Watchdog Agency: U.S. Wasted Billions in Rebuilding Iraq
Aug 30, 2010 Politics
As the U.S. draws down in Iraq, it is leaving behind hundreds of abandoned or incomplete projects. More than $5 billion in American taxpayer funds has been wasted — more than 10 percent of the some $50 billion the U.S. has spent on reconstruction in Iraq, according to audits from a U.S. watchdog agency.
White House: No ‘Mission Accomplished’ in Obama Speech on Iraq
Aug 30, 2010 Politics
White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said Monday that President Obama will refrain from using two choice words to describe the end of combat operations in Iraq when he gives his speech Tuesday night on the U.S. troop drawdown there.
State Department Stands By Decision to Include Arizona in U.N. Human Rights Report
Aug 30, 2010 Politics
The State Department included a Justice Department lawsuit against Arizona’s immigration law into a United Nations human rights report to show how U.S. rule of law can be an example to the world, a State Department spokesman said Monday.
Obama: I Never Changed Course on Mosque Remarks
Aug 30, 2010 Politics
President Obama said Monday the media see inconsistency in his remarks about a mosque near Ground Zero but there is none, adding that he has not changed direction on his views about building the Islamic community center in downtown New York City.
CBO: Eight Years of Iraq War Cost Less Than Stimulus Act
Aug 30, 2010 Politics
As President Obama prepares to tie a bow on U.S. combat operations in Iraq, Congressional Budget Office numbers shows that the cost of the eight-year war was less than the stimulus bill passed by a Democratic-led Congress in 2009.
Biden Arrives in Baghdad to Mark Formal End to U.S. Combat Operations
Aug 30, 2010 Politics
Vice President Joe Biden returned to Iraq Monday to mark this week’s formal end to U.S. combat operations and push the country’s leaders to end a six-month postelection stalemate blocking formation of a new government.
Obama Calls for ‘Full-Scale Attack’ to Revive Struggling Economy
Aug 30, 2010 Politics
Faced with data showing the economy is growing sparingly, President Obama on Monday called for a “full-scale attack” to revive the struggling economy and urged lawmakers fixated on the November election to pass another aid package for small businesses.
Consumer Spending Rises 0.4 Percent in July, Fastest in Four Months
Aug 30, 2010 Politics
Americans spent last month at the fastest pace in four months, helped by a jump in demand for automobiles.
Cash-Poor Local Governments Ditching Public Hospitals
Aug 30, 2010 Politics
Faced with mounting debt and looming costs from the new federal health-care law, many local governments are leaving the hospital business, shedding public facilities that can be the caregiver of last resort.
President Says He’s Not Worried About Muslim Rumors
Aug 30, 2010 Politics
President Obama says he isn’t worried about a recent poll showing that nearly one-fifth of Americans believe he is a Muslim.