Pentagon: Saddam's an Enemy POW

WASHINGTON — Lawyers at the Department of Defense have determined that Saddam Hussein (search) is an "enemy prisoner of war," senior Pentagon officials told Fox News Friday.

The lawyers apparently made the decision late last month, but Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld (search) and reporters were only informed of their decision on Friday.

Senior officials and Rumsfeld have been saying since the days following Saddam's capture that he was being treated in accordance with the Geneva Convention (search), which governs treatment of captured military personnel by enemy powers.

Under the convention, prisoners of war are to be treated humanely — torture and coercion are strictly prohibited. They are also to be granted visits by members of the International Red Cross (search).

The Red Cross is said to be in contact with the Coalition Provisional Authority and Central Command regarding Hussein, but it is not clear if an agreement has been struck for a visit.

Some human rights groups have complained that other top former Iraqi officials in U.S. custody haven't been given access to Red Cross representatives.

Senior Pentagon officials were quick to point out that, "should new information" come to light, Hussein's status could be reviewed and possibly changed.

A senior British official said Friday Saddam had not given useful information to his interrogators. The senior official, who briefed journalists on condition of anonymity, said U.S. authorities were taking their time questioning Saddam in the hope that he might eventually open up.
posted by Frodgie at 7:42 AM

 

Bush Numbers Up At Start of Election Year

President George W. Bush's ratings are up and views on the national economy are more positive today, which isn't a bad way for the president to start a new year — not to mention a presidential election year.

In this week's FOX News poll, a majority of the public approves of the job Bush is doing as president and he easily bests several Democratic contenders in election matchups. The poll of registered voters, conducted January 7-8 by Opinion Dynamics Corporation, finds that 58 percent of Americans approve of Bush's overall job performance, up from 52 percent last month.

The president's higher rating is helped by increased approval among women, which is up eight points and now stands at 55 percent. While approval among Republicans remains constant at 86 percent, approval among Democrats is up five points from last month and currently stands at 29 percent.

Handling terrorism is where the president receives his strongest approval rating. The poll finds a 10 percentage point jump on Bush's handling of terrorism with 67 percent of Americans today saying they approve, up from 57 percent in November. On managing the economy, 50 percent approve and 42 percent disapprove — a reversal of the president's November ratings (43 percent approved and 51 percent disapproved).

Given the mid-December capture of former Iraqi Leader Saddam Hussein
posted by Frodgie at 7:40 AM

 

Mountain Lion Kills Calif. Man, Attacks Bikers

MISSION VIEJO, Calif. — Anne Hjelle was bicycling along a wilderness trail when a mountain lion sprang from the brush, pounced on her back and dragged her off by the head as fellow bikers threw rocks at the animal and tried to pull her away.

The cougar finally ran off, leaving Hjelle — a former Marine who works as a fitness instructor — bloody and near death.

Hjelle, 30, lay in serious condition Friday after the mauling Thursday evening in Whiting Ranch Wilderness Park (search).

"This guy would not let go. He had a hold of her face," said Debbie Nichols, who was riding with Hjelle and held on to her friend during a desperate tug-of-war with the cat.

"I just told her, 'I'm never letting go."'

Authorities suspect the same mountain lion also killed 35-year-old Mark Jeffrey Reynolds, an amateur mountain bike racer whose half-eaten body was found Thursday in the park near his disabled bike. He had apparently been killed earlier in the day.
posted by Frodgie at 7:39 AM

 

Dean: A prophet ahead of his time?

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Within four weeks, the Democratic nominee will probably be known, and this city believes it will almost surely be Howard Dean.

The Iowa caucuses on Jan. 19, the New Hampshire primary on Jan. 27, and the South Carolina primary on Feb. 3, same day as half a dozen other caucuses and primaries, will tell the tale.

The shrillness and savagery of the attacks on Dean by rival Democrats like Joe Lieberman underscore the point. They all understand that if Dean does not stumble, they all fall by Feb. 3.

Dean is today viewed as a perfect pigeon for George W. Bush. And it is hard to fault the assessment. He is angry, prone to gaffes, perceived as ultra-liberal and from a state where he never learned the rhetoric that can move Democratic minorities the way Clinton did.


posted by Frodgie at 7:38 AM

 

New jobs near halt despite growth

Job growth slowed to nearly a halt last month as 309,000 workers, discouraged that a boom in economic growth at year's end did not produce enough new jobs, dropped out of the labor force and drove the unemployment rate down to 5.7 percent, the Labor Department reported yesterday.
Despite soaring sales and profits, businesses eked out only 1,000 new job postings during the month. A 50-year high in orders at the nation's factories had no effect on hiring as manufacturers shed another 26,000 jobs and marked a 41st straight month of job losses.
Businesses' relentless drive to save costs and spur productivity continued to overshadow hiring plans. Hotels and restaurants, banks, and even retailers — which boasted the best holiday sales since 1999 — eliminated thousands of jobs. Only the booming construction, health care and temporary services industries managed to add jobs during the month.

posted by Frodgie at 7:37 AM

 

British official: Saddam not talking, but documents are

LONDON (AP) -- Saddam Hussein has given no useful information to U.S. interrogators, who are patiently trying to make the deposed Iraqi dictator feel "comfortable" about talking, a senior British official said Friday,

However, documents found in Saddam's briefcase have yielded results "greater than we were ever expecting," he said.

