Poll: Less faith in Obama's economic abilities

WASHINGTON — Qualms about President Obama's stewardship of the economy are growing, a USA TODAY/Gallup Poll finds, as Americans become more pessimistic about when they predict the recession will end.

At six months in office, Obama's 55% approval rating puts him 10th among the 12 post-World War II presidents at this point in their tenures. When he took office, he ranked seventh.

THE OVAL: Obama on health care

"His ratings have certainly come back down to Earth in a very short time period," Republican pollster Whit Ayres says.

White House adviser David Axelrod calls the "turbulence" predictable, given the nation's economic woes and Obama's ambitious agenda.

"People fundamentally like this president, and they believe he's smart and capable and strong and trying to do the right thing," Axelrod says.

The findings forecast the rough patch that probably is ahead for Obama if unemployment continues to increase, as the administration predicts.

Lower ratings could make it more difficult for him to prevail on his top legislative priority. The president met with doctors and nurses at the Children's National Medical Center on Monday as he pushed the House and Senate to pass health-care overhauls before leaving on their August recess.

Obama continues to be highly regarded personally. Two-thirds see him as a strong and decisive leader and someone who understands the problems they face in their daily lives. A majority says his administration "is creating a new spirit of idealism."

However, there is a widening disconnect between Obama's personal standing and support for the policies he advocates:

• By 49%-47%, those surveyed disapprove of how he is handling the economy, a turnaround from his 55%-42% approval in May. The steepest drop came from conservative and moderate Democrats.

• By 50%-44%, they disapprove of how he is handling health care policy.

• A 59% majority say his proposals call for too much government spending and 52% say they call for too much expansion of government power.

• Expectations of the economy's turnaround are souring a bit. In February, the average prediction for a recovery was 4.1 years; now it's 5.5 years.

• The administration's stimulus package isn't seen as a benefit by most whether viewed in the short term or the long term, in how it will impact the country or individuals. Only a third think it will help their own family's finances in the long run.

Obama "might make the policies more popular by being associated with him," says historian H.W. Brands of the University of Texas-Austin. "But it's almost equally possible that it will make him less popular by linking him with those policies."

The poll of 1,006 adults, taken Friday through Sunday by land line and cellphone, has a margin of error of +/– 4 percentage points.

£200 MILLION BOOST FOR UK MOTOR INDUSTRY

THE UK motor industry was given a huge boost yesterday when Nissan announced plans to invest £200million to build batteries for electric cars, creating 350 new jobs.

Gordon Brown and Business Secretary Lord Mandelson welcomed the good news for the Japanese firm’s plant in Sunderland during a tour of the site.

The factory, which shed 1,200 jobs in January, has beaten competition from other Nissan plants in Europe for the work. It is now a contender to manufacture the group’s new “greener” electric vehicles.

Mr Brown hailed the ­investment as “great news for the local economy”.

Mr Mandelson said a “low carbon economic area” would be established in the North-east.

It will include a training centre that will ­specialise in the manufacture and maintenance of ultra-low carbon vehicles.

Over the next two years, 750 charging points will be installed across the region.

DoCoMo develops solar-powered handset

TOKYO —

NTT DoCoMo has developed a solar-powered, waterproof mobile phone that will go on sale from September. The solar hybrid can be recharged with sunlight as well as electricity. Even if the battery has completely lost its charge, just 10 minutes of solar recharging via a panel on the phone’s body provides approximately one minute of talk time.

The handset comes with an 8-megapixel CCD camera that takes excellent photographs even dim lighting or when objects are moving. The waterproof body, resistant to water sprays from all directions and submergible to depths up to one meter, enables safe, carefree enjoyment of mobile communication and entertainment in the bath, kitchen, beach, rain or other environments where water is present.

Mexican Cartel Leaders, Associates Targeted in DEA Sting Effort

Today the Departments of Justice, State and Treasury announced coordinated actions against the Gulf Cartel/Los Zetas drug trafficking organization, now known as the “Company,” in the latest in a series of efforts by the U.S. government to neutralize and dismantle this violent cartel.

