U.S.-Made Tear Gas Fired in Egypt - The Daily Beast

U.S.-Made Tear Gas Fired in Egypt - The Daily Beast: "Well this is a bit awkward: Tear-gas canisters recovered from Egyptian streets after being fired on demonstrators bear the label “Made in U.S.A.” Recovered from a downtown Cairo square, the canisters urge anyone who comes near the gas to “seek assistance as soon as possible.” What’s worse: at least some of the cans expired in 2008. The gas is manufactured by Combined Systems International, of Jamestown, Pennsylvania. The U.S. provides Egypt $1.3 billion a year in military financing. 'The way I see it the U.S. administration supports dictators,' said one protester."

BBC News - Gun dealers sell pistols 'without background check'

BBC News - Gun dealers sell pistols 'without background check': "Undercover New York City investigators bought high-powered pistols from an Arizona gun fair without undergoing a background check, officials said.

One made the purchase despite telling the seller he was 'probably' barred by law from gun ownership, a report said."

Judge rules health law unconstitutional - Jennifer Haberkorn - POLITICO.com

Judge rules health law unconstitutional - Jennifer Haberkorn - POLITICO.com: "A federal judge on Monday ruled that the entire health care overhaul is unconstitutional, but he stopped short of ordering the federal government to stop implementing it."

US Tanks

2012 Republican presidential candidates all have flaws

2012 Republican presidential candidates all have flaws

Mitt Romney can't win the 2012 Republican presidential nomination.

As governor of Massachusetts, he signed health-care legislation that has considerable similarities to the proposal President Obama championed - the one Republicans have fought tooth and nail.

Egypt's Military Ramps Up Presence As Thousands Protest In Cairo

Egypt's Military Ramps Up Presence As Thousands Protest In Cairo

Ronald Reagan at 100: The Darker Legacy

Ronald Reagan at 100: The Darker Legacy: "The Reagan years were a time of fierce and divisive controversies, over policy and politics. Ronald Reagan's administration more than once resorted to skulduggery to get its way. Overseas, it sided with brutes. At home, it gave tax credits to private schools that segregated. The depiction of Reagan as one of the nation's most glorious leaders is but a conservative cartoon. His legacy is far more complicated -- and blemished. Next week will be an appropriate time to remember that. But I'll bet Sarah Palin doesn't get around to mentioning any of this."

For Many Companies, Low Taxes Are Key To Profits : Audio

Great info!




For Many Companies, Low Taxes Are Key To Profits : NPR

State of the Union 2011: Right Priorities? | WBUR and NPR - On Point with Tom Ashbrook

State of the Union 2011: Right Priorities? | WBUR and NPR - On Point with Tom Ashbrook: "Paul Ryan the (sic) Fiscal Deficit hawk,

‘Paul Ryan on Bailouts and Government Stimuli
-Voted YES on TARP (2008)
-Voted YES on Economic Stimulus HR 5140 (2008)
-Voted YES on $15B bailout for GM and Chrysler. (Dec 2008)
-Voted YES on $192B additional anti-recession stimulus spending. (Jul 2009)

Paul Ryan on Entitlement Programs
-Voted YES on limited prescription drug benefit for Medicare recipients. (Nov 2003)
-Voted YES on providing $70 million for Section 8 Housing vouchers. (Jun 2006)
-Voted YES on extending unemployment benefits from 39 weeks to 59 weeks. (Oct 2008)
-Voted YES on Head Start Act (2007)
http://wi.rlc.org/2010/08/paul-ryans-record/"

Penn State to spotlight energy research | Philadelphia Inquirer | 01/29/2011

Obama's visit Penn State to spotlight energy research | Philadelphia Inquirer | 01/29/2011: "The trip to State College is part of Obama's political push to capitalize on his call for more research and innovation in clean-energy technology during Tuesday's State of the Union address.

Penn State has been awarded a $122 million grant by the Department of Energy to use on its 'energy innovation hub' at the Navy Yard, where the university is leading research into energy-efficient building design and retrofitting."