The official also expressed fears that foreign terrorists would increasingly seek to destabilize southern Iraq, where British forces have the main responsibility.

The senior official, who briefed journalists on condition of anonymity, said U.S. authorities were taking their time interrogating Saddam, who was captured on December 13, in the hope that he might eventually open up.


posted by Frodgie at 7:34 AM

 

Iowa Sen. Harkin endorses Dean

DES MOINES, Iowa (CNN) -- Sen. Tom Harkin, Iowa's senior and most popular Democrat, endorsed Howard Dean for president Friday.

The endorsement comes just 10 days before the key Iowa caucuses that Harkin himself swept in 1992. (CNN.com's interactive Election Calendar)

"I like and respect each one of them, but for me one candidate rose to the top as our best shot to beat George W. Bush and to give Americans the opportunity to take our country back," Harkin told Dean supporters at the former Vermont governor's state campaign headquarters. "That person is Governor Howard Dean."

"As we Iowans say, Howard Dean has his head screwed on right."

In Manchester, New Hampshire, Dean told 'Judy Woodruff's Inside Politics' on CNN that he values the vote of confidence. "I'm glad to have Tom Harkin's endorsement. Tom is a tough street fighter. And he understands what ordinary Americans have suffered under this president," Dean said.


posted by Frodgie at 7:32 AM

 

U.S. Launches Massive Raid in Tikrit

BAGHDAD, Iraq — In one of the biggest raids since the end of major combat in the war in Iraq, U.S. forces detained 12 suspected anti-American attackers and 18 others in Saddam Hussein's hometown of Tikrit (search).

More than 300 soldiers swept through Tikrit just before midnight Thursday in a search for 18 men and teenagers suspected in anti-U.S. attacks, including the Oct. 1 killing of a female American soldier.

In the four-hour operation, the troops took 30 Iraqis into custody, among them 12 of the 18 wanted people. The other detainees were believed to have links to those suspected in the attacks, officials said.

Two of the captured men were suspected of planting a roadside bomb that killed Pfc. Analaura Esparza Gutierrez, 21, of Houston, on Oct. 1.

Since April, insurgents in Tikrit have killed five American soldiers and wounded 52, making the city one of the toughest places for coalition forces to control following the collapse of Saddam's three-decade dictatorship.

The operation came hours after a Black Hawk (search) medevac helicopter crashed near Fallujah (search), killing all nine soldiers aboard, and a C-5 (search) transport plane limped safely back to the Baghdad airport after being struck by insurgent fire.
posted by Frodgie at 6:52 AM

 

Bush to Announce New Missions to Moon, Mars..waste of money.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — Hoping to reinvigorate America's space program following the Columbia (search) tragedy, President Bush will reportedly announce plans next week to build a permanent space station (search) on the moon that could serve as a base for sending astronauts to Mars (search).

Senior administration officials said Thursday night that Bush will announce his plans in a speech at some point next week.

But a Nobel-winning physicist who investigated the shuttle accident is among those who would rather see more affordable robots -- rather than astronauts -- exploring the lunar and Martian surfaces. He points to NASA's (search) Spirit rover newly arrived at Mars.

"The cost of a manned enclave on the moon, I think, is going to make the space station look cheap. That's the only good thing about it," said Stanford University's Douglas Osheroff.
posted by Frodgie at 6:51 AM

 

Political battle surges over Bush education policy

KNOXVILLE, Tennessee (CNN) -- Gearing up for an election-year fight over the centerpiece of his education agenda, President Bush hailed his "historic" No Child Left Behind Act Thursday and announced he will seek a substantial increase in its funding for 2005.

Speaking to a group of educators and supporters at an elementary school in Knoxville, Bush called the act, which he signed into law two years ago Thursday, "a great piece of legislation which is making a difference around our country."

White House spokesman Scott McClellan told reporters Bush's 2005 budget proposal calls for an increase of more than $2 billion for elementary and secondary education, a 48 percent boost over 2001.

posted by Frodgie at 6:50 AM

 

Secret photo of a cowering dictator

THIS appears to be the moment Saddam Hussein was dragged from his hole and exposed to the world – but it is a snapshot the US military did not want the world to see.

