Afghanistan's parliament voted to sack its two top security ministers on Saturday for failing to respond to rocket shelling from Pakistan.
The voting to dismiss Defense Minister Gen. Abdul Rahim Wardak and Interior Minister Gen. Besmillah Mohammadi was aired on national TV.
The men will stay in their posts until replacements are announced. Afghan President Hamid Karzai will decide when he will nominate replacements after meeting with his national security council on Sunday, a Karzai spokesman told CNN.
The Pakistani military has shelled Afghanistan several times this year, actions that have enraged Afghan authorities.
Eight people were killed in eastern Afghanistan in one instance last month when more than 300 rockets were fired by the Pakistan army stationed near the border.
The Pakistani military said the country's troops only engage militants where they attack. There are militant strongholds on both sides of the Afghan-Pakistani border.
NATO-led forces and Afghan government forces have been battling the Taliban and al Qaeda in the region for years.
Saturday, August 4, 2012
Gunmen kidnap foreigners in Nigeria; kill two sailors
Gunmen attacked a barge belonging to an oil service company near the coast of Nigeria on Saturday, killing two sailors and taking four foreigners hostage.
The remaining four sailors were taken to a nearby hospital where they were treated for injuries, according to Navy spokesman Commodore Kabir Aliyu.
"The Nigerian Navy ... dispatched a naval ship and helicopter to protect and secure the area," said Aliyu.
It is not clear who was responsible for the attack or how many foreigners were on board. Their nationalities were not immediately known.
Africa's most populous nation is a top oil supplier though has been mired in ethnic and religious violence, which in recent years has been compounded by an Islamist insurgency.
The remaining four sailors were taken to a nearby hospital where they were treated for injuries, according to Navy spokesman Commodore Kabir Aliyu.
"The Nigerian Navy ... dispatched a naval ship and helicopter to protect and secure the area," said Aliyu.
It is not clear who was responsible for the attack or how many foreigners were on board. Their nationalities were not immediately known.
Africa's most populous nation is a top oil supplier though has been mired in ethnic and religious violence, which in recent years has been compounded by an Islamist insurgency.
Monday, July 30, 2012
Colorado movie shooting suspect charged with murder
Colorado movie shooting suspect James Holmes was charged Monday with 24 counts of first-degree murder -- two counts for each of the 12 people killed in the shooting.
Twelve murder counts cite "deliberation," and 12 cite "extreme indifference" to the value of human life.
The 24-year-old former doctoral student was also charged with 116 counts of attempted murder, one count of felony possession of explosive devices and one sentence enhancer.
In addition to the 12 fatalities, he is suspected of wounding 58 moviegoers who had packed a Batman film premiere that began shortly after midnight on July 20.
Holmes to face formal charges today The media and the massacre Greene: Movie atmosphere was safe Shooting victim: 'I forgive you'
He is also being held in connection with the subsequent discovery of his booby-trapped apartment, which authorities think he rigged before the massacre in the Century Aurora 16 multiplex.
His next hearing is scheduled for August 9.
Holmes was to be led Monday through an underground tunnel that connects the courthouse to the Arapahoe County Jail, where he has been held in isolation without bail.
In his initial court appearance last Monday, Holmes -- his hair dyed various shades of orange -- appeared dazed and did not speak.
Arapahoe County District Attorney Carol Chambers said last Monday that deciding whether to pursue the death penalty would take some time, since it would involve input from victims and their relatives.
Authorities have remained silent about a possible motive in the case.
A court document filed Friday revealed that Holmes was a patient of a University of Colorado psychiatrist before the attack.
The disclosure was made in a request filed by Holmes' public defenders for authorities to hand over a package he sent to Dr. Lynne Fenton at the university's Anschutz Medical Campus, where he had been studying neuroscience before announcing earlier this month that he was withdrawing from the program.
The package seized by authorities under a July 23 search warrant should remain confidential, protected by the doctor-patient relationship, the request said.
"The materials contained in that package include communications from Mr. Holmes to Dr. Fenton that Mr. Holmes asserts are privileged," said the document. "Mr. Holmes was a psychiatric patient of Dr. Fenton, and his communications with her are protected."
In response, prosecutors asked for Arapahoe County District Judge William Sylvester to deny Holmes' request, saying it contained inaccuracies including claims of media leaks by government officials that in reality may have been fabricated by news organizations.
Sylvester granted a hearing on the request, which is also scheduled for Monday.
Monday's court appearance comes after a weekend of funerals and memorial services for the victims. On Saturday, family and friends gathered outside Dayton, Ohio, to honor Matt McQuinn, who died while shielding his girlfriend from gunfire.
Colorado movie theater massacre
"Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends," said Herb Shaffer, McQuinn's uncle. "In a moment of crisis, you don't have time to think about what you're going to do, all you have time is to react."
Jessica Ghawi was remembered in San Antonio, Texas, by her brother, Jordan, who encouraged mourners to turn the tragedy into something positive. "If this coward could have done this with this much hate, imagine what we can do with this much love," he said.
Ghawi, a 24-year-old aspiring sports broadcaster, had narrowly escaped a shooting incident at a Toronto mall less than two months before the killings in Colorado.
"If you're putting your dreams on hold, you stop that right now," her brother said. "You don't know how long you have here."
A private service was held in Crystal Lake, Illinois, for John Larimer, a 27-year-old Navy petty officer, who received full military honors.
Ten survivors remained hospitalized on Monday, four of them in critical condition.
