Yahoo! News: Politics News

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• Obama: Debt limit fight imperils elderly's checks
• Presidential strut is now iconic inaugural moment
• THE RESET: Obama: voters would blame both parties
• Conservatives chip away at $50b Sandy aid package
• U.S. sharing intel on Mali with France, eyes more support
• Aurora shooting victim's mother grieves with Newtown families
• Obama digs heels in, refuses to negotiate debt ceiling
• Reid denies involvement in Utah businessman scheme
• Northern Irish youths pelt Catholic church in latest "flag riots"
• Hitting the debt limit: What bills would be paid?
• U.S. investigators studying battery from Boeing 787 fire
• President Obama Can't Get a Republican Date
• Obama backs gun limits, concedes tough fight ahead
• GOP Ready to Fight Over Debt Limit
• Chinese companies retreat from U.S. listings as scrutiny mounts
• Police car attacked in Libya's Benghazi, one wounded
• Supreme Court weighs overturning sentencing precedent
• U.S. top court won't review "Die Hard" director's guilty plea
• Senator Rand Paul's son accused of assault in airline fracas
• Thousands heed Pakistan cleric's call for anti-graft protest
• ABC / WaPo Poll: Most Back New Gun Controls
• Exclusive: Brazil wants Venezuela election if Chavez dies - sources
• U.N.'s Ban hopes French intervention halts latest offensive in Mali
• JPMorgan ordered to improve controls after "Whale" loss
• Brad Meltzer's new thriller gets Oval Office insight
• 2012 military suicides hit a record high of 349
• Congress Republicans insist on linking debt limit, spending
• Military suicides hit record in 2012, outpace combat deaths
• Ann Romney Says No to 'Dancing'
• Obama deflects criticism about lack of diversity
• Military Suicides in 2012 Tops Military Deaths in Afghanistan
• Canada sets plan to resuscitate venture capital sector
• Obama meets new Saudi interior minister at White House
• AP source: Duncan to stay at education department
• House panel to probe audit watchdog over economic analysis
• Suspected Islamists kill 2 Nigeria police at checkpoint
• Obama vows vigorous effort to implement new gun measures
• Panetta: US helping French forces with intel
• Former President George H.W. Bush leaves hospital

Obama: Debt limit fight imperils elderly's checks Posted: 14 Jan 2013 02:53 PM PST WASHINGTON (AP) — Declaring "we are not a deadbeat nation," President Obama warned on Monday that Social Security checks and veterans' benefits will be delayed if congressional Republicans fail to increase the government's borrowing authority in a looming showdown over the nation's debt and spending.

Presidential strut is now iconic inaugural moment Posted: 14 Jan 2013 12:54 PM PST WASHINGTON (AP) — At some point on Inauguration Day, if all goes as expected, the president's limousine will slow to a stop on its journey down Pennsylvania Avenue from the Capitol to the White House. A Secret Service agent will open the rear passenger door, and the newly sworn-in president and the first lady will emerge from his car for a several-minute stroll. The crowd will cheer. Barack Obama will wave.

THE RESET: Obama: voters would blame both parties Posted: 14 Jan 2013 11:14 AM PST President Barack Obama makes congressional Republicans the villains in the government's drama of lurching from crisis to crisis. But he also suggests Americans would "blame all of Washington" if there's a government shutdown or delays in Social Security benefits and other payments.

Conservatives chip away at $50b Sandy aid package Posted: 14 Jan 2013 03:10 PM PST WASHINGTON (AP) — House conservatives opposed to more deficit spending tried Monday to chip away at the $50.7 billion Superstorm Sandy aid package by requiring offsetting spending cuts to pay for recovery efforts and by stripping money for projects they say are unrelated to the Oct. 29 storm or not urgently needed.

