Senate OKs new nuke arms reduction pact
WASHINGTON, Dec. 22 (UPI) -- The U.S. Senate, in its eighth day of sometimes intense debate, ratified the new U.S.-Russian nuclear arms reduction treaty Wednesday on a 71-to-26 vote.
"This is one of those rare times in the United States Senate where we have it within our power to safeguard or endanger humankind," Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass, Foreign Relations Committee chairman and one of the floor debate managers, said ahead of the vote. "The question is whether we will move the world a little more out of the dark shadow " of nuclear uncertainty,
Sen. Dick Lugar, R-Ind., the ranking Republican on the committee, noted bipartisan consensus from military and diplomatic leaders under several presidents for the ratification of the new Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty.
Rejection of such consensus "would be an extraordinary action for this body to take," Lugar said.
"We have the chance today to not only approve new START treaty" but also reach consensus on reaching national security goals, the senator said. "I am most hopeful the Senate will embrace the opportunity to bolster our national security."
Vice President Joe Biden sat as Senate president during the ratification vote on the treaty signed April 8 by President Barack Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev.
Opponents objected on a number of fronts, from timing of consideration to saying the United States came up with the short end of the stick in negotiations.
Sen. Mark Kirk, R-Ill., called the treaty "ill-advised," while urging the administration to "devote time and attention" to ending Iran's nuclear program instead of the "laudable (and) modest" treaty.
Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., said he was voting for the treaty, which needed bipartisan support to reach the required two-thirds majority, saying America "will be strong in our strength and we will trust but we will verify."
The world was watching, Kerry said, to see whether the United States "as stewards of enormously destructive power now would be stewards of peace."
Senate OKs 9/11 first responders fund
WASHINGTON, Dec. 22 (UPI) -- The Senate, by a voice vote, agreed to provide $4.2 billion for first responders suffering health problems after the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks in New York.
The measure was to return to the House of Representatives for consideration as lawmakers were waiting to adjourn so they could return to their home districts for the holidays.
The deal was worked out by Sens. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., and Tom Coburn, R-Okla., The Hill reported. It would establish a health benefits program for firefighters, police officers and construction workers who worked in the smoking remains of the World Trade Center for months following the collapse of the Twin Towers.
Many of the first-responders and cleanup crews were exposed to toxic substances that spewed into the atmosphere when the towers collapsed. The health benefits program also would help residents in the immediate area surrounding the towers who became ill after the attack.
The agreement would authorize a new health benefits program and extends the victims compensation fund for five years, and would reduce the cost of the bill from $6.2 billion to $4.2 billion, the publication said.
The legislation is largely paid for by a 2 percent fee imposed on companies based in countries that have not signed a government procurement agreement with the United States.
Residents say oil spill effects still felt
NEW ORLEANS, Dec. 22 (UPI) -- Some Gulf Coast residents and business still suffer economic and emotional effects of the Gulf of Mexico oil spill, tourism and fishing advocates say.
Representatives for several organizations in Gulf Coast states say residents are experiencing extreme stress -- including physical and mental health issues -- from losing their livelihood because of the months-long spill that spewed hundreds of millions of gallons of oil into the gulf before the well was sealed, The (New Orleans) Times-Picayune reported Wednesday.
"Families continue to need assistance and businesses are grappling with uncertainties about the future," said Dan Favre, a Gulf Restoration Network spokesman, said during a telephone news conference Tuesday. "After eight months, oil is still here and so are we. The BP disaster continues to have real impacts on real people."
Maryal Mewherter, spokeswoman for Bayou Interfaith Shared Community Organizing, said indigenous people "were left with an uncertainty about being able to return to work, sell their catch or being able to eat any of the seafood from the Gulf of Mexico."
Tourism-dependent Florida has been hit as well, Keith Overton, chairman of the Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association, told The Times-Picayune.
"We don't know how long it's going to take to restore confidence in people that the Gulf of Mexico is safe," Overton said.
