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    <title>WJLA News and Blogs for Category -- Nation</title>
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    <description>The latest 25 entries of WJLA News and Blogs for Category -- Nation</description>
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    <copyright>Copyright 2013 WJLA</copyright>
   
    <lastBuildDate>Tue, 21 May 2013 13:59:48 EST</lastBuildDate>

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		<title><![CDATA[More teens taking steps to make Facebook profiles private]]></title>
		<description><![CDATA[<p>An increasing number of teenagers are taking steps to make their social media profiles more secure while sharing more personal information than ever, a Pew report indicates.</p>
<p>The Pew Internet &amp; American Life Project report says that <a href="http://www.pewinternet.org/Reports/2013/Teens-Social-Media-And-Privacy/Summary-of-Findings.aspx">60 percent of teenage Facebook users have set their profiles so that only friends can view their personal information</a>, while another 25 percent have privatized at least some of their profile. Just 14 percent have a completely public profile.</p>
<p>In focus groups, though, the survey of more than 800 teens said that many are increasingly turning away from Facebook. An increase in adults using the social network, oversharing and teenage &quot;drama&quot; are among the reasons survey participants indicated that their enthusiasm for Facebook is ebbing.</p>
<p>While privacy measures among teens has stepped up, so has social sharing, according to the report, Since 2006, the percentage of teens who have posted pictures of themselves onto Facebook has jumped from 79 to 91 percent. Over that same time, the number of teens posting the name of their school and where they live has gone up as well.</p>
<p>In one dramatic gain, the percentage of teens who have posted their cell phone number to Facebook went up from just 2 percent in 2006 to 20 percent in this most recent survey.</p>
<p>Beyond Facebook, the survey says that Twitter use among teens, especially African-Americans, has grown by leaps and bounds since 2001. Twenty-four percent of teens now say they use Twitter, <a href="http://www.pewinternet.org/Reports/2013/Teens-Social-Media-And-Privacy/Summary-of-Findings.aspx">compared to 16 percent in 2011</a>.</p>]]></description>
		
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		<pubDate>Tue, 21 May 2013 13:02:51 EST</pubDate>
		<source>WJLA</source>
		<category>Nation</category>
		<author></author>
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		<title><![CDATA[Bradley Manning lesser charges accepted by prosecutor]]></title>
		<description><![CDATA[<p>FORT MEADE, Md. (AP) - Prosecutors say they will accept an Army private's guilty plea to a lesser version of one of the 22 counts he faces. </p>
<p>Maj. Ashden Fein said Tuesday that prosecutors had changed their minds about trying to convict Pfc. Bradley Manning with violating the federal Computer Fraud and Abuse Act in connection with the release of a cable known as Reykjavik-13. </p>
<p>Wikileaks posted the cable in 2010 about a meeting in Reykjavik, Iceland, summarizing U.S. Embassy discussions with Icelandic officials about the country's financial troubles. </p>
<p>The document was among more than 700,000 secret U.S. documents Manning has acknowledged sending to the WikiLeaks site. </p>
<p>Fein did not give a reason for the change. </p>
<p>Manning pleaded guilty to a lesser version of the charge in February. </p>
<p>Manning's trial starts June 3.</p>]]></description>
		
			<link>http://www.wjla.com/articles/2013/05/bradley-manning-lesser-charges-accepted-by-prosecutor-89092.html</link>
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		<pubDate>Tue, 21 May 2013 12:11:25 EST</pubDate>
		<source>WJLA</source>
		<category>Nation</category>
		<author></author>
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		<title><![CDATA[85,000 veterans treated for sexual assault injuries in 2012]]></title>
		<description><![CDATA[<p>WASHINGTON (AP) - New government figures underscore the staggering long-term consequences of military sexual assaults: More than 85,000 veterans were treated last year for injuries or illness linked to the abuse, and 4,000 sought disability benefits.</p>
<p>The Department of Veterans Affairs' accounting, released in response to inquiries from The Associated Press, shows a heavy financial and emotional cost that affects several generations of veterans and lasts long after a victim leaves the service.</p>
<p>Sexual assault or repeated sexual harassment can trigger a variety of health problems, primarily post-traumatic stress disorder and depression. While women are more likely to be victims, men made up nearly 40 percent of the patients the VA treated for conditions connected to what it calls &quot;military sexual trauma.&quot;</p>
<p>It took years for Ruth Moore of Milbridge, Maine, to begin getting treatment from a VA counseling center in 2003 - 16 years after she was raped twice while she was stationed in Europe with the Navy. She continues to get counseling at least monthly for PTSD linked to the attacks and is also considered fully disabled.</p>
<p>&quot;We can't cure me, but we can work on stability in my life and work on issues as they arrive,&quot; Moore said.</p>
<p>VA officials stress that any veteran who claims to have suffered military sexual trauma has access to free health care.</p>
<p>&quot;It really is the case that a veteran can simply walk through the door, say they've had this experience, and we will get them hooked up with care. There's no documentation required. They don't need to have reported it at the time,&quot; said Dr. Margret Bell, a member of the VA's military sexual trauma team.</p>
<p>However, the hurdles are steeper for those who seek disability compensation - too steep for some veterans groups and lawmakers who support legislation designed to make it easier for veterans to get a monthly disability payment.</p>
<p>&quot;Right now, the burden of proof is stacked against sexual trauma survivors,&quot; said Anu Bhagwati, executive director of the Service Women's Action Network.  &quot;Ninety percent of 26,000 cases last year weren't even reported. So where is that evidence supposed to come from?&quot;</p>
<p>Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel has said reducing the incidence of sexual assaults in the military is a top priority. But it's a decades-old problem with no easy fix, as made even more apparent when an Air Force officer who headed a sexual assault prevention office was arrested recently on sexual battery charges.</p>
<p>&quot;We will not stop until we've seen this scourge, from what is the greatest military in the world, eliminated,&quot; Obama said after summoning top Pentagon officials to the White House last week to talk about the problem. &quot;Not only is it a crime, not only is it shameful and disgraceful, but it also is going to make and has made the military less effective than it can be.&quot;</p>
<p>The VA says 1 in 5 women and 1 in 100 men screen positive for military sexual trauma, which the VA defines as &quot;any sexual activity where you are involved against your will.&quot; Some report that they were victims of rape, while others say they were groped or subjected to verbal abuse or other forms of sexual harassment.</p>
<p>But not all those veterans seek health care or disability benefits related to the attacks. The 85,000 who sought outpatient care linked to military sexual trauma during the latest fiscal year are among nearly 22 million veterans around the country.</p>
<p>The VA statistics underscore that the problems for victims of sexual abuse do not end when someone leaves the service.</p>
<p>Psychological issues, including PTSD, depression and anxiety, are most common, according to the agency. Victims also can develop substance abuse problems.</p>
<p>Some victims like Moore are so disabled that they are unable to work. Others need ongoing care at VA outpatient clinics and hospitals.</p>
<p>In the final six months of 2011, an average of 248 veterans per month filed for disability benefits related to sexual trauma. The VA said the numbers increased by about a third, to 334 veterans per month in 2012, which officials attributed in part to better screening for the ongoing trauma associated with sexual assault. Of those who filed in 2012, about two-thirds were women and nearly a third were men.</p>
<p>&quot;We do a lot more awareness, and as we educate everyone on the potential benefits and that it's OK to come forward, I think you see an increase in reporting,&quot; said Edna MacDonald, director of the VA's regional office in Nashville.</p>
<p>To get disability benefits related to sexual trauma, veterans must be diagnosed with a health problem such as PTSD, submit proof that they were assaulted or sexually harassed in a threatening manner and have a VA examiner confirm a link to their health condition.</p>
<p>Many lawmakers and veterans groups support allowing a veteran's statement alone to serve as the proof that an assault or harassment occurred. An examiner would still have to find there's a link to the health condition diagnosed.</p>
<p>The VA's records indicate that veterans seeking compensation related to military sexual trauma had about a 1 in 2 chance of getting their claim approved last year, up from about 34 percent in June 2011.</p>
<p>The VA does not break out the cost of treating and compensating individual veterans for sexual abuse or trauma. A veteran's combination of disabilities is unique to each individual, so it's not able to attribute specific spending levels for individual disabilities.</p>
<p>Benefits depend on the severity of the disability. For example, a veteran with a 50 percent rating and no dependents would get $810 a month. A veteran with a 100 percent rating and a spouse and child to support would get nearly $3,088 a month.</p>
<p>Moore estimates the government's cost for her disability benefits and treatment could well exceed $500,000 over the course of her lifetime. She said she had first sought treatment from the VA in 1991, but was originally denied care. She eventually started getting care through a VA counseling center in 2003. She blames the time lapse for exacerbating the degree of her PTSD, and the expense to the federal government.</p>
<p>&quot;If I had received treatment in 1991, I would not be, or likely not be fully disabled now in 2013,&quot; Moore said. &quot;... Literally, my brain has been remapped and there's a lot of brain damage that goes along with my injury.&quot;</p>
<p>It wasn't until June 2011 that the VA began recording monthly disability claims related specifically to military sexual trauma. Veterans file claims for conditions that are a result of the trauma, not for MST itself, which made it particularly difficult to track. The VA came up with a special process for doing so in 2010.</p>
<p>There's no time limit to filing a claim. &quot;We have veterans who call our help line who have been assaulted way back in time. They're still suffering from the effects of World War II or Vietnam. I wish I were exaggerating,&quot; said Bhagwati, whose organization advocates for female veterans.</p>
<p>The VA's undersecretary for benefits, Allison Hickey, a 27-year veteran and former Air Force general, has required all workers handling disability claims to undergo sensitivity training in dealing with military sexual trauma.</p>
<p>Hickey also assembled a task force to review the claims process for veterans claiming sexual assault or harassment while serving in the military. The group looked at 400 claims and determined that nearly a quarter were denied before all the evidence was presented. That led to another training program on the evidence needed or establishing a PTSD claim connected to military sexual trauma.  The approval rate is now much closer, though still slightly behind that for other PTSD claims.</p>
<p>Even though the VA's statistics indicate that a greater percentage of military sexual trauma victims are getting benefits, lawmakers believe more action is required.</p>
<p>&quot;If half of them are being denied their claims, that's still a lot of people, said Rep. Chellie Pingree. Pingree and Sen. Jon Tester are the lead sponsors of the legislation that would allow the veteran's word to serve as sufficient proof that an assault occurred. The legislation is named after Moore, who spent years fighting for disability benefits.</p>
<p>The VA originally opposed Pingree's bill, saying the legislation didn't allow for the minimal evidence &quot;needed to maintain the integrity of the claims process.&quot; But VA spokesman Josh Taylor said Thursday that there's been a change of heart and that the VA no longer opposes the legislation.</p>
<p>&quot;VA supports the goals of the legislation, and will continue to work with Congress on the best approach to accomplish it,&quot; Taylor said.</p>
<p>An amended version of Pingree's bill passed the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs two weeks ago and could go to the full House as early as this week.</p>]]></description>
		
