LITTLE ROCK — QUOTE OF THE DAY
“We need Pakistan, Pakistan needs us, but we don’t need Pakistan double-dealing and not seeing the justice in bringing Osama bin Laden to an end.”
Sen. Lindsey Graham,
R-S.C., part of a Senate panel that voted to cut aid to Pakistan after the conviction of a doctor who helped the United States track down bin Laden Article, this page
Muslim GI guilty in Texas bomb plot
WACO, Texas - A federal jury on Thursday convicted a Muslim soldier on six charges in connection with a failed plot to blow up a Texas restaurant full of Fort Hood troops, his religious mission to get “justice” for the people of Iraq and Afghanistan.
Jurors in U.S. District Court in Waco deliberated a little more than an hour before finding Pfc. Naser Jason Abdo guilty of attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction, attempted murder of U.S. officers or employees, and four counts of possessing a weapon in furtherance of a federal crime of violence - two involving a gun and two involving a destructive device.
Abdo, 22, faces up to life in prison. His sentencing was set for July.
Professor named to head nuke agency
WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama on Thursday nominated Allison Macfarlane, a professor and member of a panel studying disposal of atomic wastes, to lead the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, replacing outgoing Chairman Gregory Jaczko.
Macfarlane, an associate professor of environmental science and policy at George Mason University in Fairfax, Va., was praised Thursday by Democratic lawmakers and congratulated by the Nuclear Energy Institute, which represents the industry.
The nomination of Macfarlane likely will be considered jointly with Republican Kristine Svinicki, whose term ends June 30 and who has been renominated.
Jaczko, 41, announced May 21 that he intends to resign as soon as a successor is confirmed. His term expires in June 2013.
N.J.: NYC-police Muslim scrutiny legal
TRENTON, N.J. - New York City police did not violate New Jersey laws when they conducted surveillance of Muslim businesses, mosques and student groups, Gov. Chris Christie’s administration said Thursday after a three-month review.
The conclusion by Attorney General Jeffrey Chiesa means New Jersey Muslims have no state recourse to stop the New York Police Department’s intelligence operations, part of a widespread New York police program to collect intelligence on Muslim communities both inside New York and beyond.
Authorities also found that New Jersey has no laws barring outside law enforcement agencies from secretly conducting operations in the state, representatives of the attorney general’s office told the AP. However, New York police have agreed to meet with New Jersey law enforcement regularly to discuss counterterrorism intelligence and operations, the attorney general said.
Chiesa, the governor’s former chief counsel and a longtime confidante, outlined the state’s findings in private meetings Thursday afternoon with Muslim leaders.
Muslim leaders said they were told that every instance of New York police activity in New Jersey had been justified by a lead but that the attorney general would not provide any details on the nature of any of those leads, saying the factfinding was ongoing.
They said that they did not find the assertion credible.
Vegas conference’s planner out at GSA
WASHINGTON - Jeffrey Neely, the General Services Administration regional commissioner who planned a lavish Las Vegas employee conference that cost more than $800,000, left the agency Thursday, a GSA spokesman said.
Neely, the public buildings commissioner for the Pacific Rim region, had been on administrative leave since early April after an inspector general inquiry found rampant waste and abuse associated with the 2010 conference. At the time of the conference, Neely was acting regional commissioner.
News of the overspending on the conference led to the resignation of GSA Administrator Martha Johnson and the firing of her two top lieutenants. Nine other employees were placed on administrative leave.
Neither Neely nor his lawyer returned calls seeking comment Thursday.
Front Section, Pages 6 on 05/25/2012