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The U.S. government intends to revive a vacant position coordinating policy for the military prison camp for foreign terrorism suspects at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba , and is looking at candidates, Attorney General Eric Holder said on Tuesday. _0"> President Barack Obama is facing renewed pressure from foreign governments and human rights advocates to close the prison who assail it as a lasting stain on the United States' international reputation.   Obama last month renewed his years-old pledge to try to close the camp, where the United States is holding about 166 detainees, in most cases without charge or trial. Some detainees have been there since 2002 and scores are on hunger strike in protest against their indefinite detention. In January, the U.S. State Department reassigned the special envoy, Daniel Fried, who had been in charge of trying to persuade countries to take Guantanamo inmates approved for transfer and no one was assigned to take his place. The vacancy was v

New York City mayoral hopeful Christine Quinn spoke out on Tuesday about her decade-long struggle with bulimia and alcohol abuse after her mother's death from breast cancer. "It was such a challenging time, and it was a time where everything was just bad," Quinn, the speaker of the New York City Council, told an audience at Barnard College. "I thought I was the only 16-year-old girl in the world who had no ability to deal with her mother dying."   Quinn, who in polls is leading a crowded field of Democratic candidates running to succeed Michael Bloomberg, would be the city's first lesbian and female mayor. Her personal history is well known, but her comments marked the first time Quinn, who was elected council speaker in 2006, has so directly addressed her emotional unraveling after her mother's death in 1982. In a New York Times article on Tuesday, Quinn said that eating and purging and drinking excessively had become habits by the time she enter

The Pentagon told its civilian workforce on Tuesday that it will put most of them on unpaid leave for one day a week starting in July, a deeply unpopular move that Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel blamed on sweeping budget cuts imposed by Congress. The U.S. defense budget has taken the single biggest hit from automatic spending cuts, known in Washington as the "sequester," and Hagel said he had tried to spare civilians the financial hardship ahead by first cutting elsewhere.   "We did everything we could not to get to this day, this way," Hagel told an audience of Defense Department employees. "But that's it. That's where we are ... And I'm sorry about that." For those of the more than 600,000 civilian defense employees affected, the decision translates to a salary cut of roughly 20 percent during the furlough period - which runs from July 8 until the end of the fiscal year on September 30. Although the total will vary, most civilian emplo

U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder said on Tuesday he did not make the controversial decision to secretly seize telephone records of the Associated Press but defended his department's actions in the investigation of what he called a "very, very serious leak." The decision to seek phone records of one of the world's largest news-gathering organizations was made by Deputy Attorney General Jim Cole, Holder said.   Holder, speaking at a press conference, said he recused himself from the matter to avoid a potential conflict of interest because he was interviewed by the FBI as part of the same leak investigation that targeted the AP records. That seizure, denounced by critics as a gross intrusion into freedom of the press, has created an uproar in Washington and led to questions over how the Obama administration is balancing the need for national security with privacy rights. Combined with a separate furor over the Internal Revenue Service's targeting of conservat

The Maryland-raised beauty, gushed about HRH at a fund-raiser held at the Four Seasons where Prince Harry was the guest of honor.  Nana Meriwether, otherwise known as Miss USA, has her eye on British royalty. The dark-haired beauty, who stands 6-foot-4 in her heels, reportedly dished at the fund-raiser held at New York’s Four Seasons on Tuesday about Prince Harry, who was the guest of honor. Miss USA Nana Meriwether, 27, remarked that she and the prince were both single and that it would be “wonderful” if they were married. "He is single, right?" Meriwether said at the affair thrown by the American Friends of The Royal Foundation of The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and the Prince. "Well so am I. Wouldn't it be wonderful if we married. And he is very tall and good looking, I hear. Perfect. We are meant to be." Aside from the 28-year-old being the man of the hour at the reception, other notable guests included Will.i.am, Sean Lennon, author Jay McInerney an

Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell called on President Barack Obama on Tuesday to make available for questioning everyone who knew about the Internal Revenue Service's targeting of conservative groups, and demanded "no more stonewalling." With Congress preparing to hold hearings on the IRS's holding conservative groups to extra scrutiny, McConnell said he was "calling on the president to make available, completely and without restriction, everyone who can answer the questions we have as to what was going on at the IRS, who knew about it, and how high it went."   "No more stonewalling, no more incomplete answers, no more misleading responses, no holding back witnesses, no matter how senior their current or former positions — we need full transparency and cooperation," McConnell, of Kentucky, said on the Senate floor. The scandal was ignited on Friday when an IRS official revealed at a meeting of tax lawyers that the agency had inappropri

Republican U.S. Senator Marco Rubio, who is considered crucial to the passage of an immigration law overhaul, on Tuesday vowed to fight for a biometric system that would track foreigners entering and exiting the country after a Senate panel rejected the idea. Rubio and seven other Republican and Democratic senators, known as the "gang of eight," have crafted a sweeping bill that would revamp the immigration system, increase work visas and put millions of illegal immigrants on a path to citizenship.   In its second day of examining the legislation, the Senate Judiciary Committee voted against the Republican amendment that would have made it easier for the government to track illegal immigrants and other foreigners who have overstayed their visas. The amendment would have required a biometric system at every point of entry in the United States before illegal immigrants would be eligible for permanent residency or a green card. The biometric system is estimated to cost ab

Miss USA Nana Meriwether has her eyes on the Royal Prince Harry. The 27-year-old beauty queen from Maryland admits she has a major crush on the 28-year-old royal. "He is doing a wonderful job of representing your country here," Meriwether told Britain's Telegraph at a fundraiser honoring Prince Harry in NYC last night. "Miss USA is like royalty in the states, so I am really hoping to meet him." "He is single, right?" she added. "Well so am I. Wouldn't it be wonderful if we married? And he is very tall and good-looking, I hear. Perfect. We are meant to be." As Prince Harry fans know, he's been going strong with longtime girlfriend Cressida Bonas. But maybe Harry has a royal cousin he could set Meriwether up with?

Wading into the national debate over immigration, California Governor Jerry Brown is pushing for a faster path to citizenship for the millions of people who are in the country illegally. Brown's is the latest in a chorus of voices from the most populous U.S. state calling for swift enactment of reform - but also demanding that a provision that would delay full citizenship for 10 or more years be removed from the immigration overhaul legislation being considered in the U.S. Senate.   The delay is of particular concern to policymakers in California, because it means that the state's mostly poor illegal immigrants will be excluded for a decade from any federal financial support under the healthcare law known as Obamacare, as well as from programs such as food stamps and medicaid. As a result, California may have to bear the cost of creating a 10-year safety net, or suffer the consequences of not having one. "In order to avoid dire consequences for our state, comprehens

The Florida offensive line coach Tim Davis of Castro Valley calls Alabama coach Nick Saban "the devil himself" during a booster club meeting Tuesday. Davis was comparing Saban to Florida head coach Will Muschamp when he made the remark. Davis and Muschamp were once both assistant coaches under Saban with the Miami Dolphins. "I've always wanted to work with Will (Muschamp)," Davis said. "Will's got a plan. Will coached under the devil himself for seven years. I only did three. He did seven. And his DNA is not any different than Nick." Davis isn't the first SEC coach to make a devilish comment about Saban. Vanderbilt head coach James Franklin referred to Saban as "Nicky Satan" at a banquet four months ago. Florida assistant Tim Davis if Castro Valley told a booster club he believes Will Muschamp has a better personality than Nick Saban. (Associated Press)Franklin later apologized. Davis also told the audience at the banquet that Muscha

