Obama urges no "political games" on jobs plan (Reuters)

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Barack Obama called on Republicans not to play "political games" with his jobs plan as he pressed for swift passage of a $447 billion package he hopes will revive the U.S. economy and boost his re-election prospects.

Four days after challenging Congress to act in a televised address, Obama stepped up his campaign to sell his proposals to American voters as he prepared to send the jobs bill to lawmakers later on Monday.

"This is a bill that is based on ideas from both Democrats and Republicans, and this is a bill that Congress needs to pass, no games, no politics, no delays," Obama said in an appearance in the White House Rose Garden, holding up a thick text of the legislation held together with a black clip.

The president, who pushed through an $800 billion economic stimulus package in 2009, will see his re-election chances hinging heavily on his ability to reduce stubbornly high unemployment above 9 percent.

Top Republicans have said they are open to some aspects of the Obama jobs plan but are not convinced the infrastructure and other stimulus spending is a good idea, given it would further swell budget deficits in the near-term.

They have resisted the White House suggestion that the jobs plan would be "paid for" with longer-term deficit cuts, saying it is important to make fiscal health a priority now and not push it forward for future generations to grapple with.

"It is my hope that we will be able to work together to put in place the best ideas of both parties and help put Americans back to work," John Boehner, Republican speaker of the House of Representatives.

Boehner said his party has a "different vision" from Obama on job creation and that the president's ideas will require "careful examination" in light of what Republicans see as wasteful spending in previous stimulus plans.

KEEPING UP PRESSURE

Obama sought to keep up the pressure.

"This is a bill that will put people back to work all across the country. This is a bill that will help our economy in a moment of national crisis," Obama said, flanked by teachers, police officers, construction workers and small business owners he said would be helped by his plan.

He took aim at Republicans who have resisted many of his economic initiatives in the past.

"We can't afford these same political games, not now," Obama said.

Cooperation could be hard to find in Washington's climate of dysfunction where a nasty feud over the government's debt levels this summer brought the country to the brink of default and led to an unprecedented U.S. credit downgrade.

But Republicans, while not wanting to give Obama any help before the November 2012 election, may have to cede some ground to help boost the economy or risk a voter backlash.

Obama will take his jobs message on the road again this week to build support for his ideas in battleground states.

His Tuesday visit to Ohio -- home of Boehner, the top Republican in Congress -- and Wednesday's stop in North Carolina mark the start of a series of trips the president is set to take to convince skeptical voters he has the right formula to get the economy going again.

He may also replicate his August bus tour through Iowa, Illinois and Minnesota -- possibly in another part of the country -- to try to generate enthusiasm for his proposed tax cuts and infrastructure projects and to pin blame on Congress if lawmakers fail to move quickly on the jobs package.

(Additional reporting by Andy Sullivan; Editing by John O'Callaghan)

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Rome, Madrid among 6 cities bidding for 2020 Games (AP)

LONDON – Six cities from Europe, Asia and the Middle East are competing to host the 2020 Olympics.

Submitting bids to the International Olympic Committee by Friday's deadline were Rome; Madrid; Tokyo; Istanbul; Doha, Qatar; and Baku, Azerbaijan.

The U.S. Olympic Committee announced last week it would not submit a bid, assuring at least a 20-year gap between Olympics on American soil for the fourth time.

There were no surprises, as all six cities had previously announced their candidacies. All six contenders have made previous bids, and two — Rome and Tokyo_ have hosted the Olympics.

Madrid is bidding for a third consecutive time, while Tokyo, Doha and 1960 are making their second successive attempts. It is Istanbul's fifth overall bid.

"Clearly the bids that begin with the most strength are Madrid, Rome and Tokyo, cities that are consolidated as three great urban centers," said Spanish IOC member Juan Antonio Samaranch Jr., son of the former IOC president.

Doha is proposing to hold the games in September and October, outside the traditional July-August dates, to avoid the blistering summer temperatures in the Gulf country.

The IOC will select the host city by secret ballot in Buenos Aires on Sept. 7, 2013.

The six candidates must first submit detailed application files and letters of guarantee to the IOC by Feb. 15. The IOC executive board will meet in May to decide whether to cut any of the cities and approve a list of finalists.

