Moon Landing Restored

WASHINGTON – NASA could put a man on the moon but didn't have the sense to keep the original video of the live TV transmission.

In an embarrassing acknowledgment, the space agency said Thursday that it must have erased the Apollo 11 moon footage years ago so that it could reuse the videotape.

But now Hollywood is coming to the rescue.

The studio wizards who restored "Casablanca" are digitally sharpening and cleaning up the ghostly, grainy footage of the moon landing, making it even better than what TV viewers saw on July 20, 1969. They are doing it by working from four copies that NASA scrounged from around the world.

"There's nothing being created; there's nothing being manufactured," said NASA senior engineer Dick Nafzger, who is in charge of the project. "You can now see the detail that's coming out."

The first batch of restored footage was released just in time for the 40th anniversary of the "one giant leap for mankind," and some of the details seem new because of their sharpness. Originally, astronaut Neil Armstrong's face visor was too fuzzy to be seen clearly. The upgraded video of Earth's first moonwalker shows the visor and a reflection in it.

The $230,000 refurbishing effort is only three weeks into a monthslong project, and only 40 percent of the work has been done. But it does show improvements in four snippets: Armstrong walking down the ladder; Buzz Aldrin following him; the two astronauts reading a plaque they left on the moon; and the planting of the flag on the lunar surface.

Nafzger said a huge search that began three years ago for the old moon tapes led to the "inescapable conclusion" that 45 tapes of Apollo 11 video were erased and reused. His report on that will come out in a few weeks.

The original videos beamed to Earth were stored on giant reels of tape that each contained 15 minutes of video, along with other data from the moon. In the 1970s and '80s, NASA had a shortage of the tapes, so it erased about 200,000 of them and reused them.

How did NASA end up looking like a bumbling husband taping over his wedding video with the Super Bowl?

Nafzger, who was in charge of the live TV recordings back in the Apollo years, said they were mostly thought of as data tapes. It wasn't his job to preserve history, he said, just to make sure the footage worked. In retrospect, he said he wished NASA hadn't reused the tapes.

Outside historians were aghast.

"It's surprising to me that NASA didn't have the common sense to save perhaps the most important historical footage of the 20th century," said Rice University historian and author Douglas Brinkley. He noted that NASA saved all sorts of data and artifacts from Apollo 11, and it is "mind-boggling that the tapes just disappeared."

The remastered copies may look good, but "when dealing with historical film footage, you always want the original to study," Brinkley said.

Smithsonian Institution space curator Roger Launius, a former NASA chief historian, said the loss of the original video "doesn't surprise me that much."

"It was a mistake, no doubt about that," Launius said. "This is a problem inside the entire federal government. ... They don't think that preservation is all that important."

Launius said federal warehouses where historical artifacts are saved are "kind of like the last scene of `Raiders of the Lost Ark.' It just goes away in this place with other big boxes."

The company that restored all the Indiana Jones movies, including "Raiders," is the one bailing out NASA.

Lowry Digital of Burbank, Calif., noted that "Casablanca" had a pixel count 10 times higher than the moon video, meaning the Apollo 11 footage was fuzzier than that vintage movie and more of a challenge in one sense.

Of all the video the company has dealt with, "this is by far and away the lowest quality," said Lowry president Mike Inchalik.

Nafzger praised Lowry for restoring "crispness" to the Apollo video. Historian Launius wasn't as blown away.

"It's certainly a little better than the original," Launius said. "It's not a lot better."

The Apollo 11 video remains in black and white. Inchalik said he would never consider colorizing it, as has been done to black-and-white classic films. And the moon is mostly gray anyway.

The restoration used four video sources: CBS News originals; kinescopes from the National Archives; a video from Australia that received the transmission of the original moon video; and camera shots of a TV monitor.

Both Nafzger and Inchalik acknowledged that digitally remastering the video could further encourage conspiracy theorists who believe NASA faked the entire moon landing on a Hollywood set. But they said they enhanced the video as conservatively as possible.

Besides, Inchalik said that if there had been a conspiracy to fake a moon landing, NASA surely would have created higher-quality film.

Back in 1969, nearly 40 percent of the picture quality was lost converting from one video format used on the moon — called slow scan — to something that could be played on TVs on Earth, Nafzger said.

NASA did not lose other Apollo missions' videos because they weren't stored on the type of tape that needed to be reused, Nafzger said.

As part of the moon landing's 40th anniversary, the space agency has been trotting out archival material. NASA has a Web site with audio from private conversations in the lunar module and command capsule. The agency is also webcasting radio from Apollo 11 as if the mission were taking place today.

The video restoration project did not involve improving the sound. Inchalik said he listened to Armstrong's famous first words from the surface of the moon, trying to hear if he said "one small step for man" or "one small step for A man," but couldn't tell.

Through a letter read at a news conference Thursday, Armstrong had the last word about the video from the moon: "I was just amazed that there was any picture at all."


by the associated press

Congress asked to probe troops

WASHINGTON (AP) — One of the country's main monitors of hate groups asked Congress Friday to investigate possible racial extremism in the military, after finding U.S. service members participating on a social networking site advertised as being for white people only.

Researchers from the Southern Poverty Law Center, based in Montgomery, Ala., identified about 40 personal profiles of people who list the military as their occupation on the Web site New Saxon, according to the group's founder, Morris Dees.

The site, run by the Detroit-based National Socialist Movement, describes itself as an "online community for whites by whites." He said some of the participants are wearing military uniforms in profile photos, although it was not possible to verify whether any of them are actually serving in the armed forces.

Examples that Dees cited from the Web page include:

_A person claiming to be in Iraq, who writes that he "hate(s) illegal immigrants with a passion and feel(s) every true red-blooded, white American should do whatever it takes to stop the foreign invasion."

_One who said he was serving in Afghanistan lists as his favorite book, "The Turner Diaries." The novel is a favorite of white supremacists.

"We urge your committees to investigate the threat posed by racial extremists who may be serving in the military to ensure that our armed forces are not inadvertently training future domestic terrorists," Dees wrote in a letter addressed to four congressional committee chairmen.

Dees said existing Pentagon regulations that prohibit active participation in extremists groups should be strengthened further.

Lt. Col. Les' A. Melnyk, a Pentagon spokesman, said in an e-mail that current policy is believed to be sufficient. Under it, military personnel "must reject" participation in organizations that espouse supremacist causes.

"We believe the policy ... is broad and inclusive in its definition of 'active participation,' and encourages commanders to pursue and weed out service members who actively participate in these types of groups," Melnyk said.

Jeff Schoep, commander of the National Socialist Movement, said there are members of the military who participate on the site, but not all are members of his organization. He could not say how many there are.

When violent material is found on the site, Schoep said, it is removed and the offender faces losing future privileges.

He said there are more "racialists" in the military now, but those who are members of his organization are advised not to recruit others.

"If they just mind their P's and Q's in there, and are good soldiers and do their jobs, then they have every right to be there just like anybody else," Schoep said.

Julie Ziegenhorn, a Pentagon spokeswoman, said in an e-mail that as a matter of policy the Department of Defense doesn't block or prohibit access to Web sites on the basis of content. But she said commanders in the field have the option to block access on governmeny computers to sites they deem inappropriate.



by the associated press

Obama plane emergency

WASHINGTON (AP) — Skillful piloting may have prevented a disaster for President Barack Obama and his campaign last summer, a former federal safety official said Friday.

A report released by the National Transportation Safety Board indicates an inflated slide may have pressed against critical control cables, forcing the emergency landing of Obama's campaign plane on July 7, 2008.

The slide inflated inside the tail cone of the campaign's McDonnell Douglas MD-81 shortly after takeoff from Chicago's Midway International Airport, the report said.

Investigators found evidence that the slide and a broken walkway railing inside the tail cone may have pressed against elevator cables that run the length of the plane. The cables are used to control whether the plane points up or down.

The plane's flight crew struggled to level the aircraft's nose, which continued to point upward after takeoff, but regained control by manipulating the control column and adjusting the trim on the plane's tail, the report said. However, the flight crew noted the pitch control pressure required to level the airplane was higher than normal, the report said.

Former NTSB member John Goglia said the problem, had it continued, had the potential to cause a stall "at a critical point in flight."

"It did have the potential of causing a catastrophic event," Goglia said.

Normal control returned after the plane began it's descent for an emergency landing at Lambert-St. Louis International Airport, said the report, which lays out evidence uncovered by investigators but doesn't reach a conclusion on the cause of the incident.

The report doesn't say why the slide inflated, but notes the air carrier, Midwest Airlines, suggested the slide's cover may not have been secured properly.

