Cory Booker Jokes Mayor Job Drove Him to Drink - Coffee That Is

Newark, New Jersey Mayor Cory Booker answered viewer questions from Facebook and Twitter for an ABC News' web exclusive before joining the This Week roundtable on Sunday. After Booker discussed his future Senate plans, his time as Newark mayor, and his Twitter routine, he admitted to a few other personal habits. He's a self-proclaimed 'Trekkie,' loves Ben & Jerry's ice cream, late night television, and believes that his job "drove him ...

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Business, labor close on deal for immigration bill

WASHINGTON (AP) — Big business and major labor unions appeared ready Friday to end a fight over a new low-skilled worker program that had threatened to upend negotiations on a sweeping immigration bill in the Senate providing a pathway to citizenship for 11 million illegal immigrants already in the U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., who's been brokering talks between the AFL-CIO and the Chamber of Commerce, said in a statement that negotiators are "very close, closer than we have ever been, and we are very optimistic." He said there were still a few ...

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Freeway chase led to ex-Nev. lawmaker's arrest

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Hours after he became the first person in Nevada history to be kicked out of the state Legislature, an embattled former lawmaker led police on a chase on a freeway between Las Vegas and Los Angeles that ended with a violent struggle with uniformed officers. Steven Brooks was subdued with punches and a Taser, arrested at gunpoint and jailed in California's San Bernardino County after police say he attacked a police dog with a wrench. "It's hard to know where he was going, what he thought he was doing and why he would be involved ...

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EPA taking aim at auto emissions, sulfur in gas

WASHINGTON (AP) — Reducing sulfur in gasoline and tightening emissions standards on cars beginning in 2017, as the Obama administration is proposing, would come with costs as well as rewards. The cost at the pump for cleaner air across the country could be less than a penny or as high as 9 cents a gallon, depending on who is providing the estimate. An oil industry study says the proposed rule being unveiled Friday by the administration could increase gasoline prices by 6 cents to 9 cents a gallon. The Environmental Protection Agency estimates an ...

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Mich. RNC member: I won't resign for Facebook post

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — A Michigan member of the Republican National Committee said Thursday he will not resign after posting an article critical of gay people on his Facebook page, despite calls from members of his own party that he step down. Dave Agema, who served as a state representative from 2007 until December posted an excerpt from an article titled "Everyone Should Know These Statistics On Homosexuals" on his Facebook page Wednesday. A group of 21 Michigan Republicans has called it "deplorable." But Agema told The Associated Press he maintains ...

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Supreme Court energizes gay rights even as it resists

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - After two days of Supreme Court arguments over same-sex marriage, the United States may be left with this irony: While the high court is not likely to alter the constitutional landscape for gays, the justices nevertheless have provided a rallying point for the gay-rights cause. Three major legal outcomes appeared likely as the justices on Wednesday ended the second dramatic day of arguments in the most closely watched dispute of their current term: * The court would not rule that gay people need special constitutional protection ...

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GOP moves to plug technology gap with Democrats

WASHINGTON (AP) — Embarrassed by how the last presidential election exposed their yesteryear technology, Republicans are turning to a younger generation of tech-savvy social media experts and software designers to improve communications with voters, predict their behavior and track opponents more vigorously. After watching President Barack Obama win re-election with help from a technology operation unprecedented in its sophistication, GOP officials concede an urgent need for catch up. "I think everybody realized that the party is really far behind at the ...

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Boston mayor announces he won't seek re-election

Boston Mayor Thomas Menino has announced he won't seek re-election to an unprecedented sixth term after nearly two decades in office. Menino told well-wishers gathered at Boston's historic Faneuil Hall Thursday afternoon that "I will leave the job that I love." Menino's announcement came in the wake of persistent health problems including a six-week hospital state last year to treat a respiratory infection and a compression fracture ...

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Kentucky Derby: Who Will Race Mitch McConnell?

BREAKING - DEMOCRATS TAKE TO THE AIRWAVES AGAINST MCCONNELL: ABC's JEFF ZELENY reports that Democrats are without a Senate candidate in Kentucky following Ashley Judd's decision to take a pass on challenging Sen. Mitch McConnell, so they are turning to one of the state's favorite pastimes to draw attention to the race: the Sweet 16 of the NCAA basketball tournament. The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee is opening its first statewide advertisement today against McConnell, ABC News has learned, by airing a radio spot that sounds like a play-by-play ...

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Michigan official wants progress in Detroit before funds released

The newly appointed emergency manager for the City of Detroit has an impressive resume, sweeping powers and at least a temporary reservoir of good will as he seeks a financial turnaround of Michigan's biggest and nearly bankrupt city. But a powerful state legislative leader told Reuters that before any funds come from Lansing, bankruptcy lawyer Kevyn Orr is going to have to show progress with realistic financial estimates and measures to help the city's finances. Republican Governor Rick Snyder, who selected the 54-year-old Democrat to serve as ...

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Democrats Have a Dinosaur Problem Too

Biden, Clinton, Cuomo are considered the leading candidates to seek the Democratic nomination for president in the coming open election. Are we talking about 2016 or 1988? Yes, this headline could apply to 2016. But the funny thing is, this could have also been written more than 25 years ago in advance of the 1988 presidential elections. While we are talking about a different Clinton (this time Hillary and not Bill) and Cuomo (and the ...

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The Note's Must-Reads for Thursday, March 28, 2013

SUPREME COURT: The Hill's Sam Baker: " Supreme Court appears reluctant to issue broad marriage ruling" The Supreme Court seemed to make clear this week that it is in no rush to expand the rights of same-sex couples to marry. The court made history simply by taking up the first cases it has ever heard on the issue of marriage equality. And in both cases, the justices seemed concerned with minimizing the footprint their decisions will leave. The New York Times' Adam Liptak and Peter Baker: " Justices Cast Doubt on U.S. Law Defining Marriage" The Supreme Court appeared ready on Wednesday ...

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Ailing Boston Mayor Menino won't seek re-election

Boston's longest-serving mayor, Thomas Menino, won't seek re-election for a sixth term amid ongoing health problems. A person with direct knowledge of his decision told The Associated Press on Wednesday that Menino planned to announce he wouldn't be seeking re-election in November. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the person was not authorized to speak publicly. Menino's spokeswoman would say only that the mayor planned an announcement for Thursday. The announcement is expected to be made at an afternoon event at Boston's historic Faneuil Hall. The 70-year-old ...

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