| U.S. hostage urges Obama to meet al Qaeda demands Posted:  DUBAI (Reuters) - An American aid worker abducted by al Qaeda in Pakistan last year has pleaded with U.S. President Barack Obama to meet his captors' demands for the release of prisoners in order to save his life, in a video released by the militant group's media arm. In the short clip posted on Islamist Internet forums, Warren Weinstein, who was kidnapped in the central Pakistani city of Lahore last August, appealed to Obama to "accept and respond to the mujahideen (holy warriors)". "My life is in your hands, Mr. President. ...
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| Mothers cling to chubby ideal for toddlers: study Posted:  CHICAGO (Reuters) - Mothers of overweight toddlers often mistakenly think their children are normal weight, and mothers of underweight toddlers often wish they were plumper, U.S. researchers said on Monday. The findings, based on a study of poor women in Baltimore, suggest that U.S. mothers often do not have a realistic idea of their offspring's weight, and many still cling to the notion that a chubby child is healthy child. "A long time ago, it was O.K. to value a chubby baby when kids were underweight and we had potato famines and what not. ...
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| Heiress money for Edwards wasn't political: government witness Posted:  GREENSBORO, North Carolina (Reuters) - A government witness on Monday supported former Senator John Edwards' claim that he didn't know about payments used to conceal his pregnant mistress during his 2008 presidential bid, and the money wasn't intended as a campaign contribution. Heiress Rachel "Bunny" Mellon's attorney testified there was "no doubt" that the wealthy supporter said the $725,000 she provided to an Edwards aide were not political donations. ...
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| Divided Congress likely to agree on student loans Posted:  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - One way or another, the Congress seems certain to prevent a low interest rate for federal student loans from doubling on July 1, aides and analysts say, largely because lawmakers do not want to rile young voters before the November 6 elections. Yet it remains unclear how - or even if - Congress will pay for a one-year-renewal of the 3.4 percent rate for about 7.4 million students, which would cost about $6 billion. ...
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| Five suspected in Ohio bombing attempt plead not guilty Posted:  CLEVELAND (Reuters) - Five men charged with trying to blow up a four-lane highway south of Cleveland pleaded not guilty on Monday in a federal court crowded with their supporters. The five, Douglas Wright, Brandon Baxter, Anthony Hayne, Connor Stevens and Joshua Stafford, were arrested last Tuesday after allegedly paying an undercover FBI agent $900 for what they believed to be bombs, but were actually fakes. The men, ranging in age from 20 to 37, had attempted to use the fake bombs to blow up a bridge on a four-lane highway in a May Day protest, according to prosecutors. ...
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| Court reverses itself on veterans healthcare overhaul Posted: (Reuters) - A federal appeals court has reversed a ruling that the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs must overhaul how it cares for veterans with combat-related mental health care illnesses. By a 10-1 decision, a panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco said it could not conclude that the VA's treatment of veterans, which sometimes causes claims to remain unaddressed for several years, was unconstitutional. The panel said only Congress or the President had authority to direct changes to speed up how veterans are treated. ... |
| Healthcare access to erode if law struck down: study Posted:  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Most Americans have seen a decade-long erosion in access to medical services that is likely to continue if President Barack Obama's healthcare law is struck down by the Supreme Court or repealed in Congress, a study released on Monday shows. The study, one of a series on the fractured state of the $2.6 trillion U.S. healthcare system published in the May issue of the journal Health Affairs, says access to health care deteriorated for U.S. adults aged 19 to 64 between 2000 and 2010, even among those with private health insurance. ...
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| Son of missing Hollywood executive says few clues so far Posted:  LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The son of a Hollywood studio executive who has been missing for a week said Monday that his father had not used his cellphone or credit cards, leaving no clues to his disappearance. Gavin Smith, a 57-year-old film distribution executive for 20th Century Fox, was last seen on Tuesday night driving away from a friend's house in the community of Oak Park, north of Los Angeles, in his black Mercedes. ...
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| Dog food salmonella recall expanded in U.S., Canada Posted:  (Reuters) - Diamond Pet Foods has expanded a recall of its dry dog food, taking precautionary steps after several of its brands were linked to an outbreak of a rare strain of salmonella poisoning that infected at least 14 people in nine states. The company said it was now pulling a total of nine brands of its dry dog food from the shelves. In April, it began the recall by pulling three brands. The salmonella cases were found in humans who may have had contact with dogs or dog foods prior to their illness. ...
