| Obama plans to end U.S. troop presence in Afghanistan by 2016 Posted: 27 May 2014 02:10 PM PDT By Steve Holland WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama on Tuesday outlined a plan to withdraw all but 9,800 American troops from Afghanistan by the end of the year and pull out the rest by the end of 2016, ending more than a decade of military engagement triggered by the Sept. 11 attacks on the United States. The decision means that Obama will leave office in early 2017 having extricated the country from the longest war in U.S. history. Obama's White House Rose Garden announcement prompted criticism from Republicans that the hard-fought gains made against the Taliban could be lost in much the same way that sectarian violence returned to Iraq after the U.S. withdrawal. Obama, who made a whirlwind visit to U.S. troops in Afghanistan over the weekend before American combat operations conclude at the end of 2014, appeared to anticipate concerns that he is abandoning Afghanistan. |
| Withdrawal: Obama charts end to Afghan war by 2016 Posted: 27 May 2014 02:09 PM PDT  WASHINGTON (AP) — Charting an end to America's longest war, President Barack Obama announced plans Tuesday for keeping nearly 10,000 U.S. troops in Afghanistan after this year but then withdrawing virtually all by the close of 2016 and the conclusion of his presidency.
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| White House to study how CIA official's name released to media Posted: 27 May 2014 02:07 PM PDT  President Barack Obama's chief of staff, Denis McDonough, has asked the White House counsel to investigate how the name of the top CIA official in Afghanistan was given to the media, a spokeswoman said on Tuesday. The White House inadvertently included the name on a list of participants in a military briefing with Obama that was distributed to reporters on Sunday during his trip to Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan. The White House had declined to comment on the incident until Tuesday. "The chief of staff has asked the White House counsel, Neil Eggleston, to look into what happened and report back to him with recommendations on how the administration can improve processes and make sure something like this does not happen again," White House spokeswoman Caitlin Hayden said in a statement.
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| Veterans groups cry foul at senator's criticism Posted: 27 May 2014 02:15 PM PDT  WASHINGTON (AP) — Three prominent veterans groups and Republican Sen. Richard Burr are hurling accusations at each other after the veterans organizations declined to embrace Burr's call for Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki to resign amid reports of treatment delays and falsified records at VA hospitals.
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| As primary nears, Cantor mailer attacks 'amnesty' Posted: 27 May 2014 02:03 PM PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — House Majority Leader Eric Cantor is boasting in a new campaign mailer of shutting down a plan to give "amnesty" to "illegal aliens," a strongly worded statement from a Republican leader who's spoken favorably about acting on immigration. |
| Anonymous "HiddenCash" creates social media frenzy Posted: 27 May 2014 02:03 PM PDT SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Someone's dropping envelopes full of cash across San Francisco, causing a social media frenzy. |
| US nears decision on training Syrian rebels Posted: 27 May 2014 02:03 PM PDT  WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama may soon sign off on a project to train and equip moderate Syrian rebels, in an open move that would significantly boost U.S. support to forces who have been asking for three years for military help in their quest to oust President Bashar Assad, administration officials said Tuesday.
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| Congress: US should confront Russia on nuke treaty Posted: 27 May 2014 02:02 PM PDT  WASHINGTON (AP) — Congress is stepping up pressure on the White House to confront Russia over allegations that it is cheating on a key nuclear arms treaty — a faceoff that could further strain U.S.-Moscow relations and dampen President Barack Obama's hopes to add deeper cuts in nuclear arsenals to his legacy.
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| Clowney, Watt on field for Texans Posted: 27 May 2014 02:02 PM PDT  HOUSTON (AP) — It's almost enough to make a defensive coordinator drool.
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| First lady responds to school meal critics Posted: 27 May 2014 02:02 PM PDT  WASHINGTON (AP) — First lady Michelle Obama is striking back at House Republicans who are trying to weaken healthier school meal standards, saying any effort to roll back the guidelines is "unacceptable."
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| New Mexico biofuel plant catches fire Posted: 27 May 2014 02:00 PM PDT  ANTHONY, N.M. (AP) — A New Mexico biofuel facility caught fire Tuesday, sending a giant column of black smoke into the air and prompting authorities to briefly evacuate an area that includes about 350 homes.
