The Morning Report -- Tuesday February 25, 2013

Cities To Feel Budget Pain -- Trial Begins For 2010 Gulf Oil Spill -- Surgeon General Dies -- More Snow Hits Midwest -- Warrant Issued After Vegas Strip Shooting -- White House Seeks Sequester Solution

JOBLESS CITIES COULD BE FIRST TO FEEL BUDGET PAIN

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Who'll be the first to feel the sting?

Jobless Americans who have been out of work for a long time and local governments that are paying off loans to fix roads and schools are in tough spots when it comes to the automatic federal budget cuts that are scheduled to kick in Friday.

HIGH STAKES TRIAL BEGINS OVER 2010 GULF OIL SPILL 

NEW ORLEANS (AP) -- BP put profits ahead of safety and bears most of the blame for the disastrous 2010 spill in the Gulf of Mexico, a U.S. Justice Department attorney charged Monday at the opening of a trial that could result in the oil company and its partners being forced to pay tens of billions of dollars more in damages.

The London-based oil giant acknowledged it made "errors in judgment" before the deadly blowout, but it also cast blame on the owner of the drilling rig and the contractor involved in cementing the well. It denied it was grossly negligent, as the government contended.

KOOP, WHO TRANSFORMED SURGEON GENERAL POST, DIES

With his striking beard and starched uniform, former Surgeon General Dr. C. Everett Koop became one of the most recognizable figures of the Reagan era - and one of the most unexpectedly enduring.

His nomination in 1981 met a wall of opposition from women's groups and liberal politicians, who complained President Ronald Reagan selected Koop, a pediatric surgeon and evangelical Christian from Philadelphia, only because of his conservative views, especially his staunch opposition to abortion.

2ND ROUND OF HEAVY SNOWS HIT PLAINS, MIDWEST

LUBBOCK, Texas (AP) -- The nation's midsection again dealt with blizzard conditions Monday, closing highways, knocking out power to thousands in Texas and Oklahoma and even bringing hurricane-force winds to the Texas Panhandle. Two people have died.

Already under a deep snowpack from last week's storm, Kansas was preparing for another round of heavy snow Monday evening and overnight, prompting some to wonder what it could do for the drought.

WARRANT ISSUED FOR VEGAS STRIP SHOOTING SUSPECT

LAS VEGAS (AP) -- Police said Monday they have a warrant for a 26-year-old ex-convict identified as the prime suspect in a shooting and fiery crash that killed three people last week on the Las Vegas Strip.

"We can say with certainty that Ammar Harris is the suspect who fired the fatal shots," Las Vegas police Capt. Chris Jones told reporters at an afternoon update about a manhunt that he said would be advertised on southern Nevada billboards.

WHITE HOUSE STEPS UP CAMPAIGN TO AVOID SPENDING CUTS

(Reuters) - The White House escalated a campaign on Monday to convince Americans dire consequences await if government spending cuts go ahead on March 1, warning of a slowdown in global trade, a stalled fight against cancer and Alzheimer's disease and compromised security at U.S. borders.

At the same time, prominent Republicans said President Barack Obama was overstating the potential damage of the $85 billion in government-wide cuts to frighten the public.

The Morning Report -- Monday February 11 2013

Thousands Stranded After Storm -- Senator To Stall Nominations -- Drones To Be Used By LAPD -- Apple's Latest Invention -- Gen. Dunford Becomes US Commander -- Phillipine Town Mourns Crocodile -- Tornado Strikes Southern Mississipi -- Obama Girds For State Of The Union -- Budget Cuts Certain -- CISPA Returns

THOUSANDS STRANDED AND IN DARK AFTER 'NEMO'

Associated Press

Grabbing shovels large and small, residents and emergency workers across the Northeast struggled to dig out on Sunday after a gigantic midwinter storm left much of the region buried under drifting snow.

City streets resembled ski slopes or mountain passes, with cars and even some houses obscured by a thick blanket of white. More than three feet of snow fell in parts of Connecticut, and more than two feet accumulated on Long Island and in Massachusetts, where the storm caused coastal flooding that forced evacuations.

SENATOR GRAHAM VOWS TO STALL NOMINATIONS UNTIL MORE INFORMATION COMES ON BENGHAZI

Associated Press

WASHINGTON -- A leading Republican senator said Sunday that he will hold up Senate confirmation of President Barack Obama's nominees to head the Pentagon and the CIA until the White House provides more answers about the Sept. 11 attack against a U.S. installation in Benghazi, Libya.

Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina accused the White House of "stonewalling" requests to release more information about the attack, which killed four Americans, including the U.S. ambassador to Libya. "We're going to get to the bottom of Benghazi," he told CBS' Face the Nation.

US TO USE DRONES IN CHRIS DORNER MANHUNT

Yesterday, as a task force of 125 officers, some riding Snowcats in the rugged terrain, continued their search, it was revealed that Dorner has become the first human target for remotely-controlled airborne drones on US soil.

A senior police source said: “The thermal imaging cameras the drones use may be our only hope of finding him. On the ground, it’s like looking for a needle in a haystack.”

Asked directly if drones have already been deployed, Riverside Police Chief Sergio Diaz, who is jointly leading the task force, said: “We are using all the tools at our disposal.”

APPLE WORKING ON 'SMART' WATCH

Apple Insider

Dick Tracy had one. As did Inspector Gadget and James Bond. A watch that doubled as a computer, two-way radio, mapping device or television.

Though such a device has been lost to science fiction comics and spy movies of the era before smartphones, the smart watch might soon become a reality, in the form of a curved glass device made by Apple.

In its headquarters in Cupertino, Calif., Apple is experimenting with wristwatch-like devices made of curved glass, according to people familiar with the company’s explorations, who spoke on the condition that they not be named because they are not allowed to publicly discuss unreleased products. Such a watch would operate on Apple’s iOS platform, two people said, and stand apart from competitors based on the company’s understanding of how such glass can curve around the human body.

GEN. JOSEPH DUNFORD BECOMES U.S. COMMANDER IN AFGHANISTAN

Getty Images

KABUL, Afghanistan — Gen. Joseph F. Dunford Jr. took over Sunday as the newest and probably last U.S. commander in Afghanistan, charged with ending America's longest war even as insurgents continue to challenge the U.S.-backed Afghan government.

Dunford, a four-star Marine officer, arrives as the U.S.-ledNATO coalition has closed three-quarters of its 800 bases and as it watches to see whether the Afghan security forces it trained can keep the Taliban insurgency at bay.

PHILLIPINE TOWN MOURNS DEATH OF LARGEST CAPTIVE CROCODILE

Associated Press

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — The world's largest saltwater crocodile in captivity has died, sending villagers to tears in the backwater southern Philippine town that had started to draw tourists, revenue and development because of the immense reptile.

The crocodile had been blamed for deadly attacks on people before it was captured in 2011 and sent to live at an eco-tourism park that was built to house the giant. The reptile quickly became a star attraction of marshy Bunawan, a far-flung town of 37,000 people in Agusan del Sur province about 515 miles southeast of Manila.

TORNADO RAKES ACROSS SOUTHERN MISSISSIPPI

Reuters

(Reuters) - A swarm of tornadoes tore through several counties in southern Mississippi and Alabama on Sunday, injuring at least 10 people and ripping apart hundreds of homes and other buildings, including parts of the University of Southern Mississippi, authorities said.

The Forrest County seat of Hattiesburg, Mississippi, and the adjacent town of Petal, both about 100 miles southeast of Jackson, the state capital, bore the brunt of storms that struck less than an hour before dark.

OBAMA GIRDS FOR STATE OF THE UNION, REPUBLICANS DO TOO

Associated Press

It’s unlikely that anybody will shout “You lie!” at President Obama as he delivers his State of the Union speech this week (unless it’s at home in front of the TV). Rep. Joe Wilson (R) of South Carolina had to apologize and he was formally reprimanded by the House of Representativeswhen he did that during a joint session of Congress the President was addressing in 2009.

But Mr. Obama will face a tough crowd Tuesday night – at least among Republicans, who still control the House and have filibuster power in the Senate – as he lays out his plans for job creation and economic growth at a time when unemployment remains high.

AUTOMATIC BUDGET CUTS ARE ALMOST CERTAIN

Associated Press

WASHINGTON — In less than a month, a budget ax is set to fall on the federal government, indiscriminately chopping funding for the military and slicing money for various programs, including preschools and national parks.

The $85 billion in cuts that would take effect from March 1 through September — the first installment of $1.2 trillion in reductions over the next decade — would strike just about every agency and service in an attempt to ease the budget deficit.

