House GOP seeks unity in election-year challenge (AP)

BALTIMORE ? House Republican leaders pleaded for elusive unity from the disparate factions in their party as they pursue a dual election-year prize of retaining their majority and denying President Barack Obama a second term.

"Unity, unity, unity," Rep. Lee Terry, R-Neb., said Friday after hearing his leadership's overriding message at a series of private meetings at the GOP's annual three-day retreat. The fresh appeal to many of the 242 members comes just weeks after rank-and-file opposition to a short-term extension of the payroll tax cut exposed deep divisions among Republicans and ended 2011 on a discordant political note.

Rancor in 2012, Republicans understand, would be politically perilous, especially with the American people already holding Congress in such low regard. Republicans expect Obama to campaign against the "do-nothing Congress," using the presidential bully pulpit to try to make his case.

Looking ahead to a new year, Republicans said their strategy is to highlight stark differences with Democrats on job creation, deficit spending and how Obama runs the government.

"It's pretty clear it's going to be a referendum on the president's policies. ... the devastating impact of these policies on our economy," House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, said in brief remarks to reporters.

Boehner said he had instructed each committee chairman to step up oversight of the Obama administration, an examination that would touch on everything from national security to education and echo last year's hearings on an Energy Department loan to a now-bankrupt solar energy company and a problem-plagued gun smuggling investigation known as Operation Fast and Furious. Money from the stimulus package in Obama's first year also will face scrutiny.

Republicans painted a dire picture of the economy, with high unemployment, housing woes and Obama regulations, or even the possibility of new rules, hampering small businesses and hiring.

"If I were Barack Obama I wouldn't want to talk about my record either," said Rep. Greg Walden, R-Ore.

But in recent months, there have been signs of an economy on the upswing. Applications for unemployment benefits have dropped to their lowest level in nearly four years, housing sales increased and companies posted better earnings. The Dow Jones closed above 12,700 on Friday.

Economic indicators as well as perceptions of the nation's financial health will largely determine the re-election chances for Obama and members of Congress.

In perhaps a preview of the GOP effort to shape the debate, Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan, R-Wis., said the latest positive economic signs reflect a resilient economy and added, "Imagine what growth could be if we got all of these barriers out of the way."

Election-year politics are certain to limit any attempts at an ambitious legislative session, but high-profile votes and issues can clarify the battle lines. Republicans made clear they will continue the fight over Obama's decision to block, at least temporarily, a 1,700-mile Canada-to-Texas pipeline known as Keystone XL.

Rep. Fred Upton, chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, said Republicans were open to making it part of the next round of negotiations on a Social Security tax cut and unemployment benefits, an attempt certain to draw Democratic opposition. House and Senate negotiators face a Feb. 29 deadline to coming up with a plan for a yearlong extension that also resolves the question of Medicare reimbursements for doctors.

"We are absolutely committed ? as a Republican team ? to keep the Keystone XL pipeline on the front burner," said Upton, R-Mich. He will hold hearings next week with State Department officials on their pipeline recommendation to the president.

Republicans argue that Obama's decision was politically driven and will cost the nation not only jobs but a new energy source.

Rep. Jeb Hensarling, R-Texas, said Obama took "20,000 shovel-ready jobs on Keystone and buried them." Rep. Bill Cassidy, R-La., said if Obama were serious about helping the middle class, he would allow the Keystone project to proceed, with scores of jobs for blue-collar workers.

In addition to working out a compromise on the payroll tax cut, Republicans pledged to be aggressive in crafting a budget and cutting spending, arguing that Obama's policies have contributed to the growing deficit. House members acknowledged that their legislation has little chance in the Democratic-controlled Senate or with Obama, but Ryan made clear they will still press ahead to ensure the electorate has a choice.

"At the end of the day, we'll kick this up to the American people and let them decide what kind of America they want to have," he said.

In a series of meetings, Republicans heard from former Texas Sen. Phil Gramm, a onetime presidential candidate, who focused on Obama's policies and their impact on free enterprise. They also heard about teamwork from former Washington Redskins Coach Joe Gibbs.

On Friday night, popular Republican and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, who many had hoped would seek the presidency, was scheduled to speak to the Republican conference behind closed doors.

Surprisingly, lawmakers said there was little talk of presidential candidates. Pollsters did tell the GOP that once the party gets a nominee, it was critical that members of Congress and the candidate be on the same page, according to Rep. Tom Price, R-Ga., who said he didn't foresee any problems.

