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rosol <tsp> ( cnn ) -- an unknown tennis player ranked number 100 burst from obscurity and knocked rafael nadal out of wimbledon thursday . lukas rosol defeated the number 2 ranked nadal , 6-7 ( 9-11 ) 6-4 6-4 2-6 6-4 . fresh off the biggest win of his life , rosol said : before the last game , i was not sure if i will be shaking or not because it was the first time against rafa and the first time also in wimbledon center court . you never know what to expect , so it was not easy , and i survived . ' rosol comes from prerov , czech republic . he made his wimbledon debut after losing in the first round of qualifying the last five years . in contrast , nadal has reached the wimbledon finals five times in the last six years , winning the title twice . both players are 26 years old . rosol started playing tennis at age six , and his hobby is listed as watching sports , according to his atp profile . his favorite surface to play is clay , although his latest victory came on wimbledon 's famous grass courts . prior to the season , rosol had never won a tour-level grass-court match , according to atp . looking dismayed after his earliest grand slam defeat in seven years , nadal spoke haltingly in a press conference . these kinds of matches can happen . today it happened , ' said nadal , who has won 11 grand slam titles . later , nadal tweeted in spanish : it could n't be ... this is sport ! you must know how to celebrate wins and assume defeats ! congratulations to lukas for his great match ! ' called one of the biggest upsets in grand slam history by tennis commentators , many assessed rosol 's prospects for the rest of the tournament . former tennis player , jimmy connors tweeted : in # tennis we call rosol a stopper , he wo n't win or even go deep in tourney but he will stop a top seed from advancing # wimbledon martina navratilova tweeted : happy for lukáš rosol , but really feeling bad for rafa , would be shocked if rosol can get anywhere near that form again ... agree with jimmy . | rosol made his wimbledon debut this year |
rosol <tsp> ( cnn ) -- an unknown tennis player ranked number 100 burst from obscurity and knocked rafael nadal out of wimbledon thursday . lukas rosol defeated the number 2 ranked nadal , 6-7 ( 9-11 ) 6-4 6-4 2-6 6-4 . fresh off the biggest win of his life , rosol said : before the last game , i was not sure if i will be shaking or not because it was the first time against rafa and the first time also in wimbledon center court . you never know what to expect , so it was not easy , and i survived . ' rosol comes from prerov , czech republic . he made his wimbledon debut after losing in the first round of qualifying the last five years . in contrast , nadal has reached the wimbledon finals five times in the last six years , winning the title twice . both players are 26 years old . rosol started playing tennis at age six , and his hobby is listed as watching sports , according to his atp profile . his favorite surface to play is clay , although his latest victory came on wimbledon 's famous grass courts . prior to the season , rosol had never won a tour-level grass-court match , according to atp . looking dismayed after his earliest grand slam defeat in seven years , nadal spoke haltingly in a press conference . these kinds of matches can happen . today it happened , ' said nadal , who has won 11 grand slam titles . later , nadal tweeted in spanish : it could n't be ... this is sport ! you must know how to celebrate wins and assume defeats ! congratulations to lukas for his great match ! ' called one of the biggest upsets in grand slam history by tennis commentators , many assessed rosol 's prospects for the rest of the tournament . former tennis player , jimmy connors tweeted : in # tennis we call rosol a stopper , he wo n't win or even go deep in tourney but he will stop a top seed from advancing # wimbledon martina navratilova tweeted : happy for lukáš rosol , but really feeling bad for rafa , would be shocked if rosol can get anywhere near that form again ... agree with jimmy . | tennis observers doubt rosol will make it far |
rosol <tsp> ( cnn ) -- an unknown tennis player ranked number 100 burst from obscurity and knocked rafael nadal out of wimbledon thursday . lukas rosol defeated the number 2 ranked nadal , 6-7 ( 9-11 ) 6-4 6-4 2-6 6-4 . fresh off the biggest win of his life , rosol said : before the last game , i was not sure if i will be shaking or not because it was the first time against rafa and the first time also in wimbledon center court . you never know what to expect , so it was not easy , and i survived . ' rosol comes from prerov , czech republic . he made his wimbledon debut after losing in the first round of qualifying the last five years . in contrast , nadal has reached the wimbledon finals five times in the last six years , winning the title twice . both players are 26 years old . rosol started playing tennis at age six , and his hobby is listed as watching sports , according to his atp profile . his favorite surface to play is clay , although his latest victory came on wimbledon 's famous grass courts . prior to the season , rosol had never won a tour-level grass-court match , according to atp . looking dismayed after his earliest grand slam defeat in seven years , nadal spoke haltingly in a press conference . these kinds of matches can happen . today it happened , ' said nadal , who has won 11 grand slam titles . later , nadal tweeted in spanish : it could n't be ... this is sport ! you must know how to celebrate wins and assume defeats ! congratulations to lukas for his great match ! ' called one of the biggest upsets in grand slam history by tennis commentators , many assessed rosol 's prospects for the rest of the tournament . former tennis player , jimmy connors tweeted : in # tennis we call rosol a stopper , he wo n't win or even go deep in tourney but he will stop a top seed from advancing # wimbledon martina navratilova tweeted : happy for lukáš rosol , but really feeling bad for rafa , would be shocked if rosol can get anywhere near that form again ... agree with jimmy . | lukas rosol , ranked 100 , defeated the number 2 rafael nadal |
iraqi <tsp> baghdad , iraq ( cnn ) -- the notorious iraq prison once called abu ghraib has reopened under iraqi government control . and the ministry of justice has launched a public-relations campaign to show it has changed since the days when prisoners were tortured there -- first under saddam hussein , and later by american troops . the iraqi ministry of justice gave journalists an inside look at the prison formerly known as abu ghraib . it is now called baghdad central prison , and has water fountains , a freshly planted garden and a gym -- complete with weights and sports teams'jerseys on the walls . under saddam hussein , tens of thousands of iraqis were thrown behind bars here . there were horrific stories of torture , abuse , execution without trial . in 2004 , the prison was once again thrown into the international spotlight , this time because of abuse by u.s. troops . watch how the prison has been revamped » detainees were photographed in degrading positions , as americans posed next to them smiling . the images -- naked prisoners stacked on top of each other , or being threatened by dogs , or hooded and wired up as if for electrocution -- caused outrage around the world when they were leaked to the news media in may 2004 . brig . gen. janis karpinski , commander of the abu ghraib prison at the time , was demoted in rank to colonel because of the scandal . seven low-ranking guards and two military intelligence soldiers -- described by then-u.s. secretary of defense donald rumsfeld as bad apples ' -- were disciplined after the scandal surfaced . rumsfeld later said the day the scandal broke was the worst in his tenure as defense secretary . clearly the worst day was abu ghraib , and seeing what went on there and feeling so deeply sorry that that happened , ' rumsfeld said shortly before leaving office at the end of 2006 . i remember being stunned by the news of the abuse . ' the united states always denied it was a matter of policy to torture detainees . but it shut down abu ghraib in september 2006 and turned the facility over to the iraqis . they have revamped and reopened it . rooms have been transformed and renovated . cnn was told , but not shown , that a few hundred prisoners are here already , in a revamped part of the facility that can hold up to 3,000 prisoners . the capacity is critical to help deal with overcrowding at iraq 's other facilities and the potential security threat . the iraqi government is going to great lengths to try to change the image this facility has . it organized a tour for journalists , very carefully orchestrated by the ministry of justice . murtada sharif , the only ministry of justice official to speak to cnn on camera about the prison , admitted abu ghraib is synonymous in people 's minds with the inhumane acts that took place there both before and after the fall of saddam in 2003 . we want to change its image , to make it a place of justice , ' he said . a wing that used to hold a thousand prisoners in saddam hussein 's time now is ready for 160 . cells that used to hold between 30 and 50 people now have a capacity of eight . prisoners and their families actually get to see each other -- the prisoners behind a cage-like structure , the families on the other side of the fence , in a courtyard with a playground for the children . again , it is part of the whole effort to create a different atmosphere . but human rights organizations in iraq say abuse and torture remain routine in iraq 's detention facilities . changing abu ghraib 's infamous reputation may take more than fresh paint and fake flowers . | ministry of justice trying to show that the prison , now under iraqi control , has changed |
sanderlin <tsp> new york ( cnn ) -- the mother of two would often drive back and forth between her suburban scarsdale , new york , home and the bleak-looking , one-story brick warehouse in queens . sometimes , she drove the route in her mercedes suv . she probably thought about her girls , 3 and 13 . maybe she was thinking of the horseback riding lessons with her teenager , and the new horse they were hoping to buy . one thing perhaps not on her mind was being arrested and accused of living a double life : as a suburban mom and also as head of a multimillion-dollar marijuana growing operation . she faces federal narcotics charges . federal authorities say andrea sanderlin , 45 , ran the marijuana operation from the warehouse , where they found two rooms packed with more than 1,000 marijuana plants and large amounts of dried marijuana , along with state-of-the-art lighting , irrigation , and ventilation systems to facilitate the hydroponic growing of the plants , according to court documents . the warehouse was filled with over $ 3 million worth of hydroponic marijuana and the organization covertly produced 3,000 marijuana plants , ' brian crowell , special agent in charge at the drug enforcement administration , said in a statement tuesday . when agents raided sanderlin 's home on may 20 , they found books on how to grow marijuana and how to launder money , according to the dea . mexican judge found video compelling in case of detained u.s. mom , marijuana details of sanderlin 's involvement in the case were first reported by the smoking gun website . sanderlin was arrested the same day , after agents followed her to the warehouse and entered on a warrant , court documents say . she is charged with narcotics trafficking , a felony that carries a maximum sentence of 10 years . sanderlin has pleaded not guilty and remains in custody pending a bond hearing . she is a full-time mom , ' attorney joel winograd said of his client , and added she is very concerned ' about her girls . originally from virginia , sanderlin was living in the upscale neighborhood of scarsdale and driving a 2010 mercedes suv . according to court documents , she also had a 2004 jeep liberty and a 2005 chevrolet van registered in her name . sanderlin had recently picked up the sport of horseback riding and took lessons with her teenage daughter at twin lakes farm , a riding academy and competitive show stable in bronxville , according to owner scott tarter . opinion : why marijuana should be legal for adults tarter described sanderlin as a beginner adult rider ' who came to the academy in january after buying a friesian horse for recreational riding . tarter said on tuesday that sanderlin seemed like a normal , caring , local mother who boarded her horse at his stables . tarter said he thought sanderlin was in the interior design business . she was just like all the local moms here , ' he said . she was n't loud . i never saw her smoking or drinking or anything that would have made me believe this . ' sanderlin participated in small horse shows at twin lakes , but decided to sell her horse in april . tarter said they had planned to start looking for a new horse for sanderlin but he had n't seen her or her daughter since late may . illinois , ohio take up medical marijuana laws authorities said a confidential witness tipped them off to sanderlin 's alleged crimes . the witness , who has been charged with participating in a conspiracy to possess and distribute marijuana , told investigators in april that a person named andi ' operated at least one marijuana grow house in brooklyn or queens , according to court documents . the witness also said andi ' lived in scarsdale and drove a mercedes suv , officials said . later , when shown a picture of andrea sanderlin , the witness positively identified sanderlin as andi . ' law enforcement agents said they contacted con edison about electricity accounts under sanderlin 's name . the electricity company told them about an account connected to sanderlin 's telephone number in the name of fantastic enterprises ' in queens , at a location that was using an unusually high amount of electricity . ' con edison also said bills for the account were paid in cash . officials found that fantastic enterprises was a registered new york corporation from 2007 to 2011 and that the address provided for the business was an address listed under sanderlin 's name in insurance claims . seattle 's budding economy : pot tourism | sanderlin lives in suburbs with two daughters , 3 and 13 |
sanderlin <tsp> new york ( cnn ) -- the mother of two would often drive back and forth between her suburban scarsdale , new york , home and the bleak-looking , one-story brick warehouse in queens . sometimes , she drove the route in her mercedes suv . she probably thought about her girls , 3 and 13 . maybe she was thinking of the horseback riding lessons with her teenager , and the new horse they were hoping to buy . one thing perhaps not on her mind was being arrested and accused of living a double life : as a suburban mom and also as head of a multimillion-dollar marijuana growing operation . she faces federal narcotics charges . federal authorities say andrea sanderlin , 45 , ran the marijuana operation from the warehouse , where they found two rooms packed with more than 1,000 marijuana plants and large amounts of dried marijuana , along with state-of-the-art lighting , irrigation , and ventilation systems to facilitate the hydroponic growing of the plants , according to court documents . the warehouse was filled with over $ 3 million worth of hydroponic marijuana and the organization covertly produced 3,000 marijuana plants , ' brian crowell , special agent in charge at the drug enforcement administration , said in a statement tuesday . when agents raided sanderlin 's home on may 20 , they found books on how to grow marijuana and how to launder money , according to the dea . mexican judge found video compelling in case of detained u.s. mom , marijuana details of sanderlin 's involvement in the case were first reported by the smoking gun website . sanderlin was arrested the same day , after agents followed her to the warehouse and entered on a warrant , court documents say . she is charged with narcotics trafficking , a felony that carries a maximum sentence of 10 years . sanderlin has pleaded not guilty and remains in custody pending a bond hearing . she is a full-time mom , ' attorney joel winograd said of his client , and added she is very concerned ' about her girls . originally from virginia , sanderlin was living in the upscale neighborhood of scarsdale and driving a 2010 mercedes suv . according to court documents , she also had a 2004 jeep liberty and a 2005 chevrolet van registered in her name . sanderlin had recently picked up the sport of horseback riding and took lessons with her teenage daughter at twin lakes farm , a riding academy and competitive show stable in bronxville , according to owner scott tarter . opinion : why marijuana should be legal for adults tarter described sanderlin as a beginner adult rider ' who came to the academy in january after buying a friesian horse for recreational riding . tarter said on tuesday that sanderlin seemed like a normal , caring , local mother who boarded her horse at his stables . tarter said he thought sanderlin was in the interior design business . she was just like all the local moms here , ' he said . she was n't loud . i never saw her smoking or drinking or anything that would have made me believe this . ' sanderlin participated in small horse shows at twin lakes , but decided to sell her horse in april . tarter said they had planned to start looking for a new horse for sanderlin but he had n't seen her or her daughter since late may . illinois , ohio take up medical marijuana laws authorities said a confidential witness tipped them off to sanderlin 's alleged crimes . the witness , who has been charged with participating in a conspiracy to possess and distribute marijuana , told investigators in april that a person named andi ' operated at least one marijuana grow house in brooklyn or queens , according to court documents . the witness also said andi ' lived in scarsdale and drove a mercedes suv , officials said . later , when shown a picture of andrea sanderlin , the witness positively identified sanderlin as andi . ' law enforcement agents said they contacted con edison about electricity accounts under sanderlin 's name . the electricity company told them about an account connected to sanderlin 's telephone number in the name of fantastic enterprises ' in queens , at a location that was using an unusually high amount of electricity . ' con edison also said bills for the account were paid in cash . officials found that fantastic enterprises was a registered new york corporation from 2007 to 2011 and that the address provided for the business was an address listed under sanderlin 's name in insurance claims . seattle 's budding economy : pot tourism | andrea sanderlin pleads not guilty to federal narcotics charges |
massachusetts <tsp> ( cnn ) -- criminal investigators from the department of justice and the food and drug administration were at a massachusetts pharmaceutical company on tuesday with a search warrant , a company spokesman said . federal officials say that more issues have been reported with drugs from the new england compounding center , or necc , which has been linked to a deadly multistate outbreak of fungal meningitis . fda spokeswoman erica jefferson confirmed that criminal investigators were on site , but declined to answer questions regarding a warrant . u.s. attorney carmen m. ortiz similarly said that personnel from her office and law enforcement partners were investigating allegations concerning the company . she added that it was entirely premature ' to suggest what the results of that investigation may be . nineteen people have died from the noncontagious meningitis associated with injections of a contaminated steroid produced by the necc . are my drugs coming from a compounding center ? paul cirel , an attorney for the necc , said of the investigation tuesday , it is difficult to understand the purpose of this search , since we have been clear that new england compounding center would provide , and has provided , anything requested . we 've been clear that warrants were n't needed ; asking would have produced the same result . nevertheless , we continue to offer our cooperation . ' as part of the ongoing investigation into the center , a patient with possible meningitis has been identified who received an injection of another necc product , triamcinolone acetonide , the food and drug administration said monday . also , a fungal infection from aspergillus was reported in a transplant patient who received cardioplegic solution from necc , the fda said . cardioplegic solution is used to induce paralysis of the heart during open-heart surgery . an investigation of this patient is ongoing ; and there may be other explanations for their aspergillus infection , ' the fda said . the health care facility initially reported two transplant patients having infections from aspergillus , the fda said . fda urges patients to be'vigilant' the heart transplant patient received the cardioplegic solution in august , and the patient who received the triamcinolone injection was treated on september 19 -- both before necc recalled its products , according to an official at the federal centers for disease control , who declined to be named because of the sensitivity of the subject . the necc announced a recall of all its products october 6 . the fda said the sterility of any injectable drugs ... produced by necc ( is ) of significant concern , and out of an abundance of caution , patients who received these products should be alerted to the potential risk of infection . ' the cdc reported wednesday the number of meningitis cases increased from 233 to 245 , spread across 15 states . there are two cases of a peripheral joint infection ' that specifically affects a joint such as a knee , hip , shoulder or elbow , officials said . the cases have been linked to injections of a contaminated steroid , methylprednisolone acetate , produced by the necc . some 14,000 people may have received the injections , the cdc estimated last week . a minnesota woman , barbe puro , filed a lawsuit thursday -- which may be the first from the outbreak -- against tthe necc . in it , she alleges she was injected in september with a tainted batch of steroids from the necc . meanwhile , members of congress expanded an investigation into the outbreak . in a letter to the director of the massachusetts board of registration in pharmacy , leaders of the house committee on energy and commerce noted the fda sent the necc a warning letter in 2006 detailing significant violations witnessed ' by investigators the previous year . woman sues over outbreak massachusetts gov . deval patrick also accused the necc last week of misleading regulators and operating outside its license by shipping large batches of drugs nationwide . plus , the state 's pharmacy board mandated that all massachusetts compounding pharmacies sign affidavits stating they are complying with state regulations requiring compounders to mix medications for specific patients . meningitis is an inflammation of the protective membranes covering the brain and spinal cord . it is usually caused by an infection , frequently with bacteria or a virus , but it can also be caused by less common pathogens , such as fungi in this case , according to the cdc . steroid injections common for back pain sufferers fungal meningitis is very rare and , unlike viral and bacterial meningitis , is not contagious . dr. william schaffner , chairman of the department of preventive medicine at vanderbilt university medical center , said fungal infections are not usually mild . he said when a fungus invades small blood vessels , it can cause them to clot or bleed , which can lead to symptoms of small strokes . in addition to typical meningitis symptoms such as headache , fever , nausea and stiffness of the neck , people with fungal meningitis may also experience confusion , dizziness and discomfort from bright lights . patients might just have one or two of these symptoms , the cdc says . cdc : tests may not detect meningitis fungus cnn 's elizabeth cohen and danielle dellorto contributed to this report . | the outbreak has been linked to the massachusetts compounding pharmacy |
peter frampton <tsp> ( cnn ) -- bee gees star robin gibb is in a coma and has pneumonia , the latest turn in health issues that include a recent battle with colon and liver cancer , according to a message saturday on his website . doctors believe that gibb , 62 , has a secondary tumor , his representative doug wright said , confirming a news account in the sun in the united kingdom . gibb had emergency surgery in 2010 for a blocked bowel and then had more surgery for a twisted bowel , wright confirmed . we are all hoping and praying that he will pull through , ' said the message on gibb 's website , which noted that reports are true ' about gibb being in a coma and having contracted pneumonia . news of gibb 's condition elicited a flood of support on social network sites and in the music community . peter frampton , who like the bee gees rose to fame in the 1970s , wrote on twitter , my positive thoughts go out to robin gibb and all of the gibb family . i am wishing you the best and hope for a quick recovery . much love 2 u . ' others offering their thoughts and prayers online included julian lennon , the son of john lennon , and former jackson 5 member jackie jackson . diane warren -- who herself has written and produced dozens of popular songs for a wide range of performers , including aretha franklin and justin bieber -- described gibb as one of the best songwriters of all time . ' robin gibb 's twin brother , maurice , died in 2003 of a twisted bowel . brother andy died at age 30 from a heart infection . the brothers gibb -- calling themselves the bee gees -- soared to renown as one of the most successful british groups after the 1977 film saturday night fever ' starring john travolta was built around the group 's disco songs . inducted into the rock and roll hall of fame in 1997 , the bee gees have sold more than 200 million albums , and their soundtrack album to saturday night fever ' was the top-selling album until michael jackson 's thriller ' claimed that distinction in the 1980s . while often in the background as brother barry sang lead vocals , robin gibb stepped forward on several top tunes , including i started a joke ' and i 've got ta get a message to you . ' he also recorded several solo albums during his career . cnn 's anisa husain contributed to this report . | new : peter frampton and diane warren are among those offering support online |
mccain <tsp> flint , michigan ( cnn ) -- sen. barack obama monday proposed spending billions to revitalize the nation 's economy , a plan the campaign of his likely republican opponent said would slow economic growth with higher taxes . sen. barack obama wants to spend $ 60 billion on america 's infrastructure . during an economic speech in flint , michigan , obama promised to spend billions to improve america 's education , infrastructure , energy and health care systems . to improve america 's competitiveness , the senator from illinois said he wants to spend $ 10 billion on childhood education , $ 150 billion over 10 years on developing alternative energy and $ 60 billion over 10 years to build 21st century infrastructure . ' obama said he would pay for these programs by ending the war in iraq , reducing government waste , charging polluters for greenhouse gas emissions and ending the bush tax cuts for wealthy individuals . during his speech in michigan , a state hard hit by the decline of the american automobile industry , obama also rejected protectionist trade polices that many unions say would help protect american jobs , saying it is impossible to turn back the tide of globalization . ' watch obama call for america to compete in the global economy » obama said he disagreed with those who want to build a fortress around america ; to stop trading with other countries , shut down immigration , and rely on old industries . ' not only is it impossible to turn back the tide of globalization , but efforts to do so can make us worse off , ' obama said . rather than fear the future , we must embrace it . i have no doubt that america can compete -- and succeed -- in the 21st century . ' a mccain spokesman attacked obama 's plan , saying the democrat 's agenda to raise taxes and isolate america from foreign markets will not get our economy back on track or create new jobs . ' to help create jobs in america , we need to lower taxes and open up foreign markets to american goods , ' said mccain spokesman tucker bounds . americans can not afford barack obama 's'change'that takes us back to the failed policies of the past . ' but obama said now was the time to commit to long-term investments in america 's future and blasted mccain for wanting to continue president bush 's economic policies , saying there is a clear choice in this election . instead of reaching for new horizons , george bush has put us in a hole , and john mccain 's policies will keep us there . i want to take us in a new and better direction . i reject the belief that we should either shrink from the challenge of globalization or fall back on the same tired and failed approaches of the last eight years , ' he said . it 's time for new policies that create the jobs and opportunities of the future -- a competitiveness agenda built upon education and energy , innovation and infrastructure , fair trade and reform . ' the two campaigns have been sparring over who would be a better steward of america 's ailing economy , and both candidates have been reaching out to blue-collar voters , many of whom backed republican president ronald reagan over the democrats , in part , because of cultural issues . i believe that there are stark differences between myself and sen. obama . ... and i believe that the same appeals that president reagan made to the so-called reagan democrats will succeed there , ' mccain said during a campaign stop in arlington , virginia . watch mccain vow to win reagan democrats » a cnn/opinion research corp. poll released thursday suggested voters favor obama over mccain to handle the economy 50 percent to 44 percent . the poll , conducted june 4-5 , had a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points . | sen. mccain 's campaign says higher taxes to pay for programs would hurt economy |
serena williams <tsp> ( cnn ) -- roger federer 's reputation as one of the finest tennis players of all time was cemented on monday , as the swiss broke pete sampras'record for the most number of weeks at the top of the world rankings . federer returned to the no . 1 spot for the first time in over two years with a record-equaling seventh wimbledon men 's singles triumph , a victory which was also gave him an unparalleled 17th grand slam title . the 30-year-old has now spent 287 weeks at the summit since turning pro in 1998 , one more than 14-time grand slam winner sampras managed between 1993 and 2000 . by comparison , steffi graf holds the women 's record total of 377 weeks at no . 1 , with martina navratilova second on 332 . it is really an amazing feeling for me to have regained the no . 1 ranking , ' federer said on the atp tour website . i had set a goal with my team to try to get back to the top of the rankings , but i never thought with the depth in the game this year that i would have been able to get it back so quickly . i am extremely proud and honored to have beaten pete 's record as he was my childhood hero and i have always looked up to him . ' sampras , who retired in 2002 , congratulated federer on his achievement . great effort . the hardest thing to do in sports is the ability to stay on top . roger has been able to do so by great play and durability , ' the american said . behind federer and sampras on the list are eight-time grand slam winners ivan lendl ( 270 weeks ) and jimmy connors ( 268 weeks ) while john mcenroe , a winner of seven major titles , was at the top for 170 weeks . federer is the greatest ever tennis player ' despite dropping out of the top three in october 2011 , federer has still maintained his incredible run of reaching 33 grand slam semifinals in a row stretching back to the 2004 french open . federer spent a record 237 consecutive weeks at no . 1 between february 2004 and august 2008 , whereas sampras only managed 102 weeks in a row . one record federer is yet to claim is that of the oldest man to win a major . andre agassi achieved that feat by winning the 2003 australian open at the age of 33 years and 131 days . in the women 's game , wimbledon champion serena williams equaled older sister venus'total of 43 wta tour titles by beating fellow american coco vandeweghe in sunday 's final of the bank of the west classic in california . the dominant williams sisters now share the record for the most tournaments won by players still active . the 30-year-old serena has won 28 of her last 29 matches and is now joint sixth on the all-time list of wta tour title winners . the legendary czech martina navratilova tops the list with 167 titles , ahead of american chris evert with 154 . germany 's graf , the wife of agassi , has 107 , while lindsay davenport of the u.s. collected 55 titles during her career . the williams sisters are level with switzerland 's martina hingis and justine henin of belgium . for former world no . 1 serena , her recent run of form comes off the back of a 2011 season which was blighted by life-threatening blood clots on her lung . i 've never felt this fit , this strong , this happy to play -- and i think i can be even better , ' fourth-ranked williams told the wta tour 's website after her 7-5 6-3 win over the 20-year-old vandeweghe , who made it into the main draw as a lucky loser from qualifying . i want to sustain this momentum and build on what i did at wimbledon . i 'm going to get back on the grass now for the olympics -- i 'm not sure when i 'm heading back to london , but i 'll do it as soon as i can . ' williams will be looking to win her third gold medal in the british capital , after clinching the doubles title alongside venus at the 2000 and 2008 games . | serena williams equals venus'total of 43 wta tour titles |
daniel cicciaro <tsp> new york ( cnn ) -- gov . david a. paterson commuted the prison sentence thursday of a man convicted of killing an unarmed teenage boy during a racially charged confrontation , officials said . john white was convicted of second-degree manslaughter and third-degree criminal possession of a weapon in the shooting death of 17-year-old daniel cicciaro and was sentenced to up to four years in prison . it 's a blessed day , it truly is , ' white told cnn affiliate wpix . i want to thank my savior , the lord jesus christ . i also want to thank the governor for making this happen today . ' he had served approximately five months in prison before paterson allowed his release on thursday , according to suffolk county district attorney thomas j. spota . paterson said in a written statement : my decision today may be an affront to some and a joy to others , but my objective is only to seek to ameliorate the profound suffering that occurred as a result of this tragic event . ' but the move was criticized by prosecutors who helped put white behind bars . i strongly believe the governor should have had the decency and the compassion to at least contact the victim 's family to allow them to be heard before commuting the defendant 's sentence , ' said spota , whose office prosecuted white . the shooting occurred in august 2006 in the long island town of miller place , after a group of teenagers went to white 's home over a dispute with his 19-year-old son . white , who is african-american , said that he was protecting his family from a white lynch mob and the gun discharged accidentally . prosecutors said white should have called police instead of deliberately choosing to confront cicciaro and a group of his friends with a .32-caliber beretta . police said the incident started with an internet prank sent by another person from the myspace page of white 's 20-year-old son . | john white shot daniel cicciaro in 2006 during an altercation at his home |
white <tsp> new york ( cnn ) -- gov . david a. paterson commuted the prison sentence thursday of a man convicted of killing an unarmed teenage boy during a racially charged confrontation , officials said . john white was convicted of second-degree manslaughter and third-degree criminal possession of a weapon in the shooting death of 17-year-old daniel cicciaro and was sentenced to up to four years in prison . it 's a blessed day , it truly is , ' white told cnn affiliate wpix . i want to thank my savior , the lord jesus christ . i also want to thank the governor for making this happen today . ' he had served approximately five months in prison before paterson allowed his release on thursday , according to suffolk county district attorney thomas j. spota . paterson said in a written statement : my decision today may be an affront to some and a joy to others , but my objective is only to seek to ameliorate the profound suffering that occurred as a result of this tragic event . ' but the move was criticized by prosecutors who helped put white behind bars . i strongly believe the governor should have had the decency and the compassion to at least contact the victim 's family to allow them to be heard before commuting the defendant 's sentence , ' said spota , whose office prosecuted white . the shooting occurred in august 2006 in the long island town of miller place , after a group of teenagers went to white 's home over a dispute with his 19-year-old son . white , who is african-american , said that he was protecting his family from a white lynch mob and the gun discharged accidentally . prosecutors said white should have called police instead of deliberately choosing to confront cicciaro and a group of his friends with a .32-caliber beretta . police said the incident started with an internet prank sent by another person from the myspace page of white 's 20-year-old son . | john white shot daniel cicciaro in 2006 during an altercation at his home |
white <tsp> new york ( cnn ) -- gov . david a. paterson commuted the prison sentence thursday of a man convicted of killing an unarmed teenage boy during a racially charged confrontation , officials said . john white was convicted of second-degree manslaughter and third-degree criminal possession of a weapon in the shooting death of 17-year-old daniel cicciaro and was sentenced to up to four years in prison . it 's a blessed day , it truly is , ' white told cnn affiliate wpix . i want to thank my savior , the lord jesus christ . i also want to thank the governor for making this happen today . ' he had served approximately five months in prison before paterson allowed his release on thursday , according to suffolk county district attorney thomas j. spota . paterson said in a written statement : my decision today may be an affront to some and a joy to others , but my objective is only to seek to ameliorate the profound suffering that occurred as a result of this tragic event . ' but the move was criticized by prosecutors who helped put white behind bars . i strongly believe the governor should have had the decency and the compassion to at least contact the victim 's family to allow them to be heard before commuting the defendant 's sentence , ' said spota , whose office prosecuted white . the shooting occurred in august 2006 in the long island town of miller place , after a group of teenagers went to white 's home over a dispute with his 19-year-old son . white , who is african-american , said that he was protecting his family from a white lynch mob and the gun discharged accidentally . prosecutors said white should have called police instead of deliberately choosing to confront cicciaro and a group of his friends with a .32-caliber beretta . police said the incident started with an internet prank sent by another person from the myspace page of white 's 20-year-old son . | new : john white says of his sentence being commuted : it 's a blessed day ' |
white <tsp> new york ( cnn ) -- gov . david a. paterson commuted the prison sentence thursday of a man convicted of killing an unarmed teenage boy during a racially charged confrontation , officials said . john white was convicted of second-degree manslaughter and third-degree criminal possession of a weapon in the shooting death of 17-year-old daniel cicciaro and was sentenced to up to four years in prison . it 's a blessed day , it truly is , ' white told cnn affiliate wpix . i want to thank my savior , the lord jesus christ . i also want to thank the governor for making this happen today . ' he had served approximately five months in prison before paterson allowed his release on thursday , according to suffolk county district attorney thomas j. spota . paterson said in a written statement : my decision today may be an affront to some and a joy to others , but my objective is only to seek to ameliorate the profound suffering that occurred as a result of this tragic event . ' but the move was criticized by prosecutors who helped put white behind bars . i strongly believe the governor should have had the decency and the compassion to at least contact the victim 's family to allow them to be heard before commuting the defendant 's sentence , ' said spota , whose office prosecuted white . the shooting occurred in august 2006 in the long island town of miller place , after a group of teenagers went to white 's home over a dispute with his 19-year-old son . white , who is african-american , said that he was protecting his family from a white lynch mob and the gun discharged accidentally . prosecutors said white should have called police instead of deliberately choosing to confront cicciaro and a group of his friends with a .32-caliber beretta . police said the incident started with an internet prank sent by another person from the myspace page of white 's 20-year-old son . | the shooting stemmed from a dispute between white 's son and a group of white youths |
girl rising <tsp> ( cnn ) -- how can educating girls change the world ? girl rising ' tells the stories of girls from around the world and their determination to overcome extraordinary odds . filmmakers enlisted celebrities and renowned authors to participate in the project , which took six years to complete . filmmakers traveled to some of the most remote regions in the world , interviewing hundreds of girls and selecting a few to give voice to the challenges and hopes of millions . watch a preview of'girl rising' academy award nominee richard robbins , who directed girl rising , ' talks about why he made the film , how crowd-sourcing was key and why the word revolutionary ' kept sticking with them , in this interview , edited for length and clarity . cnn : why did you decide to make the film ? richard robbins : i started reading about some of the new research about girls'education in about 2005 , 2006 , and i thought at first that it was just information that was new to me . that somehow i had missed this incredible fact about how powerful educating girls could be . and then over the course of a couple of months in my research , it became clear that this is not a widely known fact . although it was well-known inside the development community , out in the general public , it did n't seem to be well understood . as a filmmaker , that 's an opportunity that 's hard to pass up . when you come across something that is clearly important and unequivocally proven and yet not widely known , you pay attention . cnn 's'girl rising' cnn : how would you define the making of ? robbins : one of the great luxuries we had in making this film was time . the time to go to each of these countries three times to really spend time thinking about what the issues were and what we wanted to say in each place and how we wanted to say it . on the first trip to each country ... we went and did dozens and dozens of interviews and tried to find the right girl to be the focus of the film , although those choices about which girl it would be were ultimately made by the writers . it felt important to me that the writers who were going to write their stories choose for themselves who they felt most compelled to write about . and then the second trip , we went back and spent time with the writer and the girl together . ... it was n't until the third trip that we actually sat out to try and make each piece . so , we got to know each girl very well . that was a real virtue for us . sometimes , when you 're working on film and television projects , you sort of parachute in and spend a couple of days and then leave . but coming back for the second and the third time , i felt like we really earned the trust of both the girls and their families and their communities . ... there 's more to come for each of these girls . i do think we want to protect them . we 're very concerned about their safety going forward . and we are careful in the film not to talk about these girls'last names , not to talk too specifically about where they live . ... in both egypt and afghanistan , there were safety concerns for the girls themselves , so we ended up using actresses in those two chapters because we just wanted to be sure that the girls who were telling their stories were safe . cnn : what is the message you want this film to communicate to the world ? robbins : well , i think there are sort of two key messages in my mind , and one is intellectual , and one is more emotional . the intellectual message is simple : educating girls works . we know it works ; we know why it works ; we know how it works . and unlike a lot of big global problems that we face in the world , whether it 's global warming or religious conflict or the aids epidemic , we actually know what the solution is to this problem . we know how to educate girls . most of us know what a good school looks like , a good teacher looks like . so this is change we can really create in the world . and i think that 's really important . but even for people who know that information , for people who understand how powerful education can be , we want them to understand that these girls out there are not victims , they 're opportunities . they just need a little bit of help , and they are going to be more determined and work harder than any of the rest of us have to work to help them achieve their goals . ... ultimately , they 're just like the girls that we know : our girls and our sisters and daughters and friends . you know , i think so often , we tend to see people out there in poor parts of the world as so different from us because their world looks different from the one that we live in . but they 're really not . you know , at the end of the day , they 're just kids , and they 're kids who want to learn . cnn : girl rising ' had its theatrical release beginning in march . how did crowdsourcing play a role in the project ? robbins : we really opened up the filmmaking process to people out there who were interested in this issue . and we posted videos , photographs and blog posts ( because ) we really wanted people to get engaged long before there was even a film to show . and then once we got to the place where there was a film , it became clear to us that we had an incredible team of supporters and fans out there in the world . and that they were a very powerful resource to get the film out into the world . so we had partners , we had campus groups , we had our nonprofit partners in the field , and we had regular folks who had been following our progress either on twitter or on facebook . we reached out to them and said ,'look , the film is done . we really want as many people as we can to see it . we do n't have a huge advertising budget , so lend a hand , be an organizer for us .'we almost modeled the distribution of this film like a political campaign . we thought of it more as a movement than as a piece of entertainment . so if we could get people out there to host a screening and do a little bit of the leg work to organize it , publicize it , sell tickets and bring it to their community , that was an asset that i think most films do n't have , and that was completely invaluable to us . cnn : in girl rising , ' one of the narrators , meryl streep , says a line about how there 's a single moment between what is and what could be . do you think a girl somewhere will see this film and have that singular moment and it propels them to do something as well ? robbins : when we were making the film , we talked a lot about the idea that these girls really did feel like revolutionaries . and we had a lot of talk about that word : revolutionary . and the reason it kept sticking with us is because when you meet these girls you realize that their goals , the things that they want to change , are not just about their own lives . it 's about changing their entire community , their family , the world for the better . so often , we think of young people , particularly in the united states , as being very self-interested , but over and over again , we found girls who wanted to create change not for themselves but for everybody around them . ... so , it really is a forward-thinking push from those girls and from the film . the idea that we really do , as individuals , have the power to create change in the world . i think so often , we are led to feel helpless because of the forces that play in the world are big and overwhelming and very challenging . but small-scale change , cumulatively , can be incredibly powerful . we saw it in the lives of each one of these girls and with our incredible partners that were doing amazing work in the field to help girls go to school . that idea is really at the crux of this film , which is that change is possible , we know how it works , and it 's within our reach . it 's not some impossible dream . we really can make this happen . we understand how to do it , and we just need the will to make it a reality . cnn 's'girl rising' write an open letter to girls of the world photos : the girls'stories from'girl rising ' | girl rising ' tells the stories of girls around the world and their quest for education |
