Free Republic

SACRAMENTO -- Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger denies it but some lawmakers and analysts said Wednesday it's payback time for the Democratic Bay Area that snubbed him in the recall election -- and critics say his moves are also further pitting the north state against the south. At the 11th-hour of the legislative session, Schwarzenegger has suddenly set the stage for $4 or $5 bridge tolls by leaving the region to work out cost overruns on Bay Bridge work and is working to clear the way for a controversial Indian mega-casino that would make the East Bay the urban gambling capital...

New Iraq government accuses Iran and Syria of backing insurgents By Damien McElroy in Baghdad (Filed: 04/07/2004) The new Iraqi government will publish damning evidence this week linking foreign powers, including Iran and Syria, to the Muslim extremists and loyalists of the former regime who launched a bloody rebellion after the fall of Saddam Hussein. Hoshyar Zebari, the foreign minister, told The Telegraph that the interim government had gathered intelligence detailing the support provided to insurgent groups by some neighbouring nations. Although he did not name the countries, senior Iraqi officials indicated that Iran and Syria were the worst offenders....

SACRAMENTO - Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Thursday renewed his support for granting driver's licenses to illegal immigrants -- if security issues can be resolved. The governor's pledge in a private meeting with Latino legislators appeared to ease their concerns. They had feared Schwarzenegger had reneged on a promise to negotiate new legislation to replace a law he pushed the Legislature to repeal last fall. It's clear ``there is a willingness to try to find a compromise that is acceptable to both sides,'' said Sen. Deborah Ortiz, D-Sacramento. It's uncertain how quickly Schwarzenegger and the legislators can reach a deal, and...

Aznar ready to quit as his successor wins party backing By Isambard Wilkinson, Madrid Correspondent (Filed: 02/09/2003) The Spanish prime minister, José María Aznar, who supported the war in Iraq against enormous domestic opposition, had his hand-picked successor endorsed by his party yesterday, clearing the way for him to stand down. Mr Aznar, a former tax inspector who has served as prime minister for seven years but has been promising to step down for the past 18 months, named his deputy, Mariano Rajoy, to take over from him in elections next March. José María Aznar [right] and Mariano Rajoy When...

By DAVID ESPO, AP Special CorrespondentIn an edgy prelude to war, Saddam Hussein (news - web sites) mocked an American ultimatum Tuesday to surrender power, and the Bush administration claimed public support from 30 nations for its international coalition supporting Iraq (news - web sites)'s disarmament. The streets of Baghdad captured the moment — panic buying by residents bracing for a fearsome U.S.-led attack, side by side with a government-prompted, mass demonstration in support of Saddam. "This war, in short, is tantamount to genocide," charged Mohammed Al-Douri, Iraq's ambassador to the United Nations (news - web sites), in one of...

WASHINGTON - With no assurance of the outcome, Secretary of State Colin Powell (news - web sites) will go to the United Nations (news - web sites) on Friday to try to cajole dubious nations on the Security Council to back using force to disarm Iraq (news - web sites). Powell will join with other foreign ministers and ambassadors in hearing the latest report from chief U.N. weapons inspector Hans Blix and to lobby for the resolution submitted by the United States, Britain and Spain. It will be Powell's fourth visit to the United Nations in less than two months...

<p>A Democratic coalition of Latino state legislators is refusing to endorse Gov. Gray Davis in next month's election, an unprecedented decision prompted by the governor's rejection of two bills that would have given illegal immigrants the right to apply for driver's licenses.</p>