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News you can use
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WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama's choice to become U.S. ambassador to China embraced several criticisms of that country Tuesday, agreeing that China wants to dominate Asia and is a regular violator of human rights. Speaking at his Senate confirmation hearing, Sen. Max Baucus said he wants to help the U.S. build a more equitable economic relationship with China while encouraging the Asian giant to act responsibly as it emerges as a global power. "I have become a firm believer that a strong geopolitical relationship can b...
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Internal Revenue Service apologized Friday for what it acknowledged was "inappropriate" targeting of conservative political groups during the 2012 election to see if they were violating their tax-exempt status. IRS agents singled out dozens of organizations for additional reviews because they included the words "tea party" or "patriot" in their exemption applications, said Lois Lerner, who heads the IRS division that oversees tax-exempt groups. In some cases, groups were asked for lists of donors, which...
WASHINGTON — Millions of people who take advantage of government subsidies to help buy health insurance next year could get stung by surprise tax bills if they don't accurately project their income. AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File President Barack Obama signs the health care bill in the East Room of the White House on March 23, 2010. Millions of people who take advantage of government subsidies to help buy health insurance next year could get stung by surprise tax bills if they don't accurately project their income. P...
Medicare rise could mean no Social Security COLA STEPHEN OHLEMACHER,Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Millions of retired and disabled people in the United States had better brace for another year with no increase in Social Security payments. The government is projecting a slight cost-of-living adjustment for Social Security benefits next year, the first increase since 2009. But for most beneficiaries, rising Medicare premiums threaten to wipe out any increase in payments, leaving them without a raise for a third straight y...
WASHINGTON (AP) — A third former employee says she considered filing a workplace complaint over what she considered aggressive and unwanted behavior by Herman Cain when she worked for the presidential candidate in the 1990s. She says the behavior included a private invitation to his corporate apartment AP Photo/Cliff Owen Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain speaks after meeting with doctors attending the Docs4PatientCare conference in Alexandria, Va., Wednesday. She worked for the National Restaurant Association w...
WASHINGTON (AP) — The House has passed a bill to extend middle-class tax cuts while letting those for the wealthy expire, even as talks continue on extending the cuts for everyone. The bill is a political maneuver to satisfy Democratic supporters who oppose extending tax cuts for the wealthy. Even if the bill passes the House, it has no chance in the Senate, where Democrats need Republican support to pass a tax bill. Sweeping tax cuts enacted under former President George W. Bush expire at the end of the year. A small b...
Democrats delay vote on extending Bush tax cuts STEPHEN OHLEMACHER,Associated Press Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate Democratic leaders decided Thursday to delay a vote on preserving soon-to-expire middle class tax cuts until after congressional elections in November. President Barack Obama has made the tax cuts a priority. But Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid decided to delay any vote after a meeting with other Senate Democrats failed to produce a consensus on how to proceed. "Democrats believe we must permanently extend t...
Democrats delay vote on extending Bush tax cuts STEPHEN OHLEMACHER,Associated Press Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate Democratic leaders decided Thursday to delay a vote on preserving soon-to-expire middle class tax cuts until after congressional elections in November. President Barack Obama has made the tax cuts a priority. But Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid decided to delay any vote after a meeting with other Senate Democrats failed to produce a consensus on how to proceed. "Democrats believe we must permanently extend t...
9,000 stimulus payments went to dead people STEPHEN OHLEMACHER, Associated Press Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — More than 89,000 stimulus payments of $250 each went to people who were either dead or in prison, a government investigator says in a new report. The payments, which were part of last year's massive economic recovery package, were meant to increase consumer spending to help stimulate the economy. But about $18 million went to nearly 72,000 people who were dead, according to the report by the Social Security A...
The retirement savings and assets of an entire generation of Americans are stashed away in this small town along the Ohio River: $2.5 trillion in IOUs from the federal government, payable t o t h e S o c i a l S e c u r i t y Administration. It's time to start cashing them in. For more than two decades, Social Security, the federal pension system, collected more money in payroll taxes than it paid out in benefits — billions more each year. Not anymore. This year, for the first time since the 1980s, when Congress last o...
