Monday, June 16, 2014
More US troops to Iraq; special forces considered
By LARA JAKES and MATTHEW LEE
Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The U.S. is urgently deploying several hundred armed troops in and around Iraq and considering sending an additional contingent of special forces soldiers as Baghdad struggles to repel a rampant insurgency, even as the White House insists anew that America will not be dragged into another war.
President Barack Obama notified Congress Monday that up to 275 troops could be sent to Iraq to provide support and security for U.S. personnel and the American Embassy in Baghdad. About 170 of those forces have already arrived and another 100 soldiers be on standby in a nearby country until they are needed, a U.S. official said.
While Obama has vowed to keep U.S. forces out of combat in Iraq, he said in his notification to Congress that the personnel moving into the region are equipped for direct fighting.
And separately, three U.S. officials said the White House was considering sending a contingent of special forces soldiers to Iraq. Their limited mission - which has not yet been approved - would focus on training and advising beleaguered Iraqi troops, many of whom have fled their posts across the nation's north and west as the al-Qaida-inspired insurgency has advanced in the worst threat to the country since American troops left in 2011.
The moves come at the White House wrestles with an array of options for helping Iraq repel a Sunni Muslim insurgency that has captured large swaths of territory collaring Baghdad, the capital of the Shiite-led government. In a rare move, U.S. officials reached out to Iran Monday to discuss ways the long-time foes might help stop the militants known as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.
The conversations took place on the sidelines of separate nuclear negotiations taking place in Vienna, Austria. U.S. officials quickly tamped down speculation that the discussion might include military coordination or consultation, though Secretary of State John Kerry said in an interview with Yahoo! News that the U.S. would "not rule out anything that would be constructive."
Kerry stressed that any contacts with Iran would move "step-by-step."
Taken together, the developments suggest a willingness by Obama to send Americans into a collapsing security situation in order to quell the brutal fighting in Iraq before it morphs into outright war.
The White House said the forces authorized for support and security will assist with the temporary relocation of some staff from the Baghdad embassy. The forces are entering Iraq with the consent of that country's government, the White House said.
Pentagon press secretary Rear Adm. John Kirby said the troops on standby could "provide airfield management, security, and logistics support, if required." They could work with embassy security teams or operate as a stand-alone force as directed.
Officials would not say where the soldiers would be on standby, but It is likely they would be in Kuwait, which was a major basing ground for U.S. troops during the Iraq war.
If the U.S. were to deploy an additional team of special forces, the mission would almost certainly be small. One U.S. official said it could be up to 100 special forces soldiers. It also could be authorized only as an advising and training mission - meaning the soldiers would work closely with Iraqi forces that are fighting the insurgency but would not officially be considered as combat troops.
It's not clear how quickly the special forces could arrive in Iraq. It's also unknown whether they would remain in Baghdad or be sent to the nation's north, where the Sunni Muslim insurgency has captured large swaths of territory collaring Baghdad, the capital of the Shiite-led government.
The troops would fall under the authority of the U.S. ambassador in Baghdad and would not be authorized to engage in combat, another U.S. official said. Their mission would be "non-operational training" of both regular and counter terrorism units, which the military has in the past interpreted to mean training on military bases, the official said.
However, all U.S. troops are allowed to defend themselves in Iraq if they are under attack. Already, about 100 Marines and Army soldiers have been sent to Baghdad to help with embassy security, according to a U.S. official.
The three U.S. officials all spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to publicly discuss the plans by name.
Obama made the end of the war in Iraq one of his signature campaign issues, and has touted the U.S. military withdrawal in December 2011 as one of his top foreign policy successes. But he has been caught over the past week between Iraqi officials pleading for help - as well as Republicans blaming him for the loss of a decade's worth of gains in Iraq - and his anti-war Democratic political base, which is demanding that the U.S. stay out of the fight.
While the White House continues to review its options, Iran's military leaders are starting to step into the beach.
The commander of Iran's elite Quds Force, Gen. Ghasem Soleimani, was in Iraq on Monday and consulting with the government there on how to stave off insurgents' gains. Iraqi security officials said the U.S. government was notified in advance of the visit by Soleimani, whose forces are a secretive branch of Iran's Revolutionary Guard that in the past has organized Shiite militias to target U.S. troops in Iraq and, more recently, was involved in helping Syria's President Bashar Assad in his fight against Sunni rebels.
In the short term, the U.S. and Iran both want the Shiite-led government of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki stabilized and the Sunni-led insurgency stopped. But in the long run, the United States would like to see an inclusive, representative democracy take hold in Iraq, while predominantly Shiite Iran is more focused on protecting Iraq's Shiite population and bolstering its own position as a regional power against powerful Sunni Arab states in the Gulf.
State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said any discussion with Iran would concern ways that Iran could help press al-Maliki's government to be more inclusive and treat all of Iraq's religious and ethnic groups equally.
