Yahoo! News: Politics News

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• Romney: Regular people teach him about struggles
• THE RACE: Hiring slowdown could vex Obama plans
• Lugar challenger relies on years of party loyalty
• Lawyer: Edwards knew money was for his benefit
• China says dissident may apply to study in U.S.
• Abby Huntsman: Romney's Chen Guangcheng Criticism Was 'Very Foolish'
• U.S. law firm Dewey warns of impending layoffs
• Canada pitches the penny, wants charities to gain
• Romney is a grandfather again
• Seau's brain could hold clues about NFL injuries' impacts
• Football great Junior Seau's brain to be examined
• More Details on Santorum, Romney Detente
• Afghan-bound U.S. soldiers urged to be on best behavior
• Judge: Texas can't cut funds to Planned Parenthood
• Treasury to sell more AIG common stock
• AP NewsAlert
• Army imposes curfew in Cairo district after clashes
• Turkey court gives Ferguson time to settle -media
• U.S. hiring slows, spells trouble for economy, Obama
• U.S. proposes new rules for fracking on federal lands
• Hiring slows, spells trouble for economy, Obama
• Unemployment Politics: How Much Economic Recovery Does Obama Need?
• Bodies of 23 found dumped near U.S. border in Mexico drug war
• Intelligence, military at odds on Afghanistan: congressman
• Secret Terrorism-Espionage Wiretaps Increased in 2011
• TransCanada reapplies for oil pipeline
• NY Rep. Slaughter leaves hospital month after fall
• Keystone XL pipeline takes second shot at U.S. OK
• Interior sets new drilling rules on public land
• Libertarians gather to choose presidential nominee
• Panetta: Troop scandals hurt US Afghan mission
• Americans favor limited U.S. role in Afghanistan
• Six Months Out - The Weekly Political Summary Begins

Romney: Regular people teach him about struggles Posted: Mitt Romney says he learns about what it's like to struggle in a difficult economy by sitting down to chat with regular people. But the Republican presidential candidate doesn't want anybody to see it — and his campaign won't say who he meets with or when the meetings occur.

THE RACE: Hiring slowdown could vex Obama plans Posted: The economy isn't cooperating with President Barack Obama's re-election schedule.

Lugar challenger relies on years of party loyalty Posted: For roughly two decades, Indiana Treasurer Richard Mourdock toiled in the trenches of the state Republican Party, losing more races than he won. But along the way he made a name for himself among GOP loyalists, tirelessly working the fundraising circuit and building a strong network of ground-level support.

Lawyer: Edwards knew money was for his benefit Posted: The lawyer for a wealthy heiress who provided secret payments intended to help John Edwards testified Friday that the former presidential candidate acknowledged the money had been given for his benefit.

China says dissident may apply to study in U.S. Posted: BEIJING (Reuters) - China said on Friday that blind dissident Chen Guangcheng could apply to study abroad, a move praised by U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and suggesting an end may be near to a diplomatic standoff between Beijing and Washington. But rights activists sounded a note of caution, saying Beijing could move slowly on granting Chen permission to leave out of fear that appearing soft might embolden other challengers to Communist Party rule before a power handover late this year. ...

Abby Huntsman: Romney's Chen Guangcheng Criticism Was 'Very Foolish' Posted: Abby Huntsman Livingston, daughter of the former presidential candidate Jon Huntsman, waded into the controversy surrounding the Chinese human rights activist Chen Guangcheng today, lambasting both President Obama and Mitt Romney for how they have handled the sensitive diplomatic issue. Drawing from her experiences living...

U.S. law firm Dewey warns of impending layoffs Posted: NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. law firm Dewey & LeBoeuf on Friday notified U.S. attorneys and staff of impending mass layoffs, a source close to the firm said, the starkest sign yet that the firm could be on the verge of collapse. The firm issued the notification letters under federal and New York statutes that require employers to notify workers of mass layoffs in advance, according to the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity. ...

Canada pitches the penny, wants charities to gain Posted: WINNIPEG, Manitoba (Reuters) - Canada minted its final one-cent coin on Friday and urged people to donate the little copper-covered coins to charity rather than let them go to waste. Finance Minister Jim Flaherty said a charitable donation would be an apt last stop for the pennies, which Canada is pulling from circulation later this year after 104 years. "We hope all Canadians will consider putting their last pennies to good use by donating them to charity," Flaherty said. "I consider it fitting they could have a lasting impact on causes that Canadians believe in. ...

Romney is a grandfather again Posted: Mitt Romney is a grandfather again, and he has a surrogate to thank.

