News politics 2008-08-07 Andanh.com

US: Ivins solely responsible for anthrax attacks Thu, 07 Aug 2008 00:15 EDT
Army scientist Bruce Ivins had in his lab highly purified anthrax spores that were linked to the 2001 attacks that killed five and access to the distinctive envelopes used to mail them, the government declared Wednesday, releasing a stack of documents to support a damning though circumstantial case.

Ivins, a brilliant but deeply troubled man who committed suicide last week, was the anthrax killer whose mailings rattled the nation in the worst bioterror case in U.S. history, just a month after the Sept. 11 terror attacks, federal prosecutors asserted. They were backed by court documents that were a combination of hard DNA evidence, suspicious behavior and, sometimes, outright speculation.

Ivins' attorney said the government was "taking a weird guy and convicting him of mass murder" without real evidence. Republican Sen. Charles Grassley of Iowa called for a congressional investigation.

Ivins had submitted false anthrax samples to the FBI to throw investigators off his trail and was unable to provide "an adequate explanation for his late laboratory work hours" around the time of the attacks, according to documents that officials made public to support their conclusions.

Investigators also said he sought to frame unnamed co-workers and had immunized himself against anthrax and yellow fever in early September 2001, several weeks before the first anthrax-laced envelope was received in the mail.

Clinton aims to soothe delegates at Dem convention Wed, 06 Aug 2008 23:00 EDT
Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton is seeking a way for her delegates to be heard at the Democratic National Convention, telling supporters such a step will help unify a party that split between her and Sen. Barack Obama during their hard-fought nominating contest.

"I happen to believe that we will come out stronger if people feel that their voices were heard and their views respected. I think that is a very big part of how we actually come out unified," Clinton, D-N.Y., told supporters last week at a California fundraiser. A video clip of her remarks was posted on YouTube.

"Because I know from just what I'm hearing, that there's incredible pent up desire. And I think that people want to feel like, 'OK, it's a catharsis, we're here, we did it, and then everybody get behind Sen. Obama.' That is what most people believe is the best way to go," she said.

The former first lady did not rule out the possibility of having her name placed into nomination at the convention, being held Aug. 25-28 in Denver. But she also said no decisions had been made.

"We are trying work all this through with the (Democratic National Committee) and with the Obama campaign," said Clinton, who suspended her White House bid on June 7 and endorsed Obama, an Illinois senator.

GOP's Pawlenty praises Obama's positive message Thu, 07 Aug 2008 00:30 EDT
Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, often mentioned as a possible running mate for Republican presidential candidate John McCain, said Wednesday GOP candidates would do well to adopt a positive tone like that of McCain's Democratic rival, Barack Obama.

"Say what you will about Barack Obama," the Minnesota Republican told a conservative group, "people gravitate when you have something positive to say." He added that McCain has been positive as well.

"People want to follow hopeful, optimistic, civil, decent leaders," Pawlenty said in a speech to GOPAC, which helps recruit Republican candidates. "They don't want to follow some negative, scornful person."

Ronald Reagan still offers important lessons for today's Republican Party, Pawlenty said, because the former president was civil, optimistic, pragmatic and a good communicator.

"He actually had some ideas," Pawlenty said, adding that the Republican idea factory has seemed "a little stagnant in recent years."

Judge: No changes to DNC security plan Wed, 06 Aug 2008 23:00 EDT
A federal judge declined Wednesday to change security restrictions for protesters at the Democratic National Convention, concluding that parade routes and a demonstration zone established by the city don't infringe on their free speech rights.

Judge Marcia S. Krieger ruled in a case brought by the American Civil Liberties Union and a coalition of protest groups. They feared the restrictions would keep them from being seen and heard by delegates attending the convention, which begins Aug. 25.

Protesters wanted to be allowed closer to the Pepsi Center during the convention, saying the arena should serve as a symbolic backdrop during their marches and demonstrations.

Krieger's ruling did not address security at Invesco Field at Mile High, where Barack Obama is scheduled to give his acceptance speech Aug. 28, the final day of the convention. A hearing on those security measures is scheduled for Tuesday.

