http://www.mail.com/subjects/1732-government-policy.html Mail.com - the best personalized free web-based Email en en http://sec-s.uicdn.com/mail.com/2.29/img/mailcom_logo_rss.png http://www.mail.com/subjects/1732-government-policy.html http://www.mail.com/business/finance/2164100-markets-roiled-bernankes-exit-strategy.html LONDON (AP) — Markets were roiled Thursday by a suggestion from U.S. Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke that the central bank may be done with its monetary stimulus next year. While stocks and commodities took a pounding on the news, the dollar surged. For nearly five years, the Fed has been pursuing an aggressive monetary policy to shore up the U.S. e... Thu, 20 Jun 2013 09:45:45 GMT http://www.mail.com/business/finance/2164100-markets-roiled-bernankes-exit-strategy.html 2013-06-20T09:45:45Z http://www.mail.com/news/politics/2163910-boehner-dances-gop-dems-immigration.html WASHINGTON (AP) — The immigration protesters advanced on the news conference, poking signs that read "Do Not Reward Criminals" and "No Amnesty!" over the heads of Republicans who had just finished speaking about finding a civilized tone in the year's most difficult debate. As the politicians ducked out of camera range, one Hispanic pastor who had appeared... Thu, 20 Jun 2013 07:27:48 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/politics/2163910-boehner-dances-gop-dems-immigration.html 2013-06-20T07:27:48Z http://www.mail.com/news/politics/2163898-senators-closing-border-security-compromise.html WASHINGTON (AP) — White House-backed immigration legislation is gaining momentum in the Senate, where key lawmakers say they are closing in on a bipartisan compromise to spend tens of billions of dollars stiffening the bill's border security requirements without delaying legalization for millions living in the country unlawfully. "This is a key moment in ... Thu, 20 Jun 2013 07:23:33 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/politics/2163898-senators-closing-border-security-compromise.html 2013-06-20T07:23:33Z http://www.mail.com/business/finance/2163868-house-to-vote-cuts-to-crop-insurance.html WASHINGTON (AP) — The House will vote Thursday on whether to cut federally-subsidized crop insurance that helps farmers when they lose crops or revenue. The amendment by Rep. Ron Kind, D-Wis., would limit government help for crop insurance paid to wealthy farmers and limit the subsidies the government gives crop insurance companies. A vote on the amendmen... Thu, 20 Jun 2013 07:22:29 GMT http://www.mail.com/business/finance/2163868-house-to-vote-cuts-to-crop-insurance.html 2013-06-20T07:22:29Z http://www.mail.com/business/finance/2160466-house-votes-to-delay-food-safety-rules.html WASHINGTON (AP) — The House voted late Wednesday to delay sweeping food safety rules that would require farmers and food companies to be more vigilant about guarding against contamination. Lawmakers adopted an amendment by voice vote to a wide-ranging farm bill just before midnight that would delay the rules signed into law in 2011 until the Food and Drug... Thu, 20 Jun 2013 04:45:28 GMT http://www.mail.com/business/finance/2160466-house-votes-to-delay-food-safety-rules.html 2013-06-20T04:45:28Z http://www.mail.com/news/politics/2161218-compromise-senators-eyed-border-security.html WASHINGTON (AP) — After secretive talks, key senators expressed optimism Wednesday night that they were closing in on a bipartisan agreement to dramatically toughen the border security requirements in immigration legislation that also offers a path to citizenship to millions living in the country illegally. Lawmakers and aides alike said the goal was to a... Thu, 20 Jun 2013 04:07:39 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/politics/2161218-compromise-senators-eyed-border-security.html 2013-06-20T04:07:39Z http://www.mail.com/business/finance/2161856-stocks-slide-fed-bond-purchases-slow.html NEW YORK (AP) — Financial markets shuddered Wednesday after the Federal Reserve said it could start scaling back its huge economic stimulus program later this year and end it by the middle of next. The sharp reaction in markets, especially in the 10-year Treasury note, showed just how much investors have come to depend on the Fed's easy money policies. Th... Thu, 20 Jun 2013 03:09:20 GMT http://www.mail.com/business/finance/2161856-stocks-slide-fed-bond-purchases-slow.html 2013-06-20T03:09:20Z http://www.mail.com/business/finance/2161306-house-votes-to-cut-food-stamps-2-billion.html WASHINGTON (AP) — The House voted on Wednesday to cut food stamps by $2 billion