Egypt's opposing parties argue over judiciary

CAIRO (AP) ? Egypt's main opposition group and judges vowed Monday to step up their fight against plans by the Islamist-dominated legislature to debate a bill critics say aims to impose Muslim Brotherhood control over the courts.

The judiciary has become the latest battleground between supporters and opponents of Islamist President Mohammed Morsi. The bill, expected to reduce retirement age for judges, has already sparked violence between opponents and supporters.

On Monday, Morsi met with members of the top judicial body, the Supreme Judicial Council, in an attempt to contain the situation. Morsi said in a statement he "doesn't accept any encroaching on the judiciary or judges" and urged judges to stay clear of media debates and political interference over the issue to reaffirm respect of the judiciary in people's mind.

As for the controversial bill, Morsi said he trusts every authority is carrying out its duty as it sees fit, and that he respects separation of authorities, signaling he won't interfere in the legislature's work.

The Judges Club, a union of 9,500 members, met Monday and pledged to escalate its fight against what its chairman Ahmed el-Zind called "aggression against the judiciary."

The bill, presented to parliament by the Islamist al-Wasat party, is expected to drop the retirement age to 60 from 70. That would force out nearly a quarter of Egypt's 13,000 judges and prosecution officials, according to experts, including some of the most senior judges.

Opponents see this as a way for Islamists force out judges in high courts, including the Supreme Constitutional Court. The two elements have been at odds since the Islamist-dominated parliament was dissolved last year by a court order. The Muslim Brotherhood, Morsi's parent movement, counters that many judges are holdovers from the era of ousted President Hosni Mubarak, and they must be removed.

The judges argue that they should have the right to approve changes to the law regulating their profession.

"They aim with this devilish proposal to empty out the judiciary of its seniors," el-Zind said. "The judiciary's young members will put up a fierce battle" against such plans. They plan more meetings this week.

The judiciary is the sole branch of government not dominated by Morsi's Islamist allies, although he does have some backers among the judges.

The opposition, the National Salvation Front, called for demonstrations to begin when the bill is discussed in the Islamist-dominated legislature. Last week the head of the legislature asked a committee to review the bill, but no date for a debate was set.

The NSF said it will defend people's right "to an independent judiciary that is not dominated by a tyrannical executive."

Atef Awad, a member of al-Wasat party, told the private ONTV station that judges should be treated like all other public officials, expected to retire at 60.

Supporters of Morsi held a rally on Friday calling for "cleansing the judiciary," in support of the bill. It degenerated into clashes between supporters and opponents of the measure.

Brotherhood leaders criticized the courts this week over several recent acquittals of former Mubarak officials. They charged that Mubarak supporters in the courts are blocking Morsi and derailing Egypt's transition to democracy.

Secretary General Hussein Ibrahim of the Freedom and Justice Party, the political arm of the Brotherhood, said the judiciary is not immune to demands for reform, insisting that judges responsible for rigging elections under the former regime or those who accepted bribes should be held to account.

"I know that the majority of judges are fine," wrote Ibrahim on his official Facebook page, while warning that a few corrupt judges are "an imminent danger that is a blow to the demands and goals of the revolution."

___

AP writer Amir Makar contributed to this report.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/egypts-opposing-parties-argue-over-judiciary-172751099.html

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Energizer Light Fusion LED Lantern Lightning Review: A Light for Every Emergency

It's the middle of the night and you're in the middle of nowhere when—whumpa, whumpa, whumpa—you get a flat. Rather than fumble through the tire change in the dark, why not keep this portable LED lantern in the boot should the need arise? More »

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7 biggest unanswered questions over Boston Marathon bombings

Authorities say Dzhokhar Tsarnaev is beginning to respond in writing to questions from federal interrogators, though plenty of questions still remain. NBC's Pete Williams reports.

By Jeff Black, Staff Writer, NBC News, NBC News

As prosecutors prepare to charge 19-year-old Dzhokhar Tsarnaev in the deadly twin bomb blasts at the Boston Marathon, investigators are delving into numerous unanswered questions surrounding the attack and the brothers believed to have carried it out.

Officials say Tsarnaev is said to be unable to speak due to a possibly self-inflicted throat wound, but he is responding to investigators? questions in writing during brief interview sessions being conducted by a special interrogation team. And piecing together the facts will rely very heavily on him, since his older brother, Tamerlan, was killed early Friday during a gunfight with police in Watertown, Mass.

As we wait for word on what the suspect is saying, here are a few of the critical unanswered questions investigators are certain to put to him:

Were more attacks planned?
The most important question for investigators to answer is whether Tsarnaev and his brother had hoped to carry out more attacks and, if so, had they taken any steps toward planning them.

The brothers clearly had the means to cause more destruction: authorities say they have recovered what adds up to an arsenal of deadly weapons from various crime scenes, including homemade bombs, grenades, guns and hundreds of rounds of ammunition.

Police Commissioner Ed Davis said the stockpile suggests the marathon attack was intended to be just the first in a series.

"We have reason to believe, based upon the evidence that was found at that scene -- the explosions, the explosive ordnance that was unexploded and the firepower that they had -- that they were going to attack other individuals. That's my belief at this point." Davis said Sunday on CBS' "Face the Nation.

Did terrorist groups overseas aid the attack?
Investigators are focused on a six-month trip that Tamerlan Tsarnaev took in January 2012, traveling first to Moscow, then to Dagestan and Chechnya, according to his parents.

In an interview Sunday with The Associated Press, Anzor and Zubeidat Tsarnaev said he spent his time there sleeping and visiting with relatives -- not consorting with Islamic terrorists.

But some U.S. officials suggest that Tamerlan was not behaving like a typical vacationer.

Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Mich., chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, said Sunday on ?Meet the Press? that the elder brother may have traveled under an alias.

Suspicions that Tamerlan, who reportedly turned to more fundamental Islamic beliefs in recent years, could have received terrorist training or support abroad were heightened Friday, when an official familiar with the matter told NBC News that a foreign government (later said to be Russia) had expressed concern in 2011 that he could have ties to terrorism. The official said the FBI investigated, but found no such links and reported the findings back to the foreign government.

Were Islamist militant groups involved?
It remains unclear if Tamerlan had contact with Islamist militant groups in the restive and predominantly Muslim Caucasus region, which have been blamed for a variety of terrorist acts within Russia.?

On Sunday a group leading an Islamist insurgency against Russia told Reuters it was not at war with the United States and distanced itself from the Boston bombings.

"We are fighting with Russia, which is responsible not only for the occupation of the Caucasus but for monstrous crimes against Muslims," said a statement from Caucasus Emirate militants operating in Dagestan reported by Reuters.

Why target the Boston Marathon?
The motive behind the bombing at the Boston Marathon is the biggest mystery: Why would the brothers do this?

