U.S. dismisses latest overture from Syria's Assad
The State Department has offered a sharp rebuke to the latest speech by Bashar Assad, calling the Syrian president "detached from reality" and bent on perpetuating his regime's "bloody oppression of...
View ArticleObama taps Hagel for Pentagon, Brennan for CIA
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Obama on Monday will nominate Chuck Hagel as his next defense secretary and counterterrorism adviser John Brennan to lead the Central Intelligence Agency, two potentially...
View ArticleU.S. tax code longer than Bible — without good news
WASHINGTON (AP) — Too intimidated to fill out your tax return without help? Join the club.At nearly 4 million words, the U.S. tax law is so thick and complicated that businesses and individuals spend...
View ArticleCitigroup tenure lucrative for Lew
Jack Lew, President Obama's presumed choice to lead the Treasury Department, has close ties to Wall Street, receiving more than $900,000 in bonus cash from a division of Citigroup Inc. just as the...
View ArticleState Department to assess Iran's threats in the Americas
State Department officials this week said they will develop for Congress an assessment of Iranian-related threats in Central and South America, as required by a new law."Iran has serially defied the...
View ArticleBiden hints at 'executive action' on gun control
Vice President Joseph R. Biden on Wednesday floated the possibility that President Obama will take unilateral action to impose gun control in the wake of the last month's Connecticut school...
View ArticleSessions will try to block Lew's bid for Treasury chief
The top Republican on the Senate Budget Committee will lead a charge to try to block White House Chief of Staff Jack Lew's prospective nomination to become Treasury secretary.Alabama Sen. Jeff Sessions...
View ArticleClinton 'thrilled' to be back at work
WASHINGTON (AP) — Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said Wednesday she is "thrilled to be back" at work after a monthlong absence due to illness, a concussion and a blood clot near her brain....
View ArticleObama expected to name Jack Lew as Treasury secretary
WASHINGTON (AP) — White House Chief of Staff Jack Lew is President Obama's expected pick to lead the Treasury Department, with an announcement possible before the end of the week.White House officials...
View ArticleN.Y. Gov. Cuomo to call for assault weapons ban ahead of likely 2016 White...
ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo will take his sky-high popularity into his third year with an agenda to ban assault weapons, raise the minimum wage and revive the still-slow economic...
View ArticleBailed-out AIG won't sue U.S.
NEW YORK — Facing a certain backlash from Washington and beyond, American International Group won't be joining a $25 billion shareholder lawsuit against the U.S. government over the terms of its...
View ArticleBiden to meet with gun-safety, victims groups
WASHINGTON (AP) — Seeking to spur fresh action on gun legislation, Vice President Joe Biden is meeting at the White House with victims groups and gun-safety organizations.Wednesday's meeting is to be...
View ArticleCapitol Hill least productive Congress ever: 112th fought 'about everything'
Everyone thought it was true, and now there is official confirmation: The 112th Congress, which came to a close last week, was the least productive on record.Together, the House and Senate enacted the...
View ArticleObama inaugural pastor steps down over anti-gay remarks
The pastor chosen by President Obama to deliver the benediction at his inauguration withdrew Thursday over complaints from gay-rights groups that he made anti-gay comments in the past.The Rev. Louie...
View ArticleReport: Inaugural cash could pay for future Obama library
Aggressive fundraising by President Obama's inaugural committee could end up helping to fund his future presidential library, the watchdog group the Sunlight Foundation reported Thursday.Several recent...
View ArticleBanks applaud new mortgage rules
Banks and other lenders gave a strong initial review to new rules released by the Obama administration Thursday that protect them from frivolous lawsuits if they follow strict standards for making...
View ArticleIrony alert: Ethics-challenged Rep. Rangel calls President Obama 'embarrassing'
Disgraced Rep. Charles B. Rangel had no qualms about ripping into President Obama Thursday for the commander in chief's dwindling Cabinet diversity."It's embarrassing as hell," Mr. Rangel, a New York...
View ArticleBowles: 'No easy way' to get financial books back in order
WASHINGTON (AP) — The co-chairman of the U.S. deficit commission calls failure to agree on a plan to reduce the national debt "the most disappointing thing in my life."Erskine Bowles said that "what is...
View ArticleShowdown: NRA to meet with Biden over gun issue
The National Rifle Association on Thursday will send a representative to meet with Vice President Joseph R. Biden, who is heading a task force on gun violence, a spokesman for the group said earlier...
View ArticleObama inauguration tickets peddled online — $2,000 apiece
WASHINGTON (AP) — Tickets to President Barack Obama's inauguration are supposed to be free, but they're being peddled on eBay and Craigslist for up to $2,000 apiece.Congressional offices and the...
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