Yahoo! News: Politics News

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• Obama Cabinet shuffle taking shape
• Lew's loopy signature may end up on dollar bills
• Obama to tap budget expert Lew to lead Treasury
• Jewish group calls for sanctions against Russia
• Govt: Reverse terror convictions _ for now
• Venezuela's top court endorses Chavez inauguration delay
• PM Note: Loop-dy Lew, Solis Resigns, Happy Birthday, Richard Nixon, Biden and Cuomo on Guns
• Biden says Obama could use executive orders to restrict guns
• Prosecutor questions former Haitian President Aristide
• US troop plan in Afghanistan follows Iraq playbook
• Violence plays role in shorter US life expectancy
• Eric Holder to stay on as attorney general
• UK man sentenced in Texas for bid to sell weapons parts to Iran
• New York governor wants casinos to spur upstate economy
• Latina pioneer Solis resigning as labor secretary
• Obama to nominate Lew as Treasury chief on Thursday
• U.S. open to better Venezuela ties but it takes two to tango
• Northern Ireland enjoys rare night of calm as riots abate
• CIA officials invisible at Washington premiere of bin Laden film
• Syria envoy says Assad can't be part of new government
• Afghans say total U.S. pullout would trigger disaster
• FCC to push for faster wi-fi at airports, other hubs
• WH Responds to Piers Morgan Petition
• Platinum coin idea has little currency at White House
• White House wades into debate on injured Redskins QB
• Judge won't give Gitmo lawyers helpful information
• Senators meet with Afghan president
• Defense nominee Hagel lays out stand on Iran
• As public fumes, AIG says will not sue U.S. over bailout
• Biden pledges urgent Obama action on gun control
• Menu for Inauguration Luncheon
• Labor Secretary Hilda Solis resigns
• U.N. envoy says 40 years of Assad family rule is "too long"
• White House says 'no backup plan' to debt ceiling
• Obama Cabinet: Who's Been Asked to Stay
• Where US lags in health indicators
• Heavy fighting rages in Sudan's Darfur region

Obama Cabinet shuffle taking shape Posted: 09 Jan 2013 03:36 PM PST WASHINGTON (AP) — The composition of President Barack Obama's second term Cabinet became clearer Wednesday, with Labor Secretary Hilda Solis resigning and three other members of the president's team deciding to stay on amid concerns about diversity in Obama's inner circle.

Lew's loopy signature may end up on dollar bills Posted: 09 Jan 2013 03:02 PM PST WASHINGTON (AP) — Jack Lew's nomination for treasury secretary means a new signature could soon be coming to the dollar bill.

Obama to tap budget expert Lew to lead Treasury Posted: 09 Jan 2013 02:45 PM PST WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama will nominate White House chief of staff Jack Lew to be his second-term Secretary of the Treasury, turning to one of Washington's most knowledgeable budget experts to manage prickly fiscal negotiations with Congress and steer the still-shaky national economy.

Jewish group calls for sanctions against Russia Posted: 09 Jan 2013 03:30 PM PST A Jewish group and the Justice Department argued in court Wednesday about the best way to get Russia to return the group's historic books and documents.

Govt: Reverse terror convictions _ for now Posted: 09 Jan 2013 03:27 PM PST A federal appeals court must reverse the military commission convictions in a terrorism case even though the Obama administration believes the convictions are consistent with the Constitution and federal law, the Justice Department said Wednesday.

Venezuela's top court endorses Chavez inauguration delay Posted: 09 Jan 2013 03:27 PM PST CARACAS (Reuters) - Venezuela's top court endorsed the postponement of Hugo Chavez's inauguration this week and ruled on Wednesday that the cancer-stricken president and his deputy would continue in their roles, despite a cacophony of opposition complaints. Critics had argued the 58-year-old's absence from his own swearing-in ceremony on January 10 meant a caretaker president must be appointed. Chavez has not been seen in public nor heard from in almost a month following surgery in Cuba. ...

PM Note: Loop-dy Lew, Solis Resigns, Happy Birthday, Richard Nixon, Biden and Cuomo on Guns Posted: 09 Jan 2013 03:26 PM PST Five Key Legacies of Richard Nixon On His 100th Birthday – http://abcn.ws/UW49ms An Unexpected Resignation - Labor Secretary Hilda Solis stepped down today, leaving another vacancy in Obama's second-term cabinet. She was the first Latina to serve in a presidential cabinet. http://abcn.ws/13hRCh5 Jon Karl on...

