(AP) In the face of U.S. opposition, the U.N. chief said Wednesday that guidelines on greenhouse gas emissions cuts favored by Europe and developing countries may be "too ambitious" to include in a final statement on climate change. U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's words strengthen the U.S.-led drive to remove the call for rich nations to slash greenhouse gas emissions by 2020 from the text of an international statement on climate change. Drafts of a final statement at a U.N. global warming conference this week have included a call for industrialized countries to consider cutting emissions blamed for rising temperatures by between 25 percent and 40 percent by 2020. Ban, however, said such goals demanded by the European Union and developing nations might have to wait for subsequent negotiations. But he said that at some point the targets for emissions cuts would be necessary. The two-week conference, which ends Friday, brings together delegates from nearly 190 nations. Their task is to launch negotiations that will lead to an international accord to succeed the Kyoto Protocol in 2012. Talks picked up pace Wednesday with the arrival of ministers and heads of state who urged the world to quickly impose deep cuts in emissions to head off scientific predictions of rising seas, worsening droughts and famines, and melting ice sheets. The European Union and developing nations strongly favor specific target ranges for rich countries' emissions to avoid temperatures rising above 3.6 degrees over preindustrial levels. The United States argues that including such language in the final document now would prejudice negotiations over the next two years. "Realistically, it may be too ambitious" to set guidelines now, Ban told reporters, while urging Washington to be flexible. Later he added: "Practically speaking, this will have to be negotiated down the road." "The reality in this business is that once numbers appear in the text, it prejudges the outcome and will tend to drive the negotiations in one direction," said Harlan Watson, a lead U.S. negotiator. Many negotiators at Bali have said that a top priority was getting an agreement that the United States could work with. But German Environment Minister Sigmar Gabriel _ whose government has pledged to cut emissions by 40 percent by 2020 _ said the Bali conference would be meaningless without clear targets. "I do not need a paper from Bali in which we only say, `OK, we'll meet next year again,'" Gabriel said. "How we can find a roadmap without having a target, without having a goal?" Other supporters of the targets conceded that opposition of the United States would probably doom their inclusion in the text. "We have two years to get the U.S. to put numbers in there," said Sergio Barbosa Serra, Brazil's climate change ambassador. "If they don't accept (the targets), then it won't be there." The Kyoto Protocol commits 36 industrialized nations to reduce greenhouse emissions by an average of 5 percent between 2008 and 2012, but the pact has been severely weakened by Washington's refusal to join. The U.S. is the top emitter of such gases, though some say it has been overtaken by rapidly developing China. Many in Bali also called for more robust participation by the United States, which became the only major industrialized nation to have rejected the Kyoto Protocol when Australia signed the pact last week after years of opposition. Delegates applauded Australia several times Wednesday after Prime Minister Kevin Rudd handed over ratification papers for the protocol to Ban. Rudd made a clear reference to the United States when stressing the need for mandatory cuts. China, meanwhile, touted its efforts to control emissions despite explosive economic growth and skyrocketing energy use. Xie Zhenhua, vice chairman of China's National Development Commission, said $20 billion had been ivested this year in renewable energies. Speakers on Wednesday envisioned an agreement that wealthy nations, as the biggest polluters, should make the first cuts in emissions and help poorer countries develop in a clean way with technology and assistance. But some also called on quickly developing nations, such as China, to rein in high levels of pollution. The most poignant call for action came from island nations, which face possible extinction by rising seas. "Today, the catastrophe is looming large on the horizon," said Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, president of the Maldives. "Sea-level data over the past decade confirms our worst fears. Without immediate action, the long-term habitation of our tiny islands is in serious doubt." Britain believes around 10 to 12 people are coordinating the Taliban insurgency, meeting in Pakistan's tribal areas and in the city of Quetta, the official said. "These are people we would like to see arrested," he said. "They don't spend much time in Afghanistan." Brown said Britain will keep around 7,800 troops in Afghanistan for the long term, without specifying a limit on how long soldiers could remain. Some British military chiefs have suggested troops will be required for decades. Brown's office said he would not set a timetable for changing troop numbers, and that Britain will stay in Afghanistan until it achieves security. But Brown told lawmakers a rising number of newly trained Afghan soldiers _ expected to reach 70,000 next year _ as well as EU and NATO allies must do more to share the security burden. Brown said new commitments from Denmark, France, Germany and others were welcome. "This progress must, I believe, now be matched by contributions from other counties in NATO, the EU and beyond," he said. Officials said the Afghan National Army will not operate autonomously until 2012. Brown said Britain has pledged $920 million in development aid from 2009 to 2012, aiming to strengthen Afghanistan's legal processes. He offered no new plans to tackle the country's booming narcotics trade. Officials said Britain opposes aerial spraying of poppy fields and a plan to buy farmers' crops so they can be destroyed, or used for medicinal purposes. Figures released in July showed Afghanistan's illicit heroin-producing poppy harvest set another record this growing season. "After 11 months the Afghan flag is again flying over the Musa Qala district center," Wafa said. All of the tribal leaders in Musa Qala now support the government, Wafa said, adding that Afghan police and army soldiers would have a strong presence there. Though the militants were pushed out of Musa Qala _ an important symbolic victory for Afghan and NATO troops _ Taliban fighters still control three remote districts in northern Helmand _ Washer, Naw Zad and Bagrhan, said Afghan Defense Ministry spokesman Gen. Mohammad Zahir Azimi. The Afghan-NATO force will continue operations in those areas, he said. Meanwhile, a suicide car bomb exploded near an Afghan army convoy in the southern city of Kandahar, killing one person, said the provincial police chief, Sayed Agha Saqib. Two soldiers and four civilians were wounded, he said. This year has been the deadliest since the U.S.-led invasion in 2001. More than 6,300 people have been killed in insurgency-related violence, according to an Associated Press tally of figures from Western and Afghan officials. The Algerian interior minister acknowledged after Tuesday's bombings killed at least 31 people _ five of them foreigners _ that security services lowered their guard following recent local elections. He said they also had known that al-Qaida's self-styled North Africa branch had long wanted to strike the U.N. offices and the Constitutional Council, the two buildings attacked this week. The attack is believed to be the deadliest against foreigners in Algeria since 12 Bosnian and Croatian construction workers were killed, their throats slit, south of Algiers in 1993. But al-Qaida in Islamic North Africa still has a long way to go before it can be a real North Africa movement. Efforts to launch attacks outside Algeria since the group declared allegiance to bin Laden in 2006 have mostly failed _ most ntably in a botched January 2007 attack on police posts in Tunisia in which a dozen militants and two security officials were killed. Fifteen militants were arrested. A series of amateurish attacks in March and April on a cyber cafe and the American cultural center in Casablanca, Morocco, also are believed to be linked to the group, according to Jordan. Nobody, other than the attackers, died in any of the incidents. "Al-Qaida in Islamic North Africa presents itself as a pan-North African force, but it is not managing to carry out operations outside Algeria," said Fernando Reinares, a terrorism analyst at the Elcano Royal Institute in Madrid who was until recently chief counterterrorism adviser at Spain's Interior Ministry. "I think this a major handicap when it comes to ... the goal of bringing together all the jihadist cells and groups in North Africa." Reinares said Al-Qaida in Islamic North Africa has had trouble convincing outsiders that it is truly committed to moving past a strictly Algerian agenda and has been saddled by internal divisions and hurt by the arrests of would-be supporters in Morocco and Tunisia. The group has also been heavily criticized for staging attacks that kill mainly Muslims. Still, he cautioned that the threat the group poses is great. "The fact that it has not managed to extend its area of operations does not mean it cannot achieve this," he said. "The threat is there and permanent." A parked car packed with 77 pounds of TNT exploded, apparently triggered by remote control, as his SUV passed, blasting a crater two yards wide and a yard deep. Two bodies were thrown about 15 yards by the blast. Troops sealed off the area as firefighters tried to put out the flames in at least two cars. The road was blackened with soot as smoke covered the area. The security officials said three people were confirmed dead, including the general, his driver and bodyguard. Emergency workers searched nearby bushes for a possible fourth body. Saad Hariri, leader of the anti-Syrian parliamentary majority, said the attack came at a "pivotal time at which Lebanon's enemies are seeking to consecrate the vacuum in the presidency." The failure to elect a president has embroiled Lebanon in its worst political crisis since the end of the 1975-90 civil war. The country has been without a president since Nov. 23 when Emile Lahoud left office and a deadlocked parliament failed to elect a successor. Parliament is sharply divided between anti-Syrian supporters of the government of Prime Minister Fuad Saniora and the opposition, led by Hezbollah, an ally of Syria and Iran. The two sides are locked in a dispute over how to elect the army commander, Suleiman, as compromise candidate to fill