All USA
- Monitor BreakfastL.A. mayor calls tax code unfair, cites Mitt Romney
L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa said the news that millionaire Mitt Romney has been paying federal taxes at close to a 15 percent rate is going to spur talk about fixing the US tax code.
- White House may reject oil pipeline, Feb. deadline 'purely political'
White House spokesman Jay Carney stopped short of saying a decision on the Keystone XL pipeline had been made.
- Monitor BreakfastCities brace for bad news in Obama's next federal budget, top mayor says
The Obama administration is preparing its 2013 federal budget proposal and is letting some allies know how spending cuts will affect them. For Antonio Villaraigosa, president of the US Conference of Mayors, the news has not been good.
- Widespread snow buries Seattle area
There were 95 accidents in an eight-hour period in Pierce and Thurston counties, which include Tacoma and Olympia, State Trooper Guy Gill said Wednesday morning.
- Did Sarah Palin endorse Newt Gingrich or not?
A lot of media folks are leaping to the conclusion that Sarah Palin did endorse Newt Gingrich on a Fox News show Tuesday night, but we’re not so sure.
- Why Mitt Romney's 15 percent tax rate may not matter in the long run
Republican voters already knew Mitt Romney is wealthy. Now that they know his effective tax rate, chances are they won't suddenly decide he'll have a harder time beating Obama than any of his GOP rivals.
- Ron Paul: Are his voters being stolen away by Stephen Colbert?
Comedian and pseudo-candidate Stephen Colbert, tapping the South Carolina primary as his playground, appears to have a bead on the classic Ron Paul voter.
- Everglades snakes problematic, so non-native species banned
Everglades snakes have been around for a long time. But recently, giant snakes not native to the Everglades have been invading the Florida landmark. Now, these giant snake species have been banned.
- Rick Perry vs. Turkey: A rebuttal from Turkey
Rick Perry slammed Turkey, a US ally, as ruled by "Islamic terrorists." Turkey's ambassador to the US replies.
- Still in, Newt Gingrich is the wild card in GOP race
Newt Gingrich, who once pledged to run a 'relentlessly positive' campaign, has embarked on a scorched-earth approach to his rivals, especially Mitt Romney. Big donors give the notoriously volatile Gingrich extra staying power.
- Jim Caldwell fired, Indianapolis Colts look to future
Jim Caldwell was fired on Tuesday after the once-proud franchise finished tied for the National Football League's worst record on the 2011 season. 'This was a difficult decision,' said Colts owner Jim Irsay during a news conference.
- Why Google and Twitter didn't join the SOPA blackout
Wikipedia, Reddit, and other sites are blacked out in protest of the SOPA anti-piracy bills. Why didn't Google and Twitter join the blackout?
- Will Newt Gingrich benefit from Sarah Palin endorsement?
Newt Gingrich was backed, sort of, by former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin Tuesday. In South Carolina Tuesday, Gingrich came out swinging at Mitt Romney.
- Mitt Romney's 15 percent tax rate: How does it compare to Obama or Perry?
Mitt Romney said Tuesday his tax rate is about 15 percent of his income. Barack and Michelle Obama paid 25 percent.
- Veteran charged with homeless murders: Hint of larger problem for US military?
A veteran charged with killing four homeless men was troubled after returning from Iraq, reports say. That has highlighted the rising mental-health problems facing the US military.
- USS Cole bombing: Judge denies lawyers' bid to meet with unchained client
Lawyers for the alleged USS Cole bombing mastermind say the security restrictions at the Guantanamo Bay terror detention camp are hindering their ability to prepare his defense.
- Wikipedia blackout: Why even supporters question anti-SOPA move
The Wikipedia blackout is intended to spotlight the value of open access to information on the Internet, but also underlies how fractious the move is, drawing fire from both critics and supporters.
- House to reject debt limit increase. Why that doesn't really matter.
The House is voting Wednesday on a resolution disapproving of a request by President Obama to raise the national debt limit by $1.2 trillion. But the issue actually was resolved last summer.
- How five websites are protesting SOPA Five major websites will go dark on Wednesday protesting two Congressional bills, which critics argue could curtail Internet and free speech. If passed, The Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and its Senate counterpart, the Protect IP Act or PIPA, would allow the US government to seek a court order and even shut down websites that contain content or links to unauthorized copyrighted content. Moreover, advertisers and Internet service providers would be banned from doing business with transgressors.Proponents of the legislation include companies that are trying to protect their copyrights, such as the Motion Picture Association of America, The NBA, Pfizer, Nike, L'Oreal, as well as the US Chamber of Commerce, the Fraternal Order of Police, and the US Conference of Mayors.However, voices of opposition include Internet giants Google, Yahoo!, Facebook, Twitter, eBay, Mozilla, and Wikipedia – who say that the proposed laws constitute a First Amendment violation, promote censorship, and harm the democratic flow of information. Check out how five major websites plan to protest SOPA and PIPA:
- Romney: most income from investments, pays about 15 percent income tax
Romney, a multimillionaire, has been under pressure from his rivals for the Republican presidential nomination and others to release his tax information.