Evening Edition

Evening Edition is an Open Thread

Now with 43 Top Stories.

From Yahoo News Top Stories

1 Pressure mounts on Yemen’s Saleh as clashes rock Sanaa

by Jamal al-Jaberi, AFP

33 mins ago

SANAA (AFP) – International calls for Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh to quit mounted on Wednesday as fierce fighting between dissident tribesmen and security forces neared the capital’s airport, forcing its closure.

“We call upon President Saleh to move immediately on his commitment to transfer power,” US President Barack Obama said at a joint press conference with British Prime Minister David Cameron in London.

Germany’s foreign ministry spokesman Andreas Peschke echoed Obama’s calls urging Saleh to accept a Gulf-brokered exit plan.

AFP

2 Sanaa clashes kill 38, Gulf neighbours call for halt

by Hammoud Mounassar, AFP

Tue May 24, 7:30 pm ET

SANAA (AFP) – Thirty-eight people were killed Tuesday in ongoing clashes between armed clansmen and government forces in a northern district of the Yemen capital Sanaa, according to a new toll from medical and government sources.

Three tribal dignitaries were among 24 supporters of powerful dissident tribal chief Sadiq al-Ahmar who were killed, and dozens of others were wounded, a hospital source told AFP.

The defence ministry said on its website, citing the interior ministry, that 14 soldiers were killed and two were missing in the fighting.

3 Yemen tribesmen seize public buildings as fighting rages

by Jamal al-Jaberi, AFP

Wed May 25, 9:46 am ET

SANAA (AFP) – Tribesmen loyal to a powerful opposition chief have seized public buildings in fighting in Yemen’s capital Sanaa, sources said on Wednesday, as US President Barack Obama called again for President Ali Abdullah Saleh to leave office.

In the fighting, in which 44 people have been killed, the tribesmen occupied the state news agency Saba, the national airline Yemenia building and tried to storm the interior ministry headquarters, according to the witnesses and a high-ranking Yemen official.

The latest fighting came despite an appeal on Tuesday by President Saleh for supporters of Sheikh Sadiq al-Ahmar, who heads the powerful Hashid tribal federation, to “cease their aggression on security forces.”

4 France’s Lagarde runs for IMF despite probe cloud

by Roland Lloyd Parry, AFP

53 mins ago

PARIS (AFP) – French Finance Minister Christine Lagarde launched her bid Wednesday to head the International Monetary Fund after winning broad European backing, vowing to run even if judges probe her role in a business dispute.

If appointed, Lagarde would be the first woman to head the IMF, taking over from her countryman Dominique Strauss-Kahn who resigned to fight charges of sexually assaulting a New York hotel maid.

Lagarde, a respected figure on the world financial stage, has received wide European backing for the post although emerging powers have complained that the job should not automatically go to a European, as IMF tradition dictates.

5 Emerging nations slam Europe’s push for IMF top job

by Paul Handley, AFP

Tue May 24, 7:48 pm ET

WASHINGTON (AFP) – The world’s largest emerging economies on Tuesday slammed Europe’s push to lock up the International Monetary Fund’s top job, calling its hold on the managing director position “obsolete.”

One day after nominations opened to replace Dominique Strauss-Kahn, IMF directors from China, Russia, Brazil, India and South Africa — the so-called BRICS economies — said that the longstanding deal that has allowed only Europeans to lead the IMF “undermines the legitimacy of the Fund.”

They strongly objected to the aggressive push by Europeans in thee past week to have one of their own to replace Strauss-Kahn, who resigned Wednesday after being arrested in New York on sexual assault allegations, which he denies.

6 Volcano cloud briefly closes north German airspace

AFP

Wed May 25, 12:42 pm ET

BERLIN (AFP) – An ash cloud from Iceland briefly forced the closure of several north German airports on Wednesday, including Hamburg and Berlin, even as the Grimsvoetn volcano appeared to stop erupting.

The cloud is the second from an Icelandic volcano in barely a year to disrupt European air traffic and air traffic controllers said some 450 flights were cancelled over Germany on Wednesday.

