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White House sets out looming climate risks for US, calls for 'urgent action' - CNN Posted: 06 May 2014 09:18 AM PDT STORY HIGHLIGHTS "Americans are noticing changes all around them," a new report says It outlines the dangers different parts of the country could face from climate change The report's findings "underscore the need for urgent action," the White House says The assessment was produced over several years by more than 300 experts Washington (CNN) -- Flooded rail lines. Bigger, more frequent droughts. A rash of wildfires. Those are some of the alarming predictions in a White House climate change report released Tuesday, part of President Barack Obama's broader second-term effort to help the nation prepare for the effects of higher temperatures, rising sea levels and more erratic weather. "Climate change, once considered an issue for a distant future, has moved firmly into the present," the National Climate Assessment says, adding that the evidence of man-made climate change "continues to strengthen" and that "impacts are increasing across the country." "Americans are noticing changes all around them," the report says, echoing a draft version from last year. "Summers are longer and hotter. ... Rain comes in heavier downpours." In a statement released to coincide with the report's publication, the White House called for a rapid response. "The findings in this National Climate Assessment underscore the need for urgent action to combat the threats from climate change, protect American citizens and communities today, and build a sustainable future for our kids and grandkids," the White House said. Obama and his administration have long said that climate change is already affecting communities. More than 300 experts helped produce the report over several years, updating a previous assessment published in 2009. The President will help mark the release of the new National Climate Assessment by speaking with meteorologists about the report's findings, which his counselor John Podesta said Monday would offer "a huge amount of practical, usable knowledge" for communities as they cope with risks like longer dry spells and increased risk for wildfires. "It begins to take the climate discussion down to a regional level, so it breaks the country apart, anticipates what's going to happen in each region," Podesta said. "That kind of information will help communities plan." The report breaks the country down by region and identifies specific threats should climate change continue. In the densely populated Northeast, flooded rail lines and other infrastructure are named as a concern if sea levels rise. The Great Plains could experience heavier droughts and heat waves with increasing frequency. And more wildfires in the West could threaten agriculture and residential communities. The weeklong focus on climate change continues Wednesday, when the White House convenes a summit focused on green building tactics. Later in the week, Obama will announce new solar power initiatives, Podesta said. Obama has pledged to renew his efforts on climate change during his second term, including using executive actions that bypass Congress. He's introduced new regulations on truck emissions and created "climate hubs" that help businesses prepare for the effects of climate change. Obama and his administration are also approaching a decision on the Keystone XL pipeline, which would transport oil from Canada to the Gulf of Mexico. Environmental groups say the project would contribute to climate change since it wouldn't help reduce the nation's dependence on fossil fuels. Podesta, who advocated against approving the pipeline before he joined the Obama administration last year, has recused himself from internal discussions on the matter and has declined to answer questions about the project. But Podesta did say that the recent energy boom in the United States -- powered by increased extractions of oil and natural gas through a controversial process known as fracking -- could reduce American dependence on fossil fuels. "We think it's a practical and viable way to reduce emissions in the short run," Podesta said. "Obviously, there are environmental issues around the production of gas and oil. But, again, in the administration's view, those can be -- those can be dealt with through the proper application of the best practices to produce that oil and gas." CNN's Kevin Liptak reported from Washington, and CNN's Jethro Mullen reported from London. 0 Comments » SHARE THIS Print Email More sharing

What It's Like to Be Attacked by Boko Haram: A Survivor's Story - ABC News Posted: 06 May 2014 09:19 AM PDT The Nigerian terrorist group Boko Haram gained worldwide notoriety this week after they admitted to kidnapping 300 high school girls last month and threatening to sell them into marriages. But the group has long terrorized residents of northern Nigeria -- especially Christians, according to one survivor of an attack. Habila Adamu, a resident of northern Nigeria, survived a mass killing of Christians by Boko Haram two years ago and came to the United States to share his story last year. He recalled how gunman bearing AK-47s went around his neighborhood shooting and killing Christians who refused to accept Islam. PHOTO: Adamu Habila speaks at the Hudson Institute on Nov. 14, 2013 in Washington, D.C. about his experience surviving a massacre in Nigeria by the Islamist terrorist group Boko Haram. "They asked me, 'Habila, are you ready to die as a Christian?'" Adamu recalled during his testimony in Congress last November. They were the last words Boko Haram gunman spoke to him before they shot him through the head. "On November 28, 2012, gunmen came to my home at around 11 p.m. and confronted me with my family. I thought they were soldiers on patrol, and when they opened the door, I was shocked to see that they were wearing robes and masks," he said. "The gunmen ordered me to come out with my family. And when I came out, they ordered my family to go back, and my wife begged them not to harm me. They said she should go back, because they were here to do the work of Allah. When I heard that, I knew that they were here to kill me." Boko Haram: Kidnappers, Slave-Owners, Terrorists, Killers Adamu said that his wife brought money from inside the house and begged the men not to kill him. They took the money and the couple's cell phones, and then barged into the home with even more men with AK-47s. The men questioned Adamu, asking him whether he was a member of the Nigeria police, the military, or the state security services. When Adamu said he was a businessman, they asked him about his religion. "I said I am a Christian. They asked me why are we preaching the message of Mohammed to you and you refuse to accept Islam," Adamu testified. He explained to the men that he believed he was preaching the word of God for his Christian faith. Who Are the Kidnapped Nigerian Girls? "Then they asked me, 'Habila, are you ready to die as a Christian?' I told them, 'I am ready to die as a Christian.' For the second time, they asked me, 'Are you ready to die as a Christian?' and I told them, 'I am ready.'" As he spoke the words a second time, the men shot him through the nose and Adamu fell to the ground. They kicked him and, thinking he was dead, yelled out "Allahu akbar," meaning "God is great." As his wife was crying out the men left, and Adamu told his wife he was alive. "I told her that even though I will die I have a message to everyone that will hear my story after I leave this world that 'to live in this world is to live for Christ, to die is a gain' -- that is my message," he said. Adamu's wife went to look for help but found that their Christian neighbors had been murdered, including the elder in his church and 13 others. Adamu lay on the floor bleeding until morning and lost vision. He was finally taken to a hospital to be treated for his wounds. "I am alive because God wants you to have a message. I have a message, just as I told my wife as I was left for dead, I have a message to everyone that will hear my story. Do everything that you can to end this ruthless religious persecution in northern Nigeria," Adamu said in Washington. Following Adamu's testimony in Washington, the U.S. State Department designated the group a terrorist organization.

