|
|
|
|
|
|
Senate votes to roll back media ownership rule
|
5.15.2008 : 9:17 pm
|
|
|
WASHINGTON -- The Senate Thursday night voted to nullify a Federal Communications Commission rule that allows media companies to own a newspaper and a television station in the same market.
|
|
|
Housing rescue deal stalls in Senate
|
5.15.2008 : 9:07 pm
|
|
|
WASHINGTON -- A key senator postponed action Thursday on a homeowner rescue package that could help half a million strapped borrowers get government-backed mortgages, as negotiators inched toward a bipartisan deal.
|
|
|
House rejects bill funding Iraq, Afghanistan wars
|
5.15.2008 : 9:07 pm
|
|
|
WASHINGTON -- President Bush's Iraq war funding request collapsed in the House Thursday as anti-war Democrats and Republicans unhappy about added domestic funding combined to kill -- for now -- $163 billion to support U.S. troops overseas.
|
|
|
Gates: Some in Pentagon still not on 'war footing'
|
5.15.2008 : 9:01 pm
|
|
|
WASHINGTON -- The Pentagon's slow response to wartime challenges such as protecting troops against roadside bombs stemmed in part from a mistaken belief within the defense establishment that the Iraq and Afghanistan wars would be short, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Thursday.
|
|
|
Democrats drop first-responder bill
|
5.15.2008 : 8:19 pm
|
|
|
WASHINGTON -- Senate Democrats on Thursday dropped a bill allowing all police, firefighters and other first responders to unionize after Republicans complained they didn't get enough time to offer amendments.
|
|
|
US declines to cite China as a currency manipulator
|
5.15.2008 : 7:19 pm
|
|
|
WASHINGTON -- The Bush administration has declined to cite China for manipulating its currency to gain unfair trade advantages against the United States.
|
|
|
Reports: Cheney's assets nearly triple Bush's
|
5.15.2008 : 7:03 pm
|
|
|
WASHINGTON -- The millions of dollars in assets reported by Vice President Dick Cheney and his wife, Lynn, nearly triple those held by President Bush and the first lady, Laura Bush, according to newly released financial disclosure forms.
|
|
|
Industrial output falls, second time in 3 months
|
5.15.2008 : 6:58 pm
|
|
|
WASHINGTON -- Industrial output plunged in April as factories making everything from autos to heavy machinery felt the adverse effects of the weak economy. Analysts held out hope that production will revive in the second half of the year, helped by the government's economic stimulus checks.
|
|
|
Afghan narco-terrorist convicted on drug charges
|
5.15.2008 : 6:50 pm
|
|
|
WASHINGTON -- A federal jury has found an Afghan enemy combatant guilty of drug charges in what the Justice Department calls the first convictions under new narco-terrorism laws.
|
|
|
IRS says up to 350,000 didn't get child credit
|
5.15.2008 : 6:28 pm
|
|
|
WASHINGTON -- As many as 350,000 households are not getting the $300 per child refund owed as part of economic stimulus rebate payments, the Internal Revenue Service said Thursday.
|
|
|
Recalls: Carbon monoxide alarms, baby rattles
|
5.15.2008 : 6:10 pm
|
|
|
The following recalls have been announced: -- About 280,000 carbon monoxide alarms and combination carbon monoxide/smoke alarms, made in Mexico by Maple Chase Co. The wrong type of alarm can sound in the presence of carbon monoxide. Consumers can be exposed to hazardous levels of carbon monoxide and suffer injury or death. No incidents or injuries have been reported. The recalled products include the FireX branded 10000 series carbon monoxide alarms and the 12000 series carbon monoxide/smoke alarms. The recall involves the alarm's "double chirp," which the owner's manual says is a signal to take the alarm out of service. The alarms were sold by commercial electrical distributors and electrical contractors and builders for installation into new home construction. A limited number of units were sold at Menards stores nationwide from June 2007 through February this year. Details: by phone at 888-879-3906; by Web at http://www.firexsafety.com and http://www.cpsc.gov.
