Bush Administration News Blog @newzblogz.com

WASHINGTON - Gov. Jennifer Granholm pressed the Bush administration Monday to take a more active approach on trade enforcement and pending trade deals, arguing that the current terms hamstring automakers trying to compete in the global marketplace.

The Michigan Democrat and other governors met with U.S. Trade Representative Susan Schwab during a session at the National Governors Association meeting. Michigan has been "slammed" by high unemployment rates and the affects of globalization, Granholm told Schwab, and needed more equitable trade deals.

"Doesn't it make sense for us to be really aggressive not just about negotiating the terms but enforcing those terms?" Granholm asked.

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SAN FRANCISCO - California's $3 billion stem cell agency withstood another challenge to its constitutionality when a state appeals court rejected claims by abortion foes and anti-tax advocates that the agency's managers had conflicts of interest.

The 1st District Court of Appeal upheld a decision by a lower court judge who last year ruled in favor of the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine, which was created when Proposition 71 was passed by 59 percent of the electorate in 2004.

Opponents of the stem cell agency said after Monday's ruling that they likely would appeal to the state Supreme Court.

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SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- California's $3 billion stem cell agency withstood another challenge to its constitutionality when a state appeals court rejected claims by abortion foes and anti-tax advocates that the agency's managers had conflicts of interest. The 1st District Court of Appeal upheld a decision by a lower court judge who last year ruled in favor of the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine, which was created when Proposition 71 was passed by 59 percent of the electorate in 2...

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WASHINGTON (AP) The top aide to convicted former Rep. Bob Ney pleaded guilty Monday to federal conspiracy charges stemming from a congressional bribery scandal that downed his boss.

Smiling nervously at times, William Heaton, 28, acknowledged accepting a golf trip to Scotland, expensive meals, and tickets to sporting events between 2002 and 2004 as payoffs for helping clients of disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff.

Heaton worked for Ney, R-Ohio, from September 2001 to July 2006, ultimately serving as his chief of staff.

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WASHINGTON - California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, assuming the mantle of potential kingmaker instead of mere political curiosity, scolded national leaders of both parties on Monday for "divide and conquer" politics.

On a trip east that included a Sunday news-show appearance and undisputed star status at a national governors conference, he used a sold-out speech to the National Press Club to urge the Bush administration and Congress to adopt his centrist, "post-partisan" approach to get things done on immigration, health care and global warming.

He quoted Edmund Burke and John F. Kennedy on the art of compromise, and with wife Maria Shriver and mother-in-law Eunice Shriver looking on, recalled long dinners with the Shrivers and Kennedys, prominent Democratic families, where people from both parties could hash over issues.

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SUPREME COURT A case pitting parents of an autistic boy against a suburban Cleveland school district is before the Supreme Court today.Jeff and Sandee Winkelman want the Supreme Court to rule that a federal special education law gives them the right to go before a federal court to argue about their son's schooling, even though they can't afford a lawyer.A lawyer is representing them today, free of charge.The broader issue isn't before the high court. The Winkelmans object to the school district'...

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WASHINGTON (AP) The State Department has been lacking a diplomatic heavyweight to handle China issues since last summer, and President Bush's choice to fill that role plans to travel to Beijing this week as part of a three-nation East Asia tour.

John Negroponte, newly installed as the State Department's No. 2 official, is scheduled to visit South Korea and Japan, in addition to China.

Negroponte, 67, began his career as an Asia hand more than 40 years ago and has worked on regional issues periodically since then, including a stint as ambassador to the Philippines. He was director of national intelligence for the past two years, and issues relating to China crossed his desk frequently, including the country's military buildup.

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WASHINGTON - The federal agency that's been front and center in warning the public about tainted spinach and contaminated peanut butter is conducting just half the food safety inspections it did three years ago.

The cuts by the Food and Drug Administration come despite a barrage of high-profile food recalls.

"We have a food safety crisis on the horizon," said Michael Doyle, director of the Center for Food Safety at the University of Georgia.

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WASHINGTON -- The same federal bribery case that felled his boss has now claimed the former top aide to convicted former Rep. Bob Ney.

Related: Corruption Convictions

William Heaton, 28, was Ney's chief of staff until the Ohio Republican representative quit last year.

