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Obama aide who guided Guantanamo policy resigns
By Matt Spetalnick
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - White House Counsel Gregory Craig said Friday he was resigning, ending a troubled tenure marked by his central role in the administration's rocky efforts to close the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay.
Craig's departure, effective on January 3, represents the highest-ranking White House resignation since President Barack Obama took office in January and followed widespread reports of complaints within the administration over his management of Guantanamo policy.
Obama's promise to shut the internationally condemned detention center in Cuba by January 22 has run into serious obstacles, making it unlikely all the foreign terrorism suspects detained there can be transferred to meet the deadline.
Critics rip decision on terrorism trials
Washington (CNN) -- Several members of Congress ripped Attorney General Eric Holder's decision Friday to try five suspected 9/11 terrorists in civilian court.
Holder was accused of risking Americans' security by treating the suspects like "common criminals" with a right to greater constitutional protections than they would receive in a military trial.
Napolitano on Sheriff Arpaio: ‘He was unwilling to accept there were standards that needed to be met.’
One of the more controversial steps the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has recently taken is the revision and standardization of its 287(g) immigration-enforcement agreements with state and local police as part of DHS’ efforts to prioritize the removal of dangerous undocumented immigrants. Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio made national headlines last month when he belligerently stated that DHS had unfairly singled him out and took away his authority to make a political example out of him.
Deaths, Flooding, Rough Winds as Storm Batters East Coast
Though the remnants of Tropical Storm Ida are expected to weaken soon, several people have died as severe weather continues to batter the U.S. Atlantic Coast with coastal flooding, strong winds and pounding surf.
Heavy rains and 75 mph winds caused 150 car accidents in Virginia, leaving three people dead. Hurricane-strength wind gusts toppled power lines and trees, leaving one man dead in North Carolina.
On Friday morning, the U.S. Coast Guard called off a search for three commercial fishermen who were aboard the fishing boat Sea Tractor.
Blogging Imam Who Knew Fort Hood Attacker and 9/11 Hijacker Goes Silent
By ROBERT MACKEY
Anwar al-Awlaki, a radical, American-born cleric who knew at least one of the 9/11 hijackers and exchanged e-mail messages last year with the Army psychiatrist charged in the Fort Hood shootings, abruptly stopped blogging this week, just days after writing that he approved of the psychiatrist’s attack on American soldiers.
Experts say Mr. Awlaki, born in New Mexico and educated in both Yemen and the United States, is an influential voice in favor of radical Islamist ideas on the Web.
Lou Dobbs headed to Fox News ... for an interview with Bill O'Reilly
By Jeff Bercovici
Lou Dobbs knows the world is watching him closely now for clues that might explain his sudden resignation from CNN. So it's probably safe to read some meaning into the choice of the anchorman's venue for his first big post-CNN interview: He's going on Fox News.
The network is set to announce that Dobbs will be a guest on Monday night's edition of Bill O'Reilly's show, DailyFinance has learned. Warm feelings between the two men goes back to last summer, when O'Reilly publicly defended Dobbs against critics who wanted him fired for repeatedly showcasting the claims of "birthers" who allege President Obama wasn't born in the U.S. Dobbs offered to be interviewed on The O'Reilly Factor then, but quickly backed out, prompting speculation that CNN had ordered him not to appear on a competing network.
Obama seeks to ease U.S.-Japan strains at start of Asia trip
Reporting from Washington and Tokyo - President Obama sought to reassure Japan today that he views the nation as an equal partner and that his administration will strive to lessen the disruption caused by U.S. military forces based on Japanese soil.
On the first stop of a week long trip to Asia in which he will try to reestablish America's role as a leader in the Pacific Rim and persuade China and other Asian nations to open up their own troubled economies to more U.S. exports, Obama met privately with Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama before holding a joint news conference to reaffirmed their commitment to the half-century-old alliance.
Danville TEA Party to burn Rep. Perriello in effigy
BLAIRS - In a move sure to spark controversy, the Danville TEA Party will close their "Fired Up for Freedom" rally by burning Rep. Tom Perriello and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi in effigy in response to the passage of landmark healthcare legislation in the U.S. House of Representatives.
The event is being held Saturday at 5:30 p.m. in Blairs, VA at the corner of U.S. 29 and E. Witt Rd. and is open to the public.
