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CHICAGO – Citing an "economic crisis of historic proportions," President-elect Barack Obama urged Congress to pass a costly, job-creating stimulus bill as quickly as possible, a rare pre-inaugural call to action delivered as the outgoing Bush administration approved fresh billions to bail out one of the nation's largest banks. Stock prices surged — the biggest two-day percentage gain for the Dow Jones industrials in 21 years — as investors took heart Monday from the actions and words of the incoming and departing chief executives. "If we do not act swiftly and boldly, most experts now believe that we could lose...

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.

CARACAS, Venezuela - Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez urged Colombian rebels on Sunday to lay down their weapons, unilaterally free dozens of hostages and put an end to a decades-long armed struggle against Colombia's government. Chavez sent the uncharacteristically strong message to the leaders of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, saying their ongoing efforts to overthrow Colombia's democratically elected government were unjustified. "The guerrilla war is history," said Chavez, speaking during his weekly television and radio program, "Hello President." "At this moment in Latin America, an armed guerrilla movement is out of place." Such declarations were unexpected from...

Arizona Sen. John McCain faced withering criticism from conservatives in Republican presidential primaries for backing a guest worker program and a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants. But Thursday, McCain, the presumptive GOP nominee, joined Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger in calling for an immigration plan including visas to bring employees to California's Silicon Valley and the state's agricultural fields. McCain's broad immigration pitch – coming at a global competitiveness roundtable of California technology executives – stood out from a far more cautious tone he had adopted earlier in the primary season.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is warning the state's Republican party to move toward the political center or risk losing voter support. Schwarzenegger is speaking Friday night at a state party convention in Indian Wells near Palm Springs. According to excerpts released in advance of his speech, Schwarzenegger says the party has lost the political middle and "will not regain true political power in California" until the GOP gets it back. He argues the party must tackle issues with broad public appeal, like climate change and building highways, railroads and tunnels.

Republican presidential candidate John McCain on Tuesday urged Congress to adopt a sweeping overhaul of the nation's immigration laws and challenged critics to offer a better alternative. The Arizona senator criticized his leading rivals, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, when a reporter asked about their opposition to a Senate compromise brokered earlier this month. "Anyone who says we shouldn't pass this legislation, I would ask for their proposal," McCain said. "I have not heard their recommendation." McCain said the U.S. cannot afford to continue allowing an estimated 12 million people to live in...

VENICE, Italy - Pieces of information gathered about airline passengers arriving in the United States can be crucial when least expected to preventing terror attacks, Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff said Saturday as he pushed for a deal with European countries on sharing data. European government are trying to ensure the deal will not violate their strict privacy laws, a legacy of the continent's history with authoritarian regimes. "I think the value of this data perhaps is not widely understood. You can't have an informed discussion on how to handle it unless you know what it is that it provides,"...

UNITED NATIONS - Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon formally endorsed a radical streamlining of United Nations operations Monday, delivering a report to the General Assembly that urges the elimination of unnecessary bureaucracy. The sprawling U.N. system contains 16 specialized agencies, 14 funds and programs, and 17 departments and offices, leading to costly duplication and competition for resources. A high-level panel recommended a series of reforms in November including the consolidation of different programs — as many two dozen separate operations in some countries — into one U.N. operation per country, with one budget, one leader and one common office if possible. Ban...

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon urged the world body on Thursday to create a single agency to empower women and girls and fight for their rights. In an address to mark International Women's Day, Ban said the 192-member United Nations should take the lead in the global battle with a fully funded new agency that combines the work currently done by three different U.N. bodies. "Such a new body should be able to call on all of the U.N. system's resources in the work to empower women and realize gender equality worldwide," Ban said. "It should mobilize...

WASHINGTON, Feb. 27, 2007 – Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates called on Congress to quickly act on the fiscal 2007 supplemental request to fund ongoing operations in the war on terror. Gates, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Marine Gen. Peter Pace, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, testified before the Senate Appropriations Committee today. President Bush is asking for $93.4 billion for the Defense Department, and that money is vital, Gates said. “If these additional funds are delayed, the military will be forced to engage in costly and counterproductive reprogramming actions starting this spring, in April,...

