Gas Explosion Levels Boston Home, No Injuries Reported

Published November 03, 2010

| Associated Press

BOSTON -- A utility official says a home in Boston exploded after construction crews accidentally struck a natural gas line.

There were no immediate reports of injuries.

NStar spokeswoman Caroline Allen says the explosion occurred around 8:30 a.m. Wednesday. She says a contractor for the Boston Water and Sewer Commission was installing a water main at the intersection of Danny Road and Reynolds Street in the Hyde Park neighborhood when the crew hit the gas line.

Gas was released into the home and it exploded.

Broadcast reports Wednesday morning showed the house completely flattened with debris spread around the area and a plume of smoke rising from the wreckage.

The house is not far from Boston Mayor Thomas Menino's home.

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No Serious Injuries After Calif. Inmates Brawl

Published November 02, 2010

| Associated Press

NORCO, Calif. -- Authorities say about eight inmates suffered minor injuries during a brawl at a California state prison that was quickly dispersed.

Lt. Brian Davis of the California Rehabilitation Center in Norco says a small fight in the food line Tuesday morning led to a much larger one in a TV and gaming area in the afternoon.

He says the seven or eight inmates who suffered cuts and bruises were the ones involved in the fight. No one was seriously hurt or taken to a hospital, and no staff members were injured.

Davis says guards used pepper spray to stop the brawl in about eight minutes.

The prison about 50 miles southeast of Los Angeles houses about 4,200 inmates, most of them low-level offenders.

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Mixed Verdicts in Outlaws Biker Gang Trial in Virginia

RICHMOND, Va. -- After a weeklong trial and nearly four days of deliberations, a federal jury convicted only one of four Outlaws motorcycle gang members on trial for racketeering and failed to reach a verdict on the organization's president.

Two members were acquitted Wednesday after a more than two-year undercover operation that resulted in charges against 27 members of the biker gang.

The jury was unable to reach a unanimous verdict on Outlaws national president Jack Rosga of Milwaukee, who was charged with conspiracy to commit racketeering and conspiracy to commit violence in the aid of racketeering. Rosga showed no emotion as the deadlock was announced.

Peter Duffey, the lead federal prosecutor in the case, said Rosga will be retried. U.S. District Judge Henry E. Hudson said a trial date will be set next week.

Leslie Werth, a leader in the Outlaws' Rock Hill, S.C., chapter was convicted on the same charges facing Rosga. He was acquitted of using violence in the aid of racketeering and a firearms charge.

William Davey of Asheville, N.C., was acquitted on four charges and Mark Spradling of Hickory, N.C., was found not guilty of two charges.

Davey's attorney, Horace F. Hunter, said his client was thrilled to be exonerated and going home, and that Rosga also should be pleased that the jury couldn't reach a decision on his case.

"To not get a verdict on Jack Rosga is certainly a victory for him and a defeat for the government," Hunter said.

The U.S. attorney's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The government claimed that Rosga led a criminal enterprise responsible for an array of violent crimes, most of them aimed at gaining an advantage over the rival Hell's Angels motorcycle gang and its allies.

"There are always going to be a few bad apples," Hunter said. "This is an organization of over 600 people."

The government's star witness was an undercover agent who infiltrated the Outlaws for more than two years and established a chapter in Petersburg, Va. He testified about a number of violent or tension-filled conflicts between the Outlaws and their rivals.

Fifteen of the biker gang members who were indicted in June have pleaded guilty. One was killed by federal agents as they tried to arrest him in Maine, and charges were dropped against one. Six others have yet to be tried.

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New Mexico Tribe Bans Newspaper After Story of Killing

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.-- The leaders of a small tribal community nestled in northern New Mexico's mesas and red rocks hoped their tribe could heal from the horrific killing of one of their own.

Then the slaying was recounted on the front page of the Jemez Thunder: "Gruesome murder at Jemez Pueblo." In seven paragraphs, the story described how a tribal member stabbed, slashed and disemboweled another man.

In some places, the story might draw outrage for its details. In Jemez Pueblo, the newspaper was also banned.

The tribe was well within its rights as a sovereign government to prohibit, as the governor did, the distribution of the newspaper at the tribal visitors center and a convenience store.

"The pueblos enjoy sovereign immunity where free speech and the First Amendment are concerned," said Peter Simonson, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union in New Mexico.

The tribe was in the news just a week ago, when it banned trick-or-treating on Halloween. The tribe said it was not part of its traditional culture and was a safety concern because of the small community's unlit roads.

The community of about 2,500 sits an hour's drive northwest of Albuquerque, New Mexico's largest city. The tribe deeply embraces its traditions, including preserving their Towa language.
Tribal lands are apart from the U.S. government. Tribes have their own separate governments, and their own laws. The federal government prosecutes violations of crimes such as murder.

The 1,000-circulation, English-language newspaper is based in the nearby non-tribal community of Jemez Springs, sells for 75 cents and usually runs between 24 to 32 pages, said Robert Borden, who owns it along with his wife, Kathleen Wiegner. The Bordens and a reporter make up the staff, although it also pays some columnists.

Borden said he's written positive stories about the pueblo in the past.

He wrote the story about the killing based on an FBI criminal complaint filed in federal court. He noted he also wrote that the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty. It was published at the bottom of the front page of the paper's Oct. 15 edition, below stories about a horse-riding program and artists being sought for a bridge program.

Lucas Toledo, 22, faces a murder charge in the killing of Matthew Panana, 21, on Sept. 29.
Jemez Pueblo Gov. Joshua Madalena banned the sales, saying the story was sensationalized. Madalena said the paper's failure to exercise restraint shows it is "out of touch with the community's perspective."

Borden, who has published the newspaper since 1995, said he was disheartened rather than angry at the response.

He and Madalena were planning to meet Wednesday for what Borden said would be "a wide-ranging discussion."

Madalena said the discussion needs to be held "to make sure the newspaper is respectful toward the pueblo and the other communities" in the 30-mile Jemez Valley.

Madalena said Tuesday the close-knit community did not need to know the details of the killings. He said the story reopened wounds and was hurtful to the tribe.

