members of congress , representing the millions of voters who elected them , are far more likely to evaluate correctly the ... issue ... , ' stevens concluded . conservatives on the court were guilty of the judicial activism they had long decried . veterans of forgotten voting war count the cost in a final ironic twist , stevens quoted antonin scalia 's dissent in the defense of marriage case , which stevens thought applied at least as well , if not better , to what the court had done in shelby county v. holder : we have no power to decide this case . and even if we did , we have no power under the constitution to invalidate this democratically adopted legislation . the court 's errors on both points spring forth from the same diseased root : an exalted conception of the role of this institution in america . ' stevens'dissent , coming as it does from the man who served longer than any other republican appointee on the supreme court , testifies to how far that party has strayed from its origins . with the gutting of the voting rights act , republicans throughout the south are again passing voter suppression laws ( and , in north carolina , legislation which would damage women 's reproductive rights ) . it is no longer the party of lincoln or reagan . it has become the party of jefferson davis . whether the american people wish to turn the clock back to 1861 remains to be seen . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of gary may . | he says leading republican in 1965 , dirksen , was architect of act , rounding up gop votes |
gop <tsp> ( cnn ) -- our country has changed , ' wrote chief justice john roberts on june 25 , 2013 , when five of the nine supreme court justices dismantled the historic voting rights act . roberts is correct in at least one respect : today 's republican party is no longer the party of abraham lincoln , as former supreme court justice john paul stevens reminded us again in a recent article in the new york review of books . stevens , a lifelong republican appointed to the court by gerald ford , attacked roberts and his republican colleagues for usurping the authority of congress which had overwhelmingly renewed the act in 2006 . but 48 years ago this week , the republican party supported the cause of voting rights . on august 6 , 1965 , when president lyndon johnson signed the voting rights act into law , he gave the second pen he used to everett dirksen , the republican senate minority leader . dirksen deserved the honor because he was a major architect of the act . in fact , the bill was written in dirksen 's office as he sat next to acting attorney general nicholas katzenbach . later , insiders joked that the bill should be called dirksenbach . ' although suffering from emphysema , ulcers and an enlarged heart , dirksen worked hard defending the bill on the floor of the senate , successfully defeating southern efforts to weaken it . johnson feared that a southern filibuster would delay the bill until the senate adjourned for the summer , a dangerous prospect . they been doin'that for 35 years that i been here , ' johnson fumed , and i been watchin'em do it . ' opinion : 50 years later , civil rights struggle is far from over johnson turned to dirksen for help . the senator from illinois persuaded 23 fellow republicans to vote for cloture , shutting off a filibuster and freeing the voting rights act for an up or down vote . when it came , 30 republicans joined 47 democrats to pass the bill and send it to the house for their consideration . after southern efforts to destroy the bill in the house were defeated and differences between house and senate versions of the bill were resolved in conference committee , the 1965 voting rights act was passed overwhelmingly by both houses of congress that august , with republican support . soon , however , republicans began to court white voters in the south and elsewhere who were alienated by the democratic party 's embrace of civil rights . richard nixon first adopted this southern strategy ' in his 1968 presidential campaign , following the advice of kevin phillips , a political advisor , who later noted that the more negroes who register as democrats in the south , the sooner the negrophobe whites will quit the democrats and become republicans . ' and so it came to be : blacks , who were affiliated with lincoln 's republican party after the civil war and well into the 20th century , moved decisively to join the party of johnson , and later clinton , and obama , while the republican party moved sharply to the right and came to mostly represent white americans . in 2010 , after winning control of 25 state legislatures , republicans enacted a series of laws designed to suppress the votes of those who elected barack obama president in 2008 . then , on june 25 , 2013 , the conservative majority on the supreme court bid a final farewell to the party of lincoln by demolishing the voting rights act in shelby county v. holder . troubled by this development , john paul stevens , a republican appointed to the court in 1975 by president gerald ford , offered his dissent in the new york review of books article . justice stevens felt strongly that the court had erred in taking the case , since congress had thoroughly investigated and found evidence of racial discrimination in voting in 2006 , resulting in the act 's near-unanimous reauthorization that same year . he argued that the chief justice 's opinion had failed to explain why such a decision should be made by the members of the supreme court , ' and not the congress . after all , the fifteenth amendment to the constitution , which prohibits interference with voting on the basis of race , color , and condition of previous servitude , clearly gives the congress the right to pass legislation to enforce that amendment . the members of congress , representing the millions of voters who elected them , are far more likely to evaluate correctly the ... issue ... , ' stevens concluded . conservatives on the court were guilty of the judicial activism they had long decried . veterans of forgotten voting war count the cost in a final ironic twist , stevens quoted antonin scalia 's dissent in the defense of marriage case , which stevens thought applied at least as well , if not better , to what the court had done in shelby county v. holder : we have no power to decide this case . and even if we did , we have no power under the constitution to invalidate this democratically adopted legislation . the court 's errors on both points spring forth from the same diseased root : an exalted conception of the role of this institution in america . ' stevens'dissent , coming as it does from the man who served longer than any other republican appointee on the supreme court , testifies to how far that party has strayed from its origins . with the gutting of the voting rights act , republicans throughout the south are again passing voter suppression laws ( and , in north carolina , legislation which would damage women 's reproductive rights ) . it is no longer the party of lincoln or reagan . it has become the party of jefferson davis . whether the american people wish to turn the clock back to 1861 remains to be seen . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of gary may . | gary may : roberts court gutting voting rights act , recalls that gop no longer party of lincoln |
democrats <tsp> ( cnn ) -- our country has changed , ' wrote chief justice john roberts on june 25 , 2013 , when five of the nine supreme court justices dismantled the historic voting rights act . roberts is correct in at least one respect : today 's republican party is no longer the party of abraham lincoln , as former supreme court justice john paul stevens reminded us again in a recent article in the new york review of books . stevens , a lifelong republican appointed to the court by gerald ford , attacked roberts and his republican colleagues for usurping the authority of congress which had overwhelmingly renewed the act in 2006 . but 48 years ago this week , the republican party supported the cause of voting rights . on august 6 , 1965 , when president lyndon johnson signed the voting rights act into law , he gave the second pen he used to everett dirksen , the republican senate minority leader . dirksen deserved the honor because he was a major architect of the act . in fact , the bill was written in dirksen 's office as he sat next to acting attorney general nicholas katzenbach . later , insiders joked that the bill should be called dirksenbach . ' although suffering from emphysema , ulcers and an enlarged heart , dirksen worked hard defending the bill on the floor of the senate , successfully defeating southern efforts to weaken it . johnson feared that a southern filibuster would delay the bill until the senate adjourned for the summer , a dangerous prospect . they been doin'that for 35 years that i been here , ' johnson fumed , and i been watchin'em do it . ' opinion : 50 years later , civil rights struggle is far from over johnson turned to dirksen for help . the senator from illinois persuaded 23 fellow republicans to vote for cloture , shutting off a filibuster and freeing the voting rights act for an up or down vote . when it came , 30 republicans joined 47 democrats to pass the bill and send it to the house for their consideration . after southern efforts to destroy the bill in the house were defeated and differences between house and senate versions of the bill were resolved in conference committee , the 1965 voting rights act was passed overwhelmingly by both houses of congress that august , with republican support . soon , however , republicans began to court white voters in the south and elsewhere who were alienated by the democratic party 's embrace of civil rights . richard nixon first adopted this southern strategy ' in his 1968 presidential campaign , following the advice of kevin phillips , a political advisor , who later noted that the more negroes who register as democrats in the south , the sooner the negrophobe whites will quit the democrats and become republicans . ' and so it came to be : blacks , who were affiliated with lincoln 's republican party after the civil war and well into the 20th century , moved decisively to join the party of johnson , and later clinton , and obama , while the republican party moved sharply to the right and came to mostly represent white americans . in 2010 , after winning control of 25 state legislatures , republicans enacted a series of laws designed to suppress the votes of those who elected barack obama president in 2008 . then , on june 25 , 2013 , the conservative majority on the supreme court bid a final farewell to the party of lincoln by demolishing the voting rights act in shelby county v. holder . troubled by this development , john paul stevens , a republican appointed to the court in 1975 by president gerald ford , offered his dissent in the new york review of books article . justice stevens felt strongly that the court had erred in taking the case , since congress had thoroughly investigated and found evidence of racial discrimination in voting in 2006 , resulting in the act 's near-unanimous reauthorization that same year . he argued that the chief justice 's opinion had failed to explain why such a decision should be made by the members of the supreme court , ' and not the congress . after all , the fifteenth amendment to the constitution , which prohibits interference with voting on the basis of race , color , and condition of previous servitude , clearly gives the congress the right to pass legislation to enforce that amendment . the members of congress , representing the millions of voters who elected them , are far more likely to evaluate correctly the ... issue ... , ' stevens concluded . conservatives on the court were guilty of the judicial activism they had long decried . veterans of forgotten voting war count the cost in a final ironic twist , stevens quoted antonin scalia 's dissent in the defense of marriage case , which stevens thought applied at least as well , if not better , to what the court had done in shelby county v. holder : we have no power to decide this case . and even if we did , we have no power under the constitution to invalidate this democratically adopted legislation . the court 's errors on both points spring forth from the same diseased root : an exalted conception of the role of this institution in america . ' stevens'dissent , coming as it does from the man who served longer than any other republican appointee on the supreme court , testifies to how far that party has strayed from its origins . with the gutting of the voting rights act , republicans throughout the south are again passing voter suppression laws ( and , in north carolina , legislation which would damage women 's reproductive rights ) . it is no longer the party of lincoln or reagan . it has become the party of jefferson davis . whether the american people wish to turn the clock back to 1861 remains to be seen . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of gary may . | later , republican southern strategy ' wooed white voters , blacks flocked to democrats |
georgia <tsp> tblisi , georgia ( cnn ) -- russian forces launched an airstrike against a military airfield near the tbilisi international airport early sunday , despite international calls for russia to stand down from the escalating conflict , georgian officials told cnn . the attack near the georgian capital city came after a day of intense fighting in the former soviet republic , with dozens of russian warplanes bombing civilian and military targets in georgia on saturday . as many as 2,000 people had been killed in the capital of separatist georgian province south ossetia , according to a russian ambassador . the city of tskhinvali no longer exists . there is nothing left . it was wiped out by the georgian military , ' the russian news agency interfax said , quoting the russian ambassador to georgia , vyacheslav kovalenko . tskhinvali residents who survived the bombardment by hiding in basements and later fled the city estimated that hundreds of civilians had died . they said bodies were everywhere , according to the associated press . cnn could not independently confirm any death tolls , which varied greatly depending on the source . alexander lomaia , secretary of georgia 's national security council , said dozens of georgian troops had lost their lives . watch georgian minister describe fighting in south ossetia » ' our losses are mounting ... as many as 40 military servicemen killed and over 100 wounded , ' he said . the losses are also mounting among civilian population in the cities . ' lomaia said georgian troops in tskhinvali were engaged in fierce ground battles on saturday with russian troops , whom he said were engaged in a full-scale military operation . the operation included tanks , armored vehicles , heavy artillery , soldiers and paratroopers , lomaia said . military aircraft were crossing the georgian border about every 15 minutes , he said , hitting civilian , economic and military targets . he said that at least 50 military jets were being used . watch images of crashed georgian war plane » ' frankly , we have not expected the russian invaders to hit our residential buildings , to hit our peaceful cities , to hit our peaceful citizens , ' he said . he said he could n't confirm whether georgia 's capital , tbilisi , had been hit . from the legal point of view , our actions are absolutely justified and legitimate , ' russian prime minister vladimir putin said in vladikavkaz , the capital of the russian region of north ossetia . moreover , they are necessary . ' he arrived in the region that borders south ossetia on saturday night . putin 's press secretary told interfax that the premier was concerned about the flood of refugees arriving in russia from south ossetia . russian officials said that more than 30,000 refugees have left south ossetia and crossed into russia over the past two days , interfax reported . the actions of the georgian authorities in south ossetia are a crime , of course , primarily a crime against their own people , ' putin said . this aggression led to numerous casualties , among civilians in particular , and virtually caused a real humanitarian catastrophe . and that is already a crime against the ossetian people , ' he said . at the same time i would like to stress that georgia has always been greatly respected in russia and georgians regarded as brotherly people , ' the premier said . russians struck several major targets saturday , including the black sea port of poti , an airport , a major pipeline and a military base and train station in senaki in western georgia , lomaia said . georgian officials said that a center housing civilians had also been hit . eight georgians died in the port town , georgian officials said . the kodori gorge in upper abkhazia -- a second breakaway province in georgia -- was also bombarded by at least 12 russian jets , lomaia said . georgia 's public television station reported a second round of bombings in abkhazia at just before 11:30 p.m. military bases at vaziani and marneuli also came under attack , the british foreign office said , and russian aircraft bombed the georgian town of gori , about 35 miles northwest of tbilisi , georgian officials said . an associated press reporter who visited gori shortly after the russian airstrikes saturday saw several apartment buildings in ruins , some still on fire , and scores of dead bodies and bloodied civilians . the elderly , women and children were among the victims . a russian naval fleet was anchored in the black sea port of ochamchire in abkhazia province , lomaia added . we have managed to down 10 russian jets , and one of the pilots has been captured alive and is being treated in a military hospital , ' lomaia said . we have also destroyed up to 30 russian tanks and heavy military [ vehicles ] . ' the situation in south ossetia escalated rapidly from thursday night , when georgia said it had launched an operation into the region after its unilateral cease-fire was met with artillery fire from separatists that killed 10 people , including peacekeepers and civilians . it accused russia of backing the separatists . russian tanks began rolling into georgia on thursday night . on saturday , the georgian parliament approved president mikhail saakashvili 's request to impose a state of war ' for 15 days , officials said . the order is not a formal declaration of war and stops short of declaring martial law , according to georgian officials . it gives saakashvili powers he would not ordinarily have , such as issuing curfews , restricting the movement of people or limiting commercial activities , those officials said . saakashvili asked western leaders to pressure russia to agree to an immediate cease-fire . we are dealing with absolutely criminal and crazy acts of irresponsible and reckless decision makers , which is on the ground producing dramatic and tragic consequences , ' saakashvili said saturday afternoon . u.s. president bush , speaking from beijing , china , called for an immediate halt to the violence , a stand-down by all troops and an end to the russian bombings . he urged the sides to return to the status quo of august the 6th . ' watch bush express concerns over situation » ' the attacks are occurring in regions of georgia far from the zone of conflict in south ossetia . they mark a dangerous escalation in the crisis , ' bush said in a statement while attending the olympic games , according to the associated press . bush spoke saturday evening to saakashvili and russian president medvedev , a white house spokesman said . the war , saakashvili said , is not about south ossetia . it has never been in the first place . it is about destroying a small democratic nation aspiring to live in peace , freedom and liberty . ' this unprovoked , long-time-ago-planned invasion and aggression must stop , ' he said . it was unclear which side controlled tskhinvali on saturday . the georgians said fighting raged , but the russians said they had liberated ' the city . battalion task forces have fully liberated tskhinvali of georgian armed forces and started pushing georgian units out of the area of responsibility of the peacekeeping forces , ' general vladimir boldyrev , commander of the russian ground forces , told interfax . colonel-general anatoly nogovitsyn , a spokesman for the russian defense ministry , said that georgians had shot down two russian aircraft , contradicting georgian claims . georgia , a pro-western ally of the united states , is intent on asserting its authority over south ossetia and abkhazia . both have strong russian-backed separatist movements . inside south ossetia , civilians have been without water , electricity and basic services for more than a day , said maia kardava , a red cross spokeswoman in tbilisi . she said the red cross was unable to reach colleagues based in tskhinvali because their phones had lost power and they were huddled in bomb shelters . cnn 's elise labott and journalist elene gotsadze contributed to this report . copyright 2008 cnn . all rights reserved.this material may not be published , broadcast , rewritten , or redistributed . associated press contributed to this report . | russian prime minister : georgia 's actions are crime against their own people . ' |
georgia <tsp> tblisi , georgia ( cnn ) -- russian forces launched an airstrike against a military airfield near the tbilisi international airport early sunday , despite international calls for russia to stand down from the escalating conflict , georgian officials told cnn . the attack near the georgian capital city came after a day of intense fighting in the former soviet republic , with dozens of russian warplanes bombing civilian and military targets in georgia on saturday . as many as 2,000 people had been killed in the capital of separatist georgian province south ossetia , according to a russian ambassador . the city of tskhinvali no longer exists . there is nothing left . it was wiped out by the georgian military , ' the russian news agency interfax said , quoting the russian ambassador to georgia , vyacheslav kovalenko . tskhinvali residents who survived the bombardment by hiding in basements and later fled the city estimated that hundreds of civilians had died . they said bodies were everywhere , according to the associated press . cnn could not independently confirm any death tolls , which varied greatly depending on the source . alexander lomaia , secretary of georgia 's national security council , said dozens of georgian troops had lost their lives . watch georgian minister describe fighting in south ossetia » ' our losses are mounting ... as many as 40 military servicemen killed and over 100 wounded , ' he said . the losses are also mounting among civilian population in the cities . ' lomaia said georgian troops in tskhinvali were engaged in fierce ground battles on saturday with russian troops , whom he said were engaged in a full-scale military operation . the operation included tanks , armored vehicles , heavy artillery , soldiers and paratroopers , lomaia said . military aircraft were crossing the georgian border about every 15 minutes , he said , hitting civilian , economic and military targets . he said that at least 50 military jets were being used . watch images of crashed georgian war plane » ' frankly , we have not expected the russian invaders to hit our residential buildings , to hit our peaceful cities , to hit our peaceful citizens , ' he said . he said he could n't confirm whether georgia 's capital , tbilisi , had been hit . from the legal point of view , our actions are absolutely justified and legitimate , ' russian prime minister vladimir putin said in vladikavkaz , the capital of the russian region of north ossetia . moreover , they are necessary . ' he arrived in the region that borders south ossetia on saturday night . putin 's press secretary told interfax that the premier was concerned about the flood of refugees arriving in russia from south ossetia . russian officials said that more than 30,000 refugees have left south ossetia and crossed into russia over the past two days , interfax reported . the actions of the georgian authorities in south ossetia are a crime , of course , primarily a crime against their own people , ' putin said . this aggression led to numerous casualties , among civilians in particular , and virtually caused a real humanitarian catastrophe . and that is already a crime against the ossetian people , ' he said . at the same time i would like to stress that georgia has always been greatly respected in russia and georgians regarded as brotherly people , ' the premier said . russians struck several major targets saturday , including the black sea port of poti , an airport , a major pipeline and a military base and train station in senaki in western georgia , lomaia said . georgian officials said that a center housing civilians had also been hit . eight georgians died in the port town , georgian officials said . the kodori gorge in upper abkhazia -- a second breakaway province in georgia -- was also bombarded by at least 12 russian jets , lomaia said . georgia 's public television station reported a second round of bombings in abkhazia at just before 11:30 p.m. military bases at vaziani and marneuli also came under attack , the british foreign office said , and russian aircraft bombed the georgian town of gori , about 35 miles northwest of tbilisi , georgian officials said . an associated press reporter who visited gori shortly after the russian airstrikes saturday saw several apartment buildings in ruins , some still on fire , and scores of dead bodies and bloodied civilians . the elderly , women and children were among the victims . a russian naval fleet was anchored in the black sea port of ochamchire in abkhazia province , lomaia added . we have managed to down 10 russian jets , and one of the pilots has been captured alive and is being treated in a military hospital , ' lomaia said . we have also destroyed up to 30 russian tanks and heavy military [ vehicles ] . ' the situation in south ossetia escalated rapidly from thursday night , when georgia said it had launched an operation into the region after its unilateral cease-fire was met with artillery fire from separatists that killed 10 people , including peacekeepers and civilians . it accused russia of backing the separatists . russian tanks began rolling into georgia on thursday night . on saturday , the georgian parliament approved president mikhail saakashvili 's request to impose a state of war ' for 15 days , officials said . the order is not a formal declaration of war and stops short of declaring martial law , according to georgian officials . it gives saakashvili powers he would not ordinarily have , such as issuing curfews , restricting the movement of people or limiting commercial activities , those officials said . saakashvili asked western leaders to pressure russia to agree to an immediate cease-fire . we are dealing with absolutely criminal and crazy acts of irresponsible and reckless decision makers , which is on the ground producing dramatic and tragic consequences , ' saakashvili said saturday afternoon . u.s. president bush , speaking from beijing , china , called for an immediate halt to the violence , a stand-down by all troops and an end to the russian bombings . he urged the sides to return to the status quo of august the 6th . ' watch bush express concerns over situation » ' the attacks are occurring in regions of georgia far from the zone of conflict in south ossetia . they mark a dangerous escalation in the crisis , ' bush said in a statement while attending the olympic games , according to the associated press . bush spoke saturday evening to saakashvili and russian president medvedev , a white house spokesman said . the war , saakashvili said , is not about south ossetia . it has never been in the first place . it is about destroying a small democratic nation aspiring to live in peace , freedom and liberty . ' this unprovoked , long-time-ago-planned invasion and aggression must stop , ' he said . it was unclear which side controlled tskhinvali on saturday . the georgians said fighting raged , but the russians said they had liberated ' the city . battalion task forces have fully liberated tskhinvali of georgian armed forces and started pushing georgian units out of the area of responsibility of the peacekeeping forces , ' general vladimir boldyrev , commander of the russian ground forces , told interfax . colonel-general anatoly nogovitsyn , a spokesman for the russian defense ministry , said that georgians had shot down two russian aircraft , contradicting georgian claims . georgia , a pro-western ally of the united states , is intent on asserting its authority over south ossetia and abkhazia . both have strong russian-backed separatist movements . inside south ossetia , civilians have been without water , electricity and basic services for more than a day , said maia kardava , a red cross spokeswoman in tbilisi . she said the red cross was unable to reach colleagues based in tskhinvali because their phones had lost power and they were huddled in bomb shelters . cnn 's elise labott and journalist elene gotsadze contributed to this report . copyright 2008 cnn . all rights reserved.this material may not be published , broadcast , rewritten , or redistributed . associated press contributed to this report . | 40 military killed and mounting civilian casualties , georgia official says |
phnom penh <tsp> phnom penh , cambodia ( cnn ) -- late one night , after dark , we met up with don brewster -- head of agape international missions , an ngo fighting child prostitution -- to go behind the scenes at cambodia 's ktvs : karaoke clubs that are fronts for brothels . i threw on some jeans and tried to look like a tourist who was up for a kinky kind of tour , with my ersatz boyfriend ' -- our cameraman , scott . don drove us first to an out of the way small side street , where there were tiny ktvs operating out in the open like cheap brothels . girls sat on plastic chairs lining the entrance , all painted up and wearing short skirts , high heels and fake smiles . we walked past a few , stopping to talk for a little while . the girls would stand up , becoming energized and engaged . we crossed the street and approached another one , as if we were sampling the wares at each one . we walk into a ktv ; scott and don lead the way into the karaoke rooms . i become less nervous as we walk to the back where an overweight young woman frantically sweeps the kitchen floor , and we are pointed up some cement and metal stairs . we pass hallways full of closed doors , in which i can only imagine the sex acts occur . we are brought into a low ceilinged , dank room with some disgusting couches and a video screen on one wall . i am overwhelmed with the saturated smell of air freshener that apparently has gone off like an insect fogger in this room -- to cover what odor , who knows . i nearly gag and we beat a quick path out of there . we hop back into the car and head off . next stop : a famous 5-storied fortress of a ktv with armed guards outside . don says if we take the elevator up from the basement , we can skip the bar and go straight to the massage ' floor . on the fifth floor we are immediately led to a giant windowed fishbowl ' where at least 20 girls sit on bleacher to be observed and picked . scott walks in front of the pane ; they respond to his macho energy , rising and preening . i have my iphone in hand and itching to take a picture when suddenly things go horribly sideways : a white-clad girl in the bowl suddenly jumps up and starts screaming she take a picture ! ! ' she runs into the lobby and a grim-faced mama-san bustles up to us . the girl crowds us and accuses me ; more people start to gather . my friends advise me to erase the picture -- but i have n't taken any ! i try and stand my ground and keep saying , i did n't take a picture . ' but i am becoming very nervous and the situation is getting ugly . we hustle back onto the elevator . we were lucky to get out of there without running into the security guys , because there could have been real trouble . but their behavior absolutely cemented the fact that something illegal , beyond legal-aged prostitution is going on there . they were acting like they had far too much to lose . we head to another ktv , this one still upscale but less fortress-like than the last . paintings of the cosmos line the ceiling in the lobby . we were ushered in and led us upstairs to karaoke room where hostesses in satin , beaded formal dresses greet us . the large and comfortable room had a giant screen on one wall and couches lining the other three walls . colored lights pulse and change on the walls . an older woman walked in five girls dressed in fairly classy though sexy business suits , for us to take our pick of whom we would like to stay with us . scott , fully playing the part , roars out in his new zealand accent , you have anything younger , fresher ? ! ' the girls scurry out in a hurry . then more girls enter . these definitely seem younger . they are also more provocatively dressed ; they are wearing very short little black dresses . don picks one , and so does scott and the two join us ; the karaoke starts in earnest . i must sing with gusto to justify my presence , otherwise what is this white lady doing here ? we sit there and begin to get their life stories . the young girl sitting next to me , the one scott chose , is extremely pretty . it is impossible to tell how old she is -- she claims to be 21 , i would believe it if she was 14 . she says she does n't come from phnom penh , and she is working here because her family is very poor and needs the money . her family does n't know what kind of work she is doing , she said . if they find out , they will be angry with her . she has a very pretty smile , but there are moments when i watch her where the smile disappears , and she looks very sad . she chooses to sing a song from the karaoke catalog , a popular dance hit in khmer , which has a video of a singer performing in front of what looks to be an american style high school dance , again like a prom . i am told the song is called only one virginity ' ( ! ) and it talks about how a girl is like a flower , and only has the one time where she has most value . our young acquaintance sings her heart out , very intently performing if not always tunefully . afterwards she tells me that she very specifically picked this one out , and that she wishes that she will meet a man that will go to her parents and ask for her hand , respect her . i try to get her to talk about what men expect from her here , but it does n't go very far . i see that don has been very busy with the girl he invited to stay , showing her a video on his iphone in which a girl from his center talks about how she was able to leave a ktv and now has a job that she is excited about and is much happier . she was very intrigued by the video and she gave him her cellphone number so the girl from the video could call her and follow up . i passed his iphone to our young companion . thankfully , the hostesses did not seem to mind or care that we were doing this ; the whole room was on security cameras poised in the corners but no one came in and stopped us . she watched and listened to the video very intently . afterwards she said she liked it . i know it is hard to trust us , strangers , ' i told her . but i am a mom ( and i showed her pictures of my four happy children and me hugging my two daughters ) and i would n't want my kids in a situation like this . ' she did n't give her number , but we told her it was okay , don 's outreach person would call her friend and we gave her don 's card . i impressed on her that this was opportunity knocking on her door , and she should answer it : this was her chance for a happier life . we hugged goodbye , and went back to the cars . i had no idea that i was going to be involved in trying to recruit girls to leave the ktv life and receive the services of don 's ngo . what a night . | karaoke bars are often fronts for prostitution in phnom penh , the country 's capital |
russia <tsp> ( cnn ) -- sweden 's chase for what is widely suspected to be a submerged russian submarine operating within its territorial waters ca n't help but remind older swedes of the fact that , during the cold war , swedish waters were thought to be regularly covertly probed by submarines belonging to the soviet union . indeed , back in 1981 , the whiskey on the rocks ' incident saw a soviet attack submarine carrying nuclear-tipped torpedoes run aground on the shoals not far from the swedish naval base at karlskrona . fast forward more than three decades , and vladimir putin 's russia is by no means the threat -- materially or ideologically -- that the soviet union was during the cold war . but the fact that the russian leader has made it clear that he does not accept the advance of democratic regimes onto russia 's doorstep -- whether they be tied either to the european union or nato -- is bound to mean that this latest incident will have echoes of times past for many swedes . and putin has been willing to match words with action . with a plan under way to modernize russia 's military over the next decade , moscow has increasingly been willing to flex its armed muscle not only in ukraine , but against other neighbors as well . in the case of sweden , this has included russian simulated air attacks against stockholm , the buzzing of swedish ships and planes by russian aircraft and , as recent as this september , the alleged violation of swedish airspace by two russian su-24s , a supersonic attack aircraft . putin 's jabs at sweden are undoubtedly also tied to the fact that the government of sweden has , in reaction to putin 's revanchist policies , increased its operational ties to nato and neighboring nato states even while remaining formally outside the alliance . in fact , the submarine chase that is now occurring comes on the heels of sweden 's participation in a baltic sea military exercise that included vessels and aircraft from denmark , poland and the netherlands . such cooperation is needed precisely because sweden has , like the rest of europe , spent much of the post-cold war era cutting its defense budget and the size of its armed forces . for example , sweden 's navy today has fewer than 10 surface combatants , no operational anti-submarine warfare helicopters and only five submarines . it was only two years ago that sweden 's top military officer admitted that his forces could only defend a small segment of the country for about a week without outside help . all this suggests that the hard reality is that sweden is in moscow 's sights -- and not just because stockholm leans toward the west in its policies . the region 's geography means that any conflict in the baltic region would almost certainly involve sweden . kaliningrad , russia 's major military enclave on the baltic sea , is hemmed in by poland and lithuania on its borders and sweden by the sea , and control of the latter 's airspace and seas could be decisive if a major conflict should occur . in mid-september , swedes went to the polls and rejected a third term for the center-right coalition that had governed sweden since 2006 . the new government is an alliance of left-leaning parties led by the social democratic party and has pledged to increase defense spending . no doubt , news of a possible russian sub trolling in swedish waters will bolster public support for the government 's decision to up swedish military capabilities . the question stockholm will face is whether the planned increase -- less than $ 1 billion over 10 years -- will be sufficient to make up for the two decades of decline and adequate to deal with russian plans to expand its military strength . for decades , the swedish government has avoided taking explicit sides between brussels and moscow . but the swedes will find sitting on the fence to be increasingly uncomfortable when putin is your next-door neighbor . | sweden has expanded operational ties with russia , schmitt says |