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WASHINGTON - Jeff and Sandee Winkelman don't have the money to pay for private schooling for their autistic son, let alone hire a lawyer to sue their public school district.

The Winkelmans want the Supreme Court to rule that the main federal special education law gives them the right to go before a federal court to argue that taxpayers should pay for 9-year-old Jacob's private school, even though neither parent is a lawyer.

The case is before the court Tuesday, when the Winkelmans will be represented free of charge by a private lawyer.

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WASHINGTON - The nation's newly installed spy chief, Mike McConnell, told CIA personnel at a town-hall style meeting last week that he intends to establish personal relationships with Congress.

He has his first chance Tuesday as he appears before the Senate Armed Services Committee to lay out threats facing the United States around the globe. Among them are Iraq, Iran, North Korea and Muslim extremists operating along the Afghan-Pakistani border.

Both Republicans and Democrats alike have grown uneasy about the situation in Iraq and the growing tension with Iran over its nuclear program and U.S. claims that the government in Tehran is meddling in Iraq.

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WASHINGTON - A Senate drive to approve homeland security legislation could lead to a clash with the White House over airport screeners and standardized drivers' licenses.

The Senate planned to begin debate on Tuesday. The legislation would improve rail and aviation security, provide funds for state and local emergency communications systems, improve intelligence sharing between federal, state and local officials, and expand a visa waiver benefit for favored countries.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., told the Senate on Monday that it is time to implement the remaining recommendations of the 9/11 commission. The panel issued a report card on the status of its recommendations last year, and Reid said any child would be embarrassed to take home those marks.

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BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) The Iraqi Cabinet approved draft legislation Monday to manage the country's vast oil industry and divide its wealth among the population, a key U.S. benchmark for progress in this country. The legislation now goes to parliament for approval.

Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki announced the decision after the Kurds accepted the draft oil bill over the weekend - nearly two months after the government's own deadline for enacting a new oil law.

Al-Maliki said the measures would be "another foundation stone" in building a new Iraq, which relies on oil revenues for about 90 percent of its national budget.

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ISLAMABAD, Pakistan - Underscoring growing alarm in the West at how militants have regained ground in Afghanistan and Pakistan, Vice President Dick Cheney on Monday sought Pakistani aid to help counter al-Qaida's efforts to regroup, officials said.

However, President Gen. Pervez Musharraf insisted his forces have already "done the maximum" possible against extremists in their territory - and insisted that other allies also shoulder responsibility in the U.S.-led war on terrorism.

Cheney, accompanied by CIA deputy director Steve Kappes, made an unannounced stop in Pakistan en route to Afghanistan, where snow prevented him from reaching Kabul for talks with Afghan President Hamid Karzai.

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WASHINGTON - The State Department has been lacking a diplomatic heavyweight to handle China issues since last summer, and President Bush's choice to fill that role plans to travel to Beijing this week as part of a three-nation East Asia tour.

John Negroponte, newly installed as the State Department's No. 2 official, is scheduled to visit South Korea and Japan, in addition to China.

Negroponte, 67, began his career as an Asia hand more than 40 years ago and has worked on regional issues periodically since then, including a stint as ambassador to the Philippines. He was director of national intelligence for the past two years, and issues relating to China crossed his desk frequently, including the country's military buildup.

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DETROIT - Mixing Scripture from the Quran and the Bible with foreign policy, Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan issued a call for worldwide religious unity Sunday during his farewell address, urging Christians, Muslims and Jews to work toward peace.

Thousands of followers of the Nation of Islam as well as African-Americans of all faiths gathered for the event, possibly the last chance to see and hear Farrakhan, considered one of the most charismatic and controversial religious figures of modern time.

The two-hour speech marked the first time the ailing Farrakhan, 73, had addressed the public in nearly seven months since ceding control to the group's executive board.

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Cheney visited Afghanistan and Pakistan on Monday to discuss with officials there a planned spring offensive against the Taliban after the most violent year since the hard-line group was ousted in 2001.Monday, February 26, 2007

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KABUL (Reuters) - Vice President Dick Cheney visited Afghanistan and Pakistan on Monday to discuss with officials there a planned spring offensive against the Taliban after the most violent year since the hard-line group was ousted in 2001.

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WASHINGTON ? The welfare state is bigger than ever despite a decade of policies designed to wean poor people from public aid.

