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Washington (CNN) -- The U.S. Army on Wednesday will report that while the number of suicides in the active-duty force declined in 2010, the number of suicides in the Army Reserve and National Guard increased, a senior Army official said. The increase in Reserve and National Guard suicides is among troops who are in the United States and not activated for duty. The senior Army official said more than half of those troops were never deployed to a war zone. The official said one possible explanation for the increase in suicides is economic pressure and rising unemployment, but he emphasized that the Army simply does not have answers. The official noted that for Guard and Reserve personnel who live as civilians back in their communities, the Army is not able to provide the same type of suicide awareness and prevention programs that are available to active-duty personnel. The decline in active-duty suicides, even though slight, may be initial evidence that those awareness and prevention programs are helping, the official said.

Report on suicides is to be released Wednesday, senior Army official says . Active-duty suicides declined in 2010, but rose among Reserve, National Guard . Increase was among stateside troops, most of whom were never in a war zone . Army doesn't have any answers for the discrepancy, official says .

Washington (CNN) -- The U.S. Senate on Monday opened what is expected to be a lengthy and rancorous debate on a sweeping bill to overhaul the nation's health care system. In statements laced with heated and conflicting rhetoric, Senate Democrats and Republicans outlined opposing positions on the 2,074-page Democratic measure that would provide health insurance to an additional 31 million people at a cost of almost $850 billion. Democrats led by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada framed the debate as historic and said the bill would provide vital health insurance for almost all Americans, hold down spiraling costs that threaten the U.S. economy and instill needed reforms to ensure the long-term solvency of the government-run Medicare health program for senior citizens. "In the greatest country on Earth, no American should die simply because they don't have health insurance," said Sen. Max Baucus of Montana, one of the bill's architects, while Reid said the bill "saves money, saves lives and saves Medicare." Republicans countered that the bill was too big, too expensive and would cause more harm than good. Sen. John McCain of Arizona called it a "sham" and a "2,074-page monstrosity full of measures that would impair the abilities, particularly of our senior citizens, to keep the benefits they've been promised." McCain immediately proposed sending the bill back to committee to remove all provisions intended to bring down the costs of Medicare. He cited proposed cuts to Medicare, including $118 billion in subsidies provided to private insurers for Medicare Advantage -- an enhanced benefits program for senior citizens. "There is no math, old or new, that gets you to no change in the benefits they have under Medicare Advantage and yet cuts $120 billion," McCain said. A vote on McCain's proposal was likely on Tuesday. The House has passed its version of a health care bill, and if the Senate passes its bill, the two measures would be merged by a congressional conference committee. Both chambers then would have to approve the revised bill before it could go to President Obama's desk. On Monday, debate quickly bogged down in Republican procedural objections, causing Reid to lament: "This is not a good way to start this debate." Republican Sen. Mike Enzi of Wyoming challenged a motion by Reid that he said would unfairly cut off the proposal of amendments, including McCain's planned Republican amendment to prevent cuts to Medicare. While Reid's motion failed, Enzi labeled it a stunt. So far, Republicans unanimously oppose the health care bill. The Senate voted 60-39 to launch debate on the measure, overcoming a Republican filibuster through support from every member of the Democratic caucus. Reid also will need 60 votes to eventually close the debate, and his ability to secure that support remains uncertain. The debate will feature amendments intended to delete or change controversial provisions, including creation of a government-run public health insurance option to compete against private insurers, tax increases and provisions intended to prevent federal tax dollars from paying for abortion except in cases of rape, incest or danger to the mother's life. For the most part, battle lines are clearly drawn. Liberal-minded senators such as Bernie Sanders of Vermont, an independent who sits with the Democratic caucus, favor a public option as the best way to force competition on private insurers to bring down costs, while fiscally conservative Democrats such as Nebraska's Ben Nelson are concerned about the cost and scope of a government-run alternative. Nelson has said he would join a Republican filibuster against closing debate on the bill if it retains the current public option provision, which allows states to opt out of a national plan. Another Democratic caucus member, independent Joe Lieberman of Connecticut, says he also will prevent a final vote if the bill contains any form of public option. On the Republican side, none of the 40 senators supports a public option, but one -- moderate Olympia Snowe of Maine -- has discussed a trigger mechanism that would automatically bring a public option if thresholds for expanded coverage and lower costs go unmet. The trigger idea is considered the lone chance

Process quickly gets caught up in procedural objections from GOP . Wyoming senator protests proposal over amendments to bill . Republicans, Democrats continue to square off over Medicare . House has already passed health care bill that differs with Senate bill .

Washington (CNN) -- The U.S. government announced Monday that it has eased the requirements for orphaned children from Haiti to enter the United States on a temporary basis. The move is being made to ensure they get needed care after last week's earthquake in Haiti, said Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, who made the announcement in coordination with the U.S. Department of State. "We are committed to doing everything we can to help reunite families in Haiti during this very difficult time," said Napolitano in a news release. "While we remain focused on family reunification in Haiti, authorizing the use of humanitarian parole for orphans who are eligible for adoption in the United States will allow them to receive the care they need here." Napolitano can grant humanitarian parole into the United States to bring otherwise inadmissible individuals into the country for urgent humanitarian reasons or other emergencies. The State Department said earlier Monday it is working with DHS and the Haitian government to process nearly 300 cases of Americans who are waiting to adopt Haitian children. Of those, 200 cases are being accelerated. Twenty-four of those children, whose cases "were at the very end of the process" before the 7.0 magnitude earthquake that struck Haiti nearly a week ago, have departed Haiti and joined their new families after the embassy expedited processing for immigrant visas, said Michele Bond, deputy assistant secretary for American citizen services. Department officials said Sunday that 150 children had already left Haiti, but corrected that number Monday. Officials are reviewing every case individually to see where they are in the process, what actions have been taken in the case and whether the case can be accelerated, Bond said. The department said it will be announcing an adoption plan with travel specifics shortly. If an American adoption case was early in the process, there is no guarantee of an accelerated adoption, Bond said. Examples of being early in the process would be if prospective parents have not been properly vetted; have not been matched with a specific child; or have been matched with a child but the Haitian government is still attempting to prove absolutely the child is an orphan. The State Department is working with DHS to examine the documents in each case and show some flexibility, but this also requires the agreement of the Haitian government, she said. "It's important to remember that the best interests of the child are at the heart of all this," Bond said. "We want them to be well cared-for." Families with active adoption cases will be contacted by the department, she said. If a family is in the process of adopting from Haiti and wants information, family members can send an e-mail to [email protected]. They will be contacted and told what documents are needed, she said. Prospective families need to know, however, that officials are getting thousands of inquiries. On Sunday, the department received 300 inquiries related to 16 cases, she said. So multiple calls may not be the most efficient way for prospective families to get news about their child. Are you in Haiti and safe? Share your story, photos with CNN iReport Before last Tuesday's quake, Haiti was home to about 380,000 orphans, according to the United Nations Children's Fund. Many of them may be homeless now, since a number of orphanages are reported to have been among the buildings that were destroyed in the earthquake. The family status of many children may not yet be known, so adoption is not the first solution, Bond said. The focus is on getting the children aid and reuniting them with their families, she said. That total is expected to grow once the dead and missing from last Tuesday's disaster have been accounted for. Some children who lost parents in the quake or were separated from parents are being relocated to the Dominican Republic, a child advocacy group said. iReport: Haitians are looking for loved ones About 50 orphaned and abandoned children will arrive in the border town of Jimani on Wednesday, Kids Alive International said. The efforts, coordinated with the governments of both countries, will eventually

U.S. authorizing "humanitarian parole" for eligible orphans, says Department of Homeland chief . 200 adoption cases are being accelerated in wake of last week's quake . Twenty-four kids have departed Haiti and joined new families, official says . Focus in Haiti remains on getting children aid, reuniting them with their families .

Washington (CNN) -- The U.S. government is not fully guarding against the contamination of meat by traces of antibiotics, pesticides or heavy metals, a new report warns. The U.S. Department of Agriculture's inspector general said federal agencies have failed to set limits on many potentially harmful chemical residues, which "has resulted in meat with these substances being distributed in commerce." When it comes to pesticide traces, only one type is tested for, according to the report. There are also no set limits for some heavy metals, like copper. In 2008, Mexican authorities turned away an American shipment of beef, because it did not meet Mexico's limits when tested for copper traces. But the very same rejected meat could be sold in the United States, since no limit has been set, the analysis says. That example shows "the government has fallen down on the job here," said Tony Corbo of the consumer advocacy group Food and Water Watch. "Some of the residues that the inspector general cited could be carcinogenic, as they accumulate over a period of time in the body," he said. The study focused on contamination by chemical residues, rather than bacteria. While bacteria like E. coli and Salmonella can cause an illness that is acute but brief, chemical residues are more like to build up over time, and no amount of cooking will destroy them. The USDA pledged to "swiftly implement the corrective actions" recommended by the inspector, which including testing for more kinds of residue and setting limits on how much of each substance is allowable. A department spokesman pointed out that this kind of fix, which is expected to require coordination with the FDA and the EPA, was one of the main reasons President Obama created a Food Safety Working Group last year. The National Cattlemen's Beef Association said in a statement, "We fully support the critical role of the federal government in ensuring beef safety." "While the U.S. beef supply is extraordinarily safe by any nation's standards," it added, "the beef industry is constantly looking for ways to improve the systems that ensure the safest product possible for our consumers." The study, first reported by USA Today, also says that when cattle test positive for residue, it is difficult to track back where it came from because it often passes through several buyers and sellers. The American Meat Institute said that problem "underscores the need to implement comprehensive livestock traceback procedures," with a national animal identification system. CNN's Brian Todd contributed to this report.

Official: Federal agencies fail to set limits on potentially harmful chemical residues . In U.S., there are no set limits for some heavy metals, like copper, in beef . Study focused on contamination by chemical residues, rather than bacteria .

Washington (CNN) -- The U.S. military is gearing up for a possible influx of Haitians fleeing their earthquake-stricken country at an Army facility not widely known for its humanitarian missions: Guantanamo Bay. Soldiers at the base have set up tents, beds and toilets, awaiting possible orders from the secretary of defense to proceed, according to Maj. Diana Haynie, a spokeswoman for Joint Task Force Guantanamo Bay. "There's no indication of any mass migration from Haiti," Haynie stressed. "We have not been told to conduct migrant operations." But the base is getting ready "as a prudent measure," Haynie said, since "it takes some time to set things up." Guantanamo Bay is about 200 miles from Haiti. Currently, military personnel at the base are helping the earthquake relief effort by shipping bottled water and food from its warehouse. In addition, Gen. Douglas Fraser, commander of U.S. Southern Command, said the Navy has set up a "logistics field," an area to support bigger ships in the region. The military can now use that as a "lily pad" to fly supplies from ships docked at Guantanamo over to Haiti, he said. "Guantanamo Bay proves its value as a strategic hub for the movement of supplies and personnel to the affected areas in Haiti," Haynie said. As part of the precautionary measures to prepare for possible refugees, the Army has erected 100 tents, each holding 10 beds, according to Haynie. Toilet facilities are nearby. If needed, hundreds more tents are stored in Guantanamo Bay and can be erected, she said. The refugees would be put on the leeward side of the island, more than 2 miles from some 200 detainees being held on the other side, Haynie said. The refugees would not mix with the detainees. Joint Task Force Guantanamo Bay is responsible for planning for any kind of Caribbean mass immigration, according to Haynie. In the early 1990s, thousands of Haitian refugees took shelter on the island, she said.

Soldiers at the base have set up tents, beds and toilets . Refugees would be placed more than 2 miles from detainees . No current indication of a "mass migration" from Haiti .

Washington (CNN) -- The United States and Russia say they will be unable to reach a deal on an arms control treaty by the end of the year to replace their existing one, which expired this month. Assistant Secretary of State P.J. Crowley told reporters Tuesday that the U.S. delegation -- led by Assistant Secretary Rose Gottemoeller -- had returned for a recess from the START negotiations in Geneva. Talks are expected to resume in mid-January with new proposals. "The team has gone through an intensive period of negotiations with their Russian counterparts over more than two months," Crowley said. "Our goal remains to conclude a solid treaty for the president's signature as soon as possible." The 1991 Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, commonly known as START, expired on December 5 but the leaders agreed to honor its spirit until a new treaty could be negotiated to replace it. President Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, who met last week in Copenhagen, Denmark, had hoped to sign an agreement by the end of the year. A statement on the Russian Foreign Ministry's Web site said, "Preparation of the new treaty is practically complete" but "a few problems have to be overcome in order to finalize the treaty and submit it to [the] presidents of Russia and the United States. This will be done very soon." "Having resolved most issues discussed in recent months, delegations arrived at corresponding positions," the statement said. "The Russian side would like to emphasize the talks have been constructive and business-like. It reflects partnership and mutual respect which characterize the current stage in the relations between Russia and the United States." Crowley also cited a few "hurdles" to an agreement, including the complexity of the weapons systems, agreement on the numbers of warhead reductions, and verification. But he said the two sides hope to finalize a deal to replace START when they meet next month. "Clearly, over the course of these two months, we have made dramatic progress," he said. "There are still issues that we continue to work through, so there's still more work to be done. But I think we remain confident that, given good faith and the ongoing efforts of both sides, that this will get done."

Talks are expected to resume in mid-January with new proposals . 1991 Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty expired on December 5 . Leaders agreed to honor START until a replacement treaty could be negotiated . U.S. and Russian presidents had hoped a new agreement could be ready this year .

Washington (CNN) -- The United States has committed an additional million dollars to fight child trafficking in Haiti in the wake of last month's earthquake, U.S. officials said Wednesday. Word of the action came as Secretary of State Hillary Clinton chaired the Obama administration's first meeting of the President's Interagency Task Force to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons. Clinton, speaking in the meeting, called trafficking in people "one of the most important human rights issues we deal with." Yearly meetings of the task force were mandated by the Trafficking Victims Protection Act, passed 10 years ago. Before the earthquake, the United States provided $500,000 for programs to protect children in Haiti from trafficking. The additional million is being shifted from other programs, officials said. In a briefing at the State Department, Ambassador Louis CdeBaca of the department's Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons told reporters that traffickers take advantage of vulnerabilities resulting from race, class, migratory status and displacement from natural disasters. On Haiti, he said, "we are hearing anecdotal evidence from UNICEF" about trafficking of children but there are no firm figures on it. "We are hearing about men coming into the camps offering food and water to girls to come with them in trucks," he said, adding that "we don't have hard evidence" on this. Before the earthquake, he said, there were 300,000 "restaveks," children given up by their families for domestic servitude, in Haiti. Another 3,000 were estimated to have been taken to the Dominican Republic. He added that according to estimates by the International Labour Organization, 12.3 million people worldwide are "laboring in bondage." Other estimates, he said, put that number at 27 million, although there is no independent confirmation. More than half of them, as much as 60 percent, are females, he said. Nine million to 10 million are forced laborers, and 2 million to 3 million are in sexual slavery, he added.

Before the earthquake, the U.S. provided $500,000 for to protect Haitian children from trafficking . UNICEF has anecdotal evidence about the trafficking of Haitian children . The International Labour Organization reports 12.3 million people are 'laboring in bondage'

Washington (CNN) -- The United States will be looking for nations around the world to get tougher on Iran in the wake of the alleged plot to assassinate the Saudi ambassador to the United States, a senior State Department official said Tuesday. The official said that although Iran is under multiple sanctions, many countries are not enforcing the restrictions, and sometimes if they have problems with Iran, they don't speak out publicly. The official said the United States is going to be looking for countries to enforce existing sanctions, implement new ones and cut ties with the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, to basically match what the United States has already done. To make the case, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and other senior officials in the department are going to be placing calls to leaders and foreign ministers, U.N. Security Council members and others with influence on Iran, the official said. The official said the United States is looking for what Clinton calls a "chorus of international condemnation" of Iran. A senior administration official, asked if there will be sanctions on more individuals related to this particular plot, responded, "We've done what we think is the network here." Asked what actions the United States would take next, the official said, "We are continuing to look for additional ways to apply financial sanctions on Iran. We are very much in the business of increasing pressure on Iran through sanctions so Iran understands they have a clear choice to be made between coming to the table seriously (and) meaningfully, and facing further isolation and sanction. "We're continuing on that course." Meanwhile, Deputy Secretary of State Bill Burns plans brief the diplomatic corps Wednesday at the State Department on the alleged Iran plot, a second senior department official said Tuesday. The official described it as an "informational briefing" and said that Burns will explain the details of how it went down, how the Obama administration handled it and the need to hold Iran accountable. A third senior State Department official told CNN that the briefing will also try to allay any concerns that were raised in diplomats by word of an assassination plot against an ambassador in Washington. The official said the State Department Bureau of Diplomatic Security is working with the Secret Service and "taking all appropriate measures" to protect foreign diplomats and diplomatic facilities. Saudi Ambassador Adel Al-Jubeir has always had his own State Department Diplomatic Security detail, as have previous Saudi ambassadors.

The U.S. will be looking for countries to do more on Iranian sanctions, a top official says . Secretary of State Clinton and others will be making calls, the senior State official says . The diplomatic corps is to be briefed, another senior State Department official says .

Washington (CNN) -- The White House on Friday began releasing the names of visitors as part of a Barack Obama campaign promise to run a more transparent administration. Last month, Norm Eisen, special counsel to the president for ethics and government reform, said records of White House visitors would be made available to the public on an ongoing basis beginning in December. "We will achieve our goal of making this administration the most open and transparent administration in history not only by opening the doors of the White House to more Americans, but by shining a light on the business conducted inside it," he said. "Americans have a right to know whose voices are being heard in the policymaking process." As part of that initiative, he offered to look back at records from before the announcement. Eisen said Friday that 110 disclosure requests from September have been processed, yielding nearly 500 visitor records that have been posted on the White House Web site. Since the release covers only those records that are at least 90 days old, the first records cover January 20 to July 31. "This first release is only the latest in a series of unprecedented steps by the president to increase openness in government," Eisen said. Given that up to 100,000 people visit the White House each month, the names published Friday included people with some very familiar names -- including William Ayers, Michael Jordan, Michael Moore, Jeremiah Wright and R. Kelly -- that did not belong to their more famous counterparts, he said. "The well-known individuals with those names never actually came to the White House," Eisen said. The names can be seen at www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/disclosures/visitor-records

During his campaign, Barack Obama promised to run a more transparent administration . Records of visitors will be available on an ongoing basis beginning in December . Up to 100,000 people visit the White House each month .

Washington (CNN) -- The acting head of the Transportation Security Administration gingerly answered questions Thursday about whether new full-body imaging machines will detect concealed explosives like that allegedly placed in the underwear of the Christmas Day bomber. The deployment of 150 of those machines in front-line use at 11 U.S. airports is to be announced Friday by Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, TSA officials say. "Would this machine have detected a bomb on that person?" Rep. Hal Rogers, R-Kentucky, asked Gale Rossides, the agency's acting administrator. "Without going into the specifics of that because of the ongoing criminal investigation, I can tell you that the experience we've had both in the labs and in our [field tests], our officers are identifying objects on the body that are comparable to what that threat was," Rossides said. "Every time?" Rogers asked. "Our officers are doing a very good job," Rossides answered. "Every time?" Rogers pressed. "I'd have to get back to you, but you know we have very, very good measures in place for evaluating our officers," she said. After several unrelated questions, Rogers asked one more question about the machine's capabilities. "Is this machine the end-all?" he asked. "This machine gives us an increased detection capability that is significantly greater than what we have at the checkpoint today," she said, adding that her agency is "driving the manufacturers" to improve the technology. Rossides testified that the full-body imagers -- which see through clothes, producing a ghostly image of a traveler's body -- will not reveal objects hidden in body cavities. But she said imagers are better at detecting concealed items than a pat down. "Today, we do not do a full-body pat down that goes into the sensitive parts of the body where that [Christmas Day bomb] was secreted," Rossides said. On Friday, Napolitano will announce the first deployment of whole-body imagers as a standard part of checkpoint equipment. Though 40 machines have been deployed at 19 airports nationwide in field tests, Friday's announcement will mark the official beginning of the program, TSA officials said. The new machines will be deployed this weekend in Boston, Massachusetts, and Chicago, Illinois, the agency said Wednesday. It will reveal the remaining airports Friday. The 150 new machines were purchased last fall with federal stimulus money. The agency hopes to deploy nearly 500 units by the end of the year. Under existing protocols, full-body scans are optional at airport checkpoints. Travelers who decline the scans are funneled to a location where they may be given a pat-down and subjected to other tests, such as swabs that can detect minute traces of explosives on hands or luggage. The TSA said most passengers prefer a body scan to a pat-down. But others have objected to the body scans, calling them electronic strip searches. Rossides testified that the machines will not significantly slow the passenger screening process, saying it will be done at the same time as the carry-on baggage screening. The agency has spent years testing whole body imagers. Plans to deploy them this year were given added urgency after the arrest of a Nigerian man, Umar Farouk AbdulMutallab, who was accused of attempted to detonate an explosive sewn into his underwear aboard a flight December 25.

Homeland security chief to announce deployment of 150 machines . Acting TSA head questioned about their ability to detect concealed explosives . Agency hopes to deploy 500 such imagers by end of year .

Washington (CNN) -- The aging veterans gingerly walk from the plane in the nation's capital. Some get pushed in wheelchairs. A brass band strikes up World War II era tunes. Strangers rise to their feet and clap their hands. "Why are they doing this?" says Frank Bales, 86, a co-pilot on a B-24 during World War II. "I feel as humbled as a mouse." Walter Victor was overwhelmed as he made his way through the crowd. "The chills came over me. Very seldom do you see something like that," says the 92-year-old army veteran. These World War II veterans have traveled here to visit the National World War II Memorial, which honors the 16 million U.S. armed forces who served and the more than 400,000 who died in battle. The vets made the trip thanks to a former employee at the Department of Veterans Affairs. A physician's assistant at the VA in Springfield, Ohio, Earl Morse was struck by the WWII vets he treated and how few made the journey to see the memorial that honors them. "They dedicated the WWII memorial in May of 2004, 60 years after the war had ended. That was a cause of celebration in my clinic. All of the veterans wanted to see it but they were in poor health or didn't have the means to visit it." "Reality set in," Morse says, "they were never going to see their memorial." Morse was determined to change that, because he so admired the quiet grit and heroism of the unassuming men he treated every day. He took his cause to a local air club. "I stood before 150 pilots and told them I was going to start flying WWII veterans to Washington. I said if you want to help me, the WWII veteran doesn't pay a penny. You'll have to rent an airplane and cover all the travel costs." "Honor Flight" took to the skies in May of 2005. Six planes flew 12 veterans. The next month, eight planes flew 16 veterans. Today, it operates like a volunteer airline, with 86 hubs in 33 states. Instead of renting small planes, they charter Boeing jets, thanks to donations that keep the planes in the sky. So far, more than 30,000 veterans have experienced a visit to the memorial, courtesy of Honor Flight. "Witnessing their emotions is what fuels our cause. When you see WWII veterans break down in tears because they had no idea how much this nation reveres, cherishes and loves them for what they've done, it really overwhelms them," Morse says. In the days and weeks before each Honor Flight, an army of ground volunteers coordinates every detail of each trip -- from the buses that pick them up to the meals they eat. Shortly after Bales and his group arrived in Washington this day, they were taken by bus to the memorial. Many said they were stunned by its size and scope. Inscriptions carved in granite recognize specific battles that were fought in Europe and across the Pacific. A wall of stars marks the high price of freedom. They paused to remember the 448,000 who died in the war -- and their fellow survivors who didn't live to see this moment. "Each of those stars represents 100 men and women who died in WWII, and I realized that my division has almost 39 stars on that wall," said Tom Rone, 85, who stormed the bullet-ridden beaches on Guadalcanal as a platoon sergeant with the Marines. Morse says the trip often provides closure for the vets who visit. Many veterans open up at the memorial and speak in detail for the first time about what they went through. "I've had exchanges with veterans that are jaw dropping," Morse says. "You can't fathom what it's like to have experienced what they went through fighting for their lives." The same "Honor Flight" that transported the veterans to Washington returns them back home, landing just 12 hours after it took off. The elderly warriors seem

Program called Honor Flight takes WWII vets to see memorial in Washington . Honor Flight has taken 30,000 vets to D.C. since it began in 2005 . "I've had exchanges with veterans that are jaw dropping," founder says . WW II vet on the trip: "I feel as humbled as a mouse"

Washington (CNN) -- The chairman of the Republican Party and a leading GOP senator called on Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid to give up his post Sunday, following the publication of remarks he made about President Obama's race in 2008. A new book quotes Reid, D-Nevada, as saying privately in 2008 that Obama could be successful as a black candidate in part because of his "light-skinned" appearance and speaking patterns "with no Negro dialect, unless he wanted to have one." The remarks were "embarrassing and racially insensitive," said Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, head of the GOP's Senate campaign arm, in a statement to CNN. GOP Chairman Michael Steele, on NBC's "Meet the Press," said: "Racism and racist conversations have no place today in America." Steele also was on the defensive for a remark he made last week that members of both parties have called a racial slur. In an interview with Fox News, Steele used the phrase "honest injun." The Congressional Black Caucus has accepted Reid's apology and is dismissing calls for him to step down as majority leader. Rep. Barbara Lee, chairwoman of the caucus, issued the following statement: "I have had an opportunity to speak with Senator Reid and he apologized for his unfortunate remarks concerning the president, and he understands the gravity of such remarks. There are too many issues like the economy, job creation and energy for these regrettable comments to distract us from the work that must be done on behalf of the American people." Democrats also rejected the calls for Reid's dismissal. Gov. Tim Kaine of Virginia, chairman of the Democratic Party, said "the case is closed" following Reid's round of apologies. Douglas Wilder of Virginia, who 20 years ago became the nation's first elected African-American governor, also rejected calls for Reid's ouster. "I think that what Reid was giving was a personal opinion, which wasn't affecting the laws or the operation of the dispensation of justice in our country," Wilder told CNN's "State of the Union." But he said he believes the incident "illustrates the need for more open discussion about race." Reid's office made clear he has no plans to step down. Democrats rejected the calls for Reid's dismissal, and Reid's office made clear he has no plans to step down. "Sen. Reid will stay in his position as majority leader and will run for re-election," his spokesman said. "As the leader in the fight to pass the Voting Rights Act and legislation banning hate crimes, Sen. Reid has a long record of addressing issues that are important to the African-American community. His Republican critics who are looking to politicize the issue can't say the same." Reid's controversial quote is in the book "Game Change," due in stores Monday. The authors write that "Reid was convinced, in fact, that Obama's race would help him more than hurt him in a bid for the Democratic nomination." In a statement to CNN, Reid said, "I deeply regret using such a poor choice of words." "I sincerely apologize for offending any and all Americans, especially African-Americans for my improper comments. I was a proud and enthusiastic supporter of Barack Obama during the campaign and have worked as hard as I can to advance President Obama's legislative agenda," Reid said. In his defense, he pointed to his efforts to integrate the Las Vegas strip and the gaming industry, among other legislation favored by African-American voters. "I have worked hard to advance issues important to the African-American community," he said. And the senate leader called Obama on Saturday afternoon to apologize for the remarks. In a statement issued after the call, Obama said, "As far as I am concerned, the book is closed." "Harry Reid called me today and apologized for an unfortunate comment reported today," the president said. "

NEW: Congressional Black Caucus rejects calls for Reid to step down . Michael Steele calls for Reid to step down, accuses Dems of "double standard" GOP chair says Senate majority leader's language "harkens back to the 1950s and '60s" New book quotes Reid discussing "light-skinned" Obama's lack of "Negro dialect"

Washington (CNN) -- The chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee plans to unleash a withering attack Wednesday on private contractors working for the company formerly known as Blackwater in Afghanistan, accusing them of flouting regulations and endangering the U.S. mission. Key to beating the Taliban in Afghanistan will be the ability of U.S. forces to win support from the Afghan people, many of whom do not distinguish between U.S. contractors and the U.S. military, Sen. Carl Levin will say, according to an advance text of his remarks. "If we are going to win that struggle, we need to know that our contractor personnel are adequately screened, supervised and held accountable -- because in the end, the Afghan people will hold us responsible for their actions," the Michigan Democrat will say. "If we don't fix the problems of oversight and make sure contractors like Blackwater play by the rules and live up to their commitments -- we'll be doing a disservice to our troops by making their already difficult and dangerous job even more so." See agenda of 9:30 a.m. Wednesday hearing Though more than 100,000 contractors operate for a variety of contractors in Afghanistan, Levin singled out Paravant, a company that had "no meaningful distinction" from the company formerly known as Blackwater, which is currently known as Xe Services, he said in the advance text. Shooting at Camp Darulaman Levin cited a December 9, 2008, shooting at the U.S. military's range at Camp Darulaman during which a Paravant program manager carrying an AK-47 got on the back of a moving car, then shot and wounded a Paravant trainer on his team when the car hit a bump, Levin said. Though the program manager lost his job, the others on his team who allowed his activities did not, he said. Combined Security Transition Command - Afghanistan, a multinational military formation that trains the Afghan National Army, did not appear to have investigated the incident, he said. Had it done so, the U.S. Army "would have seen that Paravant personnel were using weapons improperly and unsafely, with inadequate supervision, and that they were carrying weapons that they weren't even supposed to have," according to Levin. Two civilians killed He also cited a widely reported May 5, 2009, incident in which two Paravant personnel fired their weapons, killing two Afghan civilians and wounding a third. The two men have been charged with murder in the shootings. An Army investigation appeared to find that the contract personnel had "violated alcohol consumption policies, were not authorized to possess weapons, violated use-of-force rules and violated movement-control policies," said Levin, who cited as his source the man who then led the Combined Security Transition Command -Afghanistan. Paravant's contract required it to "ensure that its personnel ... behave at all times in accordance with the highest professional and ethical standards," Levin said. Records for the two men responsible for the May 5 shooting show the company failed to properly vet them, Levin said. One man's military record "apparently included assault, insubordinate conduct, absence without leave, failure to obey order or regulation, larceny and wrongful appropriation," he said. And his criminal record showed convictions for reckless driving, disturbing the peace, assault and battery, driving while intoxicated, resisting arrest and trespassing. The other man was cited in a news report for having been discharged from the U.S. military after being absent without leave for 22 days and testing positive for cocaine, Levin said. Other Paravant personnel were fired for alcohol use and drug use, he said. Company looks forward to testifying In a written statement, a spokesman for Xe Services said the company is looking forward to testifying Wednesday. "Xe's new management was taking steps to address shortcomings in the Paravant program when the tragic May 5 incident occurred," said Mark Corallo of Corallo Comstock Communications. "One of those shortcomings discovered was that the former management of Paravant had provided weapons to personnel for personal protection without first obtaining the proper authorization from DoD. "Though Raytheon, the prime contractor, and the DoD customer were both

Sen. Carl Levin, D-Michigan, is the chairman of the Armed Services Committee . In prepared text, he sharply criticizes private contractors that worked for Blackwater . Levin cites two shooting incidents and lax control over weapons . He says contractors play key role in perception of U.S. military by Afghan people .

