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Many Troops Not Claiming Back Pay
www.washingtonpost.com-September 05, 2010
Uncle Sam wants to give free, no-strings-attached money to about 145,000 troops who were involuntarily kept on duty after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, but is having trouble persuading them that it's not a gimmick.
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Blackwater Won Contracts Through A Web Of Companies
www.nytimes.com-September 04, 2010
Blackwater Worldwide created a web of more than 30 shell companies or subsidiaries in part to obtain millions of dollars in American government contracts after the security company came under intense criticism for reckless conduct in Iraq, according to Congressional investigators and former Blackwater officials.
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Defense Cut Proposals Deserve Thought
www.politico.com-September 03, 2010
It is somewhat oxymoronic to talk of defense budget cuts as the United States also continues to be part of two wars while simultaneously trying to stimulate the economy. But these are oxymoronic times and so it is sensible, even necessary, to do so.
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Unemployment rate rises, in sign of weak growth
www.washingtonpost.com-September 03, 2010
The unemployment rate edged up and private sector job creation continued at a modest pace in August, the government said Friday, reflecting an economy that is treading water, neither accelerating into a robust recovery nor slipping into another recession.
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U.S. Lost Jobs in August, but Fewer Than Expected
www.nytimes.com-September 03, 2010
With the American economic recovery showing signs of slowdown, private employers added 67,000 jobs in August, the Labor Department said on Friday. The number was more than forecast.
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U.S. nonfarm payrolls fall by 54,000 in August
www.marketwatch.com-September 03, 2010
The U.S. economy shed 54,000 nonfarm jobs in August, the Labor Department reported Friday, a much slower decline than economists anticipated as the health care and temporary staffing industries expanded.
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Private Sector Adds 67,000 Jobs
htttp://online.wsj.com-September 03, 2010
Job losses continued to mount in the U.S. economy last month, though at a more modest pace than expected, putting further pressure on policy makers to take action to spur growth and employment.
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The Troops Need Us
www.usatoday.com-September 03, 2010
This has been a summer of homecomings. In marking the end of the American combat mission in Iraq, we have now welcomed home nearly 100,000 of our troops from that war. Across the country, family and friends have honored these returning heroes. Spouses have been reunited, and military moms and dads have held their children once again.
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Employers hire more workers than expected
www.msnbc.com-September 03, 2010
Private employers hired more workers than expected in August, lifting hopes for the weak U.S. economy, but the nation’s unemployment rate rose for the first time in four months, suggesting the economy will struggle to grow through the rest of the year.
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Obama's Bottom-Line Strategy
www.latimes.com-September 02, 2010
President Obama's speech on the end of formal combat in Iraq made a case for subjecting future decisions — about war, or troop strength in Afghanistan, or the size of the Defense budget — to more stringent economic analysis.
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Outside View: Pentagon's greatest threat
www.upi.com-September 02, 2010
Let us be blunt. The U.S. Department of Defense and the entire federal government face a fiscal crisis far worse than any threat posed by al-Qaida, Iran or North Korea.
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Fort Bliss Troops Likewise Express Appreciation
www.elpasotimes.com-September 01, 2010
President Barack Obama whispered in Army Spc. Gilberth Bojorquez's ear and signed the wounded soldier's Zippo cigarette lighter with a black marker.
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Troops Yet To Give Obama Full Salute
www.washingtontimes.com-August 31, 2010
As he winds down one war and escalates another, President Obama is struggling to win over the troops he's leading as commander in chief -- and military advocates say the real test will come as the nation approaches final timelines for withdrawal in Iraq and Afghanistan.
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Iraq after U.S. combat forces withdraw
www.latimes.com-August 31, 2010
Congress has a pretty good record of funding our forces when they go into a combat zone; the record is mixed when it comes to funding our post-combat efforts.
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Foreign and Domestic Priorities Tug at White House
htttp://online.wsj.com-August 31, 2010
President Barack Obama will walk a fine line this week between pressing his Mideast foreign-policy priorities and keeping an eye on the domestic issue that could determine his Democratic Party's political future—the economy.
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Amendment Sought To Protect USN Hornet Buy
www.defensenews.com-August 30, 2010
U.S. lawmakers are scrambling to pass a stand-alone amendment to the 2010 Defense Authorization Act to keep the Navy's planned 124-plane Super Hornet deal alive after a pair of technicalities threatened to scuttle the buy.
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Future of 2nd Fleet is yet to be decided
www.navytimes.com -August 30, 2010
The lobbyist’s memo focused primarily on the Pentagon’s openly stated desire to shut down U.S. Joint Forces Command but included a cryptic final line: The Pentagon also is considering a move to “mothball” the venerable, Norfolk-based 2nd Fleet.
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Iraq Drawdown May Raise Pressure On Defense Budget
www.reuters.com-August 30, 2010
The end of the U.S. combat mission in Iraq may increase pressure on the Pentagon to trim spending, giving ammunition to lawmakers who have long wanted to take aim at the massive defense budget.
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Protest At Military Funeral Ignites A Test Of Free Speech
www.usatoday.com-August 30, 2010
Albert Snyder tears up, then turns angry as he recalls burying his Marine son while members of the anti-gay fundamentalist Westboro Baptist Church picketed nearby.
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Fallen Troops' Families Upset With Foundation Under Investigation
www.sanantonioexpressnews.com-August 30, 2010
Patrick Miller loved the idea of a national war memorial in Texas, but he had a bad feeling about the group wanting to build it.
When he learned the United States Fallen Heroes Foundation is under investigation by the Texas attorney general's office, his doubt turned to resentment. The North Texas foundation's chairman, who stood with families of fallen troops while trying to raise $15 million, has a criminal background.
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For Obama, steep learning curve as chief in time of war
www.msnbc.com-August 29, 2010
'He is beginning to understand how difficult it is to translate a strategic vision into operational reality'.
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GDP growth falls sharply in 2Q
www.washingtonpost.com-August 27, 2010
The Commerce Department slashed its estimate for U.S. GDP growth in the second quarter from a 2.4 percent annual rate to 1.6 percent, confirming fears that economic growth has slowed to a crawl.
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U.S. Economy Slowed to 1.6% Growth Pace in 2nd Quarter
www.nytimes.com-August 27, 2010
Economic statistics released Friday offered the clearest sign yet that the recovery, already acknowledged to be sauntering, had slowed to a crawl.
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U.S. Official: Help Us Help Vets
www.detroitfreepress.com-August 27, 2010
Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, urged local leaders to hire, educate and help find resources to support tens of thousands of Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans returning to the most difficult economy in decades.
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Obama's top adviser urges hiring of vets
www.detroitnews.com-August 27, 2010
Admiral Mike Mullen wants to see businesses play a greater role in keeping veterans returning from missions in Iraq and Afghanistan from ending up on the street.
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Mullen: Debt Is Top National Security Threat
www.cnn.com-August 27, 2010
The national debt is bad for the military, Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Adm. Michael Mullen is telling business men and women and others on a three-day "Conversations with the Country" tour across the Midwest.
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Get Ready For Another Debate Over Pegging Defense Spending To GDP
www.foreignpolicy.com-August 27, 2010
In the raging debate over defense spending, there's one argument proponents of larger defense budgets have been pushing for years. They believe defense spending should be pegged to a fixed percentage of America's annual gross domestic product.
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We Agree: This Place Needs A Diet
www.usatoday.com-August 26, 2010
Defense Secretary Robert Gates may have opened a can of missiles when he recently proposed cuts in military spending. Usually the way these debates go is that if you're liberal and propose cutting defense, you're a commie-pinko who wants to weaken America and hand us over to our enemies; and if you're a conservative you want to increase, not reduce, defense spending to preserve our "vital bodily fluids," as Gen. Jack D. Ripper famously said in the film Dr. Strangelove. Can we get beyond that divide?
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Absent in Danang
www.csis.org-August 26, 2010
A political commitment to trade is badly needed in the United States. That point is underlined as the economic and trade ministers from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) gather in Danang, the largest city in central Vietnam, positioned on the white sand beaches of the coast and nestled next to the ancient city of Hoi An.
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Is ROTC Poised for a Comeback at Elite Colleges?
www.time.com-August 26, 2010
Shawna Sinnott spent the last four years performing a balancing act: she took courses for her self-designed major at Harvard, practiced her jazz number for the Miss Massachusetts Pageant, and woke up at 4:30 a.m. three days a week for Navy ROTC training across town at MIT.
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A Change In Obama's Military Lingo
www.politico.com-August 25, 2010
As President Obama prepares to mark a major shift in the Iraq war Tuesday, a phrase that has been a mainstay in his speeches since he took office is undergoing a transition of its own.
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Medal Of Shame
www.latimes.com-August 25, 2010
A despicable lie about a Medal of Honor earns shame, but not prison, in a sensible ruling by the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals.
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Housing Clouds Economic Recovery
www.cfr.org-August 25, 2010
A plunge in U.S. home sales and uncertainty over the Obama administration's housing policy plans are fueling fears about another looming recession.
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Pentagon Surveys Military Spouses On 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell'
www.washingtonpost.com-August 24, 2010
A new survey sent to about 150,000 military spouses asks whether they would encourage their husband or wife to leave the military if it repeals the "don't ask, don't tell" policy banning gays and lesbians from openly serving in uniform.
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U.S. Second Fleet in jeopardy as DOD continues to trim budget
www.wvec.com-August 24, 2010
The U.S. Second Fleet, which trains and certifies all strike groups before deployment and employs 348 active and reserve military personnel, civilian employees and contractors, is in jeopardy as the Department of Defense continues to trim its budget.
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Is a Mosque Near Ground Zero A Bad Idea?
www.cfr.org-August 24, 2010
Plans by the Cordoba Initiative to build a community center that includes a mosque two blocks from Ground Zero in New York have sparked a heated national debate. Some argue vehemently that the group--started after 9/11 to promote religious and cultural understanding--should not attempt to build a mosque so close to the site of the 9/11 attacks, while others see it as an affirmation of American values.
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"Don't Stop Now, Mr. Secretary. You're on a Roll!"
www.csis.org-August 24, 2010
Secretary of Defense Robert Gates’ most recent decision to shutter Joint Forces Command (JFCOM) and to cut the Department of Defense (DoD) contract workforce are new examples of his penchant for bold decisionmaking. The centrifugal pressures of ongoing wars, long-term readiness, and looming federal deficits are forcing his hand.
