PERUGIA, Italy (CNN) -- A judge Tuesday convicted Rudy Guede, a native of the Ivory Coast, in last year's murder of a British woman in Italy and sentenced him to 30 years in prison. Briton Meredith Kercher was found dead in her Perugia apartment last November. Judge Paolo Micheli also ruled that adequate evidence exists to try an American woman, Amanda Knox, and her former Italian boyfriend, Raffaele Sollecito, in the killing of Meredith Kercher, said defense attorneys and Francisco Maresca, the lawyer for the victim's family. Their trial will begin December 4. Guede, Knox and Sollecito have all denied wrongdoing. Guede's attorney said he will appeal the conviction and sentence. Kercher, a 21-year-old exchange student at the University of Perugia, was found nearly a year ago, dead in her bed, with a knife wound to her neck. Official reports said Kercher may have been sexually assaulted before she died and that she bled to death. Members of Kercher's family spoke to reporters following the court proceeding. John Kercher Jr., one of the woman's brothers, said it was "overwhelming" to be in the same room as Guede when the judge convicted and sentenced him. But Lyle Kercher, a second brother, said that "pleased" wasn't the right word for the family's feelings, noting that his sister was murdered. "Satisfied" was more appropriate given the circumstances, he said. At his lawyers' request, Guede, hoping for a lesser sentence, received a separate fast-track trial from Knox and Sollecito. Lawyers for Sollecito, 24, and Knox, 21, asked that their clients -- who have been in jail since shortly after the murder -- be allowed to stay under house arrest if indicted. However, Sollecito's attorney, Luca Maori, and Knox's attorney, Carlo Dalla Vedova, said the judge had not ruled on their request. They expect an answer in coming days, they said. Prosecutors allege Guede committed sexual violence against Kercher with the help of Knox and Sollecito. They have said the three then strangled and stabbed the British student and took money, credit cards and cell phones in an attempt to make it look like the crime occurred during a robbery. Guede has admitted being in the villa when Kercher was killed, but has said an unknown assailant killed her while he was out of the room. Police say a bloody footprint from a shoe next to Kercher's body came from Sollecito. They also say investigators found traces of blood belonging to both Knox and Kercher mixed together in a bathroom adjacent to the room where Kercher died. Both Knox and Sollecito have given what prosecutors have said are confusing and contradictory accounts of what happened the night Kercher was killed. CNN's Hada Messia contributed to this report.

What is the name of the murdered British student?

The man was sentenced to how many years in jail for murder?

When was she found dead in Italian villa?

Answer: found dead

Answer: Meredith Kercher

Answer: Briton Meredith Kercher

Answer: 30

Answer: 30

Answer: last November.

Answer: 30 years

Answer: Meredith Kercher

Summary:
NEW: Man sentenced to 30 years jail for murder of British student Meredith Kercher .
Judge orders two others, one American, one Italian to stand trial for alleged roles .
Kercher was found dead in Italian villa last November .
Prosecutors say the three killed her after sexual assault .


PESHAWAR, Pakistan (CNN) -- As a little girl, Maria Toor Pakay would beat up boys. Maria Toor Pakay has overcome unusual adversity to rank among the world's top 100 squash players. Now, she dispenses of anyone who takes her on within the walls of a squash court. Pakay, 18, is Pakistan's No. 1-ranked women's squash player. But what makes her story remarkable is that she hails from the country's tribal region of South Waziristan. The region, along the border with Afghanistan, is home to the Taliban. There, suicide attacks are a way of life. And the militants, bent on imposing a strict form of Islamic law, punish girls who attend school -- let alone play sports. "They have no future," Pakay said. "They spend their entire lives in four walls in their home. Their ability is destroyed." But Pakay wasn't like most girls growing up. She sported a buzz cut and mixed with the boys. "If someone argued with me, I used to beat them up," she said. "I wanted them to obey me all the time." Her father, Shams-ul-Qayum Wazir, knew early on that his daughter was different. "I didn't want her talent to go to waste," he said. "If I would've kept her in the village, all she could do was housekeeping."  Watch Pakay talk about her life's mission » So, Wazir packed up the family and moved to Peshawar, the capital of the North West Frontier Province. Here, Pakay picked up the racquet and swatted down the competition with ease -- first winning the Under-13 championship, then the Under-15, then the Under-17. In squash, players take turns hitting a ball to the front wall of a court, until one misses. Pakay, it turned out, rarely did. "I thought nobody could beat me," she said. "From the beginning when I played squash, I thought I could be a world champion." Today, despite the lack of a sponsor and few resources, Pakay has gone pro -- and is ranked 91st in the world. Her father's sacrifice, she said, made her success possible. "I think I have a great father -- so broad-minded," she said. For his part, Wazir -- a teacher -- was more circumspect. "I sacrificed because I want to promote a message of peace," he said. "If the tribal people pick up a racquet instead of a gun, there would be peace."

What country does Maria Toor Pakay hail from?

What is Maria Toor Pakay's world ranking?

Answer: South Waziristan.

Answer: 91st

Answer: Pakistan's No. 1-ranked women's squash player.

Summary:
Maria Toor Pakay, 18, is Pakistan's No. 1-ranked women's squash player .
She hails from the country's tribal region of South Waziristan, home to the Taliban .
There, militants impose strict Islamic law, punish girls who even attend school .
Despite risks, lack of a sponsor, Pakay has gone pro, is ranked 91st in the world .


PESHAWAR, Pakistan (CNN) -- Twenty well-behaved boys sit on the floor in two rows, quietly eating a humble lunch of flat bread, water and beans. The "lost boys" of Swat enjoy a humble lunch of flat bread, water and beans. Their hair is neatly combed and they are dressed in spotless Pakistani shalwar kamiz long shirts and baggy trousers. These boys are orphans, and they are lucky to be alive. "Sir, it was very dangerous," explained 15-year-old Mohammad Nawaz. Last Friday, Nawaz and his friends escaped from Pakistan's Swat Valley after their orphanage ended up on the front-line of the government's war with the Taliban. When hostilities resumed in Swat two weeks ago, Pakistani soldiers from nearby barracks commandeered the roof of the four-story orphanage in Swat's district capital, Mingora, to use it as a lookout. They built sandbag bunkers on the roof, and buried landmines in the orphanage's playground. Then, Taliban militants laid siege to the building. Nawaz said "many" insurgents armed with rocket launchers and Kalashnikov assault rifles surrounded the orphanage.  Watch more on the boys' ordeal » About 50 terrified orphans, accompanied by adult support staff, cowered in a back room on the ground floor. Shaken by the explosions and small-arms fire around their building, the older boys, some aged 16 and 17, tried to console the youngest children, some of whom are as young as seven. They were all crying. It wasn't until last Friday that the first batch of orphans were able to escape. "We had to ride on the roof of a bus," said 16-year old Mohammad Yusuf, a soft-spoken teenager with the beginnings of a beard appearing on his chin. After a creeping, traffic-choked, three-hour drive from Mingora, the boys and their teachers begged for a ride from a passing vegetable truck. Yusuf said the boys rode the rest of the way to Peshawar sitting in the back of a truck on bags of peas, stopping only when the truckers had to remove the cargo to have it washed.  Watch more on the situation in the Swat Valley » "When the peas were washed and loaded again, we all got wet," said Yusuf, laughing. Now the boys are relatively safe and receiving some counseling from therapists at a shelter in Peshawar provided by another Pakistani charity organization, the Dost Foundation. The children have seen more then their share of violence during two years of intermittent fighting around the Swat Valley. When asked about the worst moment two boys immediately responded "suicide bombers," making explosive gestures with their hands from their chests. Due to the orphanage's close proximity to a Pakistani army base in Mingora, the boys were often witnesses to the aftermath of Taliban attacks. In one incident a suicide bomber blew out all of the glass windows of the orphanage. Opinions were split among the boys about the Taliban. "They want Islam," said Nawaz, referring to the Taliban's demand for the imposition of Islamic sharia law across Pakistan. The proposal resonates with many Pakistanis, who are frustrated with corruption in the country's judicial system. "The Taliban dropped the price of public transport," Nawaz said, adding, "Plus they used to help sort out traffic jams."  Watch more on the refugee situation » "We are angry with the Taliban," argued Yusuf, the 16-year-old. "There is no rule in Islam that allows you to behead someone." Since the arrival of the boys in Pakistan's western city of Peshawar, social workers have been trying to help them relax. They spent the weekend playing cricket in the small yard of their half-way house, watching movies and on Sunday getting a tour of the city. Several boys said they were looking forward to seeing an airport for the first time in their lives. But orphanage director Muhammad Ali was wracked with worry about their future. Out of sight of the children, he broke

What did the boys do as the fighting raged outside?

What vehicles did the boys ride on to get to safety?

Who set up position in their building and mined the playground?

Answer: a lookout.

Answer: cowered in a back room on the ground floor.

Answer: the roof of a bus,"

Answer: Pakistan's Swat Valley

Answer: around the Swat Valley.

Answer: 50 terrified orphans, accompanied by adult support staff,

Answer: Pakistani soldiers

Summary:
Boys flee their Swat Valley orphanage after Taliban attack their home .
Army had set-up position in their building, mining the playground .
The boys cowered in a back room, as the fighting raged outside .
They eventually rode to safety on top of a bus and back of a vegetable truck .


