03-07-09 Intel Brief

1. FACTBOX: Ups and downs in U.S.-Iranian relations
Thu Mar 5, 2009 3:28pm EST Reuters

http://www.reuters.com/article/politicsNews/idUSTRE5245OI20090305

(Reuters) - In its first public overture to Tehran, the Obama administration plans to invite Iran to an international conference to map out Afghanistan strategy later this month, a senior U.S. official said on Thursday. Here are some details of turbulent relations between Iran and the United States:… New U.S. President Barack Obama said in January that America was prepared to extend a hand of peace to Iran if it "unclenched its fist." Ahmadinejad said Tehran was ready to talk but demanded a fundamental change in U.S. policy. -- However, on Wednesday Iran's top authority said that President Obama was pursuing the same "wrong path" as George W. Bush in supporting Israel and described the Jewish state as a "cancerous tumor."

2. Reports: Russia building anti-satellite weapons
Associated Press March 5, 2009

http://www.investigativeproject.org/ext/2835

MOSCOW (AP) — Russia is working to develop anti-satellite weapons to match efforts by other nations, a deputy defense minister was quoted as saying Thursday. Gen. Valentin Popovkin said Russia continues to oppose a space arms race but will respond to moves made by other countries, according to Russian news reports. "We can't sit back and quietly watch others doing that, such work is being conducted in Russia," Popovkin was quoted as saying. Russia already has some "basic, key elements" of such weapons, but refused to elaborate, Popovkin said. Popovkin, who previously was the chief of Russian military Space Forces, reportedly made the statement at a news conference in response to a question about U.S. and Chinese tests of anti-satellite weapons…

3. Foreign ties of nominee questioned
Eli Lake The Washington Times Thursday, March 5, 2009

http://www.investigativeproject.org/ext/2836

An independent inspector general will look into the foreign financial ties of Chas W. Freeman Jr., the Obama administration's pick to serve as chairman of the group that prepares the U.S. intelligence community's most sensitive assessments, according to three congressional aides. The director of national intelligence, Dennis C. Blair, last Thursday named Mr. Freeman, a veteran former diplomat, to the chairmanship of the National Intelligence Council, known inside the government as the NIC. In that job, Mr. Freeman will have access to some of America's most closely guarded secrets and be charged with overseeing the drafting of the consensus view of all 16 intelligence agencies. His selection was praised by some who noted his articulateness and experience as U.S. ambassador to Saudi Arabia and a senior envoy to China and other nations. But it sparked concerns among some members of Congress from both parties, who asked the Office of the Director of National Intelligence's inspector general, Edward McGuire, to investigate Mr. Freeman's potential conflicts of interest. Mr. Freeman has not submitted the financial disclosure forms required of all candidates for senior public positions, according to the general counsel's office of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. Nor did Mr. Blair seek the White House's approval before he announced the appointment of Mr. Freeman, said Mr. Blair's spokeswoman, Wendy Morigi… Among the areas likely to be scrutinized in the vetting process are Mr. Freeman's position on the international advisory board of the China National Offshore Oil Corp. (CNOOC). The Chinese government and other state-owned companies own a majority stake in the concern, which has invested in Sudan and other countries sometimes at odds with the United States, including Iran. Mr. Freeman is also president of the nonprofit educational organization Middle East Policy Council (MEPC), which paid him $87,000 in 2006, and received at least $1 million from a Saudi prince. He also has chaired Projects International, a consulting firm that has worked with foreign companies and governments...

Inspector general promises to vet nominee
Eli Lake Washington Times Friday, March 6, 2009
http://www.investigativeproject.org/ext/2837

An independent inspector general will examine links between Charles W. "Chas" Freeman Jr. and Saudi Arabia for potential conflicts of interest, according to a letter obtained Thursday by The Washington Times… In a letter Thursday to 12 members of Congress, Edward Maguire, inspector general of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), said he would look into Mr. Freeman's "past and current relationship with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia" and "report back to Congress on any potential conflicts of interest."… However, an intelligence official who spoke on the condition of anonymity said the vetting process was "nearly complete." … Ms. Morigi said Mr. Freeman had 30 days after starting the job to file a financial disclosure report… The Washington Post's Greg Sargent reported Thursday that Sen. Charles E. Schumer, a high-profile Democrat from New York, called White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel last week to complain about Mr. Freeman.

