Dollar Rallying September 25 - Business Insider

Dollar Rallying September 25 - Business Insider: "The dollar is the hottest currency in the world, and it's booming again.

Major counterparts are all getting slammed."

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Dollar Rallying September 25 - Business Insider

Dollar Rallying September 25 - Business Insider: "The dollar is the hottest currency in the world, and it's booming again.

Major counterparts are all getting slammed."

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Iraq’s Government, Not Obama, Called Time on the U.S. Troop Presence | TIME.com

Iraq’s Government, Not Obama, Called Time on the U.S. Troop Presence | TIME.com: "President Barack Obama’s announcement on Friday that all 40,000 U.S. troops still in Iraq will leave the country by New Year’s Eve will, inevitably, draw howls of derision from GOP presidential hopefuls — this is, after all, early election season. But the decision to leave Iraq by that date was not actually taken by President Obama — it was taken by President George W. Bush, and by the Iraqi government. 

In one of his final acts in office, President Bush in December of 2008 had signed a Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) with the Iraqi government that set the clock ticking on ending the war he’d launched in March of 2003."



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Bush's finest moment on Iraq: SOFA, not the surge

Bush's finest moment on Iraq: SOFA, not the surge: "I am willing to offer an alternative as Bush's finest hour in Iraq:  the Status of Forces Agreement.
Signing a Status of Forces Agreement requiring the full withdrawal of U.S. military forces from Iraq on a fixed three year timeline demonstrated a real flexibility on Bush's part. It demonstrated a pragmatism and willingness to put the national interest ahead of partisanship that few of us believed he possessed. It is largely thanks to Bush's acceptance of his own bargaining failure that Barack Obama will inherit a plausible route to successful disengagement from Iraq. 
Conservatives now like to claim the SOFA as a "Bush-negotiated" success. But Bush entered the SOFA negotiations looking for something entirely different than what emerged at the end. The U.S. went into the SOFA talks intent on obtaining legitimacy for a long-term military presence in Iraq once the Security Council mandate ended. When negotiations began, it was widely assumed that Bush would extract from the Iraqis an agreement which made the removal of U.S. troops entirely contingent upon American assessments of conditions on the ground.  There were widespread discussions of permanent U.S. bases and a Korea-style presence for generations, an assumption that the U.S. would retain a free hand in its operations, and an absolute rejection of an Obama-style timeline for withdrawal."



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In Tense Woods, Pennsylvania State Police Shift From Prey to Hunters - NYTimes.com

In Tense Woods, Pennsylvania State Police Shift From Prey to Hunters - NYTimes.com: "On Sunday, the state police announced some progress in their pursuit of the suspect, Eric M. Frein, 31, whose otherwise unremarkable face appears on billboards and posters throughout the area. Lt. Col. George Bivens said that trackers had discovered a few items that the suspect had abandoned or stowed away in the wooded shadows, including a military-style rifle and some ammunition."

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Initial Jobless Claims Sept 18 - Business Insider

Initial Jobless Claims Sept 18 - Business Insider: "The four-week moving average of initial jobless claims fell back below 300,000 to 299,500, down 4,750 from last week's average.

Continuing claims also fell to 2,429,000, down 63,000 from last week's revised level and the lowest level for continuing claims since May 19, 2007."

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Texas pols come together to honor falsely convicted man - Texas Politics

Texas pols come together to honor falsely convicted man - Texas Politics: "The state’s political heavyweights set aside their differences Wednesday afternoon to honor the first Texan to be posthumously exonerated, making a rare appearance together with less than seven weeks until Election Day."

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S&P downgrades N.J. credit for record 8th time in Gov. Chris Christie's tenure

N.J. Rating Cut by S&P as Christie Gets Record Downgrade - Bloomberg: "New Jersey had its credit rating cut one step by Standard & Poor’s, handing Chris Christie his eighth downgrade, the most ever for a Garden State governor.