The community "is hurt by the fact that this occurred at all," Borden responded. "I didn't hurt the community."

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FDA Tests Confirm Listeria at Texas Food Plant

Federal health officials found the listeria bacteria at a San Antonio food processing plant that Texas authorities have linked to four deaths from contaminated celery, the Food and Drug Administration said Wednesday.

The federal agency said it found the pathogen in multiple locations in the SanGar Produce & Processing Co. plant, confirming the testing announced last month by the Texas Department of State Health Services.

The Texas health authority shut the plant down Oct. 20 and ordered a recall of all produce shipped from there since January. A hearing on the case is set for Nov. 17 in Austin.

"It comes as no surprise to us," Texas health department spokeswoman Carrie Williams said Wednesday of the FDA's findings. "If there was any doubt out there, this erases it. It's another layer of confirmation that this plant had serious issues."

FDA spokeswoman Patricia El-Hinnawy said in an e-mail the agency would not comment on the results.

Jason Galvan, an attorney for SanGar, said he couldn't immediately comment on the FDA report.

"The FDA and the state have not turned over to us the documentation supporting their findings. We cannot comment on these most recent findings until the documentation is provided for independent evaluation by our experts," Galvan said.

After the closure of the plant, which also produced lettuce, pineapple and honeydew, the company alleged the state health inspector who took samples from the plant Oct. 11 could have contaminated them by being dressed improperly and touching surfaces -- an assertion the state department denied.

SanGar has said its own tests would disprove the health department's findings.

The state health department initially traced six of 10 known cases of listeriosis during an eight-month period to celery processed at the SanGar plant, including four deaths. The department last week linked a seventh case to SanGar, Williams said. The agency is investigating the origins of the other three cases.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 500 people die of listeriosis each year in the U.S., and about 2,500 people become seriously ill.

Those with weaker immune systems -- including pregnant women, young children, the elderly and those battling serious illness -- are most at risk of becoming seriously ill or dying because of listeriosis, the CDC says. Healthy adults and children occasionally are infected with the disease but rarely become seriously ill.

The health department has prohibited SanGar from reopening the plant without agency approval.
"We're working with them to clean up their business so that they may be able to reopen in the future," Williams said. "The bottom line is we need to be sure the company can produce safe food before it reopens."

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FBI: 5th Virginia Shooting Linked to Earlier Cases

Published November 03, 2010

| Associated Press

WASHINGTON -- The FBI says the latest shooting at a military building in Virginia is connected to four other shootings reported last month.

The fifth shooting, at a Coast Guard recruiting station at suburban Washington strip mall, was reported Tuesday morning. No one has been injured in any of the shootings.

Lindsay Godwin, a spokeswoman for the FBI's Washington field office, said Wednesday that investigators have not identified a suspect. Details about the kind of gun used have not been disclosed.

Last month overnight shootings were reported at the National Museum of the Marine Corps, the Pentagon, and a Marine Corps recruiting station. The museum was targeted twice.

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Killed Student's Arrested Teammates Seek Dismissal

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. -- Four college football players who were arrested after their teammate was fatally shot by police are seeking an immediate dismissal of the charges against them.

Defense attorney Bonita Zelman said the charges were a cover-up for police brutality and she is opposing a request from prosecutors to postpone the students' next court appearance, currently scheduled for Thursday.

"If they don't have enough evidence now to bring the case against them, they didn't have enough to charge them," Zelman said Tuesday night.

The office of District Attorney Janet DiFiore has asked Mount Pleasant Town Judge Robert Ponzini for a two-week adjournment, saying the four students' cases are part of an ongoing investigation into the Oct. 17 shooting death of Pace University student Danroy Henry. Henry, 20, of Easton, Mass., was shot to death in his car near the scene of a disturbance outside a bar in Thornwood, about 25 miles north of New York City.

Police say Henry sped away and hit two officers after another officer knocked on his car window. Michael Sussman, a lawyer for Henry's family, claims that witnesses, including passengers in the car, contradict the police account. The district attorney is coordinating an investigation.

The teammates were arrested in the chaotic aftermath of the shooting. Three allegedly interfered with getting medical aid to Henry and one was charged with breaking a store window.

Postponement requests rarely raise any opposition. But Zelman told the judge she "strenuously" objects, saying the prosecution's claim of an ongoing investigation "is simply insufficient excuse on which to deny our clients their right to a prompt arraignment."

Zelman said last month that her clients -- Daniel Parker, Joseph Garcia and Yves Delpeche, all 22, and Joseph Romanick, 21 -- were brutalized by officers at the scene. She has not publicly identified any officers.

Police say they have received no brutality complaint.

After the shooting, Henry was handcuffed and placed on the pavement by officers. Mount Pleasant police Chief Louis Alagno said last week that Henry received treatment from officers within three to five minutes of the first report of a shooting.

But some witnesses have alleged that Henry was neglected for up to 15 minutes after he was shot. Zelman said last month that Parker, of Lauderhill, Fla., knows CPR and begged police to let him try to save Henry, but instead "they put a gun to his ribs and they told him to back ... up or he would be next."

She claimed Garcia, of Floral Park, N.Y., and Delpeche, of Brooklyn, N.Y., were zapped with stun guns when they tried to intervene. Romanick, of Slidell, La., also was brutalized and was wrongfully charged with breaking a store window, she said.

Westchester County police said Parker, Garcia and Delpeche were charged with disorderly conduct and obstruction because they interfered with getting medical aid to Henry. Parker and Delpeche also were charged with resisting arrest. Police say only Delpeche had to be subdued by stun gun.

Romanick was arrested by Mount Pleasant police and charged with criminal mischief.

Zelman said she's fighting the postponement and seeking dismissal so "these false criminal charges won't be hanging over the heads of these innocent kids any longer." She also said some of the defendants' relatives have arranged to fly in from out of state.

Lucian Chalfen, a spokesman for the district attorney, said a request for an adjournment is common in the early stages of an investigation.

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Gunman Saw Nevada Walmart as 'Goliath' Before Shooting

RENO, Nev. -- A disgruntled Walmart employee decided to "take on Goliath" the night before he allegedly shot three of his managers and barricaded himself in the Reno store for six hours, according to court documents released Tuesday.