PHILADELPHIA, Mississippi (CNN) -- James Young still remembers the Ku Klux Klan tormenting his neighborhood. He can still see his father holding a gun on the living room couch ready to shoot anyone who threatened his family. James Young poses with one of his young supporters after winning this week's election. Nothing about Young's childhood ever made him think he could be the mayor of Philadelphia, Mississippi, the town best known for the killings of three civil rights workers in 1964. That's the way it was for black kids growing up in this crucible of racial hostility -- big dreams were often squelched. Sitting on a sprawling Southern front porch this week, Young broke down in tears about what it means to be elected the town's first black mayor. "When you've been treated the way we've been treated," he told CNN, choking up and then pausing to wipe the tears from his face.  Watch tearful Young describe victory » For a moment, he couldn't speak. He then regrouped, "That's why it's so overwhelming to be a part of this history." This week, the 53-year-old Young was elected the mayor of Philadelphia, a town of about 8,000 in the east-central part of the state. Despite a 55 percent white majority, Young defeated Rayburn Waddell, a white, three-term incumbent, by the slim margin of 46 votes.  See where the town is located » Young described the victory as "an atomic bomb of change." Another resident rejoiced, saying Young's win symbolized the scab finally falling off this town's wound. "I couldn't even have wrote that in a fairy tale," Young said. "Who would have thought a little country boy like me would be mayor of Philadelphia, Mississippi?" Philadelphia was the site of one of the most notorious killings of the civil rights era. On June 21, 1964, three civil rights workers -- James Chaney, a 21-year-old black man from Mississippi; Andrew Goodman, 20, and  Michael Schwerner, 24, both activists from New York -- were shot to death at the edge of town. The killings inspired the 1988 movie "Mississippi Burning." "Philadelphia will always be connected to what happened here in 1964," said Jim Prince, the publisher of the Neshoba Democrat newspaper. "But the fact that Philadelphia, Mississippi, with its notorious past, could elect a black man as mayor, it might be time to quit picking on Philadelphia, Mississippi." Young knows his slim margin of victory means he still has to earn the trust of many more voters here. He knows there are still some in town who won't vote for him because he's black, but he says that number gets smaller and smaller as time passes. "We have some -- a very small pocket -- that will never change. That's what we've got to deal with," said Young. The mayor-elect says his election symbolizes a dramatic shift away from his hometown's racist past. And for many black residents, it means they can finally call this place home. "The places where we were locked out, I'm gonna have the key," he said. "The places we couldn't go, I've got the key. No better way to say it than that." He takes special pride that his victory comes the same year the nation swore in its first African-American president in Barack Obama. "It inspired people," Young said. "There are times and seasons, I think, for everything. The season arrived and the people let me know it was my time." The mayor-elect says he won by shaking hands and knocking on doors all over town. But the groundwork for Young's climb to the top of Philadelphia's political world started decades ago. Young was one of the first black students to integrate Philadelphia's white schools. After graduating from high school, he worked in a motor factory and then as a hospital housekeeper

Where did a black mayor recently get elected for the first time?

Answer: 46

Answer: James Young

Answer: 1964.

Answer: about 8,000

Answer: three civil rights

Answer: James Young

Answer: Philadelphia,

Answer: the killings of three civil rights workers in 1964.

Summary:
Philadelphia, Mississippi, elects first black mayor .
Town of 8,000 is best known for its notorious past, the killings of 3 civil rights workers .
James Young won election by 46 votes; the town has a 55 percent white population .
"When you've been treated the way we've been treated ... it's so overwhelming"


PHILADELPHIA, Pennsylvania (CNN)  -- If you're out of work like Steve Lippe, who was laid off from his job as a salesman in January, you know you already have problems. But looking at the fine print that came with his new unemployment debit card, he became livid. A brochure that goes out to Pennsylvanians seeking unemployment via debit card lists a number of fees. "A $1.50 [fee] here, a $1.50 there," he said. "Forty cents for a balance inquiry. Fifty cents to have your card denied. Thirty-five cents to have your account accessed by telephone." He was quoting fees listed in a brochure that goes out to every unemployed person in Pennsylvania who chooses to receive benefits via debit card. He was given the option when he filed for jobless payments: Wait 10 days for a check or get the card immediately. Like most of the 925,000 state residents who received unemployment benefits in February in Pennsylvania, he chose the debit card and only then, he says, did he learn about the fees. "I was outraged by it," he told CNN. "I was very noisy about it. I just couldn't believe it. An outrage is just too weak a word. It's obscene." According to the U.S. Department of Labor, 30 states offer direct deposit cards to the unemployed. Many of the nation's biggest banks have contracts with the individual states. JP Morgan Chase, for instance, has contracts with seven states and has pending deals with two others, according to Chase spokesman John T. Murray. About 10 states, the Labor Department says, pay by check only. The National Consumer Law Center says fees range from 40 cents to a high of $3 per transaction, if the debit card is used at an out-of-network ATM. Most banks give jobless debit card users one free withdrawal per deposit period, which averages every other week in most states. But consumer advocates, including the Law Center, say the unemployed "should be able to obtain cash and perform basic functions with no fees." A key Democratic member of the House Financial Services Committee, which oversees bank regulation and theTroubled Asset Relief Program (TARP), told CNN she agrees wholeheartedly. "Fees should not be attached to unemployment benefits that the taxpayers are paying to help Americans," Rep. Carolyn Maloney, D-New York, told CNN. "Particularly, these fees should not be attached by banks that are getting TARP money and are being supported by taxpayer dollars." CNN asked some of the major banks involved in the debit card program for a response. Spokesmen for JP Morgan Chase, Wachovia, Bank of America and Wells Fargo all directed us to the individual state governments for comment. The acting secretary of labor and industry for Pennsylvania is Sandi Vito. Via e-mail, her staff invited CNN reporters to Allentown, Pennsylvania, where she was taking part at a public meeting at an elementary school. Afterward, she said, she would answer questions about the debit card fees. But when the meeting ended, her staff said she was too busy to talk.  Watch Vito leave meeting in a hurry » Her spokesman, Troy A. Thompson, spoke with CNN after Vito left. "The distribution system for people getting their benefits has been improved by the use of debit cards, way above and beyond the distribution by check," he said. The U.S. Department of Labor provided what it called "talking points" to CNN when asked for comment on the fee structure. "States can do a better job negotiating fees with banks," the department said. "Many states have obtained terms far more favorable to claimants than those described in media reports." In addition, according to the talking points, the Labor Department said it was aware states are offering unemployment debit cards for good reasons: •  It is less expensive for claimants without bank accounts because they don't need to pay check cashing fees. • Claimants can use the card free at merchants and

Who says states can do better in negotiating with banks?

What is being offered in lieu of checks?

What's the benifits of debit cards over checks?

Answer: 30 states offer direct deposit cards to the unemployed.

Answer: U.S. Department of Labor

Answer: unemployment debit card,

Answer: "The distribution

Answer: cashing fees.

Summary:
Pennsylvania one of several states offering debit cards in lieu of checks for jobless .
Some who opted to go with debit cards outraged to get fees without notice .
State labor official says debit cards have greatly improved distribution system .
U.S. Department of Labor: States can do better in negotiating fees with banks .


PHILADELPHIA, Pennsylvania (CNN)  -- Wendell Potter says he is finished defending the insurance industry, which he says is "beholden to Wall Street." Wendell Potter once was a vice president in the public relations department for insurance giant Cigna. At a hearing last week before the Senate Commerce Committee, the former vice president of corporate communications at the insurance giant Cigna testified, "I know from personal experience that members of Congress and the public have good reason to question the honesty and trustworthiness of the insurance industry." The committee's chairman, Jay Rockefeller, D-West Virginia, told Potter, "You are better than Russell Crowe on 'The Insider,' " referring to the award-winning 1999 film about cigarette company executive Jeffrey Wigand, who blew the whistle on the tobacco industry's practices. In his testimony and during an interview with CNN, Potter described how underwriters at his former company would drive small businesses with expensive insurance claims to dump their Cigna policies. Industry executives refer to the practice as "purging," Potter said. "When that business comes up for renewal, the underwriters jack the rates up so much, the employer has no choice but to drop insurance," Potter said. CNN obtained a transcript of a 2008 Cigna conference call with investors in which company executives use the term "purge." But in an e-mail to CNN, Cigna spokesman Chris Curran denied the company engages in purging. "We do not practice that. We will offer rates that are reflective of the competitive group health insurance market. We always encourage our clients to compare our proposed rates to those available from other carriers," Curran wrote. Cigna had revenue of $19.1 billion in 2008, according to the company Web site. P "It was almost like an electrical jolt," Potter said. At the event, Potter took pictures of doctors offering free health care to the uninsured. "The volunteer doctors were seeing patients in barns, people in animal stalls," Potter said. "It changed it for me." He says he finally decided to quit in 2007 after Cigna's controversial handling of an insurance claim made by the family of a California teenager, Nataline Sarkysian. The Sarkysian family made repeated appeals at news conferences for Cigna to approve a liver transplant for the 17-year-old, who had leukemia. Cigna initially declined to cover the operation, then reversed its decision. Sarkysian died hours after the company's reversal. As Cigna's spokesman during the controversy, Potter had no role in the decision to deny coverage. But he was inundated with angry phone calls. "After she died, my voice mail and my e-mail inbox were just filled with messages from people who were just outraged, " Potter said. Now a senior fellow on health care for the nonpartisan watchdog group Center for Media and Democracy, Potter writes a blog on health care reform. In particular, he is keeping an eye on efforts to defeat legislation that would give Americans the option of joining a government health care plan, something he now supports. He says he witnessed how the insurance industry torpedoed health care reform efforts during the Clinton administration. "They conduct what I call duplicitous PR campaigns. They'll say what people want to hear," Potter says. "It's how they operate. You cannot trust these guys." Potter is also taking aim at some of the TV commercials aired by groups opposed to changes. One such ad caught Potter's eye. Run by the conservative organization Patients United Now, the ad says that "now, Washington wants to bring Canadian-style health care to the U.S." "Sometimes you'll see misleading information. And sometimes you'll see outright lies, like that [ad] is," Potter said, referring to the spot. Patients United Now spokeswoman Amy Menefee disagreed. "We're not saying there's a Canada health care act of 2009," Menefee said. "It is a trend. It's trending in that direction."

Which organization makes it hard to renew policies?

Who left the company after a teenager died awaiting a transplant?

Who says insurance companies are only out to please Wall Street investors?

When did the PR executive leave the company?

Answer: Cigna

Answer: Wendell Potter

Answer: Wendell Potter

Answer: 2007

Answer: insurance industry,

Summary:
Wendell Potter says insurance companies only out to please Wall Street investors .
Cigna would make it hard to renew policies for some expensive clients, he says .
Former PR executive left the company after teenager died awaiting transplant .
Cigna says it does not purge and encourages business to compare rates .


PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (CNN) -- Cambodia has sent a letter to the United Nations Security Council to call attention to its continuing standoff with Thailand over an ancient border temple on disputed land. Cambodian soldiers stand guard near Preah Vihear temple, close to the Thai border. The country is not asking for U.N. intervention, said Information Minister Kheu Kanharith. Rather, the letter that Cambodia's permanent mission in New York submitted to the chairmen of the Security Council and the General Assembly is meant to draw attention to a crisis that entered its sixth day Sunday. The two countries agreed to meet Monday to defuse tensions -- even as each side continued to amass more troops to the site of the Preah Vihear temple. Both Cambodia and Thailand lay claim to the 11th century temple, which sits atop a cliff on Cambodian soil but has its most accessible entrance on the Thai side. The International Court of Justice awarded the temple to Cambodia in 1962. Thailand claims, however, that the 1.8 square mile (4.6 sq. km) area around it was never fully demarcated. Thailand further says that the dispute arose from the fact that the Cambodian government used a map drawn during the French occupation of Cambodia that places both the temple and the surrounding area in that country's territory. Earlier this month, the United Nations approved Cambodia's application to have the temple listed as a World Heritage Site -- places the U.N. says have outstanding universal value. The decision re-ignited tensions, with some in Thailand fearing it will make it difficult for their country to lay claim to disputed land around the temple. Opposition parties in Thailand used the issue to attack the government, which initially backed the heritage listing. A Thai court overturned the pact, prompting the resignation of Thailand's foreign minister, Noppadon Pattama. He had endorsed the application. Cambodia, meanwhile, is preparing for general elections on July 27. And Prime Minister Hun Sen, who has been in power since the mid-1980s, has portrayed the U.N. recognition as a national triumph. The current flare-up began Tuesday, when Cambodian guards briefly detained three Thais who crossed into the area. Once they were let go, the three refused to leave the territory. Cambodia claims Thailand sent troops to retrieve the trio and gradually built up their numbers. Thailand denies the charge, saying its troops are deployed in Thai territory. Each side has asked its troops to withhold fire unless they are fired upon. So far, the only casualty has been a Thai soldier who was injured Tuesday by a landmine -- possibly left over from the time the Khmer Rouge occupied the area. The Khmer Rouge, a radical communist movement that ruled Cambodia from 1975 to 1979, won power through a guerrilla war. It is remembered for the deaths of as many as 1.5 million Cambodians. -- Journalist Soeum Yin contributed to this report

When did the two countries agree to meet?

Which country was awarded the temple in 1962?

Who awarded the temple to Cambodia in 1962?

What was the letter meant to draw attention to?

When was the temple awarded to Cambodia?

What is meant to 'draw attention to crisis'?

Who agreed to meet Monday to defuse tensions?

Answer: Cambodia and Thailand

Answer: Monday

Answer: an ancient border temple on disputed land.

Answer: continuing standoff with Thailand over an ancient border temple on disputed land.

Answer: Cambodia

Answer: Preah Vihear

Answer: Cambodia

Answer: two

Answer: The International Court of Justice

Answer: its continuing standoff with Thailand over an ancient border temple on disputed land.

Answer: 1962.

Answer: letter that Cambodia's permanent mission in New York submitted

Answer: its continuing standoff with Thailand over an ancient border temple on disputed land.

Answer: Monday

Answer: Cambodia

Answer: Monday

Summary:
Cambodia: Letter to Security Council meant to 'draw attention to crisis'
The two countries agreed to meet Monday to defuse tensions .
Both Cambodia and Thailand lay claim to 11th century Preah Vihear temple .
The International Court of Justice awarded the temple to Cambodia in 1962 .


PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (CNN) -- Nearly 100 Thai soldiers crossed into Cambodian territory Wednesday near a disputed border temple that was the site of clashes last year, Cambodian officials said. Cambodian troops guard the Preah Vihear temple late last year amid heightened tensions with Thailand. The Thai army denied the claim. Thai soldiers crossed into the area of the 11th century Preah Vihear temple about 1:40 p.m., said Phay Siphan, secretary of the Cambodian Council of Ministers. The two sides did not fight and Cambodia has asked Thailand to pull back. Thai Army Col. Sansern Kaewkumnerd said the troop movement was part of a normal rotation and that Thai soldiers had not gone anywhere they were not permitted to be. For months last year, the two countries saber-rattled over the ancient temple. The nations differ on whether some territory around the temple forms part of Thailand or Cambodia. Both countries posted troops in the area after the United Nations in July approved Cambodia's application to have the temple listed as a World Heritage Site -- a place the United Nations says has outstanding universal value. The temple sits atop a cliff on Cambodian soil but has its most accessible entrance on the Thai side. The International Court of Justice awarded the temple to Cambodia in 1962. Thailand claims, however, that the 4.6 sq. km (1.8 square mile) area around it was never fully demarcated. Thailand says the dispute arose from the fact that the Cambodian government used a map drawn during the French occupation of Cambodia -- a map that places the temple and surrounding area in Cambodian territory. The United Nations' decision re-ignited tensions, with some in Thailand fearing it will make it difficult for their country to lay claim to disputed land around the temple. Last year's flare-up began July 15, when Cambodian guards briefly detained three Thais who crossed into the area. Once they were let go, the three refused to leave the territory. Cambodia claimed Thailand sent troops to retrieve the trio and gradually built up their numbers. Thailand denied that, saying its troops are deployed in Thai territory. -- CNN's Tim Schwarz in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, and Kocha Olarn in Bangkok, Thailand, contributed to this report.

Where are the Thai soldiers accused of crossing into?

Who claimed the soldiers had crossed into the area?

What temple is at the center of the debate?

What century is the Preah Vihear temple from?

Answer: Cambodian territory

Answer: Cambodian officials

Answer: Preah Vihear

Answer: soldiers had not gone anywhere they were not permitted to be.

Answer: 11th

Answer: Cambodian territory

Summary:
Official: Thai soldiers crossed into area of 11th century Preah Vihear temple .
The Thai army denied the claim by senior a Cambodian official .
Thai army said soldiers did not go anywhere they were not permitted to be .
Both countries claim territory around the temple belongs to them .


PHOENIX, Arizona  -- New England's failure to protect star quarterback Tom Brady proved the decisive factor as the Patriots flunked their chance of a perfect 19-0 season and Super Bowl glory. Brady is sacked by defensive end Michael Strahan in the third guarter of the Super Bowl. Brady has weaved his magic behind an all but impregnable offensive line all season but not on Sunday as he was sacked five times in the 17-14 defeat to the New York Giants. "They have some great pressure schemes, obviously some great pass rushers," Brady said. "Once we kind of got the idea of what we were doing, I thought we handled it much better, but we didn't get the ball in the end zone enough." Coming in, Brady had been sacked a career-low 24 times this season playing behind a line that produced three Pro Bowlers in Koppen, left tackle Matt Light and left guard Logan Mankins. Throw in right guard Stephen Neal and right tackle Nick Kaczur, and Brady played most of his record-breaking season not having to worry much about getting hit by bloodthirsty defenders. "I like when I don't get touched," Brady said earlier in the week. Then, disaster struck -- in the form of an all-out, pressure-packed swarming defensive attack by the Giants -- in the worst possible setting. It was the first time Brady had been sacked as many as five times since the New York Jets did it on Sept. 21, 2003. New England had no answer for the Giants' bulldozing defense. "If I could tell you, we'd have it fixed," running back Kevin Faulk said. "At the same time, they outplayed us." They sure did, and left Brady wondering what hit him. Brady simply had no time to find Randy Moss and his other targets on a regular basis against the Giants. With 19 seconds left in the game and the Patriots facing a do-or-die scenario, Brady was sacked for the final time when Jay Alford pulled him down at New England's 16-yard line. Brady was left with nothing to do but try two straight desperation heaves to Moss to no avail. "I think their intensity from the beginning snap to the end of the game was really higher than ours," Moss said. "We just couldn't meet that intensity." With help from their linemen, the Patriots set NFL records for points scored and total touchdowns, while Brady broke the league mark for TD passes and Moss set the record for scoring receptions. That high-powered offense was held to a season-low 14 points in the Super Bowl -- mostly because it couldn't get time. "They played well defensively," coach Bill Belichick said. "They've been able to rush. They led the league in sacks, they rushed all year. They are a good defensive football team. They played well." "We all could've done things better tonight," Brady said. E-mail to a friend

What number of times was Tom Brady sacked?

Answer: a perfect 19-0 season and Super Bowl glory.

Answer: Patriots

Answer: five

Answer: 17-14

Answer: New York Giants.

Answer: flunked their chance of a perfect 19-0 season and Super Bowl glory.

Summary:
New England quarterback Tom Brady sacked five times in Super Bowl loss .
Brady floored for the final time in dying moments of match in Phoenix .
Patriots were aiming for a record 19-0 season at the Super Bowl .


PHOENIX, Arizona (CNN)  -- Jaime Andrade had just gotten out of the shower when the men came to snatch him. Jaime Andrade was kept in this closet for three days without food or water, police say. His wife, Araceli Valencia, was mopping the kitchen in their family home on a typical warm spring morning in Phoenix, Arizona, "when she suddenly felt a hard object pointed to the back of her head and a voice in Spanish tell her not to move," according to a Phoenix, Arizona, police investigative report. "I told you not to look at me!" Valencia heard one of the kidnappers bark as he struck Andrade across the head. Her four children bawling, Valencia was hustled into a bedroom where an armed man fondled her and threatened to rape her if she didn't tell him where Andrade hid his money, according to the report. After beating and binding Andrade, one of the kidnappers put a gun to Valencia's head. His message: We're taking your husband and SUV. We'll be watching your house. If you call the cops, he's a dead man. Andrade, his wife would later tell police, was a mechanic and freelance human smuggler, or coyote. Police say his 2006 kidnapping was evidence of a growing trend in Phoenix: drug and human traffickers abducting each other for ransoms or retribution.  Watch why Phoenix is the hotspot » The trend continues, as police investigated roughly a kidnapping a day in 2007 and 2008 and are on track to shatter those numbers this year. Police are stingy with details of fresh cases navigating the court system, but recently allowed CNN to review the files from Andrade's kidnapping. For two and a half days after Andrade's abduction, the kidnappers -- including a man whom Andrade later said had been a friend -- deprived their victim of food and water. Through the door of the closet where he was held, Andrade could hear the cries of other victims being tortured in the house, the report said. Meanwhile, Valencia had defied the kidnappers and called police, who listened to Andrade "scream and howl in pain" over the phone as the kidnappers tried to cut off his ear and a finger. The torture would continue until Valencia came up with the ransom, the kidnappers told her.  Hear Andrade's wife plead with the kidnappers » They were true to their word. Andrade was pistol-whipped and beaten with a baseball bat and the butt of a rifle. The kidnappers tried to gouge out his eye and slashed open his left eyebrow. They burned his back as well -- presumably, police said, with a blowtorch found at the scene. Read how the next door neighbors knew nothing of this The blindfolded Andrade "could feel his pants and underwear being cut open by an unknown person," he told police. He was told to bend over and was beaten when he refused. "Jaime felt his legs being forced apart and heard Aldo say he was going to get his money," the report said. The kidnappers then sodomized him with a broomstick, a pair of scissors and a wooden dowel used to hang clothes in a closet. Kidnappers creative with coercion Ferocity is often a hallmark of the abductions taking place in this south Arizona city of 1.5 million that serves as a prime transshipment point for drugs and human cargo.  Watch how the kidnappers choose their targets » Phoenix police say they have yet to witness the level of violence -- the beheadings, the bodies shoved in drums -- that their counterparts are seeing in Mexico City or the border town of Juarez. "It gets close sometimes," said Lt. Lauri Burgett, who heads the Home Invasion and Kidnapping Enforcement squad. Kidnappers will smash their victims' fingers with bricks, snip their backs open with wire cutters, carve them up with knives or simply shoot them. "We've had them electrocuted. They set them in a tub with water and use kind of barbaric means and zap the tub. I think it was a battery hooked up," Burgett said.

who was kidnapped because of her neighbour?

