QUOTE OF THE DAY
“When Trayvon Martin was first shot, I said that this could have been my son. Another way of saying that is Trayvon Martin could have been me 35 years ago.”
President Barack Obama said in an unscheduled appearance before reporters at the White House Article, 1A
One held after 4 men found in squalor
HOUSTON - Four men found living in “deplorable conditions” in a Houston garage on Friday told police that they were being held captive after being lured by promises of food and cigarettes so that their captor could cash their public-assistance checks, authorities said.
Three of the men were malnourished and taken to a hospital after being discovered by officers responding to a 911 call about the home, Houston police spokesman Jodi Silva said. Sgt. Steven Murdock described the living conditions as like a “dungeon.”
Investigators were still trying to determine how long the men lived there, but they said it may have been weeks.
Silva said the men told investigators they were forced to live in the garage, which included just one chair, no bed and a possibly malfunctioning air conditioner.
Silva said one person has been detained but no charges have been filed. He apparently did not live in the house, she said. Four women were also found living in the house, three of whom appeared to have mental disabilities, Silva said. She described the other woman as a caretaker. She described the living conditions inside the home as more normal.
Asiana victim died from rescue vehicle
SAN FRANCISCO - One of the three victims of the Asiana Airlines Flight 214 crash survived the impact before being struck and killed by a fire vehicle, a coroner ruled.
San Francisco Fire Chief Joanne Hayes-White, at a news conference Friday, called the death of Ye Meng Yuan, 16, a “tragic accident” that has shaken members of the department. The girl and a classmate in China died in the aftermath of the July 6 crash. Another classmate died at a hospital July 12.
Internal hemorrhaging showed the death was caused by being hit by a rescue vehicle, Robert Foucrault, San Mateo County coroner, said Friday at a news conference. The girl’s body was found near the fuselage, he said.
More than 300 passengers survived the crash. Two remain hospitalized in critical condition. The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board is reviewing the emergency response as part of its accident investigation.
The Asiana Boeing Co. 777 crashed as it struck a seawall short of a runway, slammed to the ground and spun off the tarmac.
Manning lacked patriotism, boss says
FORT MEADE, Md. - A former supervisor of Pfc.
Bradley Manning testified Friday that Manning told her the American flag meant nothing to him and that he had no allegiance to the United States.
The testimony of Jihrleah Showman was elicited by prosecutors, who have charged Manning with aiding the enemy by leaking reams of classified documents to WikiLeaks with a “general evil intent,” knowing it would be seen by al-Qaida members.
During a lengthy cross-examination, defense attorney David Coombs sought to discredit Showman. He implied she made up the conversation because she disliked Manning, partly because he is gay.
Showman, a former Army specialist, said Manning made the comments in a conversation they had a couple months before they deployed to Iraq in late 2009.
“I tapped the flag on my shoulder and asked him what it meant,” she said. “He said the flag meant nothing to him and he did not consider himself to have allegiance to this country or any people.”
She said she was “distraught” by the statement and suspected Manning was a spy.
Hobby Lobby wins stay from health law
OKLAHOMA CITY - Hobby Lobby Inc. was given a temporary exemption Friday from a requirement in the new federal health-care law to offer insurance coverage for the morning-after pill and similar emergency birth control methods or face steep fines.
U.S. District Judge Joe Heaton issued the preliminary injunction for the privately owned Oklahoma City-based arts and crafts chain and stayed the case until Oct. 1 to give the federal government time to consider filing an appeal with the U.S. Supreme Court.
The ruling was welcomed by the Christian owners of Hobby Lobby and its sister company, the Mardel Christian bookstore chain. Attorneys for Hobby Lobby’s and Mardel’s founders, the Green family, have argued that their religious beliefs are so deeply rooted that having to provide every form of birth control would violate their conscience.
Front Section, Pages 4 on 07/20/2013