U.S. sharing intel on Mali with France, eyes more support Posted: 14 Jan 2013 03:09 PM PST LISBON (Reuters) - The United States is sharing information with French forces battling al Qaeda-affiliated militants in Mali and is considering providing logistics, surveillance and airlift capability as well, U.S. defense officials said on Monday. "We have made a commitment that al Qaeda is not going to find anyplace to hide," U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta told reporters on his plane as he began a week-long tour of European capitals. ...

Aurora shooting victim's mother grieves with Newtown families Posted: 14 Jan 2013 03:06 PM PST NEWTOWN, Connecticut (Reuters) - Sandy Phillips began her journey of grief nearly six months ago, and on Monday it brought her to the New England community of Newtown, still shattered by the deaths of 20 first graders and six educators at the hands of a gunman in an elementary school. Phillips, the mother of Jessica Redfield Ghawi, one of those killed in an Aurora, Colorado, movie theater shooting in July, traveled 1,800 miles to Newtown for the launch by relatives and neighbors of the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre's victims of an initiative to end gun violence. ...

Obama digs heels in, refuses to negotiate debt ceiling Posted: 14 Jan 2013 03:02 PM PST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama on Monday rejected any negotiations with Republicans over raising the nation's borrowing limit, accusing his opponents of trying to extract a ransom for not ruining the U.S. economy in the latest fiscal fight. Calling a White House news conference to promote his position on the budget, Obama vowed not to trade cuts in government spending sought by Republicans in exchange for raising the borrowing limit. "What I will not do is to have that negotiation with a gun at the head of the American people," he said. ...

Reid denies involvement in Utah businessman scheme Posted: 14 Jan 2013 02:58 PM PST SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's office said Monday he was never involved in a deal to have a Utah businessman pay the senator to make a federal investigation disappear.

Northern Irish youths pelt Catholic church in latest "flag riots" Posted: 14 Jan 2013 02:51 PM PST BELFAST (Reuters) - Youths in Northern Ireland threw petrol bombs at police and rocks at a Catholic Church on Monday night as violence triggered by a decision not to raise the flag at Belfast city hall took on increasingly sectarian overtones. Some loyalists - those who want to see the province remain part of the United Kingdom - pelted homes of nationalists - who seek union with Ireland, and the two groups threw rocks and bottles at each other as police tried to separate the factions, a witness said. ...

Hitting the debt limit: What bills would be paid? Posted: 14 Jan 2013 02:46 PM PST WASHINGTON (AP) — Reiterating a threat he first issued in the summer of 2011, President Barack Obama on Monday warned Republicans that older Americans might not get their Social Security checks and veterans won't get timely benefits if Congress fails to increase the government's borrowing authority.

U.S. investigators studying battery from Boeing 787 fire Posted: 14 Jan 2013 02:44 PM PST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. transportation safety agency said on Monday it was analyzing the lithium-ion battery and burned wire bundles as part of its investigation of a fire aboard a Japan Airlines' Boeing 787 at Boston's Logan Airport last week. The National Transportation Safety Board said in a statement that its investigators plan to disassemble the battery this week after studying the internal condition of the battery via X-rays at an independent test facility over the weekend. ...

President Obama Can't Get a Republican Date Posted: 14 Jan 2013 02:40 PM PST It sounds like President Obama is getting lonely. And – surprise – Republicans aren't keen on helping him out. Asked about the state of congressional relations at his news conference today, the president mused aloud that to some Republicans, "it doesn't look real good socializing...

Obama backs gun limits, concedes tough fight ahead Posted: 14 Jan 2013 02:30 PM PST WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama endorsed controversial bans on assault weapons and high-capacity ammunition magazines on Monday, as well as stricter background checks for gun buyers — but conceded he may not win approval of all in a Congress reluctant to tighten restrictions.

GOP Ready to Fight Over Debt Limit Posted: 14 Jan 2013 02:26 PM PST House Speaker John Boehner openly challenged President Obama to another battle over the country's mounting deficit today, answering Obama's declaration that "America cannot afford another debate" over the debt limit by saying that Americans "do not support raising the debt ceiling without reducing government spending...