Answer: Jaime Andrade

Answer: abducting each other for ransoms or retribution.

Answer: Jaime Andrade

Answer: police

Answer: Jaime Andrade

Answer: Jaime Andrade

Summary:
Phoenix police investigated 368 kidnappings in 2008, 357 in 2007 .
Human smuggler was tortured for days because kidnappers suspected he had cash .
Police say kidnappers cut, beat, shoot and electrocute victims to get their money .
Men kidnapped innocent 13-year-old girl after neighbor stole marijuana, police say .


PHOENIX, Arizona (CNN)  -- Noah Gotbaum told a Phoenix airport operator that his wife was distraught after being bumped from a flight and that her situation was a "medical emergency," not a case of "some lout who's just drank too much." Video shows Carol Ann Gotbaum being arrested at a Phoenix airport shortly before she died while in custody. His wife, Carol Ann Gotbaum, died in a police holding cell at the airport, apparently strangling herself as she tried to maneuver her way out of handcuffs that were secured behind her back. Police have released a video showing officers arresting the 45-year-old  woman at Phoenix's Sky Harbor International Airport just before she died on September 28. Phoenix Police Sgt. Andy Hill said: "Officers had no information ... that Ms. Gotbaum had traveled unescorted and alone from New York City to Phoenix, Arizona, in order to seek treatment for a substance abuse issue. "The officers had no knowledge of any of Ms. Gotbaum's personal issues. They had not been apprised of any calls from the family to the airport seeking to locate Ms. Gotbaum." Michael Manning, a Phoenix attorney whom Gotbaum's family has retained, told CNN Gotbaum was calm, sober, and committed to alcohol treatment when she arrived at the Phoenix airport that day. "By the time she reached the gate and found out she was denied boarding, she had a very, very strong emotional reaction to that, and we believe that that wasn't just a result of her being upset because of her determination to get well. We believe she may have been drinking," Manning said. According to the police report released Thursday, Gotbaum's husband, Noah, called the airport several times that day, trying to reach his wife or the airport police, telling them they didn't know the circumstances involving his wife, whom he described as suicidal. Noah Gotbaum on Thursday claimed his wife's body in Phoenix after an autopsy, and the body was to be returned to New York. In a statement Wednesday, police said they attempted to calm an irate Gotbaum before arresting her. They also said authorities had no idea of her "personal issues," including her plans to check into an alcohol treatment center. Sgt. Hill said Thursday that there were indications alcohol may have played a role in the incident. Toxicology tests administered during the autopsy would determine if that were the case, but results of such tests typically take weeks. Gotbaum, who was flying through Phoenix on her way to Tucson, became angry when she was denied access to her flight and argued with a gate attendant, police said. According to the police statement, Gotbaum "became agitated and loud" and threw her hand-held PDA, which shattered after narrowly missing a person. She then left the gate area, but the attendant summoned police. The video showed Gotbaum after she apparently had just left the gate area. She was by herself, standing in the middle of a concourse, doubled over, and she seemed to be screaming.  Watch how the arrest video answers some questions, raises others » The video contains no audio, but witnesses -- including a federal police officer -- said Gotbaum was "screaming at the top of her lungs, 'I'm not a terrorist, I'm not a terrorist,' " according to Sgt. Mike Polombo, who is investigating the death. In the video, Gotbaum backs away from an officer who reaches for her, and she becomes combative before dropping to the ground. With officers on the ground attempting to handcuff her, she continues to scream profanities, Polombo said. Gotbaum was placed in a holding room, and a female officer searched her, but she "continued to be uncooperative," the police statement said. "Ms. Gotbaum was handcuffed with her hands behind her back, and additionally those handcuffs were attached to a shackle that kept her attached to the bench," the report says. Phoenix police policy is that prisoners can be left alone in holding rooms as long as they are checked every

Was Carol Ann Gotbaum drinking before her arrest?

What did the police report say the husband's call to the airport was about?

Answer: Carol Ann Gotbaum being arrested at a Phoenix airport

Answer: We believe she may have been drinking,"

Answer: being bumped from a flight

Answer: 45-year-old

Answer: 45-year-old

Summary:
NEW: Family attorney says woman may have been drinking before arrest .
Husband called airport saying his wife was suicidal, police report says .
Video shows woman apparently yelling before officers approach her .
Carol Ann Gotbaum, 45, dies in custody September 28 at Phoenix airport .


PHOENIX, Arizona (CNN) -- "Always you have to run for your life," says Boo Htoo, who grew up in a refugee camp in Thailand just across the border from Myanmar. Boo Htoo and his family lived at the Maela Refugee Camp before being resettled in Phoenix, Arizona. Ethnic minorities still flee the repressive military regime in Myanmar, formerly Burma. Some 111,000 Myanmar refugees live in nine camps in Thailand, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. Htoo, now 29, recalls making the long trek with his parents to cross the border when he was about 5. "[It's] a very long way," he says. "We don't have a car, a plane. We don't have a bicycle to ride. My parents just take what they can carry, and then we started walking across the jungle, sleeping in the jungle." Htoo and his family are now resettled in Phoenix, Arizona. Thanks to Carolyn Manning and her Welcome to America Project, they got a warm welcome to the big city, complete with furnishings and household items for their first apartment and toys for his two young children. "That day that I have a lot of American friends in my apartment," recalls Htoo, "this is the day that I feel very happy." For Htoo, it was a remarkable transition from "a really hard life in the refugee camp." "They have a wire fence around the camp; they put soldiers around the fence," Htoo says. "You are not allowed to go outside to work. You don't have a chance to go to university even if you are willing to go. I cannot express the feeling of how difficult it is."  Watch Htoo tell his story » According to the International Rescue Committee, about 2.7 million refugees have been resettled in the United States since 1975, and 52,000 of those have been relocated to Arizona. Through her Welcome to America Project, Manning helps legal refugees being resettled to Phoenix by the United Nations. Since 2001, she and volunteers have provided furniture, clothing and support to more than 550 refugee families. Nominate your Hero at CNN.com/Heroes The first family Manning welcomed came to her attention in a local newspaper. Manning's brother-in-law Terence had died in the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in New York. The family in the newspaper was from Afghanistan and had lost a relative to the Taliban. Manning immediately saw a parallel. "Knowing that Terence was killed innocently and then seeing the Afghan family who had someone killed in their family, I started to make a connection between myself and that family," Manning recalls. "We lost a family member, too. The difference was we had a safe place that we lived -- and they had to flee their country." At a time when many Americans were putting up walls and shunning foreigners, Manning reached out to them. She and her family took up a collection of furniture for them -- and The Welcome to America Project was born. "They've been invited here," says Manning. "Everybody has a right to find a place where they belong. I want the refugees to feel that this is their home." The families assisted by The Welcome to America Project typically have languished in refugee camps for 10-12 years, says Manning, and come from countries including Iraq, Myanmar, Liberia, Somalia, Sudan, Nigeria and Bhutan -- places where they were often persecuted because of their race, religion or political views. "There are a number of different things they have to learn how to do when they first arrive," Manning says. "They've never seen buildings built like ours. They've lived in huts literally made out of bamboo, with leaves on top. There's a lot of transition for them."  Watch Manning describe the refugees' strikingly different backgrounds » Over the last seven years, Manning says, she's learned a lot from the refugees and finds herself looking at American customs

Who is a Mynamar refugee that the project has helped?

Where do America Project refugees resettle?

Answer: Thailand

Answer: Boo Htoo

Answer: Boo Htoo and his family

Answer: Phoenix, Arizona.

Answer: Phoenix, Arizona.

Answer: Carolyn Manning

Summary:
Welcome to America Project helps refugees being resettled in Phoenix, Arizona .
Carolyn Manning founded the group after relative died in September 11 attacks .
Myanmar refugee Boo Htoo among 550-plus families the project has helped .
Nominate your Hero at CNN.com/Heroes .


PHOENIX, Arizona (CNN) -- Basketball great Charles Barkley began serving a three-day sentence in Arizona's infamous Tent City on Saturday, jailed by the same sheriff whose autobiography he endorsed 12 years ago.

Charles Barkley bristled at the implication he should be wearing stripes instead of a red-and-bue sweatsuit.

"You come here when you screw up," Barkley said at a news conference hours after he reported at the Maricopa County jail. "I don't blame anybody for this situation but myself."

Barkley, 45, pleaded guilty last month to misdemeanor drunken-driving charges stemming from a New Year's Eve arrest after he left a Scottsdale, Arizona, nightclub.

A judge sentenced him to 10 days in jail, but his sentence was reduced in exchange for Barkley's attending an alcohol-awareness course.

At the news conference, Barkley sat next to Sheriff Joe Arpaio, the self-proclaimed "Toughest Sheriff in America." Arpaio is known for giving inmates old-fashioned, black-and-white-striped uniforms, making some of them live in tents and reinstituting chain gangs, even for women.