PRESIDENT OBAMA SET TO ENACT CYBER SECURITY ORDER AS CONGRESS REVIVES CISPA

Bloomberg is reporting that the White House plans to introduce an executive order on cybersecurity sometime after next week's State of the Union address. The order, which has been in the works for months at this point, would arrive after several high-profile attacks have highlighted the danger posed by online threats. Just last week, the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times revealed they'd been the victims of attacks — thought to have originated in China — while Twitter announced it could have had as many as 250,000 user accounts compromised.

According to the report, the order will set up a set of voluntary cybersecurity standards that companies operating important US infrastructure will be able to participate in. Federal agencies will be encouraged to adopt the new protocols into existing regulations, and as expected, the order will instruct the government itself to share information about potential threats with companies in the private sector.

Read more here: http://www.star-telegram.com/2013/02/10/4612488/senator-vows-to-stall-nominations.html#storylink=cpy

The Morning Report -- Saturday February 9, 2013

Boeing To Get Flight Test -- Stocks Soar On Optimism -- Mass. Nuclear Power Plant Loses Power -- Panetta Retires, Hagel Waits -- White House Warns Of Sequestration -- Asteroid Approaches Earth -- Hunt For LAPD Cop Hindered By Snow --  Nemo Strikes Northeast United States

BOEING 787 DREAMLINER  FLIGHT TEST TODAY

Boeing will begin flight tests of its 787 Dreamliner on Saturday morning to gather data on the battery system that has caused the in-service 787 fleet to be grounded, according to an inside source.

The plane that will fly Saturday is Dreamliner No. 5, one of six planes filled with measuring equipment that was used in the flight tests for the 787’s original Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) certification.

Ground tests were successfully completed on the jet Friday.

On Thursday, the FAA granted Boeing’s request to do test flights specifically to gather data on the battery performance in flight.

The FAA has imposed strict operating conditions on the test flights, requiring preflight inspections and in-flight monitoring of the battery system.

STOCKS END HIGH FOR SIXTH STRAIGHT WEEK

Reuters

(Reuters) - The Nasdaq composite stock index closed at a 12-year high and the S&P 500 index at a five-year high, boosted by gains in technology shares and stronger overseas trade figures.

The S&P 500 also posted a sixth straight week of gains for the first time since August.

The technology sector led the day's gains, with the S&P 500 technology index .SPLRCT up 1.0 percent. Gains in professional network platform LinkedIn Corp (LNKD.N) and AOL Inc (AOL.N) after they reported quarterly results helped the sector.

MASSACHUSETTS NUCLEAR POWER PLANT LOSES POWER

PLYMOUTH, Mass. — The Nuclear Regulatory Commission says a power plant in Massachusetts has lost power and shut down during a massive snowstorm.

The NRC says the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Plant in Plymouth experienced an automatic shutdown at around 9:15 p.m. Friday after losing off-site power. Spokesman Neil Sheehan says the plant has declared an unusual event, which is the lowest level of emergency classification.

Sheehan says that the reactor shut down without any problems and that backup generators are powering plant equipment.

The NRC says there’s no threat to public safety.

The shutdown came as a major snowstorm began clobbering the New York-to-Boston corridor, knocking out power to more than 300,000 customers in Massachusetts.

PANETTA RETIRES WHILE SUCCESSOR AWAITS VOTE

Reuters

(Reuters) - President Barack Obama bade a fond farewell to retiring Defense Secretary Leon Panetta at a ceremony on Friday and voiced strong support for his nominated successor, Chuck Hagel, who was attacked by Republicans at a contentious Senate confirmation hearing last week.

Panetta, in his 19 months as Pentagon chief, ended the ban on women serving in front-line combat roles and oversaw the integration of gays and lesbians serving openly in the military. The Iraq war ended and the lastAfghanistan "surge" troops came home on his watch.

But he may be remembered most for his work before he came to the Pentagon in July 2011, as the CIA director who helped oversee the raid earlier that year that killed Osama bin Laden.

WHITE HOUSE WARNS OF "DAMAGING" SEQUESTRATION SPENDING CUTS

Reuters

(Reuters) - The White House said on Friday that government spending cuts due to take effect March 1 would have harsh consequences for ordinary Americans and the U.S. economy, seeking to turn up pressure on Congress to come up with a plan to avoid what Washington calls "sequestration."

President Barack Obama said the spending cuts could weaken U.S. military preparedness.

"There is no reason, no reason for that to happen," Obama said at a farewell ceremony for Defense Secretary Leon Panetta.

"Putting our fiscal house in order calls for a balanced approach, not massive, indiscriminate cuts that could have a severe impact on our military preparedness," he said.