Twelve murder counts cite "deliberation," and 12 cite "extreme indifference" to the value of human life.
The 24-year-old former doctoral student was also charged with 116 counts of attempted murder, one count of felony possession of explosive devices and one sentence enhancer.
In addition to the 12 fatalities, he is suspected of wounding 58 moviegoers who had packed a Batman film premiere that began shortly after midnight on July 20.
Holmes to face formal charges today The media and the massacre Greene: Movie atmosphere was safe Shooting victim: 'I forgive you'
He is also being held in connection with the subsequent discovery of his booby-trapped apartment, which authorities think he rigged before the massacre in the Century Aurora 16 multiplex.
His next hearing is scheduled for August 9.
Holmes was to be led Monday through an underground tunnel that connects the courthouse to the Arapahoe County Jail, where he has been held in isolation without bail.
In his initial court appearance last Monday, Holmes -- his hair dyed various shades of orange -- appeared dazed and did not speak.
Arapahoe County District Attorney Carol Chambers said last Monday that deciding whether to pursue the death penalty would take some time, since it would involve input from victims and their relatives.
Authorities have remained silent about a possible motive in the case.
A court document filed Friday revealed that Holmes was a patient of a University of Colorado psychiatrist before the attack.
The disclosure was made in a request filed by Holmes' public defenders for authorities to hand over a package he sent to Dr. Lynne Fenton at the university's Anschutz Medical Campus, where he had been studying neuroscience before announcing earlier this month that he was withdrawing from the program.
The package seized by authorities under a July 23 search warrant should remain confidential, protected by the doctor-patient relationship, the request said.
"The materials contained in that package include communications from Mr. Holmes to Dr. Fenton that Mr. Holmes asserts are privileged," said the document. "Mr. Holmes was a psychiatric patient of Dr. Fenton, and his communications with her are protected."
In response, prosecutors asked for Arapahoe County District Judge William Sylvester to deny Holmes' request, saying it contained inaccuracies including claims of media leaks by government officials that in reality may have been fabricated by news organizations.
Sylvester granted a hearing on the request, which is also scheduled for Monday.
Monday's court appearance comes after a weekend of funerals and memorial services for the victims. On Saturday, family and friends gathered outside Dayton, Ohio, to honor Matt McQuinn, who died while shielding his girlfriend from gunfire.
Colorado movie theater massacre
"Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends," said Herb Shaffer, McQuinn's uncle. "In a moment of crisis, you don't have time to think about what you're going to do, all you have time is to react."
Jessica Ghawi was remembered in San Antonio, Texas, by her brother, Jordan, who encouraged mourners to turn the tragedy into something positive. "If this coward could have done this with this much hate, imagine what we can do with this much love," he said.
Ghawi, a 24-year-old aspiring sports broadcaster, had narrowly escaped a shooting incident at a Toronto mall less than two months before the killings in Colorado.
"If you're putting your dreams on hold, you stop that right now," her brother said. "You don't know how long you have here."
A private service was held in Crystal Lake, Illinois, for John Larimer, a 27-year-old Navy petty officer, who received full military honors.
Ten survivors remained hospitalized on Monday, four of them in critical condition.
Look to the good in humankind -- look to heroes, says grieving father
Alex Teves treasured Marvel and DC comics with their Spider-Man and Batman icons, and he was at his best in high school when he wrote about the superhero genre in English class.
He revered the enduring themes of good versus evil, and he is remembered here, in the place where he grew into a man, as one of the good guys: a boy who inspired an "Alex Teves Day" at school, pursued a calling to heal both minds and bodies, and died at age 24 facing evil in the darkness of a crowded Colorado movie theater.
"If you want to describe Alex in one word, he was just good," says his father, Tom Teves. "He wasn't a standout in anything, but he cared about people."
It is the goodness of humanity that Teves wants the world to know and remember: the virtues of his son -- and the 11 others killed at a midnight premiere of the latest Batman movie, "The Dark Knight Rises," in a cinema in Aurora, Colorado.
That desire has taken shape as a crusade. In the midst of mourning his first born, Tom Teves has wrested purpose from his grief -- the Alex Teves Challenge, he calls it. He demands that the media stop naming and showing images of the gunmen in mass murders.
Girlfriend Amanda Lindgren credits Alex Teves with saving her life.
Publicity glorifies killers, he says, and the notoriety spurs others to commit the same barbarities just for attention.
Columbine. Virginia Tech. Tucson. And now Aurora.
Alex Teves had just completed his master's degree in psychological counseling. His father says he would have condemned the practice of focusing on the murderers.
Remember the victims, the heroic acts, Tom Teves exhorts.
Let good triumph over evil.
'A zest for life'
Alex Teves died shielding his girlfriend from the rain of bullets. His last act was more than just heroism.
It attested to his nature to help humankind.
Opinion: They lost their lives, upheld the code
Fresh out of the University of Denver with his master's degree, he was readying to seek another degree, a bachelor's in physical therapy at the University of Colorado at Boulder.
He chose this long path because he wanted to heal the whole person, his family says.
Tom Teves is deeply satisfied that the oldest of the couple's three children, all sons, came to know himself so well.
Alex Teves, center, at a Tough Mudder obstacle course designed by British Special Forces to test endurance and teamwork.
"He told me one day, 'I'm not going to do what you do -- because it's business,'" says Teves, an executive for a corporate services firm.
Alex said he didn't have it in him to order people around. "And it was my proudest moment. He knew what he wanted to do," the father adds.