Washington (CNN) -- The cost of the Pentagon's newest fighter jet will be more than double the original price, solidifying the F-35 joint strike fighter as the most expensive Pentagon weapons program ever. At a Capitol Hill hearing on Thursday, the Pentagon's chief weapons buyers said numerous problems over the almost 10-year program have forced the cost of the aircraft to go from $50 million a jet in 2001 to about $113 million. That cost overrun has also forced the Pentagon to justify the program to Congress. Outrage about the cost among the Senate panel was expected, including that from the chairman of the Armed Service Committee, Sen. Carl Levin, D-Michigan. "This committee has been a strong supporter of the JSF program from the beginning, however, people should not conclude that we're going to be willing to continue that strong support without regard to increased costs coming from poor program management," Levin said. Sen. John McCain, R-Arizona, the ranking member, had been pushing for a hearing on the program. "The taxpayers are a little tired of this, and I can't say that I can blame them," McCain said. "It's a bit frustrating to hear the secretary of defense as short a time ago as last August to tell us that everything is OK," McCain said. McCain was referring to a visit to the joint strike fighter assembly plant last year where Secretary of Defense Robert Gates said most of the high risk elements associated with JSF's developmental program were largely in the past, according to McCain. The Pentagon wants to buy more than 2,400 of the technologically advanced aircraft. The F-35 program has had numerous technical problems, delays and slow productivity over the years, including an entire program restructuring in an attempt to reduce the skyrocketing cost. Undersecretary of Defense for Acquisition Ashton Carter told the Senate panel that the program has fallen short on performance in the past few years. "That is unacceptable," he said. Despite that, the fighter jet program still enjoys strong support from service chiefs and congressional members because it touches numerous states. The F-35 program cost overrun triggered the Nunn-McCurdy law, which requires the Pentagon to tell Congress of significant cost increases. The law forces the Pentagon to justify continuing with the program. The Pentagon's director of cost assessment and program evaluation, Christine Fox, told the senators she expects the Pentagon will officially notify Congress under the Nunn-McCurdy regulation by April 1. The plane was designed to be the next generation fighter for the military and would have three variants. The Navy would have one for its carrier fleet, the Marines would use it to replace their aging Harrier jump jet fleet and the Air Force would use it as the service phases out the F-16 and F-15 fighter jets. The planes are being built by Lockheed Martin, and the program also has international partners who have been building parts for the aircraft. More than 700 of them would be sold to those partner countries, including the United Kingdom, Italy, the Netherlands, Turkey, Canada, Denmark, Norway and Australia. The fighter is the largest weapons program ever and Gates has been counting on it, as there are no immediate alternative programs to the F-35. Even with the delays and cost overruns, the first planes are expected to be put into service as early as 2012 for the Marine Corps. But the Air Force and Navy are expecting their first aircraft to be delivered by 2016, a two year delay for the Navy and a three year delay for the Air Force, according to Pentagon officials. Even as the program tries to field an aircraft in less than two years, a Government Accountability Office (GAO) official testified at the hearing that there are still no final costs associated with the program through its projected life ending in 2034. "To date, the department does not have a full, comprehensive cost estimate for completing the program," said Michael Sullivan, director of the acquisition and sourcing management team for the GAO.

The cost of the F-35 aircraft has gone from $50 million a jet in 2001 to about $113 million . F-35 joint strike fighter is most expensive Pentagon weapons program ever . Pentagon wants to buy more than 2,400 of the technologically advanced aircraft . Even with delays, cost overruns, first planes expected in service as early as 2012 .

Washington (CNN) -- The efforts by leaders of Turkey and Brazil to broker a nuclear deal with Iran reflects growing dissatisfaction with the traditional world order in which the United States is the only superpower, which they view as outdated and unjust. And their intervention on the Iran issue reflects a growing perception among many countries that the United States is unable to resolve international conflicts alone. The visit this week to Tehran by Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva was a rare show of personal, high-stakes diplomacy by a pair of world leaders. Turkey and Brazil hailed the agreement they reached for Iran to ship some of its nuclear fuel out of the country as a major step toward resolving Iran's years-old standoff with the West. But it was promptly pooh-poohed by the United States, which, a day after the deal was announced, introduced a sanctions resolution to the United Nations Security Council in what was perceived widely in Ankara and Brasilia as an American snub of two close allies. The Obama administration never really supported Turkey and Brazil's diplomatic efforts. While U.S. officials were prepared to be pleasantly surprised if Lula and Erdogan were able to produce a deal that addressed all their concerns about Iran's nuclear program, they didn't think that it would happen and were concerned the deal would complicate efforts to pass the U.N. resolution. For Lula and Erdogan, however, the introduction of the resolution handicaps their efforts to get Iran to cooperate. Brazil and Turkey, both emerging democracies, have been eagerly flexing their muscles on the international stage for some time. Some of their reasons for pursuing a more active global diplomatic role are similar, others are quite different. Ankara's interest in trying to mediate the standoff with Iran is primarily regional, driven by the desire to avoid a conflict on its border. Iran is also a large trading partner with whom Turkey has lucrative oil and gas deals. Iran isn't the first issue Turkey has tried to mediate between countries in its neighborhood. In 2008 Turkey led indirect talks between Israel and Syria, although there was no breakthrough. For years Turkey has sought to position itself as a bridge between East and West. Even as it plays an important role in NATO and seeks to join the European Union, Turkey has clung to its Muslim identity. This week Ankara announced its bid to host the summit meeting of leaders of the Organization of the Islamic Conference in 2014. Turkey argues it is uniquely poised to coax the Iranian regime into cooperating with the international community. Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu recently told a group of reporters in Washington that no country understands the Iranian mindset and culture like Turkey. In addition to sharing a border, he noted the two countries share a long history and that many Iranians speak Turkish, including Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Lula, who leaves office at the end of the year, also saw himself as the one leader who could broker a deal between Iran and the West. But his interest is largely for that of his stature and his country's. As one of the world's big emerging economies, Brazil and the other BRIC countries -- Brazil, Russia, India and China -- account for about half of the global growth and represent 40 percent of the world's population. Lula has artfully parlayed his country's newfound economic influence into a role for Brazil as a growing world power Hugely popular at home and abroad, Lula was hailed by newspapers around the world as a talented diplomat when the Iran deal was announced. But privately U.S. officials complain that Lula is trying to play statesman at the expense of their own diplomatic efforts. "For him it's a brass ring," one senior U.S. official said. "Iran just happens to be convenient." It may be a little of both. Lula has spent much of his seven-year term advocating for a greater international role for Brazil, including a permanent seat at the United Nations, which he argues is dominated by a handful of nations. He has positioned himself as a leader of Latin America's growing leftist movement and

Intervention from Turkey, Brazil reflects dissatisfaction with U.S. leadership, Labott says . Brazil, Turkey tout nuclear agreement reached with Iran . The next day, U.S. introduced sanctions resolution to U.N. Security Council . For Lula and Erdogan, resolution handicaps their efforts to work with Iran, Labott says .

Washington (CNN) -- The failure of General Electric engines on four jet aircraft overseas during the past two years has prompted the National Transportation Safety Board to issue an "urgent" recommendation to increase inspections of the engines on U.S. aircraft. None of the incidents resulted in crashes, injuries or fatalities. But in all four cases, engine parts penetrated the engine housing. Such "uncontained engine failures" are particularly dangerous because flying engine parts could puncture fuel or hydraulic lines, damage flight surfaces or even penetrate the fuselage and injure passengers. At issue are General Electric CF6-45/50 series jet engines, older engines found on a small number of jets. FAA officials said 373 of the engines are in service in the United States, on a fewer, but unknown, number of planes. The engines are used on some Airbus A300s, Boeing 747s, DC-10s, MD-10s and U.S. Air Force KC-10s. A GE spokeswoman said most of the engines are used on cargo planes. On four occasions, the NTSB said, a rotor imbalance caused rotor disks to fail, leading to the uncontained engine failures. FAA spokeswoman Laura Brown said the FAA is aware of the problem and issued a rule in March requiring inspections of the engines within 50 flights, and repeat inspections every 175 flights thereafter. It also is working on a rule that would add testing of the rotor disks for cracks. But on Thursday, the NTSB issued its urgent recommendation, saying the FAA should require inspections every 15 flights until the disks can be replaced with improved parts. The FAA said the action "will maintain the safety of the fleet," and that it will decide whether to alter the inspection schedule after completing examinations of the engines involved in the recent incidents. GE spokeswoman Deborah Case said GE issued a service bulletin last August advising operators to inspect and monitor the engines. The NTSB recommendation follows these four incidents: -- July 4, 2008: A Saudi Arabian Airlines (Saudia) Boeing 747-300 experienced an engine failure after takeoff from Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. -- March 26, 2009: An Arrow Cargo McDonnell Douglas DC-10F, about 30 minutes after takeoff from Manaus, Brazil, experienced loss of oil pressure in one engine. The pilots shut down the engine and diverted to Medellin, Colombia. -- December 17, 2009: A Jett8 Airlines Cargo Boeing 747-200F was passing through 7,000 feet when the crew members heard a muffled explosion. With one engine losing oil pressure, the airplane returned to land at Changi, Singapore. -- April 10, 2010: An ACT Cargo Airbus A300B4 experienced an engine failure while accelerating for takeoff at Manama, Bahrain. The crew declared an emergency, aborted the takeoff, activated the fire-suppression system, and evacuated the airplane. The NTSB is participating in or leading investigations of the four incidents.

Engines on four jet aircraft overseas failed during the past two years . NTSB issues an "urgent" recommendation to increase inspections of the engines on U.S. aircraft . At issue are General Electric CF6-45/50 series jet engines, found on a small number of jets . A GE spokeswoman says most of the engines are used on cargo planes .

Washington (CNN) -- The father's first comment, when he heard I was in his city to talk about a book I'd written about kids, mental health issues and medication, came loudly and fast: "When my daughter was 10, my ex-wife and a psychiatrist called to try to get my permission to put her on Prozac. I refused," he said proudly. "I wasn't going to let them drug my kid." We spent quite a few hours together. By nighttime, as he drove me back from the last event, his mood was altered, his tone notably more somber. It had been a day of impassioned testimonials from parents of children with mental health issues, and even from one teenager, who called in to a radio show to describe how taking medication for his attention deficit hyperactivity disorder had helped him "level the playing field" with other kids and made it possible for him to attend college. "I don't know if we did the right thing by her," the dad said at last, thinking of his daughter as he looked out at the dark road ahead. His daughter's life had never really come together. She had dropped out of college; her future was unclear. She presented a happy face to her dad, but deep down, he felt, the truth of her life wasn't so sunny. "I don't know how to read her," he said. "I really don't know what to do." We all know what the prevailing opinion is these days on children's mental health in America: Kids with nothing truly wrong with them are being over-diagnosed and overmedicated by doctors, parents and schools, who are colluding to make them better behaved, more high-performing and more tractable to our society's unnaturally high demands. This opinion used to be mine. It was the basic line of my argument at the beginning of my research, when the only information-gathering I'd done on the topic consisted of reading and compiling the already-recycled reporting of others. But soon, the facts got in the way. Surveys and statistics showed that the story of over-diagnosis and overmedication was wrong; 5 percent of children in America take psychotropic medication, while 5 to 20 percent are estimated to have mental health issues. The vast majority of those in need of help never get any care at all. The facts are incontrovertible: Kids' mental health issues are real, they're serious, and they often cause profound suffering. And they're not new. Listening to parents gave me a very concrete answer to the question so many skeptics ask as to where all the kids with "issues" were a generation ago. We existed, many of the parents of kids who now are getting diagnosed told me. And no one noticed that we were suffering. And, they said, they weren't going to let the same not-noticing, or the same labeling with words like "lazy" or "stupid" or "bad," happen to their kids today. Interviews with about 100 parents and doctors showed that rather than rushing to pathologize and medicate their kids, parents did all they could to avoid "labeling" their children and put off using medication -- if they used it at all -- until they really were desperate. What these interviews showed above all is that for parents and children (and grown children) dealing with mental health issues, life is complicated, unsure and filled with unanswered questions that can't be addressed by gross generalizations about the "medicated child" in our time. It's very hard to get at any of that complexity -- and humanity -- when we typically talk about children's mental health in the media. Journalism generally doesn't lend itself to complicated messages; we need eye-grabbing headlines and strong voices spouting easy-to-summarize arguments, opinions which, in the strangely evolving media world of today, have come to have far greater currency than fact. In another city, a mother told me that she'd never attended college. She

Judith Warner says common view is modern parents over-medicate kids for mental health . But her research showed that most parents avoid meds, are sensitive to kids' suffering . Kids' mental health issues not new; now better diagnosed, so seem newly prevalent, she says . Warner: Real-life stories reflect parents' struggling to do right by kids, not just "normalize" them .

Washington (CNN) -- The head of the U.S. Department of Energy's Loan Program Office has resigned amid a fiscal firestorm over the bankruptcy of a company that received a $535 million federal loan, DOE Secretary Steven Chu said. The loan program's executive director, Jonathan Silver, was planning to leave his post and return to the private sector this fall, Chu said in a written statement. Silver informed Chu of his intentions in July, "shortly after the fiscal year 2011 budget was completed by Congress and it became clear that no significant new funds were included for the loan program," the energy secretary said. However, two House Republicans looking into the bankruptcy of the solar energy company Solyndra linked the resignation to the loan. Approved in May 2010, the loan allowed the company to build a factory in Fremont, California, to produce state-of-the-art solar panels. The company filed for bankruptcy in August, laying off 1,100 workers. Silver testified last month before a House subcommittee about the DOE's handling of the loan, which has been at the center of a fierce political debate over the amount of government subsidies issued to new businesses. On Thursday, Republican Reps. Fred Upton of Michigan and Cliff Stearns of Florida said Silver's decision "does not solve the problem." "American taxpayers are already on the hook for the half-billion-dollar Solyndra bust -- what other shoes does this administration expect to drop?" the representatives said in a joint statement that went on to criticize President Barack Obama's handling of the issue. Upton is chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee. Stearns heads up the Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee, which conducted the September hearings in which Silver testified. Self-described as the "The Financing Force Behind a Clean Energy Economy," the program "is currently supporting 28 projects with a total loan amount of $16 billion," Chu said in the written statement. CNN has confirmed that Silver will serve as a fellow at Third Way, a centrist think tank in Washington that focuses on the economy, energy, national security and domestic policy. CNN's Kevin Bohn, Diana Ozemebhoya and Ashley Killough contributed to this report.

Jonathan Silver was head of Energy Dept.'s Loan Program Office . DOE Secretary Steven Chu: He has resigned to take a position in the private sector . Republicans say resignation "does not solve the problem" Chu: Loan program supporting "28 projects with a total loan amount of $16 billion"

Washington (CNN) -- The insistence that former Sen. John Edwards serve some jail time over allegations he broke campaign finance laws caused a collapse in plea negotiations between lawyers for the former presidential candidate and the Justice Department last week. Edwards wanted to have as "minimal" impact on his two younger kids as possible, a source with knowledge of the talks confirmed to CNN Sunday. Edwards has a 10-year-old son and a 12-year-old daughter. The Raleigh News and Observer, which first reported the story, said the Justice Department was insisting that Edwards serve six months in jail if he pleaded guilty. After initially saying Edwards had to agree to plead guilty to a felony in earlier discussions, CNN is told prosecutors last week offered for him instead to plead guilty to some misdemeanors. But the jail time was the breaking point. "He did not want to have an extended period of time away from his kids," said the source, who would not speak on the record because the details of the plea discussions have not been made public. After the breakdown in negotiations, a grand jury indicted Edwards, a former Democratic vice presidential nominee, on six felony counts. In court on Friday, Edwards pleaded not guilty. "I will regret for the rest of my life the pain and the harm that I've caused to others. But I did not break the law. And I never, ever thought I was breaking the law," he told reporters outside the federal courthouse in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. The News and Observer also reported that Edwards' lawyers were not confident they would be allowed to urge a judge to consider alternatives for incarceration such as a halfway house, weekend passes or home arrest in order to give him more time with his children. After the death of his wife, Elizabeth, Edwards is the primary caregiver for the two younger children.

John Edwards insisted on "minimal" impact on his youngest kids, source says . Justice Department wanted six months' jail time, newspaper reports . Ex-candidate indicted on charges of breaking campaign finance laws .

Washington (CNN) -- The pilots of Northwest Flight 188 did not fall asleep when they overflew their destination by more than 100 miles in October, the National Transportation Safety Board said Thursday in a detailed report on the wayward flight. The two pilots "became distracted by a conversation" about the airline's new work schedule system and by laptop computers they were using in violation of company policy and did not communicate with air traffic control for about 1 hour and 17 minutes while they cruised past their Minneapolis, Minnesota, destination at 37,000 feet, the NTSB said. The safety board also faulted the Federal Aviation Administration for air traffic control shortcomings. The NTSB report gives the most complete official account to date of the errant flight, which prompted the FAA to revoke both pilots' licenses, prompted the airline to suspend them from flying and prompted the FAA to adopt new procedures to notify the U.S. military in cases where the FAA loses contact with commercial aircraft. According to the account, the flight from San Diego, California, was routine until the plane was in the Denver, Colorado, region. There, air traffic controllers directed the crew of the Airbus A-320 to change their radio frequency. The co-pilot, or first officer, acknowledged the frequency change and read back the correct frequency. However, neither the captain nor the first officer contacted controllers on the new frequency until about 1 hour and 17 minutes later, when Winnipeg, Manitoba, controllers directed the crew to contact Minneapolis. The NTSB said that because of the proximity of the Winnipeg frequency to the last frequency acknowledged by the pilots (Winnipeg is 132.125 megahertz, while the last frequency used was 132.17) it is "likely the first officer began to dial in the new frequency but never completed the frequency change by pushing an activation button. Nor did the first officer attempt to contact the next controller." The NTSB said the frequency change likely occurred while the captain was taking a restroom break and while a flight attendant was serving dinner. "These events may have distracted the first officer from completing the frequency change or attempting to contact the next ATC controller," the NTSB said. Further, the captain's absence would have prevented him from checking the co-pilot's actions. When the captain returned, the pilots became involved in a conversation over new scheduling procedures, and the first officer tutored the captain using their computers, the NTSB said. "The pilots allowed this conversation to monopolize their attention," the board said. "Both pilots state that they heard radio chatter but did not hear a radio call for NWA188." The laptop computers they used likely blocked their view of numerous visual alerts, including text messages sent by airline dispatchers and at least nine messages regarding their position on the airplane's primary flight display, the NTSB said. Northwest Airlines policy prohibited the use of the laptops, the NTSB said. Both pilots told the NTSB the first indication of anything unusual was when a flight attendant called to ask about their arrival time. The captain "looked at his navigation display and saw Duluth [Minnesota] to his left and Eau Claire [Wisconsin] to his right," the board said. The NTSB said it could not determine why the pilots did not respond to numerous radio calls, but said it could be because the volume was turned down, the pilots were distracted or the plane was outside the coverage for the 121.5 megahertz transmitters. The NTSB faulted the FAA for not catching the pilots' errors earlier, saying the plane entered two Denver sectors uneventfully, but radio contact was not established in the next two sectors, where controllers were preparing for a shift change. "Neither sector controller's relief briefing included information that communication had not been established" with the plane, the NTSB said. The NTSB said the FAA had no standard procedures to indicate that an aircraft had not made radio contact when electronic radar handoffs of planes occurred from one sector to the next. "Because of this lack of standardization, NWA188 passed through two Denver ATC sectors without the controllers being aware that it had not made radio contact,"

First officer didn't completely load radio frequency, NTSB says . He and pilot then were distracted by discussion, personal computers, NTSB says . NTSB also blames air traffic controllers for not realizing problem earlier .

Washington (CNN) -- The public may have seen the last video images of the failed blowout preventer from the BP oil well disaster, as authorities expressed possible security concerns. The feed from a camera on board a salvage ship was discontinued Saturday after the apparatus was raised from the sea floor and placed on the vessel Q4000. At his regular briefing with reporters Wednesday, National Incident Commander Thad Allen said additional questions about the unit would now have to go to the U.S. Justice Department and the Joint Investigation Team. When pressed about the video feed, Allen said, "We'll have to refer that to the Department of Justice. There were some constraints put on that videotaping based on the people that are looking at the blowout preventer and their identities and so forth, and I think there's, there may be some security issues associated with it." Allen said the ship will carry the unit to shore, but that the timetable and other questions will no longer be something he can address as part of the disaster operations that he heads. As of Wednesday, he said, "the blowout preventer is already up on deck on the Q4000. The lower marine riser package has been separated, and they're putting it on latching skids getting ready to move it closer to shore." He said "exactly when it arrives and what the disposition would be, I would refer you to the Department of Justice, or the Joint Investigation Team," since "from this point out it doesn't involve the spill itself." Allen said after the ship moves off-scene, "this will cease to be part of the national response that I'm coordinating as the national incident commander."

The blowout preventer is on a ship in the Gulf of Mexico . A camera feed from the ship was discontinued Saturday . Thad Allen cited security concerns Wednesday on further videotaping of the unit . He referred questions to the Department of Justice .

Washington (CNN) -- The push to overhaul health care received a major boost Thursday as the American Medical Association and AARP endorsed legislation drafted by top House Democrats. The AARP, the nation's largest organization of older Americans, is a nonpartisan group that advocates for people 50 and older. The AMA, historically an opponent of health care reform, is considered one the nation's most influential doctors' advocacy groups. "I want to thank both organizations again for their support, and I urge Congress to listen to AARP, listen to the AMA and pass this reform for hundreds of millions of Americans who will benefit from it," President Obama said at the White House. The backing of those two groups comes as House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-California, oversees final changes to the $1.1 trillion health care bill. The measure likely will come to a final vote Saturday. Read the House health care bill (PDF) A 42-page manager's amendment on the health care legislation posted Tuesday night made mostly technical changes in the nearly 2,000-page bill compiled from three Democratic proposals passed by three House committees. By making the changes public Tuesday, House Democratic leaders could open floor debate on the bill Friday, while fulfilling their pledge to allow 72 hours of review before bringing the measure to the full chamber. Pelosi insisted Thursday she will have the 218 votes necessary to pass the bill. Meanwhile, President Obama is set to huddle Saturday with congressional Democrats on Capitol Hill to review the legislation. Check out the key parts of the bill In a statement, AARP CEO Barry Rand said, "We started this debate more than two years ago with the twin goals of making coverage affordable to our younger members and protecting Medicare for seniors. "We can say with confidence that [the House bill] meets those goals with improved benefits for people in Medicare and needed health insurance market reforms to help ensure every American can purchase affordable health coverage." The AMA's president, Dr. J. James Rohack, told reporters Thursday that the legislation is "not a perfect representation of our views" but is close enough to warrant his group's support and keep the reform process moving forward. Rohack said the bill needs to be accompanied by legislation reversing scheduled Medicare reimbursement payment reductions to physicians. Responding to the AMA endorsement, Obama said the doctors' group is "supporting reform because [its members have] seen firsthand what's broken about our health care system," Obama said. "They would not be supporting it if they really believed that it would lead to government bureaucrats making decisions that are best left to doctors." Watch Obama say health care reform is moving forward Meanwhile, House Republicans on Thursday continued to signal their opposition to the measure. GOP leaders held a rally on Capitol Hill along with "Tea Party" movement protesters and other activists to warn that the House legislation would translate into a full-blown government takeover of the health care system. Rep. Michele Bachmann, R-Minnesota, told CNN's "American Morning" on Thursday that Democrats had forgotten the lessons of August's town hall meetings when angry conservatives criticized health care legislation. "I think what we're going to see is the town hall coming to Washington, D.C., just to remind members of Congress [that] we're the ones we would like you to pay attention to, not lobbyists. And we don't want the government to own our health care," Bachmann said. Speaking at Thursday's opposition rally, actor John Ratzenberger, who played Cliff on the sitcom "Cheers," slammed the Democratic bill as a form of socialism. "These are Woodstock Democrats," Ratzenberger said. "We have to remember where their philosophy comes. It doesn't come from America. It comes from overseas. It comes from socialism. And socialism is a philosophy of failure." House Democrats have rejected an alternative $60 billion Republican plan as inadequate for meeting the goals of expanding health coverage to most of the nation's 46 million uninsured while bringing down costs and ending controversial industry practices such as denying

NEW: President Obama praises American Medical Association, AARP for backing bill . GOP leaders join "Tea Party" protesters for an opposition rally on Capitol Hill . Speaker Nancy Pelosi says she has 218 votes needed to pass House bill . Democrats: Bill would guarantee that 96 percent of Americans have coverage .

Washington (CNN) -- The retired general who took charge of relief efforts in New Orleans, Louisiana, after Hurricane Katrina said Thursday that the U.S. military should have arrived in earthquake-devastated Haiti 24 hours earlier. "The good Samaritans who moved early on the first day are to be applauded. They made a difference," said Lt. Gen. Russel Honore, a CNN contributor. "What we've got to do now is get the heavy equipment in. I thought the U.S. military could have been there a day earlier. They're on the ground now, and they have a brigade en route, and that's going to make a big difference," he said. Honore, best known for his management of the recovery efforts after the hurricane that killed about 2,000 people on the Gulf Coast, said "time is of the essence" in helping quake survivors. Repairing the seaport at Port-au-Prince and keeping the airport open are key to bringing in equipment, food, water and medicine, Honore said. Regarding the airport, he said, "You need to put the right commander there who's going to be a battle captain and keep those aircraft flowing. You come in, you drop off what you have, you put the sick and wounded on and then move out. No one is standing any time on the airfield. You can be in and out in a half hour." Speaking at the House Democratic Caucus Retreat later Thursday, Obama acknowledged the scrutiny focused on U.S. response. "This is a time when the world looks to us and they say -- given our capacity, given our unique capacity to project power around the world -- that we have to project that not just for our own interests but for the interests of the world as a whole," he said. "And my national security team understands that I will not put up with any excuses for us not doing the very best in this time of tragedy." State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley defended the pace of the rescue. "We are 40 hours into the crisis. In that time, we have reopened the airport and brought it up to 24/7 operations. We continue to look at the port facility, which will be critical to be able to bring in substantial amounts of aid, and we're trying to figure out a strategy for how to function," he said. "We now have multiple search and rescue units on the ground. They're already at work," Crowley added. "Logistics matter. You have an airport with a single runway. So we have things that are queued up. You're going to see a significant increase in the flow, but there is a capacity issue," he said. Airlines such as American, Delta, Jet Blue and United were helping provide assistance to the country in the form of free miles for its program members and seats for aid organizations. American was operating humanitarian flights, with three American Eagle aircraft flying 30,000 pounds of supplies into Haiti on Thursday. Three more such flights were planned Friday. American is also partnering with the American Red Cross by offering one-time awards of 250 or 500 bonus miles for donations. In the afternoon, the Federal Aviation Administration announced that Haiti had suspended flights into the Port-au-Prince airport because ramp space -- where aircraft are parked, unloaded, loaded, refueled or boarded -- was overcrowded. There also was no fuel, FAA spokeswoman Laura Brown said. Several U.S. military units planned to depart from the United States for Haiti during the day, but it was unclear whether all would be able to do so. Among those apparently delayed was a battalion of more than 100 soldiers from the XVIII Airborne Corps based at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. They had planned to fly out Thursday afternoon. Paratroopers from the U.S. Army's 82nd Airborne Division, also based at Fort Bragg, were on their way to Haiti, said Rajiv Shah, coordinator for U.S. assistance to the stricken area. He also is administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development. The

NEW: Airlines offer miles for donations, seats on planes for aid organizations . NEW: Obama says he will not put up with U.S. not doing "the very best in this time of tragedy" Haiti suspends flights into Port-au-Prince airport because ramp space is overcrowded . Several U.S. military units plan to go to Haiti, but it's unclear whether all will be able to .

