 |
||||||||
 |
||||||||
|
||||||||
|
Washington in brief
Compiled from Times wires Vets' bid for lifetime health care is rejectedWASHINGTON -- A divided, reluctant federal appeals court denied claims Tuesday by World War II and Korean War veterans who said the government reneged on a promise to provide free lifetime health care if they stayed in the service for 20 years. Although the government conceded military recruiters made the promises, the Defense Department convinced the court there was no valid contract because the assurances were not backed up by law. The 9-4 decision was by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. The veterans will seek a Supreme Court hearing, said their lawyer, George "Bud" Day, a retired Air Force colonel who was a prisoner of war in Vietnam. Media urged to stop running deceptive diet adsThe government is urging television, newspapers and magazines to stop carrying deceptive advertising with promises like "eat all you want and lose weight" or "lose weight while you sleep." "Reputable media should be embarrassed by some of the ads that run," Howard Beales, director of the Federal Trade Commission's consumer protection bureau, said Wednesday. "The claims are so ridiculous." Beales said he believes that publishers and cable TV executives want to cooperate, but if they don't, regulators could consider legal action. Daschle blames Limbaugh for death threatsTom Daschle, the Senate Democratic leader, said Wednesday that the criticism leveled against him this year on the Rush Limbaugh radio show had increased the number of threats against him and his family. In a news conference during which he summed up the congressional session, Daschle complained that conservative shows like Limbaugh's had transformed politics into entertainment, to the detriment of the Democrats. On his show Wednesday, Limbaugh said the accusation was part of a pattern by Democrats to blame him and talk radio for their losses, and said the Democrats are trying to counter his influence.
 © 2006 • All Rights Reserved • St. Petersburg Times
490 First Avenue South • St. Petersburg, FL 33701 • 727-893-8111 
|
From the Times wire desk
From the AP |
