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by Dana Blanton , FOXNews.com President Obama's approval rating has hit a new low of 46 percent, even as a majority of Americans says he is providing the kind of leadership they expected. print email share recommend (2) President Obama's approval rating has hit a new low of 46 percent, according to a FOX News poll released Thursday. An equal number -- 46 percent -- disapprove of the job he's doing. Breaking down the numbers by political party shows how sharply split American voters are over the president's job performance. While 85 percent of Democrats approve of their party leader,...

The government’s watchdog over the bank bailout program is criticizing Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner’s handling of one of the most sensitive moments of last year’s financial meltdown, questioning decisions he made while heading up the New York Federal Reserve Bank. The new report criticizes the New York Fed’s decision in the fall of 2008 to bail out insurance giant AIG by covering its clients’ losses, sending tens of billions in taxpayer dollars to overseas banks.

WASHINGTON – The typical family would be spared higher taxes from the House Democratic plan to overhaul health care, and their low-income neighbors could come out ahead. Their wealthy counterparts, however, face big tax increases that could eventually hit future generations of taxpayers who are less wealthy. The bill is funded largely from a 5.4 percent tax on individuals making more than $500,000 a year and couples making more than $1 million, starting in 2011. The tax increase would hit only 0.3 percent of tax filers, raising $460.5 billion over the next 10 years, according to congressional estimates.

A Swedish newspaper provoked outrage in Israel and drew condemnation from Sweden's ambassador on Wednesday after it ran a story on transplant organ theft, a report an Israeli official branded anti-Semitic "hate porn". The editor of Aftonbladet, Sweden's largest daily newspaper, hit back hard, at both Israel and at the Swedish envoy for attacking his paper's coverage.

Denshay Benson, 17, is being held in lieu of bail totaling $10,000 on misdemeanor charges of assault with bodily injury and deadly conduct with a vehicle. 17-year-old high school senior was in jail Thursday night accused of assaulting the mayor of League City after an argument over a roadway incident in Clear Lake Shores overheated. Police say he punched her as he tried to leave, but his girlfriend says the mayor instigated the incident and used a racial epithet while cursing him loudly. Denshay Benson, 17, is charged with endangering Toni Randall with his vehicle and later knocking her to...

The Obama administration declared a “public health emergency” Sunday to confront the swine flu — but is heading into its first medical outbreak without a secretary of Health and Human Services or appointees in any of the department’s 19 key posts. President Barack Obama has not yet chosen a surgeon general or the head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. His choice to run the Food and Drug Administration awaits confirmation

It's a "he-cession" out there and, man, it's brutal. Today's government employment report is expected to bring bad news about job losses in a tough economy. The pain will be worse, however, for one gender more than the other. To a much greater extent than in past recessions, men are bearing the brunt. In December 2007, when the economy started tanking, unemployment ran nearly even at 4.4% for men and 4.3% for women. In February, that tally had shot up to 8.8% for men and 7.3% for women, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The 1.5-point spread is historic...

BOULDER — A cyclist in Boulder County was injured after a run-in, literally, with a bear. Tim Egan, 53, was riding on Old Stage Road Tuesday afternoon when suddenly a bear appeared in front of him. Egan hit the bear and ended up skidding across the road. "This bear looked at me with a look of terror on his face and sort of made a noise," said Egan. "I looked at him with a look of terror and we went, 'aaaahhhhh.'"

Fifty years of DARPA: Hits, misses and ones to watch 18:00 15 May 2008 NewScientist.com news service Duncan Graham-Rowe The internet: Precisely who 'invented' the mass of linked computer networks that is today's internet is a moot point. But it wouldn't have happened without the ARPANET network built by DARPA in the 1960s. The idea was to make a "self-healing" communications network that still worked when parts of it were destroyed. It was the first network to transmit data in discrete chunks, not constant streams, and led to the development of the TCP/IP specification still in use today. GPS: We...

PARIS - From next week, one of France's most iconic institutions — the smoky cafe — will be but a hazy memory. The extension of France's smoking ban to bars, discotheques, restaurants, hotels, casinos and cafes on Jan. 1 marks a momentous cultural shift in a country where thinkers like Jean-Paul Sartre and Simone de Beauvoir once held court while clutching cigarettes in Left Bank cafes. For smokers, this is the most distressing part of a phased smoking ban that began last February in workplaces, schools, airports, hospitals and other "closed and covered" public places like train stations. But many...