Final bid dossiers will be submitted in January 2013, followed by visits to the cities by an IOC evaluation commission from February to April.

The IOC panel will issue a report assessing the technical merits of the bids at least one month before the vote. The cities also will make technical presentations to the IOC ahead of the meeting in Buenos Aires.

Rome, which hosted the 1960 Olympics, was the first of the cities to announce its bid months ago. The Italian capital lost to Athens in the race for the 2004 Olympics and hopes to stage the games on the 60th anniversary of the '60 Games.

"Rome is a great sporting capital and memories are still alive of the 1960 Games which ... from an economic point of view signaled the start of Italy's economic boom," Renata Polverini, the president of Rome's Lazio region, said in a statement.

Madrid, which has never held the Olympics, mounted unsuccessful attempts for the 2012 and 2016 Games. The capital finished third in the 2012 voting and second for 2016.

"Madrid has a lot of experience from its two previous candidatures," said Spanish Olympic Committee president Alejandro Blanco. "Its project has already been tested and it's just about impossible to improve on it. Now we must develop a campaign to reveal all its assets."

Tokyo, host of the 1964 Games, finished third in the vote for the 2016 Games, which went to Rio de Janeiro. The Japanese capital wants the 2020 bid to be a symbol of the nation's recovery from the March 11 earthquake and tsunami that left almost 23,000 people dead or missing.

"I would like to thank members of the IOC for encouraging us to move forward for the reconstruction from the earthquake and tsunami damage earlier this year," Japanese Olympic Committee chief Tsunekazu Takeda said in a statement.

"We also appreciate the IOC members giving us valuable input and feedback on the previous bid for the 2016 Games. Learning from the experiences, I am committed to delivering the best possible games plan with improvements on every aspect."

Istanbul is back again after failed bids for the Olympics of 2000, 2004, 2008 and 2012.

"Every candidate city aspires to prepare in the best possible way and I can say that Istanbul and Turkey are going to prepare in the best way possible to organize the 2020 Games," Turkish IOC member Ugur Erdener said. "We have a good chance for hosting the 2020 Olympics."

Doha and Baku both failed to make the shortlist of finalists in the 2016 bidding.

The IOC executive board last week agreed to the Qatari city's request for a Sept. 20-Oct. 20 time frame to avoid the summer heat, when temperatures can exceed 104 degrees.

Qatar has already won the right to host the first soccer World Cup in the Middle East in 2022. The event will be held in June, and the desert country has proposed air-conditioned stadiums to beat the heat.

Qatar Olympic Committee general secretary Sheik Saoud Bin Abdulrahman called the IOC's decision to accept the Doha bid "wonderful news for the people of Qatar and the entire Middle East."

"To have the opportunity to host the first ever Games in the Middle East will have a profound impact not just on sports development throughout the region, but also in encouraging a greater bridge between the Middle East and the wider international community," he said in a statement Friday.

Still considered a long shot is the bid from Baku, capital of oil-rich Azerbaijan. The Azerbaijan committee said a stadium was already being built for the Olympics on the outskirts of Baku and will be completed by next year.

South Africa and Dubai considered bidding for 2020, but decided not to enter the race.

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Harold Heckle in Madrid contributed to this report.

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NCAA: 8 Miami players must sit out games (AP)

CORAL GABLES, Fla. – For Miami coach Al Golden, there is relief.

And for the Hurricanes implicated in an extra-benefits scandal, there will be a return to the field this season.

The NCAA said Tuesday that quarterback Jacory Harris and 11 other Hurricanes who accepted benefits from former booster Nevin Shapiro may play with some conditions — the first sanctions in a scandal that overshadows the program.

Three players who accepted benefits as recruits were hit hardest, a six-game ban for Olivier Vernon and four-game penalties for Ray Ray Armstrong and Dyron Dye.

"I think it was probably fair," Golden told The Associated Press in response to the NCAA ruling. "Clearly, whatever transpired, it wasn't as over-the-top as everybody was initially reporting and all of those things. The NCAA and the university felt there was mistakes made ... and I've accepted that. And now we're moving forward."

In all, 12 players must pay restitution and eight will miss at least one game.

