Louisiana, Tuesday. The BP-leased Deepwater Horizon oil...

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A sug-gestion box or publicity stunt? BPhas received thousands of ideasfrom the public on how to stop ablown oil well in the Gulf of Mexico,but some inventors are complain-ing that their efforts are gettingignored.

Oil-eating bacteria, bombs and adevice that resembles a giant show-er curtain are among the 10,000fixes people have proposed tocounter the growing environmentalthreat. BP is taking a closer look at700 of the ideas, but the oil compa-ny has yet to use any of them near-ly a month after the deadly explo-sion that caused the leak.

“They’re clearly out of ideas,and there’s a whole world of peoplewilling to do this free of charge,”said Dwayne Spradlin, CEO ofInnoCentive Inc., which has createdan online network of experts tosolve problems.

BP spokesman Mark Salt saidthe company wants the public’shelp, but that considering pro-posed fixes takes time.

“They’re taking bits of ideasfrom lots of places,” Salt said. “Thisis not just a PR stunt.”

BP said Wednesday it hopes tobegin shooting a mixture known asdrilling mud into the blown-outwell in the Gulf by Sunday. The “topkill” method involves shootingheavy mud into crippled equip-ment on top of the well, then aim-ing cement at the well to perma-nently keep down the oil. Even if itworks it could take several weeksto complete.

“This is all being done at adepth of 5,000 feet and it’s neverbeen done at these depths before,”said Doug Suttles of BP PLC, whichleased the rig that exploded April20 off the coast of Louisiana.

If the top kill effort fails, BP isconsidering a “junk shot,” whichinvolves shooting knotted rope,pieces of tires and golf balls intothe blowout preventer. Crews hopethey will lodge into the nooks andcrannies of the device to plug it.

About 70 BP workers are takingmore suggestions at a tip line cen-ter in Houston. The company plansto test one idea from actor KevinCostner — a centrifuge device tovacuum up the oil — but that wasnot delivered through the sugges-tion-box system.

Thousands of barrels of oil arestill pouring into open waters eachday, and some of it has washedashore as far east as Alabama. Tarballs found in the Florida Keyswere not from the spill, the CoastGuard said Wednesday.

National Oceanic andAtmospheric Administration scien-tists said a small portion of the oilslick from the blown-out well hasreached a powerful current thatcould take it to Florida. They saiddiluted oil could appear in isolatedlocations in Florida if persistentwinds push the current toward it,but that oil also could evaporatebefore reaching the coast.

In Louisiana, a chocolate-brownblanket of oil about as thick aslatex paint has invaded reedy fresh-water wetlands at the staThe U.S.and Cuba were holding talks onhow to respond to the spill, U.S.State Department spokesmanGordon Duguid said, underscoringworries that the oil might reachCuba’s northern coast.

BP succeeded in partiallysiphoning away the leak over theweekend, when it hooked up amile-long tube to the broken pipe,

sending some of the oil to a ship onthe surface.

Gerald Graham, a marine envi-ronmental consultant and oil spillresponse expert from Victoria,British Columbia, said he suggesteda similar idea at the end of April tothe joint incident command centerrun by BP, government agenciesand Transocean Ltd., which ownedthe rig. The command center hadhim forward the idea to NOAA,which didn’t respond.

APPLIANCES920 Broadway • 665-9461

PAGE 18 www.yankton.netYankton Daily Press & Dakotan ■ NATION/WORLD ■ Thursday, May 20, 2010

NATION/WORLD DIGEST

Obama Pushes For Federal Immigration LawWASHINGTON (AP) — Confronting soaring frustration over illegal

immigration, President Barack Obama on Wednesday condemnedArizona’s crackdown and pushed instead for a federal fix the nationcould embrace. He said that will never happen without Republicansupport, pleading: “I need some help.”

In asking anew for an immigration overhaul, Obama showed soli-darity with his guest of honor, Mexican President Felipe Calderon,who called Arizona’s law discriminatory and warned Mexico wouldreject any effort to “criminalize migration.” The United States andMexico share a significant economic and political relationship thatstands to be damaged the more the nations are at odds over immi-gration, which affects millions of people on both sides of the border.

Obama sought to show that he, too, is fed up with his own gov-ernment’s failure to fix a system widely seen as broken. He said thatwould require solving border security, employment and citizenshipissues all at once — the kind of effort that collapsed in Congressjust three years ago.

The president’s stand underscored the forces working againsthim in this election year: the need for help from Republican critics,the impatience of states like Arizona after federal inaction, the pres-sure to show movement on a campaign promise, and the mood ofthe public disgusted by porous borders.

