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Spy Agency Watching Americans From Space By KATHERINE SHRADER, Associated Press Writer WASHINGTON - A little-known spy agency that analyzes imagery taken from the skies has been spending significantly more time watching U.S. soil. In an era when other intelligence agencies try to hide those operations, the director of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, retired Air Force Lt. Gen. James Clapper, is proud of that domestic mission. He said the work the agency did after hurricanes Rita and Katrina was the best he'd seen an intelligence agency do in his 42 years in the spy business. "This was kind of a...

GOP governors worried about Bush stumbles Republicans fear port security, other missteps will hurt in an election year Pablo Martinez Monsivais / AP President Bush, center, speaks with members of the National Governors Association in the White House on Monday. Republican governors worry that administration fumbles will hurt the party in an election year. Feb. 27, 2006 WASHINGTON - Republican governors are openly worrying that the Bush administration’s latest stumbles — from the natural disaster of Hurricane Katrina to those of its own making on prescription drugs and ports security — are taking an election-year toll on the party back...

Award-winning Riesling ice wine from the Sheldrake Point Vineyard and Cafe in Ovid, Seneca County, was on the menu last Saturday night when the nation's governors sat down to dinner with President and Mrs. Bush at the White House. Bob Madill, winemaker and one of the owners of the Sheldrake Point winery, and Kit Kalfs, tasting room manager, said they are honored that officials chose their ice wine, the winner of a gold medal during the recent Florida State Fair International Wine Competition. And just ahead of that medal came top place in the Hyatt National Riesling Challenge Trophy for...

The President and the first lady spent the weekend in Washington attending St John's Church on Sunday. Later in the day there was a State Dinner for the nation's governors at the White House Today the President addressed the National Governors Association annual meeting in the State Dining Room of the White House. He then met Belarusian human rights activist Irina Krasovskaya and Svyatlana Zavadskaya in the Oval Office. The First Lady and the President attended a reception for the nation's governors at the National Building Museum in Washington. The Vice President is visiting Norfolk to speak at a fundraiser...

President Bush and Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld offered private assurances to the nation's governors over plans to make cuts to the National Guard, but some governors said Monday they were still worried. Republican and Democratic governors said discussions are just beginning on Guard units, the backbone of state emergency and homeland security response. "No, there's no sense of hugs, handshakes and cut the cake," said Republican Mike Huckabee of Arkansas. "At least now, we're talking." Governors went into closed-door meetings with Bush, and later with Rumsfeld and top military leaders, unified in their opposition to administration budget plans that...

WASHINGTON – Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger used a national television interview Sunday to promote his plan to spend $222 billion on a massive public works building program in California. In Washington for an annual meeting with fellow governors, Schwarzenegger interrupted as Tim Russert, host of NBC's “Meet the Press,” characterized the proposal as “spend, spend, spend.” “No, it's invest, invest, invest, Tim. You're wrong,” Schwarzenegger said. “Those people that are criticizing my infrastructure deal and my strategic growth plan are people that are a little bit confused about the difference between spending and investing,” he said. Some of the people most...

PRESIDENTIAL NEWS OF THE DAY: I'm sure we have all be waiting with bated breath for his latest pronouncements (yeah, right). Well, our wait has been "rewarded." Richard Gere has spoken out in praise of President Bush's stance on HIV/AIDS ahead of the President's trip to India. For those who have a strong stomach, click here to read the full story. The Indian news website, newKerala.com, reports that security at the hotel where the presidential party will be staying is at an all-time high. Click here to read the story. Gov. Mike Huckabee (R-Arkansas) opened the National Governors Association winter...

President Bush says national security, energy independence, and the health of Americans will top his agenda when he meets with America's governors Sunday and Monday in Washington. President Bush, himself a former governor, says he will discuss many of the challenges facing the nation when he meets with U.S. governors at their annual meeting. One subject that concerns many Americans is rising energy costs. In his weekly radio address Saturday, President Bush said he will talk with the governors about the nation's energy strategy and his Advanced Energy Initiative, which would invest in alternative fuels, such as ethanol, as well...

WASHINGTON, Feb. 25, 2006 – President Bush, in his weekly radio address today, said he will meet with America's governors tomorrow and Monday to discuss, among other things, "our progress in the war on terror." "The states are playing a vital role in the war effort through the contributions of their National Guard units," Bush said. They've "seen firsthand the courage of our troops and their dedication to the mission." The president said that as a former governor (of Texas), he appreciates the important work done by the states and their chief executive officers. He noted that many governors have...

