Daily News Digest: Politics - Bloomberg News Headlines - Yahoo! News

Yahoo! Alerts

Yahoo! News | My Alerts | Edit Alert

Tuesday, May 15, 2012 8:30 PM PDT

Today's Politics - Bloomberg News Headlines - Yahoo! News: Ohio Governor signs law to repeal voting law changes Activist targeting schools, backed by big bucks China's "small stick" approach to South China Sea Obama issues veto threat against House defense bill U.S., Pakistan on verge of reopening supply lines Hollande gets stormy welcome to power Chicago braces for violence at NATO summit Obama walks fine line in bashing Romney, courting Wall Street Senator seeks expanded visas for foreign high-tech workers Oklahoma governor signs open-carry gun bill New Mexico suspends two officials over prostitution payment scandal Ex-Senator Edwards, mistress could testify on Wednesday Activist targeting U.S. schools, backed by big bucks U.S. nuclear expert: Iran official linked to past program Ex-Senator Edwards, mistress could testify on Wednesday Obama would veto House domestic violence bill: White House Obama teases Beckham over his underwear ads Senate sends Obama bill to renew Ex-Im Bank Obama has assets in JPMorgan accounts: White House Washington uses JPMorgan to double down on reforms Obama walks fine line in bashing Romney, courting Wall Street Witness was furious with Clemens over son, handed over evidence Top Republican opposes caps to U.S. missile shield JPMorgan trade on regulators' radar in April: source Chicago braces for violence at NATO summit New Hampshire legislator apologizes for "Sieg Heil" remark Syria attack kills 21; rebels say protect U.N. monitors Immigration, NATO protest ends with four arrested Taylor to reject call for 80-year sentence Caretaker govt will take Greece to risky repeat vote U.S. has 55 daily encounters with "suspected terrorists" One killed in grenade blast in Kenyan coastal city Obama, Monti agree Europe ought to "intensify" growth: White House FCC seeks details on Verizon spectrum sale offer No boost for Obama from gay marriage decision House Speaker Boehner reopens debt limit brawl Merkel, Hollande promise joint growth strategy Strauss-Kahn countersues NY hotel maid for $1 million Senate leaders move toward vote on Fed nominees U.N. and Iran agree to keep talking on nuclear Ohio Governor signs law to repeal voting law changes Tue,15 May 2012 07:49 PM PDT Reuters - CLEVELAND (Reuters) - Ohio's Republican Governor John Kasich signed a bill on Tuesday reversing a contentious voting law that Democrats have called a blatant attempt at voter repression, in a move aimed at pre-empting a threatened repeal referendum. The bill rolled back a law passed last year barring counties from mailing unsolicited absentee ballots to voters and removing a requirement that poll workers assist voters they knew were voting in the wrong location. ... Full Story Top Activist targeting schools, backed by big bucks Tue,15 May 2012 07:43 PM PDT Reuters - (Reuters) - During her tumultuous three years at the head of the Washington D.C. public schools, Michelle Rhee set off a lot of fireworks. She's still doing it - on a national stage. Rhee has emerged as the leader of an unlikely coalition of politicians, philanthropists, financiers and entrepreneurs who believe the nation's $500 billion-a-year public education system needs a massive overhaul. She has vowed to raise $1 billion for her national advocacy group, StudentsFirst, and forever break the hold of teachers unions on education policy. ... Full Story Top China's "small stick" approach to South China Sea Tue,15 May 2012 07:33 PM PDT Reuters - HONG KONG (Reuters) - In a month-long standoff between China and the Philippines over a disputed shoal in the South China Sea, Beijing has so far refrained from sending warships from its increasingly powerful and modern navy to enforce its territorial claims. Instead, China has deployed patrol vessels from its expanding fleet of paramilitary ships to Scarborough Shoal, known in Chinese as Huangyan Island. Naval experts say the intent is to minimize the risk of conflict and contain any regional backlash. ... Full Story Top Obama issues veto threat against House defense bill Tue,15 May 2012 07:30 PM PDT Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama threatened on Tuesday to veto a defense policy bill in the House of Representatives that would authorize higher Pentagon spending and tie his hands on national security issues from nuclear arms reductions to handling war detainees. In a move that set the White House on a collision course with lawmakers in the Republican-led House, the administration warned that the National Defense Authorization Act being debated by the House this week