Antonio Ezequiel Cardenas-Guillen, Jorge Eduardo Costilla-Sanchez, Heriberto Lazcano-Lazcano and Miguel Trevino-Morales, high-level Mexican leaders of the Company and 15 of their top lieutenants, have been charged in U.S. federal courts with drug trafficking-related crimes. Also today, the State Department announced rewards of up to $50 million, collectively, for information leading to the capture of 10 of these defendants, including the four leaders who were also specially designated as Narcotics Kingpins today by the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC).

“These indictments allege a stunning and sophisticated operation by the Company to move illegal drugs into our communities and cash back to Mexico,” said Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer. “We have learned that the most effective way to disrupt and dismantle criminal organizations is to prosecute their leaders and seize their funding. Today’s coordinated actions by the Departments of Justice, State and Treasury will serve not only to bring these individuals to justice, but also to significantly slow the flow of cash that is so vital to cartel operations. These actions are also the result of our strong partnership with Mexican Attorney General Medina Mora, Secretary of Public Security Garcia Luna and other Mexican officials. We stand shoulder-to-shoulder with our brave Mexican colleagues in the fight against these destructive cartels.”

“Violent drug trafficking organizations represent a threat to the health and safety of people in Mexico and the U.S.,” said Acting Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Administrator Michele M. Leonhart. “These indictments and rewards prove our commitment to disrupting the cycle of drugs and associated violence that follow the cartels wherever they operate. I am especially proud of our DEA Houston and New York Divisions, whose investigations were the thrust behind the indictments of these offenders. With the help of the public, and in close coordination with the government of Mexico, they will be brought to justice.”

“Following on the heels of the President’s naming of Los Zetas as a drug kingpin organization in April, we are today targeting sanctions against four drug lords who are senior leaders in Los Zetas and the Gulf Cartel,” said OFAC Director Adam J. Szubin. “We remain committed to using all tools at our disposal to assist President Calderon in his courageous efforts against Mexico’s deadly narcotics cartels.”

Today, an indictment was unsealed in the Eastern District of New York charging Miguel Trevino-Morales with operating a continuing criminal enterprise, international cocaine distribution and firearms violations. The indictment also contains a $1 billion forfeiture allegation. If convicted on all charges, he faces life in prison. Miguel Trevino-Morales is a principal leader of Los Zetas, originally a security force used by the Gulf Cartel. The Zetas, whose origin includes former members of the Air Mobile Special Forces Group of the Mexican military, have evolved into not only a security force but a drug trafficking organization in their own right.

In addition, a three-count superseding indictment returned June 9, 2009, in the District of Columbia charges the four leaders and 15 other alleged cartel members with conspiracy to possess with intent to import cocaine and marijuana into the United States and two counts of possession with intent to import cocaine into the United States. Cardenas-Guillen, Costilla-Sanchez and Lazcano-Lazcano are Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) Consolidated Priority Organization Targets (CPOTs). Conviction on any count carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years and a maximum of life in prison.

According to the superseding indictment, the Company was led primarily by a governing council, or triumvirate, which consisted of Cardenas-Guillen, Costilla-Sanchez and Lazcano-Lazcano. The indictment alleges the Company has operated along the U.S./Mexico border, dividing the territory into areas known as “plazas” and assigning each plaza region a leader known as the “plaza boss.” The superseding indictment alleges Cardenas-Guillen, Costilla-Sanchez and Lazcano-Lazcano directed the Company’s cocaine and marijuana shipments via boats, planes and cars from Colombia and Venezuela to Guatemala, as well as to various cities and “plazas” in Mexico. From Mexico, the drugs were then shipped into cities in Texas for distribution to other cities in the United States.

