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Is GOP trying to sabotage economy to hurt Obama?

Published: Saturday, May 19, 2012 09:58 AM

Are Republican lawmakers deliberately stalling the economic recovery to hurt President Barack Obama's re-election chances? Some top Democrats say yes, pointing to GOP stances on the debt limit and other issues that they claim are causing unnecessary economic anxiety and retarding growth.

Political vulnerabilities in Sen. Rubio's past?

Published: Saturday, May 19, 2012 11:45 AM

For freshman Sen. Marco Rubio, a rising GOP figure seen as a possible Mitt Romney running mate, there are questions about whether potential vulnerabilities in his personal and political background might hold him back.

Gay marriage could be big voting issue in Colorado

Published: Saturday, May 19, 2012 11:08 AM

Minutes after President Barack Obama endorsed gay marriage on May 9, Colorado's Democratic governor choked back tears as he ordered state lawmakers to reconsider a civil-unions measure defeated the day before by Republicans.

Two smaller unions agree deals with Lockheed

Published: Saturday, May 19, 2012 11:41 PM

(Reuters) - Lockheed Martin Corp said on Saturday it had negotiated new contracts with two smaller unions at its Fort Worth, Texas plant, even as a strike by the larger machinists union stretched into a fifth week. Lockheed said about 70 members of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) on Friday ratified a new contract that would extend for four years. On Saturday, a new five-year contract was approved by 430 members of the Office and Professional Employees International Union (OPEIU). Both agreements take effect on Monday. ...

Rubio Comes Out Swinging at Obama at S.C. GOP Dinner

Published: Saturday, May 19, 2012 11:17 PM

COLUMBIA, S.C. — Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., doled out attacks on President Obama tonight in a high-profile speech before South Carolina Republicans, laying out aggressive criticisms of the president as he called him the most “divisive figure” in American politics. “The president and his party’s...

Air Canada dispute with pilots goes to arbitrator

Published: Saturday, May 19, 2012 09:55 PM

TORONTO (Reuters) - The union representing 3,000 Air Canada pilots said on Saturday that it had failed to reach a contract agreement with the country's largest airline after 10 days of mediated talks, leaving the dispute in the hands of a government arbitrator. A federal arbitrator will now have less than 90 days to choose between proposals submitted by the pilots and airlines, imposing an agreement on both sides. "To say we are disappointed would be a vast understatement," said Captain Jean-Marc Belanger, chair of the Master Executive Council of the Air Canada Pilots Association. ...

Blind Chinese activist Chen arrives in New York

Published: Saturday, May 19, 2012 09:55 PM

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Blind Chinese dissident Chen Guangcheng arrived in the United States on Saturday and declared "equality and justice have no boundaries" after China let him leave a Beijing hospital to quell a sensitive diplomatic rift between the two countries. Chen escaped from house arrest in northeastern China last month and sought refuge in the U.S. Embassy in Beijing, embarrassing China and creating an uncomfortable backdrop for U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's visit to improve ties between the world's two biggest economies. ...

Obama Sees 'Emerging Consensus' on Eurozone Rescue, Promotes Growth

Published: Saturday, May 19, 2012 09:25 PM

WASHINGTON — There were a couple new faces in town at the annual Group of Eight summit, and a couple new allies for President Obama, who has been urging Europeans to follow America’s lead.  And with 4 million jobs created in the United States in...

Google says it has China's approval for Motorola deal

Published: Saturday, May 19, 2012 09:22 PM

(Reuters) - Google said on Saturday that Chinese authorities have approved its $12.5 billion purchase of Motorola Mobility Holdings, the last regulatory hurdle to a deal that would allow the world's No. 1 Internet search engine to develop its own line of smart phones. Google, which will be the newest entrant to the handset market, announced plans for the acquisition last year in a bid to secure Motorola's valuable patents and pave the way for a pairing of Google's Android mobile software and Motorola's handset business. U.S. ...

