Nation and World briefs for September 11

Iran nuclear deal survives: Democrats block disapproval resolution in key Senate vote

WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate Democrats voted to uphold the hard-fought nuclear accord with Iran on Thursday, overcoming ferocious GOP opposition and delivering President Barack Obama a legacy-making victory on his top foreign policy priority.

A disapproval resolution for the agreement fell two votes short of the 60 needed to move forward as most Democratic and independent senators banded together against it. Although House Republicans continued to pursue eleventh-hour strategies to derail the international accord and Senate Republicans promised a re-vote, Thursday’s outcome all but guaranteed that the disapproval legislation would not reach Obama’s desk.

As a result the nuclear deal will move forward unchecked by Congress, an improbable win by Obama in the face of unanimous opposition from Republicans who control Capitol Hill, GOP candidates seeking to replace him in the Oval Office and the state of Israel and its allied lobbyists in the U.S.

Beginning next week, Obama will be free to start scaling back U.S. sanctions to implement the agreement negotiated by Iran, the U.S. and five other world powers. The accord aims to constrain Iran’s nuclear ambitions in exchange for hundreds of billions of dollars in relief from international sanctions.

“This vote is a victory for diplomacy, for American national security and for the safety and security of the world,” the president said in a statement. “Going forward, we will turn to the critical work of implementing and verifying this deal so that Iran cannot pursue a nuclear weapon.”

Asylum seekers’ long road to Western Europe turns wet, cold, muddy

BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — Soaked to the bone and ankle deep in mud, thousands of people seeking refuge in Europe are finding that their path to a new life is growing harder by the hour.

Torrential rains poured as an unprecedented 7,000 trekkers crossed the Greek border into Macedonia on Thursday past rows of camouflage-jacketed police. Children stumbled into mud-filled potholes and had to be pulled back out, bawling, into their mothers’ arms. People struggled to find anything — plastic sheets, garbage bags, even a beach umbrella — to shield themselves from an unrelenting deluge.

And yet nothing could dampen their hopes of reaching the heart of Europe, where asylum and border security systems are already in danger of being overwhelmed in the migration crisis.

“I’m not going to be afraid of anything,” said Waseem Absi, a 30-year-old from Ariha in northern Syria, as he held a disassembled pup tent over his head and trudged up a muddy slope alongside four friends. He said he hopes to reunite with relatives in the Netherlands.

The sudden onset of autumn has taken tens of thousands by surprise all along the Balkans route from Greece to Hungary, the main gateway to Western Europe for more than 160,000 asylum seekers already this year.

Trials for 6 officers in Freddie Gray case will stay in Baltimore; judge refuses to move them

BALTIMORE (AP) — Despite the days of riots, protests and a multimillion-dollar settlement that followed the death of Freddie Gray, a fair trial can be held in Baltimore for the six officers charged in Gray’s arrest and death, a judge ruled Thursday.

While the decision may be a blow to defense attorneys, the judge left open the possibility of revisiting his ruling if they cannot find impartial jurors who have not been influenced by coverage of the case. Legal experts say it’s likely the defense will continue to ask for the trials to be moved outside of the city.

Baltimore Circuit Judge Barry Williams said finding a place that hasn’t been inundated by coverage would be nearly impossible.

“Information is ubiquitous, and every person in the city and state can choose to inundate themselves,” Williams said.

Outside the courthouse, a group of about two dozen protesters cheered when they heard the ruling. They chanted: “The trial stays here.”

Arizona police confirm 11th attack on vehicles in Phoenix; tips sought in highway shootings

PHOENIX (AP) — The search for a suspect in a string of Phoenix freeway shootings took on frenzied pace Thursday as police jumped from one spot to another, investigating five more reports of vehicles being shot as a panicked public flooded a hotline with tips.

Police confirmed one of these reports, raising to 11 the number of vehicles struck on Phoenix-area freeways since Aug. 29. Eight were hit by bullets and three by “projectiles” such as BBs and pellets.

One girl’s face was cut by glass as a bullet shattered her window.

Authorities are appealing for help through social media, news conferences, TV interviews and freeway billboards. The messages have morphed from “report suspicious activity” to “shooting tips” to the more ominous “I-10 shooter tip line” on Thursday.

Thousands of tips have come in, many of them proving to be false leads based on road hazards routine in Arizona, like windshields cracked by loose rocks sent airborne by the tires of other vehicles.

