“We must continue to remove barriers to adoption whenever we can,” President Donald Trump wrote in a proclamation to declare November National Adoption Month, “so that the love and care of prospective adoptive parents can be directed to children waiting for their permanent homes.”

 That sentiment, apparently, did not translate into the House GOP’s tax overhaul bill. The proposal, unveiled Thursday, eliminates the adoption tax credit, which exists to help reduce financial barriers to adoption. The credit essentially helps subsidize costs — sometimes in the tens of thousands for private or international adoptions — for agency and attorney fees, travel, and post-adoption services, such as retrofitting a home for a child with special needs.

 But adoption advocates had been bracing for the end of this credit. In December, House Ways and Means Chair Kevin Brady (R-TX), one of the architects of the tax overhaul bill who is also a father to adopted kids, spoke at the Heritage Foundation about tax reform, and he mentioned the adoption tax credit as an example of a provision that could be eliminated. Michaela Sims, a lobbyist and spokesperson for the Save the Adoption Tax Credit working group, said these organizations had feared this since Brady’s speech. But, she told me, “when I saw that in black and white today, it positively took my breath away.”

 “It’s stunning to me that this package that is supposed to be pro-family eliminates the adoption tax credit, which is definitely not pro-family,” Sims added. “At the minimum, it’s a tax increase for families who choose to adopt. But at maximum, it could have a chilling effect on adoption.”

 Republicans first championed the “pro-family” adoption tax credit

 The adoption tax credit was created as part of the Small Business and Job Protection Act of 1996. The legislation won bipartisan support, and President Bill Clinton signed it into law. But the idea for the credit emerged from Republican Newt Gingrich’s 1994 “Contract With America.” The Family Reinforcement Act, as it was named, called for “tax incentives for adoption,” among other proposals.

 Republican Susan Molinari, a former representative from Staten Island who sponsored one version of the adoption tax credit in the House, commented to the New York Times in 1996 about Clinton’s backing of this and other social policies: "It's President Clinton starting to get in shape to sound like candidate Clinton again with several conservative pro-family positions staked out."

 What is the adoption tax credit exactly?

 The tax credit Clinton signed offered up to a $5,000 credit to families, or $6,000 for those who adopted a child with special needs. The credit has gone through a few iterations since then. In 2017, adoptive households were eligible for a maximum credit of $13,570. (The amount now adjusts annually for inflation.) Most foster, private, or international adoptions are eligible — but only for taxpayers below a certain income limit. According to the Tax Policy Center, in 2017 the credit starts phasing out for households earning $203,540 and cuts off completely for those with incomes of $243,540 and higher.

 Yet households that are solidly middle and upper middle class tend to benefit the most from this adoption tax credit. According to IRS data from 2014, taxpayers with incomes between $100,000 and $200,000 represented 35 percent of all filers and were awarded about 60 percent of all tax credit dollars.

 As that chart above makes clear, lower and lower middle class households often don’t reap the tax incentives of adoption. That’s because the credit is currently nonrefundable, which means if adoptive parents don’t earn enough to owe federal taxes, they aren’t eligible. In 2010 and 2011, a provision in the Affordable Care Act actually made the adoption tax credit refundable, allowing families to get the credit even if they didn’t owe taxes. That all changed, again, with the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012, which made the credits permanent (well, “permanent”) but nonrefundable.

 Adoption advocates have been fighting to make these credits refundable once again — and lawmakers have introduced bipartisan bills in the House and Senate this year to do just that. Now these groups are battling to save it.

 “Penny wise, pound foolish”

 The number claiming the adoption tax credit is relatively tiny — just 0.005 percent of all taxpayers in 2014. That same year, the average credit for each taxpayer was $4,802 across all income levels. (The max credit was $13,190 in 2014.) Which means getting rid of the nonrefundable adoption tax credit will likely add up to just a few hundred million dollars in government savings.

 And that’s a savings that could end up costing the government in the long term, specifically when it comes to foster care adoptions, said Mary Eschelbach Hansen, an expert in US social policy and economics professor at American University. “My work has shown that a dollar spent to support adoption of kids from US foster care returns $3 in benefits to society,” she said. A large portion of that comes through government savings, she explained — “things like reduced criminal justice, reduced special education that accrue to the children who are removed from, by definition, to insecure foster care to secure families.”

 “Ditching that tax credit is penny wise and pound foolish,” Hansen added. “That’s the most essential thing to understand about this proposed change. Every dollar you save in tax credits now is going to cost you dollars somewhere else.”

 Richard Barth, the dean of the University of Maryland School of Social Work has done similar research, which showed that kids who remain in foster care saddle the federal and state governments with significantly higher costs — an amount that’s much higher than the relatively modest tax cuts. “Adoptive families are a huge resource,” Barth said, “The tax credit is an investment in attracting them to a long and arduous and sometimes quite expensive role as parents.”

 Of course, Hansen emphasized that this applies for kids adopted out of the foster care system, rather than private or international adoptions. Public adoptions are not as costly upfront (and some families are eligible for ongoing assistance), but those kids tend to be older and more likely to have special needs that can strain finances, Hansen explained. The tax credit frees up money for services like special education or occupational therapy — things insurance doesn’t always cover. “It’s not only they’re less likely to be adopted,” Hansen said of getting rid of the credit, “it’s that if they are adopted, they’re less likely to get the services they need if parents don’t have the adoption-year financial support. If you kick that can down the road, it can have bad consequences for the overall success of the adoption.”

 The adoption tax credit probably doesn’t go far enough — but getting rid of it altogether would be worse

 Bringing kids from foster care to stable homes generally yields a net positive — for the individual kids, and for society at large. Private and international adoptions may work differently, but the idea itself — providing a kid a stable home — should be pretty uncontroversial. And that private adoption process can easily put a financial strain on families, with the cost spiking as high as $30,000 said Josh Kroll, a project coordinator of the Adoption Subsidy Resource Center at the North American Council on Adoptable Children. Some families have to take out loans to meet those costs. “This,” Kroll said of the credit, “would help them repay that quicker.”

 Experts say those benefits would be even more substantial if the credit were refundable — which, again, would mean taxpayers could get the full amount of credit, regardless of how much they owe in taxes. The same goes for families who adopt from foster care: According to a 2011 study from the Department of Health and Human Services, about half of those adopting kids from foster care are low-income families — which means they might not be able to take full advantage of the adoption credit in its current form. A refundable credit would also help families adopt more than one child at once, keeping siblings together and the family unit intact.

 Which is why advocates, even as they weren’t shocked by the GOP’s latest tax reform plan, were staging a fight to make that credit refundable. Two separate bills were introduced in the Senate and the House this year. The House bill is sponsored by Rep. Diane Black (R-TN), who also now supports the GOP tax plan that would nix the credit entirely.

 Today we took action to overhaul our tax code & provide relief to American families for the first time in 31 years → https://t.co/ntJEmMYZNx — Diane Black (@RepDianeBlack) November 2, 2017

 Schylar Baber, the executive director of Voice for Adoption, said the adoption tax credit has traditionally had “longstanding support from both Republicans and Democrats going way back.” He pointed to the Congressional Coalition of Adoption, which he noted included conservative members.

 Rep. Brady told the Washington Post that the adoption tax credit in its current form wasn’t working because families didn’t earn enough to qualify, or didn’t itemize, and that the new plan would give “families more in their paychecks.” The GOP tax overhaul does outline a modest increase to the child tax credit, which would benefit adoptive parents — but only after the fact. Sims said that increase was great but not enough. “We’re talking about kids not having a home and not having a permanent family,” she said. “Last time I checked, that was very pro-family.”

 The consequences of cutting the adoption tax credit are still hard to predict — and the bill remains just that. “We don’t know what the final thing will look like. It’s hard to say,” Kroll said. “It will probably make it harder for lower- and middle-income families to adopt, especially privately and internationally. That’s the thing that’s probably the clearest.”

 Baber called the elimination of this tax credit a significant loss for the adoption community. “The question is,” he said, “who’s not going to be adopted because of it?” ||||| Adoption is hard. If you’ve adopted a child, you know. If your close friends or family members have adopted a child, you know. The most marvelous result — an orphaned, abandoned, or abused child finding a home — is typically preceded by years of uncertainty, red tape, and staggering expense.

 You can work through bureaucracies for months, only to have a judge change his mind at the last instant. You can patiently and faithfully care for a birth mother, and she can exercise her proper and unquestioned right to keep the baby. You can work through foreign countries only to have a nation change its laws and slam the door in your face. To meet an adoptive family is to meet a family with a story — one that often involves prevailing in the face of adversity and almost always involves financial strains that few other families understand.

 How much does it cost to adopt? An Adoptive Families Magazine survey of 1,100 families who adopted children from 2012 to 2013 found that the average family spent $34,093 on independent adoptions and $39,966 if they went through an agency. My family adopted our youngest daughter in 2010, and those numbers match our experience.

 Even for upper-middle-class families, that’s a staggering amount of money to spend, and the expenses are often concentrated within the span of a few months in a single year. Agency fees, legal fees, travel expenses — they all pile up. So families often seek help. They raise money from family and friends. They appeal to churches. They go into debt.

 There is, however, one thing that helps these families, and it helps a lot: It’s called the adoption tax credit, a $13,570 non-refundable credit that phases out for truly high-income families.

 It doesn’t cost the government much — according to the Tax Policy Center, the so-called “tax expenditure” (forgone revenue) from the credit totaled $300 million in 2015 — but it makes adoption affordable for thousands of families. I know. It helped my family immensely when we adopted. It’s helped other adoptive families we know. It can be the financial difference that makes adoption possible.

 And the newly released Republican tax-reform plan would abolish it entirely.

 This Republican Congress may well end up funding Planned Parenthood while abolishing the adoption tax credit. That’s intolerable.

