LV Spring 2010 Back Packs

Fashions out of italy

Chilli, Pepa Get Reality Shows

VH1 is giving two '90s female hip-hop icons, Sandra (Pepa) Denton of Salt-N-Pepa and Rozonda (Chilli) Thomas of TLC, their own reality shows.

The as-yet-untitled Pepa project will follow the former rapper as she looks for love after four years of self-imposed celibacy. Pepa and three of her closest female friends, who are also single, will meet for brunch every week to discuss the highs and lows of the past seven days.

Chilli's series, which is also untitled so far, will show its star, a single mother, enlisting Brooklyn relationship expert Tionna Smalls to help her find a long-term relationship.

Both series are set to premiere next year.

Al Franken Declared Winner of Minnesota Senate Seat

The Minnesota Supreme Court on Tuesday declared Democrat Al Franken the winner of a tight U.S. Senate race over Republican Norm Coleman, which should give Democrats the 60-seat majority they need to overcome procedural obstacles and push through their agenda, Reuters reports.

Coleman has said in published reports he is unlikely to appeal the state court's decision to the federal courts. Under state law, the court's decision gives Franken the right to occupy the seat, which has been up for grabs since last November's election.

Minnesota Republican Governor Tim Pawlenty has said he will certify the election winner based on what the state court decides.

If the decision holds up, Democrats will control 60 of the 100 Senate seats -- enough to overcome Republican procedural roadblocks in a clear boost to President Barack Obama's agenda.

Michael Jackson Public Viewing At Neverland Set For Friday

Michael Jackson's fans will get a chance to pay their final respects to the fallen pop icon at a public viewing at his Neverland Valley Ranch on Friday Jackson's body will be returned Thursday — via a 30-car motorcade — to the amusement park/zoo/mansion that was his home for nearly two decades, just a week after the 50-year-old singer died at a rented Los Angeles mansion.

A spokesperson for Jackson also told CNN that private memorial services for the singer will be held on Sunday, though the question of where Jackson will be buried remains unresolved.

On Monday, Jackson's father, Joseph, refuted rumors that his son would be buried at Neverland and said that it was too early to talk about funeral plans because the family was still awaiting the results of a second autopsy.

On Tuesday, thousands of admirers gathered in New York's Harlem neighborhood to pay their respects at the famous Apollo Theater, where Jackson performed with the Jackson 5 some 40 years ago.

Though Jackson spent much of his adult life living in the Los Angeles area, the mayor of his hometown of Gary, Indiana has asked the family to consider burying the singer there. A spokesperson for Mayor Rudy Clay told CNN that the city's leader has been in touch with the Jackson family and is hoping that the gritty Midwestern industrial town could be Jackson's final resting place. At the very least, Clay told Chicago radio station WGN, he expects that Jackson's body will be taken to Gary for a memorial service he is planning next week.

"I believe that his body will lie in state in Gary, Indiana," Clay said Tuesday. "Now, it may not happen, but I believe it will." That memorial service is slated to take place on July 10 at the city's U.S. Steel Works ballpark and Clay promised that it would be a memorial "fit for the prince of peace and a memorial that's fit for Gary, Indiana's favorite son, the greatest entertainer that ever lived."

Should the Jackson family agree to have the singer buried there, a spokesperson for the mayor said the tomb could be near a proposed Jackson family museum and performing arts center that the city has discussed with family patriarch Joseph Jackson.

The public viewing at Neverland will likely be an emotional event for Jackson's many fans in the U.S. and across the globe, as the secluded 2,500-acre property was off-limits to all but Jackson's intimates during the time he lived there from 1988 to 2005.

Ownership of the ranch, renamed Sycamore Valley Ranch, was transferred to a company called Colony Capital in 2008 in a deal that allowed Jackson to hold onto the property when Colony agreed to buy the $23.5 million mortgage

Obama Writes Condolence Letter to Jacksons

President Obama has written a letter to Michael Jackson's family to offer his condolences, adviser David Axelrod said Sunday.

Jackson died Thursday in Los Angeles, but the White House declined to issue a statement. White Houes aides say the letter to the family will not be publicly released..

The White House said Obama saw the pop star as a spectacular performer whose life had sad and tragic aspects.

GOP to press Sotomayor on gun rights

Senate Republicans said Wednesday they would press Judge Sonia Sotomayor on gun rights, a politically divisive issue that they hope could weaken Democratic support for the Supreme Court nominee.

Though Republicans are a pronounced minority in both the House and Senate, they have used the gun issue to their advantage to divert the legislative agenda, forcing Democrats from moderate and conservative states to take politically risky votes on gun provisions.

Sotomayor's judicial record appears to provide the GOP with another opportunity to bring the issue to light. Since the Supreme Court decided in a landmark case last year that restrictive laws in Washington, D.C. -- a federal entity -- infringed on a constitutionally protected right to own a handgun, the debate has shifted to whether that ruling also affected handgun control laws in individual states.

This year, Sotomayor was part of a three-judge panel of the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New York that held the 2nd Amendment did not apply to the states. At a news conference Wednesday, Sen. Jeff Sessions of Alabama, ranking Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee, and other senators said they were concerned about the decision and pledged to grill Sotomayor about it at her confirmation hearings, which begin July 13.

The panel's reasoning, Sessions said, "would eviscerate the 2nd Amendment in many parts of the country."

Democrats and gun control groups argue, however, that Sotomayor and the other members of the panel were following a restrained approach to the case by declining to rule on an issue the Supreme Court has yet to take up. Sotomayor "properly followed precedent," said Daniel Vise, a lawyer with the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence.

If confirmed, Sotomayor could end up hearing the very issue she considered in the 2nd Circuit case. The high court probably will consider the question as early as next term.

Sotomayor is the first nominee since the high court's gun rights decision, and she is likely to be asked about her fidelity to that ruling in much the same manner that other nominees have been quizzed about respecting Roe vs. Wade, the seminal abortion rights case.

