Obama: Americans deserve to know more about drone war

President Barack Obama on Thursday promised to be more forthcoming with the American public on his administration's campaign of lethal drone strikes amid criticism over the targeting of suspected U.S. terrorism suspects abroad.

Obama, under pressure from the left and right to allow greater scrutiny of the secret decision-making process for killing Americans overseas, vowed to work with Congress to craft a "mechanism" to be more open about how the drone war is conducted.

"What I think is absolutely true is it's not sufficient for citizens to just take my word for it that we're doing the right thing," Obama said in an online video question-and-answer session sponsored by Google.

Asked whether the U.S. government could target a citizen on American soil, Obama appeared to rule that out.

"There has never been a drone used on an American citizen on American soil," he said. "We respect and have a whole bunch of safeguards in terms of how we conduct counterterrorism operations outside of the United States. The rules outside of the United States are going to be different than the rules inside the United States."

The issue moved to the forefront last week when Obama yielded to congressional demands and in a policy reversal provided access for House of Representatives and Senate intelligence committees to a classified legal opinion on killing U.S. terrorism suspects with drone strikes abroad.

The release on the eve of a Senate confirmation hearing last Friday appeared intended to avoid a clash in testimony by John Brennan, the president's choice for CIA director. He has overseen the use of armed, unmanned aircraft in counterterrorism operations in places like Afghanistan, Pakistan and Yemen.

During last week's debate, some lawmakers proposed creation of a special federal "drone court" that would approve suspected militants for targeting. But a number of U.S. officials said at the time that imminent action on this was unlikely.

However, Obama, in his annual State of the Union address on Tuesday, said he intended to engage with Congress to make sure "our efforts are even more transparent to the American people and to the world.

"CHECKS AND BALANCES"

On Thursday, Obama said it was his responsibility to work with Congress to ensure that "we have a mechanism to also make sure that the public understands what's going on, what the constraints are, what the legal parameters are."

"That's something that I take very seriously. I'm not somebody who believes that the president has the authority to do whatever he wants or whatever she wants, whenever they want, just under the guise of counterterrorism," Obama said, insisting on the need for "checks and balances."

Civil liberties groups have criticized the drone program as effectively a green light to assassinate Americans without due process in the courts under the U.S. Constitution.

In 2011 a drone strike killed U.S.-born Anwar al-Awlaki, described by U.S. investigators as a leader of al Qaeda's Yemen-based affiliate. His 16-year-old son, also a U.S. citizen, was killed in a separate drone strike in Yemen that year. The administration has fought lawsuits filed by Awlaki's relatives.

Administration officials insist that Obama is acting legally to protect the United States from further attacks like the September 11, 2001, strikes.

The president, who banned the harsh interrogation techniques of the Bush era when he took office in 2009, has intensified the drone program started by his Republican predecessor.

(Reporting By Matt Spetalnick; Editing by Xavier Briand)

Tiffany sues Costco over sales of engagement rings

Tiffany & Co sued Costco Wholesale Corp on Thursday to stop the largest U.S. warehouse club chain from selling what it called counterfeit diamond engagement rings bearing the luxury retailer's name.


The trademark lawsuit filed in Manhattan federal court also calls on Costco to forfeit profits from the ring sales, plus damages of $2 million per infringement.

Tiffany said it believes hundreds, if not thousands, of Costco members bought engagement rings they believed were authentic Tiffany products but in fact were not.

Luxury retailers often sue to stop sales of alleged imitation products they believe cut into their own revenue streams and customer goodwill.

"This is not the kind of behavior people expect from a company like Costco, and this case will shed a much needed light on this outrageous behavior," said Jeffrey Mitchell, a lawyer for Tiffany.

Mitchell also noted in the statement that Tiffany maintains an "aggressive and rigorous intellectual property program, and regularly takes actions against counterfeiters and infringers."

A spokesman for Costco was not immediately available.

In November 2012, a person who was shopping at a Costco in Huntington Beach, Calif., complained to Tiffany that she was disappointed to see Costco offering for sale what were promoted on in-store signs as Tiffany diamond engagement rings, according to the lawsuit.

