Obama to address new economic ideas next Wednesday

By Alister Bull and Jeff Mason WASHINGTON | Fri Sep 3, 2010 6:14pm EDT WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Barack Obama said on Friday he would outline new measures next week to boost the U.S. economy, but analysts were skeptical he would be able to deliver a big enough package to lift growth significantly. Obama made [...]

Israel and Palestinians agree to more peace meetings

By Andrew Quinn and Jeffrey Heller WASHINGTON | Thu Sep 2, 2010 7:46pm EDT WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Israeli and Palestinian leaders agreed to a series of direct talks on Thursday, seeking to forge the framework for a U.S.-backed peace deal within a year and end a conflict that has boiled for six decades. Secretary of [...]

Israel and Palestinians set for face-to-face talks

By Matt Spetalnick and Jeffrey Heller WASHINGTON | Thu Sep 2, 2010 1:08am EDT WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Barack Obama urged Israeli and Palestinian leaders on Wednesday not to let the chance for peace slip away, bringing them together for ceremonial handshakes at the White House on the eve of relaunching direct talks. But with [...]

Obama: Time to turn the page in Iraq

By Steve Holland and Serena Chaudhry WASHINGTON/BAGHDAD | Tue Aug 31, 2010 8:43pm EDT WASHINGTON/BAGHDAD (Reuters) – President Barack Obama declared an end to the seven-year U.S. combat mission in Iraq on Tuesday and told war-weary Americans his central responsibility now is to restore the sagging U.S. economy. “Now, it is time to turn the [...]

Obama widens U.S. sanctions on North Korea

By Arshad Mohammed WASHINGTON | Mon Aug 30, 2010 6:10pm EDT WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Barack Obama broadened financial sanctions on North Korea on Monday and froze the U.S. assets of four North Korean citizens and eight firms in part to punish it for the sinking of a South Korean warship. Obama signed an executive [...]

No decision on reviving homebuyer credit: Donovan

WASHINGTON | Sun Aug 29, 2010 10:38am EDT WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The Obama administration has not decided whether it should resurrect a popular tax credit for first-time homebuyers, Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan said on Sunday. “It’s too early to say whether the tax credit will be revived,” Donovan said in an interview [...]

Former President Jimmy Carter and jailed American land in Boston

By Scott Malone BOSTON | Fri Aug 27, 2010 5:49pm EDT BOSTON (Reuters) – Former President Jimmy Carter and an American who had been jailed after crossing into North Korea landed at Boston’s Logan International Airport on Friday after the reclusive state released the prisoner. Aijalon Mahli Gomes, who was raised in Boston and had [...]

Aug. 10, 1519: Magellan Sets Sail Into History

1519: Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan, having sworn allegiance to Spain, sets sail from Seville for what will be the first successful circumnavigation of the Earth. Magellan, however, will not complete the voyage.
Like Columbus before him, Magellan’s primary objective was to open up a western trade route for Spain to Asia, since Spanish ships were barred [...]

FBI Lab Gives Short Shrift to Missing Persons Cases

The Federal Bureau of Investigation is giving short shrift to processing DNA from missing persons cases, taking as long as two years to handle profiles, according to a Department of Justice Office of Inspector General report.
Overall, about 40 percent of the FBI’s backlog of processing 3,200 DNA profiles stems from missing persons cases, according [...]

August 2, 1790: New Nation Comes to Its Census

1790: In keeping with a tradition at least as old as the Romans and constitutionally mandated by the Founding Fathers, the first U.S. Census begins.
Federal representatives fanned out across the original 13 states, tabulating information on American households, just as they have every 10 years since. The information was used to estimate taxes, assign [...]