Today's Politics - Bloomberg News Headlines - Yahoo! News: | | Trayvon Martin's killer raises more than $200,000 for defense Thu,26 Apr 2012 07:20 PM PDT Reuters - (Reuters) - George Zimmerman, the former neighborhood watch volunteer who is accused of murder in the death of unarmed teenager Trayvon Martin, has raised at least $200,000 through a website set up to fund his defense, his lawyer said on Thursday. Donors contributed "just over $200,000," said Mark O'Mara, Zimmerman's defense lawyer. The site set up to solicit funds for Zimmerman's defense, therealgeorgezimmerman.com, has since been shut down. Zimmerman was released this week on $150,000 bail and has been moved to an undisclosed location. ... Full Story | Top | U.S., Japan unveil revised plan for Okinawa Thu,26 Apr 2012 07:13 PM PDT Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States and Japan announced on Thursday a revised agreement on streamlining the U.S. military presence on Okinawa that will shift 9,000 Marines from that southern Japanese island to Guam and other Asia-Pacific sites. The new plan, unveiled days before Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda visits President Barack Obama, helps the allies work around the still unresolved, core dispute over moving the Futenma air base from a crowded part of Okinawa to a new site that had vexed relations for years. Under the agreement, 9,000 U.S. ... Full Story | Top | House passes cyber bill despite veto threat Thu,26 Apr 2012 06:36 PM PDT Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. House of Representatives passed a cybersecurity bill on Thursday that would allow the government and companies to share information about hacking, but which has raised privacy concerns and a veto threat from the White House. The House approved the bill 248-168, prompting the top Republican and Democrat on the intelligence committee who sponsored it to issue a joint statement lauding the bipartisan approval. ... Full Story | Top | Corrected: Iraqis under threat, Indian women in focus at Tribeca Thu,26 Apr 2012 06:27 PM PDT Reuters - NEW YORK (Reuters) - Iraqis living in danger after working with U.S. troops and diplomats and an examination of women in modern India are two subjects grabbing the attention of critics and audiences among documentaries showing at the Tribeca Film Festival this week. Both films are part of a lineup of 32 documentaries at the New York festival, which runs through Sunday, that tell true tales from inside and outside the United States. Documentaries, which have become more stylized in recent years with inexpensive hi-tech cameras, have traditionally been a strength at Tribeca. ... Full Story | Top | "Octomom" says leaked photos of her home were a "set-up" Thu,26 Apr 2012 06:22 PM PDT Reuters - LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A California mother of octuplets dubbed "Octomom" defended herself on Thursday against pictures that showed the house she shares with her 14 children in disarray, saying she was the victim of a "set-up" over the leaked photos. Nadya Suleman appeared on the ABC television program "Good Morning America" on the same day celebrity website TMZ posted video of a second child welfare visit to her home after a similar check earlier this week. She told the website the latest visit ended well. ... Full Story | Top | Secret Service expands misconduct probe to El Salvador Thu,26 Apr 2012 06:16 PM PDT Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Secret Service is examining a new report of alleged misconduct by agents at an El Salvador strip club ahead of a trip there last year by President Barack Obama, senior lawmakers said on Thursday. Secret Service Director Mark Sullivan is looking into the report but has so far not found anything "credible" to back it up, Representative Elijah Cummings told reporters outside the U.S. House of Representatives. Cummings is the top Democrat on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. ... Full Story | Top | Koch-backed group hits Obama on green energy waste Thu,26 Apr 2012 05:43 PM PDT Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A conservative group backed by the billionaire Koch brothers on Thursday unveiled a $6.1 million advertising blitz in eight election swing states that accuses President Barack Obama of wasting billions of dollars on green energy. The 60-second ad from the Americans for Prosperity group accuses Obama of spending on green energy initiatives that have led to little job creation and says that some of that money has instead gone abroad. ... Full Story | Top | Former U.S. Sen. Edwards' aide accused of cashing in Thu,26 Apr 2012 05:34 PM PDT Reuters - GREENSBORO, North Carolina (Reuters) - The campaign aide who says former U.S. Senator John Edwards solicited nearly $1 million in illegal political contributions admitted on Thursday that he accepted more than $300,000 from a wealthy donor after Edwards ended his 2008 presidential bid. Andrew Young, the federal government's key witness in its campaign finance case against Edwards, said he used the money from supporter Fred Baron to help build a $1.5 million home. ... Full Story | Top | SEC starts probe of Chesapeake CEO's well