 There’s nothing malicious about this. It’s just wrong. Representative Kevin Brady, the chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, is the father of two adoptive children. Spend much time talking to folks on the Hill and you’d be surprised at the number of adoptive families or families in the adoption process. Brady defends the GOP proposal by noting that the Republican plan will put more money in middle-class families’ pockets each and every year. He accurately observes that a non-refundable credit is of minimal benefit to lower-income families.

 But some taxpayers would have to sock away their tax savings under the new Republican plan for decades to match the benefit of the adoption tax credit. Plus, considering the tax credit’s minimal budget impact, the choice shouldn’t be either a larger standard deduction and child tax credit or an adoption tax credit. We can have all of those things without coming close to breaking the budget.

 What’s more, the credit is one of the government’s most important pro-life policies. It’s a declaration that the pro-life ethic doesn’t stop (as the Left is so fond of arguing) at birth, but also extends into making certain that every child is a wanted child. It’s a way for the federal government to be an agent of relief and assistance in a process that’s too long, too difficult, and too expensive.

 As things now stand, though, this Republican Congress may well end up funding Planned Parenthood while abolishing the adoption tax credit. That’s intolerable. Not even President Obama went that far. For a brief time during the Obama administration, the adoption credit was fully refundable. What did the IRS do? It deluged adoptive families with audits. Allegedly concerned with fraud, in one year it audited a staggering 69 percent of returns that claimed the credit. A 2011 GAO report indicated that the IRS “had not found any fraudulent adoption tax credit claims.”

 My family was caught in that dragnet. The audit lasted for months, and it required me to dig through adoption receipts that were sometimes written in Amharic. It was frustrating, infuriating, and fruitless. I think, at the end of the day, my refund was adjusted by a few dollars. But if I had to choose between an Obama-administration audit and the abolition of the tax credit, I’d take the audit every time.

 There is much to like about the Republican tax plan. It provides necessary relief to millions of American families, and it introduces a far more rational and sound corporate-tax structure. But it’s still a work in progress. It needs changes, and one of the first changes it needs is easy, inexpensive, and pro-life. Save the adoption tax credit. It’s helped give hundreds of thousands of children loving homes. It should help do the same for hundreds of thousands more.

 READ MORE:

 The GOP’s Tax Plan Is a Decent Start

 The GOP’s Tax Dilemma

 The Great and Misunderstood Challenges of Adoption

 — David French is a senior writer for National Review, a senior fellow at the National Review Institute, and an attorney. ||||| The House Republican tax bill is drawing fire from the right because of a provision that would completely eliminate a tax credit for adoptive parents.

 Religious groups, as well as House and Senate conservatives, say that by eliminating the credit, the proposal goes against the GOP’s “pro-life” platform.

 The House’s chief tax writer has defended the removal of the credit, but it could pose yet another hazard to overcome as the bill moves forward.

 “Being pro-life means being pro-adoption. Congress must remember this as we work through the details of tax reform in the coming weeks,” Sen. Ben Sasse Benjamin (Ben) Eric SasseGOP senators introduce bill to prevent family separations at border The Hill's Morning Report — Sponsored by PhRMA — Defiant Trump meets with House GOP amid border blowback Sasse: Trump should end 'wicked' family separation policy MORE (R-Neb.) tweeted Friday.

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 Rep. Mark Walker (R-N.C.), the head of the House Republican Study Committee caucus, also came out in support of the credit on Friday.

 “Tax Bill is strong but needs to include adoption tax credit. Providing a home for a child that is unwanted or special needs is pro-life!” Walker tweeted.

 The credit is a one-time tax refund available for parents who adopt from foster care, internationally or through private domestic adoptions. It can be applied over the course of five years. For 2017, the federal adoption tax credit was $13,570.

 An adoption can cost as much as $40,000 if a family uses a private agency, according to a survey from Adoptive Families Magazine.

 Adoption advocates are also urging the provision be removed. The groups say if the bill passes with the provision intact, it will be harder and more expensive for American families to adopt.

 “We are deeply concerned by the elimination of the adoption tax credit within the House Republicans’ tax reform proposal,” the Adoption Tax Credit Working Group said in a statement. “Billed as a framework to help American families, it does exactly the opposite by cutting a credit designed to help American families adopt children.”

 House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Kevin Brady Kevin Patrick BradyLawmakers, businesses await guidance on tax law On The Money: Trump imposes B in tariffs on China | China blasts 'fickle' Trump, promises payback | Trump to name consumer bureau director next week Trump announces tariffs on billion in Chinese goods MORE (R-Texas) defended the elimination of the credit during an event on Friday hosted by Politico.

 “There are tough choices, when you look at medical expenses, student loan, the adoption tax credit, something near and dear to me,” said Brady, who is the father of two adopted children.

 “These are tough calls and the call is this, do we want a tax code that has special provisions you may use once in your life or do we want a tax code that lowers rates and you get help every year of your life?”

 David French, a senior fellow at the conservative National Review Institute, wrote in an op-ed that the credit is “one of the government’s most important pro-life policies.”

 “As things now stand, though, this Republican Congress may well end up funding Planned Parenthood while abolishing the adoption tax credit. That’s intolerable,” French wrote Friday.

 House Republicans a day earlier unveiled their long-awaited proposal to overhaul the tax code, a key legislative priority that the party and President Trump hope to pass before the end of the year. If successful, it would be the first tax-reform package enacted since 1986, but some on the right are voicing concerns.

 Fiscal hawks are complaining about how the legislation could boost the deficit, and moderates are worried that the bill disproportionately benefits the wealthy.

 There's also the potential for conservatives to include a repeal of ObamaCare's individual mandate in the package, which could be a particularly fraught fight. |||||
What is a one-paragraph summary of the above article?

– The tax overhaul in the works has drawn controversy over possible changes to 401(k) plans and deductions for homeowners, but another, lower-profile topic has emerged as a sore point. The House plan unveiled last week would eliminate a one-time tax break for families that adopt children. The break can be a substantial one—it's $13,570 in 2017, which can take the sting out of adoption costs that can approach $40,000 if done through an agency, per the Hill. The issue has become a flash point on the right because conservatives equate the credit with supporting pro-life, pro-family values. "Being pro-life means being pro-adoption," tweeted GOP Sen. Ben Sasse. "Congress must remember this as we work through the details of tax reform." Now the Washington Post highlights a different wrinkle: The House's top tax writer has two adopted sons. Rep. Kevin Brady, chair of the House Ways and Means panel, has called his adoptive kids the "biggest blessing," but he defends the credit's elimination. It's "not working," he tells the Post, saying that some families can't claim it because they don't pay enough in taxes or don't itemize. A piece at Vox notes that the credit is indeed "nonrefundable," meaning that parents who don't make enough to owe federal taxes aren't eligible. Those in the middle or upper-middle class, making between $100,000 and $200,000, claim the credit the most. Brady argues that tax overhaul will help all families in a more general sense by, say, increasing the child tax credit. Still, expect the issue to remain contentious. Congress "may end up funding Planned Parenthood while abolishing the adoption tax credit," writes David French in the conservative National Review. "That’s intolerable."


Here is a news article: (CNN) A man in Anchorage, Alaska, pleaded guilty to assaulting a woman who said he strangled her unconscious and sexually assaulted her.

 The man then walked out of court with no prison sentence.

 "But I would like the gentleman to be on notice that this is his one pass," prosecutor Andrew Grannik said in court Wednesday, CNN affiliate KTVA reported. "It's not really a pass, but given the conduct, one might consider that it is."

 Justin Schneider, 34, was accused of kidnapping and assaulting the woman on August 15, 2017, strangling her until she lost consciousness and then masturbating on her, court documents show.

 Grannik said Schneider had lost his job as an air traffic controller for the federal government as a result of the case. Grannik said that was a "life sentence," according to KTVA.

 The criminal complaint said the victim, who did not know Schneider, told police she was at a gas station when he offered to give her a ride. The woman, who was attempting to get to her boyfriend's home, accepted. Schneider then drove the victim to another location and attacked her, she said.

 At one point, Schneider told the victim he would kill her if she screamed, the complaint alleged.

 "She said she could not fight him off, he was too heavy and had her down being choked to death," the complaint said. "(The victim) said she lost consciousness, thinking she was going to die."

 When the victim woke up, she told police, "The man told her that he wasn't really going to kill her, that he needed her to believe she was going to die so that he could be sexually fulfilled," the complaint says.

 The victim recorded the plate number of Schneider's car as he drove off and she reported it to police.

 'This can never happen again'

 Schneider was charged with four felonies, including kidnapping and assault. He pleaded guilty to a single felony assault charge in the second degree in exchange for a sentence of two years with one suspended, plus three years probation. Schneider received credit for time served while wearing an ankle monitor and living with his wife and two children.

 "I would just like to emphasize how grateful I am for this process," Schneider said, not mentioning the impact on the victim, KTVA reported. "It has given me a year to really work on myself and become a better person, and a better husband, and a better father, and I'm very eager to continue that journey."

 Judge Michael Corey accepted the deal, noting the outcome of the case could be described as "breathtaking." He said his decision was based on the prospect of rehabilitation.

 He also told Schneider, "This can never happen again."

 The victim was not in court.

 Grannik said he tried to tell her about the hearing but could not reach her. ||||| A criminal complaint against Schneider, written by APD Detective Brett Sarber, said that the victim had been at the Holiday gas station at Minnesota Drive and Spenard Road, looking for a ride toward Muldoon. A man later identified as Schneider pulled up in a white SUV, introduced himself as “Dan” and claimed he knew the victim; he offered her a ride, which she accepted.

 “(The victim) said that she had never met the man in her life prior to this encounter, and nothing else about their encounter involved drugs, sex or money, or sex for money,” Sarber wrote.