Washington (CNN) -- The seizure of the Afghan Taliban's top military leader in Pakistan represents a turning point in the U.S.-led war against the militants, U.S. officials and analysts said. The arrest of Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar represents the most significant Taliban capture since the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, a senior Obama administration official said Tuesday. Baradar has been a close associate of Osama bin Laden's and is seen as the No. 2 figure in the Afghan Taliban, behind Mullah Mohammed Omar. "If anyone would know where the senior leaders are of al Qaeda and the Taliban, then Baradar is someone who would be privy to that kind of information," said M.J. Gohel, executive director of the Asia-Pacific Foundation. It's "major success for the CIA" and "a major blow for the Taliban," Gohel said. The United States has tried to target Baradar for years, a senior U.S. official said. The arrest also represents a "new level of cooperation" between Pakistani and American forces working to rout the Taliban, said U.S. Sen. John Kerry, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and co-author of legislation designed to improve cooperation between Pakistan and the United States. Described as a savvy and modern military leader, Baradar was arrested in the southern Pakistani city of Karachi several days ago, a senior Pakistani intelligence official said. The official asked not to be named because he is not authorized to speak to the media. Baradar is being held in joint custody and investigated by both the CIA and Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence agency, another senior Pakistani source said. Qari Yousuf Ahmadi, a Taliban spokesman in Afghanistan, denied that Baradar had been captured. He said Baradar is continuing his operations and is in Afghanistan. Another Afghan Taliban spokesman, Zabiullah Mujahid, also denied Baradar had been arrested. He said reports of his arrest are designed to demoralize the Afghan Taliban. Despite confirmation of the arrest by Pakistani sources, Pakistani Interior Minister Rehman Malik said he could not verify reports of the capture. He also denied reports the CIA and ISI conducted a secret raid that captured Baradar, saying the agencies share intelligence but that the CIA does not conduct raids on Pakistani soil. Afghanistan Crossroads blog: More on Baradar and the Taliban Several raids in Karachi last week netted dozens of suspected Afghan militants, and intelligence agencies are in the process of verifying their identities, Malik said. Baradar's arrest occurred as some 15,000 Afghan and NATO forces were battling the Taliban in the Marjah region of southern Afghanistan's Helmand province in the largest NATO offensive since the U.S.-led invasion of Afghanistan in 2001. It also comes weeks after the CIA ratcheted up its operations against the Taliban in apparent response to a December suicide attack that killed seven CIA officers in eastern Afghanistan. And the arrest comes amid reports of major successes for the United States in its battle against the Taliban and associated militants in Afghanistan and Pakistan. The leader of the Pakistani Taliban, Hakimullah Mehsud, died recently after reports that a suspected U.S. drone strike targeted him in January, according to Taliban and Pakistani intelligence sources. The previous leader of the Pakistani Taliban, Baitullah Mehsud, also died in a suspected U.S. drone strike. CNN national security analyst Peter Bergen called Baradar's capture a "huge deal," saying he is "arguably more important than Mullah Omar from a military point of view, because Mullah Omar really is more of a religious figure than an operational commander of the Taliban." "This guy also is the No. 2 political figure in the Taliban. The fact that he was discovered in Karachi is very significant. Karachi is the largest city in Pakistan. It's a long way from where the war is being fought," Bergen said Monday on CNN's "Anderson Cooper 360°." The capture "indicates that the Pakistani intelligence services and CIA [are] cooperating very closely on a very high-value target." A number of high-value targets, including Omar, have moved into Karachi from a region near the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, where the Pakistani military

Arrest in Pakistan "a major blow for the Taliban," Asia-Pacific expert says . Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar reportedly captured in Karachi, Pakistan . Arrest signals Pakistani-U.S. cooperation, Sen. John Kerry says . Taliban spokesman in Afghanistan denies that Baradar has been captured .

Washington (CNN) -- The stars were out Sunday night as the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts bestowed its prestigious Mark Twain Prize for American Humor on actor and comedian Will Ferrell. The award, which was established in 1998, honors comedians who have shaped American society with their work, as Mark Twain once did. Ferrell himself commented on the importance of the prize, telling CNN it's "the only legitimate award that recognizes comedy," and he was honored to receive it. Fellow comedians Jack Black, Tim Meadows, Ed Asner, Paul Rudd, Andy Samberg, Conan O'Brien and Molly Shannon showered Ferrell with praise at the ceremony. "When you see Will Ferrell on a marquis, he's going to give you 90 minutes to two hours of fascinating entertainment," said Asner, who worked with Ferrell in the movie "Elf." In the movie, Will "was so steeped in his character that I had to believe in mine," Asner said. "He's a blast. I mean, he's always coming up with new stuff," said actor Rudd, who co-stared with Ferrell in "Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy" He's, "just fun to watch, and he's very good at keeping it together." O'Brien took a different approach -- the backhanded compliment. "None of us are here for Will," he said. "We're here because Will's very powerful. We fear Will. Let's get that straight, okay? I'm angry. And afraid. I'm here out of fear." Also in attendance were senior administration officials, including White House Chief of Staff William Daley, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, and Office of Management and Budget Director Jacob Lew. Past winners include Tina Fey, as well as Richard Pryor, Bob Newhart, Lorne Michaels, and Steve Martin.

The award honors comedians who have shaped American society with their work . Ferrell calls it "the only legitimate award that recognizes comedy" Fellow comedians shower praise on him .

Washington (CNN) -- The suicide bomber who killed seven CIA officers and contractors and a Jordanian intelligence official in Afghanistan was within seconds of being searched by two security contractors when he detonated his explosives, a former intelligence official with knowledge of the incident told CNN on Tuesday. On December 30, the two American guards, who worked for Xe Services -- formerly Blackwater USA -- approached the passenger side of the red 4-door sedan where bomber Humam Khalil Abu-Mulal al-Balawi was sitting, the official said. Al-Balawi had been invited to the base to share information he claimed to have that would lead the United States directly to Ayman al-Zawahiri, al Qaeda's second in command. The sedan was waved through the normal security checkpoints to get onto the base, and pulled up just outside a one-story building -- a temporary space that was being used to interrogate people brought onto base. Several CIA officers and contractors were standing on the driver's side of the car, opposite al-Balawi, and others were standing as far as 50 feet away, a U.S. intelligence official said. Al-Balawi started to get out of the car, with one hand in his pocket, when he detonated the explosives, the source said. "It was no accident that some of the CIA officers were standing on the opposite side," the former intelligence official said. The official observed it was the safest place to be, as "they waited for the Xe guys to do what they're paid to do and frisk him." Also, there could have been some cultural sensitivity, with an Arab man about to be searched in front of female CIA officers who were there. The official says that "there was no point going up to him until after the guards had patted him down." Some of these details were first reported in The Washington Post earlier this week. The official expressed surprise at how much shrapnel tore through the area, killing seven CIA officers and contractors -- including the two Xe Services guards -- as well as a Jordanian intelligence official. Former CIA Agent Jack Rice told CNN that frequently, suicide bombers' explosive vests are wrapped in "things like nuts and bolts and ball bearings. "So what you create is this massive amount of shrapnel that kills everybody in the entire area," he said. Rice, who just returned from Afghanistan, said it was unusual to have so many officers present for a debriefing, but if they believed al-Balawi's claims that he had direct links to al Qaeda's top leadership, the excitement on the base would have been high. "Remember, this is a career opportunity for all of these people. If you could take down al-Zawahiri, if you could take down Osama bin Laden, you are a hero for the rest of your career. Everybody wants to be in the room," Rice said. Al-Balawi, a Jordanian doctor, was a promising potential source. U.S. and Jordanian intelligence agencies apparently believed he was a reformed extremist and were using him to hunt al-Zawahiri. Al-Balawi had provided photographic evidence that helped establish his credibility, a U.S. intelligence official said. There were other things that also helped determine his authenticity, the official added, but would provide no further details. The former intelligence official who spoke anonymously has been to Forward Operating Base Chapman, where the attack occurred, and said body armor was worn even within the base's inner perimeter, which is unusual, compared with military bases in Kabul or Kandahar. "You have a real sense of the proximity to the Pakistan border. Perimeters don't have the same meaning," the official said. While saying that a mistake was made by not searching al-Balawi before he got into the red car, the official defended the officers' decision to bring him on base. "There's nowhere to frisk someone outside, and you don't have a whole lot of options. Let's assume they did have a safe house -- the exact same thing would have happened there," the

Bomber was invited to base to share information on al Qaeda's second in command . He detonated explosives as he left car, former intelligence official says . Official: Bomber should've been searched before he got into car; bringing him on base was right . Attack shows CIA expansion in Afghanistan, risk to officials, contractors, official says .

Washington (CNN) -- The suicide bomber who killed seven CIA officials and a Jordanian military officer last week in Afghanistan was a Jordanian double-agent, a former U.S. intelligence official told CNN Monday. The bomber was a source who came to the base camp in Khost near the Pakistan border for a meeting on December 30, a senior U.S. official also confirmed. The man had been used by both countries' intelligence services in the past, and had provided information about high-value targets, the senior U.S. official said. "Yes, it was a joint U.S.-Jordanian source who had provided over the period of his cooperation a lot of very detailed good information that was of high interest at the most senior levels of the U.S government," the former U.S. intelligence official said. The security breach occurred because the bomber was met off-base by U.S. intelligence officials who failed to search him before they put him in a car and drove him onto Forward Operating Base Chapman, the former intelligence official said. Both the Jordanian and U.S. intelligence services believed the man was loyal, according to the former intelligence official. "Clearly there is a lot of soul searching" at CIA headquarters in Virginia, according to the former intelligence official. The bomber was identified as Human Khalil Abu-Mulal al Balawi, from the Jordanian town of Zarqa, also home to the late Abu Musab al Zarqawi, the one-time leader of Al Qaeda in Iraq, the former intelligence official said. Both the Jordanian and U.S. intelligence agencies apparently believed al Balawi had been rehabilitated from extremist views and were using him to hunt Ayman al Zawahiri, the second-ranking al Qaeda official to Osama bin Laden, the former intelligence official said. Jordanian intelligence services have long covertly cooperated with the United States, specifically in the hunt for al Zawahiri and bin Laden, because of the ability of Jordanian agents to blend into the al Qaeda organization, noted the former intelligence official. Also killed in last week's attack in Afghanistan was Jordanian Army Captain Sharif Ali bin Zeid, a cousin of King Abdullah of Jordan. The Jordanian government has not publicly commented on the specific circumstances of bin Zeid's death, but U.S. sources confirmed bin Zeid was present and was the Jordanian operative working closely with al Balawi. The CIA refused to comment Monday, saying the matter was under investigation. The bodies of the seven CIA employees were flown to Dover Air Force Base in Delaware to a private ceremony attended by CIA Director Leon Panetta, other agency and national security officials, and friends and family. A Jordanian official who did not want to be identified said bin Zeid "was killed on Wednesday in the line of duty as he was taking part in a humanitarian mission carried out by the Jordan Armed Forces in Afghanistan." The Jordanian official added: "Jordan's position in the war on terror is clear; we are fully committed to fighting al Qaeda, which is a threat to Jordan as it is a threat to the United States. We are also committed to continuing our cooperation with the United States and the international community in the fight against terror and in defeating al Qaeda." In a posting on its Web site last week, the Taliban in Afghanistan claimed the bomber was an Afghan National Army soldier. On Sunday, however, Pakistani Taliban chief Hakimullah Mehsud said in an e-mail that "we claim the responsibility for the attack on the CIA in Afghanistan." "The suicide bomber was a Jordanian national. This will be admitted by the CIA and the Jordanian government" the message said. The attack occurred at a forward operating base, which a U.S. intelligence official acknowledged was a crucial CIA post and a "hub of activity." The main purpose of CIA forward operating bases in Afghanistan, officials have noted, is to recruit informants and to plan and coordinate covert operations, including drone surveillance and targeting. The attack was "a huge blow, symbolically and tactically," because it eliminated such a large number of CIA officers, who can require years to become ingrained in the region, said Reva Bhalla, director of analysis

U.S. official: Man had been used by U.S., Jordan for intelligence services . Source says man had given "very detailed good information that was of high interest" Former official: Bomber was met off-base by U.S. officials who failed to search him . Man killed seven CIA officials and a Jordanian military officer last week in Afghanistan .

Washington (CNN) -- The weirdest campaign ad of this season -- maybe any season -- debuted on the Internet this past week. The ad has been nicknamed, "Demon Sheep," and can be viewed here. The ad is an opening salvo in what will could prove the most expensive Senate race in U.S. history. The incumbent, Barbara Boxer, has always been the less popular of California's two Democratic senators. Boxer now looks vulnerable. Two Republicans declared early for the nomination against Boxer: state Sen. Chuck DeVore and former Hewlett Packard CEO Carly Fiorina. Fiorina took an early lead. But her performance on the campaign trail disheartened many of her supporters. Worse, Fiorina never developed a good answer to the questions about her business career. Portfolio magazine had dubbed Fiorina one of the 20 worst CEOs of all time after a disastrous merger with Compaq. Fiorina was fired in 2005 after company stock dropped 60 percent in a year. She herself walked away with a payday estimated as high as $40 million. That history was tough to explain to hard-pressed voters. Facing an intensifying risk of self-inflicted defeat in a winnable race, party leaders and donors enticed former state budget director Tom Campbell into the race. Campbell immediately stepped into first place in the polls, five points ahead of Fiorina, 15 ahead of DeVore. The "demon sheep" ad was Fiorina's attempt to head Campbell off at the pass. No description can do justice to the ad's low-budget strangeness. The ad presents Campbell as a dangerous predator with glowing red eyes, preying upon Fiorina's flock. Never mind that it's not usually smart tactics to represent the voters as dim-witted sheep. The more urgent question for California Republicans is this: What should they make of the substance of Fiorina's attack on Campbell? Here's the former front-runner's case: Campbell presents himself as a committed fiscal conservative. In fact, however, he's a career politician largely responsible for the state's budget crisis. He helped write the 2005 California budget, which contained a big jump in state spending. He called for raising the gas tax and for sales taxes on Internet purchases. And he refused to sign the famous no-tax-increase pledge presented to all candidates by the Washington lobbying group, Americans for Tax Reform. He's not the pure-hearted fiscal conservative admired by his backers: Instead Campbell is "Taxing Tom," a "FCINO": fiscal conservative in name only. What's the truth? To anyone familiar with the Campbell record, it seems crazy that anybody would charge him with insufficient commitment to free-market causes. Campbell wrote an economics dissertation under Milton Friedman at the University of Chicago. He ran the competition bureau at the Federal Trade Commission during the Reagan administration. Elected to Congress from Palo Alto, California, in 1988, re-elected four times, he amassed one of the most taxpayer-friendly voting records in the House of Representatives. That was the record that inspired California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to hire Campbell as state budget director in 2005. California's budget position was already desperate when Campbell took the job. • The teachers' union had pushed through a ballot measure that directed 40 percent of all state spending to schools -- meaning every time Medicaid spending rose, the schools got a raise too. • California's "three-strikes" law -- life in prison after a third felony conviction -- had filled the state's correctional institutions with doddering old crooks confined forever at taxpayer expense. • Reckless union contracts had pushed public-sector pay and benefits to astounding heights: over $100,000 for some prison guards. • Illegal immigration played havoc with state finances. Illegal immigrants paid very little tax, but imposed as much on the state's roads, hospitals, schools, and prisons as anybody else. Gov. Schwarzenegger and director Campbell tried to address these constitutionally imposed dysfunctions in a 2005 ballot measure. The initiative would have enhanced the governor's powers to cut spending growth, nullified the 40 percent guarantee to schools, and imposed across the

Carly Fiorina released the "demon sheep" ad in California race for U.S. Senate . David Frum says it may be the strangest campaign ad ever . He says she's unfairly targeting Tom Campbell as a fiscal conservative in name only . Frum says Campbell acted responsibly to try to head off the fiscal crisis California is now in .

Washington (CNN) -- The word compromise is never music to the ears of passionate advocates for a cause. This is especially true for advocates of overturning the military's "don't ask, don't tell" law, a law that was supposed to be a suitable compromise itself in 1993. But when idealism collides with political reality, risk avoidance and workable solutions become the goal. The deal that was reached on DADT this week between the White House, the Pentagon, gay rights groups (including my own), and pro-repeal champions on Capitol Hill is that workable solution and will get us where we need to go. More than 14,000 proudly serving men and women have been abruptly fired from the military pursuant to the DADT law, and many more have voluntarily left the military because of the burden of serving under this unnecessary restriction. The DADT law prevents our armed forces from being able to recruit and retain troops from the largest possible pool of talent, and it is a stain on the integrity of our nation. We cannot afford to wait until next year to lock in full legislative repeal. Our country needs this now. The risks of waiting until after the midterm elections to address DADT legislatively were simply too great. It is possible that the pro-repeal majority could lose seats in November, and could even lose control of one chamber of Congress. If it passes, this deal will get the looming legislative battle over with. It will also free up the Pentagon to implement the recommendations of its Comprehensive Review Working Group on DADT when it finally releases its road map for a smooth transition in December. The Pentagon and the president will not have to return to Congress for permission on implementing repeal -- the legislation hammered out in this week's agreement will already have authorized the change. This deal is not perfect, but unlike the 1993 DADT law, which codified a de facto gay ban in the military, this new legislation would firmly establish the mechanisms for ending the gay ban once and for all. More importantly, it would do so in a way that has achieved coveted Pentagon support -- a critical requirement for any DADT repeal legislation. But there were three concessions that repeal supporters reluctantly agreed to in order to pick up White House and Pentagon support. These concessions, however, do not compromise the goal of full legislative repeal of DADT. The first is an option that the progressive community had already resigned itself to: delayed implementation. While my organization has long argued that including a delay provision would be the only politically viable way to secure legislative repeal soon, this model for language only recently caught on in the rest of the pro-repeal community. This part of the deal was a given. The second concession was allowing the president, the Secretary of Defense, and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff to decide together the date on which the new law, once passed, would actually take effect. The three are already public supporters of repeal and can be trusted to act in good faith. They may not certify the implementation plan as quickly as some repeal advocates would like (some have unrealistically suggested a matter of days or weeks after the working group issues its report), but I believe that they will within a reasonable amount of time. After all, even the commandant of the Marine Corps, Gen. James Conway -- the staunchest opponent of this policy change -- testified before the House Armed Services Committee earlier this year that if this change became inevitable, even he would recommend making the change as swiftly as possible just to get it over with. The third and final concession -- and the most controversial -- was the removal of the affirmative non-discrimination provision from the legislative language. This provision would have legally prevented the Department of Defense from ever engaging in discriminatory practices towards gay and lesbian troops again. Although I am not convinced this was necessary to pick up any additional support for repeal, in light of concessions that were already in the works, it is important to keep in mind that statutory non-discrimination language would have been above and beyond what other minority groups have been given

More than 14,000 troops fired because of "don't ask, don't tell," says Alexander Nicholson . Deal on DADT between White House, Pentagon, gay rights groups, is good, says Nicholson . New legislation would firmly establish the mechanisms for ending gay ban, he says . Nicholson: Most importantly, it would do so with coveted Pentagon support .

Washington (CNN) -- Three U.S. Navy SEALs face criminal charges after the alleged mastermind of one of the most notorious crimes against Americans in Iraq accused them of punching him after his capture, the military said Wednesday. Ahmed Hashim Abed -- thought to be behind the slayings and mutilation of four U.S. contractors in Falluja in 2004 and captured in summer -- made the accusations against the three servicemen, said Lt. Col. Holly Silkman, a spokeswoman for U.S. Central Command. A civilian lawyer for one of three SEALs said his client and the other SEALs declined a nonjudicial resolution to the case, a step sometimes called a "captain's mast." The servicemen say they did not harm the detainee in any way and they want their names cleared in a court-martial so they can continue their careers in the Navy, said the attorney, Neil Puckett. Because the charges against Petty Officer 2nd Class Matthew McCabe, Petty Officer Jonathan Keefe and Petty Officer Julio Heurtas are the military equivalent of misdemeanors, they will go before a special court-martial, which is for less serious offenses than those heard in a general court-martial. If found guilty, they could be sentenced to a maximum of a year in a military prison, demotion to the lowest Navy rank, a cut in pay and a bad conduct discharge. But if found innocent of all charges, they would be able to continue their careers with no record of the case in their personnel files. The three SEALs are with their unit in Norfolk, Virginia. They will make an initial appearance before a military judge on December 7. The court-martial is scheduled to begin in January. The attorney said he expects the SEALs will not waive their constitutional right to confront the accuser in court, which could cause a logistical challenge. Abed is believed to be in a U.S. military detention center overseas, and it is unclear if the military would want him brought to the United States for the court-martial. The four contractors, one of whom was a former Navy SEAL, were working for the Blackwater company when they were attacked in Falluja in 2004. After they were killed with hand grenades and rifles, their bodies were set on fire and dragged through the streets. The bodies of two of them were hung from a bridge in Falluja, an image that was broadcast around the world. Four days after the attack, the U.S. Marines launched a major offensive inside Falluja, in part to help find the killers.

Ahmed Hashim Abed is accused of planning the '04 slayings and mutilations of 4 U.S. contractors . Abed says SEALs punched him when he was captured in summer . Contractors' bodies were set on fire and dragged through streets of Falluja .

Washington (CNN) -- To hear Paul Ryan explain it, there's just one way to cope with becoming the Democrats' favorite man to hate: "I gave fear up for Lent this year," Ryan told CNN during an extensive interview. And he's not kidding. It's probably a good idea, given the fact that Ryan's budget -- passed nearly unanimously by House Republicans -- has become the GOP Holy Grail. It includes entitlement cuts, most notably the gradual shifting of Medicare into a program dominated by private insurers. It's no surprise, then, that Democrats call it dangerous, mean and reckless -- and that's not all. "The Ryan road map is the way to the cliff and then over the cliff," said Rep. John Yarmuth. D-Kentucky. "The Ryan proposal would destroy our government," economist and Columbia University professor Jeffrey Sachs declared at a Democratic Progressive Caucus event. Ryan remains undeterred. "There's a big test to this country and whether we apply our country's principles -- you know liberty, free enterprise, self-determination, government by the consent of the governed -- all of these really core principles are being tested right now," Ryan told CNN. "You can't have fear if you try to fix these problems." The 41-year-old Ryan has been on a fast track. First elected to Congress in 1998 after a stint as a congressional staffer and adviser at the conservative think tank Empower America, the Janesville, Wisconsin, native ran for the House at the ripe old age of 28. It was a long shot, but he won, convincingly. Always a fiscal conservative, Ryan made his mark delving into the nuance of federal budgets. Now he's become famous as the face of a new brand of Republican economics -- one that includes the most sweeping plan to cut government spending in decades and enact major entitlement reforms. As evidence of his growing influence in the party, the Republican National Committee on Friday tapped Ryan to be its Presidential Trust Chairman to lead its fundraising effort against President Barack Obama. Ryan had the deficit in his sights for years. At first, even Republicans steered clear of some of his more controversial budget ideas like Medicare reform. But then the economy went south and the tea party became the rage. Suddenly, the push to slash budget deficits became popular. So popular, in fact, that Ryan's budget outline overwhelmingly passed the Republican-controlled House in the spring. It cuts $6.2 trillion over 10 years in federal government spending. That's big bucks, and Ryan does it by gradually transforming Medicare into a program in which recipients receive vouchers to help buy private insurance. He also gradually raises the program's eligibility age and transforms Medicaid into a block grant program. On the tax side, the Ryan plan includes major tax reform that reduces the top rate for both individuals and corporations. The plan died in the Senate and handed the Democrats a political issue. "...His budget would kill people. No question," Princeton University and Nobel Prize -inning economist Paul Krugman told CNN. "The cuts in Medicare he's proposing, the replacement of Medicare by a voucher system would in the end mean that tens of millions of Americans would not be able to afford essential health care. So that counts as cruelty to me." Ryan scoffs at the criticism. "There's sort of a shoot-the-messenger strategy these days," he added. "I'm the messenger, and you can't fear that if you are who you are." It's a pattern for Ryan, who has grown in popularity by pushing the unpopular, a fairly unconventional route. Not only has he proposed major reforms in entitlements; he's also tried to end his colleagues' pork projects. When he became chairman of the House Budget Committee this year after Republicans captured control of the House, he continued to touch the untouchable-- the third rail of American politics. "I used to say I'm like a koala bear grabbing on. So

Paul Ryan's budget was passed nearly unanimously by House Republicans . But Democrats call the plan dangerous, mean and reckless . Ryan shrugs off the criticism, calling it "a shoot-the-messenger strategy"

Washington (CNN) -- Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood announced Monday that the Obama administration will push legislation designed to overhaul and upgrade America's aging oil and gas pipeline network. The initative is partly a response to a series of deadly pipeline explosions, including one last year in San Bruno, California, that killed eight people and destroyed 37 homes. A February pipeline explosion in Allentown, Pennsylvania, resulted in the deaths of five people. San Bruno's faulty pipeline was installed in 1956; Allentown's was installed in 1928. During a news conference in Allentown, LaHood called on the major pipeline companies to conduct a review of their oil and gas delivery systems to identify the lines with the highest risk. He also urged them to speed up the most critical repair work. "People deserve to know that they can turn on the lights, the heat or the stove without endangering their families and neighbors," LaHood said. "The safety of the American public is my top priority, and I am taking on this critical issue to avoid future tragedies we have seen in Allentown and around the country." Among other things, the administration wants to increase the maximum civil penalties for pipeline violations from $100,000 per day to $250,000 per day. It also wants to increase fines from $1 million to $2.5 million for a series of violations. The administration also would like to boost the number of safety inspectors and improve data reporting to increase the likelihood of early identification of possible pipeline safety risks. The Transportation Department is planning to convene a pipeline safety forum on April 18 in Washington. The United States has more than 2.5 million miles of pipelines used for the delivery of oil and gas, according to the Transporation Department. CNN's Jeanne Meserve and Mike Ahlers contributed to this report.

Transporation Secretary Ray LaHood presses pipeline firms to upgrade aging delivery systems . The move comes in response to recent deadly explosions in California and Pennsylvania . The administration wants to increase fines for pipeline safety violations, among other things . The Transportation Department will convene a pipeline safety forum on April 18 .

Washington (CNN) -- Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood on Tuesday said federal officials need to "keep harping" on personal responsibility in the wake of the latest claim of inattention by an air traffic controller -- this one reportedly was watching a movie while on duty -- and inaction by his supervisor. The controller has been suspended, pending an investigation, for watching a movie on a portable electronic device while he was working at the Cleveland Air Route Traffic Control Center in Oberlin, Ohio. His front-line manager, who was aware of it and didn't stop him, also was suspended, LaHood confirmed. The incident occurred early Sunday morning, when the audio from the Samuel L. Jackson thriller "Cleaner" was transmitted over a radio frequency for more than three minutes. "The problem was brought to air traffic control's attention by the pilot of a military aircraft using an alternate frequency," according to a statement from the Federal Aviation Administration. FAA policy prohibits the use of portable DVD players and other devices from being used in radar rooms. Stories of derelict controllers keep piling up, even as the head of the FAA and the leader of the controllers' union started a cross-country tour to spread the gospel of professionalism to the rank and file. There have now been incidents in Washington; Knoxville, Tennessee; Reno, Nevada; Seattle; Lubbock, Texas; and Miami in just the past couple of months. Scheduling rules have been adjusted and staffing beefed up to mitigate fatigue among controllers, but in the Ohio incident, fatigue does not appear to have been the issue. Personal responsibility "really needs to become much more part of our training," LaHood told CNN, "much more of what our (FAA) administrator says to controllers as he travels the country and meets with them. "I meet with controllers a lot, too, when I travel the country. I visit air traffic control towers and I guarantee it will be part of my message." Pressed to explain why such incidents keep happening in spite of officials' insistence that the situation will not be tolerated, LaHood said, "Well, it won't be." "We've done some things here in the short term like extending rest time from eight to nine hours. We've moved supervisors into positions where we think it's more important to have more supervisors," "And we will continue to do what we have to do to make sure the controllers understand they have to take personal responsibility for this most important safety job they have," he said,. CNN Jeanne Meserve, Mike Ahlers, Carol Cratty and Cameron Tankersley contributed to this report.

NEW: LaHood says officials should "keep harping" on personal responsibility . NEW: A controller in Ohio and his supervisor have been suspended . The controller was watching "Cleaner," a Samuel L. Jackson thriller, early Sunday . Audio went out on a radio frequency, was reported to air traffic control by military pilot .

Washington (CNN) -- Two Washington Wizards basketball players drew guns on each other during a heated Christmas Eve gambling debt dispute, the New York Post reported Friday. Law enforcement authorities said they were investigating an incident but gave no details. Wizards teammates Gilbert Arenas and Javaris Crittenton both brandished firearms in the team's locker room, the Post reported, citing NBA league sources. The dispute erupted when Arenas, a three-time NBA all-star, refused to pay up on a debt owed to Crittenton, the Post stated, citing an anonymous league source. Multiple sources said Arenas drew his gun first, the Post reported. Arenas denied the charge, saying he never pulled a weapon. Neither Arenas, 27, nor Crittenton, 22, could be reached for comment Friday. The incident, according to the Post, occurred during a Wizards practice day at the Verizon Center, the team's arena in downtown Washington. It is unclear whether any other Wizards players witnessed the alleged confrontation, the Post said. NBA spokesman Tim Frank said Friday that there is "an active investigation" being conducted by Washington law enforcement authorities. "We are not taking any independent action at this time," he said. The Wizards also released a statement Friday saying that the team takes "this situation and the ongoing investigation very seriously. We are continuing to cooperate fully with the proper authorities and the NBA." A Washington Metropolitan Police Department statement earlier in the week said local law enforcement was assisting the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia "with an investigation into an allegation that weapons were located inside a locker room at the Verizon Center." "There are a lot of rumors going around," Washington Police Chief Cathy Lanier said Friday. "We need to get it right." CNN's David Close and Rick Martin contributed to this report.

New York Post: Washington Wizards teammates drew guns on each other . Gilbert Arenas, Javaris Crittenton argued over gambling debt, paper says . Authorities say they are investigating incident but gave no details .