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Senate Panel To Hold Hearing On Gates's Decision To Close Joint Forces Command
www.thehill.com-August 24, 2010
The Senate Armed Services Committee will hold a hearing on Defense Secretary Robert Gates’s proposal to close the Joint Forces Command (JFCOM) based in Virginia.
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Details About President Obama's Iraq Address Next Week
www.abcnews.com-August 23, 2010
As US combat troops prepare to leave Iraq and the mission in Iraq changes, President Obama is preparing a speech to give to the nation. The tentative date for the speech is August 31, the withdrawal deadline for US combat troops.
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Biden: Iraqis Ready to 'Take Charge' as U.S. Forces Withdraw
www.foxnews.com-August 23, 2010
Vice President Biden, declaring Monday that Al Qaeda in Iraq and its extremist allies have "utterly failed" to inflame widespread violence, said Iraqis are ready to "take charge" of their country as U.S. combat troops leave.
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Memo: Approval To Close JFCOM Could Come By Sept. 1
www.newportnewsdailypress.com-August 21, 2010
President Obama could approve the decision to close Joint Forces Command in Norfolk before Sept. 1, according to a memo being circulated to local and state officials.
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Pentagon Cost-Saving Drive Comes Under Fire
htttp://online.wsj.com-August 19, 2010
Lawmakers worried about potential job losses in their districts have rallied against the closure of a military command in Virginia, presenting Secretary of Defense Robert Gates with a big test of his sweeping effort to hold down military spending.
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Federal Budget Could Save Unit In Norfolk, Says Congressman
www.richmondtimesdispatch.com-August 19, 2010
The federal budget may be the best weapon Virginia congressmen have to fight Defense Secretary Robert Gates' recommendation to close the Norfolk-based U.S. Joint Forces Command.
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Forbes: Battle Against JFCOM Closing Could Include A Lawsuit
www.newportnewsdailypress.com-August 19, 2010
The fight to save Joint Forces Command could end up in court, Rep. Randy Forbes said Wednesday.
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More tough economic times forecast by CBO
www.reuters.com-August 19, 2010
The economy faces even more difficult times ahead with chronic unemployment and slow manufacturing hurting the recovery, the head of Congress' budget agency said on Thursday.
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Gates To DoD Staff: Cooperate With Efficiency Effort
www.defensenews.com-August 19, 2010
U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates this week codified the 20 elements of his effort to cut "excess and duplication" with the publication of a memo detailing his plans, distributed throughout the Pentagon Aug. 16.
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CBO Reports Gives Its Economic Outlook
www.cbo.gov-August 19, 2010
The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimates that the federal budget deficit for 2010 will exceed $1.3 trillion—$71 billion below last year's total and $27 billion lower than the amount that CBO projected in March 2010, when it issued its previous estimate.
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Judge Rules Stolen Valor Act Illegal
www.kmj580.com-August 18, 2010
Ray Appleton of KMJ 580 Talk Radio Show in Fresno interviewed John Ubaldi on the "Stolen Valor Legislation."
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Former Hill Staffer Takes On Pentagon Budget
www.associatedpress.com-August 18, 2010
Defense Secretary Robert Gates has put a former Capitol Hill staffer and fellow Republican in charge of his ambitious effort to find billions of dollars in budget waste.
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The Struggling Economic Recovery
www.cfr.org-August 18, 2010
Gloomy economic indicators continue to raise questions about the sturdiness of the global economic recovery. Weak global demand for American exports, a near 10 percent U.S. unemployment rate, and sluggish bank lending (Bloomberg) have led to doubts about the Obama administration's efforts to stimulate the economy with a new jobs bill (WSJ). Questions also loom about the Federal Reserve's decision to keep interest rates low indefinitely and how long markets will tolerate high U.S. debt.
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JFCOM Tempting Target For Gates
www.washingtonpost.com-August 18, 2010
A military command that Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates has said he plans to close is spending more than $500 million of its $704 million operating budget this year on contractor services, according to a spokesman for the command.
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Governor, Mayors Try To Save JFCOM
www.virginia-pilot.com-August 18, 2010
Gov. Bob McDonnell and the mayors of Suffolk, Norfolk and Virginia Beach have written to President Barack Obama and Defense Secretary Robert Gates urging a halt to Gates' plans to close Joint Forces Command.
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Hampton Roads Leaders Seek JFCOM Strategy
www.newportnewsdailypress.com-August 18, 2010
The Hampton Roads congressional delegation will huddle with state and local leaders Wednesday to discuss a strategy to fight the planned closing of Joint Forces Command.
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Why Gates Seems Set On A 2011 Departure
www.newsweek.com-August 17, 2010
So Robert Gates is set on retiring from government—for the second time. Or so he says. In an interview with ForeignPolicy.com, he has repeated more firmly than ever his desire to resign as secretary of defense sometime in 2011.
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Gates's Legacy
www.foreignpolicy.com-August 17, 2010
In his profile of Robert Gates, Fred Kaplan argues that the Pentagon leader has, in less than four years, "changed the way the Pentagon does business and the military fights wars more than any defense secretary since Robert McNamara."
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Defense Secretary Says He Would Like To Step Down Next Year
www.washingtonpost.com-August 17, 2010
For a man who came into his post reluctantly and as a purported short-timer, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates is turning into more and more of a fixture at the Pentagon.
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Gates Looking At His Own 2011 Departure
www.nytimes.com-August 17, 2010
Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates is looking to step down sometime in 2011.
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Eying The Pentagon, Gates Considers Three Changes
www.washingtonpost.com-August 17, 2010
If you need further guidance about how far Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates is preparing to go in his effort to change the Pentagon culture and to cap spending, take a look at three new targets he identified last week that have all been "third rail" issues for his predecessor
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Retired Admiral: Focus On Military, Not Jobs In JFCOM Debate
www.newportnewsdailypress.com-August 17, 2010
Virginia leaders should focus on the potential harm to the military, not the local economy, to fight the closing of Joint Forces Command, a retired rear admiral said Monday.
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Past JFCOM Leaders Could Fight Closure, Nye Told
www.virginia-pilot.com-August 17, 2010
A military affairs group set up by U.S. Rep. Glenn Nye advised him Monday to seek out the testimony of past Joint Forces Command officers to help build a defense against closing the command.
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Contractors Will Bear The Brunt Of JFCOM Closure
www.newportnewsdailypress.com-August 16, 2010
Vivek Malhotra says the pending closure of Norfolk-based Joint Forces Command could wipe out 75 jobs at his company, VMD Systems Integrators Inc., or more than half of his total employees.
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Gates's lonely battle to rationalize the Pentagon
www.washingtonpost.com-August 16, 2010
Robert Gates's latest efforts at reforming the Pentagon are modest. He is not trying to cut the defense budget; he merely wants to increase efficiency while reducing bureaucracy, waste and duplication. The savings he is trying to achieve are perfectly reasonable: $100 billion over five years, during which period the Pentagon would spend approximately $3.5 trillion. And yet he has aroused intense opposition from the usual suspects -- defense contractors, lobbyists, the military bureaucracy and hawkish commentators. He faces spirited opposition from his own party, but it is the other Republicans, not Gates, who are abandoning their party's best traditions in defense strategy.
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The Transformer
www.foreignpolicy.com-August 16, 2010
Bob Gates never thought he'd be Barack Obama's defense secretary. Now, in an exclusive interview, the most revolutionary Pentagon leader since Robert McNamara tells FP why he said yes, when he'll get out of Washington, and what legacy he hopes to leave behind.
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Pentagon's Gates likely to retire in 2011
www.thehill.com-August 16, 2010
Defense Secretary Robert Gates said in an interview that he's likely to retire from the Pentagon next year.
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US Defense Secretary to Step Down in 2011
www.voa.com-August 16, 2010
U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates says he will likely leave his post next year, ending what would be a very eventful four-year tenure.
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Petraeus: Time is key for progress in Afghanistan
www.associatedpress.com-August 16, 2010
The next several months in the Afghanistan war will prove to be a crucial test of President Barack Obama's politically risky strategy to send tens of thousands more troops to the fight.
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The Robert Gates Clock Is Ticking
www.time.com-August 16, 2010
Set your countdown clocks to 2011, when Robert Gates, Defense Secretary to George W. Bush and Barack Obama, plans to step down. "It would be a mistake to wait until January 2012," he tells Foreign Policy, in an exclusive interview. "This is not the kind of job you want to fill in the spring of an election year."
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Defense Secretary Gates Plans to Step Down in 2011
htttp://online.wsj.com-August 16, 2010
Defense Secretary Robert Gates plans to step down next year, Pentagon officials said Monday, a move that would take away a powerful voice on U.S. policy on Afghanistan and cast doubt on recently announced plans to cut the Pentagon budget.
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Can Gates get it done? His role key to success of cuts, experts say
www.federaltimes.com-August 16, 2010
Defense Secretary Robert Gates last week outlined steps to pare down contract spending. Now comes the hard part: getting it done.
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Why would Defense Secretary Robert Gates want to retire?
www.csmonitor.com-August 16, 2010
Why would Secretary of Defense Robert Gates want to retire?
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John Ubaldi on Sacramento's KFBK Newstalk Radio
www.kfbk.com-August 16, 2010
John Ubaldi on Sacramento's KFBK News Talk Radio commenting on General Petraeus continuation of the Afghan strategy and Secretary of Defense Robert Gates deciding to retire in 2011.
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Political Opposites Tom Coburn, Andrew Stern Apply 'Sharp Knives' To Defense Budget
www.politicsdaily.com-August 15, 2010
Conservative Sen. Tom Coburn of Oklahoma and liberal labor leader Andrew Stern don't come to mind as natural partners. But they are on a joint mission to trim the nation's $625 billion defense budget.
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Obama: Backing Muslims' right to build NYC mosque is not an endorsement
www.washingtonpost.com-August 15, 2010
One day after President Obama defended the freedom of Muslims to build an Islamic complex near New York's Ground Zero, he offered a less forceful version of that position on Saturday: Yes, Muslims have that right, Obama said -- but that doesn't mean he believes it is the right thing for them to do.
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With Remarks on Mosque, Obama Enters Risky Debate
www.nytimes.com-August 15, 2010
Faced with withering Republican criticism of his defense of the right of Muslims to build a community center and mosque near ground zero, President Obama quickly recalibrated his remarks on Saturday, a sign that he has waded into even more treacherous political waters than the White House had at first realized.