"I'm an equal incarcerator," Arpaio said of Barkley, who will be sleeping in one of the tents. "We don't discriminate."

He said Barkley has been "a gentleman, cordial."

"He's taking his medicine," Arpaio said. "I hope that something comes out of this."

In a free-wheeling news conference, Barkley spoke out against drunken driving, made some observations about President Obama ("Rush Limbaugh and a lot of jackasses are giving him a hard time right now") and commented on felony charges singer Chris Brown faces for allegedly beating his girlfriend, singer Rhianna.  Watch Barkley speak at news conference »

"I wish both of them the best, but it's never acceptable to hit a woman. Period," Barkley said.

Barkley wore a red-and-blue sweatsuit, not the black-and-white stripes that other inmates -- who watched the news conference through a chain-link fence --were wearing. Barkley said it's because he's on the jail's work-release program, and bristled at questions about it.

"None of the work-release people do that," he said. "But if y'all really, really want to put me as low as I can go, I can do that and make you feel better.

"I know when [someone is] famous, you like to see people humiliated."

Arpaio, who joked with Barkley over the pink underwear he routinely issues inmates, held up a copy of his 1996 book, "America's Toughest Sheriff." On its back cover, alongside endorsements by Limbaugh, Arizona Sen. John McCain and others, is one from Barkley.

"This man, Sheriff Joe Arpaio, is a role model for all Americans," Barkley wrote in the blurb.

Barkley is a basketball commentator for TNT, which like CNN is a Time Warner company. A star for the Philadelphia 76ers and Phoenix Suns, Barkley was named the NBA's Most Valuable Player in 1993 and inducted into its Hall of Fame in 2006.

For how long Barkley will stay at the prison?

Where Charles Barkley will be sentenced?

Did Barkley speaks out about drunken driving on the news conference?

Answer: three-day

Answer: Charles Barkley

Answer: Barkley, 45, pleaded guilty last month to misdemeanor drunken-driving charges stemming from a New Year's Eve arrest after

Answer: infamous Tent City

Answer: three-day

Answer: against

Answer: his medicine,"

Summary:
Charles Barkley begins serving 3-day jail sentence in Maricopa County, Arizona .
The jailer is the sheriff whose autobiography Barkley endorsed 12 years ago .
Barkley speaks out against drunken driving during topically diverse news conference .
"He's taking his medicine," Sheriff Joe Arpaio says of his famous inmate .


PHOENIX, Arizona (CNN) -- Basketball great Charles Barkley began serving a three-day sentence in Arizona's infamous Tent City on Saturday, jailed by the same sheriff whose autobiography he endorsed 12 years ago.

Charles Barkley bristled at the implication he should be wearing stripes instead of a red-and-bue sweatsuit.

"You come here when you screw up," Barkley said at a news conference hours after he reported at the Maricopa County jail. "I don't blame anybody for this situation but myself."

Barkley, 45, pleaded guilty last month to misdemeanor drunken-driving charges stemming from a New Year's Eve arrest after he left a Scottsdale, Arizona, nightclub.

A judge sentenced him to 10 days in jail, but his sentence was reduced in exchange for Barkley's attending an alcohol-awareness course.

At the news conference, Barkley sat next to Sheriff Joe Arpaio, the self-proclaimed "Toughest Sheriff in America." Arpaio is known for giving inmates old-fashioned, black-and-white-striped uniforms, making some of them live in tents and reinstituting chain gangs, even for women.

"I'm an equal incarcerator," Arpaio said of Barkley, who will be sleeping in one of the tents. "We don't discriminate."

He said Barkley has been "a gentleman, cordial."

"He's taking his medicine," Arpaio said. "I hope that something comes out of this."

In a free-wheeling news conference, Barkley spoke out against drunken driving, made some observations about President Obama ("Rush Limbaugh and a lot of jackasses are giving him a hard time right now") and commented on felony charges singer Chris Brown faces for allegedly beating his girlfriend, singer Rhianna.  Watch Barkley speak at news conference »

"I wish both of them the best, but it's never acceptable to hit a woman. Period," Barkley said.

Barkley wore a red-and-blue sweatsuit, not the black-and-white stripes that other inmates -- who watched the news conference through a chain-link fence --were wearing. Barkley said it's because he's on the jail's work-release program, and bristled at questions about it.

"None of the work-release people do that," he said. "But if y'all really, really want to put me as low as I can go, I can do that and make you feel better.

"I know when [someone is] famous, you like to see people humiliated."

Arpaio, who joked with Barkley over the pink underwear he routinely issues inmates, held up a copy of his 1996 book, "America's Toughest Sheriff." On its back cover, alongside endorsements by Limbaugh, Arizona Sen. John McCain and others, is one from Barkley.

"This man, Sheriff Joe Arpaio, is a role model for all Americans," Barkley wrote in the blurb.

Barkley is a basketball commentator for TNT, which like CNN is a Time Warner company. A star for the Philadelphia 76ers and Phoenix Suns, Barkley was named the NBA's Most Valuable Player in 1993 and inducted into its Hall of Fame in 2006.

For what length of time is the sentence?

Answer: misdemeanor drunken-driving charges

Answer: three-day

Answer: Tent City

Answer: Joe Arpaio,

Summary:
Charles Barkley begins serving 3-day jail sentence in Maricopa County, Arizona .
The jailer is the sheriff whose autobiography Barkley endorsed 12 years ago .
Barkley speaks out against drunken driving during topically diverse news conference .
"He's taking his medicine," Sheriff Joe Arpaio says of his famous inmate .


PHOENIX, Arizona (CNN) -- President Obama took a brief hiatus from his health care push on Monday, promising increased help for America's war veterans in dealing with life after combat. More money will be spent to treat and screen war veterans for post-traumatic stress and brain injuries, Obama says. Obama, speaking to the Veterans of Foreign Wars convention in Phoenix, said his government will always honor military service and never abandon what he called true American heroes. Obama promised increased spending to help war veterans cope with post-traumatic stress and traumatic brain injury, calling those "the defining injuries of today's wars." "So, caring for those affected by them is a defining purpose of my budget -- billions of dollars more for treatment and mental-health screening to reach our troops on the front lines and more mobile and rural clinics to reach veterans back home," Obama said. "We are not going to abandon these American heroes. We are going to do right by them." The president also repeated he intends to have all U.S. combat brigades out of Iraq by the end of August 2010, and all other U.S. troops out of that country by the end of 2011. The VFW and ladies auxiliary delegates applauded when he promised to eliminate wasteful Pentagon practices that he said squander billions of dollars that would better be used for supporting U.S. troops and veterans. "This is not a Democratic issue or a Republican issue," Obama said. "It's about giving our troops the support that they need. And that's something that all Americans should be able to agree to." The crowd laughed when Obama cited one example of needless spending -- for a presidential helicopter that he said would enable him to cook a meal when the nation was under nuclear attack. "Now let me tell you something -- if the United States of America is under nuclear attack, the last thing on my mind will be whipping up a snack," he said. Overall, Obama was intent on cementing his support from a key voting demographic that generally tends to back conservative candidates. In a thinly veiled dig at the previous administration, he complained that U.S. forces were being used for far more tasks than fighting wars. While pledging to never hesitate "to use force to protect the American people or our vital interests," Obama also said any decision to deploy U.S. forces would be based on strategic necessity and "good intelligence." "And I will give you a clear mission, defined goals and the equipment and support you need to get the job done," he said to applause. The Obama administration has committed more resources and troops to Afghanistan to battle the insurgency and train Afghan security forces, while also sending additional diplomats and civilian aid workers to focus on reconstruction and development. Obama noted the mission includes providing security for this week's presidential election there. Gen. Stanley McChrystal, the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan, told The Wall Street Journal that he is still considering a request to send 10,000 more troops to Afghanistan in addition to the planned 68,000 troops who are expected to be in place by the end of the year. Obama made no mention of any troop levels for Afghanistan in his speech. His appearance before the VFW wrapped up his four-day swing through the West. The president has spent the past few days traveling through Montana and Colorado, where he held a series of town hall meetings to promote health care reform, his top domestic priority. He raised the health care issue in his speech to war veterans, pledging that their medical benefits would be untouched in any overhaul of the nation's health care system. "No one is going to take away your benefits. That is the plain and simple truth," Obama said in reference to what he called misinformation on the issue. CNN's Ivan Watson and Ed Henry contributed to this report.

Where will the convention of veterans?
what does the President promise?
who would benefit?
in what way would it help the veterans?

Answer: Phoenix,

Answer: increased help for America's war veterans in dealing with life after combat.

Answer: U.S. troops

Answer: dealing with life after combat.

Summary:
NEW: President promises more money to help veterans cope with postwar life .
NEW: Money would help with post-traumatic stress and traumatic brain injury .
Obama speaks to Veterans of Foreign Wars convention .


