Copyright 2008 The New York Sun Wed, 18 Jun 2008 16:40:40 -0400 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Luiza Ch. Savage :: Stories from The New York Sun http://www.nysun.com/authors/Luiza+Ch.+Savage istoll@nysun.com (Ira Stoll) webmaster@nysun.com en-us LUIZA Ch. SAVAGE http://www.nysun.com/national/2nd-circuits-jose-cabranes-offers-bipartisan/15208/ Fri, 10 Jun 2005 00:00:00 EST WASHINGTON - If President Bush were to try to nominate to the Supreme Court a judge with bipartisan appeal, his sights could land on a Puerto Rican native who grew up in the South Bronx. Judge Jose Cabranes was appointed by President Clinton to ride the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals out of New Haven, Conn., after being considered for a seat on the top court by the administrations of both Mr. Clinton and Mr. Bush's father. The first Puerto Rican appointed to the federal bench - in 1979 by... LUIZA Ch. SAVAGE http://www.nysun.com/national/florida-governor-moves-to-defend-voucher-program/15056/ Wed, 8 Jun 2005 00:00:00 EST Lawyers for Governor Bush yesterday asked the Florida Supreme Court to uphold the nation's largest school voucher program, a centerpiece of his education reform policy, after an appellate court ruled that it violated the state's constitution. The closely watched case could affect thousands of schoolchildren in the Sunshine State and color debates elsewhere over school vouchers. Since 1999, Florida has allowed parents in "failing" schools to use state vouchers worth $4,400 to help their children... LUIZA Ch. SAVAGE http://www.nysun.com/national/lawmaker-brings-jarring-sudan-images-to/15060/ Wed, 8 Jun 2005 00:00:00 EST WASHINGTON - A Republican congressman from Virginia who has seen firsthand the suffering in the Darfur region of western Sudan is determined to confront his colleagues with the same harrowing images as they go about their business. Rep. Frank Wolf is staging an exhibit on Capitol Hill of 30 stark photographs of starving refugees, rape victims, and child soldiers that were taken by New York Sun photographer Konrad Fiedler. Opening tomorrow, the exhibit is intended to keep lawmakers focused on... LUIZA Ch. SAVAGE http://www.nysun.com/national/justices-federal-marijuana-statutes-trump-state/15007/ Tue, 7 Jun 2005 00:00:00 EST WASHINGTON - The Supreme Court dealt a blow to the medicinal marijuana movement yesterday, ruling that strict federal drug laws trump state schemes that allow ailing patients to grow and consume cannabis for therapeutic purposes. The 6-3 ruling gives a green light for federal officials to prosecute marijuana users in 10 states that allow the medicinal use and private cultivation of the substance. The constitutional power of Congress to regulate commerce between the states allows federal... LUIZA Ch. SAVAGE http://www.nysun.com/national/house-panel-inquires-into-city-hospital/14839/ Fri, 3 Jun 2005 00:00:00 EST WASHINGTON - Congress is yet again asking New York-Presbyterian Hospital to provide detailed information about its operations. This time, a House panel is scrutinizing how the nation's largest hospitals bill their uninsured patients and people injured in automobile accidents. The inquiry comes as Capitol Hill lawmakers are becoming increasingly concerned that hospitals are accepting public funds and tax breaks to provide care to the poor and uninsured while driving many such patients into... LUIZA Ch. SAVAGE http://www.nysun.com/national/prisoner-religious-liberties-law-upheld/14670/ Wed, 1 Jun 2005 00:00:00 EST WASHINGTON - Prisoners in state custody are entitled to broad federal protections for religious practice in prison, the Supreme Court ruled yesterday in a unanimous decision that upheld a five-year-old law on religious liberties. The ruling was a victory for a group of Ohio prisoners who practice several unusual faiths - including Wicca, Satanism, and a brand of Christianity tied to white supremacy - and sued for the freedom to practice group rituals, wear medallions, and keep religious books... LUIZA Ch. SAVAGE http://www.nysun.com/national/nadler-up-in-arms-over-stem-cell-debate/14607/ Tue, 31 May 2005 00:00:00 EST WASHINGTON - Behind the stately desk of his Capitol Hill office, the normally agreeable Rep. Jerrold Nadler of Manhattan and Brooklyn suddenly began to fume. "How dare they," he growled, almost spitting his words, "call my religious tradition a culture of death?" With that, the six-term congressman charged out the door to deliver the same message on the House