Trade authority vote

Trade authority vote
WASHINGTON -- House Republicans rallied behind their president in a dramatic wartime vote to give him a stronger hand in negotiating new international trade agreements. They urged the Democratic-controlled Senate to do the same -- and soon. But Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle, D-S.D., has said he has no plans to bring up the measure this year, and any bill that emerges from the Senate is likely to give more weight to the Democratic priorities of ensuring that labor rights and the environment are protected in future trade deals.
Thursday's 215-214 vote in favor of trade promotion authority came after a frantic last-minute effort by GOP leaders to capture the last recalcitrant Republican votes with pledges of help for local industries and appeals to back the president at a time of national crisis. "This Congress will either support our president who is fighting a courageous war on terrorism and redefining American world leadership or it will undercut the president at the worst possible time," said House Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Ill., at the close of the debate.
U.S. soldiers arrivein southern Philippines
ZAMBOANGA, Philippines -- At least 16 U.S. soldiers landed in the southern Philippines today as Filipino troops battled Muslim extremists holding two American missionaries some 12 miles away. It was unclear why the Americans had been dispatched amid an ongoing clash with Abu Sayyaf rebels that had left at least three guerrillas dead and one captured since it began around dawn.
Karen Kelley, a U.S. Embassy spokeswoman, said she was unaware of the trip but that U.S. forces frequently are in the Philippines, a longtime American ally. The United States has agreed to provide equipment and training for the Philippine military, one of Asia's poorest, in its pursuit of the Abu Sayyaf, which has been linked to Osama bin Laden's Al-Qaida terror network. Local military officials have repeatedly said U.S. troops will not enter into combat with Muslim rebels in the Philippines.
Environmentalists sueBush administration
WASHINGTON -- Environmentalists have sued the Bush administration in an effort to block the president's efforts to accelerate energy exploration on federal land. The lawsuit claims the Bureau of Land Management and its parent agency, the Interior Department, broke the law by not assessing the environmental and cultural damage that could be done or consulting with Indian tribes before opening a dozen parcels in southern Utah to oil and gas exploration.
The environmental groups that filed the lawsuit Thursday in U.S. District Court in Washington said the administration was trying to cut corners to speed up processing of oil and gas leases. In doing so, the Bush administration has "embarked on an aggressive stealth campaign to open up public lands for resource development," said Johanna Wald, attorney with the Natural Resources Defense Council, which filed the lawsuit in conjunction with the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance.
Astronaut, cosmonautsready to return home
SPACE CENTER, Houston -- As space shuttle Endeavour headed for the international space station early today, Frank Culbertson, Vladimir Dezhurov and Mikhail Tyurin were packed and waiting. After four months on the orbiting outpost, known as Alpha, the astronaut and two cosmonauts are going home, and the station's fourth crew will be taking over.
"It's been a great ride, a great journey," Culbertson, the mission commander, told Mission Control late Thursday. "Of course, the journey will continue with other people here, but we have certainly enjoyed working with all of you." The shuttle was scheduled to dock this afternoon. On Saturday, the new crew -- Yuri Onufrienko, the new station commander, and astronauts Daniel Bursch and Carl Walz -- are expected to begin their six-month stay.
Wen Ho Lee testifiesin defamation lawsuit
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. -- Nuclear scientist Wen Ho Lee testified that he was a scapegoat for Energy Department security lapses and never knew why when questioned during a deposition for a defamation lawsuit brought by a former Energy Department official. Former Energy Department counterintelligence chief Notra Trulock claims Lee defamed him with allegations that the Taiwanese-born Lee was targeted because of his race.
Lee denied making any statements about Trulock and said under questioning he didn't know whether he was singled out for selective prosecution, ethnic profiling or racial discrimination. "Even today I don't know why I was investigated by the government," Lee said, testifying for the first time since his release from jail last year.
Associated Press