Deputy in Trade Office Is Named Acting Chief
President Bush has picked Peter F. Allgeier, the deputy U.S. trade representative, to serve on an acting basis as his top trade negotiator, the White House announced yesterday.
The position of U.S. trade representative is being vacated by Robert B. Zoellick, who will start work Tuesday as top deputy to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.
That is the day Allgeier will become acting U.S. trade representative.
Among those being mentioned as a permanent replacement in the top trade job are Josette S. Shiner, a deputy U.S. trade representative; Commerce Undersecretary Grant Aldonas; and Robert M. Kimmitt, the head of global policy at Time Warner Inc.
USS Carter Submarine Has Extra Spy Capabilities
The USS Jimmy Carter, which will join the nation's submarine fleet today, will have some special capabilities, intelligence experts say: It will be able to tap undersea cables and eavesdrop on the communications passing through them.
The Navy does not acknowledge that the $3.2 billion submarine, the third and last of the Seawolf class of attack subs, has this capability. But intelligence community watchdogs have little doubt: The previous submarine that performed the mission, the USS Parche, was retired last fall. That would only happen if a new one was on the way.
Like the Parche, the Carter was extensively modified from its basic design, given a $923 million hull extension that allows it to house technicians and gear to perform the cable-tapping and other secret missions, experts say.
Senate Group to Visit Iraq for Talks With Officials
Sens. John McCain and Hillary Rodham Clinton, who have often challenged the Pentagon's planning and management of the Iraq war, are part of a bipartisan group of senators traveling to Iraq this weekend to meet with military leaders and others, officials said yesterday.
The five senators flying to Iraq are McCain (R-Ariz.), Clinton (D-N.Y.), Susan Collins (R-Maine), Russell Feingold (D-Wis.) and Lindsey O. Graham (R-S.C.). All but Feingold are on the Senate Armed Services Committee. They plan to meet top Iraqi officials and female leaders.
Bush Wants Malpractice, Asbestos Awards Curbed
As President Bush signed legislation yesterday aimed at discouraging multimillion-dollar class-action lawsuits, he made it clear he had his sights set on much broader restraints.
Next up, Bush said, should be curbs on asbestos litigation and medical malpractice awards.
"We're making important progress toward a better legal system," he said at an East Room signing ceremony for the class-action bill. "There's more to do."
Surrounded by a bipartisan group of lawmakers, the president hailed the legislation that had been bitterly opposed by consumer groups and trial lawyers but attracted some Democratic supporters.
-- From News Services
