The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com
NEWS BRIEFS
WASHINGTON
Senate approves
bill to okay some
gov't snooping
Yesterday the Senate approved
new rules for government eaves-
dropping on phone calls and e-
mails, giving the White House
much of the latitude it wanted and
granting legal immunity to tele-
communications companies that
helped in the snooping after the
Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
Protection for the telecom com-
panies is the most prominent fea-
ture of the legislation, something
President Bush had insisted on as
essential to .getting private sector
cooperation in spying on foreign
terrorists and other targets. The
bill would give retroactive protec-
tion to companies that acted with-
out court permission.
The House did not include the
immunity provision in a similar bill
it passed last year. House Republi-
cans now want to adopt the Senate
bill, which would avoid contentious
negotiations to work out differences
between the competing legislation.
BAGHDAD
In turmoil, Iraq's
parliament could be
disbanded
The speaker of Iraq's fragmented
parliament threatened yesterday to
disband the legislature, saying it is
so riddled with distrust it appears
unable to adopt the budget or agree
on a law setting a date for provin-
cial elections.
Disbanding parliament would
prompt new elections within 60
days and further undermine Prime
Minister Nouri al-Maliki's shaky
government, which is limping along
with nearly half of the 40 Cabinet
posts vacant.
The disarray undermines the
purpose of last year's U.S. troop
"surge" - to bring down violence
enough to allow the Iraqi govern-
ment and parliament to focus on
measures to reconcile differences
among minority Sunnis and Kurds
and the majority Shiites. Violence
is down dramatically, but political
progress languishes.
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico
Six suspected
terrorists could be
executed in Gitmo
If six suspected terrorists are
sentenced to death at Guantanamo
Bay for the Sept. 11 attacks, United
States Army regulations that were
quietly amended two years ago
open the possibility of execution by
lethal injection at the military base
in Cuba, experts said yesterday.
Any executions would probably
add to international outrage over
Guantanamo, since capital punish-
ment is banned in 130 countries,
including the 27-nation European
Union.
Conducting the executions on
U.S. soil could open the way for
the detainees' lawyers to go to U.S.
courts to fight the death sentences.
But the updated regulations make
it possible for the executions to be
carried out at Guantanamo.
WASHINGTON
Bush: Nooses are
"deeply offensive"
President Bush said yesterday that
recent displays of nooses are disturb-
ing and indicate that some Americans
may be losing sight of the suffering
that blacks have endured across the
nation.
"The era of rampant lynching is a
shameful chapter in American his-
tory," Bush said at a black history
month event at the White House,,
which began with serious comments
about prejudice and ended withmusic
performed by The Temptations.
"The noose is not a symbol of prai-
rie justice, but of gross injustice," the
president said. "Displaying one is not
a harmless prank. Lynching is not a
word to be mentioned in jest."
-- Compiled from
Daily wire reports
--- -------
3,960
Number of American service mem-
bers who have died in the war in
Iraq, according to The Associated
Press. There were no deaths identi-
fied yesterday.
SURVEY
From Page 1A
sufficiently consult faculty mem-
bers before going ahead with
the $226 million renovations to
Michigan Stadium.
Riles cited a motion passed
in October by a majority of the
Senate Assembly, the main gov-
erning body for faculty, urging
University President Mary Sue
Coleman and the University
Board of Regents to reconsider
the stadium renovations. He said
the motion was largely ignored.
Last year's AEC survey
reported that about 45 percent of
respondents didn't want luxury
boxes to be added to Michigan
Stadium, according to the Senate
Assembly's website.
Riles said asharedgovernance
document is being developed
between the Senate Assembly
and the Office of the Provost. It
would lay out the roles of faculty
members in decisions made by
the University administration.
While early drafts of the doc-
ument were started nearly three
years ago, Riles said progress
is being made toward complet-
ing the document under current
University Provost Teresa Sul-
livan.
The only sticking point for
both sides in completing the doc-
ument, he said, is determining
how large a role faculty mem-
bers should have in University
decisions that fall outside the
faculty's primary responsibility
- academic issues.
Such decisions, Riles said,
include the decision to proceed
with the addition of luxury boxes
to Michigan Stadium.
