In the Nation
U.S.: Uphold halt to Uighur release
WASHINGTON - The Obama administration, picking up the argument of its predecessor, opposes releasing Chinese Muslim detainees at Guantanamo Bay into the United States.
In papers filed with the Supreme Court late Friday, the administration said the Uighurs were lawfully held at the U.S. base in Cuba even though they were not considered enemy combatants.
The administration said a federal appeals ruling that blocked the Uighurs' release to the United States should be upheld. The government is trying to find another country to take them. The court could decide by late June whether to hear the Uighurs' case. - AP
Obamas visit N.Y. for dinner, show
NEW YORK - President Obama made good last night on a campaign promise to his most important supporter - his wife, Michelle. They flew to New York on a date to see a Broadway show, aides and media in tow.
After dining at Blue Hill, a West Village restaurant, the first couple headed to the Belasco Theater to see Joe Turner's Come and Gone.
The White House declined to say how much the trip cost taxpayers, and the there-and-back jaunt drew criticism from the Republican National Committee. It chastised Obama for saying he understands Americans' troubles and then hopping up to New York for a night on the town. - AP
Baucus, Kennedy join on health bill
WASHINGTON - The two Senate Democrats leading the drive to overhaul health care say they will work together to come up with legislation.
Sens. Max Baucus (D., Mont.) and Edward M. Kennedy (D., Mass.) said in a joint statement yesterday that they intended to cooperate so their committees pass similar bills that can be combined into a single piece of legislation before the Senate recesses in August.
The statement appeared aimed at dispelling reports that Baucus and Kennedy were working at cross purposes in crafting legislation.
Baucus heads the Finance Committee. Kennedy is chairman of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee. Kennedy is expected to release a plan this week that would require everyone to buy insurance and that would create a public insurance plan that would compete with private insurers. - AP
Elsewhere:
Britain's Prince Harry followed in the footsteps of his late mother, Princess Diana, by raising money for a charity that supports AIDS orphans in Lesotho as he played polo yesterday in New York.