Mark Silverstein, legal director of ACLU-Colorado, said the groups were disappointed.

Key events in the anthrax episode Wed, 06 Aug 2008 21:50 EDT
Key dates leading up to the 2001 anthrax attacks and the investigation that followed:

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2001:

Mid-August: Microbiologist Bruce Ivins begins to spend more evenings in his lab at the Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, at Fort Detrick, Md. His normal shift was 7:30 a.m. to 4:45 p.m.

Sept. 14-16: Ivins spends three consecutive evening shifts at the lab.

A summary of evidence laid out by prosecutors Wed, 06 Aug 2008 20:38 EDT
Summary of evidence against suspected anthrax killer Bruce Ivins, as outlined by Jeffrey Taylor, the U.S. attorney in Washington:

-Investigators identified in early 2005 that the anthrax used in the mailings came from a single flask of spores known as RMR-1029. Ivins created and solely maintained it. Investigators ruled out others who could have accessed the flask, but they could not rule out Ivins.

-Ivins was one of the few scientists who could create spores of "the concentration and purity used in the attacks."

-In the days before the mailings, Ivins worked off-hours, alone at night and on the weekend, in the lab where the anthrax spores and production equipment were stored. He previously had not often done so. He could not adequately explain his reasons for being there.

-Ivins behaved in a way and said things that suggested "consciousness of guilt." He also submitted a questionable sample of anthrax to the FBI and attempted to divert attention away from himself.

Nader predicts he'll make 2008 ballot in 45 states Thu, 07 Aug 2008 01:55 EDT

WASHINGTON . Independent presidential candidate Ralph Nader is quietly making headway in his third bid for president.

He clinched a major victory last Saturday by getting on the California ballot as the nominee of the Peace and Freedom Party. In 2004, Nader wasn't on California's ballot and was on the ballot in only 34 states. He said Wednesday that he's confident of getting on the ballot in 45 states this year.

With the major-party candidates in a close race, Nader could have an impact, perhaps as dramatic as in 2000, when the then-Green Party nominee received more than 97,000 votes in Florida, which Democratic nominee Al Gore lost by 537 votes to George W. Bush. That gave Bush an Electoral College majority and the White House.

Nader is at 3 percent in one recent poll and 6 percent in another.

Candidates roam Rust Belt laying out competing energy policies Wed, 06 Aug 2008 01:50 EDT

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio . Democrat Barack Obama blamed Republican energy policies for some of the nation's economic woes Tuesday as his GOP rival John McCain advocated a large expansion of nuclear power.

Both candidates roamed the economically depressed Rust Belt touting their energy plans as concerns about $4-a-gallon gasoline and job losses have emerged as the presidential campaign's hottest issues.

Obama told an audience in Youngstown, Ohio, that the Bush energy policy, crafted in large part by Vice President Dick Cheney, an ex-oilman, tilted to provide tax breaks and favorable treatment for Big Oil and that McCain would expand oil industry tax breaks by $4 billion.

Obama has proposed an excess profits tax on Big Oil to finance a $1,000-per-family energy rebate to deal with high fuel costs.

Obama pokes at McCain over tire-pressure issue Wed, 06 Aug 2008 17:23 EDT
Barack Obama taunted Republican presidential rival John McCain on Wednesday for first ridiculing him for advising voters to keep tires inflated and then later acknowledging that the practice saves gasoline.

"It will be interesting to watch this debate between John McCain and John McCain," Obama said as he campaigned in Indiana with Sen. Evan Bayh, widely considered a top-tier candidate for running mate.

Discussing the air-pressure issue during an appearance Tuesday night, McCain said he wasn't opposed to Obama's suggestion. "And could I mention that Senator Obama a couple of days ago said that we ought to all inflate our tires, and I don't disagree with that. The American Automobile Association strongly recommends it, but I also don't think that that's a way to become energy independent."

Obama had noted that keeping tires inflated and cars tuned was endorsed by both NASCAR and AAA and should be part of any comprehensive plan to reduce reliance on imported oil.

