Blagojevich will speak

Blagojevich will speak

chicago

After all his claims of innocence and facing years in prison, Rod Blagojevich let his lawyers make an admission that he has so far avoided — that he is, in fact, guilty of public corruption.

The former Illinois governor will get a chance to do the same today, when he is scheduled to address the judge who will decide his sentence.

Judge James Zagel signaled Tuesday he may be prepared to impose a stiff prison sentence, saying he thinks Blagojevich lied when he told jurors he never tried to sell or trade an appointment to President Barack Obama’s vacated Senate seat for campaign cash or a top job.

Suicide bomber kills 56

kabul

In Afghanistan’s first major sectarian assault since the fall of the Taliban regime a decade ago, a suicide bomber slaughtered 56 Shiite worshippers and wounded more than 160 others Tuesday outside a Shiite shrine in the capital.

The Taliban condemned the attack, which was reminiscent of the wave of sectarian bloodshed that shook Iraq during the height of the war there. Suspicion centered on militant groups based in neighboring Pakistan where Sunni attacks on minority Shiites are common.

FAA chief resigns

washington

FAA administrator Randy Babbitt resigned Tuesday as head of the Federal Aviation Administration after his weekend arrest on charges of drunken driving.

Babbitt was about halfway through a five-year term. Deputy FAA Administrator Michael Huerta will serve as acting administrator.

Babbitt, 65, was arrested Saturday night in Fairfax City, Va., by a patrolman who said the nation’s top aviation official was driving on the wrong side of the road.

Animals’ new home?

columbus

State and federal regulators have inspected a potential new home for six creatures kept at the Columbus zoo since their suicidal owner released dozens of exotic animals that were subsequently killed by authorities, according to public records obtained by The Associated Press.

Three leopards, two primates and a grizzly bear that survived the October hunt near Zanesville are being cared for at the zoo under a state-issued quarantine order. It’s unclear where they’ll end up if the order is lifted and they’re returned to the owner’s widow.

Associated Press