Dick Cheney Indicted in South Texas

Vice President Dick Cheney and former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales were indicted Tuesday on state charges involving federal prisons in a South Texas county that has been a source of bizarre legal and political battles under the outgoing prosecutor.

The indictment has not yet been signed by the presiding judge, and no action can be taken until that happens.

The seven indictments issued in Willacy County on Tuesday included some targeting public officials connected to District Attorney Juan Angel Guerra's own legal battles.

Regarding those indictments, Guerra said, "the grand jury is the one that made those decisions, not me." READ MORE

La Jolla man found guilty in beating death of surfer Kauanui

Another chapter in the sad saga involving Emery Kauanui and La Jolla's Bird Rock Bandits was slammed shut today as a San Diego Superior Court jury found Seth Cravens guilty of second-degree murder in the fatal beating last year of pro surfer Kauanui.

Prosecutors contended that Cravens, 22, was one of five members of a gang that followed and attacked Kauanui outside his mother's home on May 24, 2007.

La Jolla residents remember well the details of a case involving the five young men, all graduates of La Jolla High School.

According to testimony, trouble began with a skirmish in a local restaurant, after Kauanui had spilled a beer on one of the five close friends.

Less than an hour later, the surfer was hospitalized with a fractured skull and bleeding of the brain. He died four days later. Read More

Ashley Dupre on "20/20"

Its official, the super expensive "call girl" to Elliot Spitzer, Ashley Dupre will break her silence on "20/20" this Friday, as part of that on-going Diane Sawyer series on prostitution. But for some reason, ABC has withheld the official announcement...until now. Click Here to Read More on the Interview

Obama Asks Eric Holder To Be AG

Looks like President-elect Barack Obama will name another former official from Bill Clinton's administration as attorney general. See Story Here

Video: Boy calmly talks about day of dad's death

By FELICIA FONSECA

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (AP) — An 8-year-old boy accused of fatally shooting his father and another man is shown in a video calmly telling law enforcement officers that he found the men lying in his home after returning from school on the day of the shootings.

The roughly 12-minute video posted Monday night on Phoenix television station KTVK's Web site shows part of the questioning the boy underwent as authorities in the eastern Arizona community of St. Johns investigated the Nov. 5 killings. The station said it got the video from the prosecutor's office in Apache County, where the shootings occurred.

Police in St. Johns have said the boy confessed to the shootings but haven't discussed specifics. His attorney has claimed police overreached in questioning the boy. His family has repeatedly declined to comment to The Associated Press, including Monday night.

The third-grader has been charged as a juvenile with two counts of murder.

The video, which the station said is only a portion of the interview, shows the boy discussing what he said happened when he got home from school on Nov. 5. His face obscured, the boy described getting off the school bus, circling the block several times, then going home and finding the bodies.

The boy said he spotted 39-year-old Tim Romans, who was renting a room in the two-story house, before calling out for his father, 29-year-old Vincent Romero. Police said the men were shot with a .22-caliber rifle as they returned home from work.

"There was blood all over his face, I think," the boy said in the video, referring to his father. "And I think I touched him."

The boy said he cried for a half-hour after finding his father. He also recalled running to a neighbor's house and telling a boy there that his father and Romans were dead.

An unidentified law enforcement official in the video repeatedly asked the boy whether he had gone straight home after school, and the boy assured her that he hadn't.

Police have said the boy planned and methodically carried out the killings and confessed, but they wouldn't discuss specifics. A judge has since issued a gag order in the case.

The boy is due in court Wednesday for a hearing. He is being held in a juvenile jail.

On the Net:

• KTVK-TV's Web site: http://www.azfamily.com

Stripper, 44, charges age discrimination

by Karen Hawthorne


Exotic dancer Kimberlee Ouwroulis has filed a complaint against a Mississauga strip club, New Locomotion, saying she was fired because of her age. The 44-year-old, who has taken an age discrimination complaint to the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario, spoke to the Post's Rob Roberts:

Q My first question was going to be, how long did you expect to be stripping? But then I discovered you were 40 when you started stripping. How'd that come about?

A I started dancing on the suggestion of customers and managers at another bar where I had been waitressing for a year, at a strip club. I started in the business due to a nasty divorce. There are many dancers still in the business at age of 40; however, it is unusual to start the business brand-new at age of 40. It really worked for me, because I enjoyed it, and maintained a great attitude.

Q How did your manager tell you you were being fired?

