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Risks of boomerangs a reality in world of cyberwar
The Obama administration is warning American businesses about an unusually potent computer virus that infected Iran's oil industry even as suspicions persist that the United States is responsible for secretly creating and unleashing cyberweapons against foreign countries. (Associated Press, 7:49 a.m.)
AP Interview: UN official says no to Syria amnesty
The U.N.'s top human rights official said Saturday that there should be no amnesty for serious crimes committed in Syria, even if the threat of prosecution might motivate members of the regime to cling to power at all costs. (Associated Press, 7:09 a.m.)
Newark mayor addresses Wash. state Dem. convention
The mayor of Newark, N.J., has told the Washington state Democratic Party convention that the Obama campaign offered some advice as he prepared his Seattle speech -- don't stick your foot in your mouth again. (AP, 2:59 a.m.)
Obama says Congress needs to act on jobs
President Barack Obama is urging Congress to act on a number of bills he says will accelerate the economy. He says the nation has responsibilities that are "bigger than an election." (Associated Press, 6:09 a.m.)
Edwards advised to keep low profile before 2nd act
Now that he has survived his campaign corruption trial, John Edwards may face an even tougher fight to regain the public's respect. (Associated Press, 6/1/12)
Obama to visit World Trade Center site this month
President Barack Obama will visit the site of the Sept. 11 attacks in New York City later this month. (AP, 6/1/12)
Court: US must decide terrorist designation
A federal appeals court on Friday gave Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton four months to decide whether a group opposed to Iran should be removed from a list of foreign terrorist organizations. (Associated Press, 6/1/12)
Obama says economy will come back stronger
President Barack Obama said Friday the latest employment report shows that the economy is not creating jobs "as fast as we want," but he pledged that the economy will improve. (Associated Press, 6/1/12)
Appeals court rules against ex-Gitmo prosecutor
A divided federal appeals court Friday threw out a lawsuit by the former chief military prosecutor at Guantanamo Bay against his former boss at the Library of Congress, who fired the ex-prosecutor for publicly criticizing the Obama administration over Guantanamo detainees. (Associated Press, 6/1/12)
Clarification: Panetta-Syria story
A story that moved May 31 about Defense Secretary Leon Panetta's comments on Syria mischaracterized earlier statements by Susan Rice, U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, saying that she suggested military intervention may be the only remaining option. Rice said the most probable outcome in Syria was that the Kofi Annan peace plan would fail. In that case, she said, ... (AP, 6/1/12)
Panetta to stress commitment to Asia-Pacific
Defense Secretary Leon Panetta is traveling through Asia this week, determined to show the U.S. is serious about shifting its focus to the region, amid growing worries about China's increasingly aggressive posture and North Korea's nuclear ambitions. (Associated Press, 6/1/12)
Panetta: No military action in Syria without UN OK
Defense Secretary Leon Panetta says he does not see the U.S. taking military action in Syria without the backing of a U.N. Security Council resolution -- something that so far appears unlikely because of opposition from Russia. (Associated Press, 5/31/12)
House votes small boost in intelligence spending
The House voted to give the intelligence community a few billion dollars more Thursday than the White House wanted for next year's budget -- a price tag that covers the range of intelligence needs from the CIA to the high-tech satellites that spied on Osama bin Laden's compound. (AP Intelligence Writer, 5/31/12)
House passes veterans funding bill
The Republican-controlled House approved legislation Thursday to boost health care spending for veterans and provide more money to compensate record numbers of Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans claiming service-related disabilities as they return home. (Associated Press, 5/31/12)
House votes small boost in intelligence spending
The House voted to give the intelligence community a few billion dollars more Thursday than the White House wanted for next year's budget -- a price tag that covers the range of intelligence needs from the CIA to the high-tech satellites that spied on Osama bin Laden's compound. (AP Intelligence Writer, 5/31/12)
House GOP releases documents on health care deals
The White House played political hardball with drug industry honchos to get a 2009 deal that helped keep health care overhaul legislation from bogging down in Congress, according to internal emails released Thursday by House Republicans. (Associated Press, 5/31/12)
