Evening Edition

Evening Edition is an Open Thread

From Yahoo News Top Stories

1 50 dead in Iraq as suicide blasts rock holy city

by Abdelamir Hanoun, AFP

1 hr 22 mins ago

KARBALA, Iraq (AFP) – A spate of blasts across Iraq on Thursday killed at least 50 people, most of them in twin suicide car bombings in the Shiite Muslim holy city of Karbala, the third major attack in as many days.

The attacks mostly targeted pilgrims marking a Shiite holy day, and were the latest in a series of bombings that have shattered a relative calm in Iraq following the formation of a new government last month.

Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki blamed the Karbala attacks on “takfiris,” an Islamic term for apostates but used by the premier to mean anti-Shiite Al-Qaeda militants.

2 Unbowed China leader warns US

by Shaun Tandon, AFP

46 mins ago

WASHINGTON (AFP) – Chinese President Hu Jintao, unbowed by pressure on a state visit, warned the United States on Thursday not to press on Taiwan and Tibet as he insisted that the rising Asian power sought cooperation.

A day after a gala dinner at the White House, Hu had a frostier reception as he visited Capitol Hill where top US lawmakers pressed him on economic and human rights concerns including the jailing of Nobel laureate Liu Xiaobo.

Hu afterward delivered a speech to US business and political leaders in which he urged “mutual respect” and said: “The China-US relationship is not one in which one side’s gain means the other one’s loss.”

3 Chinese leader set to face rough ride at US Congress

by Olivier Knox, AFP

Thu Jan 20, 7:40 am ET

WASHINGTON (AFP) – Chinese President Hu Jintao comes face to face with some of his sternest critics in the US Congress on Thursday as he pursues a high-stakes visit to the United States.

Hu was to meet with leaders of the US Congress, a source of frequent ringing attacks on China’s rights record and economic policy as well as sharp criticism of its role in nuclear standoffs with Iran and North Korea.

President Barack Obama’s pressed Hu to embrace “universal rights” and pushing Beijing to set a “level-playing field” for US firms in China and battle intellectual piracy were unlikely to soothe congressional anger.

4 China economy grows 10.3%, inflation fears mount

by Marianne Barriaux, AFP

Thu Jan 20, 5:04 am ET

BEIJING (AFP) – China said Thursday that its economy grew 10.3 percent in 2010, marking the fastest annual pace since the onset of the global crisis, but concerns about persistent inflation sent Asian markets tumbling.

The data has fuelled expectations for a stronger currency — a change that Washington has pressed for during President Hu Jintao’s high-profile US visit this week — as China pulls on a variety of levers to rein in consumer prices.

Gross domestic product rose 9.8 percent in the fourth quarter, accelerating from the previous quarter and exceeding analysts’ expectations, cementing China’s position as the world’s second-largest economy.

5 Tunisia approves amnesty, declares mourning

by Najeh Mouelhi, AFP

1 hr 44 mins ago

TUNIS (AFP) – Tunisia’s caretaker administration approved a general amnesty at its first meeting Thursday and declared three days of national mourning for victims of unrest that toppled the previous government.

The cabinet is tasked with ushering in presidential and parliamentary elections within six months, following the overthrow of Zine El Abidine Ben Ali who fled to Saudi Arabia last Friday after weeks of popular unrest.

In its first session led by interim president Foued Mebazaa, it passed a general amnesty bill that would free political prisoners and legalize banned political parties and also ordered all assets of the ex-ruling party seized.

6 Tunisia cabinet meets amid calls to disband

by Najeh Mouelhi, AFP

Thu Jan 20, 11:17 am ET

TUNIS (AFP) – Tunisia’s transitional government faced immediate calls to disband Thursday as it met for the first time amid protests over its inclusion of ex-ruling party members.

The cabinet led by interim president Foued Mebazaa is tasked with ushering in presidential and parliamentary elections within six months, following the overthrow of Zine El Abidine Ben Ali who fled to Saudi Arabia last Friday following weeks of popular unrest.

But critics have denounced the new line-up for including ministers loyal to the discredited Ben Ali regime and street protests swelled Thursday demanding the cabinet resign.

7 Tunisia arrests Ben Ali relatives amid new protests

by Najeh Mouelhi, AFP

Thu Jan 20, 7:54 am ET

TUNIS (AFP) – Tunisian authorities arrested 33 members of toppled leader Zine El Abidine Ben Ali’s family as protesters rallied again Thursday to demand the rooting out of the dictator’s former ruling party.

The arrests were announced on state television, which showed footage of luxury watches, jewellery and credit cards seized in raids on homes of the former first family.

Authorities had opened an investigation against them for plundering the nation’s resources, it said.

8 Your candidate is out, US tells Haiti’s Preval

by Edouard Guihaire, AFP

17 mins ago

PORT-AU-PRINCE (AFP) – The United States told President Rene Preval on Thursday to pull his favored candidate out of Haiti’s disputed presidential election race or risk losing US and international support.

