Yahoo! News: Politics News

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• Biden, NRA clash over new gun control proposals
• Santorum takes up fight against Hagel nomination
• Obama nominates Lew to lead Treasury
• US troops could help secure Syrian weapons
• China's new leader: harbinger of reform or another conservative?
• California Governor's budget has surprise: a surplus
• Pentagon moving to freeze hiring, delay contracts
• Analysis: In battle for the car, Sirius faces fight from Pandora
• Panetta says US in 'last chapter' of Afghan war
• Inaugural pastor withdraws over anti-gay remarks
• White House Faces Criticism For Lack Of Diversity
• Ill. governor seeks to overcome pension setback
• Sessions says Lew Must 'Never' Be Treasury Secretary
• Biden butts heads with NRA in gun violence drive
• Obama nominates Jack Lew to succeed Geithner at Treasury
• Treasury nominee Lew's loopy signature gives Obama pause
• Mali Islamists capture strategic town, residents flee
• US urges allies Japan, SKorea to mend ties
• Obama, Bush Get Lifetime Secret Service
• Venezuela's sick Chavez misses own inauguration bash
• Native Canadians could block development, chief warns
• Biden says consensus emerging on gun safety
• Deal still elusive in French labor reform talks
• NRA says Biden meeting used to attack gun rights, push restrictions
• One student critically wounded in California school shooting
• EU says Google must change search results presentation: FT
• Best Buy online sales rise as Amazon collects sales tax
• Chamber of Commerce makes budget cuts top goal for 2013
• Kremlin says Russia-U.S. adoption deal still in effect
• Richard N. Haass Answers 8 Questions 'This Week'
• Factbox: Biden gun violence task force meetings for Thursday
• Pentagon considers hiring freeze, contract delays
• Scientists urge end to limits on gun safety research
• Pentagon ordered to begin "prudent" steps to prepare for defense cuts
• Flag Stomping Could Cost South Carolina Teacher His Job
• Pakistan says soldier killed amid worsening Kashmir violence
• Petition to stop 'Gun Appreciation day'
• Obama's Cabinet: Where Are the Women?

Biden, NRA clash over new gun control proposals Posted: 10 Jan 2013 02:42 PM PST WASHINGTON (AP) — Despite fresh opposition from the National Rifle Association, the Obama administration is assembling proposals to curb gun violence that would include a ban on sales of assault weapons, limits on high-capacity ammunition magazines and universal background checks for gun buyers.

Santorum takes up fight against Hagel nomination Posted: 10 Jan 2013 11:58 AM PST Republican opposition to Chuck Hagel as the next defense secretary swelled from inside and outside the Senate Thursday as a former Senate colleague launched a campaign to block his nomination.

Obama nominates Lew to lead Treasury Posted: 10 Jan 2013 02:31 PM PST WASHINGTON (AP) — For 30 years, Jack Lew has had a hand in some of the biggest economic deals negotiated in Washington. What awaits him if he's confirmed as treasury secretary could far exceed any challenge of the past — a triple-decked potential crisis that will test his experience the moment he opens his office door on the third floor of the Treasury Building

US troops could help secure Syrian weapons Posted: 10 Jan 2013 03:15 PM PST Pentagon officials say they have largely ruled out sending in ground troops to secure Syrian chemical weapons under hostile circumstances, but the U.S. could provide forces if the Assad regime ever agrees to a peaceful transition.

China's new leader: harbinger of reform or another conservative? Posted: 10 Jan 2013 03:02 PM PST BEIJING (Reuters) - When Xi Jinping became the new leader of China's Communist Party two months ago, hopes were high for reform in the giant nation. But despite what appears to be sensitive handling of a strike by journalists and a challenge to Beijing's tight control of the press, signs of change seem tentative. Xi's commitment to reform, or lack of it, will come into sharper focus over the next few months, in particular after he officially assumes the presidency in March at a session of the National People's Congress, the country's rubber-stamp parliament. ...

California Governor's budget has surprise: a surplus Posted: 10 Jan 2013 03:00 PM PST SACRAMENTO, California (Reuters) - California's budget deficit is gone after years of financial troubles, Governor Jerry Brown said on Thursday, proposing a state budget plan that would raise spending on education and healthcare, boosting total expenditures by 5 percent with a surplus remaining. But Brown vowed to push back at legislators eager to increase spending even more by restoring the billions of dollars to social services and other state programs cut in lean years. ...