 Instead of heading to Muldoon, the driver said he had to get something from another car and drove to the area of 36th Avenue and Turnagain Street, where they were stopped by road construction. A construction worker in the area later remembered Schneider, the victim and the SUV when police asked about them.

 Schneider then stopped the SUV on 36th east of Wisconsin Street, and asked the victim to get out while he loaded items into the vehicle. Once she approached the rear of the vehicle, Sarber wrote, Schneider “full on tackled” her, shoving her to the ground. He then began to strangle her with both hands around her throat, telling her that he was going to kill her.

 "She said she could not fight him off, he was too heavy and had her down being choked to death," Sarber wrote. "(The victim) said she lost consciousness, thinking she was going to die."

 When the victim woke up, she told police, Schneider was rising from her and zipping up his pants. He offered her a tissue, which police later recovered as evidence.

 "The man told her that he wasn't really going to kill her, that he needed her to believe she was going to die so that he could be sexually fulfilled," Sarber wrote.

 The victim said Schneider also let her retrieve her backpack and cellphone from the SUV's front seat. Sarber said she used the phone to call police and report the vehicle's license-plate number the moment Schneider drove out of sight. |||||
A summary of this is?

– An Alaska man ducked prison time Wednesday in a deal the presiding judge called "breathtaking." Justin Schneider, 34, pleaded guilty to assaulting a woman who says he strangled her unconscious and masturbated on her prone body, CNN reports. Charged with four felonies including assault and kidnapping, Schneider cut a plea deal for single felony assault. "But I would like the gentleman to be on notice that this is his one pass," prosecutor Andrew Grannik said in court, per KTVA. "It's not really a pass, but given the conduct, one might consider that it is." Schneider was accused of assaulting the woman in Anchorage in August 2017 after offering her a ride. "She said she could not fight him off, he was too heavy and had her down being choked to death," the complaint reads. "[The victim] said she lost consciousness, thinking she was going to die," per the complaint. When she awoke, he was zipping up and "told her that he wasn't really going to kill her, that he needed her to believe she was going to die so that he could be sexually fulfilled." So why the plea deal? Schneider lost his job as an air traffic controller, which Grannik called a "life sentence." And Judge Michael Cory, who called the deal "breathtaking," said he hoped Schneider could be rehabilitated. As for Schneider, he offered no apology and said he "would just like to emphasize how grateful I am for this process." He was sentenced to two years, one suspended, and received credit for time spent at home with his family. The assault survivor did not show up for trial.


– Aviation enthusiasts spotted three mystery planes over Amarillo, Texas, earlier this month, and buzzed online about what they had seen, Fox News reports. Initially they thought B-2 Bombers had flown by on the afternoon of March 10, but the aircraft lacked the B-2's W-shaped back. They "loosely resembled" the Navy's new X-47B killer drone, but were too big, The Aviationist reports. Which leaves what, exactly? "If I had to guess, I'd say we took a picture of a stealthy transport aircraft," said one of the enthusiasts, Steve Douglass. He blogs in greater detail, saying the US military may be trotting out new planes (probably piloted) to make its enemies shiver or go broke trying to replicate them. This last happened when the world took note of the Air Force's F-117, and "the Soviet Union went bankrupt" seeking "ways to counter stealth," writes Douglass. "Ask yourself an important question—what's going on in the world right now?" he asks. "Who (has of late) has decided to roll back the clock to the good old days of the Cold War and MAD?" Another analyst looks at "gaps in the USAF's line-up" for answers, noting that the Air Force has sought a "penetrating, stand-in electronic attack" for its strike systems; see that analysis at Aviation Week.

Expand this summary.

Steve Douglass and Dean Muskett were taking photos at Amarillo when they spotted the contrails of some mystery aircraft. What did they shot flying over Texas?

 The images you can see in this post were taken in the afternoon of Mar. 10, 2014. Steve Douglass and Dean Muskett, along with other fellow photographers were at Amarillo International Airport when they saw the contrails of three high flying aircraft.

 Even though the aircraft were barely visible at distance, the photographers pointed their lenses at the unidentified planes, and took several shots.

 As Douglass recalls in his blog, it was only when they reviewed the images that they noticed that the aircraft were not B-2s as they initially thought: “At one point the aircraft had banked and the trailing edge was quite clear. It wasn’t straight but had a slight curve, the aircraft was almost boomerang shaped.”

 Indeed, an inquiry to Whiteman Air Force Base has ruled out the possibility that a flight of three B-2s was flying over Texas on Mar. 10.

 Stealth expert Bill Sweetman and the rest of the AW&ST team have investigated the mystery aircraft sighting, coming to the conclusion that the photos show something real.

 Even if its shape loosely resembles that of an X-47B, the mystery aircraft seems to be larger than Navy’s new killer drone.

 Obviously someone will argue that exposing three Black Aircraft in plain daylight is not that smart, especially if you want to keep the project classified.

 Unless, you think the moment has arrived to show some potential resurgent enemy (Russia?) that you have an ace in the hole, as done some 30 years earlier with the F-117.

 Image credit: Steve Douglass and Dean Muskett

 Related articles ||||| It's difficult to determine, but a group of aviation enthusiasts say they caught a glimpse of a mystery aircraft earlier this month flying slowly across the Amarillo, Texas sky.

 "We looked southwest and there they were," Steve Douglass, a journalist and member of the group, told FoxNews.com. "We thought they were B-2s, but when we studied our pictures, we ruled that out."

 Douglass and his group, armed with cameras and binoculars, met on March 10 at the Rick Husband Amarillo International Airport. The airport is a perfect venue because it offers expansive views of Texas' big sky and a steady stream of military air traffic. On a good day, the group can see various military jets, and even the elusive F-22 Raptor.

 It was a clear day, and the group was alerted to three aircraft flying across the southwest skies. Douglass estimated that the planes got within 20 miles of the group and they started taking pictures with their 300mm zoom cameras. They looked at the photos, and saw that one appeared to be a silver-grey B-2 bomber.

 The prospects of spotting a B-2 bomber was exciting, and Douglass said he got home to observe his photos when he noticed the aircraft in his picture had a smooth backside. The B-2 bomber has a distinct "W"-shaped back.

 "The trailing edge is wrong," Douglass shouted, according to his March 28 blog post.

 Few items provoke public interest like an unidentified flying object. These stories are often attached to other theories about hidden testing bases or alien life forms. But these images have prompted some interest in the industry.

 "The photos tell us more about what the mysterious stranger isn't than what it is," Bill Sweetman writes in Aviation Week, which first reported on the story. The report said that Douglass picked up some apparently related voice signals, which would indicate the aircraft had a pilot. Editors at Aviation Week reportedly say the images appear to be "something real."

 "If I had to guess, I'd say we took a picture of a stealthy transport aircraft," Douglass said.

 Douglass writes that he reached out to Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri, which houses B-2s, to see if it flew any planes over Texas on that day and did not get a response.

 Fox News' Edmund DeMarche contributed to this report |||||


Article:

Jerusalem (CNN) A Jewish teenager was arrested Thursday in connection with a series of bomb threats that have rattled Jewish institutions and community centers across the United States and other countries, Israeli police said.

 A months-long international investigation led to the 19-year-old suspect, who used "advanced camouflage technologies" to cover his tracks, police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said.

 The suspect holds dual American-Israeli citizenship, an Israeli security official told CNN. He was arrested in southern Israel after an undercover investigation with the FBI.

 The threats were made against sites in the United States, Australia and New Zealand. In one case, an airline had to make an emergency landing, Rosenfeld said.

 Law enforcement officials have told CNN they believed many of the threatening calls to Jewish community centers originated overseas.

 Israeli police are still trying to determine the teen suspect's motive. The FBI confirmed the arrest and said in a statement it could not provide further information.

 'Relieved' reaction

 JCC Association of North America President and CEO Doron Krakow said he was "gratified" by the arrest but added that he was "troubled" by the suspect's background.

 "We are troubled to learn that the individual suspected of making these threats against Jewish Community Centers, which play a central role in the Jewish community, as well as serve as inclusive and welcoming places for all, is reportedly Jewish," Krakow said.

 Other leaders of Jewish institutions, including the Anti-Defamation League, said they were "relieved" by the arrest.

 "While the details of this crime remain unclear, the impact of this individual's actions is crystal clear: These were acts of anti-Semitism," ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt said in a statement. "These threats targeted Jewish institutions, were calculated to sow fear and anxiety and put the entire Jewish community on high alert."

 "We're very relieved that the person was caught," Rick Zakalik, executive director of the JCC of Greater Buffalo, told CNN. "It's obviously a very disturbed young man, and I pity his parents."

 US Attorney General Jeff Sessions commended the FBI and Israeli National Police for their work on the case.

 "Today's arrest in Israel is the culmination of a large-scale investigation spanning multiple continents for hate crimes against Jewish communities across our country," Sessions said in a statement. "The Department of Justice is committed to protecting the civil rights of all Americans, and we will not tolerate the targeting of any community in this country on the basis of their religious beliefs."

 The suspect

 The teenager has a history of behavioral issues and was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor when he was 14, his attorney, Galit Besh, told CNN.

 The suspect's father was detained and questioned in connection to the investigation, Besh said.

 Shiraz Biton, a neighbor in the southern Israel city of Ashkelon, said that she has seen the suspect and his family a lot. The suspect was "quiet" and "introverted" and seemed a "little strange," she said.

 "He was always alone," Biton said. "Him and his laptop."

 Rampant threats in US

 In the US alone, more than 100 bomb threats have been made this year against Jewish community centers and schools. The threats were spread across 33 states and most came as part of five waves.

 The incidents reached such a critical mass that President Donald Trump addressed the matter several weeks ago in his first speech to Congress

 "Recent threats targeting Jewish Community Centers and vandalism of Jewish cemeteries ... remind us that while we may be a nation divided on policies, we are a country that stands united in condemning hate and evil in all its forms," Trump said.

