• Navy ships at New York's Fleet Week are latest casualties of budget cuts

    Seth Wenig / AP file

    The USS Iwo Jima passes the Statue of Liberty during Fleet Week in New York on May 25, 2011.

    By Jim Miklaszewski and Courtney Kube, NBC News

    The annual Fleet Week in New York City may not be canceled this year, but a U.S. Navy official says it will be scaled back significantly from recent years because of sequestration.


    "It's not going to look like anything we've seen in the past," the official said, adding that the Navy "is not going to be able to support it like we have in the past."

    Read more at NBCNewYork.com

    Department of Defense policy about spending during sequestration states that no branch of the armed forces may participate in community relations or outreach events that incur additional cost to the government or that rely on anything other than local assets and personnel.

    "DoD policy is clear," the official said, adding that, "we will follow that direction, to include participation in Fleet Weeks."

    The official stressed that the Navy will strive to see how it can participate in events with local assets and lower costs. "We're still looking to see what parts of the larger celebrations we can salvage."

    Also as part of the cuts, this week the Navy officially canceled remaining performances in 2013 by the Blue Angels precision flying team. The Defense Department has said the budget cuts would force the military to slash ship and aircraft maintenance, curtail training, and give up to 14 days' unpaid leave to most of its 800,000 civilian employees.

    Fleet Week is run by the city of New York, not the Navy. It is scheduled to begin May 22. Last year, 21 ships from the U.S. and its allies participated, but it's unclear how many would appear this time. 

    The official said that city officials are disappointed, but understand the constraints.

    "We are working with them to see what we can provide," the official said, adding, "but it will not be the five, six, seven big decks (aircraft carriers) and ships that we've had in the past."

    NBCNewYork.com contributed to this report.

  • 'Teacher of the Year' gets pink slip amid budget cuts

    By Daniel Macht, NBCBayArea.com

    She’s been called the best teacher in her city, and she may be out of a job.


    Sacramento sixth grade teacher Michelle Apperson was recently named “Teacher of the Year” for her entire district. A pink slip from California’s cash-starved government followed the good news for the Sutterville Elementary School teacher of nine years, KXTV reported.

    According to The Sacramento Bee, the Sacramento City Unified School district approved $28 million in budget cuts earlier this year. The district is bracing for a worst-case scenario that it will have to cut another $15 million if Gov. Jerry Brown’s tax hike initiative fails to make the grade with voters in November, the Bee reported.

    "It hurts on a personal level because I really love what I do," Apperson told KXTV of losing her livelihood. "But professionally and politically or economically I get why it happens."

    For more, visit NBCBayArea.com

    A district spokesman told KXTV the teacher layoffs were based on seniority, not performance, and mandated by the state.

    Apperson is reportedly no. 8 on a list of teachers to be rehired if her district regains its funding.

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  • Analyst: 'Military industrial complex will survive' Pentagon cuts

    By msnbc.com staff

    While some Republican lawmakers are criticizing the Obama administration's plan to cut the Pentagon budget, and thousands of soldiers will be forced to leave the ranks, defense industry analysts say the move isn't likely to put big defense contractors out of business.

    "Our military industrial complex will survive," Kevin Ryan, a retired Army officer and executive director at Harvard University’s Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, told National Defense magazine, an industry publication. 

    "We are still spending a huge amount,” Ryan said. "Panetta [has made it clear] he will try to protect the military industrial base. … You won’t see [top tier contractors] Raytheon or Lockheed closing."

    Industry analyst say defense company's have already cut jobs and become more efficient in anticipation of fewer military dollars.

    "We could see the writing on the wall,”  David Melcher, CEO of ITT Exelis, told National Defense. "We anticipated the top line was going to come down."

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  • Panetta: Military cuts to hit 'all 50 states'

    The Pentagon announced a new plan that will streamline U.S. forces, look at possible base closures and expand cyber warfare capability in order to meet tough budget constraints. NBC's Chris Clackum reports.