Chinese companies retreat from U.S. listings as scrutiny mounts Posted: 14 Jan 2013 02:25 PM PST NEW YORK (Reuters) - Chinese companies are deserting U.S. stock markets in record numbers as regulatory scrutiny mounts and the advantages of a U.S. listing slip away. U.S. government investigations of suspect financial reports and battered share prices have for many Chinese companies wrecked the chances of raising new money in the United States and given them little reason so stay, China experts said. ...

Police car attacked in Libya's Benghazi, one wounded Posted: 14 Jan 2013 02:23 PM PST BENGHAZI, Libya (Reuters) - At least one police officer was wounded when attackers threw a hand grenade at a patrol car in the east Libyan city of Benghazi on Monday in the latest in a series of assaults on security officials, the force said. The city was the seat of the uprising that overthrew Muammar Gaddafi more than a year ago, and the government has struggled to control rival armed factions there ever since. The police car was parking near a crossroads close to the center of Libya's second biggest city when it came under attack from a passing car, a police source said. ...

Supreme Court weighs overturning sentencing precedent Posted: 14 Jan 2013 02:19 PM PST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Supreme Court appeared narrowly divided on Monday on whether to overrule an 11-year-old precedent that lets judges, rather than juries, conduct fact-finding that could result in longer minimum sentences. A review of the 2002 decision, Harris v. U.S., came in one of two cases heard by the court involving the right to a speedy and public trial by an impartial jury guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution's Sixth Amendment. ...

U.S. top court won't review "Die Hard" director's guilty plea Posted: 14 Jan 2013 02:15 PM PST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - John McTiernan, director of the films "Die Hard" and "The Hunt for Red October," lost his bid on Monday to have the U.S. Supreme Court review his guilty plea and one-year prison sentence for perjury and lying to the FBI. The Supreme Court's action could clear the way for the 62-year-old McTiernan to begin serving his prison term. Charles Sevilla, a lawyer for McTiernan, did not immediately respond to requests for comment. ...

Senator Rand Paul's son accused of assault in airline fracas Posted: 14 Jan 2013 02:15 PM PST WINSTON-SALEM, North Carolina (Reuters) - North Carolina police have accused the 19-year-old son of U.S. Senator Rand Paul of assaulting a flight attendant during an incident that led to his arrest on disorderly conduct charges earlier this month, authorities said on Monday. Police arrested William Hilton Paul, who is also the grandson of former Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul, on January 5 at the Charlotte Douglas International Airport, where he had arrived on a US Airways flight from Kentucky. ...

Thousands heed Pakistan cleric's call for anti-graft protest Posted: 14 Jan 2013 02:13 PM PST ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Thousands of Pakistanis converged on the capital Islamabad on Monday to back a Sufi cleric's call for an indefinite delay to elections and a crackdown on government corruption. The cleric, Muhammad Tahirul Qadri, has shot to fame since he returned home from Canada weeks ago and demanded an interim government to root out corrupt and incompetent officials blamed for chronic energy shortages, stunted economic growth, flourishing crime and a failing campaign against the Taliban. Many of the protesters were from a middle class that is being squeezed by soaring prices. ...

ABC / WaPo Poll: Most Back New Gun Controls Posted: 14 Jan 2013 02:00 PM PST A majority of Americans favor such gun control measures as banning assault weapons and expanding background checks on those who buy guns and ammunition, with support for banning high-capacity ammunition magazines at a new high in ABC News/Washington Post polls. With Vice President Joe Biden set to present recommendations...

Exclusive: Brazil wants Venezuela election if Chavez dies - sources Posted: 14 Jan 2013 01:59 PM PST SAO PAULO/BRASILIA (Reuters) - Brazil is urging Venezuela's government to hold elections as quickly as possible if President Hugo Chavez dies, senior officials told Reuters on Monday, a major intervention by Latin America's regional powerhouse that could help ensure a smoother leadership transition in Caracas. Brazilian officials have expressed their wishes directly to Venezuelan Vice President Nicolas Maduro, the officials said on condition of anonymity. Chavez has designated Maduro as his preferred successor if he loses his battle with cancer. ...

