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• Budget debate delayed as Republicans negotiate

  May 8, 2013 5:34 PM

  BATON ROUGE - The Louisiana House has delayed its budget debate, as Republicans continue to haggle over an alternative to Gov. Bobby Jindal's spending proposal. The compromise plan drafted by a block of conservative House Republicans and Democrats includes $329 million in cuts to tax break programs that largely benefit... more »

• House speaker changes course on budget negotiation

  May 2, 2013 12:33 PM

  BATON ROUGE - House Speaker Chuck Kleckley has reversed course and thrown his support behind bipartisan budget negotiations in the House between Democratic leaders and a group of conservative Republicans. Kleckley, a Republican, previously was supporting a plan that involved maneuvering the budget through the House and working with the... more »

• Prepping for a truncated season

  January 8, 2013 10:36 AM

  UNDATED - Many NHL players continue to filter back to North American from Europe to prepare for an abbreviated season. The league and players are frantically trying to get ready for camp this weekend after the two sides reached a tentative contract agreement Sunday morning. NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly... more »

• NHL labor peace at last

  January 7, 2013 2:25 PM

  NEW YORK - There will be an NHL season. The league and the players' association agreed on a tentative pact to end a 113-day lockout and begin an abbreviated season later this month. The 10-year deal was forged after a 16-hour marathon session led by federal mediator Scot Beckenbaugh, who... more »

• Sides in NHL labor fight meet with mediator

  January 4, 2013 10:46 AM

  NEW YORK - The NHL and the union are meeting separately with a federal mediator but have no plans yet to negotiate. Federal mediator Scot Beckenbaugh is talking with representatives from the players' association and league Friday in an attempt to return the parties to the bargaining table after they... more »

• Canadian lawmaker: Let amateurs play for the cup

  December 18, 2012 4:29 PM

  EDMONTON, Alberta - A member of the Canadian parliament says the Stanley Cup should be awarded to an amateur team if the NHL labor fight isn't settled in time to save the season. Brent Rathgeber suggests the cup could be the prize in a national competition to determine the best... more »

• Obama, Boehner meeting at the White House

  December 17, 2012 10:46 AM

  WASHINGTON - A White House official says President Barack Obama and House Speaker John Boehner are meeting at the White House to discuss the pending fiscal cliff and deficit reduction. The meeting comes as Boehner is offering $1 trillion in higher tax revenue over 10 years and an increase in... more »

• Hockey mediators talking, but no progress

  December 14, 2012 10:56 AM

  NEW YORK - Negotiators from the NHL and the players' association made it into the same room to talk this time. They just didn't carry any meaningful progress out of it. A second straight day with a federal mediator didn't do anything to bring the sides closer to a settlement... more »

• Obama, Boehner to meet on 'fiscal cliff'

  December 13, 2012 3:14 PM

  WASHINGTON - The White House says President Barack Obama will meet with House Speaker John Boehner later Thursday at the White House amid negotiations on the "fiscal cliff." The meeting comes as Boehner has accused Obama of dragging out negotiations on any agreement to avoid a series of wide-ranging tax... more »

• Pelosi says time running out for fiscal cliff deal

  December 13, 2012 10:45 AM

  WASHINGTON - House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi says a deal must be reached "in the next couple of days or the very beginning of next week" to avoid the fiscal cliff of automatic tax hikes and spending cuts. The California Democrat criticized Republican House leaders for sending lawmakers home on... more »

• Boehner: Differences remain in fiscal cliff talks

  December 12, 2012 1:41 PM

  WASHINGTON - Talks between the White House and House Speaker John Boehner on a deal to avoid the "fiscal cliff" continue out of the public eye. But public statements from lawmakers suggest a deal is not close. Boehner himself says "serious differences" remain between him and President Barack Obama. The... more »

