WASHINGTON — The White House says President Barack Obama realizes his talk show quip about the Special Olympics was a “thoughtless joke” and the group’s athletes deserve better. White House press secretary Robert Gibbs on Friday dealt with the fallout from Obama’s appearance on Jay Leno’s “Tonight Show.” In his bantering with the host, the president equated his bowling skills with the Special Olympics. Recognizing his blunder, Obama apologized to the chairman of the Special Olympics before the show aired. Gibbs said the president believes that the Special Olympics are “a triumph of the human spirit.”
NRA appeals park-gun ruling
The National Rifle Association on Friday appealed a federal court ruling that blocked a Bush administration policy allowing people to carry concealed, loaded guns in national parks. The decision, issued Thursday by a U.S. District judge, halted a regulation from the waning days of the Bush administration. The rule, which took effect in January, allowed visitors to carry a loaded gun into a park or wildlife refuge as long as the person had a permit for a concealed weapon and the state where the park or refuge was located allowed concealed firearms. Previously, guns in parks had been severely restricted.
Vermont: Gay marriage bill
A state Senate committee unanimously approved a gay marriage bill on Friday, moving Vermont one step closer to allowing same-sex couples to legally wed. “It provides … gay and lesbian couples the same rights that I have as a married heterosexual,” said Sen. John Campbell, vice chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee and chief sponsor of the bill. The measure would replace Vermont’s first-in-the-nation civil unions law with one that allows marriage of same-sex partners beginning Sept. 1.
California: Spector options
When jurors in Los Angeles begin deliberating charges against Phil Spector next week, they will have a choice the panelists at the music producer’s first trial didn’t: manslaughter. Over the strenuous objections of Spector’s defense, the judge said Friday that jurors will have the option of convicting the 69-year-old of involuntary manslaughter in the fatal shooting of an actress instead of the top count, second-degree murder. A 2007 jury deadlocked on that count 10 to 2 in favor of conviction.
Colorado: Cheetah swap
Zoos in Denver and Battle Creek, Mich., are trading female cheetahs in hopes that both will have cubs with new mates. The Denver Zoo said Friday it has sent a 5-year-old cheetah named Kibara to the Binder Park Zoo in Battle Creek in exchange for an 8-year-old cheetah named Katili. Kibara was Denver’s only female cheetah. In Denver, Katili will be paired with a male cheetah named Barafu, who is Kibara’s twin.
New Jersey: ‘Brazilian’ waxing
New Jersey is smoothing out differences over a plan to ban bare-it-all bikini waxing. The state is reversing course on the proposal after angry salon owners complained about losing business ahead of swimsuit season. The state Cosmetology and Hairstyling Board proposed banning so-called “Brazilian” bikini waxing after two women were hospitalized for infections following the procedure. But on Friday, the Consumer Affairs director effectively killed the plan. He said the procedure can be performed safely.
Greece: Pirates seize ship
Pirates have seized a Greek-owned cargo ship in the Gulf of Aden off the coast of Somalia, Greece’s Merchant Marine Ministry said Friday. The ministry said the St. Vincent-flagged Titan, with 24 crew members on board, was seized late Thursday night. Three of the crew members, including the captain, are Greek. The Titan had been sailing from the Black Sea to Korea with a cargo of metal when it came under attack, the ministry said.
Aruba: A search for Natalee
Natalee Holloway’s father flew a search dog and handler to Aruba to search for the missing teen’s body on Friday, although prosecutors said they have no new leads in the case. A spokeswoman for the Aruba Prosecutors’ Office, said the dog is searching a small reservoir in northwestern Aruba that witnesses have previously identified as a location where Holloway’s remains might be found. Holloway, from Mountain Brook, Ala., disappeared in May 2005 in the Aruban capital Oranjestad. She was 18 at the time.
From Herald news services
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