Sitenet Info News - newsxyrm.blogspot.com: 05/16/12

FBI investigates media leaks in Yemen underwear bomb plot

FBI director Robert S. Mueller III today disclosed that the FBI is investigating leaks to the news media about the recently disrupted plot by Al Qaeda's Yemen affiliate to smuggle a bomb designed to be concealed in underwear onto a U.S. bound jet. The plans...

Article from YAHOO NEWS

Robert F. Kennedy Jr.\'s estranged wife found dead

An attorney says Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s estranged wife has been found dead in New York.

Kerry Lawrence says Mary Kennedy died on Wednesday. He says he doesn't know the cause of her death.

Police confirm a body was found on Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s property in Bedford, north of New York City.

Lawrence had represented Mary Kennedy in a drunken-driving case.

Robert Kennedy Jr. is a prominent environmental lawyer. He's the son of Sen. Robert F. Kennedy and nephew of President John F. Kennedy, both assassinated in the 1960s. Mary Kennedy was his second wife. They had four children.

Article from FOXNEWS

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President Obama tops Republican Mitt Romney in a head-to-head matchup, according to the latest Fox News poll, which finds American voters feeling more positive about the economy.

Obama would have an advantage of 46 percent to 39 percent over Romney, if the election were held today. Three weeks ago the candidates were tied at 46 percent each.

The national poll, released Wednesday, shows the president's lead is just outside the poll's margin of sampling error.

Click for the full poll results

About a third of voters say they are â€œextremelyâ€ interested in the election. Among just that group, Romney tops Obama by 50 percent to 44 percent.

Overall, each candidate's party support is strong: Most Democrats back Obama (88 percent) and most Republicans support Romney (84 percent).

Among independents, 34 percent back Romney, 29 percent support Obama and more than a third are undecided or say they won't vote (36 percent). Last month, independents broke for Romney by 46 percent to 33 percent.

The gender gap is alive and well, as women continue to be more likely to back Obama (55 percent to 33 percent), while men are more inclined to support Romney (46 to 37 percent).

In general, a 60-percent majority is satisfied with their candidate choices. One voter in three disagrees and thinks â€œnone of the aboveâ€ should be an option on the November ballot.

Obama voters (74 percent) are much more likely than Romney voters (59 percent) to say they are satisfied with the candidate choices.

Each candidate's backers were asked to say in their own words the main reason they were supporting him. For Obama, the top responses are, he's doing a good job (25 percent), his issue positions (13 percent) and he's a Democrat (11 percent).

Another 11 percent say, â€œhe's not Romney.â€ Nearly four times as many Romney backers say â€œhe's not Obamaâ€ is their top reason (43 percent).

Others are supporting Romney because he's a Republican (14 percent), his issue positions (10 percent) and the economy (8 percent).

Romney supporters are as likely to cite his business background as the issue of same-sex marriage as the main reason for their vote (5 percent each).

Currently 49 percent of voters approve and 47 percent disapprove of Obama's job performance. That's up from 45 percent approval and 51 percent disapproval three weeks ago. In addition, this is his highest approval rating since May 2011, after the raid that killed Usama bin Laden, when some 55 percent approved and 41 percent disapproved.

To Obama's advantage, voters feel the economy is improving. The number saying the economy is in â€œpoorâ€ condition has dropped 14 percentage points from a year ago. And while few voters, 11 percent, rate the economy positively -- that's the highest number since April 2009.

Meanwhile, even though more voters continue to say the economy is in worse shape today compared to four years ago, the number saying it's in better shape is up 11 points (from 17 percent last May to 28 percent today).

The same shift is seen when voters are asked about jobs. Compared to four years ago, 24 percent think the job situation in their area is better today, 41 percent say worse and 32 percent say it's unchanged. A year ago, 13 percent said the job situation was better, 57 percent said worse and 29 percent unchanged (May 2011).

On their family's financial situation, voters are more likely to say they are worse off as opposed to better off today compared to four years ago by an 8-percentage-point margin (23 percent better, 31 percent worse). That's down from a 17-point margin last year (19 percent better, 36 percent worse).

Obama's best marks are on his handling of Afghanistan: 53 percent approve. His lowest approval is 36 percent for handling the federal deficit. Forty-three percent approve of the job Obama's doing on the economy, up from 39 percent a year ago.

What's the â€œbest thingâ€ Obama has done to help the economy? Fifteen percent say he slowed or stopped job loss and the recession, 8 percent cite loans to the auto industry and 7 percent point to the stimulus. The most common response was Obama did â€œnothingâ€ to help (43 percent).