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| FTC wants more transparency for data brokers Posted: 27 May 2014 01:59 PM PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — Companies are collecting billions of pieces of information about consumers to create individual profiles to more effectively target individuals for coupons or product offers, decide whether a would-be buyer gets a car loan or help people check out a potential mate. |
| Belgian, French, Italian leaders in homage at Jewish Museum Posted: 27 May 2014 01:57 PM PDT  The leaders of France and Italy joined Belgium's Elio Di Rupo on Tuesday to pay homage to the victims of a fatal weekend attack at the Jewish Museum in Brussels. President Francois Hollande and Prime Minister Matteo Renzi, in Brussels to attend an informal EU summit, met Jewish leaders outside the museum and then bowed their heads in tribute to a rabbi's prayer.
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| US Supreme Court strikes blow at Florida IQ executions Posted: 27 May 2014 01:53 PM PDT  Florida cannot use a precise cut-off point based on IQ to determine if someone is mentally competent to be executed, the Supreme Court said Tuesday, amid a wider debate about the death penalty in the United States. Freddie Lee Hall, 68, has spent 35 years on death row for the rape and murder of a pregnant woman but argues that he should be spared the death penalty because he is intellectually disabled. However, Florida state deems that a person with an IQ of 70 or more is criminally competent to be executed -- Hall has an IQ of 71, but was declared "mentally retarded" since childhood. Hall also argues that he falls within a five-percent margin of error cited by psychiatrists and experts when assessing IQ scores, and that an IQ test alone is not enough to judge whether someone is "mentally retarded" or not.
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| Intel, China's Rockchip in Android tablets alliance Posted: 27 May 2014 01:50 PM PDT  US computer chip giant Intel announced Tuesday a partnership with Chinese tech firm Rockchip to produce low-cost Android-based tablet computers. The two companies will produce "a range of entry-level Android tablets worldwide" with the Intel Atom processors. "The strategic agreement with Rockchip is an example of Intel's commitment to take pragmatic and different approaches to grow our presence in the global mobile market by more quickly delivering a broader portfolio of Intel architecture and communications technology solutions," said Intel chief executive Brian Krzanich in a statement. Rockchip CEO Min Li added in the same statement that "the combination of Intel's leading architecture and modem technology with our leading mobile design capability brings greater choice to the growing global market for mobile devices in the entry and value segments."
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| Pilgrim's Pride seeks $6.4 bn deal with Hillshire Posted: 27 May 2014 01:49 PM PDT  US chicken producer Pilgrim's Pride on Tuesday offered to buy frozen-foods and prepared meats company Hillshire Brands in a deal worth $6.4 billion if Hillshire drops its own takeover plan. The bid requires Hillshire to abandon its $6.6 billion deal announced May 12 to acquire Pinnacle Foods, which owns Birds Eye frozen vegetables, Duncan Hines cake mixes and Mrs. Butterworth's syrup. Pilgrim's said it would pay a $163 million termination fee to end the deal between Hillshire and Pinnacle. Pilgrim's said the deal with Hillshire, which markets sausage under the Jimmy Dean label and desserts under Sara Lee, was "substantially superior" to the pending Hillshire-Pinnacle deal and would marry Pilgrim's strong operational abilities with Hillshire's iconic brands and marketing strength.
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| Stocks climb; Fourth straight gain for S&P 500 Posted: 27 May 2014 01:48 PM PDT  NEW YORK (AP) — More promising signs that the economy is strengthening after its winter slowdown pushed stocks higher on Tuesday.
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| Jimenez gets the nod for US Open Posted: 27 May 2014 01:48 PM PDT  New York (AFP) - Spanish veteran Miguel Angel Jimenez was among 25 additional golfers announced on Tuesday as earning exemptions to play in next month's US Open Championship.
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| The CEO got a huge raise. You didn't. Here's why. Posted: 27 May 2014 01:47 PM PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — Pay for globe-trotting CEOs has soared to new heights, even as most workers remain grounded by paychecks that are barely budging. |
| Tottenham hire Pochettino as new manager Posted: 27 May 2014 01:45 PM PDT  Tottenham's new manager Mauricio Pochettino pledged to fulfil the club's desire for success with style after being hired on a five-year contract on Tuesday. Pochettino was tipped to take charge at White Hart Lane following the recent sacking of Tim Sherwood and the Premier League club confirmed they have persuaded the former Argentina defender, who had earned widespread praise during his time as Southampton boss, to quit his post at St Mary's and move to north London. Pochettino, who will work under Spurs director of football Franco Baldini, admitted he was delighted to be given the opportunity to manage a club of Tottenham's stature.
