Political News

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Vice President Joe Biden on Friday condemned the political gridlock crippling Washington, calling on Republican and Democratic governors alike to lead the nation “out of this mess” while insisting that Congress approve billions of dollars to repair the country’s aging infrastructure.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Civilian assistance to Afghanistan was always slated to shrink with America’s military footprint, but U.S. aid officials were caught off-guard when Congress, upset by testy relations with Afghan President Hamid Karzai, slashed civilian aid by 50 percent this year.

More than three-quarters of the U.S. House of Representatives signed a letter sent to President Barack Obama Wednesday, insisting that lawmakers play a role in any decision to offer Iran long-term sanctions relief in connection with negotiations on Tehran’s nuclear program. The letter noted that the U.S. Congress played a central role in enacting sanctions against Iran and insisted Congress be involved in any decision to ease sanctions. Three hundred and forty-four of the chamber’s 435 members, both Republicans and Democrats, signed the letter, which was released Thursday by California Republican Representative Ed Royce, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, and New York Representative Eliot Engel, the panel’s top Democrat.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Outlines of a possible compromise over President Barack Obama’s $3.7 billion emergency border spending request were emerging Thursday in Congress, which would involve making policy changes to allow the minors streaming to the border from Central America to be sent home more quickly.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Congressional Republican leaders on Thursday blasted President Barack Obama’s emergency spending request for the border crisis, saying Obama caused the problem and now wants Congress to sign off on more of the same.

By Frank Jack Daniel NEW DELHI (Reuters) – Prime Minister Narendra Modi faces the first major test of his reform credentials on Thursday, when his fresh-faced government presents its maiden budget amid early doubts about his willingness to make unpopular decisions. Modi, 63, won a landslide general election victory in May with a pledge to boost growth and create jobs for the 1 million people who enter India’s workforce every month. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley’s promises of bold budget decisions and broadsides against the “mindless populism” of his left-of-centre predecessors have proved a hit with investors, helping the benchmark BSE stock index to a record high last week. The government has tried to keep rural voters sweet by extending a temporary subsidy for sugar mills, benefiting farmers in Maharashtra, where Modi’s BJP hopes to consolidate its strength in elections later this year.

By Aditya Kalra NEW DELHI (Reuters) – Sonia Gandhi, president of ousted Congress party, on Wednesday accused the new Narendra Modi-led government of a “political witch hunt” after tax authorities began probing her party as she and her son face allegations over misusing funds. The Gandhis are the torchbearers of a dynasty that has led India for most of its post-independence era since 1947 but that was dealt its worst ever election defeat by Modi in the general election that ended in May. Last month a court summoned Sonia and her son Rahul to answer allegations that they used $15 million of party funds to pay off debts accrued by a now defunct newspaper publishing business several years ago. A Congress official said the party had received “notices” from the tax authority, a communication in which the recipient is asked to explain apparent irregularities in his tax declarations. The official said the notices pertained to income tax and were related to the court case involving Gandhi and her son, although he did not give further details.