Bush reaffirms Gonzales support

washington, d.c.
The White House yesterday called the Senate's upcoming no-confidence vote over Attorney General Alberto Gonzales a "political stunt." President Bush's support for his longtime ally and friend will not waver, said White House spokesman Tony Fratto. Senator Norm Coleman, Republican of Minnesota, on Thursday became the fifth Republican senator to demand that Gonzales leave. Meanwhile, Senator Kit Bond, a Missouri Republican, suggested that Bush consider firing Gonzales if he decides Gonzales is doing more harm than good . In Denver, Senator Ken Salazar, a Democrat, moved from saying he had concerns about Gonzales' leadership to calling the attorney general to advise him to resign. (AP)

A federal appeals court said yesterday that the Pentagon has the authority to pick and choose which labor issues it will negotiate with unions representing more than 600,000 civilian employees. The policy has been on hold since early last year when a federal judge said it eroded collective bargaining rights. The US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit overturned that ruling yesterday, saying in a 2-1 decision that Congress temporarily authorized the policy change until 2009. (AP)

Louisiana

KENNER -- A Louisiana congressman is calling for hearings on the government's response to formaldehyde fumes in trailers provided to storm victims by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Earlier this month, the agency dismissed findings by environmentalists that the trailers pose serious health risks from the known carcinogen. The agency said the fumes could be reduced by opening vents and windows, a strategy deemed unacceptable by Representative Bobby Jindal in light of the region's heat and humidity. (AP)

missouri

SPRINGFIELD -- A man was sentenced yesterday to 70 years in prison for tossing a 5-year-old girl off a bridge into a cold lake to terrorize his estranged wife. Johnnie Jerome Kerns, 29, received consecutive terms for five felonies, including kidnapping, child abuse, and assault. Kerns was arrested in September shortly after two fishermen pulled the girl to safety. They had heard what sounded like a child being thrown from a bridge and then a vehicle speeding off. The girl is not Kerns's daughter. (AP)

new mexico

WHITE SANDS MISSILE RANGE -- A rocket payload that flew briefly into space with ashes of astronaut Gordon Cooper and "Star Trek" actor James Doohan was recovered yesterday in the New Mexico mountains. The payload was found in its designated recovery zone 20 days after Farmington, Conn.-based UP Aerospace sent it up in a 20-foot rocket on April 28. (AP)