2013 - lttnews

Monday, February 18, 2013

Girlfriend's Mom: Why Did He Do This? - ABC News

Oscar Pistorius’ track career was put on hold indefinitely Sunday as his agent canceled all future races so the double-amputee Olympian can focus on defending himself against his murder charge.

After visiting Pistorius at the police station he is being held at, agent Peet van Zyl said in a statement there is “no option but to cancel all future races that Oscar Pistorius had been contracted to compete in to allow Oscar to concentrate on the upcoming legal proceedings.”

Pistorius was arrested and charged with the Valentine’s Day murder of model girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp, who was shot multiple times at Pistorius’ upscale Pretoria home in the early hours of Thursday.

Pistorius has been held since Friday at the Brooklyn police station in the South African capital, where Van Zyl visited Sunday along with memebers of Pistorius’ family and his legal team.

“The nature of my visit today was two-fold,” Van Zyl said. “On a personal level I wanted to offer my support to Oscar, who I have known and worked with for the last seven years and consider a friend and a great professional athlete.

“Secondly, I wanted to briefly discuss racing matters, given that his key focus is defending himself against this serious charge.”

South Africa Pistorius Shooting.JPEG

Olympic athlete Oscar Pistorius leaves the… View Full Caption

Olympic athlete Oscar Pistorius leaves the Boschkop police station, east of Pretoria, South Africa, Thursday, Feb. 14, 2013. Pistorius was taken into custody after a 30-year-old woman, Reeva Steenkamp, was shot dead at his home. (AP Photo) Close

Van Zyl said Pistorius’ endorsements, including with big-name brands such as Nike and Oakley, were safe for now since sponsors have committed themselves to the South African, despite his murder charge. That could change, depending on the outcome of Pistorius’ case.

“I can confirm that at this point in time all parties are supportive and their contractual commitments are maintained,” Van Zyl said. “They have said they are happy to let the legal process take its course before making any change in their position.”

On the track, Pistorius had finalized agreements for five races for the first half of 2013: two in Australia in March to start the South African’s season, two exhibition runs against fellow Paralympic champions Alan Oliveira and Jonnie Peacock, and an appearance at the U.S. Drake Relays in Iowa.

Van Zyl’s move to cancel those races was first reported by The Associated Press on Saturday.

All future races were now called off, Van Zyl said, including others that were still being discussed. Van Zyl said the decision is “to help and support all those involved as they try to come to terms with this very difficult and distressing situation.”

Pistorius’ famed track career, where he was the first amputee athlete to run at the world championships and at the Olympics, is now facing ruin ahead of a possible lengthy murder trial.

Prosecutors also have said they will pursue a more serious charge of premeditated murder against Pistorius for the killing of Steenkamp, meaning a conviction could result in a life sentence. His family denies he committed murder.

The 26-year-old Pistorius was expected to reappear in court on Tuesday for the start of his bail application hearing.

“On Oscar’s behalf, we, as his management company, would like to formally thank the thousands of people who have sent supportive messages which have come from all over the world,” Van Zyl said.

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'Roid Rage? Steroids reportedly found in Bladerunner's home after galpal ... - Fox News

Illegal steroids and a bloody cricket bat were reportedly found in the South African home where so-called “Bladerunner” Oscar Pistorius allegedly gunned down his model girlfriend.

The paralympic athlete will be tested for the banned drug, possibly in anticipation of a possible defense claim that Pistorius acted in “roid rage.”

“Steroid drugs were found at Pistorius’s home together with evidence of heavy drinking,” a source told The Sun. “That’s why police have specifically ordered that he be tested for steroids.”

It’s not yet known whose blood was on the cricket bat, according to South Africa’s City Press. Investigators believe Pistorius may have bash Steenkamp with the bat, or she may have used it to defend herself, according to the paper.

“There was lots of blood on the bat,” a source is quoted as saying. “Forensic tests will show whose blood it was.”

Pistorius, 26, is accused of murdering Reena Steenkamp, 29, on the morning of Valentine’s Day. The athlete, who was born without fibulas and was outfitted with carbon-fiber running blades to compete as a sprinter, will appear in court on Tuesday.

Steenkamp, 29, was declared dead shortly after 3 am on Thursday morning at Pistorius’ home in a gated compound outside Pretoria. She had been shot in the head, hand, hip and arm, and her skull was reportedly fractured. Pistorius, 26, was arrested immediately, and claimed that he mistook Steenkamp for a burglar.

Police said Steenkamp was shot four times at Pistorius’ villa in a gated community. Officers found a 9 mm pistol inside the home.

Steenkamp will be buried tomorrow, even as Pistorius is scheduled to appear in court for a bail hearing.

Prosecutor Gerrie Nel on Friday claimed the shooting was premeditated murder.

“The alleged murder is disputed in the strongest terms,” a statement from Pistorius’ management team read. “He would also like to express his thanks through us today for all the messages of support he has received — but as stated our thoughts and prayers today should be for Reeva and her family — regardless of the circumstances of this terrible, terrible tragedy.”

Pistorius, a national hero and the first amputee to run at the Olympics, broke down in tears on his first appearance at the Pretoria Magistrates’ Court last week.

Pistorius made history at the London Olympics last year when he became the first double-amputee track athlete to compete at any games. He didn’t medal but did make the semifinals of the 400 meters and the final of the 4X400 relay.

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Chávez Returns to Venezuela After Cancer Surgery in Cuba - New York Times

CARACAS, Venezuela — President Hugo Chávez made a surprise return to Venezuela on Monday, 10 weeks after leaving for cancer surgery in Cuba, sparking celebration among his supporters.

VTV, the government television station, said that he arrived at 2:30 a.m. He was taken to a military hospital in Caracas.

“We have arrived again in Venezuela,” said a post at 3:42 a.m. on Mr. Chávez’s long-dormant Twitter account. “Thank you, my God!! Thank you, beloved people!! We will continue treatment here.”

Mr. Chávez, 58, has been out of sight and silent since his Dec. 11 surgery, plunging the country into increasing uncertainty.

Unlike returns from Cuba, the government did not televise his arrival or release video or photographs nor did he address the country.

Officials said on Friday that because of a breathing tube in Mr. Chávez’s throat he had difficulty speaking. Also on Friday, officials released photographs of Mr. Chávez for the first time since his surgery. The photographs showed him lying in a hospital bed flanked by two of his daughters.

“We are very happy,” Vice President Nicolás Maduro said in an early morning telephone call to the government television station.

“He is an example of permanent battle and here we have him in Caracas, in our Caracas, in our Venezuela, here he is, our commander.”

However, when he was asked by a television announcer for information on Mr. Chávez’s condition, Mr. Maduro declined to provide details.

A short time later, Information Minister Ernesto Villegas led a celebration in response, calling members of the station staff onto a set and chanting “He returned! He returned!”

Another post on the president’s Twitter account thanked the Cuban leaders Fidel and Raúl Castro and added, “Thanks to Venezuela for so much love!!!”

“I am holding tight to Christ and confident in my doctors and nurses,” a third post said. “We will live and we will win!!!”

Monday’s posts were the first on Mr. Chávez’s Twitter account since Nov. 1.

He was re-elected Oct. 7 but on Dec. 8 he shocked the nation by announcing that his cancer had returned and he would have to go to Cuba for emergency surgery. He left on Dec. 10 and had the operation the next day.

His long absence has left the country in the grips of uncertainty. He was unable to return to be sworn in for the start of his new term on Jan. 10. The country has been run since his departure by Vice President Nicolás Maduro, National Assembly President Diosdado Cabello and a group of government ministers.

The opposition has protested vehemently, charging that the arrangement is unconstitutional and asking for more detailed information about the president’s health. In recent days, a group of 21 students had chained themselves together in protest in front of the Cuban embassy in Caracas.

The government has never said what type of cancer Mr. Chávez has or where exactly in his body it occurred, although they have said that his recent surgery, his fourth since June 2011, was followed by complications, including bleeding and a severe lung infection.

On Friday Science and Technology Minister Jorge Arreaza, who is married to one of Mr. Chávez’s daughters, said the president was undergoing palliative treatment. He did not elaborate.

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Obama plays round of golf with Tiger Woods, media air frustration over access - Fox News

President Obama played golf Sunday with Tiger Woods during the president’s long holiday weekend in Florida, amid concerns from the media about a lack of access before, during and after the newsworthy outing.

The foursome at the Floridian National Golf Club, in Palm City, Fla., included U.S. trade representative Ron Kirk and Jim Crane, a Democratic donor who owns the club and the Houston Astros baseball team.

