Obama, Clinton to launch healthcare campaign push Tuesday

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQqNmGhkZmDabPY6536RwUgt9YN5RLe38Ng77dEZ0Y_s4qxD2QoHpxD15AVhqNjiuwGKVXoWmNockUXoWtX-iYYzjZ3SikXY8oczDEAVT6nC1OPS06tpyuCWgSB7kd5-VRz_2ojdqEWcg/s1600/n-BARACK-OBAMA-BILL-CLINTON-large570.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Obama, Clinton to launch healthcare campaign push Tuesday" border="0" height="166" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQqNmGhkZmDabPY6536RwUgt9YN5RLe38Ng77dEZ0Y_s4qxD2QoHpxD15AVhqNjiuwGKVXoWmNockUXoWtX-iYYzjZ3SikXY8oczDEAVT6nC1OPS06tpyuCWgSB7kd5-VRz_2ojdqEWcg/s400/n-BARACK-OBAMA-BILL-CLINTON-large570.jpg" title="Obama, Clinton to launch healthcare campaign push Tuesday" width="400" /></a></div> <h2 style="text-align: left;"> <a href="http://www.newsupdate360.com/2013/09/obama-clinton-to-launch-healthcare.html">Obama, Clinton to launch healthcare campaign push Tuesday</a></h2> <div> <br /></div> <div> <div> President Barack Obama will turn to his unofficial "secretary of explaining stuff," former President Bill Clinton, on Tuesday to help with a final push to extol the benefits of U.S. healthcare reform before new insurance exchanges go live on October 1.</div> <div> <br /></div> <div> Obama, who is in New York for the United Nations General Assembly, will meet with his most recent Democratic predecessor at the Clinton Global Initiative, a conference where the two men will talk about Obama's healthcare reform law, which Republicans continue to try to repeal.</div> <div> <br /></div> <div> A White House official noted that the conversation will take place one week before the new exchanges open, which the White House says will allow millions of Americans who do not have insurance to sign up for plans that fit their budgets.</div> <div> <br /></div> <div> The event also comes one day after the 20th anniversary of Clinton's call for healthcare reform in a speech to Congress.</div> <div> <br /></div> <div> Clinton's effort to overhaul the U.S. healthcare system while president, spearheaded by his wife, former first lady Hillary Clinton, failed in Congress, dealing them a major political blow. But it called attention to the plight of millions of Americans who did not have insurance.</div> <div> <br /></div> <div> That history will set the stage for Tuesday's event.</div> <div> <br /></div> <div> "The format of their conversation is designed to foster an enthusiastic and candid discussion between our current president and the last president to make tackling healthcare a priority, who share a deep passion for improving the quality and cost of care for American families and businesses," a White House official said.</div> <div> <br /></div> <div> Hillary Clinton, who is a potential presidential candidate in 2016 and served as secretary of state during Obama's first term, will introduce the two men.</div> </div> <div> <br /></div> <div> <div> Obama dubbed the former president his "secretary of explaining stuff" during the 2012 campaign. Clinton's aggressive outreach on behalf of Obama is credited with helping him vanquish Republican candidate Mitt Romney and win re-election.</div> <div> <br /></div> <div> Obama's attendance at the Clinton Global Initiative is also a boost for the Clintons. The couple could seek his backing if Hillary Clinton decides to run for president in three years.</div> <div> <br /></div> <div> HIGHLIGHTING BENEFITS</div> <div> <br /></div> <div> Republicans say the law will hurt the U.S. economy and give government too great a hand in its citizens' healthcare choices.</div> <div> <br /></div> <div> The Republican-controlled House of Representatives passed a bill last week that would fund the U.S. government only if the law is ransacked.</div> <div> <br /></div> <div> Democrats - including Clinton and Obama - are trying to refute that criticism.</div> <div> <br /></div> <div> "Their conversation is expected to highlight how the healthcare law is creating more choice, competition and affordability for American consumers, how partnerships with the private sector are helping make it work, and how and why access to quality, affordable healthcare is a global priority for citizens abroad, as well as here at home," the White House official said of the planned chat between Obama and Bill Clinton.</div> <div> <br /></div> <div> The White House has enlisted the former president already this month to help pitch the law to Americans, many of whom remain skeptical or confused by it.</div> <div> <br /></div> <div> During a speech earlier this month, Bill Clinton made the case that Americans would be better off with the law, dubbed Obamacare, and urged opponents to make the best of it.</div> <div> <br /></div> <div> The White House said the Clinton-Obama discussion on Tuesday would kick off a six-month public awareness campaign about the law, coinciding with the October-March period during which Americans can sign up for new healthcare options.</div> </div> </div>

Obama, Clinton to launch healthcare campaign push Tuesday President Barack Obama will turn to his unofficial "secretary of exp...

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House GOP should stop acting like children

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWpwSgSBvQ-j3vcUmaAXPeuEvFcbidd0shnMPEzp4HLtssxCEQKwf-ARTsfccEHQ0uVHR5aRq1wtSt4Xk7_2hFg_ogH7qJpB0ArpqrTEdMo2pQDufDutTTAiuXmA1GkjzDH_mhGh12ynE/s1600/House+GOP+should+stop+acting+like+children.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="House GOP should stop acting like children" border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWpwSgSBvQ-j3vcUmaAXPeuEvFcbidd0shnMPEzp4HLtssxCEQKwf-ARTsfccEHQ0uVHR5aRq1wtSt4Xk7_2hFg_ogH7qJpB0ArpqrTEdMo2pQDufDutTTAiuXmA1GkjzDH_mhGh12ynE/s400/House+GOP+should+stop+acting+like+children.jpg" title="House GOP should stop acting like children" width="400" /></a></div> <h2 style="text-align: left;"> <a href="http://www.newsupdate360.com/2013/09/house-gop-should-stop-acting-like.html">House GOP should stop acting like children</a></h2> <div> <div> House Republicans are behaving like children threatening to shut down the government, especially when they have better options to move their agenda.</div> <div> <br /></div> <div> The House has passed a bill to keep the government funded at current levels after Sept. 30, less any funds for Obamacare. Senate Democrats will send it back to the House stripped of that provision, where it will likely fail.</div> <div> <br /></div> <div> Theoretically the government will run out of money; however, Uncle Sam will continue withholding taxes from paychecks and businesses must continue quarterly payments.</div> <div> <br /></div> <div> The president has authority to continue mandatory spending programs—Social Security and other benefits checks should go out— and to respond to emergencies involving the safety of human life and property. The latter may embrace a pretty wide swath but if history is any guide, the president will engage in some juvenile behavior of his own.</div> <div> <br /></div> <div> During the early days of sequestration, he sullenly threatened public safety by not realigning funds to keep enough air traffic controllers and food inspectors on the job.</div> <div> <br /></div> <div> Draconian warnings that prison guards and cooks will not be paid reflect such conduct. Will he release the inmates at federal penitentiaries to avoid keeping and feeding them in their cells?</div> <div> <br /></div> <div> President Obama wants to run America like a banana republic—impose whatever laws he likes and reduce Congress to a compliant debating society.</div> </div> <div> <br /></div> <div> <div> The law has not gained legitimacy among the majority of Americans to the peril of Democrats. In states where Senate races will be highly contested this fall and in House districts leaning Republican or likely to be contested, a significant majority of independent voters oppose Obamacare.</div> <div> <br /></div> <div> Shutting down the government will spoil that potential GOP support—especially because the president is in a position to make such a shutdown as painful as possible.</div> <div> <br /></div> <div> Obamacare is already creating huge headaches. So much so that businesses have been exempted from the requirement to provide health insurance to employees for one year. The state and federal health insurance exchanges are simply not ready to provide accurate pricing and coverage information to individuals who must purchase coverage under the law. Labor unions that supported the law are asking for permanent exemptions, and employers like Starbucks are compelled by the law's rigid application to drop insurance coverage for part-time workers.</div> </div> <div> <br /></div> <div> <div> That would give Republicans a platform for next fall, but they cling to false notions that the health care system was just fine before Obamacare. Alas, it was not and remains much more expensive than the German and many other European systems that deliver universal coverage and better results.</div> <div> <br /></div> <div> Obstructionist threats and obstinance won't make the GOP a governing party again, and will result in the election of a more Democratic House, a continuing Democratic Senate and another Democratic president to succeed Obama.</div> </div> <div> <br /></div> <div> <br /></div> </div>

House GOP should stop acting like children House Republicans are behaving like children threatening to shut down the government, espe...

