House Republicans were expected to announce their own plan Tuesday to end the partial government shutdown and avert a default on the national debt. But House Speaker John Boehner came to the microphones and kept things very vague.
By Sharon Bernstein
SACRAMENTO, California (Reuters) - California Governor Jerry Brown vetoed several gun control bills on Friday, a move that essentially rebuffs an effort by fellow Democrats to enact a sweeping expansion of firearms regulation in the most populous U.S. state.
Brown vetoed the strictest bill, which would have classified any rifle with a removable magazine as an assault weapon, calling it an "infringement on gun owners' rights."
"I don't believe that this bill's blanket ban on semi-automatic rifles would reduce criminal activity or enhance public safety enough to warrant this infringement on gun owners' rights," Brown said in his veto message.
He also vetoed a measure that would have banned people from owning a gun for 10 years if they had been convicted of substance abuse violations or ordered to undergo outpatient mental health treatment.
Brown did approve a measure to ban kits used to convert standard guns into semi-automatics with large capacity magazines, which he described as closing a loophole in existing state law.
California's actions come amid national political lobbying around gun control, as lawmakers struggle to balance calls for more regulation following mass shootings against fear among gun rights supporters that their constitutional right to bear arms may be violated.
State lawmakers sent 17 gun control measures to Brown's desk, in part because the U.S. Congress, mired in partisan bickering, failed to act after several high profile gun rampages last year, including a deadly Connecticut school shooting that killed 20 children and six adults in December.
"Large-capacity magazines have no place on our streets," said Assemblywoman Nancy Skinner, who represents Berkeley. "We seized the opportunity to make California a model for common-sense gun violence prevention."
Chuck Michel, a Southern California attorney who advises the National Rifle Association on gun rights issues, said that with the exception of a bill phasing out the use of lead in ammunition used in hunting, Brown vetoed the measures that were of greatest concern to the NRA.
"I am pleased he's shown some respect for the rights of California gun owners and those who would choose to own a gun to defend their families," Michel said. Even so, the gun rights organization is concerned about several measures that Brown did sign, including the one banning conversion kits.
"He vetoed the worst of the worst," Michel said, "But the rest are still bad."
In all, Brown signed 10 new gun control bills and vetoed seven. Those he signed included a measure to ban people from gun ownership for five years if they tell a licensed psychotherapist that they plan to shoot people. Another, by Republican Ted Gaines, would give mental health professionals 24 hours to report such threats.
In addition to the semi-automatic weapons ban, bills vetoed included a measure that would have limited the ability of private parties to sell guns in the state, and one that would have allowed the city of Oakland to enact its own gun restrictions.
(Reporting by Sharon Bernstein; Editing by Cynthia Johnston, Chris Reese and Kenneth Barry)
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) -- Kansas has paid more than $913,000 to two private law firms that are helping the state defend anti-abortion laws enacted since conservative Republican Gov. Sam Brownback took office, and such expenses appear likely to grow.
The attorney general's office disclosed the figures in response to requests from The Associated Press. More than $126,000 in legal fees stem from two lawsuits filed this summer against restrictions enacted just this year.
Kansas has enacted sweeping limits on abortion and providers since Brownback took office in January 2011, though it hasn't attempted to ban abortions in the earliest weeks of pregnancies, as Arkansas and North Dakota have. The newest Kansas restrictions, challenged in separate state and federal lawsuits this summer, block tax breaks for abortion providers and even govern what appears on their websites.
A state-court lawsuit is still pending against health and safety regulations approved in 2011 specifically for abortion clinics, but the state prevailed in a federal lawsuit against 2011 restrictions on private health insurance coverage for elective abortions. All of those cases have been handled by the firm of Thompson Ramsdell & Qualseth, of Lawrence.
A federal lawsuit against a 2011 law preventing the state from distributing federal family planning dollars to Planned Parenthood to provide non-abortion services is before the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver. That case has been handled by Foulston Siefkin, the state's largest law firm, with offices in Wichita, Topeka and Overland Park.
