Tehran, Iran (CNN) -- A unit from Iran's navy has captured a U.S. drone flying over the Persian Gulf, according to Iranian state media reports Tuesday. The drone, which was collecting data, was captured immediately after entering Iranian airspace, Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps is cited as saying by the state-run news agency IRNA The unmanned aerial device was a ScanEagle, Adm. Ali Fadavi, of the Revolutionary Guards, is quoted as saying. The ScanEagle, with a wingspan of just over 10 feet, is designed to fly for 24 hours or more without refueling and can support extreme temperatures and high winds, according to its manufacturer. The United States has not yet commented on the claim. Iran's Press TV showed footage of what purported to be a drone. Last month, the Pentagon said Iranian jets had fired on a U.S. drone as it flew off the Iranian coastline in the northern Persian Gulf. The armed MQ-1 Predator was on a routine surveillance mission above international waters, 16 miles off the coast, the Defense Department said. A year ago, a high-altitude RQ-170 Sentinel crashed in the Iranian desert after leaving an airbase in Afghanistan, U.S. officials said. Iranians claimed to have shot it down, and created a toy model of the drone to celebrate its capture.   |
12/04/2012
Iran says it has seized U.S. drone; U.S. says it's not true
Israel defies settlement critics
Revealed: Secrets of a smartphone bill under $50
| By Bob Sullivan Roger Dluzak used his survival skills to fight his way through the jungles of Vietnam in the 1960s, and picked up a few medals before coming home. He says he uses those same skills now to navigate the jungle of being a U.S. consumer. "I learned how to survive a long time ago, still using the survival skills in today's economy," he said. So when he saw his cellphone bill creep up toward $100 per month, he took immediate evasive action. "When my contract was over with AT&T, I went to Walmart and bought their best smartphone, a Samsung Galaxy II for $350, and signed up with Straight Talk ... for $44 a month, or $500 a year," he said. Dluzak is part of a small but growing segment of smartphone users who are fighting back against triple-digit bills by exploring creative options.
The Red Tape Chronicles recently wrote about a cellphone industry report claiming the average bill was $47 per month, and asked readers to tell us how much they pay for service. From the 1,400 responses we examined, the average bill was more like $125 per month, and about one-quarter of respondents paid more than $200. We looked at the stories behind these high-bill payers in another recent story, "Newest family budget-buster: the $300 cellphone bill." But hundreds of others wrote in to brag that their bills were at or below that industry average $47. Roughly one-quarter -- 423 out of 1,400 -- said their bills were under $85, and 223 said their bills were $50 or less. Today we look at how these cheap talkers do it. The easiest way is to use your phone as just a phone. There is no shortage of old-fashioned, flip-phone plans that can keep your bill south of $50, provided you don't end up receiving a bunch of unexpected text messages. If you want a phone-only phone, you might want to look away from the major carriers, however, which are now focused on lucrative data-hogging customers. If you wander into a local Verizon store, for example, you are likely to find only one or two basic phone options. Smaller carriers and pre-paid services are the right choice here. Those who want cellphones only for emergencies and pay for only the minutes they use can keep their bills down to $20 or even $10 per month. Ditto for those who just don't want to have their face buried in a smartphone for hours per day. "Friends have smartphones. I couldn't care less," said Judith D. Schlesinger, 67, who lives just outside Annapolis, Md. "If they want to talk to me, they can call. If not, they can send email. I had text and email turned off on my phone after I received charges ... for some junk texts and some unknown use, they said, of 1 megabyte of data. I'd never used either before and don't miss them." But can cellphone users who worry about getting lost, getting an important work email on the road or being able to look up movie times while sitting at dinner keep their costs down to $50 monthly? It depends. You'll need a bit of geographical luck, you generally won't enjoy the latest new phone, you might need to forgo any kind of customer service and you probably need to swallow some high up-front costs. But plenty of Red Tape readers are living proof that low smartphone bills exists and, like Dluzak, most of most of them are darn proud of it. "My service has been great for the past five months or so and I only pay $45 a month!!!" wrote Edwin Argueta. He lives near Los Angeles, and uses a Galaxy Nexus phone he purchased