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Tuesday, February 25, 2014

AP Exclusive: Health law cybersecurity challenges

AP Exclusive: Health law cybersecurity challenges

AP Exclusive: Health law cybersecurity challenges

Posted: 25 Feb 2014 01:15 PM PST

FILE - In this Jan. 16, 2014 file photo, Teresa Fryer, Medicare's top cybersecurity official, testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington. As the Obama administration raced to meet its self-imposed deadline for online health insurance markets, security experts working for the government worried that state computer systems could become a back door for hackers. In one email from Sept. 29, a Sunday two days before the launch, Fryer, chief information security officer for the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, wrote of the state security approvals, WASHINGTON (AP) — As the Obama administration raced to meet its self-imposed deadline for online health insurance markets, security experts working for the government worried that state computer systems could become a back door for hackers.

Pittsburgh ex-chief gets 18 months in federal pen

Posted: 25 Feb 2014 01:12 PM PST

Former Pittsburgh police chief Nathan Harper, right, who pleaded guilty to stealing police funds by depositing them into unauthorized credit union accounts, leaves federal court in Pittsburgh with his wife, Cynthia Harper, center, and his attorney Robert Del Greco, left, after being sentenced to 18 months in prison on Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2014. Harper, 61, also was ordered to repay $31,986 that he took from the fund for himself, including meals and drink tabs at various restaurants and bars. (AP Photo/Keith Srakocic)PITTSBURGH (AP) — The city's former police chief was sentenced to 18 months in prison for conspiring to create an unauthorized slush fund, with a federal judge saying she was sending a message that the seriousness of his crimes outweighed his supporters' calls for leniency.

Vets benefits bill clears initial Senate hurdle

Posted: 25 Feb 2014 01:12 PM PST

FILE - In this Dec. 6, 2012 file photo, Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt. speaks on Capitol Hill in Washington. The veterans bill vote could put Senate Republicans in the uncomfortable position of saying no to a politically powerful constituency during an election year. Sen. Bernie Sanders, the bill's author and the chairman of the Senate Committee on Veterans Affairs, has gained the endorsement of myriad veterans groups to generate momentum for his bill, which the panel says would cost $21 billion over 10 years. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, File)WASHINGTON (AP) — A sprawling Democratic bill expanding health, education and other benefits for veterans easily cleared an early Senate hurdle on Tuesday. But the election-year measure still faces an uncertain fate as Republicans battle to make it smaller and find ways to pay for it.

US stocks dip on weak data, JPMorgan outlook

Posted: 25 Feb 2014 01:12 PM PST

Traders buy Verizon shares on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange on February 24, 2014 in New York CityNew York (AFP) - Wall Street stocks fell Tuesday following weak US economic data and a mixed outlook from JPMorgan Chase on some of its key business units.

Goodman Theatre tackles Trayvon Martin killing

Posted: 25 Feb 2014 01:10 PM PST

FILE - This undated file family photo shows Trayvon Martin. Trayvon, 17, was slain in a 2012 shooting in Sanford, Fla., by neighborhood crime-watch captain George Zimmerman. The Goodman Theatre is the latest company to join a national initiative staging a night of short plays about the killing of Trayvon Martin. The Goodman will present six 10-minute works by Marcus Gardley, Tala Manassah, Mona Mansour, Winter Miller, Dominique Morisseau, Dan O'Brien, Quetzel Flores and A. Rey Pamatmat as part of a March 3 production of CHICAGO (AP) — The Goodman Theatre is the latest company to join a national push to stage a night of short plays about the killing of Trayvon Martin.

Bakery apologizes for bad taste Pistorius cookies

Posted: 25 Feb 2014 01:09 PM PST

FILE - In this Monday, Aug. 19, 2013 file photo, double-amputee Olympian Oscar Pistorius appears at the magistrates court to be indicted on charges of murder and illegal possession of ammunition for the shooting death of his girlfriend on Valentine's Day in Pretoria, South Africa. A South Africa judge ruled Tuesday that television stations can broadcast parts of Oscar Pistorius' murder trial live, but with restrictions on witness testimonies. (AP Photo/Themba Hadebe, File)JOHANNESBURG (AP) — A South African bakery has apologized for producing a line of cookies with messages relating to the murder trial of Oscar Pistorius, the the double-amputee Olympian.