russia <tsp> ( cnn ) -- sweden 's chase for what is widely suspected to be a submerged russian submarine operating within its territorial waters ca n't help but remind older swedes of the fact that , during the cold war , swedish waters were thought to be regularly covertly probed by submarines belonging to the soviet union . indeed , back in 1981 , the whiskey on the rocks ' incident saw a soviet attack submarine carrying nuclear-tipped torpedoes run aground on the shoals not far from the swedish naval base at karlskrona . fast forward more than three decades , and vladimir putin 's russia is by no means the threat -- materially or ideologically -- that the soviet union was during the cold war . but the fact that the russian leader has made it clear that he does not accept the advance of democratic regimes onto russia 's doorstep -- whether they be tied either to the european union or nato -- is bound to mean that this latest incident will have echoes of times past for many swedes . and putin has been willing to match words with action . with a plan under way to modernize russia 's military over the next decade , moscow has increasingly been willing to flex its armed muscle not only in ukraine , but against other neighbors as well . in the case of sweden , this has included russian simulated air attacks against stockholm , the buzzing of swedish ships and planes by russian aircraft and , as recent as this september , the alleged violation of swedish airspace by two russian su-24s , a supersonic attack aircraft . putin 's jabs at sweden are undoubtedly also tied to the fact that the government of sweden has , in reaction to putin 's revanchist policies , increased its operational ties to nato and neighboring nato states even while remaining formally outside the alliance . in fact , the submarine chase that is now occurring comes on the heels of sweden 's participation in a baltic sea military exercise that included vessels and aircraft from denmark , poland and the netherlands . such cooperation is needed precisely because sweden has , like the rest of europe , spent much of the post-cold war era cutting its defense budget and the size of its armed forces . for example , sweden 's navy today has fewer than 10 surface combatants , no operational anti-submarine warfare helicopters and only five submarines . it was only two years ago that sweden 's top military officer admitted that his forces could only defend a small segment of the country for about a week without outside help . all this suggests that the hard reality is that sweden is in moscow 's sights -- and not just because stockholm leans toward the west in its policies . the region 's geography means that any conflict in the baltic region would almost certainly involve sweden . kaliningrad , russia 's major military enclave on the baltic sea , is hemmed in by poland and lithuania on its borders and sweden by the sea , and control of the latter 's airspace and seas could be decisive if a major conflict should occur . in mid-september , swedes went to the polls and rejected a third term for the center-right coalition that had governed sweden since 2006 . the new government is an alliance of left-leaning parties led by the social democratic party and has pledged to increase defense spending . no doubt , news of a possible russian sub trolling in swedish waters will bolster public support for the government 's decision to up swedish military capabilities . the question stockholm will face is whether the planned increase -- less than $ 1 billion over 10 years -- will be sufficient to make up for the two decades of decline and adequate to deal with russian plans to expand its military strength . for decades , the swedish government has avoided taking explicit sides between brussels and moscow . but the swedes will find sitting on the fence to be increasingly uncomfortable when putin is your next-door neighbor . | vladimir putin 's russia is by no means the threat the soviet union was during the cold war |
joe lieberman <tsp> ( cnn ) -- in the physical world , wikileaks founder julian assange is a wanted man . in the virtual world , his website is under attack and on the run . there is n't much question that the person who obtained the wikileaks cables from a classified u.s. government network broke u.s. law and should expect to face the consequences . the legal rights of a website that publishes material acquired from that person , however , are much more controversial . there are many prominent americans -- and a great many ordinary americans -- who have made their views clear over the past week that wikileaks' cablegate ' website should not be considered constitutionally protected speech . others , however , believe equally strongly that now that the material is out , news media and website owners have the right to publish the material . what is troubling and dangerous is that in the internet age , public discourse increasingly depends on digital spaces created , owned and operated by private companies . the result is that one politician has more power than ever to shut down controversial speech unilaterally with one phone call . after suffering aggressive cyber attacks last weekend , assange removed his cablegate ' site from servers in sweden and purchased a new home for it on amazon 's web hosting service . on tuesday , amazon talked on the phone with the office of sen. joe lieberman , chairman of the senate 's committee on homeland security . shortly thereafter , amazon booted wikileaks . the senator responded with a statement : i wish that amazon had taken this action earlier based on wikileaks'previous publication of classified material . the company 's decision to cut off wikileaks now is the right decision and should set the standard for other companies wikileaks is using to distribute its illegally seized material . ' this is not the first time lieberman has demanded that an american internet company take down controversial material . last time , the outcome was different . in 2008 , lieberman wrote to google ceo eric schmidt , demanding immediate removal of content produced by islamist terrorist organizations from youtube . ' while youtube did remove a few videos that violated community guidelines against violence and hate speech , it refused to remove most of them . google 's lawyers determined that the material lieberman wanted removed , while upsetting to many americans , was clearly protected under the first amendment . while we respect and understand [ lieberman 's ] views , youtube encourages free speech and defends everyone 's right to express unpopular points of view , ' schmidt wrote in his response . he continued : we believe youtube is a richer and more relevant platform for users precisely because it hosts a diverse range of views , and rather than stifle debate , we allow our users to view all acceptable content and make up their own minds . ' the new york times editorial page chimed in : while it is fortunate that mr. lieberman does not have the power to tell youtube that it must remove videos , it is profoundly disturbing that an influential senator would even consider telling a media company to shut down constitutionally protected speech . ' amazon 's dumping of wikileaks at one senator 's request brings into stark relief one of the core problems americans have grappled with since before our country even existed : where is the right balance between security , on one hand , and civil liberties , on the other ? we have always disagreed passionately . much of american politics and a large number of constitutional battles center on this question . one might even argue that our political and legal systems are designed to enable this argument to continue indefinitely as new technologies and challenges arise . but the wikileaks amazon case also highlights a new problem for american democracy -- and ultimately for the future of freedom and democracy more globally . a substantial if not critical amount of our political discourse has moved into the digital realm . this realm is largely made up of virtual spaces that are created , owned and operated by the private sector . as far as the law is concerned , amazon is off the hook . speech within the kingdom of amazonia -- run by its sovereign jeff bezos and his board of directors with help from the wise counsel and judgment of the company 's executives -- is not protected in the same way that speech is constitutionally protected in america 's public spaces . the law gives amazon the right to set its own rules . the company 's terms of service clearly state that it reserves the right to refuse service , terminate accounts , remove or edit content in its sole discretion . ' by clicking agree , ' the customer has legally consented to represent and warrant that you own or otherwise control all of the rights to the content , ' and that said content will not cause injury to any person or entity . ' given that citizens are increasingly dependent on privately owned spaces for our politics and public discourse , however , the fight over how speech should be governed in a democracy is focused increasingly on questions of how private companies should or should n't control speech conducted on and across their networks and platforms . we are facing new questions on which americans have no clear consensus , and which were not covered in civics class : how will decisions made by private internet and telecommunications companies about what content they will or wo n't allow affect the ability of citizens to carry out informed debate on important matters of public concern ? what are the private sector 's obligations and responsibilities to prevent the erosion of democracy ? while amazon was within its legal rights , the company has nonetheless sent a clear signal to its users : if you engage in controversial speech that some individual members of the u.s. government do n't like -- even if there is a strong case to be made that your speech is constitutionally protected -- amazon is going to dump you at the first sign of trouble . let 's hope that there will always be other companies willing to stand up for our rights as enshrined both in the u.s. constitution and in the universal declaration of human rights -- and by extension their right to do business with us . the future of freedom in the internet age may well depend on whether we the people can succeed in holding companies that now act as arbiters of the public discourse accountable to the public interest . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of rebecca mackinnon . | what 's troubling , she says , is that sen. joe lieberman can get amazon to dump it from server |
richardson <tsp> washington ( cnn ) -- beginning saturday and continuing over the next few weeks , some of the nation 's most prominent governors will be leaving office as a new crop of state chief executives are sworn in . among the more well-known governors who will be leaving office : -- republicans arnold schwarzenegger of california , charlie crist of florida , tim pawlenty of minnesota and mark sanford of south carolina -- democrats bill richardson of new mexico , david paterson of new york , ed rendell of pennsylvania , ted strickland of ohio and jennifer granholm of michigan some of them are leaving due to term limits , some were defeated and others sought different offices . some are leaving after having survived high-profile scandals . others are departing after weathering a myriad of problems affecting their states . david paterson , jennifer granholm and bill richardson will be the first to leave office when their successors are sworn in on saturday . richardson told cnn he is going to stay in santa fe , new mexico , and looks forward to becoming a private citizen after having served as a governor , a cabinet secretary , a united nations ambassador and a congressman . i 'm going to try to set up a foreign policy institute where i continue my work on peacemaking , on rescuing hostages , on u.s.-latin american relations . i 'm going to stay active , ' richardson told cnn 's john king usa ' program on thursday . i 'm going to be around -- not in new mexico politics but more at a national and hopefully international level . but you know i need a pause , the people in new mexico need a pause from me , probably the country needs a pause from me . ' having just returned from a trip to north korea to help calm recent tensions , richardson said he intends to stay involved in that issue and other foreign policy matters but does n't rule out returning to washington one day . schwarzenegger 's last day in office is next monday . it has been a roller coaster for the actor turned politician . after first winning office following the recall of his predecessor , gray davis , in 2003 , he promised a new approach . while his supporters point to major environmental and political reforms in the state , his popularity plummeted as the state 's fiscal problems mounted . california confronted major deficits and financial headaches as schwarzenegger and legislators faced off trying to find solutions to deal with the red ink . in an interview in november on nbc 's tonight show , ' schwarzenegger said he did not have regrets about his decision to run . it was one of the greatest decisions i ever made because working for the people of california is really was a great pleasure for me , it was a great honor . it was very rewarding to make some of the decisions that had to be made , and we really moved the state forward , ' he told host jay leno . while detractors such as some of the state 's labor unions have criticized some of the decisions he has made , schwarzenegger pointed to some of his accomplishments . i am very happy i became the reform governor , that we reformed workers compensation , that we reformed the primary -- open primaries so that we bring both of the parties closer together , ' he said . i am very happy we took the power away from the legislators and from the lawmakers , the power to draw the district lines ... also all of the environmental laws , ' such as ones to reduce greenhouse gases and to encourage alternative energy sources . but he also acknowledged some of the financial problems facing the golden state with declarations of fiscal emergencies and several rounds of major spending cuts to popular programs . i have to say that i am sad that we had a second in my term , a second decline economically , because no matter how much i brag about what we have accomplished it is horrible when you see so many people unemployed . suddenly people losing their jobs . so many people suffering . ' on monday , former governor jerry brown , a democrat , will once again take the helm of the state as it faces a growing budget gap . it is now estimated its deficit will be $ 28 billion over the next 18 months . even before taking office , brown has been meeting with state officials and legislators to help find ways of dealing with it . the most scandal-ridden governor to be leaving office now is south carolina 's mark sanford , whose fiscal conservative credentials were helping to propel his career . however , last year he admitted lying to his staff when he told them he had gone on a hiking trip on the appalachian trail . instead , it turned into a political crisis . before a painful press conference at the state capitol , he went into detail about how he had ventured to argentina for a rendezvous with a mistress . eventually his wife , jenny , divorced him . despite calls for his resignation and impeachment inquiries , sanford persisted and stayed in office . before sanford 's last day on january 12 , he is scheduled to tour parts of the state to extend thanks to his supporters . in an interview with cnn affiliate wcbd in charleston , sanford said one of the things he was most proud in his eight years as governor was bringing some fiscal discipline to the state . one incident of his gubernatorial career will certainly stand out : in 2004 he brought some live pigs into the state house after some of his budget vetoes were overturned , to protest what he considered pork barrel spending . he eventually got his way . it went to the core of whether we have a balanced budget requirement in the state , ' he said . he told the station in the time since his affair became public it has been a time of some accomplishment for the state . if you look at these last 18 months they have been surprisingly productive , ' he said , pointing to some vetoes of bills amounting to savings of about $ 260 million . sanford will be succeeded by republican state legislator nikki haley , a rising star in the gop . | outgoing democrats include richardson of new mexico and paterson of new york |
schlamowitz <tsp> ( cnn ) -- as long as there are postmen , life will have zest . so said philosopher william james , though younger generations may question the need for snail mail at all . but louis schlamowitz , for one , is grateful to postmen , who over the years have dropped thousands of envelopes into the mailbox of his cramped apartment in the canarsie neighborhood of brooklyn , where he has spent all his life . in that box came words and photographs from the famous -- and sometimes the infamous . now , in his closet , he has three jackets hanging , lonely among the 60 photo albums stacked up from the floor and on the shelf . south america ' contains manuel noriega . fidel castro . u.s. presidents ' includes john f. kennedy , ronald reagan , barack obama and harry truman , who started schlamowitz on his unusual hobby . then there 's the middle east album , a veritable assortment of dictators , fallen and felled . among the likes of ayatollah ruhollah khomeini , yasser arafat and hosni mubarak is moammar gadhafi , whose ignoble death last month earned schlamowitz himself a bit of instant fame . schlamowitz 's collection -- he says he has more than 6,000 letters and autographed photos -- had been written about before , but after gadhafi died , everyone became curious about why an 81-year-old american corresponded with the despot . to answer that question , schlamowitz takes his questioners back to 1953 , when he was a young army private in korea . his buddy had a sole christmas card left and schlamowitz decided he would send it to truman . he wo n't reply to me , ' schlamowitz thought . i 'm nobody special . ' but his friend insisted he mail it . what do you have to lose ? ' he said . his friend thought wisely , it turns out . a month and a half later , came the response , on presidential stationery . schlamowitz was inspired . if truman can write back , why not others ? back in new york , he married , had a daughter , and worked for 35 years designing floral arrangements first at a manhattan shop , then closer to home in brooklyn . when he saw someone in the news , he looked up the person 's address and dropped a letter in the mail . he was especially fond of politicians and world leaders . he wrote to gadhafi , then a young colonel who had usurped power in libya in 1969 through a military coup . he asked for a signed photograph . i found his name in the papers , ' schlamowitz says , sitting at a cluttered table surrounded by metal folding chairs . i wished him well . ' he got his photo and a letter that said : your kind message to col. moammar gadhafi , leader of the great first september revolution , has been received with great appreciation . ' schlamowitz , a devout jew , even received a christmas card from the muslim gadhafi . gadhafi wrote several times more ; one letter attacked america for practicing terrorism with its support of israel -- not what a jewish man who also had letters from israel 's golda meir , yitzhak rabin and moshe dayan would want to read . america practices terrorism against the palestinian people through providing israel with the planes and weapons for attacking the palestinian camps . america 's countering of those people 's struggle is a crime against humanity and liberty , ' gadhafi wrote . schlamowitz put the typewritten words into the album , alongside photos of gadhafi , autographed in red ink . but he stopped writing to gadhafi , he says , after the 1988 bombing over lockerbie , scotland . they were shooting down a plane killing innocent people , ' he says . he did n't want to be mixed up with individuals who were committing crimes against humanity . ' after the libyan uprising was well under way , schlamowitz felt an urge to write again . if you do n't do the right thing for your people and for your country , eventually your people will turn against you , ' he told the dictator . the letter was returned to him , unopened . he should have stepped down like the president of egypt , ' schlamowitz says . maybe he would be alive today . but power , it 's not that easy to give it up . ' if schlamowitz 's correspondence has intrigued the public , it has certainly raised eyebrows in the halls of intelligence . he says he 's been visited by the cia , fbi and homeland security a number of times . they told him his name keeps popping up in washington . they wanted to know what his connection was to some of these men , considered enemies of america . schlamowitz explained it was no big deal . that he just wanted to write to them and maybe get a photo to hang on his otherwise drab walls . you look like a clean-cut fellow , ' a cia agent once told him . it 's a hell of a hobby you have , schlamowitz . ' schlamowitz has sold only a few of his prized possessions . two letters from marilyn monroe fetched $ 500 . a christmas card from jackie and jfk , $ 50 . someone once offered him $ 35,000 for the whole collection . he wanted to pay him $ 10,000 up front and the rest after an auction . the problem was the advance was a personal check . schlamowitz was n't going to take that chance . cash only , he says . three years ago , a guy from brooklyn offered him a dollar for each piece he owned . you must be sick , ' schlamowitz told him . and i am even sicker dealing with you . ' schlamowitz has no idea what his collection is worth , but he knew when he was getting ripped off . he 's thankful for his daughter and grandchildren . they are sure to take good care of his treasure trove after he is gone . lately , he has n't been writing as much . his hand gives way , he says . tough to keep it all going at his age . he does n't know why reporters called on him so much , though he certainly enjoys showing off his stuff . i 'm nobody special , ' he says . i just want to be a part of history . ' an ordinary guy with an extraordinary collection . | gadhafi 's death cast the spotlight on schlamowitz |
schlamowitz <tsp> ( cnn ) -- as long as there are postmen , life will have zest . so said philosopher william james , though younger generations may question the need for snail mail at all . but louis schlamowitz , for one , is grateful to postmen , who over the years have dropped thousands of envelopes into the mailbox of his cramped apartment in the canarsie neighborhood of brooklyn , where he has spent all his life . in that box came words and photographs from the famous -- and sometimes the infamous . now , in his closet , he has three jackets hanging , lonely among the 60 photo albums stacked up from the floor and on the shelf . south america ' contains manuel noriega . fidel castro . u.s. presidents ' includes john f. kennedy , ronald reagan , barack obama and harry truman , who started schlamowitz on his unusual hobby . then there 's the middle east album , a veritable assortment of dictators , fallen and felled . among the likes of ayatollah ruhollah khomeini , yasser arafat and hosni mubarak is moammar gadhafi , whose ignoble death last month earned schlamowitz himself a bit of instant fame . schlamowitz 's collection -- he says he has more than 6,000 letters and autographed photos -- had been written about before , but after gadhafi died , everyone became curious about why an 81-year-old american corresponded with the despot . to answer that question , schlamowitz takes his questioners back to 1953 , when he was a young army private in korea . his buddy had a sole christmas card left and schlamowitz decided he would send it to truman . he wo n't reply to me , ' schlamowitz thought . i 'm nobody special . ' but his friend insisted he mail it . what do you have to lose ? ' he said . his friend thought wisely , it turns out . a month and a half later , came the response , on presidential stationery . schlamowitz was inspired . if truman can write back , why not others ? back in new york , he married , had a daughter , and worked for 35 years designing floral arrangements first at a manhattan shop , then closer to home in brooklyn . when he saw someone in the news , he looked up the person 's address and dropped a letter in the mail . he was especially fond of politicians and world leaders . he wrote to gadhafi , then a young colonel who had usurped power in libya in 1969 through a military coup . he asked for a signed photograph . i found his name in the papers , ' schlamowitz says , sitting at a cluttered table surrounded by metal folding chairs . i wished him well . ' he got his photo and a letter that said : your kind message to col. moammar gadhafi , leader of the great first september revolution , has been received with great appreciation . ' schlamowitz , a devout jew , even received a christmas card from the muslim gadhafi . gadhafi wrote several times more ; one letter attacked america for practicing terrorism with its support of israel -- not what a jewish man who also had letters from israel 's golda meir , yitzhak rabin and moshe dayan would want to read . america practices terrorism against the palestinian people through providing israel with the planes and weapons for attacking the palestinian camps . america 's countering of those people 's struggle is a crime against humanity and liberty , ' gadhafi wrote . schlamowitz put the typewritten words into the album , alongside photos of gadhafi , autographed in red ink . but he stopped writing to gadhafi , he says , after the 1988 bombing over lockerbie , scotland . they were shooting down a plane killing innocent people , ' he says . he did n't want to be mixed up with individuals who were committing crimes against humanity . ' after the libyan uprising was well under way , schlamowitz felt an urge to write again . if you do n't do the right thing for your people and for your country , eventually your people will turn against you , ' he told the dictator . the letter was returned to him , unopened . he should have stepped down like the president of egypt , ' schlamowitz says . maybe he would be alive today . but power , it 's not that easy to give it up . ' if schlamowitz 's correspondence has intrigued the public , it has certainly raised eyebrows in the halls of intelligence . he says he 's been visited by the cia , fbi and homeland security a number of times . they told him his name keeps popping up in washington . they wanted to know what his connection was to some of these men , considered enemies of america . schlamowitz explained it was no big deal . that he just wanted to write to them and maybe get a photo to hang on his otherwise drab walls . you look like a clean-cut fellow , ' a cia agent once told him . it 's a hell of a hobby you have , schlamowitz . ' schlamowitz has sold only a few of his prized possessions . two letters from marilyn monroe fetched $ 500 . a christmas card from jackie and jfk , $ 50 . someone once offered him $ 35,000 for the whole collection . he wanted to pay him $ 10,000 up front and the rest after an auction . the problem was the advance was a personal check . schlamowitz was n't going to take that chance . cash only , he says . three years ago , a guy from brooklyn offered him a dollar for each piece he owned . you must be sick , ' schlamowitz told him . and i am even sicker dealing with you . ' schlamowitz has no idea what his collection is worth , but he knew when he was getting ripped off . he 's thankful for his daughter and grandchildren . they are sure to take good care of his treasure trove after he is gone . lately , he has n't been writing as much . his hand gives way , he says . tough to keep it all going at his age . he does n't know why reporters called on him so much , though he certainly enjoys showing off his stuff . i 'm nobody special , ' he says . i just want to be a part of history . ' an ordinary guy with an extraordinary collection . | louis schlamowitz likes to correspond with world leaders |
ayatollah khomeini <tsp> ( cnn ) -- as long as there are postmen , life will have zest . so said philosopher william james , though younger generations may question the need for snail mail at all . but louis schlamowitz , for one , is grateful to postmen , who over the years have dropped thousands of envelopes into the mailbox of his cramped apartment in the canarsie neighborhood of brooklyn , where he has spent all his life . in that box came words and photographs from the famous -- and sometimes the infamous . now , in his closet , he has three jackets hanging , lonely among the 60 photo albums stacked up from the floor and on the shelf . south america ' contains manuel noriega . fidel castro . u.s. presidents ' includes john f. kennedy , ronald reagan , barack obama and harry truman , who started schlamowitz on his unusual hobby . then there 's the middle east album , a veritable assortment of dictators , fallen and felled . among the likes of ayatollah ruhollah khomeini , yasser arafat and hosni mubarak is moammar gadhafi , whose ignoble death last month earned schlamowitz himself a bit of instant fame . schlamowitz 's collection -- he says he has more than 6,000 letters and autographed photos -- had been written about before , but after gadhafi died , everyone became curious about why an 81-year-old american corresponded with the despot . to answer that question , schlamowitz takes his questioners back to 1953 , when he was a young army private in korea . his buddy had a sole christmas card left and schlamowitz decided he would send it to truman . he wo n't reply to me , ' schlamowitz thought . i 'm nobody special . ' but his friend insisted he mail it . what do you have to lose ? ' he said . his friend thought wisely , it turns out . a month and a half later , came the response , on presidential stationery . schlamowitz was inspired . if truman can write back , why not others ? back in new york , he married , had a daughter , and worked for 35 years designing floral arrangements first at a manhattan shop , then closer to home in brooklyn . when he saw someone in the news , he looked up the person 's address and dropped a letter in the mail . he was especially fond of politicians and world leaders . he wrote to gadhafi , then a young colonel who had usurped power in libya in 1969 through a military coup . he asked for a signed photograph . i found his name in the papers , ' schlamowitz says , sitting at a cluttered table surrounded by metal folding chairs . i wished him well . ' he got his photo and a letter that said : your kind message to col. moammar gadhafi , leader of the great first september revolution , has been received with great appreciation . ' schlamowitz , a devout jew , even received a christmas card from the muslim gadhafi . gadhafi wrote several times more ; one letter attacked america for practicing terrorism with its support of israel -- not what a jewish man who also had letters from israel 's golda meir , yitzhak rabin and moshe dayan would want to read . america practices terrorism against the palestinian people through providing israel with the planes and weapons for attacking the palestinian camps . america 's countering of those people 's struggle is a crime against humanity and liberty , ' gadhafi wrote . schlamowitz put the typewritten words into the album , alongside photos of gadhafi , autographed in red ink . but he stopped writing to gadhafi , he says , after the 1988 bombing over lockerbie , scotland . they were shooting down a plane killing innocent people , ' he says . he did n't want to be mixed up with individuals who were committing crimes against humanity . ' after the libyan uprising was well under way , schlamowitz felt an urge to write again . if you do n't do the right thing for your people and for your country , eventually your people will turn against you , ' he told the dictator . the letter was returned to him , unopened . he should have stepped down like the president of egypt , ' schlamowitz says . maybe he would be alive today . but power , it 's not that easy to give it up . ' if schlamowitz 's correspondence has intrigued the public , it has certainly raised eyebrows in the halls of intelligence . he says he 's been visited by the cia , fbi and homeland security a number of times . they told him his name keeps popping up in washington . they wanted to know what his connection was to some of these men , considered enemies of america . schlamowitz explained it was no big deal . that he just wanted to write to them and maybe get a photo to hang on his otherwise drab walls . you look like a clean-cut fellow , ' a cia agent once told him . it 's a hell of a hobby you have , schlamowitz . ' schlamowitz has sold only a few of his prized possessions . two letters from marilyn monroe fetched $ 500 . a christmas card from jackie and jfk , $ 50 . someone once offered him $ 35,000 for the whole collection . he wanted to pay him $ 10,000 up front and the rest after an auction . the problem was the advance was a personal check . schlamowitz was n't going to take that chance . cash only , he says . three years ago , a guy from brooklyn offered him a dollar for each piece he owned . you must be sick , ' schlamowitz told him . and i am even sicker dealing with you . ' schlamowitz has no idea what his collection is worth , but he knew when he was getting ripped off . he 's thankful for his daughter and grandchildren . they are sure to take good care of his treasure trove after he is gone . lately , he has n't been writing as much . his hand gives way , he says . tough to keep it all going at his age . he does n't know why reporters called on him so much , though he certainly enjoys showing off his stuff . i 'm nobody special , ' he says . i just want to be a part of history . ' an ordinary guy with an extraordinary collection . | among them were fidel castro , ayatollah khomeini and moammar gadhafi |
earth day <tsp> before we jump into a debate about the environmental costs of eating meat , here are three things you should know : 1 . i 've experimented with vegetarianism twice , but it 's never really stuck . round one ended when i had a dream about a spicy chicken sandwich from wendy 's , and then woke up to march zombie-style to that fast-food restaurant to order it . round two may or may not have ended with the brunch i had sunday , i 'm still not sure . 2 . i ate chicken chilaquiles for brunch on sunday . it was delicious . therefore , 3 . this is not an anti-meat polemic . but i have been thinking in recent weeks about our relationships with animals and what our diets mean for the health of the environment . it started while i was doing research for a story on illegal animal trafficking , and i was reading books , including dana goodyear 's anything that moves ' -- about how the american foodie scene is trending toward the bizarre and endangered ( witness the 2010 bust of a california restaurant serving whale ) -- and jonathan safran foer 's eating animals , ' which argues , in part , that one can not eat meat and also earnestly claim to be an environmentalist . ( s ) omeone who regularly eats factory-farmed animal products can not call himself an environmentalist without divorcing that word from its meaning , ' he wrote in that book . since it 's earth day , i thought that last point might merit some dissection . is it possible to eat meat in modern-day america , consider yourself an environmentalist and sleep soundly without being a hypocrite ? or , as foer argues , are those terms increasingly incongruous ? eatocracy : tips for eating green on earth day i called up a few experts and asked your advice on this topic . as one of my facebook friends was smart to point out , it 's probably not a good idea to be in the business of telling people what they are or are not . ' environmentalism takes many forms and encompasses a range of issues . i 'm not willing to say a person can not be an environmentalist and also an omnivore . ( if you ride a bike and eat steak , is that better or worse than being a vegetarian who drives a hummer ? ) but i would hope that person has thought through the very real environmental consequences of meat consumption . animal rights aside , there are plenty to consider . here are a few : 1 . raising animals for meat is much less efficient than growing vegetables : think back to those food chain diagrams from elementary school . animals are higher on the food chain than plants , and therefore they take more land , food and water to grow for our consumption . the difference in efficiency is n't negligible : raising a kilogram of beef requires 15,500 liters of water , according to waterfootprint.org . an equivalent amount of bread requires only 1,300 liters of water ; bananas use 860 ; and tomatoes consume just 180 liters , or about 1 % of the water required for beef . ( chocolate , by the way , is actually worse than all of these , requiring 24,000 liters ; but it 's clear that a vegetarian diet is far more water- and energy-efficient than one that includes meat . ) at a time when rivers in the american southwest are running dry because of drought and climate change , it 's worth considering the impact our eating habits have on water use . the same is true for land . because growing vegetables is more land-efficient than growing meat , we would need to eat far less meat in order to avoid taking over more forests for farms , said robert howarth , a professor of ecology and environmental biology at cornell university . to be sustainable , america needs to eat about half the meat it does today , he said . that would return us to about 1940s consumption levels . per capita meat consumption in the united states appears to have peaked around the year 2000 at more than 180 pounds of meat per person per year , or about half a pound each day , according to the earth policy institute . it 's fallen slightly since then , which is good news . 2 . animal agriculture pollutes the water : last summer , like pretty much every summer , there was a dead zone ' in the gulf of mexico the size of connecticut . blame agriculture , including animal agriculture , for that disturbing phenomenon , which is caused when phosphorus and nitrogen from chemical fertilizer and manure run down the mississippi river and into the gulf . much of the fertilizer that ends up in that watershed is used to grow corn , 80 % of which is being produced to feed livestock and fish , according to national corn growers association figures cited by epa . the amount of manure that animal farms create is also staggering -- u.s. federal agencies estimate livestock and poultry generate ' about 500 million tons of manure per year -- and has serious consequences for the health of rivers and groundwater . 3 . eating meat adds to your greenhouse gas footprint : finally , eating animals , like doing almost anything , contributes to a person 's greenhouse gas footprint . the united nations estimates animal agriculture accounts for 14.5 % of human greenhouse gas emissions , with the main source of those emissions -- 45 % of the total -- being the fossil fuels used while growing and fertilizing crops to feed the animals . there 's some debate about how much animal agriculture contributes to climate change overall . but there 's no doubt it has a sizable impact , and more so than plant agriculture . according to the natural resources defense council , eating a half-pound of beef creates more than 7 pounds of carbon-dioxide-equivalent gases . pork and chicken are better , creating about 2 pounds and half a pound , respectively . potatoes , apples and asparagus are better still , creating a tiny fraction of a pound of greenhouse gases . so : knowing all that , i would encourage you to consider giving up meat -- or even just one of the most resource-intensive meats , like beef -- for earth day . see how it goes , and maybe you can make it a habit . there are many other worthy efforts you could make to protect the environment , of course . you could ride a bike , take a train , turn off the heat or ac . but giving up meat for a day is an easy and meaningful one . if all americans eliminated just one quarter-pound serving of beef per week , the reduction in global warming pollution would be equal to taking 4 to 6 million cars off the road , ' according to the natural resources defense council . you might find it 's awful and decide to focus your future efforts elsewhere . or , like me , you might find it 's not so bad . i 'm not going to make any bold pronouncements about my eating habits besides the fact that i 'm going to try to eat less meat . ( i like treehugger founder graham hill 's idea of eating meat only on the weekends ; and singer paul mccartney 's idea of meat free mondays . ) i travel frequently , and value flexibility , so i 've never really wanted to be too strict about my diet in the long term . but one day ? one week ? one month ? it 's not that hard . to the minority of vegans and vegetarians who like to proselytize about their eating habits , i 'm sure that seems like an annoying cop-out . but there are plenty of environmentalists who advocate a middle-road approach to meat consumption . certainly there are modest steps we can all take that can really have a significant benefit if a lot of people did them , ' said erik olson , a health and food expert at nrdc , the environmental group . we often fall into this mistaken all-or-nothing mentality . ' i like that approach . it 's one more people are likely to stomach . and it 's one that -- even for a day -- can have real impact . | john sutter says readers should consider giving up meat on earth day |