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'I abducted your girls,' Nigerian Islamist leader reportedly says in video - Washington Post Posted: 05 May 2014 08:59 AM PDT The French news agency Agence France-Presse says it has obtained a video in which a leader of a militant Islamist group claims credit for abducting 276 Nigerian schoolgirls. It's been assumed that the group, Boko Haram, was responsible but until Monday there had been no claim made. There was no immediate independent verification of the video. According to AFP: Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau vowed to sell hundreds of schoolgirls kidnapped in northern Nigeria three weeks ago, in a new video obtained on Monday by AFP. 'I abducted your girls. I will sell them in the market, by Allah,' he said, after reports that some of the 223 girls still missing may have been sold as brides across Nigeria's border with Chad and Cameroon for as little as $12. Shekau added that the abduction had caused outrage 'because we are holding people (as) slaves.' In a related development, the Associated Press and the BBC said that police acting on the orders of Nigeria's first lady, Patience Jonathan, arrested  leaders of the movement protesting what they see as the government's disinterest in tracking down the girls. A leader of a protest march for the missing schoolgirls says Nigeria's first lady abused them, expressed doubts there was any kidnapping and accused them of belonging to the network blamed for the abductions. Then she ordered two of them arrested, the AP reported. Saratu Angus Ndirpaya of Chibok town said State Security Service agents drove her and protest leader Naomi Mutah Nyadar to a police station Monday after an all-night meeting at the presidential villa in Abuja, the capital. She said Nyadar remains in detention. Police could not be reached for comment. Ndirpaya says Patience Jonathan accused them of fabricating the abductions to give Nigeria's government and her husband "a bad name." Three weeks have now passed since dozens of heavily armed men descended upon a darkened dormitory where hundreds of Nigerian girls slept, abducted them and disappeared into the night. Three weeks since authorities erroneously stated that only 100 Chibok girls were missing — when in fact it was 276. And three weeks since hundreds of parents last saw their children, since they've launched protests that have swept a nation, since some of the girls were reportedly sold for $12 and vanished. Nigerian President Jonathan, who has taken sweeping criticism for what some have perceived as disregard for the crisis, addressed concerns on Sunday. "Wherever these girls are, we'll get them out," Jonathan said, adding that officials had no idea where they were. Then he proceeded to criticize parents for not being forthright with police. "What we request is maximum cooperation from the guardians and the parents of these girls. Because up to this time, they have not been able to come clearly, to give the police clear identity of the girls that have yet to return," he said. The events illustrated an escalating clash between a protest movement and a government many say has been feckless in its pursuit of the children. Adding to that tension is dismay that the government seems to have no idea where the girls are — because Village elder Pogo Bitrus told The Washington Post it's clear to locals. "Some of them have been taken to the northern part of the state, and these are the ones with the bad experiences in the mass marriages," Bitrus explained on Monday morning while waiting for a protester at an Abuja police station, who he claims was "detained for no reason." "But the bulk of them are kept in the Sambisa Forest," Bitrus said. "It's not too far from where the girls were abducted and where the majority of the escapees are from." While many in the West have expressed outrage at the abductions — there were weekend protests in London and Los Angeles — Bitrus conveyed resignation. "The government is slow and it is unfortunate, but this is the Nigerian attitude. This is not the West. If it was, someone would have resigned or been thrown out, but the whole thing is different here. And we must accommodate whatever." On April 14, the girls were believed to have been captured by murderously violent militants belonging to Boko Haram, which means "Western education is sinful." Since 2010, the group has carried out a vicious campaign against education, which it blames for many of the problems in Nigeria, the continent's most populous nation. According to some estimates, the group has killed as many as 2,300 people. This year, more than 1,500 have died in regular bouts of ethnic violence, and the government has at times appeared powerless to stop the bloodletting. Today, it's unclear which side has control over Nigeria's northern states — the government, or Boko Haram. Some of the girls, though Bitrus says it's unclear how many, have been taken into Cameroon and Chad and have since disappeared. This reality has made some in Nigeria lose faith in the military, and question whether it can monitor the girls' movements, let alone rescue them. "The free movement of the kidnappers in huge convoys with their captives for two weeks without being traced by the military, which claims to be working diligently to free the girls, is unbelievable," Bitrus said. Still, there was reason for optimism, he said. This isn't the first time Boko Haram has kidnapped girls. But it is one of the first times, if not the first, that it's attracted such global attention. "This has been a tradition of Boko Haram," he said. "This is not starting now. It has just ever been heard of before. … But with this pressure, they'll be released very soon." And if not? "The Boko Haram is known to be so vicious, so ruthless," he said. "They don't value life. They are people who blow themselves up. They are capable of doing anything."

