AP News in Brief

Obama will commit to US greenhouse emission cuts, personally making US case in Copenhagen

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama will commit the United States to substantial cuts in greenhouse gas pollution over the next decade — despite resistance in Congress over higher costs — when he travels to a major climate conference in Copenhagen next month.

Obama will attend the start of the conference Dec. 9 before heading to Oslo to accept the Nobel Peace Prize. He will "put on the table" a U.S. commitment to cut emissions by 17 percent over the next decade, on the way to reducing heat-trapping pollution by 80 percent by mid-century, the White House said.

Cutting U.S. carbon dioxide emissions by one-sixth in just a decade would increase the cost of energy as electric utilities pay for capturing carbon dioxide at coal-burning power plants or switch to more expensive alternatives. The price of gasoline probably would increase, and more fuel-efficient automobiles — or hybrids that run on gasoline and electricity — probably would be more expensive.

Obama's promise of greenhouse emissions cuts will require Congress to pass complex climate legislation that the administration says will include an array of measures to ease the price impact. The bills before Congress, for example, would have the government provide polluters free emissions allowances in the early years of the transition from fossil fuels, as well as direct payments to many consumers facing high costs.

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On Thanksgiving Day, Obama and GOP offer different recipes for jobs and a better economy

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama and a top House Republican acknowledged in holiday messages Thursday the economic struggles facing Americans this Thanksgiving but offered starkly different recipes for relief.

Obama and Rep. Mike Pence, R-Ind., singled out U.S. service members at home and abroad for special thanks before saying what they think should be done to fix the economy.

Obama said his administration has acted by cutting taxes for nearly all working men and women and for small businesses and by extending unemployment benefits and health coverage for millions out of work. He trumpeted other administration initiatives, including the health care overhaul, before saying more needs to be done, particularly for those without jobs.

Obama said he will meet next week with business owners, labor leaders and nonprofit officials to talk about additional efforts to spur job creation.

Pence, the chairman of the House Republican Conference, said in the GOP's weekly address that Obama had promised that the $787 billion economic stimulus package would keep unemployment, now at 10.2 percent, below 8 percent. Yet, Pence said, the administration insists the stimulus plan is working.

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Man stuck upside-down in Utah cave for more than a day dies, despite efforts of rescuers

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — A man stuck upside-down stuck in a cave for more than a day died early Thursday, despite the efforts of dozens of rescuers, authorities said.

John Jones, 26, of Stansbury Park died about 12:30 a.m., nearly 28 hours after became stuck 700 feet into the cave known as Nutty Putty, 80 miles from Salt Lake City, Utah County Sheriff's Department spokesman Sgt. Spencer Cannon said.

Rescuers were next to Jones for much of the day but he was wedged in a small hole too tightly to pull him out or even reach through to assist him, Cannon told The Associated Press.

"Over the past several hours he was experiencing difficulty maintaining consciousness and breathing. With whatever other factors there were, he did not survive," Cannon said.

Jones got stuck in a hole about 18 inches wide and 10 inches high with his head below his feet about 9 p.m. MST Tuesday. At times up to 50 rescuers were involved in trying to free him.

The crevice where Jones was trapped was about 150 feet below ground in an L-shaped area of the cave known as "Bob's Push," which is only about 18 inches wide and 10 inches high, Cannon said.

The rescue effort at the cave, about 80 miles south of Salt Lake City, was slow throughout the day Wednesday with crews chipping away with air-powered tools in the narrow tunnel.

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Not on the guest list: Couple crashes state dinner at White House in spite of heavy security

WASHINGTON (AP) — Michaele and Tareq Salahi didn't look out of place at Tuesday's White House state dinner. They were all smiles as they rubbed shoulders with Vice President Joe Biden, White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel, Washington Mayor Adrian Fenty and CBS News anchor Katie Couric.

No one suspected the Salahis were a couple of brazen party crashers — and wannabe reality TV stars.

The Secret Service is looking into its security procedures after determining that the Virginia couple managed to slip into Tuesday night's event even though they were not on the guest list, agency spokesman Ed Donovan said.

President Barack Obama was never in any danger because the Salahis went through the same security screening for weapons as the 300-plus people actually invited to the dinner honoring Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Donovan said.

Donovan confirmed the identities of the couple. The Washington Post, which first reported on their evening out, said the Salahis were well-known in the Virginia horse-country set and were being considered for the Bravo reality TV show "Real Housewives of D.C."

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Prime suspect from powerful clan surrenders in probe of Philippine election massacre

AMPATUAN, Philippines (AP) — A scion of a powerful pro-government clan suspected in the massacre of 57 people in an election caravan in the southern Philippines turned himself in Thursday amid mounting pressure on the president to crack down on lawlessness and warlords.

The dead from Monday's massacre included at least 18 journalists and the wife, family and dozens of supporters of a gubernatorial candidate who wanted to challenge the rival Ampatuan clan, which has ruled Maguindanao province unopposed for years.

Andal Ampatuan Jr., a town mayor who allegedly stopped the convoy with dozens of police and pro-government militiamen, surrendered to presidential adviser Jesus Dureza in the provincial capital, military commander Lt. Gen. Raymundo Ferrer said.

Asked by reporters if he was involved in the killings, Ampatuan, who tried to hide his face with a scarf, replied: "There is no truth to that. The reason I came out is to prove that I am not hiding and that I am not guilty."

