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Obamacare 'surge' persists into 2014 in some states

The late-December surge that pushed enrollment in private health insurance plans under Obamacare past 2.1 million people continued into 2014, officials of several state-run insurance marketplaces said on Wednesday. It was encouraging news for White House hopes of signing up 7 million Americans by March 31, the deadline for 2014 coverage under President Barack Obama's healthcare law. That goal has appeared elusive due to the disastrous performance of HealthCare.gov, the federal enrollment portal through which Americans in 36 states sign up to buy health insurance, in October and November, even as the websites of many of the 15 state-run exchanges fared better. The Washington Health Benefit Exchange has had about 8,000 enrollments in private health plans since late December, bringing the total to just over 73,000. "We doubled our call-center staff in December" to handle the end-of-year surge, said Richard K. Onizuka, chief executive of the exchange, in a conference cal

U.S. Democratic lawmaker Moran to retire after 12 terms

Democratic U.S. Representative Jim Moran, a 12-term Virginia liberal, on Wednesday became the third member of his party this week to announce he will not seek re-election in November. The announcements came amid growing signs that President Barack Obama's party faces a steep climb in its bid to win control of the House of Representatives from Republicans in this year's elections. Moran made no mention of the battle for the House in his announcement. He said he was ready to retire from Congress when his term ends this year. "It's time to close this chapter of my life," Moran, 68, said in a statement. Moran's district lies just south of Washington. He has represented Virginia in the House for more than 23 years and is a member of the chamber's powerful Appropriations Committee. The announcement came just a day after New York Democrat Bill Owens of New York said he would not seek re-election this year after taking office in 2009. On Monday, Representat

Springsteen, Fallon lampoon N.J. Governor Christie's 'Bridgegate'

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie might be trying turn attention away from the September traffic jam scandal dogging his political aspirations, but late-night talk show hosts and Democratic lawmakers are not letting up. Christie, a likely Republican candidate for the White House in 2016, has said he was devastated by his aides' role in the four-day tie-up on the busy George Washington Bridge. The incident has sparked a federal inquiry and Democratic lawmakers have called a special session to investigate it. Wednesday on "Late Night With Jimmy Fallon" the host enlisted New Jersey-raised rock star Bruce Springsteen, who Christie has said he adores, to lampoon the governor with a riff on the lane closures titled "We're stuck in Governor Chris Christie's Fort Lee, New Jersey, traffic jam". Sung to the tune of Springsteen's hit song "Born to Run", it begins, "In the day we sweated out on the streets, stuck in traffic on the GWB".

U.S. Senate hearing urges quicker commodity limits on banks

U.S. lawmakers at a Senate hearing on Wednesday pushed financial regulators to speed up efforts to limit Wall Street's role in physical commodities markets, pressing for a pivotal policy shift after a decade of deepening trade. A day ahead of the hearing, the Federal Reserve laid out for the first time its growing concerns that risks to the financial system from banks leasing oil tankers or owning power plants are "difficult to limit and higher than expected." It also raised concerns about serious conflicts of interest for banks. The packed hearing, which lasted over an hour, offered senators a chance to delve further into the Fed's thinking, pressing Michael Gibson, its director of bank supervision and regulation, on why the central bank is not moving immediately to impose new rules. "The Fed's proposal yesterday is a timid step, it was too slow in coming, and there is still too much that we do not know about these activities and investments," sai

Chinese inexperience a factor in warships' near-miss : U.S. admiral

Chinese operational inexperience and communications difficulties on both sides contributed to a near-collision between the USS Cowpens and a Chinese warship in the South China Sea last month, the head of U.S. forces in the Asia-Pacific said on Wednesday. Admiral Samuel Locklear, the head of U.S. Pacific Command, told a Navy conference the Cowpens, a guided missile cruiser, was monitoring China's first aircraft carrier, the Liaoning, as it conducted operations in international waters for the first time when the incident occurred. The Cowpens was approached on December 5 by a Chinese warship that maneuvered in front of it at a distance of about 500 yards (meters), forcing the U.S. vessel to take evasive action to avoid a collision, defense officials said. "I believe that there was ... a lack of experience on some of their smaller ships and I think we have to understand that for now," Locklear told the Surface Navy Association during a question and answer session at it

U.S. Labor Department to probe Florida's jobless benefits website

U.S. Department of Labor officials will travel to Florida to investigate the state's troubled unemployment compensation website following criticism it is failing to get jobless benefits to laid-off workers, an official said on Wednesday. Florida's economic development chief told a legislative committee on Wednesday that he was "frustrated" by glitches in the $63 million website and related services. He said the state government would consider additional penalties against Deloitte, the website's designer. "The state's unemployment website is a dismal failure, and Governor Rick Scott is responsible," state Senator Geraldine Thompson, a Democrat from Orlando, said at a news conference. She said some of her constituents have gone nine weeks without payment, and some are in danger of losing their homes and cannot afford food. Jason Kuruvilla, a Labor Department spokesman, said officials would arrive in Florida later this week to examine the website.

