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San
José, Costa Rica, Friday, Dec. 11, 2015, Vol. 16, No. 245
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Meteor show
reaches its peak Sunday
By
the A.M. Costa Rica staff
One of the best sky shows of the year will take the night stage from Sunday through Tuesday. This is the annual Geminid meteor shower that gets the name because it appears to come from the Constellation Gemini. Says the Royal Astronomical Society: At its peak and in a clear, dark sky, tens of shooting stars or meteors may be visible each hour. The theoretical maximum under ideal conditions is about 120 an hour. Meteors are the result of small (millimeter- to centimeter-sized) particles entering the earth's atmosphere at high speed, burning up and superheating the air around them, which then shines as a characteristic short-lived streak of light. In this case the debris is associated with the asteroidal object 3200 Phaethon, which many astronomers believe to be an extinct comet. Meteorological sources note that the moon is a waning crescent, so the lunar reflection will not interfere with viewing. Meteor watchers may want to look at different times during the night, said the astronomical society. Because of the rotation of the Earth, in the early evening, the edge of the cloud of debris that makes up the Geminids skims the atmosphere, leading to meteors that can have long paths across the sky, it added. Timeanddate.com maintains a list of the hourly direction and altitude of the meteor shower for Costa Rica. The origin is in the north or east usually above 45 degrees, according to a chart there. Those in Costa Rica are lucky that a light jacket might be sufficient to stay warm. Readers elsewhere may have to bundle up.
Public employees
to promote conventions
By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
The country's tourism institute is planning what it calls an aggressive strategy to compete in the convention business. President Luis Guillermo Solís signed a directive Thursday calling on all public employees to become promoters of Costa Rica as a convention destination when they travel abroad. That was announced at a meeting where the Instituto Costarricense de Turismo said that it would be contracting with world-level advisers for help in developing a promotional plan for conventions. The institute also said that an announcement for bids for the proposed convention center in Heredia would be made before the end of the year. The convention center is now expected to cost $35 million. Banco de Costa Rica and Banco National are putting up $12 million, and the tourism institute will use $23 million of its own money to pay for the project, according to Casa Presidencial. The institute also said that a contract had been made with the Empresa de Servicios Públicos de Heredia S.A. to provide power to the center. Rape suspect linked to other cases By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
An Heredia man detained Thursday is being investigated as a serial rapist. The Judicial Investigating Organization said the 34-year-old man was detained at his home in Santa Lucía, Barva, involving a single allegation of forcible rape. That case involves a 20-year-old woman who was abducted at knife-point along with her year-old child Tuesday night from an Heredia park. A man brought the woman to a home from which she was able to flee Wednesday, agents said. The crime resembles other cases of rape reported in the area, agents said. Surprise found in hospital bathroom By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
The half-kilo package found in the Liberia public hospital probably was not medical marijuana. The Fuerza Pública said officers received a tip about an unusual package in a bathroom of the facility. A member of the Policía de Control de Drogas verified that the substance was marijuana. There were no arrests.
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| What we published this week: | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Earlier |
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reproduced anywhere without permission. Abstracts and fair use are permitted. Check HERE for details |
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A.M. Costa Rica Third News Page |
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| San José, Costa Rica, Friday, Dec. 11, 2015, Vol. 16, No. 245 | |
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| Woman who ran medical non-profit found murdered in Barrio
California |
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By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
Someone brutally murdered a U.S. woman who ran an international medical volunteer service. The Judicial Investigating Organization said that the woman, Sondra Payne Elizondo, died in a Barrio California hotel room and that her body was discovered Wednesday afternoon by hotel employees. She was stabbed 24 times. She was an alumna of the U.S. Peace Corps and served in the Cartago area in the mid-1990s. She also co-founded the non-profit VIDA Volunteers in 2007. The organization has since treated |
thousands of
Costa Ricans, Nicaraguans, Guatemalans
and Panamanians. It even provides
veterinarian services in rural
communities. Mrs. Elizondo, 45, is believed to have married here and then moved to the Twin Cities area of Minnesota. She and her husband, Richard, returned to Costa Rica in 2004, according to a feature report by the University of St. Thomas where she was graduated in 1992 with a degree in social work. The university reported that the couple had two children. The Judicial Investigating Organization said that she no longer lived here but was a frequent visitor. She last entered the country Saturday, investigators said. |
 Sondra
Payne Elizondo
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| Despite criminal conviction, Luis Milanes case is far from
over |
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The
following news story appeared Thursday afternoon.
