Yahoo! News: Politics News

---

• Former President GHW Bush backs Romney in GOP race
• Romney's attack ad strategy: time for Obama soon?
• Santorum complains it isn't easy being him
• Santorum: US weak on Iran, Israel during Obama era
• Obama could see silver lining if healthcare law rejected
• Former President GHW Bush backs Romney in GOP race
• Budget chairman challenges generals on defense
• Ryan Budget Part Deux, Mitt and Newt Secretly Meet, Stephanopoulos on Obamacare, Penny Pinching (PM Note)
• Idaho Legislature passes felony animal cruelty law
• U.S. mulls less-stringent controls for Taliban detainees
• Oxygen problem in F-22 Raptor remains a mystery
• Mitt Romney Confirms Secret Meeting With Newt Gingrich Last Week
• A political tip sheet for the rest of us
• Canada to Stop Making Pennies
• Canada deficit shrinks, reforms spark anger
• House approves Republican deficit-cutting plan
• U.S. steps up its push to keep top World Bank role
• Romney says he meets with Gingrich now and then
• Angry Spaniards strike against labor reform
• House Passes Paul Ryan Budget, Would Reform Medicare
• Analysis: Chief Justice Roberts may cast deciding healthcare vote
• Canada says to let the penny drop
• U.S. court presses Dow Co in tax credit case
• Fourth quarter income trends up, boost for spending
• Romney's attack ad strategy: time for Obama soon?
• Analysis: U.S. Jobs Act could help the least flashy startups
• DHS expanding deportation reviews to 4 more cities
• Democrats seek disclosure of tax haven ties
• Robo-readers: the new teachers' helper in the U.S.
• Congress passes bill to keep highway aid flowing
• Pentagon sees mass layoffs if budget cuts prevail
• Outside group targets Obama record on energy
• Canada budget does not tighten mortgage rules further

Former President GHW Bush backs Romney in GOP race Posted: George H.W. Bush is formally supporting Mitt Romney's bid for the Republican nomination for president.

Romney's attack ad strategy: time for Obama soon? Posted: Rick Santorum doesn't care about the unemployment rate. Newt Gingrich has "more baggage than the airlines." Both are Washington insiders who have bent their principles for money and influence.

Santorum complains it isn't easy being him Posted: Rick Santorum complains that GOP presidential rival Mitt Romney and his allies are outspending him. He laments that he doesn't have as beefy an organization as Romney. He insists Romney is trying to change the rules of the campaign in the middle of it, and is running unfair ads.

Santorum: US weak on Iran, Israel during Obama era Posted: Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum is strongly criticizing President Barack Obama in a foreign policy speech that suggest the United States has been weak on Iran, ignores ally Israel and rushes to engage America's enemies.

Obama could see silver lining if healthcare law rejected Posted: WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The conventional wisdom is that it would be a political disaster for Democratic President Barack Obama, and a boon for Republicans, if the U.S. Supreme Court strikes down all or most of Obama's healthcare overhaul. That could be: The healthcare law - which among other things would require most Americans to buy health insurance - is Obama's signature achievement in domestic policy, and the number-one target of many Republicans in this year's elections. ...

Former President GHW Bush backs Romney in GOP race Posted: George H.W. Bush is formally supporting Mitt Romney's bid for the Republican nomination for president.

Budget chairman challenges generals on defense Posted: The chairman of the House Budget Committee said Thursday he doesn't believe the nation's commanders gave Congress a budget based on military strategy, prompting a push back from the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Ryan Budget Part Deux, Mitt and Newt Secretly Meet, Stephanopoulos on Obamacare, Penny Pinching (PM Note) Posted: "Dude, It's Beef" – Kansas Gov Sam Brownback at presser with Rick Perry on "Pink Slime" (Travers) Jim Avila Goes Inside the Nebraska Beef Plant at the heart of "Pink Slime on World News tonight. House Passes Paul Ryan Budget – (This is one you'll...

Idaho Legislature passes felony animal cruelty law Posted: The Idaho Legislature has approved a felony animal cruelty law, putting the state in position to get off a very short list of others that don't impose tough penalties for mistreating pets and livestock.

U.S. mulls less-stringent controls for Taliban detainees Posted: WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Obama administration has signaled a willingness to accept less-stringent controls on former Taliban leaders who could be transferred to Qatar as part of a deal between the United States and the Afghan militants to kick-start Afghan peace talks, U.S. officials said. ...

