McClatchy Newspapers, by Margaret Talev Posted By: NYConservative- Tue, 31 Aug 2010 23:08:23 GMT WASHINGTON — When President Obama speaks tonight on the end of combat operations in Iraq, he'll be doing so from a newly renovated Oval Office. His formal work space got a redecorating while the Obamas were on vacation. That's sure to trigger some debate: Is it an ostentatious move when so many Americans are struggling economically? A good way to support U.S. furniture and rug makers? Ultimately does it symbolize anything or are White House room makeovers just something presidents do? In a statement relayed through today's in'town print pool reporter, ..

Associated Press, by Staff Posted By: JoniTx- Tue, 31 Aug 2010 22:44:36 GMT NEW YORK '' Mayor Michael Bloomberg says he and President Barack Obama lost a bet while playing golf last week, costing them both a bit of money.Obama invited the billionaire mayor to play golf with him on Martha's Vineyard last Friday. The president had been vacationing there.The foursome at the Vineyard Golf Club also included White House trip director Marvin Nicholson and Washington powerbroker Vernon Jordan.Bloomberg said Tuesday that the foursome had a friendly wager, and he and Obama lost. He did not say what the wager was or how much was bet.

CBS News, by Brian Montopoli Posted By: GaGardener- Tue, 31 Aug 2010 22:35:04 GMT As part of our coverage of Glenn Beck's "Restoring Honor" rally Saturday, CBS News commissioned the company AirPhotosLive.com to offer an independent estimate of how many people showed up for the event. AirPhotosLive.com calculated that there were approximately 87,000 people there, plus or minus 9,000 people. (Snip) The estimate generated criticism from conservative bloggers as well as from Beck himself, who suggested the rally attracted at least 500,000 people. "The media can diminish the crowd side all they want, but the images speak for themselves," Beck said on his Fox News show Monday.

Reuters, by Christopher Whalen Posted By: crusconnec- Tue, 31 Aug 2010 22:29:01 GMT There are growing signs of unease bordering on desperation inside the Obama White House. Most of the O Team now understands that the real, private economy never got out of Dip Number One. The prospect of a permanent downward shift in “trend growth” to a lower track, and continued double digit unemployment, are driving a search for alternative measures[Split]The Obama Administration and the Fed have taken the position that the crisis affecting the U.S. economy and the financial sector is slowly ending. In fact, the largest banks remain profoundly troubled by bad assets on their books

Associated Press, by Amanda Lee Myers and Julie Watson Posted By: BuckeyeRon- Tue, 31 Aug 2010 22:24:47 GMT NOGALES, Mexico ' Hector Ortega stumbled across the body of a fellow migrant as he walked across Arizona's harsh desert in the searing summer heat. He tried not to look too closely. With nothing to be done for the deceased, Ortega and the others trudged on, guided by a smuggler across the U.S. border, determined to complete their illegal odyssey even as they endured record'high temperatures and fever'pitch resentment. At 64, the farm laborer with a weathered face, strong hands and silver hair protruding from his baseball cap was stoic about the body ' someone's journey cut short

Dallas Morning News, by Taylor Adams Posted By: JoniTx- Tue, 31 Aug 2010 22:22:55 GMT A 7'year'old Arlington boy died this week after contracting a rare infection while swimming in a river during a family trip. Kyle Lewis and his family went swimming last week in the Paluxy River at Dinosaur Valley State Park in Glen Rose. Three days later, he died from a brain'wasting disease caused by an amoeba known as Naegleria fowleri. Kyle Lewis "Why it took him, I don’t know," his father, Jeremy Lewis, said today. "Why it took a 7'year'old boy and not a 34'year'old man, I don’t know."

Human Events, by Elisabeth Meinecke Posted By: loosbolt- Tue, 31 Aug 2010 22:17:29 GMT A new poll shows more Louisiana residents approved of the job President George W. Bush did helping the state in crisis than President Obama. When asked whether George W. Bush or Barack Obama had done a better job helping Louisiana deal with a crisis, 54% of respondents said Bush, while only 33% said Obama. Six percent said they weren’t sure. It gets even worse for Obama. Sixty'one percent disapprove of how he handled the aftermath of the oil spill, and only 32% approve. In contrast, 44% approved of how Bush handled Hurricane Katrina aftermath and only 47% disapproved.

Associated Press, by Barbara Ortutay Posted By: muncssister- Tue, 31 Aug 2010 22:13:34 GMT NEW YORK You can "check in" to restaurants and bars, so how about health clinics while you get tested for sexually transmitted diseases? Foursquare, the phone application for telling friends and strangers where you are, is offering a special virtual "badge" through September to people who do just that. The badge is part of MTV's "GYT: Get Yourself Tested" campaign. MTV says the idea is to remove the stigma attached to getting checked out for STDs. Foursquare and similar services use smart phones' GPS capabilities to locate where users are and what's around them.

Charlotte Observer (NC), by Ely Portillo Posted By: muncssister- Tue, 31 Aug 2010 22:10:14 GMT Charlotte'Mecklenburg school district officials were notified by letter four days before Butler High School's opening football game that a team member had been charged with rape, but they didn't tell the school for more than a week. On Monday, a school spokeswoman said the officials will streamline their notification process in the wake of the arrest of Osvaldo Sombo, 17, who played in the school's Aug. 20 game despite the charges.

Bloomberg, by Drew Armstrong Posted By: loosbolt- Tue, 31 Aug 2010 22:07:39 GMT The Obama administration will deploy $5 billion to help defray companies’ costs for health insurance provided to early retirees who leave the U.S. workforce at ages 55 to 64. The program, created with the health overhaul signed by President Barack Obama in March, will pay 80 percent of health insurance costs, up to $90,000 a year, for each early retiree. Businesses led by financial services company Deutsche Bank Americas Holding Corp., food and beverage maker PepsiCo Inc., drugmaker Pfizer Inc., communications provider AT&T Inc., and carmaker General Motors Co. qualified for U.S. funds.