Yahoo! News: Politics News

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• Obamas get personal as a way to get election votes
• Romney and Obama now fight for edge on Medicare
• Call for Spanish language political spending
• Sudan frees U.S. resident after Washington demands release
• U.S. SEC says shuts ZeekRewards.com $600 million Ponzi scheme
• Paul Ryan releases two years of tax returns
• Romney and Obama now fight for edge on Medicare
• Seven charged in shootings that killed Louisiana police officers
• 2012 conventions embrace social media openness
• Group behind new Obama attack ad has Republican Party ties
• Baseball star Eddie Murray settles SEC insider trading charges
• Beard debate delays Fort Hood shooting trial
• White House, Romney assail Iran comments on Israel
• U.S. tightens reins on Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac
• U.S. faces stiff opposition to emergency oil release plans
• Unemployment rates rise in U.S. election swing states
• Group sues to block Los Angeles ban on medical marijuana shops
• Paul Ryan's Facebook explosion, Soft Barack, a Special This Week on the U.S. and Bankruptcy (PM Note)
• Newspaper chain owner proposes C$13 billion Canada refinery
• U.N. confirms Algeria's Brahimi to replace Annan as Syria envoy
• Russia embassy in UK says attacked by Syria activists
• Thousands flee Syria, Damascus diarrhea outbreak: U.N
• First Syrian in space joins revolt against Assad
• ICRC says met Meqdad clan, ready to help in any release
• U.S. sues Florida over ending kosher meals in prisons
• Egypt's Mursi accused of stifling dissent in media crackdown
• Report accuses general of lavish travel, spending
• Obama recycles earmarks to fund transportation projects
• For Ryan, physical fitness a lifelong endeavor
• Illinois House expels Democrat indicted for bribery
• Russian judge finds punk rock band members guilty
• U.S. Army suicides reached record monthly high in July
• Israel strike on Iran would be disaster: Netanyahu's ex-deputy

Obamas get personal as a way to get election votes Posted: 17 Aug 2012 12:29 PM PDT He talks about his single mother and the grandmother who helped raise him. He tells voters he misses his wife when they're apart. She tells voters he's still cute, even with gray hair.

Romney and Obama now fight for edge on Medicare Posted: 17 Aug 2012 03:02 PM PDT The jobs-and-economy election suddenly seems all about Medicare — for now, at least.

Call for Spanish language political spending Posted: 17 Aug 2012 12:27 PM PDT Just a month after Forbes Magazine recognized the Hispanic television market as "the next media jackpot," some are complaining that Hispanic media aren't getting a fair share of attention from the political realm.

Sudan frees U.S. resident after Washington demands release Posted: 17 Aug 2012 03:18 PM PDT KHARTOUM (Reuters) - Sudan's security services have freed a resident of the United States who was arrested just after being released in one of the first trials of people detained in anti-government protests, his lawyer said on Friday. The United States had demanded the release of Radwan Daoud who was re-arrested by security agents on Monday, the same day a judge found him not guilty of the most serious charges against him, which included forming a terrorist organization. ...

U.S. SEC says shuts ZeekRewards.com $600 million Ponzi scheme Posted: 17 Aug 2012 03:15 PM PDT (Reuters) - The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission said it shut down a $600 million online Ponzi scheme on the verge of collapse and won a court ordered emergency asset freeze to protect some of the more than 1 million investors it had attracted. ZeekRewards.com, created in January 2011 by Paul Burks and touted as a "private, invitation only, affiliate advertising division" of penny auction website Zeekler.com, promised investors up to 50 percent of "daily net profits" through a system based on rewards points, the SEC said. ...

Paul Ryan releases two years of tax returns Posted: 17 Aug 2012 03:11 PM PDT WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republican vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan on Friday released tax returns for 2010 and 2011 for himself and wife Janna. The campaign for Mitt Romney, the Republican presidential challenger who has come under fire for releasing only two years of his own tax returns, posted the Ryans' documents online. "It's time to focus on the real issues in this campaign - turning around the economy and getting America back to work again," the campaign said. (Reporting by Karey Wutkowski; Editing by Will Dunham)

Romney and Obama now fight for edge on Medicare Posted: 17 Aug 2012 03:02 PM PDT The jobs-and-economy election suddenly seems all about Medicare — for now, at least.