 The calls were "unprecedented" for their methodical approach and sophistication, said Paul Goldenberg, who advises Jewish organizations on security as national director of the Secure Community Network.

 "These masking technologies are very effective," he previously told CNN.

 Previous suspect arrested

 JUST WATCHED Fired journalist arrested for JCC threats Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Fired journalist arrested for JCC threats 03:02

 On March 3, a fired reporter was arrested and accused of making at least eight of the bomb threats.

 But the accusation against Thompson accounted for just a small fraction of the more than 100 bomb threats received by Jewish institutions this year, according to data from the JCC Association of North America. ||||| JERUSALEM — A monthslong wave of bomb threats against Jewish institutions in the United States that prompted evacuations, heightened security and fears of rising anti-Semitism gave way to an unexpected twist on Thursday. The person responsible for many of the threats, law enforcement officials said, was half a world away, in Israel, a Jewish teenager.

 An intensive investigation spanning multiple countries culminated on Thursday in the arrest of the 18-year-old suspect, who holds dual Israeli and American citizenship, and his father. The teenager’s lawyer said he had a brain tumor that could affect his behavior.

 The surge in threats over the past few months — well over 100 sent to Jewish community centers, schools and museums since the start of the year — coincided with an increase in hate crimes against a number of groups, from scrawled swastikas to homicides, feeding worries about a new era of bigotry. American and Israeli officials refused to say how many of those threats the suspect was accused of making. And some recent anti-Semitic acts were apparently committed by others, like threats against Jewish centers for which a Missouri man was charged, and the vandalizing of Jewish cemeteries.

 But officials made it clear that they considered the teenager, who lived in the Ashkelon area of southern Israel, to be the primary source of the threats, though they did not offer a motive. “This is the guy we are talking about,” an Israeli police spokesman, Micky Rosenfeld, said. ||||| A 19-year-old Jewish resident of Israel with both American and Israeli citizenship is suspected of being behind a host of fake bomb threats directed at Jewish institutions and other targets worldwide.

 The cybercrimes unit of the Israel Police made the arrest on Thursday after receiving intelligence from the FBI and other foreign agencies. Police seized computers and other items investigators say helped the suspect evade detection.

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 The suspect’s father was also arrested, and a judge ordered both of them to remain in custody for eight additional days.

 skip - Israeli Police Arrest Teen for 'Hundreds' of Bomb Threats Against Jewish Centers Worldwide

 Israeli Police Arrest Teen for 'Hundreds' of Bomb Threats Against Jewish Centers Worldwide Haaretz

 The suspect has lived in Israel many years. The army refused to draft him after finding him unfit for service. The suspect's motive is unknown, but police accuse him of hundreds of incidents involving threats to institutions around the world, including Israel, over a period of two or three years.

 >> Read more: Israel's bomb threat arrest leads to varied Jewish verdicts >>

 Some five computers were confiscated as well as other equipment, including antennas he used to access other people's networks and to commit the alleged crimes undetected. This initially threw off the police and it led them to question others whose networks were used. Eventually, the police created a profile of the suspect and the technology to find him. Police say that he attempted to grab the gun of an officer who came to his home to arrest him.

 skip - Map of Jewish centers targeted by bomb threats.

 The suspect is not cooperating with police and has refused to grant permission to have his computers searched.

 Upon searching his computer, a bitcoin account was discovered, and it’s being examined whether the suspect received payment for some of the calls he allegedly made.

 He is said to have been home-schooled by his parents and never to have been educated outside the home.

 Police are accusing the suspect of extortion through threats and of false reporting spreading panic. The incidents include alleged calls placed to shopping malls, airports and various Jewish institutions. Investigators are also attempting to determine if the suspect received any money in connection with of the threats attributed to him.

 The police also detained his father for questioning.

 Attorney Galit Bash, who represents the suspect, said that "this is a young man without a criminal record who from a young age suffers from severe medical problems. There is concern that his medical condition affects his cognitive functioning.

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 "Therefore, we asked the court to order that the young man be referred for a medical examination. The court accepted our claims and instructed the police to examine the young man's medical condition."

 The suspect was brought before Judge Amit Michles, who said that "I believe there is reasonable suspicion to link the suspect to actions attributed to him.

 "The main thing is that a reasonable suspicion already exists at this stage that convincingly links the suspect to the calls that have been attributed to him, known as 'swats,' to different institutions around the world, some of which have led to panic."

 >> Read more: NYPD intelligence chief: One man suspected in most bomb threats against Jewish sites | Everything you need to know about the wave of threats terrorizing U.S. Jews | When bomb threats hit my child's Jewish preschool, I realized there’s no such thing as safe >>

 U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions said on Thursday the arrest in Israel reflected the government's determination not to tolerate hate crimes.

 skip - Israeli-American Teen Arrested for Bomb Threats Against Jewish Institutions Worldwide

 "The Department of Justice is committed to protecting the civil rights of all Americans, and we will not tolerate the targeting of any community in this country on the basis of their religious beliefs," Sessions said in a statement. "I commend the FBI and Israeli National Police for their outstanding work on this case."

 JCC Association of North America president and CEO Doron Krakow also responded to the developments.

 “On behalf of the JCC Association of North America and JCCs across the continent, we are gratified by the progress in this investigation, and applaud the commitment and leadership of the FBI and other federal agencies, Israeli law enforcement, and local law enforcement across the United States and Canada.

 “We are troubled to learn that the individual suspected of making these threats against Jewish Community Centers, which play a central role in the Jewish community, as well as serve as inclusive and welcoming places for all – is reportedly Jewish," he said.

 Anti-Defamation League CEO Jonathan Greenblatt also responded to the arrest.

 "While the details of this crime remain unclear, the impact of this individual’s actions is crystal clear: These were acts of anti-Semitism. These threats targeted Jewish institutions, were calculated to sow fear and anxiety, and put the entire Jewish community on high alert."

 Last month, St. Louis native Juan Thompson, a former reporter, was arrested for his role in a number of bomb threats against Jewish centers, allegedly carried out as part of an ongoing attempt to shame his former girlfriend.

 The first incident attributed to the Israeli suspect is a bomb threat that a Jewish institution in New Zealand received in 2016. Police in New Zealand identified the IP address as originating from Israel. A similar incident occurred in Australia, and Israel was also identified as the source.

 The Israel Police initially struggled to locate the suspect but then received several reports of threats from 16 Jewish centers in nine U.S. states – Florida, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Tennessee, Georgia, Pennsylvania, South Carolina and North Carolina. The FBI began investigating. Delta Airlines also received a threat about a bomb on one of its planes, causing it to halt flights to check their aircraft and forcing a plane already in the air to land.

 The FBI handed over the information to the Israel Police after finding that these threats too had originated from Israel. Using innovative technology, the police were able to identify the suspect's home.

 The Rishon Letzion Magistrate's Court is expected to extend his custody on Thursday.

 An audio of one of the calls was obtained by the Jewish Telegraphic Agency in which the caller stated:

 "It’s a C-4 bomb with a lot of shrapnel, surrounded by a bag (inaudible). In a short time, a large number of Jews are going to be slaughtered. Their heads are going to [sic] blown off from the shrapnel. There’s a lot of shrapnel. There’s going to be a bloodbath that’s going to take place in a short time. I think I told you enough. I must go."

 Reuters contributed to this report. |||||
What is a summary?

– A Jewish teen with American-Israeli citizenship is behind dozens of threats made against Jewish community centers in the US, Israeli police say. The 19-year-old male living in the Ashkelon area of Israel was arrested Thursday after a months-long investigation involving the FBI, Israeli police rep Micky Rosenfeld tells CNN. Police say the teen used neighbors' internet connections, voice manipulation, and other "advanced camouflage technologies" to hide his identity while making threats against Jewish centers in the US, Australia, and New Zealand, the New York Times reports, via Israel Radio. However, police believe he's also responsible for hundreds of other threats around the world over two or three years, reports Haaretz. Those include threats against shopping malls and airports. In one case, he forced a Delta flight to make an emergency landing, police say. Authorities say five computers, antennas, and other equipment were seized from his residence. Per Haaretz, the teen tried to grab the gun of an officer who arrived to arrest him; he was previously found unfit for military service in Israel. Police had previously said they were searching for a single individual believed to be behind the majority of more than 100 bomb threats made against Jewish centers in the US this year. "This is the guy we are talking about," Rosenfeld says. The teen appeared in court on Thursday. (Federal officials have also traced some of the bomb threats to a jilted ex-boyfriend.)


TATAOUINE, Tunisia — A century ago, fleeing Italian colonizers, the inhabitants of Libya ’s remote western mountains descended upon this wind-whipped Tunisian outpost, many to stay permanently.

 With those desert plateaus once again under siege, this time by the armies of the Libyan leader, Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi, about 30,000 Libyans have repeated their ancestors’ flight. Astonishingly, to aid workers, hundreds upon hundreds of Tunisians, some of them the descendants of those earlier refugees, have opened their homes to these Libyan families since early April, when Colonel Qaddafi’s forces went on the attack.

 There are no sprawling refugee camps at the border, just two modest clusters of tents housing around 2,500 people. The vast majority of the newcomers are now living with Tunisian families here and in neighboring villages, an area that in normal times counts just 150,000 residents.

 “It’s the first time I’ve seen such an impressive response,” said Firas Kayal, a spokesman in Tunisia for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. That generosity is all the more remarkable, he added, given the challenges Tunisia faces in the wake of its own revolution — which in January ended 23 years of kleptocratic rule by President Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali — and previous waves of Libyan refugees this year in the north.

 Even some of the refugees seem baffled by it.

 “Would you give your house to someone you didn’t know, from another country?” asked Maren Abouzakhar, 22, who fled the besieged Libyan city of Yafran early this month. She spoke in the airy drawing room of the house she and 10 relatives now shared with a local family; the owner had moved himself, his wife and their three children into the unfinished ground floor, leaving the comfortable, perfumed second story for their guests.

