Dissent on Intelligence Is Critical, Report Says

By Walter Pincus and Peter Baker

A presidential commission assigned to look into the intelligence failures leading up to the Iraq war will recommend a series of changes intended to encourage more dissent within the nation's spy agencies and better organize the government's multi-tentacled fight against terrorism, officials said yesterday.

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AARP Leads With Wallet In Fight Over Social Security

By Jeffrey H. Birnbaum

In the punch-for-punch debate over Social Security, AARP is working hard to keep the White House on the ropes.

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Turning on DeLay

By Howard Kurtz

In media terms, it's an earthquake almost as loud as Walter Cronkite turning against the Vietnam War.

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Schiavo's Parents File Late Appeal

By Manuel Roig-Franzia

An unrealized act of religious defiance stirred emotions Tuesday outside Terri Schiavo's hospice, where demonstrators prayed for what they called "a miracle" as the brain-damaged woman entered her 12th day without food or water.

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Doubts Raised On Schiavo Memo

By Howard Kurtz

Bloggers are swarming around a new target: the Terri Schiavo "talking points."

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Before Schiavo, 1991 Case Led to Landmark Md. Law

By Eric Rich

The case carries a distant echo of Terri Schiavo: Ronald Mack was said to be in a vegetative state. His spouse wanted a feeding tube removed. His father did not.

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Ailing Pope Is Fed Through Nasal Tube

By Victor L. Simpson

Pope John Paul II is getting nutrition from a tube in his nose, the Vatican said Wednesday, shortly after the frail pontiff appeared at his window in St. Peter's Square and managed only a rasp when he tried to speak.

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Threshold for Over-40 Age Discrimination Suits Lowered

By Hope Yen

The Supreme Court made it easier Wednesday for any worker over 40 to allege age discrimination, ruling that employers can be held liable even if they never intended any harm.

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High Court Supports Title IX Protection

By Charles Lane

The Supreme Court toughened a federal law against sex discrimination in federally funded educational programs yesterday, ruling that it prohibits not only unequal treatment of girls and women at school, but also official retaliation against anyone -- male or female -- who blows the whistle on unequal treatment.

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First Lady Expresses Solidarity With Afghan Women

By Deb Reichmann

Like Afghan women who have boldly shed their burqas after years of Taliban repression, Laura Bush stepped out here Wednesday, albeit under tight security, to highlight the emerging rights of women in this war-wrecked nation.

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Liberals To Target DeLay In Ads

By Mike Allen

Democratic officials and a well-funded liberal advocacy group said yesterday that they will try to capitalize on the new visibility of House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (Tex.) by casting him as a symbol of Republican excess, as critics once did with former House speaker Newt Gingrich.

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Three Were Told to Leave Bush Town Meeting

By Jim VandeHei

Three Denver residents yesterday charged that they were forcibly removed from one of President Bush's town meetings on Social Security because they displayed a bumper sticker on their car condemning the administration's Middle East policies.

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EU Endorses Wolfowitz for World Bank Presidency

By Constant Brand

European Union governments gave their endorsement to World Bank president nominee Paul Wolfowitz on Wednesday after he affirmed his commitment to multilateralism and said he would make the fight against poverty his top goal as head of the Washington-based global lending institution.

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Kyrgyzstan's New Parliament Meets

By Kadyr Toktogulov

Kyrgyzstan's new parliament held its first session as the country's undisputed legislature Wednesday, but it was marred by delay and protests, underscoring the country's political disorder since opposition protesters drove out President Askar Akayev last week.

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Court Weighs File Sharing

By Jonathan Krim

The entertainment industry yesterday took its campaign to stop illegal sharing of music and videos to the U.S. Supreme Court, telling the justices that popular online services such as Grokster and Kazaa should be held responsible for the unlawful acts of their users.

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Laura Bush Promotes Education During Visit to Afghanistan

http://enews.voanews.com/t?ctl=C8A75B:2F72C9D

During a five-hour stay, Mrs. Bush toured teacher training institute,
met with Afghan President and dined with US troops at Bagram Air Base

Laura Bush meets with grant recipients from Afghan Women's Business
Council's Artemis Program at Kabul UniversityFirst Lady Laura Bush has
flown to Afghanistan for a whirlwind five-hour tour to promote women's
rights and education.

Mrs. Bush arrived in Afghanistan Wednesday where she expressed the
hope that her visit would help strengthen the bond between the two
countries and highlight U.S. efforts to improve local opportunities
for women.

While in Kabul, the former teacher announced more than $20 million in
grants for educational programs, with nearly $18 million to help fund
the new American University of Afghanistan in Kabul.

Mrs. Bush also met Afghan President Hamid Karzai, the country's first
democratically elected leader.

Mrs. Bush said the broader message behind her visit was one of
solidarity with Afghan women.

Laura Bush, center, meets with reporters on board her plane en route
to Kabul, Afghanistan

"The United States Government is wholeheartedly committed to the full
participation of women in all aspects of Afghan society," the first
lady said.

Under the deposed Taleban regime girls were barred from studying in
schools and women were prevented from holding jobs.

Three years on, Afghanistan remains a daunting environment for young
women. According to the United Nations, the literacy rate for women is
just 14 percent and in rural areas girls are still a rare sight inside
classrooms.

Mrs. Bush said Wednesday she hopes the progress made so far will
continue.

"I've watched especially with great pride as courageous women across
your country have taken leadership roles as students, teachers, judges
doctors, business and community leaders, ministers and governor," she
said.

It is Mrs. Bush's first trip to the region. The First Lady said she
had hoped to visit before, but security concerns kept her away.

Wednesday's trip was kept secret until just before Mrs. Bush left
Washington Tuesday night.

Insurgent attacks still plague Afghanistan. Just hours before Mrs.
Bush arrived a car bomb in the eastern city of Jalalabad killed one
person and injured another. Taleban guerillas claimed responsibility.

