Opposing

MEXICO CITY - Debate is intensifying over armed vigilante patrols that have sprung up in crime-plagued sections of rural Mexico, particularly in the state of Guerrero, where some patrols joined forces this week with a radical teachers union that has been wreaking havoc with massive protests, vandalism and violent confrontations with police. The two groups, on the surface, would appear to have little in common. The vigilante patrols, typically made up of masked campesinos , are among dozens that have emerged in the countryside in recent months, purporting to protect their communities from the depredations of the drug cartels.

Rejecting the arguments of community groups, two Los Angeles City Council committees on Tuesday backed a controversial plan to move the northernmost runway at Los Angeles International Airport 260 feet closer to bordering neighborhoods in Westchester and Playa del Rey. The runway proposal, which is strongly opposed in residential areas surrounding LAX, has emerged as an issue in the mayoral race between City Councilman Eric Garcetti and City Controller...

WASHINGTON -- New polling shows older Americans overwhelmingly resisting President Obama's effort to pare back cost-of-living adjustments for seniors, veterans and the disabled as part of his budget overture to the GOP. Nearly 70% of those age 50 and older oppose lowering the annual inflation adjustment, including robust majorities of Republican, Democratic and independent voters, according to a survey by an independent firm released Monday...

WASHINGTON - A few hours before midnight during a marathon budget session, Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, the only member of Congress elected as a socialist, called for a vote on his proposal to oppose any cut in cost-of-living adjustments for veterans benefits. With no opposition from senators on the floor, Sanders watched as his measure was unanimously adopted. In this first salvo ahead of the next round of budget battles with the White House, score one for the real-life socialist; zero for the president who is often derided as one. President Obama, however, was not dissuaded.

For the second time in a year, Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa has rejected the person picked to run the pension system for police officers and firefighters, antagonizing representatives of public safety employees who rely on the agency's $15.8-billion investment portfolio. In a tersely worded letter, Villaraigosa informed the nine-member Fire and Police Pensions board last week that he had vetoed their decision to hire William Raggio, who is favored by representatives of the city's sworn employees.

WASHINGTON -- Conservative Republicans are open to an overhaul of the nation's immigration system, including creating a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants, according to a new report on voter attitudes in two states with early presidential contests. According to a Republican research group , recent discussions with Republican voters in Iowa and South Carolina indicated that conservatives are inclined to support the party's involvement in fixing immigration and may well reward potential presidential candidates, like Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, who have taken a prominent role in that effort.

In Echo Park on Tuesday morning, Sean Stentz was among those expressing support for gay marriage as the U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments on California's Proposition 8. Marriage is a fundamental individual right that should be available to everyone, Stentz said. “The rights and benefits that come with marriage are nice, but I mean, I don't know anybody that says, 'Oh, it sucks that we can't get married because I have this great severance package,'” said Stentz, 34, a record store owner.

PHOENIX - In the name of player safety, the NFL is weighing a ban on running backs initiating contact in the open field by lowering their heads and using the crown of their helmet to strike defenders. But the proposed rule is jarring to many, including some prominent former ballcarriers who are concerned the potential change fundamentally alters the game and could leave running backs even more vulnerable. "This is a joke," Hall of Fame back Marshall Faulk said Tuesday on NFL Network, for whom he's an analyst.

NFL owners are scheduled to vote this week on a proposed rule change to prohibit running backs from delivering a blow with the crown of their helmets in an open field. Matt Forte does not get a vote because he is a running back, not an owner. Still, he had plenty to say about the proposal on Twitter this weekend. "The proposed rule change for running backs might be the most absurd suggestion of a rule change I've ever heard of," he said in a series of tweets . "In order to lower ur shoulder u obviously have to lower ur head.

TRIPOLI, Lebanon - Khaled Naaman doesn't hide his disdain for the Syrian government, a widely shared sentiment in this northern Lebanese city, where many harbor dark memories of Damascus' years of military occupation. His impoverished neighborhood, Bab Tabbaneh, stands as a bastion of support for Syrian rebels seeking to oust President Bashar Assad; their tricolor banner flutters from buildings and is spray-painted on walls. The district has also welcomed multitudes of refugees seeking to escape the Syrian conflict.