GM expands deadly defect recall to 1.6 mn vehicles

Posted: 25 Feb 2014 01:08 PM PST

Chevrolet Cobalt is displayed at an auto dealership on March 2, 2010 in Monrovia, CaliforniaGeneral Motors on Tuesday significantly expanded the recall of vehicles found to have an ignition defect that can cause them to suddenly turn off, a problem linked to 13 deaths. The largest US automaker will now recall 1.6 million vehicles in the United States, Canada and Mexico. The defect stems from a weakness in the ignition switch that could allow a heavy set of keys to switch it into the 'accessory' or 'off' position, particularly if the vehicle experiences a sudden jolt. GM said in the initial recall that the five crashes which claimed the lives of six people "occurred off-road and at high speeds, where the probability of serious or fatal injuries was high regardless of airbag deployment."

Parts of Pistorius trial can be on live TV

Posted: 25 Feb 2014 01:07 PM PST

File - In this Wednesday, Feb. 20, 2013 file photo Olympic athlete Oscar Pistorius stands inside a court during his bail hearing at the magistrate court in Pretoria, South Africa. Pistorius will defend himself March 3, 2014 against a charge of premeditated murder in the slaying of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp. A South Africa judge has ruled that television stations can broadcast parts of the trial live, but with restrictions on witness testimonies. (AP Photo/Themba Hadebe, File)JOHANNESBURG (AP) — Parts of Oscar Pistorius' murder trial can be broadcast live on television by three remote-controlled cameras in court, but testimony given by the double-amputee Olympian can't be shown, a judge ruled Tuesday.

Former boxing world champion killed in Venezuela

Posted: 25 Feb 2014 01:05 PM PST

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Former boxing world champion Antonio Cermeno was kidnapped and killed in his native Venezuela, police said Tuesday.

US and Britain reject East-West divide in Ukraine

Posted: 25 Feb 2014 01:03 PM PST

WASHINGTON (AP) — The United States and Britain on Tuesday rejected suggestions that the ouster of Ukraine's pro-Russia president and the politics around it are representative of a Cold War-era East-West divide.

Major bitcoin exchange said to be insolvent

Posted: 25 Feb 2014 01:03 PM PST

Bitcoin trader Kolin Burges, right, of London and American Aaron (only his first name was given) hold protest signs as they conduct a sit-in in front of the office tower housing Mt. Gox in Tokyo Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2014. The website of major Bitcoin exchange Mt. Gox is offline Tuesday amid reports it suffered a debilitating theft, a new setback for efforts to gain legitimacy for the virtual currency. The URL of Tokyo-based Mt. Gox was returning a blank page. The disappearance of the site follows the resignation Sunday of Mt. Gox CEO Mark Karpeles from the board of the Bitcoin Foundation, a group seeking legitimacy for the currency. Burgess said he had picketed the building since Feb. 14 after flying in from London, hoping to get back $320,000 he has tied up with Mt Gox. (AP Photo/Kaori Hitomi)TOKYO (AP) — One of the world's largest bitcoin exchanges has seemingly disappeared, delivering a severe blow to the virtual currency as it struggles to gain legitimacy.

Arizona governor seen as likely to veto anti-gay law

Posted: 25 Feb 2014 01:03 PM PST

Arizona Governor Jan Brewer speaks during a press conference in Prescott, Arizona July 1, 2013Arizona Governor Jan Brewer will probably veto a controversial bill which would let businesses refuse to serve gays and lesbians for religious reasons, reports suggested Tuesday. The bill, passed by lawmakers in the Republican-run southwest US state last week, triggered anger from gay rights groups who said Arizona was "on the wrong side of history." Arizona is home to the Grand Canyon and tourism, a mainstay of the local economy, could be hit by the bill it it went into force. Gay rights campaigners and opposition Arizona lawmakers condemned last week's decision to pass the bill.

