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AP Political NewsBrief at 2:05 p.m. EDT(Associated Press Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Anything but clear: Senate weighs Libya resolutionWASHINGTON (AP) _ Congress is sending a muddled message on Libya to both U.S. allies and Moammar Gadhafi. Bipartisan Senate support for giving President Barack Obama limited authority to continue military involvement against Gadhafi is at odds with overwhelming opposition in the House to the commander in chief's actions. Democrats as well as Republicans in the House have criticized Obama for failing to seek congressional consent for the operation in a constitutional stalemate that has dragged on for weeks. Analysis blames NKorea for cyberattack on SKoreaWASHINGTON (AP) _ North Korea or its sympathizers were responsible for the cyberattack against South Korean government and banking websites earlier this year, according to a new analysis that said it also appears to have been linked to the 2009 massive computer-based attack that brought down U.S. government Internet sites. A study by computer security software maker McAfee Inc. concludes that the attack that targeted more than two dozen sites in South Korea was a type of reconnaissance mission to see how quickly South Korea's government detected the problem and recovered from it. The McAfee report, expected to be released Tuesday, said clues in the code suggest that the attack was probably engineered by North Korea or its sympathizers. Ex-Yanks' drug use likely out of Clemens trialWASHINGTON (AP) _ The federal judge who will preside over Roger Clemens' perjury trial said Tuesday he probably will not permit the pitcher's former teammates on the New York Yankees to give testimony aimed at bolstering the credibility of Clemens' former trainer, now a major prosecution witness. A day before the trial's start, U.S. District Judge Reggie Walton said at a hearing that statements from former Yankees Andy Pettite, Chuck Knoblauch and Mike Stanton that they received injections of performance-enhancing drugs from the trainer, Brian McNamee, could unfairly influence jurors. GOP uses budget, other tools to sap financial lawWASHINGTON (AP) _ Congressional Republicans are greeting the one-year anniversary of President Barack Obama's financial overhaul law by trying to weaken it, nibble by nibble. Wary of attempting to dismantle the entire statute and being portrayed as Wall Street's allies _ banks are among the nation's most unpopular institutions _ GOP lawmakers are attacking corners of it. They can't prevail because they don't control the White House or Senate, but they may be able to force some compromises on agency budgets, pressure regulators and influence some of Obama's nominations. Myanmar diplomat defects, warns of oppressionWASHINGTON (AP) _ A senior Myanmar diplomat in Washington has defected to the U.S., warning that oppression is rising in his homeland despite elections touted by the dominant military as a transition to democracy. Kyaw Win, the deputy chief of mission, appealed for political asylum in the United States in a letter dated Monday and addressed to Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton. In the letter he says his conscience prevents him from continuing to work for the government. He also calls for the U.S. to implement targeted sanctions against the government and its "cronies." Leading Democrat says GOP tax argument flawedWASHINGTON (AP) _ A leading House Democrat thinks members of Congress could reach a deal to avoid a government default if they could get past the semantics of tax increases. Rep. Jim Clyburn of South Carolina tells MSNBC one of the biggest obstacles in talks to resolve the issue is that many Republicans consider closing tax loopholes to be the same as raising taxes. This is a problem, he says, because most House Republicans have signed a no-new-taxes pledge. House panel to take up 3 trade agreementsWASHINGTON (AP) _ House Republicans are bucking demands from the Obama White House to include renewal of a U.S. job training assistance program in long-pending legislation providing free-trade agreements with South Korea, Colombia and Panama. The standoff could jeopardize passage of the trade pacts, which are to be brought before the Ways and Means Committee later this week. AP Enterprise: The man who hunted Osama bin LadenWASHINGTON (AP) _ After Navy SEALs killed Osama bin Laden, the White House released a photo of President Barack Obama and his Cabinet inside the Situation Room, watching the daring raid unfold. Hidden from view, standing just outside the frame of that now-famous photograph was a career CIA analyst. In the hunt for the world's most-wanted terrorist, there may have been no one more important. His job for nearly a decade was finding the al-Qaida leader. Obama thanks troops at July 4 party on South LawnWASHINGTON (AP) _ Telling U.S. troops that "America is proud of all of you," President Barack Obama marked the Fourth of July holiday by hosting a barbecue and concert for military members and families on the South Lawn of the White House. The president and first lady Michelle Obama greeted more than 1,200 guests from a White House balcony Monday evening. After brief remarks, the first couple stood in the driveway and shook hands with visitors. Secret Service to probe hack on Fox News TwitterWASHINGTON (AP) _ The Secret Service said Monday it will investigate the hacking of Fox's political Twitter account over updates claiming that President Barack Obama had been assassinated. Secret Service spokesman George Ogilvie says the law enforcement agency whose job it is to protect the president will conduct a probe of the false postings and that "we will conduct the appropriate follow up." (c) 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. |