Mrs. Bush was scheduled to join U.S. forces for dinner Wednesday
evening before returning to the United States.

------------------------------------------------------





Security Council Toughens Sanctions on Warring Factions in Sudan

[http://enews.voanews.com/t?ctl=C8A76E:2F72C9D

Council faces another vote Wednesday on the controversial question of
where to try Darfur war crimes suspects

The U.N. Security Council has approved targeted sanctions against
members of warring factions in Sudan's Darfur region. The Council
faces another vote Wednesday on the controversial question of where to
try Darfur war crimes suspects.

The U.S. sponsored measure was approved late Tuesday by a vote of 12
to nothing, with three members - China, Russia and Algeria -
abstaining.

The resolution calls for limiting the flow of weapons into the
conflict zone, and forbids the Khartoum government from offensive
military flights over Darfur. It imposes sanctions, including a travel
ban and assets freeze, on those responsible for atrocities in Darfur,
or anyone breaking a ceasefire in the region.



After the vote, deputy U.S. Ambassador Stuart Holliday expressed hope
that passage of the measure would contribute to ending what he called
a "tragic chapter in Darfur's history." He referred in particular to
efforts to limit the flow of arms to both government and rebel forces.

"What we've done is establish an arms embargo that extends to the
government of Sudan. Previously we had an arms embargo on non-state
actors in Darfur, so we're taking a comprehensive look at any arms
that come into Darfur. If the government of Sudan would like to come
into Darfur for any purpose, any military purpose, it has to get the
permission of the Security Council," he said.

After the vote, Sudan's U.N. Ambassador Elfatih Mohamed Erwa called
the measure "unwise", and said penalizing his government would make
matters worse by encouraging rebels to keep up the fight. He spoke
through an interpreter. "The other side is waiting for the stick to be
used by this council so it can continue what it has been doing, but
the more sticks you bring to solve this problem, you are not going to
solve this problem. You will make it more complicated, as a matter of
fact," he said.

Passage of the sanctions resolution was part two of a compromise that
broke weeks of Council deadlock over Sudan. The easy part, approving a
10-thousand strong peacekeeping force for southern Sudan, was approved
unanimously last Friday.

The sanctions measure was approved only after veto-wielding Council
members Russia and China agreed to abstain. Both are strongly opposed
to penalties against the Khartoum government.

Part three of the compromise, on the controversial issue of where to
try Darfur war crimes suspects, is scheduled for a vote Wednesday. A
French-sponsored measure would send the accused to the
newly-established International Criminal Court in The Hague.

The move has the support of at least nine Council members who are
signatories to the court, but is strongly opposed by the United
States, which is not a party to the ICC and has in the past threatened
a veto.



Washington, along with several African countries, wants the cases
referred to a new U.N./African Union tribunal in Tanzania.

US Military Completes Review of Guantanamo Bay Detainees

http://enews.voanews.com/t?ctl=C8A770:2F72C9D

The tribunals found that most, though not all, of the detainees should
still be classified as enemy combatants

The facility for enemy combatants at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba

The U.S. military tribunals set up to determine whether suspected
al-Qaida and Taleban fighters held at a military base in Guantanamo
Bay, Cuba are indeed enemy combatants has completed its review of all
detainees. The tribunals found that most, though not all, of the
detainees should still be classified as enemy combatants. And 33 of
the remaining non-enemy combatants will be released soon.

Navy Secretary Gordon England, the Pentagon official overseeing the
combatant status review tribunals (CSRTs), said Tuesday that all 558
men in U.S. custody at Guantanamo Bay have had their cases heard
before the three-member tribunals.

"Of the five 558 CSRT hearings conducted, the enemy combatant status
of 520 was confirmed,” he said.  “The tribunals also concluded
that 38 detainees were found to no longer meet the criteria to be
designated as enemy combatants."

Mr. England said that as of March 29, five of those 38 persons have
returned to their home countries and that the U.S. State Department is
working to coordinate the return of the remaining 33 as quickly as
possible.

Most of the detainees were captured on the battlefield in Afghanistan
and are suspected of supporting al-Qaida or the Taleban.  The
Bush Administration has refused to call them prisoners of war, as this
would afford them certain rights under the Geneva Convention, which
the United States has signed. 

Instead, the men have been referred to as enemy combatants.  Mr.
England says their detention is legally justified because of the
threat they still pose.

"The basis of detaining captured enemy combatants is not to punish,
but rather to prevent them from continuing to fight against the United
States and its coalition partners in the ongoing global war on
terrorism,” he added.  “Detention of captured enemy combatants is
both allowed and accepted under international law of armed conflict."

The tribunals have been accused of relying on non-credible witnesses
or one-source of information to uphold a detainee's enemy combatant
status.  Mr. England said the three-member tribunals only review
information they consider reliable and that they look at the totality
of that information.  But he acknowledged that the judges are
human and no system was perfect.

"At the end of the day there is a judgment,” he noted.  “In this
case we have three people.  We have three members of the tribunal
and they make the very best decision they can based on the data
available.  Is the system perfect? It's [made up of] human beings
so obviously it's not perfect, but it is as perfect as we can make
this system and as fair as we can make this system for the detainee,
while protecting America.  Keep in mind that we do have
obligation to protect America from terrorists."

Secretary England stopped short of saying that mistakes had been made
in holding the 38 non-enemy combatants, arguing that the evidence
which cleared them may not have been available when they were
captured.

SECRECY NEWS
from the FAS Project on Government Secrecy
March 30, 2005

ISRAELI WHISTLEBLOWER VANUNU FACES NEW CHARGES

Mordechai Vanunu, who was released from an Israeli prison last
April after serving 18 years for disclosing secret information on
Israel's nuclear weapons program and who has been seeking to leave
that country, now faces new charges of violating a gag order
prohibiting foreign press interviews.

