Troops considered in domestic raid

Washington – The Bush administration in 2002 considered sending U.S. troops into a Buffalo, N.Y., suburb to arrest a group of terror suspects in what would have been a nearly unprecedented use of military power, the New York Times reported.

Vice President Dick Cheney and several other Bush advisers at the time strongly urged that the military be used to apprehend men who were suspected of plotting with al Qaida, who later became known as the Lackawanna Six, the Times reported.

The proposal advanced to at least one high-level administration meeting, before President George W. Bush decided against it.

Dispatching troops into the streets is virtually unheard of. The Constitution and various laws restrict the military from being used to conduct domestic raids and seize property.

According to the Times, Cheney and other Bush aides said an Oct. 23, 2001, Justice Department memo gave broad presidential authority that allowed the domestic use of the military against al-Qaida if it was justified on the grounds of national security, rather than law enforcement.

For astronauts, a day off in space

Cape Canaveral, Fla. – The astronauts in orbit, all 13 of them, enjoyed their first day off in more than a week Saturday after a series of grueling spacewalks.

The astronauts wrapped up their fourth spacewalk Friday, completing critical battery changes at the International Space Station. One more spacewalk is planned for Monday to perform additional station work.

In a series of TV interviews, two-time spacewalker Christopher Cassidy said he’s learned to go slowly, especially right after he goes out the hatch. Cassidy’s carbon dioxide levels were high during both spacewalks, but not enough to make him sick. He said he felt fine the whole time.

His first spacewalk was cut short because of the problem.