4. Terrorist group recruits in Midwest
Lolita C. Baldor ASSOCIATED PRESS Thursday, March 5, 2009

http://www.investigativeproject.org/ext/2838

As people crowded into the capital for Barack Obama's inaugural celebration, senior counterterrorism officials huddled in the White House situation room, frantically trying to unravel intelligence about a possible attack on Washington. By the afternoon of Jan. 20, as Mr. Obama took the oath of office, the threat of a terror plot by the Somalia-based al-Shabab organization had been debunked, but the flurry of activity underscored growing worries about this Islamic militant group. "I think they are a serious problem, and I don't think that we should be glib and take it lightly," said Theresa Whelan, deputy assistant secretary of defense for African affairs. "Are they the ones that are going to plan the next major terrorist attack in the United States and carry it out? Probably not. But could they provide some of the foot soldiers for it? Yes." The State Department considers al-Shabab a terrorist organization with links to al Qaeda, something the group denies. Al-Shabab, which means "the Youth," has been gaining ground as Somalia's Western-backed government crumbles. The group's goal is to establish an Islamic state in Somalia. U.S. counterterrorism officials say they detect a disturbing pattern, one that mirrors al Qaeda methods and could spawn homegrown insurgents and suicide bombers in the U.S. Counterterrorism officials suspect that al-Shabab is recruiting young men from Somali communities in Minnesota and other Midwestern states, luring them back to their home country for terror training and creating cells of fighters who could travel to other countries, including the United States, to launch attacks…

5. Half-billion dollars settles 92 lawsuits from 9/11
By LARRY NEUMEISTER, Associated Press Thu Mar 5, 7:33 pm ET
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090306/ap_on_re_us/sept11_lawsuits

NEW YORK – A mediator said Thursday that all but three of nearly 100 lawsuits brought on behalf of those killed or injured in the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks have been settled for half a billion dollars. Many of the legal battles hinged not on money, she added, but on a chance for families to express their losses and anger. Face-to-face encounters between individual families and airline or airline safety representatives proved crucial to resolving at least 30 of the 95 lawsuits brought on behalf of 9/11 victims, mediator Sheila Birnbaum said... Ninety-seven percent of the families of those killed in planes, at the World Trade Center or at the Pentagon on Sept. 11 chose to receive payments from a special fund Congress established that distributed more than $7 billion to over 5,000 survivors...

6. Court ends terror suspect's detention challenge
By MARK SHERMAN Associated Press March 6, 2009
http://www.investigativeproject.org/ext/2839

WASHINGTON – The Supreme Court has dismissed a challenge by suspected al-Qaida sleeper agent Ali Al-Marri to the president's authority to detain people without charges, granting an Obama administration request to end the high court case. Al-Marri has been indicted on charges of supporting terrorism, moving his case into the civilian courts. The Supreme Court's order Friday gives al-Marri and civil liberties groups part of what they wanted, by also throwing out the federal appeals court ruling al-Marri was challenging that affirmed the president's power to detain people in the United States without trial. Last week, President Barack Obama ordered al-Marri transferred from military to civilian custody to face charges of conspiracy and providing support to terrorists.

7. Judge denies appeal by Fort Dix terror plotters
by Joe Ryan/ The Newark Star-Ledger Thursday March 05, 2009, 11:52 AM
http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2009/03/judge_denies_appeal_by_fort_di....