    By NBC News and news services

    The Pentagon proposed budget cuts on Thursday that would slash the size of the U.S. military by eliminating thousands of jobs, mothballing ships and trimming air squadrons in an effort to shift strategic direction and reduce spending by $487 billion over a decade.

    The funding request, which includes painful cuts for many states, sets the stage for a new struggle between President Barack Obama's administration and Congress over how much the Pentagon should spend on national security as the country tries to curb trillion-dollar budget deficits.

    US Army chief 'comfortable' with smaller force as Pentagon prepares cuts

    "Make no mistake, the savings we are proposing will impact all 50 states and many districts across America," Defense Secretary Leon Panetta told a news conference at the Pentagon. "This will be a test of whether reducing the deficit is about talk or action."

    Obama will also ask Congress to approve a new round of domestic base closures, although the timing of this was left vague and there is little chance that lawmakers would agree to this in a presidential election year.

    Panetta, previewing plans that will be formally announced next month, said he would ask for a $525 billion base budget for the 2013 fiscal year, the first time since Sept. 11, 2001, that the Pentagon has asked for less than the previous year.

    Pablo Martinez Monsivais / AP

    Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, left, accompanied by Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, outlines the main areas of proposed spending cuts during a news conference at the Pentagon on Thursday.

    Panetta said he would seek $88.4 billion to support combat operations in Afghanistan, down from $115 billion in 2012 largely due to the end of the war in Iraq and the withdrawal of U.S. forces there at the end of last year.

    Congress requires that the Pentagon cut $487 billion from the defense budget over the next 10 years -- $259 billion will be cut in the first five years (2013 to 2018).

    No, Obama isn't actually proposing to cut defense spending

    "We believe this is a balanced and complete package," Panetta said, with Army Gen. Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, at his side.

    Some lawmakers were quick to dispute him.

    "Taking us back to a pre-9/11 military force structure places our country in grave danger," said Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee that will hold hearings on the Pentagon budget plan.

    Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., said the Panetta plan "ignores the lessons of history." He said it provides for a military that is "too small to respond effectively to events that may unfold over the next few years."

    Dempsey, however, said the military is united in its support for the new approach.

    "This budget is a first step — it's a down payment — as we transition from an emphasis on today's wars to preparing for future challenges," he said, adding, "This budget does not lead to a military in decline."

    While the timelines for each of these cuts vary, NBC News reports where the biggest cuts are coming from for now:

    Benefits
    Members of the military will receive full pay raises in 2013 and 2014, but their raises will be "limited" beginning in 2015. Health care fees for retirees will increase, including co-pays and deductibles.

    Army
    Active duty force will decrease by about 75,000 soldiers to 490,000. (For perspective, there are about 565,000 soldiers on active duty today and there were about 480,000 soldiers on active duty on 9/11/01.)

    Marine Corps
    Active duty force will decrease by about 20,000 Marines to 182,000 total. (For perspective, there are about 202,000 Marines on active duty today, and there were about 173,000 on 9/11/01.)

    Air Force
    Eliminate six of the 60 Air Force tactical air squadrons, as well as one training squadron.

    The Pentagon will eliminate:  27 aging C-5As (leaving behind 52 C-5Ms and 222 C-17s); 65 oldest C-130s (leaving behind 318 C-130s) and they will divest 38 C-27s.

    Navy
    Retire seven cruisers that have not been updated with ballistic missile defense capabilities or that are in need of significant maintenance. Some fleet support ships will also be retired, and the building of several ships (1 large deck, 1 sub, 2 littoral combat ships, and 8 joint high speed vessels) will all delayed by one year or more.

    The defense spending plan is scheduled to be submitted to Congress as part of the administration's full 2013 budget on Feb. 13.

    Prominent in the Obama plan is a renewed focus on Asia, where China's rapid military modernization has raised worry in Washington and rattled U.S. allies.