floor, where lawmakers were debating legislation to lift restrictions on stem cell research. The stem cell debate is but one in a recent... LUIZA Ch. SAVAGE http://www.nysun.com/national/democrats-rush-to-defense-of-new-york-hospitals/14521/ Fri, 27 May 2005 00:00:00 EST WASHINGTON - New York Democrats leaped on congressional Republicans yesterday for questioning the justification for exempting nonprofit hospitals - a mainstay of health care in the state - from having to pay federal taxes. Rep. Charles Rangel, a Democrat of Harlem, yesterday accused congressional Republicans of "picking on hospitals" by launching hearings into the justification for their tax-exempt status and calling for greater accountability in the sector. The loss of hospitals' tax-exempt... LUIZA Ch. SAVAGE http://www.nysun.com/new-york/senator-eyes-city-hospital-in-tax-debate/14451/ Thu, 26 May 2005 00:00:00 EST WASHINGTON - The chairman of the powerful Senate Finance Committee is targeting a number of tax-exempt hospitals, including New York-Presbyterian, as part of an ongoing review of tax abuses in the charitable sector. Senator Grassley, a Republican of Iowa, has asked 10 of the nation's largest tax-exempt hospitals, including the largest hospital in New York City, to provide a detailed accounting of their charitable services, financial practices, and spending down to staff travel and country club... LUIZA Ch. SAVAGE http://www.nysun.com/national/filibuster-deal-has-democrats-claiming-victory/14360/ Wed, 25 May 2005 00:00:00 EST WASHINGTON - Democratic senators yesterday said they had scored a victory with a bipartisan compromise that preserves the minority party's right to filibuster judicial nominations. Senator Schumer called the deal a "shot across the bow," warning President Bush to consult more frequently with senators over his judicial appointments. The president declined to characterize the agreement as a victory for his nominees, calling it merely "progress" toward confirmation. He welcomed Justice Priscilla... LUIZA Ch. SAVAGE http://www.nysun.com/national/senate-begins-a-showdown-over-judges/14063/ Thu, 19 May 2005 00:00:00 EST WASHINGTON - The Senate opened a fiery debate yesterday over one of President Bush's contentious judicial nominees, kicking off a partisan showdown that could result in the end of the minority party's ability to filibuster judicial nominations. Democrats have denounced Justice Priscilla Owen as an extremist whose ideas lay on the fringe of the otherwise conservative Texas Supreme Court. The justice, whom President Bush nominated to the 5th U.S. Court of Appeals, has waited four years for... LUIZA Ch. SAVAGE http://www.nysun.com/national/america-warns-china-on-trade/13996/ Wed, 18 May 2005 00:00:00 EST WASHINGTON - In its strongest criticism yet of China's exchange rate policy, the Bush administration yesterday warned China to stop undervaluing its currency amid renewed congressional calls for trade sanctions if the policy is not changed. Chinese currency practices are "highly distortionary" and "pose a risk" to its economy, trading partners, and global economic growth, states a Treasury Department report to Congress. The official admonishment stopped just short of accusing China of... LUIZA Ch. SAVAGE http://www.nysun.com/national/supreme-court-ruling-levels-the-wine-field/13916/ Tue, 17 May 2005 00:00:00 EST WASHINGTON - New Yorkers could soon be able to order wine over the Internet directly from out-of-state wineries thanks to a Supreme Court ruling yesterday that held state liquor regulations unconstitutional when they discriminate against out-of-state producers. The 5-4 decision found that a New York law requiring out-of-state wineries to set up operations in the Empire State before they can market directly to consumers violates the constitutional protection of the free flow of interstate... LUIZA Ch. SAVAGE http://www.nysun.com/national/aarps-most-powerful-lobbyist-plots-a-hard-line/13489/ Mon, 9 May 2005 00:00:00 EST WASHINGTON - Most Americans haven't heard of John Rother, but he may have more influence than most senators when it comes to the future of Social Security. As the policy director and chief lobbyist for the powerhouse seniors' lobby group, AARP, the soft-spoken 58-year-old is the force behind the group's loud, multimillion-dollar hard line against the president's proposed overhaul of Social Security. "We will do whatever it takes" to defeat President Bush's accounts plan, Mr. Rother told The New... LUIZA Ch. SAVAGE