Walker looks to mend Wisconsin political divide by meeting with lawmakers over brats and beer MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Gov. Scott Walker, fresh from becoming the nation’s first governor ever to survive a recall election, wants to go about mending Wisconsin’s political divide in an egalitarian way: over brats and beers. Walker defeated Democratic Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett on Tuesday for the second time in year and a half, turning back a recall effort that began with the collection of more than 900,000 signatures seeking his ouster. It was only the third gubernatorial recall in U.S. history. Now the rising Republican star is focusing his message on what lies ahead. His term runs through 2014, and he faces a state that’s still bitterly divided over his move to end collective bargaining rights for most public employees. ‘‘It’s time to put our differences aside and find ways to work together to move Wisconsin forward,’’ Walker said in an interview minutes after his victory. ‘‘I think it’s important to fix things, but it’s also important to make sure we talk about it and involve people in the process.’’ Walker planned to invite all members of the Legislature to meet as soon as next week over burgers, brats and ‘‘maybe a little bit of good Wisconsin beer.’’ ——— GOP’s Wisconsin win signals opportunity for Romney, challenge for Obama in competitive state MILWAUKEE (AP) — Republican Gov. Scott Walker’s recall victory in Wisconsin sets the stage for what’s now expected to be a hard-fought presidential battle for this Midwestern state. The Republican’s solid victory served as a warning for President Barack Obama about the potential hurdles he faces as he fights to hang onto a traditionally Democratic battleground he won comfortably in 2008. And, at least for now, it gave presumptive Republican challenger Mitt Romney a reason to feel optimistic about his chances of winning a state that has voted for the Democratic nominee in the past six elections. The Wisconsin election tested voter attitudes toward Walker’s aggressive governing style as well as a law that ended collective bargaining for most public employees and teachers. ‘‘Gov. Romney has an opportunity ... to come in between now and Nov. 6 and make the case that he’s willing to make those same sort of tough decisions,’’ Walker told Fox News Channel on the eve of his victory. In the coming days, national Republicans and Democrats alike will re-evaluate the Wisconsin political landscape. In setting their presidential campaign strategies, they will take into consideration the state’s 6.7 percent unemployment rate — lower than the national average — the heavy chunk of independent-minded voters and the partisan atmosphere that led to the effort to recall Walker. ——— Syria crisis causes spike in draft-dodging as young men refuse to fight for regime TRIPOLI, Lebanon (AP) — Approaching his 18th birthday, Hamza, a merchant sailor from Syria, resigned himself to the fate awaiting him when he reached adulthood: A year and a half of mandatory military service. Then last year, the uprising against Syrian President Bashar Assad erupted with demonstrations calling for change. Troops dispatched by Syria’s autocratic regime shot protesters and shelled opposition towns, killing thousands of civilians. That altered the plan for Hamza, and for a growing number of young Syrians who are dodging the draft out of fear that military service will force them to kill their countrymen — or get killed themselves. ‘‘I couldn’t go because the army is supposed to protect people, but all this army does is protect Assad,’’ said Hamza, now a wispy-bearded 19-year-old with thick biceps from his work at sea. He fled Syria this year to Tripoli, a city on Lebanon’s Mediterranean coast. Unable to work, he lives in hiding in a small apartment here with six other draft-dodgers. Young Syrians have long avoided the draft by traveling abroad, cooking up medical excuses or using connections and bribes to get their names off the rolls. But anti-regime activists in and outside Syria say the number has shot up during the 15-month conflict that the U.N. says has killed more than 9,000 people. ——— In Mass., the only state with an individual mandate, few are forced to pay insurance penalty BOSTON (AP) — It’s the single most contentious element of President Barack Obama’s health care law: the requirement that nearly everyone have insurance or face a financial hit. But in Massachusetts, the only state with a so-called individual mandate, the threat of a tax penalty has sparked little public outcry since the state’s landmark health care law was signed in 2006 by the governor, Mitt Romney. Romney, now the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, pushed for the mandate saying it would discourage ‘‘free riders,’’ those who can afford health coverage but instead rely on emergency rooms for free care and drive up insurance premiums for everyone else. ‘‘What we are mandating is that individuals have personal responsibility either to pay for their own health care bill or to receive insurance,’’ Romney said at the time. As a presidential candidate, Romney has tried to draw a line between his law and Obama’s, in most instances saying that states and not the federal government should decide whether to impose the requirement. ——— Sandusky jurors include Penn State senior, retired professor, ticket-holder; 9 of 12 selected BELLEFONTE, Pa. (AP) — Most of the men and women who may render a verdict in Jerry Sandusky’s child sexual abuse case have been chosen, and their ranks reflect the strong role Penn State plays in its surrounding community. Nine of the 12 main members of the jury were selected Tuesday, and they include a rising senior at the college, a retired soil sciences professor with 37 years at the university, a man with bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the school and a woman who’s