obama <tsp> ( cnn ) -- president barack obama and republican candidate mitt romney traded accusations on tax policy thursday , with both claiming at campaign stops in battleground states that the other 's strategies have failed . romney used a rally in golden , colorado , to unveil a simplified campaign message called for by some republican strategists , laying out a five-point plan that he said would put the nation back on the correct economic path . the proposals are traditional conservative stances on domestic energy production , trade , job training , deficit reduction and boosting small businesses , with romney promising that , if elected , he would deliver on them to unleash the full potential of the u.s. economy . his policies have not worked . they have not gotten america back to work again , ' romney said of obama , citing 41 straight months of unemployment over 8 % . i 'm going to get america working again . ' in particular , romney challenged obama 's call for extending lower tax rates , set to expire at the end of this year , only for income up to $ 250,000 for families or $ 200,000 for individuals , which would allow the rates on income above those marks to increase to 1990s levels . calling that plan a tax increase , romney said it would inhibit the job creation needed for economic growth and described the obama policy as being like a dog trying to chase its tail . ' in orlando , florida , obama attacked romney 's call for more tax cuts as an example of long-standing republican policy that was most recently enacted by his predecessor , helping bring the recession that was in place when obama took office . they have tried to sell us tax cut fairy dust before , ' obama said . it is not a plan to move our economy forward . it takes us backward to a place we do n't need to be . ' obama blasts romney tax plan in ohio the president also made a campaign visit to virginia , while romney joined republican governors -- including several potential running mates -- at an aspen , colorado , conference . in a format resembling a celebrity roast ' -- but one with blue blazers and verbal bouquets instead of vulgar put-downs -- the seated governors rose one-by-one to praise romney . new jersey gov . chris christie called romney a man of fabulous ingenuity ' and great integrity . ' we need you , we 're looking forward to your services as president , ' said gov . mary fallin of oklahoma . i really appreciate your focus on middle class families , ' virginia gov . bob mcdonnell told romney . in a hint that romney 's decision on a running mate might come soon , his longtime adviser beth myers , who heads up the campaign 's search for a vice presidential candidate , will be traveling with romney to colorado . polls show that romney and obama are statistically even in colorado and virginia , while obama holds a small lead in florida . all three states are among the eight or so considered vital to the chances of both candidates in november . the cnn electoral map reviving the american dream of equal opportunity has been the central theme of obama 's campaign , and romney 's new five-point message thursday was an effort to blunt the president 's middle class outreach . in general , it rehashes romney 's previously stated stances on energy , taxes , deficit reduction , trade and small business development but offers few details for example , the energy component involves easing regulations to expand domestic production of oil , coal and natural gas . a conference call by romney 's advisers made no mention of alternative sources such as solar or wind energy championed by obama , but romney included continued pursuit of such programs in his later remarks in colorado . the tax component came under heavy criticism from obama , who cited a study by the urban institute-brookings institution tax policy center that says romney 's proposals would provide large cuts to the very wealthy while increasing the burden on the lower and middle classes . eric fehrnstrom , a senior romney campaign adviser , called the report a joke ' on thursday 's conference call , while romney economic adviser kevin hassett said it fails to include the projected revenue increase from an expanded employment base that romney 's policies would bring . eliminating that from your analysis means you 're going to have a very , very biased result , ' hassett said . romney officials also complained that one of the study 's three authors was a former member of obama 's council of economic advisers . in his florida remarks , obama ridiculed the romney team 's criticism of the report , noting another of the co-authors was an economist in the administration of republican president george h.w . bush . they said ( the report ) did n't take into account the economic growth that would result from tax cuts , ' obama said , drawing laughter when he added : we all know how well that worked the last time they tried it . ' romney calls for cutting today 's rates by 20 % as well as eliminating the alternative minimum tax and limiting current deductions , exemptions and credits available to top-level income earners . however , romney has yet to say which specific tax breaks he plans to eliminate , and the tax policy center report indicated the result of his plan would force the tax burden to shift toward lower- and middle-class americans . in its study , the tax policy center did not score romney 's plan directly , saying it lacked sufficient details . instead , the center said the plan represented a number of republican proposals . the romney campaign officials said thursday that the specifics of the tax proposal remain to be worked out , with deputy policy director jonathan burks adding that romney , if elected , would write a tax bill that would achieve those goals . ' it 's not a question of today we have a 2,000-page tax plan , ' burks said . tax policy has become a central economic issue , with congress deadlocked over proposals to extend most or all of the bush-era tax cuts set to expire at the end of the year . house passes republican tax-cut plan romney and republicans want to extend all the bush tax cuts for now to prevent any increase , while obama says the lower rates should not continue for the wealthiest 2 % of americans to bring more fairness to the system . both sides call for comprehensive tax reform after the election as part of necessary deficit reduction steps . the issue touches on the foundations of the nation 's political divide , with republicans driven by their conservative base seeking to shrink government to reduce deficits while democrats want a blend of spending cuts and more tax revenue in order to maintain what they consider essential services and entitlement programs . with just over three months until the november election , the race has become a contentious struggle to convince voters that the other guy would take the country in the wrong direction . in anticipation of obama 's florida trip thursday , the romney campaign released a new ad in the state that blames the president for a stalling economy there . romney ad hits obama on florida economy florida , currently rated a toss up ' on cnn 's electoral map , has been hard hit by a weak housing market . its unemployment rate of 8.6 % is higher than the national average , but down from a high of 11.4 % in 2010 . a quinnipiac university/cbs news/new york times poll released wednesday showed obama with a 51 % -45 % lead in florida , which has 29 electoral votes . another new romney ad wednesday hammered obama over unemployment and other economic problems , saying : americans need a change . we need a new president . ' campaigns turn to economy ahead of jobs report obama 's campaign responded to the ad by citing romney 's opposition to the auto industry bailout . let 's get this straight -- the very person who argued for the u.s. auto industry to go bankrupt , something that would have caused more than a million jobs lost and utter economic devastation in the midwest , is now trying to attack the president on how it was handled ? ' campaign spokeswoman lis smith said in a written statement . meanwhile , the liberal group moveon.org will run a 30-second television spot in battleground states mocking the amount of money spent on rafalca , the dressage horse competing at the london olympics that is co-owned by romney 's wife , ann . looking a dressage horse in the mouth the group said the ad to air in nevada , ohio and pennsylvania is told from the perspective of the horse , pointing out that the romneys spend $ 77,000 a year for its upkeep . after mitt romney repeals health care and ships your jobs overseas , i daresay your life wo n't be nearly as pampered as mine , ' it concludes . after all , you 're not one of his horses . ' in a statement , moveon.org 's executive director said the group was not lampooning the horse itself . there 's nothing wrong with taking good care of a horse , but there 's something messed up about a millionaire who spends twice what most americans make in a year caring for a horse , but wants to take away people 's health care and offshore their jobs , ' justin ruben wrote . cnn 's tom cohen , peter hamby , kevin liptak and paul steinhauser contributed to this report . | president obama ridicules what he calls republican tax cut fairy dust ' |
romney <tsp> ( cnn ) -- president barack obama and republican candidate mitt romney traded accusations on tax policy thursday , with both claiming at campaign stops in battleground states that the other 's strategies have failed . romney used a rally in golden , colorado , to unveil a simplified campaign message called for by some republican strategists , laying out a five-point plan that he said would put the nation back on the correct economic path . the proposals are traditional conservative stances on domestic energy production , trade , job training , deficit reduction and boosting small businesses , with romney promising that , if elected , he would deliver on them to unleash the full potential of the u.s. economy . his policies have not worked . they have not gotten america back to work again , ' romney said of obama , citing 41 straight months of unemployment over 8 % . i 'm going to get america working again . ' in particular , romney challenged obama 's call for extending lower tax rates , set to expire at the end of this year , only for income up to $ 250,000 for families or $ 200,000 for individuals , which would allow the rates on income above those marks to increase to 1990s levels . calling that plan a tax increase , romney said it would inhibit the job creation needed for economic growth and described the obama policy as being like a dog trying to chase its tail . ' in orlando , florida , obama attacked romney 's call for more tax cuts as an example of long-standing republican policy that was most recently enacted by his predecessor , helping bring the recession that was in place when obama took office . they have tried to sell us tax cut fairy dust before , ' obama said . it is not a plan to move our economy forward . it takes us backward to a place we do n't need to be . ' obama blasts romney tax plan in ohio the president also made a campaign visit to virginia , while romney joined republican governors -- including several potential running mates -- at an aspen , colorado , conference . in a format resembling a celebrity roast ' -- but one with blue blazers and verbal bouquets instead of vulgar put-downs -- the seated governors rose one-by-one to praise romney . new jersey gov . chris christie called romney a man of fabulous ingenuity ' and great integrity . ' we need you , we 're looking forward to your services as president , ' said gov . mary fallin of oklahoma . i really appreciate your focus on middle class families , ' virginia gov . bob mcdonnell told romney . in a hint that romney 's decision on a running mate might come soon , his longtime adviser beth myers , who heads up the campaign 's search for a vice presidential candidate , will be traveling with romney to colorado . polls show that romney and obama are statistically even in colorado and virginia , while obama holds a small lead in florida . all three states are among the eight or so considered vital to the chances of both candidates in november . the cnn electoral map reviving the american dream of equal opportunity has been the central theme of obama 's campaign , and romney 's new five-point message thursday was an effort to blunt the president 's middle class outreach . in general , it rehashes romney 's previously stated stances on energy , taxes , deficit reduction , trade and small business development but offers few details for example , the energy component involves easing regulations to expand domestic production of oil , coal and natural gas . a conference call by romney 's advisers made no mention of alternative sources such as solar or wind energy championed by obama , but romney included continued pursuit of such programs in his later remarks in colorado . the tax component came under heavy criticism from obama , who cited a study by the urban institute-brookings institution tax policy center that says romney 's proposals would provide large cuts to the very wealthy while increasing the burden on the lower and middle classes . eric fehrnstrom , a senior romney campaign adviser , called the report a joke ' on thursday 's conference call , while romney economic adviser kevin hassett said it fails to include the projected revenue increase from an expanded employment base that romney 's policies would bring . eliminating that from your analysis means you 're going to have a very , very biased result , ' hassett said . romney officials also complained that one of the study 's three authors was a former member of obama 's council of economic advisers . in his florida remarks , obama ridiculed the romney team 's criticism of the report , noting another of the co-authors was an economist in the administration of republican president george h.w . bush . they said ( the report ) did n't take into account the economic growth that would result from tax cuts , ' obama said , drawing laughter when he added : we all know how well that worked the last time they tried it . ' romney calls for cutting today 's rates by 20 % as well as eliminating the alternative minimum tax and limiting current deductions , exemptions and credits available to top-level income earners . however , romney has yet to say which specific tax breaks he plans to eliminate , and the tax policy center report indicated the result of his plan would force the tax burden to shift toward lower- and middle-class americans . in its study , the tax policy center did not score romney 's plan directly , saying it lacked sufficient details . instead , the center said the plan represented a number of republican proposals . the romney campaign officials said thursday that the specifics of the tax proposal remain to be worked out , with deputy policy director jonathan burks adding that romney , if elected , would write a tax bill that would achieve those goals . ' it 's not a question of today we have a 2,000-page tax plan , ' burks said . tax policy has become a central economic issue , with congress deadlocked over proposals to extend most or all of the bush-era tax cuts set to expire at the end of the year . house passes republican tax-cut plan romney and republicans want to extend all the bush tax cuts for now to prevent any increase , while obama says the lower rates should not continue for the wealthiest 2 % of americans to bring more fairness to the system . both sides call for comprehensive tax reform after the election as part of necessary deficit reduction steps . the issue touches on the foundations of the nation 's political divide , with republicans driven by their conservative base seeking to shrink government to reduce deficits while democrats want a blend of spending cuts and more tax revenue in order to maintain what they consider essential services and entitlement programs . with just over three months until the november election , the race has become a contentious struggle to convince voters that the other guy would take the country in the wrong direction . in anticipation of obama 's florida trip thursday , the romney campaign released a new ad in the state that blames the president for a stalling economy there . romney ad hits obama on florida economy florida , currently rated a toss up ' on cnn 's electoral map , has been hard hit by a weak housing market . its unemployment rate of 8.6 % is higher than the national average , but down from a high of 11.4 % in 2010 . a quinnipiac university/cbs news/new york times poll released wednesday showed obama with a 51 % -45 % lead in florida , which has 29 electoral votes . another new romney ad wednesday hammered obama over unemployment and other economic problems , saying : americans need a change . we need a new president . ' campaigns turn to economy ahead of jobs report obama 's campaign responded to the ad by citing romney 's opposition to the auto industry bailout . let 's get this straight -- the very person who argued for the u.s. auto industry to go bankrupt , something that would have caused more than a million jobs lost and utter economic devastation in the midwest , is now trying to attack the president on how it was handled ? ' campaign spokeswoman lis smith said in a written statement . meanwhile , the liberal group moveon.org will run a 30-second television spot in battleground states mocking the amount of money spent on rafalca , the dressage horse competing at the london olympics that is co-owned by romney 's wife , ann . looking a dressage horse in the mouth the group said the ad to air in nevada , ohio and pennsylvania is told from the perspective of the horse , pointing out that the romneys spend $ 77,000 a year for its upkeep . after mitt romney repeals health care and ships your jobs overseas , i daresay your life wo n't be nearly as pampered as mine , ' it concludes . after all , you 're not one of his horses . ' in a statement , moveon.org 's executive director said the group was not lampooning the horse itself . there 's nothing wrong with taking good care of a horse , but there 's something messed up about a millionaire who spends twice what most americans make in a year caring for a horse , but wants to take away people 's health care and offshore their jobs , ' justin ruben wrote . cnn 's tom cohen , peter hamby , kevin liptak and paul steinhauser contributed to this report . | new : mitt romney appears on stage with some potential vp nominees |
romney <tsp> ( cnn ) -- president barack obama and republican candidate mitt romney traded accusations on tax policy thursday , with both claiming at campaign stops in battleground states that the other 's strategies have failed . romney used a rally in golden , colorado , to unveil a simplified campaign message called for by some republican strategists , laying out a five-point plan that he said would put the nation back on the correct economic path . the proposals are traditional conservative stances on domestic energy production , trade , job training , deficit reduction and boosting small businesses , with romney promising that , if elected , he would deliver on them to unleash the full potential of the u.s. economy . his policies have not worked . they have not gotten america back to work again , ' romney said of obama , citing 41 straight months of unemployment over 8 % . i 'm going to get america working again . ' in particular , romney challenged obama 's call for extending lower tax rates , set to expire at the end of this year , only for income up to $ 250,000 for families or $ 200,000 for individuals , which would allow the rates on income above those marks to increase to 1990s levels . calling that plan a tax increase , romney said it would inhibit the job creation needed for economic growth and described the obama policy as being like a dog trying to chase its tail . ' in orlando , florida , obama attacked romney 's call for more tax cuts as an example of long-standing republican policy that was most recently enacted by his predecessor , helping bring the recession that was in place when obama took office . they have tried to sell us tax cut fairy dust before , ' obama said . it is not a plan to move our economy forward . it takes us backward to a place we do n't need to be . ' obama blasts romney tax plan in ohio the president also made a campaign visit to virginia , while romney joined republican governors -- including several potential running mates -- at an aspen , colorado , conference . in a format resembling a celebrity roast ' -- but one with blue blazers and verbal bouquets instead of vulgar put-downs -- the seated governors rose one-by-one to praise romney . new jersey gov . chris christie called romney a man of fabulous ingenuity ' and great integrity . ' we need you , we 're looking forward to your services as president , ' said gov . mary fallin of oklahoma . i really appreciate your focus on middle class families , ' virginia gov . bob mcdonnell told romney . in a hint that romney 's decision on a running mate might come soon , his longtime adviser beth myers , who heads up the campaign 's search for a vice presidential candidate , will be traveling with romney to colorado . polls show that romney and obama are statistically even in colorado and virginia , while obama holds a small lead in florida . all three states are among the eight or so considered vital to the chances of both candidates in november . the cnn electoral map reviving the american dream of equal opportunity has been the central theme of obama 's campaign , and romney 's new five-point message thursday was an effort to blunt the president 's middle class outreach . in general , it rehashes romney 's previously stated stances on energy , taxes , deficit reduction , trade and small business development but offers few details for example , the energy component involves easing regulations to expand domestic production of oil , coal and natural gas . a conference call by romney 's advisers made no mention of alternative sources such as solar or wind energy championed by obama , but romney included continued pursuit of such programs in his later remarks in colorado . the tax component came under heavy criticism from obama , who cited a study by the urban institute-brookings institution tax policy center that says romney 's proposals would provide large cuts to the very wealthy while increasing the burden on the lower and middle classes . eric fehrnstrom , a senior romney campaign adviser , called the report a joke ' on thursday 's conference call , while romney economic adviser kevin hassett said it fails to include the projected revenue increase from an expanded employment base that romney 's policies would bring . eliminating that from your analysis means you 're going to have a very , very biased result , ' hassett said . romney officials also complained that one of the study 's three authors was a former member of obama 's council of economic advisers . in his florida remarks , obama ridiculed the romney team 's criticism of the report , noting another of the co-authors was an economist in the administration of republican president george h.w . bush . they said ( the report ) did n't take into account the economic growth that would result from tax cuts , ' obama said , drawing laughter when he added : we all know how well that worked the last time they tried it . ' romney calls for cutting today 's rates by 20 % as well as eliminating the alternative minimum tax and limiting current deductions , exemptions and credits available to top-level income earners . however , romney has yet to say which specific tax breaks he plans to eliminate , and the tax policy center report indicated the result of his plan would force the tax burden to shift toward lower- and middle-class americans . in its study , the tax policy center did not score romney 's plan directly , saying it lacked sufficient details . instead , the center said the plan represented a number of republican proposals . the romney campaign officials said thursday that the specifics of the tax proposal remain to be worked out , with deputy policy director jonathan burks adding that romney , if elected , would write a tax bill that would achieve those goals . ' it 's not a question of today we have a 2,000-page tax plan , ' burks said . tax policy has become a central economic issue , with congress deadlocked over proposals to extend most or all of the bush-era tax cuts set to expire at the end of the year . house passes republican tax-cut plan romney and republicans want to extend all the bush tax cuts for now to prevent any increase , while obama says the lower rates should not continue for the wealthiest 2 % of americans to bring more fairness to the system . both sides call for comprehensive tax reform after the election as part of necessary deficit reduction steps . the issue touches on the foundations of the nation 's political divide , with republicans driven by their conservative base seeking to shrink government to reduce deficits while democrats want a blend of spending cuts and more tax revenue in order to maintain what they consider essential services and entitlement programs . with just over three months until the november election , the race has become a contentious struggle to convince voters that the other guy would take the country in the wrong direction . in anticipation of obama 's florida trip thursday , the romney campaign released a new ad in the state that blames the president for a stalling economy there . romney ad hits obama on florida economy florida , currently rated a toss up ' on cnn 's electoral map , has been hard hit by a weak housing market . its unemployment rate of 8.6 % is higher than the national average , but down from a high of 11.4 % in 2010 . a quinnipiac university/cbs news/new york times poll released wednesday showed obama with a 51 % -45 % lead in florida , which has 29 electoral votes . another new romney ad wednesday hammered obama over unemployment and other economic problems , saying : americans need a change . we need a new president . ' campaigns turn to economy ahead of jobs report obama 's campaign responded to the ad by citing romney 's opposition to the auto industry bailout . let 's get this straight -- the very person who argued for the u.s. auto industry to go bankrupt , something that would have caused more than a million jobs lost and utter economic devastation in the midwest , is now trying to attack the president on how it was handled ? ' campaign spokeswoman lis smith said in a written statement . meanwhile , the liberal group moveon.org will run a 30-second television spot in battleground states mocking the amount of money spent on rafalca , the dressage horse competing at the london olympics that is co-owned by romney 's wife , ann . looking a dressage horse in the mouth the group said the ad to air in nevada , ohio and pennsylvania is told from the perspective of the horse , pointing out that the romneys spend $ 77,000 a year for its upkeep . after mitt romney repeals health care and ships your jobs overseas , i daresay your life wo n't be nearly as pampered as mine , ' it concludes . after all , you 're not one of his horses . ' in a statement , moveon.org 's executive director said the group was not lampooning the horse itself . there 's nothing wrong with taking good care of a horse , but there 's something messed up about a millionaire who spends twice what most americans make in a year caring for a horse , but wants to take away people 's health care and offshore their jobs , ' justin ruben wrote . cnn 's tom cohen , peter hamby , kevin liptak and paul steinhauser contributed to this report . | romney lays out a five-point plan for the country |
china <tsp> hong kong ( cnn ) -- chinese table tennis player zhuang zedong , a key figure in what became known as the ping pong diplomacy ' that helped thaw frosty cold war relations between the united states and china , has died aged 73 , state-run news agency xinhua reported . zhuang 's chance meeting with a u.s. player was instrumental in beijing 's decision to invite the american table tennis team for an exhibition match in 1971 . that match laid the groundwork for the visit of u.s. president richard nixon in 1972 and ultimately paved the way for the establishment of diplomatic ties in 1979 , ending china 's isolation from the outside world . xinhua said that zhuang , who was considered one of the best players in the world in the 1960s , had met u.s. table tennis player glenn cowan at a tournament in japan . cowan , a long-haired teenager , had jumped on the chinese team 's bus after missing his own and zhuang struck up a conversation through a translator -- a brave act given the constraints of china 's cultural revolution-era politics . we were all tense , ' zhuang told cnn in 2008 . our team had been advised not to speak to americans , not to shake their hands , and not to exchange gifts with them . i looked at him , thinking ,'he is not the one who makes national policies , he is just an athlete , an ordinary american', ' he recalled . zhuang gave the hippie-looking american a silk brocade as a gift . the next day , cowan gave him a t-shirt emblazoned with a peace sign and the words let it be . ' pictures of their encounter spread around the world , and , under the orders of chinese leader mao zedong , the u.s. team was invited to visit china . during their visit , the u.s. announced the end of a 20-year trade embargo against the people 's republic . their journey turned out to be the first public move in a rapprochement between the two bitter enemies . zhuang said he never thought his simple gesture of friendship would coin the phrase ping-pong diplomacy . ' i had no idea what was going on , ' he said . i did n't know what chairman mao was thinking . i was merely a ping-pong player . ' zhuang won three world championships and was a hero in table-tennis mad china . an innovative pen-hold ' style propelled him to the top of his sport . he became china 's sports minister but fell victim to the power struggles that followed mao 's death in 1976 and was detained for four years before being exiled to the provinces . zhuang later returned to beijing , where he coached table tennis to teenagers . according to xinhua , zhuang had been suffering from colon cancer since 2008 and died in a beijing hospital on sunday after developing liver and lung complications . cnn 's jaime florcruz in beijing contributed to this report | he was key figure in ping pong diplomacy ' that helped thaw ties between china , u.s . |
motogp <tsp> ( cnn ) -- while spain wallows in the doldrums of economic despondency and political turmoil , with youth unemployment at eye-watering levels and catalan separatists threatening to tear away at the country 's seams , there is one place where its stock has never been higher . on the motorcycling track , 2013 's calendar is a parade of iberian supremacy , with spaniards dominating every race class to the almost complete exclusion of other nations . at the forefront of this is motogp 's newly-crowned champion : a 20-year-old whose debut season in the elite division has delighted even the most jaded observers of this most daring of motorsports . marc marquez has exploded onto the scene like a grinning catherine wheel , redefining the expectations of rookie riders and cocking a gleeful snook at the establishment , leaving dazed rivals scratching their heads in disbelief . after a bizarre disqualification at the australian grand prix threatened his commanding lead in the championship , marquez kept his head with two remarkably mature displays of disciplined riding -- first in japan and then during a frenzied final race at spain 's valencia circuit , to take a richly deserved title . as the youngest champion in the history of top-level motorcycling , known by his catalan fans as the thunder from cervera , ' he has a vividly bright future . someone who knows all about the challenges of being a motogp rookie is james toseland , who spent two tough seasons riding for the satellite yamaha team after making the step up from superbikes , where he was a double world champion . now touring with his rock band and preparing for an attempt at the world two-wheeled land speed record , toseland is a big admirer of marquez and believes his youth is actually an advantage . it just happens as a 20-year-old , ' said toseland , who returned to superbikes before a wrist injury ended his racing career in 2011 . all you 're seeing is a young kid ; he does n't understand the mechanics of the bike so well yet , or the people he 's racing against -- all he 's doing is putting his helmet on , putting his leathers on , cocking his leg over that bike and absolutely wringing its neck , with the confidence of what he 's achieved previously in moto2 and the old 125 cc class . ''nobody can do something like that' herve poncharal , principal of the monster yamaha tech 3 team and leader of the irta group that represents motogp 's teams , told cnn that marquez served early notice of his special talent . i remember one of his last races in the old 125 class , in portugal , ' he said . the race was shortened to something like five or seven laps . he crashed on the warmup and he had to start from the pit lane because he pitted to have his bike fixed , so he started dead last , and quite a lot after the last row , but he won that race . he won the championship that year , and from that moment we thought ,'nobody can do something like that .' carmelo ezpeleta , ceo of dorna -- the organization that runs motogp -- was struck by the way marquez immediately looked at home in the top class . his personality is really important , ' ezpeleta told cnn . he 's somebody who arrived to the championship as a hero , kind of saying ,'i 'm here , i want to be here .' immediately when he arrived in the top class he started coming to the motogp executive commission with the other riders , and immediately he wanted to hear and give his opinions ; he 's a great talent but also a great personality . ' fresh attitude this vibrant personality is one of the key reasons many see marquez as the natural successor to italy 's charismatic seven-time world champion valentino rossi . the spaniard 's smiling demeanor has not only won him fans off the track , it also appears to have helped guide him through the stresses of the motogp season . he brings so much energy , such a fresh way of behaving , a fresh mind , enthusiasm , ' poncharal told cnn . in australia ( after marquez was controversially disqualified ) jorge lorenzo , dani pedrosa or valentino rossi would have left the track and been very long faced . marc was on a crate , while everyone was packing , eating some crisps , and laughing with his crew . he 's always in the paddock . although the other guys are walking to and from their motorhome and the box , in between the two they have their sunglasses and their headphones on and are not talking to anybody . marc is always there , anything that is happening in the paddock he 's there . the attitude of this guy is a big bonus for our championship and it 's so good to see a top guy who is still going out and playing with the moto3 guys , and being available for anyone . ' the almost universal affection for marquez has also given last season 's champion lorenzo -- who missed out by four points this time despite winning sunday 's final race -- pause for thought . mother nature did n't gift lorenzo the way she gifted marquez , ' poncharal said . on the riding he can compete with marquez and he 's showing that every weekend , but marc is so much more appreciated by everyone because of his nature , and marc instantly makes you feel at home with him ; he inspires sympathy , and not everybody has got that . and i think jorge is trying very hard to change his image , which is not as likeable as marc 's , but this is something that is not easy to change . ' personality with great talent ezpeleta recognizes the importance of marquez 's personality , but says it is important not to overlook his talent . the most important thing is to be a very good rider , ' he said . rossi , ( casey ) stoner , lorenzo , pedrosa and other riders have put the championship at an incredible level , and i think one of the assets of marc is that he has been beating people like lorenzo and pedrosa , who are really great , great riders . of course the personality is important , but just the personality is not enough -- it needs to be the personality together with a great , great rider . ' toseland believes the crew in marquez 's repsol honda garage deserve credit for their approach to blooding the young star . they 've employed a young kid and nurtured him , ' he said . they will have put the settings on the bike to where they will see the data and the electronics -- on how he 's opening the throttle up and how he 's riding -- and they will have given him a bit of a safety net at first , because there 's a massive power difference between moto2 and motogp . then they would have gradually opened up the power , decreased the traction control , the anti-wheelie control , all the settings you can change on a bike , to build his confidence . ' marquez was allowed to go straight into a factory motogp team -- repsol honda -- at an age that was previously prohibited by the sport 's so-called rookie rule . ' it was scrapped last year , having been introduced in 2010 to spread riding talent around the satellite teams . toseland believes this has been significant , and that other stars have also helpfully aligned to smooth marquez 's path to success . to join one of the best teams , with what looks like the best bike this year -- and with lorenzo and pedrosa both injuring themselves and missing a race early in the year -- for him to then get the confidence of actually learning how to win , and getting a couple of wins under his belt , all those factors put into the pot have just made him so confident in what he 's doing , ' he said . you can see when he 's on track that he 's not fazed by anything or anyone , from the confidence he 's got from having that little bit of breathing space earlier in the year . ' the next big chapter ? poncharal believes that marquez would have achieved success even without a factory bike . at the moment he has the lot , he 's on what feels like the best bike , which is for sure a bonus , although lorenzo is showing us that the yamaha is not so bad , ' he said . but , and this is just my opinion , i 'm not so sure that ( on a satellite honda ) he would have done a lot less . ' as well as winning friends with his smiling demeanor and openness off the track , marquez has also caught the eye with his audacious riding style , which sees his elbow as well as his knee pressing down on the track through corners . this enables him to better gauge what both the front and the rear of the bike are doing , providing a fourth wheel ' to help him get around faster . other riders have begun to mimic this spectacular and effective technique . toseland is among many startled by this evolution , and puts it partly down to advances in racing tires . i used to get my elbow down with qualifying tires , and that 's what it 's all about really -- it 's the tire technology , bridgestone have obviously developed a tire with the edge grip now that enables the bike to lean over that far , and also enable you to lean off the bike that much with the confidence that the grip is there , ' he said . it 's not just marquez now , you see others like stefan bradl and jorge lorenzo with their elbows down . it 's not so much that they 've changed their style , it 's the tire is allowing the bike to lean over that far . ' they might be able to follow him , but can anyone can catch marquez next year ? it 's always difficult to say ,'he 's going to be the greatest of all time ,' poncharal said . but clearly if you remember the last 40 years you have kenny roberts , then you have the mick doohan era , you have the valentino rossi era , and i think marc is ready , if nothing bad happens to him , to write another big chapter of motogp history . ' | head of motogp says marquez has beaten really great , great riders ' in his debut season |
french <tsp> kabul , afghanistan ( cnn ) -- allied forces suffered a day of heavy losses in afghanistan friday after a helicopter crash killed six u.s. marines and an attack killed four french soldiers , prompting paris to consider an early troop withdrawal . the marines died after their ch-53 helicopter crashed in helmand province , a u.s. military official said . the nato-led force reported no enemy activity in the area , but the taliban claimed credit for bringing down the chopper . separately , an afghan soldier killed four french soldiers and injured 15 others , one critically , in eastern afghanistan , french officials said . president nicolas sarkozy said he was suspending french training operations and combat help as a result . the french army is not in afghanistan to be shot at by afghan soldiers , ' he said . france could bring its troops back early from afghanistan if the necessary security is not restored , sarkozy said . france has 3,935 troops in afghanistan , according nato 's international security assistance force . sarkozy will send french defense minister gerard longuet to afghanistan , he said . it was during a training session inside the base that a shooter killed four of our soldiers . this is unacceptable and demands a full investigation , ' longuet said . a french official told cnn the french troops were unarmed as they were inside their base , conducting normal training operations with their afghan partners . the official , who was not authorized to speak to the media , said 15 soldiers were injured . the attack in kapisa province follows a similar shooting last month by an afghan soldier that killed two french soldiers serving in an engineers'regiment , also in eastern afghanistan . friday 's suspected shooter , who was a member of the afghan national army , has been apprehended , according to an isaf statement . afghan president hamid karzai said he was deeply saddened by incident . france has been generous to provide extensive assistance to afghanistan over the past 10 years , ' karzai said . throughout history , the two countries have enjoyed a sincere relationship , which the afghan people will always cherish . ' taliban spokesman zabiullah mujahid called the attack sensible . ' this was the latest attack by those sensible and zealous afghans who have entered the enemy 's army and it was also the best one so far as it killed more soldiers than any other such attacks before ,'mujahid said . responding to last month 's shooting , sarkozy stressed his country 's determination to continue working within the international security assistance force to restore peace and stability in that country and contribute to its development . ' nato secretary general anders fogh rasmussen paid tribute to those killed and injured friday , saying it was a very sad day ' for isaf troops in afghanistan and for france . such tragic incidents are terrible and grab headlines , but they are isolated , ' he said . the reality is that every day , 130,000 isaf troops from 50 nations fight and train with over 300,000 afghan soldiers . that takes a lot of trust among a lot of soldiers . we have the same goal . an afghanistan that is responsible for its own security . that is what afghans want . and we remain committed to helping afghans . ' isaf spokesman lt. col. jimmie cummings also played down the threat , saying , we train and are partnered with afghan personnel every day , and we are not seeing any issues or concerns with our relationships . ' friday 's shooting was the latest in a series of attacks on nato forces by members of the afghan army . in october , a gunman wearing an afghan army uniform turned his weapon on coalition forces during training , killing three and wounding several others . the shooter was killed in the incident in southern afghanistan . meanwhile , the cause of the helicopter crash , which happened around midnight kabul time , is still under investigation , isaf said . there was no enemy activity in the area when the helicopter went down in helmand , said col. gary kolb , an isaf spokesman . the taliban claimed responsibility friday for bringing down the helicopter . qari yousuf ahmadi , a taliban spokesman , told cnn via text message : a chinook was shot down in zubair karez area , between musa qala and zamin dawar in southern helmand province , and a number of foreigners traveling in it were killed . ' nato is scheduled to withdraw its forces from afghanistan by the end of 2014 . many isaf members are involved in missions to train and support afghan forces as they prepare to take on greater security responsibilities . cnn 's nick paton walsh , saskya vandoorne , masoud popalzai , pierre meilhan , barbara starr , mitra mobasherat and adam levine contributed to this report . | french troops are killed by an afghan soldier were unarmed at the time , an official says |