http://www.nysun.com/national/lawmakers-debate-immigrants-effect-on-us/13336/ Thu, 5 May 2005 00:00:00 EST WASHINGTON - Lawmakers grappled yesterday with the impact of immigration on American employment at a time when President Bush favors a guest worker program that would match willing employers with employees from other countries. Members of the Republican-dominated House Subcommittee on Immigration, Border Security, and Claims hotly debated two recent reports suggesting that all new jobs created between 2000 and 2004 were taken by new immigrants, while native-born Americans remained unemployed... LUIZA Ch. SAVAGE http://www.nysun.com/national/report-federal-spending-is-at-a-30-year-high/13265/ Wed, 4 May 2005 00:00:00 EST WASHINGTON - President Bush has presided over the largest overall increase in federal spending since President Johnson created the "Great Society" of social welfare programs, a new report concludes. Even setting aside spending on defense and homeland security, Mr. Bush remains the biggest-spending president in 30 years, states a report from the libertarian Cato Institute. Domestic spending shot up by 36% in his first term. Government spending has grown 5% a year under Mr. Bush, compared to 1.5%... LUIZA Ch. SAVAGE http://www.nysun.com/national/bush-aide-says-president-is-open-to-compromise/13109/ Mon, 2 May 2005 00:00:00 EST WASHINGTON - President Bush will not insist that personal retirement accounts be included in any Social Security reform passed by Congress, a senior White House aide indicated yesterday. In a round of television appearances following Friday's presidential press conference, the White House chief of staff, Andrew Card, emphasized the president's openness and flexibility in reaching a bipartisan compromise to put the fraying entitlement program on a path to permanent solvency. Mr. Bush has also... LUIZA CH. SAVAGE http://www.nysun.com/national/nadler-heads-group-pushing-overhaul-of-usa/12962/ Thu, 28 Apr 2005 00:00:00 EST WASHINGTON - Rep. Jerrold Nadler, a Democrat of New York, is heading up a bipartisan group of lawmakers who will press for overhaul of the USA Patriot Act, which expanded the surveillance powers of law enforcement in the wake of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. Some of the law's most controversial provisions are scheduled to expire at the end of the year, and President Bush's administration has called on Congress to make them permanent. Both the House and Senate are conducting... LUIZA Ch. SAVAGE http://www.nysun.com/national/hearing-on-social-security-showcases-partisan/12879/ Wed, 27 Apr 2005 00:00:00 EST WASHINGTON - A Senate panel hearing yesterday that was intended to foment bipartisan consensus on overhauling Social Security instead showcased the difficulty of reaching such a compromise. "The only way we can move forward is to take privatization off the table," said Senator Schumer, referring to the personal retirement accounts that President Bush has made a priority of his second term. It appeared unlikely yesterday that all 11 Republicans or any of the 9 Democrats on the committee would... LUIZA Ch. SAVAGE http://www.nysun.com/national/clinton-schumer-hold-fast-against-personal/12806/ Tue, 26 Apr 2005 00:00:00 EST WASHINGTON - Senators Clinton and Schumer and their fellow Democrats are holding a firm line against the president's proposal to carve personal accounts out of Social Security taxes, as the Senate Finance Committee today begins its attempt to cobble together compromise legislation. Some supporters of the president's plan fear "compromise" could mean the abandonment of the personal-accounts plan, the creation of add-on accounts on top of Social Security, or raising payroll taxes - options they... LUIZA Ch. SAVAGE http://www.nysun.com/national/frist-to-conservatives-respect-independence/12730/ Mon, 25 Apr 2005 00:00:00 EST WASHINGTON - Senator Frist told religious conservatives yesterday to respect the independence of the judiciary, while demanding that senators end Democrats' ability to filibuster and block confirmation of the president's judicial appointees. Judges deserve "respect, not retaliation, no matter how they rule," the Senate Republican leader said in taped remarks to a Christian conference in Louisville, Ky. The event, "Justice Sunday," was simulcast to churches and radio stations across the county... LUIZA Ch. SAVAGE http://www.nysun.com/national/schumer-blasts-proposed-hearings-on-judges-conduct/12581/ Thu, 21 Apr 2005 00:00:00 EST WASHINGTON - Senator