Senior Al Qaeda leaders in Iraq killed

A joint Iraqi-US operation succeeded in killing the two most senior members of Al Queda in Iraq according to CNN today. The US military said the deaths of Abu Ayyub al-Masri and Abu Omar al-Baghdadi are "a potentially devastating blow," to Al Queda.

Al-Masri was the military leader of Al Queda in Iraq, while al-Baghdadi was the leader of Islamic State of Iraq, an organization that includes Al Queda in Iraq. Al-masri's assistant and al-Baghdadi's son were also killed in the operation. Both were involved in terrorist activities.

One US soldier died when a helicopter crashed during the attack.

Cuomo to announce candidacy?

Attorney General Andrew Cuomo could announce his intentions to succeed David Paterson as governor as early as next Wednesday, at a fundraising event in New York City, according to the Syracuse Post-Standard. A source close to Cuomo says the crowd "will be pumped up expecting to hear something big about the governor's race, and that would be the place to do it."

The nominating convention of the Democratic Rural Conference takes place next Friday. Cuomo has close ties to the organization and may have scheduled the fundraiser to coincide with the convention. Democrats are hopeful that Cuomo's campaign will focus on eliminating corruption as well as financial and economic concerns, including the delinquint state budget. Right now, Cuomo's focus remains on the prosecution of several high profile investigations he's conducted from his post of attorney general.

Jurors convict Long Island man in hate crime case

Jurors convicted a Long Island man of manslaughter in the death of an immigrant from Ecuador, according the the Syracuse Post-Standard. Jeffrey Conroy killed Marcelo Lucero by stabbing him in the chest on November 8, 2008. Conroy was also found guilty of gang assault and conspiracy, but not guilty of committing murder as a hate crime. He was found guilty of three additional counts of assault against Latino men on Long Island.

Prosecutors say Conroy and his friends targetting Latinos for assaults in a sport they called "Beaner-hopping." Authorities say Latinos continuously face high levels of discrimination in Suffolk County.