Supreme Court upholds prayer at government meetings - USA TODAY Posted: 05 May 2014 09:00 AM PDT Linda Stephens, an atheist, and Susan Galloway, who is Jewish, speak outside the Supreme Court after oral arguments on the government prayer case in November.(Photo: Saul Loeb, AFP/Getty Images) WASHINGTON – The Supreme Court on Monday upheld the centuries-old tradition of offering prayers at the start of government meetings, even if those prayers are overwhelmingly Christian. The 5-4 decision in favor of the any-prayer-goes policy in the town of Greece, N.Y., avoided two alternatives that the justices clearly found abhorrent: having government leaders parse prayers for sectarian content, or outlawing them altogether. It was written by Justice Anthony Kennedy, with the court's conservatives agreeing and its liberals, led by Justice Elena Kagan, dissenting. The long-awaited ruling following oral arguments in November was a victory for the the town, which was taken to court by two women who argued that a plethora of overtly Christian prayers at town board meetings violated their rights. While the court had upheld the practice of legislative prayer, most recently in a 1983 case involving the Nebraska Legislature, the case of Town of Greece v. Galloway presented the justices with a new twist: mostly Christian clergy delivering frequently sectarian prayers before an audience that often includes average citizens with business to conduct. The court's ruling said the alternative – having the town board act as supervisors and censors of religious speech – would involve the government far more than Greece was doing by inviting any clergy to deliver the prayers. "An insistence on non-sectarian or ecumenical prayer as a single, fixed standard is not consistent with the tradition of legislative prayer outlined in the court's cases," Kennedy said. Kagan, joined by the court's other three liberal justices, said the town's prayers differed from those delivered to legislators about to undertake the people's business. In Greece, she said, sectarian prayers were delivered to "ordinary citizens," and their participation was encouraged. "No one can fairly read the prayers from Greece's town meetings as anything other than explicitly Christian – constantly and exclusively so," Kagan said. "The prayers betray no understanding that the American community is today, as it long has been, a rich mosaic of religious faiths." The legal tussle began in 2007, following eight years of nothing but Christian prayers in the town of nearly 100,000 people outside Rochester. Susan Galloway and Linda Stephens, a Jew and an atheist, took the board to federal court and won by contending that its prayers – often spiced with references to Jesus, Christ and the Holy Spirit – aligned the town with one religion. Once the legal battle was joined, town officials canvassed widely for volunteer prayer-givers and added a Jewish layman, a Wiccan priestess and a member of the Baha'i faith to the mix. Stephens, meanwhile, awoke one morning to find her mailbox on top of her car, and part of a fire hydrant turned up in her swimming pool. The two women contended that the prayers in Greece were unconstitutional because they pressured those in attendance to participate. They noted that unlike federal and state government sessions, town board meetings are frequented by residents who must appear for everything from business permits to zoning changes. But several justices had worried that there was no prayer which would satisfy everyone, leaving the court little option but to reiterate its support of legislative prayer or remove it entirely from government meetings – something they clearly did not want to do. The court's 30-year-old precedent, Marsh v. Chambers, upheld the Nebraska Legislature's funding of a chaplain who delivered daily prayers. Chief Justice Warren Burger ruled then that such prayers were "part of the fabric of our society." The decision prohibited only those prayers that take sides by advancing or disparaging a particular religion. Since Marsh, backers of church-state separation had made modest gains. In 1984, Justice Sandra Day O'Connor's "endorsement test" established that every government practice must be judged to determine whether it endorses one religion. In 1989, the court ruled that a Christmas crèche display on a courthouse staircase went too far by endorsing Christianity and brought forth O'Connor's "reasonable observer" test. O'Connor was in court for the November arguments. The current court, with its 5-4 conservative tilt, agreed to consider the case following a federal appeals court's ruling against the town. Judge Guido Calabresi of the 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals said its actions "virtually ensured a Christian viewpoint" and featured a "steady drumbeat of often specifically sectarian Christian prayers." Justice Stephen Breyer defended that ruling in a separate dissent. The case hinged on these words from the First Amendment: "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof." That has come to be known as the Establishment Clause. The Obama administration came down forcefully on the town's side – most notably because both houses of Congress have opened with prayers since 1789. The House and Senate have had chaplains on staff since 1789. But the prayers delivered these days are far less sectarian than those heard in churches, temples and synagogues. Most state legislatures open their sessions with a prayer, nearly half of them with guidelines. Many county legislatures open meetings with a prayer, according to an informal survey by the National Association of Counties. National data on prayer practices at the city, town and village levels do not exist. The Supreme Court cracked down on prayer in schools in the 1960s, ruling against Bible readings, the Lord's Prayer or an official state prayer. In Lemon v. Kurtzman, a 1971 case involving religion in legislation, the high court devised what became known as the "Lemon test." Government action, it said, should have a secular purpose, cannot advance or inhibit religion and must avoid too much government entanglement with religion. Then came Marsh, in which the court gave a green light to legislative prayer that does not advance or disparage any faith. Kennedy said Monday's decision follows in that spirit. "The inclusion of a brief, ceremonial prayer as part of a larger exercise in civic recognition suggests that its purpose and effect are to acknowledge religious leaders and the institutions they represent, rather than to exclude or coerce non-believers," he said. Follow @richardjwolf on Twitter.

