Free Republic

VIENNA, Austria - The European Union submitted a motion Friday to the U.N. atomic watchdog agency that sets Iran up for referral to the Security Council later this year unless Tehran halts some of its nuclear activities. Diplomats earlier said a watered-down text was likely to get Russia's support, but the motion contained a direct reference to the Security Council and held out the likelihood of referral in the coming months. Iran increased the pressure against referral to the Security Council, diplomats told The Associated Press, threatening to restart uranium enrichment — a possible pathway to nuclear arms. The diplomats,...

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) - Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Wednesday turned in thousands of petition signatures supporting ballot measures he wants to put before voters in a November special election. But Schwarzenegger said he is still interested in reaching compromise solutions with Democratic leaders before a mid-June deadline for calling the election. "Our doors are open for negotiation," he said. The move comes as Schwarzenegger's popularity has hit new lows and Democratic opposition to his proposals have grown in strength. The governor and his supporters are pushing three constitutional amendments that would put new limits on state spending, lengthen the time...

SACRAMENTO (AP) - Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Tuesday triggered an up-or-down vote on his plan to reorganize the state's troubled $7 billion-a-year prison system, as a state senator began her own effort to rein in the Department of Correction's chronic overspending. Schwarzenegger submitted his plan to the Legislature a day before the watchdog Little Hoover Commission votes whether to support the proposal and makes recommendations for improvements. But legislators can now make no changes to the governor's plan, no matter the merits of the commission's critique. Under state law, the plan takes effect automatically unless a majority in either the...