Cracks emerge in GOP refusal to consider Supreme Court pick
Cracks emerge in GOP refusal to consider Supreme Court pick
WASHINGTON (AP) — Concerted Republican opposition to considering President Barack Obama’s pick for the Supreme Court showed early signs of splintering on Wednesday as a handful of influential senators opened the door to a possible confirmation hearing. One Republican even suggested the president should nominate a candidate from his state.
Texas Sen. John Cornyn, the No. 2 Republican in the Senate, did not rule out a committee hearing on Obama’s forthcoming nominee to replace the late Justice Antonin Scalia. And Sen. Dean Heller said chances of Senate approval were slim, but added that Obama should “use this opportunity to put the will of the people ahead of advancing a liberal agenda” on the high court.
“But should he decide to nominate someone to the Supreme Court, who knows — maybe it’ll be a Nevadan,” Heller said.
Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, who sits on the committee, said he opposes a filibuster to prevent a vote, as some Republicans have suggested. Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Charles Grassley has also said he’d wait to see who Obama selects before ruling out a hearing in his committee.
Those senators formed a cautious but growing chorus of voices breaking with the absolutist position of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, who has told the White House not to even bother nominating a candidate. The Kentucky Republican and several Republicans up for re-election have maintained that voters in November’s presidential election should have a say in the direction of the nation’s highest court.
German leader renews call for Syria no-fly zone
DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Wednesday renewed her proposal for a no-fly zone in Syria where civilians would be protected, a suggestion that was promptly rebuffed by Moscow that said it can only be done with the Syrian government’s consent.
In Damascus, over 100 trucks loaded with humanitarian aid that were expected to be delivered to five besieged areas in the country arrived as part of an effort described by a Russian official as a first step toward implementation of an agreement reached among world powers in Munich last week.
U.N. envoy Staffan de Mistura has been trying to secure aid deliveries to improve the chances of restarting peace talks before the end of February. But those efforts have been clouded by the intense fighting north of Aleppo, where various forces backed by regional and international rivals are clashing over a crucial strip of land linking Syria’s largest city to the border with Turkey.
The violence in Aleppo and lack of improvement on the humanitarian front led to the collapse of indirect talks between the Syrian government and its opponents in Geneva earlier this month.
Fight about gunman’s locked iPhone could have big impact
WASHINGTON (AP) — An extraordinary legal fight is brewing with major privacy implications for millions of cellphone users after a federal magistrate ordered Apple Inc. to help the FBI hack into an iPhone used by the gunman in the San Bernardino mass shootings.
The clash brings to a head a long-simmering debate between technology companies insistent on protecting digital privacy and law enforcement agencies concerned about losing their ability to recover evidence or eavesdrop on the communications of terrorists or criminals.
On Wednesday, the White House quickly disputed the contention by Apple’s chief executive officer, Tim Cook, that the Obama administration is seeking to force the software company to build a “backdoor” to bypass digital locks protecting consumer information on Apple’s popular iPhones.
The early arguments set the stage for what will likely be a protracted policy and public relations fight in the courts, on Capitol Hill, on the Internet and elsewhere.
“They are not asking Apple to redesign its product or to create a new backdoor to one of their products,” White House spokesman Josh Earnest said. “They’re simply asking for something that would have an impact on this one device.”
Study finds testosterone gel is no fountain of youth
CHICAGO (AP) — A landmark study suggests that testosterone treatment is no fountain of youth, finding mostly modest improvement in the sex lives, walking strength and mood of a select group of older men.
The long-awaited results from a rigorous, government-funded study are the first solid evidence of whether these hugely popular supplements can help treat low sex drive, lack of energy and other symptoms sometimes blamed on aging.
The researchers emphasized that the findings pertain only to use of testosterone gel by men 65 and older with low hormone levels and related symptoms; whether similar benefits would occur in younger men or with testosterone pills, patches or shots is unknown.
Also, the research was not extensive enough to determine whether long-term use raises the risk of heart attacks and prostate cancer, as some studies have suggested.
Lead author Dr. Peter Snyder, a University of Pennsylvania hormone specialist, said it would be premature to recommend the treatment even for men like those studied.
Nevada race tightens: A big test for Clinton’s campaign
LAS VEGAS (AP) — Nevada was supposed to be one of Hillary Clinton’s safest bets.
She already had staff on the ground last spring, weeks before officially announcing her presidential bid. One of her earliest campaign stops was an emotional meeting with immigrant students at a Las Vegas high school. And as recently as last month, her campaign manager was telling supporters she had a 25-point lead in the state.
But in the final days before Saturday’s caucuses, Clinton’s chances of a big victory look far more like a political crapshoot.
Rival Bernie Sanders, who didn’t set up shop in Nevada until months after Clinton’s staffers were there, is barnstorming the state, drawing thousands to rallies where they’re cheering his promises to fight income equality and crack down on big banks. It’s a compelling message in a state that’s still struggling to rebound after years of double-digit unemployment.
“It is clear to me when mom is out working, dad is out working and the kids are out working, wages in America are too damn low,” Sanders told 1,700 supporters packed into a Las Vegas high school gymnasium on Sunday. “It is not a radical socialist idea to say that when someone is working 40 hours a week that person should not be living in poverty.”