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		<pubDate>Tue, 21 May 2013 12:00:26 EST</pubDate>
		<source>WJLA</source>
		<category>Nation</category>
		<author>The Associated Press</author>
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		<title><![CDATA[DAYBREAK DAILY: E.W. Jackson an enigma for Virginia GOP]]></title>
		<description><![CDATA[<p><strong>ABC7 WEATHER:</strong> Partly cloudy with a slight chance of rain and highs in the mid 80s. <a href="http://wj.la/72e8x6">http://wj.la/72e8x6</a></p>
<p><strong>&lsquo;GOOD MORNING WASHINGTON&rsquo;:</strong> Among the stories &ndash; Continuing coverage of the tornado devastation in Oklahoma; IRS controversy isn&rsquo;t going away; much more, beginning at 4:30 a.m. M-F.</p>
<p><strong>E.W. JACKSON:</strong> Of an introduction, per the <strong>Virginian-Pilot</strong>, &ldquo;Until Saturday, E.W. Jackson was known primarily in political circles as a preacher noteworthy for his conservative activism and controversial rhetoric about abortion, gay people, Muslims and Barack Obama. That changed the instant he claimed the Virginia Republican nomination for lieutenant governor from a field of seven candidates, becoming just the second African American picked by the party to run for statewide office.</p>
<p>&quot;The past invective by the Chesapeake-based minister is coming under renewed scrutiny as he takes his place on the GOP ticket in Virginia's closely watched November election. Over the years, Jackson, 61, has called the Planned Parenthood abortion rights group &quot;far more lethal to black lives than the KKK&quot; for committing genocide against unborn black babies. He has urged Christians to disavow Democrats due to the party's support for same-sex marriage, labeling gay people perverted and &quot;frankly very sick people psychologically, mentally and emotionally.&quot; <a href="http://bit.ly/10J3HqR">http://bit.ly/10J3HqR</a></p>
<p><strong>KILLER TORNADO:</strong> Just the facts, per the<strong> New York Times</strong>, &ldquo;MOORE, Okla. &mdash; A giant tornado, a mile wide or more, killed at least 91 people, 20 of them children, as it tore across parts of Oklahoma City and its suburbs Monday afternoon, flattening homes, flinging cars through the air and crushing at least two schools.</p>
<p>&ldquo;The injured flooded into hospitals, and the authorities said many people remained trapped, even as rescue workers struggled to make their way through debris-clogged streets to the devastated suburb of Moore, where much of the damage occurred. Amy Elliott, the spokeswoman for the Oklahoma City medical examiner, said at least 91 people had died, including the children, and officials said that toll was likely to climb. Hospitals reported at least 145 people injured, 70 of them children.&rdquo; <a href="http://nyti.ms/10fXSC4">http://nyti.ms/10fXSC4</a></p>
<p><strong>AND THIS:</strong> The scene, per the <strong>Kansas City Star</strong>, &ldquo;At 2 a.m Tuesday, not a quarter mile from the obliterated Plaza Tower Elementary School, some 20 search and rescue firefighters watch as a cadaver sniffing-dog searches time and again through a mountain of debris that was once a house. Trees torn naked mix with cars crushed like tin. Homes smashed into jagged tinder gather in sit in heaps like dunes. The dog has a hit. Chainsaws crack the air.</p>
<p>&ldquo;At the school, the search continues beneath floodlights. &quot;They think they have three more bodies in there,&quot; said Kingfisher County Task Force Fire Chief Randy Poindexter. &quot;They don't know if they're adults or children.&quot; The firefighters have been digging in this for close to an hour.&rdquo; <a href="http://bit.ly/14M3do2">http://bit.ly/14M3do2</a></p>
<p><strong>MONTGOMERY COUNTY&rsquo;S FOLLY:</strong> At least it seems that way, per the <strong>Washington Post</strong>, &ldquo;. . . Today, 23 years after the county spent $8 million to buy the land for the transit center, two decades after the federal government provided the first $1.5 million to design it and more than six years after construction finally began, the Silver Spring Transit Center sits behind chain-link fencing, its new bus benches still shrink-wrapped. Although the facility is supposedly 95 percent finished, it is crippled by major structural flaws. Dangerous cracks in the building are warning signs that chunks of concrete could fall onto pedestrians, and all sides agree that complex lawsuits lie ahead for the worst building fiasco in county history.&rdquo; <a href="http://wapo.st/13DZer8">http://wapo.st/13DZer8</a></p>
<p><strong>COMCAST:</strong> Of big feet, per <strong>Gazette.Net</strong>, &ldquo;Comcast Corp. is beefing up its Montgomery County job base at the expense of Prince George&rsquo;s County and Northern Virginia. The Philadelphia broadcasting and Internet services giant will add dozens of call-center employees in Silver Spring while cutting 145 call-center jobs in Largo and more than 100 others in Northern Virginia by Sept. 7.</p>
<p>&ldquo;Some 200 new call-center jobs will be added in Silver Spring and White Marsh near Baltimore, though Aimee Metrick, a Comcast spokeswoman, could not say how many will be moved to each site.&rdquo; <a href="http://bit.ly/17XvYSY">http://bit.ly/17XvYSY</a></p>
<p><strong>POLITICO PLAY:</strong> &ldquo;Five years later, the 2008 presidential primary still goes on and on and on. In a string of Democratic primary elections around the country, two of the long-memoried protagonists of the Barack Obama-Hillary Clinton nomination fight keep finding themselves at odds as they rally to support down-ballot candidates who picked the &ldquo;right&rdquo; side in 2008.</p>
<p>&ldquo;The most recent flashpoint is Tuesday&rsquo;s mayoral runoff election in Los Angeles, where former President Bill Clinton and Obama master strategist David Axelrod have picked candidates in direct opposition to each other.&rdquo; <a href="http://politi.co/14rVlZh">http://politi.co/14rVlZh</a></p>
<p><strong>MOBILE PHONES -- EVIL:</strong> Or are they?, per the<strong> Washington Examiner</strong>, &ldquo;Marylanders soon will be ticketed for texting or talking on a mobile phone while driving under a new law, but studies show such crackdowns on phone use do little to prevent traffic accidents. The new law means drivers who are emailing, texting or talking without a hands-free device can be pulled over and issued a $100 ticket just for using their phones. Currently, they have to be pulled over for committing a different offense to get a ticket for phone use.&rdquo; <a href="http://bit.ly/18erpkU">http://bit.ly/18erpkU</a></p>
<p><strong>D.C. CHARTERS:</strong> The saga continues, per <strong>City Paper</strong>, &ldquo;A year ago, my redoubtable predecessor chronicled the hurdles charter schools face when they try to move into vacant D.C. Public Schools buildings. The administration of ex-Mayor Adrian Fenty closed 23 DCPS schools, but managed to get around rules giving charters top priority on the buildings, and at least 18 were handed over to city agencies or developers, leaving charters scrambling to build or lease other spaces.</p>
<p>&ldquo;Now the Vince Gray administration is going through its own round of school closures, with 15 slated to be shuttered. That ought to mean 15 good options for charters looking for space&mdash;if the process runs like it's supposed to this time around.&rdquo; <a href="http://bit.ly/18ZvWJf">http://bit.ly/18ZvWJf</a></p>
<p><strong>LEAVING MONEY ON THE TABLE: </strong>This one&rsquo;s complicated, per the <strong>Washington Times</strong>, &ldquo;The District's Office of Tax and Revenue failed to collect $6.5 million over a five-year period because it did not charge penalty fees to businesses that owed money &mdash; a punitive system now under review because officials said it was too ambiguous to enforce. The findings were among several deficiencies highlighted in the city's tax office through a report by the District's office of the inspector general.&rdquo; <a href="http://bit.ly/18escCt">http://bit.ly/18escCt</a></p>
<p><strong>SPORTS, BRIEFLY:</strong> Nationals lose 8-0 against San Francisco.</p>
<p><strong>NEWSTALK:</strong> 10 a.m., NewsChannel 8.</p>
<p><em>--Skip Wood </em></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>]]></description>
		
			<link>http://www.wjla.com/articles/2013/05/daybreak-daily-e-w-jackson-an-enigma-for-virginia-gop-89071.html</link>
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		<pubDate>Tue, 21 May 2013 05:40:22 EST</pubDate>
		<source>WJLA</source>
		<category>Nation</category>
		<author>Skip Wood</author>
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		<title><![CDATA[Oklahoma tornado: Obama pledges help]]></title>
		<description><![CDATA[<p>WASHINGTON (AP) - President Barack Obama has called Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin to express his concern about a monstrous tornado that wreaked havoc in the Oklahoma City suburbs.</p>
<p>The White House says Obama told the governor that he's directed the government and the Federal Emergency Management Agency to provide any assistance she needs. FEMA has sent a special team to Oklahoma's emergency operations center to help out and dispatch resources.</p>
<p>Obama also told Fallin to contact him directly if the federal government can provide additional help.</p>
<p>The White House says Obama's homeland security team is keeping him updated on the situation.</p>
<p>The tornado flattened entire neighborhoods in the southern suburb of Moore with winds up to 200 mph, leaving buildings on fire and landing a direct blow to an elementary school.</p>]]></description>
		
