Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/7952
Obama pitches health care WASHINGTON (AP) — House Democrats trig- gered the countdown Mon- day for the climactic vote on President Barack Obama's fiercely contested remake of the health care system, even though the legislation remained incomplete and lacked the votes needed to pass. Obama pushed his vision of affordable and nearly universal coverage to seniors in Ohio, declaring ''we need courage'' in the legislative struggle now in motion, as congressional leaders showed signs of progress winning over anti- abortion Democrats whose votes are pivotal. As well, Sen. Jim DeMint, R-S.C., among the bill's sharpest opponents, said he was ''less confident'' than before that it could be stopped. ''They'd have to be remarkable people not to fall under the kind of pres- sure they'll be under,'' he said of rank-and-file Democrats. Some of the pressure was aimed at Rep. Dennis Kucinich, D-Ohio, who flew aboard Air Force One with President Barack Obama during the day, then walked into a senior citizen center with the chief execu- tive in time to hear a voice from the audience yell out, ''Vote yes.'' A smiling Obama turned to the liberal lawmaker and said, ''Did you hear that, Dennis?'' Then, turning back to the audience, he added, ''Go ahead, say that again.'' Toyota cast doubt on California man's claim SAN DIEGO (AP) — Toyota cast doubt Mon- day on a California man's claim that his Prius sped out of control, saying the report is inconsistent with the findings of the compa- ny's preliminary investi- gation. Toyota said in a state- ment that the accelerator pedal was tested and found to be working nor- mally and a backup safety system worked properly. The automaker said the front brakes showed severe wear and damage from overheating, but the rear brakes and parking brake were in good condi- tion. The motorist, James Sikes, said his car raced to 94 mph on a freeway near San Diego last week. The March 8 incident ended when Sikes stopped the car with help from a Cali- fornia Highway Patrol officer. ''While a final report is not yet complete, there are strong indications that the driver's account of the event is inconsistent with the findings of the prelim- inary analysis,'' the state- ment said. A telephone message seeking comment on Toy- ota's assertions was left by The Associated Press at the office of Sikes' attorney, John H. Gomez. Afghan govt held peace talks with Taliban No. 2 KABUL (AP) — The Afghan government was holding secret talks with the Taliban's No. 2 when he was captured in Pak- istan, and the arrest infuri- ated President Hamid Karzai, according to one of Karzai's advisers. The detention of Mul- lah Abdul Ghani Baradar — second in the Taliban only to one-eyed Mullah Mohammed Omar — has raised new questions about whether the U.S. is willing to back peace dis- cussions with leaders who harbored the terrorists behind the Sept. 11 attacks. Karzai ''was very angry'' when he heard that the Pakistanis had picked up Baradar with an assist from U.S. intelli- gence, the adviser said. Besides the ongoing talks, he said Baradar had ''given a green light'' to participating in a three- day peace jirga that Karzai is hosting next month. The adviser, who had knowledge of the peace talks, spoke on condition of anonymity because of their sensitivity. Other Afghan officials, includ- ing Abdul Ali Shamsi, security adviser to the governor of Helmand province, also confirmed talks between Baradar and the Afghan govern- ment. Several media reports have suggested that Baradar had been in touch with Karzai repre- sentatives, but these are the first details to emerge from the discussions. Talking with the Tal- iban is gaining traction in Afghanistan as thousands of U.S. and NATO rein- forcements are streaming in to reverse the Taliban's momentum. That has prompted Pakistan and others to stake out their positions on possible rec- onciliation negotiations that could mean an endgame to the eight-year war. Drug gang blamed for killings of 3 CIUDAD JUAREZ, Mexico (AP) — Suspect- ed drug gangsters chased down and opened fire on two white SUVs carrying families of U.S. consular employees from a chil- dren's party, killing three adults and and injuring two children in this vio- lent border city, officials said Monday. An infant in a car seat survived a burst of bullets that killed her American parents. The FBI announced it was aiding Mexico's fed- eral Attorney General's Office in probing the slay- ings that alarmed both the White House and Mexi- co's presidency as the surging bloodshed along Mexico's border struck the families of U.S. gov- ernment employees. Mexican authorities put suspicion on the Aztecas street gang — a group allied with the ''La Linea'' enforcement arm of the Juarez drug cartel. They said that was based on ''information exchanged with U.S. fed- eral agencies.'' But the reason for the attacks remained unclear. US demands Israel scrap construction JERUSALEM (AP) — The Obama administra- tion is demanding that Israel call off a con- tentious building project in east Jerusalem and make a public gesture toward the Palestinians to help defuse one of the worst U.S.-Israeli feuds in memory, officials on both sides said Monday. But Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu showed little sign of yielding, saying Jewish construction in east Jerusalem ''in no way'' hurts Palestinians. A Jerusalem city spokesman suggested Jewish building there would continue. Announcement of the plan to build 1,600 apart- ments for Jews in the Ramot Shlomo neighbor- hood came during Vice President Joe Biden's visit last week, embar- rassing him and the Obama administration, angering Palestinians and endangering the start of indirect peace negotia- tions that are to be medi- ated by a U.S. envoy. Adding to tensions was a ceremony Monday in the walled Old City in east Jerusalem, where Jews rededicated an ancient synagogue destroyed after the war that followed Israel's cre- ation in 1948. Israeli police sent in reinforce- ments to prevent riots. The synagogue is in the Jewish Quarter, but Pales- tinians still saw the color- ful celebration as an affront. After a weekend of rare broadsides from top U.S. officials, including Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, Ameri- can demands became clear Monday. The U.S. wants Israel to cancel the construction plan, U.S. and Israeli officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity because no announcement was made. Pentagon investigating private spy operation WASHINGTON (AP) — A Defense Department official is under investiga- tion for allegedly hiring private contractors to gather intelligence on sus- pected insurgents in Afghanistan and Pakistan, a U.S. official said Mon- day. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the case, told The Associated Press that Michael D. Furlong directed a defense contract to gather information about the region that could be shared with military units. After military officials suspected that he was using Defense Depart- ment money for an off- the-books spy operation, defense officials shut down that part of the con- tract, the official said. The story was first reported by The New York Times in Monday's editions, quoting uniden- tified military and busi- ness sources as saying that Furlong, now a senior civilian employee at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas, hired subcontractors who had former U.S. intelli- gence and special forces operatives on their pay- rolls. The newspaper said some of the information collected by the contrac- tors was used to track down and attack militants. ''The story makes some serious allegations and raises numerous unanswered questions that warrant further review by the depart- ment,'' Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whit- man said Monday. The military in mid- 2008 put Furlong in charge of a program to use private companies to gather information about Afghanistan's political and tribal culture, the Times reported. Edwards mistress says they are still in love RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — The mistress of for- mer presidential candi- date John Edwards says she is helping him live ''a life of truth'' and the two remain in love even after their affair helped trigger his downfall from the pinnacle of U.S. politics. ''Everyone talks about how Johnny has fallen from grace,'' Rielle Hunter told GQ maga- zine in an interview released Monday. ''In reality, he's fallen to grace.'' In her first public comments since she became known as Edwards' other woman in 2008, Hunter didn't provide any details of their status but said Edwards is a great father who wants to be there full-time for their daugh- ter, now 2. ''I know he loves me. I have never had any doubt at all about that,'' Hunter said. ''We love each other very much. 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