In Colorado, same-sex marriage remains a hot issue
 Minutes after President Barack Obama announced he supported gay marriage, the Democratic governor of Colorado choked back tears in Denver as he ordered state lawmakers to reconsider a civil-unions measure that Republicans had defeated the day before.
Rubio's past includes political vulnerabilities
Sen. Marco Rubio has close ties to a colleague accused of questionable financial dealings. The freshman senator also once was enmeshed in a controversy over the use of the state party's credit card for his personal expenses. And he has faced increased scrutiny over his personal background since bursting onto the national political scene, including conflicting details of his parents' immigration from Cuba and his recently disclosed ties to the Mormon faith.
Obama touts reforms after bank's $2 billion loss
 President Barack Obama on Saturday pointed again to the multi-billion-dollar trading loss at JPMorgan Chase as a reason Congress should retain and continue to implement Wall Street reforms to prevent the kinds of practices that he says led to the financial meltdown in 2008.
Chinese entities world's biggest economic spies: Pentagon
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Pentagon said on Friday it believes China spent up to $180 billion on its military buildup last year, a far higher figure than acknowledged by Beijing, and it accused "Chinese actors" of being the world's biggest perpetrators of economic espionage. China rejected the report as irresponsible, saying the United States was spreading a "China military threat" theory. ...
Murdoch denies planning to spin off UK newspapers
LONDON (Reuters) - Rupert Murdoch has denied reports that News Corp is considering spinning off its British newspapers to protect the rest of his media empire from a phone hacking scandal. The Daily Telegraph and the Financial Times newspapers said executives at the company were looking into ways to split off the Sun, the Times and the Sunday Times, published by its News International unit. ...
Seven charged in major roundup of Irish militant suspects
LISBURN, Northern Ireland (Reuters) - Seven Irish nationalists have been charged in Northern Ireland of involvement in militant activity, three under a rarely used law against "directing terrorism," in one of the highest profile roundups of its kind in the province in recent years. Five were charged on Friday and two more on Saturday of offences including conspiracy to murder and cause explosions and the preparation of terrorist acts, police said, following a joint operation with security services. ...
Blind Chinese activist appears to have left for U.S.
 BEIJING (Reuters) - China allowed a blind legal activist, Chen Guangcheng, to leave a hospital in Beijing on Saturday and board a plane bound for the United States, a move that could signal the end of a diplomatic standoff between the two countries. Chen's escape from house arrest in northeastern China last month and subsequent stay in the U.S. embassy caused huge embarrassment for China and led to a diplomatic rift while U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was visiting Beijing for talks to improve ties between the world's two biggest economies. ...
Chinese dissident Chen has left for U.S.: State Dept
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The blind Chinese dissident Chen Guangcheng has left China on board a flight to the United States, the U.S. State Department said on Saturday. "We can confirm that Chen Guangcheng, his wife and two children have departed China and are en route to the United States so he can pursue studies at an American university," spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said in a statement. "We are looking forward to his arrival in the United States later today. We also express our appreciation for the manner in which we were able to resolve this matter and to support Mr. ...
UAE urges citizens to stay away from Lebanon
DUBAI (Reuters) - The United Arab Emirates urged its citizens to stay away from Lebanon on Saturday, citing security concerns in a country where fighting prompted by sectarian tensions in neighboring Syria has unsettled areas near a northern port. A UAE Foreign Ministry official urged all those already in Lebanon - a favorite destination for wealthy Gulf tourists - to leave because of the "tense security situation" in the country, the official news agency WAM reported. Heavy fighting has rocked Lebanon's northern port of Tripoli in the past week. ...
Blind Chinese activist "has applied to study in U.S.": Xinhua
BEIJING (Reuters) - Blind Chinese legal activist Chen Guangcheng has applied to study in the United States "via normal channels in line with the law", state news agency Xinhua reported. The brief report, citing sources from relevant departments, was the first official confirmation of Chen's activities. It did not mention whether Chen has left the country, though he appeared to have been checked into a flight bound for the United States. (Reporting by Sui-Lee Wee; Editing by Ron Popeski)
Turkish civilian killed in attack by Kurdish rebels
DIYARBAKIR, Turkey (Reuters) - A construction worker was killed and three people were wounded when Kurdish militants attacked a military outpost in southeastern Turkey near the Iraqi border, security sources said on Saturday. Fevzi Altunc was killed late on Friday when gunmen from the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) opened fire on the outpost in a remote area in Hakkari province, the sources said. The three wounded workers were being treated in hospital on Saturday, they said. They had been building the station in the wooded, mountainous area near the village of Yesilova. ...