A subsequent investigation revealed rings in a display case at the Huntington Beach Costco labeled with the Tiffany brand and that a salesperson there referred to them as Tiffany rings when they were not, according to the lawsuit. Tiffany also discovered that Costco was not using the Tiffany trademarks online for the same products at the same time to avoid detection, according to the lawsuit.

The case is Tiffany & Company and Tiffany (NJ) LLC v. Costco Wholesale Corp, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York, 13-1041

(Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York; Editing by Gary Hill, Kenneth Barry and Andre Grenon)

Wall Street ends slightly higher, helped by acquisitions

NEW YORK, Feb. 14, 2013 (Reuters) — The S&P 500 eked out a small gain for a third straight session on Thursday, helped by a flurry of merger activity, though investors see no catalysts to lift the market further with major averages near multi-year highs.


The market's slowed advance took the S&P 500 to its highest intraday level since November 2007 on Wednesday. While the index notched its third straight day of gains, none was more than 0.2 percent.

Shares of H.J. Heinz Co jumped 20 percent to $72.50 after it said Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway and 3G Capital will buy the food company for $72.50 a share, or $28 billion including debt. Berkshire's class B shares rose 1.3 percent to $99.21.

Also supporting the market was data showing the number of Americans filing new claims for unemployment benefits fell more than expected in the latest week. The CBOE Volatility index <.VIX> fell 2.4 percent, dropping to 12.67.

"While I'm not bearish, I don't see many upside motivations at these levels," said Donald Selkin, chief market strategist at National Securities in New York, who cited the low level of the VIX as a sign the market was overbought.

Equities have struggled to break above current levels where they have been hovering for almost two weeks. The S&P 500 is up more than 6 percent so far this year.

"We need to digest some of our gains to go higher, but people are so eager to buy on the dips that we're not even seeing dips anymore. People are just chasing the market higher," said Selkin, who helps oversee about $3 billion in assets.

Stocks fell earlier after a report the euro zone's gross domestic product contracted by the steepest amount since the first quarter of 2009. In addition, Japan's GDP shrank 0.1 percent in the fourth quarter, crushing expectations of a modest return to growth.

The Dow Jones industrial average <.DJI> was down 9.52 points, or 0.07 percent, at 13,973.39. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index <.SPX> was up 1.05 points, or 0.07 percent, at 1,521.38. The Nasdaq Composite Index <.IXIC> was up 1.78 points, or 0.06 percent, at 3,198.66.

Constellation Brands soared 37 percent to $43.75 after AB InBev's deal to take over Mexican brewer Grupo Modelo was revised to grant Constellation perpetual rights to distribute Corona and other Modelo brands in the United States. U.S. shares of AB InBev gained 5.1 percent to $92.77.

American Airlines and US Airways Group said they plan to merge in a deal that will form the world's biggest air carrier, with an equity valuation of about $11 billion. US Airways shares fell 4.6 percent to $13.99.

Weakness in Europe contributed to a 5 percent drop in revenue from the region for Cisco Systems , which nonetheless beat estimates as it reported its results late Wednesday. The company's shares dipped 0.7 percent to $20.99.

General Motors Co reported a weaker-than-expected fourth-quarter profit, also citing bigger losses in Europe alongside lower prices in its core North American market. The stock was off 3.3 percent to $27.73.

Only five more stocks rose than fell on the New York Stock Exchange, while 51 percent of Nasdaq-listed shares closed higher.

Volume was light, with about 6.36 billion shares changing hands on the New York Stock Exchange, the Nasdaq and NYSE MKT, below the daily average so far this year of about 6.48 billion shares.

(Editing by Nick Zieminski and Kenneth Barry)

Republicans block vote on Obama's defense nominee, Hagel

WASHINGTON, Feb. 14, 2013 (Reuters) — Republican lawmakers succeeded on Thursday in delaying a Senate vote on confirming President Barack Obama's choice of Chuck Hagel as defense secretary, but another vote was planned for later in the month and Obama said he expected his nominee to be approved.


The tally was 58-40, with almost every Republican voting no, falling short of the 60 needed to pass a motion to stop debate and allow a vote by the full Senate on confirming the former Republican senator.

