Ap News In Brief

Unified Democrats push health care bill past Senate hurdle, clearing way for full-scale debate

WASHINGTON (AP) A bruising debate on health care awaits the Senate after Thanksgiving now that the historic legislation has cleared a key hurdle over the opposition of Republicans eager to inflict a punishing defeat on President Barack Obama.

The bill would extend coverage to roughly 31 million who lack it, crack down on insurance company practices that deny or dilute benefits and curtail the growth of spending on medical care nationally.

In the final minutes of a daylong session, Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., accused Republicans of trying to stifle a historic debate the nation needed.

The Republican leader, Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, said the vote was anything but procedural casting it as a referendum on the bill itself, which he said would raise taxes, cut Medicare and create a "massive and unsustainable debt."

Two final Democratic holdouts, Sens. Mary Landrieu of Louisiana and Blanche Lincoln of Arkansas, announced they would join in clearing the way for a full debate.

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Paper: Rep. Patrick Kennedy says bishop tells him not to take communion over pro-choice stance

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) Roman Catholic Bishop Thomas Tobin has banned Rep. Patrick Kennedy from receiving Communion, the central sacrament of the church, in Rhode Island because of the congressman's support for abortion rights, Kennedy said in a newspaper interview published Sunday.

The decision by the outspoken prelate, reported on The Providence Journal's Web site, significantly escalates a bitter dispute between Tobin, an ultra orthodox bishop, and Kennedy, a son of the nation's most famous Roman Catholic family.

"The bishop instructed me not to take Communion and said that he has instructed the diocesan priests not to give me Communion," Kennedy told the paper in an interview conducted Friday.

Kennedy said the bishop had explained the penalty by telling him "that I am not a good practicing Catholic because of the positions that I've taken as a public official," particularly on abortion.

He declined to say when or how Tobin told him not to take the sacrament. And he declined to say whether he has obeyed the bishop's injunction.

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A new generation of Kennedys could emerge to extend the family's political dynasty

WASHINGTON (AP) Sen. Edward M. Kennedy will be a tough act to follow, even for the Kennedys. His death, coupled with the decision by family members not to seek the seat he held for nearly five decades, has prompted predictions that the family's long-running political dynasty is over.

There's talk the Kennedy political bloodlines are running thin. Some say the younger brood lacks the grit and zest for political combat that drove the liberal Democrat to become one of the leading politicians of the last 40 years.

Yet it's probably too early to write off one of America's most powerful and popular families. A new generation of Kennedys, many of whom are active in humanitarian and political causes, could emerge to extend the dynasty.

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Indonesian ferry sinks in heavy storm; 9 dead, some 230 passengers aboard rescued

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) Rescuers saved more than 230 people aboard an Indonesian passenger ferry that sank Sunday in rough waters off Sumatra island, but at least nine people have died, an official said. An unknown number of passengers were still missing.

A second ferry was still stranded in nearby waters after running aground, but all its passengers were said to be safe.

Rescue teams have found nine bodies, including those of two children, and rescued 232 survivors from the Dumai Express 10, said Nurdin Basirun, a local government official.

High waves were making the search and rescue operation difficult, said Brig. Gen. Puji Hartanto, police chief of Riau Kepulauan province. At least nine ships and several fishing boats were searching the choppy sea for an unknown number of missing passengers.

The ferry left on an inter-island voyage Sunday morning and reportedly sank in poor weather 90 minutes into the trip from Batam to Dumai in Riau, a province off Sumatra island in western Indonesia. The area is about 600 miles northwest of Jakarta.

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Lawyer: Top Iranian reformer sentenced to 6 years in jail for seeking to overthrow regime

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) A top reformer has been sentenced to six years in jail after he stood trial on charges of fomenting unrest to topple the Iranian regime, his lawyer said Sunday.

Saleh Nikbakht said he planned to appeal the verdict against former vice president Mohammad Ali Abtahi.

He has 20 days to submit his appeal.

Abtahi made televised confessions after his arrest in which he admitted provoking people to riot. His family and fellow reformers said the confessions were obtained under duress.

Abtahi is one of more than 100 leading moderates detained after Iran's disputed June 12 presidential election. He was accused of fomenting street protests aimed at overthrowing Iran's clergy-led regime.

Abtahi served as vice president under reformist president Mohammad Khatami.

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Israel aircraft strike 3 Gaza targets in wake of rocket attack as Hamas urges restraint

JERUSALEM (AP) Israeli aircraft attacked two suspected weapons-making factories and a smuggling tunnel in the Gaza Strip early Sunday in what the military said was retaliation for Palestinian rocket fire into southern Israel.

The airstrikes, which wounded at least seven people including one seriously came despite an announcement by Gaza's Hamas rulers that the territory's military factions had all agreed to stop firing rockets. The Hamas announcement came late Saturday, after the rocket attack.

