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Monday, May 14, 2012 8:30 PM PDT

Today's Politics - Bloomberg News Headlines - Yahoo! News: Obama camp targets Romney firm as job-killing "vampire" Mexico massacre highlights unknown drug war victims U.S. mulling sending Afghanistan general to head Europe troops Mexico massacre highlights unknown drug war victims Man bitten by rattlesnake at Washington state Walmart Korea memorial sculptor entitled to more from postal service Minnesota police accused of giving out pot to watch behavior OSHA probing former Florida postal worker's illness claims Ron Paul stops campaigning for White House Former Senator Edwards' defense starts its case California targets health, public workers to fix budget hole Mexican couple admit to 27,000-round ammo cache in Texas Fed examining other risks being taken by JPMorgan Obama camp targets Romney firm as job-killing "vampire" 8,000 contractors said eligible for U.S. cyber guard Kosovo voices strong support for Syria opposition Former NY state senator convicted of theft Senate deal clears way for vote on Ex-Im Bank Euro zone set to enter recession as fortunes diverge Exclusive: Brazil targets Argentina with new import license Missouri honors conservative talk radio host Limbaugh Star witness says Clemens asked him to give steroid shot Obama says JPMorgan loss shows need for Wall Street reform Former Senator Edwards' defense starts its case Seven UN peacekeepers shot at Congo protest U.N., Syria at odds over control of aid distribution: envoys Libyan Islamist quits militia to enter politics: aide Hollande to be sworn in as new French president Factbox: Housing markets in key battleground states In good news for Obama, housing markets improve in key states Ron Paul stops campaigning for White House Maybe Europe should abandon euro: Flaherty Greek leftists reject proposal for technocrat government Similarities may push Merkel, Hollande together Mexico massacre highlights unknown drug war victims Rhode Island recognizes out-of-state gay marriages Minnesota governor OKs football stadium bill Michelle Obama gets U.S. athletes and kids moving FDA says unsure if Novartis MS pill caused deaths Canada says maybe Europe should give up euro zone Obama camp targets Romney firm as job-killing "vampire" Mon,14 May 2012 07:43 PM PDT Reuters - WASHINGTON/NEW YORK (Reuters) - President Barack Obama's campaign released a video on Monday calling Mitt Romney's private equity firm a job-killing "vampire" that ran a steel mill into the ground, signaling a new effort to carve into Romney's image of corporate success. The Obama campaign's six-minute video - a shorter version of which will air on TV stations in the key states of Iowa, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Colorado - came as the president's team sought to draw dramatic contrasts between Obama and Romney, the presumed Republican nominee for president. ... Full Story Top Mexico massacre highlights unknown drug war victims Mon,14 May 2012 07:33 PM PDT Reuters - MONTERREY (Reuters) - Even if someone had not chopped the heads, hands and feet off the victims first, the chances of investigators identifying the 49 bodies dumped on a road in northern Mexico this weekend would have been far from certain. Catching the killers may prove an even harder task. More than 8,000 corpses left across Mexico since 2006 have not been identified, according to the National Human Rights Commission, a government-run body. ... Full Story Top U.S. mulling sending Afghanistan general to head Europe troops Mon,14 May 2012 07:23 PM PDT Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Obama administration is considering sending its top general in Afghanistan, who commands U.S. and NATO troops there during a crucial withdrawal period, to head U.S. forces in Europe this winter. A U.S. official speaking on condition of anonymity said that Marine General John Allen, who took over command of NATO and U.S. forces in Afghanistan in July 2011, was under initial consideration to become head of U.S. European command this winter, noting such plans were preliminary and could change. "Allen is one of the most widely respected leaders in the military. ... Full Story Top Mexico massacre highlights unknown drug war victims Mon,14 May 2012 07:03 PM PDT Reuters - MONTERREY (Reuters) - Even if someone had not chopped the heads, hands and feet off the victims first, the chances of investigators identifying the 