Bush criticizes Congress, candidates on NAFTA

NEW ORLEANS -- President Bush chastised lawmakers on Tuesday for letting international trade deals falter in Congress and criticized Democratic presidential contenders for wanting to scrap or amend the vast North American free-trade zone.

At the close of a two-day summit, Bush, along with Mexican President Felipe Calderon and Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, stood solidly behind the North American Free Trade Agreement. Under NAFTA, trade between the U.S., Canada and Mexico has swelled from roughly $290 billion in 1994 to an estimated $1 trillion by the end of this year.

"Now is not the time to renegotiate NAFTA or walk away from NAFTA," Bush said. "Now is the time to make it work better for all our people. And now is the time to reduce trade barriers worldwide."

The summit was overshadowed by Tuesday's Pennsylvania Democratic presidential primary race between Sens. Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama, who have threatened to pull the U.S. out of NAFTA or renegotiate it to push for more protections for workers and the environment.

Report: Smog linked to premature deaths

WASHINGTON -- Short-term exposure to smog, or ozone, is clearly linked to premature deaths that should be taken into account when measuring the health benefits of reducing air pollution, a National Academy of Sciences report concluded Tuesday.

The findings contradict arguments made by some White House officials that the connection between smog and premature death has not been shown sufficiently, and that the number of saved lives should not be calculated in determining clean air benefits.

The report by a panel of the Academy's National Research Council says government agencies "should give little or no weight" to such arguments.

"The committee has concluded from its review of health-based evidence that short-term exposure to ambient ozone is likely to contribute to premature deaths," the 13-member panel said.

It added that "studies have yielded strong evidence that short-term exposure to ozone can exacerbate lung conditions, causing illness and hospitalization and can potentially lead to death."

La. Senate panel blocks saggy pants bill

BATON ROUGE, La. -- A state Senate panel rejected a bill on Tuesday that would make it a crime to wear one's pants too low, even as Cajun-country towns around Louisiana have been banning saggy pants from their streets.

Sen. Derrick Shepherd's bill would have made it illegal to wear, in public, clothing that "intentionally exposes undergarments or intentionally exposes any portion of the pubic hair, cleft of the buttocks or genitals." Violators would have faced a fine of up to $175 and eight days of community service.

Exceptions included thong swim suits and clothing worn in fashion shows. Sen. Yvonne Dorsey said she disliked the look of baggy pants but wanted to defend the public's right to wear their clothes as they wish.

"When we begin to take the freedom of speech away ... I think we're doing something that's just not right," said Dorsey, a Democrat.

N.Y. postal worker catches falling baby

ALBANY, N.Y. -- A postal worker is credited with saving a 1-year-old girl by catching her after she fell out of a second-story window in Albany, N.Y.

Lisa Harrell was delivering mail to a home Monday morning when she noticed a baby in an open window above the front door. Harrell says the next thing she knew, the baby fell into her arms.

When the baby's mother realized what happened, she ran outside and grabbed the girl. The woman thanked Harrell and then ran to her mother's house.

Paramedics checked the baby and found no injuries.

No charges are being filed against the mother, who says she had placed her daughter on a bed that was up against the window. The mother says her back was turned when her daughter crawled out.

NYC commissioner quits after criticism

NEW YORK -- The city's buildings commissioner resigned Tuesday, under fire from irate residents and the mayor over a rising number of deadly construction accidents, including a crane collapse at a site with mishandled inspections and zoning problems.

Patricia Lancaster, whom even opponents credited for trying to reform an inefficient, corruption-riddled department over six years in office, told Mayor Michael Bloomberg she would leave a day after he publicly singled out her agency as a problem.

"I felt it was time to return to the private sector," Lancaster, one of the few Bloomberg administration commissioners to leave in a crisis, said in a statement. "I am proud of the groundbreaking work the department has done during my tenure to root out corruption, increase transparency, overhaul the building code and increase safety for workers and the public alike."

Her departure was immediate. Robert LiMandri, the department's first deputy commissioner, agreed to serve as acting commissioner until Bloomberg names a successor.

Abramoff probe leads to guilty plea from former Justice official

WASHINGTON -- The Justice Department lost one of its own to the Jack Abramoff lobbying scandal Tuesday as a former high-ranking department attorney pleaded guilty to conflict of interest.

Robert E. Coughlin II admitted in federal court in Washington that he accepted meals, concert tickets and luxury seats at Redskins and Wizards games from a lobbyist while helping the lobbyist and his clients. He pleaded guilty to a single conflict-of-interest charge and faces up to 10 months in prison under a plea deal with the government.

The lobbyist is identified in court documents only as "Lobbyist A," but details make clear that he is Kevin Ring, a former member of Abramoff's lobbying team who also is under investigation.

Ring was friends with Coughlin and lobbied him on issues mentioned in the court papers, including money for a jail for the Choctaw tribe, The Associated Press has previously reported. Coughlin obliged with insider tips, running interference with colleagues, and other help, the court papers said.

Abramoff, the disgraced GOP lobbyist, appears in the documents as "Lobbyist B," but plays mostly a bit part as Ring's demanding boss, pressuring him for action on the Choctaw jail and other issues. The court papers say Coughlin "never had a substantive conversation with Lobbyist B."

Ex-Oral Roberts professors ask school for $2.5M

TULSA, Okla. -- Two former Oral Roberts University professors have asked the school for $2.5 million to settle a lawsuit in which they claim they were forced out after alleging financial and ethical wrongdoing on the part of the school's former president and his family, The Associated Press has learned.

According to several people familiar with the lawsuit, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the lawsuit is ongoing, the evangelical school contacted attorneys for Tim and Paulita Brooker requesting a proposed settlement amount.

The overture was made as school attorneys prepared to produce records per a judge's order from a school pilot and security guard -- witnesses the professors say will prove claims of wrongdoing in their lawsuit.

The Brookers' attorneys responded late last week, asking for $1.5 million for Tim Brooker and $1 million for Paulita Brooker, according to a settlement demand letter obtained by The AP.

"We understand that settlements of litigation are always negotiable," the demand letter states. "However, please be advised that unless the plaintiffs receive very substantial counter-offers, they will not further negotiate these demands."

Attorneys for the professors and the school declined to comment on any settlement talks Tuesday, citing a judge's order prohibiting them from talking about the case outside of court. School spokesman Jeremy Burton also declined to comment.