directly from Google on Straight Talk's service, which offers unlimited text, talk and web surfing. David Wynn lives in Little Rock, Ark., and had similar enthusiasm for Straight Talk. "I had recently completed a two-year contract with AT&T; enjoyed the service but not the telephone ... or the price. I was paying $100 for unlimited talk and text," he said. "Now I have a better plan (unlimited talk/text/data) with Straight Talk and my cost is a flat $45 per month plus tax. … The bottom line is. I am extremely satisfied with Straight Talk and plan to keep it forever." His enthusiasm hasn't persuaded his wife, however, who has an iPhone on AT&T's network and is on a "'quest to have the most expensive plan ever," Wynn said. Her bill is $150 monthly, he said. "I've yet to convince her that she's going in the wrong direction." Straight Talk, offered through Walmart, was very popular with budget-conscious Red Tape readers. Of the 433 who pay $85 or less monthly, 36 use Straight Talk, and nearly all of them pay less than $50. Another 28 use Virgin Mobile, which offers similar (but slightly more expensive) discounted plans. Virgin has one advantage -- users can "tether" their phones, and use them as WiFi hotspots for tablets and laptops, by paying an extra $15 monthly. Straight Talk doesn't allow tethering. Boost, Tracfone, MetroPCS and Consumer Cellular were also popular with Red Tape readers, and there were a few Cricket users. Some in this discount group were truly lucky – they'd managed to hold on to inexpensive, "grandfathered" data plans from major providers. Since that options isn't available any longer, we won't spend time on that. But customers with moderate data requirements also can find deals, said Sam Simon, chairman of the nonprofit Telecommunications Research and Action Center, which advocates for phone consumers. "We tend to think about data gobblers, but if you aren't the kind of person who's going to use a lot of data, there are cheaper options," he said. There are a few big hurdles to getting a deeply discounted data plan. *Network quality As with all things cellular, the network you use can make or break your deal. A cheap smartphone that can't access your email is useless. A discount seller's service might not work where you live. Because they ride along the large carriers' networks, some have huge coverage gaps. Straight Talk users, for example, must use either AT&T or T-Mobile's network, while Virgin customers use Sprint's network. While service might be good across town, it might be terrible at your house or along your commuting path. When shopping for cheap smartphone service, do a lot of research and ask your friends and neighbors about their experiences with dropped calls and data speeds. *Where's the store? While there are plenty of loyal Straight Talk, Virgin, and Boost customers, there are plenty of complaints about customer service, too. Verizon has the largest national network of cell coverage, and Verizon retail locations are as common as fast food joints. That's handy when you have a cellphone emergency. Discount data users complain frequently that customers service isn't a kiosk away -- it's several continents away, as troubles are handled by overseas calls centers. * Bad to big users Data plans are complex, and change frequently, so it's difficult to give generic advice, but this is certain: Cheap unlimited plans are not designed for data hogs. Straight Talk has a soft cap at 2 Gigabytes per month or 100 Megabytes per day; that might not get you through an entire Netflix movie or baseball game. Users who exceed these marks get warnings that they can be terminated at any time, which would really stink if you paid a lot of money for a phone because you planned on sticking with a discounted service. *Up-front costs Speak of the devil: The biggest hurdle for many would-be discount plan users is the "bring your own phone" element, which can require a large up-front investment. The discount plans offer no phone purchase subsidy with two-year contracts. For example, Walmart is offering a Galaxy SII Android phone for $349, while similar phones would be free from major carriers to users who sign a contract. Of course, there's no such thing as a free phone, and those subsidized phones end up being more costly than one used with a "bring your own" plan. Dluzak's situation is typical: "With AT&T, the cost for two years would have been $2,400 even if I didn't go over my data limit," he said. "With Straight Talk, two years is $1,000, plus the $350 for the phone ... so which would you rather pay?" Here's a rare case where it's sensible to make a purchase with a credit card, even if you can't pay off the full balance at the end of the month. Instead of having the carrier subsidize the large purchase, borrow the money from your card-issuing bank instead. The interest you pay will be less than the "interest" you'd pay the carrier for the subsidy. *Not the latest gadget Cellphone-plan discounters and prepaid services generally don't offer the latest gadgets. Walmart isn't selling the Galaxy III to prepaid users, for example. This isn't so much a conspiracy as it is market economics, says Simon, the phone consumer advocate. "The latest phones would be too expensive for the prepaid folks to provide," he said. They are also servicing their budget-conscious customers, who are clearly more worried about price than getting the latest and greatest gadget. "You still get a decent phone, just not the latest one," he said. "It might be one generation older." But even this bit of accepted market behavior is beginning to change. Starting this week, Apple began selling fully unlocked iPhone 5 devices direct to consumers for $649 to $849, depending on model. The device has some limitations -- you can only buy the GSM model from Apple, meaning it can't be used on many U.S. networks. But the sale shows that smartphone contract haters are starting to enjoy more options. The emergence of a thriving prepaid market for flip-phones over the last decade was a godsend to consumers tired of overpaying for calling minutes they never needed, just to avoid accidental overages and surprise big bills. As pre-paid plans emerged from the shadows and became mainstream, the competition forced contract carriers to lower prices and offer more consumer-friendly options. This same cycle is playing out now with smartphones. Contract phones and the big providers still have an edge with smartphone service and gadgets. But that gap is closing. If you aren't a technophile, don't plan on streaming a lot of video with your phone and don't need tethering capabilities for home or work, you owe it to your family budget spreadsheet to investigate month-to-month smartphone plans. "Sure, it's not the latest and greatest," Dluzak said. "But the latest and greatest will cost dearly. Dearly is twice the price, and yes to be safe, you'll need to make sure you're sitting in a nice comfy chair when you open the bill, because if you're not, you could fall over and injure yourself." * Follow Bob Sullivan on Facebook. More from Red Tape Chronicles:
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Ten fresh faces to watch in the new Congress
| By Carrie Dann, NBC News Some will become household names, and some may be doomed to a quick re-election defeat or to toil away in anonymity. But every two years, new freshmen members of Congress descend on Capitol Hill, representing the country's changing landscape with their politics and their life stories. The new ranks will be flush with record-breakers when they arrive in Washington. The 113th Congress will welcome the first openly gay senator, the first Asian-American woman in the Senate and first bisexual member of Congress. A new Latino senator -- one of just three -- is already snagging headlines for voicing a new vision of the Republican party. A record-breaking 20 women will serve in the upper chamber, and 78 will be seated in the United States House. Sixteen new members served in the Iraq or Afghanistan wars. Four new LGBT individuals were elected, almost doubling the number of openly gay lawmakers on the Hill. While the whims of a 24-hour news cycle can elevate any fresh face at the drop of a hat -- or the click of a tweet -- here's a first look at 10 interesting new people to watch as the 113th Congress convenes. TED CRUZ, R-Tex. Cruz, a Cuban-American whose support from Tea Party groups propelled him to victory over Texas Lt. Gov David Dewhurst in a July primary, said in remarks at an American Principles Project event that Mitt Romney's "47 percent" comment should have been flatly disavowed by conservatives.  Sen.-elect Ted Cruz, R-Texas speaks to reporters on Capitol Hill in Washington on Nov. 13. "We embraced in that comment, and in the narrative we made to this country, the Democrat notion that there is a fixed and static pie," he said. "The essence of the conservative message should be we want a dynamic nation where anybody with nothing can achieve anything." The freshman -- who benefited from endorsements by Sarah Palin and Jim DeMint -- will add to the Senate's ranks of Tea Party-aligned conservatives, while his legal background as a solicitor general and onetime Supreme Court law clerk will make likely make him a sought-after voice on Constitutional issues. Look for Cruz, one of just three Latino senators, to join colleague Marco Rubio as an influential voice in Republican soul-searching over their the party's drubbing with minority voters in the 2012 election. HEIDI HEITKAMP, D-N.D. The onetime director of Dakota Gasification Company, which operates a plant that turns coal into natural gas, Heitkamp is squarely at odds with her party's own standard bearer on energy issues. Asked during a campaign forum what she would tell President Barack Obama about the nation's energy policy, she flatly stated that the administration is "wrong."  