Kerry becomes 1st top U.S. diplomat to visit Somalia

John Kerry

MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) — Secretary of State John Kerry made an unannounced trip to Somalia Tuesday in a show of solidarity with a government trying to defeat al-Qaeda-allied militants and end decades of war in the African country. He is the first top U.S.diplomat ever to visit Somalia.
Kerry arrived at Mogadishu's airport shortly before noon local time, greeted by Somalia's president and prime minister on the tarmac. He immediately entered a series of planned meetings that include both of them along with regional leaders and civil society groups.
"I'm glad to be here," Kerry said.
"This is a great moment for us. Thank you for the time to be with us," President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud said as they sat down together.
The trip was made under tight security conditions. Somalia's government only found out a day ago that Kerry would join the State Department's top Africa official, Linda Greenfield-Thomas, on the voyage. And the fact that he was only dipping his toe in Somalia, and not venturing past the airport, highlighted just how dangerous and unstable the country remains.
"The next time I come, we have to be able to just walk downtown," Kerry told Somalia's president. Mohamud replied, downtown "is very different now."
     
Top of the agenda is the fight against al-Shabab. African forces and U.S. drone strikes have crippled the organization's leadership in recent years and left the extremists without much of the territory they once controlled or the cash flows needed to reverse their losses.
But as al-Shabab has decentralized, the militants in some ways have become even more dangerous, expanding their activities in Kenya and other neighboring countries. Last month's massacre at Kenya's Garissa University College killed 148 people, mostly students, and underscored the group's capacity to carry out relatively unsophisticated but extremely deadly terrorist attacks far from its bases of operations.
Kerry's trip is designed "to reinforce the United States' commitment to supporting Somalia's ongoing transition to a peaceful democracy," spokeswoman Marie Harf said in a statement.
"He will discuss security cooperation and Somalia's progress towards meeting its reform and development benchmarks," she said. "He will also meet with civil society leaders to discuss the importance of a vibrant NGO sector and thank African Union troops for their role in stabilizing Somalia."
Somalia has been without a truly functioning, nationwide government for two-and-a-half decades. After warlords ousted dictator Siad Barre from power in 1991, they quickly turned on one another and plunged the country into anarchy. Militias, Islamist extremist groups and Somalia's nominally national military all vied for power before the tide turned against al-Shabab earlier this decade. Piracy also has been a major problem.
Yet even as a relative calm has settled over parts of the country, including Mogadishu, Somalia remains fraught with a painful history for the United States.
American troops were sent there in 1992 on a peacekeeping mission to help stave off a national famine. They left two years later in humiliation after the "Black Hawk Down" debacle when Somali militiamen shot down two U.S. helicopters. Eighteen servicemen were killed in the crash and subsequent rescue attempt, the indelible memory being the images of American bodies dragged through Somalia's streets.
The Obama administration is banking on Mohamud's government to turn a new page toward democracy and economic development. The U.S. has provided hundreds of millions in military support to build up and professionalize the army, and is working with Mohamud to try to usher in a broader, more representative government over the next 18 months.
If that effort is successful and stability expands, officials say the U.S. could re-establish an American embassy in the capital before President Barack Obama leaves office. For now, the president has nominated a career diplomat, Katherine Dhanani, to serve as the first U.S. ambassador to the country since 1991, with the idea that she would operate out of Nairobi and make regular trips into Somalia.
Britain, Italy and several other countries already have embassies in Mogadishu.
Kerry's brief foray comes a day after extensive counterterrorism and refugee talks with Kenya's government, much of it deeply tied to the situation north of the border. For the Kenyans, stability in Somalia can't come soon enough. They are scrambling to combat al-Shabab and even have threatened to begin emptying the sprawling Dadaab refugee camp, the world's largest with some 350,000 Somali inhabitants.
Kerry said he received assurances from President Uhuru Kenyatta that no unilateral action would take place to close Dadaab as the U.S. and others try to make Somalia safe enough to accommodate large-scale refugee returns.
Their discussions came as the region's refugee crisis becomes increasingly complex, with war in nearby Yemen creating conditions so dire that some people are even fleeing to Somalia.
Aid agencies are undertaking contingency planning for a prolonged conflict in Yemen that could prompt 100,000 people to escape across the Gulf of Aden to Somalia and 30,000 to Djibouti this year. It's unclear how Somalia, in particular, would be able to handle such an influx given its persistently high levels of violence.