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		<pubDate>Mon, 20 May 2013 22:12:48 EST</pubDate>
		<source>WJLA</source>
		<category>Nation</category>
		<author></author>
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		<title><![CDATA[Boston lawyers to get bombing suspect prison files]]></title>
		<description><![CDATA[<p>BOSTON (AP) - A judge approved a request Monday by Boston Marathon bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev's defense attorneys to receive records compiled on him in federal prison.</p>
<p>U.S. Magistrate Judge Marianne Bowler said in her order that prison officials should give attorneys the daily activity logs, suicide watch logs, psychology data files, photographs, commissary files they requested, and other records.</p>
<p>The judge said prosecutors also are entitled to the records, turning down a defense request that the records not be provided to the government until the defense had a chance to file objections to a judge. She also found no reason to keep private the defense's sealed request.</p>
<p>Bowler ruled Friday that defense lawyers couldn't take their own photos of Tsaraev in prison, but said prison officials could take photos of Tsarnaev with his lawyers present. Those also would be shared with prosecutors.</p>
<p>She said that defense lawyers contended Tsarnaev's &quot;injuries over time&quot; could provide evidence of his &quot;evolving mental and physical state&quot; and whether his statements were voluntary.</p>
<p>Also Monday, prosecutors and defense attorneys filed a joint motion to delay a May 30 probable cause hearing at least until July 2, saying they need more time to obtain and review evidence. They also cited the complex legal issues in the case. Federal prosecutors had said Friday they would ask for more time to indict Tsarnaev than the 30-day period prescribed under the Federal Speedy Trial Act.</p>
<p>Tsarnaev is accused of carrying out the April 15 attack with his brother Tamerlan, who died days later in a shootout with police. The bombings killed three people and injured more than 260.</p>]]></description>
		
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		<pubDate>Mon, 20 May 2013 21:03:08 EST</pubDate>
		<source>WJLA</source>
		<category>Nation</category>
		<author></author>
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		<title><![CDATA[Jodi Arias trial: Arias expected to speak to jurors Tuesday]]></title>
		<description><![CDATA[<p>PHOENIX (AP) - The penalty phase of the Jodi Arias murder trial wrapped up for the day Monday after a series of legal arguments in which her defense lawyers asked for a mistrial and to withdraw from the case.</p>
<p>The trial is scheduled to continue Tuesday with Arias speaking to the jury.</p>
<p>The judge denied the defense's request for a mistrial based on a key witness receiving death threats. In protest of the judge's decision, defense lawyers Kirk Nurmi and Jennifer Willmott asked to withdraw.</p>
<p>The judge promptly denied that request, too.</p>
<p>The defense then said they have no plans to call any witnesses, sending the court into recess as lawyers worked to resolve the next step. They later decided Arias would speak to the jury Tuesday.</p>
<p>Arias and an ex-boyfriend had been expected to speak to jurors before the panel begins deliberating whether to sentence the 32-year-old Arias to life in prison or execution for murdering her lover in 2008.</p>
<p>Arias was convicted of first-degree murder earlier this month in the death of Travis Alexander. Last week, jurors heard tearful comments from Alexander's brother and sister as they described how his killing has torn their lives apart.</p>
<p>Judge Sherry Stephens instructed jurors they could consider a handful of factors when deciding what sentence to impose, including Arias' lack of a prior criminal record and assertions that she was a good friend, had an abusive childhood and is a talented artist.</p>
<p>In opening statements, prosecutor Juan Martinez told the panel none of those factors should cause the jury to even consider a sentence other than death, given the brutal nature of the killing.</p>
<p>Defense attorney Kirk Nurmi explained to jurors that Arias herself would testify this week.</p>
<p>&quot;When you understand who Ms. Arias is, you will understand that life is the appropriate sentence,&quot; Nurmi said.</p>
<p>Arias, 32, acknowledged killing Alexander at his suburban Phoenix home on June 4, 2008. She initially denied any involvement and later blamed the attack on masked intruders. Two years after her arrest, Arias said she killed Alexander in self-defense.</p>
<p>The victim suffered nearly 30 knife wounds, had his throat slit from ear to ear and was shot in the forehead. Prosecutors say the attack was fueled by jealous rage after Alexander wanted to end his affair with Arias and prepared to take a trip to Mexico with another woman.</p>
<p>Jurors convicted Arias on May 8 of first-degree murder, with all 12 unanimously agreeing it was premeditated, after about 15 hours of deliberations over four days.</p>
<p>The panel later took less than three hours to determine the killing was especially cruel, meaning the death penalty would be a consideration for sentencing.</p>
<p>The ongoing penalty proceedings will be the final phase of the trial. Jurors are expected to begin deliberating Arias' ultimate fate this week.</p>
<p>The proceedings will play out like a mini-trial as the prosecutor will be allowed to cross-examine each witness, and both sides will offer closing arguments before the jury begins deliberations.</p>
<p>Under Arizona law, if the jury cannot reach a unanimous decision on sentencing, the panel will be dismissed and jury selection will begin anew. Another panel would then be seated to hear arguments in only the penalty phase to determine a sentence. If the second panel cannot reach a unanimous agreement, the judge will then sentence Arias to either her entire life in prison or life in prison with the possibility of release after 25 years.</p>
<p>The most anticipated part of the penalty phase will be when Arias takes the witness stand, though exactly what she will say remains a mystery. Within minutes of her murder conviction, Arias complicated efforts for her defense when she gave an interview to Fox affiliate KSAZ, saying she preferred death over life in prison.</p>
<p>It wasn't clear whether the prosecutor would use those words against her in court, given some experts say it might not work in his favor aimed at securing a death sentence.</p>
<p>&quot;Jodi Arias has proven herself to be a conniving manipulator so she may be saying something like this to get a reaction from the jury,&quot; said San Francisco criminal defense lawyer Michael Cardoza. &quot;She may be hoping the jury says, 'We won't give her what she wants, and if she wants death, we're giving her life.'&quot;</p>
<p>Cardoza noted that in Arias' case, with so much evidence against her, the defense can still claim some level of satisfaction is they can just keep her off death row.</p>
<p>Arizona defense attorney Thomas Gorman, who has handled dozens of death penalty cases, said Martinez may not need to mention Arias' comments in the television interview to jurors given they haven't been sequestered throughout the trial.</p>
<p>&quot;They just can't avoid it,&quot; Gorman said. &quot;If they're at a bar or a restaurant, they're going to see and hear things.&quot;</p>
<p>Arias also cannot choose the death penalty. It's up to the jury to determine a sentence. And while death penalty appeals are automatic in Arizona, she could choose not to pursue additional appeals if she indeed wanted to die for her crime.</p>
<p>Earlier this week, after Arias' was interviewed post-conviction, her attorneys asked to be allowed to step down from the case, but a judge denied the request. Legal experts say the decision was not a surprising one because the attorneys have a conflict of interest with their own efforts to try and save her life while Arias has said she'd rather die.</p>
<p>The motion to withdraw will have no impact on the penalty phase of the trial given jurors are not privy to the filing.</p>]]></description>
		