|
|
|
Bush leaves it to Olmert to push Mideast peace
|
5.15.2008 : 5:49 pm
|
|
|
JERUSALEM -- President Bush gently urged Mideast leaders to "make the hard choices necessary for peace," leaving it to embattled Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert to stand before a divided parliament Thursday and forcefully declare that this war-weary nation is ready for a historic agreement with Palestinians.
|
|
|
Analysis: Polar bear's impact on people is felt
|
5.15.2008 : 5:32 pm
|
|
|
WASHINGTON -- It's not about saving the polar bear as much as the polar bear saving us. The Arctic bear facing extinction because of global warming is bringing home the consequences of cheap energy and -- until recently -- the need for little sacrifice.
|
|
|
E-mail from VA worker says to avoid PTSD diagnosis
|
5.15.2008 : 5:31 pm
|
|
|
WASHINGTON -- An internal e-mail written by a Veterans Affairs Department employee suggested avoiding a diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder for veterans and instead considering a diagnosis that might result in a lower disability payment.
|
|
|
Administration credits China with policy shifts
|
5.15.2008 : 5:28 pm
|
|
|
WASHINGTON -- Launching a congressional critique of China, Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte said Thursday that persistent, peaceful dialogue is paying off in aligning Beijing with the United States on several major world fronts.
|
|
|
Analysis: Ally bucks Bush on talking to terrorists
|
5.15.2008 : 5:25 pm
|
|
|
WASHINGTON -- While President Bush was ruffling the presidential contest with a warning about the "foolish delusion" of negotiating with terrorists, one of his few Middle East friends was doing just that.
|
|
|
DoD: Chinook helicopters at Pa. plant vandalized
|
5.15.2008 : 5:24 pm
|
|
|
RIDLEY PARK, Pa. -- Two military helicopters were vandalized on the production line at a Boeing factory near Philadelphia, the Defense Department said Thursday as it offered a reward.
|
|
|
Republicans abandon Bush on food, energy issues
|
5.15.2008 : 5:20 pm
|
|
|
WASHINGTON -- Congress responded speedily to voters' angst over rising grocery prices and $4-a-gallon gasoline Thursday, bucking President Bush's veto threats with lopsided votes to boost food stamps and farm subsidies -- after ordering Bush to quit pouring oil into the nation's emergency reserves.
|
|
|
Colombian pleads not guilty to US drug charges
|
5.15.2008 : 5:11 pm
|
|
|
WASHINGTON -- Days after being hurriedly extradited from Colombian prisons, a group of right-wing paramilitaries expressed surprise Thursday as they stood in a U.S. courtroom, flanked by armed marshals and wearing bright orange jumpsuits and slippers.
|
|
|
Investment firms' borrowing at fairly steady pace
|
5.15.2008 : 4:35 pm
|
|
|
WASHINGTON -- Wall Street investment companies are borrowing from the Federal Reserve's emergency lending program at a fairly steady pace. The Federal Reserve said in a report Thursday that those firms averaged $16.6 billion in daily borrowing over the past week. That compared with $16.5 billion in the previous week. In the prior five weeks, investment firms had reduced their borrowing from the central bank.
|
|
|
WASHINGTON--Fed: investment cos. averaged $16.6b in daily borrowing in past week from emergency fund
|
5.15.2008 : 4:30 pm
|
|
|
WASHINGTON --
|
|
|
House panel votes to extend child credit, energy tax breaks
|
5.15.2008 : 4:18 pm
|
|
|
WASHINGTON -- The House's tax-writing committee on Thursday approved a multifaceted tax package it said would save people almost $10 billion through expansion of the child tax credit and creation of a new deduction for property taxes.
|
|
|
WASHINGTON--U.S. declines to cite China as a currency manipulator despite unhappiness over trade gap.
|
5.15.2008 : 4:00 pm
|
|
|
WASHINGTON --
|
|
|
Senate roll vote: farm subsidies, food stamps bill
|
5.15.2008 : 3:42 pm
|
|
|
The 81-15 roll call by which the Senate on Thursday passed a bill boosting farm subsidies and money for food stamps.
