Congress sends Obama defense bill that bans moving Guantanamo detainees to US ADVERTISING Congress sends Obama defense bill that bans moving Guantanamo detainees to US WASHINGTON (AP) — Congress sent President Barack Obama a $607 billion defense policy bill that
Congress sends Obama defense bill that bans moving Guantanamo detainees to US
WASHINGTON (AP) — Congress sent President Barack Obama a $607 billion defense policy bill that he is expected to sign even though he adamantly opposes its ban on moving some Guantanamo Bay detainees to U.S. prisons.
The Senate overwhelmingly approved the bill, 91-3, on Tuesday just days after the House passed the bipartisan measure, 370-58. The legislation authorizes Pentagon spending on military personnel, ships, aircraft and other war-fighting equipment.
The president plans to send Congress a blueprint for fulfilling his campaign pledge to close the U.S. prison in Cuba. But the plan is widely expected to be dead on arrival on Capitol Hill, with Republicans and some Democrats opposed to any move to detain some of the terror subjects on U.S. soil.
The congressional decision to retain a ban on transferring detainees to the U.S. has prompted debate on whether the president will try to bypass Congress and close the prison through executive action. “We know he’s contemplating it,” said Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky.
White House press secretary Josh Earnest said Obama would sign the bill because it includes provisions critical to protecting the United States. But he said the president’s signature does not change his position about the need to close the prison.
Outcry over Starbucks’ minimalist red cups show fine line marketers walk during holidays
NEW YORK (AP) — It’s as red as Santa’s suit, a poinsettia or your neighbor’s ugly Christmas sweater. Yet Starbucks’ stark new holiday coffee cup has set off complaints that the chain is making war on Christmas.
The outcry — which gained in intensity after Donald Trump suggested boycotting the coffee chain — illustrates the fine line companies must walk during the all-important holiday season: They want to stand out from their competitors, but not go so far as to offend or unsettle.
“The challenge is that the holiday language is same for everything,” said Allen Adamson, founder of BrandSimple Consulting. “Everyone does it, so how do you do it in a way that’s distinctive? If you push too far with distinctiveness, you might end up ruffling feathers.”
Since 1997, Starbucks has offered holiday drinks in a festive red cup, adorned with such things as Christmas ornaments, reindeer and snowflakes. This year’s design is minimalist: vivid red, with nothing but the familiar green Starbucks logo.
Starbucks executives said they wanted to embrace “simplicity and quietness” and show that the coffee shops are a “sanctuary” during the holidays. The company also reminded customers that it is selling its Christmas Blend of coffee as usual this year.
VA has more work to do on eliminating veteran homelessness, claims backlog as deadline hits
WASHINGTON (AP) — Though it has made much progress, the Department of Veterans Affairs is likely to miss its target on two ambitious goals: ending veteran homelessness in 2015 and ending the backlog in disability claims.
The latest count available showed about 50,000 homeless veterans on a single night in January 2014. That’s a decline of 33 percent from January 2010. Results from the January 2015 count are expected later this month.
The disability and pension claims backlog also is on a downward path, although not before the claims processing system became so overwhelmed that lawmakers and veterans groups demanded changes at the VA.
The number of claims pending for more than 125 days soared from about 180,000 at the start of 2010 to more than 611,000 by March of 2013. It now stands at about 76,000.
Those are the kind of trends that politicians would surely like to cite during election season.
Blunt in words, decisive in actions, former West German Chancellor Helmut Schmidt dies at 96
BERLIN (AP) — Helmut Schmidt was blunt and down to earth, decisive and brimming with self-confidence.
The attributes that won him plaudits as West German chancellor — as he dealt with some of the tensest moments of the Cold War and a surge in domestic terrorism — occasionally caused offense, especially later in life. But mainly they helped make him a respected and popular elder statesman across party lines.
Schmidt died at his home in Hamburg Tuesday at age 96, according to Die Zeit newspaper, where he served as co-publisher and penned regular analyses.
“He was realistic, discerning and decisive. Yet his decisions were always preceded by extensive, in-depth deliberations and consultations,” Die Zeit wrote in a tribute to Schmidt. “For him, governing was not about just getting by or political survival, it was about disciplined steps taken toward a concrete goal.”
Schmidt, a center-left Social Democrat, led West Germany from 1974 to 1982. He was elected chancellor by lawmakers in May 1974 after the resignation of fellow Social Democrat Willy Brandt, triggered when a top aide to Brandt was unmasked as an East German agent.
New Orleans pianist, songwriter, producer, performer Allen Toussaint dies at 77 in Spain
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Legendary New Orleans musician Allen Toussaint, who racked up hits like “Working in the Coal Mine” and “Lady Marmalade” as a behind-the-scenes songwriter and producer before he gained new fame as a performer, died Tuesday, not long after a performance in Spain. He was 77.
Rescue workers were called to Toussaint’s hotel in Madrid early Tuesday morning after he suffered a heart attack, said Madrid emergency services spokesman Javier Ayuso.
They managed to revive him but Toussaint stopped breathing during the ambulance ride to a hospital and did not recover, Ayuso said. Toussaint performed Monday night at Madrid’s Lara Theater. Toussaint’s family confirmed his death in an emailed statement, thanking fans and friends for their condolences.
“He was a legend in the music world,” said Quint Davis, who produces the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival. Toussaint performed there so often — starting in 1973 — that Davis said Toussaint referred to the festival as his “annual concert.”
Born in New Orleans’ working class Gert Town neighborhood, Toussaint went on to become one of the city’s most legendary and celebrated performers and personalities.