President Barack Obama on Tuesday called the findings in a government report about the Internal Revenue Service's targeting of conservative groups for extra scrutiny intolerable and said he has directed his administration to hold those responsible for the agency's actions accountable. _0"> "The report's findings are intolerable and inexcusable," Obama said in a statement on the Treasury Department's investigation. "The IRS must apply the law in a fair and impartial way, and its employees must act with utmost integrity. This report shows that some of its employees failed that test."   Obama was commenting on a report by the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration into IRS practices that came to light in recent days. The IRS had used key words such as "Tea Party" and "Patriot" for picking out applications by groups seeking tax-exempt status for extra scrutiny. Lois Lerner, a senior IRS official, apologized fo

Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell called on President Barack Obama on Tuesday to make available for questioning everyone who knew about the Internal Revenue Service's targeting of conservative groups, and demanded "no more stonewalling." With Congress preparing to hold hearings on the IRS's holding conservative groups to extra scrutiny, McConnell said he was "calling on the president to make available, completely and without restriction, everyone who can answer the questions we have as to what was going on at the IRS, who knew about it, and how high it went."   "No more stonewalling, no more incomplete answers, no more misleading responses, no holding back witnesses, no matter how senior their current or former positions — we need full transparency and cooperation," McConnell, of Kentucky, said on the Senate floor. The scandal was ignited on Friday when an IRS official revealed at a meeting of tax lawyers that the agency had inappropri

Saban 'the devil himself' was called the Coach. A Florida assistant has become the latest SEC coach to compare Nick Saban to the devil. Tim Davis, the Gators' offensive line coach, made the remarks about Saban while comparing him to Florida coach Will Muschamp during a booster club meeting Tuesday. Davis and Muschamp both worked as assistants under Saban with the NFL's Miami Dolphins. In an attempt to compliment Muschamp, Davis likened the Gators' offensive approach to that of Saban, who has led Alabama to consecutive BCS championships. "I've always wanted to work with Will [Muschamp]," Davis said. "Will's got a plan. Will coached under the devil himself for seven years. I only did three. He did seven. And his DNA is not any different than Nick." Davis' comments came less than four months after Vanderbilt coach James Franklin referred to Saban as "Nicky Satan" during a high school sports banquet. Franklin later apologize

President Barack Obama on Tuesday called the findings in a government report about the Internal Revenue Service's targeting of conservative groups for extra scrutiny intolerable and said he has directed his administration to hold those responsible for the agency's actions accountable. "The report's findings are intolerable and inexcusable," Obama said in a statement on the Treasury Department's investigation. "The IRS must apply the law in a fair and impartial way, and its employees must act with utmost integrity. This report shows that some of its employees failed that test."   Obama was commenting on a report by the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration into IRS practices that came to light in recent days. The IRS had used key words such as "Tea Party" and "Patriot" for picking out applications by groups seeking tax-exempt status for extra scrutiny. Lois Lerner, a senior IRS official, apologized for the actions

He may have been the first African-American president of the Harvard Law Review and taught constitutional law at the University of Chicago. He may have written a book extolling constitutional values in a democracy. And he may have run for president on a civil liberties banner, pledging to reverse the legacy of George W. Bush. But as U.S. president for the last 4-1/2 years, Barack Obama has faced accusation after accusation of impinging on civil liberties, disappointing his liberal Democratic base and providing fodder for rival Republicans as he deals with the realities of office.   News in the past week of the federal seizure of phone records from the Associated Press news agency and the Internal Revenue Service's targeting of conservative Tea Party groups, has intensified criticism already simmering over the Guantanamo Bay prison camp and aerial drone strikes abroad. Asked at a news conference on Tuesday why the administration had not done more for civil liberties, Attorney

A Japanese chef Miki Nozawa, known for his Japanese-Italian fusion dishes, died from wounds sustained in an attack, following a dispute with two irate customers. The 57 year old died in the intensive care unit of a local hospital on the German island of Sylt. Ulrike Stahlmann-Liebelt, the senior public prosecutor from the nearest town Flensburg said that cause of death has yet to be determined, pending autopsy. Local media reports that the two suspects, believed to be skilled laborers aged 36 and 50, were unhappy with the dish of fried noodles with vegetable and beef that was served to them. They were asking for their money back, but then suddenly left the restaurant without paying. Later on that night, Nozawa ran into the two men at a local table-dance bar and the argument continued. It then escalated into a full-blown fight, although the details on who started the physical assault are still sketchy. What is confirmed by the chef’s ex-wife is that Nozawa was rushed to the hospital w