Penn State/Navy Yard energy project wins $129 million federal grant

Read more: http://www.philly.com/philly/business/homepage/20100824_Phila_Navy_Yard_wins_Penn_State_energy_innovation_hub.html#ixzz1CQFYI85D
Watch sports videos you won't find anywhere else

Washington Journal for Friday, Jan. 28 | C-SPAN - Video

Washington Journal for Friday, Jan. 28 | C-SPAN: "Approaches to Economic Growth"

Financial Crisis Report Spreads Blame Far and Wide for Meltdown

Financial Crisis Report Spreads Blame Far and Wide for Meltdown: "There's plenty of blame to spread around -- and the financial crisis was avoidable.

In a nutshell, that's the conclusion of a report released Thursday by the Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission, a congressionally appointed body that explored reasons for the 2007-08 meltdown that led to the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression."

To target Fox News over 'Nazi' label, rabbis make use of Murdoch's other media

To target Fox News over 'Nazi' label, rabbis make use of Murdoch's other media: "A coalition of rabbis wants Fox News chief Roger Ailes and conservative host Glenn Beck to cut out all their talk about Nazis and the Holocaust, and it's making its views known in an unusual place.

The rabbis have called on Fox News's owner, Rupert Murdoch, to sanction his two famous employees via a full-page ad in Thursday's editions of the Wall Street Journal - one of many other media properties controlled by Murdoch's News Corp."

Rand Paul unveils $500B in cuts - David Rogers - POLITICO.com

Rand Paul unveils $500B in cuts - David Rogers - POLITICO.com: "Not to be outdone, Republican freshman Sen. Rand Paul introduced legislation Tuesday that seeks to cut $500 billion from government spending in one year alone, wiping out three cabinet departments and the entire foreign aid budget while sparing neither the Pentagon nor 2011 war-related funding for overseas military operations.

“This is not a satire,” Moira Bagley, Paul’s communicati"

Budget Deficit to Reach $1.5 Trillion - NYTimes.com

Budget Deficit to Reach $1.5 Trillion - NYTimes.com: "Far from slowing, the government's deficit spending will surge to a record $1.5 trillion flood of red ink this year, congressional budget experts estimated Wednesday, blaming the slow economic recovery and last month's tax-cut law.

The report was sobering new evidence that it will take more than President Barack Obama's proposed freeze on some agencies to stem the nation's extraordinary budget woes. Republicans say they want big budget cuts but so far are light on specifics.

Wednesday's Congressional Budget Office estimates indicate the government will have to borrow 40 cents for every dollar it spends this fiscal year, which ends Sept. 30. Tax revenues are projected to drop to their lowest levels since 1950, when measured against the size of the economy."

Strengthening Our Military Families

Strengthening Our Military Families: "Strengthening Our Military Families (PDF)"

Va. data show drop in criminal firepower during assault gun ban

Va. data show drop in criminal firepower during assault gun ban: "The number of guns with high-capacity magazines seized by Virginia police dropped during a decade-long federal prohibition on assault weapons, but the rate has rebounded sharply since the ban was lifted in late 2004, according to a Washington Post analysis.

More than 15,000 guns equipped with high-capacity magazines - defined under the lapsed federal law as holding 11 or more bullets - have been seized by Virginia police in a wide range of investigations since 1993, the data show."

Mississippi Gains 1,000 Thin Solar Jobs | EarthTechling

Mississippi Gains 1,000 Thin Solar Jobs | EarthTechling: "The sunny South is set to get a boost from solar, as Stion has announced plans to build a new production facility in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, as part of an incentive agreement with the state that includes a $75 million loan and other tax and training incentives. This facility will be the first thin-film solar panel factory in Mississippi, expected to add more than 1,000 jobs and $500 million in investments over the next six years."

Clarence Thomas: Justice Thomas reportedly failed to report wife's income - latimes.com

Clarence Thomas: Justice Thomas reportedly failed to report wife's income - latimes.com: "Reporting from Washington — Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas failed to report his wife's income from a conservative think tank on financial disclosure forms for at least five years, the watchdog group Common Cause said Friday.

Between 2003 and 2007, Virginia Thomas, a longtime conservative activist, earned $686,589 from the Heritage Foundation, according to a Common Cause review of the foundation's IRS records. Thomas failed to note the income in his Supreme Court financial disclosure forms for those years, instead checking a box labeled 'none' where 'spousal noninvestment income' would be disclosed."

