World/Nation
Republicans mull punishment of Boehner opponents
WASHINGTON - House Republicans began the new Congress with old divisions on display Wednesday, bitter fallout from a failed rebellion against Speaker John Boehner.
Boehner took swift action against two of the dissenters, knocking them from a key committee. But some of his allies demanded more, furious at the two dozen lawmakers who opposed the Ohioan in Tuesday's speaker vote. In the process, the GOP is starting the year with party infighting instead of a unified challenge to President Barack Obama.
"All of us think that they should have retribution," Boehner loyalist Devin Nunes of California said of the rebels. "They put the conservative agenda at risk with their wanting to be on television and radio."
The dissidents warned of their own payback if Boehner does take further steps against them.
"There's going to be a fight," said Rep. Louie Gohmert, R-Texas, when asked what would happen if leaders retaliated against lawmakers who opposed Boehner's re-election. "And it's going to be real hard to bring the party together like they say they want to do."
Divers looking for a way to remove black boxes from AirAsia plane
PANGKALAN BUN, Indonesia - The tail section of the AirAsia passenger jet that crashed late last month is upside down and partially buried in the sea floor, and experts are trying to figure out how to remove the plane's black boxes from it, an Indonesian official said.
Divers and an unmanned underwater vehicle on Wednesday spotted the tail of the plane that crashed into the Java Sea with 162 people on board. It is an important finding because the jet's black boxes - which should help pinpoint the cause of the crash - are located in that part of the aircraft.
At least six ships with equipment that can detect underwater objects and the plane's black boxes, backed up by nine warships, are working in the area where the tail of was spotted, said Suryadi B. Surpiyadi, a search and rescue operation coordinator from an air force base in Pangkalan Bun, close to the search area.
Suryadi said the registration number, PK-AXC, and part of the AirAsia logo proved it was the plane. He said two Indonesian military divers showed how the tail plunged into the muddy seabed upside down.
"Expert teams from Indonesia and France are now looking for a technique on how to find and lift the black boxes from the plane's tail in such a position," Suryadi said.
Officials: Nine measles cases linked to visits to Disney parks
SANTA ANA, Calif. - Seven Californians and two people in Utah have confirmed cases of measles likely contracted on trips last month to Disney theme parks in California, state officials said Wednesday.
Three more California residents are suspected of having measles. All patients with confirmed or suspected cases of the illness visited Disneyland or Disney California Adventure between Dec. 15 and Dec. 20, according to the state's Department of Public Health.
They likely got the airborne illness at one of the parks then, officials said, adding people with measles can be infectious for nine days.
The seven Californians with confirmed cases are from five different areas of the state and range from 8 months to 21 years old. Six were not vaccinated against the disease, including two who were too young to be vaccinated.
Dr. Ron Chapman, director of the state's Department of Public Health, urged anyone who might have been exposed to check with a doctor.
Obama, shuns GOP, vows to veto health care, bank bills
WASHINGTON - The White House threatened more vetoes Wednesday against top-priority legislation of the two-day-old Republican-controlled Congress, and GOP leaders said they intend to keep challenging President Barack Obama to sign early measures that demonstrate bipartisan support.
"We're calling on the president to ignore the voices of reaction and join us," Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said as he and Speaker John Boehner lined up legislation to approve the Keystone XL oil pipeline, make changes to the health care law they also have vowed to repeal, and delay a key provision of a 2010 financial regulation law.
The conflict comes at a time when the president and the two Republican congressional leaders have all stressed the opportunity for bipartisanship in the two years ahead, and polls generally indicate the public wants divided government to produce compromise instead of gridlock. By approving measures with bipartisan support - the pipeline legislation has well over 60 supporters from both parties in the Senate - it appears Republicans are trying to make the president pay at least a short-term political price if he makes good on his veto threats.
Far larger and more partisan fights likely lie ahead, particularly if, as expected, Republicans attempt to seek large savings in government benefit programs as part of an attempt to balance the budget.
One day after saying Obama would reject the pipeline bill, the White House said he would veto legislation to make a change in the health care law he signed into law four years ago.
FBI: Blast near NAACP office could have been terrorism
DENVER - The FBI is investigating the possibility that a homemade explosive set off near a Colorado NAACP office was a case of domestic terrorism.
Investigators also are considering many other possible motives and have not determined whether the nation's oldest civil rights organization was targeted, Denver FBI spokeswoman Amy Sanders said Wednesday.
The blast happened at about 11 a.m. Tuesday outside a barbershop that shares a building with the NAACP's Colorado Springs chapter, about an hour south of Denver. There were no injuries and only minor damage.
While local chapter members said they were waiting for more information from law enforcement before drawing any conclusions, speculation washed across social media about whether the explosion was a hate crime. Sanders said investigators have not ruled out any possibilities.
"We're exploring any potential motive, and domestic terrorism is certainly one among many possibilities," she said.
- The Associated Press