Nation briefs 12/9/04

Wild horses, burros facing sale for slaughter

WASHINGTON -- Wild horses and burros could be bought or sold for slaughter under a provision in the $388 billion spending bill that President Bush signed into law on Wednesday. The new law lets the animals be sold, potentially for use as meat in foreign markets, if they are more than 10 years old or, if younger, after they have been offered unsuccessfully for adoption three times. It also requires any money from sales to go to the Interior Department's Bureau of Land Management adoption program for wild horses and burros.

Medicare helpline can lead some astray

WASHINGTON -- The people who answer Medicare's telephone help line gave accurate responses to questions less than two-thirds of the time, according to a congressional investigation made public Wednesday. Perhaps the most embarrassing gaffe concerned a question about power wheelchairs. Confusing "trunk strength" -- the term used in Medicare's script to mean upper body strength -- with the size of a car trunk, one operator "incorrectly explained that Medicare would only cover a power wheelchair if a beneficiary had adequate space to put it in the trunk of his car," GAO said.

Rear center seat belts a must-have by 2008

WASHINGTON -- All passenger vehicles sold in the United States must have shoulder and lap belts in the rear center seat by the 2008 model year under a federal rule issued Wednesday. Three out of four new passenger cars already have the belts, but only half of pickups and sport utility vehicles do. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's new rule requires 80 percent of vehicles to have shoulder belts by the 2007 model year and 100 percent to have them by 2008.

Don't flick that Bic on an airplane

WASHINGTON -- Passengers already are barred from smoking on commercial flights. Now they won't be allowed to bring their butane lighters on board either. As part of the intelligence reform bill passed Wednesday, Congress added the lighters to the long list of banned items, including scissors, pen knives and box cutters. Democratic Sens. Ron Wyden of Oregon and Byron Dorgan of North Dakota had pushed for the change for more than a year after learning the Transportation Security Administration allowed them on planes.

Charity bell ringers asking 'Cash or credit?'

PHOENIX -- The clang of coins in the Salvation Army's red kettles is being accompanied by the swipe of credit and debit cards this year as the charity equips some bell ringers to accept plastic. Officials in Phoenix, which made the switch Wednesday, hope it will attract new donors and help offset an expected decrease in donations after Target stores nationally banned bell ringers.

-- From wire reports