the vacant presidency. His election requires a constitutional amendment because currently a sitting army commander is barred from the post. Lebanon has been rocked by a series of explosion since a massive truck bombing killed former Premier Rafik Hariri in central Beirut in 2005. The last major explosion on Sept. 19 killed anti-Syrian lawmaker Antoine Ghanem on a Beirut street, an attack blamed on Syria by his supporters in the government coalition. Syria denied involvement. Taliban militants overran Musa Qala in February, four months after British troops left the town following a contentious peace agreement that gave security responsibilities to Afghan elders, a deal criticized by U.S. officials as surrendering to the Taliban. Afghan, British and U.S. forces moved into Musa Qala's center on Tuesday, and Afghan and British officials have vowed to station troops there and prevent it from falling into Taliban hands again. More than two dozen militants were killed in the battle for Musa Qala, as was one British soldier. Northern Helmand province is the world's largest opium poppy growing region and has seen the heaviest fighting in Afghanistan this year. Helmand Gov. Asadullah Wafa said he and a delegation of officials from the Afghan capital, Kabul, would travel to Musa Qala on Thursday to hand out 5,000 tons of aid, including wheat and blankets, to families who fled the fighting and are now starting to return. "After 11 months, the Afghan flag is again flying over the Musa Qala district center," Wafa said. All of the tribal leaders in Musa Qala now support the government, Wafa said, adding that Afghan police and army soldiers would have a strong presence there. Though the militants were pushed out of Musa Qala _ an important symbolic victory for Afghan and NATO troops _ Taliban fighters still control three remote districts in northern Helmand _ Washer, Naw Zad and Bagrhan, said Gen. Mohammad Zahir Azimi, a Defense Ministry spokesman. The Afghan-NATO force will continue operations in those areas, he said. In other violence, a suicide attacker blew himself up near an Afghan army convoy in the southern city of Kandahar, killing one person, said the provincial police chief, Sayed Agha Saqib. Two soldiers and four civilians were wounded, he said. This year has been the deadliest since the U.S.-led invasion in 2001. More than 6,200 people have been killed in insurgency-related violence, according to an Associated Press tally of figures from Western and Afghan officials. "This is taking lightly the blood of the martyrs and encouraging Israel to continue with its crimes," he said. With so much riding on the talks _ which have also become a cornerstone of the Bush administration's foreign policy _ Israel's decision to build the homes in Har Homa has drawn widespread criticism, including a rare rebuke from Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. On Wednesday, the incoming U.N. Mideast envoy, Robert Serry, joined the criticism, calling the planned construction "unhelpful and contrary to international law." Israel insists the building is legal because it is taking place in Jerusalem's municipal boundaries, which were expanded to include the city's eastern sector after Israel captured it in the 1967 Mideast war. That annexation was never recognized by the international community. The construction in Har Homa could help Olmert quiet hawkish members of his coalition as he pushes forward with other concessions. Israeli officials say they expect Har Homa, like all Jewish neighborhoods in east Jerusalem, to remain in Israeli hands under a final peace deal. One of the biggest obstacles to such an accord is Gaza, where Abbas' forces currently wield no influence. After the latest violence Wednesday, Olmert convened his so-called security Cabinet, where top political and defense officials decided to continue the policy of brief incursions into Gaza rather than launching a broad invasion. But no one knows how long the restraint will last, and plans are in place for a major operation. "This reality cannot continue," Israeli military chief Lt. Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi told Army radio. "It could be that we will reach the point where we will have to do the big operation." The mayor of Sderot, the small town in southern Israel that has absorbed most of the rocket attacks from Gaza, announced Wednesday that he's stepping down. Eli Moyal said the situation in the town is "impossible." Fast Fact Karin Joesbury wrote that her daughter Andrea was a "lovely, creative girl who wound up in a freezer, cut into parts." Pickton turned down a chance to speak at his sentencing hearing. Pickton's defense lawyer Peter Ritchie says his client wants to address the court, but has been advised not to do so because he faces another trial next year on 20 counts of first-degree murder. When the judge asked Pickton if he had anything to say, Pickton leaned forward in the prisoner's box. But Ritchie quickly stood up and said Pickton would not make a statement. "So he has nothing to say?" Judge Williams asked. "He does," Ritchie said. "He wishes to speak but he's accepted advice not to." Earlier Tuesday, staring directly at Pickton, Lynn Frey read a statement from her granddaughter Brittney, whose mother Marnie Frey, was among the victims. Part of Marnie Frey's jaw bone was found on Pickton's farm. "Mr. Pickton, why did you hurt my real mother and those other women?" the teenager wrote. "I have to go through each day. I ask myself. 'What would it be like if my real mother were here?' Mr. Pickton, why did you do that?" "When you took her from me, it was like ripping out my heart." Karin Joesbury wrote that her daughter Andrea was a "lovely, creative girl who wound up in a freezer, cut into parts." Prosecutors had sought a first-degree murder conviction that would have meant no parole eligibility for a minimum of 25 years, but the jury found Pickton guilty of the lesser second-degree murder charges, finding that the killings were not planned. He knew that he might have planted death into my son, and for that he is a criminal who deserves to be in jail for life. Veronique Robert, Victim's motherA journalist, Robert has since the attack set up a Web site calling for pressure on Dubai authorities to take basic steps to protect underage rape victims, such as ensuring they are tested for infectious diseases and get psychological help, immediately after an attack. Habib al-Mulla, a government spokesman, rejected criticism of the emirate's legal system and defended the length of prison terms for the two defendants. "The sentences, by any international standards are not lenient," al-Mulla said on CNN Wednesday. "I think the outcome of the whole process is extremely good." Both the defendants and the victim have 15 days to appeal the verdict to Dubai's court of appeals. A third defendant, who is under age 18, is being tried in a juvenile court on the same charges and could face up to 10 years imprisonment if convicted. The status of that case has not been made public. When the case came to light, Robert accused Emirati authorities of lying about the HIV status of the older defendant to cover up the fact that AIDS exists in Dubai. She also accused Dubai authorities of lacking sensitivity in their handling of her son after the attack, accusing him of homosexual behavior and of fabricating the attack. "He (the older defendant) said to the prosecutors that he was HIV positive," Robert said Wednesday on the phone after she left the courtroom. "He knew that he might have planted death into my son, and for that he is a criminal who deserves to be in jail for life." Robert has been in Dubai following the court sessions. Her son, a former student in Dubai, left the Emirates in early October because French diplomats told Robert that he might be prosecuted for homosexual acts, a crime here. But after authorities said he would not be charged, the boy returned briefly to testify in court Nov. 7. His testimony was closed to the public. The last round of talks crumbled in early 2001, shortly after the outbreak of the second Palestinian uprising. Since then, more than 4,400 Palestinians and 1,100 Israelis have been killed. Negotiators are expected to quickly move to issues that have buried past talks - West Bank settlements, borders between Israel and a future Palestinian state, sovereignty over disputed Jerusalem and a solution for Palestinian refugees. Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni and former Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qureia, the chief negotiators of the two sides, were expected to lead Wednesday's talks. Abbas and Olmert weren't scheduled to attend, though the men, who speak regularly, are expected to meet soon. While the issues at the heart of the conflict haven't changed, conditions may be better now for fruitful talks. Opinion polls show that majorities on both sides want a peace settlement. Negotiators say a failure could strengthen rising Islamic extremism in the region, and U.S. and Arab backing for peace moves - absent for years - is providing an important push. But obstacles remain. Both leaders face domestic troubles, making it tough for them to offer concessions. Israeli hawks are determined to bring down a peacemaking government, and Abbas now controls only the West Bank, having lost control of the Gaza Strip to Hamas militants. The violent Islamic group is committed to Israel's destruction and allows Gaza militants to fire rockets and mortar shells at southern Israel almost daily. In Washington, State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said he hoped the talks would move past procedure. "I think the expectation that they had set out was that this was going to be more of an organizational kind of get-together," he said. Mideast envoy Tony Blair, the former British prime minister, said an agreement is possible, but "it needs the most intensive focus from the international community and from the United States." A car bomber killed two guards at a checkpoint Tuesday near the Baghdad home and offices of two prominent politicians, including the first prime minister after Saddam Hussein. Both men were out of the country at the time. The explosion took place near the U.S.