U.S. hits debt ceiling

The U.S. government hit the debt ceiling on Monday, Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner told Congress.
Geithner said he would have to suspend investments in federal retirement funds until Aug. 2 in order to create room for the government to continue borrowing in the debt markets.
The funds will be made whole once the debt limit is increased, Geithner said. "Federal retirees and employees will be unaffected by these actions."
He went on to urge Congress once again to raise the country's legal borrowing limit soon "to protect the full faith and credit of the United States and avoid catastrophic economic consequences for citizens."
Congress, meanwhile, is not showing any signs of budging. Many Republicans and some Democrats say they won't raise it unless Congress and President Obama agree to significant spending cuts and other ways to curb debt.

http://money.cnn.com/2011/05/16/news/economy/debt_ceiling_deadline/index.htm?hpt=T2

Bin Laden was communicating with other terrorists, U.S. official says

Data and documents taken from the compound show that messages from Osama bin Laden did make it out of the compound to other members of al Qaeda, a U.S. official says.
"There are strong indications there is back and forth with other terrorists," the official said.
U.S. officials have said they view the raided compound as the al Qaeda leader's "command and control center" but had not explained before why they believed that to be the case.

people shot and killed in riverwalk

Riverside police are trying to determine why a man with a gun shot two people to death in an upscale neighborhood and then was himself shot by a police officer.
The double-homicide took place this evening in the 11500 block of Trailway Drive in the Riverwalk area of western Riverside, said Riverside police Lt. Guy Toussaint.
Officers received reports of shots fired just before 6 p.m., Toussaint said. When officers arrived minutes later, "an officer-involved shooting occurred, and the suspect was shot," he said. The suspect was taken to a hospital. Toussaint said he expected his condition was serious.
"We don't know what caused the shooting," he said, adding that such an occurrence "would be out of place for a neighborhood like this, out of place for the Riverwalk area. These are very nice homes, this is a very nice neighborhood."
Toussaint said investigators were still trying to determine if the shooter had any relationship to his victims. It was not clear if any of them were residents of the area.
"We're going to be here for many hours," he said of the investigation.

U.S. was prepared to fight Pakistani forces, officials say

The Obama administration had "very detailed contingency plans" for military action against Pakistani forces if they had tried to stop the U.S. attack on Osama bin Laden's compound, according to two U.S. officials familiar with the plan.
Their names are not disclosed because of the sensitive intelligence information involved.

Army Corps battles rising Mississippi from Memphis to New Orleans

Waging war against historic flooding in eight Midwestern and Southern states, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers opened a spillway north of New Orleans on Monday in an effort to calm the rising Mississippi River.

Bin Laden's death ushers in whirlwind week as clues emerge

he curtain is just beginning to rise on the scope and power of the world's most-wanted terrorist one week after U.S. Navy SEALs killed him during a daring nighttime raid.

Phone call tipped off U.S. to bin Laden compound, source says

A single phone call by Osama bin Laden's trusted courier tipped off U.S. officials to his Pakistan compound, ultimately leading to last week's raid that killed the al Qaeda leader, a senior Pakistani intelligence official told CNN Saturday.

Obama meets bin Laden raiders, promises victory over al Qaeda

President Barack Obama met Friday afternoon with members of the military team responsible for conducting the raid on Osama bin Laden's compound, and promised a war-weary nation victory over al Qaeda.

Trove of data found at bin Laden hideout provides first specific alert

With the architect of the September 11, 2001, attacks dead, U.S. commandos in Osama bin Laden's Pakistan compound quickly came upon another prize: A trove of hard drives, DVDs and thumb drives that might provide evidence of other al Qaeda operations.
Those materials, seized after bin Laden and four others were killed, have provided the first specific alert to come out of Monday's raid.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security released a notice tied to rail security Thursday.

Obama won't release bin Laden photos

Obama's decision Wednesday not to release photos of Osama bin Laden after he was killed by U.S. forces is eliciting.

Will bin Laden death image silence doubters or fan flames?

While the White House and the CIA deliberate whether to release a photo of Osama bin Laden's body, there's debate outside the White House on what impact such graphic images might have.
There is a school of thought inside the White House that the photo release is unnecessary because there is "no question" that bin Laden is dead, a senior administration official told CNN's Gloria Borger.

