Obama’s approval in Pennsylvania falls amid economic concerns
Matthew Borghese – AHN News Contributor Harrisburg, PA, United States (AHN) – President Barack Obama is losing ground in the Keystone State, according to a poll released Thursday. Chief among statewide concerns are rising unemployment and America’s economic uncertainty. The late August survey conducted by the Center for Opinion Research at Franklin & Marshall College finds 53 percent of Pennsylvanians believe it is time for a change in the White House, with only 41 percent of voters saying Obama deserves a second term. Breaking down the results, 61 percent of Democrats would keep Obama in the Oval Office, but 61 percent of Independent voters would like to see a change. The survey finds 56 percent of men and 49 percent of women would turn Obama into a one-term president, yet 55 percent of Pennsylvania voters aged 18-34 would vote for a second term. Among service members, 64 percent of military veterans would vote for a new commander-in-chief. However, in head-to-head matches, Obama would easily defeat Republican challengers Mitt Romney (36% – 30%), Rick Perry (38% – 27%), Michelle Bachmann (42% – 23%) and Rick Santorum (39% – 31%). Article © AHN – All Rights Reserved
TSA worker pleads guity to conspiring with drug smugglers
Kris Alingod – AHN News Contributor Buffalo, NY, United States (AHN) – A Transportation Security Administration worker has pleaded guilty to helping suspected drug traffickers bypass airport screenings. Minnetta Walker admitted to one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States by interfering and obstructing TSA security measures. The 43-year-old was arrested in March the same day as the alleged narcotics smuggler she was helping, Derek Frank. According to prosecutors, Walker, a behavior detection officer for TSA at Buffalo Niagara International Airport, assisted Frank and other people in avoiding airport checks by leading them along security lines or waiting for them at the departure gate. Her efforts allowed Frank to travel under another name, to bypass the airport’s ticket document officer, who is responsible for checking passengers boarding an aircraft. In addition, Walker helped Frank avoid a body image scanner as well as a pat-down. On one occasion, she interfered with a screener’s ability to monitor Frank’s luggage. Under TSA policy, pat-downs are conducted following checkpoint alarms and if a person opts out of a full body scan. The agency, which is under the Department of Homeland Security, has been beleaguered by controversy, such as uproar over the removal of a 95-year old’s diaper and the pat-down of a 6-year-old girl. Frank is accused of conspiracy, engaging in a continuing criminal enterprise, possession with intent to distribute, and the distribution of 100 kilograms or more of marijuana. Waker also admitted to alerting two people, including suspected drug dealer Antonio Briggs, that authorities were conducting undercover surveillance of them. Walker was prosecuted as part of an ongoing probe by the TSA together with the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. “A federal employee who worked as a behavioral detection officer made the choice to interfere and obstruct security measures,” Christopher Piehota, special agent in charge of the FBI in Buffalo, said in a statement. “Her acts not only defrauded the government but also allowed others to further criminal acts of their own.” Article © AHN – All Rights Reserved
Manhunt underway for killer of California city councilman
Kris Alingod – AHN News Contributor Fort Bragg, CA, United States (AHN) – Authorities in California are searching for a suspect in the fatal shooting of a city councilman who was investigating a pot growing operation. An alert has been issued for Aaron Bassler, who is believed to have killed Jere Melo, a Fort Bragg city council, on Saturday. Melo, a forester and former mayor of his city, was surveying a private area adjacent to the Noyo River when he was shot. He was with a fellow coworker who survived the shooting and contacted police using a cell phone. A SWAT team was deployed over the weekend to hunt for Bassler, a transient from Fort Bragg. Mendocino county, which is leading a joint murder investigation together with other agencies, have warned residents that Bassler should be considered armed and dangerous. Melo was working as a security contractor for Campbell Timber Management at the time of the shooting. First hired as a forester in 1966 by the Union Lumber Company, he was in the area about 4 miles east of Fort Bragg in response to reports of a marijuana grow operation. “Jere was the best of us. No one gave more of himself to our community,” Fort Bragg Mayor Dave Turner said in a statement. Article © AHN – All Rights Reserved
President Obama departs Martha’s Vineyard early as island prepares for Hurrcane Irene
Diane Alter – AHN News Reporter Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusettes, United States (AHN) – President Obama cut his Martha’s Vineyard vacation short and left the island before noon today as the destination vacation spot prepares for Hurricane Irene. The weather on the island is hot, humid, sunny and a picture postcard of what many call paradise. But, the usually bustling streets this time of year were nearly deserted, the shops all but empty and the restaurants quiet as tourists left or attempted to head off island before the storm hits. Early this afternoon, the center of Hurricane Irene was located 300 miles southwest of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. The storm was packing winds of 100 miles per hour, and moving at a speed of about 14 mph. The center of the storm is expected to make landfall as a Category 2 hurricane early Saturday morning in eastern North Carolina, near Morehead City. Rain and wind will begin to pick up in eastern Virginia late tonight and into Saturday, and then move to Maryland, Delaware, southern New Jersey and parts of Pennsylvania. New York and the eastern part of New England are expected to