Bush stands behind Rumsfeld

President Bush said yesterday that Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld will remain in the Cabinet, despite calls from Democrats for the Pentagon chief to resign over the mistreatment of Iraqi prisoners.
"Secretary Rumsfeld has served our nation well," the president said in the White House Rose Garden. "Secretary Rumsfeld has been the secretary during two wars and he is an important part of my Cabinet, and he'll stay in my Cabinet."

Democrats on Capitol Hill ramped up their rhetoric yesterday, with the House minority leader charging that Mr. Rumsfeld has orchestrated a "cover-up" over the prisoner scandal, which reached a boil this week after photographs emerged showing smirking U.S. soldiers abusing naked Iraqis.
"I think that Mr. Rumsfeld should step down," House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi of California told reporters. "Mr. Rumsfeld has been engaged in a cover-up from the start on this issue."
Sen. Tom Harkin, Iowa Democrat, echoed her call.
"For the good of our country, the safety of our troops and our image around the globe, Secretary Rumsfeld should resign. If he does not resign forthwith, the president should fire him," he said.
Under pressure to issue an apology for the actions of U.S. soldiers, Mr. Bush did so, with King Abdullah II of Jordan at his side.
"I told him [King Abdullah] I was sorry for the humiliation suffered by the Iraqi prisoners, and the humiliation suffered by their families. I told him I was equally sorry that people who have been seeing those pictures didn't understand the true nature and heart of America. I assured him Americans, like me, didn't appreciate what we saw, that it made us sick to our stomachs," Mr. Bush said.

posted by Frodgie at 9:21 AM

 

Rumsfeld to Be Grilled on Iraqi Prisoner Abuse

WASHINGTON — Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld travels to Capitol Hill on Friday to testify before a pair of committees about what he knew — and when he knew it — on the alleged abuse of Iraq prisoners at Abu Ghraib (search) prison.

Rumsfeld was called before the House and Senate Armed Services committees after lawmakers decried not knowing about the photos depicting the abuse before seeing them on television. The military apparently had been investigating reports of abuse since January.

A senior Defense official told Fox News that Rumsfeld was in "good spirits" in advance of his testimony and he feels he will "acquit himself well." The secretary prepared for his appearance several hours Thursday, the official said, adding that Rumsfeld in no way feels "undercut" and has no plans to submit a letter of resignation.

During the two hearings, Rumsfeld will be joined by Gen. Richard Myers, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Acting Secretary of the Army Les Brownlee, Army Chief of Staff Gen. Peter Schoomaker and Air Force Lt. Gen. Lance Smith, deputy commander of U.S. Central Command.

The first session before the Senate begins at 11:45 a.m. EDT panel while the final session before the House committee starts at 3 p.m. EDT.

Although many Democrats have called for Rumsfeld to resign, Bush said Thursday that the defense secretary will stay on.


posted by Frodgie at 9:17 AM

 

Oregon Man Arrested in Spain Bombings Probe

ALOHA, Ore. — A lawyer and former Army officer who converted to Islam was arrested as a material witness in the deadly train bombings in Spain, federal authorities said.

Brandon Mayfield was taken into custody Thursday by FBI agents, who also searched his home in the Portland suburb of Aloha.

It was the first known arrest in the United States with connections to the March 11 terrorist attacks in Madrid that killed 191 people and injured 2,000 others.

Mayfield, 37, was arrested on a material witness warrant and has not been charged with any crime, according to a senior law enforcement official in Washington D.C., speaking on condition of anonymity. A material witness warrant allows the government to hold people suspected of having direct knowledge about a crime or to allow time for further investigation into the witness.




posted by Frodgie at 9:16 AM

 

Photos of Dead May Indicate Graver Abuse

WASHINGTON, May 6 — Grisly photographs taken at Abu Ghraib prison of two dead men may indicate that the violence at the prison went far beyond degrading treatment of detainees. The Bush administration has provided only limited information about one of the men; the other remains a mystery.

The photographs come from the same collection of pictures that show military guards humiliating other detainees. All of the photographs, including those of the dead men, were taken at Abu Ghraib, according to people who provided them to The New York Times.

One photograph shows the body of a man with a huge head wound. Next to him is a piece of paper with a detainee identification number: 153399.

Pentagon officials have not answered any questions about the identity of that prisoner or the circumstances of his death. However, an internal military report completed in March by Maj. Gen. Antonio M. Taguba described the death of prisoner No. 153399 during a riot on Nov. 24, 2003. The Taguba report said that the guards were authorized to use deadly force, but it harshly criticized the handling of the incident.

