Washington

States agree to raise high school standards

A coalition of 13 states confirmed plans to require tougher high school courses and diploma requirements, changes that could affect about one in three students.

The announcement is the most tangible sign that the nation’s governors, gathered in the capital for a summit on improving high schools, want to see that progress quickly.

The participating states have committed to making their core high school classes and tests more rigorous, and to match their graduation standards with the expectations of employers and colleges.

Governors, state school chiefs and business executives will lead the efforts in each state.

Texas

Civil trial to start for GOP activist

A Republican Party activist is scheduled to go on trial today to face civil charges that he was part of a scheme to finance the GOP’s rise to power in Texas.

The trial is the result of a lawsuit brought by five Democratic state House candidates who lost their races to Republicans in 2002. The election that year was a historic one in Texas, as the GOP — long the minority party here — seized a majority of state House seats, giving it control of both houses of the Legislature and the governor’s mansion.

Democrats and independent campaign-finance watchdogs have alleged ever since that a network of Republican activists illegally used corporate money to help pay for 22 House campaigns.

The defendant scheduled for trial is Bill Ceverha, treasurer of the political action committee Texans for a Republican Majority.

State law says that if the Democrats prove their case, they can ask for twice the amount of money that the judge determines was raised through illegal contributions.

California

Schwarzenegger says no White House run planned

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger may have joked about becoming president, but he said in an interview broadcast Sunday that he’s never seriously considered it.

The Austrian-born governor said he is not the reason behind talk of amending the Constitution so immigrants can occupy the White House.

“I don’t think the idea is that all the push is because of me. I mean, I have never thought about running for president, and this is not my vision,” Schwarzenegger said on “This Week with George Stephanopoulos.”

Schwarzenegger said when he predicted in 1977 that he would become president, he wasn’t serious: “You’ve got to have a little bit of sense of humor about all this.”

Several lawmakers have proposed amending the Constitution to let immigrants run for president after being citizens for 20 years. Schwarzenegger, who became a U.S. citizen in 1983, has said he supports such a measure.