 “We don’t even know how to thank them for something like this,” Ms. Abouzakhar said.

 Abdallah Awaye, 35, a thin, sun-darkened man and the owner of the house, described his gesture as a matter of obligation and pride. “This is how it is, these are our customs,” he said. “If there is something to eat, we will eat it together. If there is nothing to eat, we will have nothing together.”

 Most of the refugees arrived at the border with little more than the clothes on their backs and fears for the sons they left behind to fight the Qaddafi militias, and were rapidly taken in by local residents whose compassion and good cheer have drawn the admiration of Libyans and international aid workers alike.

 Mr. Kayal also praised the generosity of the Tunisian government, which has kept the country’s borders open from the start of the Libyan conflict. As many 276,000 people — most of them foreign workers — have fled Libya for Tunisia, according to United Nations estimates.

 Asked about their willingness to provide shelter to strangers, residents of Tataouine like to cite an apt local proverb: Travelers cry upon arriving in this desolate place, but leave with tears in their eyes.

 Despite the abundance of good intentions, though, the city and surrounding areas are feeling the strain of so many refugees. The afterglow of January’s jubilant revolution has largely given way to old frustrations, with people complaining of a stagnant economy, inadequate infrastructure and widespread unemployment.

 The police, the lackeys of the deposed government, are largely absent from the streets, having gone into hiding after the revolution. And many worry that the country’s transitional government has failed to break with what they call decades of neglect for the arid Tunisian south.

 “Generosity and fraternity have been taking precedence over the problems,” said Ali Mourou, the mayor of Tataouine.

 Nevertheless, he said, in response to appeals from the city, truckloads of aid have flowed in from as far as Tunis, the capital, 300 miles to the north.

 Three local coordinating centers have been opened, placing Libyan families in homes and distributing donated couscous, macaroni, milk and tomatoes, as well as mattresses and blankets. Libyan children have been placed in local schools, and doctors and nurses have opened a clinic offering free medical care.

 “We’ve taken the thing as a human obligation, a religious obligation, an obligation of fraternity,” Mr. Mourou said, and the Libyans have been “truly appreciative.”

 He added, “They ought to be.”

 He worries, though. ||||| TRIPOLI/TUNIS Libya's two-month civil war spilled over the border into Tunisia, provoking outrage in the western neighbor, while rebels in Misrata said only NATO could halt the bombardment of the besieged city.

 The struggle between forces loyal to Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi and rebels trying to end his more than four decades of rule drew in outsiders last month, as NATO began air strikes on government troops under a United Nations mandate.

 But on Thursday the fighting spilled over Libya's land frontier, when Gaddafi troops battled rebels on Tunisian territory for control of the Dehiba-Wazin frontier crossing.

 The incursion was brief and limited, and Gaddafi's troops even apologized locally. But the response was nevertheless furious from Tunisia, where the Arab world's wave of uprisings began late last year, leading to the overthrow of President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali in January.

 "Given the gravity of what has happened ... the Tunisian authorities have informed the Libyans of their extreme indignation and demand measures to put an immediate stop to these violations," a Tunisian Foreign Ministry statement said.

 Illustrating the difficulty of keeping the Libyan conflict sealed within the country's land borders, artillery shells fired by Gaddafi forces also struck the Tunisian side of the crossing.

 Rebels seized the post a week ago, as it controls the only road link which their comrades in Libya's Western Mountains have with the outside world, making them rely otherwise on rough tracks for supplies of food, fuel and medicine.

 After weeks of advances and retreats by rebel and government forces along the Mediterranean coast, fighting has settled into a pattern of clashes and skirmishes.

 Thursday's battle for the crossing between Dehiba in Tunisia and Wazin on the Libyan side was typical of the fluid and confused conflict, which broke out in mid-February.

 First government troops stormed the post in what appeared to be part of a broader offensive to root out rebel outposts beyond their eastern heartland around Benghazi, Libya's second city.

 Gaddafi's soldiers apologized to their Tunisian counterparts for the incursion and hoisted their flag at the border, tearing down a pre-Gaddafi era flag that had fluttered for a few days.

 But then the rebels, who had retreated into Tunisia, counter-attacked and as the fog of war descended, rumors spread that the post was back in their hands.

 In the confusion, scores of vehicles headed for the border from the Tunisian side with civilians on board shouting "We've won! We've won!" but they swiftly turned back when they found Gaddafi's forces were still there.

 MISRATA'S PLIGHT DEEPENS

 In the port city of Misrata, the rebels' biggest enclave in western Libya, the plight of residents worsened.

 Rebels accused Gaddafi's forces of firing bigger rockets than the Russian-made Grad missiles largely used until now. A rebel called Marwan said in an audio statement on YouTube that the bigger rockets cause much greater destruction. "Gaddafi the tyrant is trying to wipe out the city of Misrata," he said.

 Gaddafi denies his forces are attacking civilians and says his opponents are Islamist militants and foreign-backed agitators who deliberately put non-combatants in harm's way.

 Rebel spokesman Abdelsalam said from Misrata that there had been sporadic clashes on the road to the port and shelling of residential areas. "Those areas are packed with civilians who fled the fighting in the city center," he said.

 "The ball is now in NATO's court. After Gaddafi's soldiers and snipers were driven out from the city center and Tripoli Street by the rebel fighters, their strategy has been to shell the city from the outskirts. This can only be solved by NATO."

 The Western alliance has been conducting air strikes on Libya since last month under a U.N. Security Council resolution calling for civilians to be protected.

 But military deadlock in Libya has exposed growing international rifts, with critics of NATO bombing calling it another case of the West trying to overthrow a government by stretching the terms of a U.N. resolution.

 At least two loud explosions were heard in Tripoli on Thursday night and NATO jets rumbled overhead. It was not immediately clear what the targets were.

 The official Libyan news agency Jana also said that "the colonial, crusader aggression" hit civilian and military sites in a Western Mountains region town on Thursday evening. Two people were killed and many others were wounded, it said.

 Gaddafi forces also took a town in the remote southeastern desert, state television reported. "Libyan forces have seized full control of the town of Kufra and purified it of the armed gangs," it quoted a military spokesman as saying.

 But rebels denied this. "The battle is not over and the situation is unclear," said spokesman Mohamed al-Muntasser.

 (Additional reporting by Christian Lowe in Algiers, Guy Desmond and Maher Nazeh in Tripoli, Deepa Babington and Alexander Dziadosz in Benghazi, Matthew Tostevin in Tunis, Joseph Nasr in Berlin, Sami Aboudi in Cairo, Mariam Karouny in Beirut, Stephanie Nebehay in Geneva and Jessica Donati in London; writing by David Stamp; Editing by Jon Hemming) |||||
What is a one-paragraph summary of the above article?

– Tunisia was not pleased today when a battle between Libya’s warring factions spilled across the border today, after Moammar Gadhafi’s forces attacked a rebel-held frontier crossing. The incursion was brief and limited, and Gadhafi’s forces even apologized locally, Reuters reports. But Tunisia’s foreign ministry still issued a statement expressing “extreme indignation” and demanding “measures to put an immediate stop to these violations.” But Tunisia has proven remarkably welcoming to Libyans who aren’t fighting. Some 30,000 refugees have fled there, and the vast majority of them have been welcomed into the homes of Tunisians, the New York Times reports. Only about 2,500 have had to settle in the relatively small refugee camp at the border. “It’s the first time I’ve seen such an impressive response,” says a spokesman for the UN’s High Commissioner for Refugees.


Article:
By midday Friday, hours before news of the president’s departure, demonstrators had gathered outside the Interior Ministry and were already celebrating their anticipated victory and debating its significance.

 “Thank you, Al Jazeera,” read one sign, commending the Arab news channel for its nightly coverage of the unrest in the past month — long before the Western news media took serious notice. Many here credit Al Jazeera’s broadcasts with forging the sense of solidarity and empowerment that moved Tunisians across the country to take to the streets simultaneously.

 The other side of that sign read “#sidibouzid,” a reference to a Twitter feed, named for the town where the self-immolation took place, that demonstrators used as a forum for their anger and their plans. After news of the president’s departure on Friday, other Twitter posts echoed the theme. “Every Arab leader is watching Tunisia in fear. Every Arab citizen is watching Tunisia in hope & solidarity,” a writer from Cairo wrote to the #sidibouzid feed.

 Others in the crowd, however, were eager to emphasize the education and relative affluence that they said distinguished them from other people in the region. “Please don’t say we are the same as Algeria,” said one woman, in fluent English.

 “We are the Bourguiba generation,” she said, referring to Habib Bourguiba, Tunisia’s first president and the father of its broad middle class. He poured resources into Tunisia’s educational system and made higher education effectively free. He also pushed a social agenda of secularization, women’s rights, birth control and family planning that, in contrast to most countries in the region, slowed population growth, keeping the job of public education and social welfare manageable.

 In his last days Mr. Ben Ali cycled through a series of attempts to placate the protesters, firing his interior minister, pledging a corruption investigation, promising new freedoms and a resignation at the end of his term in 2014, and finally dismissing his whole cabinet.

 But his promises did no more than the bullets or tear gas to dissuade the protesters from taking to the streets. After hearing Mr. Ben Ali promise in a televised address on Thursday night to stop shooting demonstrators, crowds began to gather outside the Interior Ministry along Bourguiba Boulevard early Friday morning. And when it became clear that the police were standing idle on sidelines, several thousands more joined them, a largely affluent crowd including doctors, lawyers, young professionals and others who said they had never protested before.

 For the first time in the month of protests, large numbers of young women joined the crowd, almost none wearing any form of Islamic veil.

