World/Nation Briefs November 26, 2013
Obama says U.S. can't shun diplomacy in Iran
WASHINGTON - Pushing back hard, President Barack Obama forcefully defended the temporary agreement to freeze Iran's disputed nuclear program on Monday, declaring that the United States "cannot close the door on diplomacy."
The president's remarks followed skepticism of the historic accord expressed by some U.S. allies abroad as well as by members of Congress at home, including fellow Democrats. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, one of the fiercest opponents of the six-month deal, called it a "historic mistake" and announced he would be dispatching a top envoy to Washington to try to toughen the final agreement negotiators will soon begin hammering out.
Obama, without naming names, swiped at those who have questioned the wisdom of engaging with Iran.
The weekend agreement between Iran and six world powers - the U.S., Britain, France, Russia, China and Germany - is to temporarily halt parts of Tehran's disputed nuclear program and allow for more intrusive international monitoring. In exchange, Iran gains some modest relief from stiff economic sanctions and a pledge from Obama that no new penalties will be levied during the six months.
School gunman's motive still a mystery
HARTFORD, Conn. - In fifth grade, Adam Lanza wrote a book that included tales of children being slaughtered and a son shooting his mother in the head.
In the years that followed, he was obsessed with mass murders, assembling articles, photos, books, footage and violent video games, including one in which players gun down students in school. He even kept a spreadsheet ranking mass murders.
Nearly a year after Lanza shot his mother to death and then massacred 26 people at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, prosecutors closed the case Monday with a report that sketched a chilling portrait of a young man with a twisted fascination with violence.
But they were unable to answer the question that everyone has been asking since the tragedy: Why?
"The obvious question that remains is: 'Why did the shooter murder 27 people, including 20 children?' Unfortunately, that question may never be answered conclusively," the report said.
Florida GOP chair: Radel should quit, focus on rehab
MIAMI - The chairman of the Republican Party of Florida on Monday called for U.S. Rep. Trey Radel to step down following his recent cocaine conviction.
Chairman Lenny Curry joined a growing number of Republican leaders from Radel's district demanding his resignation.
"The people of Florida's 19th Congressional District need a Congressman who is 100 percent focused on the needs of Southwest Florida," Curry said in a news release. "Therefore, Congressman Radel should step down and focus his attention on rehabilitation and his family."
Radel pleaded guilty to cocaine possession last week, acknowledging that he purchased 3.5 grams of cocaine last month from an undercover police officer. He has since taken a leave of absence and checked himself into a rehabilitation facility.
Possible hoax call locks down Yale for hours
NEW HAVEN, Conn. - Yale University was locked down for nearly six hours Monday as authorities investigated a phone call saying an armed man was heading to shoot it up, a warning they later said was likely a hoax.
SWAT teams searching the Ivy League campus didn't find a gunman after a room-by-room search, and the lockdown was lifted Monday afternoon. No one was injured, police said.
"New Haven is safe. The Yale campus is safe," New Haven police Chief Dean Esserman said.
A 911 call was received at 9:48 a.m. from a man at a pay phone about a mile from the campus who said his roommate was on the way to the university to shoot people, Officer David Hartman said.
- The Associated Press