Democratic candidates all but ignore their legislative successes
Posted in Health, News, Politics, economy, what on August 9th, 2010 by admin – Comments Off
As Democrats fan out across the country to campaign for reelection this month, many are surprisingly quiet about their hard-won accomplishments — the major bills they have passed under President Obama.
In an effort coordinated with the White House, congressional leaders are urging Democrats to focus less on bragging about what they have done — a landmark healthcare law, a sweeping overhaul of Wall Street regulation and other far-reaching policy changes — and more on efforts to fix the economy and on the perils of Republican control of Congress.
Gates says withdrawal from Afghanistan to be limited at first
Posted in News, Politics, economy, what on August 1st, 2010 by admin – Comments OffDefense Secretary Robert Gates suggested Sunday that only a small portion of the U.S. force in Afghanistan will begin to return home next year, when an Obama administration deadline for a troop pullout goes into effect.
“Drawdowns early on will be of fairly limited numbers,” Gates said in an interview on ABC News’ “This Week.” “It will depend on the conditions on the ground.”
In calling for a surge of troops in the region, President Obama set July 2011 as the time when the Pentagon would begin to reduce forces, ostensibly with Afghanistan more secure from the threat of the Taliban.
California lawmakers have less motivation to pass a budget
Posted in Health, News on July 4th, 2010 by admin – Comments Off
Many of the pressures that can push California’s leaders toward a budget accord are absent this summer as the state lurches into yet another budget year without a spending plan.
The lack of acute suffering from the budget stalemate may help explain why talks between Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and top lawmakers show no signs of agreement on how to tackle California’s $19.1-billion deficit.
Chopper crash kills 4 in Afghanistan
Posted in News on June 21st, 2010 by admin – Comments OffA military helicopter crashed during an early morning operation in southern Afghanistan on Monday, killing three Australian commandoes and an American service member, officials said.
Two other international service members were killed Sunday in separate bombings in the south, NATO announced without specifying nationalities. One of them was an American, according to a U.S. spokesman Col. Wayne Shanks.
The crash was being investigated but there were no indications of enemy involvement, NATO said in a statement.
New Agers, neo-pagans see Stonehenge solstice
Posted in Celeb, Education, Health, News, what on June 21st, 2010 by admin – Comments OffThousands of New Agers and neo-pagans danced and whooped in delight Monday as a bright early morning sun rose above the ancient stone circle Stonehenge, marking the summer solstice.
About 20,000 people crowded the prehistoric site on Salisbury Plain, southern England, to see the sunrise at 4:52 A.M. (1152EST), after an annual all-night party.
The event typically draws thousands of alternative-minded revelers to the monument, as they wait for dawn at the Heel Stone, a pockmarked pillar just outside the circle proper, which aligns with the rising sun.
Afghanistan violence is soaring, U.N. says
Posted in News on June 20th, 2010 by admin – Comments OffAfghanistan has become a far more dangerous place for Western troops and Afghan civilians alike, with an increase in suicide attacks, roadside bombings and political assassinations in the first four months of 2010, the United Nations said in a report released Saturday.
The gloomy assessment comes on the heels of congressional testimony last week by senior U.S. military officials who acknowledged that efforts to stabilize Afghanistan’s volatile south are proving more complex and time-consuming than anticipated.
