News Articles For 8/18

ISF arrest Promised Day Brigade leader in Rashidiyah
http://www.usf-iraq.com/news/press-releases/isf-arrest-promised-day-brigade-leader-in-rashidiyah
BAGHDAD – Iraqi Security Forces arrested a Promised Day Brigade (PDB) leader and one criminal associate during a joint security operation conducted in Rashidiyah today.
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Military Children Get Improved Schools
http://afps.dodlive.mil/2010/08/17/military-children-get-improved-schools/
Heather Forsgren Weaver, a colleague of mine at American Forces Press Service, is a regular contributor to Family Matters. Heather’s been heavily involved in this blog from the start. She edits, helps write and posts content on a daily basis.
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Medical Airmen inspired by wounded
http://www.usf-iraq.com/news/headlines/medical-airmen-inspired-by-wounded
JOINT BASE BALAD – Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines – too many to remember all of their names. But each service member to pass through the medical evacuation area here plants footprints in the memories of the medical crews, while some leave a little piece of their spirit and legend behind.
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Face of Defense: Cadet Spends Summer Launching Jets
http://www.defense.gov/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=60477
WASHINGTON, Aug. 18, 2010 – Of all the ways a college student could spend summer break, Aven Sanders chose to work on the flightline here as a crew chief, launching and recovering T-38 Talon jet trainers.
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228M eggs recalled following salmonella outbreak
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_tainted_eggs
WASHINGTON – An Iowa egg producer is recalling 228 million eggs after being linked to an outbreak of salmonella poisoning. The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said eggs from Wright County Egg in Galt, Iowa, were linked to several illnesses in Colorado, California and Minnesota.
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The Fog of War on America’s Southern Border, Part One
http://bigjournalism.com/mfrazier/2010/08/18/the-fog-of-war-on-americas-southern-border-part-one/
Has the fog of war descended on the U.S. southern border, obscuring the reporting of news and concealing the truth about what is going on along the Rio Grande and in Arizona and California?
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U.S. may sue Arizona’s Sheriff Arpaio for not cooperating in investigation
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/08/17/AR2010081703637_pf.html
A federal investigation of a controversial Arizona sheriff known for tough immigration enforcement has intensified in recent days, escalating the conflict between the Obama administration and officials in the border state.
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Pelosi: Investigate Opposition to the Ground Zero Mosque
http://bigpeace.com/dreaboi/2010/08/18/pelosi-investigate-opposition-to-the-ground-zero-mosque/
Kerry Picket of The Washington Times notes an alarming radio interview with Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi. In it, Pelosi calls for an investigation–presumably, by Congress–of the massive grassroots opposition to the Ground Zero Mosque.
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State Land for the Shariah Index Project?
http://bigpeace.com/stzu/2010/08/17/state-land-for-the-shariah-index-project/
CBS is reporting some strange noises coming out of New York tonight. Seems that Governor David Paterson is still thinking about a “compromise” that would allow the people behind the Ground Zero Mosque– and its Shariah Index Project– to relocate to state land nearby.
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Mosque Developer Rejects Meeting With Paterson
http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local-beat/Mosque-Developer-Says-No-Meeting-Scheduled-With-Gov-100967889.html
The developers of an Islamic cultural center that would include a mosque near Ground Zero have rejected Gov. David Paterson’s offer to help them find a different site.
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Decision Not to Rebuild Church Destroyed on 9/11 Surprises Greek Orthodox Leaders
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/08/18/leaders-disappointed-government-declares-deal-rebuild-ground-zero-church-dead/
Greek Orthodox leaders trying to rebuild the only church destroyed in the Sept. 11 terror attacks expressed shock this week after learning, via Fox News, that government officials had killed a deal to relocate the church.
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FCC Takes Another Step Towards Regulating the Internet
http://biggovernment.com/ldrummer/2010/08/17/fcc-takes-another-step-to-regulating-the-internet/
In step with federal government intrusion into the health care system, the auto industry, and the financial industry, the FCC and the Obama Administration has had its eye on asserting control over the Internet.
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L.A. fuming over Obama traffic, demands investigation
http://www.latimes.com/news/la-obamatraffic17-m,0,3742308.story?track=rss&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+latimes%2Fnews+%28L.A.+Times+-+Top+News%29
The massive traffic jam that resulted from President Obama’s motorcade and speech Monday night in Hancock Park is prompting calls for an investigation from some residents, who say they were caught in traffic for hours.
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Young will have to change names to escape ‘cyber past’ warns Google’s Eric Schmidt
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/google/7951269/Young-will-have-to-change-names-to-escape-cyber-past-warns-Googles-Eric-Schmidt.html
The private lives of young people are now so well documented on the internet that many will have to change their names on reaching adulthood, Google’s CEO has claimed.
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Iran asks IAEA to oppose sanctions
http://www.jpost.com/IranianThreat/News/Article.aspx?id=185165
Iran’s ambassador to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Ali Asghar Soltanieh called on the organization to oppose sanctions on Wednesday, Iranian news network PressTV reported.
