WASHINGTON (CNN) -- A 19-year-old Jordanian bent on committing "violent jihad" was arrested Thursday after undercover FBI agents foiled his attempt to bomb an office tower in Dallas, Texas, authorities announced late Thursday.

Authorities say a suspect tried to set off a bomb attached to a vehicle at the base of the Fountain Plaza tower.

Federal officials said Hosam Maher Husein Smadi, who entered the U.S. illegally and lived in Texas, tried to set off an improvised explosive device attached to a vehicle at the base of the 60-story Fountain Plaza office tower.

Counterterrorism officials arrested Smadi on Thursday before publicly disclosing a similar, but unrelated, terrorism sting arrest in Springfield, Illinois, Wednesday. A federal law enforcement official familiar with the cases said authorities feared word of the Illinois arrest could tip off the Texas suspect of an undercover sting operation.

In a criminal complaint filed with Smadi's arrest, counterterrorism officials said the suspect had been under "continuous surveillance" because of oft-stated determination to inflict damage and death against the United States, which he deemed to be an enemy of Islam.

"The identification and apprehension of this defendant, who was acting alone, is a sobering reminder that there are people among us who want to do us grave harm," said James Jacks, the top federal prosecutor in Dallas.

After casing a Wells Fargo Bank in the office tower in July, Smadi told an undercover agent he would target the facility, according to authorities. Initially Smadi told the agent he wanted to conduct the bombing on September 11, but decided to wait until Ramadan ended September 20, authorities said.

"Unbeknownst to Smadi, the FBI ensured the [vehicle-borne IED] contained only an inert/inactive explosive device, which contained no explosive materials," the Justice Department said in a written statement.

Smadi will make his first court appearance before a federal magistrate judge in Dallas on Friday.

The charge of attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction carries a potential sentence of up to life in prison and a $250,000 fine.

Justice Department officials said the Dallas case was unrelated to the similar FBI sting in Springfield, Illinois, a day earlier when FBI undercover agents foiled a plot to bomb that city's federal building.

In neither case did authorities find ties to known terrorist groups.

what Man, 19, tried to set off bomb at the base of 60-story?

Answer: told an undercover agent he would target the facility,

Answer: vehicle at the base of the Fountain Plaza tower.

Answer: Hosam Maher Husein Smadi,

Answer: Hosam Maher Husein Smadi,

Answer: Hosam Maher Husein Smadi,

Answer: Hosam Maher Husein Smadi,

Answer: Thursday

Summary:
Authorities: Man, 19, tried to set off bomb at the base of 60-story office tower .
Hosam Maher Husein Smadi arrested Thursday .
Authorities: FBI ensured device wasn't explosive after learning of Smadi's plans .
Smadi had revealed plans to an undercover FBI agent, authorities say .


WASHINGTON (CNN) -- A 219-year-old document that stemmed from alcohol tariffs to pay off Revolutionary War debts -- and signed by Alexander Hamilton -- became the property of The National Archives on Thursday. This document, signed by Alexander Hamilton, discusses tools for customs agents to determine alcohol content for imported spirits. The historic letter, which has been the property of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) for the past 35 years, chronicles the federal government's earliest efforts to regulate alcohol. In the document, Hamilton, the first United States secretary of the Treasury, discusses tools for customs agents to determine -- for tax purposes -- the alcohol content of St. Croix rum and other imported spirits. Historians said the document is a notable footnote in American history. In 1789 and again in 1790, Congress imposed alcohol tariffs to pay Revolutionary War debts. In response to the tax on imports, Americans began distilling their own spirits. And when the federal government began taxing those beverages, citizens staged the "Whiskey Rebellion," harassing and threatening federal agents in several cities. But in 1794, the government squelched the uprising, helping to establish the federal government's authority in disputes with individual states. Even non-historians might appreciate the timelessness of the dog-eared document, given its skillful use of bureaucratic language to deliver bad news. One eye-glazing, 76-word sentence probably can be summarized as follows: "We don't have the thermometers you'll need, so for now, use the ones you've got." The document, dated Dec. 18, 1790, is an original draft of a "circular letter," an official memo that would have been hand-copied and sent to customs officers, historians said. "In this circular letter, Hamilton attempts to provide customs officers with new tools to more efficiently do their jobs," said Kenneth Melson, acting director of ATF. Hamilton notes that he is sending a hydrometer -- used to determine the specific gravity or density of liquids -- to ports so that customs officers can determine the proof of imported beverages. Hamilton says he intends to provide two hydrometers to every port; one to be used as a standard or check. "But it is not possible in the first instance to send both. Hence one only will accompany this letter," he writes. In a postscript, he adds that he is also sending a "Tin Cylinder" to hold liquor while its alcohol content is being measured. Archivists said the early history of the Hamilton circular is not known. But in the mid-1970s, an ATF spokesman and autograph collector -- Howard Criswell Jr. -- came across the letter in a catalog from an autograph dealer in New York City. He purchased it for about $100, intending to use it in an ATF bicentennial exhibit. Criswell, now 84, is retired and lives in Maryland. The document remained in an ATF safe until it was rediscovered by ATF employees during a relocation of its headquarters building in 2005. ATF officials said they had once planned to frame the letter, but were told that it would be damaged by exposure to light. The National Archives said the document will become part of its permanent holdings and will be preserved in a locked, temperature and humidity-controlled stack area at its facility in College Park, Maryland.

What do the chronicles do the for the government?

When will the document become part of The National Archives' permanent holdings?

What tests will customs agents perform to determine the alcohol content of imported spirits?

What is the date of the document that chronicles the federal government's earliest efforts to regulate alcohol?

Answer: The National Archives

Answer: imported spirits.

Answer: earliest efforts to regulate alcohol.

Answer: the federal government's earliest efforts to regulate alcohol.

Answer: Thursday.

Answer: hydrometer

Answer: Dec. 18, 1790,

Summary:
Document chronicles the federal government's earliest efforts to regulate alcohol .
Item is guide for customs agents to determine the alcohol content of imported spirits .
Document will become part of The National Archives' permanent holdings .


WASHINGTON (CNN) -- A Bedouin who was just a boy when a U.S. Navy pilot's plane crashed in the Iraqi desert in 1991 was the key to finding his remains more than 18 years after he was killed, the Pentagon says. Marines conduct recovery efforts at the crash site of U.S. Navy Capt. Michael Scott Speicher, shot down in 1991. The new details of the final hunt for U.S. Navy pilot Scott Speicher, who was lost over Iraq on the opening night of the Gulf War in January 1991, were released by the Pentagon Friday. Two sites were searched by U.S. troops who dug west of Baghdad, Iraq, in Anbar province, one at the plane crash site and another 2 kilometers away. The remains of Capt. Speicher were found at the second location. The U.S. military has long said Speicher had ejected out of his jet after it was hit by an Iraqi missile. After years of searching, it was just last month that the military got the crucial information that led them to the burial site. A Bedouin who was just 11 years old at the time of the crash came forward and connected the military with other locals who had knowledge of generally where the crash and burial locations were. The tipster did not know exactly where Speicher was buried but he knew others who had the knowledge, the military statement explained. "He willingly provided his information during general discussion with MNF-W [Multi-National Force-West]personnel and stated he was unaware of the U.S. government's interest in this case until queried by U.S. investigators in July 2009," according to the statement. Bedouin are desert-dwelling nomadic Arabs. One hundred and fifty U.S. military troops were dispatched to dig for the remains at the crash site and did not find any sign of the pilot. At the second site the troops discovered skeletal fragments, according to the statement. Dental records initially identified the bones as Speicher's and, on August 2, DNA results came back positive. Speicher's remains will be taken to Jacksonville, Florida, for burial, according to a family spokeswoman. Speicher was a lieutenant commander when shot down, but because his status remained uncertain, he received promotions during the past 18 years, reaching the rank of captain.

What year what the opening night of Gulf War?

Answer: Two sites

Answer: January 1991,

Answer: 1991

Answer: Jacksonville, Florida,

Answer: Jacksonville, Florida,

Answer: U.S. Navy pilot Scott Speicher,

Summary:
U.S. Navy pilot Scott Speicher lost over Iraq opening night of Gulf War in 1991 .
Two sites searched by U.S. troops, west of Baghdad, Iraq, in Anbar province .
A Bedouin, 11 at time of crash, connected military with locals who knew of crash .
Speicher's remains will be taken to Jacksonville, Florida, for burial .


