National News for May 9 – 22

This is not original reporting. All information has been compiled from The Washington Post, CNN and BBC News. Silver Chips Online posts this news summary to provide readers with a forum for discussion.

New York, N.Y.
May 20 – Four men were arrested Wednesday after allegedly planting explosives outside two synagogues in the Riverdale section of the Bronx, New York. U.S. Magistrate Lisa Smith ruled Thursday that suspects James Cromitie, David Williams and Onta Williams be held in jail without bail until a court hearing scheduled for June 5. The fourth suspect, Laguerre Payen, missed the court hearing to receive medical attention. The four men planned to bomb the synagogues and U.S. military planes at an Air National Guard base in New York after a Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) informant gave the men fake surface-to-air guided missiles and C-4 plastic explosives. They are charged with conspiracy to use weapons of mass destruction in the U.S. and conspiracy to acquire and use anti-aircraft missiles. Sentencing guidelines call for the men to receive 25 years to life in prison if convicted.

Washington, D.C.
May 21 – The House Energy and Commerce Committee passed the "American Clean Energy and Security Act" by a vote of 33 to 25 Thursday, approving a national limit on greenhouse-gas emissions. Introduced by Representatives Edward Markey (D – Mass.) and Henry Waxman (D – Calif.), the bill calls for a 17 percent reduction in greenhouse-gas emissions by 2020. The proposed legislation would create a cap-and-trade system that requires oil refineries, power plants and manufacturers to seek allowances for their pollution. The bill would also offer incentives and mete out punishments to encourage the adoption of fossil fuel-alternatives such as wind, solar and plant-based fuels. Although the Obama administration still supports the measure, environmental organizations such as Greenpeace withdrew their endorsements after the original bill was altered to allow for 85 percent of the pollution credits to be auctioned off by the government.

Cape Canaveral, Fla.
May 22 – The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) announced Friday morning that the return of the shuttle Atlantis will be delayed due to severe weather conditions at the Kennedy Space Center landing site. Atlantis, which was sent into space May 11 to renovate the Hubble Space Telescope, is now scheduled to land at 11:39 a.m. Friday in Cape Canaveral or at California's Edwards Air Force Base on Saturday, depending on weather conditions. The shuttle, which accommodated the 16 astronauts involved in Hubble repairs, has adequate supplies to remain in orbit until Monday.