While the Tsarnaevs had surely had some issues adjusting to life in America, friends say they appear to have settled in fairly well since they arrived a decade ago.

Tamerlan was an accomplished boxer and even had sights on the U.S. Olympic team at one point.

Dzhokhar, who became a naturalized citizen last year, is almost universally described as a well-adjusted and smart teen.

While both of the brothers followed Islam, friends say they didn?t espouse violence or appear to be radicalized.

At some point Tamerlan Tsarnaev apparently adopted more fundamental Islamic beliefs, but no accounts have yet emerged to suggest he suddenly saw violence as an acceptable expression of his faith.

Were the bombs homemade, or were others involved?
Federal officials examining the bomb residue collected in Boston have described the bombs ? pressure-cookers packed with explosives and shrapnel ? as relatively simple in their basic design, but with ?sophisticated components, including what appeared to be an electronic detonation mechanism capable of being triggered by cellular phones.

Al Qaeda-linked groups and others have published instructions for making such bombs on the Internet, but it remains unclear whether those blueprints would have provided adequate instruction.

Authorities also say it is unlikely that the pressure-cooker bombs could have been successfully detonated without some practice runs, but so far they have no reports of such trials.

Investigators also say they are still trying to determine where the suspects got their guns.

Why didn?t the brothers flee after the bombings?
Investigators continue to probe Dzhokhar's behavior after he returned to the campus of the University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth on Tuesday and resumed the life of a student after allegedly dropping a bomb-filled knapsack into a crowd watching the marathon.

?There is evidence of some frankly kind of normal student behavior in those ensuing days, which when you consider the enormity of what he was responsible for certainly raises a lot of questions in my mind and as I say more to the point in the minds of law enforcement as well,??Massachusetts?Gov. Deval Patrick said Sunday on ?Meet the Press.? ?Those are the kinds of leads that still have to be pursued and run to ground.?

Tamerlan also was said to have returned to his Cambridge home before a fatal chase and gunbattle with police in Watertown.

The suspects' actions suggest that they did not expect to attract the attention of authorities, at least in the immediate aftermath of the attack.

How did Tamerlan Tsarnaev die?
Tamerlan Tsarnaev was killed during a ferocious gunbattle early Friday with Watertown, Mass.,? police, but officials have not yet determined how he died.

After allegedly shooting to death MIT police officer Sean Collier, 26, in Cambridge late Thursday night, and then carjacking an SUV nearby, the Tsarnaevs were tracked by ?pinging? the carjack victim?s cellphone, which had been left in the vehicle, Watertown Police Chief Ed Deveau told the Boston Globe.

When police caught up with the pair later that night in Watertown, the brothers, then in separate vehicles, jumped out to engage officers in a gunbattle.

?Quickly we had six Watertown police officers and two bad guys in a gunfight,? Deveau told the Globe, saying at least 200 shots were fired. The brothers tossed what appeared to be a pressure cooker bomb at the officers and there was a large explosion. ?Crude grenades? were also tossed at officers, with three exploding, Deveau said.

Minutes later, Tamerlan walked toward officers firing, but then appeared to run out of bullets, Deveau said. Seizing on the opportunity, officers tackled him.

As they struggled to handcuff the suspect, the stolen Mercedes SUV came roaring at the officers, who scattered. According to Deveau, the younger brother plowed over Tamerlan, who was then briefly dragged under the SUV.

Dzhokar left the SUV on a nearby street and fled on foot, according to Deveau.

While the account suggests Tamerlan died from injuries suffered when he was run over, an autopsy report on his death has not been released.

NBC News? Pete Williams, Tom Winter and Michael Isikoff contributed to this report.

Related:

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CSN: Royals sweep doubleheader with Red Sox

BOSTON ?? The Red Sox were swept in the day-night doubleheader Sunday at Fenway Park, losing the night cap, 5-4, in the 10th innings when Andrew Miller walked in the go-ahead run with two outs and the bases loaded on four pitches.
?
Right-hander Allen Webster, making his major league debut, started the second game and was greeted with a first-pitch double off the wall by Alex Gordon, who scored when the next batter, Alcides Escobar, hit an infield single. Shortstop Pedro Ciriaco threw the ball into the stands behind the Red Sox dugout, allowing Gordon to score. But Webster settled down, retiring the next three batters to end the inning.
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Webster went six innings, giving up three runs (two earned), on five hits, including two home runs, and a walk with five strikeouts.
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Mark Napoli went 3-for-4 with two RBI, and a run scored, falling a triple shy of the cycle for Boston.
?
The Red Sox got two runs in the second when Napoli led off against Royals starter Jeremy Guthrie with his third home run of the season. Jarrod Saltalamacchia followed with a walk and scored on Mike Carp?s one-out double. They added a run in the third when Jacoby Ellsbury doubled and scored on Dustin Pedroia?s single.
?
The Royals tied the score in the fifth on solo home runs by George Kottaras, his first hit of the season, and Alex Gordon, his first home run of the season.
?
But the Sox went ahead, 4-3, in the bottom of the inning. Napoli?s third hit of the game, a single to center, drove in Nava, who walked and took second on Pedroia?s single.
?
With two outs in the eight, Koji Uehara gave up a home run to Billy Butler, tying the score and ending Uehara?s streak of scoreless innings a 18 1/3 and 22 appearances.
?
In the 10th, after striking out pinch-hitter Miguel Tejada, looking, Miller gave up a single to Alex Gordon then walked Alcides Escobar. Billy Butler struck out before Eric Hosmer singled to load the bases. Miller then walked Lorenzo Cain, giving the Royals the eventual game-winning run. Miller (0-1, 6.75 ERA) was charged with the loss.
?
Kelvin Herrera earned the win for Kansas City,? going two scoreless innings giving up a hit and one intentional walk with three strikeouts. Greg Holland struck out the side in the 10th inning to earn his fourth save.