49 bodies dumped on a road in northern Mexico this weekend would have been far from certain. Catching the killers may prove an even harder task. More than 8,000 corpses left across Mexico since 2006 have not been identified, according to the National Human Rights Commission, a government-run body. ... Full Story Top Man bitten by rattlesnake at Washington state Walmart Mon,14 May 2012 06:49 PM PDT Reuters - SALMON, Idaho (Reuters) - When Mica Craig reached down to brush what he thought was a stick off some mulch in the garden section of a Washington state Walmart, it turned around and sank its fangs into his hand. The Friday encounter with a rattlesnake sent Craig, 47, to the hospital, where he said he remained in excruciating pain and may lose feeling in two fingers. Wal-Mart Stores Inc has apologized. "I reached down to grab the stick to move it out of the way, and the snake stretched out, turned around and got its fangs in my right hand," he said. ... Full Story Top Korea memorial sculptor entitled to more from postal service Mon,14 May 2012 06:48 PM PDT Reuters - (Reuters) - An 87-year-old sculptor is entitled to more money from the U.S. Postal Service after it made tens of millions of dollars from using an image of his Korean War memorial on stamps and merchandise, a federal appeals court ruled on Monday. Frank Gaylord, who is now 87 and a World War Two veteran, won a government-sponsored contest to build a memorial to Korean War veterans in 1990, and his work, consisting of a platoon of 19 steel soldiers, became the centerpiece of the Korean War Veterans' Memorial in Washington. ... Full Story Top Minnesota police accused of giving out pot to watch behavior Mon,14 May 2012 06:45 PM PDT Reuters - MINNEAPOLIS (Reuters) - A Minnesota training program that teaches police how to identify drug-impaired drivers is under fire following allegations that a participating officer gave marijuana to a test volunteer. The allegation, leveled by another officer in the program, followed reports from anti-Wall Street demonstrators that police plucked Occupy Minneapolis members from a plaza in downtown Minneapolis for the training, gave them marijuana and watched them use drugs. ... Full Story Top OSHA probing former Florida postal worker's illness claims Mon,14 May 2012 05:37 PM PDT Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Postal Service said it is cooperating with a U.S. government investigation into a former postal worker's claim that he has been seriously ill for more than a year after he says he came in contact with a suspicious package at the Florida facility where he worked. The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration last month opened a probe into the incident in early 2011 involving former Orlando sorting facility supervisor Jeffrey Lill, Michael D'Aquino, a spokesman for OSHA's southeast regional office, said on Monday. ... Full Story Top Ron Paul stops campaigning for White House Mon,14 May 2012 05:35 PM PDT Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul effectively ended his White House bid on Monday, saying he would no longer campaign actively in states that have yet to hold primary elections. Instead, Paul's campaign will concentrate on trying to add to its tally of delegates to the Republican National Convention in August by sending large groups of supporters to state conventions to elect themselves to delegate slots. "Our campaign will continue to work in the state convention process. ... Full Story Top Former Senator Edwards' defense starts its case Mon,14 May 2012 05:25 PM PDT Reuters - GREENSBORO, North Carolina (Reuters) - Defense witnesses entered the debate on Monday about whether money used to conceal former Senator John Edwards' pregnant mistress during his 2008 presidential bid constituted campaign contributions. In a setback for the defense, District Court Judge Catherine Eagles barred former Federal Election Commission Chairman Scott Thomas from telling jurors that he believed the payments did not qualify as campaign contributions. ... Full Story Top California targets health, public workers to fix budget hole Mon,14 May 2012 05:05 PM PDT Reuters - SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - California Governor Jerry Brown on Monday unveiled a revised state budget plan that calls for new cuts to healthcare for the poor and elderly and reduced work hours for state employees as part of an effort to close a $15.7 billion budget gap. Brown had said on Saturday that the projected deficit for the fiscal year beginning in July had increased from the $9.2 billion projected in January due to the slow economic recovery, less revenue and other factors including some cutbacks in social service spending blocked by the courts and federal government. ... Full Story Top Mexican couple admit to 27,000-round ammo cache in Texas Mon,14 May 2012 04:57 PM PDT Reuters - MCALLEN, Texas (Reuters) - Two illegal immigrants pleaded guilty in Texas on Monday to possessing 27,000 rounds of assault rifle ammunition along the U.S.