WASHINGTON, March 14 (UPI) -- Democratic presidential hopeful Sen. Barack Obama released his earmarked requests for the past three years, challenging Sen. Hillary Clinton to do the same.

Obama's $740 million in home-state spending requests included money for projects tied to campaign donors and support for more than 200 towns, civic institutions and universities in Illinois, The New York Times (NYSE:NYT) reported Friday.

They also included a request for $1 million for the University of Chicago Medical Center, where his wife is a vice president. Obama's aides said his wife had nothing to do with the request, which was defeated.

The release of the Illinois senator's earmarked requests came as he, Clinton and the presumptive Republican nominee, Sen. John McCain of Arizona, were united in their support of a proposal that would to ban spending earmarked for home-state projects for a year. The measure, considered during a marathon budget debate on the Senate floor, was defeated Thursday.

So far, the New York senator has resisted Obama's call for her to release her earmarked requests.

Marathon Senate session yields budget plan

WASHINGTON, March 14 (UPI) -- The U.S. Senate, after a 15-hour debate and 44 votes on amendments, adopted a budget Friday for the 2009 fiscal year.

"Overall, it's well-balanced and well-structured, with some critical social issues I wanted addressed," said Sen. Olympia Snowe, R-Maine, citing funding for low-income energy assistance, community development block grants and alternative minimum tax provisions.

The spending plan -- approved at 1:45 a.m. by a 51-44 largely party-line vote -- had more roll call votes in a single day than the Senate had totaled previously this year.

Senators defeated on a 71-29 vote a proposed one-year earmark moratorium proposed by Sen. Jim DeMint, R-S.C. Proponents argued the congressional earmark process had become excessive while opponents said Congress has a constitutional duty to direct federal spending.

Democratic presidential hopefuls Sens. Barack Obama of Illinois and Hillary Clinton of New York, as well as Sen. John McCain of Arizona, the presumptive Republican nominee, were in the chamber for at least some of the amendment votes.

Iranians pick from 4,700 candidates

TEHRAN, March 14 (UPI) -- Iranians voted Friday in parliamentary elections in which more than 4,700 candidates sought a place in the 290-seat assembly.

An estimated 43 million voters were eligible to choose representatives to the Islamic Consultive Assembly in an election expected to heavily favor conservatives. Officials called for a big turnout, KUNA news service said.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad flew in from an Islamic summit in Senegal to cast his vote. The election pitted the Ahmadinejad conservatives against reformists.

The latter ranks were trimmed considerably when the Guardian Council, charged with screening candidates, disqualified hundreds of reformist candidates on grounds that included "insufficient loyalty to the Islamic revolution."

Palestinians denounce Israeli raid

BETHLEHEM, West Bank, March 14 (UPI) -- In a rare display of Palestinian unity, thousands crowded into Bethlehem's Manger Square in anger over the deaths of four militants killed in an Israeli raid.

A general strike was observed throughout the Muslim-Christian city of 30,000 people Thursday as a massive turnout attended prayers and funerals for the four victims of an undercover forces attack, The New York Times said Friday.

The deaths created a temporary fusion of political and ideological divisions but particularly enraged Fatah advocates of peace negotiations with Israel.

"The crime committed by Israel against our people aims to blow up the peace process," said Muhammad Khalil al-Laham, a Fatah legislator who spoke in fury in the square.

Israel strongly defended the killings on Thursday as a legitimate response to terrorist acts.

Plans aired to resolve Fla. primary mess

WASHINGTON, March 14 (UPI) -- Florida Democratic leaders' plan to rerun the state's primary election by mail was rejected by presidential hopefuls and the state's congressional delegation.

U.S. Sens. Barack Obama D-Ill., and Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., rejected it, as did Florida's entire U.S. House of Representatives Democratic delegation, the Los Angeles Times reported.

Critics said it would be hard to verify signatures to avoid fraud and some questioned the legality for Florida's election officials to oversee a party-run primary.

"The hurdles are so high, you'd have to be an Olympian to jump them and you might not make the last one," Susan A. MacManus, a political scientist at the University of South Florida, told The Times.

Even state party Chairwoman Karen L. Thurman admitted the plan faced obstacles.

Florida and Michigan -- which may be nearing a resolution -- conducted their party primaries before Super Tuesday, which went against party rules. The National Democratic Committee stripped them of their delegates and now Democrats are searching for a way to lift the states' punishment.

Some of the suggestions include primary or caucus do-overs, mail-in primaries, firehouse caucuses, or apportion the delegates according to the primary results or some hybrid allocation.

Michigan Dems eye June 3 'do-over' primary

LANSING, Mich., March 14 (UPI) -- Michigan Democratic leaders are proposing a June 3 primary do-over as a way to get their delegates in the door of the Denver national nominating convention.

The four top Michigan Democrats spoke with officials in Sen. Hillary Clinton's campaign and Sen. Barack Obama's camp, seeking a compromise acceptable to the state party, the Democratic National Committee and both presidential campaigns, the Detroit News reported Friday.

The DNC took away Michigan's 156 national convention delegates because it held a January primary, violating party rules.

Thursday's talks centered on a state-run, privately financed primary of voters willing to declare themselves Democrats, sources told the News. A compromise may be announced soon, but details must be negotiated, including the mechanics of the party declaration, and securing legislative and gubernatorial approval to call the election.

The cost, estimated to be at least $10 million, would be secured from private financial sources, the source said.