The Michigan Daily - michigandaily
NEWS BRIEFS
DETROIT
Bing to Snyder:
Since we're both
businessmen, let's
work together
Democratic Detroit Mayor
Dave Bing says the business back-
ground he shares with Republi-
can Gov.-elect Rick Snyder should
help them cooperate on solving
the depressed city's problems.
Bing endorsed fellow Demo-
crat Virg Bernero, who lost to
Snyder in Tuesday's election.
The Detroit News says Bing
sent Snyder a letter of congratu-
lations. Bing's letter says vot-
ers are looking for "leadership
that moves beyond the partisans
battles" that have held the state
"back for so long."
Bing says he and Snyder come
from the same background as
entrepreneurs. Bing ran a steel
business before running for
mayor, while Snyder is an ex-
president of the Gateway com-
puter company.
WASHINGTON
GOP complains
Tea Party prevent-
ed Senate control
Tea party-backed candidates
helped and hindered Republicans,
injecting enthusiasm into cam-
paigns but losing Senate seats held
by Democrats in Delaware, Colo-
rado and Nevada that the GOP
once had big hopes of capturing.
Republican leaders and strate-
gists are muttering that the same
tea party activists who elevated
Speaker-to-be John Boehner and
the party to power in the House
simultaneously hobbled the GOP's
outside shot of running the Sen-
ate. Tea partiers largely spurned
establishment candidates in the
GOP primaries and helped nomi-
nate Christine O'Donnell in Dela-
ware, Sharron Angle in Nevada
and Ken Buck in Colorado. All
three lost on Tuesday.
"You let the voters decide" the
nominees, Republican National
Committee chairman Michael
Steele said Friday. "It's a risk. Vot-
ing is a risk."
PESHAWAR, Pakistan
Pakistan says two
U.S. drone strikes
killed 14 militants
A pair of American drone
strikes killed 14 suspected mili-
tants in northwestern Pakistan
yesterday, local intelligence offi-
cials said, in the latest attacks
against al-Qaida and Taliban
militants seeking sanctuary in
the region.
The missiles struck an hour
apart in the North Waziristan -
the area that has seen the tover-
whelmi ng majority of drone strikes
over the last two months. The rug-
ged region is home to hundreds of
Pakistani and foreign militants,
many belonging to or allied with
al-Qaida and the Taliban.
in the first strike, one Ameri-
can missile slammed into a
house and another hit a vehicle
in the town of Ghulam Khan just
north of Miran Shah, the main
town in North Waziristan, the
two officials said. Nine insur-
gents were killed.
An hour later, another pair of
missiles struck a vehicle in the
nearby town of Datta Khel, killing
five suspected militants, the offi-
cials said, speaking on condition
of anonymity because they weren't
authorized to talk to the media.
BAGHDAD
Iraqi politici ans
meet today about
gov t impasse
The leaders of Iraq's main
political blocs plan to meet face-
to-face for the first time since
March elections, amid signs they
are close to breaking the eight-
month political deadlock that has
stalled the formation of a new
government.
The two men vying for prime
minister - incumbent Nouri al-
Maliki and his rival Ayad Allawi
- both plan to attend today's
meeting, officials from their
respective parties said. If the
meeting of deeply divided blocs
goes forward, it would mark a rare
sign of progress toward resolv-
ing months of political bickering,
although such developments have
fallen apart in the past.
- Compiled from
Daily wire reports.
Monday, November 8, 2010 - 3A
CHARLES CHARAPAK/AP
President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama greet children during a visit to New Delhi, India yesterday.
Obama: ,,\Midcourse
corrections' needed
'U'prof., Opera
legend Varrett
dies in A2 at 79
Varrett was famous Opera News Editor in Chief F.
Paul Driscoll said Verrett "created
for her dramatic a legion of unforgettable perfor-
mances in the mezzo-soprano and
mezzo-soprano and soprano repertory," according to
the University's School of Music,
soprano shows Theatre and Dance website.
"Verrett is one of opera's true
By SABIRA KHAN legends - an artist whose beauty,
Daily StaffReporter elegance and charisma made her a
favorite with audiences through-
Shirley Verrett, School of out the United States and Europe
Music, Theatre and Dance profes- and a woman whose courage,
sor of voice and 2005 recipient of tenacity and integrity have made
the Opera News Award for Distin- her a role model for all artists," he
guished Achievement in the Field said.
of Opera, passed away Friday Verrett was born in Louisiana in
morning in her Ann Arbor home. 1931. Her family later moved to Los
Verrett, 79, died from heart fail- Angeles, where her musical talents
ure following months of illness, were discovered after she per-
her daughter, Francesca LoMona- formed in her church choir. Her
co told The New York Times. parents encouraged her singing
According to The Telegraph, career but disapproved of opera,
Verrett was able to overcome according to the Times.
obstacles of racial discrimination Despite her parent's discour-
to rise to fame in the 1960s and agement, Verrett studied at the
1970s. Today, Verrett is remem- Juilliard School in New York,
bered as being one of the most where she won the Metropolitan
powerful and dramatic singers Opera National Council Auditions
and performers of her time. and debuted as Carmen in 1968,
Verrett started singing mez- according to the Times.
zo-soprano but later switched to After escaping an abusive mar-
soprano. According to The Tele- riage, Verrett married Lou LoMo-
graph, she performed at the Metro- naco, with whom she adopted a
politan Opera 126 times during her daughter. She is survived by her
career and has appeared several husband, daughter and grand-
times in London and Germany. daughter.