Peter Brownlie, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood of Kansas and Mid-Missouri, said Monday that the spending shows the Republican-dominated Legislature is more interested in "political posturing" on abortion than good financial stewardship. His organization provides abortions at a clinic in the Kansas City suburb of Overland Park and is involved in two federal lawsuits.
"It's a travesty that Kansans are spending $913,000 on things that don't benefit the state in anyway," Brownlie said.
But abortion opponents contend abortion providers are to blame for the expenses because they've turned to the courts after losing support for their positions among voters.
"It's a free country, and there's a right to sue on anything," Mary Kay Culp, executive director of Kansans for Life, the most influential anti-abortion group at the Statehouse. "But, then, to try to blame us for the money involved in defending the lawsuits is ridiculous."
The state has paid the Foulston firm more than $386,000 for its work on the lawsuit over the family planning funds for Planned Parenthood.
The Thompson firm has been paid more than $527,000, including more than $252,000 for defending the 2011 clinic regulations. The state paid the firm almost $149,000 for work on the successful defense of the health insurance law.
Brownback, a strong abortion opponent, called on state lawmakers to create a "culture of life" upon taking office. The Legislature already had strong anti-abortion majorities, but it efforts to restrict abortion were stymied by previous governors who'd supported abortion rights.
Some restrictions aren't being enforced because of the lawsuits. But Culp and other abortion opponents have said the laws were written to survive court scrutiny — unlike in other states such as North Dakota, where lawmakers passed a law banning abortions as early as the sixth week of pregnancy.
A federal judge blocked the North Dakota law, and legislators there set aside $400,000 to defend anti-abortion measures.
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Follow John Hanna on Twitter at www.twitter.com/apjdhanna
Late last week, BGR covered a rumor that the iPhone Reuse and Recycle Program would be making its way to Europe “in the coming months.” As it turns out, the coming months wasn’t soon enough. Whether or not that was the original plan, the program was made available in the UK and other European countries beginning Monday for anyone looking to save money on an iPhone upgrade at the Apple Store. Apple has yet to provide a list of all the countries which will be able to participate in the program, but Apple Stores in both the UK and Germany have been reported to be taking trades now. The iPhone Reuse and Recycle Program will presumably make its way throughout Europe in the weeks following this initial launch.
More from BGR: Video: Nexus 5 bares all in early hands-on walkthrough
This article was originally published on BGR.com
TULSA, Okla. (AP) — Two men are in custody and facing multiple charges in the shooting of five people at a Hmong New Year's festival in Tulsa, authorities said Sunday.
Authorities were holding 21-year-old Boonmlee Lee and 19-year-old Meng Lee, both of Tulsa. Each faces five counts of shooting with intent to kill plus firearms charges. It was not clear from jail records whether each had an attorney.
Tulsa police spokesman Capt. Steve Odom said a gun was recovered but that it will have to be tested to see if it is linked to the Saturday night shooting. Odom said the alleged shooters and the victims were all Hmong and that there was "probably a relationship" between the men charged and the victims.
The suspects were arrested shortly after the attack, which happened about 8 p.m. An arraignment is pending.
A police helicopter that was in the area spotted a car driving away from the scene with its headlights off and notified officers on the ground, who pulled it over.
The suspects had thrown clothes and a semi-automatic handgun believed to have been used in the attack out of the vehicle, Williams said.
A witness at the party described the chaotic scene, as people lined up to get dinner were sent running and ducking for cover when the shots rang out. There were at least 200 people at the celebration, which festival-goers likened to a Thanksgiving celebration in America.
The Hmong are an Asian ethnic group mainly from Laos and number between 3,000 and 4,000 in Tulsa.
Names of the victims, who police say are all hospitalized, weren't released.
Associated PressSource: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2013-10-13-Tulsa%20Shootings/id-12281d3ab5d84a07b4f882edbc8bd0fe
One of the fact that many people don’t know is men likes the women who are in dominant nature. Yes! it is a believable truth. Men like those kind of women due to various reasons. They like may be due to their strongness in every aspect or their way of control on the things or the way they treat the issues. Here the word domination means the sensual phase of controlling the men but not overwhelming in the regarding things.