A federal judge in Camden today rejected arguments from defense lawyers asking to overturn the convictions of five men found guilty of plotting to attack Fort Dix. The five men, immigrants from Albania, Turkey and Jordan, were convicted in December and face life in prison. "Was it a fair trial? Boy it sure was," U.S. District Judge Robert Kugler said. "Was there a miscarriage of justice? No." The five defendants did not speak during the hearing. After Kugler announced his decision, they traded shouts of "Allah Akbar" -- Arabic for "God is great" -- with some of their supporters in the court room. During the eight-week trial, prosecutors cast the men as homegrown terrorists. They said the men, who grew up in America, had become so hardened by their religious beliefs that they studied jihadist videos and lectures, trained with guns, and scouted Fort Dix and other nearby bases for a possible attack…

8. Judge Reverses Verdict In Terrorism Case
by Leonard J. Honeyman March 4, 2009 7:24 PM New Haven Independent
http://www.newhavenindependent.org/archives/2009/03/split_decision.php
A federal judge Wednesday tossed out the conviction of a former U.S. Navy sailor on charges he provided material support to terrorists — a move that cut in half the defendant's maximum prison time. In a split decision, U.S. District Court Judge Mark R. Kravitz also upheld a jury's conviction on a second charge of disclosing national defense information to someone not entitled to receive it. Kravitz also denied a defense motion for a new trial for Hassan Abu-Jihaad, the sailor. Each count carries a maximum of 10 years behind federal bars, so the ruling in effect reduces the maximum statutory imprisonment term Abu-Jihaad faces from 20 years to 10. Click here to read Kravitz's 71-page ruling... Abu-Jihaad was convicted in February 2008 and his appeal was heard last Jan. 6. Robert G. Golger, one of the two defense lawyers in the case, said he plans to appeal after Abu-Jihaad is sentenced. A sentencing hearing is scheduled for April 3. Read previous coverage here, here, here.

9. Lebanese man accused of arms deals in N.Y. trial
Wed Mar 4, 2009 7:08pm EST Reuters

http://www.reuters.com/article/domesticNews/idUSTRE52400X20090305

NEW YORK (Reuters) - The trial of a Lebanese man arrested in Romania and accused of agreeing to sell millions of dollars of weapons to Colombian rebels began on Wednesday. Tareq Mousa al Ghazi, 62, is accused of taking part in the weapons deal with Monzer al-Kassar, a Syrian who was convicted of terrorism charges and sentenced last week. It turned out to be a U.S.-backed sting operation that stretched from Lebanon to Spain and Romania. Prosecutors say Ghazi took part in the deal thinking the weapons would go to the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, and believed they would be used to kill Americans seeking to disrupt the cocaine trade. "Tareq al-Ghazi was given the opportunity to put millions of dollars of weapons in the hands of what he believed were terrorists," said prosecutor Brendan McGuire, who added Ghazi stood to make up to $500,000 for setting up the deal. The prosecution's case is largely based on three undercover operatives, two of whom posed as FARC arms buyers, and videotaped negotiations of the deal in Spain. But Ghazi's attorney, Marc Agnifolo, said his client was coerced into the deal by one of the informants and in addition believed it was a legal arms deal…

10. Memphis car explosion injures woman when cigarette ignites cleaning products, police say
By WOODY BAIRD Associated Press 5:36 PM EST, March 5, 2009

http://wtop.com/?sid=1617318&nid=104

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — A cleaning woman who was trying to light a cigarette inside her car instead ignited fumes from cleaning products and caused an explosion that blew out the vehicle's windows and sun roof, police said. The woman, whose name wasn't released, suffered first- and second-degree burns on her face, arms and neck and was treated at a local hospital. "It was just a freak accident," Memphis Police Director Larry Godwin said. It had looked more serious earlier in the day when the blast was reported about noon in an office building parking lot on the east side of the city. It was the second time in a month that authorities responded to the report of a car explosion in the Memphis area, and it raised concern that the bomber had struck again, or had inspired a copycat…

