Free Republic

SACRAMENTO -- -- Insurance companies could no longer cancel with impunity the health coverage of sick people under a measure passed Sunday in the last hour of the Legislature's session. Lawmakers also moved to require that chain restaurants tell patrons the calorie content of their food; restrict unscrupulous practices by mortgage lenders; launch state review of chemicals; ban the sale of recalled products; and give college financial assistance to illegal immigrants. The Legislature finished its work on bills Sunday, but because lawmakers have yet to agree to a budget -- it is 63 days overdue -- they will return next...

PARIS (AFP) – The Dalai Lama accused China on Wednesday of pursuing a crackdown in Tibet in spite of the Olympic Games, French lawmakers said following talks with the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader. Asked during a private meeting at the Paris Senate whether China was respecting the "Olympic truce", the Dalai Lama's "answer was very clear: no," said former French justice minister Robert Badinter. "While the Games are taking place, the oppression of the Tibetan people and repression continue," said the opposition lawmaker, who oversaw the abolition of the death penalty in France. The 73-year-old Buddhist leader, who arrived on...

The state's looming budget cuts have some legislators eyeing a multibillion-dollar pot of money that for years has built playgrounds, fixed tiny teeth, provided preschool for poor kids, funded craft workshops and doled out books and other freebies in Riverside and San Bernardino counties. Supporters of the state's First 5 program say it provides essential health care, education and child care services for infants, toddlers and their parents. But some legislators question the program's spending decisions and oversight. They say First 5 money -- estimated at $580 million a year and $2.4 billion in reserve accounts -- would be better...

When Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger proclaimed a statewide drought in June and then urged passage of a $9.3 billion water bond, Democrats and environmental critics became suspicious. They still are. “Last year we did have record low rainfall, but whether or not there is a drought is somewhat debatable,” said the Sierra Club’s Jim Metropulos. “The governor calling it a drought--that carries no legal significance. It’s interesting he calls for a drought, and couple of weeks later, he calls for a water bond.” The Republican governor proposes a $9.3 billion dollar water bond for the November ballot, arguing that passage of...

WASHINGTON (AFP) - US lawmakers Wednesday accused China of reneging on a commitment to improve human rights when it won the right to host the Olympics, saying it had instead intensified a crackdown on dissent. "There were early indications that China was prepared to improve its behavior as the games approached," said Howard Berman, the Democratic head of the House of Representatives foreign affairs panel. But "the hope was short-lived, as China failed to honor these commitments," he said, citing as examples Beijing's "failed" pledges to allow greater press freedoms and improve its general human rights situation. Reporters Without Borders...

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The head of the U.S. House of Representatives Financial Services Committee on Thursday said Congress should examine Countrywide Financial Corp's mortgage loans to Democratic Sens. Christopher Dodd and Kent Conrad. "My view is that these allegations should be considered by the appropriate bodies, and I understand that the Senate Ethics Committee has already begun to look into the matter," Rep. Barney Frank, a Massachusetts Democrat, said in a statement.

WASHINGTON – House leaders are doing well financially during this economic slump. Their lucrative investments and, in many cases, well-compensated spouses supplement their House salaries. Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., one of the wealthiest members of Congress, and her real estate-magnate husband Paul Pelosi spent between $1 million and $5 million to buy the home they'd been living in on San Francisco's Broadway. They also own a vineyard in St. Helena, Calif., worth between $5 million and $25 million and a town house in Norden, Calif., valued between $1 million and $5 million, according to annual financial disclosures released Monday. The...

WASHINGTON (AFP) - Countrywide Financial, the largest mortgage lender at the center of the US housing crisis, regularly gave loans on favorable terms to prominent lawmakers and former cabinet members, according to US media. The preferential treatment for senators including Democrat Chris Dodd, chairman of the Senate Banking Committee and a recent presidential candidate, was approved by Angelo Mozilo, chief executive of Countrywide Financial, the Washington Post reported on Saturday. CondeNast Portfolio magazine first broke the story on Wednesday, saying the recipients of the favorable terms were known as "Friends of Angelo" in internal company documents and e-mails. "Make an...

