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They called it a discussion rather than a debate, and no one cursed, raised his voice or turned purple with fury. Yet it was still the Catholic Thrilla in Manila – the much-anticipated face-off between two preeminent pro-life thinkers, only one of whom thinks it's OK to support Barack Obama anyway. To be honest, my side did not win. Side? That pro-lifers -- all of whom, as moderator Mary Ann Glendon noted at the packed, invitation-only Catholic University Law event held at the National Press Club Thursday night, agree that "abortion is an unspeakable crime'' -- might nonetheless be divided...

LAS VEGAS – President Barack Obama on Wednesday hailed solar energy as a cost saver for a major Air Force base, one stop on a Western trip devoted to raising political money and promoting his economic policies. Obama's aides had mocked reporters for making a fuss over his first 100 days in office, but the president was eager to assess the first 100 days of his $787 billion economic stimulus package. It has "saved or created nearly 150,000 jobs," he said, including "jobs building solar panels and wind turbines; making homes and buildings more energy-efficient."

May 22) -- Raymond Hewlett, a fugitive British pedophile, is under suspicion in the 2007 disappearance of Madeleine McCann in Portugal, according to reports Friday in the British media. The London Evening Standard reports that Hewlett is being treated for throat cancer at a hospital in Germany and may be extradited to England, where he is wanted for questioning in sex attacks stretching back to the 1970s.

Ben Stiller has fallen victim to the subtle language differences between Britain and America - after he was accused of entertaining his kids with derogatory tales about African-Americans. The funnyman has revealed he created a wacky character, called Diaperhead, to get giggles from his kids, Ella and Quinlin, only to discover his idea had been renamed 'Nappyhead' overseas. He explains, "An article was written about Diaperhead in England and apparently the diaper is called a nappy in England. I would not do a character called Nappyhead."

<p>NEW YORK (AP) -- First Lady Michelle Obama is visiting New York City.</p> <p>Obama will speak Tuesday evening at a celebration for Time magazine's issue of what it considers the world's 100 most influential people.</p>

WASHINGTON (AP) - "That wasn't me," President Barack Obama said on his 100th day in office, disclaiming responsibility for the huge budget deficit waiting for him on Day One. It actually was him - and the other Democrats controlling Congress the previous two years - who shaped a budget so out of balance. And as a presidential candidate and president-elect, he backed the twilight Bush-era stimulus plan that made the deficit deeper, all before he took over and promoted spending plans that have made it much deeper still. Obama met citizens at an Arnold, Mo., high school Wednesday in advance...

WASHINGTON - President Obama sounds like he'd punch the "easy" button if he could. In a prime-time news conference Wednesday night marking the 100th day of his administration, Obama betrayed a sense of exasperation at the swarm of crises that have besieged him and the country. "I didn't anticipate the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression," Obama said. "The typical President, I think, has two or three big problems. We've got seven or eight." Marveling at the lineup of daunting tasks filling his in-box, he took umbrage at the idea he relishes expanding government, even into cars and finance.

Just plane dumb. A perfect storm of idiocy led to a frightening 9/11 flashback for thousands of New Yorkers Monday when a jumbo jet and an F-16 fighter jet buzzed lower Manhattan without warning. A "furious" Mayor Bloomberg denounced the dunces who dreamed up the stunt - and the NYPD officials and bureaucrats who never told him about it. By day's end, an obscure City Hall deputy named Marc Mugnos, who makes $60,000 a year, was taking the fall for not telling Bloomberg that the low-flying planes were coming. He was reprimanded. But there was plenty of blame to go...

Monday, April 27th 2009, 11:57 AM WASHINGTON - Osama Bin Laden "may be dead," Pakistan's President said Monday - which U.S. officials quickly dismissed as wishful thinking. Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari made the claim before reporters in the capital Islamabad, where he said his country's Inter-Services Intelligence spy directorate had made the assessment. "He may be dead. But that's been said before," Zardari said. "It's still between fiction and fact." Zardari offered no proof, and one U.S. counterterrorism official said the death of Al Qaeda's founder was more likely fiction. "We continue to assume he is still living and...

FAA says low-flying plane over Staten Island is 'pre-planned' flight to take photos by Staten Island Advance Monday April 27, 2009, 10:03 AM A plane, that appears to be a commercial jet tailed by fighter jets, is a "pre-planned" military flight taking photos of the Statue of Liberty, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. Reports indicate it may be Air Force One. "It is pre-planned, pre-coordinated with everyone involved," said FAA spokesman Jim Peters. "It's a military flight over New York to take photos." Peters, who stressed it is not an emergency, said the flight is circling the Statue of...