Civil rights group NAACP endorses gay marriage

Published: Saturday, May 19, 2012 09:08 PM

(Reuters) - The nation's largest civil rights group, the NAACP, endorsed gay marriage on Saturday, giving a boost to the movement to legalize same-sex nuptials despite reservations expressed by some black ministers. The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People passed the resolution at its board meeting in Miami "as a continuation of its historic commitment to equal protection under the law," the organization said. "Civil marriage is a civil right and a matter of civil law. ...

Pakistani leader may face friction over supply routes at NATO summit

Published: Saturday, May 19, 2012 09:03 PM

CHICAGO (Reuters) - Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari arrived in Chicago on Saturday for a NATO summit to what could be a chilly reception if a hoped-for deal allowing trucks to again supply alliance troops in Afghanistan fails to materialize. While Western officials sought to portray Zardari's presence as a sign of improving NATO-Pakistan ties, possible friction at the meeting underscores the challenges NATO countries face as they struggle to ensure a stable future for Afghanistan after Western troops withdraw. ...

Blind justice the inspiration for Chinese dissident Chen

Published: Saturday, May 19, 2012 08:59 PM

BEIJING (Reuters) - Chen Guangcheng, a blind activist whose campaign for justice in China threatened to upend relations between the world's two superpowers, does not believe in waiting for miracles. For Chen, his extraordinary achievements over the past month - from his escape from house arrest in April to his dramatic arrival in the United States at the weekend - came from a lifetime of learning to defy the odds. ...

UK may keep troops in Afghanistan post-2014 to fight terrorism

Published: Saturday, May 19, 2012 08:18 PM

CAMP ROUND MEADOW, Maryland (Reuters) - Britain may keep a small number of soldiers in Afghanistan to fight terrorism after 2014, when NATO forces are due to end combat operations, a senior British government official said on Saturday. It is the first time Britain has given any indication it may keep forces in Afghanistan after 2014 apart from a small training contingent. Britain plans to withdraw 500 soldiers from its 9,500-strong force in Afghanistan this year before ending combat operations in 2014 when Afghan security forces are due to have taken over responsibility for security. ...

Chinese activist Chen glad China showing "restraint, calm"

Published: Saturday, May 19, 2012 08:07 PM

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Blind Chinese dissident Chen Guangcheng said on Saturday after arriving in the United States that he was gratified the Chinese government had been dealing with his situation with "restraint and calm." "I hope to see that they continue to open discourse and earn the respect and trust of the people," Chen, speaking through a translator, told reporters outside a New York University housing building in Manhattan's Greenwich Village neighborhood. He will be studying as a fellow at NYU's School of Law. Chen arrived in the United States shortly after 6 p.m. ...

New York City's most senior openly gay official weds

Published: Saturday, May 19, 2012 07:55 PM

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Christine Quinn, New York's highest-ranking openly gay official and the leading candidate to be the city's next mayor, married her longtime girlfriend on Saturday, walking down the aisle to Beyonce's "Ave Maria." The wedding came less than a year after New York Democratic Governor Andrew Cuomo signed a law legalizing same-sex marriage in the state, whose first same-sex nuptials were held July 24. ...

G8, raising pressure on Iran, puts oil stocks on standby

Published: Saturday, May 19, 2012 07:52 PM

CAMP DAVID, Maryland (Reuters) - Leaders of the Group of Eight major economies raised the pressure on Iran on Saturday, signaling their readiness to tap into emergency oil stockpiles quickly this summer if tougher new sanctions on Tehran threaten to strain supplies. "We remain united in our grave concern over Iran's nuclear program," the G8 leaders said in a statement summing up the results of their meeting in Camp David in rural Maryland. ...

U.S. tells G8 Syria's Assad must go, cites Yemen as model

Published: Saturday, May 19, 2012 07:47 PM

CAMP DAVID, Maryland (Reuters) - President Barack Obama told G8 leaders meeting at Camp David that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad must leave power, and pointed to Yemen as a model of how political transition could work there, the White House said on Saturday. The Group of Eight leaders, in a statement summing up their discussions, urged all parties in Syria to adhere to their commitments under a joint U.N.-Arab League peace plan "including immediately ceasing all violence so as to enable a Syrian-led, inclusive political transition leading to a democratic, plural political system. ...

