Gosnell Found Guilty of First Degree Murder in ‘House of Horrors’ Abortion, Murder Trial

Editor's Note: This story contains graphic descriptions.

The court case that has both horrified and gripped the nation is coming to a close. A verdict in the Dr. Kermit Gosnell trial has been reached: The abortion doctor is guilty in three of four first-degree murder counts (these were three of the more than 250 criminal charges against him). The penalty phase of the case is expected to begin on May 21, as Gosnell may receive the death penalty for his crimes.

Phila abortionist Kermit #Gosnell guilty 1st degree murder in 3 of 4 babies.

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The emotion surrounding the case has been intense, as abortion continues to be a monumentally-contentious issue in America, specifically terminations past the 20-week mark. Throughout the six-week trial, defense attorney Jack McMahon attempted to paint the abortion doctor as a victim of racism and elitism who is being targeted by the judicial system.

Conversely, the prosecution, led by Assistant District Attorney Edward Cameron, dubbed him a heartless killer who murdered babies outside the womb. For the most part, the jury agreed with the second descriptive.

The charges against Gosnell included 258 counts in total. As stated, the three first-degree murder counts could yield the death penalty. In addition to these and an additional third-degree murder charge, the abortion doctor faces 24 counts of conducting third-trimester abortions (an illegal act) and 227 counts of failing to counsel patients a day before doing the procedure. According to the Associated Press, "Gosnell was also convicted of infanticide, racketeering and more than 200 counts of violating Pennsylvania's abortion laws by performing third-term abortions or failing to counsel women 24 hours in advance."

Lila Rose, the Founder of Live Action, a pro-life group that has been releasing undercover videos in an effort to expose other abortion providers, is naturally reacting favorably to the Gosnell verdict. In a release, she decried the "gruesome and inhuman" conditions at the clinic and said that "justice has been served."

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Dr. Kermit Gosnell (Photo Credit: AP)

"Even as we celebrate this verdict, we honor and mourn as well those innocents who did not receive 'their day in court' - and we must remember that Gosnell is not an outlier within the abortion industry," she said. "We cannot allow these 'guilty' verdicts, welcome as they are, to make us complacent when it comes to the continuing abuses happening even now in abortion facilities throughout our nation."

Even Planned Parenthood welcomed the verdict. Spokesperson Eric Ferrero called Gosnell a butcher and, as USA Today notes, said the doctor's punishment is warranted.

"This was horrifying and he should be punished," he said. "This was not an abortion provider. This was someone preying on women."

Perhaps the battle -- one that has created new-found interest in discussion and debate surrounding late-term abortion -- can best be summarized by looking back at the arguments that were advanced by both McMahon and Cameron. On April 29, TheBlaze was in the courtroom to hear closing arguments; both sides pointedly defended their viewpoints, providing a look-back at key testimony in the troubling case.

THE DEFENSE'S CLOSING ARGUMENTS

McMahon offered a fiery diatribe, defending his client against the first degree murder charges for four infants allegedly killed after birth and a third-degree charge for the death of Karnamaya Mongar, an immigrant who died following an abortion. While admitting that the clinic, the Women's Medical Society, wasn't perfect, the lawyer launched into a major defensive, railing against the notion that it was a bloody "house of horrors," as prosecutors, pro-life advocates and the media have maintained.

He defended Gosnell as an asset to the community who provided low-cost health care and an opportunity for young females in the neighborhood to learn. Rather than rooting its arguments in fairness, the attorney accused the prosecution of prejudice; he called the case against Gosnell "elitist" and "racist" and said that the charges and claims have been blown out of proportion.

"This isn't a perfect place by any stretch of the imagination -- but it's not what they say it is," McMahon continued, going on to claim that Gosnell was singled-out because he is an African American.

Of particular frustration to McMahon was the use of the aforementioned term -- "house of horrors." While he noted that it "sounds good" and "makes for good press," he rejected the label and said that it has been manufactured to convince people to come alongside the prosecution's concocted vision of what unfolded.

From showing images of a clinic that was clean and well-organized (to contradict the prosecution's claims that the Women's Medical Society was a dirty and disease-ridden establishment) to continuously berating the prosecution over its tactics and purportedly untrue statements, McMahon was candid.

"That, ladies and gentleman, is not a house of horrors," he said, after showing the jury images of a clean and organized clinic environment.

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Dr. Kermit Gosnell's defense attorney Jack McMahon walks to the Criminal Justice Center, Monday, March 18, 2013, in Philadelphia. Gosnell, an abortion doctor who catered to minorities, immigrants and poor women at the Women's Medical Society, goes on trial Monday on eight counts of murder. Credit: AP

After tackling the conditions within, McMahon moved on to denying that any babies were killed after birth. In making this case, he relied upon the testimony of witnesses that the prosecution called. Considering that the defense attorney didn't call any witness of his own to the stand, he moved line-by-line through transcripts in an effort to both discredit statements and to poke holes in any indication that Gosnell might have delivered live babies and murdered them once they were outside of the mothers' womb.