-protected Green Zone, less than a quarter-mile from the home and office compound of Ayad Allawi, a secular Shiite. It was the second bombing in two days to strike guards of Allawi, who is on a short list of possible future national leaders and a fierce critic of Shiite Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki. An anti-al Qaeda Sunni tribal sheik who was promoting national unity was killed Tuesday along with his nephew in a drive-by shooting near Tal Afar, 260 miles northwest of Baghdad. The attack was the latest in a series of strikes against Sunnis who have joined forces with the American and Iraqi governments against the terror network. In the southern city of Basra, the bullet-riddled bodies of a Christian woman and her brother were found in a garbage dump Monday, officials said Tuesday, speaking on condition of anonymity. Basra's police chief, Maj. Gen. Jalil Khalaf, has said patrols of motorbikes or unlicensed cars with tinted windows are accosting women not wearing the traditional dress and head scarves, known as the hijab, and the mutilated bodies of 40 women have been found this year. The Iraqi government has ordered all policewomen to hand in their guns for redistribution to men, the Los Angeles Times reports. The move thwarts a U.S. initiative to bring women into the nation's police force. The Interior Ministry, which oversees the police, issued the order late last month, according to ministry documents, U.S. officials and several of the women. Critics say the move is the latest sign of the religious and cultural conservatism that has taken hold in Iraq since the overthrow of Saddam Hussein ushered in a government dominated by Shiite Muslims. Former Bosnian Serb Gen. Dragomir Milosevic, seen here in December 2004. (AP (file)) Related Fast Facts Bosnia Learn about the people, economy and history. Interactive The Last Days Of Slobo See Slobodan Milosevic's dramatic fall from power, learn about the U.N. war crimes tribunal and follow the history of political and social strife in the Balkans. Stories Losing The Fight For Human Rights Fighters arrested after previous Algerian bombings in April had identified the U.N. offices and the council building as future targets, Zerhouni said, according to the official APS news agency. The Interior Ministry said Tuesday night that 26 had died and that 177 people were wounded. The foreign minister said Wednesday that 26 remained in hospitals for further treatment. There are still a number of people unaccounted for, a number of people trapped under the rubble. U.N. deputy spokeswoman Marie Okabe Other sources said the toll was higher. An official at the civil protection agency said 45 people were killed. A doctor at an Algiers hospital who said he was in contact with staff at other area hospitals said the death toll was at least 60. At least 11 United Nations employees were believed to have been among those killed, U.N. deputy spokeswoman Marie Okabe said in New York on Tuesday night. "There are still a number of people unaccounted for, a number of people trapped under the rubble," Okabe said. About 175 U.N. employees worked in Algeria. The attack drew swift international condemnation. Al Qaeda in Islamic North Africa is thought to have only several hundred fighters but has resisted Algerian security sweeps. Its members have rejected amnesty offers and have turned their sights from toppling the government to waging holy war and fighting Western interests. Algeria has been battling Islamic insurgents since the early 1990s, when the army canceled the second round of the country's first multiparty elections, stepping in to prevent likely victory by an Islamic fundamentalist party. Islamist armed groups then turned to force to overthrow the government, with up to 200,000 people killed in the ensuing violence. A parked car packed with 77 pounds of TNT exploded as his SUV passed, knocking a crater two yards wide and a yard deep into the pavement. We were on the brink of agreeing on a presidential candidate, and then this happens. Gen. Michel Aoun, Opposition politcianTwo bodies were thrown about 15 yards by the force of the blast. Troops sealed off the area as firefighters tried to put out the flames in at least two cars. The road was blacked with the soot as black smoke covered the area. The security officials said three people were confirmed dead, including the general, his driver and bodyguard. Emergency workers were searching in nearby bushes for a possible fourth body. Saad Hariri, leader of the anti-Syrian parliamentary majority, said the attack came at a "pivotal time at which Lebanon's enemies are seeking to consecrate the vacuum in the presidency." The failure to elect a president has embroiled Lebanon in its worst political crisis since the end of the 1975-90 civil war. The country has been without a president since Nov. 23 when Emile Lahoud left office and a deadlocked parliament failed to elect a successor. Parliament is sharply divided between anti-Syrian supporters of the government of Prime Minister Fuad Saniora and the opposition, led by Hezbollah, an ally of Syria and Iran. The two sides are locked in a dispute over how to elect the army commander, Suleiman, as compromise candidate to fill the vacant presidency. His election requires a constitutional amendment because currently a sitting army commander is barred from the post. Lebanon has been rocked by a series of explosion since a massive truck bombing killed former Premier Rafik Hariri in central Beirut in 2005. The last major explosion on Sept. 19 killed anti-Syrian lawmaker Antoine Ghanem on a Beirut street, an attack blamed by his supporters in the government coalition on Syria. Syria denied involvement. She gave lawyers for the men two months to update lawsuits filed in 2003 to better explain why New York City and other defendants should be held liable for malicious prosecution, racial discrimination and emotional distress. Five teenagers were convicted of raping and beating the jogger, and all served prison time. But the men were cleared in 2002 after another man, Matias Reyes, confessed to the crime. The jogger, Trisha Meili, then a 28-year-old investment banker, suffered traumatic brain injury and nearly died. Meili disclosed her identity in 2003 and published her memoir. The lawsuits allege that police officers and prosecutors coerced or fabricated statements and concealed evidence from defense lawyers that might have helped clear the men. In the decision, Batts tossed out claims of false arrest, assault, harassment, negligence, conspiracy and claims for negligent infliction of emotional distress. The judge let two conspiracy claims remain in the lawsuits. Those claims might allow the plaintiffs to show a jury evidence that police officers and prosecutors acted together to coerce and fabricate statements and conceal evidence from the defense. Myron Beldock, a lawyer for the plaintiffs, called the ruling "complex, long and interesting" and said it meant a long legal road remained ahead. He said the families of the men "remain uncompensated and continue to suffer from the aftermath of terribly unjust convictions." Gail Donoghue, special counsel for the city's law department, noted that the ruling limits the number of issues that can be addressed in the case and said it will "provide a better framework for future proceedings." -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- People comfort each other and pray outside the New Life Church on Sunday, Dec. 9, 2007 in Colorado Springs, Colo. (AP) Related Photos Shooting Sprees Images from some of the more notable cases in recent years. Stories Colorado Gunman's Death Ruled A Suicide Cop: Colorado Gunman "Hated Christians" (AP) Federal authorities were alerted to anti-Christian Web site postings apparently written by Matthew Murray only hours after he opened fire on a missionary center and just before his deadly rampage at a Colorado megachurch, the Web site's administrator said. Joe Istre, president of the Association of Former Pentecostals, which operates the site, told The Associated Press on Tuesday that he and other forum participants had grown familiar with the frequent and disturbingly dark poetry and obsessions of one participant, whose nickname was nghtmrchld26. But when that same author, believed to be Murray, left at least 11 posts on the day of the twin shootings warning that he wanted to kill Christians, a forum participant immediately contacted the FBI, Istre said. "I'm coming for EVERYONE soon and I WILL be armed to the %$ teeth and I WILL shoot to kill," one threat posted by nghtmrchld26 said. Istre said he received a message from a board member who claimed to have contacted the FBI about a half-hour before the bloodshed at New Life Church in Colorado Springs. "My reaction was disbelief, but then almost horror," Istre said of Murray's violence. "This guy was posting on our forums, and we are a support group out to help people, to try to get them to calm their fears and get them into a productive life. And here we are conversing with a dude who was a killer." Denver FBI spokeswoman Rene Vonder Haar said the agency began an investigation immediately after receiving a phone call at 10:30 a.m. Sunday, but she refused to discuss the nature of the call. Vonder Haar said the information was passed on to police in Arvada, where two members of Youth With A Mission had been killed earlier Sunday, and Colorado Springs. But Colorado Springs police Sgt. Scott Schwall said police there didn't learn the Murray family home's address in Englewood until after the church shootings. On Wednesday, two services were planned to remember the four victims killed Sunday. Members of Youth With A Mission and members of New Life Church were to gather to worship, pray and mourn. Arvada police spokeswoman Susan Medina said police cannot say with certainty who nghtmrchld26 is. Istre also said his forum agreed to turn over all relevant information, and provided the FBI the Internet Protocol address of nghtmrchld26 to help confirm the poster's identity. Chain Gang: Pretty In Pink "Sheriff Joe" Puts DUI Convicts In Pink Shirts As They Dig Graves For Alcohol Abuse Victims Comments 29 PHOENIX, Dec. 12, 2007 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1 | 2Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio hopes his pink-clad chain gang will act as a deterrent to potential drunken drivers. (AP Photo/Matt York) Related Interactive Crime Beat Statistics and specifics on crime in America. Stories Texas Jail Is Small, But In The Pink (AP) A sheriff known for housing inmates in old military tents has a new idea - a chain gang of drunken driving convicts wearing pink shirts and performing burials of people who died of alcohol abuse. Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio said he wants the chain gang to act as a deterrent to potential drunken drivers. He has already used the color pink on inmates - he issued them pink underwear. "Maybe this will warn people - knock it off, don't drink and drive," Arpaio said. "You'll end up in pink underwear on the chain gang." On Tuesday, 15 county jail inmates cleaned up a busy east city street while wearing the shirts, which say "Sheriff D.U.I. Chain Gang" on the back and "Clean(ing) and Sober" on the front. Inmate Michael McDaniel, who is serving a four-month sentence for aggravated DUI and driving on a suspended license, said he volunteered for the chain gang to get out of the jail tents. "It's good to get out of the tents and be in the public," the 30-year-old Glendale resident said. "Hopefully it keeps someone from drinking and driving." Security Added After Vegas Bus Shooting Police Searching For Gunmen Who Wounded 6 People At A School Bus Stop Comment On This Post LAS VEGAS, Dec. 12, 2007 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1 | 2Las Vegas police officer Christopher Peto removes a barrier tape in North Las Vegas, Nev., Tuesday, Dec. 11, 2007. Six young people were shot Tuesday after they got off a school bus that left a high school. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong) Related Interactive School Shootings A look at major incidents at U.S. schools in the last decade. Interactive Crime Beat Statistics and specifics on crime in America. Stories 6 Shot Getting Off School Bus In Vegas (AP) Tight security greeted high school students Wednesday as police searched for the gunmen who wounded six young people at a school bus stop, an attack that officials believe stemmed from a fight about a girl. The six were wounded Tuesday shortly after a group of Mojave High School students got off a school bus in a working-class neighborhood in northeastern Las Vegas. The investigation remained focused Wednesday at Mojave, but security also was increased elsewhere, said Clark County School District police Sgt. Ken Young. "We've got extra officers at several high schools," Young said. Police were search for at least two suspects. The attackers were believed to have fled the scene of the shooting on foot. Police said they believed the shooting was linked to a fight at Mojave earlier in the day Tuesday. The brawl had been contained by school police, who arrested three male students, all about 16, officials said. Sheriff Doug Gillespie did not describe how he believed the incidents were connected. The fight at the school did not appear to be gang or race-related, he said. "At this point, the indicators that we have found ... it's a dispute over a girlfriend," Gillespie told reporters. Halliburton Under Fire Over Rape Charge Former Contractor Claims She Was Raped, Locked Up By Co-Workers In Baghdad Comments 43 HOUSTON, Dec. 12, 2007 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- VideosPhotos 1 | 2Jamie Leigh Jones filed a federal lawsuit in May against Halliburton Co., its former subsidiary, KBR Inc. and others claiming she was raped by co-workers while working at Camp Hope, Baghdad, in 2005. (CBS/AP) Halliburton Under Fire Harry Smith speaks with Rep. Ted Poe, R-Texas, about accusations that Halliburton covered up an investigation into an alleged rape of a female U.S. contractor working in Iraq. | Share » More Videos Related Interactive Sexual Assault Facts and statistics on sexual assault and rape, with victim resources. Interactive Battle For Iraq The government, the insurgency, key players, background and photos. Stories New Law May Spell End To Iraq Contractors (CBS/AP) Halliburton, the company with $2 billion in Iraq contracts, is accused of once again joining the U.S. government in covering up a terrible crime by some employees. Jamie Leigh Jones, now 22-years-old, was working for Halliburton in Baghdad when she says a group of co-workers sexually assaulted her and then locked her in a shipping container under guard without food or water. She remained there until she convinced a sympathetic guard to sneak her a cell phone so she could call her father in Texas. Jones' father then called their congressman, Rep. Ted Poe, R-Texas. Poe said he contacted the State Department, which dispatched agents to rescue Jones. "Within 48 hours, they had gone to Baghdad, two agents found her, rescued her, got her to an Army hospital, got her medical needs taken care of and she was brought back home," Poe told CBS' The Early Show on Wednesday. But, Poe says, "Once she got back, that's when things seemed to stop. We could not get any satisfaction from the State Department on who these people were that assaulted her, where they were." However, he says, now that Jones has made the allegations public, "I expect things are moving much faster." "We're going to get some answers," Poe said. On Tuesday, the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee asked the Justice Department to give a full account of its investigation into the matter. Jones filed a federal lawsuit in May against Halliburton Co., its former subsidiary, KBR Inc. and others claiming she was raped by co-workers while working at Camp Hope, Baghdad, in 2005. In a letter dated Tuesday, Rep. John Conyers, D-Mich., asked Attorney General Michael Mukasey if his office had investigated Jones' claims and whether the Justice Department has jurisdiction to prosecute under military provisions of the USA Patriot Act. Conyers also seeks clarification on a statement from KBR, the military contractor that split from Halliburton in April, that says it had initiated investigations into the alleged assault but later halted the probe. KBR has said it was "instructed to cease by government authorities because they were assuming sole responsibility for the criminal investigations." Justice Department spokesman Peter Carr said Tuesday the agency was reviewing Conyers' letter. "The Department is investigating this matter and because it's an ongoing investigation, we are unable to comment further," Carr said. Jones' case got renewed attention this week after ABC News previewed a report of the allegations it plans to air on "20/20" next month. Jones began working for KBR as an administrative assistant in 2004 when she was 19, but later transferred to Iraq with another Halliburton subsidiary, according to her lawsuit. The suit, filed in U.S. District Court in Beaumont, claims Jones lived in a co-ed barracks and, after enduring harassment from some of the men in the quarters, was drugged and raped July 28, 2005. Her attackers were Halliburton and KBR firefighters, the suit claims. The petition says the facility was under direct control of the U.S. government, KBR and Halliburton, collectively. Jones' attorney, L. Todd Kelly, declined to say where Jones was living now because she fears for her safety. He declined to elaborate. It's Official: Marion Jones Is No Olympian Olympic Committee Strips Her Of 5 Medals Won In 2000 After Drug Use Admission Comments 6 LAUSANNE, Switzerland, Dec. 12, 2007 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1 | 2 | 3 | 4Marion Jones' doping admission came as part of her guilty plea to lying to federal investigators in the BALCO case about using steroids. She will be sentenced Jan. 11 and is expected to face a term of between three and six months. (AP) Related Interactive Sports Doping Find out more about drug testing and performance-enhancing drugs. Interactive Bases Loaded? Steroid use allegations plague Major League Baseball. Stories Marion Jones Pleads Guilty To Doping The Fall Of America's Olympic Heroine (AP) The International Olympic Committee formally stripped Marion Jones of her five Olympic medals Wednesday, wiping her name from the record books following her admission that she use performance-enhancing drugs. The IOC also banned the disgraced American athlete from attending next year's Beijing Olympics in any capacity and said it could bar her from future games. Jones had already handed back the three gold medals and two bronze she won at the 2000 Sydney Olympics. Last month, the International Association of Athletics Federations erased all of Jones' results dating to September 2000, but it was up to the IOC to formally disqualify her and take away her Olympic medals. The decision was announced by IOC president Jacques Rogge at the end of a three-day executive board meeting. Jones won gold medals in the 100 meters, 200 meters and 1,600-meter relay in Sydney, and bronze in the long jump and 100-meter relay. She was the first female track and field athlete to win five medals at a single Olympics. In addition to those medals, the IOC also disqualified Jones from her seventh-place finish in the long jump at the 2004 Athens Olympics. The IOC postponed a decision on redistributing her medals, including whether to strip her American relay teammates and to upgrade doping-tainted Greek sprinter Katerina Thanou to gold in the 100. After long denying she ever had used performance-enhancing drugs, Jones admitted in federal court in October that she started using steroids before the Sydney Games. She said she'd used the designer steroid "the clear" from September 2000 to July 2001. The executive board declared Jones ineligible for the Beijing Games "not only as an athlete but also in any other capacity." Fast Fact Jim Thorpe was stripped of his pentathlon and decathlon gold medals in 1912 when it was revealed he earned $25 a week playing minor league baseball. Jones has retired as an athlete and is banned by U.S. officials from competition for two years. But the IOC wants to keep her from going to the Olympics as a coach or in any other role, and said she could face a lifetime Olympic ban pending the outcome of the BALCO investigation. Jones' doping admission came as part of her guilty plea to lying to federal investigators in the BALCO case about using steroids. She will be sentenced Jan. 11 and is expected to face a term of between three and six months. Jones becomes the fourth American athlete in Olympic history to have a medal taken away by the IOC, and the third for a doping offense. Jerome Young was stripped of his 1,600-meter relay gold from the Sydney Games for an earlier doping violation; swimmer Rick DeMont lost his gold in the 400-meter freestyle from the 1972 Munich Games after testing positive for a banned substance in his asthma medication, and Jim Thorpe was stripped of his pentathlon and decathlon gold medals in 1912 when it was revealed he earned $25 a week playing minor league baseball. The IOC reinstated Thorpe in 1982 and returned his medals to his children the following year. The reshuffling of Jones' medals could affect the medal status of more than three dozen other athletes. IOC officials said they need more details from the ongoing BALCO probe to determine whether any other Olympic athletes were linked to the scandal. Calif. Town Nixes Blackwater Plan Small Mountain Town Ousts Officials Who Backed Blackwater Training Camp Comments 8 POTRERO, Calif., Dec. 12, 2007 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- One of a number signs found in the rural community of Potrero, Calif., advocating the halting of Blackwater Corp. plans to build a training facility in the area . (AP Photo/Lenny Ignelzi) Related In The Spotlight Under Fire A look at Blackwater USA, the State Department's top private security contractor. U.S. On Guard Against Potato