The result delayed, but did not end, Hagel's hopes of becoming the civilian chief at the Pentagon.

Democrats were furious at the delay, which they characterized as the first time in history that the procedural tactic known as a filibuster had been used to block a defense nominee, something disputed by Republicans.

"I'm going to go call Chuck Hagel when I finish here and say I'm sorry, I'm sorry this has happened," the Senate majority leader, Democrat Harry Reid said on the Senate floor after the vote.

Charging the opposition party with trying to score political points against Obama's White House, Democrats said Republicans were putting the country at risk by delaying the filling of a major security post.

"My expectation and hope is that Chuck Hagel, who richly deserves to get a vote on the floor of the Senate, will be confirmed as our defense secretary," Obama said in an Internet question-and-answer session hosted by Google+. "It's just unfortunate that this kind of politics intrudes at a time when I'm still presiding over a war in Afghanistan."

Republicans insisted they were not using a filibuster and not trying to kill the nomination, which has faced bitter opposition since Obama picked Hagel on January 7.

John Cornyn, the second-ranking Republican in the Senate, said that Republicans just wanted more time and more information from Hagel.

"This is not any attempt to kill this nomination. This is not a filibuster," he said, during several minutes of heated debate on the Senate floor after the vote.

Reid set another vote on the motion for February 26, after a weeklong recess. Republicans said they expected the motion would pass then, after they have had more time to consider the nomination.

With Democrats controlling 55 votes in the 100-seat Senate, Hagel's nomination is expected to win the simple majority of 51 votes needed for his confirmation as the civilian leader at the Pentagon, once such a vote is allowed.

BENGHAZI AND IRAQ

If confirmed, Hagel, 66, a decorated Vietnam War veteran, would replace 74-year-old Leon Panetta, who has said he will remain in his post until his successor is in place but is longing to retire to his California walnut farm.

Thursday's vote meant Panetta faces at least two more weeks before saying goodbye to Washington.

Pentagon spokesman George Little said in a statement that Panetta would continue to serve as defense secretary and attend a NATO meeting in Brussels next week.

Republicans had been in negotiations with the White House on a compromise under which at least a handful of Republicans would agree to let the confirmation go ahead if the procedural vote were delayed until after next week's recess.

One major sticking point was the Obama administration's refusal to release more information about the deadly September attacks on U.S. facilities in Benghazi, Libya.

The struggle over Hagel's nomination is one of many battles raging between Obama's Democrats and Republicans in Congress, including disputes over gun control, immigration rules and dealing with huge budget deficits.

Hagel broke from his party as a senator by opposing former President George W. Bush's handling of the Iraq War, angering many Republicans. Some Republicans have also raised questions about whether Hagel is sufficiently supportive of Israel, tough enough on Iran or capable of leading the Pentagon.

His performance at his confirmation hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee also drew harsh criticism. Even some Democrats have said he appeared unprepared and at times hesitant in the face of aggressive questioning.

The panel voted 14-11 along party lines on Tuesday to advance Hagel's nomination to the full Senate.

Republican Senator John McCain, for example, had said he opposed procedural tactics to block the vote on Hagel, but changed his mind in order to press the White House to release more information on Benghazi.

"As far as we are concerned on this issue, there are other questions. We feel the intervening week and a half is sufficient time to get those questions answered," McCain told a news conference with fellow Republican Senators Lindsey Graham and Kelly Ayotte, who have been among the most vocal Hagel critics.

Republicans said that Reid brought the uncertainty on himself by trying to rush Hagel's confirmation. Obama nominated Hagel on January 7 and his hearing before the Armed Services panel took place on January 31.

Democrats said the time frame was not unusually short. They also noted that many of Hagel's most vocal opponents served with him during his two terms as senator from Nebraska from 1997 to 2009 and knew him well.

The confirmation of another of Obama's national security nominees, John Brennan for CIA director, also faces a delay as the White House and lawmakers joust over the release of sensitive documents, including some related to Benghazi.

