TRUMP TAKES EAST COAST; WINS FIVE STATES (TRUMP IS 2016 GOP NOMINEE)

@realDonaldTrump

THE EAST COAST LOVES TRUMP. HE WINS FIVE STATES:

MARYLAND, PENNSYLVANIA, CONNETICUT, DELAWARE & RHODE ISLAND.

TIME FOR TRUMP TO CHOOSE CHRIS CHRISTIE AS HIS VP PICK.

TRUMP IS 2016 GOP NOMINEE. HE'LL DEFEAT HILLARY UNLESS OBAMA USES MORE DIRTY POLITICS.

Sources: Fox News, Youtube

****** Trump completes 5-state sweep; Clinton beats Sanders in most Super Tuesday III contests

Donald Trump completed a five-state sweep in Tuesday’s Republican presidential primaries, strengthening his shot at avoiding a contested convention – while Hillary Clinton scored convincing victories but was denied the same bragging rights of a primary sweep by a surprise Bernie Sanders win in Rhode Island.

Of the two front-runners, Clinton – who won four states Tuesday – remains closer to clinching the nomination. She now has nearly 90 percent of the delegates needed to secure the party nod, even as Sanders vows to keep fighting.

On the Republican side, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and Ohio Gov. John Kasich still can potentially hold Trump under the 1,237 delegates he needs. But the billionaire businessman’s Super Tuesday III run-of-the-table reinforces his aura of invincibility going into the next round.

“I consider myself the presumptive nominee,” Trump said at Trump Tower, with ex-candidate and now-supporter New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie standing behind him. “As far as I’m concerned, it’s over.”

Trump said he has no plans to change his approach right now.

In their victory speeches, both Trump and Clinton clearly were looking ahead to a general election contest each expects will involve the other.

“We will beat Hillary so easily,” Trump said, nicknaming the Democratic front-runner “crooked Hillary” and declaring “the only card she has is the woman’s card.” He continued to taunt his GOP rivals, blasting their alleged “collusion” and asking of Kasich: “Why is he here?”

Clinton likewise kept her remarks Tuesday focused on a general election audience, vowing to “unify our party,” drawing sharp contrasts with Republicans, and taking on Trump.

“The other day, Mr. Trump accused me of playing the quote woman card,” she said in Philadelphia, which hosts the Democratic convention. “Well, if fighting for women’s health care and paid family leave and equal pay is playing the woman card, then deal me in.” 

When the dust settled on Tuesday’s contests, Trump was declared the winner in Maryland, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Delaware and Rhode Island, on the heels of his victory in New York state a week ago. His dominant showing in the Northeast gives him significant momentum heading into next week’s primary in Indiana. And he’s on track to win over 50 percent of the vote in Tuesday’s contests, a feat he has only achieved once before, in New York.

Meanwhile, Kasich was shaping up as the second pick of Northeast Republicans so far, projected to place second in Connecticut, Rhode Island, Maryland and Delaware – leaving Cruz to finish third.

Clinton, meanwhile, was the projected winner in Connecticut, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Delaware – while Sanders won Rhode Island.

Overall, Democrats were competing for 384 delegates in Tuesday's contests, while Republicans had 118 up for grabs (not counting 54 unbound delegates in Pennsylvania). 

With his five victories Tuesday, Trump will win at least 105 of the 118 delegates. And he has a chance to win a lot more. In Pennsylvania, Trump collected 17 delegates for winning the state. An additional 54 are elected directly by voters -- three in each congressional district. However, their names are listed on the ballot with no information about which presidential candidate they support.

Trump suggested they have a “moral obligation” to back him, though Cruz had worked hard to get allies elected in that group. 

Primary front-runners Clinton and Trump both were looking to Tuesday’s contests to bring them closer to clinching the respective nominations, or at least dispiriting the remaining competition. 

As of early Wednesday, Clinton had 2,141 delegates to Sanders’ 1,321; it takes 2,383 to win. The total includes so-called “superdelegates” who are not bound to primary results. On the GOP side, Trump had 950 delegates, followed by Cruz at 560 and Kasich at 153.

But on the GOP side, an energized Cruz held out hope that he and Kasich can still hold Trump back from the nomination. Speaking to supporters in Indiana, Cruz claimed the campaign was moving “to more favorable terrain” while calling Trump the media’s “chosen” candidate.

