| Key Dem pushes tax reform amid partisan bickering Posted: 19 Nov 2013 01:07 PM PST WASHINGTON (AP) — The top Democratic tax writer in the Congress is trying to jumpstart stalled efforts to rewrite the nation's tax laws. But he is running into the same kind of partisan roadblocks that plague most major initiatives in Washington. |
| JPMorgan agrees record $13 bn deal for mortgage misdeeds Posted: 19 Nov 2013 01:06 PM PST  JPMorgan Chase has agreed to a record $13 billion settlement over mislabeled mortgage securities that federal and state authorities said stoked the financial crisis, the Department of Justice announced Tuesday. The bank "acknowledged it made serious misrepresentations to the public -- including the investing public" over the quality of residential mortgage-backed securities (RMBS) it sold ahead of the financial crisis, the department said in a statement. The deal includes $9 billion in payments to authorities and $4 billion in relief to consumers -- mainly homeowners -- harmed by the conduct of JPMorgan and the two failed banks it took over during the crisis, Bear Stearns and Washington Mutual. The agreement resolves a major part of a series of complaints against the largest US bank over mortgage securities that investors incurred huge losses on.
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| Nielsen's top programs for Nov. 11-17 Posted: 19 Nov 2013 01:05 PM PST Prime-time viewership numbers compiled by Nielsen for Nov. 11-17. Listings include the week's ranking and viewership. |
| Colo. teen who killed girl to spend life in prison Posted: 19 Nov 2013 01:03 PM PST  GOLDEN, Colo. (AP) — A judge on Tuesday ordered a Colorado teenager who killed and dismembered a 10-year-old Denver-area girl to spend the rest of his days behind bars, describing his crime as "evil" and saying the case that rocked the community "cries out for a life sentence."
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| Reid considering change to nominations rules Posted: 19 Nov 2013 01:03 PM PST WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said Tuesday that he's considering changing his chamber's rules to make it harder for minority Republicans to block President Barack Obama's nominations, a warning shot that suggested Democrats might soon use their power in the chamber to end a long-simmering partisan dispute. |
| Suzanne Vega samples 50 Cent Posted: 19 Nov 2013 01:01 PM PST  NEW YORK (AP) — Singer-songwriter Suzanne Vega has seen her work sampled by rap artists many times. Now she's showing the inspiration runs both ways.
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| Viewers responding to Kennedy remembrances Posted: 19 Nov 2013 12:57 PM PST NEW YORK (AP) — Television viewers are responding with keen interest to the first wave of programming surrounding the 50th anniversary of President John F. Kennedy's assassination. |
| Afghans say they agree on framework with U.S. on military presence Posted: 19 Nov 2013 12:56 PM PST  By Hamid Shalizi and Jessica Donati KABUL (Reuters) - Afghanistan said on Tuesday it had agreed on a framework of a security pact with the United States days ahead of a national gathering to debate the future of the U.S. military presence in the country. But the U.S. State Department said some final issues still had to be settled before a final text was ready. "We are not there yet," a spokeswoman said Thousands of Afghan tribal and political leaders are due to gather in Kabul on Thursday to decide whether to allow U.S. troops to stay after a 2014 drawdown of foreign military to help fledgling security forces fight a Taliban-led insurgency. Without an accord on the so-called Bilateral Security Agreement (BSA), the United States says it could pull out all its troops at the end of 2014.
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| 150 years later, Lincoln's speech long remembered Posted: 19 Nov 2013 12:55 PM PST  GETTYSBURG, Pa. (AP) — In solemnity, thousands gathered at a central Pennsylvania battlefield park Tuesday to honor a speech given 150 years ago that President Abraham Lincoln predicted would not be long remembered.
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| Egypt revolutionaries make return to Tahrir Square Posted: 19 Nov 2013 12:53 PM PST  CAIRO (AP) — Egypt's revolutionary activists, overshadowed since leading the 2011 uprising against Hosni Mubarak, showed a new vigor Tuesday, scuffling with supporters of the military-backed government in Cairo's Tahrir Square and wrecking a state memorial dedicated to slain protesters only hours after it was inaugurated.
