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Lesbian Blames Police For Military Discharge
Jene Newsome played by the rules as an Air Force sergeant: She never told anyone in the military she was a lesbian. The 28-year-old's honorable discharge under the "don't ask, don't tell" policy came only after police officers in Rapid City, S.D., saw an Iowa marriage certificate in her home and told the nearby Ellsworth Air Force Base. Newsome and the American Civil Liberties Union filed a complaint against the western South Dakota police department, claiming the officers violated her privacy when they informed the military about her sexual orientation. The case also highlights concerns over the ability of third parties to "out" service members, especially as the Pentagon has started reviewing the 1993 "don't ask, don't tell" law. MSNBC

Brown Bemoans "Entire Year Gone To Waste"
Newly arrived Republican Sen. Scott Brown of Massachusetts accused President Barack Obama and Democrats on Saturday of a "bitter, destructive and endless" drive to pass health overhaul legislation that Brown warned would be disastrous. "An entire year has gone to waste," Brown said in the weekly GOP radio and Internet address. "Millions of Americans have lost their jobs, and many more jobs are in danger. Even now, the president still hasn't gotten the message. CBS

Newspapers Cutting Comic Strips
No matter how bad the news, no matter how grim the headlines, you could always count on a smile from at least one corner of the daily newspaper: the comics. Comic strips, once a staple of most newspapers, are being cut by many papers in an effort to save money. But in this day when we could use a laugh more than ever, the reality facing the comics section is anything but funny. With the newspaper business hemorrhaging readers and money, newspapers are slicing the number of strips they carry. ABC

Pentagon Gun Was From Memphis Police
Two guns used in high-profile shootings this year at the Pentagon and a Las Vegas courthouse both came from the same unlikely place: the police and court system of Memphis, Tenn. Law enforcement officials told The Associated Press that both guns were once seized in criminal cases in Memphis. The officials described how the weapons made their separate ways from an evidence vault to gun dealers and to the shooters. San Diego Union

Brighter Education Futures For Kids
President Barack Obama is promising parents and their kids that with his administration's help they will have better teachers in improved schools so U.S. students can make up for academic ground lost against youngsters in other countries. A plan to overhaul the 2002 education law championed by President George W. Bush was unveiled by the Obama administration Saturday in hopes of replacing a system that in the last decade has tagged more than a third of schools as failing and created a hodgepodge of sometimes weak academic standards among states. Indy Star

Many WTC Responders Show Early Signs Of Heart Woes
Law enforcement officers who worked near ground zero after the World Trade Center attacks seem to show early signs of heart problems at a higher rate than would be expected for their age, a new study suggests. Nearly half of about 1,200 law enforcement workers who went to Mount Sinai Medical Center's program in New York to monitor medical effects from the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attack showed some impaired heart function on ultrasound tests. The study was released Saturday at an American College of Cardiology conference. Kansas City Star

Congress Is Long Overdue For Serious Effort At Tax Reform
Congress is ready for a nap. The financial crisis was a year-long emergency. Health-care reform has been a seemingly endless grind. No one quite knows what to do about jobs. Cap-and-trade seems doomed in the Senate, which means all the work the House did to pass its bill was for nothing. The election looms. There's not a lot of enthusiasm for taking on another big, complicated issue that will be distorted by interest groups and screamed about on cable networks and ripped apart on op-ed pages. Washington Post

At Afghan Outpost, Marines Gone Rogue Or Leading The Fight Against Counterinsurgency?
With Obama's July 2011 deadline to begin reducing U.S. forces looming over the horizon, the Marines have opted to wage the war in their own way. The Marines are pushing into previously ignored Taliban enclaves. They have set up a first-of-its-kind school to train police officers. They have brought in a Muslim chaplain to pray with local mullahs and deployed teams of female Marines to reach out to Afghan women. Washington Post

Vatican Defends Pope Over Abuse Scandal
The Vatican on Saturday denounced what it called aggressive attempts to drag Pope Benedict XVI into the spreading scandals of pedophile priests in his German homeland, and contended he has long confronted abuse cases with courage. In separate interviews, both the Holy See's spokesman and its prosecutor for sex abuse of minors by clergy sought to defend the pope. After decades of similar scandals in the United States, Ireland and elsewhere, the sex abuse scandal moved closer to Benedict in recent days. CBS

