Newly elected
New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez is turning heads with her tough stands on
immigration reform. Martinez has revoked a previous executive order establishing
New Mexico as no longer a sanctuary state.
New Mexico
Governor Orders Police to
Check Immigration Status AP/The El Paso Times
Republican Gov. Susana Martinez directed state police on Monday to start asking
about the immigration status of people arrested for crimes. The executive order
by Martinez rescinds a policy implemented in 2005 by then Gov. Bill Richardson,
a Democrat. The move establishes New Mexico as no longer a sanctuary state.
Richardson's executive order prohibited state law enforcement from asking about
a person's immigration status only for the purpose of determining whether the
individual was in violation of federal immigration laws. "This order takes the
handcuffs off of New Mexico's law enforcement officers in their mission to keep
our communities safe," Martinez said in a statement. "The criminal justice
system should have the authority to determine the immigration status of all
criminals, regardless of race or ethnicity, and report illegal immigrants who
commit crimes to federal authorities." However, Martinez said law enforcement
working for state agencies will continue to be barred from asking about the
immigration status of someone who is a crime victim, a witness to a crime or
seeking police assistance. Richardson had ordered that in 2005...
Bill
Would Require All So. Dakota Citizens to Buy a Gun The Argus Leader
Five South Dakota lawmakers have introduced legislation
that would require any adult 21 or older to buy a
firearm "sufficient to provide for their ordinary
self-defense." The bill, which would take effect Jan. 1,
2012, would give people six months to acquire a firearm
after turning 21. The provision does not apply to people
who are barred from owning a firearm. Nor does the
measure specify what type of firearm. Instead, residents
would pick one "suitable to their temperament, physical
capacity, and preference." The measure is known as an
act "to provide for an individual mandate to adult
citizens to provide for the self defense of themselves
and others." Rep. Hal Wick (R-Sioux Falls), is
sponsoring the bill and knows it will be killed. But he
said he is introducing it to prove a point that the
federal health care reform mandate passed last year is
unconstitutional.
Teen
'Wolf Pack' Arrested in Videotaped Assault FOX News
Authorities in Pennsylvania say they arrested a "wolf
pack" of teenagers in connection with an assault on a
13-year-old boy who police say was kidnapped and hung
from a fence post. Nadin Khoury, of Upper Darby, Pa.,
was walking home from school on Jan. 11 when he was
attacked by a group of teenagers who punched, kicked and
dragged him through the snow before stuffing him in a
tree and hanging him by his coat on a 7-foot-high fence,
police said. The boy, who was not seriously injured, was
rescued when a passerby jumped out of her car and took
the boy home. Upper Darby Township Police Superintendent
Michael Chitwood said Monday that authorities arrested
six teenagers, ages 13 to 17, and are seeking a seventh
in connection with the attack.
Iranian
Book Celebrating Suicide Bombers Found in Arizona Desert FOX News
A book celebrating suicide bombers has been found in the
Arizona desert just north of the US- Mexican border,
authorities tell Fox News. The book, "In Memory of Our
Martyrs," was spotted Tuesday by a US Border Patrol
agent out of the Casa Grande substation who was
patrolling a route known for smuggling illegal
immigrants and drugs. Published in Iran, it consists of
short biographies of Islamic suicide bombers and other
Islamic militants who died carrying out attacks.
According to internal US Customs and Border Protection
documents, "The book also includes letters from suicide
attackers to their families, as well as some of their
last wills and testaments." Each biographical page
contains "the terrorist's name, date of death, and how
they died." Agents also say that the book appears to
have been exposed to weather in the desert "for at least
several days or weeks."
Iowa
Joins States with Eased Policy on
Concealed Arms The Washington Times
At Scheels sporting goods store here, customers peruse the section of firearms
lined up in racks and numbering in the hundreds. In the center of the section
are two metal-and-glass cases, locked and barred, that contain an ample
selection of modern handguns. "Guns have been selling really well," said Craig
Michelson, who works in the store's gun department. "Business has been good." As
of Jan. 1, Iowa joined the ranks of states with "shall-issue" policies, which
require officials to issue concealed-carry permits after a person meets
specified objective criteria — typically, some combination of a fee, a
background check, fingerprinting, and training. Previously, Iowa had been one of
the few remaining "may-issue" jurisdictions, meaning that government officials
had final discretion on whether to grant requests for permits.
Hawaii's
State Health Director Resigns AP/CBS News
Interim Hawaii Health Director Dr. Neal Palafox abruptly
quit Wednesday, the first of new Gov. Neil Abercrombie's
Cabinet appointees to leave. The reason for Palafox's
resignation was a mystery, and he wouldn't say whether
he was asked to resign. Abercrombie's office said
Palafox asked the Democratic governor to withdraw his
nomination...The Attorney General's office wouldn't
comment on whether it's investigating Palafox, said
Joshua Wisch, special assistant to the attorney general.
