Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/9450
8A – Daily News – Thursday, April 22, 2010 WORLD BRIEFING Obama suggests value-added tax option WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama suggested Wednes- day that a new value-added tax on Americans is still on the table, seeming to show more openness to the idea than his aides have expressed in recent days. Before deciding what revenue options are best for dealing with the deficit and the economy, Obama said in an interview with CNBC, ‘‘I want to get a better picture of what our options are.’’ After Obama adviser Paul Volcker recently raised the prospect of a value-added tax, or VAT, the Senate voted 85-13 last week for a nonbinding ‘‘sense of the Senate’’ res- olution that calls the such a tax ‘‘a massive tax increase that will cripple families on fixed income and only further push back Ameri- ca’s economic recovery.’’ For days, White House spokesmen have said the president has not proposed and is not considering a VAT. ‘‘I think I directly answered this the other day by saying that it wasn’t something that the presi- dent had under considera- tion,’’ White House press secretary Robert Gibbs told reporters shortly before Obama spoke with CNBC. Obama: No ’litmus test’ on abortion WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama, treading carefully in the explosive arena of abortion and the Supreme Court, said Wednesday he will choose a nominee who pays heed to the rights of women and the privacy of their bodies. Yet he said he won’t enforce any abortion rights ‘‘litmus tests.’’ Obama said it is ‘‘very important to me’’ that his court choice take women’s rights into account in inter- preting the Constitution, his most expansive comments yet about how a woman’s right to choose will factor into his decision. He plans to choose someone to succeed Justice John Paul Stevens within ‘‘the next couple weeks,’’ he told CNBC. Obama accelerated his political outreach and his conversations with candi- dates, positioning himself for one of the most conse- quential decisions of his presidency. He invited Sen- ate leaders — Republicans as well as Democrats — to discuss the issue at the White House and com- mented briefly to reporters before their private meeting. His rejection of the idea of ‘‘litmus tests’’ was stan- dard presidential language, keeping him from being boxed in and protecting his eventual nominee from charges of bringing precon- ceived decisions to the bench. At least 11 missing as oil rig explodes NEW ORLEANS (AP) — An explosion rocked an offshore oil drilling plat- form, sending a column of fire into the sky and touch- ing off a frantic search at sea Wednesday for 11 missing workers. Most of the 126 workers on the rig Deepwater Hori- zon escaped safely after the explosion about 10 p.m. Tuesday, the Coast Guard said. Three were critically injured. The rig, more than 50 miles southeast of Venice on Louisiana’s tip, was still burning Wednesday after- noon. It was tilting about 10 degrees. There was no esti- mate of when the flames might be out. Helicopters and boats searched the Gulf of Mexi- co for any sign of the work- ers who had not been accounted for. ‘‘We’re hoping every- one’s in a life raft,’’ Coast Guard Senior Chief Petty Officer Mike O’Berry said. $2 billion in losses and counting AMSTERDAM (AP) — Airlines toted up losses top- ping $2 billion and strug- gled to get hundreds of thousands of travelers back home Wednesday after a week of crippled air travel, as questions and recrimina- tions erupted over Europe’s chaotic response to the vol- canic ash cloud. Civil aviation authorities defended their decisions to ground fleets and close the skies — and later to reopen them — against heated charges by airline chiefs that the decisions were based on flawed data or unsubstantiated fears. The aviation crisis sparked by a volcanic erup- tion in Iceland left millions in flightless limbo, created debilitating losses for air- lines and other industries and even threatened Europe’s economic recov- ery. An aviation group called the financial fallout worse than the three-day worldwide shutdown after the 2001 terrorist attacks in the United States. It was a lesson in mankind’s dependency on air travel, the vulnerability of