Biden says Obama could use executive orders to restrict guns Posted: 09 Jan 2013 03:23 PM PST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Vice President Joe Biden said on Wednesday the White House is determined to act quickly to curb gun violence and will explore all avenues - including executive orders that would not require approval by Congress - to try to prevent incidents like last month's massacre at a Connecticut school. Kicking off a series of meetings on gun violence, Biden said the administration would work with gun-control advocates and gun-rights supporters to build a consensus on restrictions. But he made clear that President Barack Obama is prepared to act on his own if necessary. ...

Prosecutor questions former Haitian President Aristide Posted: 09 Jan 2013 03:22 PM PST PORT-AU-PRINCE (Reuters) - A prosecutor questioned former Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide on Wednesday over accusations he used homeless children to elicit donations that were later used to help fund his political career. Aristide, who has not been charged with a crime, answered questions from prosecutor Lucmane Delille at his home on the outskirts of the Haitian capital of Port-au-Prince. Several thousand Aristide supporters marched to his residence in a show of support for the ex-leader. Some said the investigation was politically motivated. ...

US troop plan in Afghanistan follows Iraq playbook Posted: 09 Jan 2013 03:22 PM PST WASHINGTON (AP) — It's the same debate, the same numbers and practically the same plan, but the White House is working harder to keep troops in Afghanistan than it did in similar but failed discussions in Iraq in 2011.

Violence plays role in shorter US life expectancy Posted: 09 Jan 2013 03:21 PM PST WASHINGTON (AP) — The United States suffers far more violent deaths than any other wealthy nation, due in part to the widespread possession of firearms and the practice of storing them at home in a place that is often unlocked, according to a report released Wednesday by two of the nation's leading health research institutions.

Eric Holder to stay on as attorney general Posted: 09 Jan 2013 03:20 PM PST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Attorney General Eric Holder, a lightning rod of criticism from Republicans, is staying on in his job as President Barack Obama starts his second term. A White House official said on Wednesday that Holder is among the Cabinet members who will remain in their position. He has been working on Vice President Joe Biden's task force on finding ways to reduce gun violence after last month's mass killing in Newtown, Connecticut. It is rare for an attorney general to serve more than four years. ...

UK man sentenced in Texas for bid to sell weapons parts to Iran Posted: 09 Jan 2013 03:10 PM PST SAN ANTONIO/EL PASO, Texas (Reuters) - A British businessman was sentenced in Texas on Wednesday to nearly three years in prison for selling weapons parts to Iran in violation of international sanctions. Christopher Tappin, 66, was sentenced to 33 months in a federal prison after he pleaded guilty to one count of aiding the illegal export of defense articles from 2005 to 2007. The sentence was the result of a plea agreement that prohibits Tappin from appealing his conviction or his sentence. ...

New York governor wants casinos to spur upstate economy Posted: 09 Jan 2013 03:08 PM PST (Reuters) - New York Governor Andrew Cuomo proposed on Wednesday dozens of new initiatives for the state, including new casinos and other measures aimed at helping upstate areas regain their financial footing after decades of economic decline. Cuomo, in his annual State of the State address, proposed locating up to three casinos upstate to increase tourism and provide some local property tax relief and education funds for struggling cities. ...

Latina pioneer Solis resigning as labor secretary Posted: 09 Jan 2013 03:08 PM PST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Labor Secretary Hilda Solis, the first Latina to head a major federal agency, announced plans to resign on Wednesday, just as President Barack Obama faces questions about a lack of women in his second-term leadership team. Solis said in a statement she had submitted her resignation to Obama - not an unexpected development given that many Cabinet members grow fatigued by the long days in office and are eager to look at opportunities in the private sector after four years. She grappled with trying to bolster the U.S. ...

Obama to nominate Lew as Treasury chief on Thursday Posted: 09 Jan 2013 03:08 PM PST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama will nominate White House Chief of Staff Jack Lew to be his next Treasury secretary, choosing a budget expert and close confidant to spearhead tough fiscal fights with Congress over the U.S. deficit. If confirmed by the Senate, Lew would replace Timothy Geithner, the longest-serving member of Obama's original economic team, who has said he would step down after one term. A source familiar with the matter said Lew, who had been widely expected to be tapped for the role, will be nominated on Thursday. ...

