Boehner: High hopes for debt 'supercommittee'

WASHINGTON (AP) — House Speaker John Boehner said Monday that he has high hopes that a congressional "supercommittee" will be able to reach common ground on a plan to cut the deficit by at least $1.2 trillion over a decade.

But the most powerful Republican in Washington says that finding common ground doesn't necessarily mean compromising one's principles, a none-too-subtle hint that he remains strongly opposed to increasing taxes as part of the solution to deficits exceeding $1 trillion a year.

"Common ground doesn't mean compromising on your principles," Boehner said in a speech to a group of students at the University of Louisville. "Common ground means finding the places …

Salazar: Gov't failed to assure drilling safety

Interior Secretary Ken Salazar conceded Tuesday that the government failed to hold the oil industry accountable and ensure safety in offshore oil drilling.

Salazar, in his first appearance before Congress since the April 20 Gulf accident, promised an overhaul of the agency that regulates offshore oil drilling to give it "more tools, more resources, more independence and greater authority."

Sen. Jeff Bingaman, D-N.M., in opening a hearing into the spill, said Congress will examine "the role of regulatory failure" in the accident at the BP PLC oil rig that unleashed millions of gallons of oil into Gulf waters.

While the cause of the …

Girl was stabbed first, witness says

The niece of a Kanawha County man accused of stabbing to death hiswife and daughter says her uncle knifed her cousin first.

The 8-year-old girl told Kanawha County sheriff's investigatorsthat Christopher W. Blackwell stabbed his daughter multiple timesafter she said her father hit her, according to transcripts of policeinterviews released Thursday.

The witness, whose name was not released because of her age, saidBlackwell got angry after his wife confronted him about theirdaughter's claim.

Blackwell, 30, is charged with two counts of first-degree murderin the deaths of Sherry Blackwell, 26, and their 11-year-olddaughter, Brittany. Blackwell appeared Thursday …

Analysis: Possible Mideast Push by Bush

President Bush once talked bullishly about Middle East peacemaking. He would "ride herd" on recalcitrant leaders, picking up the telephone whenever necessary and helping produce a long-elusive agreement.

In truth, Bush has been more a sporadic speaker than engaged enforcer during his seven years in office.

This week's peace conference is an effort by his administration to step more deeply into trying to help settle one of the world's most intractable conflicts. Two key questions are how much Bush himself will become involved and how much good he could do during the final year in the White House after a hands-off history.

Past presidents …

Greek police arrest 10 crime gang suspects

Greek police say they arrested 10 suspected members of a criminal gang involved in the killings of business leaders and the January abduction of a shipping magnate.

Attica region police chief Yiannis Dikopoulos says the gang was being run by prison inmates.

He says "the gang members were carrying out killing contracts, among other …

City's police probers vote to join union

Members of the city's Office of Professional Standards, whoinvestigate shootings by police officers and brutality complaintsagainst them, yesterday voted 39-3 to join the American Federation ofState, County and Municipal Employees.

Some 46 civilian investigators in the unit created in 1974 wereeligible to vote.

David Fogel, OPS administrator, said he did not believeunionization would hamper his office's work.

"I don't think it will really matter one way or another," …

Forbes Doubles Bloomberg Wealth Estimate

NEW YORK - Mayor Michael Bloomberg is apparently even richer than anyone realized. Forbes magazine's annual list of richest Americans is estimating his wealth at twice the number it gave last year, vaulting him to the rank of 25 with a fortune estimated at $11.5 billion.

Last year, he was at a mere 40th place, with a net worth valued at $5.5 billion. The difference shows how hard it has been to guess the wealth of the mayor and potential presidential candidate.

He retains 68 percent ownership of his company, Bloomberg LP, but it is privately held and does not release much financial data. Fortune magazine estimated in an article this year that the company's 2006 operating …