Pope's private meeting...Mortgage bailout...Rove testimony sought



Washington (AP) A former altar boy sexually abused by a priest years ago says he told the pope today that there's a cancer growing in his ministry, and he should do something about it. Bernie McDaid told CNN that the pope nodded. A few victims met privately with the pontiff.

CAPITOL HILL (AP) A powerful House Democrat is pushing a bill that some Republicans are calling a bailout for reckless borrowers.

It would let people behind on mortgage payments refinance into government-backed loans that are more affordable.

CAPITOL HILL (AP) The House has approved a measure aimed at ensuring that students get college loans. Dozens of lenders, making up an estimated 13 percent of the market, recently stopped making loans under the federal student loan program.

CAPITOL HILL (AP) There's no immediate word whether the White House will allow former presidential aide Karl Rove testify in Congress. The House Judiciary Committee wants to ask Rove about claims he influenced a federal corruption case against former Alabama Governor Don Siegelman, a Democrat.

CAPITOL HILL (AP) There are more calls in Congress for an investigation into federally funded research in poor, black neighborhoods that resulted in sewage sludge being spread on several families' lawns. The research was said to be an attempt to determine whether the sludge could combat lead poisoning in children.

(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.) APNP 04-17-08 2049CDT | save this article / add to your favorites list