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Senate may hold key healthcare vote soon

WASHINGTON, Nov. 19 (UPI) -- A critical procedural vote on bringing the U.S. Senate healthcare plan to the floor is likely to come Saturday, Majority Leader Harry Reid said Thursday.

All 40 Republicans in the Senate are expected to vote against opening debate on the bill. So Reid, D-Nev., needs all 58 Democrats plus the two independents who caucus with them, The Washington Post reports.

Thus far, the Senate bill appears to have broad support, with one of the leading Senate liberals, Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, and one of the most fiscally conservative Democrats, Kent Conrad of North Dakota, backing it.

"I was very impressed by what Senator Reid has done," Conrad said.

But Republican governors, meeting in Austin, Texas, were united in attacking the bill. They said it would not bring down healthcare costs and would shift some government spending to the states.

Gov. Mitch Daniels of Indiana called the cost estimates in the Democratic bill "fraudulent." Daniels headed the Office of Management and Budget under President George W. Bush.

The non-partisan Congressional Budget Office says the plan would cost $849 billion over 10 years and extend insurance coverage to 30 million more Americans, while cutting the deficit by $130 billion.

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Pentagon to investigate Fort Hood massacre

WASHINGTON, Nov. 19 (UPI) -- The U.S. Defense Department probe of the Fort Hood, Texas, massacre will include looking for ways to avoid such disasters, Secretary Robert Gates said Thursday.

Gates told reporters a former Army secretary, Togo West, and Vernon Clark, a former Navy secretary, will be in charge, the Los Angeles Times reported. They are to report their findings within 45 days.

Investigators are expected to look at whether to change the way weapons are stored and secured on military bases and how military personnel with symptoms of psychiatric problems can be identified and dealt with before they erupt, Gates said. He said West and Clark can consider other regulations and practices need to be reformed.

Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, the military psychiatrist charged with killing 13 people and wounding many more at Fort Hood Nov. 5, allegedly had a history of strange behavior, incompetence and trying to convince others to adopt Islam during his training at Walter Reed in Washington.

Sen. Joe Lieberman, Ind-Conn., chairman of the Homeland Security Committee, held an initial hearing Thursday for its own investigation. Lieberman said the panel's hearing would not duplicate the Pentagon's investigation, CNN reported.

"Their investigation looks backward and is punitive. Ours looks forward and is preventive," Lieberman said, though Gates also said the military probe would look for ways to prevent further violent episodes.

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U.N., Iraq agree on development plan

BAGHDAD, Nov. 19 (UPI) -- Iraq and the United Nations agreed on a five-year plan to strengthen the country's governance, social services and economic growth, the United Nations said.

More than 120 participants, including people from the Iraqi government, parliamentarians, civil society organizations, academia, international donors, along with members of several U.N, agencies, participated in discussions on the action plan for Iraq's first U.N. Development Assistance Framework from 2011 to 2014, the non-governmental organization said Thursday in a release.

"The UNDAF is the U.N.'s most comprehensive tool to help countries meet their international development commitments," said Christine McNab, U.N. resident and humanitarian coordinator for Iraq. "This first-ever UNDAF for Iraq represents our commitment to improve life for millions of Iraqis, by uniting the U.N. system in support of Iraq's own priorities for reform, modernization and socioeconomic revival."

Discussions focused on Iraq's development priorities following 30 years of conflict, and outlined areas of U.N., such as peace consolidation and human rights, good governance, economic growth, women and children's rights, and environmental protection, U.N. officials said.

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University of California fee hike approved

LOS ANGELES, Nov. 19 (UPI) -- The University of California Board of Regents Thursday, as expected, approved a sharp increase in student fees despite loud student protests on the UCLA campus.

The vote implemented a 32-percent boost in basic education fees and campus fees that will go into effect next fall.

Only one member of the board, student regent Jesse Bernal, voted against the plan that UC officials said was necessary due to a recent plunge in financial aid from the state.

The Los Angeles Times said the vote came with little discussion among the members and amid loud protests that could be heard in the campus meeting room.

Protesters from the other nine campuses in the UC system converged on UCLA to denounce the fee hikes, which the Times said would increase the average annual tuition bill by around $3,500. Around 30 students took over a nearby Campbell Hall, forcing UCLA to cancel classes scheduled in the building.