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QUOTE OF THE DAY “The magnitude of benefit we are seeing is not something commonly seen in cancer medicine studies.” Dr. Richard Finn, an investigator in a clinical trial, about a new type of drug that can help prevent advanced breast cancer from worsening Article, 1APelosi: Cheney set tone of CIA questioning

U.S. House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi said Sunday that former Vice President Dick Cheney “set a tone and an attitude for the CIA” that led to the agency’s use of enhanced interrogation techniques at secret prisons after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

Asked in an interview on CNN’s State of the Union about a classified Senate committee report alleging the CIA misled Congress about its interrogation methods, Pelosi said, “I think it came from Dick Cheney. That’s what I believe.”

The 6,200-page report of the Senate intelligence committee describes the CIA’s Detention and Interrogation Program, which was used for suspected terrorists after the 9/11 attacks on the U.S. during President George W. Bush’s administration.

“I think he’s proud of it,” said Pelosi of California.

That allegation drew a rebuke on the same program from U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers of Michigan.

“That politicizes this in a way that I think is horribly counterproductive and likely to lead people to the wrong conclusion,” Rogers said.

Senate expected to OK jobless-aid bill

WASHINGTON - The Senate is expected to easily approve legislation today restoring unemployment benefits to nearly 3 million people, throwing the bill to a divided House where Republicans favor different approaches to the issue.

Six Senate Republicans joined all 55 Democrats last week to end debate on legislation that retroactively restores benefits cut off Dec. 28 and extends them through June 1, clearing the way for passage today.

Seven House Republicans from high-unemployment regions or swing districts plan to send the House speaker, John Boehner of Ohio, a letter coinciding with Senate passage to urge him to take up the Senate bill or a similar measure.

But many House Republicans oppose passing the unemployment benefits under any circumstances, arguing that such “emergency” benefits are no longer needed nearly six years after they were first extended at the outset of the recession.

Obama to sign actions aimed at equal pay

President Barack Obama will move this week to increase the transparency of U.S. federal contractors’ pay practices regarding men’s and women’s earnings with two executive actions, a White House official said.

Obama will sign an executive order to do away with “gag rules” that prevent individuals working on contract for the government from discussing pay with one another, the White House official said. It would prohibit federal contractors from retaliating against employees who discuss their compensation.

In a second action, Obama will instruct the Labor Department to draft rules requiring contractors to provide pay data by sex and race - a proposal akin to the Senate measure scheduled for consideration this week.

Obama will use his actions to call on Congress to pass the bill, which is known as the Paycheck Fairness Act, the official said.

Audit cites problems at N.M. nuclear labs

SANTA FE, N.M. - A new federal audit has found Los Alamos and Sandia national laboratories failed to monitor nuclear-weapons designs and the reliability of parts used to build them, the Albuquerque Journal reported Sunday.

The report by the U.S. Energy Department’s inspector general states both sites could not consistently locate drawings for nuclear weapons and components in official repositories, according to the Journal.

In the March 26 report, officials said they were concerned about incorrect parts being used for nuclear weapons.

A National Nuclear Security Administration spokesman declined comment when reached by the Journal on Friday. But the agency previously said in a written response that it wasn’t disputing any findings and is agreeing to the report’s recommendations.

The report cites several examples, including when 11 nuclear warheads damaged during production were sent to the Navy in 2010 and had to be returned.

Auditors also said they couldn’t find design drawings for neutron generators used in 16 of 36 weapons at Sandia using the administration’s record system.

Front Section, Pages 4 on 04/07/2014

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