U.N.'s Ban hopes French intervention halts latest offensive in Mali Posted: 14 Jan 2013 01:57 PM PST UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Monday welcomed the French-led military intervention in Mali at the request of the government there and voiced the hope that it would halt an assault launched by Islamist militants. "The secretary-general welcomes that bilateral partners are responding, at the request and with the consent of the government of Mali, to its call for assistance to counter the troubling push southward by armed and terrorist groups," Ban's press office said in a statement. ...

JPMorgan ordered to improve controls after "Whale" loss Posted: 14 Jan 2013 01:54 PM PST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. banking regulators on Monday ordered JPMorgan Chase & Co to tighten controls over the risk of trading losses and comply more closely with measures aimed against money-laundering by bank customers. The Federal Reserve and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency issued consent orders against the bank after it revealed billions of dollars in losses due to bad bets from a trader known as the "London Whale." Regulators also ordered the bank to improve its compliance with the Bank Secrecy Act and anti-money laundering requirements. ...

Brad Meltzer's new thriller gets Oval Office insight Posted: 14 Jan 2013 01:53 PM PST (Reuters) - When researching his forthcoming novel about a serial killer plotting to assassinate the U.S. president, New York Times best-selling author Brad Meltzer went straight to the top: 41st President George H.W. Bush, a fan of the author's work. "Bush was extremely helpful," Meltzer, 42, told Reuters ahead of the release of "The Fifth Assassin" by Grand Central Publishing on Tuesday. Meltzer explained that the former president was a fan after reading previous political thrillers he had written. "Bush wrote me the best fan letter I ever got in my life. ...

2012 military suicides hit a record high of 349 Posted: 14 Jan 2013 01:45 PM PST WASHINGTON (AP) — Suicides in the U.S. military surged to a record 349 last year, far exceeding American combat deaths in Afghanistan, and some private experts are predicting the dark trend will grow worse this year.

Congress Republicans insist on linking debt limit, spending Posted: 14 Jan 2013 01:43 PM PST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republican congressional leaders on Monday repeated their demand that increases in U.S. borrowing authority must be accompanied by spending cuts, despite President Barack Obama's insistence that the two issues be dealt with separately. Obama must get "serious about spending and the debt limit is the perfect time for it," said Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell in a statement just moments after Obama concluded a news conference in which he said he would not negotiate on the debt limit. ...

Military suicides hit record in 2012, outpace combat deaths Posted: 14 Jan 2013 01:39 PM PST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The number of U.S. troops committing suicide set a record in 2012, exceeding the number of combat deaths, the Pentagon said on Monday. The Pentagon said 349 active-duty troops killed themselves in 2012, up more than 15 percent from 2011 despite renewed efforts by the military to stem the suicide rate. "This is an epidemic that cannot be ignored," said Senator Patty Murray, who championed legislation last year to improve suicide prevention efforts and mental health care for troops and veterans. ...

Ann Romney Says No to 'Dancing' Posted: 14 Jan 2013 01:38 PM PST It looks like Ann Romney's dancing partner will still only be Mitt. Despite an offer from "Dancing With the Stars" to dance for the mirror ball trophy in the upcoming season,  she turned the show down. A Romney adviser confirms to ABC News that she...

Obama deflects criticism about lack of diversity Posted: 14 Jan 2013 01:36 PM PST WASHINGTON (AP) — Deflecting criticism about a perceived lack of diversity in his second-term Cabinet, President Barack Obama on Monday urged Americans not to rush to judgment about who he will appoint to replace departing members of his team.