The Company allegedly used sophisticated record keeping programs to track shipping, employment, payroll and payments made to law enforcement officials as well as payments received and owed. The superseding indictment alleges that the defendants discussed, among other things, supply issues, debt collection, pricing for the drugs in specific areas, bonus structures for individuals working at the “plazas,” concealment of the drugs during transportation, methods of shipment from Mexico to Texas, seizures of shipments and locations along the U.S./Mexico border where defendants allegedly believed the drugs could move more freely and control of law enforcement in certain areas.

Cardenas-Guillen, Costilla-Sanchez and Lazcano-Lazcano were previously charged with drug trafficking crimes in 2008 in two separate indictments returned in the District of Columbia cases. The other previously charged defendants, included in the superseding indictment, are Jaime Gonzales-Duran; Samuel Flores-Borrego; Mario Ramirez-Trevino; Alfredo Rangel-Buendia; FNU LNU, aka Lino; Gilberto Barragan-Balderas; Juan Reyes Mejia-Gonzales; Omar Trevino-Morales; Jesus Enrique Rejon Aguilar; Alfonso Lam-Liu; Eleazar Medina-Rojas; and Aurelio Cano-Flores. The superseding indictment also added the following defendants: Carlos Cerda-Gonzalez, Victor Hugo Lopez-Valdez and Sigifredo Najera-Talamantes.

Costilla-Sanchez is also charged, along with Osiel Cardenas-Guillen and eight others, in a 17-count superseding indictment filed in the Southern District of Texas in April 2002 with conspiracy to import and possess with intent to distribute cocaine and marijuana, conspiracy to launder drug money and threatening to assault a federal officer. A State Department reward of up to $5 million has previously been offered for information leading to the arrest of Costilla-Sanchez.

Ezequiel Cardenas-Guillen, along with 13 others, is also charged in a 10-count indictment filed in the Southern District of Texas in December 2002 with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine, possession with intent to distribute cocaine and conspiracy to launder drug money. Ezequiel Cardenas-Guillen is alleged to have controlled a cocaine and money laundering organization in Matamoros, Mexico, with multiple cells in Houston that warehoused, transported and distributed multi-kilogram quantities of cocaine and laundered millions of dollars in drug proceeds that were smuggled into Mexico beginning in 1998.

Members of the Company on the DEA Most-Wanted List are also subjects of rewards, up to $5 million each, offered by the State Department through the Narcotics Rewards Program for information leading to these individuals’ arrest. They include:

Heriberto Lazcano-Lazcano (AKA El Verdugo, El Lazca, Laz, Catorce and Licenciado)
Antonio Ezequiel Cardenas-Guillen (AKA Ezequiel Cardenas-Guillen, Marcos Ledezma, Tony Tormenta and Licenciado)
Miguel Angel Trevino-Morales (AKA 40, Cuarenta, L-40, David Estrada-Corado and Comandante Forty)
Alejandro Trevino-Morales (AKA 42, Omar and Comandante Forty Two)
Juan Reyes Mejia-Gonzalez (AKA R-1, Kike, Kiki, Quique)
Mario Ramirez-Trevino (AKA Mario Armando Ramirez-Trevino, X-20, Mario Pelon and Pelon)
Gilberto Barragan-Balderas (AKA Heriberto and Tocayo)
Jesus Enrique Rejon-Aguilar (AKA Mamito, Caballero and David Enrique Cruz-Maldonado)
Samuel Flores-Borrego (AKA Metro Tres, Tres, M Three, El Cabezon, Metro Three and Commander Tres)
Aurelio Cano-Flores (AKA Yankee and Yeyo. Now in custody).

Since the inception of the Narcotics Rewards Program in the 1980s, the Department of State has paid more than $44 million in rewards to individuals whose information helped bring to justice many major violators of U.S. drug laws who were responsible for importing hundreds of tons of illegal narcotics into the United States each year. In addition, the Mexican Attorney General’s Office previously announced rewards of up to $2.4 million (30,000,000 pesos), per individual, for information leading to the capture of Costilla-Sanchez, Cardenas-Guillen, Lazcano-Lazcano and Miguel Trevino-Morales.

