WASHINGTON

SENATE APPROVES HIGHWAY BILL, READIES FOR BATTLE WITH WHITE HOUSE

The Republican-controlled Senate brushed aside a presidential veto threat yesterday and passed a $295 billion highway bill, arguing that massive spending on bigger and better roads was necessary to fight congestion and unsafe roadways.

The administration, while pressing Congress to pass a new highway bill, said the Senate version was too expensive in a time of war and debt and could result in the first veto of the Bush presidency. The vote was 89-11 with a majority of Republicans joining Democrats in approving the six-year package that the administration said was $11 billion above what it would accept.

Senator Inhofe, a Republican of Oklahoma, chairman of the Environment and Public Works Committee, described himself as one of the most conservative members of Congress but said he was at odds with the administration because “there are two areas where we need to spend money. One is national defense and the other is infrastructure. “The Senate now must work out its differences with the House-passed bill, which in addition to approving less money specifies thousands of specific projects requested by lawmakers, from bike paths to sidewalks to parking lots. Almost all of the Senate money is divided among the states by a complicated formula.

– Associated Press

JUDGES LOBBY AT WHITE HOUSE, CAPITOL ON EVE OF FILIBUSTER BATTLE

Senate Republicans yesterday picked Texas judge Priscilla Owen to be the flashpoint of a historic battle between President Bush and Senate Democrats over shaping the federal judiciary, with a final showdown looming early next week.

A small group of moderate senators worked furiously behind the scenes to head off a clash over whether the parliamentary tactic of the filibuster can be used to block judicial nominees.

If majority Republicans opt to change the rules to disallow filibusters of judicial nominees – a move dubbed the “nuclear option” – parliamentary warfare between Democrats and Republicans could escalate and stall Mr. Bush’s legislative agenda.

“Members on both sides don’t want the explosion to occur,” said Senator Lieberman, a Democrat of Connecticut, as Senator Snowe, a Republican of Maine, nodded at his side. “There will be a judicial nomination before the Senate tomorrow, but there is some time to continue these efforts to avoid the ultimate showdown.”

– Associated Press

AIR FORCE SEEKS APPROVAL FOR ARMS

The Air Force is attempting to secure President Bush’s approval of a national-security directive that would be an incremental step toward fielding offensive and defensive space weapons, the New York Times reported on its Web site last night. The move represents a significant shift in American policy. The directive would replace a policy implemented in 1996 by President Clinton that concentrated on spy satellite support for military operations, arms control, and nonproliferation pacts, according to the Times.

– Staff Reporter of the Sun

SENATORS SEEK BIPARTISAN ENERGY BILL WITH NO SHOWSTOPPERS

Senators began plowing through an energy bill yesterday that would include stronger conservation measures than already approved by the House and sidestep matters that could derail the measure – such as drilling in an Alaska wildlife refuge.

A string of provisions, from giving consumers rebates on energy-efficient appliances to expanding the size of the government’s emergency petroleum reserve, were to be taken up by the Energy and Natural Resources Committee this week, beginning with yesterday’s session. Most of these issues already have been worked out in discussions in recent weeks between GOP and Democratic committee members and were expected to be part of the legislation without significant changes, according to committee staffers.

– Associated Press

SOUTHWEST

WOMAN CONVICTED IN ABU GHRAIB SCANDAL GETS SIX MONTHS IN PRISON

FORT HOOD, Texas – An Army reservist who appeared in several of the most infamous abuse photos taken by guards at Abu Ghraib prison was sentenced yesterday to six months in prison for her role in the scandal that rocked the American military’s image at home and abroad.

The sentence for Specialist Sabrina Harman came a day after she was convicted on six of the seven counts she faced for mistreating detainees at the Baghdad lockup in late 2003. She faced a maximum of five years, though prosecutors asked the jury to give her three years. With credit for time served, Harman’s actual sentence is just more than four months.

Harman stood before the jury in the sentencing phase of her court martial yesterday and tearfully apologized for mistreating Iraqi prisoners at Abu Ghraib.

– Associated Press