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Iran’s secret pipeline into the U.S.
http://wtop.com/?nid=25&sid=2029721
WASHINGTON – Iran Air 744 is a bimonthly flight that originates in Tehran and flies directly to Caracas with periodic stops in Beirut and Damascus. The maiden flight was Feb. 2, 2007.
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Iranian Mullahs: Can We Talk? (Part 2)
http://bigpeace.com/phuessy/2010/08/17/iranian-mullahs-can-we-talk-part-2/
That then is our dilemma. Though we rhetorically see Iran as a state sponsor of terror, and even officially say so in our annual State Department reports on the same subject, our actions to date, and from every administration since 1979, have revealed a general unwillingness to face an ugly reality. Iran is supporting terrorist attacks on our soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan.
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Turkey: Increase embassy security
http://www.jpost.com/Israel/Article.aspx?id=185184
Turkish diplomatic sources asked Israel to increase security at the Turkish Embassy in Tel Aviv in the wake of Tuesday’s attack on the embassy by a Palestinian gunman, Turkish daily Hurriyet reported on Wednesday.
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Gore calls for major protests on government’s climate change inaction
http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/677-e2-wire/114717-al-gore-calls-for-us-protests-on-climate-change-inaction
Former Vice President Gore is calling for major rallies to protest congressional inaction on climate change. In a post on his personal blog headlined “The Movement We Need,” Gore linked to and quoted from an Australian wire service report that “tens of thousands of protesters … have taken to the streets across Australia to urge the major political parties to take action on climate change.”

News Articles For 8/14

ISF arrest 2 suspected AQI criminal associates near Habaniyah
http://www.usf-iraq.com/news/press-releases/isf-arrest-2-suspected-aqi-criminal-associates-near-habaniyah
BAGHDAD – Iraqi Security Forces arrested two suspected Al-Qaeda in Iraq (AQI) criminal associates during a joint security operation conducted near Habaniyah today.
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Operations in Afghanistan Net Haqqani, Taliban Leaders
http://www.defense.gov/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=60433
WASHINGTON, Aug. 13, 2010 – Afghan and coalition security forces captured several Haqqani terrorist network and Taliban leaders in Afghanistan this week during 48 separate operations, military officials reported.
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Afghan Uniformed Police rescue kidnapped men; kill, capture insurgents
http://www.cjtf101.com/regional-command-east-news-mainmenu-401/3142-afghan-uniformed-police-rescue-kidnapped-men-kill-capture-insurgents.html
PAKTIKA PROVINCE, Afghanistan – The Afghan Uniformed Police in Sharana distinct demonstrated their abilities and dedication to protect the Afghan people by rescuing two hostages taken by insurgents Aug. 11.
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Staff Sgt. Timmy combats stress with smiles
http://www.cjtf101.com/regional-command-east-news-mainmenu-401/3140-staff-sgt-timmy-combats-stress-with-smiles.html
BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan – Staff Sgt. Timmy deployed to Afghanistan in July and has worked like a dog ever since, averaging 120 interactions per week between him and other servicemembers.
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Face of Defense: Soldier Competes to Honor Late Wife
http://www.defense.gov/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=60432
CAMP ATTERBURY JOINT MANEUVER TRAINING CENTER, Ind., Aug. 13, 2010 – The installation support unit safety officer here is competing in this year’s Scottish Highland Games 2010 Masters World Championships in Colorado’s Rocky Mountains to honor the memory of his wife, who died in October.
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FBI Offers $100K Reward – Dallas, Ft. Worth White Powder Mailings
http://www.nationalterroralert.com/updates/2010/08/13/fbi-offers-100k-reward-dallas-ft-worth-white-powder-mailings/
Randall C. Till, Inspector in Charge, Fort Worth Division, U.S Postal Inspection Service, and Robert E. Casey Jr., Special Agent in Charge, Dallas, FBI, announce a reward of up to $100,000 for information leading to the arrest and prosecution of the person(s) responsible for the recent mailings of letters containing white powder in the Dallas/Fort Worth area.
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Fed’s Hoenig: Keeping Rates Too Low ‘Dangerous Gamble’
http://www.cnbc.com/id/38693128
The Federal Reserve is undertaking a “dangerous gamble” by keeping rates at near zero for so long, and must start raising rates or risk damaging the nascent U.S. recovery, a top Federal Reserve official said on Friday.
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Shopping mall’s speech restrictions torpedoed
http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=191153
A court decision written by a candidate for chief justice of the California Supreme Court has torpedoed rules established by a shopping mall to regulate casual conversations among customers.
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Is Life Sentence Too Harsh For Man Convicted of Ninth DWI?
http://abcnews.go.com/US/texas-man-life-sentence-ninth-dwi/story?id=11395058
The ninth conviction was the breaking point for one Texas judge who earlier this week sentenced a habitual drunken driver to life in prison. Bobby Stovall, 54, was driving his truck in Round Rock, Texas, in early July when he weaved through several lanes of traffic and hit another vehicle, injuring the driver. It was later determined that Stovall had a blood alcohol concentration of .32, four times the legal limit in Texas.