    NBC News' Jim Miklaszewski and Courtney Kube as well as Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

    Defense Secretary Leon Panetta announced his plan for cutting $487 billion from the defense budget over the next 10 years. NBC's Brian Williams reports.

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  • Birdseed spell backfires on Florida police employees

    By Elizabeth Chuck, Staff Writer, NBC News

    For two Florida municipal employees, an alleged plan to cast a supernatural spell on their boss was anything but super.

    Due to some supposedly mystical birdseed and a janitor who blew the whistle on the seedy hex, one employee has been fired from her post at the North Miami Police Department and a recommendation for termination is pending for the other.

    Veteran police officer Elizabeth Torres and office manager Yvonne Rodriguez's curse was to take place in August amid budget cuts and planned layoffs, but they never got past the planning stages.

    "We were looking at a reduction in staff of about 9.4 percent, so everybody was on edge," North Miami Police Department Public Information Officer Mark Perkins told msnbc.com. "The two employees were conspiring to place birdseed in the city manager's office to get him to leave, the belief being that if you sprinkle birdseed around it, it will make the person - any person- want to leave." 

    But since they didn't have access to City Manager Lyndon Bonner's office, the two approached a janitor, hoping they could recruit her to sprinkle the seeds, which they later told investigators is a Santeria ritual.

    Esther Villaneuva, the janitor, was working her night shift on Aug. 29 when Torres and Rodriguez approached her with a container full of seeds, according to the department's internal affairs report. It was the first time Villaneuva had ever had a conversation with the two women, Villaneuva said. Torres told her to "just take a little bit of the birdseed and spread it," according to the department's report. Villaneuva said no, expressing worry about the security cameras monitoring the office, and also whether something bad could actually happen to the city manager.

    Torres allegedly told her, "No. Nothing's going to happen to him. He's just gonna leave. It's just going to make him leave. Don't worry, nothing bad is going to happen to him." 

    Torres even allegedly told her that she had used birdseed in her own house in the past, and it had resulted in her son and daughter going away for a couple of weeks.

    When Villaneuva asked Torres why she didn't just spread the birdseed herself, Torres told her she didn't have an excuse for being in that part of the building at that time of night.

    Villaneuva refused the request and told her boss, prompting an investigation that eventually led to Rodriguez, the office manager, getting fired last week.

    "The police officer has union protection, the office manager does not, so technically, the police officer still has not been terminated, although recommendation for that is pending," Perkins said. Officer Torres will go to court for her appeal on Monday, he added.

    Both maintained the plot was harmless, according to transcripts in the internal affairs report, which the North Miami Police Department released Wednesday.

    'Nothing malicious ... a superstitious practice'
    Torres, who has worked as a North Miami police officer since 1987, told investigators, "I want to clarify that it's nothing malicious and nothing intended to hurt that person. Just, just it can be viewed as either a superstitious practice or a religious practice in the Santeria religion ... This is something I was raised with as a child, all these superstitions and this quasi-religion."

    Rodriguez initially denied involvement in the plot, department spokesman Perkins told msnbc.com, and was fired for "conduct unbecoming." She has worked for the department since 1996.

    "The second time, she told the truth," he said. "If you work for a police department, that's not an option."

    According to the report, Rodriguez said she didn't provide accurate information in the first interview because she "wasn't the initiator of this whole ordeal" and she feared getting in trouble.

    Santeria is an Afro-Caribbean religion centered in Cuba that became more widely practiced in the U.S. and other nearby countries, particularly following the 1959 Cuban revolution, according to the BBC. The religion is revolves around relationships between humans and spirits, who followers believe will help them in their lives if appropriate rituals are carried out.

    And despite what Torres said about birdseed, University of Miami Religious Studies Profess Michelle Maldonado told Miami's WSVN.com, "In Santeria, you can't just spread birdseed and make the supernatural do what you want it to do."