jack kemp

Jack Kemp, a star football quarterback who became a congressman, U.S. Cabinet secretary and Republican vice presidential nominee, died on Saturday at age 73. Kemp died of cancer at his home in Bethesda, Maryland, The New York Times said, quoting his son, Jimmy Kemp.
Obama says financial sector to shrink .

Clinton sees "intense" Afghanistan-Pakistan talks

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said on Friday she expected "intense sessions" when the presidents of Afghanistan and Pakistan come to Washington for three-nation talks next week. President Barack Obama is due to meet Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari and Afghan President Hamid Karzai on Wednesday and Thursday, following through on a pledge for regular high-level, three-way meetings aimed at improving coordination and strategy to stabilize the Asian countries.

U.S. Justice Souter resigns

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Supreme Court Justice David Souter announced on Friday he will resign, and President Barack Obama said he wanted someone with a sharp, independent mind for his first appointment to the nation's highest court. Souter, 69, who has been on the court since 1990, said in a brief letter to the White House that he intended to retire when the justices go on their summer recess at the end of next month.

Obama says optimistic U.S. can manage flu
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama on Friday expressed confidence in the government's ability to handle the flu outbreak and said that officials were planning ahead for the long term. Obama told reporters after a Cabinet meeting that he was pleased with the progress so far in dealing with the public health emergency and said he was "optimistic we're going to be able to manage this effectively."

Chavez says Obama must prove change after handshake
CARACAS (Reuters) - Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said on Friday that Barack Obama must prove he wants to improve ties with South America after the two leaders shook hands at a summit last month. Chavez, a strident U.S. critic, has reduced the frequency of tirades against what he calls the "empire" since Obama took office as U.S. president in January, but he returned to the theme in a speech at a workers' march on Friday.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The financial sector will make up a smaller part of the U.S. economy in the future as new regulations clamp down on "massive risk-taking," President Barack Obama said in an interview published on Saturday. Obama, whose young administration has spearheaded a raft of reforms in the banking sector as part of efforts to tackle the financial crisis, said the industry's role in the United States would look different at the end of the current recession.