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After two decades of use, the U.S. Department of Defense is getting rid of its Beretta M9 9mm pistol, and going back to the 11.4mm (.45 caliber) weapon. There have been constant complaints about the lesser (compared to the .45) hitting power of the 9mm. And in the last few years, SOCOM (Special Operations Command) and the marines have officially adopted .45 caliber pistols as “official alternatives” to the M9 Beretta. But now SOCOM has been given the task of finding a design that will be suitable as the JCP (Joint Combat Pistol). Various designs are being evaluated, but all...

RICHMOND -- A new Virginia law that bars illegal aliens from receiving state-funded benefits goes into effect tomorrow. The law restricts anybody without a Social Security number from receiving Medicaid, temporary assistance for needy families, and help from several other state and local programs. Supporters say the measure could save the state millions. "A lot of us were saying, instead of raising taxes, why don't we start prioritizing where we're spending our existing money," said Delegate David B. Albo, Fairfax Republican, who sponsored the bill. "One of the things we found was the state was not checking for legal presence...

Just announced on Fox News, the Justice Department is going to investigate leaks pertaining to Goverment Wiretapping and Security programs.

A group of out-of-state college students sued to challenge a law that lets some classmates who are illegal immigrants pay the lower in-state rate if they graduated from California high schools. The class-action lawsuit said the policy violates a federal law barring states from offering benefits to illegal immigrants that are not available to U.S. citizens. The lawsuit filed Wednesday in Yolo County by 42 plaintiffs seeks unspecified damages. The difference in fees can amount to many thousands of dollars a year. For example, out-of-state students pay nearly $24,000 a year to attend the University of California, about $17,000 more...

President Bush is returning to his conservative agenda after being distracted from his message the past few months by hurricanes, an anti-war mother and a failed Supreme Court nomination. The White House, which already is planning next month's State of the Union address, is preparing an agenda that will highlight progress in the Iraq war, economic expansion, immigration reform, tax cuts, tax-code reform and spending restraint. "What you will see more of next year is the president going back to the basics -- winning the war and growing the economy and creating jobs," White House deputy press secretary Trent Duffy...

House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert has told federal officials that the lighted, decorated tree on the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol -- known in recent years as the "Holiday Tree" -- should be renamed the "Capitol Christmas Tree," as it was called until the late 1990s. The Capitol's senior landscape architect confirmed the name switch yesterday for The Washington Times. "It was known as the 'Holiday Tree' for several years and just recently was changed back to the 'Capitol Christmas Tree.' This was a directive from the speaker," said Capitol architect Matthew Evans. "The speaker believes a Christmas tree...

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The House of Representatives on Friday narrowly voted to trim social programs for the poor along with farm subsidies, student loans and other federal benefits as part of a $49.9-billion package of spending cuts. The "deficit-reduction" plan passed the House by a cliff-hanger vote of 217-215, with all Democrats and 14 Republicans voting against the Republican-authored bill.

US Senate backs oil drilling in Alaskan refuge 03 Nov 2005 18:10:50 GMT Source: Reuters (Adds lawmakers' comments, vote for ANWR oil exports, background) By Tom Doggett WASHINGTON, Nov 3 (Reuters) - The U.S. Senate on Thursday voted to allow oil drilling in Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR), narrowly rejecting a Democratic attempt to strike the plan from a budget bill. Drilling supporters said developing the refuge's 10.4 billion barrels of crude would raise $2.4 billion in leasing fees for the government, reduce U.S. reliance on foreign oil imports and create thousands of American jobs. However, it remains far...

The pickup, introduced to the roads more than a century ago, was conceived to be the smallest possible get-the-job-done truck. Now International Truck and Engine has taken that concept and, oxymoronically, developed the world's biggest smallest truck -- the CXT. Such a feat is the equivalent of creating the world's shortest skyscraper, quietest fire alarm, slowest jet, driest swimming pool. The new CXT from International is hu-freakin-mongous. This bad boy is nine feet tall. It's got thigh-high tires, and two running boards up to the cab, and door handles you have to stretch for. When the bed gate folds down...

Written apologies will be sent to a fallen Marine's relatives angered by Lt. Gov. Catherine Baker Knoll's uninvited appearance at the soldier's funeral and her criticism of the war in Iraq, Gov. Ed Rendell said Sunday. Rendell said he will send a personal letter to the family of the late Marine Staff Sgt. Joseph Goodrich, of Westwood, and will ask Knoll to do the same. Goodrich, 32, a police officer and infantry unit leader, died July 10 in a mortar attack in Hit, Iraq. Rendell said he hadn't spoken with Knoll about the incident, but was disturbed by the family's...

