Iran prepares for start of landmark nuclear deal

Iran prepares for start of landmark nuclear deal

FILE - In this Oct. 26, 2010 file photo, a worker rides a bicycle in front of the reactor building of the Bushehr nuclear power plant, just outside the southern city of Bushehr, Iran. Ahead of the start of a nuclear deal between Iran and world powers, an official in the Islamic Republic has called limiting uranium enrichment and diluting its stockpile the country’s “most important commitments.”

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) -- Ahead of the start of a nuclear deal between Iran and world powers, an official in the Islamic Republic called limiting uranium enrichment and diluting its stockpile the country's "most important commitments," state radio reported Sunday.

The comments by Behrouz Kamalvandi, a spokesman of Iran's atomic department, show how the government of moderate President Hassan Rouhani welcomes the deal, which begins Monday. International inspectors also already have arrived in Tehran, preparing for the government opening its facilities to them.

"Implementation of mutual commitments in the framework of the Geneva deal will begin from tomorrow," Kamalvandi said. "Under the agreement, suspension of 20-percent enrichment of uranium - and the diluting of the current stockpile of enriched uranium - are the most important commitments of our country."

Iran struck the deal in November with the so-called P5+1 countries - Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia and the United States. Negotiators agreed to final terms of the deal Jan. 13.

Under the agreement, Iran will limit its uranium enrichment to 5 percent - the grade commonly used to power reactors. The deal also commits Iran to stop producing 20 percent enriched uranium - which is only a technical step away from weapons-grade material - and to neutralize its 20 percent stockpile over the six months.

In exchange, economic sanctions Iran faces would be eased for six months. Senior officials in U.S. President Barack Obama's administration have put the total relief figure at some $7 billion.

During the six months, negotiations between Iran and the world powers would continue in hopes of reaching a permanent deal.

The West fears Iran's nuclear program could allow it to build an atomic weapon. Iran insists its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes, like power generation and medical research.

On Saturday a team of international inspectors arrived in Tehran in preparation of beginning their inspections. They will visit Fordo, where Iran enriches its 20 percent uranium, as well as its Natanz facility, which produces 5 percent enriched uranium, to ensure the country complies with the deal.

Kamalvandi said Sunday that Iran will use centrifuges now producing 20 percent enriched uranium to instead produce 5 percent enriched uranium to comply with the agreement.

But suspicions remain high in both Tehran and Washington after decades of hostility dating back to the 1979 Islamic Revolution in Iran that ousted the U.S.-backed shah dynasty. Rouhani, Iran's new reformist president, has reached out to the West, but must depend on support from Iran's top decision-maker, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, for his initiatives amid criticism from hard-line factions.

Hard-liners in Iran have already called the deal a "poison chalice" and are threatening legislation to increase uranium enrichment. Meanwhile, U.S. lawmakers have threatened to pass new sanctions legislation against Iran that would take effect if Tehran violates the interim nuclear deal or lets it expire without a follow-up accord.

Writing a post on his Facebook page Sunday, Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif reassured the world that the deal will begin on time.

"I am hopeful that implementation of the first phase will have positive results for the country and peace and stability in the region and the world while preparing the ground for essential talks on a final solution," Zarif wrote.

 

Sheriff: Hernandez separated for his own safety

Sheriff: Hernandez separated for his own safety 

FILE - In this Oct. 9, 2013, file photo, former New England Patriots NFL football player Aaron Hernandez attends a pretrial court hearing in Fall River, Mass. Hernandez has pleaded not guilty to killing Odin Lloyd, 27, a semi-professional football player from Boston who was dating the sister of Hernandez's girlfriend. Police wrote in a June 28, 2013 search warrant application that there was probable cause to believe that Hernandez was driving a vehicle used in a separate double slaying of Daniel Jorge Correia de Abreu and Safiro Teixeira Furtado, in Boston, and "may have been the shooter."

Former New England Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez can't watch football on TV for his own safety, the sheriff in charge of the prison said on Saturday.

"When somebody with any kind of fame comes in, there are already wise guys who try to improve their own stature by hurting him," Bristol County Sheriff Thomas Hodgson told The Associated Press. "We don't want to have any problems."

Hernandez has been held without bail at the Bristol County House of Correction in North Dartmouth, Mass., since he was charged in June with the murder of Odin Lloyd, a 27-year-old semi-pro football player. The Patriots released him on the day he was arrested.

Hodgson said this week that Hernandez won't be able to watch his former teammates play in the AFC Championship game against the Denver Broncos because he isn't allowed to watch TV at all. The sheriff said on Saturday that Hernandez is kept separated from the other inmates under "special management" because of his fame.

"My job is care and custody. First and foremost, we have to be concerned about the safety of the inmate and the officers," Hodgson said. "I can't put this guy in a vulnerable situation where there are people who would like to prove they're more important" by hurting Hernandez.

Hodgson said the decision to keep Hernandez separate was made when the former NFL star first arrived at the prison. He is only allowed outside of his cell three hours a day, and never at the same time as other inmates.

"I've spoken to him about it, and he understands it," Hodgson said. "I'm not going to tell you that he enjoys it all the time."

Hernandez is different from the other inmates in special management because he is still awaiting trial. Most of the others in the separate unit were in the general population before losing privileges due to bad behavior.

"Of course, we recognize that everyone's innocent until proven guilty," Hodgson said. "But also a judge doesn't feel like you're able to be in the community on bail. I don't make those decisions to send people to our institution, but when they get there, I have a responsibility to make sure they're safe, they're fed."

Unlike those who have lost their privileges, Hernandez is allowed access to the prison commissary, Hodgson said. But it wouldn't be safe to have a TV in the unit.

"He does get some privileges that the others don't because he is a pretrial detainee," Hodgson said. "There are times when he's asked for a TV. But we can't have a television in the unit he's housed in. That would be looked upon by the other individuals in the unit as a special privilege and create animosity."

Hodgson said the decision to separate Hernandez from the general population is reassessed periodically,

"He knows that I'm looking out for his welfare," the sheriff said. "It's not the ideal situation. It's jail.

"It's a delicate situation."

Mayor: Christie aides tied Sandy funds to project

Mayor: Christie aides tied Sandy funds to project 

FILE - In this Saturday, Aug. 8, 2009 file photograph, Hoboken Mayor, Dawn Zimmer speaks to the media as she stands near the Hudson River in Hoboken, N.J. Zimmer, mayor of a New Jersey city that sustained severe flooding from Hurricane Sandy claims the Christie administration withheld millions of dollars in recovery grants because she refused to sign off on a politically connected development. MSNBC first reported her comments Saturday.

TRENTON, N.J. (AP) -- The Christie administration withheld millions of dollars in Superstorm Sandy recovery grants from a New Jersey city because its mayor refused to sign off on a politically connected commercial development, the mayor said Saturday.

Hoboken Mayor Dawn Zimmer alleged that Gov. Chris Christie's lieutenant governor and a top community development official told her recovery funds would flow to her city if she allowed the project to move forward.

Zimmer said Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno pulled her aside at an event in May and told her Sandy aid was tied to the project - a proposal from the New York City-based Rockefeller Group aimed at prime real estate in the densely populated city across the river from New York City.

The mayor said the administration officials wanted Rockefeller's plans for the property approved, while Zimmer said she preferred to go through normal channels and hear from all stakeholders, including the public and owners of adjacent property. Rockefeller Group owns about three blocks of the 19-block area.