From an e-mail I received, a good time to put pressure on your elected representatives: Ask your senators and congressmen: 1. China is drilling for oil 60 miles off our coast, why aren't we? 2. Who do you trust more to drill 60 miles from our coast, China or a U.S. company? 3. If President Clinton hadn't vetoed drilling in a very small (.01%) are of the Alaska wildlife area (ANWR) we would be producing 1,000,000 barrels of oil per day. Why aren't we? 4. Why are you supporting a windfall profit tax on oil companies which would just be...

WASHINGTON (AP) - Two House members said Wednesday their Capitol Hill computers, containing information about political dissidents from around the world, have been hacked by sources apparently working out of China. Virginia Rep. Frank Wolf says four of his computers were hacked. New Jersey Rep. Chris Smith says two of his computers were compromised in December 2006 and March 2007. The two lawmakers are longtime critics of China's record on human rights. In an interview Wednesday, Wolf said the hacking of computers in his Capitol Hill office began in August 2006. He says a computer at a House committee office...

Salaries of California lawmakers and top elected officials should be cut to share the pain of a massive budget deficit, the head of the state's independent salary commission has concluded. Charles Murray said Friday that he plans to propose a cut of perhaps 10 percent when the California Citizens Compensation Commission meets Tuesday in Sacramento City Hall. "It's across-the-board for everybody under our power – from the governor on down," Murray said. If approved by the seven-member commission, a 10 percent cut would slice annual pay by amounts ranging from about $21,000 for the governor to $11,600 for legislators. Because...

BAGHDAD - Lawmakers loyal to anti-U.S. cleric Muqtada al-Sadr accused the Iraqi government of trying to crush the movement and warned Saturday of "black clouds" on the horizon for truces that have eased fighting between al-Sadr's militia and security forces. The Sadrist Movement has heightened its rhetoric against the government in recent days, raising concerns over the cease-fires in the southern city of Basra and Baghdad's Sadr City district, the stronghold of al-Sadr's Mahdi Army militia. Still, the lawmakers and other al-Sadr officials said they are adhering to the truces. The cease-fires are crucial to Iraqi security forces' sweeps in...

California Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez is leading a delegation of lawmakers to Mexico, a week before he gives up his leadership post. The Los Angeles Democrat was invited by Mexican President Felipe Calderon. Nunez described the four-day trip as a working visit to strengthen ties with California's most important trading partner. He is scheduled to meet with Calderon, business leaders and Mexico's top education and health officials. Last year, Nunez was criticized for spending about $70,000 from his campaign account to pay for luxury goods and meals at high-end restaurants while traveling abroad. He told reporters during a news conference...

WASHINGTON - Members of Congress have as much as $196 million collectively invested in companies doing business with the Defense Department, earning millions since the onset of the Iraq war, according to a study by a nonpartisan research group. The review of lawmakers' 2006 financial disclosure statements, by the Washington-based Center for Responsive Politics, suggests that members' holdings could pose a conflict of interest as they decide the fate of Iraq war spending. Several members earning money from these contractors have plum committee or leadership assignments, including Democratic Sen. John Kerry, independent Sen. Joseph Lieberman and House Republican Whip Roy...

CARACAS, Venezuela - Venezuela's National Assembly opened an investigation Wednesday into a congressman's accusations that two of President Hugo Chavez's brothers acquired 17 ranches in recent years — if true a potential stain on the image of Chavez's socialist movement. Lawmaker Wilmer Azuaje detailed his allegations in a closed-door committee session, presenting documents that he says show how an assortment of ranch lands were obtained by Chavez's brothers Argenis and Narciso. Azuaje said afterward that he asked the congressional audit commission to visit the haciendas for an inspection and to summon those who sold the properties for questioning. Azuaje, of...

WASHINGTON - Democratic lawmakers are questioning a Bush administration plan to eliminate requirements for farms to disclose air pollution from animal waste. Currently farms must report to federal, state and local officials when emissions of hazardous substances like ammonia and hydrogen sulfide exceed certain levels. In a little-noticed proposed rule change published in the Federal Register on Dec. 28, when Congress was on its winter recess, the Environmental Protection Agency proposed eliminating the reporting requirement. EPA argued that the requirement created an unnecessary burden for farms and that the emission release reports weren't acted on at the federal level, anyway....