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Suspected burglar falls through roof while fleeing cops

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFmTf_wAbyCKKu6fJGWIUKay2WRpQZvpXAjiMwkWXSEAUfUVw-OQHFSxE6feIdTyEBbvSLB5fDNgXDmR7zNSUo8Xzu00lO31myg3NZt9eBdcySQJblwQpRPFg464zjpuX-5teu6z44elE/s1600/atm1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Suspected burglar falls through roof while fleeing cops" border="0" height="330" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFmTf_wAbyCKKu6fJGWIUKay2WRpQZvpXAjiMwkWXSEAUfUVw-OQHFSxE6feIdTyEBbvSLB5fDNgXDmR7zNSUo8Xzu00lO31myg3NZt9eBdcySQJblwQpRPFg464zjpuX-5teu6z44elE/s400/atm1.jpg" title="Suspected burglar falls through roof while fleeing cops" width="400" /></a></div> <h2 style="text-align: left;"> <a href="http://www.newsupdate360.com/2013/09/suspected-burglar-falls-through-roof.html">Suspected burglar falls through roof while fleeing cops</a></h2> <div> <br /></div> <div> <div> Not every criminal is a criminal genius. </div> <div> <br /></div> <div> Case in point: The alleged burglar who fell through a roof while fleeing police in San Francisco.</div> <div> <br /></div> <div> Hey, they can't all be Butch Cassidy. </div> <div> <br /></div> <div> According to KPIX, the man had attempted to break into an ATM inside the bank. He crawled through an air ventilation shaft early on Friday morning, before the bank was open for business.</div> <div> <br /></div> <div> The would-be thief set off the bank's silent alarm, and police promptly responded. Cops saw him fleeing, running and jumping from one roof to another. </div> <div> <br /></div> <div> But then, like something out of a Looney Tunes cartoon, the thief fell through a hole in the rooftop just as he was preparing to surrender, KPIX reports. </div> <div> <br /></div> <div> Media Information Officer Gordon Shyy of the San Francisco Police Department told Yahoo News that the suspect, John Franklin, 33, landed in the attic of an apartment. No money was taken from the ATM, Shyy said.</div> <div> <br /></div> <div> Police Sgt. Wilfred Williams told reporters, "I've responded to several different silent alarm calls at banks, but this is the first time when someone fell through a roof."</div> <div> <br /></div> <div> The suspect wasn't seriously injured during the tumble, according to KPIX. </div> <div> <br /></div> <div> And thus ends the sad, sad saga of the hapless bandit of San Francisco.</div> </div> <div> <br /></div> <div> <br /></div> </div>

Suspected burglar falls through roof while fleeing cops Not every criminal is a criminal genius.  Case in point: The alleged bu...

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At Navy Yard service, Obama rails against 'routine' of gun violence

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOWY8GLxhj3W5enYKWVRRLirZl8TRJ0R021wAheGPWcQ2-mV8c4vgAEJ0yHuQlyyR0RZuKuUzdVI3p01z_mXHLp3jv7bd3JJJPZamTYBt7if6tzgdU-0NbMANdyW-stVz-TpI2lJuuXMJc/s1600/obama.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="At Navy Yard service, Obama rails against 'routine' of gun violence" border="0" height="277" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOWY8GLxhj3W5enYKWVRRLirZl8TRJ0R021wAheGPWcQ2-mV8c4vgAEJ0yHuQlyyR0RZuKuUzdVI3p01z_mXHLp3jv7bd3JJJPZamTYBt7if6tzgdU-0NbMANdyW-stVz-TpI2lJuuXMJc/s400/obama.JPG" title="At Navy Yard service, Obama rails against 'routine' of gun violence" width="400" /></a></div> <h2 style="text-align: left;"> <a href="http://www.newsupdate360.com/2013/09/at-navy-yard-service-obama-rails.html">At Navy Yard service, Obama rails against 'routine' of gun violence</a></h2> <div> <div> President Barack Obama made an impassioned plea on Sunday for Americans to overcome their "creeping resignation" about gun violence and demand tougher gun laws following the country's latest mass shooting.</div> <div> <br /></div> <div> "I'm here today to say there's nothing routine about this tragedy. There's nothing routine about your loss," Obama told families at a memorial service for 12 people killed by a gunman last week at the Washington Navy Yard.</div> <div> <br /></div> <div> "Sometimes I fear there is a creeping resignation that these tragedies are just somehow the way it is," he said at the outdoor service at Marine Barracks Washington, less than three blocks from the base where three women and nine men died in the attack.</div> <div> <br /></div> <div> "We must insist here today there is nothing normal about innocent men and women being gunned down where they work," Obama said.</div> <div> <br /></div> <div> Authorities have identified the shooter as Aaron Alexis, 34, a former U.S. Navy reservist working as an information technology contractor. He was killed in a gun battle with police.</div> </div> <div> <br /></div> <div> <div> There were signs that Alexis had untreated mental health issues. Rhode Island police had warned the Navy in August that Alexis had reported "hearing voices" and said he believed people were following him and "sending vibrations into his body."</div> <div> <br /></div> <div> Obama said the U.S. military needs to do more to secure its facilities, and he said the country must also make mental health treatment more available.</div> <div> <br /></div> <div> But he also railed against lax gun laws that he blamed for murder rates in the United States that are three times higher than in other developed nations.</div> <div> <br /></div> <div> "No other advanced nation endures this kind of violence. None," he said.</div> <div> <br /></div> <div> "What's different in America is it's easy to get your hands on a gun," he said.</div> </div> <div> <h3 style="text-align: left;"> <a href="http://www.newsupdate360.com/2013/09/at-navy-yard-service-obama-rails.html">At Navy Yard service, Obama rails against 'routine' of gun violence</a></h3> </div> <div> But to honor the lives of the victims, Obama said Americans must do more than extend thoughts and prayers to their families.</div> <div> <div> <br /></div> <div> "It ought to obsess us. It ought to lead us to some sort of transformation," he said, noting this was the fifth time in his presidency he had spoken at a memorial service after a mass shooting.</div> <div> <br /></div> <div> Obama proposed new gun laws early this year after a gunman killed 20 children and six adults at an elementary school in Newtown, Connecticut, in December.</div> <div> <br /></div> <div> But Congress rejected his proposals to restrict sales of certain types of guns and require background checks for more types of gun sales.</div> </div> <div> <div> "This is a tragedy that should not have happened, a memorial service that should not be taking place, and victims that should not be victims," Wayne LaPierre, NRA executive vice president, said on NBC's "Meet the Press" program.</div> <div> <br /></div> <div> Obama on Saturday told supporters that the fight for tougher gun laws is not over and "we've got to get back up and go back at it.</div> <div> <br /></div> <div> But that fight, like Obama's other policy priorities, is likely to be sidelined by a battle with Congress over the budget that threatens to shut down the government.</div> <div> <br /></div> <div> Obama told the memorial service that he "cannot accept" that politics are too "frozen" to change gun laws, and urged Americans to demand change.</div> <div> <br /></div> <div> "By now, though, it should be clear that the change we need will not come from Washington, even when tragedy strikes Washington," he said.</div> </div> </div>

At Navy Yard service, Obama rails against 'routine' of gun violence President Barack Obama made an impassioned plea on Sunday...

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Son of Cleveland kidnapper describes horror he felt at father's crimes

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWiIzPl18xdZZsIHGgyc5NPutBnBb3UxPqrKn_EdUvThI_NwZSR_BqRYACmqnU1eBBG0xcfMkKiQVfvaomGuxgfATP74jFjgfg86T_YFBbHsb-bT-1oxWIE57YMSTLRYdn3oN1lRagm1m2/s1600/130801103622-02-ariel-castro-0801-restricted-horizontal-gallery.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Son of Cleveland kidnapper describes horror he felt at father's crimes" border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWiIzPl18xdZZsIHGgyc5NPutBnBb3UxPqrKn_EdUvThI_NwZSR_BqRYACmqnU1eBBG0xcfMkKiQVfvaomGuxgfATP74jFjgfg86T_YFBbHsb-bT-1oxWIE57YMSTLRYdn3oN1lRagm1m2/s400/130801103622-02-ariel-castro-0801-restricted-horizontal-gallery.jpg" title="Son of Cleveland kidnapper describes horror he felt at father's crimes" width="400" /></a></div> <h2 style="text-align: left;"> <a href="http://www.newsupdate360.com/2013/09/son-of-cleveland-kidnapper-describes.html">Son of Cleveland kidnapper describes horror he felt at father's crimes</a></h2> <div> <br /></div> <div> <div> The son of Cleveland kidnapper Ariel Castro has described in detail for the first time the horror that overwhelmed him after his father's crimes were revealed to the world.</div> <div> <br /></div> <div> "I'm still shell-shocked from the way these past several months unfolded," Ariel Anthony Castro wrote in an essay published late on Saturday in the Cleveland Plain Dealer.</div> <div> <br /></div> <div> "Instantly, my father became one of the most hated men alive," he wrote. "In no time, reporters from around the world demanded to know who this man was and what kind of background he came from. Just like that, my father went from captured to convicted to imprisoned to dead."</div> <div> <br /></div> <div> His father pleaded guilty to 937 counts in July, including the hundreds of charge for the kidnapping, rape and assault of Michelle Knight, 32, Amanda Berry, 27, and Gina DeJesus, 23.</div> <div> <br /></div> <div> He committed suicide in prison earlier this month, while serving a sentence of life plus 1,000 years for the abduction, torture and confinement of the women over about a decade.</div> <div> <br /></div> <div> In the days after his victims escaped and the dungeon where he kept the women for years was revealed, his son's home was ransacked, a profanity was scrawled on the door, and one documentary used his picture, lifted from his Facebook page, above the house where his father kept the women.</div> <div> <br /></div> <div> "They thought I was him and he was me," the younger Castro wrote. "That, however, was exactly what I wanted to scream from the rooftops. I am not my father, and I can't explain his actions or be held accountable for something I never knew he was doing."</div> <div> <br /></div> <div> "I was horrified and disgusted and angered when I got the news of the unthinkable crimes my father committed," he said.</div> <div> <br /></div> <div> "I still am. He deserved to pay for his actions, everyday of those 1,000 years he could possibly serve. My anger with him kept me from visiting him in prison, even when he was moved to a facility just 20 minutes away from my doorstep."</div> <div> <br /></div> <div> Castro describes being followed by the press.</div> <div> <br /></div> <div> "I had reporters, in revoltingly poor taste, seeking me out for a knee-jerk reaction, wanting to know the whereabouts of my father's remains, waiting for me outside the Franklin County coroner's office," he wrote.</div> <div> <br /></div> <div> "I just wanted to get through those horrible days without NewsChannel 5 breathing down my neck."</div> </div> <div> <br /></div> <div> <div> Castro's mother died a year ago.</div> <div> <br /></div> <div> "Both of my parents are gone now, and my father's punishment is between he and his Maker.</div> <div> <br /></div> <div> Hate isn't going to do anyone any good."</div> </div> </div>