Syrian TV: Suicide bomber carried out Deir al-Zor attack
BEIRUT (Reuters) - A suicide bomber carried out a car bombing in the eastern Syrian city of Deir al-Zor on Saturday, state television said. In a bulletin flashed over its regular programming, it said the bombing was the work of a "suicide terrorist". (Writing by Joseph Logan; Editing by Louise Ireland)
Nine killed by Syria car bomb, 100 wounded: agency
BEIRUT (Reuters) - A car bomb that rocked the eastern Syrian city of Deir al-Zor on Saturday killed nine people and wounded about 100, the official SANA news agency said. It said the bombing was carried out by a suicide bomber and that the dead included guards at a military installation which is near a housing complex. (Writing by Joseph Logan; Editing by Louise Ireland)
Blind Chinese activist appears to have left for U.S
BEIJING (Reuters) - Blind Chinese legal activist Chen Guangcheng's baggage has been checked into a flight bound for the United States, an official at Beijing airport said on Saturday, though there was no visual confirmation that Chen was on board. A woman at the United Airlines counter in the Beijing airport told Reuters that Chen Guangcheng's baggage "is already checked in" on a flight heading for Newark in New Jersey. The plane departed around 5.50 pm (0950 GMT), but there was no visual confirmation that Chen was on it. ...
Obama touts reforms after bank's $2 billion loss
President Barack Obama on Saturday pointed again to the multi-billion-dollar trading loss at JPMorgan Chase as a reason Congress should retain and continue to implement Wall Street reforms to prevent the kinds of practices that he says led to the financial meltdown in 2008.
Greece confirms June 17 election date
ATHENS (Reuters) - Greece confirmed on Saturday that it would a hold a repeat general election on June 17, after party leaders failed to form a coalition government following an inconclusive election. "We are calling a general election for June 17. The new parliament will convene on June 28, Thursday," said a statement from the parliament's press office. The statement said President Karolos Papoulias had dissolved the parliament elected on May 6, two days after it was convened. The date of the new election was released last week but was not official until Papoulias issued Saturday's decree. ...
Obama's Weekly Address - Implementing Wall St Reform
In the wake of JP Morgan Chase’s staggering trading loss, President Obama is urging Republicans to “keep moving forward” and finish implementing Wall Street reform. “We can’t afford to go back to an era of weak regulation and little oversight, where excessive risk-taking on Wall...
Official denies death of second girl in Italy bombing
ROME (Reuters) - A second girl who was injured by a bomb blast in southern Italy on Saturday was in "very serious" condition after surgery, a civil protection official said, denying an earlier news report that she had died. A 16-year-old girl was confirmed killed in the explosion. Fabiano Amati, the region's civil protection representative, said that a second girl's condition was stable though grave after surgery. Six others suffered less serious injuries, Interior Minister Anna Maria Cancellieri said in an interview with SkyTG24. (Reporting by Steve Scherer; Editing by Louise Ireland)
Bomb at south Italy school kills teenager, wounds six
ROME (Reuters) - A bomb exploded in front of a school in southern Italy on Saturday, killing a 16 year-old girl and wounding at least six others, two seriously, authorities said on Saturday. The explosion, near the entrance of a girls' school named after the wife of murdered anti-Mafia judge Giovanni Falcone, occurred as pupils were preparing to enter the school at the start of the school day, which in Italy includes Saturdays. ...
AP NewsAlert
 Plane carrying Chinese blind activist and family departs for the United States.
In Colorado, same-sex marriage remains a hot issue
Minutes after President Barack Obama announced he supported gay marriage, the Democratic governor of Colorado choked back tears in Denver as he ordered state lawmakers to reconsider a civil-unions measure that Republicans had defeated the day before.
Rubio's past includes political vulnerabilities
Sen. Marco Rubio has close ties to a colleague accused of questionable financial dealings. The freshman senator also once was enmeshed in a controversy over the use of the state party's credit card for his personal expenses. And he has faced increased scrutiny over his personal background since bursting onto the national political scene, including conflicting details of his parents' immigration from Cuba and his recently disclosed ties to the Mormon faith.
Blind Chinese activist Chen says is at Beijing airport
 BEIJING (Reuters) - Blind Chinese legal activist Chen Guangcheng said on Saturday he had left a hospital in Beijing and was at the airport where he expected to be departing for the United States, a move that would signal the end of a diplomatic crisis between the two country. Chen, who has been in hospital for the past three weeks since he sought refuge in the U.S. embassy, said he believed he would be headed on a flight to the United States, but added he was still uncertain of it. The U.S. embassy was not immediately available for comment. ...
