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THE WHITE HOUSE Office of the Press Secretary ____________________________________________________________________ FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                               July 30, 2009 Statement from the President following his conversation with the Vice President, Professor Gates and Sergeant Crowley"I am thankful to Professor Gates and Sergeant Crowley for joining me at the White House this evening for a friendly, thoughtful conversation.  Even before we sat down for the beer, I learned that the two gentlemen spent some time together listening to one another, which is a testament to them.   I have always believed that what brings us together is stronger than what pulls us apart. I am confident...

From this interview with ABC News...........The president said he understands the sergeant who arrested Gates is an "outstanding police officer." But he added that with all that's going on in the country with health care and the economy and the wars abroad, "it doesn't make sense to arrest a guy in his own home if he's not causing a serious disturbance."

From the transcript.........OBAMA: They're going to have to give up paying for things that don't make them healthier. And I -- speaking as an American, I think that's the kind of change you want.

WASHINGTON (CNN — The Liberty Sun, a U.S.-flagged cargo ship bound for Mombasa, Kenya, was attacked Tuesday by Somali pirates, according to a NATO source with direct knowledge of the matter. It was an unsuccessful attack, and the pirates never made it onto the ship. The vessel is now being escorted by a coalition ship, still bound for Mombasa.

ANAHEIM - A Disneyland-area shuttle bus fueled by propane exploded into flames this morning as the driver was pulling out of a parking lot, but no one was on the bus and the driver was uninjured, authorities said. The 28-passenger shuttle operated by Coach America and emblazoned with Disney ads caught fire just before 7 a.m. near a company lot in the 2000 block of Manchester Avenue, Maria Sabol of the Anaheim Fire Department said. The driver noticed flames near her feet and got out of the vehicle before flames, apparently fueled by propane, shot some 50 feet into the...

PHOENIX -- Barack Obama was not able to accept the White Sox invitation to throw out the ceremonial first pitch at Monday's Opening Day contest against the Royals. -------------------------snip--------------------------- President Obama will not get a chance to tour this new area on Monday, with the White Sox receiving the official news from the White House on Tuesday. But, according to White Sox vice president of communications Scott Reifert, Obama has a standing offer for the first pitch anytime during the 2009 season. "It's wide open for him," said Reifert with a laugh of President Obama throwing out the first pitch....

The U.S. attorney in Los Angeles is pursuing the theory that the prelate deprived parishioners of 'the right of honest services' by failing to protect their children from predatory clerics. By Scott Glover and Jack Leonard 4:44 PM PST, January 28, 2009 The U.S. attorney in Los Angeles has launched a federal grand jury investigation into Cardinal Roger M. Mahony in connection with his response to the alleged molestation of children by priests in the Los Angeles Archdiocese, according to two law enforcement sources familiar with the case. The probe, in which U.S. Atty. Thomas P. O'Brien is personally involved,...

RANDSBURG - Heaps of toxic mine waste rise like church steeples over this wind-swept desert town, threatening the health of residents and of thousands of off-road bikers. Tests on dust samples have revealed some of the highest arsenic levels in the country - as much as 460,000 times the level deemed safe by the federal government. But while the poison can cause cancer in people and harm wildlife, little has been done to remove the costly waste here or similar hazardous waste at thousands of other abandoned mines around the nation. "Worst-case scenario, we'll have to clean up everything, which...

RIVERSIDE-- Sheriff's deputies arrested L.A. County Fire Chief Glynn Johnson today in connection with the beating death of a neighbor's dog. The Riverside County District Attorney's office filed felony charges against Johnson for a Nov. 3rd incident in which Johnson allegedly beat a neighbor's six-month-old puppy. Johnson is said to have hit the puppy, named Karly, with his fist and a 12-pound rock. Karly was later euthanized because of the severity of his injuries.Johnson says the dog nearly bit off his thumb and that he acted in self-defense. But a witness says the attack was the result of a violent...

