http://www.channel3000.com/-/1656/7679194/-/uiu3me/-/index.html en-US © 2011 Internet Broadcasting Systems, Inc. Home Home en-US © 2011 Internet Broadcasting Systems, Inc. http://www.channel3000.com/news/Jurors-continue-deliberations-in-Edwards-trial/-/1648/13582126/-/11g50km/-/index.html The jury in former Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards' corruption trial was in its third day of deliberations Tuesday, a day after asking to take another look at a batch of exhibits in the case. The eight-man, four-woman jury began weighing the former North Carolina senator's fate Friday after four weeks of testimony. On Monday afternoon, jurors asked to review exhibits related to two of the six counts against Edwards, the 2004 Democratic vice presidential nominee. He is charged with accepting illegal campaign contributions, falsifying documents and conspiracy to receive and conceal the contributions. The charges carry a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison and a $1.5 million fine. Prosecutors said Edwards "knowingly and willingly" accepted almost $1 million from two wealthy donors to hide former mistress Rielle Hunter and her pregnancy, then concealed the donations by filing false and misleading campaign disclosure reports. Defense attorneys argued that Edwards was guilty of nothing but being a bad husband to his wife, Elizabeth, who died in 2010. They also argued that former Edwards aide Andrew Young used the money for his own gain and to pay for Hunter's medical expenses to hide the affair from Edwards' wife. Neither Edwards nor Hunter testified during the trial. The affair occurred as Edwards was gearing up for a second White House bid in 2008, and he knew his political ambitions depended on keeping his affair with Hunter a secret, Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert Higdon told jurors in closing arguments. "There is no question it would destroy the campaign of John Edwards," Higdon said. Prosecutors argued that Edwards knowingly violated campaign finance laws by accepting the large contributions from Fred Baron and Rachel Mellon that went to support Hunter. Edwards "knew these rules well," Higdon said, and should have known that the contributions violated campaign finance laws. Edwards accepted $725,000 from Mellon and more than $200,000 from Baron, prosecutors said. The money was used to pay for Hunter's living and medical expenses, travel and other costs to keep her out of sight while Edwards made his 2008 White House run, prosecutors say. Defense attorneys argued that the donations cannot be considered campaign contributions. Prosecutors said Edwards manipulated Young and others to help keep his affair out of public view. Young testified that he allowed Hunter to move in with him and his wife at Edwards' request after newspapers began looking into a possible affair within the Edwards campaign. Young initially claimed to be the father of Hunter's baby girl and testified that Mellon was already funding Hunter's living expenses when he called Baron to complain about the situation. Baron offered to help out, telling Young to write up Hunter's expenses so that Baron could reimburse them, the aide testified. Neither Baron nor Mellon appeared to know that the other was reimbursing Young for the same expenses, raising questions about whether and how much Young may have profited from the situation. Young acknowledged during the trial that he had used some donations for his own personal benefit, including paying for the construction of a home. Another former Edwards aide, speechwriter Wendy Button, testified that Edwards knew Baron was supporting Hunter and her child in 2009. And defense lawyer Abbe Lowell urged jurors to focus on Young's role in the case, saying he was a biased and unreliable witness with a financial and legal interest in the outcome. "There is nothing he won't lie about, nothing," Lowell said. Young, the author of a tell-all book about the Edwards scandal, testified under an agreement with the government in hopes that he will not be prosecuted. Prosecutors agreed that Young made several mistakes over the years, including keeping some of the money, failing to confront Edwards earlier about his behavior and falsely claiming paternity for Edwards' child with Hunter. But David Harbach of the U.S. Justice Department's public integrity section told jurors in a rebuttal argument that Lowell was merely trying to distract jurors from focusing on the charges against Edwards. "The defense is overplaying their hand," Harbach said. Tue, 22 May 2012 18:46:17 GMT 13582126 2012-05-22T18:46:17Z http://www.channel3000.com/news/Implant-claim-triggers-flight-diversion/-/1648/13622928/-/ny19o7/-/index.html A passenger who claimed to have a device surgically implanted inside her triggered the security scare that led to the diversion of a North Carolina-bound jetliner Tuesday, federal officials said. Doctors aboard examined the woman and saw no sign of recent scars, according to the office of Rep. Peter King, the chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee. And a senior federal law enforcement official told CNN that authorities have determined that no bomb was involved in the incident. US Airways Flight 787 landed in Bangor, Maine, around noon Tuesday after the incident. The Paris-to-Charlotte flight carried 179 passengers and a crew of nine, airline spokeswoman Liz Landau told CNN. The senior federal official said the passenger handed a note to the flight crew indicating that she had had a device implanted in her body, but did not indicate the device was a threat or that she was threatening the flight. And a federal law enforcement source who had been briefed on the matter said there was "basically no threat." The woman is being questioned and will likely undergo a psychological evaluation, the source said. Nevertheless, the Boeing 767 was diverted to Bangor "out of an abundance of caution," the Transportation Security Administration said. The jetliner was escorted into Bangor by a pair of F-15 fighter jets dispatched by the North American Aerospace Defense Command from an Air National Guard base in Massachusetts, said Lt. Col. Mike Humphreys, a NORAD spokesman. King's office said the woman is a Cameroon-born French citizen who was headed to the United States for a 10-day visit. She was traveling alone and had no checked baggage. There was no indication she was on any kind of government watch list, the federal law enforcement source said. Tue, 22 May 2012 18:32:14 GMT 13622928 2012-05-22T18:32:14Z http://www.channel3000.com/news/Reagan-Foundation-threatens-legal-action-over-blood-vial-sale/-/1648/13605286/-/4dctt1/-/index.html The Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation threatened legal action over the online sale of a vial purportedly containing dried blood from the former president following a 1981 assassination attempt. "If indeed this story is true, it's a craven act and we will use every legal means to stop its sale or purchase," said a statement from John Heubusch, the foundation's executive director. Bidding for the vial topped 7,590 pounds (nearly $12,000) as of Tuesday, with two days left in the sale. The item is being offered by PFC Auctions, based on the island of Guernsey, a British dependency. "Dried blood residue from President Reagan ... can be seen clearly in the vial with a quarter-inch ring of blood residue at the end of the inserted rubber stopper," the listing says. On March 30, 1981, John Hinckley fired six shots at Reagan as the president left the Washington Hilton after delivering a speech. Reagan was rushed to George Washington University Hospital for emergency surgery. The vial's seller, in a letter of provenance included in the sale, said it has been in his family's possession since the day of the assassination attempt. "Back in the '70s and '80s, my mother worked for Bio Science Laboratories in Columbia, Maryland," the letter says. The lab was contracted with George Washington University Hospital to handle blood testing, and did Reagan's blood work and testing. "The test tube and the lab slip that I have are for his blood work to be tested for lead on 03/30/1981," according to the letter. "The testing was completed and the test tube was sitting on my mother's desk." The seller says in the listing their mother asked the lab director if she could keep the paperwork and test tube, and was allowed to do so. The seller said their mother and father have both since died. "We've spoken to GW Hospital and are assured an investigation as to how something like this could possibly happen is underway," Heubusch's statement said. "Any individual, including a president of the United States, should feel confident that once they enter into the care of a medical system, their privacy and rights are held inviolable." The hospital declined comment to CNN on Tuesday. The seller said they had contacted the Reagan National Library and spoke to its director, asking if the library would like to purchase the vial. The director said the library would accept the vial as a donation, the seller said, but the director also wanted to check with legal counsel, the National Archives and the FBI, among others. "He