Politics Headlines
High court to look at life in prison for juveniles
AP - SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2009 4:58 P.M.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Joe Sullivan was sent away for life for raping an elderly woman and judged incorrigible though he was only 13 at the time of the attack....
Shortage of military therapists creates strain
AP - SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2009 4:48 P.M.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Amputations. Combat stress. Divorce. Suicide. For troubled service members, military therapists are at their sides....
2010 elections: Tables have turned on Democrats
AP - SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2009 4:27 P.M.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Oh, how the tables have turned. Nervous Democrats are on defense and emboldened Republicans sense opportunity heading into 2010 and the midterm elections. It was just three years ago that the GOP lost the House and Senate as well as governors' races in a cross-country Democratic wave....
Obama asks House to vote on health care bill
AP - SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2009 4:26 P.M.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Barack Obama summoned Democrats to "answer the call of history" Saturday as the House pushed toward a vote on a landmark health care bill holding out the promise of coverage for tens of millions who lack it....
Obama arrival in Tokyo delayed by a day
AP - SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2009 3:56 P.M.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Barack Obama is attending a memorial service at Fort Hood on Tuesday and now won't get to his planned first stop in Asia next week until one day later than expected....
Iran, North Korea top Clinton's overseas agenda
AP - SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2009 2:43 P.M.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Nuclear impasses with Iran and North Korea are the dominant issues for Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton on her trip to Europe and Asia, which begins with a stopover in Germany to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the Berlin Wall's fall....
Pelosi: Obama visit inspired Democrats
AP - SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2009 2:02 P.M.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- House Democratic leaders say President Barack Obama, who made a quick trip to Capitol Hill, inspired their party to pass health care legislation....
House, Senate health care bills detailed
AP - SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2009 1:54 P.M.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Here is a comparison of the three health care bills before Congress, including one by House Democrats and an alternative by House Republicans....
Obama praises those who ended Fort Hood violence
AP - SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2009 1:08 P.M.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Barack Obama will attend a memorial service Tuesday honoring victims of the Ford Hood shootings, an attack he described as "all the more heartbreaking and all the more despicable" because it occurred on the nation's largest Army post....
Muslim leader had troubling talks with suspect
AP - SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2009 12:37 P.M.
FORT HOOD, Texas (AP) -- An Army psychiatrist who authorities say went on a shooting rampage at Fort Hood was so conflicted over what to tell fellow soldiers about fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan that a local Islamic leader was deeply troubled by it, the leader said Saturday....
Obama to House: Time to finish job on health care
AP - SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2009 12:22 P.M.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- In a private meeting on Capitol Hill and from the presidential podium in the Rose Garden, President Barack Obama on Saturday pressed for House passage of a health overhaul bill and told lawmakers "to rise to this moment" and "answer the call of history."...
Analysis: 10 percent jobless is Obama's new world
AP - SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2009 4:44 A.M.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- For months he had warned it was coming but that didn't ease the political shockwaves for President Barack Obama when unemployment topped 10 percent....
Obama to meet Myanmar, other ASEAN leaders
AP - SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2009 2:14 A.M.
MANILA, Philippines (AP) -- President Barack Obama will meet leaders of Southeast Asian nations, including Myanmar, in a high-level affirmation of Washington's new policy of engaging the military-ruled country despite its dismal human rights record....
Revolutionary War hero becomes honorary US citizen
AP - FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2009 6:48 P.M.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Finally, Gen. Casimir Pulaski became an American citizen on Friday, 230 years after the Polish nobleman died fighting for the as yet-unborn United States....
Obama will push health bill in Saturday Hill visit
AP - FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2009 4:45 P.M.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Barack Obama still expects to have a health care overhaul bill to sign by year's end and plans to personally lobby for it in a visit to Capitol Hill on Saturday, the White House said....
Obama signs bill assisting homebuyers, jobless
AP - FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2009 3:56 P.M.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Barack Obama signed a $24 billion economic stimulus bill into law Friday, giving tax incentives to prospective homebuyers and additional jobless benefits to those idled by the business slump....
Classmate: Hasan said terror fight a war on Islam
AP - FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2009 3:36 P.M.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- A classmate of the Fort Hood shooting suspect says Maj. Nidal Hasan was an outspoken opponent of the U.S. war on terror and called it a "war against Islam."...