The types of problems facing Gulf Coast residents aren't resonating in Washington, Farve said, explaining that Congress failed to approve legislation that would have directed spending of money from fines against BP and other parties for environmental restoration and failed to create an advisory panel that would have given Gulf Coast residents a voice in oil spill response decision-making.
Italian students oppose university reforms
ROME, Dec. 22 (UPI) -- Tens of thousands of students marched in Rome Wednesday, protesting planned university reforms that includes funding cuts to Italy's university system.
Education Minister Mariastella Gelmini has said the reforms would add more meritocracy to the system by rewarding universities demonstrating better results, and would train people for the job market, The New York Times reported.
"It is essential to restore dignity and usability to Italian university degrees," Gelmini said in a letter published in Corriere della Sera, Italy's leading daily.
The reforms would also change admissions procedures and raise the role the private sector plays in Italy's state universities, which are behind other educational institutions within the European Union in research and development, the Times said.
Many critics said the goal was good, but lacked proper funding.
"And without money, no reform can work, whether good or bad," an editorial in Turin's La Stampa said Wednesday.
The Senate was expected to vote on the reform package this week.
S. Calif. storm unleashes torrent of rain
LOS ANGELES, Dec. 22 (UPI) -- Heavy rain caused major flooding and overnight landslides in Southern California canyons Wednesday as another storm moved through the area, authorities said.
Police were urging residents of Laguna Beach to remain in their homes and avoid the downtown area, parts of which were under several feet of water, the Los Angeles Times reported Wednesday.
The torrential rain, hail, gusty winds and the threat of tornadoes prompted officials to order evacuations in mudslide-prone areas near Los Angeles. Slides blocked the Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu.
San Diego Gas & Electric Co. said more than 13,000 customers were without power in San Diego and southern Orange County due to the storm.
The powerful storm -- following storms that have pummeled much of California since Friday -- would likely drop 0.75 to 1.5 inches of rain an hour for 6 to 8 hours, flooding neighborhoods all over Los Angeles County as well as the county's suburban foothills and mountains, National Weather Service meteorologist Stuart Seto said.
In northwestern Arizona, flooding destroyed four unoccupied homes along Beaver Dam Wash in Littlefield and put the Beaver Dam Resort, a senior citizens community and RV park, partly underwater, The Arizona Republic said. Officials set up a shelter across the state line in Mesquite, Nev., for those who evacuated.
The coast and valleys could be pelted with 2 to 4 inches of rain Wednesday, and the foothills and mountains could see 4 to 8 additional inches, Seto told the Los Angeles Times.
The relentless deluge prompted Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to declare a state of emergency for six counties in the Los Angeles area, while officials evacuated several thousand residents.
Wednesday's storm is the most intense since rain and snow started hammering much of the state Friday, the weather service said.
In the Sierra Nevada, the rain became snow with 13 feet at Mammoth Mountain ski resort in the Sierra Nevada, MSNBC reported. Lake Tahoe, Calif., reported nearly nine feet of snow.
The California storm may make its way across the country, bringing heavy snow to the East Coast on Christmas or the day after, Accuweather.com forecast.
Poll Americans see country as exceptional
PRINCETON, N.J., Dec. 22 (UPI) -- Americans widely agree the United States is exceptional, set apart from the rest of the world because of its history and Constitution, Gallup said Wednesday.
Seventy-three percent of U.S. residents asked share the so-called "U.S. exceptionalism" view, including 91 percent of Republicans, Gallup-USA Today survey results indicated.
Simultaneously, respondents said they tend to think the exceptional status is secure, the Princeton, N.J., polling agency reported. Three-quarters surveyed said they believe the country is exceptional said they believe the country also is at risk of losing its unique character.
Americans, by 58 percent-to-37 percent tally, said they believe President Barack Obama thinks the United States is exceptional, results indicate.
Results are based on telephone interviews with 1,019 adults conducted Dec. 10-12. The margin of error is 4 percentage points.
