Political News from Yahoo

Obama pushes Congress on immigration, split emerges

LAS VEGAS (Reuters) - Just over a week into his second term, President Barack Obama took his fight for immigration reform to the West on Tuesday and pushed Congress to quickly find a path to citizenship for 11 million undocumented residents. But as Obama praised a bipartisan immigration plan during a speech in Las Vegas, disagreement emerged between the White House and Republicans that underscored the difficulty of resolving an emotive issue that has long defied a legislative fix. ...


Los Angeles official seeks to shut hotels for maternity tourists

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A Los Angeles official moved on Tuesday to crack down on so-called maternity hotels he said have sprung up across parts of Southern California as pregnant women travel to the United States in a growing "birthing tourism" trend. Los Angeles County Supervisor Don Knabe asked colleagues to approve a series of steps designed to ultimately close the hotels - typically single-family homes carved into bedrooms where visiting women pay to stay in anticipation of giving birth to a child who will be born a U.S. citizen. ...

Actress Ashley Judd and race car driver Dario Franchitti split

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - American actress Ashley Judd and her Scottish race car driver husband Dario Franchitti are ending their marriage after 11 years. The movie star, 44, and the Indianapolis 500 race car driver, 39, married in 2001 and have no children. "We have mutually decided to end our marriage. We'll always be family and continue to cherish our relationship based on the special love, integrity and respect we have always enjoyed," a representative for the couple told People magazine in a statement on Tuesday. No reason was given for the split. ...


Australian PM surprises with September election call

CANBERRA (Reuters) - Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard stunned voters on Wednesday by calling an election for September 14, eight months away, in her first major political speech for 2013. Gillard's minority holds a one seat majority with support from a group of independents and the Greens, and polls suggest her government would be swept from office if elections were held now. ...

Cuban baseball defector returns home under new law

HAVANA (Reuters) - A decade after he defected to the United States to play Major League Baseball, Cuban pitcher Jose Contreras has returned to his homeland in the first test of the island's liberalized travel laws. He was welcomed on Tuesday at Havana's Hot Corner, a mecca for baseball fans, by about 200 people who crowded around to get photos and autographs from the lanky right-hander. Contreras, 41, signed baseball caps, dollar bills, Cuban money and a woman's dress as he mixed happily with his fellow countrymen in an emotional return home. ...


Clinton says she doesn't see "getting back into politics"

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Outgoing U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Tuesday cast doubt on speculation she might run for the White House in 2016. In an interview taped for National Public Radio, Clinton was asked what questions she needs to answer for herself as she decides whether to run for president. "I'm not even posing those questions. I am really looking forward to stepping off the fast track that I've been on. I've been out of politics as Secretary of State. I don't see myself getting back into politics," she said, according to an excerpt of the interview. ...


Brazilian cities crack down on nightclubs after deadly fire

SANTA MARIA, Brazil (Reuters) - Cities across Brazil are cracking down on nightclubs to ensure that they comply with fire regulations after a weekend blaze destroyed a club in the southern university town of Santa Maria, killing 235 people. The fire was Brazil's deadliest in half a century and the tragedy resonated across the country, with many people demanding those responsible be prosecuted and that the government tighten up on safety. ...


Air Force identifies missing F-16 pilot

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. Air Force has identified the pilot of an F-16 fighter jet that went missing Monday on a training mission over the Adriatic Sea.

Senate Democrats plan fresh push to ease home refinancing

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Senate Democrats will propose legislation as early as this week to extend a government program that aims to help homeowners with government-backed loans to refinance, according to aides on Capitol Hill. The proposal would expand on a housing relief bill that Senators Robert Menendez and Barbara Boxer failed to gain traction on last year. The legislation aims to open the door to refinancing for more borrowers who owe more than their properties are worth. More than 1. ...

Guantanamo defense lawyers want prison camp sleep-over

GUANTANAMO BAY U.S. NAVAL BASE, Cuba (Reuters) - Lawyers defending the Guantanamo prisoners accused of plotting the September 11 attacks sought permission on Tuesday to spend 48 hours in the top-secret prison where the alleged al Qaeda conspirators have awaited trial for more than six years. "You want to sleep with your client?" Army tribunal judge Colonel James Pohl asked one of the lawyers during a hearing, provoking snickers in the courtroom at the Guantanamo Bay U.S. Naval Base in Cuba. ...


Families of servicemen killed in attack to get Iran money

NEW YORK (Reuters) - The families of 17 U.S. servicemen killed in a 1996 bombing in Saudi Arabia linked to Iran can collect damages from Iran-funded accounts at the Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ, a federal judge ruled on Tuesday. U.S. District Judge P. Kevin Castel in Manhattan ordered the bank, which did not oppose the motion, to hand over more than $260,000 in various accounts linked to Tehran, still a far cry from the full amount to which the families are entitled. In June 1996, a truck bomb destroyed the Khobar Towers, a housing complex in Saudi Arabia, killing 19 U.S. servicemen. ...

Job growth likely modest but steady in January

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Hiring by employers likely held steady in January, pointing to modest growth in the economy despite worries that budget battles in Washington could derail the recovery. Nonfarm payrolls are expected to have risen 160,000, a marginal step up from December's 155,000 job gain, according to a Reuters survey of economists. The unemployment rate is seen holding steady at 7.8 percent. Many economists think companies would create more jobs if Washington could resolve a seemingly intractable fight over how to tame the federal budget deficit. ...

Muse to play anniversary gig for War Child charity

LONDON (Reuters) - British rock band Muse will headline a gig in London next month to mark the 20th anniversary of War Child, a charity that aims to protect young victims of conflicts around the world. The gig on February 18 at the Shepherd's Bush Empire will be the fifth time War Child has staged a concert in association with the BRIT Awards, Britain's top pop honors which take place this year at the O2 Arena on February 20. War Child is to receive the inaugural Special Recognition Award at the ceremony, while Muse has been nominated for best British group and best British live act. ...

Senate crusader seeks allies in war against corporate tax loopholes

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Senator Carl Levin for years tried to close U.S. corporate tax loopholes but failed to persuade many fellow Democrats. With an ax now looming over all federal spending, the veteran Michigan lawmaker hopes to gain some converts. Levin's committee on investigations has long used its subpoena power to produce reports on corporate tax avoidance and wrongdoing. His panel, which has oversight over government operations, has no power to enact tax law, and neither tax-writers nor Senate leadership have taken up his cause. ...


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