The reduction to A, the sixth-highest level, with a stable outlook follows a Sept. 5 downgrade by Fitch Ratings. It gives New Jersey the same general-obligation grade as California, which is on track for an upgrade as revenue exceeds Democratic Governor Jerry Brown’s estimates. "

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Home-builder confidence highest in almost nine years - MarketWatch

Home-builder confidence highest in almost nine years - MarketWatch: " A gauge of confidence among home builders rose in September to the highest level since November 2005, increasing four points to 59, according to National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo data released Wednesday. Readings above 50 signal that builders, generally, are optimistic about sales trends. "

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Home builder confidence hits highest level since 2005

Home builder confidence hits highest level since 2005: "Home builder confidence hits highest level since 2005"

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Drugs: White America's Painkiller Problem Is Getting Worse - Businessweek

Drugs: White America's Painkiller Problem Is Getting Worse - Businessweek: "White people have a painkiller problem. According to new data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, painkiller overdoses accounted for almost 17,000 deaths in 2011. The majority of deaths were among whites, at a rate that’s growing faster than for any other racial group."

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Benghazi Attacks Asked and Answered Database | SCBD

Benghazi Attacks Asked and Answered Database | SCBD: "Benghazi on the Record"

Benghazi on the Record was prepared at the request of Rep. Elijah E. Cummings, the Ranking Member of the Select Committee on Benghazi, to collect—in one place—as much information as possible regarding questions that have already been asked and answered about the attacks in Benghazi.

It includes an interactive Asked and Answered Database of more than 200 questions and statements by Members of Congress that have been addressed in previous investigative reports, interviews, and hearings. This database includes links to original sources, and it is searchable by keyword, date, and Member of Congress.'via Blog this'

George Zimmerman named in Florida road rage incident, police say - CBS News

Again!

George Zimmerman named in Florida road rage incident, police say - CBS News: ""Do you know who I am?"

Two days later, the man says he saw Zimmerman in his truck outside the man's workplace. He called police but declined to press charges. His name hasn't been released."

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The Planet Just Had Its Warmest August On Record

The Planet Just Had Its Warmest August On Record: "This past August was the warmest since records began in 1881, according to new data released by NASA. The latest readings continue a series of record or near-record breaking months. May of this year was also the warmest in recorded history."

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Workplace insurance coverage levels steady in year one of Obamacare - Brett Norman - POLITICO.com

Workplace insurance coverage levels steady in year one of Obamacare - Brett Norman - POLITICO.com: "The Affordable Care Act so far has had little impact on the insurance people get through their jobs— countering dire predictions by Obamacare critics that employers would dump coverage and steer workers toward the new insurance exchanges.

And premiums rose just 3 percent, according to a respected annual survey released Wednesday."

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New Russia Sanctions Could Halt Exxon's Artic Drilling With Rosneft - Businessweek

ExxonMobil is an international company - chill out people.  If they lose funds because we have to tighten sanctions against Russia that's just the way it is.

New Russia Sanctions Could Halt Exxon's Artic Drilling With Rosneft - Businessweek: "Reports from Bloomberg News and the Wall Street Journal indicate that the U.S. will announce further sanctions against Russia by targeting oil companies with joint projects in the Arctic. This spells particular trouble for ExxonMobil (XOM), which has a $500 billion joint venture with Russia’s oil giant Rosneft (ROSN:RM) to drill for extreme oil in the Arctic.

If new sanctions are announced on Friday, they will hit just weeks after Exxon and Rosneft began drilling in Russia’s Kara Sea. Russian President Vladimir Putin reportedly dialed into a teleconference last month to officially launch the drilling, joining the head of Rosneft, Igor Sechin, and the head of ExxonMobil Russia, Glenn Waller, who were together in the Kara Sea."