U.S. farm bill deal could be reached this week -senator

Negotiations in Congress on the long overdue U.S. farm bill could be completed this week after progress was stalled by a disagreement over a dairy price support program, a senator said on Wednesday. The five-year farm bill, which covers issues from domestic crop subsidies to exports and global food aid, is being held up chiefly by a dispute between Republican House Speaker John Boehner and Democratic Representative Collin Peterson of Minnesota over a program that would cut milk production if prices decline below a certain level. But Republican Senator John Hoeven of North Dakota, who is a member of the House-Senate "conference" panel considering the bill but not among the four lead negotiators, said he thought a compromise could be reached that does not include the supply management element, which Boehner opposes. "Obviously for the speaker, the issue is not having supply management in there. And I think there are a number of ideas and ways to have a dairy program t

Despite budget surplus, no state bailout in works for Detroit, says top lawmaker

Despite forecasts that Michigan will have a budget surplus, a top state legislator on Wednesday warned that Detroit should not expect a state bailout for the struggling city that has filed the largest municipal bankruptcy in U.S. history. _0"> Michigan House Speaker Jase Bolger, a Republican, wants much of the extra money to go toward tax cuts, according to spokesman Ari Adler. "A direct bailout for the city by the state is not an option Speaker Bolger will consider, but many other options exist that deserve to be explored," Adler said in an email. "It's still too early to say what, if any, legislative action would be needed." Bolger has spoken with U.S. District Judge Gerald Rosen, the chief mediator in the bankruptcy, Michigan Republican Governor Rick Snyder and others about "the best way to resolve Detroit's bankruptcy in a way that saves the state money and alleviates future financial liabilities," Adler said. Bolger is not part o

Obama seeks to build unity with Senate Democrats in election year

President Barack Obama sought to build a united front with Democratic senators on Wednesday, inviting them to the White House to chat about "shared goals" heading into midterm elections in which Republicans will try to exploit Obama's woes to pick up seats. Obama urged senators to hold off on a proposed Iran sanctions bill that many support - and which he has vowed to veto. The White House has said the legislation would derail an international deal to curb Iran's nuclear program. But the discussion on sanctions was a small part of a meeting with a decidedly upbeat tone, a Senate aide said, speaking on background. Obama, not known for his tendency to schmooze, sat on a stool with a microphone in the ornate East Room of the White House, giving brief remarks before taking questions from senators for about 90 minutes. "The group discussed their shared goals for 2014, and the president expressed his desire to continue to work together to advance a number of our

In Supreme Court case, business group targets Obama appointments

A powerful business group's decision to use its legal firepower to back a bottling company in a dispute with unionized workers turned a routine labor tussle in Washington state into a high-stakes Supreme Court case that could limit the ability of U.S. presidents to make appointments to critical jobs. The case began as a complaint in December 2010 by the International Brotherhood of Teamsters Local 760 accusing Noel Canning Corp's owner, Rodger Noel, of reneging on a verbal agreement concerning a new collective bargaining agreement. But after the U.S. National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) sided with the workers, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce intervened on behalf of the company and elevated the importance of the case by putting the focus on whether President Barack Obama had exceeded his authority in appointing members of the board. The high court is set to hear longer than usual 90-minute oral argument in the case on Monday on the constitutional issue of a president's ca

California congressman McKeon will not run for re-election

U.S. Republican Representative Buck McKeon of California, chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, said on Thursday he would not seek a 12th term this year. _0"> Due to term limits on committee chairmanships, McKeon could not have led the armed services panel in the next Congress. He said at a news conference that his biggest motivation in retiring was that he did not want stay on the committee in a role that could be seen as second guessing his successor. McKeon, 75, who campaigned strongly against military spending cuts, became chairman of the armed services committee in 2011 after Republicans reclaimed a majority in the House. His district covers parts of Los Angeles and Ventura counties and is home to Edwards Air Force Base, other military facilities and several major defense contractors. "I'm not leaving the fight," McKeon said. "I will continue to speak for funding for our military, for the training that they need to give them the best chan

