Iraqis Begin Voting Under Tight Security

By Karl Vick and Cameron W. Barr

BAGHDAD, Jan. 30 -- Polls opened early Sunday in Iraq as voting began in elections intended to produce the country's first freely chosen government in almost half a century.

To view the entire article, go to http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/artic...er=emailarticle

Deadline for Troop Withdrawal Ruled Out

By Bradley Graham and Peter Baker

The Bush administration has for now ruled out creating a timetable for withdrawing U.S. troops from Iraq after today's elections, but military commanders have charted a plan to have Iraqi security forces begin taking the lead in combat operations in certain parts of the country as early as spring.

To view the entire article, go to http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/artic...er=emailarticle

Bush Aims To Forge A GOP Legacy

By Thomas B. Edsall and John F. Harris

When President Bush stands before Congress on Wednesday night to deliver his State of the Union address, it is a safe bet that he will not announce that one of his goals is the long-term enfeeblement of the Democratic Party.

To view the entire article, go to http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/artic...er=emailarticle

Dean's Past as Prologue to DNC Future

By Dana Milbank

NEW YORK, Jan. 29 -- As Howard Dean campaigns here for the chairmanship of the Democratic National Committee, his supporters feel an eerie echo of his campaign a year ago for the Democratic presidential nomination.

To view the entire article, go to http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/artic...er=emailarticle

Read His Lips: Bush's Exercise in Fiscal Restraint

By Dana Milbank

President Bush tucked a rather startling revelation into the middle of his news conference Wednesday. Discussing the upcoming release of a budget for 2006, he vowed: "I'll promote a package that will show the budget being cut in half over the next five years."

To view the entire article, go to http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/artic...er=emailarticle

Democrats in Denial

By Steven Rattner

In his 1998 State of the Union address, President Bill Clinton waved his pen at the assembled Congress and declared that we must "save Social Security first." Democrats have since generally clung to that vision.

To view the entire article, go to http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/artic...er=emailarticle

Homeland Security Policies to Bring Big Changes

By Stephen Barr

It looks like federal employees are about to take a ride on the reform roller coaster.

To view the entire article, go to http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/artic...er=emailarticle

To Some, 'Chief Justice Scalia' Has a Certain Ring

By Charles Lane

Justice Antonin Scalia struck a pessimistic note when he spoke at the right-of-center Ethics and Public Policy Center here last Sept. 20. Lamenting his inability to stop the Supreme Court's slide away from the principles of judicial restraint he espouses, Scalia said he felt like "Frodo in 'The Lord of the Rings,' soldiering on."

To view the entire article, go to http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/artic...er=emailarticle

U.S. Is Close to Eliminating AIDS in Infants, Officials Say
By MARC SANTORA
Mother-to-child transmission of H.I.V. has dropped so
sharply that public health officials now talk about wiping
it out.

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/01/30/nyregion/30aids.html?th

Under Pressure, Qatar May Sell Jazeera Station
By STEVEN R. WEISMAN
U.S. relations with Qatar are strained over the country's
sponsorship of Al Jazeera, the provocative television
station that is a big source of news in the Arab world.

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/01/30/internat...jazeera.html?th

At Forum, Leaders Confront Annual Enigma of China
By MARK LANDLER
At the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum, there
are many questions, but few answers on the subject of
China's prospects.

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/01/30/internat...30forum.html?th

OPEC Suggests No Output Change Till Cut in April
By JAD MOUAWAD
Oil ministers suggested they might cut output in April to
fend off a seasonal slowdown in demand when winter ends in
the Northern Hemisphere.

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/01/30/internat.../30opec.html?th

States May Restrict Cold Pills
With Ingredient in Meth
By FOX BUTTERFIELD
Several states are considering imposing tight restrictions
on common cold medicines that contain an essential
ingredient in making methamphetamine.

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/01/30/national/30meth.html?th

Under One Roof, Aging Together Yet Alone
By JANE GROSS
In the past decade, the number of elderly Americans in
assisted living has tripled, to nearly one million.