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		<pubDate>Mon, 20 May 2013 14:48:48 EST</pubDate>
		<source>WJLA</source>
		<category>Nation</category>
		<author></author>
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		<title><![CDATA[Military sex abuse: 85K treated for sex abuse injuries, illnesses]]></title>
		<description><![CDATA[<p>WASHINGTON (AP) - New government figures underscore the staggering long-term consequences of military sexual assaults: More than 85,000 veterans were treated last year for injuries or illness linked to the abuse, and 4,000 sought disability benefits.</p>
<p>The Department of Veterans Affairs' accounting, released in response to inquiries from The Associated Press, shows a heavy financial and emotional cost that affects several generations of veterans and lasts long after a victim leaves the service. Sexual assault or repeated sexual harassment can trigger a variety of health problems, primarily post-traumatic stress disorder and depression.</p>
<p>While women are more likely to be victims, men made up nearly 40 percent of the patients the VA treated for conditions connected to what it calls &quot;military sexual trauma.&quot;</p>
<p>It took years for Ruth Moore of Milbridge, Maine, to begin getting treatment from a VA counseling center in 2003 - 16 years after she was raped twice while she was stationed in Europe with the Navy. She continues to get counseling at least monthly for PTSD linked to the attacks and is also considered fully disabled.</p>
<p>&quot;We can't cure me, but we can work on stability in my life and work on issues as they arrive,&quot; Moore said.</p>
<p>VA officials stress that any veteran who claims to have suffered military sexual trauma has access to free health care.</p>
<p>&quot;It really is the case that a veteran can simply walk through the door, say they've had this experience, and we will get them hooked up with care. There's no documentation required. They don't need to have reported it at the time,&quot; said Dr. Margret Bell, a member of the VA's military sexual trauma team.</p>
<p>However, the hurdles are steeper for those who seek disability compensation - too steep for some veterans groups and lawmakers who support legislation designed to make it easier for veterans to get a monthly disability payment.</p>
<p>&quot;Right now, the burden of proof is stacked against sexual trauma survivors,&quot; said Anu Bhagwati, executive director of the Service Women's Action Network. &quot;Ninety percent of 26,000 cases last year weren't even reported. So where is that evidence supposed to come from?&quot;</p>
<p>Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel has said reducing the incidence of sexual assaults in the military is a top priority. But it's a decades-old problem with no easy fix, as made even more apparent when an Air Force officer who headed a sexual assault prevention office was arrested recently on sexual battery charges.</p>
<p>&quot;We will not stop until we've seen this scourge, from what is the greatest military in the world, eliminated,&quot; Obama said after summoning top Pentagon officials to the White House last week to talk about the problem. &quot;Not only is it a crime, not only is it shameful and disgraceful, but it also is going to make and has made the military less effective than it can be.&quot;</p>
<p>The VA says 1 in 5 women and 1 in 100 men screen positive for military sexual trauma, which the VA defines as &quot;any sexual activity where you are involved against your will.&quot; Some report that they were victims of rape, while others say they were groped or subjected to verbal abuse or other forms of sexual harassment.</p>
<p>But not all those veterans seek health care or disability benefits related to the attacks. The 85,000 who sought outpatient care linked to military sexual trauma during the latest fiscal year are among nearly 22 million veterans around the country.</p>
<p>The VA statistics underscore that the problems for victims of sexual abuse do not end when someone leaves the service.</p>
<p>Psychological issues, including PTSD, depression and anxiety, are most common, according to the agency. Victims also can develop substance abuse problems.</p>
<p>Some victims like Moore are so disabled that they are unable to work. Others need ongoing care at VA outpatient clinics and hospitals.</p>
<p>In the final six months of 2011, an average of 248 veterans per month filed for disability benefits related to sexual trauma. The VA said the numbers increased by about a third, to 334 veterans per month in 2012, which officials attributed in part to better screening for the ongoing trauma associated with sexual assault. Of those who filed in 2012, about two-thirds were women and nearly a third were men.</p>
<p>&quot;We do a lot more awareness, and as we educate everyone on the potential benefits and that it's OK to come forward, I think you see an increase in reporting,&quot; said Edna MacDonald, director of the VA's regional office in Nashville.</p>
<p>To get disability benefits related to sexual trauma, veterans must be diagnosed with a health problem such as PTSD, submit proof that they were assaulted or sexually harassed in a threatening manner and have a VA examiner confirm a link to their health condition.</p>
<p>Many lawmakers and veterans groups support allowing a veteran's statement alone to serve as the proof that an assault or harassment occurred. An examiner would still have to find there's a link to the health condition diagnosed.</p>
<p>The VA's records indicate that veterans seeking compensation related to military sexual trauma had about a 1 in 2 chance of getting their claim approved last year, up from about 34 percent in June 2011.</p>
<p>The VA does not break out the cost of treating and compensating individual veterans for sexual abuse or trauma. A veteran's combination of disabilities is unique to each individual, so it's not able to attribute specific spending levels for individual disabilities.</p>
<p>Benefits depend on the severity of the disability. For example, a veteran with a 50 percent rating and no dependents would get $810 a month. A veteran with a 100 percent rating and a spouse and child to support would get nearly $3,088 a month.</p>
<p>Moore estimates the government's cost for her disability benefits and treatment could well exceed $500,000 over the course of her lifetime. She said she had first sought treatment from the VA in 1991, but was originally denied care. She eventually started getting care through a VA counseling center in 2003. She blames the time lapse for exacerbating the degree of her PTSD, and the expense to the federal government.</p>
<p>&quot;If I had received treatment in 1991, I would not be, or likely not be fully disabled now in 2013,&quot; Moore said. &quot;... Literally, my brain has been remapped and there's a lot of brain damage that goes along with my injury.&quot;</p>
<p>It wasn't until June 2011 that the VA began recording monthly disability claims related specifically to military sexual trauma. Veterans file claims for conditions that are a result of the trauma, not for MST itself, which made it particularly difficult to track. The VA came up with a special process for doing so in 2010.</p>
<p>There's no time limit to filing a claim. &quot;We have veterans who call our help line who have been assaulted way back in time. They're still suffering from the effects of World War II or Vietnam. I wish I were exaggerating,&quot; said Bhagwati, whose organization advocates for female veterans.</p>
<p>The VA's undersecretary for benefits, Allison Hickey, a 27-year veteran and former Air Force general, has required all workers handling disability claims to undergo sensitivity training in dealing with military sexual trauma.</p>
<p>Hickey also assembled a task force to review the claims process for veterans claiming sexual assault or harassment while serving in the military. The group looked at 400 claims and determined that nearly a quarter were denied before all the evidence was presented. That led to another training program on the evidence needed or establishing a PTSD claim connected to military sexual trauma. The approval rate is now much closer, though still slightly behind that for other PTSD claims.</p>
<p>Even though the VA's statistics indicate that a greater percentage of military sexual trauma victims are getting benefits, lawmakers believe more action is required.</p>
<p>&quot;If half of them are being denied their claims, that's still a lot of people, said Rep. Chellie Pingree. Pingree and Sen. Jon Tester are the lead sponsors of the legislation that would allow the veteran's word to serve as sufficient proof that an assault occurred. The legislation is named after Moore, who spent years fighting for disability benefits.</p>
<p>The VA originally opposed Pingree's bill, saying the legislation didn't allow for the minimal evidence &quot;needed to maintain the integrity of the claims process.&quot; But VA spokesman Josh Taylor said Thursday that there's been a change of heart and that the VA no longer opposes the legislation.</p>
<p>&quot;VA supports the goals of the legislation, and will continue to work with Congress on the best approach to accomplish it,&quot; Taylor said.</p>
<p>An amended version of Pingree's bill passed the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs two weeks ago and could go to the full House as early as this week.</p>]]></description>
		
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		<pubDate>Mon, 20 May 2013 12:37:36 EST</pubDate>
		<source>WJLA</source>
		<category>Nation</category>
		<author></author>
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		<title><![CDATA[Supreme Court to take up prayer in public meetings case]]></title>
		<description><![CDATA[<p>WASHINGTON (AP) - The Supreme Court said Monday it will hear a new case on the intersection of religion and government in a dispute over prayers used to open public meetings.</p>
<p>The justices said they will review an appeals court ruling that held that the upstate New York town of Greece, a Rochester suburb, violated the Constitution by opening nearly every meeting over an 11-year span with prayers that stressed Christianity.</p>
<p>The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said the town should have made a greater effort to invite people from other faiths to open its monthly board meetings.</p>
<p>The town says the high court already has upheld prayers at the start of legislative meetings and that private citizens offered invocations of their own choosing. The town said in court papers that the opening prayers should be found to be constitutional, &quot;so long as the government does not act with improper motive in selecting prayer-givers.&quot;</p>
<p>Two town residents who are not Christian complained that they felt marginalized by the steady stream of Christian prayers and challenged the practice. They are represented by Americans United for Separation of Church and State.</p>
<p>Reacting to the court action Monday, the Rev. Barry W. Lynn, Americans United executive director, said, &quot;A town council meeting isn't a church service, and it shouldn't seem like one.&quot;</p>
<p>The town is represented by Alliance Defending Freedom, an Arizona-based group that presses faith-based cases in courts nationwide. ADF senior counsel David Cortman said the framers of the Constitution prayed while drafting the Bill of Rights. &quot;Americans today should be as free as the Founders were to pray,&quot; Cortman said.</p>
<p>From 1999 through 2007, and again from January 2009 through June 2010, every meeting was opened with a Christian-oriented invocation. In 2008, after residents Susan Galloway and Linda Stephens complained, four of 12 meetings were opened by non-Christians, including a Jewish layman, a Wiccan priestess and the chairman of the local Baha'i congregation.</p>
<p>A town employee each month selected clerics or lay people by using a local published guide of churches. The guide did not include non-Christian denominations, however. The court found that religious institutions in the town of just under 100,000 people are primarily Christian, and even Galloway and Stephens testified they knew of no non-Christian places of worship there.</p>
<p>The court ruled the town should have expanded its search outside its borders.</p>
<p>Arguments will take place in the fall.</p>
<p>The case is Town of Greece v. Galloway, 12-696.</p>]]></description>
		
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		<pubDate>Mon, 20 May 2013 12:04:14 EST</pubDate>
		<source>WJLA</source>
		<category>Nation</category>
		<author>The Associated Press</author>
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		<title><![CDATA[Yahoo buys Tumblr in $1.1 billion deal]]></title>
		<description><![CDATA[<p>SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Yahoo is buying online blogging forum Tumblr for $1.1 billion as CEO Marissa Mayer tries to rejuvenate an Internet icon that had fallen behind the times. </p>
<p>The deal announced Monday represents Mayer's boldest move yet since she left Google 10 months ago to lead Yahoo's latest comeback attempt. It marks Yahoo's most expensive acquisition since the Sunnyvale, Calif., company bought Overture for $1.3 billion a decade ago. </p>
<p>Tumblr now figures to play a pivotal role in Mayer's attempt to reshape Yahoo Inc. </p>
<p>Mayer is betting that Tumblr, a 6-year-old service started by high school dropout David Karp, will provide Yahoo with a hook to reel in more traffic and advertisers on smartphones and tablets. </p>
<p>The companies say Tumblr will remain independently operated and Karp will stay CEO.</p>]]></description>
		