Washington (CNN) -- Two men who worked as security contractors for the company formerly known as Blackwater have been charged with murder in the killings of two Afghan men, federal prosecutors announced Thursday. Christopher Drotleff and Justin Cannon are charged with two counts of second-degree murder and one count of attempted murder each in connection with the May shootings in Kabul. The 12-count, 19-page indictment returned by a federal grand jury in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia also includes weapons charges against the two men. The indictment was returned Wednesday but unsealed Thursday. Both men were in Afghanistan working for the security company Paravant, a subsidiary of Xe, the military contracting firm formerly known as Blackwater Worldwide. FBI agents have arrested both men, the Justice Department announced. Drotleff, Cannon and two other contractors, Steven McClain and Armando Hamid, were involved in the May 5, 2009, shooting that left two Afghan civilians dead and another wounded. The men had been hired by Paravant to help the U.S. Army train Afghan troops. The contractors said they were driving their interpreters on a busy Kabul street called Jalalabad Road at around 9 p.m. when a car slammed into one of their two cars. "I immediately thought we were under attack," McClain said in May. The contractors got out to help their colleagues, and the vehicle that had struck the car did a U-turn and headed back at them, the men said. The contractors fired at the oncoming vehicle. "The car was coming at us," Cannon said in May. "At that point we attempted to stop and immobilize the vehicle and we engaged it in small arms fire. And the car didn't stop, it just kept going." The incident spotlights the issue of the role and conduct of U.S. security contractors in Afghanistan. A similar issue arose in Iraq after a September 2007 confrontation involving then-Blackwater contractors that left 17 Iraqi civilians dead. Blackwater lost its contract there after Iraq's government refused to renew its operating license. The company then changed its name to Xe, and it continues to receive multimillion-dollar contracts in Afghanistan. In the wake of the shooting, all four men lost their jobs with Paravant for violating the company's alcohol policy. The contractors said they had not been drinking and had not had a drink since their arrival in November. "We feel that Blackwater wanted to shift the blame from Blackwater itself to these men as if they were acting on a lark," attorney Daniel J. Callahan said in May. "Off duty, with weapons, weapons of their own, and while drinking. And I think the intent is to use these men as scapegoats." Callahan, who has advised the men but has not been formally retained by any of them, did not immediately return a call Thursday seeking comment on the charges. In a written statement Thursday, Xe said it had "immediately and fully cooperated with the government's investigation of this tragic incident and terminated the individuals involved for violating company policy." Also Thursday, Xe announced it has settled seven lawsuits that accused it of crimes in cases not related to the Afghanistan shooting. The lawsuits accused Blackwater security guards of widespread illegal activity, including fostering "a culture of lawlessness" among its guards. A lawyer representing the plaintiffs, Susan Burke, said neither she nor anyone else involved in the settlement was allowed to discuss it publicly. It was not clear how much the settlement was for. One lawsuit, filed by Burke in 2007 on behalf of families of several Iraqis killed or wounded in the September 2007 shooting in Baghdad, Iraq, said that a quarter of Blackwater security guards in Iraq use steroids and other "judgment-altering substances." The lawsuit also accused the company of war crimes, wrongful death, assault, negligent hiring and emotional distress. The plaintiffs included two wounded survivors of the Baghdad shooting and the families of five people killed in the incident. Blackwater denied the accusations. Last week, a federal judge dismissed manslaughter charges against five Blackwater security guards involved in the killings, finding that prosecutors wrongly

Christopher Drotleff, Justin Cannon charged with murder, attempted murder . Charges relate to two shooting deaths in Kabul, Afghanistan, in May . Drotleff, Cannon were security contractors for company formerly known as Blackwater . May 5 incident began with auto collision; men say vehicle then aimed for them .

Washington (CNN) -- Two people without invitations crashed President Obama's first White House state dinner, the U.S. Secret Service said Wednesday. The Secret Service confirmed a Washington Post report that the couple who crashed Tuesday night's dinner were Tareq and Michaele Salahi. The Post described the couple as polo-playing socialites from northern Virginia. A Secret Service checkpoint "did not follow proper procedures" to determine if the two were on the guest list for the dinner, said Edwin M. Donovan, a Secret Service special agent, in a statement. Playing down any security threat, Donovan's statement said: "It is important to note that these individuals went through magnetometers and other levels of security, as did all guests attending the dinner." The incident represents a security breach for the White House at the Obama administration's biggest social event to date. More than 300 guests, including Cabinet members, diplomats and Hollywood celebrities, attended the dinner in honor of visiting Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. "The Secret Service has tasked our Office of Professional Responsibility with conducting a comprehensive review of the incident," Donovan's statement said. Video footage of the dinner showed the couple walking past journalists into the event. On Wednesday, Michaele Salahi's Facebook page included photos of the couple at the dinner, including two pictures with Vice President Joe Biden and another with Rahm Emanuel, the White House chief of staff, who was identified on the page as "Ron" Emanuel. The couple's names did not appear on the guest list distributed Tuesday by the White House. In an e-mail to CNN, Mahogany Jones, who identified herself as a publicist for the Salahis, said the couple had "full clearance to attend the state dinner." Fran Townsend, a homeland security adviser to former President George W. Bush, said the incident likely involved a breakdown at the "perimeter" security for the event, which is the first checkpoint that guests encounter. Lying to the Secret Service could bring a felony charge, Townsend said.

Secret Service: Tareq and Michaele Salahi attended state dinner without invitations . Michaele Salahi's Facebook page shows pictures of couple with vice president . Couple are polo-playing socialites from northern Virginia, Washington Post reports .

Washington (CNN) -- U.S. Air Force investigators found "serious misconduct" in the handling of remains of the nation's war dead at the Dover Air Force Base Mortuary, the Office of Special Counsel said Tuesday. At a news conference Tuesday afternoon, Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz referred to "gross mismanagement" in some aspects of the mortuary's operations. Schwartz said Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta has appointed a panel to review operations at the Dover mortuary. "What I want to talk about is tough stuff. Given the context of this, if I find difficulty in finding the right words, you'll understand," Schwartz said at the news conference. The findings came after the Air Force conducted a year-long investigation into 14 allegations of wrongdoing made by whistleblowers involving the remains of four U.S. service members killed in action, the Pentagon official said. Although some of the specific allegations were not substantiated, the official said several cases of concern were confirmed, including: -- Several instances in which portions of remains from troops killed in action were lost or unaccounted for. It included losing an ankle that had been in storage and some bags that held other body parts and remains. -- The body of a dead Marine being prepared for viewing by his family had a badly-damaged arm sawed off because it could not be arranged suitably for viewing purposes. The bone had fused at a 90-degree angle, according to officials. The report said Quinton Keel, a Dover mortician, had the arm sawed off without consulting the Marine's family. The Air Force found no wrongdoing and officials say preparing badly damaged bodies can be very difficult. But the federal Office of Special Counsel, which also investigated the matter, said the family should have been notified, according to a statement issued by that office Tuesday. -- A Pentagon official confirmed that elements of the Army and Air Force were criticized for shipping fetal remains from military families to Dover in cardboard boxes. At his news conference, Schwartz said the investigation began after allegations from three employees "became known to us." He did not identify the employees or their positions. But the report from the Office of Special Counsel identified the three as James Parsons, Mary Ellen Spera, and William Zwicharowski. The Air Force said all three are still employed by Dover Air Force Base. "The fundamental result of the investigation was that senior Air Force mortuary operations affairs officials did not meet standards in that they failed to act with clear indications that processes and procedures ... were inadequate to ensure accountability of remains," Schwartz said. He said among their findings, investigators "concluded that the loss of two specific portions of remains constituted gross mismanagement." Those two cases involved the remains of an Army soldier and those of an Air Force airman. "In one case we have reason to believe that the remains were properly disposed of; in the second case, we cannot make that argument. It is simply unknown what happened to the second set of remains," Schwartz said. "This gross mismanagement dealt with the fact that ... supervisors, of which there were three, failed to properly perceive and then act upon ... clear indications that there were systemic issues with respect to accountability of remains in the mortuary." A Defense Department official confirmed that Keel, a civilian, was demoted to a non-supervisory job and now works in another area at Dover outside the mortuary. Another civilian, Trevor Dean, a mortician and funeral director there, has been transferred to a non-supervisory job. Col. Robert Edmonson, the mortuary commander between January 2009 and October 2010 when the incident occurred, was issued a letter of reprimand, which is usually a career-ending move. Special Counsel Carolyn Lerner said the Air Force hasn't taken "sufficient disciplinary action against the officials responsible for wrongdoing," the OSC statement said. But Schwartz said that he did not believe the situations cited in the report were intentional. He emphasized that "this was difficult work, 24/7. And while their performance did not meet standards, this was not a deliberate act,

The mortuary at Dover Air Force Base handles returning war dead . It also serves as the mortuary for military families overseas . Some remains were lost or unaccounted for, the Office of Special Counsel says . The Air Force chief of staff says a panel will review operations at the mortuary .

Washington (CNN) -- U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice is leading a U.S. delegation to Juba for Saturday's ceremonies marking the independence of South Sudan, the White House said Wednesday. Members of the delegation will include Rep. Donald M. Payne, D-New Jersey and ranking member of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, and Human Rights; former Secretary of State Colin L. Powell; Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of African Affairs Johnnie Carson; U.S. Special Envoy to Sudan Princeton N. Lyman; Deputy National Security Adviser Brooke Anderson; Donald K. Steinberg, deputy administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development; Gen. Carter F. Ham, commander of United States Africa Command; R. Barrie Walkley, U.S. consul general in Juba; and Ken Hackett, president of Catholic Relief Services. Two senior administration officials said they expected the Obama administration to announce its intention to name an ambassador to the new nation. Lyman has already traveled to the region to foster a smooth transition between the two countries. He is visiting Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and is expected to join former South African President Thabo Mbeki in support of ongoing talks between officials in Khartoum, Sudan, and Juba -- a fast-growing city soon to become South Sudan's new capital. The two men are expected to lend support to a peace agreement that ended Sudan's second civil war, and help moderate potential conflicts over resource sharing, disputed border areas and citizenship matters, the State Department said. Lyman is expected to travel to Khartoum for meetings with senior Sudanese officials, the statement said, and then to Juba to attend South Sudan's independence ceremony. The flurry of U.S. diplomatic activity comes as satellite images released Wednesday reveal a heavy north Sudanese military presence in an oil-rich border region. Images from the U.S.-based Satellite Sentinel Project showed an apparent Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) convoy of "significant size" traveling through the town of Kadugli. The monitoring group, started by actor George Clooney, said the convoy was 2 kilometers in length and included about 1,000 troops and heavy trucks carrying artillery. "Less than a week after signing yet another agreement, the Sudanese regime appears to be ignoring its commitment, holding to form, and positioning military assets for intensified offensive operations," said John Prendergast, co-founder of the Enough Project, which aims to end genocide and war crimes. "This cycle will continue to be played out with increasingly destructive results for Sudanese civilians until the international community stiffens its spine and imposes swift and severe repercussions for the endless cycle of violence the Khartoum regime continues to fuel." The Satellite Sentinel Project combines satellite imagery analysis and field reports with mapping technology in hopes of deterring the resumption of the bloody and bitter civil war north and south fought for decades. The monitoring group said fighting between the Sudanese forces and the south's Sudan People's Liberation Army has been reported in the city of Kadugli in the past week. Southerners voted for independence in a January referendum, and with the scheduled July 9 date of separation looming, many fear an escalation of bloodshed could bring both sides back to the brink of full-scale war. Violence erupted two months ago along the contested border area of Abyei and subsequently in South Kordofan, a state that lies north of the border but where many people, especially in the Nuba Mountains, are allied with the south. Thousands of people were displaced from their homes, and many fear that, after strict borders go into place with independence, they will not be able to return home. "South Sudan will be born into crisis," predicted Susan Purdin, who oversees International Rescue Committee aid programs in South Sudan. "Widening violence is triggering more displacement, threatening the lives of vulnerable civilians and hampering access to communities in need while an existing humanitarian emergency grows worse," she said. Critical issues -- including oil and the final status of Abyei -- remain unresolved. State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said the United States applauded talks between north and south but remained concerned about the unresolved matters. "The United States also calls on

South Sudan is set to gain independence on Saturday . U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice is leading a U.S. delegation for the ceremony . The north and south fought a decades-long civil war . New satellite images show a Sudanese military presence in South Kordofa .

Washington (CNN) -- U.S. President Barack Obama met Monday night with his national security team on Afghanistan and Pakistan, the White House announced. It was the ninth meeting of the president's war council to consider whether to send more troops to Afghanistan, as requested by the U.S. commander on the ground there. The White House made no statement after the meeting ended at 10 p.m. ET (0300 GMT). The meeting included Vice President Joe Biden, Defense Secretary Robert Gates, Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Adm. Michael Mullen, Afghanistan commanding Gen. Stanley McChrystal, U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan Karl Eikenberry and other senior officials, the White House said earlier. At the last war council meeting -- on November 11, Veteran's Day -- Obama pushed for revisions in proposed plans for troop increases to clarify how and when U.S. troops would turn over responsibility to the Afghan government. Obama would seek answers to the questions he posed on November 11 about "not just how we get people there, but what's the strategy for getting them out," White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said before the meeting. No matter what happened at the meeting, Gibbs said, Obama will not announce a decision on troop deployment until at least next week. One option calls for sending about 34,000 more U.S. troops to Afghanistan in addition to the 68,000 already committed to the country, with other options involving variations of that plan, sources told CNN. Before the November 11 meeting, Gen. David Petraeus, the top U.S. military commander in the Middle East, told CNN that the decision-making process was approaching completion. Petraeus emphasized the need to focus on the mission of ensuring that Afghanistan "does not once again become a sanctuary or safe haven for al Qaeda and the kind of transnational extremists that carried out the 9/11 attacks." The Obama administration has expressed concerns about Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai's viability and has ratcheted up pressure to end corruption in order to combat an intensifying Taliban insurgency. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, on a trip to Afghanistan last week to attend Karzai's inauguration after his recent re-election, reiterated the U.S. concerns in a dinner meeting with Karzai and encouraged him to seize the "clear window of opportunity" before him at a "critical moment" in Afghanistan's history. The United States and other countries are increasing their civilian presence in Afghanistan to bolster efforts to stabilize the country, the the U.S. special representative to Afghanistan and Pakistan, Richard Holbrooke, told reporters on Monday. Asked about the corruption problem, Holbrooke noted that some Afghan government ministers have "extraordinary records" of accomplishment. The United States will work with those ministers, while recognizing that years of civil war and social woes have weakened overall leadership capabilities in Afghanistan, he said. "This is one of the main reasons we're increasing our civilian role," Holbrooke said. "And it's extremely delicate to get the mix right. We want to help the Afghans help themselves. We do not want to replace a sovereign government with internationals." Republican opponents are pushing Obama to quickly agree to McChrystal's reported request for up to 40,000 additional troops in Afghanistan as part of a counterinsurgency strategy. "This won't be perfect or easy, but it will allow America's fighting men and women to leave Afghanistan with honor, and it will enable Afghans to build a better, more peaceful future," said a letter to Obama from 10 Republican senators sent on Veteran's Day.

NEW: White House makes no statement after meeting ended . Obama will not announce decision until at least next week . Meeting included Biden, Gates, Mullen, McChrystal, Eikenberry, White House says . Obama wanted clarification on how, when U.S. troops would turn over responsibility .

Washington (CNN) -- Union leaders, the White House and congressional Democrats have agreed to limit the reach of a tax on high-end health insurance plans that would help pay for a proposed overhaul of the U.S. health care system, union leaders involved in the talks said Thursday. The proposed thresholds for taxing health plans will be raised from $23,000 to $24,000 for families and from $8,500 to $8,900 for individuals, AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka told reporters. Dental and vision benefits won't be counted toward that amount after 2014, he said. Health plans covered by union contracts would not be subject to the 40 percent tax until 2018 -- a transition period union leaders said is comparable to those offered to other private insurers. The threshold for taxing other plans will be adjusted by 1 percent above the annual rate of inflation, and plans involving large numbers of women or the elderly will get breaks as well, Trumka said. The changes will reduce the $150 billion expected to be raised over 10 years by about $60 billion, he said. And union plans would be able to enter the health care exchanges set up under the bill in 2017, he said. The tax on what have been dubbed "Cadillac" health care plans is a key feature of the Senate health care bill, but it has drawn opposition from Democrats in the House of Representatives and from unions. President Obama, who has made health care his top priority in Congress, supports the excise tax as a way to contain the rise of health-care costs. Trumka and other top union officials have held a series of talks at the White House for the past three days as congressional negotiators tried to merge the two bills together. He warned earlier this week that congressional Democratic candidates could risk losing labor's support if the final bill included a tax on high-cost health plans. But he said that despite all-but-total Republican opposition in both houses of Congress, supporters of health care reform stood "on the threshold of a milestone." "We don't look at this as the end of our fight for real reform, but another step along the way in the quest for real reform," Trumka said. Labor leaders said the changes they negotiated would help not only union members, who make up about 12 percent of the U.S. work force, but all working families. But Don Stewart, a spokesman for Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell, dismissed the plan as "a sweetheart deal." "Americans are overwhelmingly opposed to this bill," he said. "Another sweetheart deal isn't going to turn that around." A CNN/Opinion Research Corp. poll released Thursday found much stronger support for the financing plan in the House bill, which would impose a 5.4 percent income tax surcharge on incomes higher than $500,000 for individuals or $1 million for couples. The survey found 61 percent of the public favors the House provision, while the Senate bill drew 29 percent support. Trumka told reporters that leading Democrats were behind the compromise. But House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-California, said she had not seen anything in writing Thursday evening. Rep. Joe Courtney, D-Connecticut, a leading opponent of the excise tax, said the proposal was more fair than the current Senate bill. "However, the devil is in the details, and I will reserve judgment on any compromise until I have had the time to review the proposal," he said in a written statement. Obama did not directly address the plan as he addressed reporters ahead of a House Democratic Caucus meeting Thursday night. But he dared Republicans to run in the November midterm elections on a platform of rolling back "something that Washington has been talking about since Teddy Roosevelt was president." "If Republicans want to campaign against what we've done by standing up for the status quo and for insurance companies over American families and businesses, that is a fight I want to have. If their best idea is to return to the bad policies and the bad ideas of yesterday, they are going to lose

AFL-CIO chief says threshold for taxing high-end health insurance plans will rise . Dental, vision benefits won't be counted toward that amount after 2014, he says . He says $150 billion expected to be raised over 10 years to be cut by $60 billion . Obama challenges Republicans to run in 2010 against changes to health system .

Washington (CNN) -- Valerie Jarrett does not like to talk about herself. I know this because we've sat down on numerous occasions for interviews, going back to the early days of Barack Obama's presidential campaign. But this one was perhaps the most challenging because the focus was on her. She is fiercely loyal to Obama, as one of his closest friends. But she also advises him as president, with the title of Senior Adviser and Assistant to the President for Intergovernmental Affairs and Public Liaison. The ultimate insider does not spill the beans. But doing a series on the power players inside the White House would not be complete without looking at Jarrett's role. She has called her relationship with the president a "mind meld." "We're good friends who have known each other for a long time," Jarrett says. "Eighteen years, you get a pretty good sense of him." Her first sense of him came in 1991 when Obama was a young law professor in Chicago, Illinois. Jarrett was interviewing his fiancée, the future first lady, Michelle Robinson, for a job in Chicago Mayor Richard Daley's office. The protective partner, Obama, was making sure Jarrett was on the up and up. Jarrett first explained the scene when I interviewed her in May 2008. "They sat next to each other and when she was speaking he would just look at her with this adoring look,"Jarrett said with a laugh, "but he was really tough on me in the nicest possible way." The three became fast friends. Now Obama says he runs every important decision by Jarrett, trusts her completely and considers her family. When I bring this to her attention she accepts her role humbly. "Well, I hope he would trust me the way any close friend does. He knows I have his best interest at heart and that I understand, because I'm part of the administration, the myriad of challenges he faces," Jarrett says. "So I hope he views me a sounding board, someone who's going to be honest, direct and candid with him at all times." She laughs when I suggest perhaps she is his consigliere. "You can tell I'm uncomfortable with this," she says when I try to get her to focus more on her role. She does not like to be singled out from the rest of the White House team. Instead she paints a picture of what it would be like if I were in an Oval Office meeting with the president. "When everyone's done talking, if there've been a couple of people who've been quiet, he'll say, 'Well, Suzanne, what do you think of this issue?' " Jarrett says. She describes his style in running the meetings as "accommodating." "He reads people very well. He's extraordinarily perceptive. He can tell from the body language if someone is uncomfortable with something," Jarrett says. But she can also read the president's body language when he's heard enough talk. "He's not moody, but you can tell when he's ready for a conversation to end," Jarrett says. "He enjoys making sure there is robust debate, but when he's finished with debate he's finished. He's ready to move on. So I can detect when enough is enough, let's bring in the next issue." Jarrett says newcomers to the administration have pulled her aside to get her take on how things were going. "Particularly early on, people who didn't know the president as well as I did would come to me after a meeting and say 'What did he really mean? I know he said this, but what is he really thinking?' and I took such delight in being able to say he meant exactly what he said. That's who he is." It's the intangibles that Jarrett sometimes brings to the table. "People are always looking for the hidden intent, the body language,

Jarrett has known Barack and Michelle Obama for 18 years . She's now a senior adviser in the Obama White House . Obama says he runs every important decision by Jarrett . She says she tries to keep business role, friendship separate .

Washington (CNN) -- Veteran sports anchor George Michael died early Thursday after a two-year battle with cancer, according to his former TV station. Michael, 70, was known nationally for "The George Michael Sports Machine," a syndicated TV show that ran nationwide for 27 years. He was a sports anchor on WRC-TV -- NBC's channel 4 in Washington, D.C. -- for more than 25 years. "Michael was a prominent fixture, providing the most accurate and spirited sports news and highlights," Washington Mayor Adrian Fenty said. "He truly captured the hearts and minds of sports fans in the District and around the country." A statement issued by the station said "George was a pioneer in sports broadcasting." "He was a gifted interviewer, a master storyteller, and one of the hardest working journalists out there," the station said. Michael retired from broadcasting in March 2007. He is survived by his wife, Pat, and his daughter, Michelle Allen, the station said.

"The George Michael Sports Machine," a syndicated TV show, ran for 27 years . He was a sports anchor for Washington's NBC affiliate for more than 25 years . Station: "He was a gifted interviewer, a master storyteller" Survivors include his wife, Pat, and daughter Michelle .

Washington (CNN) -- Violent crime in the United States continues to drop significantly despite the difficult economic environment, according to new statistics released Friday by the Justice Department. According to the Crime Victimization Survey released annually by the Bureau of Justice Statistics, in 2010 violent crimes dropped about 13% among U.S. residents ages 12 or older. Crime has been declining for several years, but the decline reported by the survey for past year was about three times as great as annual declines recorded by the same survey during the previous nine years. The Justice Department attributed much of the decline to a sharp drop in the number of simple assaults. Criminologists have repeatedly told CNN in recent years the declining figures are surprising inasmuch as crime has historically increased in times of economic stress. A clearer picture of crime in the United States is likely to emerge from a major FBI report scheduled for release Monday morning. The closely watched FBI Uniform Crime Report also is expected to show a continuing drop in violent crime throughout 2010. That report, based on detailed reporting by all of the nation's police agencies, provides breakdowns in all subcategories of crime. A preliminary FBI report for the first half of 2010 showed a decline in violent crime of 5.5 percent. That is expected to hold up for the entire calendar year. The Justice Department Victimization Survey, which provides numbers of victims based on an extensive telephone survey, does not include statistics for murder. It cites figures for rape, robbery, aggravated assault and simple assault. Almost two-thirds of violent crime "victimizations" occurring during 2010 were simple assaults in which the victim did not suffer an injury, the Justice Department survey found.

The annual Crime Victimization Survey shows a 13% drop in violent crimes . The Justice Department says there has been a sharp drop in simple assaults . The department's report is based on an extensive telephone survey .

Washington (CNN) -- Voices recorded by inventor Alexander Graham Bell more than 125 years ago are being heard now, thanks to digital imaging technology. "It's not high fidelity, but you can definitely figure out what they're saying," said Carl Haber of Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, one of the scientists working on the project in a laboratory at the Library of Congress. The early audio recordings were made during an intensely competitive time, when scientists were racing to improve on Thomas Edison's phonograph, which was invented in 1877. Scientists like Bell, who worked at his Volta Laboratory in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, were looking to improve both the quality of the phonograph and the nature of the sound to make the product commercially viable. "I think this is a very critical episode in the history of American invention and innovation and it highlights an otherwise unknown aspect of Washington, D.C., at the end of the 19th century as the center of invention and innovation," said Carlene Stephens, curator of the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History. Bell sent recordings to the Smithsonian in the 1880s for safekeeping, and to prove his scientific finds in case of patent questions. But there was no playback device, so "the collection has been silent," said Stephens. Enter modern-day scientists Haber and Earl Cornell, who took detailed photos of the discs made in Bell's laboratory and created a virtual playback machine on a computer. "To be or not to be, that is the question," begins one of the recordings from a green wax disc that scientists believe was recorded in 1885. The male voice reading the famous quote from Shakespeare's Hamlet is muddled, but understandable. On a glass disc recording from 1884, a voice can be heard saying the word "barometer" several times. And on another type of wax recording from 1885, a man is heard reading a description of a cotton factory in New Hampshire. To get the audio from the discs, the Berkeley scientists put them on a turntable. As the disc slowly turned, as many as 18,000 images per rotation were recorded in the computer. The images were then stacked up to create a digital profile, which, when read by the computer, played back the sound. "These technologies are very fast and these computers are fast," said Haber. "Ten years ago, we would be struggling with computer storage and computer speed. Today, commercial technology is up to this task." There is no physical contact with the historically valuable discs, which helps to protect them for the long term. The scientists in the 1880s experimented with a variety of experimental mechanisms, many of which the Smithsonian has in their collection. Each disc or cylinder plays differently. "It turns out this record was designed to play from the inside-out, so that's backwards from how we normally play a record," said Haber, showing reporters the disc. After the Berkeley Lab scientists had photographed that record, they reversed the information in the computer to play it. Although the scientists at Bell's Volta Laboratory would have been working on a playback device as they were making the recordings, none of those made it into the Smithsonian's archives. Three times during the 1880s, Bell sent sealed tin boxes to the Smithsonian Institution with objects and newspapers to prove that his laboratory had made certain discoveries by certain dates in case a patent dispute arose. None ever did. The sealed boxes were opened for the first time in 1937 in the presence of Bell's family. Bell also donated materials to the Smithsonian during the early 1900s, when he served on the governing board of the museum. Those items, along with materials from Emile Berliner, a competitor of Bell, are stored at the National Museum of American History. Berliner is credited with inventing the gramophone, the first commercially successful disc and playback machine. The museum has about 400 early audio recordings made between 1878 and 1898.

Bell was working on improving the phonograph . His early recordings are at the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History . "To be or not to be, that is the question" a voice on one recording is heard saying .

Washington (CNN) -- Vowing to continue to "underwrite global security" -- but not alone -- the Obama administration Thursday released its first National Security Strategy, a 52-page outline of the president's strategic approach and priorities. The NSS, required by Congress of every administration to be prepared every four years, for the first time combines homeland security and national security, focusing not only on threats internationally but on the threat of home-grown radicals inspired and recruited by al Qaeda. "We view this as an important and emerging challenge," Ben Rhodes, deputy national security adviser for strategic communication, told reporters. Al Qaeda, he said, is less capable of using safe havens for training abroad and is now "trying to inspire Americans to carry out attacks on the U.S." Those Americans, he said, may have less direct contact with the terrorist organization but they carry American passports and know the strengths and weaknesses of the United States. "Several recent incidents of violent extremists in the United States who are committed to fighting here and abroad have underscored the threat to the United States and our interests posed by individuals radicalized at home," the NSS states. "Our best defenses against this threat are well informed and equipped families, local communities and institutions." Federal, state and local governments will use intelligence, expanded community engagement and development programs to help local communities address the radicalization of Americans before they join al Qaeda, Rhodes said. There already is an interagency process, he said, devoted to countering radicalization. This is a "new point of emphasis," he said, because it is a new point of emphasis for America's enemies. Laying out its strategy for more traditional areas of national security, the National Security Strategy stresses the importance of working with other nations to deal with challenges to "renew American leadership." "It's a broader view of national security than before," Rhodes said. Echoing themes going back to the days of Obama's campaign for president, it says the U.S. must use "engagement" with friends and foes. The United States must engage also with other "21st century centers of influence -- including China, India and Russia," the report says. In a switch from the Bush administration's doctrine of pre-emptive war, the Obama NSS says the United States will "draw on diplomacy, development, and international norms and institutions to resolve disagreements, prevent conflict, and maintain peace, mitigating wherever possible the need for the use of force." "While the use of force is sometimes necessary," it says, "we will exhaust other options before war whenever we can, and carefully weigh the costs and risks of action against the costs and risks of inaction." The NSS also highlights "burden sharing," working with other countries to deal with international threats. "The U.S. needs to foster burden-sharing so it's not on our shoulders alone," Rhodes told reporters. The administration's focus on domestic terrorism is drawing some criticism from opponents who claim it "ignores reality' by avoiding terms like "radical Islam." The ranking member of the Committee on Homeland Security, Republican U.S. Rep. Peter T. King, while saying he was "heartened" the strategy addresses the issue of home-grown terrorism, charged that "the Obama Administration refuses to even identify head-on the threat our nation faces. Even though we have been at war against radical Islamic jihadists since they killed almost 3,000 Americans on 9/11, the Obama administration fails to even mention such terms."

The Obama administration on Thursday released its first National Security Strategy . The 52-page outline of focuses on both international and home-grown threats . Strategy focuses on "mitigating wherever possible the need for the use of force" Key GOP critic: Administration "refuses to even identify" threat of "radical Islamic jihadists"

Washington (CNN) -- Washington Wizards player Javaris Crittenton Monday became the second member of the NBA team to plead guilty to a weapons charge following a gun-toting locker-room incident. Crittenton, 22, pleaded guilty in Superior Court in the District of Columbia to a misdemeanor count of possession of an unregistered firearm. He will avoid jail time. Judge Bruce Beaudin sentenced Crittenton to one year of unsupervised probation. The judge also ordered him to perform community service with a children's organization in Washington and through the NBA's Haiti project. "Possessing a firearm unlawfully in the District of Columbia can lead to nothing but trouble and can have serious consequences," said U.S. Attorney Channing Phillips. "We commend Mr. Crittenton for accepting responsibility and hope he fully appreciates the gravity of his actions," Phillips said. The Wizards said in a statement that the charges and Crittenton's plea were "another disappointing development in what has already been a long and frustrating process for the team, the NBA and, most importantly, our fans." "Javaris clearly used very bad judgment in this situation and will now face the consequences of his actions," the statement said. Crittenton, who is currently listed as inactive on the Wizards' roster and has not played a game all season, agreed with prosecutors that the incident stemmed from an angry exchange with teammate Gilbert Arenas following arguments over a card game. The argument led to shooting threats, according to documents submitted to the court. Prosecutors say Arenas threatened to burn or blow up Crittenton's car when they came to practice the following Monday. "According to Crittenton before he left his home in Virginia for practice that day, Crittenton placed a lawfully owned unloaded handgun into his backpack because he believed that Arenas would carry out his threat to shoot him that day," prosecutors said. Authorities say Crittenton displayed the weapon to Arenas, but did not aim it at him or load the weapon. Arenas had placed four of his own guns at Crittenton's locker and told him to "pick one," authorities said. Authorities say Crittenton had been cooperating with them after the incident, and had voluntarily surrendered his weapon, a 9 mm semi-automatic Taurus, to law enforcement officials. Arenas, a former NBA all-star, pleaded guilty to a more serious felony charge and faces potentially six months in jail, and has been suspended indefinitely by the NBA. His sentencing is set for March 26.