The Brussels-based Eurocontrol had expected more flight cancellations earlier on Wednesday, when it had predicted that 700 flights would be grounded.

7 Obama rejects notion of US, Europe decline

AFP

Wed May 25, 1:29 pm ET

LONDON (AFP) – In a rallying call to the Western world, US President Barack Obama on Wednesday denied that the rise of powers such as China, India and Brazil meant the inevitable decline of Europe and the United States.

In a keynote speech to Britain’s two houses of parliament meant to inject new momentum into the transatlantic alliance which has bolstered global security since World War II, Obama said Western nations must renew themselves.

“Countries like China, India and Brazil are growing by leaps and bounds,” Obama told the assembled lawmakers, arguing that in the end, the emergence of new powers would benefit everyone.

8 FIFA election race in uproar over corruption claim

by Rob Woollard, AFP

Wed May 25, 12:21 pm ET

LONDON (AFP) – The race for control of world football’s governing body was in uproar on Wednesday after FIFA presidential challenger Mohamed Bin Hammam was accused of corruption.

A FIFA statement said Bin Hammam and three other officials including vice-president Jack Warner had been ordered to appear before an ethics committee on Sunday to respond to fresh allegations of graft.

News of the charges — made by fellow executive committee member Chuck Blazer — came exactly one week before Bin Hammam was due to take on FIFA President Sepp Blatter at elections in Zurich.

9 FIFA open graft probe into Bin Hammam, Warner

by Philippe Grelard, AFP

Wed May 25, 10:16 am ET

PARIS (AFP) – Mohammed Bin Hammam, the Qatari who built his bid for the FIFA presidency around his anti-corruption campaign, on Wednesday found himself at the centre of an alleged graft probe concerning the election bid which should leave the way open for his rival Joseph Blatter to claim a fourth term.

The world football governing body announced they are investigating allegations against Bin Hammam, the Asian Football Confderation president, and FIFA vice-president Jack Warner. The probe also concerns Caribbean Football Union (CFU) officials Debbie Minguell and Jason Sylvester.

The allegations, including bribery, were made by executive committee member Chuck Blazer.

10 Japan books trade deficit as crisis hits output

by Miwa Suzuki, AFP

Wed May 25, 10:41 am ET

TOKYO (AFP) – Japan fell into a trade deficit in April as exports tumbled at their fastest pace in 18 months on supply chain disruptions after the March 11 earthquake and tsunami, official data showed Wednesday.

Exports fell 12.5 percent from a year earlier, data released by the finance ministry showed — the largest fall since October 2009, when trade activity was still weak after the global financial crisis.

Japan logged a deficit of 463.7 billion yen ($5.6 billion), reversing a year-before surplus of 729.2 billion yen, with shipments of cars diving 67.0 percent and those of electronics parts such as microchips dropping 9.0 percent.

11 Crisis, stagflation stalk global recovery: OECD

by Richard Lein, AFP

Wed May 25, 10:39 am ET

PARIS (AFP) – Crisis still stalks the global economy with stagflation lurking and Japan set for recession this year despite moderate overall recovery, the OECD said on Wednesday, warning against complacency.

The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development held its 2011 global growth forecast steady at 4.2 percent in its latest semi-annual Economic Outlook report, but warned of negative uncertainty.

“The recovery is gaining strength but takes place at different paces,” the OECD’s chief economist Pier Carlo Padoan told reporters, adding there was “no room for complacency.”

12 Obama admits ‘limitations’ of Libya operation

by Stephen Collinson, AFP

Wed May 25, 10:13 am ET

LONDON (AFP) – US President Barack Obama on Wednesday admitted the “inherent limitations” of NATO’s strategy of using air power but no ground troops in Libya, but said building pressure would still oust Moamer Kadhafi.

On the second day of a state visit to Britain, Obama also delivered his strongest warning yet to the Palestinians that their evolving plan to seek UN recognition was a “mistake.”