STAR OF THE GAME: Alex Gordon
Gordon went 3-for-5 with three runs scored, an RBI, a double, and his first? home run of the sedason, rasiing his average to .342. With one out in the 10th, he singled and eventually scored the winning run.
?
HONORABLE MENTION: Mike Napoli
Napoli went 3-for-5 with a run scored and two RBI, falling a triple shy of the cycle.? It was his first three-hit game since Sept. 30, 2012, while with the Rangers against the Angels. The home run, a game-tying solo shot to lead off the second, was his third of the season. He leads the Sox with 20 RBI.
?
He has reached base safely in his last 13 games, batting .327, going 17-for-52 with eight doubles, a triple, two home runs, 17 RBI, and four walks in that span. It is tied for the third-longest on-base streak of his career, after two 16-game stretches.
?
GOAT OF THE GAME: Andrew Miller
Miller faced seven batters in the 10th inning.? After striking out pinch-hitter Miguel Tejada, looking, Miller gave up a single to Alex Gordon? then walked Alcides Escobar. Billy Butler struck out before Eric Hosmer singled to load the bases. Miller then walked Lorenzo Cain on four pitches, giving the Royals the eventual game-winning run. Miller (0-1, 6.75 ERA) was charged with the loss.
?
THE TURNING POINT:
Miller?s four-pitch walk to Lorenzo Cain with two outs and the bases loaded in the 10th allowed what proved to be the game-winnign run to score.
?
BY THE NUMBERS:
The Sox were 3-for-14 with runners in scoring postion. They left nine runners on base.
?
QUOTE OF NOTE:
?Got to be more aggressive in the strike zone. I?m not doing my job. I felt way better tonight than the other night. I felt good tonight. My stuff is there. Generally I was ahead of guys except for those two hitters. I walked a guy on four pitches. I have to work on it. I didn?t execute and didn?t do my job.?
--Andrew Miller

Source: http://www.csnne.com/blog/red-sox-talk/sox-drop-game-two-extras-5-4

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Euro zone slump moderates but German worries appear: PMIs

By Andy Bruce

LONDON (Reuters) - A sharp drop in German business activity overshadowed an easing downturn in France in April, surveys showed on Tuesday, raising concerns over a further economic contraction in the euro zone.

Markit's flash euro zone services PMI, an early gauge of business activity each month, rose to 46.6 in April from 46.4 in March, below the 50 line that divides growth from contraction but matching the forecast of economists.

Survey compiler Markit cautioned against taking the rise as a clear sign the region's recession has bottomed out, pointing to a surprise decline in German companies that form the backbone of the euro zone economy.

"Previously, we've seen Germany expand while other countries have contracted - notably Spain, Italy and France," said Chris Williamson, chief economist at Markit.

"Now it seems those contractions are being accompanied by a downturn in the largest economy, Germany, and that will no doubt act as a drag on growth."

There was some respite for French companies, which in March endured their worst month since the depths of the deep recession in 2009, and that helped to support the latest wider euro zone PMI.

Williamson said officials at the European Central Bank, which meets next week to decide monetary policy, may be relieved to see the euro zone PMIs at least did not signal a further deterioration this month.

However, that could change.

"The forward-looking indicators suggest there's risks to the downside for the contraction to gather pace," said Williamson.

The euro zone economy shrank 0.6 percent quarter on quarter in the last three months of 2012.

Comments by European Central Bank policymakers on Monday stressing falling inflation and poor growth prospects in the euro zone suggest the ECB may be leaning towards a further cut in its main interest rate.

Most economists polled by Reuters earlier this month did not think the European Central Bank would cut its main rate from 0.75 percent, already a record low, although the poor German PMI readings may alter that view.

Confidence in services companies about the coming year slipped to the lowest level this year, with the business expectations index slipping to 55.7 from 56.2 in March.

Consumer morale in the euro zone improved in April, the European Commission said on Monday, but remained well below the currency area's long-term average.

FACTORY GATES IN THE RAIN

Euro zone factories suffered another grueling month in April, with the manufacturing PMI falling to 46.5 from 46.8, its worst showing this year.

There seems little prospect of much improvement next month, with the new orders index dropping to its lowest since December, at 44.9 from 45.3.

Philips , one of the world's biggest electronics makers and based in the Netherlands, on Monday cited the weak European economy as it forecast a slow first half of the year.

The composite euro zone PMI, which groups both the services and manufacturing surveys together, held at 46.5 in April.

Disappointingly, it showed euro zone companies cut jobs at a faster rate this month, after the March survey showed firms laid off staff at a slower pace.

"The overriding evidence we're getting on the future outlook perspective is that the debt crisis is really acting as a dampener on business and consumer confidence," said Markit's Williamson.

"There's a lack of clarity about the outlook. As long as that persists, we think there's going to be a big drag on growth, and the downturn is going to persist."

- Detailed PMI data are only available under licence from Markit and customers need to apply to Markit for a licence.

To subscribe to the full data, click on the link below: http://www/markit.com/information/register/reuters-pmi-subscriptions

For further information, please phone Markit on +44 20 7260 2454 or email economics@markit.com

(Editing by Ron Askew)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/euro-zone-slump-moderates-german-worries-appear-pmis-090221774--business.html

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Boston Marathon bombing: the blame game begins

Just days after the Boston Marathon bombing, the political maneuvering and blaming have begun. Some lawmakers fault the FBI for not following up on intelligence about one of the alleged bombers. Others want to prosecute the surviving suspect as an enemy combatant.

By Brad Knickerbocker,?Staff writer / April 21, 2013

Wearing his Boston Marathon runner's jacket, David Delmar, a member of Trinity Episcopal Church in Boston, attends a service at Temple Israel, which allowed the Trinity congregation to hold their service, Sunday in Boston. Trinity is within the blocked-off area near the finish line of the Boston Marathon, where earlier in the week two bombs exploded.

Julio Cortez/AP

Enlarge

It may be plainly obvious who was responsible for the horrific Boston Marathon bombing on Patriots? Day: ethnically Chechen brothers Tamerlan and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev,?one dead in a shoot-out with police, the other seriously wounded and sedated in a Boston hospital where investigators are eager to interrogate him.

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Unexploded bombs were found in their apartment, surveillance videos show them carrying heavy backpacks in the vicinity of and just before the explosions that killed three people and injured more than 180, and they are said to have acknowledged their responsibility to the driver of a car they hijacked.

But less than a week after a train of events that kept Boston-area towns on lock-down for days, the political maneuvering and blaming have already begun.

Russian officials warned the US about the older Tsarnaev brother ? Tamerlan ? in 2011. When Tamerlan returned from a six-month stay in Russia the next year, US officials questioned him and his family about any ties with radical Islam but determined that he was not a threat.

?The ball was dropped in one of two ways,? US Sen. Lindsey Graham (R) of South Carolina said on CNN?s ?State of the Union? Sunday. ?The FBI missed a lot of things, is one potential answer, or our laws do not allow the FBI to follow up in a sound solid way.?

?It?s people like this that you don?t want to let out of your sight, and this was a mistake,? Sen. Graham said. ?Either our laws are insufficient or the FBI failed, but we?re at war with radical Islamists and we need to up our game.?

US Rep. Peter King (R) of New York is critical of the FBI as well.

"This is at least the fifth case I'm aware of where the FBI has failed to stop someone," Rep. King said on "Fox News Sunday," citing the examples of Anwar al-Awlaki, Nidal Malik Hasan, Carlos Bledsoe, and David Coleman Headley.