Hill GOP leaders make new offer on student loans
Top congressional Republicans made a new offer to President Barack Obama on Thursday in their fight over heading off a doubling of interest rates on federal college loans for 7.4 million students, proposing fresh ways to cover the effort's $6 billion cost. (Associated Press, 5/31/12)
Marines expand probe of urination video
The Marine Corps is investigating other possible misconduct by members of a battalion who drew worldwide attention when a video surfaced purporting to show them urinating on Afghan corpses, officials said Thursday. (AP National Security Writer, 5/31/12)
Biography recounts Obama's path to Rev. Wright
A new biography that traces Barack Obama's path from birth -- yes, in Hawaii -- to Harvard Law School, sketches the pragmatism and politics of the future president's early choices, including his first connections to Jeremiah Wright, the inflammatory preacher whom Obama severed ties with during the 2008 presidential campaign. (Associated Press, 5/31/12)
IMF: No bailout plans for Spain in the works
The International Monetary Fund says it has not been asked by Spain for a bailout and has not begun preparing one. (Associated Press, 5/31/12)
Curbside bus companies shut down by government
Twenty-five curbside bus companies and a bus ticket seller were shut down by the Department of Transportation this week in what federal officials say is the government's largest single safety crackdown of the motor coach industry. The companies transported about 1,800 passengers a day along Interstate 95 between New York and Florida, officials said. (AP, 5/31/12)
IMF head expresses regret about Greece comments
The International Monetary Fund's top official has expressed regrets for comments about Greeks' suffering during their debt crisis. (Associated Press, 5/31/12)
Gov't cracking down on curbside bus companies
Government safety officials swooped down on more than two dozen curbside bus operations that mostly ferry passengers in the busy East Coast transportation corridor between New York and Florida, shuttering them for safety violations in the largest-ever single federal crackdown on the industry. (Associated Press, 5/31/12)
Alongside Obama, George W. Bush steals the WH show
It's Barack Obama's house now, but his predecessor and political foil, George W. Bush, stole the show at the White House on Thursday with his wisecracks and grin. (Associated Press, 5/31/12)
Defining a Palestinian refugee a US complication
A simple congressional request for the United States to distinguish between Palestinians displaced by the 1948 Arab-Israeli conflict and millions of their descendants poses a high-stakes diplomatic and political challenge for President Barack Obama. (Associated Press, 5/31/12)
House rejects sex-selection abortion ban
The House on Thursday fell short in an effort to ban abortions based on the sex of the fetus as Republicans and Democrats made an election-year appeal for women's votes. (Associated Press, 5/31/12)
FACT CHECK: Oil stats belie tough enforcement talk
In the three years since President Barack Obama took office, Republicans have made the Environmental Protection Agency a lightning rod for complaints that his administration has been too tough on oil and gas producers. (Associated Press, 5/31/12)
Fed flood insurance program gets 60-day extension
Congress has given itself two more months to come up with long-term solutions for the debt-burdened National Flood Insurance Program. (Associated Press, 5/30/12)
Recall news
The following recalls have been announced: ------ (AP, 5/30/12)
Gov't expanding E. coli tests in meat
The government is expanding E. coli testing in some raw meat, a move expected to prevent more people from contracting the bacteria that can cause severe illness or death. (Associated Press, 5/30/12)
White House issues veto threat on veterans bill
The White House is warning that President Barack Obama will veto a widely popular House spending bill for veterans' programs and construction projects at military bases. (Associated Press, 5/30/12)
Odd politics, presidential tradition: Bush is back
This is a little awkward. President Barack Obama can't seem to stop bad-mouthing the record of former President George W. Bush. But on Thursday, Obama is going to welcome his predecessor and proudly preside as Bush's image and legacy are enshrined at the White House forever. (AP White House Correspondent, 5/30/12)
US again imposes clean-energy tariffs on China
The Obama administration moved Wednesday to impose stiff new tariffs on wind-energy towers made in China, the latest strike in an escalating trade war over clean energy. (AP, 5/30/12)
US again imposes clean-energy tariffs on China
