robliberal.com » 2005

Mar 31 2005

Bush Presses for Social Security Reform photoCE…

Bush Presses for Social Security Reform photo
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) – The more President Bush stumps for restructuring Social Security, the less popular his own plan seems to become. His poll ratings are dropping, too, but Bush says he is not deterred. “I’m going to be stubborn. And we’re going to keep working this,” Bush told a supportive…

Patrick Kennedy Will Not Run for Senate photo WASHINGTON (AP) – Rep. Patrick Kennedy, D-R.I., on Wednesday ruled out a run for the Senate in 2006, saying he could better serve his constituents by staying in the House and serving on the Appropriations Committee. Kennedy has been in Boston caring for his mother, Joan Kennedy, who was…
Liberals Run Ads Demanding DeLay Resign HOUSTON (AP) – Two liberal groups are running TV ads demanding that Tom DeLay resign as House majority leader and urging fellow congressmen to mobilize against the Texas representative, who is under investigation for alleged ethics violations. The ads focus on the allegations regarding DeLay’s…
Bush Chides Lawmakers Over Social Security photo CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) – President Bush suggested Wednesday that lawmakers who oppose his proposal for a Social Security overhaul could face political problems as a result. “To answer the question of the skeptics, we do have a serious problem,” Bush said in an interview aired on WMT AM radio here…
Senator From Texas Expects Fight on FOI DALLAS (AP) – Republican Sen. John Cornyn said Wednesday there is broad support for a bill to create a panel to study the federal Freedom of Information Act, but real reforms could run into trouble. “I think we’re going to have a bigger fight on our hands,” the former Texas attorney general said…
States Take Up Photo IDs at Polls Debate photo INDIANAPOLIS (AP) – Legislation that would require voters to show photo identification before casting ballots has touched off fierce debate in three states, with opponents complaining the measures represent a return to the days of poll taxes and Jim Crow. Lawmakers in Georgia and Indiana walked…
Three Join Opposition to Bolton Nomination photo WASHINGTON (AP) – Former U.S. Sen. James Sasser and two other retired American diplomats have joined a drive urging the Senate to reject John R. Bolton’s nomination to be U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. Sasser, a Democrat who was former President Bill Clinton’s ambassador to China, added…
Jury Says New Orleans DA Guilty of Bias photo NEW ORLEANS (AP) – New Orleans’ first black district attorney discriminated against 43 whites when he fired them en masse and replaced them with blacks upon taking office in 2003, a federal jury decided Wednesday. The jury awarded the employees about $1.8 million in back pay and damages. The jury…
New Calif. Secretary of State Sworn In photo SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) – A former lawmaker was sworn in Wednesday as California secretary of state, and quickly promised to restore public confidence in the beleaguered office. Former state Sen. Bruce McPherson, 61, a Republican nominated by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to replace former Secretary…
Pa. Lawmaker Charged in White Powder Hoax GLENSHAW, Pa. (AP) – A legislator was charged Wednesday with lying about a white powder he claimed was inside a letter mailed from a critical constituent, and with retaliating against and harassing those who questioned his political finances. Republican state Rep. Jeffrey E. Habay, 38 – who is…
Panel Urges Spies to Ensure Accuracy photo WASHINGTON (AP) – President Bush’s commission on weapons of mass destruction will recommend that intelligence agencies take concrete steps to ensure information from their sources is valid, government officials familiar with the report said Wednesday. The proposal was prompted in part by an Iraqi…

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Bush Economic Team Features Lesser-Knowns photo WASHINGTON (AP) – President Bush has beefed up his national security team with big-name advisers but has left his economic agenda in the hands of lesser-known officials whom some consider weak, unproven or inexperienced. The lack of a deep bench on economic policy comes despite the far-reaching…
Mrs. Bush Defends Gov’t Role for Schiavo photo MILDENHALL, England (AP) – First lady Laura Bush said Tuesday the government was right to have intervened in the case of Terri Schiavo, a severely brain-damaged Florida woman whose case has stirred national debate about life and death issues. “I just feel like the federal government has to be…
Openly Gay Cheney Daughter Writing Memoir NEW YORK (AP) – Mary Cheney, daughter of Vice President Dick Cheney, plans to publish a memoir under a new subdivision of Simon & Schuster devoted to conservative books, the company announced Tuesday. Cheney, a top aide during her father’s campaigns in 2000 and 2004, has drawn much political…
Former Alabama Sen. Howell Heflin Dies photo MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) – Former U.S. Sen. Howell Heflin, a popular Alabama politician who served three terms in Washington, has died, lawmakers announced Tuesday. He was 83. Heflin’s death was announced on the floor of the state Senate, which held a moment of silence. The cause of death was not…
Texas Republicans Spar Over Sen. Clinton AUSTIN, Texas (AP) – The campaigns of Gov. Rick Perry and Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, widely expected to be opponents in next year’s GOP gubernatorial race, are taking political shots at each other over apparently friendly relationships with liberal Democratic Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton. Last…
Political Ambitions Collide Over Big Dig BOSTON (AP) – Boston’s troubled Big Dig highway project has become the intersection between investigations and political ambitions. At least three potential candidates for governor of Massachusetts have launched investigations into the $14.6 billion construction job, which has been beset by…
Bush Concerned for Earthquake Victims photo WASHINGTON (AP) – President Bush on Tuesday offered the help and prayers of America to victims of an Indian Ocean earthquake that saw Indonesia battered for the second time in three months. “On behalf of the American people, Laura and I offer our condolences to the victims of yesterday’s…
Jesse Jackson Jr. Has Weight-Loss Surgery photo CHICAGO (AP) – After weeks of speculation over his svelte new physique, Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. has revealed how he managed to drop nearly 50 pounds: weight-loss surgery. In a letter in Monday’s Chicago Sun-Times, the congressman said he had the procedure in December and is now down to about 200…
Former California Gov. Jerry Brown Engaged photo OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) – Mayor Jerry Brown, the former governor who once dated singer Linda Ronstadt, has announced plans to marry his longtime live-in girlfriend. Brown, a lifelong bachelor, will wed Anne Gust, an executive with Gap Inc., in a ceremony at which Sen. Dianne Feinstein will officiate….
Abramoff Faced Earlier Billing Inquiry photo WASHINGTON (AP) – A lobbyist under investigation for billing Indian tribes tens of millions of dollars was at the center of an earlier inquiry that said his firm hadn’t justified roughly $1.2 million it charged the Northern Mariana Islands. Jack Abramoff, who has ties to President Bush and House…