Kareema Cross, a former clinic worker who delivered some of the more disturbing testimony about what purportedly unfolded at the hands of Gosnell, was dismissed by McMahon as having a grudge against the doctor (read details about her testimony here). Other clinic workers, he alleged, were seemingly intimidated by the government into admitting crimes that they truly did not commit.

And all of the neck-snipping, McMahon maintained, was done after the babies were dead. While this theory was advanced, there wasn't much credence given to critics' notion that spinal cords would not need to be severed if the babies were truly delivered deceased, as is the claim.

Interestingly, McMahon did leave the door open to the idea that Gosnell may have conducted abortions past the 24-week cap that is currently embedded in Pennsylvania law. He wasn't explicit and he didn't devote much time to tackling the subject.

In sum, the defense delivered compelling arguments, but not compelling enough to relieve Gosnell of the murder charges against him. The attorney did find many areas of exploitation and holes in the narrative against Gosnell -- vacancies he was able to fill with questions, curiosities and his own counter-theories.

THE PROSECUTION'S CLOSING ARGUMENTS

The prosecution delivered an equally compelling case, going through, one-by-one, all 54 witness testimonies to paint Gosnell as disorganized and murderous. Going into gruesome detail, the prosecution outlined the notion that the doctor slit babies' spinal cords and essentially forced women to go through delivery, later terminating the children after birth.

Cameron wasted little time in responding to many of McMahon's counterpoints, painting Gosnell out to be a doctor who kept poor records, who used untrained staff and, through witness testimony, a medical professional who put his patients at risk.

The assistant district attorney also appealed to the jury, noting that this case has been a turning point -- one in which people will likely think twice before merely trusting their doctors' qualifications and policies. Seeing as many of Gosnell's patients were unaware of what was allegedly going on, Cameron attempted to use the case as a call for the jury to be more aware of whom they trust with their medical care (especially considering the charges against Eileen O'Neill, a clinic staffer who is also on trial for allegedly pretending to be a doctor).

"This case is not about abortion, he stressed, noting that the procedure is legal so long as it is conducted before 24 weeks and in a safe location.

"This case is not about racism or elitism. It's not about a rush to judgment...it was conducted, held before a grand jury," Cameron continued, replying directly to the charges that McMahon had waged against the prosecution during his closing arguments.

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Dr. Kermit Gosnell (Photo Credit: AP)

Cameron's diatribe followed a similar layout. He noted the importance of having basic standards for clinics, regardless of whether they are in urban, suburban or rural areas. Citing Steven Massof's testimony (another unlicensed doctor who worked in the clinic), he noted that the office was purportedly flea ridden and dirty.

The district attorney added that the women who saw Gosnell trusted him and that, by the prosecution's assessment, the doctor failed to live up to the Hippocratic Oath - and to his responsibility to patients. Then, he proceeded to go through the testimony of all 54 individuals, using their words to highlight the prosecution's belief that Gosnell killed babies after birth and that his clinic was, indeed, a "house of horrors."

In addition to allegedly killing the four babies after birth, Cameron accused Gosnell of hitting patients during procedures. Of Baby A, who he said would have had a 70 to 80 percent chance of survival (the prosecution estimates that he was killed at 29.5 weeks), he said that, "It had scissors jabbed into its neck and it slowly suffocated to death" (Baby A's full story can be found here).

Cameron also argued that, at the least, it was Gosnell's responsibility to keep the babies comfortable. He said, "Whether that baby's going to live or not, you've got to make them comfortable," claiming that, in the cases of these children, that simply didn't happen.

Previously, Massof had said that "it would rain fetuses" at the clinic and that neck snipping was done to ensure that babies would die. If Massof's claims are correct, then Cameron's case is compelling.

For the jury and those in the packed courtroom, many of the gruesome details that were heard earlier in the case were recounted, including the notion that fetal remains were put through the clinic's garbage disposal. Also, the assistant district attorney claimed that, according to testimony, Gosnell would eat cereal and talk on his bluetooth while performing abortions -- bizarre allegations, to say the least.

The prosecution also mentioned Ashley Baldwin, a 15-year-old girl who apparently started working at the clinic after she completed the eighth grade. Now 22, Baldwin recounted helping in the abortion process -- something clearly not appropriate for a young teen at the time. Baldwin also said during testimony that she saw babies breathe and move -- obvious signs of life. A number of employees also heard noises coming from babies after birth.

"A baby making a noise has to have air, has to be alive," said Cameron.

Later, while closing, Cameron turned to Gosnell, pointed and asked, "Are you human?" For those angry over the charges against the doctor, this statement will certainly resonate. But for those who agree with McMahon and believe that this entire scenario has been a witch-hunt, Cameron's accusatory words will surely be met with disdain.

GOSNELL'S VICTIMS

Throughout the case, TheBlaze brought you information about the alleged victims at the clinic. As of today's verdict, five murder charges remained against Gosnell. Previously, Judge Jeffery P. Minehart dismissed three counts of first degree murder on the grounds that there was not enough proof that those three babies were born alive.

