National news
Florida won’t strip ex-felons’ voting rights
Tallahassee, Fla. The Florida Division of Elections has done an about-face and decided it will allow voting by almost 2,500 former felons whose restored voting rights had been threatened with revocation. The agency initially said state law required that former felons be deleted from the voter rolls because they had registered to vote before they were granted clemency. Florida is one of seven states that do not automatically restore felons’ civil rights after they finish their prison sentences. Secretary of State Glenda Hood backtracked on the issue Wednesday. “It goes without saying that our guiding principle throughout this process will be to err on the side of the voter,” Hood said in a statement. The decision drew praise from civil rights groups, who argued that qualified voters could have been kicked off the rolls because of administrative errors and bureaucratic bungling.
Bush gains slight lead over Kerry in poll
Washington President Bush has opened a slight lead over John Kerry while regaining the confidence of some voters on the economy and other domestic issues, according to an Associated Press poll with a silver lining for Democrats. The addition of Sen. John Edwards to Kerry’s ticket appears to have helped the Democrat in the South and among low-income voters — a result the Massachusetts senator had hoped for when he selected the North Carolina populist over more seasoned politicians. “I’m more impressed with Kerry now that he chose Edwards,” said Republican voter Robin Smith, 45, a teacher from Summerville, S.C. “I look at Kerry and I don’t trust him, but he’s got Edwards, who’s more middle-of-the-road, a strong speaker, more able to reach the common man.” The AP-Ipsos poll found Bush slightly leading Kerry 49 percent to 45 percent with independent candidate Ralph Nader at 3 percent. The poll had a margin of error of plus or minus 3.5 percentage points. A month ago, the Bush-Kerry matchup was tied and Nader had 6 percent.
Artist pleads innocent in terrorism investigation
Buffalo, N.Y. An artist who became the target of a federal terrorism investigation pleaded innocent Thursday to charges he illegally obtained biological materials. Steven Kurtz, 46, a University at Buffalo professor, and Robert Ferrell, chairman of the University of Pittsburgh’s Human Genetics Department, were indicted last month for wire fraud and mail fraud. The charges accuse Ferrell of using his school account with a biological supply company to order potentially harmful organisms for Kurtz. Both men face 20 years if convicted. “I do not think the government has the right to constantly look over my client’s shoulder,” said Paul Cambria, Kurtz’s attorney. “I think the whole thing is overplayed.”
Man gets five years for fire-bombing plot
Fort Lauderdale, Fla. A man who was accused of plotting to fire bomb abortion clinics, churches and gay bars was sentenced Thursday to five years in federal prison. Stephen John Jordi, 36, pleaded guilty in February to a single charge of attempted arson of an abortion clinic. Prosecutors had asked Judge James Cohn to sentence Jordi under a federal terrorism law and sought seven to 10 years. Cohn refused, saying federal sentencing rules require that plots have an international component to be considered terrorism. “This crime was strictly domestic and in no way transcended national boundaries,” Cohn said. Prosecutor John Schlesinger said he “respectfully disagreed” with the judge’s decision not to sentence Jordi as a terrorist.
President declines NAACP invitation to speak
Philadelphia President Bush declined an invitation to speak at the NAACP’s annual convention, the group said. The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People expects more than 8,000 people to attend the convention opening Saturday. Democratic challenger John Kerry accepted an invitation to speak next Thursday on the final day of the convention, the NAACP said. Bush spoke at the 2000 NAACP convention in Baltimore when he was a candidate. But he has declined invitations to speak in each year of his presidency, the first president since Herbert Hoover not to attend an NAACP convention, John White, a spokesman for the group, said Wednesday.