In support of the coordinated U.S. government effort against this organization, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s OFAC today designated Costilla-Sanchez, Cardenas-Guillen, Lazcano-Lazcano and Miguel Trevino-Morales as Specially Designated Narcotics Traffickers through the Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act (Kingpin Act). Today’s designation action freezes any assets the individuals may have under U.S. jurisdiction and prohibits U.S. persons from conducting transactions or dealings in the property interests of the designated individuals and entities. Penalties for violations of the Kingpin Act range from civil penalties of up to $1,075,000 per violation to more severe criminal penalties. Criminal penalties for corporate officers may include up to 30 years in prison and fines up to $5 million. Criminal fines for corporations may reach $10 million. Other individuals face up to 10 years in prison and fines for criminal violations of the Kingpin Act. On April 15, 2009, the President designated Los Zetas as a Specially Designated Narcotics Trafficker Kingpin organization.

During the coordinated investigation that led to the superseding indictment in the District of Columbia being returned, foreign law enforcement seized substantial amounts of drugs belonging to this organization. Among the shipments intercepted was a 2,400 kilogram cocaine shipment intercepted and seized in Panama on Nov. 30, 2007. On Oct. 5, 2007, Mexican authorities seized an 11.7 ton load of cocaine, which was (at the time) the largest cocaine seizure in Mexican history. On Oct. 16, 2008, Mexican law enforcement agents seized more than 9,000 kilograms of marijuana belonging to the Company in Guadalupe, Mexico.

In September 2008, the Department announced the arrests of more than 175 alleged Gulf Cartel members and associates in Project Reckoning, a multi-agency international law enforcement effort that targeted key leadership elements of this organization. That effort is continuing through the coordinated multi-agency initiatives and developments announced today. To date, Project Reckoning has resulted in more than 620 arrests and the seizure of more than $84 million in U.S. currency, multiple tons of illegal drugs and 934 weapons.

The case is being investigated by the DEA Houston Office in coordination with the Special Operations Division, comprised of agents, analysts and attorneys from NDDS, DEA, FBI, ICE, ATF, U.S. Marshals Service and Internal Revenue Service.

UNITED AIRLINES SET TO CAUSE FINANCIAL TURBULENCE

A move tomorrow by embattled United Airlines is likely to raise ticket prices for thousands of fliers -- and steal planeloads of business from travel agents.

United, which is expected to post a second-quarter loss of about $350 million when it reports this week, and is looking to conserve cash, will stop processing credit-card transactions for certain travel agencies on Monday.

That means those agencies will have to start paying the 3.5 percent credit card processing fees that UAL currently absorbs -- $17.50 on a $500 ticket -- a cost that will likely be passed on to customers.

Jennifer Wilson, co-owner of New York's Wilson Travel, which will not be impacted by United's move, said, "I think it is a huge deal. If they do it, odds are other airlines will follow."

Half of airline tickets are now purchased through the country's roughly 18,000 travel-agency locations.

Fliers could avoid the possible added cost by going to United's Web site, a move that would nonetheless siphon business away from travel agents.

In the metro area, UAL has the biggest presence at JFK where it flies to and from the West Coast.

The move by United is being called a pilot program and comes at a time American Express is considering holding back a larger percentage of UAL's charges. AmEx wants to make sure that if UAL goes bankrupt it can refund unused tickets without taking a loss.

Chris Russo, president of the American Society of Travel Agents, explained that when Delta in the 1990s started cutting off commissions for travel agencies it set a precedent, and soon every other carrier followed suit. The same scenario played out for passengers with baggage fees.

A UAL spokeswoman said the move will impact a very small percentage of travel agencies. She said she could not address long-term plans as UAL is a public company.

She added that UAL is taking this action as a performance-related penalty against specific travel agencies.

Carriers across the industry have the incentive to boost short-term earnings.

American Airlines last week reported what Credit Sights analyst Roger King described as dismal numbers, with revenue dropping 23 percent compared to last year.