Schumer yesterday condemned a suggestion by the House majority leader, Rep. Tom DeLay, that Congress examine whether judges could be removed from the bench for their interpretations of the constitution. The proposal is an "abuse of power" and an attempt to subvert the independence of the judiciary by "making it easier to impeach judges that render decisions politicians may disagree with," Mr. Schumer said. "We are seeing in the air the abuse of power, the arrogance that... LUIZA Ch. SAVAGE http://www.nysun.com/foreign/president-bush-hails-benedict-xvi-as-a-man/12514/ Wed, 20 Apr 2005 00:00:00 EST WASHINGTON - President Bush hailed the newly chosen Pope Benedict XVI as a "man of great wisdom," but his election drew mixed political reactions yesterday. Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger's condemnation of moral relativism was applauded by conservatives, while liberals questioned whether the hard-line theologian could attract new members to the church, and expressed concerns about his childhood in Nazi Germany. "He's a man who serves the Lord," Mr. Bush said. "We join with our fellow citizens and... LUIZA Ch. SAVAGE http://www.nysun.com/national/supreme-court-takes-up-case-that-pits-drug-laws/12444/ Tue, 19 Apr 2005 00:00:00 EST WASHINGTON - The Supreme Court has agreed to consider whether worshippers of a Brazilian-based Christian faith can use hallucinogenic tea during their services, in a case that could shape the federal government's obligations toward religious practitioners. The Bush administration, which has frequently sided with religious practitioners seeking special accommodations under the law, is in this case asking the court to ban the substance over the objections of the church and lower courts. The tea... LUIZA Ch. SAVAGE http://www.nysun.com/national/schumer-calls-a-conservative-un-american/12357/ Mon, 18 Apr 2005 00:00:00 EST WASHINGTON - Senator Schumer yesterday labeled the head of the conservative Christian Family Research Council "un-American" for accusing Democrats of using the filibuster to block religious judicial nominees. The accusation came as the Senate majority leader, William Frist of Tennessee, plans to make a speech to a conference organized by the group Sunday. The nationally televised event will argue for an end to the Democrats' ability to use filibusters to delay judicial nominations in the Senate... LUIZA Ch. SAVAGE http://www.nysun.com/national/buffalo-native-is-seen-as-a-confirmable/12278/ Fri, 15 Apr 2005 00:00:00 EST WASHINGTON - If President Bush is looking for a potential Supreme Court nominee with conservative credentials who would inspire a minimum of fuss at a confirmation hearing, he may turn to Judge John Roberts Jr., say fans of the Buffalo native, who sits on the U.S Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia. "Almost alone among the serious candidates, Judge Roberts combines youth, intellect, temperament, judicial philosophy, and confirmability," said a former associate White House counsel... LUIZA Ch. SAVAGE http://www.nysun.com/national/house-votes-to-repeal-the-estate-tax-for-all/12201/ Thu, 14 Apr 2005 00:00:00 EST WASHINGTON - Proclaiming that they did not want to give a tax break to the likes of hotel heiress Paris Hilton, House Democrats yesterday pushed a proposal to exempt all but the very wealthiest Americans from a federal tax on inheritances. "This is not about family farms or small businesses. We are talking about Paris Hilton," Rep. Jim McGovern, a Democrat of Massachusetts, said. Despite several invocations of the leggy blonde who has made a career of flaunting her wealth and hedonism, the... LUIZA Ch. SAVAGE http://www.nysun.com/national/mayor-seeks-risk-based-terror-funding/12142/ Wed, 13 Apr 2005 00:00:00 EST WASHINGTON - Mayor Bloomberg acknowledged yesterday that despite New York's push to give the secretary of homeland security, Michael Chertoff, exclusive control over federal antiterrorism spending, that prospect may be unrealistic. The mayor and the city's congressional delegation argue that New York would benefit from such an arrangement because the secretary would allocate money based on threat, rather than on the political calculations that have led lawmakers to funnel homeland security... LUIZA Ch. SAVAGE http://www.nysun.com/national/senator-wont-apologize-for-linking-judicial/11986/ Mon, 11 Apr 2005 00:00:00 EST WASHINGTON - A Republican senator who said judges could be inviting violence because of politically motivated decisions declined to