Nation briefs 5/19/05

Report:Most diabetics not controlling blood sugar

WASHINGTON -- A dismal two-thirds of the nation's 18 million Type 2 diabetics don't have their blood sugar under control, putting them at high risk of the disease's nastiest complications, even death. Yet most are unaware they're doing so poorly, frustrated diabetes specialists said Wednesday. "The report, I think, is sobering," said Dr. Lawrence Blonde of the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists, which released the latest statistics at its annual meeting. Type 2 diabetes is the most common form of the illness, and experts estimate a third of the people who have it don't know. An additional 41 million have "pre-diabetes," an impaired sugar tolerance that can lead to the full-blown disease.

LA elects first Hispanic mayor in over a century

LOS ANGELES -- Antonio Villaraigosa on Wednesday vowed to be "a mayor for all Los Angeles" after his election as the city's first Hispanic mayor since 1872, a milestone in a city where Latinos now have political clout to match their burgeoning numbers. Villaraigosa walked up to the podium at his victory party amid chants of "Si, se puede," Spanish for "Yes, we can." He then promised to "bring this great city together." Villaraigosa, 52, defeated Mayor James Hahn by an unexpectedly wide margin Tuesday, 59 percent to 41 percent.

House passes bill to scale back terror alert system

WASHINGTON -- The Homeland Security Department would be forced to scale back its color-coded alert system for nationwide terror threats and tailor public warnings to specific, targeted locations under a House bill approved Wednesday. Changes in the threat system were part of a wide-ranging $34 billion bill, approved by a 424-4 vote, that would set Homeland Security priorities for next year. The color-coded system, introduced in March 2002, has been widely criticized for being too vague to help the public understand what kind of threat it faces. Under the House legislation, Homeland Security would have to give specific information about an attack's target and how to respond to the threat. It would also make the color system optional.

White House: U.S. image damaged by article

WASHINGTON -- The White House says the image of the United States suffered irreparable damage from a Newsweek article alleging that American interrogators of suspected terrorists at Guantanamo Bay desecrated the Muslim holy book. The administration used the now-retracted Newsweek incident to criticize other, unnamed news organizations. Newsweek at first apologized for its story and then retracted it under heavy pressure from the administration. The White House blamed the magazine's account for triggering deadly anti-American protests in Afghanistan last week in which police fired on demonstrators and killed about 15 people.

Man sought in Idaho slayings found, questioned

COEUR D'ALENE, Idaho -- A man sought for questioning in the bloody slayings of three people was found Wednesday as the search continued for two children missing from the home where the killings took place. Detectives were questioning Robert Roy Lutner Wednesday evening, Kootenai County Sheriff's Capt. Ben Wolfinger said. Wolfinger did not say where Lutner was found, and did not know whether the missing children, Shasta and Dylan Groene, were with him. Authorities have said Lutner was known to have been at the children's home on Sunday night, the night before the bodies of their brother, mother and a man were found.

Police: Robber shot after taking hostages to airport

OLATHE, Kan. -- A bank robber who took at least six people hostage and ordered them to strip down to their underwear was shot by police at an airport Wednesday during what may have been an attempt to make a getaway in a small plane, authorities said. The robber held up a bank in Olathe, about 25 miles from Kansas City, officials said.

--From wire reports