-Mexico border, where cross-border weapons smuggling has increased in recent years, the Attorney's Office said. Police in Laredo, Texas, discovered the ammunition after they stopped a Dodge Ram pickup truck that failed to stop at a stop sign in March, Attorney Kenneth Magidson said in a statement. Weapons traffickers along the U.S.-Mexico border regularly attempt to evade authorities to garner big payoffs from Mexican drug cartels. ... Full Story Top Fed examining other risks being taken by JPMorgan Mon,14 May 2012 04:56 PM PDT Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Federal Reserve is examining whether JPMorgan Chase & Co is taking risks elsewhere in the bank similar to the botched trading strategy that could cost the bank more than $2 billion, a Fed spokeswoman said on Monday. The central bank is also reviewing whether the trading losses have any broader implications for how JPMorgan manages its risk, the spokeswoman said. Regulators and bank officials are determining the exact details behind trades JPMorgan says were intended as hedges against credit risk but that could wind up costing the bank more than $2 billion. ... Full Story Top Obama camp targets Romney firm as job-killing "vampire" Mon,14 May 2012 04:53 PM PDT Reuters - WASHINGTON/NEW YORK (Reuters) - President Barack Obama's campaign released a video on Monday calling Mitt Romney's private equity firm a job-killing "vampire" that ran a steel mill into the ground, signaling a new effort to carve into Romney's image of corporate success. The Obama campaign's six-minute video - a shorter version of which will air on TV stations in the key states of Iowa, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Colorado - came on a day in which the president's team sought to draw dramatic contrasts between Obama and Romney, the presumed Republican nominee for president. ... Full Story Top 8,000 contractors said eligible for U.S. cyber guard Mon,14 May 2012 04:47 PM PDT Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Up to 8,000 companies doing business with the Pentagon may be qualified to join a newly expanded U.S. effort to guard sensitive information on private networks, a senior Defense Department official said Monday. The Pentagon on Friday invited all of its eligible contractors to join the voluntary pact aimed at fighting what U.S. officials have described as growing cyber threats that allegedly originate, above all, in Russia and China. ... Full Story Top Kosovo voices strong support for Syria opposition Mon,14 May 2012 04:24 PM PDT Reuters - UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Kosovo's Foreign Minister Enver Hoxhaj voiced strong support on Monday for Syria's opposition, saying his government had already established diplomatic contacts with Syrians fighting to oust President Bashar al-Assad. Hoxhaj was responding to comments by Russian U.N. Ambassador Vitaly Churkin, who warned the U.N. Security Council that Kosovo should not be allowed to become a training center for rebels. ... Full Story Top Former NY state senator convicted of theft Mon,14 May 2012 04:21 PM PDT Reuters - NEW YORK (Reuters) - A federal jury in Brooklyn on Monday found a former New York Democratic state senator, whose brief flirtation with the Republican party gridlocked the senate, guilty of embezzling money from federally funded healthcare clinics. But the jury failed to reach a unanimous verdict on related conspiracy charges. Pedro Espada Jr. and his son, Pedro Gautier Espada, were accused of bilking more than $600,000 from Soundview HealthCare Center, which has received more than $1 million in federal funding. ... Full Story Top Senate deal clears way for vote on Ex-Im Bank Mon,14 May 2012 04:12 PM PDT Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Senate leaders, under pressure from business groups, reached a deal on Monday that clears the way for a vote on a bill to renew the soon-to-expire charter of the U.S. Export-Import Bank, which helps finance U.S. exports. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, a Nevada Democrat, said the Senate would take up the bill on Tuesday and consider five amendments offered by Republicans. Each would require 60 votes to pass, as would the final bill. ... Full Story Top Euro zone set to enter recession as fortunes diverge Mon,14 May 2012 04:11 PM PDT Reuters - BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The euro zone's sick economy probably slipped into its second recession in just three years in early 2012, data is due to show on Tuesday, as the debt crisis sucks southern Europe into a downward spiral and widens the split with paymaster Germany. Euro zone gross domestic product is seen contracting 0.2 percent in the first quarter, according to economists polled by Reuters, following a 0.3 percent contraction in the last three months of 2011 and driving it into a recession. ... Full Story Top Exclusive: Brazil targets Argentina with new import license Mon,14 May 2012 04:06 PM PDT Reuters - BRASILIA (Reuters) - Brazil plans to end automatic import licensing for about 10 perishable products including apples, raisins, wheat flour, potatoes and some cheeses and wines in retaliation against rising trade barriers in Argentina, a senior Brazilian government official told Reuters on Monday. While the licensing change applies to all countries, neighboring Argentina is a major source of the targeted imports, the official said. The move could delay approval for imports by up to 60 days. ... Full Story Top Missouri honors conservative talk radio host Limbaugh Mon,14 May 2012 03:51 PM PDT Reuters - ST. LOUIS (Reuters) - Controversial conservative radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh was quietly inducted into a hall of famous Missouri natives on Monday in a ceremony held under tight security at the State Capitol in Jefferson City, a legislative spokesman said. A bust of Limbaugh, who is known for his scathing attacks on President Barack Obama and other Democrats, will join an exclusive group including writer Mark Twain and former president Harry Truman in the Hall of Famous Missourians. ... Full Story Top Star witness says Clemens asked him to give steroid shot Mon,14 May 2012 03:50 PM PDT Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A key prosecution witness in Roger Clemens's perjury trial said on Monday he started giving the former baseball star "bootie shots" of anabolic steroids at his request early in the 1998 season. Full Story Top Obama says JPMorgan loss shows need for Wall Street reform Mon,14 May 2012 03:49 PM PDT Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama said on Monday the huge trading loss at JPMorgan Chase & Co illustrated the need for Wall Street reform and the same kind of an error at a less stable bank may have required government intervention. "JPMorgan is one of the best managed banks there is. Jamie Dimon, the head of it, is one of the smartest bankers we got and they still lost $2 billion and counting," Obama said on ABC's "The View," according to a transcript released by the network. "We don't know all the details. ... Full Story Top Former Senator Edwards' defense starts its case Mon,14 May 2012 03:45 PM PDT Reuters - GREENSBORO, North Carolina (Reuters) - A financial officer for former Senator John Edwards' 2008 presidential campaign said on Monday that she did not believe $1 million given to conceal his pregnant mistress were campaign contributions so she did not report them. Lora Haggard, the campaign's chief financial officer, said even after Edwards was indicted on campaign finance charges in June 2011, she did not amend the campaign's financial reports to include the money. "I did not believe them to be contributions to the campaign," Haggard said. ... Full Story Top Seven UN peacekeepers shot at Congo protest Mon,14 May 2012 03:43 PM PDT Reuters - KINSHASA (Reuters) - Seven United Nations peacekeepers in Congo were wounded when gunmen opened fire at a protest in the East of the country on Monday, drawing condemnation from the U.N. Security Council. There were no details on the condition of the peacekeepers, who the U.N. Security Council said were from Pakistan. Several more peacekeepers in the contingent were injured by stone throwers when a base in South Kivu province was surrounded by crowd of 1,000 people, the United Nations said. "The