POLITICS

U.S. will negotiate hard with Boeing: Gates Posted 38 minutes ago

(Reuters) - The United States will negotiate carefully with Boeing to build the next generation of tanker aircraft, U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said on Thursday. Gates said a rival's withdrawal from the multibillion dollar competition should not create further delays. "We will certainly be sharpening our pencil when ...More

Toyota hands over 2006 dissident memo to U.S. panel Posted 4 hours, 9 minutes ago

By Chang-Ran Kim, Asia autos correspondent TOKYO (Reuters) - Toyota Motor said on Thursday it has handed over to a U.S. congressional committee a letter sent to its management by a splinter union in 2006 seeking reforms to improve safety after a recall crisis at the time. On Monday, Rep ...More

Volcker rule gets lift in Senate amid reform talks Posted 11 hours, 18 minutes ago

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The controversial "Volcker rule" to curb risky trading by banks got a boost in the Senate on Wednesday, as two Democrats introduced a bill that would enact and expand the rule. Senators Jeff Merkley and Carl Levin introduced their bill on the rule, which was first proposed in ...More

Republican Bunning stirs anger with WTO block Posted 11 hours, 55 minutes ago

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A Republican senator who held up action earlier this month on a bill to renew jobless benefits faced more criticism on Wednesday for blocking approval of President Barack Obama's nominee to be U.S. ambassador to the World Trade Organization. Senator Jim Bunning, a Kentucky Republican, has ...More

U.S. calls Myanmar election laws "a mockery" Posted 12 hours, 7 minutes ago

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - New laws enacted by Myanmar's military government make a mockery of democracy and ensure that elections due later this year will be a farce, the United States said on Wednesday. State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley said the election measures, which set strict limits on political participation ...More

NY governor in hot water, 2nd-in-command steps up Posted 12 hours, 16 minutes ago

New York Gov. Paterson announces he will withdraw from the state governor's race at his office in Ne

NEW YORK (Reuters) - With Governor David Paterson enveloped in scandal, New York's lieutenant governor is leading the notoriously difficult budget process and freeing up his boss to fight for his political life, experts say. Richard Ravitch, who would assume the top job should Paterson be brought down by inquiries ...More

House bans some earmarks amid ethics concerns Posted 12 hours, 36 minutes ago

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Democrats in the House of Representatives moved on Wednesday to limit the ability of lawmakers to tuck pet projects into spending bills amid mounting election-year ethics concerns. Top Democrats on the House Appropriations Committee said the new rules prohibit lawmakers from steering money to for-profit companies through the ...More

Gates, in Riyadh, seeks Saudi help on Iran sanctions Posted 12 hours, 46 minutes ago

RIYADH (Reuters) - Defense Secretary Robert Gates asked Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah for support lobbying for U.N. sanctions against Iran on Wednesday and discussed ways to boost the kingdom's air and missile defenses. The United States is leading a push for the U.N. Security Council to impose ...More

Senate passes $149 billion for jobless aid Posted 14 hours, 42 minutes ago

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Senate on Wednesday passed a $149 billion package of jobless aid and tax breaks, as Democrats continued efforts to lower the 9.7 percent unemployment rate before congressional elections in November. The measure, approved by a vote of 62 to 36, now heads to the House of ...More

Senator Brown snags deal for memoirs Posted 18 hours, 26 minutes ago

Scott Brown speaks after his swearing-in at the Capitol in Washington

BOSTON (Reuters) - Scott Brown, the Republican whose surprise victory in the Senate race in Massachusetts rocked the political landscape, has signed a deal to write his memoirs, the publisher HarperCollins said on Wednesday. Brown, 50, became in January the first Republican to represent Massachusetts in the U.S. Senate for ...More

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