all-news.org - source: Washington Times

all-news.org
ALL WASHINGTON TIMES STORIES

[CaRP] XML error: Empty document at line 1

[CaRP] XML error: Empty document at line 1

[CaRP] XML error: XML_ERR_NAME_REQUIRED at line 49

[CaRP] XML error: XML_ERR_NAME_REQUIRED at line 49

Stimulus foes see value in seeking cash - 9 Feb 2010 at 5:00am - Sen. Christopher S. Bond regularly railed against President Obama's economic stimulus plan as irresponsible spending that would drive up the national debt. But behind the scenes, the Missouri Republican quietly sought more than $50 million from a federal agency for two projects in his state. Mr. Bond was not alone. More than a dozen Republican lawmakers, while denouncing the stimulus to the media and their constituents, privately sent letters to just one of the federal government's many agencies seeking stimulus money for home-state pork projects. The letters to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), obtained through the Freedom of Information ...

President's bipartisan call hits wall of dissent - 9 Feb 2010 at 5:00am - Despite his continued calls for collaboration, just two weeks after President Obama's State of the Union address, the window has closed on the areas of bipartisan cooperation he laid out, with Republicans saying his budget puts some ideas out of play and Democrats taking others off the table. Republicans say Mr. Obama's list was already fairly short. They rejected out of hand his renewed push for health care and his call to curb a Supreme Court ruling on campaign finance, leaving drilling for oil and gas here at home, pushing nuclear power and enacting more free-trade agreements as the chief ...

Rep. Murtha dies at age 77 - 9 Feb 2010 at 5:00am - Long before he became a national figure for his zealous opposition to the Iraq war, Rep. John P. Murtha was known to every research lab, military base and Defense Department bureaucrat as the go-to man if they needed taxpayer funding. The congressman, who died Monday after 36 years in Congress, was the Democrats' top link to the Pentagon and the web of defense contractors that surround it, and, as his party's top man on the House defense spending subcommittee, he was the gatekeeper for an outsized chunk of the entire federal budget. A Marine who earned two Purple Hearts and ...

Snow KO has Washington region reeling - 9 Feb 2010 at 5:00am - Washington-area residents cautiously tried to return to life as usual, some venturing out on icy sidewalks and slow-running subway trains while others continued to regroup from the record weekend snowfall before Tuesday afternoon, when another storm is expected. Streets and sidewalks were empty, largely because federal agencies closed, as have most school districts. Thousands of service-industry workers and other employees, however, crowded subway stations after they opened at 7 a.m. — two hours later than usual. The National Weather Service called the storm "historic" and reported a foot of snow in parts of Ohio and two feet or more in ...

Path to health care summit uncertain - 9 Feb 2010 at 5:00am - Taken at their word, both Democrats and Republicans say they want to work together on a health care reform bill — but it's not clear how a bipartisan summit at the White House later this month will accomplish that. The pressure is on Democrats to reach out, now that they lost their filibuster-proof majority in the Senate, but most are unwilling to scrap the bills that passed the House and Senate and go back to the drawing board. But that's exactly what Republicans are demanding. In a letter sent late Monday to the White House, House Minority Leader John A. ...

New federal office for global warming - 9 Feb 2010 at 5:00am - Amid the growing fight over the accuracy of climate data, President Obama is seeking to have the federal government put its imprimatur on the science by calling for the creation of a new federal office to study and report on global warming. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke said the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Climate Service office would help federal agencies and businesses prepare for and cope with global changes, similar to how industries have used data from the 140-year-old National Weather Service to create new technologies and provide services. "This service will be a vital part of our growing body ...

PRUDEN: Hatching the Silly Bowl - 9 Feb 2010 at 5:00am - ANALYSIS/OPINION: Super Bowl Sunday has come and gone, but a lot of little guys with a big idea are still trying to suit up the worst idea of the season. So is a certain senator who ought to know better (and probably does). Sen. Orrin Hatch of Utah, a Republican who once was chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, has channeled several of the Founding Fathers and learned that they want Congress to organize a tournament to determine the national collegiate football championship. Mr. Hatch is pretty sure the champs will be the Utes of the University of Utah, or ...

