Signing won't end 'don't ask' right away
WASHINGTON, Dec. 22 (UPI) -- A bill being signed into law by President Obama to end the U.S. military's "don't ask, don't tell policy" will not alter the policy immediately, officials said.
The president, along with Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Adm. Mike Mullen, must first certify to Congress in writing the U.S. armed forces have drafted necessary new policies and regulations and are ready to operate with openly gay, lesbian or bisexual men and women in military service. The certification must also affirm the changes will not hurt troop readiness, cohesion or military recruitment and retention, the new law states.
Once the written notice is submitted, there will be a 60-day waiting period before "don't ask, don't tell" is officially repealed.
U.S. Defense Department spokesman Geoff Morrell said he couldn't predict how long the administration would need to get everything in order, saying only the rules and regulations would be worked out at a "methodical" and "deliberate" pace. White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said he didn't expect the process would be "overly burdensome."
Gay rights leaders believe the military could end full enforcement in a matter of weeks, The Washington Post reported. Obama is to sign the bill at 9:15 a.m. EST Wednesday, ending a 17-year ban on gays serving openly in uniform.
A last-ditch effort by Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., to block the change was blocked late Tuesday night by Sen. Joe Lieberman, I-Conn., Senate aides told Politico.
McConnell had tried to derail the change by adding an amendment to a defense-spending bill that would have required the four military-service chiefs to be part of the Obama-Gates-Mullen certification process.
That would have given U.S. Marine Corps Commandant Gen. James Amos, a vocal opponent of the repeal, power to delay or possibly prevent its implementation, The New York Times reported.
Nuclear arms treaty set for Senate passage
WASHINGTON, Dec. 22 (UPI) -- An arms control treaty trimming U.S. and Russian nuclear arsenals was poised Wednesday for U.S. Senate ratification, with 11 Republicans breaking party ranks.
The vote would give President Barack Obama what The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal called a bipartisan foreign policy victory, the same day he is to sign a bill repealing the U.S. military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy -- a policy Obama promised during his 2008 presidential campaign he would seek to end.
That policy, rescinded by the Senate Saturday after the U.S. House voted to abolish it last week, let gays serve in the military provided they kept their sexual orientation quiet. It barred openly gay, lesbian or bisexual men and women from U.S. military service.
The arms control treaty, known as New START, was cleared for final Senate approval 67-28 Tuesday afternoon, with a two-thirds majority needed for ratification.
Eleven Republican senators joined every Democrat present to support the treaty, despite efforts by Republican leaders to dash the agreement. The Republicans argued the treaty's inspections were inadequate and non-binding language in its preamble could give Moscow power to keep Washington from deploying missile-defense installations in Eastern Europe.
Russia and the United States agreed under the treaty to limit the number of nuclear warheads to 1,550, down from 2,200.
Many lawmakers believe the treaty will gain more supporters by vote time, the Journal said.
A strong final ratification vote could restore European ally confidence that Obama, despite political wounds, has enough political muscle to back words with deeds after his party's November midterm election defeat, the newspaper said.
Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev signed the treaty in Prague, Czech Republic, April 8.
S. Calif. storm unleashes torrent of rain
LOS ANGELES, Dec. 22 (UPI) -- Torrential rain, hail, gusty winds and the threat of tornadoes early Wednesday prompted officials to order evacuations in mudslide-prone areas near Los Angeles.
The powerful storm -- following after storms that have pummeled much of California since Friday -- would likely drop 0.75 to 1.5 inches of rain an hour for 6 to 8, flooding neighborhoods all over Los Angeles County as well as the county's suburban foothills and mountains, National Weather Service meteorologist Stuart Seto said.
The coast and valleys could be pelted with 2 to 4 inches of rain Wednesday, and the foothills and mountains could see 4 to 8 additional inches, Seto told the Los Angeles Times.
The relentless deluge prompted Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to declare a state of emergency for six counties in the Los Angeles area, while officials evacuated several thousand residents.