DUBUQUE, Iowa - Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards criticized the Bush administration on Sunday for failing to engage directly with Iran to resolve problems with the Iraq war and Iran's effort to develop nuclear weapons. "It's a huge strategic mistake not to be dealing directly with Iran," Edwards told the Associated Press in an interview before a campaign event in Dubuque. "What we should be doing with Iran, both on the Iraq issue and the nuclear issue, is being much smarter than we're being now. We have tools available to us to engage them." America's relationship with Iran emerged as...

BAGHDAD (AFP) - The new Democrat speaker of the US House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi (news, bio, voting record), made a surprise visit to Baghdad where she urged Iraqi leaders to pursue political solutions to end spiraling sectarian violence. But US and Iraqi officials announced tough new tactics to starve sectarian violence of outside support with US forces now targeting Iranian agents in Iraq for capture or killing. Despite US and Iraqi efforts to increase security in the capital, bombers on Friday killed 15 people in Baghdad's famous pet market. Pelosi, 66, the first female Speaker of the House who...

WASHINGTON - House Speaker Dennis Hastert testified in private before ethics investigators Tuesday and then said they should work quickly to find out who knew about Rep. Mark Foley (news, bio, voting record)'s come-ons to congressional pages and what was done about it. Hastert spoke briefly after his closed-door testimony to the House ethics committee that is trying to pin down when he and his staff learned about Foley's actions. "I answered all the questions they asked to the best of my ability," Hastert said after testifying for almost three hours. "I also said that they need to move quickly...

BAGHDAD, Iraq - Iraq's prime minister says Saddam Hussein's execution would help undermine the insurgency as the ex-president's genocide trial heard more testimony Thursday of poison gas attacks on Kurdish villages two decades ago. Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki said he hoped the trial, which began in August, would not last long and "shortly a death sentence will be passed against this criminal tyrant, his aides and the criminals who worked with him." "Definitely, with his execution, those betting on returning to power under the banner of Saddam and the Baath (Party) will lose," al-Maliki told reporters Wednesday in Najaf. Saddam...

WASHINGTON, Sept. 15, 2006 -- The commander of the Army’s 3rd Corps and Fort Hood used the fifth anniversary of the Sept. 11 terror attacks on the United States as an opportunity to remind his troops -- most of whom have played active roles in the global war on terror -- about the importance of their mission in keeping America safe. Soldiers and first responders at Fort Hood, Texas, drape a large flag over the second story balcony in the east atrium of the 3rd Corps Headquarters building during a Sept. 11 ceremony marking the fifth anniversary of the...

TEHRAN (AFP) - Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has renewed calls on Muslims to rally to the defence of the Lebanese Shiite militia Hezbollah in its war against Israel, state television reported. "Today it is the entire Muslim community's duty to defend Hezbollah," Khamenei told a meeting Tuesday to mark the anniversary of the birth of the Shiites' first Imam, Ali. Iran helped to create and arm Hezbollah in 1982 in response to Israel's invasion of Lebanon, and Tehran stands accused by the United States and Israel of fomenting chaos in the region by channelling weapons to the guerrillas....

U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, speaking at a Santa Clara forum Friday, called on members of Congress to end the election-year maneuvering and compromise on their widely different views of immigration reform. During a summer when members of the House and Senate are holding hearings across the country on competing immigration bills, Gonzales has been on the road touting President Bush's immigration reform proposal -- which combines a temporary guest worker program and legal status for the nation's estimated 12 million undocumented immigrants with stepped-up border and workplace enforcement, a plan that resembles the Senate bill. The House bill focuses...

WASHINGTON, July 7, 2006 – North Korean leader Kim Jong Il has the power to set his country on a more productive course by giving up its nuclear and ballistic missile ambitions, President Bush said today during a news conference at Chicago's Museum of Science and Industry. "There's a choice for him to make," Bush said. "He can verifiably get rid of his weapons programs and stop testing rockets, and there's a way forward to help his people. The choice is his to make." North Korea, officially known as the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, is an isolated, repressive...