Son of Cleveland kidnapper describes horror he felt at father's crimes The son of Cleveland kidnapper Ariel Castro has describe...

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Bloomberg won't endorse in NYC mayoral race

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht0jeaBEDTYBe_wOTQ-6lg0uafVQHT4U2AuU_hqwYN-gkTtco4og6rnxK76nhHVn1S52SEliMrPRqNiTuW06bCduswbO9iyQIYQdsSeaIwL_IkORJyx2lp8GO8H5_338hrGVCzOA6sND9D/s1600/Bloomberg+won't+endorse+in+NYC+mayoral+race.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Bloomberg won't endorse in NYC mayoral race" border="0" height="251" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht0jeaBEDTYBe_wOTQ-6lg0uafVQHT4U2AuU_hqwYN-gkTtco4og6rnxK76nhHVn1S52SEliMrPRqNiTuW06bCduswbO9iyQIYQdsSeaIwL_IkORJyx2lp8GO8H5_338hrGVCzOA6sND9D/s400/Bloomberg+won't+endorse+in+NYC+mayoral+race.jpg" title="Bloomberg won't endorse in NYC mayoral race" width="400" /></a></div> <h2 style="text-align: left;"> <a href="http://www.newsupdate360.com/2013/09/bloomberg-wont-endorse-in-nyc-mayoral.html">Bloomberg won't endorse in NYC mayoral race</a></h2> <div> Outgoing Mayor Michael Bloomberg said Friday he would not endorse a candidate in the race to replace him.</div> <div> <div> <br /></div> <div> “I don’t want to do anything that complicates it for the next mayor, and that’s one of the reasons I’ve decided I’m just not gonna <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div> make an endorsement in the race,” Bloomberg said during his weekly appearance on WOR Radio.</div> <div> <br /></div> <div> Though he never offered a formal endorsement, Bloomberg was said to have preferred City Council Speaker Christine Quinn in the Democratic mayoral primary. But Quinn was defeated by Public Advocate Bill de Blasio, who won, in part, by positioning himself as the anti-Bloomberg in the race.</div> <div> <br /></div> <div> Bloomberg lashed out at de Blasio in a New York Magazine interview published only days before the primary — arguing that de Blasio's heavy use of his multiracial family in his mayoral bid was a “racist” campaign tactic and that his crusade against income inequality in the city was “class warfare.”</div> <div> <br /></div> <div> There had been speculation that Bloomberg might back Republican nominee Joe Lhota, a former aide to ex-Mayor Rudy Giuliani who recently headed up the Metropolitan Transportation Authority. But Bloomberg and Lhota have clashed, too. Last year, Lhota was forced to apologize after he was quoted calling Bloomberg “an idiot.”</div> </div> <div> <br /></div> <div> “It’s really important to the next mayor that they have the tools, they’ve got to know where everything is and what status it’s in and which buttons to push, and how to keep it going, particularly at the beginning as they form a team and as that team comes in and gets that experience,” Bloomberg said. “And helping the next mayor get prepared for the job so they can hit the ground running is really one of the most important things I can do for New Yorkers after November.”</div> </div>

Bloomberg won't endorse in NYC mayoral race Outgoing Mayor Michael Bloomberg said Friday he would not endorse a candidate in the r...

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Syria attacks hospitals, denies healthcare as 'weapon of war'

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifXV1erKtJglIGFGYur2WrJME8ulpyTsfllIFYJ6U8OSdlcbxhU7o_tNRpQE3CfpjmzwX4oMP3REzK89hJ6-zblQNDoJlf4q8xA5bI7NwXwN5xXY7vsz743ln6dIG70zuFIYwhat3ukmgQ/s1600/sirya.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Syria attacks hospitals, denies healthcare as 'weapon of war'" border="0" height="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifXV1erKtJglIGFGYur2WrJME8ulpyTsfllIFYJ6U8OSdlcbxhU7o_tNRpQE3CfpjmzwX4oMP3REzK89hJ6-zblQNDoJlf4q8xA5bI7NwXwN5xXY7vsz743ln6dIG70zuFIYwhat3ukmgQ/s400/sirya.jpg" title="Syria attacks hospitals, denies healthcare as 'weapon of war'" width="400" /></a></div> <h2 style="text-align: left;"> <a href="http://www.newsupdate360.com/2013/09/syria-attacks-hospitals-denies.html">Syria attacks hospitals, denies healthcare as 'weapon of war'</a></h2> <div> <div> Syrian government forces are bombing and shelling hospitals in rebel-held areas to stop sick and wounded getting treatment, acts which constitute war crimes, U.N. investigators said on Friday.</div> <div> <br /></div> <div> Fighters loyal to President Bashar al-Assad purposefully denied people medical care as a "weapon of war", they added in a report. They also had details of a smaller number of incidents when rebel forces attacked hospitals.</div> <div> <br /></div> <div> "The pattern of attacks indicates that government forces deliberately targeted hospitals and medical units to gain military advantage by depriving anti-government armed groups and their perceived supporters of medical assistance," the report said.</div> <div> <br /></div> <div> The attacks started as violence mounted in Syria's civil war in early 2012 and were continuing, it added.</div> <div> <br /></div> <div> Neither Assad's nor rebel forces immediately responded to the allegations, to be discussed on Monday in Geneva at a debate at the U.N. Human Rights Council.</div> <div> <br /></div> <div> The Syrian army has occupied hospitals, using them as bases for snipers, tanks and soldiers, according to the report. Ambulance drivers, nurses and doctors have been attacked, arrested, tortured or disappeared in "insidious" violations of international law.</div> <div> <br /></div> <div> "Intentionally directing attacks against hospitals and places containing the sick and the wounded and against medical units using the Red Cross or Red Crescent emblem is a war crime in non-international armed conflict," the independent investigators said, referring to a legal term for civil war.</div> <div> <br /></div> <div> Patients had also been beaten, burned with cigarettes and tortured to death in a military hospital in Mezze, Damascus, it said.</div> <div> <br /></div> <div> The team of 20 human rights experts, led by Brazilian Paulo Pinheiro, was not allowed into Syria but interviewed more than 2,000 Syrian refugees, defectors, former patients and health staff in neighboring countries over the past two years.</div> <div> <br /></div> <div> They also analyzed photographs, satellite images, and forensic and medical records, to document atrocities for possible future prosecution.</div> <div> <br /></div> <div> "HARROWING ACCOUNTS"</div> <div> <br /></div> <div> "Victims relay harrowing accounts of the wounded and sick languishing at checkpoints unable to reach medical treatment, coming under renewed attack in hospital and doctors providing impartial aid being arrested and targeted," the report said.</div> </div> <div> <br /></div> <div> <div> Although the scale of documented abuses by rebel forces appeared to be far smaller, there were increasing indications some armed groups failed to respect medical personnel and neutrality of health facilities, the report said.</div> <div> <br /></div> <div> The al-Qaeda affiliated al-Nusra group detained the head doctor of a field hospital in northern Aleppo city for several days in April 2013 after he refused to display their banner in the hospital, it said.</div> </div> </div>

Syria attacks hospitals, denies healthcare as 'weapon of war' Syrian government forces are bombing and shelling hospitals in ...