 Many, accustomed to living under one of the region’s most repressive governments, were both excited and uneasy about their new sense of freedom. “We are too many now, we are too big, it is more difficult to silence us,” one woman said, grinning. “But for us it is new to talk. We are still a little bit scared,” she added, declining to give her name.

 As throughout the uprising, they aimed much of their ire at the president’s second wife, the former Leila Trabelsi, a hairdresser from a humble family whose relatives have amassed conspicuous fortunes since her 1992 marriage. “Policeman, open your eyes, the hairdresser is ruling you,” they chanted, addressing Mr. Ben Ali.

 “We are suffering from what the Trabelsis stole,” said one protester, a young executive who declined to give his name for fear of reprisals. “Every major sector in Tunisia has been taken. They own part of telecommunications, they own part of the car business, they own part of the supermarkets, everything.” ||||| Tunisia's state news agency says President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali has decided to dismiss his government following massive riots.

 Protestors hold a banner reading "Ben Ali get out", calling for the resignation of Tunisia's President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, in the capital, Tunis, Friday, Jan. 14,2011. Thousands of angry demonstrators... (Associated Press)

 Protesters chanted slogans against President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali during a demonstration in Tunis, Friday, Jan. 14, 2011. Thousands of angry demonstrators marched through Tunisia's capital Friday,... (Associated Press)

 Protesters chant slogans against President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali in Tunis, Friday, Jan. 14, 2011. Demonstrators marched through the Tunisian capital Friday, demanding the resignation of the country's... (Associated Press)

 Demonstrators hold placards reading "Ben Ali get out" in Tunis, Friday, Jan. 14, 2011. Thousands of angry demonstrators marched through Tunisia's capital Friday, demanding the resignation of the country's... (Associated Press)

 Tunisian police officers guard the Interior Ministry as thousands of demonstrators are gathered in front of the building calling for the resignation of President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali in Tunis, Friday,... (Associated Press)

 Protesters chant slogans against President Zine El Abidine Ben Aliin during a demonstration in Tunis, Friday, Jan. 14, 2011. Thousands of angry demonstrators marched through Tunisia's capital Friday,... (Associated Press)

 Protesters chant slogans against President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali during a demonstration in Tunis, Friday, Jan. 14, 2011. Thousands of angry demonstrators marched through Tunisia's capital Friday, demanding... (Associated Press)

 A protester kisses the Tunisian flag as he demonstrates against President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali in Tunis, Friday, Jan. 14, 2011. Thousands of angry demonstrators marched through Tunisia's capital Friday,... (Associated Press)

 A armored vehicle guards a street in Tunis next to a photo of Tunisia's President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, during a demonstration, Friday, Jan. 14, 2011. Thousands of angry demonstrators marched through... (Associated Press)

 A woman protester chants slogans against Tunisian President Zine El Abidine Ben Aliin, in Tunis, Friday, Jan. 14, 2011. Thousands of angry demonstrators marched through Tunisia's capital Friday, demanding... (Associated Press)

 Protesters chant slogans against President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali in Tunis, Friday, Jan. 14, 2011. Thousands of angry demonstrators marched through Tunisia's capital Friday, demanding the resignation... (Associated Press)

 A demonstrator holds a placard reading "Ben Ali get out" in Tunis, Friday, Jan. 14, 2011. Thousands of angry demonstrators marched through Tunisia's capital Friday, demanding the resignation of the country's... (Associated Press)

 Supporters of Tunisia's President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali demonstrate in Tunis, Thursday, Jan. 13, 2011. Tunisia's autocratic president, facing deadly riots that have rocked his nation, ordered prices... (Associated Press)

 Supporters of Tunisia's President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali demonstrate in Tunis, Thursday, Jan. 13, 2011. Tunisia's autocratic president, facing deadly riots that have rocked his nation, ordered prices... (Associated Press)

 Supporters of Tunisia's President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali demonstrate in Tunis, Thursday, Jan. 13, 2011. Tunisia's autocratic president, facing deadly riots that have rocked his nation, ordered prices... (Associated Press)

 Supporters of Tunisia's President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali demonstrate in Tunis, Thursday, Jan. 13, 2011. Tunisia's autocratic president, facing deadly riots that have rocked his nation, ordered prices... (Associated Press)

 Supporters of Tunisia's President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali demonstrate in Tunis, Thursday, Jan. 13, 2011. Tunisia's autocratic president, facing deadly riots that have rocked his nation, ordered prices... (Associated Press)

 Supporters of Tunisia's President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali demonstrate in Tunis, Thursday, Jan. 13, 2011. Tunisia's autocratic president, facing deadly riots that have rocked his nation, ordered prices... (Associated Press)

 A protester waves the Tunisian flag as he watches a demonstration against President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, in Tunis, Friday, Jan. 14, 2011. Thousands of angry demonstrators marched through Tunisia's... (Associated Press)

 Supporters of Tunisia's President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali demonstrate in Tunis, Thursday, Jan. 13, 2011. Tunisia's autocratic president, facing deadly riots that have rocked his nation, ordered prices... (Associated Press)

 Supporters of Tunisia's President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali demonstrate in Tunis, Thursday, Jan. 13, 2011. Tunisia's autocratic president, facing deadly riots that have rocked his nation, ordered prices... (Associated Press)

 Protesters shout slogans against President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali as they hold boards reading "Ben Ali get out" in Tunis, Friday, Jan. 14, 2011. Thousands of angry demonstrators marched through Tunisia's... (Associated Press)

 A protester with a Tunisian flag shouts slogans against President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali in Tunis, Friday, Jan. 14, 2011. Thousands of angry demonstrators marched through Tunisia's capital Friday, demanding... (Associated Press)

 A protester holding a torn poster reading "Ben Ali get out" demonstrates in Tunis, Friday, Jan. 14, 2011. Thousands of angry demonstrators marched through Tunisia's capital Friday, demanding the resignation... (Associated Press)

 Demonstrators hold boardS reading "Ben Ali get out" in Tunis, Friday, Jan. 14, 2011. Thousands of angry demonstrators marched through Tunisia's capital Friday, demanding the resignation of the country's... (Associated Press)

 Supporters of Tunisia's President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali demonstrate in Tunis, Thursday, Jan. 13, 2011. Tunisia's autocratic president, facing deadly riots that have rocked his nation, ordered prices... (Associated Press)

 The TAP news agency report also says the president plans to call early legislative elections in six months.

 Friday's announcement comes as Tunisian police fired rounds of tear gas at thousands of protesters in the capital. Some demonstrators climbed atop the roof of the Interior Ministry, a symbol of the iron-fisted government they want to oust.

 The demonstrators were marching through Tunis to demand the resignation of the country's autocratic leader. Many shouted "Ben Ali, out!" and "Ben Ali, assassin!"

 THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.

 TUNIS, Tunisia (AP) _ Tunisian police fired rounds of tear gas at thousands of protesters in the capital Friday after some climbed atop the roof of the Interior Ministry, a symbol of the iron-fisted government they want to oust.

 The demonstrators were marching through Tunis to demand the resignation of the country's autocratic leader, President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali. Many shouted "Ben Ali, out!" and "Ben Ali, assassin!" Another poster read "We won't forget," a reference to the rioters killed, many by police bullets.

 Crowds sang the national anthem, fists in the air.

 "We want to end this dictatorship," said Wadia Amar, a university chemistry professor. "The Ben Ali clan should be brought to justice. They've taken everything."

 Hundreds of police with shields and riot gear blocked the avenue Friday in front of the Interior Ministry, where over the years there have been reports of torture. The march was organized by Tunisia's only legal trade union, which also went ahead with a symbolic two-hour strike.

 Plainclothes policemen were seen kicking unarmed protesters and beating them with batons.

 Thousands of tourists, meanwhile, were evacuated from the North African tourist haven amid growing unrest.

 Pent-up anger at high unemployment and at a leadership many see as controlling and corrupt has exploded into riots in the past few weeks.

 "A month ago, we didn't believe this uprising was possible," said Beya Mannai, a geology professor at the University of Tunis. "But the people rose up."

 Ben Ali, 74, has maintained an iron grip on Tunisia since grabbing power 23 years ago in a bloodless coup, repressing any challenges. He has locked up many opposition figures, clamped down on dissent and kept tight control over the media but has not been able to resolve the country's rising unemployment, officially at nearly 14 percent, but higher for educated youths.

 The riots began after an educated but jobless 26-year-old committed suicide when police confiscated the fruits and vegetables he was selling without a permit.

 The official death toll in the riots is 23, but opposition leaders put the figure at three times that, and medical workers on Friday reported another 13 new deaths and over 50 injuries from late Thursday alone.

 U.S. diplomatic cables released by WikiLeaks have described the corruption in Tunisia, and social networks like Facebook have helped spread the comments. Many ordinary Tunisians who have complained of corruption for years felt vindicated to see the U.S. cables.

 The unrest was taking a heavy toll on the key tourism industry in Tunisia, which is known for its wide sandy beaches, desert landscape, ancient ruins and bustling bazaars.

 British tour operator Thomas Cook said it was asking its roughly 3,800 British, Irish, and German customers in Tunisia to leave the country, while some 200 Dutch tourists were repatriated Thursday night via a chartered flight.

 U.S. and European governments have issued a series of travel alerts warning citizens away from nonessential travel to Tunisia.

 The unrest was having diplomatic consequences as well.

 Tunisia's ambassador to the U.N. cultural and educational agency resigned amid the deadly riots. Mezri Haddad, ambassador to Paris-based UNESCO, said on France's BFM television Friday, "I am resigning today."

 He said he is resigning because he doesn't want to contribute to something that "is the opposite of my convictions and my conscience."

 An unusually contrite Ben Ali went on television Thursday, making sweeping pledges for political and media freedom. He also promised to leave the presidency when his term ends in 2014, and ordered prices on sugar, milk and bread slashed.