"I was directly told the by the lieutenant governor - she made it very clear - that the Rockefeller project needed to move forward or they wouldn't be able to help me," Zimmer told The Associated Press.

"There is no way I could ethically do what the governor, through the lieutenant governor, is asking me to do," she said.

Christie's office denied Zimmer's claims, calling her statements politically motivated. Spokesman Colin Reed said the administration has been helping Hoboken secure assistance since Sandy struck." Christie himself was raising money Saturday for fellow Republicans in Florida. The fundraisers were closed to reporters.

Hoboken is hiring a planner to rehabilitate the area, and Rockefeller will have an opportunity to offer input along with others who have an interest in development of the property, said Juan Melli, a spokesman for Zimmer.

A state website that tracks the distribution of Sandy aid shows that Hoboken received a $200,000 post-storm planning grant in October out of a $1.8 billion pot of money controlled by the state. Hoboken also received a $142,000 state energy resilience grant.

Besides state money, Hoboken has received $70 million in recovery funds distributed by the federal government, according to the Christie administration. Zimmer said she has applied for $100 million to implement a comprehensive plan to help insulate her city from future floods.

Christie already is embroiled in another scandal involving traffic jams apparently manufactured to settle a political score. At a recent news conference to discuss the lane closures on the approach to the George Washington Bridge, Christie brushed aside questions about his aggressive governing style. "I am who I am," said Christie, "I am not a bully."

But Zimmer said Guadagno and Community Affairs Commissioner Richard Constable, a member of Christie's cabinet, both delivered messages about Sandy aid in no uncertain terms.

Zimmer, who first spoke with MSNBC on Saturday, told the cable network that at another event in May, Constable said "the money would start flowing to you" if she backed the project.

The Rockefeller Group did not immediately return a phone message left by The Associated Press. In a statement to MSNBC, a spokesman said it had no knowledge of any information related to Zimmer's claims.

Zimmer, a Democrat, said she is willing to take a lie detector test or testify under oath about the conversations.

Christie's office called Zimmer's claims a political move.

"Gov. Christie and his entire administration have been helping Hoboken get the help they need after Sandy," Reed said. "It's very clear partisan politics are at play here as Democratic mayors with a political axe to grind come out of the woodwork and try to get their faces on television."

The Sandy aid matter is the second time in recent weeks Christie's administration has been accused of exacting retribution for political reasons.

Christie's chief of staff, chief counsel, chief political strategist and two-time campaign manager have all been subpoenaed for documents related to the September closing of approach lanes near the George Washington Bridge, which led to traffic chaos in the town of Fort Lee across the river from New York City.

The agency that runs the bridge, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, is chaired by David Samson, whose law firm, Wolff & Samson, represented the developer in the Hoboken matter, according to Zimmer. A phone message left at the firm's office was not returned Saturday.

Christie's former community affairs commissioner, Lori Grifa, was a lobbyist promoting the Rockefeller Group's plans for the Hoboken project, according to MSNBC. The network quoted emails from Grifa that appear to confirm her work on behalf of the developer.

Twenty new subpoenas issued in the bridge closure matter on Friday reach deep into the Christie administration, the port authority, and his re-election campaign, but spare the governor himself.

The U.S. Attorney's Office is reviewing the lane closings and a legislative panel is investigating who authorized the apparent plot and why.

Zimmer said she is telling her story in hopes that Hoboken gets much-needed assistance in the second wave of relief funding yet to be approved by the federal government for distribution by the state. That money, total of $1.4 billion to be distributed through the state Community Development Block Grant program, is awaiting federal approval. The focus will be on improving infrastructure, Community Affairs spokeswoman Lisa Ryan said.

Interviewed by the Associated Press last month, Zimmer voiced concerns about the lack of storm aid to her town, but expressed hope that the administration would come through in the next round. She did not mention the real estate development in the interview with the AP.

Unclear future for executions after Ohio's longest

Unclear future for executions after Ohio's longest 

FILE - This undated file photo provided by the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction shows inmate Dennis McGuire. McGuire appeared to gasp several times and took an unusually long time to die — more than 20 minutes — in an execution carried out Thursday, Jan. 16, 2014, with a combination of drugs never before tried in the U.S. An attorney for McGuire's family said it plans to sue the state over what happened.

 COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) -- The long and restless execution of an Ohio inmate with an untested combination of chemicals brought cries of cruel and unusual punishment Friday and could further narrow the options for other states that are casting about for new lethal injection drugs.

A gasping, snorting Dennis McGuire took 26 minutes to die after the chemicals began flowing Thursday - the longest execution of the 53 carried out in Ohio since capital punishment resumed 15 years ago, according to an Associated Press analysis.

McGuire's adult children complained it amounted to torture, with the convicted killer's son, also named Dennis, saying: "Nobody deserves to go through that."

Whether McGuire felt any pain was unclear. But Ohio's experience could influence the decisions made in the 31 other lethal-injection states, many of which have been forced in the past few years to rethink the drugs they use.

States are in a bind for two main reasons: European companies have cut off supplies of certain execution drugs because of death-penalty opposition overseas. And states can't simply switch to other chemicals without triggering legal challenges from defense attorneys.

"There's only so many times you can say we're going to try a new method, or try something different, where at this point it's just going to invite a lot of skepticism," said Fordham University law professor and lethal injection expert Deborah Denno.

She added: "There's a dead-end we've never seen before with lethal injection."

In light of what happened in Ohio, "states will now have more of a burden to show that they are using a well-thought-out best practice," said Richard Dieter, executive director of the Death Penalty Information Center, which opposes capital punishment.

Ohio's prison system is reviewing the execution and declined to comment on the amount of time it took McGuire to die from the two-drug combination, which had never been used before in a U.S. execution. McGuire, 53, was given both a sedative and a painkiller.

Most Ohio death row inmates over the past 15 years took 15 minutes or less to die, records show. In years when Ohio used a three-drug combination, many inmates died in less than 10 minutes, according to the records.

McGuire, who was sentenced to die for raping and stabbing to death a pregnant newlywed in 1989, appeared unconscious but gasped repeatedly as he lay on a gurney, his stomach rising and falling and his mouth opening and shutting.

States have been hit with a series of setbacks as they attempt to refine lethal injection, with one problem cropping up as soon as another appears solved.

To end constitutional challenges over the possibility of an inmate suffering undue pain from the widely used three-drug method, states beginning with Ohio switched to single doses of a powerful sedative, sodium thiopental. Even opponents agreed that wouldn't cause pain.

Then sodium thiopental was put off limits when Illinois-based manufacturer Hospira said it couldn't promise authorities in Italy, where the drug was to be produced, that it wouldn't be used in executions.

The next choice, pentobarbital, experienced a similar fate when its Danish maker also prohibited its use in executions, and a U.S. company that inherited the drug agreed to continue the restriction.

Missouri at one point proposed using propofol, the powerful operating room anesthetic infamous for its role in Michael Jackson's overdose death.

But Missouri's governor backed off for fear the European Union, which opposes the death penalty, would cut off exports to the U.S. and cause a nationwide shortage of propofol.

Companies in India and Israel put similar prohibitions on their drugs.

As a result of all this, states will be under a lot of pressure to find new sources of pentobarbital, Dieter said.

