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On Friday’s broadcast of MSNBC’s “Morning Joe,” White House Council of Economic Advisers member Heather Boushey stated that “the reason that we see inflation today is because we’re recovering from this historic global pandemic.” Boushey said, “Well, let me be very clear, you know, the reason that we see inflation today is because we’re recovering from this historic global pandemic. So, the president has outlined a number of steps that he is taking to make sure that we contain inflation. One of them is letting the Federal Reserve do their job. But another set of them is making sure that...

Tough stuff from Team Serpenthead. What’s a president to do when he can’t run on the idea that America’s better off now than it was four years ago? Simple. Run on the idea that America will be better off four years from now if it gives him another term. 2008: The future is now. 2012: No, wait, we mean the future is now. Hope and change — they’re always a day away. What is clear from this fresh look at public consciousness on the economy is how difficult this period has been for both non-college-educated and college-educated voters – and...

General Motors Co.'s recent stock offering was staged to start paying back the government for its $50 billion bailout, but one group made out much better than the taxpayers or other investors: the company's union. Thanks to a generous share of GM stock obtained in the company's 2009 bankruptcy settlement, the United Auto Workers is well on its way to recouping the billions of dollars GM owed it — putting it far ahead of taxpayers who have recouped only about 30 percent of their investment and further still ahead of investors in the old GM who have received nothing. The...

NEW YORK – Robin Williams was recovering at the Cleveland Clinic after heart surgery that his doctors deemed successful, his publicists said Monday. The 57-year-old actor had an operation to replace an aortic valve on March 13, publicists Mara Buxbaum and Chris Kanarick said. He was expected to make a complete recovery in the next eight weeks. "His heart is strong and he will have normal heart function in the coming weeks with no limitations on what he'll be able to do," said Dr. A. Marc Gillinov, a cardiothoracic surgeon at the Cleveland Clinic. "A couple of hours after surgery,...

CHICAGO - Minister Louis Farrakhan, who recently ceded leadership of the Nation of Islam to an executive board because of ill health, has undergone a 12-hour operation, the organization said Saturday. Physicians have told Farrakhan's family they were pleased with the operation's outcome but will monitor him closely for the next 24 to 48 hours, the Chicago-based group said in a statement. No other details were released, and a man who answered the telephone at the office of Farrakhan's chief of staff declined to reveal the nature of the surgery or where it was performed. Farrakhan, 73, wrote in a...

WASHINGTON, Aug. 20, 2006 – Over the past two and a half years, about 500 severely wounded servicemembers and their families have enjoyed 5,000 free dinners out on the town thanks to Hal Koster and Marty O’Brien. “Some of them have come to multiple dinners because some of them are here for years,” Koster said Aug. 18, as he looked over the 60 or so guests dining on the rooftop of The Exchange restaurant here. About 20 servicemembers, many in wheelchairs and prosthetics, family members and other guests dined overlooking a panoramic view of the U.S. Capitol, and the Washington...

More than 17,000 Americans have been wounded in Iraq, and Thursday evening, one of those wounded returned home in Southern Arizona. Private First Class Michael Manning hugs his wife for the first time since his army unit headed to Iraq on December 1st. “You can't describe it,” says Theresa Manning, the soldier’s wife. Pfc. Manning cried tears of joy as the Tombstone graduate hugged and saw his son, Aiden, for the first time since the baby was 4 weeks old. “He’s gonna be proud of his dad,” says Manning’s wife. Pfc. Manning says he’s elated, “Just to be home with...

DOVER AIR FORCE BASE, Del., April 4, 2006 – Seventeen people are in various stages of recovery after surviving a C-5 aircraft crash less than a mile from Dover Air Force Base's southern perimeter yesterday. "Our crew did a spectacular job of landing the airplane in its location," said Air Force Col. Chad T. Manske, 436th Airlift Wing vice commander and current acting commander of the wing. "Thankfully, there were no fatalities or injuries, and by the grace of God the aircraft didn't explode." The C-5B Galaxy broke apart into three major pieces at 6:42 a.m. in a grassy...