There were no injuries to the two pilots, four flight attendants, two airline representatives, and 43 passengers, including Obama.

At the time of the incident, the pilot told passengers they were never in danger, and the Federal Aviation Administration said no emergency had been declared.

However, audiotapes released about a month later showed that after the pilot discovered he no longer had full control of the plane, he told an air traffic controller: "At this time we would like to declare an emergency, and also have CFR (crash equipment) standing by in St. Louis."

Asked which runway he wanted to use, the pilot replied, "Well, which one is the longest?"


by the associated press

University chief proposes to cut costs

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Tens of thousands of University of California employees would be forced to take furloughs and lose pay under a plan proposed Friday to offset deep funding cuts to the 10-campus system.

UC President Mark Yudof proposed the furloughs for roughly 80 percent of the system's 180,000 employees as part of a broader plan to deal with an anticipated 20 percent reduction in state funding.

"There is no question that the cuts to come will hurt," Yudof said. "But we have worked hard to bring fairness to the process."

The UC Board of Regents is scheduled to discuss and vote on Yudof's plan when it meets in San Francisco next week. If approved, the furlough plan would go into effect Sept. 1.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and the Legislature are proposing unprecedented cuts to state colleges and universities to help close a $26 billion budget deficit.

Many state offices were closed Friday after the governor imposed furloughs for many state employees, effectively cutting their pay by 14 percent. Some offices will close three days a month.

The governing board of the 23-campus California State University system is also considering a plan to furlough nearly all of its employees for two days a month to offset a 20 percent cut in state funding.

Under Yudof's plan, UC employees would see pay reductions ranging from 4 percent to 10 percent, with higher paid workers taking bigger pay cuts and receiving more days off. Most furloughed employees would have flexibility in deciding when to take their days off.

The furlough plan would not apply to employees who receive funding from the federal government or other outside source or employees at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.

UC officials would have to reach agreements on furloughs with unions that represent about 35 percent of university employees.

The University Professional and Technical Employees union, which represents more than 10,000 workers, issued a statement denouncing the furlough plan, saying UC should instead tap its reserves or find new ways to raise funds.

"For me, it's going to be devastating," said Elizabeth Wilks, an accountant at UC Santa Barbara who protested with other union members outside UC headquarters in downtown Oakland.

If approved, the furloughs would offset about a quarter of an anticipated $813 million reduction in state funding. The remainder of the funding shortfall would be made up by refinancing debt, a previously approved 10 percent student fee increase and about $300 million in cuts at individual campuses.

UC campuses are already taking action to cut costs. More than 700 employees have been laid off, and most campuses are deferring at least half of planned faculty hires, UC officials said.

In addition, UC Irvine has halted admissions to its education doctoral program, the UC Davis Medical Center has eliminated its liver transplant program, and UC San Francisco is closing its poison control center.

"There will be real pain on every campus," Yudof said. "There is no way that we are going to be able to look every student in the eye and say the University of California will be the same as it was yesterday."

Yudof unveiled the furlough plan after several weeks of consultations with UC employee groups. He said his office received thousands of letters and e-mails after he released his initial proposals for possible furloughs and salary reductions last month.

Furloughs were preferred over straight salary cuts because they are temporary, preserve pension benefits and give employees extra time off, Yudof said.

Mary Croughan, a UC San Francisco professor who heads the UC Academic Senate, said the furloughs would make it more difficult for the university to retain and recruit faculty.

"We're going to have to really work hard to come up with creative means to retain our exceptional faculty that we have now and to look forward on how to recruit people so we don't fall further behind," Croughan said.

Russell Gould, new chairman of the Board of Regents, said he was launching a new commission to explore new revenue sources and UC's future.

"We can't keep limping along like this from budget cycle to budget cycle," Gould said.


by the associated press

Homeland Security Department unveils immigration enforcement plan

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Homeland Security Department has revamped a program using local and state law enforcement to help round up immigrants who have committed crimes.

The department says 11 law enforcement agencies are ready to participate in the redesigned program.

Government investigators had criticized the program for not clearly spelling out when officers could use their arrest authority or whether it was meant for the pursuit of serious offenders.

The department says a new agreement with participating agencies spells out the extent of local officers' authority.


by the associated press

CIA director terminated program

WASHINGTON (AP) — A congresswoman says CIA Director Leon Panetta has terminated the covert program the spy agency had been conducting for eight years without the knowledge of Congress.

Illinois Democrat Jan Shakowsky, the chairwoman of the House Intelligence Committee's subcommittee on oversight, is pressing for an immediate committee investigation of the covert program.

In an Associated Press interview, Shakowsky described the program as "very, very serious" and said it "certainly deserved a serious debate at the time and through the years."

She says, "Now it's over."

Democrats revealed late Tuesday that CIA Director Leon Panetta had informed Congress in late June that the spy agency had been withholding important information about a secret program begun after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The chairwoman of a House Intelligence panel says it's imperative that lawmakers launch an immediate investigation on the CIA's admission that it misled Congress multiple times over the last eight years.

Democratic Rep. Jan Schakowsky (Shuh-COW'-ski) of Illinois said the CIA systematic lied to Congress, and called that inexcusable in a letter obtained by The Associated Press Friday.

Democrats revealed late Tuesday that CIA Director Leon Panetta informed Congress in late June that the spy agency had been withholding important information about a secret program begun after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

House Intelligence Chairman Silvestre Reyes (Syl-VES'-ter RAY'-ess) said Tuesday night he is considering an investigation. Panetta has launched an internal probe at the CIA to determine why Congress was not told about the program. Exactly what the classified program entailed is still unclear. Reyes is a Texas Democrat.


by the associated press

Palin appears on radio talk show, for gun rights

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — Gun rights enthusiasts welcomed Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as she made an appearance Friday on a radio talk show, whose callers included rock n' roller turned avid hunter Ted Nugent.

Palin spoke on the Michael Dukes' "Firearms Friday" show on KFAR radio in Fairbanks. She was in Alaska's second largest city to sign a gun rights bill and several resolutions.

Nugent, well-known for the 1970s hit "Cat Scratch Fever," told Palin from his home in Michigan that he was firing up the grill to cook up some Alaskan black bear backstrap in her honor.

The governor told Nugent that she thought that was "awesome."

Palin announced last Friday she is resigning, saying it was the best thing for the state and for her family. Her resignation takes effect July 26 when Lt. Gov. Sean Parnell takes over.

Nugent signed off by saying, "Sarah Palin, God bless you and your family."

Since her announcement, Palin has mostly been traveling around Alaska and visiting towns and signing bills.

After talking with Nugent, Palin took some questions from listeners. Most of them said they supported her decision to resign but were disappointed.

"I chose not to play their game," Palin explained.

She wanted instead to free herself of the constraints of the governor's job so that she could again "get out there and fight," she said.

As governor, she was forced to answer ethics complaints filed by anonymous people, Palin said.

"They do things like that," Palin said. "I can handle it but not when it cost the state the time and money it has cost."

The state said this week it has spent $1.9 million on the ethics complaints.

The bill she signed in Fairbanks aimed at helping people with permits to carry concealed weapons to remember to renew their permits. The permits used to have a renewal date based on the day the permit was issued. The law changes the renewal date to the permit holder's birthday.

In Alaska, residents are allowed to carry weapons either openly or concealed without a permit. However, if they want to carry their guns in other states that have concealed carry laws they may need a permit recognized by that state.



by the associated press

Women's groups gives no support for Sotomayor

WASHINGTON (AP) — Women's groups, euphoric when President Barack Obama chose Sonia Sotomayor for the Supreme Court, have been remarkably quiet in the weeks since on the judge who would be the court's third woman ever.

Sotomayor's few rulings on reproductive issues have made abortion rights activists unwilling to crusade on her behalf, and other liberal women's organizations say they're waiting to voice full-throated support until they know more about her record.

Their relative silence may be helping Sotomayor — who's been accused of letting her personal experiences interfere with her judging — more than it hurts her.

"She's been able to rise above some of that interest group politics," said Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., a member of the Judiciary Committee that will begin questioning Sotomayor next week in a marathon set of highly publicized hearings.

Prominent Republicans may have made that job easier for Sotomayor, Klobuchar said, by attacking her early on as racist, unintelligent and temperamental — criticisms that were quickly rejected by the party's senators.

"If I were her, I'd rather have Republican senators having to defend me against completely over-the-top complaints than women's groups doing rallies."

Hispanic groups have led the charge in promoting and defending Sotomayor, who would be the first Latina to serve on the Supreme Court.