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Interview with General David Petraeus
www.realclearpolitics.com-August 15, 2010
Transcript of NBC's David Gregory of "Meet The Press," interview with General David Petraeus the Commander of all U.S. forces in Afghanistan.
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Marine Corps Could Shrink, Gates Predicts
www.sandiegotribune.com-August 14, 2010
Defense Secretary Robert Gates predicted Friday during a visit to San Diego that the region’s sizable military and defense community could expect a smaller Marine Corps and other deep changes as the Pentagon embarks on a major reorganization.
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Obama slammed, praised for backing NYC mosque
www.msnbc.com-August 14, 2010
President Barack Obama was compared favorably to America's first president and castigated as uncaring Friday after defending plans to create a mosque two blocks from New York's ground zero.
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At Ramadan dinner, Obama defends plans for Ground Zero mosque
www.washingtonpost.com-August 14, 2010
President Obama on Friday forcefully joined the national debate over construction of an Islamic complex near New York's Ground Zero, telling guests at a White House dinner marking the holy month of Ramadan that opposing the project is at odds with American values.
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Obama Strongly Backs Islam Center Near 9/11 Site
www.nytimes.com-August 14, 2010
President Obama delivered a strong defense on Friday night of a proposed Muslim community center and mosque near ground zero in Manhattan, using a White House dinner celebrating Ramadan to proclaim that “as a citizen, and as president, I believe that Muslims have the same right to practice their religion as anyone else in this country.”
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Obama supports plan for mosque near ground zero
www.latimes.com-August 14, 2010
President Obama on Friday took a strong stand in favor of building a mosque near the site where Muslim terrorists flew airplanes into the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001, breaking his silence on a political tempest that has left the country divided.
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Gates: Reinvest Defense Savings In Weapons Systems
www.latimes.com-August 14, 2010
A Pentagon plan to reduce spending on civilian contractors could free up more than $10 billion in the next four years, according to Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates, who wants the savings to be spent on new ships, fighters and other weapons systems rather than on reducing the federal budget deficit.
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Gates Likes Military's Plans To Reinvest Savings
www.associatedpress.com-August 13, 2010
Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Friday he is pleased with the military services' initial recommendations for cutting their budgets and spending the savings on weapons modernization.
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Pentagon push to phase out top brass causing much consternation
www.washingtonpost.com-August 13, 2010
Of all the spending cuts and budget battles the Pentagon is confronting, none is causing more angst than Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates's vow to start getting rid of generals and admirals.
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Gates Urges Congress To Avoid 'Mistake' Of Harmful Cuts In Military Budget
www.bloomberg.com-August 13, 2010
Defense Secretary Robert Gates urged Congress to avoid repeating what he called “the same mistake” made by earlier officials who slashed military spending too deeply in the face of mounting federal debt.
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Gates: Congress Hurting Afghan Civilian Aid Effort
htttp://online.wsj.com-August 13, 2010
Defense Secretary Robert Gates is calling for a "change in attitude" on Capitol Hill in getting more civilian help in Afghanistan
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Win Wars? Today’s Generals Must Also Politick And Do P.R.
www.nytimes.com-August 13, 2010
After nine years of fighting in the deserts and mountains of the Middle East, the military has concluded that the traditional, hard-earned combat skills that allowed generations of “muddy boots” commanders to protect American interests around the world simply are not enough to assure victory in today’s wars — or career advancement through the top ranks of the armed forces.
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'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' To Face Test In Court
www.washingtonpost.com-August 13, 2010
One of the highest-ranking military officers investigated under the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy is trying to block the Air Force from discharging him by testing a legal argument that requires the federal government to prove a service member's homosexual conduct has been damaging to others.
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House Starts Push-Back on Defense Spending Cuts
htttp://washingtonindependent.com-August 13, 2010
Earlier this week, Defense Secretary Robert Gates announced a series of Pentagon spending cuts, designed to trim the military’s budget by $100 billion over five years by slowing the rate of spending growth. Initial criticism, if any, came from deficit hawks who view the cuts as too small, and indeed most in Washington applauded the cost-saving measure. The exception: members of Congress representing districts with a high concentration of military contractors.
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Virginia Lawmakers Schedule Roundtable On Joint Forces Command
www.newportnewsdailypress.com-August 13, 2010
The Hampton Roads congressional delegation is coming home next week for a roundtable discussion designed to push back against Defense Secretary Robert Gates' decision to shut down the Norfolk-based Joint Forces Command.
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Pentagon Stumbles Again On Military Mentor Program
www.usatoday.com-August 13, 2010
Here's a deal anyone would jump at.
Imagine retiring with a six-figure pension and a part-time job with your old employer, at $200 to $440 an hour, to mentor company leaders. It's OK to have other gigs on the side. If they present potential conflicts of interest, not to worry. You're subject to no ethics rules, and the details are confidential.
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Opposing view on defense spending: Good program made better
www.usatoday.com-August 13, 2010
Thousands of U.S. troops are in harm's way in Iraq and Afghanistan. They confront perilous choices each day. Their safety, as well as mission success, hinge upon the judgment of their leaders. And judgment is one of the hardest skills to teach. For this reason, the Department of Defense established a senior mentoring program to provide hands-on training to military officers. Senior mentors train combat leaders before they deploy as well as once they are in theater.
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Va. Lawmakers Say Joint Forces Closure May Be Illegal
www.newportnewsdailypress.com-August 12, 2010
Virginia congressional leaders are questioning whether Defense Secretary Robert Gates can legally shut down Joint Forces Command in a rapidly evolving effort to block a drawdown that could harm Hampton Roads' economy.
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What Is The Work Carried Out At Joint Forces Command?
www.virginia-pilot.com-August 12, 2010
The Joint Forces Command opened a small window Wednesday on the work it does, even as it prepares for its own demise.
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Defense Intelligence Community To Tighten Belt
www.associatedpress.com-August 12, 2010
The defense intelligence community is combing its budgets to figure out where to cut 10 percent of its contractors as part of Defense Secretary Robert Gates' drive to reduce costs in the Pentagon.
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Officer Sues To Block His Discharge Under Gay Ban
www.nytimes.com-August 12, 2010
In early 2008, just eight days before he was to deploy in support of the war in Afghanistan, Lt. Col. Victor Fehrenbach, a decorated Air Force flight officer, was told he was under investigation on charges of sexually assaulting a civilian and of violating the military’s ban on homosexuality.
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Gates's Budget Warning Shot
www.washingtonpost.com-August 12, 2010
Meet Robert Gates, also known as The Leading Indicator.
The defense secretary, who is noted among his colleagues for his special closeness with President Obama, stepped out in front of other department heads this week by announcing his plans to trim Pentagon spending in a major way next year.
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Mr. Gates's Rough Cut
www.washingtonpost.com-August 12, 2010
DEFENSE SECRETARY Robert M. Gates says his "greatest fear is that in economic tough times . . . people will see the defense budget as the place to solve the nation's deficit problems." He has good reason to worry. Congress has already begun hacking at next year's Pentagon budget, and not in a wise way. Instead of targeting the most wasteful areas, such as health-care costs, it is slashing vital operations, such as funding for Iraqi security forces.
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Gates Cuts Pentagon Fat, But Plenty Of Flab Remains
www.usatoday.com-August 11, 2010
Defense Secretary Robert Gates' ongoing campaign to swing a scythe through Pentagon bloat and excess is overdue and entirely welcome. The Pentagon budget has more than doubled in just the past decade, and core defense spending is now bigger in real terms than it was at the height of President Reagan's enormous defense buildup in the 1980s.
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Cuts are shortsighted
www.usatoday.com-August 11, 2010
The announcement by Defense Secretary Robert Gates to make cuts at the Defense Department, specifically the decision to eliminate the Joint Forces Command, is shortsighted, devoid of strategic decision-making and could harm national security.
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Defense Contractors Feel Pinch
www.washingtonpost.com-August 11, 2010
The stock prices of several major government contractors fell Tuesday, a day after Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said he planned to cut spending at the Pentagon.
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Local Defense Contractors Prepare For Lean Times
www.washingtonexaminer.com-August 11, 2010
Washington-area contractors are worrying that lean times have begun after Defense Secretary Robert Gates announced he would trim the Pentagon's budget by $100 billion.
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U.S. trade deficit and disappointing global reports send stocks into sell-off
www.washingtonpost.com-August 11, 2010
Stocks were deeply in the red Wednesday after the U.S. trade deficit widened unexpectedly and a string of weak economic reports from Asia and Europe heightened concerns that the global recovery is veering off track.
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Wall Street Retreats in the Face of a Slowdown
www.nytimes.com-August 11, 2010
Confronted by signs that the economies of the United States and China were slowing, equity markets on Wednesday fell sharply, Treasury prices rose as yields declined, and the dollar gained against the euro.
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Taxpayer Won't Save With Tweaked Pentagon Budget
www.npr.org-August 11, 2010
The Pentagon is looking to avoid bigger spending cuts down the road by making some cuts now. Defense Secretary Robert Gates announced several efforts to run the military more efficiently this week. But savings from the cuts would not reduce the defense budget overall because the money would instead be reinvested in the military.
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What's Really Behind The Gates Cuts
www.foreignpolicy.com-August 10, 2010
Defense Secretary Robert Gates's bombshell announcement that he will close Joint Forces Command as part of sweeping reforms of the defense bureaucracy is being seen around the defense community as a preemptive move against congressional efforts to cut the defense budget.
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Gates Announces Major Cuts In Military Spending
www.bostonglobe.com-August 10, 2010
Defense Secretary Robert Gates said yesterday that tough economic times require that he shut a major command that employs some 5,000 people around Norfolk, Va., and begin to eliminate other jobs throughout the military.
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Gates Says Defense Bureaucracy Swollen, Declares Cuts
www.bloomberg.com-August 10, 2010
Defense Secretary Robert Gates said the Pentagon needs to save money by further reducing a “cumbersome” U.S. military hierarchy, setting up potential battles with members of Congress who support targeted programs.
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Petraeus Scheduled To Start Spate Of Media Interviews
www.nytimes.com-August 10, 2010
Gen. David H. Petraeus has largely stayed out of the public spotlight since he took command of the military operation in Afghanistan on July 4 and began conducting a countrywide assessment. But that is about to change.
