Yahoo! News: Politics News

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• Supreme court moves to center of presidential race
• INSIDE WASHINGTON: Who pays when prez politicks?
• In speech, Biden attacks Romney on foreign policy
• FDA approves Glaxo cancer drug Votrient
• At U.S. State Department, kids get sex scandal primer
• U.S. draft warns Sudan, South Sudan of possible sanctions
• U.N. chief says Syria not complying with peace plan
• Arab League calls on U.N. to protect Syrians
• No charges dismissed for soldier in Wikileaks case
• FTC taps outside counsel for Google antitrust probe
• FDA advisers back Cameron Health heart device
• Supreme court moves to center of presidential race
• Dems, GOP swap charges in student loan fight
• Biden Rebuffs Romney on Iran: Obama 'Has a Big Stick'
• Islamist militants blow up Yemen gas pipeline
• U.S. on guard for attacks ahead of bin Laden anniversary
• U.S. judge rejects release of bin Laden pictures
• As Supreme Court mulls healthcare, rumors fly
• Conservative-leaning group launches anti-Obama ad
• High court moves to center of presidential race
• Lawyer says Arizona inmate shook violently during execution
• Attorneys Will Continue to Fight Dismissal of Marine Critical of Obama
• Report: Rebates from health care law will top $1B
• Judge won't dismiss charge against WikiLeaks suspect Manning
• Political battle over student loans heating up
• Republican Ryan cites pope to defend budget cuts
• Syria, rebels trade blame over fragile U.N. ceasefire
• SEC starts probe of Chesapeake CEO's well stakes
• Republican report blasts Obama's healthcare law
• Moody's downgrades Ontario rating to Aa2
• Al Franken Breaks Down in Tears on Senate Floor During Violence Against Women Debate
• Sierra Club challenges Md. natural gas terminal
• Secret Service expands misconduct probe to El Salvador: lawmaker

Supreme court moves to center of presidential race Posted: The Supreme Court, suddenly at the heart of presidential politics, is preparing what could be blockbuster rulings on health care and immigration shortly before the fall election.

INSIDE WASHINGTON: Who pays when prez politicks? Posted: President Barack Obama flies Air Force One when he leaves town. So does Candidate Barack Obama.

In speech, Biden attacks Romney on foreign policy Posted: Vice President Joe Biden delivered a harsh attack Thursday on Mitt Romney's foreign policy views, arguing that the presumptive Republican presidential nominee is rooted in a Cold War mentality and is uninformed about the current challenges facing the U.S. abroad.

FDA approves Glaxo cancer drug Votrient Posted: WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. regulators gave the nod to GlaxoSmithKline Plc's Votrient for a type of sarcoma on Thursday, following a positive advisory panel vote last month. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the pill for people with soft-tissue sarcoma who have already received chemotherapy. Soft-tissue sarcoma is a rare but aggressive form of cancer that afflicted about 11,000 Americans last year, 4,000 of whom died from the disease, according to the National Cancer Institute. The cancer begins in the muscles, fat or other tissues. ...

At U.S. State Department, kids get sex scandal primer Posted: WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Children participating in the State Department's "Take Your Child to Work" day event on Thursday were treated to a discussion of prostitutes and strip clubs as reporters pressed for answers on a widening Secret Service scandal. State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland opened the daily news briefing with a salute to the handful of underage observers who joined journalists for the mid-day run-down of global events. But any hopes that the briefing would steer clear of the salacious dissipated as questions focused on charges that Secret Service agents and other U.S. ...

U.S. draft warns Sudan, South Sudan of possible sanctions Posted: UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The United States on Thursday circulated to the U.N. Security Council a draft resolution that warns Sudan and South Sudan of sanctions if they do not comply with African Union demands to swiftly stop border clashes and resolve their many disputes. U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice told reporters the Security Council would begin discussing the draft resolution on Thursday and that it would likely need at least a few days of talks among members before going to a vote. ...

U.N. chief says Syria not complying with peace plan Posted: UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon said on Thursday the Syrian government had not complied with its pledge to a U.N.-backed peace plan aimed at stopping the country from spiraling into civil war because it had not withdrawn heavy weapons and troops from cities. The secretary-general said in a statement that unarmed U.N. military observers in Syria had reported a "continued presence of heavy weapons, military equipment and army personnel in population centers." Ban said he was "deeply troubled" by that. ...

Arab League calls on U.N. to protect Syrians Posted: CAIRO (Reuters) - The Arab League plans to call on the U.N. Security Council to take immediate action to protect Syrian civilians, it said in a statement released after an Arab League meeting. "The Arab League will assign its Arab representatives in the U.N. Security Council in the meeting set to take place May 5 to ask the Security Council to protect Syrian civilians immediately," a final statement said. ...

