Yahoo! News: Politics News

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• New world for Romney, the all-but-certain nominee
• Obama, Romney say admit women to Augusta golf club
• Gingrich's think tank files for bankruptcy
• Target's Canada move to be reviewed for "culture"
• AP source: Santorum huddles with conservatives
• Panetta has paid $17,000 for commuting to Calif.
• New world for Romney, the all-but-certain nominee
• Obama signs bill to boost business startups
• Syria pressured from all sides at U.N. to halt violence
• India puts up roadblocks to own stake sales
• GSA Again Under Fire, Now Over Video Spoof
• What the Masters Flap Can Teach Us About Politics
• Obama Signs JOBS Act Into Law
• Daniels legacy on line with Ind.'s $205M tax error
• Mali sanctions could end soon: crisis mediator
• Oakland shooting suspect changed name from "Su"
• U.S. not backing off as Iran sanctions bite
• Warden's wife who helped killer escape is freed
• Somali theatre attack snuffs out stirrings of hope
• Djibouti to deport four French nationals
• Grisly death fuels tales of Russian police torture
• Obama setting up Supreme Court as a campaign issue
• Anti-Kony group releases follow-up to viral video
• AP sources: Army investigates Afghan massacre site
• 2nd big Ind. tax gaffe could hurt Daniels' image
• Italy's Monti defends reform as opposition grows
• Judge recuses himself in case of Saudi accused of U.S. bomb plot
• GOP US Rep. Tim Johnson drops re-election bid
• Congress inaction risks 2013 tax "disaster": IRS chief
• Shooter of unarmed Florida teen gets second lawyer
• Ugandan opposition activists defiant in face of ban
• Greek suicide a potent symbol before election

New world for Romney, the all-but-certain nominee Posted: Mitt Romney is sharpening his focus on President Barack Obama and broadening his pitch to independents and Democrats. He has more security around him, his campaign team is growing and his crowds appear more excited to see him. It's a different world for Romney now that he's the almost-certain Republican presidential nominee.

Obama, Romney say admit women to Augusta golf club Posted: A White House spokesman said Thursday that President Barack Obama believes women should be admitted as members to the all-male Augusta National, home of the Masters golf tournament.

Gingrich's think tank files for bankruptcy Posted: The health care think tank created by Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich is going out of business.

Target's Canada move to be reviewed for "culture" Posted: OTTAWA (Reuters) - The Canadian government has ordered a review of U.S. retail giant Target Corp's plan to move into Canada, examining whether it would be of net cultural benefit to Canada. The March 27 decision, which only came to light on Thursday, said cabinet ordered the review under the Investment Canada Act on the recommendation of Heritage Minister James Moore. The review would involve looking at whether the store's "cultural" sales, for example books, will contain enough Canadian content. ...

AP source: Santorum huddles with conservatives Posted: Rick Santorum has met privately with conservative leaders to craft plans to stop Mitt Romney's march to the Republican presidential nomination, and pressuring rival Newt Gingrich to leave the race is part of their strategy.

Panetta has paid $17,000 for commuting to Calif. Posted: Defense Secretary Leon Panetta has commuted on military aircraft to his home in northern California more than two dozen times since he took over the Pentagon in July, paying about $630 per trip for a roundtrip flight that costs the Pentagon about $32,000.

New world for Romney, the all-but-certain nominee Posted: Mitt Romney is sharpening his focus on President Barack Obama and broadening his pitch to independents and Democrats. He has more security around him, his campaign team is growing and his crowds appear more excited to see him. It's a different world for Romney now that he's the almost-certain Republican presidential nominee.

Obama signs bill to boost business startups Posted: WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama signed into law on Thursday a bipartisan bill to kickstart small business growth and he promised rigorous oversight to make sure the measure does not harm investors, as critics have warned. The bill to make it easier for small firms to raise capital and go public marked a rare accomplishment in an gridlocked Congress. Obama, his fellow Democrats and his Republican foes were all eager to show voters in an election year that they could agree on something to boost the fragile economic recovery and fight high unemployment. ...

Syria pressured from all sides at U.N. to halt violence Posted: UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Syria faced pressure from all sides at the United Nations on Thursday as U.N.-Arab League envoy Kofi Annan set a precise deadline for an end to the conflict with clear backing from Russia, China and the rest of the U.N. Security Council. Speaking by video link from Geneva, Annan told the 193-nation U.N. General Assembly he was urging "the government and the opposition commanders to issue clear instructions so that the message reaches across the country, down to the fighter and soldier at the local level" at 6 a.m. (0400 GMT) on April 12. ...