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| World equity indexes up on U.S. data, ECB hopes; gold slumps Posted: 27 May 2014 01:45 PM PDT  By Angela Moon NEW YORK, (Reuters) - World equity markets rallied on Tuesday, with the S&P 500 ending at a new record following strong U.S. economic data, while the euro softened against the dollar on expectations of more rate cuts from the European Central Bank. Platinum also fell after South Africa's mining minister pledged to mediate in a long-running strike.
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| S&P 500 at new record after solid US data Posted: 27 May 2014 01:45 PM PDT  New York (AFP) - The S&P 500 Tuesday notched a record close for the second straight session as US stocks rallied following some solid economic data.
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| Businessman Katz buying Philadelphia newspapers Posted: 27 May 2014 01:44 PM PDT  PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Two business moguls who won control of The Philadelphia Inquirer at an insider sale Tuesday pledged to support serious journalism over so-called click-bait, but they conceded that advertising and circulation gains remain elusive.
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| LG emphasizes simplicity in new G3 smartphone Posted: 27 May 2014 01:43 PM PDT  NEW YORK (AP) — LG's new smartphone provides sharper pictures than other leading phones, while sporting a customizable keyboard that promises to make typing easier.
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| California couple's buried gold coins go for sale Posted: 27 May 2014 01:40 PM PDT  SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A treasure trove of rare gold coins that were discovered by a California couple out walking their dog last year are set to go on sale. The nearly 1,430 coins date from 1847 to 1894 and have been valued at more than $11 million. One will be auctioned at the Old San Francisco Mint on Tuesday at 8:30 p.m. Most of the rest will go on sale on Amazon.com and Kagin's.com later at night. Here are five things to know about the coins and their origin:
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| Brazil police fire tear gas at Indians, anti-World Cup protesters Posted: 27 May 2014 01:39 PM PDT  BrasÃlia (AFP) - Police in the Brazilian capital fired tear gas Tuesday to break up a protest by indigenous chiefs, homeless people and others opposed to the money being spent to host the World Cup.
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| After decades, dirty power plant to get clean Posted: 27 May 2014 01:39 PM PDT  HOMER CITY, Pa. (AP) — Three years ago, the operators of one of the nation's dirtiest coal-fired power plants warned of "immediate and devastating" consequences from the Obama administration's push to clean up pollution from coal.
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| Texas runoff vote may be end for Lt. Gov. Dewhurst Posted: 27 May 2014 01:39 PM PDT  AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Republican voters appear ready to steer Texas even further to the right by backing tea party favorites over establishment candidates, which could end the political career of Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst, one of the most powerful figures in Texas since 2002.
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| New Mexico biofuel plant fire prompts evacuations Posted: 27 May 2014 01:38 PM PDT ANTHONY, N.M. (AP) — An evacuation order has been lifted and residents of about 350 homes in Anthony are being escorted back to their homes after a biofuel facility caught fire. |
| Brown won't discuss Emma Watson's graduation guard Posted: 27 May 2014 02:09 PM PDT  PROVIDENCE, Rhode Island (AP) — Emma Watson had an undercover armed guard with her during graduation ceremonies at Brown University, and a university spokesman says he is unable to answer questions about why.
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| Turnout low, Egypt extends presidential vote a day Posted: 27 May 2014 02:15 PM PDT  CAIRO (AP) — "Where are the people?" one talk show host on a military station shouted as Egypt on Tuesday extended its presidential election to a third day in an apparent drive to raise voter turnout and avoid an embarrassingly meager show of support for former army chief Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi.