a vital industry, and the confusion that can ensue when each nation decides for itself how to handle a D NEWSAILY Exclusive Print Media Partner RED BLUFF TEHAMACOUNTY PRESENTS many as two-thirds of all $100 notes circulate outside the United States,’’ said Bernanke, who stressed that the 6.5 billion in $100 bills now in circulation will remain legal tender. GM repays $8.1B in gov’t loans ahead of schedule WASHINGTON (AP) problem that crosses bor- ders. The air space over most of Europe opened Wednes- day after the vast, invisible ash-laden cloud dispersed to levels deemed safe. Restrictions remained over parts of Britain, Ireland, France and the Scandina- vian countries. Army may rescind invitation to evangelist DENVER (AP) — The Army is considering whether to rescind an invita- tion to evangelist Franklin Graham to appear at the Pentagon amid complaints about his description of Islam as evil, a military spokesman said Wednes- day. Graham, the son of famed evangelist Billy Gra- ham, was to appear at the Pentagon on May 6 — the National Day of Prayer. He said he will be a guest of the Pentagon and would speak only if he’s still invited. Army Col. Tom Collins said withdrawing the invita- tion ‘‘is on the table,’’ but no decision has been made. He said Army brass will have the ultimate decision on whether to pull the invite. The Military Religious Freedom Foundation raised the objection to the appear- ance, citing Graham’s past remarks about Islam. C-notes get makeover WASHINGTON (AP) — The folks who print America’s money have designed a high-tech makeover of the $100 bill. It’s part of an effort to stay ahead of counterfeiters as technology becomes more sophisticated and more dol- lars flow overseas, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke says. The makeover, unveiled Wednesday by Bernanke and Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner, may leave people wondering if there’s magic involved. Benjamin Franklin is still on the C-note. But he has been joined by a disap- pearing Liberty Bell in an inkwell and a bright blue security ribbon composed of thousands of tiny lenses that magnify objects in mysterious ways. Move the bill, and the objects move in a different direction. The new currency will not go into circulation until Feb. 10 of next year. That will give the government time to educate the public in the United States and around the world about the changes. ‘‘We estimate that as — Fallen giant General Motors Co. accelerated toward recovery Wednes- day, announcing the repay- ment of $8.1 billion in U.S. and Canadian government loans five years ahead of schedule. The Obama adminis- tration crowed about the ‘‘turnaround’’ at GM and fellow bailout recip- ient Chrysler LLC, say- ing the government’s unpopular rescue of Detroit’s automakers is paying off. Much of the improve- ment comes from GM slashing its debt load and workforce as part of its bankruptcy reorganization last year. But the automaker is a long way from regain- ing its old blue-chip status: It’s still losing money — $3.4 billion in last year’s fourth quarter alone. And while its car and truck sales are up so far this year, that’s primarily due to lower- profit sales to car rental companies and other fleet buyers. Chrysler, now run by Italy’s Fiat Group SpA, said Wednesday it lost almost $200 million in the first quarter. But it said it boost- ed its cash reserves by $1.5 billion, reducing the likeli- hood that it will need more government aid. ‘‘This turnaround wasn’t an accident of history,’’ said White House economic adviser Larry Summers. ‘‘It was the result of considered and politically difficult deci- sions made by President Obama.’’ April 30 - May 1 & 2 MARK YOUR CALENDARS!! Wow! What a Weekend!! Fri. 12-6 • Sat. 10-6 • Sun. 10-5 Shasta-Tehama Home & Garden Show is coming.... Joining 5 other major events Same Weekend - Same Fairgrounds ❁ 2nd Annual Shasta-Tehama Home & Garden Show (Fri-Sat-Sun) ❁ 39th Annual Arabian Horse Show (Fri-Sat-Sun) ❁ 49th Annual Flower Show (Sat-Sun) ❁ 8th Annual Alpaca Show (Sat-Sun) ❁ 11th Annual 4-H Fair (Sat) ❁ 6th Annual Cinco De Mayo Celebration (Sat) “It’s May Magic” NEW FOR THIS YEAR... Arts & Craft Exhibitors Free admission to all for the Home Show!!!!! Thanks to our friends at