Bush's toxic legacy in Iraq

Bush's toxic legacy in Iraq

                                          

 New America Foundation 

 ISIS, the brutal insurgent/terrorist group formerly known as al-Qaeda in Iraq, has seized much of western and northern Iraq and even threatens towns not far from Baghdad.

From where did ISIS spring? One of George W. Bush's most toxic legacies is the introduction of al Qaeda into Iraq, which is the ISIS mother ship.

If this wasn't so tragic it would be supremely ironic, because before the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003, top Bush officials were insisting that there was an al Qaeda-Iraq axis of evil. Their claims that Saddam Hussein's men were training members of al Qaeda how to make weapons of mass destruction seemed to be one of the most compelling rationales for the impending war.

The U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency had by 2006 translated 34 million pages of documents from Hussein's Iraq and found there was nothing to substantiate a "partnership" between Hussein and al Qaeda.After the fall of Hussein's regime, no documents were unearthed in Iraq proving the Hussein-al Qaeda axis despite the fact that, like other totalitarian regimes, Hussein's government kept massive and meticulous records.

Police investigating sexting complaints at high school

Police investigating sexting complaints at high school

CARMEL, Ind. -- Police are investigating complaints that students at an Indiana high school are in possession of "inappropriate digital images" after widespread reports on social media that freshmen were being disciplined for having sexually explicit photos on their phones.

Police and officials at Carmel High School would not say whether the images were sexual in nature or what laws may have been broken. But students reported Thursday on Twitter that school administrators were conducting a "nude raid" and suspending those who had "sexts" saved on their cellphones.

Lt. Joe Bickel, Carmel Police Department spokesman, issued a statement Friday with few specifics, saying only that an investigation is ongoing into a complaint the department received Tuesday regarding the images.

"The Carmel-Clay Schools and the Carmel Police Department are currently working together in this investigation," the statement reads.

It would be the second sexting investigation in suburban Indianapolis schools in the past six months. Sexting is the exchange of nude photos through messaging programs such as Snapchat.

Under Indiana law on child pornography and exploitation, it is a felony offense to "present" or "exhibit" digital images of sexual conduct by someone younger than 18 — even when the messenger also is underage. A separate provision, applying only to phone images, lowers the minimum age to 16.

In December, more than a dozen cellphones were seized at Avon High School from students who were allegedly sharing nude images of their classmates. In that case, police discovered the images hidden in a cellphone app that was disguised as a calculator.

Authorities, however, declined to press charges.

In Carmel, officials were tight-lipped Friday about the allegations, which came to light during final exams. School officials did not return calls seeking comment.

Bickel would not elaborate on the images.

"There's a wide range of different types of images, so at this time (Chief Tim Green) doesn't want me to get into any specifics on what the images are," Bickel said. "We have talked to the prosecutor's office, and once the investigation's complete ... we'll determine at that point whether any law has been broken."

Donald Sterling agrees to allow wife to sell Clippers

Donald Sterling agrees to allow wife to sell Clippers

Donald Sterling has authorized his wife Shelly to sell the Los Angeles Clippers, and she will try to sell the team voluntarily, according to a person familiar with the negotiations.

The person spoke to USA TODAY Sports Friday on condition of anonymity because of the private nature of the talks.

The person declined to say why Shelly Sterling decided to change her mind after previously saying she would fight to keep her 50% ownership share of the team.

There are contingencies in the agreement, a second person with direct knowledge of the situation told USA TODAY Sports. Shelly Sterling has agreed to sell the team as long as she retains a minority interest in the Clippers, according to the second person, who also requested anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly about the negotiations.

