One budget battle appears to be over, but two more economic fights are coming to a head. Watch CNN.com Live for continuing coverage of the economic conflict in Washington.
Today's programming highlights...
9:30 am ET - Wartime contracting hearing - The Commission on Wartime Contracting in Iraq and Afghanistan meets to discuss whether the federal government can learn from non-governmental organization in creating more effective and less costly federal contracting.
The battle over a federal budget continues in Washington, and a partial government shutdown could occur if a deal cannot be reached by the end of the day. Watch CNN.com Live for continuing coverage on this developing story.
Today's programming highlights...
9:00 am ET - Casey Anthony hearing - Another hearing takes place in the case of the Florida woman accused of killing her young daughter. Today, attorneys will present final arguments on scientific evidence that may be presented at trial.
Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi must leave power and Libya to stop the NATO military strikes in the country, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has said.
"I don't think there is any mystery about what is expected from Mr. Gadhafi at this time," Clinton told reporters on Wednesday.
Earlier, Gadhafi urged U.S. President Barack Obama to end the NATO bombing of his war-torn country. Gadhafi made the appeal in a letter, a senior administration official said.
Libya – Forces loyal to Libyan dictator Moammar Gadhafi blocked the westward advance of rebels, who have been aided by air power provided by the U.S., NATO and their allies. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will meet in London today with other world leaders to try to strengthen the coalition's efforts.
Meanwhile in Washington, politicians and pundits are parsing President Obama's speech Monday night, in which he explained the reasoning behind and scope of U.S. involvement in the Libyan conflict.
Syria – Thousands of demonstrators marched in Amman in support of President Bashar al-Assad, who has been the target of protests. Confrontations between anti-government protesters and police have been bloody at times; at least 37 people have been killed since last week, according to the U.N. Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. Security forces flooded the restive cities of Daraa and Latakia on Monday, patrolling the streets, protecting government buildings and in at least one case clashing with protesters, according to witnesses..
Japan – Engineers and workers are carrying out a dangerous balancing act as they try to cool the damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear reactor with water, but not so much water that it spills over, presenting an additional hazard. Radioactive isotopes from the damaged reactor are being detected in more places in the United States, though the Environmental Protection Agency says they pose no threat to human health. A Senate committee will hold a hearing today to gather information on the accident in Japan.
Wal-Mart – The U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments today in a huge sex-discrimination lawsuit brought by female workers against Wal-Mart Stores Inc., the nation's largest retailer. The arguments will not be on the merits of the case, but on whether to allow as many as 1.6 million potential plaintiffs to join a single lawsuit. Billions of dollars and many thousands of career paths are at stake.
Immigration – Emily Ruiz, a 4-year-old U.S. citizen, was denied entry to the United States on March 11 when she returned with her grandfather to Dulles International Airport near Washington after an extended stay in Guatemala. The girl's parents are undocumented workers in New York; her grandfather had an old immigration violation, which prompted border agents to send him and the girl back to Guatemala. Emily will try to enter through New York today, a lawyer for the family says.
Watch CNN.com Live for continuing coverage of the conflict in Libya and the nuclear crisis in Japan.
Today's programming highlights...
9:00 am ET - Casey Anthony hearing - Another hearing is held in the case of the Florida woman accused of killing her young daughter. Today's hearing is expected to focus on whether certain scientific evidence can be used during the trial.
Watch CNN.com Live for continuing coverage of the conflict in Libya and the nuclear crisis in Japan.
Today's programming highlights...
8:00 am ET - Obama heads to El Salvador - President Obama begins his day in Chile, but he'll soon be headed to El Salvador as nears the conclusion of his tour of Latin American countries.
Watch CNN.com Live for continuing coverage of the crisis in Japan.
Today's programming highlights...
Ongoing coverage - Japan earthquake/tsunami aftermath
9:30 am ET - Japan nuclear crisis briefing - Experts brief reporters at the National Press Club in Washington on the implications of Japan's ongoing nuclear crisis.
Happy Mardi Gras from CNN.com Live! We are your home for the latest developments on the crisis in Libya, as well as the final voyage for space shuttle Discovery.
Today's programming highlights...
10:00 am ET - Clinton meets with Australian prime minister - The civil war in Libya is expected to be brought up when Secretary of State Hillary Clinton meets with Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard in Washington.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton planned to call Bahrain's foreign minister on Thursday about the violence there, two State Department officials told CNN.
Security forces in Bahrain's capital, Manama, stormed an encampment of protesters in the dead of night before dawn Thursday, witnesses said, and the kingdom's health minister reported at least three people were killed and more than 200 others injured.
