Zell Miller

Seeking to turn up the heat on the Democratic-led Senate to approve President Bush's proposed Department of Homeland Security, Republicans rolled out a new weapon Thursday: a Democrat. Sen. Zell Miller (D-Ga.) joined Sen. Phil Gramm (R-Texas) in proposing a compromise to end a dispute over labor rights that has sidetracked the homeland security legislation.

When CBS President Les Moonves began looking for someone to make the trip from the rural South to upscale Los Angeles for a reality-based remake of "The Beverly Hillbillies," he wasn't expecting Dee Davis to show up. Davis runs the Kentucky-based Center for Rural Strategies, a grass-roots advocacy group that has created a public relations headache for CBS while raising questions about the lengths to which the networks will go in luring viewers to their so-called reality shows.

Georgia lawmakers voted to ban a controversial procedure labeled "partial-birth abortion." Gov. Zell Miller said he will sign the bill. The bill would outlaw the procedure except when a woman's life is in danger. Violators could be punished with fines and prison.

Former Atlanta Mayor Andrew Young has ruled out a run for the U.S. Senate, sending Democrats scrambling for a strong candidate for the seat being vacated by retiring Democratic Sen. Zell Miller. Young said he would not enjoy the "partisan atmosphere" in Washington. "Winning would mean I would spend the next seven years of my life in Washington, and Washington is not always the center of action," he said.

Andrew Young recalled his days in the civil rights struggle as he implored voters to give him the Democratic nomination today in his quest to become Georgia's first black governor. The former Atlanta mayor's front-running opponent, Lt. Gov. Zell Miller, thanked black supporters. In Michigan, GOP candidates wrapped up campaigns in primaries to choose challengers to Gov. James J. Blanchard and U.S. Sen. Carl Levin. And Kansas Republican Gov.

Singing has always been Hovie Lister's stock in trade, but the gospel artist likes politics enough to spend his winter days opening doors for Georgia senators. Lister, 64, who sang at the funerals of Hank Williams and Elvis Presley, is an assistant doorkeeper for the Senate this year, a job he sought from music fan Zell Miller, the lieutenant governor. It pays about $1,800 per session. "I just love politics," Lister said.

U.S. Sen. Zell Miller, a Georgia Democrat who has frequently broken with his party to support Republican policies, has agreed to campaign for President Bush's reelection, a campaign spokesman said. The move gives the campaign a major name for its efforts to organize Democrats for Bush around the country, after a similar push struggled in 2000.

The Legislature on Wednesday approved an early presidential primary date that makes Georgia's the first Southern election of the campaign. Gov. Zell Miller signed the measure after the House voted its approval. He said it would be forwarded immediately to the U.S. Justice Department. Under the Voting Rights Act, the Justice Department must review any change in Georgia election law for racial discrimination.

Georgia joined the trend to stringent cost-cutting measures, as Gov. Zell Miller ordered one-day-a-month furloughs for all state workers and froze new programs. Miller said he will ask legislators to cut the state budget $150 million to $400 million. Meanwhile, in Maine, lawmakers working to avert a second state government shutdown sought to iron out a deal that would curb business insurance costs enough for Gov. John R. McKernan to sign a full budget.