World/Nation Briefs 6.28.2012
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
By -
WASHINGTON (AP) — They’ve known the outcome for three months. Now it’s time for the nine Supreme Court justices to share it with the world.
Barring some incredibly strange twist, shortly after 10 o’clock in the morning Thursday, Chief Justice John Roberts is expected to reveal the high court’s verdict on President Barack Obama’s health care overhaul.
Between 400 and 500 people will crowd into the marble courtroom, the only witnesses to a historic moment that will not be broadcast live on television or radio. Some of those hoping for seats already were in line early Wednesday afternoon.
The court is not just passing judgment on a major expansion of the social safety net, designed to cover an additional 30 million Americans with health insurance. It is doing so on the president’s signature domestic legislative achievement and in the heat of his closely fought campaign for re-election.
Four major issues await resolution, the most important of which is whether the law’s centerpiece requirement that most people have health insurance or pay a penalty is constitutional. The justices also are weighing whether other parts or indeed the entire 2010 law should fall if they strike down the insurance requirement.
———
Census finds population growth in big cities surpass that of suburbs for first time in century
WASHINGTON (AP) — For the first time in a century, most of America’s largest cities are growing at a faster rate than their surrounding suburbs as young adults seeking a foothold in the weak job market shun home-buying and stay put in bustling urban centers.
New 2011 census estimates released Thursday highlight the dramatic switch.
Driving the resurgence are young adults, who are delaying careers, marriage and having children amid persistently high unemployment. Burdened with college debt or toiling in temporary, lower-wage positions, they are spurning homeownership in the suburbs for shorter-term, no-strings-attached apartment living, public transit and proximity to potential jobs in larger cities.
While economists tend to believe the city boom is temporary, that is not stopping many city planning agencies and apartment developers from seeking to boost their appeal to the sizable demographic of 18-to-29-year olds. They make up roughly 1 in 6 Americans, and some sociologists are calling them ‘‘generation rent.’’ The planners and developers are betting on young Americans’ continued interest in urban living, sensing that some longer-term changes such as decreased reliance on cars may be afoot.
The last time growth in big cities surpassed that in outlying areas occurred prior to 1920, before the rise of mass-produced automobiles spurred expansion beyond city cores.
———
Merkel vs. Italy, France, Spain — will she bend? Question No. 1 at summit for troubled Europe
BRUSSELS (AP) — European leaders gathering Thursday in Brussels are set to sign off on a series of measures to boost economic growth but expectations of a breakthrough on the pooling of debt have fallen by the wayside.
Germany’s Chancellor Angela Merkel, who has resolutely opposed the issuing of mutual debt, is the woman to watch — or fear, or confront — at the two-day summit.
Many leaders have backed the idea of eurobonds as a key way of fixing the eurozone’s problems as they would help lower indebted countries’ borrowing costs. But Merkel has been reluctant to expose her country to new potential costs, and is concerned that eurobonds may minimize the pressure on countries like Greece and Spain to reform their economies.
The plan to stimulate growth, and so increase government tax revenues, is relatively modest. Though worth (euro) 130 million ($162 million), it is expected to consist mostly of European funds already earmarked for development.
Far more urgent, in the short term, is finding a way to keep the cost of borrowing money sustainable for weaker EU countries.
———
Republicans not backing down on votes to hold attorney general in contempt as NRA watches
WASHINGTON (AP) — Barring a last-minute deal, House Republicans plan historic votes Thursday to hold Attorney General Eric Holder in civil and criminal contempt of Congress for refusing to turn over documents related to a bungled gun-tracking operation.
A sitting attorney general never has been held in contempt and Republicans picked an odd day to set a precedent. They scheduled the votes the same day the Supreme Court was deciding the legality of President Barack Obama’s health care law.
Passage of the contempt resolutions was not in doubt. Republicans control the House, and are likely to pick up Democrats who support the National Rifle Association. The NRA said it’s keeping score on how members vote, partly because the gun owners’ group believes the Obama administration wanted to use the program — called Operation Fast and Furious — to make the case for more gun control.
Rep. John Dingell, D-Mich., the longest serving House member and normally an NRA supporter, said Wednesday he would not back the contempt resolutions but instead wants the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee to conduct a more thorough investigation.
