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December 20, 2012, 3:16 pm
By
Jeremy Herb
The White House says its position has not changed on the
threat to veto the defense authorization bill over restrictions on transferring
Guantanamo detainees after the final bill was completed in conference committee
Tuesday. White House press secretary Jay Carney would not elaborate when asked Thursday whether the president might veto the bill with restrictions Congress placed
on transferring Guantanamo detainees. The restrictions have been in previous versions of the defense bill, and they were included in the conference report that House and Senate
lawmakers agreed to despite the White House’s objections. “What we put out is still our position, and I don't have any updates on that
for you,” Carney said at Thursday’s White House press briefing.
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December 20, 2012, 11:41 am
By
Jeremy Herb
Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) is upset at Senate Armed Services
ranking member John McCain (R-Ariz.) after a provision preventing military
detention of U.S. citizens was stripped from the final version of the defense
authorization bill. Paul issued a statement Wednesday saying that the defense
bill is now “unconstitutional,” singling out McCain as the GOP Senate
conference committee leader.
The Senate passed an
amendment from Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) that prevented the
indefinite detention of U.S. citizens, which was supported by
libertarian-leaning senators like Paul and Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah).
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December 20, 2012, 10:37 am
By
Alicia M. Cohn
Rep. Peter King (R-N.Y.) on Thursday said anyone in the CIA or Pentagon who pressured operatives to talk to Hollywood filmmakers for the new film "Zero Dark Thirty" — about the mission to capture Osama bin Laden — should lose their jobs.
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December 19, 2012, 8:10 pm
By
Pete Kasperowicz
House Republicans decided late Wednesday that the House will not vote on a Democratic tax plan on Thursday, and instead will only vote on the House GOP backup tax plan known as "Plan B."
The GOP has also decided to hold a vote on a bill that would replace the pending $109 billion sequester. Details about this new bill were unknown as of late Wednesday, but adding a sequester-replacement bill to the GOP leadership's plan appears to be an effort to ensure enough Republicans can vote for the package.
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December 19, 2012, 7:49 pm
By
Carlo Muñoz and Jeremy Herb
The Topline: The line between Hollywood and Washington can become blurry from time to time. Usually when that line blurs, it's to the amusement of those on both sides. But at other times, the differences between reality and a filmmaker's version thereof can become more serious.
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December 19, 2012, 6:52 pm
By
Carlo Muñoz
Recent claims of potential illegal disclosures of classified information by top Pentagon officials on the Osama Bin Laden raid last March are "off-base and irresponsible," particularly while DOD officials are still looking into the incident, according to a top House defense lawmaker.
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December 19, 2012, 6:46 pm
By
Carlo Muñoz and Jeremy Herb
“I thought it was terrible," said Feinstein, one of a handful of lawmakers to see the film.
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December 19, 2012, 2:58 pm
By
Jeremy Herb
The Army will seek the death penalty against Staff Sgt.
Robert Bales for the massacre of 16 Afghan civilians in March, the Associated
Press is reporting. Military officials announced their decision Wednesday in the case against Bales, who is awaiting a court martial at Joint Base Lewis-McChord
in near Seattle.
Bales is accused of murdering 16 civilians in two villages in
March, including nine children.
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December 19, 2012, 11:33 am
By
Jeremy Herb
The Pentagon is defending a senior official accused of disclosing the name of a special operations officer to Hollywood producers.
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December 19, 2012, 6:00 am
By
Jeremy Herb
Jewish Democrats are split on whether the former senator’s views on Israel might prevent them from supporting his nomination.
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