Bahrain is the headquarters of the U.S. Navy's Fifth Fleet, and the United States designated Bahrain as a major non-NATO ally in October 2001. Bahrain served as a base for U.S. military operations in the first Gulf War, and the U.S. is guaranteed the right to pre-position materials in Bahrain for use in future crises.
The administration is grappling with exactly what to say in response to the crackdown, the officials said. Top officials are "very concerned" about the violence but don't want to say anything that could lead to further violence, the sources said.
White House press secretary Jay Carney tried to walk that line during a press briefing Wednesday.
"Each country is different in how they respond to the expression of the legitimate aspirations of their people," he said. "It is very important and they need to do it in a way that reflects what we believe, what the president has said, are these universal values that each government needs to respect. And those are freedom of expression, freedom of the press, freedom of movement, freedom of assembly, freedom of access to information – the internet in particular – and to respond to those demonstrations in a nonviolent way. ...
"We call on both sides in countries where these demonstrations are taking place to be nonviolent and for the governments to be responsive."
China must assume the responsibilities of being a 21st-century world power, rather than basing policies on its own self-interest, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Friday.
In a firm but optimistic speech at the State Department, Clinton praised improved ties with China, stressing the Obama administration wanted a "positive, cooperative and comprehensive" relationship.
She acknowledged the relationship is at a "critical juncture," noting many tensions remain on economic and security issues, which are certain to feature prominently when President Barack Obama hosts Chinese President Hu Jintao for a state visit in Washington next week.
"You cannot build a relationship on aspirations alone," she said, "It is up to both of us to more consistently translate positive words into effective cooperation."
FULL STORYU.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton met with South Korea's top diplomat Monday in Washington to discuss the tense situation developing on the Korean peninsula.
She also met with her Japanese counterpart, and is scheduled to hold a news conference with both men later in the day.
"We are very committed to our relationship and our alliance with the Republic of Korea and we are determined on every issue to work through and come to conclusions about the appropriate ways forward," Clinton said during her meeting with South Korean Foreign Minister Kim Sung-hwan.
WikiLeaks documents – "Terrorist funding emanating from Saudi Arabia remains a serious concern." So states a cable prepared for the visit of U.S. Special Envoy Richard Holbrooke to the kingdom earlier this year.
It is one of several that have appeared on the WikiLeaks site that suggest that despite some progress, the flow of cash to extremist groups in Pakistan and Afghanistan from individuals and charities in the Gulf has certainly not been halted. The cable, written by U.S. Ambassador James B Smith, says that the Saudis are "cooperating more actively than at any previous point to respond to terrorist financing concerns raised by the United States, and to investigate and detain financial facilitators of concern."
Meanwhile, as criticism continues to grow against WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, Australia's attorney general says Assange would be allowed to return to his Australian homeland, and has the same protections as any other Australian citizen.
Secrets-busting website WikiLeaks, which began publishing a giant trove of confidential U.S. government papers on Sunday, didn't expect the papers to reveal as much espionage as they apparently do, a spokesman said Monday.
"I was surprised at (the) extent of the spying," Kristinn Hrafnsson told CNN.
WikiLeaks claims it has 251,288 cables sent by American diplomats between the end of 1966 and February 2010, which it will release piecemeal over the course of weeks or months, Hrafnsson said.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told the United Nations Security Council Tuesday that it will take "courage and skill" for Sudan's leaders to implement the Comprehensive Peace Agreement, but stressed that no outsider can dictate events on the ground.
"The world expects these steps, and the courage to change will be rewarded by the international community and the United States," Clinton said.
Clinton's comments come in the midst of a massive voter registration effort for a January referendum that would allow the East African nation's autonomous southern region to secede from the north. The referendum is considered a possible make-or-break event in the 2005 peace agreement, which ended the two-decade conflict that lead to the deaths of 2 million people in Sudan.
The peace agreement also calls for a separate referendum for residents of Abyei, a border area that has oil reserves, to decide if they want to join the north or south. The southern region holds a majority of the nation's oil.
"Holding this referendum and resolving the status of Abyei represent the promise of self-determination made to the Sudanese people," Clinton said. "They are promises that must be kept."
The vote also could be a factor as U.S. officials decide whether to remove Sudan from its list of state sponsors of terrorism.
U.S. Marines participate in military exercises at Australia's High Range Training Area near Townsville in October.
The United States and Australia will step up their military cooperation, with Canberra offering U.S. forces increased access to Australian bases, according to news reports from Australia.
The increased cooperation will be announced Monday after talks between U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Defense Secretary Robert Gates and their Australian counterparts, according to reports in The Australian and The Sydney Morning Herald.
