Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/6634
Obama seems resigned on health care WASHINGTON (AP) — No, maybe he can't. President Barack Obama, who insisted he would suc- ceed where other presidents had failed to fix the nation's health care system, now concedes the effort may die in Congress. The president's newly conflicting signals could frustrate Democratic law- makers who are hungry for guidance from the White House as they try to salvage the effort to extend cover- age to millions of uninsured Americans and hold down spiraling medical costs. Obama's comments Thurs- day night came hours after Republican Scott Brown was sworn in to replace the late Edward M. Kennedy, leaving Democrats without their filibuster-proof majori- ty in the Senate, and Obama's signature health legislation with no clear path forward. ''I think it's very impor- tant for us to have a method- ical, open process over the next several weeks, and then let's go ahead and make a decision,'' Obama said at a Democratic National Committee fundraiser. ''And it may be that ... if Congress decides we're not going to do it, even after all the facts are laid out, all the options are clear, then the American people can make a judgment as to whether this Congress has done the right thing for them or not,'' the president said. ''And that's how democracy works. There will be elec- tions coming up, and they'll be able to make a determi- nation and register their concerns.'' It was a shift in tone for the issue the ''Yes we can'' candidate campaigned on and made the centerpiece of his domestic agenda last year. In a speech to a joint session of Congress in Sep- tember, Obama declared: ''I am not the first president to take up this cause, but I am determined to be the last. ... Here and now we will meet history's test.'' Sweeping health legisla- tion to extend medical cov- erage to more than 30 mil- lion uninsured Americans passed the House and Sen- ate last year and was on the verge of completion — though there were still dis- agreements between the two houses — before Brown's upset victory last month in a special election in Massachusetts. Since then it has been in limbo, and Obama has not publicly offered specifics to help lawmakers move forward. Congressional aides felt his remarks Thursday did not clarify matters. Record snow warning WASHINGTON (AP) — Life in the nation's capi- tal ground to a halt Friday as steady snow fell, the begin- ning of a storm that fore- casters said could be the biggest in modern history. A record 2 1/2 feet or more was predicted for Washington, where snow was falling heavily by evening, with big amounts expected elsewhere throughout the Mid- Atlantic. Authorities already were blaming the storm for hundreds of acci- dents and the deaths of father-son Samaritans in Virginia. The region's second snowstorm in less than two months could be ''extreme- ly dangerous,'' the National Weather Service said. Heavy, wet snow and strong winds threatened to knock out power, clog roads and paralyze the region's trans- portation and retail. Airlines canceled flights, schools closed and the fed- eral government sent work- ers home, where they could be stuck for several days in a region ill-equipped to deal with so much snow. Some area hospitals asked people with four-wheel-drive vehi- cles to volunteer to pick up doctors and nurses to take them to work. The National Zoo closed at noon and the Smithson- ian museums were to close Saturday, as they did during a major storm in December. U.S. Park Police spokesman Sgt. David Schlosser said the Lincoln Memorial and other monuments in Wash- ington would remain open as long as conditions allowed. Toyota chief apologizes TOKYO (AP) — Toy- ota's president emerged from seclusion Friday to apologize and address criti- cism that the automaker mishandled a crisis over sticking gas pedals. Yet he stopped short of ordering a recall for the company's iconic Prius hybrid for brak- ing problems. Akio Toyoda, appointed to the top job at Toyota Motor Corp. last June, promised to beef up quality control, saying, ''We are facing a crisis.'' Toyoda, grandson of the company's founder, said he personally would head a special committee to review checks within the company, go over consumer com- plaints and listen to outside experts to come up with a fix. ''I apologize from the bottom of my heart for all the concern that we have given to so many cus- tomers,'' said Toyoda, speaking at his first news conference since the Jan. 21 global recall of 4.5 million vehicles. Toyota's failure to stem its