California Democrats likely to stay moderate course despite majority
SACRAMENTO (Reuters) – California majority Democrats who charted a moderate path in the legislative session that ended this week are likely to be even more cautious when they reconvene in January, fearing backlash from voters in upcoming elections, pol…
NYC Mayor Bloomberg won’t endorse anyone in race to succeed him
NEW YORK (Reuters) – New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who will leave office at the end of this year after three four-year terms, said on Friday he would not endorse the Republican or Democratic candidates running to replace him.
Kerry to travel to Israel and meet Israeli PM Netanyahu
GENEVA (Reuters) – U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry will travel to Jerusalem on Sunday for discussions with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Middle East peace talks as well as on Syria, the State Department announced on Friday.
Obama picks former acting budget chief Zients as economic adviser
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Barack Obama has chosen former acting budget chief Jeffrey Zients to replace Gene Sperling as his top economic adviser, marking a shakeup in his advisory team while the White House struggles to gain traction for its eco…
California governor to sign driver’s license bill for illegal immigrants
SACRAMENTO (Reuters) – California Governor Jerry Brown said on Friday he would sign a bill authorizing the state to provide driver’s licenses to illegal immigrants, a last-minute reversal of his position.
Analysis: NYC’s new mayor to face day of reckoning on labor deals
(Reuters) – If Bill de Blasio becomes New York City’s first Democratic mayor in 20 years, the liberal politician would soon find himself immersed in labor talks that could saddle the city with a $7 billion bill for retroactive wage increases for munici…
Obama to nominate Summers as Fed chief: Nikkei
TOKYO (Reuters) – U.S. President Barack Obama will name former Treasury Secretary Lawrence Summers as chairman of the Federal Reserve Board, Japan’s Nikkei newspaper said on Friday.
U.S. poised to ramp up withdrawal of gear from Afghanistan
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The Pentagon is poised to ramp up its withdrawal of military equipment from Afghanistan in a massive logistics effort expected to cost up to $7 billion, a defense official said.
Analysis: House Republicans go for broke in fiscal battles
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Another down-to-the-wire fight, potentially more toxic than usual, is rapidly shaping up in the U.S. Congress as conservatives prepare to exploit looming fiscal deadlines to derail President Barack Obama’s signature healthcare re…
California sends bill to let illegal immigrants practice law to governor
SACRAMENTO (Reuters) – A California bill to let undocumented immigrants become lawyers passed its last legislative hurdle on Thursday and will be sent to Governor Jerry Brown for his signature.