Thus, the original eight murder charges were decreased to five (four counts for babies and one for an adult woman who died after having an abortion at the clinic). Considering that the infants did not have names and were intended to be dead upon arrival, the court gave each child a letter (i.e. Baby A, Baby B, Baby C, etc.) to differentiate each circumstance. Now, let's explore information about the alleged victims:

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Baby A: According to Operation Rescue and LifeSiteNews.com, Baby A was delivered to Shaquana Abrama at 29.4 weeks gestation (this is based on an ultrasound record). Kareema Cross, one of the clinic workers, testified that the baby was the largest she had ever seen delivered at Women's Medical Society. He apparently was so large that he didn't fit into a plastic shoe box that Gosnell placed him in.

And according to Cross, the baby moved his arms and legs (signs of life), but his neck was allegedly cut, regardless. Cross was so shocked by the baby's size that she, along with other clinic workers, took photos on a cell phone.

As TheBlaze and the AP highlighted, the mother of Baby A testified in Gosnell's trial as well:

The mother of "Baby A" testified Tuesday afternoon, describing a painful three-day abortion process that started at Gosnell's clinic in Delaware. She was 17, had an infant daughter and was told by Gosnell she was 24 weeks pregnant -- the legal limit in Pennsylvania, but not in neighboring Delaware, where abortions are banned after 20 weeks.

The Chester woman said she was given abortion drugs in Delaware and sent home the first two days, then was directed to the West Philadelphia clinic the third day. She was in severe pain by then, pain that only worsened the following week, she said.

Her aunt had taken her to the clinic and paid the $1,300 fee, and they had not told her mother.

"I never felt pain like that, ever," the woman said. "I couldn't talk to anybody and tell anybody."

But the teen ended up being hospitalized for two weeks with a large abscess and a blood clot near her heart. Prosecutors say she is one of countless patients injured during botched abortions or unsanitary conditions.

And that's just one of the many alleged stories.

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Baby C: Cross also testified that she saw another baby breathing for 20 minutes before it, too, was purportedly killed. Baby C apparently also responded when a clinic worker lifted its arm. But later, the clinic worker testified to seeing fellow employee Lynda Williams use scissors to snip the infant's spinal cord. Even more shocking, Gosnell was allegedly in the room when this all unfolded.

In sum, Cross testified that she saw at least 10 babies breathe before they were murdered. She has already plead guilty to administering drugs at the clinic and is hoping for probation after cooperating with prosecutors. "I thought they were breathing. He would say they're not really breathing," Cross testified, according to the Associated Press.

She apparently worked at the clinic from 2005 until 2009, but was so disturbed by its practices that she took pictures and called authorities and gave a relative's name instead of her own. In addition to her claims that babies were breathing, she also purportedly saw three move, including one that was born in a toilet, the AP reports. A fourth purportedly let out a "soft whine."

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Baby D: This baby was delivered into a toilet and, according to Cross, the child immediately began struggling and "swimming" once outside of the womb. Another clinic worker, Adrienne Moton, apparently snipped the baby's neck while the infant's mother purportedly watched this all unfold. According to LifeSiteNews.com, the baby was estimated to be 12-15 inches long (based on testimony).

As previously reported, in March, Moton provided sickening details about her alleged actions at the clinic, claiming that she snipped the spines of at least 10 babies; she said that another worker -- and Gosnell himself -- did the same. Moton plead guilty and has been in prison since 2011.

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While not necessarily a victim in the court's eyes (Gosnell was found not guilty of murder), Baby E was one of the infants included in the first-degree murder charges. This baby was estimated to have fallen within the legal time frame and was said to be in utero for about 23 weeks before an abortion took place (abortions are legal up to 24 weeks in Pennsylvania).

According to LifeSiteNews.com, Ashley Baldwin, a teenager who was working at the clinic, heard the baby cry after birth, so she called Cross for help. Cross apparently confirmed this story in testimony and said that it sounded like a "whine." Gosnell then allegedly snipped the baby's neck.

TheBlaze highlighted Baldwin's story earlier this year, noting that she started at the clinic at the age of 15 (she's currently 22). According to her testimony, she saw a number of babies move, squirm -- and one even "screech" -- after birth.

As we previously noted, former employee, Sherry West, shared yet another horrifying story about after-birth noises. She claims that she was once called to the back room at the clinic, where aborted babies' bodies were apparently kept on a shelf. Once there, West heard a live baby among the bodies cry out. The screaming child "really freaked" her out, she told the court.

"I can't describe it. It sounded like a little alien," she said, noting that she previously referred to the babies as "specimens," because it was easier to mentally handle what was going on at the clinic.

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Karnamaya Mongar: Karnamaya Mongar, an immigrant from Bhutan in South Asia, is the sole adult victim in the Gosnell trial. The 41-year-old woman survived a refugee camp for two decades before coming to America, but her fate was inevitably met after a visit to the embattled doctor's clinic. In 2009, she died after undergoing an abortion at the Women's Medical Society.

Relatives are claiming wrong-doing and, in addition to the criminal trial, a lawsuit is also pending against Gosnell. The Associated Press reports that the woman's daughter, Yashoda Gurung, 24, recently testified through a translator, recapping the events that unfolded on the evening and day after her mother underwent the procedure.

