The America's Intelligence Wire articles from July 2009

The America's Intelligence Wire archives from July 2009

Trial begins in NH weapons and conspiracy case.
July 1, 2009... (From AP Online) A retired exterminator and his dentist wife held hands and talked in court Tuesday as a prosecutor called them dangerous anti-government radicals and their lawyers said it was reasonable for them to fear for their lives....

AP Newsbreak: SC gov 'crossed lines' with women.
July 1, 2009... (From AP Online) Byline: TAMARA LUSH and EVAN BERLAND South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford, already struggling to salvage his family and his political career after admission of a scandalous affair, added explosive details Tuesday,...

Latino group sends Sotomayor papers US Senate.
July 1, 2009... (From AP Worldstream) Byline: JULIE HIRSCHFELD DAVIS A Puerto Rican civil rights leader said Tuesday he was ready to start sending a trove of documents from Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor's past to the Senate committee that will...

Board: Discharge gay NY National Guard officer.
July 1, 2009... (From AP Worldstream) Byline: JULIE HIRSCHFELD DAVIS A military administrative board recommends a gay New York National Guard officer who publicly announced he's gay should be discharged for violating the military's policy against...

Business confidence in Japan improves slightly.
July 1, 2009... (From AP Worldstream) Byline: JULIE HIRSCHFELD DAVIS A key central bank survey shows that confidence at major Japanese manufacturers has improved slightly from record lows last quarter. In the Bank of Japan's closely watched...

Letters link Son of Sam and victims' advocate.
July 1, 2009... (From AP Worldstream) Byline: MONICA RHOR The letters are unfailingly polite, the carefully crafted correspondence of a man with too much time on his hands. There is no hint of aggression, nothing to suggest that they were penned...

Analysis: US role in Iraq doesn't end just yet.
July 1, 2009... (From AP Worldstream) Byline: ROBERT BURNS 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...

Yemeni plane with 153 crashes off Comoros islands.
July 1, 2009... (From AP Worldstream) Byline: TOM MALITI and AHMED AL-HAJ A Yemeni jetliner carrying 153 people crashed into the Indian Ocean on Tuesday as it attempted to land amid severe turbulence and howling winds. Officials said a teenage girl...

Governor says he 'crossed lines' with women.
July 1, 2009... (From AP Worldstream) Byline: TAMARA LUSH and EVAN BERLAND South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford, already struggling to salvage his family and his political career after admission of a scandalous affair, added explosive details Tuesday,...

Designers find common cause with global artisans.
July 1, 2009... (From AP Worldstream) Byline: KIM COOK In Africa, Asia and Latin America, gifted craftspeople who can express age-old traditions in beautiful ways often lack access to raw materials and distribution venues. And they may have no...

Promoter: Michael Jackson tribute shows likely.
July 1, 2009... (From AP Worldstream) Byline: DAVID STRINGER The promoter who booked Michael Jackson for a sold-out comeback tour says footage of the singer's rehearsals may be released in the future, and that an all-star tribute show based on his...

Ulysses probe ends 18-year study of heliosphere.
July 1, 2009... (From AP Worldstream) Byline: DAVID STRINGER The U.S. and European spacecraft Ulysses has ended its more than 18-year mission to explore and research the region of space above the poles of the sun. A statement from NASA's Jet...

Gas train derails in Italy, kills 14, burns 50.
July 1, 2009... (From AP Worldstream) Byline: MARTA FALCONI Elia Quiroz was about to go to bed in his home near the railroad station in this Tuscan seaside town when the train rumbled by. His kitchen table started shaking. "Then I heard an...

US lawyer imprisoned in Belarus freed after pardon.
July 1, 2009... (From AP Worldstream) Byline: YURAS KARMANAU An ailing American lawyer who was imprisoned in Belarus last year on charges of using fake documents and attempted industrial espionage has walked free after a presidential pardon. ...