aaa <tsp> despite the recent uptick in gas prices , the last major travel holiday of the summer is expected to be busier . according to aaa 's survey of labor day travel released tuesday , 33 million americans will travel at least 50 miles for the upcoming long weekend , an increase of 2.9 % from 2011 . travelers are also expected to spend more on their trips . the median cost of $ 749 this year is slightly higher than last year 's average of $ 702 . the automotive and travel services group says the vast majority of those travelers , 28.2 million of them , will hit the roadways for their trip . the nationwide average cost of a gallon of regular gasoline is 14 cents higher than it was when aaa did its labor day forecasting last august , but below the year 's peak of $ 3.94 in april . the survey found nationwide gas prices are not expected to have a major negative impact on travelers'plans , and two-third of those surveyed said their current financial outlook would not impact their labor day plans either . those looking to save money on their travel said they will skip hotels and stay with family or friends , take a shorter trip , use a more economical mode of transportation or spend less on shopping or sightseeing . air travel for the holiday is expected to rise 3.7 % , thanks to a 4 % dip in airfares from last year . 2.55 million passengers will fly to their labor day destination , while 2.3 million will use other modes of transportation like buses , rail and cruise ships . the average trip will stretch 626 miles , though 54 % of those surveyed said their labor day excursion will fall between 100 and 400 miles roundtrip . aaa projections saw a 1.2 % year-over-year uptick for memorial day travel this year , and a 4.9 % increase for the independence day holiday . the labor day survey looks at the travel period between thursday , august 30 , and monday , september 3 . | travelers are also expected to spend more on their trips , aaa says |
cynthia robinson <tsp> ( cnn ) -- a florida jury awarded a widow $ 23.6 billion in punitive damages in her lawsuit against tobacco giant r.j. reynolds tobacco company , her lawyer said . cynthia robinson claimed that smoking killed her husband , michael johnson , in 1996 . she argued r.j. reynolds was negligent in not informing him that nicotine is addictive and smoking can cause lung cancer . johnson started smoking when he was 13 and died of lung cancer when he was 36 . the jury award friday evening is courageous , ' said robinson 's lawyer , christopher chestnut . if anyone saw the documents that this jury saw , i believe that person would have awarded a similar or greater verdict amount , ' he said . the escambia county trial took four weeks and the jury deliberated for 15 hours , according to the pensacola news journal . the verdict included more than $ 16 million in compensatory damages , the newspaper said . nine ex-smokers on their last cigarette chestnut said five of the six jurors who heard the case were 45 or younger , which meant he had to show them how the tobacco industry presented its product before the public awareness campaigns on tobacco risks and dangers in the 1990s . in a statement , j. jeffery raborn , vice president and assistant general counsel for r. j. reynolds , said , the damages awarded in this case are grossly excessive and impermissible under state and constitutional law . this verdict goes far beyond the realm of reasonableness and fairness and is completely inconsistent with the evidence presented , ' said raborn . we plan to file post-trial motions with the trial court promptly and are confident that the court will follow the law and not allow this runaway verdict to stand . ' robinson 's case was once part of a class-action lawsuit in which a jury had awarded $ 145 billion in damages , but in 2006 the florida supreme court overturned that verdict . in its ruling , however , the state 's high court opened the door for individual lawsuits against tobacco companies . robinson filed her lawsuit in 2008 . fda proposes crackdown on e-cigarettes | nw florida jury awards cynthia robinson $ 23.6 billion |
ukraine <tsp> donetsk , ukraine ( cnn ) -- more death and violence were reported in eastern ukraine on sunday , as some investigators stood ready but were unable to go to the crash site of malaysia airlines flight 17 , downed more than a week ago . at least 13 people , including two children , were killed in fighting on sunday between pro-russian rebels and ukraine government forces in and near the ukrainian city of horlivka , according to the donetsk regional authority , citing preliminary information from the local health care department . ukraine separatists are using grad rockets on residential areas of horlivka , according to ukraine 's counter-terrorist operations press center in a statement . ukraine 's military does not use artillery fire inside city centers to avoid civilian casualties , the statement said . horlivka is surrounded by government forces . pro-russian militant commander oe khasanov responded to cnn 's nick paton walsh 's questions about the attacks in horlivka by saying that the separatists are defending the city . at least 332 ukrainian soldiers have been killed and nearly 1,300 have been injured since april 7 , according to ukraine 's national defense and security council and law enforcement agencies . there is no known figure for the number of separatists killed . crash site remains'still under control of terrorists' sunday 's bloodshed comes more than a week after the malaysia airlines flight went down july 17 in eastern ukraine . all 298 on board were killed . though some investigators from the organization for security and co-operation in europe have been at the scene , malaysian investigators have n't been able to access the entire crash site , officials said sunday . malaysia has struck an agreement with pro-russian separatists in the area to allow international police to protect investigators , malaysian prime minister najib razak said sunday , through a statement from his office . but he said he is deeply concerned ' those investigators still are not on scene due to the volatile security situation . ' he implored that the human remains are removed from the site , identified and repatriated . everyone who was on board mh17 must be afforded proper dignity and respect , ' he said . forty-three of the people on mh17 were malaysian , including two infants and 15 crew members . the crash site remained sunday still under control of terrorists , ' andriy lysenko , the spokesman for ukraine 's national security and defense council told reporters . the osce deputy mission head , alexander hug , told reporters that the team stopped on the road to the crash site because they heard and saw the impact of artillery . he said it was unclear who was firing . the osce has been in contact with the separatists and the government to take another try at reaching the site monday , he said . hug said rebels have offered a train to transport bodies that the investigators find at the scene . dutch investigators -- among them a team of 30 forensic experts -- are remaining for the moment in the city of donetsk , which is about 75 kilometers ( 50 miles ) from hrabove . some 40 dutch police officers are also positioned in donetsk for now . about two-thirds of the people who died in the plane crash , 193 of the 298 , were from the netherlands . russian team ready to join probe russia announced it had formed a team to join the investigation , state-run news agency ria novosti reported . it will be led by the deputy head of the federal air transport agency , oleg storchevoy . russia has continued to increase its military presence near its border with ukraine , the national defense and security council press office said earlier sunday . it said two convoys were spotted moving toward a russian town near southeastern ukraine . ukrainian forces are trying to encircle militants in horlivka and cut off their communication with donetsk , the press office said , hours before news emerged sunday of victims killed in fighting . u.s. secretary of state john kerry has urged russian foreign minister sergey lavrov to stop the flow of heavy weapons and rocket and artillery fire from russia into ukraine and to start de-escalating the conflict , a senior state department official told cnn on sunday . kerry did not accept lavrov 's denial that heavy weapons from russia were contributing to the conflict , the official said . on sunday , the u.s. state department released satellite images from the office of the director of national intelligence that it said show russians firing into ukraine . senior white house adviser ben rhodes , in an interview with cnn , said that the images confirm what we have been saying publicly for several days . ' we are putting out evidence to confirm the points that not only has russia been providing the weapons across the border , including heavy weapons , ' said rhodes , but they have also now been firing artillery barrages across the border . ' the separatists are russian proxies , ' he said . on july 16 , the united states imposed its harshest sanctions yet on russia over its annexation of crimea , and what the obama administration said was russia 's failure to end the ukraine conflict . obama expanded sanctions on two banks , gazprom bank and veb ; and two energy companies , novotek and rosneft . the institutions will not be able to get important financing in the united states . the administration banned american business contacts for eight russian arms companies that make weapons , including small arms , mortars and surface-to-air missiles , including the kalashnikov concern , maker of the ak-47 and other weapons . those sanctions have driven down forecast of russia 's growth rate to near zero , ' rhodes said sunday . but the measures have not been enough to change ' putin 's calculus ' about weapons going across the border . ' that is why we 've said to europe and our allies that we need to impose additional costs , ' rhodes told cnn . earlier this year , europe , which imports nearly 30 % of its energy from russia , joined the united states in imposing limited sanctions . cnn 's nick paton walsh in donetsk , journalist victoria butenko in kiev and cnn 's ray sanchez and radina gigova contributed to this report . cnn 's ashley fantz wrote this story in atlanta . | ukraine claims russia sending more troops to towns near border |
fbi <tsp> ( cnn ) -- the recent spate of stories about the rev . al sharpton 's history as an informant for the fbi do n't exactly qualify as breaking news : solid newspaper reports at least a quarter century old , detailing sharpton 's maneuvers at the treacherous intersection of federal agents , violent gangsters , and shady music industry operators . in his autobiography , sharpton himself writes about the days in the late 1980s when he wore a wire and collected data on criminals for the feds . but the publication of fbi memos naming sharpton , ( aka confidential informant # 7 ) seems jarring because of how far sharpton has traveled into the political mainstream . back in the 1980s , he was a street agitator with a relentless hunger for media attention . today he hosts a top-rated national television show and a three-hour radio talk show that airs in dozens of markets nationwide . the sharpton of the 1980s registered on the political radar of city hall as a nuisance , dismissively dubbed al charlatan ' by then-mayor ed koch . this week , mayor bill de blasio will speak on the opening day of sharpton 's annual conference , and the keynote address will be delivered by president barack obama , who regularly gives sharpton exclusive interviews and private visits to the white house . that 's why sharpton took offense to the disparaging tabloid headlines referring to him as rev . rat ' and as a snitch . i was not , and am not , a rat because i was not with the rats . i 'm a cat , ' sharpton told a group of reporters at a news conference , chastising reporters for suggesting that his efforts to help nab criminals were motivated by such things as avoiding prosecution , rather than a genuine civic effort to help law enforcement officials . whatever sharpton 's reasons , he did society a favor by helping to expose the outright criminality that was prevalent in the music industry . for decades , crooks had a stranglehold on popular music , according to hit men , ' frederic dannen 's 1990 , eye-opening book about the hoodlums , artists and executives who routinely resorted to blackmail , extortion , payola and outright violence as business tools . among the tales picked up on sharpton 's wire was information on morris levy , a legend in the music business who owned nightspots , including birdland , in new york , and the rights to scores of hit songs . levy , a roughneck from the bronx , described himself as a boyhood friend of vincent ( the chin ) gigante , who eventually rose to become boss of the genovese crime family . levy had deep financial ties to members of the organization , selling part of one of his record companies to a gangster named tommy eboli , who was later shot to death in 1972 , according to the los angeles times . levy also reportedly set up a friend and enforcer named nate mccalla with his own record label , called calla , which made records for soul singers . mccalla was found murdered in a florida hotel room in 1980 . and according to sharpton 's secret recordings , levy was in up to his neck with gigante and the genovese organization financially , using his legitimate businesses to help the mobsters acquire property and -- allegedly -- move heroin . levy was eventually sentenced to 10 years in prison for conspiracy to commit extortion . he 'd arranged the severe beating of a record industry associate who owed money , but would n't pay . levy died of cancer shortly before he was due to report to prison . these were the types of men sharpton was dealing with in the 1980s as he tried to work with independent black music promoters trying to break into the business . having served for a decade as road manager for singer james brown , sharpton knew the industry gangers were not to be trifled with . when genovese associates threatened to kill sharpton for challenging their stranglehold on music , sharpton says , he ran straight to the fbi , who in turn asked him to wear a wire and help gather evidence against the mobsters . the strategy seems to have worked : many of the genovese hoods that sharpton spoke to or heard about ended up behind bars , including gigante , who died in prison in 2005 . the good reverend , meanwhile , moved further into mainstream grassroots politics and maintains to this day that he did nothing wrong . sharpton , in fact , makes the valid point that many black communities suffer high crime rates because of a destructive stop snitching ' attitude of non-cooperation with police -- and that his wearing a wire for the fbi represents a move in a more positive direction . he 's right . when confronted with death threats from organized crime , the logical action for law-abiding citizens is to report the problem to the authorities and help bring the criminals to justice . that is what sharpton did , and you do n't have to like his politics to conclude that , in this case , he made the best of a scary situation . | errol louis : al sharpton under new criticism for informing on criminals for fbi in 1980s |
borsuk <tsp> ( cnn ) -- sure , there are things at stake in tuesday 's recall election for governor of wisconsin . you need to know only a smidgeon about the politics of republican gov . scott walker and the democratic challenger milwaukee mayor tom barrett to be aware of that . you need to have paid only passing attention to the political battle that has engulfed wisconsin for 16 months to know that . if there 's anything that just about everyone in wisconsin agrees on , it 's that it makes a big difference who is governor and which party controls each house of the legislature . when staunch conservative walker and republicans swept to control of the capitol in madison , and particularly when walker launched his drive in february 2011 to render public employee unions all but powerless , no doubt was left that it mattered when walker beat the liberal-to-moderate barrett by a 52.3 % to 46.5 % margin in november 2010 . walker 's fate in wisconsin comes down to ground game the changes can be seen not only in the law on employee public unions , but in tax policies , school funding , the strength of the safety net for those in need , environmental regulations , the right to carry concealed weapons and other major issues . but some things are not going to change in the light of tuesday 's outcome , things that should be kept in mind when it comes to post-election analysis . i 'd suggest five of them : 1 . the presidential race in wisconsin . many will read tuesday 's outcome as a good sign for the presidential candidate from the party of the winner . i 'm dubious . for one thing , president barack obama has done fairly well in recent polls , up 8 percentage points over former gov . mitt romney in a marquette law school poll last week , while barrett has trailed walker in almost all recent polls , down 7 percentage points in the same poll . clearly , some people look at the two races separately . previously on cnn : my mom is sick of calls from mitt romney obama and the national democratic party have distanced themselves from the recall election . that was glaringly clear when obama did not make an appearance in wisconsin , even though he was in next-door minnesota on friday and then , friday night and saturday , in his hometown of chicago . it 's a short hop from chicago to kenosha , racine or milwaukee , all democratic strongholds where turnout will be key on tuesday . the most reasonable interpretation for national democrats keeping their distance is that they see nothing to gain from being visible , especially given polls that suggest a barrett defeat is likely . the thinking most likely is : if obama is doing reasonably well in wisconsin already , why get involved in this acrimonious and probably losing mess ? wisconsin democratic leaders have been unhappy with the low level of national party support , but republicans have been more forthcoming with both money and by sending in gop stars such as govs . chris christie , bobby jindal and nikki haley . however the recall turns out , leaders of both parties expect the presidential race to be close in wisconsin . with 10 electoral votes , wisconsin is n't a big deal , except that it is hard to chart an obama victory without including wisconsin . in 2000 and 2004 , the state had razor 's edge wins for democrats . the 2008 outcome , an easy obama win , was different . but in some ways , 2008 seems longer ago than 2004 . 2 . the deep well of political anger . wisconsin is a strong example of how people are pretty fed up , even as they go in almost equal numbers in opposite political directions . the economy , social hot-button issues , cultural issues , economic and racial dynamics -- there are many sources of fuel for the feelings that divide wisconsin . the demographics of the state make these close to 50-50 issues , but it 's worth pondering how similar the intensity of emotions are on each side of the divide . that anger wo n't be relieved after tuesday . 3 . the intensity of campaigning . wisconsin is in the era of never ending campaigns . in addition to the regularly scheduled november elections for governor and legislative seats , the state has featured a super-close , high spending supreme court race in 2011 and waves of recall elections for state senators . immediately after tuesday 's recall for governor comes a hot republican primary in august for an open u.s. senate seat , followed by the november election , which will include not only the presidential and u.s. senate voting but elections for half the state senate and all of the state assembly . 4 . the dominance of big money . the political wars here have been a remarkable boon to television station revenues . tens of millions of dollars have been spent on the recall election , much of it coming from out-of-state donors . it 's not just tv and radio . it 's daily mailings to hundreds of thousands of homes , extensive phone banking and robo-calling , and expensive get-out-the-vote efforts , which may prove be the decisive factor . the invasion of big money wo n't end after the recall , given the upcoming elections . 5 . the short supply of civility . with some exceptions -- the era of sen. joseph mccarthy in the 1950s comes to mind -- wisconsin has been known for civil politics . but the polarization of the state has been evident in round after round of polling , just as it is clear to anyone who observes the tenor of campaigning . there is little reason to think the intense and adamant approach to politics will abate after tuesday . the pendulum swings in wisconsin politics , and it seems to being swinging faster and farther in recent years . both the winners and losers tuesday are almost sure to refuel for more fights ahead , not only at the polls . the next two-year state budget cycle begins in early 2013 . it will be intense , whoever wins . hostility is going to hang around , and there 's a strong chance political disarray will continue to be its partner . the state song is on , wisconsin . ' whatever happens tuesday , the case is likely to get stronger for making it tom petty 's i wo n't back down . ' the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of alan j. borsuk . | borsuk : walker , who weakened public worker unions , changed the politics of wisconsin |
borsuk <tsp> ( cnn ) -- sure , there are things at stake in tuesday 's recall election for governor of wisconsin . you need to know only a smidgeon about the politics of republican gov . scott walker and the democratic challenger milwaukee mayor tom barrett to be aware of that . you need to have paid only passing attention to the political battle that has engulfed wisconsin for 16 months to know that . if there 's anything that just about everyone in wisconsin agrees on , it 's that it makes a big difference who is governor and which party controls each house of the legislature . when staunch conservative walker and republicans swept to control of the capitol in madison , and particularly when walker launched his drive in february 2011 to render public employee unions all but powerless , no doubt was left that it mattered when walker beat the liberal-to-moderate barrett by a 52.3 % to 46.5 % margin in november 2010 . walker 's fate in wisconsin comes down to ground game the changes can be seen not only in the law on employee public unions , but in tax policies , school funding , the strength of the safety net for those in need , environmental regulations , the right to carry concealed weapons and other major issues . but some things are not going to change in the light of tuesday 's outcome , things that should be kept in mind when it comes to post-election analysis . i 'd suggest five of them : 1 . the presidential race in wisconsin . many will read tuesday 's outcome as a good sign for the presidential candidate from the party of the winner . i 'm dubious . for one thing , president barack obama has done fairly well in recent polls , up 8 percentage points over former gov . mitt romney in a marquette law school poll last week , while barrett has trailed walker in almost all recent polls , down 7 percentage points in the same poll . clearly , some people look at the two races separately . previously on cnn : my mom is sick of calls from mitt romney obama and the national democratic party have distanced themselves from the recall election . that was glaringly clear when obama did not make an appearance in wisconsin , even though he was in next-door minnesota on friday and then , friday night and saturday , in his hometown of chicago . it 's a short hop from chicago to kenosha , racine or milwaukee , all democratic strongholds where turnout will be key on tuesday . the most reasonable interpretation for national democrats keeping their distance is that they see nothing to gain from being visible , especially given polls that suggest a barrett defeat is likely . the thinking most likely is : if obama is doing reasonably well in wisconsin already , why get involved in this acrimonious and probably losing mess ? wisconsin democratic leaders have been unhappy with the low level of national party support , but republicans have been more forthcoming with both money and by sending in gop stars such as govs . chris christie , bobby jindal and nikki haley . however the recall turns out , leaders of both parties expect the presidential race to be close in wisconsin . with 10 electoral votes , wisconsin is n't a big deal , except that it is hard to chart an obama victory without including wisconsin . in 2000 and 2004 , the state had razor 's edge wins for democrats . the 2008 outcome , an easy obama win , was different . but in some ways , 2008 seems longer ago than 2004 . 2 . the deep well of political anger . wisconsin is a strong example of how people are pretty fed up , even as they go in almost equal numbers in opposite political directions . the economy , social hot-button issues , cultural issues , economic and racial dynamics -- there are many sources of fuel for the feelings that divide wisconsin . the demographics of the state make these close to 50-50 issues , but it 's worth pondering how similar the intensity of emotions are on each side of the divide . that anger wo n't be relieved after tuesday . 3 . the intensity of campaigning . wisconsin is in the era of never ending campaigns . in addition to the regularly scheduled november elections for governor and legislative seats , the state has featured a super-close , high spending supreme court race in 2011 and waves of recall elections for state senators . immediately after tuesday 's recall for governor comes a hot republican primary in august for an open u.s. senate seat , followed by the november election , which will include not only the presidential and u.s. senate voting but elections for half the state senate and all of the state assembly . 4 . the dominance of big money . the political wars here have been a remarkable boon to television station revenues . tens of millions of dollars have been spent on the recall election , much of it coming from out-of-state donors . it 's not just tv and radio . it 's daily mailings to hundreds of thousands of homes , extensive phone banking and robo-calling , and expensive get-out-the-vote efforts , which may prove be the decisive factor . the invasion of big money wo n't end after the recall , given the upcoming elections . 5 . the short supply of civility . with some exceptions -- the era of sen. joseph mccarthy in the 1950s comes to mind -- wisconsin has been known for civil politics . but the polarization of the state has been evident in round after round of polling , just as it is clear to anyone who observes the tenor of campaigning . there is little reason to think the intense and adamant approach to politics will abate after tuesday . the pendulum swings in wisconsin politics , and it seems to being swinging faster and farther in recent years . both the winners and losers tuesday are almost sure to refuel for more fights ahead , not only at the polls . the next two-year state budget cycle begins in early 2013 . it will be intense , whoever wins . hostility is going to hang around , and there 's a strong chance political disarray will continue to be its partner . the state song is on , wisconsin . ' whatever happens tuesday , the case is likely to get stronger for making it tom petty 's i wo n't back down . ' the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of alan j. borsuk . | borsuk : whoever wins , money and bad tempers will dominate as election season intensifies |
borsuk <tsp> ( cnn ) -- sure , there are things at stake in tuesday 's recall election for governor of wisconsin . you need to know only a smidgeon about the politics of republican gov . scott walker and the democratic challenger milwaukee mayor tom barrett to be aware of that . you need to have paid only passing attention to the political battle that has engulfed wisconsin for 16 months to know that . if there 's anything that just about everyone in wisconsin agrees on , it 's that it makes a big difference who is governor and which party controls each house of the legislature . when staunch conservative walker and republicans swept to control of the capitol in madison , and particularly when walker launched his drive in february 2011 to render public employee unions all but powerless , no doubt was left that it mattered when walker beat the liberal-to-moderate barrett by a 52.3 % to 46.5 % margin in november 2010 . walker 's fate in wisconsin comes down to ground game the changes can be seen not only in the law on employee public unions , but in tax policies , school funding , the strength of the safety net for those in need , environmental regulations , the right to carry concealed weapons and other major issues . but some things are not going to change in the light of tuesday 's outcome , things that should be kept in mind when it comes to post-election analysis . i 'd suggest five of them : 1 . the presidential race in wisconsin . many will read tuesday 's outcome as a good sign for the presidential candidate from the party of the winner . i 'm dubious . for one thing , president barack obama has done fairly well in recent polls , up 8 percentage points over former gov . mitt romney in a marquette law school poll last week , while barrett has trailed walker in almost all recent polls , down 7 percentage points in the same poll . clearly , some people look at the two races separately . previously on cnn : my mom is sick of calls from mitt romney obama and the national democratic party have distanced themselves from the recall election . that was glaringly clear when obama did not make an appearance in wisconsin , even though he was in next-door minnesota on friday and then , friday night and saturday , in his hometown of chicago . it 's a short hop from chicago to kenosha , racine or milwaukee , all democratic strongholds where turnout will be key on tuesday . the most reasonable interpretation for national democrats keeping their distance is that they see nothing to gain from being visible , especially given polls that suggest a barrett defeat is likely . the thinking most likely is : if obama is doing reasonably well in wisconsin already , why get involved in this acrimonious and probably losing mess ? wisconsin democratic leaders have been unhappy with the low level of national party support , but republicans have been more forthcoming with both money and by sending in gop stars such as govs . chris christie , bobby jindal and nikki haley . however the recall turns out , leaders of both parties expect the presidential race to be close in wisconsin . with 10 electoral votes , wisconsin is n't a big deal , except that it is hard to chart an obama victory without including wisconsin . in 2000 and 2004 , the state had razor 's edge wins for democrats . the 2008 outcome , an easy obama win , was different . but in some ways , 2008 seems longer ago than 2004 . 2 . the deep well of political anger . wisconsin is a strong example of how people are pretty fed up , even as they go in almost equal numbers in opposite political directions . the economy , social hot-button issues , cultural issues , economic and racial dynamics -- there are many sources of fuel for the feelings that divide wisconsin . the demographics of the state make these close to 50-50 issues , but it 's worth pondering how similar the intensity of emotions are on each side of the divide . that anger wo n't be relieved after tuesday . 3 . the intensity of campaigning . wisconsin is in the era of never ending campaigns . in addition to the regularly scheduled november elections for governor and legislative seats , the state has featured a super-close , high spending supreme court race in 2011 and waves of recall elections for state senators . immediately after tuesday 's recall for governor comes a hot republican primary in august for an open u.s. senate seat , followed by the november election , which will include not only the presidential and u.s. senate voting but elections for half the state senate and all of the state assembly . 4 . the dominance of big money . the political wars here have been a remarkable boon to television station revenues . tens of millions of dollars have been spent on the recall election , much of it coming from out-of-state donors . it 's not just tv and radio . it 's daily mailings to hundreds of thousands of homes , extensive phone banking and robo-calling , and expensive get-out-the-vote efforts , which may prove be the decisive factor . the invasion of big money wo n't end after the recall , given the upcoming elections . 5 . the short supply of civility . with some exceptions -- the era of sen. joseph mccarthy in the 1950s comes to mind -- wisconsin has been known for civil politics . but the polarization of the state has been evident in round after round of polling , just as it is clear to anyone who observes the tenor of campaigning . there is little reason to think the intense and adamant approach to politics will abate after tuesday . the pendulum swings in wisconsin politics , and it seems to being swinging faster and farther in recent years . both the winners and losers tuesday are almost sure to refuel for more fights ahead , not only at the polls . the next two-year state budget cycle begins in early 2013 . it will be intense , whoever wins . hostility is going to hang around , and there 's a strong chance political disarray will continue to be its partner . the state song is on , wisconsin . ' whatever happens tuesday , the case is likely to get stronger for making it tom petty 's i wo n't back down . ' the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of alan j. borsuk . | alan borsuk : wisconsin residents to decide recall of conservative gov . scott walker |
walker <tsp> ( cnn ) -- sure , there are things at stake in tuesday 's recall election for governor of wisconsin . you need to know only a smidgeon about the politics of republican gov . scott walker and the democratic challenger milwaukee mayor tom barrett to be aware of that . you need to have paid only passing attention to the political battle that has engulfed wisconsin for 16 months to know that . if there 's anything that just about everyone in wisconsin agrees on , it 's that it makes a big difference who is governor and which party controls each house of the legislature . when staunch conservative walker and republicans swept to control of the capitol in madison , and particularly when walker launched his drive in february 2011 to render public employee unions all but powerless , no doubt was left that it mattered when walker beat the liberal-to-moderate barrett by a 52.3 % to 46.5 % margin in november 2010 . walker 's fate in wisconsin comes down to ground game the changes can be seen not only in the law on employee public unions , but in tax policies , school funding , the strength of the safety net for those in need , environmental regulations , the right to carry concealed weapons and other major issues . but some things are not going to change in the light of tuesday 's outcome , things that should be kept in mind when it comes to post-election analysis . i 'd suggest five of them : 1 . the presidential race in wisconsin . many will read tuesday 's outcome as a good sign for the presidential candidate from the party of the winner . i 'm dubious . for one thing , president barack obama has done fairly well in recent polls , up 8 percentage points over former gov . mitt romney in a marquette law school poll last week , while barrett has trailed walker in almost all recent polls , down 7 percentage points in the same poll . clearly , some people look at the two races separately . previously on cnn : my mom is sick of calls from mitt romney obama and the national democratic party have distanced themselves from the recall election . that was glaringly clear when obama did not make an appearance in wisconsin , even though he was in next-door minnesota on friday and then , friday night and saturday , in his hometown of chicago . it 's a short hop from chicago to kenosha , racine or milwaukee , all democratic strongholds where turnout will be key on tuesday . the most reasonable interpretation for national democrats keeping their distance is that they see nothing to gain from being visible , especially given polls that suggest a barrett defeat is likely . the thinking most likely is : if obama is doing reasonably well in wisconsin already , why get involved in this acrimonious and probably losing mess ? wisconsin democratic leaders have been unhappy with the low level of national party support , but republicans have been more forthcoming with both money and by sending in gop stars such as govs . chris christie , bobby jindal and nikki haley . however the recall turns out , leaders of both parties expect the presidential race to be close in wisconsin . with 10 electoral votes , wisconsin is n't a big deal , except that it is hard to chart an obama victory without including wisconsin . in 2000 and 2004 , the state had razor 's edge wins for democrats . the 2008 outcome , an easy obama win , was different . but in some ways , 2008 seems longer ago than 2004 . 2 . the deep well of political anger . wisconsin is a strong example of how people are pretty fed up , even as they go in almost equal numbers in opposite political directions . the economy , social hot-button issues , cultural issues , economic and racial dynamics -- there are many sources of fuel for the feelings that divide wisconsin . the demographics of the state make these close to 50-50 issues , but it 's worth pondering how similar the intensity of emotions are on each side of the divide . that anger wo n't be relieved after tuesday . 3 . the intensity of campaigning . wisconsin is in the era of never ending campaigns . in addition to the regularly scheduled november elections for governor and legislative seats , the state has featured a super-close , high spending supreme court race in 2011 and waves of recall elections for state senators . immediately after tuesday 's recall for governor comes a hot republican primary in august for an open u.s. senate seat , followed by the november election , which will include not only the presidential and u.s. senate voting but elections for half the state senate and all of the state assembly . 4 . the dominance of big money . the political wars here have been a remarkable boon to television station revenues . tens of millions of dollars have been spent on the recall election , much of it coming from out-of-state donors . it 's not just tv and radio . it 's daily mailings to hundreds of thousands of homes , extensive phone banking and robo-calling , and expensive get-out-the-vote efforts , which may prove be the decisive factor . the invasion of big money wo n't end after the recall , given the upcoming elections . 5 . the short supply of civility . with some exceptions -- the era of sen. joseph mccarthy in the 1950s comes to mind -- wisconsin has been known for civil politics . but the polarization of the state has been evident in round after round of polling , just as it is clear to anyone who observes the tenor of campaigning . there is little reason to think the intense and adamant approach to politics will abate after tuesday . the pendulum swings in wisconsin politics , and it seems to being swinging faster and farther in recent years . both the winners and losers tuesday are almost sure to refuel for more fights ahead , not only at the polls . the next two-year state budget cycle begins in early 2013 . it will be intense , whoever wins . hostility is going to hang around , and there 's a strong chance political disarray will continue to be its partner . the state song is on , wisconsin . ' whatever happens tuesday , the case is likely to get stronger for making it tom petty 's i wo n't back down . ' the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of alan j. borsuk . | borsuk : walker , who weakened public worker unions , changed the politics of wisconsin |
walker <tsp> ( cnn ) -- sure , there are things at stake in tuesday 's recall election for governor of wisconsin . you need to know only a smidgeon about the politics of republican gov . scott walker and the democratic challenger milwaukee mayor tom barrett to be aware of that . you need to have paid only passing attention to the political battle that has engulfed wisconsin for 16 months to know that . if there 's anything that just about everyone in wisconsin agrees on , it 's that it makes a big difference who is governor and which party controls each house of the legislature . when staunch conservative walker and republicans swept to control of the capitol in madison , and particularly when walker launched his drive in february 2011 to render public employee unions all but powerless , no doubt was left that it mattered when walker beat the liberal-to-moderate barrett by a 52.3 % to 46.5 % margin in november 2010 . walker 's fate in wisconsin comes down to ground game the changes can be seen not only in the law on employee public unions , but in tax policies , school funding , the strength of the safety net for those in need , environmental regulations , the right to carry concealed weapons and other major issues . but some things are not going to change in the light of tuesday 's outcome , things that should be kept in mind when it comes to post-election analysis . i 'd suggest five of them : 1 . the presidential race in wisconsin . many will read tuesday 's outcome as a good sign for the presidential candidate from the party of the winner . i 'm dubious . for one thing , president barack obama has done fairly well in recent polls , up 8 percentage points over former gov . mitt romney in a marquette law school poll last week , while barrett has trailed walker in almost all recent polls , down 7 percentage points in the same poll . clearly , some people look at the two races separately . previously on cnn : my mom is sick of calls from mitt romney obama and the national democratic party have distanced themselves from the recall election . that was glaringly clear when obama did not make an appearance in wisconsin , even though he was in next-door minnesota on friday and then , friday night and saturday , in his hometown of chicago . it 's a short hop from chicago to kenosha , racine or milwaukee , all democratic strongholds where turnout will be key on tuesday . the most reasonable interpretation for national democrats keeping their distance is that they see nothing to gain from being visible , especially given polls that suggest a barrett defeat is likely . the thinking most likely is : if obama is doing reasonably well in wisconsin already , why get involved in this acrimonious and probably losing mess ? wisconsin democratic leaders have been unhappy with the low level of national party support , but republicans have been more forthcoming with both money and by sending in gop stars such as govs . chris christie , bobby jindal and nikki haley . however the recall turns out , leaders of both parties expect the presidential race to be close in wisconsin . with 10 electoral votes , wisconsin is n't a big deal , except that it is hard to chart an obama victory without including wisconsin . in 2000 and 2004 , the state had razor 's edge wins for democrats . the 2008 outcome , an easy obama win , was different . but in some ways , 2008 seems longer ago than 2004 . 2 . the deep well of political anger . wisconsin is a strong example of how people are pretty fed up , even as they go in almost equal numbers in opposite political directions . the economy , social hot-button issues , cultural issues , economic and racial dynamics -- there are many sources of fuel for the feelings that divide wisconsin . the demographics of the state make these close to 50-50 issues , but it 's worth pondering how similar the intensity of emotions are on each side of the divide . that anger wo n't be relieved after tuesday . 3 . the intensity of campaigning . wisconsin is in the era of never ending campaigns . in addition to the regularly scheduled november elections for governor and legislative seats , the state has featured a super-close , high spending supreme court race in 2011 and waves of recall elections for state senators . immediately after tuesday 's recall for governor comes a hot republican primary in august for an open u.s. senate seat , followed by the november election , which will include not only the presidential and u.s. senate voting but elections for half the state senate and all of the state assembly . 4 . the dominance of big money . the political wars here have been a remarkable boon to television station revenues . tens of millions of dollars have been spent on the recall election , much of it coming from out-of-state donors . it 's not just tv and radio . it 's daily mailings to hundreds of thousands of homes , extensive phone banking and robo-calling , and expensive get-out-the-vote efforts , which may prove be the decisive factor . the invasion of big money wo n't end after the recall , given the upcoming elections . 5 . the short supply of civility . with some exceptions -- the era of sen. joseph mccarthy in the 1950s comes to mind -- wisconsin has been known for civil politics . but the polarization of the state has been evident in round after round of polling , just as it is clear to anyone who observes the tenor of campaigning . there is little reason to think the intense and adamant approach to politics will abate after tuesday . the pendulum swings in wisconsin politics , and it seems to being swinging faster and farther in recent years . both the winners and losers tuesday are almost sure to refuel for more fights ahead , not only at the polls . the next two-year state budget cycle begins in early 2013 . it will be intense , whoever wins . hostility is going to hang around , and there 's a strong chance political disarray will continue to be its partner . the state song is on , wisconsin . ' whatever happens tuesday , the case is likely to get stronger for making it tom petty 's i wo n't back down . ' the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of alan j. borsuk . | alan borsuk : wisconsin residents to decide recall of conservative gov . scott walker |