|
|
|
Senate roll call: farm subsidies, food stamps bill
|
5.15.2008 : 3:40 pm
|
|
|
The 81-15 roll call by which the Senate on Thursday passed a bill boosting farm subsidies and money for food stamps.
|
|
|
WASHINGTON--House rejects $163 billion war funding bill.
|
5.15.2008 : 3:33 pm
|
|
|
WASHINGTON --
|
|
|
WASHINGTON--The Fed has auctioned $7.2b in Treasurys to investment firms to ease credit stresses.
|
5.15.2008 : 2:35 pm
|
|
|
WASHINGTON --
|
|
|
Contractors, insurance firms gouging taxpayers, panel says
|
5.15.2008 : 2:28 pm
|
|
|
WASHINGTON -- A poorly run Pentagon program for providing workman's compensation for civilian employees in Iraq and Afghanistan has allowed defense contractors and insurance companies to gouge American taxpayers, a House committee said Thursday.
|
|
|
NY congresswoman gives birth
|
5.15.2008 : 1:48 pm
|
|
|
WASHINGTON -- Rep. Kirsten Gillibrand from New York gave birth Thursday to a healthy baby boy, a day after voting on a major piece of legislation. The delivery makes her the sixth woman to have a child while a member of Congress.
|
|
|
Rates on 30-year mortgages fall to lowest point in a month
|
5.15.2008 : 1:39 pm
|
|
|
WASHINGTON -- Rates on 30-year mortgages edged down this week to their lowest point in a month, a spot of welcome news to would-be home buyers.
|
|
|
WASHINGTON--Congress has approved a $290 billion farm and food bill with enough votes to override a veto
|
5.15.2008 : 12:38 pm
|
|
|
WASHINGTON --
|
|
|
Bernanke: Banks must get better at foreseeing risk
|
5.15.2008 : 11:36 am
|
|
|
WASHINGTON -- Commercial banks and other financial institutions need to beef up their ability to detect and protect themselves against risks like the credit and mortgage debacles, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke said Thursday.
|
|
|
Treasury Department moves against 3 Belarus businesses
|
5.15.2008 : 11:22 am
|
|
|
WASHINGTON -- The Bush administration moved Thursday to clamp down financially on three businesses in Belarus linked to a major oil and chemical company allegedly controlled by authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko.
|
|
|
WASHINGTON--Fed chairman says banks need to improve risk management to deal with financial problems
|
5.15.2008 : 9:25 am
|
|
|
WASHINGTON --
|
|
|
WASHINGTON--Industrial output plunges in April, reflecting cuts in manufacturing
|
5.15.2008 : 9:15 am
|
|
|
WASHINGTON --
|
|
|
WASHINGTON--Jobless claims increased by 6,000 last week, indicating further labor market weakness
|
5.15.2008 : 8:30 am
|
|
|
WASHINGTON --
|
|
|
Polar bear gets new protection
|
5.15.2008 : 7:14 am
|
|
|
WASHINGTON -- Put at risk by global warming, the polar bear is getting a life line: The government has declared it a threatened species in need of increased protection. But another round of legal battles surrounding the majestic animal may be just beginning.
|
|
|
House panel approves pay raise for troops
|
5.15.2008 : 4:46 am
|
|
|
WASHINGTON -- The House Armed Services Committee approved a bill early Thursday that authorizes $601.4 billion in defense spending for next year, including a 3.9 percent pay raise for troops.
|
|
|
Politically popular farm bill gets election-year boost
|
5.15.2008 : 3:50 am
|
|
|
WASHINGTON -- Rising food costs and the upcoming election have fueled bipartisan support for a politically popular $290 billion farm bill full of extra money for food stamps and farm subsidies, despite strong opposition from President Bush.
|
|
|
Glance: A cost breakdown of farm bill programs
|
5.15.2008 : 3:17 am
|
|
|
Domestic nutrition programs make up the largest portion of the estimated $300 billion farm bill. Crop subsidies make up roughly 14 percent, foreign food aid less than 1 percent.
