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John Ashcroft Outlines Top Goals By MICHAEL J. SNIFFEN, Associated Press Writer WASHINGTON (AP) - John Ashcroft (news - web sites) used his first interview as attorney general to take out after Bill Clinton over the war on drugs and his pardon of fugitive financier Marc Rich. In a television interview Wednesday night, the new attorney general said his top three goals were to increase gun prosecutions, reinvigorate the war on drugs and to stamp out racial discrimination. But he also looked back at some of former President Clinton (news - web sites)'s most controversial moves, including his pardon of Rich on his last day in office. ``A pardon should be reserved for a situation where there is a manifest sense of injustice,'' Ashcroft said Wednesday night on CNN's ``Larry King Live'' program. ``The American people are troubled whenever they think a pardon would be associated with political support or financial support.'' Although expressing ``surprise'' with the pardon, Ashcroft nevertheless said the Constitution gives a president a ``pretty unfettered right'' to pardon anyone. Clinton's pardon has been criticized because Rich has stayed in Switzerland rather than returning to face 51 counts of tax evasion and fraud filed against him in 1983. In addition, the pardon was requested by his ex-wife, Denise, who has given Democrats about $1 million since 1993. Clinton has denied any political or financial motivation. The new attorney general also blamed Clinton in part for a rise in marijuana use during the 1990s. In the 1992 campaign, Clinton said he once had smoked marijuana, but didn't inhale. He later told an MTV town forum that if he had to do it again, he would inhale ``if I could; I tried before.'' ``I think that sends the wrong signal,'' Ashcroft said. ``It's so important you have a president who will speak forcefully against drug use, rather than wink and give the nod in some sense, saying 'I didn't inhale, but I wish I had.''' Ashcroft said he and President Bush (news - web sites) want to ``concentrate on educating children away from drugs.'' Listing his three top priorities, Ashcroft said, ``I want to stop gun violence, to reinvigorate the war on drugs, to end discrimination wherever I find it.'' He particularly mentioned enforcing voting rights, fair housing laws and putting a stop to racial profiling by police. ``It's wrong for police to stop people based on race.'' After his civil rights record was bitterly attacked during a stormy Senate confirmation battle, Ashcroft is inviting Justice Department (news - web sites)'s civil rights division officials to a brown bag lunch in his private department dining room next week, chief spokeswoman Mindy Tucker said. Civil rights will be first, but he plans to hold these lunches with each division. With every news organization clamoring to talk to him, Ashcroft unveiled his priorities in an interview with King, known for polite questioning rather than hostile cross-examination. Ashcroft has three main civil rights issues in mind, Tucker said. ``He wants to make sure no American feels outside the protection of the law,'' she said. ``He wants to make sure all people have access and that no voting rights are violated.'' This includes the department's ongoing investigation of the presidential election in Florida, where black voters have complained were systematically turned away from the polls, but also reports of ballot access problems and voting fraud in other locations, she said. He also wants to ``take a serious look at hate crimes,'' Tucker said. He previously opposed legislation backed by the Clinton administration to expand the federal hate crimes law to cover attacks on homosexuals and to remove a requirement that a federally protected right be involved, which has been an obstacle to some prosecutions. One of the biggest backers of that legislation, Ashcroft's predecessor Janet Reno (news - web sites), flew from her home in Florida to have lunch Thursday with Ashcroft in his private dining room. When Ashcroft told reporters how much he appreciated the chance to confer with the nation's longest-serving attorney general, Reno promptly corrected him, noting her eight years were second to the 11 served by William Wirt. ``I told you I could learn things from her,'' Ashcroft remarked. Reno was asked if she agreed with the Rich pardon but ducked the question. ``I don't do things on Thursday any more,'' she replied in a reference to no longer holding her weekly Thursday news conference. Ashcroft roared with laughter. In an effort to reduce the incidence of gun crimes, Ashcroft said he wants to expand a federal antigun effort used in Virginia known as Project Exile. Under the project, federal prosecutors handle most gun crimes and seek stiff sentences. The National Rifle Association strongly backs the program. ``There has been a lack of gun prosecutions in recent years,'' Tucker said, echoing a recent Republican criticism of the Clinton administration. Reno's aides acknowledged that federal gun prosecutions dropped for two years during the mid-1990s as they focused federal efforts on the biggest gun traffickers and referred smaller cases to local prosecutors. Combined federal and state gun prosecutions rose through the 1990s. The federal prosecutors also handled gun cases in states where federal statutes were tougher than state gun laws. And federal gun prosecutions rose for the final few years of the Clinton administration. |