down syndrome <tsp> ( cnn ) -- seth macfarlane : sarah palin expressed outrage at a fox television program , created by macfarlane , for joking about people with down syndrome and making an apparent reference to her 22-month-old son , trig , who has the genetic disorder . the former alaska governor said on her facebook page that she was too angry to offer a coherent response , so she had her daughter bristol release a full statement on the family 's behalf . the palins directed their criticism at the prime-time fox cartoon , family guy . ' in sunday 's episode , a teenaged female character with down syndrome told another character that my mom is the former governor of alaska . ' a song and dance routine by another character also used language that ridiculed people with disabilities . according to the show 's web site , family guy ' earned an emmy nomination in 2009 for outstanding comedy series , only the second animated series in television history to be honored with such distinction . ' on the show , macfarlane performs the voices of the father , peter griffin , and his 1-year-old son , stewie , who is , the fox web site reports , a diabolically clever baby whose heterosexuality is hanging by a thread . ' macfarlane is also the voice of the intellectually superior family dog . the web site seth mcfarlane unlimited reports that macfarlane began drawing cartoons at the age of 2 and is the recipient of two honorary degrees . while receiving the one from harvard in 2006 , he delivered the class day speech playing the roles of several of the characters from family guy . ' he also received a degree in 2007 from his alma mater , the rhode island school of design . cnn political ticker : palin slams fox 's'family guy'family guy': about the show dalai lama : the tibetan spiritual leader is on his way to the united states for a number of speaking engagements and is scheduled to meet with president obama on thursday , even though china has warned that such a meeting would harm ties between it and the united states , a white house spokesman said on february 2 . the president told china 's leaders during his trip last year that he would meet with the dalai lama , and he intends to do so , ' bill burton told reporters earlier this month . china warned that ties between two of the world 's superpowers would be strained if obama met with the dalai lama . it will seriously undermine the foundation of sino-u.s. political relations , ' said zhu weiqun , a communist party official who is in charge of talks with representatives of the dalai lama . beijing accuses the dalai lama of advocating for tibetan independence from china . in explaining obama 's intention to hold the meeting , burton said the dalai lama is an internationally respected religious and cultural leader , and the president will meet with him in that capacity . ' tibet is technically autonomous from the central chinese government , but the dalai lama and others have said they favor genuine autonomy and resent the slow erosion of their culture amid an influx of han chinese , the most numerous ethnic group in china . zhu said there would be no compromise on china 's control of tibet . the 14th dalai lama was born in july 1935 . according to his official biography , the child named lhamo dhondup at that time was recognized at the age of 2 as the reincarnation of the 13th dalai lama . he went through years of monastic training and assumed political power in 1950 , a year after china 's invasion . the dalai lama ultimately fled china in 1959 after a failed uprising against chinese rule . he lives in exile in the north indian town of dharamsala . cnn : white house says obama will meet with dalai lama cnn : discord over dalai lama dalailama.com : a brief biography jesse sullivan : the 25-year-old from petersburg , illinois , has been living for two weeks at the corner of florida and north capitol avenues in washington . he 's been living there in a tent to show solidarity with haitian families in crisis , he says , and to remind people that emergency shelter is still sorely needed for victims of the january 12 earthquake . when cnn reached him by phone in his tent tuesday , he explained that he was recently in washington to figure out how to work in afghanistan , but realized that the situation in haiti was a more pressing need . so he went to the haitian embassy to volunteer in any way he could . he says a minister at the embassy came up with the official-sounding title special assistant to the haitian embassy for relief and reconstruction , ' which sullivan now uses informally . when he passed a nearby statue of the indian political and spiritual leader mahatma gandhi , sullivan read the inscription , my life is my message , ' and the idea of staying in the tent came to him . sullivan , who has a master 's degree in global governance and diplomacy from the university of oxford in england , says he plans to live in the tent for at least one month . if i can still be effective , i 'll stay there for a year . ' the tent is pitched in the private parking lot of a pizza restaurant with the permission of its owner . sullivan told cnn , the police stop by to make sure i 'm ok and not too crazy . ' he says his parents are a bit concerned , yet somewhat relieved . my initial plan was to head to afghanistan , but for my dad and mom , anything that 's not afghanistan makes them pretty happy . ' next week , sullivan plans to hold a news conference at his tent to announce his live for haiti ' campaign . he said , it 's not about us saving haiti . this crisis has the opportunity that haiti is going to save us from a narrow american dream -- one that does n't recognize that we are connected to people around the world . ' live for haiti samuel j. wurzelbacher aka joe the plumber : just when you think someone 's 15 minutes of fame are up , politics manages to reset the clock . wurzelbacher , who gained notoriety during the last presidential campaign as joe the plumber , ' spoke this past weekend in harrisburg , pennsylvania , at an event on behalf of state rep. sam roher , who is running for governor . scott detrow of pennsylvania 's public radio capitol news reports that wurzelbacher told him that more than 200 politicians wanted his support , but he 's backed only five so far . he 's now supporting grass-roots tea party movements . during his speech , wurzelbacher said he does n't support sarah palin any more because the former alaska governor is backing sen. john mccain 's re-election effort . john mccain is no public servant , ' he told the room , calling mccain a career politician . when detrow pointed out that without mccain , he 'd just be plain old sam wurzelbacher of ohio -- joe the plumber would n't exist -- his response was , i do n't owe him s -- - . he really screwed my life up , is how i look at it . ' wurzelbacher told the reporter , mccain was trying to use me . i happened to be the face of middle americans . it was a ploy . ' wurzelbacher first gained fame in 2008 when he told candidate barack obama that he was worried that rolling back president bush 's tax breaks would prevent him from buying a plumbing company that would earn between $ 250,000 and $ 280,000 a year . joe the plumber was born . state house sound bites : a few minutes with joe the plumber carly simon : you 're so vain , you probably think this song is about you / you 're so vain , i 'll bet you think this song is about you / do n't you ? do n't you ? ' thirty-seven years ago , simon 's song was no . 1 and she had just married singer-songwriter james taylor . so everyone wanted to know : who is the subject of the song ? who is that vain ? all these years later , people still want to know . simon has never revealed the answer . but at carlysimon.com , she does list some of her former boyfriends : mick jagger , cat stevens , warren beatty , kris kristofferson . simon has also never made a music video of the song . ( for purists , janet jackson did sample you 're so vain ' in her 2001 music video , son of a gun . ' ) simon has just announced a contest on the web site , inviting fans and filmmakers to create a music video , using the original or new version of her song . she will screen all entries herself , select a winner , and meet the filmmaker -- whose winning entry will also be premiered at the 2010 tribeca film festival . simon says she has always been amazed by the attention given to the mystery person in the song . in 2004 , she gave hints to cnn : well , i guess for those who are interested in clues -- the name of the person it was about had an e in it . ' that could indicate jagger , beatty or james taylor . she continued , maybe i could disclose another letter . ok , it also has an a . ' in announcing the music video contest , simon does not indicate that she will ever reveal the name . carlysimon.com what makes a person intriguing ? there are people who enter the news cycle every day because their actions or decisions are new , important or different . others are in the news because they are the ones those decisions affect . and there are a number of people who are so famous or controversial that anything they say or do becomes news . some of these people do what we expect of them : they run for office , pass legislation , start a business , get hired or fired , commit a crime , make an arrest , get in accidents , hit a home run , overthrow a government , fight wars , sue an opponent , put out fires , prepare for hurricanes and cavort with people other than their spouses . they do make news , but the action is usually more important than who is involved in the story . but every day , there are a number of people who become fascinating to us -- by virtue of their character , how they reached their decision , how they behaved under pressure or because of the remarkable circumstances surrounding the event they are involved in . they arouse our curiosity . we hear about them and want to know more . what they have done or said stimulates conversations across the country . at times , there is even a mystery about them . what they have done may be unique , heroic , cowardly or ghastly , but they capture our imaginations . we want to know what makes them tick , why they believe what they do , and why they did what they did . they intrigue us . | sarah palin reacts to'family guy'creator for jokes about down syndrome |
cole <tsp> new york ( cnn ) -- kenneth cole is the first to admit he has a bit of a language problem . pun-loving kenneth cole pays tribute to inspiring people in his new book . i need to distort not just leather and fabric , but also words , ' he said . it 's a disorder i have . ' the pun-loving fashion designer has raised plenty of eyebrows with advertising copy that ranges from the provocative and the political to the lighthearted and cutesy . browse his online store and you can buy a t-shirt that reads in war is it who 's right , or who 's left ? ' a canvas tote bag says , use me again and again and again ... ( i 'm used to it ) . ' should you purchase either product , you 're assured that all your money will go to cole 's awearness fund , ' an initiative designed to draw attention to social issues like homelessness and aids . to that end , cole has just released a new book called awearness : inspiring stories about how to make a difference ' ( dk adult ) . it 's a collection of essays from influential types intended to encourage readers to get involved in service and volunteerism in their communities . watch cole talk about'awearness'» former president bill clinton contributes a piece on the global fight against hiv/aids . actress rosario dawson writes about empowering young latinos to vote , and cyclist lance armstrong discusses the merits of starting a movement like livestrong , his effort to energize the fight against cancer . as cole says : no good deed should go unpublished . ' pun intended . the book commemorates 25 years in the fashion business for the new yorker , as well as a quarter century as an advocate for social activism . cole spoke to cnn about the book , the belief , his wife and the cover . ( ok , so not everyone is brilliantly punny . ) the following is an edited transcript of the interview . cnn : what is the big message you 're hoping to get across with this book ? kenneth cole : the message is that these are extraordinary times . they 're transformative in so many ways . and america recently expressed the reality that there is an appetite for meaningful , significant , social change like we 've never seen before . cnn : in the introduction of your book , you talk about how you 've met a lot of people who have inspired you . is there one person who stands out above the rest ? cole : there are so many people that inspire me , and there are 90 role models in this book , some of whom i 've been very close to . i am the closest of all to my wife , who is in and of herself a change agent and has committed to impacting the realities of homelessness -- and making sure i get out of the house every day to do what i have to do . so she 's inspired me and she 's done great stuff . so i think i 'll stay with that answer . cnn : in robert redford 's essay on freedom of speech , he encourages the use of humor when speaking out about a cause someone feels passionate about . has humor helped you ? cole : i think it does . i agree with mr. redford , and he 's been a model of mine . ... and i think we also have these walls around us , and when people disagree , we 're inclined not to listen , but to a degree you can break through that wall often with humor . jon stewart has shown us how to do that , as have some other people who are in the art of doing it well . cnn : what 's your biggest hope for president-elect barack obama 's presidency ? cole : he has already surpassed my greatest hopes . i think he 's created a sense of spirit and energy and opportunity in this country that we 've never seen . and i think it has transformed , in a sense , who we are as a nation globally within 24 hours . we saw that happen . cnn : how does a successful fashion designer , who also has a big conscience , feel in a weak economy ? cole : i think it 's an extraordinary opportunity . there are only so many things we can do that make us feel better . we pick up the newspapers and we want to cry every day . we turn on the news and we want to jump out the first window , jump in front of the first truck . and there 's not a lot you can look forward to right now ... but you can make yourself look better , and if you look better , you 'll feel better , and it becomes self-fulfilling . i think fashion can do that to you . you can do it with some older stuff and mix it with newer stuff , or you can just do new cool stuff by a new cool american designer ( smiles ) . and starting from the ankles down , and then up . cnn : do you think that fashion gets a hard rap ? [ are ] people too quick to write it off as frivolous and underestimate its power ? cole : i 've struggled with that over the years . is fashion relevant ? is it frivolous ? is it trivial ? because i give so much of my essence to it , as do everybody i work with . i 've come to two conclusions . one is that it 's as relevant as anything , because most of the people you encounter in a given day do n't get to know anything more about you than how you appear . you 're making a very thoughtful statement ... so i think fashion is important . and then at the end of the day if someone you know is sick or someone you know ca n't afford the roof over their head or the food on the plate , then it becomes not so important . so i think it 's relevant , and for me it 's been an extraordinary resource for me to do so much . and i love fashion . i think it makes us feel good . and if you feel good , we do good . | fashion designer cole admires use of humor to leaven passion |
cole <tsp> new york ( cnn ) -- kenneth cole is the first to admit he has a bit of a language problem . pun-loving kenneth cole pays tribute to inspiring people in his new book . i need to distort not just leather and fabric , but also words , ' he said . it 's a disorder i have . ' the pun-loving fashion designer has raised plenty of eyebrows with advertising copy that ranges from the provocative and the political to the lighthearted and cutesy . browse his online store and you can buy a t-shirt that reads in war is it who 's right , or who 's left ? ' a canvas tote bag says , use me again and again and again ... ( i 'm used to it ) . ' should you purchase either product , you 're assured that all your money will go to cole 's awearness fund , ' an initiative designed to draw attention to social issues like homelessness and aids . to that end , cole has just released a new book called awearness : inspiring stories about how to make a difference ' ( dk adult ) . it 's a collection of essays from influential types intended to encourage readers to get involved in service and volunteerism in their communities . watch cole talk about'awearness'» former president bill clinton contributes a piece on the global fight against hiv/aids . actress rosario dawson writes about empowering young latinos to vote , and cyclist lance armstrong discusses the merits of starting a movement like livestrong , his effort to energize the fight against cancer . as cole says : no good deed should go unpublished . ' pun intended . the book commemorates 25 years in the fashion business for the new yorker , as well as a quarter century as an advocate for social activism . cole spoke to cnn about the book , the belief , his wife and the cover . ( ok , so not everyone is brilliantly punny . ) the following is an edited transcript of the interview . cnn : what is the big message you 're hoping to get across with this book ? kenneth cole : the message is that these are extraordinary times . they 're transformative in so many ways . and america recently expressed the reality that there is an appetite for meaningful , significant , social change like we 've never seen before . cnn : in the introduction of your book , you talk about how you 've met a lot of people who have inspired you . is there one person who stands out above the rest ? cole : there are so many people that inspire me , and there are 90 role models in this book , some of whom i 've been very close to . i am the closest of all to my wife , who is in and of herself a change agent and has committed to impacting the realities of homelessness -- and making sure i get out of the house every day to do what i have to do . so she 's inspired me and she 's done great stuff . so i think i 'll stay with that answer . cnn : in robert redford 's essay on freedom of speech , he encourages the use of humor when speaking out about a cause someone feels passionate about . has humor helped you ? cole : i think it does . i agree with mr. redford , and he 's been a model of mine . ... and i think we also have these walls around us , and when people disagree , we 're inclined not to listen , but to a degree you can break through that wall often with humor . jon stewart has shown us how to do that , as have some other people who are in the art of doing it well . cnn : what 's your biggest hope for president-elect barack obama 's presidency ? cole : he has already surpassed my greatest hopes . i think he 's created a sense of spirit and energy and opportunity in this country that we 've never seen . and i think it has transformed , in a sense , who we are as a nation globally within 24 hours . we saw that happen . cnn : how does a successful fashion designer , who also has a big conscience , feel in a weak economy ? cole : i think it 's an extraordinary opportunity . there are only so many things we can do that make us feel better . we pick up the newspapers and we want to cry every day . we turn on the news and we want to jump out the first window , jump in front of the first truck . and there 's not a lot you can look forward to right now ... but you can make yourself look better , and if you look better , you 'll feel better , and it becomes self-fulfilling . i think fashion can do that to you . you can do it with some older stuff and mix it with newer stuff , or you can just do new cool stuff by a new cool american designer ( smiles ) . and starting from the ankles down , and then up . cnn : do you think that fashion gets a hard rap ? [ are ] people too quick to write it off as frivolous and underestimate its power ? cole : i 've struggled with that over the years . is fashion relevant ? is it frivolous ? is it trivial ? because i give so much of my essence to it , as do everybody i work with . i 've come to two conclusions . one is that it 's as relevant as anything , because most of the people you encounter in a given day do n't get to know anything more about you than how you appear . you 're making a very thoughtful statement ... so i think fashion is important . and then at the end of the day if someone you know is sick or someone you know ca n't afford the roof over their head or the food on the plate , then it becomes not so important . so i think it 's relevant , and for me it 's been an extraordinary resource for me to do so much . and i love fashion . i think it makes us feel good . and if you feel good , we do good . | cole : fashion is relevant , even in tough times |
cole <tsp> new york ( cnn ) -- kenneth cole is the first to admit he has a bit of a language problem . pun-loving kenneth cole pays tribute to inspiring people in his new book . i need to distort not just leather and fabric , but also words , ' he said . it 's a disorder i have . ' the pun-loving fashion designer has raised plenty of eyebrows with advertising copy that ranges from the provocative and the political to the lighthearted and cutesy . browse his online store and you can buy a t-shirt that reads in war is it who 's right , or who 's left ? ' a canvas tote bag says , use me again and again and again ... ( i 'm used to it ) . ' should you purchase either product , you 're assured that all your money will go to cole 's awearness fund , ' an initiative designed to draw attention to social issues like homelessness and aids . to that end , cole has just released a new book called awearness : inspiring stories about how to make a difference ' ( dk adult ) . it 's a collection of essays from influential types intended to encourage readers to get involved in service and volunteerism in their communities . watch cole talk about'awearness'» former president bill clinton contributes a piece on the global fight against hiv/aids . actress rosario dawson writes about empowering young latinos to vote , and cyclist lance armstrong discusses the merits of starting a movement like livestrong , his effort to energize the fight against cancer . as cole says : no good deed should go unpublished . ' pun intended . the book commemorates 25 years in the fashion business for the new yorker , as well as a quarter century as an advocate for social activism . cole spoke to cnn about the book , the belief , his wife and the cover . ( ok , so not everyone is brilliantly punny . ) the following is an edited transcript of the interview . cnn : what is the big message you 're hoping to get across with this book ? kenneth cole : the message is that these are extraordinary times . they 're transformative in so many ways . and america recently expressed the reality that there is an appetite for meaningful , significant , social change like we 've never seen before . cnn : in the introduction of your book , you talk about how you 've met a lot of people who have inspired you . is there one person who stands out above the rest ? cole : there are so many people that inspire me , and there are 90 role models in this book , some of whom i 've been very close to . i am the closest of all to my wife , who is in and of herself a change agent and has committed to impacting the realities of homelessness -- and making sure i get out of the house every day to do what i have to do . so she 's inspired me and she 's done great stuff . so i think i 'll stay with that answer . cnn : in robert redford 's essay on freedom of speech , he encourages the use of humor when speaking out about a cause someone feels passionate about . has humor helped you ? cole : i think it does . i agree with mr. redford , and he 's been a model of mine . ... and i think we also have these walls around us , and when people disagree , we 're inclined not to listen , but to a degree you can break through that wall often with humor . jon stewart has shown us how to do that , as have some other people who are in the art of doing it well . cnn : what 's your biggest hope for president-elect barack obama 's presidency ? cole : he has already surpassed my greatest hopes . i think he 's created a sense of spirit and energy and opportunity in this country that we 've never seen . and i think it has transformed , in a sense , who we are as a nation globally within 24 hours . we saw that happen . cnn : how does a successful fashion designer , who also has a big conscience , feel in a weak economy ? cole : i think it 's an extraordinary opportunity . there are only so many things we can do that make us feel better . we pick up the newspapers and we want to cry every day . we turn on the news and we want to jump out the first window , jump in front of the first truck . and there 's not a lot you can look forward to right now ... but you can make yourself look better , and if you look better , you 'll feel better , and it becomes self-fulfilling . i think fashion can do that to you . you can do it with some older stuff and mix it with newer stuff , or you can just do new cool stuff by a new cool american designer ( smiles ) . and starting from the ankles down , and then up . cnn : do you think that fashion gets a hard rap ? [ are ] people too quick to write it off as frivolous and underestimate its power ? cole : i 've struggled with that over the years . is fashion relevant ? is it frivolous ? is it trivial ? because i give so much of my essence to it , as do everybody i work with . i 've come to two conclusions . one is that it 's as relevant as anything , because most of the people you encounter in a given day do n't get to know anything more about you than how you appear . you 're making a very thoughtful statement ... so i think fashion is important . and then at the end of the day if someone you know is sick or someone you know ca n't afford the roof over their head or the food on the plate , then it becomes not so important . so i think it 's relevant , and for me it 's been an extraordinary resource for me to do so much . and i love fashion . i think it makes us feel good . and if you feel good , we do good . | kenneth cole highlights public-spirited people in awearness ' |
democratic <tsp> ( cnn ) -- wisconsin gov . scott walker 's administration on friday issued notices to unions , warning them of possible layoffs in early april if the budget impasse continues . the measure may be able to be rescinded and layoffs avoided ' if 14 senate democrats return to the state capitol , the republican 's office said in a press release . without senate action within 15 days , individual employees may begin to receive potential termination notifications , ' said spokesman cullen werwie . walker has warned that the state might have to lay off 1,500 state workers if the democrats do n't return to meet a quorum to vote on walker 's so-called budget repair bill . the initiative would restrict the collective bargaining rights of many public employees , as well as require state workers -- with the exception of police and firefighters -- to cover more of their retirement plans and health care premiums . republicans need a single democrat to cross party lines and rejoin the 33-member legislature to meet the quorum of 20 lawmakers required in a vote on state fiscal matters . only 17 lawmakers are required for most other issues . letters to 13 public union heads , sent friday by state employment relations director gregory gracz and released by walker 's office , state that agencies must take action to decrease their expenditures to make up for the savings lost due to ' the delay in the vote on the governor 's bill . while stating the cuts would not take effect before april 4 , the letters do n't specify exactly how many unionized employees could lose their jobs . walker 's office explained that individual employees had to be given a two-week notice before any permanent ' layoffs . meanwhile , the state senate has approved a resolution that would hold absentee democratic lawmakers in contempt of the senate . ' the measure allows state law enforcement to detain the democrats and bring them back to wisconsin , according to andrew welhouse , a spokesman for wisconsin senate majority leader scott fitzgerald . but whether the contempt measure is constitutional remains unclear . the state constitution prohibits the arrest of lawmakers while the legislature is in session , except for treason , felony and breach of the peace . ' whether wisconsin law enforcement would be permitted jurisdiction in illinois to detain the missing lawmakers is also unclear . democrat state sen. jon erpenbach said friday that the move threatened to derail any productive discussions between fellow democrats and republicans , including representatives from the governor 's office . we were pretty close to an agreement ' but then the senate puts out arrest warrants , ' he said , blaming senate republican leadership for impeding negotiations . the stalemate has appeared increasingly contentious in recent days as senate lawmakers adopted a resolution wednesday that would fine absentee lawmakers $ 100 every day they remain missing . a similar resolution passed a day later in indiana , where house republicans have imposed a $ 250-a-day fine against the awol democrats who -- like their wisconsin counterparts -- fled to illinois in protest of a labor bill . walker 's budget-repair bill has drawn fierce and spirited opposition from unions , democrats and others , hundreds of whom have demonstrated inside and outside the state capitol in recent weeks in madison . some of them even slept inside of the building , prompting an order thursday from wisconsin circuit court judge john albert that barred demonstrators from staying in the state capitol after business hours . on friday night , the state 's department of administration noted on its website that the capitol closed at 6 p.m. , with capitol police chief charles tubbs speaking to five people who left shortly thereafter . some 4,653 people visited the building on friday -- about four times more than the previous day . one person was arrested for trying to bypass weapons screening despite repeated warnings , according to the state agency . the capitol will be open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. saturday and sunday , with more large crowds expected . a wisconsin democrat was tackled by capitol police thursday night as he tried to walk through a door in the state legislature , which has been closed to the public . nick milroy , an assembly member , admitted friday that he was aggressive in attempting to re-enter the capitol , and law enforcement was aggressive in trying to keep me out . ' this armed-palace environment created by gov . walker has everyone feeling very tense , and emotions are running high , ' milroy said of the incident , captured on camera by milwaukee-based wisn-tv . police closed the facility after crowds demonstrated in and around the building , contributing to $ 6.5 million in damage and other costs since mid-february , according to administration secretary mike huebsch . milroy was attempting to gain access without showing his id , ' said huebsch . he was using his own political agenda to get himself arrested and make a point . ' the state is confronted with a looming $ 137 million shortfall at the end of the fiscal year , june 30 . the state faces a $ 3.6 billion budget gap by 2013 . cnn 's david mattingly , eric fiegel and katherine wojtecki contributed to this report . | the letters say job cuts could be avoided if democratic legislators return |
chinese <tsp> ( cnn ) -- after weeks of fruitless searching for the missing malaysia airlines plane , it sounds like a promising sign . when a chinese patrol ship picked up two pulses in the southern indian ocean , the head of the australian agency coordinating search efforts called it an important and encouraging lead . ' investigators hope the audio signals are locator beacons from the plane 's data recorders , but they 're not sure yet . is it the discovery we 've all been waiting for ? could those be malaysia airlines flight 370 's pingers ? here are four reasons to believe and six reasons to doubt : reasons to believe 1 ) the frequency does n't occur in nature . the chinese haixun 01 patrol ship detected pulses at a frequency of 37.5 khz , the chinese state-run xinhua news agency reported . that 's the same frequency of black box pingers -- and that frequency is no accident . the pingers were designed to have that frequency because it does not occur in nature . 2 ) there were two separate events . the haixun 01 reported two pulses within 2 kilometers ( 1.25 miles ) of each other . air chief marshal angus houston , head of the joint agency coordination center , described them as fleeting , fleeting acoustic events . ' one was described as being 90 seconds long ; no time was given for the other , but it was evidently shorter . i think the fact that we have had two detections , two acoustic events , in that location provides some promise which requires a full investigation of the location , ' houston said . 3 ) you usually know a ping when you hear one . the pings are , under ideal conditions , easily recognizable . they ping ' like a metronome †” with a steady pulse about once a second . 4 ) they 're in the right spot . according to the latest analysis of inmarsat satellite data and aircraft performance , the haixun 01 is in the right spot . in fact , search supervisors , citing the new analysis , are moving the focus of the search to an area that includes the location of the haixun 01 . the area of highest probability , we think is now probably in the southern part of the area , pretty close to where haixun 01 is operating , ' houston said . pulse signals raise new questions reasons to doubt 1 ) the ocean is noisy . in addition to the haixun 01 's two acoustic events , ' ships detected two other events in a very short time , showing exactly how noisy the ocean is . the british ship hms echo recorded one event that was determined to be unfounded . the ocean shield , an australian naval vessel equipped with sophisticated listening equipment , has also detected an acoustic noise ' in another area of the ocean to the north . according to a cnn calculation , the australian ship was about 350 miles ( 565 kilometers ) away from the spot where the chinese ship detected the pulses . it 's also unclear whether the sound the australian ship detected was related to flight 370 . the search team is urging patience and restraint . 2 ) only one pulse was detected at a time . the haixun 01 detected only one pulse at a time . assuming both black box pingers are working , are close together , and are unobstructed by debris or terrain †” and those are , admittedly , big assumptions †” they should have heard two pingers , perhaps like a metronome with an echo . 3 ) these are n't ideal conditions . while pingers are easily identifiable under ideal conditions , the current conditions are far from perfect . video of the searchers show them listening to the hydrophone with earbuds , not headsets that would block out ambient noise . so the steady pings ' -- which actually sound like the snap of fingers -- could be confused with or overwhelmed by other noise , such as the waves lapping against the boat . the chinese said they did not have time to record the pulses , precluding a scientific analysis of the sounds . 4 ) a spare pinger on the boat might have sent the signal . in video of the haixun 01 , it appears the chinese had a spare pinger in the boat . anish patel , president of pinger manufacturer dukane seacom , says it is not recommended to have a pinger near the area where you are trying to listen . if that pinger gets wet , it will start transmitting , potentially confusing search teams . i would n't put one where i 'm measuring , ' patel said . it 's just not good common practice . ' 5 ) the equipment was designed for shallow water . the hydrophone the chinese used to detect the pulse is designed for shallow water applications , ' not for the deep water , said thomas altshuler of teledyne marine systems , manufacturer of the hydrophone . they are using it in a scenario outside of our normal operation , ' he said . is it possible that it heard a ping from the depths of the indian ocean ? it is possible , but it would be right at the edge of that detection ( capability ) , ' he said . 6 ) the underwater search of a vast area started only recently . the search area is so large , and the underwater search has just begun . it almost defies belief that the pingers could be found so soon . but then again , almost everything about this case defies belief . the bottom line we 'll give the final word to angus houston . this is an important encouraging lead , but one which i urge you to continue to treat carefully , ' he told reporters . we are working in a very big ocean and within a very large search area , and so far , since the aircraft went missing , we have had very few leads which allow us to narrow the search area . ' cnn 's aaron cooper and catherine e. shoichet contributed to this report . | are the pulses detected by a chinese patrol ship mh370 's pingers ? |
pistorius <tsp> pretoria , south africa ( cnn ) -- one of the most respected ballistics experts in south africa disputed key elements of the prosecution case against oscar pistorius on friday , saying that the girlfriend he killed last year did not appear to have been in a defensive position when he shot her . tom wolmarans , a former police officer , suggested that reeva steenkamp did not have her hand over her head when pistorius fired four bullets at her . the left hand can not have been against her head ' because there were no wounds and no brain tissue on the inside of her hand , he said . his analysis runs against one of the most dramatic parts of the prosecution case , when a police ballistics expert cowered with his hands over his head , imitating the position he thought steenkamp was in when she was killed . pistorius , 27 , is accused of murdering steenkamp , a model , reality tv star and law school graduate . she was 29 when she was killed . he admits that he fired four bullets through a closed door in his house , killing her , but says he thought he was protecting himself from a burglar . prosecutor gerrie nel has argued aggressively that pistorius argued with steenkamp before killing her . if she was crouched defensively when she was killed , that could support nel 's case , implying that she knew what was coming . if the judge believes wolmarans , on the other hand , it could suggest steenkamp was taken by surprise . fierce cross-examination nel battered wolmarans as the cross-examination began , demanding to know how many different versions of his analysis he gave the defense team , whom he consulted about it and whether he had changed any of his report . flustered and occasionally appearing angry , wolmarans said he had fixed some of the english in his report -- it not being his native language -- but not his conclusions . he also said he would not have changed his conclusions based on conversations he had over beer with another defense expert , roger dixon , because dixon is not a ballistics expert . nel pounced , demanding whether the court should also disregard dixon 's testimony . once the questioning turned to the specifics of the night steenkamp was killed , wolmarans recovered his composure and stood his ground . nel disputed the former police officer 's description of where steenkamp was when the final bullet hit her in the head . the prosecutor said that if her position was as wolmarans described it , there were have been no space for her head . the ballistics expert disagreed . he also stepped into the reconstruction of pistorius'bathroom in the court , to demonstrate , leading to one of the few light moments in the trial . he closed the door as he stepped into the toilet cubicle and then said to the judge , i 'm sorry , my lady , you ca n't see me , ' prompting laughter in court . weeping witness wolmarans earlier agreed with prosecution witnesses who said pistorius , a double amputee , was on his stumps when he shot steenkamp . before the murder trial began , the state had said pistorius put on his prosthetic legs before killing his girlfriend -- implying that the killing was premeditated -- but nel shifted his position when the trial began . wolmarans is in court for a second day . on thursday , defense witnesses included probation officer and social worker yvette van schalkwyk , who testified that pistorius was not faking the dramatic suffering he has shown in court . the gripping trial has seen pistorius break down repeatedly , crying , wailing and sometimes throwing up as the court sees and hears evidence about steenkamp 's death . evidence has included graphic photos of the wounds ; testimony from neighbors , friends , police and pathologists ; and the actual door through which pistorius fired four hollow-tipped bullets on the fateful night . judge 's decision there is no dispute that pistorius shot and killed steenkamp in his home early on the morning of valentine 's day 2013 . prosecutor nel tore into pistorius over five days in court in april , saying the paralympic medalist had argued with steenkamp and killed her on purpose . he tried to force pistorius to look at a picture of steenkamp 's head after the shooting , accused pistorius of being selfish and possessive , and said he refused to take responsibility for his actions . judge thokozile masipa must decide whether pistorius genuinely made a terrible mistake or whether he murdered steenkamp intentionally . live blog : pistorius on trial lead defense lawyer barry roux has said he expects to conclude his case on tuesday . pistorius himself testified for seven days in april . the defense team is seeking to cast doubt on the state 's case and needs only to show there is a reasonable doubt that pistorius meant to kill steenkamp . its case will be followed by closing arguments . masipa will decide the verdict in collaboration with two experts called assessors . south africa does not have jury trials . if pistorius is found guilty of premeditated murder , he faces life in prison . he could be convicted of the lesser charge of culpable homicide , which would leave his sentence at the discretion of the judge . the trial has gripped south africa and sports fans worldwide who considered pistorius a symbol of triumph over physical adversity . his disabled lower legs were amputated when he was a baby , but he went on to achieve global fame as the blade runner , ' winning numerous paralympic gold medals on the carbon-fiber blades that gave him his nickname . he also competed against able-bodied runners at the olympics . only those in the courtroom saw pistorius on the stand , because he chose not to testify on camera . his testimony could be heard in an audio feed . oscar pistorius trial enters new phase after blistering cross-examination gerrie nel :'bulldog'prosecutor sinks teeth into oscar pistorius at murder trial | pistorius says he mistook his girlfriend for an intruder in the middle of the night |
arkansas <tsp> ( cnn ) -- severe weather brought damaging winds across much of eastern north carolina , officials said friday evening . it 's dark , rainy and dangerous , and the roads are flooded , ' julia jarema , a north carolina division of emergency management spokeswoman , told cnn . numerous tornado warnings and watches were in effect for beaufort , edgecombe , greene , halifax , martin , pitt and wayne counties over the course of friday afternoon and evening , the national weather service warned . there were unconfirmed reports of tornadoes . there are no reports of any injuries in any of the counties , ' said jarema . tornadoes , hail and high winds may break out in the central and southern plains this weekend before moving eastward into the mississippi river valley and southeast early next week . there 's a slight risk of this severe weather saturday in south nebraska , central and east kansas , west texas and most of oklahoma , cnn meteorologists reported . on sunday , there 's a moderate chance of that weather in northeast texas , southwest arkansas and southeast oklahoma . little rock , arkansas , for example , has a 70 % chance of severe thunderstorms sunday night , with 1 to 2 inches of rain possible , according to the national weather service . on monday , the weather system will move east into the lower mississippi and tennessee river valleys , cnn meteorologists reported . the chance of rain is 80 % sunday night in st. louis , the weather service said . nashville will see a 70 % to 80 % chance of rain sunday night to monday night , with the possibility of 25-mph winds . folks in memphis , tennessee , should keep their umbrellas handy : the chance of rain is 60 % to 70 % sunday through tuesday . on tuesday , the storms are expected to spread across the southeast and affect atlanta , new orleans , birmingham , alabama , and louisville , kentucky . the weather service foresees a 60 % to 70 % chance of rain in birmingham and atlanta , but no high winds are predicted . cnn 's suzanne presto contributed to this report | little rock , arkansas , has a 70 % chance of severe thunderstorms sunday night |
bible <tsp> ( cnn ) in 2013 , the bible ' broke ratings records on the history channel , so of course , a sequel was ordered up -- and this one is on nbc . the new miniseries from mark burnett and roma downey is one of six shows to watch this week . 1 . a.d . the bible continues , ' 9 p.m . et sunday , nbc just in time for easter , the peacock network debuts the bible ' sequel , picking up with jesus'resurrection and following the early days of christianity . nbc scored on picking up the follow-up to the smash cable hit , starring juan pablo di pace as jesus and greta scacchi as mary ( replacing downey in the role ) . the full miniseries will run for 12 weeks , so consider it a spring revival . 2 . mad men , ' 9 p.m. sunday , amc we 've arrived at the end , mad men ' fans . this is the first of the last several episodes , where we 'll learn the fate of don draper and the cast of characters . click here for more on mad men . ' 3 . american odyssey , ' 10 p.m. sunday , nbc anna friel ( pushing daisies ' ) stars as a special forces translator in mali who is believed to be dead by those back in the states . on the show , she struggles to get back home , while we discover how she ended up how she did . 4 . louie , ' 10:30 thursday , fx louis c.k . 's critically-acclaimed comedy is back for a fifth season . will louie continue to offend people in his life ? all signs point to yes . is louie still dating his best friend-turned-girlfriend , pamela ? we 'll have to tune into find out . 5 . the comedians , ' 10 p.m. thursday , fx billy crystal returns to television , with co-star josh gad , as two people starring in an fx comedy . it 's a meta mockumentary about the making of a comedy show . seinfeld ' and curb your enthusiasm 's ' larry charles is among the producers . 6 . marvel 's daredevil , ' friday , netflix this ai n't ben affleck 's movie . now that marvel has the rights to the man without fear ' back , they 've decided to launch several series for netflix , starting with this dark , gritty drama about blind lawyer matt murdock , and his moonlighting as a costumed avenger ( no pun intended ) . | sequel to popular bible ' miniseries debuting on nbc |
mad men <tsp> ( cnn ) in 2013 , the bible ' broke ratings records on the history channel , so of course , a sequel was ordered up -- and this one is on nbc . the new miniseries from mark burnett and roma downey is one of six shows to watch this week . 1 . a.d . the bible continues , ' 9 p.m . et sunday , nbc just in time for easter , the peacock network debuts the bible ' sequel , picking up with jesus'resurrection and following the early days of christianity . nbc scored on picking up the follow-up to the smash cable hit , starring juan pablo di pace as jesus and greta scacchi as mary ( replacing downey in the role ) . the full miniseries will run for 12 weeks , so consider it a spring revival . 2 . mad men , ' 9 p.m. sunday , amc we 've arrived at the end , mad men ' fans . this is the first of the last several episodes , where we 'll learn the fate of don draper and the cast of characters . click here for more on mad men . ' 3 . american odyssey , ' 10 p.m. sunday , nbc anna friel ( pushing daisies ' ) stars as a special forces translator in mali who is believed to be dead by those back in the states . on the show , she struggles to get back home , while we discover how she ended up how she did . 4 . louie , ' 10:30 thursday , fx louis c.k . 's critically-acclaimed comedy is back for a fifth season . will louie continue to offend people in his life ? all signs point to yes . is louie still dating his best friend-turned-girlfriend , pamela ? we 'll have to tune into find out . 5 . the comedians , ' 10 p.m. thursday , fx billy crystal returns to television , with co-star josh gad , as two people starring in an fx comedy . it 's a meta mockumentary about the making of a comedy show . seinfeld ' and curb your enthusiasm 's ' larry charles is among the producers . 6 . marvel 's daredevil , ' friday , netflix this ai n't ben affleck 's movie . now that marvel has the rights to the man without fear ' back , they 've decided to launch several series for netflix , starting with this dark , gritty drama about blind lawyer matt murdock , and his moonlighting as a costumed avenger ( no pun intended ) . | mad men ' premieres the first of its final episodes |
