US & World News, Tuesday 3/25

US & World Summary Indictments Announced In Huge Foreclosure Scam (Sacramento, CA) -- Nearly 20 people are under indictment in whats being called the largest mortgage rescue scam in the nation. The suspects are charged with bilking millions of dollars from homeowners who were facing foreclosure. FBI agent Drew Parenti says the suspects told homeowners they could repair their credit and keep their homes through a process that involved selling the homes and renting them back. The homeowner lost their homes and their credit was never repaired. The lead defendant in the scam is 33-year-old Charles Head of Los Angeles, whose companies include Head Financial Services. --- News Video Contradicts Clinton On Bosnia Visit (Washington, DC) -- Hillary Clinton is trying to explain an apparent contradiction after the Democratic presidential hopefuls dramatic description of her 1996 visit to Bosnia was contradicted by video footage. During a recent campaign event, Clinton said she remembered landing in the war-torn country under sniper fire, but CBS News video shows her casually walking from her plane and greeting a girl. Campaign spokeswoman Lissa Muscatine told CBS Clinton meant there was fire on the hillside around the area and not directly where she was. --- Southern Illinois Cleans Up From Flooding Parts of Illinois are cleaning up from flood damage. Governor Rod Blagojevich 1/81/8 bla-GOYA-vich 3/83/8 has declared almost 20 counties as disaster areas, as most of the water from last weeks floods sinks back into rivers and streams. Some parking lots and streets in southern Illinois are still under water and may not dry out until the end of the week from the worst flooding in nearly 15 years. The same storms that dumped as much as a foot of rain in southern Illinois also brought flooding to Missouri, Indiana, and Ohio. --- Suspect To Be Arraigned In L.A. HS Athlete Killing (Los Angeles, CA) -- A teenager accused in the shooting death of a Los Angeles High School football star is scheduled to appear in court today. Prosecutors say 19-year-old Pedro Espinoza, an illegal immigrant, could face the death penalty if convicted of killing Jamiel Shaw. Espinoza will be arraigned today in the killing. Shaw was gunned down as he walked home from a local mall in West Los Angeles on March 2nd. Espinoza had been out of jail just one day on an unrelated charge when the fatal shooting took place. --- Russian-Born TB Patient Indicted In Arizona (Phoenix, AZ) -- A tuberculosis patient at the center of a quarantine controversy now has legal trouble. Russian-born Robert Daniels came to Arizona in 2006 looking for work but needed treatment for a drug-resistant form of TB shortly after his arrival. He was involuntarily quarantined for a year and has now been indicted on charges that he exposed the public to a disease. Daniels fled to Moscow after spending a year confined in a locked room at a Phoenix area medical center. The "Arizona Republic" says its not clear whether Daniels is subject to extradition agreements between Russia and the U.S. --- Britney Spears Makes Guest Appearance On CBS Show Britney Spears fans got a chance to see the pop singer in a different role last night when she made a special guest appearance on the CBS comedy "How I Met Your Mother." After the show aired, half a dozen outfits worn on the show by Britney were put on the auction block. CBS and 20th Century Fox are sponsoring the online auction to benefit an environmental organization. --- Study Says Spirituality A Big Part Of Kids Happiness Some kids may be more tuned in spiritually than adults. A new study from the University of British Columbia says spirituality is a major factor in a childs overall happiness. Past findings have shown that spiritual feelings and religious behavior account for about five-percent of an adults overall happiness, but the new study shows that percentage is between six-point-five and 16-point-five-percent for children ages nine to 12. Researchers said they expected the figure to be much lower. (Copyright 2008 by Newsroom Solutions) RNS-03-25-08 0839CDT