Pakistan army faces fight with end of Taliban deal.
July 1, 2009... (From AP Worldstream) Byline: CHRIS BRUMMITT A decision by Taliban militants to withdraw from a peace deal in a tribal region close to the Afghan border threatens to open a new front for the Pakistan army as it battles the insurgents...

Republican concedes, sending Franken to US Senate.
July 1, 2009... (From AP Worldstream) Byline: BRIAN BAKST Republican Norm Coleman conceded to Democrat Al Franken in Minnesota's contested Senate race Tuesday, hours after a unanimous state Supreme Court ruled the former "Saturday Night Live"...

Stalemate in Afghan ghost town shows task ahead.
July 1, 2009... (From AP Worldstream) Byline: CHRIS BRUMMITT U.S. Marines patrol slowly along streets laced with land mines and lined with abandoned shops, clinics and homes. As night falls over this Afghan ghost town, the only sounds are the howling...

From FDR to Obama, a fight for health care.
July 1, 2009... (From AP Worldstream) Byline: HILLEL ITALIE As Congress takes on President Obama's call for overhauling health care, the desire for change will be tested _ by the expense, by politics, by resistance from doctors and private insurers,...

China backs down from requirement for Web filter.
July 1, 2009... (From AP Online) Byline: JOE McDONALD In a rare reversal, China's government gave in to domestic and international pressure and backed down from a rule that would have required personal computers sold in the country to have...

Judge favors trial soon on Calif. gay marriage ban.
July 1, 2009... (From AP Online) Byline: LISA LEFF A federal judge wants a trial on California's same-sex marriage ban to proceed quickly but says he likely won't suspend the voter-approved ban in the meantime. U.S. District Court Chief Judge...

Board: Discharge gay NY National Guard officer.
July 1, 2009... (From AP Online) Byline: WILLIAM KATES A military administrative board recommended Tuesday that a National Guard officer who publicly announced he's gay should be discharged for violating the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy....

Judge overturns Bush administration logging rule.
July 1, 2009... (From AP Online) Byline: JEFF BARNARD A federal judge on Tuesday struck down the Bush administration's change to a rule designed to protect the northern spotted owl from logging in national forests. U.S. District Judge Claudia...

Israel considering options to promote peace.
July 1, 2009... (From AP Online) Byline: EDITH M. LEDERER Israel is considering what it can do to enable a full-fledged Mideast peace process and Palestinian-Israeli negotiations to take off, including instituting a temporary freeze on settlements,...

Medical examiner: Ore. girl appeared malnourished.
July 1, 2009... (From AP Online) Byline: JOSEPH B. FRAZIER A 15-month-old girl whose parents belong to a congregation that shuns doctors appeared to be malnourished after her death from pneumonia, a medical examiner testified Tuesday in the...

Some big names, fewer big spenders in free agency.
July 1, 2009... (From AP Worldstream) Byline: BRIAN MAHONEY Free agency opens in the NBA on Wednesday and few headline-stealing moves are expected. The blockbuster trades were last week, and the real free agent bonanza is next year. Financial...

AP Source: Jackson's will puts assets in trust.
July 1, 2009... (From AP Worldstream) Byline: RYAN NAKASHIMA 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...

George to be replaced as head of Indy speedway.
July 1, 2009... (From AP Worldstream) Byline: RYAN NAKASHIMA Tony George has been asked to step down as president and CEO of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and his family's business, Hulman & Company, to spend more time running the Indy Racing...

Farrah Fawcett being remembered at funeral.
July 1, 2009... (From AP Worldstream) Byline: SANDY COHEN 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, 68, was...

AP Exclusive: Jackson said net worth $236M in 2007.
July 1, 2009... (From AP Worldstream) Byline: STEVENSON JACOBS It's one of the biggest mysteries in the Michael Jackson saga: How much was the lavish-spending, massively debt-ridden pop icon really worth? In the most detailed account yet of the...

Business confidence in Japan improves slightly.
July 1, 2009... (From AP Worldstream) Byline: STEVENSON JACOBS Japanese companies remain deeply pessimistic, but confidence has improved slightly from record lows last quarter, a key central bank survey showed Wednesday. In the Bank of Japan's...