Holder: Discriminatory laws don't need defending

Posted: 25 Feb 2014 01:03 PM PST

Attorney General Eric Holder speaks at the annual Attorneys General Winter Meeting in Washington, Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2014. Holder said state attorneys general are not obligated to defend laws in their states banning same sex-marriage if they don't believe in them. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)WASHINGTON (AP) — State attorneys general are not obligated to defend laws in their states banning same-sex marriage if the laws discriminate in a way forbidden by the Constitution, Attorney General Eric Holder told his state counterparts Tuesday.

Obama warns Karzai on security deal

Posted: 25 Feb 2014 01:01 PM PST

Afghan president Hamid Karzai speaks in Kandahar province on February 15, 2014President Barack Obama told Hamid Karzai on Tuesday that he is now planning a full US troop withdrawal because of the Afghan leader's continued refusal to sign a security pact. But in a telephone call with the Afghan president, Obama also held out the possibility of agreeing a post-2014 training and anti-terror mission with the next government in Kabul. The US threat was the latest twist in a long political struggle with Karzai, who appears intent on infuriating Washington until the day he leaves office, sometime after elections in April. The Obama administration is open to leaving behind a residual US force when its combat teams leave Afghanistan after America's longest war at the end of this year.

Brazil upset with Adidas' World Cup T-shirts

Posted: 25 Feb 2014 01:00 PM PST

SAO PAULO (AP) — Adidas will stop selling World Cup products that used sex appeal to promote host Brazil, a move that came after a formal complaint from the local government on Tuesday.

Dozens killed in attack on Nigerian school

Posted: 25 Feb 2014 12:59 PM PST

Ibrahim Gaidam, Governor of Yobe state, left, look at bodies of students inside an ambulance outside a mosque in Damaturu, Nigeria, Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2014. Islamic militants killed 29 students in a pre-dawn attack Tuesday on a northeast Nigerian school some 45 miles from the city, survivors said, setting ablaze a locked dormitory and shooting and slitting the throats of those who escaped through windows. Some were burned alive. (AP Photo)DAMATURU, Nigeria (AP) — Islamic militants set fire to a locked dormitory at a school in northern Nigeria, then shot and slit the throats of students who tried to escape through windows during a pre-dawn attack Tuesday. Dozens of students were killed, including many who were burned alive.

FDA weighs unknowns of 3-person embryo technique

Posted: 25 Feb 2014 12:59 PM PST

WASHINGTON (AP) — Genetic experts are warning the federal government that it could take decades to confirm the safety of an experimental technique that would create babies from the DNA from three people, with the aim of preventing children from inheriting some debilitating diseases.

Arizona governor heads home amid furor over bill

Posted: 25 Feb 2014 12:56 PM PST

FILE - In this Jan. 13, 2014 file photo, Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer speaks during her State of the State address at the Arizona Capitol in Phoenix. The Republican governor faced intensifying pressure Tuesday from CEOs, politicians in Washington and state lawmakers in her own party to veto a bill that would allow business owners with strongly held religious beliefs to deny service to gays and lesbians. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin, File)PHOENIX (AP) — Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer headed home Tuesday after five days in Washington to a state that has become embroiled in a national debate over religious and gay rights because of a bill on her desk.

Judge sets Mexican trial for 'El Chapo' in motion

Posted: 25 Feb 2014 12:56 PM PST

In this image released by Mexico's Attorney General's Office, Saturday, Feb. 22, 2014, Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman is photographed against a wall after his arrest in the Pacific resort city of Mazatlan, Mexico. Federal prosecutors across the US are already jockeying over who will handle any case against drug kingpin Guzman, even though it's far from clear whether he'll ever be brought to the United States to face charges. Who gets to prosecute the longtime fugitive, apprehended over the weekend in Mexico and now charged with violating his country's drug trafficking laws, would likely turn on which office has the strongest case _ and perhaps some politics. (AP Photo/PGR)MEXICO CITY (AP) — A federal judge ruled Tuesday that drug kingpin Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman must stand trial on drug-trafficking charges and remain for the immediate future in Mexico, where authorities say there is no chance of escaping his cell in the nation's highest-security prison.