Few members interrupted the gathering and socializing to watch Thursday night's debate from South Carolina.

"You get to the 18th debate," Terry joked. "Come on..."

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/uscongress/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120120/ap_on_go_co/us_house_republicans_strategy

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Croats vote in EU membership referendum (AP)

ZAGREB, Croatia ? Croatians voted Sunday in a referendum on whether to join the European Union ? a test of how much the debt-stricken 27-nation bloc has lost in its appeal among aspiring new members.

Several pre-vote surveys suggest that between 56 and 60 percent of those who take part in the vote will answer "yes" to the question: "Do you support the membership of the Republic of Croatia in the European Union?"

Those who support the EU say their Balkan country's troubled economy ? burdened by recession, a euro48-billion ($61-billion) foreign debt and a 17 percent unemployment rate ? will revive due to access to wider European markets and job opportunities that the membership should bring.

"It's a big moment in our history ... we are joining more successful countries in Europe," Croatia's President Ivo Josipovic said after casting his ballot, adding that he expects a "Yes" vote in the referendum.

Opponents say Croatia has nothing to gain by entering the bloc, which is fighting off the bankruptcy of some of its members. They say that Croatia will only lose its sovereignty and the national identity it fought for in a war for independence from Yugoslavia in the 1990s.

About 11 percent of the voters cast their ballots four hours into the referendum, the state electoral commission said. That is nearly five percent less than during parliamentary elections in December when a left-wing coalition ousted the conservatives.

"I voted against because I don't think we'll do well in the EU," said university student Matea Kolenc, 23. "I heard a lot of bad things about the EU, its economic situation and what it has to offer."

Croatia signed an EU accession treaty last year and is on track to become a member in July 2013, if Croat voters say yes and all of the bloc's states later ratify the deal.

The Balkan nation started negotiating its EU entry six years ago, but since then the popularity of the bloc has faded, as Croats realize that EU membership would not automatically lead to prosperity.

In a sign of deep divisions in Croatia over the membership, police clashed Saturday in downtown Zagreb with a group of nationalist protesters who attempted to take down an EU flag.

"We won't have any say in our own affairs any more," Natko Kovacevic, one of the organizers of the protest, told the crowd carrying banners reading "No to EU" and "I love Croatia."

Croatian officials, who have launched a pro-EU campaign ahead of the referendum, warned that a "no" vote would deprive the country of the much-needed accession funds, and that even the payment of pensions for retirees and war veterans could be in jeopardy.

Croatia has received around euro150 million ($193 million) in pre-accession assistance since 2007. It is to receive another euro150 million for 2012 and euro95 million ($122 million) in 2013.

"Clearly all that funding will be stopped if the Croats say no in the referendum," Croatia's Foreign Minister Vesna Pusic said.

___

Eldar Emric contributed to this report.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/topstories/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120122/ap_on_re_eu/eu_croatia_eu_referendum

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AP sources: US seeks new home for Yemen strongman (AP)

WASHINGTON ? The Obama administration is engaged in an intensive effort with Yemen's embattled strongman Ali Abdullah Saleh to find him a new home, preferably not in the United States, so that his violence-wracked Arabian homeland can proceed with a transition to democracy, U.S. officials say.

President Barack Obama's counterterrorism adviser, John Brennan, is leading the diplomacy, which appears to have gained steam this week when Saleh sought out U.S. Ambassador Gerald Feierstein in the capital, Sanaa, to discuss where he could go. The meeting came shortly after Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton called out Saleh for not living up to his commitments to leave Yemen and allow elections ending his 34-year dictatorship, the officials told The Associated Press on Thursday.

But Saleh has few options, leaving the administration in a bind as it tries to find a nation willing to host a wily leader accused of committing gross human rights violations over a year of internal conflict. The 69-year-old leader may have transformed himself from a firm Arab ally of Saddam Hussein into a vital counterterrorism ally of the United States, but even Washington doesn't want to be the one forced to provide him a new home.

The administration's unwillingness in part reflects the shifting U.S. foreign policy calculus prompted by the Arab Spring. Political asylum for Saleh in the United States, or the appearance of preferential treatment from an administration that has championed peaceful and democratic change, would be highly unpopular with Yemeni political groups likely to take part in future governments. It also could anger people across the Arab world fighting to oust corrupt and authoritarian rulers.

