Republican stance on death penalty appears to be shifting

Nebraska’s Republican-dominated Legislature is making a concerted push to do away with the state’s death penalty, the latest sign of cracks in conservatives’ once-bedrock support for capital punishment.
When lawmakers voted 30-13 vote to repeal the state’s death penalty last week, Republicans delivered 17 of the votes in favor of the measure, outnumbering the 13 votes Republicans cast against it, according to The Wall Street Journal.
GOP Gov. Pete Ricketts has vowed to veto the bill. But the recent vote shows how the politics around the death penalty are shifting amid a spate of executions that had problems, shortages of drugs needed to carry out lethal injections, and fears that the system ensnares people who aren’t guilty.
Some Nebraska conservatives called the death penalty unfair to victims’ families, which often have to wait for years to see a punishment carried out. Others called it antithetical to their antiabortion beliefs, while others mentioned the risk of wrongly executing the innocent.
Many said that the system has essentially ground to a halt. Nebraska doesn’t have the drugs it needs to execute any of its 11 death-row inmates, and its last execution came in 1997.
Then there is the cost. Death-penalty proponents say lengthy court proceedings, appeals and higher levels of security often required for death-row inmates contribute to higher costs.
Several hurdles still lie in the path of those supporting repeal. Overriding Ricketts’s veto would require another roll call of 30 votes in the state’s lone legislative chamber, the Unicameral, and putting an end to a possible filibuster by opponents would require 33 votes.
Thirty-two states currently have the power to sentence inmates to death. Since 2007, the death penalty has been abolished in six states -- Connecticut, Illinois, Maryland, New Jersey, New Mexico and New York. Governors in both Washington and Oregon have issued moratoriums on executions in recent years, citing concerns that the use of the death penalty is inconsistently administered. Delaware is currently considering a bill to abolish its death penalty.

Russian hackers obtained Obama's unclassified emails, report says

Russian hackers reportedly obtained some of President Obama’s emails when the White House’s unclassified computer system was hacked last year, indicating that the breach was significantly more intrusive than originally thought.
Citing officials briefed on the investigation, The New York Times reported Saturday that while the hackers did not appear to have breached more carefully guarded servers that contain Obama’s BlackBerry messages, they did manage to obtain access to email archives of people with whom Obama communicated.
Officials did not tell The Times how many emails were obtained, but admitted that the unclassified system often contains highly sensitive information that includes schedules, email exchanges with ambassadors and diplomats, and debates about policy and legislation. The president’s email account itself does not appear to have been hacked
No classified networks were compromised and hackers obtained no classified information, White House officials said. Many administration officials have two computers in their offices, one of which operates on a secure network and another unit connected to the outside world for unclassified information.
That Obama’s emails were obtained by Russian hackers in particular – presumed to be linked to the Russian government – caused the intrusion to be seen as so serious that officials met on a nearly daily basis for several weeks afterwards, The Times reported.
“It’s the Russian angle to this that’s particularly worrisome,” a senior US official told The Times.
While the White House is hit by daily cyber attacks, primarily from Russia and China, the hacking occurred at a time of renewed tension with Russia, particularly over the crisis in Ukraine and Russia's military patrols in Europe.