Riles said the Senate Assem-
bly and the Office of the Provost
have been in discussions for sev-
eral months negotiating the role
faculty members should play
in these kinds of non-academic
decisions.
LECTURE
From Page 1A
dramatically increased over the
years," Gordon said. "If dur-
ing the 13 year period between
December 1987 and September
2000, 422 Israelis were killed by
Palestinians, during the six year
period from the rupture of the
second intifada, 1,019 Palestin-
ians were killed," Gordon said.
Gordon said increases in
deaths rarely signify other
improvements or setbacks in the
occupied territories.
He argued that throughout
the Israeli government's history,
Israel has provided support to
the Palestinian population.
"It is not altogether surpris-
ing that already in the midst of
the war, Israel rovided servicer
Obama and McCain win
big in primary contests
Potomac primaries
help push Illinois
senator past Clinton
in delegate tally
WASHINGTON (AP) - Barack
Obama powered past Hillary
Rodham Clinton in the race for
Democratic convention delegates
yesterday on a night of triumph
sweetened with outsized primary
victories in Maryland, Virginia
and the District of Columbia.
"Tonight we're on our way,"
Obamatoldcheeringsupportersin
Madison, Wis. "But we know how
much further we have to go," he
added, celebrating eight straight
victories over Clinton, the former
first lady now struggling in a race
she once commanded.
The Associated Press count of
delegates showed Obama with
1,210. Clinton had 1,188, falling
behind for the first time since the
campaign began.
Neither was close to the 2,025
needed to win the nomination.
Hisvictories werebylarge mar-
gins - he was gaining about 75
percent of the vote in the nation's
capital and nearly two-thirds in
Virginia. In Maryland, he was
winning close to 60 percent.
By contrast, Clinton was
attempting to retoolher campaign
in the midst of a losing streak.
Her deputy campaign manager
resigned, the second high-level
departure in as many days.
Campaigning in Texas, where
she hopes to triumph on March
4, she said she was looking ahead,
not back.
"I'm tested, I'm ready. Now
let's make it happen," she said.
Republican front-runner John
McCain won all three GOP prima-
ries, adding to his insurmountable
lead in delegates for the Republi-
can nomination.
He congratulated Mike Hucka-
bee, his sole remaining major rival
and a potential vice presidential
running mate, then turned his
focus on the Democrats.
"We know where either of their
candidates will lead this country,
and we dare not let them," he
told supporters in Alexandria,
Va. "They will paint a picture of
the world in which America's
mistakes are a greater threat to
our security than the malevo-
lent intentions of an enemy that
despises us and our ideals."
Interviews with voters leaving
the polls showed Obama narrow-
ly defeated Clinton among white
voters in Virginia, 52 percent to
47 percent, the first time he has
done that in a Southern state and
only the fourth time he has done
so in a competitive primary this
year.
Clinton won the white vote by
10 percentage points in Mary-
land.
He won 90 percent of the black
vote in Virginia and almost as
much in Maryland.
She won a majority of white
women in both states, though by
less than she is accustomed to.
He won among white men in
Virginia, and they split that vote
in Maryland.
Wednesday, February 13, 2008 - 3A
LENDER
From Page lA
three listed on the University
Office of Financial Aid's "Alterna-
tive Loans" website. Loans issued
throughtheprogram-whicharen't
based on financial need - carry a
lower interest rate than PLUS loans
funded by the U.S. Department
of Education. But they're more
expensive than some other federal
student loan programs, like the
Perkins loan program.
Representatives from the Mich-
igan Higher Education Student
Loan Authority and the University
of Michigan were unavailable for
comment last night.
The Wall Street Journal
reported on its website last night
that about $10 billion worth of
securities backed by debt from
institutions like the student
loan authorities of Montana and
Mississippi, Carnegie Hall and
Deerfield Academy, an exclusive
Massachusetts prep school, failed
to find buyers at an auction yes-
terday.
The newspaper said bonds
issued by Michigan Higher Educa-
tion Student Loan Authority were
not among those that failed to find
buyers at the auction, but that the
agency has issued similar bonds in
the past.
