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Wednesday, July 25, 2012 8:30 PM PDT

Today's Politics - Bloomberg News Headlines - Yahoo! News: Obama pledges to tackle gun violence after Colorado killing "Anglo-Saxon" quote overshadows start of Romney tour Democratic fundraiser pens novel about sex, money and politics North Korea incident overshadows action Soldier said he endured slurs from sergeant charged in death Argentine icon Evita graces 100-peso bank notes Wisconsin panel clears judges who signed recall petitions Israel's Barak calls for swifter action against Iran Republicans accuse Obama of leadership failure over defense cuts Protest over California police shooting turns violent, 24 arrested U.N. Security Council lifts travel bans on 17 Liberians Britain sinks far deeper into recession than forecast Cash-strapped Britain eyes Olympic business bounce Games score own goal with North Korea flag faux pas Mexico's new president faces long grind on poverty At Arizona sheriff's trial, Latino driver tells of humiliation Senate panel clears intel bill with tight curbs on leaks Coca planting rises in Colombia, cocaine production falls Geithner says he did all he could to address Libor problem Geithner's testimony on oversight, Libor Senate passes middle-class tax cut bill in symbolic move House leaders feel heat for farm aid in drought Oil group sues over law on scarce biofuel Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, audit details 2009 financial meltdown Iran accuses Israel of plotting Bulgaria bus attack US House passes Fed audit bill; measure seen dying in Senate About 50 political groups win tax-exempt status: IRS As Ghana mourns president, focus turns to election race Syrian ambassadors to Emirates, Cyprus defect Syrian armored column closes in on Aleppo Deadlocked U.N. Security Council members lay blame over Syria Greek triple jumper's coach says expulsion too harsh Greek triple jumper withdrawn from Olympics for racist tweet Republican tax bill fails in Senate, aided by two Republicans New York police violated rights of Occupy protesters: report China's hawks gaining sway in South China sea dispute NY's transportation agency projects deficits from 2012 Colombia's Santos adamant security hasn't deteriorated EPA finds remaining water safe in famous fracking town Congress pushes to finalize new Iran sanctions package Obama pledges to tackle gun violence after Colorado killing Wed,25 Jul 2012 07:42 PM PDT Reuters - NEW ORLEANS (Reuters) - President Barack Obama pledged on Wednesday to work with leaders of all political stripes to "arrive at a consensus" on how to reduce gun violence across the United States after the Colorado shootings highlighted the issue in an election year. Closing out a multiday trip that began in Aurora, Colorado, where he met with families and victims of the movie theater massacre there, Obama told a mostly African-American audience that such tragedies are replayed on a smaller scale in cities throughout the country on a daily basis. ... Full Story Top "Anglo-Saxon" quote overshadows start of Romney tour Wed,25 Jul 2012 06:27 PM PDT Reuters - LONDON (Reuters) - Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney began a foreign tour on Wednesday forced to disavow a report that an adviser had accused President Barack Obama of not understanding the shared "Anglo-Saxon heritage" of Britain and the United States. As Romney arrived in London for a three-day stay, The Daily Telegraph quoted an unnamed Romney campaign adviser who lauded the special relationship between the two countries. ... Full Story Top Democratic fundraiser pens novel about sex, money and politics Wed,25 Jul 2012 06:15 PM PDT Reuters - NEW YORK (Reuters) - The antagonist in Bridget Siegel's debut novel, "Domestic Affairs," is a charismatic Southern politician who has an affair with a staffer while running in the Democratic primary for president. But despite obvious parallels to the political soap opera that surrounded a real-life presidential aspirant, former U.S. Senator John Edwards, Siegel - a Democratic fundraiser turned novelist - insists the book is pure fiction. ... Full Story Top North Korea incident overshadows action Wed,25 Jul 2012 05:53 PM PDT Reuters - CARDIFF (Reuters) - A major diplomatic incident marred the first day of competition at the London Olympics on Wednesday when the North Korea women's soccer team walked off after the South Korea flag was mistakenly displayed before their match against Colombia. The error occurred in Scotland at Glasgow's Hampden Park stadium which was hosting one of the day's