The Star chef Miki Nozawa who built his fame in top-notch restaurants in Italy and Russia, was beaten to death early Monday in Sylt, northern Germany, by two men who dined at his restaurant without paying their bill, local police and media reports said Wednesday. Nozawa, 57, whose customers in Russia included Mikhail Gorbachev, was immediately taken to a hospital after the assault but died soon afterward, the reports said. Local online newspaper Sylter Rundschau said the cause of death had not been determined. The Mainichi Shimbun said he died of a brain hemorrhage. The Japanese Embassy in Berlin was inquiring with local police and trying to verify the victim’s identity. The chef, who opened a restaurant named Nozawa in Sylt in April, was attacked early Monday by two men who after dining at the eatery left without paying, according to investigators. The two men, aged 50 and 36, were detained on suspicion of causing bodily injury resulting in death but were released due to lack of evid

U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder said on Tuesday he had ordered the FBI to open a criminal probe in a growing scandal over the Internal Revenue Service's targeting of conservative political groups for extra tax scrutiny. Holder's announcement came about four hours before an inspector general's report on the IRS portrayed the tax agency as plagued by disarray and "insufficient oversight" during its struggles to review the cases of hundreds of advocacy groups that claimed they should be tax exempt.   The audit, which drew some backlash from IRS officials, also underscored what the agency had acknowledged last Friday: that the IRS had used "inappropriate criteria" for evaluating tax-exempt groups, in part by singling out scores of conservative Tea Party and "Patriot" organizations for increased scrutiny. The report by the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration sharply criticized the way the IRS had screened the conservative group

The ranks of lobbyists are growing in Washington again as Congress flirts with a possible overhaul of the complex U.S. tax code. After declining for two years, the number of companies that hired a tax lobbyist, or lobbied on tax issues using in-house staff, rose modestly to 1,509 in the first three months of 2013, up from 1,487 during the same quarter a year ago, according to government filings analyzed by the nonpartisan watchdog group the Center for Responsive Politics.   Coinciding with the start of a new session of Congress, the analysis shows it is the busiest first quarter for tax lobbying since 2010, when President Barack Obama set up the bipartisan Simpson-Bowles commission to find a solution to the country's growing deficit, including changes to the tax code. This year's climb in the tax lobbyist population comes at a time when revamping the tax code is on the minds of some decision-makers, though comprehensive legislation has yet to emerge. Obama says he wants

The Obama administration on Wednesday announced a $1 billion initiative to fund innovations in federal healthcare programs aimed at cutting costs while improving the health results. _0"> The Department of Health and Human Services said the money will be used to award and evaluate projects that test new payment and delivery models for federal programs including Medicare, Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program.   The announcement marks the second round of innovation initiatives for the administration under President Barack Obama's 2010 Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. The government is looking for models that can quickly cut costs in outpatient or post-acute settings, improve care for people with special needs, transform healthcare providers' financial and clinical models or improve health conditions by clinical category, geographic area or socioeconomic class. The application period runs from June 14 to August 15. (Reporting by David

House of Representatives Speaker John Boehner raised the possibility of jail time on Wednesday for law violations in the growing scandal involving the Internal Revenue Service's targeting of conservative groups for extra tax scrutiny. _0"> "My question isn't about who is going to have to resign, my question is who is going to jail over this scandal," Boehner, the top Republican in Congress, told reporters. The Justice Department on Tuesday began a criminal investigation, while a number of congressional Republicans called for the resignation of the acting IRS commissioner, Steven Miller.   Boehner said "there are laws in place to prevent this type of abuse," referring to the IRS giving extra scrutiny to requests for tax-exempt status by Tea Party movement groups and other conservative groups. "Someone made a conscious decision to harass and hold up these requests," Boehner said. "We need to know who they are, whether they violat