ASTEROID TO NARROWLY MISS EARTH

NASA

Astronomers are keeping a wary eye on a large asteroid expected to narrowly miss hitting Earth next Friday in the closest known approach of a dangerous cosmic object since NASA started tracking such debris.

National Aeronautics and Space Administration experts who plotted its trajectory are confident that the primordial rock, weighing an estimated 130,000 metric tons, will pass within "a remarkably close distance" of Earth, nearer than many orbiting communications satellites but far enough away to safely speed past the planet.

HUNT FOR LA COP LEADS TO SNOWY MOUNTAINS

BIG BEAR LAKE, Calif. –  The hunt for Christopher Dorner in the snow-covered San Bernardino Mountains is expected to resume at daybreak Saturday, when authorities hope clearer skies will allow airplanes to help them in their search.

Relentless snowfall on Friday grounded helicopters with heat-sensing technology and hampered their effort to find the former Los Angeles police officer suspected of going on a deadly rampage to get back at those he blamed for ending his career.

NORTHEAST SNOWED IN AS 'NEMO' HITS

BuzzFeed

BOSTON — A massive storm packing hurricane-force winds and blizzard conditions is sweeping through the Northeast, dumping nearly 2 feet of snow on New England and knocking out power to more than a half a million customers.

More than 23 inches of snow had fallen in parts of central Connecticut by early Saturday, and more than 21 inches covered Randolph in southeastern Massachusetts.

The National Weather Service says up to 3 feet of snow is expected in Boston, threatening the city's 2003 record of 27.6 inches.

1-2 Inches Per Hour In New York and New England

Power outages are predicted and flights are being cancelled as the Northeast prepares for a possible record setting storm.

City officials up and down the northeastern United States are bracing for the storm, readying fleets of plows and salt trucks to keep streets clear. Meanwhile airport officials advised travelers to reschedule flights ahead of the storm.

The National Weather Service said Boston could get 18-24 inches of snow on Friday and Saturday. This will be Boston's first heavy snowfall in two years. Light snow is expected to begin falling around 7am EST on Friday with heavier snows and winds gusting as high as 60-75 mph as the day goes on.

"It's the afternoon rush hour time frame into the evening and overnight when the height of the storm will be," said Kim Buttrick, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Taunton, Massachusetts 

Cities from Hartford, Connecticut to Portland, Maine expected to see at least a foot of snow. 

The Morning Report -- Friday February 8th, 2013

Manhunt Underway For Cop Killer -- The New Obama -- Bush Family Emails Hacked -- Blizzard Hits North East -- Gun Control Compromise -- Physician-Assisted Suicide

CALIF. AUTHORITIES HUNT SUSPECTED COP KILLER; TRUCK FOUND

A truck found abandoned and burning near a Southern California ski area belonged to a fugitive former Los Angeles police officer suspected in three murders, authorities confirmed Thursday afternoon, as thousands of officers searched for the suspect across three states and into Mexico.

The suspect has been identified as Christopher Jordan Dorner, 33, and he is considered extremely dangerous and armed with multiple weapons, authorities say. He is accused of killing a college basketball coach and her fiance last weekend, then following through on a vow to kill police by opening fire Wednesday night on three officers, killing one.

The killings appear to be retaliation for his 2008 termination from the Los Angeles Police Department for making false statements, authorities say. Dorner posted an online manifesto that warned, "I will bring unconventional and asymmetrical warfare to those in LAPD uniform whether on or off duty."

SOME DEMOCRATS SAY OBAMA IS A NEW MAN

Va. Feb 7 (Reuters) - Democrats in Congress have always had some gripes with their president, Barack Obama. He doesn't call. He doesn't schmooze. He's not tough enough with Republicans.

But this year, the complaints, as well as the complainers, are fewer than ever, with some of his old critics confessing that they're starting to come around.

That's the message from the annual retreat in suburban Virginia of Democratic members of the House of Representatives.

"I really like this new man," said Democratic Representative Louise Slaughter of New York, one of those who during Obama's first term thought he was too compromising.

BUSH FAMILY EMAILS HACKED

Getty Images

An investigation has been launched into how a hacker managed to access the email accounts of the former US president George HW Bushand members of his family.

A number of Bush family photographs and personal emails were posted online by the hacker, who goes by the name of Guccifer.

According to the Smoking Gun website, the emails – which were sent between 2009 and 2012 – contain details about the state of the former president's health as well as the home addresses, mobile phone numbers and email addresses of dozens of members of the Bush family.