11. Feds eye seizure of Tamil property under anti-terror act
Stewart Bell, National Post Published: Tuesday, March 03, 2009

http://www.nationalpost.com/news/story.html?id=1349723

The government took the first steps Tuesday toward taking over property in Ontario and Quebec that it says is controlled by a terrorist group involved in South Asia's longest-running civil war. Federal prosecutors in Toronto and Montreal filed applications in the Federal Court of Canada saying they were seeking the forfeiture of the property of the World Tamil Movement, an outlawed terrorist organization. It is the first time the government has used the forfeiture provision of the Anti-Terrorism Act, which allows the Attorney General to seize "property owned or controlled by or on behalf of a terrorist group." The list of items the government wants to strip from the World Tamil Movement of Ontario and World Tamil Movement of Quebec fills 300 pages and includes everything from bank accounts to golf shirts bearing the Tamil Tigers emblem. If it is successful, the government would be allowed to keep the items or sell them and use the proceeds either to compensate victims of terrorist activities or fund anti-terrorism initiatives. But the court must first approve the forfeitures and a lawyer representing the Montreal branch of the World Tamil Movement said his clients deny any terrorist affiliation and intend to challenge the government's case… The main fundraising method was a pre-authorized payment scheme in which Tamils were asked to sign forms allowing the World Tamil Movement to make monthly withdrawals from their bank accounts, police said…

Liberal MP slammed for appearance at Tamil Tigers rally
Posted: March 05, 2009, 7:09 PM By Stewart Bell, National Post

Click the image to watch the video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8CSE_XDaYJs

http://www.investigativeproject.org/ext/2840

A Liberal MP was criticized Thursday for speaking at a rally on Parliament Hill surrounded by flags bearing the militaristic emblem of the Tamil Tigers, a banned terrorist organization in Canada. A video posted on YouTube shows Gurbax Singh Malhi, MP for Bramalea-Gore-Malton, telling demonstrators waving Tamil Tigers flags that, "I'd like to let you know I'm helping you guys. I'm behind you because you are fighting for a right cause." The protesters then chanted: "freedom fighters, Tamil Tigers."…

Air, rail, port, health & communication infrastructure security

IPT NOTE: For more infrastructure news, see Dep't of Homeland Security Daily Open Source Infrastructure Reports http://www.dhs.gov/xinfoshare/programs/editorial_0542.shtm; Public Safety Canada Daily Infrastructure Report http://www.publicsafety.gc.ca/dir/index-eng.aspx

12. TSA wants more security measures on private jets
Smaller planes pose security threat, agency says; corporate pilots say effort is misguided
By Brad Cooper McClatchy/Tribune newspapersMarch 2, 2009

www.chicagotribune.com/business/chi-mon-t6-tsa-rules-0302-mar02,0,708947...

KANSAS CITY, Mo.— The federal government wants to slap new security rules on private jets, prompting an outcry from the general aviation industry. The rules, proposed by the Transportation Security Administration, would apply post-Sept. 11 security measures to larger private planes used by the nation's corporate elite. Among the rules: a ban on certain carry-on items and a requirement that aircraft operators check passengers against terrorist watch lists. Critics say the hassle could take the comfort and expediency out of flying in a corporate jet and hurt the aircraft industry… But the TSA contends private planes pose a security threat. As the risks associated with commercial planes have been reduced over time, "terrorists may view general aviation aircraft as more vulnerable and thus attractive targets," the TSA wrote in the Federal Register in October…

13. Airport workers arrested for thefts
11 Delta workers arrested
Updated: Tuesday, 03 Mar 2009, 8:35 AM EST
Published: Monday, 02 Mar 2009, 5:30 PM EST Story by: Bob Wilson

http://www.investigativeproject.org/ext/2841

Stratford (WTNH) - A group of Delta Air Lines workers and baggage handlers at Bradley International Airport have been arrested on charges related of stealing items from travelers' bags. A six-month investigation by state troopers revealed items were stolen such as laptops, flat screen TV's, cameras, iPods, and GPS units. Also taken were five foot tall wooden carved African masks, jewelry, watches and earrings. "I can't believe it, in the sense that the largest ring is right here in Hartford," Ed Forfa, a traveler from Lee, Massachusetts, said. "You would think Atlanta, Chicago, New York something like that with all the traffic."…