The White House has prohibited media coverage of Obama’s weekend golf outing, prompting Fox News’ Ed Henry, who is the president of the White House Correspondents Association, to issue a statement saying, “a broad cross section of our members from print, radio, online and TV have today expressed extreme frustration to me about having absolutely no access to the President of the United States this entire weekend.”

The White House responded by saying the press access granted Sunday was “entirely consistent with the press access offered for previous presidential golf outings.”

But Henry maintains, “there is a very simple but important principle we will continue to fight for today and in the days ahead: transparency.”

On Saturday, Woods’ former coach, Butch Harmon, rode along with the Obama foursome for a few holes and gave the president some golf tips.

Golf Digest reported that Obama spent eight hours with Harmon, during which he played 27 holes and hit balls in Harmon’s studio, and then managed to coordinate Sunday’s round with Woods. The report said the original plan called for Obama and Woods to play at Woods’ home club — The Medalist Golf Club, a half-hour away in Hobe Sound — but they eventually opted for the Floridian.

Woods departed after the first 18 holes, but Obama stayed on to play another nine, the report said.

“Just to see the interaction between the two on the range was pretty neat,” Harmon told Golf Digest. “The President said to Tiger: `The last tournament you played was fun to watch. It’s good to see you play well again.’ You could tell he meant it. It just wasn’t a throw it out compliment.”

It seems Obama and Woods — the first black men at the top of their respective fields — have spent the past few years inching toward Sunday’s meeting on the fairway.

The two met in January 2009, during Obama’s inauguration in Washington. Four months later, in April, Woods visited the White House and Obama welcomed him into the Oval Office.

Woods’ personal life imploded later in 2009 after revelations that he had engaged in multiple extramarital affairs, leading to divorce. He followed with a public apology and announced he was taking an indefinite break from golf. Shortly after Woods announced he was coming out of seclusion, Obama said in an interview with Fox News Channel that Woods will still be a “terrific” golfer despite his personal issues.

After returning to the sport, Woods went two years without winning, but his game is back on track and he currently is ranked No. 2 in the world. Woods won the last tournament he played, three weeks ago in San Diego.

The president is in Florida while first lady Michelle Obama and daughters Malia and Sasha are on an annual skiing vacation out West. He arrived late Friday and was due to return to Washington on Monday night.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Venezuela's Chavez in surprise return from Cuba - Reuters

Venezuela’s President Hugo Chavez smiles in between his daughters, Rosa Virginia (R) and Maria while recovering from cancer surgery in Havana in this photograph released by the Ministry of Information on February 15, 2013.

Credit: Reuters/Ministry of Information/Handout

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White House: Backup immigration plan being offered only in case Congress fails - Washington Post

WASHINGTON — The White House is downplaying its draft proposal as merely a backup plan if lawmakers don’t come up with an immigration overhaul of their own. It won’t be necessary, Republican and Democratic lawmakers alike are telling the Obama administration.

White House chief of staff Denis McDonough said Sunday that President Barack Obama wants to “be prepared” in case the small bipartisan group of senators fails to devise a plan for the estimated 11 million illegal immigrants in the United States. In response, lawmakers assured the White House they are working on their own plan — and warned that Obama would be heading toward failure if the White House gets ahead of them.

“We will be prepared with our own plan if these ongoing talks between Republicans and Democrats up on Capitol Hill break down,” McDonough said, adding he’s optimistic they would not crumble.

But he was equally realistic about the fierce partisanship on Capitol Hill.

“Well, let’s make sure that it doesn’t have to be proposed,” McDonough said of the president’s pitch, first reported on USA Today’s website late Saturday.

Even so, the administration is moving forward on its own immigration agenda should one of Obama’s top priorities get derailed.

The administration’s proposal would create a visa for those in the country illegally and allow them to become legal permanent residents within eight years. The proposal also requires businesses to know the immigration status of their workers and adds more funding for border security.

It drew immediate criticism from Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., one of the eight lawmakers searching for a comprehensive plan.

“If actually proposed, the president’s bill would be dead on arrival in Congress, leaving us with unsecured borders and a broken legal immigration system for years to come,” said Rubio, who has been a leading GOP spokesman on immigration.

Many of the details in the administration’s draft proposal follow the broad principles that Obama previously outlined. But the fact the administration is writing its own alternative signaled Obama wants to address immigration sooner rather than later and perhaps was looking to nudge lawmakers to move more quickly.

The tactic could complicate the administration’s work with Congress.

Republican Rep. Paul Ryan, the Wisconsin lawmaker who was his party’s vice presidential nominee last year, said the timing of the leak suggests the White House was looking for “a partisan advantage and not a bipartisan solution.”

“Leaking this out does set things in the wrong direction,” said Ryan. “There are groups in the House and the Senate working together to get this done and when he does things like this, it makes that much more difficult to do that.”

Freshman Rep. Joaquin Castro, D-Texas, called the leaked plan “incomplete” and said both parties in Congress and the White House need to work together on a solution.

“It hasn’t happened yet. It will happen before something is acted upon and certainly before something is passed,” he said.

Republican Sen. John McCain predicted the administration’s efforts would come up short if the White House went forward with a proposal, and he encouraged the White House to give senators a chance to finish their work.

McCain, the Arizona senator whose previous efforts at an immigration overhaul ended in failure in 2007, predicted the White House proposal’s demise if it were sent to Congress. He strongly urged the president to pocket the drafted measures.

“I believe we are making progress in a bipartisan basis,” said McCain, who is in the Senate group working on legislation.

And Democratic Sen. Chuck Schumer, who met with Obama on Wednesday at the White House to discuss progress, urged his allies in the administration to give a bipartisan group of eight lawmakers the time to hammer out a deal on their own.

Schumer, a New York Democrat and a close ally of the White House, said he has not seen the draft proposals but, along with the Democrats working on a compromise, met with Obama this week to talk about progress being made on Capitol Hill.

Schumer acknowledged that a single-party proposal would have a much more difficult time becoming law and urged the bipartisan group of senators to keep meeting to find common ground.

“I am very hopeful that in March we will have a bipartisan bill,” Schumer said. “And, you know, it’s obvious if a Democrat — the president or anyone else — puts out what they want on their own, (it) is going to be different than when you have a bipartisan agreement. But the only way we’re going to get something done is with a bipartisan agreement.”

McDonough appeared on ABC’s “This Week,” NBC’s “Meet the Press” and CBS’ ”Face the Nation.” Ryan and Castro spoke to “This Week.” McCain spoke to “Meet the Press.” Schumer appeared on CNN’s “State of the Union.”

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Singer Mindy McCready Dies in Suspected Gun Suicide, 37 - Bloomberg

Mindy McCready, a U.S. country singer who hits included “Guys Do It All the Time,” has died in a suspected suicide, police in Arkansas said today.

Officers were called to McCready’s Heber Springs house after shots were heard. They found the 37-year-old singer dead on the front porch with an “apparent self-inflicted gun wound,” Cleburne County Sheriff’s Office said in an e-mailed release.

In January, the star’s boyfriend David Wilson was also found on the same porch with what appeared to be a self- inflicted shot wound. His death is also being investigated. The record producer was a father to her younger son, who was born last year.

“He didn’t just touch my heart, he touched my soul,” McCready said of Wilson in a television interview this year. She said she wasn’t involved in his death.

McCready arrived in Nashville in 1994 with tapes of her karaoke vocals. “Guys Do It All the Time” was a knowing look at male egos and one of 12 country hits.

Her career was soon overshadowed by headlines about her personal life.

She claimed a long affair with baseball star Roger Clemens, which he denied. She was also romantically linked to actor Dean Cain, hockey player Drake Berehowsky and songwriter Billy McKnight, father of her eldest son. After a violent argument, McKnight was at one stage charged with her attempted murder but the two later had a son together before parting.

She fought a battle for custody of that son who was being cared for by her McCready’s mother in Florida. In 2006 the singer grabbed the child and took him back to Arkansas where she was found hiding in a cupboard with him.

McCready was in trouble with the law for drunk driving and fraudulently trying to obtain painkillers from a pharmacy. She was ordered to undergo rehabilitation and was discharged last week, while her sons stayed in foster care.

The star’s last album was released in 2010 after an eight- year break, titled “I’m Still Here.”

Local television reports said McCready shot her beloved family dog on the porch just before turning the gun on herself.

(Mark Beech writes for Muse, the arts and leisure section of Bloomberg News. The opinions expressed are his own.)

Muse highlights include: Martin Gayford on London exhibitions, Catherine Hickley on art restitution and Jorg von Uthmann on Paris culture.