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Freddie Mac Seeks More Aid After a Big Loss
www.nytimes.com-August 10, 2010
The government-controlled mortgage buyer Freddie Mac on Monday asked for $1.8 billion in additional federal aid after posting a larger loss in the second quarter.
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Virginia Lawmakers Blast Gates Plan to Cut Major Military Command
www.foxnews.com-August 10, 2010
Defense Secretary Robert Gates on Monday announced a plan to shed a major military command in Virginia as part of his effort to strip billions from the Pentagon budget, drawing heated objections from state lawmakers who call the center essential.
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Gates is Wielding the Budget Axe
www.aei.org-August 10, 2010
Listening to Defense Secretary Robert Gates announce his plan to improve Pentagon business practices, it makes you wonder whether he’s part of the Obama Administration. Over the past year or so, Gates has “curtailed or cancelled” about 20 programs, “programs that if pursued to completion would have cost more than $300 billion.” This latest round of reform proposals includes the closing of U.S Joint Forces Command, one of the 10 combatant commands that are the crown jewels of America’s globe-girdling military power.
Is any other federal agency doing anything remotely similar?
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Pentagon to cut thousands of jobs, defense secretary says
www.washingtonpost.com-August 10, 2010
Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said Monday that the Pentagon will cut thousands of jobs, including a substantial chunk of its private contractors and a major military command based in Norfolk, as part of an ongoing effort to streamline its operations and to stave off political pressure to slash defense spending in the years ahead.
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Virginia stands to feel the most pain from defense cuts
www.washingtonpost.com-August 10, 2010
Virginia officials reacted with bipartisan dismay on Monday to Defense Department budget shifts that will cost the state thousands of jobs in coming years and will dramatically impact the economies of the Norfolk area and Northern Virginia.
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Pentagon Plans Steps To Reduce Budget And Jobs
www.nytimes.com-August 10, 2010
Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said Monday that he would close a military command, restrict the use of outside contractors and reduce the number of generals and admirals across the armed forces as part of a broad effort to rein in Pentagon spending.
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Gates To Cut Joint Forces Command
htttp://online.wsj.com-August 10, 2010
Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Monday he planned to eliminate a major military command organization and reduce the use of outside contractors, in the first phase of a plan to cut $100 billion over five years from some areas of the Pentagon budget.
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Gates: Retrench Defense Jobs
www.usatoday.com-August 10, 2010
Defense Secretary Robert Gates announced plans Monday to slash the Pentagon's reliance on contractors and eliminate a major command in order to save money to fight the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and to modernize the military.
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Gates Calls For Cuts At Pentagon
www.latimes.com-August 10, 2010
Facing growing pressure to cut military spending, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates on Monday ordered the closing of a major Pentagon headquarters, restrictions on the use of contractors and reductions in the number of generals and admirals.
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Gates Proposal Would Cut Thousands Of Defense Jobs
www.mcclatchynews.com-August 09, 2010
In an effort to deter potential budget cuts by Congress and streamline a burgeoning Defense Department, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates Monday proposed to cut spending on contracting, to close a command stationed in Norfolk, Va., and to reduce the number of flag officers and civilian leaders.
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Gates Puts Meat on Bones of Department Efficiencies Initiative
http://www.defense.gov/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=60348-August 09, 2010
Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates is putting meat on the bones of his initiative to reform the way the Pentagon does business and to eliminate duplicative, unnecessary overhead costs.
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Black Budget in the Red
www.cato.org-August 09, 2010
It sounds like a recipe for a conservative crusade: a sector of the government that's seen 150 percent growth in less than a decade yet is "so massive that its effectiveness is impossible to determine"; one where projects run hundreds of millions of dollars over budget and years behind schedule, where audits and required reporting frequently are neglected, and where officials at the highest levels admit they can't keep track of what their agencies are doing, or even how many contractors they've got on the public payroll.
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A Good Start
www.slate.com-August 09, 2010
Secretary of Defense Robert Gates' plan to cut Pentagon waste, abuse, and redundancies by $100 billion over the next five years is both more and less radical than it may seem.
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Gates Strives to Change Pentagon’s Culture
www.defense.gov-August 09, 2010
he initiative to reduce Defense Department overhead and to eliminate duplicative capabilities is part of a larger thrust to change the culture of the Pentagon, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said here today.
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Pentagon to Eliminate U.S. Joint Forces Command
www.defensenews.com-August 09, 2010
U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates killed U.S. Joint Forces Command on Aug. 9 with the announcement that the Suffolk, Va.-based command will be shuttered "in about a year" as part of the latest round of cost-cutting measures.
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Pentagon belt-tightening will cut thousands of jobs
www.msnbc.com-August 09, 2010
Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Monday that tough economic times require that he shutter a major command that employs some 5,000 people around Norfolk, Va., and begin to eliminate other jobs throughout the military.
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Economic recovery sputters as companies add only 71,000 jobs in July
www.washingtonpost.com-August 06, 2010
The nation's economic recovery continued to sputter as private-sector employers added just 71,000 jobs in July, according to a report released Friday by the Labor Department.
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Jobs Report Shows Private Sector Still Wary of Hiring
www.nytimes.com-August 06, 2010
With the departure of thousands of workers from temporary Census jobs and thousands more let go by cash-strapped state and local governments, American businesses were unable to rescue the American recovery.
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Jobs Picture Worsens With 131,000 Losses; 9.5% Rate
www.cnbc.com-August 06, 2010
U.S. employment fell for a second straight month in July as more temporary census jobs ended while private hiring rose less than expected, pointing to an anemic economic recovery.
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U.S. Employers Shed Jobs
htttp://online.wsj.com-August 06, 2010
The U.S. economy shed more jobs than expected in July while the unemployment rate held steady at 9.5%, a further sign the economic recovery may be losing momentum.
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Pentagon to cut out big-war funds
www.washingtontimes.com-August 04, 2010
The Pentagon has begun a new hunt for cost savings that likely will lead to scaling back big-war weapons systems in favor of funding smaller conflicts typified by Iraq and Afghanistan.
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Lawmakers: Brain Injury Funds Diverted
www.pittsburgtribunereview.com-August 02, 2010
Two members of Congress are asking Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki to investigate why $6.3 million intended for research and treatment of traumatic brain injuries was spent without treating any veterans.
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Morrell: SecDef's Budget Concerns Aimed At Congress, Not White House
www.defensenews.com-August 02, 2010
U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates is worried about Congress cutting the Defense Department's budget, not the White House, says Pentagon spokesman Geoff Morrell.
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Immigration Policy Aims To Help Military Families
www.nytimes.com-August 01, 2010
The Obama administration, responding to requests from Democratic and Republican lawmakers, has taken steps to make it easier for illegal immigrants who are spouses and family members of Americans serving in the military to gain legal status.
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In the fight over Arizona's immigration law, everybody loses
www.washingtonpost.com-August 01, 2010
Arizona's immigration law was never going to solve the problem of illegal immigration. That is not its purpose. Instead it is an invitation to a shootout in which there will be no winners. It is more of a provocation than an attempt to enact policy, and as a protest against Washington's failure to fix a broken immigration system, it resonates.
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GDP report: Economic growth slows with 2.4 percent rate in second quarter
www.washingtonpost.com-July 31, 2010
The recovery is fading, and a troubling new pattern is setting in: economic growth that is too slow to put Americans back to work.
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Edwin Kneedler a 'savvy' choice to argue suit against Ariz. immigration law
www.washingtonpost.com-July 31, 2010
Several years ago, Justice Department lawyer Edwin S. Kneedler argued his 100th case before the U.S. Supreme Court, a benchmark shared by fewer than 10 attorneys in U.S. history.
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Economic growth slows to 2.4 percent pace in second quarter
www.washingtonpost.com-July 30, 2010
The pace of economic growth slowed this spring, according to new government data, as Americans remained reluctant to consume and imports soared.
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Economy Grew at Rate of 2.4% in Quarter
www.nytimes.com-July 30, 2010
The United States economy expanded at an annual rate of 2.4 percent in the second quarter, after expanding 3.7 percent in the previous few months, the Commerce Department reported on Friday.
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U.S. Economy Grew 2.4% in Second Quarter, Below Forecast
www.bloomberg.com-July 30, 2010
Growth in the U.S. slowed to a 2.4 percent annual rate in the second quarter, less than forecast, reflecting a larger trade deficit and an easing in consumer spending.
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Recovery loses speed as consumers turn cautious
www.realclearpolitics.com-July 30, 2010
The recovery lost momentum in the spring as growth slowed to a 2.4 percent pace, its most sluggish showing in nearly a year and too weak to drive down unemployment.
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U.S. Growth Slowed in 2nd Quarter
htttp://online.wsj.com-July 30, 2010
The U.S. economy slowed in the second quarter of this year and the government said the recession was deeper than earlier believed, adding to concerns over the recovery's strength.
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Arlington Cemetery's ex-chief grilled on graves scandal
www.usatoday.com-July 30, 2010
The disgraced former chief of Arlington National Cemetery apologized Thursday to a Senate committee examining practices that led to the mislabeling of hundreds of grave sites, but John Metzler also blamed a lack of money and staff for many of the problems.
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Impact of past defense cuts should warn of risks
www.washingtonpost.com-July 30, 2010
The prospect of an exit from Iraq and Afghanistan has sparked rumblings on Capitol Hill that it's time to cut the defense budget. Daniel Inouye (D-Hawaii), chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, says, "I'm pretty certain cuts are coming -- in defense and the whole budget." Defense Secretary Bob Gates is already pushing to cancel some big-ticket programs and to wring savings out of the existing budget.
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Recovery lost speed in the second quarter
www.msnbc.com-July 30, 2010
The recovery lost momentum in the spring as growth slowed to a 2.4 percent pace, its most sluggish showing in nearly a year and too weak to drive down unemployment.
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Gates Says Pentagon to Help Death-Benefits Inquiry
www.bloomberg.com-July 29, 2010
Defense Secretary Robert Gates pledged to help the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs probe how insurers reap profits from death benefits retained for the families of deceased military personnel.
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Obama Signs Afghanistan War Spending Measure
http://news.yahoo.com-July 29, 2010
US President Barack Obama on Thursday signed a spending bill to pay for the troop "surge" aimed at turning around the faltering Afghan campaign.