The number of families receiving cash benefits from welfare has plummeted since the government imposed time limits on the payments a decade ago. But other programs for the poor, including Medicaid, food stamps and disability benefits, are bursting with new enrollees.

The result, according to an Associated Press analysis: Nearly one in six people rely on some form of public assistance, a larger share than at any time since the government started measuring two decades ago.

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PARMA, Ohio (AP) -- If the U.S. Supreme Court allows the parents of an autistic boy to sue his school district without being represented by an attorney, districts nationwide will be inundated with frivolous lawsuits, school officials in this Cleveland suburb argue. The Bush administration, backing the boy's family, says that's a necessary consequence of a right to self-representation that Congress intended for parents of disabled students. The Supreme Court takes up the case of Jacob Winkelm...

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High court to decide if autistic boys parents need lawyer to sue

PARMA, Ohio (AP) If the U.S. Supreme Court allows the parents of an autistic boy to sue his school district without being represented by an attorney, districts nationwide will be inundated with frivolous lawsuits, school officials in this Cleveland suburb argue.

The Bush administration, backing the boys family, says thats a necessary consequence of a right to self-representation that Congress intended for parents of disabled students.

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Wiretap summary on Islamic charity may not match verbatim account

05:52 AM CST on Monday, February 26, 2007

The Los Angeles Times

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WASHINGTON — Even as the federal government is starting to crack down on companies that hire illegal immigrants, it's been helping those same workers send money home, cheap.

Dubbed Directo a Mexico, the Federal Reserve-sponsored service allows customers without Social Security numbers to wire money through the Fed system to Mexico's central bank at little cost. In September, the Fed expanded the remittance program by allowing immigrants, legal or not, to open accounts at participating banks and credit unions in the U.S. or Mexico. About 27,000 transfers are made through the program each month.

The program has attracted the attention of conservative immigration activists and members of Congress, who say financial institutions shouldn't cater to illegal immigrants.

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Mixing Scripture from the Koran and the Bible with foreign policy, Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan issued a call for worldwide religious unity Sunday during his farewell address, urging Christians, Muslims and Jews to work toward peace.

Thousands of followers of the Nation of Islam as well as African-Americans of all faiths gathered for the event, possibly the last chance to see and hear Farrakhan, considered one of the most charismatic and controversial religious figures of modern times.

Photo gallery

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WASHINGTON — If you're wondering where American governance is headed, don't look to Washington — look to the states.

We're into one of those classic times, repeated through our history, when the federal government retrenches, trying to cut taxes, leaving decisions to the private sector.

The Democrats controlling Congress may prefer a more activist course, but the Bush administration's program of deep tax cuts and its preference for military over domestic spending will leave its mark for years to come. Even a Democratic president, should one be elected, would be restrained by the deep debt run up by wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and by Bush-era deficit spending.

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WASHINGTON ? Governors from both parties are opposing President Bush's budget for a health care program that insures millions of children of the working poor, warning that failure to meet its spending needs will inflate the already high number of uninsured.

The budget dispute dominated discussions among governors Sunday, who promised to bring the matter to Bush and his Cabinet officials at private meetings Monday.

At stake is coverage for 6 million people, overwhelmingly children, as well as the hopes of many governors in tackling the larger challenge of the uninsured. All governors rely on the State Children's Health Insurance Program, intended to aid uninsured working families.

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The welfare state is bigger than ever despite a decade of policies designed to wean poor people from public aid.

The number of families receiving cash benefits from welfare has plummeted since the government imposed time limits on the payments a decade ago. But other programs for the poor, including Medicaid, food stamps and disability benefits, are bursting with new enrollees.

The result, according to an Associated Press analysis: Nearly one in six people rely on some form of public assistance, a larger share than at any time since the government started measuring two decades ago.

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They want feds to give more for program that insures mostly children

12:00 AM CST on Monday, February 26, 2007

Associated Press

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WASHINGTON - The welfare state is bigger than ever despite a decade of policies designed to wean poor people from public aid.

The number of families receiving cash benefits from welfare has plummeted since the government imposed time limits on the payments a decade ago. But other programs for the poor, including Medicaid, food stamps and disability benefits, are bursting with new enrollees.

The result, according to an Associated Press analysis: Nearly one in six people rely on some form of public assistance, a larger share than at any time since the government started measuring two decades ago.