Eight California lawmakers are traveling overseas this week to study high-speed rail systems and other matters as the Legislature takes an 11-day spring break. Assembly members Charles Calderon, D-Whittier, Mary Hayashi, D-Hayward, Jared Huffman, D-San Rafael, and Roger Niello, R-Fair Oaks, are on a trip to Spain sponsored by the California Foundation on the Environment and the Economy. Sen. Jim Battin, R-Palm Desert, and Assembly members Anthony Adams, R-Hesperia, Bonnie Garcia, R-Cathedral City, and Fiona Ma, D-San Francisco, are part of a delegation visiting Japan. One reason for the trips is to study the development of high-speed rail systems in...

BAGHDAD - Parliament cleared the way Wednesday for provincial elections this year that could give Sunnis a stronger voice and usher in vast changes to Iraq's power structure. The new law — which set the vote for Oct. 1 — is one of the most sweeping reforms pushed by the Bush administration and signals that Iraq's politicians finally, if grudgingly, may be ready for small steps toward reconciliation. Passage of benchmark reforms on healing the country's sectarian and ethnic rifts — along with a reduction in violence — were the primary goals of the 30,000-strong U.S. troop increase that President...

When armed carjackers last month relieved state Senate Pro Tem Don Perata of his state-owned vehicle, it raised two eyebrows -- one for the brash daylight crime on a North Oakland street, the other for the flash of Perata's ride. While more lawmakers are going hybrid-green, the Capitol's most powerful Democrat was rolling candy-apple red in a $38,600 Dodge Charger with 22-inch rims, yo. Turns out Perata, D-Oakland, was far from alone among state lawmakers -- and not even in the top 10 -- in his taste for gas-slurping automotive luxury at mostly taxpayer expense. More than half the senators...

WASHINGTON - Two U.S. lawmakers scheduled to meet Thursday with former Pakastani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto and President Pervez Musharraf were advised to leave the country after Bhutto's assassination. Sen. Arlen Specter, R-Pa., said in a telephone interview from his Islamabad hotel room that he and Rep. Patrick Kennedy, D-R.I., were to dine with Musharraf and meet later in the night with Bhutto. He said he heard about the attack on Bhutto as he was dressing for the dinner with Musharraf. "Our foreign policy had relied on her presence as a stabilizing force," Specter said, emotionally describing her death as...

AUSTIN -- House Speaker Tom Craddick has asked lawmakers to review the Texas Department of Transportation's multimillion-dollar ad campaign promoting toll roads and the Trans-Texas Corridor. Craddick, R-Midland, included a review of the Keep Texas Moving campaign on a list of topics that the House State Affairs Committee will study leading up to the 2009 legislative session. Craddick also asked the Appropriations Committee to review transportation spending over the past five years and study alternatives for funding future transportation needs. The transportation matters were among the "interim charges" that Craddick assigned last week. Other matters to be reviewed in advance...

DES MOINES, Iowa - Republican presidential candidate Fred Thompson is endorsing a tough immigration measure being pushed by Iowa Congressman Steve King. Under King's measure, businesses would not get a tax deduction for wages paid to an illegal immigrant. King says Thompson's endorsement means he understands that Internal Revenue Service regulations can be as important as Homeland Security procedures in enforcing immigration laws. King, who represents western Iowa's 5th District, has been a vocal critic of the nation's immigration policies. The issue is an important one in the contest for the Republican presidential nomination, and King's call for tougher laws...

AUSTIN — Two state lawmakers are requesting formal inquiries into whether the Texas Department of Transportation is improperly spending money on advertising. Sen. Dan Patrick, R-Houston, and Rep. Ken Paxton, R-McKinney, question whether an estimated $7 million to $9 million TxDOT is spending on its "Keep Texas Moving" campaign is a proper use of resources. The lawmakers have asked Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst and House Speaker Tom Craddick look into the matter. Paxton said he is concerned that the transportation department is spending the money to argue its case before the public in response to lawmakers' questions about projects such...

That Southern charm may soften the appearance of the actor-senator’s hardened conservative views. Last month brough the moment in the presidential campaign I’d been dreading. The popular conservative from my home state, fellow Tennessean Fred Thompson, entered the Republican primary. The pundits and “insiders” have dismissed the actor and former senator even before he declared his candidacy on late-night TV. Some claim he’s a Hollywood lightweight, but I’ve heard that before (Ronald Reagan). Some dismiss him as a Southern simpleton, but I’ve heard that before (George W. Bush). And I’ve even heard some claim he has a wealth of sexual...

