washingtonpost.com - Business

Washington,DC,Virginia,Maryland business headlines,stock portfolio,markets,economy,mutual funds,personal finance,Dow Jones,S&P 500,NASDAQ quotes,company research tools. Federal Reserve,Bernanke,Securities and Exchange Commission.

• U.S. Workforce Shrinks For 6th Straight Month
  Employers cut 62,000 jobs in June, marking the sixth consecutive month that the nation has shed jobs, according to a government report released yesterday, deepening concern that the struggling U.S. economy could turn worse before it gets better.

  

  


• Gay-Marriage Opponents To Boycott McDonald's
  A group that opposes same-sex marriage has called for a boycott of McDonald's, saying the fast-food giant has refused "to stay neutral in the cultural war over homosexuality."

  

  


• YouTube Ordered To Release User Data
  A federal judge in New York this week ordered the video-sharing site YouTube, the world's third-most-visited Web site, to release data on the viewing habits of its tens of millions of worldwide viewers.

  

  


• Altering the Economics of Civil Litigation
  No doubt they were throwing back double vodkas at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce last week following the Supreme Court's decision to cut the punitive damages in the Exxon Valdez oil spill to a week's worth of Exxon Mobil's profits.
  

  

  


• The Economy? Words Fail Me.
  Think you're worried about the economy? Phillip Swagel is a wreck.

  

  


• Gandhi Works on Image Control
  Natwar M. Gandhi calls himself an apolitical bean counter, but the D.C. government's chief financial officer begins his daily routine with a long-standing Washington rite: the power breakfast.

  

  


• How Lehman Brothers Veered Off Course
  If you want to see what's wrong with Lehman Brothers, the investment bank with a storied name but a troubled present, you need to leave the canyons of Wall Street and head to the flatlands of exurban Bakersfield, Calif., some 120 miles northeast of Los Angeles. That's where you find McAllister...

  

  


• Southwest, FAA Relationship Cited in Probe
  A cozy relationship between the Federal Aviation Administration and Southwest Airlines led to safety lapses last year that put thousands of passengers at risk, according to a government report released yesterday.
  

  

  


• Bush Officials Condoned Regional Iraqi Oil Deal
  Bush administration officials told Hunt Oil last summer that they did not object to its efforts to reach an oil deal with the Kurdish regional government in northern Iraq, even while the State Department was publicly expressing concern that such contracts could undermine a national Iraqi petroleu...

  

  


• Color of Money Book Club

  

  

washingtonpost.com - In Congress

Full coverage of Congress, including the House of Represenatives and the U.S. Senate. The Washington Post and washingtonpost.com provide analysis of Capitol Hill.

• Obama May Consider Slowing Iraq Withdrawal
  FARGO, N.D., July 3 -- Sen. Barack Obama raised the possibility of slowing a promised gradual, 16-month withdrawal from Iraq if he is elected president, saying that Thursday he will consult with military commanders on an upcoming trip to the region and "continue to refine" his proposals.

  

  


• All About Obama
  You may have blinked and missed it, but John McCain has been in Colombia and Mexico the last two days, not that the mainstream media much cares (at least compared to his latest staff shake-up).

  

  


• Colombians Briefed McCain Before Rescue
  CARTAGENA, Colombia, July 2 -- Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) spoke repeatedly Tuesday and early Wednesday about how he would work as president to free three American hostages held by leftist guerrillas in Colombia, but he declined to reveal one key fact: Colombian President �lvaro Uribe and his aides...

  

  


• Obama Calls for National Service
  COLORADO SPRINGS, July 2 -- Continuing to press the themes of values, faith and patriotism, Sen. Barack Obama exhorted Americans on Wednesday "to step into the strong currents of history" and volunteer for service to their country, pledging to dramatically expand opportunities for those accepting...
  

  

  


• Echoes of War
  It is, I suppose, the curse of the baby boomers: Every presidential campaign is ultimately about Vietnam.

  

  


• Obama Got Discount on Home Loan
  Shortly after joining the U.S. Senate and while enjoying a surge in income, Barack Obama bought a $1.65 million restored Georgian mansion in an upscale Chicago neighborhood. To finance the purchase, he secured a $1.32 million loan from Northern Trust in Illinois.