"This is the latest in a series of cases like this ? where the FBI is given information about someone being a potential terrorist," he said. "They look at them, and then they don't take action, and then [those individuals] go out and commit murders."

Speaking on NBC?s ?Meet the Press,??US Rep. Mike Rogers (R) of Michigan says the fault in this case rests with Russian intelligence services who failed to fully cooperate with the FBI.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/pErQaczT674/Boston-Marathon-bombing-the-blame-game-begins

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New private rocket set to launch today after delays

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NASA / Bill Ingalls

The Orbital Sciences Corporation Antares rocket is seen as it launches from Pad-0A of the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport (MARS) at the NASA Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia, Sunday.

By Tariq Malik, Space.com

A new commercial U.S. rocket soared into the Virginia sky Sunday on a debut flight that paves the way for eventual cargo flights to the International Space Station for NASA.

The third try was the charm for the?private Antares rocket, which?launched into space from a new pad at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility, its twin engines roaring to life at 5 p.m. EDT (2100 GMT) to carry a mock cargo ship out over the Atlantic Ocean and into orbit. The successful liftoff came after two delays caused by a minor mechanical glitch and bad weather.?

Built by the Dulles, Va.- based spaceflight company Orbital Sciences, the Antares rocket is a two-stage booster designed to launch tons of supplies to the International Space Station aboard a new unmanned cargo ship called Cygnus. Orbital has a $1.9 billion contract with NASA to provide at least eight resupply flights to the station using Antares and Cygnus. [See photos of Antares rocket's 1st launch]?

"Antares has delivered the A-ONE test mission payload into orbit," an Orbital Sciences commentator said. There were cheers out of Orbital's launch control room at ever successful stage of the launch, with the team breaking out in handshakes and hugs as the rocket reached orbit.?

Orbital had much riding on today's successful liftoff, which marked a critical test flight of a new commercial launch system.

The company has invested about $300 million developing the?Cygnus spacecraft?alone, slightly more in the rocket itself, Orbital executive vice president Frank Culbertson told reporters after the successful launch. The result, he added, was an amazing show with apparently no significant glitches aside from a brush fire ignited near the launch pad.

"This was a majestic liftoff during ascent," said Culbertson, who is a former NASA astronaut and Orbital's general manager for advanced programs. The Antares rocket as a low thrust to weight ratio, which means it has a slow start rising off the launch pad, he added. "It was a beautiful liftoff."

NASA chief Charles Bolden attended the launch and lauded the Orbital launch team on the successful flight.

"This is an incredibly historic day," Bolden told Orbital's team. "You couldn't have gone any farther without today. This was a first, huge step." [Launch Video: Antares Soars Into Orbit on 1st Flight]?

NASA TV

The first private Antares rocket built by Orbital Sciences Corp. launches toward space from NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in Wallops Island, Va., on April 21, 2013. It marks the first flight test for the rocket.

Virginia's biggest rocket launch?
Antares is the largest rocket ever to launch from?NASA's Wallops Flight Facility. It lifted off from the new Pad 0A, which is at Wallops but managed by the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport (MARS) and overseen by the Virginia Commercial Spaceflight Authority. Altogether, the Commonwealth of Virginia and MARS officials spent about $140 million to build the new launch pad complex.

Today's launch was expected to be visible from locations all along the East Coast, from Maine to South Carolina, weather permitting. Orbital even released several photos advising what the rocket would look like from famous landmarks around the Capitol.?

Orbital initially tried to launch the Antares rocket on Wednesday but called off the attempt when a vital data cable separated from the rocket earlier than planned, about 12 minutes before liftoff. The company spent Thursday analyzing the glitch and opted not to try for a Friday launch due to foul weather. Strong winds forced a delay on Saturday, but Mother Nature cooperated for Sunday's launch.

In a Twitter post before launch, officials at NASA's Wallops facility reported that the site's visitor center was completely packed for today's launch, despite the delays. MARS officials hope the Orbital launches will help serve as a new source of tourism for the region.

"It's definitely something we're all excited about," Basia Shields, manager of the Lighthouse Inn on nearby Chincoteague Island, told SPACE.com before Sunday's liftoff. "I mean, this is the off season for us and almost every room is booked just for this thing."

Private space cargo ships?
Orbital Sciences?is one of two companies with NASA contracts for commercial cargo deliveries to the space station. The other firm is Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) of Hawthorne, Calif., which has a $1.6 billion deal for 12 space station cargo missions.

With the retirement of NASA's space shuttle fleet in 2011, the agency is relying on commercial companies like Orbital Sciences and?SpaceX to provide the vital resupply services ? and, eventually, crew launches ? required to keep the space station fully stocked and staffed. Before the commercial program, NASA was dependent on Russian, Japanese and European cargo ships for supplies, and it still temporarily relies on?Russian Soyuz vehicles?for crewed missions.

"This is a new way of doing business, and with any new investment, there is a risk," Alan Lindenmoyer, head of NASA's commercial crew and cargo program at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, told reporters after the successful launch. "But it sure is nice to see a return on that investment and things go your way. I think this is a great day for everyone."

NASA picked Orbital Sciences as a commercial cargo partner in 2008, awarding the firm $288 million to begin developing the Cygnus spacecraft under the agency's Commercial Orbital Transportation Services program.?SpaceX?won its first COTS award in 2006.

"This is the culmination of a plan that we've been on for several years," NASA deputy administrator Lori Garver told reporters before the Wednesday launch try. "I am thrilled to have two competitors."

Garver said that at least two companies providing cargo services for NASA is vital since it assures access to space and does not allow one company to have a monopoly on station cargo deliveries.

Orbital and SpaceX also offer slightly different services. Unlike SpaceX's?Dragon space capsules, which can return cargo to Earth from the station, Orbital's Cygnus vehicles are disposable and are intentionally burned up in the atmosphere at mission's end.?

NASA TV

The Earth drops away from Orbital Sciences first Antares rocket in this amazing view captured by the rocket's ATK-built second stage during a test launch on April 21, 2013.

Antares test flight success?
During the test launch, the Antares rocket launched on a southeast trajectory over the Atlantic and took 10 minutes to reach its target orbit 155 miles (250 kilometers) above Earth. The rocket carried an 8,377-pound (3,800 kilograms) dummy payload to mimic the weight of an actual Cygnus spacecraft. The mockup was packed with 70 sensors to record how the Antares rocket launch would affect a Cygnus vehicle.

"It looks like all the expectations we had for today's flight were beautifully met," Lindenmoyer said.?

The dummy module is expected to spend at least two weeks in orbit before burning up in Earth's atmosphere, Orbital officials said.