PICHER, Oklahoma (CNN) -- Powerful storms killed 22 people in three states over the weekend, including an Oklahoma mother who died while huddling over her child, authorities said. Her son survived with facial injuries. Teresa Bland, left, comforts Betty Bayliss among the debris in Picher, Oklahoma, on Sunday. Emergency management agencies in two states reported deaths in four counties. There were six people killed in Ottawa County, Oklahoma; 13 in Newton County, Missouri; one in a small community just east of Carthage in Jasper County, Missouri; and one in Purdy in Barry County, Missouri. The severe weather moved into the Southeast, killing at least one person in Laurens County, Georgia.  Watch how the storm hit one Georgia town hard » The deadly Midwest tornado -- at times, a mile wide -- blew winds estimated at up to 175 miles per hour, tracking a total of 63 miles from Oklahoma to southwest Missouri, according to the National Weather Service. The storms spawned five twisters in Oklahoma and two in neighboring Arkansas. Possible tornadoes also were reported Sunday evening in the coastal Carolinas, according to the weather service. No injuries or fatalities were immediately reported. An official surveying the damage in the Midwest said it looked like a "war zone." "It's just horrific. It's devastating to all of us," said Oklahoma Gov. Brad Henry, who declared a state of emergency in Ottawa County. "It appears the search and rescue part of the mission is over and now we're in the cleanup phase." Sherri Mills was in the small Oklahoma town of Picher -- northeast of Tulsa -- trying to find family pictures inside the wreckage that had been a friend's home. Mills said her friend was not home when the tornado struck.  See scenes from the devastation » "Thank God she wasn't here," said Mills, standing in front of the piles of brick and wood. "[She] lost everything. This was a two-story big brick home." Another man in Picher said he was home with his family when the storm hit. He said he was blown around inside the home and was lucky to be alive. "We got down on the floor and huddled up together, and we weren't in there thirty seconds when it hit the house," the man said. "We ended up right there under that door. At least I was under the door. My wife, two granddaughters, and my daughter was all there, just bunched up against each other." Watch a longtime pilot say he's never seen such destruction » President Bush pledged federal support. "Mother's Day is a sad day for those who lost their lives in Oklahoma, Missouri and Georgia because of the tornadoes," Bush told reporters in Waco, Texas. "We send our prayers for those who lost their lives. The federal government will be moving hard to help." Aboard Air Force One, Bush contacted Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue and Missouri Gov. Matt Blunt and spoke with Henry after arriving at the White House. Bush did not specify what support the federal government would provide. Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff and Federal Emergency Management Agency chief David Paulison also were in touch with the governors and planned to tour the disaster areas Tuesday. "We will partner with our state counterparts to ensure that we bring the full complement of federal resources to their aid as needed," Paulison said. Lisa Janak, spokeswoman for the Georgia Emergency Management Agency, said one person was killed in Dublin, just south of Macon. And the nearby town of Kite, with about 200 residents, was "significantly damaged," she said. Earlier, Janak said there were reports that the town was "gone," but added later that those claims were exaggerated. Perdue declared a state of emergency Sunday in six counties in Georgia.  Watch how a severe storm took Georgia by surprise » Authorities fear there may be additional casualties in Missouri, said Susie Stonner, spokeswoman with the state Emergency Management Agency in

Where had a state of emergency declared?

did anything happen to help these people?

Answer: Ottawa County.

Answer: Powerful storms killed 22

Answer: Powerful storms

Answer: President Bush

Answer: Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue

Answer: Bush

Answer: Powerful storms

Summary:
15 dead in Missouri, 1 killed in Georgia, six in Oklahoma, officials say .
States of emergency declared in Oklahoma, Georgia counties .
Storm system struck Midwest, then continued into the South .
President Bush has pledged federal support, has talked to states' governors .


PICHER, Oklahoma (CNN) -- Wearing powder blue pants and a plaid fedora, 84-year-old Orval "Hoppy" Ray arrived fashionably late to a celebration in Picher, Oklahoma, a vacated mining town at the center of one of the nation's largest and most polluted toxic-waste sites.

Hoppy Ray, 84, was among the last people to leave the toxic town of Picher, Oklahoma.

Former residents, bought out by the government because their town was deemed so dangerous, gathered in Picher's elementary school to say farewell to a place where kids suffered lead poisoning, where homes built atop underground mines plunged into the Earth and where the local creek coughs up orange water, laced with heavy metals.

A toothpick dangling out of the corner of his chapped mouth, Ray greeted several old friends as if he were in any other small town in America.

"Hello there, Hoppy! How the hell are ya?" one called out.

Gray mountains of toxic gravel loomed behind the school, just out of sight, as Hoppy hobbled past a bundle of balloons and through the front doors, cane in hand. He tipped his hat as he entered.

"Looks like a good crowd," he said. "Everybody seems to be havin' a good time. That's the main thing."

In a town this tragic and for a person as stubborn as Hoppy, that's a big statement.

As his abandoned town fades to dust, Hoppy has gone into the business of memories. He wants to remind townspeople, and the world, that a person's home should always be loved -- no matter how toxic.  See Hoppy share memories of Picher »

* * * * *

Hoppy didn't understand what all of the fuss was about.

It was 2006, and the federal government announced it would pay people to leave Picher and the Tar Creek Superfund Site, which is part of the government's toxic-waste cleanup program. A report had found that much of the area was at risk of collapsing into the extensive lead and zinc mines.  Timeline: How Picher became toxic »

The buyout plan was seen as a blessing by some scared families.

But not Hoppy.

Hoppy swore he wouldn't leave his hometown, that he would die before he'd leave Picher, even if his electricity and water were turned off.

He'd grown up there, worked in the mines alongside his father -- and all three of his brothers. But Picher was more than a place to make money. It was a place of patriotism and purpose: The metals they dug out of caves deep in the ground were processed and turned into bullets that armed U.S. soldiers in both world wars.

The wars ended, though, and so did the world's interest in Picher. By 1970, the last mine shut down.

Hoppy's family stayed.

They couldn't leave a place that had threaded itself into their lives so deeply.

* * * * *

After making a quick stop in the crowded school cafeteria, Hoppy found a more suitable post on the sidelines of the reunion, in a narrow hallway.

He sat in a chair with a smirk on his face, using his cane to ping friends in the shins, or sometimes in the groin, to get their attention.

"This here's the last man standing," one man said, chuckling, as he stopped by Hoppy's seat.

Hoppy's son and grandson arrived with several cardboard boxes of books, pulled from the bed of the old miner's pickup. With the help of another local-history buff, Hoppy has self-published three books. The latest, "Just Call Me Hoppy," chronicles his memories of a pre-toxic Picher, a time he believes everyone else has forgotten.

The book begins in 1925, when the mines were at their peak -- and the year Hoppy was born.

At 17, he left Picher to fight in World War II. After he was injured when his Navy ship was hit by a suicide bomber, Hoppy

What site is the one of oldest, largest most polluted toxic-waste sites in U.S?

What does the governement program pay people to do?

Answer: Picher, Oklahoma,

Answer: Picher and the Tar Creek Superfund Site,

Answer: to leave Picher and the Tar Creek Superfund Site,

Answer: leave Picher and the Tar Creek Superfund Site,

Answer: Oklahoma

Answer: Picher, Oklahoma.

Summary:
Former residents of toxic lead-mining town gather to say farewell .
Picher, Oklahoma, is one of oldest, largest most polluted toxic-waste sites in U.S.
A government program pays people to leave the dangerous area .
Mines leave the surface prone to collapse and stain a local creek orange .


PINE VALLEY, California (CNN) -- Dozens of America's greatest military heroes are gathered in Chicago, Illinois, possibly the last large gathering of living Medal of Honor recipients. John Finn, 100, at his California ranch, said he was just a dutiful soldier. That "hero stuff is a bunch crap," he said. Among the men with light blue ribbons holding a star around their necks signifying uncommon bravery, will be John Finn. Finn, who received the nation's highest medal for valor for his actions during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, turned 100 this summer, the oldest living Medal of Honor recipient. Finn was stationed at Kanoehe Bay Naval Air Station, where the Japanese struck five minutes before attacking Pearl Harbor, across southeast Oahu Island from Kanoehe Bay. Finn recalled how a neighbor was the first to alert him, when she knocked on his door saying, "They want you down at the squadron right away!" Finn saw the first Japanese plane before his car even reached his hangar. "I put that old car of mine in second gear and wound it up getting down to the hangar where I could be where my guns and ammunition were," Finn said. One of the first things he did was take control of a machine gun from his squadron's painter. "I said, 'Alex, let me take that gun,' " Finn explained. "I knew that I had more experience firing a machine gun than a painter." "I got that gun and I started shooting at Jap planes," Finn said in the salty language not uncommon among veterans of that long-ago war. But Finn's machine gun was right out in the open, nothing protecting him from the attacking pilots. "I was out there shooting the Jap planes and just every so often I was a target for some," Finn said. "They were Japanese fighter plane pilots. I can remember seeing, in some cases, I could see their faces."  Watch John Finn's give his account of his actions on December 7, 1941 » He was wounded in the head, the arm, the hand and the foot, but Finn fought on, a one-man counterattack to the surprise air raid that pulled America into World War II. Finn talked to CNN at his ranch in the desert east of San Diego, California. He surrounds himself with reminders of his life -- his entire life, not just that one infamous day out of 100 years. There are pictures of his wife, Alice, who married him before Pearl Harbor and was by his side until 1998. The hillside outside his home is covered with old cars, old trucks and even an old military ambulance. But the first thing one notices when visiting Finn's ranch is the sign at the road, with a painting of his medal next to his name. The citation for his Medal of Honor tells that part of his story: "He continued to man this gun and to return the enemy's fire vigorously and with telling effect throughout the enemy strafing and bombing attacks and with complete disregard for his own personal safety. It was only by specific orders that he was persuaded to leave his post to seek medical attention. Following first-aid treatment, although obviously suffering much pain and moving with great difficulty, he returned to the squadron area and actively supervised the rearming of returning planes," the citation stated. With Japanese still attacking, getting his wounds treated wasn't a priority, Finn said. "Medical help comes later. If you're busy shooting a machine gun or a rifle or a pistol or doing anything, you can't worry about getting medical attention," he explained. Less than a year later, Finn, out of the hospital and recovered from his wounds, was back on duty with the Navy in Hawaii. Adm. Chester Nimitz presented Finn with the Medal of Honor for his bravery, joining the ranks of the men, and one woman, recognized with the nation's highest award for heroism.

Who fought on after being wounded in the Pearl Harbor attack?

In Pearl Harbor attack, John Finn was wounded?

Answer: John Finn,

Answer: Chicago,

Answer: He

Answer: Kanoehe Bay Naval Air Station,

Answer: John Finn.

Summary:
In Pearl Harbor attack, John Finn was wounded in head and limbs but fought on .
Finn's medal citation states he continued to "return the enemy's fire vigorously"
Congressional Medal of Honor Society Convention is in Chicago this week .