The criminal contempt resolution would send the matter to the U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, who is under Holder. The civil contempt resolution would allow the House to go to court in an effort to force Holder to turn over documents the Oversight Committee wants. In past cases, courts have been reluctant to settle disputes between the executive and legislative branches of government.
———
Hot enough for you? Nation bakes as serious heat hits early, smashing temperature records
If you’re feeling hot this week, it’s not a mirage. From Montana to Louisiana, hundreds of heat records have been slashed as harrowing temperatures leave cornfields parched and city sidewalks sizzling.
On Tuesday 251 new daily high temperature records were set, boosting to 1,015 the number of records set during the previous week. Many more records were expected to have been set Wednesday.
The consequences range from comical— a bacon-fried driveway in Oklahoma — to catastrophic, as wildfires consuming parts of the Rocky Mountains are fueled by oppressive heat and gusty winds.
The record-breaking numbers might seem big, but they’re hard to put into context — the National Climatic Data Center has only been tracking the daily numbers broken for a little more than a year, said Derek Arndt, head of climate monitoring at the center.
Still, it’s impressive, given that records usually aren’t broken until the scorching months of July and August.
———
Turkey deploys anti-aircraft guns on Syrian border after downing of plane
ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Turkey deployed anti-aircraft guns and other weapons alongside its border with Syria, state television reported on Thursday, days after the downing of a Turkish military jet by Syrian forces heightened the tensions between the two countries.
A small convoy of military trucks, towing anti-aircraft guns, entered into a military outpost in the border village of Guvecci, which faces a Syrian military outpost across the border and where Syrian forces and rebels clashed in recent months, TRT television footage showed.
Several anti-aircraft guns have also been deployed elsewhere alongside the border. Some trucks were seen carrying self-propelled multiple rocket launchers, TRT footage showed.
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned Tuesday that any Syrian military unit approaching its border will be treated as a direct threat. Turkey’s NATO allies have expressed solidarity with Ankara and condemned the Syrian attack but made no mention of any retaliatory action against Syria.
The deployment came before President Abdullah Gul chaired a National Security Council meeting on Thursday, TRT said. The meeting, attended by Cabinet members and the military’s top brass, is expected to focus on tensions with Syria.
———
Leaders hope to push student loan, transportation compromise through Congress by week’s end
WASHINGTON (AP) — Hoping to avert the kind of headlines politicians dread, congressional leaders are aiming for final passage by week’s end of legislation reshaping federal transportation programs and preventing a doubling of interest rates for millions of new student loans.
Without action by Saturday, federal authority to conduct road, mass transit and other transportation programs would end, along with the government’s ability to collect gasoline and diesel taxes that fund most of those programs, costing what Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., said would be 3 million jobs. Democrats and Republicans were eager to avoid blame for shuttering transportation projects when voters are focused on the nation’s weak employment market.
‘‘The highway bill boils down to one simple thing: jobs,’’ said Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont., a bargainer on the legislation.
House and Senate leaders reached agreement Wednesday on the transportation and student loan measures and decided to wrap them together in hopes of sidestepping parliamentary obstacles and speeding Congress’ work. Provisions renewing and revamping federal flood insurance were included as well.
On the highway measure, Republicans dropped demands for one provision forcing federal approval of the proposed Keystone XL oil pipeline from Canada to Texas, and another blocking the government from regulating toxic ash produced by coal-fired power plants. In exchange, Republicans won concessions curbing environmental reviews for highway projects and diverting money away from bike paths and pedestrian safety projects.
———
Go outside for a smoke? At many of nation’s colleges, you’ll have to go off campus completely
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — As a political science major at Ohio State University, Ida Seitter says, she lit up many a cigarette to help her through the stress of exam season. Right or wrong, they were her security blanket as she toiled through college.
Seitter, now 26, was old enough by then to make her own decisions, she says. She opposes efforts by policymakers in Ohio, New York, California and other states to impose bans on tobacco use not just in buildings at public colleges, but also anywhere on the campus — even in the open air.
‘‘Just back away from me a little bit. I won’t blow it in your face and I’ll try not to be rude,’’ Seitter says. ‘‘At the same time, I think it’s a little discriminatory for a practice that is considered legal.’’