stakes Thu,26 Apr 2012 05:13 PM PDT Reuters - NEW YORK (Reuters) - The Securities and Exchange Commission has opened an informal inquiry into Chesapeake Energy Corp's controversial program that granted Chief Executive Aubrey McClendon a share in each of the natural gas producer's wells, a source familiar with the matter said on Thursday. That inquiry, being led by the SEC's office in Fort Worth, Texas, comes after Reuters reported about loans McClendon had obtained on those wells that raised concerns about a potential conflict of interest by the company's CEO. Chesapeake said it would end the program that gives McClendon a 2. ... Full Story | Top | U.S. ban sought on cell phone use while driving Thu,26 Apr 2012 05:13 PM PDT Reuters - SAN ANTONIO (Reuters) - U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood called on Thursday for a federal law to ban talking on a cell phone or texting while driving any type of vehicle on any road in the country. Tough federal legislation is the only way to deal with what he called a "national epidemic," he said at a distracted-driving summit in San Antonio, Texas, that drew doctors, advocates and government officials. LaHood said it is important for the police to have "the opportunity to write tickets when people are foolishly thinking they can drive safely or use a cell phone and text and drive. ... Full Story | Top | U.S. says market access for China tied to key issues Thu,26 Apr 2012 05:03 PM PDT Reuters - SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - The United States is willing to open up its markets to China and give it more access to U.S. technologies if Beijing makes progress on key issues, U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner said on Thursday. "We are willing to continue to make progress on these issues, but our ability to do so will depend in part on how much progress we see from China on issues that are important to us," Geithner said ahead of government meetings in Beijing next week. ... Full Story | Top | SEC starts probe of Chesapeake CEO's well stakes Thu,26 Apr 2012 04:43 PM PDT Reuters - NEW YORK (Reuters) - The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has opened an informal inquiry into Chesapeake Energy Corp's controversial program that granted Chief Executive Aubrey McClendon a share in each of the natural gas producer's wells, a source familiar with the matter said on Thursday. That inquiry, being led by the SEC's office in Fort Worth, Texas, comes after Reuters reported about loans McClendon had obtained on those wells that raised concerns about a potential conflict of interest by the company's CEO. Chesapeake said it would end the program that gives McClendon a 2. ... Full Story | Top | Hague court convicts Taylor of crimes in Sierra Leone Thu,26 Apr 2012 04:36 PM PDT Reuters - THE HAGUE (Reuters) - A United Nations-backed court convicted former Liberian president Charles Taylor of war crimes and crimes against humanity, the first time a head of state has been found guilty by an international tribunal since the Nazi trials at Nuremberg. The first African leader to stand trial for war crimes, Taylor had been charged with 11 counts of murder, rape, conscripting child soldiers and sexual slavery during intertwined wars in Liberia and Sierra Leone, when more than 50,000 people were killed. ... Full Story | Top | Moody's downgrade threatens Ontario's fiscal plan Thu,26 Apr 2012 04:23 PM PDT Reuters - TORONTO (Reuters) - Credit rating agency Moody's downgraded Ontario's debt on Thursday, just a day after competitor Standard & Poor's suggested it might do the same, the latest blow in the Canadian province's battle to tame its climbing debt. The negative action on one of the world's largest non-sovereign issuers of debt is a warning signal to markets, and could make borrowing for the province even more expensive - threatening its recently improved plan to balance its budget. ... Full Story | Top | U.S. lawmakers to NATO: pay up for missile defense Thu,26 Apr 2012 04:19 PM PDT Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A U.S. congressional panel demanded on Thursday that European allies foot more of the bill for a multibillion-dollar shield being built to guard NATO members from missiles that might some day be able to carry nuclear warheads, notably from Iran. The House of Representatives' Armed Services Strategic Forces subcommittee voted to hold back 25 percent of funds authorized for certain shield expenses until the NATO allies spell out their contributions. The allies at a 2010 NATO summit in Lisbon welcomed the U.S. ... Full Story | Top | West Africa bloc to send troops to Mali, Guinea-Bissau Thu,26 Apr 2012 04:12 PM PDT Reuters - ABIDJAN (Reuters) - The West African regional bloc ECOWAS said on Thursday it would send troops to Mali and Guinea-Bissau to help swiftly reinstate civilian rule after their coups, and threatened sanctions if junta leaders try to cling to power. The decision was one of the most forceful moves by the group in recent years, and won the immediate support of the European Union as a way to reinforce democratic reform in a part of the world known for military coups and civil wars. "Overall, we're