Dems sweeten health bill, set showdown Sunday vote (AP)

Clinic workers hold signs and chant during a rally in support of US President Barack Obama's health care reform package in Oakland, California, on March 17. US President Barack Obama on Thursday scrapped a planned trip to Asia in favor of making an 11th-hour drive to see his historic health care overhaul through a cliffhanger Sunday vote.(AFP/Getty Images/File/Justin Sullivan)AP - Historic health care change in the balance, Democrats plowed fresh billions into insurance subsidies for consumers on Thursday and added a $250 rebate for seniors facing high prescription drugs, last-minute sweeteners to sweeping $940 billion legislation headed for a climactic weekend vote.



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Obama backs senators' immigration overhaul outline (AP)

From left, Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., and Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., talk on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, March 16, 2010, prior to a news conference to discuss new legislation to combat China currency manipulation. (AP Photo/Harry Hamburg)AP - President Barack Obama, facing criticism from advocates of immigration reform, pledged Thursday "to do everything in my power" to get immigration legislation moving in Congress this year.



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US rep: Pa. Jihad Jane terror suspect cooperated (AP)

FILE - In this June 26, 1997 booking photo released by the Tom Green County Jail in San Angelo, Texas, is shown Colleen R. LaRose. LaRose makes her first court appearance Thursday March 18, 2010 since a stunning indictment last week that charged that she plotted with terror suspects abroad to kill a Swedish artist who had offended Muslims. (AP Photo/Tom Green County Jail)AP - A woman accused of trolling the Internet as Jihad Jane and agreeing to marry a suspected terrorist and kill a Swedish artist targeted by radical Muslims cooperated with authorities, a congressman said.



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US, Russia clash over startup of Iran nuke plant (AP)

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, left, and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov smile as they leave a news conference after the talks in Moscow, Russia, Thursday, March 18, 2010. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton on Thursday opened two days of talks with Russian leaders on nuclear arms control and other security issues, and separately with top international diplomats on the outlook for bringing Israel and the Palestinians back to peace talks. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)AP - U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and her Russian counterpart clashed openly Thursday over the planned launch this summer of Iran's first, Russian-built nuclear power plant, highlighting a split in views over how to steer Iran away from nuclear weapons.



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New Dem lawmakers feeling heat on health care (AP)

FILE - In this Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2008  file photo, Democratic candidate for Congress, Ohio state representative Steve Driehaus, votes in Cincinnati. Freshman Rep. Steve Driehaus is getting it from all sides on President Barack Obama's health care overhaul. The Ohio Democrat opened his local newspaper, The Cincinnati Enquirer, on Wednesday, March 17, 2010 to find a giant ad urging him to vote against the bill — featuring a photo of him with his two young daughters. Tea party protesters stormed his office and berated his staff.  (AP Photo/Al Behrman, File)AP - Freshman Rep. Steve Driehaus is getting it from all sides on President Barack Obama's health care overhaul. The Ohio Democrat opened his local newspaper, The Cincinnati Enquirer, on Wednesday to find a giant ad urging him to vote against the bill — featuring a photo of him with his two young daughters. Tea party protesters stormed his office and berated his staff.



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Feds: Brakes weren't applied on crashed NY Prius (AP)

A Toyota Prius is parked at the Harrison, New York police station waiting to be tested by Toyota personnel and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Wednesday, March 17, 2010.  Toyota recalled more than 8 million cars because their gas pedals could become stuck or be snagged by floor mats. In addition, the government is looking into complaints from at least 60 Toyota drivers who say they got their cars fixed and still had problems.(AP Photo/Stephen Chernin)AP - Computer data from a Toyota Prius that crashed in suburban New York City show that at the time of the accident the throttle was open and the driver was not applying the brakes, U.S. safety officials said Thursday.



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Private drama plagues Oscar winner Sandra Bullock (AP)

FILE - Sandra Bullock and Jesse James arrive at the Vanity Fair Oscar party on in this March 7, 2010 file photo taken in West Hollywood, Calif. Sandra Bullock has canceled her appearance at the London premiere of 'The Blind Side' scheduled for Tuesday March 23, 2010 almost two weeks after winning a Best Actress Academy Award. In a statement released by Warner Bros UK., the 45-year-old actress says she can't attend the event for 'unforeseen personal reasons.' (AP Photo/Peter Kramer, File)AP - Sandra Bullock is on a career high. America's Sweetheart and "Miss Congeniality" was repeatedly anointed as Hollywood royalty this year, sweeping awards season and capping it off with an Oscar for her role as a devoted mom in "The Blind Side."



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Fess Parker, TV's `Davy Crockett,' dies at 85 (AP)

In this undated image released by Disney, Fess Parker is shown Davy Crockett in Disney's, 'Davy Crockett.'  Family spokeswoman Sao Anash says Parker died Thursday, March 18, 2010, of natural causes at his Santa Ynez home near the Fess Parker Winery. He was 85.  (AP Photo/Disney)AP - Fess Parker, a baby-boomer idol in the 1950s who launched a craze for coonskin caps as television's Davy Crockett, died Thursday of natural causes. He was 85.