The bold call, backed by Britain and France, came as the shock return of notorious former dictator Jean-Claude “Baby Doc” Duvalier threatened to muddy the political waters in the quake-hit and cholera-riddled Caribbean nation.

Susan Rice, the US ambassador to the United Nations, said Haiti must carry out the recommendations of international monitors who have called for Preval’s protege Jude Celestin to be discarded from the delayed presidential run-off.

9 Irish PM forced to set March 11 election date

by Andrew Bushe, AFP

21 mins ago

DUBLIN (AFP) – Ireland’s Prime Minister Brian Cowen on Thursday called a general election for March 11 as he bowed to pressure over a botched cabinet reshuffle and his handling of the country’s economic crisis.

His announcement came after his coalition partners threatened to withdraw their support over his plan to replace five ministers who resigned in the space of 24 hours with rising stars from his Fianna Fail party.

The centrist party now faces a drubbing from voters angry that the former “Celtic Tiger” economy has been forced to seek a bailout from the European Union and the International Monetary Fund on Cowen’s watch.

10 China economy grows 10.3%, inflation fears mount

by Marianne Barriaux, AFP

Thu Jan 20, 5:04 am ET

BEIJING (AFP) – China said Thursday that its economy grew 10.3 percent in 2010, marking the fastest annual pace since the onset of the global crisis, but concerns about persistent inflation sent Asian markets tumbling.

The data has fuelled expectations for a stronger currency — a change that Washington has pressed for during President Hu Jintao’s high-profile US visit this week — as China pulls on a variety of levers to rein in consumer prices.

Gross domestic product rose 9.8 percent in the fourth quarter, accelerating from the previous quarter and exceeding analysts’ expectations, cementing China’s position as the world’s second-largest economy.

11 US lawmakers press Hu on Liu Xiaobo, trade

by Olivier Knox, AFP

1 hr 10 mins ago

WASHINGTON (AFP) – Top US lawmakers said Thursday they had pressed visiting Chinese President Hu Jintao on rampant intellectual property theft, North Korea, and the fate of imprisoned Nobel peace laureate Liu Xiaobo.

Hu, on a high-stakes state visit to the United States, said China needed to make progress on human rights at its own pace, but that he hoped to reduce North Korea tensions and make progress against intellectual piracy, they said.

The Chinese leader did not speak to reporters after his whirlwind visit to the US Capitol, where he met with top members of the House of Representatives and senior US Senators in separate closed-door meetings.

12 2010 warmest ever year, says UN weather agency

by Peter Capella, AFP

Thu Jan 20, 10:46 am ET

GENEVA (AFP) – The UN’s World Meteorological Organisation said Thursday that 2010 was the warmest year on record, confirming a “significant” long-term trend of global warming and producing exceptional weather variations.

The trend also helped to melt Arctic sea ice cover to a record low for December last month, the WMO said in a statement.

Last year “ranked as the warmest year on record, together with 2005 and 1998,” the WMO added, confirming preliminary findings released at the global climate conference early December that were based on a 10-month period.

Told you so- A Proper Snow.

13 South Sudan eyes landslide to secede

by Steve Kirby, AFP

Thu Jan 20, 10:02 am ET

JUBA, Sudan (AFP) – Organisers of south Sudan’s landmark independence vote were collating the remaining preliminary results on Thursday, poised to return a landslide for secession after reaching the simple majority required on just 60 percent of the ballot.

Final results, which will set the mainly Christian, African south on the road to recognition as the world’s newest state in July, are not expected until next month.

But figures gathered by AFP from state and county referendum officials around the south showed that 2,224,857 votes for separation from the mainly Muslim, Arab north had already been returned by Wednesday evening.

14 India vows to pay unpaid Games bills

by Ben Sheppard, AFP

Thu Jan 20, 9:58 am ET

NEW DELHI (AFP) – India on Thursday ordered Commonwealth Games organisers to sort out differences with foreign contractors and sports bodies amid complaints and legal threats over millions of dollars in unpaid bills.

New Sports Minister Ajay Maken told a news conference he has set a 10-day deadline for government officials in the organising committee of the October 3-14 event to settle all “legitimate” dues.

“I have directed the government nominees in organising committee to thoroughly verify the unpaid dues and make all the legitimate payments within 10 days,” said Maken.

15 Irish PM blunder forces early election

By Padraic Halpin and Yara Bayoumy, Reuters

2 hrs 1 min ago

DUBLIN (Reuters) – Ireland’s Prime Minister Brian Cowen was forced to call an early March election on Thursday after an attempt to reshuffle his cabinet backfired, with a third of his cabinet resigning in just over 24 hours.

Cowen’s unexpected bid to promote new faces to a government in its final days was the last straw for his junior coalition partners the Greens who said it was “the final insult” and threatened to withdraw support unless he ditched the plan and named a date for a parliamentary poll.

“The government will continue to do its job … and then we will have an election on the 11th of March,” Cowen told the lower chamber.