Y writes from Jerusalem:

"You've probably heard that Mordechai Vanunu has been charged with
violating the restrictions placed on him when he was freed from
prison. The charges list 21 interviews he has given to the foreign
media [...]. The restrictions were due to expire on April 21, but
now the new charges and the pending trial will prevent him from
leaving the country. Mordechai has hired Avigdor Feldman and
Michael Sfard to defend him in this case. (The other day Daniel
Ellsberg, Vanunu's longtime ardent supporter, was here and spoke
at a press conference and on Israeli television. Very
impressive.)"

"I should point out that where the media refer to the restrictions
as the terms of Vanunu's parole, they are mistaken. Vanunu is not
on parole - he served his sentence in full. The restrictions
derive from a British Mandatory state-of-emergency regulation."

"Moreover, not a single word in any of the interviews went further
- in terms of information re Dimona [an Israeli nuclear facility]
etc - than the revelations he made to the Sunday Times in 1986, so
they can hardly be said to affect Israel's security in 2005."

"Some supporters (and Mordechai's brother Meir) advised him to keep
quiet after his release, but Mordechai is not the sort of person
who bends under pressure. I personally think that he was right to
do what he did. If he'd kept shtum [silent] the government could
have said, 'Aha, he's quiet here because he wants to leave, but if
we let him out he'll start giving interviews all over the place
and god knows what he'll say...' - So long as the vindictive
impulse continues to animate the system, Mordechai can't win."

During World War I, Kaiser Wilhelm's Germany sought to curtail
foreign travel by dissidents such as Albert Einstein, among others.
Historian Fritz Stern writes that German authorities imposed the
travel barriers on Einstein because they feared him as "a dangerous
pacifist with international commitments and friendships."
(Einstein's German World, Princeton Univ Press, 1999, p. 116).


IG REPORT ON RESEARCHER ACCESS TO BIOLOGICAL AGENTS

The Bioterrorism Act of 2002 prohibited scientists from gaining
access to particularly hazardous biological agents and toxins
(such as anthrax and Ebola virus) unless they had a legitimate
need for them and had received authorization from the FBI.

A new Justice Department Inspector General (IG) report reviewed the
FBI's "security risk assessment" program for granting such
authorization and found that previous backlogs of researcher
requests had been largely reduced.

Along the way, the IG report provides some new details about the
mechanics of the FBI review process and the number of applications
-- in the thousands -- that the Bureau has received for handling
the restricted biological agents.

"Our inspection showed that the FBI had 3,855 ... Applications
pending in November 2003, but by June 2004, had reduced that
number to 401. The FBI maintained a stable average monthly
caseload of approximately 339 pending ... applications through
December 2004 and was routinely processing the applications in 45
days or less."

A copy of the new IG report, "Inspection of the FBI's Security Risk
Assessment Program for Individuals Requesting Access to Biological
Agents and Toxins," March 2005, may be found here (thanks to
resourceshelf.com):

http://www.fas.org/irp/agency/doj/oig/sra-bio.pdf


NASA TO ASSESS IMPACT OF SPACE NUCLEAR REACTORS

If one stood on top of a pile of all of the studies of space
nuclear power that have been performed over the past twenty
years, one would be several feet closer to Mars (at least during
some hours of the day).

Mars will come even closer now that NASA is undertaking a new
programmatic environmental impact statement concerning the
development of nuclear reactors for use in future space missions,
as announced in the Federal Register today:

http://www.fas.org/sgp/news/2005/03/fr033005.html

As a technological enterprise, space nuclear reactors have been
subject to a remarkable cycle of boom and bust over the past 50
years, as ambitious programs have been commenced every decade or
so only to be terminated a few years later. The most recent major
space reactor initiative was the SP-100 program, which was
cancelled ten years ago after the expenditure of some $400
million.

The U.S. did launch one space nuclear reactor in 1965; following 43
days of operation, it remains in orbit today. The Soviet Union
launched dozens of nuclear reactors, several of which reentered
the atmosphere, distributing measurable quantities of radioactive
debris. Several other U.S. plutonium heat sources have also
produced accidental releases of radioactive materials.

Proponents note that space reactors hold the promise of dramatic
enhancements in the scope, lifetime and effectiveness of space
exploration activities.

"Space nuclear fission reactor systems could enable exploration
missions requiring substantially greater amounts of electrical
power (on the order of many kilowatts of electricity), where
currently available and reasonably foreseeable energy systems are
likely to be inadequate. The ability to generate high levels of
sustained electrical power regardless of location in the solar
system would permit a new class of missions designed for
longevity, flexibility, and comprehensive scientific
exploration," according to the NASA Federal Register notice.


NORTH KOREA SLAMS THE CONGRESSIONAL RESEARCH SERVICE

The suggestion by a Congressional Research Service analyst that
money from South Korea's Hyundai Group may have been diverted to
support North Korea's nuclear weapons program, noted in
yesterday's Secrecy News, was harshly dismissed by a North Korean
spokesman yesterday.

"Those arguments are not worthy of comment," the spokesman said
before he proceeded to comment.

"Those allegations showed clearly their ignorance and lack of
common sense," the spokesman said, as quoted by Yonhap News
Agency.

"Our nuclear weapons were developed on the base of an independent
economy." So there.

See "N.Korea Dismissed U.S. Claim Funds were Siphoned for Nuke
Program," Yonhap, March 29:

http://tinyurl.com/4ybfo

Lock in Nuclear Successes
Proliferation Brief, Volume 8, Number 2
March 30, 2005



As any college basketball team can attest, particularly one that built a double-digit lead in a recent game only to lose in the final seconds, never take success for granted. What is true for basketball is true for nuclear strategy. Over 180 nations have decided that they are better off without nuclear weapons, including most recently, the former poster-child for outlaw states, Libya. Each of their decisions is important; some could be easily reversed. While we focus on the important problems of preventing new states or terrorist groups from getting nuclear weapons, we must also take decisive action to lock in these past successes.