Military Suicides in 2012 Tops Military Deaths in Afghanistan Posted: 14 Jan 2013 01:35 PM PST The number of suicides among active duty service members, across all four military branches, reached a record high of 349 in 2012, compared with 301 in 2011. The Associated Press first reported the new numbers, pointing out that the 2012 suicide total was higher than the number...

Canada sets plan to resuscitate venture capital sector Posted: 14 Jan 2013 01:33 PM PST MONTREAL (Reuters) - Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced a plan on Monday to provide C$400 million ($408 million) in venture capital to stem the loss of young entrepreneurs to the United States and to rekindle investor interest in providing start-up funds for new ventures. The money comes in response to consultations that showed venture capital returns have been poor across the world and venture-capital fundraising in Canada has declined since 2001 following the burst of the dot-com bubble. ...

Obama meets new Saudi interior minister at White House Posted: 14 Jan 2013 01:16 PM PST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama met Saudi Arabia's new interior minister, Prince Mohammed bin Nayef, on Monday to discuss security and regional issues, the White House said. Prince Mohammed, appointed in November after the death of his father, veteran Interior Minister Prince Nayef bin Abdulaziz, is best known as Saudi Arabia's long-time security chief and has garnered the praise of Western governments for his role in the campaign against al Qaeda. ...

AP source: Duncan to stay at education department Posted: 14 Jan 2013 01:15 PM PST WASHINGTON (AP) — An Education Department official says Secretary Arne Duncan will remain in President Barack Obama's Cabinet into a second term.

House panel to probe audit watchdog over economic analysis Posted: 14 Jan 2013 01:11 PM PST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A House panel is probing whether the country's primary audit watchdog is doing enough to weigh the economic impact as it considers new regulations for the nation's auditors. In a January 10 letter, House Oversight Chairman Darrell Issa and committee member Patrick McHenry told the chairman of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board, or PCAOB, that they fear the board is "taking insufficient action to comply with the broad consensus that economic analysis is a critical element of credible regulatory policy. ...

Suspected Islamists kill 2 Nigeria police at checkpoint Posted: 14 Jan 2013 01:01 PM PST KANO, Nigeria (Reuters) - Two Nigerian policeman were killed on Monday at a checkpoint in northern Kano state by suspected militants from the Islamist sect Boko Haram, the government said. After a surge in violence around the turn of the year, there have been fewer attacks by the Islamist militants, although they remain the biggest security threat to Africa's top oil producer. Captain Ikedichi Iwewha, spokesman for joint military and police forces in Kano, confirmed the checkpoint attack and said two civilians who were praying by the roadside were wounded. ...

Obama vows vigorous effort to implement new gun measures Posted: 14 Jan 2013 12:59 PM PST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama said on Monday that he would formally present this week a list of "sensible, common sense steps" to reduce gun violence from Vice President Joe Biden and vowed to work vigorously to implement them. Though the proposals have not been made public, a rough outline of what the president hopes to pursue is clear. Obama reiterated that he would support reinstating a ban on assault weapons, stricter controls on high-capacity ammunition clips, and stronger background checks. ...

Panetta: US helping French forces with intel Posted: 14 Jan 2013 12:56 PM PST LISBON, Portugal (AP) — The U.S. is already providing intelligence-gathering assistance to the French in their assault on Islamist extremists in Mali, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said, and officials would not rule out having American aircraft land in the West African nation as part of future efforts to lend airlift and logistical support.

Former President George H.W. Bush leaves hospital Posted: 14 Jan 2013 12:56 PM PST AUSTIN, Texas (Reuters) - Former U.S. President George H.W. Bush was released from a Houston hospital on Monday after more than seven weeks of treatment for bronchitis and related ailments, according to a statement issued by a family spokesman. "Mr. Bush has improved to the point that he will not need any special medication when he goes home, but he will continue physical therapy," Dr. Amy Mynderse, the doctor in charge of Bush's care, said in the statement, issued by Bush spokesman Jim McGrath. ...

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