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Solyndra Inc.'s chief executive officer and chief financial officer will invoke their 5th Amendment rights and not answer questions during a Friday hearing before a House investigative committee, their attorneys said. Attorneys for Solyndra Chief Executive Brian Harrison and W.G. "Bill" Stover, the company's chief financial officer, sent letters to the House Energy and Commerce Committee's investigative subcommittee Tuesday saying the two executives would not answer any questions during the hearing. "I have advised Mr. Harrison that he should decline to answer questions put to him by this subcommittee based on his rights under the Fifth Amendment," Harrison's attorney, Walter...

The United States now ranks fifth, overtaken by Sweden and Singapore in the 2011-2012 rankings of the World Economic Forum’s Global Competitiveness report, released on Wednesday. While Switzerland still leads the table, Finland moves to fourth position in the current index from last year's sixth spot. According to the Global Competitiveness Index (GCI), United States is facing a continuous decline that began three years ago, falling one more position to fifth place. U.S. companies are highly sophisticated and pioneering, it also has an outstanding university system, Worlds Economic Forum report (WEF) said on Wednesday. However, “a number of escalating weaknesses...

LAKE WYLIE -- In their only scheduled debate, U.S. Rep. John Spratt and Republican challenger Mick Mulvaney laid out starkly different visions of the federal government, in areas ranging from health care and taxes to immigration and energy reform. Read more: http://www.heraldonline.com/2010/09/07/2433840/spratt-mulvaney-spar-over-health.html#ixzz0yxwMuxOz

Two people were injured in a Sunday afternoon shooting that happened outside a Cinco de Mayo celebration. Two groups of juveniles exchanged gunfire in the area of Lake Street and 5th Avenue, according to Minneapolis Police Sgt. Bill Palmer. Authorities say the incident was gang-related. One teen was shot in the chest and taken to Hennepin County Medical Center with life-threatening injuries. Another teen was hospitalized with non-life threatening injuries after being shot in the foot and the leg. Police have one person in custody in connection with the incident, which happened near a Cinco de Mayo celebration. They have...

I'm just sending out a feeler about Perriello. I'm considering a weekly Perriello ping unless someone is doing something like that already. BTW, he voted for Obama-care. [And yes, I live in this district. But DC and world news have had practically all my political attention.] Just for background [not quotable -- wiki alert] Wikipedia [warning -- not a quotable source, just a good launching pad] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Perriello Thomas Stuart Price "Tom" Perriello (born October 9, 1974 in Ivy, Virginia) is an American politician and attorney. He is the Democratic congressman from the fifth district of Virginia. The district includes much...

USS PELELIU, At Sea (NNS) -- Six ships and nearly 5,000 Sailors and Marines assigned to the USS Peleliu (LHA 5) Expeditionary Strike Group (ESG) concluded operations in the U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet area of operations, July 9. Deployed Feb. 15 from San Diego and Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, the Sailors and Marines assigned to Amphibious Squadron 3 and the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU), Special Operations Capable (SOC), supported operations Iraqi Freedom (OIF) and Enduring Freedom, and conducted maritime security operations (MSO) throughout the region. MSO help set the conditions for security and stability in the maritime environment, as well...

AP) St. Louis Park, Minn. State Rep. Keith Ellison won the Democratic Party's endorsement as its candidate for the 5th Congressional District on Saturday, putting himself on a path to be Minnesota's first black member of Congress. Ellison's rapid victory was unexpected in the crowded field of candidates seeking the seat. By the third ballot he was just a few votes short of the 60 percent needed to claim the endorsement, and the two remaining contenders -- Hennepin County Commissioner Gail Dorfman and peace activist Jack Nelson-Pallmeyer -- withdrew and backed Ellison. "We've got to unify," Ellison, 42, told the...

ABOARD USS NASSAU, At Sea (NNS) -- Expeditionary Strike Group (ESG) 8 transited through the Suez Canal April 7, marking the end of more than four months of maritime security operations in the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations. ESG 8, composed of the five ships and one submarine in the USS Nassau (LHA 4) Strike Group and the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit (Special Operations Capable) (MEU (SOC)), deployed Nov. 4 from Norfolk, Va., as part of a routine deployment of forces. While conducting operations in 5th Fleet, the ESG continuously displayed unique capabilities and continuous flexibility. From serving as...

ALEXANDRIA, Va. (AP) -- Al-Qaida conspirator Zacarias Moussaoui testified Monday that he and would-be shoe bomber Richard Reid were supposed to hijack a fifth airplane on Sept. 11, 2001, and fly it into the White House. Moussaoui's testimony on his own behalf stunned the courtroom as he disclosed details he had never revealed before. It was in stark contrast to Moussaoui's previous statements in which he said the White House attack was to come later if the United States refused to release a radical Egyptian sheik imprisoned on earlier terrorist convictions. Moussaoui testified Monday he lied to investigators when arrested...

USS RONALD REAGAN, At Sea (NNS) -- Vice Adm. Patrick M. Walsh, commander, U.S. Naval Forces Central Command/commander, U.S. 5th Fleet (COMUSNAVCENT/5th Fleet), commander, Combined Maritime Forces visited USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76) Feb. 27 to welcome the ship’s crew, air wing and embarked carrier strike group staff to the 5th Fleet area of operations (AOO). The Ronald Reagan Carrier Strike Group is currently supporting Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom, as well as conducting maritime security operations (MSO) in the Persian Gulf. Reagan’s aircraft have been supporting ground troops in Iraqi around the clock since arriving in the 5th...

CAMP VICTORY, Iraq, Jan. 17, 2006 – Servicemembers witnessed the transfer of authority between the 18th Airborne Corps Artillery and the 5th Corps Artillery here today. The 18th Airborne Corps unit arrived in Iraq in January 2005, and served as the Effects Coordination Cell and Force Field Artillery headquarters for Multinational Corps Iraq. These responsibilities now go to 5th Corps Artillery. Army Lt. Gen. John R. Vines, MNCI Commander, thanked the outgoing soldiers and the coalition forces for their hard work and dedication to the mission, and welcomed the new troops. "This is an historic time for the people of...

ABOARD USS TARAWA, At sea in the Indian Ocean (NNS) -- Four thousand Sailors and Marines of Expeditionary Strike Group (ESG) 1 entered the 7th Fleet area of operations Jan. 12 en route to their homeport of San Diego after completing their assigned mission in the 5th Fleet region. The ESG-1 flagship, USS Tarawa (LHA 1), the amphibious transport dock USS Cleveland (LPD 7), the amphibious dock landing ship USS Pearl Harbor (LSD 52) and the embarked Marines of the 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit spent more than four months in-theatre. “ESG-1 was simply impressive,” said Vice Adm. Patrick Walsh, Commander...

NEW YORK, Nov. 11, 2005 – Active supporters of U.S. servicemembers rolled down historic 5th Avenue here today in the city's Veterans Day parade, riding on a float for the Defense Department's "America Supports You" program. The parade capped off DoD's commemoration of World War II's 60th anniversary and was billed as "The Nation's Parade." America Supports You showcases what Americans are doing around the country to support military members and their families through it's the program's Web site at www.americasupportsyou.mil. The America Supports You float featured members of various grassroots-level organizations affiliated with the DoD program. Organizations featured included:...