If you really want to know the "Powers, Roles, and Responsibilities" of the state governor during a natural disaster, here is some good reading: ------------------------------------------ "Volume One: Natural Disasters A Governors Guide to Emergency Management" View As HTTL: REPORTEMERGUIDE2001 http://www.nga.org/cda/files/REPORTEMERGUIDE2001.pdf --------------------- Related, but more to do with terrorism: Volume Two: Homeland Security A Governors Guide to Emergency Management http://www.nga.org/cda/files/GOVSGUIDEHS2.pdf --------------------- Contents CHAPTER 1: What a New Governor Should Know CHAPTER 2: Assessing Your State's Performance CHAPTER 3: Developing and Implementing State and Local Disaster Mitigation Plans CHAPTER 4: Powers, Roles, and Responsibilities of a Governor and State Agencies CHAPTER 5:...

U.S. Spy satellites have been called into service to help federal emergency officials cope with the devastating aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, officials said on Wednesday. The little-known National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, which analyzes satellite images for the espionage community and combat troops, has provided scores of images of hard-hit areas, including New Orleans, before and after the storm struck. The agency said one of its main aims is to survey damage to regional transportation for the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which can then use the data to organize relief efforts. FEMA officials could not be reached for comment. "NGA can determine...

AR GOP Gov Mike Huckabee Q: Congratulations on your new appointment as the chairman of the National Governors Association. Thank you. I know it sounds impressive, but it may be one of those things for which I will need condolences in about six months.... Q. You recently formed a health political action committee and are rumored to be making a bid for the White House in 2008. What if you wind up running against Hillary Clinton?Well, that would be an interesting twist, wouldn't it? But I may follow another path and move to New York and run against her for...

<p>DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) -- Governor Napolitano has been named vice chairwoman of the National Governors Association.</p>

DES MOINES, Iowa - Republican or Democrat, most governors have two things in common. First, they want to be president. And they know that to be president they must find new policies and language — presumably both — that help voters feel less anxious about their place in a rapidly changing society. "People sense that there are enormous changes going on in the world and they don't see Washington providing any answers," said Democratic Gov. Mark Warner of Virginia. Warner is the outgoing chairman of the National Governors Association, which held a weekend meeting in this hotbed of presidential politics....

If you didn't just catch it Yan Jin, Chinese Deputy Education Minister, speaking at National Governor's Convention applauding US education and pumping No Child Left Behind Philosophy

The Internet sales tax issue may have reached the tipping point when 18 state tax collectors agreed upon an interstate set of sales tax rules. The tipping point, however, is still a long way from reality. Meeting in Chicago last week, the Streamlined Sales Tax Project (SSTP) took its most significant step to date to implement the collection of sales taxes on online purchases, a potential $20 billion-a-year bonanza for cash-strapped states. To bring those funds closer to state and local coffers, the SSTP officially admitted 18 states as members of the Streamlined Sales and Use Tax Agreement's (SSUTA) governing...

The 50 governors are meeting in Washington this week, which makes it an apt moment for the Cato Institute to release its biennial ranking of their fiscal performance. We provide the rankings below (governors who recently took office aren't included) and, in addition, let us mention a few notable findings from the survey, which will be released today.

THE PRESIDENT: Thank you. Please be seated. Didn't take you long to get back. (Laughter.) Hope you enjoyed that as much as I did last night. It was -- Marvin was great. (Applause.) I'd like to have a few -- I'll make a few opening comments and then I'll be glad to field some questions. First, I want to thank Governor Warner and Governor Huckabee for leading the NGA; I appreciate the job you've done. I thought the messaging in our local newspapers here was very positive: Governors coming together to try to figure out how to solve common problems....

The 2004 presidential election just ended, and with President Bush re-inaugurated scarcely a month ago, is it possible that contenders are already vying for the 2008 race? Unfortunately, yes. The Washington Post reports in Sunday editions that the first official-unofficial "cattle call" campaign event took place this weekend in Washington, D.C., at a meeting of the National Governors Association. No fewer than 15 of 50 state governors from the two major parties are considering a run at the Oval Office, the paper reported. Both parties, it seems, "have learned the benefits of nominating a governor" instead of Washington lawmakers, adds...

WASHINGTON — Addressing the nation's governors, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates (news - web sites) delivered a scathing critique of U.S. high schools Saturday, calling them obsolete and saying that elected officials should be ashamed of a system that leaves millions of students unprepared for college and for technical jobs. Gates was speaking as the invited guest of some of the nation's most powerful elected officials, at a National Governors Assn. meeting devoted to improving high school education across the country. "Training the workforce of tomorrow with today's high schools is like trying to teach kids about today's computers on a...

