Obama agrees to slow US pullout
from Afghanistan
WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama agreed Tuesday to slow the U.S. military pullout from Afghanistan at the request of its new government but insisted the delay won’t jeopardize his commitment to end America’s longest war before leaving office.
In a shift from his previous plan, Obama said the U.S. would leave its 9,800 troops currently in Afghanistan in place rather than downsizing to 5,500 by year’s end. The size of the U.S. footprint for next year is still to be decided, he said, but he brushed aside any speculation the withdrawal will bleed into 2017 when the next president takes over.
“The date for us to have completed our drawdown will not change,” Obama declared.
Afghan President Ashraf Ghani’s inaugural visit to the White House offered a stark contrast to visits by his predecessor, Hamid Karzai, who was viewed by U.S. officials as prickly and unreliable. Ghani went out of his way to thank the U.S. for its sacrifices in his country, offering a window into the efforts by Obama and him to rehabilitate the U.S.-Afghan relationship.
Cruz to buy health care insurance for family through law he vows to scrap
WASHINGTON — Sen. Ted Cruz said Tuesday he is signing up his family for health care coverage through the Affordable Care Act, a law the Republican presidential candidate has vowed to repeal should he win the White House.
Cruz formally launched his presidential campaign on Monday, and his wife, Heidi Cruz, began an unpaid leave of absence from her job as a managing director in the Houston office of Goldman Sachs. That meant the family would soon lose access to health insurance through Mrs. Cruz’s job, triggering a need for the Cruz family to find a new policy.
The first-term senator from Texas said he is looking at options available on a health insurance exchange, or a clearinghouse of policies available to Americans who don’t receive coverage through their employers. The Democrats’ health care law, also known as Obamacare, created the exchange system.
Members of Congress and their staff not otherwise covered, such as via a spouse’s health care insurance, are required to enroll in a plan sold through an exchange under an amendment to the law crafted by Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa.
Obama: Dim hope for negotiated two-state solution to Israeli-Palestinian conflict
WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama said Tuesday the U.S. is weighing whether to back Palestinian efforts to seek U.N. recognition for an independent state and that recent remarks by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu dim hope for a negotiated two-state solution.
Obama’s comments at the White House did little to repair rocky U.S.-Israeli relations, which were aggravated by a Wall Street Journal report Tuesday alleging Israel spied on sensitive negotiations about Iran’s nuclear program. The report said Israel acquired information from confidential U.S. briefings and other means and shared it with members of Congress to build a case against making a deal with Iran, which has threatened to destroy Israel.
Netanyahu is feuding with the White House over an emerging deal with Iran and also has come under fire for comments he made in the final days of Israel’s election last week. Netanyahu has voiced opposition to Palestinian statehood and warned his supporters that Arab voters were heading to the polls “in droves.”
US stocks decline as investors assess economy, earnings
NEW YORK — U.S. stocks dropped Tuesday as investors weighed company news and the latest report on consumer prices.
Signs the dollar could resume its recent surge also made investors nervous.
Homebuilders bucked the trend, gaining after sales of new U.S. homes in February climbed to their fastest pace in seven years.
The stock market has drifted lower for two straight days. The declines follow a rally in the market last week when Federal Reserve policy makers surprised investors by suggesting they were in no hurry to raise interest rates. Those low rates have helped power a six-year bull run for stocks.
The Standard &Poor’s 500 index fell 12.92 points, or 0.6 percent, to 2,091.50 Tuesday. The Dow slipped 104.90 points, or 0.6 percent, to 18,011.14. The Nasdaq composite fell 16.25 points, or 0.3 percent, to 4,994.73.
By wire sources