The Arizona law requires police to question people about theirimmigration status if there’s reason to suspect they’re in the coun-try illegally, and it makes it a state crime to be in the U.S. illegally.People may be questioned about their status if they’ve beenstopped by police who are in the process of enforcing another law.

Wal-Mart Pulls Jewelry Over Toxic CadmiumLOS ANGELES (AP) — Wal-Mart said Wednesday it is pulling an

entire line of Miley Cyrus-brand necklaces and bracelets from itsshelves after tests performed for The Associated Press found thejewelry contained high levels of the toxic metal cadmium.

In a statement issued three hours after AP’s initial report of itsfindings, Wal-Mart said it would remove the jewelry while it investi-gates. The statement was issued along with Cyrus and Max Azria,the designer that developed the jewelry for the 17-year-old “HannahMontana” star.

In the statement, Wal-Mart said that while the jewelry is notintended for children, “it is possible that a few younger consumersmay seek it out in stores.”

Cadmium in jewelry is not known to be dangerous if the itemsare simply worn. Concerns come when youngsters bite or suck onthe jewelry, as many children are apt to do.

Continued Rioting Leaves Bangkok In Flames BANGKOK (AP) — Buildings blazed across central Bangkok early

Thursday, torched by rioters after army troops routed anti-govern-ment protesters to end a two-month siege — Thailand’s deadliestpolitical violence in nearly 20 years.

The government quelled most of the violence in Bangkok but notthe underlying political divisions that caused it, and unrest spreadto northern parts of Thailand.

Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva imposed a nighttime curfew inthe capital and 23 other provinces and said his government wouldrestore calm. Although leaders of the Red Shirt demonstrators surren-dered, sporadic clashes between troops and remaining protesterscontinued well after dark.

Bangkok’s skyline was blotted by black smoke from more than twodozen buildings set ablaze — including Thailand’s stock exchange,main power company, banks, a movie theater and one of Asia’s largestshopping malls.

At least six people were killed in clashes that followed the army’sstorming of the protest camp Wednesday. Witnesses said another sixto eight bodies were in a temple where hundreds of demonstrators,including women and children, had sought sanctuary.

N.Y. Suspect Was Thinking Of Other TargetsNEW YORK (AP) — While sequestered in a New York hotel room,

the Times Square bomb suspect revealed he had thought about tar-geting other landmarks and asked investigators why the bomb hebuilt failed to go off, people familiar with the probe said Wednesday.

Faisal Shahzad said he considered attacking Grand CentralTerminal, Rockefeller Center in midtown Manhattan, the WorldFinancial Center near ground zero and Sikorsky Inc. — a defense con-tractor with an office in his Connecticut hometown — before decidingto abandon an SUV rigged with a homemade bomb in Times Squareon May 1, a law enforcement official told The Associated Press.

A person familiar with the case said Wednesday that during morethan two weeks of questioning, the Pakistani-American alsoexpressed surprise that the device — a mishmash of fireworks,gasoline canisters, propane tanks and fertilizer — did not detonate.The suspect said he thought the fireworks would trigger a chain-reaction that would rupture the tanks and create a deadly fireball,the person said.

Shahzad, who authorities say has claimed he received explosivestraining in Pakistan, even asked interrogators to explain why thedevice failed.

■ Get Updates At Yankton Online (www.yankton.net)

BY JIM KUHNHENNAssociated Press Writer

WASHINGTON — SenateRepublicans on Wednesdaydelayed final action on a sweep-ing financial regulation bill, rais-ing a last-minute obstacle to thelegislation as it approached thehome stretch.

Democrats appeared withinreach of the 60-vote thresholdneeded to move the bill towardpassage, however, and SenateMajority leader Harry Reid saidhe would seek a new voteThursday.

The vote and Wednesday’smaneuvering over a handful ofremaining amendments repre-sented the final lumps and bruis-es of a bill that appeared headedfor approval.

The legislation, which seeksan overhaul of financial regula-tions unseen since the 1930s,would set up a mechanism towatch out for risks in the finan-cial system, make it easier to liq-uidate large failing firms andwrite new rules for complex secu-rities blamed for helping precipi-tate the 2008 economic crisis. Italso would create a new con-sumer protection agency, a keypoint for President BarackObama.

As the end game on the billnears, Republicans this weekhave escalated their attacks onthe legislation, arguing the billhad grown worse during its timeon the Senate floor and doesnot address root causes of the2008 financial meltdown.

The Democratic majority,said Senate Republican leaderMitch McConnell, “uses this cri-sis as yet another opportunityto expand the cost and size andreach of government.”

