WASHINGTON

DeLAY APOLOGIZES FOR COMMENTS ON JUDGES

DeLay apologized for the tone of his criticisms of the federal judiciary before the death of Theresa Schiavo, while adding that he still wants a congressional investigation of activist judges.

In a meeting with reporters in his Capitol Hill office today, Mr. DeLay also said he would end his weekly press availabilities if questioned about issues other than the Republican agenda in Congress. “I know that the left and the Democrats and some in the media would rather have me addressing other matters,” Mr. Delay said, referring to press reports that he accepted trips from lobbyists and put his wife and daughter on the payroll of his political action committee.

The articles about Mr. DeLay, who was admonished three times last year by the House ethics committee, examined funding for three overseas trips and his links to lobbyist Jack Abramoff, who is the subject of federal and congressional probes related to his lobbying for Indian tribes. Mr. DeLay, a Texas Republican who has served as a party leader in the House since 1992 and as the No. 2 House Republican since 2002, has been criticized by some lawmakers from his party.

– Bloomberg News

IN TURNAROUND, FDA ADVISERS BACK LIFTING BREAST IMPLANT BAN

In a surprising turnaround, federal health advisers yesterday recommended allowing silicone-gel breast implants to return to the American market after a 13-year near-ban – but only under strict conditions that will limit how easily women can get them. Mentor Corporation persuaded advisers to the Food and Drug Administration that its newer silicone implants are reasonably safe and more durable than older versions. The 7-2 vote came just one day after a rival manufacturer failed to satisfy lingering concerns about how often the implants break apart and leak inside women’s bodies. Yesterday, FDA’s advisers said Mentor had performed more convincing research that the implants only rarely break in the first few years after they’re inserted, and some data shows that they may last as long as 10 years.

– Associated Press

WEST

MOTHER OF JACKSON ACCUSER BEGINS TESTIMONY SANTA MARIA, Calif. – The mother of Michael Jackson’s accuser took the stand outside the jury’s presence yesterday and immediately invoked her Fifth Amendment right to not testify about welfare payments she has received.

Judge Rodney Melville instructed jurors that the woman had invoked her right for protection from self-incrimination on the subject and she began describing how the family met the singer while her son was battling cancer. She said after two visits to Mr. Jackson’s Neverland Ranch estate in 2000 and many phone calls between Jackson and her son, she began to feel “uneasy” about their contact and tried to limit it.

She said she allowed her children to return to Neverland in 2002 because they were invited by comedian Chris Tucker, who had also befriended the family and whom she trusted deeply. The mother became tearful when Ron Zonen, the senior deputy district attorney, asked her about her past residences.

– Associated Press

TEEN KILLED IN BASEBALL BAT ATTACK AFTER YOUTH GAME

A 13-year-old pitcher whose baseball team had just lost for the first time this season killed another teen by hitting him in the head with a baseball bat during an argument, authorities said yesterday. The teen, whose name was not released, was arrested yesterday for investigation of murder and was being held at Antelope Valley Juvenile Hall as authorities prepared to take the case to prosecutors.

Jeremy Rourke, 15, was pronounced dead at a hospital after the Tuesday night attack, said Brenda Shafer, a spokeswoman for the coroner’s office.

Rourke, a spectator at Tuesday’s game, and the suspect had no history of problems, said Tony Trevino, coach of the opposing team. “What happened? What did we miss as a community? What did we miss as parents?” Mr. Trevino said.

A friend outside the Rourke home said the family had no immediate comment about the attack in Palmdale, a desert city about 40 miles northeast of Los Angeles. Deputies declined to provide details of the attack, which took place after the suspect’s team, the Angels, posted its first loss in eight games against the Dodgers, a team that had been 1-6.

Ryan Gosporra, 15, did not see the attack but said that shortly before it, Rourke had cut in front of the suspect in the snack bar line.

– Associated Press

EAST

HOUSE DEBATE BEGINS ON CONNECTICUT CIVIL UNIONS BILL

The state House of Representatives passed legislation yesterday that would make Connecticut the second state to establish same-sex civil unions, and the first to do it without a court order. Seeking to avoid a veto from Governor Rell, a Republican, the House amended the bill to define marriage as being between one man and one woman. That means the Senate, which overwhelmingly approved the bill last week, would need to approve the amended version before it reaches the governor’s desk.

Vermont has approved civil unions and Massachusetts has gay marriage, but those changes came only after same-sex couples brought lawsuits.

The Connecticut bill, approved 85-63 by the House, would give same-sex couples all the rights and privileges of marriage, but they would not be eligible to receive marriage licenses. Critics said they saw no real difference between civil unions and marriage, but proponents stressed that it would not affect the state’s marriage laws. “The public policy of this state could not be clearer. Marriage is the union of one man and one woman,” said Rep. Michael Lawlor, a Democrat of Connecticut, and co-chairman of the Judiciary Committee.

– Associated Press

SIX MEN ARRESTED IN BOSNIA SAY THEY WERE TORTURED

BOSTON – Lawyers for six men arrested in Bosnia and detained at the Guantanamo Bay prison camp sued the federal government yesterday, leveling new allegations of abuse and torture by American forces. The lawsuit asks a judge to force the Department of Justice and Department of Defense to release information that would allegedly prove the torture of prisoners by American forces at the American Navy base in Cuba. Lawyers for the six men – all Algerians, four of whom have Bosnian citizenship – allege that repeated requests for the information under the Freedom of Information Act have been ignored by the federal government.

“We’ve had not a single document come through,” attorney Robert Kirsch said. The materials requested include the plaintiffs’ medical records and military videos shot at Guantanamo Bay that purportedly show prisoners being abused. One of the detainees, Mustafa Ait Idir, claims in the lawsuit that he was severely beaten while his hands were tied behind his back and that he later suffered a mild stroke.

Mr. Idir allegedly suffered the most severe abuse among the six, but all were subjected to sleep deprivation and were kept nearly naked in frigid rooms “sometimes 36 hours at a time,” Mr. Kirsch said.

– Associated Press