University of Utah Student Newspapers--The Chronicle | 2008-12-12 | Page 2

2 Friday, December 12,2008 BULLETIN www.dailyutahchronicle.com ~ All stories and photos from The Associated Press Officials: Obstacle remains to auto bailout 1 2 Friday '•.' y WASHINGTON—Republican and Democratic senators struggled into the night Thursday to resolve what was described as one remaining major dispute blocking an emergency $14 billion bailout for U.S. automakers. The details of the emerging agreement weren't immediately known, nor was the final sticking point. But Republican senators huddled with their chief negotiator on the progress made in wringing new concessions from the companies and their union, the United Auto Workers, and Democratic leader Harry Reid held out hopes for a vote later in the night. The talks centered on wage and benefit concessions from the UAW as well as debt-restructuring by General Motors Corp., Ford Motor Co. and Chrysler LLC, and officials from the union and companies were participating in the talks at one point or another. Whether Republi cansenators would go along was also unclear late Wednesday. They revolted against a $14 billion rescue the Bush White House negotiated with congressional Democrats and the House passed on Wednesday. Leaders stressed that the deal wasn't final. "All issues are still on the table," said Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois, the No. 2 Democrat, as he emerged from the talks. But it was clear lawmak- _.'-•-• • I.: , ' '„ • ' " > 43/34 AM Rain/Snow • Fall Semester 2008 Academic Deadline: Term length and second session classes end ^ „.:.„.; • Ski N Shred Red Day: all day @ Snowbird Ski Resort ***$&*•;/•••--£•> •'• • Red Rocks Preview: 7 p.m. @ Huntsman Center - University of Utah Choirs Holiday Concert: 7:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. @ Libby. Gardner Hall '•; I; . ' .-'..' ,f • • * - ' , 1 3 Saturday Rain/Snow 34/24 • Women's Basketball vs. Santa Clara: 2 p.m. @ Huntsman Center • University of Utah Choirs Holiday Concert: 7:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. @ Libby Gardner Hall • The Light in the Piazza: 2 p.m. & 8 p.m. @ Pioneer Theatre ' Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin, D-IIL, is pursued by members of the press Thursday on Capitol Hill in Washington. Labor, lawmakers and the-auto industry bargained in unprecedented private talks at the Capitol on Thursday night daiming progress in a common struggle to salvage a $14 billion government bailout of the nations car makers. ers had made substantial progress toward getting the auto industry aid back on track, and members of both parties were in search of an accord. "We've got some issues still to resolve but we all want to resolve them," said Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn., who led the closed-door talks for his party. Sen. Chris Dodd, DConn., the Banking Committee chairman, who was his party's point man, said staff aides were working on legislative language of a still-emerging deal. "While we've reached some agreement on a lot already, there are issues that are still outstanding," Dodd said. Progress in the negotiations were the latest development in a long-running debate over bailing out the beleaguered auto industry. The issue gained urgency last week when the government reported the economy had lost more than a half-million jobs in November, the most in any month for more than 30 years. "There's a lot of hardship out there. People are losing their jobs, losing their homes, losing their cars and losing their patience," said Reid, D-Nev. "We don't need to pile on." It was unclear how far the participants were willing to go to seal the federal aid that General Motors and Chrysler said was essential to keep them from bankruptcy. Ford is in better financial shape than its rivals, although its survival is not assured, either. The developments unfolded after Senate Republican leader Mitch McCo- nnell of Kentucky joined other GOP lawmakers in announcing his opposition to the White House-backed rescue bill passed by the House on Wednesday. He and other Republicans said wages and benefits for employees of Detroit's Big Three should be renegotiated to bring them in line with those paid by Japanese carmakers Toyota, Honda and Nissan in the United States. Hourly wages for UAW workers at GM factories are about equal to those paid by Toyota Motor Corp. at its older U.S. factories, according to the companies. GM says the average UAW laborer makes $29.78 per hour, while Toyota says it pays about $30 per hour. But the unionized factories