With Obama facing criticism in Europe over his decision to limit US forces to a support role in Libya, as his hosts Britain and France apply the muscle, the president nevertheless said the operation remained on track.

Reuters

13 Democrats press advantage after election win

By Andy Sullivan and Caren Bohan, Reuters

20 mins ago

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Democrats on Wednesday sought to turn public unease over proposed benefit cuts into gains at the ballot box as a Republican plan to scale back a popular health program headed for defeat in the Senate.

Pressing their advantage after winning an election to fill an open congressional seat in New York, Democrats scheduled a 5 p.m. EDT vote on a budget plan that Republicans say would save trillions of dollars in coming decades by privatizing the Medicare health program for future retirees.

Democrats say the unpopularity of the Republican plan helped them win Tuesday’s election in a conservative district, and they hope to boost their prospects in the 2012 elections by forcing their Republican colleagues to take a stand in Wednesday’s vote.

14 Democrats press advantage after election win

By Andy Sullivan and Caren Bohan, Reuters

22 mins ago

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Democrats on Wednesday sought to turn public unease over proposed benefit cuts into gains at the ballot box as a Republican plan to scale back a popular health program headed for defeat in the Senate.

Pressing their advantage after winning an election to fill an open congressional seat in New York, Democrats scheduled a 5 p.m. EDT vote on a budget plan that Republicans say would save trillions of dollars in coming decades by privatizing the Medicare health program for future retirees.

Democrats say the unpopularity of the Republican plan helped them win Tuesday’s election in a conservative district, and they hope to boost their prospects in the 2012 elections by forcing their Republican colleagues to take a stand in Wednesday’s vote.

15 Democrats see Medicare as potent campaign weapon

By John Whitesides, Reuters

2 hrs 29 mins ago

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – An upset Democratic win in a congressional election in New York showed the power of Medicare as a campaign issue, giving the party new hope and a possible blueprint for reversing last year’s heavy losses in 2012.

Republicans cautioned against reading too much into Democrat Kathy Hochul’s victory in a conservative upstate House of Representatives district, as a self-described Tea Party candidate siphoned off Republican support.

But for the first time since their landslide loss in 2010, Democrats were optimistic on Wednesday about the outlook for 2012 when control of the White House and both chambers of Congress will be up for grabs.

16 Republicans stick to plan to privatize Medicare

By Thomas Ferraro and Donna Smith, Reuters

20 mins ago

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Republicans on Wednesday stuck by their plan to privatize the Medicare federal health insurance program for the elderly despite a rebuke from voters in a special congressional election in New York state.

“We can no longer let politicians in Washington deny the danger to Medicare — the danger is all too real, and the health of our nation’s seniors is far too important,” Paul Ryan, the Republican chairman of the House of Representatives Budget Committee, said in an Internet video.

Democrats on Tuesday won a vacant House seat in a district in upstate New York, a traditional Republican stronghold, by turning the special election into a referendum on the plan pushed by Ryan to privatize Medicare.

17 Data points to slowing manufacturing activity

By Lucia Mutikani, Reuters

Wed May 25, 12:36 pm ET

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – New orders for U.S. manufactured goods posted their largest drop in six months in April after a steep fall in demand for transportation equipment, suggesting some cooling in factory activity.

Durable goods orders declined 3.6 percent last month, worse than economists’ expectations for a 2.2 percent fall. March’s orders were revised up to a 4.4 percent rise from a 4.1 percent increase, the Commerce Department said on Wednesday.

While durable goods orders are extremely volatile, the report added to a raft of recent data suggesting that the loss of economic growth momentum encountered as the year started persisted into the early part of the second quarter.

18 France’s Lagarde launches IMF bid as BRICs complain

By Jean-Baptiste Vey and Lesley Wroughton, Reuters

Wed May 25, 1:12 pm ET

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/201…

PARIS/WASHINGTON (Reuters) – French Finance Minister Christine Lagarde joined the race to head the IMF on Wednesday despite anger in big emerging economies over Europe’s “obsolete” lock on the job.

