US President George W. Bush urged senators yesterday to quickly approve his choice of Samuel Alito for the Supreme Court, even as Democrats said they would try to delay an initial vote despite the apparent momentum toward his confirmation.
"The Senate has a duty to give Judge Alito a prompt up-or-down vote," Bush said in his weekly radio address.
"America is fortunate to have a man of his intellect and integrity willing to serve, and as a justice on our nation's highest court, Sam Alito will make all Americans proud," Bush said.
Democratic Senator Patrick Leahy said on Friday in the waning minutes of Alito's confirmation hearing that unnamed Democrats will "exercise their rights" to put off next week's scheduled vote in the Senate Judiciary Committee. Democrats say they won't be ready on Tuesday to vote on his nomination since Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid has called on party members to hold off making a decision until after a meeting on Wednesday.
Bush argued that Alito had acquitted himself well during the hearings. He said that the nominee's wife, Martha-Ann Bomgardner -- whose departure from the testy confirmation hearing in tears elicited bipartisan sympathy -- had exhibited "patience and dignity" during the process.
The president noted the Senate has confirmed Alito, a 15-year member of the federal 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals in Philadelphia, to two previous positions by unanimous consent.
"As the American people saw this week, Judge Alito always approaches the law in a thoughtful, fair and open-minded way," Bush said.
"Throughout his life, Sam Alito has demonstrated a mastery of the law, great decency and a strong commitment to public service," he continued.
All 10 Republicans on the Judiciary Committee have announced their support for Alito, a 55-year-old jurist who is Bush's choice to replace retiring Justice Sandra Day O'Connor.
A new online voting system aimed at boosting turnout among the Philippines’ millions of overseas workers ahead of Monday’s mid-term elections has been marked by confusion and fears of disenfranchisement. Thousands of overseas Filipino workers have already cast their ballots in the race dominated by a bitter feud between President Ferdinand Marcos Jr and his impeached vice president, Sara Duterte. While official turnout figures are not yet publicly available, data from the Philippine Commission on Elections (COMELEC) showed that at least 134,000 of the 1.22 million registered overseas voters have signed up for the new online system, which opened on April 13. However,
ENTERTAINMENT: Rio officials have a history of organizing massive concerts on Copacabana Beach, with Madonna’s show drawing about 1.6 million fans last year Lady Gaga on Saturday night gave a free concert in front of 2 million fans who poured onto Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro for the biggest show of her career. “Tonight, we’re making history... Thank you for making history with me,” Lady Gaga told a screaming crowd. The Mother Monster, as she is known, started the show at about 10:10pm local time with her 2011 song Bloody Mary. Cries of joy rose from the tightly packed fans who sang and danced shoulder-to-shoulder on the vast stretch of sand. Concert organizers said 2.1 million people attended the show. Lady Gaga
ALLIES: Calling Putin his ‘old friend,’ Xi said Beijing stood alongside Russia ‘in the face of the international counter-current of unilateralism and hegemonic bullying’ Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) yesterday was in Moscow for a state visit ahead of the Kremlin’s grand Victory Day celebrations, as Ukraine accused Russia’s army of launching air strikes just hours into a supposed truce. More than 20 foreign leaders were in Russia to attend a vast military parade today marking 80 years since the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II, taking place three years into Russia’s offensive in Ukraine. Putin ordered troops into Ukraine in February 2022 and has marshaled the memory of Soviet victory against Nazi Germany to justify his campaign and rally society behind the offensive,
CONFLICTING REPORTS: Beijing said it was ‘not familiar with the matter’ when asked if Chinese jets were used in the conflict, after Pakistan’s foreign minister said they were The Pakistan Army yesterday said it shot down 25 Indian drones, a day after the worst violence between the nuclear-armed rivals in two decades. Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif vowed to retaliate after India launched deadly missile strikes on Wednesday morning, escalating days of gunfire along their border. At least 45 deaths were reported from both sides following Wednesday’s violence, including children. Pakistan’s military said in a statement yesterday that it had “so far shot down 25 Israeli-made Harop drones” at multiple location across the country. “Last night, India showed another act of aggression by sending drones to multiple locations,” Pakistan military spokesman Ahmed
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