Here's why. A large number of countries that have the technical and financial capabilities to produce nuclear weapons have rejected or abandoned nuclear weapons programs, including Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Egypt, Germany, Japan, Kazakhstan, South Africa, South Korea, Sweden, Taiwan, Turkey, and Ukraine. Preventing these states from undertaking nuclear programs is pivotal to the success of nonproliferation. If they choose not to comply with nonproliferation norms and rules, and not to cooperate in enforcement of these rules in tough cases, these states could create a global security crisis.

More pertinently, these states must advocate, or at least not resist, new rules to stop the spread of nuclear weapon production capabilities and strengthen the nuclear safeguards mandate of the International Atomic Energy Agency. Their support gives the UN Security Council greater resolve to prevent or reverse proliferation challenges. The states that could have been possessors of nuclear weapons bring special credibility to the political process of strengthening the global nonproliferation regime.

In sum, as former U.S. government officials Robert Einhorn and Kurt Campbell have observed, we want to reinforce the wisdom of states that have gone without nuclear weapons by shaping a world in which "existing nuclear arsenals are being reduced, parties are not pursuing clandestine nuclear programs, nuclear testing has been stopped, the taboo against the use of nuclear weapons is being strengthened, and in general, the salience of nuclear weapons in international affairs is diminishing."

Great. So, how do we do this? Washington’s first maxim should be Hippocratic: "Do no harm" to states that could readily produce nuclear weapons but have chosen not to. U.S. policy and rhetoric should never be dictatorial or arrogant in ways that would make officials in countries such as Japan, South Korea, or Turkey—to pick random examples—conclude that Washington would be more respectful of their interests if they had their own nuclear weapons.

On the contrary, the United States should reassure these countries and others, such as Argentina, Brazil, and South Africa, that do not have alliance security guarantees, that the United States recognizes a special duty to prevent threats that could make them reasonably feel the need for nuclear weapons. In Southwest and Northeast Asia, where Iranian and North Korean proliferation could tempt Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Japan, and South Korea to reconsider their nuclear status, the United States should engage in preventive high-level diplomacy and defense cooperation to reassure these states that their strategic interests can be met without nuclear weapons.

The United States (and other nuclear weapon states) should focus on rewarding states that actively strengthen the nonproliferation regime. Decisions on expanding the permanent membership of the UN Security Council should take into special consideration candidates’ contributions to nonproliferation. Decisions on where to conduct state visits and which countries should host major international conclaves should reward states that contribute heavily to stopping nuclear proliferation.

It is also important to deglamorize nuclear technology as a symbol of modernity. Even as we work on the design of new generations of safer, proliferation-resistant nuclear reactors, more work needs to be done to develop cutting-edge, environmentally friendly energy technologies such as hydrogen fuel cells and solar power.

Finally, the United States and other nuclear weapon states must devalue the security and political status associated with nuclear weapons so that political actors in other societies do not conclude that they will gain international leverage by seeking these weapons. A key step towards such devaluation is to reduce the role of nuclear weapons in national security doctrine. For example, our nation should reject, not embrace, the development of new nuclear weapons.

We cannot take the non-nuclear status of even our close allies for granted. The decisions we make over the next few years will determine whether they and other industrial and developing nations will stay the course. This is not a game we can afford to lose.

Joseph Cirincione is the Director for Non-Proliferation and Jane Vaynman is a Project Assistant at the Carnegie Endowment. This article is adapted from Universal Compliance: A Strategy for Nuclear Security, Chapter Five, by Jessica Mathews, George Perkovich, Rose Gottemoeller, Joseph Cirincione and Jon B. Wolfsthal.

Download the full report at www.CarnegieEndowment.org/strategy.

11th Circuit Denies Schindler's Latest Appeal

By Manuel Roig-Franzia

PINELLAS PARK, Fla., March 30 -- A federal appeals court Wednesday turned down a request for a new hearing in the Terri Schiavo case, dealing the parents of the brain-damaged Florida woman yet another defeat in their efforts to reattach her feeding tube and prolong her life.


The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit in Atlanta had granted permission late Tuesday for Schiavo's parents, Robert and Mary Schindler, to file a request for a new hearing, effectively extending a March 26 deadline for the submission of a such a request. But the court gave no indication of whether it would actually rehear the case, after having already refused to order the feeding tube restored.


The court Wednesday said it would not allow the requested new hearing before its full complement of 12. And it criticized the intervention in the case by the U.S. Congress and executive branch.

The decision came as Terri Schiavo was in her 12th day without food or water, which had been delivered to her over the past 15 years by a feeding tube inserted into her stomach. Demonstrators supporting her parents' efforts to keep her alive were left with little alternative but to pray for what they called "a miracle."

Earlier, George Felos, the attorney for Schiavo's husband, Michael Schiavo, told CNN that the parents' court filing was "some sort of last-minute desperate move."

Schiavo's religion -- she is a Roman Catholic -- has always been a significant aspect of the seven-year legal battle between her parents and her husband, on such issues as whether her feeding tube should be reinserted to her husband's plans to have her remains cremated. Her faith was so entwined in the legal fight that a judge issued an order dictating the exact number of times -- once -- that she could receive Holy Communion after her feeding tube was removed March 18.

But Monsignor Thaddeus Malanowski, who gave Schiavo her last authorized Holy Communion on Easter, announced Tuesday that he had tried to defy the order during an afternoon visit to her hospice room. Bobby Schindler, Schiavo's brother, said the three police officers in the room warned Malanowski that he would be arrested if he followed through on plans to place a drop of consecrated wine on Schiavo's lips.

Holy Communion is one of four steps in the Catholic sacrament for the dying. Malanowski said he was able to perform the other three: granting absolution for sins, anointing the forehead and performing an apostolic blessing. He performed all four on Easter but said Schiavo should have the right to receive Holy Communion every day.