Lagarde announced her candidacy on the eve of a G8 summit after securing the unanimous backing of the 27-nation European Union and, diplomats said, support from the United States and China, making her the overwhelming favorite to clinch the top job in global finance next month.

At a news conference in Paris, she promised to serve a full five-year term if chosen, unlike her three predecessors, and to give top priority to completing reform of the International Monetary Fund to give greater weight to emerging economies.

19 Obama warns Gaddafi of "no let up"

By Matt Falloon and Joseph Logan, Reuters

20 mins ago

LONDON/TRIPOLI (Reuters) – President Barack Obama warned Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi on Wednesday there would be ‘no let-up’ in pressure on him to go, following a second successive night of heavy NATO bombing in Tripoli.

Six loud explosions rocked Tripoli late on Tuesday within 10 minutes, following powerful strikes 24 hours earlier, including one on Gaddafi’s complex in which Libyan officials said 19 died.

Obama told a London news conference with British Prime Minister David Cameron he could not predict when Gaddafi, who is fighting a three-month-old insurgency, might be forced to go.

20 Iceland eruption ending, German airports reopen

By Mia Shanley and Omar Valdimarsson, Reuters

Wed May 25, 12:42 pm ET

STOCKHOLM/REYKJAVIK (Reuters) – Iceland’s volcanic eruption has died down and is no longer spewing out ash, officials said on Wednesday and airlines began to get back to normal after cancelling about 1,000 flights in northern Europe.

European air traffic agency Eurocontrol said it expected the ash cloud would dissipate overnight and did not see any significant disruption to travel in Europe on Thursday.

The explosion of the Grimsvotn volcano on Saturday caused much less chaos than an eruption last year at another Icelandic volcano thanks to new rules for airlines, but the incident showed problems remain with the regulations. Budget airline Ryanair was vocal in its criticism.

21 Greek austerity standoff rattles euro zone

By George Georgiopoulos and Harry Papachristou, Reuters

Wed May 25, 11:29 am ET

ATHENS (Reuters) – The Greek government scrambled to resolve a standoff with its opposition over austerity on Wednesday, with one official warning the only alternative to more cuts was leaving the euro and bringing back the drachma.

Athens denied reports it was poised to call a referendum on Prime Minister George Papandreou’s new savings plan, which foresees up to 11.5 billion euros in state asset sales by the end of next year, and said it was still seeking a consensus on the deeply unpopular steps.

The showdown in Greece underscored rising political hurdles to an orderly resolution of the debt crisis that has plagued the 17-nation currency zone for the past 18 months and forced bailouts of Greece, Ireland and now Portugal.

22 Greece’s 100 billion-euro shadow over banks

By Gareth Gore, Reuters

Wed May 25, 11:09 am ET

LONDON, May 25 (IFR) – European banks remain saddled with almost 100 billion euros of Greek government debt they can’t sell, hedge or ignore, after a number of recent deals to offload the exposure to reduce the impact of a possible default ended in failure, according to bankers involved.

The deals have been thwarted by a lack of willing buyers for the debt — even at record low prices — and that exposed lenders have been unable to buy protection because of the high costs, with top bankers advising their clients all they can now do is cross their fingers and hope for the best.

“The vast majority of these banks have just been unable to do anything,” said one European banker who has advised dozens of such banks. “Protection is too expensive, and markets for these bonds are illiquid, so many are riding out the problem. Right now, all they can do is shut their eyes and hope.”

23 OECD sees growth firm, but risks abounding

By Leigh Thomas, Reuters

Wed May 25, 4:53 am ET

PARIS (Reuters) – Global economic recovery is on track, helped by a stronger United States, but threats ranging from high oil prices to European sovereign debt crises could yet combine to create a bout of stagflation, the OECD said on Wednesday.

The Paris-based Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development said the U.S. and euro area economies were growing faster than expected in forecasts six months ago, although Japan’s economy was set to contract after the March earthquake, tsunami and nuclear crisis.