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Arizona immigration law SB 1070 - Judge blocks some sections
www.washingtonpost.com-July 29, 2010
A federal judge on Wednesday blocked the most contested provisions of Arizona's new immigration law one day before they were to take effect, ratcheting up the legal and political debate over the increasingly divisive issue.
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Court ruling unlikely to change politics of immigration
www.latimes.com-July 29, 2010
The equation spelling gridlock in Congress remains unchanged: The comprehensive overhaul promoted by Obama — and Bush — lacks any GOP support in the Senate, and therefore cannot pass.
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Immigration Ruling Correct, But 'Civil War' Remains
www.cfr.org-July 29, 2010
The U.S. federal court ruling blocking implementation of most of Arizona's controversial new immigration law means the country is now back precisely where it has long been: looking to Washington for a durable solution.
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Problems in Federal Spending, and Their Impact on National Security
www.csis.org-July 29, 2010
As the U.S. searches for a way out of Afghanistan, some policymakers suggest negotiating with the Taliban. But that would spell disaster for half the country's population: Afghan women
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Arizona appeals ruling that blocked key parts of immigration law
www.washingtonpost.com-July 29, 2010
The governor of Arizona asked an appeals court on Thursday to lift a federal judge's order blocking key portions of the state's new immigration law, as opponents of the law flooded into Phoenix for protests that led to at least 50 arrests.
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Veterans Affairs To Investigate Fallen Soldiers' Death Benefits
www.bloomberg.com-July 29, 2010
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs is investigating life insurance companies’ practice of putting veterans’ death benefits in corporate accounts and keeping most of the investment profits instead of paying the survivors.
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VA Stepping Up Its Services For Female Veterans
www.washingtonpost.com-July 29, 2010
About 1.8 million women have served in the U.S. military, and with 245,000 female soldiers, sailors, Marines and airmen deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan, it's estimated that within a decade, women will make up 16 percent of all veterans.
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Arizona Will Appeal Ruling on Immigration Law, Governor Says
www.bloomberg.com-July 28, 2010
Arizona Governor Jan Brewer said she will appeal a judge’s ruling that struck key provisions of a state law that would have forced police to determine the immigration status of people stopped for questioning.
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Court Blocks Implementation Of Key Sections Of Arizona's Racial Profiling Law
www.aclu.org-July 28, 2010
Ensuring that Arizona law enforcement will not be required to demand "papers" from people they stop who they suspect are "unlawfully present" in the U.S., a federal court in Phoenix today blocked key provisions of Arizona's racial profiling law, scheduled to go into effect on July 29, pending a final court ruling on its constitutionality. The ruling came in a lawsuit filed by the Department of Justice challenging the Arizona law.
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House Approves Money for Wars, but Rift Deepens
www.nytimes.com-July 28, 2010
The House of Representatives agreed on Tuesday to provide $59 billion to continue financing America’s two wars, but the vote showed deepening divisions and anxiety among Democrats over the course of the nearly nine-year-old conflict in Afghanistan.
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House Backs $37 Billion In Additional War Funding
www.washingtonpost.com-July 28, 2010
The House on Tuesday approved spending an additional $37 billion on the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, overcoming the opposition of some Democrats who have concluded that the Afghan conflict is unwinnable.
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Cemetery Failed To Fix Problems Found In 2005
www.washingtonpost.com-July 28, 2010
Arlington National Cemetery officials knew more than five years ago that many burials did not match Arlington's maps and paper records, according to documents released Tuesday by a Senate subcommittee investigating millions of dollars in botched contracts overseen by the Army.
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EXCLUSIVE: DOJ Accused of Stalling on MOVE Act for Voters in Military
www.foxnews.com-July 28, 2010
The Department of Justice is ignoring a new law aimed at protecting the right of American soldiers to vote, according to two former DOJ attorneys who say states are being encouraged to use waivers to bypass the new federal Military and Overseas Voter Empowerment (MOVE) Act.
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Judge blocks key parts of Arizona immigration law
www.washingtonpost.com-July 28, 2010
A federal judge on Wednesday blocked the most controversial parts of Arizona's immigration law from taking effect, delivering a last-minute victory to opponents of the crackdown.
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Judge blocks controversial parts of Ariz. law
www.msnbc.com-July 28, 2010
A federal judge on Wednesday blocked the most controversial parts of Arizona's immigration law from taking effect, delivering a last-minute victory to opponents of the crackdown.
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Judge Blocks Key Parts of Immigration Law in Arizona
www.nytimes.com-July 28, 2010
A federal judge, ruling on a clash between the federal government and a state over immigration policy, has blocked the most controversial parts of Arizona’s immigration enforcement law from going into effect.
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L.A. union members, activists to caravan to Arizona to protest immigration law
www.latimes.com-July 28, 2010
More than 550 people representing 32 unions plan to travel in 11 buses for a rally at the state Capitol and a vigil with local groups on the day the law is set to take effect.
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House Panel Risks Veto By Supporting Funds For Second F-35 Fighter Engine
www.thehill.com-July 27, 2010
The House defense appropriations panel on Tuesday funded a secondary engine for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, risking a veto of the 2011 spending bill.
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Documents leak leaves White House on defensive about Afghanistan policy
www.latimes.com-July 27, 2010
There are few bombshells, but the volume of data and the focus on the conduct of the war are likely to embolden critics at a time when Congress has expressed doubts about Obama's Afghanistan policy.
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Immigrant 'sanctuaries' rouse opponents' wrath
www.latimes.com-July 25, 2010
Critics of the Obama administration's decision to sue Arizona over its new law to control illegal immigration accuse the government of overlooking a more obvious target: the dozens of cities that called themselves a "sanctuary" for immigrants.
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A 'Top Secret' Threat To Lives And Security?
www.washingtonpost.com-July 25, 2010
It's normal for readers to react after The Post runs a big story. But many weighed in before last week's publication of "Top Secret America," the three-part series detailing the enormous national security buildup since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. After word spread through government agencies that publication was imminent, readers implored The Post not to reveal the names of companies doing classified work on contract.
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Senators Rap Pentagon's Delay On China Report
www.washingtontimes.com-July 25, 2010
Republican and Democratic senators alike are calling on the Pentagon to explain why it has failed to provide Congress with an annual report on China's military power that was needed for debate on the defense bills.
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U.S. Senators Demand DoD Release China Report
www.defense.com-July 24, 2010
Five influential U.S. Congressmen raised suspicions of White House interference in the delayed release of the Pentagon's annual report on China's military in a July 23 letter addressed to U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates.
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Gen. McChrystal's retirement ceremony marked by laughter, regret
www.washingtonpost.com-July 24, 2010
Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal ended his 34-year career as an Army officer in an emotional retirement ceremony, marking the last chapter of his swift and stunning fall from grace.
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McChrystal Ends Service With Regret And A Laugh
www.nytimes.com-July 24, 2010
Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal retired on Friday with the full pageantry of a 17-gun salute, an Army marching band and an emotional send-off from the secretary of defense, but with his own acknowledgment that he was not leaving the military on his own terms.
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Pentagon Faces Growing Pressures to Trim Budget
www.nytimes.com-July 23, 2010
After nearly a decade of rapid increases in military spending, the Pentagon is facing intensifying political and economic pressures to restrain its budget, setting up the first serious debate since the terrorist attacks of 2001 about the size and cost of the armed services.
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Pentagon Workers Tied To Child Porn
www.bostonglobe.com-July 23, 2010
Federal investigators have identified several dozen Pentagon officials and contractors with high-level security clearances who allegedly purchased and downloaded child pornography, including an undisclosed number who used their government computers to obtain the illegal material, according to investigative reports.
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McChrystal To Be Honored At Retirement Ceremony
www.cnn.com-July 23, 2010
A ceremony honoring retiring Army Gen. Stanley McChrystal is scheduled for Friday in Washington.
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Senate Returns $60B Stripped Out War Bill To House
www.washingtonpost.com-July 23, 2010
In a take-it-or-leave-it gesture, the Senate voted Thursday night to reject more than $20 billion in domestic spending the House had tacked on to its $60 billion bill to fund President Barack Obama's troop surge in Afghanistan.
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White House Presses Senate G.O.P. On Arms Treaty
www.nytimes.com-July 23, 2010
With time running out for major votes before the November election, the White House is trying to reach an understanding with Senate Republicans to approve its new arms control treaty with Russia by committing to modernizing the nuclear arsenal and making additional guarantees about missile defense.
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Lawyers Seek Injunction To Halt Military Gay Rule
www.associatedpress.com-July 23, 2010
Lawyers for a Republican gay rights organization will ask a judge for an injunction to halt the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy during their closing arguments in a federal trial challenging the law.
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The War Away From The Battlefields
www.nytimes.com-July 23, 2010
Suicide stalks the United States military as much as enemies do on the battlefields of Afghanistan and Iraq, according to the latest grim data. Last year, 347 military personnel were killed in the two wars, while at least 381 warriors took their own lives. The double-edged tragedy was brought home in recent Congressional hearings that laid bare how much must be done to reach and comfort battle-weary soldiers near the edge of their resources.
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Gloom Awaits U.S. Climate Diplomacy
www.cfr.org-July 23, 2010
Cap-and-trade legislation aimed at curbing greenhouse gas emissions appears to be dead in this Congress. Even a moderately ambitious alternative has been shelved until later this year at the earliest. The biggest implication is that the United States has once again failed to confront its climate problems. But there is another: the United States is in for a rocky time in international climate diplomacy.
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Gen. McChrystal retires in military ceremony
www.msnbc.com-July 23, 2010
Gen. Stanley McChrystal ended his 34-year career as an Army officer Friday in an emotional retirement ceremony at his military headquarters here, marking the last chapter of his swift and stunning fall from grace.
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Defense Board To Recommend That Gates Eliminate Joint Forces Command
www.thehill.com-July 22, 2010
A Pentagon advisory board is expected to recommend that Defense Secretary Robert Gates eliminate the Joint Forces Command as part of a drive to cut Pentagon bloat.
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Debating the New START Treaty
www.cfr.org-July 22, 2010
The Senate Armed Services Committee wrapped up testimony July 20 on the new Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START) with Russia, part of President Obama's overall nuclear nonproliferation strategy. The Senate must now decide whether to ratify or shelve the measure.
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Three of every four oil and gas lobbyists worked for federal government
www.washingtonpost.com-July 22, 2010
Three out of every four lobbyists who represent oil and gas companies previously worked in the federal government, a proportion that far exceeds the usual revolving-door standards on Capitol Hill, a Washington Post analysis shows.
