white house

white house

On the heels of the blockbuster revelation thatOsama bin Laden is dead, CNN cameras at the White House captured a spontaneous celebration just outside the North fence of the White House. As anchor Wolf Blitzer tossed to a live shot of the gathering crowd, which Blitzer said had been chanting “USA! USA!”, the crowd broke into a spontaneous rendition of The Star Spangled Bannerthat could become an iconic image in American history.

The contrived nature of much of modern TV news coverage makes this clip all the more remarkable. While bin Laden’s death doesn’t come close to restoring what was lost on September 11, 2001, it is obviously an important milestone in the national psyche, and a just, if too long delayed, result. Here’s the video, from CNN:

islamabad

Islamabad

Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden was killed in Pakistan by a team of U.S. operatives early yesterday morning after a firefight at a house where he had been hiding, President Barack Obamasaid.

“On nights like this one we can say to those families who have lost loved ones to al Qaeda’s terror: Justice has been done,” Obama said in a late-night televised address from the White House.

Obama delivered the news to the nation almost 10 years after the Sept. 11 attacks that bin Laden orchestrated. Bin Laden was killed, along with other members of his family in a compound in suburban Islamabad, an official said. Almost 3,000 people were killed on Sept. 11, most at the World Trade Center in New York and the Pentagon in Virginia just outside of Washington.

Obama and his predecessor, former President George W. Bush, made capturing al-Qaeda leaderbin Laden a key national security priority. Obama has called the border between Afghanistan and Pakistan the “epicenter of violent extremism,” where he said bin Laden was hiding.

Obama said bin Laden was killed today by U.S. assets during a “firefight” outside of Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan. The president said he authorized an attack on bin Laden’s compound after he determined last week there was enough intelligence to take action.

‘Painstaking’ Work

Bin Laden’s killing came after years of “painstaking” work by the U.S. intelligence community, Obama said.

Obama said that shortly after taking office in 2009, he directed Central Intelligence Agency Director Leon Panetta to make the killing or capture of bin Laden the “top priority” in the war against al-Qaeda. In August, Obama was briefed on a possible lead to bin Laden, he said.

“Tonight we are once again reminded that America can do whatever we set our mind to,” Obama said. “That is the story of our history.”

The news brought a cheering, chanting crowd outside the White House fence. They began gathering before Obama spoke and the crowd continued to grow into the early morning hours.

The intelligence revealed that bin Laden was living in a large home in a secure compound in an affluent suburb of Islamabad, according to administration officials who briefed reporters after Obama spoke.

The U.S. had been looking at the sprawling compound since at least last September, the officials said. By mid-March Obama held a series of meetings of his National Security Council to determine a course of action.

Authorizing the Mission

The president gave the go ahead for the operation early in the morning of April 29, according to one of the officials.

The raid occurred in the early morning hours yesterday, the officials said. Helicopters carried the U.S. operatives to compound and they were on the ground for about 40 minutes, they said. No U.S. personnel were killed.

Obama warned that the fight against terrorism isn’t ended with the death of bin Laden.

“There’s no doubt that al-Qaeda will continue to pursue attacks against us” he said.

The State Department issued an alert to U.S. citizens traveling abroad to warn of potential anti-American violence as a result of the raid.

Obama called Bush to inform him about the raid.

“I congratulated him and the men and women of our military and intelligence communities who devoted their lives to this mission,” the former president said in a statement. “This momentous achievement marks a victory for America, for people who seek peace around the world, and for all those who lost loved ones on Sept. 11, 2001.”

The administration briefed congressional officials ahead of the president’s address.

House Speaker John Boehner, an Ohio Republican, said he wanted to “commend President Obama and his team, as well as President Bush, for all of their efforts to bring Osama bin Laden to justice.”

osama bin laden dead

osama bin laden dead

In response to the White House announcement that al Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden is dead, Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, R-Texas, said in a statement that the challenge doesn't end.

"Our mission has always been to take down Osama bin Laden, leader of al-Qaeda, the terrorist network that killed thousands of innocent Americans on September 11, 2001. That mission has now been accomplished through the patience and steadfast determination of our military, our intelligence officials, and the united leadership of Presidents Bush and Obama. Now we must continue to dismantle this and other terrorist networks that attempt to destroy freedom and human rights throughout the world."

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., like many others, struck much the same tone:

"This is the most significant victory in our fight against al Qaeda and terrorism, but that fight is not over. ... Nine-and-a-half years ago, Osama bin Laden masterminded the horrific attacks against the United States that killed nearly 3,000 people. As we remember those who were killed on that dark day in September and their families, we also reaffirm our resolve to defeat the terrorist forces that killed them and thousands of others across the globe. Because of courageous Americans in our

tsunami in hawaii

tsunami in hawaii

Tsunami waves swamped Hawaii beaches and severely damaged harbors in California after devastating Japan and sparking evacuations throughout the Pacific.Water rushed up on roadways and into hotel lobbies on the Big Island and low-lying areas in Maui were flooded as 7-foot waves crashed ashore. Large waves also hit the U.S. western coast, shaking loose boats that weren't moved in time and tearing apart wooden docks in at least two California harbors.

"This is just devastating. I never thought I'd see this again," said Ted Scott, a retired mill worker who lived in Crescent City when a 1964 tsunami killed 17 people on the West Coast, including 11 in his town. "I watched the docks bust apart. It buckled like a graham cracker."

The waves didn't make it over a 20-foot break wall protecting the rest of the city, and no serious injuries or home damage was immediately reported.

Scientists warned that the first tsunami waves are not always the strongest, and officials said people in Hawaii and along the West Coast should remain vigilant. Still, the tsunami warning was downgraded to an advisory in Hawaii, and Gov. Neil Abercrombie said the islands were "fortunate almost beyond words."

"All of us had that feeling that Hawaii was just the most blessed place on the face of the Earth today," he said.The tsunami, spawned by an 8.9-magnitude earthquake in Japan, killing hundreds as it slammed the eastern coast of Japan, sweeping away boats, cars, homes and people as widespread fires burned out of control. It raced across the Pacific at 500 mph — as fast as a jetliner — before hitting Hawaii and the West Coast. Sirens sounded for hours on the islands and the West Coast before dawn and roadways and beaches were mostly empty as the tsunami struck.

Damage estimates in Crescent city were in the millions, and more boats and docks were hit in Santa Cruz on California's central coast. Surges are expected throughout the afternoon.

http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=13116295