Washington (CNN) -- A State Department employee who resigned last month in protest over America's war in Afghanistan said Friday he has received an outpouring of support from Afghan-Americans and U.S. active-duty military. "I've had a lot of Afghan-Americans contact me and say, 'Matt, you get it,' " Matthew Hoh told CNN. "You understand -- yes, there is a civil war going on. You understand how Afghan society works. You understand this split within the Pashtuns. You understand valley-ism, or whatever you want to call it." The 36-year-old former Marine Corps captain resigned on September 10 over what he termed a "cavalier, politically expedient and Pollyannaish misadventure." Since then, even active-duty military have supported his decision, he said on CNN's "Fareed Zakaria GPS," scheduled to air at 1 p.m. ET Sunday on CNN. "I have received many many e-mails from active-duty military and some guys who just separated from the service," Hoh said. "Some guys are here in the States. I've gotten many e-mails from guys in Afghanistan. Some are people I know. But a lot are people I do not know. Men and women who are saying, 'Thanks for doing this. Keep it up. We don't know why we're here. We're not sure why we're taking these casualties. We don't know what it's accomplishing.'" In his letter, the senior civilian representative in Zabul Province, Afghanistan, said he was resigning because "I fail to see the value or worth in continued U.S. casualties or expenditures of resources in support of the Afghan government in what is, truly, a 35-year-old civil war." He concluded the letter by saying that he had "lost confidence" that the "dead have sacrificed for a purpose worthy of futures lost, love vanished and promised dreams unkept." "I believe that the people we are fighting there are fighting us because we are occupying them," Hoh told CNN earlier this week. "Not for any ideological reasons, not because of any links to al Qaeda, not because of any fundamental hatred towards the West. The only reason they're fighting us is because we're occupying them." After Hoh submitted his resignation, Richard Holbrooke, the Obama administration's special representative in Afghanistan and neighboring Pakistan, made a plea for Hoh to change his mind. Hoh refused. "The offer was to join his staff and be put in a position where I could continue to write and try to influence policymakers from within the administration," Hoh said Friday. "Two things: One, if I believed in the mission, if I believed it was worth our guys dying for, if I believed that 60,000 troops in Afghanistan would defeat al Qaeda somehow -- which it won't -- I would have stayed in Zabul Province," he said. "However, the other part of it, too, was that I realized that the administration was going to make its decision shortly and then I would be stuck. And if I don't believe in it, if I don't believe this cause is right, if I don't believe it's justified, then there's no reason to take that position." CNN terrorism analyst Peter Bergen disagreed with Hoh's assessment of Afghanistan. "It's not that our presence there is causing the problem," he said. "Quite the reverse: It is that we are not doing what we said were going to do, which is bringing a measure of security and a measure of prosperity." But Afghanistan's lack of infrastructure and "human capital" make it an especially difficult mission, said Hoh, who served two tours in Iraq as a Marine. "In Iraq, even though it was stuck in the '80s, it had infrastructure, it had human capital," he said. "It had doctors and lawyers and educators. And they had an established system of government, they had an infrastructure we

Who resigned after saying he didn't believe in the war?

According to Hoh, why are insurgents fighting the US?

Who said military members have shown their support?

Answer: Matthew Hoh

Answer: al Qaeda

Answer: we are occupying them,"

Answer: in protest over America's war

Answer: State Department employee

Summary:
Matthew Hoh says Afghan-Americans, active-duty military members have shown support .
Hoh resigned after saying he didn't believe in the war, which was essentially a civil war .
Hoh believes increasing troops is only going to fuel insurgency, not help the problems .
Hoh says he believes insurgents are fighting U.S. because we are occupying their land .


Washington (CNN) -- A Syrian-born naturalized American was ordered held in custody Wednesday after he was charged for allegedly spying on Syrian protesters in the United States.

Judge Theresa Buchanan at the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia ordered Mohamad Anas Heitham Soueid, 47, held until Friday, when there will be a detention hearing.

Prosecutor Dennis Fitzpatrick told the judge that Soueid was a flight risk.

Soueid, of Leesburg, Virginia, was charged October 5 with conspiring to collect video and audio recordings and other information about people "in the United States and Syria who were protesting the government of Syria and to provide these materials to Syrian intelligence agencies in order to silence, intimidate and potentially harm the protestors," the Justice Department said Wednesday.

The Syrian Embassy in Washington responded Wednesday by denying the allegations, saying Soueid never worked for the Syrian government to spy on protesters.

Soueid was arrested Tuesday after a federal grand jury charged him in a six-count indictment.

He is charged with conspiring to act and acting as an agent of the Syrian government in the United States without notifying the attorney general as required by law; two counts of providing false statements on a firearms purchase form; and two counts of providing false statements to federal law enforcement, the Justice Department said.

This comes amid Syria's seven-month-long crackdown against protesters.

"Today's indictment alleges that the defendant acted as an unregistered agent of the Syrian government as part of an effort to collect information on people in this country protesting the Syrian government crackdown. I applaud the many agents, analysts and prosecutors who helped bring about today's case," said Lisa Monaco, assistant attorney general for national security.

The indictment says Soueid has been an agent of the Syrian Mukhabarat, a reference to Syrian intelligence agencies.

"At no time while acting as an agent of the government of Syria in this country did Soueid provide prior notification to the Attorney General as required by law, the indictment alleges," the Justice Department said.

"Under the direction and control of Syrian officials, Soueid is accused of recruiting individuals living in the United States to collect information on and make audio and video recordings of protests against the Syrian regime -- including recordings of conversations with individual protesters -- in the United States and Syria. He is also charged with providing the recordings and other information to individuals working for the Mukhabarat. According to the indictment, Soueid and others conspired to use this information to undermine, silence, intimidate and potentially harm those in the United States and Syria who engaged in the protests."

In late June, the Syrian government paid for Soueid to travel to Syria. He met with intelligence officials and privately spoke with President Bashar al-Assad, the indictment said.

"In addition to the recordings, Soueid is accused of providing the Mukhabarat contact information, including phone numbers and e-mail addresses, for protesters in the United States. In a handwritten letter sent to UCC-1 (an unindicted co-conspirator), Soueid allegedly expressed his belief that violence against protesters -- including raiding their homes -- was justified and that any method should be used to deal with the protesters. The indictment also alleges that Soueid provided information regarding U.S. protesters against the Syrian regime to an individual who worked at the Syrian Embassy in Washington, D.C."

In a statement, the Syrian Embassy challenged the Justice Department to provide evidence of the allegations. It said Soueid is not an agent of any Syrian institution and has never worked for any Syrian official.

The allegation that any U.S. citizen is working with Syria to intimidate other U.S. citizens is "absolutely baseless and totally unacceptable," the embassy said.

Syria never paid Soueid for travel or any other expense, the embassy said. It also denied there had ever been a private meeting between Soueid and al-Assad, calling it a "ludicrous" accusation.

It also said the embassy had never recruited anyone to inform on any activities in the United States.

"Contrary to the statement of the Department of Justice, Mr. Soueid has never provided any individual at the Syrian Embassy

Who denies the allegations?
Who denies allegations?
What is the Syrian Embassies response?
What did the judge order?
Until what day will Soueid be held?
who is cracking down?

Answer: The Syrian Embassy in Washington

Answer: Syrian Embassy

Answer: denying the allegations,

Answer: Mohamad Anas Heitham Soueid,

Answer: Friday,

Answer: Syrian government

Summary:
NEW: The Syrian Embassy denies the allegations .
A judge orders Soueid held until a Friday detention hearing .
The man could face a maximum of 40 years in jail .
The charges come amid Syria's tough crackdown on protesters .


Washington (CNN) -- A U.S. Army officer who was honored for valor after his combat outpost in Afghanistan was attacked has also received a letter of reprimand for failing to secure the base before the attack, according to Army officials. Such a letter normally would prevent career advancement. U.S. Army Capt. Matthew Myer received the Silver Star for his part in repelling a Taliban attack on his small combat outpost in eastern Afghanistan in July 2008. The attack, near the village of Wanat, is still the deadliest ground combat of the war involving U.S. troops. A coordinated Taliban attack from the steep hills surrounding the base almost resulted in the outpost being overrun. According to troops who survived, the Taliban came at the base with about 200 fighters, outnumbering the U.S. forces at the base. In the end nine soldiers were killed and 12 were wounded. About 100 Taliban were killed. Despite the heavy U.S. death toll, Myer was awarded the Silver Star for calling in aircraft to beat back the fighters, some of whom had breached the base walls, according to U.S. military officials in Afghanistan. After the attack, the U.S. military scrutinized how enemy forces were allowed to get as close to the base as they did. Officials familiar with the after-action review said Taliban fighters got within grenade-throwing distance of U.S. troops. Myer even called in close air support to hit enemy targets just 10 meters from his own position, according to officials familiar with the after-action report. Four-star Gen. Charles C. Campbell was chosen to review the final investigation and make disciplinary decisions. Campbell decided Myer would receive a career-ending letter of reprimand for failing to prepare the base's defenses sufficiently against an enemy attack. Myer was informed this week of his punishment, according to U.S. military officials. CBS News first reported his punishment. Two of Myer's senior commanders, who were not at the base during the attack, also received similar career-ending letters of reprimand. Officials would not elaborate on the reasons for the reprimands. Army officials acknowledge the base, built to protect the people in Wanat, was at the bottom of a valley surrounded by high hills, an almost impossible location to defend. According to one U.S. military official familiar with the general's decision to reprimand Myer, "He saw the evidence and made a decision based on that." However, the same official said, "Unless you've been there, you don't know how hard those places are to defend." Myer and his two senior officers are allowed to appeal the punishment. Another U.S. military official familiar with the review said he expects the three officers to meet with Campbell to plead their cases.

What did a Letter of reprimand criticize Myer for?

Answer: failing to secure the base before the attack,

Answer: U.S. Army Capt.

