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WORLD BRIEFING Republicans voting to — With the government speeding toward a year- end ''fiscal cliff,'' Repub- licans pushed a House vote Wednesday on renewing tax cuts to prop up the national economy and the Obama adminis- tration warned that loom- ing budget cuts could send troops into battle with less training. But both taxes and spending were enmeshed in cam- paign politics, with no resolution expected until after the elections. extend cuts WASHINGTON (AP) and ESPN, opting for news from the London Games the old fashioned way, via TV coverage that's time-delayed by NBC for prime time. The network is making Democrats are demanding that any com- promise to avoid the $110 billion in budget cuts that are scheduled to kick in Jan. 2 include a tax increase on high-income earners as well as the tax- cut extension for most earners. Republicans reject the idea of raising rates on anyone as the economy struggles to recover fully from reces- sion. ''There are five months remaining for Congress to act,'' acting White House Budget Director Jeff Zients told the House Armed Services Commit- tee. ''What is holding us up right now is the Republican refusal to have the top 2 percent pay their fair share.'' Deputy Defense Secre- tary Ashton Carter told the committee that if Con- gress fails to come up with a compromise, near- ly all elements of the mil- itary will be affected by cuts mandated by last year's deficit deal. Train- ing would be scaled back and flying hours for Air Force pilots would be reduced. The Navy would buy fewer ships and the Air Force fewer aircraft. ''Some later-deploying units (including some deploying to Afghanistan) could receive less train- ing, especially in the Army and Marine Corps,'' Carter said. ''Under some circum- stances, this reduced training could impact their ability to respond to a new contingency, should one occur.'' Military per- sonnel would be exempt from job cuts, but fur- loughs might be issued and commissary hours reduced, he said. Assad? BEIRUT (AP) — Syri- an President Bashar Assad urged his military Wednesday to boost its fight against rebels, but his written call to arms only deepened a mystery over his whereabouts two weeks after a bomb pene- trated his inner circle. Assad has not spoken publicly since the July 18 bombing killed four of his top security officials — including his brother-in- law — during a rebel assault on the capital, Damascus. The presi- dent's low profile has raised questions about whether he fears for his personal safety as the civil war escalates dramatical- ly. Where's The United States called the Syrian presi- dent a coward for mar- shaling his forces from the pages of the army's official magazine. ''We think it's coward- ly, quite frankly, to have a man hiding out of sight, exhorting his armed forces to continue to slaughter the civilians of his own country,'' said U.S. State Department spokesman Patrick Ven- trell. spokeswoman for the U.N. mission in Syria, said Wednesday that international observers witnessed warplanes fir- ing in Aleppo, Syria's largest city, where intense fighting has been raging for 12 days. Sausan Ghosheh, the Victory of conservative — Ted Cruz's Senate pri- mary victory in Texas will provide a boost for tea party-backed, no-compro- mise conservatives in Congress. His all-but-sure win in Cruz in Texas WASHINGTON (AP) traditionally vote Democ- ratic in a presidential race. Campaign activity has been relatively modest in all three since the end of the GOP primaries. Officials familiar with campaign advertising said Restore our Future, a super Pac aligned with the former Massachusetts governor, is airing televi- sion ads in all three states that retrace Romney's successful stewardship of the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City. ''After Sept.11, Romney delivered the Olympics safe and sound,'' the announcer says, referring to the aftermath of the terrorist attacks of more than a decade ago. November will increase the number of tea party- aligned senators to six. And as many as seven more could win election, ensuring a bigger impact on both politics and poli- cy on Capitol Hill — even if Democrats retain a Sen- ate majority and the White House. Dozens of tea party- supported candidates won House seats two years ago, but only four were elected to the Senate. Cruz is predicting his arrival will be part of a larger movement. He says voters are seeing ''a great awakening.'' Obama pitching tax cuts AKRON, Ohio (AP) — President Barack Obama made his rival's personal millions a front- and-center issue in the race for the White House on Wednesday, telling a swing-state audience that Mitt Romney ''is asking you to pay more so that people like him can get a big tax cut.'' ''In order to afford just one $250,000 tax cut for somebody like Mr. Rom- ney, 125 families like yours would have to pay another $2,000 in taxes each and every year,'' Obama added, citing a report that his opponent's aides immediately denounced as deeply flawed. middle-class his charge as Romney, back from an overseas trip, looked ahead to an intensive The president leveled stretch that will culminate in his selection of a vice presidential running mate as early as next week and the Republican National Convention at month's end. campaign airport SAN ANTONIO (AP) — A bomb threat cleared out San Antonio Interna- tional Airport on Wednes- day after officials said someone called alleging three packages had been left inside a parking garage. Passengers inside the terminal were herded onto the tarmac, arriving planes stayed parked away from the gates and dozens of firefighters combed the airport searching for explosives. San Antonio Fire Depart- ment spokeswoman Deb- orah Foster said she did not yet know Wednesday afternoon whether any- thing dangerous had been found. ''It was three packages in a parking garage,'' Fos- ter said of the phone call to the airport. ''Whether they found