Despite some successes, GM
posts record loss for 2007
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GM
of its
utomaker plans hourly U.S. workers it hopes to GM sees "significant earnings
shed or how much it expects to increases" - after it reduces its
offer buyouts to spend on the buyouts. work force and labor costs,;trans-
But under its new contract with fers its retiree health care costs
some hourly the UAW, it will be able to replace to a new trust run by the United
up to 16,000 workers doing non- Auto Workers and ends a costly
workers assembly jobs with new employ- tie-up with Delphi Corp., its
ees who will be paid half the old former parts supplier, which is
TROIT (AP) - General wage of $28 per hour. expected to emerge from bank-
s' new Chevrolet Malibu Chief Financial Officer Fritz ruptcy soon.
is so popular dealers can Henderson said the buyouts would "We need to get all the struc-
keep it in stock. Even with help GM's bottom line as early as tural costs down," Henderson
d production, it will likely be this fall, and the company is con- said. "We need to step on the gas
r May before demand is met. fident that results will improve in in terms of how we're performing
hope we're never there," 2008 despite sagging U.S. demand. in the market as well."
LaNeve, GM's sales and For one thing, nearly 60 percent New products also are helping
ting chief, joked last week of its sales come from overseas, to bring more buyers into GM's
Chicago Auto Show. "Those and GM was profitable in every showrooms.
od problems." region outside North America in GM bucked the industry in Jan-
for every good problem at 2007. Henderson also said GM is uary, posting a 3 percent increase
world's largest automaker, expecting U.S. sales to improve in in sales when every other major
are a host of bad ones. GM is the second half of the year as pent- automaker was down. Sales of its
pummeled by the economy, up demand begins to spill into the Cadillac CTS rose 95 percent in
competition, government market. January.
ations and gas prices. "We see more risks than LaNeve said GM is scrambling
n as it enjoyed near-record upsides in '08 for the U.S. indus- to meet demand for the new Buick
n 2007, outpacing rival Toy- try," Henderson said. Enclave crossover.
otor Corp., it ended the year "But we're not conceding '08, Analysts were disappoint-
* record $38.7 billion loss and because certainly on a global basis ed with the fourth-quarter
nced further buyouts yes- we think we can actually improve results, particularly in North
'to cut costs. from '07." America, and shares in GM fell
wouldn't say how many Still, Henderson said it will 52 cents, or 1.9 percent, to close
74,000 UAW-represented likely be 2010 or 2011 before at $26.60.
the war, Israel provided services
to Palestinian farmers in order
to save crops and prevent the
death of livestock," Gordon said.
"When the fighting subsided, e ,
Israel established a series of pro-
grams to improve economic pro-
ductivity."
Gordon said the main argu-
ment of hisaforthcoming book,
called "Israel's Occupation," was
the control of Palestinian labor-
ers by Israelis.
"While Palestinian laborers
became dependent on Israel for
their livelihood - a fact that was
used by Israel to expand its con-
trol over them - simultaneously
the process of incorporation
weakened the control of the tra-
ditional elites over these labor-
ers because the economic power
which the laborers acquired
often put them in a better finan-
cial position than the traditional
elites," he said.
Gordon concluded his speech
by saying that Israel retains both
economic and political control
over the Palestinians.
"Israel has not withdrawn its
power from the occupied ter-
ritories but rather continues to
control the Palestinian space -
both through forms of violence
applied from remote control and
through economic sanctions," he
said.
In a question and answer ses-
sion following the speech, many
people asked about the current
status of the Palestinian-Israeli
conflict. Gordon refused to speak
about it.
"I'm not interested in the
Israeli-Palestinian conflict per-
se," he said.
Although some members of
the audience seemed disgrun-
tIed by Gordon's decision not
to talk about the present state
conflict questions, attendees
said they respected his view-
points.
After the speech, Law School
student Devora Snyder said that
while Gordon described the
issues facing the Palestinians,
he didn't submit a solution. ;y U D e '
"I didn't see any predictions
or propositions that would make
this anything other than simple
awarnes Sd6 u7 bivouacannarbor.com
awareness," Snyder said. 36SuhSae n ro
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