| IRS pushes to rein in tax-exempt political groups Posted: 26 Nov 2013 02:48 PM PST WASHINGTON (AP) — The Obama administration Tuesday launched a bid to rein in the use of tax-exempt groups for political campaigning. |
| Analysis: Nuclear deal faces hard-line test Posted: 26 Nov 2013 10:52 AM PST  DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Even before Iran's envoys could pack their bags in Geneva after wrapping up a first-step nuclear deal with world powers, President Hassan Rouhani was opening a potentially tougher diplomatic front: selling the give-and-take to his country's powerful insider interests led by the Revolutionary Guard.
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| Supreme Court will take up new health law dispute Posted: 26 Nov 2013 01:01 PM PST  WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court agreed Tuesday to referee another dispute over President Barack Obama's health care law: whether businesses may use religious objections to escape a requirement to cover birth control for employees.
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| Talks on global free-trade deal collapse in Geneva Posted: 26 Nov 2013 02:13 PM PST  GENEVA (AP) — Negotiators came close but failed Tuesday to clinch a free-trade deal that could have helped boost the world economy by $1 trillion a year and cleared the way for a broader global agreement.
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| Psalm book fetches record $14.2M at NYC auction Posted: 26 Nov 2013 04:24 PM PST  NEW YORK (AP) — A tiny book of psalms from 1640 has sold for $14.2 million in New York City, setting an auction record for a printed book.
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| Comet dances with sun, death; giving mixed signals Posted: 26 Nov 2013 02:51 PM PST  WASHINGTON (AP) — Comet ISON is teasing the solar system as it dances with the sun and it's giving astronomers mixed signals.
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| New breed of buses draws Thanksgiving travelers Posted: 26 Nov 2013 02:54 PM PST  CHICAGO (AP) — As millions of Americans hurtle through the jumble of transportation arteries for Thanksgiving, many are discovering that bus travel may be the cheapest, comfiest and even coolest way to stay Zen during the nation's largest annual migration.
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| Former hostages react to Iran's nuclear deal Posted: 26 Nov 2013 04:43 PM PST  McLEAN, Va. (AP) — To some of the Americans subjected to mock executions and other torment during more than a year as hostages in Iran more than 30 years ago, it seems like a mistake to trust the regime in Tehran to keep its promises in a nuclear deal brokered by the U.S. and other world powers.
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| US bombers fly across China's new air defense zone Posted: 26 Nov 2013 02:55 PM PST  WASHINGTON (AP) — Days after China asserted greater military control over a swath of the East China Sea to bolster claims to a cluster of disputed islands, the U.S. defied the move Tuesday as it flew two B-52 bombers through the area.
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| France to send 1,000 troops to C. African Republic Posted: 26 Nov 2013 12:59 PM PST  DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — France promised Tuesday to send 1,000 troops to Central African Republic amid warnings about the potential for genocide in the near-anarchic former French colony.
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| Rain and snow snarl holiday travel on East Coast Posted: 26 Nov 2013 01:49 PM PST  NEW YORK (AP) — Thanksgiving travelers scrambled to book earlier flights Tuesday to avoid a sprawling storm bearing down on the East Coast with a messy mix of snow, rain and wind that threatened to snarl one of the busiest travel days of the year and ground giant balloon versions of Snoopy and SpongeBob SquarePants in the Macy's parade.
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| Obama, Senate spar over new Iran sanctions threats Posted: 26 Nov 2013 01:18 PM PST  WASHINGTON (AP) — An agreement secured with its greatest global foe, the Obama administration pleaded Tuesday with a more familiar if often difficult negotiating partner not to scuttle last weekend's Iran nuclear deal: Congress.
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| Thanksgiving includes gluten-free pies and all Posted: 26 Nov 2013 07:18 AM PST  NEW YORK (AP) — Three different types of stuffing will be offered on Stacy Fox's table this Thanksgiving: traditional, gluten-free and vegan.
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| U.S. bombers buzz disputed islands Posted: 26 Nov 2013 03:39 PM PST  The move defied China's declaration of a new airspace defense zone.
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| Obama: Hollywood an economic engine Posted: 26 Nov 2013 03:51 PM PST  President Barack Obama praised the American movie industry on Tuesday, saying Hollywood was not only a key export industry but also an important cultural and diplomatic tool. Speaking after a visit to the DreamWorks Animation studio in the Los Angeles suburb of Glendale, Obama said Hollywood was one of the engines of the American economy. "I've come here today, because this is one of America's economic engines, not just DreamWorks, but this whole cluster of companies that generations have grown up knowing, Disney and Warner and Universal and others," Obama said after a guided tour of the studios responsible for successful franchises such as "Shrek", "Madagascar" and "Kung Fu Panda." The entertainment industry had also served as an important diplomatic tool, Obama said.