In addition to labor inducing drugs, Mongar was purportedly given painkillers, as she waited for Gosnell to arrive. The prosecution charges that unlicensed staff gave Mongar a lethal combination of oral and intravenous drugs. And the Inquirer reports that too much Demerol is purportedly what led to the woman's death (read more about her story here).

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Now that the case has come to a close, Gosnell's fate will soon be decided. For TheBlaze's full Gosnell coverage, click here.

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IRS commissioner was grilled on targeting conservatives earlier than first thought

IRS Commissioner Douglas Shulmanis sworn in prior to testifying before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental …

News reports about how the Internal Revenue Service applied heavier scrutiny on conservative political organizations applying for tax-exempt status have pointed to a March 22, 2012 House Ways and Means oversight subcommittee hearing in which IRS Commissioner Douglas Shulman denied any wrongdoing. But that wasn't the first time lawmakers grilled him about the IRS' practices.

During a Financial Services subcommittee hearing earlier that month, on March 7, 2012, Georgia Republican Rep. Tom Graves questioned Shulman about similar concerns. Shulman pushed back against allegations that the IRS was targeting groups that advocated for limited government, just as he did at the subsequent Ways and Means subcommittee hearing.

At the March 7 hearing, Graves pointed to concerns from tea party groups that the IRS had unfairly scrutinized them with burdensome questions because of their political ideology. Shulman, who was appointed to the post by President George W. Bush and whose five-year term as IRS commissioner ended in Nov. 2012, told Graves that the agency had followed standard protocol and said allegations that specific groups were being targeted were "off."

"Can you help put any of those concerns to rest today that these groups are specifically being targeted because of their political activities or their opposition to the administration’s policies?" Graves asked, according a transcript of the exchange.

"It is a good question. I am glad you asked it because I think there has been lots of information flying around in the press, and I think it is important that people put it in perspective," Shulman said, and went on to explain the agency's process for examining applications non-profit status. "When we decide to do an examination, we pride ourselves on being a non-political, non-partisan agency. We are given these complex rules that have things like political activity written into the tax code that does not allow you to do certain things or else you jeopardize your tax exemption. We have set up very clear safeguards, for determinate exams.

"This notion that we are targeting anyone, I think, is off," Shulman added, "because these people are going through an application process that they voluntarily decided to do. It is not required under the law."

The IRS on Friday apologized for singling out conservative organizations that applied for tax-exempt status between 2010 and 2012. A forthcoming audit of IRS procedures during that time will show that the agency was made aware of the practices as early as 2011, according to copy of the report obtained by the Associated Press.

The White House and several lawmakers have called for an investigation for more details.

Here's the full transcript of Graves' exchange with Schulman during the March 7 Financial Services subcommittee hearing:

Mr. GRAVES: Madam Chair, Commissioner. There has been a great deal of press in terms of the likelihood of your agency structure and form and funding of 501(c)(4) in terms of welfare organizations. This media attention specifically focused on our assets, examination of what are (c)(4) groups, who also engage in political activity, should be denied a release of their taxes. Two reasons I think that your activities are of so much interest to the press, and to everyone out there, certainly to us in Congress, first because of the timing of the inquiries, which make it appear a little bit linked to other actions, and second, is the focus, since the examinations seem to be centered on groups that are considered Tea Party groups, or those that openly oppose the Administration’s policies.

Can you help put any of those concerns to rest today that these groups are specifically being targeted because of their political activities or their opposition to the Administration’s policies?

Mr. SHULMAN: It is a good question. I am glad you asked it because I think there has been lots of information flying around in the press, and I think it is important that people put it in perspective. First, is for taxpayers to operate as a 501(c)(4) organization, they need to be primarily engaged in promoting the common good or general welfare. They are allowed to be involved in political campaign activity, but it cannot be the primary activity. Second, in order to be a (c)(4) organization, you do not need to apply to the IRS. You can hold yourself out as a 501(c)(4). You then file your 990 at the end of the year, and if we see something that either has to do with political activity or something else, we have the option to do an examination, and there is not a high chance of an examination; we run samples. Third, when we decide to do an examination, we pride ourselves on being a non-political, non-partisan agency. We are given these complex rules that have things like political activity written into the tax code that does not allow you to do certain things or else you jeopardize your tax exemption. We have set up very clear safeguards, for determinate exams. Our Chief Counsel and I are the only Presidential Appointees, and I have a five-year term, so that it goes past Presidential election cycles.

There is a committee of three career employees in our tax-exempt organization, not even based in Washington, who look at any political referrals or any allegations of political activity. Those three rotate, but they make decisions about farming out examinations to the field, so there are many safeguards built in. This work has nothing to do with election cycles and politics. And so that is, generally, what happens. But the important thing about what has been in the press in the last few weeks is not all of these organizations are being examined. They voluntarily came in and said, ‘‘I would like to apply for 501(c)(4) status, so I would like to engage the IRS in what my activities are,’’ and when you apply, you send in an application. We ask sets of questions. These people had a choice to not engage the IRS, to be 501(c)(4)s, hold themselves up as such, file a 990 after a year plus of operation, and then there would have been a much less of a chance that we would have discussions with them. So this notion that we are targeting anyone, I think, is off because these people are going through an application process that they voluntarily decided to do. It is not required under the law.