Amid policy talks, governors keep 2008 presidential race in mind 2/27/2005, 1:14 p.m. ET By ROBERT TANNER The Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — For governors thinking about running for the White House in 2008, a formal dinner with President Bush at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. provides a glimpse of what the future could hold. Even for those who dismiss — at least publicly — such talk. "Presidential talk is way too speculative and way too early," said Republican Mitt Romney of Massachusetts. "Now is the time for policy and progress. Not presidential ambitions." Presidential pageantry was to be on display Sunday...

WASHINGTON - For governors thinking about running for the White House in 2008, a formal dinner with President Bush (news - web sites) at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. provides a glimpse of what the future could hold — even for those who dismiss, at least publicly, such talk. "Presidential talk is way too speculative and way too early," said Republican Mitt Romney of Massachusetts. "Now is the time for policy and progress, not presidential ambitions." Presidential pageantry was to be on display Sunday night in the State Dining room as Bush and first lady Laura Bush welcome the governors, who are...

The nation's governors offered an alarming account of the American high school Saturday, saying only drastic change will keep millions of students from falling short. "We can't keep explaining to our nation's parents or business leaders or college faculties why these kids can't do the work," said Virginia Democratic Gov. Mark Warner, as the state leaders convened for the first National Education Summit aimed at rallying governors around high school reform. The governors say they want to emerge Sunday with specific plans for enacting policy, weary of statistics showing that too many students are coasting, dropping out or failing in...

The nation's governors offered an alarming account of the American high school Saturday, saying only drastic change will keep millions of students from falling short. "We can't keep explaining to our nation's parents or business leaders or college faculties why these kids can't do the work," said Virginia Democratic Gov. Mark Warner, as the state leaders convened for the first National Education Summit aimed at rallying governors around high school reform. The governors say they want to emerge Sunday with specific plans for enacting policy, weary of statistics showing that too many students are coasting, dropping out or failing in...

WASHINGTON, Feb. 23 (UPI) -- The National Governors Association has called for tougher standards and exams for the nation's high school students, the New York Times reported Wednesday. The association issued a report suggesting high school diplomas under current standards do not guarantee the bearers have the skills necessary to flourish in college or the workplace. The report said 4 in 10 public high school graduates are unprepared for college courses or anything beyond an entry-level job. The governors said graduates require billions of dollars in remedial training to endow them with needed skills "they should have attained in high...

BOSTON, Dec. 25 - Fearful that President Bush plans to shift more Medicaid costs to the states, the nation's governors are mounting a bipartisan lobbying effort to stave off new federal limits on the program. Medicaid, the nation's largest health insurance program, is costing the states and the federal government more than $300 billion a year. The growth of the program, which covers the poor and disabled, has outpaced state revenues, and Medicaid is now a larger component of total state spending than elementary and secondary education combined, according to the National Governors Association. Showing rare bipartisan unity, governors of...

Much of the Washington press corps was preoccupied last week with the White House economic proposals, which are about allowing people to keep more of their money. Meanwhile, the National Governors Association was across town hosting a separate gathering that focused on just the opposite. The NGA -- along with its buddies at the National Conference of State Legislatures, the National League of Counties, the National League of Cities and the U.S. Conference of Mayors -- desperately wants to tax Internet use. And they're hoping that Internet phone calls... will pave the way. You're forgiven if you thought this was...

U.S. intelligence agencies have obtained satellite photographs of truck convoys that were at several weapons sites in Iraq in the weeks before U.S. military operations were launched, defense officials said yesterday. The photographs indicate that Iraq was moving arms and equipment from its known weapons sites, said officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity. According to one official, the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, known as NGA, "documented the movement of long convoys of trucks from various areas around Baghdad to the Syrian border."

126th National Guard Association of the United States General ConferenceFor Immediate Release Las Vegas, NV - I’m honored to be here today at your 126th Convention.  I can’t tell you how proud I am to stand before you – and how grateful I am to have the opportunity to talk with you today. I came out here because I wanted to look you in the eye and say thank you.  Thank you for your service; thank you for caring; thank you for the sacrifices you and your families make for our country. I come from a state with a great...

I posted information about this counterprotest on ProtestWarrior.com, but also wanted to see if any FReepers would be interested in doing a counterprotest this Saturday, July 17, in Seattle. Liberals will be there to protest the National Governor's Association, but as we all know, they will be there to oppose the war with Iraq and support socialist causes. We need to stand up for President Bush and capitalism. Here is an excerpt from one of the posters that the liberal activist group, NGAaction (www.ngaaction.org), has created: Save our social programs-In the last several years, both state and federal funds have...