PITTSBURGH, Pennsylvania (CNN)  -- After a weekend of playing defense about his "bitter" comments, Sen. Barack Obama went on offense Monday against his Democratic rival and the presumptive Republican nominee. Sen. Barack Obama participates Sunday in the Compassion Forum at Pennsylvania's Messiah College. Obama mocked Sen. Hillary Clinton for throwing back a shot of whiskey in front of TV crews over the weekend and said she must think she's "doing me a favor" by attacking him and toughening him up for a fall race against Republican Sen. John McCain. "I'm sure that Sen. Clinton feels like she's doing me a favor because she's been deploying most of the arguments the Republican Party will be using against me in November and so it's toughening me up. I'm getting run through the paces here," Obama told The Associated Press' annual meeting. Clinton has been hitting Obama hard after he referred to some small-town Pennsylvanians as "bitter" people who "cling to guns and religion" at a fund-raiser last week. Obama later said the remarks were badly phrased but accurate.  Watch Obama try to clarify his comments » On Sunday, Clinton called the comments "elitist, out of touch and frankly, patronizing," and added, "You know, the Democratic Party, to be very blunt about it, has been viewed as a party that didn't understand and respect the values and the way of life of so many of our fellow Americans." Obama opened his remarks to the AP making light of what is being called "bitter-gate." "I know I kept a lot of you guys busy this weekend with the comments I made last week. Some of you might even be a little bitter about that," he said to soft laughter. But his offensive began Sunday night when he mocked Clinton for acting like "Annie Oakley ... packin' a six-shooter" in her attempts to connect with gun owners. He was referring to Clinton's efforts over the weekend to appeal to Second Amendment supporters by hinting that she has some experience of her own pulling triggers. "I disagree with Sen. Obama's assertion that people in our country cling to guns and have certain attitudes about trade and immigration simply out of frustration," she began. "You know, my dad took me out behind the cottage that my grandfather built on a little lake called Lake Winola outside of Scranton and taught me how to shoot when I was a little girl," she said. Asked Sunday when she last fired a gun or attended church services, Clinton said the query was "not a relevant question in this debate."  Watch Clinton face questions on gun use » Obama blasted Clinton Sunday shortly before the two appeared at Faith in Public Life's Compassion Forum at Messiah College in Grantham, Pennsylvania. "Shame on her," he told a Steelton crowd. "I expected this out of John McCain," Obama said in a decibel higher than his everyday stump tone. "But I've got to say, I'm a little disappointed when I start hearing the exact same talking points coming out of my Democratic colleague, Hillary Clinton. She knows better. Shame on her."  Watch Obama target Clinton » On Monday, he attacked her for what happened at an Indiana campaign stop over the weekend. Saying too many candidates are giving voters only rhetoric, the senator from Illinois added, "They'll promise you anything. They'll even give you a long list of proposals. They'll even come around with TV crews in tow and throw back a shot and a beer." With the national media present, Clinton drank a beer and chatted with voters. After ordering her beer, the bartender asked, "You want a shot with that Hillary?" After some deliberation, Clinton settled on a shot of Crown Royal, a Canadian whiskey. Responding to Obama's remarks, Clinton spokesman Phil Singer said, "With all due respect, this is the same politician who spent six days posing for clichéd camera shots

Whose verbal attacks on Obama met with boos from audience?

Did Hillary drink shot in front of media?

Who makes fun of Hillary Clinton for drinking a shot?

Who has accused Obama of being out of touch?

Answer: Sen. Hillary Clinton

Answer: Clinton for throwing back a

Answer: Barack Obama

Answer: Clinton

Summary:
NEW: Barack Obama makes fun of Hillary Clinton for drinking a shot in front of media .
NEW: Clinton's verbal attacks on Obama met with boos from audience .
Clinton has accused Obama of being out of touch, elitist for remarks at fundraiser .
At fundraiser, Obama said some Pennsylvanians bitter and clinging to guns, religion .


PITTSBURGH, Pennsylvania (CNN)  -- For Pittsburgh International Airport, the Group of 20 summit is like the Sunday after Thanksgiving: the busiest flying day of the year, with world leaders instead of holiday travelers. Officials greet Saudi Foreign Minister Saud al-Faisal, left, on Wednesday at Pittsburgh International Airport. After weeks of logistics and planning, the airport and the adjacent Air Force Reserve Base will see 23 heads of state arrive in the space of a few hours. President Obama is hosting the G-20 summit -- a two-day meeting of representatives of the world's largest economies -- Thursday and Friday in Pittsburgh. "This is unprecedented," Allegheny County Chief Executive Dan Onorato said. "We've never seen anything like it." The county runs the airport and coordinated the arrivals along with the White House, U.S. State Department and law enforcement officials. The arrivals will take place away from the commercial passenger terminals on the huge airport property. With different areas being used, some of the presidents and prime ministers will show up at the same time.  Watch Pittsburgh's security preparations for protesters » "It is all scheduled. No one will be sitting out" on the tarmac waiting, Onorato said. There are no welcoming ceremonies planned at the airport. The leaders quickly will get into separate motorcades and be whisked to downtown Pittsburgh. A formal greeting will take place Thursday evening at a conservatory in Pittsburgh's Oakland neighborhood. The heads of state invited to Pittsburgh include the leader of the European Union and the prime ministers of the Netherlands, Spain and Sweden. Many leaders are bringing hundreds of delegates and support staff with them as well. At least two countries are bringing jumbo jets into the airport. Members of Saudi Arabia's delegation landed Wednesday evening. The leaders are arriving from New York, where they attended the U.N. General Assembly. Airport officials say the VIP landings will not mean delays for passengers, though they warn trips to and from the airport could take extra time because of road closings for motorcades. It's Obama's second trip to Pittsburgh in nine days. He addressed the AFL-CIO Convention on September 15 at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center, where the G-20 summit also is being held. This time, Air Force One will have plenty of company.

What number of heads of state are arriving?

Answer: representatives of the world's largest economies

Answer: Group of 20

Answer: two-day

Answer: 23

Answer: hundreds of delegates and support staff

Answer: 23

Summary:
Representatives of world's largest economies meeting for two days in Pittsburgh .
Twenty-three heads of state arriving in the space of a few hours at airport .
Leaders' arrivals will take place away from commercial passenger terminals .
Delegates and support staff also on hand; airport says there won't be any delays .


PITTSBURGH, Pennsylvania (CNN) -- Former President Bill Clinton denied Tuesday he had accused Sen. Barack Obama's campaign of "playing the race card" during an interview Monday. Bill Clinton is facing tough questions Tuesday over an interview with a Delaware radio station. A recording of the former president making the comment is posted on the WHYY Web site. It says he made the comment in a telephone interview with the Philadelphia public radio station Monday night. Clinton was asked whether his remarks comparing Obama's strong showing in South Carolina to that of Jesse Jackson in 1988 had been a mistake given their impact on his wife Sen. Hillary Clinton's campaign. "No, I think that they played the race card on me," said Clinton, "and we now know from memos from the campaign and everything that they planned to do it all along." Listen to the full interview "We were talking about South Carolina political history and this was used out of context and twisted for political purposes by the Obama campaign to try to breed resentment elsewhere. And you know, do I regret saying it? No. Do I regret that it was used that way? I certainly do. But you really got to go some to try to portray me as a racist." After the phone interview, a stray comment of his on the issue was also recorded before he hung up: "I don't think I should take any s*** from anybody on that, do you?"  Watch Bill Clinton respond to controversy » But outside a Pittsburgh campaign event Tuesday, a reporter asked Clinton what he had meant "when you said the Obama campaign was playing the race card on you?" Clinton responded: "When did I say that and to whom did I say that?"  Watch more of the Clintons on the trail in Pennsylvania » "You have mischaracterized it to get another cheap story to divert the American people from the real urgent issues before us, and I choose not to play your games today," Clinton added. "I said what I said -- you can go back and look at the interview, and if you will be real honest you will also report what the question was and what the answer was. But I'm not helping you." Clinton did not respond when asked what he meant when he charged that the Obama campaign had a memo in which they said they had planned to play the race card. Meanwhile, at a Pittsburgh press availability on Tuesday, Obama was asked about Clinton's charge that his campaign had drawn up plans to use "the race card." "Hold on a second,'' he said. "So former President Clinton dismissed my victory in South Carolina as being similar to Jesse Jackson and he is suggesting that somehow I had something to do with it?"  Watch Obama's full comments » "You better ask him what he meant by that. I have no idea what he meant. These were words that came out of his mouth. Not words that came out of mine.'' Clinton commented just before the South Carolina primary that "Jesse Jackson won South Carolina in '84 and '88. Jackson ran a good campaign. And Obama ran a good campaign here." E-mail to a friend CNN Associate Political Editor Rebecca Sinderbrand, CNN political producers Alexander Marquardt, Ed Hornick and Chris Welch contributed to this report.

What did Obama say in Monday's interview?

Answer: "I don't think I should take any s*** from anybody on that, do you?"

Answer: A recording of the former president making the comment

Answer: Obama's campaign of "playing the race card"

Answer: Tuesday

Answer: WHYY Web site.

Summary:
Bill Clinton in interview Monday: Obama camp "played the race card on me"
On Tuesday he denied he had accused Obama's campaign of it .
Clinton: "When did I say that and to whom did I say that?"
A recording of former president's comment is posted on WHYY Web site .


PITTSBURGH, Pennsylvania (CNN) -- Leaders representing 90 percent of the world's economic output were gathering Thursday in a U.S. city that has reinvented itself, hoping to bolster the global economy. Police boats pass under Greenpeace activists as they hang from a bridge near the G-20 summit. The Group of 20 will meet for two days to focus on the worldwide financial crisis, and plot how to avoid a repeat in the future. The White House is using the economic summit to showcase Pittsburgh -- a city that President Obama says has exhibited an innovative 21st-century recovery after a well-publicized downfall following the shuttering of much of the city's steel industry. Pittsburgh "has transformed itself from the city of steel to a center for high-tech innovation -- including green technology, education and training, and research and development," the president said.  Watch what summit means for Pittsburgh » Most of the world leaders have come from New York, where they attended the start of the U.N. General Assembly. The G-20 gathering is Obama's first time hosting a major international summit. "As the leaders of the world's largest economies, we have a responsibility to work together on behalf of sustained growth, while putting in place the rules of the road that can prevent this kind of crisis from happening again," the president said in a statement ahead of the gathering. The tightening of global financial regulations is expected to top the summit's agenda and comes as some major economies are beginning to recover. Germany, France and Japan have announced that they have emerged from recession, prompting hopes that the worst of the financial crisis may have passed.  Watch city's preparations for protesters » G-20 finance ministers and central bank governors agreed at a meeting this month not to start cutting back just yet on stimulus efforts. They fear it would put economies at risk for plunging back into recession. However, the economic outlook has improved enough that countries are being encouraged to start working on exit strategies, which will vary by nation. The ministers also have proposed a change in how bankers' bonuses are awarded. They said financial rewards should be based on long-term merit, instead of short-term risk-taking. Because of that, ministers oppose paying large bonuses upfront. A proposed bonus control mechanism would pay for results over a longer window for measuring profits. Bonuses would be forfeited if initial success doesn't hold up. The economic summit will be the third time in a year that the world's top industrial powers have gathered. They met in November in Washington and followed up with an April session in London. As the leaders headed to Pittsburgh, four people attached to a massive banner dangled from a Pittsburgh bridge Wednesday to protest the global economic meeting. iReport.com: Pittsburgh braces for protests The banner hung from the West End Bridge over the Ohio River and read like a road sign: "Danger: Climate Destruction Ahead. Reduce CO2 Emissions Now." Greenpeace, the environmental activist group, claimed responsibility for the stunt. On its Web site, the group said it wanted to send a message to G-20 leaders with the nearly 80-by-30-foot sign, calling for more attention to the issue of global climate change.

