Record wave of U.S. tornadoes kills 43
RALEIGH, N.C., April 17 (UPI) -- The death toll in the tornado-battered southern United States rose to 43 Sunday as rescuers sifted through rubble, emergency officials in several states said.
Howling windstorms killed at least 23 people in North Carolina and three in Virginia Saturday, CNN said. North Carolina officials said 14 of its deaths were in Bertie County.
In one of the worst tornado outbreaks ever recorded, 241 twisters were reported in 14 states from Thursday through Saturday -- from the Plains into the Midwest, Deep South and Carolinas, Accuweather.com said.
It cited a powerful jet stream, high humidity and a strong cold front as contributing factors.
In Virginia, Mathews County Sheriff Steve Gentry said a tornado churned on the ground for 7 1/2 miles near Coke, leaving three people dead and more than 60 injured, the Newport News, Va., Daily Press reported.
The North Carolina and Virginia storm deaths came on the heels of 17 deaths in Alabama, Arkansas, Oklahoma and Mississippi, CNN said.
The Charlotte Observer and the Bladen Journal in North Carolina said the deaths included three people in a mobile home park in northeast Raleigh, three deaths in Bladen County, one in Sanford and another in Cumberland County.
North Carolina officials said rescue teams were searching for people reported missing in Lee and Cumberland counties.
The Observer said one twister roared through Sanford, producing a mile-long path of destruction.
Roofs were torn off a Lowe's building center in Sanford and off the student center at Shaw University in Raleigh
Gov. Bev Perdue declared a state of emergency for North Carolina, WNCT-TV in Greenville reported. She also temporarily suspended the restrictions on work hours for utility workers so power lines could be repaired as quickly as possible and for truck drivers transporting supplies to affected communities and for the removal of debris.
Perdue was scheduled to fly over the affected areas Sunday, local media said.
Ryan: Cuts must precede debt ceiling rise
WASHINGTON, April 17 (UPI) -- A top congressional Republican said Sunday GOP support for raising the nation's debt ceiling must come with spending cuts.
Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis. -- chairman of the U.S. House Budget Committee -- said the cuts could include Medicare, and must be accompanied by further cuts of taxes for the wealthy.
Ryan said on CBS's "Face the Nation" that he hasn't been privy to claims earlier in the day by Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner that Republican leaders have privately assured President Obama they would support raising the debt ceiling.
Ryan, the architect of a bill that would privatize and raise the age requirement for Medicare and lower taxes for the rich, was recently criticized by Obama for his voting record that supported two wars and tax cuts that weren't fully funded.
Republican leaders "told me they've told the president … that in addition to raising the debt limit, we want financial controls," Ryan said. "We want cuts in spending accompanying a raising of the debt ceiling."
Ryan said he's ultimately seeking "A simpler, flatter, fair tax code, more internationally competitive so we can create jobs."
On Medicare, he said under his plan no change would occur to anybody 55 years of age or above.
"The problem is Medicare goes bankrupt in nine years unless we do something to save it. It won't be there for future generations like my generation."
Sen. Paul dismisses debt default warnings
WASHINGTON, April 17 (UPI) -- Budget hawk Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., said there was no reason the United States should default even if Congress refuses to raise the national debt ceiling.
Appearing on CNN's "State of the Union" Sunday, Paul said keeping the debt ceiling at its current level does not mean the nation will run out of the money it needs to service its existing obligations.
"We bring in about $200 billion a month," said Paul. "There is no reason to default ever. I don't want default, but I also don't want to just keep giving an irresponsible government more money."
Paul, who has the backing of the vocal Tea Party conservative movement, said he saw the debt ceiling as a means to a balanced budget and that raising it would only open the door to new borrowing that "will be gone by November."
Proponents of raising the debt ceiling, including the Obama administration, have warned that refusing to do so would rock the economy; however, Paul said it was more important for Washington to cut runaway spending.
Geithner downplays rise in gas prices
WASHINGTON, April 17 (UPI) -- U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner acknowledged Sunday that rising gasoline prices are hurting many Americans but saw little threat to the economy.
Speaking on NBC's "Meet the Press," he said, "At this level there's a measurable impact on the economy, but it's an impact we can withstand, we can absorb, because the economy itself is still gradually getting stronger, and we've now had about 18 months of positive growth."
"What's driving this is partly just growth is stronger around the world as we come out of this crisis, and that's a good thing. But it's partly a reflection of concerns about what's happening in North Africa and the Mideast," Geithner added.
He also cited "the nuclear disaster in Japan, because people are wondering whether nuclear power's going to be able to meet as large a share of our energy needs in the future."
Geithner predicted fuel costs would have only a "modest" effect on economic recovery.
"We've had more than a million jobs created in the private sector just over this last year," he said. "And we had job creation come back stronger and faster than you saw in the last two recoveries."