Heidi Heitkamp smiles as she speaks to supporters during a campaign stop at the Coordinated Campaign HQ in Grand Forks, N.D, on Nov. 5. "You're wrong on energy. You're headed in the wrong direction. You made bad decisions," she said, according to The Associated Press. "You promised that you would promote clean coal technologies, that you would be a champion of coal, and you haven't done it." She also urged the president to replace Energy Secretary Steven Chu and EPA administrator Lisa Jackson. A Democrat who eked out a narrow win in a state that voted for Mitt Romney by 20 points, Heitkamp faces targeting by Republicans hoping to lure red-state Democrats over to their side on key issues. She'll be a player on agriculture issues; she has said she's been offered a spot on the Senate agriculture committee and that she hopes to help shepherd a five-year Farm Bill to passage. TAMMY BALDWIN, D-Wis.  Tammy Baldwin celebrates her victory over Republican candidate Tommy Thompson on election night on Nov. 6 in Madison, Wis. Before her Senate run, Baldwin served seven terms in the House, sitting on the House Energy and Commerce Committee as well as earlier stints on the bodies that cover judiciary and budget matters. In 2009, she authored a legislative amendment requiring that insurance companies allow children to stay on their parents' insurance plans until age 26, one of the more enduringly popular pieces of the Obama administration's health-care law. And with her swearing-in still weeks away, she has already jumped into the fray on the ongoing fiscal cliff talks, urging the president to adopt the "Buffett Rule," which would tax Americans with incomes over $1 million at a minimum 30 percent effective tax rate. "In addition to letting the Bush-era tax cuts expire for incomes above $250,000 as you have pledged to do, we believe it is imperative to enact a safeguard to ensure that the highest-earning Americans cannot subvert the progressivity of the tax code through loopholes and special rates not available to middle-class families," she and Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., wrote in a November 29 letter. ANGUS KING, I-Maine Angus King, the state's first independent to be elected to the Senate, had not formally indicated during his three-way race whether he would caucus with Democrats or Republicans for purposes of organization. On Nov. 14, King -- who served two terms as the state's independent governor -- announced that he would align with Democrats.  Senator-elect Angus King on Nov. 13 in Washington, D.C. In a statement, King said he considered forgoing any formal alliance with either party but that Senate rules would render him dramatically less effective to his constituents as a truly unaffiliated member of the body because of seniority. "I have decided to affiliate with the Democratic Caucus because doing so will allow me to take independent positions on issues as they arise and at the same time be an effective representative of the people of Maine," he said. With his pledges to work across the aisle, King would join a long lineage of Maine legislators who fashioned themselves as compromise-minded moderates. His predecessor, Republican Olympia Snowe, was one of only three GOP senators to support the Obama stimulus package in 2009 and voted to confirm both Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan for the Supreme Court. (Snowe was joined on those and many other party-bucking votes by colleague Susan Collins, also from Maine.) King hopes to be a player on the issues of campaign finance and reform of the Senate filibuster, which King said has been employed "excessively" in recent years. ELIZABETH WARREN. D-Mass.  U.S. Sen.-elect Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., left, faces reporters during a news conference in Boston on Nov. 8. Warren, a Harvard Law School professor who helped oversee the bank bailout, has used blunt rhetoric to paint banks as remorseless perpetrators of the financial crisis. "Wall Street CEOs -- the same ones who wrecked our economy and destroyed millions of jobs -- still strut around Congress, no shame, demanding favors, and acting like we should thank them," she said during her speech at the Democratic National Convention. In November, Warren defeated Republican Senator Scott Brown, who rose to national prominence when he won the seat formerly held by the late Sen. Ted Kennedy in a special 2010. Now, Warren is widely expected to play a role in Democrats' attempts to further reform the banking industry, with a possible appointment to the Senate Banking Committee. But the financial lobby has reportedly mounted an effort to keep her off the panel that drafts industry regulation, meaning that her high-profile clashes with Wall Street could get yet more ink in the coming months. TAMMY DUCKWORTH, D-Ill. In what she describes as her "bonus time" after the attack that could have left her for dead, Duckworth has championed the rights of disabled veterans, serving as an assistant secretary in the Department of Veterans Affairs in the Obama administration.  