August 2011
98 posts
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Obama Announces Congress Has Reached Debt Ceiling... →
President Barack Obama on Sunday night announced that Congress had arrived at an 11th-hour bipartisan deal to raise the nation’s debt ceiling and prevent an unprecedented United States default on its financial obligations.
The deal, which Mr. Obama said was not the one he’d sought but which nonetheless required both Republicans and Democrats to make painful compromises, increases...
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Obama, Congress Reach a Debt Deal - ABC News →
July 2011
112 posts
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Negotiating All But Done for $2.7 Trillion Deficit... →
Via @JakeTapper
Sources from both parties tell ABC News that the major potential roadblock in deficit negotiations— the triggers — are now essentially agreed upon. The plan is for the House to vote on this tomorrow, assuming all goes according to plan. The agreement looks like this: if the super-committee tasked with entitlement and tax reform fails to come up with $1.5 trillion in...
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GOP Leaders: ‘It’s Time for the President to Tell... →
(WASHINGTON) — Moments after the House of Representatives voted to reject Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid’s plan to increase the debt limit, Congress’s top-two ranking Republicans say President Obama must now enumerate a legislative solution to the looming financial crisis that he will sign into law. “It’s time for the president to tell us what he’s for,” House Speaker John Boehner,...
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Republicans and White House Fully Engaged as the... →
(WASHINGTON) — With just two days left before Uncle Sam’s credit card maxes out, there were a few signs Saturday afternoon that Republicans and Democrats may be closer to ending the standoff over the nation’s debt ceiling. The Republican leader in the Senate, Mitch McConnell, expressed confidence that a deal could get done before Tuesday’s deadline. “I’ve spoken to both the president...
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Meditation 101: Tips for Beginners →
Find some free time — at least 20 minutes — and as calm and quiet a place as you can. Meditating with interruptions from your BlackBerry or your computer doesn’t really work.
Sit down and make yourself comfortable. Some traditions use physical positions — mudras, in Sanskrit — in meditation. The most famous is sitting on the ground in the lotus position, i.e.,...
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Debt Ceiling Debate Leaves Americans Anxious,... →
(WASHINGTON) — As the U.S. government inches closer to defaulting, the debt cliffhanger is leaving millions of Americans wondering if the country is turning a corner to a less-solid future. “A lot of stabilizing, rock-solid foundations are being threatened,” says Dr. James Gottfurcht, a clinical psychologist and president of Psychology of Money Consultants in Los Angeles. He...
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“Today I re-read the open letter I wrote to Republican Freshman Members of...”
– Sarah Palin writing on Facebook
Sarah Palin Urges GOP Freshmen to ‘Remember Us Little People’
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House GOP Meeting Friday: Can They Pass a Debt... →
(WASHINGTON) — House Speaker John Boehner will convene a closed meeting of all 240 House Republicans Friday morning where he will explain the tweaks made to the debt ceiling legislation Thursday night and make his final appeal to Republicans to get in line. House Republican sources told ABC News Friday morning that they believe they have the votes to pass Boehner’s debt ceiling bill. Of...
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Faith Leaders Arrested in US Capitol During... →
(WASHINGTON) — Eleven faith leaders from a range of denominations were arrested in the Capitol Rotunda Thursday as they staged a protest urging Congress to pass a budget agreement.
Led by former Rep. Bob Edgar, D-Penn, and current president of Common Cause, the faith leaders kneeled on the floor of the Capitol Rotunda while praying and singing gospel hymns. Capitol Police evacuated...
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U.S. Accuses Iran of 'Secret' Deal with al Qaeda →
(WASHINGTON) — The United States today accused the Iranian government of entering into a “secret” deal with al Qaeda to funnel money and fighters to Afghanistan and Pakistan.
The Treasury Department slapped sanctions on six individuals operating in a network that they said “serves as the core pipeline through which al Qaeda moves money, facilitators and operatives from across the Middle...
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Circumcision Ban May Get Snipped from San... →
(SAN FRANCISCO) — It looks as if the City by the Bay may not be voting on a controversial circumcision ban after all.