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| Police believe Va. senator was stabbed by son Posted: 19 Nov 2013 12:53 PM PST  CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (AP) — Police say early indications are that the son of a state senator in Virginia stabbed his father before shooting himself to death.
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| NYC bans tobacco sales to anyone under age 21 Posted: 19 Nov 2013 12:49 PM PST NEW YORK (AP) — Mayor Michael Bloomberg signed landmark legislation Tuesday banning the sale of tobacco products to anyone under the age of 21, making New York the first large city or state in the country to prohibit sales to young adults. |
| Pa. pastor unrepentant over son's gay wedding Posted: 19 Nov 2013 01:06 PM PST  SPRING CITY, Pa. (AP) — A United Methodist minister from southeastern Pennsylvania convicted of breaking church law by officiating at the same-sex wedding of his son in Massachusetts says he is unrepentant and refused to promise he wouldn't perform more gay unions.
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| JPMorgan says 'mea culpa' in $13 billion settlement with U.S. Posted: 19 Nov 2013 12:42 PM PST  By Aruna Viswanatha, David Henry and Karen Freifeld WASHINGTON/NEW YORK (Reuters) - JPMorgan Chase & Co admitted it regularly overstated the quality of mortgages it sold to investors and agreed to pay a record $13 billion to resolve related charges, federal officials said on Tuesday. The civil settlement would mark the end of weeks of tense negotiations between JPMorgan Chase, the largest U.S. bank, and government agencies that are under pressure to hold banks accountable for wrongdoing that led to the housing crisis. For JPMorgan, the deal resolves some of the welter of investigations it is dealing with now. But even after the settlement, the bank faces at least nine other government probes, covering everything from its hiring practices in China to whether it manipulated the Libor benchmark interest rate.
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| Rule change tweaks penalty that hit Tiger in PGA playoffs Posted: 19 Nov 2013 12:42 PM PST  Changes announced Tuesday by the US Golf Association and the R&A include no longer penalising players when ball movement can be detected only by enhanced technology, a rule that hit Tiger Woods in September. But a PGA Tour videographer using high definition technology spotted a potential violation and reported it to tournament officials.
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| Giants ink two-year deal with star pitcher Hudson Posted: 19 Nov 2013 12:40 PM PST  Adding another proven pitcher to their already-strong rotation, the San Francisco Giants announced Tuesday they have signed a two-year Major League Baseball deal with three-time All-Star Tim Hudson. The contract for the 38-year-old right-hander, reportedly worth $23 million, follows last month's two-year deal for $35 million to keep two-time National League Cy Young Award winner Tim Lincecum. Hudson, whose 2013 season ended in late July with a fractured right ankle, spend nine years with Atlanta after starting his major league career across the bay from the Giants with six seasons in Oakland before being traded to the Braves in December of 2004.
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| Suicide bombings at Iran Embassy in Beirut kill 23 Posted: 19 Nov 2013 12:36 PM PST  BEIRUT (AP) — Suicide bombers struck the Iranian Embassy on Tuesday, killing 23 people, including a diplomat, and wounding more than 140 others in a "message of blood and death" to Tehran and Hezbollah — both supporters of Syrian President Bashar Assad.
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| Condition improves for Va. senator who was stabbed Posted: 19 Nov 2013 12:35 PM PST CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (AP) — A hospital spokeswoman says the condition of a Virginia state senator who was stabbed has improved to fair. |
| JPMorgan, government finalizes deal Posted: 19 Nov 2013 12:35 PM PST  WASHINGTON (AP) — JPMorgan Chase & Co. has reached a record $13 billion settlement with federal and state authorities, resolving claims over the bank's sales of low-quality, high-risk mortgage-backed securities that collapsed in value during the U.S. housing crisis.
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| Judge rejects conservatorship for Casey Kasem Posted: 19 Nov 2013 12:34 PM PST  LOS ANGELES (AP) — Casey Kasem is receiving good medical care and a conservatorship is unnecessary for the ailing radio personality, a judge ruled Tuesday.
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| 'Juju' dispute flares in Zimbabwe soccer league Posted: 19 Nov 2013 12:30 PM PST  HARARE, Zimbabwe (AP) — Animal bones, hair, feathers and river pebbles are secreted around sports fields. The goal posts have been sprinkled with urine. The soccer players, some of whom have smeared ancient herbal potions on themselves, take the field.