Alex's mother, Caren, recalls his ever-present smile and appetite for life.
"He loved food. He loved to travel. He loved to explore new things. He just had a zest for life. He just wanted to experience everything he could.
"I'm glad he did as much as he could in the time he had here."
He met his girlfriend in graduate school, and Alex planned to marry her once he finished his studies, the mother says.
Tales of heroism in Aurora
In the elegantly designed Phoenix community of Ahwatukee, where the boulevards are desert-landscaped with saguaro cacti and palo verde trees, Alex was such an ordinary guy of irrepressible cheer that he was celebrated for it by his classmates at Desert Vista High School, a high-performing public school opened in 1996 that sends graduates to the Ivy League.
Every day, he wore a crisp, white T-shirt, blue jeans and loafers to school; he just wasn't into materialism and liked to think of the more important things, his mother said. By his senior year, his AP statistics classmates -- and then the entire class of 2006 -- decided to hold a day in his honor. Everyone came to school dressed like him.
And now, says his mother, friends and supporters of those slain in the movie theater massacre held a memorial service in Denver with an Alex Teves dress code, and friends in Hawaii told the family they were planning a similarly attired service.
Alex Teves was a cooperative student with a streak for being fun and funny, says high school math instructor Francoise Dastous, who teaches the statistics class. "He really didn't have a clique per se. He got along well with everybody, and everybody wanted to be friends with him."
Alex once recounted to the class a hiking adventure that went awry, Dastous says. For anyone else, the experience would have been horrific, "but Alex put a positive spin on it," Dastous says. "He was just really engaging and really fun to listen to."
Colorado massacre: Mourning the victims
Six years have passed since the 57-year-old teacher had Alex in class, but the memories are clear. "He just really kind of stood out from the other kids. He was always smiling."
Alex was an honors student whom other faculty recalled as having a sense of humor, says Anna Battle, principal of the 3,000-student school, one of the largest in Arizona.
"He wasn't Mr. Flamboyant. He wasn't Mr. Social Anybody. He was an even-keeled, pleasant, quality young man who loved superheroes," Battle says. "One English teacher said he was a good writer and wrote exceptionally about superheroes.
"Unfortunately, it sounds like the young man who created this incident (in the Colorado movie theater) had some challenges that Alex may have been able to help," Battle adds.
The alleged gunman is also 24 and was a neuroscience doctoral student at University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus in Aurora. According to a court document filed by his public defense attorneys, he was also a patient of a university psychiatrist.
'My hero every day'
Alex Teves will not be forgotten.
His father shares one more memory.
Alex was injured with a group of kids when their car rolled over in an accident in the desert. He was a student at the University of Arizona at the time.
When an ambulance arrived, Alex insisted the other passengers get inside first, his father recalls, even though he needed immediate treatment, too.
Once in intensive care, Alex asked his father to visit one of his friends who was hospitalized because that boy's parents had yet to arrive.
Alex Teves "got along well with everybody, and everybody wanted to be friends with him."
"That's the kind of kid he was," the father says. "The world is worse off because he's not in it."
4 Colorado shooting victims remembered for vitality, selflessness
That the suspect had dyed his hair red to resemble the villain Joker of the Batman series is a cruel turn of fate that enrages the grieving father.
Tom Teves doesn't want his son's legacy to be defined by a gunman. When the man first appeared in court last week in Colorado, Teves was there. He calls the suspect "a coward."
"He didn't look like much," Teves says. "My son could have wiped the floor with him."
Then the father continues: "If he would have known my son, he would have helped him."
He returns to his challenge to the media. He blames news outlets, including CNN, for playing a role in perpetuating mass shootings.
"You make him out to be a madman," he says of the man suspected of killing his son. "He knew he was going to be on television. These guys are playing you like fiddles. Either you're not that bright -- I used a better word than I was thinking of -- or you don't care and you're using it to sell advertising, and then you're the worst thing on the face of the earth."
Tom and Caren Teves have been married 28 years. He worked two or three jobs sometimes, so that their kids could benefit from having their mother at home full-time.
Now the couple faces raising their 16- and 17-year-old sons without their big brother.
"He was my hero every day," Teves says.
Alex Teves
The father isn't surprised by the way Alex responded when savagery slipped inside the movie theater. "Alex is in heaven," he adds. "I'm quite sure of it."
His anger subsides. The couple is accompanied by Caren Teves' sister and her husband, whom the Teveses earlier picked up at the Phoenix airport. The in-laws express outrage that the suspect's photo appears five times on the front page of a national newspaper, overwhelming any photos of Alex and the others who lost their lives.
"Stop showing cowards and start showing heroes," Tom Teves says, "so that another father doesn't feel the hole in his body that I have and I know will never go away."
He puts his hand over his heart. His wife extends her hand and joins his.
"It's got to end," he says. "You do your part, and I promise to do the other."
He says he will spend his days reminding the media of this challenge in his son's name.
Remembering Rebecca Wingo, Aurora victim
How to help the victims of the Colorado massacre
Driven by personal tragedy, man builds crosses for Aurora victims,
He revered the enduring themes of good versus evil, and he is remembered here, in the place where he grew into a man, as one of the good guys: a boy who inspired an "Alex Teves Day" at school, pursued a calling to heal both minds and bodies, and died at age 24 facing evil in the darkness of a crowded Colorado movie theater.
"If you want to describe Alex in one word, he was just good," says his father, Tom Teves. "He wasn't a standout in anything, but he cared about people."