Vancouver's skid row blocks from Olympics site - 9 Feb 2010 at 5:00am - VANCOUVER, British Columbia | Five blocks away from the venue for Vancouver's Olympic opening ceremonies on Friday, four grizzled addicts huddle in the rain, injecting themselves with heroin behind a trash bin. This is the Downtown Eastside, where life is volatile and the slightest misstep can invite brutal retaliation. "It's a jungle," said Glen, a 49-year-old heroin addict who goes by the street name Trouble. "You want to get out of here." As Vancouver prepares for the Feb. 12-28 Olympics and the descent of the world's media, the Downtown Eastside remains a huge problem — 15 square blocks of despair, ...

Saints, sinners party all night in Louisiana - 9 Feb 2010 at 5:00am - NEW ORLEANS | Hoarse, hungover and happy, New Orleans woke up Monday wondering whether that Super Bowl thing really happened. In the French Quarter, stragglers — decked out in Saints jerseys and team colors — remaining from the all-night party turned to coffee and beignets as dawn broke. Richard Bourland said he came to the city from nearby Gulfport, Miss., hoping to see history made and wasn't disappointed. The 57-year-old had pulled his first all-nighter "in at least 15 years" celebrating the Saints' 31-17 victory over the Indianapolis Colts in Sunday's Super Bowl. "I came because it is a once-in-a-lifetime ...

American Scene - 9 Feb 2010 at 5:00am - CALIFORNIA Jackson's doctor pleads not guilty LOS ANGELES | Michael Jackson's doctor has pleaded not guilty to involuntary manslaughter in the death of the pop star. Dr. Conrad Murray, a Houston cardiologist who was with Jackson when he died June 25, entered his plea Monday in Los Angeles Superior Court just hours after he was charged. He could face up to four years in prison if convicted. Dr. Murray appeared in court in a gray suit as Jackson's father Joe, mother Katherine, and siblings LaToya, Jermaine, Tito, Jackie and Randy sat behind prosecutors. Jackson hired Dr. Murray to be his ...

GRAY: Getting a true measure on biofuels - 9 Feb 2010 at 5:00am - Little noticed outside a small policy community, an issue has quietly arisen in recent years that, while seemingly technical, has the potential to derail the nation's attempts to address the issues of energy security and the environment. The issue is how or whether to count the effects of "indirect" land use — including as far away as Southeast Asia or Brazil — in determining the total greenhouse gas emissions from renewable fuels like ethanol, the very fuels that will enable us to reduce our dependence on imported oil. The wrong answer to this question could severely affect the increased use ...

Study links age of mom to autism - 9 Feb 2010 at 5:00am - A woman's chance of having a child with autism increases substantially as she ages, but the risk may be less for older dads than previously suggested, a new study analyzing more than 5 million births found. "Although fathers' age can contribute risk, the risk is overwhelmed by maternal age," said University of California at Davis researcher Janie Shelton, the study's lead author. Mothers older than 40 were about 50 percent more likely to have a child with autism than those in their 20s; the risk for fathers older than 40 was 36 percent higher than for men in their 20s. ...

'Choose Life' license plate trend gaining - 9 Feb 2010 at 5:00am - RICHMOND, Va. | Abortion rights advocates have been unable to halt the "Choose Life" license plate variations in nearly two dozen states, so now they're working to balance the bumper debate. Activists are pushing a "Trust Women/Protect Choice" license plate in Virginia, which would become the fourth state to offer a pro-choice plate and the first to require legislative approval for it. Supporters have threatened to sue if lawmakers don't give drivers the option. "We really don't feel like a license plate is the place to be promoting a political agenda," said Tarina Keene, executive director of NARAL Pro-Choice Virginia. ...