59 American Ex-Diplomats Oppose Bolton photo WASHINGTON (AP) – Challenging the White House, 59 former American diplomats are urging the Senate to reject John R. Bolton’s nomination to be U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. “He is the wrong man for this position,” they said in a letter to Sen. Richard Lugar, chairman of the Senate Foreign…
Court Won’t Step Into Newspaper Lawsuit WASHINGTON (AP) – The Supreme Court refused Monday to step into a lawsuit against a newspaper, leaving the media in Pennsylvania legally vulnerable when they report defamatory comments by public figures. The case could chill news coverage of political campaigns where charges and countercharges are…
GAO Finds Passenger Screening Incomplete WASHINGTON (AP) – The government’s latest computerized airline passenger screening program doesn’t adequately protect travelers’ privacy, according to a congressional report that could further delay a project considered a priority after the Sept. 11 attacks. Congress last year passed a law that…
Bush OKs First National Counterintel Plan photo WASHINGTON (AP) – President Bush has approved the nation’s first counterintelligence strategy, directing the intelligence agencies to go on the offensive – together – against foreign and terrorist threats. Counterintelligence is the government-wide effort to protect against foreign espionage and…
New Orleans DA Case Has Closing Arguments photo NEW ORLEANS (AP) – A jury began deliberating Monday in a lawsuit accusing New Orleans’ first black district attorney of racial discrimination for dismissing dozens of white employees upon taking office. In closing arguments, lawyers for District Attorney Eddie Jordan said he had a right to hire…
‘08 White House Race Draws Iowa’s Interest photo DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Potential White House candidates are calling Iowa’s top political operatives. Trips to the Midwest are on the schedule. Personal notes to the state’s top Democrats and Republicans are in the mail. In the realm of nonstop presidential politics, this is the slow time, when…
Researchers Weigh Fallout From Intel Law WASHINGTON (AP) – The new law intended to make the nation’s intelligence agencies work together may create a conflict between the national intelligence director and his subordinate, who reports directly to the president on some matters, congressional researchers say. The potential problem,…
Court Declines to Review Abortion Law WASHINGTON (AP) – The Supreme Court rejected an appeal Monday to reinstate a state law requiring girls under age 18 to get parental consent for abortions except under the most dire of medical emergencies. Without comment, justices let stand a lower court ruling that struck down the Idaho law…
Ore. Lawmakers Weigh Outlawing Foie Gras SALEM, Ore. (AP) – At Hurley’s restaurant in hip Northwest Portland, foie gras isn’t anywhere on the menu. You have to ask for it. Servers will tell you of at least three ways the fattened duck liver delicacy is served, including chef and owner Tom Hurley’s signature savory foie gras flan with…
Reagans’ Romance Carved in Stone LOS ANGELES (AP) – The way President Reagan and his wife, Nancy, would carry on about their love for each other, one might have gotten the impression their romance was carved in stone – and it turns out it was. A part-time estate liquidation consultant who was looking for anything the Reagans…

DeLay Had Own Tough Quality-of-Life Choice photo LOS ANGELES (AP) – House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, who has helped lead a congressional effort to keep Terri Schiavo alive, joined members of his own family nearly 17 years ago in allowing doctors not to take extraordinary measures to extend his father’s life, a newspaper reported Sunday. DeLay…
Sharon: U.S. Settlement Policy Is Clear photo JERUSALEM (AP) – Prime Minister Ariel Sharon told his Cabinet on Sunday there is no need to clarify U.S. policy on Jewish settlements, saying Washington supports Israel’s retention of West Bank blocs as part of a final Mideast agreement but opposes continued settlement building at this time. On…
Grassley Makes Case to Fix Social Security photo BEDFORD, Iowa (AP) – Assigned to put President Bush’s Social Security ideas into a bill that can pass Congress, Charles Grassley is finding little clamor for it among the people who have kept him in the Senate for 25 years. “What I need to hear people say is, ‘We expect you to fix this,’” Grassley…
Democrat Pans Social Security Overhaul WASHINGTON (AP) – President Bush’s proposal to change Social Security by creating retirement investment accounts for younger workers would shatter the New Deal-era program and burden future generations with debt, a Michigan congressman said. “This would have dire consequences including major…
Anti-Vaccine Sentiment Plagues Nigeria KANO, Nigeria (AP) – Accusations by Islamic preachers that vaccines are part of an American anti-Islamic plot are threatening efforts to combat a measles epidemic that has killed hundreds of Nigerian children, health workers say. Government officials play down the anti-vaccine sentiment, but all…
Ukrainian President to Meet With Bush KIEV, Ukraine (AP) – Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko’s planned visit to the United States would help usher in a new era in bilateral relations, the U.S. ambassador to Ukraine said, according to an interview published Saturday. Yushchenko is set to meet with President Bush at the White House…
Polls Show Drop for Bush’s Job Approval photo WASHINGTON (AP) – President Bush’s job approval slipped into the mid 40s in national polls released this week as he lost some support among men and other groups of core supporters. Public approval for Bush slipped from 52 percent in a CNN-USA Today-Gallup poll over the weekend to 45 percent in…
Kennedy, Chafee Could Face Off in R.I. photo WASHINGTON (AP) – It would be the battle of the dynasties: Kennedy versus Chafee. The son of a Democratic icon against the son of a revered Republican senator and governor in the nation’s smallest state. Rep. Patrick Kennedy is considering a run against Sen. Lincoln Chafee for the only…
Pakistan Praises U.S. Decision on F-16s photo ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (AP) – Pakistan’s prime minister praised the Bush administration on Saturday for deciding to sell F-16 warplanes to his country and insisted that Islamabad has no aggressive designs against its neighbors. The comments by Prime Minister Shaukat came a day after a State…
Schwarzenegger to Tout Solar on TV Show photo SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) – Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is scheduled to make a cameo appearance on the ABC television show “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” on Sunday to tout the use of solar electricity in homes and businesses. The Republican governor will appear during Sunday night’s episode, when a…