nbc <tsp> ( cnn ) in 2013 , the bible ' broke ratings records on the history channel , so of course , a sequel was ordered up -- and this one is on nbc . the new miniseries from mark burnett and roma downey is one of six shows to watch this week . 1 . a.d . the bible continues , ' 9 p.m . et sunday , nbc just in time for easter , the peacock network debuts the bible ' sequel , picking up with jesus'resurrection and following the early days of christianity . nbc scored on picking up the follow-up to the smash cable hit , starring juan pablo di pace as jesus and greta scacchi as mary ( replacing downey in the role ) . the full miniseries will run for 12 weeks , so consider it a spring revival . 2 . mad men , ' 9 p.m. sunday , amc we 've arrived at the end , mad men ' fans . this is the first of the last several episodes , where we 'll learn the fate of don draper and the cast of characters . click here for more on mad men . ' 3 . american odyssey , ' 10 p.m. sunday , nbc anna friel ( pushing daisies ' ) stars as a special forces translator in mali who is believed to be dead by those back in the states . on the show , she struggles to get back home , while we discover how she ended up how she did . 4 . louie , ' 10:30 thursday , fx louis c.k . 's critically-acclaimed comedy is back for a fifth season . will louie continue to offend people in his life ? all signs point to yes . is louie still dating his best friend-turned-girlfriend , pamela ? we 'll have to tune into find out . 5 . the comedians , ' 10 p.m. thursday , fx billy crystal returns to television , with co-star josh gad , as two people starring in an fx comedy . it 's a meta mockumentary about the making of a comedy show . seinfeld ' and curb your enthusiasm 's ' larry charles is among the producers . 6 . marvel 's daredevil , ' friday , netflix this ai n't ben affleck 's movie . now that marvel has the rights to the man without fear ' back , they 've decided to launch several series for netflix , starting with this dark , gritty drama about blind lawyer matt murdock , and his moonlighting as a costumed avenger ( no pun intended ) . | sequel to popular bible ' miniseries debuting on nbc |
daredevil <tsp> ( cnn ) in 2013 , the bible ' broke ratings records on the history channel , so of course , a sequel was ordered up -- and this one is on nbc . the new miniseries from mark burnett and roma downey is one of six shows to watch this week . 1 . a.d . the bible continues , ' 9 p.m . et sunday , nbc just in time for easter , the peacock network debuts the bible ' sequel , picking up with jesus'resurrection and following the early days of christianity . nbc scored on picking up the follow-up to the smash cable hit , starring juan pablo di pace as jesus and greta scacchi as mary ( replacing downey in the role ) . the full miniseries will run for 12 weeks , so consider it a spring revival . 2 . mad men , ' 9 p.m. sunday , amc we 've arrived at the end , mad men ' fans . this is the first of the last several episodes , where we 'll learn the fate of don draper and the cast of characters . click here for more on mad men . ' 3 . american odyssey , ' 10 p.m. sunday , nbc anna friel ( pushing daisies ' ) stars as a special forces translator in mali who is believed to be dead by those back in the states . on the show , she struggles to get back home , while we discover how she ended up how she did . 4 . louie , ' 10:30 thursday , fx louis c.k . 's critically-acclaimed comedy is back for a fifth season . will louie continue to offend people in his life ? all signs point to yes . is louie still dating his best friend-turned-girlfriend , pamela ? we 'll have to tune into find out . 5 . the comedians , ' 10 p.m. thursday , fx billy crystal returns to television , with co-star josh gad , as two people starring in an fx comedy . it 's a meta mockumentary about the making of a comedy show . seinfeld ' and curb your enthusiasm 's ' larry charles is among the producers . 6 . marvel 's daredevil , ' friday , netflix this ai n't ben affleck 's movie . now that marvel has the rights to the man without fear ' back , they 've decided to launch several series for netflix , starting with this dark , gritty drama about blind lawyer matt murdock , and his moonlighting as a costumed avenger ( no pun intended ) . | netflix premieres its first marvel series , daredevil ' |
netflix <tsp> ( cnn ) in 2013 , the bible ' broke ratings records on the history channel , so of course , a sequel was ordered up -- and this one is on nbc . the new miniseries from mark burnett and roma downey is one of six shows to watch this week . 1 . a.d . the bible continues , ' 9 p.m . et sunday , nbc just in time for easter , the peacock network debuts the bible ' sequel , picking up with jesus'resurrection and following the early days of christianity . nbc scored on picking up the follow-up to the smash cable hit , starring juan pablo di pace as jesus and greta scacchi as mary ( replacing downey in the role ) . the full miniseries will run for 12 weeks , so consider it a spring revival . 2 . mad men , ' 9 p.m. sunday , amc we 've arrived at the end , mad men ' fans . this is the first of the last several episodes , where we 'll learn the fate of don draper and the cast of characters . click here for more on mad men . ' 3 . american odyssey , ' 10 p.m. sunday , nbc anna friel ( pushing daisies ' ) stars as a special forces translator in mali who is believed to be dead by those back in the states . on the show , she struggles to get back home , while we discover how she ended up how she did . 4 . louie , ' 10:30 thursday , fx louis c.k . 's critically-acclaimed comedy is back for a fifth season . will louie continue to offend people in his life ? all signs point to yes . is louie still dating his best friend-turned-girlfriend , pamela ? we 'll have to tune into find out . 5 . the comedians , ' 10 p.m. thursday , fx billy crystal returns to television , with co-star josh gad , as two people starring in an fx comedy . it 's a meta mockumentary about the making of a comedy show . seinfeld ' and curb your enthusiasm 's ' larry charles is among the producers . 6 . marvel 's daredevil , ' friday , netflix this ai n't ben affleck 's movie . now that marvel has the rights to the man without fear ' back , they 've decided to launch several series for netflix , starting with this dark , gritty drama about blind lawyer matt murdock , and his moonlighting as a costumed avenger ( no pun intended ) . | netflix premieres its first marvel series , daredevil ' |
marvel <tsp> ( cnn ) in 2013 , the bible ' broke ratings records on the history channel , so of course , a sequel was ordered up -- and this one is on nbc . the new miniseries from mark burnett and roma downey is one of six shows to watch this week . 1 . a.d . the bible continues , ' 9 p.m . et sunday , nbc just in time for easter , the peacock network debuts the bible ' sequel , picking up with jesus'resurrection and following the early days of christianity . nbc scored on picking up the follow-up to the smash cable hit , starring juan pablo di pace as jesus and greta scacchi as mary ( replacing downey in the role ) . the full miniseries will run for 12 weeks , so consider it a spring revival . 2 . mad men , ' 9 p.m. sunday , amc we 've arrived at the end , mad men ' fans . this is the first of the last several episodes , where we 'll learn the fate of don draper and the cast of characters . click here for more on mad men . ' 3 . american odyssey , ' 10 p.m. sunday , nbc anna friel ( pushing daisies ' ) stars as a special forces translator in mali who is believed to be dead by those back in the states . on the show , she struggles to get back home , while we discover how she ended up how she did . 4 . louie , ' 10:30 thursday , fx louis c.k . 's critically-acclaimed comedy is back for a fifth season . will louie continue to offend people in his life ? all signs point to yes . is louie still dating his best friend-turned-girlfriend , pamela ? we 'll have to tune into find out . 5 . the comedians , ' 10 p.m. thursday , fx billy crystal returns to television , with co-star josh gad , as two people starring in an fx comedy . it 's a meta mockumentary about the making of a comedy show . seinfeld ' and curb your enthusiasm 's ' larry charles is among the producers . 6 . marvel 's daredevil , ' friday , netflix this ai n't ben affleck 's movie . now that marvel has the rights to the man without fear ' back , they 've decided to launch several series for netflix , starting with this dark , gritty drama about blind lawyer matt murdock , and his moonlighting as a costumed avenger ( no pun intended ) . | netflix premieres its first marvel series , daredevil ' |
sean penn <tsp> ( cnn ) -- it was a love affair begun long before the levees broke . from left , u2 's the edge , billie joe armstrong of green day and bono perform at the superdome in 2006 . before the images of a crowded and toxic superdome and desperate survivors waving down help from rooftops , entertainers the world over had a special place in their hearts for new orleans -- the sultry louisiana city that served as muse to musicians , playwrights and novelists for more than a century before hurricane katrina roared into the city four years ago this week . celebrity response to disasters was nothing new . from george harrison 's concert for bangladesh in 1971 to live aid and usa for africa in the early '80s , musicians and others have acted in times of need . but something about katrina -- something about new orleans -- spurred an unprecedented response from the entertainment world that continues four years later , experts and activists say . anybody , whether they 're a performer or not , who has studied or been touched by american music has been touched by new orleans , ' said jordan hirsch , director of the nonprofit aid group sweet home new orleans . it 's jazz . it 's r & b . it 's funk . ... for everybody of every generation who 's making music in america , there 's a touchstone in new orleans that has affected their work . ' in the days after the floods , many of the rich and famous stepped up with perhaps the most obvious response , writing a check . george clooney donated $ 1 million to united way and oprah winfrey added another million through her angel network and urged her famous friends to follow suit . director steven spielberg gave $ 750,000 to the red cross and another $ 750,000 to the bush-clinton fund . hip-hop stars p. diddy and jay z pitched in with big checks , as did actor nicholas cage and singers celine dion and hillary duff . michael jackson donated the proceeds of a song , from the bottom of my heart , ' to relief efforts and actor jamie foxx raised $ 600,000 -- including $ 200,000 paid for a date with paris hilton -- through a celebrity auction . others took more direct action . john travolta flew relief supplies into the region on his private plane , sean penn took a private boat ( albeit a leaky one ) into new orleans to rescue people . brad pitt founded the make it right foundation , an organization dedicated to rebuilding the lower 9th ward in new orleans . almost to a person , the performers who stepped up cited a special love for the city 's artistic tradition -- from the creole brass bands that invented jazz in the city 's streets to the colorful mardi gras krewes whose elaborate floats and costumes are an emblem of the city 's annual pre-lent bacchanal . u2 guitarist the edge helped form music rising , a group initially dedicated to providing instruments for new orleans musicians who had lost their own during the floods . the group gave instruments to 2,700 musicians from the gulf region before shifting its focus to helping churches and schools rebuild their music programs . the new orleans tragedy was a twofold tragedy , ' edge said in 2006 during the city 's jazzfest . it was a tragedy because of the fact that this great city was devastated , but it was a tragedy because of the incredible music culture that was also destroyed . ' as the city continues to struggle , assistance is still arriving in a way that 's different from the aftermath of most disasters , experts said . there have been some institutions created as a result of it , ' said james ferris , director of the university of southern california 's center on philanthropy and public policy . it has sort of garnered ongoing attention , not from the general public as much as from organized philanthropy . ' a key difference in the case of katrina was the 24-hour media coverage the disaster received , at least some of which was spurred by celebrity responses , ferris said . obviously , that 's one of the assets that a celebrity brings to an endeavor , ' ferris said . it gets attention ; it gets name recognition . ' celebrity interest in katrina , like other public causes , did n't come without some criticism . the katrina response was part of what led time magazine to dub 2005 the year of charitainment . ' some accused celebrities at the time of donating or volunteering simply to gain positive publicity or to take a swipe at then-president george bush and perceptions his administration responded slowly and inadequately to the disaster . there were reports that penn invited photographers to follow him during his boat rescue , a claim he denied and attributed to a single tabloid newspaper that spread the story . penn , who had filmed a remake of the film all the king 's men ' in new orleans and other parts of louisiana , said getting attention was n't a concern during his mission , which he said rescued 40 people . you know , it does n't really matter , ' he told cnn 's larry king on september 7 , 2005 . the point was that , out of the benefit of celebrity , i could afford to get on an airplane and get down there . and we got a lot of people out of the water . the rest is for people to talk about . ' hirsch , whose sweet home new orleans focuses on helping musicians and members of new orleans'famous mardi gras krewes , said there 's value in celebrity support , not just in their ability to raise or donate funds , but to spread the word and keep the story of new orleans alive . they have fans that are listening to them and are interested in their point of view , ' said hirsch , whose organization has benefited from concerts by acts including the indigo girls , my morning jacket and former rage against the machine front man tom morello . when an artist shares their point of view with an audience , that carries weight . ' | others like john travolta , sean penn and the edge of u2 took more direct action |
massachusetts <tsp> ( cnn ) -- criminal investigators from the department of justice and the food and drug administration were at a massachusetts pharmaceutical company on tuesday with a search warrant , a company spokesman said . federal officials say that more issues have been reported with drugs from the new england compounding center , or necc , which has been linked to a deadly multistate outbreak of fungal meningitis . fda spokeswoman erica jefferson confirmed that criminal investigators were on site , but declined to answer questions regarding a warrant . u.s. attorney carmen m. ortiz similarly said that personnel from her office and law enforcement partners were investigating allegations concerning the company . she added that it was entirely premature ' to suggest what the results of that probe may be . fifteen people have died from the noncontagious meningitis associated with injections of a contaminated steroid produced by the necc . as part of the ongoing investigation into the center , a patient with possible meningitis has been identified who received an injection of another necc product , triamcinolone acetonide , the food and drug administration said monday . also , a fungal infection from aspergillus was reported in a transplant patient who received cardioplegic solution from necc , the fda said . cardioplegic solution is used to induce paralysis of the heart during open-heart surgery . an investigation of this patient is ongoing ; and there may be other explanations for their aspergillus infection , ' the fda said . the health care facility initially reported two transplant patients having infections from aspergillus , the fda said . the heart transplant patient received the cardioplegic solution in august , and the patient who received the triamcinolone injection was treated on september 19 -- both before necc recalled its products , according to an official at the federal centers for disease control , who declined to be named because of the sensitivity of the subject . the necc announced a recall of all its products october 6 . the fda said the sterility of any injectable drugs ... produced by necc ( is ) of significant concern , and out of an abundance of caution , patients who received these products should be alerted to the potential risk of infection . ' the cdc reported monday the number of meningitis cases increased from 205 to 214 , spread across 15 states . two of the cases are a peripheral joint infection ' that specifically affects a joint such as a knee , hip , shoulder or elbow , officials said . the cases have been linked to injections of a contaminated steroid , methylprednisolone acetate , produced by the necc . some 14,000 people may have received the injections , the cdc estimated last week . meningitis outbreak : what are compounding pharmacies ? a minnesota woman , barbe puro , filed a lawsuit thursday -- which may be the first from the outbreak -- against tthe necc . in it , she alleges she was injected in september with a tainted batch of steroids from the necc . meanwhile , members of congress expanded an investigation into the outbreak . in a letter to the director of the massachusetts board of registration in pharmacy , leaders of the house committee on energy and commerce noted the fda sent the necc a warning letter in 2006 detailing significant violations witnessed ' by investigators the previous year . woman sues over outbreak massachusetts gov . deval patrick also accused the necc last week of misleading regulators and operating outside its license by shipping large batches of drugs nationwide . plus , the state 's pharmacy board mandated that all massachusetts compounding pharmacies sign affidavits stating they are complying with state regulations requiring compounders to mix medications for specific patients . meningitis is an inflammation of the protective membranes covering the brain and spinal cord . it is usually caused by an infection , frequently with bacteria or a virus , but it can also be caused by less common pathogens , such as fungi in this case , according to the cdc . steroid injections common for back pain sufferers fungal meningitis is very rare and , unlike viral and bacterial meningitis , is not contagious . dr. william schaffner , chairman of the department of preventive medicine at vanderbilt university medical center , said fungal infections are not usually mild . he said when a fungus invades small blood vessels , it can cause them to clot or bleed , which can lead to symptoms of small strokes . in addition to typical meningitis symptoms such as headache , fever , nausea and stiffness of the neck , people with fungal meningitis may also experience confusion , dizziness and discomfort from bright lights . patients might just have one or two of these symptoms , the cdc says . cdc : tests may not detect meningitis fungus cnn 's elizabeth cohen and danielle dellorto contributed to this report . | the outbreak has been linked to the massachusetts compounding pharmacy |
fda <tsp> ( cnn ) -- criminal investigators from the department of justice and the food and drug administration were at a massachusetts pharmaceutical company on tuesday with a search warrant , a company spokesman said . federal officials say that more issues have been reported with drugs from the new england compounding center , or necc , which has been linked to a deadly multistate outbreak of fungal meningitis . fda spokeswoman erica jefferson confirmed that criminal investigators were on site , but declined to answer questions regarding a warrant . u.s. attorney carmen m. ortiz similarly said that personnel from her office and law enforcement partners were investigating allegations concerning the company . she added that it was entirely premature ' to suggest what the results of that probe may be . fifteen people have died from the noncontagious meningitis associated with injections of a contaminated steroid produced by the necc . as part of the ongoing investigation into the center , a patient with possible meningitis has been identified who received an injection of another necc product , triamcinolone acetonide , the food and drug administration said monday . also , a fungal infection from aspergillus was reported in a transplant patient who received cardioplegic solution from necc , the fda said . cardioplegic solution is used to induce paralysis of the heart during open-heart surgery . an investigation of this patient is ongoing ; and there may be other explanations for their aspergillus infection , ' the fda said . the health care facility initially reported two transplant patients having infections from aspergillus , the fda said . the heart transplant patient received the cardioplegic solution in august , and the patient who received the triamcinolone injection was treated on september 19 -- both before necc recalled its products , according to an official at the federal centers for disease control , who declined to be named because of the sensitivity of the subject . the necc announced a recall of all its products october 6 . the fda said the sterility of any injectable drugs ... produced by necc ( is ) of significant concern , and out of an abundance of caution , patients who received these products should be alerted to the potential risk of infection . ' the cdc reported monday the number of meningitis cases increased from 205 to 214 , spread across 15 states . two of the cases are a peripheral joint infection ' that specifically affects a joint such as a knee , hip , shoulder or elbow , officials said . the cases have been linked to injections of a contaminated steroid , methylprednisolone acetate , produced by the necc . some 14,000 people may have received the injections , the cdc estimated last week . meningitis outbreak : what are compounding pharmacies ? a minnesota woman , barbe puro , filed a lawsuit thursday -- which may be the first from the outbreak -- against tthe necc . in it , she alleges she was injected in september with a tainted batch of steroids from the necc . meanwhile , members of congress expanded an investigation into the outbreak . in a letter to the director of the massachusetts board of registration in pharmacy , leaders of the house committee on energy and commerce noted the fda sent the necc a warning letter in 2006 detailing significant violations witnessed ' by investigators the previous year . woman sues over outbreak massachusetts gov . deval patrick also accused the necc last week of misleading regulators and operating outside its license by shipping large batches of drugs nationwide . plus , the state 's pharmacy board mandated that all massachusetts compounding pharmacies sign affidavits stating they are complying with state regulations requiring compounders to mix medications for specific patients . meningitis is an inflammation of the protective membranes covering the brain and spinal cord . it is usually caused by an infection , frequently with bacteria or a virus , but it can also be caused by less common pathogens , such as fungi in this case , according to the cdc . steroid injections common for back pain sufferers fungal meningitis is very rare and , unlike viral and bacterial meningitis , is not contagious . dr. william schaffner , chairman of the department of preventive medicine at vanderbilt university medical center , said fungal infections are not usually mild . he said when a fungus invades small blood vessels , it can cause them to clot or bleed , which can lead to symptoms of small strokes . in addition to typical meningitis symptoms such as headache , fever , nausea and stiffness of the neck , people with fungal meningitis may also experience confusion , dizziness and discomfort from bright lights . patients might just have one or two of these symptoms , the cdc says . cdc : tests may not detect meningitis fungus cnn 's elizabeth cohen and danielle dellorto contributed to this report . | new : justice , fda investigators at facility tied to meningitis outbreak |
republican <tsp> ( cnn ) when bruce jenner told abc 's diane sawyer and the world on friday night that yes , for all intents and purposes , i 'm a woman , ' the declaration was n't particularly surprising . paparazzi have been stalking the former olympic champion for months , breathlessly documenting his increasingly feminine appearance down to his lip gloss , pierced ears and french manicure . the social media reaction ? a cheer , a shrug -- and not much else . except the occasional prod at jenner also being republican . of course , jenner 's family owned the moment , being the reality tv mavens they are -- the jenners and the kardashians . so very proud of you , my hero , ' tweeted daughter kendall jenner . his other daughter kylie jenner expressed mixed emotions . understandingly , this has been very hard for me . you will hear what i have to say when i 'm ready to but ... this is n't about me . i 'm so proud of you , dad . you are so brave . my beautiful hero , ' she said on twitter . ex-wife kris jenner was equally supportive . not only was i able to call him my husband for 25 years and father of my children , i am now able to call him my hero , ' she said . stepdaughters kim , khloé and kourtney kardashian also joined the family chorus . love is the courage to live the truest , best version of yourself . bruce is love . i love you bruce . # prouddaughter , ' kim tweeted . just finished watching the # brucejennerinterview with the family . bruzer , i 'm soooo proud of you ! dads really are heros ❤️ , ' khloé said on twitter . could n't be a more proud daughter . with courage and bravery , let 's change the world . i am honored to stand by bruce 's side and support him , ' kourtney said . the entertainment industry was quick to embrace the news . lady gaga has long supported lesbian , gay , bisexual and transgender issues . we have the chance to write this moment in history together , ' she tweeted . let 's empower people like bruce all over the world by being loving & not mean.💗 ' transgender actress laverne cox of orange is the new black ' gave a shout out . sending lots of love and support to # brucejenner and their family tonight , ' she tweeted . it is always brave to stand in one 's truth . congrats darling . ' the jenner interview was a key moment for advocacy groups like glaad and the national center for transgender equality , thrusting lgbt issues into the spotlight . today , millions of people learned that someone they know is transgender , ' glaad tweeted . welcome , # brucejenner , ' trans equality tweeted . thank you for your courage and bravery . ' as with all things , public opinion is hardly unanimous and social media only represents the views of those who post . still , there were few detractors . one man used an old testament bible verse as the basis for his stance . gop logic : bruce jenner is not gay ... but transgender , ' benny said on twitter . still forbidden by the bible but we cherrypick . ' this woman was n't sure what to make of jenner 's announcement . still confused about bruce jenner becoming a woman ... , ' tweeted hughey . and what would a social media event be without a good dose of humor . many folks seemed to be more intrigued by jenner 's announcement that he 's republican than him coming out as a woman . i accept that bruce jenner is a republican and wish him happiness , even if i ca n't understand it , ' said johnny mcnulty . i 'll accept bruce jenner 's choice to live how he wants much easier than leftists will accept his politics , ' countermoonbat said on twitter . and this final nugget from bibi . bruce jenner : * comes out as a woman * ' everyone : yas girl , slay ' ' bruce jenner : * comes out as a republican * everyone : disgusting ' | more people seemed intrigued that he 's a republican |
jenner <tsp> ( cnn ) when bruce jenner told abc 's diane sawyer and the world on friday night that yes , for all intents and purposes , i 'm a woman , ' the declaration was n't particularly surprising . paparazzi have been stalking the former olympic champion for months , breathlessly documenting his increasingly feminine appearance down to his lip gloss , pierced ears and french manicure . the social media reaction ? a cheer , a shrug -- and not much else . except the occasional prod at jenner also being republican . of course , jenner 's family owned the moment , being the reality tv mavens they are -- the jenners and the kardashians . so very proud of you , my hero , ' tweeted daughter kendall jenner . his other daughter kylie jenner expressed mixed emotions . understandingly , this has been very hard for me . you will hear what i have to say when i 'm ready to but ... this is n't about me . i 'm so proud of you , dad . you are so brave . my beautiful hero , ' she said on twitter . ex-wife kris jenner was equally supportive . not only was i able to call him my husband for 25 years and father of my children , i am now able to call him my hero , ' she said . stepdaughters kim , khloé and kourtney kardashian also joined the family chorus . love is the courage to live the truest , best version of yourself . bruce is love . i love you bruce . # prouddaughter , ' kim tweeted . just finished watching the # brucejennerinterview with the family . bruzer , i 'm soooo proud of you ! dads really are heros ❤️ , ' khloé said on twitter . could n't be a more proud daughter . with courage and bravery , let 's change the world . i am honored to stand by bruce 's side and support him , ' kourtney said . the entertainment industry was quick to embrace the news . lady gaga has long supported lesbian , gay , bisexual and transgender issues . we have the chance to write this moment in history together , ' she tweeted . let 's empower people like bruce all over the world by being loving & not mean.💗 ' transgender actress laverne cox of orange is the new black ' gave a shout out . sending lots of love and support to # brucejenner and their family tonight , ' she tweeted . it is always brave to stand in one 's truth . congrats darling . ' the jenner interview was a key moment for advocacy groups like glaad and the national center for transgender equality , thrusting lgbt issues into the spotlight . today , millions of people learned that someone they know is transgender , ' glaad tweeted . welcome , # brucejenner , ' trans equality tweeted . thank you for your courage and bravery . ' as with all things , public opinion is hardly unanimous and social media only represents the views of those who post . still , there were few detractors . one man used an old testament bible verse as the basis for his stance . gop logic : bruce jenner is not gay ... but transgender , ' benny said on twitter . still forbidden by the bible but we cherrypick . ' this woman was n't sure what to make of jenner 's announcement . still confused about bruce jenner becoming a woman ... , ' tweeted hughey . and what would a social media event be without a good dose of humor . many folks seemed to be more intrigued by jenner 's announcement that he 's republican than him coming out as a woman . i accept that bruce jenner is a republican and wish him happiness , even if i ca n't understand it , ' said johnny mcnulty . i 'll accept bruce jenner 's choice to live how he wants much easier than leftists will accept his politics , ' countermoonbat said on twitter . and this final nugget from bibi . bruce jenner : * comes out as a woman * ' everyone : yas girl , slay ' ' bruce jenner : * comes out as a republican * everyone : disgusting ' | social media largely supports jenner |
cyrus <tsp> ( cnn ) -- if only they 'd all bitten their tongues . miley cyrus and katy perry have gotten into a mini war of words over their shared smooch at cyrus'concert in february . at the time , it seemed the two pop stars were playing off perry 's hit , i kissed a girl , ' as cyrus said after the kiss was over , i just kissed a girl , and i really liked it a lot . ' but according to perry , cyrus wanted more than perry was willing to give . her show was amazing , ' the 29-year-old said on australian morning show sunrise ' on tuesday . she has this one part where it 's like a kiss cam , and i just walked up to her to give her like a friendly girly kiss , you know , as us girls do , and then she like , tried to move her head and go deeper and i pulled away . ' god knows where that tongue has been . we do n't know ! that tongue is so infamous ! ' cyrus has heard about perry 's quip and gave her response on twitter , coyly mentioning perry 's rumored ex-boyfriend , john mayer . girl if ur worried abt where tongues have been good thing ur ex boo is ur ex boo cause we all know where that ( tongue ) been , ' cyrus posted on march 6 . while the stars'back-and-forth appeared to be a little tart , perry has taken cyrus'ribbing in stride . | cyrus heard about it , and fired back with a tweet referencing perry 's rumored ex |
cyrus <tsp> ( cnn ) -- if only they 'd all bitten their tongues . miley cyrus and katy perry have gotten into a mini war of words over their shared smooch at cyrus'concert in february . at the time , it seemed the two pop stars were playing off perry 's hit , i kissed a girl , ' as cyrus said after the kiss was over , i just kissed a girl , and i really liked it a lot . ' but according to perry , cyrus wanted more than perry was willing to give . her show was amazing , ' the 29-year-old said on australian morning show sunrise ' on tuesday . she has this one part where it 's like a kiss cam , and i just walked up to her to give her like a friendly girly kiss , you know , as us girls do , and then she like , tried to move her head and go deeper and i pulled away . ' god knows where that tongue has been . we do n't know ! that tongue is so infamous ! ' cyrus has heard about perry 's quip and gave her response on twitter , coyly mentioning perry 's rumored ex-boyfriend , john mayer . girl if ur worried abt where tongues have been good thing ur ex boo is ur ex boo cause we all know where that ( tongue ) been , ' cyrus posted on march 6 . while the stars'back-and-forth appeared to be a little tart , perry has taken cyrus'ribbing in stride . | perry joked that cyrus wanted more than she was willing to give |
cyrus <tsp> ( cnn ) -- if only they 'd all bitten their tongues . miley cyrus and katy perry have gotten into a mini war of words over their shared smooch at cyrus'concert in february . at the time , it seemed the two pop stars were playing off perry 's hit , i kissed a girl , ' as cyrus said after the kiss was over , i just kissed a girl , and i really liked it a lot . ' but according to perry , cyrus wanted more than perry was willing to give . her show was amazing , ' the 29-year-old said on australian morning show sunrise ' on tuesday . she has this one part where it 's like a kiss cam , and i just walked up to her to give her like a friendly girly kiss , you know , as us girls do , and then she like , tried to move her head and go deeper and i pulled away . ' god knows where that tongue has been . we do n't know ! that tongue is so infamous ! ' cyrus has heard about perry 's quip and gave her response on twitter , coyly mentioning perry 's rumored ex-boyfriend , john mayer . girl if ur worried abt where tongues have been good thing ur ex boo is ur ex boo cause we all know where that ( tongue ) been , ' cyrus posted on march 6 . while the stars'back-and-forth appeared to be a little tart , perry has taken cyrus'ribbing in stride . | the two pop stars kissed each other at cyrus'concert on february 22 |
cyrus <tsp> ( cnn ) -- if only they 'd all bitten their tongues . miley cyrus and katy perry have gotten into a mini war of words over their shared smooch at cyrus'concert in february . at the time , it seemed the two pop stars were playing off perry 's hit , i kissed a girl , ' as cyrus said after the kiss was over , i just kissed a girl , and i really liked it a lot . ' but according to perry , cyrus wanted more than perry was willing to give . her show was amazing , ' the 29-year-old said on australian morning show sunrise ' on tuesday . she has this one part where it 's like a kiss cam , and i just walked up to her to give her like a friendly girly kiss , you know , as us girls do , and then she like , tried to move her head and go deeper and i pulled away . ' god knows where that tongue has been . we do n't know ! that tongue is so infamous ! ' cyrus has heard about perry 's quip and gave her response on twitter , coyly mentioning perry 's rumored ex-boyfriend , john mayer . girl if ur worried abt where tongues have been good thing ur ex boo is ur ex boo cause we all know where that ( tongue ) been , ' cyrus posted on march 6 . while the stars'back-and-forth appeared to be a little tart , perry has taken cyrus'ribbing in stride . | katy perry and miley cyrus are having a fallout over their kiss |
northeast <tsp> ( cnn ) -- oh , the weather outside is % # ! $ . that 's the tune many travelers may be singing this weekend as powerful storms threaten to bring severe thunderstorms and icy conditions to vast parts of the country , just in time for holiday travel . flight delays could be possible saturday in oklahoma city , wichita and kansas city , cnn meteorologist sean morris said . tulsa international airport in oklahoma could be forced to close saturday because of severe icing , he said . on sunday , delays are possible in many key air travel hubs and larger markets , including chicago , milwaukee , boston , new york , philadelphia , washington , charlotte and atlanta , morris predicted . the weird weather comes just as the christmas holiday travel period is set to get started . about 94.5 million americans are expected to travel at least 50 miles from home during the holiday beginning saturday , according to aaa . i see problems , and definitely no shortage of them , ' cnn meteorologist indra petersons said friday . of greatest concern : a moderate risk of severe thunderstorms that could produce isolated tornadoes in the lower mississippi valley , and the threat of icy conditions in the midwest and northeast . while icy conditions were being reported in kansas , the problems began to spread friday night , as a front fueled by moisture from the gulf of mexico swept across the lower mississippi valley . up to 5 inches of rain was expected across a broad area from northeast texas to eastern new york . late friday , the national weather service was reporting that heavy rain was possible from the lower mississippi valley to northern new england . it predicted a band of snow from the central plains to the great lakes and into some of northern maine . freezing rain was possible from the southern plains to the great lakes and new england . though it had said there only a slight risk ' of severe thunderstorms over parts of the western gulf coast and the lower mississippi valley , the service reported friday evening sighting a tornado near the community of newman , mississippi , about 25 miles west of jackson . an almost stationary front that extended from the southern high plains to new england was expected to drop sometimes heavy rains by sunday over parts of that swath . and a band of freezing rain/sleet was predicted from oklahoma across parts of the great lakes into new england . ice-storm warnings were in effect for most of oklahoma through sunday morning , with thunderstorms and freezing rain possible friday night , according to cnn 's morris . as much as an inch of ice was expected to coat all exposed surfaces , he said , with at least half an inch of ice possible in oklahoma city and tulsa . widespread power outages were predicted sunday . heavy rains were expected over much of the ohio river valley and mid-mississippi river valley on sunday , leading to flooding next week of low-lying farmland along the ohio and mississippi rivers and residential areas located along rivers , creeks and streams . severe storms are possible on sunday , when a cold front is predicted to move across the mid-atlantic and southeast . the messiness had already begun friday , when ice on roads and sidewalks in iowa was blamed for numerous crashes and falls . and morning icing in topeka , kansas , caused several wrecks , cnn affiliate ksnt reported . meanwhile , temperatures will continue to rise in the east ahead of the cold front trailing the storms , with new york reaching an unseasonable 67 degrees sunday and washington warming to 72 degrees . cnn 's tom watkins contributed to this report | the biggest concerns : thunderstorms in the south and icing in the northeast |
mississippi <tsp> ( cnn ) -- oh , the weather outside is % # ! $ . that 's the tune many travelers may be singing this weekend as powerful storms threaten to bring severe thunderstorms and icy conditions to vast parts of the country , just in time for holiday travel . flight delays could be possible saturday in oklahoma city , wichita and kansas city , cnn meteorologist sean morris said . tulsa international airport in oklahoma could be forced to close saturday because of severe icing , he said . on sunday , delays are possible in many key air travel hubs and larger markets , including chicago , milwaukee , boston , new york , philadelphia , washington , charlotte and atlanta , morris predicted . the weird weather comes just as the christmas holiday travel period is set to get started . about 94.5 million americans are expected to travel at least 50 miles from home during the holiday beginning saturday , according to aaa . i see problems , and definitely no shortage of them , ' cnn meteorologist indra petersons said friday . of greatest concern : a moderate risk of severe thunderstorms that could produce isolated tornadoes in the lower mississippi valley , and the threat of icy conditions in the midwest and northeast . while icy conditions were being reported in kansas , the problems began to spread friday night , as a front fueled by moisture from the gulf of mexico swept across the lower mississippi valley . up to 5 inches of rain was expected across a broad area from northeast texas to eastern new york . late friday , the national weather service was reporting that heavy rain was possible from the lower mississippi valley to northern new england . it predicted a band of snow from the central plains to the great lakes and into some of northern maine . freezing rain was possible from the southern plains to the great lakes and new england . though it had said there only a slight risk ' of severe thunderstorms over parts of the western gulf coast and the lower mississippi valley , the service reported friday evening sighting a tornado near the community of newman , mississippi , about 25 miles west of jackson . an almost stationary front that extended from the southern high plains to new england was expected to drop sometimes heavy rains by sunday over parts of that swath . and a band of freezing rain/sleet was predicted from oklahoma across parts of the great lakes into new england . ice-storm warnings were in effect for most of oklahoma through sunday morning , with thunderstorms and freezing rain possible friday night , according to cnn 's morris . as much as an inch of ice was expected to coat all exposed surfaces , he said , with at least half an inch of ice possible in oklahoma city and tulsa . widespread power outages were predicted sunday . heavy rains were expected over much of the ohio river valley and mid-mississippi river valley on sunday , leading to flooding next week of low-lying farmland along the ohio and mississippi rivers and residential areas located along rivers , creeks and streams . severe storms are possible on sunday , when a cold front is predicted to move across the mid-atlantic and southeast . the messiness had already begun friday , when ice on roads and sidewalks in iowa was blamed for numerous crashes and falls . and morning icing in topeka , kansas , caused several wrecks , cnn affiliate ksnt reported . meanwhile , temperatures will continue to rise in the east ahead of the cold front trailing the storms , with new york reaching an unseasonable 67 degrees sunday and washington warming to 72 degrees . cnn 's tom watkins contributed to this report | a tornado is sighted friday night in mississippi |
tendulkar <tsp> ( cnn ) -- india 's most famous sportsman sachin tendulkar will retire from cricket after playing his 200th test match , he announced thursday . it will bring down the curtain on a glittering career which has seen him score a record 100 centuries in tests and one day internationals since making his debut for india in 1989 . it 's been a huge honor to have represented my country and played all over the world . i look forward to playing my 200th test match on home soil , as i call it a day , ' the 40-year-old said in a statement . tendulkar , who has played in a record 198 test matches , can reach the 200 mark in a two-match series against the west indies next month . all my life , i have had a dream of playing cricket for india . i have been living this dream every day for the last 24 years . it 's hard for me to imagine a life without playing cricket because it 's all i have ever done since i was 11 years old , ' he added . the president of the indian cricket board of control , n srinivasan , paid tribute to tendulkar 's record breaking feats . he is without doubt the greatest cricketer india has produced , ' he said . he has been an inspiration for generations of sportsmen not just cricketers . we respect his decision to retire although many of us ca n't imagine an indian team without sachin . ' tendulkar , a right handed batsman , will go down in history for his incredible run scoring feats , including a record 15,837 runs to date in test matches , over 2,000 more than his closest rival , former australian captain ricky ponting . in one-day internationals , tendulkar amassed 18,426 runs , nearly 5,000 runs clear of ponting 's second best tally . tendulkar retired from one day internationals in december 2012 and an earlier announcement that this season would be his last in the lucrative indian premier league ( ipl ) , a twenty20 competition , paved the way for his decision thursday to retire from all forms of the game . fittingly , tendulkar helped the mumbai indians franchise win this year 's ipl title and also played a key role as india won cricket 's world cup on home soil in 2011 . he captained his country 98 times in tests and one day internationals and aside from his batting feats also claimed 45 test wickets and 154 victims in one day internationals as a bowler . tributes to him quickly flowed on social media , with england batsman kevin pietersen tweeting : sachin # 10dulkar - undisputed champion of cricket ! # sachinthegreat . former australian star dean jones made the following prediction : what odds for sachin to score a test ton in his last test ? # goodchance . if tendulkar achieved that feat it would be his 52nd in tests and all of india will be hoping he can reach the magic three figures just one final time in his farewell matches . | sachin tendulkar announces retirement from cricket |
tendulkar <tsp> ( cnn ) -- india 's most famous sportsman sachin tendulkar will retire from cricket after playing his 200th test match , he announced thursday . it will bring down the curtain on a glittering career which has seen him score a record 100 centuries in tests and one day internationals since making his debut for india in 1989 . it 's been a huge honor to have represented my country and played all over the world . i look forward to playing my 200th test match on home soil , as i call it a day , ' the 40-year-old said in a statement . tendulkar , who has played in a record 198 test matches , can reach the 200 mark in a two-match series against the west indies next month . all my life , i have had a dream of playing cricket for india . i have been living this dream every day for the last 24 years . it 's hard for me to imagine a life without playing cricket because it 's all i have ever done since i was 11 years old , ' he added . the president of the indian cricket board of control , n srinivasan , paid tribute to tendulkar 's record breaking feats . he is without doubt the greatest cricketer india has produced , ' he said . he has been an inspiration for generations of sportsmen not just cricketers . we respect his decision to retire although many of us ca n't imagine an indian team without sachin . ' tendulkar , a right handed batsman , will go down in history for his incredible run scoring feats , including a record 15,837 runs to date in test matches , over 2,000 more than his closest rival , former australian captain ricky ponting . in one-day internationals , tendulkar amassed 18,426 runs , nearly 5,000 runs clear of ponting 's second best tally . tendulkar retired from one day internationals in december 2012 and an earlier announcement that this season would be his last in the lucrative indian premier league ( ipl ) , a twenty20 competition , paved the way for his decision thursday to retire from all forms of the game . fittingly , tendulkar helped the mumbai indians franchise win this year 's ipl title and also played a key role as india won cricket 's world cup on home soil in 2011 . he captained his country 98 times in tests and one day internationals and aside from his batting feats also claimed 45 test wickets and 154 victims in one day internationals as a bowler . tributes to him quickly flowed on social media , with england batsman kevin pietersen tweeting : sachin # 10dulkar - undisputed champion of cricket ! # sachinthegreat . former australian star dean jones made the following prediction : what odds for sachin to score a test ton in his last test ? # goodchance . if tendulkar achieved that feat it would be his 52nd in tests and all of india will be hoping he can reach the magic three figures just one final time in his farewell matches . | tendulkar will quit after playing his 200th test match next month |