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Republicans Loved Stimulus When Bush Was in the White House | Center for American Progress Action Fund

Republicans Loved Stimulus When Bush Was in the White House | Center for American Progress Action Fund: "Stimulus is now a dirty word, especially among Republicans in Congress. But it wasn’t always so. In January 2008 when the economic picture was far less dire and the unemployment rate was only 4.8 percent, 165 Republicans in the House of Representatives and 33 Republican senators voted to pass a stimulus package with an estimated cost of $152 billion. That package provided tax cuts of up to $600 for individuals or $1,200 for married couples, plus an additional $300 per child. The bill also contained a number of temporary tax breaks for businesses. And just in case you thought President George W. Bush’s stimulus bill was simply a bunch of tax cuts, it also included $40 billion in "

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Georgia state senator upset over efforts to increase voter turnout in black, Democratic area - The Washington Post

Georgia state senator upset over efforts to increase voter turnout in black, Democratic area - The Washington Post: "A Georgia state senator posted on Facebook on Tuesday about being upset by efforts to increase voter turnout in a part of one county outside Atlanta with a large number of black residents by an appointee of the Gov. Nathan Deal (R).

Sen. Fran Millar (R) posted complaints about Lee May,  interim chief executive of Dekalb County, Ga., who was appointed by Deal in July 2013, including that May decided to hold early voting on a Sunday at a mall in an area with a high concentration of black residents and  “African-American mega churches,” citing this Sunday article in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. The sections of his post are highlighted below:"

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Colorado woman to plead guilty in terror case

Colorado woman to plead guilty in terror case: " 19-year-old suburban Denver woman who federal authorities say intended to wage jihad is expected to plead guilty to trying to help the Islamic State militant group in Syria.


Court records show Shannon Conley is to enter the plea Wednesday in federal court. Authorities say she was arrested at the Denver airport in April as she boarded a flight she hoped would get her to Syria."

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The Religious Right’s ‘Nice Guy’ Who Threw His Wife Under the Bus - The Daily Beast

The Religious Right’s ‘Nice Guy’ Who Threw His Wife Under the Bus - The Daily Beast: "When Bob McDonnell burst onto the national scene in 2009, he was everything the Republican Party needed—a good-looking family man who stopped the Obama juggernaut in its tracks in the swing state of Virginia just 12 months after the party’s McCain humiliation of 2008.   

A family-values social conservative (he got his JD from Regent University), McDonnell cleverly wooed Commonwealth voters with his corn-dog “Bob’s for Jobs” campaign slogan and a heavy dose of what appeared to be the TV-perfect brood: five gorgeous kids, including a daughter who served in the military in Iraq, and a devoted, smiling wife who had once been a Washington Redskins cheerleader."

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K Street’s Russian bonanza - POLITICO.com Print View

K Street’s Russian bonanza - POLITICO.com Print View: "Other American or multinational companies that are lobbying lawmakers and the White House on the Russia sanctions include energy giants Chevron and Exxon Mobile, equipment manufacturer Caterpillar, financial services companies like MasterCard and Visa, tech company Xerox, and beverage giant Coca-Cola, according to federal lobbying records."

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Dear Dan Snyder: Terry McAuliffe Shows Bob McDonnell How to Take Gifts | Local News | Washingtonian

Dear Dan Snyder: Terry McAuliffe Shows Bob McDonnell How to Take Gifts | Local News | Washingtonian: "Welcome to the post-McDonnell era of gift-giving and -taking in Richmond. Gov. Terry McAuliffe, citing his own executive order barring gifts of more than $100, recently sent a letter, reproduced below, to Dan Snyder thanking him for nearly $500-worth of custom Redskins gear—and notifying him that he’d reimbursed the team $409.90."

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Former Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell loses Liberty University teaching job - NY Daily News

Former Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell loses Liberty University teaching job - NY Daily News: "Falwell said McDonnell wasn’t scheduled to teach any classes during the fall semester and wouldn’t be returning in the spring, according to WSET-TV.

McDonnell and his estranged wife Maureen were found guilty of public corruption on September 4. A jury found the couple accepted gifts and loans from former Star Scientific CEO Jonnie Williams in exchange for using the governor’s office to promote his products."

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American White Nationalists To Hold Conference With Russian And European Far Right

Terrorist Threat!

American White Nationalists To Hold Conference With Russian And European Far Right: "Richard Spencer, the president of NPI and a former writer at the American Conservative, said the conference, which will also feature figures from the ascendant European far right, would be the first of its kind for NPI outside the United States. It’s part of an effort to reach out to “European traditionalists” all over the world, he said, and the relationship with Dugin is just beginning: a publishing arm attached to NPI will publish a book this fall by Dugin, who this week called for Ukraine to be “cleansed” of the Ukrainian “race of bastards.”"