Obama visits wounded US soldiers at Walter Reed
AP - FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2009 3:31 P.M.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Barack Obama spent nearly two hours visiting wounded U.S. soldiers Friday afternoon....
Details emerge about Fort Hood suspect's history
AP - FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2009 2:47 P.M.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- He was by turns caring and contentious, a man quick to say "I am blessed" in casual greeting yet one who seemed to stew in discontent that he could not always keep to himself....
Hillary Clinton to represent US at Berlin Wall
AP - FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2009 1:19 P.M.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton will lead a U.S. delegation to Germany for next week's 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, the White House said Friday....
Former NASA official sentenced to probation
AP - FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2009 10 A.M.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- A former top NASA official was sentenced Friday to three years probation, six months of electronic monitoring and a $2,500 fine for steering contract money to a private client....
Obama: Gov't working to ease pain of joblessness
AP - FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2009 9:02 A.M.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Barack Obama said new figures released Friday showing national unemployment has hit the double-digit mark are a sobering reminder of the challenges still facing the U.S. economy....
Family calls suspects actions deplorable
AP - FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2009 7:59 A.M.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The family of the suspected Fort Hood shooter says "the actions of their cousin are despicable and deplorable."...
Moment of silence set Friday for Fort Hood victims
AP - FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2009 7:33 A.M.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Secretary of Defense Robert Gates has declared a moment of silence for U.S. military forces worldwide as a show of respect for the Fort Hood victims....
Obama to address economy, Fort Hood shooting
AP - FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2009 7:24 A.M.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Barack Obama is expected to talk about the Fort Hood shootings and the double-digit unemployment figures at the White House later this morning....
White House adviser: Job numbers disappointing
AP - FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2009 7:17 A.M.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- White House economic adviser Christina Romer (ROH'-mur) says the 10.2 percent unemployment rate for October is a stark reminder of how much more needs to be done to get people back to work....
Salmonella victims upset no prosecutions yet
AP - FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2009 6:31 A.M.
ATLANTA (AP) -- At the height of the nationwide salmonella outbreak nearly a year ago, FBI agents raided two peanut plants and carried away boxes of evidence. FDA inspectors found roaches, mold and a leaky roof. Then, Congress revealed e-mails from the peanut company's top executive that seemed to suggest the pursuit of profits over ensuring public safety....
Ft. Hood Gen: Gunman went on 'measured' shooting
AP - FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2009 4:24 A.M.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The base commander at Fort Hood says survivors of the shooting rampage have told him that the Army psychiatrist suspected in the violence carried out his gunfire in "a very calm and measured approach."...
Will he shoot? Ex-Trail Blazer eyes Ore. gov race
AP - FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2009 2:04 A.M.
SALEM, Ore. (AP) -- Chris Dudley's free throw shots were always iffy propositions. Now the former Portland Trail Blazer is in a new arena taking aim at a governor's chair - and Oregon's Republicans think he can score....
Will he shoot? Ex-Trail Blazer eyes Ore. gov race
AP - FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2009 1:19 A.M.
SALEM, Ore. (AP) -- Chris Dudley's free throw shots were always iffy propositions. Now the former Portland Trail Blazer is in a new arena taking aim at a governor's chair - and Oregon's Republicans think he can score....
THE INFLUENCE GAME: Jobless aid helps business
AP - FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2009 1:13 A.M.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Emergency help for out-of-work Americans will be a huge windfall to Realtors, homebuilders, mortgage bankers and others, and that's no accident....
Obama delays Capitol Hill pitch on health care
AP - THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2009 7:27 P.M.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Barack Obama is pushing back a trip to Capitol Hill aimed at discussing the proposed health care overhaul with lawmakers....
Congressman: 2 soldiers released from custody
AP - THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2009 7:12 P.M.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The office of a Texas congressman says two soldiers who were taken into custody following a deadly rampage at Fort Hood have been released....
Southern Dems cast wary eye at election results
AP - THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2009 7 P.M.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Southern Democrats who watched the trouncing of their party's gubernatorial nominee in Virginia this week are starting to worry that a rising anti-Democratic tide in the South may reverse their hard-fought gains from the last two national elections....
Fiorina: 'Shame on me' for not voting more
AP - THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2009 6:44 P.M.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) -- Weeks after Republican gubernatorial candidate Meg Whitman was criticized over her poor voting record, U.S. Senate candidate Carly Fiorina tried to fend off a similar line of questioning by owning up to her spotty past....
