Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/53644
6A Daily News – Thursday, January 26, 2012 WORLD BRIEFING American, Danish hostages freed MOGADISHU, Soma- lia (AP) — Held captive since last fall, an ailing American woman and a Danish man are safely on their way home after a bold, dark-of-night rescue by U.S. Navy SEALs. The commandos slipped into a Somali encamp- ment, shot and killed nine captors and whisked the hostages to freedom. The raid's success was welcome news for the hostages and their fami- lies, for the military and for President Barack Obama, who was deliver- ing his State of the Union speech as the mission was wrapping up Tuesday night. He did not mention it in his address but dropped a hint upon arriv- ing in the House chamber by telling Defense Secre- tary Leon Panetta, ''Good job tonight.'' It was the second splashy SEAL Team 6 success in less than a year, following last May's killing of Osama bin Laden in Pakistan. The SEALs apparently encountered some degree of resistance from the kid- nappers at the encamp- ment. One U.S. official said Wednesday that there was a firefight but the length and extent of the battle were unclear. Pentagon spokesmen said they could not con- firm a gun battle, although one defense offi- cial said it was likely that the SEALs killed the kid- nappers rather than cap- ture them because they encountered armed resis- tance or the threat of resistance. Giffords says her goodbye to House WASHINGTON (AP) — The applause rolled through the big chamber, growing ever louder as hundreds of Republicans and Democrats suddenly realized Rep. Gabrielle Giffords was back in the House. But this time she had come to say goodbye. Fellow lawmakers gave her a fitting send-off: cheers, hugs, a cascade of tributes and plenty of tears in a rare moment of political unity. A year since that fate- ful Saturday morning when Giffords was severely wounded during a shooting rampage in her home district, the Arizona congresswoman resigned on Wednesday with a plea for civility — and a hint that she'll be back on the national stage. For now, the 41-year-old said, her movements and speech still halting, she needs to focus on her recovery. For all the kind words showered on her, Giffords reflected in her resigna- ing is intended to save money without eroding the military's ability to protect the country and wage war when needed. Army officials contend that while there would be fewer brigades, building them bigger will give them more capabilities and depth, and will reduce stress on the units. They said specialty units, such as Army spe- cial operations forces, would not be affected by the cuts. Reducing the overall number of brigades will also eliminate the need for the headquarters units that command and over- see them. Pelosi hints she has Gingrich secrets WASHINGTON (AP) — Does House Democra- tic Leader Nancy Pelosi know some dark secrets about GOP presidential hopeful Newt Gingrich? Twice, she offered tanta- lizing hints that she does. And then said she doesn't. Gingrich said Wednesday that the House Democrat- ic leader should come out with it or shut up. The latest back-and- forth in the contest of two former House speakers came in a CNN interview Tuesday night, when host John King suggested to Pelosi that she ''could come back here next Jan- uary or next February with a President Gin- grich?'' ''Let me just say this. That will never happen,'' Pelosi said. When King asked, ''Why are you so sure?'' Pelosi responded: ''There's something I know. The Republicans, if they choose to nominate him, that's the preroga- tive. I don't even think that's going to happen.'' On Wednesday, Pelosi tion letter about a level of respect that seems like an aberration these days in a bitterly divided Washing- ton. Gingrich says Romney's plan for self- deportation is a fantasy DORAL, Fla. (AP) — Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich on Wednesday ridiculed rival Mitt Romney's call for self-deportation of illegal immigrants as an ''Obama-level fantasy'' that would be inhumane to long-established fami- lies living in America. Romney, for his part, accused Gingrich of pan- dering to a Hispanic audi- ence and said Gingrich himself had supported self-deportation in the past. Discussing immigra- tion in state where 13 per- cent of registered voters are Hispanic, the former House speaker criticized Romney's immigration policy during a forum with the Spanish-lan- guage television network Univision, saying the idea of self-deportation would never work. Romney snapped back at him later in the day at the same forum. During a debate earlier this week, Romney said he favors self-deportation over policies that would require the federal gov- ernment to round up mil- lions of illegal immi- grants and send them back to their home coun- tries. Advocates of Rom- ney's approach argue that illegal immigration can be curbed by denying public benefits to them, prompt- ing them to leave the United States on their own. ''You have to live in a world of Swiss bank accounts and Cayman Island accounts and auto- matically $20 million income for no work to have some fantasy this far from reality,'' Gingrich said, alluding to details in Romney's income tax returns made public Tues- day. ''For Romney to believe that somebody's grandmother is going to be so cut off that she is going to self-deport, I mean this is an Obama- level fantasy.'' But Gingrich's cam- paign has spoken of the self-deportation policy he ridiculed Wednesday. Army to cut combat brigades WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. Army plans to slash the number of combat brigades from 45 to as low as 32 in a broad restructuring of its fight- ing force aimed at cutting costs and reducing the service by about 80,000 soldiers, according to U.S. officials familiar with the plans. Officials said the sweeping changes will likely increase the size of each combat brigade — generally by adding another battalion — in an effort to ensure that those remaining brigades have the fighting capabilities they need when they go to war. A brigade is usually about 3,500 soldiers, but can be as large as 5,000 for the heavily armored units. A battalion is usual- ly between 600-800 sol- diers. The brigade restructur- spokesman Drew Ham- mill said, ''The 'some- thing' leader Pelosi knows is that Newt Gin- grich will not be president of the United States. She made that clear last night.'' Gay marriage returns to the political spotlight With a flurry of coast- to-coast developments this week, same-sex mar- riage is back in the politi- cal spotlight and likely to remain there through Election Day as a half- dozen states face poten- tially wrenching votes on the issue. In Maryland, New Jer- sey and Washington, bills to legalize same-sex mar- riage have high-powered support and good chances of passage in the legisla- ture. Gay-marriage oppo- nents in Maryland and Washington would likely react by seeking referen- dums in November to overturn those laws, while New Jersey's Republican governor, Chris Christie, says he'll veto the bill if it reaches him and prefers that lawmakers OK a ref- erendum so voters can decide. FUNK HEATING, AIR CONDITIONING & SHEET METAL 30 YEARS EXPERIENCE Air Conditioning—Heating—Sheet Metal—Heat Pumps 527-5828 13111 BAKER ROAD Cal. Lic. #233456