WASHINGTON, D.C. -- A decision by the U.S. Supreme Court on whether to hear Texas' appeal in a redistricting case is likely to be delayed until the justices rule on a different voting-rights case, lawyers involved in the Texas battle said Friday.
Supreme Court justices have held a series of screening conferences to select the cases to be argued during the Spring term.So far, justices have not selected the Texas appeal of a federal court ruling that the state discriminated against minorities with new redistricting maps for Congress and the Legislature.Texas, in its appeal, also has challenged the constitutionality of Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act, which requires prior approval by the Justice Department of any changes to voting laws and procedures for jurisdictions with a history of discrimination.The Supreme Court will hear a similar challenge to Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act brought by Shelby County, Ala., on Feb. 27. That case also claims the provision is unconstitutional.Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott said that because the Supreme Court will hear arguments in the Shelby County case, and because the Texas appeal hinges on Section 5, justices may decide "to hold the case." Others agree.-- Hearst Newspapers$100 million Job Corpsshortfall investigatedWASHINGTON, D.C. -- House and Senate members are investigating a nearly $100 million shortfall at the federal Job Corps program that has prompted the Labor Department to freeze enrollment at all 125 job centers around the country.Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pa., has called on the agency's inspector general to investigate "serious questions about the management by the department" that will prevent 30,000 disadvantaged and at-risk youth from getting job training this year.-- The Associated PressObama to spendholiday playing golfWASHINGTON, D.C. -- President Barack Obama will spend Presidents Day weekend at an exclusive Florida golf course for rounds with friends and lessons from Tiger Woods' former coach.Obama was scheduled to fly on Air Force One Friday from an official event in Chicago to West Palm Beach, Fla. His wife and daughters are on a ski vacation.Obama's visit to the Floridian in Palm City will include lessons from Butch Harmon, who was Woods' former coach, Golf Digest reported Thursday.The Tom Fazio-designed private course and club is owned by Jim Crane, owner of the Houston Astros baseball team.-- Bloomberg NewsWaste tank leaking atHanford nuclear siteWASHINGTON -- The long-delayed cleanup of the nation's most contaminated nuclear site became the subject of more bad news Friday, when Washington Gov. Jay Inslee announced that a radioactive waste tank there is leaking.The news raises concerns about the integrity of similar tanks at south-central Washington's Hanford nuclear reservation.The tanks, which are already long past their intended 20-year life span, hold millions of gallons of a highly radioactive stew left from decades of plutonium production for nuclear weapons.The Energy Department said liquid levels are decreasing in one of 177 underground tanks at the site. Inslee said the leak poses a potential long-term threat to groundwater and rivers.-- The Associated PressPost-surgery photos ofHugo Chavez releasedVENEZUELA -- The world got its first glimpse of Hugo Chavez since he underwent a fourth cancer-related surgery in Cuba more than two months ago, with photos released Friday showing the Venezuelan leader smiling alongside his daughters in Havana.Along with images of the puffy-faced Chavez came a government explanation for why no one has heard from the longtime president since his surgery: He's breathing through a tracheal tube that makes speech difficult.Chavez's government described his condition as "delicate" and said he continues to undergo "vigorous treatment for his fundamental illness."-- The Associated PressEx-leaders of Yemenfacing sanctionsUNITED NATIONS -- The U.N. Security Council warned Yemen's former president and vice president, Ali Abdullah Saleh and Ali Salim Al-Beidh, on Friday that they could face possible sanctions along with others reported to be interfering in the country's democratic transition and undermining the national unity government.A presidential statement approved by all 15 council members said the Security Council is ready to consider nonmilitary sanctions.Yemen has been struggling with a transition to democracy since Arab Spring protests a year ago forced Saleh to step down. A transitional government led by President Abed Rabbu Mansour Hadi is trying to promote national reconciliation, draft a new constitution and hold elections.-- The Associated Press150 killed in battleover Aleppo airportSYRIA -- Intense clashes between the Syrian army and rebel fighters near the country's second-largest airport killed around 150 people in recent days, anti-regime activists said Friday.The battle for the international airport near Aleppo, Syria's largest city, resembles other battles over strategic assets that could provide an edge in the larger fight for the country.This week, rebels seized a hydroelectric dam and a major oil field, cutting off President Bashar Assad's regime from key resources. On Friday, activists also reported that rebels seized an air defense base and fought near two other army installations in Syria's north.The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Friday that some 150 people had been killed in the last two days.-- The Associated PressHave more to add? News tip? Tell us