|
|
|
Highlight of war spending bill
|
5.15.2008 : 3:14 am
|
|
|
Highlights of a House bill to pay for military and diplomatic operations in Iraq and Afghanistan into next spring. The bill would set aside $183.7 billion and provide an additional $62.9 billion over 10 years to extend unemployment benefits and bolster the GI Bill. Lawmakers will cast separate votes on three components: war money, Iraq war policy restrictions and unrelated domestic add-ons.
|
|
|
US disputes IMF on food prices
|
5.15.2008 : 1:05 am
|
|
|
WASHINGTON -- The Bush administration on Wednesday was downplaying the role of biofuels production in rising food prices. The debate involves questions of blame for rapidly inflating prices for staple crops that have led to famine and riots in many parts of the world.
|
|
|
Senate sends oil-reserve bill to president
|
5.15.2008 : 12:45 am
|
|
|
WASHINGTON -- The Senate late Wednesday approved and sent to the White House legislation directing President Bush to temporarily halt oil shipments into the government's emergency reserve, hoping to lower energy prices.
|
|
|
3 in 10 get all or most calls on cell phones
|
5.14.2008 : 7:23 pm
|
|
|
WASHINGTON -- For nearly three in 10 households, don't even bother trying to call them on a landline phone. They either only have a cell phone or seldom if ever take calls on their traditional phone.
|
|
|
Summary Box: Polar bears to be protected species
|
5.14.2008 : 7:14 pm
|
|
|
THREATENED BEAR: The polar bear was declared a threatened species by the Interior Department Wednesday. It cited dramatic declines in sea ice that will likely result in two-thirds of the polar bears disappearing by mid-century.
|
|
|
Produce farmers cheer farm bill
|
5.14.2008 : 7:04 pm
|
|
|
WASHINGTON -- Fruit and vegetable growers would reap a bonanza in the farm bill passed Wednesday by the House that, for the first time, includes a significant amount of money for them.
|
|
|
Quaid testifies of peril to newborn twins
|
5.14.2008 : 6:50 pm
|
|
|
WASHINGTON -- Actor Dennis Quaid told Congress on Wednesday that taking away the right to sue pharmaceutical companies would turn consumers into "uninformed and uncompensated lab rats."
|
|
|
Lawmakers want better treatment for detainees
|
5.14.2008 : 6:46 pm
|
|
|
WASHINGTON -- Top lawmakers on the House Judiciary Committee are demanding more information from the Homeland Security Department about medical treatment provided to illegal immigrants detained in the U.S.
|
|
|
US to keep sending aid to Myanmar
|
5.14.2008 : 6:28 pm
|
|
|
WASHINGTON -- The Bush administration will continue to send emergency assistance to Myanmar's cyclone victims despite concerns the country's military government may be confiscating the aid or diverting it away from those most in need.
|
|
|
House looks at phone jamming in N.H. election
|
5.14.2008 : 6:17 pm
|
|
|
WASHINGTON -- A former Republican consultant who served three months in prison for his role in the Election Day 2002 phone-jamming operation against New Hampshire Democrats said Wednesday he knows of no connection between the White House and the plot.
|
|
|
US to request quick military aid for Lebanon
|
5.14.2008 : 6:17 pm
|
|
|
WASHINGTON -- The Bush administration said Wednesday it wants to speed up U.S. aid for Lebanon's army because of the recent wave of sectarian fighting.
|
|
|
Audit: USDA lags on discrimination complaints
|
5.14.2008 : 6:14 pm
|
|
|
WASHINGTON -- The Agriculture Department has issued misleading and inaccurate reports about discrimination complaints and still can't say how many minority applicants are getting federal farm assistance, according to a federal audit.
|
|
|
Dems derail McCain bill to boost veterans' college aid
|
5.14.2008 : 5:18 pm
|
|
|
WASHINGTON -- Senate Democrats on Wednesday blocked a bill by John McCain that would have increased college aid for military veterans because they said it didn't go far enough and would serve only as political cover for the GOP presidential candidate.