Among the problems cited were overcrowding, lack of training for guards, poor communication between commanders and soldiers and "the mix of less than lethal rounds with lethal rounds in weapons."

The other unidentified photo shows the body of a man with facial wounds and a bandage under his swollen right eye. He is in an unzipped body bag covered with bags of ice. There is no other information.


posted by Frodgie at 9:14 AM

 

Purported bin Laden tape offers gold for Bremer

(CNN) -- A new audiotape message purportedly from al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden and posted on an Islamic Web site Thursday offers 22 pounds of gold to anyone who kills Coalition Provisional Authority head Paul Bremer or top U.S. military officers.

A reward of gold is also offered for anyone who kills U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan or Annan's envoy to Iraq, Ladkhar Brahimi.

The message denounces U.N. efforts, led by Brahimi, to organize the transfer of power from the provisional authority to an interim Iraqi government June 30, calling the United Nations "a Zionists' tool."

The voice on the 20-minute audiotape, reviewed by CNN, appears to be that of bin Laden. But the speaker's identity has not yet been confirmed by intelligence officials.

If the message is indeed from bin Laden, it would mark a new tactic for the al Qaeda leader -- offering a financial reward for killing specific officials.

posted by Frodgie at 9:14 AM

 

Rumsfeld Catches Heat From Bush

WASHINGTON — President Bush told Arab news outlets Wednesday that allegations of Iraqi prisoner abuse at a Baghdad prison do not "represent the America I know" — and vowed to bring those responsible to justice.

"People in Iraq must understand that I view those practices as abhorrent," Bush said in an interview with Alhurra (search), an Arab-language network funded by the U.S. government.

"They also must understand that what took place in that prison does not represent the America I know. The America I know is a compassionate country that believes in freedom. The America I know cares about every individual."

Bush said he retained confidence in Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld (search), but White House aides said the president let the secretary know he was not satisfied with the way he was informed about the unfolding controversy. In particular, Bush was unhappy he was not told about incriminating pictures before they were shown on television or about a 2-month-old Pentagon report before it turned up in the news.

posted by Frodgie at 6:36 AM

 

Car Bomb Rocks Baghdad 'Green Zone'

BAGHDAD, Iraq — A homicide car bombing rocked the entrance of Baghdad's "Green Zone" (search) on Thursday, killing five Iraqi civilians and one U.S. soldier, Fox News has confirmed.

Twenty-five Iraqis, including three police officers, and two U.S. soldiers were injured in the blast, U.S. military officials said.

The bomb, hidden inside an orange-and-white Baghdad taxi, exploded outside of a three-foot-high concrete blast wall. The wall shields cars driving up to a checkpoint just before a bridge spanning the Tigris River that leads into the so-called Green Zone, a sprawling area that houses the U.S.-led coalition and is walled off from the rest of Baghdad.

"At 7:26 a.m., what appeared to be a suicide bomber in a car pulled up to the checkpoint, and then three cars back from the checkpoint, detonated his bomb," said Col. John Murray (search) of the U.S. Army's Texas-based 1st Cavalry Division.

About 10 Iraqi cars were lined up inside of the blast barriers when the car bomb exploded.

"There was a long line of cars. Fortunately, the blast barriers worked in this case," Murray said.

The blast incinerated three cars, reducing them to hulks of twisted, charred metal. Another five cars were badly damaged, some turned on their side from the force of the blast.


posted by Frodgie at 6:35 AM

 

Bush vows to bring abusers 'to justice'

President Bush yesterday pledged to the Arab world that U.S. soldiers who abused Iraqi prisoners "will be brought to justice" and declared that "the people in the Middle East must understand that this was horrible."
In interviews with two Arabic-language TV stations, the president said the mistreatment of prisoners, captured in photographs that show grinning soldiers abusing naked Iraqis at a prison once used by Saddam Hussein's torturers, is "abhorrent."

"It's a matter that reflects badly on my country. Our citizens in America are appalled by what they saw, just like people in the Middle East are appalled," Mr. Bush told the United Arab Emirates-based Al Arabiya network.

posted by Frodgie at 6:33 AM

 

Firefighters make progress

(CNN) -- Good weather is helping firefighters make progress against six Southern California blazes that have scorched nearly 20,000 acres this week in what officials fear could portend a brutal fire season.

Hundreds of people remained evacuated from their homes Wednesday. No fatalities have been reported.