Marines, Afghanistan, Sangin, wounded, dead: Marines pay a price trying to secure an Afghan hot spot - latimes.com

Marines, Afghanistan, Sangin, wounded, dead: Marines pay a price trying to secure an Afghan hot spot - latimes.com

Limbaugh Uses Hu's Visit to Mock Chinese Culture– Audio

Rush Limbaugh used Chinese President Hu Jintao's state visit to the U.S. as an opportunity to mock Chinese culture, including the sound of Hu's speech, and suggested that "everybody's going to be hungry a half-hour after" the state dinner for the Chinese delegation.

 

Colbert 'Deeply Offended' By Rush Limbaugh's Chinese Impression (VIDEO)

The Colbert Report	Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
Rush Limbaugh Speaks Chinese
www.colbertnation.com
Colbert Report Full Episodes Political Humor & Satire Blog</a> Video Archive

Joe Lieberman Insists Iraq Was Developing WMDs Despite No Evidence

Joe Lieberman Insists Iraq Was Developing WMDs Despite No Evidence

As George Allen mulls Senate run, conservatives grumble about his record

As George Allen mulls Senate run, conservatives grumble about his record: "For months, it appeared that former U.S. senator George Allen would have a clear path to the Republican nomination if he chose to try to reclaim his old job.

But in the summer, grumbling about his past began, culminating in a Web site outlining the reasons some fellow Republicans oppose him: He's too moderate. He's part of the establishment. He's partly to blame for the record spending and ballooning deficit in Washington."

Stewart Takes Sarah Palin To Task For Playing Victim, Invites Her To 'The Daily Show' (VIDEO)

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Petty Woman
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor & Satire Blog</a> The Daily Show on Facebook

ThinkProgress » Mike Lee Suggests FEMA, Federal Poverty And Food Safety Programs Are All Unconstitutional

ThinkProgress » Mike Lee Suggests FEMA, Federal Poverty And Food Safety Programs Are All Unconstitutional

The Commerce Clause idiot!

Allen West condemns Palestinians for … flying their own flag? : The Reid Report

Allen West condemns Palestinians for … flying their own flag? : The Reid Report

Health is Repealed!!

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0111/47831.html
House Republicans passed a bill to repeal President Barack Obama’s health care plan Wednesday, taking their first major step toward rolling back the massive overhaul that has dominated the American political landscape for almost two years.

The vote was 245 to 189, and unanimous GOP support gave the vote the same partisan feel of the March vote to pass the law, underscoring once again the hardened political lines of the health care debate. Only three Democrats backed the repeal, a smaller number than Republicans had once predicted.



Read more: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0111/47831.html#ixzz1BWjMZ7O6

FBI: Pipe Bomb Found On MLK Parade Route

FBI: Pipe Bomb Found On MLK Parade Route: "A suspicious backpack left along a Martin Luther King Day parade route in Spokane, Wash., held a radio-controlled pipe bomb that could have sprayed shrapnel at marchers in the parade.

Three parade workers spotted a backpack with visible wires on a bench at North Washington Street and West Main Avenue in downtown Spokane about 30 minutes before the parade was scheduled to begin Monday. Authorities rerouted the parade while officers from the Spokane Police Department's bomb disposal unit worked on the bomb.

FBI special agent Frank Harrill, the supervisory senior resident agent in Spokane, told ABC News that the backpack was 'a viable device.'"

CBSNews

McDonnell would tap sales tax to fund roads

McDonnell would tap sales tax to fund roads: "Virginia Gov. Robert F. McDonnell asked legislators Friday to designate a portion of the state sales taxes to road projects in the two most congested areas of the commonwealth: Northern Virginia and Hampton Roads.

'Not only are they two of the fastest-growing and most populous regions in America, but they are some of the most congested regions in the country,'' said McDonnell (R). 'These revenues will help to accelerate those regional projects that lack full funding.'

The .25 percent of the discretionary sales tax revenue generate"

Young AZ victim's dad: Boston girl received organs

Young AZ victim's dad: Boston girl received organs: "The father of the youngest victim of the Arizona massacre says some of her organs have been donated to a young girl in the Boston area.

John Green tells The Boston Globe in Sunday's edition that he received a phone call about the transplant, but he doesn't know any other details about the donation.

He says the call 'really lifted' his spirit, and he and his wife are proud parents once again of their daughter, 'who has done another amazing thing.'"

