Political News from Yahoo

Judge's language skills also on trial in Chinese antitrust case

NEW YORK (Reuters) - As a U.S. judge prepares to face a Chinese puzzle in a rare antitrust trial, one skill in particular stands him in good stead - his ability to speak Chinese. The class action lawsuit was filed by vitamin C purchasers who claimed that the Chinese manufacturers had fixed prices. The antitrust trial, due to begin on February 25, would be the first to involve Chinese corporate defendants, said lawyers involved in the case. It also marks the first time the Chinese government has filed an amicus curiae, or "friend of the court," brief in a U.S. court. ...

Some lawmakers on panel reviewing gun control are gun owners

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republican Senator Lindsey Graham keeps an AR-15 at home, a semi-automatic rifle similar to the weapon used recently in the mass shooting at a Newtown, Connecticut, school. But he is far from the only U.S. lawmaker who has a gun. At least seven of the 18 members of the Senate Judiciary Committee, which is considering gun-control legislation, own firearms, according to senators and their staffs. Among bills before the committee is a proposal to ban the manufacture of firearms like the AR-15. ...

Mass. gov's ex-aide Cowan named interim US senator

BOSTON (AP) — Although his time in the U.S. Senate will be brief — less than five full months — William "Mo" Cowan could find himself in the thick of major policy debates from the federal budget to immigration reform and gun control.


Giffords pleads for gun curbs; NRA fights back

WASHINGTON (AP) — Severely wounded and still recovering, former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords begged lawmakers at an emotional hearing Wednesday to act quickly to curb firearms because "Americans are counting on you." Not everyone agreed, underscoring the national political divide over gun control.


House members negotiate a proposal on immigration

WASHINGTON (AP) — A group of a half-dozen House members, equally divided between Democrats and Republicans, is nearing completion of wide-ranging immigration legislation similar to proposals by Senate negotiators and President Barack Obama, including a pathway to legal immigration status for 11 million illegal immigrants already in the U.S.

Kerry Gives Senate Farewell Speech

Choking up twice during a farewell speech on the Senate floor, Sen. John Kerry delivered a dissenting opinion about Washington’s so-called dysfunction days before taking over as the next secretary of state. “On occasion, we have all heard a senator leave here and take their...


U.S. expects big Medicare savings from competitive bid program

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Medicare and its beneficiaries in 100 metropolitan areas will pay less for durable equipment beginning July 1. The new prices, set by competitive bidding, are expected to save 45 percent on average, on products including walkers, wheelchairs, oxygen equipment, hospital beds and prosthetics. Diabetic testing supplies will be available at savings of 72 percent through a separate national mail-order program. Medicare is forecast to spend $598 billion this year on benefits for 50 million elderly and disabled beneficiaries. ...

Walmart sets limits on ammunition sales after demand surges

(Reuters) - Walmart has started to limit sales of ammunition to three boxes per customer per day due to limited supplies, a spokeswoman said on Wednesday. Sales of guns and ammunition have risen across the United States since the December 14 shooting at a Newtown, Connecticut elementary school. Walmart U.S., is the largest unit of Wal-Mart Stores Inc the world's largest retailer and the largest U.S. gun seller. The Bentonville, Arkansas-based retailer had said that it works to strike the right balance between serving hunters and sportsmen and ensuring that it sells firearms responsibly. ...


Decision on Detroit takeover within weeks: Michigan governor

PONTIAC, Michigan (Reuters) - Michigan Governor Rick Snyder said on Wednesday that a review process on Detroit and a decision on whether the city's shaky financial condition warrants a state-appointed manager could be completed in as soon as three weeks. The Republican governor said he expects to receive a report from a review team he appointed on December 18 in two to four weeks and that his analysis of the report would take another one to two weeks. ...


Corporations fear big tax hikes in White House budget

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Corporations fear they will be the main course on a menu calling for hundreds of billions of dollars in new tax revenue that President Barack Obama is expected to seek in his annual budget proposal, expected within weeks. Fresh off a political win that raised tax rates on the affluent and averted the so-called "fiscal cliff," Obama is not likely to back away from past proposals he has sought to close tax loopholes and raise taxes on many big companies, said former advisers to the president. ...

Representative Lynch to launch bid for Massachusetts Senate seat: source

BOSTON (Reuters) - Representative Stephen Lynch plans to launch a run for the Senate on Thursday, challenging fellow Democratic congressman Edward Markey in a bid to succeed John Kerry, according to a source with knowledge of Lynch's plans. A former ironworker who represents Boston and the surrounding area, Lynch has scheduled a series of appearances across the state, beginning in Springfield and Worcester - Massachusetts' third- and second-most-populous cities - and moving on to a rally at his own union hall. The source declined to be identified ahead of Thursday's official announcement. ...


Hagel tells Congress he's ready to act on Iran, if needed

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Chuck Hagel has told Congress that if confirmed as the next defense secretary he would ensure America's military is prepared to strike Iran if necessary but stressed the need to be "cautious and certain" when contemplating the use of force. Hagel's views were detailed in 112 pages of written responses to wide-ranging questions by lawmakers submitted ahead of his confirmation hearing on Thursday. In them, he also voiced support for a steady U.S. drawdown in Afghanistan. ...


Menendez denies he was with Dominican prostitutes

WASHINGTON (AP) — Sen. Robert Menendez's office says he traveled on a plane owned by a Florida physician who is a friend and political donor, but denied that the senator had engaged with prostitutes in the Dominican Republic.


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