hampers the Pentagon's new defense strategy and infringes on the president's powers as commander. ... Full Story Top U.S., Pakistan on verge of reopening supply lines Tue,15 May 2012 07:27 PM PDT Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Pakistan and the United States appeared on the verge of clinching an agreement to reopen ground supply lines into Afghanistan, a U.S. official said, as Islamabad confirmed its president will attend a summit of NATO leaders this weekend in Chicago. Reopening the supply route would be a major breakthrough in ties between Washington and Islamabad. Strained relations have fuelled speculation Pakistan might be excluded from NATO talks on Afghanistan's future. ... Full Story Top Hollande gets stormy welcome to power Tue,15 May 2012 07:23 PM PDT Reuters - PARIS (Reuters) - Francois Hollande was greeted by a thunderstorm in Paris and storm clouds gathering over the euro zone as France's first Socialist president in 17 years was sworn in on Tuesday before flying to Berlin to plead his case for less austerity in Europe. Hollande's first day in power was marred by a downpour as he rode by open-top car through Paris to mark his investiture, and lightning that hit his presidential jet, forcing him to make a U-turn en route to Germany and switch to a smaller Falcon jet. ... Full Story Top Chicago braces for violence at NATO summit Tue,15 May 2012 07:18 PM PDT Reuters - CHICAGO (Reuters) - Chicago police, who have a reputation for dealing toughly with protesters, will be prepared for the worst with new riot gear, including "sound cannon", if demonstrators at the NATO summit get out of line this weekend. America's third-largest city and President Barack Obama's hometown has never hosted anything like the meeting starting on Sunday, which will draw representatives from some 50 countries, including leaders of the 28 members of the military alliance. ... Full Story Top Obama walks fine line in bashing Romney, courting Wall Street Tue,15 May 2012 06:54 PM PDT Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - For President Barack Obama's re-election team, it's sort of like threading a needle. While trying to define Republican Mitt Romney as an insensitive job-killer during his time as a private equity executive, the Obama campaign also is raising money from private equity executives on Wall Street - and hoping voters don't see that as hypocritical. The Obama campaign's political dexterity was evident on Monday, as it released a blistering video ad recounting how Romney's Bain Capital laid off 750 workers from a steel mill in Missouri. ... Full Story Top Senator seeks expanded visas for foreign high-tech workers Tue,15 May 2012 06:14 PM PDT Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A leading Republican in the Senate on Tuesday unveiled legislation to raise the number of temporary visas for skilled technical workers from foreign countries, but prospects of passage this year could be clouded by election-year politics. Senator John Cornyn, the senior Republican on a panel that oversees immigration, introduced a bill that would make an additional 55,000 visas available each year for graduates with master's and doctoral degrees who have studied at U.S. research institutions. ... Full Story Top Oklahoma governor signs open-carry gun bill Tue,15 May 2012 05:41 PM PDT Reuters - OKLAHOMA CITY (Reuters) - Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin signed into law on Tuesday a bill that will allow Oklahomans to openly carry guns if they pass a criminal background check and take firearms training. Fallin, a Republican, said the new law "sends a strong message that Oklahoma values the rights of its citizens to defend themselves, their family and their property." Oklahoma already issues licenses that allowed citizens to carry concealed weapons if they pass a criminal background check and undergo training. ... Full Story Top New Mexico suspends two officials over prostitution payment scandal Tue,15 May 2012 05:27 PM PDT Reuters - SANTA FE, New Mexico (Reuters) - New Mexico Governor Susana Martinez's administration said it suspended two finance officials this week in an embattled city where a state audit found public money had paid for prostitutes for two other city officials. The suspensions of Sunland Park Finance Director Helen Gonzalez and Purchasing Agent Neryza Rivera follow an auditor's report that found vast mismanagement of funds, including the payments for prostitutes for former mayor pro tem Daniel Salinas and another city official. ... Full Story Top Ex-Senator Edwards, mistress could testify on Wednesday Tue,15 May 2012 05:06 PM PDT Reuters - GREENSBORO, NC (Reuters) - Former Senator John Edwards and