Answer: near the village of Wanat,

Summary:
Army Capt. Matthew Myer has Silver Star from actions during a Taliban attack .
Letter of reprimand criticizes him for allowing attack to take place .
Two of his superior officers also receive letters of reprimand .
Site of attack was at bottom of a valley surrounded by high hills .


Washington (CNN) -- A Washington-based imam told CNN on Monday that alleged Fort Hood shooter Nidal Malik Hasan approached him for help finding a wife. Imam Yahya Hendi, the Muslim chaplain at Georgetown University, said Hasan came to him at least two years ago as the cleric conducted services at Bethesda Naval Hospital in Maryland. "He said he wanted someone to help him serve, deploy and be understandable and understanding of his own military career," Hendi said. "He saw himself as someone ... continuing his service with the U.S. military till the end of his career." The imam said he spoke with Hasan on at least two occasions about his search for a spouse. "It's not easy to find, in general, someone who will be willing to travel with you and deploy with you every two years," Hendi said. "But he did want a wife who would stand by him, is [a] loyal American, who will help him do his work and his service for the U.S. military." The imam's comments about Hasan's search for someone who would remain with him throughout his military career were at odds with some statements by Hasan's family. Relatives have said Hasan tried unsuccessfully to leave the military early -- requests that may have come after Hasan contacted Hendi. The cleric said he did try to help Hasan in his search, thinking of women he knew to whom he could introduce the Army psychiatrist, but he never heard from Hasan again. Authorities say Hasan opened fire at a military processing center at Fort Hood Army Post on November 5, killing 13 people. Hasan, who was seriously wounded in the incident, was charged with 13 counts of premeditated murder -- charges that make him eligible for the death penalty. Two other imams have told CNN similar stories about Hasan's search for a wife, and about his conservatism and apparent devotion to Islam -- but those accounts seem to be inconsistent with behavior Hasan exhibited in the last few months. The manager of a strip club near Fort Hood has told reporters that Hasan visited the club a handful of times, staying for several hours each time. "You know, for me, everything that he did is against the teachings of Islam. Killing fellow soldiers, fellow citizen men and women, the shooting, the bloodshed, speaks of someone who did not understand his faith very well. Islam is against going to strip clubs, but it's also against killing fellow citizens," Hendi told CNN. When taken as a whole, Hasan's actions in the weeks before the attack at Fort Hood -- the giving away of his possessions, his sometimes conservative dress in white Muslim clothing, and his previous defense of suicide bombings during presentations to classmates -- seem to be those of someone who was preparing for his own death, said CNN terrorism analyst Peter Bergen. "I think what he was doing was sort of a jihadist 'death-by-cop,'" said Bergen, who based his observations on news reports about Hasan. "Here's a guy who obviously had personal problems. He's a loner, he avoids women basically, has few friends, and then grafted onto that, he finds sort of a jihadist ideology as a way of making sense of everything, and he decides to martyr himself." Bergen and other experts say Hasan could be someone who engaged in what they call "self-radicalization": the idea that militant religion might provide an answer to psychological problems that someone already has. Hasan remained hospitalized in Texas, paralyzed from the waist down, his lawyer said. He was shot by a civilian police officer, who was also wounded in the attack.

What did Hasan want his wife to help with?

What is the problem with Hasan visiting the strip club?

What did Nidal Malik Hasan want to find?

Answer: him serve, deploy and be understandable and understanding of

Answer: the teachings of Islam.

Answer: against the teachings of Islam.

Answer: a wife.

Answer: visited the club a handful of

Answer: Hasan

Answer: Islam

Summary:
Imam:  Nidal Malik Hasan wanted wife who could deal with his military career .
Yahya Hendi is third imam to tell CNN Hasan asked for help finding wife .
Manager of strip club tells reporters Hasan visited there several times .
Hendi says strip club visits violate Islam -- and so does "killing fellow citizens"


Washington (CNN) -- A congressional panel investigating claims the Dover Air Force Base Mortuary mishandled the remains of hundreds of fallen U.S. military personnel will meet for the first time Tuesday.

In November, U.S. Air Force investigators announced they had found "serious misconduct" and "gross mismanagement" in the handling of remains at the base.

The findings came after the Air Force conducted a year-long investigation into 14 allegations of wrongdoing made by whistleblowers involving the remains of four U.S. service members killed in action, the Pentagon official said.

The panel, which is being chaired by retired Gen. John Abizaid, has been given "full authority to review all aspects of mortuary affairs to ensure we are meeting the highest standards of care for our fallen." Department of Defense spokesman Capt. John Kirby said. Abizaid retired from the Army in 2007 after leading U.S. Central Command the final three years of his 34-year military career.

Last week, the Air Force admitted that it sent more sets of military personnel remains to a Virginia landfill than it originally acknowledged.

Backtracking on initial information about how it handled the remains of American service members killed in Iraq and Afghanistan, the Air Force said the cremated body parts of hundreds of the fallen were burned and dumped in the landfill.

Earlier, the Air Force said only a small number of body parts had been buried in a commercial landfill and claimed it would be impossible to make a final determination of how many remains were disposed of in that manner.

The Washington Post broke the story, and the Air Force now confirms that body fragments linked to at least 274 fallen military personnel sent to the base mortuary were cremated, incinerated and buried with medical waste. That procedure was in place between November 2003 and May 1, 2008. The Air Force also said that 1,762 body parts were never identified and also were disposed of, first by cremation, then by further incineration and then buried in a landfill.

Congressman Rush Holt, D-New Jersey, Thursday accused the Pentagon of what he called "willful blindness" in not acting faster to identify and correct the problems and fully report them.

"For years, this has been handled unceremoniously and insensitively and, I would say, dishonorably," Holt said in a telephone interview. He said he had been asking the Pentagon for months about information about Dover, on behalf of a constituent whose husband was killed five years ago.

"They don't get it. They don't understand the degree of dishonor involved in all of this," Holt said.

Last month, the Defense Department told the congressman that exact numbers could not be determined. "Without individual case-by-case review, the exact number of Service-directed disposition of subsequent remains cannot be determined," said a fact sheet sent to Holt in November. "It would require a massive effort and time to recall records and research individually."

When bodies are not intact -- for instance, in the aftermath of a crash or explosion -- a body may be released to the family before some parts have been identified by the Air Force Mortuary at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware. Families can elect to be notified when parts are identified or leave it up to the military to dispose of them appropriately. Since the policy was changed in 2008, the unclaimed body parts are buried at sea.

Holt pointed to how the United States spends millions each year searching for the remains of service members missing in action from previous wars, for instance in Southeast Asia.

"That makes us proud to be an American, that we would do that," Holt said. "It is a level of response that honors our soldiers."

The mistakes at Dover send a different message, Holt said.

"It sends shudders to think that we engage in this kind of desecration," he said.

But at the Pentagon, aides to Panetta said he is satisfied with how the Air Force responded in regard to the landfill policy and new information about how many of the American fallen were involved.

"I think the secretary is comfortable with the way

What found mismanagement at the mortuary?

What mortuary at the air base handles the remains

What ended up happening to the Service members' body parts?

Who handles remains of returning war dead?

Answer: Dover Air Force Base Mortuary

Answer: U.S. Air Force investigators

Answer: "serious misconduct" and "gross mismanagement" in the handling of remains at the base.

Answer: Force

Answer: Dover Air Force Base

Answer: cremated

Answer: Dover Air Force Base Mortuary

Summary:
Service members' body parts incinerated, buried with medical waste .
Mortuary at Dover Air Force Base handles remains of returning war dead .
An earlier report found mismanagement at the mortuary .


Washington (CNN) -- A couple who allegedly crashed this week's state dinner at the White House met President Obama in a reception line at the event, a White House official told CNN on Friday. A White House photograph taken Tuesday evening shows Michaele Salahi, wearing a gold-accented red sari, clasping her hands around Obama's right hand as her smiling husband, Tareq, looks on. The dinner was held for visiting Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who is smiling next to the president in the photo. An investigation into Tareq and Michaele Salahi has found that Secret Service agents did not follow protocol at a security checkpoint, the Secret Service said. "The Secret Service is deeply concerned and embarrassed by the circumstances surrounding the State Dinner on Tuesday," the agency said in a statement Friday. "The preliminary findings of our internal investigation have determined established protocols were not followed at an initial checkpoint, verifying that two individuals were on the guest list." The Salahis, who are aspiring reality TV stars, made news when they showed up at Tuesday's state dinner. The White House says the Salahis were not invited, but their lawyer, Paul W. Garner, "states emphatically that the Salahis did not 'crash' this event," according to a statement from the couple's publicist, Mahogany Jones. The Secret Service's statement says that although the Salahis went through magnetometers and other levels of screening, "they should have been prohibited from entering the event entirely." "That failing is ours," the statement said. The investigation continues and "appropriate measures have been taken to ensure this is not repeated," the agency said. Also Friday, two Secret Service agents visited a Virginia winery to say they wanted to question the couple, according to the winery's manager. Diane Weiss, manager at the Oasis Winery in Hume, Virginia, said the agents wanted to speak with the Salahis. Weiss said she didn't know their whereabouts. The Warren County Report, a local newspaper, quoted Weiss as saying the agents said they wanted to speak with the couple and not arrest them. It also quoted her as saying that the Salahis live in Linden, Virginia, but receive mail at the winery. And the agents said it was "imperative" that investigators speak with the couple and that they would "take whatever action" is necessary if they did not, the paper quoted Weiss as saying. Weiss told CNN that the newspaper quoted her accurately, but she declined to elaborate. Meanwhile, court records have revealed a more complete picture of the Salahis, who have left an extensive paper trail in federal bankruptcy and state court filings. They are named in at least 16 different civil suits in Fauquier County, Virginia, near Washington, sometimes as plaintiffs, sometimes as defendants. Family members have sued the county and each other. The family winery, Oasis Winery, has sued Michaele Salahi. They did not respond to CNN requests for comment Thursday about their legal history or the White House dinner. "At this time the Salahis will not make any formal comments regarding the rumors and media speculation surrounding the White House State Dinner," Jones, their publicist, said in a statement. Tareq and Michaele Salahi were engaged in a long court battle with his parents over the winery. Tareq Salahi sued his mother, Corinne, court records show, and the suit was dismissed. The mother sued Tareq Salahi and the case went to trial. The outcome is not clear from a Virginia courts Web site. Tareq and Michaele Salahi won control of the winery in 2007, but it has run into debt since then. Oasis Winery filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy in February of this year, according to U.S. Bankruptcy Court records in the Eastern District of Virginia. Tareq Salahi is listed as company president in the filing. Listed creditors include the IRS, Fauquier County, the state of Virginia, several banks and American Express Corp., among others. The company claims about $335,000 in assets and $965,000 in liabilities.

