National and International News-Wednesday, Feb. 14th

UNDATED (AP) - The federal government is opening two hours late today, as the nation's capital struggles under an icy blast of winter that has brought snow, sleet and freezing rain to the eastern half of the country. Schools across the region are closed. In Ohio, more than 66-thousand customers in the Cincinnati area are
without power.

BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) - An Iraqi government official is denying reports that anti-American cleric Muqtada al-Sadr has left Iraq ahead of a security crackdown against his militia in Baghdad. The official says al-Sadr is in the holy city of Najaf. Al-Sadr's militia is blamed for much of the sectarian violence wracking the country.

CAPITOL HILL (AP) - In the eyes of House Democrats, it's just the first step in the longer campaign to end the war in Iraq. Debate resumes today on a resolution opposing President Bush's troop buildup. While the resolution is not binding, Speaker Nancy Pelosi says it sets the stage for more action on Iraq.

PENTAGON (AP) - It's an indication of the difficulty in attracting more volunteers to the military during wartime. The Army and Marine Corps are allowing more recruits with criminal records to join them. Even felony convictions aren't enough to keep some people out.

HOLLYWOOD, Fla. (AP) - More legal wrangling is on tap in the Anna Nicole Smith saga today, even as a medical examiner warns her body is decomposing. A court hearing is scheduled in Florida on her
ex-boyfriend's request that her body be preserved for D-N-A testing as part of his effort to prove he's the father of her daughter.