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9/11 anniversary

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNw9gkXoeLLxXdJJyDKDteaMMEm7RHeL32R7h5uytEbXCT8d8d6VWctRbZ0BvkSymjTNGXau1IQB658VMDfpMh9raYjHyCYIuxWz_2THnZxGkKTQwvsZ2Jnmo1JQlUzfAhdLjFeUHxaAs/s1600/9+11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNw9gkXoeLLxXdJJyDKDteaMMEm7RHeL32R7h5uytEbXCT8d8d6VWctRbZ0BvkSymjTNGXau1IQB658VMDfpMh9raYjHyCYIuxWz_2THnZxGkKTQwvsZ2Jnmo1JQlUzfAhdLjFeUHxaAs/s400/9+11.jpg" width="400" /></a></div> <h2 style="text-align: left;"> <span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 28px; font-weight: 300; line-height: 33px;"><a href="http://www.newsupdate360.com/2013/09/911-anniversary.html">9/11 anniversary</a></span></span></h2> <div> As bells tolled solemnly, Americans marked the 12th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on Wednesday with the reading of the names, moments of silence and serene music that have become tradition.</div> <div> <div> <br /></div> <div> At a morning ceremony on the 2-year-old memorial plaza at the site of the World Trade Center, relatives recited the names of the nearly 3,000 people who died when hijacked jets crashed into the twin towers and the Pentagon and near Shanksville, Pa., as well as the 1993 trade center bombing victims' names.</div> <div> <br /></div> <div> In Washington, President Barak Obama, joined by first lady Michelle Obama, Vice President Joe Biden and wife Jill Biden, and members of the White House staff, walked out to the South Lawn at 8:46 a.m. — the moment the first plane struck the south tower in New York. Another jetliner struck the Pentagon at 9:37 a.m.</div> <div> <br /></div> <div> "It is an honor to be with you here again to remember the tragedy of 12 Septembers ago, to honor the greatness of all who responded and to stand with those who still grieve and to provide them some measure of comfort once more," Obama said. "Together we pause and we give humble thanks as families and as a nation."</div> </div> <div> <br /></div> <div> <div> "Daddy, I miss you so much, and I think about you every day," Christina Aceto said of her father, Richard Anthony Aceto. "You were more than just my daddy, you were my best friend."</div> <div> <br /></div> <div> Bells tolled to mark the second plane hitting the second tower and the moments when the towers fell. Near the memorial plaza, police barricades were blocking access to the site, even as life around the World Trade Center looked like any other morning, with workers rushing to their jobs and construction cranes looming over the area.</div> <div> <br /></div> <div> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq6K-66tC0nlhDdtLN8pm_0ceXn3UMjyyiizLv_C9mbYmCHb0T9CCPGxGSjJtvzkj3gUciAAg5lsGbG7rPJ0muiRIS6otBqPawZpGcwiRD5k4J8CWxaUUXh1QVZhicR-PXmBqcx5i4JSA/s1600/0911septattackremember1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq6K-66tC0nlhDdtLN8pm_0ceXn3UMjyyiizLv_C9mbYmCHb0T9CCPGxGSjJtvzkj3gUciAAg5lsGbG7rPJ0muiRIS6otBqPawZpGcwiRD5k4J8CWxaUUXh1QVZhicR-PXmBqcx5i4JSA/s320/0911septattackremember1.jpg" width="320" /></a>"As time passes and our family grows, our children remind us of you," Angilic Casalduc said of her mother, Vivian Casalduc. "We miss you."</div> <div> <br /></div> <div> Loved ones milled around the memorial site, making rubbings of names, putting flowers by the names of victims and weeping, arm-in-arm. Former Gov. George Pataki, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and others were in attendance. Continuing a decision made last year, no politicians will speak, including Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who was watching the ceremony for his final time in office.</div> </div> <div> <br /></div> <div> <h3 style="text-align: left;"> <span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 28px; font-weight: 300; line-height: 33px;"><a href="http://www.newsupdate360.com/2013/09/911-anniversary.html">9/11 anniversary</a></span></span></h3> </div> <div> <div> "Joe, we honor you today and all those lost on Sept. 11," said Kathleen O'Shea, whose nephew Joseph Gullickson was a firefighter in Brooklyn. "Everyone sends their love and asks that you continue to watch over us all, especially your wife."</div> <div> <br /></div> <div> Memorial organizers expect to take primary responsibility for the ceremony next year and say they plan to continue concentrating the event on victims' loved ones, even as the forthcoming museum creates a new, broader framework for remembering 9/11.</div> <div> <br /></div> <div> "As things evolve in the future, the focus on the remembrance is going to stay sacrosanct," memorial President Joe Daniels said.</div> <div> <br /></div> <div> Karen Hinson of Seaford, N.Y., who lost her 34-year-old brother, Michael Wittenstein, a Cantor Fitzgerald employee, said she would like the annual ceremony to be "more low-key, more private" as the years go by.</div> <div> <br /></div> <div> The 12th anniversary arrives amid changes at the Flight 93 National Memorial in Shanksville, where officials gathered Tuesday to herald the start of construction on a visitor center. At the Pentagon, plans call for a morning ceremony for victims' relatives and survivors of the attacks and an afternoon observance for Pentagon workers.</div> </div> </div>

9/11 anniversary As bells tolled solemnly, Americans marked the 12th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on Wednesday with t...

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Results mean for gun control

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt8JQee-sgU6iKlr2XMY1opZfkUijczwcUSA0eqQQxOFAHlt2F68XCM8oDEh6tNkQty6NsQKcyQJIRA-EHU7Q-eJQYclCAxflfXx8at1fb4OC9NaJE0x6XG-XcEjgmy2Vp02w6s9fZIYA/s1600/Colorado's+recall+vote.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Colorado's recall vote: What the results mean for gun control" border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt8JQee-sgU6iKlr2XMY1opZfkUijczwcUSA0eqQQxOFAHlt2F68XCM8oDEh6tNkQty6NsQKcyQJIRA-EHU7Q-eJQYclCAxflfXx8at1fb4OC9NaJE0x6XG-XcEjgmy2Vp02w6s9fZIYA/s400/Colorado's+recall+vote.jpg" title="Colorado's recall vote: What the results mean for gun control" width="400" /></a></div> <h2 style="text-align: left;"> <a href="http://www.newsupdate360.com/2013/09/results-mean-for-gun-control.html">Colorado's recall vote: What the results mean for gun control</a></h2> <div> <div> Two Colorado Democratic state senators, Angela Giron and Senate President John Morse, were voted out of office in a special election Tuesday, in Colorado's first-ever recall vote. Both were replaced by Republicans.</div> <div> <br /></div> <div> The election was billed as a showdown over gun rights: Giron and Morse were important backers of four gun control laws passed earlier this year, and both the National Rifle Association and Michael Bloomberg, founder of Mayors Against Illegal Guns, wrote fat checks for their respective sides (the NRA contributed at least $362,000 to oust the two lawmakers; Bloomberg spent $350,000 to support them).</div> <div> <br /></div> <div> <br /></div> <div> Both sides of the bitter gun debate wanted to send a message with this election: Gun control opponents forced the recall vote to warn lawmakers in Colorado and across the country that voting for stricter gun laws has consequences; gun control advocates wanted to show that, after bloody mass shootings in Aurora, Colo., and Newtown, Conn., they now have the resources and muscle to defend lawmakers against the mighty NRA.</div> </div> <h3 style="text-align: left;"> <br /><a href="http://www.newsupdate360.com/2013/09/results-mean-for-gun-control.html">Colorado's recall vote: What the results mean for gun control</a></h3> <div> <br /></div> <div> <div> Morse, who was on his way out anyway thanks to term limits, called his opponents' victory "purely symbolic" in his concession speech. "We made Colorado safer from gun violence," he added later. "If it cost me my political career, that's a small price to pay."</div> <div> <br /></div> <div> That's a decent consolation prize for gun control supporters. But it's still the national fight that matters most, "by far," says Alec MacGillis at The New Republic. "There is only so much impact state laws can have when guns are so easily trafficked from states with lax regulations to ones with stricter ones." That's why gun control advocates are "still quietly working to line up just the handful of additional votes in the U.S. Senate" for nationwide gun control measures, MacGillis says. They hope to hold a vote before the midterm frenzy hits.</div> </div> <div> <br /></div> <div> We have repeatedly said it was inappropriate to launch recalls against Morse and Giron simply for their votes instead of waiting one year for regular elections. It was also a colossal waste of taxpayer money that ran well into six figures.... It's time to move on. It is not time, for either side, to ponder more ways to use the recall process to undermine our system of regular, democratic elections. Enough already. </div> </div>

Colorado's recall vote: What the results mean for gun control Two Colorado Democratic state senators, Angela Giron and Senate Pre...