Who met with Obama?
when was the dinner?
who are looking for the couple
Who is looking for the couple?
who appeared uninvited
who is embarrassed by the incident
Who was 'embarrassed' by the couple?

Answer: couple

Answer: Tuesday evening

Answer: Secret Service

Answer: two Secret Service agents

Answer: Tareq and Michaele Salahi

Answer: "The Secret Service

Answer: "The Secret Service

Summary:
White House official: Couple met Obama in reception line .
Secret Service 'embarrassed' it didn't prevent couple from entering event .
White House: Tareq and Michaele Salahi appeared at state dinner uninvited .
Secret Service looking for couple, manager says .


Washington (CNN) -- A crew member aboard a U.S. Navy ship accidentally fired a machine gun into the Polish port city of Gdynia on Wednesday while cleaning the weapon, Navy officials said Friday. Three rounds were fired from an M240 machine gun into the town but no injuries or damage were reported, officials said. The gun, aboard the USS Ramage, a Navy destroyer, is used to defend the ship in close combat. Navy officials said a crew member was cleaning the weapon when it accidentally discharged. The incident happened as the ship was in port after returning from an international exercise in the Baltic Sea. It was preparing to leave later that day, the Navy said. Polish military police boarded the ship to investigate, and Navy officials said the crew of the Ramage fully cooperated. No U.S. sailors were taken into custody by Polish authorities, Navy officials said. There was no immediate word of a U.S. Navy investigation into the incident.

Which city does the machine gun fire into?

Answer: the ship in close combat.

Answer: M240 machine gun

Answer: A crew member aboard a U.S. Navy ship

Answer: no

Answer: to defend the ship in close combat.

Answer: Gdynia

Answer: no

Summary:
Crew member cleaning a machine gun that fires into city of Gdynia .
No injuries or damage reported, officials say .
Gun is used to defend ship, USS Ramage, in close combat .


Washington (CNN) -- A federal advisory board's recommendation that women in their 40s should avoid routine mammograms is not government policy and has caused "a great deal of confusion," Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said Wednesday. "My message to women is simple. Mammograms have always been an important life-saving tool in the fight against breast cancer, and they still are today," Sebelius said in a statement. "Keep doing what you have been doing for years: talk to your doctor about your individual history, ask questions and make the decision that is right for you." With her statement, Sebelius waded into the controversy over Monday's announcement by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force that women in their 40s should not get routine mammograms for early detection of breast cancer. Sebelius' statement is aimed at "making it clear these recommendations are not ours," a White House source said. The report "shouldn't be dismissed," Sebelius said on CNN's "The Situation Room." But she added, "There are other groups who have disagreed with this information." The task force is "making recommendations, not coverage decisions, not payment decisions." Government health programs such as Medicaid will continue to cover routine mammograms, she said. "We will continue to recommend it, and the health plans have indicated that they will do the same," Sebelius said. "If the health care provider recommends a mammogram for a patient, they intend to cover that payment." Though the Preventive Services Task Force is independent, the Department of Health and Human Services' Web site calls the panel's recommendations the "gold standard," and insurance companies look to the panel for guidance on which preventive care practices they should cover. With the Obama administration fighting to push a sweeping overhaul of U.S. health insurance through Congress, Republicans quickly jumped at the chance to attack the mammography report. "This is how rationing begins," said Rep. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tennessee. "This is the little toe in the edge of the water. And this is where you start getting a bureaucrat between you and your physician." The White House disputes that, saying the recommendations "cannot be used to deny treatment" on their own. Sebelius said the task force won't make coverage decisions. "Mammograms have been a huge step forward for millions of American women, but we still have about 21 million women and girls in America who don't have a doctor, who don't receive any kind of mammogram screening on any kind of basis regardless of their age," she said. "The health reform debate is about closing that gap." Criticism of the recommendation has come from quarters other than opponents of the Democratic health care bills. The American Cancer Society said it disagrees with the findings of the task force and continues to recommend annual screening, including mammograms, for all women beginning 40 and over. "With its new recommendations, the [task force] is essentially telling women that mammography at age 40 to 49 saves lives, just not enough of them," said Dr. Otis Brawley, the group's chief medical officer. And Rep. Debbie Wasserman-Schultz, D-Florida, who was diagnosed with early stage breast cancer at 41, called the panel's recommendations "really disturbing" and "absolutely irresponsible." "It's a very patronizing attitude that these scientists have taken," she said. "It's pretty outrageous to suggest that women couldn't handle more information." Rep. Frank Pallone Jr., chairman of the House Energy and Commerce's Subcommittee on Health, has announced that he will lead hearings into the advisory board's recommendations. Wasserman-Schultz said those hearings "will help us reach the appropriate policy conclusion, which I believe is that these recommendations should be set aside." Breast cancer is the most common cancer for U.S. women, with nearly 200,000 women expected to be diagnosed with the invasive form of the disease this year, according to the American Cancer Society. For women 50 to

what did secretary kathleen sebelius say?

Answer: mammograms

Answer: women in their 40s

Answer: "My message to women is simple. Mammograms have always been an important life-saving tool in the fight against breast cancer, and they still are today,"

Answer: Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius

Summary:
Secretary Kathleen Sebelius says findings aren't part of government policy .
GOP criticizes health care "rationing"; White House disputes claim .
Advisory board has said women in 40s shouldn't get routine mammograms .
Health secretary: Government will continue to recommend mammograms .


Washington (CNN) -- A federal appeals court has certified the largest class-action employment lawsuit in U.S. history, in a long-standing dispute against retailer Wal-Mart Stores Inc. over alleged gender bias in pay and promotions.

The divided 6-5 ruling by the San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Monday allows the combined multiparty litigation to move ahead to trial, where a decision against the company could result in billions in damages. The Arkansas-based chain of stores has the option of appealing Monday's ruling to the U.S. Supreme Court for review.

At issue is whether more than a million current and former Wal-Mart employees can band together in their claims of discrimination, which they say has occurred over the past decade, at least.

The plaintiffs allege that women were paid less than, and were given fewer opportunities for promotion than, their male counterparts. They seek back pay and punitive damages against the world's largest retailer.

The lawsuit alleges that the company's "strong, centralized structure fosters or facilitates gender stereotyping and discrimination."

The workers bringing suit also say women make up more than 70 percent of Wal-Mart's hourly work force but in the past decade made up less than one-third of its store management.

The suit was first filed by Betty Dukes, a store greeter in Pittsburg, California, along with five of her co-workers in 2001.

"It has taken a very long time, and a tremendous amount of work, but it looks like we're finally going to get our day in court," Dukes said after the ruling was announced. "That's all we've ever asked for."

"We disagree with the decision of the sharply divided 6-5 court to uphold portions of the certification order, and are considering our options, including seeking review from the Supreme Court," Wal-Mart said in a statement. "We do not believe the claims alleged by the six individuals who brought this suit are representative of the experiences of our female associates. Walmart is an excellent place for women to work and fosters female leadership among our associates and in the larger business world."

The federal appeals court concluded that there was enough merit in the claims to proceed to trial on a class-action track. Since the lawsuit was filed, both sides of the dispute have held so-called discovery hearings, in which preliminary testimony was taken to establish facts.

Judge Susan Graber of the appeals court said that although "the size of this class action is large, mere size does not render a case unmanageable."

The company has protested the size of the class action, which it called "historic" in scope, saying it would be too onerous to litigate. The company has more than 3,400 stores in 41 regions.

Declaring class-action status for the lawsuit raises the financial and judicial stakes considerably, since more individual plaintiffs can now join, and creates greater potential liability for the company being sued. In federal courts, such certification must generally follow well-established principles to ensure that it does not become so large as to be impracticable and allows the parties to fairly represent the common interests of the larger class of plaintiffs.

"Wal-Mart tries to project an improved image as a good corporate citizen," said Brad Seligman, a Berkeley, California, lawyer representing the female workers. "But no amount of [public relations] is going to work until it addresses the claims of its female employees."

Wal-Mart has been accused in separate lawsuits of discrimination against African-American truck drivers and workers with disabilities. In 2001, the company settled 13 lawsuits by paying out $6 million.

Beyond this particular suit, most workplace discrimination lawsuits fail to reach a court for resolution, according to data compiled by the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

In 2003, when the Wal-Mart litigation was in its preliminary court stages, about 27,000 sex discrimination claims nationwide were resolved administratively by the EEOC, little changed from the prior decade. More than 57 percent -- 15,000 claims

who says "Walmart is an excellent place for women to work,"?

What could the lawsuit cost the company?

who says company paid women less and promoted them less?

What could this cost the world's largest retailer?

How many current and former workers band together?

Answer: Betty Dukes,

Answer: billions in damages.

Answer: Circuit Court of Appeals

Answer: the company's "strong, centralized structure fosters or facilitates gender stereotyping and discrimination."

Answer: Wal-Mart Stores Inc.

Answer: alleges that the company's "strong, centralized structure fosters or facilitates gender stereotyping and discrimination."

Answer: billions

Answer: more than a million

Summary:
NEW: "Walmart is an excellent place for women to work," company says .
Lawsuits say company paid women less and promoted them less .
Hundreds of thousands of current, former works can band together in lawsuit .
A decision against world's largest retailer could cost billions .


