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Nation Briefs

Byrd

By Wire Reports
Published: 11/19/2009 2:34 AM
Last Modified: 11/19/2009 5:42 AM

Obama predicts 9/11 figure will be convicted

WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama predicted that professed Sept. 11, 2001, terror attack mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed will be convicted and executed as Attorney General Eric Holder proclaimed: "Failure is not an option."

During his trip to Asia, Obama said those offended by the legal privileges given to Mohammed by virtue of getting a civilian trial rather than a military tribunal won't find it "offensive at all when he's convicted and when the death penalty is applied to him."

Obama quickly said he did not mean he was prejudging the outcome of Mohammed's trial. "I'm not going to be in that courtroom," he said. "That's the job of the prosecutors, the judge and the jury."

In interviews broadcast on NBC and CNN on Wednesday, the president also said that experienced prosecutors in the case have offered assurances that "we'll convict this person with the evidence they've got, going through our system."

Holder last week announced the decision to bring Mohammed and four others detained at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, to trial in New York.

Asked at a Senate committee hearing Wednesday what might happen if the suspects are acquitted, Holder replied: ''Failure is not an option.''

Sen. Byrd sets another record for longevity

WASHINGTON — Sen. Robert C. Byrd became history's longest-serving member of Congress on Wednesday, earning a salute from the Senate and President Barack Obama for nearly 57 years of service.

"I've loved every precious minute of it," the frail West Virginia Democrat, who turns 92 on Friday, said moments before the Senate passed a resolution marking the milestone.

Byrd shattered the record for congressional service that had been set by Carl Hayden, D-Ariz., who served in the House and Senate from 1912 to 1969. Byrd began his career in Washington in 1952 with his election to the House, and his elevation six years later to the Senate.

Since June 12, 2006, Byrd has been the longest-serving senator and later that year he was elected to an unprecedented ninth term. His colleagues have elected him to more leadership positions than any senator in history. He has cast more than 18,000 votes and, despite fragile health that has kept him from the Senate floor during much of this year, has a nearly 98 percent attendance record over the years.

S. Carolina panel wants charges against governor

COLUMBIA, S.C. — A South Carolina ethics panel said Wednesday that Gov. Mark Sanford should face charges he violated state laws tied to a three-month investigation into his travel and campaign finances.

The State Ethics Commission decision did not provide details of its decision or the specific charges Sanford would face during a hearing of the panel early next year. Officials said those details — which should include whether the accusations involve civil or criminal allegations — will be released next week.

Questions about Sanford's use of state, private and commercial planes arose after he disappeared from the state in June and said he had been in Argentina visiting his mistress.

Shuttle crew delivers supplies to space station

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — Space shuttle Atlantis arrived at the International Space Station on Wednesday for a weeklong stay, and the astronauts quickly unloaded a huge platform full of spare parts needed to keep the outpost running for another decade.

The platform — 16 feet by 14 feet — contained pumps, storage tanks and other equipment weighing hundreds of pounds each. Robot arms did the heavy lifting, just hours after the two craft came together 220 miles above the Pacific, between Australia and Tasmania.

So far, all indications are the shuttle made it through Monday's liftoff just fine, NASA officials said. The astronauts surveyed their ship Tuesday for any signs of launch damage, and a quick look at the laser images shows everything in good shape. Experts will continue to analyze the data.

Sebelius: Mammogram policy is unchanged

WASHINGTON — Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius says federal policy on who should get breast cancer screening has not changed.

Sebelius issued a statement Wednesday to ease confusion over a government panel's recommendation on Monday that said most women don't need mammograms in their 40s and should get one every two years starting at 50. That recommendation was a break with the American Cancer Society's long-standing position that women should get screening mammograms starting at age 40.

The task force does "not set federal policy and they don't determine what services are covered by the federal government," Sebelius said.

Sebelius called mammograms "an important lifesaving tool." She said women should "keep doing what you have been doing for years."

Bus crashes after leaving casino; two dead, 21 hurt

AUSTIN, Minn. — A tour bus returning from a casino ran off a southern Minnesota interstate and rolled over in a ditch Wednesday, killing two people and injuring 21, authorities said.

The bus, operated by Strain Bus Line Motorcoach Tours, in Rochester, was eastbound on Interstate 90 west of Austin when it flipped over, Department of Public Safety spokesman Andy Skoogman said.

Strain Bus Line operates a bus every Wednesday from Rochester to Diamond Jo Casino in Northwood, Iowa. Northwood is about 30 miles southwest of Austin. By Wire Reports

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Few Clothes, America (11/19/2009 9:16:32 AM)

I wonder if Byrd will be inducted into the KKK hall of fame for his service with them?

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