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| After conviction, Ray Nagin must forfeit $500K Posted: 27 May 2014 02:14 PM PDT NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Former New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin will have to pay the government more than $501,000 as a result of his conviction on bribery and other charges, a federal judge said Tuesday. |
| Spotify breach will require Android app upgrades Posted: 27 May 2014 01:30 PM PDT SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Spotify is requiring people listening to its popular music service on Android devices to install new software as a safeguard against a recent security breach. |
| ESPN exec Bodenheimer to leave at week's end Posted: 27 May 2014 01:30 PM PDT BRISTOL, Conn. (AP) — ESPN Executive Chairman George Bodenheimer will end more than three decades at the company this week. |
| US hacker-FBI informant walks free Posted: 27 May 2014 01:22 PM PDT  The founder of an offshoot of the shadowy hacker group Anonymous, who directed hundreds of cyber attacks before turning FBI informant, walked free Tuesday after getting a symbolic seven-month sentence. Hector Xavier Monsegur, 30, better known by his screen name "Sabu," was first arrested in 2011 and had already served seven months in jail before being released on bail in December 2012. Monsegur founded a group called "LulzSec," an offshoot of the loosely organized hacker community known as Anonymous, which carried out hundreds of cyber attacks on corporations and foreign governments, including one against the security firm Stratfor. The victims included MasterCard, PayPal and other commercial and government targets.
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| Top US court affirms tribe's immunity in casino case Posted: 27 May 2014 01:22 PM PDT  The US Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that an Indian tribe cannot be prosecuted by the state of Michigan for opening what local authorities deemed to be an illegal casino. The top US court affirmed the "sovereign immunity" of the Bay Mills tribe in the 5-4 decision, with the majority maintaining it was up to the Congress, and not the courts, to decide the limits of that immunity. "Congress has not abrogated tribal sovereign immunity from a state's suit to enjoin gaming off a reservation or other Indian lands. "Indian tribes have immunity even when a suit arises from off-reservation commercial activity," it said.
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| No live broadcast of Jodi Arias sentencing retrial, judge rules Posted: 27 May 2014 01:22 PM PDT  By David Schwartz PHOENIX (Reuters) - An Arizona judge has rejected media requests to allow live broadcasts of court proceedings to determine if convicted killer Jodi Arias should receive the death penalty for murdering her ex-boyfriend in 2008, documents showed on Tuesday. Judge Sherry Stephens ruled that the penalty phase may be recorded but that any resulting audio or video recordings may not be made public until after a verdict has been reached, according to court papers. The judge also said that in the unlikely case she opts to change course and allow limited live broadcasts, such airings would be subject to a 15-minute delay. The ruling in the high-profile case came in response to efforts by media outlets to live broadcast a sentencing phase retrial for Arias, a one-time California waitress convicted last May of murdering Travis Alexander in his Phoenix-area home six years ago. Alexander was found slumped in the shower, stabbed multiple times, his throat slashed and shot in the face. The jury that convicted Arias also ruled that she was eligible for the death penalty but deadlocked on whether she should be executed or spend the rest of her life in prison. A new sentencing phase jury will be selected in September following months of delays in the sensational case, which had been live-streamed on the Internet and attracted tens of thousands of viewers across the nation. Since then, further proceedings have been argued mostly in closed-door proceedings, including the request to broadcast the penalty phase.
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| EU summit seeks way out of election quagmire Posted: 27 May 2014 01:19 PM PDT  BRUSSELS (AP) — British Prime Minister David Cameron's recurring complaint that the European Union is "too big, too bossy, too interfering" gained traction at an EU summit on Tuesday, after election results that underscored voter apathy and hostility forced government leaders across the bloc to consider profound change.
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| What to look for Wednesday at the French Open Posted: 27 May 2014 01:07 PM PDT  PARIS (AP) — Five things to look for Wednesday at the French Open:
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| Obama sets out US exit from Afghanistan Posted: 27 May 2014 01:07 PM PDT  US forces will complete their withdrawal from Afghanistan by the end of 2016, President Barack Obama said Tuesday, unveiling a plan to end America's longest war 15 years after the September 11 attacks. Speaking in the White House Rose Garden, Obama confirmed that the 32,000-strong US deployment in Afghanistan would be scaled back to around 9,800 by the start of 2015. "We're finishing the job we started," Obama said, as he outlined the end of US involvement in a conflict which began when American-led forces invaded Afghanistan to oust the Taliban and hunt Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden after the 2001 attacks on New York and Washington. US combat operations would draw to a close at the end of 2014, meaning US troops would no longer patrol Afghan cities, towns or valleys from next year, Obama said.
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