The photograph, apparently taken in the seconds after Saddam's capture near Tikrit last month, appeared for the first time yesterday on a military-related website.

The image shows a US soldier posing for the camera as he pins the bearded dictator's body and face to the dirt.

A clearly-distressed Saddam lies on his stomach as members of the US 4th Infantry Division surround him.

US military officials refused to confirm if the photograph was genuine.

The photo was published on the US website Military.com after it was supplied to one of the site's contributors, former journalist John Weisman.


posted by Frodgie at 6:48 AM

 

Home a safe haven for Mexican suspects

Hundreds of Mexican citizens suspected of committing violent crimes in the United States have escaped justice by slipping across America's porous southern border into Mexico, which refuses to extradite suspects facing the death penalty or life imprisonment.
Authorities have identified more than a dozen cases in which illegal aliens were accused of injuring or killing a U.S. law-enforcement officer but are believed to have fled to Mexico.
President Bush's plan to grant legal status to millions of illegal immigrants employed in the United States raises questions about whether Mexico may agree to start extraditing suspects in all U.S. crimes.

posted by Frodgie at 6:46 AM

 

Commercial travel is getting safer, by long shots.

It all went Orange on December 21, and ever since there has been a steady flow of disruptions to commercial air travel. Flights to the United States from Mexico City, Paris, and London are being cancelled and even turned around because of specific information about planned hijackings. One arriving flight was held on a Dulles runway for almost three hours while security officers searched and questioned passengers. There seems to be no end to the bad news. But fortunately for us, and our economy, the skies are safe — despite what terrorists may think.

The American economy depends upon air commerce, and if the bad guys pull off another 9/11, they could ground commercial aviation for many months and send the Dow Jones below 7,000. Our intel guys have concluded — after sifting through a lot of specific information, including the results of interrogation of detainees at Guantαnamo Bay — that terrorists remain convinced that airliners are still the most powerful weapon readily available to them. They apparently think that the protective measures we have taken — especially the armed undercover federal air marshals — are all show and no go because the marshals won't shoot while the aircraft is in flight, for fear that a stray bullet would cause catastrophic decompression of the aircraft. The enemy is wrong for two reasons: First, our guys know you can shoot a whole bunch of holes though the skin of an airliner without anything really bad happening; and second — according to Tom Quinn, director of the Federal Air Marshal Service — his people won't hesitate to shoot if they have to.
posted by Frodgie at 6:45 AM

 

Mortar Attack Kills U.S. Soldier, Wounds 33

BAGHDAD, Iraq — A mortar attack on a U.S. base west of Baghdad (search) killed one U.S. soldier and wounded 33 more Wednesday, Fox News has learned.

Most of the wounded suffered minor wounds, but eight soldiers were air-lifted for more serious injuries. One civilian was also wounded during the attack.

Six mortar rounds exploded about 6:45 p.m. Wednesday at Logistical Base Seitz (search) west of Baghdad, in the so-called Sunni Muslim triangle (search) that is a stronghold of resistance to the U.S. occupation of Iraq, a spokesman said.

Army officials told Fox News that they could not return fire at the attackers because the shells were being fired from a residential area.

"The wounded soldiers were given first aid and have been evacuated from the site for further medical treatment," the statement said. The Pentagon added that the soldiers were from the Army's 541st Maintenance Battalion, based in Fort Riley, Kan., and part of the 3rd Corps Support Command.

The mortars hit "a living area where they have their sleeping quarters," the spokesman said.

A Pentagon spokesman said that some of those wounded returned to duty shortly after the attack, while others were hospitalized. The spokesman, Lt. Col. James Cassella, said he did not know how many were seriously or lightly wounded.

Earlier Wednesday, U.S. troops said they destroyed a home in Fallujah, the center of the anti-American insurgency west of Baghdad, where enraged neighbors said a married couple was killed and their five children were orphaned.
posted by Frodgie at 6:17 AM

 

Moderates seen as key to immigration reform passage

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Despite vocal criticism from conservative and liberal lawmakers on Capitol Hill, congressional leadership aides predicted that President Bush might be able to pass his immigration reform proposals this year if he pushes hard for support from moderate lawmakers in both parties.

"It could split our base," cautioned a House Republican leadership aide. "I don't think we have the votes on the Republican side alone (but) if Bush worked it, he'd get more than half of the Republicans."

Bush outlined his idea in broad strokes Wednesday, rather than providing specific legislation. Administration officials said many of the details would be worked out in consultation with Congress. (Full story)

While temporary workers will have the opportunity to try to stay in the United States permanently, they will be encouraged to return to their home countries with financial incentives. If the workers do decide to stay, they will have to compete with migrants outside the country for the limited number of immigration slots, the president said.


posted by Frodgie at 6:16 AM

 

Russian May Have Solved Math Mystery

SAN FRANCISCO — A publicity-shy Russian researcher who labors in near-seclusion may have solved one of mathematics' oldest and most abstruse problems, the Poincare Conjecture (search).