Bush Praises Slain Minn. Security Guard photo WACO, Texas (AP) – President Bush on Saturday praised Minnesota high school security guard Derrick Brun for saving countless students by bravely confronting the teenage gunman who shot and killed him. “Derrick’s bravery cost him his life, and all Americans honor him,” Bush said in his first public…
Democrat Pans Social Security Overhaul WASHINGTON (AP) – President Bush’s proposal to change Social Security by creating retirement investment accounts for younger workers would shatter the New Deal-era program and burden future generations with debt, a Michigan congressman said Saturday. “This would have dire consequences including…
Polls Show Drop for Bush’s Job Approval photo WASHINGTON (AP) – President Bush’s job approval slipped into the mid 40s in national polls released this week as he lost some support among men and other groups of core supporters. Public approval for Bush slipped from 52 percent in a CNN-USA Today-Gallup poll over the weekend to 45 percent in…
FBI Admits to Mishap on Classified Files BOSTON (AP) – The FBI admitted Saturday it accidentally gave classified documents back to the American translator who pleaded guilty to taking them from the U.S. prison camp at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Ahmed Fathy Mehalba, who was released from jail earlier this month, contacted the FBI’s Boston…
Schwarzenegger to Tout Solar on TV Show photo SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) – Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is scheduled to make a cameo appearance on the ABC television show “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” on Sunday to tout the use of solar electricity in homes and businesses. The Republican governor will appear during Sunday night’s episode, when a…
Kennedy, Chafee Could Face Off in R.I. photo WASHINGTON (AP) – It would be the battle of the dynasties: Kennedy versus Chafee. The son of a Democratic icon against the son of a revered Republican senator and governor in the nation’s smallest state. Rep. Patrick Kennedy is considering a run against Sen. Lincoln Chafee for the only…
Army Probe Finds Abuse at Jail Near Mosul photo WASHINGTON (AP) – Newly released government documents say the abuse of prisoners in Iraq by U.S. forces was more widespread than previously reported. An officer found that detainees “were being systematically and intentionally mistreated” at a holding facility near Mosul in December 2003. The…
India Objects to U.S.-Pakistan Arms Deal photo WASHINGTON (AP) – The Bush administration rewarded Pakistan, an improbable ally in the war on terrorism, with a promise Friday that it could buy sophisticated U.S.-built F-16 warplanes. Pakistan’s nuclear rival, India, immediately complained the sale would threaten its security. The sales would…
Schiavo Case Tests Government Principles photo WASHINGTON (AP) – Terri Schiavo’s case has put lofty principles of American government through an extreme workout. In a life-or-death drama that has ricocheted between courthouses and capitols, abstract terms such as the separation of powers, checks and balances and federalism have become…
Sen.: Congress Unlikely to Pass Soc. Sec. photo DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Sen. Charles Grassley, at the center of the fight over revising Social Security, said Friday that the odds are against Congress approving the proposal being pushed by President Bush. “I think it’s very difficult for me to say today that we’ll present a bill to the…

India Objects to U.S.-Pakistan Arms Deal photo WASHINGTON (AP) – The Bush administration rewarded Pakistan, an improbable ally in the war on terrorism, with a promise Friday that it could buy sophisticated U.S.-built F-16 warplanes. Pakistan’s nuclear rival, India, immediately complained the sale would threaten its security. The sales would…
Sen.: Congress Unlikely to Pass Soc. Sec. photo DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Sen. Charles Grassley, at the center of the fight over revising Social Security, said Friday that the odds are against Congress approving the proposal being pushed by President Bush. “I think it’s very difficult for me to say today that we’ll present a bill to the…
Bush Offers Condolences to Minn. Tribe photo WACO, Texas (AP) – President Bush on Friday expressed condolences to the leader of the Minnesota Indian reservation where 10 people died Monday in the second-worst school shooting in U.S. history. Bush talked to Floyd Jourdain Jr., chairman of the Red Lake Band of Chippewa, for five minutes Friday…
Carter, Baker to Work on Election Reform WASHINGTON (AP) – Former President Jimmy Carter and former Secretary of State James A. Baker III are teaming up to head a star-studded study commission that will recommend improvements to the nation’s federal election system. The bipartisan panel, announced Thursday by American University’s Center…
Schiavo Case Tests Government Principles photo WASHINGTON (AP) – Terri Schiavo’s case has put lofty principles of American government through an extreme workout. In a life-or-death drama that has ricocheted between courthouses and capitols, abstract terms such as the separation of powers, checks and balances and federalism have become…
White House Payments to Columnist Probed photo WASHINGTON (AP) – Congressional investigators will look into whether the Bush administration violated any laws when it paid syndicated columnist Maggie Gallagher to help promote a marriage initiative, Democratic Sens. Edward Kennedy and Frank Lautenberg said. The Government Accountability Office…
Supreme Court Won’t Hear Schiavo Case photo WASHINGTON (AP) – The Supreme Court was the last stop for Terri Schiavo’s parents in a federal court system that rejected them at every turn. The justices’ refusal to intervene Thursday was no surprise: Right-to-die questions have long been the domain of the states, which give doctors and spouses…
Former Conn. Governor Prepares for Prison photo NEW HAVEN, Conn. (AP) – Former Gov. John G. Rowland received a different identification Friday as he prepares to enter prison next week: Inmate No. 15623-014. Rowland’s inmate identification number was posted Friday on the U.S. Bureau of Prisons inmate database Web site. The numbers are used to…
NYC Prosecutor, 85, Faces Tough Challenger photo NEW YORK (AP) – Robert Morgenthau was first elected district attorney a municipal lifetime ago, when New York was sliding toward bankruptcy, when crime and the mob were endemic, when the gay rights and feminist movements were in their infancy. Thirty-one years later, the city has changed…
DeLay Goes on Offense in Ethics Battle photo WASHINGTON (AP) – House Majority Leader Tom DeLay often plays defense in public in his fight against allegations of ethical misconduct, saying he didn’t know about specific fund-raising practices under investigation in Texas or groups in Washington that paid for his travel. Behind the scenes,…