A The manager called me into the office June 6, sat me down, looked at me directly and I quote, "Your time is up here," and I asked, "Why? Is it my age?" He furthermore volunteered that another older girl had been fired the same day, and told me her name.

Q How long do you expect to be dancing? Will you be on stage when you're 50? 60?

A When I started at age 40, I looked around and realized I actually fit in very well with the girls, and always felt good about myself and looks. I have plans to be in the business until I'm 47 or 48.

Q Surely your job is predicated on how you look. Or is it?

A The job is partially about looks, partially about personality and attitude, all of which helped me to be a good dancer. I was not doing stage shows when I was fired, but I am doing shows at my new club. I was not simply needed to do shows at Locomotion, as there were many girls at the club. Had I done shows, I'd have attracted customers, but I made money regardless in the business doing shows or not.

Q You've said you can't go wrong in a strip club with ''the boobs and the blond hair.'' That suggests looks are the key issue for a dancer, doesn't it?

A That is simply my look for the club. That is not to say that many dancers who do not have that particular look don't make money, because they do. Again, you can't go wrong with the look that I have, is the point.

Q Does society have a narrow view of sexy?

A I don't know what society views as sexy. All I know is that people like different things, and my look was popular, and still is with my new customers. Every customer should have a choice --mature dancers, younger dancers, blond, brunette, black, white etc.

Q You're now working in a different club. Do clients know about your rights battle? Has it made you more marketable?

A The new club that I work in is about dancing and doing stage shows. It's not talked about, or at least only the odd person said they thought they knew me from the newspapers, and they were very interested in me and bought dances too. So far it's been positive for me in that way.

(Photo: Exotic dancer Kimberlee Ouwroulis has filed a complaint against a Mississauga strip club, New Locomotion, saying she was fired because of her age. Photo taken November, 2008/Canwest News Service)

Royal Navy delivers captured Somali pirates to Kenya

Eight suspected Somali pirates have been handed over to the Kenyan authorities by the Royal Navy, it was disclosed today.

The eight were detained last week after an attempted hijacking of a Danish ship in the Gulf of Aden.

The development comes as pirates continued to hold the 25-strong crew of the supertanker Sirius Star, which was attacked on Saturday.

Crews from a Royal Navy warship shot dead two Somali pirates after a Yemeni-flagged dhow was identified as having tried to attack the Danish vessel, the MV Powerful.

"This is clear evidence that we will take every opportunity to combat the pirates who disrupt legitimate trade and add significant costs to goods UK consumer rely on," said the armed forces minister, Bob Ainsworth, speaking in Nairobi, Kenya.

"We are sending a strong message to pirates that their activities will not be tolerated and that the global community is united in its efforts to deter and disrupt them."

HMS Cumberland, a Plymouth-based type 22 frigate, has been deployed on a piracy-fighting mission in the region.

In last Tuesday's operation, boats were launched from the frigate to intercept the hijacked dhow. They were involved in an exchange of fire before the vessel was boarded.

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) said two foreign nationals, believed to be Somali pirates, were shot and killed.

A Yemeni national was also found injured and later died. The MoD said it was unclear whether his injuries were the result of the firefight or from a previous incident involving the pirates.

Ainsworth said: "I would like to take this opportunity to thank publicly the Kenyan government for its resolute action in agreeing to try the suspects in accordance with their and our legal obligations."

In November 2006, a Kenyan court sentenced 10 Somali pirates to seven years in prison each after convicting them of piracy in a landmark case that began with their capture by the US navy.

Courtesy of guardian.co.uk

Maine man loses 140 pounds to join Marines

Ulysses Milana lost 140 pounds in order to enlist in the Marine Corps, according to the Sun Journal.

"Milana credits self-determination, healthy eating and exercise as the three biggest factors leading to his weight loss transformation," the paper says. "The former culinary student admits weaknesses like pizza and hot wings, but said the promise he made to himself and his determination to see it through made giving it all up that much easier."

The Sun Journal says Milana, who once weighed 330 pounds, left yesterday for basic training in Parris Island, S.C.

(Photo by Daryn Slover, Lewiston Sun Journal via AP.)

Clinton's dealings may hurt Hillary's chances as Secy of State

Washington, Nov 18: As US President-elect Barack Obama mulled naming his former Democratic rival Hillary Rodham Clinton as Secretary of State, her husband Bill Clinton's "complicated" global business interests could jeopardise her prospects, according to observers.

Former President Bill Clinton's international business dealings, global foundation and penchant for going off script could present a significant obstacle to Hillary becoming the top US diplomat, the observers were quoted as saying by the media here.

