Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/65303
6A Daily News – Friday, May 11, 2012 pranks WASHINGTON (AP) — Mitt Romney apolo- gized Thursday for ''stu- pid'' high school pranks that may have gone too far and moved quickly to stamp out any notion that he bullied schoolmates because they were gay. His swift response reflect- ed the Republican presi- dential candidate's recog- nition that his record on gay rights is under height- ened scrutiny following President Barack Obama's embrace of gay marriage. Romney apologizes for 'stupid' high school One day after gay rights moved to the center of the presidential race with Obama's announce- ment on same-sex mar- riage, a Washington Post report about Romney's high school escapades nearly 50 years ago added a personal dimension to Democrats' claim that he's out of step on the sensitive topic. The newspaper report- ed that in one case, Rom- ney and several school- mates held down class- mate John Lauber and cut off his bleached blond hair after seeking him out in his dorm room at their boarding school in the wealthy Detroit suburb of Bloomfield Hills, Mich. The Post said Lauber was ''perpetually teased for his nonconformity and presumed homosexuali- ty'' and that he screamed for help as Romney held him down. The paper recounted another inci- dent in which Romney shouted ''atta girl'' to a different student at the all- boys' school who, years later, came out as gay. ''I participated in a lot of hijinks and pranks dur- ing high school and some may have gone too far. And for that I apologize,'' Romney told Fox News' Brian Kilmeade during a hastily arranged radio interview. Romney said he didn't remember the Lauber incident from long ago, but didn't dispute that it happened. He stressed that he didn't know either student was gay. WORLD BRIEFING despite a steady decline in gas prices in recent weeks after a surge earlier in the year. The national average for a gallon of gasoline stood at $3.75, down from a 2012 peak of $3.94 on April 1. The Republican presi- dential candidate had begun the day by treading softly on Obama's his- toric embrace of same-sex marriage, which seems likely to fire up liberal and conservative activists alike. He quietly restated his opposition to legaliz- ing such marriages, but his campaign turned its full attention to energy, the economy and other issues. ability fading WASHINGTON (AP) — Americans are grow- ing more pessimistic about the economy and handling it remains Presi- dent Barack Obama's weak spot and biggest challenge in his bid for a second term, according to a new Associated Press- GfK poll. Optimism on economy and on Obama's look extends across party lines, including a steep decline in the share of Democrats who call the economy ''good,'' down from 48 percent in Febru- ary to just 31 percent now. Almost two-thirds of Americans — 65 percent — disapprove of Obama's handling of gas prices, up from 58 percent in Febru- ary. Nearly half, 44 per- cent, ''strongly disap- prove.'' And just 30 per- cent said they approve, down from 39 percent in February. These findings come And the gloomier out- U.S. presidents have limited ability to affect gas prices, which are determined in internation- al markets. However, the party out of power always blames whoever is presi- dent at the time for high gas prices, as Republican Mitt Romney is doing now and as Democrat Obama did in 2008 when George W. Bush sat in the Oval Office. kill 55 people DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — Twin suicide car bombs exploded outside a military intelligence build- ing and killed 55 people Thursday, tossing mangled bodies in the street in the deadliest attack against a regime target since the Syri- an uprising began 14 months ago. Twin car bombs in Damascus The president made his historic endorsement on the eve of a sold-out fundraiser Thursday evening at the Los Angeles home of actor George Clooney. The timing of the event is creating a blockbuster confluence of high celebri- ty, big money and commit- ted activism. Hollywood is home to some of the most high-profile backers of gay marriage. The 150 donors who are paying $40,000 to attend Clooney's dinner will no doubt feel newly invigo- rated by Obama's water- shed announcement the day before. or still inside damaged cars. An Associated Press reporter at the scene saw medics in rubber gloves picking through the site for human remains amid the two craters that were blasted into the asphalt. The bombings fueled fears of a rising Islamic mil- itant element among the forces seeking to oust Presi- dent Bashar Assad and dealt a further blow to interna- tional efforts to end the bloodshed. The first car