encounter conditions never experienced by residents there before with destructive winds, flooding rains and storm surges that will cause coastal flooding. In New York City the entire mass transit system is preparing for a full shut down. The low-lying financial district around Wall Street is already making contingency plans ahead of Monday’s opening bell so that there will be no disruption in trading. On Martha’s Vineyard the lines at the Steamship Authority in Oak Bluffs and Vineyard Haven were long as many rushed to leave before Irene hit. First indications were for the island to receive a direct hit from the storm. Many wait listed their cars and sat in the hot sun hoping for a spot on any ferry they could get on to get off island. The King family from West Hartford, CT., were suppose to stay on the Vineyard until Tuesday but weren’t taking any chances. “We have been in line for five hours hoping to get our car on so we can leave. But from the looks of the cars ahead …
California senate panel approves shark fin ban
Kris Alingod – AHN News Contributor Sacramento, CA, United States (AHN) – The California Senate Appropriations Committee has passed a bill making it illegal to harvest shark fins despite opposition from Chinese-American groups. If approved by the full Senate, California would become the fourth state nationwide to ban a practice that has pushed some species to extinction. The committee voted 5-2 to move the bill authored by a Chinese-American, assemblyman Paul Fong, to the full floor next week. The measure adds a section to California’s Fish and Game Code prohibiting the possession, sale or distribution of shark fins beginning next year. Restaurants will be allowed to use their supplies of shark fin until the the first day of 2013. In addition, those who hold recreational or commercial licenses and scientific permits allowing them to possess sharks and fins are exempted from the new legislation. The Assembly, the other half of the state’s bicameral legislature, passed the bill in May by a 65-8 vote. State Sen. Leeland Yee, a Chinese-American who is running for mayor of San Francisco, has called the legislation the “latest assault on Asian cultural cuisine,” having fought off proposals seeking to ban frog and turtle consumption. Yee believes that a statewide ban on finning of all types of shark is the wrong approach. A Democrat with perfect 2010 environmental scorecards from the Sierra Club and Clean Water Action, he has called for stiffer penalties for illegal finning and stronger conservation efforts. The Asian Food Trade Association believes a ban on shark fin, and not on all shark-related commercial products, unjustly targets Asian culture. The Oriental Food Association (OFA) likewise opposes the bill, accusing proponents of encroaching on consumer rights and of portraying Chinese culture as wasteful. Taylor Chow, who is responsible for OFA public relations, explained on the group’s website that the use of shark fin is “the best example of Chinese culture in conservation” because no part of the animal is wasted. Passage of the measure would mark California, the largest market for fins outside Asia, as perhaps the most high-profile victory for conservationists on the issue of shark finning. Hawaii, Oregon and Washington state all passed legislation this year making finning illegal. The trend is also apparent worldwide, as Chile, the Bahamas, Honduras and the…
Congress to dissect Pentagon report on China’s military development
Tejinder Singh – AHN News Correspondent Washington, D.C., United States (AHN) – Congress is set to take a critical view of the ongoing military development in China as was evident from an initial statement released by the Armed Services Committee Chairman on Wednesday, following the release of the Department of Defense 2011 Annual Report to Congress regarding the Military and Security Developments Involving the People’s Republic of China. Citing the report as a “critical tool for members of Congress to understand the People’s Republic of China’s increasingly aggressive military modernization plan, Howard P. “Buck” McKeon, Chairman, Armed Services Committee in a statement noted two things. “First, Beijing’s increasing assertiveness and military capabilities, particularly China’s ability to deny access to the western Pacific, is of growing concern not only to the United States but to China’s neighbors, leading to changes in the military posture of regional actors,” with “significant consequences for the security and stability of the region,” the lawmaker said. “Second, China clearly believes that it can capitalize on the global financial crisis, using the United States’ economic uncertainty as a window of opportunity to strengthen China’s economic, diplomatic, and security interests,” the Congressman added. Earlier, the Pentagon expressed concern over regional tension brewing as China races to revamp and restructure its military without much transparency in the process according to the Pentagon yearly report submitted to Congress. Noting that the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) is on track to build a modern, regionally focussed military by 2020 with progress in several areas including new weapons systems and military exercise activities, the latest report included China’s security strategy and military strategy, developments in China’s military doctrine and force structure, developments in advanced technologies that would enhance China’s military capabilities and the security situation in the Taiwan Strait. Addressing journalists at the Pentagon, Michael Schiffer, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense said that the development was not only affecting Sino-U.S. relationship but also Beijing’s regional equations. One of the reasons for this, Sciffer said was “combination of lack of understanding created by opacity of the (Chinese) system. Beijing “could begin sea trials in 2011,” for the aircraft carrier it bought from Moscow although the carrier does not…
Number of TSA bomb-sniffing dogs rises to 800