(Additional reporting by Thomas Ferraro, Phil Stewart, Matt Spetalnick and Mark Hosenball; Editing by Warren Strobel, Doina Chiacu and Peter Cooney)

Big hedge funds fueled Apple's fourth-quarter share plunge

BOSTON, Feb. 14, 2013 (Reuters) — Some of the biggest hedge funds that helped make Apple Inc a stock market darling lost faith and dumped their stakes in the fourth quarter, fueling the massive drop in the iPhone maker's share price.


Noted stock pickers including Leon Cooperman, Eric Mindich and Thomas Steyer unloaded billions of dollars of Apple shares between September 30 and December 31, according to disclosure documents filed on Thursday.

Shares of Apple rose to an all-time high of $705.07 on September 21 but ended 2012 down more than 24 percent from that peak, as concerns about increasing competition and declining profit margins weighed.

The shares also may have dropped because their price rose too much, too fast.

"The stock just went up so much in early 2012 and then was coming back to earth," said Justin Walters, co-founder of Wall Street research firm Bespoke Investment Group. "Three months from now, we'll be seeing a lot of the people who sold starting to pick it up again."

The fourth-quarter sellers avoided even deeper losses. Apple's shares have lost 12 percent so far this year. The shares were up $1.95, or 0.4 percent, at $468.96 on the Nasdaq on Thursday.

Cooperman's Omega Advisors fund dumped its entire stake of more than 266,000 shares during the fourth quarter, according to its required quarterly disclosure form filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Mindich, named the youngest partner ever at Goldman Sachs before starting his Eton Park Capital Management fund in 2004, got out of Apple entirely in the fourth quarter after making big sales in the third quarter as well. Eton owned 600,000 shares at the beginning of 2012.

Farallon Capital, the hedge fund founded by Steyer, sold 137,000 shares. Steyer, who once worked on the Goldman Sachs risk arbitrage desk under Robert Rubin, stepped down at the end of the year from the firm, which he founded in 1986. Rubin served as U.S. Treasury secretary from 1995 to 1999.

Jana Partners, an activist fund run by Barry Rosenstein, also unloaded its entire Apple stake of more than 143,000 shares.

PROFITABLE TRADES

Despite the plunge in Apple's stock price, most of the managers likely exited their positions with substantial profits because they bought years earlier.

Rosenstein and Cooperman, for example, both started gathering their stakes in the middle 2010, at a time when Apple shares traded below $300.

At the time, the company's iPhone 4 was beset by alleged faulty reception, a problem that became known as "antennagate." Apple's then-chief executive, the late Steve Jobs, famously dismissed the issue, saying "we don't think we have a problem." But Apple offered customers a free bumper case that was supposed to minimize any issues.

Customers did not seem to care, snapping up millions of iPhones and sending Apple's share price up almost 50 percent over the next year.

Apple came under further scrutiny last week from prominent hedge fund manager David Einhorn. Einhorn's fund, Greenlight Capital, owned more than 1 million shares of Apple at the end of September. Greenlight's updated regulatory filings are to be released later today.

Einhorn filed a lawsuit to block changes in Apple's policy for issuing preferred stock. Instead, Apple should issue a new class of preferred stock to share more of its $137 billion cash hoard with shareholders, Einhorn said.

Apple Chief Executive Tim Cook dismissed the moves as a "silly sideshow" on Tuesday.

SOME TRIMMED

Not all well-known hedge fund fans of Apple cut ties in the fourth quarter. Some only trimmed their holdings.

Philippe Laffont, who worked under famed hedge fund manager Julian Robertson before striking out on his own at Coatue Management, sold about 18 percent of his Apple shares. Coatue ended the year with a still sizable 643,000 shares.

Chase Coleman, another manager who worked for Robertson, reduced the Apple stake at his Tiger Global Management fund by 19 percent to just over 1 million shares.

Robertson's own Tiger Management LLC fund trimmed its Apple stake by 28 percent to about 42,000 shares.

Large hedge funds are required to disclose their U.S. stock holdings within 45 days after the end of each quarter.

But the filings may not give a complete picture of each fund's moves, since only U.S.-listed shares and options must be revealed. Bonds, foreign shares and derivatives are not included, and short positions, or bets that a stock will fall in price, are not listed.

