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Saturday, December 17, 2011

Senate OKs $1T budget bill, payroll tax cut (AP)

Senate OKs $1T budget bill, payroll tax cut (AP)

Senate OKs $1T budget bill, payroll tax cut (AP)

Posted: 17 Dec 2011 11:29 AM PST

Sen. Olympia Snowe, R-Maine, comments in the U.S. Capitol Saturday, Dec. 17, 2011, after leaving the floor of the Senate, where legislation was passed to extend Social Security payroll tax cut and jobless benefits for just two months, setting the stage for another fight in February. The action also extends long-term unemployment benefits for another two months and requires President Barack Obama to approve the Keystone XL oil pipeline within 60 days unless he declares the project would not serve the national interest. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)AP - The Senate passed legislation Saturday extending a Social Security payroll tax cut and jobless benefits for just two months, handing President Barack Obama a partial victory while setting the stage for another fight in February.

Flash floods kill more than 400 in Philippines (AP)

Posted: 17 Dec 2011 11:28 AM PST

A resident wades through a flooded street with an electric fan following a flash flood that inundated Cagayan de Oro city, Philippines, Saturday, Dec. 17, 2011. A tropical storm triggered flash floods in the southern Philippines, killing scores of people and missing more. Mayor Lawrence Cruz of nearby Iligan said the coast guard and other rescuers were scouring the waters off his coastal city for survivors or bodies that may have been swept to the sea by a swollen river. (AP Photo/Froilan Gallardo)AP - Flash floods devastated a southern Philippines region unaccustomed to serious storms, killing more than 400 people while they slept, rousting hundreds of others to their rooftops and turning two coastal cities into muddy, debris-filled waterways that were strewn Saturday with overturned vehicles and toppled trees.

Gingrich says rivals' criticism taking a toll (AP)

Posted: 17 Dec 2011 11:27 AM PST

Republican presidential candidate, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney shakes hands with former House Speaker Newt Gingrich after a Republican presidential debate in Sioux City, Iowa, Thursday, Dec. 15, 2011. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)AP - Newt Gingrich acknowledged Saturday that his rivals' attacks have taken their toll on his presidential campaign as he's zoomed to be Mitt Romney's chief challenger. Romney predicted that conservative voters will reject Gingrich as they learn more about the former House speaker's lengthy Washington record.

Egypt's military clashes with protesters; 9 killed (AP)

Posted: 17 Dec 2011 11:21 AM PST

An Egyptian protester throws a stone toward soldiers, unseen, as a building burns during clashes near Tahrir Square, in Cairo, Egypt, Saturday, Dec. 17, 2011. Hundreds of Egyptian soldiers swept into Cairo's Tahrir Square on Saturday, chasing protesters and beating them to the ground with sticks and tossing journalists' TV cameras off of balconies in the second day of a violent crackdown on anti-military protesters that has left nine dead and hundreds injured. (AP Photo/Ahmad Hammad)AP - Hundreds of Egyptian soldiers swept into Cairo's Tahrir Square on Saturday, chasing protesters and beating them to the ground with sticks and tossing journalists' TV cameras off of balconies in the second day of a violent crackdown on antimilitary protesters that has left nine dead and hundreds injured.

Historic visit to Libya by Pentagon chief Panetta (AP)

Posted: 17 Dec 2011 12:15 PM PST

U.S. Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta, center right, with U.S. Ambassador to Libya Gene Crets, center left, and Gen. Carter Ham, Commander U.S. Africa Command, third from left, places a wreath at the grave site of 13 U.S. Navy sailors during a ceremony at the Protestant Cemetery in Tripoli, Libya, Saturday, Dec., 17, 2011. Panetta visited the grave site of the sailors, who where killed on the USS Intrepid in 1804. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais, Pool)AP - U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said "the torch of freedom" has passed to the Libyan people and he pledged during a historic visit Saturday to Tripoli that the United States will do all it can to help the country move toward democracy.

Berenson says she was barred from leaving Peru (AP)

Posted: 17 Dec 2011 11:19 AM PST

FILE - U.S. political activist Lori Berenson speaks to The Associated Press at her home in Lima, Peru, in this Nov. 9, 2010 file photo. Paroled U.S. activist Lori Berenson was headed for New York early Saturday Dec. 17, 2011 after a Peruvian court ruled she and her toddler son could travel there for the holidays, airport security officials said. (AP Photo/Karel Navarro, File)AP - Paroled U.S. activist Lori Berenson said Saturday that she and her toddler son were not permitted to leave Peru despite being granted permission in court to spend the holidays in New York with her family.

Obama wants payroll tax extended for entire year (AP)

Posted: 17 Dec 2011 12:37 PM PST

President Barack Obama delivers a statement in the Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House in Washington, Saturday, Dec. 17, 2011 following the Senate vote to approve legislation extending a Social Security payroll tax cut and long-term jobless benefits for two months. Obama says it would be 'inexcusable' for Congress not to extend a payroll tax cut for the rest of 2012 when lawmakers return from their holiday break. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)AP - President Barack Obama, rebuffed by Congress on a yearlong extension of a Social Security payroll tax cut, said Saturday that it would be "inexcusable'" for lawmakers not to lengthen the short-term deal when they return from their holiday break.

