10 facts about 10 new members of Congress

Which new member of the House is a former reindeer farmer? Who is the biggest new tea party name in the Senate? Here’s a look at 10 new members of Congress with unique backgrounds.cruzwarrenThe 113thCongress is sworn in on January 3, 2013, and it’s a diverse bunch.There will be 90 new members of Congress to start the New Year, with 13 new senators and 67 representatives making their appearances in...

Read More..

Factbox: Key players in scramble to avoid U.S. "fiscal cliff"

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The outcome of the "fiscal cliff" debate will be decided in four days, with just a handful of powerful leaders in Washington calling the shots, for better or for worse.Here are some of the politicians and administration figures who are involved in trying to head off the tax increases and federal spending cuts that will take hold in January unless Congress acts, possibly pushing...

Read More..

Curtain rises in 2013 on final act in soap opera over new arena for Oilers

EDMONTON - It started out as a sports arena but has become Edmonton's longest running soap opera.A cost-shared deal between the hockey-mad city and the Edmonton Oilers to build a palatial downtown rink for the NHL team went from deal to no-deal to possible deal in 2012, with all sides now agreeing a final resolution — one way or the other — must come early in 2013.It has been a series of setbacks...

Read More..

The 9 worst political gaffes of 2012

In an election season riddled with gaffes, flubs, and verbal miscues, here are the lowlightsThe arguably most damaging verbal flub of the 2012 election season — Mitt Romney's covertly recorded comments to wealthy donors that 47 percent of Americans are government-addicted moochers — wasn't even a classic inadvertent gaffe: He meant to say it, and even revisited the theme after he lost the presidential...

Read More..

Best of 2012: The Year of Comedy, Citizens United, Health Care Competition, and Trolls

AP Photo/Jacquelyn MartinRed lights illuminate Pennsylvania Avenue as the U.S. Capitol glows in the twilight, in Washington, Wednesday, Dec. 19, 2012, as talks continue on the looming fiscal cliff. The Political Landscape is a weekly conversation with National Journal writers, editors, and outside experts on the news of the day.2012 was a year of ineffable change domestically and abroad. At home:...

Read More..

‘iPhone 5S’ could feature new ‘touch-on display’ technology

The display Apple (AAPL) uses in the iPhone 5 could be replaced as soon as this year. It has been reported that the panel’s in-cell touch technology, which allows for a thinner design by combining the touch sensor and display into one panel, has been causing interference problems with the touchscreen and is also part of the reason behind recent supply shortages. According to a report from The China...

Read More..

APPLE’S Q1 IPHONE SALES MAY HIT 50 MILLION AS IPAD SALES CLIMB TO 24 MILLION

Shares of Apple (AAPL) are down more than 20% in the past three months from highs in the $700 range. Despite guiding for a record holiday quarter, Wall Street continues to be split on Apple’s future. Some analysts expect the company’s success to continue while othershave argued that “people overbelieved in Apple.” Rob Cihra of Evercore Partners thinks the company will...

Read More..

NY pension fund sues Qualcomm for political records

 New York State's $150-billion public pension fund has sued Qualcomm Inc., seeking to force the chipmaker to reveal its political spending, according to the state comptroller.The suit was filed late on Wednesday in Delaware Court of Chancery, after Qualcomm refused the request by the New York State Common Retirement Fund -- a Qualcomm shareholder -- to inspect records detailing the use of corporate...

Read More..

6 takeaways from Google's antitrust settlement

Google Inc. has settled an U.S. antitrust probe that largely leaves its search practices alone. In a major win for Google, the Federal Trade Commission unanimously concluded that there is not enough evidence to support complaints from rivals that the company shows unfair bias in its search results toward its own products.Below are six of the biggest takeaways from the decision announced Thursday:—...

Read More..

The Milky Way Is Home to 100 Billion Scary Alien Planets

A new study published in the peer-reviewed Astrophysical Journal presents evidence that approximately 100 billion "alien planets" — that is, astronomical objects determined to be orbiting a star — reside in the Milky Way, the galactic home of planet Earth. The Caltech astrophysicists who authored the study say their estimate is "conservative"; there could very well be 200 billion...