bomb went which oversees the police and security services, said 55 people were killed and more than 370 were wound- ed. Officials said suicide bombers detonated explo- sives weighing more than 1,000 kilograms (2,200 pounds). off on a key six-lane high- way during the morning rush hour, knocking down a security wall outside the government building and drawing people to the scene, witnesses said. A much larger blast soon followed, shaking the neighborhood, setting dozens of cars ablaze and sending up a gray mushroom cloud visi- ble around the capital. Syrian state TV video showed dozens of bodies, some charred or dismem- bered, strewn in the rubble Federal officials sue Ariz. sheriff Arpaio PHOENIX (AP) — The U.S. Justice Department sued America's self-pro- claimed toughest sheriff Thursday, a rare step for the agency after months of negotiations failed to reach a settlement over allega- tions that his department racially profiled Latinos in his trademark immigration patrols. The Interior Ministry, the DOJ's civil rights divi- sion, at a news conference. Arpaio and the Marico- pa County sheriff's office ''have been a glaring exception,'' Perez said. The DOJ first leveled the allegations against Arpaio in December, say- ing that a culture of disre- gard for basic constitution- al rights prevailed at the office, which covers metro Phoenix. Talks to reach a settlement broke off last month. stance SEATTLE (AP) — Pres- ident Barack Obama said Vice President Joe Biden got ''a little bit over his skis'' in publicly embracing gay marriage, forcing Obama to speed up his own plan to announce support for the right of same-sex couples to marry. ''Would I have preferred Obama heads to Clooney gala with gay marriage Federal officials said that only once before has the agency filed a lawsuit against a police department that they were unable to reach an agreement with in the 18-year history of the DOJ's police reform efforts. The lawsuit means that a federal judge will decide the escalating stand- off with Sheriff Joe Arpaio. ''We have invariably been able to work collabo- ratively with law enforce- ment agencies to build bet- ter departments and safer communities,'' said Assis- tant U.S. Attorney General Thomas Perez, who heads to have done this in my own way, in my own terms, without I think, there being a lot of notice to everybody? Sure,'' Obama said. ''But all's well that ends well.'' Obama, who was ready Thursday to dive into the embrace of Hollywood's wealthy elite at a gala fundraiser, said he had planned to make the announcement before his party's convention in early September. But he told ABC News that his hand was forced by Biden, who the president said spoke out in support of same-sex mar- riage out of a ''generosity of spirit.'' 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Girl Scouts come under scrutiny from Catholic At issue are concerns about program materials that some Catholics find offensive, as well as asser- tions that the Scouts associ- ate with other groups espousing stances that con- flict with church teaching. The Scouts, who have numerous parish-sponsored troops, deny many of the claims and defend their alliances. The inquiry coincides with the Scouts' 100th anniversary celebrations and follows a chain of other controversies. Earlier this year, legisla- tors in Indiana and Alaska publicly called the Scouts into question, and the orga- nization was berated in a series aired by a Catholic broadcast network. Last year, the Scouts angered some conservatives by accepting into a Colorado troop a 7-year-old transgen- der child who was born a boy but was being raised as a girl. Some of the concerns raised by Catholic critics are recycled complaints that have been denied by the Girl Scouts' head office repeatedly and categorical- ly. It says it has no partner- ship with Planned Parent- hood, and does not take positions on sexuality, birth control and abortion. building? NEW YORK (AP) — A change to the design of a needle that will sit atop One World Trade Center is raising questions over whether the building will still be America's tallest when completed. Will World Trade Center still be tallest Happy Mother's Day Great Gifts for Mom from the Nursery • Summer Flowers • Home Decor (free gift wrapping) • Gift Cards • Roses Red Bluff Garden Center 527-0886 766 Antelope Blvd. (Next to the Fairground) The 408-foot-tall nee- dle will no longer be enclosed in a fiberglass- and-steel enclosure called a radome, a feature that was recently removed from the origi- nal design because the building's developer says it would be impossible to properly maintain or repair it. 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