seven wounded peacekeepers have been taken to Goma, North Kivu, for medical treatment," U.N. ... Full Story Top U.N., Syria at odds over control of aid distribution: envoys Mon,14 May 2012 03:41 PM PDT Reuters - UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Damascus wants to manage the delivery of all humanitarian aid to a million people in need of assistance as a result of the 14-month-old conflict in Syria, but the United Nations insists on having some control, envoys say. The U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs and Syria have been negotiating for weeks on a plan for the distribution of aid throughout the country, but U.N. envoys familiar with the talks said the government and the U.N. agency are deadlocked on the issue of who will be in charge. ... Full Story Top Libyan Islamist quits militia to enter politics: aide Mon,14 May 2012 03:40 PM PDT Reuters - TRIPOLI (Reuters) - Abdel Hakim Belhadj, one of Libya's most powerful militia leaders, is quitting to devote himself full-time to politics, an aide said on Monday, in a vote of confidence for the fragile transition from rebellion to democracy. Belhadj, a former Islamist militant who helped topple former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi in last year's revolt, is to resign his post as head of the Tripoli Military Council and set up a political party, his aide said. ... Full Story Top Hollande to be sworn in as new French president Mon,14 May 2012 03:27 PM PDT Reuters - PARIS (Reuters) - Francois Hollande will be sworn in as France's first Socialist president in 17 years in a hurried ceremony on Tuesday before a dash to Berlin to challenge German Chancellor Angela Merkel's focus on austerity policies. Hollande, whose election comes as the euro zone is teetering back into crisis with fears about Greece's future in the single currency, will give his first presidential news conference in Berlin in the evening, flanked by the centre-right Merkel. ... Full Story Top Factbox: Housing markets in key battleground states Mon,14 May 2012 03:23 PM PDT Reuters - (Reuters) - The November 6 election between Democratic President Barack Obama and presumptive Republican challenger Mitt Romney may come down to the results in a handful of battleground states. The outlook for the housing market is improving in many of them. Here is a snapshot of how housing and unemployment look in 10 key election battleground states. State Unemployment (March/pct)House prices (yr/yr pct)Sales/pct (March) Virginia 5.6 +2.4 * -1.5 pct North Carolina 9.7 +3.0 +8.0 Florida 9.0 +10.3 -5.7 Ohio 7.5 +8.9 +7.5 Nevada 12.0 +2.3 +3.3 Pennsylvania 7.5 -2.5/+4.1 +12.4/+19.0 Colorado 7. ... Full Story Top In good news for Obama, housing markets improve in key states Mon,14 May 2012 03:23 PM PDT Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Kathleen and Brett Sache are building a six-bedroom, six-bathroom home of their dreams in a sought-after corner of northern Virginia after taking encouragement from a robust local market. Their confidence was rewarded when their old house sold in just five weeks, allowing them to purchase a plot of almost two acres (0.8 hectare) in Vienna, Virginia, where they are breaking ground this month on a property they hope to live in for the next 30 years. ... Full Story Top Ron Paul stops campaigning for White House Mon,14 May 2012 03:16 PM PDT Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul effectively ended his White House bid on Monday, saying he would no longer campaign actively in states that have yet to hold primary elections. Instead, Paul's campaign will concentrate on trying to add to its tally of delegates to the Republican National Convention in August by sending large groups of supporters to state conventions to elect themselves to delegate slots. "Our campaign will continue to work in the state convention process. ... Full Story Top Maybe Europe should abandon euro: Flaherty Mon,14 May 2012 03:13 PM PDT Reuters - OTTAWA (Reuters) - If European countries are not prepared to bail out fellow euro zone members, maybe they should just abandon the whole concept of a common currency, Canadian Finance Minister Jim Flaherty said on Monday in some of his most direct remarks on the issue. "This is a time of crisis in the euro zone. The whole future of the euro zone is up for grabs, and this is very important for many of the euro zone member countries, given the history of Europe in the last 100 years