very supportive of ECOWAS's strong response to the situation in both countries. ... Full Story | Top | U.S. on guard for attacks ahead of bin Laden anniversary Thu,26 Apr 2012 04:11 PM PDT Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama has reviewed potential threats to the United States before next week's anniversary of the killing of Osama bin Laden, but there is no concrete evidence al Qaeda is plotting any revenge attacks, the White House said on Thursday. U.S. Navy SEALs shot bin Laden last year in a raid on the al Qaeda leader's compound in Pakistan before dawn on May 2 local time, which was May 1 in the United States. The killing is touted by the Obama administration as one of its top national security accomplishments. ... Full Story | Top | U.S. judge rejects releasing bin Laden photos Thu,26 Apr 2012 04:11 PM PDT Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A federal judge on Thursday refused to order President Barack Obama's administration to release photos and video of the U.S. military operation that killed Osama bin Laden in Pakistan almost a year ago and the al Qaeda leader's burial at sea. The government watchdog group Judicial Watch had requested the Defense Department and CIA release any photos or video footage of the May 1 operation that killed bin Laden in Abbottabad, Pakistan. ... Full Story | Top | Ohio struggles to draft tougher law after exotic animals' escape Thu,26 Apr 2012 04:09 PM PDT Reuters - COLUMBUS, Ohio (Reuters) - Ohio legislation designed to clamp down on ownership of wild animals after the escape last year from a farm of dozens of dangerous beasts including lions, tigers and bears, is drawing criticism from private animal owners for being too tough and from animal rights activists as too weak. More than four dozen exotic animals caused a panic near Zanesville, Ohio last year when their owner turned them loose and then committed suicide. Sheriff's deputies had to go on a big game hunt to track them down and killed most of them. ... Full Story | Top | Secret Service expands misconduct probe to El Salvador: lawmakers Thu,26 Apr 2012 04:02 PM PDT Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Secret Service is examining a new report of alleged misconduct by agents at an El Salvador strip club ahead of a trip there last year by President Barack Obama, senior lawmakers said on Thursday. Secret Service Director Mark Sullivan is looking into the report but so far has not found anything "credible" to back it up, Representative Elijah Cummings told reporters outside the House of Representatives. Cummings is the top Democrat on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. ... Full Story | Top | Judge won't dismiss key charge against WikiLeaks suspect Thu,26 Apr 2012 03:59 PM PDT Reuters - FORT MEADE, Maryland (Reuters) - A U.S. military judge refused on Thursday to throw out a charge that Bradley Manning, the U.S. intelligence analyst accused of leaking government files to the anti-secrecy website WikiLeaks, aided the enemy identified as al Qaeda. The charge, the most serious accusation against Manning, could result in a life prison sentence if he is convicted of it at a court-martial in September. Manning, 24, is charged with leaking hundreds of thousands of U.S. ... Full Story | Top | Senate votes to renew Violence Against Women Act Thu,26 Apr 2012 03:43 PM PDT Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Senate approved a bill on Thursday to renew and expand a landmark law to combat domestic violence after Democrats and Republicans accused each other of playing election-year politics. On a vote of 68-31, the Democratic-led Senate sent the legislation to the Republican-led House of Representatives where it is expected to face another fight before any final deal is reached. Fifteen Senate Republicans joined 51 Democrats and two independents in voting to approve the White House-backed bill, while 31 Republicans opposed it. ... Full Story | Top | U.S. finds discrimination in Memphis juvenile courts Thu,26 Apr 2012 03:42 PM PDT Reuters - NASHVILLE, Tenn (Reuters) - Black youths arrested in Memphis, Tennessee, were much more likely than white juveniles to be jailed and tried as adults, discriminatory practices that also affect Hispanic youths in other cities, the Justice Department said on Thursday. A review of 66,000 juvenile court cases in Memphis, where numerous abuses drew Justice Department investigators in 2009, revealed "serious and systemic failures" in the way youthful offenders were treated, Assistant U.S. Attorney General Thomas Perez of the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division said. ... Full Story | Top | S&P cuts Spain ratings two notches to BBB-plus Thu,26 Apr 2012 03:41 PM PDT Reuters - NEW YORK (Reuters) - Standard & Poor's on Thursday cut its credit rating on Spain to BBB-plus from A, a two-notch downgrade, citing its expectation the government's budget deficit will deteriorate even more than previously thought due to economic contraction. The ratings agency put a negative outlook on the credit and said it believes the government will also have to provide more financial support for the euro zone nation's banking sector. ... Full