And in the weeks since Sotomayor was nominated, civil rights organizations, law enforcement leaders and some environmental groups have come out in enthusiastic support, some holding news conferences, calls with reporters, and launching new Web sites to champion her nomination. Several have written letters to the Judiciary Committee advocating her confirmation.

Most women's groups, by contrast, have hung back. Aside from issuing favorable statements the day she was chosen, they have done little publicly to press for her confirmation.

Melody Drnach, the vice president of the National Organization for Women, said it's a question of resources for her group, which has been electing new leaders and is embroiled in the debate over health care reform.

"We're doing everything we can do in terms of supporting her," Drnach said, adding that the group will soon step up its efforts behind the scenes, counting votes for Sotomayor and lobbying if necessary to get senators to support her. The group's D.C. chapter plans a rally Monday outside the confirmation hearings.

Drnach acknowledged that early on, NOW talked internally about whether and how strongly to support Sotomayor given her unknown record on abortion rights and the lack of specific indications in her rulings about how she would handle issues important to women.

"We had that conversation, but we also talked about the fact that it would be very, very surprising if the president and his team would nominate somebody who was not going to believe in full equality for women and girls to be a part of the highest court in the land," Drnach said. "It came down to the fact that it's incredibly important to have women's voices at the table and certainly on the" Supreme Court.

Some outside observers say women's groups may be loath to weigh in on Sotomayor's nomination for fear of seeming to confirm her critics' accusations that she would let her own feelings or biases interfere with the law.

"You don't want to do anything that would actually hurt her chances by making it seem like if we get this woman, she'll be sympathetic to women," said Debbie Walsh, director of Rutgers University's Center for American Women and Politics. "Then she'd be called a sexist, and that doesn't help."

Marcia D. Greenberger of the National Women's Law Center said organizations like hers are not holding back in any way on support for Sotomayor, but they're busy delving into her record to see what kind of a justice she would be.

"There was certainly initial euphoria that such an extraordinary woman was identified with her background and her experiences and her long record, but then the hard work begins for any nominee — including a woman of her stature and her accomplishment — to really look in a very careful way at how she would be on the Supreme Court," Greenberger said.

The center is working on a report on Sotomayor that will be made available after the conclusion of her confirmation hearings.

The National Association of Women Lawyers rated her "highly qualified" this week, but in a letter to the Judiciary panel, its president, Lisa Horowitz, noted that in certain areas important to women — including domestic violence and reproductive choice — the group had "no decisions to review."

Horowitz said Sotomayor shows she's sensitive to the impact of racial and sexual comments and behavior on the job, but doesn't always rule for plaintiffs in such cases unless their claims have a solid legal basis.

Don't expect to hear from NARAL Pro-Choice America, the abortion rights group. Its leaders clammed up about Sotomayor once she was nominated, and the group is spending its time and resources pressing senators to ask her questions about the right to privacy during the hearings.

Women senators have stepped into the breach. They held a kind of speak-in on the Senate floor late last month and a news conference last week to champion Sotomayor.

Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., said she's been hearing plenty from women who strongly back the appeals court judge, but so far there's been no need for "muss or fuss" from groups who represent them.

"Things are going really well. I would predict that she's going to be confirmed. There is no need for groups to get all geared up and go out and tell people to write," Boxer said. "If things take a turn for the worse ... that's a whole other story."


by the associated press

Obama staffers meet pope

VATICAN CITY (AP) — If one career highlight was getting Barack Obama elected president, another might be meeting the pope.

Several senior White House staffers had the honor Friday, after President Barack Obama's private audience with Pope Benedict XVI. First lady Michelle Obama and daughters Malia and Sasha also met the pontiff.

Among the top aides who got to meet the leader of the Roman Catholic church were senior adviser David Axelrod, deputy chief of staff Mona Sutphen, national security adviser James Jones and one of his deputies, Denis McDonough, and press secretary Robert Gibbs.

Obama introduced them to the pope, one by one, almost like a proud father.

He even noted that McDonough has a brother who is a priest.

McDonough and Gibbs clasped the pontiff's hand and kissed his ring.

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Don't expect to see any photos or video of Malia and Sasha meeting the pope.

In keeping with the Obamas' practice of protecting their daughters' privacy at certain times, the girls were ushered out of the meeting room before reporters and photographers were allowed back in for the final moments.

The first lady's mother, Marian Robinson, also had a moment with Benedict.

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The pope gave the president reading material for the flight to Ghana, the final stop on his trip: a copy of a Vatican document on bioethics. Issued in December, the tome hardened the church's opposition to using embryos for stem cell research, cloning and in-vitro fertilization. Obama supports stem cell research.

"Yes, this is what we had talked about," Obama said, telling the pope he'll read it en route to Africa.

The pope's secretary, the Rev. Georg Ganswein, had told reporters the document would "help the president better understand the position of the Catholic church."

The papal gifts to Obama also included a mosaic representing St. Peter's Square, and a pontifical medal.

Obama was to give Benedict a stole that had been placed on the remains of St. John Neumann, a 19th-century Redemptorist and the first male naturalized U.S. citizen to become a saint.

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It wasn't a gift in the traditional sense, but Obama hand-delivered to the pope a personal letter from Sen. Edward M. Kennedy.

Kennedy, the patriarch of one of America's most prominent Roman Catholic families and a key Obama supporter, was diagnosed a year ago with terminal brain cancer.

Obama and Benedict discussed the Massachusetts senator at the end of their meeting.

Obama asked the pope to pray for Kennedy, said White House national security aide Denis McDonough.

Press secretary Gibbs told reporters that Obama telephoned Kennedy after the meeting, and they talked for about 10 minutes before Air Force One took off for Ghana.

Gibbs and McDonough spoke to reporters en route.

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Gibbs said he didn't think Obama and the pope prayed together. Just before leaving the Vatican, Obama did say to the pontiff: "God Bless You."

Gibbs said Obama "said that he asked the pope to pray for his family, that's what he specifically asked for."

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It's a statement sure to delight Africans across the continent: Obama hinted Friday that he'll attend next year's World Cup soccer championship in South Africa.

After a photo with South African President Jacob Zuma, Obama was asked whether he'll attend the matches.

His reply? "That's my goal."

The White House has said a final decision about attending has yet to be made. But Obama's response suggested that he wants to.

After answering the question, the U.S. president playfully asked, "Did you get that?"

FIFA president Sepp Blatter has invited Obama to the World Cup opening ceremony and has said Obama will try to make it. The White House said Obama has agreed to meet with the head of FIFA, the governing body of the sport, about the World Cup.

The tournament runs from June 11-July 11.


by the associated press

Wiretapping Showed 'Limited' Results, Report

WASHINGTON, July 10 (UPI) -- Only three U.S. Justice Department lawyers were briefed initially on the Bush administration's warrantless wiretapping, a report released Friday said.

The summary prepared for Congress by five inspectors general described the way the program was handled as "extraordinary and inappropriate," The Washington Post reported. President George W. Bush authorized the warrantless wiretaps soon after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

John Ashcroft, the attorney general in Bush's first term, former Office of Legal Counsel lawyer John C. Yoo and James Baker, a specialist on intelligence policy, were the only Justice Department lawyers aware of the program, the report said. Jay S. Bybee, who was Yoo's boss, told investigators he was not briefed on it.

When more Justice Department employees were told about the program, several threatened to resign.

The report also said the effectiveness of the program could not be determined, The New York Times said. The inspectors general said other means of gaining information were more effective.

Though some of the intelligence gathered "had value in some counterterrorism investigations, it generally played a limited role in the FBI's overall counterterrorism efforts," the report said.



by United Press International

World has avoided economic disaster

L'AQUILA, Italy (AP) — Lasting worldwide recovery "is still a ways off," President Barack Obama declared Friday, but he also said at the conclusion of a global summit that a disastrous economic collapse apparently has been averted.

Obama said world leaders had taken significant measures to address economic, environmental and global security issues.

"Reckless actions by a few have fueled a recession that spans the globe," Obama said of the meltdown that began in the United States with a tumble in housing prices and drastic slowing of business lending. The downturn now threatens superpowers and emerging nations alike.

Obama urged national leaders to unite behind a global recovery plan that includes stricter financial regulation and sustained stimulus spending.

"The only way forward is through shared and persistent effort to combat threats to our peace, our peace, our prosperity and our common humanity wherever they may exist. None of this will be easy," Obama told a news conference at the end of the Group of Eight summit of major economic powers.

The president rejected suggestions that the summit fell short of expectations by failing to call for tough new sanctions on Iran for its crackdown on democracy advocates after its disputed presidential election.