GOP jettisons abortion coverage from own insurance
The GOP is doing its darndest to quickly move on from an embarrassing revelation -- that even as congressional Republicans insist that the health care overhaul does not cover abortions, the national party's own health plan covers elective procedures.
Late Thursday night, the Republican National Committee acknowledged that its health plan, as far back as 1991, included some coverage for elective abortion. Chairman Michael Steele instructed the RNC's director of administration to opt out of any coverage for elective abortion services in its health insurance policy, the party said.
Soldier's reactions to President Obama
Margie Bauman
U.S. President Barack Obama speaks to troops and their families at Elmendorf Air Force base in Anchorage, Alaska Thursday Nov. 13, 2009 during a refueling stop for Air Force One on his trip to visit Japan, Singapore, China and South Korea.
INTRO: Alaska Star contributor Nina Peacock joined dozens of reporters and writers from across Alaska Thursday inside Hanger 1 at Elmendorf Air Force Base to observe President Barack Obama's arrival in Alaska. Obama is on his way to Japan, and Air Force One stopped in Alaska, as it has done with Presidents before, to refuel on base......
U.N. official says leaders want fast climate deal
By Richard Cowan
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - World leaders are setting their sights on completing an international deal on combating global warming by the middle of next year, a U.N. official said on Thursday, now that there is broad agreement next month's deadline will not be met in Copenhagen.
With hope all but gone that December's international climate change summit in Copenhagen will reach a final deal on new goals for reducing emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases, negotiators are focusing on when such a pact can realistically be produced.
FDA Questions Safety of Caffeinated Alcoholic Drinks
By Steven Reinberg - HealthDay Reporter
FRIDAY, Nov. 13 (HealthDay News) -- Federal health officials said Friday that they plan to look into the safety and legality of making and selling popular alcohol drinks that contain caffeine.
Prompted by a request from several states' attorneys general, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has given 30 manufacturers of such drinks 30 days to show the agency why their products are safe and under what authority they think they can sell those products.
Gates Angry About Defense-Related Leaks
By ELISABETH BUMILLER
OSHKOSH, Wis. — Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates is normally a mild-mannered man, at least in public, but he unleashed a torrent on his plane on Thursday morning about leaks during the investigation of the Foot Hood shootings and President Obama’s deliberations on sending more American troops to Afghanistan.
Obama: Developing nations must cut greenhouse gases
TOKYO (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama said on Saturday that developing nations must take "substantial actions" to curb their greenhouse gas emissions and that the world's top emitters must have clear reduction targets.
He added in a major speech in Tokyo that there could be no solution to the problems of energy security and climate change without the involvement of the Asia-Pacific region's developing nations, but that these problems could also provide great opportunities.
"If we put the right rules and incentives in place, it will unleash the creative power of our best scientists, engineers, and entrepreneurs. It will lead to new jobs, new businesses, and entire new industries," Obama said.
In-state students' admission obstacle: their home address
Raechel Hanson toiled through high school to build an academic transcript strong enough for admission to the College of William and Mary, the storied "public Ivy" in Williamsburg. She maintained a 3.9 grade-point average, played flute in the band, presided over the Spanish club and amassed more than 100 hours of community service.
It wasn't enough. She wound up 20 miles away at a less-selective state school, Christopher Newport University.
Madoff’s Coders Charged With Aiding Massive Ponzi Scheme
Two programmers who worked for convicted fraudster Bernard Madoff have been arrested and charged with providing technical support for the massive Ponzi scheme that bilked investors out of an estimated $65 billion.
Jerome O’Hara, 46, and George Perez, 43, were arrested Friday morning and charged with conspiracy for falsifying books and records for Madoff’s broker-dealer and investment businesses.
NASA sees "significant quantities" of water on the moon
By John Timmer
Shortly after NASA's LCROSS probe slammed into a crater in the polar region of the Moon, the Agency held a press conference to announce that it had obtained significant amounts of data from the collision. Unfortunately, to the frustration of many present, it wasn't ready to interpret that data. That reticence ended today, as NASA held a press conference in which it announced that the data contains unambiguous evidence of water, present in what it termed "significant quantities." But the signal from water isn't the only one lurking in the data, and NASA is remaining coy about what the other signals indicate.
Back in October, the LCROSS mission sent two objects crashing into the Cabeus crater, which has an interior that is permanently shadowed due to its location in the Moon's polar region. The first was a heavy booster rocket; its collision was imaged by instruments on the actual LCROSS probe, which followed it into the crater a few minutes later. Its collision was tracked by Earth- and space-based instruments.