Mr. GRAVES: Has the IRS recently changed its policies with respect to these organization’s applications?

Mr. SHULMAN: No. No, when you apply as a 501(c)(3) or a 501(c)(4) you send in information. If we need more information, we do a back-and-forth with you. I think there have been press reports about the questions we ask. We also send out information that say, ‘‘If you think you can provide us information in other ways, please let’s have a conversation.’’ I think we are quite reasonable around those things.

Mr. GRAVES: The questions you ask today are the same questions you asked two, three years ago?

Mr. SHULMAN: It is facts and circumstances, and up to the examiner what they think they need to ask to get the information to determine what the activities of this organization are.

Mr. GRAVES: So back to the original question. So you did not deny that are increasing in exams or looking into these organizations, in fact you said engaging in political activities is not the primary focus, but you can come good after determining that does increase the opportunity for examination, so sounds to me like you confirmed the fact that the groups identified that the primary focus here is not the common good, but it is of a political nature.

Mr. SHULMAN: No, I think you have got that wrong. I was reciting the tax law and what are the standards we use when we look at 501(c)(4) organizations. We have been clear in our exam plan that we will look at these groups. When we see 501(c)(4)s not using their status right, we will look at it. That is our job, it is written into the tax code, and when people apply, we will make sure we try to do our best to understand what is happening.

Mr. GRAVES: What is your intention when somebody is not using it correctly?

Mr. SHULMAN: People file a 990, we get referrals from organizations about what is happening, and our examiners have a variety of ways it comes to their attention. A lot of it is on the application. They say, ‘‘Here are my activities,’’ and we will go out and do examinations.

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Obama heads out on new jobs tour - first stop: Austin, Texas

By Roberta Rampton

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama will travel on Thursday to Austin, Texas, the first stop in a new series of day trips designed to draw attention to policies and programs that help spur the economy, and build support for his economic policies, the White House said on Sunday.

In Austin, Obama will visit a high school and a technology company, and will talk with entrepreneurs and workers about proposals he made earlier this year to boost jobs and training.

Despite often saying that his top priority is creating more jobs, Obama's proposals have been overshadowed by debates over reforms to gun and immigration laws as well as efforts to reduce the deficit.

Unemployment in the United States fell to 7.5 percent last month, the lowest level since Obama took office.

"Things are getting better, but our economic recovery is not as strong as it could be and far too many middle class families are still struggling," said Josh Earnest, Obama's deputy press secretary.

"There are things Washington could be doing right now to help American businesses, schools and workers," he said, explaining the tours are designed to engage Americans and push Congress to act.

In February, Obama said he wanted to invest in manufacturing "hubs" around the country, spend $50 billion on roads, bridges and other infrastructure, and raise the minimum wage to $9 per hour from the current $7.25.

Most of the proposals require Congressional approval, but there have been few signs of broad support for the measures on Capitol Hill.

(Reporting by Roberta Rampton; Editing by Sandra Maler)

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Benedict XVI returns to Vatican for first time

May 1 (Reuters) - Post position for Saturday's 139th Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs after Wednesday's draw (listed as barrier, HORSE, jockey, trainer) 1. BLACK ONYX, Joe Bravo, Kelly Breen 2. OXBOW, Gary Stevens, D. Wayne Lukas 3. REVOLUTIONARY, Calvin Borel, Todd Pletcher 4. GOLDEN SOUL, Robby Albarado, Dallas Stewart 5. NORMANDY INVASION, Javier Castellano, Chad Brown 6. MYLUTE, Rosie Napravnik, Tom Amoss 7. GIANT FINISH, Jose Espinoza, Tony Dutrow 8. GOLDENCENTS, Kevin Krigger, Doug O'Neill 9. OVERANALYZE, Rafael Bejarano, Todd Pletcher 10. PALACE MALICE, Mike Smith, Todd Pletcher 11. ...

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Mayors Menino, Giuliani Praise 'Brave' First Responders in Boston Bombing

Boston Mayor Thomas Menino this evening received condolences for the Boston Marathon bombing from former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, who compared it to the Sept. 11 World Trade Center attack.

"One of the images that I take away from yesterday, having watched it all day, were your firefighters, your police officers and some of your citizens running right into the fire, and that reminded me of my firefighters and my police officers who ran into the building," Giuliani told Menino, speaking mayor-to-mayor in a joint interview with "World News'" Diane Sawyer.

Mayor Menino agreed, adding firefighters and EMS to the list of American heroes in Boston Monday.

"They reacted instantly and helped save lives," Menino said. "When it blew up, they moved quickly, and I'm very proud of what the first responders did yesterday afternoon."

"People of Boston should be, too," Giuliani said. "They should be very proud of their citizens, all of whom reacted in a very, very brave way, and I was very heartened by that."

The brief meeting between the two mayors of major American cities was a surprise for Menino, who did not know Giuliani was listening in on his interview with Sawyer.

