jaycee lee dugard abducte 18 years ago found/where were the police for th elast 18 years

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Abducted girl turns up after 18 years

By Robert Salonga

CONTRA COSTA (CALIF.) TIMES

08/28/2009

CONCORD, Calif. — Eighteen years ago, 11-year-old Jaycee Lee Dugard was kidnapped as a child near her South Lake Tahoe, Calif., home. On Thursday, she was reunited with her family.

What happened since that day in 1991 and her recovery is fodder for a TV mystery show.

According to authorities, Dugard had been hidden in an Antioch, Calif., backyard compound, where she lived with two children fathered by her abductor, Phillip Craig Garrido, a registered sex offender. She resurfaced in Concord on Wednesday when she accompanied the man accused of kidnapping her to a parole interview.

For St. Louisans, Dugard's story was reminiscent of the Shawn Hornbeck case, the teen found two years ago after being missing for the previous four.

On Thursday, Pam Akers, the mother of Shawn Hornbeck, expressed delight on the news that another missing child had been found.

"I was just as surprised as the rest of the world," Akers said. "It had to be pure hell for them. I only had to go through four and a half years. I don't know how it would have been to go 18 years."

Unlike Hornbeck, who was hidden in plain sight, authorities say Dugard, now 29, was held prisoner in an elaborate backyard compound made up of sheds, tents and outbuildings — one soundproofed — that were undetectable, even to the parole agents charged with checking on Garrido.

"You could walk through the backyard … and never know there was another set of living circumstances," said El Dorado County Undersheriff Fred Kollar.

Dugard and her two daughters, ages 15 and 11, spent most of their lives there with little contact with the outside world.

A parole agent brought Garrido to his office Wednesday for questioning after University of California-Berkeley police spotted him the previous day with two young girls. Kollar said police grew suspicious when Garrido tried to enter campus to distribute literature and a background check turned up his status as a parolee.

Accompanying Garrido to the interview were his wife, Nancy Garrido, the two girls and another woman. During questioning, the parole agent called Concord police to help identify the girls and the unknown woman, whom he had never seen during previous visits to Garrido's home. Authorities soon learned that the woman was Dugard, and that Garrido had kidnapped her.

Garrido and his wife were booked into the El Dorado County Jail on Thursday afternoon on kidnapping and other charges.

Jaycee Dugard and her mother, Terry Probyn, were reunited Thursday morning in an undisclosed location. They made no statements.

Akers, who runs the Shawn Hornbeck Foundation, which aims to prevent child abduction and help families of missing children, said Dugard's appearance after so long a time proved that even if the chances are small, parents of missing children should remain hopeful.

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Photos from the scene

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"She proved to everybody that miracles happen," Akers said. "They don't all come home alive, but some do."

And she had this advice for Dugard's parents: "Sit back. Listen. Don't ask the questions. I know they've got so many questions, but in time the answers will come."

Greg Jonsson of the Post-Dispatch contributed to this report.

For stepfather, Dugard's reappearance lifts cloud of suspicion.

models car covered in blood

Condition of Dead Model Jasmine Fiore's Car Suggests Bloody Fight

Police: Car Belonging to Model Found in Suitcase Was Covered With Blood

By MICHAEL S. JAMES and DEAN SCHABNER
Aug. 27, 2009

The interior of a white Mercedes-Benz that belonged to the brutally murdered ex-model Jasmine Fiore was found covered with blood, police said.

Ryan Alexander Jenkins, the reality TV contestant charged with murdering his wife, model Jasmine Fiore, was found dead Sunday in a Canadian motel.

(AP Photo)

"There was a significant portion of blood, that it would appear a violent struggle did occur in the vehicle," Buena Park, Calif., police Sgt. Roger Powell told the media today.

The blood was found on Fiore's passenger seat, backseat and rear windshield, Powell said, and there was evidence of attempts to wipe it away.

"The blood loss appears to be more significant in the backseat area, so it would appear that the injuries that we had originally seen Miss Fiore sustain are consistent with the blood loss that would have been in that vehicle," Powell said.

"There was some hair evidence taken from inside the vehicle on the floor," he added. "So there, obviously, some hair pulling did take place. That's still being processed. We don't know whether that's from the victim or the suspect."

In addition, the car found Wednesday in West Hollywood, Calif., had mud, weeds and twigs on the undercarriage, suggesting it went off road, police said.