Pentagon moving to freeze hiring, delay contracts Posted: 10 Jan 2013 02:45 PM PST WASHINGTON (AP) — The Pentagon will begin taking steps to freeze civilian hiring, delay some contract awards and curtail some maintenance to prepare for drastic budget cuts if Congress can't reach an agreement on a final spending plan, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said Thursday.

Analysis: In battle for the car, Sirius faces fight from Pandora Posted: 10 Jan 2013 02:41 PM PST NEW YORK (Reuters) - Sirius XM Radio Inc's grip on drivers is under an increasing threat as the availability of Internet connections in more cars is helping Pandora Media Inc counter some of its rival's big selling points. In a sign of how important drivers are to the two companies, each of their top executives made the trek to Las Vegas this week to court automakers at the annual Consumer Electronics Show. ...

Panetta says US in 'last chapter' of Afghan war Posted: 10 Jan 2013 02:39 PM PST WASHINGTON (AP) — In a notably upbeat assessment of war progress, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said Thursday that the U.S.-led coalition has advanced to the "last chapter" of an 11-year struggle to ensure that Afghanistan can defend itself.

Inaugural pastor withdraws over anti-gay remarks Posted: 10 Jan 2013 02:29 PM PST The evangelical pastor chosen to give the benediction at President Barack Obama's inauguration withdrew from the ceremony Thursday after remarks surfaced that he made two decades ago condemning the gay rights movement.

White House Faces Criticism For Lack Of Diversity Posted: 10 Jan 2013 02:29 PM PST With the naming of Jack Lew for secretary of the treasury, President Obama has now nominated four men to key Cabinet posts since his re-election, causing some to criticize the administration for a lack of diversity. Earlier this week, Obama named Sen. Chuck Hagel of...

Ill. governor seeks to overcome pension setback Posted: 10 Jan 2013 02:25 PM PST SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — After singling out Illinois' worst-in-the-nation pension crisis as the most important issue of his governorship, Pat Quinn could only watch this week as his latest self-imposed deadline evaporated with almost no progress in a Legislature over which he has little sway.

Sessions says Lew Must 'Never' Be Treasury Secretary Posted: 10 Jan 2013 02:21 PM PST  Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., the ranking member on the Senate Budget Committee, declared today that Jack Lew must "never" become secretary of the Treasury. "To confirm Mr. Lew would be to acquiesce in a policy of dishonesty to the American people," Sessions said.  "For me, no mea...

Biden butts heads with NRA in gun violence drive Posted: 10 Jan 2013 02:17 PM PST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Vice President Joe Biden butted heads with the powerful National Rifle Association on Thursday in his drive to reduce U.S. gun violence, drawing complaints from the lobby group that the White House is trying to limit constitutionally protected gun rights. Biden sat down for about an hour and a half of talks with an NRA representative and officials from other gun owners' groups after telling reporters he is likely to recommend background checks for all gun buyers and a ban on high-capacity ammunition clips. ...

Obama nominates Jack Lew to succeed Geithner at Treasury Posted: 10 Jan 2013 02:11 PM PST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama on Thursday nominated his chief of staff, Jack Lew, as the next Treasury secretary, praising him as a expert on the pressing national issues of spending cuts and deficit reduction. Lew will succeed Timothy Geithner and take the lead on difficult negotiations with Congress on how to cut the nation's massive debt and rein in spending - a central challenge for Obama's second term. ...

Treasury nominee Lew's loopy signature gives Obama pause Posted: 10 Jan 2013 02:10 PM PST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Fortunately, clear cursive writing is not a prerequisite for promotion to the highest echelons of the U.S. government. President Barack Obama joked on Thursday that he considered taking back his offer to make White House chief of staff Jack Lew his next Treasury secretary after seeing - thanks to media reports - his loopy, illegible signature. The Treasury secretary's signature appears on U.S. currency, a fact that apparently gave Obama pause. "I had never noticed Jack's signature, and ... ...

Mali Islamists capture strategic town, residents flee Posted: 10 Jan 2013 02:07 PM PST BAMAKO (Reuters) - Islamist rebels drove the Malian army out of the strategic northern town of Konna on Thursday, residents said, in the fiercest fighting since militant groups seized control of northern Mali nine months ago. The fall of Konna, about 600 km (375 miles) northeast of the capital Bamako, was a major setback to government forces which had said earlier on Thursday they were making headway against the alliance of al Qaeda-linked rebels. ...

