The Washington Times

Bid to Expand Knife Ban Doesn't Cut It with Critics ; Cbp Rule Would Redefine Switchblades

Hunters, whittlers and Boy Scouts, beware - your knives may soon be on the government's chopping block. The Obama administration wants to expand the 50-year-old ban on importing "switchblades" to include folding knives that can be opened with one hand, stirring fears the government may on the path to outlawing most pocketknives.

Mcmahon Roles Included Major Benefactor to Cua ; 'Tonight Show' Alumnus Dies at 86

Ed McMahon, who died Tuesday at 86, is best-known for sitting on a couch during late-night TV and saying "Heeeeere's Johnny!" and in later years for turning average Americans into millionaires through his role as pitchman for the American Family Publishers sweepstakes. But in the nation's capital, he's equally well-known in the lobby of Catholic University of America's Hartke Theatre, which he played an instrumental role in building. In the fall of 1970, Mr. McMahon and performers Helen Hayes...

Metro Urged to Retire Rail Cars in '06 ; Ntsb Offers Few Early Answers On Deadly Crash

The National Transportation Safety Board recommended three years ago that Metro replace or refurbish the type of train car involved in Monday's fatal crash - a suggestion that the District's heralded transit agency failed to aggressively follow. The day after the deadliest crash in Metro's 33-year-history was filled with more questions about what caused one Red Line train to slam into a stopped train Monday evening near the Fort Totten station, killing at least nine people and injuring about 80.

Metrorail Crash Victims Had Active, Vital Lives

One was a retired general who scrambled jets over the District after the Sept. 11 attacks. Another was a mother on her way to pick up her two toddlers from day care. A third was an elderly man going to teach a summer Bible class. They were among the nine people killed during Monday's catastrophic Metro train crash, which also sent about 80 people to the hospital and crippled the D.C. transit system.

Obama Presses Struggling Agenda ; Not Satisfied with Progress

Acknowledging that his $787 billion economic stimulus package has not worked as well as he'd expected, President Obama on Tuesday said Americans should not be satisfied with the pace of the recovery, even as he found himself on the defensive over Democratic health care reforms. In the testiest news conference of his young administration, the president said forcing insurance companies to compete against government-subsidized plans would make the private plans better, even though he backed away...

U.S. Contacted Iran's Ayatollah Before Election ; Administration Overture to Khamenei Ridiculed in Sermon

Prior to this month's disputed presidential election in Iran, the Obama administration sent a letter to the country's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, calling for an improvement in relations, according to interviews and the leader himself. Ayatollah Khamenei confirmed the letter toward the end of a lengthy sermon last week, in which he accused the United States of fomenting protests in his country in the aftermath of the disputed June 12 presidential election.

Breakaway Called a 'Historic Event' ; Rev. Warren Shows Support

The Rev. Rick Warren brought hundreds of former Episcopalians to their feet in applause Tuesday when he called their exodus from the denomination "a historic event" and said God was "calling you out" of the Episcopal Church. "I jumped at the chance to come here," Mr. Warren, evangelical pastor of the 24,000-member Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, Calif., told delegates to the constitutional convention of the newly created Anglican Church of North America (ACNA). "We will stand with you in so...

Homeland Security Abandons Satellite Surveillance Program

The Homeland Security Department said Tuesday that it will not use satellites for domestic-terrorism surveillance, however the technology can continue to be used to respond to natural disasters. The National Applications Office (NAO) was created by the department in 2007 to take over mapping responsibilities and was authorized to expand the technology's use for the prevention and response to a terrorist attack.

Reality Returns to Stock Markets ; Obama Admits Nation Hasn't Begun Recovery

After a heady period of hope that spurred a nearly 40 percent rise in major stock indexes from March through May, a sober reality has set in. The economy remains mired in recession and likely will experience only a gradual recovery with little or no job growth for months to come. President Obama acknowledged the darker outlook Tuesday, only a day after the White House predicted that the unemployment rate would rise into the double digits this year. But he said he has no plans for a second bil...