Asiana Airlines docked $500,000 over crash

Posted: 25 Feb 2014 12:56 PM PST

FILE - In this July 6, 2013 aerial file photo, the wreckage of Asiana Flight 214 lies on the ground after it crashed at the San Francisco International Airport in San Francisco. Asiana Airlines has been penalized $500,000 for failing to assist family members of passengers on the flight that crashed last year at San Francisco airport, federal transportation officials said Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2014. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez, File)LOS ANGELES (AP) — U.S. transportation officials on Tuesday fined Asiana Airlines $500,000 for failing to promptly contact passengers' families and keep them informed about their loved ones after a deadly crash last year at San Francisco airport, issuing the first penalty of its kind for the crash that left three Chinese teens dead.

Egypt names new premier ahead of key vote

Posted: 25 Feb 2014 12:54 PM PST

In this Nov. 24, 2013 photo, Ibrahim Mehlib, center, tours a government housing project in Ismailiya, Egypt. Egypt's interim president has chosen as prime minister a construction magnate from the era of ousted autocrat Hosni Mubarak. Adly Mansour on Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2014 named Mehlib, who had for more than a decade led Egypt's biggest construction company, Arab Contractors, to replace Hazem el-Beblawi, who resigned on Monday.(AP Photo/Khaled Kandil)CAIRO (AP) — Egypt's interim president chose the outgoing housing minister, a construction magnate from the era of ousted autocrat Hosni Mubarak, as his new prime minister on Tuesday, some two months ahead of key presidential elections.

Tesco pins UK turnaround on price cuts and store revamps

Posted: 25 Feb 2014 12:54 PM PST

A man sits outside of a branch of the Tesco Express convenience store in LondonBy James Davey and Neil Maidment LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's Tesco, the world's third-largest retailer, is to cut prices as it relaxes its view on operating margins and steps up its store revamp programme and investment in online and convenience channels. Outlining his plans at an investor and analyst seminar on Tuesday, Chief Executive Philip Clarke said the measures accelerate a turnaround plan aimed at countering increased competition in the British retail market, but which has so far failed to boost its languishing sales. He effectively abandoned Tesco's target for a UK operating margin of 5.2 percent, the highest in the industry, by saying "the margin will be what the margin will be." At a later media briefing Chief Financial Officer Laurie McIlwee said the firm would not be giving a new target because of uncertainties in the grocery market due to more competition and structural changes. While not signalling a return to the "pile 'em high, sell 'em cheap" mantra of Tesco founder Joseph Cohen, sacrificing the target signals that Tesco will make less profit from its revenue as it chases higher sales volumes with lower prices.

House GOP tax plan runs into Senate GOP resistance

Posted: 25 Feb 2014 12:53 PM PST

WASHINGTON (AP) — House Republicans haven't even officially unveiled their massive plan to overhaul the tax code and the top Republican in the Senate is already pronouncing it dead.

SecondMarket plans regulated bitcoin exchange

Posted: 25 Feb 2014 12:52 PM PST

SecondMarket Holdings, a New York firm that facilitates investments in privately held companies, is planning a U.S.-based regulated exchange for bitcoin investors, the company's founder and chief executive, Barry Silbert, said on Tuesday. Silbert said the new exchange will be modeled after the New York Stock Exchange, and would be launched possibly in the summer of 2014. Involving the big banks is crucial in advancing the bitcoin market, Silbert said, which he said would, "probably provide the level of comfort that institutional investors are looking for." The exchange will be part of a new company that SecondMarket will spin off to oversee all the firm's bitcoin activities. A subsidiary of SecondMarket sponsors the Bitcoin Investment Trust, which has net assets of $47 million and a trading desk.