"What we wanted is exactly what we got — a statement of unity and strong condemnation," Obama said. He said the leaders' declaration was even more significant because it included Russia, "which doesn't make statements like that lightly."

Obama said world leaders will reevaluate their posture toward Iran at a meeting in Pittsburgh in September of the world's 20 major industrial and developing economies.

He cited "the appalling events of Iran's presidential election" and said the world would "take stock of Iran's progress" and watch its behavior.

Leaders have made clear that for Iran to take its "rightful place" in the world, the country must adhere to international standards and behave responsibility, Obama said.

The president was next turning to more photogenic events: a meeting with the pope and a stop in Africa.

Obama, his wife and senior advisers met Pope Benedict XVI and exchanged gifts shortly before leaving Italy late Friday for Ghana. Obama and Benedict had spoken by phone but had not met before.

"It's a great honor for me. Thank you so much," Obama said as he met the pontiff.

Benedict asked Obama about the G-8 summit, eliciting Obama's assessment that it was "very productive."

The cameras clattered while that sat down at the pope's desk.

"Your Holiness, I'm sure you're used to having your picture taken. I'm getting used to it," Obama said.

Later in the day, Obama was to fly to Ghana on his first trip to sub-Saharan Africa as president, but second visit to Africa. He gave a speech in Egypt last month.

On a pressing issue back home, Obama acknowledged that his top legislative priority — health care overhaul — had encountered rocky going in Congress during his overseas trip, with opposition building among both Republicans and economically conservative Democrats.

But he said he still was confident of getting the measure passed before Congress begins its August recess.

Asked if that timetable was "do or die," Obama responded: "I never believe anything is do or die. But I want to get it done by the August recess."

On the world economy, Obama said that rising food prices mean millions more are falling into desperate poverty "and right now, at this defining moment, we face a choice. We can either shape our future or let events shape it for us."

"While our markets are improving and we appear to have averted global collapse, we know that too many people are still struggling. So we agree that full recovery is still a ways off." He said the world leaders felt "it would be premature to begin winding down our stimulus plans."

Earlier in the week, the 186-nation International Monetary Fund released an updated economic forecast, predicting that the global economy will shrink 1.4 percent this year, the worst performance in the post-World War II period. That forecast was slightly worse than the 1.3 percent decline the IMF predicted in April.

The international lending agency did see prospects improving for next year with global growth forecast to climb to 2.5 percent, up from an April projection of 1.9 percent.

Leaders at Friday's meetings also committed themselves to a $20 billion initiative to help farmers in poor countries boost production.

Asked about his appeal to fellow leaders for the aid, Obama said he talked about his father, who was born in Kenya.

"The telling point is when my father traveled to the United States from Kenya to study ... the per capita income of Kenya was higher than South Korea's."

Now, Obama said, South Korea is industrialized and relatively wealthy while Kenya, as well as much of Africa, is still struggling economically.

"There is no reason why African countries can't do the same" and rise out of poverty with modern and open institutions, Obama said.

On nuclear weapons, Obama said the U.S. and Russia must show they're "fulfilling their commitments" to lead global efforts to curb the spread. If the two superpowers show they can limit or eliminate these weapons, it would strengthen their moral authority to speak to other potential nuclear nations such as North Korea and Iran.

Obama said there is a need to build "a system of international norms" for nuclear weapons. With respect to North Korea and Iran, he said, "It's not a matter of singling them out ... but a standard that everybody can live by."

Six months in office, Obama said he supports a streamlining of summits — the G-8, G-20 and NATO — and attending fewer of those meetings. He said the United Nations is in need of reform, but international summits fill a gap left by a U.N. structure that doesn't leverage its power as effectively as it could.


by the associated press

Activists arrested for banner on Mount Rushmore

CHICAGO (AFP) – Greenpeace activists were arrested Wednesday for scaling Mount Rushmore and hanging a banner next to the carved face of Abraham Lincoln urging President Barack Obama to get tough on climate change.

A video posted on the environmental group's website showed the massive banner hanging on the South Dakota mountain face.

Its message -- "America honors leaders not politicians: Stop Global Warming" and an unfinished portrait of Obama -- was barely visible as it was whipped by wind.

"Doing what it takes to solve global warming demands real political courage," Greenpeace USA deputy campaigns director Carroll Muffett said in a statement.

"If President Obama intends to earn a place among this country's true leaders, he needs to show that courage, and base his actions on the scientific reality rather than political convenience."

The protest comes as Obama meets with other G8 leaders in Italy.

G8 leaders agreed to bear the brunt of steep global cuts in greenhouse gas emissions, saying developed countries should reduce their pollution by 80 percent by 2050, a summit declaration said.

Greenpeace said the 11 climbers "took special care not to damage the monument, using existing anchors placed by the National Park Service for periodic cleaning."

Park officials said they were still investigating whether the iconic monument -- a restricted area which is closely monitored -- suffered damage.

"Early this morning visitors saw these individuals on the mountain," said Amy Bracewell, a spokeswoman for the National Park Service.

"They got up next to Abraham Lincoln and unfurled the large banner," she told AFP.

"As soon as our people were mobilized we took down the banner and apprehended them and got them safely down the mountain."



by the AFP

NY gov names lieutenant governor

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — New York Gov. David Paterson shocked Albany and risked a constitutional fight Wednesday by picking a crisis manager with Democratic credentials dating to the 1960s to fill the vacant lieutenant governor's post and end a monthlong state Senate standoff.

But whether it will end what Paterson called the embarrassing spectacle over control of the chamber, or prolong it in the courts, was unknown in the unpredictable political saga.

Paterson chose 76-year-old Richard Ravitch, a former Metropolitan Transportation Authority chairman, to be his lieutenant governor, who can preside over the Senate and break at least some tie votes.

In a televised address, the Democratic governor made the announcement and said he did it because the state is in crisis over the Senate's 31-31 split in a power struggle now in its fifth week.

It had been widely assumed since the 1940s that a vacancy in the largely ceremonial lieutenant governor's job could only be filled in a general election. But Paterson said an unorthodox approach is needed after he failed to force the Senate to act after calling 18 special sessions and denying their pay and expenses.

"Now, New Yorkers are starting to suffer," Paterson said. "This is the right thing to do, I have no doubt of that."

Pending a likely court battle, Paterson's decision appears to give the Democratic Party he heads control of the Senate again, after the Republican-dominated coalition seized it June 8.

Ravitch intends to work for no compensation in the job, which normally pays $151,500 a year, said Peter Kauffmann, a spokesman for the governor.

Senate Republican leader Dean Skelos said Paterson violated the constitution and acted illegally and recklessly to serve his political prospects in 2010. Skelos said the appointment "will create even more chaos that will result in more lawsuits and more government gridlock."

Ravitch is a partner in the law firm Ravitch Rice & Company LLC. He started his work in federal government in 1966 with the National Commission on Urban Problems under President Lyndon B. Johnson. In 1975, Gov. Hugh Carey put him in charge of the independent authority helping build low-income apartments that eventually became the Empire State Development Corp.

Paterson's rare televised address was promoted through his 2010 campaign committee.

New York has been without a lieutenant governor since Paterson rose from the position to become governor in March 2008 after Eliot Spitzer resigned in disgrace.


by the associated press

Saying Goodbye to Michael Jackson

They sang his songs among the stars and imagined him dancing across the moon, and for a few hours, during this most public of memorials, all eyes were on Michael Jackson for one last time.

Twenty thousand people gathered inside the Staples Center on Tuesday for a somber, spiritual ceremony, watched by untold millions more around the world as they celebrated a man whose immense talents almost drowned beneath the spectacle of his life and fame.

A star-studded lineup of performers closely linked to Jackson’s life and music reached back for the essence of the man. They remembered Jackson as an unparalleled singer, dancer and humanitarian whose music united people of all backgrounds.

"Don’t focus on the scars, focus on the journey,” said the Rev. Al Sharpton, whose fiery eulogy was an emotional high point of the service. "Every time he got knocked down, he got back up,” Sharpton said, and the applauding crowd again jumped to its feet.


Daughter’s message
Sharpton rode the moment, building to a crescendo. "There wasn’t nothing strange about your daddy. It was strange what your daddy had to deal with!” he said to Jackson’s three children in the front row, drawing the longest ovation of the service.
Jackson’s daughter, Paris-Michael, later provided the surprise of the service: the first public statement of her 11 years.

"Ever since I was born, Daddy has been the best father I could imagine,” she said, dissolving into tears and turning into the embrace of her aunt Janet. "I just want to say I love him so much.”

Unlike Jackson’s life, the ceremony was not spectacular, extravagant or bizarre. Outside the arena, however, the celebrity-industrial complex that Jackson helped create flourished.

