Politics News

WASHINGTON - For five years in a row, President Bush has declined invitations to address the annual NAACP convention. This year, with the Senate poised to renew the 1965 Voting Rights Act, Bush said yes.

WASHINGTON - After waiting 5 1/2 years to make good on a veto threat, President Bush used his first to underscore his politically risky stand against federal funding for the embryonic stem cell research that most Americans support.

OKLAHOMA CITY - A man was accused Wednesday in an indictment of making threats against former President Clinton.

WASHINGTON - Two Democrats called on President Bush to use his rare appearance before the NAACP's annual conference to renew the landmark 1965 Voting Rights Act, arguing that such a step would ensure a basic right for minorities.

WASHINGTON - The Bush administration said Wednesday it sees no point in leaning directly on Syria to help stop the cross-border warfare between Israel and the Hezbollah guerrillas that the Syrians support.

WASHINGTON - As Congress considers new restrictions on political activity by outside groups, advocacy groups are expanding their influence in elections through organizations that operate legally but with fewer disclosure regulations.

HARTFORD, Conn. - Pro-Israel groups, afraid of losing one of their staunchest supporters in Congress, are pouring money into beleaguered Sen. Joe Lieberman's campaign as he tries to fend off a tougher-than-expected primary challenge.

ATLANTA - Two of Georgia's most controversial political candidates got a cool reception from the voters, who rejected former Christian Coalition leader Ralph Reed and left U.S. Rep. Cynthia McKinney facing a runoff.

WASHINGTON - With votes this week on gay marriage, stem cell research and the Pledge of Allegiance, the Republican-controlled Congress is systematically working through an agenda of conservative causes, eager to mobilize hard-core voters in the months before the midterm elections.

ATLANTA (Reuters) - Ralph Reed, a poster boy for the U.S. Christian right who helped promote the rise of Republican political power in the 1990s, conceded defeat in Georgia on Tuesday in a primary race for Lieutenant Governor.

WASHINGTON - The House is rushing to put itself on record as standing behind Israel in its confrontation with Hezbollah in Lebanon, steamrolling efforts by a small group of lawmakers who argue that Congress's pro-Israel stance goes too far.

WASHINGTON - Legislation to bar federal courts from ruling on constitutional issues arising from the Pledge of Allegiance, including the "one nation, under God" reference, passed the House after lawmakers argued that the pledge is linked to the nation's spiritual history.

WASHINGTON - Congressional supporters of India are criticizing a Bush administration plan to sell F-16 fighter jets to Pakistan while acknowledging that little can be done to stop the $5 billion sale to India's archrival.

WASHINGTON - Two weeks ago, North Korea test-fired seven missiles, an act of defiance seen as an attempt to put itself on top of the world's agenda.

WASHINGTON - Legislation designed to help ensure that the 44 million Americans with employer-based pension plans get the retirement benefits they have earned could be ready for congressional approval next week.

WASHINGTON - A Justice Department official who slashed the amount of money being sought from tobacco companies made misleading statements to Congress, says a former government lawyer who handled a landmark lawsuit against the industry.

WASHINGTON - A federal health official worked with drug maker Merck to discredit a government whistleblower who publicized safety risks associated with the painkiller Vioxx, a lawmaker alleged Wednesday in seeking an investigation.

The following recalls have been announced:

WASHINGTON - The new head of the government's Yucca Mountain nuclear waste dump has doubts about a Senate plan for temporary storage of highly radioactive nuclear waste pending completion of Yucca.

WASHINGTON - The fighting in the Middle East has prompted the FBI to increase its focus on the worldwide activities of the Islamic militant group Hezbollah, but the bureau said Wednesday it has no credible intelligence pointing to an imminent attack in the United States.

TAIPEI, Taiwan - A veteran State Department officer takes up with a beautiful Taiwanese spy. FBI agents observe them in intimate circumstances in the man's car. He gives her the lowdown on a crucial U.S.-China summit meeting.

UNITED NATIONS - The United Nations was bringing key Mideast players together Thursday for a series of meetings over the escalating hostilities between Israel and Lebanon's Hezbollah guerrillas.

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia is prepared to back a United Nations resolution giving Iran a deadline to respond to a package of incentives on its nuclear program, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov was quoted as saying on Thursday.

KINSHASA, Congo - Gunmen opened fire on an election rally and killed several people in Congo's volatile east, the United Nations reported Wednesday, the latest outburst of violence as the nation prepares for its first free legislative and presidential balloting in 46 years.

WASHINGTON - Saudi Arabia is making progress in removing bigoted references to religious minorities in school textbooks, and U.S. trade sanctions will continue to be withheld, the State Department said Wednesday.

WASHINGTON - Congressional Republicans on Tuesday proposed a $100 million plan to let poor children leave struggling schools and attend private schools at public expense.

JACKSON, Miss. - The death penalty appeal of Bobby Glen Wilcher will be among the first cases the U.S. Supreme Court will discuss when justices return from vacation this fall.

WASHINGTON - Dorothy Clark Blackmun, whose late husband wrote the Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion nationwide, has died. She was 95.

WASHINGTON (AFP) - President George W. Bush has nominated an army general who currently oversees "war on terror" detention operations at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, to the post of Supreme Allied Commander Europe, the Pentagon said.

BOSTON (AFP) - The Massachusetts Supreme Court dealt a blow to same-sex marriages in the only US state where they are authorized by allowing the possible introduction of a constitutional amendment banning the unions.

WASHINGTON - After waiting 5 1/2 years to make good on a veto threat, President Bush used his first to underscore his politically risky stand against federal funding for the embryonic stem cell research that most Americans support.

WASHINGTON - Legislation to bar federal courts from ruling on constitutional issues arising from the Pledge of Allegiance, including the "one nation, under God" reference, passed the House after lawmakers argued that the pledge is linked to the nation's spiritual history.

WASHINGTON - The House is rushing to put itself on record as standing behind Israel in its confrontation with Hezbollah in Lebanon, steamrolling efforts by a small group of lawmakers who argue that Congress's pro-Israel stance goes too far.

WASHINGTON - The Senate voted Wednesday to require the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to submit flood control projects for review by an outside panel after senators cited New Orleans levees as a tragic example of agency shortcomings.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Drug makers could face fines if they fail to complete post-approval studies or otherwise violate safety monitoring plans for recently approved medicines under legislation proposed by two key U.S. senators.