Washington (CNN) -- A federal appeals court on Monday affirmed the conviction and life sentence for convicted terrorist and 9/11 co-conspirator Zacarias Moussaoui.

Moussaoui had agreed to plead guilty in 2005 to six criminal conspiracy charges arising from the al Qaeda terror plot to use commercial aircraft to strike key U.S. targets on September 11, 2001, in the worst domestic terror attack in American history.

A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit concluded Moussaoui's trial was fair, despite the defendant representing himself against the advice of the trial judge and his own lawyers. The judges said a life sentence imposed by the jury was appropriate.

"Moussaoui, having pled guilty, has waived all nonjurisdictional errors leading up to his conviction except those affecting the adequacy of his pleas," the panel said.

Moussaoui has been held by the government since August 2001, and was the first person charged in the United States in connection with the 9/11 attacks. He was indicted in December 2001, accused of being part of a broader terror conspiracy in the months leading up to 9/11. Several other accused top al Qaeda officials -- including alleged 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed -- are awaiting transfer into federal custody and future prosecution in civilian courts, the same as Moussaoui.

Government sources have told CNN that three top al Qaeda detainees have told their interrogators that Moussaoui was not meant for the 9/11 plot, but for a future terror operation. Moussaoui had said as much in open court, admitting allegiance to al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, but denying he was to have been part of the 9/11 hijacking of planes. Prosecutors had questioned the validity of some of his claims.

The 41-year-old faced the death penalty, but was instead given life in prison, and serves his sentence at the so-called "Supermax" correctional facility in Colorado.

His trial was delayed for many months over whether the French citizen of Moroccan descent had the right to introduce testimony from the three top al Qaeda leaders who he said may have evidence that could clear him. The court agreed but said no direct access was allowed, only written summaries of the interrogations. That evidence was the key basis of Moussaoui's current appeal.

"We find it significant that Moussaoui never sought to rescind the admissions he had just made" at his March 2005 guilty plea, wrote the judges, "nor to withdraw his guilty plea during the nearly three-year long period that elapsed between his [initial] appeal and the conclusion of the sentencing proceeding."

Moussaoui tried to use bin Laden's own words to help his case. The Saudi leader -- reportedly in hiding in Pakistan or Afghanistan -- said in an audio message, "I was responsible for entrusting the 19 brothers -- Allah have mercy upon them --- with those raids ... and I did not assign brother Zacarias to be with them on that mission." Those 19 Muslim men were the al-Qaeda members aboard the planes that crashed one 9/11.

At the same time, the defendant also claimed he was supposed to fly a fifth plane into the White House, and that Richard Reid, the so-called "shoe bomber" was supposed to be on his hijacking team. Only four planes were involved in the 9/11 attacks.

But after his May 2006 sentencing, Moussaoui claimed he lied on the stand. His erratic behavior at trial, including his frequent outbursts and threats and his insistence of representing himself for a time, led to calls for a mistrial by his legal team.

In his last public appearance at his sentencing, Moussaoui waved the "V" victory sign, and attacked the United States. "We will come back another day," Moussaoui told the court. "As long as you don't hear, America, you will feel. ... God curse America. God bless Osama bin Laden. You will never get him."

Moussaoui now has the option of asking the full appeals court to hear his case or of going directly to the Supreme Court. The justices had earlier refused to stop his trial from going ahead.

The case is Moussaoui v. U.S. (

who remains in the maximum security prison

in which country was the first person charged in connection with the 9/11 attacks

Who was the first person charged in the U.S.?

Where did he say he was going to get evidence from?

Answer: Zacarias Moussaoui.

Answer: Zacarias Moussaoui.

Answer: United States

Answer: Zacarias Moussaoui.

Answer: Zacarias Moussaoui.

Answer: the three top al Qaeda leaders

Answer: Zacarias Moussaoui.

Summary:
Convicted terrorist and 9/11 co-conspirator remains in maximum security prison .
He was first person charged in the U.S. in connection with 9/11 attacks .
In appeal, he said he should have been allowed to give evidence from al Qaeda leaders .


Washington (CNN) -- A former U.S. government scientist who served in sensitive positions on classified aerospace projects pleaded not guilty to attempted espionage Thursday. He will be held without bond pending a jury trial. Stewart David Nozette, 52, appeared in U.S. District Court wearing a prison uniform with bold, horizontal black and white stripes. He smiled as his defense attorney greeted him, and he seemed relaxed during the proceeding. In arguing against bond, prosecutors played what they call an undercover videotape of a conversation just 10 days ago between Nozette and an agent. Nozette, sitting back in a chair or sofa at what appears to be a hotel room, is heard negotiating for a false passport and a means to get to a country with no extradition policy with the United States. "I like the idea of an invisible identity," Nozette was heard saying in the recording. "Can you actually get me that, that artificial name and stuff?" He discussed gift cards under an alias, and a "kitty" that he could use for expenses. Prosecutors Thursday initially said they would present a witness to authenticate the videotape. But the judge accepted the government's claim and a transcript and allowed the eight-minute recording to be played. Authorities have said in a criminal complaint that Nozette, of Chevy Chase, Maryland, tried to deliver classified information to someone he thought was an Israeli intelligence official but who was actually an FBI undercover agent. Nozette, responding on the videotape to the agent's suggestion that arrangements would involve "a lot of work," told the agent, "This isn't just, you know, a few documents. ... I'm making a career choice." The camera in the undercover video is positioned over that agent's right shoulder, looking directly at Nozette. When the agent asked whether the negotiations were only for himself, Nozette said yes, and suggested his wife would not accompany him. "She would ask too many questions," Nozette said. The wife, Wendy McColough, was not seen in the courtroom Thursday, but had been in the spectator gallery October 20 when her husband made his initial appearance. A transcript of the undercover video came out just hours before Thursday's proceeding. Assistant U.S. Attorney Anthony Asuncion has said evidence will show Nozette disclosed to investigators information that was "top secret, related to our national defense, that would cause exceptionally grave damage to national security" if revealed to a foreign country. In an affidavit, the FBI sets out the case against Nozette, who received a doctorate in planetary sciences from Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Nozette had a "top secret" clearance and served at the White House on the National Space Council for President George H.W. Bush, the affidavit says. Later, from early 2000 to early 2006, he did research and development for the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, the Naval Research Laboratory, and NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, it says. The document says Nozette also acted as a technical consultant from 1998 until early 2008 "for an aerospace company that was wholly owned by the government of the state of Israel." The company consulted with Nozette monthly, getting answers to questions, and he received total payments of $225,000, the affidavit says. In early September, Nozette was contacted by phone by an individual purporting to be an Israeli intelligence officer, but who really was an FBI undercover agent, the document says. They met in downtown Washington in front of a hotel, and over lunch, Nozette "demonstrated his willingness to work for Israeli intelligence," it says. The undercover agent engaged in a series of meetings with Nozette, and eventually Nozette allegedly deposited "secret" information in a "dead drop" post office box. Some of the information, the affidavit says, was classified as secret. The criminal complaint does not accuse the government of Israel of any violations of U.S. law. Nozette next has a status hearing November 10 at U.S. District Court, before Judge James Robertson.

where did he appear thursday
What does the complaint say?
when did he appear
What did Stewart David Nozette do?
what did the complaint state
Who is Stewart David Nozette?

Answer: U.S. District Court

Answer: that Nozette, of Chevy Chase, Maryland, tried to deliver classified information to someone he thought was

Answer: Thursday.

Answer: pleaded not guilty to attempted espionage

Answer: Nozette, of Chevy Chase, Maryland, tried to deliver classified information to someone he thought was an Israeli intelligence official but who was actually an FBI undercover agent.

Answer: former U.S. government scientist

Summary:
Stewart David Nozette appeared Thursday in U.S. District Court .
Judge denied bond after seeing undercover video of Nozette and agent .
Nozette may have planned to leave wife behind if he fled the U.S.
Nozette willing "to work for Israeli intelligence," complaint states .


Washington (CNN) -- A hearing continues Thursday to determine the future of John Hinckley Jr., who shot President Ronald Reagan and three others in March 1981.

After an expected week and half of testimony, a federal judge will consider whether Hinckley should eventually be released from a mental hospital, where he has been a patient since his 1982 trial. The trial ended in a jury verdict of not guilty by reason of insanity.

On Wednesday, Hinckley's lawyers said he is not dangerous and should eventually be released. But prosecutors are fighting that, saying Hinckley has been deceptive about his activities while on visits to his mother in Williamsburg, Virginia.

In opening statements, prosecutor Sarah Chasson said Secret Service agents will testify they performed surveillance on Hinckley without his knowledge earlier this year when he was allowed what he was told was unsupervised free time in Williamsburg.

On several occasions in July and September, Hinckley was supposed to go to the movies or shopping but instead went to bookstores where he looked at books about Ronald Reagan and presidential assassins, Chasson said. A requirement of Hinckley's current visitation program is that plans be laid out detailing what he will do when on his own and that medical staff and the Secret Service are informed.

According to Chasson, in the first instance in July, Hinckley was supposed to go to the movie "Captain America." Later when he saw his "treatment team," Hinckley not only maintained he had gone to the movie, but he enthusiastically recommended it.

Chasson also quoted from a 1987 diary entry by Hinckley in which he said "psychiatry is a guessing game" and doctors "will never know the true John Hinckley."

"The hospital doesn't know what Mr. Hinckley is thinking, and he wants it that way," the prosecutor said.

Hinckley's attorney, Barry Levine, said the issue is not whether Hinckley has sometimes been deceptive but whether he is dangerous.

"This man is not dangerous and the evidence shows he is not dangerous," Levine said. He added that Hinckley is "flawed" but is "fundamentally decent."

Levine said that in the two and a half decades that Hinckley has been at St. Elizabeths Hospital in Washington to undergo treatment and during his visits outside that facility, there has "not been a single act of violence."

Since 1999, Levine said, Hinckley has been taking a drug called Risperdal. Medical websites describe Risperdal as an antipsychotic medication often used to treat bipolar disorder and schizophrenia.