US urges allies Japan, SKorea to mend ties Posted: 10 Jan 2013 01:58 PM PST WASHINGTON (AP) — A high-level U.S. delegation will urge key allies Japan and South Korea to mend strained ties that have hurt security cooperation. It will also likely remind the new government in Tokyo that any disavowal of its apology for the use of sex slaves in World War II would make matters worse.

Obama, Bush Get Lifetime Secret Service Posted: 10 Jan 2013 01:53 PM PST As a cost savings, Congress had ended lifetime security details for former presidents, cutting off Secret Service protection 10 years after a president leaves office. But in the post-9/11 world Congress decided that former chief executives may still be vulnerable and need protection. President Obama...

Venezuela's sick Chavez misses own inauguration bash Posted: 10 Jan 2013 01:52 PM PST CARACAS (Reuters) - Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez remained on his sickbed in Cuba on Thursday while thousands of supporters rallied in his honor on the day he should have been sworn in for a new six-year term in the South American OPEC nation. The postponement of the inauguration, a first in Venezuelan history, has laid bare the gravity of Chavez's condition after complications from a fourth cancer operation in his pelvic area. ...

Native Canadians could block development, chief warns Posted: 10 Jan 2013 01:48 PM PST OTTAWA (Reuters) - Native Canadians are so angry that they could resort to blocking resource development and bring the economy "to its knees" unless the Conservative government addresses their grievances, an influential chief said on Thursday. Native Canadian chiefs are due to meet with Prime Minister Stephen Harper on Friday to discuss the poor living conditions facing many of Canada's 1.2 million aboriginals. "We have had enough. Our young people have had enough. Our women have had enough ... . We have nothing left to lose," said Grand Chief Derek Nepinak from the province of Manitoba. ...

Biden says consensus emerging on gun safety Posted: 10 Jan 2013 01:31 PM PST WASHINGTON (AP) — Pledging swift action to curb gun violence, Vice President Joe Biden says he will deliver new proposals to President Barack Obama by next Tuesday.

Deal still elusive in French labor reform talks Posted: 10 Jan 2013 01:25 PM PST PARIS (Reuters) - French employers offered some concessions at a fresh round of talks to overhaul labor rules on Thursday but stopped short of ceding to union demands to raise welfare charges on short-term job contracts, union officials said. The negotiations - a test bed for Socialist President Francois Hollande's chances of enacting reforms in areas past governments have shied away from - packed up for the day late in the evening with no deal and were due to restart on Friday. ...

NRA says Biden meeting used to attack gun rights, push restrictions Posted: 10 Jan 2013 01:24 PM PST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The National Rifle Association charged on Thursday that talks with Vice President Joe Biden only covered ways to attack gun rights and push for restrictions on lawful owners of firearms. "We were disappointed with how little this meeting had to do with keeping our children safe and how much it had to do with an agenda to attack the Second Amendment," the NRA said after a representative from the powerful gun lobby group met with Biden as part of a task force examining ways to reduce gun violence. ...

One student critically wounded in California school shooting Posted: 10 Jan 2013 01:18 PM PST (Reuters) - A student armed with a shotgun opened fire at a California high school on Thursday, critically wounding a fellow student before two adult staff members talked the boy into giving up his weapon, and he was arrested, authorities said. The shooting comes less than four weeks after a December rampage at a Connecticut elementary school where a gunman killed 20 children and six adults in an attack that shocked the nation and has fueled a heated national debate over gun control. ...

EU says Google must change search results presentation: FT Posted: 10 Jan 2013 01:10 PM PST LONDON (Reuters) - Google will be forced to change the way its search results are presented in Europe or face antitrust charges for "diverting traffic" to its own services, The Financial Times reported the European Union's antitrust chief as saying. The EU's competition commissioner, Joaquin Almunia, told the newspaper in an interview published on Friday that he intends to prevent Google from allegedly distorting choices for consumers and taking business from rivals. ...

Best Buy online sales rise as Amazon collects sales tax Posted: 10 Jan 2013 01:07 PM PST SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Best Buy Co, the world's largest electronics retailer, said its online sales have increased in certain markets as arch rival Amazon.com Inc collects tax on purchases in more states. "In California, Texas and Pennsylvania where Amazon.com recently started collecting tax, it is very early, but Best Buy has seen a 4 to 6 percent increase in online sales observed in aggregate versus the rest of the chain," spokeswoman Amy von Walter wrote in an email to Reuters. ...