Bans on use, advertising and sales of tobacco in all its forms are being enacted or considered at perhaps half of campuses nationwide, sometimes over the objections of student smokers, staff and faculty. The movement is driven by mounting evidence of the health risks of secondhand smoke, the reduced costs of smoke-free dorms and a drive to minimize enticements to smoke at a critical age for forming lifelong habits.
California’s state system will begin to bar tobacco use in 2013. A ban on use and advertising at the City University of New York system goes into effect in September, and the University of Missouri at Columbia is going smoke-free in 2014.
———
New government system will send severe weather warnings straight to Americans’ smartphones
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Millions of smartphone users will soon begin receiving text messages about severe weather from a sophisticated government system that can send a blanket warning to mobile devices in the path of a dangerous storm.
The National Weather Service’s new Wireless Emergency Alerts system offers a new way to warn Americans about menacing weather, even if they are nowhere near a television, radio or storm sirens.
Beginning Thursday, the system will notify people about approaching tornadoes, hurricanes, blizzards and other threats. When a warning is issued for a specific county, a message of no more than 90 characters will cause late-model smartphones in that area to sound a special tone and vibrate.
Users do not have to sign up for the service or pay for the text message. And people who prefer not to get the warnings can opt out of the system.
‘‘These alerts will make sure people are aware of any impending danger and provide them with the information needed so they can be safe until the threat is over,’’ said Amy Storey, spokeswoman for CTIA-The Wireless Association, an industry trade group that helped set up the system.
———
Phelps gets night off from battling Lochte at US Olympic swim trials
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Michael Phelps finally gets a night off from battling Ryan Lochte.
The 14-time Olympic gold medalist has the spotlight to himself in the 200-meter butterfly final on Thursday night at the U.S. Olympic trials. It’s an event Phelps has dominated over the years, including the last three Olympics and three world championships. He owns the world record in it, too.
And without Lochte, it figures to be a race for second place behind Phelps.
Phelps qualified third-fastest in the semifinals on Wednesday night, trailing leader Bobby Bollier and second-place Davis Tarwater. Also trying to get his hand on the wall second will be Scott Clary. Only the top two earn a berth in the London Games.
Phelps will be watching the rest of the field.
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WASHINGTON (AP) — They’ve known the outcome for three months. Now it’s time for the nine Supreme Court justices to share it with the world.
Barring some incredibly strange twist, shortly after 10 o’clock in the morning Thursday, Chief Justice John Roberts is expected to reveal the high court’s verdict on President Barack Obama’s health care overhaul.
Between 400 and 500 people will crowd into the marble courtroom, the only witnesses to a historic moment that will not be broadcast live on television or radio. Some of those hoping for seats already were in line early Wednesday afternoon.
The court is not just passing judgment on a major expansion of the social safety net, designed to cover an additional 30 million Americans with health insurance. It is doing so on the president’s signature domestic legislative achievement and in the heat of his closely fought campaign for re-election.
Four major issues await resolution, the most important of which is whether the law’s centerpiece requirement that most people have health insurance or pay a penalty is constitutional. The justices also are weighing whether other parts or indeed the entire 2010 law should fall if they strike down the insurance requirement.
———
Census finds population growth in big cities surpass that of suburbs for first time in century
WASHINGTON (AP) — For the first time in a century, most of America’s largest cities are growing at a faster rate than their surrounding suburbs as young adults seeking a foothold in the weak job market shun home-buying and stay put in bustling urban centers.
New 2011 census estimates released Thursday highlight the dramatic switch.
Driving the resurgence are young adults, who are delaying careers, marriage and having children amid persistently high unemployment. Burdened with college debt or toiling in temporary, lower-wage positions, they are spurning homeownership in the suburbs for shorter-term, no-strings-attached apartment living, public transit and proximity to potential jobs in larger cities.
While economists tend to believe the city boom is temporary, that is not stopping many city planning agencies and apartment developers from seeking to boost their appeal to the sizable demographic of 18-to-29-year olds. They make up roughly 1 in 6 Americans, and some sociologists are calling them ‘‘generation rent.’’ The planners and developers are betting on young Americans’ continued interest in urban living, sensing that some longer-term changes such as decreased reliance on cars may be afoot.
The last time growth in big cities surpassed that in outlying areas occurred prior to 1920, before the rise of mass-produced automobiles spurred expansion beyond city cores.
