Americas Debt crisis"Federal Government Shut down"

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- If Congress fails to approve a spending bill by Friday, the federal government will shut down. And boy, things aren't looking good.

Lawmakers have been trying to reach a compromise that would set spending levels for the next six months. Those negotiations continued Tuesday at the White House, and it appears things did not go well.

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After the meeting, House Speaker John Boehner accused the White House of proposing cuts that amount to "smoke and mirrors."

And President Obama made a rare appearance at the White House press briefing, where he berated Republicans for including hot-button political initiatives in their proposal.

It appears the two sides are still billion of dollars away from striking a deal. With time running out, a shutdown is looking ever more likely.

If it comes to that, agencies won't be able to spend money, and parts of the federal government will close up shop.

Which services would stop? During the last major shutdowns in the final days of 1995 and early 1996, the government closed 368 National Park Service sites, along with national museums and monuments.

In addition, 200,000 passport applications went unprocessed and toxic waste cleanup work at 609 sites stopped. The National Institutes of Health stopped accepting new clinical research patients and services for veterans, including health care, were curtailed.

Work on bankruptcy cases could slow. In the last shutdown, more than 3,500 cases were delayed.

Which services would the government keep running? Agencies are allowed to perform any operations necessary for the safety of human life and protection of property.

The government would keep essential services -- such as air traffic control and the national security apparatus -- in full operating mode.

Federal workers who provide medical care on the job would be kept on, as would employees who handle hazardous waste, inspect food, patrol the borders, protect federal property, guard inmates or work in power distribution.

Workers who protect essential elements of the money and banking system would also report to work.

The Postal Service, which is self-funded, will continue to operate.

How many federal workers would be furloughed? The government went dark twice during the Clinton administration: Some 800,000 workers were sent home during the first shutdown and 284,000 were sent home during the later shutdown.

Workers in shutdown limbo

It is unclear how many workers would be furloughed in a new shutdown. Each federal agency has its own plan to wind down operations, and administration officials have not released details.

Will Social Security benefits be mailed? During the last major shutdown, the Social Security Administration mailed checks throughout the crisis, and a close reading of established law makes clear the agency has the legal authority to do so again.

During the Clinton-era shutdown, new Social Security claims weren't being processed because the agency furloughed 61,415 employees. As the shutdown wore on, the agency adjusted its plan and recalled workers to start processing new claims.

Will troops overseas get the resources they need? Yes. While some Pentagon activities would stop, it would continue many other operations necessary for the safety of human life and protection of property.

However, the Department of Defense says that if the government shuts down for an extended period, troops might not be paid on time.

How long will a shutdown last? Hard to say. Between 1977 and 1980, there were six shutdowns ranging from eight to 17 days.

Nine shutdowns occurred between 1980 and 1995, and none lasted longer than three full days.

The Clinton-era shutdowns lasted five days and 21 days. Since that episode the federal government has suffered no similar shutdown.

9/11 suspects face military trials

 Attorney General Eric Holder announced Monday that Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and four other 9/11 terror suspects will face a military trial at the Guantanamo Bay detention facility in Cuba.

The decision is a sharp reversal for the Obama administration, which wanted the terror suspects to have federal civilian trials.

Besides Mohammed, the other suspects to face charges of participating in the 9/11 plot are Walid bin Attash, Ramzi bin al-Shibh, Ali Abdul Aziz Ali and Mustafa Ahmed al-Hawsawi. All five are at Guantanamo.

In announcing his decision, Holder blasted Congress for imposing restrictions on the Justice Department's ability to bring the men to New York for civilian trials -- a course of action he promised in 2009.

"After thoroughly studying the case, it became clear to me that the best venue for prosecution was in federal court. I stand by that decision today," Holder said.

"As the president has said, those unwise and unwarranted restrictions (imposed by Congress) undermine our counterterrorism efforts and could harm our national security. Decisions about who, where and how to prosecute have always been -- and must remain -- the responsibility of the executive branch."

Holder insisted, "We were prepared to bring a powerful case against Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and his four co-conspirators -- one of the most well-researched and documented cases I have ever seen in my decades of experience as a prosecutor."

He added, "Had this case proceeded in Manhattan or in an alternative venue in the United States, as I seriously explored in the past year, I am confident that our justice system would have performed with the same distinction that has been its hallmark for over 200 years."