John McCain - After the shootings, Obama reminds the nation of the golden rule

John McCain - After the shootings, Obama reminds the nation of the golden rule: "President Obama gave a terrific speech Wednesday night. He movingly mourned and honored the victims of Saturday's senseless atrocity outside Tucson, comforted and inspired the country, and encouraged those of us who have the privilege of serving America. He encouraged every American who participates in our political debates - whether we are on the left or right or in the media - to aspire to a more generous appreciation of one another and a more modest one of ourselves."

Video: Jon Meacham, a gun owner, on restoring the assault weapons ban | Need to Know

Watch the full episode. See more Need To Know.

Video: Jon Meacham, a gun owner, on restoring the assault weapons ban | Need to Know: "First, some personal history.  I am a southerner who grew up with and around guns.  I own some still. My father gave me a .22 rifle when I was 9 and a single barrel .410 shotgun when I was 10.  I have inherited many of my family’s guns, including a rifle made by my great, great, great grandfather, which I will preserve and give to my son. One of the central memories of my childhood is of hunting — not well; I am a terrible shot — quail and dove and grouse on a farm on the Tennessee River."

Limbaugh Cites Clinton And Reno's Waco Role As Evidence Of "Leftist" Violence - Audio

Limbaugh Cites Clinton And Reno's Waco Role As Evidence Of "Leftist" Violence

Town Hall Crowd Cheers On Man Confronting GOP Rep Over Repealing Health Care–video

In the August of 2009 as Congress was considering the health care reform bill Democratic lawmaker returned home to face angry crowds at town halls.  The videos of the town halls became something of a cable news sensation, especially on Fox News.  Now Republicans have a majority in the House of Representatives, and they plan to hold a vote to repeal the Affordable Care Act that became law last March.  However, at least one Republican Congressman has now faced an angry town hall participant who is upset over what will be lost through repeal.  Watch the video to the left.
Continue reading on Examiner.com: Angry senior confronts Republican lawmaker over health care repeal (Video) - National Political Buzz | Examiner.com http://www.examiner.com/political-buzz-in-national/angry-senior-confronts-republican-lawmaker-over-health-care-repeal-video#ixzz1B8llMpkZ

Local Arizona GOPer Resigns: 'I Don't Want To Take A Bullet' | TPMMuckraker

Local Arizona GOPer Resigns: 'I Don't Want To Take A Bullet' | TPMMuckraker: "An Arizona Republican Party District Chairman resigned shortly after the shooting of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ) and 18 others on Saturday. According to The Arizona Republic, Anthony Miller had been subject to verbal attacks and internet postings by apparent Tea Party members, and said he feared for his safety."

The Alaska Pipeline Breakdown Is A Peak Oil Problem, And A Harbinger Of Bad Things To Come

The Alaska Pipeline Breakdown Is A Peak Oil Problem, And A Harbinger Of Bad Things To Come: "You know that the Alaska oil pipeline is currently shut down due to a leak, but one thing that's getting lost in this story is that this is not just an unpredictable mechanical problem.
This situation has been foreseen for years as Alaska oil production dwindles. Dwindling oil production means lower pressure inside the pipeline -- lower pressure than what was anticipated when it was built -- and thus more opportunity for structural breaks such as this one."

U.S. Department of Defense Announces Latest Contract Awards : Veterans Today

U.S. Department of Defense Announces Latest Contract Awards : Veterans Today: "Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding, Inc., Newport News, Va., is being awarded a $48,934,856"

Rep. Hurt Will Repeal Health Reform, Incoherently Explains Why He Will Keep His Own Gov Health Care

Newly-elected Rep. Robert Hurt (R-VA) campaigned for Congress on a promise to repeal health reform. This week, Hurt granted ThinkProgress a short interview outside of the Capitol, where he doubled down on his pledge to remove health reform. However, Hurt said he would not opt-out of the government health care granted to him and his staff as a member of Congress:

King won't chair immigration panel

 

House leaders passed over anti-illegal immigration hardliner Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa) for the chairmanship of an immigration panel on the Judiciary Committee Friday.

Judiciary Chairman Lamar Smith appointed Rep. Elton Gallegly (R-Calif.) instead, a member of the subcommittee but less senior than King, who was the panel’s top Republican in the last Congress.

King is known for his anti-illegal immigration stances. The tea party favorite introduced a measure on the first day of the new Congress that would limit birthright citizenship. He’s a close friend of longtime illegal-immigration foe Tom Tancredo.