To contact the writer on the story: Mark Beech in London at mbeech@bloomberg.net or http://twitter.com/home/Mark_Beech.

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Manuela Hoelterhoff at mhoelterhoff@bloomberg.net.

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Mindy McCready

Frederick Breedon/WireImage/ Getty Images via Bloomberg.

U.S. country star Mindy McCready, who has been found dead in a suspected suicide, is shown performing at the Greased Lightning Daytime Stages during the 2008 CMA Music Festival on June 5, 2008 at Riverfront Park in Nashville, Tennessee.

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U.S. country singer Mindy McCready

U.S. country singer Mindy McCready performs at Lincoln Center in 2006 in New York.

U.S. country singer Mindy McCready performs at Lincoln Center in 2006 in New York. Photographer: Brad Barket/Getty Images

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Singer Mindy McCready performs in 2006 at Lincoln Center in in New York City.

Mindy McCready is found dead at her Arkansas home
The gunshot wound appears to be self-inflicted, sheriff’s office says
She had long struggled with addiction and mental illness
McCready burst onto the scene in 1996 with her album “Ten Thousand Angels”

(CNN) — They seemed so triumphant at the time — the lyrics to country music star Mindy McCready’s hope-filled title track to her most-recent album “I’m Still here.”

Now, those words sound more like a cry for help.

“On a cold dark cloud, with nowhere to fall but down, like a single, naked, unrelenting tear … I’m still here.”

On Sunday, McCready, whose turbulent personal life overshadowed her success as a chart-topping hit maker, was found dead in the front porch of her Arkansas home — the victim, authorities said, of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. She was 37.

McCready leaves behind two boys — a 6-year-old and a 10-month-old.

Dr. Drew talks about McCready’s woes

Just a month earlier, police had paid another visit to the house in Heber Springs. On that day, they found the infant’s father — record producer David Wilson — dead on the porch. He too had apparently taken his own life. He too had used a gun.

Spiraling downward

McCready burst onto the music scene in 1996 with her debut album “Ten Thousand Angels.”

It sold more than 2 million copies. Her chart-topping hit “Guys Do It All the Time” followed that same year.

In all, she put 14 songs and six of her albums on the Billboard Country charts.

But through it all, she was spiraling downward. And the fall was painful and precipitous.

She struggled with addiction and mental illness, often publicly.

In 2004, McCready was placed on three years’ probation after she pleaded guilty to fraudulently obtaining the painkiller OxyContin at a pharmacy.

The next year, she was arrested for drunk driving in Nashville, and was beaten and choked by ex-boyfriend Billy McKnight, who was charged with attempted murder.

“Yes, things have been going bad,” she said in a CNN interview in 2005. “I think it’s God’s way of getting my attention saying, ‘You better wake up, girl. I have important stuff for you to do in life,’ and I’ve definitely been preoccupied or sidetracked doing the wrong things.”

Before 2005 ended, McCready had suffered two drug overdoses, was arrested on drug charges, was pregnant with McKnight’s child and, authorities say, attempted suicide.

She attempted suicide again in 2008, authorities say, and had another drug overdose in 2010 before joining the cast of VH1′s “Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew.” The reality show chronicles the life of celebrities as they’re treated for alcohol and drug addiction.

Celebrity rehab

Dr. Drew Pinsky said he contacted McCready last month after her boyfriend’s death.

“When I heard she was struggling, I did reach out to her and urged her to go to take care of herself, get in a facility if she felt she needed,” said Pinsky, who hosts his own program on CNN’s sister network HLN.

“Her biggest fear was the stigma of doing so and what people would think if she, God forbid, took care of herself. And this to me is the most distressing part of this story. She is a lovely woman, we have lost her, and it didn’t have to go down like this.”

On one episode of the show, McCready performed “I’m Still Here,” dedicating it to the other cast members, which included Dennis Rodman, Heidi Fleiss and Mackenzie Phillips.

“When I was writing this song, I was in jail,” the singer said tearfully. “I never knew it, but I was writing for all of you.”

Custody battle

In the past few years, McCready waged a public battle for custody of her elder son, Zander.

In 2011, she took the boy from her mother, who had legal custody, and fled with him to her home in Arkansas, saying she had concerns over his safety.

McCready fights for custody of her son

A judge ordered authorities to pick up the boy and days later authorities found McCready hiding with Zander in a closet at her home.

In addition to her relationship with McKnight, McCready had romances with musician David Malloy and actor Dean Cain — as well as admitting to an affair with baseball player Roger Clemens, which he didn’t confirm or deny.

In 2010, Vivid Entertainment released a porn video called “Mindy McCready, Baseball Mistress” that featured McCready having sex with a boyfriend referred to as “Peter” and talking about her exploits with Clemens.

Country outpouring

Sunday night, country music stars offered their condolences as they learned of McCready’s death.

“My heart goes out to Mindy McCready’s family. I knew her well,” LeAnn Rimes said on Twitter. “It’s a horrible tragedy. May peace be with her sons.”

Carrie Underwood said she grew up listening to McCready. And country artist Terri Clark said she had some fun times with her “back in the day.”

“I hope our society shows compassion and realizes the severity and reality of mental illness, and addiction,” she tweeted.

Singer Wynonna Judd posted a series of tweet also calling attention to addiction and mental illness.

“It breaks my heart what addiction continues to take from this life,” she said. “Addiction is a disEASE & not a character flaw. When the pain becomes too much, it causes people to want that pain to stop. This is just so unbelieveable & so sad.”

In her words

A year ago, McCready posted excerpts of a book she said was upcoming about her life. She acknowledged a difficult upbringing, personal problems and the challenges she faced turning her life around.

“I haven’t had a hit in almost a decade,” she wrote in January 2012 on her official fan website. “I’ve spent my fortune, tarnished my public view and made myself the brunt of punch line after punch line.

“I’ve been beaten, sued, robbed, arrested, jailed, and evicted.

“But I’m still here. With a handful of people that I know and trust, a revived determination, and both middle fingers up in the air, I’m ready. I’ve been here before. I’m a fighter. I’m down, but I’ll never be out.”

But Sunday night, on the porch of her home, she changed her mind.

CNN’s Elwyn Lopez and Melissa Gray contributed to this report.

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Troubled singer Mindy McCready dead in apparent suicide - Chicago Tribune

LITTLE ROCK, Arkansas (Reuters) – Troubled country music star Mindy McCready, whose platinum singing career was shadowed by substance abuse and suicide attempts, was found dead on Sunday of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound, an Arkansas sheriff said. She was 37.

McCready’s body was found on the porch of a house in Heber Springs, Arkansas, on Sunday afternoon. She was pronounced dead at the scene “from what appears to be a single self-inflicted gunshot wound,” the Cleburne County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement.

Deputies had been dispatched to the area following reports of “shots fired,” the sheriff’s office said.

McCready, whose albums include “Ten Thousand Angels” and “If I Don’t Stay the Night,” had a complicated personal life, marked by a history of substance abuse, suicide attempts, family disputes and tragedy.

Last month, record producer David Wilson, the father of her youngest son, was found dead of an apparently self-inflicted gunshot wound in the same Arkansas town.

Some fellow musicians paid tribute to McCready on Twitter as news of her death spread.

“My thoughts and prayers go out to Mindy McCready and her family today,” country singer Tracy Lawrence tweeted.

Country star Carrie Underwood wrote, “I grew up listening to Mindy McCready… so sad for her family tonight. Many prayers are going out to them.”

Born in Fort Myers, Florida, McCready learned to sing as a child at her local Pentecostal church. She moved to Nashville, Tennessee, to break into the country music business at the age of 18, according to allmusic.com.

She achieved early success with her 1996 debut album, “Ten Thousands Angels,” which sold 2 million copies. Four other studio albums followed.

While successful in her career, McCready’s personal life had begun to unravel in recent years.

In 2004 she was convicted of prescription drug fraud and placed on parole. Three years later she spent time in jail for violating her parole terms.

She had two young sons. Her first, Zander, was born in 2006. As her personal problems deepened, she became embroiled in a legal dispute over custody.

In November 2011, she left Florida with Zander and fled to Arkansas. McCready’s mother, who had custody of the child, filed a missing person report against her daughter, and regained custody.

Her son with Wilson, Zayne, was born last year.

McCready appeared on the television show “Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew.”

According to the biography posted on VH1′s website (http://www.vh1.com/shows/celebrity_rehab_with_dr_drew/season_3/cast_member.jhtml?personalityId=13232 ) as part of her appearance on the show, McCready said that she believed her only true addiction was to violent relationships.