WASHINGTON (Army News Service, Jan. 5, 2006) - The Army has implemented a pilot program to provide a way for wounded Soldiers at Walter Reed Army Medical Center to stay connected with loved ones. The "Thin Client” system, first introduced in 2005, was created by Information Technology Systems for the purposes of e-learning, video communications and entertainment. Improving patient life “We went to families, Soldiers and administrators to come up with a product that would best suit the wounded Soldiers,” said Hari Bezwada, a program manager for ITS. Lt. Gen. Steven W. Boutelle, the Army chief information officer, worked with...

Dec. 18, 2005 20:20 | Updated Dec. 19, 2005 1:29 PM recovers from mild stroke, saying 'Time to move forward (kadima)' By JPOST.COM STAFF Omri Sharon arrives at the hospital to visit his father. Photo: AP While recovering from a mild stroke on Sunday evening, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon joked with his medical and office staff, telling them that they "are not rid of him yet." He added in a bit of self-humor that he thought he should take a few days off. Using a double entendre on the name of his new political party Kadima (forward in Hebrew), he...

HONOLULU - Legendary Hawaiian crooner Don Ho was recovering Tuesday at a hospital in Thailand after undergoing an experimental stem cell procedure on his ailing heart. Ho, 75, known for his signature tune "Tiny Bubbles," underwent a new treatment that has not been approved in the United States. It involves multiplying stem cells taken from his blood and injecting them into his heart in hopes of strengthening the organ, according to Ed Brown, a close friend. After the treatment, Ho's vital signs were excellent, but he remained seriously ill and was in the hospital's intensive care unit, Brown said in...

FORT SAM HOUSTON, Texas (Army News Service, Aug. 8, 2005) - Servicemembers with severe injuries requiring extensive treatment and rehabilitation will soon get assistance at a new facility on Fort Sam Houston. The $30 million National Armed Forces Physical Rehabilitation Center, funded by the nonprofit Intrepid Heroes Fund, will be built on a 4.5-acre site adjacent to two new 21-room Fisher Houses. The groundbreaking for the four-story, 65,000 gross square feet center is planned for the fall. “We already provide great care to these warriors. The new center will make it even better,” said Brig. Gen. James Gilman, Brooke Army...

MIAMI (AFP) - A Japanese baby is recovering well after receiving six organs from a donor baby, a procedure banned in Japan, his doctor revealed. Eleven-month-old Yosuke Ohashi quietly sucked a pacifier in his mother's arms at a press conference Friday where doctors announced his remarkable recovery from the eight-hour operation, performed on December 24. "The success of a little child like this ... could have an impact" on Japanese law, said Tomoaki Kato, the surgeon who performed the transplant at the University of Miami Jackson transplant center. In Japan, children under 15 are barred from donating organs. Japan legalized...

Three Other Juveniles Also Charged In Connection With Stolen Gun INDEPENDENCE, Ky. -- Four boys, ages 10 and 13, have been charged in the shooting of an 11-year-old boy in Northern Kentucky Dec. 2. A 10-year-old accused of shooting Timothy Cooper in the chest was charged with wanton endangerment.That boy and two others, 10 and 13, were charged with burglary for stealing the .22-caliber rifle and other items from a house in the 400 block of Hilltop Lane in Latonia. A 13-year-old was charged with receiving stolen property.Cooper was not charged. He is recovering and has been released from the...

Mars rover recovering from memory problems 13:35 28 January 04 NewScientist.com news service A full revival of the Mars rover Spirit from its electronic ailments now seems highly likely. Engineers now think there is no real hardware or software problems, but something much easier to fix - a simple overload of files in its onboard memory. If further testing confirms this diagnosis, that will be very good news for Spirit's twin, Opportunity. Any software bug or hardware weakness would probably be present in both rovers and might require weeks of analysis and repair. But if, as it appears, the problem...

       Irondale, AL (EWTN) – People attending the Easter Vigil Mass at the Shrine of the Most Blessed Sacrament in Hanceville, Alabama were pleased to see Mother Angelica sitting with her Nuns in choir. Worshipers were delighted as Mother joined in the singing and received Holy Communion.       This was the first time Mother Angelica has appeared in public since returning to her monastery after being hospitalized for a stroke she suffered on Christmas Eve.      The following Sunday, which the Church celebrates as Divine Mercy Sunday again found Mother attending Mass with her Nuns.      Sister Mary...