ST. PAUL, Minn.

Bachmann says migraines won’t affect ability to serve

Republican Michele Bachmann moved swiftly Tuesday to address questions about her history of severe headaches, saying they wouldn’t affect her ability to serve as president.

The Minnesota congresswoman rejected suggestions that migraines would prevent her from waging a rigorous campaign or from running the country if she wins.

“Let me be abundantly clear — my ability to function effectively has never been impeded by migraines and will not affect my ability to serve as commander in chief,” Bachmann said in a statement.

She insisted that her symptoms are controlled with prescription medication and have not gotten in the way of a packed campaign schedule or impaired her service in Congress.

Bachmann’s statement followed a report published late Monday by The Daily Caller saying Bachmann’s past migraines have led to hospitalizations and left her “incapacitated.” The online publication granted anonymity to former aides who described specific instances where Bachmann was reportedly sidelined by severe headaches.

WASHINGTON

Pakistani accused of trying to secretly influence policy

For years, the Pakistani spy agency funneled millions of dollars to a Washington nonprofit group in a secret effort to influence Congress and the White House, the Justice Department said Tuesday in court documents that are certain to complicate already strained relations between the U.S. and Pakistan.

FBI agents arrested Syed Ghulam Nabi Fai, the executive director of the Kashmiri American Council, on Tuesday and charged him with being an unregistered agent of a foreign government. Under the supervision of a senior member of Pakistan’s spy agency, Inter-Services Intelligence, Fai donated money to political campaigns, wrote newspaper op-eds, organized congressional trips and met with White House and State Department officials.

“I believe that Fai has received approximately $500,000 to $700,000 per year from the government of Pakistan,” FBI agent Sarah Webb Linden said in documents filed in federal court in Alexandria, Va.

Officially, the Kashmiri American Council had a much smaller budget and told the U.S. government that it received no foreign grants, according to Internal Revenue Service documents.

MEHTERLAM, Afghanistan

NATO hands over security of eastern province’s capital

NATO handed over responsibility for the security of the capital of an eastern province to Afghan forces Tuesday, the latest step in a transition process that will lead to the withdrawal of all foreign combat troops by the end of 2014.

The U.S.-led coalition has started a process of transferring security in parts of the country where they say Afghan forces are strong enough to take control. Much of the country remains lawless and unstable after a decade of war.

U.S. forces turned over control of Mehterlam, the capital of Laghman province, but they’ll retain responsibility for the other areas in the predominantly Pashtun province that remain under the influence of the Taliban and other insurgent groups.

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