14. Obama picks Florida's Fugate to head FEMA
By EILEEN SULLIVAN and BRENT KALLESTAD – March 5, 2009 Associated Press

http://www.investigativeproject.org/ext/2842

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama on Wednesday tapped Florida emergency manager Craig Fugate to head the Federal Emergency Management Agency, turning to a Republican appointee who has steered the Southern state through numerous hurricanes since 2001. In a statement issued by the White House, Obama said he plans to nominate Fugate who will help the administration "improve our preparedness, response and recovery efforts." Obama said Fugate will travel with Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano to the Gulf Coast on Thursday to meet with local officials still struggling to recover from 2005 hurricanes…

15. Colonies of 'Cybots' May Defend Government Networks
Friday, March 06, 2009 Fox News By Joshua Rhett Miller

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,505159,00.html

The Cybot Age could soon be upon us. But be not afraid; this isn't Star Trek. We're not talking droves of evil cyborgs bent on galaxy domination. If all goes as planned, in just a few years colonies of software robots -- "cybots" -- linked into a "hive" mind could be defending the largest computer systems in America against network intruders. Researchers at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory say the program behind the cybots — Ubiquitous Transient Autonomous Mission Entities (UNTAME) — will be very different from current cybersecurity systems. Joe Trien, who leads the team at the lab's Computational Sciences and Engineering Division, said what will make cybots so useful is that they will be able to form groups, function autonomously and respond almost immediately…

16. Police seek suspect in 4-ton fertilizer theft
City Briefs | Erica L. Green
http://www.gazette.net/stories/03052009/mounnew151846_32483.shtml

The Frederick Police Department is looking for a man captured on surveillance video at a downtown business where at least 8,000 lbs. of fertilizer was discovered missing last weekend. Police are looking for a white, balding man, 45 to 50 years old, who may have been involved in stealing 6,000 lbs. of 19-19-19 fertilizer and 2,000 lbs. of urea from Southern Sates Cooperative Farm Store, at 518 E. South St. The chemicals were stolen during the nights of Feb. 28 and March 1, police said. Both substances are agriculture-grade fertilizer; urea is also used to melt ice. The fertilizer was packaged primarily in white, 50-lb. bags, with a red and blue SS logo. Police reported the missing substances to the Federal Bureau of Investigations due to the sensitive nature of the theft, said Lt. Clark Pennington, spokesman for the Frederick Police Department…

Financing, identity theft, money laundering

17. Cyber Used Vehicle Scammers Claim U.S. Military Connections
FBI Press Release March 5, 2009 FBI National Press Office (202) 324-3691
http://www.fbi.gov/pressrel/pressrel09/vehiclescam030509.htm

The FBI continues to receive reports of individuals victimized while attempting to purchase vehicles via the Internet. Victims find attractively priced vehicles advertised at different Internet classified ad sites. Most of the scams include some type of third-party vehicle protection program to ensure a safe transaction. After receiving convincing e-mails from the phony vehicle protection program, the victims are directed to send either the full payment, or a percentage of the payment, to the third-party agent via a wire payment service. No vehicles are delivered to the victims. In a new twist, scammers are posing as members of the United States military. The fictitious military personnel in the scam have either been sent to a foreign country to improve military relations, or they need to sell a vehicle quickly and cheaply because of their upcoming deployment to either Iraq or Afghanistan…

18. Two UK citizens charged by United States with bribing Nigerian government officials to obtain lucrative contracts as part of KR joint venture scheme

US Department of Justice March 5, 2009 CRM (202) 514-2007 TDD (202) 514-1888

http://houston.fbi.gov/dojpressrel/pressrel09/ho030509.htm

WASHINGTON – Two citizens of the United Kingdom have been charged in an indictment unsealed today in the United States for their alleged participation in a decade-long scheme to bribe Nigerian government officials to obtain engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contracts, Acting Assistant Attorney General Rita M. Glavin of the Criminal Division announced. The EPC contracts to build liquefied natural gas (LNG) facilities on Bonny Island, Nigeria, were valued at more than $6 billion...