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/01/30/national...ssisted.html?th

One More 'Moral Value': Fighting Poverty
By JOHN LELAND
Many religious leaders think the current focus on moral
values in politics has created a platform to talk about
other issues, especially poverty.

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/01/30/politics/30poverty.html?th

Bush, Anticipating Violence and Low Sunni Turnout,
Accentuates the Positive in Iraqi Voting
By ELISABETH BUMILLER
President Bush monitored developments in Iraq in the final
hours before the elections and tried to prepare Americans
for the continued bloodshed he suggested was inevitable.

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/01/30/internat...30prexy.html?th

Seven Candidates Scramble to Lead the Party That Lost
By ADAM NAGOURNEY and ANNE E. KORNBLUT
Candidates for the job of Democratic chairman are
campaigning as if it were the presidential nomination
itself.

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/01/30/politics/30dems.html?th

Talk of Taxes, Social Security and Blogs at G.O.P. Retreat
By DAVID D. KIRKPATRICK
Republican members of the House and Senate turned their
attention to the politics of changing the tax code and the
lessons of President Bush's campaign on Saturday.

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/01/30/politics/30repubs.html?th

The Sisterhood Judging WorldCom
By GRETCHEN MORGENSON and KEN BELSON
Although Denise Cote and Barbara Jones have presided over
major trials, their oversight of the WorldCom cases is
drawing the national spotlight.

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/01/30/business...30judge.html?th

Taking the Wheel Before a Pension Runs Into Trouble
By MARY WILLIAMS WALSH
Who stands to lose when a pension plan fails? And, just as
important: If you find that you are not fully insured, what
can you do?

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/01/30/business.../30pens.html?th

U.S. Property Prices Too High? Some Funds Look Abroad
By J. ALEX TARQUINIO
Investors who worry that the American property market may
be peaking have another option: putting money into real
estate abroad.

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/01/30/business.../30real.html?th

Corporate Welfare Runs Amok
Reforms to the corporate tax system must be debated on
their merits, not under cover of some phony label like "job
creation."

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/01/30/opinion/30sun1.html?th

Senator Clinton's Values Lesson
Thanks to Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton's frank talk,
everyone should know that there are practical steps for
cutting the nation's abortion rate.

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/01/30/opinion/30sun2.html?th

The New Social Etiquette: Friends Don't Let Friends Dial
Drunk
By CAROL E. LEE
To the list of the unforeseen hazards that seem to plague
the information age, we can now add another: "drunk
dialing."

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/01/30/opinion/30sun3.html?th

--------------------
They Invested Years in Private Accounts
--------------------

Conservatives who want to alter Social Security have long worked to nudge public opinion. Bush will likely advance the cause this week.

By Janet Hook
Times Staff Writer

January 30 2005

WASHINGTON — Back in 1997, proponents of overhauling Social Security met with the man who would become their most powerful convert: Texas Gov. George W. Bush, whose presidential ambitions were beginning to gel.

The complete article can be viewed at:
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/na...0,0,77382.story

--------------------
Effort to Reinforce Border Creates Divide
--------------------

A Bush plan for a new fence has been stymied by ecological concerns. That may soon change.

By Elizabeth Shogren and Richard Marosi
Times Staff Writers

January 30 2005

SAN DIEGO — On the southwestern-most tip of the country, just across the border from Tijuana, rugged canyons drop down to a rich Pacific estuary, where millions have been spent restoring fresh and saltwater marshes that sustain the California brown pelican and other rare birds and plants.

The complete article can be viewed at:
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/na...0,6635586.story

--------------------
A Father's Tribute to Fallen Sons, Daughters
--------------------

A Florida man is on a mission to erect monuments in the hometown of each U.S. service member killed in Iraq and Afghanistan.

By John-Thor Dahlburg
Times Staff Writer

January 30 2005

ORLANDO, Fla. — It was while weeping for his son, a soldier killed in Iraq, that Gregg Garvey realized what he wanted to do with the rest of his life.