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Judge Orders 3 Suppliers Sell Power By JENNIFER COLEMAN, Associated Press Writer YUBA CITY, Calif. (AP) - Citing an energy crisis of ``catastrophic proportions,'' a federal judge Thursday ordered three major suppliers to sell electricity to California despite their worry two cash-strapped utilities won't pay for it. The reprieve for California energy regulators came as the governor announced he will dramatically accelerate power plant construction to try to stave off summer blackouts. U.S. District Judge Frank Damrell Jr.'s extension of a temporary restraining order he issued Tuesday ensures the suppliers will not pull about 4,000 megawatts off the state's power grid. That's enough power for roughly 4 million homes. ``The state of California is confronting an energy crisis of catastrophic proportions,'' the judge wrote. The loss of the power they provide ``poses an imminent threat of blackouts.'' The grid's manager, the California Independent System Operator (news - web sites), sought the order, warning that the electricity's removal would disrupt the region's power supply so severely that outages would spread beyond California. ``This would be a serious impact on the safety, health and welfare of not only Californians, but everyone in the Western U.S.,'' said Jim Detmers, the ISO's managing director of operations. The order, in effect at least until a Feb. 16 hearing on the case, names Reliant Energy Services Inc., AES Pacific Inc. and Dynegy Power Corp. Reliant had been under a temporary restraining order issued by the Sacramento judge Tuesday night, shortly before the midnight expiration of a Bush administration directive requiring suppliers to continue selling to California despite utility solvency concerns. The other two companies had voluntarily committed to keep supplying the ISO pending Thursday's ruling. Houston-based Reliant, which is responsible for about 9 percent of California's energy, has balked at selling the ISO emergency power to send to Southern California Edison (news - web sites) and Pacific Gas and Electric Co. (news - web sites) It fears it will never be paid by the cash-strapped utilities. Reliant has asked the state to stand behind the utilities' purchases. Gov. Gray Davis (news - web sites) is unwilling to do that because he believes Reliant wants to drive up prices by locking the state into purchases on the costly spot power market, spokesman Steve Maviglio said. Meanwhile, ISO officials extended a Stage 3 power alert through Friday - a record 25th straight day - although no repeat of the rolling blackouts that darkened large parts of northern and central California for two days last month was expected. Davis, looking ahead to a summer energy crunch expected to be even worse than the winter's, issued an executive order he said will add enough electricity for 5 million homes by July. The state will provide $30 million in bonuses and speed up the approval process for small natural gas or renewable-fuel power plants that run only during peak hours of the day, if those facilities will be operating by summer, Davis said. The governor asked President Bush (news - web sites) to direct federal agencies to also issue permits for small plants within the same time frame. ``We will demonstrate that California can cut red tape, build more power and protect the environment,'' Davis said at a news conference in Yuba City, about 45 miles north of Sacramento, where a new 545-megawatt power plant is expected to be operating by July. The White House is reviewing the governor's request, spokeswoman Claire Buchan said. The state Energy Commission estimates California could fall 5,000 megawatts short during the hottest periods this summer. That's enough power for roughly 5 million homes, the amount provided by July under Davis' plan. |
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Haiti's Aristide Returns to Power By MICHAEL NORTON, Associated Press Writer PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) - Returning to power as Haiti's president, Jean-Bertrand Aristide pledged to make life better for the country's poor majority and make peace with the opposition, which refuses to recognize his legitimacy. After five years out of office, Aristide was inaugurated Wednesday to the beat of drums and the dancing of thousands in the streets. ``My arms are open, my heart is open with honor and respect for the Haitian people,'' he told a crowd of more than 10,000 people outside the National Palace during his inaugural address. He spoke in Creole, French, Spanish and English, but the ceremony was shunned by much of the world. Countries including the United States and France declined to send delegations because of disputed legislative elections last year. The United States and the 15-nation European Union (news - web sites) were represented only by their ambassadors. Haiti's major opposition parties refuse to recognize Aristide as president and have named an alternative president, setting up a power struggle that threatens to bring further chaos to the impoverished Caribbean nation. In his speech, however, Aristide reached out to the opposition, saying: ``All we need to do is get along.'' Opposition parties boycotted the presidential election in November, saying Aristide's party won more than 80 percent of local and legislative races last year through fraud. The Organization of American States said 10 Senate seats won by Aristide candidates should have gone to a second-round vote, and some countries threatened to withhold aid. Aristide now faces the difficult tasks of delivering on promises to help the poor, patching up relations with the international community to secure aid and resolving the impasse with the opposition. Talks to find common ground with the opposition failed Tuesday. The 15-party opposition alliance Convergence then named Gerard Gourgue, 75, as provisional president of an alternative government. The opposition is pushing for new elections. ``Words are one thing, acts are another. We are waiting for Aristide to do something positive and concrete,'' Gourgue said after the inaugural address. Gourgue was Justice Minister following the ouster of dictator Jean-Claude Duvalier in 1986. He ran for president in 1987 elections aborted by bloody attacks by the army. As Aristide was sworn in Wednesday, thousands took to the streets, dancing for joy to