More than 3,000 police officers massed downtown to keep the ticketless at bay, and helicopters followed the golden casket as it was driven over blocked-off freeways.



by the associated press

Police rule Steve McNair's death is a homicide

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Shot twice in the head and two more times in the chest, former NFL quarterback Steve McNair was the victim of a homicide, police declared Sunday. But authorities wouldn't say it was a murder-suicide — even with his 20-year-old girlfriend dead at his feet from a single bullet.

McNair had been dating Sahel Kazemi for several months, and Nashville police spokesman Don Aaron said Sunday that a semiautomatic pistol was found under her body. She was shot in the head.

McNair, who was married with four sons, had a permit to carry a handgun in Tennessee, and he was arrested once before with a 9mm weapon although charges in the case were dropped. Police said they had not yet determined who owned the gun found at the scene.

Investigators weren't looking for a suspect but were questioning friends of the couple as well as Kazemi's ex-boyfriend. They were also waiting for results of drug and other laboratory tests before deciding whether McNair was killed in a lovers' quarrel.

"That's a very important part of the investigation as we work to ultimately classify Miss Kazemi's death," Aaron said.

The details surfacing after McNair's death stand in stark contrast to the public persona he enjoyed during his career.

McNair repeatedly played through serious injuries and pain to win, though he came up a yard short of forcing overtime in the Tennessee Titans' famous drive in the 2000 Super Bowl.

Generous, he frequently took part in charity work for both the Titans and later the Baltimore Ravens after a 2006 trade. McNair even helped load donated food, water and clothes onto tractor-trailers that he had arranged for Hurricane Katrina victims, and paid for three football camps for children himself this year.

McNair and Kazemi were found dead at a Nashville condominium — which overlooks the Titans stadium — that he rented with his friend Wayne Neeley. Police believe both died early Saturday. Neeley found the bodies hours later, and called a friend, Robert Gaddy, who played at Alcorn State with McNair. Gaddy dialed 911.

"People have certain things that they do in life," Gaddy said. "We don't need to look on the situation at this time (but) on the fact we just lost a great member of society."

The quarterback's agent, Bus Cook, said he had never heard Kazemi's name until news of the shooting broke Saturday. What McNair's wife knew wasn't clear Sunday. Cook said Mechelle McNair was "in and out of it." He said she had no comment after the police called his death a homicide.

"It doesn't make any sense. I don't know what to say," Cook said.

Mechelle was "very upset, very distraught" Sunday, Cook said. She was preparing to finish funeral arrangements Monday.

McNair split his time between Nashville and his farm in Mount Olive, Miss. He recently opened a restaurant near Tennessee State University that was aimed at serving healthy, affordable food to college students.

McNair was also seen so often at Kazemi's apartment that a neighbor thought he lived there.

McNair met Kazemi when his family ate often at the Dave & Buster's restaurant she worked at as a server, and the two began dating in a relationship that included a vacation with parasailing. Photos posted on TMZ.com showed McNair gazing and smiling at the young Kazemi.

"She pretty obviously got mixed up way over her head with folks," said Reagan Howard, a neighbor of Kazemi's.

A man who answered the door at a house in the Jacksonville, Fla., suburb of Orange Park said it was the home of Kazemi's family, but said her relatives did not want to comment.

"We don't have anything to say, please leave us alone," he said.

The victim's sister, Soheyla Kazemi, told the Florida Times-Union in Jacksonville that the young woman had expected McNair to get a divorce. "She said they were planning to get married."

Kazemi often was dropped off by limousine in the early morning hours and recently went from driving a Kia to a 2007 Cadillac Escalade registered to both herself and McNair. Her niece told The Tennessean that Kazemi thought McNair was divorcing his wife of 12 years soon.

Nashville courts had no record of a McNair divorce case, but a home he owned in Nashville is on the market for $3 million.

The real estate agent declined to comment. Her online listing for property described it as a "gigantic house" of more than 14,000 square feet and photos showed a pool, home theater, baby grand piano and ornate furnishings throughout.

McNair and Kazemi were together Thursday night when she was pulled over driving that Escalade. She was arrested on a DUI charges, and he was allowed to leave in a taxi even though he was charged with drunken driving in 2007 when his brother-in-law was stopped for DUI while driving McNair's pickup truck.

McNair led the Titans to the 2000 Super Bowl, which they lost 23-16 to the St. Louis Rams despite his 87-yard drive in the final minute and 48 seconds. He was co-MVP of the NFL with Colts quarterback Peyton Manning in 2003.

Manning said in a statement Sunday that he had some great battles with the quarterback.

"Sharing the NFL MVP honor with him in 2003 was special because of what a great football player he was," Manning said. "I had the opportunity to play in a couple of Pro Bowls with him, and the time spent with him in Hawaii I'll never forget. I'll truly miss him."

The Titans drafted Vince Young in 2006 to replace McNair, who had mentored him since he was a teenager. They never played together but did play against each other that year.

"He was like a father to me. I hear his advice in my head with everything I do. Life will be very different without him," Young said in a statement Sunday.

McNair grew up in Mount Olive, Miss., and became a football star at Alcorn State, the Division I-AA school in his home state as he dominated the Southwestern Athletic Conference. He became a Heisman Trophy contender as reporters flocked to little Lorman to watch the man known as "Air McNair."

He still holds the Division I-AA (now known as Football Championship Subdivision) records for career yards passing (14,496) and total offense (16,823). McNair was drafted in 1995 by the Houston Oilers, who eventually became the Titans.

Picked four times for the Pro Bowl, McNair finished with 31,304 yards passing and 174 touchdowns. He led both the Titans and Ravens to playoff berths, including two AFC championship game appearances with Tennessee. Injuries finally led to his retirement after the 2007 season

Besides his wife, McNair is survived by his sons Junior, Steven, Tyler and Trenton.


by the associated press

Iranian reformists

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — An Iranian newspaper closely tied to the government says reformists disputing last month's presidential elections are "dangerous."

The editorial in the conservative Kayhan newspaper, and earlier comments by a top aide to Iran's all powerful clerical leader, mark an escalation of pressure on defeated reformist presidential candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi and his supporters.

Kayhan questioned how the reformists should be dealt with, saying they "would be a dangerous opposition if they were to win, and set the streets on fire when they lose."

A day earlier, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's top aide wrote in Kayhan that Mousavi is an American agent.

Mousavi's supporters accuse President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of winning a second term through fraud.



by the associated press

Marines march in Afghan

NAWA, Afghanistan (AP) — Taliban militants were nowhere in sight as the columns of U.S. Marines walked a third straight day across southern Afghanistan. But the desert heat proved an enemy in its own right, with several troops falling victim Saturday to temperatures topping 100 degrees Fahrenheit.

The Marines carry 50-100 pounds (23-45 kilograms) on their backs. But because they are marching through farmland on foot, they can't carry nearly as much water as their thirst demands.

Few even realized the date was July 4, but once word of the holiday spread through the company, several said they knew relatives would be holding lakeside celebrations — a world away from the strenuous task Bravo Company of the 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment was taking on.

"Happy 4th of July, dawg. Happy America," said Lance Corp. Vince Morales, 21, of Baytown, Texas said to one of his Marine buddies while resting under a tree during a break.

Some Marines ate watermelon from a farmer's field as the evening sun set, but there were few other signs of a holiday celebration here.

Some 4,000 Marines are moving through southern Helmand to take back Taliban-held territory and pinch the insurgents' supply lines. Bravo Company has seen a lot of walking but up to now little fighting, though other Marines in the operation have had extended battles.

So far, the worst danger facing Bravo is the heat. Temperatures are well above 100 degrees (37.8 Celsius), and medics treated several heat casualties Saturday.

"When (body) temperature goes up past 104 (40 Celsius), your brain starts cooking, and that's what we're trying to prevent," said Simon Trujillo, an HM3 Navy Medic from Dallas.

The high heat, heavy packs, limited water and three straight days of walking through tough farmland terrain were taking a toll, he said. Several Marines threw up or were dry-heaving from the heat. Three passed out, and other Marines rushed to share the weight and pour water on overheated bodies.

"It's pretty taxing on your body. There's no way to prepare for this," said Trujillo.

One cruel irony: A helicopter dropped off a load of water to the Marines early Saturday, but because they hadn't yet reached their final destination, they took only what they could carry and left hundreds of bottles behind for Afghan villagers to drink.

The sun in southern Helmand is blazing by 8 a.m., and the troops seek out any sliver of shade available. Trees grow along the many manmade water canals the farmers use to survive here, but there is little relief elsewhere.