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Iraq's Political Impasse Raises Concerns In Congress About Troop Drawdown
www.bloomberg.com-July 22, 2010
Iraq’s failure to form a government four months after elections prompted concern in the U.S. Congress as senators heard from President Barack Obama’s nominee to be his next envoy to the Persian Gulf nation.
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All The Jet We Can Afford
www.latimes.com-July 22, 2010
The Pentagon and the Obama administration are at odds with the House over funding a second engine for the advanced fighter jet.
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Obama Losing Support In War Effort
www.latimes.com-July 21, 2010
Concerns about the lack of progress in Afghanistan are rising as U.S. lawmakers consider an emergency funding bill.
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Military voters soon to be disenfranchised - again
www.washingtontimes.com-July 21, 2010
By most accounts, the 2008 presidential election was a disaster for military voters. Thousands of them were disenfranchised when their absentee ballots were sent to wrong addresses, lost in the mail or mailed too close to the election for the ballot to be returned. To make matters worse, thousands of ballots were rejected by local election officials because the ballot - through no fault of the military voter - arrived after the election deadline.
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Obama to Sign Financial Regulation as Treasury Reviews Watchdog Candidates
www.bloomberg.com-July 21, 2010
U.S. Treasury officials are reviewing candidates to run the consumer agency created by the financial-regulatory overhaul that President Barack Obama will sign today.
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Fannie Mae Subpoenas May Find $30 Billion of Bad Mortgages, Analyst Says
www.bloomberg.com-July 21, 2010
Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac’s regulator may identify as much as $30 billion of debt included in mortgage bonds that the companies can force sellers to repurchase, according to Joshua Rosner, an analyst who in 2007 predicted the collapse in the market for the securities.
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Kagan And The Military: What Really Happened
htttp://online.wsj.com-July 21, 2010
Her intellectually dishonest opposition to our armed forces during a time of war shows bad judgment. She doesn't belong on the Supreme Court.
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U.K. PM comes to talk Mideast, economy, war, anything but BP
www.msnbc.com-July 20, 2010
On the way to Washington, British Prime Minister David Cameron said he wants to talk about Afghanistan, Middle East peace prospects and the global economy.
Everyone else wants to talk about BP.
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Priority No. 1: Creating an Agenda to Spur Job-Creating Economic Growth
www.brookings.edu-July 20, 2010
Events in the United States are confirming what scholars have concluded: economic downturns driven by fiscal crises differ fundamentally from classic cyclical recessions. Because a massive amount of wealth is destroyed and the normal flow of credit is disrupted, production shrinks sharply, demand recovers slowly as consumers and businesses shed debt, and job losses are large, pervasive, and long-lasting.
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Evaluating Options for a Sustainable Defense
www.csba.com-July 20, 2010
Testimony by Todd Harrison presented before the U.S. House of Representatives, Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, Submcommittee on National Security and Foreign Affairs on July 20, 2010.
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Time To Discipline Defense Spending
www.politico.com-July 19, 2010
An absence of restraint and a failure to set priorities, as revealed in the Quadrennial Defense Review, has put the Pentagon on a collision course with fiscal realities and a changing political environment.
Now is the time for Congress and the Pentagon to take a closer look at the military’s missions, make a realistic risk calculation and reshape a smaller and better tailored force.
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Biden Responds To McChrystal’s Words
www.nytimes.com-July 19, 2010
Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. said Sunday that he did not feel personally attacked by the derisive remarks by Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal and his aides in a Rolling Stone article published last month. But he suggested that General McChrystal’s firing as the top commander in Afghanistan was necessary.
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Now, real work on financial reform begins
www.msnbc.com-July 18, 2010
In the end, it's only a beginning. The far-reaching new banking and consumer protection bill that President Barack Obama intends to sign on Wednesday now shifts from the politicians to the technocrats.
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Timothy Geithner's realm grows with passage of financial regulatory reform
www.washingtonpost.com-July 17, 2010
Half a year after some predicted he would be booted from the Obama administration, Treasury Secretary Timothy F. Geithner stands to inherit vast power to shape bank regulations, oversee financial markets and create a consumer protection agency.
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Judge Rules Stolen Valor Act Illegal
www.military.com-July 17, 2010
A law that makes it illegal to lie about being a war hero is unconstitutional because it violates free speech, a federal judge ruled Friday as he dismissed a case against a Colorado man who claimed he received two military medals.
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Passage of Financial Reform Will Make Us Safer, at a Reasonable Cost
www.brookings.edu-July 16, 2010
After a long struggle, financial reform legislation is about to become law, now that the Senate has passed the Dodd-Frank bill. The bill is a good one, better than we had a right to expect given the complexity of the issues, the importance of this sector of the economy, the power of the vested interests fighting change, and the partisan political obstacles to accomplishing anything major in Washington.
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It's Time to Shift Spending to States
www.cato.org-July 16, 2010
The U.S. fiscal path is unsustainable, primarily because of out-of-control entitlement spending.
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Congress passes financial reform bill
www.washingtonpost.com-July 16, 2010
Congress gave final approval Thursday to the most ambitious overhaul of financial regulation in generations, ending more than a year of wrangling over the shape of the new rules and shifting the government's focus to the monumental task of implementing them.
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Obama Pushes Through Agenda Despite Political Risks
www.nytimes.com-July 16, 2010
If passage of the financial regulatory overhaul on Thursday proves anything about President Obama, it is this: He knows how to push big bills through a balky Congress.
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Wall Street reform: On to Obama
www.cnn.com-July 16, 2010
The Senate on Thursday afternoon passed the most sweeping set of changes to the financial regulatory system since the 1930s, sending the Wall Street reform bill to President Obama.
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Tehran Plans To Attend Kabul Talks
htttp://online.wsj.com-July 16, 2010
Congress approved a rewrite of rules touching every corner of finance, from ATM cards to Wall Street traders, in the biggest expansion of government power over banking and markets since the Depression.
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Senate Democrats Propose Cutting $14B From Obama Budget
www.bostonglobe.com-July 16, 2010
President Obama’s allies in the Senate stepped forward with a plan yesterday to cut $14 billion from his budget for the coming fiscal year. That’s double the $7 billion cut sought by House Democrats.
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Congress acts, but bank bill has work ahead
http://news.yahoo.com-July 16, 2010
In the end, it's only a beginning.
The far-reaching new banking and consumer protection bill awaiting President Barack Obama's signature now shifts from the politicians to the technocrats.
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Is More Fiscal Stimulus Needed?
www.cfr.org-July 15, 2010
Fiscal stimulus is neither as effective as its advocates claim nor as expensive as its opponents claim. According to the OECD and IMF, stimulus spending may only have prevented one-fifth of the 5 percentage point increase in unemployment during the crisis and accounted for one-fourth of the 7.5 percent drop in deficit-to-GDP ratios in advanced countries. Nevertheless, the decision of whether or not to continue fiscal stimulus should be based on three considerations:
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Fed Gets More Power, Responsibility
htttp://online.wsj.com-July 15, 2010
After fending off most challenges to its independence and winning new powers to oversee big financial firms, the Federal Reserve has emerged from a bruising debate on the overhaul of U.S. financial rules as perhaps the pre-eminent regulator in the sector. But that could only bring it added blame if things go wrong again.
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Congress Wants More Scrutiny Of U.S. Spending In Afghanistan
www.mcclatchynews.com-July 15, 2010
Members of a House subcommittee drilled three U.S. agencies Thursday for not tracking billions in U.S. money invested in the rebuilding of Afghanistan since 2002.
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Financial Reform Nothing for Wall Street to Cry About
www.abcnews.com-July 15, 2010
With passage of the Dodd-Frank financial reform bill appearing to be a lock today, one might expect the mood on Wall Street to be somber. Instead, the financial industry is feeling as though it dodged a bullet, industry recruiters said, pointing to a recent upswing in hiring.
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Financial Reform, R.I.P.
www.forbes.com-July 15, 2010
The Dodd-Frank bill does nothing to deal with Wall Street's central problem: systemic non-disclosure.
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Companies pile up cash but remain hesitant to add jobs
www.washingtonpost.com-July 15, 2010
Corporate America is hoarding a massive pile of cash. It just doesn't want to spend it hiring anyone.
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BP lobbied U.K. ahead of Lockerbie bomber release
www.msnbc.com-July 15, 2010
BP said Thursday that it had lobbied the British government over a prisoner transfer agreement with Libya in late 2007 before the release of Lockerbie bomber Abdel Baset al-Megrahi.
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Pentagon warns Congress: accounts running dry
www.reuters.com-July 14, 2010
The Pentagon said on Wednesday it may be forced to take extreme measures -- like not paying salaries -- if the Democratic-led Congress fails to pass a $37 billion defense spending bill before lawmakers begin an August recess.
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Strategy Emerges To Prevent More U.S. C-17 Funding
www.defensenews.com-July 14, 2010
As the 2011 U.S. defense budget creeps languidly through Congress, two senators have launched an effort to keep their colleagues from adding money to buy more C-17 cargo planes.
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Financial Reform Bill Limps Toward Vote
www.nytimes.com-July 14, 2010
It was supposed to be the one major piece of legislation this year that Republicans and Democrats could see eye to eye on, and vote aye on together in broad numbers. Instead, the sweeping overhaul of the nation’s financial regulatory system, a response to the economic crisis of 2008, will barely squeak through the Senate.
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Finance Overhaul Casts Long Shadow on the Plains
htttp://online.wsj.com-July 14, 2010
Farmer Jim Kreutz uses derivatives to soften the blow should the price of feed corn drop before harvest. His brother-in-law, feedlot owner Jon Reeson, turns to them to hedge the price of his steer. The local farmers' co-op uses derivatives to finance fixed-price diesel for truckers who carry cattle to slaughter. And the packing plant employs derivatives to stabilize costs from natural gas to foreign currencies.
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Financial Overhaul Bill Nears Passage With Republican Support
www.bloomberg.com-July 14, 2010
The U.S. Senate plans to take up the financial-regulation bill on July 15 as Democrats secured the 60 votes needed to enact the biggest rewrite of Wall Street rules since the Great Depression.
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Wall Street Fix Seen Ineffectual by Four of Five in U.S.
www.bloomberg.com-July 14, 2010
Americans harbor doubts that a financial-regulation bill about to be passed by Congress will do what President Barack Obama says it will: help avoid another crisis and make their finances safer.