By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
Savings Unlimited investors have won what one called a Pyrrhic victory with the conviction of Luis Milanes. "A Pyrrhic victory is a victory that inflicts such a devastating toll on the victor that it is tantamount to defeat," the investor added in an email, quoting a Web site definition. He was referring to the drawn out fraud case that began in November 2002 when Milanes closed his high-interest operation and fled the country. In the decision Thursday a San José criminal court panel gave Milanes a bit more than 15 years in prison and sentenced Michael González, the office manager, to six years. José Milanes, the brother of Luis, was not convicted. Investors and some court officials consider Milanes a flight risk, and the judicial panel ordered that he be held in preventative detention until a written sentence is issued in January. Most investors are aware that the case is not over. An appeal is certain, and the chances that the ailing Milanes spends Christmas in prison are slim. Lawyers are likely to cite his health and the holidays in a bid to have him freed. Milanes seems to have divested himself of his assets over the last few years. That includes property that he posted as compensation for some of his investors in a conciliation deal. At one time he owned a string of casinos and other ventures. |
Milanes was
missing after he closed his borrowing operation until he
returned in June 2009. The criminal case has been going on since. José Pablo Fernández of Global Trust Firm, S.A. quickly sent out an email to those in the conciliation deal noting that the agreement was not part of the criminal case. He said that a sale might come soon of the Hotel Europa downtown. That is part of the property that Milanes signed over as part of the agreement. The trustee firm has been trying to sell the hotel property for years, but there have been many complications. The investors who are involved in the agreement are expected to receive money from the hotel sale, although there are substantial maintenance and legal costs that continue. There is some question if investors will receive any money as a result of the Milanes conviction. He says that the bulk of the funds from Savings Unlimited were taken by an associate who absconded to Europe. In addition, the court is considering money laundering allegations that may show up in the final verdict. Such a conviction, if upheld, would channel any money to the government. González would probably serve less than three years if the conviction is upheld. Plus he gets a substantial discount for the time he served in preventative detention several years ago and the time he serves now in house arrest. Savings Unlimited was one of those high-interest operations that flourished here at the turn of the century. Depositors received up to 3 percent a month return on their investments. Milanes claimed the money was being invested in casinos. |
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| What we published this week: | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Earlier |
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be
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| A.M. Costa Rica's Fourth News page | |||||
| San José, Costa Rica, Friday, Dec. 11, 2015, Vol. 16, No. 245 |
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| Ultrasound technique used in non-invasive prostate surgery | |
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By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in American men and is the fifth-leading cause of cancer death in men globally. While death rates for prostate cancer have been decreasing in most developed countries, mortality rates are rising in some European and Asian countries such as South Korea, China and Russia. A non-invasive way of removing prostate cancer tumors is now available in the United States with the help of robotic technology. The University of Southern California is the first academic medical center in the U.S. to perform this type of procedure. Brett Lindsay knows he made history when he underwent a procedure known as robotic high intensity focused ultrasound. "I was excited about the new procedure because it was more or less non-invasive. The recovery time was a lot quicker — did not have to remove the prostate," Lindsay said. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recently approved the procedure even though it's been used in other countries to treat prostate cancer for about 10 years. Traditional prostate cancer treatments include either removing the entire gland or radiation, which will affect the quality of life for patients even if the cancer is removed, said Inderbir Gill, lead urologist at the University of Southern California Institute of Urology. "The nerves that are lying right next to the prostate that are responsible for erections, the sphincter that's lying right next to the prostate that is responsible for urinary continence, they get compromised. So, yes, you take care of the cancer, but |
