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Clinton explains RFK assassination reference

BRANDON, South Dakota (CNN) — Sen. Hillary Clinton said Friday that she regretted comments that evoked the June 1968 assassination of Robert Kennedy as part of her explanation for why she was staying in the presidential race late into the primary season.

Earlier Friday afternoon, she told the editorial board of the Sioux Falls, South Dakota, Argus Leader that My husband did not wrap up the nomination in 1992 until he won the California primary somewhere in the middle of June, right? We all remember Bobby Kennedy was assassinated in June in California. I don’t understand it, she said.

Clinton complained that people have been trying to push me out of this ever since Iowa and said that position historically … makes no sense.

Later at an event in Brandon, South Dakota, she said, Earlier today, I was discussing the Democratic primary history and in the course of that discussion mentioned the campaigns that both my husband and Sen. Kennedy waged in California in June in 1992 and 1968, and I was referencing those to make the point that we have had nominating primary contests that go into June. That’s an historic fact. Watch more of Clinton’s comments to the editorial board

The Kennedys have been much on my mind in the last days because of Sen. [Edward] Kennedy, and I regret that if my referencing that moment of trauma for our entire nation and particularly for the Kennedy family was in any way offensive. I certainly had no intention of that whatsoever, Clinton added. Watch Clinton explain her remarks

The campaign of her rival for the Democratic nomination for president, Sen. Barack Obama, reacted quickly.

Sen. Clinton’s statement before the Argus Leader editorial board was unfortunate and has no place in this campaign, it said in a statement.

Her campaign first defended the remarks, saying the New York senator had been making a historical parallel.

She was simply referencing her husband in 1992 and Bobby Kennedy in 1968 of historical examples of the nominating process going well into the summer. Any reading into it beyond that is inaccurate and outrageous, Clinton spokesman Mo Elleithee said.

Kennedy, the brother of slain President John F. Kennedy, was shot and killed just moments after claiming victory in the California primary in 1968.

Friday night, Kennedy’s son, Robert Kennedy, Jr., released a statement that said he understands the point Clinton was making and said it would be a mistake to be offended.

I have heard her make this reference before, also citing her husband’s 1992 race, both of which were hard-fought through June, he said. I understand how highly charged the atmosphere is, but I think it is a mistake for people to take offense.

Also Friday, the Clinton campaign released a statement from Randell Beck, the newspaper’s executive editor, saying Clinton was answering a question about whether her continued campaigning threatens party unity so close to the Democratic convention.

Her reference to Mr. Kennedy’s assassination appeared to focus on the timeline of his primary candidacy and not the assassination itself, Beck said in the statement.

Clinton’s campaign manager, Maggie Williams, told CNN’s Wolf Blitzer that people may have misinterpreted what she meant.

It was clear to anybody watching her this afternoon that she was … deeply regretful, and people did not understand the context in which she made this reference, and so I think that she immediately, as soon as she could, spoke out to express her regret for … perhaps the way that she had spoken or the people had misinterpreted what she meant, Williams said.

Clinton made a similar reference to Robert Kennedy in a March interview with Time magazine Managing Editor Richard Stengel, saying she could not envision a scenario in which party leaders would step in and call for the race to end.

I think people have short memories, she said then. Primary contests used to last a lot longer. We all remember the great tragedy of Bobby Kennedy being assassinated in June in L.A. My husband didn’t wrap up the nomination in 1992 until June. Having a primary contest go through June is nothing particularly unusual.

found here.

Report: U.N. chief arrives in quake zone

BEIJING, China (CNN) — U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon arrived in China Saturday to observe earthquake relief efforts, China’s state-run news agency reported.

Ban arrived in Chengdu, capital of quake-hit Sichuan province, Xinhua reported. He was due to travel later Saturday to areas closer to the epicenter of the May 12 quake.

On Friday China’s government appealed for more than 2 million tents to shelter the estimated 5 million people made homeless by the huge earthquake as the death toll continued to rise.

More than 55,740 people are known to have died in the 7.9-magnitude quake, centered in Sichuan province, with another 24,960 missing and 292,481 injured, authorities said.

As of midday Friday, domestic and international donations to China’s earthquake zone had reached $3.6 billion, or 24.6 billion yuan, according to State Council officials.

So far, $273 million has been forwarded to the earthquake-affected areas, the office said.

