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The CNN Washington Bureau’s morning speed read of the top stories making news from around the country and the world

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NY Daily News: Rudy Giuliani will very likely seek U.S. Senate seat, and if elected maybe 2012 White House: source
Former Mayor Rudy Giuliani has decided against running for governor, but is strongly considering running for U.S. Senate instead, sources told the Daily News.

McClatchy: Senate girds for Saturday vote and long battle on health care
The Senate Thursday began what promises to be a bitter, lengthy battle over the future of health care in America, and taxes, abortion, affordability and federal deficits emerged as key flashpoints. Senate Democratic leaders expect the first test vote on their new $848 billion, 2,074-page health care overhaul bill will come on Saturday evening.

Washington Post: GAO warns stimulus jobs data could contain inaccuracies
Government auditors raised doubts Thursday about the number of jobs created or saved by the economic stimulus program, but they also said that mistakes reported in recent weeks signal the benefits of government transparency.

Foreign Policy: White House: No Afghanistan announcement until after Thanksgiving
The Obama administration won't announce its new comprehensive strategy for Afghanistan and Pakistan until after Thanksgiving, a White House official confirms to The Cable, and observers and experts close to the discussions see it as the White House's attempt to stage a full and controlled rollout over the week beginning November 30.

New York Times: Clinton Emerges as Key Link to Afghan Leader
It is far from clear that President Obama can depend on President Hamid Karzai to bring order to this violent country, but it is becoming clear that he will depend on Hillary Rodham Clinton to be his go-between in dealing with the mercurial Afghan leader.

USA Today: Senate panel notes 'red flags galore' in Fort Hood incident
Military and FBI officials appeared to miss numerous warning signs in the months leading up to the Nov. 5 killings of 13 people at Fort Hood in Texas, lawmakers said Thursday in the first congressional hearing into the incident.

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CNN: Senate leader unveils $849 billion health care bill
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid unveiled a sweeping health care bill Wednesday that would expand health insurance coverage to 30 million more Americans at an estimated cost of $849 billion over 10 years.

CNNMoney: 1 million jobless face benefits loss in January
One million people could lose unemployment benefits in January if Congress doesn't extend federal aid, according to a report released Wednesday. The report is likely to turn up pressure on lawmakers and the president, who earlier this month enacted a record-long extension of federally paid benefits. But the law only helps those who exhaust their lifelines by year's end.

New York Times: Obama Demands Results From Afghan Reforms
President Obama sent his top diplomat to Afghanistan on Wednesday to press President Hamid Karzai to deliver “measurable results” on governance and corruption as the White House prepared specific new demands to accompany an American troop buildup.

Newsweek: 'Heads I Win, Tails You Lose': In 9/11 Case, KSM Won't Walk Free Even If Found Not Guilty
Attorney General Eric Holder acknowledged on Wednesday a previously unspoken proviso to the controversial decision to try alleged 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and four co-conspirators in a federal court in New York: even if the defendants are somehow acquitted, they will still stay behind bars.

Washington Post: Sides gear up for fight over U.S. ban on travel to Cuba
A battle over Cuba policy is escalating in Congress, with proponents saying they have their best chance in years of repealing the ban on U.S. tourist travel to the island.

The State: Panel finds probable cause for charges against Sanford
A state ethics panel has found evidence Gov. Mark Sanford may have broken state law, charging him with "several" undisclosed violations after an investigation into his travel and campaign spending.

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CNN: West Virginia's Byrd becomes the longest-serving member of Congress
When Robert Byrd came to Congress from West Virginia, a postage stamp cost 3 cents and kids were clamoring for a new toy called Mr. Potato Head. On Wednesday, almost 57 years later, Byrd became the longest-serving member of Congress in history.

ABC News: Sarah Palin: I Want to Play a Major Role in National Politics, 'If People Will Have Me'
Sarah Palin may be mum about her presidential ambitions, but the former GOP vice presidential candidate is opening up about her campaign experiences and has some harsh words for President Obama.