Local Congressional representatives Carolyn McCarthy and Nydia Velazquez joined 16 others last week in sending a letter to UAL asking them to postpone the move.

DIY sex disease test kit

EVERY 18 to 24-year-old is to be offered an annual check against sex disease chlamydia - with a FREE DIY test kit.

The massive programme is being rolled out across the country after warnings that the disease is becoming an epidemic among teenagers.

Under the scheme more than five million young people are being sent the kits.

All they have to do is provide a urine sample, send it off and wait for the result by text message, email or letter. Previously teenagers were only offered tests when they went to their doctor.

Initiatives such as offering kits to young people at nightclubs failed.

Other schemes offered lottery prizes including iPods, holidays and even cash incentives if they took tests. But too few young people knew about the scheme or took up the offers.

Now they are all receiving a letter and a free testing kit. At the moment, fewer than ten per cent of young people have taken tests for the disease.

Last year only 400,000 were tested out of a potential four million.

And the latest technology means that the samples can be checked in less than 30 minutes.

Chlamydia is the most common bacterial sexually transmitted infection. At least one in ten sexually active under-25s will have chlamydia and may not know it because most people do not show any symptoms. But it can make women INFERTILE if it is not treated by a course of antibiotics.

Infection rates have grown by 150 per cent in the past year alone.

Major advertising campaigns in cinemas and on television have failed to get youngsters to take precautions or get tested.

Now Ministers hope they will be able to double the number of young people being tested by the end of the year.

Michael Jackson murder charges in days

THE death of Michael Jackson is to become a MURDER investigation, the News of the World can reveal.

An autopsy on the superstar has shown he died from an injected overdose of heavy-duty painkiller Diprivan.

Police have told his family they will press charges against one or more people within DAYS and there will be a criminal TRIAL.

It could involve whoever administered the injection and anyone who made it available to the star.

Last week La Toya Jackson told the News of the World she knew who had murdered her brother.

Yesterday's astonishing development was revealed by Terry Harvey, a long-time friend of the Jackson family, in an exclusive interview with us.

Terry said: "The autopsy shows that Michael died of a drug overdose with Diprivan and a range of pills in his stomach. He had needle marks on his neck and all over his body.

"The authorities have told the family the Drug Enforcement Administration are pushing for a criminal charge.

"It is likely to be second-degree murder, due to the actions which led to his death. They have been assured that someone, or maybe more than one person, will be brought to trial.

"The family are working with the DEA and Los Angeles Police Department to work out which doctor prescribed Michael these drugs and how far back this serious problem runs."

Michael Jackson's family friend Terry Harvey reveals all

Terry also revealed that as soon as the murder inquiry is announced the Jacksons intend to SUE AEG, the promoters behind Jacko's planned London O2 comeback shows, for £30million for "wrongful death".

The family, headed by father Joe, say its bosses failed in their duty of care towards Jacko and could have saved his life.

Feeding

Respected music promoter Terry, currently working with girlband TLC, said: "The family is speaking about whether there is enough evidence to take a private lawsuit against the promoters or the doctors involved.

"Once the criminal charges are announced, the family will file for a wrongful death lawsuit.

"Joe Jackson has made no secret of his efforts to step in to get Michael to rehab while he prepared for his London shows. The question is how much did the concert organisers know about his drug problems and who was feeding him the drugs?

"I can see Joe filing a lawsuit against anyone who is found to have caused fatal harm to his beloved son.

"He and the rest of the family are serious about getting to the bottom of his son's death and insists it's foul play. It's no secret that AEG appointed a doctor to look after Michael's welfare."

The company have claimed they did everything they could to help Jacko prepare for the 50-date tour. AEG's representatives have always insisted Jacko was fit, healthy and in "great shape" during his rehearsals.

Terry is also the first member of Jackson's inner-circle to confirm the star's horrendous, long-term addiction to prescription drugs.