Most of the firefighters' resources have been focused on two of four fires in Riverside County, where the Eagle fire destroyed 14 homes and charred more than 15,000 acres in a hillside area near Temecula since it began Sunday east of the town.

The firefighters' efforts were aided overnight by a drop in wind strength, cooler temperatures and higher humidity. By Wednesday afternoon, the Eagle fire had been 60 percent contained.


posted by Frodgie at 6:33 AM

 

Most prisoners in Iraq jails called 'threat to security'

Nearly all 8,080 prisoners being held by U.S. authorities in Iraq are considered security threats: insurgents linked to attacks on coalition forces, and terrorists and former officials of Saddam Hussein's regime suspected of having useful intelligence, military officials say.
"The goal is to gain intelligence," said a coalition spokesman in Iraq. "Under the rules of the Geneva Convention, those in detention can be exploited for intelligence."

Additionally, the U.S. Army has a small number of Iraqi criminals in custody, a couple hundred arrested for breaking local laws. Up to 7,000 criminals, who until March were kept with security detainees, already have been turned over to the new Iraqi government ministry.
"Security detainees are those who are considered an imperative threat to security," said the spokesman, who spoke on condition he not be identified by name.
posted by Frodgie at 6:31 AM

 

Disney Blocks Distribution of Moore Film

NEW YORK (AP) - Michael Moore's "Fahrenheit 9/11," which criticizes President Bush's handling of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and connects the Bush family with Osama bin Laden's, won't be released through Miramax Films on orders from parent company Disney.

Moore believes The Walt Disney Co. is worried the documentary will endanger tax breaks the company receives from Florida, where Bush's brother Jeb is governor.

The director says on his Web site that he was told Tuesday that Disney had "officially decided to prohibit our producer, Miramax, from distributing my new film."

But in a statement Wednesday, Disney spokeswoman Zenia Mucha said Moore has known since May 2003 that Miramax would not release his film.

Whenever it was decided, the timing couldn't be better to stir up discussion: "Fahrenheit 9/11" is making its world premiere as one of 18 films screening in competition at the Cannes Film Festival, which begins May 12.


posted by Frodgie at 6:29 AM

 

Bush to denounce abuse on Arab TV

President Bush will give interviews to two Arab TV networks today to denounce the abuse of Iraqi detainees, a furor that worsened yesterday as the Pentagon revealed it was investigating the deaths of 25 prisoners in U.S. custody, including two slain by Americans.
White House spokesman Scott McClellan said last night on Air Force One that Mr. Bush will conduct 10-minute interviews, one with the U.S.-sponsored Al Hurra television and the other with the network Al Arabiya.

"This is an opportunity for the president to speak directly to the people in Arab nations and let them know that the images that we all have seen are shameless and unacceptable," Mr. McClellan said.
Meanwhile yesterday, an Army official told the Associated Press on the condition of anonymity that a soldier had been court-martialed for using excessive force in the fatal shooting of an Iraqi prisoner in September.
posted by Frodgie at 6:18 AM

 

How much warning did Clinton give Bush about bin Laden?

How much of a warning did Bill Clinton give incoming President George W. Bush that Osama bin Laden posed a grave danger?

It depends on which President you ask. In his interview with the 9/11 commission last week, sources tell Time, Bush testified that Clinton appeared far more passionate about the dangers of North Korea's nuclear program and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

According to sources, Bush said Clinton "probably mentioned" terrorism as a national-security threat "but did not make it a point of emphasis." Clinton earlier told the panel that he had ranked bin Laden as the No. 1 problem the new Administration would face; he made the same point in a speech in New York City last October.

The content of the testimony Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney gave in the Oval Office remains confidential. But a source says Bush told the commission he had not been warned of the CIA's and the FBI's concerns about would-be 747 pilot Zacarias Moussaoui, who was arrested in August 2001.


posted by Frodgie at 6:18 AM

 

Three Bombs Hit Athens Police Station

ATHENS, Greece — Three bombs exploded outside a police station Wednesday in a series of timed blasts, causing serious damage and rattling security forces just 100 days before the Olympic Games (search). No injuries were reported.

The pre-dawn explosions, which occurred within a half hour, came before events to mark the final stretch to the Aug. 13-29 Olympics. An anonymous caller to an Athens (search) newspaper warned of the attacks about 10 minutes in advance, but gave no motive or claim of responsibility.

Police believe the bombings were linked to domestic groups and not international terrorism.