As a result, it said the U.S. Federal Reserve should look to raise interest rates this year, while the European Central Bank could afford to pause its tightening cycle for a while and Japan faced no pressure to act.

24 AIG share sale raises $8.7 billion after record bailout

By Clare Baldwin and Pedro da Costa, Reuters

Wed May 25, 3:57 am ET

NEW YORK/WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. Treasury made a small profit when it sold a portion of its shares in American International Group Inc on Tuesday, but it was unclear how its investment in the beleaguered insurer will ultimately fare.

The shares were sold for $29 apiece, just above the $28.73 average price the Treasury will need to break even on its record bailout of AIG during the financial crisis.

But the sale price was at only a 1.6 percent discount to Tuesday’s closing price, which could prove scant comfort to investors who have watched AIG shares plummet 40 percent since the beginning of the year.

25 U.S. sues big oil traders for 2008 manipulation

By Joshua Schneyer and Timothy Gardner, Reuters

Tue May 24, 11:04 pm ET

NEW YORK/WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Regulators launched one of the biggest ever crackdowns on oil price manipulation on Tuesday, suing two well-known traders and two trading firms owned by Norwegian billionaire John Fredriksen for allegedly making $50 million by squeezing markets in 2008.

The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) said traders James Dyer of Oklahoma’s Parnon Energy, and Nick Wildgoose of Europe-based Arcadia Energy, amassed large physical positions at a key U.S. trading hub to create the impression of tight supplies that would boost oil prices.

Later they dumped those barrels back onto the market, causing prices to crash and racking up profits from short positions they had accrued in futures markets, the suit said.

AP

26 Egypt to open Rafah crossing permanently

By MARK LAVIE, Associated Press

1 hr 46 mins ago

CAIRO – Egypt’s decision Wednesday to end its blockade of Gaza by opening the only crossing to the Hamas-ruled Palestinian territory this weekend could ease the isolation of 1.4 million Palestinians there. It also puts the new Egyptian regime at odds with Israel, which insists on careful monitoring of people and goods entering Gaza for security reasons.

The Rafah crossing will be open permanently starting Saturday, Egypt’s official Middle East News Agency announced. That would provide Gaza Palestinians their first open border to the world in four years, since Egypt and Israel slammed their crossings shut after the Islamic militant Hamas overran the Gaza Strip in 2007.

During the closure, Egypt sometimes opened its border to allow Palestinians through for special reasons such as education or medical treatment. But with Israel severely restricting movement of Palestinians through its Erez crossing in northern Gaza, residents there were virtual prisoners.

27 Obama promises no "let-up" in offensive in Libya

By JULIE PACE, Associated Press

2 hrs 4 mins ago

LONDON – Firmly united against Moammar Gadhafi, President Barack Obama and Prime Minister David Cameron promised a relentless and punishing pummeling of his forces in Libya on Wednesday but also pleaded for patience for an effort with no clear end in sight. Obama ruled out a deadline for ending NATO’s military assault, saying only that it would be over “in a timely fashion.”

“Gadhafi and his regime need to understand that there will not be a let-up in the pressure that we are applying,” the U.S. president said, even as Libyan rebels clashed with mercenaries fighting for Gadhafi and less than a day after NATO intensified its bombardment of the Libyan capital. Britain’s leader, hosting a news conference with Obama, said the two agreed on a need to “be turning up the heat in Libya.”

The Libyan crisis and the broader Arab uprisings across North Africa and the Middle East will be major topics as Obama, Cameron and leaders of other wealthy nations head to the Group of Eight gathering in the Normandy resort of Deauville, France, for talks that begin Thursday. The world’s top economies are scrambling to figure out how to help countries with democratic transitions without being seen as heavy-handed.

28 AP sources: Army chief picked to head Joint Chiefs

By ROBERT BURNS, AP National Security Writer

9 mins ago

WASHINGTON – A general installed just last month as the Army’s top officer is President Barack Obama’s surprise choice to become the next chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, two people familiar with the selection process said Wednesday.