Chamber of Commerce makes budget cuts top goal for 2013 Posted: 10 Jan 2013 12:58 PM PST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Chamber of Commerce on Thursday declared federal deficit reduction its top goal for 2013 and questioned whether Washington politicians were brave enough to take the steps necessary to rein in a fast-growing national debt. "Do we have leaders with the courage to put the country first - ahead of their own careers, politics, ideologies and egos?" asked Thomas Donohue, president of the country's largest business group. ...

Kremlin says Russia-U.S. adoption deal still in effect Posted: 10 Jan 2013 12:58 PM PST MOSCOW (Reuters) - President Vladimir Putin's spokesman said on Thursday that a bilateral agreement with United States regulating adoptions will remain in effect for another year despite a new Russian law banning Americans from adopting Russian children. The spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, did not say whether that meant Americans could continue to adopt Russian children until the bilateral agreement, which took effect on November 1, expires next January. ...

Richard N. Haass Answers 8 Questions 'This Week' Posted: 10 Jan 2013 12:53 PM PST This week, we asked Richard N. Haass, president of the Council on Foreign Relations, to answer eight questions for us about the "fiscal cliff," Israel, President Obama's recent cabinet nominations and more. Check out our conversation below. 1) For those not familiar with the CFR, what...

Factbox: Biden gun violence task force meetings for Thursday Posted: 10 Jan 2013 12:52 PM PST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Vice President Joe Biden is due to give recommendations on curbing gun violence to President Barack Obama by next Tuesday, a job he was charged with after a school shooting in Connecticut last month in which a gunman killed 20 children and six staff. Biden has already met with victims' groups, law enforcement officials, governors, mayors and clergy. Other cabinet members on his task force, including Attorney General Eric Holder, have also been holding meetings to gather ideas. ...

Pentagon considers hiring freeze, contract delays Posted: 10 Jan 2013 12:49 PM PST WASHINGTON (AP) — Defense Secretary Leon Panetta says he is asking his department to begin taking steps to freeze civilian hiring, delay some contract awards and curtail some maintenance to prepare for drastic budget cuts if Congress can't reach an agreement on a final spending plan.

Scientists urge end to limits on gun safety research Posted: 10 Jan 2013 12:49 PM PST SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Research restrictions pushed by the National Rifle Association have stopped the United States from finding solutions to firearms violence, more than a hundred scientists from virtually every major U.S. university told Vice President Joe Biden's task force on gun violence in a letter on Thursday. In the wake of the December school massacre in Newtown, Connecticut, and other mass homicides, the group of economists, health researchers, educators, doctors and criminologists said funding should be restored to a range of study areas, from gun safety to tracking illegal ...

Pentagon ordered to begin "prudent" steps to prepare for defense cuts Posted: 10 Jan 2013 12:45 PM PST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said on Thursday he had directed the U.S. military services to began taking "prudent" steps to offset the impact of huge budget cuts that could take effect on March 1, including curtailing some facilities maintenance and freezing civilian hiring. "I'd like to believe that ultimately Congress will do the right thing," Panetta said. But "we simply cannot sit back now and not be prepared for the worst. ...

Flag Stomping Could Cost South Carolina Teacher His Job Posted: 10 Jan 2013 12:45 PM PST Scott Compton, a South Carolina high school teacher, is facing possible dismissal by his school board for stomping on an American flag in three of his classes last month. Compton, who teaches honors English at Chapin High School, has been with the school for seven...

Pakistan says soldier killed amid worsening Kashmir violence Posted: 10 Jan 2013 12:35 PM PST ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Indian troops killed a Pakistani soldier on Thursday in the disputed region of Kashmir, the Pakistani army said, in the worst outbreak of violence in the area since the nuclear-armed neighbors agreed a ceasefire nearly a decade ago. In the third fatal attack in five days, the Pakistani was killed by "unprovoked" Indian fire while manning a post in the Battal sector of Kashmir, which is split between the two sides by a heavily fortified border known as the Line of Control (LoC), the army spokesman said. ...

Petition to stop 'Gun Appreciation day' Posted: 10 Jan 2013 12:29 PM PST As Vice President Joe Biden's working group prepares to deliver gun-control recommendations to the president, a national day to celebrate guns is stirring up controversy. A coalition of groups will hold a national "Gun Appreciation Day" coinciding with President Obama's inauguration, on Jan. 19. The...

Obama's Cabinet: Where Are the Women? Posted: 10 Jan 2013 12:28 PM PST BOTTOM LINE President Obama is rolling out several top picks for his new cabinet this week. On Monday he announced that he was nominating former Nebraska Senator Chuck Hagel for Secretary of Defense and counter-terrorism adviser John Brennan as CIA director, and on Thursday he...

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