In 2011 McCready appeared on HBO’s show “Celebrity Close Calls” about life and death situations. That same year she also appeared on the network’s “Celebrity Ghost Stories.”

Her fifth album, “I’m Still Here,” was released to acclaim in 2010.

The sheriff’s office said McCready’s body would be taken to the Arkansas State Crime Lab for an autopsy, adding that “the matter will be fully investigated.”

(Additional reporting by James B. Kelleher in Chicago Writing by Tim Gaynor in Phoenix; Editing by Eric Beech and Mohammad Zargham)

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Thousands march in DC to protest Keystone pipeline - CBS News

Thousands of environmental activists marched in Washington Sunday to protest plans for the Keystone XL pipeline.

Organizers of “Forward on Climate,” who planned the event, told Reuters about 35,000 people from 30 states protested in the cold weather in what they said was the biggest climate rally in U.S. history.

If it gets government approval, Keystone would carry oil from Canada to refiners in Texas.

Supporters say the pipeline could create 20,000 jobs, but opponents say the environmental risk is too great.

Protesters also said that President Barack Obama should put a stop on the pipeline to honor his inaugural pledge to act on climate change.

Some famous protesters on hand included actresses Rosario Dawnson and Evangeline Lilly, as well as hedge fund manager and environmentalist Tom Steyer.

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White House insists it didn't leak immigration plan - Los Angeles Times

WASHINGTON — The White House scrambled Sunday to keep congressional negotiations over immigration reform on track, reassuring senators it did not leak details of a draft bill being written by the administration.

White House aides were caught by surprise when details from a draft of an administration bill were published Saturday, and quickly contacted the eight Republican and Democratic senators who have been working behind the scenes to hammer out a compromise bill.

Obama’s aides stressed in the phone calls that the president is pleased with the progress in Congress and said the administration had not leaked the details to nudge the process along, according to a White House official who asked not to be named describing private conversations.

“This was not the administration floating anything,” the official said, calling the disclosure “unfortunate” and adding that any draft being circulated to federal agencies would be in its early stages.

Obama said last month that he would propose his own legislation only if the Senate drive stalled.

The furious Republican response to the disclosure — Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida called the draft bill “half-baked and seriously flawed,” former GOP vice presidential candidate Rep. Paul D. Ryan of Wisconsin called the leak “counterproductive” — highlighted how fraught the negotiations have become.

“This raises the question: Does the president really want a result, or does he want another cudgel to beat up Republicans so that he can get political advantage in the next election?” Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) asked on NBC’s

McCain is one of four Republicans, including Rubio, in the so-called Group of Eight along with four Democrats who are trying to forge an immigration overhaul.

Sen. Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.), another member of the group, said he was not upset at the leaked draft legislation.

Obama “agreed to give us the space we need to come up with a bipartisan proposal,” Schumer said on CNN’s “State of the Union.” “I am very hopeful that in March we will have a bipartisan bill.”

Denis McDonough, the newly appointed White House chief of staff, used previously scheduled appearances on several TV talk shows to contain the political damage. He reiterated that the White House would try to push its own bill only if the efforts in Congress failed to move quickly.

“Let’s make sure that it doesn’t have to be proposed,” McDonough said on ABC News’ “This Week with George Stephanopoulos,” adding that the administration is “aggressively supporting” the eight senators.

White House staff have provided technical assistance to the group for three weeks, a Senate aide said later.

Details of the draft bill, which includes an eight-year waiting period before legalized immigrants can receive a green card, were first published late Saturday by USA Today. The White House did not confirm whether the reported details represented the current version of the draft.

An official who has read the draft said it would allow the 11 million illegal immigrants in the United States to apply for a “lawful prospective immigrant” visa and, if approved, ultimately become permanent residents. The bill also would increase customs officers at ports of entry, and expand other border security measures.

The bill would also require employers to develop a system to check the immigration status of new hires within five years. It calls for hiring 140 new immigration judges to speed up cases and requires the Social Security Administration to redesign Social Security cards to make them harder to forge, said the official who spoke on the condition of anonymity while discussing internal deliberations.

Those proposals track closely with legislation that failed in Congress in the past, as well as reforms Obama previously proposed. In 2011, Obama unveiled a blueprint that called for setting an eight-year waiting period for an illegal immigrant to become a legal permanent resident, and an additional five-year delay to attain citizenship.

Immigrant rights advocates described the White House approach as too modest, and said the draft bill would create unreasonable delays for illegal immigrants to achieve legal status.

Gordon Whitman, policy director for the PICO National Network, which represents more than 1,000 churches, called the president’s proposal “too weak” for an opening bid.

brian.bennett@latimes.com

kathleen.hennessey@latimes.com

Times staff writer Don Lee in Washington contributed to this report.

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singer Mindy McCready dead at 37 - Fox News

Mindy McCready, who hit the top of the country charts before personal problems sidetracked her career, has died. She was 37.

Waren Olmstead, the coroner in Cleburne County, Ark., said in a statement McCready died Sunday apparently of a single, self-inflicted gunshot wound. An autopsy is pending.

Just last month David Wilson, McCready’s boyfriend and the father of her 9-month-old son Zayne, was found dead on the same porch where McCready’s body was found. His death also was investigated as a suicide.

McCready entered court-ordered rehab earlier this month after her father told a judge she was no longer taking care of herself or her children and was abusing drugs and alcohol. Her sons were put in foster care at the time, but it’s not clear where Zander and Zayne were at the time of McCready’s suicide.

Wilson’s passing struck McCready hard. She issued a statement last month lamenting his death. She called him her soulmate and a caregiver to her sons in an interview with NBC’s “Today.” She said she’d never gone through anything as painful as his passing.

“I just keep telling myself that the more suffering that I go through, the greater character I`ll have,” she said, according to a transcript of the interview.

News of McCready’s death spread quickly Sunday night on Twitter with major country stars paying their respects to Nashville’s onetime darling.

“Too much tragedy to overcome. R.I.P Mindy McCready,” wrote Natalie Maines of The Dixie Chicks.

And Jason Aldean added: “Just heard about Mindy McCready. My thoughts and prayers are with her 2 boys and her family.”

Melinda Gayle McCready arrived in Nashville in 1994 still in her teens with tapes of her karaoke vocals and earned a recording contract with BNA Records.

In 1996, her “Guys Do It All the Time” hit No. 1 and its dig at male chauvinism endeared her to females. Her other hits included “Ten Thousand Angels,” also in 1996, and her album by that title sold 2 million copies.

She would spend the next 15 years chasing another hit as personal problems began plaguing her in 2004. Her problems would include a custody battle with her mother over one of her sons, an overdose and discord in her love life.

McCready took her older son Zander from her mother and the boy’s legal guardian, Gayle Inge, in late 2011. She fled to Arkansas without permission over what she called child abuse fears. Authorities eventually found McCready hiding in a residence without permission and took the boy into custody.

In May 2010, she was hospitalized briefly after police responded to an overdose call at a home in North Fort Myers, Fla., owned by her mother. This followed a stint on “Celebrity Rehab With Dr. Drew,” where she declared herself clean from drugs. She is the fifth celebrity appearing on that show to have died.

In 2004, she was charged with obtaining the painkiller OxyContin fraudulently at a pharmacy. She pleaded guilty and was placed on three years’ probation.

She violated the probation with a drunken driving arrest in May 2005. A few days after that arrest, she was beaten and her boyfriend at the time was charged with attempted criminal homicide. Then she attempted suicide in July 2005, overdosed in September 2005 and slit her wrists again in December 2008.

Also that year, McCready was charged in Arizona with hindering prosecution and unlawful use of transportation. Those charges stemmed from an alleged attempt in June 2005 to purchase two high performance boats, but she claimed she was trying to stop a con man.

In July 2007, she was arrested in her hometown of Fort Myers, Fla., on misdemeanor charges of scratching her mother on the face during a scuffle and resisting sheriff’s deputies.

She made headlines again in April 2008 when she acknowledged a longtime relationship with baseball great Roger Clemens. Published reports at the time said she met the pitcher at a Florida karaoke bar when she was 15 and he was 28 and married.

In June 2008, McCready was arrested and charged with violating her probation, specifically falsifying her community service records relating to the 2004 drug charge. A month later, she entered an extended care facility for undisclosed treatment, and followed that with a 60-day jail sentence in the Williamson County jail.

Growing up in Fort Myers, she took seven years of private vocal lessons and later sang in karaoke bars.

