News Diciest
■The Supreme Court meets
today to decide the legality of
Florida's recounts.
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
WASHINGTON - A1 Gore is
contending that George W. Bush’s
lawyers are improperly trying to
“smuggle in” an issue that is not
part of the case the Supreme
Court agreed to hear Friday -
whether the Florida Legislature
can step into the disputed presi
dential election.
Gore wants the justices to
ignore that question in the show
down session and stick to a nar
row review of a ruling by Florida’s
Supreme Court that extended the
state’s deadline for conducting
manual ballot recounts.
“The validity of speculative
future conduct by the Florida
Legislature is not before this
court," the Gore lawyers wrote
Thursday, in the last round of legal
filings before today’s 90-minute
high court session.
Perhaps in a measure of the
issue’s growing importance, Gore
addressed it twice Thursday. He
raised constitutional and legal
questions about the Legislature’s
involvement in his main written
arguments filed early in the day,
then followed up with the claim
that Bush is trying to pull a fast
one.
Bush argued in his own filings
that the Legislature does have the
authority to appoint its own set of
presidential electors if it chooses.
Florida’s 25 electoral votes will
decide the election. Bush has won
state certification, but Gore has
sued to overturn that outcome
A committee of the state
Legislature voted Thursday to rec
ommend a special session with
the idea that the lawmakers would
Robert IGng/Newsmakers
A rental trad carrying presidential election ballots from West Palm Bead) County is escorted by law enforcement officers at the beginning of its trip to Tallahassee, Fla.
appoint their own slate of electors
if hie issue is still unresolved by
the Dec 12 selection deadline.
The Electoral College meets
Dec. 18. Democrats say they are
concerned the Legislature would
act if Gore prevailed in his court
challenges and captured the regu
lar slate of electors.
Both sides addressed the role
of the Republican-led Florida
Legislature in written legal argu
ments to the court
In their first filing Thursday,
Gore’s lawyers said Congress set
Election Day as a uniform nation
al date for selection of electors,
and that Florida made its presi
dential choice Nov. 7, “although by
a vote so close and under a count
ing process so flawed that the
state’s courts are still attempting
to ascertain... what the choice
was.”
“Any state legislative attempt
simply to appoint electors after
the fact would appear to be feder
ally pre-empted,” Gore's lawyers
wrote.
Gore spokesman Chris
Lehane said legislative interven
tion would be meddling on the
part of Florida Republican Gov.
Jeb Bush, die candidate’s brother.
"The real issue here is the
Bush brother brazen power play
designed to circumvent the
counting of the votes in our court
system,” Lehane said.
Earlier in the week, the Bush
team had raised the idea that the
Supreme Court could forestall an
“impending constitutional crisis”
over the appointment of electors.
Powell pays Bush a visit
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
CRAWFORD, Texas -With
retired Gen. Colin Powell at his
side, George W. Bush expressed
frustration Thursday that legal
challenges in Florida are persist
ing but said he is moving ahead on
preparing a new government.
"We're open for business," the
Texas governor asserted.
Powell, die presumptive sec
retary of state in a Bush Cabinet,
congratulated Bush "on your suc
cess in your election” and said he
was delighted to be able to advise
him on foreign policy matters.
At a brief news conference
with Powell and running mate
Dick Cheney on his central Texas
ranch, Bush suggested his
patience was wearing thin. "I’ve
won three counts, and I think it’s
time to get some finality to the
process," Bush said.
Weather
TODAY
Snow
high 36, low 22
TOMORROW
Foggy
high 39, low 24
SUNDAY
Partly cloudy
high 45, low 28
“Election Night we won. And then there was a
recount, and we won... I believe one of these
days that all this is going to stop, and Dick
Cheney and / will be the president and the vice
presidents
George W. Bush
GOP presidential candidate
Even so, Bush indicated he
would not attempt to announce a
Cabinet or White House staff until
legal obstacles can be cleared. The
U.S. Supreme Court has a hearing
today on the case.
The carefully orchestrated
photo session with the popular
retired four-star Army general
came as the Bush camp contin
ued to wage a public relations war,
both in effort to put a mark of
inevitability on a Bush presidency
and attempt to increase pressure
on Gore to stand down.