WASHINGTON, July 2, 2006 – President Bush yesterday urged Americans to find ways to support the nation's servicemembers through the Defense Department's "America Supports You" program. In his weekly radio address, the president noted sacrifices made for freedom throughout the nation's history, and suggested that during this Independence Day weekend, Americans turn to America Supports You to find a way to thank the men and women - and their families - who are making those sacrifices now. "Today, a new generation of American patriots is defending our freedom against determined and ruthless enemies," Bush said. "At this hour, the men...

Possenti Society Blasts Vatican UN Gun Grabbers for 4th of July Insult to American Gun Owners; Urges Church Collection ProtestsContact: John Snyder, 703-212-9863 ARLINGTON, Va., June 29 /Christian Newswire/ -- John Snyder, Founder/Chairman of the St. Gabriel Possenti Society, issued the following statement today: As we approach next week’s 230th commemoration of the signing of our Nation’s Declaration of Independence, we face the reality of three institutional insults to our country’s Fourth of July celebration of freedom. The first insult comes from a United Nations group meeting in New York, taking place now through July 7, to undermine the traditional,...

JUNEAU, Alaska - The Bush administration is pressuring state lawmakers to pass legislation that would advance a proposed multibillion dollar natural gas pipeline. In letters to the Alaska House and Senate, Vice President Dick Cheney urged prompt action during the upcoming special session. "You have it in your hands to help ensure that the Alaska Gas Pipeline ultimately furnishes dependable, affordable, and environmentally sound energy for America's future," Cheney wrote in his letter, dated Tuesday. Adding to the pressure was an announcement Thursday from the federal energy department, which said plans were in place to expedite the federal permitting process...

RAMALLAH, West Bank - President Mahmoud Abbas said he hoped talks between Palestinian factions to begin Sunday would resolve critical disagreements and make his plan to call a referendum recognizing Israel's right to exist unnecessary. The Palestinian government has been internationally isolated and is suffering a crippling economic boycott since the Islamic militant group Hamas won Jan. 25 parliamentary elections. The United States and European Union have demanded Hamas renounce violence and recognize Israel's right to exist if it wants the aid restored. Hamas has refused. In a bold move intended to force Hamas to moderate its position, Abbas, who...

WASHINGTON, May 24, 2006 – A general assigned to the military Joint Staff urged the American public to take time this upcoming weekend to recognize Memorial Day and remember the men and women in uniform who have made the ultimate sacrifice for their country. "I'd ask each of us in our own way, maybe public and maybe private, to take a few moments to remember those who have made the ultimate sacrifice for America and for the oppressed around the world," said Army Brig. Gen. Carter Ham, deputy director of regional operations for the Joint Staff, told reporters at...

WASHINGTON, May 22, 2006 – Veterans Affairs officials today announced the theft of personal information on up to 26.5 million veterans. However, VA Secretary R. James Nicholson stressed there's no indication the information is being used for purposes of fraud. "We at the VA have recently learned that an employee here, a data analyst, took home a considerable amount of electronic data from the VA, which he was not authorized to do," Nicholson said. "His home was burglarized, and this data was stolen." The compromised data includes names, Social Security numbers and birthdates of veterans separating from the military...

Gary McKinnon leaves Bow Street Magistrates' Court yesterday after a judge recommended that he be extradited to the US (DAVID BEBBER) A BRITISH man accused of the biggest military hacking operation yet faces trial in the US after a judge recommended him for extradition yesterday. Gary McKinnon believes that he could be sent to Guantanamo Bay and tried by a military tribunal if his extradition goes ahead. He said that he was “practically already hung and quartered” if US government claims that he would face a federal court in Virginia proved correct. Mr McKinnon, 40, is alleged to have caused...