———
Merkel vs. Italy, France, Spain — will she bend? Question No. 1 at summit for troubled Europe
BRUSSELS (AP) — European leaders gathering Thursday in Brussels are set to sign off on a series of measures to boost economic growth but expectations of a breakthrough on the pooling of debt have fallen by the wayside.
Germany’s Chancellor Angela Merkel, who has resolutely opposed the issuing of mutual debt, is the woman to watch — or fear, or confront — at the two-day summit.
Many leaders have backed the idea of eurobonds as a key way of fixing the eurozone’s problems as they would help lower indebted countries’ borrowing costs. But Merkel has been reluctant to expose her country to new potential costs, and is concerned that eurobonds may minimize the pressure on countries like Greece and Spain to reform their economies.
The plan to stimulate growth, and so increase government tax revenues, is relatively modest. Though worth (euro) 130 million ($162 million), it is expected to consist mostly of European funds already earmarked for development.
Far more urgent, in the short term, is finding a way to keep the cost of borrowing money sustainable for weaker EU countries.
———
Republicans not backing down on votes to hold attorney general in contempt as NRA watches
WASHINGTON (AP) — Barring a last-minute deal, House Republicans plan historic votes Thursday to hold Attorney General Eric Holder in civil and criminal contempt of Congress for refusing to turn over documents related to a bungled gun-tracking operation.
A sitting attorney general never has been held in contempt and Republicans picked an odd day to set a precedent. They scheduled the votes the same day the Supreme Court was deciding the legality of President Barack Obama’s health care law.
Passage of the contempt resolutions was not in doubt. Republicans control the House, and are likely to pick up Democrats who support the National Rifle Association. The NRA said it’s keeping score on how members vote, partly because the gun owners’ group believes the Obama administration wanted to use the program — called Operation Fast and Furious — to make the case for more gun control.
Rep. John Dingell, D-Mich., the longest serving House member and normally an NRA supporter, said Wednesday he would not back the contempt resolutions but instead wants the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee to conduct a more thorough investigation.
The criminal contempt resolution would send the matter to the U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, who is under Holder. The civil contempt resolution would allow the House to go to court in an effort to force Holder to turn over documents the Oversight Committee wants. In past cases, courts have been reluctant to settle disputes between the executive and legislative branches of government.
———
Hot enough for you? Nation bakes as serious heat hits early, smashing temperature records
If you’re feeling hot this week, it’s not a mirage. From Montana to Louisiana, hundreds of heat records have been slashed as harrowing temperatures leave cornfields parched and city sidewalks sizzling.
On Tuesday 251 new daily high temperature records were set, boosting to 1,015 the number of records set during the previous week. Many more records were expected to have been set Wednesday.
The consequences range from comical— a bacon-fried driveway in Oklahoma — to catastrophic, as wildfires consuming parts of the Rocky Mountains are fueled by oppressive heat and gusty winds.
The record-breaking numbers might seem big, but they’re hard to put into context — the National Climatic Data Center has only been tracking the daily numbers broken for a little more than a year, said Derek Arndt, head of climate monitoring at the center.
Still, it’s impressive, given that records usually aren’t broken until the scorching months of July and August.
———
Turkey deploys anti-aircraft guns on Syrian border after downing of plane
ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Turkey deployed anti-aircraft guns and other weapons alongside its border with Syria, state television reported on Thursday, days after the downing of a Turkish military jet by Syrian forces heightened the tensions between the two countries.
A small convoy of military trucks, towing anti-aircraft guns, entered into a military outpost in the border village of Guvecci, which faces a Syrian military outpost across the border and where Syrian forces and rebels clashed in recent months, TRT television footage showed.
Several anti-aircraft guns have also been deployed elsewhere alongside the border. Some trucks were seen carrying self-propelled multiple rocket launchers, TRT footage showed.
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned Tuesday that any Syrian military unit approaching its border will be treated as a direct threat. Turkey’s NATO allies have expressed solidarity with Ankara and condemned the Syrian attack but made no mention of any retaliatory action against Syria.
The deployment came before President Abdullah Gul chaired a National Security Council meeting on Thursday, TRT said. The meeting, attended by Cabinet members and the military’s top brass, is expected to focus on tensions with Syria.