WASHINGTON (CNN) -- A Boston trolley operator killed in a crash last year likely had a sleep disorder and fell into a "micro-sleep" shortly before the collision, the National Transportation Safety Board ruled Tuesday. Since last year's trolley crash in Boston, Massachusetts, there has been another incident on the same line. The safety board, completing a 14-month investigation, faulted operator Ter'rese Edmonds for ignoring a red signal along the tracks but directed harsh criticism at the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority which operates the train system. The transit authority failed to screen operators for sleep disorders while enforcing a work schedule that could prevent train operators from getting enough sleep, the NTSB said. The NTSB's conclusion that Edmonds fell asleep is partly conjecture, the board acknowledged. Edmonds, a part-time trolley operator, had an opportunity for adequate sleep the day of the wreck, although investigators were not able to determine her sleep history. In addition, Edmonds had been given a break earlier in the day, had not complained to co-workers about fatigue and was found to be free of drugs and alcohol. "We cannot say for certain that she did have it (sleep apnea)," board member Dr. Mitch Garber said. But the NTSB concluded there was a "high likelihood" that Edmonds had an undiagnosed sleep disorder, largely because she was obese and because tests showed she had taken doxylamine, an ingredient commonly found in sleep aids, suggesting she had trouble sleeping during at least one of the nights leading up to the accident. In addition, there is a lack of other evidence to explain why Edmonds failed to slow or stop the train, the board concluded. Tests showed that the stopped train could be seen at a distance of 764 feet, and that "there were multiple opportunities to slow and stop this (advancing) train," NTSB investigator Wayne Workman said. "There was not any evidence that brakes were applied." Edmonds' westbound train was traveling at 38 mph when it struck the other train, which was traveling at 3 mph in the same direction. An estimated 185 to 200 passengers were on the two trains during the collision in the Boston, Massachusetts, suburb of Newton. Damage was estimated at $8.6 million. The board also noted that the MBTA had not installed systems on its Green Line to prevent two trains from occupying the same stretch of track, the NTSB said. The systems, known as "positive train control" systems, would have prevented the accident, the safety board said. One year after the fatal accident, more than 50 people were injured in another accident on the same line. The Boston accident highlights two issues that have risen to the top of the NTSB's concerns in recent years, positive train control and operator fatigue. The safety board says positive train control issues were involved in two other light rail incidents this year, a May 8 wreck on the same MBTA Green Line and a June 22 wreck which killed nine on Washington, D.C.'s Metro system. "If technology exists... on the other (MBTA) lines, why would the Green Line not have everything possible... to prevent accidents from happening," NTSB Chairman Mark Rosenker asked. "I don't understand that as an operator; I just don't." The Metro system had a form of positive train separation, but investigators are exploring whether that crash resulted from a circuit malfunction. The safety board said fatigue issues affect all forms of transportation. It noted that two pilots fell asleep during a flight over Hawaii and that sleep issues played a role in a Cosco Busan ship incident in San Francisco, California, and a fatal bus crash in Mexican Hat, Utah. Rosenker said details that surfaced in the Boston trolley crash will guide the NTSB in the future. "Now it is up to us, because we now are the advocates for these changes," Rosenker said. Recommendations resulting from the Boston crash "raise the bar of safety not only in this system, but across the United States."

What was the transportation board criticized for?

There is a lack of systems to prevent trains from using what?

Answer: ignoring a red signal along the tracks

Answer: occupying the same stretch of track,

Answer: doxylamine,

Answer: the MBTA had not installed systems on its Green Line to prevent two trains from occupying the same stretch of track,

Answer: conclusion that Edmonds fell asleep

Summary:
Obesity, evidence that operator was taking sleep aid leads to conjecture .
Transportation board criticized for failing to screen for sleep disorders .
Board also notes lack of systems to prevent trains from using same stretch of track .


WASHINGTON (CNN) -- A Muslim family removed from an airliner Thursday after passengers became concerned about their conversation say AirTran officials refused to rebook them, even after FBI investigators cleared them of wrongdoing.

A Muslim family was removed from an AirTran flight after a conversation about the safest place to sit.

Atif Irfan said federal authorities removed eight members of his extended family and a friend after passengers heard them discussing the safest place to sit and misconstrued the nature of the conversation.

Irfan, a U.S. citizen and tax attorney, said he was "impressed with the professionalism" of the FBI agents who questioned him, but said he felt mistreated when the airline refused to book the family for a later flight.

AirTran Airways late Thursday said they acted properly and that the family was offered full refunds and can fly with AirTran again.

"AirTran Airways complied with all TSA, law enforcement and Homeland Security directives and had no discretion in the matter," the company said in a prepared statement.  Watch how Muslims find climate of fear at airport »

Family members said FBI agents tried to work it out with the airline, but to no avail. iReport.com: Share your story

"The FBI agents actually cleared our names," said Inayet Sahin, Irfan's sister-in-law. "They went on our behalf and spoke to the airlines and said, 'There is no suspicious activity here. They are clear. Please let them get on a flight so they can go on their vacation,' and they still refused."

"The airline told us that we can't fly their airline," Irfan said.

The dispute occurred about 1 p.m. Thursday as AirTran flight 175 was preparing for takeoff from Reagan National Airport outside of Washington, D.C., on a flight destined for Orlando, Florida.

Atif Irfan, his brother, their wives, a sister and three children were headed to Orlando to meet with family and attend a religious conference.

"The conversation, as we were walking through the plane trying to find our seats, was just about where the safest place in an airplane is," Sahin said. "We were (discussing whether it was safest to sit near) the wing, or the engine or the back or the front, but that's it. We didn't say anything else that would raise any suspicion."  Watch Muslims recount how they were kicked off plane »

The conversation did not contain the words "bomb," "explosion," "terror" or other words that might have aroused suspicion, Irfan said.

"When we were talking, when we turned around, I noticed a couple of girls kind of snapped their heads," said Sobia Ijaz, Irfan's wife. "I kind of thought to myself, 'Oh, you know, maybe they're going to say something.' It didn't occur to me that they were going to make it such a big issue."

Some time later, while the plane was still at the gate, an FBI agent boarded the plane and asked Irfan and his wife to leave the plane. The rest of the family was removed 15 or 20 minutes later, along with a family friend, Abdul Aziz, a Library of Congress attorney and family friend who was coincidentally taking the same flight and had been seen talking to the family.

After the FBI interviewed family members, it released them, Irfan said.

AirTran spokesman Tad Hutcheson said the incident began when some passengers reported hearing suspicious remarks by a woman and alerted flight attendants. Two federal air marshals, who were on board the flight, notified law enforcement about the security-related issue, AirTran said.

After the family and Aziz were taken for questioning, the remaining 95 passengers were taken off of the plane and rescreened, along with the crew and the baggage, AirTran said.

Irfan said he believes his family is owed an apology.

"Really, at the end of the day, we're not out here looking for money. I'm an attorney. I know how the court system works. We're basically

Muslim family was taken off flight after what?

Answer: he felt mistreated when the airline refused to book the family for a later flight.

Answer: he was "impressed with the professionalism" of the

Answer: said federal authorities removed eight members of his extended family and a friend

Answer: passengers became concerned

Answer: AirTran Airways

Answer: A Muslim family

Summary:
Man says Muslim family taken off flight after discussion over safest place to sit .
Atif Irfan claims FBI cleared family of wrongdoing, but AirTran wouldn't let them fly .
AirTran says it acted properly, complied with all federal directives .
Irfan says family owed an apology, may pursue a civil rights lawsuit .


WASHINGTON (CNN) -- A Navy admiral engaged in sexual relations in the White House in 1990 with a federal employee whom he falsely told he was a widower, according to a report released Friday by the Defense Department. Rear Adm. John Stufflebeem was demoted and fired from his post as director of the Navy staff. In March, when the report was submitted to Pentagon officials, Rear Adm. John Stufflebeem was demoted and fired from his post as director of the Navy staff. Stufflebeem told investigators he couldn't remember the name of the woman he had an affair with. He also lied when he told investigators he did not engage in sexual relations with the woman, identified as "Jane Doe," the Defense Department's inspector general's report said. Jane Doe, who was then unmarried and working for a federal agency, told the investigators the allegations were true, the report said. Her supervisor and Stufflebeem's superiors supported her testimony. Stufflebeem was convicted April 18 of making false official statements to investigators. After the hearing, called an admiral's mast, he requested retirement. Jane Doe told investigators that she and Stufflebeem began their affair on an overseas trip in 1989, that the married admiral told her he was a widower who was raising his children as a single parent and that they had sexual relations several times, including once in a White House room reserved for "military aides with overnight duties." She also told investigators that Stufflebeem came to her home on the day in August 1990 when she learned he was married and that she called him "scum," shut the door in his face and never spoke to him again. Read the report (PDF) "We found Ms. Doe to be an extremely credible, candid and articulate witness who willingly participated in our interview with the knowledge and support of her husband," the report said. By contrast, the report said, Stufflebeem's testimony was "inconsistent with the weight of the evidence," and "it did not appear Stufflebeem's misstatements in these areas of testimony were inadvertent." At issue was Stufflebeem's removal from his post as a presidential aide in 1990. Stufflebeem testified that he initiated the request to leave his White House post because of "close family personal problems." But his superiors testified that he was removed from the post because of his relationship with the woman -- and that he admitted the affair. Jane Doe's supervisor told investigators that when she learned of the affair from Doe, she confirmed Stufflebeem's marital status and told Doe what she'd learned. "Ms. Doe's reaction, according to the supervisor, was one of complete surprise and shock," the report said. The supervisor also said that she telephoned Stufflebeem's immediate supervisor to tell him of the affair and that when she called a few weeks later to follow up, the supervisor told her that "everybody in town knew Boomer was f'ing some bimbo at the [federal agency]." Stufflebeem, however, denied to investigators that he had a sexual relationship with Jane Doe, although he admitted to one kiss and said he had an "inappropriate relationship" with her because he told her about his marital problems. "I did not have sex with this woman," he said during one of two interviews with investigators. Although he told investigators he could not remember the woman's name, he testified that he "had to live with shame for a long time" after the "inappropriate relationship" ended, that he was "racked with guilt" and "had a terrible time getting myself right with my family." "So I have had a great 18-year career since I left the White House," he said, according to the report. "If this is the end of it, then I still leave a rewarded individual, thankful for the blessings that I have had." Investigators found Stufflebeem's remarks inconsistent. "In our view, comments regarding guilt, shame, and the end of a distinguished naval career are incongruous with a physical relationship limited to one kiss," they wrote in the report.

What was Stufflebeem's post prior to demoting?

what did adm john tell the investigators

What did Adm. John Stufflebeem tell inventigators he couldn't remember?

What did Adm. John Stufflebeem tell investugators?

Answer: director of the Navy staff.

Answer: he couldn't remember the name of the woman he had an affair with.

Answer: Navy

Answer: A Navy admiral engaged in sexual relations in the White House in 1990 with a federal

Answer: had an affair with.