six matches kicking off the women's tournament and led to a lengthy delay before the game eventually started. ... Full Story Top Soldier said he endured slurs from sergeant charged in death Wed,25 Jul 2012 05:28 PM PDT Reuters - FORT BRAGG, North Carolina (Reuters) - A black soldier testified at a court-martial on Wednesday that he endured racial slurs from the same U.S. Army sergeant whose hazing, according to military officials, led a Chinese-American soldier to commit suicide. Private Marcus Merritt said he also considered killing himself to escape the verbal abuse of Sergeant Adam Holcomb, who Merritt said called him "niglet" and threatened to send him home from Afghanistan in a body bag. "He was in my face constantly," Merritt said on the second day of Holcomb's military trial in Fort Bragg, North Carolina. ... Full Story Top Argentine icon Evita graces 100-peso bank notes Wed,25 Jul 2012 05:25 PM PDT Reuters - BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) - Argentine President Cristina Fernandez unveiled a commemorative bank note on Wednesday bearing the image of Evita Peron to mark the 60th anniversary of the iconic first lady's death. The bill is based on the design of a five-peso note that the mint had planned to issue after Evita died of cancer at the height of her popularity, but which went missing during the coup that toppled her husband, late former President Gen. Juan Peron. ... Full Story Top Wisconsin panel clears judges who signed recall petitions Wed,25 Jul 2012 05:12 PM PDT Reuters - MILWAUKEE (Reuters) - Wisconsin state judges who were among nearly a million residents who signed petitions that triggered an unsuccessful recall election against Republican Governor Scott Walker did not breach their judicial obligations, a state ethics panel has found. The Wisconsin Judicial Commission concluded the judges "had not otherwise acted in a manner that would reflect adversely on ... impartiality or the appearance of impartiality," according to a brief letter to the judges on June 26. The Judicial Commission does not publicly disclose its rulings. ... Full Story Top Israel's Barak calls for swifter action against Iran Wed,25 Jul 2012 05:10 PM PDT Reuters - JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak called on Wednesday for major powers to speed up efforts to stop Iran's nuclear program, cautioning it would be tougher to confront it once Tehran managed to cross an atomic threshold. Israeli media interpreted Barak's comments as pushing for a possible Israeli strike against Iran to stop a project the West sees as a drive to achieve nuclear weapons though Tehran denies seeking nuclear weapons, saying its program is intended solely for peaceful purposes. ... Full Story Top Republicans accuse Obama of leadership failure over defense cuts Wed,25 Jul 2012 05:08 PM PDT Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republican lawmakers worried about a looming $500 billion cut in the Pentagon budget accused President Barack Obama of a failure of leadership on Wednesday for doing little to avoid reductions his own defense secretary has said would devastate the military. They urged Obama to bring the two political parties together to find alternatives to the defense cuts, offering the prospect of some revenue increases in addition to budget cuts, but still resisting the kinds of tax increases sought by Democrats. ... Full Story Top Protest over California police shooting turns violent, 24 arrested Wed,25 Jul 2012 04:52 PM PDT Reuters - (Reuters) - Police in the Southern California city of Anaheim arrested 24 people overnight after protesters smashed store windows and started fires in anger over the police shooting of an apparently unarmed man. It was the second major clash between police and protesters since Saturday when an officer shot dead a man police said was a gang member in Anaheim, which is home to Disneyland. "I'm here to say that vandalism, arson and other forms of violent protest will simply not be tolerated in our city," Anaheim Mayor Tom Tait told reporters on Wednesday. ... Full Story Top U.N. Security Council lifts travel bans on 17 Liberians Wed,25 Jul 2012 04:50 PM PDT Reuters - UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The U.N. Security Council has lifted travel bans and assets freezes on 17 Liberians, including at least two ex-wives of Liberia's former president and convicted war criminal Charles Taylor. The council said in a statement that the decision to remove a travel ban on all 17 individuals with links to Taylor, along with an assets freeze on 10 of those people, was made