Vittorio Hernandez – AHN News Washington, D.C., United States (AHN) – The number of bomb-sniffing dogs raised and trained by the U.S. Transportation Security Administration has more than quadrupled in the past 10 years. From less than 200 in 2001, the number has reached more than 800 canines. The TSA plans to add 200 more dogs every year. Scott Thomas, program manager of the TSA Canine Breeding and Development Center at Lackland Air Force Base, said that the program seeks to train more dogs as the TSA’s success in sniffing out bombs in airports, mass transit centers and armed forces has tremendously risen since 9/11. Part of the program involves genetic research on puppies to identify and nurture vital canine traits. In 2007, the TSA and Texas Department of Criminal Justice launched a program that allowed a select group of prisoners to care for puppies that will later be tapped as explosives detection dogs. Four TSA-bred puppies were housed in the Travis County State Jail in Austin for one year. The inmates were responsible for feeding, cleaning and socializing the puppies. Thomas then said that the jail is an ideal environment to socialize the puppy-trainees with different sights, sounds and smell similar to what they will encounter in a transportation environment. The training aims to prevent phobias from developing in the puppies. That could be achieved by requiring them to explore noisy gateways and aircraft, go underneath trains and be exposed to war zone which often abound with improvised explosive devices. Article © AHN – All Rights Reserved
Hikers in Iran get 8 years, U.S. reacts with humanitarian appeal
Tejinder Singh – AHN News Correspondent Washington, D.C., United States (AHN) – The United States on Saturday could not confirm reports about the sentences to two American hikers under detention in Iran getting eight years in prison but reiterated humanitarian appeal to Tehran to free them. In a statement released on Saturday, Victoria Nuland, U.S. State Department Spokesperson said, “We have seen reports that Iranian judicial authorities have sentenced Shane Bauer and Josh Fattal to 8 years in prison. We are working to confirm these reports and are in contact with the Swiss Protecting Power to obtain more information.” Citing Secretary Clinton as having said, “We continue to express our hope that the Iranian authorities will exercise the humanitarian option of releasing these two young men,” Nuland added, “We have repeatedly called for the release of Shane Bauer and Joshua Fattal, who have now been held in Iran’s Evin prison for two years. Shane and Josh have been imprisoned too long, and it is time to reunite them with their families.” Both the hikers along with Sarah Shourd were arrested on July 31, 2009 while hiking on the border region of Iraqi-Kurdish region and allegedly crossed into Iran illegally. Shourd was released on medical grounds while the other two have languished for two years in Iran and now have been sentenced to eight years in prison, according to the state-run Iranian TV on Saturday. The sentence to each is five years for espionage — specifically “cooperating with the American intelligence service” — and three years for illegal entry, the Iranian media IRINN reported. They have 20 days to appeal their sentence, which was handed down by the Revolutionary Court, Iranian media reported. Article © AHN – All Rights Reserved
Japan takes No. 1 spot, U.S. among top 10 countries with most debt
Citizens in the United States have spent a lot of time lately fretting about their national debt. But while the United States may owe plenty of money, they may not be in nearly as bad of shape as some of their peers. When gross public debt is considered as a percentage of a nation’s gross [...]
BART police website hacked but Anonymous mum on role
Kris Alingod – AHN News Contributor San Francisco, CA, United States (AHN) – The website of the union representing police officers of the Bay Area Rapid Transit was breached on Wednesday, but Anonymous, the hacker group that forced the shutdown of a BART website last week and led a rally on Monday, has not declared its support for the move. The site of the Police Officers’ Association was taken down and the email and home addresses of more than 100 officers were posted online. The information was no longer posted on Thursday. Some reports attributed the latest hacking to Anonymous but the group, which has in the past quickly touted their actions on their blog and Twitter account, was silent about whether they were in fact behind it. Records of an IRC chat show dissension in the group as they discuss the hacking with a non-member named Lamaline_5mg, who says the attack, his first successful attempt at hacking, was his “small contribution.” A reporter for New Jersey-based BlogTalkRadio who was part of the chat made clear on Twitter that Anonymous does not support the latest hacking. BART’s interim general manager, Shewood Wakeman, condemned the hacking as an “attack on the working men and women” of the agency. “We are deeply concerned about the safety and security of our employees and their families,” he said. “We stand behind them and our customers who were the subject of an earlier attack. We are deeply troubled by these actions.” The transit agency shut down myBART.org on Sunday after the site was hacked and the contact information of about 2,400 of 55,000 subscribers were posted online. Anonymous said the attack was “an attempt to show those engaging in the censorship what it feels like to be silenced.” It said the hacking showed how little effort BART put into securing the information of passengers. But some passengers unhappy with the release of their personal data accused the hacker group of violating their privacy. On Monday, Anonymous led a demonstration at Civic Center Station that was peaceful but ended with stranded commuters in chaos snd the temporary closure of four stations. The group is planning another rally on Monday. The demonstration was in response to the decision of BART to interrupt…