News roundup 03.18.2006

Spendthrifts

The New York Times:

WASHINGTON, March 17 — The largess demonstrated by the Senate in padding its budget with billions of dollars in additional spending this week showed that lawmakers are no different from many of their constituents: they don't mind pulling out the charge card when money is tight.

The Los Angeles Times:

They're convinced that voters now care less about big deficits than they do about the things that increased federal spending will buy.

Iran/Iraq

The Philadelphia Inquirer: "U.S. envoy wants talks with Iran held in Baghdad"

The Los Angeles Times: "Iran, U.S. Disagree Over Goal of Talks"

The Washington Post: "U.S., Iran Closer to Talks on Iraq"

San Diego Union Tribune: "Rice and Australian, Japanese counterparts call for Iran to resume nuclear negotiations"

The Boston Globe:

BAGHDAD -- The pilgrims' road to the holy city of Karbala was a highway of bullets and bombs for Shi'ite Muslims yesterday. Drive-by shootings and roadside and bus bombs killed or wounded 19 people, intensifying the sectarian tensions gripping Iraq.

Security forces, including US armored reinforcements, braced for more bloodshed leading up to Monday's Shi'ite holiday.

The Washington Times: "U.N. to raise its profile in Iraq"

Amnesty

The Washington Times: "Ireland asks Bush for alien amnesty"

Environment

The Washington Post:

A federal appeals court blocked the Bush administration's four-year effort to loosen emission rules for aging coal-fired power plants, unanimously ruling yesterday that the changes violated the Clean Air Act and that only Congress could authorize such revisions.

2006

The Washington Times:

Senate Democrats have mapped a political battle plan for the March congressional recess that calls on lawmakers to stage press events with active duty military personnel, veterans and emergency responders to bash President Bush on virtually every one of his national security policies.

The game plan, devised by the office of Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, Nevada Democrat, is contained in a six-page memo distributed to Democratic senators on Thursday at a closed-door meeting at the Capitol and provided to The Washington Times by a congressional staffer