Culture Briefs - 9 Feb 2010 at 5:00am - Party time "As the final seconds ticked off the clock in the Saints' 31-17 victory in their first-ever Super Bowl appearance, cameras on every sports television network in America focused their lenses on Bourbon Street. … "Thus, the unofficial world record for the quickest and largest "impulse" party ensued down on the streets of New Orleans. We were all ready for it. Saints fans already had their dress rehearsal two weekends ago. … "This Super Bowl was different than the rest. Never before has an NFL championship meant more to a city. What last night's game proved more than anything ...

Inside the Beltway - 9 Feb 2010 at 5:00am - Winds of change It's reinventing-the-wheel time. The Obama administration has announced intentions to create a big, fat, shiny, new federal office called the "Climate Service" to track global warming, complete with six regional offices and lots of good intentions. "It looks like the [warming] empire strikes back. Obama is attempting to engineer a global warming bailout. This is a classic response of the federal government: Bail out a corrupt and dying industry," Marc Morano, editor of the watchdog site ClimateDepot.com, tells Inside the Beltway. "What else would you expect of the feds? Man-made global warming has proven itself to be ...

Political Scene - 9 Feb 2010 at 5:00am - SCIENCE Study finds why losing money is scary People are afraid to lose money, and an unusual study released Monday explains why — the brain's fear center controls the response to a gamble. The study of two women with brain lesions that made them unafraid to lose on a gamble showed the amygdala, the brain's fear center, activates at the very thought of losing money. The finding, reported in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, offers insight into economic behavior and suggests that humans evolved to be cautious about the prospects of losing food or other valued possessions. ...

Obama seeks to improve kids' nutrition - 9 Feb 2010 at 5:00am - The Obama administration will ask Congress to improve childhood nutrition by ridding school vending machines of sugary snacks and drinks and giving school lunch and breakfast to more students. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said the administration will seek changes when Congress overhauls the Childhood Nutrition Act, first passed in 1966. "Our children deserve better nutrition, and our country's better and brighter future depends on it," Mr. Vilsack said. "And with the reauthorization of the Childhood Nutrition Act scheduled this year, there won't be a better time than now to act boldly." Mr. Vilsack's comments were in a speech he was ...

Illinois nominee quits, to relief of Democrats - 9 Feb 2010 at 5:00am - CHICAGO | The Democratic nominee for Illinois lieutenant governor dropped out of the race Sunday night, less than a week after winning the nomination, amid a political uproar about his past. Announcing his decision at a Chicago bar packed with patrons watching the Super Bowl, a tearful Scott Lee Cohen said the Democrats were not certain they could win with him on the ticket. He said he was stepping down because he did not want to jeopardize the Democratic Party ticket. "This is the hardest thing that I ever had to do in my life," he said before choking up ...

Health care debacle evokes bitter memories - 9 Feb 2010 at 5:00am - Shock and awe. That's what survivors of the Clinton-era health care collapse are feeling as President Obama's overhaul legislation teeters in Congress. Aides who shaped Bill and Hillary Rodham Clinton's 1990s plan to cover all Americans, then labored in vain to pass it into law, are adamant that the Democrats can't afford another health care disaster. But they're divided on whether scaling down Mr. Obama's plan would be the best fallback plan. The Clintonistas — now in think tanks, universities, serving in the Obama administration or lobbying are a potent voice in the furious debate within the Democratic Party over ...

Toyota recalling 200,000 Prius in Japan - 9 Feb 2010 at 12:33am - TOKYO -- Toyota is recalling nearly 200,000 of its signature Prius green cars in Japan for braking problems, the latest in a string of embarrassing safety problems at the world's largest automaker. Toyota Motor Corp. president Akio Toyoda will hold a news conference at the automaker's Tokyo office later Tuesday to outline details of the braking problem, including plans for a possible recall in the U.S., a company official told The Associated Press. The number of Prius gas-electric hybrids being recalled would swell to about 300,000 if there is a recall in the U.S. and other regions. The braking problem ...