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Obama endorses mosque plan near Ground Zero
http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=CNG.98925eb05f8fa246d8d13e6d5658310d.551&show_article=1
US President Barack Obama has waded into a bitter controversy over a plan by Muslims to build a mosque just blocks from Ground Zero, endorsing the project on religious freedom grounds.
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Will $600 million border bill help Obama sway GOP on immigration reform?
http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Politics/2010/0813/Will-600-million-border-bill-help-Obama-sway-GOP-on-immigration-reform
President Obama signed a $600 million border protection bill Friday. Does that mean comprehensive immigration legislation has a better chance of passing?
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Now smuggling operations infecting northern border
http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=190245
The images of weapons stockpiles and drug-cartel mayhem may not be coming from Mexican and southern U.S. border cities much longer, according to experts who say the continuing criminal enterprises are moving north, and already have reached both Middle America and the nation’s northern perimeter.
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Blog del Narco Goes Where Others Dare Not In News Blackout
http://www.nationalterroralert.com/updates/2010/08/12/blog-del-narco-goes-where-others-dare-not-in-news-blackout/
Operating from behind a thick curtain of computer security, Blog del Narco in less than six months has become Mexico’s go-to Internet site for the latest news on Mexico’s cartels and drug gangs at a time when mainstream media in the country stays away due to pressures and threats.
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Atlantic Monthly: Israeli Strike on Iran Likely after Next July
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/139061
There is a better than 50-50 chance that Israel will attack Iran after next July, but many Israeli officials think a better solution to the Iranian nuclear threat would be an American strike on its nuclear facilities, Atlantic Monthly’s Jeffrey Goldberg writes.
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Photographer has close encounter with pilot whales in the Strait of Gibraltar
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/earthpicturegalleries/7940987/Photographer-has-close-encounter-with-pilot-whales-in-the-Strait-of-Gibraltar.html
This pilot whale may seem to have a big, cartoonish grin, but these 20-foot-long toothed predators can become aggressive.

News Articles For 7/26

ISF arrest AQI suspect, 4 criminal associates near Baghdad
http://www.usf-iraq.com/news/press-releases/isf-arrest-suspected-aqi-member-4-criminal-associates-near-baghdad
BAGHDAD – Iraqi Security Forces arrested one suspected Al-Qaeda in Iraq (AQI) member and four criminal associates during a joint security operation approximately 30km southwest of Baghdad, near Qaryat ar Rufush today.
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Mansuriyah operation yields 2 suspected AQI criminal associates
http://www.usf-iraq.com/news/press-releases/mansuriyah-operation-yields-2-suspected-aqi-criminal-associates
BAGHDAD – Iraqi Security Forces arrested two suspected Al-Qaeda in Iraq (AQI) criminal associates during a joint security operation near Mansuriyah today.
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Maysan Police graduate Raid Planning, Search Warrant Course
http://www.usf-iraq.com/news/press-releases/maysan-province-police-graduate-raid-planning-search-warrant-course
BAGHDAD – Seventeen members of the Maysan Province 3rd Emergency Response unit completed a week-long Raid Planning and Search Warrant Course at Contingency Operating Station Garry Owen on July 22nd.
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Soldiers give prosthetics to Iraqi hospital
http://www.army.mil/-news/2010/07/22/42665-soldiers-give-prosthetics-to-iraqi-hospital/index.html?ref=home-headline-title4
BAGHDAD (Army News Service, July 22, 2010) — Soldiers delivered boxes of prosthetic limbs July 19 to the Adamiyah Hospital, a rehabilitative hospital in the Baghdad area.
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Village gets new school, toys, clothes
http://www.usf-iraq.com/news/headlines/village-gets-new-school-toys-clothes
COB SPEICHER – U.S. Army security detachment Soldiers took on a new mission recently; loading their vehicles with soccer balls, toys and clothes for a newly-constructed school near here.
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Afghan-International Forces Make Progress Across Afghanistan
http://www.defense.gov/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=60154
WASHINGTON, July 23, 2010 – Afghan-international forces seized enemy weapons caches, captured or killed numerous insurgents, and reopened a long-closed school during recent operations conducted across Afghanistan, military officials reported.
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Families turn out for Movie Night on the Bay
http://www.marines.mil/unit/tecom/mcrdsandiego/Pages/FamiliesturnoutforMovieNightontheBay.aspx
MARINE CORPS RECRUIT DEPOT SAN DIEGO — Marine families can be hard pressed to spend time together, even during summer months. Semper Fit is attempting to provide activities for Marine families this summer. Movie Night on the Bay was held at the Bay View boat house Saturday night.
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Sailors of the Year Promoted to Chief, Make History
http://www.navy.mil/search/display.asp?story_id=54845
WASHINGTON (NNS) — The 2009 Sailor of the Year winners, who for the first time in history are all women, were meritoriously advanced to Chief Petty Officer during a ceremony held at the Navy Memorial July 22.
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Army Jumpmaster Earns Coveted Master Parachutist Wings
http://www.defense.gov/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=60139
FORT BRAGG, N.C., July 23, 2010 – Army Chief Warrant Officer 2 Michael Sanders, a 43-year-old senior interrogator with the XVIII Airborne Corps here, battled a bad knee to earn the coveted master parachutist wings, the highest-level airborne skills award, other than the combat parachutists badge.