portway <tsp> ( cnn ) -- the boston-area man who planned to kidnap children , rape and eat them is awaiting sentencing tuesday and is seeking a prison term of 18 years followed by lifetime supervised release , according to court documents . geoffrey portway , 40 , who pleaded guilty in may to distribution and possession of child pornography and solicitation to commit a crime of violence , submitted a document through his attorney to massachusetts district court on friday , providing information to be used in imposing a sentence sufficient but not greater than necessary , ' the court document says . the document includes background on the case , cites similar cases , and reasons for why portway agrees to a term of 18 years , with a maximum of 21 years and 10 months . such reasons included the contention that he never engaged in inappropriate sexual conduct with a minor , ' that portway will be required to register as a sex offender upon his release , limiting his future employment options , and there was no evidence that ( portway ) ever acted out any of his fantasies . ' portway , a former computer operator , also agreed to pay $ 10,000 in restitution fees . ex-pta president accused of making child porn at elementary school federal authorities are recommending that he go to prison for at least 27 years , according to other court documents filed last week . portway has pled guilty to some of the most vile and heinous crimes known to our society , ' federal prosecutors wrote in a sentencing recommendation . but a lawyer for the 40-year-old defendant told cnn his client lived in a fantasy world ' and there was no evidence he harmed any child .'cannibal cop'convicted in new york after his arrest , portway underwent mental health evaluations requested by his attorney , who referred him to a clinical and forensic psychologist who assessed portway 's risk for re-offending and the degree of danger he posed to the community , ' according to court-filed mental health evaluation documents . the documents describe a troubled childhood . his parents divorced when he was young , and portman realized he was gay when he was 8 years old but was afraid to reveal it because his father was homophobic , the evaluating psychologist dr. eric l. brown , wrote . around the same time , according to the evaluation , he became increasingly fascinated with children 's tales such as hansel and gretel , ' in which two children are caged and fattened up so that a witch can eat them . pretzel bag leads feds to child porn suspect in california portway had a wish to be eaten ' that fulfilled a more basic desire to be wanted , valued , and incorporated by another person , ' wrote dr. brown . when portway 's home in worcester was searched last year , authorities found tens of thousands of computer images and videos of child pornography and 4,500 exchanges of child pornography between portway and the people he chatted with online . the images included children purportedly being cooked and prepared to be eaten , court documents said . those photographs are sealed . authorities also found a locked basement , court documents show . photos taken the day of portway 's arrest , and released by prosecutors , show a narrow wooden staircase leading downstairs to a soundproof room . it was furnished with a metal cage with a circular hole for feeding , a rusted and worn steel-topped table , as well as multiple kinds of metal bondage equipment . a child-sized coffin made of plywood was found on the floor nearby . smartphone app hunts for child predators portway 's lawyer , richard j. sweeney , told cnn that his client 's sentencing hearing will be the proper time to address all the issues addressed by the government . ' but he added , there 's no evidence at all of geoffrey being involved with any child or harming any child . ' geoffrey lived in a fantasy world where he did live-action role playing , did things online unrelated to child porn and cannibalism . a lot of the chats that he had were , in his mind , fantasy , ' sweeney said . when they went out to the other people he was talking to , these other people actually had kids they were taking photos of . geoffrey did not have any kids he had abducted , though he certainly talked about it . ' photographs reviewed by cnn show handcuffs , rope intended for bondage , bleach , disposable scalpels and syringes , mouth gags , a butcher kit with multiple knives , a child-sized red onesie , ' and castration tools . his dvd collection , documents show , included titles such as hansel and gretel , ' the real cannibal holocaust , ' the genesis children , ' and cannibal ferox , ' a film with the tagline make them die slowly . ' online chats , seized by police , showed portway called his basement a dungeon ' where he intended to keep kidnapped children while he sexually abused them and as a place to eventually murder and cannibalize the children . ' florida man linked to 1 million child porn videos , images cnn 's deborah feyerick , rande iaboni , lateef mungin , julie cannold , and ronni berke contributed to this report . | geoffrey portway pleaded guilty in may to child porn and solicitation to commit violence |
portway <tsp> ( cnn ) -- the boston-area man who planned to kidnap children , rape and eat them is awaiting sentencing tuesday and is seeking a prison term of 18 years followed by lifetime supervised release , according to court documents . geoffrey portway , 40 , who pleaded guilty in may to distribution and possession of child pornography and solicitation to commit a crime of violence , submitted a document through his attorney to massachusetts district court on friday , providing information to be used in imposing a sentence sufficient but not greater than necessary , ' the court document says . the document includes background on the case , cites similar cases , and reasons for why portway agrees to a term of 18 years , with a maximum of 21 years and 10 months . such reasons included the contention that he never engaged in inappropriate sexual conduct with a minor , ' that portway will be required to register as a sex offender upon his release , limiting his future employment options , and there was no evidence that ( portway ) ever acted out any of his fantasies . ' portway , a former computer operator , also agreed to pay $ 10,000 in restitution fees . ex-pta president accused of making child porn at elementary school federal authorities are recommending that he go to prison for at least 27 years , according to other court documents filed last week . portway has pled guilty to some of the most vile and heinous crimes known to our society , ' federal prosecutors wrote in a sentencing recommendation . but a lawyer for the 40-year-old defendant told cnn his client lived in a fantasy world ' and there was no evidence he harmed any child .'cannibal cop'convicted in new york after his arrest , portway underwent mental health evaluations requested by his attorney , who referred him to a clinical and forensic psychologist who assessed portway 's risk for re-offending and the degree of danger he posed to the community , ' according to court-filed mental health evaluation documents . the documents describe a troubled childhood . his parents divorced when he was young , and portman realized he was gay when he was 8 years old but was afraid to reveal it because his father was homophobic , the evaluating psychologist dr. eric l. brown , wrote . around the same time , according to the evaluation , he became increasingly fascinated with children 's tales such as hansel and gretel , ' in which two children are caged and fattened up so that a witch can eat them . pretzel bag leads feds to child porn suspect in california portway had a wish to be eaten ' that fulfilled a more basic desire to be wanted , valued , and incorporated by another person , ' wrote dr. brown . when portway 's home in worcester was searched last year , authorities found tens of thousands of computer images and videos of child pornography and 4,500 exchanges of child pornography between portway and the people he chatted with online . the images included children purportedly being cooked and prepared to be eaten , court documents said . those photographs are sealed . authorities also found a locked basement , court documents show . photos taken the day of portway 's arrest , and released by prosecutors , show a narrow wooden staircase leading downstairs to a soundproof room . it was furnished with a metal cage with a circular hole for feeding , a rusted and worn steel-topped table , as well as multiple kinds of metal bondage equipment . a child-sized coffin made of plywood was found on the floor nearby . smartphone app hunts for child predators portway 's lawyer , richard j. sweeney , told cnn that his client 's sentencing hearing will be the proper time to address all the issues addressed by the government . ' but he added , there 's no evidence at all of geoffrey being involved with any child or harming any child . ' geoffrey lived in a fantasy world where he did live-action role playing , did things online unrelated to child porn and cannibalism . a lot of the chats that he had were , in his mind , fantasy , ' sweeney said . when they went out to the other people he was talking to , these other people actually had kids they were taking photos of . geoffrey did not have any kids he had abducted , though he certainly talked about it . ' photographs reviewed by cnn show handcuffs , rope intended for bondage , bleach , disposable scalpels and syringes , mouth gags , a butcher kit with multiple knives , a child-sized red onesie , ' and castration tools . his dvd collection , documents show , included titles such as hansel and gretel , ' the real cannibal holocaust , ' the genesis children , ' and cannibal ferox , ' a film with the tagline make them die slowly . ' online chats , seized by police , showed portway called his basement a dungeon ' where he intended to keep kidnapped children while he sexually abused them and as a place to eventually murder and cannibalize the children . ' florida man linked to 1 million child porn videos , images cnn 's deborah feyerick , rande iaboni , lateef mungin , julie cannold , and ronni berke contributed to this report . | his defense lawyer says portway lived in a fantasy world ' and did not harm children |
portway <tsp> ( cnn ) -- the boston-area man who planned to kidnap children , rape and eat them is awaiting sentencing tuesday and is seeking a prison term of 18 years followed by lifetime supervised release , according to court documents . geoffrey portway , 40 , who pleaded guilty in may to distribution and possession of child pornography and solicitation to commit a crime of violence , submitted a document through his attorney to massachusetts district court on friday , providing information to be used in imposing a sentence sufficient but not greater than necessary , ' the court document says . the document includes background on the case , cites similar cases , and reasons for why portway agrees to a term of 18 years , with a maximum of 21 years and 10 months . such reasons included the contention that he never engaged in inappropriate sexual conduct with a minor , ' that portway will be required to register as a sex offender upon his release , limiting his future employment options , and there was no evidence that ( portway ) ever acted out any of his fantasies . ' portway , a former computer operator , also agreed to pay $ 10,000 in restitution fees . ex-pta president accused of making child porn at elementary school federal authorities are recommending that he go to prison for at least 27 years , according to other court documents filed last week . portway has pled guilty to some of the most vile and heinous crimes known to our society , ' federal prosecutors wrote in a sentencing recommendation . but a lawyer for the 40-year-old defendant told cnn his client lived in a fantasy world ' and there was no evidence he harmed any child .'cannibal cop'convicted in new york after his arrest , portway underwent mental health evaluations requested by his attorney , who referred him to a clinical and forensic psychologist who assessed portway 's risk for re-offending and the degree of danger he posed to the community , ' according to court-filed mental health evaluation documents . the documents describe a troubled childhood . his parents divorced when he was young , and portman realized he was gay when he was 8 years old but was afraid to reveal it because his father was homophobic , the evaluating psychologist dr. eric l. brown , wrote . around the same time , according to the evaluation , he became increasingly fascinated with children 's tales such as hansel and gretel , ' in which two children are caged and fattened up so that a witch can eat them . pretzel bag leads feds to child porn suspect in california portway had a wish to be eaten ' that fulfilled a more basic desire to be wanted , valued , and incorporated by another person , ' wrote dr. brown . when portway 's home in worcester was searched last year , authorities found tens of thousands of computer images and videos of child pornography and 4,500 exchanges of child pornography between portway and the people he chatted with online . the images included children purportedly being cooked and prepared to be eaten , court documents said . those photographs are sealed . authorities also found a locked basement , court documents show . photos taken the day of portway 's arrest , and released by prosecutors , show a narrow wooden staircase leading downstairs to a soundproof room . it was furnished with a metal cage with a circular hole for feeding , a rusted and worn steel-topped table , as well as multiple kinds of metal bondage equipment . a child-sized coffin made of plywood was found on the floor nearby . smartphone app hunts for child predators portway 's lawyer , richard j. sweeney , told cnn that his client 's sentencing hearing will be the proper time to address all the issues addressed by the government . ' but he added , there 's no evidence at all of geoffrey being involved with any child or harming any child . ' geoffrey lived in a fantasy world where he did live-action role playing , did things online unrelated to child porn and cannibalism . a lot of the chats that he had were , in his mind , fantasy , ' sweeney said . when they went out to the other people he was talking to , these other people actually had kids they were taking photos of . geoffrey did not have any kids he had abducted , though he certainly talked about it . ' photographs reviewed by cnn show handcuffs , rope intended for bondage , bleach , disposable scalpels and syringes , mouth gags , a butcher kit with multiple knives , a child-sized red onesie , ' and castration tools . his dvd collection , documents show , included titles such as hansel and gretel , ' the real cannibal holocaust , ' the genesis children , ' and cannibal ferox , ' a film with the tagline make them die slowly . ' online chats , seized by police , showed portway called his basement a dungeon ' where he intended to keep kidnapped children while he sexually abused them and as a place to eventually murder and cannibalize the children . ' florida man linked to 1 million child porn videos , images cnn 's deborah feyerick , rande iaboni , lateef mungin , julie cannold , and ronni berke contributed to this report . | portway is scheduled to be sentenced tuesday |
obama <tsp> ( cnn ) -- vice president joe biden emphasized a new tone ' in washington and around the world as he delivered his first major speech saturday in munich , germany . america will do more , ' vice president joe biden told the munich security conference in germany on saturday . biden told delegates at a security conference that the united states will work preventively , not pre-emptively ' whenever possible to avoid conflict , and will at the same time vigorously defend ' the nation 's security . he also said the united states will do everything possible to end the threat posed by extremists . we reject as false the choice between our safety and ideals , ' biden told the munich security conference audience , which included german chancellor angela merkel and french president nicolas sarkozy . america will vigorously defend our security and our values , and in doing so we will all be more secure . ' that policy will be in force at guantanamo bay detention camp , the u.s. prison that the obama administration intends to close , biden said . watch biden address security conference » ' america will not torture . we will uphold the rights of those we bring to justice , ' biden said . the vice president emphasized cooperation with allies and to extend a hand to others . he asked for shared responsibility for security and fighting extremism . america will do more . that 's the good news , ' biden said . the bad news is , america will ask from more from our partners as well . ' obama 's administration does n't believe international alliances or organizations will diminish american power , biden said . in fact , he said , such alliances do the opposite -- as long as they are credible and effective . ' he said nations working together can help persuade iran to forgo the development of nuclear weapons , an illicit ' program that biden said is not conducive to peace . our administration is reviewing our policy toward iran , but this much is clear : we 'll be willing to talk , ' biden said . we 'll be willing to talk to iran and to offer a very clear choice : continue down the current course and there will be pressure and isolation ; abandon the illicit nuclear program and your support for terrorism and there will be meaningful incentives . ' by acting preventively to avoid conflict , biden said , the united states can start to recapture its strength . biden stressed a commitment to reach peace in the middle east and draw down u.s. forces in iraq . he also said the united states will continue to work for a stable afghanistan . we look forward to sharing that commitment with the government and people of afghanistan and pakistan , and with all of our allies and partners , because a deteriorating situation in the region poses a security threat not just to the united states , but i would suggest , somewhat presumptively , to every one of you assembled in this room , ' biden said . obama ordered a strategic review of u.s. policy in afghanistan and pakistan and is soliciting input from allies , biden said . we are sincere in seeking your counsel , ' biden said . as we undertake this review , there 's a lot at stake . the result must be a comprehensive strategy for which we all take responsibility . ' the united states also aims to increase foreign assistance to ease poverty , boost education , cancel the debts of poor countries , and launch a green revolution ' that produces sustainable supplies of food . we also are determined to build a sustainable future for our planet , ' biden said . we are prepared to once again lead by example . ' on the issue of a u.s. missile shield in eastern europe -- a bone of contention with russia -- biden said the united states will remain firm in defending against the nuclear threat , and he said washington aims to work together with moscow . we will not agree with russia on everything , ' he said . for example , the united states will not -- will not -- recognize south ossetia and abkhazia as independent states . we will not recognize any nation having a sphere of influence . ' but , biden added , the united states and russia can disagree and still work together where our interests coincide , and they coincide in many places . ' deputy russian prime minister sergei ivanov had started off the day saturday by proposing a ban on deployment of strategic offensive weapons outside a country 's borders , russia 's interfax news agency reported . biden also promised that america will act aggressively against climate change . ' | obama administration values international alliances , he says |
biden <tsp> ( cnn ) -- vice president joe biden emphasized a new tone ' in washington and around the world as he delivered his first major speech saturday in munich , germany . america will do more , ' vice president joe biden told the munich security conference in germany on saturday . biden told delegates at a security conference that the united states will work preventively , not pre-emptively ' whenever possible to avoid conflict , and will at the same time vigorously defend ' the nation 's security . he also said the united states will do everything possible to end the threat posed by extremists . we reject as false the choice between our safety and ideals , ' biden told the munich security conference audience , which included german chancellor angela merkel and french president nicolas sarkozy . america will vigorously defend our security and our values , and in doing so we will all be more secure . ' that policy will be in force at guantanamo bay detention camp , the u.s. prison that the obama administration intends to close , biden said . watch biden address security conference » ' america will not torture . we will uphold the rights of those we bring to justice , ' biden said . the vice president emphasized cooperation with allies and to extend a hand to others . he asked for shared responsibility for security and fighting extremism . america will do more . that 's the good news , ' biden said . the bad news is , america will ask from more from our partners as well . ' obama 's administration does n't believe international alliances or organizations will diminish american power , biden said . in fact , he said , such alliances do the opposite -- as long as they are credible and effective . ' he said nations working together can help persuade iran to forgo the development of nuclear weapons , an illicit ' program that biden said is not conducive to peace . our administration is reviewing our policy toward iran , but this much is clear : we 'll be willing to talk , ' biden said . we 'll be willing to talk to iran and to offer a very clear choice : continue down the current course and there will be pressure and isolation ; abandon the illicit nuclear program and your support for terrorism and there will be meaningful incentives . ' by acting preventively to avoid conflict , biden said , the united states can start to recapture its strength . biden stressed a commitment to reach peace in the middle east and draw down u.s. forces in iraq . he also said the united states will continue to work for a stable afghanistan . we look forward to sharing that commitment with the government and people of afghanistan and pakistan , and with all of our allies and partners , because a deteriorating situation in the region poses a security threat not just to the united states , but i would suggest , somewhat presumptively , to every one of you assembled in this room , ' biden said . obama ordered a strategic review of u.s. policy in afghanistan and pakistan and is soliciting input from allies , biden said . we are sincere in seeking your counsel , ' biden said . as we undertake this review , there 's a lot at stake . the result must be a comprehensive strategy for which we all take responsibility . ' the united states also aims to increase foreign assistance to ease poverty , boost education , cancel the debts of poor countries , and launch a green revolution ' that produces sustainable supplies of food . we also are determined to build a sustainable future for our planet , ' biden said . we are prepared to once again lead by example . ' on the issue of a u.s. missile shield in eastern europe -- a bone of contention with russia -- biden said the united states will remain firm in defending against the nuclear threat , and he said washington aims to work together with moscow . we will not agree with russia on everything , ' he said . for example , the united states will not -- will not -- recognize south ossetia and abkhazia as independent states . we will not recognize any nation having a sphere of influence . ' but , biden added , the united states and russia can disagree and still work together where our interests coincide , and they coincide in many places . ' deputy russian prime minister sergei ivanov had started off the day saturday by proposing a ban on deployment of strategic offensive weapons outside a country 's borders , russia 's interfax news agency reported . biden also promised that america will act aggressively against climate change . ' | biden promises to consult with russia on placement of missile defense |
czech <tsp> ( cnn ) -- top seed caroline wozniacki secured the eighth wta tour title of her career after a straight sets victory in the final of the inaugural danish open in copenhagen on sunday . the local favorite , who is at a career-high third position in the world rankings , was always in control against seventh-seeded czech klara zakapolova , sealing a 6-2 7-6 success . zakapolova threatened a comeback when she led 4-2 in the second set , but the dane rallied to take it to a tie-break , which wozniacki won to add the title to her triumph at ponte vedra earlier this year . meanwhile , svetlana kuznetsova and agnieszka radwanska will contest the final of the wta event in san diego after both players won their semifinal matches in straight sets . two-time grand slam champion kuznetsova -- who is unseeded after dropping out of the world 's top 20 following a disappointing year -- eased to a 6-4 6-0 victory over fifth-seeded italian flavia pennetta . i was hitting the ball hard but i was also playing with spin and mixing it up and not letting her dictate , ' kuznetsova told the official wta tour website . i 'm playing better and i 'm happy about that . i was struggling in the first set but i made my way through it and played much better in the second set . i 'm happy to be in my first final this year . ' the russian will now face radwanska after the fourth-seeded pole saw off the challenge of daniela hantuchova 6-4 6-2 to reach her first final in 10 months . | the local favorite defeats czech klara zakapolova 6-2 7-6 in the final in copenhagen |
copenhagen <tsp> ( cnn ) -- top seed caroline wozniacki secured the eighth wta tour title of her career after a straight sets victory in the final of the inaugural danish open in copenhagen on sunday . the local favorite , who is at a career-high third position in the world rankings , was always in control against seventh-seeded czech klara zakapolova , sealing a 6-2 7-6 success . zakapolova threatened a comeback when she led 4-2 in the second set , but the dane rallied to take it to a tie-break , which wozniacki won to add the title to her triumph at ponte vedra earlier this year . meanwhile , svetlana kuznetsova and agnieszka radwanska will contest the final of the wta event in san diego after both players won their semifinal matches in straight sets . two-time grand slam champion kuznetsova -- who is unseeded after dropping out of the world 's top 20 following a disappointing year -- eased to a 6-4 6-0 victory over fifth-seeded italian flavia pennetta . i was hitting the ball hard but i was also playing with spin and mixing it up and not letting her dictate , ' kuznetsova told the official wta tour website . i 'm playing better and i 'm happy about that . i was struggling in the first set but i made my way through it and played much better in the second set . i 'm happy to be in my first final this year . ' the russian will now face radwanska after the fourth-seeded pole saw off the challenge of daniela hantuchova 6-4 6-2 to reach her first final in 10 months . | the local favorite defeats czech klara zakapolova 6-2 7-6 in the final in copenhagen |
brad pitt <tsp> ( cnn ) -- you ca n't get much more inside baseball ' than this : the story of how statisticians trump scouts when it comes to putting together a winning team . but thanks to a great script by steve zaillian and aaron sorkin , a quietly compelling performance from brad pitt and shrewd direction by bennett miller ( capote ' ) , moneyball ' should appeal to audiences well beyond sports fans . it 's one of the classiest movies of the year and a strong bet for a ribbon of oscar nominations . michael lewis'book chronicled the 2002 season of the oakland as , when general manager billy beane infuriated conventional wisdom by applying sabermetrics ' to squad selection . because the athletics could n't compete with wealthier teams for the big hitters , he looked to a different set of criteria , and especially at on-base percentages . it did n't have to be pretty . if the as walked their way to the world series , that would be just fine . there 's a conventional revenge-of-the-underdogs scenario lurking beneath the surface : something like major league ' and the bad news bears . ' there 's the catcher who is drafted in to play first base ( chris pratt as scott hatteberg ) , the pitcher with the wacky arm ( casey bond as chad bradford ) and the star who spends too much time partying in vegas ( nick porrazzo as jeremy giambi ) . mostly , though , moneyball ' ignores the clichã©s by keeping the focus off the field and on beane and his new statistics guru pete brand ( jonah hill ) . they make a great odd couple , and because the roles have been cast so well , miller does n't need to labor the point . pitt is the ex-golden boy grown restive with a game he feels he ca n't win . hill 's an overweight computer geek straight out of yale , the only guy wearing a suit to work . naturally authoritative and at ease with himself -- except when a game 's on ( he ca n't bring himself to watch but ca n't resist checking in every other minute ) -- beane takes this awkward , earnest kid under his arm and shows him the ropes : how to cut players , how to trade . it 's an unsentimental education for pete and for us , too , as unexpectedly entertaining as the entrepreneurial maneuvers in the social network . ' this is the everyday business of baseball , a side we might read about but rarely see for ourselves . the movie falls into a more familiar groove when the as season turns , and there is n't much miller or anyone else can do to make short flashbacks to billy 's playing days anything other than functional . but the writing is always sharp and smart , it 's lovingly photographed and delicately scored ( by wally pfister and mychael danna , respectively ) . yet it 's pitt 's movie . whether he 's brooding in the dark as the as lose again , having it out with the team 's recalcitrant coach ( philip seymour hoffman in a thankless role ) and angry head scout ( vyto ruginis ) , or trying to reassure his precocious 12-year-old ( kerris dorsey ) that his head is n't really on the block , pitt has a watchful , introspective quality that makes moneyball ' more than the sum of its statistical components . it 's a fascinating portrait of a man who 's given his life to baseball and is trying to figure out if it 's worth it . the movie itself is not a game changer by any means , but it 's more than good enough to make you think again about what success adds up to in the long run . | brad pitt has a watchful , introspective quality |
nikki haley <tsp> ( cnn ) -- when the republican national convention kicks off this week in tampa , florida , the nation will notice one thing before anything else : this is not your father 's or grandfather 's republican party . rather , it 's a party with leaders as diverse as the country it intends to represent . with the nation 's changing demographics , republicans can no longer rely on the south and midwest to carry them to victory in 2012 . instead , they must broaden their base into traditionally purple and blue states . it 's an uphill battle : president obama leads by a sizeable margin with women and by wide margins with latino and black voters . but it 's not insurmountable . romney already leads with men by roughly the same number president obama leads with women . nor is it unprecedented . republicans won a landslide victory in the 2010 fall midterm elections . now they must devise a strategy to repeat that . republicans , in short , must repeat what they did in their landslide victory in the 2010 fall midterm elections . opinion : unfriendly to women ? not my gop bolstered by the rise of the tea party , republicans won back the house in historic fashion then . independents went to republicans by 15 points , an incredible 23-point swing from 2008 . republicans virtually eliminated the gender gap with women -- their best showing since 1982 . writing in the wall street journal this week , michael barone notes , white noncollege voters and white evangelical christians were only 42 % and 37 % , respectively , of the winning republican coalition in the 2010 congressional elections . ' 2010 was a watershed year for republicans because they were able to lure away much of the democratic base , particularly northern and midwestern suburbanites and college graduates . they did so by campaigning on major policy issues and reforms , such as obamacare and the national debt , that inspired and enthused the electorate . as the 2012 republican convention dawns , look for republicans to display a similar election strategy : a diverse cast of party leaders with bold policy ideas reaching for a diverse electorate . for one of the few times in gop history , the top of the republican ticket hails exclusively from the north , with mitt romney from michigan and paul ryan from wisconsin . the de facto leaders of the gop bring a newfound party interest in these traditionally blue states . already , ryan has put wisconsin in play for republicans in some of the latest polls . in michigan , which president barack obama won by more than 16 points in 2008 , romney trails obama by only 2 points , according to the real clear politics average of polls in michigan . the nation is familiar with the likes of sen. marco rubio of florida and gov . bobby jindal , the louisiana governor , but in tampa , viewers will be introduced to a new , even deeper and more diverse cast . scheduled to speak tuesday night is ted cruz , republican candidate for u.s. senate in texas . the son of a cuban immigrant , cruz rose to attend princeton university and harvard law , becoming a gifted orator . as the solicitor general of texas , he argued and won high-profile cases in front of the supreme court . also speaking on tuesday night is nikki haley , the first female governor in south carolina and the daughter of sikh immigrants . she made her name as governor fighting the obama administration 's national labor relations board lawsuit challenging boeing 's right to build a new plant in south carolina . the nlrb dropped the suit after the union reached an agreement with boeing . the plant could bring thousands of jobs to her state . opinion : gop -- big tent , or big mess ? with the reshuffled convention schedule , also speaking tuesday will be mia love , the mayor of saratoga springs , utah , and candidate for the 4th congressional district there . love , the first black female mayor in utah state history , is already making a name for herself with her outspoken , firebrand conservatism . susana martinez , the first female governor of new mexico and the first female hispanic governor in u.s. history , is set to take the stage wednesday night . more important than diversity , however , is substance , and this year 's crop of republican leaders is a bolder , more conservative group than we 've seen in decades . after paying a steep price at the polls in 2006 and 2008 , the republican party might be in a new era in 2012 , one ripe with intrepid , limited government and constitutional reformers such as govs . scott walker of wisconsin , chris christie of new jersey , bob mcdonnell of virginia and rep. ryan , now the vice presidential nominee . the purpose of a convention , after all , is to coalesce individuals into parties and ideas into causes . with the selection of ryan for vice president , the race takes on clear shape and focus -- repealing obamacare , restoring fiscal sanity and jump-starting the economy -- that voters can rally for , rather than just rallying against president barack obama . for all the hand-wringing and second-guessing in the republican primaries , the post-convention gop will take on a new , united face . the goal , inevitably , is to replicate the results of the gop 's 2010 landslide victory . but to do that , it must replicate the same vision , clarity and diversity , not for diversity 's sake , but for the sake of the wide swath of america 's voters in need of help . look for the gop to harness , focus and refine that message all week in tampa . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of william bennett . | he says speakers at convention -- nikki haley , ted cruz , mia love -- show party 's diversity |
bennett <tsp> ( cnn ) -- when the republican national convention kicks off this week in tampa , florida , the nation will notice one thing before anything else : this is not your father 's or grandfather 's republican party . rather , it 's a party with leaders as diverse as the country it intends to represent . with the nation 's changing demographics , republicans can no longer rely on the south and midwest to carry them to victory in 2012 . instead , they must broaden their base into traditionally purple and blue states . it 's an uphill battle : president obama leads by a sizeable margin with women and by wide margins with latino and black voters . but it 's not insurmountable . romney already leads with men by roughly the same number president obama leads with women . nor is it unprecedented . republicans won a landslide victory in the 2010 fall midterm elections . now they must devise a strategy to repeat that . republicans , in short , must repeat what they did in their landslide victory in the 2010 fall midterm elections . opinion : unfriendly to women ? not my gop bolstered by the rise of the tea party , republicans won back the house in historic fashion then . independents went to republicans by 15 points , an incredible 23-point swing from 2008 . republicans virtually eliminated the gender gap with women -- their best showing since 1982 . writing in the wall street journal this week , michael barone notes , white noncollege voters and white evangelical christians were only 42 % and 37 % , respectively , of the winning republican coalition in the 2010 congressional elections . ' 2010 was a watershed year for republicans because they were able to lure away much of the democratic base , particularly northern and midwestern suburbanites and college graduates . they did so by campaigning on major policy issues and reforms , such as obamacare and the national debt , that inspired and enthused the electorate . as the 2012 republican convention dawns , look for republicans to display a similar election strategy : a diverse cast of party leaders with bold policy ideas reaching for a diverse electorate . for one of the few times in gop history , the top of the republican ticket hails exclusively from the north , with mitt romney from michigan and paul ryan from wisconsin . the de facto leaders of the gop bring a newfound party interest in these traditionally blue states . already , ryan has put wisconsin in play for republicans in some of the latest polls . in michigan , which president barack obama won by more than 16 points in 2008 , romney trails obama by only 2 points , according to the real clear politics average of polls in michigan . the nation is familiar with the likes of sen. marco rubio of florida and gov . bobby jindal , the louisiana governor , but in tampa , viewers will be introduced to a new , even deeper and more diverse cast . scheduled to speak tuesday night is ted cruz , republican candidate for u.s. senate in texas . the son of a cuban immigrant , cruz rose to attend princeton university and harvard law , becoming a gifted orator . as the solicitor general of texas , he argued and won high-profile cases in front of the supreme court . also speaking on tuesday night is nikki haley , the first female governor in south carolina and the daughter of sikh immigrants . she made her name as governor fighting the obama administration 's national labor relations board lawsuit challenging boeing 's right to build a new plant in south carolina . the nlrb dropped the suit after the union reached an agreement with boeing . the plant could bring thousands of jobs to her state . opinion : gop -- big tent , or big mess ? with the reshuffled convention schedule , also speaking tuesday will be mia love , the mayor of saratoga springs , utah , and candidate for the 4th congressional district there . love , the first black female mayor in utah state history , is already making a name for herself with her outspoken , firebrand conservatism . susana martinez , the first female governor of new mexico and the first female hispanic governor in u.s. history , is set to take the stage wednesday night . more important than diversity , however , is substance , and this year 's crop of republican leaders is a bolder , more conservative group than we 've seen in decades . after paying a steep price at the polls in 2006 and 2008 , the republican party might be in a new era in 2012 , one ripe with intrepid , limited government and constitutional reformers such as govs . scott walker of wisconsin , chris christie of new jersey , bob mcdonnell of virginia and rep. ryan , now the vice presidential nominee . the purpose of a convention , after all , is to coalesce individuals into parties and ideas into causes . with the selection of ryan for vice president , the race takes on clear shape and focus -- repealing obamacare , restoring fiscal sanity and jump-starting the economy -- that voters can rally for , rather than just rallying against president barack obama . for all the hand-wringing and second-guessing in the republican primaries , the post-convention gop will take on a new , united face . the goal , inevitably , is to replicate the results of the gop 's 2010 landslide victory . but to do that , it must replicate the same vision , clarity and diversity , not for diversity 's sake , but for the sake of the wide swath of america 's voters in need of help . look for the gop to harness , focus and refine that message all week in tampa . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of william bennett . | william bennett : gop convention will demonstrate the party is as diverse as the nation |
bennett <tsp> ( cnn ) -- when the republican national convention kicks off this week in tampa , florida , the nation will notice one thing before anything else : this is not your father 's or grandfather 's republican party . rather , it 's a party with leaders as diverse as the country it intends to represent . with the nation 's changing demographics , republicans can no longer rely on the south and midwest to carry them to victory in 2012 . instead , they must broaden their base into traditionally purple and blue states . it 's an uphill battle : president obama leads by a sizeable margin with women and by wide margins with latino and black voters . but it 's not insurmountable . romney already leads with men by roughly the same number president obama leads with women . nor is it unprecedented . republicans won a landslide victory in the 2010 fall midterm elections . now they must devise a strategy to repeat that . republicans , in short , must repeat what they did in their landslide victory in the 2010 fall midterm elections . opinion : unfriendly to women ? not my gop bolstered by the rise of the tea party , republicans won back the house in historic fashion then . independents went to republicans by 15 points , an incredible 23-point swing from 2008 . republicans virtually eliminated the gender gap with women -- their best showing since 1982 . writing in the wall street journal this week , michael barone notes , white noncollege voters and white evangelical christians were only 42 % and 37 % , respectively , of the winning republican coalition in the 2010 congressional elections . ' 2010 was a watershed year for republicans because they were able to lure away much of the democratic base , particularly northern and midwestern suburbanites and college graduates . they did so by campaigning on major policy issues and reforms , such as obamacare and the national debt , that inspired and enthused the electorate . as the 2012 republican convention dawns , look for republicans to display a similar election strategy : a diverse cast of party leaders with bold policy ideas reaching for a diverse electorate . for one of the few times in gop history , the top of the republican ticket hails exclusively from the north , with mitt romney from michigan and paul ryan from wisconsin . the de facto leaders of the gop bring a newfound party interest in these traditionally blue states . already , ryan has put wisconsin in play for republicans in some of the latest polls . in michigan , which president barack obama won by more than 16 points in 2008 , romney trails obama by only 2 points , according to the real clear politics average of polls in michigan . the nation is familiar with the likes of sen. marco rubio of florida and gov . bobby jindal , the louisiana governor , but in tampa , viewers will be introduced to a new , even deeper and more diverse cast . scheduled to speak tuesday night is ted cruz , republican candidate for u.s. senate in texas . the son of a cuban immigrant , cruz rose to attend princeton university and harvard law , becoming a gifted orator . as the solicitor general of texas , he argued and won high-profile cases in front of the supreme court . also speaking on tuesday night is nikki haley , the first female governor in south carolina and the daughter of sikh immigrants . she made her name as governor fighting the obama administration 's national labor relations board lawsuit challenging boeing 's right to build a new plant in south carolina . the nlrb dropped the suit after the union reached an agreement with boeing . the plant could bring thousands of jobs to her state . opinion : gop -- big tent , or big mess ? with the reshuffled convention schedule , also speaking tuesday will be mia love , the mayor of saratoga springs , utah , and candidate for the 4th congressional district there . love , the first black female mayor in utah state history , is already making a name for herself with her outspoken , firebrand conservatism . susana martinez , the first female governor of new mexico and the first female hispanic governor in u.s. history , is set to take the stage wednesday night . more important than diversity , however , is substance , and this year 's crop of republican leaders is a bolder , more conservative group than we 've seen in decades . after paying a steep price at the polls in 2006 and 2008 , the republican party might be in a new era in 2012 , one ripe with intrepid , limited government and constitutional reformers such as govs . scott walker of wisconsin , chris christie of new jersey , bob mcdonnell of virginia and rep. ryan , now the vice presidential nominee . the purpose of a convention , after all , is to coalesce individuals into parties and ideas into causes . with the selection of ryan for vice president , the race takes on clear shape and focus -- repealing obamacare , restoring fiscal sanity and jump-starting the economy -- that voters can rally for , rather than just rallying against president barack obama . for all the hand-wringing and second-guessing in the republican primaries , the post-convention gop will take on a new , united face . the goal , inevitably , is to replicate the results of the gop 's 2010 landslide victory . but to do that , it must replicate the same vision , clarity and diversity , not for diversity 's sake , but for the sake of the wide swath of america 's voters in need of help . look for the gop to harness , focus and refine that message all week in tampa . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of william bennett . | bennett : new crop of republican leaders is bolder , more conservative than past |
