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WASHINGTON - The U.S. government, which has held Yaser Esam Hamdi incommunicado in a Navy brig for two years without charges, much of the time without a lawyer, indicated Wednesday it is nearing a deal that would free him.
The government is negotiating with Hamdi's lawyers about "terms and conditions acceptable to both parties that would allow Mr. Hamdi to be released from . . . custody," according to documents filed in federal court in Norfolk, Va. The legal papers, submitted jointly by federal prosecutors and Hamdi's attorneys, asked the court to stay all proceedings for 21 days while negotiations continue.
Terms of the release are still being worked out but, according to people familiar with the situation, are likely to include that Hamdi renounce his U.S. citizenship, move to Saudi Arabia and accept some travel restrictions, as well as some monitoring by Saudi officials. In addition, he might agree not to sue the federal government over whether his civil rights were violated.
Hamdi was captured alongside pro-Taliban forces on the battlefield in northern Afghanistan in November 2001 and taken to the U.S. military prison in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. There he told investigators that he was born in Louisiana to Saudi parents.
Kooser selected as nation's poet laureateLINCOLN, Neb. - Great Plains poet Ted Kooser of Nebraska will be the next poet laureate of the United States.
Kooser, 65, replaces Pulitzer Prize winner Louise Gluck in the one-year position. The poet laureate's job carries with it few specific duties, to allow the writers to work on their own projects. The post includes an office at the Library of Congress, a $35,000 salary and an obligation to deliver and organize readings. Previous poets laureate include Robert Frost, Gwendolyn Brooks and Rita Dove.
Kooser has written 10 collections of poetry, most recently Delights & Shadows, published this year.
355,000 child seats recalled over harnessesWASHINGTON - Britax Child Safety Inc. is recalling 355,516 child seats because a harness can loosen and endanger the child, the government said.
Britax is recalling all Marathon, Husky, Wizard and Snug Seat Traveler Plus seats. The seats were made between August 2002 and this July and have the model numbers E9L06, E9L30, E9L07 and E9L32, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said.
Britax said no injuries have been reported because of the defect. Britax will provide consumers with a free kit that will replace the adjuster strap. Registered owners should receive the kit by Sept. 30. Consumers who did not register should call toll-free 1-800-683-2045.
In the Peterson case . . .REDWOOD CITY, Calif. - Only days after his wife disappeared, Scott Peterson called his mistress pretending he was in Paris and promising to spend the rest of his life with her, according to secretly recorded phone conversations played in court Wednesday.
Jurors heard the tapes on the second day of testimony by massage therapist Amber Frey, the prosecution's star witness in Peterson's murder trial. Prosecutors are trying to portray Peterson as a womanizer who wined and dined Frey as he hatched a plot to kill his pregnant wife, Laci.