WASHINGTON

HOUSE RESCINDS PROPOSED CUT IN SUPPORT FOR PUBLIC BROADCASTING

Big Bird and National Public Radio won a reprieve yesterday as the House restored $100 million that had been proposed as a budget cut for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. The 284-140 vote demonstrated the enduring political strength of public broadcasting, whose supporters rallied behind popular programs such as “Sesame Street,” “Postcards From Buster,” and “The NewsHour With Jim Lehrer.” The Public Broadcasting Service undertook a high-profile campaign to rescind the proposed cut. Lawmakers were flooded with letters and phone calls. The vote came as the House worked on a $142.5 billion spending bill for health, education and labor programs for the budget year beginning October 1.

The Republican-controlled House Appropriations Committee had cut $100 million from $400 million in previously enacted support. The committee also eliminated subsidies for educational programs and technological upgrades.

The corporation was set up by Congress in 1967 to shield public broadcasting from political influence. It distributes federal subsidies to PBS, National Public, Radio and hundreds of public radio and television stations. Also yesterday, the corporation’s board selected Patricia Harrison, a former Republican Party co-chairman, as president and chief executive.

– Associated Press

SENATE COMMITTEE RETURNS TO ABORTION DEBATE

“Jane Roe,” the plaintiff in the landmark Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision, has told the story many times: As a single mother struggling with emotional problems and alcohol and drug abuse, she agreed to play a historic role in the case that legalized abortion 32 years ago. Then, following her conversion to Christianity in 1995, she began to speak out against abortion. But when Ms. Roe, whose real name is Nora McCorvey,repeated her story yesterday before members of a subcommittee of the Senate Judiciary Committee, the event was fraught with political symbolism.

The judiciary panel will play a central role in the potentially titanic battle over the next Supreme Court nominee – a struggle that could begin as early as next week when the Supreme Court ends its term. Washington is rife with speculation that Chief Justice Rehnquist, who has cancer, may use the occasion to step down. And the chairman of the judiciary subcommittee on the Constitution, which summoned Ms. McCorvey to testify, is Sam Brownback of Kansas, a prominent evangelical conservative who often is mentioned as a possible candidate for the GOP presidential nomination in 2008.

In part because the chairman of the full committee, Arlen Specter, a Republican of Pennsylvania, personally supports abortion rights – though he has pledged not to impose his views on the judicial confirmation process – conservatives considered it important to bring the abortion issue into the spotlight even before a vacancy on the court has occurred.

– Los Angeles Times

SENATE NEARS COMPLETION OF ENERGY BILL; CONFLICT EXPECTED WITH HOUSE

The Senate neared completion of a sweeping national energy agenda late yesterday that would promote conservation and environmentally friendly fuels. But senators rejected a last-minute bid to substantially raise automobile fuel economy over the next decade. The massive energy bill, which was essentially completed but awaits a final vote next Tuesday, contrasts with a bill more favorable to oil and gas producers and approved by the House in April.

If the Senate, as expected, passes the bill next week, it will set the stage for difficult, possibly lengthy negotiations with the House later this summer.

“It’s going to be a tough conference [with the House],” Senator Domenici, a Republican of New Mexico who will lead the Senate negotiations with the other chamber, said. Late yesterday, Senator Durbin, a Democrat of Illinois, tried to put into the bill a provision that would require a nearly 50% increase in automobile fuel economy to a fleet average of 40 miles per gallon over the next decade. He said, “Instead of moving forward, we have been going backwards” as automobiles become less fuel efficient.

– Associated Press

WEST

VOTERS FAVOR RESTRICTIONS ON UNIONS DUES FOR POLITICAL CAMPAIGNS

SACRAMENTO – With more than four months to go before the special election, a majority of California voters said they support a measure that would restrict the use of dues paid to public-employee unions for political campaigns, according to a new statewide poll.

Another initiative on the special-election ballot that would require parental notification before a minor child could get an abortion was favored by a smaller plurality of voters, according to the Field Poll released yesterday, while two measures aimed at bringing down the cost of prescription drugs received strong support from voters statewide. The so-called Paycheck Protection initiative, expected to become a major focal point in the November 8 election, would require public employee unions to get permission annually of its members to use dues for political purposes. The poll found that 57% of likely voters support the measure, with 34% opposed and 9% undecided.

– Associated Press

WILDFIRE THREATENS MULTIMILLION-DOLLAR HOMES NEAR PHOENIX

CAREFREE, Ariz. – About 600 firefighters battled a wildfire yesterday that threatened a neighborhood of multimillion-dollar houses near Phoenix. In California, firefighters gained ground against a blaze that burned several homes in the Mojave Desert.

The windblown Arizona blaze burned at least 46,000 acres and forced the evacuation of about 250 homes. Crews set backfires to remove brush from its path.

“We continue to make progress, but right now we continue to focus on keeping the fire out of the communities and protect the homes,” said a spokesman for the fire crews,Vinnie Picard.

Vincent Francia, the mayor of nearby Cave Creek, said two homes in the Tonto Hills area had been lost, along with 10 cabins in a summer community.

Eric Herrman briefly returned to his $1.5 million Tonto Hills home to retrieve documents and clothing. “It’s our dream home,” he said. “It took us five years to build.” Mr. Herrman moved in with his in-laws in Scottsdale. “When planes started to come drop retardant on my neighbor’s deck, I thought it was time to leave,” he said.

– Associated Press

HEALTH

FDA APPROVES FIRST RACIALLY TARGETED DRUG

The heart-failure drug BiDil was approved yesterday by government regulators for use by black patients. It will be the first medication marketed for a specific racial group.

The Food and Drug Administration called the approval a step toward “the promise of personalized medicine.” Studies showed that black patients benefited from the drug while other racial groups did not. The drug is marketed by NitroMed Incorporated of Lexington, Mass.

“The information presented to the FDA clearly showed that blacks suffering from heart failure will now have an additional safe and effective option for treating their condition,” said Dr. Robert Temple, the agency’s associate director of medical policy. A study indicated that the drug led to a 43% reduction in deaths from heart failure among the black patients who took it. Research was stopped early after scientists realized the benefits of the drug so the data could be presented for the drug’s approval. BiDil is a combination of two older drugs, hydralazine and isosorbide dinitrate, neither approved for heart failure. Some common side effects with the drug are headache and dizziness.

– Associated Press