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WASHINGTON - Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Sunday she'll negotiate directly with Iran if it halts its nuclear program, but the Iranians claimed it's too late to put the brakes on its uranium enrichment research.

With the U.N. Security Council preparing a slate of new economic sanctions to further isolate Tehran, Rice insisted Sunday the Iranians "need a stop button" on their nuke plans.

"They need to stop enriching and reprocessing, and then we can sit down and talk about whatever is on Iran's mind," Rice said on "Fox News Sunday."

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WASHINGTON - Governors from both parties are opposing President Bush's budget for a health care program that insures millions of children of the working poor, warning that failure to meet its spending needs will inflate the already high number of uninsured.

The budget dispute dominated discussions among governors Sunday, who promised to bring the matter to Bush and his Cabinet officials at private meetings Monday.

At stake is coverage for 6 million people, overwhelmingly children, as well as the hopes of many governors in tackling the larger challenge of the uninsured. All governors rely on the State Children's Health Insurance Program, intended to aid uninsured working families.

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PARIS -- The discovery of the obvious is not a convincing casus belli, and the recent presentation in Baghdad of munitions of Iranian origin found in Iraq, merited comparison with Claude Rains' declaration that he was "shocked, shocked!" when told that gambling took place in Humphrey Bogart's Casablanca saloon.

Some critics of the George W. Bush administration, some specialists in Iranian arms, and some reporters have been skeptical about the Baghdad presentation, but I would think it perfectly reasonable for Iran to supply weapons to the Shia militias and insurgents in Iraq.

The United States has been trying to overthrow Iran's Islamist government since 1979. It has successfully organized U.N. Security Council sanctions against the country for its nuclear activities, and sponsors opponents of the regime, anti-regime propaganda and political warfare activities. American agents allegedly have been inside Iran promoting resistance among the Kurdish and Turkic-speaking minorities.

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Watching George W. Bush struggle with foreign policy is like watching a rerun of "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde." You never know which personality, the good guy or the bad guy, is going to prevail.

The problem is, neither does he. Like the protagonist in Robert Louis Stevenson's classic clash of dual personalities, George Bush is capable of doing both good and evil, often at the same time. Look at the contrast between Iraq, Iran and North Korea.

From the beginning, Bush's policy in Iraq was pure Mr. Hyde: Bomb first, ask questions later. No time for diplomacy. No time for U.N. inspectors to finish their job. No time to discover the truth about WMD or Saddam Hussein's connection to Osama bin Laden and Sept. 11 (none). Bush insisted we had to hurry up and invade Iraq in order to teach other unfriendly regimes in the Arab world a lesson.

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WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Bush should follow British Prime Minister Tony Blair's lead and start withdrawing troops from Iraq, former U.N. Ambassador Richard Holbrooke said Saturday.

"Engaging in a broad-based diplomatic offensive, and beginning a redeployment of U.S. forces in Iraq, represents the best way to secure America's interests in the region and combat the serious threat of terrorist networks," Holbrooke, who served under President Clinton, said in the Democrats' weekly radio address.

Britain will withdraw about 1,600 troops in the coming months and aims to cut more by late summer. The announcement came as Bush is implementing his plan to send an additional 21,500 combat troops to Iraq.

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A group of about 30 gathered outside U.S. Rep. Thaddeus McCotter's office in Livonia Thursday to protest President George W. Bush's plan to deploy 20,000 additional troops to Iraq.

The protest was part of a national campaign sponsored by the liberal political group MoveOn.org. With the theme "Congress is the Decider," the group planned to deliver 25,000 personal letters protesting the war to members of Congress from both parties.

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My first reaction upon hearing that North Korea had agreed to take steps toward nuclear disarmament was: not again! Hadn't Pyongyang promised Jimmy Carter, during his ill-advised 1994 "peace" mission, that it would freeze its nuclear weapons program and dismantle existing nuclear facilities? Didn't North Korea break that promise? In 2000, hadn't Secretary of State Madeleine Albright toasted the "dear leader" Kim Jong Il in Pyongyang only to be disappointed later when his duplicity was again revealed? When will these people realize that communists lie?

Now comes the Bush administration's announcement of what appears - appears - to be a breakthrough. This time things might - might - be different, especially because the initial agreement does not rely solely on Kim's word or on U.S. pressure.

