Politics | MyFOX Spokane

Kerry to Mideast to advance struggling Syria plan

Submitted by Fox First at Ten on May 20th

By BRADLEY KLAPPERAssociated Press WASHINGTON (AP) - Secretary of State John Kerry is heading back to the Middle East this week to press his case for peace talks between Syrian rebels and President Bashar Assad's regime amid increasing signs the new U.S. strategy to halt the war is being

Myanmar leader making landmark White House visit

Submitted by Fox First at Ten on May 20th

By MATTHEW PENNINGTONAssociated Press WASHINGTON (AP) - Former general Thein Sein on Monday becomes the first Myanmar president to be welcomed to the White House in almost 47 years, crowning a dramatic diplomatic rehabilitation for his nation after years of international isolation. But activists

AP CEO calls records seizure 'unconstitutional'

Submitted by Fox First at Ten on May 20th

By PHILIP ELLIOTTAssociated Press WASHINGTON (AP) - The Associated Press' president and chief executive says the government's secret seizure of two months of reporters' phone records has already had a chilling effect on newsgathering, a week after the subpoenas were revealed publicly.

AP IMPACT: Military sex abuse victims seek VA help

Submitted by Fox First at Ten on May 20th

By KEVIN FREKINGAssociated Press WASHINGTON (AP) - More than 85,000 veterans were treated last year for injuries or illness stemming from sexual abuse in the military, and 4,000 sought disability benefits, underscoring the staggering long-term impact of a crisis that has roiled the Pentagon and

Report: 23 Hezbollah members killed in Syria

Submitted by Fox First at Ten on May 20th

By BARBARA SURK and ZEINA KARAMAssociated Press BEIRUT (AP) - Syrian government forces pushed deeper into a strategic opposition-held town near the Lebanese border Monday, battling rebels in fierce street fighting, state-media reported. An activist group said at least 23 elite fighters from Lebanon

Charlotte remembers 1963 desegregation 'eat-in'

Submitted by Fox First at Ten on May 19th

By MITCH WEISSAssociated Press CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) - In the spring of 1963, a prominent civil rights leader led dozens of protesters on a four-mile march from a predominantly African-American college campus to the center of Charlotte's downtown. Dr. Reginald Hawkins warned city leaders

AP CEO calls records seizure unconstitutional

Submitted by Fox First at Ten on May 19th

By PHILIP ELLIOTTAssociated Press WASHINGTON (AP) - The president and chief executive officer of The Associated Press on Sunday called the government's secret seizure of two months of reporters' phone records "unconstitutional" and said the news cooperative had not ruled out legal action

Obama to speak on legality of drone program

Submitted by Fox First at Ten on May 19th

By JULIE PACEAP White House Correspondent WASHINGTON (AP) - President Barack Obama will discuss the legality of his administration's secret drone program and other counterterrorism practices during a speech Thursday, a White House official said. Obama's speech will be an attempt to fulfill

White House insists Obama was not involved in IRS

Submitted by Fox First at Ten on May 19th

WASHINGTON (AP) - A top White House adviser insisted Sunday that President Barack Obama learned the Internal Revenue Service had targeted tea party groups only "when it came out in the news" while Republicans continued to press the administration for more answers. Trying to move past a challenging

A look at why the Benghazi issue keeps coming back

Submitted by Fox First at Ten on May 19th

By CONNIE CASSAssociated Press WASHINGTON (AP) - The night of smoke, chaos, gunfire and grenades that killed four Americans in Benghazi, Libya, is well-documented. Eight months later, it is the decisions made back in Washington that remain murky and in perpetual dispute. Why were a diplomatic