called back in 25 minutes and said that everything was OK," the seller wrote. "The National Archives was not interested in what I had, nor was the Secret Service, the FBI and other agencies. Since 30 years had passed by, he thought that it was simply something that was of no importance at this time and that I was free to do ... whatever I wanted with it." The seller said they did not want to return the vial to Reagan's family, "since I had served under Pres. Reagan when he was my Commander in Chief when I was in the Army from '87-'91 and that I was a real fan of Reaganomics and felt that Pres. Reagan himself would rather see me sell it rather than donating it." A form also being sold with the vial contains Reagan's patient ID number at George Washington Hospital, the seller said. The form and a label on the vial contain the names of doctors at the hospital as well, according to the seller. Reagan served two terms as president. He died in June 2004 at age 93. Hinckley was found not guilty by reason of insanity in the shooting, which also wounded then-press secretary James Brady, Secret Service Agent Timothy McCarthy and police officer Thomas Delahanty. Hinckley has been a patient at St. Elizabeths mental hospital in Washington for three decades. A hearing was held earlier this year on his request that he be allowed longer visits to his elderly mother's home in Virginia. A judge in February said he would rule on the matter later. Tue, 22 May 2012 17:33:21 GMT 13605286 2012-05-22T17:33:21Z http://www.channel3000.com/technology/Historic-launch-of-private-rocket-heralds-new-era/-/1632/13562960/-/11ne0loz/-/index.html A new era in space exploration dawned Tuesday as a slender rocket shot into the dark Florida sky before sunrise, carrying the first private spacecraft bound for the International Space Station. "We're now back on the brink of a new future, a future that embraces the innovation the private sector brings to the table," NASA Administrator Charles Bolden said. "The significance of this day cannot be overstated." The unmanned SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket blasted off from Cape Canaveral, Florida, at 3:44 a.m., carrying 1,300 pounds of food, clothing and scientific experiments on a demonstration mission to gauge the company's ability to safely and efficiently deliver supplies to astronauts staffing the orbiting station. If successful, the test could open the door to a wave of commercial exploitation of space. Tuesday's launch marks the culmination of six years of preparation to bring commercial flights to the space station following the retirement of NASA's space shuttle fleet last year. It's backed by entrepreneur Elon Musk, the founder of PayPal. "Every bit of adrenaline in my body released at that moment," Musk said of the launch, in a statement released by NASA. "People were really giving it their all. For us, it was like winning the Super Bowl." The rocket launched without a hitch following a flawless countdown that came three days after a faulty valve on one of the rocket's engines forced a last-second postponement. At 180 feet tall and 12 feet around, the Falcon 9 rocket is tiny in comparison to the football-field-long Saturn V rockets that carried Apollo spacecraft into orbit. It carries the company's Dragon cargo capsule capable of carrying 13,228 pounds of supplies into orbit, the company said. The capsule is scheduled to perform a series of maneuvers that should bring it within reach of the space station's robotic arm on Friday. If NASA gives the go-ahead, the crew will use the arm to attach the capsule to the station and begin unloading supplies, according to SpaceX. It will remain attached to the station for two weeks before it plummets back into the atmosphere and splashes into the Pacific Ocean off the California coast, according to SpaceX. The cargo manifest for the trip includes 674 pounds of food, clothing and miscellaneous supplies, 46 pounds of supplies for use in science experiments, 271 pounds of cargo bags for use in future flights and 22 pounds of computer equipment. It will return with science experiments, hardware and used gear. The launch is an important step for NASA and the United States, which currently has no means of independently reaching space. NASA relies on the Russian space agency to ferry U.S. astronauts to orbit. "What's really important is not control, as much as it is the fact that the United States will once again be in the lead, will be providing our own vehicles to take our own astronauts and cargo to the International Space Station," Bolden said. "It's fine to rely on partners, but that's not where the greatest nation in the world wants to be." White House science adviser John P. Holdren also hailed the launch. "Every launch into space is a thrilling event, but this one is especially exciting because it represents the potential of a new era in American spaceflight," he said. "Partnering with U.S. companies such as SpaceX to provide cargo and eventually crew service to the International Space Station is a cornerstone of the president's plan for maintaining America's leadership in space." SpaceX is conducting the flight as part of a contract that could be worth as much as $396 million, according to company spokeswoman Kirstin Brost Grantham. The company has completed 37 of the 40 milestones in the contract and has received $381 million so far, she said. Musk likened the significance of the launch to the growth of the commercial Internet -- from its underpinnings as a government initiative to the technological, economic and cultural engine it is today. "I think we're at a similar inflection point for space," he said. "I hope and I believe that this mission will be historic in marking that turning point towards a rapid advancement in space transportation technology." The first attempt to launch the rocket was halted Saturday when a flight computer detected high pressure in an engine combustion chamber. Workers replaced the valve on Saturday, SpaceX said. The company plans 11 more flights to the space station. One of a handful of private companies receiving funds from NASA to develop a space taxi system, SpaceX hopes the experience with the cargo flights will help the company reach its goal of carrying astronauts aboard the Dragon. The company is developing a heavy-lift rocket with twice the cargo capability of the space shuttle, and also dreams of building a spacecraft that could carry a crew to Mars. Tue, 22 May 2012 17:22:15 GMT 13562960 2012-05-22T17:22:15Z http://www.channel3000.com/news/U-S-Ambassador-Crocker-to-step-down-from-Afghan-post/-/1648/13575992/-/123f6xqz/-/index.html Ryan Crocker, the U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan, will step down this summer after a year on the job due to health reasons, according to State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland. A statement by Nuland said Crocker confirmed his plan to the Afghan government and the U.S.-led NATO military mission in the country. Crocker was named as the U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan on July 25, 2011. A senior U.S. administration official told CNN that Crocker was leaving the job earlier than planned. "He took it for two years, but the serious health problem he had in Iraq came back, so he is forced to leave a year early for genuinely serious health reasons," the official said on condition of not being identified. "He is sticking it out for a full year, which takes him to" a donors conference in Tokyo in July. Nuland's statement said Crocker would step down "for health reasons in mid-summer, following the Kabul and Tokyo conferences." It cited a series of achievements during Crocker's tenure culminated by NATO's approval Monday of a timetable for the U.S.-led military mission in Afghanistan to end combat operations next year and withdraw by the end of 2014. At the same time, NATO will launch a separate, new mission to train, advise and assist Afghan security forces starting in 2015. Nuland's statement quoted Crocker as saying: "These achievements are the guarantee that as Afghanistan moves to a brighter future secured by its own capabilities, it does so ... in sovereign and equal partnership with the United States in particular and the international community generally." No further details on Crocker's health problems or departure were immediately available. This is not Crocker's first stint in the Afghan capital. After the Taliban were forced out of power, he was given the task in 2002 of reopening the U.S. Embassy in Kabul, according to his State Department biography. Cameron Munter, the U.S. ambassador to Pakistan, is also due to leave his post this summer, as previously announced by the State Department. Tue, 22 May 2012 16:30:51 GMT 13575992 2012-05-22T16:30:51Z http://www.channel3000.com/news/A-year-later-Joplin-is-on-the-mend/-/1648/13499894/-/pr1y74/-/index.html On the blank canvas left behind by last year's tornado, new homes are slowly popping up in Joplin, Missouri. Every few blocks the buzz of power saws and the pop-pop-pop of nail guns from construction crews signal another step toward making the city whole again. "Joplin is on the mend," said Mayor Melodie