Jan 18, 2010 Kabul, Afghanistan (CNN) — An attack in which the Taliban claimed to have infiltrated key government sites in central Kabul killed five people on Monday morning, hospital officials said. Thirty-eight other people were injured, said Dr. Kabir Amiri, head of Kabul hospitals. Afghan security forces were among the casualties, he added, without [...]

Candidate Mistakes, Shifting Political Mood May Cost Democrats Kennedy’s Senate Seat Jan 17, 2010 (AP)  BOSTON (AP) – A Republican’s surprising nimbleness, his opponent’s missteps and shifting political winds in this “bluest of blue” Democratic states have turned a sure thing into an even bet. Instead of Democrats easily retaining the Senate seat held for [...]

Battles Continue as Armed Men, Suicide Bombers Open Fire Near Presidential Palace, Central Bank, Popular Hotel Jan 18, 2010 CBS/AP)  Updated at 7:22 a.m. Eastern. Taliban militants struck the heart of the Afghan government in Kabul on Monday, prompting fierce gun battles after a suicide bomber blew himself up near the presidential palace. More explosions [...]

Taliban Claims Responsibility as Multiple Explosions Hit Downtown Kabul By LAMA HASAN KABUL, Afghanistan Jan. 18, 2010 In a well co-ordinated and brazen attack, insurgents attacked the heart of Kabul today, targeting the presidential palace, several ministries and a luxury hotel popular with foreigners and visiting politicians. The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack saying [...]

More troops, peacekeepers expected for Haiti as aid groups and victims lament pace of relief By MICHELLE FAUL and ALFRED de MONTESQUIOU Associated Press Writers PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti January 18, 2010 (AP) Troops, doctors and aid workers flowed into Haiti on Monday even while hundreds of thousands of quake victims struggled to find a cup or [...]

Jan 17, 2010 By Michael McAuliff Not only could Democrats lose health care reform if Martha Coakley loses, they could also lose their majority, says Bronx Rep. Eliot Engel.   And that’s why, if Coakley goes down, you can expect a rush to get the bill through. “I’m telling you, Massachusetts, if it goes wrong, [...]

Jan 17, 2010 By Felicia Sonmez As audience members streamed out of Pres. Obama‘s rally on behalf of AG Martha Coakley (D) here tonight, the consensus was that the fault for Coakley’s now-floundering MA SEN bid lies with one person — George W. Bush. “People are upset because there’s so many problems,” Rosemary Kverek, 70, [...]

By ERIC DASH   Published: January 17, 2010 Wall Street’s main lobbying arm has hired a top Supreme Court litigator to study a possible legal battle against a bank tax proposed by the Obama administration, on the theory that it would be unconstitutional, according to three industry officials briefed on the matter. In an e-mail [...]

Jan 18, 2010 By Giles Whittell in Port-au-Prince Six days after the Port-au-Prince earthquake large areas of the city remain untouched by the global aid effort as bottlenecks continue to clog the airport and looting threatens to descend into wholesale violence. Convoys of lorries headed for the city’s worst-hit areas last night but there were [...]

January 17, 2010   by Salena Zito Wise strategists on both sides of the political aisle know they need look no further than U.S. House races in Pennsylvania to gauge the country’s political temperature. During presidential elections Pennsylvania is considered a Democratic-leaning battleground. In the past decade it went for Gore (51-46), Kerry (51-48), and [...]