On the one hand, the ex-President's established relationships with world leaders could instantly make the 61-year-old New York Senator a welcome face in embassies around the world. On the other, Clinton's complicated global business interests could present future conflicts of interest that may result in unneeded headache for Obama, CNN reported.

Two officials with Obama's transition team said they were investigating Bill Clinton's finances and post-presidential dealings. As part of the early vetting process, the team is looking for any negative information that could throw the prospect of Hillary as Secretary of State into jeopardy.

A particular issue could be the donor list of Bill Clinton's global foundation, which might show connections to international figures who push policies that might conflict with those of the new Obama administration.

Obama has asked Hillary if she would consider being his Secretary of State and her response is expected this week, CNN reported.

Since exiting the Oval Office in 2000, Clinton has reportedly raised over USD 500 million for the foundation, which has doled out millions for AIDS relief in Africa and other charitable causes around the world.

Clinton has also reportedly solicited funds from international business figures connected to human rights abuses that Hillary has outwardly criticised, including the governments of Kazakhstan and China.

Courtesy of zeenews.com

Report: McCready not proud of ties to Clemens

NEW YORK (AP) — Country singer Mindy McCready claims she broke off her relationship with Roger Clemens when the former baseball star wouldn't marry her, according to an interview to be broadcast Monday by the syndicated show "Inside Edition."

McCready, however, was quoted on the Web site of the New York Daily News on Monday as saying she didn't want to marry Clemens.

McCready told "Inside Edition" she met Clemens when she was 16, not 15, as reported by the New York Daily News last April. She told the news magazine they met in a karaoke bar, that her relationship with the pitcher didn't turn sexual until several years later and the relationship lasted for a decade.

"Carrying on a relationship with him is not something I'm proud of," she said, according to a partial transcript released by the show. "Roger Clemens is one of the most wonderful men I've ever known. ... He treated me like a princess."

Clemens in May denied having an affair with a 15-year-old but didn't specifically address whether he had a romance with McCready. He issued a statement that "I have made mistakes in my personal life for which I am sorry."

Clemens' lawyer, Rusty Hardin, did not respond to an e-mail for comment Monday.

"We never had a meeting in secret. We went on vacations together. We went to Palm Springs. We went to Las Vegas, New York City," told "Inside Edition." I wanted him to do right by me ... and when he wouldn't, I broke it off."

But McCready was quoted by the Daily News as saying: "I didn't want to get married to him and I don't want to get married now. He should have done right by his family — a person is unhappy in their marriage and spending all their personal time with someone else, you need to do right by your marriage. He should have just told Debbie and been honest with her. If he didn't want to be with her and wanted to be with me, he should have told her."

McCready regrets any hurt inflicted on Debbie Clemens' the pitcher's wife.

"I have nothing but remorse and nothing but sympathy for what she's had to go through with this situation, and she has my utmost apology," she told "Inside Edition."

McCready released from jail in Tennessee on Oct. 31 after serving about 30 days for violating probation on a 2004 drug charge. She only had to serve about half of her 60-day sentence because of credits she received for good behavior and doing janitorial work in the jail, the Williamson County Sheriff's Department said.

Now 32, she was accused in June of falsifying her community service records and charged with violating her probation. McCready received a suspended three-year sentence in 2004 for fraudulently obtaining prescription painkillers.

"There aren't words to describe how painful it's been," she told "Inside Edition." "So painful, I haven't wanted to live. ... I've lived recklessly. I've made a lot of mistakes."

Homeless man sentenced in two wildfire cases

Steven Emory Butcher was convicted of starting fires in 2006 and 2002 in Los Padres National Forest. He is sentenced to 45 months in prison and ordered to pay more than $100 million in restitution.

A mentally ill homeless man was sentenced Monday to 45 months in federal prison and ordered to pay more than $100 million in restitution for starting two wildfires in 2006 and 2002 that burned more than 162,000 acres in Los Padres National Forest.

A self-described nature lover, Steven Emory Butcher, 50, was convicted in February of igniting the monthlong Day fire in 2006 that injured 18 people, destroyed 11 structures and cost more than $100 million to suppress, according to the U.S. attorney's office. He had been burning debris on Labor Day in Piru Canyon, where he had set up a campsite.

The jury also convicted Butcher of starting the 70-acre Ellis fire four years earlier, about two miles southeast of where the Day Fire began.