In the midst of the devastation caused by last week’s quake, China’s central government announced that it will allocate $10 billion to the country’s reconstruction fund, according to state media. iReport: Send photos, videos of relief effort

About 400,000 tents have been sent to quake-hit areas, but many more are needed, Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang said, according to the state-run Xinhua news agency.

The central government has said it needs about 3 million tents to provide shelter for everyone who needs one.

President Hu Jintao urged manufacturers to produce tents as quickly as possible on a visit to factories in eastern China’s Zhejiang Province on Thursday, state-media reported.

I just came back from Sichuan, and tents are extremely needed there, he said. Every tent you produce can help several townsmen of yours.

We still face the arduous task of rescue and relief, and we especially need lots of tents to accommodate homeless people, Hu said, according to Xinhua. To produce more tents will be the greatest care shown to survivors and the greatest contribution to the rescue and relief.

Premier Wen Jiabao said government spending will be cut by 5 percent this year to pay for rebuilding, Xinhua reported. See how how a police officer is praised for breast-feeding surviving babies

China’s Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development called on local authorities to build 1 million temporary homes by early August to accommodate many of those left homeless, according to Xinhua.

China’s response has been praised by a top United Nations official, who said the government’s willingness to seek international help highlighted the magnitude of the crisis. Watch how China’s image is getting a boost

Earthquake relief efforts have prompted Chinese officials to postpone the penultimate leg of the Olympic torch relay to Beijing, organizers said.

The two-day relay through Sichuan province, still reeling from the May 12 quake, will start August 3 — less than a week before the torch enters the opening ceremony in Beijing, according to a statement from the city’s Olympic organizing committee. The relay had been scheduled for June 15.

Thursday ended an official three-day mourning period, which had temporarily halted the Olympic torch relay. Watch the torch get back on the road

ITN’s John Sparks reported from China that the mourning period had appeared to unofficially mark the end of the search and rescue phase of the operations.

Medical staff are now seeking to identify the bodies being found and reduce the risk of disease spreading from the rotting corpses, he said.

However, massive problems remain trying to cope with the homeless, many of whom are concentrated in Sichuan’s mountainous regions.

Meanwhile on Friday, astonishing images were released showing the moment when a post-wedding photocall was interrupted by the quake. See images showing the moment the quake struck

And a newspaper reported that another survivor lived through a far worse disaster more than 30 years ago.

found here.

Report: U.N. chief arrives in quake zone

BEIJING, China (CNN) — U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon arrived in China Saturday to observe earthquake relief efforts, China’s state-run news agency reported.

Ban arrived in Chengdu, capital of quake-hit Sichuan province, Xinhua reported. He was due to travel later Saturday to areas closer to the epicenter of the May 12 quake.

On Friday China’s government appealed for more than 2 million tents to shelter the estimated 5 million people made homeless by the huge earthquake as the death toll continued to rise.

More than 55,740 people are known to have died in the 7.9-magnitude quake, centered in Sichuan province, with another 24,960 missing and 292,481 injured, authorities said.

As of midday Friday, domestic and international donations to China’s earthquake zone had reached $3.6 billion, or 24.6 billion yuan, according to State Council officials.

So far, $273 million has been forwarded to the earthquake-affected areas, the office said.

In the midst of the devastation caused by last week’s quake, China’s central government announced that it will allocate $10 billion to the country’s reconstruction fund, according to state media. iReport: Send photos, videos of relief effort

About 400,000 tents have been sent to quake-hit areas, but many more are needed, Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang said, according to the state-run Xinhua news agency.

The central government has said it needs about 3 million tents to provide shelter for everyone who needs one.

President Hu Jintao urged manufacturers to produce tents as quickly as possible on a visit to factories in eastern China’s Zhejiang Province on Thursday, state-media reported.

I just came back from Sichuan, and tents are extremely needed there, he said. Every tent you produce can help several townsmen of yours.

We still face the arduous task of rescue and relief, and we especially need lots of tents to accommodate homeless people, Hu said, according to Xinhua. To produce more tents will be the greatest care shown to survivors and the greatest contribution to the rescue and relief.

Premier Wen Jiabao said government spending will be cut by 5 percent this year to pay for rebuilding, Xinhua reported. See how how a police officer is praised for breast-feeding surviving babies

China’s Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development called on local authorities to build 1 million temporary homes by early August to accommodate many of those left homeless, according to Xinhua.

