Qatar ‘very assiduous’ in monitoring prisoners in Bergdahl swap: U.S. official
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Ambassador James Dobbins, the U.S. State Department’s special representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan, said on Wednesday that Qatar’s government had been closely keeping track of five Taliban prisoners exchanged for U.S. Serg…
Libya condemns U.S. arrest of Benghazi suspect
TRIPOLI (Reuters) – Libya condemned the United States on Wednesday for snatching a man suspected of masterminding the deadly 2012 attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, describing the arrest as a violation of Libyan sovereignty.
Congress panel backs renewal of ban on Internet taxes
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A U.S. ban on Internet taxes that has been in place since 1998 would be made permanent under legislation approved on Wednesday by a congressional committee.
Senator to SEC: Hurry up audit trail to track trades
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Federal regulators need to hurry and complete their work to create an audit trail to track financial trades and police markets, the chairman of a U.S. Senate Banking Committee panel said on Wednesday.
White House throws cold water on corporate tax repatriation holiday
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Barack Obama does not support the idea of a corporate tax repatriation “holiday” that some Republicans in Congress have said could help boost the coffers of the dwindling Highway Trust Fund, the White House said on Wedn…
Hillary Clinton notes distance from Obama on Syria rebels
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Potential Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton pointed out her differences with President Barack Obama on Tuesday over his decision not to arm moderate Syrian rebels, as neighboring Iraq struggles to cope with extrem…
U.S. bill on email privacy gathers majority support in the House
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A bill to force government agencies to get warrants before they access the email of people under investigation advanced in the U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday after a majority of lawmakers signed on as co-sponsors.
California bill to require warning labels on sugary drinks dies
SACRAMENTO Calif. (Reuters) – A California bill to require sugary soft drinks to carry labels warning of obesity, diabetes and tooth decay died in the Legislature on Tuesday, the latest in a string of defeats for health advocates trying to dissuade peo…
Obama says to bar LGBT discrimination by federal contractors
NEW YORK (Reuters) – President Barack Obama said on Tuesday he will sign an executive order barring federal contractors from discriminating against employees based on their sexual orientation, but told gay rights activists they need to keep up the pres…
California drought plan would build reservoirs, clean up drinking water
SACRAMENTO Calif. (Reuters) – After months of bickering, California lawmakers could vote as early as this week on a plan to shore up the drought-parched state’s water supply that would include three new reservoirs, underground water storage and environ…