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Taliban, Afghan officials say one of two missing U.S. service members is dead
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/07/25/AR2010072500719.html
KABUL — One U.S. Navy service member was killed in a shootout with Taliban fighters in the eastern Afghan province of Logar and another is in insurgent custody, a Taliban spokesman and Afghan officials said Sunday.
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Goldman reveals where bailout cash went
http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/banking/2010-07-24-goldman-bailout-cash_N.htm
Goldman Sachs sent $4.3 billion in federal tax money to 32 entities, including many overseas banks, hedge funds and pensions, according to information made public Friday night.
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Geithner Dismisses Concerns on Letting Tax Cuts Expire
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/26/us/politics/26geithner.html?_r=1
WASHINGTON — Treasury Secretary Timothy F. Geithner pressed the case on Sunday for letting Bush-era tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans expire later this year.
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Pence: Extend tax cuts
http://www.pal-item.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=20107250305
WASHINGTON — Tapped to deliver the weekly GOP radio address, Indiana Rep. Mike Pence argued Saturday that Congress should extend the tax cuts passed during the Bush administration that expire at the end of this year.
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Bush-Era Tax Cuts a Likely Campaign Theme
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704719104575389540592147682.html
Democrats are aiming to push legislation extending Bush-era middle-class tax cuts ahead of midterm elections. But with Republicans and several Democrats advocating a similar extension for high-earners, too, prospects for passage before November balloting appear uncertain.
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Reid to Netroots: “We’re Going To Have a Public Option”
http://spectator.org/blog/2010/07/24/reid-to-netroots-were-going-to
LAS VEGAS — Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, seeking to console liberal activists who were disappointed by the final version of the national health care law, assured them that there would eventually be a public option.
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Britain Plans to Decentralize Health Care
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/25/world/europe/25britain.html?_r=1&hp
LONDON — Perhaps the only consistent thing about Britain’s socialized health care system is that it is in a perpetual state of flux, its structure constantly changing as governments search for the elusive formula that will deliver the best care for the cheapest price while costs and demand escalate.
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Axe falls on NHS services
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/7908742/Axe-falls-on-NHS-services.html
Some of the most common operations — including hip replacements and cataract surgery — will be rationed as part of attempts to save billions of pounds, despite government promises that front-line services would be protected.
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Freedom of photography: Police, security often clamp down despite public right
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/07/25/AR2010072502795_pf.html
A few weeks ago, on his way to work, Matt Urick stopped to snap a few pictures of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s headquarters. He thought the building was ugly but might make for an interesting photo. The uniformed officer who ran up to him didn’t agree. He told Urick he was not allowed to photograph federal buildings.
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Migrants sell up, flee Arizona ahead of crackdown
http://www.reuters.com/article/marketsNews/idUSN2514063220100725
PHOENIX, July 25 (Reuters) – Nicaraguan mother Lorena Aguilar hawks a television set and a few clothes on the baking sidewalk outside her west Phoenix apartment block.
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White House backed release of Lockerbie bomber Abdel Baset al-Megrahi
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/world/white-house-backed-release-of-lockerbie-bomber-abdel-baset-al-megrahi/story-e6frg6so-1225896741041
THE US government secretly advised Scottish ministers it would be “far preferable” to free the Lockerbie bomber than jail him in Libya. Correspondence obtained by The Sunday Times reveals the Obama administration considered compassionate release more palatable than locking up Abdel Baset al-Megrahi in a Libyan prison.
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Congressman: Stop horsing around with sports votes
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100723/ap_on_go_co/us_congress_sports_bills_1
WASHINGTON – House Democrats and Republicans have put aside their differences this year to honor the likes of golfer Phil Mickelson, the Chicago Blackhawks hockey team, NASCAR driver Jimmy Johnson and the Penn State women’s volleyball team.
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Chris Wallace Shows How to Deal with a Bully Named Howard Dean
http://bigjournalism.com/fross/2010/07/25/chris-wallace-shows-how-to-deal-with-a-bully-named-howard-dean/
Modern American leftism is, at heart, a culture of thugs and bullies who simply assert what they wish to be true and never let facts get in the way whatever ridiculous argument they are trying to make. Which is why it’s such a pleasure to see an honest newsman like Chris Wallace stand up to them.
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Election Wins Can Stop Lame-Duck Threat
http://article.nationalreview.com/438496/election-wins-can-stop-lame-duck-threat/phil-kerpen
Senate Democrats who think they can use a lame-duck session to force the country into a final, decisive lurch to the left may be in for a big surprise: newly elected senators ready to take their seats and derail major policy changes before the new Congress convenes.
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‘Son of Hamas’ opposes Ground Zero mosque
http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=183873
The eldest son of one of Hamas’ founding members has come out in vehement opposition to plans by Muslims to build an Islamic cultural center and mosque near New York City’s Ground Zero, site of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attack on the World Trade Center.
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Chavez threatens U.S. oil cut in Colombia dispute
http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSN2514507120100725
CARACAS, July 25 (Reuters) – Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez threatened on Sunday to cut oil supplies to the United States in case of a military attack from Colombia as a dispute escalated over charges his country harbors Colombian rebels.