Seau's brain could hold clues about NFL injuries' impacts Posted: NEW YORK (Reuters) - When 300-pound professional football players repeatedly slam into each other like runaway freight trains, what impact does that have on their brains? To find out, researchers who study sports-related injuries are examining the brains of former National Football League players like Junior Seau, 43, who committed suicide on Wednesday. They are trying to determine what, if any, long-term effect sports-related head injuries can have on players and whether damage caused by repeated jarring blows could have contributed to Seau's and other players' deaths. ...

Football great Junior Seau's brain to be examined Posted: LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Football great Junior Seau's brain will be examined for evidence of repetitive injuries from his playing days following the retired linebacker's suicide in his California beachfront home, a pastor for the family said on Friday. Seau, a 12-time Pro Bowl (all-star game) selection who played for 20 years in the National Football League, was found unconscious at his home by his girlfriend on Wednesday with a gunshot wound to the chest and a revolver nearby, police said. ...

More Details on Santorum, Romney Detente Posted: More details are coming out from the one-on-one 90 minute meeting held earlier today in Pittsburgh between presumptive GOP nominee Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum. Longtime Santorum advisor John Brabender tells ABC News that the meeting between men who until last month were fierce rivals...

Afghan-bound U.S. soldiers urged to be on best behavior Posted: WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Defense Secretary Leon Panetta urged a group of Afghanistan-bound soldiers on Friday to behave with integrity in the war zone, saying thoughtless photos and actions could provoke violence that would endanger their lives and their mission. "These days it takes only seconds, seconds, for a picture, a photo, to suddenly become an international headline," Panetta told members of the 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team at Fort Benning, Georgia. "Those headlines can impact the mission that we're engaged in. ...

Judge: Texas can't cut funds to Planned Parenthood Posted: A federal appeals court ruled Friday that Texas cannot ban Planned Parenthood from receiving state funds, at least until a lower court has a chance to hear formal arguments.

Treasury to sell more AIG common stock Posted: WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Treasury Department said on Friday it plans a third sale of the common stock of American International Group that it acquired as part of the government bailout of the insurer in 2008, at the height of the financial crisis. The Treasury said the size and price of the offering are to be determined. Buyers purchased $6 billion of AIG common stock in March and $5.8 billion worth in May 2011. AIG has said it intends to buy up to $2 billion of the stock sold in the offering, the Treasury Department said in a statement. ...

AP NewsAlert Posted: Republican-led committee advances Colorado civil unions measure.

Army imposes curfew in Cairo district after clashes Posted: CAIRO (Reuters) - Egypt's army imposed an overnight curfew around the defense ministry in Cairo on Friday after protesters clashed with troops there during demonstrations against the country's military rulers, leaving one soldier dead and 373 people wounded. The crowd hurled projectiles and insults at the soldiers sent to defend the ministry after 11 people were killed in fighting there on Wednesday, and called for the overthrow of the head of the ruling army council, Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi. ...

Turkey court gives Ferguson time to settle -media Posted: ISTANBUL (Reuters) - A Turkish court trying British duchess Sarah Ferguson for secretly filming the treatment of mentally handicapped children adjourned after opening on Friday to give time for an out-of-court settlement, Turkish media said. Ferguson, who holds the title Duchess of York as the ex-wife of Britain's Prince Andrew, was not present in court. She signaled when the charges were brought in January that she would not return to face trial. The offences carry a maximum sentence of up to 22 years and six months. ...

U.S. hiring slows, spells trouble for economy, Obama Posted: WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. employers cut back on hiring in April and more people stopped looking for work, troubling signs for President Barack Obama whose re-election prospects could hinge on his handling of the economy. Employers added 115,000 workers to payrolls last month, the Labor Department said on Friday. It was the third straight month in which hiring had slowed, intensifying fears the U.S. recovery is losing momentum. Even a slight drop in the unemployment rate to 8.1 percent had a dark tone because the fall was due entirely to people dropping out of the workforce. ...

U.S. proposes new rules for fracking on federal lands Posted: WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Obama administration unveiled long-awaited rules on Friday to bolster oversight on public lands of oil and natural gas drilling using fracking technology that has ushered in a boom in drilling but also triggered environmental protests. Interior's proposal would update its decades-old fracking regulations with new reporting standards and a requirement that companies get approval before using the drilling technique. The proposal also would require companies to reveal chemicals they use in hydraulic fracturing after they complete the process. ...

