House Speaker Boehner backs call for hearings on Bergdahl swap
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – House of Representatives Speaker John Boehner backed calls on Tuesday for congressional hearings on the decision to swap five Taliban prisoners from the Guantanamo detention center for captured U.S. soldier Bowe Bergdahl.
Obama offers military help to eastern Europe allies worried by Russia
WARSAW (Reuters) – U.S. President Barack Obama promised on Tuesday to beef up military support for eastern European members of the NATO alliance who fear they could be next in the firing line after the Kremlin’s intervention in Ukraine.
U.S. Senate moves toward confirming Bowen to CFTC
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. Senate cleared a procedural hurdle on Tuesday to confirming New York lawyer Sharon Bowen as a member of the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC).
U.S. vacates base in Central Asia as Russia’s clout rises
MANAS TRANSIT CENTER Kyrgyzstan (Reuters) – The United States on Tuesday handed back its only Central Asian airbase to the government of Russia’s close ally Kyrgyzstan, as President Barack Obama winds down U.S. involvement in Afghanistan and Moscow mak…
U.S. Senate to vote on Burwell as health chief this week
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Barack Obama’s choice of Sylvia Mathews Burwell to be the next U.S. health secretary will be debated in the Senate this week with votes expected on Wednesday and Thursday, according to a Senate Democratic aide.
U.S. senators set new bid to overhaul pricey food aid rules
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Two U.S. lawmakers introduced legislation on Tuesday to end U.S. restrictions on international food aid programs, which they said would free up hundreds of millions of dollars per year and get aid to some 9 million more hungry pe…
In pivotal Arkansas races, Democrats turn to ‘Big Dog’ Clinton
LITTLE ROCK Ark. (Reuters) – With two high-profile races unfolding in Arkansas this year, Democrats have turned for help to the politician they dub the “Big Dog,” former President Bill Clinton, a one-time governor of the southern swing state.
Obama: U.S., EU must commit to ambitious emissions targets
WARSAW (Reuters) – U.S. President Barack Obama on Tuesday touted new proposals from his administration to reduce carbon dioxide emissions from power plants and said the United States and Europe had to lead by example in fighting global warming.
U.S. Army will not look away from any Bergdahl misconduct: Dempsey
(Reuters) – The U.S. Army will not ignore any misconduct by released Taliban detainee Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl, but he should be considered innocent until proven guilty, the chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff said.
Republican primary in Mississippi gives Tea Party another shot
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Senator Thad Cochran of Mississippi will be fighting for political survival on Tuesday in a Republican primary contest that represents the conservative Tea Party’s best chance to knock off a sitting senator this year.