Governors will be able to call on at least 50 percent of their National Guard forces for homeland defense missions and other state emergencies because of a plan to realign Army and Air Guard units during the next few years, the chief of the National Guard Bureau promised in late February. "We will balance our forces, focusing on the right force mix and the right kinds of units with the right capabilities in every state and territory," vowed Lt. Gen. H. Steven Blum while addressing the National Governors Association's winter meeting here. The intent is to have no more than...

<p>WASHINGTON (AP) -- Governors beginning an annual meeting in the capital hope to find common ground on education, health care, roads and other policy issues caught up in the contentious politics of a presidential campaign. Some state leaders on Saturday described that mission as near impossible.</p>

Some members of the Conservative movement are calling for the dissolution of the National Governors Association because the governors are asking for more federal aid. The $20 billion bailout given last May, by any standard, is a great deal of money. A couple of weeks ago the Governors were back in Washington asking for more. That is certainly a problem, but dissolution is not necessarily the answer. The Feds are, in effect, telling governors across the country to "do as I say, not as I do." Just last week Arnold Schwarzenegger swooped into town saying, "I came basically to Washington...

Any college kid with too much credit-card debt might look longingly at state governments these days and wonder: How can I do that? The states are having a fiscal crisis without reducing spending.If the states face the worst fiscal emergency since World War II, as governors are wont to complain, they aren't acting like it. According to USA Today, state spending increased 6.3 percent in the fiscal year ending June 30, 2002. It increased another 5 percent in the fiscal year ending this month. During the past two years, states have added workers, hiring another 74,000 people at a time...

Governors May Back Bush Medicare Overhaul LAURA MECKLER Associated Press WASHINGTON - A task force of governors is recommending wholesale changes to Medicaid, giving states massive new power to remake the health insurance program for the poor and disabled. The National Governors Association plan, still in draft form, would endorse much of the controversial plan put forth by President Bush. That plan has attracted considerable opposition from Democrats and others who fear it would jeopardize basic benefits and protections for people in the program. Supporters say it would let states save money by creatively remaking their programs. And they argue...

WASHINGTON, Feb. 24 — President Bush tried to inject some optimism today into the collective gloom of the country's financially strapped governors. But he offered virtually no hope of any new injections of federal money. "We face common challenges," Mr. Bush said. "I look forward to working with you all to meet those challenges." Mr. Bush told the state leaders that his economic-stimulus plan would rejuvenate the economy, putting more money into the taxpayers' pockets and therefore more tax money into state coffers, which are being strained to the limits. "So this is the plan that I'm asking Congress to...

<p>A threatened exodus of Republican governors from the National Governors Association was slowed yesterday when the organization's executive committee managed to kill a resolution that would have opposed tax cuts favored by President Bush.</p> <p>The resolution would have put the nation's governors on record as saying the best stimulus to the economy would be more federal tax dollars for the states, rather than the tax cuts supported by Mr. Bush and most Republicans in Congress.</p>

>Press Release NGA Winter Meeting to Open with Dialogue on Preparing America's Children to Learn WASHINGTON - The nation's governors will open their Winter Meeting with a dialogue on the importance of early childhood education. "Preparing America's Children" will be the focus of the first half of the opening plenary session. The session will begin with Rob Reiner and Craig Ramey outlining the research and key issues relating to early childhood education; then governors will discuss the challenges and opportunities of policy design and implementation. Rob Reiner, perhaps best known as an Emmy-winning actor and film director, currently chairs the...

<p>WASHINGTON — Democrats said Saturday that the White House was taking unprecedented steps to limit conversation at Monday's scheduled policy discussion between governors and President Bush.</p> <p>With their states' economies in tatters, members of the National Governors Association -- who began their four-day winter meeting Saturday -- are hoping to win more federal aid to cover soaring costs for health care, homeland security and education.</p>

What does the Chairman of the National Governors Association have in common with Jimmy Swaggert? Y'all remember Jimmy Swaggert, don't you? He's the TV preacher who got caught fooling with a hooker in a motel and is most remembered for his "I have sinned" speech -- complete with plentiful crocodile tears -- on national television. The sitting Chairman of the National Governors Association recently got caught, too. Not with a hooker, of course. He was recently discovered to have had a two year tryst with a "constituent." Except, unlike Swaggert, this governor did not pay for sex with his own...