The bombs — each made from three sticks of dynamite triggered by alarm clocks — appeared timed to cause casualties despite the tip to the newspaper, police claimed. Parts of the building, which includes several police agencies, were damaged and windows were shattered in nearby apartment blocks in the densely populated Kalithea (search) suburb.

"This is something very serious," Kalithea Mayor Constantinos Askounis told private Alpha radio. "It takes on a different dimension with the Olympics."

Authorities evacuated the station and cordoned off the area. The head of Greece's anti-terrorist squad was among the high-level personnel called to the site. Bomb experts also conducted a controlled explosion, but it was apparently a suspicious package and not a fourth bomb.


posted by Frodgie at 6:18 AM

 

The meaning of Fallujah

On some cable networks, they were comparing it to the Battle of Stalingrad, which is absurd. At Stalingrad, 500,000 Red Army soldiers died along with 147,000 Germans. Another 91,000 Germans surrendered, few of them ever to be seen again.

No, Fallujah was no Stalingrad. It was not even like Bull Run in 1861, where society matrons rode out to see the rebels routed and saw instead a Union Army streaming in panic back up the road to Washington. Union and Confederate dead at Bull Run were nearly 900.

In Fallujah, U.S. dead were several score at most.

Yet, as Stalingrad was the turning point of the war and Bull Run meant Lincoln must fight a long war or let the Confederacy go, Fallujah may prove a decisive battle in Bush's war, and presidency.


posted by Frodgie at 6:08 AM

 

Disney Forbidding Distribution of Film That Criticizes Bush

ASHINGTON, May 4 — The Walt Disney Company is blocking its Miramax division from distributing a new documentary by Michael Moore that harshly criticizes President Bush, executives at both Disney and Miramax said Tuesday.

The film, "Fahrenheit 911," links Mr. Bush and prominent Saudis — including the family of Osama bin Laden — and criticizes Mr. Bush's actions before and after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

Disney, which bought Miramax more than a decade ago, has a contractual agreement with the Miramax principals, Bob and Harvey Weinstein, allowing it to prevent the company from distributing films under certain circumstances, like an excessive budget or an NC-17 rating.

Executives at Miramax, who became principal investors in Mr. Moore's project last spring, do not believe that this is one of those cases, people involved in the production of the film said. If a compromise is not reached, these people said, the matter could go to mediation, though neither side is said to want to travel that route.


posted by Frodgie at 6:06 AM

 

Nine Charged in Turkey NATO Bomb Plot

ANKARA, Turkey — A Turkish court on Monday charged nine suspected members of a group linked to Al Qaeda in an alleged plot to set off a bomb at a NATO summit in Istanbul next month that President Bush is scheduled to attend.

Private CNN-Turk television said three of the suspects had been plotting a suicide attack on Bush and other Western leaders at the summit, but officials could not confirm the report.

Authorities detained 16 alleged members of Ansar al-Islam (search) on Thursday in the northwestern province of Bursa, Gov. Oguz Kagan Koksal (search) said. The suspects also planned to attack a synagogue in Bursa and rob a bank to raise funds, Koksal said.

A Turkish court that deals with terrorism cases charged the nine with "membership in an illegal organization." Conviction on the charge carries a sentence of up to 10 years in prison.

Prosecutors earlier released the other seven suspects after questioning them. It was not clear if they could still face charges. No trial date has been set.

Nine others were questioned in Istanbul but also were released, officials said.

The crackdown on the group comes amid heightened security in the run-up to the June 28-29 meeting of NATO alliance leaders, following a series of bombings in Istanbul in November.


posted by Frodgie at 6:11 AM

 

Hamill to Be Reunited With Wife in Germany

RAMSTEIN AIR BASE, Germany — American hostage Thomas Hamill (search) was sitting in a mud shack with a bullet wound festering in his arm when he heard the rumble of Army Humvees and made a break for it. He stumbled into the desert and waved his shirt to get the attention of passing soldiers.

"He was yelling, 'I'm an American, I'm an American POW,'" recalled Lt. Joseph Merrill, a member of an Army platoon that happened upon the grizzled Mississippi contract worker north of Baghdad on Sunday morning.

As Hamill whooped, soldiers radioed in that a farmer was approaching them. Hamill tripped and fell a few times, rising each time. Soon the soldiers understood he was shouting in English and somebody recognized the hostage, Merrill said.

"From a distance, it was obvious he was unarmed, so we did not have our weapons trained on him," the lieutenant said.

