Yahoo! News: Politics News

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• Despite talk of compromise, fiscal deal elusive
• Obama may get chance to end Benghazi PR disaster
• Some GOP lawmakers now flout anti-tax man Norquist
• Syrian Kurds seek to re-unite divided ranks
• Police probe how Romney security data became New York City parade confetti
• Egypt opposition snubs Mursi plan to ease decree crisis
• Experts to exhume Arafat, seek evidence of poison
• EU-IMF agree on measures to cut Greek debt-to-GDP
• Syrian jets bomb rebel bases near Turkey border
• Officials probe how mentally ill man got gun used in Alabama shooting
• U.N. chief says crises show need for interfaith amity
• Norquist's Tax Pledge: What It Is and How It Started
• FDA halts operations at peanut butter plant
• LA money manager gets no jail in NY corruption case
• Schapiro stepping down at SEC, Walter to step in
• Analysis: For Obama, could 10,000 troops in Afghanistan be too many?
• With "fiscal cliff" deadline nearing, parties still at odds
• Republicans oppose vote on UN disability treaty
• Ohio inmate loses bid to stay his execution because of weight
• New Jersey's Christie, more popular than ever, seeks re-election
• NJ Gov. Christie says he plans to seek 2nd term
• Euro zone, IMF agree to cut Greek debt to 124 percent/GDP in 2020
• Rice's star rises as congressional opposition dims
• Illinois sets March election to replace Jesse Jackson Junior
• Canada's Carney named as Bank of England chief
• White House: Tax hike threat could hurt retailers
• Head of patent office to step down
• Head of the U.S. patent office to step down
• Egypt's Islamists seek to defuse crisis over decree
• U.N. committee expresses concern for Myanmar's Muslims
• NJ Gov. Christie Files for Re-Election
• Boston mayor transferred from hospital after one-month mark
• Obama Non-Committal on Means-Testing Medicare - Today's Q's for O's WH - 11/26/12
• Top court will not revisit Illinois eavesdropping law
• Toronto's combative mayor ordered to leave office
• Thousands march in Rio over oil dispute, pressuring Rousseff
• Eight-year term sought for California campaign treasurer fraud
• Medicaid expansion poses "modest" state costs: study

Despite talk of compromise, fiscal deal elusive Posted: 26 Nov 2012 03:12 PM PST Talk of compromise on a broad budget deal greeted returning lawmakers Monday, but agreement still seemed distant as the White House and congressional Republicans ceded little ground on a key sticking point: whether to raise revenue through higher tax rates or by limiting tax breaks and deductions.

Obama may get chance to end Benghazi PR disaster Posted: 26 Nov 2012 04:36 AM PST The White House could finally have its chance to close the books on its Benghazi public relations disaster, as key Republicans signal they might not stand in the way of U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice to become the next secretary of state.

Some GOP lawmakers now flout anti-tax man Norquist Posted: 26 Nov 2012 03:37 PM PST For decades, conservative lobbyist Grover Norquist vowed to drive Republicans out of office if they didn't pledge to oppose tax increases. Many lawmakers signed on.

Syrian Kurds seek to re-unite divided ranks Posted: 26 Nov 2012 03:41 PM PST ARBIL, Iraq (Reuters) - Rival Syrian Kurdish parties have agreed to re-unify their ranks and push for federalism in Syria after a previous pact that was not implemented, but the new deal has already been undermined by the reluctance of one faction to fall into line. Syria's Kurds see the civil war ravaging their country as an opportunity to gain the rights they have long been denied under President Bashar al-Assad and his father before him, who deprived thousands of citizenship. ...

Police probe how Romney security data became New York City parade confetti Posted: 26 Nov 2012 03:40 PM PST NEW YORK (Reuters) - Police are investigating how shredded documents revealing confidential information, including details about Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney's motorcade, wound up as confetti on a Manhattan sidewalk during the annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. Bits of shredded paper from the Nassau County Police Department could still be found on Monday afternoon in the cracks of the sidewalks along Central Park, according to Saul Finkelstein, the eyewitness who first alerted authorities to the problem. ...

