QUOTE OF THE DAY
“We shouldn’t tolerate even one misuse of this program.”
Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, after a letter from National Security Agency Inspector General George Ellard disclosed that the government’s secret surveillance systems were misused at least 12 times over the past decade,
including to spy on spouses, boyfriends or girlfriends Article, this page
U.S., India pledge to strengthen ties
WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh renewed their mutual pledge Friday to deepen the relationship between the U.S. and India, declaring a shared interest in reducing tensions in South Asia as the U.S. lightens its footprint in war-torn Afghanistan.
Calling each other indispensable partners, Obama and Singh said great strides had been made on economic cooperation and a civilian nuclear agreement.But while the two nations say they have much to gain from closer economic ties, security challenges in South Asia have created a sense of unease in the region that has overshadowed peaceful pursuits.
New Delhi is concerned the Taliban might fill the power vacuum left behind as the U.S. withdraws most of its combat troops from Afghanistan by 2014. Chief among India’s concerns is the role that its neighboring rival, Pakistan, will play in influencing Afghanistan’s future.
White House backs college-diversity tool
WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama’s administration told colleges and universities Friday that they can continue to use admissions to increase diversity among their students, even in the wake of a Supreme Court ruling that potentially opens the door to more challenges.
“Racially diverse educational environments help to prepare students to succeed in our increasingly diverse nation,” the administration said in a letter to schools.
The Supreme Court ruled June 24 that schools should approve the use of race as a factor in admissions only after concluding “that no workable race-neutral alternatives would produce the educational benefits of diversity.” The 7-1 decision, stemming from a case challenging the University of Texas admission plan, did not question the underpinnings of affirmative action.
3 ex-snipers charged in DEA killing plot
NEW YORK - Two former American soldiers - one nicknamed “Rambo” - and a former German soldier faced charges Friday that they plotted to kill a U.S.
drug-enforcement agent and an informant for $800,000 in an assassination plan created by drug agents who wanted to catch trained snipers gone bad, authorities said.
The charges were announced by prosecutors in Manhattan, where an indictment unsealed in federal court portrayed three former soldiers eager to kill for money.
The documents described numerous conversations in meetings in Asia, Africa and the Caribbean from January through September that were recorded by Drug Enforcement Administration agents building a case through confidential sources posing as Colombian drug traffickers.
The indictment described 48-year-old Joseph Hunter, also known as “Rambo,” as a contract killer and leader of the group of ex-snipers. Hunter, a resident of Thailand, was being flown Friday to New York after he was expelled from Thailand, U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara said. Hunter was to appear in court today.
Also charged in the assassination plot with multiple counts of conspiracy were Timothy Vamvakias, 42, and Dennis Gogel, 27, a German citizen. Both men appeared in court Thursday on charges that carry the potential for life imprisonment and were held without bail.
Need more time, Tsarnaev lawyers say
BOSTON - Attorneys for Boston Marathon bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev formally requested more time Friday to prepare arguments that their client should not be subject to a potential death sentence.
In a brief filed with the U.S. District Court in Massachusetts, the defense told a judge the current Oct. 24 deadline set by the government does not allow for a “reasonable opportunity” to make their case about the death penalty, should it be sought in the case.
Prosecutors allege that Tsarnaev, 20, and his 26-yearold brother Tamerlan built the two pressure-cooker bombs that exploded near the finish line of the race April 15, killing three people and injuring more than 260. Tamerlan Tsarnaev died after a shootout with police days later.
Federal prosecutors have said they plan to make a recommendation by the end of the month to U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder about whether the death penalty should be pursued. Holder will have the ultimate say in the matter.
Front Section, Pages 4 on 09/28/2013