Gen. Martin Dempsey, an accomplished veteran of the Iraq war, would succeed Navy Adm. Mike Mullen as the president’s top military adviser when Mullen’s term as chairman ends Sept. 30. Dempsey would have to be confirmed by the Senate.

Two people familiar with the choice, who spoke on condition of anonymity because it has not been announced by the White House, said it is scheduled to be made public on Tuesday.

29 France’s Lagarde launches bid for IMF leadership

By GREG KELLER, Associated Press

Wed May 25, 11:13 am ET

PARIS – French Finance Minister Christine Lagarde on Wednesday launched her bid to lead the International Monetary Fund, a candidacy that would put the first woman in charge of the scandal-rocked fund but increases tensions with developing nations who want one of their own as head.

The charismatic Lagarde, who spent much of her career in the United States, emerged as the front-runner for the job even before speaking out publicly.

“If I’m elected I’ll bring all my expertise as a lawyer, a minister, a manager and a woman” to the job, she said Wednesday. The IMF, which provides billions in loans to shore up the world economy, has not had a woman director since its inception in 1945.

30 FIFA investigates bin Hammam, Warner for bribery

By GRAHAM DUNBAR, AP Sports Writer

2 hrs 5 mins ago

ZURICH – With FIFA’s presidential election just a week away, football’s governing body said Wednesday it is investigating challenger Mohamed bin Hammam for bribery in his campaign to unseat Sepp Blatter.

FIFA summoned Asian Football Confederation leader bin Hammam and FIFA vice president Jack Warner to an ethics hearing on Sunday to face allegations of corruption during the Qatari official’s campaign visit to Trinidad two weeks ago.

The allegations – leveled by Warner’s longtime ally Chuck Blazer of the United States – could well wreck bin Hammam’s already fading hopes of defeating Blatter in the June 1 vote by FIFA’s 208 national members.

31 25 children among the dead in Syrian uprising

By ELIZABETH A. KENNEDY, Associated Press

Wed May 25, 11:20 am ET

BEIRUT – More than 25 children, some of them tortured, are among the victims of the Syrian government’s deadly crackdown on an uprising that has killed more than 1,000 people over the past two months, an opposition group said Wednesday.

The Local Coordination Committees in Syria, which helps organize the protests against President Bashar Assad, identified the children and the circumstances of their death. Syria has blocked media access in the country, making it impossible to verify the reports independently.

Some of the children died “under severe torture,” the group’s statement said.

32 Europeans seek UN condemnation of Syria

By EDITH M. LEDERER, Associated Press

1 min ago

UNITED NATIONS – Key European nations circulated a draft United Nations resolution Wednesday that would condemn Syria for its crackdown on peaceful protesters and appeal for an end to the violence, U.N. diplomats said.

Britain, France, Germany and Portugal sent the draft text to all other members on the 15-nation Security Council, several diplomats said, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly.

Council experts were scheduled to meet Thursday morning to discuss the draft, the diplomats said.

33 Medicare key to shocking Dem win in NY House race

By BETH FOUHY and CAROLYN THOMPSON, Associated Press

Wed May 25, 6:30 am ET

BUFFALO, N.Y. – Kathy Hochul told her supporters they had picked the right issue to fight a Republican on long-held Republican turf.

The Democrat rode a wave of voter discontent over the national GOP’s plan to change Medicare and overcame decades of GOP dominance here to capture Tuesday’s special election in New York’s 26th Congressional District.

Hochul defeated Republican state Assemblywoman Jane Corwin on Tuesday night, capturing 47 percent of the vote to 43 percent for Corwin, to win the seat vacated by disgraced Republican Chris Lee. A wealthy tea party candidate, Jack Davis, took 9 percent.

34 Tea party targets schools for ‘Constitution Week’

By JOHN MIILLER, Associated Press

Wed May 25, 1:10 pm ET

MALTA, Idaho – America’s kids will be learning about the U.S. Constitution this coming school year with help from a decidedly conservative Idaho publishing house, if a tea party group gets its way.