'Party of No' Can Stymie Bad Ideas

In recent months, Democrats too often refer to the Republican Party as the "Party of No"; especially no ideas. This sobriquet became the mantra of Democrats after the Republican members of Congress said "no" to the $750 billion unfunded stimulus package. Democrats claimed that Republicans presented no alternative ideas to alleviate the current economic crisis. This is incorrect. The Republicans presented a number of fiscally prudent ideas, but they were rejected by congressional Democrats wh...

Ceo Had Thoughts Payments Might Be Bribes ; Testifies Jefferson Assured Him Money Was for Consultant

Whether former Rep. William J. Jefferson, Louisiana Democrat, is found guilty of federal corruption charges will depend largely on whether a jury thinks an imprisoned businessman bribed the nine- term congressman or was simply paying legitimate consulting fees. Vernon Jackson, former CEO of iGate, finished testifying Tuesday after five days on the stand during Mr. Jefferson's trial in U.S. District Court in Alexandria. Jackson is serving a seven-year prison sentence since he pleaded guilty in...

Gop Strikes Again at Nominee ; Senators Continue to Raise Questions About Sotomayor

Republican senators raised new questions Tuesday morning about Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor's work with a Puerto Rican legal advocacy group, citing its stance on abortion. The Puerto Rican Legal Defense and Education Fund (PRLDEF) argued against parental notification for minors seeking abortions, writing in a 1980 legal brief that "just as Dred Scott v. Sanford refused citizenship to Black people, these opinions strip the poor of meaningful citizenship under the fundamental law."

Governor's Trek to Woods Draws Queries ; Sanford Vows to Return to Work Wednesday

South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford clearly marches - or hikes - to his own drummer. But the Republican's solo departure for the Appalachian Trail, which left his wife, security detail and staff grappling to answer queries about his whereabouts, has raised questions among his constituents, his rivals and even his supporters.

Insurers Decry Public-Plan Option ; See Threat to Private Industry

Two insurance industry heavyweights warned Congress Tuesday that creating a federally run health insurance plan that is open to the American public would destroy the free-market model of employer- provided health care. In one of the first major opposition statements from the industry during the reform debate, America's Health Insurance Plans (AHIP), a major trade group, and the BlueCross BlueShield Association, an association of state insurance companies, urged Congress to back off its plans ...

Inside Politics [Derived Headline]

IRAN REACTION Congressional Democrats in recent days have been busy defending President Obama's handling of Iran, countering Republican calls for more vocal support of street demonstrators in Tehran and other Iranian cities protesting the contested presidential election.

Obama Calls Self a '95 Percent Cured' Smoker

After plenty of huffing about puffing, President Obama admitted Tuesday that he still sometimes smokes cigarettes, declaring his habit "95 percent cured." Mr. Obama cleared the air on a question that's been lingering in the White House briefing room for days - does he still sneak a smoke here and there?

Obama Dominates News Media with Full-Court Press

Although the White House basketball court is still under construction, President Obama on Tuesday got in a quick game of hoops, throwing some sharp elbows, batting down weak shots and eventually falling back into a one-man, four-corners defense to run out the clock. His opponents, the White House press corps, looked at times like the Washington Generals, known for their long-running losing streak against the invincible Harlem Globetrotters. The president put on a clinic of fancy dribbling jus...

Neda's Death in Street Creates an Internet Icon

Neda Agha-Soltan, the young Iranian woman who bled to death on the street in Tehran during anti-government demonstrations, has become an international symbol of courage in defense of human rights but is less well-known at home. Iranian state media waited until Tuesday to report the death, which occurred Saturday, and tried to suggest that government security forces were not responsible.

Ford Gets Billions for Green Vehicles ; Government Aids Efficiency

Ford's focus on fuel efficiency paid big dividends Tuesday when the Energy Department said it would lend $5.9 billion to the company to develop more green cars. Ford Motor Co. and two other automakers became the first beneficiaries of the Department of Energy's $25 billion fund, established last year, to promote fuel efficiency.

Jobless Rate to Rise Globally, Study Says ; Bad News Likely Through 2010

The number of unemployed workers in the world's wealthiest nations will continue to expand long after the global recession ends, with jobless rates jumping to nearly 10 percent, an organization of advanced economies said Tuesday. In the 30 wealthy nations that compose the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, the ranks of the unemployed will soar from 37.2 million at the end of 2008 to more than 57 million by the end of next year, according to an OECD forecast issued Tuesday.