The vote to end debate was57-42, three votes shy of the 60needed to pass. ThreeDemocrats joined 39Republicans in voting againstthe measure. Among them wasReid, the Democratic leader,who switched his vote from yesfor procedural reasons.

With Sen. Arlen Specter, D-Pa., absent, Democrats neededone more vote to demonstrateto Republicans that they wouldeventually prevail and set thestage to pass the biggestrewrite of financial regulationssince the Great Depression.

Still, several contentiousamendments were still unre-solved.

Democratic Sens. JeffMerkley of Oregon and CarlLevin of Michigan were awaitinga vote on their proposal to bancommercial banks from tradingin speculative investments withtheir own accounts. The meas-ure, also opposed by financialinstitutions, would toughen anexisting provision in the bill.

Senators also were expectinga vote on a measure by Sen.Sam Brownback, R-Kan., thatwould let auto dealers avoidany regulations passed by a pro-posed consumer protectionagency. The White House haslobbied heavily against themeasure and Pentagon officialshave complained that auto deal-ers have preyed on servicemembers.

Late Wednesday, the Senatevoted 60-35 against a measurethat would have allowed statesto impose their interest ratecaps on financial institutionsthat issue credit cards.Currently, banks and credit cardcompanies are only required tocharge the interest rate permit-ted in the state where they areheadquartered.

Banks, which have flocked tostates with the most permissi-ble rates, have vigorouslyfought the proposal, offered bySen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I.

On Wednesday’s attempt toend debate, Democratic Sens.Russ Feingold of Wisconsin andMaria Cantwell of Oregon brokewith their party. Feingold saidthe bill did not go far enough torein in Wall Street. Cantwell’svote protested her inability toget a vote on an amendment totoughen controls on the complexsecurities known as derivatives.

FINANCIAL REFORM

Senate Fails To EndDebate On Bill

GULF OIL SPILL

SEAN GARDNER/GREENPEACE/MCTOil clings to reeds on the bank of the breakwater in the mouth ofthe Mississippi River where it meets the Gulf of Mexico inLouisiana, Tuesday. The BP-leased Deepwater Horizon oil platformexploded April 20 and sank after burning, leaking an estimate ofmore than 210,000 gallons of crude oil per day from the brokenpipeline to the sea.

Inventors: BPIgnoring Ideas ToStop Blown Well

WASHINGTON (AP) —Inflation has essentially disap-peared, and that gives theFederal Reserve more room tokeep interest rates at recordlows.

Consumer prices fell in Aprilfor the first time in more than ayear. The figures releasedWednesday were welcome newsfor people who qualify for loansand want to take on more debt.But low rates hurt savers, espe-cially those on fixed incomes.

The Fed now appears morelikely to keep rates at record-lowlevels well into next year, econo-mists say. Some had thought itwould start increasing rates atthe end of this year.

Paul Ashworth, senior U.S.economist at Capital Economics,said he thinks the Fed won’tstart raising rates until late nextyear — and possibly not until2012.

Declining gas prices pulledoverall prices down 0.1 percentlast month. Gas prices are pre-dicted to sink lower still thissummer.

Core inflation, whichexcludes volatile food and ener-gy prices, was flat in April. Overthe past 12 months, it has risenjust 0.9 percent — the smallestincrease in 44 years.

The weakness of the econo-my has kept inflation so lowthat some economists are begin-ning to worry about the possi-bility of deflation — a destabiliz-ing period of falling prices andwages.

Normally, if interest rates arekept too low for too long, it rais-es fears of inflation. But notnow, with inflation having disap-peared. Those low rates couldprovide some protection to theU.S. economy if the Europeandebt crisis were to spread glob-ally.

The Fed’s record-low ratesinfluence rates charged to con-sumers. The prime lending rateused by major banks to setrates on some credit cards andconsumer loans will remain atabout 3.25 percent. That’s itslowest point in decades.

Economists had expectedoverall prices and core prices toedge up 0.1 percent in April.The drop in overall prices wasthe first decline since a similardip in March 2009.

Energy prices fell 1.4 per-cent, the biggest one-monthdecline since March 2009.Gasoline prices dropped 2.4 per-cent. Analysts expect furtherdeclines in coming monthsbecause crude oil prices have fall-en nearly 20 percent since April.

Food costs rose 0.2 percent inApril, the same modest increaseposted in March. Economists hadexpected a bigger increasebecause of a winter freeze onFlorida vegetable and citruscrops.

Clothing costs dropped 0.7percent. The cost of new vehicleswas unchanged. Airline ticketsrose 2.2 percent, one of the fewareas to show price pressureslast month.

Consumer Prices Fall ForFirst Time In Over A Year