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		<pubDate>Mon, 20 May 2013 08:12:54 EST</pubDate>
		<source>WJLA</source>
		<category>Nation</category>
		<author></author>
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		<title><![CDATA[DAYBREAK DAILY: Virginia GOP throws a grand tea party]]></title>
		<description><![CDATA[<p><strong>ABC7 WEATHER:</strong> Mostly overcast with a 40 percent chance of rain and highs in the low 80s. <a href="http://wj.la/72e8x6">http://wj.la/72e8x6</a></p>
<p><strong>&lsquo;GOOD MORNING WASHINGTON&rsquo;:</strong> Among the stories &ndash; Tornado talk; More on the two FBI agents killed in a training exercise off Virginia Beach; much more, beginning at 4:30 a.m. M-F.</p>
<p><strong>VIRGINIA GOP:</strong> Sugar with your tea?, per the <strong>Richmond Times-Dispatch</strong>, &ldquo;E.W. Jackson, a minister and attorney from Chesapeake, pulled off a stunning upset (Saturday) night, topping six rivals for the Republican nomination for lieutenant governor. Jackson fended off a late charge by Pete Snyder, a Northern Virginia technology entrepreneur, capping an epic four-ballot battle at the Richmond Coliseum that lasted nearly 10 hours.</p>
<p>&ldquo;Earlier Saturday, delegates nominated Sen. Mark D. Obenshain, R-Harrisonburg to run for attorney general. The result means Ken Cuccinelli, who formally accepted the party&rsquo;s nomination for governor Saturday, will head a ticket that cements the tea party&rsquo;s takeover of the state GOP apparatus.&rdquo; <a href="http://bit.ly/Z5rKWE">http://bit.ly/Z5rKWE</a></p>
<p><strong>DING, CHING, BIP:</strong> Of casinos, per the <strong>Baltimore Sun</strong>, &ldquo;Although Maryland has handed out five casino operating licenses, the state is entering uncharted territory with the allocation of its sixth. For the first time, there's real competition. Three serious operators submitted bids to run a casino in Prince George's County, making the choice more competitive than the selections for other jurisdictions. &quot;We're going to have to figure out how we do a fair evaluation,&quot; said Donald Fry, chairman of the state commission that will select the winner. &quot;It does present a different dynamic than what we had previously done.&quot; <a href="http://bsun.md/18VVYgo">http://bsun.md/18VVYgo</a></p>
<p><strong>THE IRS THING:</strong> A pushback from the White House, per the <strong>Washington Post</strong>, &ldquo;White House senior adviser Dan Pfeiffer said Sunday the question of whether any laws were broken in the Internal Revenue Scandal is &ldquo;irrelevant&rdquo; to the fact that the agency&rsquo;s actions were wrong and unjustifiable. &ldquo;I can&rsquo;t speak to the law here. The law is irrelevant,&rdquo; Pfefiffer said on ABC News&rsquo;s &ldquo;This Week With George Stephanopoulos.&rdquo; &ldquo;The activity was outrageous and inexcusable, and it was stopped and it needs to be fixed to ensure it never happens again.&rdquo;</p>
<p>&ldquo;Stephanopoulos replied: &ldquo;You don&rsquo;t really mean the law is irrelevant, do you?&rdquo; Pfeiffer responded: &ldquo;What I mean is, whether it&rsquo;s legal or illegal is not important to the fact that the conduct doesn&rsquo;t matter. The Department of Justice has said that they&rsquo;re looking into the legality of this. The president is not going to wait for that. We have to make sure it does not happen again, regardless of how that turns out.&rdquo; <a href="http://wapo.st/112XSKC">http://wapo.st/112XSKC</a></p>
<p><strong>SITUATION SYRIA:</strong> Rebels suffer a setback, per the<strong> New York Times</strong>, &ldquo;Syrian government forces backed by Lebanese fighters from the militant group Hezbollah pushed Sunday into parts of a strategic city long held by rebels, according to both an antigovernment activist and pro-government news channels. If the advance holds, it would be a serious setback for opponents of President Bashar al-Assad and further inflame regional tensions.&rdquo; <a href="http://nyti.ms/10Oqy5g">http://nyti.ms/10Oqy5g</a></p>
<p><strong>DEADLY TWISTERS:</strong> Of destruction, per the <strong>Oklahoman</strong>, &ldquo;Tornadoes ripped through central Oklahoma Sunday evening &mdash; leveling homes in or near Carney, Bethel Acres and Norman, overturning tractor-trailers on Interstate 40 near Shawnee and damaging roofs and trees in southeast Edmond. One elderly man was confirmed dead in the Bethel Acres-Dale area west of Shawnee, Pottawatomie County Sheriff Mike Booth said. For a time, two people were missing from a mobile home park there, but they were later found safe, the sheriff said. Bulldozers were brought in Sunday night to help clear debris.&rdquo; <a href="http://bit.ly/10HJ2Yh">http://bit.ly/10HJ2Yh</a></p>
<p><strong>NO BIG APPLE:</strong> Not this year, anyway, per the<strong> Virginian-Pilot</strong>, &ldquo;This was supposed to be the week when thousands of free-spending Norfolk sailors were to descend on lower Manhattan, where New Yorkers promised to shower them with gifts, drinks and kisses. But the annual party on the Hudson River was canceled. Fleet Week New York &ndash; like all the Navy&rsquo;s big community outreach events this year &ndash; fell victim to sweeping federal budget cuts. Most of the sailors who would have been treated to free baseball tickets and complimentary subway rides instead will spend the week idling in Hampton Roads traffic and reporting for duty at Norfolk Naval Station.&rdquo; <a href="http://bit.ly/Z6C1C0">http://bit.ly/Z6C1C0</a></p>
<p><strong>POLITICO PLAY:</strong> &ldquo;Democrats aiming to retake the House next year against all odds tried to reassure themselves after President Barack Obama&rsquo;s week from hell: The election is still 18 months away, plenty of time for Republicans to turn today&rsquo;s gift into tomorrow&rsquo;s albatross. Yet the anxiety within party ranks heading into a midterm already heavily stacked in the GOP&rsquo;s favor is all too palpable.&rdquo; <a href="http://politi.co/10HR4Aj">http://politi.co/10HR4Aj</a></p>
<p><strong>MORE THAN MEETS THE EYE:</strong> You have to go deep, per<strong> ABC7&ndash;WJLA</strong> , &ldquo;Walter Pierce Park in Adams Morgan is an urban oasis, with quiet walkways, a playground, green spaces, and a dog park. . . But underneath the park, and in some fenced-off areas, there is a hidden history here. On seven acres, in two separate sections are a Quaker burial ground, and an 1800s-era African-American cemetery.&rdquo; <a href="http://wj.la/14lJWdB">http://wj.la/14lJWdB</a></p>
<p><strong>CHARTER STARTER:</strong> Of a competition, per the <strong>Washington Examiner</strong>, &ldquo;A controversial computer-based learning model is competing with eight other proposals to be one of the next charter schools approved for the District. The proposed Nexus Academy of DC, run by a subsidiary of publishing giant Pearson, would offer grades 9 through 12 in Ward 2, eventually serving up to 600 students.&rdquo; <a href="http://bit.ly/14HyQPn">http://bit.ly/14HyQPn</a></p>
<p><strong>GUNS:</strong> And a rare D.C. exception, per the<strong> Washington Times</strong>, &ldquo;Authorities last week made an agreement not to prosecute a Northwest D.C. man who used his unregistered handgun to kill a pit bull in order to stop it from mauling a child in his neighborhood. As part of the agreement, Benjamin Srigley, 39, was required to pay a $1,000 fine but will not have criminal charges filed against him for the three unregistered firearms and the ammunition that investigators found in his possession, said Ted Gest, a spokesman for the office of the attorney general.&rdquo; <a href="http://bit.ly/14mg2Wm">http://bit.ly/14mg2Wm</a></p>
<p><strong>TAXI!:</strong> Let the battle begin &ndash; again, per <strong>DCist</strong>, &ldquo;Just when we thought there was comity in our time, the clash between Uber and the D.C. Taxicab Commission is heating up again. This time, Uber says that the regulations the commission adopted last week to finally clear the way for cabs to accept credit cards contain provisions that will severely hamper the livery-by-smartphone company's business.&rdquo; <a href="http://bit.ly/12AU2Xj">http://bit.ly/12AU2Xj</a></p>
<p><strong>SPORTS, BRIEFLY:</strong> Nationals lose 13-4 at San Diego.</p>
<p><strong>FROM LATE LAST WEEK:</strong> But nonetheless interesting, per<strong> City Paper</strong>, &ldquo;Gawker broke the news. . .that colorful Toronto Mayor Rob Ford can reportedly be seen smoking crack cocaine on a cell phone video, as long as you're willing to pay $100,000 for the tape. While this will have some impact on Canada, probably something to do with moose and ketchup-flavored chips, it means something else for the District: Finally, we're not the only city whose mayor has been caught on tape smoking crack.</p>
<p>&ldquo;I asked Mayor-for-Life Marion Barry&mdash;convicted in 1990 for misdemeanor drug possession&mdash;for his take on Ford, but the D.C. councilmember says his own videotaped crack use is too different from Ford's reported tape to compare. &quot;Unless he was entrapped by the government, it's not similar,&quot; Barry says. Barry declined to offer advice for Ford, saying that he's too focused on the residents of Ward 8.&rdquo; <a href="http://bit.ly/185Yyzd">http://bit.ly/185Yyzd</a></p>
<p><strong>TRENDING ON ABC7 FACEBOOK:</strong> &ldquo;Casino Wars: Maryland Live! and West Virginia's Hollywood Casino are both betting on table games and offering unique experiences to win over gamblers. Maryland was reportedly losing hundreds of millions of dollars a year to out-of-state casinos with table games. But that trend may be changing. Maryland Live! was successful with slots, but with the addition of Vegas-style table games last month, gamblers started pouring in.&rdquo; <a href="http://wj.la/13uIFOo">http://wj.la/13uIFOo</a></p>
<p><strong>NEWSTALK:</strong> Among today&rsquo;s guests (<strong>10 a.m., NewsChannel 8</strong>) is D.C. Councilman Tommy Wells (D-Ward 6), who will be asked about the launch of his mayoral campaign, the city&rsquo;s 2014 budget, the return of streetcars, ethics reform, marijuana legalization and more.</p>
<p>--<em>Skip Wood</em></p>]]></description>
		
