6 The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com Friday, January 23, 2009 - 3 The Michigan Daily - michigandailycom Friday, January 23, 2009 - 3 NEWS BRIEFS NEW YORK Kennedy withdraws from Senate race ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) - Caroline Kennedy's mysteriously abrupt decision to abandon her Senate bid gave rise to an ugly swirl of accusa-' tions Thursday and feverish specu- lation over whether she jumped or was pushed. The 51-year-old daughter of President John F. Kennedy was widely considered a front-runner for the Senate seat until she sent a midnight e-mail to reporters and Gov. David Paterson saying she was withdrawingforwhatshedescribed only as personal reasons. Even though many Democrats had thought Paterson was going to appoint Kennedy anydaynow, aper- son close to the governor said Thurs- day that Paterson had no intention of picking her because he believed she handled herself poorly in introduc- ing herself as a candidate. The person also said there were concerns about possible tax problems for Kennedy, a poten- tial "nanny problem" involving a housekeeper, and media rumors that her marriage was on the rocks. The person, who spoke on condi- tion of anonymity because he said he wasn't authorized to speak for the governor, would not elaborate. Kennedy spokesman Stefan Friedman would not detail her reasons for withdrawing, but com- plained: "This kind of mudslinging demeans that process and all those involved." CHICAGO Blagojevich: Senate impeachment trial unfair and 'a sham' On the verge of being tossed out of office, Gov. Rod Blagojevich on Thursday branded his upcom- ing impeachment trial "a sham" that won't provide a fair chance to defend himself "What the Senate and the House and Legislature is trying to do is to thwart the will of the people and remove a governor elected twice by the people without a fair hearing," the governor said outside his Chi- cago home. The two-term Democrat is accused of abusing his power by scheming to benefit from appoint- ing a person to fill President Barack Obama's Senate seat, circumvent- ing hiring laws and defying Gen- eral Assembly decisions. He was impeached by the state House on Jan. 9, and his trial in the state Senate is set to begin Monday. He has denied any wrongdoing. WASHINGTON Rally marks Roe v. Wade anniversary Tens of thousands of abortion opponents rallied Thursday on the National Mall to mark the 36th anniversary of Roe v. Wade amid concerns they could face political setbacks under the new president. The rally and subsequent march to the Supreme Court came two days after the swearing-in of Presi- dent Barack Obama, which many demonstrators said emphasized the need to become more vocal with their message. Among those attending the rally marking the 1973 ruling that legal- ized abortion was Kirk Kramer of Cottage City, Md., who held up a sign reading: "The Audacity Of Hope: No More Roe." Kramer, a Democrat, said he has mixed feelings about Obama. He supports the president's position on Iraq but said he was concerned about statements Obama made during the campaign indicating support for the Freedom of Choice Act, which would overrule many state-level restrictions on access to abortion. LANSING Mich. Supreme Court puts off recusal issue The Michigan Supreme Court has put off until March a debate on rules governing when justices should be disqualified from cases. The court decided Thursday to defer the vote on whether formal recusal procedures should be pub- lished for public comment. The disqualification issue has been a bone of contention for a cou- ple years. The court currently has an unwritten tradition that leaves it up to each justice to decide if he or she should recuse himself or herself. - Compiled from Daily wire reports Obama will close Guantanamo Bay prison Executive Order would also close CIA "black site" prisons WASHINGTON (AP) - Break- ing forcefully with Bush anti- terror policies, President Barack Obama ordered major changes Thursday that he said would halt the torture of suspects, close down the Guantanamo detention center, ban secret CIA prisons overseas and fight terrorism "in a manner that is consistent with our values and our ideals." "We intend to win this fight. We're goingto win it on our terms," Obama declared, turning U.S. poli- cy abruptly on just his second full day in office. He also put a fresh emphasis on diplomacy, naming veteran troubleshooters forMiddle East hotspots. The policies and practices that Obama said he was reversing have been widely reviled overseas, by U.S. allies as well as in less-friendly Arab countries. President George W. Bush said the policies were nec- essary to protect the nation after the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks.- though he, too, had said he wanted Guantanamo closed at some point. "A new era of American leader- ship is at hand," Obama said. Executive orders signea by the new president would orderthe pris- on camp at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, shut within a year, require the clo- sure of any remaining secret CIA "black site" prisons abroad and bar CIA interrogators ofdetainees from using harsh techniques already banned for military questioners. That includes physical abuse such as waterboarding, a technique thatcreatesthesensationof drown- ing and has been termed torture by critics at home and abroad. For the signing. ceremony, Obama was flanked in the Oval Office by retired senior U.S. mili- tary leaders who had pressed for the changes. Underscoring the new admin- istration's point, the admirals and generals said in a statement: "Pres- ident Obama's actions today will restore the moral authority and strengthen the national security of the United States." Not everyone felt that way. Criticism surfaced immediately from Republicans and others who said Obama's policy changes would jeopardize U.S. ability to get intel- ligence about terrorist plans or to prevent attacks. House Minority Leader John BoehnerwasamongagroupofGOP lawmakers who quickly introduced legislation seeking to bar federal courts from ordering Guantanamo detainees to be released into the United States. Boehner, R-Ohio, said it "would be irresponsible to close this ter- rorist detainee facility" before answering such important ques- tions as where the detainees would be sent. Obanea said he was certain that the nation's security is strength- ened - not weakened - when the U.S. adheres to "core standards of conduct." "We think that it is precisely our ideals that give us the strength and the moral high ground to be able to effectively deal with the unthink- ing violence that we see emanat- ing from terrorist organizations around the world," he said. "We don't torture," Obama said, but Bush had said the same. The question has always been defining the word. Later in the day, Obama visited the State Department to welcome newly confirmed Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, empha- sizing the importance his adminis- tration intends to give diplomacy in his foreign policy. He told Foreign Service officers and other depart- ment employees they "are going to be critical to our success." The president and Clinton joint- ly announced the appointment of former Senate Majority Leader George Mitchell, who helped bro- ker peace in Northern Ireland, as special envoy to the Middle East. Former U.N. Ambassador Rich- ard Holbrooke, who helped write the peace deal that ended Bosnia's 1992-95 war, was named special envoy for Pakistan and Afghani- stan. But for all the talk of a new era, it remained unclear how much of a shift Obama plans for the Middle East. Though he named high-profile envoys to regions where critics say American attention lagged under Bush, the Mideast policy Obama outlined was no different. He said he would aggressively seek a lasting peace between Israel and the Palestinians while also defending Israel's "right to defend itself." Regents Notebook: Art & Design school offers new degree Google's Page gets honorary degree, new fundraising toward the new program. "It's really special and would be wonderful for the school," Darlow said. B' The I approve School( degree allow st & Desig tration leges. It transfer Design Univ livan s importa student GOOGLE CO-FOUNDER TO goal issue RECEIVE HONORARY DEGREE The regents approved a proposal y MALLORY JONES to award Larry Page, co-founder of For theDaily Google, Inc., an honorary doctor- ate in engineering at spring com- University Board of Regents mencement on May 2. Page will be d a proposal from . the the keynote speaker at the ceremo- of Art & Design for a new ny. Coleman said Page, president program. The degree will of products at Google, has accom- udents in the School of Art plished a great deal since he gradu- n to elect a second concen- ated from the University in 1995. in other schools and col- "Celebrating the accomplish- will also allow students to ments of the class of 2009 will be into the School of Art & all the more special with Larry after their sophomore year. Page as our speaker," she said. "In ersity Provost Teresa Sul- a relatively short period since his aid the program was an own graduation from Michigan, he :nt addition for art school has made a meaningful and lasting s. contribution to society." President Barack Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton stand together at the State Department in Washington yesterday. Cion takes the reins at the State Department Former senator aims to repair nation's image WASHINGTON (AP) - Hillary Rodham Clinton took charge ofthe State Department on Thursday, proclaiming the start of a new era of robust U.S. diplomacy to tackle the world's crises and improve America's standing abroad. Before a raucous, cheering crowd of about 1,000 people, the nation's 67th secretary of state pledged to boost the morale and resources of the diplomatic corps and promised them a difficult but exciting road ahead. "I believe with all of my heart that this is a new era for America," she said to loud applause in the main lobby of the department's headquarters, which President Barack Obama visited later in the day to underscore his administra- tion's commitment to diplomacy. With Obama at her side in the ornate Ben Franklin Room, Clin- ton introduced former Senate Majority Leader George J. Mitch- ell, D-Maine, as a special envoy for the Middle East. Former U.N. ambassador. Richard Holbrooke was announced as a special advis- er on Afghanistan and Pakistan. The posts are the first of sever- al new special envoys the admin- istration plans to create to deal with particularly vexing prob- lems abroad. Clinton began her first day on the job at the State Department one day after her Senate confir- mation. "This is going to be a challeng- ing time and it will require 21st Century tools and solutions to meet our problems and