Jacko Pleads Not Guilty in Molestation Case

SANTA MARIA, Calif. — Michael Jackson pleaded not guilty Friday to all 10 counts of a grand-jury indictment, including a surprising charge of conspiracy to commit child abduction, false imprisonment and extortion. The indictment, unsealed Friday, also charged Jackson with four counts of lewd acts involving a minor, one count involving an attempted lewd act upon a child and four counts of administering an intoxicating agent. After the arraignment, Jackson and his new chief lawyer, Thomas Mesereau, Jr., made brief statements outside the courthouse in Santa Maria. Read the story here. Read the actual indictment here.

Licenses for illegal residents hung up

SACRAMENTO —Locked in delicate negotiations, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and state Sen. Gil Cedillo have struggled to narrow their differences over divisive legislation to give illegal immigrants the right to have drivers’ licenses. Cedillo, D-Los Angeles, and the governor’s negotiating team are pondering background checks, including requiring applicants to submit a full set of fingerprints, at least two identification documents and a proof of address. In addition, the two sides are looking at withholding licenses from illegal immigrants who have criminal records. Those from countries considered state sponsors of terrorism, such as Iran, Sudan and Syria, also would be ineligible. Read the story here.

Protesting Truckers Jam Freeway

A coordinated protest by truckers over fuels prices briefly closed down one major Los Angeles area freeway this morning during rush hour and slowed traffic on another. The northbound Santa Ana Freeway reopened this morning after four truckers blocked all the lanes about 8 a.m., stalling traffic for hours. A California Highway Patrol spokesman said three trucks were towed and the fourth drove away about 9. Traffic was expected to start flowing again about 10 a.m. The California Trucking Association said a similar protest occurred this morning in Oakland, but the group, which is opposed to the cost of diesel fuel in California, distanced itself from the protests. Read the story here.

Don’t smoke with kids in car, bill says

California lawmakers are considering a bill that would make California the first state in the nation to prohibit smokers from lighting up in a private car when children are present. The proposal by Assemblyman Marco Firebaugh, D-South Gate, has drawn the ire of Republican lawmakers who say it goes too far in attempting to police personal behavior. Read the story here.

Lawmakers weigh in on obesity

Public policies are not the only weighty issues members of the Legislature wrestle with in the Capitol. Hazards of the trade include the pounds lawmakers invariably pile on in a sedentary environment of endless meetings and fund-raisers, where food is as ubiquitous as the lobbyists who curry their favors. It’s time to shed the winter accumulation, 14 Assembly members and Sen. Deirdre Alpert, D-Coronado, proclaimed Thursday at a group weigh-in to launch a personal weight-loss campaign and focus attention on obesity as a public health crisis. Read the story here.

Arab TV Shows Iraq Prisoner Photos

The images, which document alleged abuses that have led to charges against six American soldiers, were first broadcast Wednesday night in the United States on CBS’ “60 Minutes II.” The images shown on Dubai-based Al-Arabiya and the Qatar-based Al-Jazeera channels blurred the nudity of the prisoners. The images were potentially inflammatory in an Arab world already angry at the U.S. occupation of Iraq. Arabs consider public nudity as dishonorable. Read the story here.