"House Majority Leader Tom DeLay said yesterday that the House will produce another immigration and border security bill this Congress and will have to pass that bill before turning to a guest-worker program. ...He said the House has received the message that immigration is "an incredibly important issue to the American people." ...Mr. DeLay said more security measures are needed and that the government has to prove it can enforce immigration laws before voters will be willing to accept a guest-worker program. He said the House will act on the issues in that order. "We'll probably have a law-enforcement-type bill,...

CHINA gave way to mounting political, diplomatic and economic pressures yesterday by scrapping its decade-old currency peg to the dollar, revaluing the yuan and paving the way for further rises in its exchange rate. In long-awaited move, partly designed to defuse intense pressure from Washington for a rise in the super-competitive value of the yuan, China said it was switching to a complex new arrangement that linked the yuan’s value to an undisclosed basket of other world currencies. In the sudden change, which caught markets by surprise, China said that, under its new “managed float” arrangement, the yuan would immediately...

The stakes in politics are about to get a lot higher. The partisan battles in the coming weeks -- on judges, Social Security and the future of Tom DeLay -- are part of a larger struggle in which Republicans are seeking to establish themselves as the dominant party in American politics. Essential to their quest is persuading Democrats, or at least a significant number in their ranks, to accept long-term minority status. The current acrimony in politics is incomprehensible unless it is understood as the inevitable next act of a long-term struggle. Its ferocity arises from the Democrats' refusal to...

The White House has ordered the new CIA director, Porter Goss, to purge the agency of officers believed to have been disloyal to President George W. Bush or of leaking damaging information to the media about the conduct of the Iraq war and the hunt for Osama bin Laden, according to knowledgeable sources.

It has always seemed unnatural and unwise to me whenever I hear someone who's been slandered by a particularly egregious lie reply that they're not going to dignify that accusation with a response. For it has always been crystal clear to me that whenever your honor, integrity and reputation are called into question that you should be quick, thorough and – when circumstances demand – quite loud in defense of them. Otherwise, people will assume that the accusation must carry some weight and the falsity levied against you just might end up sticking. That's what has happened to the political...

<p>Motorists who toss cigarette butts out the window could be fined more than their car is worth under legislation proposed by a Southern California lawmaker.</p> <p>The measure would raise the stakes for contributing to the millions of smoldering butts discarded annually.</p>

U.S. Rep. Karen McCarthy revealed Saturday that she would not seek re-election to Congress next year. The five-term Kansas City Democrat, who disclosed in March that she is an alcoholic and has struggled with ethical issues and high staff turnover, said she was seeking more tranquillity. “I want to focus on balance in my public life,” she said in an interview with The Kansas City Star. “Too often, I've put my career and helping others ahead of my own needs. I made sacrifices willingly; it was what I did best.” The key now, said the 56-year-old McCarthy, is looking after...

Oct. 16, 2003 US House of Representatives passes Syria sanctions act By JANINE ZACHARIA WASHINGTON The US House of Representatives approved a bill late Wednesday that would impose new sanctions on Syria. The vote was 398-4. It now awaits consideration by the Senate. The White House, frustrated by Syria's non-cooperation in preventing the flow of jihadists into Iraq and by its refusal to shut down Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad operations in Damascus, withdrew its opposition to the bill last week, and backed Israel's strike on a Palestinian terrorist group's training camp near Damascus. The Syria Accountability and Lebanese Sovereignty...

TOP STORY: Cabinet approves Arafat expulsion (20:43) "Arafat is an obstacle to peace and Israel will act to remove this obstacle," stated a communique from the Cabinet's meeting on Thursday. Sep. 11, 2003 Cabinet approves Arafat expulsion By THE JERUSALEM POST STAFF The security Cabinet decided in principle to expel Yasser Arafat, but put off immediate action, Channel Two reported. Government officials and Cabinet ministers have so far not yet commented. Channel Two quoted the Cabinet decision as saying "Arafat is an obstacle to peace and Israel will act to remove this obstacle." The report said this constituted a decision...

Sean and Pete King really destroyed Hildebeast. Her attack on Bush last night could really hurt her. Woo-hoo! Justice would be nice for a change!!