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The body of Fiore, 28, was discovered stuffed in a suitcase in Buena Park, Calif., just south of Los Angeles, Aug. 15. Fiore had her fingertips cut off and her teeth pulled out, apparently to make it difficult to identify her.

Fiore subsequently was identified by the serial number on her breast implants.

Reality TV star Ryan Alexander Jenkins, 32, Fiore's husband and the prime suspect in her murder, was found hanged in a Canadian motel room Sunday following a massive manhunt.

The manager of the Thunderbird Motel in Hope, British Columbia, who said he found the body, said Jenkins hung himself from a coat rack.

Local police answered a call regarding a dead body found at the Thunderbird Hotel in the town, which is east of Vancouver, and after seeing the person, they called in investigators involved in the manhunt for Jenkins.

Jenkins, 32, was a Canadian citizen who police believe fled to his home country as he fell under suspicion for Fiore's murder.

Clinton Says Liberia Making Progress in Fighting Corruption

Clinton Says Liberia Making Progress in Fighting Corruption
By Scott Stearns Monrovia 14 August 2009

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton (r) with Liberia's President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf in Monrovia, 13 Aug, 2009

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton says Liberian President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf's government is making significant progress in the fight against corruption. Secretary Clinton addressed Liberia's National Assembly in Monrovia.

Secretary Clinton says President Sirleaf's administration is taking action to increase transparency with a strong Anti-Corruption Commission at the center of efforts to rebuild from years of civil war.

"Today, Liberia is a model of successful transition from conflict to post-conflict, from lawlessness to democracy, from despair to hope," said Hillary Clinton. "In the last three years, the people of this country have been working to promote reform, reconstruction, and reconciliation. Liberia has adopted sound fiscal policies and seen strong economic growth."

Liberia ranks 138 on the 180-nation corruption index established by the good-governance group Transparency International. Reigning-in corruption is crucial to attracting foreign investment to a nation where 80 percent of people are unemployed.

President Sirleaf says strengthening Liberia's General Auditing Commission and complying with the Norwegian-based Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative has reduced corruption.

"I am pleased that corruption, long entrenched, long covered, is now being exposed," said Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf. "We have to expose it so that we can deal with it."

With those legal and regulatory frameworks in place, President Sirleaf says the challenge now is making sure that they continue to be implemented properly. She says a new team at the Justice Ministry is committed to punishing those responsible for corruption both inside and outside of government.

"We have also reduced people's vulnerabilities by increasing civil service pay, by settling arrears, all of which have contributed to corruption," she said. "We now need for the public and the media to recognize the progress and to join us in this fight which is not limited to government but has taken root in all of the society."

At Liberia's National Assembly, Secretary Clinton spoke of the need to create institutions that are strong enough to engender the faith and confidence of the people and will survive both good leaders and what she called not-so-good leaders.

"Ending corruption is necessary to growing and sustaining such institutions and restoring the public's trust," she said.

She suggested that Liberian lawmakers establish a code of conduct to hold each other accountable.

"You have to have codes of conduct, regulatory frameworks, ethical standards that guide the pursuit of the common good," she said.

Former rebel leader and Liberian President Charles Taylor used embezzled timber revenues to fund conflict in both his own country and neighboring Sierra Leone. He is now in The Hague facing war crimes charges for his involvement in Sierra Leone's civil war.

PAULA RETURNING TO AMERICAN IDOL?

Michael Becker/FOX

It's February 2010. The first singer from American Idol's first live show of the season—let's call him Obligatory Husky Guy (Who Can't Decide If He's Country or Pop)—has hit his last shaky note. Ryan Seacrest leads the poor fellow to face the judges.

Randy Jackson says the performance didn't do it for him, dawg. Kara DioGuardi says something valid but forgettable. Paula Abdul tells him she loves the color of his inner child, but that she preferred the song he sang next week.

Wait a second. Didn't Abdul tweet that she was leaving Idol? Didn't Fox issue the old "wish her the best" kiss of death?

Uh-huh. The leading and latest Idol conspiracy theory says Abdul's not going anywhere except back to Idol, while the two sides act out the greatest hoax since Elvis Presley's "death."

Why It Could Be True:

• Within an hour of Abdul's Tuesday night bombshell, tabloid maven Bonnie Fuller, late of HollywoodLife.com, tweeted that "Abdul has already signed her new deal with Idol. The whole sob story of not getting a deal was a pure publicity stunt." In another entry, Fuller further alleged, "Everyone was into the Paula PR stint [sic]."