Gun rights "are now up for grabs in the court, so it brings a whole new constituency to this fight," said Curt Levey, executive director of the Committee for Justice, a conservative group. "This could become a tough vote for red-state Democrats because they don't want to be on the wrong side of the 2nd Amendment."

Gun control and the 2nd Amendment are lightning-rod issues that Democrats would just as soon avoid. Seizing on that, Republicans during this session of Congress have brought up gun rights whenever possible.

The GOP criticism of Sotomayor centers on the three-judge ruling that upheld New York's law forbidding the use or possession of a popular gang weapon known as a nunchaku, saying, "It is settled law . . . that the 2nd Amendment applies only to limitations the federal government seeks to impose on this right," they said, citing an 1886 Supreme Court ruling.

Sessions said Wednesday that the panel went out of its way to make its views on the 2nd Amendment clear, saying Sotomayor used language "that was not necessary to decide the case in front of her."

On June 2, the U.S. 7th Circuit Court of Appeals took the same tack in upholding a ban on handguns in Chicago. In April, however,the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco said that gun possession is a fundamental right under the Constitution.

Obama Battles the Political Gauntlet of Health Care

The Obama administration is discovering what the Clinton administration learned 16 years ago: the politics of health care reform are treacherous.

Just a few months ago, President Obama seemed uniquely positioned to get Congress to pass comprehensive health care reform, something that has eluded every Democratic president since Harry Truman.

On March 5, the president convened a health care "summit" at the White House that brought together Democrats, Republicans, unions, businesses and health industry leaders. One by one, the key players -- many of whom had opposed reform efforts in the past -- assembled in the East Room of the White House, vowing to work together.

"Missing" US governor was on private Argentina trip

South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford will cut short a secretive Appalachian Trail hike and return to work Wednesday after revelations he'd been gone for four days with no contact with his staff, wife or state leaders.

"Governor Sanford called to check in with his chief of staff this morning," Sanford spokesman Joel Sawyer said Tuesday in a statement. "It would be fair to say the governor was somewhat taken aback by all of the interest this trip has gotten. Given the circumstances and the attention this has garnered, the governor communicated to us that he plans on returning to the office tomorrow."

The Republican governor hadn't spoken with his staff since last Thursday. He left the state on what Sawyer called a routine post legislative vacation to unwind.

His absence left fellow state leaders scratching their heads.

The lieutenant governor couldn't figure out where Sanford was. Calls from a state senator and close friend rolled to voice mail. Even his wife said she hadn't talked to him for several days.

The explanation came late Monday night from his spokesman: The second-term chief executive was hiking along the Appalachian Trail "to kind of clear his head after the legislative session."

The Republican governor left town on Thursday, Sawyer said, with plans to hike the trail, which passes through 14 states but not South Carolina. Sawyer said he didn't know where exactly Sanford was along the 2,200-mile route and declined to discuss if anyone was hiking with him.

"He's an avid outdoorsman," Sawyer said. "Nobody's ever accused our governor of being conventional."

He left a couple of days after the Legislature adjourned after overriding his 10 vetoes and winning a court battle to force Sanford to request $700 million in federal stimulus cash.

While other governors eagerly gobbled up federal stimulus money to fill budget holes, Sanford has railed against President Barack Obama's $787 billion bailout package. It left him dealing with protests at home, where educators predicted massive teacher layoffs without it. Sanford, who's also chairman of the Republican Governors Association, wanted to use it only to pay down debt.

His absence has drawn more criticism. Some questioned who was in charge of South Carolina if he couldn't be reached. The National Guard and the state's top law enforcement agencies report to him, said Senate Minority Leader John Land, D-Manning.

Lt. Gov. Andre Bauer said he'd been rebuffed by the governor's staff when he tried to find out where Sanford was and had not been put in charge in his absence.

"I cannot take lightly that his staff has not had communication with him for more than four days, and that no one, including his own family, knows his whereabouts," said Bauer.

Sawyer said if there was an emergency, the office would consult with other state officials before making any decisions.

"We knew he would be difficult to reach, and that he would be checking in infrequently," Sawyer said in a statement.

But Carol Fowler, chairwoman of the state Democratic Party, said the governor was "irresponsible" for being inaccessible.

"I don't begrudge the governor vacation time," Fowler said Tuesday morning. "But they need to make certain their duties are taken care of while they're gone."

Jenny Sanford said Monday she had not spoken with her husband for several days, including Father's Day. The Sanfords have four sons.

"He was writing something and wanted some space to get away from the kids," she told The Associated Press while vacationing at the family's Sullivans Island beach house. A message left for her wasn't returned after the governor's hiking plans were disclosed.

"It's one thing for the boys to go off by themselves, but on Father's Day to leave your family behind? That's erratic," Land said. "And when those officials can't get in touch with the commander, it's really weird. That's not responsible."

Sanford is known for taking walks and runs without security, but flight logs show he seldom leaves the state without it. His security team wouldn't comment. And Sanford's office normally makes no secret of time he spends on vacation or out of state.

Sen. Jake Knotts, a Lexington Republican and a persistent Sanford critic, said the state needs to know where its governor is.

President Obama Signs Tobacco Control Bill

Paterson Calls New York Senate to Special Session

After two weeks of having no direct impact on the State Senate stalemate, Gov. David A. Paterson said on Sunday he would call the Senate to a special session this week, but would not include same-sex marriage among the bills to be considered, a move that stunned some of his key constituencies.

The governor’s apparent retreat on an issue he has made a central priority was surprising, especially because the leader of a Republican-dominated voting bloc in the Senate has been eager to bring the issue up for a vote.