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| Mexican president denies meeting Justin Bieber Posted: 19 Nov 2013 12:29 PM PST  MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexico's president has denied a tweet by Justin Bieber saying the singer met with the president and his family prior to a show.
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| 'Apocalyptic' storm floods Sardinia, 16 dead Posted: 19 Nov 2013 12:27 PM PST  ROME (AP) — The Mediterranean island of Sardinia, prized by the jet-set for its white sand beaches and crystal-clear seas, was a flood-ravaged mud bath Tuesday after a freak torrential rainstorm killed at least 16 people, downed bridges and swept away cars.
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| Obama appeals to lawmakers on Iran sanctions Posted: 19 Nov 2013 12:26 PM PST  WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama personally appealed to senators Tuesday to hold off on seeking additional sanctions on Iran while the U.S. and world powers negotiate a nuclear deal with Tehran.
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| US, Afghans work toward agreement on night raids Posted: 19 Nov 2013 12:25 PM PST  KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — In a phone call Tuesday, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry acknowledged "mistakes" and asked Afghan President Hamid Karzai to allow American forces to enter Afghan homes in "exceptional circumstances" as the two sides rushed to finalize the wording of a draft security agreement ahead of a meeting of tribal elders who must approve the deal.
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| Top Democrat Hoyer says GOP is stalling on budget Posted: 19 Nov 2013 12:22 PM PST WASHINGTON (AP) — The No. 2 Democrat in the House said Tuesday that the top GOP negotiator on the budget is not interested in finding a compromise that would replace automatic budget cuts known as sequestration. |
| Leak spurs talk of school carbon monoxide alarms Posted: 19 Nov 2013 12:21 PM PST SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — A gas leak at a Utah elementary school that sickened more than 40 people has ignited concerns about the fact that the state is among many that don't require schools to install carbon monoxide monitors. |
| Nokia shareholders approve mobile phone sale to Microsoft Posted: 19 Nov 2013 12:20 PM PST  Nokia shareholders voted overwhelmingly Tuesday in favour of selling the company's mobile business to US software giant Microsoft in an attempt to reinvent the once-proud Finnish telecoms titan. According to Nokia -- which will now become a telecom equipment and services company -- the deal was almost unanimously approved with 99.52 percent support from shareholders at an extraordinary meeting in Helsinki. "It was expected that the decision of selling the mobile phone division would arouse strong emotions," Nokia board chairman and interim chief executive Risto Siilasmaa said during the meeting. "We are certain that if we had continued with the old strategy, we would have most likely put Nokia, its shareholders and its employees in serious difficulties."
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| Mo. Supreme Court denies Franklin's appeal Posted: 19 Nov 2013 12:19 PM PST  ST. LOUIS (AP) — The Missouri Supreme Court on Tuesday turned away appeals on behalf of white supremacist serial killer Joseph Paul Franklin, hours before Franklin's scheduled execution, leaving few options to spare his life.
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| Fed's Yellen maintains dovish message in lawmaker letters Posted: 19 Nov 2013 12:19 PM PST  Janet Yellen, President Barack Obama's nominee to lead the Federal Reserve, stressed the need to keep interest rates low and the benefits of the central bank's bond buying in remarks released on Tuesday, underscoring her commitment to spur hiring. In two letters to lawmakers, Yellen, currently the Fed's vice chair, maintained the dovish tone of her testimony to the Senate Banking Committee last week, arguing that an ultra-easy monetary policy was essential to restore U.S. economic growth. She is expected to win confirmation relatively easily, despite unease among many Republicans over the Fed's aggressive policies. Yellen, nominated to succeed Fed chair Ben Bernanke when his term expires on January 31, would be the first woman to lead the U.S. central bank if confirmed to the post.
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| MSNBC not saying whether Bashir apology is enough Posted: 19 Nov 2013 12:17 PM PST  NEW YORK (AP) — MSNBC was not saying Tuesday whether it planned disciplinary action against Martin Bashir, who has apologized for what he called deeply offensive comments he made about Sarah Palin.