After getting her recording contract, she did concert appearances with top country stars including George Strait, Tim McGraw and Alan Jackson.

Her other singles included “Maybe He’ll Notice Her Now,” “A Girl’s Gotta Do (What a Girl’s Gotta Do)” and “You’ll Never Know.”

In 1998, she was engaged to actor Dean Cain, but they never married.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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LA protesters join campaign against Keystone oil pipeline - Los Angeles Times

Hundreds of protesters marched on Los Angeles City Hall on Sunday as part of a nationwide demonstration designed to pressure President Obama into rejecting a Canadian pipeline that would bring oil into the United States.

The local demonstration — led by environmentalist and actor Ed Begley Jr., Rep. Henry Waxman (D-Beverly Hills) and L.A. Councilman Jose Huizar — was focused on rejecting TransCanada’s Keystone XL pipeline as a first step in taking action on climate change.

“We’ve seen climate change coming for a long time, but now it’s here, and it’s getting worse faster and causing greater harm than we ever expected,” Waxman said. “There is simply no more important fight for the future of our children and grandchildren.”

A coalition of 90 groups, led by Tar Sands Action Southern California and the Sierra Club, organized the march to coincide with a larger group of demonstrators who converged on the White House.

“You cannot occupy the White House, but you can surround it,” said Bill McKibben, an environmental writer who founded 350.org, whose name alludes to keeping greenhouse gases at less than 350 parts per million. That’s the level scientists believe to be a dangerous tipping point for the planet.

McKibben and hundreds of others have been arrested in protesting the pipeline, which would carry what he considers some of the “dirtiest oil on the planet.” The oil from Alberta, Canada’s tar sand deposits is bitumen, which is heavier, more viscous and contains more impurities, and thus takes more energy to extract and process.

The demonstrations and arrests are beginning to emerge as the largest green civil disobedience campaign in a generation. The target, for the moment, is the proposed construction of the 1,600-mile Keystone XL pipeline from Alberta to U.S. refineries that ring the Gulf of Mexico.

Locally, clean energy supporters also rallied behind a recent initiative by the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power to wean itself from two out-of-state coal plants that now supply nearly 40% of the city’s electricity.

“That will help reduce our city’s climate change pollution footprint,” said Aura Vasquez of the Sierra Club. “But the time has come for the federal government to take strong action too, before it’s too late and global warming spirals out of control.”

ALSO:

Ex-mayor who gambled away $ 1 billion is to pay restitution

Riverside officer wounded in Charles Dorner manhunt is identified

Charles Dorner probably died from self-inflicted gunshot, officials say

– Kenneth R. Weiss

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Climate change rally brings thousands to protest in Washington - Los Angeles Times

Climate activists descended on Washington, D.C., on Sunday in what organizers boasted was the largest climate-change rally in American history, claiming more than 35,000 attendees.

The Forward on Climate rally, as it was billed by environmental groups Sierra Club and 350.org, called for President Obama to take immediate action on climate change, with many calling for the government to block the construction of the oil pipeline known as Keystone XL.

Protestors marched through the streets bearing placards and massed on the National Mall, where speakers addressed the crowd. Washington police declined to provide a crowd estimate.

“Today was one of the best days of my life, because I saw the movement come together finally, big and diverse and gorgeous,” 350.org President Bill McKibben tweeted after speaking at the rally.

Keystone XL has been a signature issues for climate-control activists, who caught policymakers and the pipeline industry off guard with 2011 protests against the proposed pipeline, which would bring so-called tar sands oil from Canada into the United States.

Although other proposed pipelines inside the U.S. would shunt larger amounts of oil around the country, the proposed TransCanada project must pass through a legal bottleneck in order to be built: U.S. law requires federal approval for new pipelines crossing international borders, making the pipeline more vulnerable to concentrated political pressure.

Opposition has since led the Sierra Club to lift a long-standing ban on civil disobedience for the sake of opposing the pipeline’s construction. The club’s executive director, Michael Brune, was arrested at a Wednesday protest outside the White House.

Obama is expected to make the decision whether to approve construction of the pipeline, which proponents have said would limit U.S. reliance on Middle Eastern oil.

Opponents believe the process to produce and refine tar sands oil from Alberta, Canada, would be more carbon-intensive than typical oil production, potentially accelerating climate change.

According to a 2012 Gallup poll, 38% of Americans think global warming will harm them in their lifetimes, up from 25% in 1997. However, according to a January poll, 57% of Americans are satisfied with the environmental state of the nation, up 3 points from 2005.

Except for 1988, the Earth’s nine warmest years on record have occurred since 2000, according to reports issued in January — one by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the other by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Last year was reported as the warmest on record for the lower 48 states.

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F-16 escorts Cessna away from Fla. airspace during Obama visit

N.J. firefighter to build 26 playgrounds in honor of Newtown victims

Squirrel shoot fundraiser in New York town goes on despite protests

matt.pearce@latimes.com

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Alessandro Bianchi / Reuters

Faithful shout slogans as Pope Benedict XVI leads the Sunday Angelus in Saint Peter’s Square at the Vatican, Feb. 17. Pope Benedict, speaking before a larger than usual crowd at his penultimate Sunday address, asked the faithful to pray for him and for the next pope.

Tony Gentile / Reuters

Pope Benedict XVI blesses the faithful.

The crowd chanted “Long live the pope!,” waved banners and broke into sustained applause as he spoke from his window. The 85-year-old Benedict, who will resign on February 28, thanked them in several languages.

Speaking in Spanish, he told the crowd which the Vatican said numbered more than 50,000: “I beg you to continue praying for me and for the next pope”.

– By Philip Pullella, Reuters

Read the full story.

With the days of his papacy dwindling, every public appearance of outgoing Pope Benedict are now a must see event, NBC’s Ann Thompson reports.

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Pope calls on faithful to 'renew themselves' at Angelus prayers - The Australian

Pope Benedict XVI

A pigeon flies next to Pope Benedict XVI as he waves to the faithful during the Angelus noon prayer he celebrated from the window of his studio overlooking St. Peter’s square, at the Vatican. Source: AP

St Peter's square

Nuns show a banner reading in Spanish: “Thank You so much Holy Father, we love you so much” prior to the start of Pope Benedict XVI’ Angelus prayer in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican. Source: AP

POPE Benedict XVI has called on the Church and its faithful to “renew themselves” as tens of thousands of pilgrims and tourists attended his penultimate Angelus prayers.

“The Church calls on all its members to renew themselves… which constitutes a fight, a spiritual battle, because the evil spirit wants us to deviate from the road towards God,” he told the crowds from his window overlooking St Peter’s Square.

Families with young children, pensioners and nuns packed into the square in the sunshine said they had come to pay their respects to the pope, make their goodbyes or share in a historic event ahead of the 85-year old’s resignation.

Groups of scouts held up banners reading “We have loved you so much!” and “We will be with you… always” and said they wanted to show Benedict that his shock decision to stand down on February 28 had not shaken their faith in him.

“He has done it for the good of the Church, and will keep serving us. He is retiring to pray – and God knows we need his prayers!” said Germana Blaiotta.

A serene-looking Benedict waved to the crowds and thanked them for turning out in such large numbers, calling it a “sign of affection and spiritual closeness”, as the onlookers called out “viva il papa” (long live the pope).

Benedict’s brother said in an interview with Spanish newspaper ABC published on Sunday that the pontiff was seeking greater tranquility with his retirement.

“He no longer has strength. He is going through the natural process of ageing, as am I. My brother wants more tranquility for his old age. With the advance of his age, his strength is declining,” Georg Ratzinger, 89, said.

The Vatican said over 50,000 people had turned out to see the pope for his Sunday Angelus, while local authorities put the number at over 100,000.

Benedict, whose surpise announcement last Monday that he would step down after eight years rocked the Church, called on the world’s faithful to “refocus on God by disowning pride and egoism”.

His words were seen by some as a veiled reference to internal bickering within the Church in recent months, as well as the jostle for power as cardinals from all over the world prepare to vote in his successor.

“Benedict did everything for the Church, he was always in the limelight but they did nothing but criticise him and try and undermine him. Whoever follows him will have to have strong nerves,” said Margherita Yager, 61, from Germany.

Christine Renier, a 48-year-old teacher from Paris, said she was in Rome on holiday and had wanted to see the pontiff before he retires to a secluded monastery behind the Vatican walls for a life of contemplation.

“It is a sad day, but I think Benedict was actually too rigid and lost many faithful among the young. I’m hoping for a pope who can throw out the bureaucracy and get back to the Church’s roots, perhaps an African,” she said.