you
significantly impact the person's quality of life," Gill said. With the ultrasound technique, only the cancer is identified, targeted and destroyed. The procedure is an outpatient procedure, said Robert Barnett of SonaCare Medical, one of the manufacturers of the technology. "Here we're taking ultrasound energy off of a concave or bowl-like surface and bringing that to a focal point, and at that point we have tremendous heat generated and we can destroy tissue," Barnett said. The devices are used in Western Europe, Latin America and some Asian countries, but not so much in developing countries. "I think in the Third World if you will, in developing countries, it's a financial thing. Those countries certainly don't have the resources to commit to health care. Their focus is more on preventing infectious disease," Barnett said. But he said that, looking at the global cost of treating prostate cancer, the technology is less costly than radiation and it can easily be implemented in an unsophisticated medical setting. Gill said having the procedure at an academic medical center will allow them to further research the outcomes, minimize any side effects and advance the technology. The objective is "to figure out what molecular and genetic markers predict HIFU success, HIFU failure. Which patients are the best candidates for it? How do we not overtreat cancer? How do we not undertreat cancer?" Gill said. Brett Lindsay said he'll relax at home for a few days before going on a business trip in less than a week. |
Here's reasonable medical care
Costa Rica's world class medical specialists are at your command. Get the top care for much less than U.S. prices. It is really a great way to spend a vacation. See our list of recommended professionals HERE!amcr-prom
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| What we published this week: | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Earlier |
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Colorado
S.A. 2015 and may not be reproduced anywhere without permission. Abstracts and fair use are permitted. Check HERE for details |
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A.M. Costa Rica's
Fifth news page |
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| San José, Costa Rica, Friday, Dec. 11, 2015, Vol. 16, No. 245 | |||||||
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| House Republicans claim White House misled on POW By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
U.S. House Republicans accused the Obama administration of misleading Congress about its efforts to release five Taliban detainees held at Guantanamo Bay in exchange for captive U.S. Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl. The report was released Thursday, the same day it was announced the soldier's case would be the topic of a popular podcast. The report by Republicans on the House Armed Services Committee said the Obama administration also did not comply with a law that requires Congress be given a 30-day notice about transferring detainees from the prison. In the Bergdahl exchange, the report said, the Taliban leaders were told of their release two days before the Pentagon told congressional leaders about the exchange. Also, it said the five men were put on a plane to Qatar less than three hours after Bergdahl was released. Rep. Mac Thornberry, the committee's chairman and a Republican, said in a statement that Congress was also misled about the status of negotiations before the prisoner transfer. "In the months preceding the Taliban Five transfer, the administration did not communicate any of the specifics or contemplated courses of action to the committee, and the information it did convey was misleading and obfuscatory," the report said. The report focuses more on the deal surrounding the five Taliban prisoners and how Qatar will monitor them rather than Bergdahl's case. Bergdahl was captured by the Taliban shortly after walking away from his remote Afghanistan outpost June 30, 2009. He was held captive, abused and tortured for nearly five years, before being freed in the prisoner exchange May 31, 2014. Bergdahl of Hailey, Idaho, is currently an active duty soldier with a clerical job in Texas. He was charged this past March with desertion and misbehavior before the enemy, a charge that carries up to life in prison. However, his status remains in question with an Army officer having recommended Bergdahl's case be referred to a special court martial, which is a misdemeanor-level forum. The five former Taliban leaders remain in Qatar, where they are prohibited from leaving the country or re-engaging in militant activities. Committee Republicans said in the report the Department of Defense has not established who will be responsible for making sure Qatar monitors the activities of the five released men. The White House did not have an immediate response to the report. At the time of the exchange, the administration said negotiations were tenuous and they feared any leak of information