A probable cause declaration, filed in Reno Justice Court and first reported by the Reno Gazette-Journal, indicated John Gillane believed the Walmart superstore in Reno where he worked for the last nine years as his "Goliath."

According to the document, Gillane intended to use two handguns to confront managers in an office and force them to contact the corporate office so he could have a dialogue about his unspecified grievances.

Gillane, 45, confronted one manager at gunpoint in an office, court records show. He then made the man call over two other managers, the document said.

Police say all three managers were shot Friday as they fled from Gillane in a hallway.

Two victims shot in the torso remained in stable condition at Renown Regional Medical Center in Reno. A third was released from the hospital after treatment Friday. They have requested that their names not be released.

During interviews with police, Gillane said he had personal, financial and work-related problems, the court document said.

He expressed frustration with Walmart management, specifically two of the men he's accused of shooting. The third manager was a man Gillane said he liked, although he shot the man twice.

"Gillane stated that he had almost not followed through with his plan because he realized he would go to jail and not be able to see his daughter and would be fired," the document said. "Nonetheless, Gillane said he determined to carry out his plan and then turn himself into police."

Gillane, who worked in the store's receiving department most recently, remains in the Washoe County jail on three counts of attempted murder and battery. He has declined media interviews until he retains an attorney.

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Bone Found in Search for Missing North Carolina Girl

Published November 03, 2010

| Associated Press

HICKORY, N.C. -- Police in Hickory say they've recovered a bone that may be related to the case of a missing 10-year-old girl.

A police statement issued Wednesday said the bone is being sent to the state medical examiner's office to see if it's linked to Zahra Baker, whose father reported her missing Oct. 9. The bone was recovered in neighboring Caldwell County, where the family lived until mid-September.

Police have already found a prosthetic leg identified as Zahra's.

Authorities say they believe the girl is dead. No one is charged in her disappearance.

The girl's stepmother, 42-year-old Elisa Baker, is jailed on an obstruction of justice charge. She admitted writing a bogus ransom note found at the scene of a fire in the family's backyard on the day Zahra was reported missing.

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U.S. Men Among 3 Accused in al-Shabab Terror-Funding Plot

Published November 03, 2010

| Associated Press

ST. LOUIS -- A Missouri man and a Minnesotan are among three facing charges in a plot to funnel money to a Somalia terror group.

An indictment unsealed Wednesday accuses Mohamud Abdi Yusuf of St. Louis of providing material support to al-Shabab. Yusuf and Abdi Mahdi Hussein of Minneapolis also are accused of conspiring to structure financial transactions.

A third man, Duane Mohamed Diriye, is also charged and remains at-large.

The U.S. government alleges that from 2008 through at least July 2009, Yusuf used aliases in wiring funds to al-Shabab supporters in Somalia. Hussein allegedly worked a money-transferring businesses.

Both men made court appearances Tuesday. Yusuf's public defender declined comment, and it wasn't known if Hussein had an attorney.

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Tribune Creditor Group Alleges Fraud in 2007 Deal

SAN FRANCISCO -- A group of creditors angling to get more money out of Tribune Co.'s bankruptcy case is alleging that greed and misconduct of the media company's lenders, advisers and own leaders led to its financial downfall.

A committee representing Tribune's unsecured creditors, which are relegated toward the back of the repayment line, filed two complaints late Monday in an attempt to recover billions of dollars from banks and company insiders. The creditors accuse them of shirking their duties so they could line their own pockets.

Virtually all the key principals involved in an $8.2 billion buyout of Tribune Co. in 2007 are named as defendants in the actions taken in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Wilmington, Del. The unsecured creditors had been authorized to pursue the claims, technically known as "adversary proceedings," by U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Kevin Carey to preserve their legal rights before the statute of limitations expires.

Among others, the complaints target Tribune Chairman Sam Zell, the real estate mogul who engineered the buyout; other Tribune board members; former CEO Dennis FitzSimons; and other former executives.

The unsecured creditors also are going after the lenders and advisers that enabled Zell to take over one of the nation's oldest media empires. The complaints allege that the banks were so interested in reaping huge fees and getting old loans repaid that they repeatedly ignored warnings that the 2007 buyout would bury Tribune in too much debt.

The buyout was "tainted from start to finish," one of the complaints contends.

Tribune Co., which owns the Chicago Tribune, Los Angeles Times and more than 20 TV and radio stations, filed for bankruptcy protection in December 2008, a year after the buyout, because it wasn't generating enough revenue to repay more than $13 billion in debt.

JPMorgan Chase & Co.'s subsidiaries played a leading role in the buyout. Other major financiers and advisers included banks and firms owned by Bank of America Corp. and Citigroup Inc. Citigroup asserted the complaints are "without merit," and Bank of America declined to comment. Tribune spokesman Gary Weitman also declined to comment on behalf of Zell and other board members. FitzSimons, who resigned as Tribune CEO after the buyout was completed, didn't immediately respond to a request for comment, nor did JPMorgan.

The allegations of rampant fraud and other financial abuses threaten to deepen Tribune Co.'s legal troubles. The company, based in Chicago, hopes to emerge from bankruptcy protection by the end of the year. Adhering to that timetable became more difficult last week with the submission of three other reorganization plans to compete with a proposal backed by Tribune and several major debt holders, including JPMorgan.

Most adversary proceedings are used as bargaining chips by creditors that want a bigger share of money doled out in bankruptcy reorganizations, said Ira Herman, a bankruptcy lawyer in New York who isn't involved in the Tribune case. For that reason, adversary proceedings are typically settled, he said.

Some of the allegations leveled by the unsecured creditors echo a lawsuit filed in New York state court against JPMorgan, Bank of America and Citigroup last week by a group of the company's bondholders. Like last week's lawsuit, Monday's complaints build upon the findings of a court-appointed examiner, who concluded that some aspects of the buyout had bordered on fraud.