Caver in South Africa describes making a daring and amazing discovery

MAGALIESBURG, South Africa (AP) — Jagged rocks hooked into Steven Tucker’s overalls as he squeezed through a crack deep in a subterranean cave. Upon emerging at the other end, he saw he was in a chamber dripping with stalactites. Then his headlamp shone onto a bone. Then more bones, and half of a skull.

It was the night of Sept. 13, 2013, and Tucker and his caving partner had just discovered the remains of what scientists would later determine to be a new member of the human family tree. The announcement of the discovery was made by scientists on Thursday, with Tucker looking on.

Tucker was only trying to get out of fellow caver Rick Hunter’s way, inching to the side, on a different intended route when he stepped into the crack in the network of caves known as Rising Star. He’d heard of the crack before, but despite having been down this cave more than 20 times before, he had never noticed it, nor known of any other caver who had ventured down it.

He shone his headlamp down the dark crevice, and couldn’t see where it ended. He knew of at least one other caver who also stared down the crack, and decided it was too dangerous. He began to lower himself, feet-first, into the narrow vertical opening.

“It’s exciting to find something new,” Tucker, now 27, told The Associated Press on Thursday, trying to explain why he took the risk.

Amid campaign concerns and Sanders surge, Clinton aims to rally her most loyal backers

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — With poll numbers declining and email questions persisting, Hillary Rodham Clinton labored Thursday to shore up support among some of her strongest backers and ease concerns about the trajectory of her presidential campaign.

As Clinton worked in Ohio to marshal female voters, a sturdy base of support in a historically favorable state, top officials from her campaign updated loyal allies in Congress on efforts to regain her footing.

However, in the early-voting states of Iowa and New Hampshire, there was evident worry that Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders was making inroads despite the formidable machinery of the former secretary of state’s campaign.

“Sanders is calling, doing outreach to a far wider base than Clinton,” said Sarah Swisher, of Iowa City, who in 2008 was a “superdelegate” for Clinton at the party’s national convention. “He has staff who call me all the time. And he has the volunteer capacity to make those contacts.”

The flurry of Clinton activity this week hints at the depth of concern about her national campaign. On Thursday, the modest-sized ballroom in downtown Columbus was half empty for her event, with supporters herded into a cordoned-off area to give the impression of a packed crowd.

Russian troops already in Syria to aid Assad against Islamic State, says Israel

(AP) Russia has been sending military forces into Syria in recent days, Israel’s defense chief announced Thursday, as Moscow hinted at broader action to bolster President Bashar Assad’s embattled army following a string of battlefield losses.

The increased Russian activity in Syria reflects Moscow’s deep concerns that its longtime ally is on the brink of collapse, as well as hopes by President Vladimir Putin that a common battle against Islamic State extremists can improve Russia’s ties with the West, strained over Ukraine.

But the strategy could be risky — and unless Russia sends large numbers of troops, halting the territorial gains made by Islamic militants could prove tough.

Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon told reporters Thursday that the Russian buildup appears to be limited for the time being. He said military advisers, technicians and security guards have arrived in recent days, with the main goal of setting up an air base near the coastal town of Latakia that could be used to stage strikes on Islamic State fighters.

“As far as we understand, at this stage we are talking about a limited force that includes advisers, a security team and preparations for operating planes and combat helicopters,” Yaalon said. He called the move “significant.”

Uncertainty reigns as Congress considers whether to extend 9/11 health programs

NEW YORK (AP) — Fourteen years after the 9/11 attacks, a new round of uncertainty looms for people exposed to the million tons of toxic dust that fell on New York when hijacked jets toppled the World Trade Center.

Two federal programs that promised billions of dollars in compensation and medical care to sick 9/11 responders and survivors are set to expire next year, five years after they were created by Congress.

As Friday’s anniversary of the terror attacks approached, advocates for responders renewed their push for an extension. Bills in the House and Senate would keep the health program going indefinitely while making billions of additional dollars available for compensation for people who fall ill.

But the debate over an extension is taking place in a fog of ambiguity. Many 9/11 responders, like Charles Diaz, are trying to figure out whether some or all of their care might be covered by private, public or union health insurance plans when the programs end.

Diaz, a retired Sanitation Department police captain, suffered a broken arm when the twin towers fell and was later diagnosed with a cancer that he blames on exposure to dust. Today, he relies on the World Trade Center Health Program to pay for the anti-leukemia drug Sprycel, which has a list price of $10,300 per month.