apologize for his remarks yesterday. Senator Cornyn, a Republican of Texas and member of the Judiciary Committee, yesterday blamed Democrats for taking his comments out of context. But Senator Schumer, a fellow committee member, said the comments exemplify conservative criticism of judges that is "getting out of hand" and threatens the independence of the judiciary... LUIZA Ch. SAVAGE http://www.nysun.com/national/clinton-joins-democrats-values-push/11894/ Fri, 8 Apr 2005 00:00:00 EST WASHINGTON - Congress should pass legislation protecting religious liberties in the workplace, and America should help Iraqis write a constitution that will respect freedom of conscience even if it is "against their traditions," Senator Clinton said yesterday. "Religious liberty is one of the most important issues on the world's agenda today," Mrs. Clinton told the Religious Liberty Annual Dinner of the Seventh day Adventist Church. Freedom of conscience is often "a bellwether for human... LUIZA Ch. SAVAGE http://www.nysun.com/national/pork-barrel-outlays-surge-but-ny-delegation-lags/11812/ Thu, 7 Apr 2005 00:00:00 EST WASHINGTON - Despite mounting public debt, a costly war, and a spending freeze on many government programs, members of Congress have set aside more money this year for pet projects in their own districts than ever before, a new report shows. New York State ranked only 43rd out of all states in its per-person share of the federal largesse for 2005, although one upstate Republican did draw heavy spending to his district thanks to a plum committee assignment. The state drew $393 million in... LUIZA Ch. SAVAGE http://www.nysun.com/national/senate-eying-charitable-scams/11733/ Wed, 6 Apr 2005 00:00:00 EST WASHINGTON - Reports of elaborate schemes by charities and nonprofit organizations to avoid paying taxes have senators redoubling calls for stronger regulation of the charitable sector. In one example, drawing the outrage of lawmakers at a Senate Finance Committee hearing, wealthy big-game hunters have reportedly been offsetting the costs of their safaris by donating mounted heads of exotic animals to a Nebraska museum and claiming tax deductions as large as $10,000, or 10 times the market... LUIZA Ch. SAVAGE http://www.nysun.com/national/usa-patriot-act-again-proves-dividing-force/11652/ Tue, 5 Apr 2005 00:00:00 EST WASHINGTON - Four years after the USA Patriot Act became law, the fiery debate surrounding it will be rekindled today as congressional lawmakers consider whether to renew provisions of the law that are set to expire at the end of this year. The Bush administration has said it is crucial to the war on terrorism that the police and surveillance powers that were temporarily expanded in the aftermath of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks be permanently expanded, but an unlikely coalition of... LUIZA Ch. SAVAGE http://www.nysun.com/national/with-schiavo-dead-bush-emphasizes-culture-of-life/11493/ Fri, 1 Apr 2005 00:00:00 EST WASHINGTON - The brain-damaged Florida woman at the center of a family feud that flared into a national firestorm died yesterday morning, nearly two weeks after a judge ordered her feeding tube disconnected. The death of Theresa Schiavo, 41, who became known to the nation as "Terri", brought to an end a case that involved years of litigation over her fate, ensnared Congress and the White House, and was sent six times to Supreme Court. Her death did not end the recriminations between her... LUIZA Ch. SAVAGE http://www.nysun.com/national/labor-plans-rally-against-private-accounts/11415/ Thu, 31 Mar 2005 00:00:00 EST WASHINGTON - Hundreds of labor union members were preparing to demonstrate today in front of the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Battery Park to protest Wall Street support of President Bush's plan to create individual Social Security investment accounts. The demonstration is part of a national day of protests aimed at pressuring American financial institutions to renounce the president's plan. Already successful in muscling two financial firms to pull out of coalitions that support the reform, the... LUIZA Ch. SAVAGE http://www.nysun.com/national/justices-appear-wary-of-file-sharing-copyright/11351/ Wed, 30 Mar 2005 00:00:00 EST WASHINGTON - Holding the makers of popular Internet file-sharing software responsible for copyright violations could have a chilling effect on the creation of the next generation of photocopiers and iPod music players, Supreme Court justices worried