One of those sources could be compounding pharmacies, which turn out custom-made batches of drugs.

But concerns about compounding pharmacies arose in 2012 after contaminated pain injections from a Massachusetts facility caused a meningitis outbreak that killed 64 people.

There are a number of painkillers, sedatives and paralyzing agents that can kill if administered in high doses. 

But switching to one of those could involve long, drawn-out bureaucratic or legislative delays in some states.

And any switch is all but certain to bring legal challenges over the drug's effectiveness and the risk of pain in violation of the Constitution's ban on cruel and unusual punishment.

Jon Paul Rion, an attorney for McGuire's children, called his execution unquestionably cruel.

It's almost certain lawyers will use McGuire's execution to challenge Ohio's plans to put a condemned Cleveland-area killer to death in March.

In three-horse Oscar race, who's the favorite?

In three-horse Oscar race, who's the favorite? 

FILE - This Dec. 3, 2013 file photo shows director David O. Russell at a special screening of "American Hustle"in Los Angeles. Russell was nominated for an Academy Award for best director on Thursday, Jan. 16, 2014, for the film. The 86th Academy Awards will be held on March 2.

In a hydra-headed Oscar race, "American Hustle," "12 Years a Slave" and "Gravity" all have legitimate claims to favorite status. And that's a good thing.

Even if a front-runner emerges from the much-nominated trio over the six weeks leading up to the 86th Academy Awards on March 2, the credentials of each film should be plenty to heighten nerves and add to the drama on Oscar night.

"It's an extremely competitive year," said David O. Russell, whose "American Hustle" landed 10 nods, tied for most with "Gravity," in nominations announced Thursday from Beverly Hills, Calif. "It could go any which way."

Steve McQueen's "12 Years a Slave," an unflinching depiction of 19th century American slavery, trailed close behind with nine nominations, including nods for McQueen, lead actor Chiwetel Ejiofor and supporting players Michael Fassbender and Lupita Nyong'o. Since its festival debut, it's been seen by many as the movie to beat, a film bearing heavy historical gravitas that the lighter "American Hustle" and the literally weightless "Gravity" can't match.

But Russell's wild Abscam comedy, thick in 1970s style, has ridden a wave of enthusiasm for its manic performances. It's three in a row for Russell, too, who may be due for bigger Oscar wins than his much-nominated films "Silver Linings Playbook" and "The Fighter" managed. A year after "Silver Linings Playbook" landed nominations in all four acting categories, "Hustle" managed the same feat with Amy Adams, Christian Bale, Jennifer Lawrence and Bradley Cooper all receiving nods.

Then there's "Gravity," which, along with nominations for director Alfonso Cuaron and lead actress Sandra Bullock, exerted its force with nominations in all seven technical categories. With $670 million in worldwide box-office, the 3-D space odyssey is easily the most popular of the best-picture nominees, widely credited with reinvigorating the spectacle of the big-screen experience.

The three films will vie in the best picture category with "Captain Phillips," "Dallas Buyers Club," "Her," "Nebraska," "The Wolf of Wall Street" and "Philomena." If any of them poses a dark-horse threat, it's Martin Scorsese's "The Wolf of Wall Street," a nearly three hour-long portrait of hedonism and greed that some have said glorifies former trader Jordan Belfort.

"The Wolf of Wall Street" landed five big nominations, including best director (Scorsese, his eighth for directing), best actor (Leonardo DiCaprio), best supporting actor (Jonah Hill), and best adapted screenplay (Terence Winter). DiCaprio, now a four-time nominee, said he felt vindicated.

"To be recognized like this and to see that there were enough people out there who said, `Look, we get what this film is' - not what it's trying to say, but what it's trying to reflect," said DiCaprio. "Nobody wants to be misunderstood."

The nominations seemed to favor new blood over esteemed veterans. In an especially strong best actor race, Tom Hanks ("Captain Phillips") and Robert Redford ("All Is Lost") were surprisingly left out. Emma Thompson was omitted from best actress, and her film, Disney's making-of "Mary Poppins" tale "Saving Mr. Banks," was overlooked in the best picture category.

The best actor category is led by first-time nominee Matthew McConaughey, whose Texas HIV drama "Dallas Buyers Club" earned six nominations.

"I'm at home in Malibu, having a cup of tea, catching the sunrise. My newborn's walking around," said McConaughey, whose nod capped a remarkable reinvention by the actor after sliding into mediocrity. "What a great alarm clock and news to wake up to this morning."

Others enjoying their first nod were Ejiofor, McQueen, Fassbender, Barkhad Abdi (a limo driver before being cast as a Somali pirate in "Captain Phillips"), 84-year-old June Squibb ("Nebraska") and Jared Leto, who had devoted himself to music before returning to play a transsexual in "Dallas Buyers Club."

Said Leto: "Yesterday I was doing jury duty, today I woke up with an Academy Award nomination. Only in America."

Even 77-year-old Bruce Dern, nominated for best actor for his performance as a gruff, taciturn wandering Montana man in "Nebraska," has an uncommon youthful vigor. Few have taken more pleasure in awards season than Dern (nominated 35 years ago for Hal Ashby's "Coming Home"), revitalized by a film he's happily viewed, he estimates, "approaching the upper 30s."

"I can't see it enough to realize how lucky we all were with the collaboration that went on on this particular movie," said Dern. "I feel somehow that the industry has suddenly today put their arms around our little movie."

The black-and-white "Nebraska" earned six nominations, including best director for Alexander Payne.

One of the day's biggest winners was the 27-year-old producer Megan Ellison, the daughter of billionaire Larry Ellison. Her Annapurna Pictures produced two of the best-picture nominees ("American Hustle" and "Her") as well as the Wong Kar-Wai martial arts drama "The Grandmaster." She is the first woman and only the fourth person to receive two best picture nods in the same year. She celebrated by tweeting "17!" - the total nominations her films received.

"Her," Spike Jonze's futurist romance, scored five nominations Thursday, including best original screenplay for Jonze. He actually earned three nods in all, including best song, having co-written "The Moon Song" with Karen O.

There were plenty of familiar faces, though, too. Meryl Streep padded her acting record with her 18th nomination, best actress for her truth-telling, pill-popping matriarch in "August: Osage County." Streep, Adams and Bullock are joined by Cate Blanchett (her sixth nom) for "Blue Jasmine" and Judi Dench (her seventh) for "Philomena."

Along with Nyong'o, Squibb and Lawrence, the best supporting actress nominees were Julia Roberts ("August: Osage County") and Sally Hawkins ("Blue Jasmine").

Woody Allen scored his record 16th screenwriting nomination for "Blue Jasmine." Also up for original screenplay are "American Hustle," "Dallas Buyers Club," "Her" and "Nebraska." In the adapted screenplay category are "Before Midnight," "Captain Phillips," "Philomena," "12 Years a Slave" and "The Wolf of Wall Street."

Joel and Ethan Coen's folk tale "Inside Llewyn Davis," one of the most critically acclaimed films of the year, garnered only nominations for cinematography and sound mixing. And while 2013 was trumpeted as one of the best years for African-American cinema, movies like "Lee Daniels' The Butler" and "Fruitvale Station" were shut out.

Though historically the most-nominated films have taken home best picture, that's not recently been the case. In six of the last 10 years, the most-nominated film hasn't triumphed in the end, including last year when Steven Spielberg's "Lincoln," with 12 nominations, was beaten by Ben Affleck's "Argo."