Mr. Paterson’s move does not doom same-sex marriage, but makes it much less likely to pass in the short-term. An aide to the governor said Mr. Paterson would still like to see the same-sex marriage bill come to a vote in the coming weeks, but Democratic leaders have resisted holding a vote unless it was assured of victory.

Barring a last-minute settlement between the feuding factions, the governor will convene the special session on Tuesday. The chamber was left in its first 31-to-31 tie after Pedro Espada Jr., a Bronx Democrat, claimed the title of Senate president when he joined a Republican-led coup earlier this month.

“If the Senators do not cooperate with this order, I will convene a special session every day until they do,” the governor said at a press conference on Sunday. “That includes Saturdays and Sundays. That includes July 4. There will be no excuses.”

Republicans, however, rejected the governor’s latest attempt to mediate the dispute, leaving open the possibility that the two feuding Senate factions could have a combative session when all 62 senators are forced to return to work on Tuesday.

The governor has proposed to have Chief Judge Jonathan Lippman temporarily preside over the Senate; Mr. Espada and Republicans say they already claimed leadership of the chamber in a disputed vote held two weeks ago.

“It makes no sense at all,” said John McArdle, a spokesman for the Senate Republicans. “The constitution is clear that there has to be a temporary president, and we have one right now.”

The governor said Sunday that he wanted to focus on routine but urgent legislation that local governments depend upon, like bills to extend local sales taxes or allow bond issuance. His staff said he would also include legislation to modify mayoral control over New York City’s schools in the list of legislation he submits to the Senate.

“What I wanted to address is those pieces of legislation that are time sensitive in terms of resources that are local government needs,” the governor said. “What’s most important about Tuesday is that we get the Senate working again.”

Mr. Paterson said he would consider calling a second special session to address more substantive legislation, but he did not say whether he would include same-sex marriage on that list and his administration would not commit to including it in a second special session, if one is even held.

The governor’s decision to exclude same-sex marriage from the agenda led to confusion on Sunday among gay rights activists, who were unsure how to reconcile the governor’s words with the private assurances they had received from Mr. Paterson’s staff that the bill would be included.

“Wow. I’m stunned,” said Senator Eric T. Schneiderman, a Manhattan Democrat who is one of the cosponsors of the Senate bill that would legalize same-sex marriage. “This is not acceptable. If the governor thinks that we can all end this legislative session without addressing issues like marriage equality, I think he’s badly mistaken.”

Assemblyman Daniel J. O’Donnell, who sponsored the legislation in the Assembly, said, “I have received assurances from high up in the governor’s office that if he’s creating a list, marriage is on it.”

“I remain confident that the bill is coming to the floor this week,” he added.

But Mr. O’Donnell added, “there are a lot of moving parts here.”

Lobbyists and lawmakers who have been advocating for same-sex marriage and working with the governor to muster enough votes to get the bill passed were under the impression as recently as late last week that the bill would be included on the agenda of the governor’s special session. These people said they had assurances from the highest levels of the Paterson administration that the governor would direct the Senate to act on the bill.

The Empire State Pride Agenda, the gay rights group, called the exclusion of the bill from the agenda an insult.

Not to include marriage for same-sex couples as a priority for Tuesday’s extraordinary session is an insult to millions of gay and lesbian people and their families,” the pride agenda’s executive director, Alan Van Capelle, said in a written statement that accused the governor of reneging on his pledge to make the legislation a top priority. “We hold the Governor and the Senate to these commitments. We expect and deserve a vote on marriage equality this week.”

The governor’s move was unexpected given his repeated and forceful statements in recent weeks that the bill should come to the Senate floor for a vote. As he implored senators to settle their differences and come back to work, he listed same-sex marriage as among the critical issues that needed to be resolved before the end of the legislative session.

Same-sex marriage has been one of the governor’s signature social issues. When he introduced the bill in April, he initially drew sharp criticism from some gay rights advocates for saying that the bill should be voted on this session, regardless of whether it was certain to pass. Though many same-sex marriage supporters — especially Senate Democrats — were opposed to allowing the bill come to a vote unless its passage was assured, they had come to believe in the last few weeks that the governor’s call for an up-or-down vote was a good move.

It remains to be seen whether anything will get done this week.

The last day of the Legislature’s regular session is Monday. The governor has the authority to call lawmakers back for a special session, and he sets their agenda, but they are not compelled to bring any of the legislation to the floor for a vote. He has been increasingly exasperated as his agenda has been derailed and he has been unable to persuade lawmakers to come to an accord.

His move will succeed, at least, in bringing Democrats back to the Senate chamber. For the last two weeks, the Democratic caucus has boycotted the proceedings amid a leadership dispute with the Republicans, who claim they now control the chamber’s leadership posts.

But calling a special session does not assure that the sides will be agree on who presides over the chamber.

“We don’t need special sessions,” Mr. Espada said in a statement Sunday, adding, “What we do need is all 62 Senators to show up for work.”

Racist Republician Calls Michelle Obama a Gorilla

South Carolina GOP activist and former chairman of the state elections commission Rusty DePass posted on Facebook that a gorilla that escaped from a zoo was an "ancestor" of Michelle Obama.

DePass’s comment was a response to a Facebook post by an aide to state Attorney General Henry McMaster, who described in detail the escape of a gorilla from Columbia’s Riverbanks Zoo Friday.

“I’m sure it’s just one of Michelle’s ancestors - probably harmless,” DePass wrote.

He later admitted that he was in fact referring to First Lady Michelle Obama.

“I am as sorry as I can be if I offended anyone. The comment was clearly in jest,” he told WIS News, a local television station who spoke to him exclusively.

The comment was immediately removed while DePass’ Facebook page was also later deleted, WIS reports.

The Calculus (and Politics) of Stimulus II

A healthy squabble erupted between the White House and Sen. Thomas Coburn yesterday over the benefits and drawbacks of the stimulus spending.

Well, it continues. And now they're getting deep into the weeds. And yet it's still kind of interesting.

