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Wednesday, January 29, 2014

U.S. Top News: Obama hits the road to sell minimum wage, savings proposals

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01/29/2014

Reuters Election 2012 Daily round-up of the day's top news from the campaign trail, the White House and all the politics in between

Obama hits the road to sell minimum wage, savings proposals

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama on Wednesday set out to highlight his initiatives to fight income disparity with visits to a big-box wholesaler and a steel plant a day after launching a renewed push to raise minimum wage for millions of poor Americans.

Obama warns divided Congress that he will act alone

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama vowed on Tuesday to bypass a divided Congress and take action on his own to bolster America's middle class in a State of the Union address that he used to try to breathe new life into his second term after a troubled year.

Obama to launch government-backed retirement savings program

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Obama administration is scheduled on Wednesday to launch a retirement savings vehicle called "myRA," aimed at enrolling more Americans in a government-backed investment option.

'I'll break you in half,' U.S. congressman threatens reporter

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Representative Michael Grimm was caught on a television camera saying to a reporter, "I'll break you in half," after he was asked in an interview about a federal investigation into campaign finance violations.

Snowden gets Nobel Peace Prize nomination from Norwegian MP

OSLO (Reuters) - A Norwegian member of parliament nominated former U.S. National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden for the 2014 Nobel Peace Prize on Wednesday, arguing that his release of classified documents made the world a safer place.

At the White House, the State of the Union is #social

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - High school teacher Jason Knoll came to the White House on Tuesday from Madison, Wisconsin, on a mission: to show his students that tweets can be used for "more than selfies at the mall," and that political Twitter can transcend petty snark.

War hero's story draws standing ovation in Obama's speech

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama invoked the struggles faced by a wounded Army Ranger as he urged the U.S. Congress on Tuesday to work with him to tackle big problems such as boosting the economy and promoting justice and fairness.

Republicans respond and respond to Obama State of Union

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republicans in the U.S. Congress responded in competing voices on Tuesday to President Barack Obama's annual State of the Union address as various wings of the party vied to advance their prescriptions for the country's best way forward.

Winter storm brings 'once-in-decade' ice, snow to U.S. South

NEW ORLEANS (Reuters) - A rare blast of snow, sleet and ice hit the U.S. South on Tuesday, prompting five states to declare a state of emergency, closing the New Orleans airport and causing chaos on roads for drivers unaccustomed to the dangerously slick conditions.

U.S. should consider re-design of missile defense system: report

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Missile Defense Agency should consider redesigning a key part of its ground-based missile defense system after a series of test failures in recent years, the Pentagon's chief arms tester said in a new report due to be released Wednesday.