Minnesota shutdown, impasse draws debt downgrade
Thu,7 Jul 2011 05:45 PM PDT
Reuters - MINNEAPOLIS (Reuters) - Minnesota's government shutdown reached a seventh day on Thursday with no end in sight, and a major debt rating agency stripped the state of its AAA bond rating, citing the budget battle as a reason. Full Story1 |
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 BEIJING (Reuters) - China's Foreign Ministry warned U.S. officials on Thursday not to meet with visiting exiled spiritual leader the Dalai Lama, saying it hoped Washington "appropriately dealt" with Tibet-related issues. |
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Minnesota shutdown, impasse draws debt downgrade
Thu,7 Jul 2011 04:10 PM PDT
Reuters - MINNEAPOLIS (Reuters) - Minnesota's government shutdown reached a seventh day on Thursday with no end in sight, and a major debt rating agency stripped the state of its AAA bond rating citing the budget battle as a reason. Full Story1 |
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New York governor pressures union with more layoffs
Thu,7 Jul 2011 03:46 PM PDT
Reuters - NEW YORK (Reuters) - New York Governor Andrew Cuomo ramped up the pressure on union officials to concede hundreds of millions of dollars in savings on Thursday with the delivery of layoff notices to more than 300 state workers. Full Story1 |
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California credit outlook revised to stable by S&P
Thu,7 Jul 2011 03:45 PM PDT
Reuters - NEW YORK (Reuters) - Standard & Poor's revised California's credit outlook to stable on Thursday, one of the first significant pieces of good news for U.S. state and local governments as they work their way out of the Great Recession. Full Story1 |
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US trade bills advance but clash clouds future
Thu,7 Jul 2011 03:43 PM PDT
Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. trade deals with South Korea, Colombia and Panama cleared initial hurdles in Congress on Thursday, but a party-line clash over a program to help workers displaced by trade threatened future action. Full Story1 |
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Union campaign spending off sharply in 2011: report
Thu,7 Jul 2011 02:03 PM PDT
Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Donations to federal political candidates by labor unions are down sharply this year, an analysis found on Thursday, in an ominous sign for the Democratic Party heading into next year's elections. Full Story1 |
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 NEW YORK (Reuters) - Minnesota lost its top credit rating on Thursday as Fitch Ratings downgraded the state's general obligation bonds one notch to AA-plus, citing the budget impasse. |
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China warns U.S. officials not to meet Dalai Lama
Thu,7 Jul 2011 12:57 PM PDT
Reuters - BEIJING (Reuters) - China's Foreign Ministry warned U.S. officials on Thursday not to meet with visiting exiled spiritual leader the Dalai Lama, saying it hoped Washington "appropriately dealt" with Tibet-related issues. Full Story1 |
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U.S. ambassador in Hama to support Syria protesters
Thu,7 Jul 2011 12:37 PM PDT
Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. ambassador to Syria traveled to the restive city of Hama on Thursday to show solidarity with protesters concerned that Syrian security forces ringing the city could stage a new crackdown. Full Story1 |
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 AUSTIN, Texas (Reuters) - Among political insiders in the Texas state capital, one thing is considered certain: Governor Rick Perry will jump into the Republican presidential race in the next few weeks. |
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 WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Three senators reached a deal on Thursday to repeal the $6 billion per year ethanol tax credit by the end of July, an agreement that must still be passed by Congress. |
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 WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Congressional leaders are still far apart on a wide range of budget issues but agree on the need to raise the debt ceiling, and will meet again in three days, President Barack Obama said on Thursday. |
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 WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Comprehensive tax reform that would close breaks and lower rates for businesses and individuals is under discussion in budget talks, House of Representatives Speaker John Boehner said on Thursday. |
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 WASHINGTON (Reuters) - House of Representatives Republican leader Eric Cantor said on Thursday he believed "both sides can come together" to reduce the debt. |
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China warns U.S. officials not to meet Dalai Lama
Thu,7 Jul 2011 02:47 AM PDT
Reuters - BEIJING (Reuters) - China's Foreign Ministry warned U.S. officials on Thursday not to meet with visiting exiled spiritual leader the Dalai Lama, saying it hoped Washington "appropriately dealt" with Tibet-related issues. Full Story1 |
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 WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Democratic lawmakers fed up with the lingering war in Afghanistan launched a new challenge to President Barack Obama's plan for a measured U.S. troop withdrawal over the next year as they resumed debate on Wednesday on a $649 billion defense spending bill. |
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Minnesota governor offers ideas, Republicans balk
Wed,6 Jul 2011 06:48 PM PDT
Reuters - MINNEAPOLIS (Reuters) - Minnesota's Democratic Governor Mark Dayton offered two tax proposals on Wednesday to end a budget impasse that has shut down the government, but Republicans rejected the ideas as a step backward. Full Story1 |
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Deal to end 45-cent ethanol credit seen this week
Wed,6 Jul 2011 04:06 PM PDT
Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Three U.S. senators working on a framework to replace the $6 billion a year ethanol tax credit with far less costly incentives could strike a deal as soon as Thursday, Senate and industry sources said. Full Story1 |
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 WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama took to Twitter on Wednesday to press his economic agenda, using the popular social media site to tweak Republicans and advocate for a deal to reduce the deficit. |
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Senate panel to try again to move trade deals
Wed,6 Jul 2011 01:59 PM PDT
Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus said on Wednesday the panel would try to restart action on Thursday on three long-delayed free trade deals, after Republicans boycotted talks over a program to help workers displaced by trade. Full Story1 |
