Danny Puff

WASHINGTON (AP) President Barack Obama will focus his State of the Union address on boosting job creation and economic growth at a time of high unemployment, underscoring the degree to which the economy could threaten his ability to pursue second-term priorities such as gun control, immigration policy and climate change.

Obama also may use Tuesday's prime-time address before a joint session of Congress to announce the next steps for concluding the U.S.-led war in Afghanistan by the end of 2014.

Obama's State of the Union marks his second high-profile speech to the nation in about three weeks, after his inaugural address Jan. 21 that opened his second term. White House aides see the two speeches as complementary, with Tuesday's address aimed at providing specifics to back up some of the Inauguration Day's lofty liberal rhetoric.

The president previewed the address during a meeting Thursday with House Democrats and said he would speak "about making sure that we're focused on job creation here in the United States of America." Obama said he would try to accomplish that by calling for improvements in education, boosting clean energy production, and reducing the deficit in ways that don't burden the middle class, the poor or the elderly.

While those priorities may be cheered by some Democrats, they're certain to be met with skepticism or outright opposition from many congressional Republicans, especially in the GOP-controlled House. The parties are at odds over ways to reduce the deficit. Republicans favor spending cuts; Obama prefers a combination of spending cuts and increasing tax revenue.

The president said he would address taxes and looming across-the-board budget cuts, known as the sequester, in the speech. The White House and Congress have pushed back the automatic cuts once, and Obama wants to do it again in order to create an opening for a larger deficit reduction deal.

"I am prepared, eager and anxious to do a big deal, a big package that ends this governance by crisis where every two weeks or every two months or every six months we are threatening this hard-won recovery," he said last week.

The economy has rebounded significantly from the depths of the recession and has taken a back seat for Obama since he won re-election in November. He's instead focused on campaigns to overhaul the nation's patchwork immigration laws and enact stricter gun control measures following the massacre of 20 schoolchildren in Newtown, Conn., in December.

The president also raised expectations for action this year on climate change after devoting a significant amount of time to the issue in his address at the inauguration.

But the unemployment rate is persistently high at 7.9 percent, economic growth slowed last quarter and consumer confidence is falling, so the economy could upend Obama's plans to pursue a broader domestic agenda in his final four years in office.

Tony Fratto, who worked in the White House during President George W. Bush's second term, said Obama has to show the public that he's still focused on the economy before he can get their full support for his other proposals.

"We're not in a position where he can blame anybody else for the economy now," Fratto said, "Now it's his economy."

Obama is expected to use his address to press lawmakers to back his immigration overhaul, which includes a pathway to citizenship for 11 million illegal immigrants, and his gun control proposals, including universal background checks and a ban on assault weapons.

Voting rights groups expect the president to call for changes that would make it easier for people to vote.

"I think it's important to be able to do more than one thing at a time," said David Axelrod, who served as senior adviser in the White House and Obama's re-election campaign. "But the economy is an ongoing and significant challenge that you have to keep working on."

While the centerpiece of Obama's address is expected to be his domestic agenda, the president sees a chance to outline the next steps in bringing the protracted war in Afghanistan to an end. He's facing two pressing decisions: the size and scope of the U.S. military presence in Afghanistan after the war formally ends late next year, and the next phase of the troop drawdown this year.

More than 60,000 U.S. troops are in Afghanistan.

The president could update the public on cuts to the number of U.S. nuclear weapons, a priority for his administration. Vice President Joe Biden recently told a security conference in Germany that Obama probably would use the State of the Union to discuss "advancing a comprehensive nuclear agenda to strengthen the nonproliferation regime, reduce global stockpiles and secure nuclear materials."

White House allies are nudging Obama's team to move forward on a plan to expand education for children before they enter kindergarten. They are reminding Obama's political aides that female voters gave the president a second term, serving up a 10-point gender gap.

Obama carried 55 percent of female voters, many of whom are looking to the White House for their reward. While groups such as Latinos and gays have seen policy initiatives since Election Day, women's groups have not received the same kinds of rollouts.

Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, a rising Republican star and potential 2016 presidential candidate, will deliver the GOP response following Obama's address to Congress.

The president will follow up his speech with trips across the country to promote his calls for job creation. Stops are planned Wednesday in Asheville, N.C., and Thursday in Atlanta.

Obama's speechwriters started working on Tuesday's address shortly after the November election. The process is being led for the first time by Cody Keenan, who is taking over as the president's chief speechwriter.

___

Associated Press writers Philip Elliott, Robert Burns and Josh Lederman contributed to this report.