Oxygen problem in F-22 Raptor remains a mystery Posted: An Air Force advisory panel says it still can't explain what caused blackouts and dizziness among pilots flying its supersonic F-22 Raptor.

Mitt Romney Confirms Secret Meeting With Newt Gingrich Last Week Posted: Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney confirmed reports Thursday that he and Newt Gingrich met secretly in New Orleans the day before the Louisiana primary. But Romney played down the importance of the meeting between the himself and Gingrich, who earlier this week scaled back his...

A political tip sheet for the rest of us Posted: A political tip sheet for the rest of us outside the Washington Beltway, for Thursday, March 29, 2012:

Canada to Stop Making Pennies Posted: Say goodbye to the Canadian penny. Lawmakers in Canada have decided it makes little sense — or cents — to continue making the 1-cent coin. Canada's Minister of Finance, Jim Flaherty, announced the penny's demise during his 2012 budget speech Thursday. "Pennies take up too...

Canada deficit shrinks, reforms spark anger Posted: OTTAWA (Reuters) - Canada opted for the slow road to a balanced budget and kept spending cuts relatively mild in a cautious budget on Thursday that was nonetheless packed with controversial reforms that ranged from raising the retirement age to fast-tracking approvals for big oil and mining projects. The Conservative government maintained a promise made last year to eliminate its budget deficit, small by international standards at 1.5 percent of gross domestic product, by the 2015-16 fiscal year after adjusting for promised spending cuts. It cuts discretionary spending by 6. ...

House approves Republican deficit-cutting plan Posted: A divided House approved a $3.6 trillion Republican budget on Thursday recasting Medicare and imposing sweeping cuts in domestic programs, capping a battle that gave both political parties a campaign-season stage to spotlight their warring deficit-cutting priorities.

U.S. steps up its push to keep top World Bank role Posted: WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States stepped up lobbying on Thursday for its pick to retain the top job at the World Bank as emerging markets pushed their view that the time has come for rich nations to share leadership of key institutions. In a letter to World Bank board members, Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner urged support for Korean-born Jim Yong Kim and flagged his experience "from Asia to Africa to the Americas" working on development projects. ...

Romney says he meets with Gingrich now and then Posted: Republican presidential front-runner Mitt Romney is acknowledging that he meets from time to time with rival Newt Gingrich. He calls their interactions part of an ongoing, friendly discourse and not secret strategy sessions.

Angry Spaniards strike against labor reform Posted: BARCELONA/MADRID (Reuters) - Spanish workers angry at a labor reform the government calls an "unstoppable" necessity staged a general strike on Thursday, bringing factories and ports to a standstill and igniting flashes of violence on the streets. Hundreds of thousands attended largely peaceful marches throughout Spain, waving red flags and beating drums against the budget cuts of Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, who was elected by a landslide only four months ago on a mandate to dig the country out of a debt crisis that has unnerved its European neighbors. ...

House Passes Paul Ryan Budget, Would Reform Medicare Posted: By a mostly party-line vote, the House of Representatives approved Paul Ryan's "Path to Prosperity" budget resolution today by a count of 228-191, slashing trillions of dollars in federal spending over the next decade, but enflaming Congressional Democrats for proposing controversial reforms to programs like...

Analysis: Chief Justice Roberts may cast deciding healthcare vote Posted: WASHINGTON (Reuters) - During three days of historic healthcare arguments at the Supreme Court, Chief Justice John Roberts presided with a steady calm and folksy charm. From his center seat on the nine-member bench, Roberts gently mediated as colleagues interrupted one another's questions this week. He offered a break in arguments on Tuesday so spectators in the packed courtroom could briefly stand and stretch, and then at the end of that Day Two, warmly told lawyers, "Counsel, we'll see you tomorrow. ...

Canada says to let the penny drop Posted: OTTAWA (Reuters) - Canada's puny penny coin, loved by some but an annoyance to many, will be withdrawn from circulation this year because it costs too much to make and is a pecuniary pest, the government announced on Thursday. "The penny is a currency without any currency in Canada," Finance Minister Jim Flaherty told reporters. Ottawa said the penny retained only one twentieth of its original purchasing power. It costs 1.6 Canadian cents to produce each one cent coin and stamping out the penny will save around C$11 million ($11 million) a year. ...

