ON TRIAL FOR WAR CRIMES
EX-FEMA WORKER: SANDY VICTIMS SHORTCHANGED
A former contractor for the Federal Emergency Management Agency said Thursday he was told to deny or underpay claims exceeding certain ranges in deciding compensation for Superstorm Sandy victims.
Those decisions were made as part of FEMA’s Hurricane Sandy Claims Review Process, which was put in place following allegations of fraud in the initial claims process.
Jeff Coolidge, a former manager for OST Inc., said at a news conference he was required to deny or underpay almost all of the roughly 1,000 Sandy claims he handled during the four months he worked as a flood manager.
— Nicole Gaudiano
SENATE’S PUSH TO PASS SPENDING BILLS STALLS
Senate leaders failed their first big test this week in their push to prove they can pass 12 spending bills and prevent the annual fiscal crisis that threatens to shut down the government at the end of the year.
After starting off strong last week with bipartisan consensus to pass a $37.5 billion energy and water bill, the process blew up when Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., proposed an amendment Wed- nesday that Democrats charged was a “poison pill” that would undermine the Iran nuclear deal.
On Thursday, Democrats blocked the bill from advancing because of the amendment, leaving senators headed home for a week-long recess without anything to show for two weeks of debate. The vote was 52-43 to advance the bill, falling short of the 60 votes needed. — Erin Kelly
3 LINKED TO SHOOTINGS IN SAN BERNARDINO ARRESTED
Three people linked to the couple whose December shooting rampage in San Bernardino left 14 people dead were arrested Thursday on conspiracy, marriage fraud and other charges.
The three include Syed Raheel Farook, brother of Syed Rizwan Farook who with his wife, Tashfeen Malik, also wounded 22 people before both died in a police shootout.
Raheel Farook, 31, his wife, Tatiana Farook, 31, and her sister Mariya Chernykh were named in a five-count indictment describing a scheme designed to allow Chernykh to remain in the U.S. Chernykh, 26, is married to Enrique Marquez Jr., who has been awaiting trial since December on charges of conspiring with Rizwan Farook in 2011 and 2012 to provide material support to terrorists. — John Bacon