___

Follow Julie Pace at http://twitter.com/jpaceDC

Read More

STOCKHOLM (AP) Six contestants have braved butt-numbing cold and boredom to win an annual ice pole-sitting contest in northern Sweden.

Two women and four men shared the 20,000-kronor prize ($3,100) for remaining on 8.25-foot-tall (2.5-meter) blocks of ice during the 48-hour contest, which ended Saturday.

Competitors said the worst part of the competition was not the cold temperatures dipped below -18 F (-28 C) but the monotony, even though they were allowed to come down for 10-minute toilet breaks every other hour.

Organizer Annica Andersson said the contest has been held annually for a dozen years, and was brought to the Swedish town of Vilhelmnina by a local resident who had participated in a similar competition in Russia.

Read More

LOS ANGELES (AP) Christina Applegate says she's bowing out of NBC's "Up All Night."

In a statement Friday, the actress says the show has taken a "different creative direction" and she's decided to move on to other projects. She called the sitcom a great experience and says she'll miss her co-workers.

"Up All Night" starred Applegate and Will Arnett as a couple with a new baby. The show has struggled in the ratings and has seen several changes in its producer ranks.

It also was set to change formats, shifting from a single-camera to multi-camera approach when it returned for the rest of its second season.

NBC declined to comment on the future of "Up All Night," which last aired in December. The sitcom isn't currently in production.

Read More

BIG BEAR LAKE, Calif. (AP) The hunt for Christopher Dorner in the snow-covered San Bernardino Mountains is expected to resume at daybreak Saturday, when authorities hope clearer skies will allow airplanes to help them in their search.

Relentless snowfall on Friday grounded helicopters with heat-sensing technology and hampered their effort to find the former Los Angeles police officer suspected of going on a deadly rampage to get back at those he blamed for ending his career.

After they found his burned-out pickup truck near at this ski resort town Thursday afternoon, SWAT teams in camouflage started scouring the mountains, aware to the reality they could be walking into a trap set by the well-trained former Navy reservist who knows their tactics and strategies as well as they do.

"He can be behind every tree," said T. Gregory Hall, a retired tactical supervisor for a special emergency response team for the Pennsylvania State Police. "He can try to draw them into an ambush area where he backtracks."

As authorities weathered heavy snow and freezing temperatures in the mountains, thousands of heavily armed police remained on the lookout throughout California, Nevada, Arizona and northern Mexico for a suspect bent on revenge and willing to die.

Police said officers still were guarding more than 40 people mentioned as targets in a rant they said Dorner posted on Facebook. He vowed to use "every bit of small arms training, demolition, ordnance and survival training I've been given" to bring "warfare" to the LAPD and its families.

The manhunt had Southern California residents on edge. Unconfirmed sightings were reported near Barstow, about 60 miles north of the mountain search, and in downtown Los Angeles.

Some law enforcement officials said he appeared to be everywhere and nowhere, and speculated that he was trying to spread out their resources.

For the time being, their focus was on the mountains 80 miles east of Los Angeles a snowy wilderness, filled with thick forests and jagged peaks, that creates peril as much for Dorner as the officers hunting him.

The small army hunting him has the advantage of strength in numbers and access to resources, such as special weapons, to bring him in.

In his online rant, Dorner baited authorities.

"Any threat assessments you generate will be useless," it read. "I have the strength and benefits of being unpredictable, unconventional, and unforgiving."

Without the numbers that authorities have, Dorner holds one advantage: the element of surprise.

Authorities said they do not know how long Dorner had been planning the rampage or why he drove to the San Bernardino Mountains. Property records show his mother owns undeveloped land nearby, but a search of the area found no sign of him.

It was not clear if he had provisions, clothing or weapons stockpiled in the area. Even with training, days of cold and snow can be punishing.

"Unless he is an expert in living in the California mountains in this time of year, he is going to be hurting," said former Navy SEAL Clint Sparks, who now works in tactical training and security. "Cold is a huge stress factor. ... Not everybody is survivor-man."

Jamie Usera, an attorney in Salem, Ore., who befriended Dorner when they were students and football teammates at Southern Utah University, said he introduced him to the outdoors. Originally from Alaska, Usera said, he taught Dorner about hunting and other outdoor activities.

"Of all the people I hung out with in college, he is the last guy I would have expected to be in this kind of situation," Usera, who had lost touch with Dorner is recent years, told the Los Angeles Times.

Others saw Dorner differently. Court documents obtained by The Associated Press on Friday show an ex-girlfriend of Dorner's called him "severely emotionally and mentally disturbed" after the two split in 2006.

Dorner served in the Navy, earning a rifle marksman ribbon and pistol expert medal. He was assigned to a naval undersea warfare unit and various aviation training units, according to military records. He took leave from the LAPD for a six-month deployment to Bahrain in 2006 and 2007.

