| New Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez indicted on corruption charges Posted: 01 Apr 2015 04:32 PM PDT  WASHINGTON (AP) — Sen. Bob Menendez, the son of Cuban immigrants who rose to become one of the highest-ranking Hispanic members of Congress, was charged Wednesday with accepting nearly $1 million worth of gifts and campaign contributions from a longtime friend in exchange for a stream of political favors.
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| California unveils historic water restrictions over drought crisis Posted: 01 Apr 2015 03:57 PM PDT  California announced sweeping statewide water restrictions for the first time in history Wednesday in order to combat the region's devastating drought, the worst since records began. Governor Jerry Brown issued the declaration at a press conference in a parched, brown slope of the Sierra Nevada mountains that would normally be covered by deep snow. The executive order issued by Brown would aim to achieve a 25 percent reduction in water usage across cities and towns throughout California by a combination of measures. "As Californians, we must pull together and save water in every way possible," Brown said.
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| Getty oil heir found dead wrote of serious health problem Posted: 01 Apr 2015 01:43 PM PDT  LOS ANGELES (AP) — Andrew Getty, among the heirs in a family whose name is synonymous with elite American wealth, said in a court filing before he was found dead that he suffered from a serious health problem that could endanger his life.
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| Arkansas governor urges changes to religious-objections bill Posted: 01 Apr 2015 04:04 PM PDT  LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson backed away Wednesday from his promise to sign a controversial religious-objections bill, bowing to pressure from critics that included his own son and some of the state's biggest employers, who say the legislation is anti-gay.
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| Iraq hails victory over Islamic State extremists in Tikrit Posted: 01 Apr 2015 12:13 PM PDT  TIKRIT, Iraq (AP) — The government declared victory in Tikrit on Wednesday over extremists of the Islamic State group, and it warned the militants holding other Iraqi provinces that they would be the next to fall.
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| Double overtime: Faltering Iran nuclear talks extended again Posted: 01 Apr 2015 01:51 PM PDT  Iran and six world powers are pressing ahead with efforts to hammer out a framework accord.
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| Getty oil heir found dead in Los Angeles home Posted: 01 Apr 2015 04:02 PM PDT  By Steve Gorman LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Andrew Getty, the grandson of billionaire oil tycoon J. Paul Getty, died from what appears to have been accidental or natural causes, but an autopsy is not expected to be performed before Thursday, according to the Los Angeles County coroner's office. TMZ on Wednesday cited unnamed law enforcement sources in reporting that Getty had been suffering severe gastrointestinal problems and had an appointment to see a doctor on Wednesday.
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| Singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell hospitalized Posted: 31 Mar 2015 11:10 PM PDT  LOS ANGELES (AP) — Joni Mitchell was in intensive care in a Los Angeles-area hospital on Tuesday, according to the Twitter account and website of the folk singer and Rock and Roll Hall of Famer.
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| Exclusive: Republican White House hopefuls attack Obamacare but take money Posted: 31 Mar 2015 10:10 PM PDT  By Andy Sullivan WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Several Republican governors likely to run for president have secured hundreds millions of dollars under Obamacare while working to dismantle the healthcare law, according to a Reuters review of federal spending records. Governors Scott Walker of Wisconsin, Chris Christie of New Jersey, Bobby Jindal of Louisiana and former Texas Governor Rick Perry, all staunch opponents of President Barack Obama's 2010 Affordable Care Act, have collectively applied for and won at least $352 million through grant programs set up by the law, federal records show. "Receiving federal grants that existed prior to the ACA is not the same as participating in the core elements of the ACA." The money in question stems from less controversial parts of the law that enhance public health and other nuts-and-bolts programs, rather than the insurance exchanges and expansion of the Medicaid program for the poor that have drawn fierce opposition from Republicans.
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| Arkansas governor seeks fix of religion bill seen as targeting gays Posted: 01 Apr 2015 02:07 PM PDT  By Steve Barnes LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (Reuters) - Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson told lawmakers on Wednesday to revise a bill that rights activists and U.S. businesses said allowed discrimination against gays, and home-state corporate giant Wal-Mart Stores Inc praised his action. Indiana's governor a day earlier said lawmakers should fix a similar Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA). In a news conference at the Capitol in Little Rock, Hutchinson, who previously said he would sign the bill, said he was sending the act back to the Republican-controlled legislature to be rewritten so it can better balance tolerance for diversity and protections of religious freedom.
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| California governor orders 25 percent reduction in water usage statewide Posted: 01 Apr 2015 04:03 PM PDT  By Sharon Bernstein PHILLIPS, Calif. (Reuters) - California Governor Jerry Brown, acting in the face of a devastating multiyear drought, ordered the first statewide mandatory water restrictions on Wednesday, directing cities and communities to reduce usage by 25 percent. In California, the drought lingers despite storms that brought some respite in December and February.
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| World's oldest person dies at 117 Posted: 01 Apr 2015 12:10 AM PDT  TOKYO (AP) — The world's oldest person has died nearly a month after celebrating her 117th birthday.
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| Lavrov, Zarif claim breakthrough in Iran nuclear talks Posted: 31 Mar 2015 09:59 PM PDT  Russia and Iran's foreign ministers claimed a breakthrough early Wednesday in talks on a framework deal curtailing Tehran's nuclear programme, but the US said not all issues had been agreed yet, as discussions were suspended for the night. "One can say with relative certainty that we at the minister level have reached an agreement in principle on all key aspects of the final settlement of this issue," Russian media quoted Sergei Lavrov as saying at talks in Switzerland. This came after Russia's top diplomat and the foreign ministers of five other major powers and Iran continued working through the night as they missed a midnight (2200 GMT) deadline to agree the main outlines of what they hope will be an historic accord. The powers hope a full agreement, due to be finalised by June 30, will see Iran scale back its nuclear capability to prevent Tehran developing nuclear weapons under the guise of its civilian programme.
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