In mocking Obama, McCain told a motorcycle rally in Sturgis, S.D.: "My opponent doesn't want to drill, he doesn't want nuclear power, he wants you to inflate your tires." The Republican National Committee widely distributed tire pressure gauges labeled "Obama energy plan" and suggested that was the Illinois senator's only idea for reducing oil imports, although both candidates have offered multifaceted energy proposals.

Presidential debate commission chooses moderators Wed, 06 Aug 2008 13:53 EDT
The Commission on Presidential Debates has named Jim Lehrer and Gwen Ifill of PBS, Tom Brokaw of NBC News and Bob Schieffer of CBS News as moderators of the three presidential debates and one vice presidential face-off.

Lehrer, anchor of "The NewsHour," will moderate the first presidential debate in Oxford, Miss., on Sept. 26. Ifill, a correspondent on the same program and moderator of "Washington Week," will handle the vice presidential debate Oct. 2 in St. Louis.

Brokaw, moderator of "Meet the Press," will handle the second presidential debate in Nashville, Tenn., followed by Schieffer, host of "Face the Nation," who will handle the third and final presidential debate in Hempstead, N.Y.

Each 90-minute debate will have a single moderator.

Obama's Muslim outreach director resigns Wed, 06 Aug 2008 15:43 EDT
An attorney who volunteered to help Barack Obama improve his relationship with Muslim and Arab-Americans has resigned from the campaign amid questions about his connection to a fundamentalist imam.

Mazen Asbahi started as the campaign's outreach coordinator on July 26, and he resigned in a letter to the campaign Monday. He said he was stepping down "to avoid distracting from Barack Obama's message of change."

Asbahi, an associate at the Chicago law firm Schiff Hardin, said in his letter that he served on the board of the Dow Jones Islamic Index Fund for a few weeks, but resigned "as I became aware of public allegations against another member of the board."

The Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday that the other board member during Asbahi's tenure in 2000 was Jamal Said, imam at a fundamentalist-controlled mosque in Illinois. The Justice Department named Said as an unindicted co-conspirator in the racketeering trial last year of several alleged Hamas fundraisers. The case ended in a mistrial. The newspaper said the connections were first exposed by an Internet newsletter.

Obama, who is a Christian, has been fighting false Internet rumors that he is a Muslim. Asbahi, in a post on the Obama campaign blog last week, said that had created "added sensitivities" between the campaign and the Muslim community, and he encouraged Muslims and Arab-Americans to get involved.

McCain opposes farm policies popular in Midwest Wed, 06 Aug 2008 16:24 EDT
Republican presidential candidate John McCain opposes the $300 billion farm bill and subsidies for ethanol, positions that both supporters and opponents say might cost him votes he needs in the upper Midwest this November.

His Democratic rival, Barack Obama, is making a more traditional regional pitch: He favors the farm bill approved by Congress this year and subsidies for the Midwest-based ethanol industry. McCain instead has promised to open new markets abroad for farmers to export their commodities.

In his position papers, McCain opposes farm subsidies only for those with incomes of more than $250,000 and a net worth above $2 million. But he's gone further on the stump.

"I don't support agricultural subsidies no matter where they are," McCain said at a recent appearance in Wisconsin. "The farm bill, $300 billion, is something America simply can't afford."

McCain later described the measure, which is very popular throughout the Midwest, as "a $300 billion, bloated, pork-barrel-laden bill" because of subsidies for industries like ethanol.

3 names submitted for vacated justice seat Wed, 06 Aug 2008 01:50 EDT

FRANKFORT . Gov. Steve Beshear has 60 days to select a new Kentucky Supreme Court justice from three names provided by a judicial nominating commission on Tuesday.

The new justice will fill the seat left vacant by former Chief Justice Joseph E. Lambert of Rockcastle County, who retired last month.

The names of the three attorneys submitted to Beshear by the Judicial Nominating Commission, led by Chief Justice John D. Minton Jr., are Robert W. Dyche III of London, Eddie C. Lovelace of Albany and Daniel J. Venters of Somerset.