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Obama Care Cost Republicans House 2014

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCrSMedBN-XQLZtmRs1IGuAWnVsjYdOFOX2CaMMrpEdU0S5gKbL1XdIJDt7tdRl1F6K-wY1ZGwPrEwcvILUS8ISarji6Jw8kkr4CMn0nYG0MCDg9P43W7bJOcyPxNsQ0R_ZH5P5oMstsnI/s1600/Boehner_John1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCrSMedBN-XQLZtmRs1IGuAWnVsjYdOFOX2CaMMrpEdU0S5gKbL1XdIJDt7tdRl1F6K-wY1ZGwPrEwcvILUS8ISarji6Jw8kkr4CMn0nYG0MCDg9P43W7bJOcyPxNsQ0R_ZH5P5oMstsnI/s400/Boehner_John1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div> <h2 style="text-align: left;"> <a href="http://www.newsupdate360.com/2013/08/obama-care-cost-republicans-house-2014.html">Obama Care Cost Republicans House 2014</a></h2> Since health-care reform was signed into law more than three years ago, House Republicans have held some 40 votes to repeal the ACA, and are now talking about either shutting down the government or holding the debt ceiling hostage to, they hope, force President Obama to scrap his signature legislative achievement.<br /> <br /> SEE ALSO: The girl who wouldn't die<br /> <br /> Such strategies may well be quite popular among the conservative base. But should the GOP actually go through with one of those plans, it could turn other voters against the party and, as a result, cost them dearly come 2014. Indeed, that's what at least one GOP lawmaker is now warning his colleagues.<br /> <br /> <h3 style="text-align: left;"> <a href="http://www.newsupdate360.com/2013/08/obama-care-cost-republicans-house-2014.html">Obama Care Cost Republicans House 2014</a></h3> "Potentially there will be a collapse of will to keep the government shut down because soldiers are not getting paid, and all this other stuff's happening, and we turn around and lose 10 to 20 seats in 2014," Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.) said Wednesday at an event back in his home state. "And whether we win the battle or not, we've lost the war because Nancy Pelosi's speaker of the House."<br /> <br /> SEE ALSO: Your iPhone uses more energy than a refrigerator<br /> <br /> Now, it's unlikely that the GOP will lose the House. With a 234-201 advantage, Republicans would have to cough up an awful lot of seats in 2014 for Pelosi to grab the gavel. But as Kinzinger warned, Republicans have to "ensure that in the future we can repeal this law without bringing down the American economy or bringing down the Republican majority in the House."</div>

Obama Care Cost Republicans House 2014 Since health-care reform was signed into law more than three years ago, House Republicans have h...

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Florida lawmakers agree to hearings on 'Stand Your Ground' law

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody> <tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVHCvL-19Bms8wURXpXzYAY6R-08teFzfOKVcRekijY8O0n81U2lpcXL49cXAKG7RgOATXafeRAKCgb_glzPg-uxbHXhaIOhxZB_PJactuo0-B2PNT4JoBkopFIepdKRhKl4uK7CCW3dI/s1600/lawmakesr.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Florida lawmakers agree to hearings on 'Stand Your Ground' law" border="0" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVHCvL-19Bms8wURXpXzYAY6R-08teFzfOKVcRekijY8O0n81U2lpcXL49cXAKG7RgOATXafeRAKCgb_glzPg-uxbHXhaIOhxZB_PJactuo0-B2PNT4JoBkopFIepdKRhKl4uK7CCW3dI/s400/lawmakesr.jpg" title="Florida lawmakers agree to hearings on 'Stand Your Ground' law" width="400" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">Florida lawmakers agree to hearings on 'Stand Your Ground' law</td></tr> </tbody></table> <h2> <a href="http://www.newsupdate360.com/2013/08/florida-lawmakers-agree-to-hearings-on.html">Florida lawmakers agree to hearings on 'Stand Your Ground' law</a></h2>  Florida lawmakers will hold hearings this fall on the state's "Stand Your Ground" self-defense law, which has become a lightning rod for criticism following the acquittal of George Zimmerman in the shooting death of unarmed black teenager Trayvon Martin.<br /> <br /> The announcement on Friday by Will Weatherford, the speaker of Florida's House of Representatives, marked the biggest concession yet by the state's Republican leaders to protesters' demands for a top-to-bottom review of the law, which allows people in fear of serious injury to use deadly force to defend themselves rather than retreat.<br /> <br /> Since Zimmerman's acquittal on July 13, Martin's grieving parents, backed by African-American civic leaders, celebrities, students and political figures, including President Barack Obama and Attorney General Eric Holder, have all said the Stand Your Ground law needs to be re-examined.<br /> <br /> Weatherford, in an opinion column published in the Tampa Tribune, said he had asked Representative Matt Gaetz, a fellow Republican who chairs the House Criminal Justice Subcommittee, to lead the hearings. Weatherford did not set a date for the hearings or say how long they would last.<br /> <br /> "Across Florida, representatives are receiving calls, letters, visits and emails from constituents with diverse opinions on 'Stand Your Ground,'" Weatherford said. "Passions are high, but every person has the right to express their views on this matter of great importance."<br /> <br /> "It's a critical step," said Phillip Agnew, who heads a group of young demonstrators calling themselves the Dream Defenders who have staged a nearly month-long sit-in outside Governor Rick Scott's office in a bid to change the law. "We're excited about having an open debate," he told Reuters.<br /> <br /> Advocates of the law, the first of its kind in<br /> the country and now copied in more than 20 other states, say violent crime has fallen since it was enacted.<br /> <br /> But critics see the self-defense law as emblematic of racial bias and unequal justice in America, since some studies have shown that defense claims made under the law are far more likely to be successful when the victim is black.<br /> <br /> Two of the six jurors in the Zimmerman case have said the Stand Your Ground law left them with no option but to acquit him.<br /> <br /> "Our evaluation of its (the law's) effectiveness should be guided by objective information, not by political expediency," Weatherford wrote.<br /> <br /> The poll found that a strong majority of white voters and men support the laws, while black voters generally oppose them and women are almost evenly divided.</div>

Florida lawmakers agree to hearings on 'Stand Your Ground' law Florida lawmakers agree to hearings on 'Stand Your Ground...

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U.S. closes embassies, alerts Americans overseas to terrorist threats in August

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody> <tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPncqS8-sInON-V9PuMWVo9tyZKZuvNe4dZY2DLlqGbvsUJktOiS3Nnqpp9kC9JYUFZSvRmqbPFsSmmZxol_gDP64u9f7P1N-OckbGIteVEc7aBHhXo60A0_gbwXIXEIaN_ldxCLNlBJ4/s1600/AMBASIE.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="U.S. closes embassies, alerts Americans overseas to terrorist threats in August" border="0" height="261" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPncqS8-sInON-V9PuMWVo9tyZKZuvNe4dZY2DLlqGbvsUJktOiS3Nnqpp9kC9JYUFZSvRmqbPFsSmmZxol_gDP64u9f7P1N-OckbGIteVEc7aBHhXo60A0_gbwXIXEIaN_ldxCLNlBJ4/s400/AMBASIE.jpg" title="U.S. closes embassies, alerts Americans overseas to terrorist threats in August" width="400" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.800000190734863px;">U.S. closes embassies, alerts Americans overseas to terrorist threats in August</td></tr> </tbody></table> <h2> <a href="http://www.newsupdate360.com/2013/08/u.html">U.S. closes embassies, alerts Americans overseas to terrorist threats in August</a></h2> <div> <br /></div> <div> <div> The State Department on Friday put Americans worldwide on notice for possible terrorist threats, citing the Middle East and North Africa as particular danger spots and suggesting strikes could take place or originate in the Arabian Peninsula.</div> <div> <br /></div> <div> The department also confirmed a list of 21 diplomatic missions across the Middle East, North Africa and reaching as far as Afghanistan that will be closed on Sunday — President Barack Obama's birthday — because of a credible security threat</div> <div> <br /></div> <div> "Current information suggests that al-Qa'ida and affiliated organizations continue to plan terrorist attacks both in the region and beyond, and that they may focus efforts to conduct attacks in the period between now and the end of August," the department warned.</div> <div> <br /></div> <div> The diplomatic missions affected include those in Egypt, Iraq, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, Afghanistan, Dhaka, Bangladesh; Amman, Jordan; Muscat, Oman; Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; Algiers, Algeria; Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates; Sana'a, Yemen; Djibouti; Doha, Qatar; Khartoum, Sudan; Nouakchott, Mauritania; and Tripoli, Libya. American diplomatic posts in Israel also will be closed.</div> <div> <br /></div> <div> Consulates in Dharan and Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, as well as a consulate in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and Erbil, Iraq, also will close.</div> <div> <br /></div> <div> Sunday is a regular workday in Muslim countries, as well as in Israel.</div> <div> <br /></div> <div> The alert issued Friday warns that "terrorists may elect to use a variety of means and weapons and target both official and private interests. U.S. citizens are reminded of the potential for terrorists to attack public transportation systems and other tourist infrastructure. Terrorists have targeted and attacked subway and rail systems, as well as aviation and maritime services."</div> </div> <div> <br /></div> </div>

U.S. closes embassies, alerts Americans overseas to terrorist threats in August U.S. closes embassies, alerts Americans overseas to te...

