The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com Wednesday, November 14, 2007 - 3A NEWS BRIEFS WASHINGTON Report cites 'hidden' costs in wars The economic costs of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are esti- mated to total $1.6 trillion - rough- ly double the amount the White House has requested thus far, ac- cording to a new report by Demo- crats on Congress' Joint Economic Committee. The report, released yesterday, attempted to put a price tag on the two conflicts, including "hidden" costs such as interest payments on the money borrowed to pay for the wars, lost investment, the expense of long-term health care for injured veterans and the cost of oil market disruptions. The $1.6 trillion figure, for the period from 2002 to 2008, trans- lates into a cost of $20,900 for a family of four, the report said. The Bush administration has requested $804 billion for the Iraq and Af- ghanistan wars combined, the re- port stated. For the Iraq war only, total eco- nomic costs were estimated at $1.3 trillion for the period from 2002 to 2008. That would cost a family of four $16,500, the report said. VIENNA, Austria In hope of avoiding sanctions, Iran provides plans Iran has met a key demand of the U.N. nuclear agency by deliv- ering blueprints that show how to mold uranium metal into the shape of warheads, diplomats said yes- terday, in an apparent concession meant to stave off the threat of new U.N. sanctions. But the diplomats said Tehran has failed to meet other requests made by the International Atomic Energy Agency in its attempts to end nearly two decades of nuclear secrecy on the part of the Islamic Republic. The diplomats spoke to The Associated Press as IAEA chief Mohamed ElBaradei put the fin- ishing touches on his latest report to the agency's 35-nation board of governors, for consideration during a meeting that begins on Nov. 22, Thanksgiving Day. WASHINGTON Justice Dept. to re-examine wiretapping laws The Justice Department has reopened a long-dormant inquiry into the government's warrant- less wiretapping program, a major policy shift only days into the ten- ure of Attorney General Michael Mukasey. The investigation by the depart- ment's Office of Professional Responsibility was shut down last year, after the investigators were denied security clearances. Gon- zales told Congress that President Bush, not he, denied the clearances. "We recently received the nec- essary security clearances and are now able to proceed with our investigation," H. Marshall Jarrett, counsel for the OPR, wrote to Rep. Maurice Hinchey (D-N.Y.) A copy of the letter, dated yesterday, was obtained by The Associated Press. TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. Plan would hurt rivers, critics say A plan before the state Senate would let farms, factories and oth- ers pull enough water from some riv- ers and streams to reduce their flow rates significantly, environmentalists said yesterday. The legislation's chief sponsor said its critics were exaggerating. The plan is contained in a package of bills that would give Michigan's approval to a regional compact to prevent Great Lakes water from being sent to water-poor regions. All eight states adjoining the lakes must ratify the compact for it to take effect. - Compiled from Daily wire reports U..D ATH 3,861 Number of American service mem- bers who have died in the war in Iraq, according to The Associated Press. Sgt. Joseph M. Vanek, 22, of Elm- hurst, Ill. Spc. Jermaine D. Franklin, 22, of Arlington, Texas Quicken to move to Detroit MAKING MEGAPHONES Mortgage company's leap from Livonia hailed by business, political leaders DETROIT (AP) - Dan Gilbert says it makes good business sense to move the corporate offices of the online mortgage company he founded from the suburbs to Detroit, along with 4,000 jobs. Yet the chairman of Quicken Loans Inc. wasn't discounting the social significance to a downtown that has slowly been rebuilding after decades of decline. "This isn't just about us say- ing, 'Let's just go to Detroit because it's the right thing to do.' Gilbert said yesterday, min- utes after entering a packed room of politicians, business leaders and reporters to the strains of Stevie Wonder's "Liv- ing for the City" to officially announce the plan. "We do think it is the right thing to do, but we also think it's the smart thing to do." Quicken has one year to con- sider two possible headquarters sites and 18 months to two years more to develop a construction plan for one of them. But Gilbert said he also is con- sidering developing a technol- ogy and incubator center on the second site with the idea that it could help draw startup ventures and existing companies to a hub that embodies what he calls the "brain economy." Quicken will receive a package of state and local incentives that could be worth up $200 million during the next 20 years. Yesterday's announcement was hailed by elected officials and others as another step in the right direction for the economi- cally distressed city that has been grappling with chronically high unemployment. Michigan Gov. Jennifer Gran- holm called the deal a "fantastic" one for Detroit. "Having it go to Detroit will have a phenomenal ripple effect," she said. "It's not just symbolic. It's a real boost to the city and certainlyto the state." Quicken's move to the east from suburban Livonia comes on the heels of other recent high- profile Detroit developments over the past decade, including the opening of three casinos, base- ball's Comerica Park, football's Ford Field, and the world head- quarters of software company Compuware Corp. However, Comerica Inc. announced earlier this year plans to relocate its corporate head- quarters to Dallas, where the bankingcompany said itwill have improved accessibility to its mar- kets. It affects about 200 workers in Michigan. Mark Rosentraub, a profes- sor of urban affairs at Cleve- land State University, doesn't see a regional effect from Quicken's move but said it's "staggering in its implications for the city." "Remember that urban eco- nomics is the study of where things occur, and where they occur can and does have as much social significance as does the economic significance if some- thing occurs," he said in an e- mail. "Downtowns across the Mid- west have been struggling to attract and retain large firms, and the presence of 4,000 work- ers adds to the building of a suf- ficient mass of consumers to support retail and entertainment venues." Quicken Loans is paper- less - every transaction is processed electronically in an office where a vast computer network handles 175,000 phone calls and 2.4 million internal e- mails each day. ArtsBreak program advisers Teri Rosenberg and Nick Smith decorate megaphones in the basement of the Michigan Union yes terday. ArtsBreak sponsored the event to help students get ready for Saturday's game against Ohio State. INTERESTED IN WEB DESIGN? The Daily needs you. E-mail grossman@michigandaily.com. T H E O R I G I N A L 512 E. William (734) 663-3379 LIMITED TIME OFFER For Our Friends at The U CUSTOMER APPRECIATION Lunch Buffet M-F 11-2pm $2 OFF our Lunch Buffet With Beverage Included Just Present Your U of M I.D. 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