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Obama skewers Republicans, Democrats, media at 100th White House ... - CBS News Posted: 04 May 2014 09:16 AM PDT WASHINGTON, D.C. - Forgoing the largely self-deprecating front he's donned the past several years, President Obama during his prepared roast Saturday to the White House Correspondents' Association dinner instead opted to go after some members of the Washington, D.C., cast who've complicated his five-and-a-half-year tenure in the Oval Office. "These days, House Republicans are giving [Speaker John Boehner] a harder time than they give me - which means orange really is the new black," the president told the crowd, poking fun at the Ohio Republican's famously tanned skin. The gathering's namesake White House Correspondents' Association celebrates its 100th anniversary this year, and its annual to-do awash with the incongruous blend of political elite and Hollywood celebrities is often dubbed by those within the Washington beltway, "nerd prom." Basking in the liberation of never again facing reelection, Mr. Obama aimed squarely at several likely 2016 prospects. President Barack Obama laughs at a joke during the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner in Washington May 3, 2014. JOSHUA ROBERTS, REUTERS Simultaneously ribbing the New Jersey governor's ill-famed scandal on the George Washington Bridge and the bumper-to-bumper partisanship that's locked down Washington, D.C., since 2010, the president joked that gridlock "has gotten so bad in this town - you've got to wonder, 'What did we do to piss off Chris Christie so bad?'" He also took stabs at tea party favorite Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., and the early Democratic front-runner, Hillary Clinton. "Let's face it, Fox, you will miss me when I'm gone," he said. "It will be harder to convince the American people that Hillary was born in Kenya." Chiming in one more dig to the cable network, he added: ''The Koch brothers bought a table here tonight, but as usual they used a shadowy right-wing organization as a front. Hello, Fox News!'' In general, Mr. Obama said, he sometimes does "feel disrespected by you reporters," adding with a double shoutout to Seattle Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman in the audience and ABC News: "Jake Tapper, don't you ever talk about me like that; I'm the best president in the game!" Fresh off a trip from Malaysia, he also skewered CNN's round-the-clock coverage of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370: "The lengths we have to go to get CNN coverage these days!" Mr. Obama said to laughs. "I think they're still searching for their table." "MSNBC is here - they're a little overwhelmed," he continued. "They've never seen an audience this big before." President Barack Obama and Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius gesture as they take part in a joke during the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner in Washington May 3, 2014. JOSHUA ROBERTS, REUTERS But the president didn't remove himself entirely from the hot seat. A number of his punch lines focused on the botched rollout of Healthcare.gov, noting that it "could've gone better," while also jesting that the plan turned out to be one of the year's biggest cinematic blockbusters, "Frozen." ''In 2008 my slogan was 'Yes we can,'" he said. "In 2013 my slogan was 'Control-alt-delete.''' At the conclusion of his 20-minute talk, Kathleen Sebelius - who stepped down from her post as Health and Human Services Secretary in the wake of the website debacle - joined the president to help him fix a technical bug: "I got this," she said. "I see it all the time." Following the roast, headlining comedian Joel McHale shared a couple of punching bags with the president, joking that his own remarks would be "short and sweet - just like Chris Christie's presidential bid." And with his own spin on the House speaker's skin tone, he teased, "Joe Biden is elbow-deep in jalapeno peppers and talking to a construction cone he thinks is John Boehner. Joel McHale, star of the NBC series Community, speaks during the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner in Washington May 3, 2014. JOSHUA ROBERTS, REUTERS © 2014 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Democrat: GOP's Benghazi committee 'waste of time' - Daily Mail Posted: 04 May 2014 07:57 AM PDT By Associated Press Published: 09:52 EST, 4 May 2014 | Updated: 09:52 EST, 4 May 2014 WASHINGTON (AP) — A Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee says it makes no sense to participate in the select committee that Republicans want to create to investigate the 2012 attack on the U.S. diplomatic outpost in Benghazi, Libya. Rep. Adam Schiff of California says he'd recommend that Democratic leaders not appoint any Democrats to the committee that Speaker John Boehner (BAY'-nur) is moving to set up. Schiff tells "Fox News Sunday" that there have been multiple investigations into Benghazi and that the new committee is "a colossal waste of time." FILE - This April 29, 2014 file photo shows House Speaker John Boehner of Ohio speaking on Capitol Hill in Washington. Boehner says he'll establish select House committee to investigate Benghazi attack. (AP Photo, File) Schiff calls the committee "a tremendous red herring" and a waste of money and believes Boehner is bowing to the GOP's far-right faction. Boehner says U.S. officials misled the public after the assault that killed the ambassador and three other Americans. FILE - This April 11, 2011 file photo shows U.S. envoy Chris Stevens in Benghazi, Libya. House Speaker John Boehner on Friday declared he¿d schedule a vote to create a select committee to investigate the Benghazi attack, escalating a political battle that has raged since the final days of President Barack Obama¿s re-election campaign. Boehner said U.S. officials misled the American people after the Sept. 11, 2012, assault on the U.S. diplomatic post in Libya that killed Ambassador Chris Stevens and three other Americans. He said emails released this week showed the White House has withheld documents from congressional investigators and begged the question, ¿What else about Benghazi is the Obama administration still hiding from the American people.¿ (AP Photo/Ben Curtis, File) Sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article.