or so," Flaherty told CTV television. "So they have to show courage. ... Full Story Top Greek leftists reject proposal for technocrat government Mon,14 May 2012 03:04 PM PDT Reuters - ATHENS (Reuters) - Greece's president will ask politicians on Tuesday to stand aside and let a government of technocrats steer the nation away from bankruptcy, but leftists have already rejected the proposal and look set to force a new election they reckon they can win. Party leaders, deadlocked since a parliamentary vote nine days ago, will convene at the presidential palace at 2 p.m. (1100 GMT) but said they had little hope President Karolos Papoulias's offer would resolve a political crisis that has fuelled speculation Greece's days in the euro zone are numbered. ... Full Story Top Similarities may push Merkel, Hollande together Mon,14 May 2012 03:03 PM PDT Reuters - BERLIN/PARIS (Reuters) - Five years ago, Nicolas Sarkozy flew straight to Berlin after his inauguration and shocked his hosts with some blunt talk on planemaker Airbus, one of the most sensitive of Franco-German issues. That first visit set the tone for the months that followed. German officials looked on in horror as the new French president reneged on budget pledges, announced plans for nuclear cooperation with Libya and claimed credit for influencing decisions by the European Central Bank. ... Full Story Top Mexico massacre highlights unknown drug war victims Mon,14 May 2012 02:53 PM PDT Reuters - MONTERREY (Reuters) - Even if someone had not chopped the heads, hands and feet off the victims first, the chances of investigators identifying the 49 bodies dumped on a road in northern Mexico this weekend would have been far from certain. Catching the killers may prove an even harder task. More than 8,000 corpses left across Mexico since 2006 have not been identified, according to the National Human Rights Commission, a government-run body. ... Full Story Top Rhode Island recognizes out-of-state gay marriages Mon,14 May 2012 02:53 PM PDT Reuters - BOSTON (Reuters) - Rhode Island's governor signed an executive order on Monday declaring that the small New England state will recognize same-sex marriages performed in other states, a move that will give gay and lesbian couples many of the same rights as heterosexuals. The move by Governor Lincoln Chafee formalized a non-binding opinion from 2007 by Rhode Island's attorney general in favor of recognizing out-of-state gay marriages. ... Full Story Top Minnesota governor OKs football stadium bill Mon,14 May 2012 02:49 PM PDT Reuters - (Reuters) - Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton signed a bill on Monday authorizing a partly bond-financed plan for a $975 million stadium for the National Football League's Minnesota Vikings. Full Story Top Michelle Obama gets U.S. athletes and kids moving Mon,14 May 2012 02:47 PM PDT Reuters - DALLAS (Reuters) - Michelle Obama offered a pep talk on Monday to U.S. athletes who will be competing at the 2012 London Olympics while announcing a nationwide program to get more American children active. Full Story Top FDA says unsure if Novartis MS pill caused deaths Mon,14 May 2012 02:39 PM PDT Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Health regulators said on Monday they could not definitively link Novartis AG's multiple sclerosis pill Gilenya with the deaths of people who took the drug. The Food and Drug Administration said the deaths included a patient with extensive brainstem lesions from multiple sclerosis who died of unknown causes within 24 hours of taking the drug. Other deaths were linked to cardiovascular issues. "For each of these deaths, Gilenya's contribution to the death was unclear," the agency said on its website. ... Full Story Top Canada says maybe Europe should give up euro zone Mon,14 May 2012 02:29 PM PDT Reuters - OTTAWA (Reuters) - If European countries are not prepared to bail out fellow euro zone members, maybe they should just abandon the whole concept of a common currency, Canadian Finance Minister Jim Flaherty said on Monday in some of his most direct remarks on the issue. "This is a time of crisis in the euro zone. The whole future of the euro zone is up for grabs, and this is very important for many of the euro zone member countries, given the history of Europe in the last 100 years or so," Flaherty told CTV television. "So they have to show courage. ... Full Story Top

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