  

  


• Obama Fiercely Defends His Patriotism
  INDEPENDENCE, Mo., June 30 -- Dogged by persistent rumors questioning his belief in country, Sen. Barack Obama journeyed to Middle America on Monday to lay out his vision of patriotism, conceding that he has learned in this presidential campaign that "the question of who is -- or is not -- a patriot...

  

  


• Senators Fault Pentagon On Bases' Toxic Cleanup
  Five Senate Democrats wrote to Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates yesterday, chastising the Pentagon for resisting orders from the Environmental Protection Agency to clean up three contaminated military bases in their states.
  

  

  


• Pentagon Fights EPA On Pollution Cleanup
  The Defense Department, the nation's biggest polluter, is resisting orders from the Environmental Protection Agency to clean up Fort Meade and two other military bases where the EPA says dumped chemicals pose "imminent and substantial" dangers to public health and the environment.

  

  


• U.S. Is Said to Expand Covert Operations in Iran
  The Bush administration told Congress last year of a secret plan to dramatically expand covert operations inside Iran as part of a long-running effort to destabilize the country's ruling regime, according to a report published yesterday.

  

  

washingtonpost.com - Elections

Complete coverage of the 2006 midterm elections, congressional campaigns and governors races. Political news and analysis from The Washington Post and washingtonpost.com.

• Obama May Consider Slowing Iraq Withdrawal
  FARGO, N.D., July 3 -- Sen. Barack Obama raised the possibility of slowing a promised gradual, 16-month withdrawal from Iraq if he is elected president, saying that Thursday he will consult with military commanders on an upcoming trip to the region and "continue to refine" his proposals.

  

  

  


• Latin America Policy at a Crossroads
  MEXICO CITY, July 3 -- Sen. John McCain's trip to Colombia and Mexico this week made one thing clear: The shape of the United States' relationship with Latin America will hinge on the outcome of the 2008 election.

  

  

  


• Obama Defends Compromise on New FISA Bill
  Presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama responded yesterday to supporters dismayed by his support for a compromise version of the Foreign Intelligence Suveillance Act (FISA).

  

  

  


• Colombians Briefed McCain Before Rescue
  CARTAGENA, Colombia, July 2 -- Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) spoke repeatedly Tuesday and early Wednesday about how he would work as president to free three American hostages held by leftist guerrillas in Colombia, but he declined to reveal one key fact: Colombian President �lvaro Uribe and his aides...
  

  

  

  


• Obama Calls for National Service
  COLORADO SPRINGS, July 2 -- Continuing to press the themes of values, faith and patriotism, Sen. Barack Obama exhorted Americans on Wednesday "to step into the strong currents of history" and volunteer for service to their country, pledging to dramatically expand opportunities for those accepting...

  

  

  


• McCain Puts New Strategist Atop Campaign
  Facing growing dissatisfaction both inside and outside his campaign, Sen. John McCain ordered a shake-up of his team yesterday, reducing the role of campaign manager Rick Davis and vesting political adviser Steve Schmidt with "full operational control" of his bid for the presidency.

  

  

  


• Obama Fiercely Defends His Patriotism
  INDEPENDENCE, Mo., June 30 -- Dogged by persistent rumors questioning his belief in country, Sen. Barack Obama journeyed to Middle America on Monday to lay out his vision of patriotism, conceding that he has learned in this presidential campaign that "the question of who is -- or is not -- a patriot...

  

  

  


• GOP Sharpens Attacks on Obama
  CLEVELAND -- Sen. John McCain's allies have seized on a new and aggressive line of attack against Sen. Barack Obama, casting the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee as an opportunistic and self-obsessed politician who will do and say anything to get elected.
  

  

  

  


• In Flag City USA, False Obama Rumors Are Flying
  FINDLAY, Ohio -- On his corner of College Street, Jim Peterman stares at the four American flags planted in his front lawn and rubs his forehead. Peterman, 74, is a retired worker at Cooper Tire, a father of two, an Air Force veteran and a self-described patriot. He took one trip to Washington in...

  

  

  


• A New Political Geography
  When Sen. Barack Obama chose the Nissan Pavilion in the outer suburbs of Northern Virginia to kick off his general-election campaign, one of the 10,000 supporters there was David Bruzas, who recently moved to the fastest-growing part of a state that is moving rapidly away from its Republican past.

