Capital briefs

* CASTRO WINS ONE: Defying a presidential veto threat and blowing off the wishes of Republican-leaning Cuban-Americans in Florida, 73 Republicans joined 188 Democrats and one independent in a 262-to-167 House vote (see HUMAN EVENTS rollcall next week) July 24 to forbid any funds in the Treasury-Postal Service Appropriations bill to be spent on enforcing the ban on American tourists traveling to Cuba. Secretary of State Colin Powell and Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill sent a letter to members asking them not to lift the ban and Undersecretary of State John Bolton also wrote members explaining that Castro has the technology to make biological weapons, which is one reason the administration labels Cuba a terrorist threat. But to no avail.

Rep. Robert Menendez (D.-N.J.), who voted to keep enforcing the ban, had a harsh explanation of the defeat for the administration. "It is about money," Menendez told the Washington Times. "Conservative Republican agricultural interests are seeking markets at any cost." Because the vote does not actually repeal the ban on travel, even if the Senate goes along, the administration could theoretically find money elsewhere in the budget to continue the 40-year policy. The White House says, however, that the President is far more likely to just veto the bill if the anti-- ban provision remains in it.

* PARTIAL-BIRTH RISES AGAIN: The U.S. House of Representatives on July 24 again passed a ban on partial-birth abortion, this time by a vote of 274 to 151. Though a majority, perhaps even a filibuster-proof majority, exists in the Senate to pass the bill based on its last outing there (when it passed 63 to 34), Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle (D.-S.D.) seems determined to prevent a vote on the bill, even though he supported a similar measure the last time it came to the floor. An individual senator could nonetheless try to attach the bill to other legislation. With President Bush's signature assured, the Democratic Party's pro-abortion lobby cannot rely on the presidential veto pen to stop the popular bill as it did during the Clinton years. Pro-lifers are convinced that Democrats will pay at the polls this fall if they prevent a vote in the Senate.

Many opponents claim that even if the bill (HR 4965) passes the Senate and is signed by the President it will be struck down by the Supreme Court, which in 2000 ruled against a similar measure passed by the Nebraska legislature because it placed an "undue burden" on pregnant women by not having an exception for the health of the mother. The bill's sponsor, Rep. Steve Chabot (R.-Ohio), argues, however, that a partial-birth abortion is never required to protect a woman's health and that over a dozen pages of "findings" accompanying the bill will be enough to convince the court on this point.

* NO FUNDS FOR FORCED ABORTION: The Bush Administration announced July 22 that it would not disburse this year's $34 million to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) because the fund supports China's forced abortion policy. The decision greatly irritated the New York Times and the liberal establishment, who apparently favor spending U.S. taxpayer dollars on forcible abortions of expectant mothers abroad. "I rise today to extol the President of the United States for being a man of his word and for standing with the American people in their fundamental belief in the dignity and the sanctity of human life," said Rep. Mike Pence (R.-Ind.) on the House floor in response to the administration's action.

* BIG KIRK BLUNDER?: The treatment of Bush appellate court nominee Priscilla Owen at the hands of the highly partisan Democratic Senate is becoming an issue in this year's race for the Texas Senate seat of retiring Sen. Phil Gramm (R.-Tex.). Tim Warner, a spokesman for the Democratic candidate, former Dallas Mayor Ron Kirk, told HUMAN EVENTS that Kirk opposes the Owen nomination. Asked whether Kirk supports or opposes parental notification for minors seeking abortions-a major issue in Owen's confirmation battle (see page 6)-Warner simply said of Owen: "She's too extreme on too many measures, and that is one that he does disagree with her on." Warner later called HUMAN EVENTS to clarify: Kirk supports the law, he said, but not Owen's interpretation, which happens to be the interpretation supported by the law's authors in the state legislature.

Sen. Gramm told HUMAN EVENTS that Owen will definitely affect the Senate race, particularly because Democrat Kirk claims to be a supporter of President Bush, who received nearly 60% of the 2000 vote in Texas and remains wildly popular in his home state. "Mr. Kirk loves to go around and say that he's supportive of President Bush," Gramm said. "But when President Bush nominates a Supreme Court justice from Texas to the 5th Circuit-a justice who has been endorsed in her elections by every major paper in the state, who got 84% of the vote when she ran last time-he says she's an extremist and he doesn't support her. So it seems like he supports Bush except when it comes down to supporting Bush." The Republican senatorial candidate, state Atty. Gen. John Cornyn, is already turning the nomination into an issue, and the state party is running ads against Kirk based on his opposition to Owen.