King was upbeat about the decision, saying he’ll accomplish his immigration agenda even without the subcommittee gavel.

NRA spokesman offers prayers for victims - Ben Smith - POLITICO.com

Really!!

NRA spokesman offers prayers for victims - Ben Smith - POLITICO.com: "In the aftermath of the Giffords shooting, the Brady Campaign and others have been arguing that the Glock used by Jared Loughner would have been banned under the Brady Bill, which expired in 2004. Paul Helmke, the president of the Brady Campaign, told the New York Times that the weapon was only good for 'killing and injuring a lot of people quickly.”"

McDonnell to roll out massive spending campaign for roads, colleges, jobs

McDonnell to roll out massive spending campaign for roads, colleges, jobs: "Virginia Gov. Robert F. McDonnell plans a massive spending campaign that he said would unclog state roads, award thousands more college degrees and spur job creation, part of an aggressive legislative agenda he is expected to roll out this week.

McDonnell (R) will press lawmakers to approve a series of statewide projects he said would be paid in part through Virginia's $403 million budget surplus, $337 million in higher-than-expected tax revenue, and $192 million generated through cuts and savings."

DeLay Sentenced to 3 Years in Money Laundering Case

Tom DeLay, the former House majority leader, was sentenced to three years in prison on Monday after convictions for money laundering and conspiracy stemming from his role in a scheme to channel corporate contributions to Texas state races in 2002.

Mr. DeLay, once one of the most powerful and polemical Republican congressmen in the state’s history, was ushered out of Travis County Court after the sentencing and was taken by sheriff’s deputies to the county jail, where he was expected to post a $10,000 bond and be released pending an appeal.

After listening to Mr. DeLay say he felt he had done nothing wrong, Judge Pat Priest sentenced him to three years in prison for the conspiracy count and 10 years’ probation for the money laundering count. The judge rejected arguments from Mr. DeLay that the trial had been a politically motivated vendetta mounted by an overzealous Democratic District Attorney.

 

 

A judge ordered former U.S. House Majority Leader Tom DeLay to serve three years in prison Monday for his role in a scheme to illegally funnel corporate money to Texas candidates in 2002.

The sentence comes after a jury in November convicted DeLay on charges of money laundering and conspiracy to commit money laundering. DeLay was once one of the most powerful men in U.S. politics, ascending to the No. 2 job in the House of Representatives.

(Video) Sheriff: Arizona has become the ‘mecca for prejudice and bigotry.” : The Reid Report

(Video) Sheriff: Arizona has become the ‘mecca for prejudice and bigotry.” : The Reid Report: "The sheriff of Pima County, Arizona issued a blistering condemnation of the kind of radical right wing banter that may have inspired domestic terrorist Jared Lee Loughner to shoot 18 people on Saturday, killing six, and leaving a federal judge dead and a Congresswoman fighting for her life.
Flashback: Scarizona
Flashback: Meet the crazies (militias in Arizona)
Flashback: has the right gone mad?"

Obama Sends FBI Director Robert Mueller to Scene Of Gifford Shootings | TPMMuckraker

Obama Sends FBI Director Robert Mueller to Scene Of Gifford Shootings | TPMMuckraker: "Federal Bureau of Investigation Director Bob Mueller is in route to the scene of the shootings in Arizona where Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D) and 17 others were injured, President Barack Obama said at a news conference on Saturday afternoon.

Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer said at a press conference that Obama told her that the FBI would be in charge of the investigation. But other law enforcement sources indicated that the Pima County Sheriff's Department is still leading the investigation with assistance from federal officials."

Sarah Palin Aide Rebecca Mansour: Our Crosshairs Map Had Nothing To Do With Violence Or Guns

Sarah Palin Aide Rebecca Mansour: Our Crosshairs Map Had Nothing To Do With Violence Or Guns

Christina-Taylor Green, 9-year-old killed in Tucson, remembered, mourned

Christina-Taylor Green, 9-year-old killed in Tucson, remembered, mourned: "Christina-Taylor Green's short life was pinned between two national tragedies: She was born on Sept. 11, 2001, and she died Saturday as a gunman apparently targeting Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.) shot at least 18 people in Tucson.