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Kremlin says it is weighing response to 'thousands' of pleas for help from Ukraine - Washington Post Posted: 03 May 2014 06:13 AM PDT MOSCOW — The Kremlin is receiving "thousands" of calls for assistance from Russian speakers in eastern Ukraine, and it has not yet decided on a response, a spokesman said Saturday, as Ukrainian authorities continued to move to push back separatists who have taken over key cities in the region after Ukraine suffered its bloodiest day in nearly three months. The Kremlin's announcement came after weeks of declarations from Russian officials that if Russian-speakers in restive eastern Ukraine came under threat, they would consider intervening in a conflict that has left several cities in the hands of pro-Russian separatists. On Friday, nine people were killed when the Ukrainian army launched its first major assault on a rebel stronghold and 34 died in clashes between pro-Ukrainian and pro-Russian mobs in the Black Sea port city of Odessa. "People are calling in despair, asking for help. The overwhelming majority demand Russian help," Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov told reporters Saturday. "All these calls are reported to Vladimir Putin." The Kremlin, however, has not yet decided how to respond, Peskov said. "This element is absolutely new to us," he said, according to the Interfax newswire service. He said that Russian authorities have lost their ability to influence pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine and that they would not be able to resolve the increasingly violent situation alone. Ukrainian authorities meanwhile continued their efforts to dislodge separatists in the east. "The active phase of the operation continued at dawn," acting Interior Minister Arsen Avakov said on his Facebook page. "We will not stop." Avakov said that the Ukrainian military had retaken a television tower near Kramatorsk, although his account was not immediately independently confirmed. In one sign that the Kremlin may still retain sway over the actions of allies in eastern Ukraine, a group of seven international observers from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe were released by separatists in Slovyansk on Saturday after being held hostage for more than a week, Russian envoy Vladimir Lukin told the RIA Novosti newswire agency. The release was a "voluntary humanitarian act," he said. It came after Russian President Vladimir Putin sent Lukin to the region on Thursday to push for their release. Five Ukrainian military officers held captive alongside the observers were also freed. Secretary of State John F. Kerry welcomed the release of the OSCE personnel and condemned violence "by any side." "It's a step," he said of the release. "But there are many other steps that need to be taken in order to be able to de-escalate the situation." Kerry, speaking in Kinshasa, Congo, said he discussed those further steps in a call Saturday to Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. He said he reiterated the warning of economic sanctions against Russia issued by President Obama and German Chancellor Angela Merkel last week, adding that any such measures would include broad sanctions on sectors of the Russian economy. He did not elaborate. "It's important for Russia to withdraw support for the separatists," Kerry said. "If those supported by Russia continue to interfere with the election, regrettably there will have to be sanctions, including the possibility of — the reality of — sector sanctions." He said he and Lavrov also discussed the rising level of violence in eastern Ukraine. "The United States condemns the violence that has been taking place by any side," Kerry said. "That includes the violence of anyone who lit a fire and caused the deaths of those 38 people or more in a building in Odessa." But the two officials appeared to be talking past each other. Lavrov told Kerry that "the punitive operation in southeastern Ukraine is putting the country into a fratricidal conflict," the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement after the conversation. Russia's top diplomat called on the United States "to use all its influence to force the Kiev regime protected by it, which has declared a war on its own people, to immediately halt the military action in the southeastern regions, remove the troops and release protesters." Lavrov also called for the OSCE to help de-escalate tensions and establish a "nationwide dialogue" focused on constitutional reform that Russia hopes would give more autonomy to the ethnically Russian eastern parts of the country, a measure that would also award Russia more influence over the region. But he said that "chances still remain" for a dialogue, suggesting that Russia may have decided for now against military intervention. Lavrov had previously said that Russia was prepared to defend the interests of ethnic Russians in eastern Ukraine. The Ukrainian army attacked Slovyansk in the east of the country on Friday at dawn, provoking the heaviest military fighting since a pro-Russian uprising began a month ago. The army took control of the major checkpoints outside the city but was unable to force its way into the center, and two of its helicopters were shot down. The biggest loss of lives came in Odessa. A pro-Ukrainian rally attended by thousands of soccer fans before a game Friday night was attacked by pro-Russian separatists. The two sides fought running battles through the city in the afternoon, throwing stones at each other and erecting barricades. At least three people were killed. Friday evening, a pro-Ukrainian mob attacked a camp where the pro-Russian supporters had pitched tents, forcing them to flee to