  

  

  

washingtonpost.com - Bush Administration

Full coverage of the White House and Bush administration from The Washington Post and washingtonpost.com, including a guide to the members of President George W. Bush's Cabinet.

• Debate Over Guantanamo's Fate Intensifies
  The Bush administration is developing a long-range plan to empty the Guantanamo Bay military prison that could include asking Congress to spell out procedures for scores of suspected terrorists whom the government does not plan to bring to trial, administration officials and others familiar with ...

  

  


• Latin America Policy at a Crossroads
  MEXICO CITY, July 3 -- Sen. John McCain's trip to Colombia and Mexico this week made one thing clear: The shape of the United States' relationship with Latin America will hinge on the outcome of the 2008 election.

  

  


• Bush Makes Final Push for Global Climate Deal
  In his final months in office, President Bush is mounting a last-ditch effort to forge a new global deal to limit greenhouse-gas emissions but finds himself once again at odds with much of the rest of the world on how to address climate change.

  

  


• U.S. Is Said to Expand Covert Operations in Iran
  The Bush administration told Congress last year of a secret plan to dramatically expand covert operations inside Iran as part of a long-running effort to destabilize the country's ruling regime, according to a report published yesterday.
  

  

  


• Medicare Pricing Frozen As Congress Leaves Town
  With congressional leaders engaged in heated brinkmanship, the Bush administration yesterday gave a reprieve to thousands of doctors expecting to get hit Tuesday with a 10.6 percent cut in Medicare payments.

  

  


• In Campaign, One Man's Pragmatism Is Another's Flip-Flopping
  Last February, in the heat of the Democratic primary campaign, Sen. Barack Obama proclaimed himself "proud to stand" with Sens. Christopher J. Dodd, Russell Feingold and "a grass-roots movement of Americans" in opposition to President Bush's demand to offer telecommunications companies legal amnesty...

  

  


• Bush Policy Authors Defend Their Actions
  Two key architects of the Bush administration's controversial interrogation policies defended their legal positions yesterday, sparring with House Democrats over whether discredited Justice Department opinions led to mistreatment of military and CIA detainees.

  

  


• Senate Debates Rewrite of '78 Law That Created Secret Intelligence Court
  The Senate, clearing a key parliamentary hurdle, yesterday voted to begin debating a broad revision of U.S. intelligence laws that includes a controversial plan to grant immunity to telecommunications companies that assisted in the Bush administration's warrantless wiretapping program.
  

  

  


• McCain Adviser May Have Struck a Nerve
  Sen. Barack Obama and his surrogates continued to criticize Charles R. Black Jr., a top adviser to Sen. John McCain, on Tuesday for saying a terrorist attack before the November election would help the presumptive Republican nominee. But behind their protests lay a question that has dogged Democrats...

  

  


• High Court to Review Naval Sonar Dispute
  The Supreme Court agreed yesterday to the Bush administration's request that it review a dispute between environmentalists and the Navy about whether training exercises off the Southern California coast endanger whales, dolphins and other marine mammals.

  

  

washingtonpost.com - In The Loop

Latest news on the US federal government. Information and analysis of federal legislation, government contracts and regulations. Search for government job openings, career information and federal employee benefits news.

• Influential White House Staff Member Quits Job
  Joe Hagin, the little known but influential White House staffer who supervised the renovation of the Situation Room and planned President Bush's secret trips to Iraq, surprised colleagues yesterday with his resignation.

  

  


• Where Will Fredo Pop Up Next?
  First he popped up at Friday night's baseball game between the Nats and the O's. Next thing you know, he's in the Los Angeles Times on Wednesday as an op-ed columnist.

  

  


• Leahy's Hat Trick as a Batman Cameo
  Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) is used to dealing with real men in black as he oversees the federal judiciary. But since childhood, the Senate Judiciary Committee chairman also has been fanatic about the fictitious black-caped crusader who metes out his own brand of vigilante justice.

  

  


• I Feel Pretty and Witty and . . . What?
  Having an "auto-replace" filter seemed like a good notion at the time to folks at the conservative American Family Association's OneNewsNow.com Web site. There were certain words that would pop up from time to time in the Associated Press stories that moved onto the site that were a bit salacious...
  

  

  


• The Cold Calls Behind Those Personal Letters to Congress
  In the past five years, 44 percent of Americans -- about 100 million people -- have contacted their elected representatives in Washington. Most of them did so at the prompting of a third party -- often a lobbying group -- according to surveys done for the Congressional Management Foundation.