San Francisco Superior Court Judge Loretta Giorgi tentatively ruled Wednesday that the measure to criminalize circumcision must be withdrawn from the November ballot because it violated a California law which makes regulating medical procedures a state — not a city...
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Veterans, Servicemembers Worried About Potential... →
“Right now, our nation teeters on the edge of default and servicemembers and veterans are left concerned and a bit scared,” Paul Rieckhoff, executive director of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America said. “They don’t know what’s going to happen Aug. 1. They don’t know what’s going to happen Sept. 1. They don’t know if disability checks are coming. They...
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UN Agency Begins First Food Airlift to Mogadishu →
(UNITED NATIONS) — The United Nations World Food Programme has begun to airlift emergency food supplies to the Somali capital of Mogadishu after the flight was delayed on Tuesday. The agency is flying 10 tons of food to the region after the U.N. declared a famine in two southern areas of Somalia last week. Somali officials have said that 3.5 million people are at risk of starving in the...
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Cryogenics Pioneer Frozen after Death →
The idea to cryopreserve humans sprang from the pages of science fiction in the 1960s, when Robert Ettinger, inspired by a sci-fi story he read, founded the Cryonics Institute in Clinton Township, Mich. Inside the institute, over 100 people float inside giant bottles filled with nitrogen at temperatures colder than negative 130 degrees Celsius, hoping one day in the future some doctor will revive...
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Sarah Palin on Debt Debate: 'More Obama Drama' →
(WASHINGTON) — Sarah Palin weighed in on the debt debate again on Greta Van Susteren’s Fox News show Tuesday night, calling President Obama’s handling of the situation “more Obama drama.” “Scaring the American people is exactly what President Obama is doing in that bizarre speech he gave last night,” she said. “He’s getting pretty good at this fear-mongering.” Palin characterized the Aug. 2...
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Most Depressed Nations: Where Does America Rank? →
(STONY BROOK, N.Y.) — The old adage that money can’t buy happiness may be true not only for individuals, but for society as a whole, according to new international research on depression. In a global collaborative study that looked at depression and social conditions in 18 countries, researchers found that while depression has a similar debilitating effect on people worldwide,...
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US Repeats Warning: Bin Laden Killing May Increase... →
(WASHINGTON) — The State Department on Tuesday reiterated its warning that the killing of al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden could increase the terror threat to Americans around the world. “The Department of State believes there is an enhanced potential for anti-American violence given the death of Osama Bin Laden in May 2011,” it said an update to its biannual Worldwide Caution. It repeats a...
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James Franco Signs onto 'General Hospital' →
(LOS ANGELES) — James Franco must need yet another day job. The famously multitasking Oscar-nominated actor has just signed onto a “long-term” stint on General Hospital. The actor, who recently reprised one of his first acting roles as the soap’s serial killer Robert “Franco” Frank, will film a fourth guest spot Sept. 20. TVGuide.com is reporting Franco’s...
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Cigarette Companies Encouraged to Stop Alleged... →
(WASHINGTON) — Cigarettes are neither healthy nor eco-friendly, despite what advertising campaigns may claim. The Reynolds American tobacco company has relaunched their magazine advertisements for their acclaimed “eco-friendly” Natural American Spirit cigarettes and have targeted women, choosing to run the ads in the pages of Elle, Luckyand Marie Claire. The ad campaign is both deceptive...
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Ten Top-Selling Drugs Coming Off Patent →
(NEW YORK) — Ten of the world’s top-selling prescription drugs are about to get cheaper.
Plavix
Lipitor
Seroquel
Actos
Enbrel
Singulair
Levaquin
Zyprexa
Concerta
Protonix
Full Story -»
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Is Aug. 2 Still the 'Drop Dead' Deadline? →
(WASHINGTON) — Is Aug. 2nd still the “drop dead” deadline for the debt debate? It depends what you mean by “drop dead” deadline. It does not appear that date any longer will be the day when the U.S. officially no longer has the ability to pay its bills. On Aug. 3, the federal government will have $32 billion in payments to make. Will the U.S. government have the...
