The Oregon Senate passed a bill Wednesday allowing same-sex couples to enter into contractual domestic partnerships with the same state benefits as married couples. The measure covers state benefits including inheritance, child custody, and hospital visitation rights, but does not affect federal benefits for married couples. The bill passed the state House last month and now goes to Gov. Ted Kulongoski, who has said he will sign it. Kulongoski has also said he will sign a second piece of legislation protecting individuals against discrimination based on sexual orientation. That bill would ban discrimination in employment, housing, and public accommodations, and create a civil cause of action for violations of the act.

Currently, Vermont, Connecticut, California, New Jersey, Maine and Washington are the only states that recognize civil unions or domestic partnerships. The Washington State Senate passed a domestic partnership bill in March. Late last month, the New Hampshire Senate voted in favor of a bill already passed by the state House allowing same-sex civil unions. Also in late April, New York Governor Eliot Spitzer introduced a bill to legalize gay marriage in New York.

Though most claims were dismissed by the judge, the families still intend to pursue claims left standing.

Adam Saleh today received the maximum sentence of 38 years to life in prison after a jury found him guilty of the murder of Reynoldsburg model Julie Popovich.

The judge called Saleh a "shark" who might prey on other women if he is ever released. He also order that Saleh, 20, be labeled a sexual predator.

"Today we received justice for Julie because a very dangerous man is being removed from society," said Popovich's mother, Peggy White. "But I encourage young women to beware of the predators because they are out there waiting."

The jury of six men and six women found Saleh, an auto mechanic, guilty of murder, attempted rape, kidnapping and tampering with evidence for the 2005 slaying of the 20-year-old Popovich.

They acquitted him of aggravated murder charges, sparing him a possible prison sentence of life without parole. Jurors deliberated about seven hours over two days.

The jury told Assistant County Prosecutors James Lowe and Daniel Hawkins afterward that they didn't think Saleh intended to kill Popovich, as one inmate had testified.

"They said they believed that he choked her, but he wasn't trying to kill her," Lowe said. "The testimony was that he tried to make her pass out and then he realized she was dead."

"Only God can judge me," Saleh told Hogan before he was sentenced.

Hogan told Saleh: "I have come to the conclusion that you, sir, are a shark and I hope the Department of Rehabilitation and Correction never lets you out, because I am convinced that once you are out you will find a way to behave the same way again."

Los Angeles Police Chief William Bratton on Wednesday pledged to conduct an internal investigation to determine if police violated policy by using force to quell pro-immigration protesters.

Bratton said he had seen news footage showing a number of officers in riot gear striking protesters and some members of the media to the ground with batons, and others firing foam bullets into the crowd.

The incidents happened during a Tuesday rally in downtown Los Angeles.

"I regret and am, as are all of you, disturbed by the events so vividly depicted in the various news videos," Bratton told a press conference at the city hall.

"Police use of force in any context is always visibly and emotionally upsetting, even when necessary and lawful," the chief said.

"Our challenge in reviewing and investigating the actions of the police department ... and that of the public is to determine if that use of force was an appropriate response to the level of threat, disturbance and danger that they are encountering."

However, he is determined to meet the challenges, Bratton said.

The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) will create an "after-action report" to evaluate its handling of the event, and conduct a use-of-force investigation to determine if officers responded appropriately, he added.

Tuesday's rally by thousands of people calling for a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants was peaceful until about about 6 p.m., when police tried to disperse some demonstrators who had moved off the sidewalk into Alvarado Street in the downtown area.

Some demonstrators responded by throwing plastic bottles and rocks at officers, police said. Several dozen riot police, wearing helmets and carrying batons, fired a few dozen volleys of foam bullets into the crowd.

The clashes injured 15 police officers and at least 10 demonstrators.

The Radio and Television News Association (RTNA) said earlier that "there is evidence that officers knocked reporters to the ground, used batons on photographers and damaged cameras, possibly motivated by anger over journalists photographing efforts by officers to control the movements of marchers."

Gene Karpinski, president of the League of Conservation Voters, told the Times Giuliani's association with the law firm could cost him votes.

From clean air to mercury pollution to global warming policies, Giuliani's firm has been perhaps the most anti-environment voice in Washington, representing some of the biggest corporate polluters, Karpinski said.

Publicly however, Giuliani has advocated increased use of nuclear power, natural gas, Alaskan oil drilling and ethanol to reduce U.S. reliance on foreign oil, the report said.

Continuing its steady growth, Bingham McCutchen LLP has acquired Alschuler Grossman LLP, a 40-lawyer Los Angeles firm, bringing Bingham's head count to nearly 1,000 lawyers.

The Boston-based firm is merging with Alschuler Grossman LLP, a 40-lawyer outfit known for litigation. It will be Bingham's eighth acquisition since 1997 and its third in California since 2002. Bingham McCutchen now has 350 lawyers in California and nearly 1,000 worldwide.

Alschuler Grossman, which also handles real estate, real estate finance, mergers and acquisitions, and intellectual property work, successfully represented Arthur Andersen LLP in a $1.3 billion class action securities lawsuit filed in Arizona state court. It currently represents Grupo Televisa S.A. in its battles with Univision Communications Inc. and is defending Blockbuster Inc. from a patent infringement lawsuit filed by Netflix Inc.

Bingham's clients include Oracle Corp., Bank of America N.A., Boston Scientific Corp.
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