Myanmar President Thein Sein will meet with President Barack Obama at the White House on May 20 as Obama continues to push the country to make reforms while it moves away from military rule, the White House said on Wednesday. _0"> "The president looks forward to discussing with President Thein Sein the many remaining challenges to efforts to develop democracy, address communal and ethnic tensions, and bring economic opportunity to the people of his country, and to exploring how the United States can help," White House spokesman Jay Carney said in a statement. (Reporting by Roberta Rampton; Editing by Vicki Allen)

When a racist pitcher beans Jackie Robinson in the head in the new movie about the first black man to play major league baseball, Sherrill Duesterhaus wants everybody in the theater to know it's a lie. Duesterhaus' father, Fritz Ostermueller, threw the pitch, but it did not hit Robinson in the head and there is no evidence he uttered, "You don't belong here and you never will," as shown in "42," the Warner Bros. Pictures film that opened in April.   "I respect Jackie Robinson, his story is so inspiring and it's good that it is out there, but not at the expense of someone's good name," said Duesterhaus, 66, of Joplin, Missouri. Duesterhaus said she had been warned by a friend that the film was unflattering to her father, who died of cancer at age 50 when she was 11 years old. But the scene in which he taunts Robinson and throws at his head was still a shock, she said. "It just took my breath away," Duesterhaus said. &qu

All of the 17 puppies dumped Friday night along State Park Road in Porter have families lined up to adopt them. And the dog assumed to be the mother of about half of those puppies is safe in a foster home, according to Jeanne Sommer, co-founder and director of Lakeshore PAWS. The Labrador mix puppies, which appear to be from two litters, were abandoned in a wooded area near the Indiana Dunes State Park. A Porter woman who found them said a gold SUV sped off when she approached late Friday night. The puppies were taken to the Porter County Animal Shelter and later taken by Lakeshore PAWS to find homes for them. Sommer told The Times (http://bit.ly/YM5oqW ) Wednesday that Lakeshore PAWS received more than 70 applications this week to adopt the 17 puppies. Each puppy has been assigned to a family, she said. The puppies will be spayed or neutered, thanks to a donation from Jacki Stutzman, Sommer said. The puppies should be with their new families Tuesday. Maura Myers is providing the fos

A U.S. judge on Monday ordered the release of previously sealed documents in the criminal hacking case against deceased Internet activist Aaron Swartz. _0"> Swartz committed suicide in January before going to trial for allegedly stealing millions of academic articles from a private database using a computer network at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.   Swartz's estate asked for the documents to be released to shed light on what they have termed an overzealous prosecution of the 26-year-old. The documents, which include information about Swartz's purported hacking into the JSTOR database using MIT's computer network, must be stripped of the names of witnesses and law enforcement personnel, District Judge Nathaniel Gorton ordered. Information about weaknesses in the two institution's computer networks must also be redacted, Gorton said. Since Swartz's death, "MIT and JSTOR were subjected to a variety of threats and harassing incidents by

Trailblazing broadcast journalist Barbara Walters, known for her interviews with world leaders and celebrities and the first woman to co-anchor a U.S. evening news program, said on Monday she will retire in the summer of 2014. _0"> With tears in her eyes, Walters, 83, announced her upcoming resignation on "The View," the all-woman show she created in 1997.   "I have been on television for over 50 years," she said as her co-hosts watched. "In the summer of 2014 I plan to retire from appearing on television." Walters described her career as amazing, fascinating, and sometimes bumpy. She said she is healthy and it was her decision to retire. "This is what I want to do," she said as the audience applauded. "I've had an amazing career." Until her retirement she will anchor and report for ABC and continue to work on "The View." Walters will also host a "20 Years of the 10 Most Fascinating People" specia