Yemen Judge Orders Arrest of Qaeda-Linked Cleric - New York Times

BEIRUT, Lebanon — A Yemeni judge on Saturday ordered the “forcible arrest” of Anwar al-Awlaki, the American-born cleric who is believed to play an important role in the regional branch of Al Qaeda.

Anwar al-Awlaki

Mr. Awlaki, who is thought to be hiding among fellow tribesmen in Yemen’s remote Shabwa Province, failed to appear Tuesday at a trial where he was accused of killing a foreigner. It is rare for a Yemeni judge to order the arrest of a defendant so soon after his failure to appear.

Yemen has been under increased American pressure to act decisively against Al Qaeda since powerful explosives were discovered Oct. 29 in two separate packages being sent by air cargo to the United States. On Friday, Al Qaeda’s regional branch, known as Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, claimed responsibility for the plot in an Internet posting, confirming what American officials had suspected since the plot was discovered.

The United States took the unusual step this year of authorizing the killing of Mr. Awlaki, an American citizen. Mr. Awlaki, whose eloquent sermons on Islam have long been available on tapes and on the Internet, has been the subject of intense American scrutiny since he was linked to Maj. Nidal Malik Hassan, the Army psychiatrist accused of killing 13 people in Fort Hood, Tex., last year, and to Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, the Nigerian charged with trying to blow up a Detroit-bound jetliner last Dec. 25.

Mr. Awlaki has called for violent jihad against the West. He is thought to play primarily an inspirational role in Al Qaeda, and it is not yet clear whether he had anything to do with the air freight plot.

On Tuesday, Mr. Awlaki was charged in absentia as a co-defendant at the trial of another man, Hisham Assem, who is accused of killing a Frenchman at an oil compound in September. Mr. Assem has denied those charges. Prosecutors have said Mr. Assem was in contact with Mr. Awlaki.

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Balance of power still in WA Dems favor - Seattle Times

OLYMPIA, Wash. —

Voters overwhelmingly rebuked taxes passed by Washington state's large Democratic majorities in the Legislature. But while they may have been unhappy with the job Democrats did earlier this year, they appear to be letting them retain control of state government.

Republicans made gains in both the state House and Senate in this week's election, won an open U.S. House seat and were optimistic of their chances in a too-close-to-call race in another.

While they're not expected to take the majority in the Legislature as they did in 1994, Republicans have cut into Democrats' comfortable margins and ran competitive races in other districts. And voters sent a clear anti-tax statement, rolling back increased snack taxes, rejecting a $2 billion income tax on the rich and making it harder for the Legislature to raise taxes in the future.

"They're going to return Democratic majorities to the Legislature, but they clipped their wings with respect to the budget process," Democratic strategist Christian Sinderman said.

State Republican Party Chairman Luke Esser said the passage of Initiative 1053 - which requires a higher bar for legislative votes to raise taxes - plus the addition of more Republican lawmakers "is like a belt and suspenders."

"Voters said 'I'm taxed enough already,'" Esser said. "Hopefully that will chasten many of the Democrats who do remain."

All 98 state House seats and 25 of 49 Senate seats were on the ballot this fall. Many positions were considered safe for either party, leaving intense battles over a relatively small slice to decide which side controls the Legislature.

The GOP steadily lost ground during the last decade, finally giving up its one-seat control of the state Senate in 2004. Before Tuesday's election, Democrats controlled the House with a 61-37 margin and the Senate with a 31-18 majority. As of this weekend, Republicans had moved their margin up to more than 40 seats in the House with a handful of races still too close to call. In the Senate, Republicans appeared to have gained at least four additional seats, with additional close races showing Democrats holding on to three seats needed for the GOP to take the majority.

Washington Democrats' key victory this week was in the competitive U.S. Senate race with the re-election of Sen. Patty Murray over Republican Dino Rossi. Her victory preserves a small cushion for Democrats in the Senate. Republicans made inroads there Tuesday, handing Democrats a slimmed-down majority, and took control of the House.

Republican Jaime Herrera's victory Tuesday night in the open 3rd District in southwestern Washington was part of the Republican wave in the U.S. House. Herrera became the first Republican to represent the district in a dozen years and her win narrowed the state's Democratic majority in the House delegation to 5-4.

Republicans also were closely watching the state's northern 2nd Congressional Democratic incumbent, where Democratic U.S. Rep. Rick Larsen held a slim lead over Republican challenger John Koster.

Larsen won his last re-election bid in 2008 with 62 percent of the vote.

