The world at a glance . . . United States

Greenfield, Calif.

Bride for sale: A California farmworker allegedly sold his 14-year-old daughter into marriage for $16,000, 100 cases of beer, and several cartons of meat, police charged this week. Authorities arrested Marcelino Martinez, 36, after he complained to them he hadn’t been paid for his daughter. They also arrested the would-be groom, 18-year-old Margarito Galindo, on statutory rape charges. Both Martinez and Galindo are members of Mexico’s Trique community, in which arranged marriages involving girls as young as 12 are common. The beer and meat were to be served at the wedding feast, police say. There was no sign that Martinez’s daughter was coerced into marriage, “but state law trumps cultural sensitivity,” said Greenfield Police Chief Joe Grebmeier.

Quincy, Fla.

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Flight of the fugitive: An Indiana money manager who allegedly faked his own death was captured by police this week after an apparent suicide attempt. Police found Marcus Schrenker, 38, at a northern Florida campground, suffering from a deep cut in one of his wrists. Earlier in the week, Schrenker flew alone in a private plane from Indiana to Florida. En route, he reportedly sent a fake distress call to aviation authorities, then parachuted to safety. After landing in rural Alabama, police say, he fled to Florida on a motorcycle. Schrenker is under investigation for swindling investors in his money-management firm.

International Falls, Minn.

Big chill: Bitter cold descended on the upper Midwest this week, with some locations reporting overnight temperatures near minus-50 degrees Fahrenheit. Record lows were reported in several towns and cities, and underground water lines throughout the region snapped due to frost heaves. In Bismarck, N.D., the roof of a museum collapsed under 5 feet of snow, damaging several vintage muscle cars, while in Minnesota’s Twin Cities, black ice caused more than 200 traffic accidents. A 51-year-old man in northern Wisconsin died of exposure less than 200 yards from his house.

Washington, D.C.

Clear sailing for Clinton: Sen. Hillary Clinton this week appeared headed for easy confirmation as secretary of state, despite concerns raised by some Republicans about her husband’s global enterprises. At a confirmation hearing before her colleagues on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Clinton deflected calls for greater limits on former President Bill Clinton’s fundraising, noting that he had agreed to reveal all donors, including any foreign entities. Clinton took a veiled swipe at the Bush administration, saying that “foreign policy must be based on a marriage of principles and pragmatism, not rigid ideology, on facts and evidence, not emotion or prejudice.” She also said that a nuclear-armed Iran would be “unacceptable.” Senators from both sides of the aisle praised her “mastery” of foreign policy.

Holland

Township, N.J.

Little ‘Adolf Hitler’ seized: New Jersey child-welfare authorities this week took custody of 3-year-old Adolf Hitler Campbell and his two sisters from their parents, just weeks after a controversy erupted when a local store refused to inscribe the boy’s name on a birthday cake. Authorities gave no reason for seizing the boy, along with 1-year-old JoyceLynn Aryan Nation Campbell and 9-month-old Honszlynn Hinler Jeannie Campbell, but such action is only taken when there are suspicions of child abuse or neglect. The children’s parents, Heath and Deborah Campbell, were widely criticized after their children’s names were publicized last month. “A name’s a name,” Heath Campbell said. “The kid isn’t going to grow up and do what Hitler did.” They had no immediate comment this week.

Washington, D.C.

The newest senator: Senate Democrats this week reversed course and agreed to allow former Illinois Attorney General Roland Burris to be seated in the U.S. Senate. Senators had threatened to deny the seat to Burris, a 71-year-old African-American, because he was appointed by Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich, who stands accused of attempting to sell the seat previously held by Barack Obama, among other charges. But Burris appeared to have a strong legal claim, and many black leaders pushed for his appointment. “I knew as the former attorney general of my state that my appointment was legal,” Burris said. His Senate term ends in 2010, and Burris has not said whether he would seek election at that point.