"Donald and Hillary, they are flip-sides of the same coin,” Cruz said. 

Kasich’s campaign also vowed to keep going, appealing for donations online and declaring on Twitter: “John Kasich will continue making his supporters proud.”

Whether Cruz and Kasich can prevent Trump from clinching the nomination remains to be seen. Both were also on defense after teaming up to try and hold Trump under that magic number. Kasich agreed to stand aside in Indiana to help Cruz, while Cruz agreed to stand aside in Oregon and New Mexico to help Kasich.

As Trump accused the two of “collusion,” Cruz countered in a radio interview that what they’re doing is “actually coalition-building.”

Still, Kasich appeared Monday to undercut their arrangement by urging voters in Indiana to support him anyway. And the campaign stumbled on a procedural issue in Oregon, missing the March deadline to submit information for a voter pamphlet the state distributes ahead of the May primary.

Kasich spokesman Chris Schrimpf stressed that Kasich nevertheless is on the ballot in Oregon.

Cruz’s best chances to undercut Trump might be in Indiana, which votes next week, and California, which votes in June.

House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., cast doubt Tuesday on whether a Cruz-Kasich alliance would do much good in his home state. Asked about their partnership, McCarthy told reporters he’s “not convinced” it will help in California.

On the Democratic side, Sanders also vowed Tuesday nightto keep fighting, casting himself as the candidate best-positioned to take on Trump or any Republican rival.

“This campaign is doing as well as it is with the extraordinary energy and enthusiasm we are generating across the country,” Sanders told a crowd in West Virginia, which votes May 10.

ISIL CAN'T STEAL AMERICA'S CHRISTMAS; GOD BLESS AMERICA

ISIL CAN'T STEAL AMERICA'S CHRISTMAS

PLANNED TERRORIST ATTACKS RIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS.

For six years, the Radical Islamist Terrorist group ISIL, has intentionally planned Mass Shooting Attacks on American soil.

Most of these events have occurred during the Christmas holiday season.

Is it a coincidence these Terrorist attacks usually occur at Christmas time or is ISIL succeeding at distracting American citizens from celebrating the birth of JESUS CHRIST via planned Terrorist attacks?



~ Christmas In New York City 2015: ISIS Terror Threat Coincides With Rockefeller Tree Lighting, Holiday Markets, High Tourist Season

When the militants -- also known as ISIS or ISIL -- released a video Wednesday making threats against New York City, it included old footage of Times Square that had appeared in a propaganda message released in April. The New York City Police Department determined there was no credible or specific threat against the city, Police Commissioner Bill Bratton said Wednesday, but he still deployed members of a new anti-terrorism squad as an extra precaution.

"The people of New York City will not be intimidated," New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said late Wednesday. "We understand it is the goal of terrorists to intimidate and disrupt our democratic society. We will not submit to their wishes."

New York is wrapped in holiday cheer every December, as parents and children flock to ice skate in Bryant Park, shoppers stroll along Fifth Avenue to take in store windows dressed up for the holidays, and the Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center glitters, drawing visitors and locals from around the city. The smells of roasting chestnuts fill sidewalks and churches perform traditional carols.

Tourists at Times Square and Penn Station on Thursday said they had noticed an increase in police officers at big tourist locations, and most said the increased presence made them feel safe. Lewis Moynan, a 22-year-old from England who was finishing up a trip to New York on Thursday, said he was not worried about traveling this week.

“It’s probably one of the safest times you can travel, really, with all the security,” he said. “You can see all the police presence all around the city. ... It makes you feel safer.”

After working as a soccer coach in California for several months, Moynan’s visa was nearing expiration, so he wanted to stop in New York to see the sights before heading to visit family in Maryland. While in the city, he made time to see the Empire State Building, Times Square, the Brooklyn Bridge and the World Trade Center.

“I saw this morning outside Macy’s they’ve got all the Christmas trees out and everything,” he said. “I loved it so much last year and there’s so much to do that I wanted to come back.”

Several holiday-themed events opened this week with increased police presence. The annual Union Square Holiday Market opened Thursday, and Urbanspace, the organization that runs the market, said it expects to have just as busy a holiday season as ever.

“We’re going on as usual this year, but obviously we’re cognizant of what’s going on in the world,” said Rachel Van Dolsen, a spokeswoman for Urbanspace. “The holiday market has been in New York for over 20 years, it has integrated itself into the city’s culture, it’s become an institution.”