• When asked to comment if there was no way Abdul wouldn't be back on Idol come the winter and the launch of the new season, Fox reps didn't respond.

• On his radio show this morning, Seacrest said Abdul's departure was real—"as far as I know." Jackson, meanwhile told Extra, "It looks to be true [emphasis added]."

• When asked to comment if it was possible for a star and a network to cook up such a scheme, entertainment attorney John J. Tormey III told us, "Anything's possible."

Why It Isn't True:

• Tormey finished his thought by adding, "I would hope that a major network would not play a game like that…I think that's a real jump."

• By this morning, Fuller was having second-tweets. She wrote that her sources were now informing her that the Fox/Idol camp was "stunned" by Abdul's exit announcement. "Guess Paula Abdul is as loopy as she appears."

• Seacrest ended his opening remarks on the Abdul matter with a blanket "Not a publicity stunt."

But Wait! Why It Could Be Partly True:

• Unnamed "television industry executives" told the New York Times that they believed "Ms. Abdul's combative stance was simply a negotiating position." Or to put it another way, if this is a stunt, it's a one-sided stunt—and good luck to you, Ms. Abdul.

• Tormey likewise didn't think it was a reach to suggest Abdul would appear to walk away from a deal in order to sweeten it. "In television," he said, "it's not uncommon for talent to take a hiatus in the event of negotiations." To that end, old folks might remember the "fake" Duke boys on The Dukes of Hazzard. Or, less old folks might recall buzz about Nicole Richie being replaced by Kimberly Stewart on The Simple Life.

How We'll Know for Sure, One Way or the Other:

• "The only way we'll know is with the passage of time," Tormey said. "I don't know if we're there yet."

• According to Tormey, the second Idol hires a new judge or Abdul gets a new gig, we'll be there—and we'll know: Not a publicity stunt.

________

JUDGE SONIA SWORN IN WILL SHE BE JUDGING OUR CASE AGAINST LOCAL ONE IATSE VIOLATING OUR RIGHTS?

Sotomayor Sworn In as 111th Justice

Tony Mauro
The National Law Journal
August 10, 2009

Sonia Sotomayor at her confirmation hearing
Image: Diego Radzinschi/The National Law Journal

Now she can be addressed as Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor. The 55-year-old native of the Bronx, the first Hispanic on the Supreme Court, was sworn in at noon Saturday before a nationwide television audience by Chief Justice John Roberts Jr., with her mother Celina holding the Bible. As soon as Sotomayor repeated the final phrase of her judicial oath, "so help me God," Roberts said, "Congratulations and welcome to the Court." Sotomayor embraced her proud mother and her brother Juan.

It was a brief ceremony in the Court's east conference room, with portraits of the early chief justices looming above, and about 60 friends and family in the audience. She entered with Roberts after taking the constitutional oath in private at the justices' conference room. Roberts explained to the crowd that Sotomayor's formal investiture would take place Sept. 8, but she was being sworn in now "so she can begin work as an associate justice without delay."

Also among those attending, according to a press pool report, was White House Counsel Gregory Craig and assistant counsel Cynthia Hogan, as well as Judge Robert Katzmann of the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, a longtime colleague, and Rep. Nydia Velasquez, D-NY.

The judicial oath, which has remained roughly the same since the Judiciary Act of 1789, was full of phrases that seemed to resonate for Sotomayor in particular, given the confirmation debate over the role of empathy in her decision-making. She pledged to administer justice "without respect to persons," and to "do equal right to the poor and to the rich." Roberts seemed nervous at times in prompting the oath for Sotomayor. He read the text from a piece of paper -- unlike the presidential oath he administered from memory for President Barack Obama on Jan. 20, with mixed results.

After the oath, Sotomayor shook hands with Justice Anthony Kennedy -- the only other justice in attendance -- and others in the front row, and she exited the room with Roberts, now part of the nation's highest court.

SARAH SANCHEZ IS PROUD TO ANNOUNCE THE CONFIRMATION OF SONIA SOTOMAYER AS HISPANIC SUPREME COURT JUSTICE

Sonia Sotomayor confirmed as first Supreme Court Hispanic

Judge Sonia Sotomayor has become the first Hispanic justice of the United States Supreme Court after nine Republican senators broke ranks to join 59 Democrats and vote for her confirmation.