The U.S. will not be getting new bases in Australia, but will have full access to Australian facilities, including "a share in all processes, such as access to intelligence and maintenance facilities," The Australian reported, citing unnamed sources close to the defense talks.
The clock is ticking as the United States seeks a way to keep Middle East peace talks from falling apart over this weekend's end to an Israeli moratorium on settlement construction.
The issue of settlement construction is highly controversial, and the Palestinians have said a restart by the Israelis would be reason enough to end talks.
Read more on CNN.com.
The arduous Middle East peace talks continued on Tuesday in Egypt, where officials from Israel and the Palestinian Authority "have begun a serious discussion on core issues," a top U.S. diplomat said.
"They have agreed to begin first on working to achieve a framework agreement for permanent status. That work is now well under way," said U.S. special envoy George Mitchell.
Toddlers to be laid to rest – A funeral will be held for Ja'Van, above, left, and Devean Duley, the 1- and 2-year-olds found dead in the Edisto River near Orangeburg, South Carolina. The boys' mother, Shaquan Duley, 29, is accused of smothering them, putting them into car seats and sinking the car into the river.
"This Just In" editor Mallory Simon and CNN.com associate producer Sean O'Key are on the ground in Orangeburg. The pair went to the Trumps Inn and took a look at Room 31, where the boys were allegedly killed. Motel manager Renu Patel, a mother herself, told Simon the room hasn't been cleaned since police searched it. Patel and her staff can't bear to go inside, she said.
'Clef for prez? – Hip-hopper Wyclef Jean will learn Friday if he eligible to run for president of Haiti. Jean said even if he is not permitted to run, he will continue to rally Haiti's youth for education reform. On Thursday, President Rene Preval met with Jean to discuss threats made against the entertainer since he declared his candidacy.
Aussies to cast ballots – Pollsters are predicting a dead heat in Saturday's elections to determine the next Australian leader. Prime Minister Julia Gillard of the left-of-center Labor Party told a local television station there is "a very, very real risk" her conservative opponent, Tony Abbott, could win.
Meanwhile, a clairvoyant saltwater crocodile named Harry, who picked Spain to win the World Cup, indicates Gillard will keep her seat.
Mideast peace talks could resume – U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is expected to announce that the Palestinian Authority is prepared to return to the table with Israel. Sources said President Obama could invite both parties to Washington next month. The peace talks have been deadlocked since December 2008 after Israel launched a military offensive against Hamas in Gaza.
Here’s a quick glance at the collective consciousness of the Web on Monday:
Putting a ring on it: It was quite the celebrity wedding weekend, with former first daughter Chelsea Clinton marrying longtime beau Marc Mezvinsky in a lavish ceremony in Rhinebeck, New York. (After midnight, late-night munchies stole the show.) Recording artist Alicia Keys married hip-hop producer Swizz Beatz at a private residence overlooking the Mediterranean Sea. Atlanta rapper T.I. married longtime fiancée Tiny Cottle in a glitzy soiree in Miami Beach, Florida.
Gulf oil disaster: The spill continued to make news Monday, with the dispersants used by BP coming under increased scrutiny. The Environmental Protection Agency said tests prove that the oil, not the dispersants, remain "the No. 1 enemy." The oil disaster seems to have leaked into the real estate market as well. For many residents, discovery of oil on their land used to mean guaranteed big bucks (Black gold? Texas tea?). But because of the spill, waterfront residents say home sales may be especially cruddy. In fact, the BP oil spill could cost homeowners $68 million in lost property value over the next year, according to a report released Monday.
#jailbreak: The iPhone 4 “jailbreak,” finally legal, is getting a lot of clicks. The hack - available at jailbreakme.com - installs a program that lets iPhone 4 owners and others purchase apps from stores other than Apple's. But be careful! It's still a risky proposition.
Lindsay's out: Speaking of jail, Lindsay Lohan has been released from prison after 13 days in the pokey. It’s on to rehab for the actress and singer.
Former first daughter Chelsea Clinton and longtime beau Marc Mezvinsky were wed Saturday "in a beautiful ceremony at Astor Courts," a 50-acre estate in Rhinebeck, New York, according to her parents.
"We could not have asked for a more perfect day to celebrate the beginning of their life together, and we are so happy to welcome Marc into our family," former President Bill Clinton and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said in a statement. "On behalf of the newlyweds, we want to give special thanks to the people of Rhinebeck for welcoming us and to everyone for their well-wishes on this special day."
The confirmation by the Clintons put to rest a slew of speculation on where and when the nuptials would take place.
© 2012 Cable News Network. Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
| Advertising practices | Advertise with us | About us | Work for us | Help
Recent Comments