a year as part of a wide-ranging farm bill. The chamber rejected 234-188 a Democratic amendment to the five-year, half-trillion-dollar farm legislation that would have maintained current spending on food stamps, now called the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP... Thu, 20 Jun 2013 00:15:50 GMT http://www.mail.com/business/finance/2161306-house-votes-to-cut-food-stamps-2-billion.html 2013-06-20T00:15:50Z http://www.mail.com/business/economy/2162604-fed-suggests-its-closer-to-slowing-bond-purchases.html WASHINGTON (AP) — In a move that could send interest rates higher, Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke ended weeks of speculation Wednesday by saying the Federal Reserve will likely slow its bond-buying program this year and end it next year because the economy is strengthening. The Fed's purchases of Treasury and mortgage bonds have helped keep long-term interest ... Thu, 20 Jun 2013 00:06:50 GMT http://www.mail.com/business/economy/2162604-fed-suggests-its-closer-to-slowing-bond-purchases.html 2013-06-20T00:06:50Z http://www.mail.com/business/finance/2163266-senate-backs-froman-trade-representative.html WASHINGTON (AP) — Michael Froman, a senior White House economic adviser and classmate of President Barack Obama at Harvard Law School, on Wednesday won Senate confirmation to be the next U.S. trade representative. The confirmation vote was 93-4, elevating the 50-year-old Froman to the head of an agency now involved in two of the most significant trade dea... Wed, 19 Jun 2013 23:43:24 GMT http://www.mail.com/business/finance/2163266-senate-backs-froman-trade-representative.html 2013-06-19T23:43:24Z http://www.mail.com/business/economy/2162528-top-uk-court-overturns-sanctions-iranian-bank.html LONDON (AP) — Britain's Supreme Court quashed sanctions against an Iranian bank penalized over its alleged links to Iran's nuclear weapons program, saying Wednesday that Bank Mellat had been arbitrarily singled out. The U.S. Treasury Department slammed the ruling as mistaken and warned that Bank Mellat remains under American sanctions. Bank Mellat, a priv... Wed, 19 Jun 2013 21:32:37 GMT http://www.mail.com/business/economy/2162528-top-uk-court-overturns-sanctions-iranian-bank.html 2013-06-19T21:32:37Z http://www.mail.com/news/world/2162436-bipartisan-proposal-student-loans-circulating.html WASHINGTON (AP) — Students applying for financial aid for the coming school year could find some comfort in a bipartisan student loan compromise taking shape in the Senate that would prevent interest rates from doubling and set a single rate each year for undergraduate students, rich or poor. Interest rates, which would be tied to the financial markets, w... Wed, 19 Jun 2013 21:25:52 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/world/2162436-bipartisan-proposal-student-loans-circulating.html 2013-06-19T21:25:52Z http://www.mail.com/business/finance/2162758-fires-rage-feds-cut-funding-prevention.html COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (AP) — As the West battles one catastrophic wildfire after another, the federal government is spending less and less on its main program for preventing blazes in the first place. A combination of government austerity and the ballooning cost of battling the ruinous fires has taken a bite out of federal efforts to remove the dead tre... Wed, 19 Jun 2013 21:09:38 GMT http://www.mail.com/business/finance/2162758-fires-rage-feds-cut-funding-prevention.html 2013-06-19T21:09:38Z http://www.mail.com/news/politics/2161108-obama-urges-bold-nuclear-cuts-berlin-speech.html BERLIN (AP) — Summoning the harsh history of this once-divided city, President Barack Obama on Wednesday cautioned the U.S. and Europe against "complacency" brought on by peace, pledging to cut America's deployed nuclear weapons by one-third if Cold War foe Russia does the same. The president also declared that his far-reaching surveillance programs had s... Wed, 19 Jun 2013 20:19:31 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/politics/2161108-obama-urges-bold-nuclear-cuts-berlin-speech.html 2013-06-19T20:19:31Z http://www.mail.com/news/politics/2162344-oil-fed-signal-easing-stimulus.html NEW YORK (AP) — The price of oil fell slightly Wednesday as the Federal Reserve indicated it's closer to easing up on economy boosting measures that have been a boon for commodities. Oil swung in a range of about $1 after the Fed delivered a mixed message: The central bank said it would continue buying bonds at a pace of $85 billion a month, which helps k... Wed, 19 Jun 2013 20:15:55 