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22 Jan 2012 20:48

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U.S., World: Ali Abdullah Saleh exits Yemen as anger over immunity deal rages

  • the deal Ali Abdullah Saleh agreed to give up his power in Yemen in exchange for immunity against prosecution in the country he led for more than three decades. Saleh, the fourth Arab Spring leader to lose power (and the third to relinquish it), apologized “for any failure that occurred” during his rule.
  • the exit Now, as protests flare up against the sweetheart deal he got, Saleh is heading to the U.S. to get medical treatment for the injuries he sustained in an assassination attempt last year. Bro plans to return in time for elections next month, however — but not as the country’s leader.  source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

19 Jan 2012 14:25

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U.S.: DC Metro workers accused of robbing fare machines to buy lottery tickets

  • Stealing to gamble: Two DC-area Metro workers have been arrested, accused of a scheme to steal coins from fare machines and spend them on lottery tickets. Federal prosecutors allege the duo, John Haile and Horace McDade, defrauded the machines while on shift together; the investigation was launched after a source reported that Haile would regularly buy lottery tickets using bags of $500 or so, all in coins. Is it that hard to find a Coinstar, man? Haile’s records, and this is the crazy part, show $150,000 in unexplained income since 2008. As lottery officials told the authorities, to secure even just the winnings confirmed to them, he had to have been buying “an extraordinary amount of tickets.” (Photo by Eric Fisher) source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

16 Jan 2012 10:13

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U.S.: Penn State: Joe Paterno clears the record in first interview since firing

  • I didn’t know exactly how to handle it and I was afraid to do something that might jeopardize what the university procedure was. So I backed away and turned it over to some other people, people I thought would have a little more expertise than I did. It didn’t work out that way.
  • Former Penn State coach Joe Paterno • Speaking to the Washington Post’s Sally Jenkins about the situation with Jerry Sandusky — the first interview he’s given since leaving the school. Paterno’s firing (after a 61-year career) came late at night, under rushed circumstances. Since then, Paterno has fought a variety of health issues, including cancer and a broken pelvis, but agreed to the interview in an attempt to clear the record. Among other notable things in the interview: Paterno encouraged Sandusky to retire at an early age because he was spending too much time with the Second Mile foundation at the cost of football; and when told by assistant coach Mike McQueary that something was amiss, he said he “didn’t feel adequate” to deal with the issue, so he handed it off to superiors. And he was lost in terms of handling it further, afraid that he might mess something up by exerting too much influence one way or another. “In hindsight, I wish I had done more,” he said. Officials say that Paterno has no legal liability in the case, and that he worked with officials the whole way through. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

12 Jan 2012 15:25

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U.S.: Army investigator recommends court martial for Bradley Manning

  • “Aiding the enemy”: That’s one of the crimes that Lieutenant Colonel Paul Almanza, who was tasked with an investigation of Manning’s case, says there is evidence he committed. Almanza has advised the Army to submit Manning to a court martial, relating to the massive, classified document dump to Wikileaks, with which he’s been accused. Manning’s defense attorney, David Coombs, has voiced complaint that Almanza works in the Justice department as a civilian. Justice is currently building a case against Wikileaks head Julian Assange, which opens up risk of conflict of interest. If Manning is convicted through a court martial, he could face life imprisonment. source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

12 Jan 2012 14:17

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U.S.: Michigan billionaire ordered to jail over bridge construction battle

  • the crimeThe Detroit International Bridge Co., which signed with Michigan to build additions to the Ambassador Bridge, failed to do so according to the agreed upon design, instead building roads that took drivers past their own fuel station and duty-free shop while leaving trucks to use smaller surface streets.
  • the time A Michigan judge has ruled that Matty Mouron, the 84-year-old billionaire owner of the company, was in contempt of a 2010 court order to complete the project as agreed upon. Which means, Mouron is headed to jail until he complies with the order, and starts up the new bridge work. source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

12 Jan 2012 10:37

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U.S.: Why the heck did the FDA ban orange juice imports, anyway?

  • what Acting upon concerns first noted by the Coca-Cola company, the Food and Drug Administration banned imports of orange juice until further notice, which on its face sounds pretty dramatic.
  • why The beverage maker noted to the FDA their concerns that illegal fungicide might’ve gotten into the supply. High levels are unlikely, but the measure is precautionary. Sorry juice fans. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

11 Jan 2012 15:18

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U.S.: Mississippi ex-Governor Haley Barbour goes on pardon spree on last day in office

  • 208 pardons by Haley Barbour on his last day in office source
  • » The power of the pen: In a move that shocked the Mississippi political system and jumbled up the traditional left-right orthodoxies on law and order, outgoing Governor Haley Barbour used his last day in office to pardon 208 inmates, among them 14 convicted murderers, as well as the older brother of former NFL quarterback Brett Favre. This deluge has both led Democratic lawmakers to push for future restrictions on the gubernatorial right to pardon. To be sure, it’s wrong to decry a particular pardon without knowing all the facts. But waiting until the last day of an eight-year tenure, with no more accountability in sight? That’s always going to cause controversy, and rightly so. Edit: Fixed an error. Sorry about that all :/
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink
 

11 Jan 2012 14:10

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U.S.: Guantanamo Bay has seen a decade as a detainee facility

  • A controversial anniversary: It was ten years ago to the day that the Guantanamo Bay naval base in Cuba was turned into a prison facility, designed to house suspected terrorist detainees indefinitely, pending a process of oft-criticized military tribunals. For the Obama administration, this was an occasion they once hoped (and indeed promised) would not happen; the President’s first full day in office was marked with the signing of an order to close the facility within a year. Three years on, and the failure to fulfill this promise (as well as the absence of any earnest public explanation of it) does beg the question: was this truly a moral issue for the President, or simply a made-to-order, feel-good issue to stoke a liberal base? Check the link for a very thoughtful piece on the anniversary of Gitmo from The Atlantic’s Andrew Cohen. (photo by Paul J. Richards, AFP/Getty Images) source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

10 Jan 2012 15:43

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U.S.: WH press secretary disputes Jodi Kantor’s book on the Obamas

  • This is a remarkably harmonious place.
  • White House Press Secretary Jay Carney, rebutting the new book “The Obamas” • Writer Jodi Kantor’s latest book, “The Obamas,” is all about life inside the White House, with a focus on Michelle Obama’s experiences.  There have been quite a number of critics coming out, claiming that she got a lot wrong. Thanks to BuzzFeed, we learned that (excepting some smaller errors on her part) many of those criticisms haven’t held weight. source
Posted by samimain • 0 Comments • Permalink

10 Jan 2012 14:39

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U.S.: College age booze-bingers average 9 drinks per binge session

  • So says the Center for Disease Control. Their study on binge-drinking, released today, trumpets this very concerning figure, though some vital context is missing; obviously, what type of alcohol is being consumed is going to play a role in just how dangerous this is. There isn’t really a type of alcoholic beverage you can consume nine times over that wouldn’t leave you blindingly or dangerously drunk, however, and as a public health issue this can’t be ignored. (Photo by libraryrachel) source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
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