yesterday. Twenty-eight major movie studios and record labels are asking the court to shut down access to so-called peer-to-peer software programs that allow users to exchange copies of songs, movies, or documents at an alleged cost to the industry... LUIZA Ch. SAVAGE http://www.nysun.com/national/supreme-court-weighs-role-of-world-court/11280/ Tue, 29 Mar 2005 00:00:00 EST WASHINGTON - A last-minute decision by President Bush in February to comply with a decision of the International Court of Justice may save his administration from a broader ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court on whether America must follow the world court's opinions. The international court ruled last year that American authorities violated the rights of 51 Mexican nationals on death row when they neglected to advise the Mexicans of their right to assistance from the Mexican consulate at the time... LUIZA Ch. SAVAGE http://www.nysun.com/national/clash-over-foreign-law-due-in-high-court-today/11207/ Mon, 28 Mar 2005 00:00:00 EST WASHINGTON - The Supreme Court will consider today whether American courts are bound by the decisions of the International Court of Justice, a tribunal created by the United Nations and based in The Hague. Numerous countries from Latin America and Europe are clashing with the Bush administration, Texas and 20 other states, and various conservative legal groups over how to resolve conflicts between American and international law. The closely watched case of a Mexican national on death row comes... LUIZA Ch. SAVAGE http://www.nysun.com/national/bush-err-on-the-side-of-life/11127/ Fri, 25 Mar 2005 00:00:00 EST WASHINGTON - Facing the imminent death of their daughter from starvation and dehydration, the parents of a severely brain-injured Florida woman turned to the governor of Florida, Jeb Bush, in a last-ditch effort to keep her alive after a succession of courts declined to intervene. Mr. Bush made several attempts yesterday to persuade Florida judges that authorities should be allowed to take Theresa Schiavo, 41, into state protective custody. Pinellas County Circuit Judge George Greer declined... LUIZA Ch. SAVAGE http://www.nysun.com/national/custody-battle-erupts-over-a-dying-schiavo/11041/ Thu, 24 Mar 2005 00:00:00 EST WASHINGTON - The governor of Florida, Jeb Bush, yesterday sought to put a severely brain-damaged Florida woman into state protective custody after a federal appeals court declined to order that her feeding tube be reinserted. President Bush, meanwhile, suggested he had done all he could. The governor made the exceptional request in state court before the parents of Theresa Schiavo, 41, late last night took their case to the Supreme Court after the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit... LUIZA Ch. SAVAGE http://www.nysun.com/national/parents-move-to-appellate-court/10969/ Wed, 23 Mar 2005 00:00:00 EST WASHINGTON - Backed by the U.S. Department of Justice, the parents of a brain-damaged Florida woman took her case to a federal appellate court in Atlanta yesterday after a district court judge in Tampa refused to order her feeding tube reinserted. Theresa Schiavo, 41, has been without nutrition or water since a state judge ordered her feeding tube removed on Friday. Congress passed emergency legislation over the weekend to allow her family to appeal the case in federal court. Early yesterday... LUIZA Ch. SAVAGE http://www.nysun.com/national/justices-hear-case-on-religious-rights-of-prison/10922/ Tue, 22 Mar 2005 00:00:00 EST WASHINGTON - With Chief Justice Rehnquist back on the bench for the first time since undergoing treatment for thyroid cancer, the Supreme Court yesterday gave a mostly friendly reception to lawyers arguing that prison inmates are entitled to as much freedom as reasonably possible to practice their religions - including unconventional ones like Satanism, Wicca, and racial separatism - while in state custody. While a dispute over the display of the Ten Commandments has drawn the most attention of... LUIZA Ch. SAVAGE http://www.nysun.com/national/congress-approves-bill-to-open-way-in-court/10828/ Mon, 21 Mar 2005 00:00:00 EST WASHINGTON — President Bush early today signed emergency legislation allowing the parents of Theresa Schiavo, a severely brain-damaged Florida woman, to continue their battle to keep her alive. In a rare Sunday session, lawmakers raced to pass the bill allowing a federal judge to override a Florida judge's order to disconnect a feeding tube from Mrs. Schiavo, 41, on