ST. JOHN, U.S. Virgin Islands, Oct. 31, 2007 – Five days after their adventure began, seven injured veterans packed up with the satisfaction of knowing they’d done what they set out to do: conquer sand, sea and the cloud of mosquitoes that seemed to follow them everywhere. Kevin Pannell (left) works on Andrew Butterworth's broken prosthetic leg in Cruz Bay, St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands on Oct. 21, 2007. The two former soldiers, who both lost legs serving in Operation Iraqi Freedom, were part of a small group of wounded veterans on a paddling trip to the island. Photo...

WASHINGTON - One of the nation's most vexing political and social issues — how to deal with millions of illegal immigrants — can be solved only if Congress and the White House embrace the same can-do spirit that marked this week's tentative deal. Don't count on it. Forged in secrecy, the proposal now faces the harsh realities of the public arena, its fate in the hands of politicians averse to compromise or taking chances. In particular, the 2008 presidential candidates seem determined to play politics with immigration: They're changing their tone and positions, or hedging to meet election-year demands. "In...

Was just watching BB, and they were saying that the general impression that the Internet is awash in :Liberal websites and posters, but in fact, while ther may be more Dim/Lib websites..the statististics show that the top 5 Repub/consevative websites/blogs, get more than twice as many "hits" as the top 5 Dim/Liberal sites...whod'a thunk??? Yes, FR was one of them! :-) Sorry no link availiable..i checked BBs page, but nothing.

Some miracles are harder than others to come by. On Wednesday, it looked like the Marines, a congressman and the Blue Star Mothers had moved enough medical mountains to keep a fallen Modesto Marine's promise to save a dying Iraqi girl.

More than half of California's K-12 public education students enrolled in free or reduced-price meal programs last year, the first time that the majority of youngsters were approved for assistance, according to state and federal officials. California was one of a dozen states where the majority of students were certified for such programs, said Jean Daniel, a U.S. Department of Agriculture spokeswoman. In Contra Costa, almost a third of all students signed up for the federally subsidized lunch and breakfast programs, the third school year in a row the county has seen an increase in the percentage of students. Nearly...

Britain hits back at Russia as G8 tension escalates By Graeme Wilson (Filed: 14/07/2006) Tensions between Tony Blair and Vladimir Putin, the Russian president, over human rights and energy security surfaced yesterday as the Prime Minister prepared to fly out to this weekend's G8 summit in St Petersburg. Downing Street offered a robust response after Mr Putin criticised Anthony Brenton, Britain's ambassador to Moscow, for interfering in Russia's "internal" affairs by attending an opposition conference. Mr Putin criticised the ambassador for interfering in domestic affairs The Prime Minister's spokesman said that Mr Brenton had made clear he was not attempting...

WASHINGTON, July 2, 2006 – An investigation continues today into a June 30 rocket attack on Kandahar Airfield in southern Afghanistan that injured 10 people, military officials reported, while extremists continue to target Afghan civilians. Three people were treated for their injuries and were released, officials said. Six people were reported to be in stable condition, and one person was in serious condition at the base hospital, officials said. "Taliban extremists employ rockets in a manner that makes them highly erratic and inaccurate," said Army Lt. Col. Paul Fitzpatrick, Combined Joint Task Force 76 spokesman. "Unfortunately, this time a rocket...

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (April 19) - For 84-year-old Josephine Crawford, the golden years just got a lot more golden. After a night playing the slot machines, the retired waitress widow was about to call it quits Tuesday when she hit a $10 million jackpot - the biggest in the history of casino gambling in Atlantic City. Crawford, who gambles here twice a week and has been going to the casinos since the first one opened in 1978, had never won more than $1,000 before she came into the big money at the nickel slots at Harrah's Atlantic City. The widow...

NAVAL STATION GUANTANAMO BAY, Cuba, April 6, 2006 – The military commissions case of accused terrorist Omar Khadr, which has already dealt with questions about pre-trial publicity, was confronted with more legal issues yesterday, with the defense team facing an ethical dilemma and then going on to challenge the presiding officer's fitness to serve. The defense's ethical dilemma came after Canadian-born Khadr, 19, told the court he was boycotting the proceedings because he was not being treated fairly, even though he was cooperating in the commissions. Khadr's defense counsel, Marine Lt. Col. Colby Vokey, said the boycott came because Khadr...

Laura Murphy planned on attending her prom at Villa Maria Academy. She paid the $100 deposit, scheduled a limousine rental and asked her date. She ran into a snag, however, and it has nothing to do with what shoes to wear. Administrators of the private, all-girls Catholic high school school don't like Murphy's choice of companion, and they've told her to find someone else or come alone. Murphy, a senior who is openly lesbian, wants to bring her girlfriend of six months, Lindsey Shelton, and believes school administrators are discriminating against them. "They said, "We want it to be traditional....

