WASHINGTON — Senate Democratic leaders Thursday put off an expected showdown over an economic stimulus plan until next week, worrying that the absence of Sens. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., and Barack Obama, D-Ill., could doom efforts to force changes to the package fashioned by House leaders and President Bush.
“I still have two Democratic senators” on the campaign trail, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., said. “Next Tuesday is Super Tuesday, and they’re both very busy, as is Sen. (John) McCain. So I probably can’t get them back here until Monday, but I need them back.”
Reid spokesman Jim Manley said the delay has less to do with presidential politics than parliamentary jousting over revisions to separate legislation that would continue government authority for warrantless surveillance of terrorist suspects. That bill could become part of a larger deal, but in either event it is clear that Democratic votes will be at a premium.
@3. Headline Briefs 14 no:Bush budget may top $3 billion
President Bush’s 2009 budget will virtually freeze most domestic programs and seek nearly $200 billion in savings from federal health care programs, a senior administration official said Thursday. The budget also will likely exceed $3 trillion, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the budget has not yet been released. Bush on Monday will present his proposed budget for the new fiscal year to Congress, where it’s unlikely to gain much traction in the midst of a presidential campaign.
Georgia: Guilty plea in slaying
In a swift turn of events, a drifter pleaded guilty Thursday to murdering a 24-year-old hiker in what authorities called a frustrated robbery attempt. Gary Michael Hilton was immediately sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole after 30 years. The judge said she signed off on the deal because the 61-year-old likely would have died in prison anyway before the state had a chance to execute him. Hilton was indicted Thursday morning in the bludgeoning death of Meredith Emerson on Jan. 4.
Nevada: Cutting torch started fire
A fire at the Monte Carlo casino-hotel in Las Vegas was caused by flying molten metal from a hand-held cutting torch used by workers who did not have proper permits, fire officials said Thursday. Workers were cutting corrugated steel to set up window-washing equipment Friday at the casino on the Las Vegas strip but did not use proper mats to protect the roof, the Clark County Fire Department said. The first 911 call came from a passer-by. Officials are reviewing whether to cite the contractor, which could result in fines of $1,000 and up to six months in jail per citation, a misdemeanor.
Alabama: Killer gets reprieve
A murderer who would have become the nation’s first executed inmate in months won a reprieve Thursday from the U.S. Supreme Court a little more than an hour before he was scheduled to die by lethal injection. James Harvey Callahan, set to die at 8 p.m. PST, was granted a stay, Holman prison warden Grantt Culliver told officers on death row. The Supreme Court’s brief order did not detail why it granted the stay. It would have been the nation’s first execution since September, when the high court agreed to consider whether lethal injection is cruel and unusual punishment.
Texas: Snowstorm hits state
A snowstorm hit the Texas Panhandle early Thursday, leaving at least three people dead and causing a 40-vehicle pileup that shut down Interstate 40 for several hours, officials said. The system was predicted to swing eastward, bringing rain to the Southeast and up to a foot of snow to areas in Missouri, Illinois, Indiana and Ohio. In Texas, Amarillo received more than 2 inches of snow.
California: Scientologists hoaxed
Several envelopes containing white powder were sent to the Church of Scientology in what appeared to be a hoax that prompted street closings and evacuations in Southern California, the FBI said Thursday. The envelopes were mailed to at least 19 church addresses in Los Angeles and Orange counties, and began showing up Wednesday, the FBI said. The FBI said initial tests indicated the powder was harmless but more tests were being conducted.
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