Nation/World Briefly: Bin Laden won’t be taken alive, Holder says

WASHINGTON — Attorney General Eric Holder told Congress on Tuesday that Osama bin Laden will never face trial in the United States because he will not be captured alive.

Holder was testifying before a House Appropriations subcommitte about putting terror suspects on trial in federal civilian courts, as Holder has proposed.

The attorney general compared terrorists to mass murderer Charles Manson and predicted that events would ensure “we will be reading Miranda rights to the corpse of Osama bin Laden” not to the al-Qaida leader as a captive.

Pressed further on that point, Holder said: “The possibility of catching him alive is infinitesimal. He will be killed by us or he will be killed by his own people so he can’t be captured by us.”

Nevada: Navy pilots OK after training-mission collision

The U.S. Navy said two fighter jets on a training mission collided over the northern Nevada desert, but both pilots survived. The crash east of Fallon Naval Air Station happened around 10 p.m. Monday. Both jets are assigned to Strike Fighter Squadron 137 based at Naval Air Station Lemoore, Calif. The cause of the crash is under investigation.

Arizona: Autopsy reports released in sweat lodge deaths

Autopsy reports released Tuesday point to heat stroke as the cause of death for two people following a sweat lodge ceremony in Sedona last year, and to multisystem organ failure for a third person. The October ceremony was led by motivational speaker James Arthur Ray. Ray has pleaded not guilty to three counts of manslaughter in their deaths.

Connecticut: Thieves steal $75 million in pills

Thieves scaled the walls of a cavernous Eli Lilly warehouse in Enfield on Sunday, cut a hole in the roof, slid down ropes and loaded dozens of pallets holding $75 million worth of prescription drugs on at least one truck, authorities said Tuesday. An Eli Lilly spokesman said drugs including the antidepressants Prozac and Cymbalta and the anti-psychotic Zyprexa are stored at the facility, but he said he could not say which drugs were taken. Officials reported that no painkillers or other narcotics were stored at the warehouse.

Arkansas: Woman who drowned kids sentenced to 2 years

A woman who drove into a lake after a late-night party, killing her three young sons, pleaded guilty Tuesday to three counts of child endangerment after tearfully telling the Morrilton court she had been drinking alcohol that night in April 2009. Amber Turley, 27, was sentenced to three two-year prison terms, to run concurrently. Prosecutor Tom Tatum said after the hearing that Turley had been drinking the night of the accident — her blood alcohol level was below the legal limit — became disoriented and made a wrong turn. He said she was also under the influence of marijuana and was driving in a thunderstorm.

Texas: Bus crash kills 2

A crowded bus carrying young families and spring breakers toward Mexico went swerved off Interstate 37 and flipped onto its side Tuesday, killing two people. Two passengers are in critical condition at hospitals; 13 others are listed in stable condition. The Americanos USA bus was about 45 miles from San Antonio when the bus driver heard a loud noise before the bus veered from the right lane. The bus spun toward the grassy median and landed on its right side, an emergency management coordinator said.

Iraq: Challenger overtakes prime minister in vote count

A secular coalition challenging Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki in parliamentary elections has narrowly pulled ahead for the first time in the overall vote count, although it still trails in the crucial province-by-province count. The Iraqiya coalition, led by former Prime Minister Ayad Allawi, took a 9,000 vote lead nationwide. But with about 20 percent of the votes still to be counted from the March 7 election, it was unclear whether that margin would give Allawi more seats in parliament, which will determine who will lead the government. Parliament seats are apportioned mainly by how well coalitions do in the provinces, not according to overall vote total.

From Herald news services