would threaten Bergdahl's life. In their rebuttal, the Democratic members of the committee agreed that the Defense Department should have heeded the 30-day notice requirement, but they called the report unbalanced and partisan. The 98-page report provides details about the Defense Department's work with the Qataris, and includes information from classified interviews, more than 4,000 pages of written material, trips to Qatar and Guantanamo Bay, and the review of several hours of classified video about the preparations for the transfer. Meanwhile, Bergdahl's case will be the subject for the second season of the popular podcast "Serial." Bergdahl was interviewed by filmmaker Mark Boal. Excerpts of those telephone interviews, his first public account of what he went through, will be used in the podcast. In the first episode, Bergdahl said he left his base to highlight poor leadership within his unit. He also said he wanted to prove he was like fictional CIA movie spy Jason Bourne. "Doing what I did was me saying I am like Jason Bourne," Bergdahl told Boal in one call, referring to the CIA assassin played by Matt Damon in a string of Hollywood action thrillers. "I had this fantastic idea that I was going to prove to the world that I was the real thing, that I could be what it is that all those guys out there who go to the movies and watch those movies, they want to be that," he said. Sarah Koenig, host and creator of the podcast that is a spinoff of the radio show "This American Life," said the show has interviewed former soldiers who were deployed with Bergdahl and the Taliban, with the second episode of the podcast presenting the Taliban's version of events. Worldwide push announced to eliminate rabies by 2030 By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
The World Health Organization and World Organization for Animal Health are launching a global campaign to eliminate rabies by 2030. The two agencies say tens of thousands of lives can be saved every year by eliminating this vaccine-preventable disease. People love their dogs. And in most cases, dogs provide loving companionship for people throughout the world. Unfortunately, dogs are the main carriers of rabies, a disease that kills more than 70,000 people worldwide each year, most of them children. The World Health Organization says about 80 percent of people exposed to rabies live in poor, rural areas of Africa and Asia with no access to prompt treatment should they be bitten. Rabies is the world’s deadliest disease, killing 99 percent of its victims. World Health Director-General Margaret Chan calls this an irretrievable and unnecessary loss as rabies can be prevented by vaccinating dogs against this disease. “Vaccinating at least 70 percent of the dog population breaks the cycle of transmission in . . . dogs. When canine rabies goes down, so do human rabies deaths. Mass vaccination is by far more effective and also more humane … than rounding up stray dogs and destroying them,” said Ms. Chan. Mass vaccination campaigns also are more cost-effective. World Health estimates a dog vaccine costs less than one dollar, whereas the cost of treating people who are bitten is between $40 and $50. This represents, on average, 40 days of wages in some affected countries in Africa and Asia. Bernard Vallat, director general of the World Organization for Animal Health, says besides endangering the lives of humans, rabid dogs also pose a threat for endangered wildlife. He said rabid dogs in Africa often penetrate protected animal reserves and infect buffalo, antelopes, wild dogs and other vulnerable wildlife. “So controlling rabies in dogs will lead also to save some endangered species, particularly in Africa is a good argument also to be developed for promoting dog vaccination,” said Vallat. Health experts agree a comprehensive and coordinated national approach is needed to run a successful mass dog vaccination campaign. For best results, they say governments must involve veterinarians in the private sector and local communities who know the people who own the dogs that could become rabid if neglected and not vaccinated. Friend becomes new focus in California investigation By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
U.S. investigators probing last week's deadly massacre in California are now intensely focusing on the activities of Enrique Marquez, who they say supplied the assault-style weapons to the husband-and-wife attackers who killed 14 people and wounded another 21. Authorities say that the 24-year-old Marquez spent hours tinkering on old cars with Syed Rizwan Farook, a friendship that had extended for several years. Investigators say Marquez converted to Islam, Farook's religion, married a member of Farook's extended family and claims to have discussed a terrorist plot with Farook in 2012 but abandoned it when authorities arrested suspects in an unrelated terrorist incident. Investigators say that Marquez, who until recently worked as a security guard at a Walmart store, legally bought two semi-automatic