Republicans blast
Obamna, federal
spendin gdur ing,
post-victory rally
President voices
support for Pakistan
during India visit
NEW DELHI (AP) - Hampered
by heavy election losses at home,
President Barack Obama promised
from India yesterday to make "mid-
course corrections" to reinvigorate
his embattled domestic agenda in
the face of a testierAmerican public
and more combative Congress.
On a day of friendly outreach,
Obama also was confronted about
his support for Pakistan, New
Delhi's nuclear neighbor and rival.
He defended the alliance while
acknowledging that Pakistan-based
extremists are "a cancer" with the
potential to "engulf the country."
His comments took on added
significance because he spoke in
Mumbai, where memories are fresh
from attacks in 2008 by Pakistani
assailants that killed 166 in the
city. Obama urged the two nations
to talk peace; he didn't commit the
U.S. as-middle man.
Domestic politics followed
Obama across the globe, and he
tried to explain how he will reca-
librate his presidency from the
rubble of this past week's elections.
The topic came up not in response
to a question from a Washington
reporter but rather an Indian col-
lege student, who told Obama: "It
seems that the American people
have asked for a change."
The president agreed that peo-
ple vented their frustration about
the economy by sacking many
incumbents. A "healthy thing," he
said, even though his Democratic.
Party suffered, losing control of
one of the chambers in Congress.
He said he would not retreat on
spending money for energy and
education, and offered no specific
policy changes.
But then he added that the elec-
tion "requires me to make some mid-
course corrections and adjustments.
And how those play themselves out
over the next several months will be
a matter of me being in discussions
with the Republican Party."
Obama's words reflected the
new political reality, sinking in by
the day, that he must give ground
to have hopes of advancing the
leftover promises of his 2008 cam-
paign. He is increasingly likely to
compromise on extending tax cuts
not just for the middle class but for
the rich, at least temporarily, and
will focus more on bringing down
the federal deficit.
For all his emphasis on jobs and
security, Obama was determined
to make yesterday a more casual
expression of his engagement in
India. And this picture emerged: a
rigid but good-spirited attempt by
the president to dance with chil-
dren, who pulled him fromhis chair
to join them and his wife, Michelle,
already participating gracefully.
That scene unfolded at a school
where the Obamas spoke with stu-
dents about science projects and
helped celebrate the religious festival
known as Diwali. Said one boy after-
ward: "I amfeelingvery proud."
The centerpiece of Obama's day
was his stop at St. Xavier College,
a Jesuit institution where students
waited for hours outside for him in
the heat.
Obama has used this town hall
fornat in his foreign travels as a
comfortable way to connect with
people, although by the time he was
done offering advice to the students,
he only had room for six questions.
One of the sharper ones was this
- "Whyis Pakistan soimportant an
ally to America, so far as America
has never called it a terrorist state?"
There were some murmurs from
the audience.
Obama said it was OK. He knew
it was coming.
Muslim-dominated Pakistan
and Hindu-majority India have
gone to war and still hold deep
suspicions. Indian officials accuse
Pakistan's intelligence service of
helping orchestrate the Mumbai
attacks and say Islamabad has not
done enough to crack down on the
Pakistan-based extremists held
responsible.
Pakistan views India's ties with
the U.S.-backed government in
Afghanistan as an effort by its old
rival to encircle it.
Obansa even got a prickly
response from some Indian com-
mentators on his first day in the
country for failingto mention Paki-
stan when honoring the memo-
ries of those killed in the Mumbai
attacks.
To his audience yesterday, he said
the Pakistani government under-
stands the dangerous elements that
hide and operate within its bor-
ders. He also defended the strategic
importance of Pakistan to the Unit-
ed States, as he has about India.
"We will work with the Paki-
stani government in order to
eradicate this extremism that
we consider a cancer within the
country that can potentially
engulf the country." He said the
U.S. approach is to "be honest and
forthright with Pakistan, to say
we are your friend, this is a prob-
lem and we will help you, but the
problem has to be addressed."
Republicans rally
in favor of agenda
opposed to White
House priorities
WASHINGTON (AP) - Resur-
gent Republicans rallied yester-
day behind an agenda based on
unwavering opposition to the
Obama White House and federal
spending, laying the groundwork
for gridlock until their 2012 goal:
a new president, a "better Sen-
ate" and ridding the country of
that demonized health care law.