Tammy Duckworth arrives to pose for a class picture with other new members of the 113th Congress on the steps of the U.S. Capitol on Nov. 15 in Washington D.C. Duckworth advocates for some cuts to military spending, a position that frequently earns her fellow Democrats the label of "weak on national security." But as a Purple Heart recipient with a high profile and a long family history of military service, she will be a visible advocate for the paring down of the defense budget while enjoying relative immunity from Republicans wary of questioning her record. (Just ask Walsh, her Republican opponent, who faced a blistering outcry during the campaign after he implied that Duckworth was not a "true hero" because of frequent mentions of her disability.) Not that Duckworth is a shrinking violet from the harder edge of politics. "There's nothing anyone can say to me or do to me -- short of actually pointing a gun and shooting at me -- that's going to be as bad as it was in Iraq and that year I spent recovering," she recently told NBCNews.com in an interview. "So it's really freeing." KRYSTEN SINEMA, D-Ariz.  Rep.-elect Kyrsten Sinema, D-Ariz., is seen during a news conference with newly elected Democratic House members, on Capitol Hill in Washington, on Nov. 13. The 36-year-old social worker, who once quipped that she's a "Prada socialist" in a magazine interview, jousted with Gov. Jan Brewer on education issues during her tenure in the legislature, warranting a hefty contribution from the governor's political action committee to Sinema's opponents. Education policy, jobs, and addressing foreclosures will be her top priorities as a federal lawmaker. Sinema's spokesman recently told The New York Times that the new congresswoman, who was raised a Mormon, supports a "secular approach" to government. TED YOHO, R-Fla.  In this 2012 photograph provided by the candidate's campaign, Ted Yoho poses for a photo. Yoho, a proponent of the consumption-based Fair Tax, has said that he won't be put into political "handcuffs" by signing anti-tax advocate Grover Norquist's pledge. "If you sign a pledge like [Norquist's], you've got handcuffs on," he told NPR. The upset winner of a primary against 12-term incumbent Rep. Cliff Stearns, Yoho imitated NFL player Tim Tebow's prayerful victory kneel for supporters after his win. He has promised constituents that he will serve no longer than eight years in Congress. MARKWAYNE MULLIN, R-Okla.  Republican candidate Markwayne Mullin, right, answers a question during a debate at Rogers State University in Claremore, Okla., on Oct. 29, 2012. The Tulsa native -- a social conservative who vehemently opposes "amnesty" proposals -- has promised to take a no-frills attitude to the halls of Congress. Casually dressed on election night, he joked with supporters that he defied his campaign staff's request that he wear a suit to deliver his victory speech. "They got me this far, and boots are going to take me all the way there and bring me all the way back" from Washington, he said. SEAN PATRICK MALONEY, D-N.Y. Maloney unseated Republican Rep. Nan Hayworth in a New York's redrawn 18th District.  Rep.-elect Sean Patrick Maloney, D-NY., is seen on stage during a news conference with newly elected Democratic House members, on Capitol Hill in Washington, on Nov. 13. The first openly gay New York congressman, Maloney and his partner Randy Florke have three adopted children together. Maloney once told New York Magazine that his hero is fictional lawyer Atticus Finch and came in third in New York's 2006 Democratic primary for attorney general. In addition to his career as a behind-the-scenes political aide, Maloney also made a name at two prestigious New York law firms. He was a partner at Kirkland & Ellis LLP before moving to Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP. ALAN GRAYSON, D-Fla. He's ba-ack. Alan Grayson, the quotable liberal firebrand whose zippy insults served as cable catnip during his previous stint in Congress, will be back on the Hill again next year. After losing his 2010 re-election bid, Grayson moved to a new Orlando district and sailed to victory this year over Republican Todd Long.  Rep. Alan Grayson listens to Federal Reserve Board Chairman Ben Bernanke testify during a House Financial Services Committee hearing on Capitol Hill on Oct. 1, 2009 in Washington, D.C. The man who disgraced former Rep. Anthony Weiner once labelled as "one fry short of a happy meal," has garnered frequent outrage for his rhetorical bombs. He was forced to apologize after referring to a banking lobbyist as a "K Street whore"; he said Florida Gov. Rick Scott would have "blood on his hands" if he did not implement some parts of the health-care plan; and he accused Republicans of offering only the health-care proposal that sick people should "die quickly." He was roundly beaten by Republican Daniel Webster in 2010 but will return having won by a 25 point margin in a redrawn district. Cable news bookers, start your engines. |
