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PORTLAND -- Bill Richardson described the conversation he had with Hillary Clinton on his decision to endorse Barack Obama as "heated" in an exclusive with NBC Nightly News today. Both Richardson and Obama shared the spotlight this afternoon at a press conference and later in a sit down interview with NBC's Lee Cowan. Richardson described the conversation that he had with Clinton last night "tough." "It was tough to make the call, but I did. It got a little heated. It got a little tense. But it was understood, and I'm proud of my decision."

Following are first-hand accounts from people who spoke to RFA on Tuesday, March 18, through Thursday, March 20, 2008, in which they notably report spreading protests and a sharply increased police and troop presence. For security reasons, we do not identify some of our sources by name in order to protect them from retaliation. "On March 20, Chinese security forces arrived in the town of Kiku in Serthar (Seda, in Chinese) county. There were about 1,000 of them. They tried to pull down the Tibetan flag that had been raised by protestors at the town headquarters building on the 17th,...

Obama's Speech Applauded -- By Republican FoesGOPers and Conservatives Say Candidate's Speech Didn't End Wright Controversy By JAKE TAPPER March 19, 2008 Campaigning in North Carolina today, Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., enjoyed overwhelmingly warm reviews from the media and the crowd in Charlotte for his speech about race and his controversial former pastor, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright. But for far different reasons, Republican political consultants were delighted with the speech, as well. Looking ahead to November, GOP strategists say Obama did not remove Wright as a campaign issue. "He didn't explain why he continued to attend a church whose minister...

Maundy Thursday On the night before his death Jesus had a final meal with his friends. This meal was one of the festival meals for Passover. Before the meal Jesus did something which surprised his friends. He washed the feet of every person, a task which was normally done by a servant. By doing this he wanted to show his followers that they should love one another in humble ways. Later in the meal which is known to Christians as 'The Last Supper', Jesus passed round bread and wine. He said the bread was his body broken for them...

PHILADELPHIA COMMITTEE FOR CONSTITUIONAL JUSTICE P.O. 306, Cheltenham, PA 19012 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Don Adams CLINTON PROTESTERS AND TEAMSTERS END TEN YEAR LEGAL BATTLE Philadelphia, PA (March 21, 2008) -- One of the few remaining civil suits stemming from the Clinton-era Lewinsky scandal—involving the vicious beating of two anti-Clinton siblings by pro-Clinton Teamsters outside Philadelphia’s City Hall during a 1998 presidential visit—settled out of court today. The victims, Don Adams and Teri Adams, signed an agreement after Teamsters Local 115 and the International Brotherhood of Teamsters opted to pay an undisclosed sum in exchange for dropping the suit, which...

Perhaps it is fitting that the 25th anniversary of President Ronald Reagan's "Star Wars" speech falls on Easter Sunday. After all, many had believed Reagan's grand plan for a system that would render Moscow's nuclear-tipped missiles "impotent and obsolete" died along with the Soviet Union. But "Star Wars" has been resurrected, and has been standing guard over America's skies since 2004. But the more than $120 billion spent over 25 years to build the "Star Wars" missile shield has not left the U.S. less vulnerable to attack - some would argue that it has done exactly the opposite, by diverting...

NORTH HUNTINGDON, Pa., March 20 (UPI) -- A Pennsylvania woman faces criminal charges after allegedly beating her sister with a prosthetic leg and threatening her neighbors, police said. Donna Sturkie-Anthony, 41, went to her preliminary hearing with North Huntingdon District Judge Douglas Weimer, but will continue proceedings later, allowing her to attend Greenbriar Treatment Center, WTAE-TV, Pittsburgh reported. She allegedly yanked off her sister's prosthetic leg and attacked her with it while they were arguing about Sturkie-Anthony's alcoholism, police said. Sturkie-Anthony faces charges of aggravated assault, simple assault, recklessly endangering another person and harassment for the January incident. Police said...

SACRAMENTO - In his first direct responses, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger defended dumping his brother-in-law Bobby Shriver and actor Clint Eastwood from the state Parks and Recreation Commission - a step critics allege was taken in retaliation for their opposition to a six-lane toll road through San Onofre State Park. Led by Shriver and Eastwood, the appointed and unpaid commission has been an outspoken opponent of the toll road, claiming that super highways have no place in state parks. There also are worries that it could irreparably damage a renowned surfing area called Trestles. In an interview with the Orange County...

Mexican Police Chief Requests US Asylum Mar 21 07:26 PM US/Eastern By MARK EVANS Associated Press Writer ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) - The police chief of a Mexican border town racked by smuggling-related violence fled to the U.S. seeking asylum after his deputies abandoned him, federal officials said Friday. Emilio Perez, the chief of Palomas, Mexico, showed up at the international port of entry in Columbus, N.M., late Tuesday, saying his two deputies had left the department and that he now needed protection, too, according to Doug Mosier, a U.S. Border Patrol spokesman in El Paso. Perez was taken in and...