seize our opportunities," Clinton said at her welcoming. "I'm going to be asking a lot of you. I want you to think outside the proverbial box. I want you to give me the best advice you can." "I want you to understand there is nothing that I welcome more than a good debate and the kind of dialogue that will make us better," she said. "We cannot be our best if we don't demand that from ourselves and each other." In her spirited 10-minute pep talk, she spoke of the importance of defense, diplomacy and devel- opment - the "three legs to the stool of American foreign policy" - and noted that the State Depart- ment is in charge of two of them. "We are responsible for two of the three legs," said the former New York senator and first lady. "And we will make clear as we go forward that diplomacy and development are essential tools in achieving the long-term objec- tives of the United States." Clinton's mandate from Obama is to step up diplomatic efforts and restore the nation's tattered image overseas. She has vowed to make use of"smart power" to deal with international challenges. "At the heart of smart power are smart people, and you are those people," she told the assem- bled throng. "And you are the ones that we will count on and turn to for the advice and counsel, the expertise and experience to make good on the promises of this new administration." "Because art funding has'been cut back at so many high schools, many students enter the univer- sity without a portfolio and cannot apply to Art and Design," she said. "This program offers students the opportunity to build their portfolio (during) their freshman and sopho- more years and then transfer." University President Mary Sue Coleman expressed her support for the degree. "It's really a good idea, and I think it's going to be a very popular' program," she said. Regent Julia Darlow (D-Ann Arbor) congratulated the School of Art and Design on their work PRESIDENT'S FUNDRAISING CHALLENGE ISSUED Jerry May, Vice President for Development, announced a fund- raising challenge to raise money for study abroad programs. May said money raised from the cam- paign will go toward "enriching the international opportunity for our students." Coleman will match donated funds. The challenge began Jan. 1 when Coleman contributed $25,000 to the campaign. The President's Fund will contribute 50 cents for every dollar that is donated up to $5 million. WANT TO JOIN THE DAILY'S ONLINE STAFF? E-MAI L GRACA@MICHIGANDAILY.COM F RIDAYS Domestic Bottles are only - -~ House Democrats push tax breaks through committee $275 billion tax cut package passes first hurdle WASHINGTON (AP) - Amid grim new evidence of economic weakness, legislation at the heart of President Barack Obama's recovery plan advanced in Con- gress Thursday over the persis- tent opposition of Republicans seeking deeper tax cuts. "We are very pleased with the progress," said Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., after $275 bil- lion in tax cuts cleared the House Ways and Means Committee on a party-line vote of 24-13. Demo- cratic leaders have promised the measure will be ready for Obama's signature by mid-February. "It will create jobs immediate- ly, and it will also lay the founda- tion for economic stability as we go forward," Pelosi added. But RepublicanS said there was no reliable estimate of the bill's impact on employment. "The American people deserve to know what they are getting for their nearly $1 trillion," said Rep. Dave Camp of Michigan, the top Republican on the tax-writing committee. In all, the measure costs $825 billion, a total expected to grow as it makes its way through Con- gress. Onthekeyvote of the day, Dem- ocrats closed ranks to preserve a tax break for this year and 2010 that would mean $500 for many workers and $1,000 for millions of couples, including those whose earnings are so low that they pay no federal income tax. Democrats also turned back a Republican attempt to jettison a new federal subsidy to help laid- off workers pay for health insur- ance after they lose employer-paid coverage, and to waive income taxes on unemployment benefits for two years. They argued that the GOP pro- posals would favor upper-income individuals and couples who, they said, benefited disproportionately from tax cuts passed during the administration of former Presi- dent George W. Bush. "We need to be dealing with people at the bottom of the income scale," said Rep. Jim McDer- mott, D-Wash. He also noted that the legislation would provide a $25-per-week increase in unem- ployment benefits. But Camp cited a report by the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service that he said showed lower- and middle- income workers already would have received most of the ben- efits from the proposal to elimi- nate the tax on unemployment benefits. Separately, the House Ener- gy and Commerce Committee approved a $2.8 billion program that would expand broadband service into underserved areas. It also approved various programs costing an estimated $27 billion to promote energy efficiency. The panel, working late into the night, also passed a $20 bil- lion effort to speed the creation of electronic health records, and it approved more money to help states afford increased enrollment under Medicaid, the health care program for the low income. In all, the additional spending for health care pro- grams totals about $150 billion over five years.