Grimm says Hall selection 'a great day in my life' - 9 Feb 2010 at 12:22am - TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) -- Russ Grimm wasn't sure when, if ever, he'd make it to the pro football Hall of Fame, but he said his selection Saturday made it "a great day in my life." The Arizona Cardinals assistant head coach and offensive line coach was honored for his 11 seasons as guard on the Washington Redskins' famed Hogs offensive line. He appeared in four Super Bowls. Grimm said he doesn't believe it's sunk in yet that he has finally made it to the Hall of Fame after falling short as a finalist for several years. After all those near ...

Saints, New Orleans bask in title glory - 9 Feb 2010 at 12:10am - FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- Wearing Mardi Gras beads and clearly exhausted from a late night of post-Super Bowl celebrations, Sean Payton leaned on a podium, clutching the Vince Lombardi trophy in his right hand. "You can't get enough of this," the Saints' head coach said at a news conference at the Fort Lauderdale convention center Monday morning. "This thing lay in my bed next to me last night, rolled over it a couple times. I probably drooled on it. But man, there's nothing like it." Certainly, the New Orleans Saints never experienced anything like it. Before this one, the Saints ...

Super Bowl sets all-time Nielsen record - 8 Feb 2010 at 5:10pm - The gridiron victory of an underdog made broadcast history Sunday night. According to preliminary Nielsen ratings, 106.5 million people watched the New Orleans Saints win Super Bowl XLIV, besting the Indianapolis Colts and yielding the largest audience in TV history for a single broadcast. It was also the most-watched Super Bowl of all time. "The Super Bowl remains the premier television event of the year, and is one of the few programs in an era of fragmented TV viewership that can still attract a huge national audience," said Dave Thomas, Nielsen president. The event was human interest story as well ...

Va. Senate OKs ban on sexual orientation bias - 8 Feb 2010 at 3:51pm - RICHMOND -- Virginia's Senate has passed a bill that would write into law executive orders by the past two governors that ban bias in the state work force based on sexual orientation. Sen. Don McEachin's bill advanced from the Democratic-controlled Senate on a nearly party line vote of 23-17. One Republican, Sen. Fred Quayle, joined the Democratic majority. Democratic Govs. Tim Kaine and his predecessor, Mark Warner, issued executive orders during their tenure banning discrimination in state government hiring and workplace protection. Republican Gov. Robert F. McDonnell has not reissued such an order but says Mr. Kaine's is still in ...

Jackson doctor pleads not guilty - 8 Feb 2010 at 2:47pm - LOS ANGELES — Michael Jackson's doctor has pleaded not guilty to involuntary manslaughter in the death of the pop star. Dr. Conrad Murray, a Houston cardiologist who was with Jackson when he died June 25, entered his plea Monday in Los Angeles Superior Court just hours after he was charged. He could face up to four years in prison if convicted. Murray appeared in court in a gray suit as Jackson's father Joe, mother Katherine, and siblings LaToya, Jermaine, Tito, Jackie and Randy sat behind prosecutors. Jackson hired Murray to be his personal physician as he prepared for a strenuous ...

Rep. John Murtha of Pa., 77, dies - 8 Feb 2010 at 2:46pm - UPDATED: HARRISBURG, Pa. — Rep. John Murtha, a retired Marine Corps officer who became the first Vietnam War combat veteran elected to Congress and later an outspoken and influential critic of the Iraq War, died Monday. He was 77. The Pennsylvania Democrat had been suffering complications from gallbladder surgery. He died at Virginia Hospital Center in Arlington, Va., spokesman Matthew Mazonkey said. Murtha was an officer in the Marine Reserves when he was elected in 1974. Ethical questions often shadowed his congressional service, but he was best known for being among Congress' most hawkish Democrats. He wielded considerable clout for ...

Washington returning to normal, but slowly - 8 Feb 2010 at 2:23pm - Washington-area residents on Monday cautiously tried to return to life as usual, some venturing to work on icy sidewalks and slow-running subway trains while others continued to shovel out from the record weekend snowfall and regroup before the next looming storm. Federal agencies canceled work today for its roughly 230,000 employees in the region, and most school districts were closed. But thousands of service-industry workers and other employees were waiting at subway stations when the gates swung open at 7 a.m., two hours later than usual. The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, the region's transportation agency, still is not running ...