Sweat pours off faces as Marines shift heavy weapons from one shoulder to the other. Everyone still carries all the ammunition they arrived with in the dark hours of early Thursday, because this unit has not yet exchanged fire.

The Marines walk in columns down dusty dirt roads, and every couple dozen steps they bend over at the waist to give aching shoulders a break. During frequent breaks, medics go up and down the line, looking to see if their men are drinking water.

"It'd be so great if we took contact. We'd lose so much weight," said Lance Corp. Michael Estrada, 20, of Los Angeles.

Lance Corp. Bryan Knight, a mortar man, carries one of the heaviest pack. The 21-year-old Cincinnati native weighs a slight 145 pounds (65.8 kilograms) — and his pack almost equals him.

He carries a 15-pound (6.8-kilogram) mortar base plate, four mortar rockets that weigh 10 pounds (4.5 kilograms) each, about 15 pounds (6.8 kilograms) of water and another 50 pounds (22.7 kilograms) of combat gear — ammunition, weapon and his flak jacket.

Unsurprisingly, he is drenched in sweat. "The only dry parts of my clothes are the pockets," he said.

Squatting in a lean-to made out of a camouflage poncho beside Knight was Corp. Aaron Shade, 24, of Greenville, Ohio, who hadn't realized it was Independence Day back home in the U.S.

"My family's out on the boat house riding on jet skis, drinking lots of beer," he said. "That's not depressing to think about."

The company captain, Drew Schoenmaker, said the heat was affecting militants as well, noting there were few daytime attacks theater-wide and none on his unit. He said he doubted people back in the United States could understand how hard his Marines work.

"Someone back home might say, 'Oh, it's 100 degrees here, too.' But you're not trying to carry 60 or 90 pounds and people aren't trying to kill you," he said. "And you can always step out of the sun. You can't always do that here."


by the associated press

Korea improving Missiles

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea's weekend missile launches show the communist country is improving its capability and accuracy and are a cause for concern, officials said Sunday.

North Korea launched seven ballistic missiles into waters off its east coast Saturday in a show of military firepower that defied U.N. resolutions and drew international condemnation and concern. It also fired four short-range missiles Thursday believed to be cruise missiles.

South Korea's Yonhap news agency — citing a South Korean government source it did not identify — reported that five of the seven ballistic missiles landed in the same area, indicating their accuracy has improved.

Australian Foreign Minister Stephen Smith said North Korea's capabilities were getting better.

"If you look at their most recent efforts, the most worrying thing is not their current capacity in terms of distance or scope but how they have improved," he told the Nine Network on Sunday.

"We have seen improvements regrettably in their technology and their approach," he said, emphasizing the latest missile tests were clearly a provocative act aimed at the U.S.

Saturday's launches on U.S. Independence Day appeared to be a slap at Washington as it moves to enforce U.N. as well as its own sanctions against the isolated regime for its May 25 nuclear test.

An official, speaking on condition of anonymity citing department policy, said the Defense Ministry was investigating the launches and it would take about a week to complete an analysis.

He also said no signs of additional missile launches had been detected, but more were possible given North Korea warned ships to stay away from the area through July 10.

North Korea's state news agency did not mention the launches. In Washington, the White House had no immediate comment.

South Korea said Saturday that the missiles likely flew more than 250 miles (400 kilometers), apparently landing in waters between the Korean peninsula and Japan.

South Korea and Japan both condemned the launches, with Tokyo calling them a "serious act of provocation." Britain and France issued similar statements.

Russia and China, both allies of North Korea, expressed concern over an "escalation of tension in the region," the Russian Foreign Ministry said Saturday in a statement after a meeting in Moscow.

Separately, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang said in a statement that Beijing "hopes all parties will keep calm and restrained and jointly safeguard the overall peace and stability in this region."

The North has engaged in a series of acts this year widely seen as provocative. It fired a long-range rocket it said was a satellite in early April, and in late May it carried out its second underground nuclear test following the first in late 2006.

The country has also stoked tensions with rival South Korea and last month threatened "thousand-fold" military retaliation against the U.S. and its allies if provoked.

Yonhap also reported that the North is believed to have spent between $34 million and $46 million in test-firing the seven missiles Saturday. It cited no source.

South Korea's Defense Ministry said it cannot confirm the report.


by the associated press

NYPD rookie makes arrest

NEW YORK – A New York Police Department rookie just couldn't wait to get started.

One of the NYPD's newest officers made his first arrest Thursday just minutes after graduating from the Police Academy in a ceremony at Madison Square Garden.

Officer Dariel Firpo, 23, was leaving the midtown Manhattan ceremony when he saw a 79-year-old man being robbed of his wallet and thrown to the ground by a mugger, police said.

The mugger tried to run away, but Firpo caught him without incident, they said.

"Officer Firpo made us all proud," police Commissioner Raymond Kelly said. "He's off to a great start."

The man Firpo arrested, Jeffrey Grant, was being charged with robbery. Grant, 47, has 48 previous arrests and was just released last week from Sing Sing Correctional Facility in Ossining, N.Y., after serving time for a robbery conviction, police said.

Grant, of Manhattan, was in custody late Thursday and couldn't be contacted. The name of his attorney wasn't yet on record.

The mugging victim was treated at a hospital for a broken wrist.

Firpo's feat "may be the fastest police action upon graduation in department history," said chief police spokesman Paul Browne, who was at the graduation ceremony for the class of 250 new officers.

Firpo, who graduated from Lehman College in January with a degree in political science, said he wants to focus on community affairs while working in the nation's biggest police department.

"I'm really trying to stick in the community," he said.



by the associated press

Honduran call for Blood

TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras, July 4 -- Although the U.S. government knew for months that Honduras was on the brink of political chaos, officials say they underestimated how fearful the Honduran elite and the military were of ousted President Manuel Zelaya and his ally President Hugo Chávez of Rumors were buzzing in the capital that the fight between Zelaya and his conservative opponents had reached the boiling point, but diplomatic officials said the Obama administration and its embassy were surprised when Honduran soldiers burst into the presidential palace last Sunday and removed Zelaya from power.

U.S. diplomats had been trying to broker a compromise and were speaking to both sides hours before the coup. For decades, Washington has trained the Honduran military, and senior U.S. officials say they did not think that the Honduran military would carry out a coup.

The overthrow, and the new Honduran government's vow to remain in power despite international condemnation, is President Obama's first test in a region that had grown distant from the United States.

The crisis also pits Obama's nuanced approach to diplomacy against that of an often bellicose rival, Chávez, who has taken center stage in the showdown by threatening to overthrow the government that took over from Zelaya.

The new Honduran leaders said Saturday that they will not yield to demands made by the Organization of American States to allow Zelaya to return to power. The caretaker president, Roberto Micheletti, threatened that Zelaya will be arrested if he returns Sunday as promised alongside Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega and other Latin American leaders.

The Catholic Church appealed for calm. Cardinal Óscar Andrés Rodríguez went on the airwaves to beg Zelaya to "give us room for a peaceful resolution" and warned that, if Zelaya comes back Sunday, there could be "a bloodbath."

A Shift to the Left


When Zelaya, 56, a wealthy rancher whose family made its fortune from timber, was elected president in 2005, he was a middle-of-the-road populist from one of Honduras's two major parties. But as his presidency progressed, Zelaya veered to the left and was in constant conflict with business groups, lawmakers from his own party, the news media and the army.

"Over the last year, Zelaya's positions moved to the left. He pushed social programs and more attention for the poor who have no work," said Giuseppe Magno, the outgoing Italian ambassador. "This switch was not in line with the program he was voted in on. He was too close to Ortega and Chávez, a position the middle and upper classes did not appreciate."

But Zelaya saw it differently, often telling crowds that Honduras needed a fundamental shift to deal with poverty so grinding that 40 percent of the population lives on $2 a day or less. Honduras is, in fact, the third-poorest country in the hemisphere, and many residents continue to resent the often painful past involvement of the United States.

In announcing his country's affiliation with a Chávez-led alliance, Zelaya told crowds that it was designed to "make Hondurans a free people." He said that in joining the pact, the Bolivarian Alternative for the Americas, Honduras did "not have to ask permission of any imperialists."

Zelaya increasingly spoke of the two nations of Honduras, one hopelessly poor, the other wealthy and uncaring. He began to argue for "people power," a kind of direct popular democracy.


When he toured the countryside, he staged rallies to ask the people what they wanted, and promised new bridges and clinics on the spot, giving away 100 Venezuelan tractors to farmers and speaking against an unnamed oligarchy he called the enemy of the people.