gop <tsp> ( cnn ) -- when the republican national convention kicks off this week in tampa , florida , the nation will notice one thing before anything else : this is not your father 's or grandfather 's republican party . rather , it 's a party with leaders as diverse as the country it intends to represent . with the nation 's changing demographics , republicans can no longer rely on the south and midwest to carry them to victory in 2012 . instead , they must broaden their base into traditionally purple and blue states . it 's an uphill battle : president obama leads by a sizeable margin with women and by wide margins with latino and black voters . but it 's not insurmountable . romney already leads with men by roughly the same number president obama leads with women . nor is it unprecedented . republicans won a landslide victory in the 2010 fall midterm elections . now they must devise a strategy to repeat that . republicans , in short , must repeat what they did in their landslide victory in the 2010 fall midterm elections . opinion : unfriendly to women ? not my gop bolstered by the rise of the tea party , republicans won back the house in historic fashion then . independents went to republicans by 15 points , an incredible 23-point swing from 2008 . republicans virtually eliminated the gender gap with women -- their best showing since 1982 . writing in the wall street journal this week , michael barone notes , white noncollege voters and white evangelical christians were only 42 % and 37 % , respectively , of the winning republican coalition in the 2010 congressional elections . ' 2010 was a watershed year for republicans because they were able to lure away much of the democratic base , particularly northern and midwestern suburbanites and college graduates . they did so by campaigning on major policy issues and reforms , such as obamacare and the national debt , that inspired and enthused the electorate . as the 2012 republican convention dawns , look for republicans to display a similar election strategy : a diverse cast of party leaders with bold policy ideas reaching for a diverse electorate . for one of the few times in gop history , the top of the republican ticket hails exclusively from the north , with mitt romney from michigan and paul ryan from wisconsin . the de facto leaders of the gop bring a newfound party interest in these traditionally blue states . already , ryan has put wisconsin in play for republicans in some of the latest polls . in michigan , which president barack obama won by more than 16 points in 2008 , romney trails obama by only 2 points , according to the real clear politics average of polls in michigan . the nation is familiar with the likes of sen. marco rubio of florida and gov . bobby jindal , the louisiana governor , but in tampa , viewers will be introduced to a new , even deeper and more diverse cast . scheduled to speak tuesday night is ted cruz , republican candidate for u.s. senate in texas . the son of a cuban immigrant , cruz rose to attend princeton university and harvard law , becoming a gifted orator . as the solicitor general of texas , he argued and won high-profile cases in front of the supreme court . also speaking on tuesday night is nikki haley , the first female governor in south carolina and the daughter of sikh immigrants . she made her name as governor fighting the obama administration 's national labor relations board lawsuit challenging boeing 's right to build a new plant in south carolina . the nlrb dropped the suit after the union reached an agreement with boeing . the plant could bring thousands of jobs to her state . opinion : gop -- big tent , or big mess ? with the reshuffled convention schedule , also speaking tuesday will be mia love , the mayor of saratoga springs , utah , and candidate for the 4th congressional district there . love , the first black female mayor in utah state history , is already making a name for herself with her outspoken , firebrand conservatism . susana martinez , the first female governor of new mexico and the first female hispanic governor in u.s. history , is set to take the stage wednesday night . more important than diversity , however , is substance , and this year 's crop of republican leaders is a bolder , more conservative group than we 've seen in decades . after paying a steep price at the polls in 2006 and 2008 , the republican party might be in a new era in 2012 , one ripe with intrepid , limited government and constitutional reformers such as govs . scott walker of wisconsin , chris christie of new jersey , bob mcdonnell of virginia and rep. ryan , now the vice presidential nominee . the purpose of a convention , after all , is to coalesce individuals into parties and ideas into causes . with the selection of ryan for vice president , the race takes on clear shape and focus -- repealing obamacare , restoring fiscal sanity and jump-starting the economy -- that voters can rally for , rather than just rallying against president barack obama . for all the hand-wringing and second-guessing in the republican primaries , the post-convention gop will take on a new , united face . the goal , inevitably , is to replicate the results of the gop 's 2010 landslide victory . but to do that , it must replicate the same vision , clarity and diversity , not for diversity 's sake , but for the sake of the wide swath of america 's voters in need of help . look for the gop to harness , focus and refine that message all week in tampa . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of william bennett . | william bennett : gop convention will demonstrate the party is as diverse as the nation |
gop <tsp> ( cnn ) -- when the republican national convention kicks off this week in tampa , florida , the nation will notice one thing before anything else : this is not your father 's or grandfather 's republican party . rather , it 's a party with leaders as diverse as the country it intends to represent . with the nation 's changing demographics , republicans can no longer rely on the south and midwest to carry them to victory in 2012 . instead , they must broaden their base into traditionally purple and blue states . it 's an uphill battle : president obama leads by a sizeable margin with women and by wide margins with latino and black voters . but it 's not insurmountable . romney already leads with men by roughly the same number president obama leads with women . nor is it unprecedented . republicans won a landslide victory in the 2010 fall midterm elections . now they must devise a strategy to repeat that . republicans , in short , must repeat what they did in their landslide victory in the 2010 fall midterm elections . opinion : unfriendly to women ? not my gop bolstered by the rise of the tea party , republicans won back the house in historic fashion then . independents went to republicans by 15 points , an incredible 23-point swing from 2008 . republicans virtually eliminated the gender gap with women -- their best showing since 1982 . writing in the wall street journal this week , michael barone notes , white noncollege voters and white evangelical christians were only 42 % and 37 % , respectively , of the winning republican coalition in the 2010 congressional elections . ' 2010 was a watershed year for republicans because they were able to lure away much of the democratic base , particularly northern and midwestern suburbanites and college graduates . they did so by campaigning on major policy issues and reforms , such as obamacare and the national debt , that inspired and enthused the electorate . as the 2012 republican convention dawns , look for republicans to display a similar election strategy : a diverse cast of party leaders with bold policy ideas reaching for a diverse electorate . for one of the few times in gop history , the top of the republican ticket hails exclusively from the north , with mitt romney from michigan and paul ryan from wisconsin . the de facto leaders of the gop bring a newfound party interest in these traditionally blue states . already , ryan has put wisconsin in play for republicans in some of the latest polls . in michigan , which president barack obama won by more than 16 points in 2008 , romney trails obama by only 2 points , according to the real clear politics average of polls in michigan . the nation is familiar with the likes of sen. marco rubio of florida and gov . bobby jindal , the louisiana governor , but in tampa , viewers will be introduced to a new , even deeper and more diverse cast . scheduled to speak tuesday night is ted cruz , republican candidate for u.s. senate in texas . the son of a cuban immigrant , cruz rose to attend princeton university and harvard law , becoming a gifted orator . as the solicitor general of texas , he argued and won high-profile cases in front of the supreme court . also speaking on tuesday night is nikki haley , the first female governor in south carolina and the daughter of sikh immigrants . she made her name as governor fighting the obama administration 's national labor relations board lawsuit challenging boeing 's right to build a new plant in south carolina . the nlrb dropped the suit after the union reached an agreement with boeing . the plant could bring thousands of jobs to her state . opinion : gop -- big tent , or big mess ? with the reshuffled convention schedule , also speaking tuesday will be mia love , the mayor of saratoga springs , utah , and candidate for the 4th congressional district there . love , the first black female mayor in utah state history , is already making a name for herself with her outspoken , firebrand conservatism . susana martinez , the first female governor of new mexico and the first female hispanic governor in u.s. history , is set to take the stage wednesday night . more important than diversity , however , is substance , and this year 's crop of republican leaders is a bolder , more conservative group than we 've seen in decades . after paying a steep price at the polls in 2006 and 2008 , the republican party might be in a new era in 2012 , one ripe with intrepid , limited government and constitutional reformers such as govs . scott walker of wisconsin , chris christie of new jersey , bob mcdonnell of virginia and rep. ryan , now the vice presidential nominee . the purpose of a convention , after all , is to coalesce individuals into parties and ideas into causes . with the selection of ryan for vice president , the race takes on clear shape and focus -- repealing obamacare , restoring fiscal sanity and jump-starting the economy -- that voters can rally for , rather than just rallying against president barack obama . for all the hand-wringing and second-guessing in the republican primaries , the post-convention gop will take on a new , united face . the goal , inevitably , is to replicate the results of the gop 's 2010 landslide victory . but to do that , it must replicate the same vision , clarity and diversity , not for diversity 's sake , but for the sake of the wide swath of america 's voters in need of help . look for the gop to harness , focus and refine that message all week in tampa . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of william bennett . | he says since 2010 vote brought people who traditionally vote democratic toward gop |
hispanic <tsp> washington ( cnn ) -- president barack obama took to the spanish-language network airwaves monday to discuss challenges in educating hispanics students . in a univision-sponsored town hall meeting with hispanic students and educators at bell multicultural high school in washington , the president said to out-educate and out-innovate the global competition , the latino community must play a key role in the future . our workforce is going to be more diverse ; it is going to be , to a large percentage , latino . and if our young people are not getting the kind of education they need , we wo n't succeed as a nation , ' obama said . with several students and parents asking questions about immigration and deportations , obama said the answer would n't be overnight . he hoped the dream act , which would give kids who have grown up in the united states an opportunity to earn citizenship despite their family 's immigration status , would be passed in the future . we did n't get it passed this time , but i do n't want young people to be giving up because if people in the past had given up , we probably would n't have women 's rights , we would n't have civil rights . so many changes that we 've made had to do with young people being willing to struggle and fight to make sure that their voices are heard , ' said obama . carrie cofer , an english teacher at lincoln-west high school in cleveland , says one challenge she faces with her hispanic students is that they have n't been in the united states long enough to become proficient in english . although they only read at the first-grade , or second-grade level , ' cofer and other teachers are supposed to teach them the material they will need to pass state-mandated tests in order to graduate from high school and possibly attend college . it does n't help that many of the students do n't speak english at home . they do n't have the skills because they do n't practice except in the classroom , ' she said . obama said that strong programs , including both bilingual education and immersion programs , are key to making sure bilingual students keep up with their studies while becoming fluent in english . he said that it 's up to both schools and parents . we have schools that do it very well ; there are some schools that do n't do it as well . we want to lift up those models that do it well , ' the president said . and parents should be demanding and insisting that even if your child is not a native english speaker , there is no reason why they ca n't succeed in school , and schools have an obligation to make sure that those children are provided for . they have rights just like everybody else . ' latino students make up over 20 % of the pre-kindergarten-through-high-school students in the united states , secretary of the education arne duncan said in a conference call with reporters last week . these students face real and growing challenges that we have to address . ' duncan said that only about half of all latino students earn their high school diploma on time , and only one in eight end up with a bachelor 's degree . the problems faced by latinos in high school are unique , said juan sepulveda of the white house initiative on educational excellence for hispanics . we have a small percentage of the population that has a college degree , ' said sepulveda . even if you throw in community college degrees , we only get up to 19 % . ' sepulveda said these students are often the first in their family to go to college , suggesting school officials need to target parents to make sure they understand what courses their children need to take to get into college and how student loans work . cnn 's sally holland contributed to this report . | many hispanic students are n't proficient in english |
pakistan <tsp> ( cnn ) -- relatives of osama bin laden want proof that the terrorist leader is dead and are calling for an investigation into how he was killed , according to jean sasson , an author who helped one of bin laden 's sons write a memoir . they just really want some answers , and they would just really like to know what exactly happened , why they were n't called , ' said sasson , who worked with omar bin laden to pen a memoir titled growing up bin laden . ' the united states says u.s. navy seals killed bin laden during a may 2 raid in abbottabad , pakistan , where he was hiding out . on wednesday , a key lawmaker on capitol hill said the death of bin laden presents an opportunity to break the back ' of al qaeda . the forces collected a trove of intelligence from the compound and later buried bin laden 's body at sea . while the obama administration has decided not to release photos of the slain bin laden , some u.s. lawmakers will be allowed to view them . bin laden 's relatives would like to have been able to have witnessed seeing the body , at least identified the body , because , you know how it is in the middle east so many times : they really need proof or people start believing -- this has been discussed by a lot more people than me -- that many people will not believe that he 's dead , ' sasson told cnn wednesday . her comments come a day after a statement from omar bin laden and his brothers was provided to the new york times . asked about the statement , sasson said omar bin laden -- who has publicly denounced his father 's violence -- contacted her and told her he has some things to say . she said she prepared a letter for him and he approved it . another family member had gotten an attorney to write a letter about what relatives were thinking and feeling and sasson said it was decided to go with the attorney 's letter . the statement published in the new york times is from bin laden 's sons -- the lawful children and heirs ' of the notorious al qaeda leader . it says that despite the extensive coverage of his death , we are not convinced on the available evidence in the absence of ( a ) dead body , photographs , and video evidence that our natural father is dead . ' we seek such conclusive evidence to believe the stories published in relation to 2 may 2011 operation geronimo as declared by the president of united states barack hussein obama in his speech that he authorized the said operation and killing of obl and later confirmed his death , ' they said . the statement argued that if bin laden has been summarily executed , ' international law ' might have been blatantly violated ' and that u.s. legal standards were ignored . the statement cites the trials for late iraqi president saddam hussein and late serbian strongman slobodan milosevic , and notes that osama bin laden did n't get a fair trial ' or presumption of innocence until proven guilty by a court of law . ' if obl has been killed in that operation as ( the ) president of united states has claimed then we are just in questioning as per media reports that why an unarmed man was not arrested and tried in a court of law so that truth is revealed to the people of the world . ' we maintain that arbitrary killing is not a solution to political problems and crime 's adjudication as justice must be seen to be done , ' the statement said . three other men , including one of bin laden 's sons , and a woman were killed in the raid , and bin laden 's 29-year-old yemeni wife , amal ahmed abdulfattah , was wounded . all three of bin laden 's wives and a number of children , some of whom were bin laden 's , were taken into pakistani custody after the raid . a u.s. official identified the other two women as khairiah sabar , also known as umm hamza , ' and siham sabar , or umm khalid . ' it is also unworthy of the special forces to shoot unarmed female family members ... killing a female and that of one of his sons , ' the statement said . in making this statement , we want to remind the world that omar ( bin laden ) , the fourth-born son of our father , always disagreed with our father regarding any violence and always sent messages to our father , that he must change his ways and that no civilians should be attacked under any circumstances . despite the difficulty of publicly disagreeing with our father , he never hesitated to condemn any violent attacks made by anyone , and expressed sorrow for the victims of any and all attacks . as he condemned our father , we now condemn the president of the united states for ordering the execution of unarmed men and women , ' the statement said . it also urged pakistan to release and hand over ' the wives and the children of bin laden . the authors of the statement called for a u.n. investigation into the event and said they will pursue justice in bodies such as the international criminal court if questions are n't answered . a senior u.s. official wednesday angrily rejected the charge that international law was violated . there is an inherent right of self-defense enshrined in the u.n. charter within article 51 . this is a man who is a terrorist , who declared war on the united states , killed americans and continued to plan operations against the u.s. and its allies , ' the official said . on capitol hill , one lawmaker was talking about the opportunity the death of bin laden presents . house intelligence committee chairman mike rogers , r-michigan , said that although al qaeda is still alive and well , they are hurt , they are damaged . their inspirational and operational leader has been taken off the battlefield , which is a huge opportunity for us . the confusion with them is opportunity for us and this is the time to step on the gas and break their back . ' rogers raised the possibility that there are pakistani officials who knew about bin laden 's hideway in the country . he spoke of a confusing ' relationship with pakistan , one which was cooperative at times , taking thousands of casualties battling extremists and helping arrest hundreds of al qaeda and taliban leaders , bomb makers , financiers and weapons dealers . however , rogers maintained there are renegade intelligence officers and others in the pakistani government who are sympathetic toward the taliban and al qaeda . the raid in which bin laden was killed dealt a blow to the relationship between the united states and pakistan . the revelation that bin laden had been living in pakistan has fueled suspicions that pakistani officials knew the whereabouts of the terrorist leader , while pakistan has complained about the u.s. military incursion . but while the ties between the cia and pakistan 's intelligence agency are strained , they are not shut down , another u.s. official said . this official , who did not want to be identified for safety concerns , said both sides need to continue working together . both sides understand the importance of the relationship , ' the official said . cooperation is continuing , discussions are continuing , but there are issues to work through . ' sen. john kerry , d-massachusetts , chairman of the senate foreign relations committee , plans to go to pakistan soon , a senate source familiar with his plans said wednesday . he has visited the country at other times and has the trust and respect of many senior pakistani officials . most recently , kerry visited pakistan to help defuse tensions over the detention of raymond davis , a cia contractor who was jailed in pakistan after he shot and killed two pakistani men in what he said was a robbery attempt . he was released from jail after compensation was paid to the victims'families . white house spokesman jay carney said the administration is encouraging kerry 's trip . we think it 's important as part of the overall efforts by the united states government to continue our collaborative relationship with pakistan and the cooperation that we have seen in the past , ' carney said . while we do n't see eye to eye on the issues , that cooperation has led to some very important successes in our war against al qaeda . we are working at the administration level to continue our consultations with pakistani leaders , to continue that kind of cooperation , and are glad to see senator kerry make that trip as well . ' in the aftermath of the u.s. raid on bin laden 's compound , pakistani interior minister rehman malik told cnn tuesday that the united states will be given access to bin laden 's wives and children so they can interrogate them , they can interview them . ' a senior pakistani intelligence source had said earlier that the united states could question bin laden 's wives only if their country of origin has been asked for permission . ' malik did not say when or where the united states would be able to question the wives . pentagon spokesman col. dave lapan said tuesday u.s. and pakistani officials were discussing the matter . carney said the administration is optimistic that u.s.-pakistani cooperation will continue with regards to ' access to bin laden 's wives and also to the materials that were collected by the pakistanis after the u.s. commandos left ' the compound where they killed bin laden . he described the u.s.-pakistani relationship as important and complicated . ' cnn 's pam benson and dana bash contributed to this report | sen. john kerry , d-massachusetts , is headed to pakistan , source says |
bin laden <tsp> ( cnn ) -- relatives of osama bin laden want proof that the terrorist leader is dead and are calling for an investigation into how he was killed , according to jean sasson , an author who helped one of bin laden 's sons write a memoir . they just really want some answers , and they would just really like to know what exactly happened , why they were n't called , ' said sasson , who worked with omar bin laden to pen a memoir titled growing up bin laden . ' the united states says u.s. navy seals killed bin laden during a may 2 raid in abbottabad , pakistan , where he was hiding out . on wednesday , a key lawmaker on capitol hill said the death of bin laden presents an opportunity to break the back ' of al qaeda . the forces collected a trove of intelligence from the compound and later buried bin laden 's body at sea . while the obama administration has decided not to release photos of the slain bin laden , some u.s. lawmakers will be allowed to view them . bin laden 's relatives would like to have been able to have witnessed seeing the body , at least identified the body , because , you know how it is in the middle east so many times : they really need proof or people start believing -- this has been discussed by a lot more people than me -- that many people will not believe that he 's dead , ' sasson told cnn wednesday . her comments come a day after a statement from omar bin laden and his brothers was provided to the new york times . asked about the statement , sasson said omar bin laden -- who has publicly denounced his father 's violence -- contacted her and told her he has some things to say . she said she prepared a letter for him and he approved it . another family member had gotten an attorney to write a letter about what relatives were thinking and feeling and sasson said it was decided to go with the attorney 's letter . the statement published in the new york times is from bin laden 's sons -- the lawful children and heirs ' of the notorious al qaeda leader . it says that despite the extensive coverage of his death , we are not convinced on the available evidence in the absence of ( a ) dead body , photographs , and video evidence that our natural father is dead . ' we seek such conclusive evidence to believe the stories published in relation to 2 may 2011 operation geronimo as declared by the president of united states barack hussein obama in his speech that he authorized the said operation and killing of obl and later confirmed his death , ' they said . the statement argued that if bin laden has been summarily executed , ' international law ' might have been blatantly violated ' and that u.s. legal standards were ignored . the statement cites the trials for late iraqi president saddam hussein and late serbian strongman slobodan milosevic , and notes that osama bin laden did n't get a fair trial ' or presumption of innocence until proven guilty by a court of law . ' if obl has been killed in that operation as ( the ) president of united states has claimed then we are just in questioning as per media reports that why an unarmed man was not arrested and tried in a court of law so that truth is revealed to the people of the world . ' we maintain that arbitrary killing is not a solution to political problems and crime 's adjudication as justice must be seen to be done , ' the statement said . three other men , including one of bin laden 's sons , and a woman were killed in the raid , and bin laden 's 29-year-old yemeni wife , amal ahmed abdulfattah , was wounded . all three of bin laden 's wives and a number of children , some of whom were bin laden 's , were taken into pakistani custody after the raid . a u.s. official identified the other two women as khairiah sabar , also known as umm hamza , ' and siham sabar , or umm khalid . ' it is also unworthy of the special forces to shoot unarmed female family members ... killing a female and that of one of his sons , ' the statement said . in making this statement , we want to remind the world that omar ( bin laden ) , the fourth-born son of our father , always disagreed with our father regarding any violence and always sent messages to our father , that he must change his ways and that no civilians should be attacked under any circumstances . despite the difficulty of publicly disagreeing with our father , he never hesitated to condemn any violent attacks made by anyone , and expressed sorrow for the victims of any and all attacks . as he condemned our father , we now condemn the president of the united states for ordering the execution of unarmed men and women , ' the statement said . it also urged pakistan to release and hand over ' the wives and the children of bin laden . the authors of the statement called for a u.n. investigation into the event and said they will pursue justice in bodies such as the international criminal court if questions are n't answered . a senior u.s. official wednesday angrily rejected the charge that international law was violated . there is an inherent right of self-defense enshrined in the u.n. charter within article 51 . this is a man who is a terrorist , who declared war on the united states , killed americans and continued to plan operations against the u.s. and its allies , ' the official said . on capitol hill , one lawmaker was talking about the opportunity the death of bin laden presents . house intelligence committee chairman mike rogers , r-michigan , said that although al qaeda is still alive and well , they are hurt , they are damaged . their inspirational and operational leader has been taken off the battlefield , which is a huge opportunity for us . the confusion with them is opportunity for us and this is the time to step on the gas and break their back . ' rogers raised the possibility that there are pakistani officials who knew about bin laden 's hideway in the country . he spoke of a confusing ' relationship with pakistan , one which was cooperative at times , taking thousands of casualties battling extremists and helping arrest hundreds of al qaeda and taliban leaders , bomb makers , financiers and weapons dealers . however , rogers maintained there are renegade intelligence officers and others in the pakistani government who are sympathetic toward the taliban and al qaeda . the raid in which bin laden was killed dealt a blow to the relationship between the united states and pakistan . the revelation that bin laden had been living in pakistan has fueled suspicions that pakistani officials knew the whereabouts of the terrorist leader , while pakistan has complained about the u.s. military incursion . but while the ties between the cia and pakistan 's intelligence agency are strained , they are not shut down , another u.s. official said . this official , who did not want to be identified for safety concerns , said both sides need to continue working together . both sides understand the importance of the relationship , ' the official said . cooperation is continuing , discussions are continuing , but there are issues to work through . ' sen. john kerry , d-massachusetts , chairman of the senate foreign relations committee , plans to go to pakistan soon , a senate source familiar with his plans said wednesday . he has visited the country at other times and has the trust and respect of many senior pakistani officials . most recently , kerry visited pakistan to help defuse tensions over the detention of raymond davis , a cia contractor who was jailed in pakistan after he shot and killed two pakistani men in what he said was a robbery attempt . he was released from jail after compensation was paid to the victims'families . white house spokesman jay carney said the administration is encouraging kerry 's trip . we think it 's important as part of the overall efforts by the united states government to continue our collaborative relationship with pakistan and the cooperation that we have seen in the past , ' carney said . while we do n't see eye to eye on the issues , that cooperation has led to some very important successes in our war against al qaeda . we are working at the administration level to continue our consultations with pakistani leaders , to continue that kind of cooperation , and are glad to see senator kerry make that trip as well . ' in the aftermath of the u.s. raid on bin laden 's compound , pakistani interior minister rehman malik told cnn tuesday that the united states will be given access to bin laden 's wives and children so they can interrogate them , they can interview them . ' a senior pakistani intelligence source had said earlier that the united states could question bin laden 's wives only if their country of origin has been asked for permission . ' malik did not say when or where the united states would be able to question the wives . pentagon spokesman col. dave lapan said tuesday u.s. and pakistani officials were discussing the matter . carney said the administration is optimistic that u.s.-pakistani cooperation will continue with regards to ' access to bin laden 's wives and also to the materials that were collected by the pakistanis after the u.s. commandos left ' the compound where they killed bin laden . he described the u.s.-pakistani relationship as important and complicated . ' cnn 's pam benson and dana bash contributed to this report | new : lawmaker says osama bin laden 's death a chance to break the back ' of al qaeda |
bin laden <tsp> ( cnn ) -- relatives of osama bin laden want proof that the terrorist leader is dead and are calling for an investigation into how he was killed , according to jean sasson , an author who helped one of bin laden 's sons write a memoir . they just really want some answers , and they would just really like to know what exactly happened , why they were n't called , ' said sasson , who worked with omar bin laden to pen a memoir titled growing up bin laden . ' the united states says u.s. navy seals killed bin laden during a may 2 raid in abbottabad , pakistan , where he was hiding out . on wednesday , a key lawmaker on capitol hill said the death of bin laden presents an opportunity to break the back ' of al qaeda . the forces collected a trove of intelligence from the compound and later buried bin laden 's body at sea . while the obama administration has decided not to release photos of the slain bin laden , some u.s. lawmakers will be allowed to view them . bin laden 's relatives would like to have been able to have witnessed seeing the body , at least identified the body , because , you know how it is in the middle east so many times : they really need proof or people start believing -- this has been discussed by a lot more people than me -- that many people will not believe that he 's dead , ' sasson told cnn wednesday . her comments come a day after a statement from omar bin laden and his brothers was provided to the new york times . asked about the statement , sasson said omar bin laden -- who has publicly denounced his father 's violence -- contacted her and told her he has some things to say . she said she prepared a letter for him and he approved it . another family member had gotten an attorney to write a letter about what relatives were thinking and feeling and sasson said it was decided to go with the attorney 's letter . the statement published in the new york times is from bin laden 's sons -- the lawful children and heirs ' of the notorious al qaeda leader . it says that despite the extensive coverage of his death , we are not convinced on the available evidence in the absence of ( a ) dead body , photographs , and video evidence that our natural father is dead . ' we seek such conclusive evidence to believe the stories published in relation to 2 may 2011 operation geronimo as declared by the president of united states barack hussein obama in his speech that he authorized the said operation and killing of obl and later confirmed his death , ' they said . the statement argued that if bin laden has been summarily executed , ' international law ' might have been blatantly violated ' and that u.s. legal standards were ignored . the statement cites the trials for late iraqi president saddam hussein and late serbian strongman slobodan milosevic , and notes that osama bin laden did n't get a fair trial ' or presumption of innocence until proven guilty by a court of law . ' if obl has been killed in that operation as ( the ) president of united states has claimed then we are just in questioning as per media reports that why an unarmed man was not arrested and tried in a court of law so that truth is revealed to the people of the world . ' we maintain that arbitrary killing is not a solution to political problems and crime 's adjudication as justice must be seen to be done , ' the statement said . three other men , including one of bin laden 's sons , and a woman were killed in the raid , and bin laden 's 29-year-old yemeni wife , amal ahmed abdulfattah , was wounded . all three of bin laden 's wives and a number of children , some of whom were bin laden 's , were taken into pakistani custody after the raid . a u.s. official identified the other two women as khairiah sabar , also known as umm hamza , ' and siham sabar , or umm khalid . ' it is also unworthy of the special forces to shoot unarmed female family members ... killing a female and that of one of his sons , ' the statement said . in making this statement , we want to remind the world that omar ( bin laden ) , the fourth-born son of our father , always disagreed with our father regarding any violence and always sent messages to our father , that he must change his ways and that no civilians should be attacked under any circumstances . despite the difficulty of publicly disagreeing with our father , he never hesitated to condemn any violent attacks made by anyone , and expressed sorrow for the victims of any and all attacks . as he condemned our father , we now condemn the president of the united states for ordering the execution of unarmed men and women , ' the statement said . it also urged pakistan to release and hand over ' the wives and the children of bin laden . the authors of the statement called for a u.n. investigation into the event and said they will pursue justice in bodies such as the international criminal court if questions are n't answered . a senior u.s. official wednesday angrily rejected the charge that international law was violated . there is an inherent right of self-defense enshrined in the u.n. charter within article 51 . this is a man who is a terrorist , who declared war on the united states , killed americans and continued to plan operations against the u.s. and its allies , ' the official said . on capitol hill , one lawmaker was talking about the opportunity the death of bin laden presents . house intelligence committee chairman mike rogers , r-michigan , said that although al qaeda is still alive and well , they are hurt , they are damaged . their inspirational and operational leader has been taken off the battlefield , which is a huge opportunity for us . the confusion with them is opportunity for us and this is the time to step on the gas and break their back . ' rogers raised the possibility that there are pakistani officials who knew about bin laden 's hideway in the country . he spoke of a confusing ' relationship with pakistan , one which was cooperative at times , taking thousands of casualties battling extremists and helping arrest hundreds of al qaeda and taliban leaders , bomb makers , financiers and weapons dealers . however , rogers maintained there are renegade intelligence officers and others in the pakistani government who are sympathetic toward the taliban and al qaeda . the raid in which bin laden was killed dealt a blow to the relationship between the united states and pakistan . the revelation that bin laden had been living in pakistan has fueled suspicions that pakistani officials knew the whereabouts of the terrorist leader , while pakistan has complained about the u.s. military incursion . but while the ties between the cia and pakistan 's intelligence agency are strained , they are not shut down , another u.s. official said . this official , who did not want to be identified for safety concerns , said both sides need to continue working together . both sides understand the importance of the relationship , ' the official said . cooperation is continuing , discussions are continuing , but there are issues to work through . ' sen. john kerry , d-massachusetts , chairman of the senate foreign relations committee , plans to go to pakistan soon , a senate source familiar with his plans said wednesday . he has visited the country at other times and has the trust and respect of many senior pakistani officials . most recently , kerry visited pakistan to help defuse tensions over the detention of raymond davis , a cia contractor who was jailed in pakistan after he shot and killed two pakistani men in what he said was a robbery attempt . he was released from jail after compensation was paid to the victims'families . white house spokesman jay carney said the administration is encouraging kerry 's trip . we think it 's important as part of the overall efforts by the united states government to continue our collaborative relationship with pakistan and the cooperation that we have seen in the past , ' carney said . while we do n't see eye to eye on the issues , that cooperation has led to some very important successes in our war against al qaeda . we are working at the administration level to continue our consultations with pakistani leaders , to continue that kind of cooperation , and are glad to see senator kerry make that trip as well . ' in the aftermath of the u.s. raid on bin laden 's compound , pakistani interior minister rehman malik told cnn tuesday that the united states will be given access to bin laden 's wives and children so they can interrogate them , they can interview them . ' a senior pakistani intelligence source had said earlier that the united states could question bin laden 's wives only if their country of origin has been asked for permission . ' malik did not say when or where the united states would be able to question the wives . pentagon spokesman col. dave lapan said tuesday u.s. and pakistani officials were discussing the matter . carney said the administration is optimistic that u.s.-pakistani cooperation will continue with regards to ' access to bin laden 's wives and also to the materials that were collected by the pakistanis after the u.s. commandos left ' the compound where they killed bin laden . he described the u.s.-pakistani relationship as important and complicated . ' cnn 's pam benson and dana bash contributed to this report | the new york times publishes a statement from bin laden 's sons |
bin laden <tsp> ( cnn ) -- relatives of osama bin laden want proof that the terrorist leader is dead and are calling for an investigation into how he was killed , according to jean sasson , an author who helped one of bin laden 's sons write a memoir . they just really want some answers , and they would just really like to know what exactly happened , why they were n't called , ' said sasson , who worked with omar bin laden to pen a memoir titled growing up bin laden . ' the united states says u.s. navy seals killed bin laden during a may 2 raid in abbottabad , pakistan , where he was hiding out . on wednesday , a key lawmaker on capitol hill said the death of bin laden presents an opportunity to break the back ' of al qaeda . the forces collected a trove of intelligence from the compound and later buried bin laden 's body at sea . while the obama administration has decided not to release photos of the slain bin laden , some u.s. lawmakers will be allowed to view them . bin laden 's relatives would like to have been able to have witnessed seeing the body , at least identified the body , because , you know how it is in the middle east so many times : they really need proof or people start believing -- this has been discussed by a lot more people than me -- that many people will not believe that he 's dead , ' sasson told cnn wednesday . her comments come a day after a statement from omar bin laden and his brothers was provided to the new york times . asked about the statement , sasson said omar bin laden -- who has publicly denounced his father 's violence -- contacted her and told her he has some things to say . she said she prepared a letter for him and he approved it . another family member had gotten an attorney to write a letter about what relatives were thinking and feeling and sasson said it was decided to go with the attorney 's letter . the statement published in the new york times is from bin laden 's sons -- the lawful children and heirs ' of the notorious al qaeda leader . it says that despite the extensive coverage of his death , we are not convinced on the available evidence in the absence of ( a ) dead body , photographs , and video evidence that our natural father is dead . ' we seek such conclusive evidence to believe the stories published in relation to 2 may 2011 operation geronimo as declared by the president of united states barack hussein obama in his speech that he authorized the said operation and killing of obl and later confirmed his death , ' they said . the statement argued that if bin laden has been summarily executed , ' international law ' might have been blatantly violated ' and that u.s. legal standards were ignored . the statement cites the trials for late iraqi president saddam hussein and late serbian strongman slobodan milosevic , and notes that osama bin laden did n't get a fair trial ' or presumption of innocence until proven guilty by a court of law . ' if obl has been killed in that operation as ( the ) president of united states has claimed then we are just in questioning as per media reports that why an unarmed man was not arrested and tried in a court of law so that truth is revealed to the people of the world . ' we maintain that arbitrary killing is not a solution to political problems and crime 's adjudication as justice must be seen to be done , ' the statement said . three other men , including one of bin laden 's sons , and a woman were killed in the raid , and bin laden 's 29-year-old yemeni wife , amal ahmed abdulfattah , was wounded . all three of bin laden 's wives and a number of children , some of whom were bin laden 's , were taken into pakistani custody after the raid . a u.s. official identified the other two women as khairiah sabar , also known as umm hamza , ' and siham sabar , or umm khalid . ' it is also unworthy of the special forces to shoot unarmed female family members ... killing a female and that of one of his sons , ' the statement said . in making this statement , we want to remind the world that omar ( bin laden ) , the fourth-born son of our father , always disagreed with our father regarding any violence and always sent messages to our father , that he must change his ways and that no civilians should be attacked under any circumstances . despite the difficulty of publicly disagreeing with our father , he never hesitated to condemn any violent attacks made by anyone , and expressed sorrow for the victims of any and all attacks . as he condemned our father , we now condemn the president of the united states for ordering the execution of unarmed men and women , ' the statement said . it also urged pakistan to release and hand over ' the wives and the children of bin laden . the authors of the statement called for a u.n. investigation into the event and said they will pursue justice in bodies such as the international criminal court if questions are n't answered . a senior u.s. official wednesday angrily rejected the charge that international law was violated . there is an inherent right of self-defense enshrined in the u.n. charter within article 51 . this is a man who is a terrorist , who declared war on the united states , killed americans and continued to plan operations against the u.s. and its allies , ' the official said . on capitol hill , one lawmaker was talking about the opportunity the death of bin laden presents . house intelligence committee chairman mike rogers , r-michigan , said that although al qaeda is still alive and well , they are hurt , they are damaged . their inspirational and operational leader has been taken off the battlefield , which is a huge opportunity for us . the confusion with them is opportunity for us and this is the time to step on the gas and break their back . ' rogers raised the possibility that there are pakistani officials who knew about bin laden 's hideway in the country . he spoke of a confusing ' relationship with pakistan , one which was cooperative at times , taking thousands of casualties battling extremists and helping arrest hundreds of al qaeda and taliban leaders , bomb makers , financiers and weapons dealers . however , rogers maintained there are renegade intelligence officers and others in the pakistani government who are sympathetic toward the taliban and al qaeda . the raid in which bin laden was killed dealt a blow to the relationship between the united states and pakistan . the revelation that bin laden had been living in pakistan has fueled suspicions that pakistani officials knew the whereabouts of the terrorist leader , while pakistan has complained about the u.s. military incursion . but while the ties between the cia and pakistan 's intelligence agency are strained , they are not shut down , another u.s. official said . this official , who did not want to be identified for safety concerns , said both sides need to continue working together . both sides understand the importance of the relationship , ' the official said . cooperation is continuing , discussions are continuing , but there are issues to work through . ' sen. john kerry , d-massachusetts , chairman of the senate foreign relations committee , plans to go to pakistan soon , a senate source familiar with his plans said wednesday . he has visited the country at other times and has the trust and respect of many senior pakistani officials . most recently , kerry visited pakistan to help defuse tensions over the detention of raymond davis , a cia contractor who was jailed in pakistan after he shot and killed two pakistani men in what he said was a robbery attempt . he was released from jail after compensation was paid to the victims'families . white house spokesman jay carney said the administration is encouraging kerry 's trip . we think it 's important as part of the overall efforts by the united states government to continue our collaborative relationship with pakistan and the cooperation that we have seen in the past , ' carney said . while we do n't see eye to eye on the issues , that cooperation has led to some very important successes in our war against al qaeda . we are working at the administration level to continue our consultations with pakistani leaders , to continue that kind of cooperation , and are glad to see senator kerry make that trip as well . ' in the aftermath of the u.s. raid on bin laden 's compound , pakistani interior minister rehman malik told cnn tuesday that the united states will be given access to bin laden 's wives and children so they can interrogate them , they can interview them . ' a senior pakistani intelligence source had said earlier that the united states could question bin laden 's wives only if their country of origin has been asked for permission . ' malik did not say when or where the united states would be able to question the wives . pentagon spokesman col. dave lapan said tuesday u.s. and pakistani officials were discussing the matter . carney said the administration is optimistic that u.s.-pakistani cooperation will continue with regards to ' access to bin laden 's wives and also to the materials that were collected by the pakistanis after the u.s. commandos left ' the compound where they killed bin laden . he described the u.s.-pakistani relationship as important and complicated . ' cnn 's pam benson and dana bash contributed to this report | author says family members of bin laden want some answers about the raid |
