TMCnet News
AP Political NewsBrief at 2:14 p.m. EDT(Associated Press Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Panetta: Iraq will for some US troops to stayWASHINGTON (AP) _ The likely next Pentagon chief says he believes Iraq will ask the U.S. to maintain a presence in that country beyond the end of this year, when American troops are currently scheduled to leave. Leon Panetta is telling the Senate Armed Services Committee that it is up to Iraqi leaders to lay out what support they need, and for how long, in order to make sure security gains there are not lost. Weiner abides despite new photo, baby on the wayWASHINGTON (AP) _ Rep. Anthony Weiner is clinging to his perch in Congress despite new efforts to pry him away and developments that might inspire others in his position to give up the fight: A newly released X-rated photo that Weiner purportedly took of himself turned up on the Internet. Panetta sees Gadhafi regime weakening in LibyaWASHINGTON (AP) _ Opposition forces in Libya have made gains in the east and west and Moammar Gadhafi's regime is weakening, Leon Panetta said Thursday, telling senators that the rebel leaders could maintain continuity in the country if the current rulers are ousted. Members of the Senate Armed Services quizzed Panetta on the NATO military operation in Libya and the possible future of the country if Gadhafi bows to pressure to leave. Panetta has been nominated as the next secretary of defense and was testifying before the panel. Clinton: Gadhafi associates seeking to negotiateABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates (AP) _ U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton says she is aware of "numerous and continuing" overtures by people close to Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi (MOO'-ah-mar gah-DAH'-fee) to negotiate his departure from power. Speaking to reporters after an international conference on Libya in the United Arab Emirates, Clinton said proposals from "people close to Gadhafi" presented to unspecified countries included the "potential for a transition." But she said she could not predict if they would be accepted. She did, however, stress that she believed Gadhafi's decades-long rule is nearing an end. Biden-led budget talks resume on Capitol HillWASHINGTON (AP) _ With an early August deadline looming, lawmakers and the White House are finding out just how difficult it is to come up with $2.5 trillion in budget savings over the next decade. That's the price Republicans are demanding to let the government continue piling on debt. Failure to raise the nation's debt ceiling could lead to a first-ever U.S. default on its obligations, sure to roil stock markets. AP sources: bin Laden files prompt new scrutinyWASHINGTON (AP) _ Everyone Osama bin Laden ever wrote to, spoke to or even mentioned in the volumes of correspondence seized from his Pakistan hideout is under new scrutiny, U.S. officials say. Surveillance has been stepped up on possible terrorist targets around the world, as intelligence experts near the end of decrypting and translating material seized from the bin Laden compound. White House: Counterterrorism agency chief resignsWASHINGTON (AP) _ The White House says its top counterterrorism agency chief is resigning after nearly five years at his post. The president called National Counterterrorism Center director Michael Leiter, "a trusted adviser to me and to the entire national security team, providing us with an in-depth understanding of terrorist activities." Court says Microsoft must pay in patent caseWASHINGTON (AP) _ The Supreme Court ruled Thursday that Microsoft Corp. must pay a $290 million judgment awarded to a small Toronto software company for infringing on one of its patents inside its popular Microsoft Word program. The high court unanimously refused to throw out the judgment against the world's largest software maker. Panetta sees Gadhafi regime weakening in LibyaWASHINGTON (AP) _ The man nominated to be the next Pentagon chief says the opposition forces in Libya have made gains in the east and west and that Moammar Gadhafi's regime is weakening. Leon Panetta tells the Senate Armed Services Committee that the NATO military operation, strong economic sanctions, and the enforcement of the no-fly zone are putting tremendous pressure on Gadhafi. Wars, budget top agenda for next Pentagon chiefWASHINGTON (AP) _ U.S. senators are warning the man nominated to be the next defense chief to be wary of draconian Pentagon budget cuts, laying down a gauntlet against the $400 billion in national security reductions that President Barack Obama has proposed. Leaders of the Senate Armed Services Committee tell Leon Panetta the Pentagon must scrutinize the budget for potential efficiencies. But they also say the U.S. cannot afford to slice into the muscle of America's military power. (c) 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. |