Nation in brief: Stevens to weigh retirement soon
WASHINGTON – Justice John Paul Stevens, at 89 the Supreme Court’s oldest member, says he will decide in the next month or so whether this term will be his last.
Stevens tells the New Yorker magazine that he definitely will retire in the next three years. His comments suggest that President Barack Obama, whom Stevens says he admires, will likely nominate his successor.
The leader of the court’s liberals, Stevens is the second oldest justice in U.S. history and fourth longest-serving. He said breaking those records doesn’t interest him.
Republican President Gerald R. Ford nominated Stevens to the court in 1975. Stevens turns 90 in April.
Jobs bill clears GOP filibuster
WASHINGTON – A bipartisan bill that would provide tax cuts for businesses that hire unemployed workers cleared a GOP filibuster in the Senate on Monday, opening the way for final congressional approval.
The Senate voted 61 to 30 to end debate on the measure. The Senate is expected to vote on final passage today or Wednesday, sending the bill to President Barack Obama for his signature.
The $35 billion bill blends $15 billion in tax cuts and subsidies for infrastructure bonds issued by local governments with $20 billion in federal transportation money.
The Senate passed a similar version of the measure in February. The House made minor changes when it passed the bill, requiring its return to the Senate for approval.
Wayward pilots settle with FAA
MINNEAPOLIS – Two Northwest Airlines pilots who got distracted and overshot the Minneapolis airport have agreed not to fight the revocations of their licenses but could fly again under an agreement they reached with Federal Aviation Administration on Monday.
Under the settlement, Timothy Cheney and Richard Cole can apply for new licenses Aug. 29, more than 10 months after they flew about 100 miles past Minneapolis before discovering their mistake.
Cheney, the captain of Flight 188, and Cole, the first officer, told investigators they became distracted.