U.S. & WORLD NEWS DIGEST | NRC cites nuke plant for safety

NRC cites nuke plant for safety

ATLANTA

Federal regulators ordered an in-depth inspection Tuesday at a nuclear- power plant run by the Tennessee Valley Authority in northern Alabama after deciding the failure of an emergency cooling system there could have been a serious safety problem.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission issued a rare red finding against the Browns Ferry nuclear power plant near Athens, Ala., after investigating how a valve on a residual heat-removal system became stuck shut. The NRC has issued only five red findings — the most-severe ranking the agency gives to problems uncovered in its inspections — since its current oversight program started in 2001.

Sources: US close to telling Assad to go

WASHINGTON

The Obama administration is edging closer to calling for an end to the long rule of the Assad family in Syria.

Administration officials said Tuesday that the first step would be to say for the first time that President Bashar Assad has forfeited his legitimacy to rule, a major policy shift that would amount to a call for regime change that has questionable support in the world community.

The tougher U.S. line almost certainly would echo demands for “democratic transition” that the administration used in Egypt and is now espousing in Libya, the officials said. But directly challenging Assad’s leadership is a decision fraught with problems: Arab countries are divided, Europe still is trying to gauge its response, and there are doubts over how far the United States could go to back up its words with action.

NATO bombs key Tripoli site

TRIPOLI, Libya

In a one-two punch against Moammar Gadhafi’s forces, NATO warplanes struck a command center in the capital, Tripoli, on Tuesday after pounding regime targets around the besieged port of Misrata. Rebels hoped the stepped-up attacks could help extend some of their biggest advances to date, including a major outward push from Misrata.

The opposition also said it made gains along a long-deadlocked front near the eastern town of Ajdabiya.

Gadhafi, Libya’s autocratic ruler since 1969, has not been seen in public since one of his sons was killed in a NATO airstrike April 30.

Ind. stops funds for Planned Parenthood

INDIANAPOLIS

Planned Parenthood has asked a federal judge to stop Indiana from becoming the first state to cut off all funding to the agency.

U.S. District Judge Tanya Walton Pratt is expected to rule today on the request filed by Planned Parenthood of Indiana shortly after Gov. Mitch Daniels signed the bill into law Tuesday.

Planned Parenthood of Indiana says the bill is unconstitutional and could leave thousands of patients without access to Pap tests, birth control and treatment for sexually transmitted diseases. The bill also puts Indiana at risk of losing $4 million a year in federal family-planning grants.

Casino execs urge online-poker rules

WASHINGTON

With millions of people already playing online poker for money, the casino industry is urging Congress to step in and regulate the wagering.

Members of the American Gaming Association said Tuesday that about 1,000 offshore websites are targeting the U.S. market. They said that participants would be better served if the companies running the websites were closely monitored to ensure the games are fair and pay off as promised. They also said that keeping the betting proceeds in the United States would create jobs and provide revenue to the federal government and states.

Associated Press