Department of Corrections: $2.078 billion in gross spending, compared to $1.940 billion enacted the previous year. Department of Labor and Economic Growth: $1.301 billion, compared to $1.231 billion enacted the previous year. Higher Education: $1.896 billion, compared to $1.787 billion enacted the previous year. Department of Community Health: $12.048 billion, compared to $11.196 billion enacted the previous year. Department of Human Services (Welfare): $4.588 billion — an increase of more than $80 million, plus 171 new employees.

Rep. Buck McKeon (R-Calif.) woke up at 2:30 on Tuesday morning to see the hillside behind his house glowing with fire and flames shooting as high as 50 feet in the air. He then watched as the fire ran to the top of the ridge of the hill and raced back down the other side. McKeon, who returned to Washington on Tuesday afternoon, said in a phone interview that 25 structures had been destroyed and maybe 15,000 people evacuated from his district. According to Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger reported late Tuesday that 750 homes had been totally...

Sunday, 30 Sep 2007, 7:27 PM EDT LANSING, Mich. (AP) -- The hours ticked away Sunday as lawmakers struggled to reach a budget deal that would avert a partial shutdown of state government and the worst budget debacle since the payless paydays of 1959. The state House was stalled trying to put up the votes needed to change the way some teacher and state worker health benefits are handled. It had failed earlier Sunday afternoon to pass a measure that would place the state's 6 percent sales tax on a wide range of services, clearing the voting board without the...

A lawmaker said Tuesday he will press the government for the release of a black teenager held in the "Jena 6" case that spurred one of the biggest civil-rights demonstrations in years. Other activists said they planned more protests if the teen is not immediately pardoned. "Our first responsibility is to get young Mychal Bell out of prison," said Rep. John Conyers, the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, who said he will pressure the Justice Department to take a hard look at "the miscarriages of justice that have occurred in Jena, Louisiana." Conyers spoke after he and several other...

FORT HUACHUCA — If some Army captains had their say, senior military officers would not be put in the position of having to testify before congressional committees, as Gen. David Petraeus did Monday and Tuesday before the House of Representatives and the Senate. After watching the general, commander of the Multi-National Force-Iraq, and U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Ryan C. Crocker testify before the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee on Tuesday, the consensus of the 16 captains attending the career course at the Intelligence Center at this Southern Arizona Army post was that the senators were talking and not wanting to...

And now for a message on global warming from your Georgia Legislature: Don't sweat it.

Members of Congress recently under scrutiny by federal authorities: ___ Senate Republicans: _Ted Stevens of Alaska, sixth term. Stevens is under a federal investigation for his relationship with Bill Allen, an oil field services contractor who was convicted this year of bribing state lawmakers. Agents from the FBI and Internal Revenue Service searched the senator's Alaska home on Monday. ___ House Republicans: _Don Young of Alaska, 18th term. Young is under federal investigation as part of an ongoing corruption probe, according to a federal law enforcement official. Part of the Young investigation involves his campaign finance practices. _John Doolittle of...

Legislative leaders on Thursday rushed to close a deal on the state's $140 billion spending plan before lawmakers' summer recess, which is supposed to begin Friday. While a final deal remained elusive, lawmakers met throughout the day and Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez, D-Los Angeles, called a floor session for 8:15 p.m. He was scheduled to brief Assembly Democrats on the status of budget negotiations immediately before the session. Senate President Pro Tem Don Perata, D-Oakland, scheduled a floor session for Friday night, and aides in his office said they did not expect a breakthrough Thursday. The four legislative leaders have...

SACRAMENTO -- A state Senate hearing not only confirmed Wednesday that the governor's administration purchased a fleet of alternative fuel vehicles that have yet to burn anything but gasoline, but lawmakers also suggested that the vehicles were purchased to benefit a specific automaker that has a cozy relationship with Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger: General Motors. Auto manufacturers and state officials confirmed that the contract specifications for the fleet purchases were dramatically changed two years ago in such a way that only GM cars met the requirements. "What they did was create a sole source contract," said Sen. Dean Florez, D-Bakersfield, who...