Egypt opposition snubs Mursi plan to ease decree crisis Posted: 26 Nov 2012 03:39 PM PST CAIRO (Reuters) - Opponents of Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi will press ahead with a protest on Tuesday to demand the scrapping of a decree extending his powers, rejecting the Islamist's attempt to defuse a crisis that has brought violence back to Cairo's streets. Mursi was accused of giving himself the powers of a modern-day pharaoh when he issued the decree last week that prevents legal challenges to any decision he takes until a new parliament is elected. ...

Experts to exhume Arafat, seek evidence of poison Posted: 26 Nov 2012 03:37 PM PST RAMALLAH, West Bank (Reuters) - The body of the Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat will be exhumed on Tuesday by a team of international experts trying to discover if he was poisoned, as many Palestinians believe. French magistrates opened a murder inquiry in August into Arafat's death in Paris after a Swiss institute said it had discovered high levels of radioactive polonium on his clothing, which was supplied by his widow, Suha. Arafat, who led the Palestinians' bid for a state through years of war and peace, died in Paris aged 75 in 2004 after a short, mysterious illness. ...

EU-IMF agree on measures to cut Greek debt-to-GDP Posted: 26 Nov 2012 03:31 PM PST BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Euro zone finance ministers agreed on Monday to lower the interest rate charged on loans made to Greece and to return profits made on Greek bonds by the European Central Bank to Athens, allowing the country to cut its debt. After nearly 10 hours of talks, the ministers agreed that the interest rate on bilateral loans to Greece would be reduced by 100 basis points to 50 basis points above the cost of financing once Athens has reached a primary surplus of 4.5 percent of GDP, a source familiar with the discusssions said. ...

Syrian jets bomb rebel bases near Turkey border Posted: 26 Nov 2012 03:31 PM PST BUKULMEZ, Turkey (Reuters) - Syrian warplanes bombed two rebel bases near the Turkish border on Monday sending hundreds of people fleeing across the frontier. The attacks on the Free Syrian Army positions (FSA) in Atima and nearby Bab al-Hawa came a day before NATO and Ankara were due to start assessing where to station surface-to-air missiles on the Turkish side of the 900-km (560-mile) boundary. Turkey, a big supporter of rebels fighting to oust Syria's President Bashar al-Assad, has repeatedly scrambled jets along the border. ...

Officials probe how mentally ill man got gun used in Alabama shooting Posted: 26 Nov 2012 03:28 PM PST BAY MINETTE, Alabama (Reuters) - Investigators in Alabama are trying to determine how a man with a history of mental illness obtained a gun he used to kill a sheriff's deputy and wound another when they responded to a 911 call at his trailer, a prosecutor said on Monday The man, 53-year-old Michael Jansen, initially opened fire from inside the trailer on Friday after three officers went to his home following a call from his mother that he was behaving erratically, according to police. Jansen was killed in the gunfight near the southern Alabama city of Fairhope. ...

U.N. chief says crises show need for interfaith amity Posted: 26 Nov 2012 03:20 PM PST VIENNA (Reuters)- The violent crises in Syria, Gaza and Mali show how important it is for different religions to work together to promote understanding rather than sow hatred, United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon said on Monday. Addressing the opening of a new Saudi-backed interfaith centre in Vienna, he said the Syrian conflict was "taking on troubling sectarian dimensions" and "unrest (continues) between Israelis and Palestinians. ...

Norquist's Tax Pledge: What It Is and How It Started Posted: 26 Nov 2012 03:15 PM PST As Congress wrangles over the fiscal cliff, one tiny document will loom large over the negotiations. Known in Republican circles simply as "The Pledge," the Americans for Tax Reform (ATR) Taxpayer Protection Pledge has steered GOP tax policy for decades, applying pressure to any candidate,...

FDA halts operations at peanut butter plant Posted: 26 Nov 2012 03:12 PM PST The Food and Drug Administration halted operations of the country's largest organic peanut butter processor Monday, cracking down on salmonella poisoning for the first time with the new enforcement authority the agency gained in a 2011 food safety law.

