Melamine limit set for infant formula

Federal regulators set a safety threshold Friday for the industrial chemical melamine that is greater than the amount of contamination found so far in U.S.-made infant formula.

Food and Drug Administration officials set a threshold of 1 part per million of melamine in formula, provided a related chemical isn’t present. They insisted the formulas are safe.

The standard comes days after the Associated Press reported that FDA tests had found traces of melamine in the infant formula of one U.S. manufacturer and cyanuric acid, a chemical relative, in the formula of a second maker.

The FDA had stated in early October that it was unable to set a safety contamination level for melamine in infant formula.

The FDA level is the same as public health officials have set in Canada and China, but 20 times higher than the most stringent standard, in Taiwan.

Bush faces pleas for clean slate

Historically stingy with granting pardons, President George W. Bush is facing a flood of requests for get-out-of-jail cards or wiping criminals’ records clean.

Junk-bond king Michael Milken, media mogul Conrad Black and American-born Taliban soldier John Walker Lindh are among the more than 2,000 people seeking official forgiveness in the form of pardons or sentence commutations.

But with Bush’s term ending Jan. 20, some lawyers are lobbying the White House directly to pardon their clients. That raises the specter the president could excuse scores of people, including some who have not been charged to protect them from future accusations, such as former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales or star baseball pitcher Roger Clemens.

Those who have worked with Bush predict that will not happen.

“I would expect the president’s conservative approach to executive pardons to continue through the remainder of his term,” said Helgi C. Walker, a former Bush associate White House counsel.

Last week, Bush issued 14 pardons and commuted two sentences – all for small-time crimes such as minor drug offenses, tax evasion and unauthorized use of food stamps. His eight-year total of 171 pardons and eight commutations is less than half as many as President Bill Clinton or President Ronald Reagan issued. Both were two-term presidents, like Bush.

MADISON, Wis.

Compromise ends radio station game

A Wisconsin radio station had to make two contestants an offer they couldn’t refuse to end a game to win a new car.

Tommy Kempfer, 26, and Lisa Thompson, 40, had been living in a truck, hoping to outlast the other to win a new $30,000 vehicle from WMAD-FM in Madison.

After 55 days, the station became concerned that the contest would never end.

The station offered the two a compromise: End the contest and receive $10,000 toward the purchase of a car, among other prizes, or continue with the runner-up receiving nothing. Within 15 minutes, both agreed.