First lady praises employees at Energy Department
AP - THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2009 5:51 P.M.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- On a visit to the Energy Department on Thursday, first lady Michelle Obama quizzed middle-school students about red blood cells and nanotechnology during a practice science quiz competition....
Obama set to sign a big tax break for homebuyers
AP - THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2009 5:43 P.M.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Missed out on Cash for Clunkers? Congress has another deal for you: Buy a home before May 1 and collect up to $6,500 from the government. If you're a first-time homebuyer, get up to $8,000....
New Afghan violence makes Obama decision tougher
AP - THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2009 5:05 P.M.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Barack Obama's next move on Afghanistan is growing more difficult by the day. Deadly attacks this week deepened British and U.N. alarm over their commitments, and fresh worries about Iraq could delay the exit of U.S. troops there, squeezing an already overstretched military....
Senate rejects bid aimed at Sept. 11 terrorists
AP - THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2009 4:38 P.M.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Democratic-controlled Senate on Thursday turned back a GOP-led effort to bar Sept. 11 terrorists from being prosecuted in civilian federal courts....
Northwest pilots appeal license revocation
AP - THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2009 2:39 P.M.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Northwest Airlines pilots who overshot Minneapolis by 150 miles are appealing their license revocations with the National Transportation Safety Board....
Liberal lawmakers defy Obama on Patriot Act
AP - THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2009 2:36 P.M.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Defying the Obama administration, the House Judiciary Committee voted Thursday to remove from the USA Patriot Act a tool for tracking non-U.S. citizens in anti-terrorism investigations....
New gene therapy halts 2 boys' rare brain disease
AP - THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2009 2:12 P.M.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- French scientists mixed gene therapy and bone marrow transplants in two boys to seemingly halt a brain disease that can kill by adolescence. The surprise ingredient: They disabled the HIV virus so it couldn't cause AIDS, and then used it to carry in the healthy new gene....
Thousands rally to protest health care bill
AP - THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2009 1:11 P.M.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Chanting "Kill the bill," thousands of conservatives rallied at the Capitol on Thursday against the Democrats' health care overhaul plan, labeling it a government takeover of the nation's medical system....
Senator: No fed money for US-China wind project
AP - THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2009 12:58 P.M.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- A Democratic senator on Thursday called on the Obama administration to reject an expected request for federal economic stimulus money as part of a $1.5 billion West Texas wind energy project, saying it will generate Chinese, not American, jobs - a claim strongly disputed by the project's developer....
AP sources: Suicide eyed in Ky. census worker case
AP - THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2009 12:55 P.M.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Investigators probing the death of a Kentucky census worker found hanging from a tree with the word "fed" scrawled on his chest increasingly doubt he was killed because of his government job and are pursuing the possibility he committed suicide, law enforcement officials told The Associated Press....
Senate Democrats advance climate bill without GOP
AP - THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2009 12:53 P.M.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Senate Democrats sidestepped a Republican boycott Thursday, pushing a climate bill out of committee in an early step on a long and contentious road to passage. Other committees still must weigh-in on the measure, but the partisan antics early on threatened to cast a pall over the bill - one of President Barack Obama's top priorities - as it makes its way to the Senate floor and as nations prepare to meet in Copenhagen, Denmark, next month to hammer out a new internati...
Clinton sees families of hikers detained in Iran
AP - THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2009 12:42 P.M.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton had an emotional meeting on Thursday with the families of three American hikers detained in Iran since late July and renewed appeals to Iranian authorities to release them....
Congress extends jobless benefits to record levels
AP - THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2009 12:37 P.M.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Congress on Thursday decisively approved an extension of unemployment benefits for almost two million people out of work nearly a year or more as the U.S. continues to lose jobs....
Obama to sign bill extending homebuyers credit
AP - THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2009 11:56 A.M.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The White House says President Barack Obama on Friday morning will sign a bill that expands a popular homebuyers tax credit and extends unemployment benefits....
Senate blocks census citizenship question
AP - THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2009 11:45 A.M.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Senate Democrats Thursday blocked a GOP attempt to require next year's census forms to ask people whether they are U.S. citizens....