Hearts May Swoon When Stocks Do
Stock market slides may hurt more than your savings. New research suggests they might prompt heart attacks. Duke University researchers found a link between how a key stock index performed and how many heart attacks were treated at their North Carolina hospital shortly after the recession began in December 2007 through July 2009, when signs of recovery emerged. ABC

Parliamentarian’s Task: Referee Senate Health Care Fight
Alan Frumin may be unknown outside the corridors of Washington, but he is having an outsized influence over the fate of President Obama’s health care proposal. Frumin labors in relative obscurity as the Senate’s chief parliamentarian, a post he has held under both Democratic and Republican majorities. His job: making sure Capitol Hill combatants play by the rules. Already, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate majority leader Harry Reid are wrestling over Frumin’s procedural verdicts. It is with Frumin’s guidance that Democrats must engineer a legislative triple bank shot to win a health care bill — first passing a Senate version of the proposed law in the House and then pushing through a set of repairs to the measure, which must pass both chambers. Boston Globe

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U.S. Still The Last Major Metric System Holdout
With the Metric Conversion Act of 1975, the U.S. started down the road to measuring in liters, meters, celsius and grams, but in everyday life Americans are still miles away from embracing the measuring system used around the world. To compete in the world market, for convenience and in some cases by law, many U.S. industries have switched to designing and producing products with specifications and sizes based on the metric system. Tampa Tribune

Driver's Runaway Prius Story Couldn't Be Replicated
Investigators with Toyota Motor Corp. and the federal government were unable to make a Toyota Prius speed out of control as its owner said it did on a California freeway, according to a draft memorandum obtained Saturday by The Associated Press that casts doubt on the driver's story. James Sikes, 61, called 911 on Monday to report losing control of his Prius as the hybrid reached speeds of 94 mph. A California Highway Patrol officer helped Sikes bring the vehicle to a safe stop on Interstate 8 near San Diego. During two hours of test drives of Sikes' car Thursday, technicians with Toyota and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration failed to duplicate the same experience that Sikes described, according to the memo prepared for the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. USA Today

Obama, Medvedev Happy On Arms Pact
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and President Barack Obama are satisfied with the "high level of consensus" on a new pact to cut nuclear arms and it is now possible to talk of a firm date for signing a treaty, the Kremlin said on Saturday. Russia and the United States have been negotiating for nearly a year a new treaty to reduce their arsenals of nuclear weapons. The pact is a cornerstone of Washington's efforts to improve relations with Moscow. Reuters

Divided Party? It’s Not Just GOP, But Also Dems
For all the evidence of a divided Republican Party, the Democratic Party has its own widening cracks that could make a potentially bleak election year even more dour. In just the past two weeks, Arkansas Sen. Blanche Lincoln became the latest Democratic incumbent to attract a primary challenger, anti-abortion Democrats fought hard to derail President Barack Obama's health care measure, and civil rights advocates and environmentalists likened the Democratic president to George W. Bush. MSNBC

Ohio Opponents Would Fight ACORN Attempt To Return
The community organizing group ACORN is not expressly prohibited from returning to Ohio under a settlement reached in a lawsuit that claimed it used fraudulent voter registration practices. But a lawyer for a group that filed the lawsuit says it would fight in court any attempt by ACORN to reopen its doors in Ohio for voter registration purposes because "it's inherent in the nature of their practice to submit unlawful voter registration forms." Las Vegas Sun

Obama Says He Will Push For Education Overhaul
President Barack Obama, already battling for healthcare reform, jobs and financial regulation, said on Saturday he was also about to push forward on a major overhaul of U.S. education. Obama said he would send a blueprint to Congress on Monday to update the country's elementary and secondary schools, in an effort to boost standards and redo the "No Child Left Behind" law of his predecessor George W. Bush, which has lapsed. Reuters

Former Astronauts Criticize US Moon Decision
Two former astronauts have said they are disappointed with the U.S. government's decision to cancel NASA's moon landing program. Jim Lovell, who led the Apollo 13 mission in 1970, told the BBC the cancellation could be disastrous. Eugene Cernan, part of the 1972 Apollo 17 mission, said the U.S. has a responsibility to lead the world in space exploration and technology and that he hopes people will be back on the moon "sooner than later." Las Vegas Sun