Military hearing resumes in Manning leak case (AP)

Posted: 17 Dec 2011 11:17 AM PST

** RETRANSMISSION FOR ALTERNATE CROP ** Army Pfc. Bradley Manning, right, is escorted into a courthouse in Fort Meade, Md., Saturday, Dec. 17, 2011, for a military hearing that will determine if he should face court-martial for his alleged role in the WikiLeaks classified leaks case. Manning is suspected of being the source in one of the largest unauthorized disclosures of classified information in U.S. history. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)AP - The young Army intelligence specialist accused of passing government secrets spent his 24th birthday in court Saturday listening to lawyers and witnesses discuss whether his sexual orientation plays any role in the case against him.

Killing of bin Laden voted top news story of 2011 (AP)

Posted: 17 Dec 2011 11:54 AM PST

FILE - In this May 1, 2011 file image released by the White House and digitally altered by the source to diffuse the paper in front of Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden, along with with members of the national security team, receive an update on the mission against Osama bin Laden in the Situation Room of the White House in Washington. (AP Photo/The White House, Pete Souza, File)AP - The killing of Osama bin Laden during a raid by Navy SEALs on his hideout in Pakistan was the top news story of 2011, followed by Japan's earthquake/tsunami/meltdown disaster, according to The Associated Press' annual poll of U.S. editors and news directors.

Canadiens fire coach Jacques Martin (AP)

Posted: 17 Dec 2011 11:17 AM PST

FILE - In this Dec. 8, 2011 photo, Montreal Canadiens head coach Jacques Martin reacts during the third period of an NHL hockey game against the Vancouver Canucks, in Montreal. Martin has been fired as coach of the last-place Montreal Canadiens. The team said Saturday, Dec. 17, 2011 that assistant Randy Cunneyworth will be the interim head coach for the rest of the season. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Graham Hughes)AP - Jacques Martin was fired as coach of the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday, with the storied team undone by sloppy play and in last place in its division.

Senate passes payroll tax cut and spending bill (Reuters)

Posted: 17 Dec 2011 11:05 AM PST

Speaker of the House John Boehner (R-OH) speaks with the media after a meeting on legislative business with fellow Republicans on Capitol Hill in Washington December 16, 2011. REUTERS/Joshua RobertsReuters - The Senate on Saturday approved a $1 trillion bill to fund the government and a two-month extension of the payroll tax cut, putting a cap on a contentious political year but setting up a fresh battle for 2012.

Comprehensive euro zone deal "beyond reach": Fitch (Reuters)

Posted: 17 Dec 2011 08:58 AM PST

Reuters - A comprehensive solution to the euro zone debt crisis is beyond the region's reach, rating agency Fitch said, warning that six of its economies including Italy and Spain could be hit with credit downgrades in the near future.

Troops beat Cairo protesters, clashes kill 10 (Reuters)

Posted: 17 Dec 2011 12:17 PM PST

Reuters - Soldiers beat demonstrators with batons in Cairo's Tahrir Square on Saturday in a second day of clashes that have killed 10 people and wounded hundreds, marring the first free election most Egyptians can remember.

Romney raises doubts about Gingrich in South Carolina (Reuters)

Posted: 17 Dec 2011 08:49 AM PST

Reuters - Republican White House hopeful Mitt Romney sought to create doubts about rival Newt Gingrich among South Carolina conservatives on Saturday by criticizing his high-paid work for mortgage giant Freddie Mac.

Martin Marietta's offer is "bad deal": Vulcan (Reuters)

Posted: 17 Dec 2011 11:18 AM PST

Reuters - Martin Marietta Materials Inc's $4.8 billion takeover offer of Vulcan Materials Co is a "bad deal" and an attempt to buy a larger rival "on the cheap," Vulcan said in court papers late Friday.

Gingrich says Freddie money went to overhead, not him (Reuters)

Posted: 17 Dec 2011 09:21 AM PST

Reuters - Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich fought back on Saturday against attacks over the more than $1.6 million in payments he received from mortgage giant Freddie Mac, insisting the money went to overhead for his firm and not to his wallet.

Gingrich newcomer team takes on Romney stronghold (Reuters)

Posted: 17 Dec 2011 11:32 AM PST

Reuters - MANCHESTER, New Hampshire (Reuters)- As he surged from also-ran to a front-runner in the race for the Republican presidential nomination, Newt Gingrich put a 29-year-old newcomer in charge of his New Hampshire campaign.

USTR's Kirk says no trade war but troubled by China (Reuters)

Posted: 17 Dec 2011 12:02 PM PST

U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk looks on before the opening of the 8th World Trade Organization Ministerial Conference in Geneva December 15, 2011. REUTERS/Denis BalibouseReuters - U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk said on Saturday the United States is not in a trade war with China, but he is troubled by China's tendency to retaliate when other members of the World Trade Organization (WTO) launch trade cases against it.

Subprime scandal: ex-Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac execs accused of fraud (The Christian Science Monitor)

Posted: 16 Dec 2011 04:29 PM PST

The Christian Science Monitor - Six former top executives at the housing giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac misled investors about the subprime-loan risks they faced, the Securities and Exchange Commission alleged in a civil fraud lawsuit Friday.

Barry Bonds isn't going to prison. Is he being punished enough? (The Christian Science Monitor)

Posted: 16 Dec 2011 03:35 PM PST

The Christian Science Monitor - Major League Baseball’s home run king will not be going to prison.
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