Tag: Nation

FILE - This Nov. 21, 2011 file artist rendering shows accused White House shooter Oscar Ramiro Ortega-Hernandez, center, before Magistrate Judge Alan Kay, left, in federal court in Washington. A lawyer for an Idaho man charged with trying to assassinate President Barack Obama by shooting an assault rifle at the White House says a possible plea deal is in the works. Oscar Ramiro Ortega-Hernandez is scheduled to be tried later this month for the 2011 shooting. It didn't injure anyone but left more than five bullet marks on the executive mansion. On Friday, one of Ortega-Hernandez's lawyers told a judge in Washington that he was "extremely hopeful" about resolving the case before trial. A prosecutor assigned to the case, however, said there was still a "gulf" between the parties. From left are, U.S. Assistant Attorney George P. Varghese, a public defender David Bos, Ortega-Hernandez, and Judge Kay. (AP Photo/Dana Verkouteren, File)

Accused White House shooter considering plea deal

Jessica Gresko · September 6, 2013 4:58 pm

FILE - In this Jan. 3, 2013, file photo Rep. Jackie Walorski, R-Ind., third from right, participates in a mock swearing-in ceremony with Speaker of the House Rep. John Boehner, R-Ohio, for the 113th Congress on Thursday, Jan. 3, 2013 in Washington. Persuading first-term Republicans in the House is President Barack Obamaâs toughest sell on military strikes against Syria. Many of the three dozen freshmen come from solidly GOP districts where voters have a deep distrust of the president on health care and immigration. "I haven't heard a word about how the targeted, limited strikes protect America's national security," Walorski said in an interview. "How does this fit into a long-term plan for the Middle East? What is the endgame?" (AP Photo/ Evan Vucci, File)

Obama faces a tough sell with House GOP freshmen

Donna Cassata · September 6, 2013 4:53 pm

US orders diplomats to leave Lebanon as Congress debates Syria military strikes

Washington Examiner · September 6, 2013 11:58 am

In this image provided by the Department of Energy, chemist Brian Dockendorff works on a mass spectrometer at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in Richland, Wash., Wednesday, Sept. 4, 2013. Three simple numbers will prove if sarin was used to gas Syrians last month: 99-125-81. Carlos Fraga, a chemist at the lab who specializes in nerve agent forensics calls those numbers sarinâs fingerprint. Fraga says once chemists see those digits, they know theyâve got sarin. (AP Photo/Carlos Fraga)

Labs seeking sarin chemical signature: 99-125-81

Seth Borenstein · September 6, 2013 11:45 am

In this Sept. 3, 2013, photo, traders work on the floor at the New York Stock Exchange in New York. Stock markets were tentative Friday, Sept. 6, 2012, ahead of the latest U.S. jobs report, the most important monthly indicator for the world's largest economy. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Aug. US jobs data could drive Fed bond-buying move

Christopher Rugaber · September 6, 2013 11:41 am

This photo provided by The Guardian Newspaper in London shows Edward Snowden, who worked as a contract employee at the National Security Agency, on Sunday, June 9, 2013, in Hong Kong. The National Security Agency, working with the British government, has secretly been unraveling encryption technology that billions of Internet users rely upon to keep their electronic messages and confidential data safe from prying eyes, according to published reports Thursday, Sept. 5, 2013, based on internal U.S. government documents.(AP Photo/The Guardian, Glenn Greenwald and Laura Poitras)

Report: NSA cracked most online encryption

Jack Gillum · September 6, 2013 7:54 am

This photo provided by The Guardian Newspaper in London shows Edward Snowden, who worked as a contract employee at the National Security Agency, on Sunday, June 9, 2013, in Hong Kong. The National Security Agency, working with the British government, has secretly been unraveling encryption technology that billions of Internet users rely upon to keep their electronic messages and confidential data safe from prying eyes, according to published reports Thursday, Sept. 5, 2013, based on internal U.S. government documents.(AP Photo/The Guardian, Glenn Greenwald and Laura Poitras)

Report: US military cracked most online encryption

Jack Gillum · September 6, 2013 7:27 am

This handout photo provided by the Smithsonian's National Zoo, taken Sept. 5, 2013, shows the zoo's Panda mother Mei Xiang with her cub at the zoo in Washington. It's a girl! The zoo announced Thursday that its 2-week-old giant panda cub is female and her father is National Zoo panda Tian Tian. (AP Photo/Smithsonian's National Zoo)

National Zoo: 2-week-old panda cub is female

Brett Zongker · September 6, 2013 2:31 am

Harry Reid, John Boehner decline to meet Russian lawmakers

Will Lester · September 6, 2013 12:47 am

US officials: US considers training Syria rebels

Lolita Baldor · September 5, 2013 11:09 pm

This photo provided by The Guardian Newspaper in London shows Edward Snowden, who worked as a contract employee at the National Security Agency, on Sunday, June 9, 2013, in Hong Kong. The National Security Agency, working with the British government, has secretly been unraveling encryption technology that billions of Internet users rely upon to keep their electronic messages and confidential data safe from prying eyes, according to published reports Thursday, Sept. 5, 2013, based on internal U.S. government documents.(AP Photo/The Guardian, Glenn Greenwald and Laura Poitras)

National Security

Government to declassify some secret court opinions

Frederic J. Frommer · September 5, 2013 10:52 pm

FILE - This May 14, 2012 file photo shows a Massachusetts Environmental Agency enforcement officer talking to members of the crew on the fishing vessel Green Acres in New Bedford, Mass. Federal efforts to rebuild depleted fish populations have largely been successful, but pressure to overfish some species remains high and some fish stocks have not rebounded as quickly as projected, a new report says The report comes from the National Research Council, an arm of the National Academies of Science. It says 43 percent of fish stocks identified as being overfished were rebuilt or showed good progress toward rebuilding within 10 years. Another 31 percent were on track to rebuild if sharply reduced fishing levels remain in place. But the report also says 26 percent of overfished stocks continue to be overfished. (AP Photo/Stephan Savoia, File)

Energy and Environment

Report: Catch limits boost depleted fish stocks

Matthew Daly · September 5, 2013 10:34 pm