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Mexico – Guards Allegedly Released Inmates To Commit Massacre
http://www.nationalterroralert.com/updates/2010/07/25/mexico-guards-allegedly-released-inmates-to-commit-massacre/
If there is any doubt left that the violence in Mexico is spinning out of control, with corruption at too many levels to comnprehend… Fox News is reporting guards and officials at a prison in northern Mexico allegedly let inmates out, lent them guns and sent them off in official vehicles to carry out drug-related killings, including the massacre of 17 people last week.
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Tensions on edge as Lebanon awaits word of war
http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=183101
BEIRUT, Lebanon – Mixed in with the sweltering sun, heat and humidity, Lebanon is growing increasingly tense as the country braces for a United Nations report on the 2005 assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri that could implicate members of the Loyalty to the Resistance, also known as Hezbollah, according to a report from Joseph Farah’s G2 Bulletin.
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Procter & Gamble recalls 2 Iams cat food lots
http://www.wkyc.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=141310
CINCINNATI — Cincinnati-based Procter & Gamble is voluntarily recalling two lots of Iams brand prescription renal dry cat food because it could be contaminated with salmonella.
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A dam big project: Incredible images of construction work on 1,900ft-long Hoover Bridge
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1297473/Incredible-images-construction-work-1-900ft-long-Hoover-Bridge.html
It is one of the planet’s newest awe-inspiring superstructures – the Hoover Dam Bridge. Now the giant construction project which is on schedule to be completed in September can be seen in all its glory in a series of stunning photographs.

News Articles For 7/21

US, Iraqi Soldiers Open Renovated Abu Ghraib School
http://www.dvidshub.net/?script=news/news_show.php&id=53086
BAGHDAD – Ebn Kuthrir School in Abu Ghraib was in desperate need of repair. Children attended classes with outdated or broken equipment and had to suffer through the heat of summer without air conditioning. All of this made learning difficult for them.
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Afghan, Coalition Forces Kill, Capture Insurgents
http://www.defense.gov/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=60080
WASHINGTON, July 20, 2010 – Afghan and coalition forces killed or captured numerous insurgents during operations conducted across Afghanistan yesterday, military officials reported.
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Guard, Reserve Children Need Help in School
http://afps.dodlive.mil/2010/07/20/guard-reserve-children-need-help-in-school/
Over the past year, I’ve spoken with many military families about the challenges they face, and a common issue is education for children from Guard and reserve families.
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Face of Defense: NCO Leads Guard Response Team
http://www.defense.gov/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=60082
FORT LEAVENWORTH, Kan. , July 20, 2010 – The Missouri Army National Guard’s Sgt. Maj. Kevin E. Smith is the network operations manager and noncommissioned officer-in-charge of the National Guard’s newest Domestic All-Hazards Response Team.
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U.S. Navy Successfully Uses Laser to Shoot Down Drones
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-501465_162-20011041-501465.html
The U.S. Navy has used a a laser weapon to shoot down four unmanned aerial vehicles in a test that rings up memories of Ronald Reagan’s “Star Wars” missile defense shield in the 1980s.
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US financial system support up $700 bln in past year-watchdog
http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSN2010140720100721
WASHINGTON, July 21 (Reuters) – Increased housing commitments swelled U.S. taxpayers’ total support for the financial system by $700 billion in the past year to around $3.7 trillion, a government watchdog said on Wednesday.
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NAACP and Glenn Beck agree: People rushed to judgment on Sherrod
http://hotair.com/archives/2010/07/20/naacp-and-glenn-beck-agree-people-rushed-to-judgment-on-sherrod/
Apparently Krauthammer agrees too. I haven’t seen it yet, but according to one of Ace’s co-bloggers, CK said on “Special Report” a few minutes ago that Sherrod deserves an apology and her job back.
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NAACP Blames Fox and Breitbart For The NAACP’s Overreaction to Shirley Sherrod Video
http://biggovernment.com/jdunetz/2010/07/20/naacp-blames-fox-and-breitbart-for-the-naacps-overreaction-to-shirley-sherrod-video/
The scandal surrounding the firing of Shirley Sherrod is getting weirder by the second. Now the NAACP is blaming Fox News and Andrew Breitbart for the NAACP’s own overreaction to the release of the video of Ms Sherrod, released on Big Government yesterday.
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State rules clash with health pools
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0710/39933.html
In the early implementation of health reform, states with the most progressive health policies are having a more difficult experience than others locking down a share of the $5 billion of federal funding for new high-risk pools.
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Border Violence Pictures
http://www.glennbeck.com/content/articles/article/198/43253/
The media is completely ignoring the escalation of violence on our southern border. It’s wildly out of control and the violence is worse than ever. here are new pictures coming out now so gruesome that we couldn’t even show them to you on TV.
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Obama adviser: U.S. ‘ideal place for renewal of Islam’
http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=181865
A religion adviser to President Obama has close ties to the imam who wants to build a 13-story Islamic cultural center near Ground Zero. The two have been documented together discussing America as “the ideal place for a renewal of Islam,” WND has learned.