Dyche is a former Kentucky Court of Appeals judge. Lovelace has been a circuit judge since 1992, and Venters is a former circuit court and district court judge.

Beshear clears roads for electric car plant Wed, 06 Aug 2008 01:50 EDT

FRANKFORT . Gov. Steve Beshear signed an executive order Tuesday allowing low-speed electric vehicles on some state roads in an effort to lure an electric car manufacturing plant to Kentucky.

Beshear directed the Transportation Cabinet to develop and implement a regulation authorizing the use of the vehicles on highways with a posted speed limit of 45 miles per hour or less.

Transportation Secretary Joe Prather said the regulation should be ready in two to three months. In the meantime, the three- or four-wheeled vehicles remain illegal because they top out at speeds around 40 mph.

Beshear said he hopes the order will help Kentucky land a ZAP (Zero Air Pollution) electric car manufacturing plant that would cost more than $100 million to build and equip.

Gasoline costs, energy rivet candidates' attention Thu, 07 Aug 2008 00:25 EDT
To understand why Barack Obama and John McCain are emphasizing solutions to the country's energy woes and have scrambled to change their positions, look no further than the voters' distress over $4-a-gallon gasoline and its wide ripple effect.

The presidential candidates' sparring over energy peaked this week as each sought to capitalize on a topic that touches every voter and provides a way to discuss the declining economy at home, national security threats abroad and the changing climate worldwide.

"Sen. McCain's energy plan reads like an early Christmas list for oil and gas lobbyists," Obama charged Wednesday, a day after accusing the GOP of misstating his proposals. He is using the issue to paint the four-term Arizona senator as a Washington insider beholden to special interests while trying to strike a balance on the environment vs. exploration debate that divides Democrats.

Conversely, McCain is leading a Republican Party largely unified in support of oil and gas drilling off U.S. coastlines and is trying to use energy to cut the Democrat's edge in the polls on economic issues. He dubbed Obama "Dr. No" because of his opposition to expanded nuclear power and unlimited offshore drilling. Said McCain on Wednesday: "We need an 'all of the above' plan."

This year energy policies resonate with voters of all political stripes, as high gasoline prices inflate the cost of food, transportation and other necessities. The country's dependence on foreign oil raises national security concerns as U.S. troops fights wars in the oil-rich Middle East. And, the public's concern over global climate change has grown in recent years along with calls for alternative energy sources to curb planet-warming greenhouse gases.

Tire-pressure debate goes on Thu, 07 Aug 2008 01:55 EDT

Barack Obama taunted Republican presidential rival John McCain on Wednesday for first ridiculing him for advising voters to keep tires inflated and then later acknowledging that the practice saves gasoline. McCain called on Congress to return from its summer recess to address immediately the U.S. energy crisis, though he missed numerous energy-related votes in the Senate last year.

.It will be interesting to watch this debate between John McCain and John McCain,. Obama said as he campaigned in Indiana with Sen. Evan Bayh, considered a top-tier candidate for running mate.

Discussing the air-pressure issue Tuesday night, McCain said he wasn't opposed to Obama's suggestion. .And could I mention that Senator Obama a couple of days ago said that we ought to all inflate our tires, and I don't disagree with that. The American Automobile Association strongly recommends it, but I also don't think that that's a way to become energy independent..

Obama had noted that keeping tires inflated and cars tuned was endorsed by both NASCAR and AAA and should be part of any comprehensive plan to reduce reliance on imported oil.

Report urges replacing Capital Plaza tower Wed, 06 Aug 2008 01:50 EDT

FRANKFORT . The 26-story Capital Plaza Office tower that dominates the skyline of Kentucky's capital city might come down.

A Lexington architectural firm is recommending demolition of the office tower and construction of a new five-story building nearby.

The recommendations are contained in the .Facility Assessment Report and Recommendations. document that Sherman-Carter-Barnhart Associates prepared for the state involving the Capital Plaza Complex in downtown Frankfort.

The complex, built in the late 1960s and known for its extensive use of concrete, includes the tower, plaza, garage, Fountain Place Shops and Frankfort Convention Center.

Chinese Dir