Briefs Feb. 16, 2011

House leaders push $61 billion in budget cuts

WASHINGTON - On a collision course over spending, House Republicans advanced a sweeping, $61 billion package of budget reductions on Tuesday despite a veto threat and a warning from President Barack Obama against cuts "that could endanger the recovery."

Congressional Democrats said the Republican cuts would reduce U.S. employment rather than add to it and leapt to criticize when House Speaker John Boehner said "so be it" if federal government jobs are lost.

Spending legislation must be signed into law by March 4 to prevent a government shutdown that neither side says it wants. The GOP bill, separate from the 2012 budget Obama unveiled on Monday, covers spending for the fiscal year that ends on Sept. 30.

The current legislation would affect domestic programs ranging from education and science to agriculture and parks, and it marks the first significant attack on federal deficits by Republicans elected last fall with the support of tea party activists.

Bahrain protest aims for Egypt-style uprising

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates - Thousands of protesters took over a main square in Bahrain's capital Tuesday - carting in tents and raising banners - in a bold attempt to copy Egypt's uprising and force high-level changes in one of Washington's key allies in the Gulf.

The move by demonstrators capped two days of clashes across the tiny island kingdom that left at least two people dead, parliament in limbo by an opposition boycott and the king making a rare address on national television to offer condolences for the bloodshed.

Campaigns lag in Iowa; some may skip state

DES MOINES, Iowa - A run for the White House has long meant enduring icy days campaigning in Iowa for the contest that starts the presidential election calendar. But this winter fewer candidates have braved the Midwestern chill. And that has left some wondering if the Iowa Republican party's shift to the right is scaring off some hopefuls and making the Iowa caucuses less competitive - and less important.

In the last few months, a handful of prospective candidates for the GOP nomination in 2012 have visited the state -- including former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, former vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich. But the visits have been less frequent than in the past, and other traditional campaign-building efforts have lagged.

- The Associated Press