Miami opens its season at Maryland on Monday night.

The Hurricanes still might face many more penalties as the NCAA's investigation into Miami's compliance practices continues.

Miami is one of a growing list of schools with major football programs to be investigated by the NCAA for rule-breaking in the past 18 months, a club that includes Southern California, Ohio State, Auburn, Oregon, Michigan, North Carolina, Georgia Tech and LSU.

"Our members have continually stressed that involvement of third parties during recruitment will not be tolerated," NCAA vice president of academic and membership affairs Kevin Lennon said.

The scandal broke days after NCAA President Mark Emmert led a group of university presidents — including Miami's Donna Shalala — in drafting an outline for change in college sports. When the allegations against Miami became public, Emmert said if they were proven, they could further show that the system needs repair.

Around the ACC, a similar sentiment is being shared.

"The Miami thing, that's a great example," said Georgia Tech coach Paul Johnson, whose team had to vacate its 2009 ACC title because it used an ineligible player. "If there's kids there that did it ... they need to get punished. But if it goes back to 2002 and all those guys are gone, nothing is going to happen to them. What's going to happen is to the 80 percent of the kids who are there who didn't know anything about it or the coach who didn't know anything about it."

Harris, Sean Spence, Travis Benjamin, Marcus Forston and Adewale Ojomo — all likely Miami starters — must sit out one game after it was determined they accepted benefits after enrolling at the school. Four other players must repay small amounts, all under $100, but will not miss any games.

"They understand that their actions demand consequences," Miami athletic director Shawn Eichorst said.

A 13th player, Marcus Robinson, was vindicated of wrongdoing, the university said.

The players who have to miss games may practice with the team during their suspensions.

"It's nice to have it out there now," Miami center Tyler Horn said. "There's no suspense in the air. We know what we have. We know what we're taking to Maryland."

Said Golden: "I'm relieved. I think that's a fair assessment."

The NCAA's ruling means Stephen Morris — who led Miami past the Terrapins last season — will be at quarterback for the Hurricanes to start the season. Harris, Spence, Benjamin, Forston and Ojomo all will be eligible to play when Miami hosts Ohio State on Sept. 17.

"They'll still be motivating us," left tackle Joel Figueroa said. "We're going to welcome them back with open arms, and we know they'll be ready to perform when the time comes."

The process of evaluating the eligibility of Miami student-athletes might not be over yet. Shalala revealed last week that university compliance personnel were investigating 15 student-athletes.

Of those, 13 were addressed by Tuesday's football decisions. A 14th is believed to be basketball player DeQuan Jones, who was also implicated by Shapiro's claims to Yahoo Sports. The identity of the 15th is unknown.

Also Tuesday, senior wide receiver Aldarius Johnson — who was also implicated by Shapiro, but not named in Tuesday's NCAA statement — was suspended indefinitely for a violation of team rules.

"We clearly have identified what our travel team is now," Golden said. "Everybody's going to get their roles (Wednesday) and by 7 a.m. we're going to be back on the practice field. That's been kind of our sanctum anyway. That's been the safest place for us this whole time."

The NCAA said Vernon must repay more than $1,200 because as a recruit he accepted things such as access to Shapiro's suite at a Miami home game, drinks and cover charges at two different nightclubs. Vernon was one of 72 Miami players and recruits that Shapiro claimed he provided benefits to during an eight-year span, allegations he detailed in a Yahoo Sports story published Aug. 16.

Armstrong must repay $788, the believed worth of his extra benefits, while Dye will pay $738.

Forston, the NCAA said, received more than $400 in things such as "athletic equipment, meals, nightclub cover charges and entertainment at a gentleman's club." Spence received about $275 in benefits, Ojomo $240, Benjamin more than $150 and Harris more than $140.

Brandon McGee, JoJo Nicholas, Vaughn Telemaque and Micanor Regis all must pay less than $100 for taking various impermissible benefits. Regis was not one of the players Shapiro said accepted benefits. The sanctions of those four players were announced by the university, which is operating a joint investigation with the NCAA.

"I'm glad that chapter is closed," Golden said. "I'm proud of our guys. I think they were, from every report I've gotten, were honest and forthright. And now we get ready for the University of Maryland."

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