The 43-year-old truck driver was taken Monday to the U.S. military's Landstuhl Regional Medical Center (search) in Germany for treatment and a reunion with his wife, Kellie, expected on Tuesday.


posted by Frodgie at 6:09 AM

 

Jury: No double payout for WTC leaseholder

NEW YORK (CNN) -- A federal jury delivered a decisive setback Monday to World Trade Center leaseholder Larry Silverstein in his dispute with his largest insurer for the twin towers toppled in the attacks of September 11, 2001.

The jury decided Swiss Reinsurance Co., or Swiss Re, responsible for 25 percent of the trade center's coverage, is bound by an insurance form that would define the destruction as a single occurrence -- even though the towers were hit by two hijacked airliners 15 minutes apart.

Silverstein has contended the coordinated crashes should be considered two events, which would have allowed him to collect the maximum catastrophic insurance of $3.5 billion twice -- for a total of $7 billion.

The developer wants to use the money to rebuild up to 10 million square feet of commercial space -- equal to how much was lost in the attacks.

The Swiss Re verdict and the partial decision last week concerning 11 other insurers points toward a maximum payout of about $4.7 billion.


posted by Frodgie at 6:08 AM

 

Senior fighters escape Fallujah

U.S. military commanders think senior foreign fighters in Fallujah have escaped during the Marines's monthlong siege that has produced an inconsistent allied war policy.
Meanwhile, in southern Iraq, the U.S.-led coalition continues to come under deadly attacks from black-clad militiamen loyal to radical cleric Sheik Muqtada al-Sadr.
Despite vowing to "capture or kill" the renegade sheik, the United States has refrained from using force against him or to launch an all-out assault on his Mahdi's Army. The United States fears such an attack would inflame the passions of Shi'ites in battles that also are likely to result in the deaths of civilians.

posted by Frodgie at 6:06 AM

 

Oil Price Hits Highest Level Since 1990

WASHINGTON (AP) - The price of oil rose to its highest level in more than 13 years on Monday as traders responded to the weekend killing of five Westerners working for an oil contractor in Saudi Arabia.

The wholesale price of gasoline also reached a new record, signaling the likelihood of even higher pump prices by Memorial Day, which marks the beginning of the summer driving season.

Crude for June delivery gained 83 cents on the New York Mercantile Exchange, settling at $38.21 per barrel - the highest price since Oct. 16, 1990, when oil was valued at $38.89 per barrel.

The rally in oil prices was largely triggered by the violence in Saudi Arabia on Saturday, when four men opened fire on the offices of oil contractor ABB Lummus Global Inc. Two Americans, two Britons, an Australian and a Saudi died in the attack. All four attackers - who police said were Saudi brothers - were killed.

Analysts cited growing fears among traders that terrorists might escalate attacks against the oil industry in the Middle East and potentially disrupt supplies.


posted by Frodgie at 6:04 AM

 

Israeli troops block entrance to Arafat's HQ

RAMALLAH, West Bank (AFP) - Israeli military jeeps sealed off the entrances to Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat (news - web sites)'s headquarters in the West Bank town of Ramallah, a Palestinian official told AFP.

"The soldiers, travelling in 15 jeeps, approached the president's HQ and blocked the three entrances to the building," said Arafat advisor Nabil Abu Rudeina.

He expressed the fear that the move was "in preparation for an attack on the president," without giving any details.

Israeli military sources said that the troops were conducting "routine arrests" in Ramallah.

"These operations have nothing to do with Yasser Arafat's headquarters, which we have no intention of entering," a military source said.

Last month Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon (news - web sites) issued a threat against Arafat.

"I promised (US) President George W. Bush (news - web sites) three years ago not to attack Arafat, but I am no longer bound by that promise, and (Arafat) no longer has immunity," Sharon said then.

His threat provoked a wave of protest worldwide.


posted by Frodgie at 6:03 AM

 

Voters don't see Kerry as likable

Democratic presidential candidate Sen. John Kerry has a serious likability problem, with many voters seeing him as cold, aloof and distant, according to focus groups, recent polls and election analysts.
The complaint has dogged the Massachusetts senator throughout his political career, but it has gotten more attention in recent weeks as he undergoes deeper scrutiny in the press and from political pundits. Pollsters say when compared with President Bush on a likability scale, the president leads, often by large margins.

"It is a problem for Kerry. When you are talking about selecting a leader, barring an unforeseen circumstance, you have to like that leader. Whether it is an insurmountable problem remains to be seen," independent pollster John Zogby said.
"Clearly, that is bolstering Bush at the moment, his likability. A majority of Americans like him, though it's not as wide as it was," Mr. Zogby said.

posted by Frodgie at 6:24 AM

 

Methodist Court to Rule on Ordaining Gays

PITTSBURGH — United Methodists (search) entering the final week of their national meeting have turned to the church's highest court for help enforcing a ban on ordaining gays.

