Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/20649
Wednesday, December 1, 2010 – Daily News – 3B WORLD BRIEFING Obama, GOP leaders seek to resolve tax differences WASHINGTON (AP) — Heralding a new era of divided government, President Barack Obama and congressional Repub- licans pledged warily to seek common ground on tax cuts and reduced spending Tuesday in their first meeting since tumul- tuous midterm elections. Obama also made a strong plea to Senate Republicans to permit rat- ification of a new arms control treaty with Russia by year’s end, raising the issue first in a session in the White House’s Roo- sevelt Room and then in a follow-up meeting with- out aides present, officials said. No substantive agree- ments on essential year- end legislation emerged from the session, and none had been expected. Instead, the meeting was a classic capital blend of substance and style, offer- ing a chance for Obama, House Speaker-in-waiting John Boehner and Senate GOP leader Mitch McConnell to become more comfortable in one another’s presence. ‘‘The American people did not vote for gridlock. They didn’t vote for unyielding partisanship. They’re demanding coop- eration and they’re demanding progress,’’ the president told reporters, referring to elections that gave the GOP control of the House and a stronger say in the Senate. Back at the Capitol after the meeting, Boehn- er said, ‘‘I think that spending more time will help us find some com- mon ground,’’ and he credited Obama with opening the session by saying he had not reached out enough in the past to Republican leaders. Gays serving openly won’t hurt military abilities WASHINGTON (AP) — Gay troops can serve openly in the armed forces without harming the military’s ability to fight, the Pentagon’s top leaders said Tuesday, declaring the 17-year-old ‘‘don’t ask, don’t tell law’’ should be scrapped and pointing to a new sur- vey to show most troops won’t mind. President Barack Obama, citing the troop poll, urged the Senate to repeal the ban before adjourning in the next few weeks, but there is still no indication GOP objec- tions can be overcome with just a few weeks left in the postelection lame- duck session. Still, the survey did put new pres- sure on Republican oppo- nents, led by Sen. John McCain, who say efforts to repeal the law are polit- ically motivated and dan- gerous at a time of two wars. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said the ban on openly gay military service ‘‘requires people to lie,’’ and he called for quick Senate action. ‘‘We spend a lot of time in the military talk- ing about integrity and honor and values. Telling the truth is a pretty impor- tant value in that scale,’’ Gates said as he released the Pentagon study show- ing that most people cur- rently in uniform don’t care about the ban. Senate Democrats plan to force a vote in December. Senate Republicans were gener- ally silent following release of the Pentagon recommendations for repealing the ban. gers are mistaken for peo- ple on terror watch lists. Misidentification of passengers has been one of the biggest inconve- niences in post-Sept. 11 air travel, and widely known for putting thou- sands of innocent travel- ers and well-known fig- ures like former Sen. Ted Kennedy, through exten- sive searching and ques- tioning before they were allowed to fly. Previously, airlines Members of Senate reject ban on pet projects WASHINGTON (AP) — By a sizable — but dwindling — margin, the Senate on Tuesday voted in favor of allowing law- makers to keep stocking bills with home-state pro- jects like roads, grants to local police departments and clean-water projects. But with the House set to tumble into GOP hands and anti-earmark rein- forcements coming to the Senate in January, the window seems to be clos- ing on the practice. Tuesday’s 39-56 tally rejected a GOP bid to ban the practice of loading spending bills with so- called earmarks — those parochial provisions that lawmakers deliver to their states — but it appears the curtain is coming down on the practice. Most Democrats and a handful of Republicans combined to defeat the effort, which would have effectively prohibited the Senate from considering legislation containing ear- marks like road and bridge projects, commu- nity development fund- ing, grants to local police departments and special- interest tax breaks. The tally, however, was a better showing for earmark opponents, who lost a 29-68 vote earlier this year. Any votes next year should be closer because a band of anti- earmark Republicans is joining the Senate. ‘‘More like 45 or better,’’ said earmark opponent Jim DeMint, R-S.C. Arlines on board with program to check passenger info against watch lists WASHINGTON (AP) — All 197 airlines that fly to the U.S. are now col- lecting names, genders and birth dates of passen- gers so the government can check them against terror watch lists before they fly, the Obama administration announced Tuesday. Getting all air carriers that travel to or through the U.S. to provide this information marks a mile- stone in the government’s counterterrorism efforts and completes one of the 9/11 Commission’s rec- ommendations. The pro- gram, called Secure Flight, has been delayed for years because of pri- vacy concerns and went through three versions before it was approved. It’s designed to give U.S. authorities more time to identify and remove sus- pected terrorists from flights and reduce instances when passen- have been responsible for checking the passenger lists against terror watch lists. But the airlines did not have any information other than a name. Now the screening is done by the Transportation Securi- ty Administration. The more information avail- able about a passenger, the less likely a passenger will be mistaken for someone on a watch list. When someone makes a flight reservation, that information goes to the Secure Flight database within seconds, TSA Administrator John Pis- tole said. Compliance with the program has been phased in over the past year, and many travelers have already been supplying their gender, birth date and full name as it appears on their govern- ment identification when they purchase their tick- ets. Pistole said it’s too early to tell if there have been fewer instances of mistaken identities now that the new system is in place. ‘‘It’s just still too early to say,’’ he said. ‘‘If six months from now we haven’t seen a reduction, then that will concern me.’’ Father of 3 missing boys charged with parental kidnapping MORENCI, Mich. (AP) — The father of three young brothers who have been missing since Thanksgiving was charged with their kid- napping on Tuesday, hours after police said it’s unlikely the boys will be found alive. John Skelton, 39, was arrested by FBI agents after his release from a medical facility in Lucas County, Ohio, where he had been being treated since attempting to hang himself on Friday. Skelton was charged in Lenawee County, Mich., across the state border, with three counts of parental kidnapping, Morenci Police Chief Larry Weeks said during a brief news conference. Skelton was being held at the Lucas County jail and would be extradited back to Michigan, Weeks said. Nine-year-old Andrew, 7-year-old Alexander and 5-year-old Tanner Skelton have not been seen since Thanksgiving, when they were with their father in Morenci. GOP senators indicate progress on nuclear treaty WASHINGTON (AP) — Republicans reluctant to quickly ratify a nuclear weapons deal with Russia said Tuesday the Obama administration had addressed some of their concerns, raising the prospect for Senate approval of the landmark treaty. President Barack Obama has insisted that completion of the treaty is a national security imper- ative and he argued for the pact at a White House meeting with congres- sional leaders on Tuesday. ‘‘We need to get it done,’’ Obama told reporters after the morn- ing session. Republicans, led by Sen. Jon Kyl, R-Ariz., have rejected the presi- dent’s contention that the treaty must be dealt with during Congress’ lame- duck session, arguing that the Senate has more pressing business and sev- eral issues on the nuclear deal remain unresolved. Sen. Bob Corker, R- Tenn., a member of the Foreign Relations Com- mittee, said Tuesday that administration officials responded late Monday night to several matters raised by Kyl and himself about modernization of the remaining nuclear arsenal and sufficient funds for safeguarding the stockpile. FBI looking at prison where video shows guards watching attack BOISE, Idaho (AP) — The surveillance video from the overhead cam- eras shows Hanni Elabed being beaten by a fellow inmate in an Idaho prison, managing to bang on a prison guard station win- dow, pleading for help. Behind the glass, correc- tional officers look on, but no one intervenes when Elabed is knocked uncon- scious. No one steps into the cellblock when the attack- er sits down to rest, and no one stops him when he resumes the beating. Videos of the attack obtained by The Associat- ed Press show officers watching the beating for several minutes. The footage is a key piece of evidence for critics who claim the privately run Idaho Correctional Center uses inmate-on-inmate violence to force prison- ers to snitch on their cell- mates or risk being moved to extremely violent units. On Tuesday, hours after the AP published the video, the top federal prosecutor in Idaho told the AP that the FBI has been investigating whether guards violated the civil rights of inmates at the prison, which is run by the Corrections Corpo- ration of America. The investigation con- cerns the prison’s rate of violence and covers mul- tiple assaults between inmates, including the attack on Elabed, U.S. Attorney Wendy Olson said. Student who held students hostage dies from gunshot MARINETTE, Wis. (AP) — A 15-year-old student who held about two dozen students and a teacher hostage for sever- al hours in a classroom at a Wisconsin high school died Tuesday at a hospital from a self-inflicted gun- shot wound, authorities said. Sophomore Samuel Hengel shot himself after police stormed a class- room at Marinette High School on Monday night, said police chief Jeff Sko- rik. Hengel, of Porter- field, had been holding most of the students and their social studies teacher hostage for sever- al hours. No one else was wounded. The teenager allowed one of his hostages free a short time after he took over the classroom after the girl’s mother tried to call her daughter and couldn’t reach her, said Principal Corry Lambie. Five more of his hostages were let out after about six and a half hours, and finally the other students and their teacher Valerie Burd emerged unharmed. The terrified high schoolers trapped in the classroom worked desper- ately to keep their captor calm by chatting and laughing with him about hunting and fishing. Stu- dent hostage Zach Camp- bell said the gunman seemed depressed, but he didn’t think he meant his classmates any harm. Grandmother charged after throwing toddler to her death McLEAN, Va. (AP) — A Virginia grandmother threw her 2 1/2-year-old granddaughter several stories to her death from a walkway at a shopping mall after a family outing, police said Tuesday. Carmela Dela Rosa, 50, of Fairfax was arrest- ed and charged Tuesday with murder, said prose- cutor Ian Rodway, the chief deputy Common- wealth’s attorney. The child, Angelyn Ogdoc, died in a hospital after plunging to the pave- ment Monday night. She fell from a walkway link- ing the mall’s third floor to the parking garage’s sixth floor at Tysons Cor- ner Center in Fairfax, a Washington suburb in Virginia. Thank You! The Red Bluff Daily News would like to thank the following businesses, organizations and individuals for making our project, “Recycle The Warmth” such a success. Because of you, we were able to make a difference. Thanks for helping... • Bethel Assembly of God Church • Carcione Family • Child Care Referral & Education • Chris, (The Cookie Lady) & the Patterson Family • Cottonwood Pharmacy • First 5 Tehama School Readiness • Furniture Depot • Gail Locke, ( Elder Services Council ) • GreenWaste of Tehama County • Hands of Hope Rescue Mission • Hope Rescue Mission • HUGGS - Jeanette Foster • Jacque & Wayne Brown • Joanne Lerch • Job Training Center • Katie Randel • Lassen House • Marty Compton • Migrant Seasonal HS • Mike & Pam Klein • Miss Tehama County & Miss Corning • NV Catholic Social Service • Pat Van Tuyl • PATH • Phyllis Pine • Randy Moore • Renee Goddard • Rose Cardenas (M igrant Ed.) • Mandolfo Family & Snack Box Catering • St. Elizabeth Hosp. • St. E’s Mission Awarness Team • Starbucks Coffee • TC Community Action Agency • TC Dept. of Social Services • TC Legal Aid • TC Office of Ed • TC Health Services, ( Public Health ) • TRAX • United Cerebral Palsy • Yount Family ...And a special thanks to ALL the volunteers that helped with this project and the many, many people who donated clothing and blankets