LA money manager gets no jail in NY corruption case Posted: 26 Nov 2012 03:06 PM PST NEW YORK (Reuters) - Los Angeles money manager Elliott Broidy was spared jail time and a felony conviction on Monday for his role in a "pay to play" scheme at the New York state pension fund. Justice Lewis Bart Stone reduced Broidy's felony to a misdemeanor and sentenced him to a conditional discharge. Broidy, 55, admitted making nearly $1 million in gifts for New York state pension fund officials, including $75,000 in travel expenses for luxury trips to Israel and Italy. ...

Schapiro stepping down at SEC, Walter to step in Posted: 26 Nov 2012 03:05 PM PST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The head of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, Mary Schapiro, will step down next month after a tumultuous four years spent rehabilitating the agency's battered reputation, handing the reins at least temporarily to a close ally. "We've gotten a lot done, I'm really proud of where the agency is today, so it seemed like a good time," Schapiro said in an interview on Monday after announcing her departure. ...

Analysis: For Obama, could 10,000 troops in Afghanistan be too many? Posted: 26 Nov 2012 03:01 PM PST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama publicly scoffed at the idea of keeping 10,000 troops in Iraq. So could he really be persuaded to keep that many in Afghanistan after the war formally ends in 2014? The 10,000 figure is well within a preliminary range put forward by the top U.S. and NATO commander in Afghanistan, General John Allen, and which is informing deliberations by the Obama administration, one U.S. official said. ...

With "fiscal cliff" deadline nearing, parties still at odds Posted: 26 Nov 2012 02:59 PM PST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republicans in the U.S. Congress on Monday called on President Barack Obama to detail long-term spending cuts to help solve the country's fiscal crisis, while holding firm against the income tax rate increases for the wealthy that Democrats seek. In a further sign of tense relations between negotiators who are trying to avert a year-end "fiscal cliff" of steep tax increases and spending cuts, the White House expressed doubts that "balanced" deficit reductions can be achieved merely by limiting tax breaks and cutting spending, as Republicans propose. ...

Republicans oppose vote on UN disability treaty Posted: 26 Nov 2012 02:50 PM PST Senate plans to take up a U.N. treaty espousing equal rights for the disabled drew immediate opposition Monday from some Republicans wary of the treaty and asserting that the Senate should not be considering international treaties during a lame-duck session.

Ohio inmate loses bid to stay his execution because of weight Posted: 26 Nov 2012 02:45 PM PST CLEVELAND (Reuters) - A federal judge said on Monday that an Ohio death row inmate weighing more than 450 pounds cannot be given a stay of execution because of his obesity. Ronald Post, 53, is scheduled to be executed January 16 for the 1983 aggravated murder of hotel clerk Helen Vantz in Elyria, Ohio. Since his first appeal in 1997, Post's attorneys have argued that his weight, of more than 450 pounds, in combination with the state's death penalty drug protocols creates a certainty of, "substantial risk for serious and psychological pain" and a "torturous and lingering death. ...

New Jersey's Christie, more popular than ever, seeks re-election Posted: 26 Nov 2012 02:44 PM PST NEW YORK (Reuters) - New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, a Republican star who has enjoying record-high popularity for his hands-on approach to Superstorm Sandy, on Monday filed papers announcing his intention to seek a second term next November. Christie, a popular surrogate on Republican Mitt Romney's failed presidential campaign, delivered the keynote address at the Republican National Convention this summer and is considered a popular choice to run for president in 2016. ...

NJ Gov. Christie says he plans to seek 2nd term Posted: 26 Nov 2012 02:43 PM PST His popularity surging because of his handling of Superstorm Sandy, Gov. Chris Christie announced Monday that he will seek re-election so he has the chance to lead the state through a recovery effort he said will extend past his first term.