french <tsp> kabul , afghanistan ( cnn ) -- allied forces suffered a day of heavy losses in afghanistan friday after a helicopter crash killed six u.s. marines and an attack killed four french soldiers , prompting paris to consider an early troop withdrawal . the marines died after their ch-53 helicopter crashed in helmand province , a u.s. military official said . the nato-led force reported no enemy activity in the area , but the taliban claimed credit for bringing down the chopper . separately , an afghan soldier killed four french soldiers and injured 15 others , one critically , in eastern afghanistan , french officials said . president nicolas sarkozy said he was suspending french training operations and combat help as a result . the french army is not in afghanistan to be shot at by afghan soldiers , ' he said . france could bring its troops back early from afghanistan if the necessary security is not restored , sarkozy said . france has 3,935 troops in afghanistan , according nato 's international security assistance force . sarkozy will send french defense minister gerard longuet to afghanistan , he said . it was during a training session inside the base that a shooter killed four of our soldiers . this is unacceptable and demands a full investigation , ' longuet said . a french official told cnn the french troops were unarmed as they were inside their base , conducting normal training operations with their afghan partners . the official , who was not authorized to speak to the media , said 15 soldiers were injured . the attack in kapisa province follows a similar shooting last month by an afghan soldier that killed two french soldiers serving in an engineers'regiment , also in eastern afghanistan . friday 's suspected shooter , who was a member of the afghan national army , has been apprehended , according to an isaf statement . afghan president hamid karzai said he was deeply saddened by incident . france has been generous to provide extensive assistance to afghanistan over the past 10 years , ' karzai said . throughout history , the two countries have enjoyed a sincere relationship , which the afghan people will always cherish . ' taliban spokesman zabiullah mujahid called the attack sensible . ' this was the latest attack by those sensible and zealous afghans who have entered the enemy 's army and it was also the best one so far as it killed more soldiers than any other such attacks before ,'mujahid said . responding to last month 's shooting , sarkozy stressed his country 's determination to continue working within the international security assistance force to restore peace and stability in that country and contribute to its development . ' nato secretary general anders fogh rasmussen paid tribute to those killed and injured friday , saying it was a very sad day ' for isaf troops in afghanistan and for france . such tragic incidents are terrible and grab headlines , but they are isolated , ' he said . the reality is that every day , 130,000 isaf troops from 50 nations fight and train with over 300,000 afghan soldiers . that takes a lot of trust among a lot of soldiers . we have the same goal . an afghanistan that is responsible for its own security . that is what afghans want . and we remain committed to helping afghans . ' isaf spokesman lt. col. jimmie cummings also played down the threat , saying , we train and are partnered with afghan personnel every day , and we are not seeing any issues or concerns with our relationships . ' friday 's shooting was the latest in a series of attacks on nato forces by members of the afghan army . in october , a gunman wearing an afghan army uniform turned his weapon on coalition forces during training , killing three and wounding several others . the shooter was killed in the incident in southern afghanistan . meanwhile , the cause of the helicopter crash , which happened around midnight kabul time , is still under investigation , isaf said . there was no enemy activity in the area when the helicopter went down in helmand , said col. gary kolb , an isaf spokesman . the taliban claimed responsibility friday for bringing down the helicopter . qari yousuf ahmadi , a taliban spokesman , told cnn via text message : a chinook was shot down in zubair karez area , between musa qala and zamin dawar in southern helmand province , and a number of foreigners traveling in it were killed . ' nato is scheduled to withdraw its forces from afghanistan by the end of 2014 . many isaf members are involved in missions to train and support afghan forces as they prepare to take on greater security responsibilities . cnn 's nick paton walsh , saskya vandoorne , masoud popalzai , pierre meilhan , barbara starr , mitra mobasherat and adam levine contributed to this report . | nato chief rasmussen pays tribute to four french soldiers killed in afghanistan |
afghanistan <tsp> kabul , afghanistan ( cnn ) -- allied forces suffered a day of heavy losses in afghanistan friday after a helicopter crash killed six u.s. marines and an attack killed four french soldiers , prompting paris to consider an early troop withdrawal . the marines died after their ch-53 helicopter crashed in helmand province , a u.s. military official said . the nato-led force reported no enemy activity in the area , but the taliban claimed credit for bringing down the chopper . separately , an afghan soldier killed four french soldiers and injured 15 others , one critically , in eastern afghanistan , french officials said . president nicolas sarkozy said he was suspending french training operations and combat help as a result . the french army is not in afghanistan to be shot at by afghan soldiers , ' he said . france could bring its troops back early from afghanistan if the necessary security is not restored , sarkozy said . france has 3,935 troops in afghanistan , according nato 's international security assistance force . sarkozy will send french defense minister gerard longuet to afghanistan , he said . it was during a training session inside the base that a shooter killed four of our soldiers . this is unacceptable and demands a full investigation , ' longuet said . a french official told cnn the french troops were unarmed as they were inside their base , conducting normal training operations with their afghan partners . the official , who was not authorized to speak to the media , said 15 soldiers were injured . the attack in kapisa province follows a similar shooting last month by an afghan soldier that killed two french soldiers serving in an engineers'regiment , also in eastern afghanistan . friday 's suspected shooter , who was a member of the afghan national army , has been apprehended , according to an isaf statement . afghan president hamid karzai said he was deeply saddened by incident . france has been generous to provide extensive assistance to afghanistan over the past 10 years , ' karzai said . throughout history , the two countries have enjoyed a sincere relationship , which the afghan people will always cherish . ' taliban spokesman zabiullah mujahid called the attack sensible . ' this was the latest attack by those sensible and zealous afghans who have entered the enemy 's army and it was also the best one so far as it killed more soldiers than any other such attacks before ,'mujahid said . responding to last month 's shooting , sarkozy stressed his country 's determination to continue working within the international security assistance force to restore peace and stability in that country and contribute to its development . ' nato secretary general anders fogh rasmussen paid tribute to those killed and injured friday , saying it was a very sad day ' for isaf troops in afghanistan and for france . such tragic incidents are terrible and grab headlines , but they are isolated , ' he said . the reality is that every day , 130,000 isaf troops from 50 nations fight and train with over 300,000 afghan soldiers . that takes a lot of trust among a lot of soldiers . we have the same goal . an afghanistan that is responsible for its own security . that is what afghans want . and we remain committed to helping afghans . ' isaf spokesman lt. col. jimmie cummings also played down the threat , saying , we train and are partnered with afghan personnel every day , and we are not seeing any issues or concerns with our relationships . ' friday 's shooting was the latest in a series of attacks on nato forces by members of the afghan army . in october , a gunman wearing an afghan army uniform turned his weapon on coalition forces during training , killing three and wounding several others . the shooter was killed in the incident in southern afghanistan . meanwhile , the cause of the helicopter crash , which happened around midnight kabul time , is still under investigation , isaf said . there was no enemy activity in the area when the helicopter went down in helmand , said col. gary kolb , an isaf spokesman . the taliban claimed responsibility friday for bringing down the helicopter . qari yousuf ahmadi , a taliban spokesman , told cnn via text message : a chinook was shot down in zubair karez area , between musa qala and zamin dawar in southern helmand province , and a number of foreigners traveling in it were killed . ' nato is scheduled to withdraw its forces from afghanistan by the end of 2014 . many isaf members are involved in missions to train and support afghan forces as they prepare to take on greater security responsibilities . cnn 's nick paton walsh , saskya vandoorne , masoud popalzai , pierre meilhan , barbara starr , mitra mobasherat and adam levine contributed to this report . | nato chief rasmussen pays tribute to four french soldiers killed in afghanistan |
syria <tsp> ( cnn ) -- the pentagon says it 's ready to go ' if it gets orders to carry out a military strike in response to syria 's suspected use of chemical weapons against its own people . most people know syria 's civil war has been raging for more than two years . but the situation is so complicated that it 's hard for even the biggest news junkie to keep track . now that washington is seriously thinking about ordering limited missile strikes in one of the most volatile regions of the world , it 's a good time to retrace events and remember how we got here . here 's a quick-read cheat sheet about the syrian civil war . it 's not intended to be an all-encompassing encyclopedia , but it will bring you up to date on what 's really important about a scary situation in an already volatile part of the world . who wants what after chemical weapons horror ? 1 . what did syria look like before the conflict ? even before the uprising in syria , things were n't peaceful there . discontent simmered for decades . in 1982 , president hafez al-assad clamped down on a muslim brotherhood uprising . in one attack , his iron fist left tens of thousands dead . when hafez al-assad died in 2000 , his son bashar al-assad took over the presidency . he promised to build a more modern and democratic nation . but reforms did n't come fast enough for activists , who called for change and slammed syria 's government as an authoritarian , totalitarian and cliquish regime . ' sectarian and ethnic unrest shook syria over the past decade , too . a druze uprising flared in 2000 , and a kurdish rebellion erupted in 2004 . 2 . how did the civil war begin ? it all started in february 2011 in the city of daraa , when authorities arrested 15 schoolchildren for painting anti-government graffiti on the walls of a school . the children did n't mince words with the message they painted : the people want to topple the regime . ' word spread that the children were allegedly mistreated while in custody . outrage over their arrest grew , fueling protests . security forces opened fire , activists say , killing at least four protesters . these four , activists say , were the first deaths in syria 's civil war . within days , according to human rights watch , protests grew into massive rallies made up of thousands . their rallying cry : daraa ! ' the city whose children sparked a national movement . iran : u.s. military action in syria would spark'disaster' 3 . how did the unrest turn into a call for an end to al-assad 's rule ? it did n't take long for al-assad to criticize protesters in daraa . in a march 2011 speech before lawmakers , he said conspirators ' started out there and wanted to spread unrest . his dismissive remarks , and the way lawmakers applauded afterward , only further fueled protests . that speech had a catastrophic impact , ' the international crisis group 's peter harling said last year . people who wanted to support the regime at the time were shocked . ' two days later , weekly anti-government protests began across syria . calls for reforms soon escalated into calls for the removal of the entire al-assad regime . now , armed rebels have vowed to accept nothing less than al-assad 's ouster , while the syrian government has labeled them terrorists and vowed not to back down . the united nations estimates that the fighting has claimed more than 100,000 lives . 4 . ok , but that all started more than two years ago . why do some people think the united states needs to take action now ? talking about syria last year , president barack obama said a red line for us is , we start seeing a whole bunch of chemical weapons moving around or being utilized . ' the implication was clear . if syria uses chemical weapons in the civil war , the united states will have to do something . now , the white house says it looks like syria has used chemical weapons against its own people . so here we are . what will obama do in response ? whatever it is , it 's time to sit up and take notice , because this news story is moving to another level . what justifies intervening if syria uses chemical weapons ? 5 . what makes chemical weapons a game changer ? some argue that conventional weapons like guns or bombs also have a massive human toll . they say chemical weapons should n't be a turning point for the world to act . but the white house maintains that they 're a game-changer . the use of chemical weapons is contrary to the standards adopted by the vast majority of nations and international efforts since world war i to eliminate the use of such weapons . ... the use of these weapons on a mass scale and a threat of proliferation is a threat to our national interests and a concern to the entire world , ' white house spokesman jay carney said this week . 6 . why did n't the united states just send a bunch of weapons to the opposition when it had the chance ? in june , the united states said it would send the rebels small arms , ammunition and potentially anti-tank weapons . but that was long after the unrest started . why the delay ? some argue that sending weapons to a region of the world that also contains islamic extremists is risky business . many of the rebel fighters are militants with pro-al qaeda sympathies , the same stripe of militants america has battled in iraq and afghanistan . the syria rebels have promised u.s. and european officials that any military weaponry they get wo n't end up in extremists'hands . but that has n't quelled criticism from some quarters that arming the rebels is a dangerous risk . russian president vladimir putin has slammed the decision to arm the opposition . at an economic forum in june , he cautioned , where will those weapons end up ? ' 7 . what 's the deal with russia ? why are they criticizing the u.s. ? putin has made it clear that russia and the united states do n't see eye to eye when it comes to syria . russia and syria are longtime allies . for one , just take a look at their weapons deals . between 2007 and 2010 , russian firms selling weapons to syria made almost $ 5 billion . it would be costly for russia to end that relationship , analyst peter fragiskatos said this year ' russia 's leadership still sees much to lose economically and strategically from cutting syria loose , ' fragiskatos wrote . russia sees syria as another test case for the west 's appetite for intervention and views the danger of u.s. involvement as a direct threat to its own interests . ' there are other reasons to suspect that russia will keep supporting syria . russia 's only naval base in the mediterranean is on the syrian coast , and putin is still upset about nato 's bombing in libya two years ago that removed russian ally moammar gadhafi from power .'red line'debate : chemical weapons worse than attacks ? 8 . what 's religion got to do with it ? the al-assad family is alawite , a shiite muslim offshoot that 's one of the minorities in a country that is nearly three-quarters sunni . al-assad has filled key positions in his government with extended family members , and many of his supporters are alawites and other minorities who fear what might happen if the sunnis were to gain power . because the syrian regime is alawite and the majority of the country is sunni , there are concerns that syria could spiral into even more violence . 9 . what 's the worst that could happen ? in a worst-case scenario , experts say , the fighting could spill over and make trouble for syria 's neighbors , threatening stability in a part of the world that 's already known to be volatile . surrounding syria are lebanon , iraq and jordan , israel and turkey . the violence has been prompting war refugees to seek safety in some of these nations . in turkey , there are ethnic tensions involving kurds who live along its southern border with syria . all of these countries have a lot of religious , cultural and historical issues between them that add countless layers of complexity to the crisis . and when an entire region of the world loses stability , that worries the international community as a whole . cnn 's nic robertson , thom patterson , joe sterling , barbara starr , chelsea j. carter and kyle almond contributed to this report . | russia is standing by syria , its longtime ally |
syria <tsp> ( cnn ) -- the pentagon says it 's ready to go ' if it gets orders to carry out a military strike in response to syria 's suspected use of chemical weapons against its own people . most people know syria 's civil war has been raging for more than two years . but the situation is so complicated that it 's hard for even the biggest news junkie to keep track . now that washington is seriously thinking about ordering limited missile strikes in one of the most volatile regions of the world , it 's a good time to retrace events and remember how we got here . here 's a quick-read cheat sheet about the syrian civil war . it 's not intended to be an all-encompassing encyclopedia , but it will bring you up to date on what 's really important about a scary situation in an already volatile part of the world . who wants what after chemical weapons horror ? 1 . what did syria look like before the conflict ? even before the uprising in syria , things were n't peaceful there . discontent simmered for decades . in 1982 , president hafez al-assad clamped down on a muslim brotherhood uprising . in one attack , his iron fist left tens of thousands dead . when hafez al-assad died in 2000 , his son bashar al-assad took over the presidency . he promised to build a more modern and democratic nation . but reforms did n't come fast enough for activists , who called for change and slammed syria 's government as an authoritarian , totalitarian and cliquish regime . ' sectarian and ethnic unrest shook syria over the past decade , too . a druze uprising flared in 2000 , and a kurdish rebellion erupted in 2004 . 2 . how did the civil war begin ? it all started in february 2011 in the city of daraa , when authorities arrested 15 schoolchildren for painting anti-government graffiti on the walls of a school . the children did n't mince words with the message they painted : the people want to topple the regime . ' word spread that the children were allegedly mistreated while in custody . outrage over their arrest grew , fueling protests . security forces opened fire , activists say , killing at least four protesters . these four , activists say , were the first deaths in syria 's civil war . within days , according to human rights watch , protests grew into massive rallies made up of thousands . their rallying cry : daraa ! ' the city whose children sparked a national movement . iran : u.s. military action in syria would spark'disaster' 3 . how did the unrest turn into a call for an end to al-assad 's rule ? it did n't take long for al-assad to criticize protesters in daraa . in a march 2011 speech before lawmakers , he said conspirators ' started out there and wanted to spread unrest . his dismissive remarks , and the way lawmakers applauded afterward , only further fueled protests . that speech had a catastrophic impact , ' the international crisis group 's peter harling said last year . people who wanted to support the regime at the time were shocked . ' two days later , weekly anti-government protests began across syria . calls for reforms soon escalated into calls for the removal of the entire al-assad regime . now , armed rebels have vowed to accept nothing less than al-assad 's ouster , while the syrian government has labeled them terrorists and vowed not to back down . the united nations estimates that the fighting has claimed more than 100,000 lives . 4 . ok , but that all started more than two years ago . why do some people think the united states needs to take action now ? talking about syria last year , president barack obama said a red line for us is , we start seeing a whole bunch of chemical weapons moving around or being utilized . ' the implication was clear . if syria uses chemical weapons in the civil war , the united states will have to do something . now , the white house says it looks like syria has used chemical weapons against its own people . so here we are . what will obama do in response ? whatever it is , it 's time to sit up and take notice , because this news story is moving to another level . what justifies intervening if syria uses chemical weapons ? 5 . what makes chemical weapons a game changer ? some argue that conventional weapons like guns or bombs also have a massive human toll . they say chemical weapons should n't be a turning point for the world to act . but the white house maintains that they 're a game-changer . the use of chemical weapons is contrary to the standards adopted by the vast majority of nations and international efforts since world war i to eliminate the use of such weapons . ... the use of these weapons on a mass scale and a threat of proliferation is a threat to our national interests and a concern to the entire world , ' white house spokesman jay carney said this week . 6 . why did n't the united states just send a bunch of weapons to the opposition when it had the chance ? in june , the united states said it would send the rebels small arms , ammunition and potentially anti-tank weapons . but that was long after the unrest started . why the delay ? some argue that sending weapons to a region of the world that also contains islamic extremists is risky business . many of the rebel fighters are militants with pro-al qaeda sympathies , the same stripe of militants america has battled in iraq and afghanistan . the syria rebels have promised u.s. and european officials that any military weaponry they get wo n't end up in extremists'hands . but that has n't quelled criticism from some quarters that arming the rebels is a dangerous risk . russian president vladimir putin has slammed the decision to arm the opposition . at an economic forum in june , he cautioned , where will those weapons end up ? ' 7 . what 's the deal with russia ? why are they criticizing the u.s. ? putin has made it clear that russia and the united states do n't see eye to eye when it comes to syria . russia and syria are longtime allies . for one , just take a look at their weapons deals . between 2007 and 2010 , russian firms selling weapons to syria made almost $ 5 billion . it would be costly for russia to end that relationship , analyst peter fragiskatos said this year ' russia 's leadership still sees much to lose economically and strategically from cutting syria loose , ' fragiskatos wrote . russia sees syria as another test case for the west 's appetite for intervention and views the danger of u.s. involvement as a direct threat to its own interests . ' there are other reasons to suspect that russia will keep supporting syria . russia 's only naval base in the mediterranean is on the syrian coast , and putin is still upset about nato 's bombing in libya two years ago that removed russian ally moammar gadhafi from power .'red line'debate : chemical weapons worse than attacks ? 8 . what 's religion got to do with it ? the al-assad family is alawite , a shiite muslim offshoot that 's one of the minorities in a country that is nearly three-quarters sunni . al-assad has filled key positions in his government with extended family members , and many of his supporters are alawites and other minorities who fear what might happen if the sunnis were to gain power . because the syrian regime is alawite and the majority of the country is sunni , there are concerns that syria could spiral into even more violence . 9 . what 's the worst that could happen ? in a worst-case scenario , experts say , the fighting could spill over and make trouble for syria 's neighbors , threatening stability in a part of the world that 's already known to be volatile . surrounding syria are lebanon , iraq and jordan , israel and turkey . the violence has been prompting war refugees to seek safety in some of these nations . in turkey , there are ethnic tensions involving kurds who live along its southern border with syria . all of these countries have a lot of religious , cultural and historical issues between them that add countless layers of complexity to the crisis . and when an entire region of the world loses stability , that worries the international community as a whole . cnn 's nic robertson , thom patterson , joe sterling , barbara starr , chelsea j. carter and kyle almond contributed to this report . | unrest in syria started after children were arrested for anti-government graffiti |
guantanamo bay <tsp> london ( cnn ) -- a former guantanamo bay detainee from britain is among four people arrested on suspicion of syria-related terrorism offenses , uk counterterror police said tuesday . moazzam begg , from hall green in birmingham , is suspected of attending a terrorist training camp and facilitating terrorism overseas , ' a statement from west midlands police said . the three other suspects -- a man , 36 , a woman , 44 , and her son , 20 , all from birmingham -- were detained on suspicion of facilitating terrorism overseas , police said . all four arrests are connected . they were preplanned and intelligence led . there was no immediate risk to public safety , ' said det . superintendent shaun edwards of west midlands police . officers are carrying out searches at properties connected to the suspects and vehicles and electronic equipment are being removed for forensic analysis , authorities said . the suspects have not been charged with any offense . begg was arrested as a suspected al qaeda member in pakistan in february 2002 and was held at the u.s. airbase at bagram , afghanistan , before being sent to the u.s. prison camp at guantanamo bay , cuba . begg spent nearly three years in custody . he was sent back to britain by the bush administration in early 2005 and was never prosecuted . he co-authored a book about his experiences at guantanamo bay in 2006 and has appeared as a public speaker and commentator in britain and overseas since his release . | begg spent nearly three years at bagram airbase and the guantanamo bay prison camp |
ford <tsp> ( cnn ) -- a former ford motor co. employee pled guilty on wednesday to two counts of theft of trade secrets , handing them over to a chinese competitor . federal prosecutors in a u.s. district court in detroit , michigan , say xiang dong yu -- a 49 year-old former product engineer at ford -- used his company access to steal trade secrets . yu admitted to copying 4,000 internal company documents -- including sensitive ford design plans -- prior to his departure from ford , according to a statement from the u.s. attorney 's office for michigan 's eastern district . he then went to his new employer 's office -- beijing automotive co. -- in shenzhen , china , bringing the stolen trade secrets with him , the statement said . yu returned to the united states in october 2009 , it said , where he was arrested by fbi agents who searched his computer and discovered 41 ford design specification documents . under a plea agreement , yu faces at least five years in a u.s. prison and fines of up to $ 150,000 , the statement said . we will vigilantly protect the intellectual property of our u.s. automakers , who invest millions of dollars and decades of time in research and development to compete in a global economy , ' u.s. attorney barbara l. mcquade said in the statement . those who do not play by the rules will be brought to justice . ' yu 's defense attorney david dumouchel declined to comment . yu is currently in federal custody and will face sentencing early next year . | yu admitted copying 4,000 ford documents , taking them to beijing automotive co . |
ford <tsp> ( cnn ) -- a former ford motor co. employee pled guilty on wednesday to two counts of theft of trade secrets , handing them over to a chinese competitor . federal prosecutors in a u.s. district court in detroit , michigan , say xiang dong yu -- a 49 year-old former product engineer at ford -- used his company access to steal trade secrets . yu admitted to copying 4,000 internal company documents -- including sensitive ford design plans -- prior to his departure from ford , according to a statement from the u.s. attorney 's office for michigan 's eastern district . he then went to his new employer 's office -- beijing automotive co. -- in shenzhen , china , bringing the stolen trade secrets with him , the statement said . yu returned to the united states in october 2009 , it said , where he was arrested by fbi agents who searched his computer and discovered 41 ford design specification documents . under a plea agreement , yu faces at least five years in a u.s. prison and fines of up to $ 150,000 , the statement said . we will vigilantly protect the intellectual property of our u.s. automakers , who invest millions of dollars and decades of time in research and development to compete in a global economy , ' u.s. attorney barbara l. mcquade said in the statement . those who do not play by the rules will be brought to justice . ' yu 's defense attorney david dumouchel declined to comment . yu is currently in federal custody and will face sentencing early next year . | prosecutors say yu gave ford design specs , other secrets to a chinese competitor |
ford <tsp> ( cnn ) -- a former ford motor co. employee pled guilty on wednesday to two counts of theft of trade secrets , handing them over to a chinese competitor . federal prosecutors in a u.s. district court in detroit , michigan , say xiang dong yu -- a 49 year-old former product engineer at ford -- used his company access to steal trade secrets . yu admitted to copying 4,000 internal company documents -- including sensitive ford design plans -- prior to his departure from ford , according to a statement from the u.s. attorney 's office for michigan 's eastern district . he then went to his new employer 's office -- beijing automotive co. -- in shenzhen , china , bringing the stolen trade secrets with him , the statement said . yu returned to the united states in october 2009 , it said , where he was arrested by fbi agents who searched his computer and discovered 41 ford design specification documents . under a plea agreement , yu faces at least five years in a u.s. prison and fines of up to $ 150,000 , the statement said . we will vigilantly protect the intellectual property of our u.s. automakers , who invest millions of dollars and decades of time in research and development to compete in a global economy , ' u.s. attorney barbara l. mcquade said in the statement . those who do not play by the rules will be brought to justice . ' yu 's defense attorney david dumouchel declined to comment . yu is currently in federal custody and will face sentencing early next year . | former ford employee pled guilty to two counts of theft of trade secrets |
gop <tsp> ( cnn ) -- republicans now have the senate majority and control of congress going into next year . this means there can be no excuses for why bipartisan solutions designed to help the american people can not pass the senate and land on the president barack obama 's desk for his signature . but winning this election is not enough . republicans must be prepared to not only keep the senate in 2016 , but also build a foundation that will preserve their majority for the next several cycles . republicans will have to thread the needle between opposing the president and pushing forward their own agenda . congressional republicans must show they can truly govern and try to avoid excessive high profile fights that are only popular to the party 's base . republicans won because the president 's policies were on the ballot and so were the many incumbents who supported them . the electoral atmosphere could not have been better for the gop , as the white house mishandled many issues , such as the irs scandal , the immigration crisis , the growing crisis with isis in the middle east and the health scares over ebola in the united states . it 's an exciting moment for the gop because it can showcase its policies . toward the end of the bush administration , we had lost our way and wandered into the wilderness and let the other side take control . for the first time in eight years , republicans will have the chance to demonstrate that they are the party of common sense ideas , because they will run the entire show on capitol hill . they can start the process of putting in place a smarter , leaner and transparent government that restores freedom , grows the economy and creates more jobs . figuring out ways to unleash the american potential will be the solution to keeping a lasting republican majority . now is the time for party leaders , rank-and-file members of congress and governors to come forward and present the best ideas our party has to offer . we have two steady hands at the helm with speaker john boehner and soon-to-be senate republican majority leader mitch mcconnell . they do not overreact in times of intense legislative drama and are able to negotiate solid deals in order to move the ball forward without giving up their core conservative values . in addition , republican lieutenants like house majority leader kevi mccarthy , house republican whip steve scalise and senate republican whip john cornyn are all loyal and very able leaders to help implement the party 's agenda . time is not on the gop 's side . republicans have a very limited window to demonstrate that they are the party of real change . they have next year to push through legislation to the president 's desk for his signature . that is why republicans must not get caught up in the 2016 election year cycle before presidential politics takes over . if the gop focuses too much on who sits in the oval office too early , many of the party 's efforts will end up in legislative quicksand . yes , there will be several high-profile senators who will be positioning themselves for a presidential run , but the focus of house-senate efforts must not change because of them . there is serious work to be done . the gop must unveil an agenda that addresses tax reform , reins in spending , offers regulatory reform for business growth , tackles energy issues , pushes through trade deals and improves our educational system . while we can continue to show why obamacare remains a failure , we do not have 60 votes in the senate to repeal it . but we can make some changes , such as repealing the medical device tax . if obama and senate democrats reject these ideas through the veto pen or the filibuster , it will be obvious to americans just who is obstructing progress . immigration , however , remains the elephant in the room for republicans . the president is likely going to move his chess piece on this first issue through executive orders this year . while the gop wo n't ever have an amnesty style bill that the democrats have proposed in the past , republicans must offer a version of immigration reform in order to attract hispanic voters and take the issue off the table . speaker of the house john boehner constantly reminded americans that hundreds of bills that have passed the house now remain trapped in the united states senate . that talking point will no longer exist under republican control . while members of the gop are slapping each other on the back for the hard-fought and well-deserved victory , the republican brand still remains stagnant outside the beltway and must be fixed . the starting bell for next year has already rung . it 's time for republicans to shine and prove that they can successfully navigate this new journey forward . the election victory is theirs to build upon , or lose again very shortly . | bonjean : it 's a well-deserved victory , but gop brand is stagnant and must be fixed |