Bitcoin exchange Mt. Gox goes dark in blow to virtual currency

Posted: 25 Feb 2014 12:52 PM PST

Mt. Gox, once the world's biggest bitcoin exchange, went dark on Tuesday, with its website down, its Tokyo office empty, and a cryptic comment from its chief executive that the business was at "a turning point."

CAS confirms it cleared Campbell-Brown

Posted: 25 Feb 2014 12:51 PM PST

FILE - This is a Sunday, March 11, 2012 file photo of Jamaica's Veronica Campbell-Brown, right, as she crosses the finish line ahead of Ivory Coast's Murielle Ahoure, left, as Campbell Brown wins the gold medal in the Women's 60m race during the World Indoor Athletics Championships in Istanbul, Turkey. Decorated Jamaican sprinter Veronica Campbell-Brown says she has been cleared to return to the track by an international panel. In a Monday Feb. 24, 2014 statement, the three-time Olympic gold medalist says the Court of Arbitration for Sport has "confirmed my innocence." Campbell-Brown said she is looking forward to returning to competition and is leaving behind "insensitive and ill-informed media remarks." (AP Photo/Matt Dunham/ File)KINGSTON, Jamaica (AP) — The Court of Arbitration for Sport confirmed Tuesday that it upheld an appeal by Jamaican sprinter Veronica Campbell-Brown and cleared the high-profile track star of any anti-doping rule violation.

US, Britain reject East-West divide in Ukraine

Posted: 25 Feb 2014 12:51 PM PST

WASHINGTON (AP) — The United States and Britain are rejecting suggestions that the ouster of Ukraine's pro-Russian president is symbolic of a Cold War-era East-West divide.

AP source: Debbie Dingell to seek Mich. House seat

Posted: 25 Feb 2014 12:51 PM PST

U.S. Rep. John Dingell, left, and his wife Debbie hold hands during a legislative forum at the Southern Wayne County Regional Chamber (SWCRC) at the Crystal Gardens in Southgate, Mich. on Monday, Feb. 24, 2014. John Dingell, the longest-serving member of Congress in American history and a champion of Detroit's auto industry, has announced his retirement. (AP Photo/Detroit News, Max Ortiz) DETROIT FREE PRESS OUT; HUFFINGTON POST OUTWASHINGTON (AP) — Democrat Debbie Dingell will run for the House seat currently held by her husband, John, who announced this week that he will retire after the longest congressional career in history, a Democratic official said Tuesday.

Obama, Boehner meet for hour at White House

Posted: 25 Feb 2014 12:46 PM PST

President Barack Obama meets with House Speaker John Boehner of Ohio in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2014. The Democratic president and Republican speaker met in the Oval Office, their first meeting alone at the White House since December 2012, when they failed to reach agreement on tax reform and spending cuts during deficit-reduction talks. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama and House Speaker John Boehner (BAY'-nur) have met for about an hour at the White House, their first one-on-one meeting in more than a year.

Consumer Reports names Tesla Model S its top pick

Posted: 25 Feb 2014 12:45 PM PST

FILE - This June 22, 2012 file photo shows a Tesla Model S outside the Tesla factory in Fremont, Calif. The Tesla Model S electric sedan is Consumer Reports' top pick in this year's automotive survey. (AP Photo/Paul Sakuma, File)DETROIT (AP) — The Tesla Model S electric sedan is Consumer Reports' top pick in this year's automotive rankings.

Neighbors foil attempt to steal wall, Banksy mural

Posted: 25 Feb 2014 12:45 PM PST

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Neighbors foiled what police say was an attempt to steal a chunk of a cinderblock wall bearing a painting by the elusive British graffiti artist Banksy.