China’s response has been praised by a top United Nations official, who said the government’s willingness to seek international help highlighted the magnitude of the crisis. Watch how China’s image is getting a boost

Earthquake relief efforts have prompted Chinese officials to postpone the penultimate leg of the Olympic torch relay to Beijing, organizers said.

The two-day relay through Sichuan province, still reeling from the May 12 quake, will start August 3 — less than a week before the torch enters the opening ceremony in Beijing, according to a statement from the city’s Olympic organizing committee. The relay had been scheduled for June 15.

Thursday ended an official three-day mourning period, which had temporarily halted the Olympic torch relay. Watch the torch get back on the road

ITN’s John Sparks reported from China that the mourning period had appeared to unofficially mark the end of the search and rescue phase of the operations.

Medical staff are now seeking to identify the bodies being found and reduce the risk of disease spreading from the rotting corpses, he said.

However, massive problems remain trying to cope with the homeless, many of whom are concentrated in Sichuan’s mountainous regions.

Meanwhile on Friday, astonishing images were released showing the moment when a post-wedding photocall was interrupted by the quake. See images showing the moment the quake struck

And a newspaper reported that another survivor lived through a far worse disaster more than 30 years ago.

found here.

Report: U.N. chief arrives in quake zone

BEIJING, China (CNN) — U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon arrived in China Saturday to observe earthquake relief efforts, China’s state-run news agency reported.

Ban arrived in Chengdu, capital of quake-hit Sichuan province, Xinhua reported. He was due to travel later Saturday to areas closer to the epicenter of the May 12 quake.

On Friday China’s government appealed for more than 2 million tents to shelter the estimated 5 million people made homeless by the huge earthquake as the death toll continued to rise.

More than 55,740 people are known to have died in the 7.9-magnitude quake, centered in Sichuan province, with another 24,960 missing and 292,481 injured, authorities said.

As of midday Friday, domestic and international donations to China’s earthquake zone had reached $3.6 billion, or 24.6 billion yuan, according to State Council officials.

So far, $273 million has been forwarded to the earthquake-affected areas, the office said.

In the midst of the devastation caused by last week’s quake, China’s central government announced that it will allocate $10 billion to the country’s reconstruction fund, according to state media. iReport: Send photos, videos of relief effort

About 400,000 tents have been sent to quake-hit areas, but many more are needed, Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang said, according to the state-run Xinhua news agency.

The central government has said it needs about 3 million tents to provide shelter for everyone who needs one.

President Hu Jintao urged manufacturers to produce tents as quickly as possible on a visit to factories in eastern China’s Zhejiang Province on Thursday, state-media reported.

I just came back from Sichuan, and tents are extremely needed there, he said. Every tent you produce can help several townsmen of yours.

We still face the arduous task of rescue and relief, and we especially need lots of tents to accommodate homeless people, Hu said, according to Xinhua. To produce more tents will be the greatest care shown to survivors and the greatest contribution to the rescue and relief.

Premier Wen Jiabao said government spending will be cut by 5 percent this year to pay for rebuilding, Xinhua reported. See how how a police officer is praised for breast-feeding surviving babies

China’s Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development called on local authorities to build 1 million temporary homes by early August to accommodate many of those left homeless, according to Xinhua.

China’s response has been praised by a top United Nations official, who said the government’s willingness to seek international help highlighted the magnitude of the crisis. Watch how China’s image is getting a boost

Earthquake relief efforts have prompted Chinese officials to postpone the penultimate leg of the Olympic torch relay to Beijing, organizers said.

The two-day relay through Sichuan province, still reeling from the May 12 quake, will start August 3 — less than a week before the torch enters the opening ceremony in Beijing, according to a statement from the city’s Olympic organizing committee. The relay had been scheduled for June 15.

Thursday ended an official three-day mourning period, which had temporarily halted the Olympic torch relay. Watch the torch get back on the road

ITN’s John Sparks reported from China that the mourning period had appeared to unofficially mark the end of the search and rescue phase of the operations.

Medical staff are now seeking to identify the bodies being found and reduce the risk of disease spreading from the rotting corpses, he said.

However, massive problems remain trying to cope with the homeless, many of whom are concentrated in Sichuan’s mountainous regions.

Meanwhile on Friday, astonishing images were released showing the moment when a post-wedding photocall was interrupted by the quake. See images showing the moment the quake struck

And a newspaper reported that another survivor lived through a far worse disaster more than 30 years ago.

found here.