Poll: Special interests more influential under Obama - 8 Feb 2010 at 1:33pm - Contrary to President Obama's promises, voters say special interests have more influence on the political process now than they did a year ago, according to a new poll. The poll, paid for by groups looking to curb the Supreme Court's recent campaign finance ruling, found that majorities of both Republicans and Democrats say special interests have increased their influence since the president took office, and they say Mr. Obama has not done enough to fight back. "People think special interests are dominant," said Stan Greenberg, a leading Democratic pollster who worked with Republican pollster Mark McKinnon. Mr. Obama promised to ...

Man breaches Detroit airport security - 8 Feb 2010 at 12:32pm - ROMULUS, Mich. -- A portion of a terminal at Detroit Metropolitan Airport was evacuated Monday after a man walked through a passenger screening checkpoint and refused to obey security officers, officials said. The passenger failed to stop about 7:45 a.m. at the McNamara Terminal, the Transportation Security Administration said. The man was arrested by airport police and was being questioned, airport spokesman Mike Conway said. "The Transportation Security Administration asked him to stop and he didn't comply," Mr. Conway said. TSA workers activated an alarm and called police. Security doors were lowered at the portion of the terminal between the ...

Boozman relying on conservative values - 8 Feb 2010 at 12:03pm - Rep. John Boozman, Arkansas Republican, said Monday he will highlight his conservative values and experience as a small-business owner in his bid this year to win the state's U.S. Senate seat. "I'm the conservative voice [voters] want in Washington," Mr. Boozman said on The Washington Times' "America's Morning News" radio show. Mr. Boozman, 59, announced his run Saturday and already leads incumbent Sen. Blanche Lincoln, a Democrat, by 23 points, according to Public Policy Polling. A Rasmussen Reports poll last week had him leading Mrs. Lincoln by 19 points. Mr. Boozman, an optometrist, said starting an eye clinic with his ...

Report: Toyota to recall 300K Priuses - 8 Feb 2010 at 12:01pm - TOKYO (AP) -- Toyota plans to recall about 300,000 Prius hybrids worldwide over a brake problem and will notify the U.S. and Japanese governments Tuesday, a news report said, as a top executive will testify before U.S. lawmakers over recall woes that have tarnished its reputation for quality and safety. The recall of the gas-electric Prius will cover the latest version of the cars that went on sale since May, Kyodo News agency reported late Monday. Kyodo, which did not identify its sources for the information, said the automaker will notify authorities in Japan and the U.S. of its plan, ...

Body found in wheel well of Tokyo flight - 8 Feb 2010 at 10:48am - TOKYO -- A body was found inside a wheel well of a Delta Air Lines plane after it landed in Tokyo from New York, and Japanese authorities Monday were trying to identify the man. The body of the apparent stowaway was clad only in a long-sleeved, plaid shirt and jeans, police at Narita International Airport said. A mechanic found the body lying inside the landing gear compartment of the Boeing 777-200 during maintenance after Delta Flight 59 landed Sunday night, police official Zenjiro Watanabe said. "All we know is that he must have sneaked in just before departure, because it ...

Space shuttle blasts off on last night flight - 8 Feb 2010 at 9:22am - CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- The space shuttle Endeavour and six astronauts rocketed into orbit Monday on what's likely the last nighttime launch for the shuttle program, hauling a new room and observation deck for the International Space Station. The space shuttle took flight before dawn, igniting the sky with a brilliant flash seen for miles around. The weather finally cooperated: Thick, low clouds that had delayed a first launch attempt Sunday returned but then cleared away just in time. "Looks like the weather came together tonight," launch director Mike Leinbach told the astronauts right before liftoff. "It's time to go ...