a nearby government building, a witness said. The mob then threw gasoline bombs into the building. Police said 31 people were killed when they choked on smoke or jumped out of windows. Asked who had thrown the molotov cocktails, pro-Ukrainian activist Diana Berg said, "Our people — but now they are helping them to escape the building." It amounted to the deadliest day in the Ukrainian crisis since February, when scores of people were killed, many by snipers, in protests against then-President Viktor Yanukovych. Ukraine's acting president, Oleksandr Turchynov, said Friday that the military assault on the eastern city of Slovyansk was intended to protect civilians from "mercenaries of foreign states, terrorists and criminals who are taking hostages, killing and torturing people, and threatening the territorial integrity and stability of Ukraine." Two Ukrainian Mi-24 attack helicopters were shot down and two crew members killed, while seven soldiers were wounded in the offensive, the government said. One helicopter pilot was captured by the rebels and transferred to a hospital, medics told local news media. Ukraine's Defense Ministry said a third helicopter, an Mi-8 transport reportedly carrying medics, was also hit and a service member wounded. The rebels said three of their fighters and two civilians were killed. But Turchynov said many "criminals" were killed, wounded or taken prisoner. A spokesman for Russian President Vladimir Putin called the offensive a "criminal" act and said it had "effectively destroyed the last hope for the implementation of the Geneva agreements" reached April 17 that were intended to defuse the crisis. Under the accord, signed by Ukraine, Russia, the United States and the European Union, separatists were supposed to lay down their arms and vacate government buildings they have occupied across eastern Ukraine. Ukraine accuses Russia of financing and arming the separatists, who have vowed to hold a referendum on independence on May 11. Russia denies the charge. In Washington, President Obama expressed strong support Friday for the Ukrainian offensive and said the United States and Europe "are united in our determination to impose costs on Russia for its actions" in destabilizing eastern Ukraine. Russia has massed tens of thousands of troops along the border with Ukraine, and Friday's developments raised the risks of a Russian military response. Russian officials have said they would intervene in Ukraine to protect ethnic Russians, and the Kremlin said Friday that Putin was "closely following developments." At the U.N. Security Council, Russia and the United States again traded accusations and insults. Using Cold War language, Russia's ambassador to the United Nations, Vitaly Churkin, said that if the "criminal misadventures of the Kiev clique are not stopped, . . . catastrophic consequences cannot be avoided." Churkin charged that "English-speaking foreigners" had been overheard in radio communications during Ukraine's current "punitive operations" against the separatists. The United States, France and Britain were scathing in their responses. "A pyromaniac fireman situation is what we have here," French U.N. Ambassador Gérard Araud said. Russia is "screaming in order to make us forget that this path was set long ago, and it's no longer possible to go backwards." Vyacheslav Ponomarev, who has been appointed mayor of Slovyansk by the insurgents, urged women, children and senior citizens to remain in their homes but asked men with guns "to render all possible assistance." "We will defend the city. We will win," he said in a video message posted on the Internet. Stella Khorosheva, a rebel spokeswoman, posted on her Facebook account: "The situation is stable on the streets, but there is a high risk of full-scale action. In short, it's war." The Ukrainian Security Service said its fighters were facing "highly skilled foreign military men" in Slovyansk. It said one of the helicopters was shot down with a surface-to-air missile, which it said undercut Russia's claims that the city is under the control of civilians who bought arms in "hunting stores." Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt agreed. "Ukrainian helicopters shot down in Slovyansk. Some elderly ladies bought some RPGs or missiles at the local grocery store, I assume," he posted on Twitter. The European Union said it is watching the developments with growing concern, and NATO has said it must view Russia as an adversary in light of apparent efforts to destabilize the region following its annexation of Crimea in March. But Western leaders have made it clear they have no intention of engaging Russia militarily over Ukraine. Ukraine's Interior Minister Arsen Avakov said the objective of Friday's operation in Slovyansk was to free several hostages taken by the rebels, force the rebels to lay down their arms, release administrative buildings from their control and restore the normal functioning of the city administration. Russia's Foreign Ministry said that English-speaking foreigners were seen among the Ukrainian forces mounting the assault on Slovyansk on Friday, echoing its previous charges that U.S. contractors were involved in Ukraine's response to the unrest in the east. "The United States and the E.U. are taking on a huge responsibility in cutting off the road to a peaceful resolution of the crisis," the Foreign Ministry said. Denyer reported from Donetsk, Ukraine and Nemtsova reported from Slovyansk, Ukraine. Karen DeYoung and William Branigin in Washington contributed to this report. Denyer reported from Donetsk, Ukraine, and Nemtsova from Slovyansk, Ukraine. Anne Gearan in Kinshasa, Congo, and Karen DeYoung and William Branigin in Washington contributed to this report.