It is the goodness of humanity that Teves wants the world to know and remember: the virtues of his son -- and the 11 others killed at a midnight premiere of the latest Batman movie, "The Dark Knight Rises," in a cinema in Aurora, Colorado.
That desire has taken shape as a crusade. In the midst of mourning his first born, Tom Teves has wrested purpose from his grief -- the Alex Teves Challenge, he calls it. He demands that the media stop naming and showing images of the gunmen in mass murders.
Girlfriend Amanda Lindgren credits Alex Teves with saving her life.
Publicity glorifies killers, he says, and the notoriety spurs others to commit the same barbarities just for attention.
Columbine. Virginia Tech. Tucson. And now Aurora.
Alex Teves had just completed his master's degree in psychological counseling. His father says he would have condemned the practice of focusing on the murderers.
Remember the victims, the heroic acts, Tom Teves exhorts.
Let good triumph over evil.
'A zest for life'
Alex Teves died shielding his girlfriend from the rain of bullets. His last act was more than just heroism.
It attested to his nature to help humankind.
Opinion: They lost their lives, upheld the code
Fresh out of the University of Denver with his master's degree, he was readying to seek another degree, a bachelor's in physical therapy at the University of Colorado at Boulder.
He chose this long path because he wanted to heal the whole person, his family says.
Tom Teves is deeply satisfied that the oldest of the couple's three children, all sons, came to know himself so well.
Alex Teves, center, at a Tough Mudder obstacle course designed by British Special Forces to test endurance and teamwork.
"He told me one day, 'I'm not going to do what you do -- because it's business,'" says Teves, an executive for a corporate services firm.
Alex said he didn't have it in him to order people around. "And it was my proudest moment. He knew what he wanted to do," the father adds.
Alex's mother, Caren, recalls his ever-present smile and appetite for life.
"He loved food. He loved to travel. He loved to explore new things. He just had a zest for life. He just wanted to experience everything he could.
"I'm glad he did as much as he could in the time he had here."
He met his girlfriend in graduate school, and Alex planned to marry her once he finished his studies, the mother says.
Tales of heroism in Aurora
In the elegantly designed Phoenix community of Ahwatukee, where the boulevards are desert-landscaped with saguaro cacti and palo verde trees, Alex was such an ordinary guy of irrepressible cheer that he was celebrated for it by his classmates at Desert Vista High School, a high-performing public school opened in 1996 that sends graduates to the Ivy League.
Every day, he wore a crisp, white T-shirt, blue jeans and loafers to school; he just wasn't into materialism and liked to think of the more important things, his mother said. By his senior year, his AP statistics classmates -- and then the entire class of 2006 -- decided to hold a day in his honor. Everyone came to school dressed like him.
And now, says his mother, friends and supporters of those slain in the movie theater massacre held a memorial service in Denver with an Alex Teves dress code, and friends in Hawaii told the family they were planning a similarly attired service.
Alex Teves was a cooperative student with a streak for being fun and funny, says high school math instructor Francoise Dastous, who teaches the statistics class. "He really didn't have a clique per se. He got along well with everybody, and everybody wanted to be friends with him."
Alex once recounted to the class a hiking adventure that went awry, Dastous says. For anyone else, the experience would have been horrific, "but Alex put a positive spin on it," Dastous says. "He was just really engaging and really fun to listen to."
Colorado massacre: Mourning the victims
Six years have passed since the 57-year-old teacher had Alex in class, but the memories are clear. "He just really kind of stood out from the other kids. He was always smiling."
Alex was an honors student whom other faculty recalled as having a sense of humor, says Anna Battle, principal of the 3,000-student school, one of the largest in Arizona.
"He wasn't Mr. Flamboyant. He wasn't Mr. Social Anybody. He was an even-keeled, pleasant, quality young man who loved superheroes," Battle says. "One English teacher said he was a good writer and wrote exceptionally about superheroes.
"Unfortunately, it sounds like the young man who created this incident (in the Colorado movie theater) had some challenges that Alex may have been able to help," Battle adds.
The alleged gunman is also 24 and was a neuroscience doctoral student at University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus in Aurora. According to a court document filed by his public defense attorneys, he was also a patient of a university psychiatrist.
'My hero every day'
Alex Teves will not be forgotten.
His father shares one more memory.
Alex was injured with a group of kids when their car rolled over in an accident in the desert. He was a student at the University of Arizona at the time.
When an ambulance arrived, Alex insisted the other passengers get inside first, his father recalls, even though he needed immediate treatment, too.
Once in intensive care, Alex asked his father to visit one of his friends who was hospitalized because that boy's parents had yet to arrive.
Alex Teves "got along well with everybody, and everybody wanted to be friends with him."
"That's the kind of kid he was," the father says. "The world is worse off because he's not in it."
4 Colorado shooting victims remembered for vitality, selflessness
That the suspect had dyed his hair red to resemble the villain Joker of the Batman series is a cruel turn of fate that enrages the grieving father.
Tom Teves doesn't want his son's legacy to be defined by a gunman. When the man first appeared in court last week in Colorado, Teves was there. He calls the suspect "a coward."
"He didn't look like much," Teves says. "My son could have wiped the floor with him."
Then the father continues: "If he would have known my son, he would have helped him."
He returns to his challenge to the media. He blames news outlets, including CNN, for playing a role in perpetuating mass shootings.
