Bad weather wreaks havoc on search for victims of AirAsia flight disaster

Stormy weather has hindered the efforts of rescuers to recover the victims of AirAsia Flight 8501, even as a seventh body was pulled from the Java Sea Wednesday. 
Heavy rain, wind, and thick clouds have prevented divers from carrying out their recovery operations and largely grounded helicopters, though ships were still scouring the area. 
Indonesian search and rescue chief Bambang Soelistyo said that the bodies of four men and three women had been recovered as of Wednesday morning. Soelistyo said that one of the women was clad in the distinctive red uniform of an AirAsia flight attendant. Another victim was wearing a life jacket, which may raise questions about whether the passengers may have known that the plane was going down, despite the lack of a distress call from the pilots. 
"One individual with a life jacket doesn’t tell much," Greg Waldron, the Asia managing editor for industry publication Flightglobal, told The Wall Street Journal. "It could be a person who thought that the plane was going down and put the life jacket on. I really don’t know what to make of it."
"If the pilots had ordered passengers to wear their life jackets," Waldron added. "I'd imagine they would have the presence of mind to make a distress call."
Meanwhile, officials said that sonar images had identified what appeared to be large parts of the Airbus A320, but strong currents appeared to be moving the wreckage. Indonesia's meteorology and geophysics agency predicted that the conditions would worsen, with more intense rains, through Friday.
"It seems all the wreckage found has drifted more than 50 kilometers (31 miles) from yesterday's location," said Vice Air Marshal Sunarbowo Sandi, search and rescue coordinator in Pangkalan Bun on Borneo island, the closest town to the site. "We are expecting those bodies will end up on beaches." Sandi announced that the search for bodies had been expanded to approximately 94 miles of the nearby coastline to allow for that possibility. 
The airliner's disappearance halfway through a two-hour flight from Surabaya, Indonesia to Singapore early Sunday triggered an international search for the aircraft involving dozens of planes, ships and helicopters from numerous countries. It is still unclear what brought the plane down.
The aircraft's cockpit voice and flight data recorders, or black boxes, must be recovered before officials can start determining what caused the crash. Items recovered so far include a life jacket, an emergency window, children's shoes, a blue suitcase and backpacks filled with food.
Experts say that the recovery of the recorders would be aided by the relatively concentrated area of wreckage and the shallowness of the water. 
Simple wooden boxes containing bodies, with signs numbered 001 and 002, were unloaded in Pangkalan Bun, with flowers placed on top.
Nearly all the passengers were Indonesian. The country is predominantly Muslim, but most of those aboard were Christians of Chinese descent.
One Surabaya church -- Manwar Sharon Church -- lost 41 members in the crash. On Wednesday, around 100 relatives gathered for a prayer service in an hall at the Surabaya airport where the Rev. Philip Mantofa urged the crowd to hold onto their faith, despite their pain.
"Some things do not make sense to us, but God is bigger than all this," he said. "Our God is not evil ... help us God to move forward even though we are surrounded by darkness."
Before breaking up, those gathered stood together and sang with their hands reaching upward: "I surrender all. I surrender all. I surrender all to God our savior. I surrender all."
About 125 family members had planned to travel to Pangkalan Bun, 100 miles from the area where bodies were first spotted, to start identifying their loved ones. However, Surabaya airport general manager Trikora Hardjo later said the trip was canceled after authorities suggested they stay to avoid slowing down the operation.
Instead, some relatives gave blood for DNA tests in Surabaya, where the bodies will be transported, and submitted photos of their loved ones along with identifying information, such as tattoos or birth marks that could help make the process easier.
Nearly all the passengers from Indonesia were frequent visitors to Singapore, particularly on holidays.
It was 13-year-old Adrian Fernando's first trip to the city-state and was supposed to be a fun vacation with his aunt, uncle and cousin before he went back to school.
"He is my only son," said mother Linca Gonimasela, 39, who could not join them because of work. "At first, he didn't want to go, but later on he was persuaded to join them for the New Year holiday."
Malaysia-based AirAsia's loss comes on top of the still-unsolved disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 in March with 239 people aboard, and the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 in July over Ukraine, which killed all 298 passengers and crew.
The jet's last communication indicated the pilots were worried about bad weather. They sought permission to climb above threatening clouds but were denied because of heavy air traffic. Four minutes later, the jet disappeared from the radar without issuing a distress signal.