Between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Eve, New York City expects to host about 5 million visitors, according to NYC & Company, the city’s tourism organization. Those tourists will bring in more than $3 billion, which the city’s businesses and tourist attractions rely on to sustain them throughout the rest of the year.

“Cultural institutions and theaters launch new performances and blockbuster exhibits this time of year; major parades and events also add to the city’s appeal,” Dena Libner, a spokeswoman for NYC & Company said in an email. “The strength of holiday visitation is essential for the businesses and employees sustained by visitor spending.”

Hotels, too, rely on holiday visitors for big business. While most aren't expecting a drop in visitors due to the recent terror threats, some have added their own security along with Christmas wreaths and red velvet bows in recent days.

“At all Hyatt Hotels, the safety and security of guests and associates is one of our top priorities. Out of an abundance of caution, various key properties in the U.S. have elevated their security measures,” the Hyatt Corp. said in a statement. “Additionally, the hotels are in close contact with local police and are collaborating with them in their enhanced community policing measures at these locations.”

For tourists in New York City the week before Thanksgiving, many were excited to be avoiding the holiday crowds, but did say friends or relatives had warned them about traveling so soon after the Paris attacks.

Melissa Lindsay, who had just arrived at Penn Station Thursday for a girls’ weekend with her best friend of 30 years, was excited to be in New York for the first time, despite the state of world affairs. She and her friend had come from Fredericksburg, Virginia, to see Joseph Prince, the pastor of New Creation Church in Singapore, who is currently on a world tour, and they decided to make a weekend out of their trip to New York.

“I’m so excited to see ‘The Color Purple,’ ” Lindsay, 51, said. “I’m not nervous traveling, but other people did tell me to be careful going to New York. About four people said, ‘Have fun, but be careful.’ ”

A more experienced traveler, Maria Elena Wood has tried to visit New York City every year since 1981. A journalist from Santiago, Chile, she loves the New York theater scene and exploring the city. But Wood, who is 55, wasn’t going to let terrorists ruin her time in the iconic New York City.

“I think that we [cannot] be nervous because anywhere it can happen,” Wood said. “We must continue to do our lives. I think that we have to continue living as we live because that’s the best way to fight terrorism -- not to be in terror.”

Sources: International Business Times, YouTube

Faisal Shahzad: Radical Islamist Or "Modern Boy" From Pakistan? (Profile)

Profile: Faisal Shahzad, Accused Times Square Bomber


The 30-year-old naturalized American spent much of the last decade in the United States, where has been charged on five counts of Terrorism, including attempted use of a "weapon of mass destruction" to kill people in New York.

His former neighbors in Pakistan said the son of a retired air force officer grew up in a comfortable and respected middle-class family, was privately educated and went to university with other sons of the elite in the northern city of Peshawar.

Shahzad worked as a financial analyst in Connecticut, where he lived before his house was repossessed last year because of debt problems, according to US media reports. In the 1980s, when Shahzad was a child, Peshawar was a staging post for the mujahideen, who fought against the Soviets in Afghanistan, a place frequented by Osama bin Laden and swollen by two million Afghan refugees.

But Pakistani villagers could give no clues as to why Shahzad allegedly drove a Nissan SUV crammed with a large, but malfunctioning bomb into Times Square, nor whether he acted in concert with Islamist groups.

"We were shocked, why did he do this?" said resident Aziz Khan after news spread like wildfire through Mohib Banda, about 15 miles from Peshawar, where Shahzad was brought up in a prosperous neighbourhood.




"Our village is very liberal. We fear it will be targeted now by security forces. Why have you come here, why don't you go to Peshawar?" he asked.

Peshawar is the teeming city of 2.5 million people on the threshold of Pakistan's tribal badlands, where, according to US authorities, Shahzad underwent bomb making training.

Shahzad's father, Bahar-ul Haq, a retired air vice marshal in the Pakistan Air Force, has since settled on hundreds of acres of farmland in Dera Ismail Khan, close to the tribal belt.

One man who spoke to AFP by telephone claimed he was a relative and a lawyer but none of Shahzad's close family members were immediately reachable. "It looks like some conspiracy to me," said the man, Kifayat Ali. "They have no relations with any militant group or any jihadi organisation. They don't even have any relations with a political party."

