Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/31273
4A – Daily News – Tuesday, May 10, 2011 WORLD BRIEFING Officials: Memphis sees worst of Miss. River disaster MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — The Missis- sippi River rose Monday to levels not seen in Memphis since the 1930s, swamping homes in low-lying neighborhoods and driving hundreds of people from their homes. But officials were confident the levees would protect the city’s world-famous musical landmarks, including Graceland and Beale Street, and that no new areas would have any serious flooding. As residents in the Home of the Blues waited for the river to crest as early as Mon- day night at a projected mark just inches short of the record set in 1937, officials downstream in Louisiana began evacuating prisoners from the state’s toughest peniten- tiary and opened floodgates to relieve pres- sure on levees outside of New Orleans. In Memphis, authorities have gone door- to-door to 1,300 homes over the past few days to warn people to clear out, but they were already starting to talk about a labor- intensive clean up, signaling the worst was likely over. “Where the water is today, is where the water is going to be,” Cory Williams, chief of geotechnical engineering for the Army Corps of Engineers in Memphis, told The Associated Press. Exactly how many people heeded the warnings was not immediately clear, but more than 300 people were staying in shel- ters, and police stepped up patrols in evacu- ated areas to prevent looting. Pakistan suspected of leaking CIAchief’s name in raid anger ISLAMABAD (AP) — Suspicion rose Monday that Pakistan’s intelligence service leaked the name of the CIA chief in Islam- abad to local media in anger over the raid that killed Osama bin Laden — the second outing of an American covert operative here in six months. The U.S. said it has no plans to pull the spy chief, but the incident is likely to exac- erbate an already troubled relationship between the two countries a week after Navy SEALs in helicopters swooped down on bin Laden’s compound without first telling the Pakistanis. The CIA and Pak- istan’s spy agency have long viewed each other with suspicion, which the death of the terror leader has laid bare. The Pakistani military and intelligence services have suffered withering criticism at home for failing to stop the U.S. operation. Many Pakistanis view the raid as a violation of their sovereignty — even if they were pleased that bin Laden was killed. U.S. officials have said they didn’t tell Pakistanis in advance because they were worried someone might tip off bin Laden. American forces also used helicopters with radar-evading technology so the Pakistanis couldn’t track them. Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani defended the military and intelligence services Monday, telling parliament it was ‘‘disingenuous for anyone to blame Pakistan ... for being in cahoots with al-Qaida.’’ With experience and baggage Gingrich says he will president race ATLANTA (AP) — Newt Gingrich, the House speaker who led a national GOP resurgence in the 1990s before facing ethics questions and resigning, is running for pres- ident. Gingrich’s announcement, made on social networking websites Monday, came after months of public flirting with a bid. He enters a slow-to-form GOP presidential field that has left some Republicans craving more options as they search for a nominee strong enough to credibly challenge President Barack Obama. The former Georgia congressman, well- known to most Republicans, brings to the race a years-in-the-making political machine with ties to early nominating states as well as a network of supporters and donors. But his personal baggage — he’s acknowledged marital infidelity and has had two divorces — could hinder his chances of winning the party’s presidential nomination more than a decade after leaving the House. Still, he spoke confidently of wide sup- port. ‘‘I have been humbled by all the encour- agement you have given me to run,’’ Gin- grich said in a Facebook posting that urged supporters to watch Fox News Channel on Wednesday. ‘‘I will be on to talk about my run for president of the United States.’’ Boehner says ’trillions’ in budget cuts loom as price for debt increase WASHINGTON (AP) — The top Republican in Congress wants trillions of dollars in spending cuts as part of must-pass legislation allowing the federal government to continue borrowing to keep it operating and meeting obligations to investors. House Speaker John Boehner also says that any legislation to raise the so-called debt limit beyond its current $14.3 trillion cap should be accompanied by spending cuts larger than the amount of the permitted increase in the debt. The Ohio Republican was scheduled to make the comments in a speech Monday night to the New York Economic Club; excerpts were released after the markets closed. Boehner’s comments come as investors and business groups have been seeking assurances that the GOP-controlled House will join with President Barack Obama and the Democratic-led Senate to enact the must-pass debt limit measure, which is needed to prevent a market-roiling, first-ever U.S. default on its obligations. ‘‘It’s true that allowing America to default would be irresponsible,’’ Boehner says. ‘‘But it would be more irresponsible to raise the debt ceiling without simultaneous- ly taking dramatic steps to reduce spending and reform the budget process.’’ The government is headed toward a $1.6 trillion deficit this year requiring it to bor- row more than $125 billion a month. It’s unclear how much of a debt limit increase is coming, but it would take a record increase in the $2 trillion range to avoid a second vote before next year’s elections. Obama and GOP agree there should be a limit to Medicare spending but differ on how to do it WASHINGTON (AP) — Unlikely as it may seem, President Barack Obama and Republicans in Congress actually share some common ground on the need to curb Medicare costs to fight the spi- raling federal debt. Although the House GOP plan to replace Medicare with a voucher-like system got shunted aside last week, that may not be the end of the story. Embed- ded in both the Republican plan and in Obama’s counter-proposal is the idea of putting limits on the growth of the half- trillion-dollar-a-year program — and then enforcing them. High-level deficit negotiations resume Tuesday under the stewardship of Vice President Joe Biden, and tack- ling health care spending is critical to what could become the year’s most important legislation. The two sides differ sharply on how that should be done. Obama says the GOP would leave frail seniors at the mercy of profit-driven insurance compa- nies. Republicans say the president would empower unaccountable bureau- crats to ration care. If they can meet in the middle on the idea of an enforceable limit, it could open the door for major changes. Over time, that could mean less money for hospitals, doctors, drug companies and other providers and higher out-of-pocket expenses for many retirees. COMFORT SERVICE INC. Air Conditioning & Heating Tehama Counties Factory authorized Bryant Dealer Your First Call For Comfort • RESIDENTIAL • COMMERCIAL • NEW CONSTRUCTION • SALES • SERVICE • REPAIRS 24 HOUR SERVICE 530 529-1990 Lic #593323 www.CascadeComfort.com Tehama County 4 years in a row! VOTED BEST in AIR CONDITIONING & HEATING FULL Duct Cleaning and Air Conditioning service package 43% TM www.bickleys.com OFF Now until May 31, 2011 Free ESTIMATES on a new YORK AFFINITY COMFORT SYSTEM Financing available OAC 527-7188 CA.ST. 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