Obama: US must reverse course with Indians
AP - THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2009 11:17 A.M.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Barack Obama assured American Indians on Thursday that they have a place in his White House and on his agenda, telling tribal leaders their marginalized community deserves more from its government....
Doctors' group supports House health care bill
AP - THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2009 10:34 A.M.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The American Medical Association says it supports the House Democratic health care bill, but it can't give a full endorsement yet....
Northwest Republicans Predict 2010 Success
OPB NEWS - THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2009 9:56 A.M.
Republican leaders in the Northwest are hoping that GOP victories in a pair of east coast governor's races foreshadow similar results here.
Seniors' lobby endorses House Dem health care bill
AP - THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2009 8:38 A.M.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The AARP has officially endorsed the House Democratic health care bill, a major boost for the legislation two days before a historic vote....
Senate Democrats advance climate bill without GOP
AP - THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2009 8:26 A.M.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Senate Democrats sidestepped a Republican boycott Thursday, pushing a climate bill out of committee in an early step on a long and contentious road to passage....
Democrats' plan to help 'uninsurables' questioned
AP - THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2009 7:46 A.M.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- You're afraid your cancer is back, and a health insurance company just turned you down....
'Clunker' data show pickup-for-pickup trades
AP - THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2009 3:20 A.M.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Billed as a way for the government to put more fuel-efficient vehicles on highways, the popular $3 billion Cash for Clunkers program mostly involved swaps of old Ford or Chevrolet pickups for new ones that got only marginally better gas mileage, according to an analysis of new federal data by The Associated Press....
Voters to pols: Give us jobs, results, not spats
AP - THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2009 3:16 A.M.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Voters' memo to politicians: We're angry and fearful, mostly about jobs and the economy. We want tangible solutions, not partisan bickering or intraparty spats. And we'll vote either party out of office if we don't think you're listening....
Analysis: Democrats have short memory on judges
AP - THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2009 12:39 A.M.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Ten months into Barack Obama's presidency, Democrats are accusing Republicans of creating "a dark mark on the Senate" by delaying confirmation of his federal court nominees....
Analysis: Election lessons will shape '10 campaign
AP - WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2009 10:08 P.M.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- What we learned from the off-year elections: The president's influence is limited, independents rule, incumbents beware, issues trump ideology and, once more, "It's the economy, stupid."...
Classical music has its day at the White House
AP - WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2009 6:11 P.M.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Classical music took over the White House on Wednesday as Barack and Michelle Obama used two concerts and a series of workshops for young musicians to send a clear message that the music of the masters isn't just for stuffed shirts....
House panel votes to increase clout of regulators
AP - WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2009 5:41 P.M.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The House Financial Services Committee voted Wednesday to give federal regulators more power and money to police major players in the stock market, four months after Bernard Madoff was sentenced for the biggest investment scam in history....
Former HP CEO Fiorina targets Boxer's Senate seat
AP - WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2009 5:36 P.M.
GARDEN GROVE, Calif. (AP) -- Former Silicon Valley executive Carly Fiorina announced Wednesday she is running for the chance to seize liberal stalwart Barbara Boxer's U.S. Senate seat, depicting the three-term Democrat as a Capitol Hill do-nothing who penned novels while jobs vanished and government spending soared....
Democrats say elections won't stop health care
AP - WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2009 5:31 P.M.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Far from chastened by off-year election setbacks, congressional Democrats vowed no let-up in the drive to pass controversial health care Wednesday, arguing that the way to regain voter trust was to complete what they started in more prosperous political times....
Analysis: For Clinton, tough talk but few results
AP - WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2009 4:29 P.M.
CAIRO (AP) -- Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton's tense exchanges with Pakistani civilians and Arab diplomats over a harrowing week of foreign stops exposed the confining limits of her office....
Obama explains 6th grader's test challenges
AP - WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2009 4:13 P.M.
MADISON, Wis. (AP) -- President Barack Obama is making the need for parent involvement personal, citing his own daughter's classroom challenges....
Obama offers schools money for backing initiatives
AP - WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2009 2:52 P.M.
MADISON, Wis. (AP) -- Pushing for a link between student test scores and teacher pay, President Barack Obama on Wednesday dangled $5 billion in federal grants to states willing to undertake a top-to-bottom overhaul of their schools in support of White House priorities....