It also reports that Guccifer claims to have hacked "hundreds of accounts" and is well aware "the Feds" are investigating him.

NEW ENGLAND BRACES FOR BLIZZARD

BOSTON (AP) -- A storm poised to dump up to 3 feet of snow from New York City to Boston and beyond beginning Friday could be one for the record books, forecasters warned, as residents scurried to stock up on food and water and road crews readied salt and sand.

Before the first snowflake had fallen, Boston, Providence, R.I., Hartford, Conn., and other towns and cities in New England and upstate New York towns canceled school Friday, and airlines scratched more than 3,700 flights through Saturday, with the disruptions from the blizzard certain to ripple across the U.S.

SENATORS SEEK COMPROMISE ON GUN CONTROL

A bipartisan quartet of senators, including two National Rifle Association members and two with "F" ratings from the potent firearms lobby, are quietly trying to find a compromise on expanding the requirement for gun-sale background checks. 

A deal, given a good chance by several participants and lobbyists, could add formidable political momentum to one of the key elements of President Obama's gun control plan. Currently, background checks are required only for sales by the nation's 55,000 federally licensed gun dealers, but not for gun shows, person-to-person sales or other private transactions. 

PHYSICIAN ASSISTED SUICIDE PUSH UNDERWAY IN SIX STATES

HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) - A push for the legalization of physician-assisted suicide is under way in a half-dozen states where proponents say they see strong support for allowing doctors to prescribe mentally competent, dying individuals with the medications needed to end their own lives.

Continue reading

The large number of baby boomers facing end-of-life issues themselves is seen to have made the issue more prominent in recent years. Groups such as Compassion & Choices, a national end-of-life advocacy organization, have been working to advance the cause.

The Morning/Afternoon Report -- Saturday February 2, 2013

Punxsutawney Phil Predicts Weather -- North Korea Threats -- Obama Fires A Gun -- Contraception Opt-Out Offer -- France Moves Towards Marriage Equality

PA GROUNDHOG PREDICTS EARLY SPRING

Photo: Gene J. Puskar

PUNXSUTAWNEY, Pa. (AP) — An end to winter's bitter cold will come soon, according to Pennsylvania's famous groundhog.

Following a recent stretch of weather that's included temperatures well below freezing as well as record warmth, tornadoes in the South and Midwest and torrential rains in the mid-Atlantic, Punxsutawney Phil emerged from his lair Saturday in front of thousands but didn't see his shadow.

Legend has it that if the furry rodent sees his shadow on Feb. 2 on Gobbler's Knob in west-central Pennsylvania, winter will last six more weeks. But if he doesn't see his shadow, spring will come early.

NORTH KOREA THREATENS US OVER ROCKET LAUNCHES

Reuters

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea is threatening to retaliate for what it calls U.S. double standards over recent rocket launches by Pyongyang and U.S. ally Seoul.

A North Korean Foreign Ministryspokesman did not elaborate on what that might entail in his comments Saturday to the official Korean Central News Agency. But Pyongyang has recently threatened to conduct its third nuclear test in response to what it calls U.S. hostility.

Washington says Seoul's rocket launch Wednesday had no military intent while Pyongyang's in December was a test of banned ballistic missile technology.

OBAMA FIRES GUN, JOINS PAST PRESIDENTS

http://www.seattlepi.com/news/us/article/AP-PHOTOS-A-look-at-US-presidents-holding-guns-4245654.php

CONTRACEPTION OPT-OUT OFFER

AP

The Obama administration on Friday offered an updated compromise to its requirement that employers cover contraception in workers' insurance plans, a step aimed at settling a yearlong contretemps over a mandate in the health-care overhaul.

The proposal is aimed at addressing the argument of Catholic bishops, along with religiously affiliated universities, hospitals and charities, that requiring employers to provide contraception violates their religious freedom. These objections sparked an election-year furor, along with a number of lawsuits seeking to void the requirement.

FRENCH GENERAL ASSEMBLY VOTES TO MAKE SAME-SEX MARRIAGE LEGAL

The French National Assembly, the lower house of France’s Parliament has voted in favour of making same-sex marriage legal.

The vote held on Saturday morning was 249 in favour with 97 deputies voting against. The majority of the support for the bill came from the left, with many centrist and conservative deputies from the UMP voting against making marriage equal.

Deputies voted on article one of the bill that redefines marriage as being an agreement between two people rather than just between a man and a woman. They also voted to open up adoption to same-sex married couples.