gop <tsp> ( cnn ) -- republicans now have the senate majority and control of congress going into next year . this means there can be no excuses for why bipartisan solutions designed to help the american people can not pass the senate and land on the president barack obama 's desk for his signature . but winning this election is not enough . republicans must be prepared to not only keep the senate in 2016 , but also build a foundation that will preserve their majority for the next several cycles . republicans will have to thread the needle between opposing the president and pushing forward their own agenda . congressional republicans must show they can truly govern and try to avoid excessive high profile fights that are only popular to the party 's base . republicans won because the president 's policies were on the ballot and so were the many incumbents who supported them . the electoral atmosphere could not have been better for the gop , as the white house mishandled many issues , such as the irs scandal , the immigration crisis , the growing crisis with isis in the middle east and the health scares over ebola in the united states . it 's an exciting moment for the gop because it can showcase its policies . toward the end of the bush administration , we had lost our way and wandered into the wilderness and let the other side take control . for the first time in eight years , republicans will have the chance to demonstrate that they are the party of common sense ideas , because they will run the entire show on capitol hill . they can start the process of putting in place a smarter , leaner and transparent government that restores freedom , grows the economy and creates more jobs . figuring out ways to unleash the american potential will be the solution to keeping a lasting republican majority . now is the time for party leaders , rank-and-file members of congress and governors to come forward and present the best ideas our party has to offer . we have two steady hands at the helm with speaker john boehner and soon-to-be senate republican majority leader mitch mcconnell . they do not overreact in times of intense legislative drama and are able to negotiate solid deals in order to move the ball forward without giving up their core conservative values . in addition , republican lieutenants like house majority leader kevi mccarthy , house republican whip steve scalise and senate republican whip john cornyn are all loyal and very able leaders to help implement the party 's agenda . time is not on the gop 's side . republicans have a very limited window to demonstrate that they are the party of real change . they have next year to push through legislation to the president 's desk for his signature . that is why republicans must not get caught up in the 2016 election year cycle before presidential politics takes over . if the gop focuses too much on who sits in the oval office too early , many of the party 's efforts will end up in legislative quicksand . yes , there will be several high-profile senators who will be positioning themselves for a presidential run , but the focus of house-senate efforts must not change because of them . there is serious work to be done . the gop must unveil an agenda that addresses tax reform , reins in spending , offers regulatory reform for business growth , tackles energy issues , pushes through trade deals and improves our educational system . while we can continue to show why obamacare remains a failure , we do not have 60 votes in the senate to repeal it . but we can make some changes , such as repealing the medical device tax . if obama and senate democrats reject these ideas through the veto pen or the filibuster , it will be obvious to americans just who is obstructing progress . immigration , however , remains the elephant in the room for republicans . the president is likely going to move his chess piece on this first issue through executive orders this year . while the gop wo n't ever have an amnesty style bill that the democrats have proposed in the past , republicans must offer a version of immigration reform in order to attract hispanic voters and take the issue off the table . speaker of the house john boehner constantly reminded americans that hundreds of bills that have passed the house now remain trapped in the united states senate . that talking point will no longer exist under republican control . while members of the gop are slapping each other on the back for the hard-fought and well-deserved victory , the republican brand still remains stagnant outside the beltway and must be fixed . the starting bell for next year has already rung . it 's time for republicans to shine and prove that they can successfully navigate this new journey forward . the election victory is theirs to build upon , or lose again very shortly . | he says now is time for gop leaders to present the best ideas that can help americans |
gop <tsp> ( cnn ) -- republicans now have the senate majority and control of congress going into next year . this means there can be no excuses for why bipartisan solutions designed to help the american people can not pass the senate and land on the president barack obama 's desk for his signature . but winning this election is not enough . republicans must be prepared to not only keep the senate in 2016 , but also build a foundation that will preserve their majority for the next several cycles . republicans will have to thread the needle between opposing the president and pushing forward their own agenda . congressional republicans must show they can truly govern and try to avoid excessive high profile fights that are only popular to the party 's base . republicans won because the president 's policies were on the ballot and so were the many incumbents who supported them . the electoral atmosphere could not have been better for the gop , as the white house mishandled many issues , such as the irs scandal , the immigration crisis , the growing crisis with isis in the middle east and the health scares over ebola in the united states . it 's an exciting moment for the gop because it can showcase its policies . toward the end of the bush administration , we had lost our way and wandered into the wilderness and let the other side take control . for the first time in eight years , republicans will have the chance to demonstrate that they are the party of common sense ideas , because they will run the entire show on capitol hill . they can start the process of putting in place a smarter , leaner and transparent government that restores freedom , grows the economy and creates more jobs . figuring out ways to unleash the american potential will be the solution to keeping a lasting republican majority . now is the time for party leaders , rank-and-file members of congress and governors to come forward and present the best ideas our party has to offer . we have two steady hands at the helm with speaker john boehner and soon-to-be senate republican majority leader mitch mcconnell . they do not overreact in times of intense legislative drama and are able to negotiate solid deals in order to move the ball forward without giving up their core conservative values . in addition , republican lieutenants like house majority leader kevi mccarthy , house republican whip steve scalise and senate republican whip john cornyn are all loyal and very able leaders to help implement the party 's agenda . time is not on the gop 's side . republicans have a very limited window to demonstrate that they are the party of real change . they have next year to push through legislation to the president 's desk for his signature . that is why republicans must not get caught up in the 2016 election year cycle before presidential politics takes over . if the gop focuses too much on who sits in the oval office too early , many of the party 's efforts will end up in legislative quicksand . yes , there will be several high-profile senators who will be positioning themselves for a presidential run , but the focus of house-senate efforts must not change because of them . there is serious work to be done . the gop must unveil an agenda that addresses tax reform , reins in spending , offers regulatory reform for business growth , tackles energy issues , pushes through trade deals and improves our educational system . while we can continue to show why obamacare remains a failure , we do not have 60 votes in the senate to repeal it . but we can make some changes , such as repealing the medical device tax . if obama and senate democrats reject these ideas through the veto pen or the filibuster , it will be obvious to americans just who is obstructing progress . immigration , however , remains the elephant in the room for republicans . the president is likely going to move his chess piece on this first issue through executive orders this year . while the gop wo n't ever have an amnesty style bill that the democrats have proposed in the past , republicans must offer a version of immigration reform in order to attract hispanic voters and take the issue off the table . speaker of the house john boehner constantly reminded americans that hundreds of bills that have passed the house now remain trapped in the united states senate . that talking point will no longer exist under republican control . while members of the gop are slapping each other on the back for the hard-fought and well-deserved victory , the republican brand still remains stagnant outside the beltway and must be fixed . the starting bell for next year has already rung . it 's time for republicans to shine and prove that they can successfully navigate this new journey forward . the election victory is theirs to build upon , or lose again very shortly . | bonjean : gop must try to keep the senate in 2016 and its majority in the coming cycles |
swedish <tsp> ( cnn ) -- sweden 's military feels certain there was an intruder , but it has called off the search for a mystery vessel in waters near stockholm . at least one ' foreign vessel was there , swedish rear adm. anders grenstad said friday . it may have been a small vessel . ' whatever may have been lurking beneath the waves of the archipelago for a week drew threats of martial force from sweden 's military . a spokeswoman warned that the navy was prepared to use anything necessary ' to force the vessel to rise to the surface . the military used battleships , minesweepers and helicopters in the search . government officials have not said what they believed they had detected , but sweden 's media reported the military was probably looking for a russian submarine . report : russian signal swedish intelligence had picked up a radio distress call last week -- in russian -- which set off the defensive reconnaissance , major daily newspaper svenska dagbladet reported . the transmissions were directed at the russian enclave of kaliningrad , 330 miles ( 530 kilometers ) south of stockholm , on the baltic 's southern shore , the local reported . moscow said it had no vessel in swedish waters and suggested sweden ask the netherlands if it was one of theirs stationed nearby . the netherlands is a member of a nato and an ally of sweden 's , which does not belong to the alliance . according to a report , the dutch said they did not had a sub in swedish waters . russia has recently flexed its muscles at sweden , which has been cooperating recently more closely with nato , security expert gary schmitt wrote in an analysis for cnn . moscow has practiced mock attacks of stockholm and has flown very close to swedish planes and ships , he said . it has also encroached upon swedish airspace . tourist sub mix-up the mystery had unpleasant side effects for tour guide lasse schmidt . he putters around the archipelago with tourists in a small decommissioned military sub originally designed as a target for naval battle exercises . and the national defense stir had some of his countrymen gunning for him . they thought his submersible was what the navy detected as a potential intruder . the news of the military 's search had schmidt 's business phone ringing , mostly with annoying calls . many people believe we caused this military operation , ' he said , and they call to demand that we pay the bill for it . ' cnn 's ralph ellis , lucy pawle , brad lendon and jason hanna contributed to this report . | emergency radio call in russian was picked up by swedish military , report says |
swedish <tsp> ( cnn ) -- sweden 's military feels certain there was an intruder , but it has called off the search for a mystery vessel in waters near stockholm . at least one ' foreign vessel was there , swedish rear adm. anders grenstad said friday . it may have been a small vessel . ' whatever may have been lurking beneath the waves of the archipelago for a week drew threats of martial force from sweden 's military . a spokeswoman warned that the navy was prepared to use anything necessary ' to force the vessel to rise to the surface . the military used battleships , minesweepers and helicopters in the search . government officials have not said what they believed they had detected , but sweden 's media reported the military was probably looking for a russian submarine . report : russian signal swedish intelligence had picked up a radio distress call last week -- in russian -- which set off the defensive reconnaissance , major daily newspaper svenska dagbladet reported . the transmissions were directed at the russian enclave of kaliningrad , 330 miles ( 530 kilometers ) south of stockholm , on the baltic 's southern shore , the local reported . moscow said it had no vessel in swedish waters and suggested sweden ask the netherlands if it was one of theirs stationed nearby . the netherlands is a member of a nato and an ally of sweden 's , which does not belong to the alliance . according to a report , the dutch said they did not had a sub in swedish waters . russia has recently flexed its muscles at sweden , which has been cooperating recently more closely with nato , security expert gary schmitt wrote in an analysis for cnn . moscow has practiced mock attacks of stockholm and has flown very close to swedish planes and ships , he said . it has also encroached upon swedish airspace . tourist sub mix-up the mystery had unpleasant side effects for tour guide lasse schmidt . he putters around the archipelago with tourists in a small decommissioned military sub originally designed as a target for naval battle exercises . and the national defense stir had some of his countrymen gunning for him . they thought his submersible was what the navy detected as a potential intruder . the news of the military 's search had schmidt 's business phone ringing , mostly with annoying calls . many people believe we caused this military operation , ' he said , and they call to demand that we pay the bill for it . ' cnn 's ralph ellis , lucy pawle , brad lendon and jason hanna contributed to this report . | admiral : at least one ' foreign vessel was in swedish waters |
swedish <tsp> ( cnn ) -- sweden 's military feels certain there was an intruder , but it has called off the search for a mystery vessel in waters near stockholm . at least one ' foreign vessel was there , swedish rear adm. anders grenstad said friday . it may have been a small vessel . ' whatever may have been lurking beneath the waves of the archipelago for a week drew threats of martial force from sweden 's military . a spokeswoman warned that the navy was prepared to use anything necessary ' to force the vessel to rise to the surface . the military used battleships , minesweepers and helicopters in the search . government officials have not said what they believed they had detected , but sweden 's media reported the military was probably looking for a russian submarine . report : russian signal swedish intelligence had picked up a radio distress call last week -- in russian -- which set off the defensive reconnaissance , major daily newspaper svenska dagbladet reported . the transmissions were directed at the russian enclave of kaliningrad , 330 miles ( 530 kilometers ) south of stockholm , on the baltic 's southern shore , the local reported . moscow said it had no vessel in swedish waters and suggested sweden ask the netherlands if it was one of theirs stationed nearby . the netherlands is a member of a nato and an ally of sweden 's , which does not belong to the alliance . according to a report , the dutch said they did not had a sub in swedish waters . russia has recently flexed its muscles at sweden , which has been cooperating recently more closely with nato , security expert gary schmitt wrote in an analysis for cnn . moscow has practiced mock attacks of stockholm and has flown very close to swedish planes and ships , he said . it has also encroached upon swedish airspace . tourist sub mix-up the mystery had unpleasant side effects for tour guide lasse schmidt . he putters around the archipelago with tourists in a small decommissioned military sub originally designed as a target for naval battle exercises . and the national defense stir had some of his countrymen gunning for him . they thought his submersible was what the navy detected as a potential intruder . the news of the military 's search had schmidt 's business phone ringing , mostly with annoying calls . many people believe we caused this military operation , ' he said , and they call to demand that we pay the bill for it . ' cnn 's ralph ellis , lucy pawle , brad lendon and jason hanna contributed to this report . | russia denies that any vessel was in swedish waters |
ajax <tsp> ( cnn ) -- arsene wenger could scarcely have asked for a more enjoyable anniversary gift from his players after arsenal produced a scintillating showing to see off napoli in the champions league . celebrating his 17th year in charge , wenger watched on as the gunners turned in one of the english club 's finest european performances for some time to defeat the serie a side 2-0 . mesut ozil , the german playmaker who arrived on deadline day from real madrid , was the man who ran the show . ozil 's sublime opener and an olivier giroud strike secured a second straight champions league win for arsenal , which now sits three points clear at the top of group f. ' considering we were playing against a top side , we played very efficiently winning the ball back and it was a very impressive first 45 minutes , ' captain mikael arteta told sky sports . we have the talent up front to score the goals . but there is also a hunger . now we know that we need to win the ball back quickly , because when we win it back in the final third we are very dangerous . we still have players to come back from injury and they will add their own qualities . ' after its opening day defeat by aston villa which led to huge criticism of wenger , arsenal has been in imperious form . and the frenchman was delighted with his side 's latest showing as it continued its winning streak . i felt that we played at a good pace , technically very direct and finished with great goals , ' he told sky sports . the first half was outstanding . the second half we played more with maturity , less with drive going forward , a bit more cautious , but overall and outstanding game . the first half was amazing , absolutely fantastic . everything was in there . all that you dream to see when you come to watch football . we were solid . flamini and arteta contributed to that , and overall it was positive because i wanted flamini to be very good on the counter attack , especially with ramsey , and that worked very well . ' napoli coach rafael benitez had never managed to win at arsenal during his time at liverpool or chelsea and that statistic rarely looked like changing . one sided arsenal , which sits top of the premier league , ran riot during a one sided first half with ozil dictating proceedings in the middle of the field . napoli had arrived with plenty of optimism , unbeaten this season after winning five of its opening six serie a games and having seen off borussia dortmund in its last european fixture . but it had little to offer in way of a response against the tidal wave of pressure exerted by a buoyant arsenal . in the group 's other game , dortmund eased to a 3-0 win over marseille courtesy of robert lewandowski 's double and a marco reus strike . arsenal hosts dortmund in its next game on october 22 -- a tie which wenger is relishing following his side 's perfect start to the group stage . you can not start better , and the next two will be deciders , ' he added . that 's when we want the game to come back after the international break and have a great game against dortmund . ' chelsea in group e , schalke moved top with a 1-0 win at basel thanks to a julian draxler strike , while chelsea cruised to a 4-0 victory at steaua bucharest . two goals from ramires , an own-goal and a late frank lampard effort clinched chelsea 's first win in this year 's competition and eased the pressure on manager jose mourinho . this is what chelsea needed , ' juan mata told sky sports . the first game against basel was a painful defeat. ' we showed we wanted to win . we played really well . it was enough to win . it will now give us confidence . ' atletico madrid has taken charge of group g following a 2-1 win over porto in portugal . diego godin and arda turan were both on target as the spanish side , which won sunday 's madrid derby , came from behind to claim the points following jackson martinez 's opener . in the group 's other game , russia 's zenit st. petersburg was held to a goalless draw by austria vienna -- a result which leaves both teams with one point from their opening two fixtures . barcelona barcelona equaled manchester united 's record of 39 away wins in the champions league after overcoming celtic 1-0 . the scottish champion had chances of its own but was forced to play the final 31 minutes with 10 men following the dismissal of captain scott brown . brown was adjudged to have kicked out at barca star neymar and was given his marching orders . cesc fabregas ensured barcelona made the most of its numerical supremacy with 15 minutes of normal time remaining . i 'm not convinced it 's a red card . if there 's any contact it 's very minimal , ' celtic boss neil lennon told itv . it changed the game . it 's hard enough playing against barcelona with 11 men , never mind 10 men . neymar has a reputation in the game . sometimes he exaggerates things a little bit . ' in the group 's other game , mario balotelli scored a 94th-minute penalty to rescue a point for ac milan at ajax . the dutch side appeared to have won the contest when stefano denswil netted in the 90th minute but balotelli struck at the death to silence the home crowd after the italy striker went down in the area following a tussle with substitute mike van der hoorn . | ajax held by milan , wins for atletico , dortmund and chelsea |
celtic <tsp> ( cnn ) -- arsene wenger could scarcely have asked for a more enjoyable anniversary gift from his players after arsenal produced a scintillating showing to see off napoli in the champions league . celebrating his 17th year in charge , wenger watched on as the gunners turned in one of the english club 's finest european performances for some time to defeat the serie a side 2-0 . mesut ozil , the german playmaker who arrived on deadline day from real madrid , was the man who ran the show . ozil 's sublime opener and an olivier giroud strike secured a second straight champions league win for arsenal , which now sits three points clear at the top of group f. ' considering we were playing against a top side , we played very efficiently winning the ball back and it was a very impressive first 45 minutes , ' captain mikael arteta told sky sports . we have the talent up front to score the goals . but there is also a hunger . now we know that we need to win the ball back quickly , because when we win it back in the final third we are very dangerous . we still have players to come back from injury and they will add their own qualities . ' after its opening day defeat by aston villa which led to huge criticism of wenger , arsenal has been in imperious form . and the frenchman was delighted with his side 's latest showing as it continued its winning streak . i felt that we played at a good pace , technically very direct and finished with great goals , ' he told sky sports . the first half was outstanding . the second half we played more with maturity , less with drive going forward , a bit more cautious , but overall and outstanding game . the first half was amazing , absolutely fantastic . everything was in there . all that you dream to see when you come to watch football . we were solid . flamini and arteta contributed to that , and overall it was positive because i wanted flamini to be very good on the counter attack , especially with ramsey , and that worked very well . ' napoli coach rafael benitez had never managed to win at arsenal during his time at liverpool or chelsea and that statistic rarely looked like changing . one sided arsenal , which sits top of the premier league , ran riot during a one sided first half with ozil dictating proceedings in the middle of the field . napoli had arrived with plenty of optimism , unbeaten this season after winning five of its opening six serie a games and having seen off borussia dortmund in its last european fixture . but it had little to offer in way of a response against the tidal wave of pressure exerted by a buoyant arsenal . in the group 's other game , dortmund eased to a 3-0 win over marseille courtesy of robert lewandowski 's double and a marco reus strike . arsenal hosts dortmund in its next game on october 22 -- a tie which wenger is relishing following his side 's perfect start to the group stage . you can not start better , and the next two will be deciders , ' he added . that 's when we want the game to come back after the international break and have a great game against dortmund . ' chelsea in group e , schalke moved top with a 1-0 win at basel thanks to a julian draxler strike , while chelsea cruised to a 4-0 victory at steaua bucharest . two goals from ramires , an own-goal and a late frank lampard effort clinched chelsea 's first win in this year 's competition and eased the pressure on manager jose mourinho . this is what chelsea needed , ' juan mata told sky sports . the first game against basel was a painful defeat. ' we showed we wanted to win . we played really well . it was enough to win . it will now give us confidence . ' atletico madrid has taken charge of group g following a 2-1 win over porto in portugal . diego godin and arda turan were both on target as the spanish side , which won sunday 's madrid derby , came from behind to claim the points following jackson martinez 's opener . in the group 's other game , russia 's zenit st. petersburg was held to a goalless draw by austria vienna -- a result which leaves both teams with one point from their opening two fixtures . barcelona barcelona equaled manchester united 's record of 39 away wins in the champions league after overcoming celtic 1-0 . the scottish champion had chances of its own but was forced to play the final 31 minutes with 10 men following the dismissal of captain scott brown . brown was adjudged to have kicked out at barca star neymar and was given his marching orders . cesc fabregas ensured barcelona made the most of its numerical supremacy with 15 minutes of normal time remaining . i 'm not convinced it 's a red card . if there 's any contact it 's very minimal , ' celtic boss neil lennon told itv . it changed the game . it 's hard enough playing against barcelona with 11 men , never mind 10 men . neymar has a reputation in the game . sometimes he exaggerates things a little bit . ' in the group 's other game , mario balotelli scored a 94th-minute penalty to rescue a point for ac milan at ajax . the dutch side appeared to have won the contest when stefano denswil netted in the 90th minute but balotelli struck at the death to silence the home crowd after the italy striker went down in the area following a tussle with substitute mike van der hoorn . | barcelona edges to victory over 10-man celtic |
reynolds <tsp> ( cnn ) -- in the last six months , the obama administration has been pushing for a change in labor regulations that would , for the first time since the 1970s , make home care workers eligible for overtime pay under the federal fair labor standards act . while the motive behind the proposed changes is noble , the unintended consequences are too great to overlook . we can all agree that providing higher wages to home care workers would reward professional caregivers , attract more qualified people to this growing industry and improve care for the elderly and disabled . these are common goals for both caregivers and families . however , mandating that home care workers be eligible for overtime pay will have the opposite effect . as the head of a home care agency in massachusetts , i am required by state law to pay overtime to caregivers who are eligible . for those of us who hoped the law would result in caregivers earning more money , it is disappointing . the reality is that many home care workers'weekly wages would be higher if overtime pay were not required . why ? the answer is simple : the law does not -- and can not -- require families or home care agencies to employ the same caregiver once that person reaches the overtime threshold . when a caregiver has put in 40 hours during the week , employers usually switch to other workers who have not yet reached that limit , even if the first worker is available and wants to earn more money . imagine you are hiring , either directly or through a home care agency , someone to help keep a parent safe and comfortable at home . your parent does n't need medical services but requires assistance with bathing , dressing , walking , meal preparation and related activities . this long term custodial care ' is not covered by medicare , so you have to pay out of pocket . while the costs can add up , it 's less expensive than an assisted living facility . let 's say you need more than 40 hours of custodial home care every week . if your caregiver wants the extra income , you can arrange for him or her to work more than 40 hours at the wage you have agreed to . but what happens if the hourly rate for the caregiver goes up by 50 % ? if you were paying $ 20/hr through a home care agency , the cost would now come to about $ 28/hr -- a huge increase . do you keep the same caregiver coming and pay $ 28/hr , or do you hire another one to finish out the week at $ 20/hour ? if , like most families , you are on a budget that stretches every dollar , you would tell the first caregiver to stop work ( and stop earning money ) at 40 hours of service . you would then hire a second caregiver to finish the week . opinion : home care workers deserve protections the fact is that many seniors in our country are living on limited budgets . any increase in home care wage for caregivers means more money flowing out of the social security check or retirement savings of seniors . most families have little incentive to pay the higher rates associated with overtime work . for a professional caregiver who wants to work more than 40 hours a week at the regular rate ( and many do ) , that option evaporates when overtime pay is required . someone who used to work 50 hours now can only work up to 40 hours . in states that require overtime pay , families often choose to not assign overtime hours to their caregivers . home care workers do not wind up with overtime assignments and higher earnings ; instead , they receive less work and make less money . seniors who receive care have less access to the caregiver of their choice due to budgetary concerns . this is surely not an outcome sought by those who advocate revising the rules of the federal fair labor standards act . choosing to expand a law whose effect clearly reduces the earnings of lower-earning workers is bad politics and bad policy . paying home care workers more money would have clear social benefits , but if it comes at the cost of pricing vulnerable seniors out of the home care market or reducing the earning potential of caregivers , then we need to rethink our laws . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of jim reynolds . | reynolds : many seniors live on limited budgets and do n't want to pay higher rate for overtime |
reynolds <tsp> ( cnn ) -- in the last six months , the obama administration has been pushing for a change in labor regulations that would , for the first time since the 1970s , make home care workers eligible for overtime pay under the federal fair labor standards act . while the motive behind the proposed changes is noble , the unintended consequences are too great to overlook . we can all agree that providing higher wages to home care workers would reward professional caregivers , attract more qualified people to this growing industry and improve care for the elderly and disabled . these are common goals for both caregivers and families . however , mandating that home care workers be eligible for overtime pay will have the opposite effect . as the head of a home care agency in massachusetts , i am required by state law to pay overtime to caregivers who are eligible . for those of us who hoped the law would result in caregivers earning more money , it is disappointing . the reality is that many home care workers'weekly wages would be higher if overtime pay were not required . why ? the answer is simple : the law does not -- and can not -- require families or home care agencies to employ the same caregiver once that person reaches the overtime threshold . when a caregiver has put in 40 hours during the week , employers usually switch to other workers who have not yet reached that limit , even if the first worker is available and wants to earn more money . imagine you are hiring , either directly or through a home care agency , someone to help keep a parent safe and comfortable at home . your parent does n't need medical services but requires assistance with bathing , dressing , walking , meal preparation and related activities . this long term custodial care ' is not covered by medicare , so you have to pay out of pocket . while the costs can add up , it 's less expensive than an assisted living facility . let 's say you need more than 40 hours of custodial home care every week . if your caregiver wants the extra income , you can arrange for him or her to work more than 40 hours at the wage you have agreed to . but what happens if the hourly rate for the caregiver goes up by 50 % ? if you were paying $ 20/hr through a home care agency , the cost would now come to about $ 28/hr -- a huge increase . do you keep the same caregiver coming and pay $ 28/hr , or do you hire another one to finish out the week at $ 20/hour ? if , like most families , you are on a budget that stretches every dollar , you would tell the first caregiver to stop work ( and stop earning money ) at 40 hours of service . you would then hire a second caregiver to finish the week . opinion : home care workers deserve protections the fact is that many seniors in our country are living on limited budgets . any increase in home care wage for caregivers means more money flowing out of the social security check or retirement savings of seniors . most families have little incentive to pay the higher rates associated with overtime work . for a professional caregiver who wants to work more than 40 hours a week at the regular rate ( and many do ) , that option evaporates when overtime pay is required . someone who used to work 50 hours now can only work up to 40 hours . in states that require overtime pay , families often choose to not assign overtime hours to their caregivers . home care workers do not wind up with overtime assignments and higher earnings ; instead , they receive less work and make less money . seniors who receive care have less access to the caregiver of their choice due to budgetary concerns . this is surely not an outcome sought by those who advocate revising the rules of the federal fair labor standards act . choosing to expand a law whose effect clearly reduces the earnings of lower-earning workers is bad politics and bad policy . paying home care workers more money would have clear social benefits , but if it comes at the cost of pricing vulnerable seniors out of the home care market or reducing the earning potential of caregivers , then we need to rethink our laws . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of jim reynolds . | jim reynolds : motive behind proposal is noble , but law will have opposite effect |
new horizons <tsp> ( cnn ) after more than nine years of traveling through the solar system , nasa 's new horizons spacecraft has sent back its first color image of pluto . the initial picture released on tuesday shows a couple of orange-tinged blobs : pluto and its largest moon , charon . but the probe will soon be beaming back much sharper images and a wealth of other information about pluto 's remote , unexplored corner of the solar system . this is pure exploration ; we 're going to turn points of light into a planet and a system of moons before your eyes , ' said alan stern , new horizons'principal investigator . launched in 2006 , new horizons is nearing the crucial point in its epic voyage of more than 3 billion miles . the probe is due to make its closest approach to pluto on july 14 . in an unprecedented flyby this july , our knowledge of what the pluto system is really like will expand exponentially , and i have no doubt there will be exciting discoveries , ' said john grunsfeld , an astronaut and associate administrator of the nasa science mission directorate . discovered in 1930 , pluto was once considered to be the smallest planet in the solar system . but scientists have since revised that view because of pluto 's size and location , demoting it to the status of dwarf planet ' : a planet that 's too small to clear other objects out of its way . pluto is 1,400 miles wide , roughly half the width of the continental united states . at 3.6 billion miles out in the solar system , it 's about 40 times as far from the sun as earth is . by discovering more about pluto and its moons , new horizons will shed light on a little-known third zone of the solar system , beyond the rocky planets and the gas giants . the area , known as the kuiper belt , contains mysterious small planets and planetary building blocks , ' according to nasa . it 's known for producing comets , such as halley 's comet , which orbits the sun about every 75 years . new horizons will use its array of cameras and other instruments to study pluto 's surface and atmosphere , as well as its moons , which number at least five . it will also be on the lookout for rings and other satellites . stern said the spacecraft 's encounter was set to be an exploration bonanza unparalleled in anticipation since the storied missions of voyager in the 1980s . ' | the new horizons spacecraft captures image of pluto and its largest moon |
pluto <tsp> ( cnn ) after more than nine years of traveling through the solar system , nasa 's new horizons spacecraft has sent back its first color image of pluto . the initial picture released on tuesday shows a couple of orange-tinged blobs : pluto and its largest moon , charon . but the probe will soon be beaming back much sharper images and a wealth of other information about pluto 's remote , unexplored corner of the solar system . this is pure exploration ; we 're going to turn points of light into a planet and a system of moons before your eyes , ' said alan stern , new horizons'principal investigator . launched in 2006 , new horizons is nearing the crucial point in its epic voyage of more than 3 billion miles . the probe is due to make its closest approach to pluto on july 14 . in an unprecedented flyby this july , our knowledge of what the pluto system is really like will expand exponentially , and i have no doubt there will be exciting discoveries , ' said john grunsfeld , an astronaut and associate administrator of the nasa science mission directorate . discovered in 1930 , pluto was once considered to be the smallest planet in the solar system . but scientists have since revised that view because of pluto 's size and location , demoting it to the status of dwarf planet ' : a planet that 's too small to clear other objects out of its way . pluto is 1,400 miles wide , roughly half the width of the continental united states . at 3.6 billion miles out in the solar system , it 's about 40 times as far from the sun as earth is . by discovering more about pluto and its moons , new horizons will shed light on a little-known third zone of the solar system , beyond the rocky planets and the gas giants . the area , known as the kuiper belt , contains mysterious small planets and planetary building blocks , ' according to nasa . it 's known for producing comets , such as halley 's comet , which orbits the sun about every 75 years . new horizons will use its array of cameras and other instruments to study pluto 's surface and atmosphere , as well as its moons , which number at least five . it will also be on the lookout for rings and other satellites . stern said the spacecraft 's encounter was set to be an exploration bonanza unparalleled in anticipation since the storied missions of voyager in the 1980s . ' | the new horizons spacecraft captures image of pluto and its largest moon |
