Suicide deaths surpass battle deaths
More active-duty U.S. troops have committed suicide this year than have been killed in battle. There have been 154 suicides among troops through last week—an average of one a day—compared with 124 U.S. military fatalities in Afghanistan.
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Driving and texting reaches epidemic proportions
About 58 percent of high school seniors admit to texting while driving, according to a new study of 15,000 teens. Texting and cellphone use behind the wheel is “a national epidemic,” said Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood.
Associated Press
Japanese dock washes ashore in Oregon
A 66-foot-long dock from Misawa, Japan, sucked out to sea by the March 2011 tsunami, washed ashore near Newport, Ore., last week. Japanese scientists estimate that 1.5 million tons of debris from the tsunami is floating in the Pacific, and it has begun showing up on U.S. shores.
Los Angeles Times
Pirated downloads of Thrones
The HBO fantasy series Game of Thrones, which is popular among teens and young adults, averages 3.9 million pirated downloads per episode—more than the 3.8 million people who watch the show legally on HBO.
Gizmodo.com
High-performing students try ADD drugs
A growing number of high-performing high school students are illegally using stimulant medication prescribed for attention-deficit disorder, in hopes of enhancing their tests and grades. Some doctors say that up to 40 percent of students at competitive schools are abusing these drugs.
The New York Times
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Obama vetoes aid to Syrian rebels, and morefeature President Obama nixed a plan to arm the Syrian rebels in 2012.
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The cost of the financial crisis, and more
feature 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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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