Gov. Bush Frustrated by Schiavo Roadblocks photo TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) – It’s not often Gov. Jeb Bush is frustrated pursuing his goals. He was the first governor to start a statewide school voucher program. He got rid of civil service protections for tens of thousands of state workers. He pushed through billions of dollars in tax cuts. His goal…
Court Refuses to Intervene in Schiavo Case photo WASHINGTON (AP) – The Supreme Court was the last stop for Terri Schiavo’s parents in a federal court system that rejected them at every turn. The justices’ refusal to intervene Thursday was no surprise: Right-to-die questions have long been the domain of the states, which give doctors and spouses…
DeLay Goes on Offense in Ethics Battle photo WASHINGTON (AP) – House Majority Leader Tom DeLay often plays defense in public in his fight against allegations of ethical misconduct, saying he didn’t know about specific fund-raising practices under investigation in Texas or groups in Washington that paid for his travel. Behind the scenes,…
Poll Finds Reduced Support on Soc. Sec. WASHINGTON (AP) – Support for President Bush’s plan to create personal Social Security retirement accounts which might include stocks or mutual funds has dropped over the last month among Americans under age 30, according to a poll released Thursday. Young adults have been the strongest supporters…
U.S. Rewards Guatemala With Military Aid GUATEMALA CITY (AP) – By releasing $3.2 million in aid, the United States is rewarding Guatemala for its progress in overhauling a military once blamed for human rights abuses. Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld announced the U.S. decision on Thursday after meeting with Guatemala’s president,…
Bush Plans to Visit 4 Countries in May photo CRAWFORD, Texas (AP) – President Bush plans to visit the Netherlands and the ex-Soviet republics of Georgia and Latvia in May, along with a previously announced trip to Russia to mark the 60th anniversary of the end of World War II, White House press secretary Scott McClellan said Thursday. The…
FEC Weighs Limited Internet Activity Rules WASHINGTON (AP) – The Federal Election Commission took its first step Thursday in extending campaign finance controls to political activity on the Internet, asking for public input on limited regulations for the freewheeling medium. Commissioner Ellen Weintraub, who took the lead on drafting…
Rep. Waters Endorses L.A. Mayor’s Opponent photo LOS ANGELES (AP) – Rep. Maxine Waters, one of the city’s most prominent political voices, labeled Mayor James Hahn a failure Thursday and endorsed his rival in the May runoff, Councilman Antonio Villaraigosa. Hahn’s campaign shrugged off the defection – Waters supported the mayor four years ago -…
EPA Urges More Bioterror Protections WASHINGTON (AP) – Cities are not getting all the protections President Bush ordered last year to detect a biological terrorism attack, the Environmental Protection Agency’s internal watchdog said Thursday. The report from EPA Inspector General Nikki L. Tinsley’s office said the agency hasn’t…
Iowa Makes Deal to Retain Medicaid Money DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Iowa has struck a deal with federal officials that allows the state to retain $66 million in Medicaid funding it would have lost next summer because of a government crackdown on an accounting gimmick. Iowa is the first state to reach such an agreement with Washington. For…

U.S., Canada, Mexico Vow New Cooperation photo WACO, Texas (AP) – President Bush and leaders of Mexico and Canada promised new cooperation Wednesday, yet dustups over defense, immigration and trade – burrs under the saddle, in local slang – continued to strain North American relations. To demonstrate unity, Bush, Mexican President Vicente Fox…
Poll: Evangelicals Oppose Gov’t on Schiavo photo More than two-thirds of people who describe themselves as evangelicals and conservatives disapprove of the intervention by Congress and President Bush in the case of the Terri Schiavo, the brain-damaged woman at the center of a national debate. A CBS News poll found that four of five people polled…
Bush Exhausts Options in Schiavo Case photo WACO, Texas (AP) – President Bush suggested Wednesday that he and Congress could do no more in the Terri Schiavo case but he hoped federal courts would decide to prolong the Florida woman’s life. The White House said it had run out of legal options. The House Government Reform Committee canceled a…
Dean Says Party Should Speak From Heart photo WASHINGTON (AP) – Democratic Party Chairman Howard Dean came back from his tour of conservative states like Kansas, Mississippi and Tennessee with new strategies to win over their voters but the same basic message from his presidential campaign. “We have to speak to our hearts and convictions,”…
Santorum Re-Examining Death Penalty PITTSBURGH (AP) – Sen. Rick Santorum, a longtime death penalty supporter, said he is re-examining his stance but not to the point of saying it is wrong in all cases. “I still support the death penalty, but what I’m suggesting is, number one, we have to be more cautious,” he said Tuesday, saying…
Edwards Starts Job at UNC Law School CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) – John Edwards, former senator and vice presidential candidate, has a new part-time job as head of the University of North Carolina law school’s new Center on Poverty, Work and Opportunity. Edwards, who represented North Carolina for one term in the Senate, began work…
5 in Ill. Charged in Vote-Buying Scheme FAIRVIEW HEIGHTS, Ill. (AP) – Five East St. Louis Democrats were charged in a scheme to buy votes in November’s election in a federal indictment unsealed Wednesday. An undetermined number of voters were paid $5 or $10 to cast a Democratic ballot in the Nov. 2 election, court records said. The…
Bush Role in Schiavo Case Bothers ‘Right’ photo WASHINGTON (AP) – Not all conservatives are happy with the decision by Congress and President Bush to intervene in the Terri Schiavo case. Some leaders said Tuesday the new law allowing a federal court review of the case is an example of the big government they have always opposed. “To simply say…
Safety Board May Be Left Without Leader WASHINGTON (AP) – The board that investigates major transportation accidents will be leaderless within days unless President Bush acts. National Transportation Safety Board Chairman Ellen Engleman Conners’ two-year term expired Sunday. The rules governing the board don’t allow her to continue in…
McCain Backs Iraq War Despite WMD Findings photo ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) – Sen. John McCain said Tuesday the conclusions of a commission investigating intelligence failures on weapons of mass destruction should not lead to new questions about whether the Iraq war was justified. “America, the world and Iraq is better off for what we did in…