Rick Warren acts on mental health in son's death

Posted: 25 Feb 2014 12:44 PM PST

This Monday, Feb. 24, 2014 photo, Saddleback Church founder and senior pastor, Rick Warren, left, and Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange, Kevin William Vann, right, pose for a photo at the Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, Calif. Warren will partner with the Roman Catholic Church and the National Alliance for Mental Illness next month for the first event of what they hope will be a sustained project to get faith leaders more involved with mental health issues and advocacy. (AP Photo/Nick Ut )LAKE FOREST, Calif. (AP) — A year after his son's suicide, popular evangelical pastor Rick Warren is taking on a new mental health ministry inspired by his personal tragedy.

Democrats again delay Senate minimum wage debate

Posted: 25 Feb 2014 12:44 PM PST

WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate Democrats have again delayed debating a proposal to increase the federal minimum wage to $10.10 hourly, postponing work on one of President Barack Obama's top priorities.

Posey: Rule eliminates 'malicious' collisions

Posted: 25 Feb 2014 12:42 PM PST

FILE - In this May 25, 2011 file photo, Florida Marlins' Scott Cousins, top, collides with San Francisco Giants catcher Buster Posey (28) on a fly ball from Emilio Bonifacio during the 12th inning of a baseball game in San Francisco. Cousins was safe for the go ahead run. A new rule, 7.13, was adopted by MLB and the players' association on a one-year experimental basis, the sides said Monday, Feb. 24, 2014. The umpire crew chief can use the new video-review system to determine whether the rule was violated. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez, File)SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (AP) — San Francisco Giants catcher Buster Posey, whose 2011 season was cut short after the Marlins' Scott Cousins crashed into him at the plate, said Tuesday that a home plate collision rule adopted by Major League Baseball and its players does a good thing by eliminating "malicious collisions."

Obama announces new Midwest manufacturing hubs

Posted: 25 Feb 2014 12:41 PM PST

President Barack Obama speaks to members of the National Governors Association in the State Dining Room of the White House in Washington, Monday, Feb. 24, 2014. Stymied by a divided Congress, the president appealed for help from the nation's governors Monday as he seeks to advance economic policies that stand little chance of winning passage on Capitol Hill. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama is announcing the creation of two Pentagon-led institutes, using public and private resources, to boost advanced manufacturing, help create jobs and perhaps build the next "Iron Man."

Spain's Repsol accepts $5B for Argentine unit

Posted: 25 Feb 2014 12:39 PM PST

MADRID (AP) — Spain's Repsol energy firm says its board has accepted a $5 billion (3.6 billion euro) offer from Argentina as compensation for the South American country's seizure of the company's YPF petroleum division.

Palestinian film spotlights Israeli Arab identity

Posted: 25 Feb 2014 12:28 PM PST

This film image released by Adopt Films shows Adam Bakri in a scene from the film "Omar." The film was nominated for an Academy Award for best foreign picture on Thursday, Jan. 16, 2014. The 86th Academy Awards will be held on March 2. (AP Photo/Adopt Films)JERUSALEM (AP) — In the Holy Land, the state of Palestine does not yet exist. But in Hollywood, it already has an Oscar finalist.

Freedom for IRA man linked to 1982 Hyde Park bomb

Posted: 25 Feb 2014 12:24 PM PST

DUBLIN (AP) — An Irish Republican Army veteran charged with the IRA killing of four soldiers in London's Hyde Park in 1982 has been freed from custody after a judge ruled that the British government misled the man into thinking he could travel to England without fear of arrest.

Ed Dept to schools: Protect student data online

Posted: 25 Feb 2014 01:16 PM PST

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Education Department on Tuesday encouraged school districts to use more scrutiny to protect student privacy when using online educational services.

Mt. Gox website says all transactions closed "for the time being"

Posted: 25 Feb 2014 12:22 PM PST

(Reuters) - Prominent bitcoin exchange Mt. Gox posted an update on its website on Tuesday, saying a "decision was taken to close all transactions for the time being," citing "recent news reports and the potential repercussions on MtGox's operations." The website went dark on Tuesday and its chief executive told Reuters that the business was "at a turning point." Mt. Gox halted withdrawals earlier this month after detecting what it called "unusual activity. "We will be closely monitoring the situation and will react accordingly," the website said. ...
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