the woman with whom he had an affair during his 2008 presidential bid could be called by the defense to testify on Wednesday in his federal campaign finance trial, Edwards' attorney said. Attorney Abbe Lowell said the defense was considering putting Rielle Hunter on the stand as it tries to refute charges that Edwards solicited illegal campaign contributions to help hide his then-pregnant mistress from voters. ... Full Story Top Activist targeting U.S. schools, backed by big bucks Tue,15 May 2012 04:59 PM PDT Reuters - (Reuters) - During her tumultuous three years at the head of the Washington D.C. public schools, Michelle Rhee set off a lot of fireworks. She's still doing it - on a national stage. Rhee has emerged as the leader of an unlikely coalition of politicians, philanthropists, financiers and entrepreneurs who believe the nation's $500 billion-a-year public education system needs a massive overhaul. She has vowed to raise $1 billion for her national advocacy group, StudentsFirst, and forever break the hold of teachers unions on education policy. ... Full Story Top U.S. nuclear expert: Iran official linked to past program Tue,15 May 2012 04:58 PM PDT Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Communications from the 1990s suggest Iran's current foreign minister, Ali Akbar Salehi, had knowledge of a program to procure goods for an alleged clandestine nuclear program when he was head of a university, a U.S. nuclear expert said on Tuesday. David Albright, founder of the Institute for Science and International Security (ISIS), said among 1,600 telexes and other material he has obtained and is studying was a letter signed by Salehi as head of Sharif University in 1991. ... Full Story Top Ex-Senator Edwards, mistress could testify on Wednesday Tue,15 May 2012 04:49 PM PDT Reuters - GREENSBORO, NC (Reuters) - Former U.S. Senator John Edwards and the woman with whom he had an affair during his 2008 presidential bid could be called by the defense to testify on Wednesday in his federal campaign finance trial, Edwards' attorney said. Attorney Abbe Lowell said the defense was considering putting Rielle Hunter on the stand as it tries to refute charges that Edwards solicited illegal campaign contributions to help hide his then-pregnant mistress from voters. ... Full Story Top Obama would veto House domestic violence bill: White House Tue,15 May 2012 04:45 PM PDT Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Obama administration strongly opposes a domestic violence bill being considered by the House of Representatives because it fails to do enough to protect illegal immigrants, Native Americans and gays, the White House said on Tuesday. Warning that President Barack Obama's advisers would recommend he veto the legislation if it were sent to him for signing, the White House urged House lawmakers to "find common ground" with the Senate to pass a bill. ... Full Story Top Obama teases Beckham over his underwear ads Tue,15 May 2012 04:41 PM PDT Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama poked fun at one of sport's biggest stars at the White House on Tuesday, remarking that British soccer player David Beckham had a knack for combining athletic prowess with commercial appeal. The quip came as the president congratulated Beckham and his teammates on the Los Angeles Galaxy, who defeated the Houston Dynamo last November to clinch the 2011 Major League Soccer Cup. "It is a rare man who can be that tough on the field and also have his own line of underwear," Obama said with a smile to laughter from the audience. ... Full Story Top Senate sends Obama bill to renew Ex-Im Bank Tue,15 May 2012 04:36 PM PDT Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Senate voted on Tuesday to renew the U.S. Export-Import Bank's charter through September 2014 and raise its lending cap to $140 billion, overcoming objections from conservative Republicans who wanted to shut the bank down. The bill now goes to President Barack Obama, who said he would sign it and praised lawmakers from both parties for coming together to pass the bill. "This important step will help American businesses create jobs here at home and sell their products around the world - all at no cost to taxpayers," Obama said in a statement. ... Full Story Top Obama has assets in JPMorgan accounts: White House Tue,15 May 2012 04:23 PM PDT Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama has $500,001 to $1 million in a JPMorgan Chase private client asset management checking account, according to financial disclosures released by the White House on Tuesday. Obama said this week that JPMorgan was "one of the best managed banks there is" despite its $2 billion trading loss being