Hot Rod - Osama Bin Laden is Dead Anthem (Party Rock)

Terror threat lives beyond bin Laden's death

Sixty-six years ago on May 1, Americans learned Adolf Hitler was finally dead. On May 1, President Barack Obama announced Osama bin Laden was killed. Until Sunday night, no international figure's death had been so sought since 1945.
Since the 1990s, bin Laden had declared war against the United States. By and large, most Americans did not take that declaration seriously until nearly 10 years ago, on that bright September day, made dark by bin Laden and his league of terrorists. But long before bin Laden's declarations and actions, terrorism had been directed against, and afflicted upon, Americans. Bin Laden's death is a welcome victory and much-hoped-for news in our long fight, but it is not the end of the fight.

high school is building a $60 million football stadium

A Texas high school is building a $60 million football stadium, causing mixed reactions. CNN's Mark McKay reports.

Discussion Reflection.

i think the discussion was full of different ideas and different points of view. i could tell some people were strictly against immigrants no matter what others would say to make immigrants look like good help to america there were people that were just against immigrants 100%.
I feel that we should open our eyes and see that this country became this strong and this powerful because of all the immigrants that came from all over the world to settle here and start their businesses.
Immigrants go through a lot to come to this country and make their lives better then what they had in the place they came from there for we should look at the bright side of them and see that they are big help for america, and to the people who said that immigrants are stealing american jobs, is not stealing if they are doing the jobs that Americans don't want to do.
Finally i want to say that just like every good thing there is a bad, and what i mean by this is that i'm not approving all immigrants i think we should only help that once that are willing to learn to speak English, work to pay their taxes and to help this country grow and the only once that should be send back to were they came from are the once who do nothing for this nation.

The American's guide to the royal wedding

Called the most sought-after invitation of the year (or 21st century), the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton on Friday boasts a guest list of 1,900 for the ceremony.
And you're not one of them.
But you can still play along. If you're an American, check out this cheat sheet to the British royal wedding's festivities and customs. Grab a "fascinator," grab a pint and cheerio!

Obama selects Panetta for defense secretary, Petraeus for CIA

In the most extensive reshaping of the Obama administration's national security team to date, the president will name Central Intelligence Agency Director Leon Panetta as his nominee to succeed Robert Gates as defense secretary, top U.S. officials said Wednesday.

Witnesses say fighting rages near Misrata, shelling along port

Shells detonated near a refugee camp in the port area, where thousands of migrants have been housed while they await ships to carry them to safety. Witnesses said three people were killed and several were wounded.
The attacks by forces loyal to Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi underscored the falsity of government officials' claims that they had suspended military operations in the city.

Alaska police officer accused of being illegal immigrant

A veteran police officer in Alaska was behind bars Monday after authorities accused him of passport fraud, using a fake identity and being an illegal immigrant.

Sen. Ensign says he will resign on May 3

Ensign has admitted to having an affair with Cindy Hampton, a campaign aide and the wife of Ensign's former chief of staff, Doug Hampton. Investigators are looking into efforts by Ensign to assist the Hampton family by providing a nearly $100,000 payment to them, arranging lobbying work for Doug Hampton, and possibly meeting with Doug Hampton on a lobbying matter in violation of Senate rules

Officials: Plane carrying first lady got too close to military C-17

The planes were three miles apart, when they are supposed to be five miles apart, the official told CNN. The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating what went wrong, as it is believed to be an air traffic controller mistake, the official said.
The White House does not believe the first lady's life was ever in danger, the senior official said.
The FAA said in a statement controllers at Andrews Air Force Base instructed an incoming Boeing 737 to perform a "go around" "because the plane did not have the required amount of separation" behind the military plane. The FAA is investigating. "The aircraft were never in any danger," the agency said.

U.S. defends role in Libya

Gordon, recently back from a trip with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to Berlin for informal NATO meetings on Libya and other other global trouble spots, said concerns that NATO may be running short of ammunition and ordinance

9th set of human remains thought to be found in serial killer probe

Police found what appears to be a human skull Monday on the outskirts of a bird sanctuary in Long Island, New York, a county police officer said, potentially the ninth set of remains discovered in the probe of a suspected serial killer.
Lt. Kevin Smith of the Nassau County Police Department said the skull was found around 3:30 p.m. in Oyster Bay. About four hours earlier, a New York state police officer and his cadaver dog spotted another set of remains about a mile and a half away, and authorities worked to determine whether those remains are human.
These discoveries come on the first day that authorities probing the deaths of several young women searched for evidence in and around Nassau County. Since December, eight sets of human remains have been found in Suffolk County, just to the east of Nassau County and roughly five miles from the sites of Monday's discoveries.