Answer: Rear Adm.

Answer: he had an affair

Answer: he couldn't remember the name of the woman he had an affair with.

Summary:
Adm. John Stufflebeem told investigators he couldn't remember name of mistress .
Stufflebeem lied to mistress that his wife had died of cancer .
Stufflebeem was demoted and fired from his post as director of the Navy staff .
Report: Investigators received anonymous letter with "significant" details of affair .


WASHINGTON (CNN) -- A Qatari man held for years in military custody in the United States was charged Friday in federal court with conspiracy "to provide material support and resources" to al Qaeda, prosecutors announced. Ali Saleh Kahlah al-Marri was a student at Bradley University in Illinois when he was arrested in 2001. The Supreme Court was to hear arguments in April on a challenge by the suspect, Ali Saleh Kahlah al-Marri, to the principle that the president has the authority to detain suspected terrorists indefinitely and without charges. The Justice Department on Friday asked the high court to dismiss that pending appeal. "Because the military detention challenged by the petitioner has ended, no live controversy remains in this case," said Obama administration lawyers in their brief. Al-Marri's lawyers oppose such a move, saying the fundamental constitutional question of military detentions needs to be answered. The federal indictment means the case will be transferred to civilian courts for prosecution. Andy Savage, one of al-Marri's lawyers, visited him at the naval brig in North Charleston, South Carolina, on Friday to show him the indictment charging him with terrorism. "He denies it," Savage said. "I'm sure he'll enter a not guilty plea." Savage said he was disappointed in the information contained in what he called a brief indictment. "We'd like information about what he's supposed to have done," he said. "You'd think after 7½ years they'd have a little more to say. "The most important thing to him is he now has some definition of his future. Before, he didn't know if he'd be charged, be repatriated or held forever." The decision by the Obama administration to criminally charge al-Marri after he spent seven years in custody -- more than five years in South Carolina -- is the latest twist in the ongoing legal saga of the only remaining "enemy combatant" held in the United States. He had been accused of being an al Qaeda sleeper agent, but until this indictment he had never been charged with a criminal or terrorism-related offense. He will be transferred at some point to Peoria, Illinois, to face a criminal trial. Oral arguments in the case are scheduled April 27. A Justice Department official said the White House will release an official presidential order to transfer al-Marri into civilian custody. Al-Marri's lawyer applauded the move. "This indictment is an important step toward restoring the rule of law and is exactly what should happen when the government suspects an individual of terrorist acts. This case is now finally where it belongs: in a legitimate court that can fairly determine whether Mr. al-Marri is guilty of a crime," said Jonathan Hafetz, an ACLU attorney who is representing him in the pending high court appeal. President Obama last month ordered a prompt and thorough review of the "factual and legal basis" for the continued detention of al-Marri. Obama late Friday issued a presidential memorandum ordering Secretary of Defense Robert Gates to facilitate al-Marri's transfer, calling it "in the interest of the United States." Since his initial arrest on credit card fraud charges in December 2001, al-Marri, a 43-year-old legal resident of the United States, has remained in "virtual isolation in the brig," his attorneys said. They were suing the government to improve his jail conditions and are challenging the constitutionality of his detention. They said his cell at the brig in South Carolina is only 9 feet by 6 feet and he is allowed little contact with the outside world, including his family. Military officials deny mistreatment. The case posed a sticky legal dilemma for the high court and the current and previous administrations. President George W. Bush ordered al-Marri confined in military custody, and the Bush Justice Department had been filing the appeals opposing al-Marri's legal claims. At issue was whether the Authorization for Use of Military Force, passed by Congress after the September 11, 2001, attacks

Who was charged with conspiracy to provide support to al Qaeda?

Answer: 2001.

Answer: Ali Saleh Kahlah al-Marri

Answer: Qatari

Answer: conspiracy "to provide material support and resources" to al Qaeda,

Answer: Ali Saleh Kahlah al-Marri

Summary:
Ali Saleh Kahlah al-Marri charged with conspiracy to provide support to al Qaeda .
The native of Qatar will be prosecuted in civilian courts .
He was arrested weeks after the September 11, 2001, attacks .
Former President Bush declared him an "enemy combatant" in 2003 .


WASHINGTON (CNN) -- A Republican congressman Wednesday asked the head of the FBI to investigate allegations that the CIA lied to Congress about the Bush administration's use of "alternative" interrogation techniques on suspected terrorists. Rep. Darrell Issa asked the FBI to investigate Speaker Nancy Pelosi's claim that the CIA lied to Congress. Rep. Darrell Issa, a member of the House Judiciary Committee, asked FBI director Robert Mueller whether the bureau was investigating that allegation and whether he could request a probe as a member of Congress. He said the claim, leveled last week by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, left him doubting whether "I can believe in the briefings I am receiving" from intelligence agencies. "If CIA is lying to any of us -- and I have been briefed many times by them on the Intelligence Committee -- it puts me in a position of not being able to do my job properly," said Issa, R-California. Pelosi made the charge in response to questions about what she was told about the use of the techniques, which critics say amounted to the torture of prisoners in U.S. custody. Her claim provoked a firestorm on Capitol Hill, with Republicans -- who generally defend the techniques -- blasting Pelosi and demanding she back up the allegation. Mueller said he would check into whether Issa's request would be enough to launch an investigation.  Watch more on the Pelosi-CIA controversy » Justice Department documents released in April show Bush administration lawyers authorized the use of techniques such as sleep deprivation, slapping, stress positions and waterboarding, which produces the sensation of drowning. Waterboarding in particular has been considered a form of torture since the Spanish Inquisition, and U.S. authorities prosecuted Japanese officers who used the techniques against American prisoners during World War II. But Bush administration lawyers argued that the tactics did not violate U.S. laws against torture as long as interrogators had no intent to cause "severe pain." Many Republicans, including former Vice President Dick Cheney, argue the tactics produced useful intelligence that saved American lives. Pelosi, D-California, has called for an investigation into whether the Bush administration authorized the torture of suspected al Qaeda figures, prompting Republicans to question what she knew about the tactics at the time they were approved.  Watch Colin Powell's former aide speak out on CIA's history » She told reporters last week that she was briefed by the CIA on such techniques once -- in September 2002, when she was the ranking Democrat on the Republican-led House Intelligence Committee -- and that she was told at the time that techniques such as waterboarding were not being used. She said she learned that waterboarding had been used after other lawmakers were briefed in 2003. CIA spokesman George Little said last week that the agency's records indicate Pelosi was briefed on the interrogation methods being used. But Little said it was up to lawmakers "to determine whether this information is an accurate summary of what actually happened." Rep. Pete Hoekstra, the top Republican on the House Intelligence Committee, said Monday that Pelosi may be forced to resign if her claims are proven untrue. "Either the CIA needs to be held accountable for their performance during this time, or the speaker needs to be held accountable and be responsible for the actions and the statements that she made last week," Hoekstra said. But Rep. Baron Hill, D-Indiana, said Republicans are trying to divert attention from the question of torture by attacking Pelosi. "I think a lot of people have lost focus on the people who put those torture policies in place in the first place," Hill said. "Nancy didn't do anything wrong, in terms of the legalities, that I'm aware of. I don't know what she was told."

Who was not informed about interrogation techniques?

Who is a member of the House Judiciary Committee?

Who said the CIA didn't inform her about interrogation techniques?

Who puts them in the situation of not being able to do their job?

Answer: that the CIA lied to Congress.

Answer: Robert Mueller

Answer: Congress.

Answer: Rep. Darrell Issa

Answer: Darrell Issa,

Answer: Rep. Darrell Issa

Answer: CIA

Summary:
Rep. Darrell Issa, R-California, is a member of the House Judiciary Committee .
Issa calls on FBI director for a probe on CIA-Pelosi spat .
"If CIA is lying...it puts me in a position of not being able to do my job," he says .
Pelosi, D-California, has said the CIA didn't inform her about interrogation techniques .


WASHINGTON (CNN) -- A U.S. government panel listed 13 countries Friday as "egregious" violators of religious freedom. Homeless Pakistani Christians protest last month in Islamabad for protection of Christian minorities. The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom's annual report named Myanmar, North Korea, Eritrea, Iran, Iraq, Nigeria, Pakistan, China, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Vietnam. It recommended that the Obama administration designate them as "countries of particular concern" or CPC. The group has issued a watch list that includes Afghanistan, Belarus, Cuba, Egypt, Indonesia, Laos, Russia, Somalia, Tajikistan, Turkey, and Venezuela, countries that don't rise to the level of a CPC but need to be monitored. "Unfolding events in Pakistan make clear the relevance of this theme to the 2009 Annual Report. At the time of writing, emboldened Taliban-associated extremists had advanced to within 60 miles of the Pakistani capital of Islamabad," the report said. "In the areas they already control, these groups are imposing draconian restrictions on human rights and religious freedom and engaging in brutal acts against individuals, particularly women and local police, who refused to accede to their repressive policies." The federal commission is bipartisan, and its commissioners are appointed by the president and members of Congress. A CPC designation gives Secretary of State Hillary Clinton "a range of specific policy options to address serious violations of religious freedom." It requires the secretary "to enter into direct consultations with a government to find ways to bring about improvements in the respect for religious freedom." The report covers the period May 2008 through April. The commission was created by the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998. "While sanctions are a possible policy option, the secretary may decide to develop a binding agreement with the CPC government on specific actions that it will take to end the violations that gave rise to the designation or take a commensurate action," the commission said. "The secretary may determine that pre-existing sanctions are adequate or waive the requirement of taking action in furtherance of the Act."

What gives secretary of state policy options to address serious violations?

How many nations did the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom name?

How many countries of particular concern did the panel recommend administration designate?