WASHINGTON - Republican and Democratic congressional leaders both forecast a change in President Bush's Iraq war policy as the president prepared to sign legislation Friday providing funds for military operations through Sept. 30. "I think the president's policy is going to begin to unravel now," said House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (news, bio, voting record), who described the just-passed measure as a disappointment because it did not force an end to U.S. participation in the conflict. At a separate news conference, Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (news, bio, voting record) predicted a change, and said Bush would show the way. "I...

CRAWFORD, Texas (Reuters) - U.S. President George W. Bush on Saturday acknowledged lawmakers' doubts about a U.S. immigration proposal, but argued it will help resolve the status of 12 million illegal immigrants in the United States. With the proposal taking fire from both Republicans and Democrats, the Senate is expected to begin debate on immigration next week. Bush used his weekly radio address to open what is likely to be an intense effort to persuade Americans to support the plan as the answer to long-simmering U.S. immigration problems. "It will help us resolve the status of millions of illegal immigrants...

WASHINGTON - Republican and Democratic senators huddled Thursday trying to close in on an immigration compromise to grant quick legal status to millions of undocumented immigrants while fortifying U.S. borders against new ones. A group of lawmakers that has been haggling over the terms of agreement for weeks were reviewing language negotiated Wednesday night to determine if there is a "deal or no deal." But two of the lead negotiators, Sens. Edward M. Kennedy, D-Mass., and Lindsey Graham (news, bio, voting record), R-S.C., booked time for Thursday afternoon in the Senate's radio-TV gallery for an announcement. Kennedy earlier described Thursday...

HARTFORD — Legislative advocates for expanded gay rights withdrew a pending bill Friday that would have provided marriage rights for same-sex couples. The decision came in the afternoon, when lawmakers realized that while the bill might pass the Senate, there weren't enough votes in the House and Gov. M. Jodi Rell promised to veto it. The bill will die on the House calendar. On Monday, the state Supreme Court hears a challenge from gay-rights groups to the 2005 civil union law that provides civil-rights protections for same-sex couples. "We obviously asked leadership not to call the bill," said Rep. Michael...

WASHINGTON, May 11, 2007 – Legislators serving in the Iraqi Council of Representatives have accomplished much in the body’s first year of existence, but additional important and difficult decisions still need to be made, according to a Multinational Force Iraq statement. “The council’s most important work lies ahead of it,” officials said in a statement the command released yesterday. Army Gen. David H. Petraeus, who took command of the Baghdad-based command on Feb. 10, is the architect of the current surge of U.S. and Iraq forces into Baghdad and parts of western Iraq to tamp down insurgent violence and...

SACRAMENTO, Calif. - Legislators hoping to avoid a federal takeover of California's overcrowded prisons approved a $7.3 billion plan on Thursday to add beds and beef up rehabilitation programs. The bill, negotiated by Democratic and Republican leaders, passed unanimously in the Assembly but barely got the required two-thirds majority in the Senate with a 27-10 vote. The plan, which now goes to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, would add 53,000 beds for inmates, including 13,000 at county jails. It would also boost rehabilitation programs, including education and job training, and let the governor continue to transfer thousands of inmates out of state....

CONCORD, N.H. - New Hampshire lawmakers voted Thursday to authorize civil unions and sent the measure to Gov. John Lynch, who announced last week that he would sign it. "This legislation is a matter of conscience, fairness and of preventing discrimination," said Colin Manning, a spokesman for the Democratic governor. "It is in keeping with New Hampshire's proud tradition of preventing discrimination." Three other states already offer civil unions for gay couples: New Jersey, Connecticut and Vermont. Neighboring Massachusetts in 2004 became the only state to allow gay marriage. Unlike other states, there was no active court challenge to push...

Racing a court-imposed deadline, California's top legislative leaders on Wednesday said they had reached a wide-ranging, $6.1 billion deal to ease severe overcrowding in the nation's largest state prison system. The agreement adds 53,000 beds, requires improvements to rehabilitation programs and allows Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to continue his strategy of transferring thousands of inmates out of state. "The Legislature does not want a court takeover of the system ... but we will not blindly give a blank check and throw good money after bad," Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez and Senate President Pro Tem Don Perata said in letter to the...