have far higher benefit costs. Pressure on Illinois governor intensifies CHICAGO—Illinois Gov. Rod Gov. Pat Quinn said. "It is an urgent Blagojevich kissed his wife, rode in matter. Illinois is in crisis." his state SUV to the office and sat The governor showed no signs of down at his desk Thursday in front buckling to growing demands that of a bust of Lincoln and an American he quit or be removed after his arflag to portray "a return to normal- rest Tuesday on corruption charges cy." It was anything but. alleging that he tried to sell PresiAn extraordinary drama built dent-elect Barack Obama's Senate through the day in Chicago as the seat to the highest bidder. political establishment of Illinois While the governor was working— and the nation lined up against him. his spokesman would not say on exBlagojevich's approval rating actly what—President-elect Obama dropped to an all-time low of 8 told a news conference just a coupercent, and friends and foes alike ple of blocks away that Blagojevich feared if they don't act swiftly to get should go. rid of him, he might commit some At the same time, Illinois lawmakkind of political mischief. ers were organizing impeachment "The governor is in office, and he efforts, and the state attorney generneeds to be removed from office," Lt. al said that if the governor were not Iran quits supplying worst bombs in Iraq impeached, she would seek a court order finding him unfit to serve. Obama, speaking directly for the first time on the scandal that has distracted from his otherwise smooth transition, said he was "appalled" by the allegations. "What I'm absolutely certain about is that our office had no involvement in any dealmaking around my Senate seat. That I'm absolutely certain of," he said. "That would be a violation of everything that this campaign has been about. And that's not how we do business." The governor spent the day at his wooden desk, reviewing budget issues and talking to his closest aides. ? x py ;FIRSTTIMEBOYERPROGRAMK WASHINGTON—Iran is no lon- With ourfirsttim^buiiSLJirograrn'yoijdon't'rie.^d^^ S ger actively supplying Iraqi militias - any credit history^or^co-signenand your payment with a particularly lethal kind of roadside bomb, a decision that sug_ .For Information call: Gary- Finance Manager gests a strategic shift by the Iranian leadership, U.S. and Iraqi authorities MC Auto Sales/ Firm DLR#6975' said Thursday. North Salt Lake, UT Jrr , „ [phone] . *}* Use of the armor-piercing explosives—known as explosively formed penetrators, or EFPs—has dwindled sharply in recent months, said Army ^Crossword Lt. Gen. Thomas Metz, head of the ACROSS 45 timbr Pentagon office created to counter 1 Big nun* in roadside bombs in Iran and AfghanSTWctad istan. Gm Metz estimated that U.S. forces 10Q1 iPfad find between 12 and 20 of the devices 54QyfmnB in Iraq each month, down from 60 to 80 earlier this year. "Someone ... has made the decision to bring them down," Metz told 19 reporters. Asked if the elite Iranian RepubSlfkiby lican Guard Corps has made a deSDFtamnnn • H f c f e h a a d t f a TmBidJsfiy liberate choice to limit use of EFPs, ZZRttriavnni Metz nodded: "I think you could ttn EflBOt draw that inference from the data." Iraqi government spokesman Ali dDtotacny al-Dabbagh agreed Iran has curnbnwfan tailed its activity inside Iraq. He said he thinks Iran has concluded that a DOWN •rianraly IRatolcta new security agreement between * mpubrwih utftnr. 19ffi IBM the UlS. and Iraq poses no threat to 47Smndb BFtanuch Iran. Iran opposed the agreement as venue Afat*. •ritfin hJdect. a blessing for foreign forces to re- TIJtnt 4 I S m 90-ODWTI 4tNbrTBi of 140mm 32 f w c u mrferi KSinimrie* main in Iraq, and encouraged Iraq's HOramto democratic government to reject it. Slfe (Dryer rrutac The United States has long In an! huii 7 f k ' pefhapa claimed that Iran or Iranian-backed SfiSoiBBI* acton ptay awmlby groups are using Iraqi Shiite militias LJUJI nwttsnl wpipmant femafapuia as proxies to kill U.S. troops in Iraq. «raudmhar WHrifn pair tor nThs Bator Iran denies the Bush administration •fcrnurium fit**: 41 Bum win An allegations that it supplies money Zltomotto n "Nkith ID UB and weapons, but independent 43 Firmer ram **nf F^DorTand G1 Laptop fertile, analysts have said U.S. evidence is gatfosr BOI Mix. ftht strong, if circumstantial. .; 1 4 Sunday Few Snow Showers 27/21 • Duehlmeier/Gritton Piano Duo: 7 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. @ Libby Gardner Half • The Later Works of William Utermohlen: all day @ Utah Museum of Natural History • Wild Birds of the American