Faiz Ahmed, a farmer with a transport business on the side, echoed Mr Ali's comments. "They are very nice, simple and pious people," said Mr Ahmad, adding that Shahzad married a Pakistani girl and has two young children. He described Shahzad, who was made a US citizen last year and told US immigration he had visited his parents in Pakistan when investigators suspect he underwent militant training, as a "liberal-looking young man".

US media reports say he first went to the United States on a student visa in 1998, graduating from the University of Bridgeport with a computer science degree in 2000 and an MBA in 2005. "He was clean shaven here but I now see a change. He has grown beard in the United States," said Mr Ahmad, the 50-year-old former mayor of Mohib Banda.



"Shahzad was a modern boy... He spent most of his life with his father who had a house in Peshawar," he said, adding that Shahzad had been in the village a few months ago for a family wedding.

With nearly 10,000 residents, Mohib Banda has no religious background and has returned candidates from secular parties, including the Pakistan People's Party of the first woman premier of a Muslim country, the late Benazir Bhutto.

Now a 10-page criminal complaint accuses Shahzad of attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction, attempting to kill people through international terrorism, carrying a destructive device, transporting explosives and attempting to destroy a building. If convicted, he could be sentenced to life in prison.


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Sources: CBS News, Telegraph.co.uk, Youtube, Google Maps

Faisal Shahzad Claims He Acted Alone In Times Square Plot

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Times Square Bomb Suspect, Faisal Shahzad, Says He Acted Alone


The Connecticut man accused of plotting to blow up Times Square told investigators he is not connected to a larger terrorist organization, authorities said Tuesday.

"He's claimed to have acted alone, but these are things that have to be investigated," a law enforcement official told the Associated Press.

Officials said a disposable cell phone led to the arrest of 30-year-old Faisal Shahzad.

Law enforcement officials were able to track down Shahzad, a naturalized U.S. citizen from Pakistan, by recovering his number from the cell phone of the woman who sold him a Pathfinder SUV just weeks before Saturday night's failed bomb attempt.

"They were able to basically get one phone number and by running it through a number of databases, figure out who they thought the guy was," a senior FBI official told Politico.com.

Shahzad, of Bridgeport, Conn., was arrested at JFK Airport late Monday night aboard Emirates Flight 202 bound for Dubai.

U.S. Attorney Eric Holder said authorities are hunting for other suspect, but did not give details. A sources told the Daily News at least three other people were involved in buying the bomb materials found in the Pathfinder.

We "will not rest until we have brought everyone responsible to justice," Holder said.

Officials said Shahzad's final destination was Pakistan. He spent several months there last year with his family in the southern port city of Karachi, according to Pakistani media.

"He was looking to get out of the country," a source told the News.

It's still unclear whether he has links to any terrorist organizations.

The Pakistan Taliban claimed responsibility for the bomb plot that cleared the Crossroads of the World, but U.S. officials said so far there's no proof they were involved.

Investigators are looking for any links to a Connecticut-based Web site that supports the Pakistan Taliban.

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Shahzad is expected in Manhattan Federal Court on Tuesday. He is accused of parking his Pathfinder SUV - filled with enough fuel, fertilizer and explosives to ignite a massive fireball - on W. 45th St.

FBI agents searched his home in Bridgeport, removing several plastic bags from the two-story Colonial home. A phone number listed for Shahzad was not in service.

Neighbor Brenda Thurman, 37, said Shahzad told her he worked on Wall Street.

"He was a little bit strange," she said. "He didn't like to come out during the day."

Shazad bought the SUV, which was found in Times Square with stolen plates from a nearby junkyard, from a Connecticut woman three weeks ago.

Peggy Colas, a 19-year-old student, said Shahzad paid $1,300 cash.

"He came off like a nice guy, I guess," said one of Colas' brothers. "He told my sister, 'I'm going to New York.' He said he needed a car in the city."

Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) called for federal funding for more security between 34th and 59th Sts. as cops searched vehicles entering the city Tuesday.

"It's clear that the intent behind this terrorist act was to kill Americans," Holder said.


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Sources: MSNBC, NY Daily News, Google Maps

Faisal Shahzad Tried To Leave U.S. After Times Square Terrorist Plot

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Times Square Bomb Suspect Nabbed At Airport


Authorities arrested a U.S. citizen in connection with the failed bombing attempt in New York's Times Square as he tried to leave the country, Attorney General Eric Holder said Tuesday.