16 Tunisia government to lift political ban, police fire shots

By Lin Noueihed and Christian Lowe, Reuters

1 hr 40 mins ago

TUNIS (Reuters) – Tunisia’s new government, faced with violent street protests for retaining members of the deposed president’s cabinet, offered a blanket amnesty to all political groups including the banned Islamist opposition.

The pledge came in the ruling coalition’s first cabinet meeting. Protesters have complained that despite a promised amnesty, only a few hundred of those imprisoned for political reasons during the 23-year rule of Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali had been released.

“We are in agreement for a general amnesty,” said Higher Education Minister Ahmed Ibrahim, an opposition party leader who joined the coalition after Ben Ali’s ouster.

17 Tunisia protesters demand change, prisoners freed

By Christian Lowe and Andrew Hammond, Reuters

Wed Jan 19, 9:01 pm ET

TUNIS (Reuters) – Street protesters in Tunisia kept up pressure for a government free of ties with the old guard while a prominent dissident said he would run for president to sweep the former leadership from power.

The country’s interim leaders said they had freed the last of its political prisoners and promised a “complete break with the past” on Wednesday to appease the protesters who forced the strongman of 23 years, Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali, to flee to Saudi Arabia last week with some of his wealthy entourage.

State television said 33 of Ben Ali’s clan had been arrested for crimes against the nation. It showed what it said was seized gold and jewelry. Switzerland froze Ben Ali’s family assets.

18 Lawmakers press China’s Hu on North Korea and rights

By Thomas Ferraro and Caren Bohan, Reuters

2 hrs 17 mins ago

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Lawmakers pressed Chinese President Hu Jintao to get tough on North Korea and improve human rights on Thursday but trod more softly on the currency dispute that is a major irritant between the world’s top two economies.

Hu was urged by President Barack Obama on Wednesday to let the value of China’s currency rise but members of Congress zeroed in on human rights and trade to underscore the huge gaps between Beijing and Washington.

“Chinese leaders have a responsibility to do better and the United States has a responsibility to hold them to account,” John Boehner, the new Republican speaker of the House of Representatives, said after meeting Hu with other lawmakers.

19 China’s sizzling end to 2010 calls for tighter policy

By Aileen Wang and Kevin Yao, Reuters

Thu Jan 20, 5:53 am ET

BEIJING (Reuters) – China finished 2010 with a bang, its growth soaring past forecasts and inflation slowing less than expected, numbers that could prod the government to intensify its easy-does-it approach to tightening.

Evidence of robust growth may give officials confidence to take more aggressive steps to quell price pressures, from stricter lending curbs to interest rate rises, as rising food costs in recent weeks suggest inflation will rebound in coming months.

China’s annual gross domestic product growth sped up in the fourth quarter to 9.8 percent from 9.6 percent in the third quarter, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) said on Thursday, defying expectations for a slowdown to 9.2 percent.

20 Awkward moment marks choreography of Obama, Hu visit

By Jeff Mason, Reuters

Wed Jan 19, 9:53 pm ET

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Despite an awkward moment before the press and a car door that would not open, Chinese President Hu Jintao’s state visit on Wednesday was mostly glitch-free, marking a successful bit of stagecraft for an important White House guest.

The Chinese president, who was eager to avoid a repeat of the U.S. protocol gaffes he faced during his visit in 2006, got what he wished for: a show of respectful pageantry at a sunny arrival ceremony

But his press conference with U.S. President Barack Obama was marred by translation woes.

Villager Idiots.

21 Obama pushes China on yuan, Hu silent

By Alister Bull, Reuters

Wed Jan 19, 8:57 pm ET

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Calls by U.S. President Barack Obama on China to speed up currency revaluation got a cool reception on Wednesday from visiting President Hu Jintao who gave no hint that Beijing would heed the call.

Obama, in blunt language for a formal state visit, made clear Washington remained unhappy with the pace at which Beijing has allowed the yuan to rise against the dollar, a bone of contention between Washington and Beijing for years.

“I told President Hu that we welcome China’s increasing the flexibility of its currency. But I also had to say that the renminbi (yuan) remains undervalued, that there needs to be further adjustment in the exchange rate,” he said at a news conference with Hu.

22 Special Report: A wing and a prayer: outsourcing at Boeing

By Kyle Peterson, Reuters

Thu Jan 20, 8:29 am ET

EVERETT, Washington (Reuters) – On a blustery and drizzly December afternoon in the Pacific Northwest, about 20 airplanes sat engineless and inert near the runway at a Boeing manufacturing plant. Huge, yellow blocks hung from the wings of some planes to substitute for the weight of absent engines.

Every few minutes, the heavy clouds parted to give a glimpse of blue skies over Everett, Washington, just north of Seattle. Then new clouds rolled in.

The parked planes are 787-8 Dreamliners, the world’s first commercial aircraft with a body and wings made largely of lightweight carbon-composite materials instead of aluminum. Someday these sleek, fuel-efficient machines — already painted in the liveries of their airline customers — may change the face of air travel and plane-making.