Pest Checking 8 States To Determine Whether Crop-Decimating Worm Has Arrived Comments 4 BOISE, Idaho, Dec. 12, 2007 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (AP (file)) Related Stories Choppin' Wood In Wisconsin Harvest Of Kindness (CBS) The U.S. Department of Agriculture is worried that seed potato shipments from Canada to eight states might have been carrying a microscopic, wormlike pest that attacks potato plants. The department has banned additional shipments into the U.S. and plans to search for the golden potato cyst nematode in fields in Idaho, Oregon, Washington, California, North Dakota, Colorado, Maine and Nebraska. U.S. officials are concerned that discovery of the golden nematode in any of the eight states could lead to some countries banning U.S. potatoes, which happened in 2006 with the discovery of the similar pale potato cyst nematode in Idaho. The department closed the U.S. border to seed potatoes from the Canadian province of Alberta on Nov. 1 after officials with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency on Oct. 23 announced the discovery of the golden nematode at two farms about 60 miles apart. "At this point the concern we have is whether or not Canada has been able to determine what the extent of the infestation is in Canada," said Larry Hawkins, a spokesman for the agriculture department. Earlier this month, Mexico also cut off shipments of Alberta seed potatoes. Canadian seed growers have since mounted a campaign to reopen the U.S. border. Hawkins said not knowing the extent of the problem in Alberta makes it more difficult for U.S. officials to determine what problems they face. He also said finding where all the seed potatoes from Alberta have been planted in the U.S. might be impossible. "We'd like to be able to trace any potential seed shipments from Alberta all the way to the field where they might have been planted," Hawkins said. "However, I don't know that we'll be able to do that. I'm not certain that the shipments are identity preserved all the way to a field." The nematodes feed at the roots of potato plants and can reduce crop production by 80 percent. Officials say the pest is not harmful to humans and doesn't have any effect on the potatoes themselves. Seed potatoes - a small potato or a larger potato cut into pieces - are an inch or two in diameter and are often grown in colder areas at higher elevations. When planted, they grow into potato plants that produce more potatoes. Idaho is still dealing with the discovery in 2006 of the pale potato cyst nematode, which initially led Canada and Mexico to ban all fresh potato imports from Idaho, and Japan to ban all fresh U.S. potato imports. Earlier this year, Canada and Mexico lifted their bans. Japan still bans fresh potatoes from Idaho, but accepts them from other U.S. states. Idaho grows about one-third of all the potatoes in the United States, and this year produced 13.2 billion pounds. This year's crop is still being marketed, but last year's slightly smaller crop was worth $712 million to Idaho farmers. The state imports about 5 percent of its seed potatoes in all varieties from Alberta, and Cooper predicted possible shortages of red and yellow potatoes as a result of the ban. Washington imports about 30 percent of its seed potatoes from Alberta, said Brad White, pest program manager for the Washington State Department of Agriculture. He predicted some growers will face seed potato shortages. "Once the federal side determines the sales of potentially infested seed potatoes, then we'll have an idea of how big our exposure is," White said. Oregon imports up to 13 percent of its seed potatoes from Alberta, said Jim Cramer of the Oregon Department of Agriculture. He said state authorities will be working with federal officials to find fields planted with seed potatoes from Alberta. He said Oregon growers will likely face seed potato shortages. "Some of them are scrambling for seed," he said. "But the U.S. can't in good conscience open up the seed potato border." By Keith Ridler © MMVII The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Teens & Retirement: Grim Forecast Gov't Report Predicts Many Of Today's Teens Will Reach Pension Age With Zero In A 401(k) WASHINGTON, Dec. 12, 2007 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (CBS/AP) Related Stories Can You Sue Your 401(k)? Your Retirement Plan (AP) Teenagers flipping burgers, stocking shelves or studying for finals don't think about their retirement. The government does, however, and the prognosis isn't good. More than one out of every three American workers born in 1990 will have zero dollars in a 401(k)-style plan at retirement, a government report said Tuesday, an ominous sign considering many businesses are dumping pension plans. The Government Accountability Office report "makes it especially clear precisely how important it is to make sure every American worker has the opportunity to save for their retirement," said David John, a retirement expert at The Heritage Foundation. The GAO report estimated 36.8 percent of today's 17-year-olds will have no money in a 401(k) or similar plan when they retire. The numbers will be worse for low-income workers: 63 percent of them will have zero dollars in a 401(k)-type account when it comes time for them to retire. With the reduction of pension plans and the uncertainty of Social Security, that number means millions of Americans will face rough going when it comes time for today's teenagers to retire, lawmakers said. "Today's workers will more likely struggle to make ends meet during retirement than previous generations," said Rep. George Miller, D-Calif., who is chair of the House Education and Labor Committee. Part of the problem is because people withdraw part or all of their retirement savings, the GAO said, and they don't participate in retirement plans when they're offered. Only 36 percent of workers in 2004 participated in 401(k)s and similar accounts when offered, the most recent data available, according to the report. Is China Banning U.S. Movies? The Skinny: China Stops Approving American Films For Use In Theaters; U.S. Suspects Trade Retaliation Comments 14 NEW YORK, Dec. 12, 2007 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Transformers," a sci-fi film based on the 1980s toys and cartoon TV series of the same name, was first place in the Chinese box office this year. Now U.S. officials suspect China has stopped approving American movies for Chinese theaters as part of a trade dispute. (AP Photo/DreamWorks) Related Fast Facts China Learn about the people, economy and history. Stories China To Eliminate Trade Penalties No. 1 U.S. Tech Threat? Chinese Spying Sign up to receive The Skinny via e-mail (CBS) The Skinny is Keach Hagey's take on the top news of the day and the best of the Internet. China was none too pleased when the United States ran and tattled to the World Trade Organization this spring - in the form of a intellectual property rights case - that its government wasn't doing enough to fight the pirating of American movies. Now, the New York Times reports, Hollywood fears that China is delivering a retaliatory kick where it really hurts: at the box office. China has stopped granting permission for American films to be shown in theaters in an apparent trade dispute with the U.S., according to several Hollywood executives and American government officials. The Chinese government has not announced any ban, but American movies are no longer being approved for release early next year. U.S. government officials brought it up during the trade talks in Beijing on Tuesday, but they didn't tell reporters how China responded. A spokeswoman at China's film regulatory body said any ban would have been announced. But Dan Glickman, chairman of the Motion Picture Association of America, is worried anyway. "There are strong indications that there is at least a stoppage of American films, that the approval process has been closed," he said. China already limits the number of foreign films shown here to about 20 per year, and films shown here are must pass Chinese censors and often heavy edits. Nonetheless, film execs think it will be an important market eventually. This year, the Hollywood movie "Transformers" was the top film at the Chinese box office. Before you take this as a measure of the Chinese movie-going public's juvenile taste, consider that the film was only beaten in the U.S. by two well-worn sequels: "Shrek" and "Spiderman." Still the dispute, as the Times' mostly anonymous sources describe it, does have a ring of a schoolyard squabble. This year, after the United States filed its intellectual property rights case, Chinese officials complained that it would not help cooperation between the two countries. Wang Ziqiang, a spokesman for China's National Copyright Administration, said he didn't deny that piracy was going on, "but that doesn't mean the United States is founded to file complaints against China in the W.T.O." More Teachers Coming From The Top Of The Class Could all that hand-wringing and law-passing over education in the last decade have actually yielded some results? Yes, says USA Today, in reporting the front-page news that beginning teachers have better academic credentials than their predecessors did a decade ago. The news suggests "that tougher requirements at all levels have forced teachers' colleges to improve offerings while luring more qualified candidates into teaching." The news comes from a study released by the Educational Testing Service, which designs the Praxis test taken by most new teachers. It found that candidates' verbal SAT scores rose 13 points and math scores rose 17 points. The percentage of candidates who reported at 3.5 GPA or higher rose from 27 percent to 40 percent. Shooter's Family 'Groping For Answers' Colo. Shooter's Family 'Groping For Answers,' Praying For Victims As Services Begin DENVER, Dec. 12, 2007 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1 | 2 | 3 (AP) (AP) The family of a young man who went on a deadly shooting rampage in two Colorado religious centers before killing himself said Wednesday that they are "groping for answers" and praying for the victims' families. Matthew Murray's family said in the statement that they will hold a private funeral for him later this week. "We are lost in grief as we prepare to bury our beloved son, Matthew. We loved Matthew with all our hearts, and we are groping for answers as we try in vain to understand the events of last Sunday," the family said. Two services were being held Wednesday to remember the four people Murray, 24, killed on Sunday when he opened fire first on a missionary center and then on a megachurch some 65 miles away. On Tuesday night, friends and parishioners of Murray's uncle, Phil Abeyta, gathered at