Palafox, 58, said he was surprised when he heard TV news
reports citing anonymous sources claiming he was under
investigation for medical billing fraud. "I get handed
these e-mails about investigations and so forth, but I
have no clue. I'm lost," Palafox said. University of
Hawaii John A. Burns School of Medicine Dean Jerris
Hedges said the school is unaware of any pending
investigation. The state Department of Commerce and
Consumer Affairs said it had no complaints, and no
criminal cases named Palafox in a search of federal and
state records.
Border
Agents Find Muslim Cleric
Illegally Entering US The Los Angeles Times
U.S. border authorities have arrested a controversial Muslim cleric who was
deported from Canada to Tunisia three years ago and was caught earlier this
month trying to sneak into California inside the trunk of a BMW, according to
court documents. Said Jaziri, the former Imam of a Muslim congregation in
Montreal, was hidden inside a car driven by a San Diego-area man who was pulled
over by U.S. Border Patrol agents near an Indian casino east of San Diego.
Jaziri allegedly paid a Tijuana-based smuggling group $5,000 to get him across
the border near Tecate, saying he wanted to be taken to a "safe place anywhere
in the US." The arrest marks the unexpected resurfacing of the 43-year-old
cleric, whose protracted legal battle to avoid deportation drew headlines in
Canada. A Tunisian immigrant, Jaziri was deported for failing to disclose a
criminal conviction in France while applying for refugee status in the
mid-1990s.
US
Bio-Weapons Base Reopening After Lockdown AP/Seattle
Post-Intelligencer
A Utah military base that carries out tests to protect
troops against biological attacks was locked down over a
"serious concern," but was beginning to reopen early
Thursday, officials said. Base commander Col. William E.
King announced Wednesday evening that gates were locked
to both incoming and outgoing personnel to resolve the
problem, but that no one was in danger. King and other
base officials declined to provide any details on the
cause of the lockdown. About 5am MST Thursday, base
spokeswoman Paula Thomas said the base had reopened to
incoming personnel, and preparations were under way to
allow people inside to leave. She said there were no
injuries resulting from the cause of the lockdown, which
began about 5:30pm She said more details would be
released later in the day.
Bill
Seeks Holocaust Disclosure by High
Speed Rail Firms CA Assembly Press Release
Assembly Member Bob Blumenfield, a Democrat from San Fernando Valley, unveiled
legislation today that would require companies seeking to be awarded contracts
to build California's High Speed Rail system to disclose whether they deported
Jews, American soldiers and others to Nazi concentration camps during the
Holocaust. The Holocaust Survivor Responsibility Act, AB 619, would require
companies seeking to be awarded high speed rail contracts to publicly disclose
whether they had a direct role in Holocaust transportation, and provide a
description of any remedial action or restitution they have provided to
survivors, or families of victims, of the deportations. The bill authorizes the
High Speed Rail Authority to disqualify a company based on the contents of its
disclosure, or for failure to adequately disclose the required information.
US
Home Price Slump Deepens CNN Money
November home prices continued their latest slump, falling 1% compared with
October, according to the latest S&P/Case-Shiller Home Price Index of 20 metro
markets. San Diego was the only market that didn't slip, posting a slight gain
of 0.1%. The overall index fell for the fifth straight month and prices are at
about the same level they were in mid-2003...The worst-hit market during the
month was Detroit, where prices fell another 2.7%. That was especially troubling
considering how low that city's prices already were. In Washington D.C. prices
inched down only 0.1%, making it the second-best performing city behind San
Diego. The bleeding in some of the bubble markets seems to have slowed, with Las
Vegas (-0.4%), Miami (-0.2%) and Tampa (-0.8) all recording losses of under 1%.
But nine markets -- Atlanta, Charlotte, Chicago, Detroit, Las Vegas, Miami,
Portland, Ore., Seattle and Tampa, Fla. -- are all at their lowest levels since
they peaked during the boom.
Mortgage
Giants Leave Legal Bills to the Taxpayers New York Times
Since the government took over Fannie Mae and Freddie
Mac, taxpayers have spent more than $160 million
defending the mortgage finance companies and their
former top executives in civil lawsuits accusing them of
fraud. The cost was a closely guarded secret until last
week, when the companies and their regulator produced an
accounting at the request of Congress. The bulk of those
expenditures — $132 million — went to defend Fannie Mae
and its officials in various securities suits and
government investigations into accounting irregularities
that occurred years before the subprime lending crisis
erupted. The legal payments show no sign of abating.
Documents reviewed by The New York Times indicate that
taxpayers have paid $24.2 million to law firms defending
three of Fannie's former top executives: Franklin D.
Raines, its former chief executive; Timothy Howard, its
former chief financial officer; and Leanne Spencer, the
former controller.