Seven charged in shootings that killed Louisiana police officers Posted: 17 Aug 2012 02:51 PM PDT NEW ORLEANS (Reuters) - Louisiana police have charged seven people in connection with Thursday's shootings near New Orleans that left two sheriff's deputies dead and two others wounded, authorities said. Brian Lyn Smith, 24, of LaPlace, Louisiana, was charged with attempted first-degree murder, St. John Parish Sheriff's Office spokesman Dane Clement said on Friday. Terry Smith, 44, Derrick Smith, 22, Kyle David Joekel, 28, and Teniecha Bright, 21, were charged with being a principal to attempted first-degree murder, Clement said. ...

2012 conventions embrace social media openness Posted: 17 Aug 2012 02:31 PM PDT Democrats and Republicans are using social media to turn their national conventions away from the smoke-filled rooms of yore and into meetings where anyone who wants to get involved is just a click away, no matter where they are.

Group behind new Obama attack ad has Republican Party ties Posted: 17 Aug 2012 02:26 PM PDT WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A group of former U.S. spies and commandos that launched a media campaign this week criticizing President Barack Obama's national security record has extensive links to the Republican Party, public records indicate. Records filed with federal and state authorities, and material posted on the Internet, show that key players in the campaign by the Special Operations OPSEC Education Fund include individuals with current or former affiliations with national and local Republican Party organizations. These include the group's treasurer, lawyer and TV producers. ...

Baseball star Eddie Murray settles SEC insider trading charges Posted: 17 Aug 2012 02:25 PM PDT NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. securities regulators on Friday charged Hall of Fame baseball player Eddie Murray with insider trading in shares of a medical device company, an allegation the former Baltimore Orioles first baseman settled by paying a $358,151 penalty. The Securities and Exchange Commission also filed civil charges against two other people, accusing them of insider trading in shares of Advanced Medical Optics before the company announced it was being acquired in 2009 by Abbott Laboratories. ...

Beard debate delays Fort Hood shooting trial Posted: 17 Aug 2012 02:21 PM PDT AUSTIN, Texas (Reuters) - A military appeals court indefinitely postponed the court martial for accused Fort Hood shooter Major Nidal Hasan on Friday while it decides if the trial judge can order his beard forcibly shaved, U.S. Army officials said. Hasan is accused of opening fire at a deployment center at Fort Hood, Texas, on November 5, 2009. He is charged with 13 counts of premeditated murder and 32 counts of attempted premeditated murder in the shooting at the sprawling Central Texas complex. He faces the death penalty if convicted of murder. ...

White House, Romney assail Iran comments on Israel Posted: 17 Aug 2012 02:17 PM PDT Iran's threatening comments about Israel's existence is spilling over into the presidential campaign, with both the White House and Republican Mitt Romney responding to the sharp attacks against the Jewish state.

U.S. tightens reins on Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac Posted: 17 Aug 2012 02:17 PM PDT WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Treasury on Friday revamped the bailout of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to curb chances the giant mortgage finance firms could emerge from government control as the powerful, profit-driven corporations they once were. The Treasury said it would require the companies, whose massive losses threatened the financial system after the housing bubble burst in 2007, to shrink their investment portfolios more quickly and turn over any profits to taxpayers. ...

U.S. faces stiff opposition to emergency oil release plans Posted: 17 Aug 2012 02:15 PM PDT HOUSTON/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama faced stiff resistance to the possibility of releasing emergency oil reserves to quell rising energy prices on Friday, with Asian allies and the head of the West's energy agency rejecting any need for action now. A day after Reuters reported that the White House was "dusting off" plans for potentially tapping the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, the executive director of the International Energy Agency, Maria van der Hoeven, was blunt in her assessment: "There is no reason for a release." The IEA "bases our actions on data and reality. ...

Unemployment rates rise in U.S. election swing states Posted: 17 Aug 2012 02:11 PM PDT Washington (Reuters) - Unemployment rates rose in July from June in almost all states, including those where the presidential election fight is expected to be fiercest, according to data released on Friday by the Labor Department. Altogether, jobless rates rose in 44 states. Rates dropped in Idaho, Rhode Island and the District of Columbia, and were unchanged in four states. As the country moves closer to November's election day, voters' attention is squarely focused on the economy and a national jobless rate hovering above 8 percent. Because of the unique U.S. ...