Powerful 6.7 magnitude aftershock rattles Nepal as aid arrives in region

A powerful magnitude 6.7 aftershock has shaken the Kathmandu region of Nepal, a day after a massive earthquake crippled the region sending people yelling and running for open ground.
The U.S. Geological Survey said the aftershock Sunday registered at a shallow depth of six miles.
The tremor occurred as planeloads of aid material, doctors and relief workers from neighboring countries started to arrive in Nepal after Saturday’s quake left nearly 2,000 dead and destroyed infrastructure, homes and historical buildings.
The destructive earthquake Saturday also triggered an avalanche on Mount Everest that buried part of the base camp packed with climbers preparing to make their summit attempts. At least 17 people died there and 61 were injured.
The magnitude-7.8 earthquake was the worst to hit the South Asian nation in more than 80 years. The quake, centered outside Kathmandu, was strong enough to be felt all across parts of India, Bangladesh, Tibet and Pakistan. By Sunday morning, authorities said at least 1,970, all but 60 of them in Nepal. At least 721 of them died in Kathmandu alone and the number of injured nationwide was upward of 5,000.
Tens of thousands of Nepalese who spent the night in chilly temperatures were abruptly awoken by a strong aftershock Sunday.
"There were at least three big quakes at night and early morning. How can we feel safe? This is never-ending and everyone is scared and worried," said Kathmandu resident Sundar Sah. "I hardly got much sleep. I was waking up every few hours and glad that I was alive."
As day broke, rescuers aided by international teams set out to dig through rubble of buildings – concrete slabs, iron beams, wood – to look for survivors. A majority of the area was without power and water. The United Nations said hospitals in Kathmandu Valley were overcrowded, running out of supplies and did not have enough space to store the dead.
In the Kalanki neighborhood, police rescuers tried to extricate a man lying under a dead person, both of them buried beneath a pile of concrete slabs and iron beams. His family members stood nearby, crying and praying.
Police said the man's legs and hips were totally crushed.
"We are digging the debris around him, cutting through concrete and iron beams. We will be able to pull him out but his body under his waist is totally crushed. He is still alive and crying for help. We are going to save him," said police officer Suresh Rai.
The quake will more than likely put a huge strain on the resources of the impoverished country best known for the world’s tallest peak, Everest. Nepal’s economy relies heavily on tourism, principally trekking and Himalayan mountain climbing.
With Kathmandu airport reopened, the first aid flights began delivering aid supplies. The first to respond were Nepal's neighbors -- India, China and Pakistan, all of which have been jockeying for influence over the landlocked nation. Still, Nepal, a Hindu majority nation, remains closest to India with which it shares deep political, cultural and religious ties.
Indian air force planes landed Sunday with 43 tons of relief material, including tents and food, and nearly 200 rescuers, India's External Affairs Ministry spokesman Vikas Swarup said. The planes were returning to New Delhi with Indian nationals stranded in Kathmandu. More aid flights were planned for Sunday.
A 62-member Chinese search and rescue team also arrived Sunday.
Pakistan prepared to send four C-130 aircraft, carrying a 30 bed temporary hospital comprising, army doctors, surgeons and specialists. An urban search and rescue team was also sent with ground penetrating radars, concrete cutters and sniffing dogs. Pakistan was also sending 2,000 ready-to-eat meal packs, water bottles, medicines, 200 tents, 600 blankets and other necessary items.
When the earth first started to shake, residents fled homes and buildings in panic as walls tumbled, trees swayed, power lines came crashing down and streets started to crack open.
After the chaos of Saturday — when little organized rescue and relief was seen — there was more order on Sunday as rescue teams fanned out across the city.
Workers were sending out tents and relief goods in trucks and helicopters, said disaster management official Rameshwar Dangal. He said government and private schools have been turned into shelters.
Mukesh Kafle, the head of the Nepal Electricity Authority, said power has been restored fully to main government offices, the airport and hospitals.
But the damage to electricity cables and poles was making it difficult to restore power to many parts of the country, which has long been plagued by blackouts anyway.
"We have to make sure all cables are secure before turning the power on. Our technicians have been working round the clock," he said.
The U.S. Geological Survey said the quake’s epicenter was Lamjung, 50 miles northwest of Kathmandu. Nepal suffered its worst recorded earthquake in 1934, which measured 8.0 and destroyed the cities of Kathmandu, Bhaktapur and Patun.
Roads to the Gorkha district were blocked by landslides, hindering rescue teams, said chief district official Prakash Subedi. Teams are trekking on foot through mountain trails to reach remote villages, and helicopters would also be deployed, he said by telephone.
The aid group World Vision said in a statement that remote mountain village communities including in Gorkha were totally unprepared for the level of destruction caused by the earthquake.
Villages near the epicenter "are literally perched on the sides of large mountain faces and are made from simple stone and rock construction. Many of these villages are only accessible by 4WD and then foot, with some villages hours and even entire days' walks away from main roads at the best of times," the group's local staff member, Matt Darvas, said in the statement.
He said he is hearing that many of the villages may have been completely buried by rock falls.
"It will likely be helicopter access only for these remote villages," he said.
While most modern buildings in Kathmandu remained standing after the quake, it brought down several buildings in the center of the capital as well as centuries-old temples and towers.
Among the destroyed buildings was the 9-story Dharahara Tower, an UNESCO-recognized historical monument that was built by Nepal’s royal rulers as a watchtower in the 1800s.
The Kathmandu Valely is listed as a World Heritage site. The Buddhist stupas, public squares and Hindu temples are some of the most well-known sites in Kathmandu, and now some of the most deeply mourned.
The head of the U.N. cultural agency, Irina Bokova, said in a statement that UNESCO was ready to help Nepal rebuild from "extensive damage, including to historic monuments and buildings of the Kathmandu Valley."
Nepali journalist and author Shiwani Neupane tweeted: "The sadness is sinking in. We have lost our temples, our history, the places we grew up."

