(AP) 4 hearings this week on agency’s spending scandalBy LARRY MARGASAKAssociated PressWASHINGTONA culture of wasteful spending by the General Services Administration, the real estate agency for federal buildings, comes under scrutiny at four congressional hearings this week. Two House and
(AP) Split over Cuba could sink hemispheric summitsBy FRANK BAJAK and VIVIAN SEQUERAAssociated PressCARTAGENA, ColombiaCould this weekend’s gathering of about 30 Western Hemisphere leaders be the last Summit of the Americas? The question hung in the air as the leaders
(AP) New North Korean leader makes first public speechBy JEAN H. LEEAssociated PressPYONGYANG, North KoreaNorth Korea’s new leader addressed his nation and the world for the first time Sunday, vowing before cheering troops and bouquet-waving citizens to place top priority
(AP) China, Philippine naval standoff continuesBy JIM GOMEZAssociated PressMANILA, Philippines A dangerous naval standoff between China and the Philippines at a disputed South China Sea shoal has eased, but tension flared anew after China deployed a second ship and an
(AP) Long political fights ahead over dueling tax plansBy ALAN FRAMAssociated PressWASHINGTONDemocrats and Republicans are forcing votes in Congress this coming week on competing tax plans that affect millionaires and smaller businesses, and they know the proposals are doomed from
(AP) Secret Service scandal deepens; 11 placed on leaveBy JULIE PACE and LIBARDO CARDONAAssociated PressCARTAGENA, ColombiaAn embarrassing scandal involving prostitutes and Secret Service agents deepened Saturday as 11 agents were placed on leave, and the agency designed to protect President
By JULIE PACE and FRANK BAJAKAssociated PressCARTAGENA, ColombiaAlleged misconduct by a dozen Secret Service agents sent to provide security for President Barack Obama in Colombia threatened to overshadow his diplomatic mission to Latin America. On Friday night, a caller who
By JULIE PACE and FRANK BAJAKAssociated PressCARTAGENA, ColombiaA U.S. lawmaker says a “significant number” of Secret Service agents involved in an alleged prostitution scandal at an international summit brought women back to their hotel rooms before President Barack Obama arrived
By HAROLD HECKLEAssociated PressMADRIDSpain’s King Juan Carlos has successfully undergone hip replacement surgery after tripping on stairs and fracturing bones around the joint while on an elephant hunting trip in Botswana, officials said Saturday. It was the monarch’s fourth surgery
By JEAN H. LEEAssociated PressPYONGYANG, North KoreaHours after a failed rocket launch criticized abroad as a covert test of missile technology, North Korea’s new leader underlined the country’s “military first” policy with a budget that allocates a sizable chunk of
(AP) Obama defends typically GOP states in race to 270By THOMAS BEAUMONTAssociated PressPresident Barack Obama begins his re-election campaign defending traditionally Republican territory that he carried when he won the White House four years ago. Republican Mitt Romney is looking
By FRANCES D’EMILIOAssociated PressVATICAN CITYPope Benedict XVI, carrying a tall, lit candle, ushered in Christianity’s most joyous celebration with an Easter vigil service Saturday night, but voiced fears that mankind is groping in darkness, unable to distinguish good from evil.
(AP) Iraq: Video appears to show top Saddam deputyBy ADAM SCHRECKAssociated PressBAGHDADA video posted online Saturday purports to show Izzat Ibrahim al-Douri, the highest ranking member of Saddam Hussein’s ousted regime still at large, lashing out against Iraq’s Shiite-led government.
(AP) Jobs report leaves Obama, Romney campaigns waryBy CHARLES BABINGTONAssociated PressWASHINGTONThe nation’s steady-but-modest job growth presents political challenges for both of November’s all-but-certain presidential rivals. Republican Mitt Romney needs an ailing economy to fully exploit his image as a “Mr.
By LAURIE KELLMANAssociated PressWASHINGTONMitt Romney is starting to hone his appeal to women voters, acutely aware as he turns to the general election that he has little choice but to narrow President Barack Obama’s commanding lead among this critical constituency.
(AP) GOP superdelegates: It’s over, Romney is nomineeBy STEPHEN OHLEMACHERAssociated PressWASHINGTONIt’s over, and Mitt Romney is going to be the GOP nominee for president. That’s the growing consensus among Republican National Committee members who will automatically attend the party’s national
(AP) Popular painter Thomas Kinkade dies in Calif. By JOHN S. MARSHALL Associated Press SAN FRANCISCO Artist Thomas Kinkade once said that he had something in common with Walt Disney and Norman Rockwell: He wanted to make people happy. And
(AP) Board seeks Marine’s dismissal in Facebook caseBy JULIE WATSONAssociated PressCAMP PENDLETON, Calif.A military board has recommended dismissal for a Marine sergeant who criticized President Barack Obama on his Facebook page, including allegedly putting the president’s face on a “Jackass”
(AP) Coast Guard fires on Japanese ghost shipBy MARK THIESSEN and RACHEL D’OROAssociated PressOVER THE GULF OF ALASKAThe U.S. Coast Guard unleashed cannon fire Thursday at a Japanese vessel set adrift by last year’s tsunami, stopping the ship’s long, lonely
If you want to know what Catholics think about something, listening to what they have to say might be a good place to start. With two Roman Catholics currently in the race for the GOP presidential nod – former Speaker
(AP) Romney says he’ll win Pennsylvania in the fallKASIE HUNTAssociated PressHARRISBURG, Pa.Mitt Romney says winning Pennsylvania in November will win him the White House. Romney campaigned Thursday in Pennsylvania and spoke as the Republican nominee-in-waiting. He told reporters he “will
(AP) Power shortages a concern with nuke plant offlineBy MICHAEL R. BLOODAssociated PressLOS ANGELESIt will take more than the flip of a switch to replace power lost from the troubled San Onofre nuclear plant. State energy officials have already warned
(AP) Rocket hits Israeli city near Egypt borderBy TIA GOLDENBERGAssociated PressJERUSALEMA rocket fired from Egypt’s Sinai desert hit a southern Israeli resort city early Thursday, police said, raising new concerns about militant activity in the mountainous peninsula. Prime Minister Benjamin
(AP) French police arrest 10 in crackdown on radicalsBy INGRID ROUSSEAUAssociated PressPARISFrench police rounded up 10 people in their second country-wide sweep in several days Wednesday, leading to criticism that President Nicolas Sarkozy is ramping up raids to win votes