The number of illegal immigrants in the United States has grown to as many as 12 million, and they now account for about one in every 20 workers, a new estimate says. Efforts to curb illegal immigration have not slowed the pace, said a report Tuesday by the Pew Hispanic Center. Instead, the report's author said, those efforts are having an unintended consequence: People who illegally enter the United States from Mexico are staying longer because it is harder to move back and forth across the border. "The security has done more to keep people from going back to Mexico...

Bird flu hits new areas in Europe Health officials step up precautions near Thessaloniki, northern Greece The deadly H5N1 strain of the bird flu virus has reached three new European countries, officials have confirmed. The virus has been found in wild swans in Sicily, and other cases are suspected elsewhere in Italy, the country's health minister says. A specialist UK laboratory has identified the virus in dead swans found in northern Greece and Bulgaria. The H5N1 strain of bird flu has killed at least 80 people since early 2003, mostly in South-East Asia. Seventeen migratory birds which had fallen ill...

Voters electrified as Canada's PM hits back in war of words with US By Francis Harris in Washington (Filed: 16/12/2005) Canada's increasingly heated war of words with the United States intensified yesterday, with the prime minister demanding that Washington halt attempts to "dictate" to its northern neighbour. Paul Martin responded after the US ambassador to Ottawa accused him of playing politics with the relationship between the two countries. Paul Martin: 'I am not going to be dictated to' Mr Martin, who has called an election for next month, shot back: "I am not going to be dictated to as to...

US hits al-Qaeda village stronghold By Adam Lusher (Filed: 02/10/2005) About 1,000 US troops, backed by attack helicopters and fighter jets swept into Sadah, a village near the Syrian border, yesterday in an offensive to root out al-Qaeda militants and stem the violence that has shaken Iraq before this month's referendum on the new constitution. Air-to-ground missiles struck houses and cars as the force moved into the village of about 2,000 people on the banks of the Euphrates, eight miles from the border. The US military said that the offensive, named Operation Iron Fist, was mounted because al-Qaeda had taken...

BATON ROUGE, United States (AFP) - Civil Rights leader Jesse Jackson fired off a fierce attack on President George W. Bush over Hurricane Katrina and claimed black people were being locked out of top relief roles. Jackson raised the sensitive issue of race, simmering below the surface in New Orleans, even before the hurricane tragedy, pointing out that many of those trapped in the city by the storm were poor and black. "There is a historical indifference to the pain of poor people, and black people ... we seem to adjust more easily to black pain." Jackson spoke after leading...

BEIRUT, Lebanon - A powerful explosion late Monday rocked a shopping center and hotel in the Zalka neighborhood in north Beirut, injuring at least two people and causing extensive damage, security officials said. Heavily armed Lebanese soldiers cordoned off the area, punching and hitting journalists to keep them back. Two workers could be seen helping a black-clad, veiled woman down the glass-covered front stairs of the Promenade Hotel. She appeared shaken but not injured. Security forces were seen rounding up several suspects, including five men with their hands tied behind their backs. The were taken to a military vehicle. Officials...

What happened to Schwarzenegger's original slate of ballot initiatives. By JOHN GITTELSOHN and HANH KIM QUACH The Orange County Register Q. What has happened to the governor's "Year for Reform"? A. Tough opposition and poor execution have driven it off course, supporters and critics of the governor say. Unions for teachers, public-safety workers and other state employees have spent tens of millions of dollars attacking him in TV ads. Protesters – parents, students and nurses – have dogged his public appearances. A Public Policy Institute of California survey released this week found Schwarzenegger's approval rating had fallen to 34 percent,...

Bombing Mecca to revenge acts of maniacs is like nuking the Vatican to protest the [church] pedophilia scandal. The idea appeals to those whose nuanced study of Islam makes them conclude it's better to alienate 1 billion people than defeat a fraction of the same group. It appeals to those who believe that Islam is a metal shard that cannot be absorbed and must be removed, preferably by blowing up the body. And burying the remains in pig skins! That'll learn 'em! How does one respond to a nuclear event on American soil? The horrible imperatives of war demand that...

