OFFICIAL RIPS HOUSE PANEL ON BENGHAZI
washington» A senior Pentagon official criticized the House Republican-led investigation into the deadly attacks in Benghazi, Libya, saying the panel has made a “crescendo” of costly, duplicative and unnecessary requests, including some based on claims made on Facebook or talk radio.
Stephen C. Hedger, an assistant secretary of defense, expressed frustration with the Benghazi panel’s potentially futile calls for witnesses and information, including some that were later withdrawn. Hedger also challenged a line of questioning of current and former military officials that focused on hypotheticals suggested by committee members or staff.
China rejects U.S. carrier visit B
washington» China recently denied a request from a U.S. aircraft carrier for a port visit in Hong Kong, the State Department said Friday, in an apparent sign of mounting tension in the disputed South China Sea.
Defense Secretary Ash Carter and his Philippine counterpart visited the carrier, USS John C. Stennis, in those waters two weeks ago, a move that irked Beijing.
Gabrielle Price, spokeswoman, said the U.S. has a long record of port visits to Hong Kong, including a current visit by the USS Blue Ridge, and it expects that will continue.
Eight children rescued from Texas home B
san antonio» Authorities have rescued eight unsupervised children from a San Antonio home where a 2-year-old boy was chained to the ground in the backyard and a 3-yearold girl was tied to a door with a dog leash.
Deputies arrived at the home after receiving a call just before midnight Thursday about a child crying for a long time, Bexar County Sheriff ’s Office spokesman James Keith said. The deputies didn’t get a response when they knocked on the front door, and when they looked in the backyard, they discovered the two restrained children.
Obama action targets “smart guns” B
washington» President Barack Obama announced new steps Friday to help curb gun violence, including by identifying the requirements that “smart guns” would have to meet for law enforcement agencies to buy and use them as well as sharing mental health records with the federal background check system.
Smart guns use various technologies to prevent an accidental shooting or help track down a missing gun.
“These common-sense steps are not going to prevent every tragedy, but what if they prevented even one?” Obama wrote in a Facebook post. “We should be doing everything we can to save lives and spare families the pain and unimaginable loss too many Americans have endured.”
As Obama unveiled a plan in January to expand federal background checks for gun purchases, he directed the departments of Defense, Homeland Security and Justice to conduct research into smart-gun technology. Obama also instructed the agencies to regularly review the availability of such technology and to promote its use.