Read More..

Venezuela VP: Chavez suffers 'new complications'

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Hugo Chavez has suffered "new complications" following his cancer surgery in Cuba, his vice president said Sunday, describing the Venezuelan leader's condition as delicate. Vice President Nicolas Maduro spoke with a solemn expression in a televised address from Havana, saying he had spoken with Chavez and that the president sent greetings to his homeland. Maduro did not give...

Read More..

Venezuela's official statement on Chavez's health

English translation of statement read by Vice President Nicolas Maduro in Havana on Sunday about the health of President Hugo Chavez:"The Government of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela fulfills its duty by informing the Venezuelan people about the course of President Hugo Chavez's medical treatment after the surgery performed in Havana, Cuba on Dec. 11."As is known, on December 28 we traveled...

Read More..

A lesson in pop culture via Guantanamo

 al-Afghani, Muhammed Rahim al-Afghani poses …more RELATED CONTENTEnlarge PhotoIn this undated photo taken by …Enlarge PhotoThis Oct. 8, 2012 photo taken by …SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — An Afghan man who is being held with the most significant terrorism suspects in U.S. custody has apparently gained extensive knowledge of western pop culture in an unlikely place: the top secret prison-within-a-prison...

Read More..

Chavez suffers new complications in cancer fight

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — President Hugo Chavez's new complications after cancer surgery prompted his closest allies to call for Venezuelans to pray for him on Monday, presenting an increasingly bleak outlook and prompting growing speculation about whether the ailing leader has much longer to live.Vice President Nicolas Maduro looked weary and spoke with a solemn expression as he announced in a televised...

Read More..

Venezuelans offer prayers, songs for Hugo Chavez

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Venezuelans gathered on plazas and in churches to pray for President Hugo Chavez amid what seems an increasingly gloomy outlook for the ailing leader in his fight against cancer.Following an announcement that Chavez had suffered "new complications" from a respiratory infection after undergoing cancer surgery in Cuba, people were out in the streets of Caracas on Monday talking...

Read More..

White House defends offer as 'good faith effort'

WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House is defending President Barack Obama's proposal to set a higher threshold for tax increases than what he vowed to do during his presidential campaign. The White House says Obama has moved halfway to meet House Speaker John Boehner on a "fiscal cliff" deal that raises $1.2 trillion in tax revenue, down from the $1.6 trillion Obama had initially requested.White House...

Read More..

Factbox: U.S. House "Plan B" tax bill likely to have short shelf life

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. House of Representatives is likely to vote this week on what is being called "Plan B" on avoiding the "fiscal cliff."The Republican-sponsored legislation aims to extend current low tax rates for most families. Without such action by Congress, across-the-board income tax rates will rise on January 1.The combination of $500 billion in tax hikes and $100 billion in spending...

Read More..

U.S. charges three Swiss bankers in offshore account case

 Three Swiss bankers accused of conspiring with American clients to hide more than $420 million from the tax-collecting U.S. Internal Revenue Service were indicted, the U.S. Attorney's Office in Manhattan said on Wednesday.The indictment named Stephan Fellmann, Otto Huppi and Christof Reist, all former client advisers with an unnamed Swiss bank. None of the bankers have been arrested, authorities...

Read More..

"Fiscal cliff" turmoil could hit 100 million taxpayers: U.S. IRS

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. tax authorities warned on Wednesday that as many as 100 million taxpayers - far more than previously estimated - could face refund delays if lawmakers' "fiscal cliff" negotiations fail to fix the alternative minimum tax (AMT) before year-end.The Internal Revenue Service said in a letter to lawmakers that it was raising its estimate on AMT impact from 60 million."It is becoming...

Read More..

What's on the table now in 'fiscal cliff' talks

An update on the latest offers on the table in negotiations to avert a year-end avalanche of federal tax increases and spending cuts known as the "fiscal cliff":___INCOME TAXESHouse Speaker John Boehner would allow income tax rates to rise for people making more than $1 million per year and would hold rates where they are for everyone making less. The top rate on income exceeding $1 million would...

Read More..