White House Considers Charging al-Awlaki

The Associated Press is reporting that the Obama administration is considering filing the first criminal charges against radical cleric Anwar al-Awlaki in case the CIA fails to kill him and he is captured alive in Yemen.

Al-Awlaki, a U.S. and Yemeni citizen born in New Mexico, has inspired a wave of attempted attacks against the U.S. and has become al Qaeda’s leading English-speaking voice for recruiting and motivating terrorists. Counterterrorism officials said al-Awlaki, since mid-2009, has become a key operational figure who selects targets and gives orders.

The Nigerian man charged with the attempted bombing, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, suggested in Detroit federal court Monday that he wanted to plead guilty to some charges, raising the possibility that his cooperation could form the foundation for charges against al-Awlaki.

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No Hint Of Compromise In Boehner Op-Ed

In an editorial published today by Politico, House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) continued to rail against President Obama on taxes, but opted not to expand on comments he made over the weekend.

Instead, Boehner repeated his desire to see Congress cut spending back to pre-2008 levels and freeze current tax rates on all Americans for two years, including those making more than $250,000 per year.

“Raising taxes will only hurt an already weakened job market,” he wrote.

Boehner said that in addition to his two-point plan to boost the nation’s economy, Republicans have created a website aimed at soliciting suggestions from members of the public.

Former President Goes On The Attack For Strickland

Former President Bill Clinton is in Ohio today to campaign for Governor Ted Strickland (D). Strickland, who is seeking re-election this November, is trailing badly in the polls behind his opponent, former House Budget Chairman John Kasich (R).

In an email this morning, Clinton blasted Kasich over his opposition to the former’s economic policies during the 90’s.

“Back in 1993, I proposed a plan that balanced the federal budget and helped us create those 23 million jobs,” Clinton said. “But Congressman Kasich called my plan a “job killer.” In fact, Kasich said he’d “have to become a Democrat” if the plan worked! Well, even after we created 23 million jobs, Congressman Kasich is still a Republican.”

Kasich, said Clinton, “has the wrong ideas for how to grow our economy and create jobs.”

Clinton’s visit to Ohio today comes a week after President Obama traveled to Ohio to deliver a speech on the economy. Obama spent some time with Strickland that day, and will stump for the Governor again in late October.

Obama To Give Back-To-School Speech

This afternoon, President Obama is traveling to Philadelphia, PA,  to deliver his second annual Back-to-School Speech at Julia R. Masterman Laboratory and Demonstration School, a 2010 National Blue Ribbon School.  According to the White House, this gives the president an opportunity to speak directly to students across the country.  Last year, President Obama encouraged students to study hard, stay in school, and take responsibility for their education. 

Today’s audience will be approximately 600 students and faculty from the Julia R. Masterman Laboratory and Demonstration School. The White House also expects the following elected officials to participate in today’s event: Governor Ed Rendell, Mayor Mike Nutter, Philadelphia, U.S. Representatives Bob Brady, Chaka Fattah, and Allyson Schwartz. 

BP Crews Resume Drilling Relief Well

According to a press release issued by petroleum mogul BP on Monday, drilling of a relief well essential to finally plugging the Macondo well in the Gulf of Mexico was re-started today at 1:40 pm CDT. The Macondo well malfunction was responsible for a nearly three month oil leak which bled nearly five million barrels of crude oil into the Gulf, severely crippling the Gulf Coast’s oil, tourism, and fishing industries, which together compose the backbone of the region’s economy.

The report tells that BP has successfully installed a locking sleeve onto the well’s casing hangar, and has resumed drilling the new well, which is now about fifty feet from intercepting the Macondo well’s annulus.

Once drilling operations have intercepted this annulus, a space between the casing pipe and the earth, teams will pump heavy drilling mud and cement into the annulus, essentially completing the isolation of the well.

Following BP’s press release, National Incident Commander Admiral Thad Allen released a statement regarding the procedure:

“After extensive consultation between BP engineers and the federal science team, as well as reviewing data collected from measurements I authorized Friday, the Development Driller III today began the final steps towards the completion of the relief well that will intercept the Macondo 252 well and perform the bottom kill procedure.

This accelerated progress was possible after several discussions between BP and the federal scientists and engineers, leading to the installation of a lock-down device over the weekend, which resulted in the necessary conditions to commence the finalization of the relief well. I will continue to provide updates on the progress of the relief well, the final step that will ensure the well is fully and finally killed, as necessary.”