Answer: "egregious"

Answer: A CPC designation

Answer: U.S. government panel

Answer: 13

Answer: that the Obama administration designate them as "countries of particular concern" or CPC.

Answer: Secretary of State Hillary Clinton "a range of specific policy options to address serious violations of religious freedom."

Answer: freedom.

Answer: 13 countries

Answer: 13

Summary:
U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom names 13 nations .
Panel recommends administration designate 13 as "countries of particular concern"
Designation gives secretary of state policy options to address serious violations .


WASHINGTON (CNN) -- A U.S. soldier convicted of rape and murder two decades ago will be executed December 10 in the nation's first military execution since 1961, the Army said Thursday. Pvt. Ronald Gray has been on the military's death row at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, since 1988. A court-martial panel sitting at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, unanimously convicted him of committing two murders and other crimes in the Fayetteville, North Carolina, area, and sentenced him to death. Gray's execution by injection will be carried out by Fort Leavenworth soldiers at the Federal Correctional Complex in Terre Haute, Indiana, the Army said in a news release. Gray was convicted of raping and killing a female Army private and a civilian near his post at Fort Bragg. He was also convicted of the rape and attempted murder of another fellow soldier in her barracks at the post. Both military and civilian courts found Gray responsible for the crimes, which were committed between April 1986 and January 1987. Gray pleaded guilty to two murders and five rapes in a civilian court and was sentenced to three consecutive and five concurrent life terms. The general court-martial at Fort Bragg then tried him and in April 1988 convicted him of two murders, an attempted murder and three rapes. In July, President George W. Bush approved the Army's request to execute Gray. "The president took action following completion of a full appellate process, which upheld the conviction and sentence to death," the Army said in the news release. "Two petitions to the U.S. Supreme Court were denied during the appellate processing of Pvt. Gray's case." Members of the U.S. military have been executed throughout history, but just 10 have been executed with presidential approval since 1951 under the Uniform Code of Military Justice, the military's modern-day legal system. The Army also sought Bush's authorization to execute another condemned soldier, Pvt. Dwight Loving, who was convicted of robbing and killing two cab drivers in 1988. The last U.S. military execution was in 1961, when Army Pvt. John Bennett was hanged for raping and attempting to kill an 11-year-old Austrian girl. Bennett was sentenced in 1955. The U.S. military hasn't actively pursued an execution for a military prisoner since President John F. Kennedy commuted a death sentence in 1962. Nine men are on military death row. CNN's Mike Mount contributed to this report.

What are two reasons Ronald Gray was convicted?

What was the name of the last man executed by military in 1961?

What date will Gray be executed by soldiers?

Answer: U.S. soldier

Answer: 10

Answer: murders and other crimes in the Fayetteville,

Answer: John Bennett

Answer: December

Answer: Pvt. Ronald Gray

Summary:
Pvt. Ronald Gray convicted of raping, murdering fellow soldiers, civilian .
Gray will be executed December 10 by soldiers in Terre Haute, Indiana .
Army Pvt. John Bennett was last man executed by military in 1961 .


WASHINGTON (CNN) -- A United Nations court has found that the United States violated an international treaty and the court's own order when a Mexican national was executed last year in a Texas prison.

Jose Ernesto Medellin was executed by lethal injection for raping and murdering two girls aged 14 and 16.

The International Court of Justice (ICJ) issued a ruling Monday in an unusual case that pitted President Bush against his home state in a dispute over federal authority, local sovereignty and foreign treaties. Mexico had filed a formal complaint against U.S. state and federal officials

"The United States of America has breached the obligation incumbent upon it" to stop the execution, the ICJ announced in a unanimous opinion.

Jose Ernesto Medellin's death by lethal injection in August followed a 15-year legal dispute after his conviction for two brutal slayings.

At issue was whether Texas and other states had to give in to a demand by the president that the prisoner be allowed new hearings and resentencing. Bush made that request reluctantly after the international court in 2004 concluded that Medellin and about 50 other Mexicans on various states' death rows were improperly denied access to their consulate upon arrest, a violation of a treaty signed by the United States decades ago.

Their home countries could have provided legal and other assistance to the men had they been notified, the court said.

In a separate judgment, the ICJ declined Mexico's demand that the United States provide guarantees against executing other foreign inmates in the future.

The U.S. Supreme Court last March ruled for Texas, allowing the Medellin execution to proceed.

Efforts stalled in Congress last summer over legislation that would have given foreign death row inmates like Medellin a new hearing before any punishment could be carried out.

State Department officials have said the international ruling will not help other foreign inmates in U.S. prisons, because federal officials cannot force states to comply. Administration officials also said that the president did all he could to force state compliance and that Congress now needs to intervene with specific legislation.

Medellin was 18 when he participated in the June 1993 gang rape and murder of two Harris County girls: Jennifer Ertman, 14, and Elizabeth Pena, 16. He was convicted of the crimes and sentenced to death.

The prisoner's lawyers argued that Mexican consular officials were never able to meet with the man until after his conviction.

Only Oklahoma has commuted a capital inmate's sentence to life in prison in response to the international judgment. Days after Medellin died by lethal injection, Texas executed Honduran native Heliberto Chi Acheituno, who also said his treaty rights were violated.

The ICJ in 2004 ordered the United States to provide "review and reconsideration" of the sentences and convictions of the Mexican prisoners. That world court again in July mandated that the United States do everything within its federal authority to stop Medellin's execution until his case could be further reviewed by American courts.

Based in The Hague, Netherlands, the ICJ resolves disputes between nations over treaty obligations. The 15-judge panel is the principal judicial organization of the United Nations, laying out rights of people detained in other nations.

The Supreme Court appeal turned on what role each branch of government plays to give force to international treaty obligations. After the ICJ ruling, the United States pulled out of that international court's jurisdiction in matters arising from the Vienna Convention.

In allowing the Medellin execution to proceed, the Supreme Court majority noted congressional "inaction" on the issue, efforts that had "not progressed beyond the bare introduction of a bill in the four years since the ICJ ruling."

What did the State Department say the ruling won't aid?

What did the U.S ruling allow to proceed?

Answer: other foreign inmates in U.S. prisons,

Answer: Medellin execution

Answer: Jose Ernesto Medellin

Summary:
Jose Ernesto Medellin executed in Texas by lethal injection last year .
State Department says ruling won't aid other foreign inmates .
U.S. Supreme Court ruling had allowed execution to proceed .


WASHINGTON (CNN) -- A Vietnam veteran and Bronze Star recipient who volunteered to return to the Army and serve in Afghanistan became the oldest U.S. service member to die in combat there, the U.S. military announced Friday. First Sgt. Jose San Nicolas Crisostomo was killed by a roadside bomb in Kabul on Tuesday while riding in an armored Humvee. His body was flown to the United States early Thursday morning. Crisostomo of Spanaway, Washington, was 59. He would have turned 60 later this month, according to KING television in Seattle, Washington. He was one of a very few service members who served in Vietnam and in current U.S. military operations, his record shows. He twice received the Bronze Star, which is awarded to U.S. troops for combat valor. Crisostomo also received the Purple Heart for being wounded in combat, according to his records. It was not clear from his official records if he received the medals for combat in Vietnam or Afghanistan. His records also indicate he received numerous other commendations. He also served during the first Gulf War in 1991 and received the Kuwait Liberation Medal. He jointed the Army in 1969 and retired in 1993, then volunteered to serve again in 2008. According to his records, his position in the Army was automated logistical specialist, but it was unclear in what capacity he was serving while in Afghanistan. Earlier this year, a 60-year-old soldier was killed in Iraq, becoming the oldest U.S. service member killed in either the war in Iraq or the war in Afghanistan.

In what other war did Jose San Nicolas Crisostomo serve?

When did Jose San Nicolas Crisostomo rejoin the army?

Answer: First Sgt. Jose San Nicolas Crisostomo

Answer: in Kabul

Answer: roadside bomb

Answer: a roadside bomb

Answer: during the first Gulf

Answer: volunteered to serve again in 2008.

Summary:
First Sgt. Jose San Nicolas Crisostomo killed by a roadside bomb in Kabul .
He served in Vietnam, retired, rejoined Army in '08 to serve in Afghanistan .
Crisostomo of Spanaway, Washington, was Bronze Star, Purple Heart recipient .


WASHINGTON (CNN) -- A backlog in processing education benefits has forced the Department of Veterans Affairs to authorize millions of dollars in emergency funds for veterans who need the cash to pay for school. The Veterans Affairs department will give up to $3,000 to students who haven't received funds from education bills The department announced Friday that it will issue up to $3,000 to students who have yet to receive the funds that the VA's various education bills -- including the recently passed Post-9/11 GI Bill -- provide to help veterans pay for college. "This is an extraordinary action we're taking," VA Secretary Eric Shinseki said in a statement. "But it's necessary because we recognize the hardships some of our Veterans face." The VA estimates there are 75,000 veterans eligible for the emergency funds, including 25,000 veterans who have served since September 11. VA statistics show more than 27,500 vets have already received benefits for housing or books under the new Post-9/11 GI Bill, and hundreds of thousands more have gotten benefits under its other programs. The delay in processing the benefits has created much consternation among veterans, with some worried they would have to drop out of school because of a lack of funds. The lag was caused because some schools have not yet filed for the tuition and because of a backlog at the Veterans Affairs offices, according to a department official. Any money given to eligible veterans will be deducted from the education benefits they are scheduled to receive and can be used for housing and books. The VA has been speaking to schools to ensure that veterans do not get kicked out if their tuition has not yet been paid, said VA spokeswoman Katie Roberts. "Veterans were having a lot of financial issues, and we needed to address them," she said. To help with the influx of applications, the department has hired more than 700 extra processors. Veterans groups said the emergency funds were much needed. "AMVETS is very happy with the swift action taken by the secretary. We suggested a similar solution earlier this month so we are happy to see they're listening," said Ryan Galluci, a spokesman for AMVETS, a veterans' service organization.