Yellen, Raskin, Diamond May Help Bernanke Exit Stimulus
President Barack Obama’s likely nomination of three Federal Reserve governors will help Chairman Ben S. Bernanke plan an exit from record monetary stimulus and strengthen banking supervision and consumer protection. Janet Yellen, an economist who heads the Fed Bank of San Francisco, is Obama’s choice for central bank vice chairman in Washington. The administration has also approached Sarah Bloom Raskin, Maryland’s commissioner of financial regulation, and Peter Diamond, an economics professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, to fill two vacancies on the Board of Governors. Bloomberg

Agencies Lag In Following Obama's Openness Order
President Barack Obama is having difficulty getting all federal agencies to follow his order to deliver "a new era of open government," according to a study of how they administer the Freedom of Information Act. The National Security Archive, a private group that publishes declassified government information and uses the act and lawsuits to pry out official records, found a decidedly mixed record in an audit of how 90 agencies responded to Obama directives to open more records, and the guidelines and training sessions that followed from the Justice Department. Houston Chronicle

Mini Clip Is Safer Than Heart-Valve Surgery
Many Americans with leaky heart valves soon might be able to get them fixed without open-heart surgery. A study showed that a tiny clip implanted through an artery was safer and nearly as effective as surgery, doctors reported Sunday. The device is already on sale in Europe, and its maker, Abbott Laboratories, hopes to win approval to sell it in the United States next year. Atlanta Journal

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Boehner Says GOP Has Chance Of Recapturing House
House Republican leader John Boehner says his party has a shot at recapturing the House majority it lost to Democrats in 2006. The Ohio lawmaker says winning back the House this November will be "a steep climb, but it's doable." Democrats hold a 253-178 advantage in the House, with four vacancies. Boehner says the GOP expects to be outspent. But he says Republicans have more and better candidates this year and the party is in good position to help candidates. Charlotte Observer

Iran Shuts Down Opposition Network
Iran said Saturday it has dismantled several U.S.-backed opposition networks that were gathering information on nuclear scientists and finding ways to circumvent controls on the Internet meant to deprive the opposition of its most crucial tool. A judiciary statement carried on the official IRNA news agency said the networks were set up by Iranian opposition groups, including the People's Mujahedeen, and that 30 of their members were arrested. "A number of organized American cyber war networks were dismantled and 30 influential suspects were arrested ... in a series of complicated security operations in the information technology and communications field," IRNA quoted the statement as saying. SF Gate

Georgia Considers Outlawing Abortions Based On Race, Gender
Are health care providers using abortion to curb the growth of the U.S. black population? That question will be at heart of a debate among Georgia lawmakers, who are poised to take up a controversial bill that would outlaw abortions prompted by the baby's race or gender. The issue that has inspired a billboard campaign claiming a racial conspiracy is behind the termination of pregnancies. The billboards have drawn national attention for claiming black babies are an "endangered species." Fox News

Deadly Blasts Rock Southern Afghanistan
A series of explosions rocked southern Afghanistan's volatile Kandahar province on Saturday, killing at least 35 people and wounding 47 others, local officials said. Provincial Gov. Toryalai Wesa confirmed the blasts hit four locations. One of the explosions struck near the police headquarters in Kandahar, said Wesa's spokesman, Zalmai Ayoubi. Another blast struck near the province's prison and caused the collapse of some residences. CNN

China PM Defends Assertive Trade, Foreign Policy
China vowed Sunday to remain alert to any renewed signs of economic crisis and forcefully defended its currency, trade and more assertive foreign policies as helping global rebalancing, not undermining it. Premier Wen Jiabao repeatedly took issue with United States, whose relations with Beijing have soured in recent months. To U.S. criticisms that China keeps its currency undervalued and thus harms U.S. exports, Wen said Beijing opposed "finger-pointing or taking strong measures to force" a readjustment of the yuan. Likewise, he said the recent White House reception to Tibet's exiled Dalai Lama and U.S. arms sale to Taiwan "caused serious disturbance in relations." Detroit News

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Toyota Blew Off Warning
Toyota was asked by regulators in 2007 to install software to prevent their vehicles from accelerating out of control, but waited until the beginning of this year to take action, according to a report. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration asked the car-makers to install a "brake override" in their automobiles after drivers complained about wild acceleration, the Los Angeles Times said. But the company, which has never acknowledged a fault in its cars' electronic throttle systems, blew off the advice because there was "no requirement to do so," an executive wrote, according to the paper. NY Post