Colbert-Kean. "We have a long road to travel, but the way that everyone is joining together and unifying and chipping in, we're going to make it." A year ago, the city suffered a direct hit by a massive EF5 tornado with wind speeds over 200 mph. The May 22 twister leveled homes and businesses, killing 161 people. "A third of the city got pretty much destroyed by the tornado," Colbert-Kean said. "Total devastation, a war zone, that's what it looked like to me." After the search and rescue finished, the cleanup began. Most of the 3 million cubic yards of debris left by the tornado was removed in the first few months after the storm, leaving behind an eerie, treeless tableau. In the middle of this destruction, the iconic cross at St. Mary's Catholic Church still stands, giving hope to many in Joplin. Father Justin Monaghan was in his quarters behind the church watching a golf tournament on television when the storm hit. He took shelter in his bathroom as the church and rectory were leveled. "I was praying at a high speed," said the priest, known to his parishioners as Father Justin. "I didn't expect from the noise coming at me that I was going to survive in any manner. I certainly was praying, and I was just praying to ask God to accept his will." Monaghan moved to the United States in the 1960s, but he still speaks with a lilting Irish brogue. He has been the pastor of St. Mary's for 12 years and has seen storms come and go, but nothing like the magnitude of last year's tornado. When he emerged from the rubble, he saw that one of the few things still standing was the cross. "I just looked and I thought, God is really with us, and he's letting us know he's going to take care of us," he said. "It was tremendous. It was a real gift to see that and it became a symbol all over the community, in fact all over the world." His flock has been attending services at a neighboring church while construction begins a few miles away on the new St. Mary's. The location of the old church will be the site of an electrical substation, but the cross will remain and become part of a small park. Monaghan said he still visits the cross many mornings to pray and meditate at dawn. "Your God is alive and well. And we don't always know why these things happen, but thanks for giving us a message of unity," he prays. The cross sits on high ground overlooking the mixed recovery in Joplin. Nearby Cunningham Park now holds a beautiful fountain and memorial to those lost in the tornado, along with basketball courts and playgrounds. Across the street from the park is the wreckage of St. John's Regional Medical Center, which still looks much the way it did in the days immediately after the storm, with blown-out windows and collapsed walls. Demolition is under way on the heavily damaged hospital, but it is the tallest building in the area, making it impossible to forget the epic destruction the tornado brought. A new hospital is being built on a site a few miles away. About a mile west of St. Mary's, the tornado hit Joplin High School, which is now a massive pile of rubble behind a chain link fence. The school district canceled the remainder of the 2011 school year and set to work trying to figure out what to do with its students when summer was over. School officials settled on a unique solution: They would construct a temporary school in the vacant end of a shopping mall and use it for several years until a new school could be built. After a frantic summer of planning and building, they managed to open the makeshift school on time in September 2011. It took the students and teachers awhile to get used to having classes in a mall, watching senior citizen mall walkers pass by the cafeteria doors during lunch. Now, as the seniors get ready for graduation, it feels like a real school. There is an uncommon maturity to the students at Joplin High School. Two students from the school died, many others lost their homes, and all are part of a battered and bruised community. "We get support from each other and our teachers," explained Rachel Berryhill, an 18-year-old senior. "And it just helps us grow stronger and stronger, so I think it's good we're here together." The tornado destroyed her family's home, along with all her possessions, including clothes and jewelry. "I know it's changed me a lot as a person whether I like it or not," she said. "I don't care as much about material possessions. Now it's like, whatever, and it's made me value friendships." She is excited to have President Obama speak at her graduation and, like many in Joplin, she doesn't dwell on what happened here. But, she says, when a storm approaches it's hard to forget. To ease students' minds and protect them in the event of another tornado, the school has erected concrete storm shelters in the parking lot. Each student is assigned a shelter and the school holds regular drills to be sure they can evacuate in a matter of minutes. Many Joplin residents struggle with the fear of another devastating storm striking the town. Judy Lowe lost everything in last year's tornado, salvaging only a few photos of her sons after seeing them posted on Facebook. Today, she keeps them in a concrete-reinforced closet with a steel door. "This is just like having a lock box, and I know that I'm not going to lose these photos again," she said. "I can replace anything that I can go to a store and buy, but I can never replace any of these things." Lowe now lives in a brand-new house full of newly purchased furniture. Her neighborhood is only partly rebuilt and backhoes are as common on the streets as cars. Work keeps her busy. She tries to not dwell on the tornado and all that she and her family have been through, but like Rachel Berryhill, she gets nervous when a storm rolls in. "I get tense, edgy, just kind of anxious," she said. "There's always going to be that fear of it happening again, and my biggest struggle is trying to not show fear for my children." She is eager for the anniversary to come and go and for the rebuilding to be complete. "I'm proud of Joplin. We have a long way to go," she said. "Seeing it every day you just want it over, want it done, want it fixed. Unfortunately we're not there yet, but we will be." Tue, 22 May 2012 16:18:52 GMT 13499894 2012-05-22T16:18:52Z http://www.channel3000.com/news/Candidate-for-Mexican-congress-appears-topless-on-billboards/-/1648/13548216/-/kpygd7z/-/index.html It's a campaign that's raising a lot of eyebrows in Mexico. The campaign involves a 34-year-old philosophy professor named Natalia Juarez, who's running for the Mexican congress. When Juarez realized her bid for office was off to a slow start a few weeks ago, the leftist candidate quickly decided she was going to be transparent with voters in a way they didn't expect. Juarez decided to appear topless on a billboard surrounded by half-a-dozen supporters of her party, the PRD (Party of the Democratic Revolution). The billboard shows the seven women, including Juarez, naked from the waist up and covering sensitive areas with their right hands while they raise their left fists. (See billboard) The candidate says it's her way of giving voters in Mexico a wake-up call. "Society is lethargic. We don't seem to be aware of our role. We need to get energized. We need to tell people, 'Hey, wake up because if you don't, sharks are going to eat you up. Wake up, you citizen and politician," Juarez said. A caption above the women on the billboard reads: "I dare you to build a new project for a nation with no prejudices." Another billboard shows the bare legs of four women with their pelvic areas covered with a semi-transparent yellow cloth. The caption on the cloth reads: "It's better for one thousand of us to take a step forward than for one leader to take one thousand steps for us." At a recent campaign stop in Guadalajara, Juarez shook hands with voters and high-fived one supporter. Juarez heads the philosophy department at the University of Guadalajara. She says she has received strong support from most of her female students, "but some of my male students just look at me from a distance," she said. So far Juarez has posted the two billboards in Guadalajara, Mexico's second largest city and also one of the most conservative. She has been the target of harsh criticism and dismissed as a novice trying to make in politics no matter at what cost. "Conservative people are never going to vote for me, never!" Juarez said. "Even if I dressed as a nun and carried a rosary and said that my party was going to give away Bibles and rosaries, they wouldn't. Conservatives are never going to vote for me." Juarez also says she has the full backing of her family, including her elderly mother, whom she describes as a small-town, conservative woman. And if people were shocked by her first round of campaigning, Juarez says, that is nothing compared with the second one she will unveil in the next few weeks, although she's not giving out details. In the meantime, she has been targeted on social media. "Who needs brains when you have these?" reads one comment on Twitter. Juarez says that won't deter her from advancing her political platform. The bottom line, Juarez says, is that she's a radical candidate