Last Friday was his last day with the Navy and also the day CNN's Anderson Cooper received a package that contained a note on it that read, in part, "I never lied." A coin riddled with bullet holes that former Chief William Bratton gave out as a souvenir was also in the package.

Police said it was a sign of planning by Dorner before the killing began.

On Sunday, police say Dorner shot and killed a couple in a parking garage at their condominium in Irvine. The woman was the daughter of a retired police captain who had represented Dorner in the disciplinary proceedings that led to his firing.

Dorner wrote in his manifesto that he believed the retired captain had represented the interests of the department over his.

Hours after authorities identified Dorner as a suspect in the double murder, police believe Dorner shot and grazed an LAPD officer in Corona and then used a rifle to ambush two Riverside police officers early Thursday, killing one and seriously wounding the other.

The incident led police to believe he was armed with multiple weapons, including an assault-type rifle. That detail concerned officers whose bullet-proof vests can be penetrated by such high-powered weapons, said LAPD Deputy Chief Kirk Albanese.

As a result, all LAPD officers have been required to work in pairs to ensure "a greater likelihood of coming out on top if there is an ambush," Albanese said. "We have no officers alone right now."

___

Associated Press writers contributing to this report include Michael Blood and John Antczak in Los Angeles and Julie Watson in San Diego.

Risling reported from Big Bear Lake and Abdollah reported from Los Angeles. She can be reached on Twitter at www.twitter.com/LATams

Read More

LOS ANGELES (AP) NBC is pulling the drama series "Do No Harm" after two low-rated episodes.

The show is a take on the story of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, and stars Steven Pasquale of "Rescue Me." He plays a respected neurosurgeon who turns into a dangerous alter ego each night. Other cast members include Alana De La Garza and Phylicia Rashad.

"Do No Harm" started with a historically small audience for a major network debut and then dropped further in its second Thursday airing.

NBC will replace "Do No Harm" with reruns of "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" for the next two weeks.

Read More

HONOLULU (AP) Rock legends Steven Tyler and Mick Fleetwood convinced a Hawaii Senate committee on Friday to approve a bill to protect celebrities or anyone else from intrusive paparazzi.

The state Senate Judiciary Committee approved the so-called Steven Tyler Act after the stars testified at a hearing, saying they want to fiercely protect the little privacy they have as public figures.

The bill would give people power to sue others who take photos or video of their private lives in an offensive way, such as using telephoto lenses or other advanced equipment to record them on their private properties.

Tyler said he asked Sen. Kalani English to introduce the measure after paparazzi took a photo of Tyler and his girlfriend in his home, and it was published by a national magazine as part of a report saying the two were getting married.

"It caused a ripple in my family," Tyler told The Associated Press after the hearing. "I hadn't told anybody."

The Aerosmith frontman and former "American Idol" judge says his kids don't want to go out with him in Hawaii because of the threat of photographers who sometimes get on boats to take photos of him from the ocean.

"That's what they do, they are just constantly taking from us," Tyler said.

Fleetwood, the drummer from Fleetwood Mac, says he's gotten used to the constant attention but realizes that it's a "grim reality."

"The islands shouldn't represent this to people coming here," Fleetwood said.

Tyler addressed Hawaii senators briefly during a general session following the hearing and received applause from lawmakers.

During the hearing, Senate judiciary committee chair Clayton Hee scrapped the bill's original contents which were largely drafted by Tyler's lawyer and replaced them with language from a related California statute.

The California law was originally passed in 1998 in response to the death of Princess Diana, then amended in 2009 to permit lawsuits against media outlets that pay for and make first use of material they knew was improperly obtained. In addition to provisions against advanced equipment, the California measure has penalties for reckless behavior while attempting to get photos or video of a celebrity.

Senators also added an amendment to exempt law enforcement authorities, who use telephoto lenses and other such equipment during investigations.

Hee said he wants to move the bill straight to the Senate floor and to the House "in deference and in agreement with" Tyler.

Tyler said he was largely satisfied with the amendments. His lawyer, Dina LaPolt, agreed immediately after the hearing but said she planned to go over the changes more fully.

English says the bill is necessary to protect privacy in the digital age.

He says that while the constitution protects news publishing, it doesn't protect news gathering.

Stirling Morita, president of the Hawaii chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists, said he disagrees.

He says even with the bill's amendments, it's still too vague.

"You have to be pretty definite to limit First Amendment rights," Morita said.

The bill was also opposed by the National Press Photographers Association, which submitted testimony on behalf of the Society of Professional Journalists, the Associated Press Media Editors and the American Society of News Editors, among other media groups.