The Obama administration moved Wednesday to impose stiff new tariffs on wind-energy towers made in China, the latest strike in an escalating trade war over clean energy. (AP, 5/30/12)
FACT CHECK: Oil stats belie tough enforcement talk
In the three years since President Barack Obama took office, Republicans have made the Environmental Protection Agency a lightning rod for complaints that his administration has been too tough on oil and gas producers. (Associated Press, 5/30/12)
US levies new sanctions on key Syrian bank
WASHINGTON -- The Obama administration added new sanctions on a Syrian bank Wednesday as a top White House official said the U.S. wants to economically throttle the regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad and cut off salaries of pro-government thugs blamed for the grisly massacre in Houla. (Associated Press, 5/30/12)
Split-finger or HGH? Trial debates Clemens career
Knowledgeable baseball fans can argue all day whether it was the split-finger fastball -- and not performance-enhancing drugs -- that kept Roger Clemens on top of his game well into his 30s and beyond. His lawyers are trying to make that point at a trial where basic terms such as "Fenway Park" and "foul pole" require an explanation for a ... (AP Sports Writer, 5/30/12)
Pentagon: al-Qaida still enjoys Afghan haven
The Pentagon says al-Qaida still enjoys safe haven in some areas of eastern Afghanistan, and even though its numbers are small, its presence worries the top American commander there. (AP, 5/30/12)
Obama signs bill reauthorizing Export-Import Bank
President Barack Obama has signed legislation that renews the charter of the Export-Import Bank for three years and increases the bank's lending cap to $140 billion from the current $100 billion. The bank is the government's vehicle for promoting U.S. export sales. (AP, 5/30/12)
US remains opposed to military action in Syria
Shocking as it was, the massacre of more than 100 Syrian villagers is unlikely to galvanize a military assault like last year's campaign in Libya to oust Moammar Gadhafi. The killings, however, did provoke the strongest international condemnation the United States and other nations could muster. (AP National Security Writer, 5/30/12)
Obama's health care aid to small firms disappoints
It seemed like a good idea at the time. But a health insurance tax credit for small businesses, part of President Barack Obama's health care law that gets strong support in public opinion polls, has turned out to be a disappointment. (Associated Press, 5/30/12)
White House: Obama misspoke on 'Polish death camp'
The White House said President Barack Obama misspoke on Tuesday when he referred to a "Polish death camp" while honoring a Polish war hero. (Associated Press Writer, 5/29/12)
Newark mayor's spokeswoman resigns week after flap
Newark Mayor Cory Booker's communications director has resigned. Anne Torres is stepping down a little more than a week after the mayor drew flak from fellow Democrats for criticizing President Barack Obama's campaign. (AP, 5/29/12)
First lady: Daughters need thick skin in politics
Michelle Obama says her daughters are learning that even the kids of politicians have to have a thick skin. (Associated Press, 5/29/12)
Court won't block suit in Minn. bridge collapse
The Supreme Court will not block Minnesota's lawsuit against a California design firm over the deadly 2007 interstate bridge collapse in Minneapolis that killed 13 people. (AP, 5/29/12)
Panetta: Asia is the 'project' for new Navy grads
The Pentagon chief said Tuesday building U.S. maritime strength across the Asia-Pacific region will be one of the main projects for the new generation of America's naval officers. (Associated Press, 5/29/12)
High court turns down former hostages in Iran
The Supreme Court has declined to revive a lawsuit against Iran filed by Americans held hostage at the U.S. Embassy in Tehran more than 30 years ago. (AP, 5/29/12)
Syrian diplomats around the world expelled
Governments around the world expelled Syrian ambassadors and diplomats Tuesday, an unusual, coordinated blow to Syrian President Bashar Assad's regime following a gruesome massacre that the United Nations said involved close-range shootings of scores of children and parents in their homes. (Associated Press, 5/29/12)
Obama to honor Medal of Freedom recipients
President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama will honor a diverse cross-section of political and cultural icons -- including former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, astronaut John Glenn, basketball coach Pat Summitt and rock legend Bob Dylan -- with the Medal of Freedom at a White House ceremony Tuesday. (AP, 5/29/12)
Obama to honor Medal of Freedom recipients
President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama will honor the recipients of the Medal of Freedom at a White House ceremony Tuesday. (AP, 5/29/12)