  

  


• Blast Kills 8 in Northwest Pakistan
  ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, June 30 -- A powerful explosion ripped through a compound used by an armed Islamist group in Pakistan's volatile tribal areas Monday, killing eight people, as the country's paramilitary forces pushed forward with their offensive against insurgents.

  

  


• Compassionate Conservatism 2.0
  "Compassionate conservatism" is back. President Bush focused attention on that signature phrase last week at a national conference for federal faith-based programs -- among his first, and still most controversial, policy initiatives.

  

  


• Counternarcotics Effort In West Africa Widens Pentagon's Purview
  The Pentagon is stepping up its counternarcotics programs in West Africa, in what can be considered the Defense Department's continuing expansion into the traditional territory of a civilian agency.
  

  

  


• Desert Sand in Iraq, Sandbags in Iowa, and . . .
  Thousands of National Guard troops are fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan. Others have been rushed to the flood-ravaged Midwest.

  

  


• DHS Lags in Preparations for Transition of Power, Study Says
  The Department of Homeland Security is moving too slowly to prepare for the risks that will accompany the first presidential transition for U.S. counterterrorism agencies formed after the 2001 terrorist attacks, according to a study scheduled for release today.

  

  

washingtonpost.com - A Section

• Obama May Consider Slowing Iraq Withdrawal
  FARGO, N.D., July 3 -- Sen. Barack Obama raised the possibility of slowing a promised gradual, 16-month withdrawal from Iraq if he is elected president, saying that Thursday he will consult with military commanders on an upcoming trip to the region and "continue to refine" his proposals.


• Celebrity Passport Records Popular
  Government workers repeatedly snooped without authorization inside the electronic passport records of entertainers, athletes and other high-profile Americans, a State Department audit has found. One celebrity's records were breached 356 times by more than six dozen people.


• Debate Over Guantanamo's Fate Intensifies
  The Bush administration is developing a long-range plan to empty the Guantanamo Bay military prison that could include asking Congress to spell out procedures for scores of suspected terrorists whom the government does not plan to bring to trial, administration officials and others familiar with...


• Some Seek Guidelines to Reflect Vitamin D's Benefits
  A flurry of recent research indicating that Vitamin D may have a dizzying array of health benefits has reignited an intense debate over whether federal guidelines for the "sunshine vitamin" are outdated, leaving millions unnecessarily vulnerable to cancer, heart disease, diabetes and other ailments.
  


• Gandhi Works on Image Control
  Natwar M. Gandhi calls himself an apolitical bean counter, but the D.C. government's chief financial officer begins his daily routine with a long-standing Washington rite: the power breakfast.


• Peacekeepers in Darfur Hobbled by Need
  EL FASHER, Sudan -- Nearly a year after its creation, a joint U.N.-African Union peacekeeping mission to Darfur is struggling, with fewer than half the soldiers promised, broken-down equipment, government obstacles, and what commanders say are the unrealistically high expectations of a world that...


• Bush Opens New Chapter for Hospital
  President Bush broke ground on a $1 billion expansion of the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda yesterday, a project that will elevate the campus into what federal officials say will be the nation's premier military medical site and a destination for wounded service members returning from...


• CORRECTIONS
  · A July 2 Food column incorrectly said that winemakers Gray Hartley and Frank Ostini were having difficulty obtaining the Hartley Ostini Hitching Post Highliner Pinot Noir after the movie "Sideways" made it popular. It was Vermont Restaurant owners Michael Gelzhiser and Manuel Mesta who were having...
  


• High-Profile Snooping
  State Department investigators checked the passport files of 150 high-profile Americans to determine how many times they had been accessed between September 2002 and March 2008. The study found that the records of 127 people, or 85 percent, had been accessed at least once. One person's files had...


• The Nation
  Patrick Waller, at left in photo, was overjoyed yesterday as he and John Stickels, Innocence Project of Texas board member, learned that Waller's kidnapping and robbery conviction had been overturned in a Dallas court. Waller had been jailed since 1992 and was proved innocent by DNA testing last...

washingtonpost.com - Homeland Security

• Morale at Homeland Security Still Shaky After Five Years
  Most employees at the Department of Homeland Security like their work, believe it is important and cooperate with others to get the job done. That, no doubt, is a great comfort to the department's senior leaders.