What is the number of veterans eligible for emergency funds?

Who authorized  millions in emergency funds?

What caused the VA to authorize millions in emergency funds?

How many veterans are  eligible for the mentioned emergency funds?

How many vets are eligible for the funds?

Answer: 75,000

Answer: Affairs

Answer: A backlog in processing education benefits

Answer: processing education benefits

Answer: processing education benefits

Answer: 75,000

Answer: 75,000

Summary:
Backlog in tuition payments forces VA to authorize millions in emergency funds .
VA estimates 75,000 veterans are eligible for the emergency funds .
Delayed payments makes vets fear they may have to drop out of school .


WASHINGTON (CNN) -- A bronze statue of Helen Keller was unveiled at the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday as lawmakers praised her as a trailblazer and an inspiration for those with disabilities. The Helen Keller statue depicts the moment when Anne Sullivan spelled "W-A-T-E-R" into the child's hand "Some are still dismissed and cast aside for nothing more than being less than perfect," Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Kentucky, said at the unveiling ceremony. "The story of Helen Keller inspires us all." The statue shows Keller -- who lost her sight and hearing to illness when she was 19 months old -- standing at a water pump as a 7-year-old, a look of recognition on her face as water streams into her hand. It depicts the moment in 1887 when teacher Anne Sullivan spelled "W-A-T-E-R" into one of the child's hands as she held the other under the pump. It's the moment when Keller realized meanings were hidden in the manual alphabet shapes Sullivan had taught her to make with her hands. "W-A-T-E-R," said Alabama Gov. Bob Riley. "Five simple letters that helped rescue 7-year-old Helen Keller from a world of darkness and a world of silence. "It is this defining moment that we celebrate today. And in time, this moment so vividly depicted by this statue helped the world to understand that all of us, regardless of any disability, have a mind that can be educated, a hand that can be trained, a life that will have meaning." Keller learned to speak and earned a degree from Radcliffe College and the women's branch of Harvard University. She traveled the world as an adult, wrote 12 books and championed causes including women's suffrage and workers' rights. Carl Augusto, president and CEO of the American Foundation for the Blind, told the crowd he thinks Keller, who worked for the foundation for the last 44 years of her life, "would have loved this impressive statue of herself and the symbolism attached." Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nevada, and others assisted Augusto as he ran his hands over the statue. The foundation, Augusto said, still considers Keller "our guiding light. She embodies the American spirit of limitless possibility ... her biggest desire was to leave the world a better place than she found it, and ladies and gentlemen, that's the legacy she leaves all of us." More than 40 of Keller's descendants attended the ceremony in the Capitol Rotunda. Students from the Alabama Institute for the Deaf and Blind sang a medley of patriotic songs. The statue, said House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-California, will "always remind us that people must be respected for what they can do rather than judged for what they cannot." The statue is also the Capitol's first depicting a child, Riley's office said. Since 1864, each state has been allowed to place two statues in the Capitol. In 2002, Congress changed the law to allow states to change their statues. Riley, then a U.S. representative, suggested the state place a statue of Keller, and the state Legislature passed a resolution asking Congress to accept a statue of Keller as a gift. A committee with Alabama first lady Patsy Riley serving as honorary chairwoman raised private donations and selected Utah bronze sculpture artist Edward Hlavka to create the piece. The 600-pound statue is made of bronze with a base of Alabama marble, Riley's office said. In 1997, a Franklin Delano Roosevelt memorial that opened near the National Mall drew complaints from disability advocates because the statue of the president, who suffered from polio, did not show him in a wheelchair. In 2001, President Clinton unveiled an addition to the memorial including a new statue of the four-term president sitting in a wheelchair. "By placing this statue in the Capitol, we appropriately honor this extraordinary American, and will inspire countless children who will come to understand that with faith and with

What meant to imply the teacher to write "W-A-T-E-R" in your hand?

when did Helen Keller lost her sight and hearing to illness?

Answer: U.S. Capitol

Answer: "W-A-T-E-R"

Answer: illness

Answer: It's the moment when Keller realized meanings were hidden in the manual alphabet shapes Sullivan had taught her

Answer: "W-A-T-E-R"

Answer: 19 months old

Answer: trailblazer and an inspiration for those with disabilities.

Summary:
Helen Keller lost her sight and hearing to illness when she was 19 months old .
Statue depicts when teacher Anne Sullivan spelled "W-A-T-E-R" into the child's hand .
She traveled the world, wrote books, championed women's and workers' rights .


WASHINGTON (CNN) -- A company accused of encouraging hundreds to illegally enter the United States and then hiring them using fake Social Security numbers has agreed to pay the largest settlement ever in a workplace immigration bust, the Department of Justice said Friday. Relatives of people arrested in IFCO raids gather for a news conference in July 2006. IFCO Systems North America, a pallet and crate company, will pay a $20.7 million settlement, which includes $18.1 million in fines and $2.6 million for overtime violations, the Department of Justice said. In early 2006, immigration officials raided 45 IFCO sites, arresting almost 1,200 low-level workers. Federal officials also charged several managers, accusing them of using "as a business model the systematic violation of United States law." To date, nine IFCO managers and employees have pleaded guilty to criminal conduct, the Justice Department said. Four managers are awaiting trial on felony charges and the investigation is continuing, it said. The Justice Department said it will not pursue criminal charges against the company if it complies with the terms of the settlement. "The agreement severely punishes IFCO for its serious immigration and employment violations," acting U.S. Attorney Andrew Baxter said. "But it also allows the corporation to continue its operations, so that its lawful employees and innocent shareholders do not suffer the consequences of a business failure in this economy." IFCO's violation of the law was flagrant, officials said. More than half of the company's 5,800 workers during 2005 had invalid Social Security numbers, and the company ignored at least 13 letters from the Social Security Administration about questionable Social Security numbers. IFCO records suggests that as many as 6,000 illegal immigrants worked at company plants from 2003 to 2006, the Justice Department said. Federal officials said Friday that IFCO "acknowledges and accepts responsibility for the unlawful conduct of its managers and employees." An IFCO official could not be reached for comment.

How many illegal immigrants worked for the company?

Answer: $20.7 million settlement,

Answer: 6,000

Answer: IFCO Systems North America,

Answer: a pallet and crate

Answer: IFCO Systems North America,

Answer: $20.7 million

Answer: IFCO Systems North America,

Summary:
Pallet and crate company IFCO Systems North America will pay $20.7 million .
IFCO accused of luring workers to U.S., giving them fake Social Security numbers .
Justice won't pursue criminal charges if company complies with settlement .
As many as 6,000 illegal immigrants worked for company from 2003 to 2006 .


WASHINGTON (CNN) -- A court Thursday rejected an appeal filed by a former administrative law judge who sued a dry cleaners for $54 million over a missing pair of pants. An unidentified man talks on a cell phone in front of the Chung family's shop, Custom Cleaners. The District of Columbia Court of Appeals "ruled resoundingly in favor of the Chung family and denied Mr. Roy Pearson's appeal of the case completely," said Christopher Manning, an attorney for the Chung family, who own Custom Cleaners. "The D.C. Court of Appeals held that the trial court correctly ruled that Mr. Pearson's claims had no merit whatsoever," he added. The Chungs have "some level of relief," Manning told CNN, "but they won't count Mr. Pearson out for at least trying to torment them further" with future appeals. "We are very happy with the result and thank everyone for supporting us," Jin Chung said in a statement issued by Manning. "The past three years have been very difficult, but we hope this nightmare is finally over." Pearson initially sought $67 million from the Chungs, calculating the amount by estimating years of legal violations, adding nearly $2 million in common law claims for fraud. The saga began in May 2005, when Pearson took several pairs of pants to Custom Cleaners for alteration as he prepared to start his new job as an administrative law judge. He alleged that among them was a pair of pants from a blue and maroon suit. When he came to collect his clothing, he said, the Chungs tried to give him a pair of charcoal gray pants that were not his. During a two-day trial, Pearson, who represented himself, said that when he took the pants to the cleaners, his financial situation was precarious: He had just been ordered to pay $12,000 in attorney's fees to his ex-wife, and his credit cards were at their limit. He claimed millions of dollars in attorney fees and millions more in punitive damages for what he called fraudulent advertising under the law. He also claimed that a sign in the store's window promising "satisfaction guaranteed" was an unconditional warranty that required the defendants to honor any claim by any customer without limitation. The Chungs' attorney argued that no reasonable person would interpret the signs to mean an unconditional promise of satisfaction. District of Columbia Superior Court Judge Judith Bartnoff agreed, ruling that Custom Cleaners did not violate the city's Consumer Protection Act. Manning, whose law firm handled the appeal on a pro bono basis for the Chungs, said the Chungs hope the "vague and often unfair" act will be changed "so that others do not suffer like they did." In August 2007, the Chungs dropped their bid to recover legal costs in the hopes that Pearson would drop his appeal. Pearson may request that the appeal be heard again by the entire panel of D.C. Court of Appeals judges, Manning said. He also could petition to the U.S. Supreme Court for an appeal. "It is the Chungs' hope that Mr. Pearson will not attempt to appeal any further and will end his frivolous and baseless attacks on the Chung family," Manning wrote in the statement. "The 3½ years this case has been pending and appealed have been very difficult for the Chungs," he said. "They lost two of their dry cleaning stores and their realization of the American dream." He said the family wants to "quietly return to their one remaining small dry-cleaning store ... to rebuild their lives." Pearson was taken off the bench in May 2007 while the lawsuit was pending and was not reappointed as an administrative law judge when his term expired. He filed a federal lawsuit in May 2008 to get his government job back, accusing city government and others of an "unlawful demotion and subsequent termination." That suit remains pending. CNN's Paul Courson contributed to this story.