Mid-Atlantic digs out; fed gov shut - 8 Feb 2010 at 9:09am - WASHINGTON (AP) -- The federal government was shuttered Monday while the Mid-Atlantic region dug out from as much as 3 feet of snow that left tens of thousands without power and blocked trains, planes and cars, with another storm looming. Federal agencies that employ 230,000 in Washington were closed, as were many local governments, businesses and school districts across the region. Around 200,000 students in Philadelphia's public and Roman Catholic schools got a snow day. With more snow expected Tuesday, stranded travelers and those struggling with no electricity wondered when they'd escape the icy, gray mess. "You've got a whole ...

Super snow Sunday: Region digs out from 'historic' storm - 8 Feb 2010 at 5:00am - Shovels crunching under snow were among the first signs of life after a crippling snowstorm ground the Mid-Atlantic region to a halt, leading to scores of cancellations and closings and leaving tens of thousands without power on an important Sunday of television. Trees and power lines sagged under the weight of a wet, heavy snow that fell more than 2 feet in some places. Authorities in Maryland, Virginia and the District were unable to keep up with snow-removal operations against the pace of the storm and urged residents to stay home and off treacherous roads. "For the snow-removal equipment to ...

Census hiring set to boost job gains - 8 Feb 2010 at 5:00am - While Washington legislators debate what role the government should play in job creation this year, the government itself is poised to go on a major hiring spree this spring. That is because of the granddaddy of all government programs — the census, a house-by-house head count of the population conducted every 10 years since 1790. The Census Bureau is starting to hire 1.4 million people to man offices and go door to door collecting information about everything from household income to health status. The beginning of the Census Bureau's massive but temporary hiring binge was evident in the Labor Department's ...

Prop. 8 trial stirs questions, emotions - 8 Feb 2010 at 5:00am - The trial on the federal constitutionality of California's Proposition 8, the same-sex marriage ban, has been in many respects a tale of two trials. The question is, which trial was U.S. District Court Judge Vaughn Walker watching? To many observers, the anti-Proposition 8 side appears to have scored all the points. Attorneys David Boies and Theodore Olson spent two weeks attempting to discredit the law, calling dozens of witnesses who gave dramatic and emotional testimony that banning same-sex marriage harms gay couples, their children and even society. But defenders of Proposition 8 say they're missing the point. California voters made ...

Palin: President run may be 'right thing' - 8 Feb 2010 at 5:00am - Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin said Sunday that President Obama will not be re-elected unless he radically alters his policies, and she declared that she might — just might — consider running for his job in 2012. Fresh off a fiery speech at the first national "tea party" convention, the 2008 Republican vice-presidential candidate said Mr. Obama has been tone-deaf to the economic angst of the American people and their national security concerns but has time to burnish his credentials by playing "the war card." "Say he played, and I got this from [Pat] Buchanan, reading one of his columns ...

N.O. elects first white mayor since '78 - 8 Feb 2010 at 5:00am - NEW ORLEANS | Frustrated by term-limited Mayor Ray Nagin's leadership of New Orleans since Hurricane Katrina, voters elected Louisiana Lt. Gov. Mitch Landrieu to succeed him Saturday, turning to a political scion to speed up the city's recovery. Mr. Landrieu, 49, became the majority-black city's first white mayor since 1978, the year his father, Maurice Edwin "Moon" Landrieu, left the office. The mayor-elect, a moderate Democrat, won in a landslide over a field of 10 opponents in a campaign that concluded as Carnival celebrations and preparations for the New Orleans Saints' appearance in the Super Bowl took place. Mr. Landrieu's ...

Obama to host televised, bipartisan meeting on health care - 8 Feb 2010 at 5:00am - In an effort to put Republicans on the spot on health care, President Obama said he will invite them to the White House for a televised meeting later this month to try reignite the push for a bill. Republicans said they will meet but said the only way to get the negotiations going is if the president promises to start over. Mr. Obama, in an interview with CBS that aired just before the Super Bowl on Sunday, welcomed their ideas and said he wants to comb through the best proposals. "I want to ask them to put their ideas on ...