Minneapolis

Canadian in Minnesota charged for terror ties

A federal indictment unsealed Wednesday charged a Minnesota man with conspiracy to provide material support to the Al-Qaida terrorist network. Authorities said the man acknowledged being at training camps in Afghanistan at the same time as Osama bin Laden.

Mohammed Abdullah Warsame, 30, a Canadian citizen of Somali descent, was charged in an indictment returned Tuesday by a grand jury.

The indictment alleges that from March 2000 until his arrest last month, Warsame conspired to provide material support and resources for bin Laden’s terror network.

A related affidavit said Warsame admitted to FBI agents he was at training camps in Afghanistan at the same time as bin Laden.

Ohio

Ohio Senate forwards same-sex marriage ban

Lawmakers gave final approval Wednesday to a measure banning gay marriage and prohibiting state employees from getting benefits for domestic partners.

The bill is considered among the most far-reaching in the nation because of the benefits ban, which applies to unmarried heterosexual and homosexual couples.

The Senate passed the legislation on an 18-15 vote Wednesday. The House has already approved the bill and Gov. Bob Taft has said he will sign it, pending a legal review.

The measure says same-sex marriages are “against the strong public policy of the state,” and aims to counter a 1934 U.S. Supreme Court ruling requiring states to recognize marriages from other states in most circumstances.

Washington, D.C.

Auditors find irregularities in USO spending

When Jennifer Lopez, Kid Rock and Ja Rule put on a concert for 1,500 troops at the height of the war in Afghanistan, it was seen as another success for the United Services Organization, which for 63 years has been entertaining soldiers overseas.

But now the spotlight is on a team of government auditors who uncovered hundreds of thousands of dollars in unexplained expenses the USO submitted for the show.

The General Accounting Office report released this month found more than $430,000 in unsupported USO tour expenses charged to the Pentagon.

The investigation, requested by Rep. Bill Young, R-Fla., found that taxpayers repeatedly paid for first-class plane tickets, liquor and limousine services for celebrities, in violation of Pentagon and federal regulations.