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NEW YORK – Defense Secretary Robert Gates expressed disappointment Friday at news outlets that used a picture taken and distributed by The Associated Press depicting a U.S. Marine mortally wounded in combat in Afghanistan. The AP distributed the picture despite personal pleas from Gates and the dead Marine's family in a case that illustrated the difficult decisions in reporting on a conflict where Americans have seen relatively few images of fallen U.S. troops over eight years.

WASHINGTON, Sept. 4, 2009 – Calling counter-terrorism one of U.S. Pacific Command’s top priorities, its commander says he’s seeing headway made through increased regional cooperation and information-sharing. Navy Adm. Timothy J. Keating, in a Sept. 2 news conference, called the merger of assets and capabilities a big step toward the ultimate goal of eliminating violent extremist groups scattered throughout Asia and the Pacific Rim. “We are a long way from that, in my personal view, but it is one of our highest priorities at U.S. Pacific Command,” Keating said during the news conference at the U.S. Embassy in Wellington, New...

WASHINGTON – It wasn't exactly a ringing endorsement. When White House press secretary Robert Gibbs was asked about the president's support for his embattled "green jobs czar," Van Jones, the response was: "He continues to work for the administration." If there were any doubts the first high appointment of the Obama administration was about to be reversed by scandal, Gibbs' message put them to rest. If he goes, Jones' brief tenure as one of about 40 czars in the White House will have been cut short by reporting in WND – begun in April by staffer Aaron Klein. WND's Klein...

President Obama's 'Czars' By: Politico Staff September 4, 2009 06:19 PM EST Afghanistan Czar: Richard Holbrooke AIDS Czar: Jeffrey Crowley Auto recovery Czar: Ed Montgomery Border Czar: Alan Bersin California Water Czar: David J. Hayes Car Czar: Ron Bloom Central Region Czar: Dennis Ross Domestic Violence Czar: Lynn Rosenthal Drug Czar: Gil Kerlikowske Economic Czar: Paul Volcker Energy and Environment Czar: Carol Brower Faith-Based Czar: Joshua DuBois Great Lakes Czar: Cameron Davis Green Jobs Czar: Van Jones Guantanamo Closure Czar: Daniel Fried Health Czar: Nancy-Ann DeParle Information Czar: Vivek Kundra International Climate Czar: Todd Stern Intelligence Czar: Dennis Blair Mideast...

Don't know what to say anymore

On Tuesday, September 8, 2009, Broward County Public Schools students will have the opportunity to watch an online national address from President Obama on the importance of education. The Web address can be seen locally in Broward County at 12 noon on the White House Web site (www.whitehouse.gov/live), and broadcast live on BECON Channel 24. According to Superintendent James F. Notter, there have been several calls into the Superintendent’s Office suggesting and/or requesting that alternative space and activities be provided for those students wishing to “opt out” of this activity. “As one of the premier major school systems in America,...

Here is video of Fox Business Channel's Stuart Varney today talking about the new U.S. Unemployment numbers, which now stands at 9.7%. Varney said Vice-President Biden's statement yesterday, that the Obama Stimulus Plan has "created or saved 750,000 job," is "fantasy land." Varney said at the best, Biden is "spinning," and at the worst he is speaking "economic nonsense" and is "misleading people." Varney cracked that maybe Van Jones has created all those jobs - "the wildly successful "Green Jobs Czar." . . . . (Watch Video)

Solemn, ominous, devastating. Those are words I’d use to describe the black-and-white YouTube advertisement now surfacing about Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. The ad is a prelude to an all-out war against Reid that attempts to tie the Senate powerhouse to failing to use his political clout to save Nevada from feeling the devastating blows of the recession. It’s titled, “Who’s looking out for Nevada?” Here’s the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c2tG3eFhh68. The video is also embedded, below. For my money, this is another sign state Sen. Mark Amodei is about to come out of the shadows and declare his candidacy as a...

...The morning he came back to the Naval Academy was a Wednesday, but it will stick in your memory as the day you heard that Ted Kennedy had died and the week when you learned that someone might have killed Michael Jackson. The politician and the entertainer of their generations, they were lionized by many and scorned by some. One pleaded guilty, the other was found innocent. But they each died with an indelible asterisk, a footnote to their legacies that time will not erase. Matt Freeman died clean....

September 4, 2009 Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, This is an exciting and hopeful time for confessional Lutherans in North America. I am glad to report that in the past couple weeks we have received an incredible outpouring of support for Lutheran CORE's ministries and plans for the future. People and churches are joining at a rate with which we can barely keep pace. During the churchwide assembly and after we have made connections with important leaders of other Lutheran groups in the ELCA and beyond. We are most encouraged by these responses. We look forward to being with...

