Frankendesign

GOP pushes for Arctic oil drilling
Senate Republicans used the threat of an Iraqi oil embargo and the lure of jobs to try to boost support for oil drilling in an Arctic wildlife refuge as the Senate neared a vote on the issue.

Alaska's two senators on Tuesday introduced the long-awaited amendment that would lift a congressional ban on drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge's 1.5 million-acre coastal plain in northeastern Alaska.

Within hours, a group of 15 Democratic senators promised to filibuster the proposal and filed a motion to cut off debate, setting the stage for a vote on the issue Thursday.

Republican senators, as well as the White House, acknowledged they don't have the 60 votes to overcome the filibuster.
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Venezuela's rebellion a bizarre mix of events
In President Hugo Chávez's version, he survived a military coup thanks to a friendly jailer, a certain Pvt. Rodríguez, who sneaked out word that the captive Venezuelan president had not resigned and thereby triggered a military counter-rebellion.
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