"You make him out to be a madman," he says of the man suspected of killing his son. "He knew he was going to be on television. These guys are playing you like fiddles. Either you're not that bright -- I used a better word than I was thinking of -- or you don't care and you're using it to sell advertising, and then you're the worst thing on the face of the earth."
Tom and Caren Teves have been married 28 years. He worked two or three jobs sometimes, so that their kids could benefit from having their mother at home full-time.
Now the couple faces raising their 16- and 17-year-old sons without their big brother.
"He was my hero every day," Teves says.
Alex Teves
The father isn't surprised by the way Alex responded when savagery slipped inside the movie theater. "Alex is in heaven," he adds. "I'm quite sure of it."
His anger subsides. The couple is accompanied by Caren Teves' sister and her husband, whom the Teveses earlier picked up at the Phoenix airport. The in-laws express outrage that the suspect's photo appears five times on the front page of a national newspaper, overwhelming any photos of Alex and the others who lost their lives.
"Stop showing cowards and start showing heroes," Tom Teves says, "so that another father doesn't feel the hole in his body that I have and I know will never go away."
He puts his hand over his heart. His wife extends her hand and joins his.
"It's got to end," he says. "You do your part, and I promise to do the other."
He says he will spend his days reminding the media of this challenge in his son's name.
Remembering Rebecca Wingo, Aurora victim
How to help the victims of the Colorado massacre
Driven by personal tragedy, man builds crosses for Aurora victims,
Thursday, July 26, 2012
President Barack Obama pledged on Wednesday to work with leaders of all political stripes to "arrive at a consensus" on how to reduce gun violence across the United States after the Colorado shootings highlighted the issue in an election year. Closing out a multiday trip that began in Aurora, Colorado, where he met with families and victims of the movie theater massacre there, Obama told a mostly African-American audience that such tragedies are replayed on a smaller scale in cities throughout the country on a daily basis. "Every day and a half the number of young people we lose to violence is about the same as the number of people we lost in that movie theater," Obama said in remarks to the National Urban League, a group that works to promote civil rights and economic improvement for African-Americans. "I'm going to continue to work with members of both parties and with religious groups and with civic organizations to arrive at a consensus around violence reduction." Discussing or even touching on the issue of gun control during an election year is risky, and Obama has been careful to avoid making proposals that could offend gun owners and rally his Republican opponents. The president made a point of emphasizing his support for the U.S. Constitution's Second Amendment, which covers the right to bear arms. "We recognize the traditions of gun ownership that passed on from generation to generation, that hunting and shooting are part of a cherished national heritage," Obama said. "But I also believe that a lot of gun owners would agree that AK-47s belong in the hands of soldiers, not in the hands of criminals. That they belong on the battlefield of war, not on the streets of our cities." Obama did not make any new proposals on gun control in his remarks, though he said background checks for people seeking to buy firearms were more thorough since he took office. Republican Mitt Romney, Obama's opponent in the November 6 election, said earlier this week that additional laws would not have stopped the massacre in Colorado. The former governor of Massachusetts has backed gun control measures in the past. POLITICAL APPETITE Twelve people were killed and 58 wounded after a shooter opened fire at a screening of the latest Batman movie in the Denver suburb of Aurora last week. That was not the first major massacre to happen while Obama was in office, nor was it the first event to prompt a discussion about the issue of guns in America. The assassination attempt on then-congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords in January 2011, in which six people were killed and 14 wounded, also sparked a debate over how to reduce violence. Obama noted that the political appetite to tackle the issue was low and that initiatives to address it were often stymied. "Too often those efforts are defeated by politics and by lobbying and eventually by the pull of our collective attention elsewhere," he said. "Other steps to reduce violence have been met with opposition in Congress. This has been true for some time, particularly when it touches on the issue of guns." The president has little political incentive to take on the issue of guns more directly. He is trying to shore up support among white, working-class men in political battleground states such as Virginia, where a robust message on gun control would not be likely to help him politically. His message was well received by the mostly African-American audience in New Orleans, however, and Obama's visit was meant to court that group ahead of the election, too. The National Urban League released a report recently that said although blacks voted overwhelmingly for Obama in 2008, if the number of African-American voters drops even 5 percentage points this year, it could tip the outcome in some vital states. Coinciding with his speech, the White House said Obama will sign an executive order on Thursday aimed at helping prepare African-Americans better for high school graduation and college. The executive order will create a presidential advisory committee and a federal inter-agency working group to help the initiative succeed, the White House said.
Community members in Anaheim prayed for peace Wednesday night to calm the tensions between police and demonstrators. The protests were sparked by two fatal officer involved shootings that occurred over the weekend.
“We’re praying for peace in the community, peace in the heart of the people that were hurt this weekend,” Angel Rangel told CBS2/KCAL9 reporter Stacey Butler.
Earlier on Wednesday, Genevieve Huizar, pled for an end to the violent protests. Her son, Manuel Diaz, 25 was fatally shot by Anaheim police on Saturday as police say he reached for his waistband and ran.
“We want peaceful justice. We want to honor Manuel by doing things within the law. We want the officers in question to be arrested for the execution of my son Manuel,” Huizar said.
Violence in Anaheim seemed to subside Wednesday night, but police remained on a city-wide tactical alert and kept a close eye throughout the night.
On Tuesday night, protesters clashed with police and lit fires, smashed windows, kicked police cars, and threw rocks and bottles at officers in riot gear. About 250 law enforcement officers were called in to quell more than 600 protesters who had gathered along Anaheim Blvd. Law enforcement officers shot pepper balls and bean bags at the unruly crowds. Approximately 24 demonstrators were arrested by the end of the Tuesday night’s protest.