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Pondexter lifts Washington over Marquette 80-78 (AP)

Washington forward Quincy Pondexter celebrates after scoring in the second half of their NCAA first-round college basketball game against Marquette in San Jose, Calif., Thursday, March 18, 2010.  Washington won the game 80-78. Poindexter hit the game-winning shot late in the second half. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)AP - Washington's remarkable late-season run has extended right into the NCAA tournament, thanks to a big shot by the Huskies' senior leader.



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NCAA: Wake extends its lead against Wake Forest (AP)

New Mexico guard Darington Hobson, right, dunks as Montana center Brian Qvale, left, looks on during the first half of their NCAA first-round college basketball game in San Jose, Calif., Thursday, March 18, 2010. (AP Photo/Paul Sakuma)AP - Wake Forest took a 50-40 lead over Texas 5 minutes into the second half, holding Longhorns leading scorer Damion James to five points — 13 below his average — on 1-of-7 shooting.



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Healthcare bill to cut deficit: CBO (Reuters)

Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) waits to leave Andrews Air Force Base after stepping off Air Force One near Washington, March 15, 2010. REUTERS/Jim YoungReuters - Congressional budget analysts said on Thursday a broad healthcare overhaul would cut the U.S. deficit over 10 years and sharply expand insurance coverage, boosting the momentum for final passage in the House of Representatives.



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Israel, U.S. seek to defuse settlement dispute (Reuters)

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (L) speaks during a joint news conference with USecretary of State Hillary Clinton before their meeting in Jerusalem in this October 31, 2009 file photo. REUTERS/Dan Balilty/PoolReuters - Israel tried to defuse a dispute with the United States on Friday over plans to expand settlements, saying it would propose "confidence-building" steps to the Palestinians to encourage a renewal of peace talks.



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Chicago man pleads guilty in Mumbai attack (Reuters)

Reuters - A Chicago man pleaded guilty in court on Thursday to scouting targets for the 2008 assault on Mumbai that killed more than 160 people, including six Americans.
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Obama backs "framework" to revamp immigration (Reuters)

A demonstrator holds a sign while taking part in a rally in front of the Department of Homeland Security in Washington January 26, 2010. REUTERS/Molly RileyReuters - President Barack Obama, under pressure to keep a campaign promise to revamp U.S. immigration policy, embraced a "promising, bipartisan framework" on Thursday offered by two senior senators.



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Brewing tensions between the Tea Party and GOP (Reuters)

West Michigan Tea Party member Joyce Wykretowicz holds one of her signs following a Tea Party meeting in Ludington, Michigan in this picture taken February 11, 2010. Some Tea Partiers say they can pinpoint the precise moment when they made it clear to the Republican Party they had no intention of being its lapdog. On a bright, brisk afternoon in mid-February, with snow still thick on the ground from storms that had battered Washington the week before, Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele met with more than 50 members of the Tea Party, the Twitter Age conservative movement that is reshaping the U.S. political landscape. Picture taken February 11, 2010. To match Special Report USA-POLITICS/TEAPARTY. REUTERS/Rebecca Cook  (UNITED STATES - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST BUSINESS)Reuters - Some Tea Partiers say they can pinpoint the precise moment when they made it clear to the Republican Party they had no intention of being its lapdog.



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Obama scraps Asia-Pacific trip for healthcare push (Reuters)

Supporters of President Barack Obama gather for a party to welcome him at Fabulous Bellagio Mall in Jakarta March 17, 2010. The words on the T-shirts read: Reuters - Bowing to political pressure at home, President Barack Obama on Thursday scrapped his trip to Indonesia and Australia next week to stay in Washington for a final push for a healthcare overhaul.



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"Jihad Jane" pleads not guilty to terrorism (Reuters)

Reuters - A Pennsylvania woman who called herself "Jihad Jane" pleaded not guilty on Thursday to charges of providing material support to terrorists and conspiring to kill in a foreign country.
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U.S. says driver error possible in NY Prius crash (Reuters)

Reuters - U.S. safety officials believe driver error may be behind the crash in New York of a Toyota Motor Corp Prius that has been investigated as a possible case of unintended acceleration, federal investigators said on Thursday.
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Deadly Gaza rocket, air strikes cloud peace talks (AFP)

Israeli soldiers guard the site where a rocket launched from the nearby Gaza Strip landed in the southern Israeli Netiv Haasara Kibbutz. International talks on the Middle East set for Friday took on new urgency after Israeli warplanes targeted the Gaza Strip in response to a fatal rocket attack(AFP/David Buimovitch)AFP - International talks on the Middle East set for Friday took on new urgency after Israeli warplanes targeted the Gaza Strip in response to a fatal rocket attack.



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Obama drops Indonesia, Australia trip over health care (AFP)

US President Barack Obama speaks in the Rose Garden at the White House in Washington, DC. Obama dramatically postponed his trip to Indonesia and Australia until June, so he can battle for a historic health reform bill that could shape his legacy.(AFP/Saul Loeb)AFP - US President Barack Obama dramatically postponed his trip to Indonesia and Australia until June, so he can battle for a historic health reform bill that could shape his legacy.



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