Evidence has been mounting since November 2002 that Grigori "Grisha" Perelman has cracked the 100-year-old problem, which seeks to explain the geometry of three-dimensional space.

If Perelman succeeded, he could be eligible for a $1 million prize offered by the Cambridge, Mass.-based Clay Mathematics Institute (search), formed to identify the world's seven toughest math problems.

Mathematicians around the world have been checking Perelman's work in search of the kind of flaws that have sunk the many other supposed solutions to a problem first presented by the French mathematician Henri Poincare in 1904.

"This is arguably the most famous unsolved problem in math and has been for some time," said Bruce Kleiner, a University of Michigan (search) math professor reviewing Perelman's work.

Perelman's work has advanced the furthest without falling apart, and there is optimism that it will ultimately hold up.


posted by Frodgie at 6:16 AM

 

Liquidator: 6,500 tech firms among 'walking dead'

PALO ALTO, California (AP) -- Amid rising hopes for a high-tech turnaround, there's this sobering sign: Martin Pichinson -- a man who has buried nearly 150 failed startups since 1999 -- has swooped into Silicon Valley like a vulture lurking over a pack of wounded animals.

Pichinson, a self-described "doctor of reality" who helps liquidate companies, says he wouldn't have moved from Los Angeles to Palo Alto a few months ago had he not smelled more high-tech trouble looming.

"Sadly, it looks like 2004 is going to be another busy year for me," Pichinson said. "There's still another 6,500 to 7,500 companies out there who are among the walking dead."

Even before the move, Pichinson became a familiar face in Silicon Valley and other high-tech hubs, largely because so many venture capitalists summoned him and his firm, Sherwood Partners, to help clear the debris left by the dot-com implosion.


posted by Frodgie at 6:15 AM

 

White House proposes illegals plan

President Bush yesterday proposed an expansive new immigration program that would allow millions of illegal aliens in the United States to apply for immediate legal working status, as he called on Congress to increase the number of foreigners allowed into America.
"Out of common sense and fairness, our laws should allow willing workers to enter our country and fill jobs that Americans are not filling," the president said in an East Room speech to members of Congress, his Cabinet and immigrant advocacy groups.
Under the program, which needs congressional approval, millions of foreigners who illegally have entered the United States and are using fake or stolen Social Security numbers would face no penalty and could remain in the country for an unspecified number of years as long as they hold jobs no American wants.

posted by Frodgie at 6:12 AM

 

Osama's Stump Speech
He did it again.

About a month ago the jihad-friendly website Saraya al-Jihad polled its readers on the question, "Who is the greatest danger to Islam and Muslims in your opinion?" Six hundred forty-three people responded. "Arab Secularists" and "The Shi'a/Misguided Sects" came in at the bottom with 11 percent and 16 percent respectively. A surprise at number two was "America and the Jews" with a paltry 26 percent. (Those fixated on the neocon conspiracy take note — you are wackier than these guys.) And the number-one threat to Islam, coming in at 46 percent, are the "Arab Rulers." For those familiar with the grievances of the Muslim radicals this makes perfect sense, and also helps one better understand the latest taped message attributed to Osama bin Laden, which premiered Sunday on al Jazeera.

Osama's message to the Muslim people was directed primarily against these Arab rulers, who in his opinion have sold out to the Crusaders and Jews, unjustly turned on their own people, and are not acting in concert with God's law, thus making their rule illegitimate. He has been making similar arguments for a long time. His 1996 Declaration of War indicts the Saudi regime in particular, and the main reason the U.S. had to be expelled from the land of the two holy places was to make possible the overthrow of the corrupt local regimes. Having accomplished that and united the Muslims, the real enemy — Israel — could be destroyed, and oil priced at a more reasonable $100/barrel. The most serious recent sin of the Arab rulers was assisting, or not sufficiently resisting, the Coalition attack on Iraq, which OBL described as "a sin against one of the Islamic tenets." He says that their main motive was fear, "especially after they had seen the arrest of their former comrade in treason and agentry to the United States," Saddam Hussein. Bin Laden confuses cause and effect somewhat, but his overall message is that the rulers have made a Faustian bargain. You simply cannot trust the Americans. Look at Saddam — he starts out containing Iran, and a few decades later American soldiers have him trapped in a burrow.

posted by Frodgie at 6:11 AM

 

More Than 500 Iraqi Prisoners to Be Released

BAGHDAD, Iraq — More than 500 Iraqi prisoners will be released from detention camps in a gesture of goodwill, Fox News has confirmed.