Powell, Cheney, and wives
Lynne Cheney and Alma Powell
arrived on Bush’s 1,500-acre
spread in a seven-vehicle caravan
after flying from Washington,
D.C., in a private plane to nearby
Waco, Texas.
They spent the afternoon on
the ranch, having lunch and dis
cussing transition planning with
Bush and Andrew Card, Bush’s
choice to be White House chief of
staff
hi a brief session before cam
eras; Bush and Powell strolled to a
fence in front of the ranch house
and answered reporters' ques
tions under clear skies, with a
brisk breeze blowing.
Cheney stood off to one side.
“The reason why we’re moving
forward with our discussions and
the transition is because, when
the counting finally stops, we
want to be prepared to lead this
nation,” Bush said.
"Election Night we won. And
then there was a recount, and we
won. And there was a selected
recount as a result of different
legal maneuverings, and we won
that. And I believe one of these
days that all this is going to stop,
and Dick Cheney and I will be the
president and the vice president,”
Bush added.
Powell was asked if he had
been asked by Bush to serve. "I
have not yet been asked, and if
that question should be posed to
me I think I should answer it
directly to the governor at that
time before answering it to any
one else," he replied.
Still, other Republicans close
to the process said that both men
have long had a clear understand
ing that secretary of state was the
only Cabinet job Powell wanted
At campaign events, Bush fre
quently made playful allusions to
Powell's possible role in a Bush
presidency.
Palestinians reject
peace proposition
■ Prime Minister Barak tried
to recognize an independent
Palestinian state.
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
JERUSALEM - Prime Minister
Ehud Barak declared Thursday he
was prepared to recognize an
independent Palestinian state,
but said sensitive issues, such as
control over Jerusalem, should be
set aside for up to three years.
It was the most detailed
description yet that Barak has
given of his peace proposals, and
it was promptly rejected by
Palestinian leaders, who said it
failed to address their main con
cerns - including control over
Jerusalem and the fate of millions
of Palestinian refugees.
Two months of violence have
derailed peace talks, destroyed
Barak’s political support and
placed Israel on the road to new
elections, probably in April or
May.
The bloodshed, which has
claimed nearly 290 lives, most of
them Palestinians, has abated in
recent days. However, Palestinian
areas remain tense, and previous
lulls have been followed by
renewed spasms of violence.
In a goodwill gesture, Israel is
allowing the Palestinian airport in
Gaza to reopen today, said Fayez
Zaidan, head of the Palestinian
civil aviation authority. The air
port has been closed for more
than a month.
The prime minister said the
looming election would not
change his approach to peace
negotiations, though he trails in
the polls, and many analysts say
he’s unlikely to be re-elected
unless he can produce some sort
of peace deal
“I never said that I'm going to
speed things up in working
toward an agreement, as a result
of the elections,” Barak said in a
speech to Israeli journalists in Tel
Aviv. “I also said we won't reach an
agreement close to election time
that would be different from one
reached without elections.”
Barak spoke of a “phased
agreement” and said he was pre
pared to recognize a Palestinian
state on land in the West Bank and
Gaza Strip. But after seven years of
interim agreements, the
Palestinians are insisting on a
final, comprehensive deal
The Israeli leader said the
emotionally charged question of
sovereignty over Jerusalem and
the return of Palestinian refugees
should be put off.
The proposals got a cool
reception from the Palestinians.
“The ideas which Mr. Barak
claims could be a new initiative
are not new at all,” said Yasser
Abed Rabbo, the Palestinian min
ister for information. “His main
interest was and is to save himself,
not to save the peace process.”
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WTO rally relatively peaceful
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
SEATTLE - Several hundred people
held a peaceful downtown rally Thursday
to mark the anniversary of riotous
protests that shut down World Trade
Organization meetings a year ago.
Despite the vandalism of several
Starbucks coffee shops earlier this week,
the demonstrations were quiet and even
lighthearted - a far cry from the tear gas,
riot squads and chaos of 1999.
Police Chief Gil Kerlikowske even pro
vided a motorcycle escort for a cardboard
anniversary cake - 5 feet tall and 6 feet
wide - that was carried to a park by about
a half-dozen activists.