|
|
|
Ellison, Carson urge US to take action in Darfur
|
5.14.2008 : 4:48 pm
|
|
|
WASHINGTON -- Congress' two Muslim members urged the U.S. government on Wednesday to lead efforts to end the violence in Sudan's Darfur region, where more than 200,000 people have died and 2.5 million have been displaced.
|
|
|
Farm bill full of pet causes backed by individual lawmakers
|
5.14.2008 : 4:48 pm
|
|
|
WASHINGTON -- A good farm bill wouldn't be complete without a little pork. Individual lawmakers, mostly senators, slipped several dozen "earmarks," or pet causes, into the $290 billion bill that have at best tentative connections to the tilling of the land.
|
|
|
US probing Iraqi companies for insurance fraud
|
5.14.2008 : 4:40 pm
|
|
|
WASHINGTON -- Companies working on Iraq reconstruction have been accused of padding their profits through an insurance scam, leading to a criminal probe and hurried changes in the way many contracts are handled by the U.S. Army, according to internal military documents obtained by The Associated Press.
|
|
|
Government to unveil fitness test for adults
|
5.14.2008 : 4:18 pm
|
|
|
WASHINGTON -- If you didn't get a Presidential Physical Fitness Award in school, the government is giving you another chance to prove you're in shape.
|
|
|
WASHINGTON--House passes $290 billion food-farm bill with enough support to override a possible veto
|
5.14.2008 : 4:09 pm
|
|
|
WASHINGTON --
|
|
|
Government's top Supreme Court attorney resigns
|
5.14.2008 : 4:02 pm
|
|
|
WASHINGTON -- The Justice Department attorney who represents the Bush administration's legal positions before the Supreme Court says he's resigning after more than seven years on the job.
|
|
|
O'Connor makes personal plea for Alzheimer's aid
|
5.14.2008 : 3:41 pm
|
|
|
WASHINGTON -- The first woman on the Supreme Court is now the nation's most prominent Alzheimer's caregiver. Retired Justice Sandra Day O'Connor made public her family's private battle with the mind-destroying illness Wednesday as she urged Congress to speed research in hopes of slowing a coming epidemic.
|
|
|
WASHINGTON--The Interior Department is listing the polar bear as a threatened species because of declining Arctic sea ice
|
5.14.2008 : 2:16 pm
|
|
|
WASHINGTON --
|
|
|
Emergency network plan revived
|
5.14.2008 : 1:18 pm
|
|
|
WASHINGTON -- The Federal Communications Commission agreed unanimously Wednesday to try again to create a nationwide emergency communications network after an earlier plan failed to attract sufficient support from private investors.
|
|
|
Works added to National Recording Registry
|
5.14.2008 : 10:31 am
|
|
|
The 25 recordings added Wednesday to the National Recording Registry of the Library of Congress: 1. The first trans-Atlantic broadcast (March 14, 1925)
|
|
|
Jackson's 'Thriller' among cultural treasures
|
5.14.2008 : 9:54 am
|
|
|
WASHINGTON -- The best-selling pop album on planet Earth and a disc sent hurtling into deep space are among recordings the Library of Congress will preserve for their cultural significance.
|
|
|
WASHINGTON--Inflation pressures eased in April despite the biggest jump in food costs in 18 years
|
5.14.2008 : 8:30 am
|
|
|
WASHINGTON --
|
|
|
Smart receives top crash scores
|
5.14.2008 : 7:01 am
|
|
|
WASHINGTON -- The 2008 Smart fortwo micro car, the smallest car for sale in the U.S. market, has earned top scores in crash tests conducted by the insurance industry.
|
|
|
A look at recent Mexican drug-war violence
|
5.14.2008 : 3:16 am
|
|
|
A look at recent Mexican drug war-related violence: May 10 -- The No. 2 on the Juarez police force was shot more than 50 times and killed near his home. The Juarez police chief resigned that same day.
|
|
|
Violence in Mexico spills across US border
|
5.14.2008 : 3:15 am
|
|
|
WASHINGTON -- Three Mexican police chiefs have requested political asylum in the U.S. as violence escalates in the Mexican drug wars and spills across the U.S. border, a top Homeland Security official told The Associated Press.