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ShoreBank: Is There a Rezko Connection?
http://biggovernment.com/jpollak/2010/07/21/shorebank-is-there-a-rezko-connection/
For months, we have been told that ShoreBank deserves a bailout because it serves poor communities. We have been assured by ShoreBank’s patrons, such as Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-IL), that allowing the federal government to take over the bank will put borrowers in those communities at risk.
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US announces new sanctions against North Korea
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100721/ap_on_re_as/as_skorea_us_alliance
SEOUL, South Korea – The Obama administration moved Wednesday to push new sanctions against North Korea over its nuclear weapons program, as Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and Defense Secretary Robert Gates showed solidarity with South Korea during a visit to the area that separates it from the North.
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China oil spill doubles in size, is deemed ‘severe threat’
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/38337393/ns/world_news-world_environment/
BEIJING — China’s largest reported oil spill more than doubled in size to 165 square miles by Wednesday, forcing nearby beaches to close and prompting one official to warn of a “severe threat” to sea life and water quality.
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Picture of Lightning Strikes at Athens Olympic Stadium
http://www.greeksky.gr/files/photos/atmospheric/20100628Thunders.htm
This is a photo sequence of 42 stacked shots, caught in Olympic Stadium, Athens during a severe thunderstorm. It only took me aproximatelly 30 minutes to capture 51 thunders.

News Articles For 6/6

Normandy ceremonies mark 66th anniversary of D-Day
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hlK7B89utqDEw5Gn8raOK264iKsgD9G5Q1M00
COLVILLE-SUR-MER, France — Veterans and those grateful for their sacrifices have marked the 66th anniversary of the D-Day landings, remembering the invasion that turned the tide of World War II.
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C-47, paratrooper flew into history in the sky over Normandy 66 years ago
http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2010/06/c-47_paratrooper_flew_into_his.html
CANTON, Ohio — During a recent overcast day not unlike the gray skies that hovered over the D-Day invasion of France on June 6, 1944, a small group of men labored to bring an aging C-47 airplane back to life — maybe not to its original flying grandeur but to something visually suitable for a valued relic of World War II.
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Memories of D-Day still vivid
http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?subjectid=11&articleid=20100606_12_A13_WorldW833496
Bob Plumlee was an eyewitness to history, but there was no way he could describe what he saw. It was just too shocking. “It was the worst thing I’d seen up until then,” he said of the American bodies strewn up and down Omaha Beach on D-Day, June 6, 1944.
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Normandy Landings Failure Letter
http://www.historytimes.com/fresh-perspectives-in-history/military-history/world-war-2/325-normandy-landings-failure-letter
65 years ago [this article is from last year] on the 5th of June 1944 it was by no means certain that Operation Overlord (D-DAY) having already been postponed for 24 hours due to bad weather in the English Channel and now re-planned for the following day (6th June 1944) would end in success for the Allied forces due to be landing on the beaches of the Normandy coast on that fateful morning.
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Top US officer: Vets need not suffer alone
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100606/ap_on_re_us/us_mullen_d_day
BEDFORD, Va. – In a stirring tribute to the D-Day sacrifices of American soldiers and their allies, the U.S. military’s top officer said Sunday that World War II’s defining moment should remind all that returning warriors need not “suffer in quiet desperation.”
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Operation kills 4 suspected AQI terrorists, 3 arrested
http://www.usf-iraq.com/news/press-releases/operation-kills-4-suspected-aqi-terrorists-3-arrested
BAGHDAD – Iraqi Security Forces killed four suspected al-Qaeda in Iraq (AQI) members and arrested three criminal associates during a joint security operation in northern Iraq.
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US, Iraq partner on Bank of Baghdad
http://www.usf-iraq.com/news/headlines/us-iraq-partner-on-bank-of-baghdad
CAMP LIBERTY – The Iraqi-based Industrial Zone’s Golden Construction Company recently broke ground for the Bank of Baghdad here, one of 10 new banks to be opened throughout the country to help boost the Iraqi Dinar.
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2 NJ men arrested at airport on terrorism charges
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100606/ap_on_re_us/us_terrorism_arrests
NEW YORK – Two New Jersey men who wanted to kill American troops were arrested at a New York City airport before boarding flights on their way to join a jihadist group in Somalia, authorities said.
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Thousands rally in favor of Arizona immigration law
http://www.abc15.com/dpp/news/region_phoenix_metro/central_phoenix/rally-to-hit-capitol-in-favor-of-arizona-immigration-law
PHOENIX – On Saturday, nearly 2,000 people gathered from around the country at the Arizona State Capitol in support of Arizona’s new immigration law. “It’s a grassroots effort that really took off,” Daniel Smeriglio, one of the people behind the march said Friday.
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Obama Under Fire for Backing Deal to Lift Global Ban on Commercial Whaling
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/06/05/obama-backing-deal-lift-global-ban-commercial-whaling/
Environmentalists, already peeved with the administration’s handling of the Gulf oil spill, are accusing President Obama of breaking his campaign pledge to end the slaughter of whales.
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Guv endorses imam accused of preaching taking up arms
http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=162045
Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick is catching political heat for embracing an imam who is alleged to have preached the need to take up arms to defend the rights of Muslims.
