The nation in brief

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“Nobody claims that information all by itself will solve the obesity problem.There is research that lots of people use this label. The label itself influences choices for the better.”

Michael Taylor, a deputy commissioner for the Food and Drug Administration, which has released proposed new rules on food labeling Article, this page

2nd of ‘Cuban Five’ spy ring freed in U.S.

MIAMI - A second member of the “Cuban Five” - the spy ring whose arrests and convictions have caused repeated tensions between Washington and Havana - was released Thursday from a U.S. prison after spending more than 15 years behind bars.

Fernando Gonzalez, 50, known to U.S. authorities by the alias Ruben Campa, completed his sentence at 4 a.m.

at a prison in Safford, Ariz., Bureau of Prisons spokesman Chris Burke said.

Now the Five, as its members are sometimes called, is down to three.

Gonzalez was turned over immediately to the custody of immigration officials, said Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokesman Barbara Gonzalez. For security reasons, she could not disclose exactly where he was being held or when he would be returned to Cuba, but a deportation order has been issued.

The five men, who are hailed as heroes in Cuba, were convicted in 2001 in Miami on charges including conspiracy and failure to register as foreign agents in the U.S.

U.S.’ 2013 budget gap slimmest since ’08

WASHINGTON - The federal budget deficit fell to $680 billion in fiscal 2013 from about $1.1 trillion the year before, the U.S. Treasury Department said Thursday. That is the smallest deficit since 2008, and it marks the end of a five year stretch when the country’s fiscal gap came in at more than $1 trillion a year.

The report comes days before the White House is expected to release a new budget. Democrats have said the still-tepid recovery requires government investment along with commitments to reduce deficits in the long term while also emphasizing the rapidly falling budget gap.

Republicans have long said Democrats have proved poor stewards of the economy, overseeing a period of sluggish growth and rising debt.

The report, which was a regular update on the country’s finances, underscores the persistence, if not the strength, of the recovery after the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression. Growth in tax revenue accounts for much of the decline in the deficit. But increases in taxes and cuts in federal spending figure strongly, too, as does a slowdown in the pace of health-spending growth.

3 killed, 3 injured in Hawaii plane crash

HONOLULU - A small plane crashed and burst into flames shortly after takeoff from Hawaii’s Lanai island, killing three people and leaving three others injured, authorities said Thursday.

The crash occurred around 9:30 p.m. Wednesday about a mile from Lanai Airport in the Miki Basin area, Maui County spokesman Rod Antone said.

The plane, a twin-engine Piper PA31, burned upon impact, according to Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Ian Gregor.

Authorities said they believe everyone aboard the aircraft has been accounted for.

At-risk young men target of Obama effort

WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama on Thursday launched his “My Brother’s Keeper” initiative, urging stronger efforts to create more opportunities for young minority-group men and to improve conditions that keep them impoverished and imprisoned in disproportionate numbers.

“By almost every measure, the group that’s facing some of the most severe challenges in the 21st century in this country are boys and young men of color,” said Obama, ticking off statistics on fatherhood, literacy, crime and poverty.

Obama spoke from the White House East Room flanked by teenagers involved in the Becoming a Man program to help at-risk boys in his hometown of Chicago. He said he sees himself in them.

“I made bad choices. I got high, not always thinking about the harm it could do. I didn’t always take school as seriously as I should have. I made excuses. Sometimes I sold myself short,” Obama said.

Under Obama’s initiative, businesses, foundations and community groups would coordinate their investments to come up with or support programs that keep young people in school and out of the criminal-justice system, while improving their access to higher education. Several foundations pledged at least $200 million over five years to promote that goal.

Front Section, Pages 4 on 02/28/2014

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