As some of you undoubtedly know, the White House issued a report about the achievements of the stimulus spending so far. In short, it said everything was cool.

"In the first 100 days since President Obama signed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act into law, we have obligated more than $112 billion, created more than 150,000 jobs and helped communities and tribes in every state and territory."

In response, Coburn issued a report yesterday that said, in effect, everything isn't so cool.

Called a "Second Opinion on the Stimulus," its 100 examples of alleged poor or misguided stimulus projects include "nearly $10 million to renovate an abandoned train station that hasn't been used in 30 years" and "10,000 dead people get stimulus checks."

Both sides seemed to play fair until they got to No. 71 on Coburn's list:

"Steam rooms in the fitness center of Laughlin Air Force Base in Texas will undergo repairs funded by federal stimulus funds. According to the solicitation for bids on the project, the total cost is expected to be up to $100,000."

The White House folks had a quick comeback. In their long retort to Coburn's report, they noted that the program actually does not qualify for stimulus funding. They cited No. 71 as one of many factual errors in Coburn's report that undermines its credibility.

"FALSE. This project was not funded with Recovery Act funds."

"Sen. Coburn's report, however, is filled with inaccuracies, including criticisms of projects that have already been stopped, projects that never were approved, and some projects that are working quite well," a White House official said in a statement.

Touche!

But wait. It turns out that that somebody canceled the program at 9:37 yesterday morning, not long before the White House released its response to Coburn. Here's the posting online for the project.

We have asked the White House who canceled the program and why. They said 1. It wasn't them and 2. The steam rooms never really made it onto the approved list of project eligible for the stimulus funding 3. The decision not to include it on the approved list was made some time ago.

A White House spokeswoman said she would be providing more details this morning.

In the meantime, we're left pondering this, the language posted yesterday on FedBizOps about the project:

"This solicitation was canceled in its entirety and is no longer considered an approved project under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA)."

So if it was never on the approved list for stimulus spending, why is it "no longer considered an approved project?" According to the White House, it never was, right?

Oh well. It seems kind of picayune in the grand context of the stimulus effort. On the other hand, could it be that someone is manipulating something somewhere here for political gain?

US expands human trafficking watchlist

The Obama administration on Tuesday expanded the U.S. watchlist of countries suspected of not doing enough to combat human trafficking, putting more than four dozen nations on notice that they may face sanctions unless their records improve. The move came as officials said the world financial crisis has left more people at risk for the crime.

The State Department's annual "Trafficking in Persons Report," the first released since President Barack Obama took office, placed 52 countries and territories — mainly in Africa, Asia and the Middle East — on the watchlist. That number is a 30 percent jump from the 40 countries on the list in 2008.

Several nations that had been cited previously were removed from the list, but new countries cited for human trafficking problems included Angola, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Iraq, Lebanon, Nicaragua, Pakistan, the Philippines, Qatar, Senegal and the United Arab Emirates.

The report also placed the Netherlands' Antilles, a self-governing Dutch territory in the Caribbean, on the watchlist.

"With this report, we hope to shine the light brightly on the scope and scale of modern slavery so all governments can see where progress has been made and where more is needed," Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said as she released the 320-page document.

"Economic pressure, especially in this global economic crisis, makes more people susceptible to the false promises of traffickers," she said.

Inclusion on the watchlist means those countries' governments are not fully complying with minimum standards set by U.S. law for cooperating in efforts to reduce the rise of human trafficking — a common denominator in the sex trade, coerced labor and recruitment of child soldiers.

If a country appears on the list for two consecutive years, it can be subject to U.S. sanctions.

Seventeen nations, up from 14 in 2008, are now subject to the trafficking sanctions, which can include a ban on non-humanitarian and trade-related aid and U.S. opposition to loans and credits from the International Monetary Fund and World Bank. The penalties can be waived if the president determines it is in U.S. national interest to do so.

Those 17 countries include traditional U.S. foes like Cuba, Iran, Myanmar, North Korea, Sudan and Syria, but also American allies and friends such as Saudi Arabia and Kuwait.

Malaysia, another U.S. partner, was added to the list of worst offenders, as were the African nations of Zimbabwe, Chad, Eritrea, Mauritania, Niger and Swaziland.

Luis Cdebaca, the director of the State Department's Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons, said the addition of the six African countries was due largely to a relaxation in efforts to fight domestic slavery, which has persisted.

"Those efforts seem to have stalled," he said.

AMA Gives Obama Warm But Wary Reception

In his highly anticipated speech to the American Medical Association, President Barack Obama said he wants the AMA onboard the healthcare reform train -- but he won't delay its departure if the AMA hesitates.

"To say it as plainly as I can, health care reform is the single most important thing we can do for America's long-term fiscal health. That is a fact," Obama said.

"In order to do that we are going to need the help of the AMA."

The historic speech in front of a group that has blocked past reform efforts was met with respect -- he was interrupted 36 times by applause, including a handful of standing ovations. But at least once -- when he said he would not back caps on jury awards in medical liability cases -- he was booed, although the booing was notably restrained given the emotional attachment the AMA has to tort reform built on caps.

"They responded positively but warily," said Dr. Michael Reichgott of New York, a delegate from Medical Education Section of the AMA. "Everybody was being very skeptical. There is a great deal of cynicism about what the government really intends to do."

Congress Passes Measure on Tobacco Regulation

The House moved quickly Friday to pass the Senate’s tobacco bill and send it to the White House, where President Obama promised to sign it.

Mr. Obama, who himself has struggled to quit smoking, said the measure would “protect our kids and improve our public health.” Appearing in the Rose Garden just moments after the House vote, he said the tobacco legislation was “a bill that truly defines changes in Washington” and one that “changes the way Washington works and who it works for.”