Amid speculation over which of the 117 cardinals in the running might snap up the Vatican’s top job, Italian media said Cardinal Angelo Scola, the Archbishop of Milan, was among the favourites backed by Benedict.

After meeting the pope Cardinal Scola said Benedict had told him “you have to become a light for everyone”, a phrase pounced on by the media as a clue.

“Significant words which will be weighed by everyone,” said the Repubblica, while La Stampa agreed they were “meaningful words”.

At St Peter’s Square, tourists snapping souvenir photographs of Benedict on their smart phones said he may have revolutionised the papacy.

“This is a moment which will go down in history. He’s opened the door to future resignations and I cannot see anyone suffering through an old age as pope again. From now on they’ll retire,” said Michele Agostino, 66.

The pontiff was to start a week-long spiritual retreat and have only very few public engagements before he formally stepped down – the first pope to resign because he simply cannot go on in 700 years.

Benedict will receive Italian President Giorgio Napolitano on February 23, celebrate his last Angelus prayer on February 24 and hold a final audience in St Peter’s Square with tens of thousands of followers on February 27.

AFP

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Republicans rip Obama immigration plan; Rubio calls it 'dead on arrival' - Fox News

Senate Republicans are pushing back on a proposed White House plan on immigration reform that allows illegal immigrants to become legal permanent residents within eight years, saying Congress will never pass such a proposal.

Kentucky Republican Sen. Rand Paul said Sunday the plan is untenable and so outside of what the country wants that it suggests President Obama is not sincere about passing immigration reform.

“The president is torpedoing his own plan,” Paul told “Fox News Sunday.” “It shows me he is really not serious. … The bill won’t pass.”

The draft immigration bill being circulated by the White House also includes plans for a new visa for illegal immigrants living in the United States, as first reported by USA Today.

Obama’s bill would create a “Lawful Prospective Immigrant” visa for the estimated 11 million illegal immigrants living in the country. The bill includes more security funding and requires business owners to adopt a system for verifying the immigration status of new hires within four years, the newspaper said.

On Saturday, Florida Republican Sen. Marco Rubio called the White House proposal “half-baked and seriously flawed.”

Rubio — part of an eight-member, bipartisan Senate panel working on an immigration reform bill — also said the purported proposal was disappointing to those “working on serious solutions” and repeats failures of past legislation.

He said the White House also erred in not seeking input from Republican lawmakers.

“If actually proposed, the president’s bill would be dead on arrival in Congress, leaving us with unsecured borders and a broken legal immigration system for years to come,” Rubio said in a statement.

USA Today also reported that the bill would require that immigrants pass a criminal background check, submit biometric information and pay fees to qualify for the new visa.

Immigrants who served more than a year in prison for a criminal conviction or were convicted of three or more crimes and were sentenced to a total of 90 days in jail would not be eligible. Crimes committed in other countries that would bar immigrants from legally entering the country would also be ineligible.

Those immigrants facing deportation would be eligible to apply for the visa, the newspaper reported. Immigrants would be eligible to apply for a green card within eight years, if they learn English and U.S. history and government, and they would later be eligible to become U.S. citizens.

Last month, the group of senators announced they had agreed on the general outline of an immigration plan.

Obama has said he would not submit his own legislation to Congress so long as law makers acted “in a timely manner.” If they failed, he said, “I will send up a bill based on my proposal and insist that they vote on it right away.”

Paul also told Fox he will submit an amendment to the upcoming Senate bill calling for a General Accounting Office report stating U.S. borders are secure that must be periodically updated.

Clark Stevens, a White House spokesman, said Saturday that Obama still supports a bipartisan effort to craft a comprehensive immigration bill. “While the president has made clear he will move forward if Congress fails to act, progress continues to be made and the administration has not prepared a final bill to submit,” he said in a statement.

Ali Noorani, executive director of the National Immigration Forum, described the draft bill as a “very moderate” proposal. While the path to citizenship was welcomed by Noorani, he said not enough attention was being paid to future immigration.

“Commonsense immigration reform must include a functioning immigration system for the future,” Noorani said in a statement. “Reform does not begin and end with citizenship and enforcement alone.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Karachi :Shutter-down, wheel-jam strike called today - The News International

KARACHI: The Shia Ulema Council (SUC) has called a strike today (Monday) to express solidarity with Quetta’s bereaved Hazara families, which lost 80 of their loved ones in one of the biggest bombings in the history of Pakistan, Geo News reported.

Several political, religious, social, transporters, and trade & business groups have confirmed full support for the strike called, which means major markets in the city will remain closed, while no transport will be available to commuters and public at large today.

Reportedly, private schools have also announced a holiday on Monday.

Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), Pakistan Sunni Tehrik, Jamiat-e-Ulema-e-Islam (Fazal), Karachi Transport Ittehad, All Karachi Tajir Ittehad, and Goods Transporters Association are among those groups which have put their weight behind the shutter-down wheel-jam strike.

AFP Adds:

Protests erupted across Pakistan Sunday to demand protection for Shia Muslims after a bomb blast targeting the minority community killed 81 people, the latest in a series of bloody sectarian attacks.

The bomb containing nearly a tonne of explosives, hidden in a water tanker, tore through a crowded market in Hazara town, a Shia-dominated area on the edge of Quetta, the capital of southwestern Balochistan province, on Saturday evening.

Up to 4,000 women began a sit-in protest in the city on Sunday evening, blocking a road and refusing to bury victims until the authorities took action against the extremists behind the attack, which also wounded 178 people.

More than 1,500 Shias took to the streets of the eastern city of Lahore to demand action and there were smaller demonstrations in the central city of Multan and Muzaffarabad, the main city of Pakistan-administered Kashmir.

Balochistan has increasingly become a flashpoint for surging sectarian bloodshed between Pakistan’s majority Sunni Muslims and Shias, who account for around a fifth of the country’s 180 million people.

Saturday’s attack takes the death toll in sectarian attacks in Pakistan this year to almost 200, compared with more than 400 in the whole of 2012 — a year which Human Rights Watch described as the deadliest on record for the country’s Shias.

It was the second major attack on Shia in Quetta this year, after a double suicide bombing on a snooker club in the city on January 10 killed at least 92 people, the deadliest ever single attack on the community in Pakistan.

No-one has been arrested for the snooker hall attack and Daud Agha, chairman of Shia Conference, told AFP anger was rising in the community.

“Up to 4,000 women have started a sit-in on a main road leading to Hazara town and have refused to bury the bodies,” he said. Police said the protesters numbered up to 3,000.

Police and administration officials held negotiations with the Shias to end Sunday’s protest and bury the bodies, but community leaders told them that the sit-in would continue until a targeted operation against extremists is launched, he said.

It is customary for Muslims to bury the dead swiftly, and a similar protest after the snooker club bombing prompted Islamabad to sack the provincial government.

The banned militant group Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ) claimed responsibility for Saturday’s attack — as it did for the snooker hall bombing and a February 1 attack on a Shia mosque in northwest Pakistan that killed 24.

There is anger and frustration at the apparent inability or unwillingness of the authorities to tackle the LeJ. Activists say the failure of the judiciary to prosecute sectarian killers allows them to operate with impunity.

Baluchistan governor Zulfiqar Magsi pointed the finger at the security forces over the latest atrocity.

“Repeated occurrence of such attacks is a failure of our intelligence agencies,” he told reporters late on Saturday.

“Our security institutions, police, FC (paramilitary Frontier Corps) and others are either scared or cannot take action against them.”

But Balochistan home secretary Akbar Hussain Durrani said authorities were already taking action against the militants.

“Law enforcement agencies have arrested so many suspects and seized huge cache of arms,” Durrani said.

Witness Zainab Bibi, 38, said the carnage after the blast was “like the day of judgment had come”.

“Initially I could not see anything because of a thick cloud of dust but I could hear loud screaming,” she told AFP.

“As the dust settled, I saw blood everywhere, torn bodies were lying everywhere with no clothes on.”

Pakistan is due to hold a general election in the coming months but there are fears that rising sectarian violence could force the postponement of polls.

Balochistan, which borders Iran and Afghanistan, also suffers militancy and a regional insurgency demanding political autonomy and a greater share of profits from the region’s natural resources.

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President Obama enjoys guys' weekend, golfs with Tiger Woods - Washington Post (blog)

This post has been updated.

PALM CITY, Fla. – President Obama on Sunday displayed the freedom that comes with not having another election ahead of him, golfing with Tiger Woods in an enclave of privilege here along Florida’s blustery Atlantic coast.