Bush Role in Schiavo Case Bothers Right WASHINGTON (AP) – Not all conservatives are happy with the decision by Congress and President Bush to intervene in the Terri Schiavo case. Some leaders said Tuesday the new law allowing a federal court review of the case is an example of the big government they have always opposed. “To simply say…
Schwarzenegger Criticized for Fund-Raising photo SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) – Shortly before he was elected governor in 2003, Arnold Schwarzenegger stood in the state’s railroad museum, which he called a monument to the special interest that dominated California politics for decades until it was finally curbed in the early 1900s. Now,…
Analysis: DeLay Under Fire Over Ethics photo WASHINGTON (AP) – Tom DeLay, who has wielded political power with uncommon efficiency, looks into the mirror and sees a victim of politics. Others are less charitable. With allegations of questionable ethics swirling around him, the House majority leader finds himself a target of a great…
McCain Backs Iraq War Despite WMD Findings photo ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) – Sen. John McCain said Tuesday the conclusions of a commission investigating intelligence failures on weapons of mass destruction should not lead to new questions about whether the Iraq war was justified. “America, the world and Iraq is better off for what we did in…
N. American Ties Improving, Still Strained photo WASHINGTON (AP) – Early in his first term, President Bush proposed easing immigration restrictions and establishing a free trade zone throughout the hemisphere. His first two foreign trips were to Mexico and Canada, emphasizing their importance. Four years later, both initiatives are unfulfilled,…
Safety Board May Be Left Without Leader WASHINGTON (AP) – The board that investigates major transportation accidents will be leaderless within days unless President Bush acts. National Transportation Safety Board Chairman Ellen Engleman Conners’ two-year term expired Sunday. The rules governing the board don’t allow her to continue in…
Rumsfeld Raises Doubts About Haiti Vote photo BRASILIA, Brazil (AP) – Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld raised doubts Tuesday about the prospects for elections this fall in Haiti, citing the Bush administration’s experience with ensuring the safety of voters in Afghanistan and Iraq. “It takes a lot of efforts and planning from a security…
Neil Bush’s Ex-Wife Wants Lawsuit Tossed photo HOUSTON (AP) – The former wife of President Bush’s brother has rejected a proposed settlement of a slander lawsuit accusing her of spreading rumors that Neil Bush fathered a child out-of-wedlock – and asked a judge Tuesday to throw out the lawsuit altogether. Robert Andrews, the ex-husband of…
Poll: Most Want Congress Off Schiavo Case WASHINGTON (AP) – About seven in 10 Americans say Congress inappropriately intervened in the case of a brain-damaged woman whose relatives disagree over whether she should be allowed to die, according to a new poll. About six in 10 said they agreed with the decision by a Florida judge to remove…
FBI Report Questions Guantanamo Tactics WASHINGTON (AP) – U.S. law enforcement agents at the Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, prison for terrorism suspects concluded that the military’s aggressive questioning yielded information that was “suspect at best,” according to newly released portions of an FBI document. That conclusion is contained in an…