on Friday. It simply listed the 17 names and gave no reason for removing the sanctions. ... Full Story Top Britain sinks far deeper into recession than forecast Wed,25 Jul 2012 04:46 PM PDT Reuters - LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's economy shrank far more than expected in the second quarter, battered by everything from an extra public holiday to government spending cuts and the neighbouring euro zone crisis. Chancellor George Osborne said figures released on Wednesday showed Britain had "deep-rooted economic problems," adding that the slump in the second quarter was disappointing even when taking into account one-off factors that hurt. Britain's gross domestic product fell 0. ... Full Story Top Cash-strapped Britain eyes Olympic business bounce Wed,25 Jul 2012 04:33 PM PDT Reuters - LONDON (Reuters) - British Prime Minister David Cameron will on Thursday use the London Olympics to drum up business opportunities, on the first day of a series of trade and investment events to showcase Britain during the Games. Dignitaries such as International Monetary Fund Managing Director Christine Lagarde and the heads of global firms such as Google's Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt are expected to attend the first of the business events later on Thursday. Britain hopes to seal one billion pounds ($1. ... Full Story Top Games score own goal with North Korea flag faux pas Wed,25 Jul 2012 04:30 PM PDT Reuters - CARDIFF/LONDON (Reuters) - The first day of sporting action at the London Olympics turned into an embarrassing own goal for organizers on Wednesday when the South Korean flag was mistakenly displayed before its sworn enemy North Korea's women's soccer match against Colombia. The error prompted the North Korean team to walk off the field and caused a delay of more than an hour before the game, played in the Scottish city of Glasgow, eventually started. ... Full Story Top Mexico's new president faces long grind on poverty Wed,25 Jul 2012 04:24 PM PDT Reuters - SAN SIMON ZAHUATLAN, Mexico (Reuters) - Sofia Irene can remember when a Mexican president came to visit her mountaintop village pledging to replace dirt floors with cement, pave roads and broaden electricity coverage. Seven years on, most homes in San Simon Zahuatlan have solid foundations and electric lights and two concrete roads run through the remote settlement in Oaxaca state in southwestern Mexico. But soon after the day President Vicente Fox entered the village with a bustling entourage in 2005, Mexico had its back to the wall again in its long fight against poverty. ... Full Story Top At Arizona sheriff's trial, Latino driver tells of humiliation Wed,25 Jul 2012 04:18 PM PDT Reuters - PHOENIX (Reuters) - A U.S. Latino citizen fought back tears at an Arizona sheriff's racial profiling trial on Wednesday as he described being pulled over by a deputy and having his groin frisked during a traffic stop he said was motivated by his ethnicity. Contractor Daniel Magos, 67, testified at the civil trial of Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio that he was pulled over by a deputy as he drove with his U.S.-born wife to meet a client in December 2009, ostensibly because of a missing license plate on the trailer of his pickup truck. ... Full Story Top Senate panel clears intel bill with tight curbs on leaks Wed,25 Jul 2012 04:16 PM PDT Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Budget legislation passed by the U.S. Senate intelligence committee authorizes a crackdown on security leaks, including curbs on how many officials can talk to the media and steps to punish unauthorized disclosures, lawmakers said on Wednesday. The Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2013, passed the Democratic Party-controlled committee by a 14-1 vote on Tuesday, Chairman Dianne Feinstein and Vice Chairman Saxby Chambliss said in a statement. Media reports in recent months based on high-profile leaks about U.S. ... Full Story Top Coca planting rises in Colombia, cocaine production falls Wed,25 Jul 2012 04:14 PM PDT Reuters - BOGOTA (Reuters) - The amount of planted coca, the raw material used to produce cocaine, rose in Colombia last year for the first time since 2007, including in several rebel strongholds, according to a UN report on Wednesday that is likely to fan criticism of the government. One of the world's top cocaine producers, Colombia, has been battling drug-funded leftist rebels and powerful gangs for decades, but billions of dollars in drugs still leave the nation each year despite a decade-long U.S.