France's Hollande to make Eurobond proposals at EU summit

Published: Saturday, May 19, 2012 07:41 PM

CAMP DAVID, Maryland (Reuters) - French President Francois Hollande said on Saturday he would make proposals for eurobonds at an upcoming European summit as he outlines his ideas to stimulate growth and help ailing economies within the euro zone. "I will outline all growth proposals at this informal meeting on May 23," Hollande told reporters at the end of a G8 leaders meeting in Camp David. "Within this packet of proposals there will be eurobonds and I will not be alone in proposing them. I had confirmation on this at the G8. ...

Ron Paul Wins Minnesota State Convention

Published: Saturday, May 19, 2012 07:30 PM

Ron Paul backers have secured 12 of 13 delegates at Minnesota’ state GOP convention, according to a source who was there and is familiar with the delegates’ leanings. Saturday’s convention gives Paul 32 of Minnesota’s 40 delegates to the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla.,...

Blind Chinese activist arrives in United States

Published: Saturday, May 19, 2012 07:02 PM

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Blind Chinese dissident Chen Guangcheng arrived in the United States on Saturday after China allowed him to leave a hospital in Beijing in a move that could signal the end of a diplomatic rift between the two countries. Chen's escape from house arrest in northeastern China last month and subsequent stay in the U.S. Embassy was a huge embarrassment for China and led to a diplomatic controversy while U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was visiting Beijing for talks to improve ties between the world's two biggest economies. ...

Bashir says wants peace with S.Sudan but security comes first

Published: Saturday, May 19, 2012 06:58 PM

KHARTOUM (Reuters) - Sudan's President Omar Hassan al-Bashir said Sudan wants a lasting peace with South Sudan but Juba needs to end support for rebels in Sudan's border land, state news agency SUNA said on Saturday. Oil, security and frontier disputes ignited border clashes last month and for a while raised fears of full-blown war in one of Africa's most significant oil regions. South Sudan became independent in July under a 2005 peace agreement with Khartoum that ended decades of civil war. ...

Obama opens up Camp David for rustic VIP sleepover

Published: Saturday, May 19, 2012 06:53 PM

CAMP DAVID, Maryland (Reuters) - Eight of the world's most powerful people spent Friday night in the woods. In a sort of VIP sleepover, G8 leaders bedded down in rustic cabins in rural Maryland, where the U.S. presidential retreat, Camp David, is hosting by far the largest international summit in its 70-year history. President Barack Obama welcomed his peers from Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia and Canada to the verdant compound on Friday evening, describing the weather as "perfect" with clear skies visible through tall oak and poplar trees. ...

Italy's Monti shows G8 bank guarantee plan: report

Published: Saturday, May 19, 2012 06:53 PM

MILAN (Reuters) - Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti took a plan to create a European system to guarantee bank deposits to the G8 summit, the Corriere della Sera newspaper said on Saturday, as savers' anxiety built in debt-ridden euro zone countries. The proposal aims to guarantee bank deposits "with a view to ... stopping the hemorrhaging of funds from one country to another, from the south to the north," the newspaper reported, without citing any sources. ...

France's Hollande says G8 agree on Annan Syria peace mission

Published: Saturday, May 19, 2012 06:53 PM

CAMP DAVID (Reuters) - French President Francois Hollande said on Saturday that G8 countries had agreed to continue supporting U.N. and Arab League special envoy Kofi Annan's Syrian peace efforts. "I insisted that all the participants support Kofi Anan's mission so that observers can provide protection of the Syrian people from their leaders," Hollande said referring to U.N. personnel operating in the country. (Reporting By John Irish and Elizabeth Pineau)

Obama, UK's Cameron hit the diplomatic treadmill

Published: Saturday, May 19, 2012 06:53 PM

CAMP ROUND MEADOW, Maryland (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama and British Prime Minister David Cameron resorted to a spot of treadmill diplomacy to tackle the world's problems on Saturday, sweating over the euro zone debt crisis while working out at the gym. Obama chose an unusual spot for an early-morning bilateral meeting with Cameron on the sidelines of a summit of the Group of Eight major economies at the U.S. presidential retreat at Camp David, Maryland. Obama called for Cameron at his cabin at 7.15 a.m., before the main meetings started. ...