Supporters of the Schindlers accused the courts of infringing on Schiavo's religious freedom, saying, as they have before, that "God's law should supersede man's law."

"What court really has the authority to tell someone they can't have a religious rite?" said Paul O'Donnell, a Franciscan friar who has been a constant presence at the side of Schiavo's mother.

Michael Schiavo, who has said his wife would not want to live in the persistent vegetative state that court-appointed doctors say she slipped into after a heart attack 15 years ago, made no attempts to counter the religious-freedom arguments.

His sister-in-law, Joan Schiavo -- who testified that Terri Schiavo would want to be disconnected from her feeding tube -- told police in Philadelphia that a man drove up to her home and threatened to kill her if the brain-damaged woman dies. Another alleged threat led to the arrest last week of a North Carolina man who is accused of offering $250,000 to kill Michael Schiavo.

Late Tuesday, Mary Schindler made a one-sentence plea to her son-in-law and his girlfriend, Jodi Centozone, saying, "Michael and Jodi, you have your own children -- please, please give my child back to me."

Earlier in the day, the Rev. Jesse L. Jackson said he was denied permission to enter Woodside Hospice and participate in administering Holy Communion to Schiavo. Jackson, a civil rights activist, called the Schiavo case "one of the profound moral and ethical issues of our time." While he was speaking, a man burst through a security line and almost reached the hospice's front door before police tackled and arrested him.

The appearance of Jackson, who arrived at Woodside Hospice in a white stretch limousine, set off a commotion on the two-lane, dead-end street. He was trailed by dozens of reporters as he held Mary Schindler's hand and walked from one television network tent to another for on-air interviews.

Jackson came to the hospice at the request of Schiavo's mother, who saw him arguing her side on television. His appearance presented a political juxtaposition: a lion of the liberal left taking up a cause that has been primarily supported by the conservative right.

Jackson said he called several Florida legislators in hopes of renewing efforts to pass a law that would force the reinsertion of Schiavo's feeding tube. The legislature recently refused to pass such a law, and few observers give Jackson's effort much hope. Florida Gov. Jeb Bush ® has said he is out of legal options to intervene, and efforts to lobby Congress to reenter the case appear to be going nowhere.

But first lady Laura Bush, speaking to reporters in Washington before her trip to Afghanistan, said, "I just feel like the federal government has to be involved. It is a life issue that really does require government to be involved." She said she and the president have living wills but did not disclose their provisions.

Schiavo's father, Robert Schindler, again urged lawmakers to intervene. "We still have her. It's not too late to save her." He said his daughter "is failing."

Schindler spoke on a street that runs past small shops and leads to a fenced trailer park. The heavy security presence is complicating life, and death, for hospice residents and their families.

An elementary school next to the hospice is temporarily closing and sending its students to other schools because of concerns about buses navigating the narrow, clogged street. Frustration was beginning to show. A van slowed as it passed the media clump Tuesday afternoon. The sign in its window said: "Our children can't go to school because of you. Go home!"


Staff writer Glenn Kessler in Washington contributed to this report.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/a...er=emailarticle

___________________________________
THE EVENING WRAP

March 30, 2005 -- 5:19 p.m. EST

On one of the warmest days of the year in New York City, U.S. stocks posted their best trading day of the year.
Nice Day on Wall Street

By MARK GONGLOFF
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL ONLINE


On one of the warmest days of the year in New York City, U.S. stocks posted their best trading day of the year.

The Dow rose about 135 points, or 1.3%, with about 2.1 billion shares changing hands on the Big Board. Of the 30 Dow components, only American International Group fell. The S&P 500 rose about 16 points, or 1.4%, and the Nasdaq rose about 32 points, or 1.7%. Stocks have suffered through three straight dismal weeks, driven largely by fears that inflation was on the rise and that the Federal Reserve would have to tighten credit aggressively to keep it in check. But a Commerce Department reading on fourth-quarter U.S. gross domestic product came in slightly weaker than economists expected today, and that may have eased Wall Street's fears. "Normally you wouldn't see this GDP report as a good thing, but with inflation out there, a little bit less growth is viewed as a positive," Larry Peruzzi, senior equity trader at The Boston Company Asset Management, told the Associated Press. "It cools things down just enough, without getting too cold."

Shares of Dow component Hewlett-Packard were up slightly, after yesterday's 10% explosion on the news that NCR CEO Mark Hurd was coming to take H-P's reins. In a conference call with analysts, Mr. Hurd said it was too early to talk about splitting up the computer maker, as many on Wall Street want. Crude-oil prices briefly slid below $53 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange after the Energy Department reported a big surge in U.S. oil inventories last week. They recovered, however, and closed close to $54 a barrel. U.S. Treasury bond prices rose for the second straight day, sending yields lower. The dollar fell against the euro and the Japanese yen, partly because of the GDP reading. Asian stocks were mostly lower, led for the second straight day by the Tokyo exchange, amid economic jitters. Major European markets also fell.

AIG's Confession
American International Group, the world's biggest insurance company, said it had improperly booked a transaction with reinsurance outfit General Re, a unit of Berkshire Hathaway, in late 2000 and early 2001. AIG initially accounted for the deal, which is being investigated by New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer, the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Justice Department, as a reinsurance arrangement that boosted its revenue and padded its reserves, a closely watched measure of an insurer's financial condition. Today, AIG said it was improper to call that deal "insurance," since no real risk was transferred, and it would have to restate its financial reports from the period.

The company divulged several other accounting problems and said its review wasn't complete. It asked the SEC for more time to file its 2004 annual report -- it has already received one extension -- and said it still didn't know exactly what sort of adjustments it would have to make to its books. Given the known problems, it said, shareholders' equity could be cut by 2%, or about $1.66 billion. AIG's shares fell nearly 2% on the news.