This year's Oscar telecast on ABC, with Ellen DeGeneres hosting for the second time, has particular pressure on it to live up to the increasingly popular Golden Globes, led by hosts Tina Fey and Amy Poehler. The Academy Awards have struggled to freshen up its more prestigious brand.

But comebacks are always possible. The most notorious flop of 2013, "The Lone Ranger," managed to land two nominations, for visual effects and makeup and hairstyle.

Family of Ohio killer plans lawsuit over execution

Family of Ohio killer plans lawsuit over execution 

FILE-In this undated file photo provided by the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction shows Dennis McGuire. A condemned Ohio killer facing a never-tried lethal injection method has arrived at the state death house a day ahead of his scheduled execution. The Department of Rehabilitation and Correction plans to use a combination of a sedative and a painkiller to put McGuire to death for the 1989 rape and fatal stabbing of Joy Stewart in Preble County in western Ohio.

LUCASVILLE, Ohio (AP) -- An attorney for the family of a killer whose Ohio execution by lethal injection was marked by several minutes of unprecedented gasping and unusual sounds plans to sue the state over what happened.

Dayton defense lawyer John Paul Rion says Dennis McGuire's family is deeply disturbed by his execution and believes it violated his constitutional rights.

Rion is a member of a state Supreme Court panel examining possible changes to Ohio's death penalty law. 

He said Thursday all citizens have a right to expect they won't be punished in a cruel and unusual fashion.

McGuire was executed Thursday for raping and killing a pregnant woman in 1989. He took nearly 25 minutes to die, an unusually long time based on prior executions.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.

A condemned man appeared to gasp several times and took an unusually long time to die - more than 20 minutes - in an execution carried out Thursday with a combination of drugs never before tried in the U.S.

Dennis McGuire's attorney Allen Bohnert called the convicted killer's death "a failed, agonizing experiment" 

and added: "The people of the state of Ohio should be appalled at what was done here today in their names."

McGuire's lawyers had attempted last week to block his execution, arguing that the untried method could 

lead to a medical phenomenon known as "air hunger" and cause him to suffer "agony and terror" while struggling to catch his breath.

McGuire, 53, made loud snorting noises during one of the longest executions since Ohio resumed capital punishment in 1999. Nearly 25 minutes passed between the time the lethal drugs began flowing and McGuire was pronounced dead at 10:53 a.m.

Executions under the old method were typically much shorter and did not cause the kind of sounds McGuire made.

Ohio prisons spokeswoman JoEllen Smith had no comment on how the execution went but said a review will be conducted as usual.

Prison officials gave intravenous doses of two drugs, the sedative midazolam and the painkiller hydromorphone, to put McGuire to death for the 1989 rape and fatal stabbing of a pregnant newlywed, Joy Stewart.

The method was adopted after supplies of a previously used drug dried up because the manufacturer declared it off limits for capital punishment.

The execution is certain to launch a new round of federal lawsuits over Ohio's injection procedure. The state has five more executions scheduled this year, with the next one to come on Feb. 19.

What was particularly unusual Thursday was the five minutes or so that McGuire lay motionless on the gurney after the drugs began flowing, followed by a sudden snort and then more than 10 minutes of irregular breathing and gasping. Normally, movement comes at the beginning and is followed by inactivity.

"Oh, my God," his daughter, Amber McGuire, said as she watched her father's final moments.

In pressing for the execution to go ahead, Assistant Ohio Attorney General Thomas Madden had argued that while the U.S. Constitution bans cruel and unusual punishment, "you're not entitled to a pain-free execution."

U.S. District Judge Gregory Frost sided with the state. But at the request of McGuire's lawyers, he ordered officials to photograph and preserve the drug vials, packaging and syringes.

The selection of drugs for use in executions in the U.S. involves more than just considerations of effectiveness. It is complicated by the politics of the death penalty, questions of medical ethics and the constitutional protection against cruel and unusual punishment.

In Ohio's case, the state in recent years used pentobarbital - a form of which is used to put down cats and dogs. But the state's supply ran out after the manufacturer refused to allow its use in executions.

Some executions with pentobarbital ran into problems, but they involved difficulties inserting the needle, not trouble with the effectiveness of the drug itself.

A few minutes before McGuire was put to death, Ohio prison director Gary Mohr said he believed the state's planning would produce "a humane, dignified execution" consistent with the law.

Strapped to a gurney in the death chamber, McGuire thanked Stewart's family members, who witnessed the execution, for their "kind words" in a letter he apparently received from them.

"I'm going to heaven. I'll see you there when you come," he said.

Stewart's slaying went unsolved for 10 months until McGuire, jailed on an unrelated assault and hoping to improve his legal situation, told investigators he had information about the death. His attempts to pin the crime on his brother-in-law quickly unraveled, and he was accused of the killing.

More than a decade later, DNA evidence confirmed McGuire's guilt, and he acknowledged his responsibility in a letter to Gov. John Kasich last month.

The death row inmate's lawyers argued McGuire was mentally, physically and sexually abused as a child and had impaired brain function that made him prone to act impulsively.

"We have forgiven him, but that does not negate the need for him to pay for his actions," Stewart's family said in a statement after the execution.

 

Man Dies After Center City Apartment Fire

Man Dies After Center City Apartment Fire

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) – Investigators say a man has died from his injuries following a fire inside a 10th floor apartment in Center City.

The fire was reported at about 3:42 p.m. Wednesday at the Walnut Square Apartments on the 200 block of S. 13^th Street.

Philadelphia Police tell CBS 3 a 60-year-old man suffered smoke inhalation and a heart attack.  He was rushed to Jefferson University Hospital where he was later pronounced dead.

For full story go to:  http://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/

Study dispels 'obesity paradox' idea for diabetics

Study dispels 'obesity paradox' idea for diabetics 

FILE - In this Sunday, April 29, 2012 file photo, a 19-year old diagnosed with diabetes gives herself an injection of insulin at her home in the Los Angeles suburb of Commerce, Calif. The "obesity paradox" — the controversial notion that being overweight might actually be healthier for some people with diabetes — seems to be a myth, researchers report. A major study finds there's no survival advantage to being large, and a disadvantage to being very large. The study was published by the New England Journal of Medicine on Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2014.

The "obesity paradox" - the controversial notion that being overweight might actually be healthier for some people with diabetes - seems to be a myth, researchers report. A major study finds there's no survival advantage to being large, and a disadvantage to being very large.

More than 24 million Americans have diabetes, mostly Type 2, the kind that is on the rise because of obesity. About two-thirds of U.S. adults are overweight, including one-third who are obese.

Weighing too much increases the chances of heart disease, cancer and premature death. But some small studies have suggested this might not be true for everyone, and that Type 2 diabetics might even benefit from a few extra pounds - a "metabolic reserve" to help get them through sickness.

The new research - which looked at deaths according to how much people weighed when they were diagnosed with diabetes - dispels that idea.

"We didn't see this protective effect at all," said one study leader, Diedre Tobias of the Harvard School of Public Health. "The lowest risk was seen in the normal-weight category."

The National Institutes of Health and the American Diabetes Association paid for the work. Results are in this week's New England Journal of Medicine.

