$787 billion not even 30,000 jobs, overstated by least 5,000 jobs, according to an Associated Press review of a sample of stimu

Oct 29, 2009 - Stimulus jobs overstated by thousands By BRETT J. BLACKLEDGE and MATT APUZZO WASHINGTON (AP) - An early progress report on President Barack Obama's economic recovery plan overstates by thousands the number of jobs created or saved through the stimulus program, a mistake that White House officials promise will be corrected in future reports. The government's first accounting of jobs tied to the $787 billion stimulus program claimed more than 30,000 positions paid for with recovery money. - 2 Comments

Maersk Alabama repels 2nd pirate attack with guns

Nov 18, 2009 -   By JASON STRAZIUSO, Associated Press Writer Jason Straziuso, Associated Press Writer – 32 mins ago Source NAIROBI, Kenya – Somali pirates attacked the Maersk Alabama on Wednesday for the second time in seven months, though private guards on board the U.S.-flagged ship repelled the attack with gunfire and a high-decibel noise device.   A U.S. surveillance plane was monitoring the ship as it continued to its destination on the Kenyan coast, while a pirate said that the captain of a ship hijacked Monday with 28 North Korean crew members on board had died of wounds. - 7 Comments

FACT CHECK: Palin Goes Rogue on Some Details

Nov 13, 2009 - WASHINGTON (AP) -- Sarah Palin's new book reprises familiar claims from the 2008 presidential campaign that haven't become any truer over time. Ignoring substantial parts of her record if not the facts, she depicts herself as a frugal traveler on the taxpayer's dime, a reformer without ties to powerful interests and a politician roguishly indifferent to high ambition. Palin goes adrift, at times, on more contemporary issues, too. - 5 Comments

Closed Shop (or how Obama plans to get folks back to work)

Nov 12, 2009 - Closed Shop By Kevin Mooney on 11.12.09 @ 6:07AM Non-union construction workers could be locked out of new federal projects thanks to an executive order President Obama signed back in February on the sly as part of a payback to organized labor. The election of Republican governors in Virginia, and especially New Jersey, who are both opposed to union-only favoritism in contracting, could complicate the administration’s efforts, at least on the state level. The loss of New Jersey must be viewed as a particularly acute setback, given how active labor bosses and White House operatives were in their failed effort to secure re-election for a long-time ally. - 5 Comments

The Hasan Case: Overt Clues and Tactical Challenges

Nov 11, 2009 - The Hasan Case: Overt Clues and Tactical Challenges By Scott Stewart and Fred Burton In last week’s global security and intelligence report, we discussed the recent call by the leader of al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, Nasir al-Wahayshi, for jihadists to conduct simple attacks against a variety of targets in the Muslim world and the West. We also noted how it is relatively simple to conduct such attacks against soft targets using improvised explosive devices, guns or even knives and clubs. The next day, a lone gunman, U.S. - 2 Comments

Did Rep. Bill Owens really win?

Nov 12, 2009 -   http://www.syracuse.com/news/index.ssf/2009/11/its_not_over_recanvassing_shows_ny23_race.html Recanvassing shows NY-23 race tightens even as Rep. Bill Owens is sworn into House seat By Mark Weiner / The Post-Standard November 12, 2009, 6:02AM The Associated PressDemocrat Bill Owens delivers his victory speech at his headquarters in Plattsburgh last week. Owens declared victory after Conservative nominee Doug Hoffman conceded the 23rd Congressional District race election night. - 12 Comments

The Federal Bureau of Non-Investigation

Nov 10, 2009 - The Federal Bureau of Non-Investigation On Monday, ABC News first reported that Fort Hood shooter Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan had reached out to al Qaeda associates prior to his attack. There were good reasons to speculate that one of these al Qaeda figures is Anwar al Awlaki -- an al Qaeda recruiter who acted as a “spiritual advisor” to two of the 9/11 hijackers. - 30 Comments

Army Major in Fort Hood Massacre Used 'Electronic Means' to Connect with Terrorists

Nov 09, 2009 - Officials: U.S. Aware of Hasan Efforts to Contact al Qaeda Army Major in Fort Hood Massacre Used 'Electronic Means' to Connect with Terrorists By RICHARD ESPOSITO, MATTHEW COLE and BRIAN ROSS U.S. intelligence agencies were aware months ago that Army Major Nidal Hasan was attempting to make contact with people associated with al Qaeda, two American officials briefed on classified material in the case told ABC News. - 10 Comments

Counterterrorism: Shifting from 'Who' to 'How

Nov 06, 2009 - Counterterrorism: Shifting from 'Who' to 'How' November 4, 2009 | 1918 GMT Global Security and Intelligence Report By Scott Stewart and Fred Burton In the 11th edition of the online magazine Sada al-Malahim (The Echo of Battle), which was released to jihadist Web sites last week, al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) leader Nasir al-Wahayshi wrote an article that called for jihadists to conduct simple attacks against a variety of targets. The targets included "any tyrant, intelligence den, prince" or "minister" (referring to the governments in the Muslim world like Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Yemen), and "any crusaders whenever you find one of them, like at the airports of the crusader Western countries that participate in the wars against Islam, or their living compounds, trains etc.," (an obvious reference to the United States and Europe and Westerners living in Muslim countries). Related Special Topic Pages Surveillance and Countersurveillance Terrorist Attack Cycle Al-Wahayshi, an ethnic Yemeni who spent time in Afghanistan serving as a lieutenant under Osama bin Laden, noted these simple attacks could be conducted with readily available weapons such as knives, clubs or small improvised explosive devices (IEDs). - 1 Comment