The complete article can be viewed at:
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/na...eadlines-nation

--------------------
Boxer Not Willing to Pull Punches
--------------------

The California senator's challenge of electoral votes and Condoleezza Rice has helped fill Democratic Party coffers.

By Johanna Neuman
Times Staff Writer

January 30 2005

WASHINGTON — A new blog is promoting her for president. NBC's "Saturday Night Live" spoofed her hair and her props. Some senatorial colleagues are secretly urging her to "go, girl, go." And Democratic coffers are filling up with her every volley.

The complete article can be viewed at:
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-bo...0,2250054.story

--------------------
Tax Fears Help Bush's Plan Win Business Backing
--------------------

Manufacturers, restaurateurs and small firms are lining up in favor of restructuring Social Security -- and averting higher payroll levies.

By Tom Petruno
Times Staff Writer

January 30 2005

Some of the nation's major business organizations are preparing to enter the fray over restructuring Social Security, spurred by concern that companies could get stuck with the bill if the system faces money shortfalls.

The complete article can be viewed at:
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-bizl...0,7809125.story

--------------------
Who's Dying in Our War?
--------------------

The answer is Army Reservists and National Guardsmen such as Californian Patrick McCaffrey.

By Rone Tempest
Times Staff Writer

January 30 2005

CAMP ANACONDA -- Some months after the Americans took over the sprawling Balad Air Base, about 50 miles north of Baghdad, someone posted an enigmatic sign on the main gate asking: "Is Today the Day?" Soldiers at the base, which the U.S. military renamed Logistics Support Area Anaconda, or Camp Anaconda, take turns speculating about what the sign means. In the tense months leading up to today's planned national elections in Iraq, the population at the base has swollen to more than 22,000 soldiers and civilian contractors. Some Camp Anaconda residents—installed in relative comfort inside the 15-square-mile compound that now features four dining halls, two swimming pools, a first-run movie theater and a Burger King franchise—have concluded that the sign is a military safety message: "Stay Alert!"

The complete article can be viewed at:
http://www.latimes.com/features/printediti...,0,452235.story

--------------------
One Mother's War
--------------------

By Jeff Nachtigal
Special to the Times

January 30 2005

TRACY, Calif. -- On the day her son Patrick McCaffrey died on a blacktop farm road in northern Iraq, Nadia McCaffrey's war began.

The complete article can be viewed at:
http://www.latimes.com/features/printediti...1,3668041.story

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=stor...o_pr_wh/us_iraq

Rice: Election Going Better Than Expected

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=stor.../warmer_world_i

World's Glaciers Slowly Disappearing

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=stor.../energy_opec_dc

OPEC Approves of $50 Oil, Holds Output

Why businesses are once again keen to merge
The Gillette-P&G deal is part of a 'new wave' coming as firms seek
growth in a global economy. By Ron Scherer
http://www.csmonitor.com/2005/0131/p01s01-usec.html?s=hns

America's premier guru of gadgets is doing it again
The cofounder of Apple's obsession with originality, authenticity, and
design detail helped him run two companies that are changing entire
industries. By Patrick Dillon
http://www.csmonitor.com/2005/0131/p01s04-ussc.html?s=hns

San Francisco weighs merits of handgun ban
A bold ballot initiative could make the city a pioneer in gun control.
But will it cut crime, or simply infuriate the gun lobby? By Mark
Sappenfield
http://www.csmonitor.com/2005/0131/p02s01-ussc.html?s=hns

A move to push Republicans to the middle
Christine Todd Whitman and others think a moderate stance is GOP's key
to survival. By Linda Feldmann
http://www.csmonitor.com/2005/0131/p03s01-uspo.html?s=hns

Finally, a budget ax appears
The beneficiaries of federal largesse - civil servants, lobbyists, even
some military contractors - are edgy. By David R. Francis
http://www.csmonitor.com/2005/0131/p15s01-cogn.html?s=hns

OMB to seek governmentwide personnel reform
By Kimberly Palmer

The Office of Management and Budget will propose revamping personnel rules across federal agencies, as well as creating two commissions to evaluate federal programs, OMB deputy director for management Clay Johnson said Wednesday.