Wetlands Exhibition: all day @ Utah Museum of Natural History • WORLD 5$ dead in bombing at restaurant in Iraq's north BAGHDAD—A suicide bomber killed at least 55 people Thursday in a packed restaurant near the northern city of Kirkuk where Kurdish officials and Arab tribal leaders were trying to reconcile their differences over control of the oil-rich region. The brazen attack—the deadliest in Iraq in six months—occurred at a time of-; rising tension between Kurds and Arabs over oil, political power and Kirkuk ; No group claimed responsibility for the attack at the upscale Abdullah r e s taurant, which was crowded with families celebrating the end of the four-day-, Islamic holiday of Eid al-Adha. The U.S. blamed the blast on al-Qaida, whichuses suicide bombings as its signature attack. ; •; U.S. Panel blames White House, not soldiers, for abuse *'; • WASHINGTON—The physical and mental abuse of detainees in Iraq» Afghan^ '. istan and Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, was the direct result of Bush administration; ^ detention policies and should not be dismissed as the work of bad guards pr; • interrogators, according to a bipartisan Senate report released Thursday. :'-:The Senate Armed Services Committee report concludes that harsh intent^; -. gation techniques used by the CIA and the U.S. military were directly adapteat; from the training techniques used to prepare special forces personnel to resist^ interrogation by enemies that torture and abuse prisoners: The techniques IDP5 eluded forced nudity, painful stress positions, sleep deprivation, and until 200j*; waterboarding, a form of simulated drowning. -; -; UTAH Suspicious package addressed t o governor found Part of Gov. Jon Huntsman's office was evacuated after a package addressed to him containing a suspicious powder was opened. Huntsman's spokeswoman, Lisa Roskelley, says a package containing a white powdery substance was opened Thursday in the constituent services office. FBI special agent Juan Becerra said the substance field-tested negative for any biological agents. A small portion of the governor's office was evacuated as a precautionary. measure. Roskelley says Huntsman was at the Capitol when the package was; • opened, but in another part of the building. ';:• Corrections , , .n . and Clarifications The policy of The Daily,Utah Chronicle is to correct any error made as soont;"; as possible. If you find something you would like clarified or find unfair, please"; I; contact the editor at 801-581-8317. . -; •' DAILY UTAH CHRONICLE :; Advertising801-581-7041 News801-581-NEWS Fax801-581-FAXX \; EDITOR IN CHIEF: Dustln Gardiner [e-mail] MANAGING EDITOR: Rachel H a n s o n ONLINE PRESENTATIONS EDITOR: Daniel M a c e [e-mail] [e-mail] PRODUCTION MANAGER: Alyssa Bailey COPY EDITOR: Sabina Imanbekova [e-mail] ASST. PRODUCTION MANAGER: Sara Copeland COPY EDITOR: J a m e s Copeland [e-mail] PROOFREADER: Rebecca Saley NEWS EDITOR: Rochelle McConkie ADVISER: Jim Fisher •; [e-mail] ASST. NEWS EDITOR: Lana G r o v e s [e-mail] RED PULSE EDITOR: T r e v o r Hale GENERAL MANAGER: Jake S o r e n s e n |- [e-mail] ASST. RED PULSE EDITOR: Kyle S t e g e r w a l d PAGE DESIGNER: M a g g i e Poulton COPY EDITOR: Mikelle Worwood COPY EDITOR: Christina Anderson :. : [e-mail] •\ DIRECTOR OF ADVERTISING: Tom H u r t a d o I\ [e-mail] *'. ADV. PRODUCTION MANAGER: N a t a l i e D o l l l n g e r [e-mail] OPINION EDITOR: Craig Blake [e-mail] [e-mail] ADV. DESIGNER: Emily Torres [e-mail] ADV. DESIGNER: Karissa Greene -/. ':• ;> > SPORTS EDITOR: Tony Pizza [e-mail] ASST. SPORTS EDITOR: Chris K a m r a n i [e-mail] [e-mail] ACCOUNTANT: Deanna J o h n s o n d.john$[e-mail] CIRCULATION MANAGER: Jeff S u a r e z ;^ -; ;* -; PHOTO EDITOR: Tyler C o b b [e-mail] ASSISTANT PHOTO EDITOR: Lucas Isley [e-mail] [e-mail] \- The Daily Utah Chronicle is an independent student newspaper published daily Monday through Friday during Fall and Spring Scmeste'rs (excluding test weeks and holidays) and once a week during Summer Semester. Chronicle editors and staff arc solely responsible for the newspaper's content. Funding conies from advertising revenues and a dedicated student fee administered by the Publications Council. To respond with questions, comments or complaints, call 801-581-7041 or visit www.dailyutahchronicle.com. Tfte „ • Chronicle is distributed free of charge, limit one copy per reader. Additional copies of the paper may be made available upon request. No person, without expressed permission of The Chronicle, may take more . • than one copy of any Chronicle issue. i i •s 1