Iraq's U.S.-led administration will also be offering bounties for 30 more Iraqis wanted for carrying out anti-American attacks in the country, officials said Tuesday.

Coalition (search) officials said the 506 releases — out of some 12,800 detainees — are also aimed at fostering intelligence tips, which they said have surged in the three weeks since the capture of Saddam Hussein (search).

Most of those to be released are suspected low-level "associates" of insurgents, and none have been directly involved in attacks, said three senior coalition officials — two military and one civilian — who gave reporters a briefing Tuesday on condition of anonymity.

"Let me reassure you that this is not a program for those with bloodstained hands," said a statement from U.S. administrator L. Paul Bremer (search).

The officials said they would become "increasingly aggressive with the die-hards" but use "a carrot approach to those who are sitting on the fence."
posted by Frodgie at 6:20 AM

 

Hillary Clinton 'truly regrets' Gandhi joke

ST. LOUIS, Missouri (AP) -- Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton apologized for joking that Mahatma Gandhi used to run a gas station in St. Louis, saying it was "a lame attempt at humor."

The New York Democrat made the remark at a fund-raiser Saturday. During an event here for Senate candidate Nancy Farmer, Clinton introduced a quote from Gandhi by saying, "He ran a gas station down in St. Louis."

After laughter from many in the crowd of at least 200 subsided, the former first lady continued, "No, Mahatma Gandhi was a great leader of the 20th century." In a nod to Farmer's underdog status against Republican Sen. Kit Bond, Clinton quoted the Indian independence leader as saying: "First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win."
posted by Frodgie at 6:17 AM

 

'Dirty Bomb' Was Major New Year's Worry

With huge New Year's Eve celebrations and college football bowl games only days away, the U.S. government last month dispatched scores of casually dressed nuclear scientists with sophisticated radiation detection equipment hidden in briefcases and golf bags to scour five major U.S. cities for radiological, or "dirty," bombs, according to officials involved in the emergency effort.

The call-up of Department of Energy radiation experts to Washington, New York, Las Vegas, Los Angeles and Baltimore was the first since the weeks after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. It was conducted in secrecy, in contrast with the very public cancellation of 15 commercial flights into this country from France, Britain and Mexico -- the other major counterterrorism response of the holiday season.
posted by Frodgie at 6:15 AM

 

Catholics release audit on preventing abuse

An audit of America's Roman Catholic bishops yesterday said the Catholic Church is following the reforms it had adopted to prevent sex abuse by clergy, but 20 of the 194 dioceses, including the Diocese of Arlington, are behind on setting up safeguards for children.
Arlington, it said, had no method — other than self-reporting — of checking the credentials of diocesan priests, employees and volunteers who have regular contact with children. It was ordered to begin criminal background checks for all such employees and to update its "safe environment" program for children and translate it into Spanish.
In response, the Arlington diocese said it had conducted criminal background checks on its 157 priests after a September visit by investigators.

posted by Frodgie at 6:12 AM

 

The Democratic frontrunner looks a lot like our 41st POTUS.

Plenty of pundits have noted the similarities between Howard Dean and George W. Bush. They're both several-hundred-feet tall, inflict terrible damage on urban centers, and...oh, wait, that's Godzilla and Megalon.

The similarities between Bush and Dean are less exciting. We're told Bush is the scion of a blue-blood dynasty and so is Dean. And...um, well, that's about it. The similarities seem to end about there. That's because George Bush really is a Texan at heart. For good or for ill, the current president has shaken off the noblesse oblige gentility that defined his father and grandfather. That cowboy swagger may infuriate his detractors enough for them to choke a fern, but that swagger's authentic — which is probably why it bothers them so much.

Which brings us to the real similarities between Howard Dean and George Bush — the other George Bush. I think the Democratic frontrunner bears a striking resemblance to Bush 41. First, obviously, all of the points about a shared WASP lineage apply to the father as much as they do the son. But the elder Bush also shares a WASP upbringing which is much more similar to Dean's. Poppa grew up in Connecticut and Maine. Dean grew up on Park Avenue and in the Hamptons.

posted by Frodgie at 6:11 AM

 

North Korea Offers to Halt Nuclear Facilities

SEOUL, South Korea — North Korea (search) offered to halt all nuclear weapons production Tuesday, calling the proposal a "bold concession" aimed at rekindling six-way talks over its arms programs.

The move comes as the United States, China, Russia, Japan and the two Koreas scramble to arrange a new round of negotiations, with South Korea and Russian saying they are unlikely this month.

North Korea has said before it is willing to freeze its "nuclear activities" in exchange for U.S. aid and being delisted from Washington's roster of terrorism-sponsoring nations.

Tuesday's developments come as a delegation of U.S. congressional aides heads to North Korea to possibly tour the communist country's disputed nuclear plant at Yongbyon (search). A South Korean Foreign Ministry official said on condition of anonymity that they were to stay in the North from Tuesday to Saturday.

