UPDATE: Governor, legislative leaders meet secretly

Gov. David Paterson and legislative leaders refuse to say if any progress is being made in an unannounced Sunday meeting of the leaders two days before an emergency economic session.

An Associated Press reporter who learned of the meeting was escorted from Paterson's state offices and told there would be no public disclosure of what transpired in the closed-door meeting.

Senate Republican leader Dean Skelos and Democratic Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver never embraced any of Paterson's proposed spending cuts and refused to provide their own ideas to address a projected $2 billion budget deficit this year.

Paterson has called for cuts in school aid growth and health care, areas fiercely protected in the Legislature by special interests led by public worker unions.

(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

UPDATE: 6:20 p.m.

The Governor says:

"I want to thank the Speaker and the Majority Leader for meeting with me today. It was clear from the meeting that Majority Leader Skelos has not changed his position. He did say he plans to conference with his members and I hope that by Tuesday we will have a constructive package of spending reductions for this year."