House votes to accelerate credit card rules
AP - WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2009 2:51 P.M.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The House voted on Wednesday to impose immediately tough new rules for credit card companies after voters complained of increased interest rates and steep new fees....
FAA chief: Pilots must refocus on professionalism
AP - WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2009 2:13 P.M.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Northwest Airlines pilots who overshot Minneapolis are part of a larger problem - eroding professionalism among commercial airline pilots, Federal Aviation Administration Administrator Randy Babbitt said Wednesday....
House Dem attacks Obama on immigrants
AP - WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2009 1:42 P.M.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- A House Democrat is accusing President Barack Obama of dehumanizing illegal immigrants with his hard-line stance against allowing them to benefit from pending health overhaul legislation....
White House monitoring crackdown in Iran
AP - WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2009 12:55 P.M.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The White House on Wednesday expressed concern about a violent crackdown on anti-government protesters in Iran as President Barack Obama said he wanted the U.S. and Iran to move beyond "suspicion, mistrust and confrontation."...
Democrats agonize over what might have been in NYC
AP - WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2009 12:49 P.M.
NEW YORK (AP) -- Democrats who saw how close their candidate came to unseating New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg agonized Wednesday about what might have happened if the national party had not abandoned the party's little-known challenger....
White House: Tuesday's GOP wins not about Obama
AP - WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2009 11:43 A.M.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The White House says that Republican wins in two governors' races were not referendums on the president....
SPIN METER: Rankings unfair to US higher ed?
AP - WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2009 11:25 A.M.
The United States spends more money than any other country, and its elite institutions are the world's best. But overall the system is wasteful, fails too many - and is falling behind other countries....
Economy is big issue in Va. GOP governor's victory
AP - WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2009 11:15 A.M.
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) -- A Republican who promised to create jobs won the Virginia governor's office just a year after state voters helped a Democrat who promised change - and jobs - win the White House....
Clinton: US wants Israel settlement halt 'forever'
AP - WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2009 10:50 A.M.
CAIRO (AP) -- Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton defended the U.S. stance toward Israeli settlement building to worried Arab allies on Wednesday, saying Washington does not accept the legitimacy of the West Bank enclaves and wants to see their construction halted "forever."...
STIMULUS WATCH: Salary raise counted as saved job
AP - WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2009 10:39 A.M.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The government's latest count of stimulus jobs significantly overstates the effects of the $787 billion program under a popular federal preschool program, raising fresh questions about the process the Obama administration is using to tout the success of its economic recovery plan....
GOP sweep: Big governor victories in Virginia, NJ
AP - WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2009 10:13 A.M.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Independents who swept Barack Obama to a historic 2008 victory broke big for Republicans on Tuesday as the GOP wrested political control from Democrats in Virginia and New Jersey, a troubling sign for the president and his party heading into an important midterm election year....
Steele: Election returns show 'transcendent' GOP
AP - WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2009 8:42 A.M.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- An ebullient Republican Party Chairman Michael Steele asserted Wednesday that GOP victories in governors' races in New Jersey and Virginia demonstrate "a transcendent party" on the move again. The White House said the elections were not a repudiation of President Barack Obama....
White House hoping violence in Iran won't spread
AP - WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2009 7:39 A.M.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The White House is calling for an end to violence in Iran as security forces there crack down on anti-government protesters....
Government agrees to pay $3 million in CIA lawsuit
AP - WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2009 6:50 A.M.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The government has agreed to pay $3 million to a former agent of the Drug Enforcement Administration who sued CIA officers for illegal eavesdropping....
Defeat in Maine a harsh blow to gay-marriage drive
AP - WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2009 6:14 A.M.
The stars seemed aligned for supporters of gay marriage. They had Maine's governor, legislative leaders and major newspapers on their side, plus a huge edge in campaign funding. So losing a landmark referendum was a devastating blow, for activists in Maine and nationwide....
Dejection fills ballroom after gay marriage vote
AP - WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2009 6:02 A.M.
PORTLAND, Maine (AP) -- Cecelia Burnett and Ann Swanson had already set their wedding date. When they joined about 1,000 other gay marriage supporters for an election night party in a Holiday Inn ballroom, they hoped to celebrate the vote that would make it possible....
THE INFLUENCE GAME: Liberals targeting moderates
AP - WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2009 3:27 A.M.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Get on the health overhaul bandwagon, or don't count on our help in your re-election....