The Tea Party Patriots, Georgia-based but claiming 1,000 chapters nationally, are instructing members to remind teachers that a 2004 federal law requires public schools to teach Constitution lessons the week of Sept. 17, commemorating the day the document was signed. And they’d like the teachers to use material from the Malta, Idaho-based National Center for Constitutional Studies, which promotes the Constitution as a divinely-inspired document.

The center’s founder, W. Cleon Skousen, once called Jamestown’s original settlers communists, wrote end-of-days prophecy and suggested Russians stole Sputnik from the United States. In 1987, one of his books was criticized for suggesting American slave children were freer than white non-slaves.

35 Pawlenty: An economic pro or crafty budget setter?

By BRIAN BAKST, Associated Press

Wed May 25, 3:11 am ET

ST. PAUL, Minn. – A no-new-taxes philosophy guided Tim Pawlenty’s budget approach as Minnesota governor. Accounting tricks, a well-timed infusion of stimulus money from Washington and word games kept the Republican mostly on that course.

The newly minted presidential candidate hopes Republican primary voters will see him as an economic pro accustomed to dealing with red ink and capable of confronting the nation’s colossal fiscal problems.

“Minnesota’s big-government legacy presented me with the same type of problems Barack Obama found in the nation’s capital,” Pawlenty said this week of the Democratic president he hopes to unseat. “But my approach – and my results – were very different from his.”

Great President or Greatest President ever?

36 House GOP, Dems push to get US out of Afghanistan

By DONNA CASSATA, Associated Press

1 hr 5 mins ago

WASHINGTON – Now that Osama bin Laden is dead, it’s time to end the war in Afghanistan and bring U.S. troops home, several House Republicans and Democrats demanded on Wednesday.

President Barack Obama will begin drawing down some of the 100,000 troops in Afghanistan in July, with all combat forces due out by 2014. But that timetable is unacceptable to a growing number of war-weary lawmakers, who argue that the death of the al-Qaida leader is an opportunity for the United States to recalibrate its strategy.

“The successful mission that located and killed Osama bin Laden has raised many questions about the effectiveness of America’s strategy to combat terrorism through a now 10-year-old nation-building effort in a deeply corrupt Afghanistan, especially in light of the serious fiscal challenges we face at home,” Reps. Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, and Peter Welch, D-Vt., wrote in a letter to colleagues on Wednesday.

37 Senate to vote down controversial House budget

By ANDREW TAYLOR, Associated Press

1 hr 25 mins ago

WASHINGTON – The Democratic-run Senate is poised to vote down a controversial House budget plan that calls for turning Medicare into a voucher-like program for future beneficiaries.

Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., said the vote was expected to take place Wednesday afternoon. At the same time, Republicans are forcing a vote to put Democrats on record for or against President Barack Obama’s February budget proposal, while conservative Republicans will get votes on even more stringent plans.

Reid is staging the votes to put Republicans on record regarding a plan by House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan, R-Wis., that would transform Medicare into a program in which future beneficiaries – people now 54 years old and younger – would be given a subsidy to purchase health insurance rather than have the government directly pay hospital and doctor bills.

38 Texas boy, 13, wins National Geographic Bee

By JESSICA GRESKO, Associated Press

2 hrs 1 min ago

WASHINGTON – A 13-year-old boy from Texas won the National Geographic Bee on Wednesday by correctly identifying the country that is home to the Tungurahua volcano.

Tine Valencic of Colleyville didn’t miss a single question during the final round of the geography bee, defeating nine other boys and taking home a $25,000 scholarship and a trip to the Galapagos Islands. The answer that made the difference: Ecuador.

“I’m just taking it all in,” he said after winning and being lent tissues to dry his eyes by both the bee moderator, “Jeopardy!” host Alex Trebek, and the bee’s second-place finisher.

39 US gov’t to promote citizenship in ad campaign

By AMY TAXIN, Associated Press

Wed May 25, 3:31 pm ET

LOS ANGELES – The federal government will run a national advertising campaign to encourage more immigrants to become American citizens and become more integrated into society, officials said on Wednesday.

