The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com Wednesday, February 3, 2010 - 3A * The Michigan Daily - michigandailycom Wednesday, February 3, 2010 - 3A NEWS BRIEFS " DETROIT School workers plead guilty in fraud case Two former Detroit Public Schools employees have pleaded guilty to conspiring to defraud the district of nearly $380,000. U.S. Attorney Barbara McQuade says 45-year-old Toni Gilbert and 56-year-old Anton Carter entered the pleas yester- day in federal court in Detroit. Gilbert had worked as a pay- roll manager and issued checks to Carter between 2000 and 2005. Carter, a DPS retiree, also was receiving disability checks from the district. Federal authorities accuse Carter of giving Gilbert a portion of the money cashed from the payroll checks. McQuade also says Gilbert acknowledged issuing paychecks to deceased district employees. Sentencing is May 18 for Gil- bert and June 1 for Carter. ACAPULCO, Mexico. Third Mexican journalist killed this year Gunmen have slain a Mexican journalist - the third such kill- ing so far this year - and a top prosecutor said yesterday there are few clues. " Albertano Guinto, the acting attorney general in the Pacific coast state of Guerrero, said it was not yet clear if the death of Jorge Ochoa Martinez was linked to his work as director of El Sol de la Costa, a small news- paper that covers mostly local politics and community issues southeast of Acapulco. Ocho Martinez was shot in the face as he left a food stand in the town of Ayutla on Friday. Two other Mexican journal- ists were killed in early January, and 12 reporters were killed in Mexico during 2009. The governmental National Human Rights Commission said that 60 journalists have been killed since 2000, with eight oth- ers kidnapped or vanished. NEW ORLEANS Man pleads guilty to making death threats against President Obama * A 47-year-old New Orleans man has pleaded guilty to making death threats against President Barack Obama. . John Turnpaugh entered the pleainfederalcourtyesterday. He also pleaded guilty to possessing marijuana with the intent to dis- tribute and possessing firearms to aid his drug trafficking. According to court records, Turnpaugh admitted calling a New Orleans Police Department 911 operator on Dec. 30 and say- ing he was going to kill the Presi- dent and his wife. After agents traced the call to him and played a recording of it, authorities say Turnpaugh admit- ted he was the person who made the call. Turnpaugh faces a maximum sentence of life in prison. ALGIERS, Algeria Algeria wants to get off U.S. air travel watch list Algeria's interior minister is threatening to reply in kind if his country remains on U.S. and French special terrorism-related air travel watch lists. Algeria says it is "unaccept- able" for the North African nation to be on such lists. Noureddine Yazid Zerhouni reiterated that yesterday, say- ing, "if this is truly necessary, we should apply the rule of reciproc- ity." The United States has directed airlines to give full-body pat- downs to U.S.-bound travelers from Algeria and 13 other coun- tries. Algeria is among seven countries on a French list. Algeria, an ally of France and the U.S., battled an Islamic insur- gency for more than a decade. The safety precautions fol- lowed a botched effort by a Nige- rian to blow up an airliner over Detroit on Christmas. - Compiled from Daily wire reports Top military officer says gays should serve openly. AP/Tar Todras-Whitehill Israeli women sit in a solidarity tent calling for the release of captured Israeli soldier Gilad Schalit in Jerusalem yesterday. Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip claimed they had sent a series of floating bombs toward Israeli beaches, saying the attempted attacks were meant to avenge the mysterious death of a Hamas operative in Dubai last month. M1iitants pledge to float bombs toward Israel Officers criticize "Don't ask, Don't tell" policy WASHINGTON (AP) - The military's top uniformed officer declared yesterday that gays should be allowed to serve openly in uni- form, arguing that it is "the right thing to do." Adm. Mike Mullen's statement was the strongest yet from the uni- formed military on this volatile issue, although he stressed that he was "speaking for myself and myself only." He told the Senate Armed Services Committee yester- day he is deeply troubled by a policy that forces people to "lie about who they are in order to defend their fel- low citizens." Mullen said he knows many will disagree about abandoning the "don't ask, don't tell" policy and said there are practical obstacles to lifting the 1993 ban. But he said he thinks the military can handle it. Mullen is chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and chief mili- tary adviser to President Barack Obama. Defense Secretary Robert Gates told the panelhe is tapping his chief legal adviser and a four-star Army general to lead a landmark study on how the military would lift its ban on openly gay service members. Pentagon counsel Jeh Johnson and Gen. Carter Ham, who leads Army forces in Europe, will con- duct the yearlong assessment. Sen. John McCain, the ranking committtee Republican, publicly bristled at the Pentagon's decision to launch a yearlong study into allowing gays to serve, saying he is "deeply disappointed" and call- ing the assessment "clearly biased" because it presumes the law should be changed. McCain, the top Republican on the Armed Services Committee, said the current policy is not ideal, but that it has been effective. McCain said he wanted to hear more from the military on this issue. But Defense Secretary Rob- ert Gates suggested that lawmakers keep the intensity of debate in tow until the military can get a better handle on how to proceed. He told the panel: "Keep the impact it will have on our forces firmly in mind." Ham is a former enlisted infan- tryman who rose through the ranks to eventually command