Free Republic

NEWARK, N.J. – New Jersey's governor wants to kill a $9 billion-plus train tunnel to New York City because of runaway costs. Six thousand miles away, Hawaii's outgoing governor is having second thoughts about a proposed $5.5 billion rail line in Honolulu. In many of the 48 states in between, infrastructure projects are languishing on the drawing board, awaiting the right mix of creative financing, political arm-twisting and timing to move forward. And a struggling economy and a surge of political candidates opposed to big spending could make it a long wait. Has the nation that built the Hoover Dam,...

HONOLULU (AP) -- It's now law in Hawaii that the government can ignore repetitive requests for President Barack Obama's birth certificate. Republican Gov. Linda Lingle signed into law Wednesday a bill allowing state government agencies not to respond to follow-up requests for information if they determine that the subsequent request is duplicative or substantially similar to a previous request.

An Italian university closed one of its campuses for the day Friday to prevent a planned lecture by a retired French professor who denies gas chambers were used in Nazi concentration camps. Robert Faurisson, who has been convicted five times in France for denying crimes against humanity, is expected to speak at a local hotel instead. The University of Teramo cited security fears in announcing the closure of its law, political sciences and communications departments. "[There is] a climate of tension which could put in danger the safety of the students," the university said in a statement. The Nazi-hunting Simon...

<p>It started with an e-mail message last week to this column from a reader, asking whether strict interpretation of the state constitution would automatically make Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamante the governor should Gov. Gray Davis be recalled.</p> <p>"I am mystified by the governor recall election talk," the reader wrote. "If I understand the California Constitution, if Gray Davis resigns, dies in office, goes into a coma or is impeached and removed, Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamante will become governor for the remainder of the term. So why not the same outcome if Gray Davis is recalled?"</p>

Iran shuns Britain's appeal for nuclear inspectors By Angus McDowall in Tehran 30 June 2003 Iran rejected an appeal from the Foreign Secretary, Jack Straw, yesterday for more intrusive inspections of its nuclear facilities, amid fears that the country may be developing nuclear weapons. The Iranian Foreign Minister, Kamal Kharrazi, said his country was not yet ready to accept the demands. While Iran was prepared to consider the need to be more "transparent" on its nuclear intentions, Tehran needed to know more about what was expected of it. "We have nothing to hide. We are ready to co-operate but that...