"It's a very convincing study" and large enough to give a clear answer, said one independent expert, Dr. Patrick Remington, associate dean for public health at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

It involved 11,427 female nurses and male health professionals diagnosed with diabetes sometime after enrolling in two long-running health studies. They were grouped according to body mass index, a measure of height and weight. People with a BMI over 25 are considered overweight, and 30 or higher, obese. A 5-foot-8-inch person would be overweight at 164 pounds and obese at 197.

During more than 15 years of follow-up, there were 3,083 deaths. The lowest risk was among those in the normal range - BMIs of 22.5 to 25.

For the rest, researchers saw a J-shaped curve - deaths trended higher at both extremes. Being just a little overweight did not substantially raise the risk of death, but the trend was in that direction.

The study was big enough that researchers could look at subgroups. For those under 65 when they were diagnosed with diabetes, the risk of death rose directly in relation to BMI. The same was true of people who had never smoked.

Trends for smokers and people over 65 were less uniform. Smokers had higher death rates in general. Smoking suppresses appetite and contributes to lower weight, but contributes so strongly to many diseases that it can overshadow and complicate efforts to measure the effect of weight alone, Tobias said. Older people have many other health conditions that also make it hard to see the effect of BMI.

The results support guidelines urging people to keep a healthy weight, said Dr. Donna Ryan of Louisiana State University's Pennington Biomedical Research Center. Even though being modestly overweight did not raise the risk of dying very much in this study, many others show that it impairs quality of life by contributing to high blood pressure, high cholesterol and other problems, she said.

Ryan said she doubted that overweight people would think it's OK to be a little pudgy.

"Are you kidding?" she said. "Everybody is trying to lose weight."

Man fatally shot at Fla. theater over texting

Man fatally shot at Fla. theater over texting 

WESLEY CHAPEL, Fla. (AP) -- Chad Oulson was described by friends as a man who loved dirt bikes and his baby daughter. Curtis Reeves was a retired Tampa police officer with numerous commendations who liked riding his motorcycle with his wife.

The men's lives collided in a movie theater altercation that left Oulson dead and Reeves in jail. Oulson was texting his daughter's daycare, friends said, and Reeves got mad. Authorities said Reeves shot and killed Oulson with a handgun after the men exchanged words.

"He must have just snapped," neighbor Joe D'Andrea said of Reeves, describing him as friendly, "stand-up" guy. "I'm trying to put all of this together."

Reeves' personnel files from the police department show he led other agencies in gun safety training and received numerous letters of commendation for his leadership.

Still, Pasco County Sheriff Chris Nocco said Tuesday: "It didn't matter what he had done previously in his life. You don't shoot someone over a texting incident."

During Reeves' first court appearance Tuesday, Judge Lynn Tepper ordered the 71-year-old held without bond on a second-degree murder charge pending a bond hearing.

Pasco County Sheriff's officials say Reeves initially asked Oulson to stop texting at the theater in Wesley Chapel, a suburb about a half-hour north of downtown Tampa.

Sheriff's Detective Allen Proctor wrote that Reeves spoke to Oulson during the movie previews, then got up and informed management.

When Reeves returned to his seat "additional words were exchanged" and Oulson threw a bag of popcorn at Reeves, the report said.

After officers read him his rights, Reeves told the detective that Oulson struck him in the face with an unknown object, and that's when he removed a .380 caliber gun from his pants pocket. The report said 

Reeves fired the gun and struck Oulson once in the chest and that he "was in fear of being attacked."

The sheriff said at a news conference that Reeves' son - who was off duty from his job as a Tampa officer - was walking into the theater when the shooting happened. Nocco said Reeves briefly struggled with an off-duty deputy but released the weapon. The gun was jammed and unable to fire again.

Pasco Sgt. Steve Greiner was among the first officers in the theater. When asked about Reeves' demeanor, Greiner replied: "He was very calm. He was seated in the chair, looking at the screen."

At the hearing, Judge Lynn Tepper said she found the evidence significant enough to warrant the no bond order.

Reeves faces life in prison if convicted. He only spoke once during his court appearance, to say "yes, ma'am" to the judge when she asked him if he could afford to hire his own attorney. Reeves, who appeared in court via a video link from the jail, appeared to be wearing a bullet proof vest without a shirt underneath.

Reeves' attorney, Richard Escobar, argued that his client should be released because of his deep ties to the community.

Escobar said the probable cause document was "quite weak" and that Reeves was defending himself.

"The alleged victim attacked him," Escobar said, adding that Oulson threw something, possibly popcorn, at Reeves. "At that point in time he has every right to defend himself."

The judge said that throwing "an unknown object does not equal taking out a gun" and shooting someone.

Escobar said Reeves has lived in the Tampa Bay area almost his entire life, and he worked at the Tampa Police department from 1973 to 1993, and was a homicide detective and captain during his career. Reeves has two grown children, one a Tampa Police officer.

Reeves' application to join the Tampa Police Department shows that he served in the U.S. Navy from 1961 to 1963 as a machinists' mate on a submarine. After an honorable discharge, he worked as a truck driver, drove a bucket truck for a telephone company and as a warehouse worker.

As a police officer, Reeves regularly received outstanding evaluations and numerous letters of commendation for his leadership skills and the frequent trainings he led for other agencies on gun safety and other topics. He was lauded for leading the tactical response team for Vice President George H.W. Bush's visit to Tampa in 1987.

He was often praised for his problem solving abilities to manage stressful situations.

"Captain Reeves not only has the ability to act decisively when necessary but has the foresight to initiate the proper course of action to avoid conflict," a supervisor remarked in one job performance review.

However, early in his career, one supervisor noted "Reeves has a tendency to be impatient in regards to legal matters and practices now in force...and may be abrupt with complainants in some areas of the city."

In 1968, he was reprimanded for carelessly handling a city weapon.

Reeves' home in Hernando County lies north of the movie theater. Neighbors said that Reeves and his wife moved to the rural subdivision about 10 years ago.

Everyone in the neighborhood knew that Reeves was a retired police officer, said D'Andrea, the neighbor.

"He was a stand-up guy in the neighborhood," D'Andrea said. "I would not think he was the type of guy to do something like that."

Reeves and his wife were friendly with the neighbors, often attending house parties, said D'Andrea. The couple also owned a motorcycle and enjoyed taking long rides.

Reeves was instrumental in establishing the Tampa Police Department's first tactical response team, that agency's spokeswoman said. He retired in 1993 and later worked security at the Busch Gardens theme park. He also served on the Crimestoppers board of Hernando County.

D'Andrea said Reeves' experience in law enforcement should have taught him not to pull his weapon in a movie theater.

"It doesn't just affect his life, it affects a lot of people," he said.

Devon Detrapani and her husband Joseph were friends with the Oulsons and that the men worked together at Sky Powersports, a motorcycle and off road vehicle dealer.

Chad Oulson was the company's finance manager and a hard worker, Detrapani said. He rode dirt bikes on the weekend and "liked" several motocross stars on Facebook, but his true love was his baby daughter, Lexi.

"They are awesome parents," said Devon Detrapani. "They love that little girl so much."

Detrapani said that Oulson was texting with his daughter's daycare on the afternoon he was shot. She said that Oulson was a kind man with no anger issues.

"He is a very nice guy," she said. "He would give the shirt off his back to help someone."

Oulson had Monday off and his wife, Nicole, worked at USAA Insurance and took the day off so they could go to the movies together.