After months of buildup, lawmakers may finally begin the debate this week on how to provide health coverage to an estimated 6.5 million uninsured Californians. Californians could learn more about the potential costs and details of Democratic leaders' competing bills, which are the most likely vehicles if major changes are to be enacted this year. But among all the weighty issues, the basic debate could come down to how much health coverage a person really needs. At the very least, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger -- whose own sweeping proposal has yet to be written into any bill -- would like to...

MADISON, Wis. — Beer lovers of Wisconsin, rejoice! You're a step closer to getting a free half-can of suds. Both chambers of the Legislature unanimously gave key approval Tuesday to allow grocery and liquor stores to hand out beer samples up to 6 ounces to a person of legal drinking age. "It's a good bill. It's a Wisconsin bill. It's a beer bill," said Republican Rep. Scott Newcomer one of the measure's main sponsors.

WASHINGTON -- The Democratic leaders of California's state legislature told congressional lawmakers Thursday that the nation should follow California's lead in acting to curb global warming emissions. "This wasn't easy to do in California, it was tough," Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez, D-Los Angeles, testified before a Senate committee hearing, saying Congress shouldn't wait for other countries to act. "If we wait for them to act and don't play a central role at the global level, as a nation there's a lot to lose," said Nunez. Nunez and state Senate President Pro Tem Don Perata appeared before a hearing of the...

California politicians say they want an early presidential primary so the nation's most populous state can play a greater role in the nominating contest. But it's an open secret here that what they really want is to keep their jobs a little longer. The early election, which could scramble the dynamics of the presidential race, is the fulcrum of a complicated deal between Democratic leaders and Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger that has nothing to do with presidential politics and everything to do with term limits on state lawmakers. Moving California's presidential primary from June to February next year would give...

Two campaign consultants with close ties to the Legislature and governor proposed a ballot initiative Thursday that would modify California's term limits and give some current lawmakers a shot at an additional four to six years in office. The measure, which supporters hope to put on the ballot in February, would let lawmakers serve up to 12 years, spending all their time in one house or splitting it between the two chambers. State law now limits lawmakers to six years in the Assembly and eight in the Senate. They can serve a total of 14 years with stints in both...

California lawmakers are poised to vote on legislation to counter a U.S. Supreme Court ruling invalidating the state's criminal sentencing law. Senate Majority Leader Gloria Romero, the proposal's chief architect, said SB40 is set to go before the state Senate on Tuesday. Her announcement Thursday came a day after the California Supreme Court also weighed into the dispute and urged lawmakers to respond to the Jan. 22 decision by the U.S. Supreme Court. At issue is a California law that currently demands that judges "shall" sentence inmates to the middle of three options unless factors, many that did not go...

Assembly Democrats convened this week for their annual policy retreat, choosing a luxury resort renowned for its world-class golf course in the heart of California's wine country. Republicans, meanwhile, are holding their annual policy retreat in more modest accommodations in a former Sierra Gold Rush town in Calaveras County. The Murphys Suites charges $95 a night and boasts a coin-operated laundry and a microwave in every room. Despite the differences in the locations this year, the annual caucus retreats regularly lead to questions about how they are funded and whether corporations and the wealthy are buying influence with state lawmakers....

WASHINGTON - Congressional leaders displayed eroding patience in the Iraqi government on Sunday, adding pressure on President Bush and Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki to find a faster path to peace when they meet this week. "It is not too late. The United States can still extricate itself honorably from an impending disaster in Iraq," Republican Sen. Chuck Hagel (news, bio, voting record) of Nebraska, a potential presidential contender in 2008, said in urging for a planned withdrawal of U.S. troops. "If the president fails to build a bipartisan foundation for an exit strategy, America will pay a high price...

WASHINGTON - More than 70 House lawmakers are urging the human rights group Amnesty International to reject a proposal that would end its neutral position on abortion and instead support the termination of pregnancies when women are victims of rape or other violence. "To in any way condone or support abortion, which many of your supporters believe is actually a human rights abuse, would significantly undermine Amnesty's reputation and effectiveness," 74 lawmakers, including Republican leader John Boehner of Ohio wrote in a letter to Amnesty International USA Executive Director Larry Cox. Rep. Chris Smith, R-N.J., an opponent of abortion who...