Report: Gannett to lay off more than 1,000 workers.
July 1, 2009... (From AP Worldstream) Byline: STEVENSON JACOBS Gannett is poised to lay off more than 1,000 employees as the largest U.S. newspaper publisher continues to try to offset a steep drop in advertising sales. Somewhere between 1,000...

Argentine regions declare swine flu emergency.
July 1, 2009... (From AP Worldstream) Byline: STEVENSON JACOBS Authorities in Argentina's capital and Buenos Aires province declared health emergencies and extended school vacations Tuesday as the nation's swine flu death toll surged to 35. ...

AP Source: Jackson's will puts assets in trust.
July 1, 2009... (From AP Worldstream) Byline: RYAN NAKASHIMA Michael Jackson's will gives guardianship over his children to the singer's mother and leaves all his assets in a trust fund, a person with knowledge of the document told The Associated...

Police find 5 bodies, severed head in Mexico.
July 1, 2009... (From AP Worldstream) Byline: RYAN NAKASHIMA Mexican police on Tuesday found the remains of six people tortured and shot to death in a western state that is a focus of the government's war against drug cartels. In other bloodshed,...

GM's CEO grilled at court over "New" company.
July 1, 2009... (From AP Worldstream) Byline: BREE FOWLER General Motors CEO Fritz Henderson on Tuesday defended the automaker's plan to sell the bulk of its assets to a new company and quickly emerge from bankruptcy protection. General Motors...

Mass. man charged with murder in son's beating.
July 1, 2009... (From AP Online) Byline: DENISE LAVOIE A man accused of beating his 7-year-old son to death of Father's Day was charged Tuesday with murder and was ordered held without bail. Leslie Schuler, 36, is accused of repeatedly beating...

Judge favors trial soon on Calif. gay marriage ban.
July 1, 2009... (From AP Online) Byline: LISA LEFF A federal judge wants a trial on California's same-sex marriage ban to proceed quickly but says he likely won't suspend the voter-approved ban in the meantime. U.S. District Court Chief Judge...

Wal-Mart, union back employer health insurance.
July 1, 2009... (From AP Online) Byline: CHARLES BABINGTON Wal-Mart is the latest in a line of traditionally Republican-leaning businesses to embrace key portions of President Barack Obama's bid to overhaul health care, a trend that could complicate...

Report: Gannett to lay off more than 1,000 workers.
July 1, 2009... (From AP Worldstream) Byline: CHARLES BABINGTON Gannett Co. is preparing to lay off more than 1,000 employees as the largest newspaper publisher's work force continues to shrink along with its advertising sales. Between 1,000 and...

GM's CEO grilled at court over company's sale.
July 1, 2009... (From AP Worldstream) Byline: BREE FOWLER General Motors CEO Fritz Henderson on Tuesday defended the automaker's plan to sell the bulk of its assets to a new company and quickly emerge from bankruptcy protection. General Motors...

Mehmet Okur stays with Jazz.
July 1, 2009... (From AP Worldstream) Byline: BREE FOWLER Turkish center Mehmet Okur decided to stay with the Utah Jazz for the final year of his NBA contract. On Tuesday, Okur joined teammates Carlos Boozer and Kyle Korver, who also had the...

UN tells Honduras to reinstate president.
July 1, 2009... (From AP Worldstream) Byline: WILL WEISSERT Honduras' ousted president won overwhelming international support Tuesday as he planned a high-profile return to his chaotic country. The politicians who sent soldiers to fly him into exile...

Speedo weighs swimmers' interest in other suits.
July 1, 2009... (From AP Worldstream) Byline: RACHEL COHEN Speedo is discussing whether to allow swimmers it sponsors to wear rival manufacturers' new high-tech suits. "The brand is continuing to evaluate the situation internally," Speedo vice...