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Obama Supports Reid's Debt Plan, But Will House... →
(WASHINGTON) — President Obama may be endorsing Majority Leader Harry Reid’s debt ceiling proposal, but the plan isn’t likely to get a warm embrace by House Democrats. In an interview with ABC News on Monday, freshman Democratic Rep. Karen Bass of California said she thought that the proposal by Sen. Reid that asks for spending cuts but no new revenues is “going to be very, very hard for...
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'Dead' South African Man Wakes Screaming after Day... →
“Two workers heard screaming from the refrigerators,” Kupelo told ABC News. “They thought it was a ghost and they ran for their lives.”
Continue -»
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John Edwards Trial Heats Up with War of Words →
(HILLSBOROUGH, N.C.) — John Edwards’ former mistress Rielle Hunter last week accused former aide Andrew Young of secretly passing thousands of pages of sealed civil court records — including the depositions of Edwards and Hunter — to the federal prosecutors involved in the criminal case against Edwards. And on Monday, Young’s lawyers fired back, calling the accusations...
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'Chemical Castration' Law Enacted in South Korea →
(SEOUL) — A South Korean law that allows judges to sentence sex offenders to chemical castration went into effect on Sunday, local news agencies reported. The process, which uses chemicals to reduce an individual’s sex drive, can last up to 15 years and will reportedly be coupled with extensive therapy. The sentencing can only be applied to sex offenders who have attacked minors. South Korea...
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Norway Shooting Suspect: Attacks Revenge for... →
(OSLO, Norway) — The man suspected of killing dozens of people in a separate bombing and shooting spree in Norway Friday said he attacked the country’s liberal party because, the “price of their treason is what they had to pay.” Anders Breivik made the statement in a closed court hearing Monday in which judge Kim Heger said he would be held without bond for eight weeks...
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Fundraisers Canceled as Obama Narrows Focus on... →
(WASHINGTON) — The ongoing debt ceiling negotiations have forced President Obama and Vice President Biden to cancel more than a half dozen political fundraisers on the West Coast and three cities in the South, ABC News confirms. A fundraiser slated for Monday in a private Washington D.C. residence was canceled, and Biden will instead will make an appearance in a hotel. A New York fundraiser...
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Oslo Bombing Details Updated →
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Explosion Rocks Norwegian Capital of Oslo →
(OSLO, Norway) — A large blast rocked the Norwegian capital of Oslo on Friday, shattering windows and leaving glass scattered in the streets. Several people were injured in the explosion, according to local reports, but it was not immediately clear whether there were any casualties. The cause of the blast is under investigation. Story developing… Bookmark this link for continued...
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Breaking: Explosion Damages Government HQ in Oslo →
A loud explosion has shattered windows at the government headquarters in Oslo which includes the prime ministers office, injuring several people. Norwegian news agency NTB says the prime minister is safe. THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP’s earlier story is below. OSLO, Norway (AP) — A loud explosion has shattered windows at the government...
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Jon Huntsman’s Campaign Manager Resigns →
(WASHINGTON) — Jon Huntsman’s campaign manager, Susie Wiles, officially resigned from her post Thursday, ABC news has confirmed. Wiles will be replaced by Huntsman’s current communications director Matt David. “Susie has served the campaign well and was vital in getting it off the ground in such a short time-frame,” said the campaign’s chief strategist John Weaver in a...
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NASA Layoffs Planned as Space Shuttle Program Ends →
(HOUSTON) — Now that space shuttle Atlantis has returned home safely, America’s human spaceflight program faces a period of retrenchment and doubt. Atlantis’ landing early Thursday morning marked the end of NASA’s 30-year space shuttle program and the beginning of layoffs for the space agency. On Friday, 1,500 shuttle workers are scheduled to get their pink slips. By the...
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Chinese Couple Sells All Three Kids to Play Online... →
(DONGGUAN, China) — A young Chinese couple has sold all three of their children in exchange for money to play online games at Internet cafes, reports a southern Chinese newspaper. According to Sanxiang City News, the couple met in an Internet cafe back in 2007 and bonded over their obsession with online video games. A year later, the parents — who are both under 21 — welcomed...
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Jobless Claims Jump by 10,000 →
(WASHINGTON) — After falling for the previous three weeks, claims for unemployment benefits jumped in the second week of July, according to the Labor Department’s latest report released Thursday. For the week ending July 16, the department said claims increased by 10,000 to 418,000. The previous week, claims stood at 408,000. The four-week average was also adjusted, falling by 2,750...