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Kate and William register birth of Prince George

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP8_fbRzv20nPtZyZbqgmkAe577M7WZFRlr8XhKu3z_-Lc76K19s6xPGq8WCG5E_eRQ-RCHvoKe3XpGM9uect1qSdu57xRMsgRo9yu55h_CUU-93lf8ObbpluqXb6O9Hhzm6P13sLAsiA/s1600/birth+register.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Kate and William register birth of Prince George" border="0" height="326" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP8_fbRzv20nPtZyZbqgmkAe577M7WZFRlr8XhKu3z_-Lc76K19s6xPGq8WCG5E_eRQ-RCHvoKe3XpGM9uect1qSdu57xRMsgRo9yu55h_CUU-93lf8ObbpluqXb6O9Hhzm6P13sLAsiA/s400/birth+register.JPG" title="Kate and William register birth of Prince George" width="400" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kate and William register birth of Prince George</td></tr> </tbody></table> <h2> <a href="http://www.newsupdate360.com/2013/08/kate-and-william-register-birth-of.html">Kate and William register birth of Prince George</a></h2> <div> <br /></div> <div> <div>  Prince William and his wife Kate on Friday registered the birth of their son George, who was born on July 22 in a blaze of global publicity and is third in line to the throne.</div> <div> <br /></div> <div> Known officially as the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, the new parents completed the bureaucratic step at Kensington Palace, their London residence, the palace said in a statement.</div> <div> <br /></div> <div> Under the law, all births in England must be registered within 42 days of the child being born.</div> <div> Prince William signed the birth register, witnessed by a registrar from Westminster Register Office.</div> <div> The palace released a photograph of the infant prince's birth certificate, which mixed the mundane and the monarchic.</div> <div> <br /></div> <div> Hand-written on the same sober form used to register the births of ordinary British babies, the document is entitled "Birth" and the entry number on the register is 207.</div> <div> <br /></div> <div> The names and occupations entered on the form are anything but ordinary, however.</div> <div> <br /></div> <div> The baby's name is recorded as His Royal Highness Prince George Alexander Louis of Cambridge.</div> <div> The parents' names are recorded as His Royal Highness Prince William Arthur Philip Louis Duke of Cambridge and Catherine Elizabeth Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Cambridge.</div> <div> <br /></div> <div> The father's occupation is "prince of the United Kingdom" while the mother's is "princess of the United Kingdom".</div> </div> </div>

Kate and William register birth of Prince George Kate and William register birth of Prince George  Prince William and his wife Ka...

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House debates 40th effort to repeal health law

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiudmCga0wwNjUEEbRrmyU-fM8G7kRdFGp9q84MV5mzBy8mz30NS7YMM4q2ZkM1KflU_1i-VPh15VetcUNrzMMkD8HrSfOsJxUw63EvMWgTA3yQ8yN2Kvldimd346niWnpPORRxvLdAIAg/s1600/budgetbattle-jpeg-0c82a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="House debates 40th effort to repeal health law" border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiudmCga0wwNjUEEbRrmyU-fM8G7kRdFGp9q84MV5mzBy8mz30NS7YMM4q2ZkM1KflU_1i-VPh15VetcUNrzMMkD8HrSfOsJxUw63EvMWgTA3yQ8yN2Kvldimd346niWnpPORRxvLdAIAg/s400/budgetbattle-jpeg-0c82a.jpg" title="House debates 40th effort to repeal health law" width="400" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">House debates 40th effort to repeal health law</td></tr> </tbody></table> <h2> <a href="http://www.newsupdate360.com/2013/08/house-debates-40th-effort-to-repeal.html">House debates 40th effort to repeal health law</a></h2> <div> <div> For the 40th time, Republicans were pushing legislation through the House targeting President Barack Obama's health care overhaul on Friday, this time a bill preventing the Internal Revenue Service from implementing any part of that law.</div> <div> <br /></div> <div> The measure, sure to pass the House but then die, married two of the GOP's favorite targets: the 2009 health care revamping and the IRS, which in May conceded it had improperly targeted conservative groups seeking tax exempt status for detailed investigations.</div> <div> <br /></div> <div> "Democrats want to give this agency more power and authority?" House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Dave Camp, R-Mich., said of the IRS. "They want this agency involved in Americans' health care? No way."</div> <div> <br /></div> <div> Next year, the IRS will begin enforcing the requirement that most individuals have health insurance, collecting fines from people who don't. The IRS also will distribute subsidies to help people buy insurance in new exchanges.</div> <div> <br /></div> <div> Friday's vote will mark the 40th time the GOP-controlled House will have voted to repeal all or part of the law. Most of the measures have died in the Democratic-controlled Senate. A handful have been enacted, including one that reduced small business record-keeping the law had required.</div> <div> <br /></div> <div> With the House hours away from joining the Senate in a five-week recess, Democrats called Friday's debate a waste of time aimed at letting Republicans score political points with conservatives.</div> </div> </div>

House debates 40th effort to repeal health law House debates 40th effort to repeal health law For the 40th time, Republicans were p...

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Never Considered a Cruise

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvf_YsDHy5HZdArdoDjqgO4b0sISb6eFH-ebYUjUz5S6G8Ax0PI_PrQ9NYZMOhyDxBUsCkPCAnogdT9nHVuniB4-FU8im8tVTyZpmv0LHVh6cfnvZwd53GHTTleHdW6k6zJYY8e0PL_Ns/s1600/cruise.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Never Considered a Cruise " border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvf_YsDHy5HZdArdoDjqgO4b0sISb6eFH-ebYUjUz5S6G8Ax0PI_PrQ9NYZMOhyDxBUsCkPCAnogdT9nHVuniB4-FU8im8tVTyZpmv0LHVh6cfnvZwd53GHTTleHdW6k6zJYY8e0PL_Ns/s400/cruise.jpg" title="Never Considered a Cruise " width="400" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Never Considered a Cruise </td></tr> </tbody></table> <h2 style="text-align: left;"> <a href="http://www.newsupdate360.com/2013/08/never-considered-cruise.html">Never Considered a Cruise</a></h2> <div> A luxury cruise is one of life’s pure joys.  Today’s modern cruise liners are engineering marvels; floating 5-star hotels that offer the best service, accommodation, cuisine, and activities.  They visit exotic locales, with non-stop relaxation or stimulation, depending on your pleasure.</div> <div> <div> <br /></div> <div> Over the past few years, cruise companies have spared no expense and literally invested billions in jaw-dropping super ships.  Even if you’ve cruised before, you probably have not experienced anything like these new marvels.</div> <div> <br /></div> <div> But, the best news is that due to the slowdown in travel caused by the recession and significant overcapacity in the industry, savvy travelers can now book once-in-a-lifetime cruises at insanely low prices.</div> <div> <br /></div> <div> How does 80 percent off the brochure price sound?  Believe it or not, it's possible through a company called Vacations To Go, one of America's Largest Cruise Agencies.</div> <div> <br /></div> <div> Founded more than 25 years ago, Vacations To Go realized that taking a cruise vacation was a new experience for many.  They set out to build an online service to help people learn everything they need to know to find the best possible cruise vacation, at the best possible price.</div> <div> <br /></div> <div> Vacations To Go is now home to an extensive selection of top-brand cruise vacations, and in-depth information about every cruise line and cruise ship.  Customers can browse the latest in new promotions and offers, shop by category, and compare prices at a glance.</div> <div> <br /></div> <div> But, what about the discounts?</div> <div> <br /></div> <div> Because of the huge costs involved in building and operating today’s luxury ships, cruise lines want their ships to sail with as few empty cabins as possible.</div> <div> <br /></div> <div> So, they turn to trusted partners like Vacations To Go to sell this “excess” inventory at deep discounts, allowing the cruise companies to still get full fare on the travel packages that they sell directly.</div> <div> <br /></div> <div> The discounts they authorize Vacations To Go to offer can be as much as 80 percent off the full price fare.  What it means for you: Simply put, it is the opportunity to take a once-in-a-lifetime luxury cruise for a price that makes it affordable on any budget.</div> <div> <br /></div> <div> Vacations To Go has also developed a Best Price & Service Guarantee that guarantees they will meet any other authorized price--so, if getting the best deal is important, look no further.</div> <div> <br /></div> <div> If you are not ready to book your cruise immediately, signing up for Vacations To Go’s free newsletter can help you stay informed of all the spectacular discounts that become available, as cruise lines seek to fill their remaining empty cabins before their cruises depart.  </div> </div> </div>

Never Considered a Cruise  Never Considered a Cruise A luxury cruise is one of life’s pure joys.  Today’s modern cruise liners are e...

