The U.S. House of Representatives has overwhelmingly approved $9.7 billion in flood insurance aid for victims of superstorm Sandy that wreaked havoc along the East Coast. The 435-member lower chamber of Congress passed the legislation Friday 354-67 after receiving harsh criticism from lawmakers in storm-ravaged states for ending a previous session with no vote on […]
US Lawmakers Approve Aid for Storm Victims
Richardson: No Need for US to Fear Visit to North Korea
Former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations Bill Richardson says the State Department has no reason to be nervous about his upcoming trip to North Korea. Richardson Friday told the television program CBS This Morning that he and Google executive chairman Eric Schmidt will be on a private humanitarian visit and not representing the United […]
Congress Certifies Obama Reelected President
It’s official — President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden have been reelected to a second term. A joint session of the U.S. Congress counted the electoral votes Friday and certified Mr. Obama the winner 332 to Republican Mitt Romney’s 206. Even though the outcome of the 2012 presidential race was known on election […]
Karzai, Obama to Discuss Future in Washington
Afghan President Hamid Karzai is scheduled to leave Monday for Washington to hold talks with President Barack Obama. U.S. State Department spokesman Victoria Nuland said Thursday “there’s a lot to talk about” during Mr. Karzai’s visit. She said the discussions are expected to touch on everything from post-2014 U.S. military and financial assistance to wider […]
US Students Make First Return to Class After Massacre
Students from a U.S. elementary school where a gunman killed 20 children and six staff members last month are returning to class Thursday for the first time. The December 14 massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary school in Newtown, Connecticut ended when the gunman committed suicide. That school remains closed, so students are attending a refurbished […]
US Oil Rig Grounded Off Alaska
A huge Shell Oil drilling rig has run aground in a storm off the rugged coast of the remote U.S. state of Alaska. The U.S. Coast Guard said the Kulluk broke free from the ship handling it in rough seas in the Gulf of Alaska on New Year’s Eve and then was cut loose from […]
New Financial Choices Loom Soon for US
Even as the White House and congressional Republicans crafted an end-of-the-year tax and spending deal in Washington, they set the stage for more rancorous debate in the coming weeks over financial issues they sidestepped. The House of Representatives on Tuesday was considering whether to give its assent to a Senate-approved measure to keep tax rates […]
US Oil Rig Grounded Off Alaska
A huge Shell Oil drilling rig has run aground in a storm off the rugged coast of the remote U.S. state of Alaska. The U.S. Coast Guard said the Kulluk rig broke free from one ship handling it in rough seas in the Gulf of Alaska on New Year’s Eve and then was cut loose […]
NYC Couple Arrested For Possessing Bomb Substance
Police in New York City have arrested a couple after finding a substance used to make explosives as well as bomb-making manuals in their apartment. U.S. authorities say the 31-year-old man, Aaron Greene, and his 27-year-old girlfriend, Morgan Gliedman, are being charged with possessing weapons. They say detectives discovered seven grams of HMTD, an explosive […]
US Senate Votes to Extend Warrantless Surveillance Act
The U.S. Senate has overwhelmingly approved a five-year extension of a law allowing the government to conduct wiretapping on foreign citizens without a warrant. The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, passed by the House of Representatives earlier this year, cleared the Senate Friday by a 73-23 margin with broad bipartisan support. The legislation now goes to […]