The Yongbyon complex is at the heart of the standoff, and there has been no outside access to the facility since North Korea expelled U.N. nuclear inspectors at the end of 2002.


posted by Frodgie at 6:39 AM

 

India, Pakistan to Talk Peace in February

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — India (search) and Pakistan (search) took a giant leap to put more than a half-century of bloodshed behind them on Tuesday, agreeing to begin a peace dialogue next month on the issues that have taken them into three wars.

A joint statement read by both nations' foreign ministers said the talks will touch on all topics, including the flashpoint issue of Kashmir (search), the divided Himalayan region claimed by each in its entirety.

"It is a victory for common sense. It is a victory for moderation. It is a victory for statesmanship," Pakistani Foreign Minister Khursheed Kasuri declared later in an impassioned speech before a room packed with journalists.

"It is a victory for the people of India and Pakistan. It is a victory, particularly, for the poor people of South Asia," he said.
posted by Frodgie at 6:38 AM

 

McGraw succumbs to brain cancer at 59

PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- Tug McGraw, the colorful relief pitcher who coined the phrase "You Gotta Believe" with the New York Mets and later closed out the Philadelphia Phillies' only World Series championship, died Monday. He was 59.

McGraw died of brain cancer at the home of his son, country music star Tim McGraw, outside of Nashville, according to Laurie Hawkins, a family spokesperson. He had been battling the disease since March, when he underwent surgery for a malignant tumor.

"He epitomized what Philadelphia is all about. He was hardworking, dedicated and never gave up," said Phillies manager Larry Bowa, who played with McGraw on the 1980 championship team. "He was a great person and will be missed."

McGraw's illness came as a shock to fans and friends alike last spring. He was at Phillies' training camp in Clearwater, Fla., as a special instructor, looking fine and acting as funny as ever. On March 12, he was hospitalized and the tumor was discovered. He later said there had been signs something was wrong. For example, he mistakenly showed up at the ballpark on an off day.


posted by Frodgie at 6:38 AM

 

Rose: I bet on baseball

NEW YORK (SI.com) -- In his new book, written with Rick Hill, My Prison Without Bars, Pete Rose admits for the first time publicly that he placed bets with bookies on Cincinnati Reds games as often as five times a week while managing the team in 1987. An exclusive excerpt of the autobiography will be published in this week's issue of Sports Illustrated, available on newsstands beginning Wednesday or online now to SI subscribers.

In the book, Rose claims that he previously made the same admission to commissioner Bud Selig 14 months ago.

"Mr. Selig looked at me and said, 'I want to know one thing. Did you bet on baseball?'" Rose writes. "I looked him in the eye. 'Sir, my daddy taught me two things in life -- how to play baseball and how to take responsibility for my actions. I learned the first one pretty well. The other, I've had some trouble with. Yes, sir, I did bet on baseball.'"


posted by Frodgie at 6:36 AM

 

Sources: Bradley to endorse Dean

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Howard Dean, who stunned the Democratic establishment last month when he won the backing of former Vice President Al Gore, will pick up another key endorsement Tuesday from former Sen. Bill Bradley, sources close to the Dean campaign said Monday.

Bradley, who challenged Gore for the 2000 presidential nomination and came close to winning the New Hampshire primary, has been talking with Dean for several months.

Several top Bradley campaign aides are now performing similar jobs for Dean, including national spokesman Jay Carson and political director Gina Glantz.

The endorsement is scheduled to be announced Tuesday morning, according to sources.

Dean has invited Democrats in New Hampshire to attend a previously unscheduled event Tuesday in Manchester for what aides are describing as "a very special breakfast'' at which "a surprise endorsement is in store.'' (The Iowa debate: Dean lumps rivals with Bush)
posted by Frodgie at 6:31 AM

 

N.J. second state to allow stem cell research

WEST ORANGE, New Jersey (AP) -- New Jersey became the second state to allow stem cell research on Sunday as Gov. James E. McGreevey signed a law he said will "move the frontiers of science forward."

Stem cell research, which has been strongly opposed by anti-abortion groups and the Roman Catholic church because it involves the use of fetal and embryonic tissue, is also permitted in California and bills are pending in Illinois and New York.

McGreevey was joined Sunday by Christopher Reeve, the actor who was paralyzed by a 1995 fall from a horse and has become an advocate for increased funding for medical research.

"Today we celebrate the possible in our state," McGreevey said. "It is our obligation as a people and as a state to move the frontiers of science forward."
posted by Frodgie at 6:30 AM

 

Yahoo Gets Set to Give Google Run for Money

Yahoo Inc. (Nasdaq:YHOO - news) (NasdaqNM:YHOO - News) once was the unquestioned first choice for help in navigating the Internet. Then it lost that distinction to Google Inc.'s powerful search technology. Now, Yahoo is plotting to recapture the hearts and mice of Web users with a three-pronged assault on Google's dominance, Tuesday's Wall Street Journal reported.