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H&M Finally Launches E-Commerce In The U.S.

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibaYfHdB1HkPkCoZmJzlGi08mzST1MbFXdeBuSop0_ZcoclRKGkHivJnPea7Cj-H8D_RyGvuLVUqm2PMqFifu0-3tqjke4Ztb61ikYIsCwMj3vLw32q_ye5iE2oWooTa5ZeuiqND10jdM/s1600/h&m.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="H&M Finally Launches E-Commerce In The U.S." border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibaYfHdB1HkPkCoZmJzlGi08mzST1MbFXdeBuSop0_ZcoclRKGkHivJnPea7Cj-H8D_RyGvuLVUqm2PMqFifu0-3tqjke4Ztb61ikYIsCwMj3vLw32q_ye5iE2oWooTa5ZeuiqND10jdM/s400/h&m.jpg" title="H&M Finally Launches E-Commerce In The U.S." width="400" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">H&M Finally Launches E-Commerce In The U.S.</td></tr> </tbody></table> <h2> <a href="http://www.newsupdate360.com/2013/08/h-finally-launches-e-commerce-in-us.html">H&M Finally Launches E-Commerce In The U.S.</a></h2> <div> <div> It’s taken 13 years from the time Swedish fashion retailer H&M landed on American shores for it to finally launch an e-commerce site here.  Cue the sound of hundreds of thousands of fashionistas flexing their click fingers and whipping out their credit cards.</div> <div> <br /></div> <div> H&M’s been hedging on the promise made three years ago to offer its of-the-moment apparel and accessories to masses of fashionistas living far from one of its 268 U.S. locations. In 2011, H&M dipped a toe into the e-tailing waters, selling selected pieces from its Fall collection via fashion magazine Elle’s website.</div> <div> <br /></div> <div> Though the items sold out in short order, the company hesitated to roll out a dedicated online store, citing that it needed more time to iron out any possible kinks that could hinder secure shopping, receiving payments, and work out any supply chain issues.</div> </div> <div> <div> Postponing turned out to be prescient as the Rana Plaza factory collapse in Bangladesh and subsequent deaths of over 1,000 workers, put H&M in the spotlight. Not for having garments produced on that site, but for its outsized presence in a country that still offers its garment workers the lowest minimum wage.</div> <div> <br /></div> <div> H&M’s Helena Helmersson spoke to FORBES shortly before the collapse about steps the fast fashion retailer was taking to ensure workers were treated fairly. Shortly after the tragedy, H&M led a group of retailers to sign a safety agreement. That move inspired brand loyalty among customers who still wanted to shop, but were feeling twinges of guilt about the conditions in which their trendy threads were made.</div> <div> <br /></div> <div> Today, H&M officially hit the switch without much fanfare. Just an announcement made on Twitter and Facebook FB +1.87% to some 17 million followers. Daniel Kulle, H&M’s U.S. president told WWD that the retailer was taking an omni-channel approach with an updated mobile app to complement the e-commerce site and physical locations in 32 states. The company also plans to mail print catalogues starting in the Fall. Kulle estimated that the four channels will reach 300 million people in the U.S. but declined to project sales.</div> </div> <div> <br /></div> </div>

H&M Finally Launches E-Commerce In The U.S. H&M Finally Launches E-Commerce In The U.S. It’s taken 13 years from the time S...

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World record broken in air balloon mass take-off

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1Nv2HxpAEbN49mpYSmo2PjA1CNR1mVxQT5mASwCNpYTFWAIanXUe_B1ZWcOXp7lHehCa0jFlqgafnj-ZHm7b5DYU1ia62l3RD775C894-K2WNOyHPyki-fi4cm4PdVdX0SDPMn5sA8Gw/s1600/BALOONS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="World record broken in air balloon mass take-off" border="0" height="262" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1Nv2HxpAEbN49mpYSmo2PjA1CNR1mVxQT5mASwCNpYTFWAIanXUe_B1ZWcOXp7lHehCa0jFlqgafnj-ZHm7b5DYU1ia62l3RD775C894-K2WNOyHPyki-fi4cm4PdVdX0SDPMn5sA8Gw/s400/BALOONS.jpg" title="World record broken in air balloon mass take-off" width="400" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">World record broken in air balloon mass take-off</td></tr> </tbody></table> <h2> <a href="http://www.newsupdate360.com/2013/08/world-record-broken-in-air-balloon-mass.html">World record broken in air balloon mass take-off</a></h2> <div> New Mass Take-off World Record was set at 408 balloons, on July 31st during the 2013 edition of the world gathering "Lorraine Mondial Air Ballons" of hot air balloons on the former NATO air base of Chambley, France. The previous record was 343 which was set at the same festival earlier in the week.</div> <div> <br /></div> </div>

World record broken in air balloon mass take-off World record broken in air balloon mass take-off New Mass Take-off World Record was...

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The science behind delivering a 13.5-pound baby

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzFWTD-F5X5f5XXM8Hau5S80_gEXssAz5B_NjpP1r-e3SuMOLhr0q-_FkVXYQOCZxh2lD2LIBTxL1qHbRwGvYWqoe3CI6IufhODM8o7bsB4vL9Fft1QEpXobSn90e3cFSZBNDuEVu4OXs/s1600/whoa-baby.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="The science behind delivering a 13.5-pound baby" border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzFWTD-F5X5f5XXM8Hau5S80_gEXssAz5B_NjpP1r-e3SuMOLhr0q-_FkVXYQOCZxh2lD2LIBTxL1qHbRwGvYWqoe3CI6IufhODM8o7bsB4vL9Fft1QEpXobSn90e3cFSZBNDuEVu4OXs/s400/whoa-baby.jpg" title="The science behind delivering a 13.5-pound baby" width="400" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The science behind delivering a 13.5-pound baby</td></tr> </tbody></table> <h2 style="text-align: left;"> <br /><a href="http://www.newsupdate360.com/2013/08/the-science-behind-delivering-13.html">The science behind delivering a 13.5-pound baby</a></h2> <br /> It's impressive that baby Jasleen was delivered without a C-section — but was it safe?<br /> Since entering the world at 13.47 pounds last Friday, baby Jasleen has made headlines and records. Jasleen was delivered vaginally at University Hospital in Leipzig, making her the largest baby in the country to be delivered without a cesarean section.<br /> <br /> However, while people have been cooing over the giant bundle of joy and marveling that her mother, Maria, delivered her vaginally, is it safe for a baby to be that large and be delivered without a C-section?<br /> <br /> The answer, generally speaking, is no. But the circumstances in this case are complicated by the reason behind baby Jasleen’s girth: Her mother had been suffering from an undiagnosed case of gestational diabetes.<br /> <br /> Gestational diabetes is usually tested for between 24 and 28 weeks of pregnancy. It is very treatable, often with just monitoring the mother’s blood sugar and bringing in diet and exercise changes. In fact, insulin medicine is recommended for only 10 to 20 percent of women with gestational diabetes, according to the Mayo Clinic.<br /> <br /> When it is left untreated, though, the extra glucose in the mother’s bloodstream crosses the placenta to trigger the baby’s pancreas to make insulin. As a result, the baby grows to an unhealthily large size, a condition known as fetal macrosomia, which is somewhat arbitrarily defined at a threshold of 8 pounds, 13 ounces — a threshold that Jasleen well exceeds.<br /> <br /> Generally, babies with fetal macrosomia are delivered via C-section. Due to their large size, there is greater likelihood for shoulder dystocia, which is when a baby’s shoulder cannot fit through the mother’s pelvis and the baby gets caught in the birth canal. Dr. Elizabeth G. Baxley and Dr. Robert W. Gobbo at the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) call it "one of the most frightening emergencies in the delivery room," in part because a trapped baby may not be able to breath.<br /> <br /> Yet, despite the evidence in favor of a C-section, the doctors at University Hospital were not necessarily wrong in their decision to naturally deliver Jasleen. According to a hospital statement by chief of obstetrics Holger Stepan, "We decided to try natural birth, as a child of this size [with] the excess weight of the mother, a cesarean section would have been associated with a significant risk." Though fairly routine, "C-sections can be risky for both the baby and the mother," notes James Fleur at Science Recorder. Possible problems include blood clots for the mother and breathing problems for the baby.<br /> <br /> Moreover, since Jasleen’s mother had never been previously treated at the hospital, the physicians were unaware of her gestational diabetes and likely could not anticipate how large a baby Jasleen would be. And it’s not unheard of to vaginally deliver a baby of that size. Just this March, British baby George King was delivered vaginally, clocking in at 15 pounds 7 ounces.<br /> <br /> At the moment, though, baby Jasleen is doing well and being cared for in the hospital’s neonatal unit. Her mother is also doing quite well, though still recovering from the shock of her big surpise. She told the Daily Mail, "I had no idea there was such a giant inside of me."<br /> <br /> View this article on TheWeek.com Get 4 Free Issues of The Week</div>

The science behind delivering a 13.5-pound baby The science behind delivering a 13.5-pound baby It's impressive that baby Jaslee...

