New governors warn of budget cuts
New governors are taking the helm in 26 states, and all of them are warning of the need for major budget cuts in the face of massive deficits, revenue shortfalls, and a sluggish economy. “The year ahead will demand courage and sacrifice,” said Calif. Gov. Jerry Brown, in a speech echoed in every state.
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Tea Party may challenge Scott Brown in 2012
Mass. Sen. Scott Brown, whose upset win in a special election last year was the first major victory for the Tea Party movement, may face a primary challenge in 2012—from the Tea Party movement. Christen Varley of the Greater Boston Tea Party says Brown has voted for several Obama administration initiatives, is not “conservative enough,” and may face challenges from “multiple people”.
The Boston Globe
Air Force to deploy the Gorgon Stare
The Air Force is deploying a new, drone-based surveillance system in Afghanistan called Gorgon Stare, which has nine video cameras and can monitor all outdoor human activity in entire towns and villages. The $17.5 million device, which will be mounted on Predator and Reaper drones within the next two months, may later be used by the Department of Homeland Security in the U.S.
The Washington Post
Sales of midsize sport-utility vehicles jump
Sales of fuel-efficient small cars were flat last year, with sales of the leading hybrid, the Toyota Prius, declining
1.7 percent. Sales of midsize sport-utility vehicles, by contrast, jumped 41 percent.
The Washington Post
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Very rich and very poor in California, and morefeature California is home to 111 billionaires, yet it also suffers the highest poverty rate in the country.
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Arctic cold kills tree insects, and more
feature This winter’s arctic temperatures have had at least one beneficial impact: They’ve killed ash borers, gypsy moths, and other tree-eating insects.
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Congress's poor record, and more
feature The 113th Congress is on course to pass less legislation than any Congress in history.
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Gender differences in employment, and more
feature
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A first for West Point, and more
feature For the first time, two male graduates of West Point were married at the military academy’s chapel.
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A God given land?, and more
feature More white evangelical Protestants than U.S Jews believe that Israel was “given to the Jewish people by God.”
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Jailing the mentally ill, and more
feature American prisons have replaced state mental hospitals as a place to warehouse the mentally ill.
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Treating Internet addiction, and more
feature Treating Internet addiction; Freshman virgins at Harvard; A salary handicap for lefties; Prices for vintage automobiles soar; Gun permits for blind people