US & World News, Wednesday 11/28

US & World Summary --- Bush Pushes Hard For Middle East Peace Accord (Washington, DC) -- Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas will be back at the White House today to wrap up three days of meetings on Middle East peace. President Bush has expressed hope that the summit can lay the foundation for the creation of an independent Palestinian state that can live with Israel in peace and security. Hamas, which controls Gaza, wasnt invited to the summit and they say they reject President Bushs drive for peace. Theyve vowed to undermine Israeli-Palestinian negotiations by keeping up their fight against the Jewish state. --- Simpson Plea To Be Entered In Las Vegas Courtroom (Las Vegas, NV) -- O.J. Simpson and two co-defendants will be back in a Las Vegas courtroom today where theyre expected to enter pleas to criminal charges. Simpson, Clarence Stewart and Charles Ehrlich are facing charges that they allegedly burst into a room at the Palace Station hotel last September and took sports memorabilia at gunpoint. After the three men enter their pleas, the judge is expected to set a trial date. Attorneys for the former NFL star say they want the trial to begin within the next two months. Simpsons arraignment is scheduled for 1 p.m., Eastern Time. --- Proposal Seeks To Ban Spanking In Massachusetts (Boston, MA) -- Massachusetts parents could soon be punished for spanking their children. State Representative Jay Kaufman wrote a proposed law which would make it a crime for parents to spank their children even in their own homes. If it passes, Massachusetts would become the first state in the nation to ban corporal punishment. Critics of the measure say theyre concerned that the bill doesnt draw the line between discipline and child abuse. --- Redskins Players Somber Over Taylors Death (Ashburn, VA) -- Washington Redskins head coach Joe Gibbs says safety Sean Taylor will be missed as both a player and a person. The 24-year-old was shot in the upper leg during a home invasion early Monday. The bullet severely damaged an artery and led to significant blood loss that left him in critical condition. Taylor never recovered from those injuries, passing away yesterday. Redskins players, coaches and fans are still in shock over yesterdays death. Team owner Daniel Snyder says the NFL will honor Taylor with a moment of silence before each game this week. --- New York Man Sues Over "GETOSAMA" License Plate (New York, NY) -- A New York driver is suing the state after the Department of Motor Vehicles took away his anti Osama Bin-Laden vanity license plates. Arno Herwerth told the "New York Post" his "GETOSAMA plates were rescinded by the DMV, because the agency said they were offensive and violated the agencys regulations. Today the retired New York City cop plans to file a federal lawsuit charging that the agencys actions were unconstitutional and violated his First Amendment rights. --- Rockwell Painting To Be Auctioned Off (New York, NY) -- A Norman Rockwell holiday painting could bring in as much as three-point-five-million-dollars when its auctioned off tomorrow. The Santa Claus painting "Extra Good Boys and Girls" originally appeared as the cover of the December 1939 issue of the "Saturday Evening Post" magazine. The Rockwell painting is just a small part of an auction of American art that Christies auction house says could bring in 60-million-dollars in just one night. (Copyright 2007 by Newsroom Solutions) RNS-11-28-07 0840CST