investigated by the Securities and Exchange Commission. "This is a checking account used by the president and the first lady," said White House spokeswoman Amy Brundage. ... Full Story Top Washington uses JPMorgan to double down on reforms Tue,15 May 2012 04:18 PM PDT Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Reverberations from JPMorgan Chase's multibillion-dollar trading loss deepened in Washington on Tuesday, with the Democratic leader of the Senate blasting the nation's largest bank for "gambling" and congressional Republicans putting the brakes on a plan to soften Wall Street reforms. Both Republicans and Democrats are still trying to understand the political implications of the trading debacle at one of Wall Street's highest-profile banks as they gauge how it will play in the election-year debate. ... Full Story Top Obama walks fine line in bashing Romney, courting Wall Street Tue,15 May 2012 04:16 PM PDT Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - For President Barack Obama's re-election team, it's sort of like threading a needle. While trying to define Republican Mitt Romney as an insensitive job-killer during his time as a private equity executive, the Obama campaign also is raising money from private equity executives on Wall Street - and hoping voters don't see that as hypocritical. The Obama campaign's political dexterity was evident on Monday, as it released a blistering video ad recounting how Romney's Bain Capital laid off 750 workers from a steel mill in Missouri. ... Full Story Top Witness was furious with Clemens over son, handed over evidence Tue,15 May 2012 04:10 PM PDT Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Fury that ace pitcher Roger Clemens made his son's chronic illness public prompted the star witness in Clemens' perjury trial to hand over stashed medical waste to agents probing drug use in baseball, the witness testified on Tuesday. Brian McNamee, Clemens' former trainer, said he fell out with Clemens in January 2008 when the former pitching star played a 17-minute tape of a phone call with McNamee at a Houston news conference. ... Full Story Top Top Republican opposes caps to U.S. missile shield Tue,15 May 2012 04:09 PM PDT Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A top Republican in the Senate urged President Barack Obama on Tuesday to refrain from giving Russia and China any assurances about possible limits to U.S. missile defenses, days before a NATO summit in Chicago. The Obama administration should make no pledge that would pre-empt a U.S.-led shield capable of thwarting any missile "that might be launched at us," not just an accidental launch or one from a nation like Iran or North Korea, Senator Jon Kyl said in an interview with Reuters. ... Full Story Top JPMorgan trade on regulators' radar in April: source Tue,15 May 2012 04:05 PM PDT Reuters - NEW YORK (Reuters) - Regulators first raised concerns in April about trading positions that led to a $2 billion-plus loss at JPMorgan Chase & Co, and they posed questions to senior management at the bank, a source familiar with the situation said on Tuesday. The U.S. Federal Reserve - JPMorgan's primary regulator - as well as the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency and the UK Financial Services Authority were all involved in monitoring the bank's portfolio that suffered the big derivatives trading loss, the source said. ... Full Story Top Chicago braces for violence at NATO summit Tue,15 May 2012 04:02 PM PDT Reuters - CHICAGO (Reuters) - Chicago police, who have a reputation for dealing toughly with protesters, will be prepared for the worst with new riot gear, including "sound cannon", if demonstrators at the NATO summit get out of line this weekend. America's third-largest city and President Barack Obama's hometown has never hosted anything like the meeting starting on Sunday, which will draw representatives from some 50 countries, including leaders of the 28 members of the military alliance. ... Full Story Top New Hampshire legislator apologizes for "Sieg Heil" remark Tue,15 May 2012 03:55 PM PDT Reuters - LITTLETON, New Hampshire (Reuters) - A New Hampshire legislator apologized repeatedly on Tuesday for saying "Sieg Heil" during a heated floor exchange with House Speaker Bill O'Brien, a fellow Republican who critics have called a bully. O'Brien was trying to cut off debate on a controversial voter identification bill and dismiss State Representative Steve Vaillancourt from the speaker's podium when Vaillancourt uttered the phrase associated with loyalty to Adolph Hitler. "Sieg Heil" is German for "hail victory," and was often shouted at Nazi rallies in the 1930s and 1940s. ... Full Story Top