Psychologist admits he waterboarded al Qaeda suspects: report
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – One of the chief architects of the CIA’s harsh Bush-era interrogation program has admitted in a media interview for the first time that he waterboarded terrorism suspects, including Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the suspected mastermind of the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks.
Obama vows no safe haven for Islamic State
FORT DIX, N.J. (Reuters) – President Barack Obama used a holiday season visit to a U.S. military base on Monday to issue a tough warning to Islamic State militants, saying a U.S.-led coalition will permit no safe haven to the group and will destroy it …
Senate Democrats push votes on Obama’s nominees
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – With the clock ticking down on their Senate majority, Democrats pushed on Monday to win approval for some of President Barack Obama’s stalled nominations for government posts.
Obama says he’ll sign government spending bill passed by Congress
FORT DIX, N.J. (Reuters) – President Barack Obama said on Monday he planned to sign a $1.1 trillion spending bill that was passed over the weekend by Congress to lift the threat of a government shutdown.
North Korea wants U.N. Security Council to discuss CIA torture
UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) – North Korea on Monday asked the United Nations Security Council to add the issue of torture by the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency to its agenda and to establish an investigation to ensure those responsible are held to accou…
Tax extenders expected to win U.S. Senate approval within days
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. Senate was expected this week to renew dozens of temporary tax breaks, known as the “extenders,” including big ones for business research, wind power and foreign profits.
China says U.S. appropriations bill violates rules, sends bad signal
SHANGHAI (Reuters) – China is unhappy with the U.S. spending bill passed by the House of Representatives last week, saying it contains discriminatory clauses that violate the rules of fair trade and “send the wrong signal”.
Author of interrogation memo says CIA maybe went too far
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – As former Vice President Dick Cheney argued on Sunday that the CIA’s aggressive interrogation of terrorism suspects did not amount to torture, the man who provided the legal rationale for the program said that in some cases it ha…
Jeb Bush to release emails from time as Florida governor
TAMPA, Fla. (Reuters) – Jeb Bush says he plans to release 250,000 emails from his time as Florida governor, part of an e-book that he is writing as he mulls taking the plunge on a 2016 presidential bid.
Texas lawmakers put new gun rights laws in their sights
SAN ANTONIO (Reuters) – Several proposed new gun laws await the new Texas legislature when it opens next month, including one to allow open carrying of handguns in public and another providing a sales tax holiday for firearms purchases.