U.S. court presses Dow Co in tax credit case Posted: NEW YORK (Reuters) - An appeals court heard arguments from Union Carbide and the U.S. government on Thursday as the company fought to use a tax credit retroactively for research it did in the 1990s to improve manufacturing processes. A decision in favor of Union Carbide would widen the scope of the research and development tax credit, part of the corporate tax code that costs U.S. taxpayers roughly $7 billion a year. Union Carbide is a subsidiary of Dow Chemical Co. The case involves process improvements researched in 1994 and 1995. ...

Fourth quarter income trends up, boost for spending Posted: WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Household income grew at a faster pace in the fourth quarter than previously thought as the jobs market strengthened, a development that could underpin consumer spending. The Commerce Department said on Thursday real disposable income rose to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $11.73 trillion, $10.6 billion more than previously estimated. While its final estimate left growth in gross domestic product at an unrevised 3 percent pace last quarter, when measured from the income side, the economy expanded at a solid 4. ...

Romney's attack ad strategy: time for Obama soon? Posted: Rick Santorum doesn't care about the unemployment rate. Newt Gingrich has "more baggage than the airlines." Both are Washington insiders who have bent their principles for money and influence.

Analysis: U.S. Jobs Act could help the least flashy startups Posted: SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Much of the talk around the Jobs Act has centered on the technology sector, but the biggest impact could land on far more prosaic ventures, investors and analysts say. The Jobs Act, a bill to make it easier for young companies to raise money, raced through Congress over the past several weeks and likely will be signed into law by President Obama next week. The president sees the legislation as a way of giving "entrepreneurs opportunities to start creating the next Google or the next Apple or the next innovative company." And Republicans have matched his enthusiasm. ...

DHS expanding deportation reviews to 4 more cities Posted: The Obama administration is temporarily suspending immigration court dockets in four cities while authorities review thousands of cases as part of a plan to indefinitely delay deportation proceedings for many non-criminal illegal immigrants.

Democrats seek disclosure of tax haven ties Posted: WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Lawmakers and candidates would have to spell out any financial ties they might have to countries considered to be tax havens under a bill introduced by two Democrats in the Senate on Thursday. The measure, seen by some on Capitol Hill as a jab at Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney, has little chance of getting through a sharply divided Congress ahead of the November 6 general election. ...

Robo-readers: the new teachers' helper in the U.S. Posted: (Reuters) - American high school students are terrible writers, and one education reform group thinks it has an answer: robots. Or, more accurately, robo-readers - computers programmed to scan student essays and spit out a grade. The theory is that teachers would assign more writing if they didn't have to read it. And the more writing students do, the better at it they'll become - even if the primary audience for their prose is a string of algorithms. That sounds logical to Mark Shermis, dean of the College of Education at the University of Akron. ...

Congress passes bill to keep highway aid flowing Posted: Congress passed a stopgap three-month bill Thursday to keep federal highway and transit aid flowing and avoid a widespread shutdown of construction projects. The move pushes congressional action on a long-term overhaul of transportation programs deeper into an already fractious election year.

Pentagon sees mass layoffs if budget cuts prevail Posted: WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Pentagon said on Thursday it would expect hundreds of thousands of layoffs across the defense industry if lawmakers did not take action to avert an additional $500 billion in defense budget cuts that could take effect in January 2013. Frank Kendall, the Defense Department's acting undersecretary for acquisition, technology and logistics, said the cuts would force the Pentagon to break many hard-won contracts with industry, including a multibillion dollar deal with Boeing Co for development of a new refueling plane. ...

Outside group targets Obama record on energy Posted: An outside group with ties to conservative causes on Thursday launched a $3.6 million ad buy lashing out at President Barack Obama's energy record, blaming him for rising gas prices and his decision to delay the Keystone XL pipeline project.

Canada budget does not tighten mortgage rules further Posted: OTTAWA (Reuters) - Canada's federal budget on Thursday did not include any measures to tighten mortgage rules further as a means of cooling down the housing market. "The government continuously monitors housing finance risks and takes action when necessary. Adjustments to the rules for government-backed and insured mortgages were announced in July 2008, February 2010 and January 2011," the budget document noted without hinting at similar new steps. ...

You are subscribed to email updates from Politics News Headlines - Yahoo! News To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now.	Email delivery powered by Google
Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610