Pittsburgh's new focus is on what type of jobs?

President Obama said that the city is an example of how to weather what?

Answer: Pittsburgh

Answer: PITTSBURGH, Pennsylvania

Answer: high-tech innovation

Answer: "has transformed itself from the city of steel to a center for high-tech innovation -- including green technology, education and training, and research and development,"

Answer: PITTSBURGH, Pennsylvania

Answer: high-tech innovation

Answer: green technology, education and training, and research and development,"

Answer: the global economy.

Answer: G-20

Summary:
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, plays host this week to G-20 summit .
President Obama says city is example of how to weather recession .
Pittsburgh has reinvented itself from steel plant roots to new focus on green jobs .


PITTSBURGH, Pennsylvania (CNN) -- Lined up next to Pittsburgh police officers protecting a downtown office building Thursday morning were officers who traveled a little farther to get to work. Police officers from Tucson, Arizona, left, talk with a Pittsburgh officer Thursday outside the G-20 summit. About 2,000 miles farther. Thirty-six officers from the Tucson, Arizona, Police Department are in Pittsburgh as part of the G-20 security force. They were asked to assist by Pittsburgh officials as part of a Department of Homeland Security rapid response team. Officers from departments in several cities, including Cleveland, Ohio; Miami Metro Dade, Florida; Baltimore, Maryland; and Chicago, Illinois, were sworn in as part of the massive security effort, but Tucson wins the prize for the greatest distance traveled.  Watch how Pittsburgh has prepared for protests » "There's a standardization in training," Tucson Lt. Paul Sayre said. Departments brought in to assist have undergone similar preparations in techniques and crowd control. The Arizona officers were asked to come to Pittsburgh after taking part in the protection effort at the Republican National Convention in 2008 in St. Paul, Minnesota. The downtown Pittsburgh street on a morning with temperatures in the 50s was nothing like a typical day for the officers. "It's a different environment," Sayre said -- but the job was the same. "We're excited to be here. It's a lot of fun." "Our role is to support Pittsburgh," said Capt. Perry Tarrant, commanding the Tucson team. The additional help protecting downtown locations "gives Pittsburgh the flexibility to send its officers where needed," Sayre said.

From what city are cops who are not used to the colder weather?

Answer: "There's a standardization in training,"

Answer: Tucson Lt. Paul Sayre

Answer: Thirty-six officers from the Tucson, Arizona, Police Department

Answer: Sayre

Answer: Tucson, Arizona,

Answer: Cleveland, Ohio; Miami Metro Dade, Florida; Baltimore, Maryland;

Summary:
Police officers from around country join G-20 security effort in Pittsburgh .
Departments involved include Miami, Florida, and Baltimore, Maryland .
Cops from Tucson, Arizona, find chilly temps a change, but say "It's a lot of fun"


PLAYA DEL REY, California (CNN) -- The black sedan pulled up to the parking lot at Dockweiler State Beach in California, and the five members of The Lost Trailers stepped out -- no chauffeur, no publicist, no manager, no entourage. From left to right, Jeff Potter, Stokes Nielson, Ryder Lee, Manny Medina and Andrew Nielson of The Lost Trailers. But that's the way this rising country band rolls these days. When they embarked on their current "Lean, Clean and Local" tour, they streamlined their operation in the greenest way possible. Since September, they've reduced their carbon footprint by 132 tons. That meant giving up their tour buses, as well as their road crew and traveling with their own equipment. Their new buzz phrase is "hiring local" -- local roadies, local T-shirt vendors, local suppliers for amps and equipment. If they can't stuff it in a suitcase, they don't bring it. The Lost Trailers have also partnered with Keep America Beautiful, a national organization dedicated to litter reduction and recycling. On a recent day off in Los Angeles, singer Ryder Lee, guitarist Stokes Nielson, bassist Manny Medina, keyboardist Andrew Nielson and drummer Jeff Potter met up with a group of young adults from the L.A. Conservation Corps for a little coastal cleanup -- country style.  Watch the band at work on the beach » Three of the band members sported cowboy boots as they sifted through the sand. The kids were from South Central Los Angeles, an inner-city area not generally known for its love of country music. After the cleanup, we pulled the CNN van up to the beach, popped in The Lost Trailers' CD, and hit "play" on their hit single, "Holler Back." As the fiddle and banjo strains of the high-octane hillbilly tune blared through the speakers, there were blank stares all the way around from the students. But after joining in the chorus of "heys" and "hos," one young man named Virgil LaFlora started rapping over the verses. It was the most unexpected country/hip-hop mash-up since Tim McGraw and Nelly joined forces for "Over and Over" in 2004. All of a sudden, the two camps had discovered some common ground, and the song ended in cheers and hugs. One girl asked if she could have the CD. CNN talked to the Trailers' members about their activism and their tour. The following is an edited version of the interview. CNN: "Lean, Clean and Local" isn't just about recycling. You guys are actually going into the community and hiring local people. Stokes Nielson: We did a show with Tim McGraw in New York at the end of last year. It was a fly date for us, so we hired local, and this guy came up to us and said, "Thank you so much for hiring local, 'cause I haven't had a check in three weeks." And we realized as the recession was heading into place, that one of the things we could do to benefit these communities is hire local, and not just bring in our own crews and just extract money form the locals and then leave, but we could also leave a small stimulus of our own. CNN: As rising artists, you work hard to earn the right to have a tour bus. Now you're giving it up. Stokes Nielson: Since we won't have a crew, we thought, "OK, we're not going to have the bus anymore, and we're just going to fly to dates," and that cut down our diesel consumption. Andrew Nielson: We travel really light so that we can roll into town, hire the crew, and also hire local equipment. Potter's a drummer, and everywhere we go, we rent drums. Jeff Potter: We were trying to figure out a way that was practical to get a drum set on a plane, but it didn't really work out. I like it

What is the purpose of the band traveling  light?

What did the guitarist say they wanted to do?

Answer: partnered with Keep America Beautiful,

Answer: reduced their carbon footprint by 132 tons.

Answer: hire local,

Summary:
Members of The Lost Trailers try to hire local, reduce carbon footprint .
Band partners with Keep America Beautiful, a group dedicated to litter reduction .
Guitarist: "We want to do our part to give back"
Band travels light so members can rent local equipment .


PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad and Tobago (CNN)  -- President Obama said Sunday the 34-nation Summit of the Americas was a "very productive" meeting that proved hemispheric progress is possible if countries set aside "stale debates and old ideologies." President Obama addresses reporters before leaving Trinidad for Washington on Sunday. Speaking to reporters at the conclusion of the summit, Obama cited a potential thaw in relations between the United States and longtime adversaries Cuba and Venezuela, but said the ultimate test "is not simply words, but deeds." Leaders did not "see eye to eye" on some important issues, but the meeting proved it is possible to "disagree respectfully," the president said. Obama highlighted the importance of using American diplomacy and development aid in "more intelligent ways."  Watch Obama talk about summit » He reached out to the Cuban government before the summit by lifting all restrictions on U.S. citizens wishing to visit or send remittances to relatives in Cuba. Cuba was not represented at the summit, but Obama noted that the leaders of other countries highlighted Cuba's program that sends "thousands of doctors" throughout the hemisphere. A number of countries depend heavily on Cuba's medical assistance program. "It's a reminder ... that if our only interaction with many of these countries is drug interdiction -- if our only interaction is military -- then we may not be developing the connections that can over time increase our influence and have a beneficial effect," he said. Obama called Cuban President Raul Castro's recent indication of a willingness to discuss human rights issues "a sign of progress." But he said the Cuban government could send a much clearer, more positive signal by releasing political prisoners or reducing fees charged on remittances that Americans send to relatives in the country. Change in Cuba will not come quickly, but it is good for other countries to see that "we are not dug in into policies that were formulated before I was born," Obama said. U.S. policy on Cuba has remained largely unchanged since 1962, when the U.S. government imposed a trade embargo.   Turning to Venezuela, Obama conceded Washington has vast differences with that country's president on economic and foreign policy issues. But he said the strategic interests of the United States would not be endangered by having a "more constructive relationship" with the oil-rich nation. Asked what an "Obama doctrine" would be, he declined to give a specific answer, but he outlined broad principles such as the importance of listening to other countries. The United States, Obama said, remains the most powerful nation in the world but cannot solve problems such as climate change, drugs and terrorism on its own. "If you start with that approach, you are inclined to listen, and not just talk," he said. Obama, who was set to return to Washington on Sunday, added that the United States is at its best when it stands "for universal ideals [such as] freedom of speech and religion." "If we confess to having strayed from [our] values, it strengthens our hand [and] allows us to speak with greater moral force and clarity," he said. The president was criticized over the weekend by several leading Republicans and former CIA director Michael Hayden for releasing four Bush-era memos outlining terror interrogation methods used against suspected al Qaeda operatives. Read about Hayden's criticism When he released the documents Thursday Obama said the United States needs to "right its course in concert with our core values."

Which country does Obama cite potential thaw in U.S. relations with?

who Obama cites potential thaw in U.S. relations with?

who says Using diplomacy, development aid in "more intelligent ways"?

Which country was not represented though they were a topic at the weekend summit?

Answer: Cuba and Venezuela,

Answer: longtime adversaries Cuba and Venezuela,

Answer: Obama

Answer: Cuba

Summary:
Obama cites potential thaw in U.S. relations with Venezuela, Cuba .
Obama: Cuba's apparent willingness to discuss human rights "a sign of progress"
Cuba was topic at weekend summit, though not represented there .
Obama: Using diplomacy, development aid in "more intelligent ways" important .