Business confidence in Japan improves slightly.
July 1, 2009... (From AP Worldstream) Byline: TOMOKO A. HOSAKA Japanese companies remain deeply pessimistic, but confidence is starting to improve from record lows last quarter, a key central bank survey showed Wednesday. In the Bank of Japan's...

London mayor: Olympic stadium could stay at 80,000.
July 1, 2009... (From AP Worldstream) Byline: ROB HARRIS The main stadium for the 2012 London Olympics might not be downsized after the games because of England's bid for the football and rugby World Cups, the city mayor said before a new warning...

Stars re-sign Lehtinen to 1-year deal.
July 1, 2009... (From AP Worldstream) Byline: ROB HARRIS The Dallas Stars re-signed Finnish right wing Jere Lehtinen to a one-year deal on Tuesday. The Stars gave the 36-year-old Lehtinen, who has spent his entire career with Dallas, a contract...

Medical examiner: US girl appeared malnourished.
July 1, 2009... (From AP Worldstream) Byline: JOSEPH B. FRAZIER A 15-month-old girl whose parents belong to a congregation that shuns doctors appeared to be malnourished after her death from pneumonia, a medical examiner testified Tuesday in the...

Zelaya meets with OAS to discuss response to coup.
July 1, 2009... (From AP Worldstream) Byline: BARRY SCHWEID Ousted Honduran President Manuel Zelaya met Tuesday night with envoys to the Organization of American States to discuss what Argentina's foreign minister called an urgent and dangerous...

AP Exclusive: Insomniac Jackson begged for drug.
July 1, 2009... (From AP Worldstream) Byline: LYNN ELBER Michael Jackson was so distraught over persistent insomnia in recent months that he pleaded for a powerful sedative despite warnings it could be harmful, says a nutritionist who was working with...

UN chief says climate pact must be finalized.
July 1, 2009... (From AP Worldstream) Byline: SHINO YUASA U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said Wednesday the world must seal the deal on a new treaty to curb pollution at a crucial climate change meeting in Copenhagen in December, urging global...

Gates says he wants to soften gay expulsion rules.
July 1, 2009... (From AP Worldstream) Byline: ANNE GEARAN Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Tuesday he wants to make the law prohibiting gays from serving openly in the armed forces "more humane" until Congress eventually repeals it. He said he has...

SKorean official: Kim successor not final in North.
July 1, 2009... (From AP Worldstream) Byline: KWANG-TAE KIM The decision on who will become North Korea's next leader may not be final despite reports that Kim Jong Il has tapped his youngest son to succeed him, South Korea's defense chief said. ...

Interim Honduran leader vows Zelaya won't return.
July 1, 2009... (From AP Worldstream) Byline: WILL WEISSERT The interim president of Honduras vowed Tuesday not to resign the post he took over following a military coup and claimed that only an armed invasion would restore his ousted predecessor to...

Josh Turner announces birth of his second son.
July 1, 2009... (From AP Worldstream) Byline: WILL WEISSERT Country singer Josh Turner and his wife, Jennifer, are the parents of a second son. The singer's record label, MCA Nashville, on Tuesday announced the birth of Colby Lynch Turner. The...

California, other states face tough budget choices.
July 1, 2009... (From AP Online) Byline: STEVE LAWRENCE Lawmakers around the nation spent Tuesday in grueling, around-the-clock budget sessions as they struggled to avoid government shutdowns and other painful cuts, with the most dramatic negotiations...

$1.2 billion in debts canceled to help Haiti.
July 1, 2009... (From AP Online) Byline: JONATHAN M. KATZ Three international organizations canceled $1.2 billion of Haiti's debt Tuesday, freeing up millions of dollars each year for the deeply impoverished Caribbean nation that is beset by...

LA schools chief fumes over `Bruno' school photos.
July 1, 2009... (From AP Worldstream) Byline: JONATHAN M. KATZ The chief of the second-largest school district in the U.S. is fuming over comedian Sacha Baron Cohen's magazine photo shoot with high school football players. Los Angeles...