• Reid: 'Extremely difficult' to solve fiscal cliff

  December 11, 2012 2:18 PM

  WASHINGTON - The Senate's top Democrat says "it's going to be extremely difficult" to pass legislation to address the so-called fiscal cliff before Christmas, but adds there's still a chance it can be done. Majority Leader Harry Reid commented Tuesday amid a souring mood in Washington over negotiations to forestall... more »

• NHL, union to resume negotiations Wednesday

  December 11, 2012 10:27 AM

  TORONTO - The NHL and its players' union will return to bargaining tomorrow at an undisclosed location in an effort to save the hockey season. The Canadian Press reports the resumption of talks, citing unidentified people on both sides of the dispute. Today marks the 87th day of the lockout.... more »

• Obama 'won't compromise,' but holds back on GOP criticism

  December 10, 2012 3:26 PM

  REDFORD, Mich. - President Barack Obama says he "won't compromise" on his demands that the wealthiest Americans pay more in taxes. However, Obama held back from directly criticizing Republicans for opposing his tax plans, perhaps signaling that private negotiations over the "fiscal cliff" are showing progress. Obama and Boehner met... more »

• NHL labor talks break off after 1 hour

  December 6, 2012 5:41 PM

  NEW YORK - Talks in the NHL labor fight broke down after just one hour Thursday night, and it isn't known when the league and the players' association would get back together. After several hours of waiting for discussions to resume for a third straight day, the conversations didn't go... more »

• Obama, Boehner speak by phone on fiscal cliff

  December 5, 2012 4:37 PM

  WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama and House Speaker John Boehner discussed the fiscal cliff Wednesday in a telephone call. It followed several days of political sparring over steps to prevent a year-end series of tax increases and spending cuts. The call raises the possibility that negotiations will soon resume between... more »

• Sen. Coburn latest to suggest he could support higher tax rates

  December 5, 2012 4:04 PM

  WASHINGTON - Another Republican is breaking ranks with party leaders on the issue of tax rates. Senator Tom Coburn of Oklahoma says he could support President Barack Obama's demand for an increase in tax rates at upper income levels, as part of a comprehensive plan to cut federal deficits. Coburn... more »

• GOP proposes new 'fiscal cliff' offer to Obama

  December 3, 2012 2:16 PM

  WASHINGTON - House Republicans negotiating with President Barack Obama on avoiding the so-called fiscal cliff are proposing to increase the eligibility age for Medicare and to lower cost-of-living hikes in Social Security benefits. The proposal is a response to Obama's offer last week to hike taxes by $1.6 trillion over... more »

• Stocks open lower on new fiscal cliff warning

  November 26, 2012 10:29 AM

  NEW YORK - Stocks are opening lower after a warning from White House economists dampened what had been a huge weekend for retailers. Shoppers flooded stores in record numbers over the weekend, according to the National Retail Federation. The organization said 247 million shoppers visited stores and shopping websites during... more »

• Fiscal talks under way, Obama heads to SE Asia

  November 16, 2012 2:52 PM

  WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama is about to head off to Southeast Asia to showcase a foreign policy achievement in Myanmar and reinforce the U.S. role as a counterweight to China. The four-day trip beginning Saturday will provide a brief break from dicey fiscal negotiations and a national security sex... more »

• NHL, union holding labor talks a 3rd straight day

  November 8, 2012 10:33 AM

  NEW YORK - The NHL and the players' association resume negotiations Thursday afternoon, the third straight day the sides are meeting in an effort to end the lockout. This is the 54th day of the lockout, and this week is considered critical for the hockey season to be saved. Owners... more »

• Biden: Dems ready to compromise on 'fiscal cliff'

  November 7, 2012 4:29 PM

  WASHINGTON - Vice President Joe Biden says he and President Barack Obama are anxious to move forward on a bipartisan solution to the looming "fiscal cliff" that could force tax increases and across-the-board spending cuts next year. Biden told reporters Wednesday the real question is what Republicans in Congress will... more »