Detrapani said she and her husband, who attended kids' birthday parties with the Oulsons, are in shock.

"This does not make sense. I don't understand," she said. "It should have never happened. Now poor Lexi has to grow up without a daddy and Nicole doesn't have a husband."

NJ Gov. Christie: 'We let down the people'

NJ Gov. Christie: 'We let down the people' 

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie delivers his State Of The State address at the Statehouse, Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2014, in Trenton, N.J. Christie apologized again Tuesday, saying his administration “let down the people we are entrusted to serve” but that it doesn’t define his team or the state.

TRENTON, N.J. (AP) -- Faced with a widening political scandal that threatens to undermine his second term and a possible 2016 presidential run, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie apologized again Tuesday, saying his administration "let down the people we are entrusted to serve" but that the issue doesn't define his team or the state.

On the eve of his second term, the governor opened his annual State of the State address by touching only briefly on the apparent political payback plot.

"The last week has certainly tested this administration," he said. "Mistakes were clearly made. And as a result, we let down the people we are entrusted to serve. I know our citizens deserve better."

He received tempered applause after he went on, saying, "This administration and this Legislature will not allow the work that needs to be done to improve the people's lives in Jersey to be delayed."

His measured tone was a noticeable contrast from a year ago when a blustery Christie promised to lead New Jersey back from Superstorm Sandy, the costliest natural disaster in state history.

The scandal broke wide open last week with the release of documents showing Christie aides and appointees orchestrated lane closings that caused massive gridlock on local roads, delayed emergency vehicles and school buses for hours and infuriated commuters. Democrats believe the scheme was retaliation against a Democratic mayor who did not endorse Christie.

After addressing the scandal, Christie moved on in his speech to such familiar themes as avoiding tax increases and working with the Democrats who control both chambers of the state Legislature. But he returned to the theme of bipartisanship throughout as he sought to repel doubts about an aggressive brand of politics that propelled him to the forefront of his party but might also be responsible for an apparent petty political vendetta carried out by members of his inner circle.

"We have succeeded in working together to be an example for the entire country dispirited by partisanship," Christie said. "Let us not abandon that course."

Turning to policy matters, Christie stuck mostly to universal goals like making communities safer without offering much of a blueprint.

Christie kept plans vague for a key initiative, extending the school day and cutting short summer vacation, which was met with skepticism from Wendell Steinhauer, president of New Jersey's largest and most powerful teachers union and a frequent adversary of Christie.

The union bitterly opposed an overhaul of public employee retirement benefits by Christie and the Legislature in 2011 and spent millions of dollars on anti-Christie ads during his gubernatorial campaigns.

The governor warned that the state must reduce its pension and debt-service payments in the coming year. They're scheduled to rise by a combined total of nearly $1 billion.

Democrats oppose the prospect of failing to make promised pension contributions or cutting payouts to retirees.

Christie also promised to present choices to overhaul the state's tax system next month when he presents his budget proposal but did not offer an insight on how he might want to do that. A tax cut he proposed two years ago foundered in the Legislature.

The reception to his ideas from political opponents is likely to unfold as the Legislature gets to work. Democrats may be unwilling to go along with a Republican whom they sense may have been weakened by the scandal.

As Christie left the chamber after his speech, he tersely shook the hand of the Democrat leading one of several investigations into the scandal, which the governor has denied knowledge of and first apologized for last week. He's also fired a close aide, and others on his team have resigned.

Democrats plan to vote Thursday on continuing their investigation.

"Public safety and abuse of power are the No. 1 issues," said Vincent Prieto, the incoming speaker of the state Assembly and a Democrat, said after the speech. "We have to get to the bottom to make sure it doesn't happen again."

Christie's State of the State address and inauguration scheduled for next week were intended to launch a second term that's considered a key building block for his political future. After his November re-election, his advisers suggested he had just a one-year window to stack up accomplishments as a can-do, bipartisan leader before his lame-duck status - and a prospective White House campaign - start to interfere.

The recent revelations may have slammed that window shut. Though he's not announced plans to run, Christie is an early front-runner for his party's presidential nomination who now is working to rebound from the scandal, the most serious threat to his administration and political ambitions so far.

Unlike previous years, Christie had no live radio or television appearances scheduled for the day after the annual address.

2 murders in 10 minutes in Philadelphia

  Action News

PHILADELPHIA - January 13, 2014 (WPVI) -- Philadelphia police are investigating two murders that took place within a 10 minute span.

Deadly gunfire killed two men in different sections the city.
The first occurred shortly after 9:00 p.m. on the 600 block of Franklin Place in North Philadelphia killing a 22-year-old man.

Then 9 minutes later, inside a vacant Port Richmond property on the 3300 block of Amber Street, a 35-year-old victim was shot.
No one is in custody for either crime yet.

(Copyright ©2014 WPVI-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.)

'Octomom' charged with welfare fraud in California

'Octomom' charged with welfare fraud in California

FILE - In this May 19, 2010 this file photo, Nadya Suleman stands outside her home in La Habra, Calif. Los Angeles County prosecutors said Monday, Jan. 13, 2014, they have charged Suleman with welfare fraud. The district attorney's office said on Monday that Suleman failed to report nearly $30,000 in earnings while applying for public assistance last year. Suleman gained fame when she gave birth to octuplets in 2009.

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- "Octomom" Nadya Suleman did porn films, boxed D-list celebrities, even endorsed birth control for dogs after giving birth in 2009 to eight babies after she received in vitro fertility treatments.

Through it all, she never ran afoul of the law. At least until now.

On Monday, the Los Angeles County district attorney's office announced Suleman has been charged with three counts of welfare fraud.

Authorities say the 38-year-old single mother of 14 children failed to report $30,000 she earned while collecting public assistance money.

Suleman, who was charged Jan. 6, was not immediately taken into custody but was ordered to appear in court on Friday. Prosecutors planned to ask that bail be set at $25,000.

If convicted, she could be sentenced to nearly six years in prison.

"While applying for public aid, the mother of 14 children allegedly failed to disclose that she was also getting checks for personal appearances and residuals from videos," the district attorney's office said in a statement.

Authorities didn't say what the personal appearances or videos involved, but it's no secret Suleman has made at least one porn video, posed topless for various publications, danced in a Florida strip club and taken part in so-called celebrity boxing matches as she's struggled to support her children.

One of her boxing opponents was Amy Fischer, the former "Long Island Lolita" who was 17 when she shot her much older lover's wife in the face in 1992.

Suleman, whose real name is Natalie Denise Suleman, could not be located for comment Monday. There was no phone listing for the Orange County home where she has recently been living.

Lawyers, publicists and others who have worked with her over the years either did not respond to requests for comment or simply refused to talk about her.

All of Suleman's children have been born by in vitro fertility treatments. She's never named a father of any of the babies.

She's also been careful about shielding them from media attention, but occasional video and print articles seem to indicate they are growing up healthy, even though the octuplets were born nine weeks premature.

Her older children range in age from 7 to 12.

After the octuplets were born on Jan. 26, 2009, it was discovered that her physician, Dr. Michael Kamrava, had implanted 12 embryos in her womb.

The medical community reacted with outrage, saying he grossly violated professional standards, and the state Medical Board revoked his license.

Initial offers to help quickly dried up as outrage spread about the births and knowledge that Suleman was unemployed and had been collecting welfare before the children were born.