CNN: Congressional inquiry into Fort Hood sought
Republican members of the House Intelligence Committee have sent a letter to Speaker Nancy Pelosi calling for an immediate Congressional investigation into circumstances surrounding the Fort Hood shooting.

USA TODAY: Senators have tough questions for Holder
Attorney General Eric Holder has said his decision to bring self-proclaimed 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and four alleged accomplices to New York City to stand trial in civilian court was the "toughest" call in his short tenure as the nation's top law enforcement officer.

Washington Post: In Senate vote, signs of shift on detainees
The Senate on Tuesday rejected an attempt to bar using funds from a defense spending bill to build or modify prisons in the United States to hold detainees from Guantanamo Bay, a move that suggested congressional Democrats may be lining up behind President Obama's vision for closing the military prison.

CNN: White House reports billions of improper payments in 2009
The federal government made $98 billion in improper payments in fiscal 2009, and President Obama will issue an executive order in coming days to combat the problem, his budget director announced Tuesday.

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CNN: Obama, Hu envision cooperative future
Chinese President Hu Jintao and U.S. President Barack Obama talked in Beijing on Tuesday of a cooperative future of shared responsibilities and economic opportunities.

Wall Street Journal: Beijing Limits Obama's Exposure
As he dives into the heart of his trip to China, U.S. President Barack Obama is finding it hard to bring his trademark charisma to bear.

CNN: Task force opposes routine mammograms for women age 40-49
Women in their 40s should not get routine mammograms for early detection of breast cancer, according to updated guidelines set forth by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force.

Los Angeles Times: National intelligence director to evaluate CIA missions
Sensitive CIA operations overseas will face new scrutiny from the nation's intelligence director under a plan approved by the White House and outlined in a memo to the espionage workforce last week.

CNN: Senator's stance likely to help health care overhaul
Sen. Ben Nelson, D-Neb., who last week insisted that the Senate health care bill include tight restrictions passed by the House on the use of federal money for abortion coverage, now says he would be satisfied with the less restrictive language approved by the Senate Finance Committee.

CNNMoney: 1 in 6 Americans goes hungry
The number of Americans that have trouble putting food on the table shot up last year in an unprecedented spike to a record 17 million households, the government reported on Monday.

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CNN: Obama: U.S., China don't have to be rivals
The United States and China don't have to be at odds, despite the challenges facing them, U.S. President Barack Obama told several hundred students at a town hall meeting Monday in Shanghai.

CNN: Dems hail, Republicans bash decision to try 9/11 suspects in New York
Fearlessly demonstrating the majesty of U.S. justice or acquiescing to terrorists by giving them undeserved rights and a public platform?

CNN: Trade to highlight Obama's China visit
U.S. President Barack Obama is expected on Monday to meet with the Shanghai mayor and hold a town hall-style meeting with "future Chinese leaders" before heading to Beijing to meet his host, Chinese President Hu Jintao.

CNN: Clinton: 'We're not interested in staying in Afghanistan' long-term
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Sunday the primary U.S. mission in Afghanistan is defeating al Qaeda, rather than making a long-term commitment to rebuild the country.

CNN: Holding Gitmo inmates would be economic boost, Illinois officials say
A proposal to house federal prisoners, including some detainees from Guantanamo Bay, in a largely vacant maximum-security prison would be an economic boost to struggling northern Illinois, state officials said Sunday.

Washington Post: GM to start repaying debt to U.S. government next month
General Motors is expected to announce on Monday that it will begin repaying its debt to the United States next month, years earlier than required.

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CNN: Officials: Top White House lawyer to be pushed out
In the first major shakeup among President Obama's senior staff, White House Counsel Greg Craig is being pushed out in favor of veteran Democratic lawyer Bob Bauer because of a dispute over plans to close the U.S. military prison in Cuba, CNN has learned.

CNN: Obama departs on eight-day Asia trip
President Obama embarked Thursday on his first presidential visit to Asia, an eight-day journey that will take him to five cities in four countries.

