Boehner protests Obama threats
WASHINGTON (AP) — White House veto threats against legislation that implements spending cuts in the austere GOP budget plan are “reckless” and would lead to a government shutdown, House Speaker John Boehner said Thursday.
Boehner, R-Ohio, said the veto warnings mean Obama is threatening to shut down the government unless he wins tax increases and higher spending.
The White House said Monday that Obama will veto any legislation implementing the GOP’s budget, which endorses spending levels forced by across-the-board spending cuts known as sequestration and shifts about $30 billion from nondefense programs to the Pentagon.
“No one wants to make more progress on deficits than I do. I’ve been working at it for years now. I know how hard it is,” Boehner said. “That’s why the idea of shutting down the government if we can’t find a deal is so irresponsible.”
But even with a budget impasse, a government shutdown could be averted if Congress approved separate stopgap legislation.
Esther Williams dies at age 91
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Esther Williams, the swimming champion turned actress who starred in glittering and aquatic Technicolor musicals of the 1940s and 1950s, has died. She was 91.
Williams died early Thursday in her sleep, according to her longtime publicist Harlan Boll.
Following in the footsteps of Sonja Henie, who went from skating champion to movie star, Williams became one of Hollywood’s biggest moneymakers, appearing in spectacular swimsuit numbers that capitalized on her wholesome beauty and perfect figure.
Such films as “Easy to Wed,” “Neptune’s Daughter” and “Dangerous When Wet” followed the same formula: romance, music, a bit of comedy and a flimsy plot that provided excuses to get Esther into the water.
The extravaganzas dazzled a second generation via television and the compilation films “That’s Entertainment.” Williams’ co-stars included the pick of the MGM contract list, including Gene Kelly, Frank Sinatra, Red Skelton, Ricardo Montalban and Howard Keel.
Horse slaughter plans face hurdle
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — A southeastern New Mexico company’s plans to convert a cattle plant into a horse slaughterhouse has hit another roadblock, this time over an environmental dispute that the company’s attorney blames on the Obama administration putting politics over policy.
Blair Dunn, who represents Valley Meat Co. of Roswell in its more than yearlong effort to get approval to slaughter horses, says the U.S. Department of Agriculture keeps changing the rules because it opposes horse slaughter. USDA officials referred questions to the Justice Department, which did not immediately respond to a phone call seeking comment.
Valley Meat’s application to resume domestic horse slaughter has ignited an emotional, national debate over whether horses are livestock or domestic companions. The company wants to ship horse meat to countries where it is consumed by humans and sold for things like zoo food.
The issue has divided horse rescue and animal welfare groups, ranchers, politicians and Indian tribes about what is the most humane way to deal with the country’s horse overpopulation and the rising number of neglected and starving horses as the West deals with persistent drought.
Since the company passed its inspection in late April, officials have been dragging their feet on giving the plant final approval to open by questioning whether it needs a permit under the federal Clean Water Act for discharging waste into water, Dunn said.
Tenderized beef may get warnings
WASHINGTON (AP) — Beef tenderized by machines before it is sold in grocery stores could soon carry labels warning customers to cook the meat thoroughly.
The Agriculture Department on Thursday proposed to require the new package labels and cooking instructions on the meat, which is poked with needles or blades to increase tenderness.
That process can transfer pathogens from the outside of the cut of beef to the inside, making the meat less safe if it’s eaten uncooked or not cooked enough. The labels would urge consumers to cook the meat to 145 degrees for three minutes.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says there have been five outbreaks of illness linked to mechanically tenderized beef reported since 2003.
The meat industry criticized the proposed rule, arguing that calling meats “mechanically tenderized” could be misleading in making consumers think the meat is something different than what they already know.
“If, for example, Ford were suddenly forced to call an Explorer a ‘Robotically Assembled Ford Explorer,’ a buyer might think the car has been significantly changed,” said James. H. Hodges of the American Meat Institute.
Consumer groups have said the labels are needed because consumers don’t know when meats have been tenderized.
Rep. Rosa DeLauro, a Connecticut Democrat who has long argued for stricter food safety rules and sits on the spending subcommittee that oversees USDA, urged the department to move quickly to make the rule final.
“With summer grilling season upon us, this proposed rule comes at a great time to raise awareness among consumers of how important it is to cook their meat appropriately,” she said.