First, Yahoo is expected to dump Google as the primary search technology on its site within a few months, a move that could come around the time Google is preparing a long-awaited initial stock offering. Some marketing firms, which help advertisers manage their online campaigns for search-related ads, say they have been told Yahoo will switch from Google to its own technology as early as the first quarter.
posted by Frodgie at 6:29 AM

 

Bush will propose plan on illegals

President Bush tomorrow will propose sweeping changes to U.S. immigration policy that would allow a portion of the 8 million illegal aliens in the country to move toward legal status without penalty, a plan sure to meet strong resistance from Republicans on Capitol Hill.
Under the proposal, which will come just days before Mr. Bush meets on the issue with Mexican President Vicente Fox in Monterrey, illegal aliens from Mexico and possibly other countries who pay Social Security taxes but provide false identification numbers would be allowed to collect benefits.
"The president has long talked about the importance of having an immigration policy that matches willing workers with willing employers," said White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan yesterday.
posted by Frodgie at 6:26 AM

 

We need a new national ID card

It's exactly one year since my book The Right Man appeared. In the subsequent twelve months, the United States under the leadership of President Bush has scored many crucial victories in the war on terror. The overthrow of Saddam Hussein and his later capture obviously head the list, but there's more: the capture of 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Muhammed in Pakistan in March; the capture of Saif al-Adel, the planner of the Riyadh terror bombings, in May;and the foiling of hundreds of major plots, possibly including a horrific year-end set of airplane terror attacks on American cities.

All of this is good news. But even as U.S. and allied military and intelligence forces have won victory after victory abroad, there has been a perceptible ebbing of unity and determination here at home. The Democratic party is rallying to a candidate whose big idea is to fight the war on terror with injunctions and court orders. The CIA and State Department have gone into more or less open rebellion against President Bush, sabotaging his administration with leaks intended to wound and cripple. Bad old habits of complacency and sluggishness are reasserting themselves throughout the federal bureaucracy.
posted by Frodgie at 6:25 AM

 

U.S.-Iranian Thaw Could Be at Hand

WASHINGTON — Could a devastating earthquake that killed upwards of 30,000 people be the event that finally improves U.S. relations with Iran, one-third of President Bush's "Axis of Evil (search)"?

So far, any all-out thaw seems unlikely, at least right away. On Friday, Iran said no to a U.S. offer to send a high-profile delegation to Iran on a humanitarian mission, preferring that the U.S. proposal be "held in abeyance."

But the nature of the catastrophe — a Dec. 26 earthquake that destroyed much of the ancient city of Bam — and the fast U.S. public offers of aid have led some to predict a change for the better is possible.

"An earthquake became the pretext for an opening that was struggling to be opened over at least the last six to eight months," argued Hooshang Amirahmadi (search), president of the American-Iranian Council in New Jersey, and a professor at Rutgers University.

The U.S. outreach on earthquake aid comes several weeks after Iran agreed to allow surprise international inspections of its nuclear facilities. For some, this was a sign the Iranian government was trying to cooperate, at least in the area of weapons proliferation.
posted by Frodgie at 6:06 AM

 

New Purported Bin Laden Tape Broadcast

CAIRO, Egypt — An audiotape purportedly from Usama bin Laden (search) was broadcast Sunday on the Al-Jazeera satellite channel, urging Muslims to continue fighting a holy war in Iraq and the Middle East rather than cooperate with peace efforts.

The speaker, who referred to recent events -- including the December capture of former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein, called on Muslims to "continue the jihad to check the conspiracies that are hatched against the Islamic nation." He said the U.S.-led war against Iraq was the beginning of the "occupation" of Gulf states for their oil.

"My message is to incite you against the conspiracies, especially those uncovered by the occupation of the crusaders in Baghdad under the pretext of weapons of mass destruction, and also the situation in [Jerusalem] under the deceptions of the road map and the Geneva initiative," the speaker said.

A Mideast peace plan dubbed the Geneva Accord (search) was launched Dec. 1 by Israeli and Palestinian negotiators. The phrase "road map" refers to a U.S.-backed plan for a Palestinian state by 2005.

The tape's authenticity could not immediately be verified, although the voice on the tape resembled that of bin Laden, leader of the Al Qaeda (search) network.

"The CIA and appropriate intelligence authorities are reviewing the tape to check for its authenticity," Allen Abney, a White House spokesman, said Sunday.

Al-Jazeera played the audiotape while showing a still photo of bin Laden against a dark blue background.
posted by Frodgie at 6:05 AM

 

Airports Start Fingerprinting Foreign Visitors...that took long enough.