Report: Some Gadhafi forces pulling back

TRIPOLI, Libya — Forces loyal to Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi "pulled back" from the rebel stronghold of Benghazi and two other towns after U.N.-authorized airstrikes, a U.S. national security official said Monday.
The official, who declined to be identified by name, said advances by Gadhafi's forces against Benghazi, Ajdabiya and Misrata had "stalled" as a consequence of the military action by U.S. and European forces that began Saturday.
But he said Gadhafi's forces remained active and the United States does not believe the Libyan leader is fulfilling promises to implement a cease-fire.
A senior U.S. military official said Monday the effectiveness of a weekend strike on Libyan leader Gadhafi's compound in Tripoli remains unclear.
The official, also speaking on condition of anonymity, said that the strike launched by British forces on Sunday had targeted Gadhafi's military command ability. U.S. officials have said they are not targeting Gadhafi personally.

Tokyo stocks rebound

The rebound comes after intense selling in the previous two sessions. On Tuesday, the index plunged 10.6%, marking the third worst one-day plunge in the Nikkei's history.
Investors in Japan have been stunned by the devastation caused by last week's earthquake and tsunami, including an increasingly dire situation at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.
A second fire was discovered Wednesday at the stricken nuclear facility located about 138 miles north of Tokyo. A handful of workers have been struggling to contain a dangerous radiation threat there following three explosions and another fire on Tuesday.
The plant was crippled after a 9.0-earthquake, the fifth-largest worldwide since records began, struck off Japan's coast on March 11. Within an hour, a wall of water measuring up to 30 feet high swept across the Japanese coast, destroying entire towns and villages in its path.
The death toll has risen to 3,373, according to Japan's National Police Agency. At least 7,558 people were still missing as of Wednesday morning, and 1,990 were injured.

American School System

Earthquake in Japan spurs tsunami

The morning after Japan was struck by the most powerful earthquake to hit the island nation in recorded history and the tsunami it unleashed -- and even as the earth continued to twitch with aftershocks -- the disaster's massive impact was only beginning to be revealed.
Rescue efforts began with the first light as military helicopters plucked survivors from roofs and carried them to safety.
The 8.9-magnitude temblor, which was centered near the east coast of Japan, killed hundreds of people, caused the formation of 30-foot walls of water that swept across rice fields, engulfed entire towns, dragged houses onto highways, and tossed cars and boats like toys. Some waves reached six miles (10 kilometers) inland in Miyagi Prefecture on Japan's east coast.

Proposed Texas law to immigrants: Keep out ... or clean my house

There you have the great contradiction that lies at the heart of the U.S. immigration debate -- one that must be confronted and reconciled if it is ever going to be resolved.
Speaking of solutions, I heard a whopper a while back. I had just given a speech to a group of retirees in a well-to-do town near San Diego. After complaining that Mexican immigrants were hurting the quality of life and changing the culture, a woman suggested a high-speed rail that could, every morning, carry men and women from Tijuana, Mexico, 20 miles into San Diego County, where they would work as nannies, housekeepers and gardeners in wealthy neighborhoods before boarding the train at dusk to head back into Mexico.
It was a goofy and obscene idea. But I was glad to hear it because it illustrates clearly how some Americans see Mexico as a giant temp agency that exists to make their lives easier.
Now, a Texas state representative offers more clarity. Republican Debbie Riddle has proposed a bill that creates harsh punishments for those who hire illegal immigrants. House Bill 1202 calls for up to two years in prison and up to $10,000 in fines.