No charges dismissed for soldier in Wikileaks case Posted: A military judge refused on Thursday to dismiss the most serious charge against an Army private accused in the biggest leak of government secrets in U.S. history.

FTC taps outside counsel for Google antitrust probe Posted: SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - The Federal Trade Commission has turned to a high-profile outside attorney to help run its antitrust investigation into whether Google Inc promotes search results that favor its business. FTC Chairman Jon Leibowitz said on Thursday his agency had gone outside its staff because of the importance of the case, which could have implications for not just Google's growth ambitions but also consumers' use of the Internet. ...

FDA advisers back Cameron Health heart device Posted: WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. drug advisers gave the nod to the first defibrillator designed to be implanted directly under the skin, raising hopes Cameron Health Inc's novel product would be approved. Outside advisers to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration voted 7-1 to recommend approval of Cameron's device, which delivers electrical shocks to a dangerously irregular heartbeat to return it to a normal rhythm. They also voted 7-1 that the device worked and unanimously said it was safe, according to the company and the FDA. ...

Supreme court moves to center of presidential race Posted: The Supreme Court, suddenly at the heart of presidential politics, is preparing what could be blockbuster rulings on health care and immigration shortly before the fall election.

Dems, GOP swap charges in student loan fight Posted: House Speaker John Boehner accused President Barack Obama on Thursday of conduct "beneath the dignity of the White House." The top House Democrat said Boehner considers the health of women "a luxury."

Biden Rebuffs Romney on Iran: Obama 'Has a Big Stick' Posted: Vice President Joe Biden channeled Teddy Roosevelt today in an attempt to debunk Mitt Romney's claim that the administration is not credible when discussing a "military option" toward Iran. During a campaign speech on foreign policy at New York University, Biden said President Obama was...

Islamist militants blow up Yemen gas pipeline Posted: ADEN (Reuters) - Islamist militants linked to al Qaeda blew up a gas pipeline on Thursday night in the eastern Yemeni province of Shabwa, a local official and residents said. The attack is the third against oil and gas facilities in the impoverished country within a month, and the second against the same pipeline. Resident said columns of fire and smoke could be seen from several kilometers away. ...

U.S. on guard for attacks ahead of bin Laden anniversary Posted: WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama has reviewed potential threats to the United States ahead of the anniversary next week of the killing of Osama bin Laden, but there is no concrete evidence that al Qaeda is plotting any revenge attacks, the White House said on Thursday. Bin Laden's killing last year by U.S. commandos is touted by the Obama administration as one of his top accomplishments and it may help inoculate the president from Republican election-year claims that he is weak on national security. U.S. ...

U.S. judge rejects release of bin Laden pictures Posted: WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A federal judge on Thursday refused to order President Barack Obama's administration to release pictures and video of the U.S. military operation that killed al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden in Pakistan almost a year ago. The government watchdog group, Judicial Watch, had requested the Defense Department and Central Intelligence Agency release any pictures or video footage of the May 1 operation that killed bin Laden in Abbottabad, Pakistan. ...

As Supreme Court mulls healthcare, rumors fly Posted: WASHINGTON (Reuters) - This week the U.S. Supreme Court wrapped up the last oral arguments of its current term. Now comes the nationwide angst of waiting - as long as two months - for decisions, particularly the one that will resolve the most high-stakes and closely watched case of the year: the challenge to the Obama-sponsored healthcare law. The collective impatience is fueling a mini-industry of rumors, wagers and speculation not seen since the Bush v. Gore case of 2000, when a presidential election hung in the balance. ...

Conservative-leaning group launches anti-Obama ad Posted: A conservative-leaning independent political group is set to spend $6.1 million on a new television ad targeting President Barack Obama in eight states.

High court moves to center of presidential race Posted: The Supreme Court is preparing what could be blockbuster rulings on health care and immigration shortly before the presidential election.

Lawyer says Arizona inmate shook violently during execution Posted: PHOENIX (Reuters) - The lawyer for a convicted murderer executed in Arizona said on Thursday his client shook violently after a lethal injection drug was administered, and may call for an independent autopsy to determine if he experienced any pain. A defiant Thomas Kemp, 63, was executed on Wednesday by lethal injection at the state prison in Florence, about 60 miles southeast of Phoenix, for kidnapping and killing a Hispanic college student in 1992. His last words were: "I regret nothing. ...

Attorneys Will Continue to Fight Dismissal of Marine Critical of Obama Posted: Civilian lawyers for the Marine sergeant discharged Wednesday for posting critical comments about President Obama on Facebook say they will continue to fight his dismissal in civilian courts. On Wednesday, Sergeant Gary Stein was given an "other than honorable" discharge from the Marine Corps for...