the beat of Haiti's traditional Roots music. The response from some other countries' diplomats was much cooler. ``It's too bad that Mr. Aristide and his party have not manifested the will to compromise which is necessary for the conclusion of an agreement,'' the French Foreign Ministry said in a statement, blaming Aristide's Lavalas Family party for the breakdown of talks with the opposition. Top officials attended the inauguration, however, from Taiwan, Guatemala, Panama, Belize, the neighboring Dominican Republic and other countries. With most of Haiti's 8 million people living in misery, many look to Aristide, a former Roman Catholic priest, as if for redemption. ``We planted the seed, and now it's time to reap what's sown. We want to make sure all the work we've done for Aristide pays off,'' said Michel Frizner, a 28-year-old construction worker who stood outside the Legislative Palace, where Aristide took the oath of office. Aristide became Haiti's first democratically elected president in a landslide victory in 1990. The army ousted him in September 1991, and a U.S. military invasion restored him to power three years later. Constitutionally barred from a consecutive term, Aristide spent only a few months in office before handing power to his chosen successor, Rene Preval, in 1996. |
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By ANNE D'INNOCENZIO, AP Business Writer NEW YORK (AP) - Poo-Chi is soon to be hist-o-ri. A new generation of electronic pets, making its official debut at the American International Toy Fair on Sunday, will make last year's popular models look like windup toys. They will tell jokes, sing round-robin with their robotic pals, and wake you up when and if you want. One will even plug itself in for a recharge when its batteries run low. At the forefront of the robotic trend is Hasbro Inc.'s Tiger Electronics, which came out with a family of robotic pets starting last spring. Its Poo-Chi, one of last year's best-selling toys at $24.99, could respond to touch and light by barking and moving his tail. Tiger is expanding the line with models like Chirpy-Chi, Dino-Chi and Robo Baby, and moving ahead with six different, more advanced robots ranging from Ottobot, a wisecracking robot that has a 200-word vocabulary and built-in games, to T-Bot, which has 60 different facial expressions. Prices are in the $30 to $50 range. This May it will offer I-Cybie, a $200 fully motorized talking dog that knows when its batteries are low and will follow an infrared beam back into its recharging base and plug itself in. Other companies also are making their robot toys more sophisticated and touting them as much more playful for the children whose parents buy them. ``Before, you had the child playing at the `robot,' '' said Ronnie Goldfinger, chief executive officer at Distributoys, a Highland, Ill.-based supplier to manufacturers. ``Now, these robots are truly interacting. They're just beginning to make choices and are selecting between different emotions.'' Jim Silver, publisher of the Toy Book, a monthly newsletter foresees that by year 2010 consumers will be buying ``best friends at the stores.'' Not everyone is as enthusiastic about the robot invasion. Stephanie Oppenheim, co-author of Oppenheim Toy Portfolio, a New York-based annual guide of toys, books and videos, contends that many of last year's robotic pets were difficult to use. They often came with operating manuals that challenged adults, let alone children. Robotic toys also can stymie a child's creativity or simply prove to be a turnoff once the novelty fades, she said. ``There's room in toyland for novelty, but the things that kids come back to tend to be open-ended,'' she said. ``It's your child's emotions that are more important then imposing pretend scenarios.'' Allegra Holch, a 38-year-old Manhattan resident, purchased robotic dogs last holiday season at Lord & Taylor for her 6-year-old niece, her 12-year-old nephew, and 75-year-old father. They weren't a big success. Her gadget-minded father had trouble with the instructions, and her niece's toy dog quickly wound up in the back of the closet. ``It came with this confusing manual, and we couldn't figure out how to turn the barking off,'' she said. ``I would be a little wary about trying the new robots out there.'' Toy executives said they have worked hard testing robots with children to make sure they are more playful. They also say they are easier to use than last year's versions because many now can speak. Trendmasters Inc. will be producing three new robotic brands this year, said Brian Weinstock, vice president of creative development. Its Johnny Bot series will sport different personalities, tell jokes and recognize people in a room. Rumble Robots will fight, gaining power through electronic cards. C-Pets will include various animal models, like a 12-inch wisecracking lizard that play games and dances. Manley Toy Quest, which produced a robotic puppy called Tekno last year, is coming out with a more sophisticated trio of lifelike, 16-inch exotic birds costing $70 each. The birds can sing in round-robin style, wake you up at a programmed time, or follow you with their heads as you walk across the room. Playmates Inc., which started marketing interactive dolls two years ago, and is now rolling out Ozlo, a 17-inch robot that has a humanoid voice and 20 minutes of speech stored on its chip. Carrying a $50 price tag, it plays memory games and interacts with the child as he fixes its parts. ``Ozlo is very flexible,'' said Tom McClure, the company's vice president of marketing for electronics. ``He will prompt the child to do things, and adapts if he doesn't.'' The next big frontiers will be voice recognition and motor capability - both of which are likely to take some time to improve. I-Cybie, which was the product of more than a year's work by a 30-member team of puppeteers, computer programmers and engineers, features 16 separate motors. |