Commentary: Pythons should be banned

Pythons and other nonnative species got a hearing in Washington last week, and none too soon. In response to real concerns about pythons and other exotics overrunning the Everglades and the Keys, the House Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism and Homeland Security considered changes to the Lacy Act, which regulates what plants and animals can be imported into the United States. | 11/10/09 12:43:54 By -

Commentary: Tax credit for homeowners to move up is unnecessary

Attached to federal legislation that extends the first-time home buyer tax credit and unemployment benefits is a curious provision. It provides a $6,500 tax credit for home buyers who have lived in their current home at least five years. And this is a good idea because ... ? This credit for current homeowners, though, looks like a politically inspired giveaway. | 11/10/09 12:32:19 By -

Commentary: Fort Worth can't afford to avoid gay rights issues

The true measure of the Fort Worth City Council's response to recommendations from the Diversity Task Force won't be taken from what it does today. Tough as those decisions will be, they are only the relatively easy ones. | 11/10/09 12:15:54 By -

Commentary: Addicted veterans need treatment, not jail time

Drug court is one of the best ideas ever to hit Pierce County’s criminal justice system. It's just been joined by another great idea: veterans drug court. The county's drug court — one of the nation's first, in 1994 — operates on the premise that treating addicts instead of merely jailing them works better for everyone. | 11/10/09 12:01:43 By -

Commentary: Senate holds key to health reform

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a liberal lawmaker from San Francisco, faced some wrenching political choices going into Saturday's vote on a health care reform bill. Centrist "Blue Dog" Democrats were seeking concessions for their votes. The biggest one, sought by Roman Catholic bishops, would have blocked use of federal subsidies for health insurance that covers elective abortions. | 11/10/09 10:39:40 By -

Roeder admits to killing abortion doctor Tiller

Scott Roeder confessed Monday to killing Wichita abortion doctor George Tiller, saying he had no regrets because "preborn children were in imminent danger." Roeder, 51, said that he didn't consider what he did to be murder and that he had no intention of changing his plea to guilty. "There is a distinction between killing and murdering," he said. "I don't like the accusation of murder whatsoever, because when you protect innocent life, that's not murder." | 11/10/09 07:18:42 By - Judy L. Thomas

N.C. Sen. Hagan facing pressure from all sides in health care debate

After an intense three-month campaign for the votes of North Carolina's House members, players in the health care debate are now likely to focus their full attention on Sen. Kay Hagan, a moderate, pro-business Democrat, who is regarded as one of a handful of senators who could play a pivotal role as the Senate takes up the landmark legislation to expand access to health insurance. Hagan has already been the subject of television commercials by the pharmaceutical industry, two mailers by Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina and hundreds of pickets at her Raleigh district office. | 11/10/09 07:39:17 By - Rob Christensen

Schwarzenegger says California's budget gap might hit $7 billion

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger estimated Monday that California's budget will fall out of balance by $5 billion to $7 billion this fiscal year, on top of a $7.4 billion gap already projected for 2010-11. | 11/10/09 06:42:23 By - Kevin Yamamura

South Florida man's battle with health insurer inspires 'Ian's Law'

Ian Pearl, a 37-year-old who lives in Southwest Ranches, Fla., is the inspiration for "Ian's Law," legislation being introduced by two New York state legislators that would require insurance companies to get approval from the state before dropping coverage plans for existing clients. | 11/10/09 07:01:10 By - Laura Figueroa

'Muslim Mafia' author ordered to remove documents from Web

A federal judge has taken the rare step of ordering self-described anti-terrorism investigator Paul David Gaubatz to remove from his Web site some 12,000 documents that his son allegedly stole from the Council on American-Islamic Relations. | 11/10/09 01:18:00 By - Michael Doyle

Fla. Senate candidate Rubio takes tough stance on immigration

As an underdog U.S. Senate candidate courting the GOP's conservative wing, Marco Rubio takes a hard-line position against illegal immigration: no amnesty. But as the powerful speaker of the Florida House, presented with a slew of bills aimed at curbing illegal immigration, he didn't put a single proposal up for a vote. | 11/10/09 06:52:37 By - Beth Reinhard

Bank of America tries to show its consumer-friendly side

Bank of America said Monday it has lent nearly $760 billion in the past year, or almost $17 for every dollar it has received in government loans. In its third-quarter Impact Report, the bank highlighted recent consumer-friendly changes, such as an effort to pull back on overdraft fees and a "clarity commitment" to mortgage and home-equity borrowers, giving them a one-page, plain-language summary of the terms of their loans. | 11/10/09 07:31:39 By - Christina Rexrode

Idaho prosecutor pleads guilty to stalking his ex, quits RNC

After pleading guilty to stalking a former girlfriend, Blake Hall, a leading figure in Idaho and national politics for 25 years, was fired Monday as a deputy prosecuting attorney in eastern Idaho and resigned from the Republican National Committee. | 11/10/09 01:13:29 By - Dan Popkey

Commentary: Honor killing is an appalling act of cowardice

Let me tell you a few things I believe: I believe that in most cases, I have no right to judge your culture by the standards of mine. I believe what seems exotic to me might be enlightened to you. I believe no culture has a monopoly on morality.

But I also believe you don't run down your daughter because she has a page on Facebook and won't marry the guy you choose. That is not honor. It is, in fact, the opposite — an act of appalling cowardice suggestive not simply of religious extremism, but of a people in fear of the sexuality and independence of women. | 11/10/09 06:05:22 By - Leonard Pitts Jr.

Commentary: One man's crusade against gay marriage

The most effective man fighting to deny the right of gay marriage in America is Frank Schubert of Sacramento. Schubert ran the successful Yes on Proposition 8 campaign last year, the initiative banning gay marriage in California. Last week, when Maine voted to repeal a new law allowing gay marriage, Schubert was again the pivotal organizer. | 11/10/09 06:09:28 By - Marcos Breton