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/politics/2162344-oil-fed-signal-easing-stimulus.html 2013-06-19T20:15:55Z http://www.mail.com/news/world/2161852-house-panel-starts-rewrite-child-left.html WASHINGTON (AP) — House Republicans on Wednesday finished their rewrite of GOP President George W. Bush's prized No Child Left Behind Act, sending to their colleagues a bill that would strip Education Secretary Arne Duncan and his successors of power and give more authority to the states. Members of the Republican-led House Education and the Workforce Com... Wed, 19 Jun 2013 18:48:04 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/world/2161852-house-panel-starts-rewrite-child-left.html 2013-06-19T18:48:04Z http://www.mail.com/news/world/2162282-italys-black-minister-receives-death-threats.html ROME (AP) — Italy's first black Cabinet minister is facing Internet death threats before a visit to a region known for its anti-immigrant political base. But Cecile Kyenge says she's not afraid and challenged Italians to respond to such intimidation themselves to prove that Italy isn't racist. Kyenge, a Congolese-born doctor who has lived in Italy since 1... Wed, 19 Jun 2013 18:02:44 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/world/2162282-italys-black-minister-receives-death-threats.html 2013-06-19T18:02:44Z http://www.mail.com/news/politics/2161062-obama-renews-calls-nuclear-reductions.html BERLIN (AP) — Appealing for a new citizen activism in the free world, President Barack Obama renewed his call Wednesday to reduce U.S. and Russian nuclear stockpiles and to confront climate change, a danger he called "the global threat of our time." In a wide-ranging speech that enumerated a litany of challenges facing the world, Obama said he wanted to r... Wed, 19 Jun 2013 17:58:43 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/politics/2161062-obama-renews-calls-nuclear-reductions.html 2013-06-19T17:58:43Z http://www.mail.com/news/politics/2161152-social-issues-fire-up-gop-despite-2012-loss.html WASHINGTON (AP) — Republican lawmakers have a message for those who want the party to soften its emphasis on social conservatism in hopes of reaching a wider national audience: Not so fast. House Republicans flexed their cultural and conservative muscles Tuesday, passing the most restrictive abortion measure in years. They also advanced legislation to cra... Wed, 19 Jun 2013 07:21:59 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/politics/2161152-social-issues-fire-up-gop-despite-2012-loss.html 2013-06-19T07:21:59Z http://www.mail.com/business/finance/2160104-investors-answers-economy-fed.html WASHINGTON (AP) — Worry and speculation have consumed investors since Chairman Ben Bernanke spoke to Congress last month about the Federal Reserve's drive to keep long-term interest rates at record lows. On Wednesday, many hope the Fed will settle the confusion. Will the Fed scale back its $85 billion-a-month in bond purchases within "the next few meeting... Wed, 19 Jun 2013 06:17:55 GMT http://www.mail.com/business/finance/2160104-investors-answers-economy-fed.html 2013-06-19T06:17:55Z http://www.mail.com/business/finance/2156780-asia-markets-investors-eye-fed.html SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Asian markets were mostly lower Wednesday as investors waited for an update on the U.S. economy from the U.S. Federal Reserve. The results of a two-day Fed policy meeting will likely ripple through stock markets once investors learn whether there will be changes in the U.S. central bank's strategy for shoring up the world's No. 1... Wed, 19 Jun 2013 05:01:51 GMT http://www.mail.com/business/finance/2156780-asia-markets-investors-eye-fed.html 2013-06-19T05:01:51Z http://www.mail.com/business/finance/2161022-govt-report-smooth-launch-unsure-health-law.html WASHINGTON (AP) — There's no guarantee that President Barack Obama's health care law will launch smoothly and on time, congressional investigators say in the first in-depth independent look at its progress. But in a report to be released Wednesday, the congressional Government Accountability Office also sees positive signs as the Oct. 1 deadline approache... Wed, 19 Jun 2013 04:09:32 GMT http://www.mail.com/business/finance/2161022-govt-report-smooth-launch-unsure-health-law.html 2013-06-19T04:09:32Z http://www.mail.com/news/politics/2158796-cbo-senate-immigration-bill-would-help-economy.html WASHINGTON (AP) — Sweeping immigration legislation moving toward a vote in the Senate would boost the economy and reduce federal deficits, the Congressional Budget Office said Tuesday, at the