• NHL negotiations set to resume

  November 6, 2012 10:45 AM

  NEW YORK - The NHL and the players' association are returning to the bargaining table today, hoping momentum generated over the weekend can lead to a labor deal. The sides held negotiations Saturday, the first since Oct. 18, in an undisclosed location and are meeting today in New York.... more »

• Players reach out, owners pull away

  October 24, 2012 10:38 AM

  NEW YORK - The NHL Players Association has notified the league that it's ready to return to the bargaining table as early as today in an effort to save a full schedule. NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly quickly told the union to forget it. Daly told The Associated Press he... more »

• NHL releases details of latest offer to NHLPA

  October 17, 2012 10:30 AM

  TORONTO - The NHL has released details of its latest collective bargaining proposal to the public. In an unprecedented move, the league has published the documents it handed over to the NHL Players' Association on Tuesday in an attempt to save a full 82-game season and end the third lockout... more »

• White House: NFL deal is 'great day for America'

  September 27, 2012 10:33 AM

  ABOARD AIR FORCE ONE - How important is it to get the NFL's regular referees back on the job? The White House calls it a great day for America. Without prompting, President Barack Obama's spokesman on Thursday applauded news of a deal between that the National Football League and the... more »

• Sources: NFL, officials' union hold talks

  September 24, 2012 10:29 AM

  NEW YORK - Two people familiar with the talks say that the NFL and the locked out officials' union met on Sunday. It was uncertain whether progress was made in an attempt to reach a new collective bargaining agreement, or when further negotiations would take place. The two people spoke... more »

• Chicago teachers suspend strike, classes to resume

  September 18, 2012 5:20 PM

  CHICAGO - Chicago teachers are suspending a seven-day strike in the nation's third-largest city, a move that will send thousands of students back to classrooms. The union's House of Delegates voted Tuesday to suspend the strike after learning details of a tentative contract agreement. A proposed settlement was presented to... more »

• More NHL players head to Europe

  September 18, 2012 10:46 AM

  GENEVA - New York Islanders captain Mark Streit and Montreal Canadiens defenseman Yannick Weber are returning home to play in Switzerland during the NHL lockout. Bern says it has signed Streit and Geneva-Servette says it recruited Weber. San Jose Sharks captain Joe Thornton is also expected in Switzerland this week... more »

• Talks to end Chicago teacher strike make progress

  September 13, 2012 10:19 AM

  CHICAGO - The Chicago Teachers Union president says a deal to end the city's first teachers' strike in 25 years is close, but she's pushed back her timeline a bit. Just hours after predicting students could be back in class by Friday, Karen Lewis said it might be Monday instead.... more »

• Union: No deal as talks continue

  September 11, 2012 2:40 PM

  CHICAGO - The Chicago Teachers Union says no deal has been reached in ongoing talks with negotiators from the Chicago Public Schools. Representatives from the union and the district returned to the bargaining table Tuesday as the teachers' strike entered its second day. More than 25,000 teachers are on strike... more »

• Obama says multiple ways out of debt ceiling mess

  July 29, 2011 10:48 AM

  WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama says there are multiple ways to resolve the debt ceiling mess, but it has to be bipartisan and it has to happen fast. The president urged Democrats and Republicans in the Senate Friday to come together on a plan that can pass the House... more »

• Obama still pushing for large deficit deal

  July 11, 2011 11:13 AM

  WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama says he will continue to push congressional lawmakers to reach the largest deal possible to cut government spending and raise the nation's borrowing limit. Obama says he knows his call for a large deal faces resistance. House Speaker John Boehner has said a smaller... more »

• Shaq negotiating deal with the Celtics

  August 3, 2010 6:30 PM

  A source knowledgeable of negotians between former Cleveland Cavalier Shaquille O'Neal and the Boston Celtics says the Celtics are making progress on a deal that would land Shaq in Boston. O'Neal says he would rather retire than play internationally and is searching for a contract from a team that... more »