BREAKING NEWS ~ Senate rejects oil drilling in Alaska wildlife refuge News
BREAKING NEWS ~ Senate rejects oil drilling in Alaska wildlife refuge

[JURIST] AP is reporting that the US Senate has rejected a proposal to open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) [official website] to oil drilling. The proposal [JURIST report] was included as part of the 2006 military spending bill [bill summary].

12:55 PM ET – Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid argued [Leahy Senate floor log] on the Senate floor Wednesday that the version of the defense appropriations bill including provisions allowing ANWR oil drilling and limiting legal liability for vaccine manufacturers [NYT report] violated Senate rules because the provisions were not germane to the spending bill. Reid urged Senators to vote against invoking cloture [Senate backgrounder] and said that if there was a no vote on cloture, the language on these provisions would be removed. The Senate then voted 56-44 against invoking cloture on the Defense Appropriations Conference Report.

THIS DAY @ LAW

Laws of Burgos put into effect

The Spanish Crown put the Laws of Burgos into effect on December 27, 1512. These laws governed the relationship of Spanish settlers with the indigenous peoples of the Caribbean. The laws established the encomienda system of labor, promoted conversion to Catholicism, and safeguarded the indigenous peoples from physical abuse.  However, historians argue that the laws were ineffective at protecting the rights of the indigenous population. Learn more from the Library of Congress.

Prohibitionist Carrie Nation carried out her first public bar smashing

On December 27, 1900, militant Prohibitionist Carrie Nation carried out her first public smashing of a bar, at the Carey Hotel in Wichita, Kansas. Nation argued that destroying bars was an acceptable means of battling the liquor trade since the Kansas Constitution prohibited alcohol. Learn more about Carrie Nation.

World Bank created

On December 27, 1944, the World Bank was created during the United Nations Monetary and Financial Conference in Bretton Woods, New Hampshire, USA. Learn more about the history of the World Bank.