France's Hollande wants Greece to stay in euro zone

Published: Saturday, May 19, 2012 06:53 PM

CAMP DAVID (Reuters) - French President Francois Hollande said on Saturday he wanted Greece to stay in the euro zone, but expected the country to meet its commitments. "The message I gave was the hope that Greece stays in the euro zone, respects its commitments and is supported by Europe to stimulate its growth," he said. Hollande said he had wanted to discuss Spanish and other bank recapitalization, but the G8 had not been the forum to deal with the issue. (Reporting By John Irish and Elizabeth Pineau. Editing by Warren Strobel)

China activist Chen arrives in United States

Published: Saturday, May 19, 2012 06:36 PM

NEW YORK (Reuters) - A plane carrying blind Chinese dissident Chen Guangcheng landed at Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey shortly after 6 p.m. (2200 GMT) on Saturday, a Reuters witness on board the United Airlines flight said. China allowed Chen to leave a hospital in Beijing on Saturday and travel to the United States to study at New York University in a move that could signal the end of a diplomatic standoff between the two countries. (Reporting by Max Duncan, Writing by Michelle Nichols; Editing by Peter Cooney)

China activist Chen to study at New York University

Published: Saturday, May 19, 2012 06:15 PM

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Blind Chinese legal activist, Chen Guangcheng, will study as a fellow at New York University's School of Law, the institution said in a statement on Saturday. "I am very happy to receive the news that Chen Guangcheng is on his way to the U.S. I look forward to welcoming him and his family tonight and to working with him on his course of study," said Jerome Cohen, co-director of the U.S.-Asia Law Institute at the New York University School of Law. ...

Latest anti-NATO protest in Chicago small, peaceful

Published: Saturday, May 19, 2012 06:12 PM

Around 500 demonstrators gathered outside the home of Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel on Saturday to protest the recent closure of mental health clinics as part of a series of rallies and marches timed to coincide with a NATO summit here. But the protest was much smaller than one attended by an estimated 2,500 people at a downtown plaza on Friday. The biggest rally is expected to be on Sunday near the convention center where world leaders will gather. ...

Serbia picks president under threat of protest

Published: Saturday, May 19, 2012 06:10 PM

BELGRADE (Reuters) - Pro-Western Boris Tadic will bid on Sunday for another five years as Serbia's president and the right to lead the nation into EU membership talks, challenged by rightist Tomislav Nikolic who has threatened to contest the result in the streets. Tadic is tipped to defeat Nikolic in the presidential election for the third time since 2004 as Serbia slowly sheds the legacy of a decade of war and isolation under late strongman Slobodan Milosevic. A Tadic victory would keep power firmly in the hands of his Democratic Party. ...

Youth protest former Mexican ruling party's rise

Published: Saturday, May 19, 2012 06:00 PM

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Thousands of demonstrators protested in Mexico City on Saturday against opposition presidential candidate Enrique Pena Nieto, who is far ahead in polls and poised to lead the party that ruled Mexico for much of the 20th century back to power. A contingent of mainly students, accompanied by groups of unionized workers and peasant farmers, held banners lambasting the Institutional Revolutionary Party, or PRI, and its candidate, Pena Nieto. "I have a brain, I won't vote for the PRI," one banner read. ...

GOP picks ballot candidate for US Rep Tim Johnson

Published: Saturday, May 19, 2012 05:42 PM

Illinois Republican leaders have chosen a November ballot replacement for longtime Republican U.S. Rep. Tim Johnson after he abruptly announced his retirement last month.

Yemen clashes kill 34 militants, soldiers: officials

Published: Saturday, May 19, 2012 05:26 PM

ADEN, Yemen (Reuters) - At least 22 al Qaeda-linked militants and 12 Yemeni soldiers were killed in clashes and air strikes overnight during a U.S.-backed offensive against insurgents in the south of the country, officials said on Saturday. Fighting erupted late on Friday and carried on into Saturday on the outskirts of the southern city of Jaar, held by Islamist militants who have stepped up their campaign during months of political turmoil. Government troops, backed by U.S. ...