Antares also carried three?coffee cup-size Phonesat satellites?? called Alexander, Graham and Bell ? into orbit as part of a space technology experiment for NASA's Ames Research Center in California. The tiny 4-inch-wide satellites use commercial smartphones as their main computers. Another small satellite the size of a bread box, called Dove-1, also rode into orbit as part of a commercial agreement for the California-based company Cosmogia. Dove-1 is reportedly an Earth-observation and remote sensing satellite, according to a NOAA remote sensing license document.

Orbital's Antares rocket is a two-stage booster that stands 131 feet (40 meters) tall and weighs 639,341 pounds (290,000 kilograms) at liftoff.?

The first stage is powered by two Aerojet AJ26 liquid-fueled rocket engines originally developed to launch Russia's giant N-1 moon rocket in the 1960s. Today's launch marked their first flight ever from U.S. soil.? The Antares second stage is a solid-fueled motor built by Allliant Techsystems (ATK), the same company that built the twin solid rocket boosters for NASA's space shuttle launches.

NASA / Bill Ingalls

The Orbital Sciences Corporation Antares rocket is seen on the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport (MARS) Pad-0A at the NASA Wallops Flight Facility on April 16, 2013 on Wallops Island, Va.

With the test flight now complete, Orbital is now looking forward to up to two more launches this year, both of them headed to theInternational Space Station. That first cargo flight, a demonstration mission, could launch in late June or early July, Orbital officials said.

"This is not a one-shot deal," Lindenmoyer said. "They're going to be here awhile."

Culbertson said that Orbital hopes to launch Antares rockets from Wallops every three to six months for the cargo delivery flights.

Editor's note:?If you snap a great photo of Orbital's Antares rocket launch that?you'd like to share for a possible story or image gallery, send photos, comments and your name and location to managing editor Tariq Malik at?spacephotos@space.com.

?UPDATE:?This story was updated at 7:52 p.m. EDT to include new comments and details of today's Antares rocket launch.

Email Tariq Malik at tmalik@space.com or follow him?@tariqjmalik?and?Google+.?Follow us?@Spacedotcom,?Facebook?and?Google+. Original article on??SPACE.com.

Copyright 2013?SPACE.com, a TechMediaNetwork company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

This story was originally published on Sat Apr 20, 2013 5:17 PM EDT

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Fans sink into Cruise's 'Oblivion' in $38.2M debut

LOS ANGELES (AP) ? Movie fans slipped into "Oblivion" as the Tom Cruise sci-fi thriller led Hollywood with a $38.2 million debut, according to studio estimates Sunday.

That domestic haul comes on top of $33.7 million "Oblivion" added in overseas markets, where the film began rolling out a week earlier. "Oblivion" raised its overseas total to $112 million and its worldwide receipts to $150.2 million.

Though many people Friday were caught up in coverage of the manhunt for the suspect in the Boston Marathon explosions, it seems to have had little effect on how the film fared.

"Oblivion" took in $13.3 million on opening day Friday and $14.9 million on Saturday. That 12 percent increase is not unusual for big new releases, which typically do better business on Saturday than Friday.

While Boston was on lockdown much of Friday, that market only accounts for about 1 percent of the nationwide box office, said Nikki Rocco, head of distribution for Universal, which released "Oblivion." The manhunt mainly affected matinee business, with theaters reopening Friday night, when Dzhokhar Tsarnaev was taken into custody.

"Once the guy was arrested, I think people got back into their regular routine," Rocco said.

The previous weekend's top film, the Warner Bros. baseball drama "42," held up well, slipping to second-place with $18 million in its second weekend. The Jackie Robinson biography starring Chadwick Boseman and Harrison Ford raised its domestic total to $54.1 million and is on its way to the $100 million mark, said Dan Fellman, Warner's head of distribution.

Overseas, Paramount's "G.I. Joe: Retaliation" got a lift with $40 million, most of it coming from a $33 million debut in China. The action sequel has topped $200 million internationally and $300 million worldwide.

"Oblivion" came in a bit higher than industry expectations. But despite its strong opening, Hollywood's 2013 revenue funk continued, with overall domestic receipts at $109 million, down 19.4 percent from the same weekend last year, according to box-office tracker Hollywood.com.

A year ago, two new romances ? the comedy "Think Like a Man" and the drama "The Lucky One" ? combined for $56 million that weekend, while the blockbuster "The Hunger Games" remained strong with nearly $15 million.

"Even Tom Cruise was unable to beat the strength of two really strong newcomers that were devoid of stars anywhere near in his league," said Hollywood.com analyst Paul Dergarabedian. "That tells you the difference between last year and this year. Even when we have a good weekend like this in 2013, generally these weekends, they pale by comparison to what happened last year."

Domestic revenues in 2013 total $2.76 billion, down 11.2 percent from where business was at last year, when Hollywood took in record cash.

Business slumped a bit in summer 2012 with some high-profile duds, so studios have a shot at gaining ground over last year with this season's upcoming blockbusters, which include "Iron Man 3," ''Star Trek Into Darkness," ''The Hangover Part III" and "Man of Steel."

Still, the gap almost certainly will continue to rise in the early part of the summer season.

Disney's Marvel Studios sequel "Iron Man 3" is expected to open with a whopping $125 million-plus domestically over the first weekend in May, Dergarabedian said. But that would fall far short of the record-breaking $207.4 million debut for the Marvel ensemble smash "The Avengers" over the same weekend last year.

Even so, Cruise's "Oblivion" provides a solid action lead-in to summer. The film stars Cruise as a repairman fixing machines in the wastelands of Earth after an alien attack.

Despite upheavals and odd behavior in Cruise's personal life in the last six or seven years, he remains one of Hollywood's surest box-office draws. Universal reported that in exit polls, fans cited Cruise as the No. 1 reason they saw the film.

"He's a global star," Rocco said. "People love Tom Cruise. If you put him in the right vehicle, they love him even better."

In narrower release, Rob Zombie's latest horror tale "The Lords of Salem" flopped with $622,000 in 355 theaters, for a dismal average of $1,752 a cinema. That compared to an average of $10,085 in 3,783 theaters for "Oblivion."

The low-budget hip-hop drama "Filly Brown" opened solidly with $1.4 million in 188 theaters, for an average of $7,250. The film stars Gina Rodriguez and the late Jenni Rivera in the story of a young talent with a shot at stardom on Los Angeles' hip-hop scene.

Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Hollywood.com. Where available, latest international numbers are also included. Final domestic figures will be released Monday.

1. "Oblivion," $38.2 million ($33.7 million international).

2. "42," $18 million.

3. "The Croods," $9.5 million ($23.4 million international).

4. "Scary Movie 5," $6.3 million ($3.5 million international).

5. "G.I. Joe: Retaliation," $5.8 million ($40 million international).

6. "The Place Beyond the Pines," $4.7 million.

