WASHINGTON

IRISH GOVERNMENT BACKS BILL THAT AIDS UNDOCUMENTED CITIZENS

The government of Ireland will begin lobbying on behalf of undocumented Irish citizens living in America, with particular emphasis on advocacy in favor of an immigration bill co-sponsored by Senator McCain, a Republican of Arizona, and Senator Kennedy, a Democrat of Massachusetts. The bill by Messrs. Kennedy and McCain would allow undocumented citizens to normalize their status without having to return home to apply for it.

The New York City-based lobbying effort, first announced in December, got a boost this week with a $37,000 grant from Ireland’s minister of foreign affairs, Dermot Ahern. Mr. Ahern said this week that the grant is aimed at supporting members of Congress from both political parties who favor legislation that would “enable undocumented Irish people to participate in the life of their adopted country, free from fear and uncertainty.”

– Staff Reporter of the Sun

SHADEGG CLAIMS CONSERVATIVE, MODERATE SUPPORT IN GOP RACE

Arizona Rep. John Shadegg yesterday won the backing of a homestate conservative and a New England moderate in his longshot quest to succeed embattled Rep. Tom DeLay as the no. 2 Republican in the House.

Reps. Jeff Flake, a Republican of Arizona, and Charles Bass, a Republican of New Hampshire, who were early agitators for an election to replace Mr. DeLay – trekked to Washington to endorse Mr. Shadegg, casting him as the true reformer in a race that comes as the party is reeling from the Jack Abramoff corruption scandal.

“This shows that the race is not about moderate vs. conservative – it is a choice between real reform and the status quo,” Mr. Shadegg said.

Reps. Roy Blunt, a Republican of Missouri, and John Boehner, a Republican of Ohio, are the frontrunners in the race with many more public endorsements from their fellow lawmakers, but Mr. Shadegg claims many of those pledges came before he jumped into the race January 13.

– Associated Press

SENATORS SAY WHITE HOUSE HAS BEEN SLOWING KATRINA INQUIRY

The White House is crippling a Senate inquiry into the government’s sluggish response to Hurricane Katrina by barring administration officials from answering questions and failing to hand over documents, senators leading the investigation said yesterday.

In some cases, staff at the White House and other federal agencies have refused to be interviewed by congressional investigators, said the top Republican and Democrat on the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee. In addition, agency officials won’t answer seemingly innocuous questions about times and dates of meetings and telephone calls with the White House, the senators said.

– Associated Press

WEST

FOUR KILLED AS PRIVATE JET CRASHES AT AIRPORT

CARLSBAD, Calif. – A private jet overshot a runway and crashed in flames yesterday, killing all four people aboard, authorities said. The Cessna 560 came in for a landing at Southern California McClellan-Palomar Airport on a flight from Hailey, Idaho, but went about 150 yards beyond the runway, smashing through scaffolding and slamming into a commercial storage facility, a spokesman for the San Diego County Department of Public Works, Bill Polick, said. It was not clear if the plane ever touched down on the runway, he said. The cause of the crash was not immediately known. Mr. Polick said the weather was clear and sunny with only light wind.

– Associated Press

SOUTH

AL-ARIAN LAWYERS WANT TO QUIT

TAMPA, Fla. – The attorneys for a former Florida college professor accused of leading an American wing of Palestinian Islamic Jihad, Sami Al-Arian, are seeking permission to drop their client after more than two years fighting his prosecution by federal authorities. The lawyers, William Moffitt and Linda Moreno, apparently made the request in sealed papers filed with a federal court in recent days. The nature of the filings was secret until yesterday, when Judge James Moody Jr. ordered a hearing on the matter for Friday. Mr. Moffitt confirmed in a brief interview last night that he and Ms. Moreno wanted out of the case, but he declined to discuss the reasons, which remain under seal.

Mr. Al-Arian, who has been in jail since February 2003, went to trial in Tampa, Fla. last year on 17 federal charges, including conspiracy to maim or murder abroad, providing material support to a terrorist group, and obstruction of justice. In December, a jury acquitted him on eight counts and failed to reach a verdict on the nine others.

The American Civil Liberties Union of Florida has urged prosecutors to drop the case against Mr. Al-Arian. “A decision to re-try him would appear to be pointless and vindictive,” the group said in a letter released Monday.

– Staff Reporter of the Sun