  

  


• Bush Fills Key Posts In Homeland Security
  President Bush yesterday tapped veteran prosecutor Kenneth L. Wainstein to serve as his White House homeland security adviser as he moved to name another key counterterrorism official and defuse criticism that he has left important positions unfilled.

  

  


• Homeland Security's Struggle
  The Department of Homeland Security celebrates its fifth birthday this week, and hopefully not with a bang. This has to be the only agency in government whose biggest achievement is when nothing happens.

  

  


• Homeland Security Chief To Lose Job In Overhaul
  Homeland security chief Gordon Aoyagi is planning to end his 23-year career with the county in the spring. Aoyagi's plans were inadvertently disclosed at County Executive Isiah Leggett's news conference last week to flesh out his reorganization of government departments and agencies.
  

  

  


• Homeland Security Prepares for Its First Transition
  The handoff to the next administration is a year off, but Paul. A. Schneider, the acting deputy secretary of Homeland Security, is making plans and keeping track of key lieutenants with a color-coded chart.

  

  


• Funds Cut for Homeland Security Headquarters
  Congress has eliminated hundreds of millions of dollars requested by President Bush for 2008 to start building a giant headquarters for the Department of Homeland Security in the District, officials said yesterday.

  

  


• Homeland Security Adviser Townsend Leaving White House
  President Bush's chief terrorism adviser announced yesterday that she is stepping down early next year, the latest in a series of high-level exits from the White House as the Bush presidency heads toward its final year.

  

  


• ICx Technologies Debuts on Stock Market
  ICx Technologies, an Arlington homeland security company with a slate of former government officials serving as board members and top executives, went public yesterday, raising $80 million.
  

  

  


• Homeland Security Retreats From Facets of 'Real ID'
  The Bush administration is easing its demand for tough national standards for driver's licenses, acting at the behest of state officials who say the "Real ID" plan is unworkable and too costly, officials familiar with the new policy said.

  

  


• N.Y. Will Offer Secure Driver's Licenses to Citizens
  The Bush administration and New York announced an agreement yesterday to create a generation of super-secure driver's licenses for U.S. citizens, but also to allow illegal immigrants to get a version.

  

  

washingtonpost.com - National News and Headlines

Get Washington DC,Virginia,Maryland and national news. Get the latest/breaking news,featuring national security,science and courts. Read news headlines from the nation and from The Washington Post. Visit www.washingtonpost.com/nation today.

• Celebrity Passport Records Popular
  Government workers repeatedly snooped without authorization inside the electronic passport records of entertainers, athletes and other high-profile Americans, a State Department audit has found. One celebrity's records were breached 356 times by more than six dozen people.

  

  


• Debate Over Guantanamo's Fate Intensifies
  The Bush administration is developing a long-range plan to empty the Guantanamo Bay military prison that could include asking Congress to spell out procedures for scores of suspected terrorists who the government does not plan to bring to trial, administration officials and others familiar with...

  

  


• Influential White House Staff Member Quits Job
  Joe Hagin, the little known but influential White House staffer who supervised the renovation of the Situation Room and planned President Bush's secret trips to Iraq, surprised colleagues yesterday with his resignation.

  

  


• U.S. Workforce Shrinks For 6th Straight Month
  Employers cut 62,000 jobs in June, marking the sixth consecutive month that the nation has shed jobs, according to a government report released yesterday, deepening concern that the struggling U.S. economy could turn worse before it gets better.
  

  

  


• 15 Hostages Rescued in Colombia
  Colombia's military yesterday rescued the most prominent of several hundred hostages held by Marxist rebels, a group of 15 that included the French-Colombian politician Ingrid Betancourt and three American Defense Department contractors who had been imprisoned in remote jungle camps since 2003.

  

  


• San Francisco to Halt 'Sanctuary' Policy
  LOS ANGELES, July 2 -- San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom announced Wednesday that the city would begin handing over for deportation juvenile illegal immigrants with drug convictions, reversing a controversial policy of flying the youths back to their home countries at the city's expense.

  

  


• A Shortage Of Troops in Afghanistan
  The nation's top military officer said yesterday that more U.S. troops are needed in Afghanistan to tamp down an increasingly violent insurgency, but that the Pentagon does not have sufficient forces to send because they are committed to the war in Iraq.