the Denver church where he serves as pastor to pray for victims, the Murray family and Matthew Murray. "They are grateful for your love and support," Abeyta said of the Murray family as he addressed the gathering of about 70 at His Love Fellowship. The family spent Tuesday quietly, "in reflection and prayer for the families of the victims and those who were injured," Abeyta said. Murray killed two people at Youth With a Mission, a training center for missionaries in the Denver suburb of Arvada, early Sunday. About 12 hours later, he killed two more people at the New Life Church in Colorado Springs. In between the shootings, Murray is believed to have left several posts on a Web site's forum warning that he wanted to kill Christians. Joe Istre, president of the Association of Former Pentecostals, which operates the site, told The Associated Press on Tuesday that he and other forum participants had grown familiar with the frequent and disturbingly dark poetry and obsessions of one participant, whose nickname was nghtmrchld26. But when that same author _ believed to be Murray _ left the posts on the day of the shootings, a forum participant immediately contacted the FBI, Istre said. Lights Slowly Come Back On After Storm Lights Slowly Return After Ice Storm Knocked Out Power To 1M Homes And Businesses OKLAHOMA CITY, Dec. 12, 2007 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (AP) (AP) Lights came back on for some lucky people Wednesday as utility crews struggled to repair power lines snapped by the ice storm that had blacked out as much as a million homes and businesses across the nation's midsection. Repair crews and homeowners still faced a mixture of snow, sleet and light rain that fell across parts of north Texas and central Oklahoma during the morning. "It will still be cold and nasty outside and may slow efforts to restore power and remove tree limbs and such," said Patrick Burke, a weather service meteorologist in Norman, Okla. Sunshine was possible in hard-hit Oklahoma during the afternoon and temperatures could reach the 40s Thursday, the weather service said. By late Friday, however, another storm could bring 2 to 4 inches of snow to parts of the region. Ice up to 1 1/2 inches thick has glazed much of the central Plains and Midwest this week. At least 27 deaths _ mostly traffic accidents _ have been blamed on the storm system since it developed last weekend. Outside that affected area, forecasters said more snow, sleet and freezing rain could develop Wednesday across the northern Ohio Valley and into New England. About 468,000 homes and business still had no power Wednesday in Oklahoma, suffering its worst power outage on record. That was down from a peak of some 618,000 customers Tuesday, but utility officials said it could be a week to 10 days before power is fully restored. "We're relying on people to look after each other," Oklahoma City Mayor Mick Cornett said. "At the end of the day, this comes down to the strength of your people. ... People who have electricity ought to be sharing it with people who don't." Elsewhere, around 228,000 customers were still blacked out in Missouri, Kansas, Iowa, Illinois and Nebraska. Kansas' tally had risen _ to 130,000 on Wednesday, up 15,000 from Tuesday _ as rural electric cooperatives reported in and falling branches brought down more power lines. "We have a lot of trees down ... lots of infrastructure that needs to be put up," said Al Butkus, a spokesman for the utility Aquila Inc. in Missouri. "This is not going to be quick." Most people decided to stay home and bundle up rather than go to shelters. "We've got kerosene lamps and a fireplace," said Charita Miller of Oklahoma City. "We're OK. We can't watch TV. Oh well, you can't have everything. It's just me and my husband. My husband said `There's food in the freezer.'" Sonya Kendrick, who spent Monday night at one of several American Red Cross shelters set up in Oklahoma City, said a tree ripped the electrical box off the side of her house, and she needed a warm place for her three children. "When I got in here yesterday, I was totally distraught. I was like 'Why me? Why me of all people?' I look at it this way, too: I'm not the only one," Kendrick said Tuesday. "There's other people here that I got to know in less than two days, literally. All of them have been through the same thing, and everybody here just understands everybody." Officials in Missouri, Kansas and Oklahoma had declared states of emergency. President Bush declared a federal emergency in Oklahoma on Tuesday, ordering government aid to supplement state and local efforts. The 27 deaths blamed on the weather include 16 in Oklahoma, four in Kansas, three each in Missouri and Michigan and one in Nebraska. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Last Mall Shooting Victim Mourned Omaha Says Goodbye To Final Mall Shooting Victim; Pictures, Mementos Recall Woman's Life OMAHA, Neb., Dec. 12, 2007 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1 | 2 (AP) Hayden Knew Of Interrogation Videotapes Hayden Knew About Videotapes Before Taking Command Of CIA WASHINGTON, Dec. 12, 2007 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (AP) (AP) The CIA failed to fully inform Congress that it was videotaping the harsh interrogations of terrorist suspects and that it destroyed the tapes in 2005, the bipartisan leaders of the House Intelligence Committee said Wednesday. "Our committee was not informed, has not been kept informed and we are very frustrated about that issue," said Chairman Sylvestre Reyes, D-Texas, after a three-hour closed-door meeting with CIA Director Gen. Michael Hayden. That meeting, he said, "is just the first step in what we feel is going to be a long-term investigation. That probe will include calling other witnesses, including Hayden predecessors George Tenet and Porter Goss, and John Negroponte, the former Director of National Intelligence, said Rep. Peter Hoekstra, the panel's senior Republican. Reyes said he would also call on Jose Rodriguez, the former CIA director of operations who actually had the tapes destroyed. Hayden acknowledged that "particularly at the time of the destruction we could have done an awful lot better at keeping the committee alerted and informed." Hayden said he learned of the terrorist interrogation videotapes more than a year ago in his tenure as principal deputy director of national intelligence, a post he held from April 2005 to May 2006. He said he did not know that the tapes were being destroyed. "I did not personally know before they were destroyed, not at all," he said after the briefing. "I was aware of the existence of the tapes but really didn't become focused on it until the summer of '06." Reyes said the House committee would conduct a long-term investigation. "It's probably going to take several months to get all the information," Reyes said. Reyes said some members of the committee found parts of Hayden's briefing "stunning." Michigan Rep. Pete Hoekstra, the top Republican on the committee, said the panel will also look into the White House's interrogation policy and whether the intelligence agency followed it. Hayden made a similar appearance before the Senate Intelligence Committee on Tuesday, but said he could not answer all the panel's questions because the tapes were created and destroyed before he arrived at the CIA, under the tenure of his predecessors Tenet and Goss. "Other people in the agency know about this far better than I," Hayden said, and promised the committee he would make those witnesses available. Hayden told CIA employees last week that the videotapes, made in 2002, showed the CIA's interrogations of two terror suspects. The CIA destroyed the tapes in 2005. The tapes were made to document how CIA officers were using new, harsh questioning techniques recently approved by the White House to force recalcitrant prisoners to talk. Omaha Grieves For Mall Shooting Victims Omaha Prepares To Say Goodbye To Final Mall Shooting Victim OMAHA, Neb., Dec. 12, 2007 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (AP) Mourners prepared Wednesday to lay to rest the last of a teenage gunman's victims during a shopping mall rampage, a week after he opened fire in an upscale department store. Beverly Flynn, 47, was among the eight people who died before Robert Hawkins, 19, killed himself inside Westroads Mall's Von Maur store. Flynn's funeral was delayed a day because of a winter storm that struck the area. Flynn was a real estate agent who wrapped gifts at Von Maur during Christmas because she loved the holiday season. When she closed a deal, she planted a rose bush in the new homeowners' yard as a move-in gift, NP Dodge Co. spokeswoman Susan Young said last week. "That was her way to put her style on the whole transaction," Young said. "She was a very warm individual." Services were held Tuesday for two other victims of last week's shootings. A funeral for Angie Schuster was held in Omaha, and a funeral for Maggie Webb was held in her hometown of Moline, Ill. "Our community is deeply wounded and hurting because of what happened last Wednesday," said the Rev. Donald Shane at Schuster's service. Schuster, 36, of Omaha, was a manager in the girls' department at Von Maur, where she had worked for nearly 10 years. Schuster met her fiance, Greg O'Neil, at Von Maur when he worked there as a security guard. Schuster was thrilled when O'Neil got a job elsewhere so they could start dating, Shane said. Webb, who was about two weeks shy of her 25th birthday, was the youngest victim of the shooting rampage. She transferred to the Omaha Von Maur store from a Chicago location this year. They show the interrogations of Abu Zubayda and Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri. Abu Zubaydah, the first high-value detainee taken by the CIA in 2002, is now being held with other detainees at the U.S. base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. He told his interrogators about alleged 9/11 accomplice Ramzi Binalshibh, and the two men's confessions also led to the capture of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, who the U.S. government said was the mastermind behind the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Al-Nashiri is the alleged coordinator of the 2000 suicide attack on the USS Cole in Yemen, which killed 17 sailors. He is also now at Guantanamo. The CIA has not described exactly what was shown on all the tapes. However, among the harsh interrogation techniques the White House approved in 2002 was waterboarding. Waterboarding involves strapping down a prisoner, covering his mouth with plastic or cloth and pouring water over his face. The prisoner quickly begins to inhale water, causing the sensation of drowning. The CIA is known to have waterboarded three prisoners _ Abu