McCaul: Overseas trip could hold key in search for attack motive

The chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee is pressing for more information about what happened to bombing suspect Tamerlan Tsarnaev during the six months after he reportedly boarded a Moscow-bound plane last year.

During televised interviews, Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas) said the trip could be an indication that Tsarnaev, 26, was trained and radicalized by Chechen rebels, who work “hand in glove” with al Qaeda in Pakistan.

“I'm very concerned he was out of the sights of the FBI, he went over to Chechnya and got trained and recruited and he came back and was successful in pulling off the largest terrorist operation since 9/11,” McCaul said on CNN Friday evening.

Tsarnaev, the elder of two brothers suspected in this week’s deadly Boston Marathon bombing, was killed following a firefight with police in the city’s Watertown section.

Watertown Police Chief Edward Deveau said on CNN Saturday that he was believed to be still alive when his younger brother, 19-year-old Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, drove over him in a stolen SUV while fleeing the scene. The younger Tsarnaev, captured late Friday after a tense standoff, had been shot and was in serious condition at an area hospital.

Authorities are keenly interested in questioning him about what precipitated the bombing and subsequent crime spree, which also claimed the life of a Massachusetts Institute of Technology campus security officer.

Yet McCaul, who had been briefed on the investigation, said late Friday night that the older brother was likely the key. He noted that Tamerlan Tsarnaev, who once said he dreamed of boxing for the United States in the Olympics, posted “radical jihadist” videos on YouTube upon his return to the United States.

He also said the devices used in the marathon bombing were similar to those used by al Qaeda, as were the explosive-laden “suicide vests” in the brothers’ possession.

“So, clearly, the question is how and when he got radicalized because he did. Where and when did that happen?” McCaul asked during an interview on Fox News. “I think it's very likely that it happened in the six-month period when he's over in a very dangerous part of the world.”

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Letter from the President -- Regarding Overseas Contingency Operations/Global War on Terrorism

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For Immediate Release March 26, 2013 Letter from the President -- Regarding Overseas Contingency Operations/Global War on Terrorism

Dear Mr. Speaker: (Dear Mr. President:)

In accordance with section 5 of the Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act, 2013, I hereby designate for Overseas Contingency Operations/Global War on Terrorism all funding (including the rescission of funds) so designated by the Congress in the Act pursuant to section 251(b)(2)(A) of the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985, as amended, as outlined in the enclosed list of accounts.

The details of this action are set forth in the enclosed memorandum from the Acting Director of the Office of Management and Budget.

Sincerely,

BARACK OBAMA

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During a ceremony in the Oval Office, President Obama praised the veteran agent for her dedication, professionalism and commitment to her work.

March 27, 2013 12:11 PM EDTWhite House Hangout: The Maker Movement

On Thursday, March 28th at 3:00 pm ET, White House innovation advisor Tom Kalil will join a Google+ Hangout to discuss the Maker Movement with leading innovators and Makers from around the country.

March 26, 2013 5:15 PM EDTL.A. Kings and L.A. Galaxy Celebrate Championship Seasons at the White House

It was the second trip in two years for the Galaxy, while the Kings made their first visit after winning their first Stanley Cup in 2012.

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UPDATE 2-Merck begins overseas recall of HDL cholesterol drug

* Merck says recalling drug from wholesalers

* Says retail supplies likely available until mid-March

* Says will discourage doctors from prescribing drug

Jan 11 (Reuters) - Merck & Co said it is recalling Tredaptive, its medicine to raise "good" HDL cholesterol levels, in overseas markets where it is sold, after it failed to prevent heart problems in a large study and raised safety concerns.

The medicine is not approved in the United States but the U.S. drugmaker sells it in about 40 countries.

Merck said it would recall stocks of Tredaptive now held by wholesalers, but that pharmacies can continue to dispense their remaining supplies. Even so, the company said it plans to discourage doctors from prescribing the pill based on negative findings from the trial which were announced last month. The study followed more than 25,000 patients in Europe and China for almost four years.

The company said it will encourage doctors to consider alternative treatments to control cholesterol, but advised patients not to discontinue Tredaptive without first speaking with their physicians.

Merck spokeswoman Pam Eisele said the company expects available retail supplies of Tredaptive to be exhausted by mid-March.

Tredaptive combines an extended-release form of niacin with another drug meant to reduce facial flushing, a side effect of niacin. The medicine has annual sales of less than $20 million. That makes it a tiny product for Merck, which has global annual revenue of about $50 billion.

Merck in December said Tredaptive did no better in the study at preventing heart attacks, deaths or strokes than traditional statin drugs that lower "bad" LDL cholesterol.

Moreover, Merck said the medicine significantly raised the incidence of some types of nonfatal but serious side effects in the study. They included blood, lymph and gastrointestinal problems, as well as respiratory and skin issues.

Tredaptive was approved in the European Union in 2008, but the U.S. Food and Drug Administration was unwilling to approve the pill until Merck conducted the costly long-term study to better assess its safety and effectiveness.

Some analysts had expected Tredaptive to capture annual global sales of more than $1 billion, if it were to win approval in the United States.

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