What kind of company is getting sued for $54 million?

How much was the lawsuit over missing pants for?

The dry cleaners aren't counting who out?

What high court might eventually hear this case?

Who filed the $54 million dollar lawsuit?

Answer: $54 million

Answer: missing pair of pants.

Answer: "We are very happy with the result and thank everyone for supporting us,"

Answer: dry cleaners

Answer: $54 million

Answer: sued a dry cleaners for $54 million over a missing pair of pants.

Answer: Mr. Pearson

Answer: U.S. Supreme

Answer: former administrative law judge

Summary:
Appeals court rejects appeal of failed $54 million lawsuit over missing pants .
Dry cleaners say they aren't counting plaintiff out .
Ex-administrative judge who filed case could take it to Supreme Court .


WASHINGTON (CNN) -- A day before embarking on a trip to Latin America, President Obama described his planned talks with Latin American leaders as discussions among equals.

President Obama refuses to criticize Latin American leaders.

"Times have changed," Obama told CNN en Español Wednesday. Referring to his planned meeting later this week with Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, he said, "My relationship with President Lula is one of two leaders who both have big countries, that we are trying to solve problems and create opportunities for our people and we should be partners.

"There's no senior partner or junior partner."

Obama and Lula da Silva are among leaders scheduled to attend the Summit of the Americas in Trinidad and Tobago.

Obama refused to criticize the leaders of Venezuela, Bolivia and Ecuador, who have taken measures to change their constitutions to extend their holds on power.

"I think it's important for the United States not to tell other countries how to structure their democratic practices and what should be contained in their constitutions," he said. "It's up to the people of those countries to make a decision about how they want to structure their affairs."

Asked how he plans to interact with Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, a fierce critic of the United States who once described former President George Bush as the devil, Obama offered no criticism. "Look, he's the leader of his country and he'll be one of many people that I will have an opportunity to meet."

Though he said he believes the United States has a leadership role to play in the region, Obama qualified that role, saying, "We also recognize that other countries have important contributions and insights. We want to listen and learn as well as talk, and that approach, I think, of mutual respect and finding common interests, is one that ultimately will serve everybody."

Asked about Cuba, Obama, who recently eased restrictions on travel and sending money to the island, offered a prod and a carrot to Havana.

"What we're looking for is some signal that there are going to be changes in how Cuba operates that assures that political prisoners are released, that people can speak their minds freely, that they can travel, that they can write and attend church and do the things that people throughout the hemisphere can do and take for granted," he said.

"And if there is some sense of movement on those fronts in Cuba, then I think we can see a further thawing of relations and further changes."

Obama sought to distance his administration from that of his predecessor, noting that he plans to close the detention center at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, where "some of the practices of enhanced interrogation techniques, I think ran counter to American values and American traditions."

He said his team has spoken with the Spanish government about a Spanish judge's call for an investigation into the role of Bush administration officials in the detention of five Spaniards at Guantanamo.

But he did not dwell on his predecessor's legacy. "I'm a strong believer that it is important to look forward and not backward and to remind ourselves that we do have very real security threats out there."

Though the U.S. image abroad may have suffered in recent years, "there's a reason why there are consistently so many immigrants to our country from Latin America," he said.

Obama lauded Mexican President Felipe Calderon, with whom he is to meet Thursday in Mexico City, as having done "an outstanding and heroic job in dealing with what is a big problem right now along the borders with the drug cartels."

He vowed that the United States can be counted on to help. "We are going to be dealing not only with drug interdiction coming north, but also working on helping to curb the flow of cash and guns going south," Obama said.

Obama described himself as "a strong proponent of comprehensive immigration reform," and said he has met with the congressional Hispanic Caucus "to try to shape an agenda that can move through

What does Obama want to do as well as talk?

Answer: Latin America,

Answer: criticize Latin American leaders.

Answer: be partners.

Answer: Summit of the Americas in Trinidad and Tobago.

Answer: Latin America,

Answer: solve problems and create opportunities for our people and we should be partners.

Summary:
Obama heading to Summit of Americas this week in Trinidad and Tobago .
He says U.S. should not tell "countries how to structure their democratic practices"
"We want to listen and learn as well as talk," Obama says .


WASHINGTON (CNN) -- A distraught, sobbing Afghan Taliban member begged the court for mercy, but got none as an unmoved federal judge here Monday handed down maximum life sentences for convictions on drug trafficking and narco-terrorism charges. A guard watches over a pile of burning drugs in Kabul, Afghanistan, on June 25, 2008. Khan Mohammed, 38, of Nangarhar Province became the first person convicted and sentenced in the United States under a 2006 law that increased the penalty for a defendant found to be involved  with terrorism and distributing illegal drugs. Mohammed, who had been extradited from Afghanistan, was convicted by a jury in May of plotting a rocket attack on U.S. military forces and Afghan civilians at Jalalabad Airfield. He also was found guilty of distributing between $1 million and $3 million worth of heroin into the United States "to kill Americans as part of a jihad." Mohammed's court-appointed lawyer, conceding that "what he did was wrong," urged U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly to be lenient and sentence his client to only 20 years in prison. Then the full-bearded Mohammed, dressed in an orange jailhouse jumpsuit, addressed the judge. With tears streaming down his face, and choking back his words, he begged for only one or two years. "I have little children and a woman. They depend on me," Mohammed began. "I'm so worried about them." His lengthy emotional appeal went on to include his reason for selling opium. "In my village that's how you have to make a living. There is no house there without opium," he said. Justice Department prosecutor Matthew Stiglitz, however, urged the court to "send a message of deterrence," and warned against "the confluence of drug trafficking and terrorism." "No, he's not the Osama bin Laden of terrorism. No, he's not the Pablo Escobar of the drug world," Stiglitz told the judge. "But this is where the rubber meets the road." Bin Laden is the head of al Qaeda, while Escobar, who died in 1993, was the most powerful of Colombian drug lords. "Afghanistan is ground zero for opium, and an almost limitless source of funds to the Taliban," he argued. Kollar-Kotelly agreed fully with the prosecutors, and strongly admonished the Taliban defendant. "You were convicted 99 percent by your own words," the judge declared, as she recalled how a "courageous" Afghan police chief wore an undercover wire to record Mohammed's plotting. "The fact that no one died is only because you didn't get the missiles you wanted," she said. "In 2006, you celebrated the Americans' use of the opium. It was a jihad. You knew the damage it could cause," the judge continued. "Because of your undiluted hatred for the United States, you might well have launched other attacks had you not been arrested." She added, "Terrorists stand unique among criminals. Deterrence is very important here." Then, concluding dramatically, the judge turned directly to the defendant. "I heard your concerns for your family but no acceptance of responsibility for your action," the judge said. "Defendants often express worry for their families, but if they considered the consequences of their actions beforehand, maybe they would have acted differently."

What did Mohammed plead with the judge for?

Answer: plotting a rocket attack on U.S. military forces and Afghan civilians at Jalalabad Airfield.

Answer: "You were convicted 99 percent by your own words,"

Answer: convicted and sentenced in the United States under a 2006 law that increased the penalty for a defendant found to be involved

Answer: Khan Mohammed,

Answer: Khan Mohammed,

Answer: the court

Answer: "You were convicted 99 percent by your own words,"

Answer: Khan Mohammed,

Answer: to be lenient

Answer: "You were convicted 99 percent by your own words,"

Answer: "You were convicted 99 percent by your own words,"

Answer: begged the court for mercy,

Answer: Khan Mohammed,

Summary:
Khan Mohammed convicted of plotting rocket attack, selling heroin .
Mohammed the first convicted under law increasing penalties for "narco-terrorists"
Citing his family, Mohammed cries and pleads with judge to have mercy .
Judge says Mohammed had "undiluted hatred for the United States"


WASHINGTON (CNN) -- A federal judge has ordered the immediate release into the United States of 17 Chinese Muslims who have been held for several years in the U.S. military facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. A guard tower is visible behind razor wire at the military facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. U.S. District Judge Ricardo Urbina on Tuesday ordered the 17 detainees to appear in his Washington courtroom at 10 a.m. Friday and said he would hold a hearing next week to determine under what conditions they will be settled in the United States. The government late Tuesday afternoon announced it would file papers shortly with an appeals court seeking an emergency stay to stop the judge's order in its tracks. The detainees are ethnic Uighurs, from a mostly Muslim autonomous region in western China. They have been in government custody for seven years and have been cleared for release for the past four years to any country willing to take them. No countries have volunteered. The judge, visibly impatient, told government lawyers he wants no delays. "There is a pressing need for them to be released," Urbina declared. When a government lawyer requested one week for authorities to determine how immigration authorities would handle a court-ordered arrival of individuals with no status, Urbina summarily rejected the request. He angrily demanded Immigration and Customs officials not even consider arresting the Uighurs upon arrival. "I have issued an order. I do not want these people interfered with in any way," the judge said. Justice Department lawyers told the judge they will immediately appeal the ruling and seek a stay of the order with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia. The Justice Department released a statement late Tuesday afternoon protesting Urbina's order.   "Today's ruling presents serious national security and separation of powers concerns and raises unprecedented legal issues," said Justice Department chief spokesman Brian Roehrkasse. At the White House, Press Secretary Dana Perino warned the ruling represents a dangerous precedent. "The district court's ruling, if allowed to stand, could be used as precedent for other detainees held at Guantanamo Bay, including sworn enemies of the United States suspected of planning the attacks of 9/11 who may also seek release into our country," she said. Dozens of colorfully dressed members of the Uighur community from the Washington area beamed as they left the courtroom and began embracing. "We welcome this. It has been a very long time," said Amy Reger of the Uyghur Human Rights Project. The United States determined in 2004 the 17 Uighurs are not enemy combatants, but has kept them at Guantanamo while trying to persuade other countries to resettle them. Officials said they were not returned to China because of credible fears they could be mistreated if returned. The Uighurs fled Afghanistan shortly after the U.S.-led bombing campaign began in 2001. They were turned over to U.S. military officials by Pakistani authorities. U.S. intelligence officials alleged the Uighur detainees are associated with the East Turkmenistan Islamist Movement, which the administration designated a terrorist organization in 2002. Lawyers for the Uighurs dispute any terrorist connections. Attorneys for the 17 detainees promised the court that if the judge's ruling stands, a Lutheran church group in Maryland and other service groups are prepared to provide both short-term and long-term care and support for the freed prisoners. Seventeen Uighur homes have been identified to initially house the detainees. Urbina scheduled an October 16 hearing for immigration officials and other government agencies to discuss conditions for the 17 men.