The complaints by the unsecured creditors provide more details, including e-mail exchanges from JPMorgan bankers involved in the 2007 buyout, to support their depiction of Tribune Co.'s lenders and advisers as money-grubbing charlatans who realized that the deal could ruin the company.

"There is wide speculation that the company might have put so much debt that all of its assets aren't going to cover the debt in case of (knock-knock) you-know-what," an unidentified JPMorgan analyst wrote to a colleague on April 7, 2007, according to the complaint. "Well that is basically what we are saying too, but we're doing this because it's enough to cover our bank debt."

In other e-mails in late March and early April 2007, the complaint said, an unidentified managing director for JPMorgan crowed about the $75 million in fees that the bank stood to make on the Tribune deal. "Can you say ka-ching!!" the managing director wrote in one excerpt included in the complaint.

While it tries to leave the bankruptcy case behind, Tribune Co. also has been reshuffling its leadership after a front-page story in The New York Times drew upon interviews with numerous employees to paint its management team as a lewd bunch that fostered a "frat house" atmosphere.

The backlash resulted in the resignation last month of CEO Randy Michaels, a former radio executive recruited by Zell. The four-man committee now running Tribune informed the staff that at least four other executives who used to work with Michaels at Clear Channel are also leaving as part of a restructuring.

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GM IPO Shares to Be Priced Between $26 and $29

Published November 03, 2010

| Associated Press

DETROIT –  General Motors Co. says the company's shares will be priced between $26 and $29 each in an initial public offering.

GM announced the price range in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission on Wednesday. GM also says it has split its shares three-for-one in advance of the IPO, which is expected later this month.

The price range and split were revealed in a series of GM announcements that included a third-quarter earnings forecast of $1.9 billion to $2.1 billion.

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U.S. Auto Sales Rise in October

DETROIT –  U.S. auto sales rose in October as buyers grew more confident in the economy and new models drew them into dealerships.

General Motors Co., which is preparing for an initial stock offering expected later this month, saw sales rise 3.5 percent in October. Last month is shaping up to one of the industry's best since August of 2009, when big government discounts spurred Americans to buy high numbers of cars and trucks.

"Consumer confidence is now stabilizing, and consumers are beginning to believe that they've already weathered the worst," said Don Johnson, vice president of U.S. sales operations for GM. The economy is showing "signs of a steady recovery, and we do believe they will bode well for the auto industry."

October sales could hit a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 12 million after all car makers report their U.S. results. While the rate falls short of the 14 million level during Cash for Clunkers in August 2009, it's up from a low of 10.5 million this February.

October sales were also strong for Honda, Chrysler and Hyundai.

GM said sales of SUVs and wagons were strong, up 36 percent for October and up 64 percent year to date. Sales of GM's most popular wagons - the Chevrolet Equinox, GMC Terrain and Cadillac SRX - were up 58 percent compared with last October. Truck sales were also up, with the newly launched Chevy Silverado and GMC Sierra posting sales up 12 percent and 13.2 percent respectively.

Chrysler Group LLC said its sales were up 37 percent from last October, partly on the strength of the new Jeep Grand Cherokee, which saw sales more than triple. Ram pickup sales rose 41 percent.

New products also gave a boost to Honda Motor Co., whose sales climbed 16 percent. October was the first full month on the market for the Odyssey minivan, which saw October sales jump 52 percent. Wagons were also hot at Honda, where CR-V sales climbed 19 percent.

Automakers are expecting to sell around 11.5 million vehicles this year, up from a 30-year low of 10.4 million in 2009.

Consumer confidence rose slightly in October, according to a report released last week by the Conference Board. That, and a rebounding stock market, may have spurred buyers to invest in a new vehicle. Analysts are expecting last month to be the best October for the industry since 2007.

Most automakers were reporting U.S. auto sales Wednesday, but several reported results Tuesday. Among them:

— Hyundai said its October sales jumped 38 percent as sales of the new Sonata midsize sedan more than doubled.

— Subaru sales rose 25 percent for the month on strong sales of the Outback and Forester wagons.

— Volkswagen sales rose 18 percent with a boost from sales of the new Jetta. Jetta sales were up 32 percent over last October.

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Plotters Didn't Know Where Mail Bombs Would Go Off

WASHINGTON -- The plotters behind last week's unsuccessful mail bombings could not have known exactly where their Chicago-bound packages were when they were set to explode, even after a suspected test run, U.S. officials say.

The communication cards had been removed from the cell phones attached to the bombs, meaning the phones could not receive calls, officials said, making it likely the terrorists intended the alarm or timer functions to detonate the bombs.

"The cell phone probably would have been triggered by the alarm functions and it would have exploded midair," said a U.S. official briefed on the investigation of the bombs taken off cargo planes Friday in England and the United Arab Emirates. This person, like other officials in this story, spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the case.

The official also said Tuesday that each bomb was attached to a syringe containing lead azide, a chemical initiator that would have detonated PETN explosives packed into each computer printer toner cartridge. Both PETN and a syringe were used in the failed Christmas Day bombing of a Detroit-bound airliner linked to an al-Qaida branch in Yemen.

The Obama administration, which has been monitoring intelligence on possible mail plots since at least early September, was preparing new security rules for international cargo in response to the attempted attack.

Security officials are considering requiring that companies provide information about incoming cargo before planes take off, one U.S. official said. Currently, the U.S. doesn't get that information until four hours before a plane lands.

A second official said the U.S. will also expand its definition of high-risk cargo, meaning more cargo will be screened from countries known as hotbeds of terrorism.

President Barack Obama stressed the need for stronger security for air cargo in a telephone conversation Tuesday with Ali Abdullah Saleh, Yemen's president, the White House said.

Investigators believe al-Qaida mailed three innocent-looking packages from Yemen to Chicago in mid-September to watch the route they took.

One of those packages contained a copy of British author George Eliot's 1860 novel "The Mill on the Floss." Authorities were investigating whether it was a subtle calling card from Anwar al-Awlaki, the U.S.-born Yemeni cleric who has inspired a string of attempted attacks against the West.

The militant cleric is now a fugitive, targeted by a U.S. kill or capture list. Yemeni authorities put him on trial in absentia Tuesday, charging him as a new defendant in the October killing of a French security guard.

