Court: Youth is issue in Miranda rights

Court: Youth is issue in Miranda rights

WASHINGTON

The Supreme Court ruled 5-4 Thursday against the state of North Carolina in the case of a juvenile who was questioned in a school conference room without being read his Miranda rights.

In the case, J.D.B. v. North Carolina, the court concluded that police must consider a suspect’s age in determining whether the questioning is “coercive.” If a juvenile would find the situation coercive, the officer must therefore read the Miranda rights.

New al-Qaida leader

CAIRO

Osama bin Laden’s longtime second-in-command, Ayman al-Zawahri, has taken control of al-Qaida, the group declared Thursday, marking the ascendancy of a man driven by hatred of the United States who helped plan the 9/11 attacks.

Al-Zawahri is considered the organizational brain of the terror group, highly skilled at planning and logistics. Analysts said he could set his sights on a spectacular attack and on building up al-Qaida’s already robust presence in Yemen to establish his leadership credentials.

All eyes on NY in vote on gay unions

ALBANY, N.Y.

Gay couples watched anxiously as a closely divided New York Senate started, then stalled, down the path toward a vote on whether to legalize gay marriage, a pivotal decision with national consequences that looked more and more likely to rest in the hands of just two Republican Catholics from conservative upstate areas.

One, Sen. Stephen Saland of the Hudson Valley’s Poughkeepsie, is a widely respected veteran legislator who authored hundreds of crime and education laws. The other crucial swing vote is rookie Mark Grisanti of Buffalo, one of the young breed of Republicans who rode the 2010 GOP tide.

Romney blasted for ‘unemployed’ joke

TAMPA, Fla.

Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney told a group of out-of-work Floridians on Thursday, “I’m also unemployed,” quickly drawing criticism from Democrats who said it showed the former Massachusetts governor and multimillionaire was out of touch. Romney made the comment while criticizing President Barack Obama’s economic plan to a small group of business owners and unemployed workers at a Tampa coffee shop. The former equity-firm CEO told the group that he did have his eye on one particular job, however.

Senate OKs repeal of ethanol tax credits

WASHINGTON

The Senate voted Thursday to repeal tax credits for producing ethanol, a vote that budget cutters hope will demonstrate a growing appetite in Congress to end special-interest tax breaks to help reduce government borrowing. The Senate voted 73-27 to repeal the $5 billion annual subsidy, just two days after rejecting an identical measure. The tax credit provides 45 cents a gallon to oil refiners who mix gasoline with ethanol, a renewable, liquid fuel additive that comes mainly from corn in the U.S.

Holder defends terror-trial venue

WASHINGTON

Attorney General Eric Holder on Thursday defended the prosecution of terrorism suspects in civilian court after the top-ranking Senate Republican urged him to send two Iraqis to Guantanamo Bay rather than try them in Kentucky. Holder criticized what he called a “rigid ideology” among political opponents working to prevent terror trials that have been handled successfully by civilian courts hundreds of times.

Combined dispatches