Bush Laws in Schiavo Case, Texas at Odds AUSTIN, Texas (AP) – The federal law President Bush signed to prolong Terri Schiavo’s life in Florida appears to conflict with a Texas law he signed as governor, attorneys familiar with the legislation said Monday. The 1999 Advance Directives Act in Texas allows for a patient’s surrogate to make…
Poll: Congress Should Sit Out Schiavo Case WASHINGTON (AP) – About seven in 10 Americans say Congress inappropriately intervened in the case of a brain-damaged woman whose relatives disagree over whether she should be allowed to die, according to a new poll. About six in 10 said they agreed with the decision by a Florida judge to remove…
High Court Won’t Hear 9/11 Suspect Appeal photo WASHINGTON (AP) – The Supreme Court on Monday rejected terrorism suspect Zacarias Moussaoui’s attempt to directly question three al-Qaida prisoners and cleared the way for a trial of the only U.S. defendant charged in connection with the Sept. 11 attacks. The ruling allows the government to…
Rice Seeks China’s Aid on N. Korea Talks photo BEIJING (AP) – Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice hinted Monday that North Korea faces possible international sanctions if it flouts a diplomatic effort to halt its nuclear weapons program. Rice also delivered subtle rebukes to China for raising the stakes in the perennial standoff with Taiwan…
Judge in Schiavo Case a Clinton Appointee photo TAMPA, Fla. (AP) – U.S. District Judge James D. Whittemore has seen fallen preachers, a motorcycle gang leader and a crusading Cuban ballplayer in his courtroom before becoming the latest member of the bench to be drawn into the Terri Schiavo right-to-die case. Whittemore heard arguments Monday on…
Court Sidesteps Bush Recess Appointment WASHINGTON (AP) – The Supreme Court, dodging a charged dispute over judicial nominations, declined Monday to consider whether President Bush overstepped his bounds in naming a federal judge while Congress was on a short break. The court refused to hear a trio of cases challenging the “recess…
Ohio Official Says Election Went Smoothly COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) – The state’s election chief told lawmakers at a sometimes-testy congressional hearing Monday that Ohio’s presidential election went as smoothly as possible, given the resources available and some last-minute interpretations by state and federal courts. Secretary of State…
Ex-Wife of Bush Brother Settles Case photo HOUSTON (AP) – The ex-wife of President Bush’s brother Neil has settled a slander case accusing her of spreading rumors that Neil Bush fathered a child with his mistress. The terms of the settlement were not immediately disclosed. DNA testing last year showed Neil Bush did not father the boy, then…
Morality, Politics Bubble Up Over Schiavo WASHINGTON (AP) – Congress’ intervention in the case of Terri Schiavo accelerated as Florida Gov. Jeb Bush warned key Republicans that state efforts were faltering. It ended early Monday when President Bush signed a bill designed to save a life. The intervening few days were marked by legislative…
GOP Governors Cut State Workers’ Rights Republican governors in a few spots across the country are angering state employees by removing one of organized labor’s strongest tools – the right to collective bargaining. Governors in three states who’ve taken the step say it’s about making government more efficient or being fair to non-union…

Schiavo Kin Wants Feeding Tube Reinserted photo PINELLAS PARK, Fla. (AP) – While Terri Schiavo lay in her hospice bed Sunday, the brain-damaged woman’s parents and husband made competing pleas to the public and Congress on her third day without food or water. As protesters and TV satellite trucks gathered outside the hospice, the Senate passed…
Rice Seeks China’s Help on North Korea photo BEIJING (AP) – Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on Sunday sought further help from China in getting North Korea back to nuclear disarmament talks and aired U.S. concerns about Beijing’s bellicose rhetoric on Taiwan. As part of a two-day visit to the Chinese capital, Rice took time to attend a…
Newsview: Schiavo Debate Renews Divide photo WASHINGTON (AP) – The Terri Schiavo case has been catapulted from a drawn-out medical and legal battle into a fast-paced political drama with Congress, the White House and the courts playing leading roles. Republicans see a vote for prolonging the life of the brain-damaged Florida woman as an…
Schiavo’s Brother Pleads With Democrat photo WASHINGTON (AP) – A House Democrat trying to stop legislation backed by Terri Schiavo’s family turned down a request to reconsider his position from her brother when the two ran into each other Sunday in the House Press Gallery. A little awkwardly, Bobby Schindler and Rep. James P. Moran, D-Va.,…
Romney Tells Off-Color Jokes at Roast BOSTON (AP) – Gov. Mitt Romney traded off-color barbs with fellow politicians at a roast Sunday, even throwing his Mormon heritage into a one-liner about gay marriage, which he opposes. “I have to admit that as a Mormon, I believe that marriage should be between a man and a woman … and a woman…
Groups Ponder Rowland’s Life After Prison photo HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) – Former Gov. John Rowland’s supporters predict he will rebound from his corruption conviction, make use of old contacts in Washington, find work as a consultant and possibly resume his efforts to help Connecticut’s cities. But Rowland’s critics and some of his old political…
Bush: Saddam’s Ouster Inspired Reformers photo WACO, Texas (AP) – The U.S. military victory against Saddam Hussein’s regime in Iraq gets the credit for “inspiring democratic reformers from Beirut to Tehran,” President Bush said Saturday. “Today, women can vote in Afghanistan, Palestinians are breaking the old patterns of violence, and hundreds…
Newsview: Debt May Be Part of Bush Legacy photo WASHINGTON (AP) – President Bush frequently says he wants to solve big problems like Social Security’s finances, not pass them on to future generations. It appears unavoidable, however, that Bush will leave a painful legacy of staggering government debt. What was once expected to be a $5.6…
Gov. Blasts Plan to Cut Vets’ Benefits HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) – While states are spending more to extend benefits to their National Guardsmen called to duty, the Bush administration is reducing benefits, Pennsylvania’s Democratic governor said Saturday. “While we the governors do all we can for our vets and our returning soldiers, our…
Congress Announces Deal in Schiavo Case photo WASHINGTON (AP) – Congressional leaders hoped a deal reached Saturday would clear the way for a brain-damaged woman to resume being fed while a federal court reviews the right-to-die battle between her parents and her husband. President Bush changed his schedule to return to Washington from his…