At least 3 dead in Philippines typhoon
Man pushed onto NYC subway tracks, killed by train
| View more videos at: http://nbcnewyork.com. By Shimon Prokupecz and Jonathan Vigliotti, NBCNewYork.com A man was pushed onto subway tracks and killed by a train in Manhattan after an argument with another traveler Monday afternoon, witnesses and law enforcement sources said. Police released video and photos of the suspect in the death at 49th Street. The man who fell on the tracks at the N, Q, R station at Seventh Avenue was hit by a southbound R train at about 12:30 p.m. He was later pronounced dead at nearby St. Luke's Hospital. Police identified him as 58-year-old Ki-Suck Han of Elmhurst, Queens. Witnesses told police the other man was mumbling to himself before he and Han began arguing on the platform. Bystander filmed argument The man who allegedly pushed Han is heard cursing and saying, in substance, "Leave me alone... stand in line, wait for the R train and that's it." He then pushed Han on to the tracks, police said. Han tried to climb back up onto the platform a few feet above and died after Read more news on NBCNewYork.com  Mark Lennihan / AP Uniformed and plainclothes police officers stand outside a New York subway station after a man was killed after falling into the path of a train, Monday, Dec. 3, 2012. Transit officials say police are investigating whether he could have been pushed onto the tracks. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan) Witness Patrick Gomez, who was in the station, said he heard a "thud that didn't sound normal" when the train pulled into the station. "People are just standing there in fear and shock, not really knowing what's going on," he said. "Some people started running out of the platform, others just stood there." He said police evacuated the platform within minutes. Subway pushes are unusual. Among the more high-profile was the January 1999 death of Kendra Webdale. A former mental patient admitted he shoved her to her death. Following that, the state Legislature passed Kendra's Law, which lets mental health authorities supervise patients who live outside institutions to make sure they are taking their medications and aren't a threat to safety. Police are searching for the suspect in the video, last seen wearing a dark jacket, a gray t-shirt and a cap. |
Teachers in Chicago suburb go on strike
| View more videos at: http://nbcchicago.com. By BJ Lutz and Dick Johnson, NBCChicago.com More than 20,000 students in a suburb of Chicago won't have class or after-school activities beginning Tuesday after teachers voted to strike. Teachers in Community Unit School District 300 voted Monday afternoon to strike after 11 months of negotiations failed to end with a new contract. The last contract expired July 1, and class sizes and salaries remain the sticking points. "It's pretty daunting. It's something that we kept talking about but I never really thought would happen," said fourth-grade teacher Ann Hottoby. "We need a better learning environment for our students. Three years ago -- over three years ago -- I had 23 students in my room. The next year I had 37," she added. Chicago teachers strike affects 350,000 students District spokesman Joe Stevens said in a voicemail to district parents and staff members that members from the Board of Education, the Local Education Assocation of District 300 -- the Carpentersville area district's teachers union -- and a federal mediator met for a final time Monday. Chicago teachers agree to end strike "After the Board agreed to LEAD's latest proposal to further reduce class sizes at all grade levels and create class-size caps for middle and high school classes, the LEAD team increased its salary proposal by returning to an earlier salary request. At this point, the Board has met LEAD's expectations regarding class sizes, but we have not reached agreement on salaries," he said in the message. Biggest losers of Chicago's teachers strike? The students, critic says Three middle schools will remain open as emergency attendance centers for students in kindergarten to grade six who have no other place to go, according to the district. Read more news on NBCChicago.com The district's website -- d300.org -- has information about the board's latest offer. The massive district, which covers 118 square miles and 15 communities in four counties, hasn't had a teacher strike in three decades. |