Bush signs $286 billion highway bill News
Bush signs $286 billion highway bill

[JURIST] President Bush signed a 6-year, $286.4 billion highway bill on Wednesday, ending a long debate between Congress and the White House and putting into place a permanent highway bill for the first time since September 2003. The old bill was extended six times as both sides debated spending amounts and special projects; the Senate originally approved $295 billion [JURIST report] while the House approved $284 billion [JURIST report], an amount approved by the White House but $30 billion more than President Bush initially recommended. Upon signing the Transportation Equity Act [PDF text], President Bush said the legislation not only will upgrade the country's highway infrastructure but will also include important safety provisions. Read the full text of Bush's remarks. AP has more.

THIS DAY @ LAW

Dreyfus convicted of treason

On December 22, 1894, Jewish French army officer Alfred Dreyfus was convicted of treason in a court-martial trial that prompted worldwide allegations of anti-Semitism. Dreyfus was later cleared. Learn more about the case of Alfred Dreyfus and read an English translation of the famous public letter J'Accuse...! by novelist and Dreyfus partisan Emile Zola.

US passed Embargo Act, banning foreign trade

On December 22, 1807, the Embargo Act was passed at the urging of US President Thomas Jefferson. The act barred trade with any foreign nations in an effort to avoid American entry into the Napoleonic Wars of Europe. However, the act proved unenforceable and was replaced with the Non-Intercourse Act, which barred trade with France and Great Britain. Learn more about the Embargo Act of 1807 from Monticello.org