GOP uses Jones to launch czar revolt By: Lisa Lerer September 4, 2009 06:19 PM EST Republicans who have spent months criticizing the proliferation of “czars” in the Obama White House have finally landed a major punch. Over the past few weeks, White House green jobs czar Van Jones has been accused of being a communist, an old lecture video showed him calling Republicans a—holes, and he’s been connected to a Sept. 11 conspiracy group. With that type of paper trail, Jones would have trouble surviving a Senate confirmation. But his czar status allowed him to skip this step: Many...

Friday 2003 - Britney Spears, Aerosmith, Mary J. Blige and Good Charlotte appear at a concert on Washington, D.C.'s Mall to kick off the NFL season 1986 - Gregg Allman arrested on charges of drunk driving 1971 - Paul McCartney tops the singles chart with "Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey" Happy Birthday 1951 - Martin Chambers (Pretenders) Saturday 2005 - Sheryl Crow announces she's engaged to multiple Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong 1990 - B.B. King receives a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame 1970 - Joe Cocker's Mad Dogs & Englishmen album enters the charts Happy Birthday 1946 -...

Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., was home in Searchlight today but he couldn't escape the health care and other debates in Washington, D.C.Reid and Interior Secretary Ken Salazar stopped at Cottonwood Cove in the Lake Mead National Recreation Area to announce $135 million in funding for outdoors projects, but most of the questions directed Reid's way were about health care or the so-called stimulus bills.Reid said he spoke about health care Wednesday with President Barack Obama and Thursday with Vice President Joe Biden.Obama is scheduled to make a speech Wednesday before a joint session of congress in which he is expected...

President Obama should demand the resignation of White House "green jobs czar" Van Jones, House Republican Conference Chairman Mike Pence (R-Ind.) said Friday. Pence argued that Jones, who has been embroiled in two national controversies this week, should lose his job, and said that Congress should have more say over the dozens of "czars" installed by Obama since taking office. "Given recent revelations concerning the associations and statements of the president's green jobs czar, Van Jones should resign his position and if he is unwilling to do so, the president should demand his resignation," Pence said in a statement. "His...

A slice of $7.5 million in federal stimulus money is being offered to help homeless sex offenders and predators living under the Julia Tuttle Causeway to cover rent, housing and utilities. The money comes from federal funds designated for homeless people in Miami-Dade, but convicted sex offenders who meet income requirements are eligible... Under the program, participants can receive financial assistance for up to 18 months, but must be recertified every 90 days. The camp, which has become a national embarrassment for Miami, is emptying.

CBS 2 HD has learned of more alleged back-door dealings and political power peddling by Democratic Rep. Charles Rangel. The reigning member of Congress' top tax committee is apparently "wrangling" other politicos to get him out of his own financial and tax troubles. Here's a look at Charlie's so-called "angels" involved in his ethics investigation. Congressman Rangel has been arrogant in refusing to discuss how, as the man who writes this country's tax laws, he failed to report over $1 million in outside income and $3 million in business transactions as required by the House, lapses under investigation by the...

CINCINNATI The archbishop of the Cincinnati Archdiocese has banned a nun from teaching at parishes and institutions because she supports the ordination of women as priests. Church officials said Wednesday that Archbishop Daniel Pilarczyk made the decision after Sister of Charity Louise Akers refused to publicly renounce her support for a position the Vatican considers a violation of church teaching. Akers has taught in the archdiocese for 40 years. She says she refused to renounce her support of women priests as a matter of conscience. Archdiocese spokesman Dan Andriacco says that the church principle is that someone teaching in the...

Terry Jeffrey walked away the winner on Hardball this afternoon. Despite being double-teamed by Chris Matthews and Salon's Joan Walsh, the editor-in-chief of our sister publication CNSNews.com had the others admitting that the Obama admin has gone too far with the cult-of-personality way it's pitched the president's speech to schoolchildren. But that didn't prevent Matthews and Walsh from unsubtly accusing PBO's opponents of racism, archly claiming that the motive for the opposition to the president is his "background." View video here.

Jake Tapper, reporting on Twitter a few hours ago:A source close to Jones re: 2002 doc: “Jones didn’t participate in and wasn’t part of this march at all..."..."He spent a very brief time on the board of the magazine War Times.” Says no other connections to Truther movement other than petition. about 3 hours ago from webTapper is referencing the Rense.com document from January 2002.Gateway Pundit broke the news about Rense.com this morning with a report that posited that Jones was an organizer of the 9/11 Truther march listed on the page.This writer took an alternate view that Jones was...

What would you like to tell Barry and Shelly's kids? What do we think they should know about us, and how they can help us make their dad know how we feel about him? Maybe we could give them assignments, and slogans to memorize? Maybe we could have them swear their allegiance, to the flag and to the constitution? Maybe recite a line or two of the ...