WASHINGTON — The Homeland Security Department (search) has ordered U.S. airports and seaports to fingerprint and photograph foreigners from all but 28 nations starting Monday as part of a new program to clamp down on border security.

Called US-VISIT, or U.S. Visitor and Immigrant Status Indicator Technology (search), the program will check an estimated 24 million foreigners each year, though some will be repeat visitors.

All 115 U.S. airports that handle international flights and 14 major seaports are covered by the program, under which Customs officials can instantly check an immigrant or visitor's criminal background.
Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge (search) was to be in Atlanta Monday morning to help launch the program at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.

Other top federal officials will be at other airports across the nation to help draw attention to the new policy.

The only exceptions to the program will be visitors from 28 countries — mostly European nations whose citizens are allowed to come to the United States for up to 90 days without visas.

Inkless fingerprints will be taken and checked instantly against a national digital database for criminal backgrounds and any terrorist lists. The process will be repeated when the foreigners leave the country as an extra security measure and to ensure they complied with visa limitations.
posted by Frodgie at 6:04 AM

 

India, Pakistan leaders meet

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (CNN) -- The leaders of India and Pakistan met formally for the first time since the two nations came close to war over the disputed territory of Kashmir.

Pakistan's President Pervez Musharraf welcomed Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee to President House in the capital Islamabad at about 10:30 a.m. (0530 GMT) local time Monday, according to a security official at the residence who declined to be named.

Musharraf and Vajpayee met for about an hour on the sidelines of a South Asian summit in Islamabad. Officials familiar with what was discussed called it a very detailed meeting

All issues between the nuclear-armed neighbors are up for discussion, officials have said.

On Sunday, the two leaders shook hands in their first direct contact in more than two years at a banquet hosted by Musharraf for the seven leaders of the South Asian Association for Regional Co-operation in Islamabad.


posted by Frodgie at 6:02 AM

 

Dean lumps rivals with Bush in Iowa debate

DES MOINES, Iowa (CNN) -- Democratic presidential front-runner Howard Dean accused his rivals Sunday of being "co-opted" by the Bush administration amid criticism from several of those fellow candidates.

Sunday's face-off came barely two weeks before the first votes are to be cast in the Iowa caucuses, the first balloting in the Democratic presidential campaign.

Dean, who leads among likely Democratic voters in a nationwide CNN/Time poll taken last week, took aim at the support of some Democratic members of Congress for the war in Iraq and President Bush's "No Child Left Behind" education bill, which Democrats accuse Bush of failing to properly fund.

"This is a bill that ought never to have been passed, and this is why I am running for president," Dean said.

posted by Frodgie at 6:00 AM

 

Gangs looting Afghan 'Pompeii'

KABUL, Afghanistan — Warlords and thieves are stripping bare a recent archaeological discovery described as "the Pompeii of Central Asia" while the central government and Western scientists are powerless to intervene, authorities say.
They say the loss of irreplaceable artifacts from the ancient city is just the worst example in a pattern of widespread looting of some of the world΄s most precious archaeological sites by mafia-style gangs seizing upon the chaos that followed the Taliban΄s fall.
The ancient city stretching 25 miles across was recently discovered at Kharwar, in remote central Logar province. From a trickle of confiscated artifacts, archaeologists estimate that the city dates from the seventh century shortly before the arrival of Islam though some pieces suggest it might be as much as 500 years older.

posted by Frodgie at 5:57 AM

 

Some 2003 Bests

Holiday wrapping — making those little year-end round-ups of news items — is a venerable journalistic tradition, like axe-grinding and source-hyping. Sometimes, as in Le Point, wraps come chunked into good/bad lists. Sometimes, as in the current Observer, they arrive all decked out like quizzes. The Germans like theirs info-heavy, like this one in Manager-Magazin, a biz journal. Mine looks like your computer monitor with words on it, like this:

Best War 2003: For the U.S., the war against terrorism. For France, the war against the U.S. For Fox, the war against CNN.

Best example of editorial mole-hilling: Olga Craig, writing for the Sunday Telegraph, breathlessly faced what she thought were "angry Iraqis" on a jeep ride into Basra a few days after the war started. The Telegraph's eager editors gave her piece the entire top-half of the March 30 issue and even provided a hyperventilated subhead: "Olga Craig, the first British reporter in Basra, encounters the desperate but hostile people of a city whose only word of greeting seems to be: 'Enemy'." You had to read through a pile of overwrought travel-writing before you realized the paper's decision to lead with the story had been based entirely on Craig's one-word, drive-by exchange with an anonymous pedestrian. She also saw an Iraqi soldier throw a tomato into the street. It was terrifying.


posted by Frodgie at 5:56 AM