NEWS The Michigan Daily - Friday, March 10, 2006 - 3 ON CAMPUS College Democrats to hold Ann Arbor party meeting The College Democrats will host a meeting of the Ann Arbor Democratic Party tomorrow from 10 a.m. to noon in the Vandenberg Room of the Michigan League. Issues on the agenda include downtown development planning. Stu- dents are encouraged to attend. Europa Forum to take place in Michigan Union The Europa Forum, an interna- tional business conference, will host several lectures today on leadership and working with European business. Speakers include representatives from DaimlerChrysler and DeBeers Group France, as well as other corporate exec- utives, politicians, journalists and aca- demics. The conference starts at 9:30 a.m. and continues through 2:30 p.m. Int'l Center to host workshop on safe European travel The International Center will present tips on how to travel Europe safely and cheaply today from 3 to 4 p.m. Discus- sion topics include how to secure a pass- port and visas, how to find the cheapest flights and lodging and tips on how to deal with embassies. The presentation is free and will take place in Room 9 of the International Center. CRIME NOTES Cash stolen from unlocked drawer in hospital Thieves stole $110 in cash from the University Hospital sometime between 5 p.m.'IMesday night and 9 a.m. Wednes- day morning, the Department of Public Safety reported. The cash was located in an office in an unlocked desk drawer. There are no suspects. Drunk minor passes out, receives MIP A minor was arrested for posses- sion of alcohol after passing out in the carport on 525 Church Street yesterday at about 3 a.m, DPS said. The person was transported to the emergency room. Racquetball player taken to hospital An ambulance transported a rac- quetball player with an injured ankle from the Intramural Sports Building to the University Hospital at about 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, DPS said. THIS DAY In Daily History SPY magazine prints Madonna's 'U' transcript March 10, 1993'- Madonna's aca- demic record at the University has been "touched for the very first time." The March issue of SPY magazine, a publication that combines swimsuit mod- els and the latest news on spy technology, published the singer's official transcript as part of an article. This is the first time Madonna's scores from the University have been made public. Both Madonna's publicists' office and the University Registrar's office say that that a copy of the singer's transcript has not been ordered in the last two years. This leaves lingering questions about how SPY magazine obtained this transcript, raising suspicions about the security of grade records within the Registrar's office. The famous former student, who had an "A-minus" average, attended the School of Music from 1976 to ACLU asks judge to halt domestic spying Group says wiretap program complicates lawyers' defense efforts DETROIT (AP) - The American Civil Liberties Union yesterday presented a federal judge with declarations from four individuals - two criminal defense law- yers, an advocate for democratic reform in the Middle East and a journalist - who say President Bush's domestic eavesdrop- ping program has hindered their ability to do their jobs. The ACLU asked U.S. District Judge Anna Diggs Taylor to imme- diately halt the National Security Agency's warrantless surveillance. The Center for Constitutional Rights filed a similar motion yesterday in its lawsuit in federal court in New York. Both groups filed lawsuits against the program in January, arguing that it violates Americans' rights to free speech and to privacy. "The Program is causing concrete and specific injury to plaintiffs and others," the ACLU said in its motion asking the judge to declare the pro- gram illegal and issue an immediate injunction against it. "The Program is disrupting the ability of the plaintiffs to talk with sources, locate witnesses, conduct scholarship, engage in advocacy, and engage in other activity protected by the First Amendment." The NSA said it does not com- ment on pending litigation. A Jus- "I'm much more cautious about telephone calls and e-mails. I guess I really adhere to the rule now of 'don't say anything."' - William Swor Detroit lawyer tice Department spokesman had no immediate comment. Bush has said the wiretapping is legal and necessary. He says a congressional resolution passed after the Sept. 11 attacks that authorized him to use force in the fight against terrorism allowed him to order the program. Detroit lawyer William Swor said in a declaration filed with the ACLU's motion that his practice has been harmed because of the wiretapping. Several of Swor's cli- ents have been accused of terrorist connec- tions, including Abdel-Ilah Elmardoudi, one of four defendants in the nation's first post-Sept. 11 terrorism case, which fell apart after the government acknowledged prosecutorial misconduct. Swor said he believed that because of the nature of his cases, some of his communications with his clients' fam- ilies and associates in the Middle East are intercepted by the NSA. Since the program came to light, Swor said, he has changed his practices. "I'm much more cautious about telephone calls and e-mails," Swor told The Associated Press yesterday. "I guess I really adhere to the rule now of 'don't say anything."' Conversations with witnesses and experts even in the United States are