|
|
|
Smart receives top crash scores
|
5.14.2008 : 12:02 am
|
|
|
WASHINGTON -- The 2008 Smart fortwo micro car, the smallest car for sale in the U.S. market, has earned top scores in crash tests conducted by the insurance industry.
|
|
|
Bush calls new attack on US his worst worry
|
5.13.2008 : 11:55 pm
|
|
|
WASHINGTON -- President Bush said Tuesday he was disappointed in "flawed intelligence" before the Iraq war and was concerned that if a Democrat wins the presidency in November and withdrew troops prematurely it could "eventually lead to another attack on the United States."
|
|
|
Congress urges Bush to halt oil reserve shipments
|
5.13.2008 : 10:51 pm
|
|
|
WASHINGTON -- Congress voted overwhelmingly Tuesday to challenge President Bush to temporarily halt the daily shipment of thousands of barrels of oil into the government's emergency reserve.
|
|
|
Bush comments on everything from wedding to Iraq
|
5.13.2008 : 10:04 pm
|
|
|
Transcript of interview that President Bush gave Tuesday to the political newspaper Politico and Yahoo News in the Oval Office, as transcribed by the White House. Some questions were sent to the president from online readers.
|
|
|
Median home prices drop in many cities
|
5.13.2008 : 7:39 pm
|
|
|
WASHINGTON -- Median home prices fell in two-thirds of the cities surveyed during the first three months of this year while sales declined in 46 states compared to a year ago, according to the latest report highlighting the depth of the nation's housing woes.
|
|
|
North Korean nuclear documents may not be enough
|
5.13.2008 : 7:29 pm
|
|
|
WASHINGTON -- The Bush administration put copies of North Korean nuclear logs on triumphant display Tuesday but conceded the documents are far from enough to dispel doubts about the secretive regime's nuclear weapons.
|
|
|
Bernanke: Financial turmoil in markets easing
|
5.13.2008 : 6:03 pm
|
|
|
WASHINGTON -- Turmoil in financial markets has eased somewhat, but the situation is still "far from normal," Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke said Tuesday.
|
|
|
NOAA chief urges creating National Climate Service
|
5.13.2008 : 5:20 pm
|
|
|
WASHINGTON -- With concerns about global warming rising along with the planet's temperature, the head of the federal agency in change of weather research and forecasting is proposing creation of a new National Climate Service.
|
|
|
Top Democrat announces budget agreement
|
5.13.2008 : 5:18 pm
|
|
|
WASHINGTON -- Democrats controlling Congress are leaving difficult decisions on automatic tax increases to the next president and the newly elected Congress under a freshly negotiated House-Senate blueprint for the upcoming budget year.
|
|
|
House hold hearings on alleged 'stolen vote'
|
5.13.2008 : 5:12 pm
|
|
|
WASHINGTON -- House Democrats and Republicans agreed Tuesday that something went wrong during a vote on the night of Aug. 2 last year. But after a nine-month, half-million dollar investigation, Democrats still see it as an innocent mistake, while Republicans view it as an assault on democracy.
|
|
|
Disclosing drug makers payments to docs gets boost
|
5.13.2008 : 5:02 pm
|
|
|
WASHINGTON -- Legislation that would require prescription drug makers to disclose payments to doctors got a boost Tuesday when Eli Lilly and Co. broke ranks with the industry and endorsed the bill.
|
|
|
Nagging via text messages to help teens remember meds
|
5.13.2008 : 4:31 pm
|
|
|
WASHINGTON -- 4gt yr meds? Getting kids to remember their medicine may be a text message away. Cincinnati doctors are experimenting with texting to tackle a big problem: Tweens and teens too often do a lousy job of controlling chronic illnesses like asthma, diabetes or kidney disease.
|
|
|
Federal regulations limit consumer lawsuits
|
5.13.2008 : 4:29 pm
|
|
|
A list by agency of 51 federal health and safety regulations proposed or adopted since 2005 that could make it more difficult for consumers to sue businesses for faulty products:
|
|
