Clem’s Chronicles: Terror Threat/Don’t Ask/Toyota/Commuter Plane Crash

Clem Lane here with tonight's editorial note-lots of news today.

TERROR ATTEMPT ON U.S. HOMELAND IN NEXT 3-6 MONTHS? “THE PRIORITY IS CERTAIN”-A frank but maybe not surprising admission from the nation’s intelligence chiefs this afternoon. Jason Ryan: “The nations' top intelligence chiefs today testified that an attempted Al Qaeda attack against the United States was a high possibility in the next 3 to 6 months. ‘An attempted attack, the priority is certain, I would say.’ Dennis Blair the Director of National Intelligence told the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence. Asked by Chairman of the Committee Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) if they agreed with Blair's assessment, CIA Director Leon Panetta said, ‘I would agree with that,’ FBI Director Robert S. Mueller III said ‘Agreed.’ The heads of the Defense Intelligence Agency and the State Department's Bureau of Intelligence and Research also concurred with the stark assessment.”
Reasons for such dire predictions? Ryan again: “The DNI and the CIA Director said that it is becoming more difficult to identify the threat posed by an evolving Al Qaeda threat which has become more reliant on its regional terror networks to conduct attacks. ‘We have made the complex, multiple-team attacks very difficult for al Qaeda to pull off. As we saw with the recent successful and attempted terrorist attacks however, identifying individual terrorists, small groups with short histories using simple attack methods is a new degree of difficulty.’ Blair said before the Intelligence committee, ‘We did not identify Mr. Abdulmutallab before he boarded Northwest Flight 253 on Christmas Day. We should have.’ CIA Director Panetta said, ‘My greatest concern and what keeps me awake at night is that al Qaeda and its terrorist allies and affiliates could very well attack the United States in our homeland…the biggest threat I see is not so much that we face another attack similar to 9/11. I think the greater threat is that al Qaeda is adapting their methods in ways that oftentimes make it difficult to detect..’ 
Describing the threat posed by Al Qaeda Panetta said, ‘they are moving to other safe havens and to other regional nodes in places like Yemen and Somalia, the Maghreb [North Africa] and others.’ Panetta warned that he is becoming increasing concerned about threats from ‘Lone Wolf’ terrorists who act on their own without any central planning from an established terror network such as Al Qaeda.” For news on Mr. Adbulmutallab, please see the next entry.

CHRISTMAS DAY TERROR SUSPECT COOPERATING-We also learned at today’s Senate Intelligence hearing that Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, the Christmas Day terrorism suspect accused of trying to use a bomb hidden in his underwear, is now cooperating with U.S. authorities. Pierre Thomas reports the “suspect began talking last week and has continued to do so.” Thomas adds that the Nigerian man’s family “was critical in convincing him to cooperate.” Thomas: “FBI agents went to Nigeria and identified influential family members of Abdulmutallab who disagreed with what he did and then brought them back to the U.S. to talk with him. It apparently worked .” As for information gleaned from the suspect, Thomas says Abdulmutallab is “providing information about his al-Qaeda handlers in Yemen and others who were training with him.”

“DON’T ASK, DON’T TELL” ON THE HILL-Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Joint Chiefs Chairman Admiral Mike Mullen, the nation’s top defense officials, appeared before a Senate Committee today to discuss the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy.Martha Raddatz, who monitored the hearing, told us on WORLD NEWS that “what we heard from the military today is truly historic”. Raddatz continues: “It was the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the highest ranking military officer in the nation, who said today what no one in his position has ever said before.” Admiral Mike Mullen: “It is my personal belief that allowing gays and lesbians to serve openly would be the right thing to do. I cannot escape being troubled by the fact that we have in place a policy which forces young men and women to lie about who they are in order to defend their fellow citizens.” Mullen’s statement didn’t sit well with Republican senators on the committee-Alabama Republican Jeff Sessions reminding Mullen “Congress has made the decision, it’s not yours to make and we’ll have to change it if we do change it.” Raddatz says that “Defense Secretary Robert Gates also supports repealing ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ but wants at least a year to review several issues, including benefits for gay partners, base housing and morale.” Another less heralded military officer also attended the hearing-a Lt. Dan Choi. Raddatz relays his story: “Lt. Dan Choi is a West Point graduate, an Iraq veteran, and one of the few Arabic speakers in the military. Like thousands of others, he now faces dismissal from the Army for saying publicly that he is gay.” Choi explained his public stance to the Senators assembled-“I was living in the closet. Then I realized, no this is really a violation of the Honor Code, which on the first day at West Point we learned ‘you will not lie or tolerate those who lie’ and I believe in that honor code.” In her close, Raddatz relayed a conversation that ABC NEWS had with him where Choi said “If you’re actually thinking about national security first, and you’re saying that it’s okay to fire Arabic speakers because somebody’s uncomfortable with gays, then I think you have your priorities in the wrong place.”