———
Leaders hope to push student loan, transportation compromise through Congress by week’s end
WASHINGTON (AP) — Hoping to avert the kind of headlines politicians dread, congressional leaders are aiming for final passage by week’s end of legislation reshaping federal transportation programs and preventing a doubling of interest rates for millions of new student loans.
Without action by Saturday, federal authority to conduct road, mass transit and other transportation programs would end, along with the government’s ability to collect gasoline and diesel taxes that fund most of those programs, costing what Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., said would be 3 million jobs. Democrats and Republicans were eager to avoid blame for shuttering transportation projects when voters are focused on the nation’s weak employment market.
‘‘The highway bill boils down to one simple thing: jobs,’’ said Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont., a bargainer on the legislation.
House and Senate leaders reached agreement Wednesday on the transportation and student loan measures and decided to wrap them together in hopes of sidestepping parliamentary obstacles and speeding Congress’ work. Provisions renewing and revamping federal flood insurance were included as well.
On the highway measure, Republicans dropped demands for one provision forcing federal approval of the proposed Keystone XL oil pipeline from Canada to Texas, and another blocking the government from regulating toxic ash produced by coal-fired power plants. In exchange, Republicans won concessions curbing environmental reviews for highway projects and diverting money away from bike paths and pedestrian safety projects.
———
Go outside for a smoke? At many of nation’s colleges, you’ll have to go off campus completely
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — As a political science major at Ohio State University, Ida Seitter says, she lit up many a cigarette to help her through the stress of exam season. Right or wrong, they were her security blanket as she toiled through college.
Seitter, now 26, was old enough by then to make her own decisions, she says. She opposes efforts by policymakers in Ohio, New York, California and other states to impose bans on tobacco use not just in buildings at public colleges, but also anywhere on the campus — even in the open air.
‘‘Just back away from me a little bit. I won’t blow it in your face and I’ll try not to be rude,’’ Seitter says. ‘‘At the same time, I think it’s a little discriminatory for a practice that is considered legal.’’
Bans on use, advertising and sales of tobacco in all its forms are being enacted or considered at perhaps half of campuses nationwide, sometimes over the objections of student smokers, staff and faculty. The movement is driven by mounting evidence of the health risks of secondhand smoke, the reduced costs of smoke-free dorms and a drive to minimize enticements to smoke at a critical age for forming lifelong habits.
California’s state system will begin to bar tobacco use in 2013. A ban on use and advertising at the City University of New York system goes into effect in September, and the University of Missouri at Columbia is going smoke-free in 2014.
———
New government system will send severe weather warnings straight to Americans’ smartphones
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Millions of smartphone users will soon begin receiving text messages about severe weather from a sophisticated government system that can send a blanket warning to mobile devices in the path of a dangerous storm.
The National Weather Service’s new Wireless Emergency Alerts system offers a new way to warn Americans about menacing weather, even if they are nowhere near a television, radio or storm sirens.
Beginning Thursday, the system will notify people about approaching tornadoes, hurricanes, blizzards and other threats. When a warning is issued for a specific county, a message of no more than 90 characters will cause late-model smartphones in that area to sound a special tone and vibrate.
Users do not have to sign up for the service or pay for the text message. And people who prefer not to get the warnings can opt out of the system.
‘‘These alerts will make sure people are aware of any impending danger and provide them with the information needed so they can be safe until the threat is over,’’ said Amy Storey, spokeswoman for CTIA-The Wireless Association, an industry trade group that helped set up the system.
———
Phelps gets night off from battling Lochte at US Olympic swim trials
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Michael Phelps finally gets a night off from battling Ryan Lochte.
The 14-time Olympic gold medalist has the spotlight to himself in the 200-meter butterfly final on Thursday night at the U.S. Olympic trials. It’s an event Phelps has dominated over the years, including the last three Olympics and three world championships. He owns the world record in it, too.
And without Lochte, it figures to be a race for second place behind Phelps.
Phelps qualified third-fastest in the semifinals on Wednesday night, trailing leader Bobby Bollier and second-place Davis Tarwater. Also trying to get his hand on the wall second will be Scott Clary. Only the top two earn a berth in the London Games.
Phelps will be watching the rest of the field.
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