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| Photos: Best-of fall colors Posted: 26 Nov 2013 12:00 PM PST  In the foreground of Jane Wei's "Golden Autumn" photo, the fiery yellow tufts of leaves perch atop stark-white aspen trunks. Far away in the background, the cold-blue snow-crusted peaks of Colorado's Kebler Pass offer contrast to fall's changing colors on the mountains' slopes. |
| Kerry explains scope of nuclear agreement Posted: 26 Nov 2013 09:13 AM PST  An interim nuclear agreement was reached with Iran during negotiations in Geneva in the early hours of November 24. The P5+1 negotiations with Iran took place with the goal of reaching a diplomatic resolution that would prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. In this video, released by the State Department on November 26, Secretary Kerry shares an inside view of what was accomplished and the work that remains to be done. Credit: Department of State
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| Steubenville officials placed on leave Posted: 26 Nov 2013 12:35 PM PST  A school superintendent, two others on leave after investigation in Ohio rape case.
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| First goodwill test: U.S. asks Iran's help to find man missing 6 years Posted: 26 Nov 2013 12:04 PM PST  In an apparent effort to test Iranian goodwill following a landmark nuclear deal, the United States on Tuesday asked Iran for help in finding an American private investigator who has been missing there for more than six years. The White House called for Iran's cooperation in locating retired Federal Bureau of Investigation agent Robert Levinson, who disappeared during a business trip to an Iranian island in the Persian Gulf in March 2007. "We welcome the assistance of our international partners in this investigation, and we respectfully ask the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran to assist us in securing Mr. Levinson's health, welfare, and safe return," the White House said in a statement on Tuesday.
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| Oklahoma police captain convicted in unarmed teen's death Posted: 26 Nov 2013 03:34 PM PST  OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — An Oklahoma jury Tuesday convicted a veteran police captain of first-degree manslaughter in the death of an unarmed teenager who was running away after scuffling with the officer.
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| Connecticut judge orders release of Newtown 911 tapes Posted: 26 Nov 2013 11:55 AM PST A Connecticut judge on Tuesday ordered the release of the 911 tapes of calls from Sandy Hook Elementary School made during the December 14th shooting spree that killed 20 children and six adults. Supreme Court Judge Eliot Prescott directed officials to release the audio recordings by December 4, a date chosen to give the state, which has fought the release, time to appeal. Connecticut's Freedom of Information Commission had ordered Newtown police to provide journalists with copies of the audio recordings, but officials appealed the ruling. State's Attorney Stephen Sedensky said in a statement he was reviewing the judge's decision. |
| U.S. conducts East China Sea 'operations' Posted: 26 Nov 2013 09:17 AM PST  2 U.S. military aircraft, including B-52, flew around disputed islands without informing China.
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| Warrant: Zimmerman Had 5 Guns, Ammo When Arrested Posted: 26 Nov 2013 09:35 AM PST  Warrant shows Zimmerman had 5 guns, 100-plus rounds of ammo when arrested in domestic case
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| Obama heckler has history of civil disobedience Posted: 26 Nov 2013 08:16 AM PST  A heckler who interrupted President Barack Obama's speech on immigration in San Francisco says he spoke out because his family has been torn apart by U.S. immigration policy — and the administration has done nothing to help them.
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| Apartment construction drives housing uptick Posted: 26 Nov 2013 06:25 AM PST  Developers get approval to build apartments at the fastest pace in five years.
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| Special report: Winter storm threatens travel Posted: 26 Nov 2013 05:56 AM PST  A sloppy storm could make your holiday travel stressful.
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| Heard this before? Ford recalls 2013 Escapes, again Posted: 26 Nov 2013 07:54 AM PST  Ford Motor Co's bad safety streak with its 2013 Escape continued on Tuesday as the automaker issued two more recalls for the second most popular sport utility vehicle in the U.S. market. There have now been seven recalls of the 2013 model of the Escape, a key SUV for Ford, the No. 2 U.S. automaker. The recalls affected 161,334 Escape SUVs globally, mostly in the United States, and addressed potential leaks that could cause a fire. Escape sales in the United States were up 14 percent through October this year to 250,543 vehicles, making it the second-best selling Ford product behind the F-Series pickup trucks, and No. 2 to Honda Motor Co's CR-V in the SUV segment.