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		<pubDate>Mon, 20 May 2013 05:56:54 EST</pubDate>
		<source>WJLA</source>
		<category>Nation</category>
		<author>Skip Wood</author>
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		<title><![CDATA[Gary Pruitt, AP CEO calls records seizure unconstitutional]]></title>
		<description><![CDATA[<p>WASHINGTON (AP) - The Associated Press' president and chief executive says the government's secret seizure of two months of reporters' phone records has already had a chilling effect on newsgathering, a week after the subpoenas were revealed publicly. </p>
<p>Gary Pruitt on Sunday called the Justice Department's actions &quot;unconstitutional&quot; and said the AP hasn't ruled out legal action. </p>
<p>In his first television interviews since the AP reported the Justice Department seizure, Pruitt said it has made sources less willing to talk to AP journalists and, in the long term, could limit Americans' information from all news outlets. </p>
<p>Pruitt told CBS' &quot;Face the Nation&quot; that the government has no business monitoring the AP's newsgathering activities. </p>
<p>&quot;And if they restrict that apparatus ... the people of the United States will only know what the government wants them to know and that's not what the framers of the Constitution had in mind when they wrote the First Amendment,&quot; he said. </p>
<p>In a separate interview with the AP, Pruitt said, &quot;It's too early to know if we'll take legal action but I can tell you we are positively displeased and we do feel that our constitutional rights have been violated.&quot; </p>
<p>He said President Barack Obama &quot;should rein in that out-of-control investigation.&quot; </p>
<p>&quot;They've been secretive, they've been overbroad and abusive - so much so that taken together, they are unconstitutional because they violate our First Amendment rights,&quot; he added. </p>
<p>Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky said the government needs to stop leaks by whatever means necessary. </p>
<p>&quot;This is an investigation that needs to happen because national security leaks, of course, can get our agents overseas killed,&quot; he said. </p>
<p>Republican Sen. John Cornyn, a member of the Judiciary Committee, said the government should focus on those who leak sensitive national security matters and not on journalists who report on them. The Texas Republican said his committee should hold hearings on how the Justice Department obtained phone records from AP reporters and editors. </p>
<p>&quot;What confuses me is the focus on the press, who have a constitutional right here and we depend on the press to get to the bottom of so many issues that we, as individuals, cannot,&quot; Cornyn said. </p>
<p>Cornyn said the Justice Department's actions were part of a pattern for Obama's administration to quiet its critics. </p>
<p>&quot;It's a culture of cover-ups and intimidation that is giving the administration so much trouble,&quot; Cornyn said. </p>
<p>He also renewed his call for Attorney General Eric Holder to resign, citing the contempt citation the House of Representatives voted against him last year for refusing to turn over documents in a failed government gun smuggling sting. </p>
<p>White House senior adviser Dan Pfeiffer said the president &quot;has complete faith in Attorney General Holder.&quot; He also insisted the White House was not involved in the decision to seek AP phone records. </p>
<p>&quot;A cardinal rule is we don't get involved in independent investigations. And this is one of those,&quot; Pfeiffer said. </p>
<p>Although the Justice Department has not explained why it sought phone records from the AP, Pruitt pointed to a May 7, 2012, story that disclosed details of a successful CIA operation in Yemen to stop an airliner bomb plot around the one-year anniversary of the May 2, 2011, killing of Osama bin Laden. </p>
<p>The AP delayed publication of that story at the request of government officials who said it would jeopardize national security. </p>
<p>&quot;We respected that, we acted responsibly, we held the story,&quot; Pruitt said. </p>
<p>Pruitt said the AP published the story only after officials from two government entities said the threat had passed. He said the administration still asked that the story be held until an official announcement the next day, a request the AP rejected. </p>
<p>The news service viewed the story as important because White House and Homeland Security Department officials were saying publicly there was no credible evidence of a terrorist threat to the U.S. around the one-year anniversary of bin Laden's death. </p>
<p>&quot;So that was misleading to the American public. We felt the American public needed to know this story,&quot; Pruitt said. </p>
<p>The AP has seen an effect on its newsgathering since the disclosure of the Justice Department's subpoena, he said. </p>
<p>&quot;Officials that would normally talk to us and people we talk to in the normal course of newsgathering are already saying to us that they're a little reluctant to talk to us,&quot; Pruitt said. &quot;They fear that they will be monitored by the government.&quot; </p>
<p>The Justice Department secretly obtained two months of personal and work telephone records for several reporters and editors, as well as general AP office numbers in New York, Washington and Hartford, Conn., and for the main number for the AP in the House of Representatives press gallery. </p>
<p>&quot;It was sweeping and broad and beyond what they needed to do,&quot; Pruitt said. </p>
<p>He objected to the &quot;Justice Department acting on its own being the judge, jury and executioner in secret,&quot; saying the AP would not back down. </p>
<p>&quot;We're not going to be intimidated by the abusive tactics of the Justice Department,&quot; he said. </p>
<p>McConnell and Pfeiffer were interviewed on NBC's &quot;Meet the Press.&quot; Cornyn appeared on &quot;Face the Nation.&quot;</p>]]></description>
		
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		<pubDate>Sun, 19 May 2013 14:09:41 EST</pubDate>
		<source>WJLA</source>
		<category>Nation</category>
		<author>The Associated Press</author>
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		<title><![CDATA[Powerball jackpot: one winning ticket sold in Florida]]></title>
		<description><![CDATA[<p>ZEPHYRHILLS, Fla. (AP) - It could be an anxious wait of up to two months for people in a small Florida city to find out who won the highest Powerball jackpot in history: an estimated $590.5 million.</p>
<p>The lucky ticket was bought sometime Saturday or earlier at a Publix supermarket in Zephyrhills, a city of about 13,000 people best known around the state for its brand of spring water with the same name.</p>
<p>The winner has 60 days to claim the lump-sum cash option, estimated around $376.9 million, at the Florida Lottery's office in Tallahassee. No one had come forward as of Sunday afternoon.</p>
<p>&quot;It never happens this quickly,&quot; lottery spokesman David Bishop said. &quot;If they know they won, they're going to contact their attorney or an accountant first so they can get their affairs in order.&quot;</p>
<p>The winner wasn't Matthew Bogel. On Sunday, he loaded groceries into his car after shopping at the Publix. He shook his head when asked about the jackpot.</p>
<p>&quot;It's crazy, isn't it?&quot; he said. &quot;That's so much money.&quot;</p>
<p>It's an amount too high for many to imagine. Compare it to the budget for the city of Zephyrhills: This year's figure is just more than $49 million. The winning Powerball jackpot is 12 times that.</p>
<p>Publix spokeswoman Maria Brous said there are a lot of rumors about who won, but the store doesn't know. &quot;We're excited for the winner or winners,&quot; she said.</p>
<p>Plenty of people in Zephyrhills are wondering whether it's someone they know.</p>
<p>Joan Albertson drove to the Publix early Sunday morning with her camera in hand, in case the winner emerged. She said she bought a ticket at a store across the street, and the idea of winning that much money was still something of a shock.</p>
<p>&quot;Oh, there's so much good that you could do with that amount of money.&quot; Albertson said. &quot;I don't even know where to begin.&quot;</p>
<p>Zephyrhills is a small city in Pasco County, about 30 miles northeast of downtown Tampa. Once a rural farming town, it's now known as a hotbed for skydiving activity, and the home to large retiree mobile home parks and the water bottled from the natural springs that surround the area.</p>
<p>And now, one lucky lottery ticket.</p>
<p>&quot;I'm getting text messages and messages from Facebook going, 'uh, did you win the lottery?'&quot; Sandra Lewis said. &quot;No, I didn't win, guys. Sorry.&quot;</p>
<p>Sara Jeltis said her parents in Michigan texted her with the news Sunday morning.</p>
<p>&quot;Well, it didn't click until I came here,&quot; she said, gesturing to the half-dozen TV live trucks humming in the Publix parking lot. &quot;And I'm like, 'Wow I can't believe it, it's shocking!' Out of the whole country, this Publix, in little Zephyrhills would be the winner.&quot;</p>
<p>With four out of every five possible combinations of Powerball numbers in play, lottery executives said Saturday that someone was almost certain to win the game's highest jackpot, a windfall of hundreds of millions of dollars - and that's after taxes.</p>
<p>The winning numbers were 10, 13, 14, 22 and 52, with a Powerball of 11.</p>
<p>Estimates had earlier put the jackpot at around $600 million. But Powerball's online site said Sunday that the jackpot had reached an estimated $590.5 million.</p>
<p>The world's largest jackpot was a $656 million Mega Millions jackpot in March 2012.</p>
<p>Someone in Virginia just missed the big ticket--but, their&nbsp;consolation prize is a cool $1 million. According to a statement from Virginia Lottery, the million-dollar ticket was bought at the Food Lion on Gunston Plaza in Lorton. Another 11 Virginia tickets each won $10,000. The winning numbers were 10-13-14-22-52, with a Powerball number of 11.</p>
<p>A total of 33 tickets nationwide won $1 million. The jackpot grew so big because no one had won since March 30, the lottery said. For Wednesday's drawing, the jackpot goes back to $40 million.</p>
<p>Terry Rich, CEO of the Iowa Lottery, initially confirmed that one Florida winning ticket had been sold. He told The Associated Press that following the Florida winner, the Powerball grand prize was being reset at an estimated jackpot of $40 million, or about $25.1 million cash value.</p>
<p>The chances of winning the prize were astronomically low: 1 in 175.2 million. That's how many different ways you can combine the numbers when you play. But lottery officials estimated that about 80 percent of those possible combinations had been purchased recently.</p>
<p>The longshot odds didn't deter people across Powerball-playing states - 43 plus Washington, D.C., and the U.S. Virgin Islands - from lining up at gas stations and convenience stores Saturday.</p>
<p>Clyde Barrow, a public policy professor at the University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth, specializes in the gaming industry. He said one of the key factors behind the ticket-buying frenzy is the size of the jackpot - people are interested in the easy investment.</p>
<p>&quot;Even though the odds are very low, the investment is very small,&quot; he said. &quot;Two dollars gets you a chance.&quot;</p>
<p>Lewis, who went to the Publix on Sunday to buy water, said she didn't play - and she isn't upset about it.</p>
<p>&quot;Life goes on,&quot; she said, shrugging. &quot;I'm good.&quot;</p>]]></description>
		
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		<pubDate>Sun, 19 May 2013 07:40:25 EST</pubDate>
		<source>WJLA</source>
		<category>Nation</category>
		<author>The Associated Press, Brianne Carter, Roz Plater</author>
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		<title><![CDATA[Powerball winning numbers: May 18, 2013]]></title>
		<description><![CDATA[<p>These are the winning Powerball numbers for the May 18, 2013 drawing. The jackpot for Saturday's draw is $600 million.</p>
<p><strong>22 - 10 - 13 - 14 - 52 - Powerball: 11</strong></p>
<p><a href="http://www.wjla.com/articles/2013/05/powerball-lottery-jackpot-up-to-600-million-for-may-18-drawing-88981.html">The $600 million jackpot is the largest in Powerball history</a>. Only a 2010 Mega Millions draw was worth more in history. That one topped out at $656 million.</p>]]></description>
		