GOP rides wave of discontent to NJ governorship
AP - WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2009 12:43 A.M.
TRENTON, N.J. (AP) -- Republican Chris Christie, a former corruption-busting prosecutor, tapped into deep voter discontent over stubbornly high taxes and chronic financial problems to unseat New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine on Tuesday, despite being outspent by $12 million in a heavily Democratic state....
Analysis: Health care delay would frustrate Obama
AP - WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2009 12:15 A.M.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Delay is rarely good for politicians trying to pass legislation. The possibility that Congress might not complete action on a major health care bill this year is another frustration for President Barack Obama and his allies....
Analysis: Nervous voters send message to Obama
AP - WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2009 12:10 A.M.
NEW YORK (AP) -- Voters nervous about the economy and fed up with the political establishment dominated the off-year elections, sending a strong message to President Barack Obama, who won the White House as a change agent but has himself become the face of political power and incumbency....
Atlanta's race for mayor heads to runoff
AP - TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 2009 10:34 P.M.
ATLANTA (AP) -- An Atlanta councilwoman could become the city's first white mayor in a generation, facing off against a black state senator in a runoff next month....
Democrat wins House seat in heavily GOP area in NY
AP - TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 2009 10:18 P.M.
ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) -- A Democrat running in a historically Republican stronghold won a closely watched special congressional election in northern New York on Tuesday, capitalizing on a split that emerged between moderates and conservatives for control of the GOP....
Christie took a winding route to NJ governor post
AP - TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 2009 7:47 P.M.
TRENTON, N.J. (AP) -- Chris Christie thought his political career was over 12 years ago when he was bounced from a primary election for a county board....
Education Dep't: Massachusetts did not break rules
AP - TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 2009 5:56 P.M.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Education Department is reassuring the state of Massachusetts it does not agree with an internal watchdog who suggested the state was using economic stimulus money improperly....
Merkel calls for strong deal on climate change
AP - TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 2009 5:48 P.M.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- German Chancellor Angela Merkel marked the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall by exhorting the world in a speech to Congress on Tuesday to "tear down the walls of today" and reach a deal to combat global warming....
Clinton diverts to Egypt for Mideast peace talks
AP - TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 2009 5:45 P.M.
CAIRO (AP) -- U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton made a hastily arranged stop in the Egyptian capital Tuesday to consult with a longtime Arab ally amid indications of a shifting U.S. strategy for getting Israel and the Palestinians back to peace negotiations....
Disney Co. spending $7M on conservation projects
AP - TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 2009 3:08 P.M.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Seeking to help fight climate change, the Walt Disney Co. says it will spend $7 million in partnership with three conservation groups to protect tens of thousands of acres of forests lands in the Congo basin, the Amazon basin and in two regions of the United States....
Obama: US, Europe must push hard for climate deal
AP - TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 2009 1:41 P.M.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Barack Obama says he and European leaders agree it is imperative that they redouble efforts to reach a climate deal in Copenhagen in December....
White House: No flu vaccine for Gitmo detainees
AP - TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 2009 1:17 P.M.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The White House says detainees at Guantanamo Bay are not receiving vaccinations against the swine flu....
US eyes China's rapid advancements in space
AP - TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 2009 12:45 P.M.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Wary of China's rapid advancements in space programs over the last decade, military commanders said Tuesday that the U.S. needs to improve its satellite presence in the Southern Hemisphere to better track launches from Asia, even as officials work to improve relations with Beijing....
LA Clippers owner agrees to pay $2.725 million
AP - TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 2009 12:25 P.M.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Los Angeles Clippers owner and real estate mogul Donald Sterling has agreed to pay a record $2.725 million to settle allegations by the government that he refused to rent apartments to Hispanics, blacks and to families with children, the Justice Department announced Tuesday....
VA secretary promises help for homeless veterans
AP - TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 2009 11:57 A.M.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki on Tuesday unveiled a plan to end veterans' homelessness in five years, saying that without action the improvements of recent years could be lost because of the bad economy....
Tapes show Kennedy was conflicted over Saigon coup
AP - TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 2009 11:10 A.M.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Newly released White House tapes from the Vietnam War era portray President John F. Kennedy wrestling over the fate of South Vietnam's strongman in a situation that appears to mirror President Barack Obama's quandary today in dealing with Afghanistan's shaky government....