widening safety crisis has stunned consumers and experts who'd come to expect only streamlined efficiency from a company at the pinnacle of the global auto industry. Twin blasts kill 40 Shiites BAGHDAD (AP) — A car bomb ripped through a crowd of Shiite pilgrims outside the holy city of Kar- bala Friday, sending many fleeing into the path of a sui- cide attacker who detonated a second bomb in coordi- nated blasts that killed at least 40 people and wound- ed 150. The twin bombing came on the final day of an annu- al Shiite religious obser- vance, which has been the target of three large-scale attacks in Iraq this week alone. In Pakistan, two bombs targeting Shiites observing the same holy day Friday killed at least 25 people and wounded around 100 more. The bloodshed in Iraq is likely to further stoke ten- sions between the Shiite-led government and Sunnis over the push to ban some candidates from March 7 parliamentary elections. The U.S. is concerned the ban could destabilize Iraq, crippling efforts to reconcile majority Shiites and Sunnis who dominated Iraq until Saddam Hussein's ouster in 2003. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for Friday's blasts, but Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki blamed al-Qaida and Sad- dam loyalists, saying in a statement the two groups failed to ignite sectarian strife and destabilize the country with the attacks on pilgrims. Haitians who fled return PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — A half-mil- lion Haitians who fled their shattered capital after the earthquake are starting to return to a maze of rub- ble piles, refugee camps and food lines, complicat- ing ambitious plans to build a better Haiti. Haitian and internation- al officials had hoped to use the devastation of Port-au-Prince — a dense- ly packed sprawl of wind- ing roads and ramshackle slums that is home to a third of Haiti's 9 million people — to build an improved capital and decentralize the country. An estimated 500,000 people fled to the country- side in the days after the quake, many on buses paid for by the government to move quake survivors away from the heart of the destruction. Hundreds of thousands more are camped atop the rubble of their homes, or packed into makeshift camps. Now some of those who fled are beginning to return after enduring the rural misery that drove them to Port-au-Prince in the first place. ''I didn't like it there,'' said Marie Marthe Juste, selling fried dough on the streets near the capital's Petionville suburb after returning from La Boule, in the mountains 20 miles (30 kms) to the north. 10A – Daily News – Saturday, February 6, 2010 Come in and check out our $ 4 99 Lunch Specials We are open and NOT CLOSING Mon thru Fri 11-3 200 So. Main St. Red Bluff, Ca 529-9488 Newspaper website visitors spend more time online than other internet users January 2010 Stats 370,761 Page Views 52,407 Unique Visitors RedBluffDailyNews.com is the most visited local site for local news & information Average online hours per week 9 hours General internet population 9 hours 19 hours Newspaper Visitors 19 hours ` Largest Selection In Tri-County • Herbal Medicines • Edibles (Foods) • Clones 1317 Solano St. (530) 824-4811 www.tehamaherbalcollective.vpweb.com Corning Calif. Wilcox Oaks Golf Club Best Recreational Value in the North State Play where the Pro's play TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THIS UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY BECOME A MEMBER OF WILCOX OAKS GOLF CLUB GOLF • TENNIS • POOL • FINE DINING • FULL BAR www.WilcoxOaksGolfClub.com Call 530-527-6680 for Membership Information www.WilcoxOaksGolfClub.com 530-528-8120 10 Gilmore Rd. Red Bluff Corner of Antelope & Gilmore 530-528-8120 10 Gilmore Rd. Red Bluff Corner of Antelope & Gilmore Limited time offer expires Feb. 28, 2010. Other conditions and restric- tions may apply. See store for full details. Offer valid only at NorCal AT&T Authorized Retailer stores. Rebate debit card offer. Price before mail-in rebate is $149.99. M u s t p u r ch a s e B l a c kBerry Unlimited Plan and sign new 2 year service agreement ot qualify for discounted pricing and rebate. Retail price Blackberry Pearl 8110 is $399.99. Advertising Space Reservation Deadline: Wednesday, February 10 at 5 PM If Red Bluff had a YEARBOOK This would probably be it: City and County Information Recreation Guide Local places of interest City Map & Street Guide Schools Directory Church Guide Public Services Calendar of Events …and more! 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