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| Playboy model steals the show at Mexican election debate Posted: MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Mexico's electoral authority apologized to voters on Monday after a sober presidential debate was upstaged by a former Playboy model and her revealing outfit. Clad in a tight-fitting white dress with a cut below the neckline to show much of her cleavage, Julia Orayen was working as an assistant on the televised debate, which focused on the economy and the drug-related violence ravaging Mexico. At the start of Sunday night's debate, Orayen walked in front of the camera to hand out cards to the four candidates, and created an immediate stir on online social media. ... |
| California seller of suicide kits sentenced for tax offense Posted:  SAN DIEGO (Reuters) - A 93-year-old woman who made headlines by selling suicide kits from her California home was placed on five years of supervised probation on Monday and ordered to pay a $1,000 fine for a tax-related offense stemming from her mail-order business. Sharlotte Hydorn, a great-grandmother and retired science teacher, pleaded guilty in December to a federal charge of failing to file income tax returns from 2007 through 2010, a period during which investigators said at least seven customers used her kits to kill themselves. ...
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| Consumer-directed health plans show mixed results Posted: WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Employer-sponsored health insurance plans with low premiums and high deductibles could cut healthcare costs significantly but not without potential risks for workers, according to a study published on Monday. A Rand Corporation study, published in the May issue of the journal Health Affairs, said so-called "consumer-directed" health plans would cut healthcare costs for the nonelderly by 4 percent, or $57 billion a year, if they accounted for half of all employer-sponsored health insurance. ... |
| House Republicans target social cuts to shield military Posted:  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republicans in the House of Representatives on Monday will fire their first shots of the next deficit-reduction battle, advancing legislation to cut nearly $380 billion largely from social programs while protecting defense spending. The cuts to food stamps, child tax credits and Medicaid healthcare for the poor, among others, are certain to stall in the Democratic-controlled Senate. But they stake out Republicans' negotiating stance on replacing $1.2 trillion in automatic, across-the-board spending cuts that are due to take effect in January. ...
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| Education secretary adds support to gay marriage Posted:  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Secretary of Education Arne Duncan said on Monday that same-sex couples should be allowed to marry, following a similar comment from Vice President Joe Biden the day before. The views of Duncan and Biden contrast with that of President Barack Obama, who has said he is "evolving" on the issue of gay marriage. Duncan was asked on MSNBC's "Morning Joe" program if he believes same-sex couples should legally be allowed to wed. "Yes, I do," he said. Asked if he had ever stated his position before, Duncan said, "I don't think I've ever been asked publicly. ...
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| Leading Colombian drug kingpin turns himself in Posted: BOGOTA (Reuters) - A Colombian suspected of running a violent cocaine cartel, one of the country's most-wanted men, has surrendered to U.S. drug officials and could get a lighter sentence if he helps authorities fight drug trafficking, Colombian police said on Monday. Javier Antonio Calle, for whom the U.S. government was offering a $5-million reward, turned himself in to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) on the Caribbean island of Aruba and was flown to New York on Friday, authorities said. "As a result of ... ... |
| Old feud appears to sink Obama's Fed nominees Posted:  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama's two nominees to the Federal Reserve appear likely to fall victim to a long-running political feud, which would leave the central bank short-handed as it struggles with tough regulatory and monetary policy questions. Republican Senator David Vitter has demanded that the Senate hold a debate before any vote on the nominees, which would require Democratic leaders to muster a super majority to move forward - a hurdle that may be too high to clear. ...
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| Madoff trustee now seeks $255 million from family Posted:  (Reuters) - Members of Bernard Madoff's family were hit with an expanded $255.3 million lawsuit, saying they should have caught the patriarch's Ponzi scheme and must return the benefits to victims. Irving Picard, the trustee seeking money for Madoff's victims, said family members who worked at Bernard L. Madoff Investment Securities LLC were "completely derelict" in ensuring that the investment firm's operations were legal. The lawsuit adds three former spouses of Madoff's sons as defendants. ...
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| Soldier who died during Skype chat was not shot: Army Posted:  (Reuters) - An Army captain who collapsed and died in Afghanistan while communicating with his wife over Skype was not shot and his body showed no immediate evidence of trauma beyond minor abrasions, an Army spokesman said on Monday. The Virginia-based U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command (CID) said its investigation into Captain Bruce Clark's May 1 death is continuing. ...
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| U.S. prosecutors say ready for long haul in 9/11 case Posted:  GUANTANAMO BAY U.S. NAVAL BASE, Cuba (Reuters) - Prosecutors and defense attorneys for five defendants in the September 11 attacks dug in on Sunday for a long legal battle that one lawyer said may never be resolved. The military tribunal is not expected to start for almost another year and if Saturday's 13-hour arraignment was an accurate preview, the trial will be chaotic and drawn out with continuing disputes about torture and whether a military trial is appropriate. The defendants on Saturday refused to enter pleas and demanded a full reading of the charges against them. ...