Michigan governor proposes $350 million for Detroit pensions, art-reports

Michigan Governor Rick Snyder has proposed a $350 million, 20-year plan for the state to protect Detroit retiree pensions and the collection of the Detroit Institute of Arts, local newspapers reported on Thursday. _0"> Snyder's proposal would use tobacco settlement funds or bonds to finance the outlay to Detroit and would not use cash from the state's general fund, the Detroit News reported. The governor, a Republican, met with legislators on Wednesday, his spokeswoman, Sara Wurfel said, but she would not comment on details of the meeting. "It would be inappropriate and premature" to provide details on the talks, Wurfel said in an email. Snyder's reported plan would match the $330 million that several philanthropic foundations have pledged to defend the DIA and the pensions. Snyder "takes the foundation commitment seriously," Wurfel said, adding that the governor thought it was important to discuss with the legislature ways the state can

UK's Cameron denies that army is no longer full U.S. partner

Prime Minister David Cameron said on Thursday former U.S. defense secretary Robert Gates was wrong to say that spending cuts meant Britain's armed forces were no longer able be a full military partner of the United States. His blunt response underlined how sensitive his government is to charges that Britain's close ties with the United States have been undermined by cuts to its military and parliament's refusal to okay British involvement in any air strikes on Syria . It also reflected his determination to carry out spending cuts aimed at reducing large public debts, which top generals and even senior lawmakers in his own Conservative party have suggested have been too deep. Britain is the world's fourth largest military spender after the United States, China and Russia but is cutting the army by 20,000 soldiers over this decade while its navy will lose 6,000 personnel and its air force 5,000. Earlier on Thursday, Gates, who served as defense secretary under pres

U.S. 'shouldn't even get close to' debt default: Boehner

House Speaker John Boehner on Thursday said the United States should avoid a major fight over raising the federal debt ceiling that brings the United States close to a default. _0"> After passage of a $1.1 trillion spending bill, the only major fiscal hurdle facing Congress over the next nine months is an increase in the $17 trillion debt ceiling that is expected to be needed in as little as six weeks. Boehner told a news conference that the United States should not default on its debt and "shouldn't even get close to it." He did not say whether Republicans would tie an increase in the debt ceiling to demands for additional deficit reduction. An extension of U.S. borrowing authority is due to expire on February 7, but the Treasury Department has said its extraordinary cash management measures can allow it to keep issuing new debt until late February or early March. "I would hope that the House and the Senate would act quickly on a bill to increase the

Kerry to make statement on Syria at 1.30 p.m.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry will make a statement on Syria at 1:30 p.m. (1830 GMT) on Thursday, the State Department said. _0"> Kerry just returned from travel in Europe and the Middle East where discussions focused on a peace conference in Switzerland next week to end the Syrian civil war. Donors pledged more than $2.4 billion in Kuwait on Wednesday for U.N. aid efforts in Syria. (Reporting by Lesley Wroughton; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama)

New Jersey Governor Christie hires outside law firm in bridge probe

The administration of New Jersey Governor Chris Christie has hired a high-powered legal firm to help his office as federal prosecutors investigate whether any laws were broken when a top aide ordered seemingly politically motivated traffic jams. Christie, a likely 2016 Republican White House contender, turned to a former deputy of ex New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, another Republican with presidential aspirations, after revelations that a former aide called for "traffic problems" at the George Washington Bridge in apparent retribution against a local Democratic mayor. About 20 subpoenas were issued in the case on Thursday, according to Democratic state Assembly member John Wisniewski. They included some 17 people and three organizations, he said, but no names would be disclosed until subpoenas are served. He said Christie was not among those subpoenaed. The governor's office said it retained the law firm of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP to help with an internal r

Obamas launch plan to get more low-income kids to college

Drawing on their own stories as kids from families of modest means who used education to succeed, President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama enlisted colleges and universities on Thursday to do more to help low-income students get into college. "I'm doing this because that story of opportunity through education is the story of my life," Michelle Obama said. The first lady, whose parents did not go to college, said she felt "a little overwhelmed and a little isolated" when she landed at Princeton. "I didn't know anyone on campus except my brother. I didn't know how to pick the right classes or find the right buildings. I didn't even bring the right size sheets for my dorm room bed," she said, drawing laughs from the crowd of more than 80 college and university presidents and chancellors. The event was part of the president's pledge to try to narrow the gap between rich and poor, a politically popular theme expected to dom

