Obama: After 9/11, US used torture

Obama: After 9/11, US used torture

WASHINGTON

The United States tortured al-Qaida detainees captured after the 9/11 attacks, President Barack Obama said Friday, in some of his most-expansive comments to date about a controversial set of CIA practices that he banned after taking office.

“We tortured some folks,” Obama said at a televised news conference at the White House. “We did some things that were contrary to our values.”

Addressing the impending release of a Senate report that criticizes CIA treatment of detainees, Obama said he believed the mistreatment stemmed from the pressure national- security officials felt to forestall another attack. He said Americans should not be too “sanctimonious” about passing judgment through the lens of a seemingly safer present day.

Body parts retrieved at scene of crash

HRABOVE, Ukraine

Wearing gloves and carrying blue plastic buckets, international investigators finally began gathering up body parts and victims’ belongings Friday in the fields where Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 came down.

Artillery boomed in the distance as the 70-member team of Dutch and Australian experts painstakingly combed a patch of scrub-land not far from the site of bloody clashes between Ukrainian soldiers and pro-Russian separatist rebels.

The team’s top priority: collecting the remains of as many as 80 victims that have been lying out in the open, baking in the midsummer heat, for more than two weeks because investigators were prevented by the fighting from reaching the scene.

Treatment ordered for stabbing suspect

WAUKESHA, Wis.

One of two preteens accused of stabbing a classmate 19 times to please a fictional horror character was ordered Friday to receive treatment rather than stand trial, based on doctors’ testimony that she claims to see and have conversations with things others cannot — including unicorns and a Harry Potter villain.

Judge Michael Bohren ordered the 12-year-old girl evaluated and treated either in a hospital or in a juvenile detention center, where she is being held. Doctors have a year to get the girl to a point where she can help with her defense and go to trial. If they can’t, she could be held at a treatment center.

Congress backs Israeli defense

WASHINGTON

Congress approved a $225 million package to replenish Israel’s missile defenses with its last order of business before a five-week recess, as the Jewish state’s cease-fire with Hamas unraveled and Israeli forces pushed deep into Gaza in search of a missing army officer.

The House’s 395-8 vote in favor late Friday followed Senate adoption of the legislation by voice vote earlier in the day. The bill now goes to President Barack Obama for his signature.

Denver County Fair celebrates marijuana

DENVER

Marijuana joined roses and dahlias Friday in blue- ribbon events at the nation’s first county fair to allow pot competitions.

This weekend’s Denver County Fair includes a 21-and-over “Pot Pavilion” where winning entries for plants, bongs, edible treats and clothes made from hemp are on display.

There is no actual weed at the fairgrounds. Instead, fairgoers will see photos of the competing pot plants and marijuana-infused foods. A sign near the entry warns patrons not to consume pot at the fair.

A speed joint-rolling contest uses oregano, not pot.

Associated Press