Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/23403
4B – Daily News – Thursday, January 20, 2011 WORLD BRIEFING Giffords able to stand up as she readies for rehab TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) — Less than two weeks after surviving a bullet through the brain, Rep. Gabrielle Giffords stood up and looked out the window of her hos- pital room Wednesday as she pre- pares to move to Houston to begin an arduous journey of intensive mental and physical rehabilitation. Hospital spokeswoman Janet Stark said Giffords was able to stand on her feet with assistance from medical staff Wednesday in another significant milestone in her recovery. The next step is extensive reha- bilitation in which she will have to relearn how to think and plan. It’s unclear if she is able to speak or how well she can see. And while she is moving both arms and legs, it’s uncertain how much strength she has on her right side. Her swift transition from an intensive care unit to a rehab center is based on the latest research, which shows the sooner rehab starts, the better patients recover. Giffords’ family hopes to move the Arizona congresswoman on Friday to TIRR Memorial Her- mann hospital in Houston, where her husband lives and works as an astronaut. The exact day of the move will depend on her health. ‘‘I am extremely hopeful at the signs of recovery that my wife has made since the shooting,’’ Mark Kelly said in a statement released by Giffords’ congressional office. The staff at University Medical Center in Tucson ‘‘has stabilized her to the point of being ready to move to the rehabilitation phase.’’ Ala. governor apologizes for remarks on Christians MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Two days after being sworn in as Alabama governor, Robert Bentley apologized Wednesday for proclaiming to a Baptist church audience that only Christians were his brothers and sisters and vowed to work for people of all faiths and colors. His comments Monday shocked and offended some believers of other faiths, but the backlash didn’t seem to be a seri- ous political wound for the retired dermatologist and Southern Bap- tist deacon. In a conservative state with some of the highest levels of church attendance in the country, some Christian leaders defended the remarks and the Republican will likely get a fair chance to pur- sue his agenda in the coming leg- islative session. ‘‘If anyone from other religions felt disenfranchised by the lan- guage, I want to say I am sorry. I am sorry if I offended anyone in any way,’’ he told reporters Wednesday after meeting with leaders of other faiths in his new office. After he took the oath of office at the Alabama Capitol on Mon- day, Bentley headed across the street to a service honoring Martin Luther King Jr. at King’s first church, Dexter Avenue Baptist Church. During his speech, he remarked: ‘‘Anybody here today who has not accepted Jesus Christ as their savior, I’m telling you, you’re not my brother and you’re not my sister, and I want to be your brother.’’ Pa. abortion doc killed 7 babies with scissors PHILADELPHIA (AP) — A doctor whose abortion clinic was described as a filthy, foul-smelling ‘‘house of horrors’’ that was over- looked by regulators for years was charged Wednesday with murder, accused of delivering seven babies alive and then using scissors to kill them. Dr. Kermit Gosnell was also charged with murder in the death of a woman who suffered an over- dose of painkillers while awaiting an abortion. In a nearly 300-page grand jury report filled with ghastly, stomach- turning detail, prosecutors said Pennsylvania regulators ignored congressional committees will propose changes to the existing legislation, calling for elimination of a requirement for individuals to purchase coverage, for example, and recommending curbs on med- ical malpractice lawsuits. Republicans also intend to try to reverse many of the changes Democrats made to Medicare Advantage, the private alternative to the traditional government-run health care program for seniors. Like the repeal bill itself, these other measures will require Senate approval and a presidential signa- ture to take effect, and the prospect is for months of maneuvering on the issue. Debate across two days leading to the vote was markedly restrained, as lawmakers in both political parties observed self- imposed vows of civility in the wake of the shooting rampage in Arizona that left six dead and Rep. Gabrielle Giffords wounded. With Obama, Hu concedes China’s complaints of barbaric conditions at Gosnell’s clinic, which catered to poor, immigrant and minority women in the city’s impoverished West Philadelphia section. Prosecutors called the case a ‘‘complete regulatory collapse.’’ ‘‘Pennsylvania is not a Third World country,’’ the district attor- ney’s office declared in the report. ‘‘There were several oversight agencies that stumbled upon and should have shut down Kermit Gosnell long ago.’’ Gosnell, 69, was arrested and charged with eight counts of mur- der in all. Nine of Gosnell’s employees — including his wife, a cosmetologist who authorities say performed abortions — also were charged. Prosecutors said Gosnell made millions of dollars over three decades performing thousands of dangerous abortions, many of them illegal late-term procedures. His clinic had no trained nurses or medical staff other than Gosnell, a family physician not certified in obstetrics or gynecology, prosecu- tors said. At least two women died from the procedures, while scores more suffered perforated bowels, cervix- es and uteruses, authorities said. Under Pennsylvania law, abor- tions are illegal after 24 weeks of pregnancy, or just under six months, and most doctors won’t perform them after 20 weeks because of the risks, prosecutors said. House votes to repeal Obama’s health care law WASHINGTON (AP) — Swiftly honoring a campaign pledge, newly empowered Repub- licans pushed legislation to repeal the nation’s year-old health care overhaul through the House Wednesday night, brushing aside implacable opposition in the Sen- ate and a veto threat from Presi- dent Barack Obama. The 245-189 vote was largely along party lines, and cleared the way for the second phase of the ‘‘repeal and replace’’ promise that victorious Republicans made to the voters last fall. GOP officials said that in the coming months, rights need help WASHINGTON (AP) — In a rare concession on a highly sensi- tive issue, Chinese President Hu Jintao used his White House visit on Wednesday to acknowledge ‘‘a lot still needs to be done’’ to improve human rights in his nation accused of repressing its people. President Barack Obama pushed China to adopt fundamental free- doms but assured Hu the U.S. con- siders the communist nation a friend and vital economic partner. Hu’s comments met with immediate skepticism from human rights advocates, who dismissed them as words backed by no real history of action. Hu contended his country has ‘‘made enormous progress’’ but provided no specifics. Still, his remarks seemed to hearten and surprise U.S. officials, coming during an elaborate visit that centered on boosting trade and trust between the world’s two largest economies. More broadly, Hu and Obama sought to show off a more mature and respectful rela- tionship, not the one often defined by disputes over currency, sover- eignty and freedoms. The busiest local information website in Tehama County! • 331,929 monthly page views • 48,644 unique visitors 2450 Sister Mary Columba Drive, Suite F Red Bluff • (530) 527-0414 GARY’S AUTO BODY & 24 HOUR TOWING, INC. 13540 Trinity Ave, Red Bluff (530) 527-8262 • (530) 528-8261 IF NO ANSWER CALL 529-7400 www.garysautobodyandtowing.com GROWNEY MOTORS 1160 Main Street, Red Bluff (530) 527-1034 22805 Antelope Blvd. in Red Bluff www.redbluffyamaha.com • (530) 527-1466 ATTORNEY AT LAW 741 Main Street, Ste 102,Red Bluff, Ca 96080 (530) 528-2000 dirvinish@yahoo.com DAN IRVING Please support these businesses that support RedBluffDailyNews.com INTERCITY BODY & PAINT 1355 Vista Way, Red Bluff, by the Airport (530) 529-2040 RANDAL ELLOWAY DDS, INC. 2426 So. Main St., Red Bluf (530) 527-6777 345 So. Main Street, Red Bluff (530) 527-4588 22755 Antelope Blvd. Red Bluff, CA 96080 (530) 527-9166 St. Elizabeth Community Hospital A member of CHW 1375 Montgomery Rd, Red Bluff (530) 529-0797 I-5 at Liberal Avenue in Corning (530) 528-3500 www.rollinghillscasino.com 2550 Sister Mary Columba Dr., Red Bluff (530) 529-8000 www.redbluff.mercy.org