NEW: Wizards call charges and sentencing "another disappointing development" Washington Wizards player Javaris Crittenton, 22, pleads to misdemeanor count . While he will avoid jail time, Crittenton must perform community service . Crittenton agreed incident stemmed from angry exchange with teammate Gilbert Arenas .

Washington (CNN) -- Washington Wizards point guard Gilbert Arenas admits he drew guns in the team locker room in a highly publicized December 21 incident, but says he was only kidding around. "I took the unloaded guns out in a misguided effort to play a joke on a teammate," Arenas said in a statement released Monday. "Contrary to some press accounts, I never threatened or assaulted anyone with the guns and never pointed them at anyone. Joke or not, I now recognize that what I did was a mistake and was wrong." Citing NBA sources last month, the New York Post reported that Arenas and Javaris Crittenton both brandished firearms in the team's locker room. Authorities continue to investigate the incident. Crittenton's agent, Mark Bartelstein, told CNN Monday that his client "hasn't done anything wrong. I'm extremely confident he'll be exonerated." Asked if Crittenton brought a gun into the Verizon Center that day, Bartelstein said, "I'm not going to get into details." He said Crittenton has not met with authorities, nor has such a meeting been requested or scheduled. Arenas, a three-time NBA All-Star, spent Monday afternoon in a voluntary meeting with federal prosecutors at the U.S. Attorney's Office in Washington and with D.C. metropolitan police about the incident, according to his attorney, Kenneth L. Wainstein. "From the outset of this incident, Mr. Arenas has been fully cooperative with the investigation," Wainstein said in a statement, noting that Arenas relinquished the guns to Wizards security officers and met with authorities to "tell the full story." "Over the course of a two-hour interview this afternoon, Mr. Arenas answered every question asked of him," Wainstein said in Monday's statement. A spokesman for the U.S. attorney's office declined to comment on Arenas' statement, citing the ongoing investigation. Arenas said he told authorities that he stored four unloaded guns in his locker the Verizon Center to keep them away from his children. Arenas said he told authorities that he stored four unloaded guns in his locker the Verizon Center to keep them away from his children. "I brought them without any ammunition into the District of Columbia, mistakenly believing that the recent change in the DC gun laws allowed a person to store unloaded guns in the District," he said in the statement. He offered a public apology to the league, his teammates and his fans, saying, "I promise to do better in the future." NBA spokesman Tim Frank declined to comment on Arenas' comments, deferring to an earlier statement: "There is an active investigation by DC law enforcement authorities, which we are monitoring closely. We are not taking any independent action at this time."

New York Post: Washington Wizards teammates drew guns on each other . Gilbert Arenas, Javaris Crittenton argued over gambling debt, paper says . Authorities say they are investigating incident but gave no details .

Washington (CNN) -- Washington Wizards point guard Gilbert Arenas pleaded guilty Friday to illegally possessing an unlicensed handgun in the District of Columbia in a locker-room incident last month. The 28-year-old NBA all-star told Superior Court Judge Robert E. Morin that he understood he could receive up to five years in prison when he is sentenced on March 26. But Arenas' attorney, Kenneth Wainstein, told the court that the government will ask for no more than six months, under the terms of a plea agreement. "He accepted full responsibility for his actions, acknowledged that those actions were wrong and against the law, and has apologized to all who have been affected by his conduct," Wainstein said in a written statement. The government has agreed to limit its recommendation to the low end of the guidelines -- "estimated to be between six and 24 months, with probation, a split sentence, or incarceration permissible," U.S. Attorney Channing Phillips said in a written statement. "Playing with firearms is no joke," said Phillips. "Such reckless action can always be expected to garner a swift and firm response from this office. We commend Mr. Arenas for accepting responsibility and hope he fully appreciates the gravity of his actions." The government statement said the incident was traced to a flight from Phoenix, Arizona, on December 19, when Arenas and a fellow teammate "became involved in a verbal exchange after a card game." "Although Arenas maintains that the statements he made during this exchange were made in jest, the exchange between Arenas and the teammate involved mutual threats to shoot one another," it said. "Arenas also told the teammate that he would burn the teammate's Cadillac Escalade." Two days later, Arenas entered the team's locker room at the Verizon Center carrying at least one firearm in his backpack, the statement said. "Once Arenas entered the locker room, he placed four firearms on the chair located directly in front of the locker of the teammate with whom he had the prior verbal exchange. Arenas then wrote the message 'PICK 1' on a piece of paper, and placed it on the teammate's chair near the firearms. Arenas remained in the locker room. "Moments later, the teammate walked into the locker room and approached his locker. He saw the handguns and he and Arenas once again exchanged words. During this exchange, Arenas stated, 'You said you were going to shoot me, so I thought you would like some firepower. Pick one.' The teammate picked up one of Arenas's firearms from his chair, threw it across the locker room, then reportedly took out what appeared to Arenas to be a silver-colored semi-automatic handgun. "After this exchange, Arenas admitted to team management that he brought the firearms from his home in Virginia into Washington, D.C. He also told team management that the teammate also had a firearm. The teammate has since denied that he ever had a handgun. Team management directed Washington Wizards security personnel to secure Arenas's firearms and to remove them from the premises." The incident came to light on December 24, when authorities were notified, the statement said. Metropolitan police went to Arenas' home in Virginia, where the athlete's four unloaded firearms -- a .50-caliber gold-plated, semi-automatic Desert Eagle with magazine; a .500 Magnum Smith & Wesson revolver; a .45-caliber black, semi-automatic Kimber Eclipse with magazine; and a 9-mm Browning with magazine -- were surrendered, it said. The three-time NBA All-Star said he told authorities that he had stored the guns in his locker in the Verizon Center to keep them away from his children. "I brought them without any ammunition into the District of Columbia, mistakenly believing that the recent change in the D.C. gun laws allowed a person to store unloaded guns in the District," Arenas said in his statement. He offered a public apology at the time to the league, his teammates and his fans, saying, "I promise to do better in the future." During

NEW: "He accepted full responsibility for his actions," Gilbert Arenas' attorney says . NEW: U.S. statement: Teammate had what appeared to be "semi-automatic" gun . NBA star pleads guilty to illegally possessing unlicensed handgun . Under plea deal, Arenas' lawyer says government will ask for no more than six months .

Washington (CNN) -- Washington police were investigating on Sunday whether an off-duty officer drew his gun in the midst of a snowball fight involving a couple hundred people. The Metropolitan Police Department said video from a local media outlet at the scene Saturday did not show the officer with his weapon drawn. However, authorities have since received "additional images and statements that would seem to support the allegation that the off-duty member did pull a gun," a police statement said. About 200 people from a D.C. neighborhood had gathered Saturday to brave a snowstorm for a massive snowball fight, CNN affiliate WJLA reported. "It was pretty fun," one unidentified participant told WJLA. "And then, you know, when the gun came out, uh, it just changed the tone of the thing a little bit." The off-duty, plainclothes officer was driving in the area of the snowball fight when several snowballs hit his vehicle, police said. The officer exited the vehicle and yelled at the crowd, WJLA reported; witnesses accused that officer of drawing his gun. A uniformed police officer who subsequently arrived was holding a gun at his hip, but he eventually returned it to his holster, video from WJLA shows. MPD Assistant Chief Peter Newsham said the uniformed officer was responding to a 911 call that someone -- apparently the plainclothes officer -- had a gun, according to WJLA. The uniformed officer holstered his weapon when he recognized the plainclothes officer, Newsham said, according to WJLA. The police statement said "there is no evidence that [officers] pointed any weapons in the direction of the crowd or at any individuals."

Plainclothes police officer accused of drawing gun at snowball fight in Washington, D.C. "Images and statements ... would seem to support the allegation," police say . About 200 people were in snowball fight when officer's vehicle was hit, police say . Police: Separate, uniformed officer held a gun while checking report of armed person .

Washington (CNN) -- What does it feel like to kill a man? James Lenihan of Brooklyn knew. He fought in Europe in World War II and he killed a German soldier during a battle in Holland. He described how it felt in a poem: --- I shot a man yesterday And much to my surprise, The strangest thing happened to me I began to cry. --- So begins "Murder: Most Foul" a work that echoes poetry about war in the tradition of William Shakespeare and borrows its title from the bard's "Hamlet." As powerful as the poem is, the story behind it is also fascinating. Sgt. James Lenihan returned home after the war, got married, had children and made a career as a salesman for the meatpacking industry. If he ever wrote any other poems, his son, Robert, and daughter, Joan, who still live in Brooklyn, don't know of any. In fact, they didn't know about this poem until after their father died. They found it when they were going through his possessions. Robert and Joan Lenihan found two typewritten pages, each with a copy of the poem. It was unsigned, but Robert believes the poem was written by his father and later typed up by his mother for safekeeping. He says the poem talks of the killing happening in Holland. James Lenihan served in Holland with the 104th Infantry Division, which battled German units there. The poem portrays a soldier very upset about taking a life: --- I knelt beside him And held his hand-- I begged his forgiveness Did he understand? --- But even while he describes the shooting as murder, he makes clear he had no choice: --- It was the War And he was the enemy If I hadn't shot him He would have shot me. --- Robert Lenihan said the poem is a bit unlike the father he grew up with. A man who could be a "tough customer" if need be. Not someone tormented by a fleeting, albeit from an intense moment on a battlefield in Holland. "I'm just starting to appreciate how much he suffered only now in this part of my life. When I was a kid, like if he yelled at me or something, I'd say, 'Well Dad's being cranky,'" Lenihan said. He said that even though the incident in the poem took place nearly 60 years ago, it resonates today and should let young soldiers coming home from Iraq and Afghanistan that they aren't the first to face such emotional turmoil as this. "That feeling they may have of regret and pain and shock of what they've done. It shows they are not alone," Lenihan said. CNN sent James Lenihan's poem to Georgetown University Professor David Gewanter, who has published several books of poetry, including "War Bird," published last year. Gewanter called "Murder: Most Foul" "accomplished." In an e-mail to CNN, he said the poem "is good, and its truths are that of experience and some literary traditions." Robert Lenihan sounded surprised when he heard Gewanter's analysis of his father's amateur poem. "I'm very deeply touched," he said. "For an expert to assess it that way and make such important comparisons -- I'm amazed and quite touched." The poetry professor said Lenihan's poem reminded him of a famous portion of Shakespeare's play "Henry V": --- From this day to the ending of the world, But we in it shall be remembered -- We few, we happy few, we band of brothers --- But Gewanter said it perhaps most closely resembles "The Man He Killed," a work by Thomas Hardy written at the start of World War I. In that poem, Hardy writes that the soldier and the foe he killed might have shared a drink or loaned each other money had they met somewhere other than a battlefield. James

Poem tells the anguish felt by one who killed a man in war . It was the only poem James Lenihan is known to have written, his children say . Poetry professor calls it "accomplished," reminiscent of well-known works .

Washington (CNN) -- When President Obama threw out the first pitch at the Washington Nationals' season opener on Monday, he kicked off not only a new baseball season but also a new round of fundraisers at Nationals Park. Though Obama wasn't raising any cash himself on game day, his appearance was the backdrop for at least one ballpark fundraiser Monday, the first of what Nationals President Stan Kasten hopes will be many political events held at the stadium this season. Since Nationals Park first opened in March 2008, Kasten has actively encouraged political operatives of all ideological stripes to hold their fundraisers and receptions at the ballpark, as opposed to more conventional venues such as restaurants or hotel ballrooms. "I am absolutely bipartisan when it comes to business, or even multi-partisan," said Kasten in an interview with CNN. "We welcome all, and we've had all come to the ballpark. Republicans, Democrats, and I'm sure other parties as well." Kasten helped bring major-league baseball back to Washington in 2005 after a 34-year absence. Since then, federal candidates, major political parties, and political action committees have spent at least $432,000 on fundraising events either at Nationals games or at their facility, according to campaign finance documents filed with the Federal Election Commission. Although campaigns did spend money on Nationals-related fundraising events when the team played at RFK Stadium, the records show that spending skyrocketed once the gates opened at Nationals Park. Campaign disbursements to the Nationals for fundraising expenses averaged $11,000 per year from 2005 to 2007, but that increased by twelvefold, to about $131,000, in 2008, the year the park opened. That amount doubled to $264,000 in 2009. The total dollar amount spent on all fundraisers at Nationals Park is likely to be much higher than FEC records indicate, since lax federal disclosure rules allow campaigns to pay corporations directly for use of their luxury suites at the ballpark, without having to specify how the money was spent. However, regulations do require that campaigns pay full price for all expenses, such as tickets, suite rentals and concessions. Much of the Nationals' success in wooing the campaign crowd can be attributed to a relative lack of variety available on the Washington fundraising circuit. One Democratic fundraiser who has held two events at the ballpark told CNN that both candidates and donors enjoy the change of scenery. "It's different. It's a good time to interact with people but also have fun while doing something non-politically related," she said, speaking on the condition of anonymity. "There is a little bit of monotony in fundraisers in D.C. There's a formula to it, so this is a little out of the ordinary." Kasten could not agree more. "The key to fundraisers is to get people to come," he said. "We have the added element of holding an event at our ballpark and having a fun evening going on alongside the fundraiser with lots of other things to do." "It's just so much more appealing to potential contributors than just coming to some hotel ballroom," he added. The ballpark hosted over 40 fundraisers in 2009, and Kasten expects that number to increase this year with the midterm elections looming. The team advertises its facilities to individual campaign committees, congressional offices, and to national party organizations, including both the Democratic and Republican National Committees. Special outreach is made to the members and candidates representing whichever visiting team happens to be in town. Although holding fundraisers at baseball games is not new, the Nationals have capitalized on being uniquely positioned in a city with a year-round political industry unrivaled by other baseball towns. Records show that several teams with national fan bases have not received nearly as much in campaign expenditures as the $432,000 the Nationals have garnered so far. Since 2003, the Boston Red Sox have received about $207,000, the New York Yankees have received about $157,000, and the Chicago Cubs have brought in just over $36,000. The Baltimore Orioles, which had been Washington's venue of choice for baseball-themed political

Nationals President Stan Kasten encourages political operatives to hold fundraisers at ballpark . Spending on fundraisers skyrocketed once gates opened at Nationals Park in 2008 . Ballpark is much more appealing "than just coming to some hotel ballroom," Kasten said . One Republican says ballpark isn't a good fundraising spot because team isn't playing well .

Washington (CNN) -- While acknowledging the hard-hit black community and budding criticisms in its ranks, President Barack Obama said in a speech Saturday night to the Congressional Black Caucus that he wouldn't give up -- and urged members of the black community to join him to jump-start the still-sluggish economy. "I expect all of you to march with me, and press on," Obama said. "... Stop complaining, stop grumbling, stop crying. We are going to press on. We've got work to do." The unemployment rate among African-Americans is 16.7%, nearly double the national average, while 40% of black children live in poverty. Such facts have made fiscal reforms a priority for caucus members, some of whom -- most of them Democrats -- have criticized Obama for not doing enough on the issue. They include Rep. Maxine Waters, D-California, who at a caucus "jobs' tour town hall" in Detroit this month described the unemployment rate among blacks "unconscionable." She said the strategy to fix it was unclear, adding that the caucus was "getting tired" of waiting for one. She questioned the president's decision to focus on the Midwest during a three-day jobs bus tour in August, stating that the 3 million who live in Iowa -- and are mostly white -- are roughly equal in number to the African-Americans who are out of work. She suggested that Obama's administration seemed more keen to focus on that politically important state than on the black community. "Are the unemployed in the African-American community, including almost 45% of its youth, as important as the people of Iowa?" she asked in the statement she released ahead of the president's speech before a joint session of Congress in which he announced his jobs plan. In his speech Saturday, Obama called the situation for many blacks "heartbreaking, and it's frustrating." But he also touted achievements of his administration -- such as on the earned income tax credit, anti-foreclosure programs and consumer financial protections -- for making a difference, while admitting more work lies ahead. "In these hard years, we have won a lot of fights (and) we've done a lot of good," he said. "But we've got more work to do. People are still hurting." As to the criticism, the president said that "nobody feels the burden more than I do." But in a rousing end to his speech, he said he knew addressing problems wasn't going to be easy. One of the chief lessons from the civil rights movement is that "you can't stop" in the face of challenges, he said. "The future rewards those who press on, with patience and determination," he said. "Take off your bedroom slippers, put on your marching shoes." Obama promoted his recently proposed American Jobs Act during his speech, as well as his tax reform efforts to pay for the bill in part by closing loopholes and effectively having some wealthier Americans pay more in taxes than they do currently. As he did in a nationally televised speech several weeks ago, the president repeatedly used the phrase "pass this jobs bill" in promoting its various measures -- including efforts to bolster small businesses, rebuild schools and bridges, and hire back teachers, firefighters and police. In an apparent swipe at Republicans, he urged politicians to fight as hard "for ordinary folks as you do for all your contributors." "We have to make sure that everyone in this country gets a fair shake, and a fair shot, and a chance to get ahead," he said. Obama insisted that having "the folks who have benefited the most ... pay their fair share" in taxes must be part of any solution, adding, "This is all about fairness." The president has proposed a $4,000 tax credit to employers for hiring long-term unemployed workers and higher credits to companies that hire veterans who have been unemployed for at least

NEW: Obama stresses "fairness," while admitting "we've got more work to do" "Stop grumbling, stop crying," the president advises . With the black jobless rate at 16.7% in August, it's major concern for officials . Obama has recently been meeting with black journalists, leaders .

Washington (CNN) -- While administrations come and go, and power in Congress teeters between political parties, one thing remains constant in the lives of Washington, D.C.'s, elite: the power lunch. Between noon and 2 p.m., brokers meet to clinch deals, with the emphasis more on power than on lunch. Just steps from Capitol Hill, Charlie Palmer is one of the places to see and be seen at lunchtime. Depending on the week, the modern American steakhouse serves between 70 and 80 congressmen and between 20 and 30 senators. "I'd bet we've had every member of Congress and every senator in the restaurant at some point," says Matt Hill, executive chef for the famed eatery. It's not just the proximity to Capitol Hill that draws Washington's elite to Charlie Palmer. The restaurant has several private dining areas -- including a rooftop with scenic views of the city -- and an executive chef who prides himself on serving homemade, inventive fare. "We do anything, we've got senators from Hawaii that come in, and they ask for Hawaiian hors d'oeurves, we've got, you know, people from Texas that ask for things from Texas," Hill says. "So, we can really vary the menu, and it makes it interesting for me to try to come up with new ideas." Thirty-seven years ago, Tommy Jacomo moved to Washington with his brother and built The Palm with his bare hands. Now, as executive director of the famed power spot, Jacomo is known by Washington's elite as the keeper of the keys to The Palm. Everyone knows him. "It's pretty frightening, yeah, you can't even walk down the street sometimes, Jacomo said. "People say, 'Hey, Tommy! Put me down for two at 12:30,' and I don't even know who the hell they are." The Palm has hosted every president from Richard Nixon to Bill Clinton. President Obama has yet to make a visit. But it's not just presidents who visit The Palm. White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel has frequented the restaurant since the Clinton administration. Cabinet secretaries including Madeleine Albright, administration officials, senators and representatives, Supreme Court justices, the city's top lobbyists, lawyers, strategists and media elites are all regulars at the Dupont Circle steakhouse. And if you become a regular, you get your picture on the wall. "People used to think when we first opened up that we had all the [portraits of] Republicans on one side and all the [portraits of] Democrats on the other side," Jacomo said. "It's not really as much thought behind it. It just goes up, it's good customers, loyal customers, famous people, infamous people, and I decide where I want to put them when I get the chance," he joked, pointing out the minimal space left on the wall. Not everyone is willing to put their picture on the wall. James Carville and Mary Matalin, who are political strategists and CNN contributors, chose to have their dogs' portraits on the wall instead of their own. While steakhouses remain a favorite, not all power restaurants dish out filet mignon. Steps from the White House are three of Washington's oldest power spots: The Oval Room, which serves up American fare; Bombay Club, which is Indian; and Old Ebbitt Grille, which also specializes in American cuisine. Cafe Milano, in Georgetown, and The Monocle and Johnny's Half Shell, on Capitol Hill, also remain abuzz with some of the most prominent people in Washington. Italian restaurant Posto on 14th Street has become a favorite among younger administration staffers because of its laid-back atmosphere and expansive dining room. Posto's sister restaurant Tosca, owned by Paolo Sacco, has kept D.C.'s top lobbyists and politicians coming back since it opened in 2001. Not only known for the power scene and homemade Italian cuisine, Tosca has set itself apart from others by having some of the most attentive waitstaff in the city. Supreme Court Justice

The power lunch is a constant of Washington's elite . Executive chef of Charlie Palmer says every member of Congress has been in . Most presidents since Nixon have dined at The Palm . The Oval Room, Bombay Club and Old Ebbitt Grille are steps from the White House .

Washington (CNN) -- White House advisers are considering recommending alleged 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed be tried in a military court instead of a civilian one in New York City, a senior administration official told CNN on Friday. In November, Attorney General Eric Holder announced his intention to try Mohammed in a New York civilian court. "I am confident in the ability of our courts to provide these defendants a fair trial, just as they have for over 200 years," Holder said last month. "The alleged 9/11 conspirators will stand trial in our justice system before an impartial jury under long-established rules and procedures." A firestorm of opposition erupted from both New York officials and top Republicans after Holder's announcement. New York police have estimated the cost to the city would exceed $200 million per year in a trial that could last years. They have said, among other things, that they would need to install more than 2,000 checkpoints in Lower Manhattan. Also, some congressional leaders have argued Mohammed should not be entitled to all the protections and privileges a defendant receives in civilian court. Last month, several lawmakers tied funding to close the detention facility in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, to holding a military trial for Mohammed and other suspected terrorists. To try Mohammed and others "as common criminals, giving them the constitutional rights of American citizens in our courts, is justice according to 'Alice in Wonderland,'" said Sen. Joe Lieberman, a Connecticut independent. Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-South Carolina, argued that "our military justice system is best able to protect the American people." Holder said last month the Justice Department "will have to take into account" the views of other political leaders and residents. "At the end of the day, wherever this case is tried, in whatever forum, what we have to ensure is that it's done as transparently as possible and with adherence to all the rules." White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said Friday the administration was evaluating its options "based on New York City logistical and security concerns." Gibbs and senior presidential adviser David Axelrod have said previously that President Obama believes the trial should take place in a criminal court instead of before a military tribunal. The senior administration official emphasized that no final recommendation has been given to the president and therefore no final decision regarding the 9/11 terror trial has been made. The official said administration advisers hope a decision will be made before the president leaves for an overseas trip on March 18. Progressive activists blasted the potential administration switch. "If this stunning reversal comes to pass, President Obama will deal a death blow to his own Justice Department, not to mention American values," said Anthony Romero, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union. "If the president flip-flops and retreats to the Bush military commissions, he will betray his campaign promise to restore the rule of law, demonstrate that his principles are up for grabs and lose all credibility with Americans who care about justice and the rule of law."

Obama administration insisted 9/11 trial in New York would be symbol of U.S. rule of law . New York officials do not want Khalid Sheikh Mohammed tried in Manhattan . Republicans want military, not civilian, trial . Recommendation would mean Obama administration reverses itself on two fronts .

Washington (CNN) -- Wider restrictions on fishing in the Gulf of Mexico are raising fresh concerns in an industry already hard-hit by the massive BP oil spill. With thousands of barrels of oil still spewing out of a damaged undersea well every day, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced Tuesday that it was nearly doubling the portion of the Gulf's federal waters that are now closed to fishing. The restricted zone now pushes south and east into the heart of the Gulf -- another blow to a $2.4 billion industry already reeling from the nearly month-old spill. For Greg Abrams, a commercial fisherman in Panama City, Florida, that means his boats are being pushed further west to chase big catch like bluefin tuna, swordfish and mahi-mahi. "They'll have to go in somewhere else, probably around Galveston (Texas), instead of coming home," Abrams said. "That'll cause some problems, but it's better to be safe than sorry." Louisiana fisherman get paid for helping cleanup Abrams owns a fleet of 14 fishing boats and hires another 41. One of them has caught 80 tuna in a seven-day stretch off the Gulf's Loop Current, a haul he called a "great start" to a seven-month season. "Now he has to leave the current and go farther west," Abrams said. NOAA's latest order extends the closed zone to a nearly 46,000-square-mile stretch, about 19 percent of the Gulf. The ongoing spill now threatens to be picked up by the Loop Current, which could spread some oil around the tip of Florida and up the U.S. East Coast. Unconfirmed reports from researchers that large amounts of oil is spreading below the surface, as well as concerns about the effect of chemical dispersants used to break up the spill, also worry people in the industry. Deborah Long, a spokeswoman for the Southern Shrimpers Association, said fishermen could face a "multi-generational effect" on the creatures from which they draw their living, with shrimp and bluefin tuna the two species with the most to lose. "We're not just worried about the shrimp stocks here," Long said. "We're worried about the entire marine food chain." Many areas off the Louisiana and Alabama coasts remain open to both commercial and recreational fishing as BP, the Coast Guard and volunteers try to battle the spreading slick offshore. But news accounts of the spill have prompted tourists to cancel fishing trips even in waters that are so far unaffected, said Sonny Schindler, of Shore Thing Charters in Diamondhead, Mississippi. "The oil hasn't done a thing to us -- it's the exposure," Schindler said Tuesday. He added, "Our water's still open, we're still trying to fish every chance we can, and we're open for business." And some of those who are still able to get out on the water are now seeing buyers go elsewhere, said Bobby Lovell, a crab fisherman in Louisiana's St. Bernard Parish. State-controlled waters near New Orleans were opened for three days starting Saturday, Lovell said. He and his father laid crab traps last weekend in Lake Borgne and came back with an ice chest full of crustaceans -- but he said many of his buyers have turned to suppliers in western Louisiana, which isn't currently threatened by the spill. Tar balls found in Florida Keys not believed to be from Gulf spill "I'm stressed. I'm pacing back and forth, and I'm normally a calm guy," he said. However, "The big wholesalers are in the same predicament I am right now," he said. The closures follow an April 20 explosion that sank the drilling platform Deepwater Horizon, taking 11 workers with it. Efforts to shut down the well that was ripped open by the accident have failed so far, though well owner BP says it has been able to capture some of the escaping oil and pump it to a ship on the surface. "The fish will move. They have fins. They will

New restrictions cover 19 percent of Gulf . Extension hits at deepwater fish like tuna . Shrimpers fear 'multi-generational' impact . Spill drives buyers to new sources .

Washington (CNN) -- With a simple, declarative statement, the head of the Department of Veterans Affairs announced his ambitious goal to eradicate one of the country's most shameful problems. "My name is Shinseki, and I am here to end veteran homelessness," VA Secretary Eric Shinseki said Tuesday in a speech to the National Summit on Homeless Veterans. But Shinseki indicated the challenge in meeting his goal by adding, "I learned long ago there are never any absolutes in life, and a goal of zero homeless veterans sure sounds like an absolute." The plan unveiled by Shinseki includes trying to leverage existing education and jobs programs, boosting the ability of veteran-owned businesses to compete for federal contracts and spend an additional $3 billion on medical services and homeless programs. An estimated 131,000 veterans are homeless, according to the VA. That is an improvement from 2003, when the number was as high as 196,000. But the secretary warned that given the ailing economy, the number could increase by as much as 10 percent to 15 percent in the next five years. The VA plans to focus its new efforts on preventing the problem. "Our plan enlarges the scope of VA's efforts to combat homelessness," said Shinseki in a news release. "In the past, VA focused largely on getting homeless veterans off the streets. Our five-year plan aims also at preventing them from ever ending up homeless." The department plans to expand the recently passed educational grants program for veterans who served after September 11, 2001, to include not just college but vocational programs as well, according to VA spokeswoman Katie Roberts. "Not every veteran wants to spend four years pursuing a college degree, but they might be interested in learning a trade that would get them into the taxpaying work force sooner," Shinseki said. The VA will also try to win more federal contracts for veteran-owned businesses, encouraging other agencies to exceed the minimum goal of 3 percent of contracts to veteran-owned small businesses. The increase, the VA believes, will also help employ more veterans since "veterans hire veterans," Shinseki said. In addition, it is increasing the amount of vouchers for public-financed housing, adding 10,000 more vouchers in 2010. The plan also calls for more programs to aid transition from prison and psychiatric facilities, as well as a renewed call to treat veterans' psychiatric conditions. Read more about the VA's ambitious goal Veterans' groups contacted after the speech were generally pleased that the secretary was focusing the attention but unsure how he would achieve such an ambitious goal. "General Shinseki is a soldier and treating this like a military operation and in the military you have to have hope for your missions," said Justin Brown of Veterans of Foreign Wars. Shinseki was a four-star general in the Army. Brown said he thought Shinseki's aim to get better coordination between the VA and federal departments, including Labor and Health, was a good start. But others were more pessimistic that Shinseki could change the VA bureaucracy. "This secretary is going to be a good leader, but we don't think he or the president has quite gotten a hold of how intractable the bureaucracy is inside the VA," said Rick Weidman, executive director for policy and government affairs at Vietnam Veterans of America. Weidman said one problem not mentioned Tuesday that would help, more than many of of the other programs, is reducing the backlog in processing veterans' claims that delays much-needed medical and other benefits. The VA recognizes backlogs are a problem, said spokeswoman Roberts. "The backlog is a top priority at the VA and at the forefront of the secretary's mind," she said. Toni Reinis at the Los Angeles organization New Directions said the announcement Tuesday showed that Shinseki had "real leadership," but she worried that lack of funds and leadership at the local level would make instituting change difficult. The problem, she said, is sometimes not in the VA's control. Reinis said her group's center, which

VA Secretary Eric Shinseki says, "I am here to end veteran homelessness" An estimated 131,000 veterans are homeless, according to the VA . One observer worries Shinseki doesn't realize how "intractable" VA bureaucracy is . Backlogs in veterans claims is cited as a major problem .

