Nation briefs 5/26/06

Bush orders documents sealed for 45 days

WASHINGTON -- President Bush stepped into the Justice Department's constitutional confrontation with Congress on Thursday and ordered that documents seized in an FBI raid on a lawmaker's office be sealed for 45 days. The president directed that no one involved in the investigation have access to the documents taken last weekend from the office of Rep. William Jefferson, D-La., and that they remain in the custody of the Justice Department's solicitor general. Bush's move was described as an attempt to cool off a heated confrontation between his administration and House leaders of both parties.

Florida angler catches 1,280-pound shark

BOCA GRANDE, Fla. -- Imagine a half-ton of shark at the end of your fishing pole. That's what happened to fishing Capt. Bucky Dennis, who reeled a 1,280-pound hammerhead shark using a 25-pound stingray for bait at Boca Grande Pass near Fort Myers, Fla. Dennis said he's been trying to catch a record-size hammerhead for the last decade. The shark weighs nearly 300 pounds more than the current all-tackle world record for a hammerhead shark. But before Dennis can brag on the record, the International Game Fish Association has to review his catch to determine if it qualifies.

Sales of existing homes drop during April

WASHINGTON -- Sales of existing homes fell in April, and the price posted the smallest increase in 4 1/2 years, signals that the nation's housing market has cooled. The National Association of Realtors said Thursday that sales of previously owned single-family homes and condominiums dropped 2 percent last month to a seasonally adjusted sales pace of 6.76 million units. The median price of homes sold in April rose to $223,000, an increase of 4.2 percent from April 2005.

Senate passes landmark immigration legislation

WASHINGTON -- Landmark legislation to secure U.S. borders and offer millions of illegal immigrants a share of the American dream cleared the Senate on Thursday, a rare election-year reach across party lines and a triumph for President Bush. The 62-36 vote cleared the way for arduous summertime compromise talks with the House on its immigration measure focusing on border enforcement with no guarantee of success. Republicans and Democrats said energetic participation by Bush would be critical.

--From wire reports