Spending bill goes to Obama
Senate OKs $1.1 trillion to fund government agencies
WASHINGTON — The Senate on Sunday passed a $1.1 trillion spending bill with increased budgets for vast areas of the federal government, including health, education, law enforcement and veterans programs.
The more-than-1,000-page package, one of the last essential chores of Congress this year, passed 57-35 and now goes to President Barack Obama for his signature.
The weekend action underlined the legislative crush faced by Congress as it tries to wind up the year. After the vote, the Senate immediately returned to the debate on health care legislation.
The spending bill combines six of the 12 annual appropriation bills for the 2010 budget year that began Oct. 1. Obama has signed into law five others.
The final one, a $626 billion defense bill, will be used as the base bill for another catch-all package of measures that Congress must deal with in the coming days. Those include action to raise the $12.1 trillion debt ceiling and proposals to stimulate the job market.
The spending bill passed Sunday includes $447 billion for departments’ operating budgets and about $650 billion in mandatory payments for federal benefit programs such as Medicare and Medicaid. Those programs under immediate control of Congress would see increases of about 10 percent.
All but three Democrats voted for the bill, while all but three Republicans opposed it. Democrats said the spending was crucial to dealing with a recession-battered economy.
Republicans decried what they called out-of control spending and pointed to an estimated $3.9 billion in the bill for more than 5,000 local projects sought by individual lawmakers from both parties.
Italian leader takes another hit
MILAN, Italy — Premier Silvio Berlusconi grimaces after an attacker hurled a statuette at the Italian leader Sunday, striking him in the face at the end of a rally and leaving the stunned 73-year-old media mogul with a broken nose and bloodied mouth. Police said the 42-year-old suspect was immediately taken into custody. The attack occurred at a time when Berlusconi is embroiled in a sex scandal, a divorce case with his wife and public protests demanding his resignation.
NATION
New data shed light on student loan defaults
More than 1 in 5 borrowers of federal student loans who attend for-profit colleges default within three years of starting repayment, new figures made available by the U.S. Department of Education on Monday show.
Historically, the government has reported such figures in terms of how many students default within two years — a figure that stands at 6.7 percent of student borrowers overall and about 11 percent at for-profit schools.
Nearly 12 percent of borrowers who began repayment in fiscal 2007 defaulted within three years — up from 9.2 percent for 2006, the latest year for which figures are available. But at for-profit colleges, the rate was 21.2 percent within three years. That was up from 18.8 percent for fiscal 2006.
Air search for climbers
GOVERNMENT CAMP, Ore. — Fears of an avalanche on Mount Hood forced rescuers to use a helicopter and airplanes in their search for two missing climbers on Sunday, a day after crews found the body of their climbing companion on a glacier on Oregon’s highest mountain.
Eight inches of snow fell on the 11,249-foot mountain overnight, and avalanche dangers in the higher elevations made a rescue mission on foot too risky.
Search crews ended operations at nightfall with plans to evaluate options Monday morning. Officials said they had not given up hope that the two missing people could still be found alive.
WORLD
Students protest, deny burning Khomeini photos
TEHRAN, Iran — Hundreds of students at Tehran University renewed anti-government protests for a second week on Sunday, accusing authorities of fabricating images of demonstrators burning photos of the Islamic Republic’s revered founder.
Students moved to the forefront of opposition on the streets with widespread protests last week. They say authorities are using images of burning photos as a pretext to crack down on protests, which have helped revitalize the pro-reform movement.
State television has repeatedly shown images, ostensibly taken during student-led protests on Dec. 7, of unidentified hands burning and tearing up pictures of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. It is considered a grave and illegal insult against the former leader, still widely respected in the country. The elite Revolutionary Guard, the country’s powerful military force, called for the trial and punishment of those responsible.
Chile vote heads to runoff
SANTIAGO, Chile — Right-wing billionaire Sebastian Pinera beat three leftists in Sunday’s presidential election but failed to obtain a majority, setting up a runoff against a veteran of the coalition that has ruled Chile for two decades of democracy.
The Harvard-educated Pinera had 44 percent to 30 percent for the ruling center-left coalition’s candidate, former President Eduardo Frei. Breakaway Socialist Rep. Marco Enriquez Ominami had 20 percent, and communist Jorge Arrate had 6 percent, with 98 percent of the votes counted.
The key question in the Jan. 17 runoff between Pinera and Frei is whether leftists can unify against the most moderate candidate Chile’s right has ever had.
Gunmen release hostages
MANILA, Philippines — Tribal gunmen freed 47 hostages in the southern Philippines on Sunday, the remaining captives among more than 75 people, including children, who were snatched Thursday.
The gunmen were trying to evade police serving warrants for a string of charges, including murder.
The kidnappers’ jungle encampment had been surrounded by troops and snipers. Vice Governor Santiago Cane of Agusan del Sur said the gunmen — former government-armed militiamen — gave up their hostages and weapons after negotiators pledged not to have them arrested on the past charges or the abductions.
THE NUMBER: $12,999
Donated by author Stephen King and his wife, Tabitha, toward two bus trips so 150 soldiers of the Maine Army National Guard can travel from Camp Atterbury, Ind., to spend the holidays at home. The soldiers left Maine — the Kings’ home state — last week for training and are scheduled to depart for Afghanistan in January. Julie Eugley, one of the author’s personal assistants, told the Bangor Daily News that the Kings were approached about giving $13,000. But Stephen King thought the number 13 was a bit unlucky, so the couple pitched in $12,999 instead. Eugley chipped in $1 to make for an even $13,000.