AIG has suffered from a slow drip of bad headlines since late last year, leading to the departure this month of industry icon Maurice "Hank" Greenberg after a 38-year reign as CEO. Still, most analysts believe these issues will be relatively minor for AIG, when all is said and done. "Obviously we don't know what else could be uncovered, if anything, or what potentially could be the fines or penalties levied," said Williams Capital Group analyst Peter Streit, who rates AIG shares a "strong buy." "But at this point, it seems relatively manageable in terms of the overall size of the company."

Smith Barney analyst Ronald Frank, in contrast, cut his price target for AIG stock to $65 from $71 even before AIG's confession, kept his "hold" rating and said the shares were too risky, with just too many snakes in the grass to feel safe right now. "We see neither AIG's strong business model ... nor its near-term earnings prospects ... as fundamentally threatened by current events," Mr. Frank wrote. "This said, risks remain considerable."

Another Departure at Morgan Stanley
Morgan Stanley's upheaval continued today, with the resignation of Guru Ramakrishnan, global head of institutional equity trading. Yesterday, two other key executives, institutional-securities President Vikram Pandit and head of institutional equities John Havens, walked out. CEO Philip Purcell, under a hailstorm of criticism from former executives at the Wall Street institution, triggered the defections when he named two of his defenders to be the firm's co-presidents. Morgan Stanley denied news reports that Ivan Freeman, chief operating officer of the institutional equities unit, had also resigned. Despite the turmoil, Morgan Stanley's shares jumped more than 3% today. Analysts generally seemed to believe that, though more resignations and turmoil were likely to follow, Morgan Stanley would be all right in the long run. Others suggested that all the confusion left the firm vulnerable to a takeover -- which could also be a boon to shareholders.

Profits Boomed in Fourth Quarter '04
U.S. after-tax corporate profits, as tallied by the Commerce Department, jumped 12.5% in the fourth quarter of 2004, the biggest gain in three years. At the same time, corporate spending grew at a 14.5% annualized rate, the fastest in more than a year. Economists have hoped that, flush with cash, companies will be inspired to spend money and hire workers, supporting the broader economy. "The strength of profits, as well as solid growth in personal income, provides a solid foundation for continued growth in demand from both businesses and households," Nomura Securities chief economist David Resler said in a note. Personal income soared at an 8.3% annualized rate in the quarter, thanks to Microsoft's $32 billion dividend payment.

But some economists see signs that companies are still avoiding hiring sprees; and with interest rates and gasoline prices bubbling up and the boost from earlier tax cuts disappearing, consumer spending, which makes up more than two-thirds of the total economy, could eventually grow at a less-than-robust pace. It was strong enough in the fourth quarter, growing at a 4.2% annualized pace, helping to push total gross domestic product to a 3.8% growth rate, according to the government's third and final reading on GDP. Economists, on average, had hoped GDP would be revised upward to 4%, however. The Federal Reserve's pet inflation rate, the personal consumption expenditure index, excluding food and energy, rose 1.6% from a year earlier -- probably an acceptable level for Fed policy makers.

Pope Gets Feeding Tube
Having trouble swallowing as a result of a tracheotomy performed last month, Pope John Paul II was fitted with a feeding tube today. The 84-year-old pontiff has been in failing health for quite some time, rendering him unable to perform many of his traditional duties and raising questions about whether he should or will step down. Pope John Paul II is the second-longest-serving pontiff in the Catholic Church's history.

Coincidentally, the controversy of the propriety of removing a feeding tube from Terri Schiavo, a severely brain damaged Florida woman whose parents are Catholic, has roiled the U.S. in recent weeks. A federal appeals court today rejected one of the last appeals by Ms. Schiavo's parents, who believe she can recover, disagreeing with several doctors who say she can't. They have lost numerous court decisions, and a court order led to the removal of Ms. Schiavo's feeding tube almost 13 days ago.

Supreme Court Favors Older Workers
The U.S. Supreme Court lowered the bar for age-discrimination lawsuits. In a 5-3 decision, which didn't include ailing Chief Justice William Rehnquist, the high court ruled that laid-off workers aged 40 years or older need only to prove that their employers fire older workers more often than younger workers in order to win an age-discrimination suit. Some lower courts have held that workers need to prove deliberate discrimination in order to win such suits. More than half the U.S. work force will be aged 40 or more by the year 2010, according to government forecasts. Some observers believe companies have ways of weeding out older workers without blatantly discriminating against them. Businesses argue that a looser age-discrimination law will make it harder for them to shed employees for reasons other than age. The justices -- most of whom are at least 60 -- today gave a little victory to business interests by acknowledging that, for some jobs, age should be a consideration.

GM Inks Fuel-Cell Deal; Analyst Warns of Weak Sales
General Motors got a little much-needed good news, signing a five-year deal to build 40 hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles for Energy Department "demonstration fleets" to be deployed in New York, Washington, Michigan and California. The company will spend $44 million on the cars, and the Energy Department will pony up another $44 million. Meanwhile, however, Deutsche Bank analyst Rod Lache darkened the struggling auto maker's day, warning that a survey of U.S. auto dealers showed weak total sales. And GM's sales seemed worse than most, Mr. Lache wrote in a note, despite more-generous dealer incentives. The auto maker recently slashed its forecast for earnings this year, its credit rating is teetering on the edge of "junk" status and its stock has fallen to the lowest levels in a decade. According to Mr. Lache, it may still have further to fall. "We believe these results would come as a negative surprise to the market," he said. This came a day after the head of GM's Chinese operations quit, amid weakening sales in that important and growing market. Nevertheless, GM shares rose nearly 2% today.