Libya's helicopter forces are greatest threat, U.S. Marine chief says

Libya's helicopter forces are its greatest threat, the head of the Marine Corps said Tuesday.
Sen. John McCain, R-Arizona, asked Marine Corps Commandant Gen. James F. Amos about Libya's air capabilities during a committee hearing held to discuss the Navy's portion of the 2012 Defense budget request.
"I think it's modest," Amos responded. "I think probably their greatest threat are their helicopter-type forces."
Helicopters would be more difficult to target if the international community set up a no-fly zone. Such a zone would typically be enforced by fighter jets whose speed and altitude make it difficult to target helicopters, which move low and slow.
Amos didn't know how many helicopters and fixed wing aircraft the Libyan government has but said the forces are predominately concentrated in four airbases around Tripoli.
"Has it been your experience in combat if the enemy controls the air above, particularly in terrain like Libya, it gives them an enormous advantage," McCain asked.
Amos would not answer the question directly, calling the environment where the Gadhafi forces are located "very complex."


http://www.cnn.com/2011/POLITICS/03/08/senate.hearing.libya/index.html?hpt=T2

David Birney Denies Abuse Claims by Meredith Baxter

Breaking his silence, David Birney issued a forceful denial of ex-wife Meredith Baxter's allegations he abused her during their 16-year marriage.
In a statement to PEOPLE on Friday, the actor, 71, calls her claims "an appalling abuse of the truth" and derided her new memoir, Untied, as "a kind of fairy tale."
After their divorce 20 years ago, he says, Baxter "conducted a relentless and brutal assault" for eight years against their shared custody of their three children in what he called an attempt "to destroy that arrangement and replace it with herself as sole custodian."

http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20471466,00.html?hpt=T2

U.S. mulling military options in Libya

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told a Senate panel Wednesday that "there may well be a role for military assets to get equipment and supplies into areas that have a need for them" and in areas where the United States is welcome.
But she noted the Arab League statement issued Wednesday that rejected "any foreign interference within Libya on behalf of the opposition, even though they have called for Gadhafi to leave."
"The tough issues about how and whether there would be any intervention to assist those who are opposing Libya is very controversial within Libya and within the Arab community," Clinton told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. "So we are working closely with our partners and allies to try to see what we can do and we are engaged in very active consideration of all the different options that are available."
Two senior officials in the Arab League said the group's members have agreed not to accept any foreign intervention in Libya; they also agreed that they will consult with other Arab League members in order to protect Libyans' security.

http://www.cnn.com/2011/US/03/02/libya.military.options/index.html?hpt=T2

Conflicting reports on fate of Iranian opposition leaders

Another Iranian source gave a similar account, saying the report of the men's imprisonment was false.
Meanwhile, a Tehran resident said people in his neighborhood were chanting from inside their homes "God is great," a phrase used by the opposition movement after the disputed presidential elections in 2009.
The conflicting reports came shortly after the semiofficial news Fars News Agency reported that the government had restricted the movements and communication of both opposition leaders.
Referring to the opposition movement, Iranian Prosecutor General Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Ejei said, "The movements and telephone communication of the head of rioters have been restricted and, if circumstances demand it, the next steps for arresting them and putting them on trial will be arranged," Fars reported.

http://www.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/meast/02/28/iran.opposition.arrests/index.html?hpt=T2

Egypt's attorney general forbids Mubarak from leaving country

Attorney General Abdel Maguid Mahmoud ordered the moves after Mustafa Bakri, a member of Egypt's parliament who lost his seat after filing corruption cases against various officials, provided documents indicating Mubarak's family has secret bank accounts totaling more than 200 million Egyptian pounds ($147 million), according to EgyNews.
"I submitted the corruption documents on Sunday night and on Monday morning I was called in by the public prosecutor for investigation, and he asked me to rush to his office." Bakri told CNN. "The attorney general, himself, went over the documents in my possession and then issued his orders to bar Mubarak and his family from travelling and to impound their assets."

Gadhafi clings to power amid growing support for protests

Government forces have repeatedly clashed with demonstrators over the past two weeks in Libya, fired on crowds and at times shot indiscriminately at people in the streets, numerous witnesses have told CNN. The death toll has topped 1,000, according to an estimate from U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.

http://www.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/africa/02/28/libya.protests/index.html?hpt=T2

Waiting For Superman | Trailer #1 US (2010)

Obama condemns Libyan violence, calls for international response.