Responding to a question from delegates, the Judicial Council (search) released a ruling Saturday that church law clearly declares gay sex "incompatible with Christian teaching." The court said in its 6-3 decision that violations could lead to removal from church office.

In light of that ruling, delegates directed the court to review the case of the Rev. Karen Dammann (search), a lesbian who was acquitted of violating church law by a jury in Bothell, Wash.

Dammann had admitted she was in a relationship with a woman, and the March 20 verdict outraged conservatives.

The court will release its decision on Dammann before the General Conference ends Friday. The gathering, which reconvenes Monday after a one-day break, is held every four years to set church policy and has been a battleground on homosexuality for decades.

No one expects the 8.3 million-member denomination to break apart over the issue. Delegates have consistently voted by large margins to reject proposals more accepting of openly gay clergy. That trend is likely to continue among this year's nearly 1,000 delegates.


posted by Frodgie at 6:24 AM

 

Sharon's party rejects pullout

TEL AVIV — Prime Minister Ariel Sharon suffered a major defeat yesterday when his plan to dismantle Israeli settlements in the Gaza Strip was soundly rejected in a referendum among his Likud Party faithful.
The vote came as Palestinian gunmen killed a 34-year old pregnant Jewish settler from Gaza and her four daughters.

With 90 percent of the vote counted, opponents led supporters by about 60 percent to 39 percent, Israeli radio reported.
The results opened up the most serious crisis for the prime minister since he led his party to a landslide in parliamentary elections in January 2003.
Mr. Sharon has the option of honoring the results of a vote of 193,000 Likud Party members by shelving the pullback plan, which recently won public endorsement from President Bush.
He also could proceed with the pullout, which would provoke a crisis in his government by causing hard-line ministers and lawmakers to withdraw support.

posted by Frodgie at 6:20 AM

 

U.S. hostage flying home from Iraq

LANDSTUHL, Germany (CNN) -- An American contractor who apparently escaped from his Iraqi captors is flying to a U.S. air base in Germany on the first stage of his journey home.

Thomas Hamill, a dairy farmer from Macon, Mississippi who went to Iraq to work as a truck driver to pay off debts, was kidnapped by insurgents near Baghdad three weeks ago after his convoy was attacked.

Soon after his abduction, Hamill was filmed in a car with his heavily armed abductors who later threatened to kill him unless U.S. forces ended his siege of the city of Fallujah.

But on Sunday he managed to escape, fleeing from a house where he was being held about 100 kilometers (60 miles) north of Baghdad.

The 43-year-old later told his wife Kellie by telephone he heard a U.S. military convoy pass on the road outside where he was being held, pried open a door and ran about a half-mile down the road to catch up with it.

He ran into the arms of a U.S. patrol, then took them back to the house where they arrested two men, U.S. officials told Reuters.


posted by Frodgie at 6:18 AM

 

What went down in Kansas City?

"I understand that the Vietnam Veterans, opposed to the war, have been given until four-thirty to vacate the Mall ... I trust we are not going to use force to throw them out ... They are getting tremendous publicity; they have an articulate spokesman; they are being received in a far more sympathetic fashion than other demonstrators."

So, I wrote President Nixon through chief of staff H. R. Haldeman, April 21, 1971 – the week that made John Kerry famous.

"[I]f we want a confrontation," I added, let's not have it with the "Bonus Army," a comparison of Kerry's Vietnam Veterans Against the War to the World War I vets run off Anacostia Flats by Gen. MacArthur.

Though the White House had the approval of Chief Justice Burger to remove the vets from the Mall, Nixon let Kerry & Co. stay and carry out their now-famous medal toss on Friday, April 23.


posted by Frodgie at 6:15 AM

 

Party Barge Flips During Gay Event at Lake

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) - A party barge flipped while on a lake and sank Sunday, injuring two of the 60 people aboard, police said.
Officials said everyone was accounted for. Two people were taken to the hospital with minor injuries.

Krista Umscheid, a spokeswoman for the Lower Colorado River Authority, said sheriff's divers were checking compartments of the sunken, double-decker pontoon boat as a precaution.

Umscheid said witnesses reported that the boat started tilting and overturned when all its passengers moved to one side of the craft as it neared Hippie Hollow, a lakeside park and the only public nude beach in Texas.


posted by Frodgie at 6:14 AM