Senate Passes Budget With Medicaid Intact photo WASHINGTON (AP) – The Senate approved a $2.6 trillion budget Thursday that delivered a slap at President Bush and Republican congressional leaders by erasing Bush’s plans for cutting Medicaid, community development and school aid. Foreshadowing clashes ahead, the House adopted its own fiscal…
Palestinian Groups to Honor Cease-Fire photo SIXTH OF OCTOBER CITY, Egypt (AP) – Palestinian militants declared a halt to attacks on Israel for the rest of this year, their longest cease-fire promise ever and a victory for Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas. But they warned Thursday the truce would collapse if Israel does not hold its own fire…
AP: Terrorists Train for Seaborne Attacks photo MANILA, Philippines (AP) – Two of the most dangerous al-Qaida-linked groups in Southeast Asia are working together to train militants in scuba diving for seaborne terror attacks, according to the interrogation of a recently captured guerrilla. The ominous development is outlined in a Philippine…
Groups Make Progress on New Iraq Gov’t photo BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) – Shiite and Kurdish officials reported progress Thursday in resolving disagreements over territorial issues and Cabinet posts, but said they may need another week to put together Iraq’s coalition government. In violence around Iraq, six U.S. soldiers were wounded in the…
Fla. Lawmakers Battle in Right-To-Die Case photo TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) – Last-ditch efforts to block the removal of Terri Schiavo’s feeding tube foundered Thursday as courts rebuffed her parents’ appeals and lawmakers failed to agree on legislation to intervene in the contentious battle to keep the severely brain-damaged woman alive. Under…
Sex Offender Arrested in Missing Girl Case photo HOMOSASSA, Fla. (AP) – A registered sex offender named a “person of interest” in the disappearance of a 9-year-old girl was questioned for a second time by police Thursday after he was arrested in Georgia, police said. John Evander Couey, 46, who lived near the home of Jessica Lunsford before…
Rapper Lil’ Kim Convicted of Perjury photo NEW YORK (AP) – Rap diva Lil’ Kim was convicted Thursday of lying to a federal grand jury to protect friends who were involved in a shootout outside a radio station. Lil’ Kim was convicted of three counts of perjury and one of conspiracy, but acquitted of obstruction of justice. She is likely to…
A Billion Air Travelers Forecast for 2015 photo WASHINGTON (AP) – More than 1 billion people a year will be boarding planes in the United States within a decade, nearly half again as many as those now using an aviation system showing signs of being overburdened. The Federal Aviation Administration, which released the forecast Thursday, faces…
Wake Forest Shoos Chattanooga 70-54 photo CLEVELAND (AP) – Chris Paul didn’t do anything he’d regret. He doesn’t want to spend another second watching this March. Wake Forest’s star guard returned from a one-game suspension and the second-seeded Demon Deacons shook off a horrible first half for a 70-54 win over Chattanooga in the NCAA…
Ninth-Seeded Nevada Holds Off Texas 61-57 photo INDIANAPOLIS (AP) – Kevinn Pinkney scored 15 points and Nevada rallied to beat Texas 61-57 on Thursday night in the first round of the NCAA tournament. Ninth-seeded Nevada (25-6) will face either top-seeded Illinois or Fairleigh Dickinson in the second round of the Chicago Regional on Saturday….

Bush Returning to Washington Over Schiavo photo CRAWFORD, Texas (AP) – President Bush is changing his schedule to return to the White House on Sunday to be in place to sign emergency legislation that would shift the case of a brain-damaged Florida woman to federal courts, the White House said Saturday. “Everyone recognizes that time is…
Groups Ponder Rowland’s Life After Prison photo HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) – Former Gov. John Rowland’s supporters predict he will rebound from his corruption conviction, make use of old contacts in Washington, find work as a consultant and possibly resume his efforts to help Connecticut’s cities. But Rowland’s critics and some of his old political…
Bush: Saddam’s Ouster Inspired Reformers photo WACO, Texas (AP) – The U.S. military victory against Saddam Hussein’s regime in Iraq gets the credit for “inspiring democratic reformers from Beirut to Tehran,” President Bush said Saturday. “Today, women can vote in Afghanistan, Palestinians are breaking the old patterns of violence, and hundreds…
Rice Tours Command Center in South Korea photo SEOUL, South Korea (AP) – From inside a mountainside bunker, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice saw firsthand Saturday what a war with North Korea might look like. Rice became the most senior American official to tour a command center for U.S. and South Korean troops that would be the battle…
Newsview: Debt May Be Part of Bush Legacy photo WASHINGTON (AP) – President Bush frequently says he wants to solve big problems like Social Security’s finances, not pass them on to future generations. It appears unavoidable, however, that Bush will leave a painful legacy of staggering government debt. What was once expected to be a $5.6…
Gov. Blasts Plan to Cut Vets’ Benefits HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) – While states are spending more to extend benefits to their National Guardsmen called to duty, the Bush administration is reducing benefits, Pennsylvania’s Democratic governor said Saturday. “While we the governors do all we can for our vets and our returning soldiers, our…
Congress Duels Over $2.6 Trillion Budget photo WASHINGTON (AP) – A Senate-passed $2.6 trillion budget that ignores President Bush’s proposal to wring savings from Medicaid is just one step in Congress’ protracted effort to make fiscal decisions for next year, White House spokesman Scott McClellan said Friday. McClellan made his remark the…
Democrats Plan Social Security Campaigns WASHINGTON (AP) – Democrats are taking President Bush up on his suggestion to spend Congress’ two-week recess talking to folks in the heartland about Social Security. Some plan to venture into Republican-held districts to do it. Republicans, after raucous earlier town hall meetings, are more wary….
White House Heavily Redacts Clinton Papers WASHINGTON (AP) – The Bush administration blacked out almost all the information in hundreds of documents before releasing them to a conservative organization looking into President Clinton’s controversial pardons four years ago on his last day in office. The only items not deleted from the…
Carter-Era Diplomat Sol Linowitz Dies WASHINGTON (AP) – Sol M. Linowitz, a diplomat, lawyer and businessman who played key roles in Middle East peace negotiations and the Panama Canal treaty during the Carter administration, died Friday. He was 91. “Sol Linowitz was a dedicated public servant with great political courage, encyclopedic…