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| $&@# snowman scares the sugar plums out of shoppers Posted: 26 Nov 2013 06:00 AM PST  It's become something of a holiday tradition: A man, dressed as a snowman, stands motionless until unsuspecting shoppers approach, then suddenly scares the sugarplums out of them.
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| Pope attacks 'tyranny' of markets, urges renewal in mission statement Posted: 26 Nov 2013 08:46 AM PST  By Naomi O'Leary VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope Francis attacked unfettered capitalism as "a new tyranny" and beseeched global leaders to fight poverty and growing inequality, in a document on Tuesday setting out a platform for his papacy and calling for a renewal of the Catholic Church. The 84-page document, known as an apostolic exhortation, was the first major work he has authored alone as pope and makes official many views he has aired in sermons and remarks since he became the first non-European pontiff in 1,300 years in March. In it, Francis went further than previous comments criticizing the global economic system, attacking the "idolatry of money", and urged politicians to "attack the structural causes of inequality" and strive to provide work, healthcare and education to all citizens. "How can it be that it is not a news item when an elderly homeless person dies of exposure, but it is news when the stock market loses 2 points?" The pope said renewal of the Church could not be put off and said the Vatican and its entrenched hierarchy "also need to hear the call to pastoral conversion".
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| Airport chaplains minister to fluid flocks Posted: 26 Nov 2013 08:12 AM PST  ATLANTA (AP) — The Rev. Frank Colladay Jr. stood at the end of the gate waiting. On the arriving plane was a passenger whose husband had just died of a heart attack on another flight. Her name was Linda Gilbert. The two had never met before.
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| Congress unlikely to blow up Obama's Iran deal Posted: 26 Nov 2013 02:34 AM PST  Lawmakers are wary of the deal, but they don't want to rush to new sanctions, either.
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| Storm moves east, threatens holiday travel Posted: 26 Nov 2013 05:56 AM PST  LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — A sloppy storm system carrying heavy rainfall, ice and snow is slogging its way eastward, bringing the potential of headaches for travelers heading home for the Thanksgiving holiday.
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| U.S. may pull out all troops as Afghan leader holds up deal Posted: 26 Nov 2013 04:06 AM PST  By Jessica Donati and Mark Felsenthal KABUL/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Afghanistan's President Hamid Karzai has refused to sign a security deal with the United States, the White House said, opening up the prospect of a complete withdrawal of U.S. troops from the strife-torn nation next year. Karzai told U.S. National Security Advisor Susan Rice in Kabul on Monday that the United States must put an immediate end to military raids on Afghan homes and demonstrate its commitment to peace talks before he would sign a bilateral security pact, Karzai's spokesman said. The White House said Karzai had outlined new conditions in the meeting with Rice and "indicated he is not prepared to sign the promptly". "Without a prompt signature, the U.S. would have no choice but to initiate planning for a post-2014 future in which there would be no U.S. or NATO troop presence in Afghanistan," a White House statement quoted Rice as saying.
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| Iran ready to join Syria peace talks if invited Posted: 26 Nov 2013 04:13 AM PST  Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said on Tuesday that Tehran was prepared to take part in the Syria peace talks in Geneva, slated for January 22, if invited. "Participation of Iran in Geneva 2 is in our view an important contribution to the resolution of the problem. We have said all along that if Iran is invited, we will participate without any preconditions," Zarif told Iran's Press TV. Iran is the main backer, along with Russia, of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in a conflict that has lasted more than two years, killed more than 100,000 people and uprooted millions more.
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| New charges in Steubenville case aimed at holding adults accountable Posted:  Superintendent Michael McVey, 50, faces the most serious allegations, including felony obstruction and tampering with evidence charges.
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| US, Russia throw weight behind Syria peace talks Posted: 25 Nov 2013 10:31 PM PST  The United States and Russia threw their full weight behind long-delayed Syria peace talks that the UN said finally would be held January 22, though it was not yet clear whether key sponsors of the warring sides would attend. "We haven't established a list yet," UN and Arab League mediator Lakhdar Brahimi said. That left open the participation of Saudi Arabia, seen as a major sponsor the majority Sunni Muslim rebels, and Iran, which steadfastly back the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, which is dominated by Alawites derived from Islam's Shiite current. "These two countries will certainly be among the possible participants," Brahimi said after closed-door talks in Geneva with US and Russian officials.
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