any, I'm not sure.'' Bomb threat called in to San Antonio Airport spokesman Rich Johnson said the evacuation order was called at 2:35 p.m. John- son didn't immediately know how many passen- gers were inside the ter- minal at the time. spokeswoman Ashley Dillon said the carrier had six arriving flights on the tarmac waiting for clear- ance to roll to the gate, and that delays to other flights were likely the longer the evacuation last- ed. Southwest Airlines Avoiding Olympic spoilers a sport of its own There were hints that Republicans might soon seek to expand the politi- cal playing field into Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, states that NEW YORK (AP) — Mandy Hauck turned 25 on Wednesday, but she's avoiding Facebook and her happy birthday mes- sages to steer clear of Olympic spoilers about her favorite sport, fenc- ing. Hauck has also deleted her iPhone apps for CNN live streams of the action available in real time online. Hauck's hanging tough, though, in favor of doing actual work during the day as the marketing communications manager for a software company in Atlanta, a job that requires her to stay on Twitter while she attempts to stay away from its main page and trending topics. ''I enjoy the experi- ence of sitting with my family and friends in front of the television and cheering for the athletes as if they were competing live,'' said Hauck, a for- mer college fencer who has been following two- time American gold medalist Mariel Zagunis in London. ''It's much more entertaining and enjoyable that way!'' It's also incredibly dif- Thursday, August 2, 2012 – Daily News 5A are leaving because the government is strug- gling to afford to devel- op their minds. Peterson case JOLIET, Ill. (AP) — The judge in the Drew Peterson murder trial has adjourned early and delayed a decision on declaring a mistrial. A legal drama erupted Judge puts off ruling on mistrial in country. very tough here,'' Kumar said. ficult with social media in full flower. Olympic spoilers have people turn- ing off phone alerts, hid- ing their iPads and shush- ing co-workers in search of simpler times, when screaming at the TV dur- ing nail-biting competi- tion was a sport unto itself. blackout GHAZIABAD, India (AP) — Work making potato chip display racks at Jayraj Kumar's facto- ry barely paused when much of India's power grid collapsed. Businesses work through Indian tors kicked in automati- cally and the electric saws, presses and weld- ing machines kept run- ning, just like they do during the five-hour power cuts the factory in suburban Delhi suffers nearly every day. India's unreliable The backup genera- power system has forced businesses to create a workaround electricity system of noisy, dirty diesel generators that prepared them well when the world's worst blackout hit the country Tuesday. also vastly increased businesses's expenses, dragged down their pro- ductivity and hampered economic growth in the But the trouble has from home MADRID (AP) — Santiago Oviedo, a lanky 24-year-old from Madrid, is on track to get his master's in physics in October — a crucial milestone in his dream of becoming a researcher probing the origins of the universe. Spain won't benefit from his big brain. Because of education spending cuts and Spain's downward eco- nomic spiral, Oviedo is planning to emigrate to Britain, France, the Netherlands or Germany to get his Ph.D. or work at a company that lets him do research. He's afraid he may never work or raise a family in his country. Class of 2012: Young Europeans pursue dreams far two years ago, Oviedo would have stood a good chance of landing a government-funded scholarship and grant for four years of doctor- al study and research. That has evaporated in an austerity drive that has brought slashed budgets for scientific research and waves of layoffs at companies large and small. With Spain's unem- If he had graduated ployment rate for people under 25 at an astonish- ing 53 percent, young Spaniards are leaving the country in droves to carve out a brighter future. Most seek jobs, but some, like Oviedo, ''Running a factory is Wednesday after a state wit- ness let slip testimony that defense lawyers claim irreparably tainted jurors. Instead of ruling imme- diately on the defense's mistrial motion, the judge granted a request to let Peterson's lawyers think through the matter until Thursday morning. The witness, Thomas Pontarelli, mentioned on the stand that he once found a .38-caliber bullet in his dri- veway and believed Peter- son planted it there to intim- idate him. Peterson is accused of killing his third wife, Kath- leen Savio. Pontarelli was her neighbor. With jurors out of the room, Judge Edward Bur- mila blasted prosecutors for working in the testimony. He called it a new ''low.'' tsunami dock With a crowd of specta- tors lounging in lawn chairs and snapping pho- tos, workers on Wednes- day started cutting up the boxcar-sized Japanese dock that was torn away from a fishing port by last year's tsunami and washed up on an Oregon beach. The plan is to cut the 165-ton concrete dock into five slices, like a loaf of bread, using a piece of equipment called a wire saw. If all goes well, the work should be finished by Thursday, leaving noth- ing but a depression in the sand until the ocean waves fill the beach back in again. ''We really are trying to Workers start cutting up Oregon keep in mind that this came from a massive dis- aster in Japan and try to treat it with the respect it deserves,'' Scott Korab, director of business devel- opment for Ballard Diving and Salvage of Vancouver, Wash., said over the low rumble of the wire saw and the roar of the wind. COMPLETE AUTO REPAIR Tony & Carmen Kelley 22679 Moran Road Corning, Ca 96021 530-824-2195 Fax: 530-824-0748 recommened 30K, 60K, 90K SERVICES AT LOWER PRICES All makes and models. We perform dealer Smog Check starting at$ Pass or FREE retest 527-9841 • 195 S. Main St. (most cars and pick-ups) 2595 + cert.