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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

In brief: Deadline given for hostage release

From Wire Reports

IRBIL, Iraq – The Islamic State on Tuesday gave the Japanese and Jordanian governments less than 24 hours to release a female militant who’s been on Jordan’s death row since 2005, in exchange for the release of a kidnapped Japanese journalist and the life of a captured Jordanian fighter pilot.

The demand for the release of Sajida al-Rishawi, an Iraqi woman involved in the suicide bombings of three luxury hotels in Amman, Jordan, more than nine years ago, highlights how closely linked the Islamic State remains to its predecessor organization, al-Qaida in Iraq, which the United States once thought it had defeated.

In a brief voice recording posted on the Internet, Japanese freelance journalist Kenji Goto, speaking English, said that the Islamic State group had told him that he and the pilot, Muadh al-Kasabeh, would be killed unless al-Rishawi was released.

Jordanian officials said they were attempting to verify the authenticity of the recording.

Goto said that “any more delays by the Jordanian government will mean they will be responsible for the death of their pilot, which will then be followed by mine. I only have 24 hours to live and the pilot has even less. … The ball is now in the Jordanians’ court.”

Military undecided on Bergdahl charges

WASHINGTON – Army and Pentagon officials said Tuesday there has been no decision on what, if any, criminal charges will be filed against Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, the soldier who left his post in Afghanistan and was held by the Taliban for five years before being released in a prisoner exchange.

Gen. Mark Milley, head of U.S. Army Forces Command at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, has a broad range of legal options. A major consideration is whether military officials would be able to prove that Bergdahl had no intention of ever returning to his unit – a key element in the more serious desertion charges.

Possible charges include absent without leave, desertion with intent to avoid hazardous duty or to shirk important service, desertion with intent to remain away permanently, and failure to obey a lawful order. Desertion in a time of war with the intent to stay away is punishable by death, but that is almost inconceivable in this case. Only one service member has been executed for desertion since the Civil War.

Obama backs off on college savings plan

WASHINGTON – The White House said Tuesday it is dropping a proposal to scale back the tax benefits of college savings plans amid a backlash from both parties.

President Barack Obama made the proposal last week as part of his State of the Union address, part of a plan to consolidate and simplify an array of tax breaks for college students.

Resistance from Congress was swift. Republicans publicly criticized the plan, and aides said House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi pushed senior administration officials to drop it.

A White House official said Tuesday the proposal had become a distraction.

“We proposed it because we thought it was a sensible approach, part of consolidating six programs to two and expanding and better targeting education tax relief for the middle class,” said the official, speaking on condition of anonymity. “Given it has become such a distraction, we’re not going to ask Congress to pass the 529 provision so that they can instead focus on delivering a larger package of education tax relief that has bipartisan support.”

Obama’s plan would reduce the tax benefits of future contributions to the popular 529 college savings plans.