Congress to begin 2014 with jobless benefits battle
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. Congress begins what promises to be another highly combative year on Monday with a showdown over a White House-backed bid to renew unemployment benefits for 1.3 million Americans.
Senator Paul wants light punishment of Snowden for NSA leaks
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The public debate over the fate of former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden intensified on Sunday with conservative Senator Rand Paul calling for a light prison term as punishment for Snowden’s disclosure of info…
U.S. can fight al Qaeda in Iraq without troops: Kerry
JERUSALEM (Reuters) – The United States will support the Iraqi government and tribes fighting al Qaeda-linked Sunni Muslim militants in Anbar province but will not send U.S. troops back to Iraq, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said on Sunday.
Kerry says South Sudan peace talks ‘must be serious’
JERUSALEM (Reuters) – Secretary of State John Kerry voiced support for direct South Sudanese peace talks set to begin on Sunday and cautioned against any use of force to try to gain the upper hand.
Kerry sees progress on Israeli-Palestinian framework deal
RAMALLAH, West Bank (Reuters) – Israel and the Palestinians are making progress towards a “framework agreement” to guide their talks on a formal peace deal but still have some way to go, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said on Saturday.
Early days of Obamacare bring trickle, not flood, of patients
NEW YORK (Reuters) – U.S. medical providers are seeing only a trickle of patients newly insured under President Barack Obama’s healthcare law, as insurers, hospitals and doctors try to work out any hitches in coverage.
Embattled Florida Congressman Radel to return to Capitol Hill
MIAMI (Reuters) – Six weeks after he pleaded guilty to cocaine possession and checked into a rehab clinic, Florida Congressman Henry “Trey” Radel will rejoin Congress when the new session begins next week, his spokesman said on Friday.
Obama directs new gun background check measures
HONOLULU/WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The Obama administration on Friday proposed two new gun control regulations aimed at clarifying restrictions on gun ownership for the mentally ill and strengthening a database used for background checks before firearm pu…
Palestinian protesters greet Kerry’s visit
RAMALLAH, West Bank (Reuters) – Palestinian protesters on Friday condemned the latest efforts by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry to advance peace talks with Israel, using chants evoking the Arab uprisings and telling him to go home.
Exclusive: Turmoil at East-West Center in Hawaii as energy team quits
HONOLULU (Reuters) – The East-West Center in Hawaii, a U.S. government-funded institute to promote better relations with Pacific and Asian nations, is hardly a center of harmony these days.