Sen. Tim Kaine endorses Hillary Clinton for 2016 - MSNBC Posted: 03 May 2014 07:47 AM PDT Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) isn't waiting for Hillary Clinton to make up her mind on running again to become the first female president in 2016. The Virginia Democrat and former governor and Democratic National Committee chairman announced his support for Clinton Saturday at a breakfast event in South Carolina. South Carolina and its early primary, of course, are seen as critical to the fortunes of presidential candidates.   Back in February 2007, Kaine endorsed then-Sen. Barack Obama – who eventually defeated Clinton in a bruising primary – for a seat in the Oval Office. With that endorsement, Kaine became the first governor outside of Obama's home state of Illinois to officially back Obama's bid for commander-in-chief.   Kaine is considered by some politicos as a possible vice presidential pick for Clinton if she decides to run. Kaine, according to prepared remarks, announced at the South Carolina Women's Democratic Council event in Columbia that he has joined the Ready for Hillary super political action committee effort. He described Clinton as an "American optimist" and applauded her background in domestic and foreign policy. He also touched on his 2007 endorsement of Obama. "I made my decision early because I knew something—he was the right person for the job but getting there would be hard. And I figured that the sooner I started helping him in Virginia, the more helpful I would be," Kaine said.  "I'm stating my support for Hillary Clinton today for the same reason. She's the right person for the job. I'll be starting my fifth year in the Senate on Inauguration Day 2017 and she's the partner I know I'll want to be working with in the White House on all fronts," he added.  Kaine is in The Palmetto State to keynote the annual South Carolina Jefferson Jackson Dinner. Clinton, who is the clear front runner to be the party's standard-bearer in 2016, said last month that she's thinking about running. The former secretary of state added quickly, "But I am going to continue to think about it for a while." Nonetheless, several Democratic allies have already begun to rally around Clinton. In June 2013, Sen. Claire McCaskill of Missouri (who also backed Obama in 2008) became the first sitting member of Congress to endorse Clinton. Sen. Chuck Schumer of New York followed suit in November of 2013. Schumer, Clinton's former colleague in the upper chamber of Congress, made the endorsement announcement at an Iowa Democratic Party dinner, declaring: "It's time for a woman to be president." And last fall, all of the Democratic women in the Senate signed a letter privately urging Clinton to run. Ready For Hillary has raised more than $5.75 million since it launched a little over a year ago.   The Republican field is far less certain. A new Washington Post-ABC News poll shows five potential candidates within four percentage points of one another. That includes former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul each with 14% support followed by former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee (13%), Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan (11%) and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (10%). And in a hypothetical Bush versus Clinton matchup, Clinton would beat Bush 53% to 41%, according to the survey. The presidential election is 921 days away.

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Clashes in Eastern Ukraine as Moscow Issues New Warnings - New York Times Posted: 02 May 2014 09:16 AM PDT [unable to retrieve full-text content] Washington Post Clashes in Eastern Ukraine as Moscow Issues New Warnings New York Times Ukrainian soldiers stood guard Friday at a checkpoint near the eastern town of Slovyansk, a pro-Russian stronghold. Credit Baz Ratner/Reuters. Continue reading the main story. Continue reading the main story. Continue reading the main story Share This ... Ukraine says 'many' rebels killed, wounded in crackdownUSA TODAY Political fever rises as Ukraine breaks apartReuters Ukraine president: 'Many' pro-Russia insurgents killed in SlovyanskHaaretz ABC News -The Globe and Mail -Christian Science Monitor all 5,365 news articles »

Spring stunner: Jobs report blows past forecasts - USA TODAY Posted: 02 May 2014 08:57 AM PDT Personal finance columnist John Waggoner explains why the unemployment number spells both good and bad news. (USA TODAY, USA NOW) Ford Motor workers applaud as Joe Hinrichs, Ford's president of the Americas, talks to reporters and workers during the roll out of the Ford Transit commercial van at the Ford Kansas City Assembly Plant on April 30, 2014, in Claycomo, Mo. Ford is planning to hire thousands of workers over the next two years.(Photo: Ed Zurga Getty Images) The labor market roared ahead in April as milder weather helped employers add 288,000 jobs — the most in more than two years. The unemployment rate fell to 6.3% from 6.7% — the lowest since September 2008, the Labor Department said Friday. The decline, however, came because the labor force--which includes those working and looking for jobs--shrank by 806,000. Economists surveyed by Action Economics estimated that 210,000 jobs were added last month. FIRST TAKE: At last, some good news on jobs AMERICA'S MARKETS: Stock futures unmoved by strong report Businesses added 273,000 jobs, led by strong gains in professional and business services, retail and restaurants, and construction. Federal, state and local governments added 15,000. Job gains for February and March were revised up by a total 36,000. February's increase was revised to 222,000 from 197,000 and March's to 203,000 from 192,000. Some analysts expected breakout employment gains after payroll processor ADP's survey this week showed businesses added 220,000 jobs in April. Other economic indicators also have picked up lately, including factory output, retail sales and consumer confidence. Some economists also expected a healthy bounce-back effect after the government said this week that the economy grew just 0.1% in the first quarter. Scott Brown, chief economist of Raymond James, says many small businesses have been hesitant to add employees, in part because of concerns about the new health coverage mandate. But rising demand is increasingly forcing their hand. "You're at the point where hiring is really going to start to pick up," he says. Some other labor market indicators in Friday's report were also strong. The number of temporary employees increased by 24,000, possibly heralding further solid gains in permanent workers. A broader measure of job-market distress — that includes part-time employees who prefer full-time jobs and those who've given up looking for work, as well as the unemployed — fell to 12.3% from 12.7%. And the number of Americans out of work at least six months dropped by 287,000 to 3.5 million. That group still represents 35.5% of all those unemployed. Other developments were less encouraging. The average work week was unchanged at 34.5 hours after posting a healthy gain in March. Average hourly earnings were also unchanged at $24.31 and are up just 1.9% for the year, in line with sluggish wage growth so far in the five-year-old recovery. "Typical workers are running as fast as they can to stay in the same spot," Brown says. Many economists say wage growth will accelerate when the jobless rate falls below 6% as demand for workers starts to outstrip the supply. Last month, professional and business services led the broad-based job gains, adding 75,000. Education and health services added 40,000 jobs; retailers, 34,000; construction, which is benefiting from the housing recovery, 32,000; and leisure and hospitality, 28,000. Manufacturers added 12,000. Although the federal government cut 3,000 jobs, local governments added 17,000 and states added 1,000. Many economists expect the economy and job market to accelerate this year because of higher household wealth and reduced debt, a continuing housing recovery and more modest federal government spending cuts.