Dr. Tyler Jones, director of psychiatry at St. Elizabeths, testified Hinckley also started taking Zoloft in 2005 after complaining about anxiety.

Jones said Hinckley had been diagnosed years ago as suffering from depression and from an unspecified psychotic disorder. But Jones said he's been in remission for both of those disorders for many years. He said Hinckley also suffers from narcissism, which has improved but is still present. Jones said he has interviewed Hinckley but has not treated him.

According to Jones, Hinckley's treatment team was informed by the Secret Service that Hinckley had not told the truth about his activities during several visits. Jones said the medical staff discussed this issue with Hinckley, who initially did not appear to view the issue as a big deal, but later understood it was a serious issue.

Although concerned Hinckley was not truthful about his activities, Jones said, "We didn't feel this constituted an increased risk." The staff decided to reduce Hinckley's Christmas visit to his mother from 10 days to five days, and he will not be allowed to have any unaccompanied activities during that December stay. Jones said the staff had considered stronger action including the possibility of revoking Hinckley's privileges altogether.

A September filing by prosecutors said Hinckley "continues to be deceptive regarding his relationships with and interest in women." According to the document, in June of 2009 he went on the Internet to find photos of his female dentist. "When he was caught, Hinckley claimed, falsely, that the dentist had invited him to view her personal photographs."

Asked about the photographs of the dentist, Jones said the photographs

What does the prosecutor say about the hospital?

Answer: shot

Answer: the future of John Hinckley Jr.,

Answer: John Hinckley Jr.,

Answer: Mr. Hinckley is thinking,

Answer: hearing

Answer: Mr. Hinckley is thinking, and he wants it that way,"

Answer: John Hinckley Jr.,

Summary:
Defense attorneys want John Hinckley to be transitioned out of a mental hospital .
"The hospital doesn't know what Mr. Hinckley is thinking," the prosecutor says .
The hearing may determine whether to eventually free him from a mental hospital .
After John Hinckley shot Reagan, he was found not guilty by reason of insanity .


Washington (CNN) -- A key congressional committee opened its investigation Thursday into the November 5 Fort Hood shootings with a pledge to find out if authorities failed to "connect the dots" and could have prevented the attack. The head of the committee promised the inquiry would not interfere with a separate investigation into the shootings being conducted by Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Attorney General Eric Holder. "Their investigation looks backward and is punitive. Ours looks forward and is preventive," said Senate Homeland Security Committee Chairman Joe Lieberman, I-Connecticut, Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, a U.S. Army psychiatrist, is accused of opening fire at a military processing center at Fort Hood Army Post, killing 13 people. Dozens of others were wounded. Hasan was shot and paralyzed during the attack and remains in a military hospital. Lieberman said the committee will carry out its investigation "with respect for the thousands of Muslim-Americans who are serving in the American military with honor and the millions of other patriotic, law-abiding Muslims who live in our country." But, he added, "we do no favor to all our fellow Americans who are Muslim by ignoring real evidence that a small number of their community have, in fact, become violent Islamists and extremists." Lieberman said the committee's investigation will focus on whether concerns raised by Hasan's colleagues about his "mental stability and political extremism" were dealt with appropriately by senior Army officials. Among other things, a memo reportedly written two years ago by Hasan's supervisor at Walter Reed Army Medical Center says Hasan demonstrated "a pattern of poor judgment and a lack of professionalism" during his residency at the hospital. CNN could not corroborate the authenticity of the memo, which was obtained by National Public Radio. Lieberman also said the committee will examine a lack of response by federal authorities after uncovering an exchange of e-mails between Hasan and a radical cleric accused of having ties to al Qaeda. The FBI has said it was aware of communication between Hasan and Anwar al-Awlaki, a Yemeni-American cleric who has promoted jihad against the United States and other Western countries. But investigators determined that those contacts were "consistent with research being conducted by Maj. Hasan." Also, Lieberman noted, the committee will look into whether information on Hasan gathered by a joint terrorism task force was shared with officials in the Army, the Defense Department or elsewhere. Maine Sen. Susan Collins, the ranking Republican on the committee, said Hasan's case "raises questions about whether or not restrictive rules have a chilling effect on the legitimate dissemination of information, making it too difficult to connect the dots that would have allowed a clear picture of the threat to emerge." But a law enforcement official familiar with the investigation told CNN that when Hasan first came to the attention of investigators because of his communications with al-Awlaki, officials looked at his military personnel file and nothing was found that raised suspicion. None of the items that have been reported since the shootings -- including the reported memo from his Walter Reed supervisor or a Power Point presentation arguing that Muslims in the Army should be given conscientious objector status -- were part of the file, the official said, but it was noted that Hasan had done research about Muslims in the military. Thursday's hearing included testimony from former Army Vice Chief of Staff Gen. John Keane, Rand Corp. consultant Brian Jenkins and New York City Police Department intelligence analyst Mitchell Silber. "At a glance, Maj. Hasan's rampage at Fort Hood looks a lot like what used to be called 'going postal,' " Jenkins said. It was "a deepening sense of personal grievance culminating in a homicidal rampage directed against co-workers -- in this case, fellow soldiers. "For Hasan, 'going jihad' reflects the channeling of obvious personality problems into a deadly fanaticism," he said. The committee launched its investigation only hours before Gates announced a 45-day review of Pentagon policies to see if the Defense Department has fallen short in identifying service members "who could potentially pose credible threats to others

who did they need to share the information with?

What did Sen. Joe Lieberman say about the incident?

Who is opening an inquiry into the massacre?

Answer: shootings

Answer: 5 Fort Hood shootings

Answer: 5

Answer: officials in the Army,

Answer: "Their investigation looks backward and is punitive. Ours looks forward and is preventive,"

Answer: A key congressional committee

Summary:
Incident has "broader implications for society," Sen. Joe Lieberman says .
Congressional committee opens inquiry into massacre at Fort Hood, Texas .
Lieberman: Feds' lack of response after uncovering e-mails will be examined .
Also to be investigated is whether task force information about suspect was shared .


Washington (CNN) -- A killer who sent a prosecutor a taunting letter about  killing a 16-year-old girl died in Virginia's electric chair Thursday night, the Richmond Times Dispatch reported.

Paul Warner Powell was pronounced dead at 9:09 p.m. ET, the newspaper reported.

Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell had denied clemency and the U.S. Supreme Court in January refused to block the execution.

Powell was convicted in the 1999 murder of Stacie Reed and the rape of her 14-year-old sister in their Manassas, Virginia, family home.

Powell claimed double jeopardy after state prosecutors put him on trial for a second time in the killing. The high court in July delayed Powell's execution while considering the broader constitutional claims, which were finally rejected. The killer rejected lethal injection, the state's usual method of execution.

"I'm hopeful this is the last legal chapter in the long history of this case," said Powell's prosecutor, Prince William County Commonwealth's Attorney Paul Ebert. "The survivors -- Stacie's mother and [her sister] -- have really been traumatized by delay after delay. Hopefully they're going to get some peace and closure after all these years."

CNN does not identify sexual assault victims without their permission, even though the surviving victim, now 25, has talked publicly about the case.

The crime shocked the Washington area. Stacie Reed knew Powell, then 20 and an admitted racist. The state's highest court eventually threw out the 2000 verdict in the first trial, saying prosecutors had not proven other necessary death-eligible offenses were committed against the 16-year-old. Such "aggravating" factors could include, rape, attempted rape or robbery in commission of the murder.

The sexual assault and attempted murder of Stacie's younger sister was upheld, and Powell was given a long prison sentence.

Powell, believing he was free from execution, proceeded to write a taunting, profanity-filled letter from behind bars to Ebert, laying out explicit details of the crime unknown to investigators at the time.

"Since I have already been indicted on first degree murder and the Va. Supreme Court said that I can't be charged with capital murder again, I figured I would tell you the rest of what happened on Jan. 29, 1999, to show you how stupid all of y'all ... are," wrote Powell, who is white.

He said he had gone to the Reed house to confront Stacie for dating a black boyfriend. He admitted pinning the victim, threatening to rape her, then stabbing her in the heart when the girl resisted. He then stomped on her throat.

"I guess I forgot to mention these events when I was being questioned. Ha Ha!" he wrote in 2001. "Do you just hate yourself for being so stupid ... and saving me?"

The killer also said that after that crime, he waited in the house until the younger girl returned from school, then attacked her, leaving her for dead. In the meantime, he drank iced tea from the family refrigerator and smoked a cigarette, part of the forensic evidence that investigators used to place Powell at the scene of the crime.

With this firsthand account from Powell, he was indicted again and charged with murder and attempted rape of Stacie -- a capital-eligible crime. He again was convicted, and federal and state courts subsequently upheld the conviction on appeal.

The Supreme Court appeal is Powell v. Kelly (09-21).

Who was convicted for the murder of Stacie Reed?

Answer: 1999 murder of Stacie Reed and the rape of her 14-year-old sister

Answer: Paul Warner Powell

Answer: taunting, profanity-filled letter

Summary:
Paul Warner Powell was convicted of murdering Stacie Reed and raping her sister .
Afterward, he wrote a taunting letter to the prosecutor giving new details of the crime .
In a second trial, his admission of attempted rape of Stacie got him the death penalty .
The U.S. Supreme Court in January refused to block the execution .


Washington (CNN) -- A lesbian couple together for more than a decade smiled through tears Tuesday as they became the first same-sex couple to marry in the District of Columbia, on the first day such unions are legal in the nation's capital.

Sinjoyla Townsend and Angelisa Young said they had waited years to marry. They were first in line last week to apply for a marriage license at Washington's marriage bureau.

"You are my friend, my partner, my love," Young, 47, told Townsend, 41. "I will love you today, tomorrow and forever."

After the wedding, those present cheered as the two women embraced and cried. They have been together for 12 years and have children, according to biographical information released by the Human Rights Campaign and D.C. Clergy United for Marriage Equality.

