Budget cuts hurt Coast Guard drug efforts: commander
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Budget cuts have eroded the U.S. Coast Guard’s ability to combat drug smuggling and the agency is intercepting only about 20 percent of the illegal drugs heading into the United States by sea from South America, its top officer s…
White House says has told Tehran U.N. ambassador choice ‘not viable’
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The White House made clear on Tuesday that it did not welcome Iran’s choice of Hamid Abutalebi as its new United Nations ambassador, saying officials had told Tehran that the selection was “not viable.”
U.S. insurers still expect cuts in 2015 Medicare payments
(Reuters) – U.S. health insurers said on Tuesday they still expected cuts in government reimbursements for privately managed Medicare health plans for the elderly next year even after the Obama administration rolled back the steepest reductions.
Obama to visit mudslide-site Oso on April 22
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Barack Obama will visit the Washington state town struck by a deadly mudslide to meet families affected by the disaster and view the devastation, the White House said on Tuesday.
U.S. plans balanced cuts to nuclear launchers under treaty with Russia: officials
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The United States will scale back its land, sea and air nuclear missile launchers under the New START treaty with Russia, but it will not retire a ballistic missile squadron as some lawmakers had expected, U.S. officials told Reu…
Justice Department wary of Bitcoin, Attorney General says
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The Justice Department will have to be creative in order to make sure criminals do not use virtual currencies such as Bitcoin to secretly move funds, Attorney General Eric Holder said on Tuesday.
North Carolina lawmaker tapped to replace mayor charged with bribery
WINSTON-SALEM, North Carolina (Reuters) – A North Carolina legislator has been appointed to serve as mayor of the state’s largest city of Charlotte two weeks after the previous mayor resigned following his arrest on corruption charges that included acc…
Property tax hike dropped from Chicago pension bill
CHICAGO (Reuters) – Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel on Monday removed any mention of new or higher taxes in his legislation to ease the city’s retirement funding shortfalls just hours after the bill came under attack by Illinois Governor Pat Quinn.
Senate votes to bar proposed Iran U.N. ambassador from country
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. Senate passed legislation on Monday seeking to bar Iran’s proposed U.N. ambassador, Hamid Abutalebi, from entering the United States.
House conservatives offer more austere alternative to Ryan budget
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Conservative Republicans who believe that Representative Paul Ryan’s budget plan does not cut spending fast or deeply enough will get a chance to support an alternative plan that aims to balance the budget in just four years inst…