Taliban-style law hits bomb inquiry By Peter Foster in Lahore (Filed: 18/07/2005) Pakistan's promise to rein in militant elements after the London suicide bombings has been damaged by the reintroduction of Taliban-style "public morality" rules as violence in border regions continues. Although President Pervaiz Musharraf has ordered the law, imposed by provincial officials, to be challenged in the supreme court, it is being seen as evidence of the widespread support for extreme Islamic views across the country. The security agencies said yesterday that they were continuing to support the investigation into the London bombers, three of whom are believed to...

David F. Rosen answer the questions about Hollywood concert 10:54 2005-05-25 Hillary Rodham Clinton's former chief fund-raiser took the stand in his own defense here on Tuesday, saying that he never intended to understate the costs of a Hollywood concert and dinner during her 2000 Senate race. Indeed, the fund-raiser, David F. Rosen, 38, described himself as a diligent foot soldier in the campaign who deferred to his superiors and was himself misled about the event's expenses by its organizers. "These costs were hidden from me," he said. "These costs were concealed for whatever reason." But during cross-examination, Peter R....

I did a Google search for the word "blog", limited within the past 3, 6, and 12 months. The number of hits for each time period are as follows: In the past... Hits 3 months 20,400,000 6 months 19,400,000 12 months 21,900,000 What's wrong with this picture? Well, the hit number for 6 months doesn't make any sense. How could more pages have been updated in the past 3 months than have been in the past 6 months? Is there something going on that I'm not getting?

Just a Day Shy of the Start of Winter. COLD BLAST HITS WASHINGTON DC AND HALF OF THE NATION. WIND CHILL MAP

LOGAN, Utah - A rancher who authorities allege habitually lets his cattle run loose was arrested for manslaughter after a woman was killed in an accident involving one of his steers, police said. An arrest warrant alleges that Darrell Kunzler, 69, has demonstrated a 30-year pattern of failing to properly contain his livestock, despite repeated requests by law enforcement. The warrant cites 31 police reports from the last four years regarding Kunzler's stray cattle, including five collisions involving cows that escaped from the field onto the highway. "It would have to be outrageous before we felt like it was appropriate...

The wave of locusts that hit Israel over the weekend intensified Saturday evening, with a fresh swarm of relatively large locusts being spotted over the southern city of Eilat and with the insects reaching as far north as the southern section of the Dead Sea. Swarms of large locusts landed on Saturday evening near Faran in the Arava region and Neot Hakikar south of the Dead Sea. Agriculture Ministry workers have been scanning the area in order to find the exact location of the swarms. A wave of relatively large locusts was spotted flying over the southern city of Eilat...

Locally, San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom suffered the defeat of measures he backed in Tuesday's election. Nationally, leaders in his own party were saying that his stance on gay marriage inspired the conservative backlash that led a Republican president back to the White House. But Newsom remained certain of his convictions, even though some City Hall watchers speculated that the fallout could hurt him locally and nationally. In San Francisco, the 37-year-old mayor is highly regarded for tackling thorny issues such as homelessness and crime-plagued neighborhoods. He is considered a maverick for his stance on gay marriage, and his approval...

Move over Michael Jordan. There is a new sports drink flavor ready for the tasting — and it belongs to the Cleveland Cavaliers' LeBron James. James will officially get his own drink when the 32-ounce bottles of Powerade FLAVA23 hit stores next month. This means James has outdone the ubiquitous Jordan, who appeared on bottles of Gatorade without having a flavor to himself.

FAKE CLINTON BIOGRAPHY Chinese readers of Bill Clinton's autobiography are getting some unique - and completely fictional - insights into the former President's life. He quotes Chairman Mao and recalls as a child asking an uncle to take him to China. On the other hand, concerns in Western versions of the book and human rights in China are conspicuously absent. The reason is that a slimmer, paperback version of My Life is being sold by counterfeiters ahead of the actual publication. Clinton is the latest victim of publishing pirates who take whole books and rewrite them. Translators are recruited by...

Stock Futures Point to Higher Opening 17 minutes ago By Nick Olivari NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. stock futures pointed to a higher market open on Monday after the earlier-than-expected transfer of Iraqi sovereignty to an interim government. The news that the United States handed over sovereignty two days ahead of expectations formally ended the 14-month occupation and overshadowed expectations for a rate hike by the Federal Reserve on Wednesday. Watson Pharmaceuticals (NYSE:WPI - news) fell before the opening bell after it forecast lower-than-anticipated results. Microsoft Corp. (Nasdaq:MSFT - news) may gain after the European Commission (news - web sites)...