Obama said in his strongest and most direct statements to date on the unrest in Libya. "So are threats and orders to shoot peaceful protesters and further punish the people of Libya. These actions violate international norms and every standard of common decency. This violence must stop.

http://www.cnn.com/2011/POLITICS/02/23/obama.libya/index.html?hpt=T1

Man sought in deaths of 3 children in suspected meth lab fire

Investigators in Georgia were looking Friday for a man who left the scene of a suburban Atlanta house fire that killed three children, authorities said.
They said the fire was caused by a suspected methamphetamine lab in the Lilburn, Georgia, home.
Gwinnett County Police Capt. Jake Smith said Ivan Gonzalez had been charged with two counts of murder Friday, a day after firefighters found him attempting to douse the blaze with a garden hose.
Gonzalez, who Smith said received burns in the fire, told authorities he was a family member and was headed to the hospital to be near the children injured in the fire.

http://www.cnn.com/2011/CRIME/02/18/georgia.meth.fatal.fire/index.html?iref=NS1

Mother's milk stirs unlikely political debate

First lady Michelle Obama found herself at the center of an unlikely breast-feeding debate this week when three prominent conservative women criticized her for encouraging the creation of a "nanny state."

Conservative radio talk show host Laura Ingraham on Tuesday asked Rep. Michele Bachmann, R-Minnesota, about an announcement by the Internal Revenue Service that the purchase of breast-feeding equipment would be considered a medical expense. Ingraham suggested that the first lady's advocacy of breast-feeding as a way to fight childhood obesity might have been "coordinated" with the IRS decision.


http://www.cnn.com/2011/POLITICS/02/18/nanny.state/index.html?hpt=T2

The Day the Dollar Died

Project

Girl killed by Metrolink train.

A commuter train struck and killed a girl this afternoon at Magnolia Avenue and Buchanan Street in Riverside, closing down a main commuter rail line during the afternoon rush hour.
Witnesses told police that she waited for a freight train to pass and then proceeded across the tracks about 3:45 p.m., stepping in the way of the westbound Metrolink train on a parallel track.
No one on the Metrolink train was hurt, and the roughly 45 passengers were to be bused to their destinations in Orange County, Metrolink's Sherita Coffelt said.

http://www.pe.com/localnews/inland/stories/PE_News_Local_D_wtrain09.136288eba.html

American Sauce: Obama now vs. then

Forget the instant pundit opinions about last week’s State of the Union (the bipartisan seating chart may be the headline for decades to come anyway).
Consider instead what President Obama’s second State of the Union (and fourth address to Congress) tells us about how his words and promises have changed since he announced his run for the White House, exactly four years ago next week.
This week’s American Sauce compares candidate Obama with President Obama. And we notice some changes.

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2011/01/31/american-sauce-obama-now-vs-then/

Kepler Finds a Swarm of New Worlds

For a year and a half now, NASA's Kepler space telescope has been staring, pretty much constantly, at a group of about 156,000 stars, located near the constellation Cygnus. In all that time, month in and month out, Kepler's digital eyes have barely blinked.

Jordan's king dismisses government, appoints new PM

The dismissal follows several protests calling for change in Jordan -- protests that echo demonstrations that have swept across North Africa and the Middle East in the last few weeks.
King Abdullah II asked Marouf Al Bakhit to form a government in Jordan that will implement "genuine political reform," the Royal Court said in a statement.
The government will "take practical steps, quick and concrete, to launch a process of genuine political reform" and "comprehensive development," according to a letter from the king to Al Bakhit. It also will act to strengthen democracy, the letter said.

http://www.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/meast/02/01/jordan.government/index.html?hpt=T2

Egypt of fear.

The scenes in Egypt have been dramatic, as thousands turn out onto the streets demanding that President Hosni Mubarak resign after 30 years in power.

The 2011 State of the Union.

President Obama speaks about moving forward to create jobs, out-compete in the global economy by investing in innovation and education, and win the future for our children and our country. January 25, 2010.

U.S TROOPS SPEAK OUT AGAINST ILLUMINATI BANKERS WARS, NEW WORLD ORDER EX...

Marines Don't want to keep fighting, they don't see the point in fighting for a war their own country started. they think that the government is not doing too good in still sending troops to a country who are only fighting because they want their country back.

health care goes to court

"House to begin work on health care law substitute." CNN Wire Staff. CNN.com. January 20, 2011.

Replublicans go againts Obama's health care overhaul. GOP leaders Don't really agree that the Obama plan of health care is the right thing for the nation. House committees are scheduling a lot of hearings questioning the impact of Obama's overhaul.

http://www.cnn.com/2011/POLITICS/01/20/health.care/index.html?hpt=T2