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Former Governor in Virginia Guilty in Bribery Case - NYTimes.com

GUILTY, GUILTY, GUILTY, GUILTY, GUILTY, GUILTY, GUILTY, GUILTY, GUILTY, GUILTY, GUILTY!!! 

Former Governor in Virginia Guilty in Bribery Case - NYTimes.com: "As he was pronounced guilty on 11 counts of conspiracy, bribery and extortion, Mr. McDonnell covered his face with his hands and his head fell nearly to the defense table. His wife, convicted on nine counts, looked straight ahead. There were sobs from the seats behind them where their five adult children and other family members sat."

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All the Previous Declarations of War - The Atlantic

All the Previous Declarations of War - The Atlantic: "September 18, 2001. TERRORISTS. A joint resolution to authorize "the president to use all necessary and appropriate force against those nations, organizations, or persons he determines planned, authorized, committed, or aided the terrorist attacks that occurred on September 11, 2001, or harbored such organizations or persons, in order to prevent any future acts of international terrorism against the United States by such nations, organizations or persons."
October 16, 2002. IRAQ. "Authorization for Use of Military Force against Iraq Resolution.""

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BP Found Grossly Negligent in 2010 Spill; Fines May Rise - Bloomberg

Of course there were!!

BP Found Grossly Negligent in 2010 Spill; Fines May Rise - Bloomberg: "BP Plc acted with gross negligence in setting off the biggest offshore oil spill in U.S. history, a federal judge ruled, handing down a long-awaited decision that may force the energy company to pay billions of dollars more for the 2010 Gulf of Mexico disaster.

U.S. District Judge Carl Barbier held a trial without a jury over who was at fault for the environmental catastrophe, which killed 11 people and spewed oil for almost three months into waters that touch the shores of five states. The case also included Transocean Ltd. and Halliburton Co., though the judge didn’t find them as responsible for the spill as BP."

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US service sector booms in August, hits nine-year high

US service sector booms in August, hits nine-year high: "The pace of growth in the U.S. services sector rose in August to its highest level since 2005, according to an industry report released on Thursday.
The Institute for Supply Management said its services index rose to 59.6 last month from 58.7 in July. The August reading was the highest since August 2005 and topped economists' forecasts for 57.5, according to a Reuters survey.

A reading above 50 indicates expansion in the sector."

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Texas voter ID

A U.S. court in Texas heard arguments on Tuesday in a case over a law requiring voters to present photo identification, a move the state's Republican leaders say will prevent fraud while plaintiffs call it an attempt at suppressing minority turnout.

The case is also part of a new strategy by the Obama administration to challenge voting laws it says discriminate by race in order to counter a U.S. Supreme Court ruling in June that freed states from strict federal oversight.

Cops Who Killed John Crawford III At Ohio Walmart Shot Him 'On Sight': Attorney

Cops Who Killed John Crawford III At Ohio Walmart Shot Him 'On Sight': Attorney: "Surveillance video from an Ohio Walmart shows that a man fatally shot by police earlier this month had his back to officers and was talking on a cell phone, an attorney for the man's family says.

John Crawford III died Aug. 5 after Beavercreek police responded to reports of an armed man at a Dayton-area Walmart. Crawford was not armed -- he had a pellet gun with him, which he had picked up in the store's toy department."

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Guy With Confederate Flag Sets His Head On Fire In Ice Bucket Challenge Fail

Guy With Confederate Flag Sets His Head On Fire In Ice Bucket Challenge Fail: "In what just might be the dumbest take yet on the ALS ice bucket challenge, a man waving a Confederate flag took a swig of something in a flask, spit, and then set his head on fire."
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Eric Cantor joins Wall Street bank - Lucy McCalmont - POLITICO.com

Eric Cantor joins Wall Street bank - Lucy McCalmont - POLITICO.com: "Former House Majority Leader Eric Cantor is joining the Wall Street firm Moelis & Co., the firm announced on Tuesday.