In 2010 she defaulted on a house she had bought with a $115,000 down payment and it was sold at auction. She moved to a rental house in the Los Angeles suburb of Palmdale but left last year, soon after checking into a rehabilitation center.

At one point child welfare officials investigated allegations that she wasn't properly caring for the children. No charges were ever brought.

Family law attorney Steve Mindel said Monday that unless Suleman goes to jail for a long time, it's unlikely county officials would try to take her children now.

"If there was a dad or somebody trying to take custody, then that could be somewhat important to the court," he said. "But even in that case, courts don't like to punish children for the acts of their parents."

 

2 Mass. children die after getting stuck in chest

2 Mass. children die after getting stuck in chest 

A banner with the likeness of butterflies is attached to a stake in front of a home Monday, Jan. 13, 2014, in Franklin, Mass., where authorities say a brother and sister under age 10 have died after apparently getting trapped inside a hope chest. Police responded to the Franklin home at about 8 p.m. Sunday after other family members found the children together inside the chest that could only be opened from the outside.

FRANKLIN, Mass. (AP) -- A 7-year-old boy and his 8-year-old sister died after getting trapped in a hope chest in their home, authorities said Monday.

Family members found the children together inside the chest, which had a lid that could only be opened from the outside. Police responded to the Franklin home at about 8 p.m. Sunday, and the children were taken to hospitals but did not survive.

David Traub, a spokesman for Norfolk District Attorney Michael Morrissey, said multiple family members, including an adult, were in the house at the time. He would not say whether the adult was a parent of the children.

A neighbor whose daughter was friends with the 8-year-old girl identified her as Lexi Munroe and said her 7-year-old brother, Sean Munroe, also died.

Dawn Powers, who lives a few doors down the street from the Munroe family, said the brother and sister were very well-behaved, "the type of kids you invite into your home."

Traub said the hope chest was "an older type" made by Lane Furniture and was purchased by the family secondhand more than a decade ago.

In 1996, Lane recalled 12 million cedar chests with lids that automatically latch shut after receiving reports of six children suffocating inside. In 2000, Lane - in cooperation with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission - called for a renewed search for the chests after becoming aware of another suffocation death and two near fatalities.

Traub said it was not immediately clear if the chest owned by the family was included in that recall. The recall covered all Lane and Virginia Maid brand cedar chests manufactured between 1912 and 1987.

Messages left at the headquarters of Heritage Home Group, which now owns Lane, were not immediately returned Monday.

A message on Lane's website says it has provided new locks free of charge that don't automatically latch when the lid is closed. The company said chests made after 1987 have the new safety locks.

Traub said autopsies would be conducted. He said the family is cooperating.

No one appeared to be inside the family's ranch-style home Monday morning. Several children's bicycles were scattered in the backyard, along with a boy's truck and a plastic sled. Two bouquets of flowers and two stuffed animals - a white kitten and a brown dog - had been left on the front steps.

Both children attended an elementary school in town. School officials informed parents of the children's deaths and said counselors are available to students and staff.

Powers said she occasionally brought Lexi on family outings.

"She was just one of those kids, you enjoying taking them," Powers said.

She praised the children's parents, who also have three other children.

"Everything they did was for the kids," she said. "This is just a tragic accident."

Two shot in Baltimore County

TOWSON, Md. - Police are investigating two recent shootings in Baltimore County.

Police said around 4:40 p.m. Friday officers were called to the 200 block of St. Helena for a report of a shooting but could not find any evidence of a crime.

About 25 minutes later a man walked into a hospital who had been shot in the leg. No additional details were available.

Additionally, police are investigating a shooting at the Motel 6 in the 1600 block of Whitehead Court in Woodlawn. Police said a man was shot in the back around 1:15 a.m. Sunday. He is expected to survive, according to officials.

Children From Troubled Home In Protective Custody

A toddler who was cursed at and encouraged to curse in a video posted online has been placed in protective custody, Omaha police announced Wednesday.

In a news release, police said that four children, including the toddler from the video that was posted by the police union, were removed from the home.

The union has faced criticism for posting the video on its website. Union officials say they wanted to stimulate discussion about problems in the community and show what officers encounter. But critics said there were better ways to do that without subjecting a child to ridicule.

The video shows an African-American boy wearing only a diaper as he's harangued with racial slurs and obscenities from at least three adults. The child responds to the off-camera adults with profanities of his own and at one point raises his middle finger.

The Omaha Police Department says it reviewed the video with prosecutors and authorities determined no criminal activities had taken place. However, police say they worked with Child Protective Services regarding concerns for the toddler's well-being and the investigation did find safety concerns in the home that led to the removal of the four children.

The union has said it found the video on a known local gang member's Facebook page. The video has been viewed several thousand times and remains available at the union's website. The Associated Press is not linking to the video because of the offensive content.

The union said it had an obligation to share the video so the public will learn about "the terrible cycle of violence and thuggery that some young innocent children find themselves helplessly trapped in."

"The whole point of this is to give an unfiltered view of what police officers deal with every day," said Sgt. John Wells, president of the Omaha Police Officers Association.

Wells said he hopes the discussion will focus on ways to help the boy in the video and address problems in the community. At one point in the video, the adults reference a gang in northeast Omaha, which is where more than half of the city's roughly 40 homicides a year typically happen.

But Willie Hamilton, executive director of Black Men United in Omaha, said the police union didn't have to post the video to promote discussion about helping families overcome poverty.

"It's almost like the kid was abused twice: once by the people in the video and once by the police officers association," said Hamilton, whose group promotes mentoring and works to strengthen families.

Hamilton said if the police union had been concerned about this child, officers should have reached out to churches and community groups to help.

"If their overall goal was to educate people about the problems, this was an inept way to do it," he said.

Omaha Police Chief Todd Schmaderer issued a statement Tuesday to clarify that the department wasn't involved in posting the video and doesn't have control over what the union posts.

"I strongly disagree with any postings that may cause a divide in our community or an obstacle to police community relations," Schmaderer said.

Jobless bill stalls in Senate

Jobless bill stalls in Senate 

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., meets with reporters to urge passage of legislation to restore unemployment insurance benefits which expired Dec. 28, at the Capitol in Washington, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2014.

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Legislation to resurrect long-term jobless legislation stalled in the Senate on Thursday, triggering recriminations from both sides of the political aisle despite earlier expressions of optimism that benefits might soon be restored for more than 1 million victims of the recession.

Gridlock asserted itself after majority Democrats offered to pay for a 10-month extension of a scaled-back program of benefits - then refused to permit Republicans even to seek any changes.

Instead, Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., accused Republicans of "continually denigrating our economy, our president and frankly, I believe, our country."

But Sen. Dan Coats of Indiana, one of a half-dozen Republicans who helped advance the bill over an initial hurdle earlier in the week, said he hadn't been consulted on any compromise.

Echoing complaints by other members of his party, he said that under Reid's leadership he has been relegated to the sidelines. Indiana voters "didn't send me here to be told just to sit down and forget it," he said.

At issue was a struggle over the possible resurrection of a program that expired on Dec. 28, immediately cutting off benefits of roughly $256 weekly for more than 1.3 million hurt by the recession.

The measure is the first to come before the Senate in the election year, and since Monday has become ground zero of a competition between the political parties to appeal to hard-hit victims of the longest recession in more than a half-century.

While unemployment has receded in recent months, long-term jobless is high by historical standards.

