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DIED. JESS THOMAS, 66, tenor; from a heart attack; in San Francisco. At 6 ft. 3 in. with a solid, profoundly expressive tenor, Thomas was truly a born Wagnerian hero. Raised in South Dakota and a student of child psychology before devoting himself to a musical career, he debuted at the Metropolitan Opera in 1962 as Walther in Die Meistersinger. With a repertoire encompassing virtually every heldentenor role composed by Wagner, Thomas went on to become that rarity of the '60s and '70s -- a singer whose vocal and dramatic power could match that of the great heroic soprano of the era, Birgit Nilsson.

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EXCERPT FROM DOCUMENTS given by the CIA to British intelligence officials about Ethiopian-born British resident Binyam Mohamed, who alleges he was tortured at the behest of U.S. authorities after his 2002 arrest in Pakistan.
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