Despite agreeing last year to transfer power to his vice president ahead of planned February presidential elections, Saleh is continuing to wield power behind the scenes and frustrate the efforts of Yemen's would-be reformers. Talk from Saleh allies about possibly postponing next month's vote has only further enraged Yemen's opposition. Meanwhile, al-Qaida has taken advantage of the political instability to enlarge its foothold in the country.

Al-Qaida's advance, in particular, has Washington on alert. Brennan and other officials are looking for ways to remove Saleh from Yemen as soon as possible so Yemen's political elites can get back to the business of fighting terrorists instead of each other. Earlier this week al-Qaida's Yemen-based branch seized the town of Radaa, an outpost 100 miles south of the capital and a key gateway to the regional center of Zinjibar, which has been under the terror group's control since last spring.

Without an end to the power vacuum in Yemen, officials fear al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula will be able to raise funds, win recruits and increase the possibility of another international terrorist attack. The group is blamed for trying to blow up a Detroit-bound airliner on Christmas 2009 and cargo planes bound for the United States a year later.

Speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss ongoing sensitive diplomacy, U.S. officials said Saleh has resubmitted a visa application to enter the United States and that the administration is actively considering his request. Fearful of appearing to harbor an autocrat with blood on his hands, the U.S. has withheld approval for a visa since December when Saleh asked to visit the U.S. to get medical treatment for injuries he sustained in a June assassination attempt.

Officials had demanded assurances that Saleh wouldn't remain in the country, but acknowledge now that if they let him into the United States it would be to stay. They said no final decision has been made.

Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates already have rejected Saleh, officials said. They said other possibilities are still out there, but if no country steps forward the United States might be forced to choose between Yemen's future stability and America's own popularity in the Middle East. In that case, the administration likely would let Saleh in, administration officials said.

Demonstrators began protesting against Saleh and calling for his ouster in February. The Yemeni government responded with a bloody crackdown, leaving hundreds of protesters dead and sparking wider violence in the capital with rival militia.

International pressure has mounted for months for Saleh to step aside. A June rocket attack on his compound left him badly burned and wounded, and led Saleh to seek medical treatment in neighboring Saudi Arabia for three months. American officials had hoped he would remain there, but the Yemeni leader returned and violence worsened.

In November, Saleh agreed to a Saudi-backed deal to hand power to his vice president and commit to stepping down completely in exchange for immunity. The deal further angered Saleh's opponents, who demanded he be tried for his attacks on protesters. While he has transferred authority, in principle, to his vice president, he has continued to pull strings in Yemen's government through loyalists and relatives still in positions of power. Many fear he'll continue to rule in practice if he remains in Yemen.

"The instability in Yemen is of great concern, first and foremost to the Yemeni people, but also to the region and to the world," Clinton told reporters this week during a trip to the Ivory Coast.

Saleh has made "agreements with respect to the way forward that have not been fulfilled," she said. "We regret that the president has thus far failed to comply with his own commitments to leave the country, to permit elections to go forward that give the people a chance to be heard and be represented."

Even before Yemen's uprising began, it already was the poorest country in the Arab world, with a weak central government, deep tribal divisions and several separate conflicts.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/obama/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120120/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/us_us_yemen

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US files charges against Megaupload in 'largest copyright case'

US prosecutors say that the video-sharing site Megaupload.com cost the US entertainment industry $500 million. Online activists worry the US case could stifle Internet freedoms around the world.

In New Zealand, police had to cut through an iron door of a safe room to get their fugitive, Kim Dotcom, the founder of an Internet-based video sharing site called Megaupload.com.

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Mr. Dotcom (a German citizen born as Kim Schmitz), along with six of his colleagues, has been charged with criminal copyright infringement, racketeering, and money laundering.

Meanwhile, a worldwide network of hackers took up the battle on behalf of Megaupload.com, launching a massive denial-of-service attack on several entertainment websites, as well as on the US Department of Justice website.

The mayhem and legal proceedings are just the opening shots in what US prosecutors are calling the largest criminal copyright case ever, and involves $500 million in damages to the entertainment industry, as well as complex legal issues of what constitutes copyright infringement in the age of YouTube, Facebook ?liking,? and DVD burners. And the legal battle is likely to reverberate around the world, as countries contemplate their own laws over intellectual property rights.

If found guilty, Dotcom and his Megaupload associates ? who are thought to have earned up to $175 million by selling advertisements on their website ?could face 20 years in prison.

The Washington Post quoted Sen. Patrick Leahy ? author of the controversial Protect IP Act (PIPA) ? praising the arrest of Dotcom.