23 EU struggles to keep lid on Greek debt buyback talk

Reuters

Thu Jan 20, 7:35 am ET

BERLIN (Reuters) – Greece and euro zone paymaster Germany tried to fend off talk on Thursday that Athens needed help with debt repayments via a buyback with European funding that could face stiff opposition in national parliaments.

A German paper said euro zone nations were mulling a plan to enable Greece and Ireland to write off some of their debt burden using the European Financial Stability Facility, set up after the Greek bailout as a safety net for others who hit trouble.

The Financial Times Deutschland said euro zone finance ministers, who met on Monday, discussed a plan for the bloc’s rescue fund to buy bonds from these states or give them favorable loans for repurchasing debt.

24 Analysis: Bank reserve hikes a China inflation fight lifeline

By Kevin Yao and Koh Gui Qing, Reuters

Thu Jan 20, 6:16 am ET

BEIJING (Reuters) – Forcing banks to lock up more cash is China’s most viable policy option for now as it battles inflation, though that won’t shut the door on higher interest rates and faster rises in the yuan.

At the heart of China’s latest inflation headache is an economy overflowing with money from booming exports, foreign investment and speculative funds looking for returns, all of which are fuelling a lending binge the government is struggling to contain.

But analysts say China’s central bank is hard-pressed for choices as it looks for ways to drain the economy of all the excess cash.

25 House backs repeal of Obama healthcare law

By Donna Smith, Reuters

Wed Jan 19, 6:57 pm ET

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The Republican-led House of Representatives passed legislation that would repeal President Barack Obama’s landmark healthcare reform law on Wednesday in a mostly symbolic move likely to be scuttled in the Senate.

The House voted 245-189 to approve the Republican bill that would scrap the law, which was passed by Congress last year after a bitter debate and signed by Obama when his fellow Democrats still controlled both the House and Senate.

The unified House Republicans were joined by three Democrats in backing the bill, which also needs Senate passage but is unlikely to get it. The Senate remains under Democratic control and is not expected to take up the repeal legislation.

26 Haiti’s "Baby Doc" accused of crimes against humanity

By Joseph Guyler Delva and Allyn Gaestel, Reuters

Wed Jan 19, 6:46 pm ET

PORT-AU-PRINCE (Reuters) – Four Haitians, including a former United Nations spokeswoman, filed criminal complaints on Wednesday against former dictator Jean-Claude “Baby Doc” Duvalier, accusing him of crimes against humanity including torture.

The filings came a day after Duvalier was briefly detained and charged by a Haitian state prosecutor with corruption, embezzlement and other alleged crimes during his 1971-1986 rule in the impoverished Caribbean nation. He returned unexpectedly to Haiti on Sunday from 25 years of exile in France.

Michele Montas, the former spokeswoman for U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, said she and three other Haitians who were jailed during Duvalier’s rule filed the complaints with a Port-au-Prince prosecutor.

27 Hu says China not a military threat to any nation

By MATTHEW PENNINGTON, Associated Press

2 hrs 30 mins ago

WASHINGTON – Chinese President Hu Jintao sought to assure U.S. business leaders on Thursday that his country is an economic partner and not a military threat to America or anyone else. But he rejected foreign interference on issues such as Tibet and Taiwan.

“We will remain committed to the path of peaceful development,” Hu told a U.S.-China Business Council luncheon. “We do not engage in an arms race, we are not a military threat to any country. China will never seek to dominate or pursue an expansionist policy.”

Hu said China intended to “develop a socialist democracy and build a socialist country under the rule of law.”

28 AP Enterprise: Blackwater founder trains Somalis

By KATHARINE HOURELD, Associated Press

30 mins ago

NAIROBI, Kenya – Erik Prince, whose former company Blackwater Worldwide became synonymous with the use of private U.S. security forces in Iraq and Afghanistan, has quietly taken on a new role in helping to train troops in lawless Somalia.

Prince is involved in a multimillion-dollar program financed by several Arab countries, including the United Arab Emirates, to mobilize some 2,000 Somali recruits to fight pirates who are terrorizing the African coast, according to a person familiar with the project and an intelligence report seen by The Associated Press.

Prince’s name has surfaced in the Somalia conflict amid the debate over how private security forces should be used in some of the world’s most dangerous spots. Blackwater, now known as Xe Services, became a symbol in Washington of contractors run amok after a series of incidents, including one in 2007 in which its guards were charged with killing 14 civilians in the Iraqi capital.

29 Smart phones foster dumb habits among pedestrians

By DAVID BAUDER, Associated Press

1 hr 19 mins ago

NEW YORK – It was a miserable morning in New York, rain falling heavily and a 30 mph wind that made holding an umbrella difficult. Yet a man walked briskly up Fifth Avenue, balancing his umbrella and dodging pedestrians as he texted from his smart phone.

As a sheer physical act, it was almost Olympian in the strength, dexterity and concentration required.

It was also completely ridiculous.

30 Home sales hit 13-year low; slow recovery ahead

By MARTIN CRUTSINGER, AP Economics Writer

1 hr 28 mins ago

WASHINGTON – The number of people who bought previously owned homes last year fell to the lowest level in 13 years, and economists say it will be years before the housing market fully recovers.