Wolfowitz, EU Kiss, Make Up
Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz, President Bush's nominee to head the World Bank, won the approval of the European Commission. After pressing the flesh in Brussels, Mr. Wolfowitz was described by Luxembourg's prime minister more than once as "the incoming president of the World Bank." When he was nominated, hisses could be heard from across the Atlantic Ocean. He was persona non grata in many European capitals because of his evangelizing for the unpopular Iraq war, described by critics as the height of American unilateralism. Since his nomination, however, Mr. Wolfowitz has tried to convince critics of his dedication to ending global poverty and his seriousness about consulting with other nations. He seems to have charmed the EU, but critics still worry that he will disrupt the economies of poor nations by pushing them into privatization, deregulation and massive public-works projects.

ABN Amro Bids for Italian Bank
Dutch bank ABN Amro plans to offer about $8.1 billion to buy the roughly 87% of Italian bank Banca Antonveneta it doesn't already own. The bid comes a day after Spanish bank Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria offered about $8.29 billion for another Italian bank, Banca Nazionale del Lavoro. Both offers are tests for Italy's central bank; it typically discourages foreign investment in its financial sector, but some analysts think it can't hold out much longer and run the risk of hurting Italian banks' competitive position.

Qwest Hires Proxy Firm
Qwest's fight for MCI is probably not yet done. The No. 4 U.S. local-phone provider, which needs MCI to keep pace with industry giants Verizon and SBC, has hired a proxy consulting firm, a sign it plans to ask MCI shareholders to choose between its merger offer and Verizon's. Qwest and Verizon have been in a long bidding war for MCI, the company formerly known as WorldCom. Qwest's offer is higher, at $8.45 billion, than Verizon's, at $7.64 billion. But MCI's board considers Verizon's offer superior, given Verizon's sheer size and greater financial stability. Many MCI shareholders, on the other hand, have been itching to take Qwest's bigger offer. Qwest may still make a bigger offer, or simply try for a hostile takeover. Its shares fell nearly 2% today, while MCI's jumped 2.5%. Verizon's rose about 1.5%.

Continental Wins Pay Concessions
Continental Airlines' pilots voted to accept a pay cut that will save the airline some $213 million annually. Though generally considered one of the soundest players in a struggling industry, Continental is seeking some $500 million in labor-cost savings amid soaring fuel costs and fare competition.

Study: Universal Preschool a Fiscal Boon
Preschool is good for teaching kids to share and color between the lines, but it could also be an economic boon, according to a new study. For every dollar the state of California might spend in offering free preschool to every child in the state, it would generate some $2.60 in economic activity, according to a study by the Rand Corp., a California think tank. Universal preschool would also cut juvenile delinquency and special-education spending and force fewer kids to be held back in their future schooling, according to the study. A universal preschool program might cost about $1.7 billion a year, but would provide about $4.4 billion in return, the study said, and the cost of sending a kid to preschool would pay for itself by the time the child turned 14. Interest in such a program has been rising in California recently, and Los Angeles County just instituted one, costing $600 million a year, paid for by cigarette taxes. Some balk at the extra taxes, but some business leaders -- who aren't always big fans of bigger taxes -- are pushing for the program. "Preschool returns over 10% annually on the funds invested, trouncing the average government bond or savings account and nearly matching the historical returns of the stock market," Boeing Chairman Lewis Platt told the AP.

http://online.wsj.com/articles/the_evening_wrap

__________________________________
TODAY'S MARKETS
The Dow industrials soared 135.23 points, or 1.3%, to 10540.93 in a powerful rally fueled by a decline in oil prices. The Nasdaq surged 1.6%, helped by a robust earnings report by Micron Technology.

http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB1112184...tml?mod=djemTEW

*Buffett was told in a short exchange about a transaction now at the center of a regulatory inquiry into an insurer he controls and he believed the transaction could be done properly.

http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB1112140...tml?mod=djemTEW

Sirius and XM have followed sharply different paths in the race to win control of the satellite-radio industry.

http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB1112149...tml?mod=djemTEW

Broad changes in how math is taught in England's classrooms has had a surprising side effect: Girls are closing a decades-old gender gap -- and by many measures outscoring the boys.

http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB1112134...tml?mod=djemTEW

The boom in steel, coal and iron ore is bringing wealth commonly associated with Wall Street and Silicon Valley to an unlikely place: America's industrial heartland.

http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB1112148...tml?mod=djemTEW

Federal judge rules in favor of Guantanamo detainees :

A federal judge in Washington has barred the government from moving 13 Yemenis from Guantanamo Bay to other countries without at least 30 days notice. The judge says the prisoners need a chance to challenge the transfer.
http://www.wavy.com/Global/story.asp?S=3144254&nav=23ii2Pmv

How Bush Learned To Love the Bomb:

United States President George W. Bush is talking tough about nukes in Iran and North Korea. But critics say by illegally testing and building nuclear weapons, the U.S. is fueling a new arms race
http://service.spiegel.de/cache/internatio...,348779,00.html

http://snipurl.com/dqyy

Jimmy Carter: Non-Proliferation Treaty needs push for renewal :

Renewal talks for the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty are scheduled for May, yet the United States and other nuclear powers seem indifferent to its fate.
http://www.madison.com/tct/opinion//index....d=34173&ntpid=3

Carlyle Closes Record Capital-Raising:

The Carlyle Group has completed the world's largest corporate buyout capital-raising at $10 billion to finance mega-sized deals on both sides of the Atlantic, the private equity firm said on Tuesday.
http://snipurl.com/dqyz

In case you missed it?:

Exposed: The Carlyle Group :

I defy you to watch this 48 minute documentary and not be outraged about the depth of corruption and deceit within the highest ranks of our government.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article3995.htm

http://snipurl.com/dqz1

Mahathir warns of a dollar catastrophe :

SHARP-tongued Mahathir Mohamad, scourge of currency traders worldwide, has said the US dollar is headed for a 'catastrophe' and will never regain its old strength.
http://www.thisislondon.com/news/business/...d399280?source=

http://snipurl.com/dqzb

Bush's hypocrisy truly unbearable:

