THE NUMBER
47.4 million
Americans who lived in poverty last year, in an approximate count under a revised formula by the National Academy of Sciences.
That’s 7 million more than the government’s official figure produced by the Census Bureau. The disparity occurs because of differing formulas the Census Bureau and the NAS use. The census formula, created in 1955, does not factor in rising medical care, trans- portation, child care or geographical variations in living costs. Nor does it consider non-cash government aid.
As a result, official census figures released last month may have overlooked millions of poor people, many of them 65 and older.
NATION
Sperm donor passed on serious heart defect
A sperm donor passed on a potentially deadly genetic heart condition, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, to nine of his 24 children, including one who died at age 2 from heart failure, according to a report in Wednesday’s Journal of the American Medical Association.
Two children, both now teenagers, have developed symptoms and are at risk for sudden cardiac death, the report says. It’s the second documented instance of a genetic condition being inherited through sperm donation. The other case involved a rare blood disease.
The San Francisco sperm bank involved now gives all donors electrocardiogram tests to weed out men with genetic heart problems.
Man ruled unfit in killing
EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. — A man accused of gunning down a pastor during a Sunday sermon as the church’s congregation watched in horror is mentally unfit to stand trial, a judge ruled Tuesday.
The decision by Madison County Circuit Judge Richard Tognarelli came just days after psychologist Robert Heilbronner reported that his court-ordered examination of Terry Sedlacek found the suspect to be schizophrenic and unlikely to be able to assist in his defense.
The March 8 shooting at First Baptist Church in Maryville killed the Rev. Fred Winters and injured two churchgoers.
WORLD
Gates says U.S. expects Japan to keep base deal
TOKYO — U.S. leaders expect Japan’s new government to stick with existing agreements between the two nations, America’s top defense official said Tuesday amid debate over whether to shutter a U.S. military airfield on Okinawa. Japanese officials, however, signaled that they expect flexibility from the U.S.
Pentagon chief Robert Gates did not specifically mention the controversy over the Futenma base, a major U.S. Marines hub, during brief public remarks with Japanese Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada.
Okada told Gates the administration of newly elected Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama would seek a “deeper and sustainable” relationship with the U.S. “Of course, we have a lot of challenges,” Okada added.
Some members of Hatoyama’s government want all U.S. troops moved out of Japan.
Envoy: Iran accord close
VIENNA — American and Iranian negotiators met directly Tuesday to try to kick-start stalled talks meant to persuade Tehran to send most of its enriched uranium abroad — and thus delay its potential to make a nuclear weapon. The head of the U.N. nuclear agency said progress was slow but he expected a breakthrough.
A diplomat at the closed-door talks said that a deal was “close” but not yet sealed. Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner of France — one of the nations negotiating with Iran — warned that it and its partners “won’t back down” on insisting that Tehran export most of its enriched material.
Tuesday was the second day of talks in the Austrian capital between Iran and the United States, Russia and France over Iran’s nuclear program.
AIDS vaccine trial dims
A secondary analysis of data from the Thai AIDS vaccine trial — announced last month to much acclaim — suggests that the vaccine might provide some protection against the virusbut that the results are not statistically significant. In short, they could have resulted merely from chance. Initial results from the trial involving more than 16,000 people had shown that the vaccine reduced infections by about 31 percent and that the results, though limited, were statistically significant. But the new analysis showed that it seemed to reduce infections by only 26 percent.
–Tribune news services
Balloon hoax probe widens
Police look for accomplices; FAA opens investigation
FORT COLLINS, Colo.– An investigation into possible criminal charges for a Colorado couple who told authorities their son floated off in a balloon shaped like a flying saucer has spread to those who worked with them.
Robert Thomas told sheriff’s investigators about what he observed between amateur storm chasers Richard and Mayumi Heene when he helped record the husband’s ideas earlier this year, said Thomas’ attorney, Linda Lee. Thomas earlier sold his story to the Web site Gawker.com.
“Heene believes the world is going to end in 2012,” she said. “Because of that, he wanted to make money quickly, become rich enough to build a bunker or something underground, where he can be safe from the sun exploding.”
Thomas told NBC’s “Today” show Tuesday that he had nothing to do with the hoax and did not know about the balloon being launched until he saw it on television. Asked whether he should be profiting by selling his story, Thomas said he was told that people sell their stories to the media and that he was paid “way less than most people think.”
Larimer County investigators have been poring over e-mails, phone records and financial documents from the Heene home as they ponder charges against the Heenes.
The Federal Aviation Administration has opened its own investigation into the balloon flight, spokesman Mike Fergus said Tuesday.
The sheriff’s office said its findings will be forwarded to prosecutors next week to decide whether the Heenes should be charged with falsely reporting that their 6-year-old son, Falcon, had drifted away in a large, homebuilt helium balloon to drum up publicity for a reality TV show.
The investigation could reach beyond the Heenes. Sheriff Jim Alderden said documents show that a media outlet had agreed to pay the Heenes. However, it was unclear if the outlet was a conspirator. Alderden did not name the organization.
Demand for better housing turns violent
ALGIERS, Algeria — An injured officer is carried from the scene of a violent clash between police and residents protesting their housing conditions Tuesday. Demonstrators threw stones during the second day of unrest, and three police officers were injured, authorities said.
