Nation: BRIEFLY: Accused pirate will face trial as adult in N.Y.

The sole survivor of a pirate attack on an American cargo ship off the Somali coast was charged with piracy and other counts Tuesday in a New York courtroom. The piracy count carries a mandatory penalty of life in prison. A federal judge in New York also determined that Abdiwali Abdiqadir Muse is an adult after prosecutors and defense attorneys argued over his age. Muse’s attorney say his birth date would make him 15. Prosecutors say Muse told authorities he is 18. After the teenager was flown from Africa to a New York airport, his mother appealed to President Barack Obama for his release. She said her son was coaxed into piracy by “gangsters with money.”

Hackers breached jet fighter program

Cyber hackers nearly two years ago breached a high-tech jet fighter program developed for the Pentagon by Lockheed Martin Corp., but classified information was not compromised, a senior defense official said. No further details were provided. In confirming the attack on Lockheed’s F-35 Lightning II program —- also known as the Joint Strike Fighter —- the defense official said it is not clear who did it, or whether it was an attempt at corporate thievery or a hacker trying to harm the program.

Black farmers’ cases to get USDA review

The Agriculture Department plans to review more than 14,000 civil rights complaints that have been filed against the agency since 2000. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said only a small number of those complaints were eventually decided against the department and that 3,000 of the complaints have not even been processed. Vilsack said the department would create a task force to review a sample of the complaints filed in the last nine years, supported by an independent legal counsel.

Homegrown terror suspect put on FBI list

A fugitive animal rights activist believed to be hiding outside the United States has become the first domestic terror suspect named to the FBI’s list of “Most Wanted” terrorists. Daniel Andreas San Diego, 31, a computer specialist from Berkeley, Calif., is wanted for the 2003 bombings of two corporate offices in California. FBI Assistant Director Michael Heimbach announced the addition to its “Most Wanted” terrorists list at a press conference. Authorities believe he has fled the United States, and they have offered a $250,000 reward for information leading to his capture.

CDC alerts doctors about swine flu cases

Health officials in Atlanta have diagnosed a unique type of swine flu in two California children, but said it’s unclear whether many people will be susceptible to the infection. A 10-year-old boy in San Diego County and a 9-year-old girl in neighboring Imperial County were diagnosed last week. Both recovered. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention alerted doctors Tuesday, but said there was no reason for the public to take unusual measures.

Democrat seeks release of spy case transcripts

The former senior Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee asked the Justice Department to release all transcripts of her recorded conversations involving the treatment of two pro-Israel lobbyists accused of spying. Rep. Jane Harman (D-Calif.) said in a letter to Attorney General Eric Holder she never interceded in a government investigation of the two lobbyists awaiting trial on charges of passing classified information to reporters and former diplomats. Congressional Quarterly, citing anonymous sources, reported Harman was overheard agreeing to seek lenient treatment for them.

Judge: Blagojevich must stay in U.S.

A federal judge in Chicago dashed indicted former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s reality TV dream, refusing to modify the terms of his bail so he could go to Costa Rica to tape an NBC show in the jungle. Blagojevich is charged with scheming to auction off President Barack Obama’s former U.S. Senate seat, trying to extort campaign money from companies seeking state business and plotting to use his office to pressure the Chicago Tribune.