Obama vetoes aid to Syrian rebels
Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the CIA all backed a plan to arm the Syrian rebels in 2012, Panetta said at a Senate hearing last week. The plan was vetoed by President Obama, who did not want the U.S. to get more deeply involved in the crisis.
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Virginia’s new voter-identification law
Virginia’s legislature has passed a new voter-identification law that eliminates the use of Social Security cards or utility bills as proof of identity, but accepts gun permits.
Lynchburg, Va., News & Advance
Snowboarding heads downhill
Snowboarding’s popularity is headed downhill. Sales of snowboarding equipment have fallen 21 percent in the last four years, while ski gear sales are up 3 percent. Older snowboarders are moving back to skiing because they think it’s safer, while for younger enthusiasts, the cool factor is fading.
Los Angeles Times
Democrats and the white vote
Since 1952, only one Democratic presidential candidate—Lyndon Johnson—has won a majority of the white vote. Hubert Humphrey, George McGovern, Jimmy Carter, and Walter Mondale all received lower percentages of the white vote than Barack Obama’s 39 percent in 2012.
The New York Times
The most common job for women
The most common job category for women today is the same as it was in 1950: secretary. Almost 4 million people work as secretaries and administrative assistants, and 96 percent of workers in these roles are women.
CNN.com
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The cost of the financial crisis, and morefeature The financial crisis may cost the U.S. almost $13 trillion.
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Robots on the battlefield, and more
feature The U.S. military has deployed about 3,500 robots to search for bombs or enemy soldiers in Afghanistan and Iraq.
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Suicide deaths surpass battle deaths, and more
feature More active-duty U.S. troops have committed suicide this year than have been killed in battle.
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Iraq's war widows, and more
feature After two decades of war and civil conflict, about 1.5 million Iraqi women are widows, a new study says.
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The hottest year ever? and more
feature In Iraq, where U.S. troops patrol in heavy armor, the temperature topped 126 degrees in July.
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More veterans, Harry Potter off best-seller list
feature The number of disabled veterans has jumped by 25 percent since 2001, to 2.9 million. With tens of thousands of Iraq war veterans coming home with such injuries as multiple amputations, brain damage, and burns, the federal government expects to be
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Consequences of war, Longer flight times
feature About 300,000 veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars—18 percent of those who have served—are suffering from depression or post-traumatic stress disorder, according to a comprehensive new Rand Corp. analysis. More than hal
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Promoting senators, Texting 101, Foreign tourists
feature Whether Democrats choose Sen. Hillary Clinton or Sen. Barack Obama to face Sen. John McCain in November, it will mark the first presidential election in the nation’s history pitting two sitting U.S. senators agai