Zubaydah, Al-Nashiri and Khalid Sheikh Mohammed. The CIA has not used the technique since 2003, accordin to a government official familiar with the program. Hayden prohibited waterboarding in 2006. The U.S. military outlawed it the same year. The CIA destroyed the videotapes in November of 2005. Exactly when Congress was notified of that and in what detail is in dispute. President Bush said he didn't know about the tapes or their destruction until last week. (AP) Mourners streamed past photographs and mementos at a funeral Wednesday for a woman killed during a teenage gunman's rage at a shopping mall. The service was the last memorial for the eight victims. Beverly Flynn, 47, was among the eight people who died before Robert Hawkins, 19, killed himself inside Westroads Mall's Von Maur store. Flynn was a real estate agent and mother of three. Along with Flynn's wedding photo and the other pictures on display in the sanctuary of Glad Tidings Church was a poster made by her children. Written in orange marker, one of Flynn's favorite colors, it read: "Bev was the best mom. She did a lot of things. She was a hard worker and she did a lot of things for everybody." About 250 people turned out for Flynn's funeral, which was delayed a day because of a winter storm that struck the area. Flynn was a real estate agent who wrapped gifts at Von Maur during Christmas because she loved the holiday season. When she closed a deal, she planted a rose bush in the new homeowners' yard as a move-in gift, NP Dodge Co. spokeswoman Susan Young said last week. "That was her way to put her style on the whole transaction," Young said. "She was a very warm individual." Services were held Tuesday for two other victims of last week's shootings. A funeral for Angie Schuster was held in Omaha, and a funeral for Maggie Webb was held in her hometown of Moline, Ill. "Our community is deeply wounded and hurting because of what happened last Wednesday," said the Rev. Donald Shane at Schuster's service. Schuster, 36, of Omaha, was a manager in the girls' department at Von Maur, where she had worked for nearly 10 years. Schuster met her fiance, Greg O'Neil, at Von Maur when he worked there as a security guard. Schuster was thrilled when O'Neil got a job elsewhere so they could start dating, Shane said. Webb, who was about two weeks shy of her 25th birthday, was the youngest victim of the shooting rampage. She transferred to the Omaha Von Maur store from a Chicago location this year. "I'm coming for EVERYONE soon and I WILL be armed to the @#%$ teeth and I WILL shoot to kill," one threat posted by nghtmrchld26 said. "My reaction was disbelief, but then almost horror," Istre said of Murray's violence. "This guy was posting on our forums, and we are a support group out to help people, to try to get them to calm their fears and get them into a productive life. And here we are conversing with a dude who was a killer." Arvada police spokeswoman Susan Medina said police cannot say with certainty who nghtmrchld26 is. Istre also said his forum agreed to turn over all relevant information, and provided the FBI the Internet Protocol address of nghtmrchld26 to help confirm the poster's identity. The Denver Post reported Wednesday that Murray also was apparently posting to a different forum under the name DyingChild_65, and may have foretold of his rampage there, too. In one posting, he references the one of the Columbine killers and the gunman who opened fire at Virginia Tech. He also mentioned Ricky Rodriguez, who stabbed a prominent member of a church once known as the Children of God, then shot himself in the head in 2005. The group had been accused of sexually and physically abusing child members during the 1970s and 1980s. "Like Cho, Eric Harris, Ricky Rodriguez and others, I'm going out to make a stand for the weak and the defenseless this is for all those young people still caught in the Nightmare of Christianity for all those people who've been abused and mistreated and taken advantage of by this evil sick religion Christian America this is YOUR Columbine," the newspaper quoted the post as saying. The Gazette of Colorado Springs reported Murray also posted rants under the name "Chrstnghtmr." Murray, 19, was dismissed from Youth With a Mission in 2002 for what the training center has described only as health reasons. Youth Wit a Mission maintains an office at New Life Church's World Prayer Center. An autopsy Tuesday determined that Murray killed himself with a bullet to the head after he was brought down by gunfire from a volunteer security guard at the church, authorities said. The gains hold across gender, racial and ethnic lines, USA Today reports. But the New York Times, not called the Grey Lady for nothing, finds a cloud in that silver lining. Tucking the story deep in the A section, it goes high with the report's finding that "those attracted to the profession continued to make up a strikingly homogenous group - prospective teachers were overwhelmingly white and female - at a time when the proportion of public school students nationwide who are black, Hispanic or other minorities was nearly half and rising." Lame Rover Wheel Kicks Up New Evidence Of Mars' Former Habitability Had things functioned perfectly, perhaps it would have been many more years before we knew about the rock on Mars further suggesting its watery past. But as it happened, the New York Times reports, a lame wheel on the NASA Mars rover Spirit, which it stopped turning in March 2006, dragged along the ground and turned up a bright spot in the dirt that made scientist circle it back for a closer look. The rock turned out to have high levels of silica. The scientists directed the rover to crack it open to see if it was silica all the way through, or just on the outside. That didn't work, but a nearby rock was cracked open and found to be rich in silica. On Earth, a rock like that can form in only two places: One is a hot spring, where the silica is dissolved away and deposited elsewhere. The other is a fumarole, an environment often near a volcano where acidic steam rises through the cracks, dissolving other minerals and leaving silica. On Earth, both environments teem with life. The silica discovery is the first time that Spirit has seen signs of widespread water in its surroundings, a 90-mile-wide impact known as the Gusev Crater. "Whichever of those conditions produced it, this concentration of silica is probably the most significant discovery by Spirit for revealing a habitable niche that existed on Mars in the past." Which just goes to show, sometimes a broken wheel is more useful than a working one. Making it automatic is key, John said, because people freeze up when left on their own. "They know that this is a really important decision and that if they don't make the right choice, they can look back and really regret it when they reach retirement age," John said. "And what they do, like so many of us who are faced with that, they're paralyzed, inertia takes over, they don't do something." GAO found that automatically enrolling workers in 401(k)s and similar plans would cut the number of those without money in those plans to 17.7 percent. Automatic enrollment would halve the number of low income workers with zero retirement dollars from 63 percent to 30 percent. Defined contribution plans are becoming more important to workers. Social Security provides about 40 percent of preretirement income for current retirees but that's projected to fall by the time today's young adults retire. And the number of pension plans being offered is dropping fast. In 1980, pension-style plans had 38 million participants and 401(k)-style plans had 20 million participants. By 1994, 401(k)s and other defined-contribution plans included 64.6 million participants, while pension plan and other defined benefit plans included only 41.7 million participants - a fraction of the total U.S. population, which is about 301,139,947, according to the CIA. Another problem is availability, John said. The GAO report noted that in 2004, only 62 percent of active workers were offered any kind of retirement plan - pensions or 401(k) style - by their employer. John and others advocate an "automatic IRA," which would allow employers to transfer money into an individual retirement arrangement for the 75 million employees who don't have a 401(k) option. Automatic 401(k) investments mean employees who freeze up on retirement decision still have some type of plan, John said. "What we've got to do now is take the same sort of thing and apply to the workers who don't work for a company that offers a 401(k)." Stories Suit Alleges Blackwater Defiance, Drug Use (AP) Residents of a mountain village in California who oppose plans by security contractor Blackwater to build a training camp nearby voted to recall five members of an advisory planning board that endorsed the proposal. The results of a mail-in-ballot recall were announced early Wednesday, several hours after polls closed Tuesday night. The board members lost by wide margins. A sixth member who was not on the board at the time of the endorsement was not up for recall. Blackwater wanted to turn an 800-acre former chicken farm into a training camp for law enforcement officers. The facility would have included 11 firing ranges, a driving track and a helipad. But opposition to the plan intensified in September, after Blackwater guards were investigated in the shooting deaths of 17 Iraqi civilians in Baghdad. One of the removed officials, Gordon Hammers, said the board's decision had been misconstrued, and that its goal was to investigate what jobs and other perks having Blackwater could mean for the community. "We chose to stay engaged," Hammers said. "Certain elements made it an anti-Bush, anti-Iraq war surrogate and sold that to the community. They were successful." A call to a Blackwater spokesman early Wednesday was not immediately returned. Final say over the project rests with the county board of supervisors, who will not consider the plan until environmental impact reports have been completed. Since the Baghdad shootings, Blackwater says it is focusing on its training operations and trying to wean itself from overseas contracts. There is reluctance among some IOC officials to upgrade Thanou, who finished second behind Jones in the 100. Thanou later served a two-year ban after failing to show for drug tests in the leadup to the 2004 Athens Olympics. One option under consideration is leaving the gold medal spot vacant. The bronze medalist in the 100 in Sydney was Tanya Lawrence, with fellow Jamaican Merlene Ottey fourth. In the 200, Pauline Davis-Thompson of the Bahamas took the silver behind Jones. Sri Lanka's Susanthika Jayasinghe was third and Jamaica's Beverly McDonald fourth. The IOC said it will offer Jones' eight relay