WASHINGTON (AP) — The chairman of the House Natural Resources Committee is demanding that the Obama administration hold off on new rules that could make it easier for Indian groups to win federal recognition as tribes. American Indians have been pushing for years to revise the process, but proposed regulations nearing the finish line … Continue reading
ST. LOUIS (AP) — Lawyers for the parents of Michael Brown, the unarmed, black 18-year-old who was fatally shot by a white police officer in a St. Louis suburb, announced Wednesday night that they planned to file a civil lawsuit the following day against the city of Ferguson. Attorneys for the family said in … Continue reading
LONDON (AP) — She’s 5-foot-4, favors fuchsia suits and isn’t running in the British election. But make no mistake: Nicola Sturgeon is the biggest thing in U.K. politics right now. The leader of the Scottish National Party is likely to be the kingmaker after the May 7 vote, as opinion polls suggest neither major … Continue reading
WASHINGTON (AP) — Congressional lawmakers want security officials to explain how they determined that a small gyrocopter piloted by a Florida postal carrier didn’t pose a threat to the nation’s capital when it flew through restricted airspace. “Multiple weapons” were aimed at the gyrocopter, but officials decided not to bring it down in part … Continue reading
DETROIT (AP) — Federal agricultural officials are planning to announce voluntary programs and initiatives for farmers, ranchers and foresters meant to build on President Barack Obama’s efforts to combat global warming — and don’t require congressional approval. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack is expected to unveil plans Thursday at Michigan State University, where Obama signed … Continue reading
CAIRO (AP) — Libya’s chaos has turned it into a lucrative magnet attracting migrants desperate to make the dangerous sea voyage to Europe. With no central authority to stop it, business is booming, with smugglers charging ever more as demand goes up, then using the profits to buy larger boats and heavier weapons to … Continue reading
HAGATNA, Guam (AP) — Guam on Wednesday rejected a marriage license application from the first-same sex couple to apply for the document in the U.S. territory. A Department of Public Health and Social Services clerk refused to accept an application filed by Loretta Pangelinan and Kathleen Aguero. “It doesn’t mean I’m not sympathetic, but … Continue reading
NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) — Dramatic video that shows a white South Carolina police officer shooting a fleeing black man after a traffic stop has led authorities to file a murder charge against the officer amid public outrage over a series of deaths of unarmed black men at the hands of law enforcement agents. … Continue reading
NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Kenya launched airstrikes against Islamic militants in Somalia following an extremist attack on a Kenyan college that killed 148 people, a military spokesman said Monday. Some of the relatives of those who died gathered at a funeral home in Nairobi to view their loved ones. They prayed under an awning … Continue reading
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama kicked off the annual White House Easter egg roll Monday and used the occasion to tout the fifth anniversary of first lady Michelle Obama’s campaign to get kids to eat healthy and exercise. The theme of this year’s egg roll is #GimmeFive. Event participants are encouraged to identify … Continue reading
WASHINGTON (AP) — Hillary Rodham Clinton is expected to launch her campaign for president sometime in the next two weeks and will initially focus on intimate events, rather than soaring speeches to big rallies, as her team looks to put her in direct contact with voters in states with early primaries or caucuses. The … Continue reading
NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Kenya launched airstrikes against Islamic militants in Somalia following an extremist attack on a Kenyan college that killed 148 people, a military spokesman said Monday. Some of the relatives of those who died gathered at a funeral home in Nairobi to view their loved ones. They prayed under an awning … Continue reading
GARISSA, Kenya (AP) — The Islamic extremists who slaughtered 147 people at a college in Kenya as they shouted “God is great” appeared to have planned extensively, even targeting a site where Christians had gone to pray, survivors said Friday. Police on Friday were at the campus of Garissa University College, taking fingerprints from … Continue reading
WASHINGTON (AP) — The weakening U.S. economy spilled into the job market in March as employers added only 126,000 jobs — the fewest since December 2013 — snapping a streak of 12 straight months of gains above 200,000. The Labor Department said Friday that the unemployment rate remained at 5.5 percent. Friday’s jobs report … Continue reading
JERUSALEM (AP) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he and his Cabinet are united in “strongly opposing” an emerging framework agreement on curbing Iran’s nuclear program and demanded that any final deal contain Iranian recognition of Israel’s right to exist. Iran and six world powers announced a series of understandings Thursday, with a … Continue reading
WASHINGTON (AP) — In the never-ending quest to preserve the government’s history, there have been plenty of weapons of mass destruction. Before delete keys on computers, there were paper shredders, erase buttons on tape recorders and trash cans. Think Oliver North jamming a shredder with papers from an 18-inch stack of documents during the … Continue reading
LONDON (AP) — British Prime Minister David Cameron paid a courtesy call on Queen Elizabeth II, then launched a most uncourteous attack on his main political rival as campaigning formally began Monday in the most unpredictable U.K. election in decades. The royal audience — possibly Cameron’s last as prime minister — came as Britain’s … Continue reading
DONETSK, Ukraine (AP) — A rebel leader in eastern Ukraine on Monday accused the Kiev government of hampering a political solution for the conflict that has claimed more than 6,000 lives. Andrei Purgin said in an interview with The Associated Press that the Minsk deal, brokered by Western leaders in February, has been “blocked” … Continue reading
CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — Whoopie pies, the K4s steam locomotive, the Carolina Shag and Harney silt loam share a common bond: Each is a treasured member of the eclectic and, some say, out-of-control state symbol club. When New Hampshire lawmakers this month shot down as frivolous a group of fourth-graders’ effort to name the … Continue reading
WASHINGTON (AP) — With a decision due by summer in a Supreme Court case that could unravel President Barack Obama’s health care law, a new poll finds many Americans have heard nothing about the case. But when the potential fallout is explained, most say it would hurt the country and they would look to … Continue reading
WASHINGTON (AP) — An uncharacteristic joint effort by House Speaker John Boehner and his usual nemesis, Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, to resolve a gnawing problem about how Medicare pays doctors underscores the political victories each sees in finally sweeping the issue off the deck — if they can. Boehner, R-Ohio, has taken the unusual step … Continue reading
TOKYO (AP) — Japanese police said they arrested a man on Thursday accused of making bomb threats against the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo, and media reports said he is also a possible suspect in recent death threats against Ambassador Caroline Kennedy. Tokyo police arrested Mitsuyoshi Kamiya, a resident of the southern island of Okinawa, … Continue reading
WASHINGTON (AP) — The new director of the Secret Service went on the offensive Thursday on Capitol Hill, disputing characterizations in news reports that two senior agents crashed a government vehicle into a security barrier at the White House after a night of drinking earlier this month. “Previous reports of a crash are inaccurate … Continue reading
WASHINGTON (AP) — Obama administration officials told a House committee on Thursday that if a nuclear deal is struck with Iran, lawmakers should leave congressionally imposed sanctions in place for years. House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Rep. Ed Royce, R-Calif., said that sounded like part of a White House strategy to keep Congress out … Continue reading
ADEN, Yemen (AP) — There were some brief bursts of gunfire in the distance as we boarded the bus from the terminal to our plane on the tarmac in the airport of the Yemeni city of Aden. No one paid much attention. Tensions had been growing in the city for weeks. One of my … Continue reading
Spartan Echo 