A judge ruled that how many Chinese Muslims must be released?

What is the federal government going to do?

What part of China are the detainees mostly from?

What action did the Federal government take?

What is the ethnicity of the 17 detainees?

Answer: file papers shortly with an appeals court seeking an emergency stay to stop the judge's order in its tracks.

Answer: 17

Answer: immediate release

Answer: western

Answer: A federal judge

Answer: immediate release into the United States of 17 Chinese

Answer: Chinese

Summary:
Group of 17 Chinese Muslims must be released into United States, judge rules .
Federal government says it will appeal ruling, seek emergency stay of the order .
Detainees are ethnic Uighurs, from mostly Muslim region in China .
Prisoners have been cleared for release, but no country will take them .


WASHINGTON (CNN) -- A former CIA station chief in Algeria is under investigation by the State and Justice departments after being accused of raping at least two women while he held the post, a source confirmed to CNN on Wednesday.

Two Algerian women allege that the CIA's former Algeria station chief raped them at his home, a source says.

The women told investigators that they think date-rape drugs were used in the assaults, which are said to have occurred at the officer's official residence, according to the source.

The story was first reported by ABC News.

The allegations were made in the fall, when the unidentified officer was still serving as station chief. In October, soon after the allegations were made, the man returned to the United States for a previously scheduled trip and was ordered not to return to his post, the source said.

A senior U.S. official confirmed that the case is under investigation but refused to comment on the details.

State Department spokesman Robert Wood issued a brief statement in response to a CNN inquiry, saying that "the individual in question has returned to Washington and the U.S. government is looking into the matter," and referring reporters to the Justice Department.

The women, who are Algerian citizens, brought their allegations to a U.S. government official, and federal authorities then launched an investigation.

A search of the station chief's residence in Algeria was approved by a U.S. District Court judge after a request from the Justice Department. The search found pills believed to be of a type commonly used in date rape, the source said.

In that search, authorities also found about a dozen tapes that are thought to show the officer engaged in sexual acts, the source said, including some in which women are believed to be in a semiconscious state. CNN's source had not seen the tapes but had been briefed on their content. Some of the tapes include date stamps indicating that the recordings happened when he would have been serving in Cairo, Egypt, before his tenure in Algeria.

The investigation includes his time in both posts as well as other locations where he traveled.

The identity of the officer could not be learned, and CNN was unable to reach a representative of the officer. It is against the law to reveal identities of covert officers.

When the allegations surfaced in the fall, they were viewed as "tremendously explosive, no doubt about that," the source said, especially because Algeria is a Muslim country.

The Justice Department and the CIA would not comment on the allegations or any investigation.

"I can assure you that the agency would take seriously and follow up any allegations of impropriety," CIA spokesman Mark Mansfield said.

The officer has not been charged, the source said. The source would not speak for attribution because the investigation is ongoing and the source was not authorized to speak publicly.

One federal law enforcement source said that no developments or activities relating to the case are "imminent."

A station chief heads the CIA's office in a foreign country, establishing a relationship with its host intelligence service and overseeing agency activities in the country.

CNN producers Jim Barnett, Pam Benson, Carol Cratty and Elise Labott contributed to this story.

What drugs were used?
What did the tapes apparently show?
Can they identify their rapist?
Where were the women raped?
Who was relieved of their job?
What was used in the assault?
Who was raped in Algeria?

Answer: date-rape

Answer: the officer engaged in sexual acts,

Answer: CIA's former Algeria station chief

Answer: at his home,

Answer: station chief's

Answer: date-rape drugs

Answer: Two Algerian women

Summary:
Source: Two Algerian woman say CIA officer raped them in Algeria .
Women say date-rape drugs were used in assaults .
Source: Man was relieved of job as CIA's Algeria station chief after allegations .
Tapes showing apparently semiconscious women, sex acts found, source says .


WASHINGTON (CNN) -- A former U.S. government scientist who served in sensitive positions on classified aerospace projects was willing to sell "some of our most guarded secrets" a prosecutor alleged Tuesday. Stewart David Nozette of Chevy Chase, Maryland, was taken into custody Monday by FBI agents. Stewart David Nozette, 52, who is charged with attempted espionage, appeared in U.S. District Court Tuesday afternoon. Authorities 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. Assistant U.S. Attorney Anthony Asuncion said Tuesday that 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. He said the FBI made videotapes of Nozette indicating he was "willing to sell some of our most guarded secrets." The prosecutor noted that the charges carry a possible life sentence. Nozette answered in the affirmative when Magistrate Judge Deborah Robinson asked him whether he understood the seriousness of the charges against him. Other than that, Nozette, who was arrested Monday, made no statements at his initial court appearance. Defense attorney John Kiyonaga did not immediately oppose the government's request to hold his client without bond, and said his client agreed to waive a deadline for a formal detention hearing. Nozette, who remains in custody, will appear in court again on October 29 for detention and preliminary hearings. In an affidavit, the FBI sets out the case against Nozette, who received a doctorate in planetary sciences from Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The FBI document, signed by Special Agent Leslie G. Martell, says that Nozette in January 2009 told a colleague "that if the United States government tried to put him in jail" on an unrelated matter, Nozette would move to Israel or another unidentified foreign country and "tell them everything" he knows. 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, Martell's 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 provided "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.

What did authorities say he tried to give away

What did the complaint state Nozetta showed

Answer: Stewart David Nozette,

Answer: classified information

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

Answer: life

Answer: 52,

Answer: sell some of our most guarded secrets."

Answer: U.S. District Court

Answer: possible life

Summary:
Sewart David Nozette, 52, appeared in U.S. District Court on Tuesday .
Authorities said he tried to give classified info to FBI undercover agent .
Charges carry a possible life sentence, prosecutor said .
Nozetta showed "willingness to work for Israeli intelligence," complaint states .


WASHINGTON (CNN) -- A former death row inmate in Tennessee has been cleared of murder, three years after the Supreme Court raised repeated questions about his conviction. After 22 years on death row, Paul House was released on bail and has now been cleared of murder charges. State prosecutors on Tuesday asked a judge to drop all charges against Paul House, who was convicted of murder and sentenced to die in 1986. Special Judge Jon Blackwood accepted the request. House had been scheduled to be retried next month for the 1985 murder of Carolyn Muncey. He had been on death row for 22 years but was released on bail last year. He has multiple sclerosis and must use a wheelchair. The high court ruled in June 2006 that House was entitled to a new hearing. "Although the issue is closed, we conclude that this is the rare case where -- had the jury heard all the conflicting testimony -- it is more likely than not that no reasonable juror viewing the record as a whole would lack reasonable doubt," wrote Justice Anthony Kennedy for the 5-3 majority. House's appeal was championed by the Innocence Project, affiliated with the Cardozo School of Law in New York. "In the three years since the U.S. Supreme Court stepped into this case and sent it back to the trial court, substantial additional DNA testing and further investigation have shown that he is innocent," said Peter Neufeld, the group's co-director. "Each time a layer of this case was peeled away, it revealed more evidence of Paul House's innocence." Muncey disappeared from her rural Luttrell, Tennessee, home on July 13, 1985. Her body was found a day later, badly beaten and showing signs of a struggle. She had been raped. House, who was on parole at the time as a sex offender, was questioned by police. He denied any involvement in the crime. He was a friend of Muncey's husband, but claimed he was in his own house several miles away the evening of the murder. But prosecutors found a hole in his alibi, discovering that he had left his home the night of the murder and returned about an hour later with unexplained cuts and bruises. Forensic evidence found Muncey's blood on House's jeans, but questions were later raised whether the samples were contaminated en route to an FBI lab for analysis. Subsequent state-of-the art DNA testing conducted after the conviction showed that semen on the victim belonged to her husband, not House. Blood under her fingernails and cigarette butts discovered near the wooded crime scene also did not match the accused. But prosecutors maintain that other evidence points to his guilt. Muncey's family has also continued to believe that House was involved in the crime. In 2005, House told CNN he did not rape or kill Muncey, and he wondered why he was still on death row. "I guess that's the million-dollar question," he said. While maintaining his innocence, he said that lying to police about his whereabouts that night was a big mistake. Kennedy, in his 2006 high court ruling, offered an extensive summary of the facts of the investigation, especially the DNA evidence, which he said might point to "a different suspect." Kennedy said jurors might conclude that Muncey's blood found on House's pants may have inadvertently spilled there during the autopsy or through mishandling by police at the crime scene. District Attorney Paul Phillips wrote in his petition this week that he still believes House could have been convicted again in a new trial, "but the new evidence (including the forensic examinations) raises a reasonable doubt that he acted alone and the possibility that others were involved in the crime." But Phillips noted the "substantial sentence" House has served as another reason for the charges being dropped now.