Clinton Cookie Jar Cartoon

House panel threatens to cut defense secretary budget over Bergdahl stonewalling

The head of a powerful House panel is threatening to withhold defense funding over the department's alleged stonewalling in a probe of the controversial swap of five Taliban leaders for Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl. 
Former Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel had initially pledged to respond to questions, when lawmakers first demanded to know why the Pentagon had not given Congress the requisite 30-day notice before proceeding with the May 31 prisoner trade.
But nearly a year later, the Pentagon has released only a trickle of highly redacted emails from before the swap.
Republican lawmakers now plan to attempt the unusual step of locking down about $500 million -- a quarter of the defense secretary's office budget -- until the Pentagon provides all the documents that the House Armed Services Committee has demanded as part of its investigation. Chairman Mac Thornberry, R-Texas, on Monday plans to introduce a provision to the 2016 National Defense Authorization Act to withhold the money from Defense Secretary Ash Carter's office budget until they comply.
"It's a strange posture for this department, because usually the committee has a better relationship with DoD," a Hill source close to the investigation told Fox News. "It looks like the guidance they are receiving is coming from outside the building."
Fox News was shown examples of the emails that thus far have been shared with the House Armed Services Committee investigators. Key parts were redacted, making them nearly unintelligible at key moments when Pentagon officials were discussing the potential transfer.
In one such email, a Pentagon public affairs officer was briefing a defense lawyer on what the department planned to tell the press about the transfer of the five Taliban leaders from Guantanamo Bay, but the relevant sections were blacked out.
One of the few unredacted sections reads: "We should not use this line which is just a pointless stick in congress' eye."
Thornberry wants to compel the Pentagon to lift the redactions of the unclassified emails that the department has so far provided.
The committee also is demanding all documents related to the Department of Justice's recommendations on the Bergdahl swap. So far, the committee has received 3,000 pages of emails from the Pentagon, but committee staffers say key interagency communications on the Bergdahl trade have not been produced.
"We have no idea what percent of the emails we have," a source close to the investigation said. "It's taken a year."
Pentagon officials say they began providing relevant communications and emails in July.
Department spokesman Army Lt. Col. Joe Sowers said in a statement: "Redactions to the documents have been minimal, and the Department has committed to working with the HASC to accommodate their requests for information."
He said committee staff have conducted 10 transcribed interviews with department personnel.
"The committee was also provided a substantive paper articulating the administration's legal analysis on the transfer of the five detainees," he said.
By law, the Pentagon is supposed to notify Congress about its intent to release Guantanamo prisoners 30 days before doing so, according to the National Defense Authorization Act.
In the case of the Bergdahl swap, it did not.
At the time, White House officials said there had not been time to do so for fear that the opportunity to retrieve Bergdahl -- now facing desertion charges -- was fleeting.
Stephen W. Preston, general counsel of the Department of Defense, said the department "did not ignore the law." He told lawmakers on the committee last June that they "solicited the legal guidance on the legal issues that would apply in application in this extraordinary set of circumstances in which the president was seeking to repatriate a servicemember who was in captivity and in peril."
The independent Government Accountability Office, though, declared that the administration violated the law by not notifying Congress in advance of the swap.
All the while, lawmakers have sought a more thorough accounting of the decision.
In a letter to Hagel on June 9 of last year, then-House Armed Services Committee Chairman Buck McKeon requested all correspondence about the Bergdahl case since January 2012.
On June 11, Hagel told Congress: "We could have done a better job of keeping you informed."
He said that concerns about Bergdahl's health and safety caused them to move quickly, ignoring the 30-day notification requirement.
Eleven months after Bergdahl's release, Republican Hill investigators still do not believe that they have been given all the pertinent information surrounding the Bergdahl swap.