Senate Republicans Stall Obama 's Ambassador Pick Over Cuba Concerns
Senate Republicans have slammed the brakes on the confirmation of President Obama's nominee for ambassador to El Salvador over concerns about her ties to Cuba. Mari Carmen Aponte, who was nominated by Obama in December, withdrew her nomination to another diplomatic post in the Clinton era following questions about her past relationship with someone who had apparently caught the attention of the FBI. Fox News

Ice Tour Denies Snubbing Johnny Weir Over Sexual Orientation
American figure skater Johnny Weir says he doesn't understand why the only ice skating tour in the United States doesn't want him. "I'm not going to get on the ice and strip down naked and roll around," said Wier, a three-time U.S. ice skating champion. Weir keeps his sexuality private, but his flamboyant costumes and routines at the Winter Olympics in February drew comments about his lack of masculinity. The Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Discrimination (GLAAD) launched a protest against the Stars on Ice tour, claiming Weir's rejection was because he was deemed "not family friendly." CNN

Lehman’s Hidden Leverage ‘Shenanigans’ May Haunt Fuld
Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc.’s Richard Fuld exuded confidence as he briefed analysts on June 16, 2008, four days after demoting his firm’s finance chief in the wake of a $2.8 billion quarterly loss. “I am the one who ultimately signs off and I’m comfortable with our valuations at the end of our second quarter,” then- Chief Executive Officer Fuld said on the conference call. “We have always had a rigorous internal process.” Bloomberg

13 Killed, Some Beheaded, Around Acapulco
At least 13 people were killed Saturday, some beheaded, in the Acapulco, Mexico, area as foreign tourists began arriving at the beach resort, officials say. Those killed included five police officers who were ambushed while patrolling the outskirts of the city early in the morning, The Los Angeles Times reported. UPI

Strong Earthquake Rattles Buildings Around Japan
A strong magnitude 6.6 earthquake hit off the eastern coast of Japan on Sunday, rattling buildings across a broad swath of the country, including the crowded capital. There were no reports of casualties, with only light damage to structures near the epicenter, according to local officials. The quake hit at 5:08 p.m. and was felt most strongly in central Fukushima prefecture about 130 miles (210 kilometers) northeast of Tokyo, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency. Seattle Times

Kandahar Governor Demands More Afghan Forces
The governor of Kandahar province demanded more security around Afghanistan's largest southern city Sunday after a series of explosions killed dozens of people in the Taliban heartland — the target of the war's next major offensive by Afghan and international forces. The blasts, which occurred one after another for 25 minutes across Kandahar city Saturday night, indicate that the insurgents remain a potent force in the area where NATO plans an assault later this year, the follow-up to an operation that has driven militants from a key stronghold in neighboring Helmand province. Sun Sentinel

Teens Riot In Jerusalem Over Temple Mount
Some Arab teenagers rioted near the Nablus Gate in Jerusalem's Old City Saturday because police limited prayer at the Temple Mount, officials say. Ynetnews said police stopped the violence, and the few dozen teenagers agreed to pray at a nearby spot. Also Saturday, a few dozen Palestinians attempted to break through a checkpoint on the West Bank after Israel closed it, the report said. UPI

PM Convenes Ministers Amidst Crisis With US
ADL slams Obama administration: We cannot remember an instance when such harsh language was directed at a friend and ally of the United States. Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu convened his top ministers for a meeting Saturday evening to discuss the fallout of an announcement on construction in Jerusalem made during the visit of US Vice President Joe Biden. During Biden’s visit, the Interior Ministry announced that 1,600 housing units will be built in Jerusalem’s Ramat Shlomo neighborhood. Jerusalem Post

'EU May Push Israel Into Peace Talks'
The European Union might use its trade ties with Israel as leverage to pressure it into renewing peace talks with the Palestinians, Catherine Ashton, the High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy at the EU said on Saturday. Ashton was speaking at an EU foreign minister conference held in Spain. Swedish Foreign Minister, Carl Bildt, said that Israel’s announcement on building in east Jerusalem during United States Vice President Joe Biden’s visit last week was intentional and not coincidental. Jerusalem Post