Military trials ahead for 9/11 suspects

2009: Obama details Gitmo detainee plans

Holder had promised to seek the death penalty for each of the five men. He warned Monday that it is an "open question" if such a penalty can be imposed by a military commission if the defendants plead guilty.

He expressed confidence in the military, however, to conduct "fair trials" and deliver "just verdicts."

President Barack Obama's primary concern is that the accused perpetrators "be brought to justice as swiftly as possible," White House press secretary Jay Carney told reporters.

Holder's plan to hold a nonmilitary trial had been sharply criticized by both Republican leaders and key members of the New York congressional delegation. Among other things, critics cited cost and security concerns tied to a trial in Manhattan. They also argued that the suspects -- who are not American citizens -- should not receive the rights and protections provided to defendants in civilian courts.

Rep. Lamar Smith, R-Texas, chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, said in a written statement that it is "unfortunate that it took the Obama administration more than two years to figure out what the majority of Americans already know: that 9/11 conspirator Khalid Sheikh Mohammed is not a common criminal, he's a war criminal."

Rep. Peter King, R-New York, head of the House Homeland Security Committee, called the decision a "long-awaited step in the right direction."

"These terror trials belong in a military commission at Guantanamo," he said. The decision is a "vindication of President (George W.) Bush's detention policies."

New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg said it's "more appropriate" for the trials to be held in a "secure area."

"What I've read about military tribunals is they're not an automatic kind of thing," he said. "They are a different form of a legal system, but something that this country can implement and not be ashamed of."

Holder said he respects the different views expressed in Congress and elsewhere, but insisted he is in a better position to make the final decision.

"I know this case in a way that members of Congress do not," he said. "Do I know better than them? Yes."

A number of Democrats and civil liberties activists have expressed dismay at the idea of holding military trials, warning that such a move represents a dangerous breakdown in the U.S. judicial system.

Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vermont, the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, said the decision was disappointing in light of the fact that the U.S. justice system is "the envy of the world."

"Federal courts have convicted hundreds of terrorists," he noted. "When Americans are murdered on American soil, we should not be afraid to bring those responsible for those heinous acts to justice in American courts."

Mason Clutter, an attorney with the progressive Constitution Project, said his organization is "extremely disappointed by the administration's decision to try what is arguably the most important criminal case the U.S. has ever seen in an untested and flawed system instead of in our legitimate criminal justice system."

"Our civilian justice system has a proven capacity to handle complex terrorism cases," Clutter said. "Today's decision will only continue to delay justice for the victims of 9/11 and their families."

Hina Shamsi, director of the American Civil Liberties Union's National Security Project, called the decision "a devastating blow to the rule of law."

"Cases prosecuted by (military commissions) now are sure to be subject to continuous legal challenges and delays, and their outcomes will not be seen as legitimate. Americans deserve better than this, and the world expects more of us."

A senior defense official told CNN, "We weren't out advocating for this decision. But we do have a court system (at Guantanamo Bay) that is both prepared to handle, and is already handling, people accused of crimes relating to terrorism."

The official said a lack of funding from Congress on more permanent detainment options for terrorist suspects within the continental United States "left the Justice Department short on options."

Obama promised to shut down the Guantanamo Bay detention facility within a year of taking office -- a promise he was unable to keep in the face of congressional resistance.

Holder promised Monday that the administration will continue working to shut down the facility and lift the restrictions on civilian trials imposed by Congress.

Ouattara forces hope to capture embattled Ivory Coast leader

April 5, 2011 -- Updated 0054 GMT (0854 HKT)

U.N. helicopters fire on a camp controlled by Laurent Gbagbo in Ivory Coast on Monday.

 Forces loyal to President Alassane Ouattara have surrounded the residence of rival Laurent Gbagbo, a spokesman for Ouattara told CNN Monday night.Editor's Note: Background context and explainer on what's causing the conflict in Ivory Coast

Patrick Achi said he is about 80% sure that Gbagbo is still inside the presidential palace and will be captured by Tuesday.

"We do not see why he shall not surrender," Achi said, adding the new government may seek to have Gbagbo tried by the International Court of Justice.

CNN could not independently confirm Achi's claims, which include a report that Gbagbo's TV station was destroyed.

The United Nations said it did not know what might be happening at the palace.

U.N. helicopters fired on a camp controlled by Gbagbo on Monday to prevent the use of heavy weapons against civilians and U.N. peacekeepers, a U.N. spokesman said.