WASHINGTON, May 9, 2006 – Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld urged Congress today to quickly approve President Bush's 2006 supplemental budget request, telling Pentagon reporters delays will hamper military operations and slow down progress in Iraq. The $72.4 billion supplemental request contains funds for the ongoing military, diplomatic and intelligence operations in the global war on terrorism. It designates $3.7 billion for the Iraqi Security Forces Fund and $2.2 billion for the Afghan Security Forces Fund. Cuts in the request and delays in approving it will hamper what Rumsfeld called "truly significant process in turning over greater responsibility and territory...

HYDERABAD, India (AFP) - The Asian Development Bank (ADB) can boost the fight against climate change by curbing funds for fossil fuel projects and supporting renewable energy, environmental watchdog Greenpeace International says. In a report titled "Irrelevance or Leadership," Greenpeace said if the ADB continued to fund coal-based projects it could fail in its mission to reduce poverty and promote development. "The main cause of climate change is our reliance on fossil fuels -- coal, oil and gas -- to produce energy and the solution is to shift to clean, renewable energy such as biomass, geothermal power plants and wind...

WASHINGTON, April 12, 2006 – It's time for the U.N. Security Council to take action against Iran following its announcement yesterday that it has enriched uranium, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said today. "The Security Council will need to take into consideration this move by Iran and that it will be time when it reconvenes on this case for strong steps to make certain that we maintain the credibility of the international community on this issue," Rice said before a meeting with Equatorial Guinean President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo here. The enrichment of uranium is in direct violation of the...

WASHINGTON, April 9, 2006 – The U.S. Ambassador to Iraq, Zalmay Khalilzad, today disputed claims that conditions in Iraq have worsened during the past two years, but said that will happen if the United States abruptly leaves the country, as some have urged. An increase in sectarian violence will occur "only... if we abandon Iraq as some people have called for in our discussions back home," Khalilzad said this morning on the Sunday talk shows. That, in turn, could lead to other countries from the region, including Iran, to take sides and expand the conflict, he said However, Khalilzad said,...

WASHINGTON, April 8, 2006 – While acknowledging the importance of the Iraqis forming their new unity government, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said last evening it's important not to apply too much pressure to speed up the process. "The Iraqis are going to form a government," Rumsfeld said on ABC's Sean Hannity Show two days before Iraqi Freedom Day, the third anniversary of the fall of Baghdad and Saddam Hussein's regime. The secretary disagreed with suggestions by some that President Bush should put more pressure on the Iraqis to move the process forward. "There's a risk in being too heavy-handed and...

Bolivia urges UN to defy Washington and legalise coca By Sophie Arie in La Paz (Filed: 20/03/2006) Bolivia is leading a Latin American campaign to legalise coca plants despite them being vilified by the United States as the source of the world's cocaine industry. Coca leaves: fans claim it aids digestion and contains more vitamins and nutrients than most vegetables Under the slogan "coca is not cocaine", politicians, consumers and growers across the Andes are promoting the leaf's qualities and calling for coca-based tea, yoghurt, bread, toothpaste, shampoo and soap to be mass produced and exported. Its fans claim it...

WASHINGTON, Feb. 28, 2006 – Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld urged about 60 members of the National Guard Youth Challenge Program here today to dream big and reach for the stars as they seek ways to serve their country and its ideals. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld poses with members of the National Guard Youth Challenge Program during the group's visit to the Pentagon Feb. 28. Photo by Helene C. Stikkel  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. Rumsfeld reminded the group -- high school dropouts at risk for substance abuse, teen pregnancy, delinquency and criminal activity who are turning their lives...

UN urges Nigeria bird flu action People have rushed to sell poultry at market before restrictions bite Nigeria must step up its measures to prevent further spread of the deadly bird flu virus, the UN has warned. The government needs to clamp down on the trade in poultry and intensify culling and movement controls, said two UN world bodies. Nigerian officials have confirmed the virulent H5N1 strain of the virus is affecting poultry in three states. Chickens started dying four weeks ago, leading to fears that the emergency measures may come too late. The Food and Agriculture Organisation and the...