Jesse Watters

Soldiers relocate Hawaii wedding so Obama can play golf

Before they could say "I do," President Obama needed to play through. 
Two Army soldiers reportedly had to relocate their Hawaii wedding over the weekend so the commander-in-chief could play golf. 
Bloomberg reports that the Army captains, Natalie Heimel and Edward Mallue Jr., had planned to get married at the 16th tee box at Kaneohe Klipper Golf Course, on Marine Corps Base Hawaii, on Sunday. 
But just as they were finishing their wedding rehearsal on Saturday, they were told they'd have to move -- to accommodate the president's round the following day. 
"It was emotional, especially for her -- she's the bride and in less than 24 hours they had to change everything they had planned," Mallue's sister Jamie McCarthy told Bloomberg. 
The couple reportedly ended up moving to a lush site overlooking the 16th hole, which one of the wedding planners said was more secluded and prettier anyway. 
The White House may not have even known about the wedding in advance. 
And after Bloomberg asked the White House about the incident, Obama apparently tried to make it right. 
McCarthy told Bloomberg the president called the bride to apologize and congratulate them. "Made their day," she said. 
A source familiar with the incident confirmed the phone call to Fox News. 
Still, the incident proved fast fodder for the president's critics. 
"I usually say at least he isn't doing something harmful when he's playing golf..." Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., quipped on Twitter, linking to a story on the relocated wedding.

ObamaCare fines rising in 2015, IRS prepares to collect

Don't have health insurance? Get ready to pay up. 
The ObamaCare-mandated fines for not having insurance are rising in 2015 -- and for the first time, will be collected by the Internal Revenue Service. 
The individual requirement to buy health insurance went into effect earlier this year. But this coming tax season is the first time all taxpayers will have to report to the IRS whether they had health insurance for the prior year. 
The fines for the 2014 year were relatively modest -- $95 per person or 1 percent of household income (above the threshold for filing taxes), whichever is more. 
But insurance scofflaws face a sharp increase if they don't get covered soon. The fine will jump in 2015 to $325 or 2 percent of income, whichever is higher. By 2016, the average fine will be about $1,100, based on government figures. 
The insurance requirement and penalties remain the most unpopular part of the health care law. They were intended to serve a broader purpose by nudging healthy people into the insurance pool, helping to keep premiums more affordable. But the application of fines in 2015 could renew criticism of the law, at a time when Republicans are taking control of Congress and looking at ways to undercut the policy. 
According to government figures, tens of millions of people still fall into the ranks of the uninsured. 
Unclear is how many would actually be assessed a fine. The law offers about 30 different exemptions, most of which involve financial hardships. Further, it's unclear how aggressively the IRS would go after the fines. 
Many taxpayers may be able to get a pass. 
Based on congressional analysis, tax preparation giant H&R Block says roughly 4 million uninsured people will pay penalties and 26 million will qualify for exemptions from the list of waivers. 
Deciding what kind of waiver to seek could be crucial. Some can be claimed directly on a tax return, but others involve mailing paperwork to the Department of Health and Human Services. Tax preparation companies say the IRS has told them it's taking steps to make sure taxpayers' returns don't languish in bureaucratic limbo while HHS rules on their waivers. 
TurboTax has created a free online tool called "Exemption Check" for people to see if they may qualify for a waiver. Charges apply later if the taxpayer files through TurboTax. People also can get a sense of the potential hit by going online and using the Tax Policy Center's Affordable Care Act penalty calculator. 
Timing also will be critical for uninsured people who want to avoid the rising penalties for 2015. 
That's because Feb. 15 is the last day of open enrollment under the health law. After that, only people with special circumstances can sign up. But just 5 percent of uninsured people know the correct deadline, according to a Kaiser Family Foundation poll. 
"We could be looking at a real train wreck after Feb. 15," said Stan Dorn, a health policy expert at the nonpartisan Urban Institute. "People will file their tax returns and learn they are subject to a much larger penalty for 2015, and they can do absolutely nothing to avoid that." 
In a decision that allowed Obama's law to advance, the Supreme Court ruled in 2012 that the coverage requirement and its accompanying fines were a constitutionally valid exercise of Congress' authority to tax. 
Sensitive to political backlash, supporters of the health care law have played down the penalties in their sign-up campaigns. But stressing the positive -- such as the availability of financial help and the fact that insurers can no longer turn away people with health problems -- may be contributing to the information gap about the penalties.