The new law survived a Supreme Court challenge. The measure went into effect last week, but couples had to hold off until Tuesday because of the district's three-day waiting period.

"We're very excited," Townsend said last week. She and Young were among 100 couples applying for licenses.

Share your thoughts on same-sex marriage

The district joins Connecticut, Iowa, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Vermont in allowing same-sex couples to marry.

Mayor Adrian Fenty signed the Washington measure into law in December after the city council overwhelming passed it. It then went through a review period, during which Congress had an opportunity to intervene.

The Supreme Court last week rejected a request from a group of Washington residents to keep the law from going into effect. Local courts had previously turned down lawsuits to block it.

Opponents of the law say city residents should have had a chance to vote on the issue before the city council passed it. They hope to force a ballot initiative to overturn the law.

Also among the first couples to marry Tuesday were Reggie Stanley and Rocky Galloway, both 50. The couple have two daughters, Malena and Zoe Stanley-Galloway, each 15 months old, according to the biographical information released by the equality groups.

Also married on Tuesday were the Rev. Elder Darlene Garner, 61, and the Rev. Lorilyn Candy Holmes, 53, of Laurel, Maryland. Both of them serve in leadership roles in the Metropolitan Community Church. The women are mothers, grandmothers and great-grandmothers, according to the groups.

During Garner and Holmes' ceremony, a representative from their families read a statement blessing the marriage.

Same-sex couples in Washington, D.C. can start legally getting married when?

Who signed the measure into law in December?

Can same-sex couples marry legally in Washington, D.C.?

Answer: Tuesday

Answer: Adrian Fenty

Answer: Adrian Fenty

Answer: a request from a group of Washington residents to keep the law from going into effect.

Answer: Tuesday

Answer: Adrian Fenty

Answer: Mayor Adrian Fenty

Answer: such unions are legal in the nation's capital.

Answer: a request from a group of Washington residents to keep the law from going into effect.

Summary:
Tuesday is first day same-sex couples in Washington, D.C., can legally marry .
Supreme Court last week rejected bid by residents that would have blocked law .
Mayor Adrian Fenty signed measure into law in December, after council passed it .


Washington (CNN) -- A narrowly passed committee measure that recommends the United States recognize the 1915 killings of ethnic Armenians in Ottoman Turkey as genocide will likely not get a full vote in the House of Representatives, according to a senior State Department official.

The official said Friday that the State Department has an understanding with House leadership on the issue, and, "We believe it will stop where it is."

The measure passed 23-22 in the House Foreign Affairs Committee on Thursday.

In response, Turkey ordered its ambassador to the United States home for "consultation," Foreign Ministry spokesman Burak Ozugergin told CNN.

The nearly century-old issue has placed both Congress and the White House in the middle of a political minefield, balancing moral considerations with both domestic and international concerns.

The Obama administration had urged the House Foreign Affairs Committee not to pass the resolution, warning it could damage U.S.-Turkish relations and jeopardize efforts to normalize relations between Turkey and its neighbor Armenia. The two do not share formal diplomatic relations.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told reporters Friday that "the Obama administration strongly opposes the resolution that was passed by only one vote in the House committee, and we'll work very hard to make sure it does not go to the House floor."

State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley told reporters ahead of the vote that the United States was concerned about the impact the vote could potentially have on U.S.-Turkish relations. Turkey, among other things, is considered a strong American ally and is home to a critical U.S. air base.

Armenia's foreign minister, Edward Nalbandian, said his country highly appreciates the committee's vote. "This is another proof of the devotion of the American people to universal human values and is an important step toward the prevention of the crimes against humanity," he said. The Armenian National Committee of America said the passage of the measure shows that "Turkey doesn't get a vote or a veto in the U.S. Congress."

Turkish officials vehemently oppose the measure.

"Turkey is saddened by the bill that has been accepted in the Foreign Affairs Committee today [Thursday]," Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's Web site said.

"We condemn this bill that accuses the Turkish nation of a crime it has not committed. The people who support this bill have adopted a wrong and unfair attitude, ignoring the differences of opinion of expert historians and historical facts. The bill has been prepared with tangible historical mistakes regarding the 1915 incidents and with a completely subjective attitude," the statement said.

A Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesman recently issued a public warning that passage of a resolution labeling the World War I killings as genocide "would harm U.S.-Turkish relations." Turkish officials have also warned that passing the resolution could hurt a historic agreement aimed at normalizing relations between Turkey and Armenia, and efforts to reopen their long-closed border.

"It would harm the normalization process," spokesman Ozugergin said. "And it is wrong. The substance is also wrong."

Turkey officially denies a genocide took place in the last days of the crumbling Ottoman Empire. Ankara instead says that Muslim Turks and Christian Armenians massacred each other on the killing fields of World War I.

Historians have extensively documented the Ottoman military's forced death-march of hundreds of thousands of ethnic Armenians into the Syrian desert in 1915. Every April 24, Armenians worldwide observe a remembrance day for those killed.

The killings decimated the Armenian population in what is modern-day eastern Turkey.

The government in the Armenian capital of Yerevan and influential Armenian diaspora groups have been urging countries around the world to formally label the events of 1915 "genocide."

"I don't pretend to be a professional historian," Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Howard Berman, D-California, said ahead of Thursday's vote. "But the vast majority of experts ... agree that the tragic massacres of the Armenians constitute genocide."

Rep. Gary Ackerman, D-New York, acknowledged that Turkey is an "important, strong [and] necessary ally of the United States." But "overriding all of

House committee passed the measure by how many votes?

Who should recognize 1915 killings of Armenians in Turkey as genocide?

Who said "We believe it will stop where it is,"  ?

Who passed the measure by one vote on Friday ?

What should the US recognize as genocide?

Answer: 23-22

Answer: 23-22

Answer: United States

Answer: senior State Department official.

Answer: the 1915 killings of ethnic Armenians in Ottoman Turkey as genocide

Answer: House Foreign Affairs Committee

Answer: the 1915 killings of ethnic Armenians in Ottoman Turkey

Summary:
Measure: U.S. should recognize 1915 killings of Armenians in Turkey as genocide .
House committee passed the measure by one vote on Friday .
Move has strained relations with crucial ally, but is hailed by officials in Armenia .
"We believe it will stop where it is," senior State Dept. official says of measure .


Washington (CNN) -- A new classified directive to coalition forces in Afghanistan puts restrictions on nighttime raids of Afghan homes and compounds, according to a senior U.S. official who has seen the document. The official declined to be identified because a declassified version of the document has not been made public. The directive is signed by Gen. Stanley McChrystal, the top NATO commander in Afghanistan, the official said. The directive comes as the coalition seeks to reduce tension between its military forces and Afghan civilians in an effort to maintain Afghan public support. Nighttime raids in which troops enter private homes have sparked problems for U.S. and NATO forces. The raids are viewed as overly invasive -- a violation of the privacy of the home in Afghan culture -- and they can turn violent. The document orders forces to use Afghan troops at night "whenever possible" to knock on doors of residences and compounds, and to use them if forcible action is required for entry, the official said. But the directive also orders troops to "conduct an analysis" of whether it is militarily essential to conduct a raid at night or whether it can be put off until daylight, the official said. If troops can keep a target under surveillance but wait for daylight, they then can enlist the aid of village elders, perhaps, in determining if a home or compound poses a threat, the official said. The official emphasized that troops always have the right to defend themselves and are given leeway to use their best judgment on the battlefield. McChrystal also is updating another directive, first issued last year, on conducting operations to minimize civilian casualties, the official said. The updated version, which is yet to be published, will include "more clarity" for troops on how to operate in "escalation of force" incidents, such as when a vehicle approaches a checkpoint in a potentially threatening manner and troops must decide whether, and when, to fire at it. The official declined to offer further details but said the aim is to make sure even the most junior troops have full understanding of rules and procedures. Some troops and local commanders have expressed concerns that recent rules can inhibit their ability to take action under fire. These directives come as the coalition has been involved in several recent incidents in which civilians were inadvertently killed, and as the coalition conducts major operations in southern Afghanistan. McChrystal released a video message to the Afghan populace apologizing for an incident this week in which 27 Afghan civilians were killed. "I have made it clear to our forces that we are here to protect the Afghan people. I pledge to strengthen our efforts to regain your trust to build a brighter future for all Afghans," he said in the message. The official said the documents may be made public in the coming weeks, after current operations ease.

What does the directive pertain to?
Where were the raids?
What did the directive pertain to?
Who was trying to lower tension?
What did the new rules call for?

Answer: coalition forces in Afghanistan

Answer: Afghan homes and compounds,

Answer: nighttime raids of Afghan homes and compounds,

Answer: the coalition

Answer: restrictions

Summary:
U.S. official: Directive pertains to coalition forces' raids on Afghan homes, compounds .
Coalition trying to lower tension between military and civilians, keep Afghan public support .
Raids seen as violation of privacy of Afghan homes, and they can turn violent .
New rules are said to call for use of Afghan troops, analysis of whether night raid is essential .


Washington (CNN) -- A new report, due Thursday, raises questions about the Transportation Security Administration's ability to keep airports safe from terrorists.

The report by the Government Accountability Office casts doubts on TSA's ability to adequately perform its security mission, said U.S. Rep. John Mica of Florida.

Mica specifically wanted the GAO to determine how effective the TSA's behavior detection program, or SPOT (Screening Passengers by Observation Techniques), has been in deterring potential acts of terrorism.

Mica will unveil the results of the report at a press conference, he said.

As chairman of the subcommittee on aviation after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, Mica was instrumental in establishing the TSA. Now, he says he is a critic of its ballooning bureaucracy.

Who examines Transportation Security?
what did they create the agnecy for
what is the behavoir detection program
The report is requested by who?

Answer: John Mica

Answer: to keep airports safe from terrorists.

Answer: (Screening Passengers by Observation Techniques),

Answer: U.S. Rep. John Mica

Summary:
GAO report examines Transportation Security Administration's work .
Report specifically targets TSA's behavior detection program .
Report requested by congressman who helped create agency .