Wednesday's storm, beginning around 2 a.m. PST in Ventura County, along California's Pacific coast, and sweeping over to Los Angeles County by 4 a.m., will be the most intense storm since rain and snow started hammering much of the state Friday, the weather service said.
As much as 20 inches of rain will drop on the wettest areas, Seto told the Times.
More than 12 inches of rain already fell in parts of the Santa Monica Mountains near Los Angeles, and 13 feet of snow accumulated at Mammoth Mountain ski resort in the Sierra Nevada, MSNBC reported.
Lake Tahoe, Calif., reported nearly nine feet of snow.
The Pacific Coast Highway near Malibu was blocked with mudslides and rocks.
Flood waters caused sewage and petroleum leaks in San Diego, Fresno and Le Mesa, the California Emergency Management Agency said on its Web site.
The California storm may make its way across the country, bringing heavy snow to the East Coast on Christmas or the day after, Accuweather.com forecast.
"No rest is in store for the storm-weary West after this weekend, either," Accuweather.com said. "The parade of storms slamming the region will continue well into next week."
Probe: Flawed data behind bomber's release
WASHINGTON, Dec. 22 (UPI) -- An inquiry into the compassionate release of the convicted Pan American flight 103 bomber discovered the prognosis used was faulty, a U.S. Senate report said.
The report's release Tuesday coincided with the 22nd anniversary of the bombing over Lockerbie, Scotland, in December 1988, killing 259 people aboard the Boeing 747 and 11 on the ground.
Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed al-Megrahi was released from a Scottish prison in 2009 on the grounds he had cancer and was likely wouldn't survive more than three months.
The report, "Justice Undone: The Release of the Lockerbie Bomber," arose from a five-month investigation led by the office of Sen. Robert Menendez, D-N.J., and was co-signed by Democratic Sens. Frank Lautenberg of New Jersey, and Kirsten Gillibrand and Charles Schumer, both of New York.
"The three-month prognosis given to al-Megrahi by Scottish doctors was inaccurate and unsupported by medical science," the report said. Al-Megrahi was still alive in Libya, although recent reports indicated his health was failing.
The report criticized the Scottish government's decision to grant al-Megrahi compassionate release, saying it was determined by general medical practitioners, not specialists, who were "clearly involved in political, intergovernmental discussions."
"In view of the flawed process, we believe that the Scottish government simply intended to use compassionate release as political cover for returning al-Megrahi to Libya -- regardless of whether his physical condition met the requirements," the report said.
Menendez said he sought the investigation after British and Scottish officials refused to testify at a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing in July.
The report indicated the decision to release al-Megrahi also was motivated partially by a desire to preserve an oil exploration agreement between Libya and BP, The Hill reported.
"The threat of commercial warfare was a motivating factor. The U.K. knew that in order to maintain trade relations with Libya, it had to give into political demands. Faced with the threat of losing the lucrative BP oil deal and other commercial ties, the U.K. agreed to include al-Megrahi's release in a Prisoner Transfer Agreement with Libya," the report said.
Many Army recruits lacking basic skills
WASHINGTON, Dec. 22 (UPI) -- More than a fifth of U.S. high school graduates lack the skills to enlist in the Army, test results show.
An analysis of data from the Army's Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery finds higher numbers of blacks and Hispanics failing to meet standards in math, reading, science and problem-solving skills, The Education Trust reported.
Among those who enlisted, 43 percent of white recruits scored in the top two categories, compared with 25 percent of Hispanics and 18 percent of African-Americans.
There was also wide geographical variation. More than 30 percent of applicants scored too low to enlist in Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi and Washington, D.C. But in Idaho, Indiana, Nebraska, New Hampshire and Wyoming the rate of ineligibility was less than 15 percent, according to the report, "Shut Out of the Military."
"Too many of us, including educators, have comforted ourselves with the notion that kids who aren't ready for college can find a place in the armed services," trust President Kati Haycock said. "These findings shatter that myth and strip away the illusion of opportunity available to underprepared students."