High unemployment and a record number of foreclosures are deterring potential buyers who fear home prices haven’t reached the bottom. Job growth is expected to pick up this year, but not enough to raise home sales to healthier levels.

“We built too many houses during the boom, and now after the crash, it will take us a long time to get back to normal,” said David Wyss, chief economist at Standard & Poor’s in New York.

31 House GOP reopens abortion debate on health care

By RICARDO ALONSO-ZALDIVAR, Associated Press

51 mins ago

WASHINGTON – A day after their vote to repeal President Barack Obama’s landmark health care law, House Republicans moved Thursday to put their own stamp on the issue, starting with the volatile topic of abortion.

The highly charged issue nearly scuttled passage of the health care law last year. The move to reopen that debate is part of an emerging GOP strategy to attack in the health care law piece-by-piece and promote ideas of their own.

It could also drive a wedge between the majority of Democratic lawmakers who support abortion rights, and a smaller group of abortion opponents within their ranks who signed on to the compromise, thereby providing the critical margin to pass the overhaul last year.

32 DA: Oversight failure enabled Philly abortion mill

By MARYCLAIRE DALE and PATRICK WALTERS, Associated Press

1 hr 48 mins ago

PHILADELPHIA – A filthy abortion mill where prosecutors say babies were delivered alive and killed with scissors would have been shut down long ago if not for extraordinary failures by state regulators, one of whom dismissed a death at the clinic with “people die,” a grand jury report charges.

Dr. Kermit Gosnell, 69, a family practice physician with no certification in gynecology or obstetrics, was arraigned Thursday on eight counts of murder in the deaths of seven babies and one patient. Nine employees also have been charged, including four with murder.

Gosnell asked in court that seven of the murder charges be explained and raised his eyebrows as Magistrate Jane Rice detailed the allegations of the baby deaths.

33 Philly abortion murder case fuels national debate

By DAVID CRARY, AP National Writer

50 mins ago

NEW YORK – The allegations of murder at a Philadelphia abortion clinic add fuel to already heated national debate over late-term abortions and oversight of providers. One side wants tougher restrictions; the other says women would be safer if they had more options.

Almost in unison, abortion-rights and anti-abortion activists decried the alleged offenses of Dr. Kermit Gosnell, who was arraigned Thursday on eight counts of murder in the deaths of seven babies and one patient. He allegedly provided illegal late-term abortions for up to $3,000 while avoiding a crackdown despite numerous complaints and lawsuits.

“This provider clearly operates outside acceptable quality care standards and is a total outlier,” said National Abortion Federation president Vicki Saporta. “The majority of providers offer very high quality care.”

34 New Tunisian government upbeat after first meeting

By HADEEL AL-SHALCHI and BOUAZZA BEN BOUAZZA, Associated Press

1 hr 39 mins ago

TUNIS, Tunisia – Tunisia’s fragile new government sought Thursday to calm compatriots seething at the party that reigned supreme for 23 years and to reunite a country scarred by deadly riots.

The army fired warning shots to calm a noisy but peaceful protest in front of the long-ruling RCD party’s headquarters, where demonstrators took down a huge sign and demanded that the government – dominated by members of the old guard – be dismantled, too.

Ministers in the multiparty Cabinet met for four hours Thursday afternoon and came out showing a united front.

35 Report faults Daniel Pearl murder investigation

By ASHRAF KHAN and NAHAL TOOSI, Associated Press

Thu Jan 20, 6:43 am ET

KARACHI, Pakistan – The four men imprisoned for killing Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl were not present during his beheading but were convicted of murder because Pakistani authorities knowingly relied on perjured testimony and ignored other leads, says a report released Thursday.

The results of the Pearl Project, an investigation carried out by a team of American journalists and students and spanning more than three years, raise troubling questions about Pakistan’s dysfunctional criminal justice system and underscore the limits U.S. officials face in relying on Pakistani authorities.

The four men convicted in the killing did help kidnap the American journalist, according to the investigation. But it says forensic evidence known as “vein-matching” bolsters the confession of al-Qaida No. 3 Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the professed mastermind of the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks on the United States, to having killed Pearl.

36 With Baby Doc back in Haiti, Aristide calls next

By JONATHAN M. KATZ, Associated Press

Thu Jan 20, 2:10 pm ET

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti – Haitians adjusting to the sudden return of one exiled ex-president could soon have another on their hands.

Former dictator Jean-Claude “Baby Doc” Duvalier was holding court with allies at an upscale hotel Thursday before slipping away to an undisclosed destination.

Meanwhile, ousted former President Jean-Bertrand Aristide sent out a letter saying he is ready to come back from six years of South African exile “today, tomorrow, at any time.”

37 2012 election map precarious for Senate Democrats

By CHARLES BABINGTON, Associated Press

Thu Jan 20, 11:29 am ET

WASHINGTON – Sen. Kent Conrad, D-N.D., is retiring and his party has a big problem in 2012 – and beyond.

