WASHINGTON (AP) — For years, Republican Rep. Mary Bono endured the increasingly suggestive comments from a fellow lawmaker in the House. But when the congressman approached her on the House floor and told her he’d been thinking about her in the shower, she’d had enough. She confronted the man, who she said still serves in … Continue reading
HAVANA (AP) — The Obama administration has approved the first U.S. factory in Cuba in more than half a century, allowing a two-man company from Alabama to build a plant assembling as many as 1,000 small tractors a year for sale to private farmers in Cuba. The Treasury Department last week notified partners Horace Clemmons … Continue reading
WASHINGTON (AP) — As its struggles to craft a cease-fire in Syria’s civil war, the Obama administration has become increasingly torn between its loyalty to Turkey as a NATO ally and to its longtime Arab partner, Saudi Arabia, and the cold pragmatism of Russia. The result has been a confusing mix of shifting priorities that … Continue reading
WASHINGTON (AP) — In a well-known auto insurance commercial, a garrulous gecko promises you can save 15 percent if you switch insurers. It turns out something roughly similar is happening with the Obama administration’shealth insurance overhaul: A study out Wednesday finds that this year’s most popular health law plans are raising premiums an average of … Continue reading
PITTSBURGH (AP) — A Pittsburgh company that enrolls more than 100,000 students at for-profit trade schools and colleges across the U.S. is not admitting wrongdoing as part of a $95.5 million settlement with the Obama administration. The settlement was announced by the Justice Department on Monday. It resolves allegations that Education Management Corp. used illegal … Continue reading
WASHINGTON (AP) — New produce safety rules from the government Friday are intended to help prevent the kind of large-scale outbreaks of foodborne illness that occurred over the past decade linked to fresh spinach, cantaloupes, cucumbers and other foods. Under the rules, the government soon will have new oversight of the farms that grow Americans’ … Continue reading
PARIS (AP) — France’s leadership is bristling at U.S. resistance to making a global climate accord under negotiation in Paris next month legally binding. French President Francois Hollande, whose country is hosting U.N. climate talks Nov. 30-Dec. 11, told reporters in Malta on Thursday that “if the deal is not legally binding, there is no … Continue reading
WASHINGTON (AP) — Confronting the consequences of high-priced drugs, the Obama administration Thursday pointedly reminded states that they cannot legally restrict access by low-income people to revolutionary cures for liver-wasting hepatitis C infection. The federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services also sent letters to several drug manufacturers, requesting details of what they are doing … Continue reading
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Obama administration says it is continuing a review of the proposed Keystone XL oil pipeline, despite a request by the project’s developer to suspend the review. State Department spokesman John Kirby says the department advised TransCanada on Wednesday of its decision to continue the review. The State Department has jurisdiction over … Continue reading
WASHINGTON (AP) — Students, parents and teachers have long lamented the hours that kids spend taking standardized tests, especially since the introduction of the Common Core academic standards. But just how much time each year? A. Between 10-15 hours. B. Between 20-25 hours. C. Between 30-35 hours. The correct answer is “B,” according to a … Continue reading
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Obama administration on Thursday established stricter limits on the smog-causing pollution linked to asthma and respiratory illness, drawing swift condemnation from business leaders and Republicans who warned of damage to the economy. The Environmental Protection Agency said the new standard of 70 parts per billion will reduce exposure to dangerous ozone … Continue reading
WASHINGTON (AP) — Eight years, two presidential elections and one shared commitment to the nuclear deal with Iran later, Hillary Rodham Clinton is delicately resurrecting her 2008 critique of Barack Obama’s approach to world affairs. In a speech on Wednesday, the Democratic presidential candidate once again positioned herself as the hawkish alternative to the president, … Continue reading
Spartan Echo 