(Reporting by Aaron Pressman; Additional reporting by Katya Wachtel, Svea Herbst, Sam Forgione and Jennifer Ablan in New York; Editing by Steve Orlofsky)

Democrats decry delay in vote for Hagel as defense chief

WASHINGTON, Feb. 14, 2013 (Reuters) — Chuck Hagel's nomination to be defense secretary went into political limbo on Thursday as Republicans stepped up blocking tactics and Democrats accused them of putting the country at risk by delaying the filling of a major security post.


Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid made an impassioned appeal for Hagel's confirmation amid questions over whether he could get the 60 votes needed to overcome Republican roadblocks preventing a vote.

"This isn't high school getting ready for a football game. We're trying to confirm somebody to run the defense of our country," Reid said on the Senate floor after Republicans said they would try to block Hagel's confirmation.

The Senate is to consider on Friday whether to clear the way for the confirmation vote.

Sources said Republicans were in heated negotiations with the White House on a compromise under which at least a handful of Republicans would agree to let the confirmation go ahead. A major sticking point is the Obama administration's refusal to release more information about the deadly September attacks on U.S. facilities in Benghazi, Libya.

The struggle over Hagel's nomination is one of many battles raging between Obama's Democrats and Republicans in Congress, including disputes over gun control, immigration rules and dealing with huge budget deficits.

Reid, a Nevada Democrat, accused Republicans of trying to score political points by coming up with one reason after another to delay confirmation of a new Pentagon chief. He said is was a shame Republicans were using the blocking tactic known as a filibuster for the first time ever to prevent a vote on a defense secretary nominee.

"For the sake of our national security it is time for us to put aside political theater, and that's what it is. People are worried about primary elections," Reid said.

If confirmed, Hagel, a decorated Vietnam War veteran and former Republican senator from Nebraska, would replace Leon Panetta, who is retiring. Panetta said he will not leave before his successor is in place, but has expressed eagerness to return to his home in California.

Democrats, who have united in support of Hagel, control 55 seats in the 100-member Senate and could confirm Hagel without any Republican backing. A Cabinet nominee requires the support of only a simple majority to be confirmed.

However, they need the support of 60 senators to clear the procedural hurdles and allow the vote.

ANGER AT HAGEL STARTED WITH IRAQ

Hagel broke from his party as a senator by opposing former President George W. Bush's handling of the Iraq War, angering many Republicans. Some Republicans have also raised questions about whether Hagel, 66, is sufficiently supportive of Israel, tough enough on Iran or capable of leading the Pentagon.

His performance at his confirmation hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee also drew harsh criticism. Even some Democrats have said he appeared unprepared and at times hesitant in the face of aggressive questioning.

Earlier, two Republicans had said they would vote for Hagel and several others said they would oppose procedural hurdles, but those positions may have changed.

Republican Senator John McCain, for example, had said he opposed procedural tactics to block the vote on Hagel, but was reconsidering to press the White House to release more information on Benghazi.

A senior Senate Democratic aide said Republicans had informed Democratic leaders that there were not enough Republicans willing to join the Democrats to yield the 60 votes to allow the vote to go through.

Republicans insist that Reid brought the problem on himself by trying to rush Hagel's confirmation. Obama nominated Hagel on January 7 and his hearing before the Armed Services panel took place on January 31.

Democrats said a wait of two weeks for a vote after his hearing was not unusually short. They also noted that many of Hagel's most vocal opponents served with him during his two terms in the Senate from 1997 to 2009 and knew him well.

A White House spokesman said Obama still stands strongly behind Hagel, and said the "unconscionable" delay does not send a favorable signal to allies or U.S. troops.

"The president stands strongly behind Senator Hagel," White House spokesman Josh Earnest told reporters on board Air Force One. "It does not send a favorable signal for Republicans in the United States Senate to delay a vote on the president's nominee, a nominee who is a member of their own party, to be Secretary of Defense."

The confirmation of another of Obama's national security nominees, John Brennan for CIA director, also faces a delay amid jockeying between the White House and lawmakers over the release of sensitive documents, including some related to Benghazi.

