U.S. senator moves to slow approval of Fed nominees
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. Senator Rand Paul threatened on Monday to slow the approval of three Federal Reserve nominees unless the Senate agrees to vote on the Republican’s bill to open monetary policy decisions to congressional audit.
Kerry, Abbas to meet in London on Thursday, U.S. says
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas will meet in London on Thursday, the U.S. State Department said, less than a month after a U.S. effort to broker an Israeli-Palestinian peace deal collaps…
White House urges highway bill passage, says jobs at stake
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The Obama administration on Monday warned 700,000 jobs could be lost if Congress misses a deadline to replenish a highway spending fund and said Senate legislation could fall short of a long-term solution to maintain U.S. infrast…
At White House, Uruguay president urges U.S. to become bilingual
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Uruguay President Jose Mujica, meeting at the White House with President Barack Obama, on Monday urged the United States to become bilingual, joking that immigrants from Latin America would fill the country with Spanish speakers….
White House, Democrats calibrate how best to play Benghazi probe
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The White House and its Democratic allies in the U.S. House of Representatives have considerable legal leeway to avoid cooperating with a new Republican-driven probe of the 2012 Benghazi attacks, but the politics of participating…
U.S. health secretary nominee faces second Senate hearing May 14
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Sylvia Mathews Burwell, President Barack Obama’s nominee for U.S. health secretary, will face a second confirmation hearing on Wednesday before the Senate Finance Committee, the panel announced on Monday.
How ‘Big Corn’ lost the ethanol battle to Philadelphia refiners
NEW YORK/WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Six months ago the U.S. oil industry scored a surprise win against farm groups when the Obama administration proposed slashing the amount of ethanol refiners must blend into gasoline, a move that could save them billions…
Rising U.S. economy could help Democrats stave off election loss
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Here’s a riddle: Many Republicans deny it’s happening. Some Democrats don’t want to talk about it. What is it?
Secret Service sent White House patrol to check employee: report
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Top Secret Service officials ordered agents away from their posts patrolling the White House perimeter in 2011 to check on a personal friend and assistant of the agency’s former director, the Washington Post reported on Sunday.
Democrats struggle to win over skeptical Americans on Obamacare
SOMERSWORTH, New Hampshire (Reuters) – Barack Obama and his Democratic allies in the Congress have grown more confident in recent months about their ability to use the president’s signature healthcare law as a draw rather than a liability in this Novem…