with radical ideas for a better Mexico. "When it comes to drugs and the violence generated by drug trafficking, we need to start thinking in a radical way. What do I mean by that? Well, we need to start a debate. Let's legalize (drugs), tax them and use the money for other things," Juarez said. Mexico will hold presidential and congressional elections on July 1. In addition to a president, Mexicans will also elect 128 senators, 500 representatives, six governors, 375 local legislators and 641 mayors. Tue, 22 May 2012 15:46:48 GMT 13548216 2012-05-22T15:46:48Z http://www.channel3000.com/news/politics/Truce-between-Obama-and-Romney-on-faith/-/4030/13617312/-/rkb8sxz/-/index.html A political truce may be brewing between the Obama and Romney campaigns on the issue of the candidates' faith and religious practice. An all-out war over such issues nearly erupted last week, but neither campaign would take up arms. The controversy began after word got out of a Republican Super PAC's proposal to try to put a spotlight on President Barack Obama's fiery former pastor, the Rev. Jeremiah A. Wright, Jr., just like in 2008. But Mitt Romney, the presumptive GOP nominee for president, slapped the effort down before it even got off the ground (and the Super PAC's leaders insisted the Wright campaign was just one of several ideas). "I repudiate that effort," Romney told reporters on Thursday. "I think it's the wrong course for a PAC or a campaign. I hope that our campaigns can respectfully be about the future and about issues and about a vision for America." Romney's lifelong membership in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is seen by some as a major liability, especially among evangelical voters and voters who don't know much about Mormonism. After word of the proposed Wright campaign, Democratic pundits argued that if Obama's old pastor was back on the table, Romney's Mormonism should be, too, including the church's checkered history on the issue of race. On Sunday, during CNN's State of the Union with Candy Crowley, senior Obama campaign strategist David Axelrod said that his camp repudiates attacks against Romney's faith. "We've said that's not fair game. And we wish that Gov. Romney would stand up as strongly and as resolutely consistently to refute these kinds of things on his side," the Obama strategist told Crowley. "We both ought to take the right position," Axelrod said. He proceeded to take a few shots at Romney, noting the former Massachusetts said in February that Wright was fair game. Either way, both campaigns are now on the record saying the tinder box of their rival's faith is now off the table. Tue, 22 May 2012 15:41:07 GMT 13617312 2012-05-22T15:41:07Z http://www.channel3000.com/money/Debt-ceiling-in-play-again/-/1644/13588556/-/15p86yuz/-/index.html Wow. So here we are again. Washington is spoiling for a fight over the country's debt ceiling -- less than a year after a showdown that induced a credit downgrade, rocked the markets and eroded confidence in Congress. Last week, House Speaker John Boehner said he would not permit another increase in the country's legal borrowing limit without a larger amount of spending cuts and reforms approved in tandem. "I suspect blood pressure readings went up [that] afternoon," said budget expert Joe Minarik, senior vice president of the Committee for Economic Development. That would be understandable given how damaging the last debt ceiling showdown turned out to be. But we'll get to that in a minute. First, it pays to remember just how the debt ceiling actually works. What is the debt ceiling exactly? It's a legal cap set by Congress on the amount of money the federal government can borrow. The ceiling applies to debt owed to the public (i.e., anyone who buys U.S. bonds) plus debt owed to federal government trust funds such as those for Social Security and Medicare. The first limit, established in 1917, was set at $11.5 billion, according to the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget. By setting a limit, Congress gave the Treasury Department authority to borrow money as needed. Previously, Congress had to sign off every time the federal government issued debt. How high is the debt limit right now? The ceiling is currently set at $16.394 trillion. The country's accrued debt subject to the limit as of Friday was $15.670 trillion. (Here's where the Treasury posts daily updates of the number.) When will we hit it? Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner has said he estimates that U.S. borrowing could hit the debt ceiling by the end of 2012. But by taking "extraordinary measures" -- such as suspending investments in federal retirement funds -- Geithner might be able to buy enough time to keep borrowing below the legal limit until early 2013. How is the ceiling determined? They never admit it, but every time lawmakers vote to hike spending or cut taxes and not pay for them, they're tacitly acknowledging that the debt ceiling will need to raised in the future. So arguing over the debt ceiling after the fact is essentially arguing over whether to pay the bills the country has already incurred and which Congress has already approved. How many times has the ceiling been raised? Since March 1962, debt ceiling increases have been enacted 76 times, according to the Congressional Research Service. Congress has voted to raise the ceiling 11 of those times since 2001. Expect more of the same over the next decade. Barring major changes to spending and tax policies, "Congress would repeatedly face demands to raise the debt limit," CRS wrote. Why does Congress even bother to set a debt limit? In theory, the limit is supposed to help Congress control spending. In reality, it doesn't. Every time the debt limit needs to be raised, lawmakers and the president are forced to take stock of the country's fiscal direction, which in theory isn't a bad thing. But the decision about how high to set the ceiling is usually a political one -- depending on how quickly the minority party wants to raise the issue again for political gain or to extract concessions. In any case, the vote usually comes after lawmakers have already passed the spending hikes and tax cuts that necessitate an increase in the first place. What happens if Congress doesn't raise the debt ceiling? Treasury would not be able to borrow any more money. That means the government would fall short of what it needs to pay all its bills in full, which include funding government operations and paying creditors and contractors. During last year's debate, Geithner's critics said he could prevent default by simply paying the interest due to bondholders. But since average spending -- minus interest -- outpaces revenue by about $115 billion a month, Geithner would have to pick and choose whom to pay and whom to put off every day. And there's no guarantee that paying interest while shirking other legal obligations will protect the country from the perception of default. Geithner said it would be akin to a homeowner who pays his mortgage but puts off his car loan and credit cards. Translation: the homeowner's credit could still be damaged. Ultimately, if lawmakers fail to raise the ceiling, they will have two choices, both awful. They could immediately enact massive spending cuts or tax increases. Or they could acknowledge that the country would be unable to pay what it owes in full and the United States could effectively default on some of its obligations. The first option is impossible to execute without serious economic repercussions. And the second option could cripple the economy and send world markets into a tailspin. "Not only the default but efforts to resolve it would arguably have negative repercussions on both domestic and international financial markets and economies," according to the CRS. Will reaching the debt ceiling cause a government shutdown? Technically, no. A government shutdown occurs if lawmakers fail to appropriate money for federal agencies and programs. By contrast, if the debt ceiling is breached, Uncle Sam would still have revenue coming in that could be used to fund the government, noted Rudolph Penner, a former Congressional Budget Office director. But if Geithner is coming up short by $115 billion on average every month, and lawmakers just decide to cut spending by that amount, that could effectively mean a partial government shutdown. So what happened last year? The 2011 debt ceiling showdown resulted in a three-part increase to the debt ceiling in exchange for, among other things, at least $2.1 trillion in debt reduction over 10 years. The debt ceiling deal -- known as the Budget Control Act -- also empowered a so-called super committee of lawmakers from both parties to negotiate how to achieve at least $1.2 trillion of that debt reduction. That committee failed, however, thereby triggering a sequester of nearly $1 trillion in automatic spending cuts, mostly across defense and nondefense discretionary spending. That latter category pays for many common and popular governmental functions, from food inspections to the operation of national parks. Those cuts are set to start taking effect in January 2013. Many lawmakers hate those cuts-- but