Women need to retain a point in their mind while they are under the status of dominating. Dominating should not be suspected by your men, make sure he don’t even realize that what is happening indeed. It is the main trick you have to deal with, do it sufficient to keep him in the control without even knowing it. When you become perfect in that art it just takes some amount of time to get what ever you ask for.
So, here are the few steps to dominate your men without knowing him.
Flush out orders
Men never like to take any orders from the women, they don’t want to make the things if they are percepting like orders. If you ever want to ask him any things ask in a pleasing manner. When it sounds like request he will almost get ready for the things to make you have ask for and it is the first and the inherent step to follow to dominate a men.
Be the woman he craves for
Men give importance to looks and the wear you appear. Get down the weight, enhance your beauty with the make-up, go for a make-over which brings the beauty from you. Change yourself attractive, so that he cannot say no for the things you have wish for. Make yourself like a best women that every man craves for.
Punish and forgive
If your men done a mistake, punish him, don’t even communicate for few days, let him know his mistake is. Be sure you are showing your true emotions. When he found himself that he had made wrong forgive instantly in a surprising nature. Most of the men have child like nature and this kind of emotions may work excellent between you.
Dwell interdependent
This point describes, despite you have independent nature you always wanted him. But also make him sure that though you are depending on him you always don’t want to dependent on him for every single aspect. Show you have your own interests too and when he points you are focusing on some other hobbies, he will try best to enthralls you.
By following the above suggestions that are stated you can nail him. But never go in such a way these rules will dominate your relationship and your life. The major aspect you need to focus is understanding his psyche. So, while you are going to follow these steps understand him first entirely and then go with these steps.
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SAN FRANCISCO (AP) ? With a little more than two weeks to go before their wedding, Emily Dreyfuss' fiance ordered a tie and pocket square from Gap chain Banana Republic's website to go with his Navy blue suit.
What the couple got in the mail instead on Thursday would make an identity thief giddy: the confidential files of about 20 former employees, including Social Security numbers and W4 tax forms.
"We totally laughed," Dreyfuss, 29, said on Friday from her home in Cambridge, Mass.
She had misgivings about the package as soon as it arrived. It was really heavy and didn't say Banana Republic, but Gap Inc.
She and her fiancee have been buying each other presents, and she thought it may have been a really heavy piece of clothing with catalogs, said Dreyfuss, the daughter of actor Richard Dreyfuss.
When he opened the package, inside were three folders sealed with tape and labeled "HR Administration." They contained tax and Social Security information as well as handwritten resignation letters, doctors' notes and salary information ? seemingly the employees' entire record at the company. The employees were sales support associates and at least one made $9 an hour, Dreyfuss said.
The resignation letters were mostly from March and addressed formally to "Ms." and then the person's first name. They were polite and positive, expressing thanks for the chance to work for the company and learning so much. Some ended by saying, "God Bless."
Dreyfuss, who runs the home page and also writes for technology website, CNET, said she didn't look through everything.
"I got a queasy feeling and felt like I should stop looking at this," she said.
San Francisco-based Gap Inc. blamed the mix-up on a human mistake.
"We're taking immediate action to evaluate and strengthen our processes to prevent mis-mailings in the future and apologize for the error," spokeswoman Edie Kissko said in a statement.
Dreyfuss said a Banana Republic representative has since responded to a tweet about the mix-up and apologized for what he called a "horrible mistake."
He said clothing and confidential information is sent out in the same gray bag, and the employee information appears to have been mislabeled. The representative said the store would look into what went wrong and informing the former employees, Dreyfuss said. They will send her a self-addressed, stamped envelope to return the information in.
Ironically, Dreyfuss said her fiancee recently received someone else's welcome packet from his new employer, with that employee's salary and Social Security number.
Dreyfuss said the episode with Banana Republic raises concerns about how well the company is safeguarding customer information if even its employees' information can be compromised.
"People should know about this because it's crazy and scary," she said.
In her statement, Kissko said the company takes the confidentiality of personal information very seriously.
Dreyfuss was offered a free tie and pocket handkerchief ? a $61 value, but said she declined.
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