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Carney: White House Would Sign Short-Term Debt... →
(WASHINGTON) — White House press secretary Jay Carney signaled for the first time Wednesday that President Obama would sign a short-term extension of the debt ceiling if it was needed to finalize the details of a larger agreement. “We would not support a short-term extension absent an agreement to a larger deal,” he said. “That’s not acceptable. Obviously, if both sides agree to...
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New York Same-Sex Couples Ready to Tie the Knot →
(NEW YORK) — The state of New York will become the largest in the nation to permit same-sex marriage this weekend, and already more than 1,700 same-sex couples say they want to tie the knot in New York City on Sunday, the first day that they’re eligible. The number of couples who want to marry that day is far more than the City Clerk’s Office can handle, so it’s starting a...
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Is Sexting Mostly a Woman's Game? →
(KEARNEY, Neb.) — “Weinergate” has popularized the trope of powerful men who feel the need to text women pictures of their junk, but in the world of everyday Joes, sexting might be more of a woman’s game, at least according to preliminary research published in the journal Sexuality & Culture. In a survey of married and single people looking for noncommittal flirtation...
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Former Insider: Bachmann's Headaches Left Her... →
“You’re probably talking once every two to four weeks where she would have severe headaches, and at times it would be more frequent,” the former insider told ABC News, speaking on the condition he not be identified because he was concerned about retribution. “They would come on in a matter of minutes. She would be down on her couch with the lights off and unable to...
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Apple Releases OS X Lion, Updates to MacBook Air... →
(CUPERTINO, Calif.) — On the heels of a powerhouse earnings report, the company on Wednesday will unveil its new Macintosh operating system, along with new MacBook Air and Mac Mini models. OS X Lion brings some features from the iPhone and iPad to the Mac. It’ll also mark the first time Apple has released an operating system update primarily through downloads. In other Apple news,...
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Don't Count on 'Gang of 6' Breakthrough for... →
(WASHINGTON) — Could the bipartisan “Gang of Six” plan embraced by President Obama on Tuesday be a real breakthrough on the debt ceiling issue? Don’t count on it. On the bright side, the bi-partisan “Gang” presented their ambitious $3.7 trillion deficit reduction plan to a bi-partisan group of some 50 senators and got a positive reception from both parties. Sen. Joe Manchin, D-WV, even...
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Murdoch Scandal: Parliament Cites 'Catalogue... →
(LONDON) — A British parliamentary committee on Wednesday heaped scorn on Rupert Murdoch’s News International for trying to “deliberately thwart” a probe into phone hacking by the company’s journalists and called out the police for failing to thoroughly investigate it. “There has been a catalog of failures by the Metropolitan Police, and deliberate attempts by...
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Al Qaeda Magazine: Bin Laden 'Confronted' SEALs in... →
“He confronted them, his weapons against theirs with his, and his strength against theirs, and he accepted the challenge of those who came out with their fancy equipment, machinery, weapons, aircrafts and troops, all haughty and pompous,” the magazine, Inspire, said in a eulogy for the al Qaeda leader. “His determination did not weaken in front of them, nor was he sapped of...
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Rupert Murdoch Hearing Erupts Into Chaos, Wife... →
(LONDON) — A Parliament hearing into hacking by News Corp. journalists erupted into chaos Tuesday as CEO Rupert Murdoch was attacked by a man with what appeared to be a pie. Wendi Deng Murdoch, his wife, rose from her seat behind her husband to protect him and took a swing at the intruder. The man was taken away from the scene and the committee temporarily suspended the hearing. Before the...
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Rupert Murdoch: 'People I Trusted' Are Responsible... →
UPDATE: Tuesday’s hearing was temporarily suspended after a man attempted to attack Rupert Murdoch as he spoke before the British Parliament. (LONDON) — News Corp. chief Rupert Murdoch told a British Parliament committee probing phone hacking by his journalists that he is not responsible for the scandal that has embroiled his media empire.
“Mr. Murdoch do you accept you are...