Syria attack kills 21; rebels say protect U.N. monitors Tue,15 May 2012 03:53 PM PDT Reuters - BEIRUT (Reuters) - At least 21 people were killed on Tuesday in an attack in northern Syria, activists said, and members of a team of U.N. monitors caught in the incident said they were in rebel hands "for their own protection." When Reuters asked one of the four monitors by phone if they were being held prisoner, he said: "We are safe with the (rebel) Free Army." A spokesman for the rebel military council said the rebels were working on a safe exit for the monitors. An internal U.N. ... Full Story Top Immigration, NATO protest ends with four arrested Tue,15 May 2012 03:44 PM PDT Reuters - CHICAGO (Reuters) - Four protesters were arrested on Tuesday when about 100 people opposed to immigration policy, war and economic injustice marched on a Chicago courthouse and then through downtown, police said. In a week of expected protests leading to the start of a NATO summit, a Chicago priest from Our Lady of Guadalupe Anglican Mission and a woman were arrested after refusing to leave a federal courthouse that hears immigration cases. A group of anti-Wall Street Occupy Chicago protesters joined those opposed to U.S. ... Full Story Top Taylor to reject call for 80-year sentence Tue,15 May 2012 03:37 PM PDT Reuters - AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - Former Liberian President Charles Taylor will on Wednesday tell judges he bears no responsibility for atrocities during Sierra Leone's 11-year civil war, rejecting the prosecution's demand for an 80-year sentence in a maximum-security British jail. Taylor, convicted last month of aiding and abetting crimes against humanity in Sierra Leone's conflict, is the first head of state to be found guilty by an international tribunal since the Nazi trials at Nuremberg. ... Full Story Top Caretaker govt will take Greece to risky repeat vote Tue,15 May 2012 03:35 PM PDT Reuters - ATHENS (Reuters) - Greek political leaders meet on Wednesday to form a caretaker government that will lead the country into its second election in just over a month, with Greece's euro membership at stake in a mounting crisis rocking world markets. Parties deeply divided over an unpopular EU-IMF rescue plan threw in the towel on Tuesday after nine days of failed attempts to put together a coalition, hitting heavyweight financial stocks as investors worried at the prospect that the euro zone weakling would remain in limbo for at least another month. ... Full Story Top U.S. has 55 daily encounters with "suspected terrorists" Tue,15 May 2012 03:27 PM PDT Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Law enforcement and homeland security personnel face an average of 55 daily encounters with "known or suspected terrorists" named on government watchlists, officials told Reuters. The figure - which equals more than 20,000 contacts per year - underscores the growing sweep of the watchlists, which have expanded significantly since a failed Christmas Day 2009 bombing attempt of a U.S. airliner. But officials note that very few of those daily contacts lead to arrests. ... Full Story Top One killed in grenade blast in Kenyan coastal city Tue,15 May 2012 03:27 PM PDT Reuters - NAIROBI (Reuters) - Gunmen detonated grenades outside a night club in the Kenyan coastal city of Mombasa on Tuesday, killing one person and wounding several others in the latest attack since Kenya sent troops into Somalia to crush Islamist militants. Nairobi has said al Shabaab militants, who merged with al Qaeda earlier this year, are behind a surge in violence and kidnappings threatening tourism in east Africa's biggest economy. ... Full Story Top Obama, Monti agree Europe ought to "intensify" growth: White House Tue,15 May 2012 03:25 PM PDT Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama and Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti on Tuesday discussed the need for Europe to do more to boost growth, speaking ahead of a weekend meeting of Group of Eight (G8) leaders at Camp David, Maryland, the White House said. Obama and Monti "discussed the current economic situation in Europe and agreed on the need to intensify efforts to promote growth and job creation," the White House said in a readout of their telephone call. (Reporting By Alister Bull) Full Story Top FCC seeks details on Verizon spectrum sale offer Tue,15 May 2012 03:21 PM PDT Reuters - NEW YORK (Reuters) - The U.S. Federal Communications Commission asked Verizon Wireless for more details on its offer to sell some wireless spectrum on the condition that the company's purchase of another set of airwaves is approved by regulators. Verizon Wireless, a venture of Verizon Communications