Washington (CNN) -- A representative at the Virginia mosque of five Americans arrested in Pakistan said it plans to conduct an inquiry into the circumstances that led to the arrests.

The men were arrested by Pakistani police this week amid suspicion that they were plotting terrorist attacks and planned to go to Afghanistan, a development that shocked members of the ICNA Center, the mosque the five attended.

At a news conference Friday, friends of the five and members of the mosque expressed their surprise over the arrests, defending the activities at the mosque as positive and describing the five as "wholesome, regular kids."

Attorney Ashraf Nubani said he believes the incident is isolated, but said the mosque is conducting an inquiry into the matter.

While members of the mosque didn't comment on the reports and charges emerging from Pakistan, they described a tight-knit, patriotic congregation that focused on community service. They were grateful for the actions of law enforcement and expressed profound empathy for the families of the people held.

A Pakistani police interrogation report, dated Thursday, shined more light on the Wednesday arrests of the five Americans at a home in Sargodha, a town about 120 miles south of Islamabad. The men will be transferred to Lahore, Pakistan, for security reasons, Interior Minister Rehman Malik said Friday. A sixth man -- the father of one of the five -- was arrested afterward, police said.

Read the interrogation report (PDF)

The report carries profile detail about the men and shows pictures of Internet sites, laptops, mobile phones, an iPod, and an external hard drive seized by police.

"They had deep interest in the religion and they were of the opinion that a jihad must be waged against the infidels for the atrocities committed by them against Muslims around the world," said the report, which refers to the five as college students.

The report focused on one of the suspects -- identified as Ahmed Abdullah Minni, a 20-year-old American born in Virginia. It said he regularly goes online to watch attacks on the U.S. military in Afghanistan and that he left comments praising the actions. That caught the attention of militants, and he was eventually contacted by a person named Saifullah, the report said.

After contact had been made, a Yahoo! e-mail account was set up so the men and militants could communicate, the report said. E-mails were never sent from the account, but people would leave messages in the draft sections of the e-mail account and delete them after reading them, the Pakistani police report said.

"This mode of communication enabled them to pass on messages without fear of interception by the FBI," it said.

The report said the suspects made a plan with Saifullah to go from Pakistan to Afghanistan. They gathered in Karachi and left for Hyderabad on December 1. They tried to hook up with two militant groups -- Jaish-e-Mohammed and the Jamaat-ud-Dawa -- but neither group showed interest.

"They went to the madrassa [a Muslim school] of Jaish-e-Mohammad where they informed them about their desire for jihad. However, the management of the madrassa refused to keep them, and advised them to go to Jamat-ud-Dawa Lahore. Interestingly, the Jamat also refused to keep them as they could not provide a surety. Thus, they came along with their friend Umar Farooq to Sargodha," the report said.

The FBI said Pakistan authorities detained the men -- four of whom it said were found to have American passports -- on Wednesday, "after they came to the attention of police." An FBI statement did not give further details and did not identify the men.

Officials said the six men include three Pakistani-Americans, an Ethiopian-American, an Egyptian-American and an Eritrean-American.

Along with Minni, there were snapshots and brief profiles of only four others -- Umar Farooq, Aman Hassan Yemer, Waqar Hussain Khan, and Ramy Zamzam -- all from the Washington area. The sixth man was Khalid Farouk, father of Umar, the report said

What is the group charged with?
Who describe the students?
Where were the Americans arrested?
How many people were arrested?
What was the groups final destination?

Answer: plotting terrorist attacks

Answer: and members of the mosque

Answer: Pakistan

Answer: five

Answer: Afghanistan.

Summary:
Members of the mosque describe five students as "wholesome, regular kids."
Americans arrested in Pakistan planned to go to Afghanistan,  interrogation report says .
Pakistani officials: 5 arrested Wednesday, sixth man -- father of one of the 5 -- arrested later .
Pakistani police say men were planning terrorist acts, official says .


Washington (CNN) -- A trio of congressional Republicans passionately appealed to the Pentagon on Thursday to drop charges against three Navy SEALs accused of assaulting an Iraqi suspected of orchestrating the 2004 killing and mutilation of four U.S. contractors.

Flanked by about a dozen retired Navy SEALs at a news conference near the Capitol, Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, R-California; Rep. Dan Burton, R-Indiana; and Rep. Louie Gohmert, R-Texas, insisted that the U.S. is sending the wrong message to its troops.

"These Navy SEALs were apprehending a terrorist murderer, and they are being accused of roughing him up? Give me a break! These men should be given medals, not prosecuted. These men are heroes," Rohrabacher said.

Burton agreed, saying, "These people are laying their lives on the line every day, and they can't go into a combat situation with kid gloves on."

The congressmen said they plan to present to Pentagon officials petitions signed by thousands of people supporting the SEALs.

The Iraqi suspect, Ahmed Hashim Abed, complained to investigators he was punched during his detention.

One of the three SEALs, Petty Officer 2nd Class Matthew McCabe, 24, accused of assault, stood next to his attorney at the event Thursday. McCabe did not speak.

Gohmert said those who bring harm to Americans should not get the same judicial treatment as U.S. citizens.

"They get all their constitutional rights. Well, we've got heroes around who deserve the constitutional rights of an even better caliber. And yes, there are different levels of constitutional rights," he said.

In January, a military judge ruled that the trials of the two other SEALs should be held on a base in Iraq.

Petty Officer 2nd Class Jonathan Keefe, 25, and Petty Officer 1st Class Julio Huertas, 28, are charged with dereliction of duty and impeding an official investigation surrounding the Iraqi's detention last September. Their trials are set to begin next month.

The case against the Navy SEALs has sparked outrage that the sailors are being tried at all for handling a suspect in the contractors' murders, one of the most notorious incidents in the Iraq war.

The killings got widespread news coverage when the burned bodies of two of the contractors were paraded through the streets of Falluja and hanged from a bridge as their captors cheered.

"In this case, we've turned logic upside down on its head," said Rohrabacher. "Our government is taking the word of a terrorist and attacking our defenders."

How many Navy SEALs are accused of assaulting an Iraqi?

Answer: to drop charges against three Navy SEALs accused of assaulting an Iraqi suspected of orchestrating the 2004 killing and mutilation of four U.S. contractors.

Answer: three

Answer: thousands

Answer: "These Navy SEALs were apprehending a terrorist murderer, and they are being accused of roughing him up? Give me a break! These men should be given medals, not prosecuted. These men are heroes,"

Answer: orchestrating the 2004 killing and mutilation of four U.S. contractors.

Summary:
Three Navy SEALs accused of assaulting an Iraqi .
Iraqi suspected of orchestrating '04 killing, mutilation of four U.S. contractors .
Rep. Dana Rohrabacher: "These men should be given medals, not prosecuted"
Congressmen say they have petitions signed by thousands supporting SEALs .


Washington (CNN) -- A year and a half after deploying National Guard troops to counter illegal immigration on the Southwest border, the Department of Homeland Security and Pentagon told Congress Tuesday they are cutting the number of troops and changing their mission.

The drawdown, which the department characterized as a "transition," will begin in January and should be completed by March. Several lawmakers told CNN the number of National Guard troops on the border will be cut from 1,200 with responsibilities mainly on the ground to 300 who will support the border mission in the air.

The Department of Homeland Security said the change is possible because of a jump in the number of Border Patrol officers in the region, an increase in technology and a drop in apprehensions at the border.

But several lawmakers criticized the move, saying conditions on the Southwest border merit more troops, not fewer.

A deployment of 1,200 troops was "not enough to begin with, although they are doing as good a job as they can," Rep. Ted Poe, R-Texas, told CNN. Poe said the United States has "operational control" of only 44 percent of the Southwestern border.

"That's not success," Poe said.

Rep. Lamar Smith, R-Texas, agreed.

"If the Obama administration's goal is border security, their actions undermine their objective," he said in a written statement. "We should keep guardsmen on the ground until the Border Patrol can gain operational control of the majority of the U.S.-Mexico border."

But Rep. Silvestre Reyes, D-Texas, supported the drawdown. "While I appreciate the service of our National Guard forces, requiring them to engage in border law enforcement activity is not cost effective," he said in a statement.

The Homeland Security Department said that in the fiscal year ending October 1, Border Patrol apprehensions of illegal immigrants -- a key indicator of the amount of illegal immigration -- decreased to 340,252, down 53 percent since fiscal year 2008. Since 2004, the size of the Border Patrol has doubled to 21,444.

In a news release announcing the change, the Department of Homeland Security and the Pentagon did not cite exactly how many troops would be pulled from the border, but said the "new strategic approach" will increase border security. That approach includes "adding a number of new multi-purpose aerial assets" equipped with the "latest surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities."

In addition, the National Guard will provide helicopters and planes to the Border Patrol, "allowing for faster response capabilities," the news release said.

"I did not understand or get the impression they are going to add any equipment; they're going to use what they have," said Poe, who was briefed on the changes.

The Defense Department budget for the border would drop by half, from $120 million to $60 million, congressional staffers said they were told. Specifics about the ramped-up aerial surveillance are still being worked out, the staffers said.

Poe said he plans to fight the change. "I'll ask the president to reconsider and then try to figure a way, bipartisan, to show that this is not a wise move," he said.

when will the transition be complete
When will the transition be done?
what did the dhs say
Do lawmakers oppose the move?
When will the transition begin?
when will the transition start
What does the DHS say?

Answer: March.

Answer: March.

Answer: the change is possible because of a jump in the number of Border Patrol officers in the region, an increase in technology and a drop in apprehensions at the border.

Answer: several

Answer: January

Answer: January

Answer: the change is possible

Summary:
The transition will begin in January and be completed by March, DHS says .
Some lawmakers oppose the move, saying conditions merit more troops, not fewer .
DHS says a "new strategic approach" will increase border security .