As outlined to me in a telephone conversation with Deputy National Security Adviser J.D. Crouch, this agreement is the result of pressure exerted by five countries -- the United States, China, Russia, Japan and South Korea -- something critics said would never happen. Critics said that Kim would never agree to six-party talks and that the Bush administration was making a big mistake in not accepting Kim's demand for bilateral negotiations. President Bush held out and, so far, his strategy seems to be working.

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WASHINGTON -- After years of haranguing over their competitive disadvantage caused by a weak Japanese yen, Detroit automakers say their arguments are finally being heard in Washington -- but Washington may not have much power to flex.

That's because global currency markets have bet big on the yen remaining weak for the immediate future, a self-reinforcing trend that some experts say can only be reversed by careful moves in Japan, not dictates from Capitol Hill.

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When it rains in this border town, toxic goo from Mexican slums and factories flows down the Tijuana River onto U.S. soil. It winds through tidal marshes and ends up in the Pacific Ocean, closing the beach to swimmers and diehard surfers 198 days last year.

The U.S. government found a novel fix: pay a private developer an estimated $700 million to build and manage a treatment plant in Tijuana, Mexico. If the plant sells recycled water to thirsty Mexican factories, U.S. taxpayers will get some of their money back.

Ground has not yet broken and the 7-year-old agreement between the U.S. and Bajagua LLC is looking more fragile than ever amid growing criticism that the no-bid contract would fatten the developer's pockets and fail to contain the sewage. This month, the Bush administration proposed funding a treatment plant on U.S. soil - which would effectively kill the Mexico venture.

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BAGHDAD, Iraq — The Oil Ministry cast doubt Sunday on statements indicating the Kurds had agreed to support a draft oil law that would divide revenues among all Iraqi factions and meet a key U.S. benchmark in Iraq.

Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's government had promised to enact a new oil law by the end of 2006 but missed the deadline due to objections from the Kurds. Many of Iraq's vast oil reserves can be found in the Kurdish north and the Shiite south, and the Kurds wanted a greater role in awarding contracts and administering the revenues.

Massoud Barzani, president of the self-governing Kurdish administration in the north, said Saturday that he and President Jalal Talabani, a Kurd, had discussed the latest draft law by telephone with al-Maliki and "the results were good."

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WASHINGTON - Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said the U.S. would hold direct talks with Iran if Tehran suspended its nuclear program. Iran's president, however, pledged to move ahead with enrichment activity that Washington contends masks weapons development.

"I am prepared to meet my counterpart or an Iranian representative at any time if Iran will suspend its enrichment and reprocessing activities. That should be a clear signal," Rice said in Washington.

Earlier Sunday, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad comparing his nation's nuclear drive to a train without a reverse gear or brakes. "We dismantled the rear gear and brakes of the train and threw them away sometime ago," he was quoted on the radio as telling Islamic clerics.

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BAGHDAD, Iraq - The Oil Ministry cast doubt Sunday on statements indicating the Kurds had agreed to support a draft oil law that would divide revenues among all Iraqi factions and meet a key U.S. benchmark in Iraq.

Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's government had promised to enact a new oil law by the end of 2006 but missed the deadline due to objections from the Kurds. Many of Iraq's vast oil reserves can be found in the Kurdish north and the Shiite south, and the Kurds wanted a greater role in awarding contracts and administering the revenues.

Massoud Barzani, president of the self-governing Kurdish administration in the north, said Saturday that he and President Jalal Talabani, a Kurd, had discussed the latest draft law by telephone with al-Maliki and "the results were good."

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WASHINGTON (AP) -- The welfare state is bigger than ever despite a decade of policies designed to wean poor people from public aid. The number of families receiving cash benefits from welfare has plummeted since the government imposed time limits on the payments a decade ago. But other programs for the poor, including Medicaid, food stamps and disability benefits, are bursting with new enrollees. The result, according to an Associated Press analysis: Nearly one in six people rely on some for...

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Sen. Lamar Alexander supports nuclear power as a clean-air alternative to coal-burning power plants, but he said Thursday that he wouldn't want the nuclear waste processed in Oak Ridge without the community's support or limits on how much waste is handled.A 7,000-acre Department of Energy site near the Oak Ridge National Laboratory is one of 11 locations being studied as part of the Bush administration's Global Nuclear Energy Partnership.