Latino group sends Sotomayor papers to Senate.
July 1, 2009... (From AP Worldstream) Byline: JULIE HIRSCHFELD DAVIS A Puerto Rican civil rights leader said Tuesday he was ready to start sending a trove of documents from Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor's past to the Senate committee that will...

US LPGA: Organizers drop out of Hawaii tournament.
July 1, 2009... (From AP Worldstream) Byline: DENISE LAVOIE Organizers of the Kapalua LPGA Classic in Hawaii have pulled out of their contract to host the annual U.S. LPGA Tour event through 2012. U.S. LPGA deputy commissioner Libba Galloway said...

NHL supports Reinsdorf's bid for Coyotes.
July 1, 2009... (From AP Worldstream) Byline: ANDREW BAGNATO The NHL believes Jerry Reinsdorf can succeed where Jerry Moyes failed as owner of the financially ailing Phoenix Coyotes. Reinsdorf, the owner of Major League Baseball's Chicago White...

Actor fails to win share of 'Skippy' show profits.
July 1, 2009... (From AP Worldstream) Byline: TAMARA LUSH and EVAN BERLAND An actor who appeared in the 1960s Australian children's TV series "Skippy the Bush Kangaroo" lost a lawsuit Wednesday he brought against the production company seeking payment...

10 arrested in oil, gas thefts at Texas companies.
July 1, 2009... (From AP Online) Byline: LYNN ELBER Ten people have been arrested in the theft of about $2 million worth of oil and gas condensate from oil companies and producers in West Texas. The arrests Tuesday came following a seven-month...

Actress Farrah Fawcett remembered at LA funeral.
July 1, 2009... (From AP Worldstream) Byline: SANDY COHEN 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, 68, was...

Wiggins leads Lynx over Atlanta.
July 1, 2009... (From AP Worldstream) Byline: SANDY COHEN Candice Wiggins scored 23 points and Nicky Anosike had 20 points and 10 rebounds to lead the Minnesota Lynx to a 91-85 win over the Atlanta Dream on Tuesday night. Charde Houston added 18...

Ali Williams out for season.
July 1, 2009... (From AP Worldstream) Byline: TAMARA LUSH and EVAN BERLAND All Blacks lock Ali Williams will miss all of New Zealand's 2009 test matches after opting Wednesday to undergo surgery for an Achilles tendon injury. New Zealand team...

SKorean official: Kim successor not final in North.
July 1, 2009... (From AP Worldstream) Byline: KWANG-TAE KIM The decision on who will become North Korea's next leader may not be final despite reports that Kim Jong Il has tapped his youngest son to succeed him, South Korea's defense chief said. ...

Actress Farrah Fawcett remembered at LA funeral.
July 1, 2009... (From AP Worldstream) Byline: SANDY COHEN The life of "Charlie's Angels" star Farrah Fawcett was celebrated Tuesday at a private, music-filled funeral that one participant called "stirring." Her longtime companion, actor Ryan...

UN General Assembly condemns coup in Honduras.
July 1, 2009... (From AP Online) Byline: EDITH M. LEDERER The U.N. General Assembly on Tuesday unanimously condemned the military coup in Honduras and demanded President Manuel Zelaya's immediate return to power, a decision the ousted Honduran leader...

Gunmen fire on group of Detroit teens, wounding 7.
July 1, 2009... (From AP Online) Byline: JEFF KAROUB Gunmen in a green minivan opened fire on a group of teenagers waiting at a bus stop near a Detroit school on Tuesday, wounding seven including two who were in critical condition, authorities said....

Fans gather for Apollo Theater's Jackson memorial.
July 1, 2009... (From AP Online) Byline: VIRGINIA BYRNE Thousands of Michael Jackson fans gave the late pop star a raucous yet respectful send-off during six hours of public memorial services celebrating his life and music at Harlem's Apollo Theater....

Interim Honduran leader vows Zelaya won't return.
July 1, 2009... (From AP Worldstream) Byline: WILL WEISSERT The interim president of Honduras vowed Tuesday not to resign the post he took over following a military coup and claimed that only an armed invasion would restore his ousted predecessor to...

