Military appeals court rules defense secretary couldn't rescind 9/11 plea deals
CBSN
Washington — A military appeals court ruled Monday that Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin could not withdraw plea agreements for Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the accused mastermind of the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks, and two other defendants, a U.S. official confirmed to CBS News.
Mohammed could plead guilty as early as next week at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, if the Pentagon does not appeal the decision to the federal appeals court in Washington. As of Tuesday morning, the Pentagon had not submitted any filings to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, according to this official.
If the plea agreements do go through, the three men will plead guilty in separate hearings, and in exchange, the death penalty will be taken off the table.

Another winter storm may be headed toward the East Coast of the United States this weekend, on the heels of a powerful and deadly system that blanketed huge swaths of the country in snow and ice. The effects of that original storm have lingered for many areas in its path, and will likely remain as repeated bouts of Arctic air plunge downward from Canada and drive temperatures below freezing. Nikki Nolan contributed to this report. In:

Washington — The Senate is set to take a procedural vote Thursday morning on a package to fund the remaining government agencies and programs, with less than two days to avoid a partial government shutdown. But Democrats say they won't allow the package to move forward without reforms to immigration enforcement. Caitlin Huey-Burns contributed to this report.