  

  


• Lawsuit Leads to Release of Immigrant
  A South Korean immigrant who was repeatedly denied timely medical care while in the immigration detention system was released from an Arizona jail yesterday.
  

  

  


• Toxicity in FEMA Trailers Blamed on Cheap Materials, Low Construction Standards
  High levels of formaldehyde found in trailers provided to Hurricane Katrina evacuees on the Gulf Coast probably resulted from cheap wood and poor ventilation in designs used by manufacturers under permissive government standards, federal scientists reported yesterday.

  

  


• Not So Quiet on the Third Front
  At this rate, the October Surprise won't be very surprising.

  

  

washingtonpost.com - National Security, Pentagon and Defense Department News

News about the U.S. military from The Washington Post and washingtonpost.com. Full coverage of defense budgets,Army,Navy,Air Force,Marines and the Pentagon.

• Air Force Finds Lax Nuclear Security
  Most overseas storage sites for U.S. nuclear weapons, particularly in Europe, need substantial improvements in physical security measures and the personnel who guard the weapons, according to a newly available Air Force report.

  

  


• Ex-Agent Says CIA Ignored Iran Facts
  A former CIA operative who says he tried to warn the agency about faulty intelligence on Iraqi weapons programs now contends that CIA officials also ignored evidence that Iran had suspended work on a nuclear bomb.

  

  


• Charges Are Filed In Cole Bombing
  U.S. military prosecutors yesterday charged a detainee at the Guantanamo Bay prison with murder and other crimes for allegedly planning the October 2000 attack on the USS Cole warship, a bombing that killed 17 U.S. service members and injured nearly 50 others.

  

  


• Guantanamo Detainee to File Habeas Petition
  Mohammed Sulaymon Barre fled his native Somalia as civil war raged in the early 1990s, receiving U.N. refugee status and landing in Pakistan, where he settled his family and worked for a financial services company. In a nighttime raid in November 2001, Pakistani authorities arrested Barre, holding...
  

  

  


• DHS Lags in Preparations for Transition of Power, Study Says
  The Department of Homeland Security is moving too slowly to prepare for the risks that will accompany the first presidential transition for U.S. counterterrorism agencies formed after the 2001 terrorist attacks, according to a study scheduled for release today.

  

  


• High Court to Review Naval Sonar Dispute
  The Supreme Court agreed yesterday to the Bush administration's request that it review a dispute between environmentalists and the Navy about whether training exercises off the Southern California coast endanger whales, dolphins and other marine mammals.

  

  


• House Passes Spy Bill; Senate Expected to Follow
  The House, in an overwhelming bipartisan vote, yesterday approved a sweeping new surveillance law that extends the government's eavesdropping capability and effectively would shield telecommunications companies from lawsuits for cooperating with the Bush administration's warrantless wiretapping...

  

  


• Candidates Clash on Terrorism
  TAYLOR, Mich., June 17 -- The campaigns of Sens. John McCain and Barack Obama on Tuesday engaged in a heated exchange over the rights of terrorism suspects, with each side accusing the other of embracing a policy that would put the country at risk of more attacks in the future.
  

  

  


• Report Questions Pentagon Accounts
  A Senate investigation has concluded that top Pentagon officials began assembling lists of harsh interrogation techniques in the summer of 2002 for use on detainees at Guantanamo Bay and that those officials later cited memos from field commanders to suggest that the proposals originated far down...

  

  


• Parties Do Battle Over U.S. Forces' Future in Iraq
  Congressional Democrats yesterday opened fire on comments from Republicans -- including presumptive GOP nominee John McCain -- that equate the U.S. military's future in Iraq to the presence of U.S. bases in Germany, Japan and South Korea.

  

  

washingtonpost.com - Politics

Follow 2008 Elections & Campaigns at washingtonpost.com.

• McCain Puts New Strategist Atop Campaign
  Facing growing dissatisfaction both inside and outside his campaign, Sen. John McCain ordered a shake-up of his team yesterday, reducing the role of campaign manager Rick Davis and vesting political adviser Steve Schmidt with "full operational control" of his bid for the presidency.

  

  


• Obama Calls for National Service
  COLORADO SPRINGS, July 2 -- Continuing to press the themes of values, faith and patriotism, Sen. Barack Obama exhorted Americans on Wednesday "to step into the strong currents of history" and volunteer for service to their country, pledging to dramatically expand opportunities for those accepting...