WASHINGTON, Jan. 31, 2006 – President Bush praised the sacrifices U.S. servicemembers are making to protect the country and urged the American people to stay the course in the war on terror during his annual State of the Union address tonight at the U.S. Capitol. Bush heralded democratic advances in Afghanistan and Iraq, where U.S. troops are helping bring newfound freedoms to millions of people who once lived in fear and repression and forming solid partnerships as they fight terrorism. These successes have come through the skill and spirit of the U.S. military, he said. "Our men and women in...

WASHINGTON, Dec. 6, 2005 – As the United States wages its first war with widespread 24/7 news coverage, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld urged the media to ensure it's telling the whole story about Iraq, not just focusing on events that make dramatic headlines. Rumsfeld, speaking at the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins University's campus here Dec. 5, said troops frequently ask him why the American people aren't getting a more accurate picture of what's happening in Iraq. They question why violence seems to get the heaviest coverage, while "good news" stories about successes tend...

WASHINGTON - Arguing before the U.S. Supreme Court, state Attorney General Bill Lockyer said Monday that trial judges deserve the benefit of the doubt in overseeing jury selection in their courtrooms. Lockyer argued in Rice v. Collins that the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals should not have overruled the trial judge's decision that the prosecutor had nonracial reasons for dismissing two African-American women as potential jurors. Supreme Court justices, who did not immediately rule in the case, expressed concern about racial bias in jury selection, but several appeared to support Lockyer's argument. They also questioned statements by Los Angeles Deputy...

WASHINGTON, Dec. 5, 2005 – No war has ever been won on a timetable, and the war in Iraq can be no exception, a former commander in Iraq who's now assistant to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said Dec. 2. Army Lt. Gen. Raymond Odierno, assistant to Marine Gen. Peter Pace and former commander of the 4th Infantry Division, told grassroots supporters of the military partnering with the America Supports You program that an artificial timetable is no way to begin troop withdrawals from Iraq. Decisions about troop levels need to be condition-based, grounded in increasing self-reliance...

WASHINGTON, Nov. 11, 2005 – President Bush today used Veterans Day, a day originally designated to commemorate victory in World War I, as an opportunity to reaffirm the United States' commitment to seeing the war on terror through to victory. "The nation has made a clear choice," the president told a gathering of servicemembers, veterans and family members at Tobyhanna Army Depot, Pa. "We will not tire or rest until the war on terror is won." Bush condemned terrorists who attacked the United States on Sept. 11, 2001, and have continued to spread violence around the world, using what he...

NEW YORK - Former White House counter-terrorism adviser Richard Clarke says the random search by police of bags on New York subways is a program that should be copied in other cities. Terrorists who plan attacks with multiple bombs set to go off at the same time rely on the knowledge that they will not encounter surprises by police, Clarke said last week in a deposition for a federal court case challenging the search program. "They rehearse that, they train it, they do dry runs," Clarke said in response to questions posed by New York Civil Liberties Union Legal Director...

MINNEAPOLIS - America's security in the future depends on how it acts today — while it's still the only global superpower, former President Bill Clinton told a crowd Saturday at the University of Minnesota. "We should be trying to build a world now that we want to live in when we're not the only big dog on the block," Clinton said. But he said recent actions at home and abroad have undermined that goal. A unilateral foreign policy that alienates allies is creating global resentment, and large tax cuts during a time of war are creating an economic mess and...

CALGARY (CP) - Former U.S. president Bill Clinton had a stern message for oil-rich Alberta about the effects of global warming when he ventured into the heart of Canada's energy industry Wednesday. Energy-producing nations shouldn't keep their "heads in the sand" and allow the world's climate to change to the point where it could have catastrophic results, Clinton told 5,000 people gathered for a motivational seminar. "In the long run, rich countries and emerging countries are going to have to be much more discriminating about what we use oil and coal for," Clinton said at the final stop in a...

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger implored California's mayors Thursday to support Proposition 76, a ballot measure intended to stabilize state finances and end deficit spending. He warned that if the measure fails to pass during the Nov. 8 special election, state lawmakers would likely raid local treasuries for funds to close the state's persistent budget gap. "I've already been informed in Sacramento that that's the very money they're going to go after next year if they don't have money," Schwarzenegger told several hundred officials at the annual conference of the League of California Cities. "Remember, they can. The...