The project would require a fuel-recycling center, a nuclear reactor to burn the recycled fuel and a nuclear research center.

Official kept utilities despite $16K debt

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WASHINGTON — Dozens of high-level officials joined in a White House drill Saturday to see how the government would respond if several cities were attacked simultaneously by the type of the roadside bombs used against American troops in Iraq.

White House homeland security adviser Fran Townsend presided over the three-hour exercise that brought the government's highest level homeland security officials to the Eisenhower Executive Office Building next to the White House. All Cabinet agencies were represented by their secretaries or other high-ranking officials, with a total of about 90 participants, said Scott Stanzel, a White House spokesman.

Stanzel said the drill revealed gaps in the government's ability to respond, but also showed that there have been many improvements since Hurricane Katrina exposed federal inadequacies when it devastated the Gulf Coast in 2005. For instance, coordination with state and local authorities and the ability to get federal resources in place quickly — key missteps after Katrina — appeared much better now, Stanzel said.

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SYDNEY — Vice President Dick Cheney, in a series of blunt and sometimes biting statements during a visit to Asia, defended the Iraq war, attacked administration critics at home and warned that the U.S. would confront potential adversaries abroad.

His visit was meant to thank Australia and Japan for their support in Iraq. But in a series of public appearances and media interviews, Cheney's tone was typically feisty.

Answering growing criticism in the U.S. and Australia, he defended the Iraq war as a "remarkable achievement" in one speech, and dismissed suggestions his influence in Washington is waning.

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WASHINGTON - The news that Mexican trucks will be allowed to haul freight deeper into the United States drew an angry reaction Friday from labor leaders, safety advocates and members of Congress.

They said Mexico has substandard trucks and low-paid drivers that will threaten national security, cost thousands of jobs and endanger motorists on the northern side of the Mexican border.

The Bush administration on Thursday announced its plan to have U.S. inspectors oversee Mexican trucking companies that carry cargo across the border.

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OLYMPIA, Wash. - The Army has filed a new round of charges against a Fort Lewis, Wash., officer who refused to deploy to Iraq and spoke out publicly against the war, resurrecting a high-profile case aborted by a mistrial two weeks ago.

In a widely expected move, the Army on Friday filed the same charges against Lt. Ehren Watada that were brought against him in the wake of his refusal to board a plane bound for the Middle East on June 22.

Watada is charged with missing troop movement and conduct unbecoming an officer for statements critical of the Bush administration and the war that he made in speeches and to journalists.

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TAMPA, Fla. (AP) -- Peruvian president Alan Garcia said he will try to reopen the investigation into the 1989 slaying of a reporter from The Tampa Tribune who had been probing links between guerrillas and drug traffickers. Garcia's discussed his interest in reviving the investigation into Todd Smith's death following a meeting with U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson on Thursday. Peru's Supreme Court would ultimately decide if another investigation should be opened. "We'll work with the justice system to ...

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SYDNEY, Australia (AP) -- Vice President Dick Cheney, in a series of blunt and sometimes biting statements during a visit to Asia, defended the Iraq war, attacked administration critics at home and warned that the U.S. would confront potential adversaries abroad. His visit was meant to thank Australia and Japan for their support in Iraq. But a series of public appearances and media interviews, Cheney's tone was typically feisty. Answering growing criticism in the U.S. and Australia, he ...

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TEHRAN, Iran - Iran's foreign minister said Saturday the United States was in no position for another war, and maintained that negotiations - not threats - were the only way to resolve the standoff over its nuclear activities.

Manouchehr Mottaki was responding to Vice President Dick Cheney, who renewed Washington's warning to Iran earlier Saturday that "all options" were on the table if Tehran continues to defy U.N. demands to halt uranium enrichment.

Mottaki said the U.S. could not afford to settle its differences with Iran by launching a third war after Afghanistan and Iraq.

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SUPREME COURT The Supreme Court finds itself smack in the middle of a big debate over high-speed chases.Officers in Georgia were chasing a speeding Victor Harris in 2001 when a cruiser rammed Harris' Cadillac at roughly 90 miles-per-hour, sending him into an embankment and leaving him paralyzed.Harris sued Deputy Timothy Scott for violating his civil rights by using excessive force. Scott said he was trying to end the chase before anybody got hurt. Two lower courts sided with Harris.This will be...

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