same time it would bestow legal status on an estimated 8 million immigrants living in the United States unlawfully. In an assessment that drew cheers from the White ... Wed, 19 Jun 2013 02:53:37 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/politics/2158796-cbo-senate-immigration-bill-would-help-economy.html 2013-06-19T02:53:37Z http://www.mail.com/news/world/2160082-education-dept-offers-time-to-reach-goals.html WASHINGTON (AP) — States can ask for another year before being required to use student test results to decide whether to keep or fire teachers, Education Secretary Arne Duncan told school chiefs on Tuesday. Thirty-seven states and the District of Columbia have earned permission from the Education Department to ignore parts of the No Child Left Behind educ... Tue, 18 Jun 2013 21:38:16 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/world/2160082-education-dept-offers-time-to-reach-goals.html 2013-06-18T21:38:16Z http://www.mail.com/business/economy/2159366-waiting-word-bernanke-stocks-move-higher.html NEW YORK (AP) — It's all about the Fed. Still. U.S. stocks moved higher Tuesday, helped by news of a pickup in home building and low inflation. But the Federal Reserve loomed large, with investors trying to guess what the central bank will say Wednesday about how long it plans to keep stimulus programs in place. For many, the market was in a holding patte... Tue, 18 Jun 2013 21:29:15 GMT http://www.mail.com/business/economy/2159366-waiting-word-bernanke-stocks-move-higher.html 2013-06-18T21:29:15Z http://www.mail.com/business/finance/2160284-house-senate-diverging-paths-agency-budgets.html WASHINGTON (AP) — Republicans controlling the House unveiled slashing cuts Tuesday to a program that helps localities build community development projects, while their rivals in the Democratic-led Senate proposed to restore GOP cuts to international food aid and nutrition help for pregnant women. An Energy Department spending bill that would cut President... Tue, 18 Jun 2013 20:59:35 GMT http://www.mail.com/business/finance/2160284-house-senate-diverging-paths-agency-budgets.html 2013-06-18T20:59:35Z http://www.mail.com/scitech/health/2159948-nonprofit-launches-campaign-to-reach-uninsured.html CHICAGO (AP) — A nonprofit group helping to spread the word about President Barack Obama's health care overhaul launched a campaign Tuesday that will target states with high numbers of uninsured Americans and tackle their skepticism with straightforward messages. The "Get Covered America" campaign will include door-to-door visits by volunteers, brochures ... Tue, 18 Jun 2013 19:54:11 GMT http://www.mail.com/scitech/health/2159948-nonprofit-launches-campaign-to-reach-uninsured.html 2013-06-18T19:54:11Z http://www.mail.com/business/finance/2159532-argentine-cash-controls-bring-bargains-headaches.html BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — The Brazilian visitors gawk in wonder as they stroll past shop windows along touristy Florida street in the Argentine capital. The jackets, the shoes — they're all so cheap when your purse is stuffed with black-market money. Visitors who turn to the streets rather than the banks to swap their dollars in Argentina are getting... Tue, 18 Jun 2013 15:47:09 GMT http://www.mail.com/business/finance/2159532-argentine-cash-controls-bring-bargains-headaches.html 2013-06-18T15:47:09Z http://www.mail.com/business/finance/2158072-white-house-threatens-veto-house-farm-bill.html WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House is threatening to veto the House version of a massive, five-year farm bill, saying food stamp cuts included in the legislation could leave some Americans hungry. The House is preparing to consider the bill this week. The legislation would cut $2 billion annually, or around 3 percent, from food stamps and make it harder fo... Mon, 17 Jun 2013 23:07:09 GMT http://www.mail.com/business/finance/2158072-white-house-threatens-veto-house-farm-bill.html 2013-06-17T23:07:09Z http://www.mail.com/business/economy/2156996-investors-guess-feds-actions-push-stocks-higher.html NEW YORK (AP) — Investors on Wall Street are playing a guessing game with the Federal Reserve. On Monday, they guessed that the central bank will continue trying to prop up the economy and sent stocks higher. The major stock indexes all rose about 1 percent in early trading and stayed there for most of the day, before dipping slightly in the afternoon. Th... Mon, 17 Jun 2013 21:51:39 GMT http://www.mail.com/business/economy/2156996-investors-guess-feds-actions-push-stocks-higher.html 2013-06-17T21:51:39Z