Initially, there was a degree of disappointment about the lack of a dramatic plume of debris that accompanied the impact.
Proposed law would require pay for sick workers
By Maggie Fox
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. employers who tell workers to stay home when they are sick will have to give them paid time off for up to five days under new federal legislation proposed on Tuesday.
The emergency law would cover pandemic H1N1 flu or any other infectious disease, said California Representative George Miller, a Democrat who chairs the House Education and Labor Committee and who introduced the bill.
Senators seek tweaks in carbon permit plans
By Ayesha Rascoe
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - In the latest obstacle to proposed U.S. climate legislation, key lawmakers on Thursday urged Senate Democrats to change distribution plans for carbon permits to offer more protection for coal-dependent utilities.
The lawmakers said the allocation scheme in the current Senate bill does not apportion permits in an equitable manner and will result in higher electricity rates for consumers in regions that rely mostly on coal for power generation.
Welcome to the Clone Farm
By Karl Plume
ENID, Oklahoma (Reuters) - To the untrained eye, Pollard Farms looks much like any other cattle ranch. Similar looking cows are huddled in similar looking pens. But some of the cattle here don't just resemble each other. They are literally identical -- clear down to their genes.
Of the 400-some cattle in Barry Pollard's herd of mostly Black Angus cattle there are 22 clones, genetic copies of some of the most productive livestock the world has ever known.
Pollard, a neurosurgeon and owner of Pollard Farms, says such breeding technology is at the forefront of a new era in animal agriculture. "We're trying to stay on the very top of the heap of quality, genetically, with animals that will gain well and fatten well, produce well and reproduce well," Pollard told a reporter during a recent visit to his farm.
2011 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Gullwing: The mind-blowing 1950s version was cooler, but . . .
It goes about a zillion miles an hour, looks tougher than jailhouse steak and has explosive bolts in the doors, but before getting to the new Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Gullwing, if I may, a nod to the old (1955-1957) Gullwing.
Bombers hit Pakistan spy agency
BBC-A suicide car bomb attack on Pakistan's main intelligence agency in the city of Peshawar has killed at least 12 people and injured 40, officials say.
Another five people died in a separate suicide car bomb attack at a police station in the Baka Khel area in the North West Frontier Province.
The Peshawar blast destroyed the three-story building of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) agency.
The city has been frequently targeted by militants in recent weeks.
'Thaksin can help Cambodia'
The Cambodian government's appointment of former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra as an economy adviser has provoked an angry reaction from the Thai government, which views him as a criminal and a powerful political opponent.
Here, people in Cambodia share their views on the importance of Mr Thaksin's contribution and whether the appointment will affect already strained relations with neighbouring Thailand.
Myanmar's Suu Kyi appeals to top court against house arrest
By Hla Hla Htay (AFP)
YANGON — Pro-democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi appealed to Myanmar's top court Friday against her extended house arrest, days ahead of a likely meeting involving the junta's premier and US President Barack Obama.
The Nobel laureate was ordered to spend another 18 months in detention in August after a court convicted her over an incident in which a US man swam to her house. An initial appeal against the verdict was rejected in October.
Seoul denies contact with N.K. official
The South Korean government denied a news report yesterday that it secretly held a meeting with a North Korean official in Gaeseong last week to discuss the agenda for future high-level talks.
"The news report that the Koreas held an official meeting in Gaeseong around Nov. 7 is not true," Unification Ministry spokesman Chun Hae-sung said.
An anonymous source was quoted as saying by Yonhap News that a high-ranking Unification Ministry official met with a North Korean representative in the North's border town last weekend.
Muslim groups express concern about seized mosques
By Michael B. Farrell
Federal authorities said Thursday's move to seize the assets of the New York-based Alavi Foundation over alleged Iranian ties should not effect the activities of the organization's many tenants, which include mosques in Maryland, New York, Texas, and California.
The forfeiture action, however, is raising concerns about religious freedom among Muslims, many of whom already say government counterterrorism efforts unfairly tarnish the vast majority of law abiding Muslims.
"As a civil rights organization we are concerned that the seizure of American houses of worship could have a chilling effect on the religious freedom of citizens of all faiths and may send a negative message to Muslims worldwide," the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) said in a statement.