Al-Awlaki became well versed in English literature while in prison in Yemen from 2006 to 2007 and later posted online book reviews slamming Shakespeare and praising Charles Dickens. Beyond that, however, there was no immediate connection between al-Awlaki and the book found in the package mailed in September, one U.S. official said.

Shipping carriers allow Internet users to monitor packages from point to point through the international cargo system.

While a test run would have given al-Qaida a sense of the shipping routes, there was no guarantee the route would be the same a month -- or even a day -- later, officials at UPS and FedEx said Tuesday. Routes change based on the weather, cargo volume and plane schedules, they said.

Neither company lets customers see precisely which planes their packages are on. Sometimes they are packed on cargo planes, sometimes on passenger planes. There is no way for customers to track their packages in real time while in flight, officials with both companies said.

Still, knowing the time shipments were logged in leaving Europe and the time they were scanned arriving in Chicago would have given al-Qaida operatives a large enough time window to allow them to have rigged their bombs to blow up somewhere along the way.

The packages sent last week were addressed to two Chicago-area synagogues. Because the addresses were out of date and the names on the packages included references to the Crusades -- the 200-year wars waged by Christians largely against Muslims -- officials do not believe the synagogues were the targets.

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3 San Diego Men Accused of Helping Militant Group

Published November 02, 2010

| Associated Press

SAN DIEGO -- Three San Diego men have been charged with conspiring to route money to a Somalia-based militant group.

According to the federal indictment unsealed Tuesday, Basaaly Saeed Moalin, Mohamed Mohamed Mohamud and Issa Doreh coordinated fundraising efforts and money transfers to al-Shabab in 2007 and 2008.

Moalin also is accused of providing a house in Somalia for al-Shabab fighters. The U.S. government has declared al-Shabab a terrorist group with ties to al-Qaida.

Immigration officials arrested Moalin before he boarded a flight Sunday in San Diego. The other two were arrested Monday.

No lawyers were listed for them in the indictment, and calls to the U.S. Attorney's office were not anwered Tuesday.

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Obama, Boehner Exchange Verbal Jabs in Their Closing Arguments

Whatever the outcome of Tuesday's election, it's time to put aside partisanship, President Obama is telling Democrats and Republicans.

Yet his appeal for unity includes a jab at GOP leaders in the House and Senate for comments that the president said were troubling.

House Minority Leader John Boehner of Ohio "actually said that 'this is not the time for compromise,"' Obama said Saturday in his weekly radio and Internet address. The president added that Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky "said his main goal after this election is simply to win the next one."

"I know that we're in the final days of a campaign. So it's not surprising that we're seeing this heated rhetoric. That's politics," Obama said. "But when the ballots are cast and the voting is done, we need to put this kind of partisanship side -- win, lose or draw."

Voters angry and anxious about the economy and joblessness are expected to take their frustrations out on Democratic lawmakers Tuesday, possibly putting Republicans back in control of the House and maybe even the Senate.

Boehner's comment that "this is not a time for compromise" came during a recent interview on a conservative radio show. He was trying to rebut a GOP senator's suggestion that repealing the health care law was not in the party's best interest. Republicans have pledged to try to repeal the health care law or undo important parts of it.

In the same interview, Boehner said he'd welcome Obama's involvement in working toward Republican goals.

McConnell expressed his desire to have a Republican in the White House. He said in a published interview that the "single most important thing" Republicans want is to help Obama become a one-term president.

Tuesday's results aside, Obama said both parties should be able to agree on steps to promote economic growth and hiring.

"Whatever the outcome on Tuesday, we need to come together to help put people who are still looking for jobs back to work," he said.

In the weekly Republican address, Boehner said Obama has failed to deliver the change he promised. The man who likely would become House speaker if Republicans win control of the chamber also promoted party pledges to cut spending and keep taxes at current levels.

"This is a new way forward that hasn't been tried in Washington yet," Boehner said. "It's a break from the direction in which President Obama has taken our country. And frankly, it's also a break from the direction in which Republicans were headed when Americans last entrusted us with the reins of government. The American people are in charge, and they deserve nothing less."

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Obama Calls Suspicious Packages a 'Credible Terrorist Threat'

President Obama confirmed Friday that federal authorities had uncovered a "credible terrorist threat" in suspicious packages believed to be linked to Yemen's Al Qaeda branch.

Obama, in a brief address to reporters at the White House, said that an examination of the initial two suspicious packages, bound from Yemen to the U.S., determined that they apparently contained explosive materials. They likely were bound for places of Jewish worship in Chicago, he said.

"We will continue to pursue additional protective measures for as long as it takes to ensure the safety and security of our citizens," he said, adding that Yemen's president has pledged full support in the investigation.

The president has received regular updates from his national security team since he was alerted to the threat from two incoming cargo planes carrying packages originating from Yemen.

After being notified of the security concern by counterterrorism adviser John Brennan at 10:35 p.m. ET Thursday, Obama "directed U.S. intelligence and law enforcement agencies and the Department of Homeland Security, to take steps to ensure the safety and security of the American people, and to determine whether these threats are a part of any additional terrorist plotting," White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said.

Intelligence and law enforcement agencies abroad tipped off the United States about the two inbound planes, which were searched upon arrival at airports in Newark, N.J., and Philadelphia, Gibbs said.

New York Rep. Peter King, the ranking Republican on the House Homeland Security Committee, said the origin of the packages is very concerning because Yemen is home to imam Anwar al-Awlaki, the U.S.-born cleric who is at the top of a U.S. capture-or-kill list.

"The administration was on this. I have to give them credit," King, who has been receiving regular briefings, told Fox News. "You know, the security coming out of Yemen is not where we'd like it to be, so this is again a lot of credit to the FBI and (Transportation Security Administration)."

Michigan Rep. Pete Hoekstra, the top Republican on the House Intelligence Committee, said he found "extremely disturbing" the discovery of the packages along with the new terror cases this week in Hawaii and Virginia.

In Hawaii, a New York City-born man was arrested on charges he tried to join the U.S. military at a Times Square recruiting station so he could be deployed to Iraq, desert and fight with anti-American insurgency forces.