More than two-thirds of the state Senate co-sponsored the measure. Britney Spears and Avril Lavigne were among more than a dozen celebrities who submitted testimony supporting the bill along with the rockers.

The stars say paparazzi have made simple activities like cooking with family and sunbathing elusive luxuries and the bill would give them peace of mind.

Tyler said stars today are pestered much worse than previous generations given modern technology and lucrative paydays for paparazzi.

The unusual hearing packed a conference room in the Hawaii Capitol, and generated buzz from state staffers who captured cellphone pictures of Tyler and Fleetwood, then compared snapshots in the hallways after the hearing.

Cameras clicked excitedly when the musicians walked into a room packed with lawmakers, staffers, media and other onlookers.

Sam Slom, the sole Republican in Hawaii's 25-member Senate, ribbed Tyler about tabloid magazine photos that showed the singer in a revealing bathing suit.

"Mr. Tyler, it's a pleasure to see you in clothes today," Slom said.

___

Anita Hofschneider can be reached at http://twitter.com/ahofschneider

___

Online:

Text of bill: http://1.usa.gov/YfbJqi

Read More

LOS ANGELES (AP) The Black Keys still feel like the black sheep of the Grammy Awards.

"It's unexpected. I don't think we'll ever get used to this stuff," singer and guitarist Dan Auerbach said Friday.

"I don't think we ever will either," added drummer Patrick Carney. "It's more surreal now kind of being here and seeing all the musicians gathering for their annual 'pat on the back.'"

The bluesy Ohio-based rockers are nominated for five trophies at Sunday's ceremony. They were rehearsing Friday at the Staples Center with the Preservation Hall Jazz Band and legendary New Orleans pianist Dr. John, who'll join the group when they perform "Lonely Boy" live at the Grammys.

Justin Timberlake was also heard rehearsing as he transitioned from his comeback single "Suit & Tie" to a new song called "Push Your Love Girl," which featured his falsetto.

The Black Keys' five nominations include album of the year for "El Camino" and record of the year for "Lonely Boy." Auerbach is part of the six top acts with six nominations Sunday night, thanks to his nomination for non-classical producer of the year.

The duo said in an interview that they're fans of their top-album competitors, which include Frank Ocean, Mumford & Sons, fun. and Jack White.

"They're all good records, so it's exciting," Carney said before Auerbach jumped in with a light laugh: "Stiff competition. This is a competition right? I don't know what the odds are. Are they taking bets in Vegas right now?"

The group said they've spent the last month hard at work on a new album in Nashville.

"It's still coming together. We have tons of ideas," Carney said. "It's also something that will develop in the studio. We don't really know what it sounds like until it's done."

Carney makes an appearance on drums on Ke$ha's recently released album, "Warrior."

"She's a friend of ours. She asked me to play on a song. She lives in Nashville, too," he explained of the collaboration.

___

Follow Mesfin Fekadu at http://www.twitter.com/MusicMesfin .

___

Online:

http://www.theblackkeys.com

http://grammy.com

Read More

ARLINGTON, Va. (AP) Calling it "the honor of my life," Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said farewell to the U.S. military Friday, capping a venerated public service career that spanned four decades and included stints as a lawmaker, a top White House official and the spy chief who oversaw the killing of Osama bin Laden.

President Barack Obama, honoring his first-term Pentagon chief at a ceremony at a military base outside Washington, said Panetta would be remembered for welcoming more Americans into the military by opening combat roles to women and overseeing the repeal of a ban on gays serving openly "In short, for making our military and our nation that much stronger."

"Every decision he has made has been with one goal in mind: taking care of our sons and our daughters in uniform and keeping America safe," Obama said.

Panetta, the son of immigrants and self-described son of Italy, said he hoped in some small way to have helped to fulfill the dreams of his parents. As he spoke, row upon row of U.S. troops stood behind him, rifles and bayonets at their sides.

"It's been, for me, a hell of a ride," said Panetta, who served in Congress and in the Clinton administration before becoming Obama's CIA director and ultimately serving a brief but pivotal term as defense secretary.

"I will never forget the pride and exhilaration when I walked out of the White House after the president announced the success of the bin Laden operation," he recalled. "I could hear the chants of those people who were gathered around the White House and in Lafayette Park yelling, 'U.S.A. U.S.A.'"

Looming awkwardly over the formal farewell ceremony was the ongoing uncertainty about Panetta's replacement.

Obama has nominated former Nebraska Sen. Chuck Hagel, a Republican, to take over for Panetta, but Republicans have expressed deep misgivings about his previous statements about Iran, Israel and other issues. Days after postponing a vote on Panetta's confirmation amid GOP demands for more information, the Democratic chairman of the Senate's military panel said Friday he will press ahead with a vote.