?Today?s action by the Department of Justice against the leaders of Megaupload.com shows what law enforcement can do to protect American intellectual property that is stolen through domestic Web sites,? the Post quoted Leahy saying.

The New York Times quoted?Ira P. Rothken, a lawyer for Megaupload, as saying in a Times phone interview, ?Megaupload believes the government is wrong on the facts, wrong on the law.?

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/UR3sdCnoAlY/US-files-charges-against-Megaupload-in-largest-copyright-case

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Protesters to demonstrate outside US courthouses

NEW YORK (AP) ? Protesters plan to "occupy" courthouses in more than 100 cities across the U.S. on Friday to protest a landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision that removed most limits on corporate and labor spending in federal elections.

The grassroots coalition, called Move to Amend, said the protest will kick off petition drives to gain support for a constitutional amendment that would overturn Citizens United v. FEC, a 2010 court ruling that allowed private groups to spend huge amounts on political campaigns with few restrictions. Occupy Wall Street activists are joining the protest.

"The courts created the idea that the corporation is a person with constitutional rights," said David Cobb, an Occupy the Courts organizer. "It's the justification for the whole corporate takeover of our government."

A last-minute court dispute left the status of the protest in New York City unclear. A judge on Thursday ruled that demonstrators do not have a First Amendment right to protest in front of a Manhattan federal courthouse.

Protesters had filed a lawsuit asking the judge to overturn the government's rejection of their permit application. The permit had been denied on grounds that the courthouse poses unique security concerns.

In light of the ruling, protesters did not announce whether the event would be moved to another location.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2012-01-20-Occupy%20the%20Courts/id-01a5a420fe2f4aa38fd9af659d3cdf8e

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Hamas bans singing competition in Gaza

JERUSALEM (AP) ? Organizers of the Palestinian version of "American Idol" said Thursday the Gaza Strip's Hamas rulers have banned residents from participating in the popular reality show.

The organizers said Hamas told them the program is "indecent," in what appears to be a new attempt by the fundamentalist militant Muslim group to crack down on behavior it sees as contrary to its conservative interpretation of Islam.

In the past, Hamas has banned women from riding on the backs of motorbikes, women from smoking water pipes, and men from working in hair salons ? saying such practices were immodest. Not all bans are imposed uniformly.

The ban on competing in New Star came around the same time that Hamas police beat up members of Gaza's tiny Shiite minority while they tried to hold a religious ceremony.

Alaa al-Abed, the chief producer of the "New Star" program, said the edict would prevent Gaza's 12 contestants from competing in the upcoming second round of the competition Thursday night. It will be broadcast next month. He said he was informed of the decision last Saturday.

"This is more serious than Hamas just killing fun in Gaza ? they are limiting the freedoms of the people, according to their whims," al-Abed said.

There was no official comment from Hamas.

In the past, Gaza contestants have competed via video conference due to travel restrictions imposed on Gaza residents by Egypt and Israel. This year Hamas banned that form of participation as well.

New Star is broadcast on satellite television in the West Bank, Gaza Strip and Israel. A panel of judges rate performers signing pop songs, and viewers vote for their favorites.Now in its third year, it is a popular show with Palestinians.

In past years, contestants have included young women crooning in sleeveless dresses ? a look that is unthinkable in conservative Gaza ? while others wore Muslim headscarves. All of this year's Gaza contestants were men.

Hamas permits male barbershop style singing groups that do not use musical instruments and sing of the glory of Islam and to fighting Israel. Young, prepubescent girls also perform in their own singing groups, but teenage girls and women are never seen singing in public. Many devout Muslims believe singing by women is provocative.

Al-Abed said he was told by the head of Gaza's government press office, Hassan Abu Hashish, that the local singers could not compete because the program was not in compliance with the territory's culture and it was not morally acceptable.

Abu Hashish could not be reached for comment. But a statement released Wednesday by his office accused New Star's owners, the Palestinian news agency Maan, of incitement in a lengthy series of grievances about the company. Maan is based in the more liberal West Bank and receives generous funding from European donor nations.

"It has harmed (our) culture and traditions," Abu Hashish's statement read. They "show all of Gaza ... as if its youth search for singing programs."

Al-Abed said that Gazans were able to participate last year without any limitations. He urged Hamas to change its policy.

"People want to participate. We tried to make (Abu-Hashish) understand ? even if only 5 percent of people want to sing, if they want to participate ? why prevent them?"