WASHINGTON, Oct. 6, 2005 – The war on terror is focused on Islamic radicalism, not Islam, President Bush emphasized today as he called on Muslim leaders around the world to denounce what he called the terrorists' "murderous ideology." Extremists who claim to murder under the banner of Islam "are not just enemies of America or enemies of Iraq," the president said during a major speech here before the National Endowment for Democracy. "They are the enemies of Islam and the enemies of humanity." Many Muslim scholars already have publicly condemned terrorism, citing Chapter 5, Verse 32 of the Koran, Bush...

PHOENIX - Anti-war activist Cindy Sheehan is urging Governor Napolitano to request the withdrawal of Arizona National Guard troops from Iraq. Her request was made in a letter she delivered today to the governor's office. She cited the potential danger of wildfires as well as a loss of firefighters and law enforcement officers as reasons .....

WASHINGTON, Sept. 14, 2005 – President Bush today urged the United Nations to close ranks against the threat of global terrorism. In his speech before the world body's high-level plenary meeting at the U.N.'s New York City headquarters, Bush first thanked the 115 nations and almost a dozen international organizations that offered assistance to the U.S. for Hurricane Katrina relief along the stricken Gulf Coast. "Your response, like the response to last year's tsunami, has shown once again that the world is more compassionate and hopeful when we act together," Bush said to U.N. representatives. The president then urged the...

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip - Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas on Thursday denounced a deadly Israeli arrest raid that killed five Palestinians, calling it an intentional provocation aimed at undermining a six-month cease-fire, but he urged militant groups to hold their fire. Militants vowed to renew attacks on Israel, a move that would undercut the good will that resulted from an Israeli pullout from 25 Jewish settlements in Gaza and part of the West Bank. Following Tuesday's completion of the most important stage of the pullout — evacuating settlers — violence flared in three places. A rocket fired from Lebanon exploded...

VIENNA, Austria - The U.N. nuclear watchdog on Wednesday urged Iran not to resume uranium conversion until the agency can set up a system to monitor the activity, which can be used as part of a weapons program. Iran's chief nuclear negotiator, Hasan Rowhani, responded by saying Tehran would push back the reopening of its uranium conversion plant in Isfahan until "early next week" to give the International Atomic Energy Agency time to install surveillance equipment inside the facility. Tehran had threatened to resume uranium conversion at the plant starting Wednesday sparking harsh criticism from the European Union, the United...

HAVANA - President Fidel Castro said Tuesday his government was revolutionizing Cuba's aging electrical system, asking a nation weary of recent breakdowns to be patient while his government works to fix the problems. Summer heat in the 90s and hours-long blackouts that stop fans and water pumps and cause refrigerated food to spoil have increasingly irritated Cubans and led to reports of small, sporadic protests and scattered anti-government graffiti. While occasional blackouts are common every summer, Cubans say these are the most frequent and longest of recent years. "We will overcome. Have a little bit of faith," the Cuban leader...

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Thursday urged a federal panel to shield nearly a dozen state military installations slated for closure, saying "the bases that are here should stay here." But despite the potential loss of about 2,000 jobs, the Republican governor acknowledged that the state escaped largely unscathed in the latest round of base closings proposed in May by the Defense Department. The government's list is "good news for California and the country," Schwarzenegger told members of the Base Closure and Realignment Commission, which is reviewing the proposed changes. "It shows that Washington understands what we...

ALHAMBRA, Calif. (AP) - Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Thursday urged Californians to conserve energy this summer while promoting his plan to create a state energy agency. He said he doesn't want a repeat of the power crisis of 2000-2001, which followed the state's foray into deregulated energy markets and led to rolling blackouts and soaring utility bills. "There is no doubt about it that California will face big energy challenges this summer and probably for years to come," said the governor, speaking at the office of the Independent System Operator, which manages most of the state's power grid. "Conservation saves...