L.A. Times - National News

Obama plan seeks to defuse birth control debate

By Christi Parsons, Kathleen Hennessey, Washington Bureau — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 18:10:00 PST

President Obama offers an 'accommodation' in hopes of ending the debate over a mandate that religiously affiliated groups provide birth control coverage. Many critics welcome the move, but not all.

For days President Obama had been hammered over a regulation in the 2010 healthcare law that required religiously affiliated hospitals, charities and universities to provide birth control coverage for their female employees even if that conflicted with church teachings.

Obama's budget plan draws upon his previous proposals

By Kathleen Hennessey and Christi Parsons, Washington Bureau — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 21:10:00 PST

A preview of President Obama's 2013 budget proposal calls for some new spending as well as higher taxes on the wealthy and an estimated $4 trillion in deficit reduction.

President Obama will call for new spending on infrastructure, education and manufacturing research, as well as higher taxes on top earners, in a budget proposal aimed at underlining his top economic priorities as he gears up his reelection campaign.

Romney makes an appeal to the right

By Paul West, Washington Bureau — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 18:08:00 PST

Speaking to the Conservative Political Action Conference, the former Massachusetts governor promises 'a pro-life presidency' and says he'd push to ban same-sex marriage.

Amid the furor over an Obama administration rule on contraceptives, three GOP presidential candidates hammered away at social issues Friday as they sought to appeal to a major gathering of conservative activists.

Birth control hard to come by at Fordham University

By Tina Susman, Los Angeles Times — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 17:10:00 PST

Some students with medical conditions that require birth control have been denied it at the Jesuit-run college, a situation that highlights the dilemma at religious-based institutions, which are caught up in the debate over whether health insurance should cover contraception.

Emily moved from Los Angeles to New York for law school with more health worries than your average 26-year-old. She had lost one ovary to a tumor, had polyps cut from her uterus, and faced a greater risk of developing cancer in her remaining ovary unless she took birth control pills.

First new U.S. nuclear reactors in decades approved

By Ralph Vartabedian and Ian Duncan — Thu, 9 Feb 2012 22:13:00 PST

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission approves construction and licensing of two new nuclear reactors at Plant Vogtle in Georgia, the first such approval in the U.S. since 1978.

A consortium of utilities in the South won government approval Thursday to construct two new atomic energy reactors at an estimated cost of $14 billion, the strongest signal yet that the three-decade hiatus of nuclear plant construction is finally ending.

Audit endorses State Department review of Keystone XL pipeline

By Neela Banerjee, Washington Bureau — Thu, 9 Feb 2012 18:10:00 PST

An internal review finds no conflicts of interest but cites shortcomings in the State Department's environmental review of the Keystone XL oil pipeline project.

An internal audit cleared the State Department of major missteps and conflicts of interest in its environmental review of the Keystone XL pipeline, but faulted the agency for its lack of scientific expertise and for not adequately considering alternative routes.

Conservatives gather to hear GOP candidates, criticize Obama

By Michael A. Memoli, Washington Bureau — Thu, 9 Feb 2012 18:17:00 PST

Thousands attend the annual Conservative Political Action Conference, where speakers including GOP presidential candidates are aiming their fire at President Obama.

Conservative activists began a three-day gathering in the nation's capital Thursday with a clear mission — defeating President Obama — if not a clear sense of how to get there.

Mortgage settlement is also housing relief package

By Jim Puzzanghera and Alejandro Lazo, Los Angeles Times — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 00:00:00 PST

The $25-billion mortgage settlement between banks and state and federal governments is an effort to patch the housing market.

The landmark $25-billion settlement between major banks and state and federal governments is aimed at doing more than just helping people who lost their homes through improper foreclosures.

House OKs weakened insider trading ban for lawmakers

By Lisa Mascaro, Washington Bureau — Thu, 9 Feb 2012 18:06:00 PST

A Republican decision to soften the legislation meets criticism and could complicate its passage.

The House passed a sweeping new ethics bill that bans lawmakers from using insider information for personal gain, but Republican leaders came under criticism for softening the legislation in a way that some view as beneficial to Wall Street investors.

New rules for health plans require clear summaries of benefits

By Noam N. Levey, Washington Bureau — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 00:00:00 PST

The Obama administration issues regulations under the new healthcare law requiring health plans to offer easy-to-understand summaries of coverage.

Moving to implement a much-anticipated consumer protection in the new healthcare law, the Obama administration issued regulations Thursday requiring health plans to describe what they cover in clear, standardized language that is understandable to consumers.