(Additional reporting by Thomas Ferraro, Phil Stewart and Mark Felsenthal; Editing by Warren Strobel, Doina Chiacu and Vicki Allen)

President Obama touts preschool initiatives in State of the Union tour

DECATUR, Georgia, Feb. 14, 2013 (Reuters) — President Barack Obama turned his State of the Union roadshow to the topic of education on Thursday with a trip to Georgia, where he touted proposals to provide preschool access to all four-year-olds across America.

President Obama proposed in his annual address to Congress on Tuesday that the federal government work with states to improve and broaden early childhood education to make the United States more competitive worldwide.

The White House cites evidence that investment in learning for very young children pays multiple benefits later, and his program seeks to make progress in closing the "achievement gap" - the chasm in test scores between children who grow up in poverty and the better off.

"Education has to start at the earliest possible age," Obama said in a speech in Georgia, a state he said has shown leadership on the issue. "We are not doing enough to give all of our kids that chance."

Obama's proposal involves a cost-sharing partnership of the federal government and states to ensure children from low-income and middle-income families have access to good preschools, preparing them for kindergarten.

The White House has declined to put a price on the federal cost of the initiative, saying that will appear in the president's upcoming budget proposal.

"This works. We know it works. If you're looking for a good bang for your educational buck this is it," Obama said.

Prior to his remarks, Obama visited the College Heights Early Childhood Learning Center, which serves infants to pre-kindergarten students, hugging the children and helping out with a series of learning games.

"Can I help?" he asked a group of kids working on a sculpture with blocks.

"We did it!" he exclaimed after they finished, giving high fives and fist bumps all around. Despite the appearance of a visit to a normally functioning school, CNN reported that College Heights had been on winter break, but the children were brought back for Obama's visit.

Investing in education is part of a larger economic program Obama hopes to push through Congress, despite concerns about high deficits and an impasse with Republicans over government spending. Obama discussed his proposals for manufacturing during a visit to North Carolina on Wednesday.

EDUCATION PUSH

In his State of the Union address, Obama also proposed incentives for high schools to be redesigned to emphasize "real-world learning" and to include classes on technology, science and engineering. He also called for tighter accountability for colleges receiving federal aid.

Teachers unions and early childhood advocates hailed Obama's preschool initiative as an effective way to narrow the achievement gap between impoverished and more well off kids.

Children from low-income families come into school with far more limited vocabularies, which can hold back their academic progress. High quality preschools aim to build up those critical skills with heavy emphasis on literacy, conversation and creative play.

But research on the benefits of preschool programs like the federally subsidized Head Start has been mixed.

Founded in 1965 as part of the War on Poverty, Head Start is a joint federal and local program that aims to boost cognitive, social and emotional development among low-income children and help their parents nurture that growth at home as well.

The program serves infants through 5-year-olds, until they enter kindergarten.

The latest and most comprehensive study, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, found that children in Head Start did not get lasting academic or social gains from the program.

Though their language development improved modestly while they were in Head Start, the gains dissipated in elementary school.

The program's supporters counter that Head Start has not been given adequate support, the quality of centers varies from city to city and the pay scale for teachers does not draw top-quality educators. Head Start serves about 965,000 low-income children nationwide.

As part of his education proposals, Obama is also calling for a new Early Head Start-Child Care partnership for infants and toddlers. He also hopes to expand home visitation programs by nurses and social workers to vulnerable children.

(Additional reporting by Stephanie Simon, Susan Heavey, and Matt Spetalnick; Editing by Alistair Bell and Vicki Allen)

In Valentine vote, Illinois Senate approves gay marriage

The Illinois Senate, which is heavily Democratic, voted 34-21 to advance the measure to the House in President Barack Obama's home state. The fate of the bill in the state's lower chamber remains uncertain.

Democratic Governor Pat Quinn has promised to sign any bill legalizing gay marriage, which would make Illinois the 10th state to legalize same-sex nuptials, in addition to the District of Columbia. It would also become the first Midwestern state to approve same-sex marriage through legislation. Iowa's Supreme Court legalized such marriages there in 2009.