democratic republic of congo <tsp> ( cnn ) -- armed forces in the democratic republic of congo beat back dozens of gunmen who stormed three key locations in the capital monday . armed men attacked the country 's airport , state tv headquarters and army headquarters in kinshasa . at least 34 assailants were killed , according to an interior ministry statement . the statement called on victims of this terrorist attack ... to know that the assailants had no other purpose than to create panic and terror on the eve of celebrations so important to our culture . ' in response , it said that security had been beefed up in the capital . african union commission chairwoman nkosazana dlamini-zuma condemned the attacks , stressing the au 's commitment to support congolese efforts to consolidate peace , security and stability . | security is beefed up in kinshasa , capital of the democratic republic of congo |
tsa <tsp> ( cnn ) -- flying fashionistas with a thing for the second amendment may want to leave their gun-themed purses and other paraphernalia at home , lest they be flagged as a security risk and miss their flights . as she was flying home after the recent holiday weekend , virginia gibbs'gun-themed purse was flagged as a security risk by transportation security administration officials at the norfolk , virginia , airport . while gibbs told cnn affiliate news 4 jax that she 's carried the purse on many flights , the 17-year-old says she was told that the purse was a federal offense because it 's in the shape of a gun . i 'm like ,'a design on a purse . how is it a federal offense ?' purses or belts with gun emblems can fall under a tsa prohibition on replica weapons because they could be mistaken for a real weapon in the x-ray machine or by a fellow passenger . security checkpoints may be impacted or closed because replica weapons like toy guns , novelty grenades , fake bombs and other items appear similar to the real thing when viewed through an x-ray machine , ' tsa spokesman greg soule said . checkpoint closures cause significant delays , which can be avoided if passengers do n't bring these items to the airport . ' by the time tsa officials figured out that the purse was a fake , offering gibbs the opportunity to give up the purse or check it , gibbs had missed her flight and was placed on another to orlando . her frantic mother drove from jacksonville to orlando to pick her daughter up . gibbs arrived at security 20 minutes before her flight was due to depart , which may have caused her to miss her flight , according to a security official . the tsa says it 's investigating her allegation that the purse has made it through airport security before . | teen 's gun-themed purse gets flagged by tsa |
french <tsp> paris , france ( cnn ) -- the french foreign ministry thursday said a photograph of seven hostages in niger -- including five french nationals -- has been authenticated and is an encouraging sign ' showing the hostages are alive . on september 30th a television network broadcast a photograph of the seven people who were kidnapped in arlit [ niger ] on september 16th , including five french nationals , ' the foreign ministry statement said . even if we do not know what date it was taken , it is an encouraging sign as it shows all the hostages alive . all state services are mobilized and are doing everything they can to free them . ' the photograph was also posted on an al qaeda-linked website , along with audio of what appeared to be the hostages responding to rapid questions from an unknown man . al qaeda in the islamic maghreb ( aqim ) , the terror movement 's affiliate in north africa , claimed responsibility for the abductions of the six men and one woman , who are all linked with the french nuclear reactor builder areva . the group included an areva employee and his wife , along with five subcontractors who worked for the french construction firm vinci . a spokesman for french president nicolas sarkozy 's office said sunday that france was ready to discuss ' the hostages'release . on the recording , four men and one woman are heard giving information , including name , age , nationality , hometown , job title and marital status . all the hostages said they are french and gave the names of french cities as their hometowns . one man and the woman , who said they are married , gave their ages as 59 and 62 . three others said they are 25 , 30 and 33 . the photograph showed seven people sitting on the ground . six were men , and the seventh person 's face was intentionally blurred . behind them stood people with covered faces , carrying large guns . officials for areva and vinci say they have beefed up security measures for their employees in the area and are working closely with both nigerien and french authorities to secure the release of the hostages . french military planes have been flying reconnaissance missions from the airport in niamey , niger 's capital , trying to locate the hostages or their abductors . areva has been mining uranium for the past four decades in niger , one of the poorest countries in the world . french director michel germaneau was abducted in niger and executed in july in nearby mauritania . a video showed germaneau 's photo along with images of the french flag and al qaeda in the islamic maghreb 's black-and-white flag . | five of the hostages in niger are french nationals |
niger <tsp> paris , france ( cnn ) -- the french foreign ministry thursday said a photograph of seven hostages in niger -- including five french nationals -- has been authenticated and is an encouraging sign ' showing the hostages are alive . on september 30th a television network broadcast a photograph of the seven people who were kidnapped in arlit [ niger ] on september 16th , including five french nationals , ' the foreign ministry statement said . even if we do not know what date it was taken , it is an encouraging sign as it shows all the hostages alive . all state services are mobilized and are doing everything they can to free them . ' the photograph was also posted on an al qaeda-linked website , along with audio of what appeared to be the hostages responding to rapid questions from an unknown man . al qaeda in the islamic maghreb ( aqim ) , the terror movement 's affiliate in north africa , claimed responsibility for the abductions of the six men and one woman , who are all linked with the french nuclear reactor builder areva . the group included an areva employee and his wife , along with five subcontractors who worked for the french construction firm vinci . a spokesman for french president nicolas sarkozy 's office said sunday that france was ready to discuss ' the hostages'release . on the recording , four men and one woman are heard giving information , including name , age , nationality , hometown , job title and marital status . all the hostages said they are french and gave the names of french cities as their hometowns . one man and the woman , who said they are married , gave their ages as 59 and 62 . three others said they are 25 , 30 and 33 . the photograph showed seven people sitting on the ground . six were men , and the seventh person 's face was intentionally blurred . behind them stood people with covered faces , carrying large guns . officials for areva and vinci say they have beefed up security measures for their employees in the area and are working closely with both nigerien and french authorities to secure the release of the hostages . french military planes have been flying reconnaissance missions from the airport in niamey , niger 's capital , trying to locate the hostages or their abductors . areva has been mining uranium for the past four decades in niger , one of the poorest countries in the world . french director michel germaneau was abducted in niger and executed in july in nearby mauritania . a video showed germaneau 's photo along with images of the french flag and al qaeda in the islamic maghreb 's black-and-white flag . | five of the hostages in niger are french nationals |
vietnam <tsp> columbus , georgia ( cnn ) -- the huey helicopter came in from the west , the pop , pop , pop ' of its blades announcing its arrival . it made a sharp right-hand turn and flared to a landing in the grassy area . the ragtag troop of 10 passengers awaiting its arrival looked far from army issue , dressed in aloha shirts , t-shirts , blue jeans , shorts and ball caps . they ducked their heads beneath the blades of the spinning rotor as they made their way to the copter from a protected area off to its front . but army special forces capt . homer haracourt , a four-tour veteran of vietnam , needed help . he was paralyzed from the waist down , and to make this flight , he 'd need the assistance of others . the army copter 's crew obliged , six of them gathering to lift haracourt into the outside seat on right side of the chopper , the crew chief strapping him in to the canvas seat so he would n't fall out the open door . haracourt beamed as his helpers retreated . the copter fidgeted a bit as the pilot applied power . the skids left the ground , and after a short rotation to the right , huey 354 sped away on one of more than a dozen hops it would fly this day , one of countless such hops it had flown since it was put into service in vietnam more than 40 years ago . this is a story of heroes , both mechanical and flesh and blood . none of them will call themselves that , the huey because , well , it ca n't . the men who fly it and fly on it this march afternoon because they 're way too humble for any bombast . but i 'm the witness . i 've seen what these guys do , and i 'm declaring them heroes . the flight crew on this march saturday are from the nonprofit army aviation heritage foundation in hampton , georgia . they volunteer countless hours to restore and maintain army helicopters from the vietnam era and then take them to air shows across the country where you can fly on them . yes , you can fly with heroes . they are guys like ralph kahlan , the pilot of huey 354 , carrying haracourt this saturday morning at the thunder in the valley airshow in columbus , georgia . kahlan , 65 , is the assistant dean of the georgia state university college of business these days . but he 's a veteran of two tours in vietnam , first as an infantry officer and then as a huey pilot . he knows what the huey meant from above and below . it was a love-hate relationship as an infantry officer in vietnam , ' he said . they dropped troops into tough spots but were there to get them out . swore at 'em when they left , could n't wait for them to show up , ' he said . that was a lot of swearing and cheering in vietnam . more than 9,400 hueys were built , according to the foundation . more than 2,000 flew in the war , in god knows how many missions . watch any news footage from the time , and you 'll probably see the huey , ferrying troops to and from the field , their door gunners firing away at treelines to protect the gis . the huey was there at the end too , making flights from the roof of the u.s. embassy in saigon as it was overrun in 1975 . huey 354 was in the fight . the aircraft giving rides in georgia this saturday in march flew 1,417 combat hours in vietnam . ask the army av guys , and they 'll show you the hole in the floor at the left rear . patched over now , it 's where an enemy round passed through during combat in 1971 . after that damage , pat derry probably flew huey 354 . the rockford , illinois , native and army aviation heritage foundation member is a businessman now . in vietnam , he was the maintenance test pilot for his unit , nicknamed the comancheros . ' that meant before any copter could go on a mission after repairs or servicing , derry took it up to make sure it worked . that 's why i knew i flew 354 , because i flew every helicopter once every couple of months , ' he said . you can see the unit 's logo on the front of huey 354 today . derry , who flew under the call sign comanchero 2½ ' in vietnam , does n't fly copters these days . but he stopped by the foundation 's hangar in suburban atlanta a while back to reconnect with the huey . i did n't get emotional about sitting in it or anything , but it was just kind of a neat deal , ' derry said . forty to 45 years later , to be able to sit in something that was that big a deal as part of your life is kind of cool . ' back in columbus , haracourt is on the ground after a 10-minute hop in huey 354 . the crew that got him on the aircraft has repeated the procedure , transferring the 75-year-old as gently as possible from helicopter to his motorized wheelchair . but there 's a hitch ; the chair ca n't seem to navigate the grassy ground where kahlan has set down the huey . the crews will have to carry chair and passenger to the tarmac . there are no complaints from haracourt . i 'm not bitter , ' he said . i signed up for the army . ' so what did he do in vietnam ? behind him , his daughter , 56-year-old rosemary haracourt , shakes her head . i do n't talk about that . never have , ' the former army captain said . what he will tell you is what these huey rides mean to him : everything ! ' and that means if you come to columbus next march , you could fly with this hero . the good lord willing , i 'll be back next year ; yes , i will , ' he said . | huey 354 bears scar of combat in vietnam |
khyber agency <tsp> islamabad , pakistan ( cnn ) -- fourteen pakistani soldiers were killed when they fired a mortar to try and repel a group of militants but accidentally hit themselves , a government official said . the incident occurred when the soldiers were traveling in a convoy of three vehicles monday night near the village of akakhel in khyber agency , said roshan khan , a government official in the agency . miltants fired on the convoy with machine guns and a soldier responded by firing a mortar . somehow the mortar landed among the soldiers , killing them , khan said . khyber agency , 24 kilometers ( 14 miles ) west of peshawar , is the capital of northwestern province of khyber pakhtunkhwa and is considered a hub for militants . khyber agency also is one of the main supply routes for the u.s.-led coalition forces operating in afghanistan and militants frequently attack nato supply trucks in the region . journalist nasir habib contributed to this report . | the incident occurs in khyber agency an area known as a hub for militants |
moussaoui <tsp> richmond , virginia ( cnn ) -- lawyers for convicted september 11 conspirator zacarias moussaoui urged an appeals court panel monday to throw out his guilty plea and grant their client a new trial . they argued moussaoui did not have an adequate defense and lacked key information to defend himself . zacarias moussaoui is serving a life sentence at the federal prison in colorado known as supermax . legal analysts believe the appeal has only a slim chance of success . in arguments before the 4th u.s . circuit court of appeals , lawyers for moussaoui said he was confused about the charges he was pleading guilty to , and he did not have access to information that would have shown he was not supposed to be part of the 9/11 plot . one defense lawyer characterized moussaoui as unknowing . ' defense lawyers point to statements , later made public , from the man who plotted the attacks , khalid sheikh mohammed , who said moussaoui was not intended to be a participant . moussaoui did not know what mohammed had said because it had been classified . a guilty plea that is invalid is invalid , ' defense attorney justin antonipillai told the three-judge panel . a justice department lawyer strongly countered , telling the court moussaoui 's plea was voluntary and unconditional . referring to a letter moussaoui sent the district court at the time of the plea , justice department attorney kevin gingras said , he understands what he is pleading guilty to . ' gingras told the court moussaoui knew in general that there was information that could help his defense but chose to plead guilty anyway , thereby waiving any right to now challenge that decision . he understood there was stuff out there , ' gingras said . he knew the gist , ' referring to redacted copies of appeal court rulings about what detainees might testify to and the 9/11 commission report . in april of 2005 , moussaoui pleaded guilty to terrorism conspiracy charges , and in may of 2006 he was sentenced to life in prison after a jury decided not to impose a death sentence . moussaoui , who is being held at the maximum security federal prison in colorado known as supermax , was not in the courtroom for the hearing . it 's expected to be several months before a ruling is issued . his attorney was met with mostly skeptical questioning by the judges . he insisted on pleading guilty and was allowed to do so only after extensive efforts to assure that it was knowing and voluntary , ' said former u.s. attorney kendall coffey , adding the district judge presiding over the case tried to make sure moussaoui 's rights were protected . moussaoui 's attorneys argued his original defense team , which vehemently tried to dissuade him from pleading guilty , should have been able in an unclassified way to brief their client on the contents of the classified information so he knew the full scope of the evidence . they had one hand tied behind their backs , ' antonipillai said . the judges hearing the case and the justice department attorney pointed out he probably would have received some of that material if he had gone to trial instead of pleading guilty . it is his choice to pull the plug ' on the process and plead guilty , gingras said . another argument made by moussaoui 's team was that he was denied the right of counsel because he could not hire a lawyer he wanted . after telling the court he did not want the court-appointed attorneys to represent him , moussaoui tried to be his own attorney . but after constant outbursts the judge ended that effort . the court-appointed lawyers then took over the defense , but moussaoui never had a good relationship with them . he wanted a muslim lawyer from texas , charles freeman , to be his attorney , but freeman did not have security clearance . moussaoui was arrested in august of 2001 in minnesota after instructors at the flight school he was attending reported he was acting suspiciously and did not have much flying experience . throughout his legal proceedings he changed his story -- at first claiming he was not supposed to be part of the september 11 attacks and then saying he was scheduled to fly a fifth plane that day and then reversing himself back to his original claim of non-involvement . his sentencing trial , which included evidence collected by the fbi relating to the 9/11 attacks , was supposed to showcase how a high-profile terrorism suspect could be tried in federal civilian court . but his trial ended up delayed for several years over a series of legal fights , including his attempt to defend himself , which included rants in the courtroom and the defense trying to gain testimony from some of the high-ranking al qaeda detainees in u.s. custody . several relatives of those who died in the 9/11 attacks traveled to richmond for the hearing . rosemary dillard , whose husband was on the plane that went into the pentagon , told cnn , people need to know this process works . ' abraham scott , whose wife worked in the pentagon , said attending the hearing shows we are still interested . ... we are still supporting the legal process . ' both dillard and scott attended every day of the 2006 sentencing trial . with the prospect that more terrorism suspects could be tried in federal courts with the promised closing of the guantanamo bay detention camp , dillard and scott say moussaoui 's case shows the civilian trials can work . however , the appeal judges grappled with such key questions as how to guarantee a terrorism detainee access to classified information without compromising national security , and how to determine what degree of involvement in a terrorist plot is needed to justify a death sentence . analysts say some detainees , because of evidence and other reasons , should be brought to trial in other systems . the extraordinary challenges of balancing national security with the rights of a terrorism defendant in a civilian trial vividly illustrate why the new administration should consider the use of military tribunals for at least some of the guantanamo detainees , ' said former u.s. attorney coffey . | zacarias moussaoui sentenced to life in connection with september 11 attacks |
moussaoui <tsp> richmond , virginia ( cnn ) -- lawyers for convicted september 11 conspirator zacarias moussaoui urged an appeals court panel monday to throw out his guilty plea and grant their client a new trial . they argued moussaoui did not have an adequate defense and lacked key information to defend himself . zacarias moussaoui is serving a life sentence at the federal prison in colorado known as supermax . legal analysts believe the appeal has only a slim chance of success . in arguments before the 4th u.s . circuit court of appeals , lawyers for moussaoui said he was confused about the charges he was pleading guilty to , and he did not have access to information that would have shown he was not supposed to be part of the 9/11 plot . one defense lawyer characterized moussaoui as unknowing . ' defense lawyers point to statements , later made public , from the man who plotted the attacks , khalid sheikh mohammed , who said moussaoui was not intended to be a participant . moussaoui did not know what mohammed had said because it had been classified . a guilty plea that is invalid is invalid , ' defense attorney justin antonipillai told the three-judge panel . a justice department lawyer strongly countered , telling the court moussaoui 's plea was voluntary and unconditional . referring to a letter moussaoui sent the district court at the time of the plea , justice department attorney kevin gingras said , he understands what he is pleading guilty to . ' gingras told the court moussaoui knew in general that there was information that could help his defense but chose to plead guilty anyway , thereby waiving any right to now challenge that decision . he understood there was stuff out there , ' gingras said . he knew the gist , ' referring to redacted copies of appeal court rulings about what detainees might testify to and the 9/11 commission report . in april of 2005 , moussaoui pleaded guilty to terrorism conspiracy charges , and in may of 2006 he was sentenced to life in prison after a jury decided not to impose a death sentence . moussaoui , who is being held at the maximum security federal prison in colorado known as supermax , was not in the courtroom for the hearing . it 's expected to be several months before a ruling is issued . his attorney was met with mostly skeptical questioning by the judges . he insisted on pleading guilty and was allowed to do so only after extensive efforts to assure that it was knowing and voluntary , ' said former u.s. attorney kendall coffey , adding the district judge presiding over the case tried to make sure moussaoui 's rights were protected . moussaoui 's attorneys argued his original defense team , which vehemently tried to dissuade him from pleading guilty , should have been able in an unclassified way to brief their client on the contents of the classified information so he knew the full scope of the evidence . they had one hand tied behind their backs , ' antonipillai said . the judges hearing the case and the justice department attorney pointed out he probably would have received some of that material if he had gone to trial instead of pleading guilty . it is his choice to pull the plug ' on the process and plead guilty , gingras said . another argument made by moussaoui 's team was that he was denied the right of counsel because he could not hire a lawyer he wanted . after telling the court he did not want the court-appointed attorneys to represent him , moussaoui tried to be his own attorney . but after constant outbursts the judge ended that effort . the court-appointed lawyers then took over the defense , but moussaoui never had a good relationship with them . he wanted a muslim lawyer from texas , charles freeman , to be his attorney , but freeman did not have security clearance . moussaoui was arrested in august of 2001 in minnesota after instructors at the flight school he was attending reported he was acting suspiciously and did not have much flying experience . throughout his legal proceedings he changed his story -- at first claiming he was not supposed to be part of the september 11 attacks and then saying he was scheduled to fly a fifth plane that day and then reversing himself back to his original claim of non-involvement . his sentencing trial , which included evidence collected by the fbi relating to the 9/11 attacks , was supposed to showcase how a high-profile terrorism suspect could be tried in federal civilian court . but his trial ended up delayed for several years over a series of legal fights , including his attempt to defend himself , which included rants in the courtroom and the defense trying to gain testimony from some of the high-ranking al qaeda detainees in u.s. custody . several relatives of those who died in the 9/11 attacks traveled to richmond for the hearing . rosemary dillard , whose husband was on the plane that went into the pentagon , told cnn , people need to know this process works . ' abraham scott , whose wife worked in the pentagon , said attending the hearing shows we are still interested . ... we are still supporting the legal process . ' both dillard and scott attended every day of the 2006 sentencing trial . with the prospect that more terrorism suspects could be tried in federal courts with the promised closing of the guantanamo bay detention camp , dillard and scott say moussaoui 's case shows the civilian trials can work . however , the appeal judges grappled with such key questions as how to guarantee a terrorism detainee access to classified information without compromising national security , and how to determine what degree of involvement in a terrorist plot is needed to justify a death sentence . analysts say some detainees , because of evidence and other reasons , should be brought to trial in other systems . the extraordinary challenges of balancing national security with the rights of a terrorism defendant in a civilian trial vividly illustrate why the new administration should consider the use of military tribunals for at least some of the guantanamo detainees , ' said former u.s. attorney coffey . | prosecutors say moussaoui 's guilty plea came voluntarily |
waterfront restaurant <tsp> ( cnn ) -- a floating restaurant along the banks of the ohio river in covington , kentucky , broke free from its moorings thursday and drifted several hundred yards downriver , according to assistant fire chief chris black . jeff ruby 's waterfront restaurant -- which has sweeping views of downtown cincinnati -- separated from the shoreline and floated downriver , striking the clay wade bailey bridge , which carries u.s . routes 42 and 127 , and spinning around in the process . the part that was facing kentucky is now facing cincinnati ' said the restaurant 's owner , jeff ruby . the restaurant is currently being held in place by two tug boats and a barge , according to ruby , preventing it from ramming into the aging brent spence bridge . the tugs will keep it ( in place ) overnight and then we have two more ( boats ) coming in the morning . ' ruby says the plan is for them to gently guide the restaurant a few miles downriver to a secure dock in hebron , kentucky . ruby told cnn that one of his employees was walking the 110-foot ramp that connects the floating restaurant to the dock when he heard cable popping and snapping . ' moments later , the dock end of the ramp plunged into the icy water . ruby says the worker was able to scramble to safety , while another worker inside the restaurant was rescued about an hour later . this is not the first time that jeff ruby 's waterfront restaurant has floated away . in fact , the restaurant has been closed since march 2011 , when the same thing happened with 83 patrons inside , according to black . | jeff ruby 's waterfront restaurant broke from its moorings on the ohio river |
ohio river <tsp> ( cnn ) -- a floating restaurant along the banks of the ohio river in covington , kentucky , broke free from its moorings thursday and drifted several hundred yards downriver , according to assistant fire chief chris black . jeff ruby 's waterfront restaurant -- which has sweeping views of downtown cincinnati -- separated from the shoreline and floated downriver , striking the clay wade bailey bridge , which carries u.s . routes 42 and 127 , and spinning around in the process . the part that was facing kentucky is now facing cincinnati ' said the restaurant 's owner , jeff ruby . the restaurant is currently being held in place by two tug boats and a barge , according to ruby , preventing it from ramming into the aging brent spence bridge . the tugs will keep it ( in place ) overnight and then we have two more ( boats ) coming in the morning . ' ruby says the plan is for them to gently guide the restaurant a few miles downriver to a secure dock in hebron , kentucky . ruby told cnn that one of his employees was walking the 110-foot ramp that connects the floating restaurant to the dock when he heard cable popping and snapping . ' moments later , the dock end of the ramp plunged into the icy water . ruby says the worker was able to scramble to safety , while another worker inside the restaurant was rescued about an hour later . this is not the first time that jeff ruby 's waterfront restaurant has floated away . in fact , the restaurant has been closed since march 2011 , when the same thing happened with 83 patrons inside , according to black . | the floating eatery is being held in place on the ohio river until it can be relocated |
ohio river <tsp> ( cnn ) -- a floating restaurant along the banks of the ohio river in covington , kentucky , broke free from its moorings thursday and drifted several hundred yards downriver , according to assistant fire chief chris black . jeff ruby 's waterfront restaurant -- which has sweeping views of downtown cincinnati -- separated from the shoreline and floated downriver , striking the clay wade bailey bridge , which carries u.s . routes 42 and 127 , and spinning around in the process . the part that was facing kentucky is now facing cincinnati ' said the restaurant 's owner , jeff ruby . the restaurant is currently being held in place by two tug boats and a barge , according to ruby , preventing it from ramming into the aging brent spence bridge . the tugs will keep it ( in place ) overnight and then we have two more ( boats ) coming in the morning . ' ruby says the plan is for them to gently guide the restaurant a few miles downriver to a secure dock in hebron , kentucky . ruby told cnn that one of his employees was walking the 110-foot ramp that connects the floating restaurant to the dock when he heard cable popping and snapping . ' moments later , the dock end of the ramp plunged into the icy water . ruby says the worker was able to scramble to safety , while another worker inside the restaurant was rescued about an hour later . this is not the first time that jeff ruby 's waterfront restaurant has floated away . in fact , the restaurant has been closed since march 2011 , when the same thing happened with 83 patrons inside , according to black . | jeff ruby 's waterfront restaurant broke from its moorings on the ohio river |
joakim noah <tsp> ( cnn ) -- gay slurs hurled by three figures in professional sports in the last month are more than just testosterone-fueled temper tantrums , some say . the behavior , they say , is symptomatic of a deeper problem and should be used as an opportunity to tackle homophobia in professional sports . kobe bryant , joakim noah and roger mcdowell are not any different from many people in our society who use offensive language like that on a daily basis , ' said jarrod chin of the society for the study of sport in society at boston 's northeastern university . these incidents provide a real opportunity for the nba and mlb to take a strong stance against homophobia . ' in april , a frustrated los angeles lakers star kobe bryant laced a referee with an epithet that gays find offensive . bryant quickly apologized and was fined $ 100,000 . bryant was apparently angry that the referee penalized him for a technical foul . in early may , atlanta braves pitching coach roger mcdowell made national headlines for tossing anti-gay slurs at a group of fans in san francisco . he also made crude gestures at the fans , in full view of children who were in the crowd . after a short suspension , an emotional mcdowell apologized at a news conference . and last week , bombastic chicago bulls center joakim noah was captured by television cameras lobbing a similar slur at a fan after his second foul in the game . noah apologized right after the game and was slapped with a $ 50,000 fine . when sports stars use slurs , it is especially damaging because their increased public profile means many more people are exposed . these people seem to have lost sight of the fact that in their prime , in pivotal moments in games , they are one of the most influential people in the world , ' said former nba player john amaechi . amaechi knows all too well about homophobia in sports . he is credited as being one of the few professional stars to admit he is gay . but amaechi came out of the closet after he retired . he said he did not feel comfortable disclosing his orientation during his 5-year nba stint . amaechi says he still remembers the pointed response from nba star tim hardaway that followed his disclosure . first of all , i would n't want him on my team , ' hardaway told a radio host in 2007 . you know , i hate gay people , so i let it be known . i do n't like gay people and i do n't like to be around gay people . i am homophobic . i do n't like it . it should n't be in the world or in the united states . ' hardaway later apologized for his statement -- but the sentiment persists among many athletes , amaechi says . sports stars need to remember that being a positive role model is as much a part of their job as making lay-ups , hitting home runs or scoring touchdowns , ' he said . rick welts , president and ceo of the phoenix suns , says he had kept his sexual orientation secret throughout his long career . welts came out when the kobe bryant epithet caused a stir . he said bryant 's slur solidified in his mind that he needed to go public . well , the irony of the timing is it was the day before that i had been sitting in david stern , the ( nba ) commissioner 's office , to kind of discuss this with him . and then the next night , kobe went off , ' welts told cnn 's eliot spitzer . you know , i think it reinforced that probably it was time , because i think that will probably be remembered as a teaching moment . ' while his disclosure has been received positively for the most part , welts says is apprehensive about his future and feels that he is in uncharted territory . i do n't know what my future is . i do n't know where my career is going to go , ' he said . i think that 's part of the big problem with players . there 's no example out there . no one has ever done it . no one really knows what 's going to happen . ' the nba recently released a pubic service announcement featuring players grant hill and jared dudley about anti-gay language . using gay to mean dumb or stupid ... not cool , ' hill says in the commercial that is running during the playoff games . it is offensive to gay people , ' dudley adds . but some say more needs to be done . male professional sports do have an issue with homophobia , but so does society in general , ' chin , of northeastern university , said . the nba and mlb are great vehicles for educating folks about this issue and could really turn these negative events into a positive teachable moment . ' | chicago bulls center joakim noah was fined $ 50,000 for his slur |
stan wawrinka <tsp> lille ( cnn ) -- a year that began in uncertainty for roger federer ended with a historic title for the 17-time grand slam champion and his country . when federer defeated richard gasquet of france 6-4 6-2 6-2 in front of another record crowd sunday , it gave federer a maiden davis cup title at the not so tender age of 33 . the visitors prevailed 3-1 in the best-of-five match series . switzerland had never before won team tennis'most prestigious event , playing in one previous final in 1992 when federer was merely 11 . for me personally , obviously i 'm unbelievably happy because i 've been playing in this competition for probably almost 15 years now , ' federer told reporters as he sat among his teammates . at the end of the day i wanted it more for the guys . this is one for the boys . ' with federer committing to every round of the davis cup this season -- unlike in years past -- and the emergence of compatriot stan wawrinka , it greatly boosted switzerland 's chances of success . federer thus concluded 2014 with one of the biggest titles to elude him and a ranking of no . 2 , a considerable achievement given back issues largely contributed to his ranking slipping to eighth in january . indeed , some wondered -- with justification -- if federer could ever come close to recapturing his old form . he did , and federer was sharp saturday in doubles alongside wawrinka and then dominant against gasquet in lille , northern france . only one week ago federer was , according to novak djokovic , a question mark ' for the davis cup final after he withdrew from the final of the world tour finals in london against the no . 1 with further back troubles . his name was included in the davis cup draw thursday , ensuring one of the highest profile finals in recent memory , but federer suffered his most lopsided loss in the competition friday against gael monfils . the positive , he insisted afterwards , was that his body felt fine as the match progressed , and his words ultimately were not a smoke screen . to say that federer toyed with gasquet would n't be much of a stretch . gasquet , 2-12 versus federer entering the match , started with an emphatic hold , but that was as good as it got for the prodigy who has never quite delivered . you saw how well roger was playing , how he just killed richard today , ' said wawrinka . gasquet , replacing the injured jo-wilfried tsonga , was broken for 2-1 , which set the tone . federer lost just 14 points on his own serve and did n't face a break point . evidencing how well his back must have been feeling , he soared and stretched to put away a smash with venomous side spin in the second set . there was deft touch to seal the tie , federer executing a half-volley drop shot before falling onto the clay at the stade pierre mauroy . he joined the likes of rafael nadal , rod laver and andre agassi in winning a davis cup plus all four majors . unlike in majors , when players usually make the trek to their box after a title , in the davis cup the team habitually floods the court . federer noticed the difference . it was definitely one of the better feelings in my career , no doubt about it , ' he said . so much nicer to celebrate it all together . so thanks for running up to me and screaming in my ear . it was good fun . ' though he applied the knockout blow , wawrinka 's performance this weekend should n't be forgotten , and federer took note . he crushed tsonga to give switzerland its first point friday and combined wonderfully with federer in the doubles , his raw power a fine accompaniment to the artistry of federer . if he harbored any animosity towards federer for reportedly being taunted by federer 's wife , mirka , last week at the world tour finals , he did n't show it . wawrinka 's season began in superb fashion with a first grand slam title in melbourne and sunday ensures it terminates well , following some bumps in between . it is an exceptional year for me , ' said wawrinka . but what to make of the french ? the brief fireworks produced inside the stadium after switzerland 's win provided more electricity than anything produced by tsonga or gasquet on the court . about 90 percent of the record crowd of 27,448 for a pro tennis match sunday were french fans , but they barely had an opportunity to get into the match . over the three days , france claimed one set in the matches it lost . the french team said they were ready to go to war , if i can quote them , ' wawrinka said . what happened was totally the opposite . ' tsonga said a lingering arm injury returned friday and the pain intensified following his outing against wawrinka , yet the french no . 1 has not had a good year -- barring one tournament in toronto . gasquet has never had the reputation of being a clutch player -- his play in doubles and against federer wo n't help to shed the label . and so france 's drought , at least on the men 's side , continues . a generation that promised plenty and was so determined to win the davis cup this year for a tennis loving nation has underachieved . france , in an atypical luxury , contested all four of its series this year at home but was still unable to snap a 13-year drought . if you look at the tie as a whole , you can see that the swiss players are at a higher level than us , ' french captain arnaud clement told reporters . they 're top ( two ) and top four of the world . we prepared for that as much as we could . but we knew that beating them would need an exceptional performance . ' when wawrinka was asked for a percentage regarding his availability for switzerland 's opening tie against belgium next year , he replied , i think the percentage we 're going to drink alcohol tonight is very high . ' if the french players were to drink some alcohol , it would be for different reasons . | he got support from stan wawrinka , who shone in his two matches this weekend |
barcelona <tsp> ( cnn ) -- the goals just keep flowing for lionel messi , who on sunday surpassed soccer legend pele 's mark of 75 in a calendar year to help barcelona bounce back from a rare defeat . the argentina star netted twice in the 4-2 win at mallorca that kept the catalans three points clear in spain 's la liga , leaving him just nine short of gerd muller 's all-time record . the 25-year-old , who became a first-time father earlier this month , was able to put a bit more enthusiasm into his new thumb-sucking celebration than when he scored late in the shock midweek champions league loss to scottish side celtic . leo continually breaks records . his goal tally is spectacular , ' said barca manager tito vilanova , who has yet to experience a domestic league defeat after his first 11 matches in charge , equaling the best start to a season set by real madrid . it takes other great players seven or eight seasons to score the amount of goals he scores in one season . also , some of his goals are absolute beauties . ' read blog : is loyalty barca 's biggest strength ? messi has now scored 64 goals for his club and 12 for his country this year , from just 59 matches overall . pele managed 75 from 53 as a 17-year-old in 1958 , helping brazil to win the world cup for the first of a record five times . muller , a world cup winner in 1974 , surpassed pele 's record in a year that west germany won the european championship . messi has yet to win a senior title with argentina , though he won olympic gold with the under-23 side in 2008 . he has nine matches left this year to catch muller -- six in la liga , two in the champions league and one in the spanish cup . his two goals against malaga gave him 15 in the league this season , three clear of his big rival cristiano ronaldo -- who scored the opener in real madrid 's 2-1 win on a waterlogged pitch at levante in sunday 's late match . ronaldo , switched to a central attacking role with karim benzema and gonzalo higuain out injured , suffered an early blow above the eye and was taken off at halftime . the portugal captain is now real 's seventh highest league scorer with 124 goals since his arrival from manchester united in 2009 in a world-record $ 130 million transfer . levante leveled in the second half through angel rodriguez , but 20-year-old alvaro morata headed an 84th-minute winner with his first touch of the ball on his debut to keep jose mourinho 's third-placed defending champions eight points behind barcelona . real inflicted levante 's first home defeat this season , hitting the crossbar twice and missing a penalty by xabi alonso , whose late freekick set up substitute morata 's winner . atletico madrid retained second place after beating getafe 2-0 . adrian lopez scored a first-half opener after his initial attempt was saved , while arda turan 's second-half effort was allowed to stand despite a clear handball in the buildup . in italy , inter milan failed to reduce juventus'four-point lead after suffering a surprise 3-2 defeat at atalanta . veteran striker german denis netted in the 60th and 67th minutes to put the home side 3-1 ahead , while inter reduced the deficit through his fellow argentine rodrigo palacio before atalanta substitute facundo parra was sent off in time added on . napoli stayed third with a 4-2 win at genoa , while fourth-placed fiorentina won 3-1 away to troubled 2010-11 serie a champions ac milan . milan 's sixth defeat in 12 league games left last season 's runners-up in 13th place , with coach massimiliano allegri 's future increasingly in doubt . lazio consolidated fifth place with a 3-2 win in the capital derby against roma , as both teams had a player sent off . in germany , bayer leverkusen missed the chance to go above fourth-placed champions borussia dortmund after losing 3-1 to third-bottom wolfsburg . leverkusen stayed a point above hanover , who won 4-2 at stuttgart . | lionel messi scores twice as barcelona beat mallorca 4-2 on sunday |
nancy pelosi <tsp> washington ( cnn ) -- nancy pelosi says there are 14 million reasons why chuck schumer is wrong . in an intraparty feud about political strategy , the house minority leader on tuesday called out the no . 3 senate democratic leader for saying that it was a mistake for democrats to focus on passing health care reform in 2010 . after passing the stimulus , democrats should have continued to propose middle class-oriented programs and built on the partial success of the stimulus , but unfortunately democrats blew the opportunity the american people gave them , ' schumer said in a remarks focused on political messaging heading into 2016 at the national press club . new york 's schumer added , we took their mandate and put all our focus on the wrong problem -- health care reform . ' when asked whether she agreed with schumer 's assessment , california 's pelosi did n't mince words in a written statement provided to cnn . we come here to do a job , not keep a job . there are more than 14 million reasons why that 's wrong , ' pelosi said . the 14 million figure pelosi cites references those americans who now have health care coverage since the law was enacted . it adds together those who have signed up through health care exchanges , those allowed to say on their parent 's health care plans through age 26 and those getting coverage through the expansion of the medicaid program . pelosi 's office also maintained that the affordable care act has had a positive economic effect in terms of bending the cost curve over the long term . they also took issue with the notion that the house , under pelosi 's speakership , was n't focused on the economy after obama was elected . an aide noted that the house passed a jobs bill the democratic-led senate did not take up , and the original version of the stimulus bill the house passed was larger than the final version the senate approved . later tuesday , an white house official also weighed in . as did a couple of former white house officials . an aide to schumer said the new york democrat has hinted at this concern in the past . schumer supported the affordable care act , but from a political timing standpoint , he thought the party could have done other things before turning to health care . but in moving to stake out the party 's message going forward , schumer put himself at odds with pelosi , who was one of the fiercest champions of passing the legislation through the house in 2010 . the controversial bill passed without a single republican vote , and the house gop filed a lawsuit last week to challenge president barack obama 's authority to make changes to the law . cnn 's ted barrett contributed to this report | rep. nancy pelosi counters that democrats also focused on the economy |
