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Ricin letter was from gun laws foe

Agence France-PresseMay 30, 2013 18:45
New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg says a ricin-laced letter sent to him was "obviously" meant to show opposition to his lobbying for tighter gun ownership laws, but vowed to never "walk away." Two letters with traces of the deadly poison were sent last week, one to Bloomberg and one to an official with the gun laws group he helped found, Mayors Against Illegal Guns. The letters "obviously referred to our anti-gun efforts," he said at an event late Wednesday. ABC television posted what it said was an exclusive picture of the letter sent to Bloomberg on its website.

Threatening letters sent to N.Y. Mayor may contain ricin: police

May 30, 2013 04:48
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Two letters addressed to New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and his gun control group contained material believed to be the deadly poison ricin, and referenced the debate on gun laws, police said on Wednesday. The New York Police Department said initial tests on the two letters, opened in New York and Washington, D.C., indicated the presence of ricin. Emergency workers who came in contact with the letters showed minor symptoms of ricin exposure, the police said.

Angry about immigration plan, some gay donors cut off Democrats

May 29, 2013 20:49
By Rachelle Younglai WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Some disappointed activists say they are yanking their support for the Democratic Party after Senate Democrats opposed a proposal in an immigration bill that would have allowed citizens to bring their foreign-born, same-sex spouses to the United States.

Suspected poison letter sent to New York mayor

Agence France-PresseMay 29, 2013 19:15
Letters suspected of being laced with the deadly poison ricin were sent last week to New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg and to an official with the gun law lobby that he supports, police said Wednesday. The letters were opened in New York on Friday and by the director of the Bloomberg-supported Mayors Against Illegal Guns in Washington on Sunday. The letters contained "anonymous threats" and "when tested locally, preliminarily indicated the presence of ricin," New York Police Department spokesman Paul Browne said in a statement.

Under fire, conservative Bachmann calls it quits in U.S. Congress

May 29, 2013 18:37
By John Whitesides WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Michele Bachmann, a Tea Party firebrand and 2012 presidential contender, announced on Wednesday she will not seek re-election to the U.S. House of Representatives but said her surprise decision had nothing to do with multiple investigations into her campaign finances.

US Tea Party darling Bachmann will not seek fifth term

Agence France-PresseMay 29, 2013 12:40
US congresswoman Michele Bachmann, a favorite of the ultra-conservative Tea Party Movement who ran for president last year, said Wednesday she will not seek re-election in 2014. The Minnesota representative insisted her decision was unrelated to an ethics probe of her former presidential campaign and appeared to leave the door open to a future run for national office. "I have decided next year I will not seek a fifth congressional term," Bachmann, 57, said in an eight-minute video posted on her campaign website.

House committee issues subpoena for Benghazi documents

May 28, 2013 19:31
By Patricia Zengerle WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Republican chairman of a congressional oversight committee ordered the U.S. State Department on Tuesday to provide documents related to "talking points" used to discuss September's Benghazi attacks during subsequent television appearances.

Utah senator Hatch delivers big win for high-tech industry in immigration bill

The Canadian PressMay 26, 2013 08:46
WASHINGTON - More than any other group, the high-tech industry got big wins in an immigration bill approved by the Senate Judiciary Committee last week, thanks to a concerted lobbying effort, an ideally positioned Senate ally and relatively weak opposition. The result amounted to a bonanza for the industry: unlimited green cards for foreigners with certain advanced U.S. degrees and a huge increase in visas for highly skilled foreign workers.

Illinois House votes to allow residents to carry concealed guns

May 25, 2013 00:11
By Joanne von Alroth SPRINGFIELD, Illinois (Reuters) - The Illinois House of Representatives on Friday voted overwhelmingly to allow residents to carry concealed guns, taking the state one step closer to joining all others in allowing some form of carrying guns in public.

US push on Myanmar enters new phase

Agence France-PresseMay 24, 2013 21:45
After a landmark visit by Myanmar's leader, the United States is looking to a new phase of greater cooperation to encourage reform with the former pariah state as it runs out of major symbolic steps. President Thein Sein, a former general who startled observers by ushering in a wave of change when he took office in 2011, met with President Barack Obama on a four-day trip that would have been unimaginable just a few years ago.
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