-backed security crackdown. ... Full Story Top Geithner says he did all he could to address Libor problem Wed,25 Jul 2012 03:58 PM PDT Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner, under pressure for not doing enough to stop fraudulent manipulation of a key benchmark interest rate, told lawmakers on Wednesday he alerted the appropriate authorities "early on." In his first chance to defend his actions on the widening Libor scandal before Congress, Geithner said he became aware of the problem in 2008, when he was president of the New York Federal Reserve Bank, an influential bank regulator. ... Full Story Top Geithner's testimony on oversight, Libor Wed,25 Jul 2012 03:58 PM PDT Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Below are highlights from a House Financial Services Committee hearing on Wednesday with U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner, where he addresses financial oversight and his handling of the Libor manipulation scandal. REUTERS TV-Link to Geithner testimony: http://link.reuters. ... Full Story Top Senate passes middle-class tax cut bill in symbolic move Wed,25 Jul 2012 03:54 PM PDT Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama's fellow Democrats in the Senate on Wednesday won passage of a bill to renew tax cuts for tens of millions of Americans, while letting some rates rise for the wealthiest, in a largely symbolic vote. The legislation, certain to be rejected by the Republican-controlled House of Representatives, lets Democrats claim in advance of the November 6 elections that they passed tax cuts for most Americans, only to be stymied by Republicans. ... Full Story Top House leaders feel heat for farm aid in drought Wed,25 Jul 2012 03:47 PM PDT Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republicans are getting scorched for sitting on a farm bill as the worst drought in decades shrivels crops and is forecast to drive up food prices for the next two years. The $491 billion farm bill is stalled in the House of Representatives on concerns there are not enough votes in the Republican-controlled chamber to pass a bill many see as too costly. So Republican leaders may try to quell growing criticism of the stalemate by seeking quick passage of a stand-alone disaster relief bill, according to farm lobbyists. ... Full Story Top Oil group sues over law on scarce biofuel Wed,25 Jul 2012 03:37 PM PDT Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - For the second time in five months, the U.S. government is being sued to overturn a law that forces oil refiners to use a scarce biofuel. Under the federal Renewable Fuel Standard, refineries were required by the Environmental Protection Agency to use 6.6 million gallons of cellulosic biofuels - a fuel made from non-grain sources such as wood chips - in 2011. The U.S. oil industry's leading lobby group, The American Petroleum Institute filed a lawsuit in federal court in Washington saying no commercial quantities of the biofuel were available. ... Full Story Top Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, audit details 2009 financial meltdown Wed,25 Jul 2012 03:32 PM PDT Reuters - (Reuters) - The mayor of Pennsylvania's distressed capital city Harrisburg on Wednesday released a long-delayed audit that sheds light on the collapse of the city's finances and points the finger at the previous mayor. The fiscal 2009 audit reveals that the city ended the year with a $227 million deficit, when it had closed out 2008 with a surplus of $46 million. "It was the year in which the proverbial 'chickens came home to roost'," wrote Mayor Linda Thompson in the introduction to the audit. ... Full Story Top Iran accuses Israel of plotting Bulgaria bus attack Wed,25 Jul 2012 03:24 PM PDT Reuters - UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Iran's U.N. envoy accused Israel on Wednesday of plotting and carrying out a suicide bomb attack on a bus in Bulgaria a week ago in which five Israeli tourists were killed. A suicide bomber blew up the bus in a car park at Burgas airport, a popular gateway for tourists visiting Bulgaria's Black Sea coast, killing himself, the Israeli tourists and the Bulgarian bus driver and wounding more than 30 people. Israel has accused Iran and the Lebanese Islamist group Hezbollah of the bombing. Iran has denied the accusations. ... Full Story Top US House passes Fed audit bill; measure seen dying in Senate Wed,25 Jul 2012 03:00 PM PDT Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Legislation to subject the Federal Reserve's monetary policy to audits sailed through the U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday although the measure is expected to die in the Democrat-controlled Senate. The legislation, written by Republican representative Ron Paul, whose anti-Fed crusade prompted a presidential bid and his grass-roots folk-hero status, passed the House by a 327-98 vote on Wednesday, exceeding the two-thirds majority needed. Eighty-nine Democrats joined 238 Republicans to approve it. ... Full Story Top About 50 political groups win tax-exempt status: IRS Wed,25 Jul 2012 02:56 PM PDT Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A senior Internal Revenue Service official on Wednesday put a number for the first time on how many political groups, including some "Tea Party" organizations, have gained IRS tax-exempt status In recent years. About 50 groups received the designation in 2010 and 2011, out of about 200 that applied, said Steven Miller, deputy IRS commissioner for enforcement, at a congressional hearing. ... Full Story Top As Ghana mourns president, focus turns to election race Wed,25 Jul 2012 02:48 PM PDT Reuters - ACCRA (Reuters) - Ghana has seen a smooth transition of power after the sudden death of its president, but as the nation mourns attention is already turning to who will replace him as the ruling party's candidate in a December vote. Vice-President John Dramani Mahama was sworn in hours after the announcement of the death through sudden illness on Tuesday of 68-year-old President John Atta Mills. ... Full Story Top Syrian ambassadors to Emirates, Cyprus defect Wed,25 Jul 2012 02:34 PM PDT Reuters - AMMAN (Reuters) - Syria's ambassadors to the United Arab Emirates and Cyprus, who are husband and wife, have defected to Qatar, spokesmen for the opposition Syrian National Council said on Wednesday. They are the second and third senior diplomats to defect since the uprising against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad began 16 months ago. "The ambassador (Abdelatif al-Dabbagh) is now in Qatar," SNC spokesman Mohammad Sarmini told Reuters by telephone, referring to the ambassador to the UAE. ... Full Story Top Syrian armored column closes in on Aleppo Wed,25 Jul 2012 02:31 PM PDT Reuters - AZAZ, Syria (Reuters) - The Syrian army turned its forces on Aleppo on Wednesday, ordering an armored column to advance on the country's second biggest city and pounding rebels there with artillery and attack helicopters, opposition activists said. As hostilities intensified near the Turkish border, Ankara said it was closing its crossing posts, although the United Nations said refugees fleeing Syria would be allowed through. ... Full Story Top Deadlocked U.N. Security Council members lay blame over Syria Wed,25 Jul 2012 02:31 PM PDT Reuters - UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - U.N. Security Council members blamed each other for rising violence in Syria on Wednesday, with Western states pledging to also seek an end to the 16-month conflict outside the world body as Russia warned of "likely catastrophic consequences" with that approach. Russia, an ally of Syria, and China have repeatedly blocked Western-backed Security Council attempts to increase pressure on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to end the violence sparked by a government crackdown on pro-democracy protesters. ... Full Story Top Greek triple jumper's coach says expulsion too harsh Wed,25 Jul 2012 02:31 PM PDT Reuters - ATHENS (Reuters) - Triple jumper Paraskevi Papachristou's expulsion from the Greek Olympics team for a tweet seen as racist was unduly harsh, her coach told Reuters on Wednesday. "It's too much, the penalty should not have been so strict," George Pomaski told Reuters. "She has already apologized for her remarks." Papachristou, 23, was pulled from the team in London on Wednesday after she prompted outrage at home for tweeting: "With so many Africans in Greece... ... Full Story Top Greek triple jumper withdrawn from Olympics for racist tweet Wed,25 Jul 2012 02:31 PM PDT Reuters - ATHENS (Reuters) - Greek triple jumper Paraskevi Papachristou was withdrawn from the London Olympics on Wednesday after causing an uproar at home for a tweet slammed as racist, the Greek Olympics team said. "With so many Africans in Greece... the West Nile mosquitoes will at least eat homemade food!!!" she had posted on her Twitter account. The country's Olympic Committee said she was being pulled from the team because her comments were against the Olympic spirit. "She showed no respect for a basic Olympic value and unfortunately she is out," Greek mission chief Isidoros Kouvelos told SKAI TV. ... Full Story Top