Euro zone, IMF agree to cut Greek debt to 124 percent/GDP in 2020 Posted: 26 Nov 2012 02:33 PM PST BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Euro zone finance ministers and the International Monetary Fund agreed on Monday that Greek public debt should fall to 124 percent of GDP in 2020 through a package of extra debt cutting measures totaling 20 percent of GDP, officials said. The agreement emerged during talks in Brussels among finance ministers from the 17 euro zone countries, the European Central Bank and the IMF on how to make Greek debt sustainable. "It's going very slow, but we have financing and a Debt Sustainability Analysis. We've filled the financing gap until the end of program in 2014. ...

Rice's star rises as congressional opposition dims Posted: 26 Nov 2012 02:29 PM PST With congressional opposition softening, U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice could find her name in contention as early as this week to succeed Hillary Rodham Clinton as secretary of state. It's a step that may signal greater U.S. willingness to intervene in world crises during President Barack Obama's second term.

Illinois sets March election to replace Jesse Jackson Junior Posted: 26 Nov 2012 02:27 PM PST CHICAGO (Reuters) - Illinois has set a date of March 19 for a special election to fill the U.S. congressional seat vacated by Democrat Jesse Jackson Jr., who resigned last week amid an ethics investigation and concerns over his health. Illinois Governor Pat Quinn announced the date in a statement on Monday but said the special election may be delayed a few weeks to coincide with local elections in April. Quinn also said the primary election for the seat will be held on February 26. ...

Canada's Carney named as Bank of England chief Posted: 26 Nov 2012 02:20 PM PST LONDON/OTTAWA (Reuters) - Britain named Canadian central bank chief Mark Carney on Monday to head the Bank of England, springing the surprise choice of a foreigner to push reform of its troubled financial system. A former Goldman Sachs investment banker who at the Bank of Canada guided the Canadian economy through the global economic crisis, Carney will succeed Mervyn King who retires in July. Carney, who already plays a leading role in setting global banking rules, defended his departure from Canada and signaled that bigger problems awaited him in London. ...

White House: Tax hike threat could hurt retailers Posted: 26 Nov 2012 02:13 PM PST Despite early signs of robust sales, White House economists warned Monday that the uncertainty of a potential hike in taxes next year for middle class taxpayers under the looming fiscal cliff could hurt consumer confidence during the crucial holiday shopping season.

Head of patent office to step down Posted: 26 Nov 2012 02:13 PM PST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The popular director of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, David Kappos, will be stepping down in January, according to an email sent to agency employees on Monday. In the email, Kappos said he would be leaving around the end of January and thanked agency employees for their work. A patent office spokesman confirmed that Kappos would step down. Kappos, who is famous for his long hours, has been popular with patent attorneys and industry for being responsive to their desire for more communication and a reduced backlog in patent applications. ...

Head of the U.S. patent office to step down Posted: 26 Nov 2012 02:12 PM PST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The popular director of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, David Kappos, will be stepping down in January, according to an email sent to agency employees on Monday. In the email, Kappos said he would be leaving around the end of January and thanked agency employees for their work. A patent office spokesman confirmed that Kappos would step down. Kappos, who is famous for his long hours, has been popular with patent attorneys and industry for being responsive to their desire for more communication and a reduced backlog in patent applications. ...

Egypt's Islamists seek to defuse crisis over decree Posted: 26 Nov 2012 02:06 PM PST CAIRO (Reuters) - Egypt's ruling Islamists tried to defuse a political crisis on Monday, with President Mohamed Mursi backing a compromise over his seizure of extended powers and his Muslim Brotherhood calling off a planned demonstration. Mursi provoked outrage last week that led to violent protests when he issued a decree that put beyond judicial review any decision he takes until a new parliament is elected, drawing charges he had given himself the powers of a modern-day pharaoh. ...

U.N. committee expresses concern for Myanmar's Muslims Posted: 26 Nov 2012 02:02 PM PST UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - A committee of the U.N. General Assembly expressed serious concern on Monday over violence in Myanmar between Rohingya Muslims and Buddhists and called upon the government to address reports of human rights abuses by some authorities. The 193-nation General Assembly's Third Committee, which focuses on rights issues, approved by consensus a non-binding resolution, which Myanmar said contained a "litany of sweeping allegations, accuracies of which have yet to be verified. ...