India puts up roadblocks to own stake sales Posted: MUMBAI (Reuters) - India is not making life easy for itself as it looks to sell-off stakes in state companies to help plug a yawning budget gap, with New Delhi's own policies battering sentiment towards government enterprises even as it readies more for market. This week the government ordered state-run Coal India to sign guaranteed supply pacts with power producers at below-market prices, raising the hackles of British activist investor The Children's Investment Fund Management (TCI). ...

GSA Again Under Fire, Now Over Video Spoof Posted: The same government agency already under fire for wasteful spending at a Las Vegas conference is under further scrutiny today for a newly discovered video featuring a U.S. General Services Administration employee bragging about excess government spending. The video features a GSA employee, identified as...

What the Masters Flap Can Teach Us About Politics Posted: The parties need to discuss the role of women without devolving into partisanship. Nearly every morning I try to wake up, be grateful for a new day, put my feet on the floor slowly, have a cup of tea, be as Zen as possible and...

Obama Signs JOBS Act Into Law Posted: President Obama signed the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act today, calling it a "game-changer" that would remove barriers that prevent small businesses from growing and hiring. "Because of this bill, start-ups and small business will now have access to a big, new pool of potential investors...

Daniels legacy on line with Ind.'s $205M tax error Posted: Gov. Mitch Daniels has built a national image as a fiscal manager with an eye for detail, but two massive accounting errors that have tilted Indiana's books by more than half-a-billion dollars threaten to tarnish that reputation as the popular Republican prepares to leave office.

Mali sanctions could end soon: crisis mediator Posted: BAMAKO (Reuters) - Mali's neighbors could soon lift economic and diplomatic sanctions imposed on the West African country with the aim of forcing last month's coup leaders to quit power, a regional mediator said after talks with the junta leader on Thursday. "We are going to do everything so that these sanctions are not only suspended but completely removed. We are getting there," Burkina Faso Foreign Minister Djibril Bassole told Malian television after talks with coup leader Captain Amadou Sanogo. "I can assure you that the captain is aware and taking measures. ...

Oakland shooting suspect changed name from "Su" Posted: WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The suspect in a California shooting rampage that killed seven people and wounded three had changed his name because he thought "Su" sounded like a girl's name, according to a court document. The suspect, One Goh, 43, was born Su Nam Ko in South Korea but changed it in February 2002 when he lived in Falls Church, Virginia, the Fairfax County Circuit Court filing showed. "I do not like my current name because it sounds like (a) girl's name," Goh wrote in the filing. A copy was obtained by Reuters. ...

U.S. not backing off as Iran sanctions bite Posted: WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Obama administration's man in charge of squeezing Tehran over its nuclear program is unapologetic for the strain Western penalties on Iran have exerted on global oil markets. The price of oil has shot up nearly 15 percent since January, companies that trade with Iran are struggling to get paid and the biggest Asian countries are scrambling to work around U.S. sanctions that aim to deprive Tehran of revenue needed to develop its nuclear program. Cohen, undersecretary for terrorism and financial intelligence at the U.S. ...

Warden's wife who helped killer escape is freed Posted: OKLAHOMA CITY (Reuters) - The odd case of Bobbi Parker, a prison official's wife convicted of helping a killer escape and then spending more than decade posing as his wife, took another twist on Thursday with her release from prison. Parker, 49, was allowed out early for good behavior after serving half of her one-year sentence, Oklahoma prison spokesman Jerry Massie said. A jury found her guilty last year of helping convicted murderer Randolph Franklin Dial escape in 1994 from the prison where Parker's husband served as assistant warden. ...

Somali theatre attack snuffs out stirrings of hope Posted: MOGADISHU (Reuters) - Running her small business and bringing up six children in a part of rubble-strewn Mogadishu known as 'Kilometre Five', Safia Omar said a bombing of Somalia's national theatre had robbed her country of a brief sense that things were getting better. The bombing - which targeted the prime minister - killed at least six people including two of Somalia's top sports officials after a young female suicide bomber walked into the theatre and blew herself up. Islamist militant group al Shabaab claimed the attack. ...

Djibouti to deport four French nationals Posted: HARGEISA (Reuters) - Djibouti said on Thursday it would deport four French nationals detained as they tried to cross into Somaliland illegally. The Red Sea state said it had placed the four under surveillance after they entered Djibouti, a former French colony hosting France's largest military base in Africa, from Paris on March 18 and began acting suspiciously. With police in pursuit, the three men and one woman tried on Wednesday to drive into Somaliland, a breakaway region of Somalia, only to get stuck in a dry river bed. ...

Grisly death fuels tales of Russian police torture Posted: KAZAN, Russia (Reuters) - Albert Zagitov had barely set up his new fruit and vegetable stall at the bustling Volga market in the Russian city of Kazan when he was told by a stranger to pack up and go. After he refused, he was taken to a police car and driven to a police station where he says four officers took turns to hit him in the head and chest and threatened to rape him. "As soon as we sat in the car, they started behaving very cruelly, swearing at me and calling me names," said Zagitov, a Russian born in the Tatarstan region of which Kazan is the capital. "The threats were real. ...