Farm Belt and Southern voters who prefer a Republican president but have often backed moderate Democrats for Congress seem increasingly inclined to vote GOP in all federal races.

Republicans rejoiced at Conrad’s announcement Tuesday. They’re convinced that they can win the open seat in 2012 and hold it for years to come. They see it as a replay of last fall’s election in the state, when Republican John Hoeven easily won the seat held by 18 years by Democrat Byron Dorgan.

38 Ala. governor apologizes for remarks on Christians

By BOB JOHNSON, Associated Press

Wed Jan 19, 7:41 pm ET

MONTGOMERY, Ala. – Two days after being sworn in as Alabama governor, Robert Bentley apologized Wednesday for proclaiming to a Baptist church audience that only Christians were his brothers and sisters and vowed to work for people of all faiths and colors.

His comments Monday shocked and offended some believers of other faiths, but the backlash didn’t seem to be a serious political wound for the retired dermatologist and Southern Baptist deacon.

In a conservative state with some of the highest levels of church attendance in the country, some Christian leaders defended the remarks and the Republican will likely get a fair chance to pursue his agenda in the coming legislative session.

39 Sen. Joe Lieberman says he will retire in 2012

By JOHN CHRISTOFFERSEN and SUSAN HAIGH, Associated Press

Wed Jan 19, 5:56 pm ET

STAMFORD, Conn. – Sen. Joe Lieberman of Connecticut announced Wednesday that he will not seek a fifth term, ending a political career spanning four decades in which he evolved from a reliably Democratic state legislator into an independent U.S. senator who backed the war in Iraq and the Republican candidate for president.

While Lieberman’s supporters lamented his decision not to run in 2012, many constituents, especially Democrats, said they were pleased because the “Joe” they knew as a state lawmaker and activist state attorney general is already long-gone.

“I think Joe at one point was a really good legislator. … He was on the right side of the issues,” said Leslie Simoes of West Hartford, an advocate for people with disabilities and a registered Democrat. “And then, something shifted in him and he has just come out repeatedly, over and over and over again, absolutely on the wrong side of things.”

40 Spared slaughter, some bison migrate into Montana

BY MATTHEW BROWN, Associated Press

11 mins ago

CORWIN SPRINGS, Mont. – For the first time since the 1800s, a small group of wild bison were herded Wednesday through fresh-fallen snow to reach their historical grazing grounds north of Yellowstone National Park.

As pronghorn antelope and mule deer scattered to avoid the procession, park employees and state livestock agents on horseback pushed the 25 bison about ten miles down the Yellowstone River valley. It took about three hours to reach an open meadow in the Gallatin National Forest, where the animals will be allowed to remain until spring.

The move could provide at least some relief from government-sponsored mass slaughters of the iconic Western animals, often called buffalo. Past winter journeys by bison seeking to graze at lower elevations have been blocked over fears that a disease carried by some could infect cattle.

41 Wisconsin’s new GOP gov., lawmakers in hyperdrive

By SCOTT BAUER, Associated Press

58 mins ago

MADISON, Wis. – On Wisconsin’s highways, work crews are still changing the road signs that feature his predecessor’s name. But in the state Capitol, Scott Walker is already breaking the speed limit.

In the last few days, the new Republican governor has been ramming through the state Legislature an agenda that changes the state’s tax structure, provides new legal protections for businesses and reorganizes a major state agency. In rapid-fire fashion, complicated issues that normally occupy months of debate are going from bill to hearing to law.

“Everything’s coming out in a breakneck pace,” said Robert Kraig, a lobbyist since 1999. “I’ve never seen anything like it.”

42 Pa. school district sued over truancy fines

By MARC LEVY, Associated Press

1 hr 15 mins ago

LEBANON, Pa. – A federal lawsuit accuses a Pennsylvania school district of imposing excessive and illegal fines on truant children or their families, including one parent ordered to pay $27,000 and a 17-year-old student fined more than $12,000.

The suit against the Lebanon School District, filed Thursday in Harrisburg by the Public Interest Law Center of Philadelphia on behalf of four parents and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, targets the court-imposed fines it says were above the state’s limit of $300 per violation.

The suit seeks a class-action declaration and the return of any illegal money that the south-central Pennsylvania district collected. It also asks the court to stop the district from trying to collect any fines that violate state law and remain unpaid.

43 Analysis: JFK’s words in today’s troubled times

By LIZ “Sprinkles” SIDOTI, AP National Political Writer

1 hr 46 mins ago

WASHINGTON – Fifty years after John F. Kennedy summoned Americans to a new generation of leadership and patriotism, one thing is clear: This is no age of Camelot.

Were it uttered by a modern politician, Kennedy’s famous “ask not” call to service might well be derided as a socialist pitch for more government. His idyllic clamoring for a united world to “explore the stars, conquer the deserts, eradicate disease, tap the ocean depths” could easily be dismissed by cynics as dreamy and lacking specifics.

Today’s United States is a polarized land. But looking in on the country this week, exactly a half-century since Kennedy delivered perhaps the most famous inaugural address in American history, it’s hard to keep from wondering: In the much-changed politics of 2011, which of his carefully crafted words still resonate?