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Founder of Ground Zero mosque part of group that helped fund Gaza flotilla
http://hotair.com/archives/2010/06/05/founder-of-ground-zero-mosque-part-of-group-that-helped-fund-gaza-flotilla/
More specifically, he’s part of a group that’s funding another group that helped organize the flotilla. Too far removed for culpability? Let’s see. The imam behind a proposed mosque near Ground Zero is a prominent member of a group that helped sponsor the pro-Palestinian activists who clashed violently with Israeli commandos at sea this week.
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Iran offers escort for Gaza ships
http://www.jpost.com/MiddleEast/Article.aspx?id=177635
Iran would be willing to send its Revolutionary Guard members to accompany further aid ships to Gaza, Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Sunday in an interview cited by Reuters.
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Report: Erdogan considering visiting Gaza to ‘break blockade’
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/report-erdogan-considering-visiting-gaza-to-break-blockade-1.294326
Turkish PM may visit Gaza, ask Turkish Navy to accompany another aid flotilla, according to Lebanese newspaper; Turkish military opposes cutting security ties with Israel.
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Egypt to strip men married to Israelis of citizenship
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20100605/wl_mideast_afp/egyptisraelmarriagecitizenshiptrial_20100605151410
CAIRO (AFP) – A Cairo court on Saturday upheld a ruling to strip Egyptian men married to Israeli women of their citizenship in a case that has highlighted national sentiment towards Israel.

News Articles For 5/26

ISF arrest suspected AQI leader, member and 16 criminal associates
http://www.usf-iraq.com/news/press-releases/isf-arrest-suspected-aqi-leader-member-and-16-criminal-associates
BAGHDAD – Iraqi Security Forces arrested a suspected Al-Qaeda in Iraq (AQI) leader, another warranted individual and 16 criminal associates during a joint security operation conducted approximately 85km northwest of Baghdad today.
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USACE breaks ground on new Iraqi air defense system
http://www.usf-iraq.com/news/press-releases/usace-breaks-ground-on-new-iraqi-air-defense-system
NASIRIYAH, Iraq – A ground breaking ceremony at the Nasiriyah Air Base was held recently marking the beginning of a new Iraqi air defense system. The $5.5 million Foreign Military Sales project includes a Sector Operations Center, an administration and training building, life support utilities, access roads and communications.
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Modular school build saves time, cash
http://www.usf-iraq.com/news/headlines/modular-school-build-saves-time-money
BALAD – In an attempt to provide as many new schools as possible for the children of Iraq, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is turning to modular construction to save time and money.
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Forces Kill Key Terrorist in Afghanistan Firefight
http://www.defense.gov/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=59320
WASHINGTON, May 25, 2010 – A combined Afghan-international security force killed a key al-Qaida leader and several other enemy fighters in a fierce gun battle in Afghanistan’s Paktia province this morning, military officials reported.
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Families Can Visit Blue Star Museums For Free
http://afps.dodlive.mil/2010/05/25/families-can-visit-blue-star-museums-for-free/
I recently asked Heather Forsgren Weaver, a colleague of mine at American Forces Press Service, to be a regular contributor to Family Matters. Heather’s been heavily involved in this blog from the start. She edits, helps write and posts content on a daily basis. In this blog, Heather writes about enjoying the museums in the Nation’s Capital and the opportunity military families have to visit hundreds of museums for free this summer.
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Face of Defense: Yeoman Displays Positive Attitude
http://www.defense.gov/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=59319
MANAMA, Bahrain, May 25, 2010 – Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Kevin Clark says his flag staff office job at U.S. Naval Forces Central Command here is comparable to “working in the stock market on Wall Street.”
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In Afghanistan, U.S. Military Was Warned Of Recent Kabul Suicide Attacks
http://bigjournalism.com/bthor/2010/05/25/in-afghanistan-u-s-military-was-warned-of-recent-kabul-suicide-attacks/
On Tuesday, May 18, in busy rush hour traffic, a suicide bomber drove his Toyota minivan, packed with 1650 lbs. of explosives, alongside a NATO convoy in Kabul, Afghanistan and detonated. Eighteen people were killed, including five American soldiers and one Canadian. Forty-seven others were wounded.
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Red Cross in Afghanistan gives Taliban first aid help
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/world/south_asia/10161136.stm
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) says it has given first aid training to Taliban members in Afghanistan. An ICRC statement said the organisation had provided basic training and first aid kits to about 70 members of the “armed opposition” last month.
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Obama’s new security goals prize nonmilitary moves
http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D9FUHPF01&show_article=1
WASHINGTON (AP) – The Obama administration’s new outline of national security goals says the U.S. must galvanize support abroad to tackle global troubles, a contrast to former President George W. Bush’s emphasis on going it alone and striking preemptively if necessary.
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US warns over Beijing’s ‘assertiveness’
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/0a97c53a-681a-11df-a52f-00144feab49a.html
The commander of US forces in the Pacific has warned that China’s military is more aggressively asserting its territorial claims in regional waters. Admiral Robert Willard told the Financial Times: “There has been an assertiveness that has been growing over time, particularly in the South China Sea and in the East China Sea.”