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U.S. firearms head admits Mexico gun sting mistakes
Wed,6 Jul 2011 12:43 PM PDT
Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The acting head of the U.S. firearms agency admitted during secret talks at Congress that mistakes were made in a botched operation to track the illegal movement of guns to Mexico, lawmakers said on Wednesday. Full Story1 |
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 WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Signs of economic improvement could bolster President Barack Obama's re-election hopes as he tries to beat back Republican attacks over his failure to create enough jobs. |
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 WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Announcing a change of protocol, President Barack Obama said on Wednesday he would write condolence letters to families of military personnel who take their own lives in combat zones. |
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WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama said on Wednesday the debate over raising the debt ceiling should not be used as a gun against the heads of American people in an effort to secure tax breaks. |
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Militants may try bomb implants to attack
Wed,6 Jul 2011 11:47 AM PDT
Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Militants are showing renewed interest in using a bomb surgically implanted inside a passenger's body to blow up a commercial flight, though there is no indication an attack is imminent, a U.S. security official said on Wednesday. Full Story1 |
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 WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney raised more than $18 million over the last three months, a total that dwarfed his Republican rivals but lagged some predictions. |
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 NEW YORK (Reuters) - As the standoff over raising the government's borrowing limit enters its final month, it's becoming harder for investors to avoid thinking the unthinkable: the world's most trusted borrower could soon renege on its debt. |
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Mexico to cut duties on U.S. after trucking deal
Wed,6 Jul 2011 11:19 AM PDT
Reuters - MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Mexico will cut in half retaliatory duties on more than $2 billion of U.S. farm and industrial goods this week after signing a deal with Washington on Wednesday to allow Mexican truckers onto American roads. Full Story1 |
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Factbox: 2012 presidential cash race ramps up
Wed,6 Jul 2011 06:45 AM PDT
Reuters - (Reuters) - The race for cash among Republican candidates aiming to unseat Democratic President Barack Obama has begun in earnest and most hopefuls are lagging far behind Mitt Romney, the former Massachusetts governor. Full Story1 |
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 WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid on Tuesday pulled a resolution to authorize the U.S. military conflict in Libya from the Senate schedule, after Republicans said they wanted to focus on the debt crisis instead. |
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 WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama rejected proposals on Tuesday for a short-term deal to raise the U.S. debt limit and pressured congressional leaders to reach a broad agreement within two weeks to avoid a government default by August 2. |
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 WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A U.S. senator from Montana asked Exxon Mobil Corp on Tuesday for details about the pipeline that ruptured over the weekend spilling about 1,000 barrels of oil into the rain-swollen Yellowstone River. |
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Factbox - Raw materials covered by China loss at WTO
Tue,5 Jul 2011 03:27 PM PDT
Reuters - (Reuters) - A World Trade Organization panel ruled on Tuesday that various quotas, duties and other devices used by China to restrict exports of key raw materials violated commitments it made to join the world trade body. Full Story1 |
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WTO rules China curbs on raw material exports illegal
Tue,5 Jul 2011 03:27 PM PDT
Reuters - BRUSSELS/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - China broke international law when it curbed exports of coveted raw materials, the World Trade Organization ruled Tuesday, in a landmark case threatening Beijing's defense for similar export brakes on rare earths. Full Story1 |
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 TUCSON, Arizona (Reuters) - An aide to Arizona Representative Gabrielle Giffords made an emotional return to work on Tuesday, nearly six months after he was seriously wounded in the Tucson shooting rampage. |
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NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Interventions designed to help kids lose weight by cutting back on the time they spend watching TV or playing video games are so far largely unsuccessful, according to a new report.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Medicaid, a government health insurance program designed to help the poorest of the poor, is giving people unprecedented access to doctors and also improving their finances, a study co-authored by the Harvard School of Public Health has found.
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - If you sleep less than six hours a night, you're increasing your risk of developing or dying from heart disease by 48 percent. At least, that's what U.S.-based pharmaceutical giant Abbott would have 1.2 billion people in Indiabelieve.
BERLIN (Reuters) - Germany's parliament agreed in a conscience vote on Thursday to allow the limited use of genetic testing of human embryos.
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The number of obese U.S. adults rose in 16 states in the last year, helping to push obesity rates in a dozen states above 30 percent, according to a report released on Thursday.
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Elderly women who take vitamin D3 supplements may have a small survival advantage over those who don't, a new research review concludes, although they also raise their risk of kidney stones.
LONDON (Reuters) - More than a billion people in 19 countries are now covered by laws requiring large, graphic health warnings on tobacco packs but too many countries are still not doing enough to cut smoking rates, the World Health Organization said on Thursday.
LONDON (Reuters) - In an analysis that set off a fierce debate over the health effects of salt, researchers said on Wednesday they had found no evidence that small cuts to salt intake reduce the risk of developing heart disease or dying prematurely.