Since his reelection in November, Obama has been talking about the perils facing America’s middle class, highlighted in his State of the Union address last week. On Friday he visited a public high school in his hometown of Chicago, where he spoke in personal terms about the need to reduce gun violence and create jobs in the country’s troubled urban areas.

The contrast to where he arrived only hours later – and where he will remain through Monday’s federal holiday – could not be more stark. He disappeared late Friday evening behind the gates of the Floridian, a lush golf and residential compound off limits to the public. Neither the public outside those gates, nor the media, has seen him since.

: This file photo dated Dec. 28, 2010 shows President Obama playing golf at the Mid Pacific Country Club in Kailua, Hawaii. Obama is spending this long President’s Day weekend in Florida and polished his golf game, including playing with Tiger Woods. (Getty Images)

And by adding Woods, the greatest player of his generation, whose fame might only be matched by the notoriety attached to his precipitous adultery-fueled fall from grace three years ago, Obama made clear that he’ll live with criticism over the gap between the harsh realities he is seeking to address in public life and the glamour of his private follies.

The Floridian is owned by Houston businessman and Obama donor Jim Crane, a near-scratch golfer who also owns the Houston Astros baseball team. Crane held a fundraiser for Obama last March in an upscale shopping and dining complex attached to Minute Maid Park, the Astros home field.

Crane bought the Floridian property, including a course designed originally by the legendary South African golfer Gary Player, in 2010 from former Blockbuster-magnate H. Wayne Huizenga. The course has been reconfigured by noted architect Tom Fazio. The grounds include eight cottages, one of which Obama is using this weekend.

Crane played with Obama on Saturday, and joined the group that included Woods again on Sunday. So did Ron Kirk, Obama’s departing U.S. Trade Representative.

Butch Harmon, Woods’ former swing coach, accompanied the president and his group Saturday and offered a few tips along the way.

On Sunday, though, Obama got the real thing with Woods, a winner of 14 major golf championships who lives not far from here in a home near Orlando, Fla.

Woods is not playing in the PGA event in Los Angeles this weekend. He is currently ranked No. 7 in the world, although he has already won a tournament just weeks into the new season.

The traveling White House press corps has been given no access to Obama on this outing, a guys’ weekend of golf and a cool winter sun. First lady Michelle Obama and the couple’s daughters, Sasha and Malia, took their annual ski vacation in Aspen, Colo., during the long Presidents’ Day weekend.

For much of this outing, the small contingent of the White House press corps accompanying Obama has lobbied with little success for more information about where precisely on the Floridian grounds the president is staying, who he is staying with, and how much contact he has with other people on the grounds.

A photo of Obama on the course with someone as famous as Woods is commonly a moment the “traveling pool” of about a dozen journalists is allowed to witness. White House officials declined to allow that Sunday.

For the long weekend, the pool has been permitted just inside the Floridian gates, where reporters have used as their “filing center” a mirror-ceilinged party bus, the kind used for shouldn’t-be-driving evenings of bacchanalia like bachelor parties.

Because the president’s motorcade has not left the compound, White House officials have explained, there is no reason for the pool to track the president’s activities or to know who he is spending time with on a personal vacation.

That is an argument often respected by the White House press corps, except this time Obama is not staying in a private home but on the grounds of a complex accessible by those who belong to the club and others. The press corps is staying at a Holiday Inn Express roughly eight miles away.

The debate over access had grown near-Talmudic in its intensity and detail. But the presence of a Golf Channel journalist on the Floridian grounds Sunday prompted a sharp complaint from the White House Correspondents’ Association over the way this trip — and Sunday’s outing, in particular — has been handled by the administration in a way that has rendered it largely hidden from the traveling press.

White House press officials denied those claims, saying the traveling press corps received the first “official” confirmation of the Obama-Woods outing, even though Tim Rosaforte, a writer at Golf World Magazine and a regular contributor to the Golf Channel, broke the story hours earlier.

Rosaforte, who reported from the grounds of the Floridian off limits to the White House press corps, also said Obama and Woods were so enjoying their round that they had decided to play 27 holes, instead of the regular 18.

White House officials declined to provide more information to the pool beyond the names of those playing with Obama.

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GOP: Leaked WH immigration plan "counterproductive" - CBS News

The seemingly endless budget fight is sucking much of the air out of Washington, but another big initiative – immigration reform – is slowly taking shape.

A draft of a comprehensive White House immigration proposal was obtained yesterday by USA Today, and one key Republican senator immediately deemed the president’s plan “dead on arrival.”

Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., a Hispanic lawmaker involved with a bipartisan group of Senators crafting a compromise proposal, said it was a “mistake for the White House to draft immigration legislation without seeking input from Republican members of Congress,” calling the proposal “half baked and seriously flawed,” and declaring, “If actually proposed, the president’s bill would be dead on arrival in Congress.”

Rubio griped that the bill “does nothing to address guest workers or future flow, which serious immigration experts agree is critical to preventing future influxes of illegal immigrants.”

The White House proposal did, however, contain several big items that would be included in any comprehensive reform package. It would provide additional funding for border security and require employers to verify the immigration status of new employees within four years. Crucially, the plan would also allow undocumented immigrants to become legal, permanent residents within eight years and create a new “Lawful Prospective Immigrant” visa to accommodate the interim status of those trekking the path to citizenship.

The White House has defended the leaked proposal, saying it is an incomplete draft that is only being crafted as a fallback option in case the bipartisan talks in Congress “break down.”

“We will be prepared with our own plan” if congressional action on the issue stalls, White House Chief of Staff Denis McDonough said today on “Face the Nation.”

“There’s no evidence that [the group's efforts] have broken down yet,” he added. “We’re continuing to support that; we’re involved in those efforts by providing them technical assistance, providing them ideas. And I hope Republicans and Democrats up there don’t get involved in some typical Washington back and forth sideshow here.”

Despite the incomplete draft that leaked, McDonough said, any comprehensive immigration proposal endorsed by the White House would contain the four key components President Obama laid out in a speech in Las Vegas several weeks ago: Strengthened border security, an employer verification system to crack down on illegal hiring, a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants currently living in the United States, and reforms to the legal immigration system.

Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wisc., called the leaked proposal “counterproductive” on ABC’s “This Week” and questioned the president’s motives, accusing him of seeking a partisan advantage instead of finding a solution. “Leaking this out does set things in the wrong direction,” he said. “By putting these details out without a guest worker program, without addressing future flow, by giving advantage to those who cut in front of the line…that tells us he’s looking for a partisan advantage and not a bipartisan solution.”

“There are groups in the House and Senate working together to get this done,” he said, “and when he does things like this, it makes it much more difficult to do that. And that’s why I think this particular move – very counterproductive.”

Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., another lawmaker involved in the bipartisan congressional immigration talks, agreed, saying the leaked plan “raises the question that many of us continue to wonder about: Does the president really want a result, or does he want another cudgel to beat up Republicans?”

McCain complained that the president “has had no communication with Republicans on the issue, unlike the previous four presidents that I’ve dealt with.”

But despite the grousing from congressional Republicans about the leaked proposal, they can’t say they didn’t see it coming: In his Las Vegas speech, the president made it clear that he would submit his own proposal if Congress proved unable to reach an agreement. “If Congress is unable to move forward in a timely fashion,” he said, “I will send up a bill based on my proposal and insist that they vote on it right away.”

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By Kristina Peterson

Former Republican Sen. Chuck Hagel, nominated as defense secretary, will be confirmed by the Senate later this month, one of his most outspoken critics predicted Sunday.

Sen. John McCain (R., Ariz.), who helped lead GOP efforts to temporarily block Mr. Hagel’s confirmation last week, said he expected Mr. Hagel would be approved when lawmakers return from this week’s recess.

“I’m confident that Sen. Hagel will probably have the votes necessary to be confirmed as the secretary of defense,” Mr. McCain said on NBC’s “Meet the Press.”

Fellow veterans of the Vietnam War who later served in the Senate together, Messrs. Hagel and McCain were once close friends. Mr. Hagel was a co-chairman of Mr. McCain’s 2000 campaign for the GOP presidential nomination, but the two drifted apart on policy issues, including the decision to send a surge of troops to Iraq. Mr. Hagel didn’t endorse a presidential candidate in 2008, but he traveled with Mr. Obama on a campaign trip overseas.

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White House pushes back on GOP criticism of draft immigration bill - Los Angeles Times

WASHINGTON — The White House pushed back Sunday against Republican criticisms that its draft immigration bill was flawed and counterproductive to congressional efforts aimed at overhauling the nation’s immigration system.