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		<pubDate>Sat, 18 May 2013 22:54:41 EST</pubDate>
		<source>WJLA</source>
		<category>Nation</category>
		<author></author>
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		<title><![CDATA[Newest U.S. citizens naturalized in Sterling ceremony]]></title>
		<description><![CDATA[<p>More than 500 people from 88 countries became United States citizens in Sterling Saturday, taking the oath of allegiance in unison at a naturalization ceremony at Dominion High School.</p>
<p>&ldquo;Congratulations, you are Americans,&rdquo; was announced to a round of cheers and applause, with American flags waving as the newest citizens rejoiced.</p>
<p>For Michelle Fontana, those words meant she could finally feel at home with her American-born daughter and family.</p>
<p>&ldquo;I never thought I was going to be an American,&rdquo; Fontana said with tears in her eyes.</p>
<p>Even though she had her green card though marriage, she opted to go through the process of becoming a U.S. citizen formally, a decision she said she made due to her daughter and another baby on the way.</p>
<p>&ldquo;I am happy. Every part of my family is going to be an American now,&quot; she said.</p>
<p>The oath of allegiance is an emotional end to an applicant&rsquo;s immigration journey, which for many was an extensive process taking more than five years.</p>
<p>&ldquo;I feel like I&rsquo;m born again,&rdquo; said Nihad Aliakbar, an Iraqi who became a citizen Saturday.</p>
<p>&ldquo;I've been waiting for this for so long...I love America, &ldquo; Maria Castagnio from Peru said. &ldquo;This is going to bring me so many opportunities. I am just extremely happy.&rdquo;</p>
<p>Maher Ibrahim was an Iraqi translator for United States Marines during the Iraq war, forced to flee his home country when he no longer felt safe in 2009.</p>
<p>Ibrahim joined the National Guard and, in a new uniform Saturday, sang a new national anthem for his new country.</p>
<p>&ldquo;It was dangerous for me to stay there,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s a very special day for me. I was almost full of tears but I held it.&quot;</p>
<p>The new citizens are encouraged to continue their home country&rsquo;s traditions in the United States &ndash; cook the same food, practice their same religion and teach their children their native language.</p>
<p>Fontana said that is what she can offer the country that has already offered her so much.</p>
<p>&ldquo;I think I have a lot of things to give for this country, more than I had before,&rdquo; Fontana said.</p>]]></description>
		
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		<pubDate>Sat, 18 May 2013 19:27:07 EST</pubDate>
		<source>WJLA</source>
		<category>Nation</category>
		<author>Sunlen Miller</author>
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		<title><![CDATA[FBI executes search warrant in latest ricin letter case]]></title>
		<description><![CDATA[<p>SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) - The FBI and other law enforcement agencies are executing a search warrant Saturday in the case of two letters containing the deadly poison ricin that were intercepted this week at a post office in Washington state.</p>
<p>Police say the investigation has focused on a neighborhood near downtown Spokane.</p>
<p>The FBI, U.S. Postal Inspection Service and Spokane police are involved, but further details were not immediately available.</p>
<p>Ricin is a highly toxic substance made from castor beans. As little as 500 micrograms, the size of the head of a pin, can kill an adult if inhaled or ingested.</p>
<p>Two letters containing the substance were intercepted at the downtown Spokane post office Tuesday. There have been no reports of illness connected to the letters.</p>
<p>&quot;The crude form of the ricin suggests that it does not present a health risk to U.S. Postal Service personnel or to others who may have come in contact with the letter,&quot; the agency said in a news release Thursday.</p>
<p>The Postal Service said it has received no other reports of similar letters. However, the agency did investigate a suspicious package sent to a federal judge in Spokane this week and found there was no hazard.</p>
<p>The Spokane investigation comes a month after letters containing ricin were addressed to President Barack Obama, a U.S. senator and a Mississippi judge. A Mississippi man has been arrested in that case.</p>]]></description>
		
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		<pubDate>Sat, 18 May 2013 15:02:07 EST</pubDate>
		<source>WJLA</source>
		<category>Nation</category>
		<author>The Associated Press</author>
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		<title><![CDATA[Popular baby names include William, Sophia, Mason in D.C. area]]></title>
		<description><![CDATA[<p>Every baby born is unique in his or her own special way, but that doesn't mean their name necessarily stands out.</p>
<p>That goes for you, William. And Sophie. The same goes for you, Mason. According to the Social Security Administration, those names were the most popular baby names in the District of Columbia, Maryland and Virginia in 2012.</p>
<p>Last year in D.C., 94 newborn boys were named William, while Sophia was given to 50 little girls. Among boys, Alexander, Henry, John and James round out the top five boy names, while the most popular girl names in the nation's capital were Emma, Olivia, Charlotte and Genesis.</p>
<p>Sophia (358 times) proved most popular in Maryland as well last year, while 362 boys were dubbed Mason. Other popular names in Maryland last year included Michael, Jacob, Emma and Ava.</p>
<p>Virginians also went en masse toward Sophia in 2012, with 512 baby girls getting that name. Just like Washington, William was the commonwealth's most popular boy name as well. Mason, though, came in a close second among boys, while just one fewer girl was named Emma.</p>
<p>Unsurprisingly, Sophia was the most popular female baby name across the United States in 2012. Jacob, though, took home that honor among boys.</p>
<p>You can check out all the results at the <a href="http://www.ssa.gov/OACT/babynames/index.html">SSA's website</a>.</p>]]></description>
		
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		<pubDate>Sat, 18 May 2013 08:58:53 EST</pubDate>
		<source>WJLA</source>
		<category>Nation</category>
		<author></author>
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		<title><![CDATA[New Mexico man pays back $40 restaurant tab 15 years later]]></title>
		<description><![CDATA[<p>It may have taken 15 years, but a New Mexico restaurant patron finally paid off his tab.</p>
<p>According to KOAT in Albuquerque, a customer took his date to Le Cafe Miche for a Valentine's Day dinner. Unfortunately, on that night in 1997, the teen patron was $40 short.</p>
<p>At the time, the owner, Claus Hjortkjaer told his customer not to sweat it and picked up the tab himself. Then, last week, <a href="http://www.koat.com/news/new-mexico/albuquerque/patron-pays-15yearold-debt-at-restaurant/-/9153728/20173456/-/xia00s/-/index.html">that man came back and finally paid him back, as he promised he would that night</a>.</p>
<p>&quot;Sometimes things come back to you,&quot; Hjortkjaer told KOAT. &quot;You shouldn't do them for that specific reason. You should just do it because it's the right time and the right place and it just felt good.&quot;</p>
<p>The teen came in and handed Hjortkjaer a $100 bill. He still doesn't know the kind customer's name.</p>
<p>READ MORE at <a href="http://www.koat.com/news/new-mexico/albuquerque/patron-pays-15yearold-debt-at-restaurant/-/9153728/20173456/-/xia00s/-/index.html">koat.com</a>.</p>]]></description>
		
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		<pubDate>Sat, 18 May 2013 08:42:55 EST</pubDate>
		<source>WJLA</source>
		<category>Nation</category>
		<author></author>
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		<title><![CDATA[Powerball lottery jackpot up to $600 million for May 18 drawing]]></title>
		<description><![CDATA[<p>DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) - It's all about the odds.</p>
<p>With the majority of possible combinations of Powerball numbers in play, someone is almost sure to win the game's highest jackpot on Saturday night, a windfall of hundreds of millions of dollars - and that's after taxes.</p>
<p>The problem, of course, is those same odds just about guarantee the lucky person won't be you. The chances of winning the $600 million prize remain astronomically high: 1 in 175.2 million. And lottery officials said Saturday that 80 percent of the possible combinations have been purchased.</p>
<p>&quot;This would be the roll to get in on,&quot; said Iowa Lottery CEO Terry Rich. &quot;Of course there's no guarantee, and that's the randomness of it, and the fun of it.&quot;</p>
<p>That hasn't deterred people across the Powerball-playing states from lining up at gas stations and convenience stores Saturday for their chance at striking it filthy rich.</p>
<p>At Jimmy's Mart, a small convenience store in suburban Columbia, S.C., Armous Peterson was reluctant to share his system for playing the Powerball. The 56-year-old was well aware of the long odds, but he also knows the mantra of just about every person buying tickets.</p>
<p>&quot;Somebody is going to win,&quot; he said. &quot;Lots of people are going to lose, too. But if you buy a ticket, that winner might be you.&quot;</p>
<p>The latest jackpot is the world's second largest overall, just behind a $656 million Mega Millions jackpot in March 2012. The $600 million jackpot includes a $376.9 million cash option.</p>
<p>Charles Hill of Dallas says he buys lottery tickets every day. And he knows exactly what he'd do if he wins.</p>
<p>&quot;What would I do with my money? I'd run and hide,&quot; he said. &quot;I wouldn't want none of my kinfolks to find me.&quot;</p>
<p>Patrons at a convenience store in Lubbock, Texas, carried out more tacos and burritos than Powerball tickets.</p>
<p>Raul Nava, an oilfield worker, rarely plays, even when the jackpot climbs above $300 million. But he said the jackpot turned his head this week. He knows the odds, but he couldn't resist having a shot at holding the winning ticket.</p>
<p>&quot;What if I'm that one?&quot; he said with a big grin. &quot;That's what I'm hoping for.&quot;</p>
<p>Benjamin Richardson, 56, also in suburban Columbia, S.C., plays every Powerball drawing, figuring spending a few bucks a week is no great loss - and it keeps him in the running for the big jackpot.</p>
<p>&quot;If it happens, it happens. It's all luck anyway,&quot; he said. &quot;What do they all say? If it is your time, it's your time.&quot;</p>]]></description>
		