7. "Olympus Has Fallen," $4.5 million ($7.8 million international).

8. "Evil Dead," $4.1 million ($2.3 million international).

9. "Jurassic Park" in 3-D, $4 million ($420,000 international).

10. "Oz the Great and Powerful," $3 million ($1.5 million international).

___

Estimated weekend ticket sales at international theaters (excluding the U.S. and Canada) for films distributed overseas by Hollywood studios, according to Rentrak:

1. "G.I. Joe: Retaliation," $40 million.

2. "Oblivion," $33.7 million.

3. "The Croods," $23.4 million.

4. "Olympus Has Fallen," $7.8 million.

5. "Les Profs," $5.8 million.

6. "Scary Movie 5," $3.5 million.

7. "Mama," $2.9 million.

8. "Les Gamins," $2.7 million.

9 (tie). "Detective Conan Private Eye," $2.3 million.

9 (tie). "Evil Dead," $2.3 million.

___

Online:

http://www.hollywood.com

http://www.rentrak.com

___

Universal and Focus are owned by NBC Universal, a unit of Comcast Corp.; Sony, Columbia, Sony Screen Gems and Sony Pictures Classics are units of Sony Corp.; Paramount is owned by Viacom Inc.; Disney, Pixar and Marvel are owned by The Walt Disney Co.; Miramax is owned by Filmyard Holdings LLC; 20th Century Fox and Fox Searchlight are owned by News Corp.; Warner Bros. and New Line are units of Time Warner Inc.; MGM is owned by a group of former creditors including Highland Capital, Anchorage Advisors and Carl Icahn; Lionsgate is owned by Lions Gate Entertainment Corp.; IFC is owned by AMC Networks Inc.; Rogue is owned by Relativity Media LLC.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/fans-sink-cruises-oblivion-38-2m-debut-162409214--finance.html

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Hundreds of alterations and potential drug targets to starve tumors identified

Monday, April 22, 2013

A massive study analyzing gene expression data from 22 tumor types has identified multiple metabolic expression changes associated with cancer. The analysis, conducted by researchers at Columbia University Medical Center, also identified hundreds of potential drug targets that could cut off a tumor's fuel supply or interfere with its ability to synthesize essential building blocks. The study was published today in the online edition of Nature Biotechnology.

The results should ramp up research into drugs that interfere with cancer metabolism, a field that dominated cancer research in the early 20th century and has recently undergone a renaissance.

"The importance of this new study is its scope," said Dennis Vitkup, PhD, associate professor of biomedical informatics (in the Initiative in Systems Biology) at CUMC, the study's lead investigator. "So far, people have focused mainly on a few genes involved in major metabolic processes. Our study provides a comprehensive, global view of diverse metabolic alterations at the level of gene expression."

Cell metabolism is a dynamic network of reactions inside cells that process nutrients, such as glucose, to obtain energy and synthesize building blocks needed to produce new cellular components. To support uncontrolled proliferation, cancer needs to significantly reprogram and "supercharge" a cell's normal metabolic pathways.

The first researcher to notice cancer's special metabolism was German biochemist Otto Warburg, who in 1924 observed that cancer cells had a peculiar way of utilizing glucose to make energy for the cell. "Although a list of biochemical pathways in normal cells was comprehensively mapped during the last century," said Dr. Vitkup. "We still lack a complete understanding of their usage, regulation, and reprogramming in cancer."

"Right now we have something like a static road map. We know where the streets are, but we don't know how traffic flows through the streets and intersections," said Jie Hu, PhD, a postdoctoral researcher at Columbia and first author of the study. "What researchers need is something similar to Google Traffic, which shows the flow and dynamic changes in car traffic."

Drs. Hu and Vitkup's study is an important step toward achieving this dynamic view of cancer metabolism. Notably, the researchers found that the tumor-induced expression changes are significantly different across diverse tumors. Although some metabolic changes?such as an increase in nucleotide biosynthesis and glycolysis?appear to be more frequent across tumors, others, such as changes in oxidation phosphorylation, are heterogeneous.

"Our study clearly demonstrates that there are no single and universal changes in cancer metabolism," said Matthew Vander Heiden, MD, PhD, assistant professor at MIT, and a co-author of the paper. "That means that to understand transformation in cancer metabolism, researchers will need to consider how different tumor types adapt their metabolism to meet their specific needs."

The researchers also found that expression changes can mimic or cooperate with cancer mutations to drive tumor formation. A notable example is the enzyme isocitrate dehydrogenase. In several cancers, such as glioblastoma and acute myeloid leukemia, mutations in this enzyme are known to produce a specific metabolite?2-hydroxyglutarate?that promotes tumor growth. The Columbia team found that isocitrate dehydrogenase expression significantly increases in tumors with the recurrent mutations. Such an overexpression may create an efficient enzymatic factory for overproduction of 2-hydroxyglutarate.

The analysis also led the researchers to an interesting finding in colon cancer. In several other cancers, mutations in two enzymes?succinate dehydrogenase and fumarate hydratase?can promote tumor formation as a result of efflux from mitochondria and accumulation of their substrates, fumarate and succinate. The researchers found that in colon cancer, accumulation of these metabolites may be caused by a significant decrease in the enzymes' expression. This was confirmed when metabolomics data from colon tumor patients showed significantly higher concentrations of fumarate in tumors than in normal tissue.

"These are just several examples of how cancer cells use various creative mechanisms to hijack the metabolism of native cells for their own purposes," said Dr. Vitkup.

For cancer researchers looking for new drug targets, Dr. Vitkup's team also found hundreds of differences between normal and cancer cells' use of isoenzymes. This opens up additional possibilities for turning off cancer's fuel and supply lines. Isoenzymes often catalyze the same reactions, but have different kinetic properties: Some act quickly and sustain rapid growth, while others are more sluggish. In kidney and liver cancers, for example, a quick-acting aldolase isoenzyme?suitable for fast cell proliferation?was found to be more prevalent than the more typical slow-moving version found in normal kidney and liver tissue. Although a few examples of differential isoenzyme expression in tumors were already known, the Columbia researchers identified hundreds of isoenzymes with cancer-specific expression patterns.

"Inhibiting specific isoenzymes in tumors may be a way to selectively hit cancer cells without affecting normal cells, which could get by with other isoenzymes," said Dr. Hu.

In fact, a recent study from Matthew Vander Heiden's laboratory demonstrated the potential of targeting a specific isoenzyme, pyruvate kinase M2, expression of which often increases in tumors. "The comprehensive expression analysis suggests that a similar approach could potentially be applied in multiple other cases," said Dr. Vander Heiden.