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U.S. Business Groups Air Policy Concerns
htttp://online.wsj.com-July 14, 2010
Washington's major business groups plan a united front Wednesday in their confrontation with the Obama administration over economic policy, calling on the White House to cut taxes and curb its regulatory agenda.
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Pentagon warns Congress: accounts running dry
http://news.yahoo.com-July 14, 2010
The Pentagon said on Wednesday it may be forced to take extreme measures -- like not paying salaries -- if the Democratic-led Congress fails to pass a $37 billion defense spending bill before lawmakers begin an August recess.
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Federal budget gap tops $1 trillion through June
http://news.yahoo.com-July 13, 2010
The federal deficit has topped $1 trillion with three months still to go in the budget year, showing the lasting impact of the recession on the government's finances.
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Gates Asks Senate GOP For Support
www.politico.com-July 13, 2010
Defense Secretary Robert Gates met with Senate Republicans Tuesday and asked them to vote for a stalled war supplemental bill he hoped would pass months ago.
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Freshman lawmaker Jason Chaffetz goes against Republican grain on Afghan war
www.washingtonpost.com-July 13, 2010
As the House neared a vote this month on funding for the war in Afghanistan, Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah) wanted reassurance. The lawmaker had criticized the surge of 30,000 troops President Obama authorized, saying that the United States does not have a clear policy or exit strategy. But he had not yet cast a vote against war funding.
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Financial Reform: Now It’s Up to the Regulators
www.brookings.edu-July 12, 2010
The simpler half of financial reform will be completed shortly with the passage of the Dodd-Frank financial reform bill and its receipt of the president’s signature. Hard as it may be to conceive, the complexity embedded in its over 2000 pages of text is likely to be exceeded by the complications inherent in the regulatory implementation of financial reform.
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Bad Medicine: A Guide to the Real Costs and Consequences of the New Health Care Law
www.cato.org-July 12, 2010
For better or worse, President Obama's health care reform bill is now law. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act represents the most significant transformation of the American health care system since Medicare and Medicaid. It will fundamentally change nearly every aspect of health care, from insurance to the final delivery of care.
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Historic oil spill fails to produce gains for U.S. environmentalists
www.washingtonpost.com-July 12, 2010
For environmentalists, the BP oil spill may be disproving the maxim that great tragedies produce great change.
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Debt commission leaders paint gloomy picture
www.realclearpolitics.com-July 11, 2010
The heads of President Barack Obama's national debt commission painted a gloomy picture Sunday as the United States struggles to get its spending under control.
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Bank Bailout Is Potent Issue for Both Parties in Fall Races
www.nytimes.com-July 11, 2010
The vote in 2008 to bail out Wall Street was framed as the only way to avert an economic meltdown and relieve financial institutions of their most poisonous holdings. For many members of Congress, it turns out that the vote itself was toxic.
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Governors Voice Grave Concerns on Immigration
www.nytimes.com-July 11, 2010
In a private meeting with White House officials this weekend, Democratic governors voiced deep anxiety about the Obama administration’s suit against Arizona’s new immigration law, worrying that it could cost a vulnerable Democratic Party in the fall elections.
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U.S. military says questions about gays would help if 'don't ask' were ended
www.washingtonpost.com-July 10, 2010
A Defense Department survey sent this week to 400,000 service members asks such provocative questions as whether its troops have shared shower facilities with a gay person or if they would be comfortable using a base commissary if their neighbors were gay.
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U.S. Presses Pentagon Contractors
htttp://online.wsj.com-July 09, 2010
Fuel Suppliers to Afghanistan Are Accused of Stonewalling Investigation by Masking Ownership.
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Pentagon's Next Mission: Cutting Back On Spending
htttp://online.wsj.com-July 09, 2010
When people from opposite ends of the political spectrum come together to agree on something in Washington, you can be pretty sure a trend is taking shape.
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Federal Reserve weighs steps to offset slowdown in economic recovery
www.washingtonpost.com-July 08, 2010
Federal Reserve officials, increasingly concerned over signs the economic recovery is faltering, are considering new steps to bolster growth.
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U.S. should cut deficit to spur recovery, IMF says
www.washingtonpost.com-July 08, 2010
The Obama administration is overestimating U.S. economic growth and needs to reduce its budget deficit far more aggressively, the International Monetary Fund said on Thursday in a report that targeted Social Security, the home mortgage interest deduction and other politically sensitive policies as ripe for cutting.
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Many Republican leaders bypassing RNC chief Steele ahead of midterms
www.washingtonpost.com-July 07, 2010
Michael S. Steele appears likely to weather his gaffe about the war in Afghanistan, perhaps his most significant lapse as chairman of the Republican National Committee. But many Republican leaders have lost confidence in his ability to head the GOP and are working around him to keep it on track for the midterm elections
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79 Veterans Administration Patients Never Learned Of Colonoscopy Risks
www.miamihearld.com-July 07, 2010
After more than 2,400 veterans received colonoscopies with unsterilized equipment, they were notified and offered treatment for possible illnesses they contracted. But 79 of them never were contacted, the VA said Tuesday.
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The Incredible, Unbendable Michael Steele
www.newsweek.com-July 06, 2010
Returning to the office after a long weekend is never easy. But that may be an understatement for Michael Steele. It was last week when the GOP chairman was caught on tape at a fundraiser claiming that the U.S. efforts in Afghanistan were "a war of Obama's choice," effectively countering the platform of the party he's paid to lead. Within hours, top conservatives were calling for his resignation. Asked about it on Sunday's This Week, Sen. John McCain said that Steele would "have to assess as to whether he can still lead the Republican Party." Steele reportedly spent the weekend working the phones trying to save his job.
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Lack of jobs increasingly blamed on uncertainty created by Obama’s policies
http://dailycaller.com-July 06, 2010
There is one word being mentioned by business leaders and economists more frequently when the conversation turns to why jobs are not returning more quickly to the U.S. economy: uncertainty.
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Revitalizing the American Dream
www.inc.com-July 06, 2010
We need more start-ups. A lot more of them. New companies mean new ideas, new approaches, new products and services, and new jobs. What's more, in the wake of the Wall Street meltdown and the catastrophic oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, a wave of start-ups could spark a new sense of optimism about what businesses can actually accomplish -- something else this country sorely needs.
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Weapons Budget Defies Obama Aim To Hold Costs, Pentagon Comptroller Say
www.bloomberg.com-July 06, 2010
U.S. spending on weapons through 2016 likely will grow faster than the overall defense budget, which will have annual increases of only about 1 percent above inflation, according to Pentagon Comptroller Robert Hale.
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3 Years Later, Democrats Cast Petraeus In New Light
www.washingtontimes.com-July 06, 2010
In less than three years, Army Gen. David H. Petraeus has risen from the brunt of ridicule by Democrats to President Obama's most valuable field general.
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The Government Pay Bonus
htttp://online.wsj.com-July 06, 2010
Pay cuts, layoffs and the highest unemployment rates in decades have reignited a debate over the relative treatment of public and private workers. USA Today reported in March that federal workers earn substantially higher wages than private sector employees who work the same types of jobs.
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Rep. Paul Defends Steele Amid GOP Criticism Over Afghanistan Remarks
www.foxnews.com-July 05, 2010
Known for going against the party grain, Rep. Ron Paul has emerged as just about the only elected Republican sticking up for Michael Steele after the GOP chairman made controversial comments about Afghanistan last week.
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THE MCCHRYSTAL AFFAIR AND U.S. CIVIL-MILITARY RELATIONS
www.fpri.org-July 05, 2010
Writing before the 2008 election, Richard Kohn, the eminent historian and student of US civil-military relations, predicted that "the new administration, like its predecessors, will wonder to what extent it can exercise civilian 'control.' If the historical pattern holds, the administration will do something clumsy or overreact, provoking even more distrust simply in the process of establishing its own authority." Recent events demonstrate that he was correct.
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'World News' Political Insights: Michael Steele Not Gone, Just Not Relevant for GOP
www.abcnews.com-July 04, 2010
Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele's latest gaffe was almost certainly his worst in the minds of top Republican strategists and lawmakers -- affecting both policy and politics in the run-up to critical congressional elections.
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Spend or Scrimp? Two Sides in White House Debate
www.nytimes.com-July 03, 2010
Not since the first years of the Clinton administration has a White House had to debate whether to give precedence to stimulating the economy or reducing budget deficits. Now, as the recovery shows signs of faltering, that debate is playing out within the Obama administration, with a twist compared to the 1990s: the economic and political teams have switched sides.
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Budget Deficit And Wars' Cost Draw Fire On The Home Front
www.nytimes.com-July 03, 2010
The debate in Congress over an $82 billion war spending bill has opened up a war of a different sort — a fierce clash between House Democrats and the Obama White House over two highly sensitive issues: the nation’s huge budget deficit and the lingering wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
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Blame game could 'boomerang' on Obama, strategist says
www.cnn.com-July 02, 2010
When signs of a severe economic downfall emerged more than two years ago, then-candidate Barack Obama was quick to point a finger at the man he hoped to replace.
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June Job Losses at 125,000, But Jobless Rate Falls to 9.5%
www.cnbc.com-July 02, 2010
The US economy lost 125,000 jobs in June, more than economists had forecast, as thousands of temporary census jobs ended and private hiring grew less than expected.
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June’s Employment Numbers Highlight America’s Increasingly Distressed Communities
www.brookings.edu-July 02, 2010
June’s employment numbers highlight that our economic recovery is not yet on solid footing. An analysis by The Hamilton Project digs into the regional distribution of these unemployment trends and finds that, by one measure, the five hardest hit states are Alabama, Delaware, Colorado, Georgia, and Utah.
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Hints Of Hope Wrestle With Headline Drop In Jobs Report
www.forbes.com-July 02, 2010
The economic recovery took a tentative step in the right direction Friday, as the private sector added more jobs in June than in May, while the unemployment rate fell to 9.5%.
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Steele Blames Afghan War on Obama, Drawing Calls to Resign
www.foxnews.com-July 02, 2010
Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele on Friday declared his opposition to the Afghanistan war, saying the nine-year-old conflict was of President "Obama's choosing," and that the mission is "probably a lost cause" – prompting at least one prominent Republican to call for his resignation.