james e. holmes <tsp> ( cnn ) -- the man police say opened fire inside a crowded colorado movie theater may have been planning the attack for months , the local police chief told reporters saturday . suspect james e. holmes , 24 , is accused of killing 12 people and wounding 58 in the suburban denver community of aurora . he is also alleged to have rigged his apartment with booby traps so that whoever entered it would be seriously hurt or killed . holmes received a high volume of deliveries over the past four months to both his home and work addresses , which police believe begins to explain how he got his hands on some of the materials used in the attack and those found at his apartment , said aurora police chief daniel oates . what we 're seeing here is evidence of , i think , some calculation and deliberation , ' he said . we have the evidence of a deliberative process to commit this assault , and we have the evidence of a deliberative process in his mind to attack whoever opened the door of his apartment . ' make no mistake , ' said oates , this apartment was designed ... to kill . ' authorities continued saturday making headway on the suspect 's home . technicians , with the help of a robot , worked to handle traps , wires and possible explosive and incendiary devices , according to jim yacone , a special agent with the fbi who briefed reporters alongside oates . two devices were intentionally detonated at the site . the operation proceeded with an eye toward preserving evidence , all of which will be sent to an fbi lab in quantico , virginia , yacone said . by saturday evening , police said that all hazards ' had been removed from the suspect 's apartment . hundreds of residents were evacuated from five buildings , including the modest , three-story brick building where holmes told police he had rigged his top-floor , one-bedroom apartment with explosives . all occupants except those who live in the suspect 's building were allowed to return home saturday night , police said . remembering the victims through photos at least 26 victims of the shooting remained hospitalized saturday -- nine in critical condition -- in five hospitals . grief counselors were staffing area high schools . and the city is planning a vigil sunday night . also sunday , president barack obama is expected to be in aurora to meet with local officials and victims'families . i think that overall the community is very , very shaken , and i think we 're in shock and i think we 're still trying to get our arms around how did such a tragedy happen to us , ' said rhonda fields , a colorado state representative . there 's a lot of hurt . there 's a lot of uncertainty . ' as the identities of those who died became public saturday , town center at aurora reopened for business , though its movie house -- century aurora 16 -- remained shuttered . police chief oates said he hoped his officers would be out of the theater by monday to allow the suspect 's defense team in there tuesday . theater owners could get the auditorium back wednesday , he said . investigators have said little about what may have led the suspect to open fire during a premiere friday of the batman sequel the dark knight rises . ' the sold-out theater was filled with fans , some in costume . the incident began unfolding late thursday , when holmes bought a ticket to the midnight show and entered the theater , a law enforcement source involved in the investigation told cnn . families of victims receive tragic confirmation but holmes soon went out a rear door leading from the theater to the parking lot , leaving it propped open , the source said . he gathered weapons before re-entering through the same door , said the source , who was not authorized to release the information . he was back inside the theater a few minutes after the movie had begun and was dressed head-to-toe in black , authorities said . witnesses described him as wearing a gas mask that concealed much of his face and head . holmes'hair had been dyed red , and he later told police he was the joker , ' according to a federal law enforcement source with knowledge of the investigation . the source was not authorized to release details to the media . the federal law enforcement source 's information about the suspect 's appearance fits with a statement made to reporters by new york police commissioner ray kelly , who said he had been briefed by colorado authorities . police chief oates declined to release details about holmes'appearance other than to describe what he was wearing : a ballistic helmet and protective gear for his legs , throat and groin , black gloves and a gas mask . he said he would not release the booking photo for investigative reasons . ' police said holmes set off two gas-emitting devices before spraying the theater with bullets from an ar-15 rifle , a 12-gauge shotgun and at least one of two .40-caliber handguns that police recovered . there was blood everywhere , ' christina blache , a shooting victim , told cnn 's don lemon from her hospital bed saturday . her friend was one of those killed . you 're sitting in a movie theater trying to watch a movie with your friends . who expects to be shot in a movie theater ? none of us did , ' she said . robots reveal unique setup of suspect 's apartment holmes had bought the guns legally at stores in the denver area over the past two months , oates said . more than 6,000 rounds of ammunition were also purchased online , according to the police chief . a receipt obtained by cnn shows holmes bought some of the tactical gear , including a vest and a magazine pouch , online on july 2 . want to help ? here 's how holmes surrendered without resistance within seven minutes of the first 911 calls from moviegoers , oates said . he was arrested in the theater 's rear parking lot . if you think we 're angry , we sure as hell are angry about what has happened to our city , what has happened to these wonderful people who live here , and also what he threatened to do to one of our police officers , ' the police chief said . witness :'longest minute of my life' the joker has long been a fixture in batman comics and was famously portrayed by heath ledger in 2008 's the dark knight , ' the predecessor to the dark knight rises . ' ledger , who died in 2008 , won a posthumous academy award for his portrayal of the villain who encourages anarchists to take over gotham city . holmes , who is being held in arapahoe county jail , is scheduled to appear in court on monday morning . the court file was sealed , according to a court order . are you there ? share your story with cnn ireport and post tributes to the victims . cnn 's chelsea j. carter , carol cratty , ed lavandera , susan candiotti , joe sutton , mike brooks , sarah aarthun and jim spellman contributed to this report . | james e. holmes received a high volume of deliveries the past four months , says police chief |
mauricio jaramillo <tsp> havana , cuba ( cnn ) -- members of latin america 's largest guerrilla group declared thursday they will ask for an immediate cease fire when they meet with colombian government negotiators for peace talks next month . the revolutionary armed forces of colombia -- known by the spanish acronym farc -- have waged a bloody civil war for five decades with the colombian government and right-wing paramilitary groups . the group is considered by the united states government to be a terrorist organization . the discussions will begin on october 8 in oslo , norway , six farc members said during a news conference held in havana on thursday . time is right , but past failures haunt colombia peace talks chile , cuba , venezuela and norway have been named as countries that will aid in the negotiations . colombian president juan manuel santos said tuesday he supports the effort and named government negotiators to attempt to hammer out a treaty . a possible peace deal will face many obstacles , including long-standing allegations that farc guerrillas have enriched themselves with ransoms paid for kidnap victims and with drug trafficking . farc commander mauricio jaramillo denied reports that guerrillas still hold prisoners in remote jungle camps . we no longer have any captives , ' jaramillo said before asserting that kidnappings by criminal and paramilitary organizations are often blamed on the farc . negotiations between the farc and the colombian government broke down over 10 years ago . then-president andres pastrana had ceded an area the size of switzerland to the guerrilla group at the start of those peace talks . the government later said the guerrillas had used the area as a base for drug trafficking and kidnapping . former colombian president alvaro uribe says it is impossible to hold peace talks without first securing a unilateral cease fire and criticized the proposed negotiations . five facts about colombia 's farc rebels jaramillo said a cease fire would be proposed as soon as negotiators meet next month , but the farc is prepared to continue fighting . there 's enough of us to keep taking the fight to the government , ' he said . as part of a road map for a possible peace deal , the farc has said the government will need to enact land reform for peasant farmers , help coca growers plant other crops and reintegrate thousands of farc soldiers into colombian society . farc representatives also decried colombia 's extradition treaty with the united states , which has led to the convictions of several farc commanders there . anyone who breaks the law in colombia should be tried in colombia , ' said farc negotiator ricardo tellez . there 's no need that anyone should be turned over to another country . ' the issue could prove to be the first challenge to the talks , since the farc named commander simon trinidad as a member of the team who will negotiate a possible peace deal . trinidad is serving 60 years in a u.s. federal prison after a 2007 conviction on drug trafficking and terrorism charges . farc negotiators refused to say at the news conference whether trinidad 's inclusion is symbolic or if his release is an initial demand to the colombian government . we have simon trinidad at the negotiating table , ' farc negotiator andres parãs said thursday . boos , gunfire greet colombian president 's arrival in farc area colombia 's santos says government , rebels in talks gps : santos holds the line against the farc - and wins | we no longer have any captives , ' farc commander mauricio jaramillo says |
farc <tsp> havana , cuba ( cnn ) -- members of latin america 's largest guerrilla group declared thursday they will ask for an immediate cease fire when they meet with colombian government negotiators for peace talks next month . the revolutionary armed forces of colombia -- known by the spanish acronym farc -- have waged a bloody civil war for five decades with the colombian government and right-wing paramilitary groups . the group is considered by the united states government to be a terrorist organization . the discussions will begin on october 8 in oslo , norway , six farc members said during a news conference held in havana on thursday . time is right , but past failures haunt colombia peace talks chile , cuba , venezuela and norway have been named as countries that will aid in the negotiations . colombian president juan manuel santos said tuesday he supports the effort and named government negotiators to attempt to hammer out a treaty . a possible peace deal will face many obstacles , including long-standing allegations that farc guerrillas have enriched themselves with ransoms paid for kidnap victims and with drug trafficking . farc commander mauricio jaramillo denied reports that guerrillas still hold prisoners in remote jungle camps . we no longer have any captives , ' jaramillo said before asserting that kidnappings by criminal and paramilitary organizations are often blamed on the farc . negotiations between the farc and the colombian government broke down over 10 years ago . then-president andres pastrana had ceded an area the size of switzerland to the guerrilla group at the start of those peace talks . the government later said the guerrillas had used the area as a base for drug trafficking and kidnapping . former colombian president alvaro uribe says it is impossible to hold peace talks without first securing a unilateral cease fire and criticized the proposed negotiations . five facts about colombia 's farc rebels jaramillo said a cease fire would be proposed as soon as negotiators meet next month , but the farc is prepared to continue fighting . there 's enough of us to keep taking the fight to the government , ' he said . as part of a road map for a possible peace deal , the farc has said the government will need to enact land reform for peasant farmers , help coca growers plant other crops and reintegrate thousands of farc soldiers into colombian society . farc representatives also decried colombia 's extradition treaty with the united states , which has led to the convictions of several farc commanders there . anyone who breaks the law in colombia should be tried in colombia , ' said farc negotiator ricardo tellez . there 's no need that anyone should be turned over to another country . ' the issue could prove to be the first challenge to the talks , since the farc named commander simon trinidad as a member of the team who will negotiate a possible peace deal . trinidad is serving 60 years in a u.s. federal prison after a 2007 conviction on drug trafficking and terrorism charges . farc negotiators refused to say at the news conference whether trinidad 's inclusion is symbolic or if his release is an initial demand to the colombian government . we have simon trinidad at the negotiating table , ' farc negotiator andres parãs said thursday . boos , gunfire greet colombian president 's arrival in farc area colombia 's santos says government , rebels in talks gps : santos holds the line against the farc - and wins | we no longer have any captives , ' farc commander mauricio jaramillo says |
farc <tsp> havana , cuba ( cnn ) -- members of latin america 's largest guerrilla group declared thursday they will ask for an immediate cease fire when they meet with colombian government negotiators for peace talks next month . the revolutionary armed forces of colombia -- known by the spanish acronym farc -- have waged a bloody civil war for five decades with the colombian government and right-wing paramilitary groups . the group is considered by the united states government to be a terrorist organization . the discussions will begin on october 8 in oslo , norway , six farc members said during a news conference held in havana on thursday . time is right , but past failures haunt colombia peace talks chile , cuba , venezuela and norway have been named as countries that will aid in the negotiations . colombian president juan manuel santos said tuesday he supports the effort and named government negotiators to attempt to hammer out a treaty . a possible peace deal will face many obstacles , including long-standing allegations that farc guerrillas have enriched themselves with ransoms paid for kidnap victims and with drug trafficking . farc commander mauricio jaramillo denied reports that guerrillas still hold prisoners in remote jungle camps . we no longer have any captives , ' jaramillo said before asserting that kidnappings by criminal and paramilitary organizations are often blamed on the farc . negotiations between the farc and the colombian government broke down over 10 years ago . then-president andres pastrana had ceded an area the size of switzerland to the guerrilla group at the start of those peace talks . the government later said the guerrillas had used the area as a base for drug trafficking and kidnapping . former colombian president alvaro uribe says it is impossible to hold peace talks without first securing a unilateral cease fire and criticized the proposed negotiations . five facts about colombia 's farc rebels jaramillo said a cease fire would be proposed as soon as negotiators meet next month , but the farc is prepared to continue fighting . there 's enough of us to keep taking the fight to the government , ' he said . as part of a road map for a possible peace deal , the farc has said the government will need to enact land reform for peasant farmers , help coca growers plant other crops and reintegrate thousands of farc soldiers into colombian society . farc representatives also decried colombia 's extradition treaty with the united states , which has led to the convictions of several farc commanders there . anyone who breaks the law in colombia should be tried in colombia , ' said farc negotiator ricardo tellez . there 's no need that anyone should be turned over to another country . ' the issue could prove to be the first challenge to the talks , since the farc named commander simon trinidad as a member of the team who will negotiate a possible peace deal . trinidad is serving 60 years in a u.s. federal prison after a 2007 conviction on drug trafficking and terrorism charges . farc negotiators refused to say at the news conference whether trinidad 's inclusion is symbolic or if his release is an initial demand to the colombian government . we have simon trinidad at the negotiating table , ' farc negotiator andres parãs said thursday . boos , gunfire greet colombian president 's arrival in farc area colombia 's santos says government , rebels in talks gps : santos holds the line against the farc - and wins | an immediate cease fire will be on the agenda in talks next month , farc members say |
paul nungesser <tsp> ( cnn ) a columbia university student who was accused of rape is suing the new york city school for allowing his accuser to publicly brand him a serial rapist ' according to the lawsuit , paul nungesser was cleared of responsibility in emma sulkowicz 's 2013 rape claim , as well as others that came to light after sulkowicz went public with her allegations in various media interviews . her case drew national attention after she started carrying a mattress around campus to protest the school 's handling of the complaint , saying she hoped to show how flawed ' the university disciplinary system is when it comes to sexual misconduct cases . cnn does not usually name individuals in sexual assault cases , but in this instance , both parties have spoken publicly about their experience . they have also both said in separate interviews with the new york times that nungesser was cleared of responsibility in a disciplinary hearing . nungesser , an international student from germany , filed a federal discrimination lawsuit last week against the school ; its president , lee bollinger ; and the visual arts professor who oversaw sulkowicz 's mattress project , carry that weight , ' as part of her senior thesis . the lawsuit alleges the defendants violated nungesser 's right to an education free of gender-based discrimination by allowing sulkowicz to speak out against him after he had been cleared of wrongdoing . during an april 2014 news conference at columbia university , sen. kirsten gillibrand stood alongside sulkowicz as she called nungesser a serial rapist ' and said she fears for her safety while he 's still on campus . the harassment continued , the lawsuit claims , when columbia visual arts professor jon kessler let sulkowicz transform her personal vendetta ' into a columbia-sponsored calumny ' by supporting carry that weight ' for her senior thesis , allowing her to earn school credit through this outrageous display of harassment and defamation . ' bollinger also commented on the case in a 2014 new york magazine profile of sulkowicz , now a senior at columbia . this is a person who is one of my students , and i care about all of my students . and when one of them feels that she has been a victim of mistreatment , i am affected by that . this is all very painful . ' the defendants had the power , as well as the legal and contractual obligation ' to protect nungesser , who is also a senior , the lawsuit claims . by refusing to protect paul nungesser , columbia university first became a silent bystander and then turned into an active supporter of a fellow student 's harassment campaign by institutionalizing it and heralding it . ' columbia university declined to comment on the lawsuit . the school also declined to confirm the outcome of nungesser 's disciplinary proceedings . as we have said consistently , we do not and have not commented on individual students or disciplinary cases not only because of federal student privacy law , but also because of our ethical responsibility to ensure all current and future students have confidence that the university will never publicly discuss private matters they share when interacting with counselors and support staff , the campus disciplinary process or other resources we provide to them , ' spokesman robert hornsby said in statement . kessler also declined to comment on the lawsuit . the case has produced dueling narratives from both sides in national media outlets . the most recent came from nungesser in a daily beast article titled , columbia student : i did n't rape her , ' in which he shared a long exchange of facebook messages to support his claim that their sex was consensual . some of those exchanges were included in the lawsuit , but sulkowicz told cnn they were taken out of context in the suit . she also balked at the idea that nungesser would sue the school or her professor for allowing me to make an art piece . ' it 's ridiculous that he would read it as a'bullying strategy ,'especially given his continued public attempts to smear my reputation , when really it 's just an artistic expression of the personal trauma i 've experienced at columbia , ' sulkowicz wrote in an email . if artists are not allowed to make art that reflects on our experiences , then how are we to heal ? ' the project essentially consists of sulkowicz carrying a twin-size mattress wherever she goes on campus , but not off campus . she 's allowed to accept help carrying the object but does not allow herself to ask for help. nungesser 's complaint seeks damages to be determined at trial for harm to his reputation , loss of educational opportunities and future career prospects . cnn 's kristina sgueglia and camille cava contributed to this report . | paul nungesser says he was target of gender-based harassment campaign |
amc <tsp> ( ew.com ) -- amc has canceled the killing ' after two seasons , but the rainy murder mystery could live on at another network . a statement from the network read : after much deliberation , we 've come to the difficult decision not to renew'the killing'for a third season . amc is incredibly proud of the show and is fortunate to have worked with such a talented team on this project , from showrunner veena sud and our terrific partners at fox television studios to the talented , dedicated crew and exceptional cast . ' fox television studios quickly sent out a statement saying the studio plans to shop the drama series to other networks : fox television studios is extremely proud of'the killing ,'the extraordinary writing staff and crew , and what we believe is one of the best casts on television . we will proceed to try to find another home for the show . ' the killing ' has been one of amc 's few missteps in an otherwise remarkable plunge into scripted television during the last several years . the show premiered last year to 2.7 million viewers and plenty of fan and critic excitement . but in a move that will likely be used as a real-time lesson in serialized series management for years to come , amc and sud managed to infuriate fans by declining to solve a mystery that viewers felt they had been led to believe would be cleared up by the end of the first season . when season 2 debuted in april , ratings dropped 33 % to 1.8 million viewers . the audience continued to ebb until the finale , which garnered 1.4 million viewers and finally revealed who killed teen murder victim rosie larsen . with the ratings showing a clear downward trajectory , and having established across two seasons that the larsen murder is the driving force of the show , cancellation seemed very likely . the lesson ? do n't take viewers for granted . see the full story at ew.com . click here to try 2 risk free issues of entertainment weekly © 2011 entertainment weekly and time inc. all rights reserved . | amc has canceled the killing ' after two seasons |
the killing <tsp> ( ew.com ) -- amc has canceled the killing ' after two seasons , but the rainy murder mystery could live on at another network . a statement from the network read : after much deliberation , we 've come to the difficult decision not to renew'the killing'for a third season . amc is incredibly proud of the show and is fortunate to have worked with such a talented team on this project , from showrunner veena sud and our terrific partners at fox television studios to the talented , dedicated crew and exceptional cast . ' fox television studios quickly sent out a statement saying the studio plans to shop the drama series to other networks : fox television studios is extremely proud of'the killing ,'the extraordinary writing staff and crew , and what we believe is one of the best casts on television . we will proceed to try to find another home for the show . ' the killing ' has been one of amc 's few missteps in an otherwise remarkable plunge into scripted television during the last several years . the show premiered last year to 2.7 million viewers and plenty of fan and critic excitement . but in a move that will likely be used as a real-time lesson in serialized series management for years to come , amc and sud managed to infuriate fans by declining to solve a mystery that viewers felt they had been led to believe would be cleared up by the end of the first season . when season 2 debuted in april , ratings dropped 33 % to 1.8 million viewers . the audience continued to ebb until the finale , which garnered 1.4 million viewers and finally revealed who killed teen murder victim rosie larsen . with the ratings showing a clear downward trajectory , and having established across two seasons that the larsen murder is the driving force of the show , cancellation seemed very likely . the lesson ? do n't take viewers for granted . see the full story at ew.com . click here to try 2 risk free issues of entertainment weekly © 2011 entertainment weekly and time inc. all rights reserved . | amc has canceled the killing ' after two seasons |
london <tsp> ( cnn ) -- apps have changed the way we travel . from helping us pack to checking-in , and from coping with jetlag to booking a hotel once we 've landed -- these handy tools can be used every step of the way . with relaxing visions of mobile convenience in mind , i thought traveling from london to rome using only apps would be stress-free and easy , but it did n't quite work out that way . see also : the future of flight is shape-shifting engines i began my journey by using the private car service , uber , to take me to paddington station where i was to catch the heathrow express . uber is free to download and all you need to do is pre-register your credit card details . it will then tell you how far away the closest car is to you , along with a photo of the driver . so far , so good . all-aboard next up was the heathrow express app . this turned out to be the easiest facility i used . again with pre-registered credit card details it only took a couple of minutes to book my ticket . the qr code turned my phone into my ticket which saved me scrambling at the ticket machine on the platform . feeling quite pleased with the journey so far , my bubble was truly burst when i attempted to check-in with the ba app . this was the first time i used it as i usually check-in online the night before . to continue in the spirit of booking on the move , i tried to check-in whilst on the heathrow express , which was unsuccessful due to patchy signal going underground . once at heathrow 's terminal 5 , the app still did n't work . every time i tried to check-in , i had to fill out my additional passenger information which took a lot of time tapping in the same information . after eight attempts , i tried the self-check-in kiosk which said i had already checked in ! see also : the $ 1 trillion business travel industry the problem was it did n't give me an option to print my boarding pass . great , i thought -- i have n't even made it onto the plane and i 've failed . then , just as my passport was going to be swiped at a check-in desk , the screen on my phone started refreshing and then suddenly -- my boarding pass appeared . the app challenge continues ! rome-ward bound coming out of arrivals at rome fco , i did n't even have to look at my phone as i recognized fabio , my uber driver from the photo provided . no name boards , no phone calls -- i just waved and said you must be fabio ? ' i started looking for a hotel to stay once we reached the spanish steps in central rome -- i had downloaded hotel tonight , priceline and booking.com to help with the task . as i perused with patience , looking at the photos and the room features , i suddenly began to get text messages informing me how much i had spent on data roaming . $ 5 ... $ 10 ... $ 30 ... $ 50 ahhh it keeps going up and up and i have n't found anything yet ! ' i had failed to book a room at not one but two hotels . the rooms had gone after i tried to process my payment and there was no-one to complain to . i successfully booked the third hotel i tried -- and just when i thought it was too good to be true . it was ! the hotel had oversold the rooms and they had moved me to their sister hotel up the road which they said was better . unfortunately it was n't and in the less desirable area of termini station . out and about by the time i had checked in it was too late to go hunting for food and try out some restaurant apps suggestions via twitter . i wish there had also been more time to try out some of the city guide apps as well as the rome mvr app -- which allows you to see monuments like the coliseum in their former glory . see also : apps and scanners ease travel expense pain augmented reality apps are still in their infancy so i will definitely be keeping an eye on how these develop and try them out . overall , my apps experience was n't quite what i expected it to be . some were simple to use whilst others were more time-consuming and fiddly . to avoid disappoint and expensive data roaming charges -- in the end i had spent $ 160 -- i would use apps that are quick and easy . that way you 'll have more chance of staying travel appy ! | cnn 's ayesha durgahee attempted to go from london to rome using only apps |
michelle obama <tsp> washington ( cnn ) -- to hear barack obama tell it , he owes stevie wonder plenty . president obama says if it was n't for stevie wonder 's music , he and the first lady may not have dated . i think it 's fair to say that had i not been a stevie wonder fan , michelle might not have dated me . we might not have married , ' obama said wednesday as he and the first lady hosted a concert and award ceremony for wonder . the fact that we agreed on stevie was part of the essence of our courtship . ' wonder was presented with a gershwin award for lifetime achievement during the event , which is scheduled to air on pbs thursday . wonder 's tune , signed , sealed , delivered i 'm yours , ' was often played at obama 's campaign stops . the president told guests at the white house that wonder 's music was also the soundtrack to his youth and marriage . michelle obama told the crowd that wonder 's love song , you and i , ' had been the couple 's wedding song . watch stevie wonder and other greats jam at the white house » wonder accepted the award from president obama and gave him a big hug . president and mrs. obama , i 'm so excited to know that i was a part of . ... i need n't say more , ' wonder said , drawing laughter and applause . i want to first of all thank god for this moment , because only through him could all this happen . ' gospel duo mary mary , hip-hop musician will.i.am and jazz crooner tony bennett were among the other performers at the event . obama staff members said the event was part of an effort to open the white house to a broader community . | michelle obama says wonder 's you and i ' was couple 's wedding song |
wonder <tsp> washington ( cnn ) -- to hear barack obama tell it , he owes stevie wonder plenty . president obama says if it was n't for stevie wonder 's music , he and the first lady may not have dated . i think it 's fair to say that had i not been a stevie wonder fan , michelle might not have dated me . we might not have married , ' obama said wednesday as he and the first lady hosted a concert and award ceremony for wonder . the fact that we agreed on stevie was part of the essence of our courtship . ' wonder was presented with a gershwin award for lifetime achievement during the event , which is scheduled to air on pbs thursday . wonder 's tune , signed , sealed , delivered i 'm yours , ' was often played at obama 's campaign stops . the president told guests at the white house that wonder 's music was also the soundtrack to his youth and marriage . michelle obama told the crowd that wonder 's love song , you and i , ' had been the couple 's wedding song . watch stevie wonder and other greats jam at the white house » wonder accepted the award from president obama and gave him a big hug . president and mrs. obama , i 'm so excited to know that i was a part of . ... i need n't say more , ' wonder said , drawing laughter and applause . i want to first of all thank god for this moment , because only through him could all this happen . ' gospel duo mary mary , hip-hop musician will.i.am and jazz crooner tony bennett were among the other performers at the event . obama staff members said the event was part of an effort to open the white house to a broader community . | stevie wonder receives lifetime achievement award at white house |
wonder <tsp> washington ( cnn ) -- to hear barack obama tell it , he owes stevie wonder plenty . president obama says if it was n't for stevie wonder 's music , he and the first lady may not have dated . i think it 's fair to say that had i not been a stevie wonder fan , michelle might not have dated me . we might not have married , ' obama said wednesday as he and the first lady hosted a concert and award ceremony for wonder . the fact that we agreed on stevie was part of the essence of our courtship . ' wonder was presented with a gershwin award for lifetime achievement during the event , which is scheduled to air on pbs thursday . wonder 's tune , signed , sealed , delivered i 'm yours , ' was often played at obama 's campaign stops . the president told guests at the white house that wonder 's music was also the soundtrack to his youth and marriage . michelle obama told the crowd that wonder 's love song , you and i , ' had been the couple 's wedding song . watch stevie wonder and other greats jam at the white house » wonder accepted the award from president obama and gave him a big hug . president and mrs. obama , i 'm so excited to know that i was a part of . ... i need n't say more , ' wonder said , drawing laughter and applause . i want to first of all thank god for this moment , because only through him could all this happen . ' gospel duo mary mary , hip-hop musician will.i.am and jazz crooner tony bennett were among the other performers at the event . obama staff members said the event was part of an effort to open the white house to a broader community . | michelle obama says wonder 's you and i ' was couple 's wedding song |
wonder <tsp> washington ( cnn ) -- to hear barack obama tell it , he owes stevie wonder plenty . president obama says if it was n't for stevie wonder 's music , he and the first lady may not have dated . i think it 's fair to say that had i not been a stevie wonder fan , michelle might not have dated me . we might not have married , ' obama said wednesday as he and the first lady hosted a concert and award ceremony for wonder . the fact that we agreed on stevie was part of the essence of our courtship . ' wonder was presented with a gershwin award for lifetime achievement during the event , which is scheduled to air on pbs thursday . wonder 's tune , signed , sealed , delivered i 'm yours , ' was often played at obama 's campaign stops . the president told guests at the white house that wonder 's music was also the soundtrack to his youth and marriage . michelle obama told the crowd that wonder 's love song , you and i , ' had been the couple 's wedding song . watch stevie wonder and other greats jam at the white house » wonder accepted the award from president obama and gave him a big hug . president and mrs. obama , i 'm so excited to know that i was a part of . ... i need n't say more , ' wonder said , drawing laughter and applause . i want to first of all thank god for this moment , because only through him could all this happen . ' gospel duo mary mary , hip-hop musician will.i.am and jazz crooner tony bennett were among the other performers at the event . obama staff members said the event was part of an effort to open the white house to a broader community . | president obama credits wonder for playing part in courtship with first lady |
new jersey <tsp> ( cnn ) -- down the shore , everything 's all right , ' president barack obama declared tuesday on his return to new jersey 's devastated coast seven months after superstorm sandy caused billions of dollars in damage there . the line from the tom waits song jersey girl , ' popularized by local hero bruce springsteen , was the main theme of the joint visit by obama and gov . chris christie to survey recovery efforts and encourage people to hit the beaches this summer . christie , a republican , was criticized last year for appearing with obama after the devastating storm at the height of the 2012 election campaign and praising the democratic president 's response . obama subsequently won re-election while christie saw his poll numbers soar . tuesday 's return visit by the pair raised anew the perception that both sought to again gain political benefit from jointly touring the disaster-stricken region . in introducing the president for remarks in drizzly asbury park , christie rejected any political machinations behind efforts to generate federal help for his state . new jersey is more important , our citizens'lives are more important than any type of politics at all , ' said the governor , who is up for re-election this year and is considered a potential gop presidential contender in 2016 . obama pledged that his administration will continue to support new jersey 's recovery , reminding the crowd of his promise seven months ago that your country would have your back . ' obama 's cuddle bear from jersey ( no , not christie ) ' i meant it , ' he said to applause . both obama and christie emphasized that asbury park , made famous by springsteen 's roots there , and the rest of the jersey shore was open for business . after all you 've dealt with , after all you 've been through , the jersey shore is back , ' the president said to cheers , adding that residents want all americans to know that they are ready to welcome you here . ' to drive home the point , obama and christie visited the point pleasant boardwalk and even engaged in a touchdown fever ' football toss , with obama missing his throws while christie 's first effort was a winner , sailing through the tire . one and done , ' the governor exclaimed , while obama gave christie a high-five and quipped : that 's because he 's running for office . ' a man behind the counter handed obama a stuffed teddy bear with a chicago-themed shirt . superstorm sandy forced both obama and republican nominee mitt romney to suspend campaign activities for a few days in the final run-up to last november 's election . christie , a top romney surrogate who delivered the keynote address at the republican national convention , joined obama for a tour of the storm damage and made a point of praising the president for his personal concern and compassion ' for the state and its people . the bipartisan display benefited both men , according to polls , and was considered a boost to obama 's re-election effort in the final days of the campaign . christie meets snooki in the storm , hundreds of thousands of homes and oceanfront businesses were either damaged or destroyed . businesses on the jersey shore are still working to recover at the beginning of the busy summer tourist season , which in years past has brought billions of dollars in revenue to the state . tuesday 's trip was the second in three days by obama to the site of a natural disaster following two weeks of controversies involving his administration , including the disclosure of irs targeting of conservative groups and a secret subpoena for journalists'phone records . obama toured tornado-inflicted damage in moore , oklahoma , on sunday and encouraged further congressional support for programs that bolster emergency management systems for municipalities . the president praised the federal emergency management agency for its quick response to the moore tornado , just as he did last fall when sandy struck the east coast . since coming under heavy criticism for missteps in the aftermath of hurricane katrina , fema has been commended by localities for responding quickly to disasters and reducing bureaucratic hurdles . sandy relief : the need continues cnn 's paul steinhauser and kevin liptak contributed to this report . | gov . christie says new jersey and its people are more important than politics |
new jersey <tsp> ( cnn ) -- down the shore , everything 's all right , ' president barack obama declared tuesday on his return to new jersey 's devastated coast seven months after superstorm sandy caused billions of dollars in damage there . the line from the tom waits song jersey girl , ' popularized by local hero bruce springsteen , was the main theme of the joint visit by obama and gov . chris christie to survey recovery efforts and encourage people to hit the beaches this summer . christie , a republican , was criticized last year for appearing with obama after the devastating storm at the height of the 2012 election campaign and praising the democratic president 's response . obama subsequently won re-election while christie saw his poll numbers soar . tuesday 's return visit by the pair raised anew the perception that both sought to again gain political benefit from jointly touring the disaster-stricken region . in introducing the president for remarks in drizzly asbury park , christie rejected any political machinations behind efforts to generate federal help for his state . new jersey is more important , our citizens'lives are more important than any type of politics at all , ' said the governor , who is up for re-election this year and is considered a potential gop presidential contender in 2016 . obama pledged that his administration will continue to support new jersey 's recovery , reminding the crowd of his promise seven months ago that your country would have your back . ' obama 's cuddle bear from jersey ( no , not christie ) ' i meant it , ' he said to applause . both obama and christie emphasized that asbury park , made famous by springsteen 's roots there , and the rest of the jersey shore was open for business . after all you 've dealt with , after all you 've been through , the jersey shore is back , ' the president said to cheers , adding that residents want all americans to know that they are ready to welcome you here . ' to drive home the point , obama and christie visited the point pleasant boardwalk and even engaged in a touchdown fever ' football toss , with obama missing his throws while christie 's first effort was a winner , sailing through the tire . one and done , ' the governor exclaimed , while obama gave christie a high-five and quipped : that 's because he 's running for office . ' a man behind the counter handed obama a stuffed teddy bear with a chicago-themed shirt . superstorm sandy forced both obama and republican nominee mitt romney to suspend campaign activities for a few days in the final run-up to last november 's election . christie , a top romney surrogate who delivered the keynote address at the republican national convention , joined obama for a tour of the storm damage and made a point of praising the president for his personal concern and compassion ' for the state and its people . the bipartisan display benefited both men , according to polls , and was considered a boost to obama 's re-election effort in the final days of the campaign . christie meets snooki in the storm , hundreds of thousands of homes and oceanfront businesses were either damaged or destroyed . businesses on the jersey shore are still working to recover at the beginning of the busy summer tourist season , which in years past has brought billions of dollars in revenue to the state . tuesday 's trip was the second in three days by obama to the site of a natural disaster following two weeks of controversies involving his administration , including the disclosure of irs targeting of conservative groups and a secret subpoena for journalists'phone records . obama toured tornado-inflicted damage in moore , oklahoma , on sunday and encouraged further congressional support for programs that bolster emergency management systems for municipalities . the president praised the federal emergency management agency for its quick response to the moore tornado , just as he did last fall when sandy struck the east coast . since coming under heavy criticism for missteps in the aftermath of hurricane katrina , fema has been commended by localities for responding quickly to disasters and reducing bureaucratic hurdles . sandy relief : the need continues cnn 's paul steinhauser and kevin liptak contributed to this report . | seven months after superstorm sandy , president obama returns to new jersey |