If Koster ultimately overtakes Larsen, it would be the first time Washington's House delegation had a Republican majority since the late 1990s.

Republican consultant Chris Vance points to gains in the Legislature, the Herrera win and the closeness of the Larsen race as proof that Washington state benefited from a nationwide trend in favor of Republicans.

"Did a wave hit here, yes. Was it a massive tidal wave like hit the U.S. House, obviously not," Vance said. "I think now we're returning back to what we used to be, which is a very, very competitive state that can go either way."

State Sen. Ed Murray, D-Seattle, also saw a clear message. Murray, who is co-chairman of the Senate Democratic Campaign Committee, said the election shows Republicans are too conservative for many suburban voters, particularly on social issues. But he also faults Democrats for not making the case for changes in the state's tax structure.

"One of the lessons here, post-Obama's election, is this is still the age of Reagan," Murray said, noting that Republicans have been able to make the argument for smaller government and low taxes "on their terms."

"We have not been able to articulate a vision that voters understand," he said.

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AP writer Curt Woodward contributed to this report.

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Hayes' Jury Begins Deliberations - Hartford Courant

The jury deciding whether to sentence Steven Hayes to death ended deliberations today without a decision. The jury will resume deliberations on Sunday.

Hayes was convicted of murder in the death of three members of the Petit family during a 2007 home invasion in Cheshire.

It had been decades since a Superior Court jury deliberated on a weekend, but with just one alternate left and the high-stakes nature of the widely publicized trial, jurors went back to work today.

The jury of five men and seven women first told Judge Jon C. Blue that they would work through lunch today but then indicated that they would take a lunch break. They reported to Blue at about 4:15 p.m. that they wanted to return to deliberations tomorrow.

Cindy Hawke-Renn, the sister of Jennifer Hawke-Petit, who was killed along with her daughters, told reporters outside the court that the time it will take to decide on a sentence, "has to be the jury's choice, not mine."

Jurors went into the deliberation room at 9:31a.m. today and deliberated for about 90 minutes before sending a note asking to rehear a portion of Prosecutor Michael Dearington's cross-examination of defense expert witness Dr. Eric Goldsmith.

Goldsmith interviewed Hayes over several hours. He testified that Hayes told him that Hayes' accomplice, Joshua Komisarjevsky, told Hayes he had killed the Petit family after Hayes had returned from the bank with Hawke-Petit. The expert said Hayes became enraged and as a result, raped and strangled Hawke-Petit.

The expert said that this extreme emotional reaction was the type that a jury considering the death penalty could view as a mitigating factor.

Before the jury began deliberations, Blue acknowledged the unusual Saturday proceedings. The only business at the Church Street courthouse today is the Hayes trial.

Court staff and judicial marshals were brought in for duty.

"I just want to thank everyone for their extraordinary professionalism to be willing to come to court on this Saturday."

Blue told jurors the court would adapt to their schedule and said they controlled today's clock.

"If you want to work deep into the night, we are here," Blue said.

Two notes jurors sent Friday with hypothetical vote counts on charges suggest they are divided on mitigating factors in the case, which could result in Hayes' being spared the death penalty for the killings of Jennifer Hawke-Petit and her daughters, Hayley and Michaela.

Hayes was convicted Oct. 5 of breaking into the Petits' home in the middle of the night on July 23, 2007, beating Dr. William Petit Jr. and tying up the family while he and an accomplice robbed the family's Cheshire home. At one point, Hayes forced Hawke-Petit to drive to a bank to withdraw money.

When they returned to the home, Hayes raped and strangled Hawke-Petit. The house was doused with gasoline and set on fire. Hayley, 17, died of smoke inhalation. Michaela, 11, suffered the same cause of death and was also sexually assaulted by Hayes' accomplice, Joshua Komisarjevsky, according to trial testimony.

Petit was the only family member to survive the attack and arson.

Komisarjevsky, 30, of Cheshire, will go to trial next year. He also faces execution if convicted.

Six of the 16 counts Hayes was found guilty of are capital felonies, making Hayes, 47, of Winsted, eligible for death by lethal injection.

Blue began Friday's juror discussions at 10:19 a.m., telling the panel, "With much thanks and appreciation, we will let you go to work." The jury then went to the deliberation room while members of the victims' family and news reporters waited in the courtroom. The mood in the gallery was mostly light, and the talkative crowd was quieted often by judicial marshals and the judge, who stepped out from his chambers from time to time.

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