apparently not enough yet to negotiate a bipartisan deal to replace them. The debt ceiling showdown of 2011 also created a lot of bad blood between the parties and between Republicans and the White House. And it sparked the first-ever downgrade of the U.S. credit rating by Standard & Poor's, which cited political brinksmanship as the chief cause. That, in turn, caused one of the most volatile weeks in world markets and left Americans and investors with the sense that Congress can't handle even the most elemental tasks without a lot of destructive drama. Tue, 22 May 2012 14:52:53 GMT 13588556 2012-05-22T14:52:53Z http://www.channel3000.com/news/Olympics-torch-carriers-try-to-cash-in-on-role/-/1648/13613316/-/5r8ooo/-/index.html It's not just the athletes going for gold in the 2012 London Olympics -- it appears that some of the torch bearers may be trying to cash in on the role of carrying the flame. In the few days since the Olympic flame arrived in Britain several adverts for what are claimed to be genuine Olympic torches have appeared on the online auction site eBay, some with eye-watering price tags. Six torches have sold for more than £100,000 ($158,000) on eBay, although it's not known whether money actually changed hands at the end of the auction. One bidder asks if a torch is authentic, and the seller, who lives in Burnham-on-Sea, England, responds: "Running at 1638 on Monday. It will be dispatched within my handling time. Absolutely authentic, I wouldn't risk my eBay rating on selling a fake." After a frenzy of up to 163 bids, the "soot-marked torch" sold for £153,000 ($241,000). London Olympics organizers say they cannot be used again as the burner system is disabled after each runner finishes a section. Some sellers say they will donate a percentage of the sale price to charity, with one offering to give 10 percent to Save the Children. Each of the torches used in the 70-day relay up to the opening ceremony on 27 July has been offered in advance to the runner at a discounted price of just under £199 ($314)... or £215 ($339) if they bought it on the day. Organizers say the money helps to cover the production costs of £594 ($937) for each of the perforated, aluminum alloy torches. A spokeswoman for the 2012 games said: "The torches are the torch bearers' to do what they want with them -- we hope they find a good home." London Olympic Games organizers are not responsible for the distinctive torches once the runners take ownership, but the spokeswoman urged potential online bidders to be cautious. She advised anyone considering making a bid to check the seller's identity and then visit the official London 2012 Olympics website which carries a full list of torch bearers. Large crowds have been turning out each day to watch the procession of the Olympic flame through the UK and some have gained a glimpse of a celebrity -- English soccer star and Los Angeles Galaxy player, David Beckham, lit the first torch on its arrival in the UK. And American rapper and Black Eyed Peas star Will.i.am took a turn carrying the flame on Monday. Organizers say there will be a series of high-profile bearers throughout the relay but are staying tight-lipped about exactly who they are. Apart from celebrities and athletes, most of the runners were chosen in recognition for a contribution to their community or personal achievement and followed a nomination process. The journey began when the flame was lit from the sun's rays at the Temple of Hera in Olympia, Greece. The flame will feature at the opening ceremony when the final torch bearer lights the cauldron inside London's Olympic Stadium. In the interim, it will be carried 8,000 miles across the UK by 8,000 runners and using a route that organizers say will be within 10 miles of 95 percent of the population. Five days into the relay, crowds are still turning out in force across the south west of England. "I think it's fantastic there's been so much enthusiasm running through each community," said the London Olympics spokeswoman. "I think it's a very British thing to do -- to get behind something in your community." Tue, 22 May 2012 14:44:31 GMT 13613316 2012-05-22T14:44:31Z http://www.channel3000.com/news/Tons-of-pot-found-floating-off-Calif-coast/-/1648/13613532/-/y2b9ybz/-/index.html  Three and a half tons of marijuana were found by a boater floating in the ocean off Southern California. A boater spotted the 160 bales of pot at about noon Sunday. Orange County authorities and the Coast Guard sent boats to gather up the pot and turn it over to the U.S. Border Patrol, The Associated Press reported. It's unclear who dumped the marijuana, which weighs about 7,000 pounds and has an estimated street value of $3 million, according to the AP. Border Patrol spokesman Jerry Conlin told The Huffington Post that the discovery was "not normal" because officials didn't see a boat or high-speed chase near the abandoned bales. "To find that much out there floating in the water is not normal," he said. "There have been no arrests made at this moment, and there's no vessel that's been seized. It is an ongoing investigation." Tue, 22 May 2012 14:14:55 GMT 13613532 2012-05-22T14:14:55Z http://www.channel3000.com/news/politics/Congressional-speaking-abilities-decline/-/4030/13521652/-/mxqwft/-/index.html If the findings of a new study on congressional speech levels represented their actions, senators would be busy passing notes in history class, while representatives attempted to trick the substitute trigonometry teacher. A new study by the Sunlight Foundation found that Congress speaks at an average grade level of 10.6, equivalent to a sophomore in high school. That number is down from 2005, when Congress' 11.5 speaking level was in line with a high school junior. Lee Drutman and his colleagues at Sunlight took every word members of Congress said on the House and Senate floors between January 1996 and April 2012 and put them through the Flesch-Kincaid test, a tool that equates higher grade levels with longer words and sentences. Drutman found that while Democrats used to speak at a lower level then Republicans, in the last seven years, that trend has flipped. The bottom ten on the list was dominated by freshman Republicans. Of the ten, all were Republicans and eight were freshman. Rep. Mick Mulvaney, a Republican freshman from South Carolina, found himself at the bottom of all 535 members of congress with a 7.9 grade level. "We do it on purpose," Mulvaney said of himself and his other freshman Republicans. "People have been teaching this for decades. If you want someone to understand your message, you speak clearly and concisely." Mulvaney, who graduated with honors from Georgetown University and earned a law degree at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, disagreed with the idea that the declining speech level said anything about congressional intelligence. "I don't think anyone equates the polysyllabic nature of your words as a substitute for intellect," Mulvaney said. "Hemmingway wrote very clearly and concisely. Faulkner did not. It does not mean either was smarter than the other." While Drutman acknowledged the numbers speak for themselves, it is clear that both Democrats and Republicans have experienced a decline in speech level. "What you see is that both parties have dropped off," Drutman said. "It is certainly a bipartisan trend over all, Republicans have dropped a little more than Democrats but the trend is consistent across both parities." In 2007, both Republicans and Democrats spoke at an 11.1 grade level. Since then, Republicans have fallen to a 10.4 grade level, while Democrats have fallen to a 10.8 level. Earlier this year, President Barack Obama's State of the Union addressed scored below the current congressional average. As pointed out by the University of Minnesota's Smart Politics, the president's 2012 State of the Union address earned an 8.4 grade level. This was not Obama's lowest rated speech; his 2011 State of the Union address earned an 8.1, the second lowest State of the Union address even given. "With three addresses under his belt, President Obama has the lowest average Flesch-Kincaid score for State of the Union addresses of any modern president," read the University of Minnesota report. "Obama's average grade-level score of 8.4 is more than two grades lower than the 11.1 grade average for the other 67 addresses written by his 12 predecessors." And while the average American speaks around an 8th or 9th grade reading level, some of history's most prominent documents were written at much higher levels. According to the Sunlight report, the Constitution was written at a 17.8 level, the Declaration of Independence at a 15.1 grade level and the Federalist Papers at a 17.1 level. Even the notably concise Gettysburg Address clocked in at an 11.2 grade level. Drutman said more moderate members of Congress speak at a higher grade level than more partisan Democrats and Republicans. "Controlling for other factors, it is generally the most moderate members of both parties who speak at the highest grade levels, and the most extreme members who speak at the lowest grade levels," read the report. "This pattern is most pronounced among