COLGAN AIR INVESTIGATION:  The National Transportation Safety Board said today pilot error and distraction were the likely causes of last year’s deadly Colgan Air crash that killed 50 people. “There’s little question this tragic accident was caused by pilot error, but as the NTSB made clear today – the safety issues it raised are so much broader, and have not been fixed,” Lisa Stark reported on WORLD NEWS.  “The first issue – pilot training.  Are pilots getting enough training to handle emergencies?  The government wants more…but as of today, not a single new requirement.”  The question about pilot fatigue was also raised again – first officer on the flight, Rebecca Shaw, had virtually no rest before the Colgan flight, having just flown in from the West Coast.  Bret Hovell reports the “Board voted against calling [fatigue] a probable cause of the accident, but will likely suggest that the FAA investigate.  The staff of the board is currently presenting 23 recommendations to the FAA.”  In response to the NTSB, the FAA announced this evening that it would “soon publish proposed federal rules to prevent pilot fatigue and further improve training. Airline passengers deserve an expertly trained and well rested crew, whether they are flying on a major or a regional jet. Pilots must be trained for the mission they are flying and the FAA already is working to further improve their professional qualifications.” (thanks to Marisa Bramwell for this entry)

JANUARY AUTO SALES/FORD UP WHILE TOYOTA SALES SUFFER-January auto sales were released today and the numbers were good. Overall sales up over 6% compared to January last year. Two caveats from Dan Arnall-jan 09 sales were at a 26-year-low and some of the sales growth may be due to corporate and rental car bulk sales but “even so, the increase is being attributed to a more sound economic footing and slightly improved consumer sentiment.” Toyota’s well-known troubles led to a loss in sales, and one of the major beneficiaries was Ford.Chris Bury: “In January, customers-so scarce last year-came roaring back, buying nearly 25% more Fords, led by a surge in smaller cars. Toyota’s total sales drove off a cliff, down 16%.” Toyota’s former customers, Bury tells us, “looking hardest at Honda and Ford”. Also helping Ford was good product reviews and favorable publicity-Bury tells us “models like the Fusion-North American ‘car of the year’ combined with “good will-as the only U.S. automaker not to take billions in government bailouts.” Ford’s success-Bury tells us it’s “gaining market share on its rivals for the first time in fifteen years”-may have more to thank Toyota for than just its’ sales stoppages. Bury:”The irony is CEO Alan Mullaly has strived to make Ford more like Toyota in moving quickly to build cars consumers want.”

TOYOTA/PROBLEMS SORTED?-Yesterday Toyota apologized to its customers and said a small piece of metal, or shim, will fix the gas pedal problem. Repairs will take about a half-hour and will start in a matter of days, the company said. Toyota also said it would restart on Feb. 8 production of the eight models including its popular Camry, Corolla and Rav4 models after an unprecedented one-week shutdown at six plants in the United States and Canada. Problems over? Maybe not. Brian Ross told us tonight on WORLD NEWS “it seems a lot of people, in Congress and on the road, still don’t buy Toyota’s claim the problem is completely fixed.” One of those people is Steve Wozniak, “the Apple co-founder who thinks there is a software problem with his Toyota, as we learned when we caught up with him driving to Los Angeles on the freeway.” Ross continues: “Steve Wozniak says his 2010 Prius has been taking off on him when he uses cruise control, up to almost 100 miles an hour, with his foot off the gas pedal and floor mats not an issue.” Wozniak has tried to pass along his concerns-Ross:”Wozniak says he could not get through to Toyota or federal safety officials when he tried to alert them to the problem, so now he went public today”. Adding to the company’s woes, Ross tells us in his close, questions from an influential House member. Ross: “The chairman of the House Commerce committee, Henry Waxman, raised his own issues about Toyota today saying that Toyota executives in private told his staff they don't really know the cause of the high speed runaway cars—that it could be electronic—while in public the president of Toyota USA has said it's only floor mats and gas pedals. Congress is demanding Toyota clarify and come clean about what it knows.”