Christina-Taylor, a budding elementary school politician, was among those killed. The third-grader had gone to meet Giffords with a neighbor when a gunman, identified by authorities as 22-year-old Jared Lee Loughner, opened fire at a political meet-and-greet outside a grocery store. Christina-Taylor died at University Medical Center."

IT WASN’T US!!

IT WASN’T US!!

Rep. Giffords’ husband an astronaut from West Orange

 

U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, the Arizona congresswoman shot on Sunday, is married to an astronaut from New Jersey.

Her husband, Mark E. Kelly, graduated from Mountain High School in West Orange in 1982, along with his identical twin brother, Scott J. Kelly.

Both brothers volunteered for the West Orange First Aid Squad. Their parents moved to Florida 23 years ago.

Both are NASA astronauts.

Gates announces major cuts in defense budget - News - Stripes

Gates announces major cuts in defense budget - News - Stripes: "Defense Secretary Robert Gates on Monday announced sweeping cuts and a significant shift in priorities for next year’s defense budget, with more money for servicemembers and federal employees but less for some major defense contractors.

Calling his plan a “reform budget,” Gates said he would eliminate the $11 billion VH-71 Presidential Helicopter program, end production of the F-22 Raptor at 187 aircraft, negotiate less expansive ways to build three DDG-1000 destroyers and drop the $87 billion vehicle portion of the Army’s Future Combat Systems program."

ThinkProgress » Obama Created More Jobs In One Year Than Bush Created In Eight

ThinkProgress » Obama Created More Jobs In One Year Than Bush Created In Eight: "Indeed, from February 2001, Bush’s first full month in office, through January 2009, his last, the economy added just 1 million jobs. By contrast, in 2010 alone, the economy added at least 1.1 million jobs. This chart, produced by Pelosi’s office, demonstrates the difference between the Bush administration and the Obama administration on jobs:"

More Small Businesses Offering Health Care To Employees Thanks To Obamacare - Rick Ungar - The Policy Page - Forbes

More Small Businesses Offering Health Care To Employees Thanks To Obamacare - Rick Ungar - The Policy Page - Forbes: "United Health Group, Inc., the nation’s largest health insurer, added 75,000 new customers working in businesses with fewer than 50 employees.

Coventry Health Care, Inc., a large provider of health insurance to small businesses, added 115,000 new workers in 2010 representing an 8% jump.

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Kansas City, the largest health insurer in the Kansas City, Mo. area, reports an astounding 58% increase in the number of small businesses purchasing coverage in their area since April, 2010-one month after the health care reform legislation became law."

Swearing-in mess: House votes to clean swearing-in mess - latimes.com

DUMB!


Pete Sessions (TX-32)
Member of Congress
Mike Fitzpatrick (PA-08)
Member of Congress



Swearing-in mess: House votes to clean swearing-in mess - latimes.com: "Reporting from Washington — A day after conducting the first-ever reading of the U.S. Constitution on the House floor, the chamber's lawmakers voted Friday to clean up a procedural mess caused by two Republicans who violated the Constitution on their first day in the new Congress.

A series of early votes cast by Reps. Pete Sessions of Texas and Mike Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania will be scratched from the record, according to the resolution passed Friday morning on a largely party-line vote. Other actions, including the convening of a committee to consider the bill to repeal the healthcare law, will stand."

U.S. Added 103,000 Jobs Last Month - Rate Fell to 9.4% - NYTimes.com

U.S. Added 103,000 Jobs Last Month - Rate Fell to 9.4% - NYTimes.com: "The United States economy ended the year by adding 103,000 jobs in December, the Labor Department said Friday, a number that missed expectations and suggested that job growth could continue to hinder a recovery.

In addition, the unemployment rate fell to 9.4 percent last month from 9.8 percent, its lowest rate since July 2009, in part because many American gave up looking for work.

The agency also revised estimates from the two earlier months, now saying that 210,000 jobs were created in October instead of 172,000, and 71,000 in November, instead of 39,000.

As with previous months, all of December’s gain — 113,000 jobs — came from private employers."

Expeditionary Fighting Vehicle to Be Canceled, Officials Say - NYTimes.com

Expeditionary Fighting Vehicle to Be Canceled, Officials Say - NYTimes.com: "It was supposed to be a tank that swims, a new way for the Marines to storm hostile beaches.