Washington (CNN) -- Workers aboard the Deepwater Horizon were pushing to complete the well at the heart of the Gulf of Mexico oil spill before the disaster, but no "conscious decision" to cut corners on safety has been discovered, a presidential commission reported Monday. "There seemed to be a compulsion to get this rig completed in that April 19th-April 20th time period," said Bob Graham, the commission's co-chairman. "And as a result of that, a number of things which might have made the outcome of this plight different were deferred or abandoned." The undersea gusher erupted with an April 20 explosion aboard the Deepwater Horizon drill rig, which was completing a well for the oil giant BP at the time of the blast. The rig sank two days later, taking 11 men to a watery grave and unleashing the worst oil spill in U.S. history. The well was about 45 days behind schedule, and Fred Bartlit, the commission's chief counsel, said BP's operating costs for the leased rig were running about $1.5 million per day. Those costs were "overhanging the heads of people on the rigs," Bartlit said -- "but they don't want their buddies to get killed, or themselves." "To date, we have not seen a single instance where a human being made a conscious decision to favor dollars over safety," he said. But as the commission opened two days of new hearings into the disaster on Monday, Graham questioned why the timing was "so central" to managers that they did not examine the well's cementing job more closely. "I would hope that tomorrow we get down to the question of just what was driving for a decision on that particular narrow 24 hours," added Graham, a former U.S. senator and Florida governor. In its preliminary findings, the commission criticized BP for shifting its plans for capping the completed well. At one point, one of the "company men" on the doomed rig was unaware of changes being planned back on shore, staff attorney Sean Grimsley said. Mark Bly, BP's executive vice president for safety, told the commission he and the company "don't exactly agree" with the findings. "In our work we went through what turned out to be the eight critical things we thought had contributed causally here," he said. "We clearly identified the failure to isolate at the bottom of the well and the negative test and, subsequently, the monitoring, so we didn't see the procedures here as particular to that. We felt they were covered in the other things that we described." Rep. Ed Markey, D-Massachusetts, an outspoken critic of BP, said the company has "a long and sordid history of cutting costs and pushing the limits in search of higher profits." "When the culture of a company favors risk-taking and cutting corners above other concerns, systemic failures like this oil spill disaster result without direct decisions being made or tradeoffs being considered," Markey said in a written statement on Monday's findings. The Massachusetts Democrat leads the House Energy and Commerce committee's energy and environmental subcommittee. Still pending are test results on the rig's blowout preventer, the massive fail-safe device that was supposed to shut down the well in case emergency. Federal authorities took control of the preventer in September and have turned it over to a Norwegian engineering firm to analyze the device "from soup to nuts," Bartlit said. BP, rig owner Transocean and cement contractor Halliburton have pointed fingers at each other since the rig sank. As the well's owner, BP was responsible for capping the ruptured well and cleaning up the more than 200 million gallons of oil that spilled. The well was sealed temporarily in mid-July and capped permanently on September 19. Lab test results should have prompted managers to redesign the cement slurry used to line the well, the committee reported. In addition, the Transocean drill crew also could have diverted the escaping hydrocarbons overboard or triggered the rig's emergency disconnect before the blast, which could have

NEW: BP doesn't "exactly agree" with the findings, a company executive says . NEW: Congressman says BP has a long history of "pushing the limits" Drill crews were under "compulsion" to complete the well, co-chairman says . No evidence has been found that managers chose "to favor dollars over safety"

Washington (CNN) -- You may drive a hybrid car, eat organic food, use "green" beauty products and design your home according to the latest environmentally friendly standards. But if you haven't considered "greening your love life, you are still a total environmental disaster," according to Stefanie Iris Weiss, author of the recently released book, "Eco-Sex." How should it work? Should you envision melting glaciers during a romantic dinner with your significant other? Well, not quite. It could be as simple as where you choose to go on a date. "How about going to a restaurant where you can eat a seductive menu based on organic, local food, which has produced less carbon dioxide before it ends up on your plate?" Weiss suggested. She is hoping to steer people away from "dirty" sex toward eco-sex. That means: • Hop on your bike for your next date and leave your car at home. (That means saying "adieu" to long-distance relationships.) • Stop excessive spending on Valentine's Day. (It produces way too much trash anyway.) • Wear comfy bamboo underwear. • Don't be so keen on having babies. How about adopting a child instead or implementing a one-child policy? Weiss' theory is not entirely new. Greenpeace published a guide to "environmentally friendly sex" in 2002, which includes "switching off the lights during romance" or "if you want to see your partner, have sex during the day." But Weiss goes further: She covers everything from your first date to raising your kids "green." She also suggests keeping the environment in mind when your sex drive is fading. Viagra, she says, is overrated. "People should eat oysters as an aphrodisiac instead," Weiss says. "They are a full of zinc, a precursor of testosterone. Casanova himself was known to eat them in great quantities before sex." On the streets of Washington, the idea of an eco-friendly love life is met with laughter. "How green is my love life? Are you serious? Don't be absurd!" were the most common reactions from people on the street. But the concept is in full display at a local sex shop. "We sell organic oils, edible underwear and toys that are completely recyclable," says Luis Cadillos, a salesman at Georgetown's "Pleasure Place." "The problem is our customers are embarrassed to dispose their toys properly." He says he thinks promoting an eco-friendly sex life could be "big business." "We should have an extra shelf for our green-conscious customers," Cadillos suggests. His colleague, Paula Kov, is less enthusiastic about the idea. "I try to live environmentally friendly, but it goes way over the top to think about [carbon dioxide reduction] in my love life," she says. Climate activist Mike Tidwell disagrees. "I never thought about how green my love life is. But in fact this is about reducing our extensive consumption and that should concern every part of our life," he says. Tidwell, who is the director of Chesapeake Climate Action Network in Washington, decided long ago to have only one child. "But I am glad the book doesn't prohibit making love outdoors," Tidwell joked. "That produces zero carbon dioxide." It's clear in Weiss' 200-page book that she is using sex to promote a completely green lifestyle. But is that such a bad thing? "With sex anything sells. Even the environment," Weiss says. She says she is hoping that, in the midst of the global climate crisis debate, her book "may finally approach those green-grumps, who don't know the basics about living an environmentally friendly life." That doesn't seem likely after reading conservative blogger William Teach's post on her book: "I actually hope the climate

Author Stefanie Iris Weiss wants you to make your love life green . She says couples should go for a bike ride and leave their car at home . She suggests older men eat oysters instead of taking Viagra .

Watch the full interview with Denise Richards tonight. "Piers Morgan Tonight" airs weeknights on CNN/US at 9 p.m. ET and on CNN International at 0200 GMT (Live simulcast), 1200 GMT and 2000 GMT / HKT 2000 CNN -- "If Charlie [Sheen] is to sort his life out," Piers Morgan asked Denise Richards. "Can you ever imagine a scenario where you might one day get back together?" "I'm way too old for him now," joked Richards, who turned 40 this year. "I'm way past his age range." The actress and mother of three is a guest on Thursday's "Piers Morgan Tonight." Richards is also a first-time author. Her new book, "The Real Girl Next Door," was released this week. Richards told Morgan that she and Sheen have been split up for six years. The couple's divorce was finalized in 2006. "When we fell in love," Richards said, "he had been sober for three years. He was getting his life back together. He had just gotten a job on 'Spin City.' And I really admired his strength and courage for overcoming addiction, and being so humble about it. "And that's what attracted me to him. So the Charlie that some of you have seen over the last six months is not the person that I met and married." Richards went on to say that Sheen was "amazing" when they first met. "He was so humbled and sweet, and charming and funny. And had such a great heart, and very honest. And we just had a very deep connection." Morgan asked Richards about her take on "the recent circus of Charlie's life." "From the beginning of it I was very worried," she said. "And it made me sad to see him that way. And so I was concerned. I was concerned for our children." Richards said that, in dealing with Sheen, the couple's two daughters -- Sam, 7, and Lola, 6 -- remain her priority. "We'll always have a bond with our daughters," she said. "And I wish nothing but the best for him." When Morgan asked Richards what her wish for her ex-husband was, the actress said she wants him to be healthy and there for his kids and himself. "He's a survivor," said Richards. "If anyone can pick themselves up, make a huge comeback, it's Charlie." Morgan asked, what is the weirdest rumor she'd ever heard about herself? "Well, this isn't that hurtful, but it's weird -- that I used to be a hooker. I used to be a Heidi Fleiss girl. I heard that rumor," Richards answered. "If anyone would know, it would be Charlie," said Richards, referring to Sheen's well-documented testimony in Fleiss' 1995 trial that he had spent over $50,000 on 27 hookers. Richards, who is single, said of dating: "The qualities that I look for now are different than prior to getting married and having kids. "I find myself very attracted to men who have children. And I think one of the sexiest qualities in a man is seeing a man great with kids." Richards called motherhood her greatest achievement. "I love being a mother more than anything. And I get so much fulfillment and joy with my children." Richards opened up about her recent adoption of a baby girl, whom she named Eloise Joni Richards. "She's amazing," Richards said. She told Morgan that Sam and Lola "are so in love with her. They are very protective of her." As for whether she'll marry again, Richards said she intends to "be a good role model for my kids, and be a strong woman, even if it's on my own." Richards said that she also plans

Richards: The Charlie that you've seen over the last six months is not the man I married . Richards: "If anyone can pick themselves up, make a huge comeback, it's Charlie" Denise Richards' priority is her daughters: Sam, 7, Lola, 6, and her adopted newborn, Eloise . Richards' dream acting gig is a Quentin Tarantino directed film .

Waterville, Maine (CNN) -- Divers in Maine were scouring a river Wednesday in their search for a missing 21-month-old girl, but had found no sign of her in the frigid waters, authorities said. "We're making progress. I can tell you honestly that as the days go on, our concern grows, as it's been 26 days. But I can also tell you that we remain hopeful that we will bring her back to her home," Maine Department of Public Safety spokesman Steve McCausland told reporters. The search for Ayla Reynolds focused Wednesday on a half-mile area of the Kennebec River that stretches from downtown Waterville to the Carter Memorial Bridge. Officials said they had received more than 600 tips, but nothing that specifically pointed to that area. The river still has open water despite air temperatures in the teens. Divers in special suits to protect them in the frigid waters rotated in and out of the river, which was around freezing temperature, Maine Warden Service Lt. Kevin Adam said. "The water is clear. When the sun is out, they can see 4-6 feet. ... We picked today because the weather's good and it was the most efficient time to do it," he said. The search for the little girl is in its fourth week. Police have said they suspect foul play in the case. "All we know is that Ayla's missing. We've ruled out no scenario. We've ruled out no one. And we're not going to get into investigative details," McCausland said Wednesday. He described the search as the most intense investigation Maine's state police had been involved in for two decades. Ayla's parents are not married and don't live together. Her mother recently completed rehab, family members said. Investigators said both families have cooperated with police. The little girl's father, Justin DiPietro, said he put his daughter to bed at 8 p.m. December 16 and called police the next morning just before 9 a.m. to report her missing, according to authorities. DiPietro's mother, Phoebe DiPietro, told CNN she wasn't at the home the night Ayla disappeared. But she said she fully supports her son, who has said he "would never do anything to harm" his daughter. She said she just wants her Ayla returned unharmed. "I'd give everything I owned if we can have her back," she said last week, her voice breaking. CNN's Susan Candiotti and Ross Levitt contributed to this report.

NEW: Police spokesman: "As the days go on, our concern grows" NEW: "We've ruled out no scenario. We've ruled out no one," he says . Divers wearing special suits brave frigid temperatures . Ayla Reynolds has been missing since mid-December .

Waxahachie, Texas (CNN) -- Preliminary air quality tests show "no threat to the public" from a massive fire at a Texas chemical plant Monday, city and federal officials said. Waxahachie Fire Chief David Hudgins said authorities believe that the fire "overran the sprinkler system," and it sent thick plumes of smoke high into the sky hours after it started. There were no flames visible by late afternoon, though by then the blaze might have discharged dangerous substances into the air, according to the federal Environmental Protection Agency. That prompted EPA staff to dispatch air monitors to test for toxic vapors. Around 4:45 p.m. (5:45 p.m. EST), Waxahachie city spokeswoman Amy Hollywood said initial tests did not indicate any danger to those in the area. That assessment was later confirmed by EPA official Nicolas Brescia. "We have not seen any significant level that would cause a public health concern," Brescia told reporters. Brescia said that tests conducted from flights over and around the fire detected small amounts of two chemicals, but nothing that would be considered dangerous to anyone outside the immediate vicinity of the fire. A statement from his federal agency also indicated that "ground-level portable sampling devices did not show elevated toxic chemicals." Earlier, Dave Bary -- a Dallas-based spokesman for the EPA -- said the most prevalent chemical that the company had documented, and produced on site, was anhydrous ammonia. The EPA official said earlier Monday that 48,630 pounds of the chemical, which creates a toxic vapor downwind when released, have been reported at the site. It was not known how much of the chemical was released into the air during the fire. Officials ordered the evacuation of a school, an apartment building and other industrial sites within an eight-block radius of the plant, said Diana Buckley, an official with Ellis County government. A shelter-in-place advisory is in effect for some smaller nearby towns northwest of the city, including Red Oak, she said. "Everybody is out and safe," Donald Golden, environmental health and safety manager for Magnablend Inc., the plant's owner, said of employees and visitors to the plant. The plant stores and mixes numerous chemicals, said Amy Hollywood, a city spokeswoman. Images transmitted by CNN affiliates KTVT and WFAA showed orange flames devouring buildings and licking at tanker cars parked at the edge of the Magnablend plant, which is about 30 miles south of Dallas. Firefighters had pulled back and were using ladder trucks to spray water on the fire, Hollywood said. Multiple fire departments were on the scene. One of the them, the Midlothian Fire Department, reported that chemicals had been released in the fire, but no additional details were immediately available. Officials have said burning liquid continued to fuel the flames hours after it began, but they appeared able to wrestle the fire under control by early Monday evening. There was no immediate word on the cause on the fire, Golden said. No one was injured in the fire, Hudgins said. The nearby Wedgeworth Elementary School was evacuated, a school district official confirmed. Students were being taken to a school across town, school officials said. Navarro College's Waxahachie campus also evacuated, a receptionist confirmed. Southwestern Assemblies of God University, which is on the other side of town from the chemical plant, was keeping people inside but had not evacuated, spokeswoman Christina Freeze said. Magnablend produces custom chemicals for a variety of industries, including oil, agriculture, pet and animal feed, water treatment, construction and industrial cleaning companies, according to its website. Anhydrous ammonia is a clear, colorless gas, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It can be absorbed into the body by inhalation, ingestion, eye contact and skin contact. CNN's Ed Lavandera and Dave Alsup contributed to this report.

NEW: The EPA says ground-level air tests don't "show elevated toxic chemicals" A city official says that any released toxins appear to pose "no threat to the public" The Waxahachie fire chief says the fire overran the plant's sprinkler system . A main chemical produced at the plant was anhydrous ammonia, an EPA official says .

West Point, New York (CNN) -- President Obama said Tuesday that the deployment of 30,000 additional U.S. troops to Afghanistan is part of a strategy to reverse the Taliban's momentum and stabilize the country's government. "There is no imminent threat of the government being overthrown, but the Taliban has gained momentum," Obama said at the U.S. Military Academy. "Al Qaeda has not re-emerged in Afghanistan in the same numbers as before 9/11, but they retain their safe-havens along the border. "And our forces lack the full support they need to effectively train and partner with Afghan security forces and better secure the population. ... In short, the status quo is not sustainable." Obama said he'd begin sending the additional troops "at the fastest pace possible" starting in early 2010 "with a goal of starting to withdraw forces from the country in July 2011." The president said additional U.S. forces bolstered by NATO troops "will allow us to accelerate handing over responsibility to Afghan forces." Senior administration officials said Tuesday that Obama has a goal of withdrawing most U.S. forces by the end of his current term, which ends in January 2013. Watch what the new troops will do in Afghanistan It will be the second increase of U.S. forces in the war-torn Islamic country ordered by Obama since he took office in January. In his speech Tuesday, Obama said his strategy had three objectives: • Deny al Qaeda a safe haven • Reverse the Taliban's momentum and deny it the ability to overthrow Afghanistan's government • Strengthen Afghanistan's security forces and government The additional troops was one way to achieve these, he said. Other strategies will include holding Afghan government leaders accountable for corruption, focus assistance on areas that could help the lives of Afghans, and securing the country's border with Pakistan. "We are in Afghanistan to prevent a cancer from once again spreading through that country. But this same cancer has also taken root in the border region of Pakistan. That is why we need a strategy that works on both sides of the border," Obama said. The president said he rejected the option of committing more forces for an undefined mission of nation-building without any deadlines. "I reject this course because it sets goals that are beyond what we can achieve at a reasonable cost, and what we need to achieve to secure our interests," Obama said. "Furthermore, the absence of a timeframe for transition would deny us any sense of urgency in working with the Afghan government. It must be clear that Afghans will have to take responsibility for their security, and that America has no interest in fighting an endless war in Afghanistan." Obama rejected analogies with the war in Vietnam that divided America in the 1960s and 1970s. "Unlike Vietnam, we are joined by a broad coalition of 43 nations that recognizes the legitimacy of our action," Obama said. "Unlike Vietnam, we are not facing a broad-based popular insurgency. And most importantly, unlike Vietnam, the American people were viciously attacked from Afghanistan, and remain a target for those same extremists who are plotting along its border." Obama said the U.S. has no interest in occupying Afghanistan. "We will support efforts by the Afghan government to open the door to those Taliban who abandon violence and respect the human rights of their fellow citizens," Obama said. "And we will seek a partnership with Afghanistan grounded in mutual respect -- to isolate those who destroy; to strengthen those who build; to hasten the day when our troops will leave; and to forge a lasting friendship in which America is your partner, and never your patron." Obama spoke to an audience of West Point cadets, staff and guests in outlining his strategy that he has deliberated for months, meeting several times with his national security team. He recognized that some in the audience had fought in Afghanistan, and some would be deployed in the future. "As your commander in chief, I owe you a mission that is clearly defined, and worthy of

30,000 troops to be deployed within six months, President Obama says . Obama: More troops would quicken transfer of responsibility to Afghanistan . Obama wants most U.S. troops out of Afghanistan in 3 years, officials say . President: Goals are to deny al Qaeda a safe haven and reverse Taliban's momentum .

West Vancouver, British Columbia (CNN) -- It's more than two hours before snowboard practice begins, two hours before Robert Beck will take his first picture, and he is trudging up the steep icy slope that is one lip of the halfpipe. Temperatures are just above freezing on Cypress Mountain, and Beck, a Sports Illustrated photographer for 24 years, is steadily ambling up the hill to stake out his position near the top. The climb is just 160 meters, but try doing it with a 50- or 60-pound pack on your back and a bad knee repaired just three weeks ago. It's going to be worth it; Beck knows precisely where he needs to be to get the perfect picture when the overwhelming gold medal favorite Shaun White performs. For the next nine hours Beck won't leave his spot -- he's not allowed to come back down until the competition is over -- so he has a bag full of equipment and provisions. He carries three camera bodies, four lenses, several radios to remotely trigger cameras and a bunch of Cliff bars. (McDonald's might sponsor these Games, but there's no Golden Arches on the hill). See 19 of Robert Beck's amazing SI photos from the Winter Games He knows where to be to get the shot he wants because Beck and his assistant, Kohjiro "Kojo" Kinno have been photographing White for months, learning his every move and tendency. For instance, Beck knows the best time to shoot a close-up of White is during his first practice run because the snowboarder doesn't go as high then. They went to three World Cup events and the X Games, shooting White and his competitors in preparation for the Olympics. Then once in Vancouver it was off to every practice to test out different angles to shoot. "We're trying to frame it just right," Beck said on the drive from his hotel to the venue. "On their tricks, snowboarders are spinning so fast. Sometimes you never see their faces. You don't want to get pictures of rear ends or the bottom of the board. We want to get their faces if we can." Beck, who has more than 50 Sports Illustrated covers to his credit, is frustrated even before he climbs the hill. Kinno is an important part of the "we" he talks about. Kinno has been there for him for nearly seven years, handing him the right equipment, fixing things when they go wonky, running cards back to the work area and often being the voice of reason. But that won't happen today because officials wouldn't give Kinno a photographer's armband. He's not even allowed to shoot pictures from a lower area of the venue. It's almost like a pitcher without his catcher, though the understated Kinno often is the one who shakes Beck off. And then there's the eye roll. They have this way of disagreeing that only longtime friends can have. There's often disagreement, Kinno says, but they always come to an understanding. On this Wednesday at the halfpipe, Kinno will have to stay in front of a laptop all day, trying patiently to wait for runners to bring him the cards from the cameras. At least he has company. John Birk, photographer Al Tielemans' assistant, can't go with his photographer either. Tielemans will spot up on the other side of the pipe while photographer Bob Martin will be positioned at the bottom. Just before setting off for the hill, Beck gets a call from Steve Fine, SI's director of photography. Fine has a request for Beck to get White at a certain angle. Beck's sure he can't and tells Fine that he has a great shot in mind, looking up the pipe as White soars into action. Fine likes that but wants to have one with the crowd in the background. Beck and Kinno agree; it's not a clean shot from where Beck will be, but they can try and see what Fine says. You'd think that Beck can call the shots, so to speak, and send in his favorites

Robert Beck has been a photographer with Sports Illustrated for 24 years . His assignment at the Winter Olympics: Shoot events at Cypress Mountain . To prepare for shooting halfpipe, Beck and assistant went to several events beforehand . Beck took 1,400 pictures in one day, not sure if any will make the magazine .

What the heck are triglycerides? If you don't know, you have plenty of company. One in every three Americans has high triglyceride levels, which elevate risk of heart disease and early death. The fatty particles found in your blood are important for heart health, but don't get nearly as much attention as, say, cholesterol. Now a new study suggests that there's a good chance that your triglycerides are in the unhealthy zone, whether you know what they are or not. About one-third of American adults have triglyceride levels that are borderline or too high, according to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report published Monday in Archives of Internal Medicine. "I see it as a major problem that we've completely ignored this problem so far," said Dr. Børge Nordestgaard of the University of Copenhagen in Denmark. Nordestgaard has conducted research linking high triglyceride levels to cardiovascular disease and early death, but was not involved in the CDC research. "Everyone in clinical practice seemed to be so focused on LDL, LDL, LDL [bad cholesterol], people tended to forget triglycerides." he said. Being too heavy, getting too little activity, drinking lots of alcohol and eating lots of saturated fat can all add up to higher triglyceride levels because the body stores excess calories as triglycerides. Health.com: Fats to eat, fats to avoid Triglycerides are a third type of fatty particle found in the blood, along with LDL cholesterol and HDL (also known as good) cholesterol. People taking certain medications or those who have diabetes or a genetic condition can have high triglycerides. Health.com: What cholesterol tests reveal about your heart's health Nordestgaard said that high triglycerides are as dangerous as high cholesterol levels as a risk marker for heart disease and early death. "There's a really big potential for further prevention of heart disease and strokes by getting more focused on that," he said. Health.com: How stress can trigger heart problems The problem: Right now, the best way to attack high triglycerides is by losing weight, eating more healthily, and becoming more active-- a tall order for many of us. In the new report, Dr. Earl Ford of the CDC, and his colleagues looked at a nationally representative group of 5,610 people 20 and older. They found that 33.1 percent had triglyceride levels above 150 milligrams per deciliter, while 17.9 percent had levels above 200 milligrams per deciliter, 1.7 percent had levels of 500 milligrams per deciliter or above, and 0.4 percent had levels higher than 1,000 milligrams per deciliter. Triglycerides of 150 to 199 milligrams per deciliter are considered borderline high and anything above 200 milligrams per deciliter is considered too high. Men were more likely than women to have high triglycerides, while whites were at greater risk than African Americans and Mexican Americans. Very high triglyceride levels can cause inflammation of the pancreas. Although there's increasing evidence that elevated triglycerides are associated with cardiovascular disease and early death, no one has yet shown that treating high triglyceride levels reduces cardiovascular disease, according to an editorial by Dr. Warren G. Thompson and Dr. Gerald T. Gau of the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, in Rochester, Minnesota. Lifestyle changes-- exercising, losing weight, swapping healthy fats for unhealthy ones, and the like-- are the treatment of choice right now for people with triglyceride levels between 150 milligrams per deciliter and 500 milligrams per deciliter . According to the National Cholesterol Education Panel, higher-risk people with triglyceride levels falling in this range may also need medication. Beyond lifestyle changes, treatments for high triglycerides include statins, fibrates, niacin, and fish oil. But while fibrates reduce the risk of cardiovascular events like stroke and heart attack, Thompson and Gau note, they don't reduce mortality and actually increase the risk of death from non-heart-related causes; they are only recommended for people with triglycerides above 1,000 milligrams per deciliter. "What we really need scientifically, we need companies to come up with drugs that are more efficient at particularly reducing triglycerides," said Nordestgaard. He usually recommends that people try statins first if lifestyle changes are not enough-- as do Thompson

Fatty particles called triglycerides are important for heart health . One in every three Americans has high triglyceride levels, according to CDC . High triglyceride levels can cause pancreatic inflammation, heart disease death .

While I am looking forward to being back on the air in June, there is something I want to share with people that cannot wait. I want to tell you about Kai Anderson. Kai is a 5-year-old boy who lives in my neighborhood in New York City. Kai has a rare form of leukemia. Kai Anderson has a rare form of leukemia. This little boy's best hope lies in a bone marrow transplant. His only hope is a bone marrow transplant and he desperately needs to find a match. As if Kai's family weren't going through enough, his father was diagnosed with a very rare form of lymphoma -- that's two cancers in this one family. Our community in downtown Manhattan has mobilized to try to find a bone marrow match for Kai. We are asking people to consider taking a very quick and test. I have done it. It just involves a q-tip swab in the cheek. If you are a match, donating bone marrow can be a simple outpatient procedure. I encourage you to visit www.hopeforkai.com to learn more. This is a heartbreaking story and a family that truly needs our help. -- Campbell Brown

5-year-old Kai Anderson has a rare form of leukemia . To cure it, he needs a bone marrow transplant . Click here for information on bone marrow drives in Kai's honor .

White Plains, New York (CNN) -- Former New York Police Commissioner Bernard Kerik on Thursday pleaded guilty to charges of lying to Bush administration officials who vetted his unsuccessful 2004 nomination to be homeland security secretary. Kerik admitted to eight counts as part of a plea agreement with federal prosecutors, who are recommending a 27- to 33-month prison term. U.S. District Judge Stephen Robinson set Kerik's sentencing for February 18. In court papers, prosecutors said Kerik denied to a White House official that there was "any possible concern" about his relationships with the contractors involved in renovations to his apartment or that he had any financial dealings with prospective city contractors. Kerik, 54, had been scheduled to go to trial next week on a variety of corruption charges, including allegations that he received and concealed benefits of about $255,000 in renovations to his Riverdale, New York, apartment from a company seeking to do business with the city of New York. He pleaded guilty to that charge and several tax-related counts during Thursday morning's hearing. Robinson said he would take into account Kerik's life and career, which he said "included good" as well as wrongdoing. Kerik put his head in his hands at that point. Kerik has spent the past two weeks in jail after a judge revoked his bail. According to court papers released in late October, he violated the terms of his bail by leaking confidential evidence about his case to a lawyer who published the material online. Kerik served as New York police commissioner from 1998 to 2002 -- a tenure that included the September 11, 2001, terrorist attack that destroyed the World Trade Center and killed more than 2,700 people. He spent a brief stint in Iraq training the country's police force after the U.S. invasion in 2003, and was nominated by President George W. Bush for the post of homeland security secretary in 2004. However, he withdrew from consideration after allegations surfaced that he employed a nanny whose immigration status was murky. In 2006, Kerik pleaded guilty to accepting tens of thousands of dollars worth of gifts while he worked as city corrections commissioner, but under a plea agreement he paid $221,000 in fines and avoided jail time. His admission dogged the 2008 presidential campaign of his longtime patron, former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, who said his endorsement of Kerik had been "a mistake." Kerik made an unsuccessful appeal for clemency to Bush in late 2008, according to court papers released in October. CNN's Mary Snow and Julian Cummings contributed to this report.

Prosecutors recommend 27- to 33-month sentence for Bernard Kerik . Former NYPD commissioner to be sentenced on February 18 . Kerik had been scheduled to go on trial next week on several corruption charges . He also indicated he would admit tax violations as part of a plea deal .