Washington (CNN) -- African-Americans are extremely supportive of President Obama, but their enthusiasm appears to have dramatically dropped from earlier this year, according to a new national poll. The CNN/Opinion Research Corp. survey, released Tuesday, also indicates that Obama's presidency appears to have made blacks more optimistic about race relations, but less than one in five believe the new president has ushered in a new era of race relations in the country. More than nine in 10 blacks questioned in the poll approve of the job Obama's doing in the White House, far higher than 42 percent of whites who approve of his performance as president. But when asked how they personally feel about Obama's presidency, only 42 percent of black respondents say they're thrilled, with nearly half of those questioned saying they are happy but not thrilled. The 42 percent who are thrilled is down from 61 percent in January, when Obama was inaugurated. "African-Americans are still big fans of the first black president in U.S. history, but the thrill is gone," said CNN Polling Director Keating Holland. According to the poll, 51 percent of African-Americans say Obama's presidency has brought some improvement in race relations in the U.S., but only 18 percent feel it's the start of a new era. Another 23 percent say they've seen a real change in race relations over the past 11 months and 7 percent say things have gotten worse. The survey indicates that three-quarters of blacks believe race relations will improve eventually, which is up from 49 percent of blacks who felt that way a year before Obama was elected. "Whites take a dimmer view of Obama's effect on race relations, with a third believing that the new presidency has not changed race relations in the country and 15 percent of whites saying that Obama has made race relations worse," Holland added. "Not surprisingly, whites are less supportive of Obama, although for a notable number of whites, their negative view of the president is due to the perception that he's not been liberal enough." The CNN/Opinion Research Corporation poll was conducted December 16-20, with 1,160 adult Americans, including 259 African-Americans and 786 whites, questioned by telephone. The survey's overall sampling error is plus or minus 3 percentage points and plus or minus 6 percentage points for the African-Americans sample. CNN Deputy Political Director Paul Steinhauser contributed to this story

what Approval rating more than twice as high among blacks?

Answer: More than nine in 10

Answer: job Obama's doing in the White House,

Answer: The CNN/Opinion Research Corp. survey,

Answer: CNN/Opinion Research Corp. survey,

Answer: African-Americans

Summary:
CNN/Opinion Research Corp. Poll released Tuesday .
Poll: More than nine in 10 blacks approve of the job Obama is doing .
Black respondents saying they're "thrilled" down 19 points from January .
Approval rating more than twice as high among blacks than among whites .


Washington (CNN) -- Alabama now has the toughest immigration law in the nation. The law went into effect on September 29, prompting hundreds of families to pull their children from school and workers to disappear from Alabama farms. A federal appeals court has blocked some provisions, including the one requiring state officials to check the legal status of students in public schools. No doubt, the issue is far from being settled.

Alabama is just one state where an uproar over immigration has been heard. The rapid growth in Alabama's immigrant population, a large proportion estimated to be mostly present illegally, was the impetus behind the law. But the reality of immigration is more complex than the perception.

You wouldn't know it from the rhetoric the last few years, but immigration nationally over the past decade was slower than in the 1990s.

Between 1990 and 2000, the United States gained 11.3 million immigrants, the largest increase this country has ever experienced, a growth rate of 57%. The 2000s, by contrast, witnessed an 8.8 million increase in immigrants, a 28% growth rate. An estimated 40 million foreign-born individuals now call the United States home, according to Census Bureau data released in September, which we analyze in a new report.

So why the ruckus now?

The context for immigration has changed considerably since 2000. Economic times were good at the beginning of the decade, so immigrants, legal and illegal, were drawn by plentiful jobs in an expanding economy. Back then, they were viewed as assets to our labor force and society. Today, amid economic distress, unemployment and shrinking public coffers, immigrants are more likely to be viewed as a drain on resources and as competitors for jobs.

During the economic expansion of the late 1990s, immigrants found new opportunities in some unexpected places. This trend continued in this decade as immigrants dispersed to new metro areas and suburbs within metro areas. The five metropolitan areas with the largest foreign-born populations -- New York, Los Angeles, Miami, Chicago and Houston -- housed a smaller share of the nation's immigrants, just 38% in 2010, compared to 43% in 2000. Meanwhile, immigrants have increasingly settled in the suburbs, so by 2010 a majority of the nation's immigrants are suburban residents.

Nine metropolitan areasâ€”from Scranton, Pennsylvania to Indianapolis, Indiana to Nashville, Tennesseeâ€”experienced at least a doubling of their foreign-born populations between 2000 and 2010. This rapid change did not come without resistance. In the eight states represented by these metro areas, restrictive immigration legislation was introduced, if not passed. Florida, Tennessee, and Alabama all participate in the 287(g) program, an agreement between state and local law enforcement with Immigration Customs and Enforcement (ICE) delegating authority for immigration enforcement within their jurisdictions.

The friction in places unaccustomed to or unprepared for new inflows of foreigners, particularly those who are assumed to be present illegally, manifests itself in different ways. In Arizona, Alabama, Georgia, Indiana and South Carolina, where metro areas experienced some of the fastest or largest growth in their foreign-born populations over the decade, state legislatures passed laws in 2011 to crack down on unauthorized residents.

Not every region is reacting in this way. Metro areas that want to stem their population loss and boost economic growth -- such as Detroit and Cleveland -- are devising ways to woo immigrants. These areas experienced the slowest growth of their immigrant populations among all metropolitan areas -- Detroit at 9% and Cleveland at 6% -- well below the 26% growth across the 100 largest metro areas.

Dayton, Ohio, where the tiny immigrant population grew by 57% over the past 10 years, is the most recent place to buck the "stay out" trend. The city council agreed to a new plan, crafted by 130 community members from all segments of Dayton's communities, outlining a framework for new policies to make the city more open and supportive of immigrants.

Dayton's Mayor Gary Leitzel emphasized, "This is not a city of Dayton government program. For this effort to be successful, it will take the support and active participation

What has become more contentious because of the poor economy?

What has actually slowed down in the last decade?

Answer: immigration

Answer: immigration

Answer: foreign-born

Answer: restrictive immigration legislation

Answer: immigration

Answer: immigration

Answer: rapid growth

Summary:
Immigration actually slowed down in the last decade despite the uproar, authors say .
They say the immigration issue is much more contentious because of a poor economy .
Some areas have seen immigrant population more than double, prompting controversy .
Authors: While some pass laws to curb immigrants, other places welcome them .


Washington (CNN) -- Alexander Haig, who managed the Nixon administration during the Watergate crisis and served a controversial stint as secretary of state under President Reagan, died on Saturday. He was 85.

Haig died at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland, after he was admitted there on January 28, spokesman Gary Stephenson said.

"He served his country well. For that he should be remembered," said William Bennett, who was secretary of education during the Reagan administration. "He carried himself well. He carried himself with dignity and honor."

The White House issued a statement mourning Haig, saying he "exemplified our finest warrior-diplomat tradition of those who dedicate their lives to public service."

A top official in the administrations of three presidents -- Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford and Ronald Reagan -- Haig served as Nixon's chief of staff during the Watergate political crisis, a scandal that dogged the administration in the 1970s.

"There was a time during the Watergate crisis when President Nixon was nearly incapacitated," said political analyst and CNN contributor David Gergen, who worked with Haig during the Nixon and Reagan administrations. "He had a hard time focusing, so obviously obsessed with the scandal and the gathering storms around him. I watched Al Haig keep the government moving. I thought it was a great act of statesmanship and service to the country."

Haig became secretary of state during the Reagan administration and drew controversy for his much-criticized remark on television after the president was shot and wounded by John Hinckley in March 1981.

"As of now, I am in control here in the White House," Haig said as Vice President George H.W. Bush was headed to Washington from Texas.

Haig said he wasn't bypassing the rules; he was just trying to manage the crisis until the vice president arrived. However, he was highly criticized for his behavior, and many observers believe it doomed his political ambitions.

Born December 2, 1924, in Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania, a suburb of Philadelphia, Alexander Meigs Haig Jr. was raised by his mother after he lost his father at age 10. He attended the University of Notre Dame for two years before transferring to the U.S. Military Academy in 1944.

After his graduation in 1947, he served in Japan and later served on Gen. Douglas MacArthur's staff in Japan during the Korean War.

He also served in Vietnam, where he earned the distinguished service cross for heroism in combat. He also won the Purple Heart and Silver Star twice.

Haig served as supreme allied commander of NATO forces in Europe for five years. There was an assassination attempt on him in Brussels in 1979 as he was being driven to NATO headquarters.

A public official known for his loyalty, Haig had hawkish foreign policy views, and Gergen said he could be tough and "combustible."

"He was first and foremost a soldier," Gergen said.

Haig was assistant to National Security Adviser Henry Kissinger in the Nixon White House and was involved in the Paris peace agreements that brought an end to the U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War.

He was long rumored to be Deep Throat, the Washington Post's inside source on the Watergate break-in and cover-up that eventually destroyed Nixon's presidency. W. Mark Felt, then a high-ranking FBI official, declared in 2005 that he was the source.

"Great tensions" in the Reagan administration simmered over his stances, and Gergen said, "There was a sense in the White House that he was grabbing too much power.

"He wanted to be the, quote, vicar of foreign policy, and there was a lot of pushback from the White House on that. He felt that he had been guaranteed by Ronald Reagan a role as a strong secretary of state and the reins of power would be in his hands. He resented the White House staff trying to manage him," Gergen said.

"My own sense is that he has been underappreciated," he said.

TIME: Read why Haig left the Reagan White House

As secretary of state

What was Haig's position?
What presidents did Haig work under?
Who worked under President Nixon?
What wars did he serve in?

Answer: secretary of state

Answer: Nixon

Answer: Alexander Haig,

Answer: Korean

Summary:
Haig worked under Presidents Nixon, Ford, Reagan .
He was highly decorated soldier who served during Korean and Vietnam wars .
As secretary of state, Haig wrongly declared "I am in control here" after Reagan was shot .
He unsuccessfully sought the 1988 Republican presidential nomination .