But as military budgets come under pressure, the 38-ton landing craft that turns into an assault vehicle seems destined to be the next bit of high-tech wizardry to bite the dust.

Pentagon and industry officials say the defense secretary, Robert M. Gates, is poised to cancel the long-delayed $14.4 billion program on Thursday, when he is expected to announce a new round of belt-tightening at the Pentagon. The hybrid vehicle, being built by General Dynamics, is the most expensive weapons system to be cut since Mr. Gates canceled or trimmed three dozen programs in April 2009."

Health Care Costs Rise Twice as Much as Inflation - New York Times

Health Care Costs Rise Twice as Much as Inflation - New York Times: "The continuing rise in the cost of benefits has slowed since the annual double-digit increases that peaked at nearly 14 percent in 2003. Last year’s increase was 9.2 percent, the Kaiser survey said."

Critic of Obama Policies Will Lead Higher-Education Panel in U.S. House - Government - The Chronicle of Higher Education

Amazing!

Critic of Obama Policies Will Lead Higher-Education Panel in U.S. House - Government - The Chronicle of Higher Education: "U.S. Rep. Virginia Foxx, a conservative Republican from North Carolina who has questioned some of President Obama's education priorities, will lead the higher-education subcommittee in the U.S. House of Representatives during the 112th Congress, the congresswoman announced on Tuesday."

16th Amendment | LII / Legal Information Institute

16th Amendment | LII / Legal Information Institute: "The Congress shall have power to lay and collect taxes on incomes, from whatever source derived, without apportionment among the several states, and without regard to any census or enumeration."

Snowing Green on Mammoth Mountain - CBS News Video

Snowing Green on Mammoth Mountain - CBS News Video: "California's Mammoth Mountain has received 17 feet of snow in the past 12 days, which means big business for this popular ski destination. Terry McCarthy reports on the welcomed bad weather."

Texas Man Exonerated After Three Decades Behind Bars | Criminal Justice | Change.org

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Texas Man Exonerated After Three Decades Behind Bars | Criminal Justice | Change.org: "Cornelius Dupree waited three decades for this day to come.

After serving 30 years in Texas prisons for a carjacking and rape DNA tests prove he didn't commit, Dupree was finally cleared today when a Texas judge declared him innocent. The Innocence Project, where I work when I'm not blogging here, helped Dupree obtain access to the DNA tests that proved his innocence. At left are Innocence Project Co-Director Barry Scheck, Dupree and Innocence Project Senior Staff Attorney Nina Morrison."

Issa clarifies remark calling Obama 'corrupt' - video

Issa clarifies remark calling Obama 'corrupt' - POLITICO Live - POLITICO.com: "'In saying that this is one of the most corrupt administrations, which is what I meant to say, when you hand out $1 trillion in TARP just before this president came in, most of it unspent, $1 trillion nearly in stimulus, that this president asked for, plus this huge expansion in health care and government, it has a corrupting effect,' Issa said on CNN's 'State of the Union.'"

New Economy - As Hiring Falters, More Workers Become Temporary - NYTimes.com

As Hiring Falters, More Workers Become Temporary - NYTimes.com: "Temporary workers are starting to look, well, not so temporary.

Despite a surge this year in short-term hiring, many American businesses are still skittish about making those jobs permanent, raising concerns among workers and some labor experts that temporary employees will become a larger, more entrenched part of the work force.

This is bad news for the nation’s workers, who are already facing one of the bleakest labor markets in recent history. Temporary employees generally receive fewer benefits or none at all, and have virtually no job security. It is harder for them to save. And it is much more difficult for them to develop a career arc while hopping from boss to boss."

Deputy Shot and Killed, Officer Wounded at Mobile Home Park; Gunman Dead–videos

 

A female police officer has been shot dead and another wounded after a dramatic trailer park gun battle in Ohio.

Mother-of-two Suzanne Waughtel Hopper, 40, had driven to the trailer park after reports came in of shots being fired in the Enon Beach area late Saturday morning.

As she examined the area and took photos, the door of a nearby silver trailer opened and a man fired a single shot from a shotgun.

Deputy Hopper was killed instantly by the blast.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1343414/Female-police-officer-shot-dead-gunman-Ohio-trailer-park.html#ixzz19umQSb9a

 

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2011/01/01/deputy-suspect-dead-ohio-trailer-park-standoff/