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Report: Senate will drop Medicare buy-in

WASHINGTON, Dec. 14 (UPI) -- U.S. Senate leaders will drop expansion of Medicare from healthcare reform legislation in return for getting a bill passed by Christmas, senators said Monday.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., suggested during a meeting of Senate Democrats he would drop the proposal to expand Medicare coverage to Americans 55 and older, in exchange for support from centrists in the Senate, including Joe Lieberman, Ind-Conn., and Ben Nelson, D-Neb., The Hill reported.

Lieberman and Nelson have said they will join an expected Republican filibuster of the legislation if it included either the Medicare expansion or a public option.

At a news conference after the meeting late Monday, Reid did not indicate what might come next as the Senate debates healthcare reform, The Hill said.

Sen. Evan Bayh, a moderate Democrat from Indiana, said it appeared dropping the Medicare expansion "would be necessary" to get enough votes in the Senate to pass reform legislation.

Sens. Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va., and Tom Harkin, D-Iowa -- who have pushed for a public option -- confirmed the legislation will not include expanded Medicare coverage.

"At some point you have to switch from the sentiment, the emotion of the words, to the facts," Rockefeller said. "And then you've got to decide, 'If I didn't get what I want, in the form that I wanted it, am I willing to cashier 31 million Americans?' I want a bill."

Harkin, chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, said there is "enough good stuff in this bill that we should move ahead with it."

However, Lieberman said after the meeting he had not received "explicit assurance" Medicare expansion would be dropped but he said the Senate is "making progress," Politico reported.

"I think we're in the reach of a very significant accomplishment," Lieberman said.

Earlier Monday, White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said President Barack Obama had not initiated efforts to reach out to Lieberman on healthcare reform, contrary to news reports.

Lieberman said Sunday he would support a filibuster of healthcare reform legislation if it included a Medicare "buy-in" proposal.

"The president is anxious to see progress and will continue to work with Democrats and Republicans and independents, and everyone in between to make that progress, to take those steps," Gibbs said Monday.

Democrat calls for veto of spending bill

WASHINGTON, Dec. 14 (UPI) -- One of three Democrats crossing party lines to vote against the $447 billion spending bill awaiting President Barack Obama's signature is urging a veto.

Sen. Evan Bayh, D-Ind., said he agrees with Republicans who argue the bill would lead to too much spending.

"It's bad for our country's finances," Bayh said. "It's bad for our children because we are going deeper into debt to China. It sets a terrible example by showing that politicians are totally out of touch with the sacrifices middle class Americans are making."

Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., and Sen. Russ Feingold, D-Wis., joined Bayh in voting against the measure, expressing their disagreement with the spending scope of the omnibus spending bill.

Press Secretary Robert Gibbs suggested Obama wasn't entirely happy with the idea of an omnibus bill that has approximately 5,000 earmarks in it.

"It's not perfect," Gibbs said. "The president will continue to make and try to make progress on those issues."

The Senate this weekend passed the $447 billion spending bill, which keeps many government agencies operating for the 2010 fiscal year.

The Republican Congressional Campaign Committee has contacted supporters, highlighting the $1.8 trillion debt-ceiling figure and asking for contributions to "join the fight to rein in uncontrolled spending," The Washington Post reported.

Democrats said the goal of the measure is job creation and deficit reduction but fiscally conservative Democrats in Congress say they prefer initiatives that cut government spending.

Al-Qaida trials may be held in Brooklyn

NEW YORK, Dec. 14 (UPI) -- U.S. officials are close to deciding whether to try several accused al-Qaida operatives, now in Guantanamo, in federal court in Brooklyn, N.Y., sources said.

The New York Times said deciding to try some cases in Brooklyn would mean major terrorism trials would not just take place in Manhattan, N.Y. -- where the admitted mastermind of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks is set to be prosecuted.

The newspaper said officials have said other terrorism trials would take place in Washington and Alexandria, Va.

The names of suspected terrorists to be tried in Brooklyn have not been detailed, the newspaper said, but the sources said they would include at least one high-profile detainee.

Obama cites Lebanon arms smuggling

WASHINGTON, Dec. 14 (UPI) -- U.S. President Barack Obama said Monday he discussed the "extensive" arms smuggling ongoing in Lebanon with President Michel Suleiman.

Appearing with Suleiman at the White House after holding bilateral discussions, Obama told reporters he "emphasized to him our concerns about the extensive arms that are smuggled into Lebanon that potentially serve as a threat to Israel."

Obama added, "It is in the interests I think of all parties concerned to make sure that enforcement is exerted with respect to such smuggling, as well as to any other issues."

Israel has long complained that weapons, especially long-range rockets, are being smuggled to the Lebanese Shiite militant group Hezbollah in violation of United Nations Resolution 1701, which ended the 2006 Israel-Hezbollah War.

Suleiman, meanwhile, told reporters that he urged Obama to consider "threats against Lebanon that are taking place and that place obstacles to the economic growth of the country" and asked him to "exert further pressure on Israel to implement Resolution 1701 and to withdraw from Israeli-occupied Lebanese territories."

Obama conceded, "President Suleiman and I aren't going to agree on every issue with respect to how Israel, Lebanon, the Palestinians, Syria, are interacting."