Ancient Wooden Sarcophagus Returned To Egypt From US
A 3,000-year-old wooden sarcophagus stolen from Egypt more than 125 years ago has been returned from the US. It was confiscated at Miami airport by customs officials after it arrived in a shipment from Spain in 2008 and the importer was unable to prove ownership. The sarcophagus dates back to the 21st Dynasty (1070-945BC) and is thought to have belonged to a noble called Imesy. BBC

Thousands Attend Anti-Berlusconi Protest In Rome
Tens of thousands of Italians have been taking part in a protest in Rome's main square against the government of Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi. The demonstrators, called out by the opposition and unions, accused him of changing laws for his own benefit. The protest organisers also called for employment, education and health to be at the centre of campaigning for this month's regional elections. A recent opinion poll showed only low levels of support for Mr Berlusconi. BBC

Embattled Sarkozy Facing New Blow At Hands Of French Voters
President Nicolas Sarkozy faces a severe drubbing in midterm regional elections tomorrow which will – temporarily at least – scramble the arithmetic of French politics. According to the final opinion polls, the much-divided and quarrelsome main opposition party, the Socialists, will replace Mr Sarkozy's centre-right as the most popular single political force in France. In alliance with a booming Green movement, the centre-left seems certain to win 20 of the 22 French regions in the second round of the elections next weekend. Independent

Joe Biden: The Likeable Joe
The moment when Joe Biden began to metamorphose from senator into the future Vice-President can be precisely dated, to 26 April 2007, in the midst of one of those mostly forgettable TV debates between the candidates for the Democratic nomination the following year. Indeed, it may be traced to a single word. Would he have the self-discipline to be president, the famously loquacious and gaffe-prone Biden was asked. Quick as a flash came the reply, a clipped and terse "Yes". The audience, well aware of the senator's propensity to give windy and interminable answers to the simplest of questions, howled with laughter – but the point was made. Independent

Plans For Abolition Of House Of Lords To Be Unveiled
Jack Straw, the Justice Secretary, is this weekend consulting cabinet colleagues on a blueprint which would represent the biggest change to the way Britain is governed for several decades. The proposals, which have been leaked to The Sunday Telegraph and which are expected to be announced soon, would sweep away centuries of tradition and set ministers on a collision course with the current 704-member House of Lords, which is resolutely opposed to having elected members. Telegraph

Israel Arrests Top Hamas Official
Israeli forces arrested a senior Hamas figure on Sunday after a raid in the town of Ramallah, the seat of the West Bank-based Palestinian government, the Israeli military said. A military statement described Maher Audi as a founder of Hamas in the West Bank and said he was responsible for the death of 10 Israelis. There was no immediate comment from the Palestinian Authority. Hamas, an Islamist group that controls the Gaza Strip, has carried out dozens of suicide bombings against Israelis. It controls the Gaza Strip coastal enclave that is blockaded by Israel. NY Times

George Osborne's Little Joke About Nicolas Sarkozy Puts Entente Cordiale In Jeopardy
George Osborne provoked laughter at a conference hosted by The Spectator when he ostentatiously removed a stool from behind the lectern at which he was about to speak and joked that it was "the Sarkozy box". Sadly, Nicolas Sarkozy did not see the funny side when he read about the shadow chancellor's quip in September and it is now understood that a formal complaint was made to the British Government on behalf of the diminutive French president. Telegraph

Top UN Official For Afghanistan Arrives In Kabul To Begin Work
The experienced international diplomat Staffan de Mistura arrived on Saturday in Kabul to take up his post as the top United Nations official in Afghanistan, saying he was starting work at a “very critical period in Afghan history.” Mr. de Mistura, who now heads the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), told journalists at Kabul airport after his arrival that the UN remained fully committed to helping Afghans rebuild their country and consolidate constitutional democracy. UN News

UN-Backed Global Conference On Trade In Endangered Species Begins
A United Nations-backed conference aimed at regulating international trade in endangered species such as elephants, polar bears, sharks and bluefin tuna kicked off today in Qatar with a warning that stronger action must be taken to protect wildlife at risk. Some 1,500 delegates from more than 170 governments, businesses, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and indigenous groups are attending the triennial summit of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) in the Qatari capital, Doha. UN News

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