Rep. Michael Grimm to resign after admitting to tax evasion

U.S. Rep. Michael Grimm plans to resign, Fox News confirmed Monday, one week after the Staten Island congressman admitted to federal tax evasion.
Grimm, who was re-elected to a third term representing New York's 13th district in November, is expected to resign sometime this week.
"After much thought and prayer, I have made the very difficult decision to step down from Congress effective January 5th, 2015," Grimm said in a statement. "This decision is made with a heavy heart, as I have enjoyed a very special relationship and closeness with my constituents, whom I care about deeply.
"The events which led to this day did not break my spirit, nor the will of the voters. However, I do not believe that I can continue to be 100% effective in the next Congress, and therefore, out of respect for the Office and the people I so proudly represent, it is time for me to start the next chapter of my life."
Grimm, a Republican, pleaded guilty on Dec. 23 in federal court in Brooklyn to one count of aiding in the filing of a false tax return. He had been accused of hiding more than $1 million in sales and wages while running a Manhattan health-food restaurant.
Under the plea agreement, he could face up to three years in federal prison. His sentencing is set for June 8.
Following his guilty plea, Grimm said he planned to continue serving in the Congress.
"As long as I'm able to serve, I'm going to serve," he said last week. "As of right now I'm still in a capacity to serve, and that's exactly what I plan on doing."
The House won't formally recognize the vacancy until after the new Congress convenes on Jan. 6. Grimm's resignation will reduce the GOP majority in the new Congress from 247 seats to 246.
A senior Democratic source tells Fox News that even though Democrats have eyed the seat, the party believes it will be difficult to pick it up in a special election.
The indictment against Grimm alleged the tax fraud began in 2007 after he retired from the FBI and began investing in a Manhattan eatery called Healthalicious. It accused him of underreporting more than $1 million in wages and receipts to evade payroll, income and sales taxes, in part by paying immigrant workers, some of them in the country illegally, in cash.
In court last week, Grimm acknowledged that while operating the restaurant, "we underestimated gross receipts and used money to pay employees off the books. The tax returns were false."
The case stemmed from an investigation of Grimm's campaign financing. He was never charged with any offense related to his campaign, but a woman romantically linked to him pleaded guilty in September to lining up straw donors for his 2010 run. Grimm has denied knowledge of any fundraising improprieties.
Grimm, 44, made headlines in January after telling a local cable TV news station reporter he wanted to throw him off a balcony in the Capitol for asking about the campaign finance inquiry.

US airstrike targets al-Shabab militants, Pentagon says

A U.S. airstrike targeted a senior leader of the al-Shabab militant group in Somalia, the Pentagon said Monday.
Pentagon officials did not identify the leader of say whether the strike was successful.
A senior defense official said the strike did not target Ahmad Umar, who took over as the top leader of al-Shabab when its previous leader, Ahmed Abdi Godane, was killed in a U.S. airstrike in Somalia on Sept. 1. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss details of the attack by name.
In a brief written statement the Pentagon said the airstrike took place Monday in the vicinity of Saakow, Somalia. It provided no details, beyond saying it did not believe the attack caused any civilian or bystander casualties.
Al-Shabab is an ultra-conservative Islamic extremist group that is linked to Al Qaeda. The group wants to run Somalia under its interpretation of Shariah law.
Umar, the top al-Shabab leader, goes by several aliases, but intelligence officials in Somalia say they know him as Sheikh Mahad Abdikarim, a militant who once governed Somalia's Bakool region on behalf of al-Shabab.
In 2012 the U.S. offered a $3 million reward for information leading to Umar's arrest. At the time Umar was reported to be al-Shabab's intelligence chief.

Report: More than 40 bodies found in search for missing AirAsia plane

More than 40 bodies have been reportedly found in the area where the missing AirAsia last made contact with air traffic controllers.
Sky News also reports that the "shadow" of a plane has been spotted on the seabed.
The bodies were found in the Java Sea six miles from Flight 8501's last known contact. The plane disappeared Sunday with 162 people on board traveling from Surbaya, Indonesia to Singapore.
The three bodies were initially recovered by an Indonesian navy ship and were not wearing life jackets.
Family members watched the graphic details unfold on local television. Indonesian television showed a half-naked bloated body bobbing in the sea. Many screamed and another man fainted and was rushed from the room on a stretcher.
CEO of AirAsia offered his condolences in a message on his Twitter account.

