March 10, 2010
Gates: Some troops could leave Afghanistan early (AP)
AP - U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates raised the possibility Wednesday that some of the U.S. forces involved in the Afghanistan surge could leave the country before President Barack Obama's announced July 2011 date to begin withdrawal.
March 10, 2010
Obama using 'bounty hunters' to root out fraud (AP)
AP - President Barack Obama said Tuesday he'll bring in high-tech bounty hunters to help root out health care fraud, grabbing a populist idea with bipartisan backing in his final push to overhaul the system.
March 9, 2010
Woes at family bank loom over Ill. Senate race (AP)
AP - With the public still furious over bank bailouts, Democrats desperate to keep President Barack Obama's old Senate seat are scrambling to counter revelations that a bank owned by their candidate's family may be nearing collapse.
March 9, 2010
Massa denies he sexually groped male staffer (AP)
AP - Former Rep. Eric Massa, who resigned from Congress amid sexual harassment allegations, acknowledged Tuesday groping a staffer but denied it was sexual.
| President Barack Obama took a detour from talking about the dangers of the economic meltdown Saturday to talk about the dangers of tainted food. Obama broke a string of economically themed Saturday radio addresses to announce his picks for the top two slots at the Food and Drug Administration. He announced he’s setting up a Food Safety Working Group to recommend upgraded laws to prevent further outbreaks, like the recent peanut butter scare. “When I heard peanut products were being contaminated earlier this year, I immediately thought of my 7-year old daughter, Sasha, who has peanut butter sandwiches for lunch probably three times a week. No parent should have to worry that their child is going to get sick from their lunch,” Obama said. Obama also said protecting food safety is a key role for government. He’s closing a loophole that allows diseased cows into the United States, and he’s strengthening the food-safety system with a billion-dollar investment in better labs and more inspectors. Obama announced Dr. Margaret “Peggy” Hamburg as FDA commissioner, and Dr. Joshua M. Sharfstein as principal deputy commissioner. Hamburg is a former New York City health commissioner, and Sharfstein is Baltimore’s health commissioner. The address capped a somewhat eclectic week for Obama, who announced expanded stem-cell research rules Monday, and his education policy on Tuesday before finishing the week with upbeat talk about the economy. Republicans had questioned earlier in the week whether he was taking his eye off the recession, but the White House said it was important for Obama to juggle several different priorities. |