Hiring slows, spells trouble for economy, Obama Posted: WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Employers cut back on hiring in April and more people stopped looking for work, troubling signs for President Barack Obama whose re-election prospects could hinge on his handling of the economy. Employers added 115,000 workers to payrolls last month, the Labor Department said on Friday. It was the third straight month in which hiring had slowed, intensifying fears the U.S. recovery is losing momentum. Even a slight drop in the unemployment rate to 8.1 percent had a dark tone because the fall was due entirely to people dropping out of the workforce. ...

Unemployment Politics: How Much Economic Recovery Does Obama Need? Posted: President Obama might not be able to claim things "are getting better" on the campaign trail this fall. After a rocky start to his presidency, in which the unemployment rate topped out at 10 percent nine months after he was inaugurated, the economy has steadily...

Bodies of 23 found dumped near U.S. border in Mexico drug war Posted: MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - The bodies of 23 people were found hanging from a bridge or dismembered in ice boxes and garbage bags in northeastern Mexico on Friday, in an escalation of brutal violence involving rival drug gangs on the U.S. border. In a first incident, the bodies of five men and four women were found hanging from a bridge in Nuevo Laredo, in Tamaulipas state just across the border from the Texas city of Laredo. ...

Intelligence, military at odds on Afghanistan: congressman Posted: WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. military and intelligence officials are at odds about how the 11-year war in Afghanistan is faring as President Barack Obama presses ahead with a gradual withdrawal of U.S. troops out of the country, a leading Republican lawmaker said Friday. The U.S. military is more optimistic about the state of the battle against Taliban insurgents than are intelligence officials on the ground in Afghanistan, said House intelligence committee Chairman Mike Rogers, who returned this week from a visit to the country. ...

Secret Terrorism-Espionage Wiretaps Increased in 2011 Posted: The Justice Department sought 1,745 secret wiretapping warrants in 2011, an increase of 239 over 2010, according to correspondence sent to Congressional leaders and oversight committees posted on the Justice Department website.  The secret warrants are governed under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) and...

TransCanada reapplies for oil pipeline Posted: The Canadian company trying to build the disputed Keystone XL pipeline in the U.S. submitted a new application for the project Friday after changing the route to avoid environmentally sensitive land in Nebraska.

NY Rep. Slaughter leaves hospital month after fall Posted: U.S. Rep. Louise Slaughter has been released from an upstate New York hospital where she's spent most of the past month recuperating from a broken leg suffered in a fall.

Keystone XL pipeline takes second shot at U.S. OK Posted: CALGARY, Alberta (Reuters) - TransCanada Corp is taking its second shot at asking Washington to approve the contentious Keystone XL oil pipeline, betting that a new route through Nebraska and post-U.S. election time frame for a decision will push the project forward. The reapplication to the U.S. State Department on Friday comes after Canada's largest pipeline company carved the proposal into two parts in hopes of kickstarting the project. U.S. President Barack Obama rejected the full $7. ...

Interior sets new drilling rules on public land Posted: The Obama administration said Friday it will for the first time require companies drilling for oil and natural gas on public and Indian lands to publicly disclose chemicals used in hydraulic fracturing operations.

Libertarians gather to choose presidential nominee Posted: LAS VEGAS (Reuters) - The Libertarian Party chooses a presidential nominee on Saturday, who it hopes can capitalize on the Republican White House candidacy of Ron Paul and his focus on party values like small government and a non-interventionist foreign policy. While Paul is not expected to attend the convention in Las Vegas or run as the Libertarian candidate, his small but devoted following in Republican primaries this year has buoyed Libertarians. ...

Panetta: Troop scandals hurt US Afghan mission Posted: Defense Secretary Leon Panetta warned troops Friday that it takes just seconds for misconduct to make headlines and said that enemy insurgents can use recent military scandals to fuel their fight.

Americans favor limited U.S. role in Afghanistan Posted: WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Most Americans want U.S. troops out of Afghanistan and oppose a significant long-term commitment to support that nation's economy and security, a Reuters/Ipsos poll showed on Friday. But the poll also indicated that most Americans favor keeping some U.S. forces in Afghanistan to help train that nation's troops, and to continue missions targeting al-Qaeda. Taken together, the findings suggest "Americans essentially want to be done with Afghanistan," said Ipsos pollster Chris Jackson. ...

Six Months Out - The Weekly Political Summary Begins Posted: Six months from now we'll know lots of things:  the name of the GOP VP nominee, the final jobs report numbers; the winner of the World Series. Until then, we have a weekly update/summary of where things are, and where we see them going. ELECTORAL...

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