  

  


• Colombians Briefed McCain Before Rescue
  CARTAGENA, Colombia, July 2 -- Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) spoke repeatedly Tuesday and early Wednesday about how he would work as president to free three American hostages held by leftist guerrillas in Colombia, but he declined to reveal one key fact: Colombian President �lvaro Uribe and his aides...

  

  


• The Trail
  Barack Obama does not support a proposed California constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage in the state, he announced in a letter sent to the Alice B. Toklas LGBT Democratic Club of San Francisco this week. "I oppose the divisive and discriminatory efforts to amend the California...
  

  

  


• Bush Makes Final Push for Global Climate Deal
  In his final months in office, President Bush is mounting a last-ditch effort to forge a new global deal to limit greenhouse-gas emissions but finds himself once again at odds with much of the rest of the world on how to address climate change.

  

  


• Echoes of War
  It is, I suppose, the curse of the baby boomers: Every presidential campaign is ultimately about Vietnam.

  

  


• Bush Addresses Focus Of Final G8 Summit
  BUSH: Good morning. Next week I'm going to travel to Japan for the eighth and final G-8 summit of my presidency. In recent summits, G-8 countries have made pledges to help developing nations address challenges from health care to education to corruption. Now, we need to show the world that the G...

  

  


• A Backlog Of Cases Alleging Fraud
  More than 900 cases alleging that government contractors and drugmakers have defrauded taxpayers out of billions of dollars are languishing in a backlog that has built up over the past decade because the Justice Department cannot keep pace with the surge in charges brought by whistle-blowers,...
  

  

  


• Obama Got Discount on Home Loan
  Shortly after joining the U.S. Senate and while enjoying a surge in income, Barack Obama bought a $1.65 million restored Georgian mansion in an upscale Chicago neighborhood. To finance the purchase, he secured a $1.32 million loan from Northern Trust in Illinois.

  

  


• Obama Proposes Expanding Faith-Based Program
  ZANESVILLE, Ohio, July 1 -- Sen. Barack Obama, seeking to reach out to religious voters, proposed strengthening the White House program assisting faith-based social service organization Tuesday, while insisting that those groups not discriminate against aid recipients or aid workers.

  

  

washingtonpost.com - Technology

Stay updated on the latest technology news. Find profiles on different sectors of the tech industry. Learn about new developments in tech policy. Read technology reviews for PCs,laptops,cell phones,and other new gadgets.

• YouTube Ordered To Release User Data
  A federal judge in New York this week ordered the video-sharing site YouTube, the world's third-most-visited Web site, to release data on the viewing habits of its tens of millions of worldwide viewers.

  

  


• It Only Looks Like an iPhone
  So many people are lining up to buy a new touch-screen wireless phone that the carrier selling it can't keep up with demand.

  

  


• The Google Ogle Defense: A Search for America's Psyche
  Question: Do you think your Google habits -- your random, untethered wisps of thoughts manifested as search terms like "unexplained hives" and "Kate Beckinsale single?" -- can be bundled together to paint an accurate representation of your morality?

  

  


• With $100 Million Influx, MiddleBrook CEO Is Out
  Edward M. Rudnic, MiddleBrook Pharmaceuticals's chief executive, plans to leave the company he founded in exchange for an outside investment of $100 million.
  

  

  


• Groups Sue U.S. for Data On Tracking By Cellphone
  Two civil liberties groups filed a lawsuit against the U.S. government yesterday, seeking records related to the government's use of cellphones as tracking devices.

  

  


• New iPhone Can Decouple From AT&T, for a Price
  Apple's popular iPhone can be yours, no contract required. But there's a catch -- and a pricey one at that.

  

  


• Google Ad Deal Is Under Scrutiny
  The Justice Department has opened a formal antitrust investigation into a deal struck last month that would allow Internet titan Google to provide some search advertising for Yahoo, according to sources familiar with the inquiry.

  

  


• Va. Program Aims to Streamline College Applications
  Virginia students applying to college might soon be able to submit transcripts electronically, saving school systems printing and postage costs and decreasing the chances that valuable paperwork will get lost in the mail.
  

  

  


• Merger Holds Big Cost Savings, Sirius Says
  A merger between the nation's sole satellite radio providers is still awaiting federal approval, but the companies have already begun touting how much money will be saved -- and how much will be made -- once they are combined.

