Nation in brief

War funding measure survives partisan fight

War-funding legislation survived a fierce partisan battle in the House on Tuesday, a major step in providing commanders in Iraq and Afghanistan the money they would need for military operations in the coming months. The $106 billion measure, in addition to about $80 billion for military operations, provides for an array of other spending priorities, including $7.7 billion to respond to the flu pandemic and more than $10 billion in development and security aid for Pakistan and Iraq as well as countries such as Mexico and the nation of Georgia. The vote was 226-202, with only five Republicans voting for the bill and 32 Democrats opposing it.

Officials questioned over hospital colonoscopies

Lawmakers in Washington sharply criticized the Veterans Affairs Department on Tuesday about why a national scare over botched colonoscopies earlier this year didn’t prompt stronger safeguards at the agency’s medical centers. Agency officials apologized to a House subcommittee, and VA Secretary Eric Shinseki said he would be disciplining staffers. Fewer than half of VA facilities selected for surprise inspections last month had proper training and guidelines in place. That was months after the VA launched a nationwide safety campaign over the discovery of errors at facilities in Augusta, Miami and Murfreesboro, Tenn., that could have exposed veterans to HIV and other infections.

Senator admits affair with campaign staffer

Sen. John Ensign of Nevada, a leading Republican mentioned as a potential presidential candidate, admitted Tuesday he had an extramarital affair with a member of his campaign staff. “It is the worst thing I have ever done in my life,” Ensign said at a brief news conference. “If there was ever anything in my life that I could take back, this would be it.” An aide in Ensign’s office said the affair took place between December 2007 and August 2008 with an unidentified woman who was married to an employee in Ensign’s Senate office. Ensign made it clear he did not plan to resign. In 2006, Ensign fended off a challenge by Democrat John William “Jack” Carter, an investment banker and Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter’s oldest son.

School kids at head of line for swine flu shots

Schoolchildren could be first in line for swine flu vaccine this fall —- and schools are being put on notice that they might even be turned into shot clinics. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said Tuesday she is urging school superintendents around the country to spend the summer preparing for that if the government opts for mass vaccinations. Separately, Florida health officials said that state’s first swine flu fatality was a 9-year-old Miami-Dade County boy who suffered from asthma and died in a hospital June 9.

Palin backers launch Web fund-raising drive

Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin’s supporters are holding a Web-a-thon to raise money for her legal defense fund. Organizers of Conservatives4Palin said they hope to raise more than $500,000 in a week for Palin’s Alaska Fund Trust. Palin incurred legal fees fighting ethics complaints and during last fall’s investigation into her firing of Alaska’s public safety commissioner. Palin has until June 23 to reimburse Alaska about $10,000 in travel costs for her children.