Before being joined by Menino, Giuliani recalled being in London for the 2005 bombing that killed 52 civilians in the train system.

"They caught those people in less than a day," Giuliani said. "They caught them on tape.

"Now hopefully, they have tapes like that [in Boston]," Giuliani said. "They've got a lot of surveillance cameras in Boston - more than New York, less than London."

He suggested it was possible, too, that a spectator might have incidentally caught the moment on camera.

His advice to the people of Boston was to "go about their lives."

"They should not let whatever form of terrorist this is, they shouldn't let them win, because this is what they're trying to do. They can't capture us. They can't overwhelm us. They can't destroy us. All they can do is frighten us and try to stop us from doing the things that make us a great country. We shouldn't let them do that," the former New York City mayor said. "My heart goes out to them."

Menino told Sawyer that authorities continued to investigate the attack that left three dead and more than 170 wounded, going over the area with a "fine-toothed comb," and that a pressure cooker might have been involved.

"We don't have any other information that we can give to the public at this time, but I know the FBI, the Boston police [and] the state police are all working very closely on this investigation," Menino said.

He echoed Giuliani by saying he was optimistic that footage from surveillance and private citizens' cameras would allow officials to find the attacker.

"We have a lot of video on this, and we're looking at all that video and asking the public who might have cameras to give them to the Boston police so they can look at the information," the five-time Boston mayor said. "That's the most camera-ed area in the city of Boston."

Putting aside the deep-rooted baseball rivalry between the two cities, New York's Yankee Stadium planned to play the song "Sweet Caroline" during the Yankee game Tuesday night as a tribute to Boston, where the song is a Fenway Park tradition for the Red Sox.

"That's a historic moment when that song goes off at the ball game," Menino said.

"We are all together tonight," Giuliani assured him.

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Senate to cast first gun-control votes on Thursday

By Thomas Ferraro

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The fate of one of President Barack Obama's key gun-control proposals appeared on Monday night to be in the hands of two senators: one Democrat, the other Republican, both of them longtime opponents of restrictions on guns.

Democratic Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Republican Senator Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania are seeking a compromise on expanding background checks for prospective gun buyers. The proposal appears to be Obama's best hope for meaningful gun-control legislation in the wake of the December massacre of 20 children and six adults at a school in Connecticut, where the president spoke Monday evening to a crowd that included some victims' families.

If Manchin and Toomey can't strike a deal, Obama's calls to require nearly all gun buyers to submit to background checks for criminal records and mental health problems likely will fail, Senate aides said on Monday.

Another centerpiece of Obama's efforts, a renewal of a ban on the sale of military-style assault weapons, appears unlikely to be approved, said Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, a Nevada Democrat. A proposed 10-bullet limit on ammunition magazines also appears to be in trouble, he has said.

Obama, who has called the day of the Newtown massacre the worst of his presidency, made a strong appeal on Monday for action in Congress.

But at this point, Senate aides said, there seems to be strong, bipartisan support for only two of Obama's proposals: a crackdown on gun trafficking and improvements to security at schools.

The talks between Manchin and Toomey - both allies of the National Rifle Association, the nation's largest gun-rights group - symbolize why the background checks proposal is not a sure thing in Congress, even though polls have indicated that it is backed by 80 to 90 percent of Americans.

Toomey is pushing for expanded background checks even as 13 conservative Republican senators are threatening a filibuster to delay votes on any gun-control bills.

And Manchin represents how Democrats' move in recent years to embrace candidates who strongly support gun rights is complicating the Democratic president's push for gun restrictions.

Manchin is among eight Senate Democrats rated as friendly to gun rights by the NRA to have joined the chamber since 2006.

That was when the Democratic officials - fed up with losing congressional races to Republicans in rural and conservative states such as Montana, Virginia, North Carolina, Alaska and West Virginia - stepped up its recruiting of pro-gun candidates.

The strategy worked.

Democrats won control of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives in 2006 and increased their majorities in 2008, when Obama captured the White House.

The House fell back to Republicans in 2010, but not before conservative Democrats such as Manchin helped Obama get his healthcare overhaul through Congress.

But now, those conservative Democrats have become speed bumps for several of Obama's gun-control proposals - particularly his call to ban assault weapons, which both sides see as unlikely to pass even the Senate, where Democrats control 55 of the 100 seats.

On expanding background checks, "Manchin is upbeat about their chances of success," said one Senate aide, who offered an assessment of her own: "50-50."

SEEING A 'SLIPPERY SLOPE'

Reid, who schedules floor votes in the Senate, had planned to begin consideration of gun legislation this week. But that timetable could be pushed to next week to give Manchin and Toomey more time to negotiate, or if Republicans try to delay action, aides said.

Even the gun trafficking plan, which would make it a federal crime for someone banned from having a firearm to buy one, could face problems. The NRA is seeking to revise it in a way that critics say would make it difficult to enforce.

Obama's call to ban rapid-firing assault weapons - a pet cause of Senator Dianne Feinstein, a California Democrat - has gone nowhere in part because even those in Feinstein's party are not solidly behind it.