rifles and gave them to the 27-year-old Farook, who carried out the attack on a local government center in San Bernardino with his Pakistani-born wife, Tashfeen Malik, 29. Farook and Malik were killed hours later in a barrage of gunfire with police. Marquez, who has not been charged in the case, checked himself into a mental health facility after the Dec. 2 attack. Agents have searched his house, seized potential evidence and interviewed him repeatedly. Authorities say he has been cooperating with the investigation. Meanwhile, the U.S. State Department is investigating whether it missed any signs of the radicalization of Ms. Malik's Islamic beliefs when officials in Pakistan scrutinized her request for what is known as a fiance visa, to enter the U.S. with the intent to marry Farook a short time later. James Comey, the director of the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation, told a congressional panel Wednesday that investigators believe the couple was radicalized before meeting online where they started discussing jihad and martyrdom about two years ago. Authorities say that no red flags turned up in their background checks on Malik and that questioning of her focused on the legitimacy of her relationship with Farook and whether they planned to marry, as they did last year after arriving in the U.S. The State Department has defended its background check on Ms. Malik. But State Department spokesman John Kirby told CNN Thursday, "Every now and then, someone's going to get through. We don't like that, but that's the reality." After a closed-door briefing on the investigation Thursday, Rep. Matt Salmon of Arizona denounced the State Department review of Ms. Malik. "They say the system has all these fail-safes," Salmon said. "Apparently there aren't enough fail-safes. This woman was obviously radicalized years ago and she got through the system." At a briefing for reporters Wednesday, Kirby said, "It’s too soon to know what, if anything, might have been missed in the screening process. If in the context or in the process of the review, we find things that we can do, we’re not going to wait for the review to be complete before we make the changes. But clearly we’re going to keep an open mind about the program going forward and make whatever changes we need to make." In his testimony, Comey said Farook and Ms. Malik were inspired by foreign terrorist groups. He described the couple as homegrown violent extremists. Climate change impact seen on weather-related health By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
U.S. health agencies have been monitoring climate change for some time. So have researchers at universities across the country. What they've found might help people protect their health as weather conditions change. Climate change is not just a change in the global temperature; it is also a change in the weather. George Luber, the chief of the climate and health program at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said "Climate change has a broad impact on health, both through the direct effect that climate change has on extreme weather, heat waves to heavy rainfall events and associated flooding, coastal storms, hurricanes, but also indirectly, in the way that it alters disease ecology, or ecosystems that are important in maintaining a healthy environment." One example is Lyme disease, which is caused by a particular type of bacterium spread through the bite of infected blacklegged ticks, also known as deer ticks. A warming climate and changing seasonal temperatures have expanded the tick's range. "We’re seeing more cases. We’re seeing shifts northward and to the midwest, and that’s linked to changing seasonal patterns," Luber said. In the past 20 years, blacklegged ticks have increased their range from the southeastern U.S., north to Canada and west to Minnesota, which is known for very cold winters. Scientists are seeing more heavy rains in some regions, drought in others. The rain can create flood plains where mosquitoes breed, and storms, floods and droughts can create conditions conducive to clusters of water-, mosquito- and rodent-borne diseases. Scientists expect storms and floods to increase the spread of cholera in developing countries as flooding creates contaminated water. Other research concerns the spread of malaria. A larger portion of Africa than previously predicted is now at high risk for malaria transmission, according to a new University of Florida mapping study. Malaria will arrive in new areas, the research suggests, posing a risk to new populations and will require changes in managing public health. The study also shows that some parts of Africa will become too hot for malaria. Part of Luber's job involves preparing the public for the threat of climate change, bringing in the latest science and help the various states integrate climate change into their planning. For example, the Centers’ research shows that the state of Oregon will soon experience heatwaves. Oregon is known for its temperate weather. "We