Could Overhauled Organizing Deliver Virginia to the GOP This Fall?
If you need proof that President Obama's team will run a formidable ground game in Virginia, consider this: At the 2012 kickoff rally in Richmond, organizers say they signed up 1,500 new volunteers out of the 8,000-member crowd. But in addition to obvious dangers like a struggling economy, Obama’s team will face a new threat -- a better-prepared Republican Party that is coming off three years of victories in the state.
Guest lineups for the Sunday news shows
Guest lineups for the Sunday TV news shows:
Chinese activist Chen on way to airport, bound for U.S.
 BEIJING (Reuters) - China has allowed blind legal activist Chen Guangcheng to leave a hospital in Beijing for the United States, a U.S.-based Christian advocacy group said on Saturday. Chen Guangcheng told Bob Fu, the president of Texas-based ChinaAid, that he and his family were heading to the Beijing airport now, according to an emailed statement from the group. Chen and his family "were informed to pack up and get ready to leave China" for the United States on Saturday, the statement said. Chen could not immediately be reached for comment. ...
Chinese activist Chen on way to airport, bound for U.S. : advocacy group
BEIJING (Reuters) - China has allowed blind legal activist Chen Guangcheng to leave a hospital in Beijing for the United States, a U.S.-based Christian advocacy group said on Saturday. Chen Guangcheng told Bob Fu, the president of Texas-based ChinaAid, that he and his family were heading to the Beijing airport now, according to an emailed statement from the group. Chen and his family "were informed to pack up and get ready to leave China" for the United States on Saturday, the statement said. Chen could not immediately be reached for comment. ...
Blind activist says China's "manipulation" of nephew's case will fail
BEIJING (Reuters) - Blind Chinese activist Chen Guangcheng said on Saturday the authorities' drive to manipulate his nephew's case would not succeed, but instead would increase public discontent over an episode that has renewed international focus on China's human rights and legal system. Chen Guangcheng's nephew, Chen Kegui, was denied his family's choice of lawyers on Friday to defend a charge of "intentional homicide", the latest in a series of moves to deny him legal representation, and underscores the hardline stance taken against Chen Guangcheng's family. ...
Obama opens up Camp David for rustic VIP sleepover
CAMP DAVID, Maryland (Reuters) - Eight of the world's most powerful people spent Friday night in the woods. In a sort of VIP sleepover, G8 leaders bedded down in rustic cabins in rural Maryland, where the U.S. presidential retreat known as Camp David is hosting by far the largest international summit in its 70-year history. President Barack Obama welcomed his peers from Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia and Canada to the verdant compound on Friday evening, describing the weather as "perfect" with clear skies visible through tall oak and poplar trees. ...
CFTC opens probe into JPMorgan trading loss - source
 (Reuters) - The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) has opened an investigation into possible wrongdoing at JPMorgan Chase & Co in connection with the bank's multi-billion-dollar trading loss, a source familiar with the probe told Reuters. The agency will soon disclose the existence of the investigation, the source said on Friday. Earlier on Friday, the New York Times reported that the CFTC had opened an enforcement case, quoting people briefed on the matter. The CFTC would join the FBI and the U.S. ...
Alabama governor signs bill tweaking immigration law
MOBILE, Alabama (Reuters) - Alabama's governor signed into law revisions to the state's controversial immigration statute on Friday, despite his earlier suggestions he might veto the measure because it did not make enough changes to the toughest state crackdown against illegal immigrants. Republican Governor Robert Bentley had publicly urged lawmakers to modify sections of the law that took effect last year and which sparked lawsuits by the Obama administration and immigrant rights groups that argued it is unconstitutional. ...
CFTC opens probe into JPMorgan trading loss: source
(Reuters) - The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) has opened an investigation into possible wrongdoing at JPMorgan Chase & Co in connection with the bank's multi-billion-dollar trading loss, a source familiar with the probe told Reuters. The agency will soon disclose the existence of the investigation, the source said on Friday. Earlier on Friday, the New York Times reported that the CFTC had opened an enforcement case, quoting people briefed on the matter. The CFTC would join the FBI and the U.S. ...
Iran, Syria among top for G-8 and NATO
 President Barack Obama and leaders of other major industrial powers grappled Friday with options to solidify world resolve against development of an Iranian nuclear bomb and encourage a more forceful response to worsening violence in Syria.
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