Measure

WASHINGTON -- In a break with the White House, the Republican-controlled Senate overwhelmingly approved a measure yesterday that would set standards for the military's treatment of detainees, a response to the Abu Ghraib scandal and other allegations that U.S. soldiers had abused prisoners. Sen. John McCain, an Arizona Republican and a victim of torture while a prisoner during the Vietnam War, won approval of the measure that would make interrogation techniques outlined in the Army Field Manual the standard for handling detainees in Defense Department custody and prohibit "cruel, inhuman or degrading" treatment of U.S.-held prisoners.

In a victory for environmentalists, a Senate committee yesterday killed a bill that would have sharply restricted the state's ability to enact regulations that go beyond federal rules.The measure, which had already passed the House of Delegates, was needed to make the state more competitive for attracting and retaining employers, business leaders said.The bill, sponsored by Sen. J. Lowell Stoltzfus, an Eastern Shore Republican, would have all but prohibited the state from enacting regulations that are stricter than federal rules, environmentalists said.

GENEVA - Swiss voters rejected a proposal yesterday to impose a constitutional limit on the percentage of foreigners in their country, apparently heeding government warnings that it risked harming the economy and ties with the rest of Europe. The proposal would have set a ceiling of 18 percent on the quantity of foreigners allowed in this country of 7.2 million people. Overall, more than 63 percent voted against the measure, which had been proposed by center-right groups seeking to close Switzerland's borders to "unqualified" workers and to many refugees.

WASHINGTON - The Senate approved yesterday a $318 billion, six-year transportation bill that pits lawmakers eager to bring popular highway projects to their states in an election year against a president determined to restrain spending. The bill, which the White House regards as too costly, has emerged as a potential target for President Bush's first veto. But a majority of Bush's fellow Republicans joined 41 Democrats in supporting the measure, calling it the "biggest job creation bill" that will come before Congress this year.

WASHINGTON -- Democratic leaders abruptly pulled surveillance legislation from House consideration yesterday after Democrats began to defect from their party's proposal. It was the most recent embarrassment for Democrats in efforts to update laws governing domestic spying by the National Security Agency and other U.S. agencies. In August, over the objection of party liberals, the Democratic-controlled Congress approved a Bush administration proposal that expanded the government's warrantless eavesdropping powers.

WASHINGTON -- In a humiliating setback for the Democratic leadership, the House has killed legislation that would have allowed billions of dollars in defense savings to be spent on domestic programs.By a vote of 238-187, the election-year measure championed by Speaker Thomas S. Foley, D-Wash., and his top lieutenants was defeated by a combination of 76 defecting Democrats and a solid phalanx of 162 Republicans.Maryland Democrats voting against the measure were Beverly Byron and Tom McMillen.

WASHINGTON -- The Senate Intelligence Committee met late yesterday to review proposed compromise legislation that would strengthen court oversight of eavesdropping on Americans while granting telephone and Internet companies legal immunity for their role in assisting government surveillance programs since 2001. Sen. Jay Rockefeller of West Virginia, the Democratic chairman, and Sen. Christopher S. Bond of Missouri, the Republican vice chairman, reached a tentative agreement Wednesday on the compromise measure.

Supporters of a bill that would curtail development in the Patuxent watershed told state legislators yesterday that the measure would protect the environment, but opponents said it would destroy local autonomy and slash property values.The bill, sponsored by three Columbia Democrats and 11 other state delegates, would restrict building in the watershed for the Triadelphia and T. Howard Duckett reservoirs, both part of the Patuxent River along Howard's southern border.Supporters say the measure is designed to protect the water supply of about 1.5 million people in Montgomery and Prince George's counties, mostly by restricting building on 46,000 acres in western Howard.

WASHINGTON -- The Senate could vote as early as tonight on a $97 billion spending bill that contains more than $20 million for Maryland projects as mundane as treating sewage water and as majestic as searching the heavens.The Senate is expected to pass the bill, a bipartisan measure that provides money for the nation's programs for veterans, housing, the environment, space exploration and disaster relief programs. The measure includes significant spending cuts from past years forced by tight budget caps.

WASHINGTON -- Unable to force President Bush to speed up the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq, House Democrats settled yesterday for a less controversial measure to require more reports on plans to pull forces out. But in an indication of the debate within Democratic ranks over how to challenge the president's wartime leadership, three senior House members also threatened yesterday to hold up funding for the war and proposed an income tax to pay...