Faisal Shahzad, 30, was arrested at 11:45 p.m. ET Monday night by Customs and Border Protection agents as he attempted to board an Emirates airlines flight to Dubai at New York's JFK airport, officials said.

"It is clear that the intent behind this terrorist act was to kill Americans," Holder said.

Shahzad, a naturalized U.S. citizen who was born in Pakistan, was accused of driving a car bomb into Times Square, authorities said. He will appear in Manhattan Federal Court later Tuesday.

A law enforcement official told news services Tuesday that Shahzad said he had no accomplices: "He's claimed to have acted alone, but these are things that have to be investigated."

Holder said the investigation was ongoing and that law enforcement officials had gathered "significant additional evidence." He urged Americans to remain vigilant.

"The American people should know that we are deploying every resource available and we will not rest until we have brought everyone responsible to justice," Holder said.

Trip to Pakistan

Earlier, officials told The Associated Press that the suspect recently returned from a trip to Pakistan, where he has a wife. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because the case was at a sensitive stage.

Shahzad will face charges "for allegedly driving a car bomb into Times Square on the evening of May 1," according to a statement by U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara, FBI agent George Venizelos and New York City Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly.

Emirates said in a statement that one passenger was stopped at the gate and a further two passengers were removed from on board the plane. It was unclear what happened to the other two.

"Full security procedures were activated including the deplaning of all passengers and a thorough screening of the aircraft, passengers and baggage," an Emirates spokesperson said in an e-mailed statement.

Shahzad was being held in New York and couldn't be contacted. He has a Shelton, Conn., address and a phone number listed there wasn't in service. Investigators were searching his home.

Law enforcement officials said Shahzad bought the SUV, a 1993 Nissan Pathfinder, that was parked in Times Square on Saturday from a person in Connecticut three weeks ago. NBC News reported he paid $1,300 in cash for the vehicle, which had been advertised on website Craigslist.

NBC News earlier reported the suspect's name was on an e-mail that was sent to the car's seller last month.

The website Politico, citing an unnamed senior official, reported that a number from disposable cell phone used by the buyer of the SUV had led to the suspect's arrest.

“They were able to basically get one phone number and by running it through a number of databases, figure out who they thought the guy was,” the official told Politico.

The suspect didn't still have the phone, the website reported, but agents were still able to locate the suspect.

In Bridgeport, the seller refused to answer questions put by the Times. "You can't interview her," said an unidentified man at the woman’s white clapboard house. "She already talked to the FBI."

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A man in his 40s who was seen in a security camera video apparently walking away from the SUV was initially a focus of the investigation.

But the New York police commissioner, Raymond W. Kelly, told the Times that while investigators still wanted to speak to that man, he might not be connected to the failed bombing. Paul J. Browne, a spokesman for the department, told the paper: "It may turn out that he was just somebody in the area, but not connected with the car bomb."

A metal rifle cabinet placed in the SUV's cargo area was packed with fertilizer, but NYPD bomb experts believe it was not a type volatile enough to explode like the ammonium nitrate grade fertilizer used in previous terrorist bombings.

However, police said it could have produced "a significant fireball" and sprayed shrapnel with enough force to kill pedestrians and knock out windows.

Rube Goldberg contraption

James M. Cavanaugh, a former bomb expert with the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives who investigated car bombs and tracked the Unabomber, told The New York Times that the device and the way it was designed speak to a "grandiose purpose."

"I call this a Rube Goldberg contraption," Cavanaugh told the newspaper. "It's the 'swing-the-arm-with-the-shoe-that-hits-the-ball-and-knocks-over-a-stick-that-knocks-something-off-a-shelf' and it is all supposed to work."

He said that whoever made the bomb had "more desire than ability."

The Times also reported that Kevin B. Barry, an official with the International Association of Bomb Technicians and Investigators, said the attempted bomber had left many leads for detectives to follow.

“He was trying to cover his tracks, but he left more clues than a guy walking into a bank to rob it without a mask. This guy left everything here but his wallet," Barry said.

Chris Falkenberg, president of Insite Security, which works with Fortune 500 companies, said the device, as described by authorities, "doesn't differ much at all from 'The Anarchist Cookbook'" — the underground 1971 manual for homemade explosives.

