The Top 10 Stories of February 14, 2012
Quote of the day.
"There's no real record or lists of people who are buried there. We felt it was proper to let other visitors know these sites do exist." - Chris Brantley, an Army Corps of Engineers project manager directing an initiative to plan a memorial at two slave cemeteries west of New Orleans commemorating the lives and deaths of those buried.
(USA Today)
1. USCCB president says revised mandate won't solve problems.
"Cardinal-designate Timothy M. Dolan of New York said Feb. 13 that President Barack Obama''s revision to the contraceptive mandate in the health reform law did nothing to change the U.S. bishops'' opposition to what they regard as an unconstitutional infringement on religious liberty."
(Catholic News Service)
2. Military cuts and tax plan central to Obama budget.
"President Obama’s final budget request of his term amounts to his agenda for a desired second term, with tax increases on the affluent and cuts in spending, especially from the military, both to reduce deficits and to pay for priorities like education, public works, research and clean energy."
(New York Times)
3. Heaviest 2013 defense budget cuts would fall on troops.
"As the Pentagon sought to show Monday that it had made tough spending decisions in its fiscal 2013 budget proposal, the brunt of the reductions would fall on U.S. ground troops, which face job losses, modest pay raises and increased health care costs while serving in a smaller force."
(McClatchy Newspapers)
4. House GOP reverses on payroll tax.
"At the same time Republicans were railing at Obama for proposing a budget with a $1.3 trillion deficit, House GOP leaders proposed something many in their party thought impossible: adding $100 billion to the deficit by passing a 10-month extension of a Social Security payroll tax cut without paying for it."
(Politico)
5. Senate GOP tries to restore Keystone pipeline.
"Senate Republicans introduced an amendment to a transportation bill that would speed the construction and operation of the Keystone pipeline from Canada. The move sparked a backlash from environmentalists, who generated hundreds of thousands of e-mails against the amendment within hours."
(Washington Post)
6. Poorest areas to go dark as post offices close.
"Some of America''s poorest communities - many of them with limited internet coverage - stand to suffer most if the struggling U.S. Postal Service moves ahead with plans to shutter thousands of post offices later this year."
(Reuters)
7. Xi Jinping to meet Obama as China and U.S. look to improve relations.
"Washington is getting its first hard look at Xi Jinping, the man destined to lead China in the coming decade, during which the global powers probably will see their economic ties grow even as they are viewed increasingly as military rivals."
(Guardian)
8. Bombardment of Syrian city continues.
"Syrian troops have shelled the central city of Homs for a 10th day, opposition activists say, amid suggestions by the UN''s human rights chief that the UN Security Council''s failure to pass a resolution condemning Syria has encouraged the government to intensify its attacks on civilians."
(Al Jazeera)
9. After killings of Iran nuclear scientists, Israeli diplomats targeted.
"Israeli officials blamed Iran on Monday for nearly simultaneous attempts to bomb Israeli diplomats in India and Georgia in what some analysts suggested may be Iranian retaliation for a series of attacks on its nuclear program that have been widely blamed on Israel."
(McClatchy Newspapers)
10. U.S. and N. Korea plan nuclear talks.
"The talks are aimed at restarting negotiations over disarmament. They will be the first such talks since the death of North Korean leader Kim Jong-il in December."
(BBC)
