Obama aide cites al-Qaida leader in Afghanistan
WASHINGTON (AP) — Osama bin Laden may be slipping back and forth from Pakistan to Afghanistan. Or the U.S. might not have a clue, more than eight years after the al-Qaida leader masterminded the terrorist attacks on America. Given a chance Sunday to clear away some of the mystery surrounding the whereabouts of the world's most wanted terrorist, Obama administration officials seemed to add to it with what appeared to be conflicting assessments.
Obama pushes health bill in Capitol stop Sunday
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama appealed directly to senators' desire for history-making change and their short-term political fears Sunday in urging them to stand together and overhaul the nation's health care system. At the request of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., Obama made a trip to the Capitol during a rare weekend legislative session to ask rank-and-file Democrats to work for compromise and do it quickly. Vice President Joe Biden joined Obama for the closed-door meeting.
Iran chokes off Internet on eve of student rallies
TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Government opponents shouted "Allahu Akbar" and "Death to the Dictator" from Tehran's rooftops in the pouring rain on the eve of student demonstrations planned for Monday. Authorities choked off Internet access and warned journalists working for foreign media to stick to their offices for the next three days. The measures were aimed at depriving the opposition of its key means of mobilizing the masses as Iran's clerical rulers keep a tight lid on dissent. Government opponents are seeking, nonetheless, to get large numbers of demonstrators to turn out Monday and show their movement still has momentum.
Pakistan police arrest gang accused in bombings
PESHAWAR, Pakistan (AP) — Police commandos acting on a tip killed one militant and arrested five others Sunday in a raid against a bombing cell accused in recent attacks around the northwest Pakistani city of Peshawar, authorities said. Elsewhere in the volatile region, a remote-controlled roadside bomb killed two anti-Taliban tribal elders — underscoring the difficulty Pakistan faces in cracking down on the loose and flexible network of militants threatening its stability.
PROMISES, PROMISES: A closed meeting on openness
WASHINGTON (AP) — It's hardly the image of transparency the Obama administration wants to project: A workshop on government openness is closed to the public. The event Monday for federal employees is a fitting symbol of President Barack Obama's uneven record so far on the Freedom of Information Act, a big part of keeping his campaign promise to make his administration the most transparent ever. As Obama's first year in office ends, the government's actions when the public and press seek information are not yet matching up with the president's words.
UN says climate finale may have happy ending
COPENHAGEN (AP) — Delegates converged Sunday for the grand finale of two years of tough, sometimes bitter negotiations on a climate change treaty, as U.N. officials calculated that pledges offered in the last few weeks to reduce greenhouse gases put the world within reach of keeping global warming under control. Yvo de Boer, the U.N.'s top climate official, said on the eve of the 192-nation conference that despite unprecedented unity and concessions, industrial countries and emerging nations need to dig deeper.
AP IMPACT: Timber program becomes vast entitlement
RESERVE, N.M. (AP) — A federal program that began as a safety net for Pacific Northwest logging communities hard-hit by battles over the spotted owl in the 1990s has morphed into a sprawling entitlement — one that ships vast amounts of money to states with little or no historic connection to timber, an analysis by The Associated Press shows. Nicknamed "county payments," the timber program was supposed to assist counties shortchanged when national forests limited logging to protect the northern spotted owl and other endangered species.
Kennedy Center honors Springsteen, De Niro, others
WASHINGTON (AP) — With a little help from Carol Burnett, a new star from the hit TV show "Glee" and other top entertainers, political Washington is saluting five of the nation's top artists with the Kennedy Center Honors this weekend. A surprise list of star performers will honor Bruce Springsteen, Robert De Niro and comic genius Mel Brooks Sunday night during a show attended by President Barack Obama and other power players from Washington and Hollywood.
'SNL' can't resist taking swipes at Tiger Woods
NEW YORK (AP) — Tiger Woods and his marital problems proved a tempting target for "Saturday Night Live." In both a skit and multiple "Weekend Update" jokes this weekend, NBC's comedy institution took on the golfer, who has admitted to letting his family down with "transgressions" that came to light following a strange Thanksgiving weekend incident outside his Florida home.
Dolphins rally past Brady, Patriots 22-21
MIAMI (AP) — When Tom Brady missed repeated chances to put the game away in the fourth quarter, Chad Henne and the Miami Dolphins took advantage. Henne threw for a career-high 335 yards and directed a 51-yard drive for the winning field goal with 1:02 left, and Miami rallied past New England 22-21 on Sunday.
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