HAITI/DETAINED AMERICANS:  Some of the American missionaries jailed in Haiti  went before a judge today to explain why they tried to cross into the Dominican Republic last week with a busload of children.  The women in the group were questioned for several hours, as the Haitian authorities try to determine whether to file charges.  The missionaries say they were just trying to help earthquake victims.  But the Haitian government says the group was not authorized to do what they did.  David Wright has been looking into the case:  “Days before the border guards took custody of the 33 tired and frightened children… people told the Baptist missionaries what they were doing was wrong.”  David reports the group was flatly warned that their plan to bring Haitian kids out of the country might be regarded as child trafficking.  As the group approached orphanage after orphanage with their plan,  the answer was the same – absolutely not.  But as the Americans ventured further away from the capital city, they found a number of families who were eager for their help.  Our Jesus Ayala explains: : “Today we visited Callebesse, a tiny village high up in the mountains about 2hrs from Port Au Prince. Here we met several families who collectively insisted that the American missionaries did not kidnap their children. They willingly signed consent forms and handed off their kids to the Americans. They told us 21 of the 33 children in custody are from Callebesse.  Apparently, a group of American missionaries (they estimate 6 or 8) came last Tuesday with a signup sheet and flyer for a children's school/camp. They took down names and told the families they would be back with a bus on Thursday to pick up the children. They say they understood that the children would be living with other children in the Dominican Republic, but they say there was no discussion about them going to an orphanage and were told they could visit the children anytime they wanted to. The missionaries, they say, even offered to help get visas to visit.  A mother who gave up her only daughter said some kids cried, but most of the kids left willingly– many traumatized by the quake and its aftermath. Each child was given a "care bag" with clothes, food and toys. One father was visibly upset that the children are in custody now. "They should have just left them go to the Dominican Republic," he told us.””  Tomorrow the rest of the missionaries will be brought before the judge for questioning.  In the meantime, the group remains behind bars, hoping they will soon be allowed to return home to the United States. (thanks to Ed Bailey for this entry) 

A.I.G. DISHING OUT BONUSES WHILE RECOUPING SOME MONIES FROM LAST YEAR-From Matt Jaffe: “Bailout recipient AIG is set to hand out around $100 million in bonuses on Wednesday, nearly one year after the insurance giant incited a public furor when they dished out $165 million in controversial retention payments.
The upcoming bonus payments will go to employees at AIG’s Financial Products division (FP), the unit that brought the company to the brink of failure with risky deals years ago and led to the government’s record $182 billion bailout. But this year’s payments have been reduced after the employees made concessions to help AIG fulfill oral pledges made to the government to return some of last year’s bonuses.”

IRAN/U.S. HIKERS-From Kirit Radia: “Iranian President Ahmadinejad said today that Iran was interested in swapping the 3 US hikers for Iranians who are in US prisons. He suggested also that talks are already underway on the matter. The State Dept says in a paper statement that if Ahmadinejad’s comments today mean he’s willing to finally grant access to the Americans, then ‘we would welcome that step.’ The statement does not address the suggestion of a swap directly. The US has requested access to the Americans through the Swiss, who represent the US in Tehran since there’s no US embassy there, but there has so far been no access to them.”  Jake Tapper got the following comment from NSC spokesman Mike Hammer: “If President Ahmadinejad’s comments suggest that they are prepared to resolve these cases, we would welcome that step.  But we have not entered into any discussion with Iran about an exchange. As we have indicated publicly, if Iran has questions about its citizens in U.S. custody, we are prepared to answer them.”

OSCAR NOMINATIONS:  “Avatar” and “Hurt Locker” are big winners today – both films, directed by ex-spouses James Cameron and Katherine Bigelow (who were also nominated) got 9 Oscar nominations each, including Best Film and Best Director nods.  “So is this battle of the exes?” John Berman asked on WORLD NEWS, “Some ‘Titanic’ struggle (yes, pun intended)…well, those looking for conflict…look elsewhere.  They get along really, really well.  Cameron even urged Bigelow to make ‘Hurt Locker.’”  Other pics that got the most nominations include “Inglourious Basterds” with 8, and “Precious” and “Up in the Air” with 6 nods each.  And in an attempt to broaden the award show’s audience, for the first time since 1943 the Academy has named 10 Best Picture nominees.  The Oscars will be held March 7. (thanks to Marisa Bramwell for this entry)
 
MICHAEL JACKSON’S DOCTOR-From Russell Goldman and Lauren Perle: “Dr. Conrad Murray, the physician who allegedly gave Michael Jackson several doses of powerful painkillers and anesthetics just before his death, will likely be charged with involuntary manslaughter late this week or next week, sources told ABCNews.com.
Murray, a Houston-based cardiologist, arrived in Los Angeles last week and his lawyer Edward Chernoff plans to join him, said spokeswoman Miranda Sevcik.
'Dr. Murray is in Los Angeles for a dual purpose — on family business and to be available for law enforcement,' Sevcik told The Associated Press. 'We're trying to be as cooperative as we can.'
Prosecutors have not officially said when or if they plan to indict Murray, but sources said the doctor will likely be indicted soon through a criminal complaint rather than by a grand jury."

OTHER STUFF-
–OKLAHOMA POWER OUTAGES CONTINUE-The storm may be long gone but the chill remains. The Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management says that nearly 71 thousand homes and businesses remain without power after last week’s snow and ice storm. They also said that it may be as long as next week before power is restored.