Obama has encouraged the drive to legalize gay marriage, authorizing a White House statement recently saying that if he were still in the Illinois legislature, he would vote for it.

The Illinois drive to legalize gay marriage coincided with a national campaign by a coalition of gay rights groups to highlight the issue on Valentine's Day.

As part of what they call "Freedom to Marry Week," same-sex couples will request marriage licenses in 18 places around the country, including a number of states where same sex-marriage is not legal.

"These laws are unjust and immoral, and we are confronting those laws head-on across the country," said Heather Cronk, managing director of GetEQUAL, a gay rights group.

Although the Illinois House, like the state's Senate, is controlled by Democrats, the fate of the legislation in the lower chamber remains a question mark.

House Republican Leader Tom Cross said he was not sure whether it would gain Republican support. There also was concern that some black Democratic legislators from Chicago could oppose the measure because of pressure from African-American Christian pastors.

Some black ministers have joined Illinois Catholic bishops in expressing strong opposition to legalization.

And within the Democratic party, gay marriage is still a divisive topic.

Two Democratic state lawmakers broke with their party leaders on Thursday and introduced measures in both chambers of the legislature that call for an amendment to the state constitution to enshrine marriage as between a man and a woman.

(Writing by Greg McCune; editing by Matthew Lewis, Cynthia Johnston and Leslie Adler)

President Obama to announce return of 34,000 troops from Afghanistan

President Barack Obama will announce in his State of the Union address on Tuesday that 34,000 troops will return from Afghanistan by early 2014, a source familiar with the speech told Reuters.

"The president will announce that 34,000 troops will be back from Afghanistan a year from tonight," the source said on condition of anonymity.

Obama and Afghan President Hamid Karzai last month agreed to speed the handover of combat operations in Afghanistan to Afghan forces.

There are about 66,000 U.S. troops in Afghanistan. Washington's NATO allies have been steadily reducing their troop numbers despite doubts about the ability of Afghan forces to shoulder full responsibility for security.

(Reporting by Tabassum Zakaria; Editing by Jackie Frank and Bill Trott)

White House offers proof Obama wasn't just shooting from the lip

Seeking to put to rest questions on whether Barack Obama was a straight shooter when he claimed he went skeet shooting "all the time," the White House on Saturday offered proof: a photo of the president blasting away at clay targets.

Obama drew skepticism when he made the assertion in a recent interview with the New Republic magazine, an attempt to show sympathy for hunters even as he pushes for tighter gun controls after the Newtown school shooting massacre in December.

Obama's aides were in the awkward position of standing by his comments while resisting reporters' demands for proof that he was indeed a regular on the shooting range at the presidential retreat in the Maryland mountains.

The White House finally weighed in on Saturday with a photo of Obama skeet shooting at Camp David last August 4.

"For all the ‘skeeters'," Obama senior adviser Dan Pfeiffer said in a Twitter message linked to the photo, which showed the president - wearing sunglasses, jeans and noise mufflers on his ears - firing a rifle with smoke spraying from the barrel.

It was unclear, however, whether a single photo would satisfy skeptics about his claim that he and his guests frequently shoot clay pigeons at Camp David.

Obama, in the New Republic interview, was asked if he had ever fired a gun.

"Yes, in fact, up at Camp David, we do skeet shooting all the time," Obama said.

"The whole family?" he was asked.

"Not the girls, but oftentimes guests of mine go up there. And I have a profound respect for the traditions of hunting that trace back in this country for generations. And I think those who dismiss that out of hand make a big mistake."

Conservative critics immediately questioned the Democratic president's assertion, and talk show comedians had a field day with the idea that he had taken up shooting as a hobby.

U.S. Representative Marsha Blackburn, a Tennessee Republican, even challenged Obama to a skeet-shooting contest.

Obama's comment was widely seen as an attempt to reach out to gun owners to ease their concerns about his legislative proposals, the biggest gun control push in decades. He will travel to Minnesota on Monday to speak on gun control.

(Reporting By Matt Spetalnick; Editing by Vicki Allen)