Indonesia officials confirmed early Tuesday that 'victims' were spotted in the area where the plane disappeared. Officials also said they found a life jacket and an emergency door and were "95-percent" sure that the debris belonged to the doomed plane.
AirAsia Flight 8501, an Airbus A320-200, was carrying 162 people before it disappeared Sunday after seeking permission to divert its course due to impending severe weather.
Indonesia search-and-rescue chief Henry Bambang Soelistyo speculated Monday that the plane was "at the bottom of the sea."

Obamacare Cartoon

NYC Police Commissioner says cops 'feel under attack' from White House, Justice Department

Cops on the beat and their bosses believe they are under attack from President Obama and Attorney General Eric Holder, New York City’s police commissioner said Sunday.
Commissioner William Bratton said on NBC’s “Meet the Press” that the president and the attorney general have to see why police have the anxieties and perceptions they have as law enforcement grapples with the fallout from the Michael Brown and Eric Garner cases.
“They really do feel under attack, rank-and-file officers and much of American police leadership, that they feel they’re under attack from the federal government at the highest levels,” Bratton said. “So that’s something we need to understand also, this sense of perception that becomes a reality.”
 He added, “We have a lot of talking we’re going to have to do here to understand all sides of this issue. This is not a one-sided issue.”
On the program the commissioner also said the rift between New York City cops and Mayor Bill de Blasio is going to take a lot more time to heal.
“However we will be making an effort to sit down and talk with the (police) union leaders, in particular, to deal with their issues,” Bratton said.
On CBS’ “Face the Nation” Bratton criticized his officers for turning their backs on de Blasio Saturday as the mayor eulogized fallen police officer Rafael Ramos.  Hundreds of police officers standing outside the church where Ramos was being laid to rest turned away from TV screens showing de Blasio as he delivered his eulogy.
“I think it was very inappropriate at that event,” Bratton said. “That funeral was held to honor Officer Ramos, and to bring politics or to bring issues into that event, I think was very inappropriate and I do not support it.”
Ramos and his partner were killed Dec. 20 when a gunman ambushed them in their patrol car on a Brooklyn street.

Hamas turns back Gaza war orphans bound for Israel on goodwill trip

Hamas authorities in the Gaza Strip prevented a group of 37 children and their adult chaperones from entering Israel on what would have been a rare goodwill visit meant to foster peace in the region. 
The New York Times reported that the bus carrying the group was forced to turn back at the Erez border crossing, a major checkpoint at the northern end of the Gaza Strip. Hamas spokesman Eyad Bozum told reporters that that the decision was made "to protect the culture of our children and our people" from what he described as "[normalizing] our children with the Zionist occupation." He said Hamas would make sure such a trip "will never happen again."
The children, most of whom have lost at least one parent in fighting between Israel and Hamas were to enter Israel on Sunday and spend a week visiting Jewish and Arab communities and a zoo. They were also going to travel to the West Bank for a meeting with the Palestinian president. Bozum said the children were all between 13 and 16 years old and were to be accompanied by five adults from Gaza.
The two sides fought a 50-day war this summer that caused heavy damage in the coastal enclave. According to the United Nations, the fighting killed more than 2,100 Palestinians, though it is not clear how many of those were civilians. On the Israeli side, the fighting killed 72 people, the vast majority of them soldiers, while rocket attacks disrupted the lives of millions of people.
Yoel Marshak, an Israeli organizer and activist, told the Associated Press that the visit was meant to a show a positive side of Israel and promote peace.
"These children will one day be the leaders of Gaza and they would have remembered this trip and known that we can live in peace, side by side," he said.
Marshak told the Times that a similar trip took place after a conflict between Israeli and Hamas in 2009. On that occasion, Hamas prevented the group from crossing the border twice, but later acquiesced. He said he received written approval for the trip three weeks ago from Hamas and that the cancellation came as a surprise. He said he and other organizers were working to reorganize the trip.
Said Abu Luli, a 13-year-old Palestinian boy whose father was killed in an electrical accident in 2009, said he was disappointed he could not make the trip.
"I was very happy that I will go and was saddened when we were prevented," he said in a telephone interview. "I was hoping to visit the places in the West Bank and our lands in Palestine," he added.