Denis McDonough, the White House chief of staff, said the Obama administration was “very aggressively supporting” bipartisan immigration talks on Capitol Hill. He said the White House had not proposed a bill to Congress but was merely readying one in case lawmakers fail to reach agreement.

“We’re just going to be ready,” McDonough said on ABC’s “This Week.” “We have developed each of these proposals so we have them in a position so that we can succeed.”

TIMELINE: U.S. immigration law

The draft administration bill, which USA Today disclosed Saturday, adds several new details to what President Obama previously had said in public.

It would create a “lawful prospective immigrant” visa, for example, for the estimated 11 million illegal immigrants in the United States, and establish a process to allow qualified applicants to become permanent residents within eight years.

It would provide for an unspecified increase in funding for border security. It also would require employers to develop a system to check the immigration status of new hires within four years.

Sen. Marco Rubio, (R-Fla.) one of eight senators in a bipartisan group working on immigration overhaul, shot down the White House draft, calling it “half-baked and seriously flawed.”

Rubio said Obama’s bill doesn’t do enough to secure America’s borders and “creates a special pathway that puts those who broke our immigration laws at an advantage over those who chose to do things the right way and come here legally.”

“If actually proposed, the president’s bill would be dead on arrival in Congress,” Rubio said in a statement.

McDonough did not address specific aspects of the bill. But he said that Rubio “says it’s ‘dead on arrival’ if it’s proposed. Well, let’s make sure that it doesn’t have to be proposed.”

Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), also a member of the so-called gang of eight working on immigration legislation, accused Obama of developing his proposal without GOP input.

“This raises the question: … Does the president really want a result, or does he want another cudgel to beat up Republicans so that he can get political advantage in the next election?” McCain said on NBC’s “Meet the Press.”

But Sen. Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.), another member of the gang of eight, said he was not upset at the leaked draft legislation.

Obama “agreed to give us the space we need to come up with a bipartisan proposal,” he said on CNN’s “State of the Union.” “I am very hopeful that in March we will have a bipartisan bill.”

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By LAURA MECKLER

Associated Press

President Barack Obama speaking about immigration overhaul at a Las Vegas high school last month.

WASHINGTON—New details of a White House immigration plan have been released, upsetting Senate Republicans working on a bipartisan bill and threatening to complicate the delicate legislative process now under way.

President Barack Obama had already outlined his principles for an immigration overhaul and had said he would offer a bill if the Senate negotiations stall. Many Republicans and some Democrats have cautioned him to keep his distance from the process for fear of driving away potential GOP support.

But on Saturday, USA Today reported new details of the fallback legislation the White House is preparing, including details of an eight-year path for the 11 million people who are in the country illegally to qualify for citizenship and a four-year transition period for employers to implement systems to verify the legal status of new hires.

The new details, which were confirmed by a person familiar with the legislation, weren’t surprising or particularly controversial, people from both parties said Sunday, and the major differences between the White House and Senate approaches were already well known. But key Republicans said they feared the leak could jeopardize the delicate talks by making it appear Mr. Obama was trying to influence the legislation.

“Leaks don’t happen in Washington by accident. So this raises the question: Does the president really want a result or does he want another cudgel to beat up Republicans so he can gain advantage in the next election?” Sen. John McCain (R., Ariz.), one of four Republican senators working on the legislation, said Sunday on NBC’s “Meet the Press.”

Rep. Paul Ryan (R., Wis.), a longtime supporter of an immigration overhaul, said that making these legislative details public “tells us that [Mr. Obama is] looking for a partisan advantage and not a bipartisan solution.”

Sen. Marco Rubio (R., Fla.), another member of the group, who has been working to sell the Senate plan to conservatives, said in a statement that the White House legislation was “half-baked and seriously flawed” and “would actually make our immigration problems worse.” He said the plan would be “dead on arrival” if proposed to Congress.

Still, an aide said Mr. Rubio remained committed to the Senate talks, and Mr. McCain said, “I believe we are making progress on a bipartisan basis. I believe we can come up with a product.”

A White House official said the leak wasn’t intentional and added officials reached out to Democratic and Republican Senate offices Saturday night to make that clear. “We were surprised…[and] thought it was unfortunate,” the official said. He said the White House focus remains on supporting the congressional process under way and the president is pleased by the state of progress.

The White House had circulated the plan to federal agencies for comment, which means numerous government officials had seen it.

The Senate group, which includes four Republicans and four Democrats, hopes to have legislation drafted by March and to begin moving it through the Senate this spring. White House aides have been consulting with the group about how to craft its details.

White House Chief of Staff Denis McDonough, appearing Sunday on ABC’s “This Week,” emphasized that the legislation is meant only as a backup in case the Congress stalls.

Quoting Mr. Rubio, Mr. McDonough said, “He says it’s ‘dead on arrival’ if it’s proposed. Well, let’s make sure that it doesn’t have to be proposed. Let’s make sure that that group up there, the gang of eight, makes good progress on these efforts, as much as they say they want to, and that’s exactly what we intend to do, to work with them.”

Sen. Charles Schumer (D., N.Y.) said the White House version was obviously going to be more liberal than one negotiated with Republicans.

“If a Democrat, the president or anyone else puts out what they want on their own, it’s going to be different than what you have a bipartisan agreement, but the only way we’re going to get something done is with a bipartisan agreement,” he said Sunday on CNN’s “State of the Union.” He added that Mr. Obama had “given us the space” to negotiate a deal and that he was optimistic the Senate could succeed.

Some argued Sunday that the release could help the process by allowing Republicans to attack the president and put distance between their effort and Mr. Obama. One GOP Senate aide allowed for that possibility, but said the greater likelihood is that the events confirm fears of conservatives that Mr. Obama will push the legislation to the political left in a way they will be unable to support.

The fault lines between the White House approach and the Senate framework were already known well before the weekend.

For instance, the Senate group has said certain metrics for securing the U.S. border with Mexico would have to be reached before a path to citizenship kicks in for the people who are in the country illegally.

And neither the White House principles nor its legislative draft include a program for low-skilled workers to come to the U.S. legally for temporary or other jobs that Americans don’t want. That program is a priority for Republicans and business leaders, but is viewed skeptically by labor unions. The president hasn’t ruled out including a program in the final bill, but those working on the issue say the White House saw no advantage to making its own proposal.

The White House draft does include new details about other aspects of an immigration overhaul, which were confirmed by the person familiar with it.

It would allow those in the country illegally to qualify for a “Lawful Prospective Immigrant” visa right away, after passing a criminal-background check, submitting biometric information and paying fees. People wouldn’t be eligible if they had been convicted of crimes that led to a prison term of at least a year; or three different crimes that resulted in a total of 90 days in jail; or had committed an offense abroad that would render the person removable from the U.S. if they had committed it in the U.S.

Once receiving the provisional status, these people could, after eight years, qualify for a green card—legal permanent residence—if they learn English and U.S. history and pay back taxes. That would allow them to apply for citizenship after a further five years. That is similar to the process that failed to pass Congress in 2007.

The White House draft calls for enhanced border security, a priority for Republicans, but isn’t specific about all its provisions. It does propose adding 140 new immigration judges to process violators.

It calls for expansion of the E-Verify program that businesses use to check the immigration status of potential employees. Businesses employing more than 1,000 workers would have to use the system within two years, those with more than 250 workers would have three years and all businesses would have to use the system within four years.

The draft also calls for a new Social Security card that is resistant to fraud, tampering and wear within two years.

Write to Laura Meckler at laura.meckler@wsj.com

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Monday, February 18, 2013

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Sunday, February 17, 2013

Thousands march in DC to protest Keystone pipeline - CBS News

White House insists it didn't leak immigration plan - Los Angeles Times

singer Mindy McCready dead at 37 - Fox News

LA protesters join campaign against Keystone oil pipeline - Los Angeles Times

Climate change rally brings thousands to protest in Washington - Los Angeles Times

Pope asks enthusiastic Vatican crowd to pray for him as well as successor - NBCNews.com (blog)

Pope calls on faithful to 'renew themselves' at Angelus prayers - The Australian

Republicans rip Obama immigration plan; Rubio calls it 'dead on arrival' - Fox News

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President Obama enjoys guys' weekend, golfs with Tiger Woods - Washington Post (blog)

GOP: Leaked WH immigration plan "counterproductive" - CBS News

McCain Confident Hagel Will Be Confirmed - Wall Street Journal (blog)

By Kristina Peterson

White House pushes back on GOP criticism of draft immigration bill - Los Angeles Times

White House Immigration Plan Leaked - Wall Street Journal

By LAURA MECKLER