U.S. open to better Venezuela ties but it takes two to tango Posted: 09 Jan 2013 03:07 PM PST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States said on Wednesday it would like to improve relations with Venezuela, gripped by political uncertainty following socialist President Hugo Chavez's fourth cancer operation, but it will "take two to tango." Venezuela has said it would postpone Thursday's scheduled inauguration for Chavez, 58, who has not been seen or heard from since surgery in Cuba on December 11. He was diagnosed with an undisclosed type of cancer in his pelvis in June 2011. The unprecedented silence by the president, a fierce U.S. ...

Northern Ireland enjoys rare night of calm as riots abate Posted: 09 Jan 2013 03:01 PM PST BELFAST (Reuters) - Northern Ireland enjoyed its first night of calm in almost a week on Wednesday when protests at the removal of the British flag from Belfast City Hall passed off peacefully. Mostly pro-Irish Republican councilors voted last month to end a century-old tradition of flying the flag every day, unleashing the most sustained unrest since a 1998 peace deal that ended three decades of bloodshed between Republicans and Unionists determined to stay in the United Kingdom. ...

CIA officials invisible at Washington premiere of bin Laden film Posted: 09 Jan 2013 03:01 PM PST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - There were journalists in droves, glasses of wine proffered by waiters and hors d'oeuvres devised by celebrity chef Wolfgang Puck at the Washington premiere of a movie about the CIA, but prominent agency officials were nowhere to be seen. Although official records show the spy agency cooperated generously with the makers of "Zero Dark Thirty," which dramatizes the 10-year hunt for Osama bin Laden, the movie's graphic depictions of torture have made it a political hot potato of the kind Washington thrives on but which mystifies Hollywood. ...

Syria envoy says Assad can't be part of new government Posted: 09 Jan 2013 03:00 PM PST CAIRO (Reuters) - The international peace envoy for Syria said on Wednesday he did not see President Bashar al-Assad being part of a transitional government envisaged by a peace plan agreed by major powers last year. "Surely he would not be a member of that government," Lakhdar Brahimi, the envoy, told Reuters in an interview in Cairo, in some of his clearest language yet on the future he sees for Assad. He reiterated his view that the peace plan agreed in Geneva last year remained "the base for a solution in Syria". "There is no military solution," he said. ...

Afghans say total U.S. pullout would trigger disaster Posted: 09 Jan 2013 02:54 PM PST KABUL (Reuters) - Afghan lawmakers said on Wednesday disaster and civil war would follow if Washington pushed ahead with a suggestion to withdraw all its troops from the country after 2014. The White House said a day earlier it was considering the so-called "zero option" of a complete pullout - despite earlier recommendations from the top military commander in Afghanistan to keep soldiers there to help the government. ...

FCC to push for faster wi-fi at airports, other hubs Posted: 09 Jan 2013 02:53 PM PST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Telecommunications regulators are planning a push to increase wi-fi speed in airports, convention centers and other major hubs where travelers often see download speeds slow to a maddening crawl. Federal Communications Chairman Julius Genachowski said in a speech at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas on Wednesday that the agency planned to free up unlicensed spectrum in the 5 gigahertz band in order to improve wi-fi service both in terms of speed and capacity. ...

WH Responds to Piers Morgan Petition Posted: 09 Jan 2013 02:42 PM PST The White House has issued an official response to the online petition calling for CNN host Piers Morgan to be deported back to Great Britain for his "hostile attack against the U.S. Constitution by targeting the Second Amendment." In the response, White House Press Secretary...

Platinum coin idea has little currency at White House Posted: 09 Jan 2013 02:40 PM PST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House on Wednesday sees little profit in the notion of minting $1 trillion platinum coin as an escape hatch to avoid a debt default if Congress balks at raising the U.S. debt limit. With another standoff with Congress over raising the debt ceiling looming as early as mid-February, a petition on the White House website asks the administration to create a single platinum coin worth $1 trillion to avoid a stalemate over lifting the borrowing cap. The petition has garnered more than 7,100 signatures. ...

