GRAPEVINE, Texas

Christmas Day ‘Santa’ shooter had family, financial problems

A 56-year-old suburban Dallas man facing marital and financial problems killed his estranged wife, two teenage children and three other relatives on Christmas Day while dressed as Santa Claus before turning the gun on himself, authorities said Tuesday.

A police spokeswoman said Aziz Yazdanpanah, a former real estate agent, died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound and the six others were shot to death.

Police responding Sunday morning to a 911 call made without anyone on the line found the seven people inside an apartment near Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport. 

In addition to Yazdanpanah, authorities said those killed were Yazdanpanah’s wife of 24 years, who was 55; their 19-year-old daughter; their 14-year-old son; his wife’s 58-year-old sister; her husband, who was 59, and their daughter, who was 22.

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico

Inmate, lawyer communication review sought at Guantanamo

The new commander of the Guantanamo Bay prison wants a team of government and law enforcement officials to be allowed to review all communications between lawyers and inmates accused of helping organize the Sept. 11 attacks, The Associated Press has learned.

The proposed changes, contained in a 27-page draft order, have sparked a backlash from the Pentagon-appointed attorneys representing the five Guantanamo prisoners charged in the attacks.

They say the new rules would violate attorney-client privilege and legal ethics and deprive the prisoners of their constitutional right to counsel.

The order is still in draft form and has not yet been signed by the commander, a detention center spokeswoman, Navy Cmdr. Tamsen Reese, said Tuesday. She said the commander was not available for an interview.

WASHINGTON

Yemeni strongman requests visa for medical treatment

U.S. officials were evaluating Tuesday an awkward request from Yemeni strongman and longtime U.S. counterterrorism partner Ali Abdullah Saleh.

Saleh has said he plans to come to the United States for medical treatment for injuries suffered in a June assassination attempt, and he has asked for a U.S. visa for entry to the country.

Fearful of appearing to harbor an autocrat with blood on his hands, the Obama administration was trying to ensure that Saleh visits only for medical care and doesn’t plan to stay, U.S. officials said.

“What we’re looking at now is a request to come to the United States for the sole purpose of medical treatment,” State Department spokesman Mark Toner said, refusing to go into the specifics of the evaluation. 

LINCOLN, Neb.

Nelson’s retirement leaves Democrats scrambling

Democrats on Tuesday lamented Sen. Ben Nelson’s decision to retire rather than seek a third term in Nebraska, fearing the move sets up Republicans for an easy and crucial victory in their effort to reclaim control of the chamber next year.

Nelson, 70, the lone Democrat in Nebraska’s five-member congressional delegation, faced a tough re-election campaign against a large group of Republican challengers who have spent the past several months attacking his support for President Obama’s health care overhaul and federal stimulus legislation.

Republicans must net four seats to take back the Senate in 2012, and Nebraska looks to be an easy pickup. No Democrats are in line to take Nelson’s place in the increasingly conservative state. He joins several other Democrats to retire from the Senate, including Virginia’s Jim Webb and North Dakota’s Kent Conrad.

After months of speculation that he would leave office, the conservative Democrat told supporters in an emailed statement that he felt it was time he “step away from elective office, spend more time with my family, and look for new ways to serve our state and nation. Therefore, I am announcing today that I will not seek re-election,” he said.

Democrats banking on Nelson’s ability to leverage his centrist stances and capture statewide races were left scrambling. Many state activists said it was too early to know who might run for Nelson’s seat.