In Virginia, a Pakistani-born U.S. citizen was charged with plotting to attack Washington's Metro system with people he thought were Al Qaeda terrorists but turned out to be undercover FBI agents.

"We can't minimize the nature of these threats or wish them away," Hoekstra said. "The serious nature of this week's incidents only underscores how critical it is to actively confront the threat at all of its sources. We must redouble our efforts to do so immediately or we will certainly pay even more serious consequences in the future."

Some U.S. officials say they believe that the package was part of a dry-run. Terror experts speculate that the goal was possibly to bring down the planes or to terrorize by mail. Religious institutions in Chicago have been put on high alert. 

The Department of Homeland Security issued a statement saying that as a precaution, it is enhancing cargo screening and adding security at airports. 

"Passengers should continue to expect an unpredictable mix of security layers that include explosives trace detection, advanced imaging technology, canine teams and pat downs, among others. As always, we remind the public to remain vigilant and report suspicious activity to local law enforcement," DHS said.

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Obama Calls British, Saudi Leaders About Bomb Plot

Published October 30, 2010

| Associated Press

President Obama has called British Prime Minister David Cameron and Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah to discuss the thwarted mail bomb attacks.

White House spokesman Bill Burton says the president also received a briefing Saturday from his national security adviser, John Brennan.

Yemeni authorities are checking more packages in the search for terrorists who tried to mail bombs to Chicago-area synagogues. The plot has raised fears of a new al-Qaida terror attack.

Obama is campaigning Saturday in Bridgeport, Conn., Philadelphia and Chicago.

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Fox News Poll: Most Dissatisfied With Washington

With less than a week to go before Election Day, widespread dissatisfaction with the way things are going in the country combined with negative views of the economy and frustration with the government point to major trouble for the incumbent majority Democrats. In addition, a Fox News poll released Friday shows President Obama’s job approval has hit a record low.

The new poll finds if the election were held today, 50 percent of likely voters would favor the Republican candidate in their House district and 37 percent the Democratic candidate, with 10 percent still undecided.

When it comes to enthusiasm, more Republicans (76 percent) than Democrats (65 percent) are extremely or very interested in the elections, and more Republicans (91 percent) than Democrats (83 percent) plan to vote for their party’s candidate.

Yet votes for the Democratic candidates look more solid: 87 percent say they will definitely vote for the Democrat, while 12 percent could change their mind. Among those favoring the Republican, 82 percent are definite they will vote that way and 16 percent may change their vote.
Among the 18 percent who have already voted, ballots have been evenly cast between the Republican and Democratic candidates.

The national telephone poll was conducted for Fox News by Opinion Dynamics Corp. among 1200 registered voters from October 26 to October 28. For the total sample, the poll has a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 3 percentage points. For the subgroup of 764 likely voters, the margin of sampling error is plus or minus 3.5 points.

The Obama Factor

Two-thirds of voters are dissatisfied with the way things are going in the country today, and more than not think Barack Obama’s presidency has made the country weaker (45 percent) rather than stronger (37 percent).

The president’s job approval among registered voters is currently 41 percent, a record low. This compares to 43 percent in mid-October and 46 percent in early September. Half disapprove of Obama’s performance. Among likely voters, negative sentiment is even stronger: 40 percent approve and 55 percent disapprove.

Frustrations are high. Most voters feel dissatisfied (51 percent) or even angry (25 percent) about the way the federal government is working. Just one in five is satisfied (22 percent), while 2 percent are enthusiastic. Angry voters are backing the Republican candidate by a 65-point margin.

Nearly half of likely voters -- 46 percent -- say they will cast their vote to express opposition to Obama administration policies. That shouldn’t be surprising given almost all voters rate economic conditions negatively, only a quarter thinks the stimulus plan has helped the economy, and fewer than one in five wants the new health care law to remain intact.

About a third of likely voters say they will use their vote to express support for Obama policies, and 20 percent say the president will not be a factor in their vote.

Forty-seven percent of likely voters approve of the job their own representative is doing. Even so, most -- 76 percent -- disapprove of the job Congress is doing overall.

Nearly equal numbers of voters have a positive view of the Democratic (42 percent) and Republican (44 percent) parties. By a six-point spread, more voters have a negative view of the Democratic Party.

Congressional Voting

Independents favor the Republican candidate in their district by 41 percent to 27 percent, with 32 percent saying they will vote for a third party candidate or are still undecided. This raises the question of whether these independents really will show up at the polls Tuesday.

Men back the Republican candidate by a wide 30 percentage point margin. Among women, the vote splits more evenly: 45 percent back the Democrat and 42 percent the Republican.

Eighty-seven percent of likely voters who support the Tea Party movement are backing the Republican candidate.

While 76 percent of those who backed Obama in 2008 are voting for the Democratic House candidate, some 13 percent are defecting to the Republican. More of Republican Presidential nominee John McCain’s voters -- 88 percent -- are sticking with the Republican this year.

Key Issues

The top issue to voters this election is the economy, followed by the trustworthiness of candidates, government spending, health care, and the federal deficit.

By a wide 60-34 percent, voters disapprove rather than approve of Obama’s handling of the economy. Fully 90 percent rate economic conditions negatively, and more than twice as many say they are worse off today compared with two years ago (36 percent) as say they are better off (16 percent).

A 55 percent majority of voters disapproves of the job Obama is doing on health care. In addition, many would like Congress to repeal the new health care law, either entirely (29 percent) or in part (29 percent). Others would like to see the law expanded (20 percent). The smallest group is the 15 percent who wants to leave the law as it currently is.

Of the issues tested, the president receives his highest approval rating for his handling of Afghanistan: 43 percent approve and 45 percent disapprove.

Click here to see the raw data.

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Illinois Democrats Woo Voters Before Obama Rally

CHICAGO -- Democrats were out early Saturday trying to fire up voters before President Barack Obama's Chicago rally, where he was expected to make another push to fend off Republicans who want to claim his former U.S. Senate seat and the Illinois governor's mansion.