Several Democrats who have joined the Senate since 2006 have said they could not vote for Feinstein's plan.

They include Manchin, Mark Begich of Alaska and Jon Tester of Montana, a gun-rights Democrat and farmer who won a Senate seat in 2006 by unseating a three-term Republican.

Tester said he sees an assault weapons ban as "a slippery slope" that could lead to other restrictions on gun ownership. He said he favors stepping up efforts to keep guns out of the hands of criminals and the mentally ill.

"That would be the smart thing to do," Tester said.

Begich, another Democrat rated as a friend on Capitol Hill by the NRA, ousted a six-term Republican when he was elected in 2008. Begich is a co-sponsor of a bipartisan bill to clarify when a person loses the right to possess a firearm based on mental illness.

Critics of the bill, which is backed by the NRA, say the measure could make firearms more accessible to the mentally ill.

Manchin, elected to the Senate in 2010, has been trying for months to find a way to expand background checks while addressing gun-rights' advocates concerns that such checks could be used to create registries of gun owners. Gun rights advocates say the government could use such registries to confiscate weapons.

"I think everyone wants to do something that is right and responsible," Manchin said. "I really do."

A POLITICAL CALCULATION

Few Democrats regret the party's decision to recruit gun-rights candidates in recent years.

If senators such as Tester and Begich had not won their seats, many Democrats figure, the seats would be held by pro-gun Republicans - and many of Obama's legislative accomplishments, including the healthcare overhaul and new regulations on Wall Street, would not have happened.

"The profile of the guy who can win in these states is the profile of a guy who is pro-gun," said Jennifer Duffy, who tracks Senate races for the nonpartisan Cook Political Report.

Larry Sabato, who tracks congressional races as head of University of Virginia's Center for Politics, said that in 2006, "Democrats made a practical decision ... to win rather, than to be (ideologically) pure."

Sabato said he now sees some Republicans similarly bending their stances on some issues to try to appeal to more voters, such as easing their opposition to gay marriage and tax increases.

(Editing by David Lindsey and Lisa Shumaker)

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Hillary Clinton Shares Stage With Joe Biden in One of First Public Events Since Leaving State

Joe Biden and Hillary Clinton

WASHINGTON - Hillary Clinton stepped out of the shadows tonight at an award ceremony held to recognize leaders from around the world who worked to improve the plight of women and featuring such guests as Nicholas Kristof and Vice President Joe Biden.

The event, Vital Voices' Global Leadership Awards, was the former secretary of state's second public appearances since she left her post at the end of January.

Clinton founded the original Vital Voices Democracy Initiative as first lady in 1997 with then-Secretary of State Madeleine Albright and has attended 11 of 12 such award ceremonies - every year except 2012 when she was traveling.

She reflected on her time as first lady, fighting for women's rights with former Chief of Staff Melanne Verveer by her side against problems that are far from over. She said today a map of the world shows "too many countries where women still face violence and abuse, too many political systems that treat women like second class or even worse.

"But that's not all the map shows. It's not what Melanne and I see," Clinton said. "When we look at the map we do see progress, because we know people who are making that progress against the most extraordinary odds every day, everywhere. We see the opportunities that are there to be seized. We see, we hear those vital voices."

Though some have speculated the high-profile Democrat could go head-to-head with Biden in a future primary election, Clinton said she was "delighted" that the vice president could be at the ceremony this year.

"Vice President Biden and I have worked together on so many important issues," she said. "One that is particularly close to his heart is the fight against domestic violence, and I know what a personal victory it was for him to see the Violence Against Women Act reauthorized last month."

Biden presented an award to the event's only male honorees, three brothers who run an NGO standing up for victims of human trafficking in India.

Before introducing the Kant brothers - Ravi, Nishi and Rishi - Biden declared that the U.S. government has an obligation to stand up for equal rights for women around the globe.

"In the end we know this is more than just policies and legislation," the vice president said. "We have to change fundamental norms and we have to let women around the world know that they aren't standing alone, that they don't have to accept their circumstances, because we won't accept it either."

Biden denounced practices like forced child marriage and sexual violence that occur around the world, calling them "barbaric." In Egypt, he said, we have a responsibility to support efforts to stop mistreatment of women.

"In each of these cases we have an obligation to act not just because we have a moral obligation, which should be self-evident to every human being, but because it's in all of our interests," Biden said. "Because again to quote my little sister, 'Peace, justice and equality can never be achieved when we use only half the brain power in the world.'"

Though neither Biden nor Clinton dropped any hints about future ambitions, a group of about 30 people gathered outside the Kennedy Center to urge Clinton to run for president in 2016.

The supporters and former campaign volunteers held signs imprinted with "Ready for Hillary," and some homemade signs reading things like "Power to the Pantsuit 2016," and "Hell Yea Hillary." They waved and shouted "2016 Hillary" as cars honked pulling into the Clinton event at the Kennedy Center this evening.

"It's going to happen, it's going to happen," Ray Anderson of Arlington, Va., said, "I think she'll run - she's got to save the country, right?"

The rally was organized by Ready for Hillary, a super PAC that launched recently and declared itself set to go should Clinton decide to run in the 2016 presidential campaign. Word was put out on local college campuses, Facebook as well as the super Pac's new website.

