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House passes farreaching anti-abortion bill

The Republican-led House on Tuesday passed a far-reaching anti-abortion bill that conservatives saw as a milestone in their 40-year campaign against legalized abortion and Democrats condemned as yet another example of the GOP war on women.

NSA director says plot against Wall Street foiled by security measures

The U.S. foiled a plot to bomb the New York Stock Exchange because of the sweeping surveillance programs at the heart of a debate over national security and personal privacy, officials said Tuesday at a rare open hearing on intelligence — a set-piece for supporters of the spying.

CBO: 8 million to gain legal status in Senate bill

About 8 million immigrants living unlawfully in the United States would gain legal status under sweeping legislation moving toward a vote in the Senate, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office said Tuesday, adding the bill would push federal deficits lower in each of the next two decades.

Hoffa mystery still fascinates after 4 decades

The latest possible resting place of Teamsters boss Jimmy Hoffa is an overgrown farm field where the normal calm of chirping crickets is being drowned out by a beeping backhoe, the chop of an overhead news helicopter and the bustle of reporters and onlookers.

FBI digging at former home of famed NY mobster

FBI agents with jackhammers and shovels were digging Tuesday under a New York City house once occupied by a famed gangster who inspired Robert De Niro’s character in the movie “Goodfellas.”

Report: Too many teachers, too little quality

Some 239,000 teachers are trained each year and 98,000 are hired

The nation’s teacher-training programs do not adequately prepare would-be educators for the classroom, even as they produce almost triple the number of graduates needed, according to a survey of more than 1,000 programs released Tuesday.

Supreme Court rules Ariz. citizenship proof law illegal (VIDEO)

States can’t demand proof of citizenship from people registering to vote in federal elections unless they get federal or court approval to do so, the Supreme Court ruled Monday in a decision complicating efforts in Arizona and other states to bar voting by people who are in the country illegally.

Obama: NSA secret data gathering ‘transparent’ (VIDEO)

President Barack Obama defended top secret National Security Agency spying programs as legal in a lengthy interview Monday, and called them transparent — even though they are authorized in secret.

EU, US agree to start free trade talks at G-8

The European Union and the United States will open negotiations next month on a long-sought deal to create free trade between the world’s two mightiest economic regions, an effort designed to create millions of jobs that could take years to transform from dream to reality.

Putin: US-Russia positions on Syria don’t coincide

Russian President Vladimir Putin told President Barack Obama on Monday that their positions on Syria do not “coincide” but the two leaders said during the G-8 summit that they have a shared interest in stopping the violence that has ravaged the Middle Eastern country during a two-year-old civil war.

Hamas urges former ally Hezbollah to leave Syria

The Palestinian militant group Hamas has urged Lebanon’s Hezbollah, a former ally, to withdraw its fighters from Syria, signaling growing sectarian tensions over the war there.

Shiite Iraq militia claims it attacked Iran group

A Shiite militia leader on Monday claimed responsibility for a rocket attack over the weekend that killed two members of an Iranian exile group near Baghdad. Saturday’s attack on the sprawling Camp Liberty also killed an Iraqi and wounded nine Iranians and seven Iraqis.

Brazil protesters vow to hold big demo

Protesters promised to hold their biggest demonstrations yet against a hike in public transport fares on Monday, stoking fears of more clashes with police and raising questions about security during big events such as the current Confederations Cup and a papal visit next month.

Interim Montreal mayor arrested

Montreal’s interim mayor, who vowed to clean up the corruption scandals rocking the city, now faces fraud charges himself.

Syria’s Assad: EU will pay price for arming rebels

Syria’s president warned that Europe “will pay a price” if it delivers weapons to rebels fighting to topple him, saying in an interview published Monday that arming them would backfire as the “terrorists” return to their countries with extremist ideologies.

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