By Toby Harnden in Washington
Published: 9:41PM BST 06 Aug 2009

Sonia Sotomayor confirmed as first Supreme Court Hispanic Photo: AFP/GETTY

With Democrats enjoying a 20-seat majority in the Senate, President Barack Obama had been assured of a major victory and notching up the historic landmark of successfully nominating the first Latino justice.

Judge Sotomayor, 55, who grew up in poverty in New York's Bronx as the daughter of Puerto Rican immigrants, attended Princeton and Yale and has spent the past decade as an appeals court judge.

She will become the third woman to sit on the nine-member bench that serves as the final arbiter of the US constitution. Her appointment will be for life, giving her the opportunity to shape issues like gun rights and abortion for a generation.

Senator George Voinovich of Ohio became the ninth Republican to say he would back her.

But the 68 to 31 vote largely broke down along partisan lines with most Republicans criticising Mr Obama's comment that he sought a judge with "empathy" and Miss Sotomayor's public remarks over the years that a "wise Latina" could be a better judge than a white male.

Senator Mitch McConnell, the Republican Minority Leader, said that strict fidelity to the letter of the constitution was needed: "Empathy is a fine quality. But in the courtroom, it's only good if the judge has it for you."

SARAH SANCHEZ THANKS PRESIDENT CLINTON FOR FREEING 2 FEMALE JOURNALISTS

SKorea doing everything to free citizens in North

Former President Bill Clinton reatcs as he speaks to the media about freed reporters Laura Ling and Euna Lee during a news conference Thursday, Aug. 6, 2009 in New York. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)

By Jae-Soon Chang Associated Press Writer / August 7, 2009

SEOUL, South Korea—South Korea's president said Friday the country is "doing everything it can" to win the release of its citizens detained in North Korea, after former President Bill Clinton brought home two American journalists.

The release of reporters Euna Lee and Laura Ling raised calls for Seoul to do more for five South Koreans being held in the North, one since late March.

Marcos Children Pay respect to Former Phillipine President Corazon Aquino

Rival families move to reconcile after death of Corazon Aquino

Maria Imelda Josefa Marcos, daughter of the late former Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos, views the casket of the late former Philippine President Corazon Aquino at Manila Cathedral August 4, 2009. Aquino, whose ouster of one of the 20th century's most corrupt dictators Ferdinand Marcos made her a global icon of democracy, died on Saturday after a 16-month battle against colon cancer. She was 76. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo) Photo Gallery>>> MANILA, Aug. 4 (Xinhua) -- Children of late strongman president Ferdinand Marcos on Tuesday briefly attended the wake of former president Corazon "Cory" Aquino, showing signs of reconciliation between two powerful Philippine families who are in rivalry over apolitical assassination and then a mass revolt that re-wrote the country's history two decades ago. Congressman Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. and his sister Imee Marcos were among thousands of Filipinos filing in the Manila Cathedral to pay their last tribute to the late president, who died last Saturday after a 16-month battle with colon cancer. Housewife Aquino was propelled into politics in 1983 when her late husband Benigno "Ninoy" Aquino, a harsh critic of the authoritarian rule of President Marcos, was shot dead upon his return from exile in the United States. The murder remains a mystery today but popular theories accuse the Marcos camp for calling the shot. Maria Imelda Josefa Marcos (R) and Ferdinand Marcos Jr., children of the late Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos, leave after viewing the remains of the late President Corazon Aquino at Manila Cathedral August 4, 2009. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo) Photo Gallery>>> Aquino, replacing her husband as the opposition leader, led a military-backed mass revolt in 1986 to topple the Marcos' administration. She took over and served as the country's top executive for six years. Marco, on the other hand, died on his exile to Hawaii, the United States in 1989. For decades, members of the two families, especially the elderly, shunned each other inmost public occasions. But signs of reconciliation showed as the Marcoses, led by former First Lady Imelda Marcos, offered prayer when the ailing Aquino was battling cancer and after she died. The Marcoses were "graciously" welcomed by Aquino's children and they stayed briefly to condole with the family, local television ANC reported. "We have our own beliefs as Filipinos. I thank them for coming," Senator Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino, son of "Cory" Aquino, said. "I can feel the pain, the loss of a loved one, so I am in prayer," said Marcos, who is in her 80s. "If these two families reconciled, there will be a miracle for the Philippines." The remains of the former president are expected to be buried Wednesday in the Memorial Park in suburban Manila. The family has turned down the offer of a state funeral.