Republicans said they were
willing to work with President
Barack Obama but also sig-
naled it would be only on their
terms. With control of the White
House and the Senate, Demo-
crats showed no sign they were
conceding the final two years of
Obama's term to Republican law-
makers who claimed the majority
in the House.
"I think this week's election
was a historic rejection of Ameri-
can liberalism and the Obama
and Pelosi agenda," said Rep.
Mike Pence, the Indiana Repub-
lican who is stepping down from
his post in GOP leadership. "The
American people are tired of the
borrowing, the spending, the
bailouts, the takeovers."
Voters on Tuesday pun-
ished Democrats from New
Hampshire to California, giv-
ing Republicans at least 60 new
seats in the House.
Republicans picked up 10 gov-
ernorships; the GOP also gained
control of 19 state legislative
chambers and now holds the
highest level of state legislative
seats since 1928.
Over 20 killed in drug-fueled
massacre on Mexican border
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than 6
dad Juarez hit killed since the start of 2008.
The U.S. Consulate in the north-
iave of violence ern city of Hermosillo, meanwhile,
announced new travel restrictions
ing three-year for its U.S. employees in the states
of Sinaloa and Sonora.
cartel war A consulate warden message
said all official travel is banned
)AD JUAREZ, Mexico along Benito Juarez highway
At least 20 people were between Estacion Don and Gua-
n drug-gang violence over muchil, Sinaloa, "due to extreme
kend in this northern Mex- threats of violence."
rder city, including seven U.S. employees must travel in
ead outside one house. armored vehicles in the rest of
even men were believed to Sinaloa, a state considered the
en at a family party when cradle of the drug cartel by the
ere gunned down Satur- same name and where drug-gang
ht, said Arturo Sandoval, shootouts are frequent. The con-
sman for the attorney gen- sulate made an exception for the
ffice in Chihuahua state, city of Mazatlan, though it did not
Ciudad Juarez is located. explain why.
re found dead in a car, and In Sonora, the consulate said
er two were shot at the armored vehicles were required
e of the home. south of Ciudad Obregon and it
e have been several such banned travel south of Navojoa
-es in Ciudad Juarez, a city and in the mountainous areas in
stage by a nearly three-year eastern Sonora.
tle between the Juarez and U.S. personnel also must travel
cartels. in armored vehicles in the area
esidents now venture out to around Nogales, a town across
I restaurants. And like those the border from Nogales, Arizona,
I on Saturday, others have "due to widespread violence" and
-ed that they aren't even safe "the threat of known drug traffick-
own homes: Last month, ing activity throughout northern
stormed two neighboring Sonora."
and massacred more than U.S. employees traveling from
young people attending a Nogales, Arizona, to Hermosillo,
r a 15-year-old boy. can only use their own vehicles on
' other people were killed the Mexican toll road Higway 15
y in the city, including two during daylight hours, the state-
nodies were found dismem- ment added.
Sandoval said. Yesterday, The U.S. State Department has
police officers, a man and increasingly taken drastic mea-
a, were shot to death inside sures to protect U.S. employees in
trol car. northern Mexico from rising vio-
ad Juarez, across the lence, including temporarily clos-
from El Paso, Texas, has ingsomne consulates.
2 one of the world's deadli- In southern Mexico, mean-
rs in the time that the two while, police in Oaxaca city found
have been fighting. More a hunan head in a gift-wrapped
i,500 people have been box left Saturday night on the side
of a cliff popular for its view of the
picturesque colonial center.
Reporters at the scene saw a
threatening message left with the
head signed, "the last letter Z," an
apparent reference to the Zetas
druggang.
The gruesome find came a week
after two young men who had
been involved in violent university
protests and other conflicts were
gunned down in the middle of the
day in a public plaza.
An e-mail purportedly from the
Zetas claimed responsibility for
those slayings and said that the
two were killed for falsely repre-
senting themselves as members of
the gang.
Oaxaca state Attorney General
Maria de la Luz Candelaria Chinas
said the e-mail is suspected to be
fake, although she said authorities
had not ruled out the possibility
that the Zetas sent it.
Mexican government offi-
cials describe the Zetas - former
hit men for the Gulf cartel who
became independent this year -
as a sort of franchise with units
across the country. But officials
say some of those cells are copycats
using the Zetas name to intimidate
extortion and kidnap victims.
The Zetas have grown in power
over the past decade, and experts
warn their clout could grow fol-
lowing the death Friday night of
one the gang's major enemies, Gulf
cartel leader Antonio Ezequiel
Cardenas Guillen. The kingpin,
known as "Tony Tormenta" or
"Tony the Storm," was killed in a
shootout with marines.
Although there have been some
beheadings in recent years, cartel-
style violence is rare in Oaxaca, the
capital of the southern state by the
same name, especially compared
to northern Mexico or the central
Pacific coast.
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