work with them to assess their weather or climate-related risks, and through the use of climate models discovered that while they don’t experience heatwaves now, the future projections is that they will start experiencing heatwaves in the future,” said Luber of state health officials. Oregon actually experienced two unusual heat waves last summer. The Centers advised health authorities to set up cooling shelters and help people who are especially vulnerable to heat. Luber said the southeastern states will be more prone to inland flooding as the climate changes, which will mean people there will have to find a source of clean water. Cruz may become alternative if brash Donald Trump falters By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump remains in the lead in most polls and is even tying Sen. Ted Cruz in Cruz's home state of Texas. But things could change. Trump's persona is brash and speak-your-mind, said Kirby Goidel, who works on public policy research at Texas A & M University, adding that Trump and his supporters seem to think "it is o.k. if you are wrong as long as you are saying things that need to be said." Goidel's assessment is supported by interviews in downtown Houston with voters like Terri, who said, "I don't like his attitude sometimes, but I think he would be a good president for the country. … He just seems to be strong. That is what we need is a strong leader." Beth, another voter, says Trump addresses the fears that she and many other citizens have about terrorism and illegal immigration. "I just don't feel like the government is really focusing on our safety here in the U.S.," she said. "They are more focused on immigration and bringing immigrants in and not really focusing on the American citizens that are here." Many of those concerns are the same as those expressed by conservative voters who support Cruz or other candidates. But Trump has overshadowed them all with his rhetoric and style. Even when he says things that are later proven wrong, his supporters are not fazed. Trump is a celebrity who once had his own television program, and he draws far more media coverage than any other candidate. Goidel says television news programs have boosted their ratings by giving Trump free rein, much to the chagrin of other candidates. "The more he has gotten this free media coverage, the more he has risen in the polls," Goidel said. "Now it looks like some of the media are getting tired of just letting him talk. They are being more aggressive and more forthright in challenging him." But that media criticism can benefit Trump. He often encourages crowds to boo the reporters who cover his rallies, accusing them of being biased toward liberals. But conservative broadcasters and pundits have also attacked Trump, and hardline conservatives seem put off by Trump's failure to outline specific proposals or policies. Cruz, who some see as best positioned to overtake Trump, is the candidate who seems least inclined to criticize him. Goidel thinks Cruz may be counting on an eventual Trump decline through which he, Cruz, could benefit. "Ultimately, Trump will falter," Goidel said, adding that the people looking for the outsider will find him appealing and they will find Cruz similar to Trump without some of Trump's problems. But Goidel says it may not be easy for Cruz, or anyone else, to attract Trump supporters. "I don't know what percentage of his support is core-and-consistent Trump,” Goidel said, “but he is tapping into a significant part of that electorate that seems like it is not likely to just go to another candidate or go to another candidate easily." Recent polls in Iowa and South Carolina show growing support for Cruz, especially among evangelicals and other voters concerned with moral issues. Trump, who went through a highly publicized divorce and owns several casinos, is not what many devout Christians view as a role model. Bill O'Sullivan, treasurer of the Texas Patriot PAC, which supports conservative candidates and causes, said that while Trump rules the media, Cruz is building a strong organization in Iowa. "Cruz has been working on an important factor in Iowa, which is the evangelicals, and he has an enormous ground game there,” O’Sullivan said. Even though Cruz has been in the U.S. Senate for nearly three years, O'Sullivan said Cruz, like Trump, is seen as a Washington outsider who refuses to go along with business as usual. |
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| A.M. Costa Rica's sixth news page |
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| San José, Costa Rica, Friday, Dec. 11, 2015, Vol. 16, No. 245 | |||||||||
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Cuban rights
protest ends in arrests
By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