New mayor of Mo. city met by police, suspended over alleged voter fraud

The new mayor of a Missouri city had a tough first day on the job when she was met by police at City Hall and informed she had been suspended over allegations of voter fraud.
Betty McCray, the newly elected mayor of the city of Kinloch, was met in  the parking lot at City Hall Thursday by police officers and the city attorney holding articles of impeachment, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported.
“You can’t come in as mayor,” attorney James Robinson told McCray. “You have been suspended.”
McCray, however, was defiant, telling Robinson, “You may be the attorney now, but I promise you, you won’t be later.”
The city, located between Ferguson and Lambert St. Louis Airport, has fewer than 300 residents and is plagued by shady land deals and bitter political fights, according to the Post-Dispatch.
“I won. The people spoke,” McCray said, according to MyFox2Now.com. “I was sworn in by the St. Louis County. Today I take office. I want them out, I want the keys.”
Concerns had been raised to the St. Louis County Board of Elections and the Missouri Secretary of State about voters registered in Kinloch who no longer live there.
On April 7, McCray defeated Mayor Darren Small 38 votes to 18.  However, the outgoing administration refused to administer the oath of office to her after the allegations surfaced. She was later sworn in by a St. Louis County court clerk.
The city found that two of the apartments, where six people were registered to vote, were vacant and stripped of furniture and appliances. In one, only a jar of pickles and two used oxygen tanks remained among other debris, the Post-Dispatch reported.
McCray dismissed the allegations as absurd.
“It never came up until I ran for mayor,” McCray said.
This was not the only legal trouble facing the new mayor. In March, the city filed a lawsuit alleging she obtained a house fraudulently from the city in 2008, claiming that former mayor Keith Conway – who served time in prison for charges of wire fraud, theft from a federal program and witness tampering – gave her the house for free. McCray says she bought the four-bedroom house for $9,000.
“I didn’t defraud the city of anything,” McCray told The Post-Dispatch. “They are trying to get those homes back, so they can get the money and put it in their pocket.”
McCray said she intended to file an injunction with the St. Louis County courts, and to return and try to enter City Hall again on Friday.

Huge rally held in support of veteran who prevented flag-walking protest

Protesters at a south Georgia college waved American flags Friday in support of a military veteran issued a criminal trespass warning in a flag flap last week.
Valdosta State University found itself mired in controversy when Air Force veteran Michelle Manhart took an American flag away from a group of student protesters trampling on it. The university fueled the furor when it sided with the students, saying they had a constitutional right to trample the flag in a protest over racism.
Manhart was among the participants in the 90-minute afternoon rally, which took place after Valdosta canceled classes.
The possibility of large numbers of people rallying on the outskirts of campus prompted the university to give students and staff the day off.
"That level of traffic and that many people will disrupt a lot of things in the city," university spokesman Andy Clark said. "We're, from an overall safety perspective, looking to close the campus down today so they can have a peaceful rally."
Manhart said she took action to prevent the flag from being desecrated. Her confrontation with the students was caught on video and went viral.
The trespass warning against her bans her from all university activities, including graduation and football games. She is not a student.
Manhart, who once posed for Playboy, told Fox & Friends before the rally that she hopes the school lets her back on campus.
“I hope they lift the ban because I do support the college,” she said. “I always have and I will continue to support the college. And I hope that once things calm down maybe they’ll reconsider and lift that ban off of me.”
She said the students were wrong.
“To me it’s just a complete disrespect, to not only the men and women that are out there fighting for it but their freedom as a whole,” she said. “In my opinion they don’t have any respect for what they’ve been given and I just don’t think that’s right.”
Organizers of the "Flags Over Valdosta" rally said they expected as many as 4,000 people.
Tensions remained high this week after campus police found a backpack containing a handgun. Police said they traced the gun to a protester who was part of the flag-walking demonstration.
They issued a warrant for Eric Sheppard's arrest on charges of bringing a firearm onto a college campus. Sheppard fled and has not been found by authorities.
His father showed up on campus Thursday issued an appeal for his return.