  

  


• Data Breaches Are Up 69% This Year, Nonprofit Says
  Businesses, governments and universities reported a 69 percent increase in data breaches in the first half of 2008 compared with a similar period in 2007, according to a study by a nonprofit group that works to prevent fraud.

  

  

washingtonpost.com - Today's Highlights

• State Dept. Audit Finds Passport Spying Popular
  Government workers repeatedly snooped without authorization inside digital records of athletes, entertainers and other high-profile Americans.

  

  


• Latin America Policy at Juncture
  Shape of U.S. relationship with Latin America will hinge on the outcome of the presidential election.

  

  


• The Economy? Words Fail Me.
  Sketch | The loss of 62,000 jobs last month is a hopeless spin assignment, but someone had to try.

  

  


• Fate of Guantanamo Debated
  At issue are prisoners deemed too dangerous to release, but unlikely to face military commissions.

  

  


• Advocates Seek Vitamin D Boost
  Flurry of recent research indicating vitamin's benefits reignites debate over federal guidelines.

  

  

washingtonpost.com - World

World news headlines from the Washington Post,including international news and opinion from Africa,North/South America,Asia,Europe and Middle East. Features include world weather,news in Spanish,interactive maps,daily Yomiuri and Iraq coverage.

• Peacekeepers in Darfur Hobbled by Need
  EL FASHER, Sudan -- Nearly a year after its creation, a joint U.N.-African Union peacekeeping mission to Darfur is struggling, with fewer than half the soldiers promised, broken-down equipment, government obstacles, and what commanders say are the unrealistically high expectations of a world that...

  

  


• Hostages Freed in Colombia Are Reunited With Families
  BOGOTA, Colombia, July 3 -- On their first full day of freedom, the hostages rescued from guerrilla captivity in Colombia were reunited with relatives, as new details emerged Thursday about their captors and the conditions under which they were held.

  

  


• Obama May Consider Slowing Iraq Withdrawal
  FARGO, N.D., July 3 -- Sen. Barack Obama raised the possibility of slowing a promised gradual, 16-month withdrawal from Iraq if he is elected president, saying that Thursday he will consult with military commanders on an upcoming trip to the region and "continue to refine" his proposals.

  

  


• Latin America Policy at a Crossroads
  MEXICO CITY, July 3 -- Sen. John McCain's trip to Colombia and Mexico this week made one thing clear: The shape of the United States' relationship with Latin America will hinge on the outcome of the 2008 election.
  

  

  


• Rise of Awakening Groups Sets Off A Struggle for Power Among Sunnis
  RAMADI, Iraq -- After inspecting a prison, police chief Tariq Yousef al-Asaal returned to his spacious office, where U.S. military officers and Iraq's power brokers have sought his advice. A week earlier, the governing council, the ruling body here in this dust-swept capital of Anbar province, had...

  

  


• Zooming Around the Alps In a Homemade Wing Suit
  CRANS-PRES-CELIGNY, Switzerland -- Look! Up in the sky! It's a bird! It's a plane! It's . . . Fusion Man!

  

  


• Motives in Earthmover Rampage Debated in Jerusalem
  JERUSALEM, July 3 -- Jean Relevy, a handyman with an intense curiosity about the world, lived for many things: the challenge of wiring a concert hall, the chance to banter over biology and chemistry with friends, the grandchild he planned to welcome this summer.

  

  


• Former Driver for Bin Laden Seeks Delay in Military Trial
  Lawyers representing Osama bin Laden's former driver asked a federal judge yesterday to halt his fast-approaching military trial so they may have time to continue challenging the legality of the military commission system.
  

  

  


• Tibet Talks Conclude With Little Progress
  BEIJING, July 3 -- Envoys for the Dalai Lama ended more than two days of talks with Chinese government officials Thursday with no immediate reports of substantive progress on easing tensions in Tibet, something the United States and other foreign governments had pushed for.

  

  


• 200 Fearful Mugabe Foes Seek Refuge at U.S. Embassy
  JOHANNESBURG, South Africa -- Some 200 opposition supporters crowded outside the U.S. Embassy in Zimbabwe on Thursday, appealing for protection amid new reports of violence aimed at dissenters against the heavy-handed rule of President Robert Mugabe.