Deposed Honduran prez accused of drug ties.
July 1, 2009... (From AP Worldstream) Byline: FRANK BAJAK The regime that ousted Manuel Zelaya in Honduras claimed Tuesday that the deposed president allowed tons of cocaine to be flown into the Central American country on its way to the United...

AP sources: Group sends Sotomayor docs to Senate.
July 1, 2009... (From AP Worldstream) Byline: JULIE HIRSCHFELD DAVIS Senate aides say a Puerto Rican legal advocacy group has sent a trove of documents on Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor's past to the panel considering her nomination. ...

British man begins Australian island dream job.
July 1, 2009... (From AP Worldstream) Byline: JULIE HIRSCHFELD DAVIS Briton Ben Southall said he'll miss his mom's Sunday roast as he began what's been dubbed the "Best Job in the World" _ a six-month contract to serve as caretaker of a tropical...

US cuts Bolivian tariff exemptions.
July 1, 2009... (From AP Worldstream) Byline: JULIE HIRSCHFELD DAVIS The Obama administration has refused to renew key tariff exemptions for Bolivia, saying the world's No. 3 cocaine-producing country is not adequately prosecuting the war on drugs....

Fiji's military ruler: New constitution by 2013.
July 1, 2009... (From AP Worldstream) Byline: VIRGINIA BYRNE Fiji will have a new constitution in 2013 that abolishes the current split-race voting system in anticipation of democratic elections the following year, the nation's military ruler said...

Oil rises above $70 as US crude inventories drop.
July 1, 2009... (From AP Worldstream) Byline: ALEX KENNEDY Oil prices rose above $70 a barrel Wednesday in Asia as a drop in U.S. crude inventories suggested demand may be picking up. Benchmark crude for August delivery rose 74 cents to $70.63 a...

Medical examiner: Ore. girl appeared malnourished.
July 1, 2009... (From AP Online) Byline: JOSEPH B. FRAZIER A 15-month-old girl whose parents' church shuns doctors in favor of faith healing appeared to be malnourished after her death from pneumonia, a deputy medical examiner testified Tuesday in the...

Child, woman drown off NJ resort's unguarded beach.
July 1, 2009... (From AP Online) Byline: JOSEPH B. FRAZIER A woman and a child have drowned off a popular south New Jersey resort community, where vacationers say rip currents were strong enough to have swept them away. The Coast Guard and...

Gerba's 2 goals lift Canada.
July 1, 2009... (From AP Worldstream) Byline: JOSEPH B. FRAZIER Ali Gerba scored twice in Canada's 3-0 victory over Guatemala on Tuesday in a warmup game before the Gold Cup. Patrice Bernier also scored for Canada, which plays Jamaica on Friday...

Chinese surveys show manufacturing expanding.
July 1, 2009... (From AP Worldstream) Byline: JOE McDONALD China's manufacturing expanded in June, adding to signs the world's third-largest economy is rebounding from the collapse in global trade, but few new jobs were created, according to two...

Johnson leads San Francisco over St. Louis.
July 1, 2009... (From AP Worldstream) Byline: BARRY SCHWEID Randy Johnson won his third straight decision and 303rd of his career despite surrendering two home runs to Albert Pujols in San Francisco's 6-3 victory over St. Louis on Tuesday night. ...

Smith to serve 30 days following fatal accident.
July 1, 2009... (From AP Worldstream) Byline: DAVID PORTER A judge sentenced Denver Nuggets guard J.R. Smith to 90 days in jail for causing an auto accident that killed his friend, though Smith will likely end up serving only 30. Municipal Judge...

Markakis' 2-run double caps Orioles big comeback.
July 1, 2009... (From AP Worldstream) Byline: DAVID PORTER Nick Markakis hit a two-run double off Boston closer Jonathan Papelbon to complete the biggest comeback in Baltimore history, an 11-10 win Tuesday night. Baltimore trailed 10-1 before...