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National briefs: Graham to stall confirmations
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WASHINGTON -- Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., still not satisfied with the administration's answers to questions about the attack on a U.S. diplomatic outpost in Benghazi, Libya, said Sunday that he would try to delay Senate confirmation of President Barack Obama's nominees for defense secretary and CIA director.
Mr. Graham, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said on CBS's "Face the Nation" that he would seek to block votes on Chuck Hagel as defense secretary and John Brennan as CIA director until he gets a better explanation of what the president was doing during the attack in September on the U.S. consulate, which killed four Americans, including Ambassador Christopher Stevens.
"This is a complete system failure, and I'm going to get to the bottom of it," he said.
Under Senate rules, a hold can be a tough procedural obstacle. Sixty votes are needed to end a hold and bring a motion to the Senate floor.
$1M manhunt reward
LOS ANGELES -- Seeking leads in a massive manhunt, Los Angeles authorities on Sunday offered a $1 million reward for information leading to the arrest of Christopher Dorner, the former police officer suspected in three killings. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa announced the reward, raised through several private and public donors, at a news conference at police headquarters.
Meanwhile, authorities said camping gear was found along with weapons inside Mr. Dorner's burned-out pickup truck.
Also Sunday, police investigated a taunting phone call that may have been made by Mr. Dorner to the father of the woman they believe he killed last week.
4 hurt during Mardi Gras
NEW ORLEANS -- Gunshots erupted in a crowd of bead-wearing, drink-carrying late-night revelers on Bourbon Street during the countdown to Mardi Gras, wounding four people and sending bystanders running and screaming. Hours later on Sunday, though, the same stretch was packed with partiers who said they weren't letting the violence dampen their fun.
Police said in an email that a video taken by a witness Saturday night depicts an argument involving one of the shooting victims and the suspects. Two men are seen leaving the argument and returning with a third, then approaching the victim as at least one of the suspects begins shooting.
Gates: Review drones
WASHINGTON -- Former defense secretary Robert M. Gates said Sunday that there should be an outside check on the power of a president to order drone strikes on U.S. citizens.
Mr. Gates, a former CIA director who was defense secretary under Presidents Barack Obama and George W. Bush, said decisions to execute Americans should be subject to some outside review, perhaps by a panel of judges or by Congress. Mr. Obama has increased the use of drones to attack terrorists in the Middle East.
U.S. gasoline price jumps
CAMARILLO, Calif. -- The average price for regular gasoline at U.S. pumps rose 24.75 cents a gallon in the past two weeks to $3.5918 a gallon, according to Lundberg Survey Inc.
The survey covers the period ended Feb. 8 and is based on information obtained from about 2,500 stations by the California-based company.
The highest price in the lower 48 states among the markets surveyed was in Los Angeles, where the average was $4.10 a gallon.
-- Compiled from news services
First Published February 11, 2013 12:00 am