 After he spoke, thousands filled the main tree-lined Avenue Bourguiba, cheering "Long live Ben Ali!" honking horns and waving flags.

 Many people demonstrating Friday claimed the pro-Ben Ali rally on Thursday _ which broke a government-imposed curfew _ was staged by the powerful ruling RCD party, which paid jobless youths to participate. They claimed many of the cars that cruised the avenue, some with passengers standing on the car roofs, bore the blue license plates of rented vehicles.

 "That was all prepared in advance," said Haitem Ouerghemi, 30, a call center worker. "It was a Hollywood scene."

 In a country with a tightly controlled media, Friday's French-language daily Le Temps touted Ben Ali's speech as a "historic turning point."

 "After the blood and desolation, happiness and, once again, hope," the paper said in red on its front page. |||||Summary:

– Amid huge riots over poverty, Tunisia’s president has decided to dismiss his government, the AP reports. President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali intends to call legislative elections in 6 months, earlier than planned. Meanwhile, thousands of protesters calling for Ben Ali’s resignation continued to demonstrate in the capital, prompting police to fire tear gas and lash out with clubs. Twelve were killed in riots last night, NPR reports. Thousands of tourists have been evacuated. Ben Ali has said he’ll quit, but not until 2014; and in a speech last night, he promised to stop using live ammunition against the demonstrators. But these pledges haven’t soothed protesters in the biggest riots since Ben Ali took power 23 years ago, notes the New York Times. Instead, they seemed invigorated by the pledge. Today’s demonstration was the first to include many women, very few of whom wore veils, the Times reports.


A Crofton man who owned a cache of weapons repeatedly threatened to "blow everybody up" at his former workplace and declared himself a "joker," police said, in what authorities believe is a reference to last week's mass killings during a midnight screening of"The Dark Knight Rises" in Aurora, Colo.

 Neil Edwin Prescott, 28, was taken into custody at his apartment early Friday and transferred to Anne Arundel Medical Center for an emergency psychiatric evaluation, Prince George's County police said. He has not been charged with a crime, and the investigation is continuing.

 Police said Saturday that Prescott has now been hospitalized, and could be there for a week. No charges are expected during the time he is being treated.

 "I truly believe we saved people from being harmed," said Anne Arundel County police Chief James Teare Sr.

 Officers said they found two dozen firearms — including shotguns, a tactical rifle and handguns — along with accessories and several thousand rounds of ammunition at Prescott's apartment on the 1600 block of Parkridge Circle during a search Friday. He had registered at least 13 of the guns, according to court documents. At an earlier visit, police said he had been wearing a T-shirt that read "Guns don't kill people, I do."

 According to an application for the search warrant, Prescott called his former supervisor, Gary Crofoot, at mail services supplier Pitney Bowes in Capitol Heights on Monday and repeatedly said, "I am a joker. I'm going to load my guns."

 He also said he wanted to "see the supervisor's brain splatter all over the sidewalk," the search warrant application says. Police confirmed that there was animosity between the two men but said the threat was directed toward "everybody."

 Crofoot, who alerted police to the statements, declined to comment Friday when reached via cellphone.

 The Batman allusion led police to fear a copycat killing modeled on the Aurora shooting, in which 12 people were killed and 58 wounded. The man accused in those shootings, James Holmes, had his hair dyed reddish-orange and called himself the Joker, New York Police Commissioner Ray Kelly has said.

 "In light of what's recently happened, it's fairly obvious and that's how we took it," Prince George's County police Chief Mark Magaw said during a news conference Friday.

 "We can't measure what was prevented here," he said, but added that a "violent episode" was likely avoided.

 Prince George's County State's Attorney Angela D. Alsobrooks praised the cooperation among authorities.

 "Law enforcement is all about preventing loss of life," she said in a statement. "Today's efforts are an example of the many ways we work collectively to keep our citizens safe."

 Prescott has no criminal record in Maryland, according to an online court database. His only infraction was a traffic stop in 2007. He was accused of driving a 2001 Volkswagen at a speed of 42 miles per hour in a 25-mph zone on Crofton Parkway and given probation before judgment. He was described as being 6 feet 7 inches tall and weighing 270 pounds at the time.

 Research shows that many atypical violent crimes covered extensively by the media attract copycats, said Dr. James McGee, retired chief of psychology at the Sheppard and Enoch Pratt Hospital and former chief psychologist of the Baltimore County Police Department.

 "There are a lot of people out there who are thinking about doing something," said McGee, who is not involved in the Crofton case.

 When police first went to Prescott's home Thursday, he told them — through a closed door — that he had a firearm, according to police. Police said they instructed him to drop his weapon and come out, which he did, wearing the gun T-shirt. Based on his appearance and conversations with him, police said, they sought approval for the emergency evaluation and the search warrant, which they executed the next day.

 Prescott had either recently been fired from his position working for a Pitney Bowes subcontractor or was in the process of being fired, according to police records.

 Pitney Bowes spokeswoman Carol Wallace said in an emailed statement that Prescott had not been on company property for more than four months. He had raised alarms at the company before, she wrote.

 "We have clear security protocol, and when we had concerns about this individual, we contacted authorities," Wallace wrote. She declined to answer questions, and employees at the Capitol Heights location refused to discuss Prescott or his alleged threats. ||||| Police in Maryland have arrested suspect who referred to himself as "a joker" and threatened to shoot up his workplace, investigators said Friday.

 An official with knowledge of the investigation told The Associated Press that Neil Prescott of Crofton, Md., phoned in the threat to software and mailroom supplier Pitney Bowes near Washington, D.C. Investigators say a search of Prescott's home turned up more than 20 guns, including assault rifles and handguns, and more than 400 rounds of ammunition.

 The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the investigation is unfolding.

 Though the suspect referred to himself as "a joker" when he called in the threat, the official said there is no other known connection to a deadly shooting last week at a Colorado movie theater during the latest Batman movie.

 Investigators believe Prescott , who was arrested Thursday night, had lost his job with the company and was disgruntled. They say he called in the threat earlier this week.

 A message left at a telephone listing for Prescott in Crofton was not immediately returned.

 Prescott was being held Friday at Anne Arundel Medical Center in Annapolis, where he was undergoing a psychological evaluation. Crofton is located between D.C. and Annapolis, Md.

 A message left for a corporate spokeswoman at Pitney Bowes seeking comment was not immediately returned.

 ___

 Associated Press writer Jessica Gresko contributed to this report. Tucker reported from Palmer Park, Md. |||||
What is a one-paragraph summary of the above article?

– Police near Baltimore say they may have stopped a mass shooting modeled on the Dark Knight tragedy, reports the Baltimore Sun. Authorities arrested a 28-year-old man in Crofton who phoned his former employer, threatened to "shoot the place up," and referred to himself as the "joker," reports AP. Police found nearly two dozen guns in his home, including assault rifles. Neil Prescott is being held at a medical facility in Annapolis, where he is undergoing a psychological exam. He had apparently just lost his job at Pitney Bowes.


In the dead of night Wednesday night in Lausanne, Switzerland, Energy Secretary Ernie Moniz and his Iranian counterpart haggled over one of the last issues holding up a nuclear agreement with world powers: Iran’s future research into next-generation new centrifuge designs that can accelerate its path to a nuclear weapon.

 The meeting finally wrapped up at 6 a.m., said a senior administration official, “and that is not because we were up early.”

 But how that key issue was resolved remains fuzzy. An Obama administration fact sheet on the deal says only that Iran will be able to conduct “limited research and development” into the centrifuges — which are far more efficient than the relatively crude devices Iran now operates — “according to a schedule and parameters which have been agreed to” by Iran, the United States, and five other world powers.

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 Although Iran will be barred for a decade from enriching uranium with the advanced devices, that schedule and those parameters remain otherwise unknown.

 Critics of the agreement were quick to zero in on the question. “This is a bad framework that will lead to a bad and dangerous deal,” said an Israeli government source in Jerusalem, who cited as a key complaint the fact that Iran “will continue its centrifuge research and development.”

 The research-and-development question is just one of a handful of key issues left unresolved, at least in public, and which could endanger the agreement’s survival.

 There was much for Obama officials — and their negotiating partners in France, Germany, Britain, China and Russia — to be happy about in the framework deal, whose details must be nailed down by June 30. It requires Iran to uninstall more of its centrifuges than earlier reports had suggested would be required. It subjects Iran to extensive snooping by international inspectors, with some surveillance extending for 25 years. It mandates the redesign of a nuclear reactor so that its spent fuel can’t be used to make a bomb.

 But the White House and State Department will find themselves defending some questions the agreement essentially fudged.

 In addition to the centrifuge research, another key issue is the fate of Iran’s stockpile of low-enriched uranium. That is material which has been enriched much of the way toward the purity needed for a nuclear weapon, therefore making it dangerous for Iran to possess.

 The administration’s fact sheet says Iran must “reduce” that supply of nuclear material, from more than 10 tons currently on hand to just a few hundred pounds — less than enough to create a bomb.

 But it doesn’t specify how that will happen. U.S. officials had long expected that Iran would agree to export most of its low-enriched uranium out of the country, ensuring that it can’t be diverted to military use. Late in the talks this week, Iran toughened its position, insisting that it would merely dilute that uranium on its own soil to a form unsuitable for weapons use.

 Thursday’s deal punts that question for later. At a news conference in Lausanne, Secretary of State John Kerry said Iran had committed to selling the material on the international market or diluting it to a harmless state. But critics of the deal noted that diluted uranium can still be converted to a more dangerous form.

 Some nuclear experts downplayed the stockpile issue, however.

 Jofi Joseph, a former national security council aide in the Obama White House who handled nuclear nonproliferation issues, said it would be laborious for Iran to reconvert its uranium.

 “It’s more a question of political optics,” Joseph said. ““Remember, it’s important politically for Iranian leaders to not be seen as ‘surrendering’ anything, which is why they fought so hard against export.”