44 Bush, ex-officials gather for Gulf War anniversary

By JUAN A. LOZANO, Associated Press

2 hrs 34 mins ago

COLLEGE STATION, Texas – Former President George H.W. Bush and top officials from his administration were set to reunite Thursday to mark the 20th anniversary of the start of the Gulf War.

Bush and key members of his foreign policy team were expected to gather at Texas A&M University before an audience of several thousand people, including Gulf War veterans, to discuss the conflict that started Jan. 17, 1991, and its impact.

New documents detailing conversations former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein had with members of his inner circle as the ground assault began on Feb. 24, 1991, were released Thursday by the National Defense University in Washington. The transcripts released for the 20th anniversary show Hussein tried to broker a last minute peace deal with the help of former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev but at the same time remaining defiant, calling the coalition forces “treacherous and cowardly” and describing Bush as “the enemy of God and humanity.”

45 Jury hears Posada recount sneaking into US in ’05

By WILL WEISSERT, Associated Press

2 hrs 50 mins ago

EL PASO, Texas – The jury in a federal perjury trial heard tapes Thursday of a former CIA operative and anti-communist militant recounting under oath how he illegally entered the U.S. in 2005. Luis Posada Carilles also said Fidel Castro spread lies about his journey to get him in trouble with American authorities.

Prosecutors played tapes of Posada testifying at an immigration hearing in 2006 that he paid a smuggler $6,000 to drive him from Honduras to Houston, where he took a bus to Miami.

The 82-year-old Posada faces 11 counts of perjury, obstruction and immigration fraud for lying during citizenship hearings in El Paso. Prosecutors dispute Posada’s story, accusing him of travelling on a shrimp boat converted into a yacht from Isla Mujeres, near the Mexican resort of Cancun, to Miami – and of lying about it while seeking U.S. naturalization.

46 Generous tax breaks make tax reform difficult

By STEPHEN OHLEMACHER, Associated Press

Thu Jan 20, 2:21 pm ET

WASHINGTON – Nine in 10 Americans will find the maze of credits, deductions and exemptions on their tax forms so confusing and difficult that they’ll hire someone or turn to special computer software to fill out their returns. Even the commissioner of the Internal Revenue Service says he pays someone to do his taxes.

President Barack Obama and key lawmakers from both political parties say it’s time for a serious national discussion about making the tax code simpler and fairer. It’s going to be a long talk, one that could last years. Why? Because every deduction, exemption and credit, every layer of complexity, is important to somebody, in some cases millions of somebodies.

“That’s what the tax code is now, it’s a whole set of winners and losers,” said Howard Gleckman, a fellow at the Urban Institute and editor of TaxVox, a blog on tax issues. “If you reform it, you’re going to create new winners and new losers, and the losers always scream much louder than the winners cheer.”

47 NY judge questions Guantanamo detainee’s defense

By LARRY NEUMEISTER, Associated Press

Thu Jan 20, 12:20 pm ET

NEW YORK – A judge all but rejected efforts Thursday by lawyers for the first Guantanamo detainee to be tried in a civilian court to toss out his conviction in the deadly 1998 bombing of two U.S. embassies in Africa.

U.S. District Judge Lewis A. Kaplan said he’ll rule Friday or Monday on the request. Ahmed Ghailani’s lawyers asked that he reject Ghailani’s conviction on a single conspiracy count on the grounds that it was inconsistent with the jury’s decision to acquit him on more than 280 other counts.

The attacks killed 224 people, including 12 Americans.

48 US Supreme Court hears from few female lawyers

By JESSICA GRESKO, Associated Press

Thu Jan 20, 10:54 am ET

WASHINGTON – Last year Lisa Blatt listed the top lessons she’s learned in more than a decade as a lawyer arguing before the Supreme Court. Never let the justices see you sweat, facts matter and timing is everything. Then she wrote this: Women have a harder time than men successfully arguing before the court.

She should know. No living woman has argued before the nation’s highest court more times than Blatt, who made her 30th appearance Wednesday in a case about drug prices.

“Each argument is a big deal,” said Blatt, a Texas native who learned to argue as a high school debater.

49 Mitsubishi has racy hatchback

By ANN M. JOB, For The Associated Press

Thu Jan 20, 9:24 am ET

The 2011 Mitsubishi Lancer Sportback Ralliart is a turbocharged, sporty hatchback that’s tantalizingly close to a bad boy racer.

The five-seat, five-door Sportback Ralliart looks the part, with a gaping, dark front grille, sinister-looking headlamps, low-profile sport tires and a prominent rear spoiler.

Just a push on the accelerator pedal brings this hot performance hatchback to life as the race-car-derived engine noisily delivers 237 horsepower and 253 foot-pounds of torque. Thank goodness it comes standard with all-wheel drive.

