World/Nation Briefs June 9, 2011

Raging Arizona fire now larger in size than Phoenix

SPRINGERVILLE, Ariz. - A raging forest fire in eastern Arizona that has forced thousands from their homes headed Wednesday for a pair of transmission lines that supply electricity to hundreds of thousands of people as far east as Texas.

The 607-square-mile blaze is expected to reach the power lines as early as Friday. If the lines are damaged, parts of New Mexico and Texas could face rolling blackouts.

For now, firefighters who have helped keep the flames away from several towns in eastern Arizona are concerned that high winds expected later Wednesday could carry embers that can cause new, smaller spot fires.

"We have a lot of people out there who are going to be doing nothing but looking for spots and putting those things out if they see them," fire information officer Jim Whittington said.

The blaze has blackened about 389,000 acres and destroyed 11 buildings, primarily in the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest. No serious injuries have been reported.

Congresswoman asks fellow Dem Weiner to quit

WASHINGTON - A Pennsylvania congresswoman became the first Democratic House colleague to call for Rep. Anthony Weiner's resignation on Wednesday, and the White House pointedly passed up a chance to defend him, ominous signs for a lawmaker struggling to survive a sex scandal in the age of social media.

"Having the respect of your constituents is fundamental for a member of Congress," Rep. Allyson Schwartz said in a statement, venturing where other prominent Democratic officials have been unwilling to go.

"In light of Anthony Weiner's offensive behavior online, he should resign."

At the White House, press secretary Jay Carney said, "We have no comment" on the New York congressman, who has admitted to exchanging explicit photos and messages through Twitter, Facebook, email and occasionally on the phone with roughly six women in recent years.

One lawmaker said that in a phone conversation during the day, Weiner indicated he hopes to ride out the furor and remain in Congress.

Federal judges question Obama health care plan

ATLANTA - Judges on a federal appeals court panel on Wednesday repeatedly raised questions about President Barack Obama's health care overhaul, expressing unease with the requirement that virtually all Americans carry health insurance or face penalties.

All three judges on the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals panel questioned whether upholding the landmark law could open the door to Congress adopting other sweeping economic mandates. The panel is made up of two Democratic appointees and one Republican appointee.

The Atlanta panel did not immediately rule on the lawsuit brought by 26 states, a coalition of small businesses and private individuals who urged the three to side with a Florida judge who struck down the law.

But during almost three hours of oral arguments, the judges asked pointed questions about the so-called individual mandate, which the federal government says is needed to expand coverage to tens of millions of uninsured Americans. With other challenges to the law before other federal appeals courts, lawyers expect its fate will ultimately be decided by the U.S. Supreme Court.

Gadhafi forces renew shellingof Libya rebels

TRIPOLI, Libya - Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi, increasingly cornered under a stunning upturn in NATO airstrikes, lashed back with renewed shelling of the western city of Misrata Wednesday, killing 10 rebel fighters.

The international alliance said it remained determined to keep pounding Gadhafi forces from the air, but would play no military role in the transition to democratic rule in the oil-rich North African country once the erratic leader's 42-year rule was ended.

In Brussels, NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said Gadhafi's days in power were clearly numbered, making it imperative for the international community, the United Nations in particular, to gear up to help Libyans establish a new form of government.

"For Gadhafi, it is no longer a question of if he goes but when he goes," Fogh Rasmussen said at a meeting of the defense ministers from the 28 members of the North Atlantic military alliance.

"We do not see a lead role for NATO in Libya once this crisis is over," he said. "We see the United Nations playing a lead role in the post-Gadhafi, post-conflict scenario."

- The Associated Press