Secret Service: officers didn't verify crashers
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Virginia couple who crashed a presidential dinner met President Barack Obama in the receiving line, the White House said Friday, as a "deeply concerned and embarrassed" Secret Service acknowledged its officers failed to check whether the couple was on the guest list. The White House released a photo showing the Salahis in the receiving line in the Blue Room with Obama and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, in whose honor the dinner was held. Obama and Michaele Salahi are smiling as she grasps his right hand with both of hers as her husband, Tareq, looks on. Singh is standing to the left of Obama.
Military divorces edge up again in 9th year of war
WASHINGTON (AP) — The toll for a nation long at war is evident in military homes: The divorce rate in the armed forces edged up again in the past year despite many programs to help struggling couples, and the rate now is a full percentage point higher than around the time of the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. There were an estimated 27,312 divorces among roughly 765,000 married members of the active-duty Army, Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps in the budget year that ended Sept. 30, the Pentagon said Friday.
White House endorses IAEA censure of Iran
WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House says a vote by the U.N. nuclear watchdog's board to censure Iran over its disputed nuclear program shows the "growing international deficit of confidence" in Iran's intentions. Iran has refused to immediately halt construction of a newly revealed nuclear facility. It also has ignored U.N. Security Council resolutions urging it to stop enriching uranium that could be used to build a nuclear weapon.
Insuring young key to health care overhaul plans
WASHINGTON (AP) — The young invincibles. That's what the insurance industry calls them. They're the 13.7 million Americans under 30 who don't have health insurance because, they firmly believe, they just don't need it. Why waste money on something they're too healthy to ever use?
Next stop for Nader: US Senate from Connecticut?
WEST HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — Ralph Nader says he wants to gauge the level of grass-roots support before deciding whether to make a bid to represent Connecticut in the Senate. The 75-year-old consumer advocate and Connecticut native said Friday that he is "absorbing" feedback about a possible bid. He was appearing at a book signing at the Noah Webster Library in West Hartford.
Tis the season: White House Christmas tree arrives
WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House is open for Christmas. A day after celebrating Thanksgiving, first lady Michelle Obama and daughters Malia and Sasha received the official White House Christmas tree: an 18 1/2-foot Douglas fir delivered from a farm in Shepherdstown, W.Va., by traditional horse-drawn carriage.
Obama set to meet with Australian prime minister
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama will meet with the Australian prime minister at the White House on Monday. The White House said in a statement Friday that Obama and Kevin Rudd will discuss a range of issues, including the war in Afghanistan and the upcoming climate change conference in Copenhagen.
Off the mound, Pirates pitcher pursues farm policy
WASHINGTON (AP) — An e-mail requesting an internship arrived at the Agriculture Department this summer with an impressive resume: Princeton University degree in operations research and financial engineering, 3.8 college GPA, 1520 SATs. Ross Ohlendorf didn't mention his 95 mph sinking fastball, but it probably wouldn't have hurt his chances. Department officials were impressed that the Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher wanted to work for them in the offseason.
No decisions in high court's horn of plenty
WASHINGTON (AP) — For the first time under Chief Justice John Roberts, the Supreme Court failed to issue opinions before Thanksgiving in any of the cases that were argued in recent months. The court operates under no deadlines, but usually produces an opinion or two by the middle of November, especially if Roberts or the equally speedy Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is writing for a unanimous court.
Obama telephones thanks to 10 US service members
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama enjoyed a quiet first Thanksgiving at the White House, telephoning U.S. servicemen and women stationed around the world and spending time in the company of his family and friends. Obama placed calls from the Oval Office to 10 U.S. servicemen and women — two each in the Army, Navy, Air Force, the Marines and the Coast Guard — stationed in combat zones in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as in the Persian Gulf.