<p>LAS VEGAS, Nevada (CNN) -- Former football great O.J. Simpson, convicted of armed robbery and kidnapping, deserves leniency in sentencing as he is a first-time offender who showed no criminal intent, his attorney says in court papers.</p> <p>O.J. Simpson should receive a six-year sentence in a 2007 hotel room confrontation, his attorney says.</p>

Hey mom, how clean is that Chuck E. Cheese? The answer is "not very". MomLogic.com conducted a down and dirty investigation with the help of "Dr Germ" himself, famed microbiologist Charles Gerba. Dr. Gerba went to three locations in California and swabbed a variety of surfaces in the restaurant and arcade areas, such as play mats, trays, chairs, tables, and games. Among the discoveries from the analyses were: --Serratia Rubidaea, a rare cause of respiratory tract infections, wound and blood infections, found on the Yellow Bus Ride in Pasadena. --Enterobacter sakazakii, which can cause necrotizing enterocolitis, bacteremia, and infant meningitis,...

ST. LOUIS - Under the Gateway to the West, the St. Louis arch, Barack Obama addressed an estimated 100,000 people in the “red” Show Me State just 17 days before the general election - his biggest rally to date in the United States.

Civil rights icon and Georgia congressman John Lewis is accusing John McCain and Sarah Palin of stoking hate, likening the atmosphere at Republican campaign events to those featuring George Wallace, the segregationist former governor of Alabama and presidential candidate. "What I am seeing reminds me too much of another destructive period in American history," Lewis said in a statement issued today.  "Sen. McCain and Gov. Palin are sowing the seeds of hatred and division, and there is no need for this hostility in our political discourse." Lewis didn't accuse McCain of imitating Wallace, but suggested there were similarities. "George Wallace...

Snip........Obama continued to be critical of Sen. John McCain’s reaction to the economic crisis– and for the first time today had tougher words, saying McCain’s response was similar to Bush’s response during Katrina. "I think Senator McCain just doesn’t get it – he doesn’t understand that the storm hitting Wall Street hit Main Street long ago. That’s why his first response to the greatest financial meltdown in generations was a Katrina like response. Sort of stood there. Said the ‘fundamentals of the economy are strong.’" Obama said that McCain’s just been shifting positions over the last two weeks and looking...

Today, a bipartisan group of Members of Congress, working with my Administration, reached agreement on economic rescue legislation that is urgently needed to address a crisis in our financial system that threatens the entire U.S. economy. I appreciate the leadership shown by Members on both sides of the aisle, who came together to write a very good bill. This bill provides the necessary tools and funding to help protect our economy against a system-wide breakdown. The bill will help allow access to credit so American families can meet their daily needs and American businesses can make purchases, ship goods, and...

ABC News has learned that President Bush called Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., this evening and invited him to participate in a meeting about the Wall Street bailout bill tomorrow afternoon in Washington, DC, with other congressional leaders, including Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz. Obama accepted the president's invitation, a source tells ABC News. The invitation comes at an interesting time. The President has not been in the middle of negotiations with Congress, leaving that task to his Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson. McCain earlier today announced he was suspending his campaign -- and his participation in the first presidential debate Friday night...

Watch video here.

Video of this pathetic excuse for a presidential candidate is here

Following is the unofficial transcript of a CNBC EXCLUSIVE interview with Vice Presidential Candidate and Governor of Alaska, Sarah Palin on CNBC's "Closing Bell with Maria Bartiromo." During the interview with CNBC's Maria Bartiromo, Palin discusses ANWR, drilling, oil and jobs and energy independence, among other topics. Transcript and video of interview at the source link.

LOS ANGELES, California (CNN) -- Los Angeles, California, police detectives are looking for a serial killer who they believe killed at least 11 people, many of them prostitutes, over a 23-year period. Los Angeles Police Deputy Chief Charlie Beck said DNA evidence and ballistics tests have convinced detectives that the same killer is connected to the slayings in Los Angeles and Inglewood. The victims were prostitutes or drug users who were sexually assaulted and then shot and dumped in alleyways or inside dumpsters, police said. "We have a lot of evidence and the connection between so many cases of DNA...