The law would for the first time give the Food and Drug Administration the authority to regulate tobacco products, which kill more than 400,000 people in this country each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The House vote on Friday was 307 to 97, and followed Senate passage of the measure 79 to 17 on Thursday. A key to Senate passage was a vote earlier in the week to overcome a filibuster, by a two-vote margin.

Under the law, the F.D.A. will be able to set product standards and ban some chemicals in tobacco products, but not totally ban addictive nicotine. The F.D.A. will set up a new tobacco regulatory office financed by industry fees, which are expected to be $85 million in the first year and as much as $700 million annually within 10 years.

The F.D.A. would have the power not only to consider changing existing products, but also to ban new products unless the agency found they contributed to overall public health.

The F.D.A. is charged with imposing a ban within 15 months on tobacco advertising within 1,000 feet of schools and playgrounds, a measure that is likely to draw court challenges from the tobacco industry, saying it violates the First Amendment.

Also, within one year, the industry will be banned from claiming products are “light,” “mild” or “low tar,” terms that have been found to mislead smokers into thinking the products are safer when they are not.

The law provides that by 2012, new, graphic warning labels must be designed and approved by the F.D.A. and occupy 50 percent of the space on each package of cigarettes. According to David Adelman, a tobacco industry analyst for Morgan Stanley, the larger warning is a key part of the new legislation, exposing the industry to increased financial risk through lower sales.

“The newer warning label requirement in the Senate bill could compromise the graphics appearance of all U.S. cigarette brands,” Mr. Adelman wrote in a note to investors on Friday.

The Senate required a larger warning than the one provided for in a bill the House had previously passed and required that it contain “color graphics depicting the negative health consequences of smoking.” That is likely to include photographs of cancerous and diseased tissue, similar to those that run on cigarette packs in Canada.

Seeking to combat youth smoking — Mr. Obama noted that an additional 1,000 or so Americans under the age of 18 become regular smokers each day — the legislation will quickly ban most flavoring in tobacco and raise penalties for sales of tobacco to under-age buyers.

But in a political compromise, it exempted one flavoring, menthol, which masks the harshness of tobacco and accounts for about one-quarter of the market.

Some antismoking groups, particularly those representing African-Americans, had wanted the law’s ban on tobacco flavorings to include menthol. Mentholated brands are preferred by three-quarters of black smokers, who also have a disproportionate share of lung cancer.

Menthol is to be studied by the F.D.A. by 2011, though, and the agency will have the power to ban it, if the evidence warrants.

The tobacco legislation was supported by the Altria Group — the parent of Philip Morris, which produces the dominant Marlboro brand — and was opposed by other major cigarette makers, which argued it would protect Philip Morris and stifle innovation.

Last year, the House passed similar legislation, but the Senate did not act in the closing weeks of Congress in the fall. At the time, President George W. Bush threatened a veto.

Antismoking advocacy groups like the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network were praising Congress on Friday.

“This bill is proof positive that the tobacco industry is no longer running the show on Capitol Hill and that the health of Americans is a top priority for our elected officials,” the group’s chief executive, John R. Seffrin, said in a statement.

Lobbying boosted as health care debate heats up

Whimper From Washington On Exec Pay

When talking about executive compensation on Wall Street, it's important for politicians to let loose with righteous indignation. But when it comes time to do something about it, the White House has decided it's best not to be too dramatic.

When it was revealed in March that employees of AIG's financial products division--the unit that wrecked the company--were receiving $165 million in bonuses, Congress went berserk. AIG ( AIG - news - people ) only existed into 2009 because of taxpayer largess. The bonuses were part of a retention plan from old employment contracts that AIG said it was legally bound to honor. To get the money back, Congress briefly flirted with measures as extreme as slapping a 90% excise tax on those bonuses.hree months later, the Obama administration finally came out with its proposals for compensation, and they're not nearly so harsh--a recognition that strict pay caps or massive excise taxes are too harsh a cudgel for complicated companies, even the ones that exist only because of government cash.

The United States has provided "exceptional assistance" to seven companies during the crisis--General Motors ( GMGMQ.PK - news - people ), Chrysler, Citigroup ( C - news - people ), Bank of America ( BAC - news - people ), AIG, Chrysler Financial and GMAC ( GJM - news - people )--in many cases taking outright ownership. Rather than issue specific guidelines for everyone, the administration is appointing a "compensation czar" to look over the companies and determine who can get paid what. The Treasury prefers the term "special master" to "pay czar."

Kenneth Feinberg, a Washington lawyer and mediator, well-liked in the corridors of power for administering the fund that compensated Sept. 11 victims, will have the job.

"We felt that the most sound approach was not to come up with a 'one size fits all' measure but to empower an individual," says Gene Sperling, an adviser to Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner. Feinberg will be "guided by a set of principles, to set compensation in a way that strikes a careful balance between accountability to the taxpayer and ensuring the companies have compensation structures that allow them to be viable and competitive and to be in a position to return the taxpayer funds."

Essentially, an ad hoc approach.

Treasury also wants two legislative changes from Congress. First is so-called "say on pay" legislation that would require all public companies to give shareholders a vote on executive compensation practices. Many companies do this already, and "say on pay" votes are required in the U.K. Second, the Treasury wants legislation to ensure that the compensation committees on all public companies' boards of directors are more independent. The Treasury says this would be quite similar to existing legislation, written after the accounting scandals like at Enron, that protects the independence of audit committees.

The proposals are nowhere near as extreme as some businesses feared, but they are not without some controversy. The Center on Executive Compensation, a group created by HR executives, opposes "say on pay," which it says would shift control from well-informed compensation committees to proxy advisers for stockholders, who won't necessarily know what they're doing. (And of course, many of those outraged about CEO pay wanted to see something much stronger.)

"Executive compensation has spiraled completely out of control--instead of rewarding long-term success it has rewarded short-term gains and encouraged excessive risk-taking," says Sen. Chris Dodd, the chairman of the Senate Banking Committee, who supports the administration's plans.