Obama setting up Supreme Court as a campaign issue Posted: President Barack Obama is laying groundwork to make the majority-conservative Supreme Court a campaign issue this fall, taking a political page from Republicans who have long railed against liberal judges who don't vote their way.

Anti-Kony group releases follow-up to viral video Posted: LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The group Invisible Children released a new video on Thursday as a follow-up to the viral "Kony 2012" film aimed at focusing global awareness on atrocities attributed to Ugandan rebel leader Joseph Kony and his Lord's Resistance Army. "We want people to dig deeper into this conflict and actively engage in the solutions," Ben Keesey, CEO of Invisible Children, said in a statement announcing the new 20-minute video: "Kony 2012: Part II - Beyond Famous." He said the newest video is "a call to turn global awareness into informed action. ...

AP sources: Army investigates Afghan massacre site Posted: More than three weeks after the massacre of 17 civilians in Afghanistan, U.S. military investigators finally have gotten their first look at the villages where Army Staff Sgt. Robert Bales allegedly carried out the shooting rampage.

2nd big Ind. tax gaffe could hurt Daniels' image Posted: Gov. Mitch Daniels has built a national image as a persnickety fiscal manager with an eye for detail, but two massive accounting errors that have tilted Indiana's books by more than half-a-billion dollars threaten to tarnish that reputation as the popular Republican prepares to leave office.

Italy's Monti defends reform as opposition grows Posted: ROME (Reuters) - Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti said on Thursday he had enough support for planned labor reforms despite a wave of criticism from unions and employers against proposals aimed at making it easier for companies to fire workers. The battle over reforms to Italy's rigid system of labor contracts has dominated Monti's agenda this year and provided his first major political battle since he replaced the scandal-plagued Silvio Berlusconi in November. ...

Judge recuses himself in case of Saudi accused of U.S. bomb plot Posted: LUBBOCK, Texas (Reuters) - A Texas judge presiding over the case of a Saudi student accused of attempting to build and detonate bombs against targets including the Dallas home of former President George W. Bush has recused himself before the scheduled start of the trial. U.S. District Judge Sam Cummings issued the order Wednesday without explanation, and it was unclear on Thursday whether the trial would be reset. U.S. District Judge Donald Walter of Louisiana was appointed on Thursday to handle the case. The appointment was made by U.S. District Judge Sidney Fitzwater of Texas. ...

GOP US Rep. Tim Johnson drops re-election bid Posted: Six-term Illinois Congressman Tim Johnson abandoned his re-election bid on Thursday, leaving his fellow Republicans scrambling to find a replacement and fueling Democrats' hopes of picking up seats and regaining control of the U.S. House.

Congress inaction risks 2013 tax "disaster": IRS chief Posted: WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The commissioner of the U.S. tax-collecting Internal Revenue Service warned on Thursday of "a real disaster" for taxpayers next year should Congress miss a December 31 deadline to decide on billions in major tax provisions. Congress is expected to wait until after Election Day, November 6, to take up whether to extend the individual income tax cuts passed under former president George W. Bush that expire at the end of 2012. Most Democrats and President Barack Obama want to extend all but the top two tax brackets, allowing taxes to increase for high-income earners. ...

Shooter of unarmed Florida teen gets second lawyer Posted: ORLANDO, Florida (Reuters) - The 28-year-old neighborhood watch volunteer who shot and killed an unarmed black teenager in Florida has acquired extra legal help, hiring a veteran criminal defense lawyer and media pundit. George Zimmerman's new lawyer, Hal Uhrig, is a former Gainesville police officer who has worked as a legal consultant for several Florida police departments, according to his online biography. ...

Ugandan opposition activists defiant in face of ban Posted: KAMPALA (Reuters) - A group aligned to Uganda's opposition leader held a low-key rally on Thursday after the government declared it illegal, a move which has drawn condemnation from human rights groups. Opposition frontman Kizza Besigye and the Action4Change (A4C) campaign group have spearheaded a wave of demonstrations against the rising cost of living, prompting the authorities to crack down on their rallies. Ugandan police said they allowed Thursday's rally to go ahead because permission had been sought before the attorney general declared A4C illegal on Wednesday. ...

Greek suicide a potent symbol before election Posted: ATHENS (Reuters) - A Greek pensioner's suicide outside parliament has quickly become a symbol of the pain of austerity and has been seized upon by opponents of the budget cuts imposed by Greece's international lenders. The 77-year-old retired pharmacist, Dimitris Christoulas, shot himself in the head on Wednesday after saying that financial troubles had pushed him over the edge. A suicide note said he preferred to die rather than scavenge for food. ...

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