All three proposals require congressional approval, and Johnson said he was optimistic about receiving it. They will be included in the president's fiscal 2006 budget proposal, which OMB will deliver to Congress on Feb. 7.

The new personnel rules will resemble those being developed at the Defense and Homeland Security departments. They likely will include limits on collective bargaining and a new pay system, but Johnson said he did not yet know the specifics.

Full story: http://www.govexec.com/dailyfed/0105/012605k1.htm

DHS personnel system unveiled
By Shawn Zeller

The Homeland Security Department will limit the scope of union bargaining, make it easier for managers to discipline poor performers and, over the next four years, dismantle the General Schedule pay system, under new regulations to be published soon in the Federal Register.

In a press briefing Wednesday morning, Homeland Secretary Tom Ridge and Office of Personnel Management Director Kay Coles James announced the completion of the regulations after nearly two years of focus group sessions, town hall meetings and deliberations with skeptical employee unions.

Ridge said that the system aims to help the department "both attract and maintain a quality workforce" by allowing top performers to win quicker and bigger raises than are permitted under the decades-old General Schedule. In addition, he said that the system will provide managers with the flexibility they need to act quickly to protect the homeland. On "many occasions where we have to move people around quickly, we don't have latitude to sit down and discuss it or bargain," he said.

Full story: http://www.govexec.com/dailyfed/0105/012605sz1.htm

Former FBI officials decry bureau management
By Chris Strohm

Former FBI employees alleged Wednesday that national security and counterterrorism investigations have been placed at risk by bureau managers who are more interested in protecting themselves and covering up mistakes than pursuing cases.

A group of national security whistleblowers and family members of Sept. 11 victims held a press conference Wednesday to demand that the government stop silencing employees who expose wrongdoing. The group also called on Congress to hold hearings to examine retaliatory actions against whistleblowers.

Former FBI agent Mike German defended the work of front-line agents, but said counterterrorism investigations that he was part of were hampered by managers.

Full story: http://www.govexec.com/dailyfed/0105/012605c1.htm

For Many Killed on a Dark Day in Iraq, the Future Was
Bright, and Near
By DEAN E. MURPHY
Some of the marines killed in a helicopter crash last week
were pursuing a lifelong dream; others enlisted after the
9/11 attacks.

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/01/31/national/31copter.html?th

Employers Can Get Medicare Subsidies for Lower Benefits
By ROBERT PEAR
New rules would allow employers to collect subsidies for
drug benefits less generous than what many retirees were
expecting under the new Medicare law.

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/01/31/politics/31drug.html?th

Federal Reserve Is Expected to Continue Raising Rates
By EDMUND L. ANDREWS
The Federal Reserve appears poised to continue raising
interest rates for most if not all of this year.

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/01/31/business/31fed.html?th

Dean Rival Gains Strength in Bid for Chairman
By ADAM NAGOURNEY
The executive board of the Association of State Democratic
Chairs recommended that the association endorse Donnie
Fowler Jr. of South Carolina.

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/01/31/politics/31dnc.html?th

Kerry Says bin Laden Tape Gave Bush a Lift
By ADAM NAGOURNEY
In an interview, Senator John Kerry admitted that he made
mistakes in his campaign but said he felt he'd done well
over all.

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/01/31/politics/31kerry.html?th

SBC Near Deal to Acquire AT&T for $16 Billion
By KEN BELSON
The $16 billion deal would lead to the virtual
disappearance of one of America's best known corporate
icons.

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/01/31/business/31phone.html?th

Federal Reserve Is Expected to Continue Raising Rates
By EDMUND L. ANDREWS
The Federal Reserve appears poised to continue raising
interest rates for most if not all of this year.

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/01/31/business/31fed.html?th

Much Ado About What's in a Disney Book
By LAURA M. HOLSON and LORNE MANLY
A new book written by a Pulitzer Prize-winning author is
said to have sections highly critical of Disney’s departing
chief, Michael D. Eisner.

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/01/31/business...1disney.html?th