Report: Rebates from health care law will top $1B Posted: More than 3 million health insurance policyholders and thousands of employers will share $1.3 billion in rebates this year, thanks to President Barack Obama's health care law, a nonpartisan research group said Thursday.

Judge won't dismiss charge against WikiLeaks suspect Manning Posted: FORT MEADE, Maryland (Reuters) - A U.S. military judge refused on Thursday to throw out a charge that Bradley Manning, the U.S. intelligence analyst accused of leaking government files to the anti-secrecy website WikiLeaks, aided the enemy, identified as al Qaeda. The charge could result in a life prison sentence if Manning, 24, is convicted at a court-martial in September. Manning is charged with leaking hundreds of thousands of U.S. government cables and field reports from Iraq and Afghanistan to WikiLeaks in 2010, in the largest leak of classified documents in U.S. history. ...

Political battle over student loans heating up Posted: House Speaker John Boehner accused President Barack Obama on Thursday of conduct "beneath the dignity of the White House." The top House Democrat said Boehner considers the health of women "a luxury."

Republican Ryan cites pope to defend budget cuts Posted: WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Invoking Pope Benedict, Republican Representative Paul Ryan defended his budget plan on Thursday at Georgetown University, where a group of the Jesuit institution's faculty has accused him of misusing Catholic teachings to push cuts to programs that serve the poor. "The overarching threat to our whole society today is the exploding federal debt," Ryan said, speaking in a Gothic, oak-paneled auditorium on the Georgetown campus. ...

Syria, rebels trade blame over fragile U.N. ceasefire Posted: BEIRUT (Reuters) - The Syrian government and rebels traded blame on Thursday for a huge explosion which killed 16 people in the city of Hama, as a two-week-old U.N.-backed ceasefire looked increasingly fragile. Syria blamed "terrorist" bomb-makers for Wednesday's blast. Information Minister Adnan Mahmoud also accused rebel militiamen of repeated violations of the ceasefire and said Damascus was "reserving the right to respond to any violation or attack", state news agency SANA reported. ...

SEC starts probe of Chesapeake CEO's well stakes Posted: NEW YORK (Reuters) - The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has opened an informal inquiry into Chesapeake Energy Corp's controversial program that granted Chief Executive Aubrey McClendon a share in each of the natural gas producer's wells, a source familiar with the matter said on Thursday. That inquiry, being led by the SEC's office in Fort Worth, Texas, comes after Reuters reported about loans McClendon had obtained on those wells that raised concerns about a potential conflict of interest by the company's CEO. Chesapeake said it would end the program that gives McClendon a 2. ...

Republican report blasts Obama's healthcare law Posted: WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republicans on Thursday issued a politically charged report that quoted President Barack Obama's corporate advisers as predicting his 2010 healthcare overhaul would raise - not lower - the cost of care. The report, released as the Supreme Court weighs the fate of Obama's healthcare law, was compiled by the Republican staff of the House of Representatives Energy and Commerce Committee with input from major corporations including General Electric, Southwest Airlines and American Express. ...

Moody's downgrades Ontario rating to Aa2 Posted: TORONTO (Reuters) - Credit rating agency Moody's downgraded Ontario's debt on Thursday, just a day after competitor Standard & Poor's suggested it might do the same, in the latest sign of the Canadian province's struggle to tame its climbing debt load. Moody's dropped the issuer and debt ratings on Canada's most populous province to Aa2 from Aa1, with a stable outlook, affecting approximately C$202 billion ($205 billion) in debt securities. ...

Al Franken Breaks Down in Tears on Senate Floor During Violence Against Women Debate Posted: Sen. Al Franken, D-Minn., wept on the Senate floor Thursday as he spoke about his deceased friends, former Sen. Paul Wellstone and his wife Sheila, who were strong advocates for protecting women from domestic violence. The moment came During a debate over the Violence Against...

Sierra Club challenges Md. natural gas terminal Posted: The Sierra Club said Thursday it will try to block an energy company's plan to export liquefied natural gas to find new markets for the drilling boom that has flooded the Mid-Atlantic with natural gas.

Secret Service expands misconduct probe to El Salvador: lawmaker Posted: WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Secret Service is examining a new report of alleged misconduct by agents at an El Salvador strip club ahead of a trip there last year by President Barack Obama, a senior lawmaker said on Thursday. Representative Peter King, a Republican who chairs the House Homeland Security Committee, said in a statement to Reuters that the review is part of an extensive investigation the Secret Service is conducting in the aftermath of an incident involving prostitutes in Colombia. U.S. ...

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