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Michelle Knight To Ariel Castro

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4ImCNhQjPzxAc8HGR31ZjcLwOW0BOvhpnJrxxWXe0jTzi-lsTiA76Pu31eb2So2WRV0DcEEM6jUWGfy6-TJkYtJ48t3CNjdgDTmKSbUPJ8xeuLJacMqSJOwIj3hwXTRl2PiBDfJlWy_A/s1600/michelleknight.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Michelle Knight To Ariel Castro" border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4ImCNhQjPzxAc8HGR31ZjcLwOW0BOvhpnJrxxWXe0jTzi-lsTiA76Pu31eb2So2WRV0DcEEM6jUWGfy6-TJkYtJ48t3CNjdgDTmKSbUPJ8xeuLJacMqSJOwIj3hwXTRl2PiBDfJlWy_A/s400/michelleknight.jpg" title="Michelle Knight To Ariel Castro" width="400" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Michelle Knight To Ariel Castro</td></tr> </tbody></table> <h2 style="text-align: left;"> <a href="http://www.newsupdate360.com/2013/08/michelle-knight-to-ariel-castro.html">Michelle Knight To Ariel Castro</a></h2> <br /> Michelle Knight faced the man who kidnapped her and held her in captivity for 11 years on Thursday.<br /> <br /> A visibly upset Knight read her statement aloud in the courtroom. At times, she spoke directly to Ariel Castro, telling him the death penalty would<br /> be too good for him.<br /> <br /> Her statement, in part:<br /> <br /> I would like to tell you what 11 years was like for me. I missed my son every day. I wondered if i was ever going to see him again. He was only two and a half years old when I was taken. I look inside my heart and I see my son. I cried every night. I was so alone. I worried about what would happen to me and the other girls every day. Days never got shorter. Days turned into nights, nights turned into days. The years turned into eternity. I knew nobody cared about me. He told me that my family didn't care.<br /> To Castro, she said:<br /> <br /> Ariel Castro, I remember all the times that you came home talking about what everyone else did wrong and act like you weren't doing the same. You took 11 years of my life away and I have got it back. I spent 11 years in hell. Now your hell is just beginning. I will overcome all this that happened but you will face hell for eternity. From this moment on, I won't let you define me or affect who I am. I will live on, you will die a little every day as you think about the 11 years and atrocities you inflicted on us. What does God think of you hypocritically going to church every Sunday, coming home to torture us?</div>

Michelle Knight To Ariel Castro Michelle Knight To Ariel Castro Michelle Knight faced the man who kidnapped her and held her in capt...

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Surveillance critics face Obama in Oval Office

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheEAJQDjRfJpr_fWyfsKAWiomT7ZxuTssntvt3HtO-5rZG5by1SZCr4ye85R3Haeo642_a8PhGGOpNRowaVSOnLT7d2KPvsGTJ-ELSVq9tQdZwsQDTsWyeSWh2wIbIcOxCV0T-ALqBnhM/s1600/obama+news.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Surveillance critics face Obama in Oval Office" border="0" height="257" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheEAJQDjRfJpr_fWyfsKAWiomT7ZxuTssntvt3HtO-5rZG5by1SZCr4ye85R3Haeo642_a8PhGGOpNRowaVSOnLT7d2KPvsGTJ-ELSVq9tQdZwsQDTsWyeSWh2wIbIcOxCV0T-ALqBnhM/s400/obama+news.jpg" title="Surveillance critics face Obama in Oval Office" width="400" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Surveillance critics face Obama in Oval Office</td></tr> </tbody></table> <h2> <a href="http://www.newsupdate360.com/2013/08/surveillance-critics-face-obama-in-oval.html">Surveillance critics face Obama in Oval Office</a></h2> <div> <br /></div> <div> Struggling to salvage a massive surveillance program, President Barack Obama faced congressional critics of the National Security Agency's collection of Americ<br /> ans' telephone records Thursday as snowballing concerns made new limitations on the intelligence effort appear increasingly likely.<br /> <br /> Obama and Vice President Joe Biden joined lawmakers on both sides of the issue for an Oval Office meeting designed to stem the bleeding of public support and show Obama was serious about engaging. Among the participants were the NSA's most vigorous congressional supporters — the top Democrats and Republicans in the House and Senate intelligence panels — alongside its most stern critics, including Democratic Sens. Ron Wyden of Oregon and Mark Udall of Colorado.<br /> <br /> The lawmakers departed the rainy White House grounds without speaking to reporters. But in interviews later, they said there was a consensus that the surveillance efforts are suffering from perception problems that have undercut trust among the American people.<br /> <br /> "There is openness to making changes," said Rep. C.A. "Dutch" Ruppersberger of Maryland, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee.<br /> <br /> Sen. Saxby Chambliss of Georgia, top Republican on the Senate's intelligence panel and a strong NSA defender, said Obama and the lawmakers didn't agree to take specific steps but brought up a number of proposals that will be fleshed out over the August congressional recess.<br /> <br /> "A lot of ideas were thrown out," Chambliss told The Associated Press. "Nothing was concluded."<br /> <br /> Wyden, in an interview, said he and Udall had sought to convince Obama of the urgency of addressing rising concerns. He said he proposed strengthening the government's ability to get emergency authorization to collect an individual's phone records, so that pre-emptive collection of everyone's records would no longer be necessary.<br /> <br /> "I felt that the president was open to ideas — and we're going to make sure he has some," Wyden said after returning to Capitol Hill.<br /> <br /> Wyden and two Senate colleagues also unveiled legislation Thursday to overhaul the secret federal court that oversees the programs, which critics decry as largely a rubber stamp. The senators aim to make the court created under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, or FISA, more adversarial by creating a special advocate who could argue for privacy during closed-door proceedings and appeal decisions. A companion bill would diversify the court's bench by ending the chief justice's sole authority to pick its judges.<br /> <br /> "These bills do not compromise national security, but they put a necessary opposing view in the FISA court and assure ideological diversity of judges," said Sen. Tom Udall, D-N.M. Another of the bill's sponsors, Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., said the Obama administration was receptive to the ideas, although White House officials declined to comment.<br /> <br /> <span id="goog_1920230792"></span><span id="goog_1920230793"></span><br /> Debate over the line between counterterrorism and invasion of privacy has been heating up since former government contract systems analyst Edward Snowden leaked classified documents exposing the NSA's monumental capability to sweep up data about phone and Internet use, including programs that store years of phone records on virtually every American. Snowden's revelations have prompted a national rethinking over government surveillance powers that have grown since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.<br /> <br /> <h3 style="text-align: left;"> <b><a href="http://www.newsupdate360.com/2013/08/surveillance-critics-face-obama-in-oval.html">Surveillance critics face Obama in Oval Office</a></b></h3> <br /> <br /> Debate over the line between counterterrorism and invasion of privacy has been heating up since former government contract systems analyst Edward Snowden leaked classified documents exposing the NSA's monumental capability to sweep up data about phone and Internet use, including programs that store years of phone records on virtually every American. Snowden's revelations have prompted a national rethinking over government surveillance powers that have grown since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.<br /> <br /> The more information about the programs the government has released, the more it has fed even greater concerns about the scope of the surveillance and whether Obama's national security team has been truthful in describing it publicly in the past.<br /> <br /> After the administration on Wednesday declassified more documents about an email mining program, Wyden said they showed the government had "repeatedly made inaccurate statements to Congress" about the effectiveness in countering terrorism. And new details released about the phone records program created new fodder for critics by confirming for the first time that, when investigating one suspected terrorist, the government can also examine records of people who called people who called the targeted individual — netting millions of people's records in a single request.<br /> <br /> Meanwhile, the head of the NSA openly clashed with lawmakers including Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., over the agency's statements that telephone and email data collection helped foil 54 terror plots.<br /> <br /> Rising tensions have stoked concern at the White House that surveillance programs Obama considers crucial will soon be undermined or even dismantled — despite the fact that many Democrats and Republicans in Congress have come to the NSA's defense.<br /> <br /> Leahy, the Judiciary Committee chairman, has threatened to seek to end the phone records program if it's not proven effective. And Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., signaled Thursday that unless an agreement is reached on releasing more of the secret court's opinions, he would push Congress to use its "power of the purse" to compel their disclosure by withholding funding for certain programs.</div> <div> <br /></div> </div>

Surveillance critics face Obama in Oval Office Surveillance critics face Obama in Oval Office Struggling to salvage a massive surv...

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