Free Republic

NEW ORLEANS — The giant Taiwanese oil skimmer known as 'A Whale' is getting another chance to prove its value in the Gulf of Mexico. But the leader of the federal response, Thad Allen, doubts the effectiveness of the "A Whale." The ship is supposed to suck up to 21 million gallons of oily water per day. Allen said Thursday it seems more useful in a huge pool of oil than in thousands of smaller slicks. Bob Grantham, spokesman for TMT Shipping, says the U.S. Coast Guard has approved another week of testing. Grantham says the vessel has already made...

.S. President Barack Obama, for the first time, has publicly connected the suspect who tried to blow up a U.S.-bound passenger plane on Christmas Day, December 25, to al-Qaida...Mr. Obama said it appeared a Yemeni affiliate of al-Qaida trained the suspect, "equipped him with ... explosives, and directed him to attack" the plane "headed for America."