Hamas' interior minister, Fathi Hamad, said the proclaimed halt in rocket fire was designed to prevent Israeli retaliation and provide stability for Gaza, which continues to suffer from the aftermath of a massive Israeli military offensive in December and January.

The offensive killed some 1,400 Palestinians, according to U.N. and Palestinian estimates, and damaged or destroyed thousands of homes. Thirteen Israelis also were killed. Most of the damage in Gaza has not been repaired due to an Israeli blockade that has prevented construction materials from entering the territory.

Israel said it launched the offensive to crush Palestinian rocket squads, who had severely disrupted life in southern Israel for years. While Hamas has all but halted its own rocket fire, smaller militant groups have continued to launch attacks, though the number of attacks has decreased dramatically.

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More Americans expected to travel for Thanksgiving after last year's drop; most opt for car

WASHINGTON (AP) The number of Americans traveling away from home for Thanksgiving will be up only slightly this year from 2008, according to a report from the AAA auto club.

The group, which surveyed 1,350 households, said there will be about 33.2 million people traveling by car this year a 2.1 percent increase from last year.

But there will be a 6.7 percent decrease in the number of air travelers, totaling 2.3 million this year, continuing a decade-long decline of Thanksgiving air travel.

In the report released Wednesday, AAA officials said the expected increase reflects improved consumer confidence from a year ago, when Thanksgiving travel dropped 25 percent following the country's housing and economic problems. Americans may feel more financially secure and be more willing to travel, the report says.

"The economy is still very clearly weighing heavily on the minds of Thanksgiving travelers this year, and that's evidenced by the very small increase that we expect to see in total travel," said Geoff Sundstrom, a spokesman for AAA's national office in Heathrow, Fla.

However, the slight increase suggests the economy has slightly stabilized, he said.

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It's a girl: Atlantis astronaut's baby daughter Abigail born to wife back home

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) An astronaut in space is finally a new dad.

Atlantis crewman Randolph Bresnik announced the birth of his daughter Abigail on Sunday morning, after being notified privately of the good news.

His wife, Rebecca, gave birth to their second child back home in Houston late Saturday, Central Time. They have a 3-year-old son, adopted from Ukraine.

Bresnik says both mama and baby are doing very well.

The 42-year-old Marine installed antennas and other equipment outside the International Space Station Saturday. This is his first spaceflight.

He and the rest of the shuttle crew were awakened Sunday by the song, "Butterfly Kisses." Mrs. Bresnik chose it for her husband. Among the lyrics: "There's two things I know for sure/She was sent here from heaven and she's daddy's little girl."

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Kate Hudson, Pierce Brosnan, Neil Patrick Harris, other stars fete CNN's everyday heroes

LOS ANGELES (AP) Kate Hudson, Pierce Brosnan, Neil Patrick Harris and other stars who are used to getting applause were giving it gladly at a ceremony honoring people who make a difference in the lives of others.

"I've cried twice and we're on hero three," Harris said backstage after introducing one of the 10 "CNN Heroes" celebrated Saturday by the TV news network for their efforts to fight poverty, disease and other problems.

"There are so many awards shows every year for the Hollywood community that participating in something as effective as this makes those others feel inconsequential" and provides perspective, said Harris, star of CBS' "How I Met Your Mother" and recent Emmy Awards host.

The top CNN Hero of the Year and a grant of $100,000 went to a young man who embraced education for himself and other Filipinos as an escape from poverty. He and the other honorees received $25,000 each.

As a child, Efren Penaflorida picked school over gang life in Cavite City and vowed to create a way for other children to make the same choice. He created a program that brings bring books to children in slums and on the streets, and the 10,000 members of his Dynamic Teen Co. have brought reading, writing and hygiene to 1,500 youngsters.

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Masoli's run leads No. 11 Oregon past Arizona 44-41 in double OT to keep Rose Bowl hopes alive

TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) Oregon quarterback Jeremiah Masoli watched as red-clad Arizona students ringed the sidelines as time ticked down, ready to rush the field.

"I saw it and I actually smirked," Masoli said. "It was kind of funny. I wasn't really worried about it."

The Ducks' gifted quarterback ruined the celebration in Arizona Stadium and started another one in Eugene.

Masoli tied it with a touchdown pass to Ed Dickson with six seconds left, then won it with a 1-yard run in the second overtime as No. 11 Oregon defeated Arizona 44-41 on Saturday night and took a big step toward the Pac-10 title.

The Ducks (9-2, 7-1 Pac-10) will earn a Pac-10 title and Rose Bowl berth with a victory over No. 20 Oregon State in a winner-take-all Civil War on Dec. 3 in Eugene.