Any talks with Iran "would be to discuss the political component here and our interest in encouraging Iraqi leaders to act in a responsible, nonsectarian way," she told reporters. "Certainly a discussion of that is something that we would be open to."
Saturday, June 14, 2014
LA Kings win the Cup on Martinez's double-OT goal
By GREG BEACHAM
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Alec Martinez scored 14:43 into the second overtime, and the Los Angeles Kings won the Stanley Cup for the second time in three years with a 3-2 victory over the New York Rangers in Game 5 on Friday night.
Marian Gaborik scored a tying power-play goal with 12:04 left in regulation for the resilient Kings, who rallied from yet another deficit before finishing off the Rangers in the longest game in franchise history.
Jonathan Quick made 28 saves and Justin Williams scored an early goal as Los Angeles added a second title to its 2012 championship, the first in the franchise's 47-year history.
After innumerable late chances, Martinez popped home a rebound of Tyler Toffoli's shot. Martinez also scored the overtime winner to beat Chicago in the Western Conference finals.
Friday, June 13, 2014
Tracy Morgan Showing Signs Of Improvement After Crash
Posted:
Updated:
| By
Associated Press
Morgan, a former star of "Saturday Night Live" and "30 Rock," remained hospitalized in critical but stable condition on Thursday but his medical team is "optimistic that his recovery is progressing," spokesman Lewis Kay said.
"Today was a better day," Kay said.
Morgan's fiancee remained by his side and was relaying to him everyone's
Morgan, 45, suffered broken ribs and a broken leg in the Saturday morning crash on the New Jersey Turnpike. The crash killed fellow comedian James McNair and seriously injured two other people in Morgan's
Prosecutors say Wal-Mart driver Kevin Roper's truck hit Morgan's limo. The Jonesboro, Georgia, resident has pleaded not guilty to death by auto and
A criminal complaint alleges Roper hadn't slept for more than 24 hours before the accident when he swerved to avoid slowed traffic on the turnpike and plowed into Morgan's limo.
Wal-Mart Stores Inc., based in Bentonville, Arkansas, has not explained what Roper's driving
Morgan's assistant, Jeffrey Millea, of Shelton, Connecticut, and comedian Ardie Fuqua Jr., of Jersey City, were injured in the crash. Kay said Millea's wife had reported that her husband "has also shown much improvement over the past few days" and that she was very thankful for the love and support their family has received.
Thursday, June 12, 2014
Legendary DJ Casey Kasem
Legendary DJ Casey Kasem will live out his final days this week surrounded by his children ... who have made the decision to withhold medication, food and fluids.
The judge in Casey's conservatorship case just reversed a ruling which required doctors to keep him alive with nourishment and meds.
The 82-year-old is currently in a Washington hospice facility.
Casey's kids tell TMZ ... their dad's health directive document states, "If the extension of my life would result in mere biological existence, devoid of cognitive function, with no reasonable hope for normal functioning, then I do not desire any form of life-sustaining procedures, including
Casey's wife Jean was in court and furious over the judge's decision, storming out and screaming that the kids will have Casey's blood on their hands.
Wednesday, June 11, 2014
Obama: Gun control failure is biggest frustration
WASHINGTON (AP) - President Barack Obama says his biggest frustration so far as president is that American society hasn't been willing to take steps to strengthen gun control.
Obama is reflecting on frequent mass shootings during a question-and-answer session on social media site Tumblr. He says the U.S. should be ashamed.
Obama says there's no place else in the world where mass shootings are a once-a-week occurrence. He says the country must do some soul-searching.
Obama says he respects gun rights. But he says he was stunned after the Newtown school shooting that Washington couldn't even pass universal background checks. He's citing the political strength of the National Rifle Association and gun manufacturers.
Obama says until there's public opinion a fundamental shifts, the problem won't change. He says as a parent, that's terrifying.
This Moment Bon Jovi Surprised A Boy With Inoperable Brain Tumors Can Never Be Upstaged
One heroic youngster got the surprise of a lifetime on Saturday when his
When Mario Carpino was just 4 years old, he was diagnosed with four inoperable
On June 7, Mario held his fourth annual lemonade stand
But on Saturday, completely unbeknownst to any of the Carpinos ahead of time, Bon Jovi flew into the Garden State and showed up at Mario's event, according to Yahoo Shine.
"Little did we know that he would just show up and surprise me," Anna Carpino, Mario's mom, told Yahoo. "As much as I wanted it to be him, I thought it couldn't happen. I just started breaking down, crying, and shaking. I was a hot mess!"
According to the Star-Ledger, Bon Jovi learned about the fundraiser from his son who told the star that he had to go.
"He told me his son said, 'You know what you're doing on June 7 right?'" Carpino told the outlet.
The rock singer posed for photographs, signed his No. 1 fan's T-shirt and even gave him his hat.
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