Targeting metabolism may be a way to strike cancer at its roots. "Cancer cells usually have multiple ways to turn on their growth program," said Dr. Vitkup. "You can knock out one, but the cells will usually find another pathway to turn on proliferation. Targeting metabolism may be more powerful, because if you starve a cell of energy or materials, it has nowhere to go."

###

Columbia University Medical Center: http://www.cumc.columbia.edu

Thanks to Columbia University Medical Center for this article.

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Source: http://www.labspaces.net/127840/Hundreds_of_alterations_and_potential_drug_targets_to_starve_tumors_identified

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Jets trade Darrelle Revis to Buccaneers

FILE - In this Thursday, May 10, 2012 file photo, New York Jets cornerback Darrelle Revis talks to the media near his locker at the team's football training facility, in Florham Park, N.J. Revis and the New York Jets appear on the verge of parting ways. A person familiar with the situation told The Associated Press on Sunday, April 21, 2013, that the Jets granted Revis permission to take a physical and negotiate a contract with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, signaling a trade is imminent. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez, File)

FILE - In this Thursday, May 10, 2012 file photo, New York Jets cornerback Darrelle Revis talks to the media near his locker at the team's football training facility, in Florham Park, N.J. Revis and the New York Jets appear on the verge of parting ways. A person familiar with the situation told The Associated Press on Sunday, April 21, 2013, that the Jets granted Revis permission to take a physical and negotiate a contract with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, signaling a trade is imminent. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez, File)

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) ? Revis Island is relocating to Tampa Bay.

The Buccaneers took a bold move to fix the NFL's worst pass defense Sunday, acquiring star cornerback Darrelle Revis from the New York Jets in exchange for the 13th overall pick in this year's draft and another selection next year.

"We're thrilled. It's rare that you get a chance to add a player of this caliber to your football team. That's what motivated us," general manager Mark Dominik said, adding he would withhold further comment until a Monday news conference at the team's training facility.

The Bucs announced the deal Sunday, saying Revis agreed to a new six-year contract. Revis' agents Neil Schwartz and Jon Feinsod confirmed the deal is worth $96 million, with no guaranteed money, but makes him one of the highest-paid defensive players in the NFL. It includes $1.5 million annually in both roster and workout bonuses.

The Jets also receive a conditional fourth-round pick in next year's draft that will become a third-rounder if Revis is on the Buccaneers' roster on the third day of the 2014 league year.

The trade was completed about two hours after Revis arrived in Tampa by private jet to take a physical for the Bucs, who wanted to check out his surgically repaired left knee.

Tampa Bay coach Greg Schiano drove his car onto the tarmac to meet the plane, greeted Revis and whisked the cornerback away to One Buccaneer Place. Soon after, the front page of the Buccaneers' official website posted a big picture of Revis in what appears to be a Tampa Bay jersey with the words: "Treasure Island. Darrelle Revis (CB). It's a Bucs Life."

Tampa Bay opens the season at ? that's right ? the Jets.

Trade talk had been swirling for months involving Revis, with the Bucs thought all along to be the most serious suitor. In addition to having a leaky secondary, Tampa Bay was more than $32 million under the salary cap before landing a player generally regarded as the best cornerback in football.

Coach Rex Ryan's Jets currently have the ninth overall pick in the draft that starts Thursday, and now the 13th pick, so new general manager John Idzik will be busy early in the first round.

The trade leaves Antonio Cromartie as the Jets' top cornerback, a role he flourished in last season with Revis sidelined by a knee injury. And 2010 first-rounder Kyle Wilson mostly likely would be stepping in as the other starter.

The Jets could also target a cornerback ? perhaps Alabama's Dee Milliner or Florida State's Xavier Rhodes ? in the first round.

For the Bucs, adding Revis improves a secondary that already includes cornerback Eric Wright and safeties Mark Barron and recently signed Dashon Goldson, an All-Pro last season in San Francisco. Tampa Bay finished last in pass defense last season, coming within 38 yards of allowing the most yardage through the air in league history.

The 27-year-old Revis was entering the last season of his four-year contract signed in 2010, but was looking for a big payday that would make him one of the highest-paid defensive players in the league. A clause in that deal prevented the Jets from using the franchise or transition tag on him next year, so if he likely would have become a free agent in 2014.

As the Jets weighed whether to try to sign him to a contract extension, lose him to free agency next offseason or deal him for high draft picks, Revis was the subject of rampant trade rumors since last season ended. Complicating things was the fact Revis is coming off a serious injury. Revis tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee last September against Miami, and underwent surgery the next month. He has been rehabbing since, and has indicated in interviews he expects to be ready for the start of the regular season.

Against his former team.

___

AP Sports Writer Dennis Waszak Jr. in New York contributed to this story.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2013-04-21-FBN-Jets-Bucs-Revis/id-c1c958c24d0a4c25be79c0fa8a4a5c5e

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Israeli official says drones could replace planes

TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) ? Israel's air force is on track to developing drones that within four to five decades would carry out nearly every battlefield operation executed today by piloted aircraft, a high-ranking Israeli officer told The Associated Press Sunday.

The officer, who works in the field of unmanned aerial vehicle intelligence, said Israel is speeding up research and development of such unmanned technologies for air, ground and naval forces.

"There is a process happening now of transferring tasks from manned to unmanned vehicles," the officer said, speaking anonymously because of the classified nature of his work. "This trend will continue to become stronger."

Isaac Ben-Israel, a former Israeli air force general, said however there was no way drones could entirely overtake manned airplanes. He said there are just some things drones can't do, like carry heavy payloads needed for major assaults on targets like underground bunkers.

"The direction is drones playing a bigger and bigger role in the air force," he said. "In a decade or two they should be able to carry out a third or half of all missions. But there are still certain things you cannot do without a piloted plane."

Israel is a pioneer in drone technology. Its military was the first to make widespread use of drones in its 1982 invasion of Lebanon and Israeli companies are considered world leaders and export unmanned aircraft to a number of armies, including U.S.-led forces that have used them in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The unmanned aircraft have been a major part of Israel's arsenal in battling Gaza rocket launchers over the years. Drones were seen as crucial by giving soldiers eyes in the air, keeping watch over rooftops and alleyways in congested urban areas and notifying troops of threats or obstacles in their path. Israel insists its drones only perform surveillance missions but Palestinian witnesses have long claimed that Israeli drones fire missiles in Gaza.

The officer claimed Israel is second only to the United States in the range of unmanned aerial systems its produces. He said he was "aware" that American drones are capable of firing missiles, but refused to say whether Israeli drones could do the same.

The officer cited one technology recently unveiled: the unmanned Hermes 900 aircraft, developed by the Israeli military manufacturer Elbit Systems Ltd. and recently rolled out for Israeli military use.