NJ Gov. Christie Files for Re-Election Posted: 26 Nov 2012 01:59 PM PST It's official: New Jersey governor and rising GOP star Chris Christie will seek re-election in his state's gubernatorial race in 2013, an adviser to the governor told ABC News. Christie filed his papers with election officials today. Although Republicans and Democrats in the state had...

Boston mayor transferred from hospital after one-month mark Posted: 26 Nov 2012 01:56 PM PST BOSTON (Reuters) - Boston's longest-serving mayor, Thomas Menino, was transferred on Monday from the hospital where he has been receiving treatment for a virus and back pain over the past month to another facility where he will continue his recovery. The prolonged illness, and a new diagnosis of diabetes, come a few months before the 69-year-old Democrat must decide whether to seek a sixth term in the office he has held since 1993. He is up for re-election in November 2013. ...

Obama Non-Committal on Means-Testing Medicare - Today's Q's for O's WH - 11/26/12 Posted: 26 Nov 2012 01:55 PM PST During the 2011 debt ceiling negotiations, President Obama proposed as part of a broad deal - and in exchange for revenue increases – more than $200 billion in cuts to Medicare spending and the implementation of means-testing for some recipients. "I've said that means-testing on...

Top court will not revisit Illinois eavesdropping law Posted: 26 Nov 2012 01:55 PM PST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Supreme Court refused on Monday to revive a controversial Illinois law that prohibited audio recordings of police officers acting in public places, a ban that critics said violated the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. Without comment, the court on Monday let stand a May 8 ruling by the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago that blocked enforcement of the law, which had made it a felony to record audio of conversations unless all parties consented. ...

Toronto's combative mayor ordered to leave office Posted: 26 Nov 2012 01:53 PM PST TORONTO (Reuters) - Toronto's Rob Ford, a magnet for controversy during two years as mayor of Canada's largest city, was ordered out of office on Monday after a judge found him guilty of breaking conflict-of-interest laws. Ontario Superior Court Judge Charles Hackland ruled Ford acted wrongly when he voted at city council to scrap a fine imposed on him for accepting donations to his football foundation from lobbyists. Ford, who says he plans to appeal the ruling, is one of several Canadian municipal leaders to land in hot water in recent weeks. ...

Thousands march in Rio over oil dispute, pressuring Rousseff Posted: 26 Nov 2012 01:52 PM PST RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil (Reuters) - As many as 200,000 people demonstrated in Rio de Janeiro on Monday to urge Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff to veto a bill that local officials say could cost Rio state billions of dollars in lost oil revenue and cripple plans to host the World Cup and Olympics. Late Monday, a person familiar with the president's plans said Rousseff is indeed planning to veto at least part of the bill, particularly a portion that redefines royalty payments for existing oil production in Brazil. ...

Eight-year term sought for California campaign treasurer fraud Posted: 26 Nov 2012 01:43 PM PST SACRAMENTO (Reuters) - Federal prosecutors are seeking an eight-year prison sentence for a Democratic campaign treasurer accused of draining up to $20 million from the war chests of U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein and other politicians, court documents showed on Monday. Kinde Durkee, who controlled the funds of some 400 political candidates and groups, should spend 97 months in federal custody and pay an as-yet undetermined amount of restitution, a sentencing memo by prosecutors said. Durkee was arrested in September 2011 and charged with criminal mail fraud. ...

Medicaid expansion poses "modest" state costs: study Posted: 26 Nov 2012 01:37 PM PST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama's $1 trillion plan to expand Medicaid would raise state costs by only 3 percent and extend health coverage to more than 21 million low-income people as part of the new healthcare reform law, a study said on Monday. The report released by the nonpartisan Kaiser Family Foundation said states would spend an extra $76 billion over the next decade to implement the Medicaid expansion, or 2.9 percent more than they would without the reform law. The federal government would fork out more than $950 billion to cover nearly all of the costs, the study said. ...

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