President Bush warned Congress Friday that he will continue vetoing war spending bills as long as they contain a timetable for the withdrawal of American troops from Iraq.

Speaking a day after the Democratic-controlled Congress approved legislation that requires that a troop drawdown begin by Oct. 1, Bush said - as he has before - he will veto it because of that demand. He invited congressional leaders to come to the White House to discuss a new piece of legislation that would not include a timetable, and expressed hope a deal could be reached.

But he made clear that if Democrats insist on including timetables again, he will not hesitate to bring out his veto pen.

``If they want to try again that which I've said is unacceptable, of course I won't accept it,'' the president said during a news conference here with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. ``I hope it won't come to that.''

Passage of the Iraq spending legislation in both houses was not by big enough margins to override a presidential veto. So lawmakers and the White House immediately began talking about a follow-up bill.

Democratic leaders said they hoped to have one ready by June 1. Several Democratic officials have said the next measure likely will jettison the withdrawal timetable, but may include consequences if the Iraqi government does not meet certain benchmarks, such as expanding democratic participation and allocating oil resources.

Bush has set benchmarks for the Iraqi government, but has steadfastly opposed attaching any timeframe to them or requiring any actions if they are not met.

Senate leaders said Friday that the bill approved Thursday should go to Bush early next week. The White House has not said whether Bush plans a quiet veto or a public ceremony. Spokeswoman Dana Perino said it was unlikely that Bush would use a Tuesday trip to the Tampa, Fla.-based headquarters of Central Command, which oversees military operations in the Middle East, including Iraq, for the veto.

A Monroe County Sheriff’s deputy, who alleged in a lawsuit that the jail operation was beset by corruption, has received a $200,000 settlement to resolve the lawsuit.

The county paid another $240,000 to an outside law firm which handled the litigation, which was settled last year.

The county paid the settlement to Deputy Thomas Zembiec, county officials confirmed today.

In a 2004 lawsuit, Zembiec alleged that jail payrolls were falsified so workers were paid for time they didn’t work; that some jail workers possessed and used drugs; and that some high-ranking officials and other jail workers consorted with "temporarily released inmates and persons with criminal backgrounds in order to make money and receive free services."

Zembiec alleged that he was transferred from his job at the downtown jail to the Brighton facility to silence his complaints about corruption at the jail.

He claimed that two nurses at the downtown jail accused him of sexual harassment, and those charges were the official reason for his transfer.

US Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) Thursday introduced a bill to restrict gun sales to terror suspects. S. 1237 would give the US attorney general the power and discretion to block gun sales to people listed as suspected terrorists. Under the bill, potential buyers who were denied firearms could appeal that decision to the attorney general. The bill has been endorsed by the Department of Justice, although DOJ leaders stressed that there still might exist situations in which suspected terrorists would be allowed to purchase guns, for example if denying a suspect a gun would tip them off that they were under investigation and would thus hamper intelligence gathering.

Under current law, terrorism suspects can still buy firearms if background checks show they are not convicted felons, illegal immigrants or suffering from mental illness.

California's prison system, originally designed for 100,000 inmates, currently houses 173,000 inmates and has resorted to housing approximately 17,000 inmates in temporary beds in locations like prison gymnasiums. In February, Schwarzenegger announced a plan to release prisoners convicted of nonviolent crimes in response to various federal actions that could establish federal oversight of California's prison system if the overcrowding problem is not resolved.

Zachares admitted engaging in official acts on Abramoff's behalf while working for Rep. Don Young, R-Alaska, who chaired the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.

Abramoff assisted Zachares in obtaining his committee post. Zachares left Young's staff in 2005. Young's office did not return repeated phone calls seeking comment Monday and Tuesday.

Zachares pleaded guilty in front of U.S. District Judge Ellen Segal Huvelle to one count of conspiracy. He faces a maximum of five years in prison, but under federal sentencing guidelines will likely face two years or less.

He is the fifth congressional staffer to plead guilty in the Abramoff scandal, including two ex-aides to former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, R-Texas.

Zachares entered his plea before Judge Ellen Segal Huvelle. He faces up to five years in prison, a fine of $250,000, and supervised release following his incarceration.

One of the Broward County judges involved in the Anna Nicole Smith proceedings in South Florida has entered a written plea of not guilty to a misdemeanor charge of marijuana possession.

Circuit Judge Lawrence Korda was cited last month after Hollywood Police officers allegedly found him smoking marijuana while sitting under a tree in a park. After being charged, Korda took a leave of absence from the bench.

Korda's moment in the media spotlight surrounding the Smith case came when he was asked to rule on who should have control over the former Playboy Playmate's body. The final ruling in that case was eventually issued by Circuit Judge Larry Seidlin.

Korda also heard arguments in a related case, seeking to determine the biological father of the baby. He ruled that a Bahamian court had jurisdiction over the child's custody.