Republican tax bill fails in Senate, aided by two Republicans Wed,25 Jul 2012 02:15 PM PDT Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Democrats in the Senate on Wednesday rejected a Republican plan to extend all expiring individual tax rates, with the help of two Republicans, in a largely symbolic vote ahead of the November elections. The bill would have renewed tax cuts originally enacted under former Republican President George W. Bush in 2001 and 2003, for all income levels. The Senate will later vote on a Democratic version of the legislation which would extend the lower tax rates for the vast majority of Americans but would raise tax rates for income earned above $250,000. ... Full Story Top New York police violated rights of Occupy protesters: report Wed,25 Jul 2012 02:09 PM PDT Reuters - NEW YORK (Reuters) - New York police officers employed excessive force, unjustified arrests and pervasive surveillance in violation of the rights of Occupy Wall Street protesters, a report from a group of human rights lawyers said on Wednesday. The report documents 130 incidents of alleged abuse by law enforcement authorities and calls for the creation of an independent inspector general to monitor the New York Police Department. ... Full Story Top China's hawks gaining sway in South China sea dispute Wed,25 Jul 2012 02:06 PM PDT Reuters - HONG KONG (Reuters) - China has adopted a more aggressive stance in recent weeks on territorial disputes in the South China Sea as hard-line officials and commentators call on Beijing to take a tougher line with rival claimants. China's supreme policymaking body, the Politburo Standing Committee, is made up entirely of civilians, but outspoken People's Liberation Army (PLA) officers, intelligence advisers and maritime agency chiefs are arguing that Beijing should be more forceful in asserting its sovereignty over the sea and the oil and natural gas believed to lie under the sea-bed. ... Full Story Top NY's transportation agency projects deficits from 2012 Wed,25 Jul 2012 01:58 PM PDT Reuters - NEW YORK (Reuters) - New York's Metropolitan Transportation Authority expects to end 2012 with a $46 million cash surplus, officials said on Wednesday, as they unveiled a "risk-laden" financial plan that projects deficits for 2014 through 2016. Balancing the MTA's budget depends on negotiating a three-year contract with unionized transit workers that has no wage hikes unless current restrictive work rules are amended or workers would pay more for healthcare, officials said. "Our budget is fragile; I prioritize it probably as our No. ... Full Story Top Colombia's Santos adamant security hasn't deteriorated Wed,25 Jul 2012 01:55 PM PDT Reuters - CARTAGENA, Colombia (Reuters) - Colombia's President Juan Manuel Santos rejected accusations that leftist FARC guerrillas are making a comeback, describing recent attacks as a last-gasp effort to grab headlines that did not pose a threat to economic prosperity. In an interview at one of his official residences, in the coastal city of Cartagena, Santos said a surge in violence by the Marxist rebels was an attempt to remain relevant as they faced attacks by government troops that eroded their capacity to fight and demoralized their ranks. ... Full Story Top EPA finds remaining water safe in famous fracking town Wed,25 Jul 2012 01:53 PM PDT Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is discontinuing water deliveries to four homes in a rural Pennsylvania town that attracted national attention after residents complained that natural gas drilling polluted wells. Further testing showed no reason for further action, the EPA said on Wednesday. The EPA had been delivering water since January to four homes in Dimock, Pennsylvania where the agency did a second round of water sampling after residents and local regulators submitted data that suggested water at the homes could be contaminated. ... Full Story Top Congress pushes to finalize new Iran sanctions package Wed,25 Jul 2012 01:49 PM PDT Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Congressional negotiators are trying to finish work on new sanctions aimed at further restricting Iran's oil revenues, a package they hope to approve by the end of next week before lawmakers leave Washington for an extended recess. The sanctions, which have been in the works for more than seven months, are designed to crack down on transactions with Iran's national oil and tanker companies, and to hamper the ability of Iranian banks to transfer funds electronically. ... Full Story Top

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