50 Study explores how blindfolded dolphins can ‘see’

By SUZETTE LABOY, Associated Press

Thu Jan 20, 5:35 am ET

GRASSY KEY, Fla. – In a lagoon in the Florida Keys, trainer Emily Guarino blindfolds a male dolphin named Tanner with special latex goggles. “You ready, Tanner?” Guarino asks the young dolphin, waiting beside his companion Kibby.

At a command, another trainer gets Kibby to say ‘hello’ by flapping his fins on the water, splashing noisily in the enclosed lagoon at the Dolphin Research Center here, which houses 22 dolphins and is one of the leaders in dolphin cognitive studies.

“Can you imitate what Kibby is doing?” Guarino asks Tanner. Within seconds, Tanner is splashing “hello” – a seemingly extraordinary feat given the blindfolded dolphin appears to only be using sound to perceive and imitate the actions of his fellow dolphin.

51 Backpack bomb found at MLK event rattles Spokane

By NICHOLAS K. GERANIOS, Associated Press

Thu Jan 20, 4:59 am ET

SPOKANE, Wash. – FBI agents are checking “fruitful leads” in a bombing attempt at a Martin Luther King Jr. Day parade where a backpack filled with sophisticated explosives was placed near the marchers’ route.

The bomb had a remote detonator and the ability to cause mass casualties, according to an official familiar with the case who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to release information about the investigation.

The bomb was defused without incident Monday but unnerved residents of Spokane, especially those who took part in a parade whose theme was steeped in peace and nonviolence.

52 Mass. clergy abuse lawyer lists names of accused

By JAY LINDSAY, Associated Press

Wed Jan 19, 9:20 pm ET

BOSTON – A prominent lawyer for Boston-area clergy sex abuse victims on Wednesday released a new list of accused abusers, saying it was time to “end the secrecy.”

The list includes previously undisclosed names of 19 Catholic priests, brothers and one deacon who attorney Mitchell Garabedian said were among those accused in the scores of cases his firm settled with the church for “tens of millions” of dollars.

None of the newly disclosed people on the list have been tried or convicted of a crime, and at least 16 of the 19 are dead, including all who were priests of the Boston Archdiocese.

53 APNewsBreak: Calif. handgun ammo rules thrown out

By GARANCE BURKE, Associated Press

Wed Jan 19, 7:48 pm ET

FRESNO, Calif. – A trial court judge in central California has thrown out key sections of a state law restricting handgun ammunition sales, barring authorities from registering bullet buyers’ thumbprints on the grounds that it would be unconstitutional.

Gun rights supporters applauded Tuesday’s ruling in Fresno County Superior Court, saying the law would have created uncertainty by forcing local sheriffs and firearms shops to decide for themselves what caliber of bullets were covered under the regulations.

The statute also would have compelled customers to buy their handgun ammunition in face-to-face transactions, which they said would not have prevented a tragedy like the Jan. 8 shooting rampage in Arizona that killed six people and wounded 13 others, including U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords.

54 NYC’s Bloomberg sets sights on pension reform

By SAMANTHA GROSS, Associated Press

Wed Jan 19, 7:30 pm ET

NEW YORK – Mayor Michael Bloomberg warned in his “State of the City” address Wednesday that New York still faces deep budget problems and promised he would seek to cut pensions for government workers that he said were more generous than those found in the private sector.

In his speech on Staten Island, Bloomberg said reforms of the city’s pension system will be his administration’s number one priority in Albany in the weeks ahead. The mayor said he had enlisted the help of former mayor Ed Koch in the effort to wrest control of city-worker pensions back from the state.

The mayor said he wants to raise the retirement age to 65 for non-uniformed workers. The change, which would only apply to new hires, would save billions of dollars over the long term, Bloomberg said.

55 Analysis: US-China tensions may grow again

By TOM RAUM, Associated Press

Wed Jan 19, 6:46 pm ET

WASHINGTON – Despite the pomp, pageantry and vows of cooperation, tensions between the United States and China are likely to grow – not shrink – after President Barack Obama’s summit meeting with Chinese President Hu Jintao.

While the United States struggles with near-chronic unemployment and a continuing housing crisis, China was the first major economy to power out of the global downturn and recently passed Japan as the world’s second-largest economy.

As China gets closer to overtaking the U.S. economically in a decade or two, trade and currency disputes seem likely to intensify.

56 House votes to repeal Obama’s health care law

By DAVID ESPO, AP Special Correspondent

Wed Jan 19, 6:37 pm ET

WASHINGTON – Swiftly honoring a campaign pledge, newly empowered Republicans pushed legislation to repeal the nation’s year-old health care overhaul through the House Wednesday night, brushing aside implacable opposition in the Senate and a veto threat from President Barack Obama.

The 245-189 vote was largely along party lines, and cleared the way for the second phase of the “repeal and replace” promise that victorious Republicans made to the voters last fall. GOP officials said that in the coming months, congressional committees will propose changes to the existing legislation, calling for elimination of a requirement for individuals to purchase coverage, for example, and recommending curbs on medical malpractice lawsuits.

Republicans also intend to try to reverse many of the changes Democrats made to Medicare Advantage, the private alternative to the traditional government-run health care program for seniors.

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