Group sues to block Los Angeles ban on medical marijuana shops Posted: 17 Aug 2012 02:11 PM PDT LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A group of medical marijuana patients sued the city of Los Angeles on Friday, seeking to block a citywide ban that would shut down most of its storefront pot dispensaries in three weeks. The lawsuit, filed on behalf of 11 patients by the nonprofit Patient Care Alliance Los Angeles trade association, says users are protected by California's 1996 legalization of medical marijuana and a constitutional right to freedom of assembly. "The medical marijuana center of the globe is L.A. just as much as the movie capital of the globe is L.A. ...

Paul Ryan's Facebook explosion, Soft Barack, a Special This Week on the U.S. and Bankruptcy (PM Note) Posted: 17 Aug 2012 02:09 PM PDT Facebook.com/PaulRyanVP has surpassed one million "likes" in a week. Houston, Texas is the most popular city among the page's fans. Most popular age demographic – 45-54 years old. Joe Biden's Facebook page has 359,341 likes. Most popular city – New York, N.Y Most popular age...

Newspaper chain owner proposes C$13 billion Canada refinery Posted: 17 Aug 2012 02:04 PM PDT CALGARY, Alberta (Reuters) - A British Columbia newspaper publisher is proposing a C$13 billion ($13.2 billion) refinery on Canada's West Coast to process all of the oil-sands-derived crude that would flow through Enbridge Inc's contentious Northern Gateway pipeline from Alberta. Enbridge, however, had little to say about the ambitious pitch by David Black, owner of Black Press Ltd, as the pipeline company prepared for the start of the formal part of the Northern Gateway regulatory hearings next month. ...

U.N. confirms Algeria's Brahimi to replace Annan as Syria envoy Posted: 17 Aug 2012 01:56 PM PDT UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The United Nations on Friday confirmed that veteran Algerian diplomat Lakhdar Brahimi will replace former U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan as the international mediator on Syria as the 17-month-old conflict slides deeper into civil war. "The Secretary-General appreciates Mr. Brahimi's willingness to bring his considerable talents and experience to this crucial task for which he will need, and rightly expects, the strong, clear and unified support of the international community, including the Security Council," said U.N. spokesman Eduardo del Buey. ...

Russia embassy in UK says attacked by Syria activists Posted: 17 Aug 2012 01:51 PM PDT LONDON (Reuters) - Dozens of people wearing balaclavas rallied outside the Russian embassy in London on Friday in support of the Russian feminist punk band Pussy Riot, just a day after activists hurled rocks at the building protesting Moscow's position on Syria. The Russian embassy, in an upmarket part of central London, has seen many protests outside its iron gates in recent months by activists angry at Moscow's stance on a number of diplomatic issues as well as a political crackdown inside the country. ...

Thousands flee Syria, Damascus diarrhea outbreak: U.N Posted: 17 Aug 2012 01:51 PM PDT GENEVA (Reuters) - Syrians are pouring across the borders to escape fighting in their homeland and diarrheal disease has broken out in rural areas near Damascus, U.N. aid agencies said on Friday. More than 170,000 Syrians have been registered in the neighboring countries of Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey, the U.N. refugee agency said. Some 3,500 Syrians fleeing the northern areas of Aleppo, Azaz, Idlib and Latakia reached Turkey's Hatay and Kilis provinces between Tuesday and Wednesday, spokesman Adrian Edwards of the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said. ...

First Syrian in space joins revolt against Assad Posted: 17 Aug 2012 01:51 PM PDT ISTANBUL (Reuters) - A Syrian astronaut who was part of a Soviet space mission a quarter of a century ago condemned the world's failure to stem violence in his home country on Friday and urged President Bashar al-Assad's opponents to keep up their struggle. General Muhammed Ahmed Faris, a military aviator and the first Syrian in space, fled to Turkey 10 days ago, joining the ranks of prominent defectors who have included military generals and former Prime Minister Riyad Hijab. ...

ICRC says met Meqdad clan, ready to help in any release Posted: 17 Aug 2012 01:51 PM PDT GENEVA (Reuters) - The Red Cross is discussing with a powerful Shi'ite Muslim clan in Lebanon whether it could have a role in the release of a kinsman kidnapped in Syria that triggered abductions of Syrian activists in retaliation. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said on Friday it had met with a brother of Hassan al-Meqdad, who was abducted last week. The clan has abducted more than 20 Syrian opposition activists and a Turkish businessman, although it declared an end to its hostage-taking on Thursday, saying it had enough hostages to press for the release of its kinsman. ...

