WORLD
March 8, 2010 | By Edmund Sanders
Vice President Joe Biden was due to arrive Monday in Israel on a mission to mend relations after a rocky first year for new administrations in both countries. During the three-day visit, Biden is expected to consult with Israeli leaders about Iran and kick off peace negotiations -- albeit indirect ones -- between Israelis and Palestinians. The Palestine Liberation Organization led by Fatah formally endorsed U.S.-brokered talks on Sunday. But analysts and officials say the primary objective for Biden, the highest-ranking administration official to visit Israel since President Obama's election, is to give Israel's government a diplomatic nod and boost Israelis' confidence in the U.S. president.
NATIONAL
March 8, 2010 | By Janet Hook and Noam N. Levey
The fate of healthcare legislation turns on the endgame skills of two Democrats who bring vastly different assets to the task: President Obama and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Obama's signature ability to inspire fellow Democrats and Pelosi's well-honed ability to read their parochial needs will be tested as they tackle the job of finding the last stubborn votes for the healthcare bill. The final push is giving Obama a chance to redeem himself among Democrats who have complained that he has been too detached from the nitty-gritty of crafting the healthcare bill.
CALIFORNIA | LOCAL
March 7, 2010
The Defense Department last week identified the following American military personnel killed in Afghanistan: Carlos A. Aragon, 19, of Orem, Utah; lance corporal, Marine Corps Reserve. Aragon was killed in combat Monday in southern Afghanistan's Helmand province, on the Pakistani border. He was assigned to the 4th Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 4th Marine Division at Camp Pendleton. Josiah D. Crumpler, 27, of Hillsborough, N.C.; specialist, Army. Crumpler was one of two soldiers killed Monday when insurgents attacked their unit with rocket-propelled grenades and small-arms fire in the Bala Murghab district of western Afghanistan's Badghis province, which borders Turkmenistan.
CALIFORNIA | LOCAL
March 2, 2010 | By Charles Ornstein and Tracy Weber
Federal officials have removed the management team overseeing a national database of dangerous or incompetent caregivers after questions were raised about its accuracy. The reassignments of the division director and four managers came in response to a joint ProPublica-Los Angeles Times story last month that found the repository was probably missing thousands of serious disciplinary cases against health providers. Congress ordered up the database more than 20 years ago. It was supposed to provide an alert system for hospitals, flagging them to disciplinary actions taken in any state against nurses, therapists, pharmacists and other licensed health professionals.
SPORTS
March 1, 2010
FINAL MEDAL TABLE Nation G S B T United States 9 15 13 37 Germany 10 13 7 30 Canada 14 7 5 26 Norway 9 8 6 23 Austria 4 6 6 16 Russia 3 5 7 15 Korea 6 6 2 14 China 5 2 ...
BUSINESS
March 1, 2010 | By Jim Puzzanghera
Uncle Sam is getting an expensive megaphone to tell the world's tourists, "I want you." Aiming to reverse a steep drop in international visitors since the 2001 terrorist attacks, Congress last week passed legislation creating a nonprofit corporation to promote the United States as a travel destination. A $10 fee on many foreign visitors would help finance the new corporation and could raise as much as $200 million a year. Among the legislation's goals is to better explain the stricter U.S. entry requirements for foreign visitors since the attacks.
WORLD
March 1, 2010 | By Tony Perry
The Afghan troops who supported the U.S. Marines in the battle to end Taliban control of this town in Helmand province showed marked improvement over last summer's performance in a similar fight but still need much more training, Marine commanders say. Brig. Gen. Larry Nicholson, the top Marine here, said that overall the Afghan battalions exceeded his expectations. Nicholson said he would give some Afghan units an A-minus or B-plus but that others, particularly those with soldiers fresh from basic training, would get a C-minus or D. The lead Afghan commander, Brig.
CALIFORNIA | LOCAL
February 28, 2010
The Defense Department last week identified the following American military personnel who died in Afghanistan and Iraq or from their injuries at a U.S. military hospital: Marcus R. Alford, 28, of Knoxville, Tenn.; captain, Army National Guard. Alford was one of two guardsmen killed Feb. 21 when their OH-58D Kiowa Warrior helicopter crashed near Qayyarah Airfield West south of Mosul, Iraq, north of Baghdad. He was assigned to the 1st Squadron, 230th Cavalry Regiment in Louisville, Tenn.
SPORTS
February 27, 2010 | By Bill Plaschke
Two Super Bowls in three weeks? Thirty years in 60 minutes? As it is written on the Canadian red T-shirts that currently hang from the backs of thousands of folks who will soon be forgetting their manners and clenching their teeth: "Believe." On Sunday around noon here, the Olympics will end with a five-ring circus, a caldron of emotion, a ceremony of mettle, one flaming torch of a hockey game. You sort of wanted it, the Canadians really wanted it, now maybe you're thinking twice about it, too late, it's here, Canada versus the United States for the Olympic gold medal.
CALIFORNIA | LOCAL
February 25, 2010 | By Seema Mehta
In a dispute that commingles foreign policy and a quest for political advantage, U.S.-Israel relations have taken an unexpectedly central role in the California race for Senate. Rivals in the race for the Republican nomination are questioning whether former Rep. Tom Campbell is sufficiently supportive of Israel. They base their criticisms on his voting record, statements about a Palestinian homeland and capital, and some of his past associates. Their allegations have raised enough concerns for Campbell that he plans to meet Monday with the influential American Israel Public Affairs Committee.