 That point was echoed by a senior Obama official on Thursday, speaking more generally about the deal: “There is no doubt that [Iranian Foreign Minister] Javad Zarif will have to sell this deal just as we will. And his task is hard and complicated.”

 Likely to be most problematic of all is Iran’s response to questions about its past research into nuclear weapons production, including bomb designs and detonators. The International Atomic Energy Agency says that Iran has stonewalled on all but one of a dozen questions the agency has posed. Iran has denied the IAEA access to its Parchin military base, where the United Nations nuclear watchdog group suspects it tested explosives that could be used to detonate a bomb.

 Iran denies it has ever pursued a military application to its nuclear program. But U.S. intelligence officials say they are confident Iran aggressively researched bomb-making until 2003, when that aspect of its program was halted.

 Thursday’s agreement is vague on this score. The fact sheet says only that Iran “will implement an agreed set of measures to address the IAEA’s concerns,” but those measures aren’t detailed.

 The past research into bomb-making “appears to be one of the few Achilles’ heels here,” said Joseph. On that point, he added: “It doesn’t appear as if Iran agreed to do anything specific.” ||||| Key players in Congress -– Republicans and Democrats -- are skeptical of the Iran deal and want to see the fine print.

 No one is ruling out a big push ahead on new Iran sanctions, or a measure to require President Obama to get congressional approval, two pieces of legislation the White House strongly opposes.

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 But there appears to be a willingness to hear the administration out in promised briefings on the framework when lawmakers return to Washington on April 13.

 An aide to House Speaker John Boehner tells ABC News that the approach in the House is not a “wait-and-see until June 30th” posture, but that Republicans want the briefings, a chance to review the details and discuss possible next steps with members.

 Sen. Bob Corker, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said today “it is important that we wait to see the specific details of today’s announcement” and that everyone “must remain clear-eyed.” He vowed an April 14 committee vote on a bill to require congressional review of a nuclear deal, but there is no plan yet to bring it up for a vote in the full chamber. (Corker has said he’d like to have a veto-proof majority before the bill is voted on by the full Senate.)

 “We’ll know more in the days ahead, after April 14,” an aide to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell told ABC News.

 Rep. Adam Schiff, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, said he was surprised so many details were revealed in the framework and said that Congress should “be careful not to scuttle the opportunity for a diplomatic resolution.

 “I think there is sufficient detail that has been arrived at these negotiations that Congress needs to be careful not to scuttle the opportunity for a diplomatic resolution,” Schiff said in an interview. “The last thing we want is for the international community to think that we came this close to a negotiated end to Iran’s nuclear program and the United States Congress got in the way.”

 Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Arkansas, the author of the controversial open letter to Iran's leaders signed by 47 Republican senators, called the interim deal a "list of very dangerous U.S. concessions that will put Iran on the path to a nuclear weapon."

 “I plan to work with all of my colleagues on both sides of the aisle who have already expressed disquiet about terms such as these, to stop this deal from going forward, to keep America safe, and to prevent a nuclear arms race in the Middle East,” he added.

 Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Florida, who is likely weeks away from announcing a presidential bid, tweeted his skepticism of the deal, but said he is awaiting more information.

 Awaiting more details on #Iran deal but early reports indicate this is Obama admin spinning diplomatic failure. — Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) April 2, 2015

 The White House fired another warning shot this afternoon reiterating veto threats for any legislation that “undercuts our ability to get the deal done.”

 “We think it’s best for members of Congress to take a look at the framework and then give the space to look at final details between now and June,” said deputy national security adviser Ben Rhodes.

 Congress needs to “wait and see what the deal is, and then we can determine the best way to support Congress playing an oversight role,” he said. ||||| WASHINGTON — Leading lawmakers from both parties in Congress responded cautiously on Thursday to the tentative framework for a nuclear deal between Western powers and Iran, demanding to review any final agreement but pointedly refraining from a vow to kill the accord.

 Congress could still scuttle a deal if lawmakers move forward with tough new sanctions on Iran just as economic and nuclear penalties are supposed to be lifted. And Senator Bob Corker of Tennessee, the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said the panel would continue with plans to formally draft bipartisan legislation on April 14 insisting on congressional examination of any agreement.

 The committee’s leadership was looking for ways to shape a bill that would gain broad approval in both parties.

 “We want the right to go through the details of the deal and to decide whether we believe congressionally mandated sanctions should be alleviated,” Mr. Corker said in an interview.

 That sentiment was bipartisan.

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 “If Congress appears to be bypassed, that’s not good for the national debate and national unity as we move forward with Iran,” said Representative Eliot L. Engel of New York, the ranking Democrat on the Foreign Affairs Committee.

 President Obama made a pointed appeal to Congress to let diplomacy work, even as he promised consultation.

 “If Congress kills this deal — not based on expert analysis, and without offering any reasonable alternative — then it’s the United States that will be blamed for the failure of diplomacy,” he said at the White House. “International unity will collapse, and the path to conflict will widen.”

 But a senior administration official hinted at compromise, at least on the review legislation. He reiterated the president’s promise to veto legislation imposing new sanctions on Iran, but said that a previous veto threat on the congressional review bill applied only to the measure as it was originally drafted.

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 The jousting is likely to continue for months, and pressure could mount on Republican leaders to toughen their stand. Negotiators must turn a framework into a detailed agreement by this summer, and legal sanctions imposed by the United States will not have to be lifted anytime soon, possibly not for years. The agreement is not likely to require action from Congress until the next presidential administration.

 But beyond the leadership suites, a more hard-edge response came quickly.

 “The Obama administration’s efforts to get a deal at any cost will have a greater cost than the world can bear,” said Representative Michael McCaul of Texas, the chairman of the Homeland Security Committee. “If this deal moves forward, the consequences for the U.S. and our allies in the region will be dire.”

 Some Democrats hailed it. “We’ve set the stage for a paradigm shift in the country and in the region,” said Representative Earl Blumenauer, Democrat of Oregon.

 But other Democrats tried to find a middle ground between embracing the accord and undermining it. Senator Benjamin L. Cardin of Maryland, the ranking Democrat on the Foreign Relations Committee, said that he wanted unanimity around Congress’s request for review, and that aspects of the legislation would have to be toned down.

 The bill demands that the administration submit the full text of any agreement to Congress, including classified annexes. It would prohibit the removal of any congressional sanctions for 60 days after a final accord, and would require the president to certify Iranian compliance every 90 days. Without that certification, it mandates a quick return of sanctions.

 The original version was written by Mr. Corker and Senator Robert Menendez, Democrat of New Jersey, a hard-liner on the Iran talks. But Mr. Menendez’s indictment Wednesday on corruption charges, and his decision to step down from the top Democratic spot on the Foreign Relations Committee, elevated the more diplomatic voice of Mr. Cardin.

 “The more unity we can have among Democrats and the White House, the stronger U.S. foreign policy will be,” Mr. Cardin said.

 In general, the most senior Republicans, while cool to the deal, spoke in measured tones. “In the weeks ahead, Republicans and Democrats in Congress will continue to press this administration on the details of these parameters and the tough questions that remain unanswered,” said the House speaker, John A. Boehner of Ohio. “We will stand strong on behalf of the American people and everyone in the Middle East who values freedom, security and peace.”

 The biggest question is not about the congressional review legislation but about whether Republican leaders will try to resurrect House and Senate measures that would impose tough new sanctions on Iran. Both versions have had broad bipartisan support, but their passage could imperil a final deal.

 “There will be a move to apply new sanctions or deprive the president of the ability to waive existing sanctions,” said Representative Brad Sherman, Democrat of California and a senior member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee. While that inclination is present in both chambers and in both parties, he said, “the tendency will be to vote for or against the president based on party.”

 Mr. Obama, announcing the tentative accord in the White House Rose Garden, said the issues at stake were “bigger than politics.”

 “These are matters of war and peace, and they should be evaluated based on the facts and what is ultimately best for the American people and for our national security,” he said.

 But lawmakers in both parties asked pointed questions about the framework presented. Mr. Corker said that he believed sanctions would be lifted too quickly, and that he wanted to better understand what would happen to Iran’s fissile nuclear materials. Mr. Engel was pleased that Iran’s array of centrifuges would be reduced by two-thirds, and that inspections of uranium mining and milling would last 25 years.

 “But tell me why Fordo remains open,” he said, referring to Iran’s underground enrichment site. “Why not just destroy it?” |||||

Write a summary.

– A blueprint outlining the path toward a final deal between Western countries and Iran on its nuclear program was drafted yesterday, and Politico notes "there was much for Obama officials" and their partner countries to "be happy about," such as more centrifuge disassembling than previously anticipated. But there are still tenuous points that need to be fleshed out and an American public that needs convincing, and a congressional committee intends to create a bipartisan bill on April 14 that would demand congressional review of any deal, the New York Times notes. An aide for Speaker John Boehner tells ABC News that "a wait-and-see until June 30" (the deadline for a full agreement) approach isn't in the cards, while Sen. Bob Corker tells the Times "we want the right to go through the details of the deal and to decide whether we believe congressionally mandated sanctions should be alleviated." Keeping the agreement's framework shaky is the lack of detailed schedules and logistics on certain key points, including nuclear R&D and a uranium-reduction program, Politico notes. The bill would insist on a full review of all agreement text, ban the removal of sanctions for 60 days after a final deal is reached, and mandate that the president check up on Iran's compliance every 90 days, the Times notes. But while lawmakers on both sides are touting compromise, there are still the hardballers. "I plan … to stop this deal from going forward," Sen. Tom Cotton, author of the recent open letter to Iran, tells ABC. Meanwhile, Democrat Rep. Adam Schiff says, "The last thing we want is for the international community to think that we came this close to a negotiated end to Iran's nuclear program and the United States Congress got in the way."