WASHINGTON

U.S. TO ANSWER QUESTIONS ABOUT SECRET PRISONS

The European Union has formally requested answers from the Bush administration about reports of secret American-run prisons for terrorism suspects in Europe, and America will reply “to the best of our ability,” the State Department said yesterday. Britain, which holds the revolving presidency of the E.U., sent a two-paragraph letter to Washington on Tuesday, after weeks of mounting outcry in Europe over reports that the CIA has detained and interrogated terrorism prisoners in Soviet-era compounds in Eastern Europe.

– Associated Press

APPEALS COURT HOLDS UP TRANSFER OF PADILLA

Suspected terrorist Jose Padilla’s transfer from a military brig to a civilian jail was unexpectedly delayed yesterday by a federal appeals courts. In a brief order, a three-judge panel from the 4th Circuit American Court of Appeals in Richmond, Va., demanded more information from lawyers on both sides before approving the transfer to the Justice Department.

– Associated Press

TSA TO ALLOW SMALL SCISSORS, TOOLS ON PLANES

The government’s decision to allow airline passengers to carry small scissors is part of a broader shift in airport security, focusing more on keeping explosives off planes and less on stopping another September 11-type attack. Rep. John Mica, a Republican of Florida and the chairman of the House Transportation Committee’s aviation panel, applauded the decision as a welcome change in the mindset of the Transportation Security Administration.

– Associated Press

STUDY: STATES DON’T USE TOBACCO MONEY FOR PREVENTION

Just a fraction of the money that states received from tobacco settlements and taxes is being used to prevent smoking, according to a report released by the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, American Heart Association, American Cancer Society, and American Lung Association titled “A Broken Promise to Our Children.”

Only Maine, Colorado, Delaware, and Mississippi spend at least the minimum levels recommended by the CDC, the study said. Michigan, Missouri, New Hampshire, South Carolina, Tennessee, and the District of Columbia spend no state funds at all, the report found, while 30 other states fund at less than half of the recommended amount.

– Associated Press

WEST

SCHWARZENEGGER NAMES CHIEF OF STAFF

SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Governor Schwarzenegger yesterday appointed a longtime Democratic activist, and a former top aide to the man he kicked out of office, as his new chief of staff.

The move to replace Patricia Clarey had been widely expected since voters defeated all four of the governor’s “year of reform” measures November 8. But the announcement of California Public Utilities Commissioner Susan Kennedy as Ms. Clarey’s replacement caught many Republicans and Democrats off guard.

– Associated Press

MIDWEST

JUDGE: PRAYERS GIVEN IN INDIANA HOUSE MAY NOT FAVOR ONE RELIGION

INDIANAPOLIS – A federal judge yesterday barred the Indiana House from opening its sessions with specifically Christian prayers, ruling that such prayers amount to “an official endorsement of the Christian religion.”

Judge David Hamilton advised House Speaker Brian Bosma that invocations given in the Legislature should not use the name of Jesus Christ or Christian terms such as savior.

Of 53 opening prayers given in the House during the 2005 session, 41 were given by clergy identified with Christian churches and at least 29 mentioned Jesus Christ, according to court documents.

– Associated Press

SOUTH

JURY DELIBERATES AS MISTRIAL IS REJECTED IN AL-ARIAN CASE

A federal judge denied a mistrial yesterday in the case of a former Florida college professor, Sami Al-Arian, and three other men, accused of operating an American branch of Palestinian Islamic Jihad.

Judge James Moody said there was no reason to think jurors were improperly influenced by the failure to excise results of an online poll from an edited newspaper given to jurors. The judge noted that the graphic containing the results was so small that defense lawyers apparently overlooked it. The Tampa Tribune’s unscientific survey found 87% of respondents believed Mr. Al-Arian would be convicted.

The jury of six men and six women, which began hearing evidence in June, completed its ninth day of deliberations yesterday without reaching a verdict. According to the St. Petersburg Times, jurors set a schedule to continue their discussions through Thursday, December 8.

– Staff Reporter of the Sun