Obama confident in recovery despite jobs report
WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Barack Obama says he's confident the economy will turn around in the short term and the nation will prosper in the long term despite another dose of bad unemployment news. Obama spoke Thursday in the Rose Garden shortly after a meeting with chief executives from energy companies. Earlier, the government reported that employers cut a larger-than-expected 467,000 jobs in June. The unemployment rate climbed to a 26-year high of 9. 5 percent. Obama called that report sobering news. He said that while it is better than the last economic quarter, it is little comfort for those who have lost their jobs. He said it took years to create the economic mess and it will take time to reverse the downward slide. . ... more » |
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La. Gov. Jindal approves new diploma
BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) -- Gov. Bobby Jindal has signed into law legislation creating a new public school curriculum with lowered academic standards. Advocates for improving public education have criticized the idea, saying it will produce high school graduates with a poor grasp of basic mathematics and written English. But Jindal said the new program is part of the state's effort to produce a better trained workforce. He also said the new curriculum, focused on training students for blue collar jobs, would reduce the state's dropout rate. . ... more » |
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TX House committee approves key bill
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) -- The House has passed a bill to keep a few important state agencies operating. The measure has already been approved by the Senate and will next head to Gov. Rick Perry for his signature. The unanimously approved bill will keep the Texas Department of Transportation, the Department of Insurance and three other agencies going for another two years. State law requires the Legislature regularly review and reauthorize state agencies. Lawmakers failed to renew those agencies during the regular session that ended June 1. Perry called them back to Austin to deal with that and to address transportation contracts and funding. . ... more » |
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Ark. lotto chief: Salary questions second-guessing
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) -- Arkansas' lottery director says that questions about his salary and the high pay he wants to offer two vice presidents are "Monday morning quarterbacking. "
Arkansas Lottery Commission Executive Director Ernie Passailaigue on Thursday defended the combined $450,000 he wants to offer two former colleagues of his from South Carolina to take top posts with Arkansas' games. Passailaigue appeared before a legislative panel overseeing the lottery. The commission voted to hire Passailaigue, who was the director of South Carolina's lottery, and pay him $324,000 annually. Passailaigue says he hopes to hire two former colleagues from that state as vice presidents of Arkansas' lottery and pay them $225,000 each. . ... more » |
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FEMA to pick up more Ike costs in La.
BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) -- Louisiana won't have to pick up a share of the cost for the Federal Emergeny Management Agency's immediate response and recovery operations after Hurricane Ike. Gov. Bobby Jindal's office says that will save state and local governments an estimated $15 million to $20 million. Language added to a spending bill recently passed by Congress required FEMA to drop the requirement that state and local agencies pay a share of the Ike emergency response work and debris removal after the September storm. FEMA will pay those full costs and will cover 90 percent of the costs of permanent rebuilding work and other types of hurricane assistance from Ike, with state and local agencies required to cover the remaining 10 percent. . ... more » |
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TX House approves new roads bill
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) -- The Texas House has approved legislation allowing $2 billion in bonds to be spent to build new roads. The bonds were approved by voters statewide in 2007, but the bill approved Thursday authorized the spending. Lawmakers added a provision that would prohibit the money from being used to turn existing roadways into tollways. The House has yet to approve two of the three issues Gov. Rick Perry asked them to address when he called the special session. A bill to prevent state agencies from expiring in 2010 is expected to get House approval later Thursday. The third issue, allowing the state to continue contracting for privately built toll roads, is in doubt as lawmakers try to wrap up the session before the holiday weekend. . ... more » |
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Obama: Iran cannot be permitted to be nuke power
WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Barack Obama says he is "not reconciled" to the idea of Iran obtaining a nuclear weapon within a year. The president told The Associated Press in an interview that U. S. government planning is running in precisely the opposite direction. He said a nuclear-armed Iran would likely trigger an arms race in the already volatile Mideast and said that would be "a recipie for potential disaster. "
Obama also said Thursday that opposing a nuclear weapons capacity for the Persian Gulf nation isn't simply "a U. S. position. " He said "the biggest concern is not simply that Iran can threaten us or our allies, like Israel or its neighbors. "
The president said that Iran must not be a nuclear power, although he conceded that the challenge ahead is formidable. . ... more » |
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Obama mulling prolonged terror detentions
WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Barack Obama says he's open to the idea of detaining some Guantanamo Bay terror suspects somewhere else for prolonged periods, but it may turn out that he won't be comfortable with any proposals to do that. In an interview with The Associated Press on Thursday, Obama said the idea of indefinite detentions as part of his legacy as president "gives me huge pause. "
But the president says there are some detainees who don't fall neatly into existing categories for criminal prosecution in the United States or under international law. Obama says that dealing with these situations is going to be "one of the biggest challenges" of his administration. The president says he's not comfortable imposing indefinite detentions by executive order. But he didn't explicitly rule it out. . ... more » |
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Obama to reassess US troop levels in Afghanistan
WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Barack Obama tells The Associated Press that he will reassess the possible need for additional U. S. troops in Afghanistan after the Afghan national elections in August. Asked how he defines U. S. success in Afghanistan, the president said Thursday the main U. S. goal is to keep the al-Qaida terrorist network from acquiring a haven from which it can train fighters and launch attacks on the United States or its allies. He says the U. S. and its allies also must build up the Afghan national army and police and enable neighboring Pakistan to secure its borders against terrorist movements.
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Obama: Supreme Court ruling doesn't close door to affirmative action
WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Barack Obama tells The Associated Press the Supreme Court is "moving the ball" on affirmative action. The president was reacting to this week's ruling favoring white firefighters in New Haven, Conn. In a White House interview, Obama said he doesn't think it's "constitutionally possible" to hire solely on the basis of race. He calls the justices' 5-4 decision a narrow ruling that doesn't "close the door to affirmative action" to help minorities in the future. The former teacher of constitutional law says it's his opinion that affirmative action is "or should be less of an issue than it has been made out to be. ". ... more » |
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