White House wades into debate on injured Redskins QB Posted: 09 Jan 2013 02:36 PM PST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Even the White House couldn't resist weighing in on the nationwide debate over whether Washington Redskins star rookie quarterback Robert Griffin III should have been kept in Sunday's NFL playoff game in which he went down with a gruesome knee injury. Washington coach Mike Shanahan has come under fire for leaving the ailing Griffin - widely known as RG-3 - in the 24-14 loss to the Seattle Seahawks and possibly putting the young player's career at risk. ...

Judge won't give Gitmo lawyers helpful information Posted: 09 Jan 2013 02:33 PM PST A federal judge ruled Wednesday that lawyers for an Afghan man held at the Guantanamo Bay naval brig cannot see top secret information that she acknowledges would be helpful to his case.

Senators meet with Afghan president Posted: 09 Jan 2013 02:32 PM PST WASHINGTON (AP) — Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai is meeting with members of the Senate to discuss what Republican leader Mitch McConnell says are mutual goals for the two countries.

Defense nominee Hagel lays out stand on Iran Posted: 09 Jan 2013 02:25 PM PST WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama's pick for defense secretary, Chuck Hagel, is meeting with senior Pentagon staff to try to set the record straight about his stand on Iran, saying he backs strong international sanctions against Tehran and believes all options, including military action, should be on the table, defense officials said Wednesday.

As public fumes, AIG says will not sue U.S. over bailout Posted: 09 Jan 2013 02:23 PM PST (Reuters) - Facing anger from Congress and the American people, AIG Inc said on Wednesday it would not sue the U.S. government over terms of the company's multi-billion dollar bailout. Insurer American International Group had been weighing whether to join a lawsuit filed by its former Chief Executive Hank Greenberg and his company Starr International, which owned 12 percent of AIG before its $182 billion (114 billion pounds) rescue that started in 2008. ...

Biden pledges urgent Obama action on gun control Posted: 09 Jan 2013 02:15 PM PST Vice President Joe Biden vowed urgent action against gun violence in America Wednesday, pledging steps by the Obama administration that he said could "take thousands of people out of harm's way" and improve the safety of millions more.

Menu for Inauguration Luncheon Posted: 09 Jan 2013 02:13 PM PST Sen. Chuck Schumer, on behalf of the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies, released a plan for the Inauguration luncheon Wednesday featuring New England chowder and New York wines. As in 2009, the menu starts with a soup course, continues to an entree and ends with a...

Labor Secretary Hilda Solis resigns Posted: 09 Jan 2013 02:12 PM PST Labor Secretary Hilda Solis resigned her post on Wednesday, saying she plans to return to her native California. She is expected to run for a seat on the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors.

U.N. envoy says 40 years of Assad family rule is "too long" Posted: 09 Jan 2013 02:12 PM PST BEIRUT (Reuters) - Syrians believe 40 years of Assad family rule is too long, the international mediator for Syria said, the closest he has come to calling directly for President Bashar al-Assad to quit. The remarks by U.N. envoy Lakhdar Brahimi cast doubt on the future of his peace plan, the only major diplomatic initiative to end a war the United Nations says has killed 60,000 people. ...

White House says 'no backup plan' to debt ceiling Posted: 09 Jan 2013 02:11 PM PST WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House is dismissing suggestions to sidestep Congress to meet the nation's debt obligations, declaring that it is Congress' responsibility to pay the bills of the United States.

Obama Cabinet: Who's Been Asked to Stay Posted: 09 Jan 2013 02:10 PM PST With the departure of Hilda Solis at Labor, we have now seen five members of the President's cabinet announcing their intention to leave since the election:  Hillary Clinton, Timothy Geithner, Leon Panetta, Lisa Jackson (EPA) and now Hilda Solis.  Transportation Secretary Ray Lahood has also...

Where US lags in health indicators Posted: 09 Jan 2013 02:03 PM PST Researchers studying why Americans have shorter lives and poorer health than residents of other developed nations found several areas where the U.S. lags. The panel reviewed an array of existing studies to reach its conclusions.

Heavy fighting rages in Sudan's Darfur region Posted: 09 Jan 2013 02:02 PM PST KHARTOUM (Reuters) - Rebels have seized two towns in Darfur, international peacekeepers quoted a local leader as saying, as fighting raged in at least two parts of the troubled region of western Sudan. Sudan's military denied the report, but the UNAMID peacekeeping force said Central Darfur's governor Youssef Tibin had told it armed groups had seized the towns of Golo and Rockero in the Jebel Marra area. ...

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