Organizers say they hope that New Star can help unite the Palestinians, who have been divided between rival governments in the West Bank and Gaza since Hamas violently took control of Gaza in 2007. The Palestinians hope to turn the two territories, located on opposite sides of Israel, into an independent state.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/4e67281c3f754d0696fbfdee0f3f1469/Article_2012-01-19-ML-Palestinians-Singing-Ban/id-c35fec3b3239478da642d7e285c7dc05

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Santorum edges Romney in belated Iowa GOP count (AP)

DES MOINES, Iowa ? In a surprise flip, Rick Santorum edged front-runner Mitt Romney by 34 votes in the final tally of the Iowa caucuses, Republican officials said Thursday. But no winner was declared because some votes remain uncertified two weeks after the event's closest contest ever.

The state party initially had declared Romney the victor ? by just 8 votes ? in the first voting for the Republican presidential nomination, based on the count the morning after the Jan. 3 caucuses.

Iowa Republican Chairman Matt Strawn announced the new, certified totals Thursday, but said the party would not name an official winner because the results were so close and some votes can't be counted. Results from 8 of the state's 1,774 precincts were not certified to the state party by Wednesday's 5 p.m. deadline.

Of the votes certified, however, Strawn said Santorum was the winner.

Unofficial election night results from the 8 precincts gave Santorum 81 votes and Romney 46. If those results had been certified, Santorum's lead in the final tally would have been 69 votes.

Santorum was quick to claim the Iowa victory, saying in a fundraising email that "the incredible news" makes the score for Romney and himself 1-1. Romney followed Iowa with a strong win in New Hampshire. The third contest, South Carolina's primary, is Saturday.

Romney called the Iowa results a "virtual tie." In a written statement, the former Massachusetts governor praised Santorum's "strong performance" in the state.

The certified results: Santorum with 29,839 votes and Romney at 29,805, a difference of 34. Ron Paul finished third with 26,036. Newt Gingrich finished fourth with 16,163 votes. Turnout for the caucuses was 121,503.

Strawn blamed the lack of certification on various problems, including a county chairman who went on vacation without mailing in the final documentation.

"It isn't an election that is run by state officials and that's one of the strengths of the caucus process," he said.

Four Lee County precincts are among those listed by the party as not turning in certified vote totals. Lee County GOP Chairman Don Lucas said he believes supporters of a candidate ? he's not sure which ? took the certification document to report to the candidate how they did and never brought it back.

One Franklin County precinct also was among the eight that weren't certified.

Rick Grote, a member of the Franklin County GOP central committee, was the site chair for seven precincts that met at a high school in Hampton. He said the chair for the Geneva/Reeve precinct apparently failed to send the form certifying the vote count to the state party.

But Grote said both he and his brother took pictures of the form, but were never contacted by the state party.

"I don't know why somebody didn't call me or talk to me about, `Hey, we're missing this E-form. Got any clues on what's going on?' At that point, I could have said, I took separate photos of it. My brother took separate photos of it. We could sign an affidavit saying we took pictures, these were the numbers," Grote said.

Strawn said the party had no choice but to stick by its system.

"You have to have one form that all county chairs and all precinct chairs knew well in advance that that was the record," he said. "We just can't vouch for someone saying those are the numbers absent proof of that."

Former Iowa Republican Chairman Richard Schwarm said the vote problems won't ultimately make a difference. He noted that actual delegates will be selected later in the spring as Republicans continue their convention process.

"I think people realize it's a tie," Schwarm said. "It's a straw poll that has no impact on how we pick delegates."

The Associated Press projected based on election night results that Romney would end up with 13 delegates and Santorum 12. With the release of the certified tally, the AP is withdrawing one delegate from Romney's projected total and leaving it unallocated.

"Our goal throughout the certification process was to most accurately reflect and report how Iowans voted on the evening of Jan. 3," said Strawn.

The new numbers could give a boost to Santorum and other candidates trying to undermine Romney's dominance over the field as South Carolina voters go to the polls, with the Florida primary next up.

The field narrowed further Thursday when Texas Gov. Rick Perry abandoned his presidential bid and endorsed Newt Gingrich, the former speaker of the House of Representatives.

Santorum, a former Pennsylvania senator, and other Republican candidates are competing to attract voters seeking a more conservative alternative to Romney.

The Des Moines Register first reported the certified caucus totals on Thursday.

___

Associated Press writer Ryan J. Foley in Iowa City contributed to this report.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/politics/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120119/ap_on_el_pr/us_iowa_caucuses

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