LONDON (Reuters) – British singers Paul McCartney, Elton John and Mick Jagger have lost large chunks of their personal fortunes during the economic crisis over the last year, according to a rich list published on Friday. Along with many of the world's richest people, their wealth has been eroded by sharp falls in the value of property, shares and other investments, the annual survey for the Sunday Times newspaper said. Elton John's personal wealth fell by more than a quarter to 175 million pounds from 235 million pounds ($342.3 million) last year.

LOS ANGELES – He's still got a little work to do on the economy, but already President Barack Obama has accomplished at least one task that had appeared all but impossible just a year ago: He's put The Dead back on the road. As the core surviving members of the Grateful Dead, once the world's biggest concert draw, barrel across the country for the first time in five years, bass player Phil Lesh says they have Obama, and also Lesh's youngest son, Brian, to thank. After Lesh, who had never publicly supported a presidential candidate, threw his lot in with...

WASHINGTON – Aiming to assert control over the nation's economic debate, President Barack Obama on Tuesday warned Americans eager for good news that "by no means are we out of the woods" and argued his broad domestic agenda is the path to recovery. In a speech at Georgetown University, Obama aimed to juggle his recent glass-half-full takes on the economy with a determination to not be stamped as naive in the face lingering problems. He summarized actions his administration has taken to steady the limping economy and coupled that with a fresh overview of his domestic goals. The speech, which...

WASHINGTON – Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke said Tuesday there's been "tentative signs" that the recession may be easing. But he also warned that any hope for a lasting recovery hinges on the government's success in stabilizing shaky financial markets and getting credit to flow more freely again. Specifically, the Fed chief mentioned improvements in recent data on home and auto sales, home building and consumer spending as flickering signs of encouragement. "Recently we have seen tentative signs that the sharp decline in economic activity may be slowing," Bernanke said in remarks prepared for students and faculty at Morehouse College...

WASHINGTON (AP) - The economy's steep plunge appears to be ending, a top presidential adviser said Thursday, but he refused to predict how high the unemployment rate will rise before a sustainable recovery begins. Lawrence Summers, director of President Barack Obama's National Economic Council, said there have been some encouraging signs the dive in economic activity that began late last year was drawing to a close. "There has been a substantial anecdotal flow over the last six to eight weeks of things that felt a little bit better," Summers told the Economic Club of Washington. "The sense of a ball...

Pop superstar Madonna has reached out to the victims of the recent earthquake in Italy - donating a substantial sum to the ongoing rescue effort in area where her "ancestors" are from. The country's Abruzzo region was struck by tremors on Monday, killing over 200 people. The town of Pacentro, where Madonna's paternal grandparents lived until 1919, was severely affected by the disaster, prompting the region's mayor to appeal to the singer for help. And Madonna has responded by donating a $500,000 (£345,000) sum to the relief effort, according to People.com. The star says in a statement, "I am happy...

The U.S. economy is in for a "lasting slowdown" and could face a Japan-style period of relatively low growth coupled with high inflation, billionaire investor George Soros said on Monday. Soros, speaking to Reuters Financial Television, also warned that rescuing U.S. banks could turn them into "zombies" that draw the lifeblood of the economy, prolonging the economic slowdown.

STRASBOURG, France – Welcomed with thunderous cheers, President Barack Obama pledged on Friday to repair damaged relations with Europe, saying the world came together following the 2001 terrorist attacks but then "we got sidetracked by Iraq." "We must be honest with ourselves," Obama said. "In recent years, we've allowed our alliance to drift." The new U.S. president said that despite the bitter feelings that were generated by Iraq, the United States and its allies must stand together because "al-Qaida is still a threat." At a town-hall style gathering before a French and German audience, Obama also encouraged a skeptical Europe...

LONDON – Concluding his first international summit, President Barack Obama hailed agreements at the emergency meeting of world powers Thursday as a "turning point in our pursuit of global economic recovery." But he cautioned, "There are no guarantees."

WASHINGTON – New signs that the recession could be nearing a bottom emerged Thursday, as factory orders were far better than expected and the Dow industrials surged over 8,000 for the first time in two months. The Commerce Department said orders for manufactured goods rose 1.8 percent in February, reversing six straight monthly declines and easily beating estimates of another drop. Other economic indicators came in better than expected Wednesday, including construction spending and pending home sales. Meanwhile, world leaders meeting in London on Thursday pledged $1.1 trillion to global institutions such as the International Monetary Fund to combat the...