freshmen and sophomore members." Not all members of Congress rated poorly, though. Rep. Dan Lungren, R-California, earned the highest overall rating with a 16.0 grade level. Sen. Daniel Akaka, D-Hawaii, earned a 14.2 rating, the highest among senators. Brett O'Donnell, the president of O'Donnell and Associates and a former debate coach for former Gov. Mitt Romney and Rep. Michelle Bachmann, R-Minnesota, said that while blame for this trend could be pinned on both the politicians and the state of education in the United States, he also blamed the media. "The media frame drives the content and the media frame helps dumb down the content," O'Donnell said. "If you are going to give the candidates only 60 seconds, it will push them to give just a sound bite." O'Donnell said that when prepping for a debate, you have to coach the candidate to keep their answers concise and within the time guidelines. According to O'Donnell, the average amount of response time given to a candidate in 2012 was around 60 seconds. That debate brevity, he said, could have worked its way into congressional floor speeches. "The fact that candidates get constrained ... means the grade level will go down," O'Donnell said. Drutman hypothesized similar reasons for the slipping grade levels. "One reason perhaps you see the decline is members of Congress increasingly see their audience as YouTube," Drutman said. "They aren't quoting Shakespeare like they used to." Tue, 22 May 2012 13:04:12 GMT 13521652 2012-05-22T13:04:12Z http://www.channel3000.com/news/Four-die-on-Mount-Everest/-/1648/13498166/-/ndoa0sz/-/index.html Four people died while coming down the southern slope of the mountain during the weekend after reaching Mount Everest's 8848-meter (29,028 foot) summit, officials said. The victims have been identified as Ebehard Schaaf, 61, a German medical doctor; Sriya Shah, 33, a Nepali-born Canadian woman; Song Wondin, a 44-year-old man from South Korea; and Wen Ryi Ha, 55, of China, according to officials with the tourism and civil aviation ministry and at the base of the mountain. "Climbers climbing down the mountain have said that they have seen the body of the Korean," said Tilakram Pandey, of the tourism and civil aviation ministry, by phone from the base of the mountain. The Korean had earlier been reported missing. There were reports of a Nepali missing as well, but those reports could not be verified, Pandey said. David Breashears, a climber and filmmaker who has reached Everest's peak five times, told CNN that anyone still unaccounted for after nightfall has poor prospects for survival. "You will surely perish at night at those elevations and those temperatures without the safety of a tent and the protection of a warm sleeping bag," Breashears told CNN. The cause of the German's death has been diagnosed as high-altitude cerebral edema, according to Ang Tshering Sherpa of Asian Trekking, which organized his expedition. Mountaineers often expend all their energy while ascending the mountain and do not think about energy needed to come down. "As a result, they become weak and suffer from altitude sickness," Sherpa said. And Breashears said a "tremendous number" of climbers attempt to scale Everest at this time of year, sometimes leading to delays atop the mountain. "It's a period when all the camps are in, all the supplies are in, the fixed ropes are ready and they're waiting for an abatement of the jet stream winds," he said. Saturday was also windier than usual. On Saturday a 73-year-old Japanese woman, Tamae Watanabe, had climbed the mountain from the northern side on the Tibet-China border to become the oldest woman on the summit. Bal Krishna Ghimire, a spokesman of the tourism and civil aviation ministry, said that mountaineers began summiting the mountain from the south side this spring season only since Saturday, about 10 days later than usual, because of adverse weather conditions. The spring mountaineering season, which lasts from March 1 to May 31, is the most popular season to climb the Himalayan peaks in Nepal. With these four deaths the number of people killed on Everest this year has reached six, ministry official Dipendra Poudel said. Two Nepali sherpas died on the mountain earlier this month. Tue, 22 May 2012 12:18:51 GMT 13498166 2012-05-22T12:18:51Z http://www.channel3000.com/news/Train-crash-in-India-kills-25/-/1648/13564262/-/cdndwsz/-/index.html At least 25 people are dead after a train crash in India early Tuesday morning, a spokesman for the ministry of railways said. The Hampi Express passenger train crashed into a stationary goods train in Penukonda, in the southern state of Andhra Pradesh, said the spokesman, Anil Kumar Saxena. The passenger train was en route from Hubli to Bangalore. The collision, which involved three coaches of the Hampi Express, also left 55 people injured. Saxena said he suspects the driver of the Hampi Express may have overlooked a red signal. He said an investigation has been ordered. Tue, 22 May 2012 10:50:49 GMT 13564262 2012-05-22T10:50:49Z http://www.channel3000.com/news/Al-Qaida-affiliate-behind-Yemen-blast/-/1648/13582708/-/m070b3/-/index.html The Yemeni government blamed an affiliate of al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula on Tuesday for a massive suicide bombing that killed more than 100 soldiers a day earlier. Jihadist websites have posted a statement purportedly from the group, Ansaar al-Sharia, claiming responsibility for the attack. But CNN could not independently verify the authenticity of the statement. The soldiers killed Monday were preparing for Tuesday's National Day of Unification ceremonies in Sanaa when they were attacked. The holiday celebrates the unification of South Yemen and North Yemen on May 22, 1990, to form Yemen. The parade and festivities continued as planned Tuesday, albeit with a somber message. "Our hearts bleed ... over the martyrdom of our noble soldiers. The criminal terrorists tried to kill our joy, but we will overcome their barbaric attack, and we will always triumph because we will never allow them to assassinate our dream in building a better nation," military chief of staff Ahmed al-Ashwal told the crowd. He added, "We assure to you ... that we are at the outskirts of our final battle, God willing, in our fight with what is known as Ansaar al-Sharia so we can restore peace and security to every part of our dear nation." Monday's explosion appeared to be the deadliest attack ever on troops in Yemen. It left at least 101 dead and more than 220 injured -- some in critical condition, authorities said. More than an hour after the attack, there were still bodies at the blood-spattered scene. Some ambulances carried six or seven victims each, an official said. "We heard a massive explosion. Minutes later, there were so many emergency vehicles, it seems as if hundreds were injured," said resident Ali al-Husseini, who was near the attack. The partially lawless Middle Eastern country has become a central battleground in the fight against al-Qaida. The terror network's leader recently called for an uprising against the new president. The Yemeni branch of the group calls itself al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula; Ansaar al-Sharia is an affiliate of AQAP. The attack took place about 200 meters (218 yards) from the presidential palace. President Abdrabuh Mansur Hadi fired top security officials, including a nephew of the former president, after the attack. Gen. Ammar Saleh was sacked as director of the National Security Bureau, said a Yemeni official who is not authorized to speak to the media. He is being replaced by Maj. Gen. Mohammed Jameh al-Khadar. Saleh may keep a second and more important post, as first deputy for national security. The head of central security, Abdul Malik al-Tayyeb, was fired by presidential decree after the attack. He is being replaced by Fadhl al-Qosi. U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon condemned the attack and called for the perpetrators to be held accountable. "The secretary-general calls on all in Yemen to reject the use of violence in all its forms and manifestations, and expects them (to) play a full and constructive role in implementing Yemen's political Transition Agreement," a statement from his office said. In the United States, chief White House counterterrorism adviser John Brennan called the Yemeni president Monday to convey President Barack Obama's "deep condolences for the cowardly terrorist attack," the White House said in a statement. Brennan also offered U.S. assistance on the investigation. "Mr. Brennan and President Hadi reaffirmed the unshakable partnership between Yemen and the United States, and President Hadi pledged not to let terrorist acts interfere with Yemen's peaceful political transition," the statement said. Monday's attack came a day after three American contractors working with Yemen's coast guard were wounded in a shooting in the port city of Hodeida, two local security officials said. One person has been arrested in the attack, the sources said. Last week, al-Qaida's leader called for the Yemeni people to rise up against the country's new president, portraying him as the stooge of the unpopular former