Meanwhile, City Council members unanimously passed a resolution Tuesday night calling for a federal investigation into the two deadly shootings.
On Saturday, Diaz, whom police have identified as a documented gang member from Santa Ana, was approached by officers around 4 p.m. on the 600 block of North Anna Drive. Police said Diaz and his two companions ran off, but an officer caught up to Diaz and shot him when he reportedly threw an unidentified object. However, no weapons were found at the scene and Diaz died at a hospital several hours later.
On Sunday, Anaheim police fatally shot Joel Mathew Acevedo at the end of a stolen-car pursuit. Acevedo, 21, who is also described as a gang member by police, allegedly fired at officers before being fatally shot.
A $50 million legal claim and accompanying suit was filed against the city Tuesday by Diaz’s family. They allege he was first shot in the back, then in the head when he fell to his knees.
“We’re praying for peace in the community, peace in the heart of the people that were hurt this weekend,” Angel Rangel told CBS2/KCAL9 reporter Stacey Butler.
Earlier on Wednesday, Genevieve Huizar, pled for an end to the violent protests. Her son, Manuel Diaz, 25 was fatally shot by Anaheim police on Saturday as police say he reached for his waistband and ran.
“We want peaceful justice. We want to honor Manuel by doing things within the law. We want the officers in question to be arrested for the execution of my son Manuel,” Huizar said.
Violence in Anaheim seemed to subside Wednesday night, but police remained on a city-wide tactical alert and kept a close eye throughout the night.
On Tuesday night, protesters clashed with police and lit fires, smashed windows, kicked police cars, and threw rocks and bottles at officers in riot gear. About 250 law enforcement officers were called in to quell more than 600 protesters who had gathered along Anaheim Blvd. Law enforcement officers shot pepper balls and bean bags at the unruly crowds. Approximately 24 demonstrators were arrested by the end of the Tuesday night’s protest.
Meanwhile, City Council members unanimously passed a resolution Tuesday night calling for a federal investigation into the two deadly shootings.
On Saturday, Diaz, whom police have identified as a documented gang member from Santa Ana, was approached by officers around 4 p.m. on the 600 block of North Anna Drive. Police said Diaz and his two companions ran off, but an officer caught up to Diaz and shot him when he reportedly threw an unidentified object. However, no weapons were found at the scene and Diaz died at a hospital several hours later.
On Sunday, Anaheim police fatally shot Joel Mathew Acevedo at the end of a stolen-car pursuit. Acevedo, 21, who is also described as a gang member by police, allegedly fired at officers before being fatally shot.
A $50 million legal claim and accompanying suit was filed against the city Tuesday by Diaz’s family. They allege he was first shot in the back, then in the head when he fell to his knees.
Obama pledges to tackle gun violence after Colorado killing
President Barack Obama pledged on Wednesday to work with leaders of all political stripes to "arrive at a consensus" on how to reduce gun violence across the United States after the Colorado shootings highlighted the issue in an election year.
Closing out a multiday trip that began in Aurora, Colorado, where he met with families and victims of the movie theater massacre there, Obama told a mostly African-American audience that such tragedies are replayed on a smaller scale in cities throughout the country on a daily basis.
"Every day and a half the number of young people we lose to violence is about the same as the number of people we lost in that movie theater," Obama said in remarks to the National Urban League, a group that works to promote civil rights and economic improvement for African-Americans.
"I'm going to continue to work with members of both parties and with religious groups and with civic organizations to arrive at a consensus around violence reduction."
Discussing or even touching on the issue of gun control during an election year is risky, and Obama has been careful to avoid making proposals that could offend gun owners and rally his Republican opponents.
The president made a point of emphasizing his support for the U.S. Constitution's Second Amendment, which covers the right to bear arms.
"We recognize the traditions of gun ownership that passed on from generation to generation, that hunting and shooting are part of a cherished national heritage," Obama said.
"But I also believe that a lot of gun owners would agree that AK-47s belong in the hands of soldiers, not in the hands of criminals. That they belong on the battlefield of war, not on the streets of our cities."
Obama did not make any new proposals on gun control in his remarks, though he said background checks for people seeking to buy firearms were more thorough since he took office.
Republican Mitt Romney, Obama's opponent in the November 6 election, said earlier this week that additional laws would not have stopped the massacre in Colorado. The former governor of Massachusetts has backed gun control measures in the past.
POLITICAL APPETITE
Twelve people were killed and 58 wounded after a shooter opened fire at a screening of the latest Batman movie in the Denver suburb of Aurora last week.
That was not the first major massacre to happen while Obama was in office, nor was it the first event to prompt a discussion about the issue of guns in America. The assassination attempt on then-congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords in January 2011, in which six people were killed and 14 wounded, also sparked a debate over how to reduce violence.
Obama noted that the political appetite to tackle the issue was low and that initiatives to address it were often stymied.
"Too often those efforts are defeated by politics and by lobbying and eventually by the pull of our collective attention elsewhere," he said.
"Other steps to reduce violence have been met with opposition in Congress. This has been true for some time, particularly when it touches on the issue of guns."
The president has little political incentive to take on the issue of guns more directly. He is trying to shore up support among white, working-class men in political battleground states such as Virginia, where a robust message on gun control would not be likely to help him politically.
His message was well received by the mostly African-American audience in New Orleans, however, and Obama's visit was meant to court that group ahead of the election, too.
