World/Nation Briefs May 16, 2012
JPMorgan Chase CEO confronted by shareholders
TAMPA, Fla. - The CEO of JPMorgan Chase offered a quick but blunt apology to shareholders Tuesday for a $2 billion trading loss that "should never have happened" and survived a push to strip him of the title of chairman of the board.
CEO Jamie Dimon, who in recent years has given expansive answers to questions about the bank's handling of foreclosures and loan modifications, was unusually subdued at the JPMorgan annual meeting.
He spent four minutes talking about the trading loss and steps the company has taken to address it, and just two more talking about accomplishments of the company over the past year.
Searchers find 'black box' from Russian plane
JAKARTA, Indonesia - Indonesian special forces have found the voice-and-data recorder of a new Russian passenger jet that slammed into a jagged, mist-shrouded cliff on a dormant volcano, an official said Wednesday.
The "black box" could help explain the cause of the deadly crash of the Sukhoi Superjet 100, which had been on a short demonstration flight for potential buyers. Search and Rescue agency spokesman Gagah Prakoso said it was found near the tail of the shattered wreck at the bottom of a 1,500-foot (500-meter) ravine.
The device was delivered to investigators late Tuesday. It was badly burned and lost its orange color, making it harder for search teams to find it among the trees and heavy brush, Prakoso said.
Army opens
combat battalion jobs to women
FORT CAMPBELL, Ky. - Female soldiers this week are moving into new jobs in once all-male units as the Army breaks down formal barriers in recognition of what has already happened in wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The policy change announced earlier this year is being tested at nine brigades, including one at Fort Campbell, before going Army-wide. It opens thousands of jobs to female soldiers by loosening restrictions meant to keep them away from the battlefield. Experience on the ground in the past decade showed women were fighting and dying alongside male soldiers anyway.
Col. Val Keaveny Jr., commander of the 4th Brigade Combat Team that is among units piloting the change, told The Associated Press that for the last decade it has been common to have women temporarily attached to the combat units and serve alongside them.
Tea party backed candidate wins Nebraska primary
WASHINGTON -
A tea party-backed Republican lawmaker in Nebraska will square off against former Sen. Bob Kerrey this fall in the state's U.S. Senate race, as Democrats look to hold onto the Senate seat and control of one part of Capitol Hill.
In Tuesday's Republican primary, state Sen. Deb Fischer rode a wave of discontent with the GOP establishment to best Nebraska Attorney General Jon Bruning, the preferred candidate of Washington, D.C.-based Republicans, and Treasurer Don Stenberg in a race that drew national attention from outside groups in its final, unpredictable weeks.
John Edwards, ex-mistress could still take stand
GREENSBORO, N.C. - Attorneys for John Edwards on Tuesday indicated that their defense in his criminal trial for alleged campaign finance violations is winding down, but they did not say whether the former presidential candidate or his one-time mistress will take the witness stand.
Defense lawyer Abbe Lowell said his team will make a final decision about their remaining witnesses late Tuesday, but it was not immediately clear if that information will be made public before Edwards' trial resumes today.
- Associated Press