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THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
NEWS
TUESDAY, MARCH 1. 2005
MIDDLE EAST
Brownback says U.S. must pressure Syria
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The United States must put greater pressure on Syria to stop allowing Iraqi insurgents from using the nation as a staging base for attacks, Sen. Sam Brownback (R-Kan.), said yesterday after completing a two-day trip to Iraq.
Brownback and other members of a congressional delegation met with Iraq's top political leaders, including interim Prime Minister Ayad Allawi, who warned of Syria's role.
"Clearly we need to put more pressure on Syria to confront and capture the guys that are doing some of the command and control from Syria," Brownback said yesterday in a satellite telephone interview while flying back to the United States.
Brownback was returning the same day a suicide car bomber killed 115 people in a crowd of police and national guard recruits as they gathered for physicals outside a medical clinic south of Baghdad — the single deadliest attack in the two-year insurgency.
Syria is already under intense pressure from the United States and other nations to stop harboring Iraqi fugitives, though Syrian President Bashar Assad has denied accusations his regime lets militants slip across his nation's border with Iraq. On Sunday, Syria captured and handed over Saddam Hussein's half brother, one of the most-wanted leaders of the Sunni-based insurgency.
Despite the setbacks from continued insurgent attacks. Brownback said he was optimistic about Iraqi security forces improving and with the commitment of Iraqi leaders toward building a durable political system.
CRIME
BY ROXANA HEGEMAN THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Police won't confirm BTK confession
The Associated Press
WICHITA — Police say they are confident that the arrest of a man suspected of being the BTK serial killer will end 50 years of terror, and a source said he confessed to some killings.
Dennis L. Rader, the church-going family man and Cub Scout leader arrested Friday, confessed to six killings, the source close to the investigation told the Associated Press on Sunday.
Rader was being held in connection with a total of 10 deaths and the source said investigators were looking at three other killings.
"The guy is telling us about the murders," the source said on condition of anonymity.
Police Chief Norman Williams angrily criticized news media reports and repeated the figure of 10 killings yesterday.
"These types of assumptions and speculations have and will continue to complicate an already complex investigation," Williams said.
Williams said he would ask prosecutors if they could take legal action against members of the media who reported "speculation, inaccurate and irresponsible information." But he did not go into specifics and refused to take any questions.
Sue Oqrockl/ASSOCIATED PRESS
Rader, 59, was scheduled to appear in court today via video so prosecutors could recite yet-to-be-filed criminal charges against him and the judge could review bail. It was unclear whether Rader had a lawyer.
Church-goers leave Christ Lutheran Church in Wichita on Sunday following a morning service. Dennis Rader, a suspect in the BTK killings, is a member of the church.
Rader was being held in lieu of $10 million bail in the deaths of 10 people between 1974 and 1991. Police had long linked the BTK killer to eight murders but added two more on Saturday after Rader's arrest and said their investigation was continuing.
Prosecutors had said initially they could not pursue the death penalty against Rader because the 10 murders linked to BTK happened when Kansas did not have the death penalty.
The source said police also were looking into whether Rader was responsible for the deaths of two Wichita State students as well as a woman who lived down the street from another known victim of BTK, the killer's self-coined nickname that stands for "Bind, Torture, Kill."
It was unclear when the three slayings occurred, but the source said one of them took place while Kansas' death penalty was in effect. Kansas restored the death penalty in 1994.
When asked for comment, District Attorney Nola Foulston said, "Your information is patently false," but she refused to say whether Rader had made any confessions or whether investigators are looking into
Rader's possible involvement in more unsolved killings. Police spokeswoman Janet Johnson also declined to comment specifically on the accuracy of the source's statements.
NATION
Americans stress about retirement
WASHINGTON — Millions of Americans are uneasy about their financial prospects in old age—a nervousness that compli-cates President Bush's uphill efforts to persuade them to accept dramatic changes he's proposing for Social Security.
Almost half of Americans who haven't retired say they
don't think they're getting ready for that time in their lives, an Associated Press poll found.
these private accounts will be better. They're not sure what to do."
Many say they're not confident they'll have enough money to live comfortably after they quit working.
"People are trapped in a dilemma," said Robert Blendon, a polling expert at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government. "They know they're not saving enough. They can't count on Social Security and they're not sure
More than half of Americans, 55 percent, say they oppose President Bush's plan to create personal accounts, while 39 percent say they support it, according to the poll conducted for AP by Ipsos-Public Affairs. Support for the plan drops among Democrats and independents when it's described specifically as "President Bush's plan."
The Associated Press
STATE
Mogul attempts solo world trip
SALINA — Millionaire adventurer Steve Fossett took off last night to become the first person to complete a solo trip around the world in an airplane without making a single stop.
Fossett, the first person to circle the globe solo in a balloon, launched his GlobalFlyer from the Salina Municipal Ajport about 6:45 p.m. Fossett hoped to return to Salina on
Thursday morning.
The 23,000-mile flight had already been postponed several times because of shifting jet stream patterns or weather at the airport.
"I'm a bit nervous about takeoff," said Fossett, 60. "I will be the ultimate test pilot. I have a lot to worry about. It's a major endeavor."
Fossett will attempt to break seven aviation records, including the longest flight by a jet aircraft. The current record is more than 12,000 miles.
The Associated Press
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