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RNC's Steele backtracks after calling Afghan war unwinnable
www.washingtonpost.com-July 02, 2010
Republican National Committee Chairman Michael S. Steele is trying to quell controversy over his comments that the war in Afghanistan was of "Obama's choosing" and is not winnable, remarks that put him at odds with much of his party and that led two influential Republicans to call for his resignation.
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Dust-Up Over Steele’s View of Afghan War
www.nytimes.com-July 02, 2010
Michael Steele, chairman of the Republican National Committee, drew fierce criticism on Friday after declaring at a party fund-raiser that the United States was on the wrong side of history with its conflict in Afghanistan, a military fight he called “a war of Obama’s choosing.”
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June unemployment rate drops to 9.5 percent but 125,000 jobs lost
www.washingtonpost.com-July 02, 2010
The official June unemployment rate came in at 9.5 percent, down from 9.7 percent in May, the lowest number since last summer.
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U.S. Economy Shed 125,000 Jobs in June; Rate Is 9.5%
www.nytimes.com-July 02, 2010
The United States added just 83,000 private-sector jobs in June, a dishearteningly low number that could add to the growing number of economists who warn that the economic recovery is stalling.
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Payrolls in U.S. Fell 125,000 in June; Jobless Rate at 9.5%
www.bloomberg.com-July 02, 2010
Employment fell in June for the first time this year, reflecting a drop in federal census workers and a smaller-than-forecast gain in private hiring.
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U.S. housing market remains fragile despite low mortgage rates
www.washingtonpost.com-July 02, 2010
After showing signs of a fledgling recovery from the worst downturn in decades, the U.S. housing market appears to be heading back toward the doldrums, as the expiration of a lucrative tax credit for buyers and increased uncertainty about the economy cause home sales to plummet.
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Payrolls drop by 125,000, jobless rate falls
www.latimes.com-July 02, 2010
A wave of census layoffs cut the nation's payrolls in June for the first time in six months, while private employers added a modest number of jobs. The unemployment rate fell to 9.5%, its lowest level in almost a year.
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House OKs War Funding Bill To Increase Troops In Afghanistan
www.latimes.com-July 02, 2010
Despite pessimism that the war in Afghanistan is a quagmire, Democrats controlling the House muscled through a plan Thursday to finance President Obama's troop increase, but only after sweetening the measure with provisions to salvage their faltering jobs agenda.
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Military Is Split On Kagan
htttp://online.wsj.com-July 02, 2010
Republican and Democratic senators on Thursday presented witnesses from the military arena to bolster widely divergent portraits of Elena Kagan's handling of military recruiting while she was dean of Harvard Law School.
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Economy sheds jobs for the first time this year
www.msnbc.com-July 02, 2010
A wave of census layoffs cut the nation’s payrolls in June for the first time in six months, while private employers added a modest number of jobs, according to the government’s latest report on the labor market.
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Economic rebound may be losing ground, data show
www.latimes.com-July 02, 2010
A fresh batch of weak economic news Thursday heightened concerns about the staying power of the fledgling recovery, with more uninspiring news expected Friday when the government reports on the May job market.
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Unemployment Drops to 9.5 Percent as 125,000 Jobs Are Shed in June
www.foxnews.com-July 02, 2010
The unemployment rate dropped to 9.5 percent for the month of June even as the U.S. government dropped 225,000 Census jobs, the Labor Department reported Friday in another sign that the economy is facing a vulnerable recovery.
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House Passes $80 Billion War Spending Bill
www.nytimes.com-July 01, 2010
The House approved a war spending bill on Thursday with a provision that would include $10 billion to help school districts avoid educator layoffs, paying for the effort, in part, with $800 million in cuts to several of President Obama’s key education initiatives.
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Obama Threatens Veto Of House War-Funding Bill Over Education-Program Cuts
www.businessweek.com-July 01, 2010
The Obama administration threatened to veto the House version of a war-funding bill because it would rescind $800 million in education funding to help finance $10 billion in state aid to prevent teacher layoffs.
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Pentagon recommends Medal of Honor for a living soldier
www.washingtonpost.com-July 01, 2010
The Pentagon has recommended that the White House consider awarding the Medal of Honor to a living soldier for the first time since the Vietnam War, according to U.S. officials.
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Senate confirms Petraeus as Afghan war chief
www.associatedpress.com-July 01, 2010
The Senate on Wednesday unanimously confirmed Gen. David Petraeus as the new commander of the Afghanistan war, and President Barack Obama swiftly issued a statement saying Petraeus had his "full confidence."
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Obama to call for comprehensive immigration bill at American University
www.washingtonpost.com-July 01, 2010
With immigration stories dominating headlines nearly every week, President Obama is delivering a speech Thursday morning that will frame the issue on his own terms -- calling for comprehensive legislation and the importance of keeping the border secure.
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At Arlington Cemetery, Army Ready For Drastic Measures
www.washingtonpost.com-July 01, 2010
The secretary of the Army said Wednesday that officials were prepared to dig up graves, open caskets and take DNA samples from the deceased if it is necessary to sort out the record-keeping chaos at Arlington National Cemetery.
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One Outspoken General Does Not Make A Politicized Military
www.latimes.com-July 01, 2010
A June 23 op-ed by Bruce Ackerman that portrayed civil-military relations against the backdrop of the Gen. McChrystal affair is wildly off the mark. Dr. Ackerman's commentary presumes a rapid politicization of the U.S. military and a foreboding future of a biased officer corps involved in political partisanship. To the contrary, the vast majority of military officers are well disciplined in the principle of civilian control of the military. Modern military officers are purposefully educated on its tenets and governed by strict codes of conduct. Gen. McChrystal's regrettable actions are in no way symptomatic of a politicized officer corps.
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Obama's Unclear Path to Immigration Reform
www.cfr.org-July 01, 2010
The Obama administration has two choices on the issue of comprehensive immigration reform. It can try to find a legislative path for pushing a bill through with little or no Republican support, as it did on healthcare and, to a lesser extent, on the pending financial reform legislation. Or it can try to change the terms of the debate in a way that makes bipartisan legislation more plausible--if not in an election year then at least early in 2011.
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Economic data out today suggest economic recovery cannot continue without government help
www.washingtonpost.com-July 01, 2010
A raft of bad economic data out this morning pushed Wall Street toward its third bad day in a row, though stocks have trimmed some of their earlier losses.
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Weak Housing Data Signal That Economy Is Losing Steam
www.nytimes.com-July 01, 2010
A record fall in pending home sales and a slowdown in the construction market contributed to a sluggish outlook for the economy Thursday, highlighting the significance of government stimulus measures and job growth.
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Calling Immigration System ‘Broken,’ Obama Pushes Bill
www.nytimes.com-July 01, 2010
President Obama pressed Congress on Thursday to pass comprehensive immigration legislation to fix a “fundamentally broken” system by toughening enforcement of existing laws while creating a path to citizenship for many of the 11 million people in the United States illegally.
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Toward a Responsible Defense Budget
www.cato.org-June 30, 2010
In a recent article in The Daily Caller, Chet Nagle claims that the Obama administration "plans to eliminate over a trillion defense dollars in the next ten years." Unfortunately, he has no basis for saying so.
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Why Obamanomics Has Failed
htttp://online.wsj.com-June 30, 2010
The administration's stimulus program has failed. Growth is slow and unemployment remains high. The president, his friends and advisers talk endlessly about the circumstances they inherited as a way of avoiding responsibility for the 18 months for which they are responsible.
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Senate confirms Petraeus as Afghan war chief
www.realclearpolitics.com-June 30, 2010
The Senate on Wednesday unanimously confirmed Gen. David Petraeus as the new commander of the Afghanistan war, and President Barack Obama swiftly issued a statement saying Petraeus had his "full confidence."
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Governments Moving to Cut Spending, in Echo of 1930s
www.nytimes.com-June 30, 2010
The world’s rich countries are now conducting a dangerous experiment. They are repeating an economic policy out of the 1930s — starting to cut spending and raise taxes before a recovery is assured — and hoping today’s situation is different enough to assure a different outcome.
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American Soldier Still Held Captive by Taliban after One Year
John Ubaldi-June 30, 2010
All last week attention was paid to the one year mark commemorating the passing of Michael Jackson, but where is the same type of remembrance for Private First Class Bowe Bergdahl who was captured by the Taliban one year ago today. Few if any …
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Senate panel approves Gen. Petraeus as new Afghan war commander
www.washingtonpost.com-June 30, 2010
As he drove to his confirmation hearing Tuesday morning, Gen. David H. Petraeus had his third phone conversation in less than a week with Afghan President Hamid Karzai.
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Petraeus Breezes Through Hearing
www.latimes.com-June 30, 2010
Senators show their admiration early and often for the general named to take command in Afghanistan. Petraeus downplays tensions between the military and Joe Biden.
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Petraeus: Afghan Exit Could Be Slowed
www.philly.com-June 30, 2010
Gen. David H. Petraeus on Tuesday left open the possibility of recommending that President Obama delay his plans to start withdrawing troops from Afghanistan next summer, if the new commander can't turn around the stalemated war.
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Lawmakers Ask For Afghanistan Exit Strategy
www.sfchronicle.com-June 30, 2010
Rep. Barbara Lee, D-Oakland, joined other House members in calling for President Obama to provide Congress with "a clear commitment and plan to withdraw U.S. forces from Afghanistan" before a vote expected later this week that would provide $58 billion for wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
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Kagan makes bipartisan appeal in Supreme Court confirmation hearings
www.washingtonpost.com-June 30, 2010
Elena Kagan told the Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday that her political outlook is "generally progressive," but the glimpses she offered into her legal views defied Republican efforts to pigeonhole the type of Supreme Court justice she would be.
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A Split-Screen Tale Of Two Generals
www.nytimes.com-June 30, 2010
As one general tried to reassure Congress that she respects the military, the other general tried to reassure Congress that the military respects civilians.
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McChrystal To Retain Rank In Retirement
www.washingtonpost.com-June 29, 2010
Gen. Stanley McChrystal will retain his four-star rank when he retires from the military, the White House said Tuesday. The decision means the general will earn about $149,700 per year before taxes in military retirement pay
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McChrystal Tells Army He Will End His Career
www.washingtonpost.com-June 29, 2010
Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal, who was fired by President Obama last week as the top U.S. general in the war in Afghanistan, has told the Army that he will retire.
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