What made the judge drop murder charges?

Answer: Paul House

Answer: After 22 years

Answer: raises a reasonable doubt that he acted alone and the possibility that others were involved in the crime."

Answer: State prosecutors

Answer: Paul House

Answer: Carolyn Muncey.

Summary:
New evidence prompts judge to drop murder charges against Paul House .
House, of Tennessee, spent 22 years on death row for murder of Carolyn Muncey .
House, who uses a wheelchair, was released on bail in 2007 .
New DNA testing helped raise doubts .


WASHINGTON (CNN) -- A former middle-school student who was strip-searched by school officials looking for ibuprofen pain medication won a partial victory of her Supreme Court appeal Thursday in a case testing the discretion of officials to ensure classroom safety. Savana Redding leaves the U.S Supreme Court in April. She was 13 when she was strip-searched. Savana Redding was 13 when administrators suspected that she was carrying banned drugs. No medication was found, and she later sued. The justices concluded that the search was unreasonable but that individual school administrators could not be sued. The larger issue of whether a campus setting traditionally gives schools greater authority over students suspected of illegal activity than police are allowed was not addressed fully by the divided court. "Savana's subjective expectation of privacy against such a search is inherent in her account of it as embarrassing, frightening and humiliating," wrote Justice David Souter for the majority, likely his last opinion before he steps down from the bench next week. But reflecting the divisiveness over the issue, Souter said, "We think these differences of opinion from our own are substantial enough to require immunity for the school officials in this case." Whether the school district would be liable was not an issue before the high court. "I'm pretty excited that they agreed with me, they see that it was wrong for the school to do that," Redding said from her Hobbs, New Mexico, home after the ruling was announced. "I'm pretty certain that it's so far less likely to happen again" to other students. Redding was an eighth-grade honor student in 2003, with no history of disciplinary problems at Safford Middle School, about 127 miles from Tucson, Arizona. During an investigation into pills found at the school, a student told the vice principal that Redding had given her prescription-strength 400-milligram ibuprofen pills. The school had a near-zero-tolerance policy for all prescription and over-the-counter medication, including the ibuprofen, without prior written permission. Redding was pulled from class by Vice Principal Kerry Wilson, escorted to an office and confronted with the evidence. The girl denied the accusations. A search of Redding's backpack found nothing. A strip search was conducted by Wilson's assistant and a school nurse, both females. Redding was ordered to strip to her underwear and to pull on the elastic of the underwear, so any hidden pills might fall out, according to court records. No drugs were found. "The strip search was the most humiliating experience I have ever had," Redding said in an affidavit. "I held my head down so that they could not see that I was about to cry." Souter said Wilson initially had "sufficient suspicion" to justify searching the girl's backpack and outer clothing. But when no contraband was found, the officials went too far by continuing the search of her underwear. With the help of the American Civil Liberties Union, Redding and her family sued, and a federal appeals court in San Francisco ruled against the school, calling the search "traumatizing" and illegal. That court said the school went too far in its effort to create a drug- and crime-free classroom. The Supreme Court found little agreement on key issues. Justices John Paul Stevens and Ruth Bader Ginsburg agreed that the search was illegal but would have also made individual officials liable for damages by Redding. "Wilson's treatment of Redding was abusive, and it was not reasonable for him to believe that the law permitted it," said Ginsburg, who was especially forceful during oral arguments in April, criticizing the school's actions. But Justice Clarence Thomas took the opposite view: that administrators deserved immunity and that the search was permissible. "Preservation of order, discipline and safety in public schools is simply not the domain of the Constitution," he said. "And, common sense is not a judicial monopoly or a constitutional imperative." In 1985, the high court allowed the search of a student's purse after she

What age was Savana Redding when she was suspected of carrying drugs?

Can the individual school official's be sued?

She later sued because what was not found?

Savana Redding was how old when administrators suspected she was carrying drugs?

Answer: 13

Answer: could not

Answer: "I'm pretty excited that they agreed with me, they see that it was wrong for the school to do that,"

Answer: unreasonable but that individual school administrators could not be sued.

Answer: medication

Answer: 13

Answer: 13

Answer: the search was unreasonable but that individual school administrators could not be sued.

Answer: Savana Redding

Summary:
Savana Redding was 13 when administrators suspected she was carrying drugs .
No medication was found, and she later sued .
Justices: Search was unreasonable, but individual school officials can't be sued .
Redding, now 19, has said she has never gotten over her experience .


WASHINGTON (CNN) -- A group of student protesters were arrested Sunday after they called on President Bush to end the humanitarian crisis in Darfur, Sudan, and refused to leave the front gates of the White House. The protesters shouted, "Hey Bush, you can't hide! Help us end this genocide!" and "President Bush! No more excuses!" Federal police arrested 18 of them after they marched to the White House. Sunday's protest was one of many scheduled around the world for "Global Day for Darfur" to mark five years of ethnic cleansing in Sudan. The conflict has killed more than 200,000 people, and it has made refugees of more than 2 million others. In London 3,000 protesters gathered at the Sudanese Embassy. Also, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown called for Darfur peace talks.  Watch a report from the protest in London » In the U.S., Scott Warren, national student director of the Student Anti-Genocide Coalition, said the students were bringing specific demands to the president, including bolstering the United Nations peacekeeping force in Sudan and stepping up pressure on China, Sudan's trading partner. "In your last seven months, you can make peace in Sudan, and this is how you can do it," he said. Warren said the students knew the president wasn't home, but still hoped their message was heard.  Bush was on his way back to Washington from his ranch in Crawford, Texas. "It's not something we take lightly, and we do understand the implications of it. But we also understand that genocide is not just a casual issue," said student activist Ashley Kroetsch, who was among the 18 arrested. "It is one of the worst crimes against humanity, and it requires a very severe response to end it." The Bush administration supports economic sanctions and implementation of existing agreements for peace and security in Darfur. Bush traveled recently to Africa, and spoke about genocide on several stops. "We're trying to help them, but the truth of the matter is there are obstacles to peace in Darfur," he said at a stop in Tanzania. "And that is one of the reasons we've imposed tough sanctions -- real, meaningful sanctions against those who are stopping progress toward alleviating the human suffering in Darfur." E-mail to a friend

How many protesters gathered at the Sudanese Embassy?

Answer: 3,000

Answer: more than 200,000 people,

Answer: "Hey Bush, you can't hide! Help us end this genocide!" and "President Bush! No more excuses!"

Summary:
Protesters shouted, "Hey Bush, you can't hide! Help us end this genocide!"
Saturday was "Global Day for Darfur" marking five years of ethnic cleansing in Sudan .
Conflict has killed more than 200,000 people, and created two million refugees .
In London 3,000 protesters gathered at the Sudanese Embassy .


WASHINGTON (CNN) -- A handful of people rallied outside the Japanese Embassy on Saturday to show support for an American man who is jailed in Japan, accused of trying to kidnap his own children. Amy Savoie calls on Japan to release her husband during a rally outside the Japanese Embassy in Washington. During the demonstration, Christopher Savoie's wife, Amy, along with others from the Children's Rights Council of Japan -- a group that advocates visitation for both parents in divorce cases, and which organized Saturday's event -- called for Savoie's release. "It makes me feel wonderful to know that these people are calling him a hero, saying he's brave, and I just hope he can come home and say thank you to all these people who've supported him," Amy Savoie told CNN. Christopher Savoie, 38, a Tennessee native and naturalized Japanese citizen, allegedly abducted his two children -- 8-year-old Isaac and 6-year-old Rebecca -- as his ex-wife walked them to school Monday in a rural town in southern Japan, police in Japan said. With the children, Savoie headed for the nearest U.S. consulate in the city of Fukuoka to try to obtain passports for them, screaming at guards to let him in the compound. Savoie was steps away from the front gate but still standing on Japanese soil when Japanese police arrested him. Amy Savoie said the separation is taking a toll on her. "I just wish I could talk to him, but I am forced to live with the fact that I can't talk to him. So I have to soothe myself and comfort myself with what he would say right now, and I just hope he's doing well," she said. Christopher Savoie and his first wife, Noriko Savoie, were married for 14 years before their divorce in January. The couple, both citizens of the United States and Japan, had lived in Japan but moved to the United States before the divorce. Noriko Savoie was given custody of the children and agreed to remain in the United States. Christopher Savoie had visitation rights. During the summer, she fled with the children to Japan, according to court documents. A U.S. court than granted Christopher Savoie sole custody. Japanese law, however, recognizes Noriko Savoie as the primary custodian. The law there also follows a tradition of sole-custody divorces. When the couple splits, one parent typically makes a complete and lifelong break from the children. Complicating the matter further is the fact that the couple still are considered married in Japan because they never divorced there, police said Wednesday. And, police said, the children are Japanese and have Japanese passports. A 1980 Hague Convention standardized laws on international child abduction, but Japan is not a party to that agreement. If a child in Japan is taken against the wishes of the recognized Japanese parent, Japanese law considers the person who took the child an abductor. Christopher Savoie will be jailed for at least 10 days while Japanese prosecutors sort out details of the case.

What did Savoie do to land him in jail?
How long will Savoie be in jail?
Whose wife is Amy?
In what country is Savoie in jail?

Answer: allegedly abducted his two children

Answer: for at least 10 days

Answer: Christopher Savoie's

Answer: Japan

Summary:
Christopher Savoie's wife, Amy: "I just wish I could talk to him"
Savoie in jail in Japan after trying to get kids back from his ex-wife .
Japanese custom, law on custody differ sharply from those in U.S.