Thom Mrozek, a spokesman for the U.S. attorney's office, said "the likelihood of [Butcher] being able to meet that restitution payment is extremely slim. But we'll do everything we can to recover whatever we can from him."

Mrozek said his office "wanted to send a message to people that if you're engaged in this type of activity, you may be held liable."

Butcher was found guilty of two felony counts of starting fires and three misdemeanor counts of allowing a fire to escape his control, violating restrictions by building a fire on federal forest land and smoking in a federal forest.

"If I would have been on the jury, I would have found myself guilty too," Butcher told U.S. District Judge Valerie Baker Fairbank.

After both fires, Butcher sought emergency treatment for burns. Butcher also suffers from paranoid schizophrenia, depression and alcoholism, as well as chronic back pain and tinnitus, a ringing in the ears, said his attorney, Mark Windsor.

Windsor said Butcher "never intended any harm to occur" and "feels horrible" about starting the forest blazes. Butcher lived in a Simi Valley apartment building for 13 years before his worsening medical conditions drove him to a tent near the highway, where the noise of passing cars eased his tinnitus, Windsor said. Over the years, Butcher established about 20 campsites in Los Padres National Forest and would live at them for extended periods, he said.

"Obviously you want to deter people from making the kind of mistakes that sometimes lead to catastrophic forest fires, but bear in mind that there was no criminal intent on the part of Mr. Butcher," Windsor said, adding that he believed that Butcher's nearly four-year prison sentence was too long. Prosecutor Joseph O. Johns, chief of the U.S. attorney's office environmental crimes section, had argued for a 10-year sentence.

Windsor said the $101,652,000 in restitution to the Los Padres National Forest was "an unbelievably large number" that his client will never be able to pay.

Butcher receives about $1,000 a month in Supplemental Security income and will be required to pay what he can, Windsor said.

"For the rest of his life, he'll be paying off that $100 million of restitution," he said. "Unfortunately, the Los Padres National Forest will never be fully repaid."



By Joanna Lin of latimes.com

Chinese man says he killed Canadian model

SHANGHAI, China (AP) — A Chinese migrant worker faces a possible death sentence after he said he stabbed a Canadian model to death in her Shanghai apartment building, his lawyer confirmed Tuesday.

The model, 22-year-old Diana O'Brien, had been in Shanghai just two weeks and was preparing to go home to Canada when her body was found July 7 in a pool of blood in a stairwell.

The murder shocked China's largest city just a month before the Beijing Olympics, and O'Brien's family and friends were stunned that it happened just as the model, unhappy with her work in Shanghai, was about to come home early.

During his trial Monday, 18-year-old migrant worker Chen Jun said he went into O'Brien's apartment because the door was open. He said she caught him taking a laptop from the living room and then ran from the apartment when he threatened her with a knife.

Chen told the court he caught O'Brien in the stairwell and stabbed her repeatedly, Chen's lawyer, Zheng Qiu, confirmed in a phone interview Tuesday.

Chen told the court O'Brien was still alive. "I decided not to help her this time," the Shanghai Daily newspaper reported him as saying. "I called the police, and they must have been here. I thought there's no need to call again."

But O'Brien's body was not found until hours after the late-night stabbing, when a janitor discovered her around 6 a.m.

Zheng, whose request for a psychological assessment of Chen was rejected by the court, said he had no comment on the case.

The telephone in the news office of the Shanghai No. 1 Intermediate People's Court rang unanswered Tuesday.

Chen was arrested four days after the stabbing in his nearby home province of Anhui. Shanghai police said they had tracked him after seeing him in footage from surveillance cameras near O'Brien's apartment building.

One of millions of migrant workers in Shanghai, Chen later told a popular Shanghai crime news show that he had lost his job at a teahouse near O'Brien's apartment in June and needed money to get home.

When he was arrested, police said they found money, jewelry, mobile phones and a digital camera from the apartment O'Brien shared with another Canadian model.

Lean Cuisine issues recall

Nestle Prepared Food Co. has announced a recall on three of its Lean Cuisine entrees.

The entrees might contain small pieces of blue plastics. Those meals are: Pesto Chicken with Bow Tie Pasta, Chicken Mediterranean and Chicken Tuscan, all produced from August 18 to October 27.

Grocer Harris Teeter said in a press release today that it only carries the Chicken Mediterranean, with the UPC code #619726. It has removed the entree from its shelves, and said customers who have purchased it can return it to Harris Teeter for a full refund.

Additional information about the recall can be found by calling the Nestlé Consumer Service Center hot line at (800) 227-6188.