But it's not as simple as that. The executives of Bear Stearns and Lehman Brothers ( LEHMQ - news - people ), for example, were both heavily vested in their firms' long-term performance. Jimmy Cayne, the chairman and former CEO of Bear Stearns, reportedly lost about $1 billion from the firm's collapse. It's not as if he were somehow incentivized to wreck the company and lose the vast majority of his net worth and his reputation.

Wall Street CEOs always had the incentive not to ruin their companies. Some of them just screwed up. No compensation cudgel is going to fix that.

US envoy pushes for prompt Mideast peace talks

The United States seeks a "prompt resumption and early conclusion" of Israeli-Palestinian peace talks, Washington's special Mideast envoy said after talks Wednesday with Palestinian leaders.

Former Sen. George Mitchell did not give any timetable in his prepared statement to reporters after meeting with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in the West Bank town of Ramallah.

However, the U.S. is engaged in an unusually public spat with Israel over its retreat from commitments to negotiate Palestinian statehood and its insistence on expanding settlements on land the Palestinians claim for that state.

"The only viable resolution to this conflict is for the aspirations of both sides to be met through two states," Mitchell said. "As President Obama said last week, America will not turn our backs on the legitimate Palestinian aspiration for dignity, opportunity and a state of their own."

Americans, Europeans, Arabs and others who seek to promote peace "all share an obligation to create the conditions for the prompt resumption and early conclusion of negotiations," he said.

In a landmark speech to the Muslim world in Cairo last week, Obama promised to work aggressively to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Following up on the speech, Mitchell has pressed on with Obama's demands both for a settlement freeze and an endorsement of the concept of a Palestinian state.

Abbas gave Mitchell an itemized list of Israeli settlement expansion and Palestinian homes that Israel has recently demolished in east Jerusalem, the sector of the city the Palestinians claim for a future capital, senior Abbas aide Saeb Erekat said.

In his meeting Tuesday with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Mitchell sought to allay Israeli fears over the growing rift, assuring Israel that the U.S. commitment to Israeli security was "unshakable."

It remains unclear whether Netanyahu will soften any of his positions in a policy speech he is scheduled to deliver on Sunday. Erekat declined to disclose whether Mitchell brought any indication to Abbas that Netanyahu had modified his stance.

The U.S. knows that when Israel "says it doesn't accept the two-state solution and doesn't want to freeze settlement expansion, that means it says 'no' to resuming negotiations," Erekat said.

Mitchell later traveled to Cairo, where he is scheduled meet with Egypt's foreign minister and powerful intelligence chief Wednesday, said Foreign Ministry spokesman Hossam Zaki.

Mitchell's latest swing through the region is also set to include stops in Lebanon and Syria.

Families of American Journalists Ask North Korea for Compassion

The families of two American journalists sentenced by North Korea to 12 years' imprisonment in a labor camp have urged Pyongyang to show compassion and release them early.

Euna Lee and Laura Ling were detained in March while working on a report near the Chinese-North Korean border for U.S. media outlet Current TV.

Pyongyang announced Monday that the two women had been found guilty of a "grave crime," without giving further explanation.

In a joint statement, the women's families expressed concern over their mental and physical well-being, adding that Ling suffers from an ulcer. The statement also says Lee's four-year-old daughter is showing signs of anguish over her mother's long absence.

U.S. President Barack Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called on North Korea to release the two young women immediately on humanitarian grounds. The White House says North Korea will be among topics discussed next week when Mr. Obama meets with South Korean President Lee Myung-bak in Washington.

New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson told U.S. television interviewers Monday he is optimistic that diplomacy might convince North Korea to free the journalists. Richardson helped secure North Korea's release of a U.S. citizen and a captured U.S. helicopter pilot in the 1990s, when he was the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.

There has also been speculation that former Vice President Al Gore may get involved in helping secure the release of the two journalists and possibly serve as an envoy. Gore is a co-founder of Current TV.

US Thinking of Restoring N. Korea to Terror List

Concerned by North Korean behavior that she called “very provocative and belligerent,” Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said in an interview aired Sunday that the United States was considering putting North Korea back on its list of state sponsors of terrorism, a clear signal that any slim hopes once held for improved relations had been dashed.

“We’re going to look at it,” Mrs. Clinton said in an interview recorded earlier for the ABC News program “This Week” when asked about returning Pyongyang to the list.

She suggested that international concern over North Korea had clearly sharpened following its recent nuclear and missile tests. She said that both China and Russia, which had balked earlier, seemed more ready now to increase pressure on North Korea. A strong sanctions resolution against the North would most likely emerge from the U.N. Security Council, backed by both countries, she said.

“What is going somewhere is additional sanctions in the United Nations — arms embargo, other measures taken against North Korea with the full support of China and Russia,” she said. “We think we’re going to come out of this with very strong resolution, with teeth, that will have consequences for the North Korean regime.”

Mrs. Clinton said that the Obama administration was still evaluating reports that the North Korean leader, Kim Jong-Il, had designated his youngest son, Kim Jong-un, as his successor.

And as the administration presses Pyongyang to release two young Americans being held as spies, she said it remained unclear who in North Korea would decide their fate. That uncertainty reflects the opaque nature of the Pyongyang government, particularly as the end of Kim Jong-il’s rule appears to be moving closer.

Regarding the terrorism list, Mrs. Clinton suggested that such an action would not be taken simply out of exasperation with North Korea.

“There’s a process for it,” she said. “Obviously we would want to see recent evidence of their support for international terrorism.” Asked whether such evidence was already in hand, she added: “We’re just beginning to look at it. I don’t have an answer for you right now.”