He said revelations that the fertilizer used could not have exploded suggested "this is amateur hour. My kids could build a better bomb than this."

New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg early Tuesday thanked law enforcement officials, saying that their "focused and swift efforts led to this arrest after only 48 hours of around-the-clock investigation. I hope their impressive work serves as a lesson to anyone who would do us harm."

A senior White House official said President Barack Obama was briefed six times yesterday about the investigation and was notified of Shahzad's arrest at 12:05 am Tuesday.

The Taliban in Pakistan said Sunday it planted the bomb to avenge the killing in April of al-Qaida's two top leaders in Iraq as well as U.S. interference in Muslim countries.

Some officials voiced skepticism about the claim. But former CIA analyst Bruce Riedel, who last year oversaw an Obama administration strategy review on Afghanistan and Pakistan, cautioned against dismissing a possible role by the Taliban.

"They have said they want to attack inside the United States," he said before the arrest was announced, adding there was "a very serious possibility" the incident involved "some Pakistani-American who has never built a car bomb before in his life but who is being coached either by phone or internet."

In Pakistan, Interior Minister Rehman Malik said authorities had not been formally asked for help in the probe. "When the request comes, we will cooperate with the U.S. government," he told the AP.

The location of the bomb suggests a number of possible targets. The SUV was parked near offices of Viacom Inc., which owns Comedy Central. The network recently aired an episode of the animated show "South Park" that the group Revolution Muslim had complained insulted the Prophet Muhammad by depicting him in a bear costume.


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Sources: MSNBC, NY Daily News, Google Maps

Chris Dodd Unveils Watered Down Wall Street "Reform" Bill (No Teeth)

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Dodd Puts Wall Street In Washington's Sights


A new Democratic Senate bill to tame the financial markets would give the government new powers to break up firms that threaten the economy and would force the industry to pay for its failures.

Legislation unveiled Monday by Senate Banking Committee Chairman Christopher Dodd falls shy of the ambitious restructuring of federal financial regulations envisioned by President Barack Obama or contained in legislation already passed in the House.

But the bill would still be the biggest overhaul of regulations since the New Deal. It comes 18 months after Wall Street's failures helped plunge the nation into a deep recession.

The Federal Reserve would gain new powers to regulate the size and the activities of the nation's largest financial firms. The bill would create a consumer protection bureau within the Fed to write regulations governing all lending transactions. Bank regulators, however, could appeal those regulations if they believe they would affect the health of the banking system.

In announcing his bill at a news conference, Dodd stood alone, a sign of the difficult task ahead of him in forging a bill that can pass the Senate.

"It is certainly time to act," Dodd said.

President Barack Obama said he planned to work with Dodd to strengthen the bill and fight any moves in Congress to water it down.

"This proposal provides a strong foundation to build a safer financial system," Obama said in a statement.

"(The bill) creates a new consumer financial protection agency to set and enforce clear rules of the road and establishes stronger supervision for the largest financial firms under the Federal Reserve," Obama said.

He welcomed what he said were provisions to ensure the independence of a consumer financial watchdog and greeted the inclusion of the so-called "Volcker Rule" that would separate banking from proprietary trading and hedge fund activities.

The breadth of the bill would touch all corners of the financial sector, from storefront payday lenders to the highest penthouse office suites on Wall Street.

The bill creates a powerful nine-member Financial Stability Oversight Council that could:

* Place large, interconnected financial institutions such as insurance conglomerate American International Group under the supervision of the Federal Reserve.

* Approve the break up of large complex companies if they pose a "grave threat" to the to the nation's financial system.

Such actions would require a two-thirds vote of the council.



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Sources: MSNBC, Google Maps

Many Killed In Connecticut Power Plant Blast; 14 Injured

Many Feared Dead In Conn. Power Plant Blast

Workers at a power plant under construction were purging natural gas lines when a powerful explosion blew off part of the building Sunday, killing multiple people and injuring at least 14, officials said.

The Middletown mayor's office said five people were known dead and least 12 people were injured.

Al Santostefano, the deputy fire marshal in Middletown, said 50 construction workers were in the section of the power plant where the explosion happened at 11:17 a.m. He said he did not know what caused the explosion.

Dogs were searching for victims in the rubble, but there were no signs of life Sunday afternoon, he said.