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| U.S. official says Obamacare subsidies function due mid-January Posted: 19 Nov 2013 12:17 PM PST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Obama administration said on Tuesday that the computer function needed to provide consumer subsidies to private health insurers in the federal Obamacare healthcare marketplace will be available by mid-January. In a teleconference with reporters, an administration official also said fixes to the troubled website HealthCare.gov have eliminated two-thirds of the hi-tech bugs that had marred information transfers to insurers and blocked insurance plans from enrolling consumers through company websites. (Reporting by David Morgan; Editing by Sandra Maler) |
| Deputy mayor assumes many powers in Toronto Posted: 19 Nov 2013 12:16 PM PST  TORONTO (AP) — Toronto's deputy mayor promised a more cooperative approach to governing on Tuesday after assuming the powers that were stripped from scandal-plagued Mayor Rob Ford.
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| Gates chokes up at Ballmer's shareholder goodbye Posted: 19 Nov 2013 12:15 PM PST  LOS ANGELES (AP) — Microsoft chairman Bill Gates choked up while reading from prepared remarks during Steve Ballmer's final shareholders meeting as chief executive.
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| Virginia state senator stabbed in home, son killed by gunshot Posted: 19 Nov 2013 12:15 PM PST  By Gary Robertson RICHMOND, Virginia (Reuters) - A Virginia state senator who mounted an unsuccessful bid for governor in 2009 was stabbed and critically wounded in an attack at his home early on Tuesday, and his 24-year-old son was killed by a gunshot wound, police said. Creigh Deeds, 55, a Democrat, was flown to the University of Virginia Medical Center where he was being treated for stab wounds to his head and upper body, Virginia State Police spokeswoman Corinne Geller told a news conference.
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| '80s pop star Springfield testifies in NY lawsuit Posted: 19 Nov 2013 12:14 PM PST SYRACUSE, N.Y. (AP) — A trial has begun in the lawsuit of an upstate New York woman who's suing 1980s pop star Rick Springfield for injuries she says she suffered when he fell on her during a state fair performance nearly a decade ago. |
| Ghana qualify for third successive World Cup Posted: 19 Nov 2013 12:13 PM PST  Ghana on Tuesday qualified for a third successive World Cup, securing their ticket to Brazil with a 7-3 aggregate win over Egypt. The Black Stars, who have featured at the 2006 and 2010 World Cup finals, lost the African zone play-off return leg in Cairo 2-1 but had already done enough in last month's first leg in Kumasi, routing Egypt 6-1. Egypt took the lead on Tuesday in the 25th minute through Amr Zaki, who crashed his body against a free kick by Mohamed Aboutrika and Ghana goalkeeper Fatau Dauda misjudged the flight of the ball.
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| George Zimmerman freed on bail in domestic violence case Posted: 19 Nov 2013 12:11 PM PST  George Zimmerman, the US man controversially acquitted of murdering black teenager Trayvon Martin, was granted bail Tuesday after being arrested for domestic violence against his girlfriend. Judge Fred Schott of the Seminole County Court, in the southern US state of Florida, set bail at $9,000 during a hearing a day after Zimmerman was arrested on charges of pointing a gun at his girlfriend. The judge set the next hearing for January 7 and explicitly forbade Zimmerman from having a gun or ammunition or from leaving Florida while free on bail. "I do find probable cause for all three allegations," Judge Schott said as Zimmerman, wearing a prison uniform, listened quietly.
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| Afghanistan, US solve security pact impasse Posted: 19 Nov 2013 12:09 PM PST  Afghanistan and the United States have solved a key sticking point in a crucial security pact just two days before it was due to be voted on by Afghan tribal and political leaders, an Afghan official said Tuesday. Aimal Faizi, President Hamid Karzai's spokesman, told reporters in Kabul that the deal would allow US troops to enter Afghan homes once Nato forces withdraw in 2014 but only in "extraordinary circumstances" where there was an urgent risk to life. Faizi said President Karzai and Secretary of State John Kerry spoke by phone Tuesday during final negotiations for the bilateral security treaty (BSA) which will shape Washington's future military presence in the war-scarred nation. Even if a final agreement is reached, Afghanistan has insisted that the BSA must be approved by a mass gathering of tribal chieftains and politicians.
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