When the Bush administration removed North Korea from the list in October, it was largely seen as a political move meant to salvage a fragile nuclear deal. The State Department said at the time that the decision had been made after Pyongyang agreed to resume disabling a plutonium plant and to allow inspections to assure that it had halted its nuclear program. “Obviously they were taken off of the list for a purpose, and that purpose is being thwarted by their actions,” Mrs. Clinton said Sunday.

“If we do not take significant and effective action against the North Koreans now,” Mrs. Clinton said, “we’ll spark an arms race in Northeast Asia. I don’t think anybody wants to see that.”

Japan pressed China on Sunday to take a tough stance on North Korea, saying anything but a “strong” U.N. Security Council resolution in response to last month’s nuclear test would send the wrong message, The Associated Press reported from Tokyo.

But China supports a “moderate and balanced” resolution, a Japanese Foreign Ministry official said on condition of anonymity, citing department policy.

Foreign ministers of Japan and China met on the sidelines of high-level talks held Sunday by their economic ministers. Asia’s top two economic powers agreed to strengthen cooperation in trade, technology and other areas.

Ronald Reagan statue unveiled in Capitol Rotunda

Sotomayor a racist? Newt Gingrich takes it back

Newt Gingrich, the former speaker of the House of Representatives who has become a leading conservative critic, today backed away from his comments that Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor was a racist but continued to question whether her philosophy qualified her to become the first Latina on the top court.

Gingrich had joined with conservative radio personality Rush Limbaugh in calling Sotomayor a racist after comments she made in 2001 comparing the judgment of Latinas and white men were widely circulated. Limbaugh today said he would not retract his use of the word, pitting him against a political ally.

In her 2001 speech in California, Sotomayor said: "I would hope that a wise Latina woman with the richness of her experiences would more often than not reach a better conclusion than a white male who hasn't lived that life."

Conservatives seized on the quote to argue that Sotomayor, 54, is an activist liberal judge who would place racial and ethnic characterizations above the law in her decisions. In private meetings with senators, Sotomayor has insisted she would follow the law, not personality, in reaching decisions.

But the remarks became part of the debate over whether she should be elevated from the federal appeals court to the Supreme Court. Led by Gingrich and Limbaugh, conservatives called Sotomayor a racist.

In a letter to supporters and a posting on his website, Gingrich said the use of the word “racist should not have been applied to Judge Sotomayor as a person, even if her words themselves are unacceptable."

"My initial reaction was strong and direct -- perhaps too strong and too direct," Gingrich said today. "The sentiment struck me as racist and I said so. Since then, some who want to have an open and honest consideration of Judge Sotomayor's fitness to serve on the nation's highest court have been critical of my word choice."

But Gingrich's change of heart did not sway Limbaugh on his radio program today.

"I'm not retracting it," Limbaugh said. "Nobody's refuted it.

"Now they may say 'Don't say it, Rush. Dial it back a little bit.' But nobody's saying I'm wrong. Nobody's saying I'm making it up. I mean, when she says that she'd do a better job than a white guy, what is it? It's racism. It's reverse racism, whatever, but it's still racism. She would bring a form of racism, bigotry to the court," Limbaugh said.

The use of the word "racist" rankled some Senate Republicans. Alabama Sen. Jeff Sessions, the ranking minority member of the Judiciary Committee, said Republicans wanted a fair hearing and cordial airing of Sotomayor's views.

In television interviews today, Sessions said he was "very glad" that Gingrich had decided to step back from the term. "I think that will help us have a real good discussion about the serious issues that the nation faces and that the court faces," Sessions said.

But Sessions added he was still concerned about Sotomayor's past statement because it raised questions. "It's inevitable that your personal views would affect your decision-making," Sessions said. "And to me, that's directly contrary to our great history of blind justice in America."

Sotomayor today had her second day of meetings with top senators in preparation for hearings on her nomination to replace Justice David H. Souter, who is retiring.

Sotomayor hits Hill again as GOP's race rhetoric cools

Judge Sonia Sotomayor continued making the rounds on Capitol Hill Wednesday, meeting several additional U.S. senators who will help decide whether she becomes the country's first Hispanic Supreme Court justice.

At the same time, one leading Republican backed away from earlier heated criticism of Sotomayor in which he labeled her a racist. The shift appeared to reflect an ongoing debate within the GOP on how best to critique Sotomayor without alienating women or Hispanic voters.

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich said he initially reacted too strongly after reading a 2001 speech by Sotomayor in which she said she "would hope that a wise Latina woman, with the richness of her experiences, would more often than not reach a better conclusion than a white male who hasn't lived that life."

Gingrich wrote last week on Twitter that Sotomayor's remarks were racist and that she should therefore be forced to withdraw as President Obama's nominee.

"New racism is no better than old racism," Gingrich wrote. "White man racist nominee would be forced to withdraw. Latina woman racist should also withdraw."

On Wednesday, however, Gingrich released a lengthy op-ed that seemed to back away from his initial response.

My initial reaction was strong and direct -- perhaps too strong and too direct," Gingrich wrote in the conservative publication Human Events.

"The sentiment struck me as racist and I said so. Since then, some who want to have an open and honest consideration of Judge Sotomayor's fitness to serve on the nation's highest court have been critical of my word choice."

Gingrich added that "the word 'racist' should not have been applied to Judge Sotomayor as a person, even if her words themselves are unacceptable."

Gingrich's change in sentiment was immediately praised by Alabama Sen. Jeff Sessions, the ranking Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee.

"I'm very glad he backed off," Sessions told CNN.

"I think that will help us have a real good discussion about the serious issues that the nation faces and the court faces."

Sessions added that he has "been troubled as I looked at her record as to whether or not she's an activist ... (but) I just haven't felt that it's appropriate to make those kind of strong statements about her."

Other leading conservatives have also reacted harshly to Sotomayor's record. Popular radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh labeled her a "reverse racist," and former Colorado Rep. Tom Tancredo asserted that her association with the Hispanic group La Raza was the equivalent of a membership in the Ku Klux Klan.

