USA
Thousands of people marched through Phoenix Saturday to protest what they consider the heavy-handed tactics of Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio in a crackdown on illegal immigrants. Latino activists said racial profiling is being used to stop people to check their legal residency and that illegal immigrants have been paraded through the streets in prison garb and shackles.
President Obama will formally name Gov. Kathleen Sebelius (D) of Kansas as his choice for secretary of Health and Human Services on Monday, White House sources have indicated. Sebelius is known as a no-nonsense administrator. She was selected after Obama's first choice, former Senate majority leader Tom Daschle, withdrew his name after his failure to pay some taxes surfaced.
The US military stands ready to assist Mexico in fighting against drug cartels by providing training, surveillance, and intelligence capabilities, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Sunday on NBC's "Meet the Press."
Adm. Mike Mullen, the Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman, is comfortable with White House plans to end the US combat mission in Iraq by Aug. 31, 2010, he said on TV talk shows Sunday.
In Warren Buffett's annual letter about Berkshire Hathaway Inc., the chairman and CEO reported Saturday that the Omaha-based insurance and investment company had its worst year since he took the helm in 1965. Berkshire's book value fell 9.6 percent to $70,530 a share. Although optimistic about the long term, Buffett said he expects the economy to remain in "shambles throughout 2009."
A military judge at Fort Campbell, Ky., will hear arguments Monday regarding a mistrial motion in the case of First Lt. Michael Behenna, who was sentenced Saturday to 25 years in prison for shooting and killing an Iraqi detainee. His attorney claims evidence was withheld important to Behenna's insistence that he acted in self-defense. The incident occurred after two fellow soldiers were killed by a roadside bomb.
The National Park Service marked the 90th anniversary of Grand Canyon National Park with the opening late last week of a new visitors center on the South Rim. It's named for the Verkamp family, which ran a gift shop there for more than a century. The park annually attracts 4.5 million visitors.
Veteran radioman Paul Harvey, who died Saturday in Phoenix, was known for his staccato delivery, trademark phrases, and opinionated news broadcasts during 60 years on the airwaves, mostly for ABC.