Obama praises US intelligence day after hostage deaths

President Obama praised the nation’s spying operations Friday calling it the most capable in the world while promising a review aimed at preventing future mistakes, a day after revealing an intelligence failure that killed two Al Qaeda hostages.
 "We all bleed when we lose an American life," Obama said in a speech at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence to mark its 10th anniversary. "We all grieve when any innocent life is taken. We don't take this work lightly. And I know that each and every one of you understand the magnitude of what we do and the stakes involved and these aren't abstractions and we're not cavalier about what we do."
Obama said he knows the U.S. intelligence community has faced harsh criticism but can take with great pride that its work has made America work secure. “You do an outstanding job,” he said.
"The world doesn't always see your successes, the threats that you prevent or the terrorist attacks you thwart, or the lives that you save," Obama told intelligence officials gathered in an auditorium at the sprawling gray office building outside Washington. He said their intelligence helped take out Usama bin Laden and other Al Qaeda leaders, showed that Syria had chemical weapons, revealed Russian aggression in Ukraine and supported nuclear negotiations with Iran.
"It's been 10 long and challenging years, but when we look back on those 10 years, the American people have been a whole lot safer," Obama said.
Obama’s praise came one day after the White House announced that a counterterrorism operation in January against an Al Qaeda compound accidentally killed two aid workers being held hostage – American Warren Weinstein and Italian Giovanni Lo Porto. Obama said the U.S. was unaware the hostages were in the targeted position, despite hundreds of hours of surveillance of the compound.
The White House said the attack also killed two American Al Qaeda leaders, Ahmed Farouq and Adam Gadahn, without the U.S knowing in advance they were there. Targeting an American with a drone strike would have triggered a more scrutinized review in consideration of constitutional due process protections.
We're going to review what happened," Obama said Friday. "We're going to identify the lessons that can be learned and any improvements and changes that can be made. And I know those of you who are here share our determination to continue doing everything we can to prevent the loss of innocent lives.
"This self-reflection, this willingness to examine ourselves, to make corrections, to do better, that's part of what makes us Americans. It's part of what sets us apart from other nations," Obama said.
"The United States is the most professional, most capable, most cutting-edge intelligence community in the world," he said, adding that they are sharing more intelligence than ever with partners around the world while tapping new technologies and satellites.
Obama’s speech was planned long before the drone revelation to mark the office’s anniversary, the White House said. The office of the Director of National Intelligence was created by President George W. Bush after the 9/11 attacks to coordinate the vast amounts of intelligence produced by 17 different government organizations, including the CIA, Pentagon, Cabinet departments and other law enforcement agencies.
Obama said Director of National Intelligence James Clapper is one of the first people he sees every day, as Clapper delivers the intelligence report known as the President's Daily Brief. "He gives me his honest assessment, free of politics, free of spin. I trust his integrity and I can't tell you how invaluable that is in the job that he has," Obama said.
Obama said his only complaint is Clapper's habit of leaving paper clips all over the Oval Office as he shuffles through papers. The president then held up a see-through jar of paper clips and said he was returning them. "This will be available to you. The DNI's budget's always a little tight," Obama said.