"The security situation has deteriorated dramatically" with an escalation of fighting between forces loyal to Ouattara and those loyal to Gbagbo, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said Monday  

Map: Ivory Coast

Heavy weapons are close to the presidential palace and may be neutralized by Tuesday, Le Roy said.U.N. Peacekeeping Director Alain Le Roy told reporters the body is not taking sides in the conflict, but had to act after three days of fire from Gbagbo forces that left four U.N. peacekeepers seriously injured.

Gbagbo refuses to transfer power to Ouattara, who has been internationally recognized as the country's president after elections there.

The fighting has taken a "heavy toll" on civilians, the secretary-general said in a written statement.

"In the past few days, forces loyal to Mr. Gbagbo have intensified and escalated their use of heavy weapons such as mortars, rocket-propelled grenades and heavy machine guns against the civilian population in Abidjan," he said.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy sent a letter to the secretary-general Monday confirming his decision to have French troops join the military operations conducted by UNOCI, the U.N.'s Ivory Coast mission.

"I, like you, believe that protecting civilians threatened in Cote d'Ivoire is an urgent necessity, together with the political efforts of the entire international community to resolve the current crisis in a manner that respects the sovereign choice of the Ivorian people," Sarkozy wrote.

"These forces have also targeted the headquarters of the United Nations Operation in Cote d'Ivoire (UNOCI) at Sebroko Hotel with heavy-caliber sniper fire as well as mortars and rocket-propelled grenades," the secretary-general said. "Four peacekeepers have been wounded in these attacks."

Several other peacekeepers were wounded in attacks on UNOCI patrols sent to protect civilians and convoys transporting wounded in Abidjan, the main city, he said.

Meanwhile, France urged its citizens in Abidjan to come to the embassy or a hotel for their safety, as a battle for the city loomed.

"Our ambassador in Abidjan issued a message to the French community informing them of this decision and giving them instructions to follow," Foreign Ministry spokesman Bernard Valero said Monday.

The relocation of Abidjan's 12,000 French nationals is voluntary, he said.

France sent an additional 350 peacekeepers to the country over the weekend and took control of the airport in Abidjan, the French Ministry of Defense said Sunday. The new French troops joined the existing United Nations peacekeeping mission of about 7,500 troops already in the country.

Foreign journalists reported being targeted and scrutinized. A group of journalists from the French TV channel France 2 were fired on by Gbagbo's forces when they tried to leave the Novotel hotel in Abidjan, according to the channel and two journalists who did not want their names used to protect their security.

Since then, Gbagbo forces have been patrolling the hotel premises, preventing foreign journalists staying there from leaving, the sources said.

A journalist in the city said Sunday that many people were afraid to leave their homes but were being forced to venture out to get water.

Seyi Rhodes, who is staying at a hotel in Abidjan, said people were risking being shot in order to get to a water pump near the hotel. He saw French journalists come under fire as they drove through the city, he said.

Much of the city has no electricity, he added, calling it "a really crude tactic to get people out on the streets."

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton demanded Sunday that Gbagbo step aside immediately.

"Gbagbo is pushing Cote d'Ivoire into lawlessness," she said, using the French name for the country. "He must leave now so the conflict may end."

She also called "on the forces of President Ouattara to respect the rules of war and stop attacks on civilians."

The International Committee of the Red Cross said Friday that 800 people had been shot to death in the western cocoa-producing town of Duekoue. A United Nations official put the death toll so far at 330 on Friday, and the investigation continues Tuesday.

The massacre occurred last week between Monday and Wednesday as Ouattara's Republican Forces led an offensive through the country to Abidjan, said Guillaume Ngefa, the deputy human rights director at the U.N. mission in Ivory Coast.

He blamed 220 deaths on forces loyal to Ouattara. Ngefa said pro-Gbagbo forces killed 100 people.

Other groups have different estimates on the number of deaths.

The Ouattara camp said it "firmly rejects such accusations and denies any involvement by the Republican Forces of Cote d'Ivoire in possible abuses."

But its ambassador to the United Nations said Monday evening he welcomes an international investigation because Ouattara believes in the rule of law.

"If some troops of ours have committed a crime, they will be responding before the court of law," said Ambassador Youssoufou Bamba.

Ouattara denied to the U.N. secretary-general that his forces were responsible, but said he had launched an investigation.

Ngefa said so far, 320 bodies have been identified, and the actual number could be much higher. He said the dead included civilians as well as mercenaries.