cnn <tsp> staten island , new york ( cnn ) -- on a chilly morning after thousands took to the streets to protest yet another grand jury 's refusal to indict a white police officer for killing an unarmed black man , tourists vied for spots on the staten island ferry to photograph the statue of liberty and ellis island . the ferry is the only way to get from lower manhattan -- without a car , of course -- to the north shore of new york 's least populated and whitest borough . on the other side of the harbor , just blocks from the ferry terminal , is tompkinsville , the neighborhood where eric garner lived and died . garner , 43 , was a father of six and a grandfather . he died july 17 after police officer daniel pantaleo tackled him to the ground in a department-banned chokehold during an arrest for selling cigarettes illegally . garner 's death occurred weeks before ferguson , missouri , police officer darren wilson shot unarmed teenager michael brown to death on august 9 . a st. louis county grand jury last week declined to indict wilson , setting off days of unrest . on the journey from manhattan , where hordes of protesters stopped traffic on wednesday and thursday , to the staten island street where garner was killed , people were asked three questions . what do the deaths of brown and garner say about race in america ? how would your life be different if you were of a different race or class ? do you believe justice is colorblind ? enoch karim and his daughter takeya sat on the staten island-bound ferry , watching tourists snap photos of the statue of liberty . the united states is not all it 's made out to be , karim said . the grand jury decision to not indict pantaleo was not unexpected . we 've become desensitized to these murders , ' said karim , whose son was friends with garner , known in the neighborhood as big e. ' it 's business as usual in america . ' it 's bad , ' his 14-year-old daughter said . we die and they do n't do anything about it . ' karim said his son and garner sold loosie ' cigarettes to make a few dollars instead of stealing . ' his son saw garner die , he said . he said ,'dad , i had to walk away . they killed big e and i could n't do anything about it .' asked if life would be different if his race was different , karim smiled . it 's called the privileged race , ' he said . i 'd probably be president . ' johannes morken and his wife , may , on wednesday stood near rockefeller center in manhattan . they watched hundreds of protesters on the streets . on thursday , waiting for the ferry , the couple visiting from norway read a front-page newspaper article about the protests . both these two guys are black and they were killed for small crimes , ' said johannes morken . police use tough measures against unarmed black people . it looks like white policemen are trained to act like that . ' racism is more of a problem than we hoped it would be , ' he added . garner 's father , ben carr , has been holding an almost daily vigil near the makeshift shrine at the spot where his son died . i just want to make sure that people come here to honor and remember my son , ' he said . no violence . we live here . ' rage was on display on the streets of new york , but there was none of the looting and violence seen in ferguson . to twan scholar , who knew garner for 25 years , the sidewalk where his friend died is sacred ground . so many young black men are dying , he said . the government worries about all these other countries , but what about folks being killed by the police on our streets ? ' he asked . rodney lee , who is korean , has run bay beauty supply on bay street for 15 years . as pantaleo grabbed garner in a chokehold , the officer and the man he took down nearly crashed through the window of lee 's shop . a memorial of white flowers , handwritten notes and burning candles marks the spot on a sidewalk where garner uttered his last words : i ca n't breathe . i ca n't breathe . ' why do we have to be scared of the cops ? ' lee asked . katie mccarthy has owned book cafã© on bay street for three decades . she looked down the street at the people gathered around garner 's memorial and lamented that america was far from guaranteeing equal justice for all . ' outside a pharmacy on victory boulevard , loretta bevilacqua said the garner case was not about race . though staten island is more than three-quarters white , the north shore is more diverse . it 's sad what happened but most people here get along , ' she said . the borough -- the only one not reachable by the city 's subway system -- is home to many firefighters and police officers . on september 11 , 2001 , more than 250 staten islanders died when the world trade center towers fell . justice is colorblind , ' bevilacqua said . a lot of people do n't care about race . but there are always some people who are prejudiced . ' | his friends and neighbors share their thoughts with cnn |
ebola <tsp> washington ( cnn ) -- using some of the most dramatic language yet by a u.s. official , secretary of state john kerry on friday called on world leaders to contribute far more to the international ebola response . kerry warned that , absent a concerted effort by the international community , ebola has the potential to become a scourge like hiv or polio that we will end up fighting -- all of us -- for decades . ' the secretary made these remarks to a room of foreign ambassadors at the state department in washington . he called on them to use their influence to bring stronger commitments to the ebola fight , which has plagued sierra leone , guinea and liberia for weeks , and has spread as far as the united states and europe . rand paul : ebola is not like aids ' ' there is no country that is exempt from being able to do something to be able to contribute to this effort and help make a difference , ' kerry said . and everything we do depends on how we coordinate our efforts as partners in how we contribute together . ' kerry praised a handful of countries for their contributions to the effort , including cuba -- a historical foe of the u.s , that more often finds itself under criticism by the state department . cuba , a country of just 11 million people , has sent 165 health professionals , ' kerry noted in his remarks , and it plans to send nearly 300 more . ' the united nations has called on the international community to give $ 1 billion to the ebola response effort over the next six months . so far , kerry noted , only about a third of that need has been met . we live in a world of a lot of close calls , tough decisions on a daily basis -- difficult and contentious issues where you can have an honest disagreement about what the best course of action is , or about what the facts are , or the results of your decision may be , ' kerry conceded , adding , ebola is not one of them . ' so far , more than 4,000 people have died from the epidemic in west africa . the world health organization estimates that there will be between 5,000 and 10,000 new ebola cases per week there by the first week of december . cdc director on ebola :'only thing like this has been aids ' | kerry said ebola has the potential to become a scourge like hiv or polio ' . |
rancho cordova <tsp> los angeles ( cnn ) -- pacific gas and electric company must pay $ 38 million for safety violations in connection with a christmas eve 2008 explosion and fire in northern california , officials said . the penalty is the largest safety violation fine for a utility in california history , said andrew kotch , spokesman for the california public utilities commission . the fine was larger than the $ 26 million recommended to an administrative law judge , but the judge imposed the bigger fine , which was approved thursday by the commission , officials said . the explosion and fire were caused by a natural gas leak . they destroyed a house in rancho cordova , california , near sacramento , authorities said . one person died and five other people , including a utility worker and a firefighter , were injured . the commission said pg & e committed safety violations that included not following its internal procedures after discovering the installation of a gas pipe with a wall thickness below specifications ; not administering drug and alcohol tests after the rancho cordova explosion to all employees whose performance on december 24 , 2008 , under the circumstances presented , could not be completely discounted as a contributing factor to the accident ' ; and making an unreasonably delayed and not effective ' response to a neighborhood resident 's phone call about an outdoor gas leak odor . this decision sends a signal that california is taking a firm stand on integrity and safety in its gas distribution infrastructure , ' timothy alan simon , the commissioner assigned in this proceeding , said in a statement . pg & e ca n't raise rates on customers to recover any portion of the penalty and other costs associated with the commission 's decision , and the fine payment will be turned over to the state 's general fund , the commission said . | pg & e committed safety violations in 2008 explosion in rancho cordova |
desch <tsp> ( cnn ) -- british prime minister david cameron and the no ' campaign are entitled to savor their victory in the referendum on scottish independence . at the end of the day , the union flag still flies with scotland 's cross of st. andrew . but cameron and the no campaign should resist the temptation to whistle past the graveyard of scottish nationalism . despite the success of the no vote , the genie of nationalism is now out of the bottle . fourty-five percent of the scottish voters opted for straight-out independence in a referendum in which they faced the stark choice of severing the fraternal bonds of the united kingdom entirely or sticking with an unpalatable status quo . had the referendum included a middle way calling for greater autonomy for scotland within the union , it would no doubt have won by a landslide . only dire predictions of life alone in the cold bolstered by last-minute promises of greater autonomy if scotland stayed kept the yes campaign in a bare minority . one could fairly criticize scottish national party leader alex salmond for pushing the united kingdom to the brink of a tartan divorce with england , wales , and northern ireland . but we should not ignore the british government 's part in this political drama . cameron and his colleagues under-estimated the strength of scottish nationalism until the 11th hour and then , in panic , gave away the middle ground of greater autonomy that the prime minister had initially refused to put on the ballot . many of those promises of greater autonomy and home-rule north of the river tweed will now have to be kept at significant cost . and london 's concessions to edinburgh are likely to accelerate the devolution revolution ' in other parts of the united kingdom , including england itself , which will further federalize it , shifting british politics in unexpected directions . things will be interesting going forward both in scotland and other regions of great britain as a result . last night 's victors should also keep in mind that nationalism often flourishes in defeat -- for example , the well-spring of the serbian nationalism that caused so much turmoil in the balkans during the 1990s was the loss of the battle of the kosovo fields to the turks 625 years ago . scottish nationalism is equally durable in the face of adversity . the english king edward longshanks captured scottish rebel william wallace in 1305 and publically eviscerated him in an attempt to smother the flames of resistance to english rule . but a scant nine years later robert the bruce secured the independence of his throne at the battle of bannockburn . while ethnic , linguistic , and religious separatist sentiment waxes and wanes in the modern era , it still persists despite set-backs . quebecois separatism in canada was defeated handily at the polls in 1980 but came back again with even greater support in 1995 , only narrowly failing that time . it is important for the developed world to acknowledge and accommodate nationalist sentiment because as we have seen many other places in the world , when repressed it often explodes in violence . the breakup of the great colonial empires after world war ii saw one wave of violent separatism crest , its nationalist substructure obscured by the ideological overlay of the cold war . a post-cold war wave destroyed the new communist identities in the soviet union and yugoslavia and clearly highlighted the persistence of nationalism in modern politics . today , the fragmenting of the artificial states of the middle east -- particularly syria and iraq -- and the ukraine emphasize the marriage of national with religious identities as the bedrock of 21st century political identity in many parts of the world . while hardly anyone expects the violence that characterized nationalist struggle on the margins or outside of the developed world will spill over into europe , there are plenty of nations-without-states there who watched events in scotland with more than a passing interest . the catalans and andalusians in spain , basques in spain and france , the flemish in belgium , the corsicans in france , and the sardinians in italy all chafe to a greater or lesser extent under the rule of other peoples . the challenge for britain and the other countries in the developed world facing calls for greater autonomy by proto-nationalist groups is to respond effectively within their democratic processes to demands for greater autonomy . the first step is not to be taken by surprise by separatism 's persistence ; the second is to respond to it with meaningful change before it reaches a crisis . this will be tricky , as the last few months in the united kingdom amply demonstrate , but they face no choice . the future of challenge of world politics will remain the sorting out the incongruity between formal political structures and actual political identities . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of michael desch . | desch : there are plenty of nations-without-states who watched events in scotland |
desch <tsp> ( cnn ) -- british prime minister david cameron and the no ' campaign are entitled to savor their victory in the referendum on scottish independence . at the end of the day , the union flag still flies with scotland 's cross of st. andrew . but cameron and the no campaign should resist the temptation to whistle past the graveyard of scottish nationalism . despite the success of the no vote , the genie of nationalism is now out of the bottle . fourty-five percent of the scottish voters opted for straight-out independence in a referendum in which they faced the stark choice of severing the fraternal bonds of the united kingdom entirely or sticking with an unpalatable status quo . had the referendum included a middle way calling for greater autonomy for scotland within the union , it would no doubt have won by a landslide . only dire predictions of life alone in the cold bolstered by last-minute promises of greater autonomy if scotland stayed kept the yes campaign in a bare minority . one could fairly criticize scottish national party leader alex salmond for pushing the united kingdom to the brink of a tartan divorce with england , wales , and northern ireland . but we should not ignore the british government 's part in this political drama . cameron and his colleagues under-estimated the strength of scottish nationalism until the 11th hour and then , in panic , gave away the middle ground of greater autonomy that the prime minister had initially refused to put on the ballot . many of those promises of greater autonomy and home-rule north of the river tweed will now have to be kept at significant cost . and london 's concessions to edinburgh are likely to accelerate the devolution revolution ' in other parts of the united kingdom , including england itself , which will further federalize it , shifting british politics in unexpected directions . things will be interesting going forward both in scotland and other regions of great britain as a result . last night 's victors should also keep in mind that nationalism often flourishes in defeat -- for example , the well-spring of the serbian nationalism that caused so much turmoil in the balkans during the 1990s was the loss of the battle of the kosovo fields to the turks 625 years ago . scottish nationalism is equally durable in the face of adversity . the english king edward longshanks captured scottish rebel william wallace in 1305 and publically eviscerated him in an attempt to smother the flames of resistance to english rule . but a scant nine years later robert the bruce secured the independence of his throne at the battle of bannockburn . while ethnic , linguistic , and religious separatist sentiment waxes and wanes in the modern era , it still persists despite set-backs . quebecois separatism in canada was defeated handily at the polls in 1980 but came back again with even greater support in 1995 , only narrowly failing that time . it is important for the developed world to acknowledge and accommodate nationalist sentiment because as we have seen many other places in the world , when repressed it often explodes in violence . the breakup of the great colonial empires after world war ii saw one wave of violent separatism crest , its nationalist substructure obscured by the ideological overlay of the cold war . a post-cold war wave destroyed the new communist identities in the soviet union and yugoslavia and clearly highlighted the persistence of nationalism in modern politics . today , the fragmenting of the artificial states of the middle east -- particularly syria and iraq -- and the ukraine emphasize the marriage of national with religious identities as the bedrock of 21st century political identity in many parts of the world . while hardly anyone expects the violence that characterized nationalist struggle on the margins or outside of the developed world will spill over into europe , there are plenty of nations-without-states there who watched events in scotland with more than a passing interest . the catalans and andalusians in spain , basques in spain and france , the flemish in belgium , the corsicans in france , and the sardinians in italy all chafe to a greater or lesser extent under the rule of other peoples . the challenge for britain and the other countries in the developed world facing calls for greater autonomy by proto-nationalist groups is to respond effectively within their democratic processes to demands for greater autonomy . the first step is not to be taken by surprise by separatism 's persistence ; the second is to respond to it with meaningful change before it reaches a crisis . this will be tricky , as the last few months in the united kingdom amply demonstrate , but they face no choice . the future of challenge of world politics will remain the sorting out the incongruity between formal political structures and actual political identities . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of michael desch . | despite the success of the no vote in scotland , the genie of nationalism is now out of the bottle , writes michael desch |
vladimir putin <tsp> ( cnn ) -- ukrainian president petro poroshenko outlined a program of social and economic reforms thursday that he said are aimed at preparing his country to apply for eu membership in 2020 . since he took office in june , poroshenko has pursued a pro-european agenda despite opposition from russia . this program foresees about 60 reforms and special programs that will allow ukraine to prepare for submitting in six years a bid for membership of the european union , ' he said , according to national news agency ukrinform . poroshenko also told reporters thursday in kiev that a nearly three-week-old ceasefire between ukraine 's military and pro-russia rebels in the country 's east is holding . this , he said , was the first day in many many weeks and months when ukrainians have not had a single person killed , and not a single person wounded . ' poroshenko said he expected to hold a meeting with russian president vladimir putin within the next three weeks . he did not specify the venue of the meeting , just saying that it would be held in europe . minsk deal the ceasefire deal was agreed to following a phone conversation between the two leaders and negotiations between representatives of kiev , moscow and the pro-russia rebels in minsk , belarus . kiev and the west accuse moscow of arming and supporting the rebels and of sending russian troops over the border to fight with them . the ukrainian parliament and the european union last week ratified a political and economic agreement that also includes free trade provisions , though they wo n't come into force until the start of 2016 . former ukrainian president viktor yanukovych 's decision to drop the eu association agreement late last year in favor of closer ties with moscow triggered the popular unrest that led to his ouster in february , followed by russia 's annexation of ukraine 's crimea region a month later and months of deadly conflict in eastern ukraine . u.s. support at the same time , poroshenko appealed to the u.s. congress for greater support for his military , but the request was rebuffed . the united states has sent nonlethal assistance such as blankets and night vision goggles , but wo n't provide lethal aid . in his speech to the u.n. general assembly wednesday , president barack obama again promised that the united states and its allies would support ukraine , while calling on russia to follow the path of diplomacy and peace . ' u.s. secretary of state john kerry and russian foreign minister sergey lavrov discussed the importance of a full and prompt implementation of the minsk ceasefire agreement during a meeting wednesday , a senior state department official said . journalist azad safarov reported from kiev and laura smith-spark wrote and reported in london . cnn 's elise labott contributed to this report . | he and russian president vladimir putin will likely meet in the next three weeks , he says |
ukrainian <tsp> ( cnn ) -- ukrainian president petro poroshenko outlined a program of social and economic reforms thursday that he said are aimed at preparing his country to apply for eu membership in 2020 . since he took office in june , poroshenko has pursued a pro-european agenda despite opposition from russia . this program foresees about 60 reforms and special programs that will allow ukraine to prepare for submitting in six years a bid for membership of the european union , ' he said , according to national news agency ukrinform . poroshenko also told reporters thursday in kiev that a nearly three-week-old ceasefire between ukraine 's military and pro-russia rebels in the country 's east is holding . this , he said , was the first day in many many weeks and months when ukrainians have not had a single person killed , and not a single person wounded . ' poroshenko said he expected to hold a meeting with russian president vladimir putin within the next three weeks . he did not specify the venue of the meeting , just saying that it would be held in europe . minsk deal the ceasefire deal was agreed to following a phone conversation between the two leaders and negotiations between representatives of kiev , moscow and the pro-russia rebels in minsk , belarus . kiev and the west accuse moscow of arming and supporting the rebels and of sending russian troops over the border to fight with them . the ukrainian parliament and the european union last week ratified a political and economic agreement that also includes free trade provisions , though they wo n't come into force until the start of 2016 . former ukrainian president viktor yanukovych 's decision to drop the eu association agreement late last year in favor of closer ties with moscow triggered the popular unrest that led to his ouster in february , followed by russia 's annexation of ukraine 's crimea region a month later and months of deadly conflict in eastern ukraine . u.s. support at the same time , poroshenko appealed to the u.s. congress for greater support for his military , but the request was rebuffed . the united states has sent nonlethal assistance such as blankets and night vision goggles , but wo n't provide lethal aid . in his speech to the u.n. general assembly wednesday , president barack obama again promised that the united states and its allies would support ukraine , while calling on russia to follow the path of diplomacy and peace . ' u.s. secretary of state john kerry and russian foreign minister sergey lavrov discussed the importance of a full and prompt implementation of the minsk ceasefire agreement during a meeting wednesday , a senior state department official said . journalist azad safarov reported from kiev and laura smith-spark wrote and reported in london . cnn 's elise labott contributed to this report . | president says a ceasefire between ukrainian forces and pro-russia rebels is holding |
human rights watch <tsp> ( cnn ) darfur has a long , dark history filled with horrors . but these nightmares are n't all in the far past , according to human rights watch . citing 130 interviews with locals , the advocacy group said this week that in october , sudanese soldiers raped more than 200 women and girls over a 36-hour period in the north darfur town of tabit . witnesses told human rights watch that during ( the ) attacks , government soldiers went house-to-house in tabit , searching houses , looting property , severely beating residents , and raping women and girls , ' the report stated . on the two nights , soldiers forced many of the men to outdoor locations on the outskirts of the town , leaving the women and children especially vulnerable . ' the advocacy group said that civilians were the only ones affected and that it had no evidence of any rebel force in the town immediately prior to or during the attacks . ' the united nations and african union have a force in darfur , but according to human rights watch , the sudanese government has prevented ( them ) from carrying out a credible investigation . ' immediately after they entered the room they said :'you killed our man . we are going to show you true hell ,' a woman in her 40s recalled of an attack on her and her three daughters , two of whom were less than 11 years old , human rights watch reported . then they started beating us . they raped my three daughters and me . some of them were holding the girl down while another one was raping her . they did it one by one . ' yusuf kurdufani , a sudanese foreign ministry spokesman , dismissed the report as an attempt to reproduce an issue long closed after the world was convinced about the incredibility and illogicality of the claims of mass rape . ' according to the official sudanese news agency , kurdufani said mass rapes go contrary to the logic of things and also contradict ... the customs and traditions of the local population . ' he argued that by making such allegations , the rebel movements wanted to create an impression that the situation was still unstable in the region , ' the suna report added . the spokesman reaffirmed that the allegations of mass rape in tabit is a file that has been closed . ' yet not everyone in the international community buys sudan 's story , at least without a credible outside investigation . to this day , the government of sudan has shamefully denied the un the ability to properly investigate this incident , despite this ( u.n. security ) council 's mandate to do precisely that , ' said samantha power , the u.s. ambassador to the united nations . the united nations itself said two months ago that its team had found no evidence supporting the claims , though the ultimate findings are inconclusive and require further investigation . ' violence in darfur -- an arid region in western sudan -- began raging in the early 2000s , with then-u.n. envoy tom eric vraalsen at one point calling the humanitarian crisis there one of the worst in the world . ' the united nations has estimated about 300,000 people have been killed and another 2.7 million wounded in the unrest . sudanese president omar al-bashir is charged by the international criminal court with multiple counts of genocide , war crimes and crimes against humanity . but al-bashir has n't agreed to stand trial , with his information minister at one point dismissing the icc as a white man 's tribunal . ' there have been seemingly positive developments in the region in recent years , like south sudan declaring independence after a peace agreement and subsequent referendum . in darfur in 2013 , a splinter group from the justice and equality movement -- the largest darfurian rebel group -- signed a peace deal with the sudanese government , and countries pledged $ 3.7 billion to reconstruct and develop the war-torn area . yet the violence never really went away . in december , under-secretary-general for u.n. peacekeeping operations herve ladsous briefed the security council about increased fighting , deadly ' internal conflicts and an alarming rise of crime in darfur . this insecurity as well as the persistent restrictions imposed by government forces , armed movements and militia groups continued to challenge the ability of the ( un/au ) mission to implement its mandate , particularly as regards the protection of civilians , ' ladsous said . | human rights watch : mass rapes occurred over a 36-hour period last october |
cuba <tsp> washington ( cnn ) -- the u.s. agency for international development has paid alan gross $ 3.2 million , settling a claim over the former contractor freed last week by cuba after five years in prison , a spokesman for the federal agency tells cnn . usaid , the agency which oversees foreign aid , said it finalized the settlement with development alternatives , inc ( dai ) . gross was employed by the maryland-based company when he was arrested in 2009 trying to provide cell phones and other communications equiment to cuba 's jewish community under a usaid program . the u.s. maintained gross was trying to help cubans access the internet as part of democracy-building program in a country where information is tightly controlled . gross was serving a 15-year sentence for trying to subvert the cuban government , but was released last week as part of a landmark deal that paved the way for a restoration of diplomatic ties between the u.s. and cuba after more than 50 years . in a statement released tuesday , usaid said the settlement -- agreed to in principle in november -- calls for payment by usaid for unanticipated claims under a cost-reimbursement contract , including claims related to gross . dai had been seeking $ 7 million in costs before the civilian board of contract appeals . the settlement avoids the cost , delay and risks of further proceedings , and does not constitute an admission of liability by either party , ' the statement said . the usaid spokesman said as part of the settlement agreement , the agency agreed to pay gross the $ 3.2 million directly . related : cnn/orc poll : americans side with obama on cuba gross and his wife , judy , filed a $ 60 million lawsuit in november 2012 for gross negligence against the u.s. government and dai . they settled with dai for undisclosed terms in may 2013 , and a u.s. district court threw out his claim against the u.s. government . that ruling was upheld on appeal last month . | gross was released after a five-year imprisonment in cuba last week |
gross <tsp> washington ( cnn ) -- the u.s. agency for international development has paid alan gross $ 3.2 million , settling a claim over the former contractor freed last week by cuba after five years in prison , a spokesman for the federal agency tells cnn . usaid , the agency which oversees foreign aid , said it finalized the settlement with development alternatives , inc ( dai ) . gross was employed by the maryland-based company when he was arrested in 2009 trying to provide cell phones and other communications equiment to cuba 's jewish community under a usaid program . the u.s. maintained gross was trying to help cubans access the internet as part of democracy-building program in a country where information is tightly controlled . gross was serving a 15-year sentence for trying to subvert the cuban government , but was released last week as part of a landmark deal that paved the way for a restoration of diplomatic ties between the u.s. and cuba after more than 50 years . in a statement released tuesday , usaid said the settlement -- agreed to in principle in november -- calls for payment by usaid for unanticipated claims under a cost-reimbursement contract , including claims related to gross . dai had been seeking $ 7 million in costs before the civilian board of contract appeals . the settlement avoids the cost , delay and risks of further proceedings , and does not constitute an admission of liability by either party , ' the statement said . the usaid spokesman said as part of the settlement agreement , the agency agreed to pay gross the $ 3.2 million directly . related : cnn/orc poll : americans side with obama on cuba gross and his wife , judy , filed a $ 60 million lawsuit in november 2012 for gross negligence against the u.s. government and dai . they settled with dai for undisclosed terms in may 2013 , and a u.s. district court threw out his claim against the u.s. government . that ruling was upheld on appeal last month . | gross was released after a five-year imprisonment in cuba last week |
gross <tsp> washington ( cnn ) -- the u.s. agency for international development has paid alan gross $ 3.2 million , settling a claim over the former contractor freed last week by cuba after five years in prison , a spokesman for the federal agency tells cnn . usaid , the agency which oversees foreign aid , said it finalized the settlement with development alternatives , inc ( dai ) . gross was employed by the maryland-based company when he was arrested in 2009 trying to provide cell phones and other communications equiment to cuba 's jewish community under a usaid program . the u.s. maintained gross was trying to help cubans access the internet as part of democracy-building program in a country where information is tightly controlled . gross was serving a 15-year sentence for trying to subvert the cuban government , but was released last week as part of a landmark deal that paved the way for a restoration of diplomatic ties between the u.s. and cuba after more than 50 years . in a statement released tuesday , usaid said the settlement -- agreed to in principle in november -- calls for payment by usaid for unanticipated claims under a cost-reimbursement contract , including claims related to gross . dai had been seeking $ 7 million in costs before the civilian board of contract appeals . the settlement avoids the cost , delay and risks of further proceedings , and does not constitute an admission of liability by either party , ' the statement said . the usaid spokesman said as part of the settlement agreement , the agency agreed to pay gross the $ 3.2 million directly . related : cnn/orc poll : americans side with obama on cuba gross and his wife , judy , filed a $ 60 million lawsuit in november 2012 for gross negligence against the u.s. government and dai . they settled with dai for undisclosed terms in may 2013 , and a u.s. district court threw out his claim against the u.s. government . that ruling was upheld on appeal last month . | the u.s. agency for international development has paid alan gross $ 3.2 million in a settlement |
gross <tsp> washington ( cnn ) -- the u.s. agency for international development has paid alan gross $ 3.2 million , settling a claim over the former contractor freed last week by cuba after five years in prison , a spokesman for the federal agency tells cnn . usaid , the agency which oversees foreign aid , said it finalized the settlement with development alternatives , inc ( dai ) . gross was employed by the maryland-based company when he was arrested in 2009 trying to provide cell phones and other communications equiment to cuba 's jewish community under a usaid program . the u.s. maintained gross was trying to help cubans access the internet as part of democracy-building program in a country where information is tightly controlled . gross was serving a 15-year sentence for trying to subvert the cuban government , but was released last week as part of a landmark deal that paved the way for a restoration of diplomatic ties between the u.s. and cuba after more than 50 years . in a statement released tuesday , usaid said the settlement -- agreed to in principle in november -- calls for payment by usaid for unanticipated claims under a cost-reimbursement contract , including claims related to gross . dai had been seeking $ 7 million in costs before the civilian board of contract appeals . the settlement avoids the cost , delay and risks of further proceedings , and does not constitute an admission of liability by either party , ' the statement said . the usaid spokesman said as part of the settlement agreement , the agency agreed to pay gross the $ 3.2 million directly . related : cnn/orc poll : americans side with obama on cuba gross and his wife , judy , filed a $ 60 million lawsuit in november 2012 for gross negligence against the u.s. government and dai . they settled with dai for undisclosed terms in may 2013 , and a u.s. district court threw out his claim against the u.s. government . that ruling was upheld on appeal last month . | gross and his wife had filed a $ 60 million lawsuit in 2012 against the u.s. government and dai |
santander <tsp> london , england ( cnn ) -- mortgage lender bradford & bingley confirmed monday it is to become the second bank nationalized by the british government since the financial crisis began . in a deal hammered out with spanish bank santander , b & b was being taken into public ownership after uncertainty over its future prompted savers to withdraw tens of millions of pounds . ' british finance minister alistair darling said b & b assets were sold to santander 's abbey division for just over £600 million pounds , or about $ 1.1 billion . my priority was to protect savers and depositors , but also to ensure that we got a good deal for the taxpayer , ' darling said . we had to stabilize the situation in order to protect the banking system as a whole . ' b & b 's mortgage assets will be held by the government for now , but sold in the future , darling said , once the markets stabilize -- and hopefully at a profit . b & b said it would be business as usual ' for its customers . whatever channel they use -- branch , telephone , internet or atm - they will all be open and operating as normal , ' the statement said . b & b 's nationalization follows a similar government rescue of northern rock , which faced collapse earlier this year after it suffered heavily from exposure to the so-called credit crunch caused by bad debts . the united states has seen a similar financial crisis . in just the past month , the u.s. federal government has seized control of troubled mortgage finance firms fannie mae and freddie mac , lehman brothers filed for bankruptcy and merrill lynch was forced to sell itself to bank of america . other failures or consolidations of financial companies are considered likely , according to analysts . copyright 2008 cnn . all rights reserved.this material may not be published , broadcast , rewritten , or redistributed . associated press contributed to this report . | santander to take over uk bank 's retail deposit and branch network |
santander <tsp> london , england ( cnn ) -- mortgage lender bradford & bingley confirmed monday it is to become the second bank nationalized by the british government since the financial crisis began . in a deal hammered out with spanish bank santander , b & b was being taken into public ownership after uncertainty over its future prompted savers to withdraw tens of millions of pounds . ' british finance minister alistair darling said b & b assets were sold to santander 's abbey division for just over £600 million pounds , or about $ 1.1 billion . my priority was to protect savers and depositors , but also to ensure that we got a good deal for the taxpayer , ' darling said . we had to stabilize the situation in order to protect the banking system as a whole . ' b & b 's mortgage assets will be held by the government for now , but sold in the future , darling said , once the markets stabilize -- and hopefully at a profit . b & b said it would be business as usual ' for its customers . whatever channel they use -- branch , telephone , internet or atm - they will all be open and operating as normal , ' the statement said . b & b 's nationalization follows a similar government rescue of northern rock , which faced collapse earlier this year after it suffered heavily from exposure to the so-called credit crunch caused by bad debts . the united states has seen a similar financial crisis . in just the past month , the u.s. federal government has seized control of troubled mortgage finance firms fannie mae and freddie mac , lehman brothers filed for bankruptcy and merrill lynch was forced to sell itself to bank of america . other failures or consolidations of financial companies are considered likely , according to analysts . copyright 2008 cnn . all rights reserved.this material may not be published , broadcast , rewritten , or redistributed . associated press contributed to this report . | santander said to be paying £600 million for b & b |
marine <tsp> ( cnn ) -- in a quiet ceremony friday at arlington national cemetery , a marine killed three years ago in iraq was reburied to be next to his close friend , a navy seal who was recently killed in afghanistan and who will be laid to rest alongside the marine on monday . the two casualties , lt. travis manion and lt. brendan looney , met a decade ago while attending the united states naval academy . they became close friends and lived together from sophomore year until their graduation in 2004 , travis'sister , ryan manion-borek , told cnn . their friendship was cut short in april 2007 , when manion was killed in iraq during an ambush on the final patrol of his second tour of duty , according to the department of defense . he was 27 . according to the defense department 's website , manion 's actions ultimately saved the lives of every member of his patrol , ' and he was posthumously awarded the silver star and the bronze star with valor . the iraqis named their new headquarters combat outpost manion . ' though manion-borek told cnn that her brother had hoped to be buried in arlington if anything happened to him , ' his family -- grief-stricken by the sudden loss -- chose to lay him to rest at a cemetery near his pennsylvania home . when looney heard the news of his friend 's death , he was in navy seal training and unable to leave . the situation almost drove him to quit the program . however , manion-borek said that after a phone call with manion 's mother looney chose to stay , telling her he was , finishing this for travis . ' looney went on to finish first in his seal class , a position known as honor man . ' following manion 's death , his family founded the travis manion foundation , which helps soldiers who are returning home after deployments and veterans . in the foundation 's first appearance at the marine corps marathon as team travis , ' looney was a teary-eyed guest speaker . even through training and deployment , looney continued to stay close to the manion family and the foundation . but last week the looney family got word that brendan had died on september 21 in a black hawk helicopter crash in afghanistan . he was 29 . brendan had told his brother that he would want to be buried next to travis , ' manion-borek said . when looney 's wife amy first heard the news , the first thing that came out of her mouth was ,'well then he has to be buried next to travis ,' manion-borek said . the manion family immediately set to work with arlington national cemetery to try to transfer travis'body . his body was exhumed and transported to arlington , where it was laid to rest friday during a ceremony attended by both families . looney 's body will join him on monday . describing the looney family 's presence at friday 's burial ceremony , manion-borek said that every single one of them came up to me and said thank you . ' if anything can bring them comfort at this time , it 's knowing that brendan and travis can be next to each other , ' she said . manion 's sister said that the looney family will be attending the marine corps marathon this year , like usual . this year , however , team travis ' will be dedicated to lt. looney . | the marine was reburied at arlington national cemetery on friday |
marine <tsp> ( cnn ) -- in a quiet ceremony friday at arlington national cemetery , a marine killed three years ago in iraq was reburied to be next to his close friend , a navy seal who was recently killed in afghanistan and who will be laid to rest alongside the marine on monday . the two casualties , lt. travis manion and lt. brendan looney , met a decade ago while attending the united states naval academy . they became close friends and lived together from sophomore year until their graduation in 2004 , travis'sister , ryan manion-borek , told cnn . their friendship was cut short in april 2007 , when manion was killed in iraq during an ambush on the final patrol of his second tour of duty , according to the department of defense . he was 27 . according to the defense department 's website , manion 's actions ultimately saved the lives of every member of his patrol , ' and he was posthumously awarded the silver star and the bronze star with valor . the iraqis named their new headquarters combat outpost manion . ' though manion-borek told cnn that her brother had hoped to be buried in arlington if anything happened to him , ' his family -- grief-stricken by the sudden loss -- chose to lay him to rest at a cemetery near his pennsylvania home . when looney heard the news of his friend 's death , he was in navy seal training and unable to leave . the situation almost drove him to quit the program . however , manion-borek said that after a phone call with manion 's mother looney chose to stay , telling her he was , finishing this for travis . ' looney went on to finish first in his seal class , a position known as honor man . ' following manion 's death , his family founded the travis manion foundation , which helps soldiers who are returning home after deployments and veterans . in the foundation 's first appearance at the marine corps marathon as team travis , ' looney was a teary-eyed guest speaker . even through training and deployment , looney continued to stay close to the manion family and the foundation . but last week the looney family got word that brendan had died on september 21 in a black hawk helicopter crash in afghanistan . he was 29 . brendan had told his brother that he would want to be buried next to travis , ' manion-borek said . when looney 's wife amy first heard the news , the first thing that came out of her mouth was ,'well then he has to be buried next to travis ,' manion-borek said . the manion family immediately set to work with arlington national cemetery to try to transfer travis'body . his body was exhumed and transported to arlington , where it was laid to rest friday during a ceremony attended by both families . looney 's body will join him on monday . describing the looney family 's presence at friday 's burial ceremony , manion-borek said that every single one of them came up to me and said thank you . ' if anything can bring them comfort at this time , it 's knowing that brendan and travis can be next to each other , ' she said . manion 's sister said that the looney family will be attending the marine corps marathon this year , like usual . this year , however , team travis ' will be dedicated to lt. looney . | the body of a marine killed 3 years ago in iraq was exhumed to be buried next to a close friend |
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