Recently in National News Category

This is a followup post to the one I wrote earlier.

on Sunday Obama paid his respects by giving a eulogy to the 29 minors who died in West Virginia.

According to CNN, Obama and Biden met with the miners' families privately before the ceremony started.

West Virginia Gov. Joe Manchin was also there to honor the miners and their families. He also vowed to find out all the answers to this tragedy in order to prevent another one and give peace to the miners' families.

According to USA Today, "Obama did not specifically discuss his proposals to improve mine safety, nor the safety record of the nearby Upper Big Branch mine where the April 5 accident occurred."

Virginia Senator Jay Rockefeller was there too and also spoke during the ceremony.

CNN noted that a minor accident of this caliber hasn't happened since 1971 in Idaho.

Frank Ma was considered to be the "last of the Asian godfathers," According to the New York times.

Ma was the classic Asain gangter who had dealings all over San Francisco, Toronto and Manhattan.

He loved to gamble, even on games which he didn't fully understand. Take basketball for example; Ma placed his bets based on the the color of the team jerseys.

The last components of this gangster story include a hitman known as "psycho," heroin, and graveyard murders.

Looking at this story brings a broader question of the level of prominence of Asian gangs in the United States.

The New York Times reported, "But in just two years, 1990 and 1991, at the height of the gangsters' power, federal agents in New York alone made 130 arrests, confiscated 200 pounds of heroin and seized $25 million in assets, including $15 million in cash, as well as homes, boats, apartment buildings, jewelry stores, even the Golden Palace restaurant, one of Chinatown's biggest, which was used to launder money."

Ma was eventually caught and pleaded guilty to murder and narcotics charges.

The New York Times reported, "'He'd killed the wrong guys, and it caused a conflict with his supplier back in Hong Kong,' Agent McMurray said in an interview."

The story concluded with Agent McMurray saying that it was very likely that Ma was the last of the Asian godfathers.

He said if there was another crime lord of the same caliber as Ma, they would probably already know of him.

An explosion in a West Virginia mine left no survivors after a four-day search.

New York Times reported, "The news at the Upper Big Branch mine about 30 miles south of Charleston brought the death toll to 29 in the country's worst mine disaster in four decades."

West Virginia Governor Joe Manchin III said they didn't have a have a miracle but that the healing would start now.

A federal investigation began right after the explosion but couldn't be completed effectively until all the bodies were recovered and removed from the mine.

CNN reported, "Hours after rescue efforts at the mine turned into a recovery operation Saturday, President Obama urged a thorough investigation into the cause of the explosion."

President Obama also said that we must do whatever it takes to make sure that Americans are safe where they work. He went on to urge a very thorough investigation. to make sure this doesn't happen again.

CNN noted, "The mining disaster is the worst in the United States since 1972, when 91 miners died in a fire at the Sunshine Mine in Kellogg, Idaho."

Twenty-nine of the the deaths were Massey Energy employees and one was contracted worker.

The New York Times quoted, "None of the chambers had been deployed," said Governor Manchin during the somber press conference Saturday morning, referring to the underground rescue chambers where everyone hoped the four missing miners might be. "None of our miners suffered."

On Saturday, four people were killed in a restaurant in San Fernando Valley.

Two other victims were taken to the hospital in critical condition to be treated.

The shooting happened at the Hot Spot Cafe at approximately 4:40 p.m.

CNN reported, "It was still unclear whether the victims knew the suspect."

By contrast FOX News reported, "We don't have a crazed gunman running around North Hollywood that presents an immediate threat to public safety, to anyone in their homes or businesses in the area," Los Angeles Police Deputy Chief Kirk Albanese said. "However, this is also not a random act of violence."

FOX News also mentioned that the motive was still unknown.

It's interesting to note that neither CNN or FOX News have eye witness accounts. FOX News only has quotes from people who lived near by or heard the gunfire.

FOX News released the names of the victims but not the two people taken to the hospital.

CNN reported that it was unclear whether the shooting happened in the restaurant or outside of it.

However, FOX News reported that police said the shooting happened inside the restaurant.

On Saturday, Sarah Palin commenced the Tea Party protest in Searchlight, Nev which is home of prominent democrat, Harry Reid.

Both, the New York Times and the San Francisco Chronicle have the number of attendees pegged in the "thousands."

This rally was considered significant because it was the hometown of Harry Reid, who was heavily involved in passing the new healthcare bill.

Both, the New York Times and the San Francisco Chronicle note that Reid was the main target and opponent.

According to the San Francisco Chronicle, "The goal here is to use Harry Reid as a symbol of everything that's wrong with Washington - and to get everybody engaged in the 2010 race," Ryan Gill said.

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/03/28/MN0O1CLVC9.DTL#ixzz0jU5WBfkK

Palin used her now-famous "poor man's teleprompter" during her speech which helped to excite the attendees.

The San Francisco Chronicle's big difference in reporting was to build the story around calling this rally a "conservative Woodstock."