Oil collection rate increasing, Allen says
WASHINGTON, June 18 (UPI) -- In the 24 hours ending at midnight, 25,000 barrels of oil were recovered from the Gulf of Mexico oil spill, U.S. Coast Guard Adm. Thad Allen said Friday.
Allen, the national incident commander, said the higher collection rate of oil was achieved through a combination recovery system that includes the Discoverer Enterprise linked to the wellhead by the riser pipe and the use of choke-and-kill lines bringing up additional oil.
"This is a significant improvement moving forward," Allen said during the daily briefing on the oil that has been spewing unchecked into the gulf since April 20 when a Transoceanic oil rig leased by BP exploded, killing 11 workers.
The federal government last week updated the best estimate of the flow rate to 35,000 to 60,000 barrels of crude a day. The latest flow rate numbers mean the recovery capacity must be increased, too, Allen said.
"There are additional vessels being brought into the area," he said, adding it's anticipated by the end of the month June the recovery capacity will increase to about 53,000 barrels a day.
"Following that, there'll have to be a decision made when we reach max capacity with the recovery system we have on the scene with the containment cap," he said.
The new flow estimates also mean officials are redoubling efforts to increase skimming capability from shore out to about 15 miles, Allen said.
He said officials are working with the Pentagon on the availability of Navy skimmers and "we're also looking at the availability around the country. ... What I told the folks is don't anticipate demand can ever be met on skimmers. Getting as many as we can make and as fast as we can get them here is what we need to do."
Reports: Justice to challenge Ariz. law
WASHINGTON, June 18 (UPI) -- The Obama administration will file a legal challenge to Arizona's immigration law, White House officials confirmed to media outlets Friday.
The confirmation came after U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said in an interview with an Ecuadorian television station earlier in June the administration would challenge the law. Other administration officials, however, said the issue was under review, Fox News Channel reported.
Administration officials at first didn't confirm Clinton's statement, but an official told Fox News that while the review continues, the decision has been made that a Department of Justice suit will be would be filed.
A senior administration official told CBS News the federal government would formally challenge the law when Justice Department lawyers finish building the case.
"The secretary was asked about the Arizona law during a TV interview in Ecuador," he said. "She believes that a better approach is comprehensive immigration reform, and said so. Regarding how far along the legal review is, that is a matter for the Department of Justice."
Despite the senior administration official's comments, a Justice Department official told CBS News the question of whether to sue is remains under consideration.
The Arizona law, among other things, requires law enforcement personnel to ask for documentation from people they believe are in the country illegally.
"What a disappointment," Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer, who signed the bill into law, told Fox News, saying she was surprised the administration would make such an announcement outside of the United States without giving Arizona officials a head's up.
"We are not going to back away from this issue. We are going to pursue it, we're going to be very aggressive," Brewer said. "We'll meet them in court ... And we will win."
Senate votes to delay Medicare pay cut
WASHINGTON, June 18 (UPI) -- The U.S. Senate passed a bill Friday that would postpone a 21 percent cut in Medicare reimbursements to doctors.
The voice vote came after an agreement late Thursday to remove the reimbursement measure from a larger bill extending both unemployment benefits and tax cuts set to expire next year, The Wall Street Journal reported.
Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont., chairman of the Finance Committee, called the vote on Medicare a "good omen" for passage of the larger bill, The Hill said. The Medicare cuts will be delayed for six months if the House passes a similar measure.
"Weeks ago, the House passed legislation to ensure that doctors don't drop Medicare patients. Now that the Senate has acted today on a six-month extension, we will review their legislation as we remain committed to ensuring that our seniors and veterans receive the care they deserve," said Nadeam Elshami, a spokesman for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif.
Iran: U.N. nuclear resolution 'illegal'
TEHRAN, June 18 (UPI) -- Iran says a United Nations Security Council resolution enacting sanctions for its nuclear activities is null and void, and illegal under the U.N.'s own charter.
Reacting to the June 9 adoption of Resolution 1929, Iran's Supreme National Security Council responded in a statement Friday saying, "it proves that the Security Council is not a proper forum to uphold the maintenance of international peace and security and a body to secure the rights of nations."
Iran blamed the United States for exerting pressure on the United Nations as part of U.S. policy in support of Israel.
"It proves that as long as the United States formally regards itself committed to the security of the Zionist regime and continues to support its atrocities, the Security Council is not able to adopt any resolution condemning the many crimes committed by the Zionist regime," the statement carried by Iranian television al-Alam said.
The statement went on to label the United States "the principal offender in using, proliferating, and testing nuclear weapons, and thus poses the greatest threat to the international community and mostly its own people."
The council, the declaration said, has not "shown any intention of finding out who has provided nuclear weapons to the Zionist regime," al-Alam said, nor has it "seen a single [U.N. Security Council] resolution condemning the nuclear activities of the Zionist regime."
The Islamic Republic of Iran, the statement said, "openly and clearly declares that any action against the lawful and legitimate rights of people of Iran will be responded by reciprocal lawful actions of the Islamic Republic of Iran," al-Alam echoed.
