American Scene

New storm peril in the Atlantic

MIAMI | The Netherlands Antilles issued a tropical storm watch for St. Maarten, Saba and St. Eustatius on Saturday as Tropical Storm Ana raced west through the Atlantic.

Meanwhile, Tropical Storm Bill, the second named storm of the Atlantic season, formed further to the east and forecasters said they expected it to strengthen.

The National Hurricane Center in Miami said Saturday evening that Ana had maximum sustained winds near 40 mph and was moving west at 17 mph.

Meanwhile, Hurricane Guillermo was still swirling in the open Pacific but had weakened to a Category 2 storm with winds near 110 mph. It was moving west-northwest at 14 mph and was about 1,605 miles west of the southern tip of Mexico’s Baja California peninsula.

Sen. Dodd released from hospital

HARTFORD, Conn. | Connecticut Sen. Christopher J. Dodd has been released from the hospital after undergoing surgery for prostate cancer.

A statement from his office said the 65-year-old was released Saturday from Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center.

Dodd spokesman Bryan DeAngelis said the senator is recovering well and is at home in East Haddam with his family.

The five-term Democrat announced last month he had been diagnosed with an early, treatable stage of cancer. He expects to return to a full Senate schedule later this month.

Mr. Dodd has said the cancer will not affect his plans to seek a sixth term next year. He is chairman of the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs and is playing a leading role as Congress seeks to overhaul the nation’s health care system.

Breastfeeding moms have ’nurse-in’

ORLANDO, Fla. | Breastfeeding mothers staged a “nurse-in” Friday at a fast-food restaurant. The protest was inspired by a woman who said an employee at the Chick-Fil-A told her to cover her breast and offered her a towel as she fed her baby, WKMG-TV, Orlando, reported.

Florida law allows women to breastfeed almost anywhere at any time and specifically says the nipple does not need to be covered.

The woman said she tried complaining to the manager and to Chick-Fil-A’s head office, but to no avail.

The restaurant now says it’s educating employees about the breastfeeding law and considering door stickers to tell guests it’s a “mom-friendly” place.

Egypt’s president arrives for talks

Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak arrived in the United States on Saturday, the Egyptian Embassy said, for a trip that is scheduled to include his first White House meeting with President Obama.

Arriving at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland, the Egyptian leader is not expected to have any public engagements until Monday, when he will meet with several administration officials.

An Egyptian official told Agence France-Presse news agency that Mr. Mubarak was scheduled to meet Monday with Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, National Security Advisor James L. Jones and National Intelligence Director Dennis C. Blair. On Tuesday, Mr. Mubarak will meet Mr. Obama at the White House.

Rail union, bosses resume talks

OAKLAND, Calif. | Management of the San Francisco Bay Area’s commuter rail system and the union representing its train operators and station agents returned to the bargaining table Saturday, hoping to prevent a strike that threatened to clog bridges and maroon thousands of commuters when the workweek begins.

Leaders of Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1555 earlier announced they would strike Monday after the Bay Area Rapid Transit’s board of directors imposed work terms that the union said amounted to a 7 percent pay cut.

Two other BART unions have already approved new contracts, and BART spokesman Linton Johnson said the ATU should follow suit.

Jesse Hunt, president of Local 1555, said the two sides “are very close and are hoping to get this done.”

From wire dispatches and staff reports.