The National Urban League released a report recently that said although blacks voted overwhelmingly for Obama in 2008, if the number of African-American voters drops even 5 percentage points this year, it could tip the outcome in some vital states.
Coinciding with his speech, the White House said Obama will sign an executive order on Thursday aimed at helping prepare African-Americans better for high school graduation and college.
The executive order will create a presidential advisory committee and a federal inter-agency working group to help the initiative succeed, the White House said.
Closing out a multiday trip that began in Aurora, Colorado, where he met with families and victims of the movie theater massacre there, Obama told a mostly African-American audience that such tragedies are replayed on a smaller scale in cities throughout the country on a daily basis.
"Every day and a half the number of young people we lose to violence is about the same as the number of people we lost in that movie theater," Obama said in remarks to the National Urban League, a group that works to promote civil rights and economic improvement for African-Americans.
"I'm going to continue to work with members of both parties and with religious groups and with civic organizations to arrive at a consensus around violence reduction."
Discussing or even touching on the issue of gun control during an election year is risky, and Obama has been careful to avoid making proposals that could offend gun owners and rally his Republican opponents.
The president made a point of emphasizing his support for the U.S. Constitution's Second Amendment, which covers the right to bear arms.
"We recognize the traditions of gun ownership that passed on from generation to generation, that hunting and shooting are part of a cherished national heritage," Obama said.
"But I also believe that a lot of gun owners would agree that AK-47s belong in the hands of soldiers, not in the hands of criminals. That they belong on the battlefield of war, not on the streets of our cities."
Obama did not make any new proposals on gun control in his remarks, though he said background checks for people seeking to buy firearms were more thorough since he took office.
Republican Mitt Romney, Obama's opponent in the November 6 election, said earlier this week that additional laws would not have stopped the massacre in Colorado. The former governor of Massachusetts has backed gun control measures in the past.
POLITICAL APPETITE
Twelve people were killed and 58 wounded after a shooter opened fire at a screening of the latest Batman movie in the Denver suburb of Aurora last week.
That was not the first major massacre to happen while Obama was in office, nor was it the first event to prompt a discussion about the issue of guns in America. The assassination attempt on then-congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords in January 2011, in which six people were killed and 14 wounded, also sparked a debate over how to reduce violence.
Obama noted that the political appetite to tackle the issue was low and that initiatives to address it were often stymied.
"Too often those efforts are defeated by politics and by lobbying and eventually by the pull of our collective attention elsewhere," he said.
"Other steps to reduce violence have been met with opposition in Congress. This has been true for some time, particularly when it touches on the issue of guns."
The president has little political incentive to take on the issue of guns more directly. He is trying to shore up support among white, working-class men in political battleground states such as Virginia, where a robust message on gun control would not be likely to help him politically.
His message was well received by the mostly African-American audience in New Orleans, however, and Obama's visit was meant to court that group ahead of the election, too.
The National Urban League released a report recently that said although blacks voted overwhelmingly for Obama in 2008, if the number of African-American voters drops even 5 percentage points this year, it could tip the outcome in some vital states.
Coinciding with his speech, the White House said Obama will sign an executive order on Thursday aimed at helping prepare African-Americans better for high school graduation and college.
The executive order will create a presidential advisory committee and a federal inter-agency working group to help the initiative succeed, the White House said.
Tuesday, July 24, 2012
Penn State hit with severe financial penalties
Penn State University was hit with an unprecedented series of financial penalties Monday as the NCAA and Big Ten conference announced sanctions related to the school's child abuse scandal.
The financial penalties are likely the first of many payouts the university will make.
Along with a loss of football scholarships and a four-year prohibition on postseason play, the university has agreed to pay a $60 million fine that will be used to help the victims of child abuse.
In a separate enforcement action, the Big Ten announced that Penn State will not receive a share of the conference's bowl revenues for four years, a hit of around $13 million.
The actions against Penn State, taken together, are likely to dramatically reduce the recruiting prowess and on-field performance of one of the nation's most storied football programs.
But the university is likely to suffer millions more in fines and payments as civil cases brought by Sandusky's victims are resolved. The school's credit rating could be downgraded, and corporate sponsorships are in jeopardy.
Related: Full CNN coverage
It was not immediately clear whether Monday's $60 million fine would be paid by the athletic department or another university fund.
Some penalties are likely to be assessed to the university at large, while others are paid by Penn State's athletic department -- one of the richest in the country, and almost uniquely well-suited to weather severe financial penalties.
"The money is there," said Dan Fulks, a professor of accounting at Transylvania University and a research consultant for the NCAA. "This athletic program is self-sufficient."
Last season, Penn State's revenue of $72.7 million from football was the fifth highest of any college program in the country, according to a CNNMoney analysis of figures reported by each school to the Department of Education.
And when comparing revenue to total expenses, Penn State football's profit of $53.2 million was second only to the University of Texas' total of $71.2 million.
In addition, Penn State reported an additional $24.1 million in athletic revenue not specifically assigned to one team or sport. Much of that is in general merchandise sales and sponsorships, driven by the popularity of football.
And while the NCAA said it arrived at the $60 million fine because that is roughly the amount of revenue the football program collects each year -- the penalty will be paid over a five-year period.
Still, significant questions remain about the university's exposure to civil lawsuits and the level of monetary support it can expect from alumni.
Credit rating agency Moody's Investors Service said in November that it was reviewing whether Penn State -- which carries the second highest credit rating -- should be downgraded.