As Texas governor, George W. Bush presided over 152 executions, more than took place in the rest of the country combined. In at least a few of these cases, reasonable doubts were raised about the guilt of the condemned.
http://www.news-press.com/apps/pbcs.dll/ar...03290390%2F1015

http://snipurl.com/dqze

Private convictions vs. public displays:

Am I the only person in the United States getting fed up with moral exhibitionism?
http://www.nwanews.com/story.php?paper=adg...&storyid=112109

Alma Mater As Big Brother:

The government's plan is to track students individually and in full detail as they complete their post-secondary education. The threat to our students' privacy is of grave concern, and the government has not satisfactorily explained why it wants to collect individual information.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article8410.htm

http://snipurl.com/dqzf

Secret Service investigating removal of three from Bush visit :

Because of a bumper sticker on their car that read: "No More Blood for Oil."
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/nation/...shcolorado.html

http://snipurl.com/dqzg

Creative work makes for slippery private property online
The Supreme Court examines Internet file-sharing, amid calls for a new
kind of copyright. By Gregory M. Lamb
http://www.csmonitor.com/2005/0331/p01s01-stin.html?s=hns

New role: first lady on global stage
With higher approval ratings than the president, Laura Bush is emerging
from a low profile in the first term. By Linda Feldmann
http://www.csmonitor.com/2005/0331/p01s02-uspo.html?s=hns

Why tolerance is fading for zero tolerance in schools
Even in tough-minded Texas, parents and teachers are worried about the
dangers of overreacting to minor disciplinary infractions. By Kris
Axtman
http://www.csmonitor.com/2005/0331/p01s03-ussc.html?s=hns

Nation-building, once scorned, is embraced
The Bush administration has ramped up postwar rebuilding efforts after
hard lessons learned in Iraq and Afghanistan. By Howard LaFranchi
http://www.csmonitor.com/2005/0331/p02s01-usfp.html?s=hns

Older workers get a new tool to fight age discrimination
A Supreme Court ruling Wednesday opens the door to lawsuits regarding
age bias that may be unintentional. By Warren Richey
http://www.csmonitor.com/2005/0331/p02s02-usju.html?s=hns

Allure of Alaska's wild fish
Why expensive Alaskan salmon have conquered the fish counters across
the Lower 48. By Todd Wilkinson
http://www.csmonitor.com/2005/0331/p03s01-usgn.html?s=hns

Mark Everson
Internal Revenue Service commissioner Mark Everson discusses federal
tax policy. By David T. Cook
http://www.csmonitor.com/2005/0331/p20s02-usmb.html?s=hns

It's not too late to stop the next teen shooter
Factors in a dangerous social equation might be changed ... by you. By
Susan DeMersseman
http://www.csmonitor.com/2005/0331/p09s01-coop.html?s=hns

__________________________________
NEWS ALERT
from The Wall Street Journal

March 31, 2005

A presidential panel said U.S. spy agencies were "dead wrong" in most of their judgments about Iraq's weapons programs and know "disturbingly little" about the threats posed by many of the nation's most dangerous adversaries.

For more information, see:
http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB1112273...5294204,00.html
Text of the report:
http://wsj.com/public/resources/documents/wmdreport.pdf

Supreme Court Removes Hurdle to Suits Alleging Age Bias
By LINDA GREENHOUSE
The justices ruled that workers can sue for age
discrimination without proving that the discrimination was
intentional.

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/03/31/politics....html?th&emc=th

M.T.A. Expected to Approve Jets' $720 Million Plan for
Stadium
By CHARLES V. BAGLI and SEWELL CHAN
Prevailing in the auction would amount to a critical and
hard-won victory for the Jets and the Bloomberg
administration.

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/03/31/nyregion....html?th&emc=th

As Gambling Grows, States Depend on Their Cut
By FOX BUTTERFIELD
Gambling revenues have become a critical stream of income
for states, in some cases surpassing the corporate income
tax.

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/03/31/national....html?th&emc=th

Pope Is Being Fed With a Tube
By ELISABETH ROSENTHAL
The Vatican's announcement raised new alarms about the
pope's health and his ability to lead the Roman Catholic
Church.

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/03/31/internat....html?th&emc=th

Bush and Congress Rebuked in Schiavo Case
By ABBY GOODNOUGH and WILLIAM YARDLEY
A federal appeals court refused to reconsider the case of
Terri Schiavo, with one judge rebuking President Bush and
Congress for intervening.

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/03/31/national....html?th&emc=th

Jury Finds Bias in Firings of Whites
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
A jury ruled that New Orleans's first black district
attorney discriminated against 43 whites when he fired them
all and replaced them with blacks.

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/03/31/national....html?th&emc=th

At Jackson Trial Psychologist Testifies Briefly About
Interview
By CHARLIE LeDUFF
Testimony in the child molesting trial of Michael Jackson
took an odd twist on Wednesday because of what was not said.

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/03/31/national....html?th&emc=th

Judge Blocks Rule Allowing Companies to Cut Benefits When
Retirees Reach Medicare Age
By ROBERT PEAR
A judge blocked a Bush administration rule that would have
allowed employers to reduce or eliminate health benefits
for retirees when they reach age 65.

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/03/31/politics....html?th&emc=th

Europe on Wolfowitz as Banker: Once Chilly, Now Tepid
By ELAINE SCIOLINO
Europe has signaled that it will approve President Bush's
nominee to head the World Bank, in the latest sign of a new
pragmatism.

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/03/31/internat....html?th&emc=th

Insurer Admits Bad Accounting in Several Deals
By JENNY ANDERSON
The American International Group acknowledged that its
accounting for a number of transactions, including a deal
with Warren Buffett's company, was improper.

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/03/31/business....html?th&emc=th

Hewlett Chief Has No Plans but Says All Is on the Table
By LAURIE J. FLYNN
Analysts upgraded the stock of Hewlett-Packard even as the
new chief executive said that it would take time to decide
what needed to be done to turn around the company.

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/03/31/technolo....html?th&emc=th