new zealand open <tsp> ( cnn ) -- people would say ,'oh , what 's wrong with your golf , what 's going on with your golf ?'and i thought , it 's not golf , it 's my head . it 's me . ' when lindsey wright spoke after the opening round of the women 's golf season 's first major tournament on thursday , it was n't just her impressive five-under-par 67 at the kraft nabisco championship that people wanted to talk about . the australian turned her back on golf last october , struggling with the isolation of life on the lpga tour and under the weight of a condition which was driving her to drink . people think ,'depression , just get over it'if you 're in a bad mood or whatever . it really impacts you physically , ' the 32-year-old revealed .'pink panther'invests in golf 's future ' playing on this tour , coming out and trying to play , grinding it out each week when you 're not sleeping and you ca n't concentrate or focus and the other symptoms with it , it just gets you down , and it 's a bit of a nightmare . ' wright 's battle was depression was at its fiercest during lonely nights on tour , when the only respite she could find was in the bottle . but i think the lowest is when you have insomnia and you 're waking up at 2 a.m. , ' the four-time lpga tour winner said . there 's no relief from your mind , really , and i mean , the only time i really had any relief is if you had probably two bottles of red wine . it helps you sleep , but it 's not the way to combat it . that 's when i realized i 've got a problem here , and i 've got to deal with it because i 'm getting worse . ' wright 's condition was at its worse in 2009 , after she had just achieved the most impressive result of her career by coming second at the lpga championship -- one of four majors in the women 's season . i had a great season , ' she said . i finished second to anna nordqvist at the lpga championship , and after that it was kind of on a downhill slope , slippery slope . it just kind of happened quickly . you have bouts , and without getting into the psychology and everything , it was n't a great time , and i just could n't really get through it . i rang home in september last year and said ,'i 'm done . i do n't want to play anymore .'and my dad had said ,'you know what , that 's great if you want to do that , but you need to have something to fall back on .' so during her time away from the course , wright set about taking her first steps on alternative career paths . i worked as a media person at the men 's new south wales state open , and then i worked with the tournament office at the men 's australian open and did some other things relating to media stuff and sport , ' she said . it was really great . i did n't pick up a golf club from the last event i played , which is taiwan , until january 2 . ' wright 's break from the sport seems to have worked wonders . she holed a 13-foot birdie putt to clinch the new zealand open last month , and after a solid first round she is on track to challenge for her first major title in california . if you had said to me before new zealand , you 're going to win , i would have went ,'oh , yeah , whatever , i 'm so unlucky .'but having won that tournament has opened all these doors for me to play in europe , which i really want to do . i 'm excited to do that . and i 'm really enjoying my golf , which it 's not a grind anymore . i 'm actually enjoying it , the good and the bad . ' wright was one shot off the lead held by south korean amy yang , who carded a 66 . taiwan 's five-time major winner yani tseng ( 68 ) was one stroke back from wright , ahead of a clutch of players on three under including 2010 u.s. open winner paula creamer . | she won the new zealand open in february , a month after returning to the sport |
kers <tsp> ( cnn ) -- lewis hamilton is confident the return of the kinetic energy recovery system ( kers ) to mclaren cars for the 2011 formula one season will give the team a big advantage over their rivals . the system -- which stores up energy created when a car brakes to enhance the vehicle 's acceleration -- was first used in the sport in 2009 , and teams such mclaren and ferrari used it to great effect . the technology was banned in 2010 as a cost-cutting measure , however , the device will return to f1 next year after a more affordable solution was found and 2008 champion hamilton believes mclaren 's version is the finest on the grid . our kers is the best . it shud [ should ] deliver , ' the 25-year-old wrote on his twitter blog tuesday . hamilton 's teammate and compatriot jenson button also hoped the energy-saving modification could help the team to get the better of ferrari and 2010 constructors'title winners red bull . i 've never driven with kers before , but this team used kers last year and used it well , i know because they kept coming by me at the start ! ' the former brawn gp driver said during a mclaren web chat . they have so much experience in that area that i think we 'll have an advantage - as will mercedes and force india , who use mercedes engines . we 'll have an advantage on red bull and ferrari i think , which is great . we 'll take every advantage we possibly can . ' mclaren finished the season second in the constructors'standings , 44 points behind first-placed red bull with ferrari in third place . red bull 's sebastian vettel won the championship with british pair hamilton and button in fourth and fifth places in the standings . the 2011 season begins with bahrain grand prix on march 13 and teams are already testing for the new campaign . | lewis hamilton believes mclaren 's kers will give the team an advantage in 2011 |
kers <tsp> ( cnn ) -- lewis hamilton is confident the return of the kinetic energy recovery system ( kers ) to mclaren cars for the 2011 formula one season will give the team a big advantage over their rivals . the system -- which stores up energy created when a car brakes to enhance the vehicle 's acceleration -- was first used in the sport in 2009 , and teams such mclaren and ferrari used it to great effect . the technology was banned in 2010 as a cost-cutting measure , however , the device will return to f1 next year after a more affordable solution was found and 2008 champion hamilton believes mclaren 's version is the finest on the grid . our kers is the best . it shud [ should ] deliver , ' the 25-year-old wrote on his twitter blog tuesday . hamilton 's teammate and compatriot jenson button also hoped the energy-saving modification could help the team to get the better of ferrari and 2010 constructors'title winners red bull . i 've never driven with kers before , but this team used kers last year and used it well , i know because they kept coming by me at the start ! ' the former brawn gp driver said during a mclaren web chat . they have so much experience in that area that i think we 'll have an advantage - as will mercedes and force india , who use mercedes engines . we 'll have an advantage on red bull and ferrari i think , which is great . we 'll take every advantage we possibly can . ' mclaren finished the season second in the constructors'standings , 44 points behind first-placed red bull with ferrari in third place . red bull 's sebastian vettel won the championship with british pair hamilton and button in fourth and fifth places in the standings . the 2011 season begins with bahrain grand prix on march 13 and teams are already testing for the new campaign . | kers was banned from f1 in 2009 but will return for new season |
kers <tsp> ( cnn ) -- lewis hamilton is confident the return of the kinetic energy recovery system ( kers ) to mclaren cars for the 2011 formula one season will give the team a big advantage over their rivals . the system -- which stores up energy created when a car brakes to enhance the vehicle 's acceleration -- was first used in the sport in 2009 , and teams such mclaren and ferrari used it to great effect . the technology was banned in 2010 as a cost-cutting measure , however , the device will return to f1 next year after a more affordable solution was found and 2008 champion hamilton believes mclaren 's version is the finest on the grid . our kers is the best . it shud [ should ] deliver , ' the 25-year-old wrote on his twitter blog tuesday . hamilton 's teammate and compatriot jenson button also hoped the energy-saving modification could help the team to get the better of ferrari and 2010 constructors'title winners red bull . i 've never driven with kers before , but this team used kers last year and used it well , i know because they kept coming by me at the start ! ' the former brawn gp driver said during a mclaren web chat . they have so much experience in that area that i think we 'll have an advantage - as will mercedes and force india , who use mercedes engines . we 'll have an advantage on red bull and ferrari i think , which is great . we 'll take every advantage we possibly can . ' mclaren finished the season second in the constructors'standings , 44 points behind first-placed red bull with ferrari in third place . red bull 's sebastian vettel won the championship with british pair hamilton and button in fourth and fifth places in the standings . the 2011 season begins with bahrain grand prix on march 13 and teams are already testing for the new campaign . | kers uses energy created when a car brakes to boost its acceleration |
coatesville <tsp> ( cnn ) -- the fourteenth suspicious fire in a month 's time hit a small community near philadelphia before dawn sunday . a huge fire spread through more than a dozen homes sunday outside philadelphia , authorities said . the seven-alarm fire in coatesville , pennsylvania , damaged more than a dozen homes and caused nearly $ 2 million in damage , according to city spokeswoman kristin geiger . no residents were injured , she said . it took 150 firefighters three hours to bring the blaze under control , and one firefighter broke his ankle , cnn affiliate wpvi reported . watch a town fearful of what 's next » authorities in the city announced a state of emergency on sunday . in a statement , coatesville city manager harry walker said the declaration would allow him to promulgate whatever special rules and regulations necessary to protect ' citizens . it would also let him request assistance from other municipalities and enter into contracts , employ temporary personnel , rent equipment , purchase supplies without regard to the normal procedures and formalities prescribed by law , ' walker wrote . authorities have been imploring residents to remove anything flammable from outside their homes -- including porch furniture and trash . standing outside the latest blaze early sunday , resident janet jackson said it had broken out just behind her house . i woke up and everything was in flames , ' she said , adding , it 's really scary . ... i mean we 're all afraid to even be in our houses right now . ' francis dorsheimer said he had just arrived home when his family told him they needed to leave right away because a neighbor 's house was on fire . he ran outside and saw flames shooting off the roof . ' must have been like 15-foot flames or higher , ' he said . it was just unbelievable . all the smoke in the air -- you could hardly breathe . ' watch the flames eat away at homes » beverly rivera watched firefighters put out the blaze at the home that she had recently moved out of . she still had possessions inside . whoever 's doing this , this is just absolutely ludicrous , ' she said . referring to suggestions that the fires may be the result of gang activity , rivera said , if it 's a gang , please stop , and find something else to do . because this is , this is terrible . this is absolutely unreal . ' i never thought coatesville would be on the map for something like this , ' she added . it 's just awful . just awful . ' thirteen previous suspected arsons have occurred since the start of the year in coatesville . fifteen suspected arsons happened in 2008 -- including one that killed an 83-year-old woman , geiger said . the fires do not appear to follow a clear pattern , she said . three suspects were arrested in december , and confessed to some of the fires , said geiger . the suspects -- two adults and one juvenile -- are still in custody , she said . a $ 5,000 reward is being offered for information leading to whomever has been setting the latest fires . federal officials have joined the investigation , wpvi reported . two homes were first spotted in flames at 11:30 p.m . the blazes spread and burned 15 homes , causing damage estimated at about $ 120,000 per home or a total of $ 1.8 million . city officials expect a huge turnout at a city council meeting monday when the fires will be discussed . coatesville , about 45 miles west of philadelphia , has about 11,000 residents , according to the u.s. census bureau . | new : authorities in coatesville , pennsylvania , declare state of emergency |
obama <tsp> ( cnn ) -- i appeared on a couple of segments on cnn this week where the topic was the occupy wall street demonstrations . a question raised was whether this was political . the republican/tea party spokesperson said yes , arguing that labor unions were behind it ( in fact the labor unions did not join until this week ) . i said it was economic , but political in the sense that you have a political party -- the gop -- entrenched with the wealthy and wall street while doing nothing to protect middle-class america . but i was wrong . it is not economic . and it is not political . it is personal . executive pay is now about five times higher than it was in 1980 , adjusted for inflation . the average salary for the rank-and-file american worker , however , is about the same as it was in 1980 . really ? does american exceptionalism exist only at the top 1 % of our workforce ? did our ceos really get 5 times better than they were in 1980 and our workers remain just ho-hum average ? i do n't think so . neither does the rest of america . when there is this kind of disparity while these same ceos are paying taxes at a rate lower than their secretaries , their receptionists , and the people who clean their offices , it is personal . when he was chair of the dnc , my former boss , the late commerce secretary ronald h. brown , used to say in his stump speech that we live in an era where the rich got richer , the poor got poorer , and the middle-class got squeezed . ' this was back in 1992 . it could not be truer today . while president obama has not done things perfectly , he has injected some fairness and balance into the economy to spur growth and job creation . more needs to be done , but his attempts have been met mostly by gridlock and a gop that only wants to see him fail . in the meantime , corporate profits are at an all-time high , but corporations are paying lower taxes than ever before . some are n't paying any at all . this week , we see banks tacking on extra fees -- which , contrary to what they argue , would lead them to 13 % more in profits than they were making before the dodd-frank wall street reform and consumer protection act went into effect . at the same time , ceos , while also making record amounts of money ( the average ceo makes $ 11 million a year while the average person makes $ 40,000 ) , have laid off millions of americans while sending our jobs overseas . these are not nameless , faceless americans . they are our neighbors , our friends and even our families . it is personal . republicans continue to protect this twisted system . and to add insult to injury , republican legislators and the gop presidential candidates want to eliminate the protections the middle class gained from the wall street reform and consumer protection act passed by democrats and signed by obama . does the crash of 2008 ring a bell ? are republicans really advocating that the greed of wall street be put before the needs of the american people ? yes , and here 's why : in the 2010 election cycle , corporations spent over $ 275 million getting politicians elected and spent almost $ 3 billion lobbying them . while some of those donations went to democrats , the vast majority went to republicans . it 's no wonder republicans want less government accountability and more tax giveaways for billionaires and giant companies -- that 's what their corporate donors demand . i , for one , take it personally . so does obama . the second question i was asked this week was whether the demonstrators had a candidate ' in the race . they do . president obama . he acknowledges americans are angry . he knows times are tough and he continues to fight to restore some much-needed protections for exactly the people in that crowd at wall street . he and democrats want more balance in the system . one way of getting there is the buffett rule -- obama 's proposal , named after billionaire warren buffett , that those making more than $ 1 million pay a higher percentage of their income in taxes than the rest of us . critics scream class warfare , ' and decry the attacks on the job creators , ' and cry socialism ' as they continue to preserve this unjust system that is giving rise to what could be a powerful and sustained movement . here are my answers : class warfare ? you bet . as buffett has said so eloquently , this country has been engaged in class warfare for decades , and guess what ? his class won . it is now time to stand up and fight for fairness for the middle class and a balanced approach for working-class families , who have labored just as hard as america 's top ceos but have not had the same kind of increases in salary . on job creators ? who are they ? the majority of job creation comes from our small businesses , none of which are raking in the salaries of the top 1 % of wealthy americans . so asking the top 1 % of wealthy americans to pay their fair share and pay at least as high a tax rate as their workers is not class warfare or an attack on job creators ' or socialism . it is in fact the american way . and america agrees . meanwhile , in the greatest country in the world , latino children now rank highest in child poverty rates . latinos and african-americans suffer from much higher unemployment rates than others . with all this taken together , is it any wonder that our masses could be giving rise to our own spring ' ? while it is no arab spring , the movement is spreading . not economic , not political , but personal . republicans would do well to take it personally too . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of maria cardona . | she says gop supports system , thwarts obama 's attempts at protection for middle class |
boy scouts of america <tsp> ( cnn ) -- when the boy scouts of america found out den leader jennifer tyrrell is a lesbian , the organization 's ohio river valley council sent her a letter saying you must immediately sever any relationship you may have ' with the scouts . you should understand that bsa ( boy scouts of america ) membership registration is a privilege and is not automatically granted to everyone who applies , ' the group wrote in the april 12 , 2012 , letter that tyrrell , a 33-year-old mom in ohio , photographed and sent to me recently . we reserve the right to refuse registration whenever there is concern that an individual may not meet the high standards of membership the bsa seeks . ' that reference to high standards ' is apparently the boy scouts way of saying gays and lesbian scout leaders need not apply . you may have heard people describe the boy scouts as gay-friendly this week , since the group voted to amend its draconian policies that banned open or avowed homosexuals ' from participating in the group as scouts . the 103-year-old organization -- known for its worthwhile efforts to teach kids to tie knots , survive in the woods and become more civic-minded adults -- decided on thursday that gay scouts should be able to participate in the organization . but not gay and lesbian leaders . the boy scouts'1,400 voting members approved the change with more than 60 % of the vote . still , the scouts will have a hard time escaping the organization 's new reputation as a den for outdated thinking and discrimination . the group 's attitudes on gay rights are more out of style than the scout socks , ' said kelsey timmerman , a former eagle scout who mailed his badge back to the organization because of its discriminatory policies . i never wore those damn socks , ' he said , laughing . it 's clear the boy scouts are lost in the woods . timmerman represents the core of the scouting organization 's problem . he 's 34 , straight and the father of two kids . he credits the scouts with helping him become an outgoing , confident and successful person . scouting was awesome , ' he said . but he would n't enroll his son in the program unless gays and lesbians are allowed to be scouts and scout leaders , too . he does n't want them to learn to discriminate from an organization that claims to value kindness and bravery . the same goes for tyrrell , the former tiger cub den leader in ohio . her son cruz would love to be able to participate in the scouts again , she said . and she would love for him to be able to do so . she noticed improvements in his maturity and confidence when he was part of the group . but she wo n't go back unless everyone is welcome . they 're teaching them to be bigots essentially , ' she said . this world is changing so quickly . you ca n't raise leaders for tomorrow on principles founded 100 years ago . ' when i spoke with tyrrell earlier , i sympathized with her wanting to celebrate the proposal to include gay scouts as a tiny step in the right direction . ' hundreds of thousands of people had petitioned the scouts to allow gay kids to participate . ryan andresen became a national celebrity of sorts after he was refused his eagle scout award because he 's openly gay . ( ellen degeneres had him on her show and gave him a $ 20,000 scholarship . ) i am certainly thankful the boy scouts did decide to allow all openly gay kids to be members . but it 's frustrating and unfair that boy scout leaders also affirmed discrimination against adult scout leaders . the scouts should n't tell children there 's nothing wrong with gay kids , but that there is something mysterious and dangerous about gay and lesbian adults . for one thing , it 's illogical . how does a ( gay scout ) commit his life to an organization who he knows full well is going to dump him the day he turns 18 ? ' tyrrell asked when we spoke in april , before this week 's vote . it would be really hard for that boy to believe in trustworthiness and loyalty and all those things that are important as a scout . ' gay kids : fine . adults ? not so much . the problem may be that the scouts are listening too much instead of making decisions with conviction . they 're licking their finger and testing the wind , ' as timmerman put it , trying to figure out how to please all constituencies . that 's , of course , impossible . the anti-gay family research council recently uploaded a youtube video ( watch it ; this sort of over-produced fear-mongering has become a hilarious parody of itself ) saying that the boy scouts were abandoning their moral compass ' by thinking of including gay scouts . i do n't think the boy scouts of america has abandoned its compass . but it 's clear it still needs to be recalibrated to the times . the opinions expressed in this column are solely those of john d. sutter . | boy scouts of america voted to end its ban on gay scouts |
oklahoma <tsp> first came word of a woman stabbed . then screams . then gunshots . but the full story of thursday 's gruesome beheading at an oklahoma food processing plant -- especially why it happened -- is still waiting to be told . one day later , there are tears for colleen hufford , the 54-year-old woman whose head was severed . there are prayers for 43-year-old traci johnson , who is in stable condition at a nearby hospital for treatment of numerous wounds , ' according to police . and there are questions about 30-year-old alton alexander nolen , the man who authorities say attacked them both and might have gone after more people if not for the company 's ceo , also an off-duty reserve sheriff 's deputy , who confronted and shot him twice . answers may come from nolen himself . as of 6 p.m. ( 7 p.m . et ) , he was coming out of a sedation ' at a hospital and investigators planned to attempt to begin interviewing him as soon as he was coherent enough to understand what was going on , ' according to sgt . jeremy lewis of the moore police department . here 's what they do know : the attack happened very soon after nolen learned he 'd lost his job . nolen had been incarcerated until march 2013 , for possession of a controlled substance , escaping confinement and resisting an officer . and he had been trying to convert co-workers to islam . lewis also said there may be other information about nolen 's past , that he could not reveal , that might help explain the incident , and that the fbi had been called in to dig deeper into nolen 's background . once we started investigating this initially , and started finding some of the things that he had been involved in , some of the things that he had been saying , we immediately contacted the fbi and got them involved , ' lewis told cnn 's erin burnett . ceo/reserve sheriff 's deputy stops attack the large , rectangular vaughan foods processing plant looks like many others from the outside : a no-frills design , nondescript front entrance and loading bays out back . but friday , there was nothing normal about it . police cars were everywhere , and uniformed officers walked the property . some citizens stood outside watching , putting their arms around each other and trying to make sense of the horror the day before . some of this drama could be heard in a 911 call released friday by the city of moore . it starts with a man yelling out , shut the doors , ' before calmly turning his attention to a 911 dispatcher . we have someone attacking someone in the building , ' he says . the initial violence happened near the vaughan foods plant 's main entrance , but did n't stop there . according to a 911 call , the suspect went through the front office , to the shipping office , then over to a customer service office . did he know who he was attacking ? not according to lewis , who said the suspect used a knife -- which , otherwise , would be used in the processing of produce at the plant -- to randomly inflict bloodshed . he was n't targeting anyone , was n't going specifically after them , ' the police spokesman said . it appears they were just in his way as he came in . ' the onslaught 's end could be heard on the 911 call , when the caller 's steady voice was interrupted . can you hear this in the background ? ' he tells the dispatcher . and that , that 's a gunshot . ' three shots rang out in total , according to the caller . there 's no indication that the suspect , nolen , was armed with anything other than a knife . of course , no one knew that at the time : they only knew that someone had entered their workplace , beheaded one woman , then attacked another . mark vaughan -- who besides being his company 's ceo has been a reserve deputy with the oklahoma county sheriff 's office since june 2010 -- did n't hesitate ' after learning that there was a killer on the loose , sheriff john whetsel said in a statement . instead , he confronted and twice shot nolen , who is now hospitalized in stable condition . without regard to himself or his safety , ' whetsel said , yesterday mark vaughan became a'hero'while doing the job he was sworn to do -- protecting others . ' beheading raises questions , but officials say no terror link the idea that a man who 's been trying to convert others to islam ends up beheading someone is alarming enough , but perhaps even more given what has been happening in the middle east . the islamist extremist group isis has made a name for its itself using such tactics , going so far as to record the beheadings of american journalists james foley and steven sotloff as well as british aid worker david haines . and they 've threatened more to come , especially if the united states and its allies continue to launch airstrikes at the group in iraq and syria . this has spurred concerns that isis sympathizers may similarly lash out against innocents in the west . that said , it 's not known if nolen 's religion had anything , at all , to do with what happened thursday . the fbi and other investigators , of course , could eventually find some sort of link or tie nolen to others . but that has n't happened yet . as of friday , all u.s. law enforcement officials said was that there are no indications linking the moore attack to terrorism . a spokesman for oklahoma gov . mary fallin , alex weintz , noted the governor had blocked nolen from receiving parole in 2012 , but said she believes we need to let law enforcement do their job and not to jump to any conclusions before the conclusion of the investigation . ' | oklahoma governor warns against jumping to conclusions ' |
mcdonnell <tsp> ( cnn ) -- virginia gov . bob mcdonnell apologized wednesday for leaving out any reference to slavery in his recent proclamation designating april as confederate history month , calling it a major omission . ' the failure to include any reference to slavery was a mistake , and for that i apologize to any fellow virginian who has been offended or disappointed , ' mcdonnell said in a written statement . the abomination of slavery divided our nation , deprived people of their god-given inalienable rights , and led to the civil war , ' the statement said . slavery was an evil , vicious and inhumane practice which degraded human beings to property , and it has left a stain on the soul of this state and nation . ' mcdonnell also announced wednesday that he would add language about slavery to the proclamation . ( i ) t is important for all virginians to understand that the institution of slavery led to this ( civil ) war and was an evil and inhumane practice that deprived people of their god-given inalienable rights , ' the new language says , and all virginians are thankful for its permanent eradication from our borders . ' mcdonnell 's statement noted that while virginia was home to the capital of the confederacy , it was also the first state to elect an african-american governor , l. douglas wilder , who mcdonnell called my friend . ' in an interview with cnn on wednesday , wilder said that mcdonnell 's apology and his introduction of additional proclamation language was the right thing for him to have done . ' most people recognize that slavery was the cause of the ( civil ) war , ' wilder said , noting that mcdonnell had called him wednesday . the war was not a glorious thing in our past . it was something that we were able to withstand in terms of tearing the country apart . ... thank god that war ended with the confederacy losing . ' not all democrats were willing to forgive mcdonnell on wednesday . he has a right to apologize , ' virginia state sen. henry marsh iii , a black democrat , told cnn . but i do n't accept that as a good answer because this is a pattern of this governor . ' he says the wrong thing , he sends a signal to his base and then he makes an apology , ' marsh said , it 's a question of whether or not he 's sincere or not . ' other democrats accepted mcdonnell 's apology . my great , great grandparents , their offspring and others were split up in the commonwealth of virginia & sold into slavery , ' democratic strategist and cnn political contributor donna brazile said on twitter . apology accepted mcdonnell is the first virginia governor in eight years to issue a proclamation declaring april as confederate history month in the state , a move that drew criticism from democrats and a civil rights group . former virginia gov . tim kaine , now democratic national committee chairman , issued a statement wednesday blasting mcdonnell 's exclusion of slavery from the original proclamation . governor mcdonnell 's decision to designate april as confederate history month without condemning , or even acknowledging , the pernicious stain of slavery or its role in the war disregards history , is insensitive to the extraordinary efforts of americans to eliminate slavery and bind the nation 's wounds , and offends millions of americans of all races and in all parts of our nation , ' kaine wrote . a failure to acknowledge the central role of slavery in the confederacy and deeming insignificant the reprehensible tran sgression of moral standards of liberty and equality that slavery represented is simply not acceptable in the america of the 21st century , ' he continued . ireporter : mcdonnell 's step in the right direction ' mcdonnell quietly declared april confederate history month after two previous democratic administrations refused to do so . it is important for all virginians to reflect upon our commonwealth 's shared history , to understand the sacrifices of the confederate leaders , soldiers and citizens during the period of the civil war , and to recognize how our history has led to our present , ' the proclamation reads in part . virginia delegate kenneth alexander , chairman of the virginia legislative black caucus , said the governor 's proclamation was offensive . it offered a disturbing revision of the civil war and the brutal era that followed , ' alexander , a democrat , said in a written statement . virginia has worked hard to move beyond the very things for which gov . mcdonnell seems nostalgic . ' the virginia chapter of the naacp also condemned the proclamation , the washington post reported . the group did not immediately return phone calls to cnn . the sons of confederate veterans asked the governor to declare april confederate history month in virginia , which had seceded from the union on april 17 , 1861 . brandon dorsey , a spokesman for the group , told cnn radio that confederate history month is n't about slavery or race , but about studying the four-year history of the confederacy . he said it will also help draw visitors to the many civil war battle sites in virginia , helping to boost tourism . the proclamation 's main goal is to call attention to the fact that there is confederate history in the state of virginia , of course , across the south , ' dorsey said . it 's simply a tool to expose individuals to that history . ... it 's not meant to discriminate against anybody . ' other southern states have issued similar proclamations for april . in alabama , republican gov . bob riley declared april , the month the civil war began , as confederate history and heritage month . his statement condemned slavery . cnn radio 's shelby lin erdman contributed to this report . | mcdonnell says he will add language about slavery to proclamation |
mcdonnell <tsp> ( cnn ) -- virginia gov . bob mcdonnell apologized wednesday for leaving out any reference to slavery in his recent proclamation designating april as confederate history month , calling it a major omission . ' the failure to include any reference to slavery was a mistake , and for that i apologize to any fellow virginian who has been offended or disappointed , ' mcdonnell said in a written statement . the abomination of slavery divided our nation , deprived people of their god-given inalienable rights , and led to the civil war , ' the statement said . slavery was an evil , vicious and inhumane practice which degraded human beings to property , and it has left a stain on the soul of this state and nation . ' mcdonnell also announced wednesday that he would add language about slavery to the proclamation . ( i ) t is important for all virginians to understand that the institution of slavery led to this ( civil ) war and was an evil and inhumane practice that deprived people of their god-given inalienable rights , ' the new language says , and all virginians are thankful for its permanent eradication from our borders . ' mcdonnell 's statement noted that while virginia was home to the capital of the confederacy , it was also the first state to elect an african-american governor , l. douglas wilder , who mcdonnell called my friend . ' in an interview with cnn on wednesday , wilder said that mcdonnell 's apology and his introduction of additional proclamation language was the right thing for him to have done . ' most people recognize that slavery was the cause of the ( civil ) war , ' wilder said , noting that mcdonnell had called him wednesday . the war was not a glorious thing in our past . it was something that we were able to withstand in terms of tearing the country apart . ... thank god that war ended with the confederacy losing . ' not all democrats were willing to forgive mcdonnell on wednesday . he has a right to apologize , ' virginia state sen. henry marsh iii , a black democrat , told cnn . but i do n't accept that as a good answer because this is a pattern of this governor . ' he says the wrong thing , he sends a signal to his base and then he makes an apology , ' marsh said , it 's a question of whether or not he 's sincere or not . ' other democrats accepted mcdonnell 's apology . my great , great grandparents , their offspring and others were split up in the commonwealth of virginia & sold into slavery , ' democratic strategist and cnn political contributor donna brazile said on twitter . apology accepted mcdonnell is the first virginia governor in eight years to issue a proclamation declaring april as confederate history month in the state , a move that drew criticism from democrats and a civil rights group . former virginia gov . tim kaine , now democratic national committee chairman , issued a statement wednesday blasting mcdonnell 's exclusion of slavery from the original proclamation . governor mcdonnell 's decision to designate april as confederate history month without condemning , or even acknowledging , the pernicious stain of slavery or its role in the war disregards history , is insensitive to the extraordinary efforts of americans to eliminate slavery and bind the nation 's wounds , and offends millions of americans of all races and in all parts of our nation , ' kaine wrote . a failure to acknowledge the central role of slavery in the confederacy and deeming insignificant the reprehensible tran sgression of moral standards of liberty and equality that slavery represented is simply not acceptable in the america of the 21st century , ' he continued . ireporter : mcdonnell 's step in the right direction ' mcdonnell quietly declared april confederate history month after two previous democratic administrations refused to do so . it is important for all virginians to reflect upon our commonwealth 's shared history , to understand the sacrifices of the confederate leaders , soldiers and citizens during the period of the civil war , and to recognize how our history has led to our present , ' the proclamation reads in part . virginia delegate kenneth alexander , chairman of the virginia legislative black caucus , said the governor 's proclamation was offensive . it offered a disturbing revision of the civil war and the brutal era that followed , ' alexander , a democrat , said in a written statement . virginia has worked hard to move beyond the very things for which gov . mcdonnell seems nostalgic . ' the virginia chapter of the naacp also condemned the proclamation , the washington post reported . the group did not immediately return phone calls to cnn . the sons of confederate veterans asked the governor to declare april confederate history month in virginia , which had seceded from the union on april 17 , 1861 . brandon dorsey , a spokesman for the group , told cnn radio that confederate history month is n't about slavery or race , but about studying the four-year history of the confederacy . he said it will also help draw visitors to the many civil war battle sites in virginia , helping to boost tourism . the proclamation 's main goal is to call attention to the fact that there is confederate history in the state of virginia , of course , across the south , ' dorsey said . it 's simply a tool to expose individuals to that history . ... it 's not meant to discriminate against anybody . ' other southern states have issued similar proclamations for april . in alabama , republican gov . bob riley declared april , the month the civil war began , as confederate history and heritage month . his statement condemned slavery . cnn radio 's shelby lin erdman contributed to this report . | virginia gov . bob mcdonnell says not mentioning slavery was major omission ' |
