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Bomb plot suspect cites 'martyrdom' attack plan NEW YORK (AP) — A former airport shuttle driver accused of buying beauty supplies to make bombs for an attack on New York City subways pleaded guilty Monday, admitting he agreed to conduct an al- Qaida-led ''martyrdom plan'' because of U.S. involvement in his native Afghanistan. Najibullah Zazi told a judge the terror network recruited him to be a suicide bomber in New York, where he went to high school and once worked a coffee car just blocks from the World Trade Center site. ''I would sacrifice myself to bring attention to what the U.S. military was doing to civilians in Afghanistan,'' Zazi said in court. The Associated Press learned earlier this month that the jailed Zazi had recently volunteered infor- mation about the bomb plot in the first step toward a plea deal. His cooperation sug- gests prosecutors hope to expand the case and bring charges against other sus- pects in one of the most serious terrorism threats in the U.S. since Sept. 11, 2001. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because the terror investiga- tion is ongoing. General has backup plan for war exit WASHINGTON (AP) — The top U.S. general in Iraq said Monday he could slow the exit of U.S. combat forces this year if Iraq's pol- itics are chaotic following elections this spring. Gen. Ray Odierno said there are no signs that will be neces- sary, but he says he has a Plan B and told his superi- ors about it during Wash- ington meetings over the past week. The U.S. has about 96,000 troops in Iraq nearly seven years after the Amer- ican-led invasion that over- threw dictator Saddam Hus- sein. That's the lowest num- ber of American forces in the country since the inva- sion. Under an agreement negotiated under former President George W. Bush, all combat troops are to leave the country by Aug. 31 although some 50,000 will remain behind to help train Iraqi security forces. The remaining support troops are to be gone by the end of 2011. ''If you ask me today, I'm fully committed and that's the right course of action,'' Odierno told reporters at the Pentagon. Steady progress in Afghan war WASHINGTON (AP) — The nation's top defense leaders said Monday that U.S.-led forces were mak- ing steady progress in their efforts in a Taliban strong- hold in southern Afghanistan but faced stiffer resistance than expected and the operation would take longer than hoped. Adm. Mike Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told reporters at the Pentagon the efforts against the Taliban were ''messy'' and ''incredibly wasteful,'' as was war in general. ''But that doesn't mean it's not worth the cost.'' Mullen said the battle and the broader war can be won with the proper resources and strategy. ''As you've all been see- ing, we're making steady, if perhaps a bit slower than anticipated, progress,'' Mullen said. Mullen also expressed regret for a NATO airstrike that killed at least 27 Afghan civilians. It was the third coalition strike this month to kill noncombat- ants and drew a sharp rebuke from Afghanistan's government about endan- gering civilians. Iran to build uranium enrichment facilities TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iran said Monday it plans to build two new uranium enrichment facilities deep inside mountains to protect them from attack, a new challenge to Western pow- ers trying to curb Tehran's nuclear program for fear it is aimed at making weapons. Ali Akbar Salehi, who is also Iran's vice president, said Tehran intends to use its more advanced cen- trifuges at the new sites, a decision that could add to growing concerns in the West over Tehran's program because the technology would allow Iran to acceler- ate the pace of its program. The two plants are among 10 industrial scale uranium enrichment facili- ties Iran approved the con- struction of in November, a dramatic expansion of the program in defiance of U.N. demands it halt enrichment. ''Hopefully, we may begin construction of two new enrichment sites in the next Iranian year as ordered by the president,'' the semi- official ISNA quoted Salehi as saying Monday. The Iranian calendar year begins March 21. ''As of now, our enrich- ment sites ... will be built inside mountains,'' Salehi added, according to ISNA. 3 New York City police officers acquitted NEW YORK (AP) — A New York City police officer accused of sodom- izing a drug suspect in a subway station was acquitted Monday after defense attorneys spent weeks chipping away at the credibility of the accuser, a self-professed gang member who admit- ted to smoking pot regu- larly. Two colleagues were acquitted of a cover- up. Officer Richard Kern had faced as many as 25 years in prison if convict- ed of aggravated sexual abuse, while Officers Andrew Morales and Alex Cruz could have gotten up to four years on charges of hindering prosecution. The defendants' fami- lies sighed loudly and cried softly as the verdict was read. After jurors were dismissed, the offi- cers hugged their attor- neys and families, and representatives from their union clapped each other on the back. ''I'm glad the system works,'' Kern said outside court. ''I knew coming in this I was innocent. I was going to stand up for my rights and prove my inno- cence.'' The man accusing the officers, Michael Mineo, was not in the courtroom for the verdict. Outside court he said that he had a feeling the case would turn out as it did. Vatican's top bioethics man dismisses resignation VATICAN CITY (AP) — The Vatican's top bioethics official on Mon- day dismissed calls for his resignation following an uproar over his defense of doctors who aborted the twin fetuses of a 9-year- old child who was raped by her stepfather. Monsignor Renato Fisichella told The Asso- ciated Press he refused to respond to five members of the Vatican's Pontifical Academy for Life who questioned his suitability to lead the institution. Fisichella wrote an article in the Vatican's newspaper in March say- ing the Brazilian doctors didn't deserve excommu- nication as mandated by church law because they were saving the girl's life. The call for mercy sparked heated criticism from some academy members who said it implied the Vatican was opening up to so-called ''therapeutic abortion'' to save the mother's life. To quiet their com- plaints, the Vatican's Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith issued a clarification in July, repeating the Catholic Church's firm opposition to abortion and saying Fisichella's words had been ''manipulated and exploited.'' But that didn't stem the criticism, which boiled up again last week when the academy — an advisory body to the pope made up of lay and religious bioethics experts from around the world — held its annual plenary assem- bly. Archaeologist: excavated items support Bible text JERUSALEM (AP) — An Israeli archaeologist said Monday that ancient fortifications recently excavated in Jerusalem date back 3,000 years to the time of King Solomon and support the biblical narrative about the era. If the age of the wall is correct, the finding would be an indication that Jerusalem was home to a strong central gov- ernment that had the resources and manpower needed to build massive fortifications in the 10th century B.C. That's a key point of dispute among scholars, because it would match the Bible's account that the Hebrew kings David and Solomon ruled from Jerusalem around that time. While some Holy Land archaeologists sup- port that version of histo- ry — including the archaeologist behind the dig, Eilat Mazar — oth- ers posit that David's monarchy was largely mythical and that there was no strong govern- ment to speak of in that era. Speaking to reporters at the site Monday, Mazar, from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, called her find ''the most significant construction we have from First Tem- ple days in Israel.'' Guinness says Arizona Great Daneis tallest dog on record TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) — A 250-pound blue Great Dane from Ari- zona gives new meaning to the term ''big dog.'' Guinness World Records says Giant George from Tucson is the tallest dog ever on record. Guinness said Monday that he stands 3 feet, 7 inches tall from paw to shoulder, which is three-quarters of an inch taller than his clos- est rival — Titan, a white Great Dane from San Diego. The 4-year-old Titan took the title of world's tallest dog in 2009 after Gibson, a Great Dane from Grass Valley, Calif., died of bone can- cer. Guinness officials say there were conflict- ing reports about Giant George's height, so they sent a judge to verify it. The 4-year-old is owned by David Nasser. 8A – Daily News – Tuesday, February 23, 2010 http://www.lesschwab.com RED BLUFF 522 ANTELOPE BLVD. (530) 529-1654 With the tires you buy. Hurry! Offer ends February 28, 2010 Katrina Perdue D.M.D. GENERAL DENTISTRY 2150 N. 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