troops in northern Iraq in 2004 and, hold senior positions within the Joint Staff. Recently, he helped conduct an investigation into the shootings by a soldier at the Fort Hood Army base in Texas. As the Pentagon's top legal coun- sel, Johnson has played an integral role into the effort to try to close the military prison in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Gates' announcement marked a measured step toward President Barack Obama's goal of eliminating the military's policy against gays, which is based on a 1993 law. Explosives launched to avenge Hamas leader death JERUSALEM (AP) - Pales- tinian militants said Tuesday they had launched a large num- ber of floating explosives into the Mediterranean Sea to avenge the death of a top Hamas command- er, a day after two bomb-laden barrels washed up on Israel's coastline. Israeli authorities launched an intensive search for new bombs, closing miles of beaches, deploy- ing robotic bomb squads and ordering surfers out of the wintry waters. Israeli Prime Minister Benja- min Netanyahu blamed Hamas and hinted at retaliation. Early Wednesday, Israeli war- planes struck two smuggling tun- nels under the Gaza-Egypt border in response to the barrel bombs and the firing of a rocket from Gaza, the military said. Such air- strikes are automatic reactions to militant attacks. Abu Saed, a spokesman for the Popular Resistance Commit- tees, a Gaza faction with close ties to Hamas, said the attack was meant to avenge the killing last month of Mahmoud al-Mab- houh, a veteran Hamas operative who Israeli defense officials say was involved in smuggling rock- ets into Gaza. Hamas says Israeli Mossad agents ambushed al-Mabhouh in his Dubai hotel room, immobi- lized him with an electrical shock and strangled him to death. Israel has refused to comment on the allegations. "We confirm that there are still many of these charges in the ocean, and they haven't explod- ed yet," Abu Saed said, standing alongside five other gunmen in military fatigues. In Jerusalem, Netanyahu accused Hamas, which rules Gaza, of being behind the opera- tion, with support from Iran and Syria. "We view with great sever- ity the Hamas operation near the Gaza beach, and we will respond accordingly," he said, without elaborating. On Monday afternoon, a bar- rel bomb washed up on the beach of Ashkelon, about nine miles (15 kilometers) north of Gaza. A few hours later, another one was found at Ashdod, six miles (10 kilometers) farther north. Each had about 22 pounds (10 kilograms ) of explosives, police said. They said bombs of that size could cripple small civilian ves- sels but not Israeli warships. The barrels should not pose a threat to shipping lanes in the east Mediterranean since the tides would just carry them back to shore. The second barrel blew up as a police robot was examining it, sending the tractor-like device tumbling through the air, accord- ing to witnesses. A police bomb squad defused the other one. No one was hurt. . Maritime authorities warned sailors and fishermen to be alert to possible dangers in the waters. In Ashdod, a crane-like robot crawled along the beach, prod- ding suspicious objects. The military linked the bar- rels to two explosions at sea on Friday, aimed at Israeli ships. Israeli analysts speculated that the beach barrels might have been meant for ships but floated ashore instead. "The attack was an intended terrorist attack that failed," police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said. He did not refer to the Hamas threat of retaliation. On Tuesday, Iran joined Hamas in publicly accusing Israel of car- rying out the al-Mabhouh assas- sination, calling it "yet another example of state-sponsored Israe- li terrorism." Israel, the EU and the United States shun Hamas as a terror group. Hamas overran Gaza in 2007, expelling forces loyal to Western-backed PalestinianPres- ident Mahmoud Abbas, who now controls only the West Bank. . In response, Israel clamped a blockade on Gaza, allowing only essential humanitarian supplies to enter. Late Tuesday, Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad said the West Bank and Gaza must be reunited under a single govern- ment, but he did not say how that would be done. Fayyad also told an Israeli security conference that Israel's blockade must be lifted. "It is wrong," he said. Addressing the same confer- ence, Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak said if Israel does not reach a peace deal to relinquish control of Palestinian population centers, "(Israel) will have to be either a binational or undemo- cratic (state). ... If this bloc of millions of Palestinians cannot vote, that will be an apartheid state." Israel launched a three-week offensive in Gaza a year ago to try to stop years of near-daily rocket barrages by Palestinian militants. About 1,400 Palestinians, many of them civilians, were killed in the massive operation.Since then, rocket fire has dropped con- siderably, and Hamas has been seen to keep an informal cease- fire, though other groups have attempted to carry out attacks. A rocket exploded in Israel on Tuesday, the military said, causing no damage. A previously unknown Palestinian militantgroup claimed responsibility on an Islamic Web site. Ahmadinej ad proposes prisoner swap for U.S. hikers Obama's Las Vegas spending remark upsets Nev. officials Pres.: Americans shouldn't blow cash in Vegas LAS VEGAS (AP) - Nevada lawmakers lashed out at Presi- dent Barack Obama yesterday after he made another reference to Las Vegas while explaining how people should make .tough choices on spending. The issue is sensitive to Sin City because its economy is largely based ontourism, and several law- makers said they were shocked that Obama singled out Las Vegas again after commenting one year ago about bailed-out banks hold- ing meetings here. "When times are tough, you tighten your belts," Obama said, according to a White House