Wichita, Kansas (CNN) -- In situations like the dire humanitarian crisis that has followed Tuesday's earthquake in Haiti, we all are forced to witness what is the sometimes painful truth behind the cliché about it taking a village to raise a child. In the tragedy unfolding before us now, it will take a global village. President Obama and former presidents, along with other leaders and representatives of humanitarian organizations, have reminded us of this. We would like to add our own small, humble contribution to the efforts under way around the world to help the people of Haiti. In particular, we would like to draw your attention to the many children who were living in Haitian orphanages when the earthquake hit. As we have heard from professionals devoted to children's issues, children are among the most vulnerable segments of a population subject to natural disasters and humanitarian crises. It is not hard to imagine that orphans living in institutional care might often be even more vulnerable. Watch couple's interview with Anderson Cooper Right now, orphanages across Port-au-Prince are struggling to provide the most basic necessities to the children in their care. But right now, all Haitians in the capital are struggling to do this. What makes Haiti's orphans different is that they have no families to take care of them, and no hope of reuniting with their families. Except for the orphanages' staff members, most of whom have families of their own to which they rightly must divide their attention, these children have no one. iReport: Looking for loved ones in Haiti Our adoptive son, Alexander, is one of the children without a family. He was left, just hours after his birth, near a hospital in Cité Soleil and, with the permission of Haiti's Institut du Bien-Être Social et de Recherches, brought to one of the homes of the Brebis de Saint-Michel de L'Attalaye orphanage in Port-au-Prince. He was named after one of the American volunteers, Alison McMutrie, who works alongside Haitian staff to care for orphaned children. Ti Ali, or Little Ali, is 17 months old, and Big Ali is about 21. Ali and the rest of the BRESMA staff have been the only family Alexander has ever known. And although we will never know for sure, especially not after the earthquake, anything about her, we firmly believe that his birth mother loved Alexander and did what was in her power to ensure that he would have a brighter future than she could provide. Hers was, we believe, an act of sacrifice, but it was also an act of hope and trust -- hope that the world would be kind to Alexander, perhaps even despite her own experience, and trust that someone would love him as much as she does. Though she will never know us, the faith that she has placed, even indirectly, in us is quite simply astounding. Or at least it was until Tuesday. Now, we imagine that we share another bond with her: We would willingly make whatever personal sacrifice we have to to save Alexander's life. As parents who are adopting across national, linguistic and cultural boundaries, we are sensitive to all of the complicated issues that arise in international adoption, and we support both the integrity of Haitian families and the commitment to finding loving homes for children who are in need of them. Since being matched with Alexander in April, we have traveled to Haiti four times to get to know him and the country of his birth. Each successive trip impressed upon us more and more the dignity of the Haitian people and the sense of commitment they show for each other. From what we have seen of the people of Haiti when we have been there with Alex, they care deeply about all children -- orphans and those still living with their families. Many likely would help the orphans through this crisis if they could, but they simply cannot. As Alexander's mother put her trust in the people who, as fate would have it, turned out to be us, we are placing our trust in others to join our

In Haiti crisis, children are most vulnerable and orphans most of all . Authors are in the process of adopting Alexander, a 17-month-old orphan in Port-au-Prince . Children in Haitian orphanages need to be evacuated, according to staff of institution . Priority is saving the life of Alexander and his fellow orphans, the authors say .

Wichita, Kansas (CNN) -- Major King remembers a time before the abortion debate came to his hometown, a time when Wichita, Kansas, was known as the air capital of the world. Manufacturers such as Learjet, Cessna and Beechcraft were the backbone of a tight-knit community where God-fearing folks like King would canoe after school in the Arkansas River and drag the streets "in slick cars with a nice-looking honey" on weekends. Times have changed, says King, 70, a retired oil refinery worker who also spent time at Cessna. "Now, Wichita's known as the abortion capital of the world." It's a label shunned by many Wichitans, regardless of their views on abortion. They'd rather be known for the restaurants and entertainment venues, quality schools and affordable housing that make Wichita one of the nation's "best-kept secrets," King says. But the May 31, 2009, slaying of Dr. George Tiller, a prominent abortion provider gunned down in church during Sunday services, focused national attention back on Wichita and its role in one of the most divisive legal and social controversies of our times. It faded for a time, as Tiller's death led to the closure of Wichita's last abortion clinic, and activists on both sides shifted their focus elsewhere. But the trial of Tiller's admitted shooter, Scott Roeder, again stirred talk of abortion in the bars and coffee shops of a city where most have steeled themselves for years against noisy protests and graphic images of fetuses. Roeder was convicted Friday of first-degree murder. After the jury's swift verdict -- they deliberated for just 37 minutes -- many in Wichita are hoping the abortion controversy will fade. "After he receives his sentence on March 9 -- preferably the Hard 50, as District Attorney Nola Foulston is requesting -- he'll also get the consequence. And then may we never hear from him again," blogged an editorial writer for the local newspaper, The Wichita Eagle. "Maybe this will get things back to normal now, seeing as there's not much reason for abortion to be such a big issue now that the trial's over," King says. "And, now there is no more abortion in Wichita, either, because the doctor is gone." To Troy Macormac, Tiller's death already signified the end of Wichita's reputation as the world's abortion capital, albeit through deplorable means. "I'm really not for abortion ... so it's kind of a fence-riding deal," says Macormac, a brick mason who grew up in Wichita. "But I feel he has a right to have a business and provide for his family and take care of his business the way he wants to take care of it. That's his right as being an American." For years, demonstrators maintained a constant presence outside Tiller's Women's Health Services clinic, a nondescript, cream-colored building of cement and brick facing Kellogg Avenue -- the city's major east-west corridor. "People got tired," says Lorrie Donham, a middle school science teacher. "The only way it really affected me was when I'd have to drive down Kellogg with my young daughters and have them be exposed to these grotesque, brutal images." The turmoil also spread to Tiller's congregation at Reformation Lutheran Church, where he was ultimately shot to death. "They knew what service Dr. Tiller generally attended and they would come out there full-blown with their babies in arms and huge imagery of damaged fetuses," said Teresa Mora, a member of the congregation who identifies herself as pro-choice. "It got to the point we had to set up partitions so children could exit family vehicles and go into church without having to be exposed to so much of that imagery." Frosted glass was installed on the church's windows, added Mora. The controversy made Tiller a symbol of hope for the abortion rights movement and a formidable foe of abortion opponents. He received repeated death threats and

Some say abortion provider's death marks end of Wichita's reputation as "abortion capital" Scott Roeder was convicted Friday of killing abortion provider Dr. George Tiller . The shooting stirred emotions among residents who had wearied of the abortion debate .

Willow, Alaska (CNN) -- The 2010 Iditarod is officially under way, with 71 mushers and dog teams on the wide-open trail toward Nome. Teams will spend the next week and a half crossing 1,049 miles through some of the most demanding and formidable conditions on Earth, including North America's largest mountain chain, the Alaska range. "Ten days and nothing else but eat, sleep and feed dogs," Canadian musher Sebastian Schnuelle said excitedly. The sport has been dominated in recent years by Lance Mackey, 39, of Fairbanks, Alaska, and this year he will be trying to accomplish what no musher in history has been able to do: win four consecutive Iditarods. Mackey is a throat cancer survivor and is known for his fierce determination and competitive spirit. He comes from family of Alaskan mushing champions. His father, Dick Mackey, and brother Rick have also won the Iditarod. Dick Mackey's one-second win over Rick Swenson in 1978 set a record for the closest finish in Iditarod history. The Iditarod, though, isn't a competitive sprint to the finish for every musher in the field. Jim Lanier, 69, of Chugiak, Alaska, mushes primarily for enjoyment. He's entered and completed 13 Iditarods, at least one in all four decades the race has been in existence. He has never won. Rookie Iditarod musher Kristy Berington admits that she's not racing to win; she just hopes to finish. Her longest race prior to entering this year's Iditarod was only 300 miles. "I've got puppies on this team that I want to see get to Nome. It's like watching your kid graduate from college," said the 25-year-old Kasilof, Alaska, resident. "They go and they're puppies, and they come back and they're dogs." She has been training with Iditarod veteran Paul Gebhardt and has borrowed one of his dog teams to lead her to Nome. Outside of personal accomplishments and goals, the race this year also presents an opportunity for some mushers to show their respect to fallen serviceman, thanks to a collaboration with the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors. Always a top competitor in the race, four-time Iditarod champion Martin Buser of Big Lake, Alaska, has six commemorative purple ribbons attached to his sled this year, placed there at the ceremonial start by the wives of the fallen soldiers and officers. Buser, who was born in Switzerland in 1958, became a U.S. citizen in 2002. "After the 9/11 incident, I proved to my boys that this is the soil I wanted to defend ... so being asked to do such honors as these are very, very important to me because I'm truly one of the new immigrants and one of the staunches believers in our country," he said. Buser was naturalized under the famous burled arch in Nome at the finish line of the 2002 Iditarod. He carried an American flag in his sled for more than 1,000 miles to the finish line that year and set an Iditarod record for the shortest race time ever recorded: 8 days, 22 hours, 46 minutes and 2 seconds. His two sons are even named after Iditarod checkpoints: Nikolai and Rohn. The 2010 Iditarod musher's roster includes men and women ages 18 to 69 who hail from five countries: the United States, Canada, Scotland, Belgium and Jamaica. Some are professional mushers who raise and train sled dogs year-round; others are teachers, nurses, horse trainers, foresters or biologists. A doctor and a fishing guide also are included, among other professions. Asked to explain why mushers are drawn to this sport, four-time Iditarod champion Jeff King of Denali Park, Alaska, took time to reflect before answering. "Until you've ridden a dog team you've trained from puppies on a full moon with a hard trail and feel their energy and hear the panting of their tongues, the jingle of their collars, feel the surge of power that comes through the handlebar, I don't think you can appreciate what it's really like,"

38th year of famed Alaskan sled dog race begins with 71 teams . Lance Mackey will be trying for fourth consecutive win . "It's like watching your kid graduate from college," musher says of completing .

With the annual post-Thanksgiving multiplex malaise setting in and just one big new movie (Punisher: War Zone, which I'll get to later ... uh, much later) in theaters, the box office results remarkably resembled those of a week ago. Reese Witherspoon and Vince Vaughn star in "Four Christmases," which stayed at No. 1. So, yep, you guessed it: Four Christmases was No. 1 with $18.2 million, according to Sunday's estimates. That brings the holiday comedy's two-week sum to a sweet $70.8 million -- and it restores my confidence in Vince Vaughn and Reese Witherspoon as box office draws. For now, at least. The rest of the top five is comprised of the same movies we've been seeing for a while now. Twilight moved back up to the No. 2 spot with a tidy $13.2 million haul; its three-week sum is $138.6 million. Bolt (No. 3) followed with $9.7 million, a huge and surprising 64 percent decline from its impressive Thanksgiving weekend sum. Australia declined 53 percent to bank $7 million at No. 4. And Quantum of Solace (No. 5) grossed $6.6 million and crossed the $500 million mark worldwide. Among major new releases, the biggest was hardly the baddest: Punisher: War Zone (No. 8) grossed a mere $4 million in 2,508 theaters, a tally that's way off from the $13.8 million that The Punisher premiered with in 2004. More punishment: The Marvel franchise reboot failed to defeat even last week's action disappointment, Transporter 3 which was No. 7 with $4.5 million. Ouch! Meanwhile, the other sorta-substantial new movie, Cadillac Records (No. 9), fared a bit better, bringing in a decent $3.5 million in 686 locations. But the indie drama Nobel Son failed to take any prize (except, perhaps, that of Box Office Flop of the Week), grossing just $370,575 in 893 venues -- a redonkulously low average of $415 per theater. Nay, the only real news of note came in the ultra-limited-release sphere, where the buzzy drama Frost/Nixon debuted with a tremendous $60,049 average in three theaters in New York, Los Angeles and Toronto. The Oscar contender will roll out wider in the coming weeks. Overall, the slow box office was actually up more than 6 percent from the same, even slower frame a year ago, when The Golden Compass produced disappointing returns. That makes this the fifth straight "up" weekend of the fall season, and all things considered, it should be enough to spread some holiday cheer in Hollywood. CLICK HERE to Try 2 RISK FREE issues of Entertainment Weekly

Four Christmases maintained its No. 1 spot with an estimated $18.2 million . Twilight moved back up to the No. 2 spot with a tidy $13.2 million haul . Australia declined 53 percent to bank $7 million at the No. 4 slot .

Woodbridge, Virginia (CNN) -- The police photograph is chilling. In grainy black and white tones, it shows 13-year-old Martin Andrews sitting in a makeshift box, his leg chained. The look in his eyes is one of fear, fatigue and disbelief. He had just been rescued from a nightmare. "I was abducted by a sexually violent predator by the name of Richard Ausley, who had been twice convicted for sexually assaulting young boys, and he had taken me for eight days," Andrews recalled of his ordeal 37 years ago this month. "I was left to die." As a survivor of a sex crime, Andrews is one face of an issue the Supreme Court will revisit Tuesday: civil commitment, which allows the government to keep sex offenders in custody even after they have served their sentences. Twenty states have such laws, including Virginia, where Andrews was held captive and repeatedly assaulted. CNN normally doesn't name victims of sex crimes, but Andrews, now a victims' advocate, agreed to tell his story. On the other side of the debate is the first sex offender released from Virginia's civil commitment program, and one of just a handful nationwide. "I served my time for what I did, and I didn't feel like I should be incarcerated again," said this man, who asked that his identity not be revealed for fear of retribution. "It was a scary thing to know that you could be committed to a mental institution for the rest of your life." The man said mandatory therapy helped him, but he thinks that could have been initiated while he was in prison. There is widespread disagreement on whether civil commitment is a Catch-22. In discussions of the effects of sex crimes, nothing is simple or dispassionate. The practice of confinement in mental hospitals or treatment centers for those with severe mental illness has been around the United States since its founding. Around the turn of the 20th century, many laws dealing with sexual psychopaths were passed. Over the decades, the laws were repealed or rarely applied. Then, in 1990, Washington state became the first to pass an innovative civil commitment law specifically for violent sex offenders. California, Wisconsin and New York, among others, later followed. Such "predator laws" focused on risk assessment and prevention of re-offending. It is a concept that the general public may not be aware exists. The Supreme Court has upheld the use of such laws when the individual goal is rehabilitation, not further "punishment." But it has another, broader purpose. "The primary goal is incapacitation, that is, protecting society from people who are predicted to be dangerous in the future," said Eric Janus, author of "Failure to Protect" and dean at William Mitchell College of Law in St. Paul, Minnesota. "The second goal is to provide treatment to these individuals." Critics of these programs say behavioral rehabilitation centers amount to prisons, are often overcrowded and understaffed, and rarely meet the stated goal of treating the "worst of the worst" offenders to the point they can rejoin society. "The evidence is showing that it's only becoming a detainment center for people they do not went on the streets," said Derek Logue, a sex offender who was released and now advocates for offender rights through his Web site, oncefallen.com. "They have no hope of getting out, and the odds are stacked against you." According to Justice Department statistics, 20 states use civil confinement, involving about 4,000 rapists, pedophiles and other sex offenders nationwide. Estimates are that these programs cost taxpayers more than $700 million a year, almost $150,000 per individual. That is about four times more than confining them in prison. Virginia passed its civil commitment law in 1999 but had never fully funded it. Andrews found out from a reporter in 2002 that his attacker was just weeks away from being released after 29 years behind bars. Once a victim, now an empowered advocate, Andrews realized he had to act. "I didn't know

Case on civil commitment laws comes before U.S. Supreme Court . Laws allows sex offenders to be held even after they finish criminal sentences . Victim says civil commitment not best tool but effective for now . Critics of such programs say treatment facilities amount to prison .

YANAGAWA, Japan (CNN) -- Wearing a Nashville School of Law T-shirt, Christopher Savoie walked into a second-floor police interrogation room. In one corner, a stopwatch was running to hold him to the 15 minutes allotted for the interview. A Tennessee court awarded Christopher Savoie custody of his son, Isaac, and daughter, Rebecca. "I'm so scared," he said. Savoie chose his words carefully, lest police Officer Toshihiro Tanaka cut short the rare interview Savoie was granted with CNN on Thursday. There were so many rules: No recording devices. No tough questions. Speak only in Japanese. "I want Americans to know what's happening to me," Savoie continued in Japanese. "I didn't do anything wrong. Children have the right to see both parents. It's very important for my children to know both parents." But Japanese authorities disagree. They have charged Savoie, 38, a Tennessee native and naturalized Japanese citizen, with kidnapping his two children -- 8-year-old Isaac and 6-year-old Rebecca -- as his estranged wife, Noriko, was walking them to school Monday in Yanagawa, a rural town in southern Japan. Watch what else Savoie had to say » He headed for the nearest U.S. consulate, in the city of Fukuoka, to try to obtain passports for the children, screaming at the guards to let him in the compound. He was steps away from the front gate but still standing on Japanese soil. Japanese police, alerted by his estranged wife, arrested him. The Savoies were divorced in Tennessee in January after 14 years of marriage. Christopher Savoie had visitation rights with his children, but after he returned from a short summer trip, his estranged wife fled to Japan with the children, according to court documents. A United States court then granted sole custody to Savoie. Watch why the case is complicated » Japanese law, however, recognizes Noriko Savoie as the primary custodian, regardless of the U.S. court order. The law there also follows a tradition of sole custody divorces. When the couple splits, one parent typically makes a complete and lifelong break from the children. Complicating the matter further is the fact that the couple is still considered married in Japan, because they never divorced there, police said Wednesday. And, police said, the children are Japanese and have Japanese passports. A 1980 Hague Convention standardized laws on international child abduction. But Japan is not a party to that agreement. Savoie was out of luck. If a child in Japan is taken against the wishes of the recognized Japanese parent, the person who took the child is considered an abductor. "Japanese people think she's the victim here," Savoie said. "In the States, my ex-wife is the one who's in the wrong." U.S. State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley recognized this case as a difficult one. Even though the United States has strong ties with Japan, on this particular issue, the two nations' points of view could not differ more, he said. In Yanagawa, those who have heard about the abduction case tend to side with the woman. "They belong with their real mother," said one woman, herself a mother of two children. But most have not heard of the case, because it has not been reported in local newspapers or on television. Savoie's attorney, Tadashi Yoshino, knows the cultural divide will be hard to overcome. "He technically may have committed a crime according to Japanese law but he shouldn't be indicted," Yoshino said. "He did it for the love of his children." Savoie, a law student who already has a Ph.D. and a M.D., will spend 10 days in jail while Japanese prosecutors sort out the details of the case. In the interrogation room, Savoie appeared exhausted. Tears welled in his eyes. He glanced over at the police officer, then paused to regain composure. "I love you, Isaac, Rebecca," he said. "Your daddy loves

Man charged with abducting his own children denies committing breach . Japanese custom, law on custody differ sharply from those in U.S. Japan is not party to 1980 convention that standardized abduction laws . All parties in current case are Japanese citizens .

YANGON, Myanmar (CNN) -- Courts in Myanmar have sentenced a blogger, a poet and several dissidents to several years in jail for anti-regime activities, a court official told CNN Tuesday. Young people at an Internet cafe in Myanmar. The verdicts were announced Monday and Tuesday, the court official said. Blogger Nay Phone Latt was sentenced to more than 20 years in jail for his illegal Internet activities, the court official said. The blogger was a "major source of information for the outside world" when the military junta used force last year to suppress anti-government demonstrations, said The Irrawaddy, an online newspaper published by exiles from Myanmar, which is also known as Burma. The government exercises strict controls over media outlets in the southeast Asian country. Dissidents often turn to the Internet to disseminate information. In the second case, poet Saw Wai received a two-year jail sentence for a poem he wrote for Valentine's Day that contained a veiled jab at the junta's leading figure, Senior Gen. Than Shwe. The first words of each line in the eight-line poem, "February the Fourteenth" spelled out the message: "Senior General Than Shwe is crazy with power." On Tuesday, the government handed down prison sentences to about a dozen members of a pro-democracy group known as the '88 Generation Students. Irrawaddy said the members were each sentenced to 65 years in jail, but CNN could not independently confirm the figure. Members of the group took part in the anti-government demonstrations that ended with the death of as many as 100 people last year after security forces clashed with thousands of protesters. The dead included 40 Buddhist monks. Witnesses said the violent crackdown in September 2007 came as hundreds of monks defied a military ban on public assembly. Until then, demonstrations led by the monks -- who are highly respected in the predominantly Buddhist country -- had gone largely unchallenged by the military, which has ruled the country since the 1960s. The protests were sparked by a huge fuel price increase imposed by the military government, and quickly escalated. The action was informally dubbed the "Saffron Revolution" because of the maroon robes with saffron sashes that the monks wore.

Myanmar court jails blogger, poet and dissidents for anti-regime activities .

YANGON, Myanmar (CNN) -- Courts in Myanmar have sentenced a blogger, a poet and several dissidents to several years in jail for anti-regime activities, a court official told CNN Tuesday. Young people at an Internet cafe in Myanmar. The verdicts were announced Monday and Tuesday, the court official said. Blogger Nay Phone Latt was sentenced to more than 20 years in jail for his illegal Internet activities, the court official said. The blogger was a "major source of information for the outside world" when the military junta used force last year to suppress anti-government demonstrations, said The Irrawaddy, an online newspaper published by exiles from Myanmar, which is also known as Burma. The government exercises strict controls over media outlets in the southeast Asian country. Dissidents often turn to the Internet to disseminate information. In the second case, poet Saw Wai received a two-year jail sentence for a poem he wrote for Valentine's Day that contained a veiled jab at the junta's leading figure, Senior Gen. Than Shwe. The first words of each line in the eight-line poem, "February the Fourteenth" spelled out the message: "Senior General Than Shwe is crazy with power." On Tuesday, the government handed down prison sentences to about a dozen members of a pro-democracy group known as the '88 Generation Students. Irrawaddy said the members were each sentenced to 65 years in jail, but CNN could not independently confirm the figure. Members of the group took part in the anti-government demonstrations that ended with the death of as many as 100 people last year after security forces clashed with thousands of protesters. The dead included 40 Buddhist monks. Witnesses said the violent crackdown in September 2007 came as hundreds of monks defied a military ban on public assembly. Until then, demonstrations led by the monks -- who are highly respected in the predominantly Buddhist country -- had gone largely unchallenged by the military, which has ruled the country since the 1960s. The protests were sparked by a huge fuel price increase imposed by the military government, and quickly escalated. The action was informally dubbed the "Saffron Revolution" because of the maroon robes with saffron sashes that the monks wore.

Myanmar court jails blogger, poet and dissidents for anti-regime activities .

YANGON, Myanmar (CNN) -- Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi and an American man who swam to her lakeside home went on trial in the military dictatorship Monday behind closed doors inside a prison compound. Soldiers guard the entrance to Insein Prison on Monday in Yangon, Myanmar. The trial is expected to last about three months, said Nyan Win, spokesman for her National League for Democracy party. Suu Kyi's lawyer asked the court to open up the hearings but was turned down because of security concerns, Win said. Police put up roadblocks on the streets leading to the Insean Prison near Yangon, with a half-dozen officers at each station. Shops around the prison were closed, according to opposition exile groups. A group of diplomats from Germany, Italy, Australia and Britain tried to pass through the barricades to attend the trial. They were stopped and turned away. "It was a way of signaling our concern at what's happening and the need for the proceedings in the court to take place in an open and transparent fashion," Britain's ambassador to Myanmar, Mark Canning, told CNN. About 100 supporters of Suu Kyi waited outside. The American visitor, John Yettaw, is charged with immigration violations and trespassing into a restrictive area, charges that carry a maximum sentence of five years in prison. Watch more on Suu Kyi's trial » He is accused of staying overnight in Suu Kyi's lakeside home earlier this month, violating the conditions of her house arrest, according to the country's ruling military junta, which rarely grants her visitors. The central Missouri man was appointed a lawyer selected by the U.S. embassy, Win said. Suu Kyi, the 1991 Nobel Peace Prize laureate, and two of her maids have been detained under Section 22 of the country's legal code -- a law against subversion -- according to Nyan Win, spokesman for Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy. Suu Kyi, 63, had been scheduled to be released from house arrest later this month after being incarcerated 13 of the past 19 years. She is now being held in a specially built area of Insein Prison, where Yettaw also is detained, a U.S. Embassy official told CNN on Friday. The timing of Suu Kyi's detention raised suspicion among her supporters, who said the government's action was an excuse to extend her house arrest. Watch former U.S. president Jimmy Carter discuss Aung San Suu Kyi » "This is the cunning plan of the regime to put Daw Aung San Suu Kyi in continuous detention beyond the six years allowed by the law they used to justify the detention of her," said the U.S. Campaign for Burma, a pro-democracy group fighting for her release. "Daw" is an honorific. The southeast Asian country was known as Burma before the military government changed it to Myanmar. Those who oppose the junta still use the old name. Suu Kyi's lawyer, U Kyi Win, blamed her prison detention on Yettaw. Local media said Yettaw, a 53-year-old former military serviceman from Falcon, Missouri, swam almost two miles across Inya Lake on May 3 and sneaked into Suu Kyi's home. Police maintain a round-the-clock presence outside the house. And swimming in the lake is forbidden. U Kyi Win told CNN that Yettaw arrived at his client's house that day and that she asked him to leave immediately. U Kyi Win said Yettaw refused to leave, first saying he didn't want to swim in daylight for fear of being captured, and later blaming leg cramps. Yettaw finally left May 5. Suu Kyi didn't tell authorities about the visit because she didn't want Yettaw or anyone else to get in trouble, Win said, nothing that several of her party members and supporters are already in jail. He added that Yettaw would likely be in the courtroom during the trial. Little else is known about Yettaw's role in the Myanmar incident or his intentions, apart from local media reports that said Yettaw, a diabetic, told Suu Kyi's two housekeepers he was tired and hungry after

Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi on trial with U.S. man . John Yettaw is charged with trespassing into restrictive area . Suu Kyi's supporters call charges an excuse to extend her house arrest . The Nobel Peace Prize laureate was scheduled to end 13 years of house arrest .

YANGON, Myanmar (CNN) -- Opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi took the stand for the first time Tuesday and told a Myanmar court that she did not violate her house arrest when she offered temporary shelter to an American man who swam to her lakeside home. People of Myanmar living in Japan protest for the release of Aung San Suu Kyi on May 24, 2009 in Tokyo, Japan. "She was very confident, very firm, very clear," said Mark Canning, the British ambassador to Myanmar, who was among diplomats and journalists allowed to watch the proceedings. "In a strange way, she commanded the courtroom," he said. Suu Kyi, who is being tried on subversion charges, said she did not learn immediately that John William Yettaw swam nearly two miles and snuck into her crumbling, colonial-era bungalow on May 3. She was told about the visitor the next day by one of two housekeepers who are her sole companions in the heavily guarded residence, where she was under house arrest. Suu Kyi's two helpers are also on trial, as is Yettaw. "I didn't know," she said. "I was upstairs." Under questioning by a judge for half an hour, Suu Kyi said she provided Yettaw food but allowed him only to "stay temporarily." Yettaw left late May 5, she said. "He walked to the lakeside. But I don't know which way he went, because it was very dark," Suu Kyi said. The Nobel Peace Prize laureate also acknowledged that Yettaw, a 53-year-old former military serviceman from Falcon, Missouri, had visited her once before last November. "Did you report to the authority about his arrival?" the judge asked. "No," she replied. Suu Kyi had earlier told supporters that she did not tell authorities about the latest intrusion because she didn't want Yettaw or anyone else to get in trouble. But it is this silence that the Myanmar's military junta is trying her for. The government said Yettaw's presence violated the conditions of Suu Kyi's house arrest. The country's regime rarely allows Suu Kyi any visitors, and foreigners are not allowed overnight stays in local households without government permission. Suu Kyi has been under house arrest for 13 of the past 19 years -- a confinement the military junta has regularly extended. Watch the U.N. secretary general explain what he is doing for Suu Kyi » Her latest round of home detention -- after five years of confinement -- expires Wednesday, according to her supporters at home and abroad. Last week, the military began prosecuting Suu Kyi on allegations of subversion at a prison compound near Yangon. Her supporters say the move is meant to keep her confined even longer -- beyond the general elections that the junta has scheduled for next year. If convicted, Suu Kyi, 63, could be sentenced to three to five years in prison. Before the proceedings got under way at the Insean Prison compound Tuesday, the junta said Suu Kyi's house arrest did not expire for six more months. And though the government said it considered releasing her at the end of the term, it said it had no choice but to try her after she met with Yettaw. "As Aung San Suu Kyi is the daughter of Gen. Aung San, the leader of our country, we were deeply thinking whether to extend her detention or not," Police Brigadier General Myint Thein told reporters Tuesday. "Unfortunately, a U.S. citizen entered her house for two days. She allowed and made conversation with him, gave him food. "These kind of actions broke the law," he added. "This is why we have no way but to open a case. And we are very sad about this case." Gen. Aung San played an instrumental role in bringing about the country's independence from British colonial rule. He was assassinated in 1947 and is still revered in Myanmar. Suu Kyi's lawyers rejected the junta's explanation, saying the United Nations had already

Junta says Aung San Suu Kyi's house arrest does not expire for six more months . Opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi is on trial with American John Yettaw . Suu Kyi told Myanmar court that she is not guilty, has not broken any law . Yettaw is charged with violating the conditions of Suu Kyi's house arrest .

YANGON, Myanmar (CNN) -- Residents in this sprawling river delta city hacked their way through downed trees and trudged through knee-deep swirling brown waters Monday as they tried to pick up the pieces of their lives after a deadly cyclone ravaged the southeast Asian country over the weekend. The powerful storm toppled this tree in Yangon, Myanmar, on Saturday. The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies said it has released 200,000 Swiss Francs (about $190,000) to help with the aftermath. "I think one of the biggest needs right now is to stave off disease," said spokesman Eric Porterfield. "We will be helping with the distribution of clean drinking water and setting up shelters." Working with the Myanmar Red Cross agency, the International Red Cross is distributing drinking water, plastic tarps to cover roofs and blankets, among other items. The tropical cyclone, packing winds of up to 150 miles (241 km) per hour, slammed into Myanmar over the weekend, killing as many as 350 people. "We believe hundreds of people are dead," said Khin Maung Win with the Democratic Voice of Burma -- a broadcast media group run by opposition expatriates. "The entire lower Burma is affected. In some areas, entire villages disappeared." The activist group opposed the military rule in Myanmar, formerly known as Burma. The ruling junta declared a state of emergency in five regions: the city of Yangon, Irrawaddy, Pegu and the states of Karen and Mon. All flights to Yangon, the former capital, were canceled. Learn more about Myanmar » Cyclone Nargis tore off roofs, uprooted trees and downed power lines. The storm ripped through the sprawling river delta city of Yangon for more than 10 hours -- from Friday night until Saturday noon, said Burma Democratic Concern. Watch the cyclone hammer Yangon » By Sunday, many parts of the city were without electricity. Phone connections were also down in most areas, making it difficult to assess the extent of the damage. "Most Burmese with whom we've been in touch report they lost their roofs, although so far everyone we have been able to contact reports that they and their families are safe," said a Yangon-based diplomat who requested anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media. Earlier Monday, an editor for an independent Myanmar newspaper based in Thailand told CNN that people in the Southeast Asian nation were angry over the response to the disaster by the ruling military junta. "People are very angry with the slow response coming from the military government," said Aung Zaw of Irrawaddy news magazine. Zaw said communication was down across large areas of the country. He also said the casualty figures could rise. "Very few people have access to these areas to estimate damage and how many people have been killed." Listen to Irrawaddy journalist discuss the situation in Myanmar » Pictures from inside the country showed a cyclone-ravaged region with tin huts crushed under trees. Bicyclists navigated around large branches that littered the deserted roads. A man with his pant legs rolled up waded through knee-deep water and strained to clear massive limbs that were blocking the entrance to a house. "The cleanup is beginning, but this will take a long time," the diplomat said. "The damage around town is intense." See photos of the destruction » "Fuel is not easily available. International emergency assistance would be needed within seven days. There is no food for eating," Win said. Food prices -- already on a dramatic rise -- climbed further. Long lines could be seen at gas stations in Yangon. Many of the stations were operating on generators. At one gas station more than 100 buses lined up to refill. "International emergency assistance would be needed within seven days," the diplomat said. The junta has scheduled a May 10 referendum on a new constitution for the country, which came under sharp criticism from many nations for using force to suppress pro-democracy protests last year. E-mail to

NEW: Red Cross approves $190,000 in aid for cyclone victims . Food, fuel scarce; emergency assistance needed, sources say . Cyclone Nargis hits Myanmar's former capital of Yangon over weekend . State of emergency has been declared in five regions by ruling military junta .

YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK, Montana (CNN) -- The gray wolf was officially removed from the Endangered Species Act's "threatened" list Friday after three decades -- a decision that has stoked controversy among environmentalists and ranchers. Federal officials estimate there are 1,500 gray wolves in Yellowstone National Park. It means the wolves can be shot and killed once they step out of Yellowstone National Park as soon as the affected states establish a hunting season. However, state Fish and Wildlife officials can shoot the animals whenever they deem the wolves to be a problem. The government delisted the wolves -- which were eliminated from Yellowstone decades ago before being reintroduced in the 1990s -- because they are now thriving in the park that is dominated by bison, elk and bighorn sheep. "They're back here in the Northern Rockies; they're back here in Yellowstone," said Doug Smith, a biologist for the National Park Service in Yellowstone. "That's something to celebrate given their history of human hatred." But not everyone is happy about the animal being removed from the endangered list. Conservationists believe hundreds of gray wolves straying from Yellowstone in search of prey could soon be killed by hunters and ranchers. Watch rancher say no wolf is "sacred" » "We're not ready to pop the champagne corks and have a party," said Doug Honnold, the managing attorney for Earthjustice, a non-profit environmental law firm based in Oakland, California, that has threatened to sue the government. "My biggest fear is we're going to go backwards instead of forwards." It wouldn't be the first time. In the early 20th century, wolves were the targets of a massive government extermination campaign. "It's harder to find an animal more persecuted than wolves. ... We did wolf extermination with a vengeance," said Smith. But attitudes began to change in the 1980s. Elk and bison populations increased dramatically because there was no natural predator to keep their numbers in check. In 1995, Smith led a team to bring wolves back to the Rocky Mountain landscape. They transplanted dozens of wolves to Yellowstone from Canada. See photos of Yellowstone's animals » The project has been regarded as an overwhelming success. There are now more than 1,500 wolves across Wyoming, Idaho and Montana, according to the government. That number convinced federal wildlife officials to remove them from the endangered species list. Federal officials require each of the three states to maintain a population of 100 wolves, meaning a total of 300 wolves across all three states. The states have actually pledged to keep the population higher than that, at a rate of 150 wolves per state. "We did a thorough analysis," said Ed Bangs, the wolf recovery coordinator for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. "The consensus [for recovery] is a population of 300 wolves and 30 breeding pairs." He added, "The wolf population is fully recovered. We have more wolves than we ever predicted and we have fewer problems than we ever predicted." Earthjustice says that's not nearly enough to ensure a viable population and they want to stop the delisting. "We're going to have hundreds of wolves die needlessly," said Honnold. But many ranchers in the region just don't understand the fuss about the animals. They have complained for years that the wolves eat their livestock. "There's nothing about a wolf that's sacred," said Bruce Malcolm, a cattle rancher and Republican member of Montana's House of Representatives. He said he's lost nearly two dozen cows to the wolves in recent years. "I would have preferred that they never came here," he said. If there's a winner with the controversy, it's Yellowstone. The wolves have pushed up attendance by more than a 100,000 visitors per year, according to a park study. Smith, who has dedicated his life to the wolves, is philosophical about the debate. "No one says living with wolves is easy," said Smith. "Living with wolves is a compromise.

Gray wolves officially no longer considered endangered . Environmentalists fear hundreds of wolves could soon be killed by ranchers . Rancher tells CNN the animals threaten his way of life . Federal Wildlife official: "The wolf population is fully recovered"

YORK, Pennsylvania (CNN) -- The city of York is steeped in history. The central Pennsylvania town was a stop on the Underground Railroad, and it was even, briefly, the nation's capital. A week of race riots in York, Pennsylvania, left two dead 39 years ago. Sen. Hillary Clinton's rally here Saturday, on the corner of Market and Beaver Streets, was down the block from a local landmark that touches on a less-heralded chapter in the city's history: the site of the monument that wasn't. A few months ago, Mayor John Brenner and others pushed for a memorial at the corner of George and Market Streets, in the center of town, that would remind York residents of a deadly week of race riots 39 years ago. The violence claimed two victims: police officer Henry Schaad, and minister's daughter Lillie Belle Allen, in murders that went unsolved for decades. Schaad was white, Allen black. But disputes over nearly every aspect of the project brought emotional responses that seemed to split along racial lines, including disagreements over inspiration, location and design. The process stalled entirely a few weeks ago, as organizers went back to the drawing board. This dispute is emblematic of the divide facing both Democratic candidates in next Tuesday's Pennsylvania primary. "The issue of race has touched this community, much more deeply than it has in other places. It's not in the forefront, it's not usually discussed, but that issue has been very important to people here," said local NAACP chapter president Eric Kirkland, in a row house just off George St., the main drag that bisects the city's downtown. "Historically, this has been a very racially hostile area. Race relations have always been strained here. There's an old guard, and they have those old ideas," he said. But the face of York itself has changed. A decade ago, the town was 70 percent white. City officials say black and Latino residents now make up roughly 45 percent of the population of 41,000. Sen. Barack Obama is expected to win the overwhelmingly Democratic town, locals say, and Clinton has the edge in York County, an area dominated by white, working-class, conservative voters -- a group that has largely backed the New York senator this year. But presidential loyalties here this primary season don't fall neatly along racial lines -- York's residents are split between the two candidates in patterns that defy traditional assumptions. Neatly manicured lawns in some of the city's mostly white suburbs are dotted with Obama signs. In the city, a restaurant window near Newberry Street -- where Allen was killed nearly four decades ago -- has a Clinton sign taped to the inside glass. Seven years ago, the town's mayor and several other white men were arrested for Allen's 1969 murder. In the shadow of a pending indictment, Mayor Charlie Robertson -- up for re-election -- won the Democratic primary in 2001. He later stepped down. Eventually, he was acquitted by a local jury. Two others were convicted of murder and others took plea deals. In the wake of the trials, the city became a magnet for outside hate groups, who clashed with anti-racist demonstrators in the center of town. In the years since, the most public division in York has been the measure of progress. Some, including Kirkland, say race is still a central issue here. Others -- including many resentful of the city's national notoriety after Robertson's arrest -- say it is not. But most residents fall somewhere in between, caught in a decades-long conversation that moves in fits and starts, spurred along by activists and city officials. The national dialogue may have turned to race this campaign season -- but in York, where the discussion has been on the agenda for years, many say they're all talked out. "Race is here. It's an undercurrent," said York Mayor John Brenner, an Obama supporter. "I do think in places like York that actually had civil unrest in

York, Pennsylvania, was the site of deadly race riots in 1969 . Issue of race has touched the community, says local NAACP president . Presidential loyalties in York don't fall neatly along racial lines . Some skeptical the city has truly moved beyond its headline-grabbing past .

YUSUFIYA, Iraq (CNN) -- Female suicide bombers, who often slip through security checkpoints untouched because of cultural norms, are taking a more deadly toll than ever across Iraq. A female suicide bomber struck northeast of Baghdad on Sunday, killing 16. But the U.S. Army has created a solution with "Daughters of Iraq," a program that trains Iraqi women to find female suicide bombers. Women carried out eight bombings in all of 2007, according to the U.S. military. Halfway through 2008, the number of female suicide bombers is 20. A suicide attack carried out by a woman on Sunday in Baquba killed at least 16 people and wounded another 40. "Daughters of Iraq" is a spinoff of "Sons of Iraq," which employs Iraqi men to run checkpoints and is credited with taking much of the steam out of the insurgency. The goal of the women's program is twofold: to protect against female suicide bombers, and to provide much-needed income to Iraqi women with few chances for employment. In the town of Yusufiya, southwest of Baghdad, some 30 women are being trained to search other females at security checkpoints -- something men are forbidden to do under Iraqi cultural norms. In mid-May, a female suicide bomber killed an Iraqi army officer in this town. "When he came out to meet her to help her with a problem she was having, she detonated the vest and killed him and injured some of his soldiers," said Michael Starz, a U.S. Army captain. The women will work two or three days a month, making up to $300, an Iraqi military officer explained to applicants. In a community, where families struggle to survive, that's good money. Watch how "Daughters of Iraq" works » The women come from small farming communities. Many of them are widows with numerous children and almost no income. Such is the story of Fawzia, who has six children to support. Her husband was shot to death when his car broke down. "I am ready (to work) as long as it helps me financially," she said. "I have five children in school." Having women work in this tradition-bound society is a social revolution, according to Fatima, a volunteer leader, told CNN's Jill Dougherty. "Many women would like to do it but their parents would not agree because it's a rural society and it's shameful for girls to go outside the home."

Halfway through 2008, the number of female suicide bombers is 20 . "Daughters of Iraq" trains Iraqi women to find female suicide bombers . Women will work two or three days a month, making up to $300 .

YUSUFIYAH, Iraq (CNN) -- Until recently, Yusufiyah was among the most dangerous places in Iraq. U.S. Col. Michael Kershaw meets with Sunni leaders in Yusufiyah, formerly a hot spot for insurgent activity. Located in the so-called "triangle of death," a violent area south of Baghdad, it was the site of frequent clashes between coalition forces and Sunni fighters. In May, two U.S. soldiers went missing in Yusufiyah and were never found, despite a massive search. But today, Sunni tribal leaders in this town cooperate with U.S. forces in their battle against foreign fighters and al Qaeda in Iraq. "It's all the roll of the dice. It's people and politics all intertwined down here," said Col. Michael Kershaw, commander of the Second Brigade, 10th Mountain Division. Kershaw now greets his former enemies with kisses, hears their grievances, spends time in their homes and even shares meals with them. He is surprised at how far relations have progressed. "Our hope a year ago was to establish very basic inroads down here," Kershaw said. "We thought the insurgency was far too deep for us to be able to effectively root it out and develop the relationship with the locals." As happened in Anbar province to the west, local Sunni leaders from this town south of Baghdad finally turned on the al Qaeda extremists in their midst when the death and destruction became too much to bear. "Killing people, stealing goats, everything, you name it," said Sheik Hamid Karbouli, when asked why he and his men now oppose al Qaeda. Karbouli has recruited some 150 volunteers to man checkpoints and carry guns. Sunni sheik lists grievances against al Qaeda » The U.S. military calls the men concerned local citizens. "I haven't had more than one IED destroy a vehicle in an area where concerned citizens were located ... in the past two months," Kershaw said. To further encourage local tribesmen to turn against al Qaeda, the U.S. military pays local sheiks to provide security in their area; they receive up to $10 per man. It's a controversial policy, but one that has helped the U.S. military identify and stop insurgents, Kershaw said. "In the three months since this has started, we have gathered more insurgents up, more terrorists, than we did in the preceding nine months. And that's because they have pointed out to us these people within their own ranks," Kershaw said. The next step is to have these young Sunnis join the Iraqi police. For that to happen, the U.S. military needs the cooperation of the Shiite-dominated government in Baghdad. Cooperation, however, is slow in coming. Iraq's central government is concerned these gunmen might turn into armed militias if the U.S. pulls out and civil war erupts. To assuage these concerns, Kershaw is registering as many of the local volunteers as possible, taking photographs and retinal scans, hoping leaders in Baghdad will agree to hire them as Iraqi police. "What we see as being the end state down here is these tribes being brought back full into the government process," Kershaw said. The Second Brigade has lost 53 men in Iraq. Their photos are proudly displayed in the brigade's headquarters. Some of the U.S. soldiers here have a hard time forgiving the Sunnis for what they might have done in the insurgency. "Were some of these people part of the insurgency? Sure they were," Kershaw said. "Our job over here isn't to do what's comfortable for us, and it isn't to do what we want," he said. "Our job is to do the nation's bidding. If this gets our nation closer to a solution for this country ... then that's what we're gonna do." E-mail to a friend

Yusufiyah, south of Baghdad, was among the most dangerous places in Iraq . Local Sunnis tired of the destruction wrought by al Qaeda in Iraq . They partnered with U.S. forces to keep their town safe . Iraq's Shiite-dominated central government remains wary of such partnerships .

Yabuli, China (CNN) -- Insulated in designer skiwear against a temperature of -15° Celsius, three of China's burgeoning ski set bundle into a gondola headed to a wind-swept mountaintop in Heilongjiang province, Northeastern China. These new members of China's skiing elite had traveled from Harbin three hours drive away for a day's skiing at Sun Mountain, Yabuli, and clearly relished hurtling downhill at one of the country's newest high-end resorts. "Control your speed" is good advice for any novice skier, but it could be equally applied to the growing number of businesses aiming to tap into the nascent Chinese skiing industry. Skiing is just the latest market in China touted to "boom" as an increasingly affluent middle class finds new ways to spend their wealth and leisure time. The China Ski Association put the number of skiers in China at 5 million in 2005, up from just 200,000 in 2000. The association predicts 20 million skiers by 2014. "But around 80 percent will probably never do it again, because the experience is so bad," says Graham Kwan, CEO of Melco China Resorts the developers of Sun Mountain, Yabuli. It's a factor that has held back the momentum of the Chinese ski industry, where the image is still one of bumpy nursery slopes crowded with first-time skiers snow-ploughing into one another. "The industry isn't developing as fast as it should," says Justin Downes, president of Axis Leisure, a Beijing-based resort industry consultancy. "Ninety percent of skiers are still considered beginners and rent their equipment. The quality of the product and safety has often been questionable, service has been poor." Kwan hopes Sun Mountain will provide Chinese skiers with a five-star destination resort that keeps novices coming back to the slopes. Others developers are following suit. French resort company Club Med plans to open a dedicated ski village in China at the end of the year, the first of five the company plans to open by 2015. China's Wanda group have plans on a resort in the mountains bordering North Korea, and a resort called Beijing Secret Garden is being developed outside of Beijing near the Great Wall. Since opening last year Sun Mountain has gained accolades, including TIME Magazine's Best Resort Make-over in 2009. Yabuli was also the site of the World University Games in 2009, with a reported $400 million invested by the government in updating the facilities and improving transport links to the area, making it the base for China's national ski team. For Kwan, however, transforming a sleepy town with one aging hotel at the bottom of a mountain has been far from a smooth ride. "To be perfectly honest, it's been a struggle," says Kwan. "It's easy to have a mountain in China. People often ask, 'Why did you put [the resort] here?' There are beautiful mountains [elsewhere], but too far from the market. Chinese people travel like Europeans; they're North-South travelers." With over $100 million invested in Sun Mountain, Kwan hopes it will be the centerpiece of the new face of skiing in China, offering more than just well-groomed slopes and après-ski with a Chinese twist. "It's a combination of operations and real estate, you can't sell luxury homes if you don't sell luxury products," says Kwan. A new boutique hotel at the top of the 1000-meter mountain will open next year and capacity eventually expanded to 15 hotels. But it is the resort's real estate that will be just as important to how fast the area develops. Around 75 houses are already built with almost a thousand more nestled on the mountainside planned for the next 10 years. "The concept of buying a recreational home in the mountains when it's -20° Celsius is not something the Chinese have grasped yet," says Downes. "The ski market [in China] is so small that you can't expect to put $100 million into a project

China's ski industry seen as a huge growth market for up-scale resort developers . China predicted to have 20 million skiers by 2014 . Numerous international developers are building resorts across the country . Culture of skiing needs to be developed as much as resorts for success say analysts .

Yasuf, West Bank (CNN) -- Vandals burned a mosque in the West Bank on Friday in an attack a Palestinian official said reflected Israeli settler rage over a government moratorium on settlement construction. No one knows who set ablaze and vandalized the mosque -- located in the West Bank village of Yasuf. But the governor of Salfit district, Munir al-Abboushi, told CNN he believes Jewish settlers were responsible for the attack. "The mosque was completely burned," al-Abboushi said. "They burned the praying carpets and Quran holy books, and set the mosque completely on fire, they even burned the loudspeakers where the Imam preaches inside the mosque." Al-Abboushi said the culprits had scrawled Hebrew graffiti at the entrance of the mosque that read "price tag -- with regards from Effi." "Price tag" is the expression radical Israeli settlers have used to denote reprisal attacks against Palestinians in response to moves by the Israeli government to evacuate illegal West Bank outposts. Israel's Defense Minister Ehud Barak called on the Israeli military, which occupies the West Bank, to find those responsible for the attack. "This is an extremist action that is meant to harm any effort by the government to advance political processes for Israel's future," Barak said in a statement released by his office. Settler leader Dany Dayan -- chairman of the Yesha Council, a group of Jewish municipal councils from the West Bank -- told CNN, "I hope that Israeli police will uncover the perpetrators whoever they are and will bring them to trial. This act is wrong and foolish. If this act was carried out by a Jew it fills me with great shame." Al-Abboushi said later Friday morning, after word of the mosque attack had spread, residents of the village were prevented by the Israeli army from approaching the area which resulted in minor clashes with exchanges of rocks and tear gas between the residents and Israeli soldiers. Al-Abboushi expressed doubt that the attack would be investigated properly. "What do the police and Israeli army do when they attack our holy mosques and houses? What do they do to the settlers? But when they attack us they do nothing." Last month, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced a 10-month freeze on new settlement construction in the occupied West Bank. The move has been met with fierce opposition by the politically powerful settler movement and confrontations have erupted almost daily in the West Bank, with groups of settlers forcibly attempting to keep away government inspectors enforcing the ban.

Mosque in West Bank village of Yasuf set ablaze and vandalized . Local governor says he believes Jewish settlers were responsible . Israeli Defense Minister Barak calls on Israeli army to find those responsible . Israel has ordered 10-month freeze on new settlement construction in West Bank .

Yazoo City, Mississippi (CNN) -- Rescue crews in Mississippi continued to search for survivors Sunday from a powerful tornado that ripped through the state a day earlier, killing 10 people, injuring dozens of others and leveling scores of homes. Two children and a 3-month-old baby were among the victims. Two sisters, 9 and 14, were killed inside a mobile home, Choctaw County Coroner Keith Coleman told CNN. The tornado tore a path nearly a mile wide and decimated neighborhoods as it raked cities from the central western border with Louisiana northeastward to Alabama. It leveled a church, sheared roofs off houses, overturned cars, snapped down hundreds of trees and plunged large swaths of the state in darkness as it toppled power lines. The same storm system that unleashed Saturday's twister delivered severe weather to other parts of the South on Sunday, with tornadoes hitting Alabama and South Carolina. On Sunday, a tornado in Darlington County in northern South Carolina overturned as many as four mobile homes and toppled trees and downed power lines. Three people were hospitalized with minor injuries, according to Linwood Epps of the county's emergency management agency. He said that the local Cain Elementary school was damaged, with part of its roof missing. The National Weather Service on Sunday gave the Mississippi tornado a preliminary rating of at least 3 on the Enhanced Fujita Scale of 0-5, with wind speeds of up to 160 miles per hour and a preliminary path width of one and a half miles. Were you affected by the tornado? Send in pics, video Ron Sullivan, a store owner in Choctaw County, said he was lucky to be alive after the storm hit around midday Saturday. "They always talk about you hearing the train," Sullivan told CNN. "There was no train. There was a bomb." He said two customers were walking toward the door of his store when the tornado struck and that "when they opened the door, it hit and blew me back." "The only thing that went through my mind were two things -- 'Please don't let anything else fall on me' and 'I hope my wife is OK,' " Sullivan said. The hardest-hit counties were Yazoo and Choctaw, where assessment and rescue crews continued operations Sunday, though a spokesman for the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency said there weren't any specific reports of people trapped inside the rubble. Authorities had recorded at least 681 homes damaged across six counties, according to MEMA spokesman Greg Flynn. The agency was reporting 33 injuries, but it hadn't received counts from Yazoo and Choctaw counties. Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour said he has not yet requested emergency federal aid but plans to do so on Monday. Officials from the Federal Emergency Management Agency were scheduled to arrive Monday, anticipating an application for a disaster declaration, Flynn said. Nearly 80 Mississippi National Guard troops, including 50 military police, had been deployed to Choctaw and Yazoo counties, MEMA reported. Forty highway safety patrol troops were also sent to the affected areas. Five of the dead were from Choctaw County, in the north central part of the state; four were from Yazoo County, north of Jackson; and one was from Holmes County, also in north central Mississippi, said Flynn. Barbour, who was in Yazoo City where his home is located, called the twister gigantic and said that "in places (it) seemed to be to be several miles wide." Only 38 people stayed overnight in shelters in Yazoo City, Flynn said, adding that most of the affected were able to stay with family or friends. Mississippi residents shared stories of tragedy and survival on Sunday. "You could just feel the glass and debris flying in and cutting you," said Stacy Walker, who took cover in a hair salon in Yazoo City where she worked. "It felt like minutes and minutes. but I'm sure it was just seconds the time that it lasted." Walker made it out safe but later learned that a high school friend died protecting her children. Dale Thrasher

NEW: Tornadoes reported Sunday in Alabama and South Carolina . In Mississippi, two sisters, 9 and 14, die inside mobile home, coroner says . Hundreds of homes, buildings flattened by nearly mile-wide twister that traveled 150 miles . Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour plans to request emergency federal aid on Monday .

You wanted to know more about greenwashing, and Scot Case, from environmental marketing firm TerraChoice, answered. Greenwashing expert Scot Case of TerraChoice "Why are green products often more expensive than ones that don't say they are green or environmentally friendly? Is it just because green has become a new form of 'premium brand'? Isn't this bad news if we want to make more people environmentally aware when they go shopping?" Harriet Gladwell Case: First, it should be noted that not all greener products are more expensive. The remanufactured toner cartridges I purchase at a nationwide office-supply store, for example, carry the same warranty as other cartridges at a 30-percent lower cost. This greener option is less expensive because the manufacturer avoids the cost of manufacturing the plastic and electronic components. They simply reuse the parts from recycled cartridges. There are also greener products that do not cost extra. There are cleaning products and paints, for example, that have been certified as meeting tough environmental standards by EcoLogo or Green Seal that deliver the same high-quality performance one expects without costing any extra. Other greener products might be slightly more expensive initially, but generate substantial savings for the consumer. Energy-efficient compact fluorescent lightbulbs (CFLs), for example, are still four times more expensive than traditional cheap incandescent light bulbs. However, CFLs use 75 percent less electricity and last 10 times longer, so they don't have to be replaced as frequently. As a result, the typical CFL saves consumers $30 over the life of the bulb. There are now energy- or water-efficient versions of all sorts of products -- refrigerators, windows, air conditioners, televisions, dishwashers, ovens, showerheads, washing machines, etc. The more efficient versions are typically more expensive initially to reflect the higher-quality components used to make them, but they quickly pay for themselves in lower energy and water costs. Look for products that are Energy Star registered. Even better, look for products that have been independently certified as meeting the Energy Star standards. Why are other greener products still more expensive sometimes? It boils down to the simple laws of supply and demand. Any new innovative product, whether it is "greener" or not, costs extra initially. It costs money to research and develop the product and to build the factories and supply chains it takes to make the product. Manufacturers try to recoup those costs as quickly as possible during the initial sales of the product. As demand increases, however, additional manufacturing efficiencies -- economies of scale -- begin to emerge that permit the prices to fall. In addition, high prices attract competitors with similar products, and the additional competition helps force prices lower. Are some manufacturers attempting to earn additional revenue by presenting their greener options as a premium brand? Absolutely. Just as some clothing manufacturers charge extra to have their name brand applied to a shirt. It is also possible, however, to buy high-quality, greener products, at very good prices, at growing numbers of mainstream retail outlets. When DVD players and cell phones were first introduced, they were only available to the very wealthy. Now everyone has at least one. The same is increasingly true with greener product offerings. "What are the most obvious signs that a company is greenwashing the public with false claims? What words and phrases should raise a red flag?" Carla Dos Santos The most obvious sign a company is greenwashing is if the company fails to provide proof of their environmental claims. Legitimate environmental claims can be certified by independent outside third-party auditors. Manufacturers can also provide test data and other relevant information on Web sites. Consumers should also beware of generic environmental claims that are so vague they are likely to be misunderstood. Watch out for broad claims like "eco-friendly," "earth kind," "all natural," "eco-safe" or other green babble. Even phrases like "biodegradable," "recyclable" and "compostable" can be misleading if they fail to clarify how the products were tested or under what circumstances the claim is

Scot Case answers your questions on greenwashing . Has green become a new form of "premium brand"? What green words and phrases should raise a red flag? Click here to read more answers to your questions .

ZURICH, Switzerland (CNN) -- As I watched Cristiano Ronaldo receive the FIFA World Player of the Year award in Zurich, I couldn't help feeling a deep sense of satisfaction, as the 23 year-old Portuguese international once again proved all his doubters wrong. Cristiano Ronaldo shows emotion after being named the FIFA World Player of the Year for 2008. Especially the ones in England. In the days leading up to the awards ceremony, there were various rumors circulating that the Manchester United star was going to be pipped by Leo Messi on Tuesday night. I was asked several times in London whether I really thought Ronaldo was going to win. Whether he really deserved it. It was as if many in the British press didn't want him to take home another award. Do you think Cristiano Ronaldo is shown enough respect? Tell us in the Sound Off box below. The fierce attack on his lifestyle by the tabloids after he crashed his Ferrari last week just accentuated the fact that in the UK, he still has earned little respect. Never mind that he was about to become the first Premier League Player to win this prestigious award. Never mind he has been the competition's biggest ambassador and promoter overseas. Too many in the English media, he was still a diver on the field, and a petulant rock star off it. Now I am not going to sit here and say that my compatriot Cristiano is perfect. He isn't and he makes mistakes. But the same can be said about Wayne Rooney or any of the other English internationals. When Rooney charges down the referee and shouts obscenities in his face without even being booked, as was the case in last weekend's match against Chelsea, is he called arrogant or petulant? No. When he goes seven or eight matches without a goal, is he suddenly branded overrated? No. So all I am asking for here is a little respect. If Ronaldo was English, I am sure in the eyes of the British press he would be virtually untouchable, but although he's not, just give him a break. After all, he had an incredible 2007/2008 season which saw him score 42 goals in 49 matches and win virtually every major trophy on offer. And he's a great ambassador for the game. Pedro Pinto is a CNN sports correspondent based in London.

Cristiano Ronaldo won the FIFA Player of the Year for 2008 in Zurich, Monday . CNN's Pedro Pinto says he is not shown enough respect by media . Pinto: "Ronaldo is a great ambassador for the game"

iReporter Doranne Lim chronicles the flooding from Typhoon Ketsana in Pasig City, Philippines. This week in iReport, we received compelling images and stories from major international natural disasters: a tsunami in the Samoan Islands and flooding in the Philippines from Typhoon Ketsana. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, hosted the G-20 summit, and iReporters chronicled the scene as protesters and police clashed in the streets. One iReporter, Chris Morrow, won an award at the San Diego Film Festival. Check out the video here , or get a better idea of the stories below. • Typhoon Ketsana: Floods from Typhoon Ketsana have left parts of the Philippines under water, killing at least 240 people. Residents in Manila say it's the worst flooding they've seen in decades. Residents constructed makeshift rafts to cross the water, some more successful than others. Some of the most compelling images come from photographer Doranne Lim, who showed us the flooding in Pasig City. We put together a gallery of her photos that chronicle the flooding. • G-20 protests: As Pittsburgh hosted the G-20 economic summit, iReporters were there documenting the scene. Businesses boarded up, parts of the city were closed off, and protesters and police clashed in the streets. Several citizen journalists captured photos and video of crowds backing away from tear gas and smoke bombs. "As a person that's lived in Pittsburgh their entire life ... I have never seen something like this," iReporter Emily Rice said. • Tsunami strikes Samoan Islands: Towering tsunami waves triggered by an 8.0 earthquake left dozens dead and entire villages flattened or submerged in the Samoan Islands. iReporters in American Samoa and neighboring Samoa shared incredible images of the aftermath and compelling stories as rescue workers worked to reach outlying villages affected by the natural disaster. • Chris Morrow wins film festival: One of our superstar iReporters, Chris Morrow, made news of her own recently. Her film "Wyland Earth Day" debuted at the San Diego Film Festival in California and won the Best San Diego Film Award. The film follows environmental artist Wyland as he paints a huge mural of the Earth on the roof of the Long Beach Arena. Equally cool: that fellow iReporters were there to share the experience, including TommyYune, MelissaF, promisenews, TheVideoMan, mvalgal, madmurph, dpkronmiller, Thetalesend and cookiecutter. Together, they created the very first San Diego iReport meetup.

Typhoon Ketsana slams the Philippines, flooding the capital . An earthquake and tsunami left hundreds dead in the Samoan Islands . Watch Team iReport talk about these stories and more . Share your stories with CNN at iReport.com .

• The twins get a check-up (2/26/08) • VIDEO: Nancy Grace introduces on set 2-14-08 • The twins go out for a stroll (2/11/08) • The twins at 3 months (2/4/08) • The twins in January (1/21/08) • VIDEO: First video of Nancy Grace's twins E-mail to a friend

Pictures of Nancy Grace's twins . John David and Lucy Elizabeth were born November 4, 2007 . Come back to this site for regularly updated pictures!