By a 13-percentage-point margin, voters would pick Romney over Obama to manage their personal money (47 percent to 34 percent). The former governor also comes out on top as the better business partner (48 to 39 percent). Voters think Romney would do a better job creating jobs by a slim 2-point margin (43 to 41 percent).

If hiring a life coach, Obama is the preferred choice by a wide margin, 47 percent to 33 percent. In addition, voters prefer Obama to pick the next Supreme Court justice (46 to 38 percent).

Would Romney have made the same decision Obama made to get Al Qaeda leader Usama bin Laden? By a wide margin of 62 to 24 percent, voters say yes, if Romney were president a year ago, he would have given the order to get bin Laden.

Finally, if Obama were re-elected, 45 percent of voters say they would feel the â€œcountry's improvingâ€ and would â€œlook forwardâ€ to another four years, while a roughly equal number (43 percent) say they would feel the country is â€œgoing down the drainâ€ and would â€œdreadâ€ a second Obama term.

The Fox News poll is based on landline and cell phone interviews with 913 randomly-chosen registered voters nationwide and is conducted under the joint direction of Anderson Robbins Research (D) and Shaw & Company Research (R) from May 13 to May 15. For the total sample, it has a margin of sampling error of plus or minus three percentage points.

Article from FOXNEWS

Kucinich opts out of Wash. state race, will retire

Ohio Rep. Dennis Kucinich announced Wednesday he has decided against running for Congress in Washington state, where activists had urged him to launch a campaign. In a statement, Kucinich signaled the end of his 16-year congressional career: Because of my love of public service, I have given a great deal of time and much thought [...]

Article from YAHOO NEWS

2 Navy ships collide off Southern California\'s coast

SAN DIEGO â€" Â The U.S. Navy says an amphibious assault ship and a replenishment tanker collided in the Pacific Ocean but there were no injuries and no fuel spills.

A Third Fleet public affairs statement says the collision between the assault ship USS Essex and the oiler USNS Yukon occurred at midmorning Wednesday approximately 120 miles off Southern California.

The Navy says an apparent steering malfunction occurred as Essex approached the Yukon for replenishment while under way.

Neither ships' fuel tanks or systems were compromised, but the Navy says a full assessment of any damage is continuing.

The Essex is due to return to San Diego on Thursday after 12 years based in Sasebo, Japan.

Article from FOXNEWS

Jury convicts Steve Powell of voyeurism charges

TACOMA, Wash. â€" Â A jury has convicted Steve Powell of voyeurism charges that stemmed from an investigation into his missing daughter-in-law.

Jurors returned their verdict Wednesday, finding him guilty on all 14 counts.

Powell looked off into a corner of the courtroom as the verdict was read. Anne Bremner, an attorney who represents Susan Powell's family, smiled.

Authorities brought the voyeurism charges last year after searching Steve Powell's home during their investigation into the disappearance of Susan Powell of Utah. Prosecutors claim images used as a basis for the charges were found on a disc in his bedroom.

Prosecutors have said Susan Powell was the subject of many of Steve Powell's photos, but those images were not part of the case. Instead, prosecutors focused on images of two young girls who lived next door to Steve Powell.

Susan Powell's family believes Steve Powell has information on her disappearance, and authorities say he has been uncooperative in the investigation. Susan Powell's husband, Josh, killed himself and the couple's two young children earlier this year.

During closing arguments Tuesday, Pierce County prosecutor Grant Blinn methodically showed photos of the young girls to the jury while saying that Powell captured the images from his bedroom window.

"He was sitting there, lurking in the shadows, leering at the girls," Blinn said.

Authorities say the files show the young girls in a bathroom as they bathed and used the toilet. The girls, identified in court only by their initials,urking in the shadows, leering at the girls," Blinn said.

Authorities say the files show the young girls in a bathroom as they bathed and used the toilet.

The girls, identified in court only by their initials, were about 8 and 10 when the images were captured. They testified they had no idea someone had taken photos of them in the bathroom.

Defense attorney Travis Currie argued there were too many uncertainties in the evidence to convict.

He questioned whether Steve Powell was the one who actually captured the images, noting others lived in the home. He also wondered whether the images were used for sexual gratification.

"There are people who are nosy, who like to spy on their neighbors," Currie said.

When talking about the burden of "reasonable doubt," Currie reached as high as he could into the air, towering over the jury to emphasize how high of a bar that standard is.