president, Ali Abdullah Saleh, and the United States. "So, Ali Abdallah Saleh is gone, and his successor Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi has taken over," al-Qaida chief commander Ayman al-Zawahiri said in a video posted on jihadist forums. Saleh, who led Yemen for 30 years, relinquished power last year after an extended popular uprising in a transition agreement that was supported by the United States. Hadi was Saleh's vice president, and al-Qaida has exploited the connection to stir resentment against the new government. Last year, Ansaar al-Sharia, the al-Qaida offshoot, took over the majority of districts in the southern Abyan province, benefiting from the political turmoil in the country. Numerous military bases were evacuated, making it easier for militant groups to grow in power and territory. On Sunday, fierce clashes between government troops and al-Qaida fighters left 21 people dead, two local security officials said. The officials said the violence erupted when hundreds of troops attempted to sweep through areas around the district of Jaar, the main stronghold for al-Qaida in Abyan province. Al-Qaida fighters fought back, kicking off clashes that continued for nine hours, the officials said. Fourteen militants and seven troops were killed in the fighting, they said. Government forces have been battling fighters loyal to the local branch of al-Qaida for more than a year but have not made lasting headway. The United States has carried out dozens of drone strikes against militants in Yemen, including the radical American-born cleric Anwar al-Awlaki, who was killed in September. U.S. officials said last month they had foiled a plot to bring down a U.S.-bound aircraft with a device that originated in Yemen. The plot was brought to authorities' attention by a mole who infiltrated al-Qaida, a source in the region told CNN. The mole works for Saudi intelligence, which has cooperated with the CIA for years, the source said. Information from the mole also led to a drone strike this month that killed Fahd al Quso, 37, whom the U.S. considered a senior operative of al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula. Tue, 22 May 2012 10:44:29 GMT 13582708 2012-05-22T10:44:29Z http://www.channel3000.com/news/Activity-seen-at-North-Korea-s-nuclear-site/-/1648/13572754/-/e6n075/-/index.html Activity is ramping up at North Korea's nuclear test site, a sign that the country is preparing for a test, according to analysis of new satellite images by the defense publication IHS Janes. Mining carts and excavation equipment at Punggye-ri's tunneling area can be seen in satellite images taken by Digital Globe and GeoEye in the past month. Earth and debris are being removed from the tunnel in the largest quantities seen so far, according to the Janes assesment. An image from mid-April shows a full mining train, including an engine and several carts, outside of the tunnel. And a more recent shot on May 9 reveals new road networks at the site along with carts and a vehicle at the facility. "North Korea tested nuclear devices at Punggye-ni in 2006 and 2009. A third nuclear test by North Korea would be the latest move in restarting its nuclear weapons program, which it agreed to mothball in a 29 February deal with the U.S.," said James Hardy, an Asia-Pacific specialist at IHS Jane's Defence Weekly. The top U.S. envoy for North Korea warned Pyongyang Monday against a possible third nuclear test. "I think it would be a serious miscalculation and mistake if North Korea works to engage in a nuclear test," Glyn Davies told reporters following a meeting with his South Korean and Japanese counterparts in Seoul. Many analysts assume an atomic test by North Korea is just a matter of time following the failure of Pyongyang's rocket launch on April 13. Two previous rocket launches in 2006 and 2009 were followed by a nuclear test. Davies pointed to the international condemnation following the recent rocket launch, saying Pyongyang knows what kind of response a further provocation would elicit. Pyongyang had agreed a deal with the Washington just weeks before the April launch, with the deal guaranteeing no rocket or missile tests and access for nuclear weapons inspectors in return for food aid. "They've sent a signal that they can't be trusted to follow through on their own undertaking on their own promises," Davies said. But Davies did leave the door open for further negotiations, saying the United States has a dual-track policy of engagement on the one hand, pressure on the other. He insisted that the "engagement aspect remains open." G8 leaders meeting in the United States over the weekend agreed that North Korea faces further isolation if it continues its pursuit of a nuclear program. Tue, 22 May 2012 10:07:20 GMT 13572754 2012-05-22T10:07:20Z http://www.channel3000.com/news/Oklahoma-City-shootings-send-8-to-hospital/-/1648/13581314/-/cafpjh/-/index.html Capt. Lisa Camacho said the shootings occurred about 11:30 p.m. Monday in an area of the popular Bricktown entertainment district east of downtown. Capt. Dexter Nelson said the shooting happened between Joe Carter Avenue and Mickey Mantle Drive on Reno Avenue. Nelson said that as people were walking down the street, there were some skirmishes -- some pushing and shoving. Witnesses said that at least one person drew a weapon and opened fire on the crowd, police said. One of those hit by gunfire is in critical condition, Nelson said. The others have non-life-threatening injuries.  Police said that one of the victims, a pregnant woman, also suffered blunt force trauma. Nelson said that police believe she was either kicked or punched after she went down. Camacho said two people are in custody in connection with the shootings. However, police could not confirm whether everybody culpable for the shootings had been taken into custody. No names were immediately released. Nelson said that in addition to the Oklahoma City Police officers who routinely work the Bricktown entertainment district, the police department had other officers from other divisions assigned to the area Monday night because of the crowds attracted by the NBA Playoffs game happening at the Chesapeake Energy Arena. "So, whenever you get about 8,000 people outside of a venue, we are going to be outnumbered," Nelson said. "You can't have enough people down here for that." Police said they do not know whether the shootings were a reaction to the game or whether it was isolated and random. Tue, 22 May 2012 09:17:57 GMT 13581314 2012-05-22T09:17:57Z http://www.channel3000.com/news/Huge-suicide-blast-kills-more-than-100-troops-in-Yemen/-/1648/13497964/-/nmpry4/-/index.html A suicide bomber dressed in a military uniform set off a blast that killed more than 100 soldiers Monday, authorities said, in what appears to be the deadliest attack ever on troops in Yemen. It left at least 101 dead and more than 220 injured, with some in critical condition, authorities said. More than an hour after the attack, there were still bodies at the blood-spattered scene, and some ambulances responding to the blast took six or seven victims apiece, an official said. "We heard a massive explosion. Minutes later, there were so many emergency vehicles, it seems as if hundreds were injured," said resident Ali al-Husseini, who was near the attack. A Yemeni official in Washington said that it was too early to know who was responsible but that suicide attacks are "the hallmark of al Qaeda." The partially lawless Middle Eastern country has become a central battleground in the fight against al Qaeda, with the terror network's leader calling recently for an uprising against the new president. The Yemeni branch of the group calls itself al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula. Monday's blast targeted a military parade rehearsal in Sabeen Square in the capital Sanaa, said Mohammed Albasha, a spokesman the Yemeni Embassy in Washington. The attack took place about 200 meters (218 yards) from the presidential palace. No one immediately claimed responsibility. The country's defense minister, Mohammed Nasser Ahmed, and military chief of staff Ahmed al-Ashwal were in the area but far from the site of the attack itself, and were unharmed, officials said. The president fired top security officials, including a nephew of the former president, after the attack. Gen. Ammar Saleh was sacked as director of the National Security Bureau, said a Yemeni official who is not authorized to speak to the media. He is being replaced by Maj. Gen. Mohammed Jameh al-Khadar. Saleh may keep a second and more important post as first deputy for national security. The head of central security, Abdul Malik al-Tayyeb, was fired by presidential decree after the attack. He is being replaced by Fadhl al-Qosi. The soldiers were preparing for Tuesday's National Day of Unification ceremonies when they were attacked. The day celebrates the union of South Yemen and North Yemen on May 22, 1990, to form Yemen. That attack came a day after three American contractors working with Yemen's coast guard were wounded in a shooting in the port city of Hodeida, two local security officials said. One person has been arrested in the