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Poland welcomes US soldiers, Patriot missiles
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jS3Bm5e_o3oW82XPbzzWrZ-UBl1gD9FUH7S80
MORAG, Poland — The Polish defense minister has welcomed the arrival of an American Patriot missile battery in Poland. He says the presence of U.S. soldiers and equipment strengthens his country’s security and its relationship with the United States.
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White House scandal called ‘impeachable offense’
http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=158617
If a Democratic member of Congress is to be believed, there’s someone in the Obama administration who has committed a crime – and if the president knew about it, analysts say it could be grounds for impeachment.
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For Sestak Matter, a ‘Trust Us’ Response From White House
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/25/us/politics/25baker.html
WASHINGTON — For three months, the White House has refused to say whether it offered a job to Representative Joe Sestak to get him to drop his challenge to Senator Arlen Specter in a Pennsylvania Democratic primary, as Mr. Sestak has asserted.
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Troops to the Mexican border: Obama to send 1,200
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_national_guard_border
WASHINGTON – Under pressure to take action, President Barack Obama is ordering 1,200 National Guard troops to boost security along the U.S.-Mexico border, officials said Tuesday, pre-empting Republican efforts to force a congressional vote to send the troops.
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Threat of Terrorists Crossing The Border – WSBTV Investigates
http://www.nationalterroralert.com/updates/2010/05/25/threat-of-terrorists-crossing-the-border-wsb-investigates/
In the Arizona border town of Douglas Arizona, border patrol agents say it’s a 24/7 game of cat and mouse. They use cameras, night vision and underground sensors to track and catch illegal immigrants who jump the fence between Mexico and the United States.
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Regulators Push for Global Rule on Bank Capital
http://dealbook.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/25/regulators-push-for-global-rule-on-bank-capital/
Capital is the body fat of banking: too much is debilitating, too little is fatal. During the financial crisis, as large banks burned through their capital reserves, governments were forced to add padding at public expense.
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Debt Level, Spending Pose Risk to U.S.’s Aaa Credit Rating, Moody’s Says
http://preview.bloomberg.com/news/2010-05-25/debt-level-spending-pose-risk-to-u-s-s-aaa-credit-rating-moody-s-says.html
The U.S. government’s Aaa bond rating will come under pressure in the future unless additional measures are taken to reduce projected record budget deficits, according to Moody’s Investors Service Inc.
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Congressman Boycotts House Resolutions Saluting Sports Champions
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/05/25/congressman-boycotts-house-resolutions-saluting-sports-champions/
A congressman is crying foul over House resolutions honoring sports heroes and championships teams — and he’s urging his fellow lawmakers to do the same. Freshman Rep. Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, is voting “present” on any sports resolutions that come to the House floor in protest of a time-honored tradition that he says has gone too far.
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NYC community board OKs ground zero mosque plans
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/05/25/congressman-boycotts-house-resolutions-saluting-sports-champions/
NEW YORK — After hours of contentious public comment, a New York City community board voted late Tuesday to support a plan to build a mosque and cultural center near ground zero.
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Fisking the Washington’s Post’s Non-Confirmation Confirmation Of the SEIU Bank of America Demonstration and the D.C. Cops
http://bigjournalism.com/acary/2010/05/25/fisking-the-washingtons-posts-non-confirmation-confirmation-of-the-seiu-bank-of-america-demonstration-and-the-d-c-cops/
A tempest developed in the conservative blogosphere over the weekend, with the D.C. police at the center of the storm. the language art of belittling: “a tempest (as in a teapot) developed in the conservative blogosphere.” A bit condescending.
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DC Bank Protest: So, SEIU Now Owns the Cops Too?
http://biggovernment.com/mikeflynn/2010/05/26/dc-bank-protest-so-seiu-now-owns-the-cops-too/
As you know, last week SEIU staged a protest at the home of an attorney for Bank of America. On a quiet Sunday in the Maryland suburbs of DC, SEIU sent 500 protesters onto the front lawn of the home of Greg Baer, a former Treasury official in the Clinton Administration. Mr. Baer wasn’t at home but, unfortunately, his 14 year old son was. The protesters succeeded in terrorizing the boy.
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Last chance to resolve nuclear crisis: Iran
http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5jIrOsaFpxw8dGSuQDPr_ZxheGP-Q
TEHRAN — Iran’s hardline president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad urged the United States and Russia Wednesday to back a nuclear fuel deal, warning it would be the last “opportunity” to resolve the atomic standoff.
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Intel briefs: Israel says offense is best defense
http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=158257
Israeli Deputy Prime Minister Moshe Ya’alon again has sounded the prospect that Israel may launch a pre-emptive strike on Iran’s nuclear enrichment facilities, which Israel and Western countries believe are a cover for making a nuclear bomb, according to a report from Joseph Farah’s G2 Bulletin.
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Hockey auction helps children’s hospital
http://sports.espn.go.com/oly/news/story?id=5220449
VANCOUVER, British Columbia — An online auction of some Canadian Olympic hockey jerseys has raised $94,000 to help rebuild a children’s hospital in Haiti.

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