Making no reference to the political hurdles, Obama said Hagel's mission would be to keep the U.S. military prepared and described Hagel as "a combat veteran with the experience, judgment and vision that our troops deserve."

Panetta has said he will remain on the job until the Senate confirms a successor. Then he will finally leave the Pentagon, returning home to his walnut farm in Carmel, Calif., after more than 40 years in Washington.

Panetta's tenure at the Pentagon was marked both by major milestones and a series of obstacles he and the military had to work to overcome. He oversaw the military's formal exit from Iraq and the start of the last drawdown of troops in Afghanistan, plus the end of a successful NATO campaign to rid Libya of Moammar Gadhafi.

But his attention was also diverted by prostitution scandals, spikes in sexual assaults and suicides, and ethical lapses by a handful of senior military leaders. An ongoing battle over spending cuts prompted Panetta to warn continually of the dire consequences of an underfunded military. Even as Panetta continued the efforts against al-Qaida, the threat from the terrorist group expanded in places like North Africa.

"We've overcome wars. We've overcome disasters. We've overcome economic depressions and recessions. We've overcome crises of every kind," Panetta said. "And throughout our history, the fighting spirit of our fellow Americans has made clear that we never, never, never give up."

___

Reach Josh Lederman on Twitter at http://twitter.com/joshledermanAP

Read More

MOSCOW (Reuters) - A Russian monument to a bottle of vodka has been toppled over fears that it could be seen as an illegal advert for the country's favourite tipple.

The three-metre metal sculpture had become a local landmark in the Urals town of Glazov, 1,000 km (600 miles) east of Moscow. But residents woke up one morning last week to discover it had disappeared, leaving only an empty plinth.

The bottle's fall reflects a new, sober spirit of the age in Russia under President Vladimir Putin, a judo blackbelt who rides, flies and dives for the TV cameras but is rarely seen raising a glass - unless to toast a billion-dollar oil deal.

Putin signed a ban on all alcohol advertising in July last year, while other laws have banned sales of alcohol from street kiosks or after 11 p.m. at night.

Initial reports suggested that local authorities were behind the disappearance of the memorial, erected 13 years ago to mark the centenary of the local Glazovskiy spirits factory.

But factory bosses later told local media they had decided to remove the monument from public view over fears that it could fall foul of the strict new advertising laws.

"The bottle monument...might be considered as an advert for our products. For this reason, a decision was taken to remove it," Dmitry Pozdeev, the head of the factory's legal department, told local media. The sculpture was moved into the factory.

Russian media suggested anti-drinking campaigners might have more work left to do in the region. They pointed out another sculpture to meat dumplings - a popular Russian drinking snack - is still standing in the regional city of Izhevsk.

(Reporting by Sonia Elks; Editing by Douglas Busvine and Oliver Holmes)

Read More

MINSK, Belarus (AP) The powerful Soviet Union may still exist after all at least on paper.

Former Belarusian leader Stanislav Shushkevich says a historic 1991 document that proclaimed the death of the Soviet Union is missing from the archives.

Shushkevich discovered that the document was gone while working on his memoirs. He said he believes it was stolen possibly by a former Belarusian official probably with the intention of selling it to a collector.

"It's hard to believe the disappearance of a document at such a level, but this is a fact," Shushkevich told The Associated Press.

Officials with Belarus' government and the Russia-dominated alliance of ex-Soviet nations confirmed late Wednesday that they only have copies.

"We don't know where the original is," said Vasily Ostreiko, the head of the archive department of the Commonwealth of Independent States, which has its headquarters in Minsk, the Belarusian capital. "We have a copy of that document. It's certified in line with international standards, but it's still a copy."

The document's disappearance reflects the chaos that surrounded the 1991 demise of the Soviet Union, a superpower of 300 million people that sprawled over nearly a dozen time zones and encompassed what is now 15 nations.

On Dec. 8, 1991, Shushkevich hosted Russian President Boris Yeltsin and Ukrainian President Leonid Kravchuk for secret talks at a government hunting lodge near Viskuli in the Belovezha Forest. The trio signed a deal declaring that "the U.S.S.R. has ceased to exist as a subject of international law and geopolitical reality" defeating Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev's attempts to hold the Soviet Union together.

The agreement also announced the creation of the Commonwealth of Independent States, a loose alliance joined by nine other Soviet republics that month.

Gorbachev resigned on Dec. 25, 1991, and the Soviet Communist empire that ruled with an iron fist for almost 70 years ceased to exist.

Read More