Several Cuban dissidents were arrested in Havana Thursday for taking part in a human rights demonstration on International Human Rights Day. Only a handful of people were able to make it to the planned site of the unauthorized protests. Shouting "freedom" and "long live human rights," they were barely able to disrupt traffic before they were hauled away by police. The human rights group Amnesty International said that many members of the protest group, called the Ladies in White, were arbitrarily restricted Wednesday to prevent them from participating in a protest. In recent years, groups of Cubans have demonstrated every year on the U.N.'s International Human Rights Day, Dec. 10. International Human Rights Day is a commemoration of the date in 1948 when the U.N. General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, a milestone document outlining basic international rights norms. The activist Cuban Commission of Human Rights and National Reconciliation estimated that at least 100 people were arrested nationwide Thursday. Amnesty had warned that protesters were at an increased risk of detention this year, after 1,477 people were arrested in November. Amnesty said it was the highest monthly total in many years. The rights group said, "This is a systematic problem that silences Cuban activists in their own streets." Honduran soccer star gunned down By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
The captain of Honduras' national soccer team, Arnold Peralta, was shot and killed in a drive-by shooting Thursday. Police say he was gunned down in a shopping mall parking lot in his hometown of La Ceiba on the Caribbean coast. Police say it appears the killing was deliberate because the 26-year-old Peralta was not robbed. Peralta played midfield for the Honduran national team and was scheduled to play a friendly match against the Cuban national team next week. He played on the 2012 Summer Olympic team and formerly was a member of a Scottish football club. Honduras is one of the world's most violent countries, plagued by poverty and drug-treated gang murders. |
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Page 7: House will consider temporary funding bill By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
One day before U.S. government funding authorization was set to expire, the Senate Thursday passed a short-term, five-day measure to keep the government running past today. The House is expected to pass a similar measure today. And the White House says the president will sign it, which would avert any agencies shutting down. But both chambers still will have to pass a massive government spending bill next week, before they leave town for a long holiday recess. Negotiations are ongoing, and the main obstacles to an agreement between Democrats and Republicans are a number of policy measures, called riders, that both sides attach to the spending bill. Thursday House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi introduced a new aspect to the budget standoff with Republican House Speaker Paul Ryan. Mrs. Pelosi and other Democrats are pushing a measure to get rid of a provision banning federal funding for gun violence research from the budget bill. Republican leaders are virtually certain to reject Democrats' demand to eliminate the 17-year-old provision, known as the Dickey amendment, in the year-end funding bill. Asked about the measure at his weekly news conference Thursday, Ryan told reporters he was not going to conduct sensitive budget negotiations in the media. Republicans enacted the ban on federal research into gun violence by the Centers for Disease Control in 1997, after lobbying by powerful groups such as the National Rifle Association. Gun rights supporters say government agencies use studies to advance gun control legislation. House Democrats have responded strongly this week with efforts to highlight Congress' inaction on gun violence after a spate of recent mass shootings, including the one in San Bernardino, California, last week that left 14 people dead. They staged protest votes on the floor of the House on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. They held two separate gun violence forums. At a forum Tuesday, former U.S. surgeon general David Satcher said that for almost 20 years, Congress has prevented the United States from taking a public health approach to gun violence. He said the Centers for Disease Control had dramatically reduced the number of smoking deaths by taking a public health approach, but Congress is keeping it from doing the same thing for victims of gun violence. Satcher called for the ban on federal gun violence research to be lifted and also called for universal background checks for firearm purchases. He and other witnesses at the panel also support a bill sponsored by Peter King, a Republican, which would prevent people on a government terrorist watch list from buying firearms. King is one of only a handful of Republicans who support the bill, and he told reporters he does not believe the measure will be part of the spending bill. Most Republicans say people can end up on the so-called no-fly" list by mistake, and they reject any gun control legislation, saying the Second Amendment to the Constitution protects Americans' rights to own guns. |
