Donald Sterling Opposes Wife As He Seeks Broadcast Deal for Clippers
Billionaire Donald Sterling opposes his wife's effort to sell the couple's ownership of the Los Angeles Clippers for a record $2 billion because he was negotiating a big broadcast deal with Fox that would be worth more, he testified Tuesday.
Sterling was asked by his wife's attorney whether he was fighting her proposed deal because he wanted to restore his dignity.
"The reason you are handling the case is because you want to charge millions in fees, right?" Donald Sterling said in a probate court trial. "The reason is not because of my dignity."
Sterling cited how another NBA franchise in Los Angeles - the Lakers - struck a deal with Time Warner Cable to broadcast its games for 20 years for a reported $3 billion in 2011.
"The reason is that the Lakers signed a deal with Warners for $3 billion. The reason is, I am negotiating with Fox," Sterling said.
Obama: 'Won't Be a Military Solution' if Iraqi Political Structure Not Fixed
President Barack Obama exhorted Iraqi leaders to come up with a political solution to governing their nation because "if they don't, there won't be a military solution to the problem," he told CNN in an interview Friday.
Obama wants to see Iraq create a command structure that includes Shiites, Sunnis and Kurds, which are the country's chief groups, he told CNN's Kate Bolduan.
"We gave Iraq the chance to have an inclusive democracy," Obama said on the eve of U.S. military advisers arriving in Iraq to help the government besieged by militant extremists.
Sunni militants have crossed over from northern Syria to blitz major Iraqi cities. Hundreds of thousands of civilians have fled from their path, creating a new refugee and political crisis.
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Full interview will air Monday, June 23rd on "New Day" at 6am ET.
U.S. Schools Chief Calls California Ruling 'A Mandate' to Fix Tenure, Firing Laws
A California judge ruled as unconstitutional Tuesday the state's teacher tenure, dismissal and layoff laws, saying they keep bad teachers in the classroom and force out promising good ones.
Poor and minority students are especially hurt by the laws because "grossly ineffective teachers" more often work in their schools, Los Angeles County Judge Rolf M. Treu said.
The ruling was hailed by the nation's top education chief as bringing to California - and possibly the nation - an opportunity to build "a new framework for the teaching profession." The decision represented "a mandate" to fix a broken teaching system, U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan said.
The court ordered a stay of the decision, pending an appeal by the state and the teachers union, the plaintiffs said.
Reforming teacher tenure and firing laws is a hotly debated issue in American education, and the California case is being watched nationally, as evidenced by a statement from Duncan immediately after the court ruling.
Reformers say firing a bad teacher is almost impossible because of tenure laws and union protections, but teachers and their unions argue school boards and their firing criteria have unfair, overtly political standards.
Duncan, a former schools chief in Chicago, said he hoped the ruling will spark a national dialogue on a teacher tenure process "that is fair, thoughtful, practical and swift."
At a minimum, Duncan said the court decision, if upheld, will bring to California "a new framework for the teaching profession that protects students' rights to equal educational opportunities while providing teachers the support, respect and rewarding careers they deserve."
"The students who brought this lawsuit are, unfortunately, just nine out of millions of young people in America who are disadvantaged by laws, practices and systems that fail to identify and support our best teachers and match them with our neediest students. Today's court decision is a mandate to fix these problems," Duncan said.
Teachers unions, however, criticized the ruling, with one leader stating the court decision was "anti-public education" and a "scapegoating" of teachers for public education's problems. They will appeal the ruling.
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U.S. Dad Wins Huge Custody Fight
By Ana Cabrera and Elizabeth Stuart, CNN
Snowmass, Colorado (CNN) - It's been seven months since Dennis Burns has had any contact with his two young daughters. No visits, no Skype, no phone calls, no communication at all.
Just silence.
But all that could change in the next few weeks.
His daughters are victims of an international abduction.
Burns' ex-wife, Ana Alianelli, spirited away the children, 7-year-old Victoria and 5-year-old Sophia, from their home in Colorado and fled to her native Argentina more than 3½ years ago, violating a court order.
"You know I think about them a lot," Burns told CNN in an exclusive interview. "I dream about them a lot. I can feel their little hugs around my body. I just want to hug them back, and it's super painful."
Burns has devoted his life savings and all his time to fighting what's become a messy international legal battle.
His odyssey now appears to be reaching a conclusion: Argentina's Supreme Court has denied the last of appeals by his ex-wife this year, which means Burns has won his case. The final step will be an order of return from the U.S. State Department and a date to transfer custody of the girls to him.
It all began in September 2010, when Burns and Alianelli were divorcing and found themselves at an impasse: Alianelli wanted to relocate to Buenos Aires, and Burns wanted to stay in Colorado.
After a 13-month custody battle, a Colorado judge ruled in favor of Burns, declaring him the primary residential parent.
"I felt a sense of relief that was just beautiful," he told CNN last November, when "New Day" first presented his story. "I was like, 'I'm going to be able to spend time with my daughters, finally, and live with them and be able to teach them things, and show them things."
Just three weeks later, Alianelli flew the girls out of the United States on their Argentine passports. They've been living with her in Buenos Aires ever since.
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