Zelaya angered the business community when he raised the minimum monthly wage for Hondurans by 60 percent. Many companies responded by firing workers. Other businesses ignored the decree.

When U.S. Ambassador Hugo Llorens arrived last year, Zelaya postponed the ceremony allowing the newly arrived diplomat to present his credentials. He fought with his Congress, insisting that lawmakers accept his nominees to the Supreme Court. He refused to sign the budget and he stalled on dozens of bills approved by the Congress. All along, Zelaya grew closer to Latin America's leftist leaders, especially Chávez. He traveled frequently to Venezuela, where he stood beside Chávez as he gave fiery speeches railing against capitalists.

But Adolfo Facussé, a business leader who had been friends with Zelaya, said the president at first explained his alliance with Venezuela in pragmatic, economic terms.

"He said a year ago that he was interested in ALBA," said Facussé, speaking of the Bolivarian Alternative for the Americas, which included Cuba, Bolivia and Nicaragua. "I said it's mostly an anti-American enterprise, and he said that's not what interests me. There is assistance being offered."

Facussé said that he invited Venezuelan Embassy officials to meet with Honduran industrialists, adding that it became clear to him and other businessmen that Honduras could benefit from Venezuela's largess, including the sale of fuel on preferential terms, a line of credit from Caracas and outright gifts, such as tractors.

"I reviewed the deal, and I thought it was good," Facussé said of Zelaya's plan to bring Honduras closer to Chávez and his cheap fuel.

'So Brazen, So Upfront'


European diplomats who know Zelaya and how he operates described him as a populist nationalist, not an leftist ideologue.

Those familiar with the growing crisis said concern about Chávez by political opponents was driven by an outsize fear that Venezuela had diabolical designs on Honduras -- and would have implanted Chávez's economic system and style of governance had Zelaya been allowed to carry out his referendum.

"It was the same scheme Chávez had in Venezuela," said Benjamin Bogran, the new minister of industry and commerce. "Chávez considers Honduras to be inside his orbit."

Elizabeth Zuñiga, a member of Congress and leader of the Nationalist Party, said: "Little by little, step by step, he was looking at the South Americans for help and guidance. They were his new best friends." Zuñiga, who supports the ouster, said, "What I believe we were seeing was the evolution of a democratic dictatorship."

Armando Sarmiento, a member of the ousted Zelaya cabinet, who is in hiding, said the fear of Chávez and his influence on Zelaya lead to the coup. "The right wing believes the myth that President Zelaya was going to seek an extra term. But this was not true."


Sarmiento pointed out that Zelaya wanted to help the country's poor, not nationalize industries or create a socialist economy. "President Zelaya had very strong arguments with these people, what the president called the oligarchy, the media, the special interests. There were campaigns of hatred against the president."

Doris Gutiérrez, a member of Congress who opposes the coup, said: "The sector here that supports the move against Zelaya has never been so open, so brazen, so upfront before. The situation is going to become more dangerous."

'The Political Nucleus'


Analysts familiar with Zelaya's cabinet said he was influenced by a small group of close aides. They included Foreign Minister Patricia Rodas, viewed as an ally of Ortega's Sandinista government in Nicaragua and daughter of a popular progressive politician who fled the country after a military coup in 1963. Others included Milton Jiménez, a former foreign minister who analysts said had the most influence on Zelaya; Enrique Flores Lanza, Zelaya's minister of the presidency and considered the most radical of his aides; and Aristides Mejía, Zelaya's vice president.

"They were the political nucleus, the ideologues of Manuel Zelaya," said Jorge Yllescas, an economist who is a member of Civic Union, a coalition of 60 groups opposed to Zelaya. "They were the ones who really had the ideological line. When Mel got to the presidency, he was liberal, but within a year he had a different tendency from his own ideology."

But the same diplomats are puzzled about exactly what Zelaya was after in his attempt to rewrite the constitution. The boiling point came when Zelaya began to push for a national survey, a kind of nonbinding referendum for a constitutional assembly that could led to a new law that allowed a president to serve more than one term. But Honduras's lengthy, sometimes contradictory document contains language that makes a person a traitor for even suggesting such a change.

As Zelaya pressed ahead with his plan to hold the vote last Sunday, the day of the coup, the leader of the Honduran military, Gen. Romeo Vásquez, balked, because the Supreme Court told him that the referendum was illegal. Zelaya tried to fire Vásquez, which further riled the military.

"Look, we're democratic and here we respect the ideologies of other countries," said Gabriela Nuñez, the new finance minister. "But we do not want to change our system of government."


from the washington post

Groups of people to visit Statue of Liberty

NEW YORK — It’s crowded. It’s hot. You have to climb hundreds of steps to get there. And throngs of people can’t wait to visit.

Unfortunately, many will have to. Tickets sold out fast for the July Fourth reopening of the Statue of Liberty’s crown, closed since the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

Aaron Weisinger, a 26-year-old from Walnut Creek, Calif., was one of the lucky ones. He will be part of the first group of tourists in eight years to climb the 354 steps, 146 of them up a narrow spiral staircase, to stand atop the statue’s head and peer from under the spikes of her crown.

"The statue is very powerful. It symbolizes liberty and freedom,” said Weisinger, whose great-grandparents met Lady Liberty’s gaze as they passed through Ellis Island from Eastern Europe.

After terrorists leveled the World Trade Center just across New York Harbor, the statue was closed to visitors until 2004, when the base, pedestal and outdoor observation deck reopened.

In May, the Obama administration announced that the crown would once again welcome visitors, albeit cautiously. Starting Saturday, only 30 people an hour will be allowed into the crown, and they will be brought up in groups of 10, guided by park rangers along the way.

New handrails have been installed to help with the climb. Bags, both big and small, are not allowed. Only cameras and cell phones are acceptable.

The $15 tickets to the crown went on sale June 13, and tickets for the July Fourth weekend sold out within hours. So far, about 14,500 tickets to the crown have been sold.


by the associated press

Feds may seize California parks

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — California officials said Wednesday they are trying to avert the federal government’s threat to seize six parks that could be closed to help reduce the state’s ballooning budget deficit.

National Park Service Regional Director Jonathan Jarvis warned in a letter to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger that all six occupy former federal land that could revert to the U.S. government if the state fails to keep them open.

The properties are among the 220 state parks Schwarzenegger has proposed closing to save $143 million. Legislators are considering the move as part of efforts to close a $26 billion budget deficit.

The Republican governor has rejected Democratic proposals to add a $15 fee to annual vehicle registrations to raise money to run the parks.

"Lands conveyed to the State under the Federal Lands to Parks Program must be open for public park and recreation use in perpetuity as a condition of the deed,” Jarvis warned in his letter to Schwarzenegger.


by the associated press

Karl Malden dies at 97

LOS ANGELES — Karl Malden, the Academy Award-winning actor whose intelligent characterizations on stage and screen made him a star despite his plain looks, died Wednesday, his family said. He was 97.

Malden died of natural causes surrounded by his family at his Brentwood home, they told the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences.

Malden won a supporting actor Oscar in 1951 for his role as Blanche DuBois’ naive suitor Mitch in "A Streetcar Named Desire.”

He was nominated again as best supporting actor in 1954 for his performance as Father Corrigan, a fearless priest in "On the Waterfront.”

"When you worked with him, he was the character,” said Eva Marie Saint. "He was the consummate actor, and he loved acting. He was dear and smart. Whatever he did, he enjoyed life.”

Malden gained perhaps his greatest fame as Lt. Mike Stone in the 1970s television show "The Streets of San Francisco,” with Michael Douglas.

Douglas saluted Malden last month when he received the American Film Institute’s Lifetime Achievement Award.



by the associated press

Oklahoman was found hanged in jail

CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. — An Oklahoma man was found hanged in his Montgomery County (Tenn.) jail cell on Sunday, officials said.

Sheriff’s spokesman Ted Denny says deputies discovered the body of Jay Frederick Smith of Broken Arrow during a routine security sweep of the jail at 2:09 p.m. Sunday. Jail officials say he hanged himself using a bed sheet.

According to an arrest warrant, Smith, a truck driver, was arrested Saturday about 4:30 a.m. on Interstate 24 while traveling west from Nashville.

The warrant says another truck driver reported that Smith’s truck almost ran four cars off the road. A sheriff’s deputy said in a report that he smelled an intoxicant coming from the 53-year-old Smith, who allegedly failed three field sobriety tests.

Smith’s body was taken to the medical examiner’s office for an autopsy.


by the associated press

U.S. role continues Partnership in Iraq could last for years

WASHINGTON — U.S. troops are out of Iraq’s cities, but not its future.