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| Court reverses itself on veterans healthcare overhaul Posted: (Reuters) - A federal appeals court has reversed a ruling that the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs must overhaul how it cares for veterans with combat-related mental health care illnesses. By a 10-1 decision, a panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco said it could not conclude that the VA's treatment of veterans, which sometimes causes claims to remain unaddressed for several years, was unconstitutional. The panel said only Congress or the President had authority to direct changes to speed up how veterans are treated. ... |
| Playboy model steals the show at Mexican election debate Posted: MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Mexico's electoral authority apologized to voters on Monday after a sober presidential debate was upstaged by a former Playboy model and her revealing outfit. Clad in a tight-fitting white dress with a cut below the neckline to show much of her cleavage, Julia Orayen was working as an assistant on the televised debate, which focused on the economy and the drug-related violence ravaging Mexico. At the start of Sunday night's debate, Orayen walked in front of the camera to hand out cards to the four candidates, and created an immediate stir on online social media. ... |
| U.S. hostage urges Obama to meet al Qaeda demands Posted: DUBAI (Reuters) - An American aid worker abducted by al Qaeda in Pakistan last year has pleaded with U.S. President Barack Obama to meet his captors' demands for the release of prisoners in order to save his life, in a video released by the militant group's media arm. In the short clip posted on Islamist Internet forums, Warren Weinstein, who was kidnapped in the central Pakistani city of Lahore last August, appealed to Obama to "accept and respond to the mujahideen (holy warriors)". "My life is in your hands, Mr. President. ... |
| Mothers cling to chubby ideal for toddlers: study Posted: CHICAGO (Reuters) - Mothers of overweight toddlers often mistakenly think their children are normal weight, and mothers of underweight toddlers often wish they were plumper, U.S. researchers said on Monday. The findings, based on a study of poor women in Baltimore, suggest that U.S. mothers often do not have a realistic idea of their offspring's weight, and many still cling to the notion that a chubby child is healthy child. "A long time ago, it was O.K. to value a chubby baby when kids were underweight and we had potato famines and what not. ... |
| California seller of suicide kits sentenced for tax offense Posted: SAN DIEGO (Reuters) - A 93-year-old woman who made headlines by selling suicide kits from her California home was placed on five years of supervised probation on Monday and ordered to pay a $1,000 fine for a tax-related offense stemming from her mail-order business. Sharlotte Hydorn, a great-grandmother and retired science teacher, pleaded guilty in December to a federal charge of failing to file income tax returns from 2007 through 2010, a period during which investigators said at least seven customers used her kits to kill themselves. ... |
| Heiress money for Edwards wasn't political: government witness Posted: GREENSBORO, North Carolina (Reuters) - A government witness on Monday supported former Senator John Edwards' claim that he didn't know about payments used to conceal his pregnant mistress during his 2008 presidential bid, and the money wasn't intended as a campaign contribution. Heiress Rachel "Bunny" Mellon's attorney testified there was "no doubt" that the wealthy supporter said the $725,000 she provided to an Edwards aide were not political donations. ... |
| Five suspected in Ohio bombing attempt plead not guilty Posted: CLEVELAND (Reuters) - Five men charged with trying to blow up a four-lane highway south of Cleveland pleaded not guilty on Monday in a federal court crowded with their supporters. The five, Douglas Wright, Brandon Baxter, Anthony Hayne, Connor Stevens and Joshua Stafford, were arrested last Tuesday after allegedly paying an undercover FBI agent $900 for what they believed to be bombs, but were actually fakes. The men, ranging in age from 20 to 37, had attempted to use the fake bombs to blow up a bridge on a four-lane highway in a May Day protest, according to prosecutors. ... |
| Son of missing Hollywood executive says few clues so far Posted: LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The son of a Hollywood studio executive who has been missing for a week said Monday that his father had not used his cellphone or credit cards, leaving no clues to his disappearance. Gavin Smith, a 57-year-old film distribution executive for 20th Century Fox, was last seen on Tuesday night driving away from a friend's house in the community of Oak Park, north of Los Angeles, in his black Mercedes. ... |
| Consumer-directed health plans show mixed results Posted: WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Employer-sponsored health insurance plans with low premiums and high deductibles could cut healthcare costs significantly but not without potential risks for workers, according to a study published on Monday. A Rand Corporation study, published in the May issue of the journal Health Affairs, said so-called "consumer-directed" health plans would cut healthcare costs for the nonelderly by 4 percent, or $57 billion a year, if they accounted for half of all employer-sponsored health insurance. ... |
| Education secretary adds support to gay marriage Posted: WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Secretary of Education Arne Duncan said on Monday that same-sex couples should be allowed to marry, following a similar comment from Vice President Joe Biden the day before. The views of Duncan and Biden contrast with that of President Barack Obama, who has said he is "evolving" on the issue of gay marriage. Duncan was asked on MSNBC's "Morning Joe" program if he believes same-sex couples should legally be allowed to wed. "Yes, I do," he said. Asked if he had ever stated his position before, Duncan said, "I don't think I've ever been asked publicly. ... |
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