Conn. Ex-Gov. Rowland Gets Year in Prison photo NEW HAVEN, Conn. (AP) – Former Gov. John G. Rowland was sentenced to a year in prison and four months’ house arrest Friday for selling his office in a corruption scandal that destroyed his career as one of the Republican Party’s brightest and fastest-rising stars. The judge imposed the sentence…
Congress Duels Over $2.6 Trillion Budget photo WASHINGTON (AP) – A Senate-passed $2.6 trillion budget that ignores President Bush’s proposal to wring savings from Medicaid is just one step in Congress’ protracted effort to make fiscal decisions for next year, White House spokesman Scott McClellan said Friday. McClellan made his remark the…
President’s Mom Helps Out on the Road photo PENSACOLA, Fla. (AP) – President Bush, struggling in his bid to create private accounts within Social Security, brought his mom on the road Friday in hopes 79-year-old Barbara Bush could bolster his case among the politically potent white-haired set. The result: the Bush-and-Bush Show, delivering…
Democrats Plan Social Security Campaigns WASHINGTON (AP) – Democrats are taking President Bush up on his suggestion to spend Congress’ two-week recess talking to folks in the heartland about Social Security. Some plan to venture into Republican-held districts to do it. Republicans, after raucous earlier town hall meetings, are more wary….
White House Heavily Redacts Clinton Papers WASHINGTON (AP) – The Bush administration blacked out almost all the information in hundreds of documents before releasing them to a conservative organization looking into President Clinton’s controversial pardons four years ago on his last day in office. The only items not deleted from the…
Clinton Adviser Critiques Kerry Campaign ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) – A top adviser to Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton thinks fellow Democrat John Kerry “ran what was basically an inconsistent campaign” for president last year, according to a published report. Clinton and Kerry are considered potential rivals for the 2008 Democratic presidential…
New Orleans Prosecutor Defends Firings photo NEW ORLEANS (AP) – New Orleans’ first black district attorney took the stand in federal court Friday to defend himself against charges of discrimination, turning away suggestions his replacement of whites with blacks in 2003 was racially motivated. “I didn’t care about people’s race. I simply…
Carter-Era Diplomat Sol Linowitz Dies WASHINGTON (AP) – Sol M. Linowitz, a diplomat, lawyer and businessman who played key roles in Middle East peace negotiations and the Panama Canal treaty during the Carter administration, died Friday. He was 91. “Sol Linowitz was a dedicated public servant with great political courage, encyclopedic…
Provisional Ballot Counts Vary by State WASHINGTON (AP) – Two-thirds of the more than 1.6 million provisional ballots cast in last year’s presidential election were counted, but there were wide differences from state to state. Alaska counted 97 percent of its provisional votes, Delaware just 6 percent. The figures are from a study by…
Kennan Lived As U.S. Diplomat, Thinker photo NEW YORK (AP) – Like de Tocqueville in the 19th century, George F. Kennan in the 20th beheld a world whose destiny rested in the hands of its “two great nations.” Early in a long life, he saw the flaws and foresaw the fall of the Soviet empire. Then, in the winter of his years, as a new century…

Senate Approves Drilling in Alaska Refuge photo WASHINGTON (AP) – A closely divided Senate voted Wednesday to approve oil drilling in an Alaska wildlife refuge, a major victory for President Bush and a stinging defeat for environmentalists who have fought the idea for decades. By a 51-49 vote, the Senate put a refuge drilling provision in next…
U.S. House OKs Bill to Delay Schiavo Case photo WASHINGTON (AP) – The House passed legislation late Wednesday intended to delay the removal of the feeding tube keeping alive a brain-damaged woman whose husband has been given permission by a state court to allow her to die. Earlier in the day, a Florida appeals court refused to block the removal…
House Member May Face DeLay Probe Conflict photo WASHINGTON (AP) – A House ethics committee member helped raise money for a Texas political committee associated with Majority Leader Tom DeLay, presenting a possible conflict if the congressional panel investigates DeLay’s role in a fund-raising controversy. Rep. Lamar Smith, R-Texas, was listed…
House OKs $81.4 Billion on War Spending WASHINGTON (AP) – President Bush got most of the money he wanted for wars in Iraq and Afghanistan as the House approved a $81.4 billion measure Wednesday, pushing the total cost for fighting terrorism over $300 billion. With support from both Republicans and Democrats, the House voted 388-43 to…
Democrats Force Social Security Vote photo WASHINGTON (AP) – Democrats forced the House’s first vote of the year on Social Security Wednesday, but wary Republicans declined to take a stand on the personal accounts at the core of President Bush’s plan for revamping the Depression-era program. The 230-202 procedural vote came as Bush told…
GOP Works to Get Bankruptcy Bill to House WASHINGTON (AP) – Republicans rejected Democratic efforts on Wednesday to change Senate-passed bankruptcy legislation and worked to send the biggest overhaul in a quarter-century to the full House for expected approval. On a party-line vote of 22-13, the House Judiciary Committee approved the…
Clark Plans to Stay at Forefront of Debate WASHINGTON (AP) – Wesley Clark told supporters Wednesday that he’s launched a redesigned Web site for his political action committee and plans to “stay at the forefront of the national debate.” The retired four-star general was one of several Democrats who ran for president in 2004. He abandoned…
Rice Tries Cricket Diplomacy in Pakistan photo ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (AP) – A series of cross-border cricket matches may offer the best hope in years for improvement in the tense relationship between nuclear rivals India and Pakistan. Visiting Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice even took a crack Wednesday at what is being called cricket…
Bush Taps Wolfowitz to Head World Bank photo WASHINGTON (AP) – President Bush chose Paul Wolfowitz on Wednesday to head the World Bank, selecting an architect of the Iraq war whose hard-line foreign policy stance as deputy defense secretary has made him a target of critics at home and abroad. Bush called Wolfowitz “a compassionate, decent…
U.S. Supports Sisters of Man Killed by IRA WASHINGTON (AP) – Several U.S. senators offered their support Wednesday to five Belfast sisters who blame the Irish Republican Army for the killing of their brother, increasing American pressure on the outlawed paramilitary group to disband and identify the alleged killers. “No political party can…

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