U.S. lawmakers seek to expand human rights act from Russia to world

Two senior U.S. lawmakers introduced legislation on Thursday that would expand to all countries the "Magnitsky" act passed in late 2012 to penalize Russia for alleged human rights abuses. Democratic Senator Ben Cardin of Maryland, who championed the original law, and Republican Senator John McCain of Arizona said their "Global Human Rights Accountability Act" would ensure human rights abusers from anywhere in the world are denied entry to the United States and barred from using U.S. financial institutions. "This is a major human rights initiative," Cardin told Reuters in a telephone interview. "What it does is really put a spotlight on human rights violators," he said. The Magnitsky Act was named for Sergei Magnitsky, a Russian whistleblower lawyer who died in his jail cell in 2009. Under the act, the White House designated a list of human rights abusers tied to Magnitsky's death who are subject to visa bans and asset freezes in the Uni

Christie takes scandal damage test with election fundraising

The first real test of the damage to Chris Christie's chances of being the Republican nominee for president in 2016 from the "Bridgegate" scandal could come during the next few days. Christie is scheduled to attend a $1,000-per-ticket reception for New Jersey Republican House candidate Steve Lonegan on Thursday. He then will head to Florida for a series of weekend events aimed at raising money for Republican Governor Rick Scott's re-election campaign, plus a meeting with wealthy Republican donors from all over the United States. Interviews with a half-dozen Republican strategists, donors and operatives indicate that if Christie is interested in a bid for the White House, as many suspect, he has some work to do. He needs to reassure big-money donors - even those who have seen him as the party's best hope of winning the race to be Democratic President Barack Obama's successor - that the scandal in which his aides apparently created massive traffic jams to g

Chinese director Zhang Yimou fined $1.2 mln for violating one-child policy

China fined acclaimed film director Zhang Yimou 7.5 million yuan ($1.24 million) on Thursday for having three children in violation of its country's strict one-child policy. _0"> The family planning agency in the eastern city of Wuxi - where Zhang's wife, Chen Ting, is from - told Zhang last month he would be fined, but did not say how much. Zhang appealed. Online reports surfaced last year that Zhang, who dazzled the world in 2008 with his Beijing Olympic ceremonies, had at least seven children and could be liable for a 160 million yuan ($26.3 million) fine, Xinhua news agency said. Those reports sparked a hunt for Zhang. The agency said last November they were unable to locate Zhang. In December, Zhang apologized for having three children and said he would accept any punishment. In a statement posted on the microblog account of the Binhu district's government in Wuxi, the family planning authorities said they would give Zhang 30 days to pay up. The author

Playwright, poet and activist Amiri Baraka dies at 79

Amiri Baraka, a controversial playwright, poet and activist who set a new path for fellow African-American artists by bringing militancy and verve to works about race in America, died on Thursday at age 79 at a hospital in his native New Jersey, a representative said. Baraka had been in failing health and passed away at Newark Beth Israel Medical Center, surrounded by family, said his booking agent Celeste Bateman. Baraka had associated with Beat Generation poets in the 1950s and he published his first collection of poems in 1961. In 1964, he won fame in some circles, notoriety in others and an Obie award for his explosive play "Dutchman." In the play, a white woman sexually teases and taunts a black man named Clay on a subway, they clash venomously and he speaks of seething anger at whites. The work ends with the woman stabbing Clay in the heart, then eyeing another black rider. The New York Times, in a 2007 review of a new production of the play, called it the "s

Police raid Justin Bieber's home, arrest man for drugs

A police search of teen pop star Justin Bieber's California home on Tuesday in a vandalism case linked to the singer, resulted in the arrest of a man after drugs were found in the house, the Los Angeles County Sheriff said. Detectives raided Bieber's home at about 8 a.m. after the "Boyfriend" singer was accused of pelting his neighbor's home with eggs in an incident on January 9. Bieber, 19, was detained at his Calabasas home, about 30 miles northwest of Los Angeles while a dozen deputies searched for evidence. "He has not been arrested nor has been exonerated," Sheriff's Lt. David Thompson said at a news conference in nearby Malibu following the search. "We were looking at things that would put him or anything else at the scene," Thompson said, adding that Bieber's attorneys were not present during the search and the singer was not questioned. It was the latest in a string of incidents that have overshadowed Bieber's music c

Dogged on disarmament, actor Michael Douglas earns UNICEF award

Oscar-winning actor Michael Douglas says his main philanthropic cause - nuclear disarmament - is not exactly the kind of "touchy-feely" issue that celebrities and their fans covet, and it can be awfully frustrating when it comes to progress. It's one, however, he has stuck with for years as a United Nations Messenger of Peace since 1998, and for that persistence he will be recognized on Tuesday night with the Danny Kaye Humanitarian Peace Award from the U.S. fund for UNICEF, the U.N. branch for children. "I was born in 1944, one year before the first bomb went off, and I hope in my lifetime to see the elimination of the weapons," Douglas told Reuters ahead of UNICEF's Beverly Hills ball, with childhood friend Dena Kaye, the only daughter of the late comic actor and UNICEF's first ambassador, by his side. That he is being honored with the Danny Kaye award is especially meaningful, he said, because he knew Kaye as a child, admired his impact on childr