Search and Rescue

"They are taking the building apart piece-by-piece now, the part that collapsed and came in, they are taking that apart in sections piece-by-piece, very carefully," he said.

The 620-megawatt plant was being built to produce energy primarily using natural gas. Santostefano said workers for the construction company, O&G Industries, were purging the gas lines, a procedure he called a "blow-down," when the explosion occurred.

Middlesex Hospital transferred one seriously injured person to Hartford Hospital and was evaluating another Sunday afternoon who might also be moved to Hartford for more intensive care, said Middlesex Hospital spokesman Brian Albert.

Two people were treated and released, and eight others were being treated for broken bones, abdominal injuries, blunt force trauma and other kinds of injuries consistent with being caught in an explosion, Albert said.

They did not expect to receive any more patients, he said Sunday afternoon, about four hours after the explosion.

A nursing supervisor from St. Francis Hospital and Medical Center in Hartford said they had no patients from the explosion, and Hartford Hospital had two that were brought directly there after the blast, in addition to the one transferred later from Middlesex.

Shook houses for miles

The powerful blast shook houses for miles.

"I felt the house shake, I thought a tree fell on the house," said Middletown resident Steve Clark.

Barrett Robbins-Pianka, who lives about a mile (1.6 kilometers) away and has monitored the project for years, said she was running outside and heard what she called "a tremendous boom."

"I thought it might be some test or something, but it was really loud, a definite explosion," she said.

Kleen Energy Systems LLC began construction on the power plant in February 2008.

The company is run by president and former Middletown City Council member William Corvo. A message left at Corvo's home was not immediately returned.

Calls to Gordon Holk, general manager of Power Plant Management Services, which has a contract to manage the plant, weren't immediately returned. Holk earlier told NBC News two people had died.

Gov. M. Jodi Rell was on her way Sunday afternoon to the site after speaking with Middletown Mayor Sebastian Giuliano, and called out a specialized search and rescue team to help firefighters.


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Sources: CNN, MSNBC, Google Maps

Power Plant Explosion Rocks Connecticut! No. Of Dead Unknown

Connecticut Police Retract Statement That 2 Died In Explosion


An explosion at an under-construction power plant rocked central Connecticut Sunday, causing some deaths and injuring at least 11 people, officials said.

Residents up to 20 miles away reported hearing the blast about 11:30 a.m. at the Kleen Power Plant in Middletown, a suburb of Hartford, Connecticut. Middletown police Sgt. Chuck Jacobucci initially said two people had been killed, but later told CNN he had misinterpreted something heard on a police radio.

Other officials including Middletown Sebastian Giuliano said there were fatalities, but did not give a number.

The plant was under construction and had not yet opened, Middletown Officer Kevin White told CNN. It was set to go online later this year, he said, and was in a "testing phase."

About 50 people, most of them construction workers, were working on the site at the time, said Al Santostefano, deputy fire marshal. Workers were apparently purging a natural gas pipeline when the blast occurred, officials said.

"The mayor has been assured that this is an industrial accident," Giuliano said in a statement. There is no public health threat, he said, and terrorism is not suspected.

Middlesex Hospital in Middletown said it received 11 patients from the explosion. Of those, one was sent to a hospital in Hartford, said spokesman R. Brian Albert. Two others were treated for minor injuries and released, and the remaining eight were being evaluated.

The patients' injuries included extremity or pelvic fractures, said emergency room physician Dr. Jonathan Bankoff. Some people reported being thrown 30 or 40 feet, he said.

A center was being set up at Middletown's City Hall for family members of plant workers, Albert said.

About 100 firefighters were on scene along with state police dogs, and a search-and-recovery effort was under way, said Santostefano. The searchers were dismantling the building piece by piece, he said. He did not know how long the search would take.

People up to 20 miles away reported hearing or feeling the blast.

"It felt like the house was shaking," Peter Moore, who lives about 10 miles away in Durham, told CNN. He said he thought at first there had been a traffic accident on his street or there was a problem with his house. "It was really big," he said.

Moore said his mother, who lives in Woodbridge, about 20 miles away from the plant, also said she heard the explosion, and said it "sounded like someone pounded on the back door a couple of times."

"It was almost like an earthquake," nearby resident Lynn Townsend told CNN affiliate WTNH. She said she heard the explosion and went outside to see "a very big, bright orange flame" between the plant's two smokestacks, and immediately dialed 911.

