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Army Scraps $600,000 Toad Art Project
Tweet Share on Facebook April 20, 2011 Comment (88)The Army, under public and congressional attack for a $600,000 plan to dress up a bus depot at a new military facility near Washington with three pieces of art, such as a 10 foot-tall fairy riding a gurgling toad, has scrapped the project. Instead, it will go with a simple plan to “enhance the aesthetics” of a concrete wall at the new Mark Center in Alexandria, Va. [See a gallery of monuments and art around Washington.]
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Trump-Newsmax Conspiracy Is Real
Tweet Share on Facebook April 19, 2011 Comment (499)Donald Trump is riding high in conservative Republican circles, thanks in part to the wall-to-wall coverage center-right Newsmax, the national magazine and heavily-trafficked website, is giving to his upstart and popular presidential candidacy.
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Texas Gov. Rick Perry Raises Money for Vietnam War Project
Tweet Share on Facebook April 19, 2011 CommentTexas is well known for big hats, big appetites, and big ranches. And when it comes to the Washington project to fund a Vietnam War education center adjacent to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, their checks are big too. Jan Scruggs, founder of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund, which is overseeing the new project, says Texas Gov. Rick Perry is hosting a fundraiser for the center. “Texans are real patriots,” he says. Groundbreaking is set for next year. Of the $85 million needed, a third has already been raised, including a $3.3 million donation announced last month by Australia’s prime minister, Julia Gillard. Her country lost 521 troops in the war.
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CBS’s Lara Logan Not Defined by Assault in Egypt
Tweet Share on Facebook April 19, 2011 Comment (22)It’s been nine weeks since daring CBS reporter Lara Logan was sexually assaulted while covering protests in Egypt’s Tahrir Square for a 60 Minutes story. While little has been heard from Logan during her recovery at home in Washington, her office is sending out thank-you cards to well-wishers. They include a photo of Logan smiling in combat and this note: “The wonderful letters, and kind words of love and support, have carried me through this traumatic time. I can’t tell you how much it has meant to me and how grateful I am. This will not define me. My best work is yet to come! With love, Lara.” [See photos of the Egyptian uprising.]
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Chris Wallace Celebrates Fox Show's 15th Year
Tweet Share on Facebook April 18, 2011 Comment (15)Chris Wallace's Fox News Sunday, regularly in the hunt for the ratings prize, turns 15 on April 28—on the air longer than the Fox News Channel itself. "This is the best job," says Wallace, who took over from the late Tony Snow in 2003.
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RNC’s Reince Priebus Takes on Obama
Tweet Share on Facebook April 18, 2011 CommentWhen you’re from Wisconsin, nearly everything is viewed through a green and yellow Green Bay Packers prism. Even for new Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus, of Kenosha, who replaced Michael Steele. When he arrived at RNC headquarters in January, it was kind of like what fabled Packers Coach Vince Lombardi saw upon taking the reins in 1959: a dispirited organization on the verge of financial collapse. In just his first week, Priebus nearly missed payroll because he had under $400,000 in the bank, less than needed. So like Lombardi, who reacted to his first championship game loss by vowing “this will never happen again,” the 39-year-old former Wisconsin GOP boss took action. He hired some Republican “big dogs” to help re-energize the RNC, laid out ambitious fundraising goals, and gave orders to cut programs that didn’t have the common goal of defeating President Obama in 2012. He even asked his troops to sacrifice, refusing to turn the air conditioning on until April 18. [Read 10 things you didn't know about Reince Priebus.]
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Zogby: Obama Recovers, Readies for Re-election
Tweet Share on Facebook April 15, 2011 Comment (3)Pollster John Zogby updates our weekly Obama Report Card with a grade on the president's performance. Zogby uses his polling, expert analysis, and interaction with major players to come up with a grade and some comments that capture how he sees the president's week ending.
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Top 5 Goals of the Tea Party Express
Tweet Share on Facebook April 14, 2011 Comment (8)When the budget battles started heating up, so did the pressure from the various Tea Party factions, none louder than the Tea Party Express. Its leader, Amy Kremer, came to town to urge Congress to stick to the promise to cut spending. And in interviews she laid out other goals of her growing group. Below are the organization's top five goals for the next election:
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Secret Service Says President’s Park Needs Makeover
Tweet Share on Facebook April 14, 2011 Comment (4)9/11 was a long time ago, but the entrances to many federal buildings are still cluttered with ugly, rust-stained concrete blockades, chain-link fencing, and canine cop cars. The worst example may be the South Lawn side of the White House. That area includes President’s Park (site of the National Christmas Tree), which was closed to cars after the terrorist attack. “It looks terrible,” says a U.S. Secret Service spokesman. Now the Secret Service and the National Park Service plan to dress the area up. They recently began soliciting design ideas to preserve the iconic nature of the park and present the needed security facilities and protective measures in a pleasing way. But there are no plans to expand the security perimeter around the White House.
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Air Force Eyeing New Weapons to Take On Terrorist Groups
Tweet Share on Facebook April 14, 2011 CommentIt’s been on the drawing board for years, but now the Air Force is seeking plans to test a new long-range strike weapon that could launch from the United States and hit targets in Afghanistan and other hot spots. Some think a new missile, be it land-based, launched from a sub or even a space aircraft, is critical in fighting multiple bad guys all at once. The idea is that many weapons could be launched at multiple targets—a key factor, says the Pentagon, as more mobile terrorist groups look to attack the United States.