tran- script of his appearance yesterday at a high school in North Nashua, N.H. "You don't go buying a boat when you can barely pay your mortgage," Obama said. "You don't blow a bunch of cash on Vegas when you're trying to save for college. You prioritize. You make tough choices." The comments quickly sparked a flurry of reaction from federal, state and local lawmakers in the Silver State, which had an unem- ployment rate of 13 percent in December. "I'll do everythingI can to give him the boot," Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman said during a hastily called news conference, adding that he was incensed when he heard about the com- ments and said he would no lon- ger welcome the president here if he visits. "This president is a real slow learner," said Goodman,who isnot affiliated with a political party. "Enough is enought" Demo- cratic Congresswoman Shelley Berkley said in a statement. "Pres- ident Obama needs to stop picking on Las Vegas and he needs to let Americans decide for themselves how and where to spend their hard-earned vacation dollars." Nevada's economy has been hit hard with foreclosures, unemployment and bankrupt- cies during the past two years as consumers everywhere tighten leisure spending and companies spend less on meetings and con- ventions. Harry Reid, Democratic Senate majority leader and one ofObama's closest allies, issued a statement headlined "Reid to Obama: 'Lay off Las Vegas"' and was unusually blunt in his reaction. "The President needs to lay off Las Vegas and stop mak- ing it the poster child for where people shouldn't be spending their money," Reid said. "I would much rather tourists and busi- ness travelers spend their money in Las Vegas than spend it over- seas." Reid later released a letter he received from Obama in which the president said he "wasn't say- ing anything negative about Las Vegas." "I was making the simple point that families use vacation dollars, not college tuition money, to have fun," Obama said, according to the letter. "There is no place better to have fun than Vegas, one of our country's great destinations." Obama said he always enjoys his visits to Las Vegas. A White House spokesman referred to Obama's letter to Reid and said the administration had no further comment. Sen. John Ensign, a Repub- lican, complained that Obama "failed to grasp the weight that his words carry." Iran president willing to exchange three Americans for prisoners TEHRAN (AP) - Iranian pres- ident Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Tuesday proposed a swap of Ira- nians in U.S. prisons for three American hikers being held in Tehran. Ahmadinejad said in inter- view with state TV that there were ongoing negotiations about exchanging the hikers for several Iranians jailed for years in the United States. "There are some talks under way to have an exchange, if it is possible," he said. "Recently they (the U.S.) have sent messages, we answered to bring them (the Ira- nians), to bring these people (the hikers). We are hopeful that all prisoners will be released." Ahmadinejad did not mention any specifics but in December Iran released a list of 11 Iranians it says are being held in the U.S. - including a nuclear scientist who disappeared in Saudi Arabia and a former Defense Ministry official who vanished in Turkey. The list also includes an Iranian arrested in Canada on charges of trying to obtain nuclear technology. "I had said I would helpinreleas- ing them, but the attitude of some of U.S. officials damages the job," said Ahmadinejad. "There are a large number of Iranians in prison in the U.S. They have abducted some of our citizens in other countries." Shane Bauer, Sarah Shourd and Josh Fattal were hiking in Iraq's northern Kurdistan region in July when they accidentally crossed the border into Iran, their families have said. Samantha Topping, a New York City-based spokeswoman for the threefamilies, saidtheyhadnocom- ment on Ahmadinejad's remarks. The White House, through a spokesman, called the reports "fragmentary." "IfPresidentAhmadinejad'scom- ments suggest that they are prepared to resolve these cases, we would welcome that step," National Secu- rity Council spokesman Mike Ham- mer said. "But we have not entered into any discussion with Iran about an exchange. As we have indicated publicly, if Iran has questions about its citizens in U.S. custody, we are prepared to answer them." Iran's foreign minister said in late December that the three would be tried in court, but he did not say when a trial would begin or what the three would be charged with other than to say they had "suspi- cious aims." Earlier, the country's chief prosecutor said they were accused of spying. Their families have said that's ludicrous and last month hired an Iranian attorney to press the case. Ahmadinejad said there were "indications they knew they were crossing into Iran." The last time anyone sympathetic saw the three was at the end of Octo- ber, when Swiss diplomats were granted a short visit. The U.S. has no diplomatic relationship with Iran and isrepresentedinsuchmattersby the Swiss. At the time, the diplomats said the three were ingood health. Their jailing comes amid con- tinued tension between the U.S. and Iran over that nation's nuclear program. When the list of 11 Iranians came out State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley said it appeared the Iranian government was trying to suggest some kind of equivalence between the hikers and Iranians that had left Iran. "There really is no equivalence at all," he said at the time. Three of the Iranians on the list have been convicted or charged in public court proceedings in the United States. The circumstances surrounding some of the others are more mysterious. Ali Reza Asgari, a retired general in the elite Revolution- ary Guard and a former deputy defense minister, disappeared while on a private trip to Turkey in December 2006.