been a football season ticket holder since the 1970s. Others selected included a 24-year-old man with plans to attend an auto technician school, a mother of two who works in retail, a retired school bus driver, an engineer with no Penn State ties and a property management firm employee. The main jury already includes five men and four women. The other three main jurors and four alternates could be chosen as early as Wednesday, with opening statements scheduled for Monday. The judge said the case could last several weeks. Sandusky, 68, a former assistant football coach, is fighting 52 criminal charges for alleged abuse of 10 boys over 15 years. He has repeatedly denied the allegations. He faces potential penalties that could result in an effective life prison sentence. ——— Silhouetted speck of Venus travelling across sun reminds Earthlings of solar system’s size HONOLULU (AP) — Filtering the sun’s light to a miniscule fraction of its true power allowed sky-gazers over the world to watch a silhouetted Venus travel across Earth’s closest star, an extremely rare spectacle that served as a reminder of how tiny our planet really is. After all, the next transit is 105 years away — likely beyond all of our lifetimes but just another dinky speck in the timeline of the universe. ‘‘I’m sad to see Venus go,’’ electrical engineer Andrew Cooper of the W.M. Keck Observatory told viewers watching a webcast of the transit’s final moments as seen from the nearly 14,000-foot summit of Mauna Kea volcano on Hawaii’s Big Island. From Maui to Mumbai, Mexico to Norway, much of the world watched the 6-hour, 40-minute celestial showcase through special telescopes, live streams on the Internet or with the naked eye through cheap cardboard glasses. ‘‘If you can see the mole on Cindy Crawford’s face, you can see Venus,’’ Van Webster, a member of the Los Angeles Astronomical Society, told anyone who stopped by his telescope for a peek on Mount Hollywood. ——— AP Photos: Looking up, Earth watches Venus as it crosses the sun From Alaska to Seoul, Virginia Beach to Mexico City, people were transfixed on the spectacle in the sky this week. And with good reason: Venus won’t cross in front of the sun for another 105 years. And chances are, that will be beyond our lifetimes. And so people watched on the street, at observatories, schools and even online. The show — called a transit — lasted 6-hours and 40 minutes and had to be viewed through special telescopes or with the naked eye through cardboard glasses or other viewing devices. Here’s a look at how the rare celestial spectacle was viewed — and some images of the event itself. ——— San Diego, San Jose voters overwhelmingly approve pension cuts for city workers SAN DIEGO (AP) — Voters in two major California cities overwhelmingly approved measures to cut retirement benefits for city workers Tuesday in contests being closely watched as states and local governments throughout the country struggle with mounting pension obligations. In San Diego, 67 percent voted in favor of Proposition B while 33 percent were opposed. More than 65 percent of precincts reported. The margin in San Jose was even wider, with 71 percent in favor of Measure B and 29 percent opposed. Nearly half of precincts reported. San Jose Mayor Chuck Reed called the vote a victory for fiscal reform. ‘‘The voters get it, they understand what needs to be done,’’ he said in an interview. ——— I Was There: Veterans with PTSD seek control of lives through Army-sponsored filmmaking FORT CARSON, Colo. (AP) — With a growing demand for ways to treat the psychological damage of war, one Army pilot project is offering therapy for post-traumatic stress disorder by encouraging soldiers to take control of their own stories in a filmmaking class titled I Was There Media Workshop. The Fort Carson program began last year, under the auspices of Ben Patton, a New York documentary filmmaker and a grandson of Gen. George S. Patton, and Scott Kinnamon, a Denver educational filmmaker. Some 20 veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars so far have attempted to organize their combat experiences in video as a way to fight PTSD. ‘‘You can put everything into a video or a movie, a small movie about what you want to tell people — your story,’’ said 1st Sgt. Jason Gallegos of Fountain, Colo., who deployed to Iraq three times and has now produced a short film called ‘‘From Hero to Zero.’’ ‘‘If they want to watch it, great. If they don’t, then don’t. But I don’t have to go through the process of the ‘angsting’ up to tell somebody something, just for them to be interested for a minute,’’ Gallegos said. Some 2.3 million men and women have served tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan in the past decade. The Rand Corp. said as many as 300,000 veterans of those wars may have suffered PTSD or major depression. The Pentagon and the Veterans Affairs Department have been ramping up therapy options for several years now and the effort continues as some troops continue to go undiagnosed or untreated. ——— Celtics move 1 win from NBA finals, beat Heat 94-90 in Game 5 MIAMI (AP) — When the Boston Celtics last left Miami, they were on the ropes. Down 2-0 in the Eastern Conference finals. Unable to solve LeBron James and Dwyane Wade. On the cusp of being ousted by the Heat for a second straight season. Three games and three wins later, the plot could not be more different as they sauntered out of Miami this time. And for one of sports’ most storied franchises, yet another trip to the NBA finals might be looming. Kevin Garnett finished with 26 points and 11 rebounds, Paul Pierce scored 19 — including a huge 3-pointer over James’ outstretched arm with 52.9 seconds left — and the Celtics beat the Heat 94-90 on Tuesday night, stealing home-court advantage and taking a 3-2 lead in the East finals that now shift to Boston for Game 6 on Thursday night. ‘‘This is like a heavyweight bout,’’ Garnett said.