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Ireland awaits mammoth report on decades of child abuse by Dublin priests, Catholic cover-ups

DUBLIN (AP) — The Roman Catholic Church in Ireland faced another day of recriminations Thursday as the government prepared to publish an investigation into why child abuse by Dublin priests went unchecked for decades.

The investigation focuses on cover-ups in the Dublin Archdiocese, and is one of several government inquiries ordered after the chronic child rape, beatings and other cruelty was revealed in Catholic-run schools, children's workhouses and orphanages. The first major priest-pedophilia court case in 1994 triggered the collapse of the government of the day. More than 15,000 abuse victims have since come forward to pursue claims.

Thursday's report looks into the circumstances under which 46 Dublin priests were able to molest or rape children in 1975-2004. It names only abusers who have died or been convicted, giving aliases for the majority yet to face justice — including two priests soon facing trial.

The report will "shock us all," said Dublin Archbishop Diarmuid Martin, who has said the church identified more than 150 suspected child-abusers in Dublin since 1940.

Martin, a veteran Vatican diplomat, handed over more than 60,000 confidential church files on abuse as part of the three-year investigation, after his predecessor Cardinal Demond Connell dropped a lawsuit last year to keep more than 5,500 files locked in the archbishop's private vault.

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A year after terror attacks, Mumbai remembers dead, calls for further police reforms

MUMBAI, India (AP) — Black-clad commandos rappelled down a building and Mumbai's police showed off their new gear Thursday in what was intended as a reassuring display of force a year after a terror attack across the city killed 166 people.

Activists fear the security upgrades are not enough to prevent a repeat of the attack that laid siege to luxury hotels, turned a train station into a scene of carnage and paralyzed India's commercial heart for 60 hours.

The anniversary of the attack was commemorated across Mumbai with candlelight vigils, prayer meetings, art projects, discussion groups, a blood drive, political speeches, music concerts and soul-searching newspaper articles.

Ten Pakistan-based gunmen arrived by boat Nov. 26, 2008 and hit targets across the city as India's police and military struggled for nearly three days to regain control. Seven men were charged in Pakistan on Wednesday with links to the assault.

On Thursday, about 100 beds were set up at the Chhatrapati Shivaji train terminal, where 58 died and 104 were injured, for a blood donation drive organized by railway authorities and private groups.

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Swiss say Roman Polanski to be quietly moved from Zurich jail to house arrest in Alpine chalet

GENEVA (AP) — Roman Polanski will be quietly transferred from a Zurich jail to house arrest in his Alpine chalet, Swiss authorities said Thursday, adding that the process will last at least another day.

Polanski was being held in a Swiss jail a day after a court granted him release on $4.5 million bail, the Swiss Justice Ministry said. The 76-year-old director, who must wear an electronic monitoring bracelet, will not be released Thursday, ministry spokesman Folco Galli said.

The transfer would be handled discreetly, Galli told The Associated Press.

The Swiss justice minister said she saw no reason to challenge the surprise decision, but Galli said a final decision has yet to be made on waiving an appeal. Authorities will also decide "in a couple of weeks" whether to extradite Polanski for fleeing sentencing in Los Angeles over three decades years ago, he said.

The bail decision was a major win for the director of "Rosemary's Baby," ''Chinatown" and "The Pianist" after a series of legal setbacks following his Sept. 26 arrest as he arrived in Zurich to receive a lifetime achievement award at a film festival.

Polanski was accused of raping the 13-year-old girl after plying her with champagne and a Quaalude pill during a modeling shoot in 1977. He was initially indicted on six felony counts, including rape by use of drugs, child molesting and sodomy, but he pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of unlawful sexual intercourse.

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Holiday travel under way, but millions are staying home this year amid tight economic times

CHICAGO (AP) — There's still family, turkey and football, but one Thanksgiving tradition is taking a hit this year. Millions of Americans are spending the holiday at home, saying the poor economy has made it unaffordable to hit the road or board a plane.

Nearly 38 million people are expected to take trips this year, slightly more than last year but 20 million fewer than in 2005 when the economy was better, according to AAA auto club. Air travel is expected to drop 6.7 percent this holiday compared with last year, AAA said.

Among those who are traveling, many are opting for cheaper alternatives to flying amid a sour economy that is still hitting household budgets hard.

Most people have calculated that travel by car often makes the most financial sense, said Alan Pisarski, a leading transportation analyst. About 33 million people are expected to travel by car this Thanksgiving, according to AAA.

Train ridership was predicted to get a holiday boost, with Amtrak expecting Wednesday to be its busiest travel day of the year. Amtrak said its Thanksgiving eve ridership could reach 125,000 passengers, up from approximately 74,000 on a typical Wednesday.

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Trail Blazers extend New Jersey's losing streak to 15 games with 93-83 victory

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Rafer Alston lamented that it's gotten so bad for the New Jersey Nets after 15 straight losses that there's nothing more to say for inspiration.

"You bust out a speech at 0-5. You use different quotes from different champions and leaders at 0-10," he said. "But at this point it's all inside of you as individuals. You've got to find something inside of you to leave on the floor."

The Nets moved a loss closer to the record for the NBA's worst start to a season on Wednesday night when they dropped yet another game, 93-83 to the Portland Trail Blazers.

The NBA record is 17 straight losses to start a season, set by the 1988-89 expansion Miami Heat and matched by the Los Angeles Clippers in the lockout-shortened 1999 season.

New Jersey equaled the second-longest skid in franchise history and is one away from the 16 straight losses in early 1978 that is its record. The Nets travel next to Sacramento for a game against the Kings on Friday before wrapping up their four-game road trip at the Lakers on Sunday.