Justice Dept. won't fight immunity deal

The Justice Department will not try to prevent Congress from granting immunity to a former department official to testify about the firing of eight federal prosecutors. In a letter to House Judiciary Committee chairman John Conyers, Democrat of Michigan, officials from two Justice Department offices investigating whether the department played politics when hiring prosecutors said they would prefer not to see the department's former White House liaison, Monica Goodling, given immunity. "However, we understand the committee's interest in obtaining Ms. Goodling's testimony," the letter said. (AP)

California

SAN FRANCISCO -- A US federal appeals court dismissed a case yesterday in which a Las Vegas attorney argued his Mormon religion should exempt him from Social Security taxes. "I don't believe in it, I don't like it, I think it is Satanic," Jonathan Hansen said in a telephone interview, adding that to date he has paid his Social Security taxes. The court disagreed and backed a lower court's dismissal of Hansen's claim. (Reuters)

New York

NEW YORK -- Bill Clinton has a new pastime far from fund-raising for worthy causes: The former president designed a crossword puzzle for The New York Times. Clinton wrote the clues for an online puzzle published this weekend , filled with puns, pop culture references, and plays on words. The theme of the puzzle is "Twistin' the Oldies," and features clues about musical hits by artists such as Neil Sedaka and Carly Simon. In an editor's note, puzzle editor Will Shortz wrote: "The clues in this puzzle are a little more playful and involve more wordplay than in a typical crossword. You have been warned." Shortz said he did very little editing. (Reuters)