Story | Top | Army beefs up leadership at troubled Lewis-McChord base Thu,26 Apr 2012 03:38 PM PDT Reuters - SEATTLE (Reuters) - The U.S. Army announced a new layer of command at Joint Base Lewis-McChord on Thursday as it looks to strengthen leadership at the Tacoma, Washington-area post which has earned a reputation as one of the most troubled in the U.S. military. The joint Army-Air Force base, with 43,000 active-duty military personnel and some 14,000 civilian employees, most recently attracted attention as the home base of Robert Bales, the staff sergeant accused of massacring 17 Afghan villagers in March. It was also home for a so-called "kill team," convicted of wartime atrocities in 2010. ... Full Story | Top | "Joke" to "Hijack Plane, Kill Obama" gets Utah man in trouble Thu,26 Apr 2012 03:37 PM PDT Reuters - SALT LAKE CITY (Reuters) - A purported practical joke on a colleague that threatened a plane hijacking and the assassination of President Barack Obama has landed a Utah man in trouble with federal authorities. Federal prosecutors say Jeremiah Hill placed a letter or note containing the threats inside a colleague's travel case while both were working at Hill Air Force Base, just north of Salt Lake City, last August. "1 - Hijack Plane, 2 - Kill Obama," the note read, according to court papers filed on Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Salt Lake City. ... Full Story | Top | Syria, rebels trade blame over fragile U.N. ceasefire Thu,26 Apr 2012 03:36 PM PDT Reuters - BEIRUT (Reuters) - The Syrian government and rebels traded blame on Thursday for a huge explosion which killed 16 people in the city of Hama, as a two-week-old U.N.-backed ceasefire looked increasingly fragile. U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon accused Damascus of breaking its pledge to withdraw heavy weapons and troops from towns, saying he was "gravely alarmed by reports of continued violence and killing in Syria." Syria blamed "terrorist" bomb-makers for Wednesday's blast. ... Full Story | Top | Hispanics back Obama over Romney on policy, many undecided Thu,26 Apr 2012 03:26 PM PDT Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Hispanics favor President Barack Obama's policies over those of Republican rival Mitt Romney by large margins but many in the fast-growing voter group are still undecided on issues more than six months ahead of the presidential election. Hispanics also feel the Democratic Party better serves the needs of most Americans than the Republican Party, which bodes poorly for Romney and members of his party running in congressional and state elections. ... Full Story | Top | Bosnian-born U.S. citizen "ready" to kill in New York plot: prosecutor Thu,26 Apr 2012 03:15 PM PDT Reuters - NEW YORK (Reuters) - A Bosnian-born U.S. citizen accused of plotting to bomb New York City subways was "ready and willing to sacrifice himself to kill" at the command of al Qaeda, a prosecutor said on Thursday in his closing statements. Assistant U.S. attorney Berit Berger told jurors that Adis Medunjanin, 28, was committed to carrying out a suicide attack on American soil, a mission given to him by al Qaeda operatives he met in Pakistan. "What he was willing to do was to strap a suicide bomb to himself, walk into a New York City subway and blow it up," Berger said at the U.S. ... Full Story | Top | U.S. lawmaker urges investment treaty pact with China Thu,26 Apr 2012 03:14 PM PDT Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A top U.S. Republican lawmaker on Thursday called on the Obama administration to negotiate an investment treaty with China and to increase pressure on the world's second-largest economy to make trade and currency reforms. "Plain and simple, we cannot allow China to continue its unacceptable trade practices," House of Representatives Ways and Means Committee Chairman Dave Camp said in a speech, referring to longstanding barriers to U.S. exports and the widespread piracy and counterfeiting of U.S. goods. ... Full Story | Top | U.S. says market access for China tied to key issues Thu,26 Apr 2012 03:10 PM PDT Reuters - SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - The United States is willing to open up its markets to China and give it more access to U.S. technologies if Beijing makes progress on key issues, U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner said on Thursday. "We are willing to continue to make progress on these issues, but our ability to do so will depend in part on how much progress we see from China on issues that are important to us," Geithner said ahead of the Strategic and Economic Dialogue meetings in Beijing next week. ... Full Story | Top | UK says businessman slain in China was not a spy Thu,26 Apr 2012 03:00 PM PDT Reuters - LONDON (Reuters) - A businessman whose murder sparked political upheaval in China was not a British spy, Foreign Secretary William Hague said on Thursday, trying to quell speculation that has swirled around the man's mysterious death. An influential parliamentary committee had asked Hague for more information about what Britain knew about Neil Heywood's death in a hotel room in the southwestern Chinese city of Chongqinq last November, and about media speculation he may have been a British spy or informant. ... Full Story | Top | FDA approves Glaxo cancer drug Votrient Thu,26 Apr 2012 02:57 PM PDT Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. regulators gave the nod to GlaxoSmithKline Plc's Votrient for a type of sarcoma on Thursday, following a positive advisory panel vote last month. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the pill for people with soft-tissue sarcoma who have already received chemotherapy. Soft-tissue sarcoma is a rare but aggressive form of cancer that afflicted about 11,000 Americans last year, 4,000 of whom died from the disease, according to the National Cancer Institute. The cancer begins in the muscles, fat or other tissues. ... Full Story | Top | Fuel drivers urged to reject deal to avert strike Thu,26 Apr 2012 02:56 PM PDT Reuters - LONDON (Reuters) - Fuel tanker drivers were urged by union leaders on Thursday to reject a deal with employers to avert a strike, bringing closer the prospect of industrial action that could seriously threaten supplies. The Unite union said it would ballot more than 2,000 drivers over proposals to resolve a dispute with six fuel delivery firms that has rattled the coalition government and led to motorists panic-buying petrol last month. ... Full Story | Top | At U.S. State Department, kids get sex scandal primer Thu,26 Apr 2012 02:52 PM PDT Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Children participating in the State Department's "Take Your Child to Work" day event on Thursday were treated to a discussion of prostitutes and strip clubs as reporters pressed for answers on a widening Secret Service scandal. State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland opened the daily news briefing with a salute to the handful of underage observers who joined journalists for the mid-day run-down of global events. But any hopes that the briefing would steer clear of the salacious dissipated as questions focused on charges that Secret Service agents and other U.S. ... Full Story | Top | U.S. draft warns Sudan, South Sudan of possible sanctions Thu,26 Apr 2012 02:49 PM PDT Reuters - UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The United States on Thursday circulated to the U.N. Security Council a draft resolution that warns Sudan and South Sudan of sanctions if they do not comply with African Union demands to swiftly stop border clashes and resolve their many disputes. U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice told reporters the Security Council would begin discussing the draft resolution on Thursday and that it would likely need at least a few days of talks among members before going to a vote. ... Full Story | Top | U.N. chief says Syria not complying with peace plan Thu,26 Apr 2012 02:48 PM PDT Reuters - UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon said on Thursday the Syrian government had not complied with its pledge to a U.N.-backed peace plan aimed at stopping the country from spiraling into civil war because it had not withdrawn heavy weapons and troops from cities. The secretary-general said in a statement that unarmed U.N. military observers in Syria had reported a "continued presence of heavy weapons, military equipment and army personnel in population centers." Ban said he was "deeply troubled" by that. ... Full Story | Top | Arab League calls on U.N. to protect Syrians Thu,26 Apr 2012 02:48 PM PDT Reuters - CAIRO (Reuters) - The Arab League plans to call on the U.N. Security Council to take immediate action to protect Syrian civilians, it said in a statement released after an Arab League meeting. "The Arab League will assign its Arab representatives in the U.N. Security Council in the meeting set to take place May 5 to ask the Security Council to protect Syrian civilians immediately," a final statement said. ... Full Story | Top | FTC taps outside counsel for Google antitrust probe Thu,26 Apr 2012 02:45 PM PDT Reuters - SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - The Federal Trade Commission has turned to a high-profile outside attorney to help run its antitrust investigation into whether Google Inc promotes search results that favor its business. FTC Chairman Jon Leibowitz said on Thursday his agency had gone outside its staff because of the importance of the case, which could have implications for not just Google's growth ambitions but also consumers' use of the Internet. ... Full Story | Top | FDA advisers back Cameron Health heart device Thu,26 Apr 2012 02:44 PM PDT Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. drug advisers gave the nod to the first defibrillator designed to be implanted directly under the skin, raising hopes Cameron Health Inc's novel product would be approved. Outside advisers to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration voted 7-1 to recommend approval of Cameron's device, which delivers electrical shocks to a dangerously irregular heartbeat to return it to a normal rhythm. They also voted 7-1 that the device worked and unanimously said it was safe, according to the company and the FDA. ... Full Story | Top |
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