teammates a hearing to make their case for keeping their medals. The 1,600-relay team included Jearl-Miles Clark, Monique Hennagan, LaTasha Colander-Richardson and Andrea Anderson. Chryste Gaines, Torri Edwards, Nanceen Perry and Passion Richardson were on the 400-relay squad. Jamaica took silver behind the United States in the 1,600 relay. Russia was third and Nigeria fourth. In the 400 relay, France was fourth behind the Americans. Jones' Web site highlights her nonprofit foundation to help fellow contract workers who may have been sexually assaulted, and displays her "therapeutic" still-life paintings that she offers to paint on commission. The site also mentions a screenplay of her story in Iraq. In a statement, KBR said it couldn't comment on specifics of the case but that the safety and security of its employees were its top priority. Halliburton says it is improperly named in the matter and expects to be dismissed from the case. "It would be inappropriate for Halliburton to comment on the merits of a matter affecting only the interest of KBR," the oilfield services company said in a statement. State Department spokesman Sean McCormack declined Tuesday to comment on specifics of the case, but he confirmed its Bureau of Diplomatic Security had responded to and investigated the incident. He said the results were turned over to the Justice Department. An 18-year-old male was in critical condition late Tuesday and a 17-year-old boy was upgraded from critical to serious condition, both with gunshot wounds to the torso, said Cheryl Persinger, a University Medical Center spokeswoman. Four people, including at least two boys and a girl who are under 18, were treated for gunshot wounds to their arms and legs and were released, she said. All four are students at Mojave High who had just stepped off the bus, which was coming from the school, police said. Authorities would not release any other information about the two victims who were still hospitalized, including whether they were students or had been on the bus. Police believe the attackers had been waiting at the bus stop. Gillespie said the shooting did not appear to be random. Investigators said they found 9 mm and .45-caliber shell casings at the scene.When officers arrived, several witnesses ran away, police said. Officials said the district would have counselors available at the school Wednesday. "I think the No. 1 question on many people's minds tonight is `Is it safe to send my kids to school tomorrow?"' Gillespie said Tuesday. "The answer is yes. I am a father, I have a daughter and she will be attending school tomorrow." Mojave had some 2,300 students last year, about evenly divided among blacks, whites and Hispanics, according to district materials. The shooting occurred just before 2 p.m., a couple of blocks from two elementary schools. Both were locked down temporarily but reopened in about an hour, district spokesman Michael Rodriguez said. McDaniel said he found his attire "a little embarrassing." "I don't like the color pink, but I can live with it," he said. Maybe this will warn people — knock it off, don't drink and drive. You'll end up in pink underwear on the chain gang. Maricopa County Sheriff Joe ArpaioArizona had the sixth-highest number of alcohol-related fatalities in the nation last year at 585, up 15 percent from the previous year, according to National Highway Traffic Safety Administration records. In June, the state Legislature passed one of the toughest DUI laws in the country. It mandates ignition-interlock devices for first-time offenders, increased fines and a minimum of 45 days in jail for some DUI convictions. The DUI chain gang will perform burials Thursday at an indigent cemetery that is the final resting place for many homeless alcoholics. I'm coming for EVERYONE soon and I WILL be armed to the %$ teeth and I WILL shoot to kill. Threat posted by nghtmrchld26The Denver Post reported Wednesday that Murray also was apparently posting to a different forum under the name DyingChild65, and may have foretold of his rampage there, too. In one posting, he references the one of the Columbine killers and the gunman who opened fire at Virginia Tech. He also mentioned Ricky Rodriguez, who stabbed a prominent member of a church once known as the Children of God, then shot himself in the head in 2005. The group had been accused of sexually and physically abusing child members during the 1970s and 1980s. "Like Cho, Eric Harris, Ricky Rodriguez and others, I'm going out to make a stand for the weak and the defenseless this is for all those young people still caught in the Nightmare of Christianity for all those people who've been abused and mistreated and taken advantage of by this evil sick religion Christian America this is YOUR Columbine," the newspaper quoted the post as saying. The Gazette of Colorado Springs reported Murray also posted rants under the name "Chrstnghtmr." Ultimately, Istre said he believes the ex-Pentecostal forum helped the man, and he doesn't know what more the group could have done to prevent the bloodshed. "My gut instinct is that he was coming on our forums and posting all this stuff to provoke a negative reaction to where he'd be rejected again, so he can have another trophy, to say, 'I've been rejected by another organization, so here is my chance to strike back at the world.' I think in our organization he discovered an acceptance he probably never ran into." Murray, 19, was dismissed from Youth With a Mission in 2002 for what the training center has described only as health reasons. Youth With a Mission maintains an office at New Life Church's World Prayer Center. An autopsy Tuesday determined that Murray killed himself with a bullet to the head after he was brought down by gunfire from a volunteer security guard at the church, authorities said. VideosPhotos 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5A motorist drives past frozen grass off Highway 69 on the north end of Quapaw, Okla, Tuesday, Dec. 11, 2007. (AP) Winter Storms Cripple Midwest Thousands have been left in the dark after an ice storm downed power lines across the Midwest, making travel dangerous for truckers and presidential candidates alike. Nancy Cordes reports. | Share » More Videos Related Photo Essay Deadly Ice Storm Spreads ice, freezing rain linked to at least 10 deaths from southern Plains to Northeast. Interactive Winter Watch See photos of wet and snowy days across the country, and check out snow accumulations and airport delays. Stories Deadly Ice Storm Glazes Midsection Of U.S. Ice Storm Wreaks Havoc Across U.S. Enter a U.S. Zip Code or City: • Powered by Weather.com (CBS/AP) It may look like a winter wonderland, but make no mistake, a powerful storm has socked the Midwest with a treacherous mix of ice, snow, and freezing rain, knocking out power to a million homes and businesses. At least 24 deaths have been linked to the storm. Another wintry blast was forecast to develop Wednesday over the southern Plains. The new system was expected to bring more sleet and freezing rain to Oklahoma, Missouri and Texas, but not nearly as much as the previous storm. "Temperatures will gradually climb into the low to mid 30s today across the ice-encrusted Plains, and by tomorrow, readings may get close to 40, which will help to melt most of the ice, but it'll be a slow process," says CBS News meteorologist George Cullen. Oklahoma is in worst shape, reports CBS News correspondent Nancy Cordes. Officials say it could take a week or more to restore power to 600,000 customers who are shivering in the dark. "This is, by far, the worst power outage we've had in the state of Oklahoma," said Albert Ashwood of the Oklahoma State Department of Emergency Management. "We're relying on people to look after each other," Oklahoma City Mayor Mick Cornett said. "At the end of the day, this comes down to the strength of your people. ... People who have electricity ought to be sharing it with people who don't." "Crews of linemen are coming in from New Mexico, Louisiana, and Texas, returning the favor after crews here went down from Louisiana and Mississippi after Hurricane Rita and Katrina," reports Doug Warner of CBS affiliate KWTV in Oklahoma City. "You know what, the great thing out here is when you do turn on people's power, the customers come out here and congratulate you. It's amazing how many people you make happy just by turning on their power," said Oklahoma Gas & Electric Co. lineman Shorty Thompson. About 350,000 customers in Kansas, Iowa, Missouri and Illinois also were without power. FEMA is sending generators, food, water and blankets to Oklahoma, one of three states to declare states of emergency along with Kansas and Missouri. "If we're going to be without heat for a while, we'll have to drain the pipes and find some place else to stay," said Steven Sack of Kansas City, Missouri. Some areas in Illinois reported up to a quarter-inch of ice, as the storm created icy conditions in portions of northern and western Illinois, canceling flights, downing power lines and causing massive salt shortages. Hundreds of utility workers were scrambling to restore electricity to nearly 26,000 customers of MidAmerican Energy and 40,000 Alliant Energy customers in Iowa. It's amazing how many people you make happy just by turning on their power. lineman Shorty Thompson"What we anticipated was a lot of ice and unfortunately it is materializing," said Allan Urlis, a MidAmerican spokesman. "This is shaping up to being a pretty severe event with a lot of customers losing power." The ice has been blamed for the deaths of 24 people, many of them in traffic accidents. Fifteen people died in Oklahoma alone. "It is not that important that you get there and be on time if the conditions are this bad. Just slow down. Slow down," advised Michigan state police trooper Yvonne Brantley. With ice pulling down trees and power lines, many say they couldn't drive even if they wanted to," reports Cordes. More than 550 flights were canceled Tuesday at O'Hare International Airport and flights were delayed up to an hour by late in the day, said Chicago Department of Aviation spokesman Gregg Cunningham. About 38 flights were canceled at Midway International Airport. No delays were reported Tuesday evening, said Chicago Department of Aviation spokeswoman Karen Pride. Some fallen trees have crashed into live power lines, sparking fires. Oklahoma City and Tulsa firefighters have responded to more 100 fires each since the storm began. "Where I'm standing, the northwest portion of (Oklahoma) City, the north side of this road has power. However, the south side does not, which may have led to a house fire where three people were found dead inside. A house fire breaking out at 1:30 this morning, very little firefighters could do," reports Warner.