FALLUJAH, Iraq - U.S. Marines in the third day of a battle to pacify this Sunni Muslim city fired rockets that hit a mosque compound filled with worshippers Wednesday, and witnesses said as many as 40 people were killed. Shiite-inspired violence spread to key cities in Iraq (news - web sites). The fighting in Fallujah and neighboring Ramadi, where commanders confirmed 12 Marines were killed late Tuesday, was part of an intensified uprising involving both Sunni and Shiites that now stretched from Kirkuk in the north to the far south. An Associated Press reporter in Fallujah saw cars ferrying the...

Quake hits Siberia, wrecks homes and roads October 01 2003 at 03:12PM By Maria Golovnina Moscow - An earthquake struck Russia's Altai mountains in southern Siberia on Wednesday - the third major tremor in less than a week - destroying buildings, triggering landslides and leaving 1 800 villagers homeless. A statement from the regional government said the latest tremor, measuring 6.2 on the Richter scale, had struck remote villages near the Mongolian border just after 8am (01h00GMT). Residents of the mountainous region which also borders China and Kazakhstan said they felt exposed by the worst quake in decades, but rescue...

Minor-league Cubs player strikes out at osprey in nest Posted: April 23, 20035:40 p.m. Eastern © 2003 WorldNetDaily.com A minor-league pitcher in the Chicago Cubs organization has created a major flap after aiming for and knocking down an osprey from its perch with a baseball. Pitcher Jae-kuk Ryu South Korean Jae-kuk Ryu of the Daytona Cubs could face animal cruelty charges for striking out at the bird Monday night at Florida's Jackie Robinson Ballpark. "The bird's eye was gushing blood," Chad Efron, a trainer with the Port St. Lucie Mets told the Daytona Beach News-Journal. "I started yelling at [Ryu]. I got...

it seemed only a few weeks ago that Pete Rose was hustling back into baseball's good graces, he now appears to be running in place. A baseball official said yesterday that recent revelations about tax and gambling matters involving Rose had slowed the process by which Commissioner Bud Selig would determine whether to remove Rose from the permanently ineligible list. "It has slowed down to nothing," the official said. "Rose keeps shooting himself in the foot, no, the heart. There's so much stuff coming out. Everything is being thoroughly reviewed." Even if Rose is able to withstand the recent revelations,...

Nah, not really. But I just noticed my web page clocked its 100,000th hit today, and wanted to thank all you FReepers who've taken the time to visit. Thanks 100,000 times!Michael M. Bates: My Side of the Swamp

Schröder's anti-war rhetoric hits German exports to America By Tony Paterson in Berlin and Charles Laurence in New York (Filed: 29/09/2002) German exports to America are being affected by consumer anger over Chancellor Gerhard Schröder's vehement opposition to US policy on Iraq, business leaders admitted last week. Ludolf von Wartenberg, the director of the German Federation of Industry, said that German firms in America already faced the first signs of a boycott following weeks of anti-war rhetoric during the run-up to last weekend's election. Mr von Wartenburg said that public contracts for German firms in America had already been affected....

Tuesday, 27 August, 2002, 12:27 GMT 13:27 UK 'Meteorite' hits girl Siobhan Cowton: "I saw it fall from above roof height" The odds against being hit by a meteorite are billions to one - but a teenager in North Yorkshire may have had one land on her foot. Siobhan Cowton, 14, was getting into the family car outside her Northallerton home at 1030 BST on Thursday when a stone fell on her from the sky. This does not happen very often in Northallerton Siobhan Cowton Noticing it was "quite hot", she showed it to her father Niel. The family now...

Bill Moyers faces drunken driving charge The Associated Press ARLINGTON -- Journalist Bill Moyers has been charged with driving under the influence of alcohol. "I intend to contest the charge," Moyers said in a statement Thursday. Moyers, 68, who served as special assistant to President Johnson and publisher of the Long Island newspaper Newsday before turning to public television in the 1970s, was stopped July 27 on Vermont 7A in Bennington County. Moyers said he had just left a friend's birthday party around 10 p.m. when he was stopped. He admitted to the arresting officer he had drunk a glass...

Thursday, July 18, 2002Jim Traficant's Greatest Hits Rep. James Traficant, embattled more than usual lately, is always good for colorful sound bites. Here are some of the Ohio Democrat's choicest bits from his ordeal this week before the House ethics committee. "I've been railroaded once, and I'll be damned if I'll be railroaded again!" "God almighty here. What happened to me in Cleveland is what's happening to me here! I infuriated a jury that convicted me over my attitude without a damn bit of evidence." About committee lawyer Paul Lewis: "I'm going to object, whether it's committee rules or...