Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/77816
4B Daily News– Wednesday, August 8, 2012 pleads guilty TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) — Jared Lee Loughner agreed Tuesday to spend the rest of his life in prison, accepting that he went on a deadly shooting rampage at an Arizona political gathering and sparing the victims a lengthy, possibly traumat- ic death-penalty trial. His plea came soon after a federal judge found that months of psy- chiatric treatment for schizophrenia made Loughner able to under- stand charges that he killed six people and wounded 13 others, including his intended tar- get, then-Rep. Gabrielle Giffords. ''I plead guilty,'' the Loughner 23-year-old college dropout said. His hair closely cropped, Loughner was not the smiling, bald- headed suspect captured in a mugshot soon after the January 2011 shoot- ing. Wearing khakis, Loughner sat quietly throughout the hearing and smiled at one point when a psychologist testi- fying about his compe- tence remarked that he had bonded with one of the federal prison guards. Shadowy to socialize MILWAUKEE (AP) — When they aren't ranting in Internet forums, many of the nation's white supremacists seek a loud- er outlet for their extreme views: thunderous, thrashing heavy metal or world of hate rock offers some a way punk music with lyrics that call for a race war. Wade Michael Page, the gunman who killed six people at a Sikh tem- ple in Wisconsin before being killed by police, was deeply involved in the ''hate rock'' scene — a shadowy world of hun- dreds of performers in the U.S. and Europe, most of them playing metal or hardcore punk. Some also play country, folk and other genres. Largely unknown to most Americans, this musical subculture is an integral part of neo-Nazi circles, offering a way for like-minded followers to connect with each other and socialize, recruit new members and raise money for their cause. ''It really was a good political weapon for the agenda,'' said Jason Stevens, who once front- ed a white-power band called Intimidation One in Portland, Ore. Page once played gui- tar and bass with Intimi- dation One, as well as in bands called Definite Hate and End Apathy. Accusations fly among Romney, WORLD BRIEFING added that Romney, while serving as Massachusetts governor, had once peti- tioned the White House to loosen employment rules for those on welfare. Romney made his accusation in a relatively rare occurrence in the race for the White House — an appearance before voters outside the small group of battleground states likely to settle the Nov. 6 election. toral votes are politically safe territory for Obama in the fall. Romney was there for a fundraiser as well as a stop at a manu- facturing company, part of the intense competition between the two candi- dates to stockpile cash for the stretch run to Election Day. Illinois and its 20 elec- The president was speaking at two private events, one of them a fundraiser, at a hotel a few blocks from the White House. And after being outraised by Romney in recent months, his cam- paign announced a fundraising ''shoot- around'' and dinner in New York on Aug. 22 fea- turing several profession- al basketball stars. LAGE, Ill. (AP) — Republican Mitt Romney accused President Barack Obama on Tuesday of ditching a long-standing work requirement for welfare recipients, accus- ing him of fostering a ''culture of dependency'' and backing up the charge with a new television commercial. Obama ELK GROVE VIL- White House press sec- retary Jay Carney said the allegations were ''blatant- ly dishonest ... hypocrisy knows no bounds.'' He Assad Syria KILIS, Turkey (AP) — Standing just a few strides from the Syrian border, an Iraqi was mingling with Syrian rebel units outside their camp here, trying to find one that would take him in and let him fight in the uprising. ''It's an honor for me,'' said Sheik Abu Abdullah, wearing the white robe, Islamic skullcap and beard common among Islamic hardliners. Civil war fuels fear over post- The battle-hungry Iraqi is part of a stream of Arab fighters who have been drawn to the rebel cause, adding not only to the grow- ing complexities of Syria's civil war but also deepening the uncertainties of what could follow Bashar Assad's regime. After the latest blow to Damascus — this week's defection of Syria's prime minister — U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said Tuesday that there is an urgent need to plan for what happens after- ward if and when the Assad regime falls. She said it is important to ensure that Syrian state institutions remain intact. The hope among U.S. officials is to find a ''soft landing'' that keeps some degree of stabil- ity. However, few of the imaginable scenarios for post-Assad Syria portend stability after more than 17 months of blood-letting in a country that is more ethni- cally splintered than Iraq and holds perhaps the great- est international stakes of the Arab Spring. punk rockers MOSCOW (AP) — Prosecutors on Tuesday called for three-year prison sentences for feminist punk rockers who gave an impromptu performance in Moscow's main cathedral to call for an end to Vladimir Putin's rule, in a case that has caused international outrage and split Russian society. Prosecutors ask for 3-year sentences for anti-Putin three women — who have already been in jail for five months — deserve to be Some Russians say the punished for desecrating the Russian Orthodox Church and offending believers. Others insist that they are being punished for their political beliefs. The women, all in their 20s, said their goal was to express their resentment over the church's open support for Putin' rule. Dressed in homemade ski masks and miniskirts in garish colors, the Pussy Riot band members burst into a nearly empty Christ the Savior Cathedral and spent less than a minute belting out their ''punk prayer'' before being hustled out by security guards. Their Feb- ruary stunt was part of the protest movement that gath- ered strength over the win- ter and has come under increasing pressure since Putin won a third presiden- tial term in March. Prosecutors portrayed the proposed three-year sen- tences for the women as lenient, since the hooligan- ism charges they face carry a maximum sentence of seven years. Prosecutor Alexander Nikiforov said the recommendation takes into account that two of the defendants have young chil- dren and that they have good character references. Putin said last week that the punishment should not be ''too severe,'' triggering speculation that the Kremlin was hoping to resolve the case without appearing weak or causing further anger on either side. Ohio man brought gun, knives to Batman protection COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — A northeast Ohio showing for man brought a gun, ammu- nition and several knives to a showing of the latest Bat- man movie because he wanted to protect himself in case someone tried to repli- cate last month's deadly Colorado theater shooting, his attorney said Tuesday. Scott A. Smith, 37, had no intention of causing harm or inducing panic when he brought the weapons to a Saturday showing of ''The Dark Knight Rises,'' said his attorney, Matthew Bruce. ''With the recent shoot- ing in Colorado, and the other incidents around the country in regards to threats, he felt that he needed pro- tection,'' Bruce said. Bruce said he was refer- ring to movie theater threats made after the deadly July 20 shooting in Aurora, Colo., where a 24-year-old man is accused of killing 12 people and wounding 58 at a midnight showing of the same movie. ''felt a sense of fear'' about going to a theater, and chose the Batman movie by com- plete coincidence. Bruce said his client Fewer kids with high cholesterol, even as obesity holds ing, given that the child- hood obesity rate didn't budge. How can that be? Some experts think that while most kids may not be eating less or exercising more, they may be getting fewer trans fats. That's because the artery-clog- ging ingredient has been removed or reduced in many processed or fried foods such as doughnuts, cookies and french fries. ''That's my leading the- steady ATLANTA (AP) — Finally some good news about cholesterol and kids: A big government study shows that in the past decade, the proportion of children who have high cholesterol has fallen. The results are surpris- ory,'' said Dr. Sarah de Ferranti, director of pre- ventive cardiology at Boston Children's Hospi- tal. She wrote an editorial that accompanies the study. http://dfm-ssp.medianewsgroup.com/