The multilingual effort aims to reach roughly 7.9 million immigrants who are eligible to file applications to naturalize but haven’t done so. Many immigrants work, raise a family and go to school while holding green cards and only think about citizenship when they need to travel or abroad or when elections roll around and they can’t vote, immigration officials said.

The campaign in print, radio and digital media that will run primarily in California, New York, Florida and Texas between May 30 and Labor Day aims to put citizenship in the forefront of people’s minds and give them personal stories of immigrants who have naturalized.

40 Schools struggle to recover amid years of cuts

By TERENCE CHEA, Associated Press

Wed May 25, 3:09 pm ET

STOCKTON, Calif. – The financial crisis hitting many of the nation’s public schools is taking a heavy toll in cities such as Stockton, a blue-collar port city that struggles even in good times.

Perched on the edge of central California’s delta, about an hour south of the state capital, the city of nearly 300,000 has had some of the highest home foreclosure and unemployment rates in a state that has ranked high in both categories.

The hard times have spread to the local schools. Last year, the district laid off 100 teachers, gutted its summer school program and raised class sizes from 20 students to 30 in kindergarten through third grade.

41 Shareholder meetings hit the road

By PALLAVI GOGOI and RACHEL BECK, AP Business Writers

Wed May 25, 2:39 pm ET

NEW YORK – When it’s time for the annual meeting and things might get ugly, there’s no place like the road.

Marshall & Illsley Corp., a 164-year-old Wisconsin bank, usually meets with shareholders each April in its hometown of Milwaukee. But that was before the bagpipe-playing firefighters and marching teachers descended on its branches by the thousands earlier this year to protest contributions from executives to Gov. Scott Walker. And it was before the board decided to sell the bank to a Canadian company, a deal that includes $65 million in severance for those same executives.

M&I postponed its regular annual meeting and decamped for New York, 900 miles away, for a hasty special meeting last week. It would be the bank’s last shareholders’ meeting – and it only lasted seven minutes. Attendees say executives promised to take questions at the end but never did, and exited quickly through a back door after holding a vote to approve the acquisition by BMO Finance Group, the parent of the Bank of Montreal.

42 Tacoma keeps on truckin’

By ANN M. JOB, For The Associated Press

Wed May 25, 1:19 pm ET

The Toyota Tacoma, America’s best-selling compact pickup truck, continues to garner praise – and sales.

The no-nonsense Tacoma is a recommended buy of Consumer Reports. Two months ago, the Tacoma also was named the top truck in its category in J.D. Power and Associates’ 2011 Dependability Study measuring issues of owners of 3-year-old vehicles over the last 12 months of ownership.

The Dependability rating comes on top of years of noteworthy praise for the resale value of earlier Tacomas.

43 Cost of Texas drought climbing with each dry day

By BETSY BLANEY, Associated Press

Wed May 25, 5:28 am ET

LUBBOCK, Texas – A historic drought has already cost Texas farmers and ranchers an estimated $1.5 billion, and the cost is growing daily as parched conditions persist in much of the state.

May is typically the wettest month in Texas, but parts of the state haven’t seen significant rain since last August. Officials said if the drought continues into June, losses for the nation’s second largest agriculture producer will top $4 billion, making it the costliest season on record.

“We’re well on our way to breaking the record of the past,” said Carl Anderson, an agricultural economist with Texas AgriLife Extension Service, referring to the 2006 season.

3 comments

  1. From Yves Smith:

    IAEA Knew Within Weeks of Japanese Earthquake that Reactors Had Melted Down … Public Not Told for a Month and a Half

    the IAEA knew in late March that there was a meltdown. The IAEA informs all of its member states of important nuclear developments.

    Government agencies sat on this information, and the world didn’t learn the truth until the operator of the stricken reactors itself made the announcement a month and a half later.

    This is not entirely surprising given that governments have been covering up nuclear meltdowns for fifty years to protect the nuclear industry.

    Many of us knew we were being lied to by TEMPCO.

    This is worse than Chernobyl  

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