A MOTHER'S PRIDE

Neda's mother speaks of her pride

Neda's name and face have acquired iconic status in Iran's opposition struggle

Neda Agha-Soltan was the young Iranian woman whose death in anti-government protests in Teheran last month galvanized the opposition.

Neda's mother has been visited by opposition figure Mehdi Karroubi

She was killed on June 20 and within hours video footage of her death sped around the world and has now been seen by millions.

Now her mother, Hajar Rostami Motlagh, has told Newshour she is waiting for her daughter's killer to be arrested and brought to justice.

It is the first interview she has given for an English-speaking audience since Neda was killed.

For sale: Madonna's sexy phone messages to ex-boytoy Jim Albright, plus other rock 'n' roll gems

BY Joy Resmovits
DAILY NEWS WRITER

Updated Tuesday, July 28th 2009, 9:03 AM

Buckner/Getty

Madonna's personal items, including love letters and erotic tape recordings, are up for sale in New York City.

Stawiarz/Getty

Two microcassettes of Madonna's erotic phone messages to then boyfriend James Albright.

Stawiarz/Getty

One of 21 faxed letters from Madonna to then boyfriend James Albright.

SOTOMAYOR ENDORSED

Senate Panel Endorses Sotomayor in 13-6 Vote

Brendan Smialowski for The New York Times

Of the seven Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee, only Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina voted in favor of Judge Sonia Sotomayor.

'American Idol' stars in talks for bigger pay

Barbara Davidson / Los Angeles Times, left; Steve Shaw / 42West; Dan Steinberg / Associated Press

"American Idol" judge Paula Abdul, left is making $4 million a year and is seeking $12 million, sources say. Host Ryan Seacrest has made a three-year deal, while judge Simon Cowell, who some see as essential for the show to remain a success, is in talks. He could use his leverage to try to get "X Factor," which he hosts overseas, on Fox.

E-mail Picture

Ryan Seacrest has a $30-million deal, Simon Cowell is in talks for what could be $45 million a year and Paula Abdul has cut her request for $20 million, sources say, amid a dearth of TV network hits.

By Joe Flint>>>
July 27, 2009

The first talent auditions for the ninth season of the Fox juggernaut "American Idol" are still two weeks away, but there is already a beauty contest going on behind the scenes.

Negotiations on a new contract for Simon Cowell, the show's linchpin, chief prosecutor and animating force, are progressing quickly and could be concluded as early as this week. Cowell, who currently makes about $36 million annually and still has another year on his pact, is looking at a new multiyear deal that would boost his pay to the $45-million range, people close to the talks said.

Cowell's push for more money comes on the heels of host Ryan Seacrest's new contract, which pays him $30 million over three years to host plus $15 million for merchandising rights to his image. Co-judge and pop diva Paula Abdul is also seeking a hefty increase in pay, although it's unclear whether she will be able to wrangle the kind of raises won by her colleagues.

From The Times

July 27, 2009

Sarah Palin resigns as Alaska Governor to embark on political career

The captivating and at times vaudevillian career of Sarah Palin entered an unpredictable phase yesterday when she stepped down as the Governor of Alaska to try to forge a role as the voice of the Republican Party.

Mrs Palin, who announced her shock resignation on July 3 with 18 months of her term left to run, has remained coy about her ambitions but the move has increased speculation that she wants to make a bid for the White House in 2012.

Such a scenario delights many Democrats, who believe that because Mrs Palin is a controversial figure whose performance as John McCain’s running-mate damaged the Republican ticket, a presidential campaign would probably end in disaster.

She re-enters national politics dogged by ethics inquiries, big legal bills and fresh polls showing that most Americans no longer see her in a positive light and harbour doubts about her governing skills.

Hillary Clinton denies that she has been elbowed out

'Invisible' Secretary of State returns after arm injury

Catherine Philp in Washington

A poignant photograph taken at the White House last month shows Hillary Clinton standing alone by a colonnade as she watches a press conference between President Obama and his South Korean counterpart. Was she feeling left out? If not, she soon would be.

The next day she fell heavily in the basement of the State Department, shattering her elbow and consigning herself to intensive physical therapy that would force her to miss some of the most important foreign visits yet undertaken by the Administration, including President Obama’s landmark visit to Moscow.