He said Jacko died a JUNKIE thanks to daily injections of Diprivan (or Propofol) and another painkiller Vistaril, plus swallowing a cocktail of pills including anxiety drug Xanax, anti-depressants Prozac and Zoloft and anti-indigestion drug Prilosec.

Terry added: "Michael had a long-term drug habit. He was no different to a drug addict living in a crack house. What he wanted was served up to him. He didn't go to the stores to get his fix, it was brought to him. He started in 1984 after he got burned filming that Pepsi advert. But in recent years it spiralled out of control and he was even self-injecting.

"By the end he knew how to administer these drugs himself as he had so much medical knowledge. Now he's dead everyone is washing their hands of it. I don't believe that Michael injected himself in the neck though.

"The jury is out on everyone in his inner circle. I believe some of them actually got him drugs. These people should be thrown into jail."

Last night leading pathologist Dr Cyril Wecht backed Terry's claim that the case will become criminal.

Dr Wecht, who worked on the Anna Nicole Smith drug case, said: "If Diprivan was given to Michael Jackson, prescribed by some physician, and it was administered by him or anybody else at his home then it goes beyond negligence. The drugs need to be administered by a trained anaesthetist. It is to be given only in a hospital setting because it is susceptible to bacterial contamination.

"For all of these reasons, if any doctor prescribed Propofol for Michael Jackson to take at home himself that is gross wanton negligence which, as I understand it, is manslaughter."

Terry, who is friends with Joe Jackson and Michael's brother Tito, got close to the star's aides in his final days after agreeing to promote a one-off Jackson 5 reunion in 2010. And he is adamant that Michael needed to go to rehab before returning to the stage in London this month and begged 50-year-old Jacko's associates to let him step in.

Terry, 49, said: "I told them Michael had a drug problem. I said we need to 'get him off the junk'.

"They said my concerns were meritless and changed the subject. I didn't hear a word afterwards."

Terry told how Jacko's dad tried to get Michael to go to rehab in March.

He said: "Joe wanted to get his son cleaned up as he was so keen to do the family show deal for 2010.

"He knew he wasn't ready for these summer shows in London. Joe called him on the phone and said to Michael, 'Let's get it together. Let us help you and clean the house'. Michael said 'OK' to appease his dad but he didn't even take his words in. By that stage he was an addict.

"He still thought he was the biggest star in the world. He did what he wanted. He felt he wasn't ready to go.

"Joe went to the house at least three times to intervene, but couldn't get through to his son."

Concerned Terry even offered to take care of Jacko. He said: "I begged Joe to get me into the house. I wanted to fight off all the enablers and keep them away.

"We had suspicions who was getting him prescription pills, but it was important to stop it first and deal with them later.

"MJ needed to be looked after one-on-one. Aside from the drugs Michael knew that these shows were too much for him. He needed the money, but it was all too much too soon. I knew in his heart he didn't want to and more importantly couldn't do these shows."

Terry told how Jacko called him after the O2 shows were announced.

He said: "Michael came on the phone and said, 'I only signed up for 10 shows. I didn't sign for 50. You are gonna have to rearrange the schedule to two shows a week.' Michael could only do two shows a week due to the strain on his voice let alone the physical stress of doing two hours on stage."

Two weeks ago AEG boss Randy Phillips told the News Of The World Jacko was lazy and had turned up for just two weeks of the four months of rehearsals.

But Terry said: "The TV has been showing clips of his rehearsals and from what I can see Michael wasn't even singing live.

"He was struggling with his dance moves. I was told he had his vocals sequenced on stage so if he didn't want to sing live they just switched on the tape."

Days before his death Jackson postponed his 02 debut from July 8 to July 13 blaming the "size and scope" of the production.

Terry added: "Michael knew he had to do these shows as he was in so much debt.

"The concert company put a lot up front and wanted to get a return on their money. The shows and the pressure got bigger than he could handle.

"Michael pushed himself to the edge as he didn't want to let the fans down."