19. Thieves look to Internet
By David Macaulay 5:36 AM EST, March 4, 2009 The Daily Press (Va)

http://www.dailypress.com/news/dp-local_retailcrime_0304mar04,0,6975688....

Stores see two kinds of shoplifters: The people who are hard up because of the recession and pick up items when they shouldn't, and the organized thieves who often work in teams. "One person will distract while the other one steals," said Bob Orlando, general manager of Patrick Henry Mall in Newport News. Orlando said the stores constantly train staff to deal with organized criminals, but it's a serious challenge facing retailers in times of dwindling profit margins. The issue has been taken up in Congress by U.S. Rep. Robert C. "Bobby" Scott, D-Newport News, who introduced a bill to tackle organized retail crime on Feb. 25. The Virginia Retail Merchants Association has welcomed the E-Fencing Enforcement Act, pointing out organized retail theft involves crime rings that move from store to store stealing large quantities of goods. "The goods are then sold through flea markets, swap meets, pawn shops and increasingly on Internet auction sales," said Laurie Peterson Aldrich, president of the merchants association. According to the FBI, organized retail crime accounts for as much as $30 billion in retail losses every year. Peterson Aldrich said there is evidence that some of the proceeds of the crime have been used to finance terrorism. She said all goods ranging from clothes, razor blades, batteries and even food are all part and parcel of the trade…

20. Crime syndicates more involved in film piracy: report
Tue Mar 3, 2009 10:44am EST Reuters By Gregg Kilday

http://www.reuters.com/article/entertainmentNews/idUSTRE5221CZ20090303

IPT NOTE: The RAND press release, with links to the report and related materials, is posted at http://www.rand.org/news/press/2009/03/03/?ref=homepage&key=t_film_pirac...

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Organized crime is taking on a larger role in film piracy, according to a new report from the RAND Corp. being released Tuesday. And though it could point to only a handful of examples where the profits from piracy have been used to support terrorist activities, the report warns that the terrorist connection could increase in the future. Crime syndicates have become involved in the entire supply chain of illegal films, from their manufacture to their street sales, as piracy takes its place alongside such criminal activities as drug trafficking, money laundering, extortion and human smuggling...

Border security, immigration, customs

IPT NOTE: For more details, see US Customs and Border Protection releases at http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/newsroom/news_releases/; US Immigration and Customs Enforcement http://www.investigativeproject.org/ext/2754, and Canada Border Services Agency http://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/menu-eng.html

21. Two members of Dallas-area Gulf cartel cell convicted for roles in cocaine network

08:37 PM CST on Tuesday, March 3, 2009 By JASON TRAHAN / The Dallas Morning News
http://www.investigativeproject.org/ext/2843

Two members of a local Gulf cartel cell have been convicted in a Dallas federal court of money laundering and conspiracy for their role in what authorities say was a multimillion-dollar Mexican cocaine network. A federal jury on Monday convicted Jason Paul Cantu, 29, of conspiracy to commit money laundering and Colin Delawn Jackson, 39, of conspiracy to possess cocaine with intent to distribute… Operation Puma resulted in the seizure of more than $3 million in cash, 500 kilograms of cocaine and 1,000 pounds of marijuana. The network is thought to have dealt up to 500 kilograms of cocaine a month from spring 2005 to summer 2007, generating tens of millions in proceeds, authorities said…

22. Immigration-program flaws cited in new government report
GAO: Enforcement by local police agencies lacks direction
by Erin Kelly - Mar. 5, 2009 Arizona Republic Washington Bureau

http://www.investigativeproject.org/ext/2844

IPT NOTE: The cited GAO report, "Immigration Enforcement: Better Controls Needed over Program Authorizing State and Local Enforcement of Federal Immigration Laws," GAO-09-109, January 30, 2009, is found:
Summary (HTML) http://www.gao.gov/docsearch/abstract.php?rptno=GAO-09-109

