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News Briefs

September 21, 1995
Web posted at 12:54 p.m. EDT

Arrest in youngster's death on L.A. dead-end street

Baby

LOS ANGELES (CNN) -- An arrest reportedly has been made in the death of a 3-year-old girl shot in an apparent gang attack on a dead-end street. Stephanie Kuhen was with her younger brother when the driver of the car taking them home made a wrong turn early Sunday morning. Gang members allegedly surrounded the vehicle, blocked the driver's way out and opened fire. Joseph Kuhen, 2, was shot in the foot. He left the hospital Wednesday.

Los Angeles Police Chief Willie Williams announced Thursday a reputed member of the gang knowns as the "Mexican mafia" is in custody. Williams called the gang "vicious" which has "terrorized" the neighborhood for years.


California paper voluntarily publishes Unabomber Manifesto

Newspapers

OAKLAND, California (CNN) -- Another newspaper has published the full text of a manifesto written by the Unabomber. The Oakland Tribune reasons the elusive killer may have ties to the San Francisco Bay area.

Two of the bombs were mailed from Oakland and three of the bombing attacks occurred nearby. In addition, it's been difficult to obtain copies of the 35,000 word document in the Bay area since it was first published Tuesday in the Washington Post.

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Carter: CIA used psychic to help find missing plane

Jimmy Carter

ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- Former President Jimmy Carter said the CIA, without his knowledge, once consulted a psychic to help locate a missing government plane in Africa. Carter told students at Emory University that the "special U.S. plane" crashed somewhere in Zaire while he was president.

According to Carter, U.S. spy satellites could find no trace of the aircraft, so the CIA consulted a psychic from California. Carter said the woman "went into a trance and gave some latitude and longitude figures. We focused our satellite cameras on that point and the plane was there."

Carter made the disclosure after two students asked if he was aware of any government evidence pointing to the existence of extraterrestrials. "I never knew of any instance where it was proven that any sort of vehicle had come from outer space to our country and either lived here or left," the former president said.



September 20, 1995

House passes bill to end national speed limit

traffic jam WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The national speed limit has reached a dead-end on Capitol Hill. The House of Representatives voted Wednesday to eliminate the federal speed limit of 55 miles an hour on most highways and 65 miles an hour on rural interstates. The new bill allows states to set their own limits.

The bill must be reconciled with a Senate version, which eliminates the speed limit for cars but retains it for large trucks and buses.


Magnitude 5.5 earthquake rocks California

map LOS ANGELES (CNN) - An earthquake hit Southern California Wednesday at 4:27 p.m. local time, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. Its preliminary magnitude was 5.5, with the epicenter 10 miles north of Ridgecrest, California, about 100 miles north of Los Angeles.

The California Institute of Technology said the temblor hit in a remote, high desert area. No injuries or damage was immediately reported.

"I would say it was on the high end of moderate," said Sue Pitts, a CalTech spokeswoman. "Anything close to a six is on the high end of moderate."


Bill to tighten Cuban embargo may draw veto

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- A bill to tighten a 30-year-old embargo on Cuba is likely to run aground at the White House if changes are not made, senior White House sources have told CNN.

The House version of the bill, also known as the Burton Bill, is likely to come to a vote Thursday. One Clinton administration source said the bill would create a "pressure cooker" in Cuba that would do little "to promote peace, democracy or a transition."

The House bill would permit former Cuban nationals to file property claims against the Cuban government. White House sources say the bill could be "used and distorted" as propaganda by the Cuban government, and to further show Cubans that Fidel Castro is a "protection" against Cuban Americans who want to come back and seize their property.

Also Wednesday, former President Jimmy Carter met with Cuban exile leaders in Atlanta, Georgia, to discuss the future of U.S.-Cuban relations. Participants told Reuters the talks were preliminary, but productive.


Relief effort not yet helping hurricane victims

Relief supplies ST. THOMAS, Virgin Islands (CNN) -- Plenty of relief supplies have arrived in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, but many victims of Hurricane Marilyn were not feeling the benefits.

A scarcity of trucks and impassable roads were just two of the problems hampering distribution. Officials have set up camps to hand out available food, water and shelter supplies.

Federal Emergency Management Agency representative Dennis Kwiatkowski said his teams were doing their best to bring in mobile kitchens, clear transportation routes and set up disaster-relief medical units. "Right now our focus is entirely on emergency services," he said. (228K AIFF sound or 228K WAV sound)

Eight deaths have been attributed to Hurricane Marilyn, which swept through the islands last weekend.


Clinton's third White House counsel steps down

DENVER, Colorado (CNN) -- Less than a year after taking over as White House counsel, Abner Mikva stepped down Wednesday to retire. The 69-year-old former judge and congressman said he was running out of gas, and it was time to retire.

Mikva told Senior White House Correspondent Wolf Blitzer Wednesday he was tired. Mikva, who had taken a two-week vacation in August, said that usually after vacations his "batteries were recharged," but not this time.

When asked about rumors of differences with White House staffers, Mikva emphasized his high regard for Clinton. "I assure you there are no differences between me and the president," he said.

Mikva was brought into the White House last year to succeed Lloyd Cutler . Cutler, in turn, had been brought in to replace Bernard Nussbaum, who was forced out of office. Mikva is expected to be replaced by Jack Quinn, Vice President Al Gore's chief of staff.


FBI agents refuse to testify at Ruby Ridge hearings

Glenn WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Four federal agents have refused to testify before the Senate judiciary subcommittee investigating the Ruby Ridge standoff.

The panel's chairman says the Senate might challenge the agents' attorney. On Tuesday, FBI field commander Eugene Glenn told the panel he feels like "tuna" thrown to "hungry sharks."

Glenn claims he was unfairly blamed for the 1992 siege on the Idaho cabin of Randy Weaver. Weaver's wife and son and a deputy U.S. marshal were killed during the standoff.



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