Argentine poet, political critic Gelman dies in Mexico

Juan Gelman, the celebrated Argentine poet and fierce critic of the South American nation's "dirty war" against leftists, died Tuesday in Mexico City, Mexico's national art council said. _0"> Gelman, who was born in Buenos Aires but lived in the Mexican capital for more than 20 years, died after being hospitalized, the council said in a statement. Local media reported that he suffered from myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS), a group of bone marrow and blood diseases. The poet and political analyst's writings won some of the highest awards given to Spanish writers, including the lifetime achievement Miguel de Cervantes Prize. Gelman fought against impunity and injustices under Argentina's military junta, which "disappeared" thousands of suspected leftists from 1976 to 1983. One of Gelman's own sons was kidnapped and murdered during the so-called "dirty war." (Reporting by Miguel Gutierrez; Editing by Lisa Shumaker)

Pioneering female pro wrestler Johnnie Mae Young dies at 90

Johnnie Mae Young, a pioneering female wrestler and World Wrestling Entertainment Hall of Fame member whose career spanned eight decades, died on Tuesday, the organization said. She was 90. "There will never be another Mae Young," said Vince McMahon, the chairman and chief executive of World Wrestling Entertainment. Young died at her home in Columbia, South Carolina, where she had been under hospice care, a WWE spokesman said. Known as "The Great Mae Young," she got her start in the sport at age 15 as a member of her Tulsa, Oklahoma, high school boys' wrestling team, according to a WWE biography. She began her professional wrestling career in 1939. Her signature move was called the "Bronco Buster," in which the attacker jumps up and down on a seated opponent's chest, sometimes in a sexually suggestive way, WWE said. While potential male wrestlers were off fighting in World War Two, Young and other women made inroads in the sport. She helped

A Minute With: Sharon Jones on soul music, cancer and R-E-S-P-E-C-T

Cancer became the inescapable loss lurking in the background of Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings' latest album, "Give the People What They Want," the sixth release from the indie soul group credited with reviving the genre a dozen years ago. Jones, the 57-year-old singer who rose to prominence after a career as a backup singer and a stint working as a guard at New York City's Rikers Island jail, lost her mother to cancer while writing material for the album, and the brother of saxophonist Neal Sugarman succumbed to the disease too. Jones herself was diagnosed with bile duct cancer, which pushed the album's release from last August back to this week, and underwent her final chemotherapy treatment on December 31. The singer, who has been praised along with her band by Rolling Stone magazine as "extending and preserving tradition," spoke with Reuters about soul music, cancer, getting her due. Q: What is it like for you to see this album come out? A:

'American Hustle,' 'Gravity,' '12 Years a Slave' lead Oscar race

Three films - "American Hustle," "Gravity" and "12 Years a Slave' - cemented their frontrunner status for the Oscars on Thursday in what is shaping up to be a highly competitive year for Hollywood's top honors. Director David O. Russell's 1970s con-men caper "American Hustle" and Alfonso Cuaron's space thriller "Gravity" each won 10 Academy Award nominations, while Steve McQueen's brutal depiction of slavery in "12 Years a Slave" secured nine. All three films garnered nods for best picture and best director. "This has been an amazing ride, and to receive nine nominations from the Academy is testament to all of the hard work," said McQueen, a British filmmaker who unearthed the real-life American story about a free man sold into slavery. But in a year hailed as one of high quality for the Hollywood industry, several other films could challenge the favorites in the race for the world's top film

French bulldog, pups worth $80,000 stolen in Florida

A Miami man returned from a New Year's Eve celebration to find his prize French bulldog and two litters of puppies, valued at $80,000, stolen from his home, police said. The missing dogs include El Che, who is named after Cuban revolutionary Che Guevara and won awards at the Westminster Kennel Club dog show in 2010 and the French Bulldog Club of America National Specialty Show in 2009, according to owner Marcelo Cicuta. While Cicuta was ringing in the new year at a friend's kennel, thieves broke into his house and likely used a pillowcase to carry the dogs away, police said. The 15 stolen puppies are 16 and 27 days old, Cicuta said on Friday. A third litter of five puppies and two older female dogs were left behind. French bulldogs - the third-most commonly stolen breed in the United States, according to the American Kennel Club - can fetch up to $2,500 each. The police report valued El Che at $50,000 and his offspring puppies at $30,000. But the dogs' worth is far l