Full Report (PDF, 48 pages) http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d09109.pdf

WASHINGTON - The rapidly growing program that lets local police agencies enforce federal immigration laws lacks clear goals about what kinds of criminals should be targeted, fails to supervise local officers and does not detail what kind of crime and arrest data local agencies should be collecting, according to a new federal report... The federal government will rewrite its agreements with local and state law agencies that enforce immigration laws, an Immigrations and Customs Enforcement official told the committee. William Riley said the agency is circulating a draft contract that will more clearly explain the purpose of a controversial program known as 287(g)… But Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, whose office participates in the program, says it is working well and making communities safer. "We're helping the federal government," he said. Arpaio credits his participation in the program with the arrest of nearly 1,500 illegal immigrants. "If the critics don't want local law enforcement involved, then they need to go out and hire thousands more ICE agents. They couldn't do what they're doing if we didn't help them - no way," he said. The program is becoming increasingly controversial as a growing number of local police agencies sign up to participate...

Other items

23. Critic Says Islamic Extremism Gets Whitewashed in American Textbooks
Wednesday, March 04, 2009 Fox News

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,504944,00.html

NEW YORK — An education expert is warning that some American textbooks present a biased view of Islam and offer a sugarcoated picture of Islamic extremism, a trend that has parents worried about what's being taught in public schools. In numerous history textbooks, "key subjects like jihad, Islamic law, the status of women are whitewashed," said Gilbert T. Sewall, director of the American Textbook Council, an independent group that reviews history books and other education materials. Cindy Ross, the mother of a junior high school student in Marin County, Calif., said she couldn't believe her eyes when she read her son's textbook last school year... "What did strike me was that all the other religions seemed to be lumped together, where there is an inordinate emphasis on Islam specifically," Ross said… Sewall claims that publishers have been pressured by Islamic activists to portray the religion in the most favorable light, while Islamic terrorism is downplayed or glossed over… Sewall, who authored a report on how textbooks teach and present Islam, singled out one book that he said failed to explain what the story of the September 11 terrorist attacks. In a section discussing Islamic fundamentalism, the textbook "World History: The Modern World," published by Prentice Hall, omits direct mention of the 9/11 hijackers' religion, referring to the 19 Islamic fundamentalists as "teams of terrorists."…

MIDDLE EAST / AFRICA

24. DoD Identifies Marine Casualty

U.S. Department of Defense Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Public Affairs)
News Release No. 142-09 March 04, 2009
http://www.defenselink.mil/releases/release.aspx?releaseid=12536
The Department of Defense announced today the death of a Marine who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. Cpl. Donte J. Whitworth, 21, of Noblesville, Ind., died Feb. 28 as a result of a non-hostile vehicle accident in Anbar province, Iraq. He was assigned to Combat Logistics Regiment 15, 1st Marine Logistics Group, Marine Corps Air Station Yuma, Ariz…

25. Lawmakers told pirate threat not eliminated
David R. Sands THE WASHINGTON TIMES Friday, March 6, 2009
http://www.investigativeproject.org/ext/2845

IPT NOTE: The list of witnesses, with links to their prepared statement, is posted at http://www.house.gov/hasc/hearing_information.shtml

A security threat as old as the republic itself - pirates - is generating interest on Capitol Hill. Top Defense and State Department officials told lawmakers that the U.S. Navy and a coalition of allies have curbed but not eliminated a growing threat of pirates preying on international shipping lines off the coast of Somalia. Boarding attacks spiked last summer, leaving shippers scurrying to beef up protection along one of the world's key shipping lanes in the Gulf of Aden. But Vice Adm. William E. Gortney, head of the U.S. Central Command fleet headquartered in Bahrain, said stopping the pirate attacks entirely will depend on efforts to build a working government in the failed state of Somalia…