"It really shook the house," she said. "Everybody was scared. The kids started to cry."

Connecticut State Police Lt. J. Paul Vance told WTNH his agency has received "an immense amount of inquiries" from residents who heard or felt the explosion.

WTNH.com coverage of Middletown explosion

The site is a 620-megawatt gas-fired power plant, according to plant manager Gordon Holk.

The Department of Homeland Security told CNN it was aware of the explosion and was monitoring the situation.

Connecticut Gov. Jodi Rell was on her way to the scene Sunday afternoon, her office said, and had spoken with Middletown city officials.

Rell activated the state Emergency Operations Center in Hartford, which was being staffed by the state Department of Emergency Management and Homeland Security, Department of Public Health, the National Guard and the state police, the governor's office said in a statement. Rell also activated an Urban Search and Rescue Team, according to the statement.

Middlesex Hospital activated its disaster response plan after the explosion, Albert said. As of Sunday afternoon, the hospital was in a "disaster response standby mode," and was not calling in additional staff, he told reporters.


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Chris Dodd's Retirement Speech "My Moment To Step Aside"

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Sen. Chris Dodd To Announce His Retirement; Received VIP Subprime Loan

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Sen. Chris Dodd Won't Seek Re-election


Sen. Chris Dodd (D-Conn.) plans to announce Wednesday that he will retire from the Senate at the end of the year, capping a 30-year career where he rose to become one of the chamber's most influential members, several Democratic sources told POLITICO Tuesday night.

Dodd’s decision to retire is, at first glance, a blessing to Senate Democrats who worried they would have trouble holding the seat with the embattled senator in the race. Now Democrats expect that Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal will run in Dodd’s place, giving the party a stronger nominee in a race that was widely believed to be a toss-up.

A top national Democrat said Blumenthal's candidacy was all but certain. "He's totally in," said the Democrat.

The attorney general has scheduled a 2:30 news conference on Wednesday where he's expected to announce his candidacy.

“Chris Dodd has been a great US Senator for Connecticut and the country. He’s made a meaningful difference in the lives of millions of people – here in Connecticut, and across the country," said Roy Occhiogrosso, a Connecticut-based pollster who has worked for Dodd in his past races. "Attorney General Richard Blumenthal is uniquely suited to step into this campaign, win this race, and represent the people of Connecticut as we continue to confront unprecedented challenges. The Republicans thought they might steal this seat. Not anymore.”

News of Dodd’s plans, first reported by the Washington Post's Chris Cillizza, came on the heels of the stunning announcement Tuesday that another Democrat, Sen. Byron Dorgan, would not run for reelection in North Dakota, likely giving the GOP an advantage for his seat.

Dodd has faced months of tough press coverage surrounding his Countrywide FInancial mortgages, which followed his ill-fated decision to move his family to Iowa for his 2008 presidential run. Earlier this year, the Senate Ethics Committee cleared him of any wrongdoing related to Countrywide.

But Dodd also drew scrutiny over his role as Banking Committee chairman, where he presided over the committee’s approval of billions of dollars in bonus money to AIG executives, leaving opponents to criticize him for being overly cozy with the financial industry.

The most recent Quinnipiac University poll, conducted in November, showed Dodd trailing former GOP congressman Rob Simmons by double-digits and trailing former WWE CEO Linda McMahon by a smaller margin. Even the senator's own internal polling showed him trailing Simmons – an ominous sign for a well-known incumbent.

While the Obama administration worked last year on Dodd's behalf—including fundraisers headlined by both the president and vice-president—White House aides were long convinced that the senator was the political equivalent of a dead man walking.

With poll after poll showing Dodd trailing, it became increasingly clear that his candidacy was not salvageable. A senior Democratic official said Dodd's long-rumored, and always-denied, retirement plans were "inevitable - like gravity."

Still, a source familiar with Dodd’s plans insisted late Tuesday that there was no pressure exerted on Dodd from the White House to back down.

The news that Dodd would not seek re-election capped a day of Democratic retirements. Aside from Dodd and Dorgan, it was revealed that Colorado Gov. Bill Ritter would not run for re-election in 2010. And in Michigan, Lt. Gov. John Cherry announced Tuesday that he would be forgoing a run for governor.



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