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) - Scientists who conducted the most comprehensive survey to date of New Zealand's Antarctic waters were surprised by the size of some specimens found, including jellyfish with 12-foot tentacles and 2-foot-wide starfish.A 2,000-mile journey through the Ross Sea that ended Thursday has also potentially turned up several new species, including as many as eight new mollusks.

Acts 4: 11 This is the ‘stone which was rejected by you builders, which has become the chief cornerstone.’

Central banks on both sides of the Atlantic are actively engaged in discussions about the feasibility of mass purchases of mortgage-backed securities as a possible solution to the credit crisis. Such a move would involve the use of public funds to shore up the market in a key financial instrument and restore confidence by ending the current vicious circle of forced sales, falling prices and weakening balance sheets. -snip-

WASHINGTON - Homeland security officials on Friday hinted at a possible face-saving deal to end their standoff with a handful of states over new driver's license rules — a dispute that, left unresolved, could cause big air travel headaches. For weeks, the Homeland Security Department has been headed toward a showdown with some states over a law called Real ID, which would require new security measures for state-issued driver's licenses. Yet a late Good Friday letter from a top DHS official suggested Washington may be backing away from a messy fight. South Carolina, Maine and Montana are the only states...

ONE OF THE most important dates in American history passed unnoticed last weekend. It was the 225th anniversary of the day we didn't become a banana republic. It ought to be a national holiday, right up there with July Fourth. But hardly anybody remembers it any more. The date was March 15, 1783. The Revolutionary War had just been won. Trouble was, the army hadn't been paid during the war. They were promised that they'd get their money when the war was over; but now that the time had come, Congress was reneging on that pledge. Resentment rippled through the...

Today is the first day of spring. And this spring offers a spectacle that I thought I'd never see in my entire life: Murray Sabrin has a chance to win an election. I've been following Sabrin's career ever since he ran for governor in 1997. He was outspoken and principled, which of course made him persona non grata in either of the major parties. So he ran on the Libertarian Party ticket and managed to qualify for public funding and a spot on stage during debates with Republican incumbent Christie Whitman and Democratic challenger Jim McGreevey. Sabrin stood up there...

A Wisconsin company that disguises deadly firearms with bright paints and camouflage has a new target: Mayor Bloomberg. Lauer Custom Weaponry, whose products were banned in the city in 2006 because they make dangerous guns look like innocent toys, is taunting the anti-gun mayor with a line of paints named "The Bloomberg Collection." The company - which named its purple hue after Barney, the dinosaur beloved by toddlers - is peddling a rainbow of candy-colored paints for each of the five boroughs. There's red for Manhattan, rose for the Bronx, blue for Brooklyn, green for Queens and orange for Staten...

PROVIDENCE — A new initiative borne of a recent incident between a Providence storeowner and two Spanish-speaking customers is asking all Rhode Islanders to help stop hate speech and violence directed at “immigrants and communities of color.” The “We Can Stop the Hate” campaign was announced at the University of Rhode Island’s downtown campus, a week after published reports about a March 1 encounter between two Dominican natives who are also U.S. citizens, and David C. Richardson, owner of Rhode Island Refrigeration. The incident provoked accusations against Richardson of racial profiling and committing a hate crime. The “stop the hate”...

"Less than 48 hours after giving a great speech calling for a high- minded conversation on race, the Obama campaign is peddling photos of an occasion when President Clinton shook hands with Rev. Wright, though President Clinton took tens of thousands of photos during his 8 years as president," said Clinton spokesman Jay Carson.

BANGKOK, Thailand (AP) - Health officials in Thailand have launched a national campaign against rats - starting with their own offices. In the past two days, nearly 50 rats were caught inside the Health Ministry compound in Bangkok, prompting Friday's announcement of a national anti-rodent campaign. The infestation of the ministry responsible for promoting health and hygiene shows just how pervasive Thailand's rat problem has become, Health Minister Chaiya Sasomsup said in a statement. "Rats are commonly found wherever there is food, debris and garbage - not just at the Health Ministry," Chaiya said. The ministry has instructed more than...

WASHINGTON - The explosion of a star halfway across the universe was so huge it set a record for the most distant object that could be seen on Earth by the naked eye. The aging star, in a previously unknown galaxy, exploded in a gamma ray burst 7.5 billion light years away, its light finally reaching Earth early Wednesday. The gamma rays were detected by NASA's Swift satellite at 2:12 a.m. "We'd never seen one before so bright and at such a distance," NASA's Neil Gehrels said. It was bright enough to be seen with the naked eye. However, NASA...