anti-saleh <tsp> ( cnn ) -- a proposal by a coalition of persian gulf nations to decrease tensions between the government and the opposition in yemen may have done just the opposite . one day after the gulf cooperation council released a statement urging yemen president ali abdullah saleh to transfer powers to his vice president , thousands of protestors returned to the streets monday for marches and opposition leaders are vowing not to back down . one eyewitness claims protesters number in the tens of thousands at a anti-saleh march in abyan province . cnn could not independently verify the estimate . the youth protesting today are being used by the jmp who are trying to steal the revolution from them , ' abdu ganadi , deputy minister of information for the gcc said monday . the joint meeting parties bloc , yemen 's largest opposition group , said the gcc initiative does not clearly state that saleh must step down and only focuses on saleh 's transferring power . ' we all know the vp is not strong and will never be able to tell saleh no , even if all his powers are transferred , ' said senior jmp official hasan zaid . the embassy of the republic of yemen in washington responded to the gcc initiative on monday in a statement which said saleh has agreed to transfer powers in accordance with the yemeni constitution , which means he will not step down from power until his term ends in 2013 . we will not accept any initiative that will have saleh still in rule whether the initiative is from the gcc or europe , ' zaid said . the gcc , a six-nation bloc of oil producing countries , met on sunday in the saudi arabian capital , riyadh , in an effort bring an end to the current political impasse in the country . the opposition wants everything and president saleh is still the most powerful person in the country , ' gcc 's ganadi said . the opposition is now the one going against the gcc initiative , ' said ganadi . a leading revolutionary attending a march on monday in sanaa spoke out against the coalition 's proposal . the youth are not involved in any agreement and in the end , we have the powerful voice , ' said khaled anesi . no initiative will save saleh from the crimes he committed against the peaceful youth , ' anesi said . in addition to pushing the transfer of power , the gcc 's initiative also called for the formation of a national unity government to be chaired by the opposition . there was no mention of that proposal in the statement released by the yemen government . last week , saleh said he welcomes the council 's efforts to help resolve the political crisis in his country . he has said he intends to step down but only under a peaceful and constitutional transition process . despite increasing pressure from neighboring countries and opposition groups , the yemeni government has said calling for saleh 's departure now is going too far . yemen 's president has promised not to run in the next round of elections . the united states , which has been allied with the saleh government in its fight against al qaeda in the arabian peninsula , has welcomed past gulf council initiatives . we strongly encourage all sides to engage in this urgently needed dialogue to reach a solution supported by the yemeni people , ' mark toner , spokesman for the u.s. state department , said friday . president saleh has publicly expressed his willingness to engage in a peaceful transition of power ; the timing and form of this transition should be identified through negotiation and begin soon . ' violence and protest have raged in yemen , where protesters have called for the ouster of saleh . he has ruled the country since 1978 . an eyewitness claims hundreds of protesters attended an anti-government march in streets of sanaa , and other cities across yemen . we will not be scared to march and make the regime understand that we will not stop until our demands are met , ' student activist hareth abdullah said . every day we increase in power and the regime decreases in power , ' abdullah said . high unemployment fuels much of the anger among a growing young population who have suffered from poverty . the protesters also cite government corruption and a lack of political freedom . we will not differ with the revolution youth and we will support them , ' yahya abu osbaa , a senior jmp official said . in the end , i can assure you that we will agree on terms , ' osbaa said . cnn 's mohammed jamjoom , yousuf basil , amir ahmed and hakim almasmari contributed to this report | new : eyewitness reports tens of thousands gather for anti-saleh march |
gulf cooperation council <tsp> ( cnn ) -- a proposal by a coalition of persian gulf nations to decrease tensions between the government and the opposition in yemen may have done just the opposite . one day after the gulf cooperation council released a statement urging yemen president ali abdullah saleh to transfer powers to his vice president , thousands of protestors returned to the streets monday for marches and opposition leaders are vowing not to back down . one eyewitness claims protesters number in the tens of thousands at a anti-saleh march in abyan province . cnn could not independently verify the estimate . the youth protesting today are being used by the jmp who are trying to steal the revolution from them , ' abdu ganadi , deputy minister of information for the gcc said monday . the joint meeting parties bloc , yemen 's largest opposition group , said the gcc initiative does not clearly state that saleh must step down and only focuses on saleh 's transferring power . ' we all know the vp is not strong and will never be able to tell saleh no , even if all his powers are transferred , ' said senior jmp official hasan zaid . the embassy of the republic of yemen in washington responded to the gcc initiative on monday in a statement which said saleh has agreed to transfer powers in accordance with the yemeni constitution , which means he will not step down from power until his term ends in 2013 . we will not accept any initiative that will have saleh still in rule whether the initiative is from the gcc or europe , ' zaid said . the gcc , a six-nation bloc of oil producing countries , met on sunday in the saudi arabian capital , riyadh , in an effort bring an end to the current political impasse in the country . the opposition wants everything and president saleh is still the most powerful person in the country , ' gcc 's ganadi said . the opposition is now the one going against the gcc initiative , ' said ganadi . a leading revolutionary attending a march on monday in sanaa spoke out against the coalition 's proposal . the youth are not involved in any agreement and in the end , we have the powerful voice , ' said khaled anesi . no initiative will save saleh from the crimes he committed against the peaceful youth , ' anesi said . in addition to pushing the transfer of power , the gcc 's initiative also called for the formation of a national unity government to be chaired by the opposition . there was no mention of that proposal in the statement released by the yemen government . last week , saleh said he welcomes the council 's efforts to help resolve the political crisis in his country . he has said he intends to step down but only under a peaceful and constitutional transition process . despite increasing pressure from neighboring countries and opposition groups , the yemeni government has said calling for saleh 's departure now is going too far . yemen 's president has promised not to run in the next round of elections . the united states , which has been allied with the saleh government in its fight against al qaeda in the arabian peninsula , has welcomed past gulf council initiatives . we strongly encourage all sides to engage in this urgently needed dialogue to reach a solution supported by the yemeni people , ' mark toner , spokesman for the u.s. state department , said friday . president saleh has publicly expressed his willingness to engage in a peaceful transition of power ; the timing and form of this transition should be identified through negotiation and begin soon . ' violence and protest have raged in yemen , where protesters have called for the ouster of saleh . he has ruled the country since 1978 . an eyewitness claims hundreds of protesters attended an anti-government march in streets of sanaa , and other cities across yemen . we will not be scared to march and make the regime understand that we will not stop until our demands are met , ' student activist hareth abdullah said . every day we increase in power and the regime decreases in power , ' abdullah said . high unemployment fuels much of the anger among a growing young population who have suffered from poverty . the protesters also cite government corruption and a lack of political freedom . we will not differ with the revolution youth and we will support them , ' yahya abu osbaa , a senior jmp official said . in the end , i can assure you that we will agree on terms , ' osbaa said . cnn 's mohammed jamjoom , yousuf basil , amir ahmed and hakim almasmari contributed to this report | new : gulf cooperation council accuses the opposition of trying to steal the youth revolution |
netanyahu <tsp> ( cnn ) -- israel 's attack monday on a boat traveling in international waters and carrying humanitarian supplies for gaza killed at least nine people and sparked a series of recriminations around the world . riyad mansour , palestinian ambassador to the united nations , condemned the attack and called for an independent investigation to know who gave the orders from the israeli side to open fire against civilians and to bring those people to face justice . ' but israeli officials described the boat 's passengers as the aggressors and said the soldiers from the israel defense forces were simply defending themselves . they are not peace activists . they were not messengers of goodwill , ' daniel carmon , israel 's deputy ambassador to the united nations , told reporters in new york . they cynically used the guise of humanitarian aid to send a message of hate and to implement violence . ' independent information was scant . the death toll and the account of what happened came from the israelis , who did not release the names of any of the casualties . free gaza , ' one of the group 's sponsors , said there were more casualties from the incident , though it did n't have an exact number . the surviving passengers were being held incommunicado by the israelis , who detained them after escorting the six boats that had participated in the flotilla to the israeli port city of ashdod . q & a on israel 's gaza blockade three sailors who took part in the flotilla said israeli troops stormed the mavi marmara , the largest ship , well into international waters . the commandos were coming down from the helicopter . no one on the ships had any weapons , ' one of the sailors told cnn turk after being flown back to istanbul . the free gaza organization , one of the organizers of the protest , posted on its twitter page that the incident unfolded about 4:30 a.m. , when israeli commandos boarded the mavi marmara by helicopter . the troops immediately opened fire on unarmed civilians , ' the group said . video from the israeli military showed soldiers rappelling onto the deck of the ship from a helicopter . the boarding of the ships took place in international waters more than 70 nautical miles ( 130 km ) outside israeli territorial waters , according to ihh , a humanitarian relief foundation and a sponsor of the flotilla . ihh is affiliated with the muslim brotherhood , a hard-line islamic political movement . get the latest developments but the israel defense forces said its troops were met with premeditated violence , evident by the activists'use of clubs , metal rods , and knives , as well as the firing of two weapons stolen from the soldiers . ' it said troops responded with defensive action on behalf of the forces who felt their lives were endangered , ' and seven were wounded . the idf released a video shot from above the ship that it said showed soldiers being attacked , though the distance from which it was shot precluded immediate confirmation . a senior israeli military official , speaking on condition of anonymity in an account cleared by military censors , displayed a box containing switchblade knives , slingshots and metal balls and bats he said had been confiscated from one of the boats . this was not spontaneous , ' he said . this was planned . ' israeli military gives version of flotilla incident a senior israeli military official , speaking on condition of anonymity in an account cleared by military censors , displayed a box containing switchblade knives , slingshots and metal balls and bats he said had been confiscated from one of the boats . this was not spontaneous , ' he said . this was planned . ' jonathan peled , minister-counselor for the israeli embassy in washington , said the soldiers were carrying paintball pistols when they boarded the flotilla , but switched to bullets when a naval commander was stabbed and others were attacked with knives and metal bars . most of the dead were turks , the israeli senior military official said . twenty other people were wounded . as many as nine americans may have been aboard the boats , including edward peck , a former u.s. ambassador to mauritania , according to jonathan slevin , a spokesman for the activist group free palestine movement . one american who was being treated for minor injuries after the attack , a senior state department official said late monday . israeli forces boarded the other ships in the flotilla without incident . the turkish sailors said they were continuously shadowed by commandos aboard their own vessel , even when we needed to go to bathroom , ' one said . the flotilla had left european ports in a protest organized by two pro-palestinian groups to deliver 10,000 tons of food , medicine , construction materials , wheelchairs and other aid to gaza to break a blockade imposed by israel in 2007 . israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu , who canceled his trip to washington to return to israel to manage the crisis , said gaza has become a base for hamas terrorists who have fired thousands of rockets ' into israel . what we want to prevent coming into gaza are rockets , missiles , explosives and war material that could be used to attack our civilians , ' he told reporters in ottawa , canada , with his canadian counterpart . the attack sparked protests in several countries ; caused a diplomatic row between israel and turkey , its closest muslim ally ; and brought condemnation worldwide . a number of nations recalled their ambassadors from israel , while others called for a full investigation . the palestinian authority said in a statement its cabinet strongly condemned the israeli crime against international supporters on board of the freedom flotilla . ' read more about world reaction turkey , israel 's closest muslim ally in the region , recalled its ambassador , while deputy prime minister bulent arinc said the operation will leave a bloody stain on the history of humanity . ' israel said sunday that western and turkish authorities have accused ihh of having working relations ' with terrorist organizations . of the hundreds of activists who were detained aboard the ships after they were escorted to the israeli port of ashdod , 15 were sent to beer sheva prison , according to a spokesman for the israeli prison authority . another 25 were slated for deportation and 50 others who refused to identify themselves were being held separately . none was allowed to speak to the news media . a team from the turkish red crescent will fly tuesday to tel aviv to help coordinate the return of the dead and wounded , the organization said in a statement . israel issued a serious travel warning ' for israelis visiting turkey . those planning to travel to turkey were asked to postpone their trips , while those already in turkey were advised to stay indoors . a turkish travel agent said more than 15,000 israelis had canceled plans to visit turkey . in gaza , hamas spokesman sami abu zuhri called for global support of the palestinian cause . palestinian authority president mahmoud abbas called for three days of mourning in the palestinian territories to honor the lives lost . we have consistently advised against attempting to access gaza in this way , because of the risks involved , ' said british foreign secretary william hague . but at the same time , there is a clear need for israel to act with restraint and in line with international obligations . ' in washington , white house spokesman bill burton said , the united states deeply regrets the loss of life and injuries sustained and is currently working to understand the circumstances surrounding this tragedy . ' israel instituted a blockade on gaza in january 2006 , when hamas won democratic elections in the palestinian territories . it tightened that blockade in june 2007 , when hamas took over gaza , but allows about 15,000 tons of humanitarian aid into the territories each week , israeli government spokesman mark regev said . since then , israel has controlled entry of all manner of goods into gaza , including instant coffee , chocolate and construction materials . israel has said the latter could be used by hamas to build bunkers . since the summer of 2008 , five flotillas have gotten through the blockade to deliver humanitarian goods to gaza . monday 's flotilla was the largest such mission . cnn 's ben wedeman in cairo , egypt ; ivan watson in istanbul , turkey ; charley keyes in washington ; and niki cook in paris , france , contributed to this report . | netanyahu cuts canadian trip short , cancels obama meeting |
hida viloria <tsp> san francisco , california ( cnn ) -- a lot of people have been outraged by the gender verification testing that south african athlete caster semenya has been put through , and have been trying to be supportive of her ; but in doing so , they often further prejudice against the very thing which she appears to be : intersex . hida viloria says she looks forward to a day when intersex conditions like hers are widely accepted . intersex people ( formerly known as hermaphrodites ) are those born with bodies that are difficult to classify as either male ' or female . ' since results of semenya 's tests were apparently leaked , it seems that her body does n't conform to the definition of female ' as one who has ovaries . i 'm intersex because , while i have ovaries , menstruate and can get pregnant , my genitalia is somewhat male-looking ( simply put , i have a clitoris that 's much larger than average . ) throughout my childhood , i never thought i was anything other than female ' because that 's what i was labeled and raised as . while i felt more aggressive than other girls , i did n't think that anything other than male and female could exist . so i just thought of myself as a different kind of woman . ' ultimately , my assessment was pretty accurate . i was raised in a strict catholic home , where nudity and sex talk was unheard of , so having no one to compare my genitals to , i was unaware that mine were different . i 'm very lucky to have escaped the corrective ' surgeries and/or hormone treatments that are the norm for intersex infants , because my father went to medical school before these practices began ( in the mid-late'50 's ) , and knew that you should n't operate on a baby unless it 's absolutely necessary . later , when he wanted to give me estrogen pills at puberty to ensure that my body feminized ' ( he told me that the pills were to make me grow taller ) , my mother objected , saying it was experimental and that i did n't need it . thankfully , she won out . thus , no one ever told me there was anything wrong with my body ( that did n't happen until a gynecological visit when i was twenty ) , and i grew up loving it just the way it is . i still do . while many doctors would refer to my clitoris as grossly enlarged , ' i have to tell you , having an overabundance of the only organ in the human body whose sole purpose is pleasure is far from a negative thing ! i came of age sexually with my second boyfriend in high school . i broke up with him because i knew that i preferred girls , but i could n't act on it yet . once i did , in college , it confirmed that girls were what i 'd always longed for , and it was then that i realized how much my body differed from theirs .'still , i had no name for my difference . at the age of twenty-six , i finally discovered i was intersex ' from a newspaper article . fortunately , it was not about me specifically but about intersex in general , and i 'm glad that i , unlike semenya , had time to process the information and come out about it when i was ready to . i still had other issues i was dealing with -- namely : racism and homophobia -- so it took a year for me to embrace this additional minority status . once i did , it was a positive turning point . i 'd always felt strongly masculine and feminine , and now it made sense why these two presumably opposite ' traits existed , in me , side by side . i did n't think being intersex was a bad thing to be . i 'd already learned that people can be prejudiced against things they 're unfamiliar with , or are taught to dislike , and that we should n't take on their bigotry . on april 19 , 2002 , i appeared on the television news program 20/20 ' with a prominent urologist and expert ' on intersex conditions . when asked why he supported corrective surgeries ' he answered , society ca n't accept people of different colors , and now we 're supposed to accept somebody with genitalia that do n't match what their gender is ? i do not believe this society is ready for it . ' intersex folks are not some new invention that people need to be ready for : ' we exist and always have . resistance to accepting us has created the mess that semenya now finds herself in . if medicine had been more upfront about intersex conditions rather than pretending they 're just male and female as usual , they could have avoided ruining the career of some athletes . whichever condition caster semenya has , she should n't be made to suffer for others'mistakes . since infancy , she 's been legally labeled , raised , and accepted as female . to be told that she ca n't compete as one now would be like being a u.s. citizen all your life , but being suddenly denied a passport because somebody decided that the city you were born in is actually , sorry , on the wrong side of the border . for thirteen years i 've been outing myself as intersex just to let folks know we exist , and i 'm happy to say i 've seen progress . i look forward to one day telling my god-daughter about how it used to be for us , and to hearing her say , wow , i ca n't believe some people had problems accepting intersex . humans can be so weird . ' | intersex writer hida viloria shares her experience of growing up intersex |
london <tsp> ( cnn ) -- among the 35,000 runners lining up at this sunday 's london marathon , there 'll be the usual pre-race nerves , waves of excitement , and focus on the task ahead . this year , there will also be silence . six days after boston 's marathon was rocked by the bombing which killed three people and injured more than 180 , the world will be turning its gaze to london 's premier race . it will be unlike any other race in its 32-year history , as thousands of competitors and spectators observe a 30-second silence ahead of the starting gun , in remembrance of boston 's casualties . haunting images of bloodied victims scrambling down smoldering streets , past upturned stands which just moments earlier had been filled with cheering family and friends , will no doubt loom large in the minds of londoners this weekend . expect to see an ocean of black solidarity ribbons pinned to the chests of runners , as they wind their way past the capital 's most iconic landmarks such as big ben and tower bridge . in another act of solidarity , for every competitor who crosses the finishing line , race organizers plan to donate $ 3 to the one fund boston , set up to raise money for victims of the blasts . photos : after the explosion -- moment by moment'in it together' ' now there is a huge feeling of defiance , ' three-time london winner paula radcliffe told cnn . how dare someone attack sport and humanity in this way -- we are not going to be cowed , ' added the 39-year-old radcliffe , who is the world marathon record holder . watch : bombing victim could n't hear after blast that defiance is shared by the thousands of competitors who run the london marathon to raise money for myriad charities . it 's important to see on mass that we 're in it together , ' said 36-year-old asset management worker , ed lucas , who will be running his first ever marathon on sunday . it does make you reassess the race . but i think if anything , it will make people a lot more determined -- brits are quite stubborn , they do n't like being told what to do . ' another runner matthew huntington , 36 , said his family -- including his two and five-year children -- would be coming to watch him . it never entered my mind to drop out and yes it made me even more determined to take part , ' added technical marketing manager huntington . if you 're completely risk averse you would never leave the house . ' stepped-up security security will also be stepped-up at the event , which is the first international marathon to follow boston . there will be an increase in searches and officers on the street , london 's metropolitan police commissioner , bernard hogan-howard , said . we 've no reason to think people are any less safe than they were before the terrible events in boston , ' he added . olympic training last year 's olympic games has also bolstered london 's credentials when it comes to hosting safe , international sporting events , britain 's culture secretary , maria miller , said . you will know from london 2012 last year , this country has a great deal of experience of ensuring our sporting events go well and that security is at the heart of the planning process . the london marathon is no different , ' she told the commons this week . deputy prime minister nick clegg promised security would be double , triple , quadruple checked . ' show of support with tight security measures in place , the public has been urged to get behind the great british sporting event -- as much for the competitors on the day as a sign of solidarity with boston . obviously , in light of what happened in boston , we 've had to have a look at security and we have a detailed and well-thought-out plan with the metropolitan police which we have year-in , year-out , ' london marathon chief executive , nigel bitel , said . it 's a great occasion , the london marathon , and i know that people will want to come out and send a message of support to runners on the day . ' watch : eyewitness images of blast no fear similarly , reigning marathon champion , wilson kipsang , told competitors to try and put security issues out of their minds as they wind their way along the 42 kilometer route from blackheath to buckingham palace , home of the queen . when you are running and you are thinking something like that can happen , you ca n't concentrate , ' the kenyan told athletics weekly . we should have no fear during the race because security matters will be put in place and we will run feeling free . ' | six days after boston marathon bombings , thousands of runners will compete in london |
smart <tsp> ( cnn ) -- a decade after elizabeth smart 's kidnapping ended , she is sharing intimate details of her 9-month-long nightmare . smart , now 25 and married , spoke to cnn 's anderson cooper monday about her book my story , ' which she said tells 100 % of what happened to her . i did n't just want to go 10 % and sugarcoat the rest , ' smart told cooper . i wanted it to be really what happened and what it was like every single day i was there , because i do n't think i 'm doing anyone any favors by sugarcoating it . ' her motivation for opening up is the realization that people do n't often acknowledge the just staggering ' fact that one in four girls and one in six boys are sexually abused before age 18 . i want to reach out to those survivors and those victims , ' smart said . i want them to know that these things do happen , but that does n't mean that we have to be defined by it for the rest of your life . you can move forward and you can be happy . ' abused but alive : lessons for cleveland 's survivors smart 's abduction smart 's horrific story began on the night of june 5 , 2002 , when brian david mitchell dragged the 14-year-old from her bedroom in her family 's salt lake city home . to me , in my bedroom is the ultimate place in safety , ' she said . i mean , i felt like that was the safest place in the world for me , so waking up in the middle of the night in my own bedroom having this strange man standing over me , someone i did n't recognize , not only that but having a knife being held to my throat , i was terrified . i had grown up in a very happy home and i really did n't know what the definition of fear was until that moment . that brought whole new meaning . ' the street preacher threatened the child unless she left with him quietly , she said . he said'i have a knife at your neck , do n't make a sound , get up and come with me ,'' smart told cooper . and then i remember getting up and going with him , and then on the way through my house he bent over to my ear again and said'if you make any sound , if you do anything that causes any attention or causes someone to come , i not only will kill you , but i will kill anyone who tries to stop me .'' smart described the first hours of her ordeal , when she was praying so hard for an escape . ' i kept looking , i kept waiting for something to happen , for some way for me to get away , ' she said . i kept looking and it did n't happen . when i did n't see an escape route , i thought'oh , my goodness , i 'm going to be raped and then i 'm going to be murdered , because that 's what happens to all of the other kids i 've ever seen on the news who had been kidnapped . ' mitchell forced her to hike with him for hours that morning , away from her home , she said . i remember stopping him and asking him'well , if you 're going to rape and kill me , could you please do it here ?'because , in my mind , i wanted my parents to know what had happened to me , ' she said . i wanted them to know that i had n't run away , that this was n't my choosing , i was n't upset with them . i wanted them to know what had happened to me . ' mitchell 's response was chilling . i remember he just looked back at me and said ,'oh , i 'm not going to rape and kill you yet .'and then we kept going and i remember we got a little further and i stopped him again and i said'well , do n't you realize what you 're doing , i mean , if you get caught you 'll spend the rest of your life in prison ?'and he looked at me again and he said ,'well , i know exactly what i 'm doing and i know what the consequences are . the only difference is i 'm not going to get caught .'' after several hours , they arrived in a mountainside camp where mitchell 's wife , wanda barzee , was waiting . i was terrified when i got to the camp , but the scariest thing about the camp was this woman , ' she said . i remember she came out and she had on robes and she had on a headdress and she came up to me and she hugged me . but this hug was not comforting . i mean , if hugs could speak this hug would have said ,'you 're mine , you will do exactly what i tell you to do .'' lessons from'america 's most wanted': never give up nine months of terror the constant sexual abuse by mitchell began that day . the next nine months , my days consisted of being hungry , of being bored to death because he talked nonstop always about himself , ' she said . i mean , talk about self-absorbed . and then my days consisted of being raped . i mean , not just once , multiple times a day . ' while smart 's story is about hope and survival , the details are filled with despair . every time i thought'ok , this is rock bottom ,'i mean , my pajamas have been taken away from me and i 'm being forced to wear this nasty robe , the next thing i knew they 'd say ,'we 're going to have you go naked now ,'or i had been forced to drink alcohol , which i had never done before , ' she told cooper . i would throw up and i would pass out and when i 'd wake up i 'd find that my face and my hair was just crusted to the ground in vomit . i mean , just every time i thought it could n't get worse , something always happened . ' smart said she eventually decided she would be a survivor and she would get back to her family . smart 's rescue on march 12 , 2003 , was followed by second-guessing by people who wondered why she had n't escaped on her own . why had she told a detective who talked to her at a library that she was not the kidnapped girl ? in 2011 : judge sentences smart kidnapper to life in prison smart : never judge a victim ' you can never judge a child or a victim of any crime on what they should have done , because you were n't there and you do n't know and you have no right just to sit in your armchair at home and say'well , why did n't you escape ? why did n't you do this ?'i mean , they just do n't know , ' she said . that 's wrong . and i was 14 . i was a little girl . and i had seen this man successfully kidnap me , he successfully chained me up , he successfully raped me , he successfully did all of these things . what was to say that he would n't kill me when he 'd make those threats to me ? what was to say that he would n't kill my family ? ' the second half of smart 's interview with cooper , in which she reveals details of how she was rescued , will air on cnn 's anderson cooper 360 ' tuesday night . smart will speak at penn state 's sex abuse conference watch anderson cooper 360° weeknights 8pm et . for the latest from ac360° click here . | smart says book tells what it was like every single day i was there ' |
smart <tsp> ( cnn ) -- a decade after elizabeth smart 's kidnapping ended , she is sharing intimate details of her 9-month-long nightmare . smart , now 25 and married , spoke to cnn 's anderson cooper monday about her book my story , ' which she said tells 100 % of what happened to her . i did n't just want to go 10 % and sugarcoat the rest , ' smart told cooper . i wanted it to be really what happened and what it was like every single day i was there , because i do n't think i 'm doing anyone any favors by sugarcoating it . ' her motivation for opening up is the realization that people do n't often acknowledge the just staggering ' fact that one in four girls and one in six boys are sexually abused before age 18 . i want to reach out to those survivors and those victims , ' smart said . i want them to know that these things do happen , but that does n't mean that we have to be defined by it for the rest of your life . you can move forward and you can be happy . ' abused but alive : lessons for cleveland 's survivors smart 's abduction smart 's horrific story began on the night of june 5 , 2002 , when brian david mitchell dragged the 14-year-old from her bedroom in her family 's salt lake city home . to me , in my bedroom is the ultimate place in safety , ' she said . i mean , i felt like that was the safest place in the world for me , so waking up in the middle of the night in my own bedroom having this strange man standing over me , someone i did n't recognize , not only that but having a knife being held to my throat , i was terrified . i had grown up in a very happy home and i really did n't know what the definition of fear was until that moment . that brought whole new meaning . ' the street preacher threatened the child unless she left with him quietly , she said . he said'i have a knife at your neck , do n't make a sound , get up and come with me ,'' smart told cooper . and then i remember getting up and going with him , and then on the way through my house he bent over to my ear again and said'if you make any sound , if you do anything that causes any attention or causes someone to come , i not only will kill you , but i will kill anyone who tries to stop me .'' smart described the first hours of her ordeal , when she was praying so hard for an escape . ' i kept looking , i kept waiting for something to happen , for some way for me to get away , ' she said . i kept looking and it did n't happen . when i did n't see an escape route , i thought'oh , my goodness , i 'm going to be raped and then i 'm going to be murdered , because that 's what happens to all of the other kids i 've ever seen on the news who had been kidnapped . ' mitchell forced her to hike with him for hours that morning , away from her home , she said . i remember stopping him and asking him'well , if you 're going to rape and kill me , could you please do it here ?'because , in my mind , i wanted my parents to know what had happened to me , ' she said . i wanted them to know that i had n't run away , that this was n't my choosing , i was n't upset with them . i wanted them to know what had happened to me . ' mitchell 's response was chilling . i remember he just looked back at me and said ,'oh , i 'm not going to rape and kill you yet .'and then we kept going and i remember we got a little further and i stopped him again and i said'well , do n't you realize what you 're doing , i mean , if you get caught you 'll spend the rest of your life in prison ?'and he looked at me again and he said ,'well , i know exactly what i 'm doing and i know what the consequences are . the only difference is i 'm not going to get caught .'' after several hours , they arrived in a mountainside camp where mitchell 's wife , wanda barzee , was waiting . i was terrified when i got to the camp , but the scariest thing about the camp was this woman , ' she said . i remember she came out and she had on robes and she had on a headdress and she came up to me and she hugged me . but this hug was not comforting . i mean , if hugs could speak this hug would have said ,'you 're mine , you will do exactly what i tell you to do .'' lessons from'america 's most wanted': never give up nine months of terror the constant sexual abuse by mitchell began that day . the next nine months , my days consisted of being hungry , of being bored to death because he talked nonstop always about himself , ' she said . i mean , talk about self-absorbed . and then my days consisted of being raped . i mean , not just once , multiple times a day . ' while smart 's story is about hope and survival , the details are filled with despair . every time i thought'ok , this is rock bottom ,'i mean , my pajamas have been taken away from me and i 'm being forced to wear this nasty robe , the next thing i knew they 'd say ,'we 're going to have you go naked now ,'or i had been forced to drink alcohol , which i had never done before , ' she told cooper . i would throw up and i would pass out and when i 'd wake up i 'd find that my face and my hair was just crusted to the ground in vomit . i mean , just every time i thought it could n't get worse , something always happened . ' smart said she eventually decided she would be a survivor and she would get back to her family . smart 's rescue on march 12 , 2003 , was followed by second-guessing by people who wondered why she had n't escaped on her own . why had she told a detective who talked to her at a library that she was not the kidnapped girl ? in 2011 : judge sentences smart kidnapper to life in prison smart : never judge a victim ' you can never judge a child or a victim of any crime on what they should have done , because you were n't there and you do n't know and you have no right just to sit in your armchair at home and say'well , why did n't you escape ? why did n't you do this ?'i mean , they just do n't know , ' she said . that 's wrong . and i was 14 . i was a little girl . and i had seen this man successfully kidnap me , he successfully chained me up , he successfully raped me , he successfully did all of these things . what was to say that he would n't kill me when he 'd make those threats to me ? what was to say that he would n't kill my family ? ' the second half of smart 's interview with cooper , in which she reveals details of how she was rescued , will air on cnn 's anderson cooper 360 ' tuesday night . smart will speak at penn state 's sex abuse conference watch anderson cooper 360° weeknights 8pm et . for the latest from ac360° click here . | smart says she decided to be a survivor and get back to her family |
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