It was not immediately clear whether the NBA will agree to Shelly Sterling's terms. The NBA, which banned Sterling for life on April 29, has said its move to terminate Donald Sterling's ownership would also terminate any other ownership interest in the team.

A person with knowledge of her interest told USA TODAY Sports that Oprah Winfrey is still interested in putting together a bid with David Geffen and Larry Ellison. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because no other announcement was being made.

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For The Win's Nate Scott has a list that includes Oprah and Floyd Mayweather.

On Tuesday at a press conference before the draft lottery, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said he was open to the idea of the Sterlings selling the team without conducting the special hearing on June 3 to terminate their ownership.

"I'll only say that Mr. Sterling still owns the Los Angeles Clippers. Mrs. Sterling as I understand it through a trust owns 50% of the team, as well," Silver said. "It is their team to sell, and so he knows what the league's point of view is, and so I'm sure if he wanted to sell the team on some reasonable timetable, I'd prefer he sell it than we go through this process. … I'm open to that."

The Clippers are owned by the Sterling Family Trust, in the names of Donald and Shelly Sterling. The trust will be bequeathed to their children upon death.

Shelly Sterling's attorney, Pierce O'Donnell, has been in ongoing talks with the NBA as she tried to keep her stake in the team.

The NBA charged Sterling with damaging the league and its teams with his racist comments and said he engaged in other conduct that hurt its relationship with fans and merchandising partners.

Sterling was banned for life and fined $2.5 million by Commissioner Adam Silver after the release of a recording in which he made racist remarks. His attorney had said last week that Sterling would not pay the fine and did not warrant any punishment.

PHOTOS: DONALD STERLING THROUGH THE YEARS

Longtime Clippers owner Donald Sterling, shown in 2010, has been banned by the NBA. Flip through this gallery for more of Sterling.  Mark J. Terrill, AP

FULLSCREEN

Kevin Johnson and Donna Leinwand Leger, USA TODAY

Kevin Johnson and Donna Leinwand Leger, USA TODAY

WASHINGTON — The U.S. accused Chinese military officials of hacking into several U.S. enterprises, including Westinghouse and U.S. Steel, to steal "significant" amounts of trade secrets and intellectual property in an indictment made public Monday.

It is the first time the U.S. has charged a state actor in a criminal cyber espionage case.

The Chinese hackers, using military and intelligence resources, downloaded massive amounts of industrial information, including strategic plans, from U.S. businesses, the indictment said. In addition to Westinghouse Electric and U.S. Steel, victims included Solar World, United Steel Workers Union, Allegheny Technologies Inc.and Alcoa.

The indictment, out of western Pennsylvania, charges five military "hackers," officers in the Chinese People's Liberation Army, with directing a conspiracy to steal information from six American companies in critical industries, including nuclear power, solar power and metals.

Federal authorities allegedly traced hackers to a single building in Shanghai. The hacking began in 2006 and continued until last month, federal authorities said. Assistant Attorney General for National Security John Carlin identified the hackers as unit 61398 of the Chinese military.

Attorney General Eric Holder called it a case of "economic espionage."

The case "represents the first ever charges against a state actor for this type of hacking," Holder said. "The range of trade secrets and other sensitive business information stolen in this case is significant and demands an aggressive response."

Holder said the Chinese hackers stole information that would give insight into "the strategy and vulnerabilities" of the American companies and give Chinese companies a competitive advantage.

In one instance, Carlin said hackers stole cost, pricing and strategy information from Solar World's computers, allowing Chinese competitors to price exports well below cost and take market share from Solar World. In another instance, hackers stole design plans from Westinghouse computers as the company was negotiating with a Chinese state-owned company to construct a nuclear power plant, he said.

"In the past, when we brought concerns such as these to Chinese government officials, they responded by publicly challenging us to provide hard evidence of their hacking that could stand up in court," Carlin said. "Well today, we are. For the first time, we are exposing the faces and names behind the keyboards in Shanghai used to steal from American businesses."