This week, Mrs Clinton shed her sling and re-emerged on the global stage, delivering a high-profile foreign policy overview at the Council of Foreign Relations before departing on a key trip to India and Pakistan yesterday. In the months ahead she will embark on her own trip to Russia.

3 Senate Republicans Endorse Sotomayor

But One Leader Says Statements Indicate Partiality

Sen. Jeff Sessions (Ala.), the ranking Republican on the Judiciary Committee, greets Judge Sonia Sotomayor. (By Melina Mara -- The Washington Post)

Washington Post Staff Writer
Saturday, July 18, 2009

Three Senate Republicans yesterday endorsed Judge Sonia Sotomayor's nomination to the Supreme Court, giving increased momentum to securing President Obama's choice a place on the high court by early August.

Human rights activist Natalya Estemirova shot dead in Russia

(AFP)

Natalya Estemirova dedicated her career to uncovering Russian human rights abuses

An award-winning Russian human rights activist was murdered today after dedicating much of her life to investigating abuses by the Chechen regime.

Natalya Estemirova was shot twice in the head at close-range after she was bundled into a car in Grozny, the capital of Chechnya.

The activist, who was one of Anna Politkovskaya's key collaborators, was found dead near the city of Nazran in Ingushetia. A single mother in her early 40s, Estemirova had collected evidence of human rights abuses in Chechnya since the start of the second war there in 1999.

As well as the murdered Politkovskaya, she worked with Stanislav Markelov, a prominent lawyer and another opponent of rights abuses in Chechnya, who was shot and killed on a Moscow street in January.

GIRLS, WE REMEMBER JFK JR

But by age 19, the adorable boy had grown into a full-blown sex symbol, shown above shirtless during Labor Day weekend in 1980.

Credits: Galella/WireImage

Sarah why can't we get steady jobs working at the Broadway theaters why is it only for Irish white boys?

Daniel Hambury / EPA

16-year-old Hannah Clark had a donor heart grafted onto her own after suffering heart failure as a baby.

Transplant shows heart's reparative capabilities

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Daniel Hambury / EPA

16-year-old Hannah Clark had a donor heart grafted onto her own after suffering heart failure as a baby.

A girl received a piggyback heart transplant as a toddler, and the donor organ was removed 10 years later after her own healed. The technique may be useful in developing other types of heart therapy.

African American Woman as new Surgeon General

Obama Names Alabama Family Doctor as New Surgeon General

Dr. Regina Benjamin Rebuilt Rural Health Clinic After Hurricane Katrina

By JAKE TAPPER, KAREN TRAVERS and SUNLEN MILLER
July 13, 2009

President Barack Obama named Dr. Regina Benjamin as U.S. surgeon general in an announcement late this morning at the White House.

Dr. Regina Benjamin became nationally known for her determination to rebuild a rural health clinic...

Dr. Regina Benjamin became nationally known for her determination to rebuild a rural health clinic in Bayou La Batre, Ala., after it was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina. She is the first African American woman to head a state medical society and received a MacArthur Foundation "genius grant" last year.

(Bill Starling/The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation/AP Photo)

Benjamin, an Alabama family physician, runs a rural health clinic in Bayou La Batre, Ala.. She was the first African–American woman to head a state medical society and received a MacArthur Foundation "genius grant" last year.

Benjamin, who must be confirmed by the Senate, became known nationally for her determination to rebuild her clinic, destroyed by Hurricane Georges in 1998 and again by Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

MADONNA LOVES MICHAEL JACKSON

Madonna Pays Tribute to Michael Jackson

July 5, 2009

Sarah Palin Steps aside as Governor of Alaska

Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin announces that she is stepping down from her position as Governor in Wasilla, Alaska on Friday July 3, 2009. The former Republican vice presidential candidate made the surprise announcement, saying she would step down July 26 but didn't announce her plans.

(AP Photo/The Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman, Robert DeBerry)

Good bye Sweet Girl

Fawcett's family and friends say goodbye

LOS ANGELES, California (CNN) -- Friends and family of actress Farrah Fawcett -- including longtime partner Ryan O'Neal and their son Redmond, who was temporarily freed from jail for the service -- gathered Tuesday to say goodbye.

Actress Farrah Fawcett, known for her blond mane and gleaming smile, died Thursday at age 62.