Moody's has since affirmed its ranking, but the school remains on "credit watch negative," which means that a future downgrade -- an event that could make it more expensive for the university to borrow -- is still a possibility.
"The negative outlook reflects the high degree of uncertainty about direct litigation costs as well as emerging reputational risk that can result in weaker student demand or reduced philanthropic support from the university's alumni and other major donors," Moody's said earlier this month.
The school has an operating budget of about $4 billion dollars, and carries debt of $1.4 billion, according to Moody's.
Related: Penn State scandal will cost millions
In some respects, the non-monetary penalties imposed by the NCAA might have the largest effect on the athletic department's finances.
Football players are now eligible to transfer to other institutions without penalty, scholarships have been reduced by 40% and the team has been barred from post-season competition.
While Penn State was spared the so-called "death penalty" some were expecting -- in which a sports program is shut down entirely, typically for at least one year -- the sanctions will make it difficult for the university to field a competitive team.
"This might not be a sudden shut-down death penalty, but is very close to slow death by attrition," said John Vrooman, a sports economist at Vanderbilt University.
"Penn State football will not recover for over a decade," Vrooman predicted, citing the example of Southern Methodist University's program, which was given the death penalty in 1987 and has yet to fully recover.
For its part, the NCAA says the Penn State penalties are worse than the death penalty.
"The NCAA sanctions on Penn State, taken in sum, far exceed the severity of shutting down a program for a year or two," the group said on its website. "What some refer to as the death penalty was not severe enough."
Lackluster performance on the field coupled with the fresh memories of the Sandusky affair could lead to reduced enthusiasm from fans, who provide much of the program's revenue in the form of ticket and merchandise sales.
"Nittany Lion fans will still be faithful," Vrooman said. "But State College will be an empty place on fall afternoons."
The financial penalties are likely the first of many payouts the university will make.
Along with a loss of football scholarships and a four-year prohibition on postseason play, the university has agreed to pay a $60 million fine that will be used to help the victims of child abuse.
In a separate enforcement action, the Big Ten announced that Penn State will not receive a share of the conference's bowl revenues for four years, a hit of around $13 million.
The actions against Penn State, taken together, are likely to dramatically reduce the recruiting prowess and on-field performance of one of the nation's most storied football programs.
But the university is likely to suffer millions more in fines and payments as civil cases brought by Sandusky's victims are resolved. The school's credit rating could be downgraded, and corporate sponsorships are in jeopardy.
Related: Full CNN coverage
It was not immediately clear whether Monday's $60 million fine would be paid by the athletic department or another university fund.
Some penalties are likely to be assessed to the university at large, while others are paid by Penn State's athletic department -- one of the richest in the country, and almost uniquely well-suited to weather severe financial penalties.
"The money is there," said Dan Fulks, a professor of accounting at Transylvania University and a research consultant for the NCAA. "This athletic program is self-sufficient."
Last season, Penn State's revenue of $72.7 million from football was the fifth highest of any college program in the country, according to a CNNMoney analysis of figures reported by each school to the Department of Education.
And when comparing revenue to total expenses, Penn State football's profit of $53.2 million was second only to the University of Texas' total of $71.2 million.
In addition, Penn State reported an additional $24.1 million in athletic revenue not specifically assigned to one team or sport. Much of that is in general merchandise sales and sponsorships, driven by the popularity of football.
And while the NCAA said it arrived at the $60 million fine because that is roughly the amount of revenue the football program collects each year -- the penalty will be paid over a five-year period.
Still, significant questions remain about the university's exposure to civil lawsuits and the level of monetary support it can expect from alumni.
Credit rating agency Moody's Investors Service said in November that it was reviewing whether Penn State -- which carries the second highest credit rating -- should be downgraded.
Moody's has since affirmed its ranking, but the school remains on "credit watch negative," which means that a future downgrade -- an event that could make it more expensive for the university to borrow -- is still a possibility.
"The negative outlook reflects the high degree of uncertainty about direct litigation costs as well as emerging reputational risk that can result in weaker student demand or reduced philanthropic support from the university's alumni and other major donors," Moody's said earlier this month.
The school has an operating budget of about $4 billion dollars, and carries debt of $1.4 billion, according to Moody's.
Related: Penn State scandal will cost millions
In some respects, the non-monetary penalties imposed by the NCAA might have the largest effect on the athletic department's finances.
Football players are now eligible to transfer to other institutions without penalty, scholarships have been reduced by 40% and the team has been barred from post-season competition.
While Penn State was spared the so-called "death penalty" some were expecting -- in which a sports program is shut down entirely, typically for at least one year -- the sanctions will make it difficult for the university to field a competitive team.
"This might not be a sudden shut-down death penalty, but is very close to slow death by attrition," said John Vrooman, a sports economist at Vanderbilt University.
"Penn State football will not recover for over a decade," Vrooman predicted, citing the example of Southern Methodist University's program, which was given the death penalty in 1987 and has yet to fully recover.
For its part, the NCAA says the Penn State penalties are worse than the death penalty.
"The NCAA sanctions on Penn State, taken in sum, far exceed the severity of shutting down a program for a year or two," the group said on its website. "What some refer to as the death penalty was not severe enough."
Lackluster performance on the field coupled with the fresh memories of the Sandusky affair could lead to reduced enthusiasm from fans, who provide much of the program's revenue in the form of ticket and merchandise sales.
"Nittany Lion fans will still be faithful," Vrooman said. "But State College will be an empty place on fall afternoons."
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)