Despite the squabbling, lawmakers in both parties said the effort to find a compromise would continue.

"We're still trying to work through this," said Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., whose state has 9 percent unemployment.

At midday Thursday, Reid had expressed optimism about the chances for compromise, and Democratic officials said talks with Republicans were focused on a scaled-back program that is fully paid for and would provide up to 31 weeks of benefits for the long-term unemployed.

The officials said the proposal would run through the late fall, and the price tag - approximately $18 billion - would be offset through cuts elsewhere in the budget so deficits would not rise.

Reid told reporters he was "cautiously optimistic" about a compromise emerging later in the day, and said he had held meetings with fellow Nevadan Dean Heller, a Republican, but provided no details.

But midafternoon, when Reid formally outlined the proposal, there was no evident Republican support for it, and each side accused the other of an unwillingness to compromise.

Chandler Smith, a spokeswoman for Heller, said the senator met with Reid and Reed during the day and has been talking with Republicans as well, although he spent part of the day at a hospital for repair of a cast.

Heller "remains optimistic, and appreciates that Sen. Reid has been negotiating in good faith to reach a deal," Smith said.

Democrats initially sought a three-month renewal of the expired program and opposed paying for it, meaning the $6.4 billion cost would be added to the deficit.

Republicans countered that any legislation must be offset by cuts elsewhere in the budget. Among their proposals was one to delay the requirement for individuals to purchase health care under "Obamacare," and another to prevent immigrants living in the United States from claiming a certain type of tax credit for their children.

They said either would pass easily, a claim Democrats did not dispute. But rather than exposing his rank and file to a politically hazardous vote, Reid made sure they were not formally offered.

The expired law provided a maximum of 47 weeks of payments after an unemployed worker has exhausted state-funded benefits, usually 26 weeks.

The new measure would reduce the 47 weeks to a maximum of 31 weeks, officials said, based on a sliding scale that dates to the expired program.

The Democratic officials said the first tier of additional benefits would be six weeks, and be generally available to all who have used up their state eligibility.

They said an additional six weeks would be available in states where unemployment is 6 percent or higher; an additional nine weeks in states with joblessness of 7 percent or higher; and 10 more weeks in states where unemployment is 9 percent or more.

The cost would be offset in part by extending a previously-approved reduction in Medicare payments to providers, the officials said, and in part by limiting or eliminating the ability of individuals on Social Security disability from also receiving unemployment benefits.

The officials who described the details of the possible legislation did so on condition of anonymity, saying they were not authorized to speak on the record.

Christie fires aide, apologizes for traffic jams

Christie fires aide, apologizes for traffic jams

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie speaks during a news conference Thursday, Jan. 9, 2014, at the Statehouse in Trenton, N.J. A day after revelations that Christie's administration may have closed highway lanes to exact political retribution, the prospective Republican presidential candidate is faced with what may be the biggest test in his political career

TRENTON, N.J. (AP) -- Gov. Chris Christie fired one of his top aides Thursday and apologized over and over for his staff's "stupid" behavior, insisting during a nearly two-hour news conference that he had no idea anyone around him had engineered traffic jams as part of a political vendetta against a Democratic mayor.

"I am embarrassed and humiliated by the conduct of some of the people on my team," he said as he
addressed the widening scandal that could cast a shadow over his expected run for the White House in 2016.

The famously blunt Republican fielded dozens of questions from reporters with uncharacteristic patience and
at times a sorrowful tone.

Christie, who had previously assured the public that his staff had nothing to do with the lane closings in September that caused major backups at the George Washington Bridge, said he fired Deputy Chief of Staff
Bridget Anne Kelly "because she lied to me" when he demanded weeks ago that anyone who knew anything about the episode come forward.

The gridlock in Fort Lee delayed emergency vehicles, school buses and countless commuters for four days.

Kelly was the latest casualty in the scandal. Two other top Christie appointees have resigned in the past few weeks.

The investigation broke wide open on Wednesday, with the release of emails and text messages that suggested Kelly arranged the traffic jams to punish Fort Lee's mayor for not endorsing Christie for re-election.

In other developments:

- The chief federal prosecutor in New Jersey, U.S. Attorney Paul Fishman, said he is "reviewing the matter to determine whether a federal law was implicated." The Legislature is also investigating. Using public resources for political ends can be a crime.

- David Wildstein, a Christie appointee who resigned from the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey after being implicated in the scandal, was found in contempt Thursday by a legislative committee after he invoked his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination and refused to answer questions. The Port Authority operates the bridge.

- Christie traveled to Fort Lee later in the day and apologized in person to Mayor Mark Sokolich.

The political-payback allegations turned a local traffic furor into a national issue and raised questions about Christie's leadership and integrity as he lays the groundwork for a White House bid. Democrats at the national level have seized on the scandal as more evidence that Christie is a bully.

The governor brushed off questions about the effect on his presidential prospects, saying he was too busy governing the state to think about that.

"I am absolutely nowhere near beginning that consideration process," he said. "I haven't even been sworn in for my second term yet."

Afterward, some political analysts on both sides of the aisle said Christie would probably pull through OK - provided there are no more surprises.

Democratic operative David Axelrod complimented Christie for handling the news conference "as well as he could," writing on Twitter: "Unless smoking gun turns up tying him to scheme, or others arise, he lives 2 fight another day."

Besides firing Kelly, Christie cut ties to former campaign manager Bill Stepien, asking him to withdraw a bid to become the next state GOP chairman. The governor said he was disturbed by the "callous indifference" displayed by Stepien in the emails released Wednesday.

Stepien had widely been seen as a potential campaign manager for Christie if he runs for president.

Christie said he is still looking into the traffic-jam episode and will take action against other senior staff members if it is warranted.

Over and over, Christie took responsibility for the affair by virtue of his role as governor, while simultaneously blaming his staff for doing something "stupid" and for not telling him the truth when he asked.

He said he saw the emails and text messages for the first time on Wednesday, and was "blindsided" by what he read and outraged by the callous language. He said he was left "heartbroken" and "betrayed" by his tight-knit circle of advisers.

"I had no knowledge or involvement in this issue, in its planning or execution," Christie said of the lane closings. "And I am stunned by the abject stupidity that was shown here."

Kelly hasn't commented. Christie said he hadn't spoken to her or asked to hear her side of the story since the emails were released, saying he didn't want to be accused of trying to influence a possible witness.

"Time for some traffic problems in Fort Lee," Kelly wrote in August in a message to Wildstein.

"Got it," Wildstein replied. A few weeks later, Wildstein closed two of three lanes connecting Fort Lee to the George Washington Bridge, which runs between New Jersey and New York City and is one of the busiest spans in the world, crossed by more than 100 million vehicles a year.

In the back-and-forth emails and text messages that followed, Christie loyalists gloated over the traffic jams and called the Fort Lee mayor "an idiot" and "this little Serbian."

For weeks, Christie had asserted that the closings were not punitive, but part of a traffic study, and that no one on his staff was involved. On Thursday, he acknowledged that was a lie, that his staff misled him. He said he still has no idea whether there even was a traffic study.

Christie said he believed his staff in part because he had never heard of Sokolich and had no idea the Christie camp was even seeking the Democrat's endorsement.

Still, the governor said: "I am responsible for what happened. I am sad to report to the people of New Jersey that we fell short."