Even a best-case scenario is likely to feature an American role there for years — militarily as well as diplomatically.

That does not mean a permanent large U.S. troop presence in Iraq. Under a security deal struck with the Bush administration, American forces are to be out by the end of 2011.

But it’s no secret that Iraq’s security forces are not fully ready to handle even a diminished insurgency on their own.

Some senior U.S. military officers say privately they anticipate setbacks in coming months, particularly if the insurgents regroup. But by partnering with American forces, the Iraqis stand a good chance of succeeding. That is why a number of U.S. troops will remain in the cities to assist and advise.

But most were gone Tuesday as Iraqis marked National Sovereignty Day with parades and marching bands in Baghdad.

President Barack Obama made clear Tuesday that while he expects violence to persist, the final outcome is an Iraqi responsibility. "Iraq’s future is in the hands of its own people,” he said from the White House. "And Iraq’s leaders must now make some hard choices necessary to resolve key political questions” and to provide security.

There are still about 131,000 U.S. troops in Iraq. They won’t be fighting in urban areas any more, unless the Iraqi government asks for their help. Instead they will focus on securing Iraq’s borders, keeping insurgents on the run in rural areas and conducting training with Iraqi forces.

Gen. Ray Odierno, the top U.S. commander in Iraq, said Tuesday he was hopeful, in part because Iraqis have embraced the U.S. urban withdrawal as a confidence booster.



by the associated press

Sen. Jim Inhofe back tracts from comment about EPA

WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe, who earlier said a criminal investigation "probably should be” conducted into allegations the EPA suppressed a climate change report, conceded Tuesday he is not qualified to make that determination.


"I have no way of knowing,” the Oklahoma Republican said.

Inhofe, however, stood by his prediction that a historic climate change bill narrowly approved by the House last week faces certain defeat in the Senate.

"It’s dead in the water,” he said.


Welcoming a ‘clown’
Inhofe said the much-anticipated conclusion of a Senate race in Minnesota that will give Democrats the 60 votes needed to overcome filibusters will not be enough to save the climate change bill.
"I’ll tell you what a lot of people are thinking, and that is it looks like things are going to be over and we are going to get the clown from Minnesota,” he said.

"They are not going to get more than 35 votes.”

Asked if he was referring to Al Franken as the clown from Minnesota, Inhofe confirmed he was.

"I didn’t mean to be disrespectful. I don’t know the guy, but … for a living he is a clown,” the senator said. "That’s what he does for a living.”

A former cast member of NBC’s "Saturday Night Live,” Franken on Tuesday was declared the winner of the Minnesota race and is expected to join the Senate next week.


No wrongdoing seen
Inhofe’s comments on whether the Environmental Protection Agency suppressed climate change views of a veteran employee warranted a criminal investigation came Monday in response to a question on Fox News concerning agency e-mails that fueled the allegations.
"I don’t know whether there would be or not,” the senator said initially. "There could be and there probably should be.”

On Tuesday, he also conceded that his own investigation into the matter has not uncovered anything that would warrant a criminal investigation.

As the top Republican on the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, Inhofe said he is also sending EPA a letter on the process used on the climate change report.

EPA disputed the allegations over the climate change matter in a statement provided by spokesman Andy Adora.

"Claims that this individual’s opinions were not considered or studied are entirely false,” the statement read. "The individual in question is not a scientist and was not part of the working group dealing with this issue.”

Nevertheless, it continued, the document he submitted was reviewed by his peers and agency scientists. Information from that report was submitted by his manager to those responsible for developing the endangerment finding.

"In fact, some ideas from that document are included and addressed in the endangerment finding,” the statement read.

A global warming skeptic, Inhofe again cited what he considers a lack of support even from his fellow Republicans in the past.

He predicted that is changing.

"The other goal,” Inhofe said of his current effort, "would be to discredit those who have been discrediting me for 10 years. You know from ’98 to ’05, I was alone.”


from the oklahoman

HEALTH Panel says slow down on Tylenol

ADELPHI, Md. — Government experts called for sweeping safety restrictions Tuesday on the most widely used painkiller, including reducing the maximum dose of Tylenol and eliminating prescription drugs such as Vicodin and Percocet.

The Food and Drug Administration assembled 37 experts to recommend ways to reduce deadly overdoses with acetaminophen, which is the leading cause of liver failure in the U.S. and sends 56,000 people to the emergency room annually. About 200 die each year.

"We’re here because there are inadvertent overdoses with this drug that are fatal and this is the one opportunity we have to do something that will have a big impact,” said Dr. Judith Kramer of Duke University Medical Center.

But over-the-counter cold medicines — such as Nyquil and Theraflu — that combine other drugs with acetaminophen can stay on the market, the panel said.

The FDA is not required to follow the advice of its panels, but it usually does.

The panel recommended 21-16 to lower the maximum dose of over-the-counter acetaminophen from 4 grams, or eight pills of a medication such as Extra Strength Tylenol. They did not specify how much it should be lowered.

The panel also endorsed limiting the maximum single dose of the drug to 650 milligrams. That would be down from the 1,000-milligram dose, or two tablets of Extra Strength Tylenol.


Industry responds
The industry group that represents Johnson & Johnson, Wyeth and other companies defended the current dosing that appears on over-the-counter products.
"I think it’s a very useful dose and one that is needed for treating chronic pain, such as people with chronic osteoarthritis,” said Linda Suydam, president of the Consumer Healthcare Products Association.

Some on the panel opposed a sweeping withdraw of products that are widely used to control severe, chronic pain.

"To make this shift without very clear understanding of the implications on the management of pain would be a huge mistake,” said Dr. Robert Kerns of Yale University.

If the drugs stay on the market, they should carry a black box warning, the most serious safety label available, the panel said.



by the associated press

Friends mourn Farrah Fawcett in private L.A. services

LOS ANGELES — The life of "Charlie’s Angels” star Farrah Fawcett was celebrated Tuesday at a private funeral in the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels.

Her longtime companion, Ryan O’Neal, was among pallbearers who accompanied the casket, covered in yellow and orange flowers, into the Roman Catholic cathedral.

Fawcett’s friend Alana Stewart and "Charlie’s Angels” co-star Kate Jackson were among early arrivals before the hearse pulled up, accompanied by 10 motorcycle officers.

Fans and news media watched from across a street. The service was closed to the public.

Fawcett died Thursday at age 62 after a public battle with cancer. O’Neal and Stewart were at her side.

Diagnosed with a rare cancer in 2006, Fawcett’s battle with the disease was documented in "Farrah’s Story,” which aired last month on NBC.

Stewart, a producer of the documentary, said Fawcett was "much more than a friend; she was my sister.”



by the associated press

Document could settle King of Pop’s estate

LOS ANGELES — Michael Jackson’s will gives custody of his children to the singer’s mother and leaves all of his assets in a trust fund, a person with knowledge of the document told The Associated Press on Tuesday.

The word came just a day after the family said in court documents it believed the entertainer had died without a valid will.

The will was created in July 2002 and named as executors Jackson’s longtime lawyer John Branca and John McClain, a music executive and a family friend, said the person, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak on the topic.

That designation complicates a petition by Jackson’s mother, Katherine, to become the administrator of his lucrative, but debt-encumbered estate.

In documents filed in Superior Court on Monday, Jackson’s parents say they believe their 50-year-old son died "intestate,” or without a valid will.

Judge Mitchell Beckloff granted Katherine Jackson, 79, temporary guardianship of the children.

He also gave her control over some of her son’s personal property.

Experts said the personal bankruptcy of Jackson’s parents in 1999 could work against Katherine taking control of the estate.

Court documents show Katherine and Joe Jackson filed for Chapter 7 and listed nearly $24 million in debts.


by the associated press

NASA planning to cut back on moon ride

WASHINGTON — Like a car salesman pushing a luxury vehicle that the customer no longer can afford, NASA has pulled out of its back pocket a deal for a cheaper ride to the moon.

It won’t be as powerful, and its design is a little dated. Think of it as a Ford station wagon instead of a Cadillac Escalade.

Officially, the space agency is still on track with a 4-year-old plan to spend $35 billion to build new rockets and return astronauts to the moon in several years. However, a top NASA manager is floating a cut-rate alternative that costs around $6.6 billion.

The new model calls for flying lunar vehicles on something very familiar-looking — the old space shuttle system with its gigantic orange fuel tank and twin solid-rocket boosters, minus the shuttle itself. There are two new vehicles this rocket would carry — one generic cargo container, the other an Apollo-like capsule for astronaut travel.



by the associated press