Some political analysts have warned that the Republicans are risking putting themselves on trial in front of Latino-Americans.

"If they line up uniformly in hostility against the first Hispanic woman (nominated) to the court, they risk paying a terrible price with the biggest and fastest growing minority in this country," CNN political analyst David Gergen said.

On Tuesday, leading Senate Democrats tried to quell the controversy over Sotomayor's Latina remarks. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-California, said the judge told her the remarks were a "poor choice of words."

Senate Judiciary Committee chairman Patrick Leahy, D-Vermont, said Sotomayor told him that "of course one's life experience shapes who you are, but ultimately and completely ... as a judge you follow the law. There's not one law for one race or another. There's not one law for one color or another. There's not one law for rich, a different one for poor. There's only one law."

Leahy also ripped Sotomayor's critics for launching "the most vicious (attacks) I've ever seen."

He said the Judiciary Committee's confirmation hearings would not begin until after June, but "with the attacks that have been going on against her, I believe it'd be irresponsible to leave her hanging out there."

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nevada, was noncommittal when asked about a timetable, saying only that "we're going to do this as quickly as we can (but) won't set any arbitrary deadlines."

Obama has called for his nominee to be confirmed before the start of the next Supreme Court term in October.

Sotomayor is slated to spend her second day on Capitol Hill meeting with 10 additional senators including Sens. Judd Gregg, R-New Hampshire; Barbara Mikulski, D-Maryland; Olympia Snowe, R-Maine; Herb Kohl, D-Wisconsin; Sheldon Whitehouse, D-Rhode Island; and Ron Wyden, D-Oregon.

She also is expected to meet with Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, who has called on her to apologize for her Latina comment. Graham recently called the comment "troubling and inappropriate."

"She's going to have to convince me that if I found myself in court against someone she had a lot of empathy for, that I'd get a fair shake," Graham said. "If she can't, I won't vote for her."

Muslims in London Have Great Expectations for Obama Speech

Minn. governor won't seek third term

Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty won't seek a third term, GOP officials said Tuesday ahead of the expected announcement that will fuel speculation of a 2012 presidential run by the Republican.

The officials, who spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity as the governor's afternoon news conference was pending, said Pawlenty won't rule anything in or out about his political future.

A conservative with blue-collar roots, Pawlenty, 48, has been considered a likely White House candidate for months and people close to him now say they expect him to seek the Republican presidential nomination.

Pawlenty's success as a conservative elected twice in left-leaning Minnesota marked him in national GOP circles as a young politician to watch. He gave his political profile a boost in 2008 when he endorsed John McCain early on, then campaigned for the nominee around the country and in many national media interviews.

That work earned him a spot last summer among the top prospects to be McCain's running mate. Pawlenty was seen as one of two or three finalists right up until the moment McCain upended the campaign by choosing Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin.

The lawyer and native of South St. Paul started in politics on the local level, serving on the Eagan City Council before his election to the state House where he went on to serve as majority leader. Pawlenty was little-known statewide when he first ran for governor in 2002, but managed to win against a veteran Democratic legislator and a prominent former congressman running for a third party.

As governor, Pawlenty has taken a conservative's stance on taxes, most recently holding firm against attempts by legislative Democrats to increase some taxes to fill in a massive state budget deficit. Failing to reach a compromise with Democrats, Pawlenty instead invoked executive powers that allow him to trim state spending without legislative input.

Pawlenty strayed from his tax orthodoxy just once, when in 2005 he proposed and helped pass a 75-cent-a-pack "health impact fee" on cigarettes that critics said was just a creatively named tax.

Pawlenty has followed traditionally conservative stances on most social issues, favoring freer access to guns and opposing abortion and legal partnership rights for gay couples. But he's broken from party orthodoxy on a few issues, speaking out in favor of importing prescription drugs from Canada and promoting pro-environmental business initiatives.

Obama: U.S. to take ‘hands-off approach’ to GM

President Barack Obama said Monday that U.S. taxpayers are “acting as reluctant shareholders” in General Motors because that is the only way to help the auto maker survive.

The federal government plans to invest another $30 billion in GM, which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization earlier in the day. This means the government will own 60 percent of the company once it emerges from bankruptcy, Obama said.

“This may give some Americans pause,” the president acknowledged, but it was a better alternative than making more loans to a company that has been “buried under a mountain of debt” for years.

The president said he has “no interest” in running GM.

“The federal government will refrain from exercising its rights as a shareholder in all but the most fundamental corporate decisions,” Obama said. “When a difficult decision has to be made on matters like where to open a new plant or what type of new car to make, the new GM, not the United States government, will make that decision.

“In short, our goal is to get GM back on its feet, take a hands-off approach, and get out quickly,” he said.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce hopes that will be the case, but it plans to “carefully monitor” the decisions made by GM and Chrysler, which is emerging from its own government-guided bankruptcy reorganization.

“We will expose and fight any counterproductive influence by government, unions or politicians over decisions that should be left to management,” said U.S. Chamber President and CEO Tom Donohue. “And we will continually insist that government reduce and eliminate its ownership stake as soon as possible.”

Too much government interference will hurt the auto maker’s chances of returning to profitability, Donohue said.

“The global talent that exists in the automotive sector must be allowed to do its job and be paid on a competitive basis,” he said. “Management must be permitted to make tough decisions in a competitive global market without political interference.”

House Minority Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio, said GM’s bankruptcy filing “may buy some time,” but it doesn’t ensure the company will succeed.

“The only thing it makes clear is that the government is firmly in the business of running companies using taxpayer dollars,” Boehner said. “Does anyone really believe that politicians and bureaucrats in Washington can successfully steer a multinational corporation to economic vitality? It’s time for the administration to fully explain what the exit strategy is to get the U.S. government out of the board room once and for all.”