U.S. sues Florida over ending kosher meals in prisons Posted: 17 Aug 2012 01:48 PM PDT MIAMI (Reuters) - Hundreds of Florida prisoners have been forced to choose between starving or violating their religious beliefs since the state stopped offering kosher meals in its prisons, the U.S. Justice Department said in a lawsuit. The federal government filed suit against the Florida Department of Corrections in U.S. District Court in Miami on Tuesday, accusing the state of violating prisoners' religious rights by ending its kosher meal service in 2007. ...

Egypt's Mursi accused of stifling dissent in media crackdown Posted: 17 Aug 2012 01:43 PM PDT CAIRO (Reuters) - A media crackdown in the first month of Mohamed Mursi's rule has raised fears Egypt's Islamist president is moving to stifle criticism of the Muslim Brotherhood. This week, formal accusations by state prosecutors were filed against two journalists, while an issue of the newspaper al-Dostour was confiscated by the state's censorship unit - disappointing those who believed last year's overthrow of President Hosni Mubarak would lead to greater media freedom. ...

Report accuses general of lavish travel, spending Posted: 17 Aug 2012 01:41 PM PDT The four-star general who headed U.S. Africa Command used military vehicles to shuttle his wife on shopping trips and to a spa and billed the government for a refueling stop overnight in Bermuda, where the couple stayed in a $750 suite, a Defense Department investigation has found.

Obama recycles earmarks to fund transportation projects Posted: 17 Aug 2012 01:31 PM PDT WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama is sending $473 million to 49 U.S. states and Washington, D.C., for transportation projects, pulling together funds that were earmarked for them in past federal budgets but never spent, his administration said on Friday. States must tell the federal government how they will apply the funds for highway, transit, passenger rail, or port projects by October 1 and then have a definite plan in place by December 31. ...

For Ryan, physical fitness a lifelong endeavor Posted: 17 Aug 2012 01:23 PM PDT Paul Ryan's dogged commitment to fitness and healthy living can be traced to 1986 when, at age 16, he found his father dead of a heart attack in the family's Janesville, Wis., home.

Illinois House expels Democrat indicted for bribery Posted: 17 Aug 2012 01:19 PM PDT SPRINGFIELD, Illinois (Reuters) - The Illinois House of Representatives on Friday expelled a Democratic lawmaker indicted for bribery, the first member to be booted from the chamber since 1905. State House Representative Derrick Smith, who represents a staunchly Democratic district in Chicago, was arrested in March and charged with accepting a $7,000 bribe in exchange for endorsing a daycare center's state grant application. He has denied the charges. ...

Russian judge finds punk rock band members guilty Posted: 17 Aug 2012 01:19 PM PDT MOSCOW (Reuters) - Three women from the Russian punk band Pussy Riot were sentenced to two years in jail on Friday for staging a protest against President Vladimir Putin in a church, a ruling supporters described as his "personal revenge". The group's backers burst into chants of "Shame" outside the Moscow courthouse and said the case showed Putin was cracking down on dissent in his new six-year term as president. Dozens were detained by police when scuffles broke out. ...

U.S. Army suicides reached record monthly high in July Posted: 17 Aug 2012 01:16 PM PDT (Reuters) - Twenty-six active-duty soldiers are believed to have committed suicide in July, more than double the number reported for June and the most suicides ever recorded in a month since the U.S. Army began tracking detailed statistics on such deaths. During the first seven months of this year, there were 116 suspected suicides among active-duty soldiers, compared to 165 suicides for all of last year, the Army said. The military branch reported 12 likely suicides during June. The monthly totals for 2012 include confirmed suicides and cases still under investigation, the Army said. ...

Israel strike on Iran would be disaster: Netanyahu's ex-deputy Posted: 17 Aug 2012 01:15 PM PDT JERUSALEM (Reuters) - A former deputy of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Friday a pre-emptive military strike against Iran over its nuclear program could embroil Israel in a "disastrous war". Shaul Mofaz, a parliamentary opposition leader who quit Netanyahu's cabinet last month where he served as vice premier, said on Israeli television he thought Israel was "planning a hasty, irresponsible event". ...

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