Allies adjust to setbacks to a quick war: After a week of fighting against Iraq to drive Saddam Hussein from power, the Allies have found the task more difficult than they originally expected. One New York Times writer said, “The air campaign that the Pentagon promised would "shock and awe" Saddam Hussein's government appears to have done neither. Mr. Hussein has not lost his grip on power and the Iraqi military's command and control system is still intact.” Another setback to Allied forces has been Turkey’s refusal to allow U.S. ground troops in their country, which has removed the opportunity for the Allies to create a northern front and has given Iraqi forces more maneuvering room. Iraq has been fighting primarily through guerrilla-style warfare, utilizing “fedayeen irregulars, who number perhaps 60,000, plus hard-core members of Mr. Hussein's Baath Party and other paramilitary forces.” Allied forces have been focusing “on attacking the paramilitary groups in and around Najaf, Nasiriya, Samawa, Basra and other southern and central Iraqi cities,” while the bombing of Baghdad continues. An American general at Central Command said yesterday that the total of Iraqis prisoners taken by Allied troops is approximately 4,000.
Senate approves $2.2 trillion budget: Yesterday, the Senate approved a $2.2 trillion budget for the upcoming fiscal year, cutting in half the amount proposed by the President in his economic plan. Earlier this month, the House of Representatives voted to pass the full $726 billion in tax cuts, but the Senate’s measure would seek to lower that figure to $350 billion. Those opposing the full package claimed that with “large budget deficits and the unknown costs of a war in Iraq” that the full measure was “irresponsible.” A New York Times article said, “Generally, the resolution sets guidelines for the tax and spending legislation Congress will consider for the year. The details are left to the actual tax and spending bills.” The issue will now go to a Senate-House conference committee who will work towards some reconciliation with the bill next week.
Gleevec may help doctors treat some cancers: The drug Gleevec is currently being examined for its apparent ability to lead to remission in patients with the form of leukemia called C.M.L., or chronic myelogenous leukemia. Although this form of cancer is relatively rare, doctors may be able to learn how to treat other types of cancer by studying what the drug does. Gleevec targets a genetic defect “that puts a signaling protein into hyperdrive and sends cells into uncontrolled growth.” This is good news for chemists who may be able to create small chemicals that would “jam” the proteins made by this defect. A New York Times article explains, “Gleevec, made by the Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation, was found to inactivate a gene that is hyperactive in chronic myelogenous leukemia. More recently the drug was shown to treat a rare kind of stomach cancer, known as GIST, and a special form of acute lymphocytic leukemia. The fourth disease treatable by Gleevec is a proliferation of certain white blood cells, known as eosinophils, that specialize in attacking worms and other parasites.” The drug attacks five signaling proteins that belong to a class of proteins known as tyrosine kinases. Of 11 patients treated in a study on this drug, 9 have responded to the drug and “all but one have remained free of the disease, some for as long as 18 months.”
Data compiled by Paige Wassel with information from the New York Times.