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Official report: 4-hour delay of MH370 rescue efforts - USA TODAY Posted: 01 May 2014 09:25 AM PDT USA NOW host Carly Mallenbaum tells you what you need to know about the 5-page report that comes as families of passengers are urged to return home. (USA TODAY, USA NOW) Malaysia Airlines urged family members of passengers of the ill-fated flight MH370, like these show March 17 in Kuala Lumpur, to return home to await word on any updates in the search for the missing airliner.(Photo: Rahman Roslan, Getty Images) The first official Malaysian government report on the missing Malaysia Airlines plane notes a time-lag of more than four hours between the disappearance of Flight 370 from radar and the activation of a rescue operation. The preliminary report, marked confidential, was released Thursday on the Facebook page of acting Malaysian Transport Minister Hishammuddin Hussein. It was conducted by the ministry's chief inspector of air accidents. The report was made public as Malaysia Airlines called on the families of passengers of Flight 370 Thursday to return home to await word on their loved ones as the search for the missing plane enters a new phase. Flight 370, with 239 people aboard, disappeared March 8 en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing. The government report — only 23 paragraphs long — has also been sent to the International Civil Aviation Organization, the U.N. body for global aviation. It notes that the plane disappeared from radar in Kuala Lumpur at 1:21 a.m. and should have checked in with air traffic control in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. There is no indication that it did. Yet it was 17 minutes before this anomaly was noted and more than four hours before an official rescue operation was mounted at 5:30 a.m. by the Kuala Lumpur Rescue Coordination Centre. In the bare-bones language, the report says that Ho Chi Minh air traffic control "made a query" to Kuala Lumpur air traffic control at 1:38 a.m. "on the whereabouts of MH370." That triggered an attempt to establish contact. "No contact had been established by any ATC units and thus the Rescue Coordination Centre (RCC) was activated at 5:30 a.m.," the report notes. It does not elaborate on the four-hour lag between these two events. An intense search involving 20 countries, hundreds of ships, planes and experts, has failed to turn up even a shred of debris from the jet, which is believed to have crashed into the Indian Ocean. The airline notes that the international search effort will enter a "new phase" in the coming weeks. The airline said in a statement on its website that the search will be a "prolonged process" and announced that on May 7 it will close assistance centers set up to help the next-of-kin and provide them with information in the aftermath of the tragedy. Most of the passengers were Chinese and the airlines has paid for their relatives to stay in hotels in Malaysia during the extensive search period. MORE: Malaysia search shifts from surface to ocean floor "Instead of staying in hotels, the families of MH370 are advised to receive information updates on the progress of the search and investigation and other support by Malaysia Airlines within the comfort of their own homes, with the support and care of their families and friends," the statement said. Malaysia Airlines said that despite the intense search "we have to face the hard reality that there is still no trace of the aircraft, and the fate of the missing passengers and crew remains unknown till this day." The airline said it was deeply sympathetic to the "continuing unimaginable anguish, distress and hardship" suffered by the families and pledged to stay in touch with them. The airline also said it would make "advanced compensation payments" as soon as possible to family members "to meet their immediate economic needs." Autoplay Show Thumbnails Show Captions Last SlideNext Slide

Mayor Rob Ford's Most Outrageous One-Liners - ABC News Posted: 01 May 2014 09:11 AM PDT Toronto's crack-smoking mayor Rob Ford has announced he's taking a leave of absence to seek treatment for alcohol addiction, the latest in a long line of headline-grabbing public statements by Ford. As Ford takes time off to clean up, now's a good opportunity to relive some of his most outrageous one-liners. Rob Ford Seeks Help as New Drug Photos Emerge Rob Ford Rambles After Drinking 'A Little Bit' "It's very preventable. If you are not doing needles and you are not gay, you wouldn't get AIDS probably, that's bottom line." – Ford's reported controversial comments about AIDS in 2006. "I do not use crack cocaine, nor am I an addict of crack cocaine." - Ford's initial denial of drug allegations in May. "Yes, I have smoked crack cocaine. Probably in one of my drunken stupors." – Ford backtracked and admitted smoking crack in November 2013. "I have no reason to resign." – Ford said this directly after police announced they had video appearing to show Ford smoking from a crack pipe in October 2013. "I'm happily married. I've got more than enough to eat at home." – Ford's famous response to accusations that he made comments about oral sex with a woman who's not his wife in November 2013. "I'm serving people. I'm saving taxpayers money. And you know what, I made mistakes, I drank too much, I smoked some crack sometime. What can I say? I made a mistake, I'm human." – Ford at a Toronto toy drive in November 2013. "Women love money. You give them a couple thousand bucks and they're happy." – Ford discussing Christmas presents on a Washington radio show in December 2013. "If someone would have said, came up to me and said, 'Have you ever smoked crack? Have you ever smoked weed?' I would have said, 'Yeah, I have.'" – Ford on his honesty policies in an interview with CNN in November 2013. "Bumbaclot, mon." – Ford was captured on video in a fast food restaurant, speaking in a Jamaican accent during an odd rant in January. "Look at me – I'm a lot thinner. It's about living a healthier life." – Ford on moving past his crack scandal in a March interview with CBC News. "I'm so f---ing sick of politics, dude." – Ford is reportedly heard cursing and making crude comments about another politician in a new recording obtained by The Toronto Sun.

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