Governor: No parole for Manson follower

Governor: No parole for Manson follower

LOS ANGELES

The enduring mystery of why young people joined Charles Manson’s murderous family appeared to be at the heart of Gov. Jerry Brown’s decision Friday to reverse a parole board’s recommendation and keep Bruce Davis in prison.

Brown said he wants Davis, who has been behind bars for 42 years, to come clean about all the details of his involvement with Manson’s cult and the two gruesome killings of a stuntman and a musician.

It was the second time in less than three years that a California governor has rejected a parole-board ruling in Davis’ case. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger refused his release in 2010, citing the heinous nature of Davis’ crimes and his efforts to minimize his involvement.

Egyptian liberals angry at US

CAIRO

As John Kerry heads to Egypt today for his first visit as secretary of state, he faces a barrage of accusations from liberal and secular Egyptians who say Washington is siding with the ruling Muslim Brotherhood in the country’s sharp political divisions.

The United States has had its own frustrations with the mainly liberal and secular opposition, which has been plagued by disorganization and divisions. This week, it pressed the main opposition grouping, the National Salvation Front, to reverse its decision to boycott parliamentary elections due to begin in April.

State report falls short of Keystone OK

WASHINGTON

The State Department on Friday raised no major objections to the Keystone XL oil pipeline and said other options to get the oil from Canada to Gulf Coast refineries are worse for climate change.

But the latest environmental review stops short of recommending the project for approval. State Department approval of the 1,700-mile pipeline is needed because it crosses a U.S. border.

The lengthy report says Canadian tar sands are likely to be developed regardless of whether the U.S. approves Keystone XL, which would carry oil from western Canada to refineries in Texas. The pipeline also would travel through Montana, South Dakota, Kansas, Nebraska and Oklahoma.

Hawaiian sign language detailed

HONOLULU

Linguists say they have determined that a unique sign language, possibly dating back to the 1800s or earlier, is being used in Hawaii, marking the first time in 80 years a previously unknown language — spoken or signed — has been documented in the U.S.

Researchers will announce their findings formally this weekend showing it’s not a dialect of American Sign Language, as many long believed, but an unrelated language with unique vocabulary and grammar.

Only about 40 people, most in their 80s, are known to currently use Hawaii Sign Language, meaning the discovery comes just as the language is on the cusp of disappearing.

Fort Hood suspect may plead guilty

FORT HOOD, Texas

More than three years after the deadly shooting rampage at Fort Hood, an Army psychiatrist soon may describe details of the terrifying attack for the first time, if he’s allowed to plead guilty to lesser charges.

Maj. Nidal Hasan would be required to describe his actions and answer questions about the Nov. 5, 2009, attack on the Texas Army post if the judge allows him to plead guilty to the lesser charges, as his attorneys have said he wants to do.

Associated Press