Friday. The House passed the bill 203-58 early today after the Senate passed the measure by unanimous consent yesterday afternoon... LUIZA Ch. SAVAGE http://www.nysun.com/national/bipartisan-unity-for-bill-supporting-workplace/10776/ Fri, 18 Mar 2005 00:00:00 EST WASHINGTON - A bill that would place a heavier burden on employers to accommodate the religious practices of their employees has a good chance of becoming law this year, a bipartisan group of its backers in Congress said. Senator Kerry, a Democrat of Massachusetts, and Senator Santorum, a conservative Pennsylvania Republican, yesterday reintroduced the Workplace Religious Freedom Act in the Senate, where Mr. Kerry predicted "overwhelming support" for the legislation. Mr. Kerry has been pushing... LUIZA Ch. SAVAGE http://www.nysun.com/national/clinton-sponsors-bill-to-fight-teenage-pregnancy/10713/ Thu, 17 Mar 2005 00:00:00 EST WASHINGTON - Senator Clinton, who has trumpeted her desire to seek "common ground" with the anti-abortion movement, planned to introduce legislation today to increase public funding for teaching teenagers to use condoms and providing "emergency contraception" to women who want it. The move drew harsh rebukes from anti-abortion groups who oppose the use of public funds to teach teenagers about condom use, and who worry that the availability of so-called "morning-after pills" encourages risky... LUIZA Ch. SAVAGE http://www.nysun.com/national/democrats-lob-counterthreat-in-face-of-nuclear/10643/ Wed, 16 Mar 2005 00:00:00 EST WASHINGTON - Democrats yesterday threatened to shut down Senate business if Republicans deploy the so-called "nuclear option" in the war over judicial nominations, ending the ability of senators to filibuster judges. Republicans are considering changing the chamber's long-standing rules to reduce the number of votes needed to force a floor vote on judges from 60 to 50. That would mean the 44 Senate Democrats could not hold up votes on President Bush's judicial nominees. The minority leader in... LUIZA Ch. SAVAGE http://www.nysun.com/national/gop-delegation-may-yet-balk-at-bushs-plan/10485/ Mon, 14 Mar 2005 00:00:00 EST WASHINGTON - Several Republican congressmen from New York say they will not endorse President Bush's proposal to create individual retirement savings accounts until they see more details from the White House on overall Social Security reform. They want the administration to explain how the accounts would work, how they would be paid for, and what other measures would be taken to avert the projected long-term shortfall in the Social Security system. Rep. John Sweeney, an upstate Republican, said... LUIZA Ch. SAVAGE http://www.nysun.com/national/nyc-may-win-a-chance-to-try-out-vouchers/10411/ Fri, 11 Mar 2005 00:00:00 EST WASHINGTON - The nation's first federal school voucher experiment is still in its early days in Washington, but President Bush has already asked Congress for money to expand it to other cities, and New York City would be a "strong contender" for the proposed $50 million pilot project, a senior Education Department official said yesterday. Under the proposed Choice Incentive Fund program, cities could apply to receive federal funds to pay for tuition vouchers at private and religious schools... LUIZA Ch. SAVAGE http://www.nysun.com/national/silence-is-rule-in-fight-over-social-security/10267/ Wed, 9 Mar 2005 00:00:00 EST WASHINGTON - While Senators Clinton and Schumer oppose President Bush's proposal to create individual retirement accounts using Social Security taxes, they are declining to put forward counterproposals. The senators and other congressional Democrats say the president must first drop his insistence on the accounts and explain how he will fix the expected fiscal shortfall in the Social Security system. The Democratic strategy of silence carries political risk, some strategists have warned, if... LUIZA Ch. SAVAGE http://www.nysun.com/national/anti-obscenity-groups-worry-about-priorities/10215/ Tue, 8 Mar 2005 00:00:00 EST WASHINGTON - The new attorney general, Alberto Gonzales, has launched a wide-ranging review of federal law aimed at strengthening the hand of federal prosecutors who go after adult pornography that is violent or degrading enough to be considered obscene. But the move, along with Mr. Gonzales's recent declaration that the aggressive prosecution of obscenity will be a top priority for his Justice Department, is being greeted coolly by groups that campaign against obscenity. His predecessor, John...