National News - ABC News Radio

• Would-Be Capitol Bomber Waives Right to Detention Hearing
  

  iStockphoto/Thinkstock(WASHINGTON) -- Amine El Khalifi, the 29-year-old Moroccan man charged last Friday in an FBI sting in a plot to bomb the Capitol made a brief court appearance Wednesday afternoon and waived his right to a detention hearing.
  
  The court appearance lasted only a few minutes with Khalifi not seeking bond for his release while the case proceeds.
  
  Khalifi appeared before a federal magistrate wearing a green jumpsuit with "PRISONER" labeled on the back, as he was flanked by his defense lawyers from the Federal Defenders office.
  
  The U.S. Attorney's office in Virginia is expected to indict Khalifi in the next 30 days after presenting the case to a federal grand jury.
  
  Copyright 2012 ABC News Radio

  
  
  
• Obama Breaks Ground on African American History Museum
  

  SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images(WASHINGTON) -- Breaking ground on the new Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, President Obama said Wednesday he hopes the museum will remind future generations of the, “sometimes difficult, often inspirational, but always central role that African-Americans have played in the life of our country.”
  
  The president spoke of what he would like his own two daughters to take away from the long-sought-after museum, which will be the only national museum devoted exclusively to African American life, art and history.
  
  “I want my daughters to see the shackles that bound slaves on their voyage across the ocean and the shards the glass that flew from the 16th Street Baptist Church and understand that injustice and evil exist in the world, but I also want them to hear Louie Armstrong's horn and learn about the Negro League and read the poems of Phillis Wheatley,” he said. “I want them to appreciate this museum not just as a record of tragedy but as a celebration of life.”
  
  The president was joined by his wife Michelle Obama and former First lady Laura Bush at Wednesday’s ceremony. The museum, which is set to open in 2015, will be built between the Washington Monument and the National Museum of American History.
  
  Copyright 2012 ABC News Radio

  
  
  
• Bill Would Give $400K Left Behind at Airport Security to USO
  

  Scott Olson/Getty Images(WASHINGTON) -- When Congressman Jeff Miller, R-Fla., noticed someone left behind change at an airport security checkpoint, he started wondering about all those forgotten pennies. Turns out all that change really adds up: the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) reports that about $409,000 was left behind in the year 2010, the most recent year documented.
  
  Miller would like to see that money benefit the United Service Organizations (USO) and has introduced a bill that would do just that.
  
  The USO is a private, non-profit organization supporting the military that, in part, operates welcome centers for returning service men and women at airports around the country. In 2005, Congress gave TSA the authority to use the money on security operations, which it does.
  
  “Travelers’ lost change should be put to good use, and there is no better organization to use this money wisely than the United Service Organizations. Each airport center provides a place for service men and women to enjoy a welcoming atmosphere, connect with family, and utilize the services provided by the USO,” Miller said in an email to ABC News.
  
  TSA does not comment on pending legislation, but a spokesperson did tell ABC News it makes every effort to reunite passengers with items left behind at checkpoints.
  
  “TSA keeps travelers’ change accidentally left at checkpoints as an appropriations backfill for agency activities. There is no incentive for TSA to try to return the forgotten change to its rightful owner,” Miller said.  Miller is the chairman of the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs.
  
  The USO says that while it did not initiate the idea to have the money left behind earmarked for its use, the money would “absolutely” make a difference.
  
  Copyright 2012 ABC News Radio

  
  
  
• California: Top Official Poses with Dead Mountain Lion
  

  ABC News(LOS ANGELES) – A photograph of the California Fish and Wildlife Commission president smiling and holding up a dead mountain lion that he shot has ignited controversy in the state, where hunting the creatures has been illegal since 1990.
  
  Dan Richards, however, shot the animal in Idaho, where hunting the cats is legal.
  
  Richards isn’t supposed to bring it back to California, though, and it was unclear if he had.
  
  California’s Prop. 117, which banned the hunting of mountain lions, also made it illegal for residents to bring dead mountain lions into the state.
  
  “Californians sort of trust the Fish and Game Department and their commission to be the protectors of our wildlife resources, and this person is showing that he really doesn’t care,” Tim Dunbar, executive of the Mountain Lion Foundation, told ABC News affiliate KABC.
  
  One state legislator is even calling for Richards to be ousted.
  
  “He’s thumbing his nose at California law,” Assemblyman Jared Huffman, D-San Rafael, told the San Jose Mercury News. “He’s mocking it. Frankly, I think he should face the music and step down. He’s done something that’s a disgrace to his position and to responsible hunters in California.”
  
  Richards did not respond to ABC News’ request for an interview.
  
  Copyright 2012 ABC News Radio

  
  
  
• 'Honeymoon Killer' Judge Scoffs at Alleged Motive
  

  Comstock/Thinkstock(BIRMINGHAM, Ala.) -- The judge presiding over the murder trial of accused "Honeymoon Killer" Gabe Watson has openly scoffed at the prosecution's claims and angrily asked the prosecutor if he needs lessons on the rules of court.
  
  The actions by Judge Tommy Nail raise questions about the prosecution's case.
  
  Watson is accused of killing Tina Watson, his bride of 11 days, during their honeymoon in Australia by drowning her while scuba diving off the Great Barrier Reef. The motive for the alleged crime was Watson's intention to collect on a $130,000 insurance policy and to sell her possessions, the prosecution argued in its opening statement. 

  video platformvideo managementvideo solutionsvideo player

  The judge's anger boiled over Tuesday after prosecutor Don Valeska questioned funeral home director Sam Shelton about Watson retrieving his wife's engagement ring from the casket, but asking that her wedding ring remain on her hand.
  
  The judge interrupted the testimony to say, "I took my grandmother's engagement ring when she was buried. I think it's quite common." Nail asked Shelton if most of his customers took their loved one's rings and Shelton responded, "It's quite common."
  
  The sparring between the judge and the prosecutor continued until Nail sent the jury out of the courtroom and posed a sharp question to Valeska.
  
  "You mean to tell me that [Gabe Watson] bought the engagement ring, married her, he and his family paid for a wedding, he planned and paid for a honeymoon halfway around the world, all so he could kill her to get an engagement ring he bought in the first place?" the judge asked.
  
  The courtroom fell silent.
  
  During the prosecution's questioning of Tina Watson's sister, Alanda Thomas, on Tuesday the defense repeatedly objected to Valeska's questions and Nail sustained nearly every defense objection.
  
  When Valeska became visibly frustrated, the judge pounded his desk and pointed at Valeska, saying loudly, "Do you need the definition of hearsay? If y'all can't accept my ruling you know where Montgomery is; take off." Montgomery is the neighboring county from Jefferson County where the murder trial is taking place.
  
  The heated discussions began after prosecutors pressed their witnesses on questions about Watson's character. Throughout the trial, prosecutors have tried to paint Watson as an unemotional, calculating killer.
  
  Valeska later said to ABC News, "I wish we had gotten in the stuff that he ruled out, but I can't do anything but move on."
  
  Watson never received any money from his wife's insurance policy since her father was listed as the beneficiary. Watson had filed a claim for $10,000 in travel insurance to cover what he says would was the total cost incurred as a result of his wife's death in Australia.
  
  Watson, 36, has since remarried.
  
  There was no testimony in the case Wednesday.
  
  Copyright 2012 ABC News Radio