“We're not here celebrating rocks
being thrown at Starbucks,” said Brian
Derdowski, a former city councilman who
now helps organize activist groups.
A mile away, about 300 people held a
separate rally and made plans to march
downtown and join the celebration.
Marijuana smoke wafted through this
crowd, which included members of the
Seattle Lesbian Avengers with slogans on
their nude upper bodies: “End corporate
greed" and “WTO hurts this vegan body.”
“The reason we’re going topless is
because it affects our bodies,” said Molly
Bolt, whose back read: “WTO IMF World
Bank Amerikka - the four horsemen of the
Apocalypse.”
The WTO, a trade alliance of 140 coun
tries, has become a target for a wide range
of activists who believe it represents cor
porate globalization and gives short shrift
to the environment and workers.
Last year, 50,000 protesters crammed
into downtown and shut down WTO ses
sions as overwhelmed police fired tear gas
and rubber bullets. There were some 600
arrests and $3 million in property dam
age. Police Chief Norm Stamper later
retired.
World/Nation
The Associated Press
■New Mexico
Weapons lab workers
win $131 million jackpot
ALBUQUERQUE - Fourteen
workers at the Sandia nuclear
weapons lab will see their bank
accounts mushroom: They won a
$131 million lottery jackpot
Duane Carr, one of the people
who pitched in $10 each for the
Powerball tickets, was skeptical
when one of the others called to
drop die bombshell that they had
won.
“I was like, ‘Oh, yeah, right'"
he said. “I didn't want to get too
overexcited until I went over to his
house and confirmed the num
bers for myself. Then the cham
pagne started popping.”
The employees work in secu
rity for the government’s Sandia
National Laboratories.
They were so excited that they
arrived at die lottery office before
lottery workers showed up for
work Thursday morning.
The winners can choose a
pretax lump sum of $703 million
or take die $131 million prize in 25
annual installments.
■ Washington, D.C
Bayer disputes proposed ban
on poultry antibiotics
A major drug manufacturer
on Thursday challenged die gov
ernment's attempt to ban an
antibiotic given to poultry-a ban
proposed because of evidence
that the drug's use in chicken
causes people to get sick from
drug-resistant bacteria.
Bayer Corp. formally asked
the Food and Drug
Administration for a hearing to
challenge the proposed ban of its
poultry antibiotic Baytril, an
agency spokesman confirmed
late Thursday.
At issue are a family of antibi
otics called fluoroquinolones.
Some fluoroquinolones are sold
to treat animals, but others are a
leading treatment for thousands
of Americans who get food poi
soning from Campylobacter, bac
teria found mostly in chicken.
Cases of antibiotic-resistant
Campylobacter are rising, federal
health statistics show - and an
FDA investigation concluded that
use of fluoroquinolones in chick
en is one significant cause.
■Great Britain
Miss India wins Miss World
for second year in a row
‘ LONDON - Miss India, paying
tribute to Mother Teresa as the
woman she most admired, was
crowned Miss World on Thursday
- the second consecutive year
India has carried off the title.
Priyanka Chopra, 18, was
chosen from among 95 contest
ants who posed in evening gowns
on a chilly night at London’s
Millennium Dome.
In second place was 18-year
old Giorgia Palmas from Italy.
Third was 20-year-old Yuksel Ak
from TUrkey.
Chopra said she would use
her success as "a platform to influ
ence people’s thoughts, minds
and actions.’’ She won $100,000 in
prize money.
■Germany
Flying pastry doesn't deter
ex-chancellor's book signing
BERLIN - Former Chancellor
Helmut Kohl was hit in the face by
a cream pastry during a book
signing session on Thursday.
Police said they detained the sus
pected assailant
A spokesman for the
Dussmann bookstore in Berlin
said Kohl, 70, was not injured and
didn’t miss a beat
“The chancellor reacted
calmly, wiped the pastry remains
from his face and kept on auto
graphing,” store spokesman
Thomas Greiner said. “He didn't
say a word.”
Correction
Because of a reporting error,
the time listed for an Angel Tree
Project celebration sponsored by
the Residence Hall Association
and the Association of Students of
the University of Nebraska was
listed incorrectly. The Dec. 8 cele
bration will be held from 2-4 p.m.
at the Culture Center.