It features double the performance capabilities of the previous generation of the same unmanned aircraft, the Hermes 450. It can carry up to 350 kilograms, features advanced systems of surveillance and reconnaissance and offers support to forces on the ground and at sea, according to a description of the technology on Elbit's website.

Israel is also looking to develop small tactical satellites that warplanes could launch into the earth's orbit, the officer said.

Unlike satellites in permanent orbit which are more easily monitored by other leading armies in the world, the tactical satellites Israel hopes to develop would be cheaper to build and less susceptible to interception because they would be launched during wartime and there would be less time for foreign armies to track their orbit, Israeli military officials said.

____

Follow Daniel Estrin at www.twitter.com/danielestrin

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/israeli-official-says-drones-could-replace-planes-175744090.html

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Big scramble seen in open Senate seat in Georgia

ATLANTA (AP) ? A rare open U.S. Senate seat in Georgia promises a scrambled 2014 campaign that already has some Republicans quietly nervous about retaining it.

Democrat Barack Obama lost the state in both of his White House races, and it's a seat that Republicans cannot afford to lose as they try to regain a Senate majority for the final two years of his presidency.

The question is whether a bruising party primary becomes a liability, particularly if voters nominate U.S. Rep. Paul Broun, who once called evolution and the Big Bang Theory "lies straight from the pit of hell."

Broun and U.S. Rep. Phil Gingrey, both conservative physicians, are the only Republicans to announce officially since incumbent Saxby Chambliss said he will retire. But the GOP primary field eventually could include as many as a half-dozen candidates with a credible shot at a runoff spot.

Broun, whose district includes the University of Georgia in Athens, drew national headlines last year for that science commentary he delivered at a church. He's flouted GOP leaders on recent fiscal votes, saying the party's position wasn't conservative enough.

In a recent fundraising letter, he boasted that he was the first member of Congress to call Obama "a socialist who embraces Marxist-Leninist policies."

That makes Broun a tea party and evangelical favorite. To other Republicans, however, such comments stir memories of 2012 losses in Senate races in Missouri and Indiana where the GOP nominees, Todd Akin and Richard Mourdock, made controversial comments about women, rape and abortion.

"There's no question that the Republican Party in Georgia and the nation are concerned that we could have another Todd Akin-type scenario here," said Heath Garrett, a Republican campaign consultant and former top aide to U.S. Sen. Johnny Isakson.

Democrats control 55 seats in the Senate, and Republicans would need to hang on to the ones they control now and pick up six more next year to take control for the first time since 2006.

At least one more Georgia congressman is likely to jump in, and a trio of Washington outsiders is considering the race: a wealthy Atlanta businesswoman who helped bankroll a Mitt Romney's presidential campaign; the former Susan G. Komen Foundation executive who took on Planned Parenthood; and the cousin of former Gov. Sonny Perdue.

"It's going to be a free-for-all with a lot of dominoes," said Sue Everhart, the head of the state GOP.

Isakson said he's neutral in the primary.

National conservative groups FreedomWorks and Club for Growth, which have helped tea party candidates such as Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas win high-profile races, say many candidates have talked to them about support. For now, both groups say they're watching the field develop. It would be a blow to Broun if he can't harness the support of either.

Democrats believe they can tap into the Missouri-Indiana playbook, particularly if U.S. Rep. John Barrow, a moderate from Augusta, runs. Barrow has survived consecutive elections as one of national Republicans' top House targets.

The state Democratic chairman, Mike Berlon, said Barrow has detractors among core Democrats for his vote against Obama's health care law, but said he'd expect enthusiasm at any opportunity to win back Chambliss' seat.

Berlon said the congressman is an ideal candidate to assemble a majority coalition of African-Americans, white urban liberals, suburban moderates and just enough rural conservatives. "We're already close," he said, noting that Obama got 47 percent in 2008 and 45.5 percent in 2012 "without the national party lifting a finger."

Garrett said that "if the Republican nominee scares suburban whites, John Barrow becomes a very formidable candidate."

Barrow has held meetings with major Democratic donors in Georgia and talked with the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee leaders, but has not announced his intentions.

The only other Democrat making strong overtures is Michelle Nunn, a not-for-profit executive who's the daughter of former U.S. Sen. Sam Nunn, D-Ga.

Berlon said he expects Nunn and Barrow to meet soon to "talk about who's going to run."

On the Republican side, U.S. Rep. Jack Kingston of Savannah is expected to enter the race soon. He raised $843,000 in the first three months of the year, about 10 times what he collected during the same span two years ago when he was preparing only for an easy re-election to his 11th term.

Rep. Tom Price, vice chairman of the House Budget Committee, has said he won't make a move until after Congress passes a budget. But he's also got to consider that many high-profile GOP donors and strategists are lining up behind Gingrey or Kingston.

The longer Price waits, the more likely it is that Karen Handel, a former Georgia secretary of state, will run. The two are close friends.

After losing the 2010 Republican primary runoff for governor, Handel worked for the Susan G. Komen Foundation. She resigned amid controversy over her push to dissociate the organization from Planned Parenthood, a provider of women's health care and abortion services.

Two electoral newcomers would bring their personal wealth to the campaign.

Businessman David Perdue also has name ID as the cousin of a popular former governor.

Kelly Loeffler is a co-owner of the Atlanta-based company that recently bought the New York Stock Exchange and Atlanta's professional women's basketball team. She's never run for office but is one of the top fundraisers for Romney last year. She's been increasingly active in Georgia Republican political circles.

Chip Lake, a paid strategist for Gingrey, said the uncertainty makes it difficult to handicap the race.

Against Broun alone, Gingrey is a mainstream social and fiscal conservative, but he also caught heat earlier this year when he defended Akin.

Gingrey apologized, calling his own remarks "stupid." In a three-man race, Kingston becomes a favorite of many Chamber of Commerce Republicans. But Kingston also is from south Georgia, far from the population center of Atlanta, where Gingrey has won elections for decades.

Broun has just $217,000 in his campaign account, about one-tenth of his House rivals and not enough for one week of television ads in Atlanta. But he's also got a strong grass-roots following.

Handel can capitalize on experience in government, while still being an outsider to an unpopular Congress. She could be a particularly strong candidate if she's the only woman in the race.

But Loeffler could neutralize any gender advantage. Handel can use the Planned Parenthood flap to boost her conservative credentials, but she's had run-ins with staunch anti-abortion groups because she supports policy exceptions for rape, incest and to allow for in-vitro fertilization.

Loeffler can sell her success story and roots on an Illinois farm. But she'd still have to introduce herself to small town and rural Georgia as a millionaire from Atlanta.

___

Follow Barrow on Twitter: https://twitter.com/BillBarrowAP

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/big-scramble-seen-open-senate-seat-georgia-114950175--election.html

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