Free Republic

LOS ANGELES — Six major insurers, including The Hartford Financial, Prudential Financial and Allstate, received preliminary approval Thursday for billions of dollars in aid from a U.S. bailout fund, following a months-long quest by some in the sector for financial assistance. The Hartford Financial Services Group Inc. was the first to disclose that it had been notified by the Treasury Department that it was eligible for $3.4 billion from the Troubled Asset Relief Program, or TARP.

CARACAS, Venezuela (Reuters) - Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has survived a referendum to recall him, according to preliminary results released by the country's top electoral officer on Monday. National Electoral Council President Francisco Carrasquero said in a national broadcast the "No" option opposing Chavez's recall had obtained just over 58 percent of the vote, while the "Yes" vote obtained nearly 42 percent. But two pro-opposition electoral officials questioned the result. Shortly before Carrasquero made the announcement, two members of the five-member National Electoral Council leadership said they could not back the result. Ezequiel Zamora and Solbella Mejias, both known opposition...

BERKELEY, Calif. (AP) - A judge has blocked the University of California from raising fees this fall for some law, medical and other professional school students following a lawsuit claiming the hikes are unfair. San Francisco Superior Court Judge James L. Warren issued the preliminary injunction Thursday saying it appears students who sued UC over the fee hikes have "demonstrated a substantial likelihood of success on the merits of their claims." UC, which maintains it must raise fees due to cuts in state funding, planned to appeal, but the ruling was being hailed by students and their lawyers as a...