Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/23916
2B – Daily News – Friday, January 28, 2011 WORLD BRIEFING Protester violence escalates outside Egyptian capital CAIRO (AP) — Vio- lence escalated in two cites outside the capital Cairo Thursday where anti-government protest- ers torched a fire station and looted weapons that they then turned on police. Egypt’s top democracy advocate returned to the country and declared he was ready to lead the campaign to oust longtime President Hosni Mubarak. In the flashpoint city of Suez, east of Cairo, wit- nesses said rioters — some wearing surgical masks to ward off tear gas — firebombed the main fire station and firefight- ers jumped out windows to escape the flames, as heavy black smoke bil- lowed from the building. In the northern Sinai area of Sheik Zuweid, several hundred Bedouins and police exchanged live gunfire, killing a 17-year- old man. About 300 pro- testers surrounded a police station from rooftops of nearby build- ings and fired two RPGs at it, damaging the walls. Social networking sites were abuzz with talk that Friday’s rallies could be some of the biggest so far calling for the ouster of Mubarak after 30 years in power. Millions gather at mosques across the city for Friday prayers, pro- viding organizers with a huge number of people already out on the streets to tap into. By Thursday evening, Facebook, Twitter, cell phone text messages as well as Blackberry Mes- senger services were interrupted, possibly a move by authorities to hamper protesters from organizing. Egypt’s ruling party said it was ready for a dia- logue with the public but offered no concessions to address demands for a solution to rampant poverty and political change heard in the coun- try’s largest anti-govern- ment protests in years. Safwat El-Sherif, the sec- retary general of the National Democratic Party and a longtime con- fidant of Mubarak, was dismissive of the protest- ers at the first news con- ference by a senior ruling party figure since the protests began. Senate rejects efforts to limit filibusters WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate has reject- ed efforts to revise its seniors. House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan, R-Wis., is testing support for his idea to replace Medicare with a fixed payment to buy a private medical plan from a menu of coverage options. Party leaders will determine if the so-called voucher plan will be part of the budget Republicans put forward in the spring. ‘‘No decisions have been made on the details of our House GOP bud- get.’’ Michael Steel, a spokesman for Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, said Thursday. ‘‘There are a lot of ideas out there, and we’re going to listen to our members and the American people.’’ Medicare was one of the most highly charged issues during last year’s congressional elections, which put the House back in GOP control. Republi- cans slammed Democrats for cutting Medicare by about 6 percent over 10 years to finance President Barack Obama’s health overhaul. But replacing Medicare’s open-ended benefit with a fixed pay- ment would cut projected spending much more deeply. rules to restrict filibusters. Senators voted deci- sively to retain current rules that require 60 votes to overcome filibusters that are blocking votes on legislation or nomina- tions. Republicans, now in the minority, were unit- ed in opposing any weak- ening of the main power they have to block the Democratic agenda. Democrats, foreseeing the possibility of returning to the minority in the near future, were also reluctant to support the change. Instead, the two top Senate leaders reached an agreement where Repub- licans would voluntarily curtail some filibusters in exchange for a Democrat- ic promise that Republi- cans could offer more amendments. The Senate did agree to curtail the practice of secret ‘‘holds’’ where a single senator can anony- mously block legislation or nominations. House Republicans weigh plan to privatize Medicare WASHINGTON (AP) — Months after they hammered Democrats for cutting Medicare, House Republicans are debating whether to relaunch their quest to privatize the health program for Panel’s report points to roots of financial crisis WASHINGTON (AP) — A government panel’s failure to reach a firm conclusion about what caused the financial crisis shows how complex Wall Street has become and how partisan Washington has grown. The blurriness of its report comes months after a new law already has begun tightening financial rules to prevent another crisis. All of which raises a question: Do the findings of the 633-page report matter? In its report, the Finan- cial Crisis Inquiry Com- mission blames a range of obvious culprits: Banks that made reckless bets. Credit rating agencies that endorsed risky mortgage bonds. Government regu- lators who overlooked danger signs until they threatened the global financial system. It concludes that the crisis might have been prevented if banks had been more careful and regulators had asked tougher questions. Snow, shovel, repeat: East Coast digs out again NEW YORK (AP) — Enough already. Support our classrooms, keep kids reading. DONATE YOUR VACATION newspaper dollars to the Newspaper In Education Program HELP OUR CHILDREN People across the Northeast wearily shov- eled their sidewalks and dug out their cars — again — after getting clobbered by the latest in a seemingly never-ending string of snowstorms, this one an overachieving mess that packed more punch than anyone expected. ‘‘I’ve lived in New For more details call Circulation Department (530) 527-2151 D NEWSAILY RED BLUFF TEHAMACOUNTY T H E V O I C E O F T E H A M A C O U N T Y S I N C E 1 8 8 5 PHONE: (530) 527-2151 FAX: (530) 527-5774 545 Diamond Avenue • P.O. Box 220 • Red Bluff, CA 96080 York 70 years, and this year is the worst I remem- ber,’’ said Lenny Eitel- berg, 77. ‘‘It’s the conti- nuity of it. It just keeps coming. Every week there’s something new to be worried about. It’s almost become comical.’’ In the Washington area, up to 7 inches of snow renewed memories of last year’s ‘‘snowpoca- lypse’’ and created chaos when it hit the nation’s capital at the height of the evening rush hour Wednesday, forcing com- muters into treacherous, eight-hour drives home. Even the president got caught in traffic. New Yorkers, keeping close watch on the cleanup after a post- Christmas blizzard para- lyzed the city for days, had it a little easier this time. The heaviest snow arrived overnight, when there weren’t many cars and buses around to get stuck. Senate majority leader still shooting from the lip WASHINGTON (AP) — If anyone thought Sen. Harry Reid’s near-death political experience last fall would chasten the Senate majority leader, think again. The Nevada Democrat is back in his familiar perch, directing the Senate’s actions and firing shoot-from-the-lip zingers at powerful politi- cians, including President Barack Obama. Shortly before Obama used his State of the Union speech to say he would veto any bill with lawmaker-targeted spend- ing projects, known as ‘‘earmarks,’’ Reid struck pre-emptively. The president ‘‘has enough power already,’’ he told reporters, and Obama’s effort was just a ‘‘lot of pretty talk.’’ A day after Obama’s speech, Reid was no more diplomatic. The president should ‘‘back off’’ on his earmarks push, Reid told NBC Nightly News. White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said Thursday that the disagreement is serious for a president and his party’s Senate leader. Asked whether Obama and Reid would have a ‘‘come to Jesus meeting,’’ Gibbs quipped: ‘‘I don’t know who would be Jesus.’’ Gunmen who killed missionary in Mexico likely wanted to steal pickup MONTE ALTO, Texas (AP) — An American missionary couple who were attacked by gunmen in Mexico drove up to an illegal roadblock in a dan- gerous area of the country that has had 40 violent car thefts in the last two months, a Mexican offi- cial said Thursday. The gunmen opened fire after the driver, Sam Davis, decided not to stop, said an official in Mexico’s Tamaulipas state attorney general’s office who would not be identified because he is not authorized to discuss the case. Davis’ wife, Nancy, was shot in the head by a bullet that shattered the rear window of their 2008 Chevrolet pickup truck, Pharr police Chief Ruben Villescas said Thursday. Sam Davis told U.S. investigators that he drove as fast as he could to the border, about 70 miles away, with his wife bleed- ing in the seat next to him. Faced with a long line of traffic waiting to enter the U.S., he drove in the opposite lane across the Pharr International Bridge to the border checkpoint. Nancy Davis, 59, was rushed to a hospital in McAllen, where she was later pronounced dead. An autopsy was sched- uled for Thursday. Potentially fraudulent claims top 7,000 in process to compensate victims of Gulf oil spill NEW ORLEANS (AP) — The $20 billion fund responsible for compensat- ing victims of BP’s Gulf of Mexico oil spill has received more than 7,000 potentially fraudulent claims, many of which have been referred to the Justice Department for criminal investigations, the fund’s administrator told a Senate panel on Thursday. Attorney Kenneth Fein- berg, who is overseeing the Gulf Coast Claims Facility, said of more than 481,000 claims filed, 7,575 are con- sidered ‘‘to be multi- claimant scams or even efforts at criminal fraud.’’ The Justice Department has already indicted at least eight claimants. The fund was set up in August to handle thou- sands of claims for com- pensation from residents, business owners and fish- erman across the Gulf Coast and beyond who can prove they suffered finan- cial losses from BP PLC’s April 20 oil well blowout off the coast of Louisiana. The Deepwater Horizon explosion killed 11 rig workers and sent millions of gallons of crude into the Gulf. Feinberg testified in Washington on Thursday before a subcommittee of the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. Lawmakers criticized Feinberg’s operation of the fund and the slow pace of processing claims, questioning his commitment to trans- parency. Ariz. fugitive planned to overdose on drugs at Yellowstone, become bear food FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (AP) — A convicted killer who escaped from an Arizona prison says his plan was to overdose on heroin at Yellowstone National Park and let bears eat him. Tracy Province told a sheriff’s detective about his plan after he was captured in August and returned to Arizona. According to a Mohave County sheriff’s report, Province planned to shoot a gram of heroin and become bear food. He says he didn’t follow through because of divine intervention and because Yellowstone was too cold. Province told authori- ties he then tried to hitch- hike to Indiana to see his family. He was captured Aug. 9 in Wyoming, 10 days after he and two oth- ers escaped from a mini- mum-security prison near Kingman, Ariz. The Las Vegas Review-Journal first reported the interview Thursday. Charlie Sheen hospitalized with severe abdominal pains LOS ANGELES (AP) — Charlie Sheen’s publicist says the actor has been hos- pitalized in Los Angeles with severe abdominal pains. Publicist Stan Rosen- field gave no other details of the 45-year-old’s condition. Celebrity website TMZ.com was the first to report Sheen’s hospitaliza- tion Thursday. TMZ says Sheen was taken by ambu- lance following an early morning 911 call. The Emmy-nominated star of CBS’ ‘‘Two and a Half Men’’ has been dogged by personal prob- lems and apparent health issues. This is his third hos- pitalization in as many months. And just last week, CBS entertainment presi- dent Nina Tassler said net- work officials ‘‘have a high level of concern’’ about his off-camera behavior. California mayor wants to broadcast bird songs LANCASTER (AP) — It may sound like a bird- brained idea, but the mayor of a Mojave Desert city wants to brighten the streets by broadcasting recorded bird songs. Lancaster Mayor R. Rex Parris proposed the idea during his State of the City talk on Monday. The Antelope Valley Press says Parris wants to play the bird chatter from loudspeakers on Lancaster Boulevard. The mayor says there’s science to show that listening to birdsong makes people happier. Parris is known for his flamboyant ideas. He got a law passed giving the Southern California city the right to castrate pit bulls, ordered city officials to learn the Mandarin lan- guage in a bid to woo Chi- nese business, and riled some people by saying he was growing Lancaster into a Christian communi- ty.