Congress U S

As signals of a weakening economy grow louder, the Bush administration and congressional Democrats are considering new measures, including a fresh round of tax cuts, designed to stave off recession. But while both sides of Washington's policy debate appear to favor some kind of tax-cut package to spur economic growth, there is little sign that they are near agreement on what kind of cuts should go to whom.

WASHINGTON -- A congressional committee exploring baseball's steroids scandal asked the Justice Department on Tuesday to investigate whether shortstop Miguel Tejada lied in denying he used performance-enhancing drugs as lawmakers ratcheted up pressure on Major League Baseball to clean up its act or face possible legislative action.

Congress and the White House could deliver by March 1 an economic rescue package meant to stave off a full-blown recession, a senior Democratic lawmaker said Sunday. Sen. Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.), chairman of the Joint Economic Committee, said Democrats and the administration agreed the stimulus package should include tax relief for middle-income families. He also indicated that the final plan could include business tax cuts and spending incentives for the unemployed.

To a crescendo of clicking cameras, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi stepped before a row of shimmering U.S. flags last March to make an announcement Americans had been waiting four months to hear. November's elections had swept Democrats into power on a wave of frustration with the Iraq war. Now, flanked by three committee chairmen in her ceremonial Capitol office, the San Francisco congresswoman prepared to unveil the party's plan to bring the troops home.

Scores of climate change bills are stacking up in the legislative queue. Numerous hearings, the most recent on the polar bear, are highlighting the issue. And some regulation-averse corporate executives have even called on Congress to step in. But despite the dramatic shift in the Capitol in favor of doing something to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, global warming legislation remains a long shot for this year.

Countrywide Financial Corp. founder Angelo R. Mozilo defended his fortuitous stock trades before a congressional panel Friday, denying that he had manipulated his trading plan to unload about $141 million in stock options before the company collapsed. "You had good timing," needled Rep. Henry A. Waxman (D-Beverly Hills), chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger wants California to implement its own vehicle emission standards to fight global warming. At first glance, Congress might seem a likely ally in his efforts to overturn the Bush administration's refusal to let the state do so. After all, global warming is at the top of the agenda in Washington. The three remaining major presidential candidates back California's efforts. And the state's congressional delegation is the largest.

Congress is considering permanent protection for 26 million acres of beautiful and historic landscapes in the American West, but has quietly excluded millions of acres of California desert.

The weeklong cavalcade that will accompany Army Gen. David H. Petraeus' return to Washington on Tuesday will look much like his pivotal visit last September: formal testimony, talk show appearances, and lots of charts and graphs. But this time, the Iraq commander's presentation to Congress collides head-on with a raging presidential campaign and two Democratic candidates demanding almost the opposite of his advice. The change could prove jarring.

Senators warned Thursday that Congress would not allow the Bush administration to complete pending security agreements with Iraq without lawmakers' approval, because of concerns that the pacts would tie the hands of the next president. The administration is negotiating two agreements with Iraq -- over long-term security strategy and over rules for activities of the U.S. military.