attack, the sources said. Last week, al Qaeda's leader called for the Yemeni people to rise up against the country's new president, portraying him as the stooge of the unpopular former president, Ali Abdullah Saleh, and the United States. "So, Ali Abdallah Saleh is gone, and his successor Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi has taken over," al Qaeda's chief commander Ayman al-Zawahiri said in a video posted on jihadist forums. Saleh, who led Yemen for 30 years, relinquished power last year after an extended popular uprising in a transition agreement that was supported by the United States. Hadi was Saleh's vice president, and al Qaeda has exploited the connection to stir resentment against the new government. Last year, Ansaar al-Sharia, an offshoot of al Qaeda, took over the majority of districts in the southern Abyan province, benefiting from the political turmoil in the country. Numerous military bases were evacuated, making it easier for the militant groups to grow in power and territory. On Sunday, fierce clashes between government troops and al Qaeda fighters left 21 people dead, two local security officials said. The officials said the violence erupted when hundreds of troops attempted to sweep through areas around the district of Jaar, the main stronghold for al Qaeda in Abyan province. Al Qaeda fighters fought back, kicking off clashes that continued for nine hours, the officials said. Fourteen militants and seven troops were killed in the fighting, they said. Government forces have been battling fighters loyal to the local branch of al Qaeda for more than a year, but not made lasting headway. The United States has carried out dozens of drone strikes against militants in Yemen, including the radical American-born cleric Anwar al-Awlaki, who was killed in September. U.S. officials said last month they had foiled a plot to bring down a U.S.-bound aircraft with a device that originated in Yemen. The plot was brought to authorities' attention by a mole who infiltrated al Qaeda, a source in the region told CNN. The mole works for Saudi intelligence, which has cooperated with the CIA for years, the source said. Information from the mole also led to a drone strike this month that killed Fahd al Quso, 37, whom the U.S. considered a senior operative of al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula. Tue, 22 May 2012 08:30:43 GMT 13497964 2012-05-22T08:30:43Z http://www.channel3000.com/technology/Mali-protesters-attack-interim-president/-/1632/13553574/-/a5wme4z/-/index.html Dioncounda Traore, Mali's interim president, was beaten and rushed to a hospital after hundreds of protesters demanding his resignation stormed the presidential palace Monday. Traore was assaulted and hit over the head when protesters found him inside the palace. The president was later taken to the hospital where he was treated for a wound to his head, hospital staff said. "There were three dead and some injured by gunshot when [Traore's] security shot at people," said Bakary Mariko, a spokesman for the National Committee for the Restoration of Democracy, a group of military officers who mounted a coup in March. Protests were expected after the Economic Community of West African States, which has tried to broker a return to civilian rule after the coup, agreed to let Traore remain in charge for a year to oversee the transition. And ECOWAS has warned that followers of Capt. Amadou Sanogo, who led the revolt that deposed President Amadou Toumani Toure, were threatening to derail the agreement. Traore's term as interim president had been set to expire on Tuesday. Groups denouncing him gathered Monday morning in the Place de l'Independence, in the center of Mali's capital, Bamako. Traore "is not staying as president of Mali," said Youssouf Kone, the leader of several groups demanding the interim president's resignation. "We will stay until Traore agrees to step down," he added. "We're going to make this the Tahrir Square," referencing the 2011 protests in Egypt. Just before 11 a.m. (7 a.m. ET), a group of protesters parted and moved up the hill in direction of the presidential palace. "We don't want Dioncounda" and "Down with ECOWAS," chanted a couple in the crowd, which remained peaceful at that point. When it reached the palace gates, the spontaneous march had gathered a couple of hundred supporters, some of them shouting slogans in support of the coup leader, Sanogo. According to witnesses, soldiers stood by as the crowd entered the building while others climbed over armored vehicles parked nearby. Some protesters were seen parking motorbikes and bicycles inside the palace. In other parts of town, protesters burned tires and put up posters saying the country will never heal with Traore in power. The group closed of one of the city's bridges, causing the traffic to stand still all over Bamako. The protests reflect longstanding frustrations with Mali's political class. Several of the protesters expressed discontent with Traore, a former labor activist who was the country's parliament speaker before his appointment as interim president in April. "Traore is part the same self-serving political elite that has misruled the country for years," Fadima Sy, one of the protesters in Place de l'Independence, said. Interim Prime Minister Cheick Modibo Diarra went on state television Monday evening to denounce the attack and appealed to local politicians and organizations to stop encouraging the youth to march. Mali had been hailed as a shining example of African democracy before the coup, having experienced more than 20 years of democratic government. Sanogo and his fellow officers ousted Toure on March 22, complaining that he had failed to properly equip soldiers battling a growing insurgency by Tuareg rebels in the country's north. While ECOWAS and other countries pressured Sanogo to relinquish power, Tuareg fighters and Islamic rebels swiftly advanced and now claim control of much of northern Mali. Tue, 22 May 2012 08:09:07 GMT 13553574 2012-05-22T08:09:07Z http://www.channel3000.com/news/politics/Senate-passes-Iran-sanctions-bill/-/4030/13537494/-/144wt5tz/-/index.html The U.S. Senate unanimously voted to tighten sanctions on Iran on Monday, three days after a dispute over whether to include the threat of American force stalled the legislation. The new sanctions would target Iran's oil and banking industries, as well as other sectors. The measure passed the Senate on a voice vote Monday evening, two days before a new round of talks between Iran and leading U.N. members in Baghdad. "Today the Senate has showed we can still act in a bipartisan way on important priorities," said Sen. Tim Johnson, D-South Dakota, the chairman of the Senate Banking Committee. Passage came after senators agreed to add language warning that military force would be an option available to the United States if Iran seeks to build a nuclear weapon. But the measure also states that nothing in the legislation authorizes military action. The House of Representatives passed a similar bill in December, but demands for those competing messages stalled the bill in the Senate last week. Republicans blocked passage after complaints that the language wasn't tough enough, leading Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nevada, to complain that he was being "jerked around." Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-South Carolina, said the legislation now makes clear that "all options" could be considered, echoing previous statements by President Barack Obama. "I hope sanctions will work," Graham said. "But this is a clear statement by the United States Senate, backing up our president, that when it comes to Iran having a nuclear capability, there will be more than sanctions on the table -- and the Iranians need to know that." Meanwhile, Kentucky Republican Sen. Rand Paul insisted on language that explicitly noted that nothing in the bill "shall be construed as a declaration of war or an authorization of the use of force" against either Iran or Syria, an Iranian ally now fighting a popular uprising against its government. Paul, the son of two-time GOP presidential candidate Ron Paul, was pleased by the bill's passage, spokeswoman Moira Bagley told CNN. And Reid said after the vote, "Iranians need to know we mean business." Aides from both parties said the House and Senate bills will need to be reconciled after the Senate amendments. Iran has insisted that its production of enriched uranium is meant to fuel civilian nuclear power plants, and U.S. intelligence believes any previous weapons-related research was halted in 2003. But the Islamic republic has refused international demands to halt its nuclear fuel program, and the U.N. nuclear watchdog agency said in November that it was up to Iran to demonstrate the peaceful nature of its atomic research. Meanwhile, Iran's economy has been crippled by existing sanctions imposed by the United Nations, the United States and the European Union. Eighty percent of Iran's foreign revenues are derived from oil exports, and an embargo by the EU set to go into effect in July will put further pressure on its economy. Tue, 22 May 2012 07:02:54 GMT 13537494 2012-05-22T07:02:54Z