“Eric has proven himself to be a pro-business advocate and one who will enhance our boardroom discussions with CEOs and senior management as we help them navigate their most important strategic decisions,” the firm’s founder, Ken Moelis said in a statement."

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ISM manufacturing index hits 59.0 in August; Construction spending rises 1.8% in July

ISM manufacturing index hits 59.0 in August; Construction spending rises 1.8% in July: "The pace of growth in the U.S. manufacturing sector rose in August to its highest level since March 2011, according to an industry report released on Tuesday.

The Institute for Supply Management (ISM) said its index of national factory activity rose to 59.0 from 57.1 the month before." "Separately, data showed construction spending rebounded strongly to hit its highest level in more than 5-1/2 years in July as private construction increased and state and local government outlays surged, a further sign of vigor in the economy.

Construction spending increased 1.8 percent to an annual rate of $981.31 billion, the highest level since December 2008"

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Immigration Enforcement Cost Higher Than FBI, Policing Drugs, Guns Combined: Report

Immigration Enforcement Cost Higher Than FBI, Policing Drugs, Guns Combined: Report: "The United States spends more money on immigration enforcement -- nearly $18 billion in the 2012 fiscal year -- than on its other law enforcement agencies combined, according to a report released Monday from the nonpartisan Migration Policy Institute.

That spending went to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Customs and Border Protection and US-Visit, a program that helps states and localities identify undocumented immigrants.

By contrast, the U.S. spent $14.4 billion -- combined -- on its other prime law enforcement agencies: the FBI, Secret Service, Drug Enforcement Administration, U.S. Marshal Service and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

There's a reason for the high cost. The Migration Policy Institute found that ICE and CBP also refer more cases to prosecution than those other agencies combined, and the immigration agencies also held more individuals in fiscal year 2011 than the federal Bureau of Prisons."



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Coverage for End-of-Life “death panels” Talks Gaining Ground - NYTimes.com

Private Insurers are doing what!

Coverage for End-of-Life Talks Gaining Ground - NYTimes.com: "Five years after it exploded into a political conflagration over “death panels,” the issue of paying doctors to talk to patients about end-of-life care is making a comeback, and such sessions may be covered for the 50 million Americans on Medicare as early as next year.

Bypassing the political process, private insurers have begun reimbursing doctors for these “advance care planning” conversations as interest in them rises along with the number of aging Americans."
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Both Sides Cite Discrimination in Battle Over Texas Voter ID Law - NYTimes.com

Both Sides Cite Discrimination in Battle Over Texas Voter ID Law - NYTimes.com: " Minority groups and Democrats in Texas have loudly opposed a state law requiring voters to show government-issued photo identification before casting their ballots. But one of the law’s biggest critics can be found not in Texas but Washington – Eric H. Holder Jr., the United States attorney general.

On Tuesday, in a federal courtroom in Corpus Christi, Justice Department lawyers will try to convince a judge to strike down the voter ID law, the latest skirmish in a three-year legal battle over whether the law passed by the Republican-led Legislature in 2011 discriminates against blacks and Hispanics."

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Israel seizes 400 hectares of West Bank land - Middle East - Al Jazeera English

Israel seizes 400 hectares of West Bank land - Middle East - Al Jazeera English: "The United States has urged Israel to reverse its decision to seize nearly 400 hectares of land in the occupied West Bank, a move anti-settlement activists termed the largest land grab in 30 years.

Israel announced the massive land appropriation on Sunday in the Etzion settlement bloc near Bethlehem just days after Gaza ceasefire.

A Palestinian official said the latest land grab by Israel would cause only more friction after the Gaza war that left more than 2,000 Palestinians dead and over 10,000 injured.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, called on Israel to cancel the appropriation. "This decision will lead to more instability. This will only inflame the situation after the war in Gaza," presidential spokesman Abu Rdainah said.

A US State Department official called the announcement as "counterproductive to Israel's stated goal of a negotiated two-state solution with the Palestinians"."

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