Supporters said they came out tonight to give Clinton the "little extra push" as she is making her decision whether to run.

"I am 99 percent sure, but that's why we're here - to make it 100 percent," McKayla Masen of Massachusetts answered, when asked whether she thinks Clinton will throw her hat into the ring. "It lets her know that people are supporting her."

Supporters out tonight predicted that if Clinton runs, in their opinion, she will win the White House.

"She's unbeatable," Jazmin Gargoum of D.C. declared.

Allida Black, chair of Ready for Hillary, is a professor at George Washington University's Elliott School of International Affairs and a long-time Hillary supporter. She said she believes "very, very strongly" that if ("when," according to Black) Clinton jumps in the ring, it is her job to have a base of eager supporters ready and waiting.

"Hillary is such a leader. I mean it's in her DNA she can't get rid of it," Black said. "The issues of my lifetime are the issues that she has spent her lifetime addressing, and one of the things that those of us who formed this organization believe is that she has the stamina, the wisdom, the shrewdness, the toughness and the hugest heart that this job requires."

Clinton's next speaking engagement is just days away. On Friday she is scheduled to address the Daily Beast's Women in the World Summit in New York.

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Israel launches air strikes on Gaza; first since truce

GAZA (Reuters) - Israel launched an air strike on the Palestinian Gaza Strip on Tuesday, the first such attack since an eight-day war in November, Hamas, the Islamist movement that controls the territory, and Israel's military said.

"Occupation planes bombarded an open area in northern Gaza, there were no wounded," a statement from the Hamas Interior Ministry said. An Israeli military spokeswoman confirmed there had been a strike in Gaza, but gave no further details.

Israel and Hamas agreed to an Egyptian-mediated truce in November, after eight days of fighting, in which 170 Palestinians and six Israelis were killed.

Israel launched the 2012 offensive with the declared aim of ending Palestinian rocket fire into its territory.

Earlier on Tuesday, the Israeli military said Palestinians launched three rockets at Israel. Two landed in Gaza and one hit an open area in southern Israel, causing no damage or injuries.

No Palestinian group claimed responsibility for the rockets.

(Reporting by Nidal al-Mughrabi; Writing by Maayan Lubell; Editing by Jason Webb)

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First Lady Praises 'Powerful' Jackie Robinson Movie

First lady Michelle Obama paid tribute to baseball legend Jackie Robinson today as she hailed the new movie "42," which chronicles his career and the racial discrimination he endured.

Obama said she and the president were "visibly, physically moved" by the "wonderful" movie and the Robinsons' story. It was a "truly powerful" experience, she said.

"You're left just asking yourselves, how on earth did they live through that? How did they do it? How did they endure the taunts and the bigotry for all of that time?" she said.

The first lady's comments came at a White House workshop for high school and college students. After screening the movie, the students were able to question Robinson's widow, Rachel, and members of the cast, including Chadwick Boseman, who plays Robinson in the film, and Harrison Ford, who plays Brooklyn Dodgers general manager Branch Rickey.

"Jackie and Rachel Robinson's story reminds us how much hard work it takes to move a country forward. It reminds us how much struggle is required to make real progress and change," the first lady said. "But it also reminds us how far we have to go, how much more work we have to do."

The president will host a private screening this evening for cast and crew members at the White House. The movie opens in theaters nationwide April 12.

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Head found in New Jersey believed to be Long Island serial killer's first victim

By Ellen Wulfhorst

(Reuters) - A human head discovered on a New Jersey golf course 24 years ago has been identified and is believed to be the first victim of serial killer Joel Rifkin, according to police.

The head belonged to Heidi Balch, who was murdered and dismembered at age 25 in New York, according to a statement issued on Monday by the Hopewell Township, New Jersey police.

Detectives had long suspected a link between the head and Rifkin after he was arrested in 1993 and questioned but they had been unable to identify the head until now, police said in the statement.

During questioning, Rifkin said he dismembered his first victim, a prostitute, and put her head and legs in streams in New Jersey, police said.

Rifkin was convicted of nine murders and is believed to be responsible for at least 17 deaths, most of them prostitutes. He is serving a 203-year prison sentence.

Police periodically tried to identify the New Jersey head and in 2011 obtained a list of prostitution arrests in New York City, from which they found one whose description matched the victim, according to the statement.

They found a missing person report that matched her description but had been ruled out because it said the woman had been last seen in 1995, six years after the head was discovered.

Police met with the person who filed the missing person's report and now believe the sighting date in the report was erroneous.

DNA samples from the missing prostitute's parents confirmed the identity of the head, police said.

Rifkin will not be charged with Balch's murder in New Jersey, the statement said.

Her head was found along the edge of a stream at the Hopewell Valley Golf Club in March 1989 and human legs, found to match the head, were discovered later that spring, police said.

When police stopped Rifkin, who lived in East Meadow, New York, in 1993 for missing a license plate, they found the body of a dead woman in the car truck.

He became known as the Long Island Serial Killer.

(Editing by Toni Reinhold)

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