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		<pubDate>Sat, 18 May 2013 08:11:00 EST</pubDate>
		<source>WJLA</source>
		<category>Nation</category>
		<author>The Associated Press, Richard Reeve</author>
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		<title><![CDATA[Andrea Rebello killed in Hofstra University shooting]]></title>
		<description><![CDATA[<p>MINEOLA, N.Y. (AP) - A New York college student being held by an armed home intruder was shot and killed by a Nassau County police officer who had responded to a report of a home invasion at an off-campus home, police said Saturday.</p>
<p>Andrea Rebello was shot once in the head Friday morning by an officer who opened fire after the masked intruder, Dalton Smith, pointed a gun at the officer while holding the 21-year-old junior in a headlock, Nassau County homicide squad Lt. John Azzata said.</p>
<p>The Nassau County police officer fired eight shots at Smith, who has what police have described as an &quot;extensive&quot; criminal background, Azzata said. Smith was hit by seven bullets and died. Rebello was shot once in the head, Azzata said.</p>
<p>Nassau County Police Commissioner Thomas Dale said he had traveled to Rebello's Tarrytown, N.Y., home to explain to Rebello's parents what happened.</p>
<p>Earlier Saturday, police announced that Smith, 30, was wanted on a parole violation related to a first-degree robbery conviction and had an arrest history dating back nearly 15 years.</p>
<p>The shooting came just days before the school's commencement ceremonies, which are scheduled to take place Sunday.</p>
<p>A university spokeswoman said Saturday students will be handed white ribbons to wear in memory of Rebello.</p>
<p>Rebello was in the two-story home with her twin sister Jessica, another woman and another man were when the Smith, wearing a ski mask, walked into the house through an open front door, Azzata said. The intruder allowed the third unidentified woman to leave and collect money from an ATM, and she called 911.</p>
<p>Two police officers arriving at the home encountered Smith holding onto Rebello.</p>]]></description>
		
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		<pubDate>Sat, 18 May 2013 07:54:08 EST</pubDate>
		<source>WJLA</source>
		<category>Nation</category>
		<author>The Associated Press</author>
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		<title><![CDATA[Metro-North trains crash in Connecticut, dozens injured]]></title>
		<description><![CDATA[<p>HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) - Railroad officials in Connecticut say the morning commute is going as well as can be expected following Friday's train collision that that injured 72 people and has shut down service. </p>
<p>Metro-North is using a fleet of 120 buses at the Bridgeport train station to help rail commuters make their way around the scene of the accident and help get them get to New York City. </p>
<p>A shuttle train was operating about every 20 minutes Monday morning between New Haven and Bridgeport. Shuttle buses are running between the Bridgeport and Stamford stations, where commuters can then board trains for the final leg of their commute. </p>
<p>Officials say Friday's collision impacts about 30,000 people who normally use the train. </p>
<p>Heavy congestion - averaging 15 mph - was reported along Interstate 95 and the Merritt Parkway heading into New York City.</p>]]></description>
		
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		<pubDate>Fri, 17 May 2013 21:07:48 EST</pubDate>
		<source>WJLA</source>
		<category>Nation</category>
		<author>The Associated Press, Robert Lyles</author>
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		<title><![CDATA[Gary Cole claims he invented Doritos Locos Tacos]]></title>
		<description><![CDATA[<p>The Doritos Locos Taco has been a smashing success for Taco Bell since they were rolled out last spring. According to ABC News, though, a Colorado state prisoner says it was all his idea.</p>
<p><a href="http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/business/2013/05/taco-bell-sued-by-prisoner-for-stealing-doritos-locos-idea/">He's now suing</a>.</p>
<p>Gary Cole, who has been incarcerated at a maximum-security prison in central Colorado prison since 1997, is suing Taco Bell, Pepsi, Frito-Lay and parent company Yum! Brands, ABC says, claiming he originally came up with the idea for a Doritos-flavored taco in 2006.</p>
<p>Cole's complaint, which is comprised of 35 handwritten pages, alleges that a certified letter he tried to mail in 2010 with a list of product ideas, including the Doritos taco, was stolen and given to Taco Bell, Frito-Lay, the maker of Doritos chips, and Yum!, Taco Bell's parent company.</p>
<p>ABC News reports that Cole has filed a Freedom of Information Act request for all documents related to Doritos Locos Tacos.</p>
<p>READ MORE at <a href="http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/business/2013/05/taco-bell-sued-by-prisoner-for-stealing-doritos-locos-idea/">abcnews.com</a>.</p>]]></description>
		
			<link>http://www.wjla.com/articles/2013/05/gary-cole-claims-he-invented-doritos-locos-tacos-88956.html</link>
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		<pubDate>Fri, 17 May 2013 14:40:57 EST</pubDate>
		<source>WJLA</source>
		<category>Nation</category>
		<author></author>
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		<title><![CDATA[May 18 Powerball jackpot reaches $600 million]]></title>
		<description><![CDATA[<p>This Saturday's upcoming Powerball drawing has blown through one record, and it's creeping up on a world record as well.</p>
<p>The May 18 lottery drawing is now worth $600 million, officials announced Friday. It's a $50 million jump from the <a href="http://www.wjla.com/articles/2013/05/powerball-jackpot-at-550-million-88901.html">$550 million jackpot that was announced Thursday</a>.</p>
<p>This latest high eclipses the Nov. 28, 2010 Powerball drawing that was worth $587.5 million.</p>
<p>Three people split the largest lottery jackpot in history on March 30, 2012. That Mega Millions jackpot topped out at $656 million.</p>
<p>Even though nobody won the main jackpot in Wednesday's drawing, three Virginia residents took home some cash. <a href="http://www.wjla.com/articles/2013/05/winning-powerball-tickets-sold-in-alexandria-manassas-88883.html">Two winners in Alexandria and Manassas found themselves with $10,000 tickets</a>, while another winner near Blacksburg took home $1 million.</p>
<p>One of the main reasons that the jackpots keep growing larger is the explosion of ticket sales nationwide. Multi-state lottery sales have skyrocketed since 1992, when the lottery began.</p>
<p>That year, $415 million worth of tickets were sold. So far in 2013, $5 billion worth of Powerball tickets have been sold.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, players nationwide are always clamoring for an edge, and in fact, there are certain numbers that have historically been more likely to come up than others.</p>
<p>According to Powerball officials, 16, 20, 26, 32 and 41 are the five most common numbers to appear. Stay away from 20, though - it's the least likely to pop up over Powerball's history.</p>]]></description>
		
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		<pubDate>Fri, 17 May 2013 12:19:02 EST</pubDate>
		<source>WJLA</source>
		<category>Nation</category>
		<author>Steve Chenevey</author>
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		<title><![CDATA[Obama: Military justice for sexual assault victims needs to change]]></title>
		<description><![CDATA[<p>On Thursday, President Obama held a war room meeting with America's military leaders. They told him they were &quot;ashamed&quot; of their failure to end sexual abuse in the armed services. After that meeting, Obama promised an accelerated effort to find solutions. </p>
<p>Col. Cedric Leighton, president of Cedric Leighton Associates, discussed that and other top national security issues with Capital Insider.</p>
<p>
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			<link>http://www.wjla.com/blogs/capital-insider/2013/05/obama-military-justice-for-sexual-assault-victims-needs-to-change-18836.html</link>
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		<pubDate>Fri, 17 May 2013 10:50:00 EST</pubDate>
		<source>Capital Insider</source>
		<category>Nation</category>
		<author>George Jackson</author>
	</item>

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		<title><![CDATA[New York photographer uses unknowing neighbors as subjects]]></title>
		<description><![CDATA[<p>NEW YORK (AP) - In one photo, a woman is on all fours, presumably picking something up, her posterior pressed against a glass window. Another photo shows a couple in bathrobes, their feet touching beneath a table. And there is one of a man, in jeans and a T-shirt, lying on his side as he takes a nap. </p>
<p>In all the photos, taken by New York City artist Arne Svenson from his second-floor apartment, the faces are obscured or not shown. The people are unidentifiable. </p>
<p>But the residents of a glass-walled luxury residential building across the street had no idea they were being photographed and they never consented to being subjects for the works of art that are now on display - and for sale - in a Manhattan gallery. </p>
<p>&quot;I don't feel it's a violation in a legal sense but in a New York, personal sense there was a line crossed,&quot; said Michelle Sylvester, who lives in the residential building called the Zinc Building, which stands out with its floor-to-ceiling windows in a neighborhood of cobblestone streets and old, brick warehouse buildings. </p>
<p>Svenson's apartment is directly across the street, just to the south, giving him a clear view of his neighbors by simply looking out his window. </p>
<p>&quot;I think there's an understanding that when you live here with glass windows, there will be straying eyes but it feels different with someone who has a camera,&quot; Sylvester said. </p>
<p>Svenson's show, &quot;The Neighbors,&quot; opened last Saturday at the Julie Saul Gallery in Chelsea, where about a dozen large prints are on sale for up to $7,500. His exhibit is drawing a lot of attention, not for the quality of the work, but for the manner in which it was made. </p>
<p>Svenson did not respond to a request for comment from The Associated Press, but says in material accompanying the exhibit that the idea for it came when he inherited a telephoto lens from a friend, a birdwatcher who recently died. </p>
<p>&quot;For my subjects there is no question of privacy; they are performing behind a transparent scrim on a stage of their own creation with the curtain raised high,&quot; Svenson says in the gallery notes. &quot;The Neighbors don't know they are being photographed; I carefully shoot from the shadows of my home into theirs.&quot; </p>
<p>That explanation has done little to satisfy some residents of the Zinc Building, where a penthouse was once listed at nearly $6 million. In an email circulating among the building's owners and renters this week, a resident whose apartment was depicted in Svenson's photographs suggested legal recourse against the artist. </p>
<p>&quot;I am not an expert in this area of the law, but I do think we may have some rights and the ability to stop this,&quot; the email reads. &quot;I love art, but find this to be an outrageous invasion of privacy.&quot; </p>
<p>Civil rights lawyer Norman Siegel said that according to New York civil rights law, there may be a way for Svenson's subjects to challenge him in court but the case will depend entirely on context. </p>
<p>&quot;The question for the person who's suing is, if you're not identifiable, then where's the loss of privacy?&quot; he said. &quot;These issues are a sign of the times. How do you balance the right of privacy vis-&Atilde; -vis the right of artistic expression?&quot; </p>
<p>Linda Darcia, an exchange student from Colombia living with a family on the sixth floor facing Svenson's studio, said she had no idea whether or not she was depicted in any of the pieces but she was anxious to go to the gallery and find out. </p>
<p>&quot;I'm not really upset about it because that's his job,&quot; she said. &quot;But maybe he should have asked before the gallery opens. Everybody's talking about it.&quot;</p>]]></description>
		
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		<pubDate>Fri, 17 May 2013 09:52:10 EST</pubDate>
		<source>WJLA</source>
		<category>Nation</category>
		<author></author>
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