Gov. Pat Quinn and Senate hopeful Alexi Giannoulias, both Democratic candidates on the top of the Illinois ballot, implored people to vote at the Rev. Jesse Jackson's Rainbow PUSH Coalition. That gathering that was televised and broadcast on the radio.

"Please don't waste our votes," Quinn told about 200 people at the PUSH headquarters on Chicago's South Side. "We're running against the right wing that wants to tear down President Obama. They want him to lose the office of governor in his own home state of Illinois."

Quinn and Giannoulias, who's in a tight race for Obama's seat against Republican Congressman Mark Kirk, were gearing up for an Obama get-out-the-vote rally later Saturday evening. It's the president's latest effort to bolster his party ahead of Tuesday's election.

Like the Democrats, Republicans were busy as well on this final weekend before Election Day. Kirk and GOP candidate for governor Bill Brady were making stops around the state before wrapping up with a rally of their own in the Chicago suburb of Northbrook.

More of the same was planned for Sunday, with a GOP rally in Chicago with Massachusetts Sen. Scott Brown, who claimed the late Sen. Edward Kennedy's seat in a special election.

Illinois Republican Party chairman Pat Brady said Republicans in the state have mounted an aggressive get-out-the-vote effort over the past year and have made about 4.4 million outreach calls.

"I think this year we've beaten them at the get-out-the-vote effort," Brady said.

Obama's Chicago visit shows the Democrats are still trying to rally their base with just a few days to go before the election, which Brady said is "not good."

If Kirk wins Obama's old Senate seat it would be an embarrassing loss for Democrats and another big win for Republicans who are trying to shift control of Congress in Tuesday's election.

Giannoulias said he wants to help advance Obama's agenda to move the country forward and blasted Republicans for saying they want to take back America. He said Obama has been unfairly blamed for the country's problems, which Giannoulias said started under Republicans.

"How far back do you want to go? We saw what happened when they were in charge," he said.

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White House Should Coordinate Geoengineering Research to Help Fight Climate Change

Published October 30, 2010

| FoxNews.com

The White House should come up with a strategy for federal research into large-scale intervention in the Earth's climate system that could help tackle climate change, a new watchdog report concludes.

The Government Accountability Office found in its report more than 50 current studies, totaling slightly more than $100 million, focusing on piecemeal strategies to reverse climate change, but none directly addresses what would happen if adventurous programs on carbon dioxide reduction and solar radiation management were put in place.

"Without a coordinated federal strategy for geoengineering, it is difficult for agencies to determine the extent of relevant research, and policymakers may lack key information to inform subsequent decisions on engineering and existing climate science efforts," the report said, adding that most of the $2 billion spent each year on federal climate science research could also help geoengineering with better coordination.

Geoengineering either removes carbon dioxide from the atmosphere or offsets temperature increases by reflecting sunlight back into space.

GAO cautioned that these strategies poses some environmental risks that could be hard to contain.

"Major uncertainties remain regarding the scientific, legal, political, economic and ethical implications of researching or deploying geoengineering," the GAO report read.

The GAO prepared the report for Rep. Bart Gordon, D-Tenn., chairman of the House Committee on Science and Technology.

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Angle: 'Shock and Awe' in Washington on Nov. 3

LAS VEGAS -- Sen. John McCain delivered a rousing endorsement Friday of Republican Senate candidate Sharron Angle and urged cheering supporters to send her to Washington as part of a historic turnaround in Washington power.

A confident-sounding Angle, locked in a tight race with Majority Leader Harry Reid, predicted "there is going to be shock and awe in Washington" on Nov. 3, the day after the election.

"We need to take back our economy," she said. "It's our government and it's our money."

McCain, the 2008 presidential nominee, told the crowd at a Las Vegas casino that the "election will change America. The world is watching.

"Sharron brings hope and Sharron brings action," he said after embracing the former Reno legislator on stage, with an oversized American flag draped behind them.

McCain's appearance was intended to bolster Angle's credibility, particularly with moderates, in a campaign in which Reid has relentlessly attacked her as a fringe conservative unfit for office. A succession of speakers, including actor and conservative activist Jon Voight, said her election would help turn back two years of Democratic policies that had damaged the nation's standing at home and abroad.

The invited crowd cheered, "Dump Harry Reid."

Across town, Reid was targeting Filipinos, the second largest foreign-born group in Nevada, at a crowded rally with popular Filipino boxer and congressman Manny Pacquiao.

Reid and Pacquiao entered the room to chants of "Manny, Manny." In a brief speech, Pacquiao endorsed Reid in his native Tagalog.

Reid, a former boxer, denounced Angle's conservative views, her criticism of Social Security, Wall Street regulation and public health care for veterans.

"Both Manny and I learned it is not enough to fight for yourself, we could do that, we could always do that," Reid said.

Reid urged voters to go to an adjacent mall and cast their ballot.

"Vote tonight," he said. "I need your support."

The dueling events underscored the high stakes and its importance nationally: Reid, the face of Democratic power is Washington, is struggling to win a fifth term against a tea party star whose campaign was broke and fading earlier this year. The race has been shaped by the state's devastated economy: Nevada leads the nation is unemployment, foreclosures and bankruptcies.

Reid, meanwhile, launched a new TV ad labeling Angle "pathological," one in a months-long series of harsh advertisements from both sides.

Earlier Friday, the final day of early voting in the state, Angle sidestepped questions from TV reporters who tracked her to the airport, the latest evidence of a strategy to mostly stay away from the media in the dead-heat race with Majority Leader Harry Reid.

"I will answer those questions when I am the senator," she told reporters from CBS and NBC affiliates who surprised her with questions about national security and unemployment at McCarran International Airport.

Pressed further on the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, Angle added, "The two wars that we are in right now are exactly what we are in."

The brief encounter came as a new poll found the candidates neck-and-neck in the scalding contest that will be crucial in the fight for control of the Senate.

Angle's campaign said it would ban the stations from covering her election night party in Las Vegas because its reporters and camera crews acted like "paparazzi" at the airport.

But Nevada Republican Party spokesman Jahan Wilcox said later the disagreement with the stations was being resolved: "I honestly believe everyone will be there on election night," he said.