also strained in the new atmosphere, Swor said, adding that it's a familiar feeling. "Years ago we used to assume the FBI was listening when it involved people from the anti-war move- ment," he said. New Mexico attorney Nancy Holland- er, who represents Mohammedou Ould Salahi, a detainee at Guantanamo Bay, and the Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development, a Texas-based Islamic charity accused of providing support to the militant group Hamas, said in a court filing that she too had stopped relying on e-mail and phone communications and will have to make more trips abroad. Two other plaintiffs, Larry Diamond, an expert on democratic development at Stanford University's Hoover Institution and a former political adviser to the U.S. occupation authority in Iraq, and Tara McKelvey, a senior editor at The Ameri- can Prospect, said in declarations that fear of surveillance had interfered with their ability to do research and communicate with sources. UAW: No deal yet with Delphi Supplier says it will ask judge to cancel lcontracts if no deal by Mar. 31 DETROIT (AP) - General Motors Corp. shares rose yesterday on word the automaker was close to a deal with Delphi Corp. and the United Auto Workers to help Del- phi's hourly workers, but the UAW cast some doubt by hotly denying an agreement is imminent. GM shares rose 92 cents, or 4.5 percent, to close at $21.34 on the New York Stock Exchange. "(Delphi) is one of the chief things that was holding GM up and caus- ing fears of bankruptcy," Burnham Securities analyst David Healy said. "On Broad and Wall there's a collec- tive sigh of relief." But the UAW said unspecified media reports indicating the parties were close to an agreement are false and are a disservice to its members. "There are many, many signifi- cant issues to be resolved. Overall, the situation has changed very little since our last meeting," the union said in a statement. The UAW confirmed it will hold a meeting Wednesday for union lead- ers from Delphi facilities, but said the meeting is routine and intended to update members on "these com- plicated and difficult discussions." "The suggestion that we have an outline of an agreement to review with you is, unfortunately, just not true," the UAW said. Healy said he suspects the UAW is bluffing in order to keep some heat on GM and Delphi. "They always negotiate in the press," he said. But David Cole, chairman of the Center for Automotive Research in Ann Arbor and the son of a former GM president, said he would be sur- prised if the parties could reach an agreement this quickly because the negotiations are so complex. "Buyouts are done on a plant-by- plant basis," Cole said. "It's doable but complicated." GM spokeswoman Katie McBride said the automaker wouldn't com- ment on the discussions or the timing of a resolution. Delphi spokesman Lindsey Williams said the talks are progressing but wouldn't comment further. Delphi, GM's former parts divi- sion, filed for bankruptcy protection Oct. 8. The Troy-based supplier has asked the UAW and other unions to agree to pay cuts of more than 60 percent for its 34,000 union- ized hourly workers, but the unions have refused. GM has stepped into the fray because it relies heavily on Delphi for parts and says it could be contractually liable for up to $12 billion in benefits promised to Del- phi workers. Delphi is threatening to ask a bankruptcy court judge to cancel its labor contracts on March 31 if it hasn't reached a deal to cut its labor costs. If the judge cancels Delphi's contracts, the UAW has said it will strike. Another Delphi union, the International Union of Electronic Workers-Communications Workers of America, already has voted to authorize a strike. The UAW and GM said yester- day that the parties are discussing a program that would provide Delphi employees with retirement incen- tives. State Republicans vote. to repeal mains bsiness t ax Granholm criticizes The tax, already set to expire in sponsible and utterly ridicui lan for not replacin $1.9 2009, is reviled by Republicans and governor said in a statement. a *gbusinesses who call it a job killer. But House Speaker Craig1 lion in lost revenue Democratic Gov. Jennifer Granholm and Oakland County Exec lous,' the DeRoche cutive L. LANSING (AP) - Republicans in the state House voted yesterday to repeal Michigan's main business tax two years earlier than planned in a move they say is aimed at boosting the economy. A divided House committee sent the legislation to the full House, which is expected to vote on it next week. Under the bill, the tax would be repealed at the end of 2007. agrees the Single Business Tax is a bad tax, but she criticized lawmakers yesterday for not proposing a way to replace $1.9 billion in lost revenue. SBT taxes bring in nearly a quarter of the state's general fund - the state's main checkbook - which covers every- thing from universities to prisons and, most state departments. "Eliminating the SBT without a plan' to replace lost revenue is fiscally irre- " V 1d .1. Brooks Patterson said delaying the tax's expiration isn't acceptable. "We can't wait. I don't think it is an overstatement at all to say we are at a crisis in Michigan," Patterson said, citing the state's above-average unemployment rate and other eco- nomic indicators. Republican members of the House Tax Policy Committee voted for the bill, while Democrats opposed it. I Tunn PA Ann 7d1 I.Ta