and Vodafone Group Plc, said April 18 that it would sell spectrum depending on the outcome of the FCC's pending review of its plan to pay about $3.9 billion for spectrum owned by cable operators. The FCC said on Tuesday it needed more information on the link between both deals by May 22. ... Full Story Top No boost for Obama from gay marriage decision Tue,15 May 2012 03:18 PM PDT Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama's announcement of support for gay marriage has inflamed political passions but has not given him a bump in popularity, a Reuters/Ipsos poll showed on Tuesday. Roughly a third of Americans view Obama more favorably and a third less favorably because of his announcement last week that he supports the right of gay and lesbian couples to wed. Obama said his backing of gay marriage was a personal decision, but the announcement set off a fierce political debate and speculation about whether it will help him in November's presidential election. ... Full Story Top House Speaker Boehner reopens debt limit brawl Tue,15 May 2012 03:16 PM PDT Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - House of Representatives Speaker John Boehner drew an election-year battle line over the U.S. borrowing limit on Tuesday, saying he would back another increase at year-end only if it was offset by a larger package of spending cuts. Drawing quick fire from President Barack Obama's Democrats, Boehner said he would "insist on my simple principle of cuts and reforms greater than the debt limit increase." His remarks to a Peterson Foundation fiscal forum reopened last year's grueling battle over raising the debt cap, which allows the government to spend more than it takes in. ... Full Story Top Merkel, Hollande promise joint growth strategy Tue,15 May 2012 03:15 PM PDT Reuters - BERLIN (Reuters) - New French President Francois Hollande and German Chancellor Angela Merkel acknowledged differences on Tuesday over how to boost growth in recession-plagued Europe, but pledged to forge a joint approach in time for an EU summit next month. The Socialist Hollande jetted to Berlin only hours after being sworn in to meet Merkel, a conservative, for the first time, arriving over an hour late after his plane was hit by lightning and he was forced to return briefly to Paris. ... Full Story Top Strauss-Kahn countersues NY hotel maid for $1 million Tue,15 May 2012 03:02 PM PDT Reuters - NEW YORK (Reuters) - Former IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn has filed a $1 million countersuit against the hotel maid who accused him of sexual assault, costing him his job and any chance of being elected president of France. New York police arrested Strauss-Kahn a year ago when hotel maid Nafissatou Diallo accused him of forcible oral sex and trying to rape her in his luxury suite at the Sofitel Hotel in Manhattan. Strauss-Kahn denied the allegations, saying the sexual encounter with Diallo was consensual. Prosecutors later dropped the charges after losing confidence in Diallo's credibility. ... Full Story Top Senate leaders move toward vote on Fed nominees Tue,15 May 2012 02:48 PM PDT Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama's two stalled nominees for the Federal Reserve are likely to clear a Senate procedural hurdle on Thursday, paving the way for anticipated confirmation, the chamber's leaders said on Tuesday. Democratic and Republican aides said they expect Senate approval of the pair as early as Thursday, shortly after the procedural vote, which would take the Fed's Washington-based board up to its full seven-person strength for the first time since April 2006. "We've been waiting months and months. ... Full Story Top U.N. and Iran agree to keep talking on nuclear Tue,15 May 2012 02:48 PM PDT Reuters - VIENNA (Reuters) - Iran and the U.N. nuclear watchdog ended two days of talks on Tuesday by agreeing to meet again next week, just two days before Tehran resumes negotiations with world powers concerned it may be seeking to develop atomic bomb capability. While both sides were upbeat about the discussions, which will continue on Monday, there was no word on whether the U.N. agency had made progress towards one of its main aims - to secure access to a suspect military site near Tehran. ... Full Story Top

You received this email because you subscribed to Yahoo! Alerts. Use this link to unsubscribe from this alert. To change your communications preferences for other Yahoo! business lines, please visit your Marketing Preferences. To learn more about Yahoo!'s use of personal information, including the use of web beacons in HTML-based email, please read our Privacy Policy. Yahoo! is located at 701 First Avenue, Sunnyvale, CA 94089.