The poll conducted for the Las Vegas Review-Journal and KLAS-TV 8NewsNow found Angle had 49 percent to 45 percent for Reid. The four-point difference remains within the poll's margin of error, making the race a dead heat. Three percent said they're still undecided, 1 percent said they support someone else and 2 percent said they want none of the above, an option on the Nevada ballot.

The telephone survey of 625 Nevada voters was conducted this week by Mason-Dixon Polling & Research of Washington, D.C.

Since a debate two weeks ago, Angle has made only a handful of public appearances and her interaction with the media has become virtually nonexistent. Her campaign says she spends much of her time going door to door in rural Nevada or attending private fundraisers.

Reid has left virtually no demographic untapped, meeting with gay Democrats, hosting a rally with former President Bill Clinton in an African-American neighborhood, releasing Spanish-language ads aimed at Hispanics and visiting businesses in Las Vegas' thriving Chinatown.

Kurt Torneskog and his Filipino wife, Maria, turned out for Pacquiao, not politics.

"I don't like the way the country has been going for the past two years," said Torneskog, a conservative Republican who voted for John McCain in 2008. "Harry Reid is too old, he's got old views that are out-of-date."

He said he hopes Angle can help turn around the economy.

"Mostly, she's the alternative," he said.

Anilyn Plateros, 36, from Reno, is one of the coveted undecided voters Reid and Angle have been courting. Plateros, an independent, said she was leaning toward voting for Reid because of his Washington influence.

"He is the Senate majority leader," she said. "We can't replace that."

But Plateros said she would not mind an Angle victory.

"She's very aggressive. I like women who are aggressive," Plateros said. "I would like to see a woman in office."

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Justice Department to Send Election Observers to Arizona as Concern Rises About Illegal Voters

The Justice Department is sending a small pack of election observers to Arizona as Hispanic groups sound the alarm over an anti-illegal immigration group's mass e-mail seeking to recruit Election Day volunteers to help block illegal immigrants from voting.

Hispanic voting rights groups say the e-mail is just an attempt to intimidate minority voters. But election fraud monitors say that there are hundreds of examples of duplicate registrations, wrong information and past unregistered voters getting ballots.

Voter fraud allegations have emerged just days before the midterm in many crucial battleground states across the country, including Nevada, Pennsylvania and Florida.

The Justice Department announced Friday it would deploy more than 400 federal observers to 30 jurisdictions in 18 states ahead of Tuesday's election. But Arizona officials say the department had already committed to sending observers to their state.

Justice Department officials had notified Maricopa County that they would send a "handful" of election observers, even before the e-mail was sent, Matthew Benson, a spokesman for Arizona's secretary of state, told FoxNews.com. 

"We don't know why (the observers are) coming," he said. "But we do not believe it's in response to the e-mails making the rounds."

But William Gheen, executive director of Americans for Legal Immigration, said he knows why they're coming.

"They're sending them out because the Obama administration is doing everything it can to make sure as many illegal aliens vote in 2010 although that is a violation of federal law," he told FoxNews.com.

Benson noted that the Justice Department sends election observers to at least one Arizona county every election. In 2006, the department sent around 30 election observers to Maricopa County, he said.

Benson said the plan had nothing to do with the firestorm elicited by Ban Amnesty Now, or B.A.N., the group that sent an e-mail entitled "6 Days to STOP Illegals from Stealing the Election!"

The e-mail said "open-border criminals" in the unions, the White House and Hispanic groups are "determined to undermine" the election.

The e-mail originally included the signature of Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, an immigration enforcement proponent and B.A.N. honorary co-chairman, but Arpaio's name was later removed after Sean McCaffrey, the president of B.A.N., said he didn't mean to send out the e-mail attributed to the sheriff.

That didn't deter one voting rights group, Mi Familia Vota, from sending a letter to Justice Department officials Thursday asking them to send election observers.

"We are very concerned when you have Sheriff Joe Arpaio putting out this type of call to the community with the fear and concern that illegals are going to take over the election," said Ben Monterroso, president of the group. "It's not that we're not concerned that the elections are secure, but the way that it's been written – anyone who has the appearance of a foreign person, i.e. being a Latino – then that can create intimidation and violate their rights to vote."

McCaffrey said Friday that, despite the erroneous attribution to Arpaio, he is looking for volunteers to provide information to his group about voter fraud, "especially stories concerning activities involving illegal aliens."

"We hope that by forwarding interested volunteers to state elections officials we may contribute to smooth, fair and legal elections in all 50 U.S. states," he wrote in a blog on the group's website. "Furthermore, we hope that those who seem so shocked and outraged that Americans are concerned about stopping voter fraud will own up to their actions and stop committing vote fraud."

McCaffrey told FoxNews.com in an interview that nearly 500 people have volunteered so far -- about 100 of them in Arizona.

Part of the concern for voter fraud monitors is a result of a ruling this week by a federal appeals court that stripped the state of its ability to request proof of citizenship when residents register to vote. State officials say the ruling could increase the likelihood of voter fraud but not in next week's midterms because the deadline for registration passed before the decision.

At Arizona polls, voters must show one piece of identification that includes their name, address and photograph, such as a driver's license. They also can provide two forms of ID with their names and address, such as a utility bill or bank statement. Voters can also provide one form a acceptable photo ID with another form of non-photo ID that includes their name and address, such as a passport and a utility bill.

Arpaio declined to comment, but McCaffrey told FoxNews.com that he apologized to the sheriff Thursday for using his name without his permission. Arpaio, he said, stepped down as honorary co-chairman.

"He'll continue to support us but he didn't want an official title with the group while he was being investigated by everyone with a badge at the White House," he said, alluding to the Justice Department's investigation into whether Arpaio's office was discriminating against Hispanics with its crackdown on illegal immigrants. 

Monterroso said he's happy the Justice Department is sending poll watchers, even if it's not in response to his group's letter. 

"I think it's the right thing to do," he said. "It's better to be safe than sorry. If they have people out there, we want to make sure people vote without fear of intimidation or harassment by anyone else."

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