CNN: Afghan president's office asks what U.S. ambassador said
Afghan President Hamid Karzai's office contacted the U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan about reports the ambassador warned against sending more U.S. troops to the country, a Karzai spokesman told CNN Thursday.

CNN: Karl Eikenberry, Obama's man in Afghanistan
The U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan has a unique résumé: he served two tours in the country as a general, training Afghan police and troops, before trading his uniform for a diplomat's business suit.

Washington Post: A nuclear power's act of proliferation
In 1982, a Pakistani military C-130 left the western Chinese city of Urumqi with a highly unusual cargo: enough weapons-grade uranium for two atomic bombs, according to accounts written by the father of Pakistan's nuclear weapons program, Abdul Qadeer Khan, and provided to The Washington Post.

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CNN: Obama seeks revisions to Afghanistan plans, sources say
President Obama told his war council Wednesday that the U.S. troop commitment to Afghanistan is not open-ended, and he asked for revisions to options he previously received for sending more troops, a senior administration official told CNN.

Washington Post: U.S. envoy resists increase in troops
The U.S. ambassador in Kabul sent two classified cables to Washington in the past week expressing deep concerns about sending more U.S. troops to Afghanistan until President Hamid Karzai's government demonstrates that it is willing to tackle the corruption and mismanagement that has fueled the Taliban's rise, senior U.S. officials said.

CNN: First full Senate showdown on legislation could happen next week
The first crucial showdown over health care reform by the full Senate could come as early as next Tuesday.

CNN Poll: Is Obama taking too long on Afghanistan decision?
Americans are split over whether President Barack Obama is taking too long to make a decision on whether to send more U.S. troops to the war in Afghanistan, according to a new national poll.

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The CNN Washington Bureau’s morning speed read of the top stories making news from around the country and the world.

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CNN: Fort Hood killings 'incomprehensible,' Obama says
President Obama led a memorial service Tuesday for the 13 people killed in last week's massacre at the largest U.S. military installation, telling thousands of mourners that the legacy of the dead will live beyond their "incomprehensible" slayings.

CNN: Obama considering 4 options for Afghanistan, sources say
President Obama is considering four scenarios to move forward in Afghanistan and is expected to discuss them at his eighth meeting with his war council on Wednesday afternoon sources told CNN.

CNN: Congress to miss health care deadline, key senator says
Congress will miss President Obama's deadline to enact health care reform by the end of the year, a key Democratic senator said Tuesday.

CNN: U.S. announces one-on-one talks with North Korea
U.S. officials will soon meet unilaterally with North Korean representatives to facilitate the resumption of talks on ending North Korea's nuclear program, State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley said Tuesday.

CNN: Obama to seek stronger ties on Asia trip
Barack Obama is the first U.S. president to have lived in Asia as a child, and that unique perspective will help shape his nine-day trip to the region starting Thursday, U.S. officials say.

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CNN: Bill Clinton to address Senate Democrats on health care
CNN has learned from two senior Democratic sources that former President Bill Clinton will attend the Senate Democrats' weekly luncheon Tuesday to address the caucus about health care.

CNN: House, Senate differ sharply on health care reform
Where does the battle for health care reform go from here? More importantly, what does it mean for you?

CNN: White House: No Afghanistan troop decision made
White House National Security Adviser Retired Gen. Jim Jones issued a rare public statement Monday vehemently denying media reports that suggest U.S. President Barack Obama has privately decided to send close to 40,000 more U.S. troops to Afghanistan.

CNN: Senate controversy over abortion already underway
In a sign that the wrenching House debate over abortion is already vexing Senate Democrats, Nebraska Sen. Ben Nelson told CNN Monday he will vote against any health care bill that does not include the strict abortion restrictions that passed the House.

Washington Post: For doctor, the Senate is a bitter pill
Tom Coburn is a Southern Baptist deacon, a family man married to a former Miss Oklahoma, a white-coated physician back in Muskogee who has delivered more than 4,000 babies and sees patients free of charge every Monday.

Wall Street Journal: Effort to Assist Older Voters May Raise Costs for the Young
A provision in the House health-care bill sets up a stark choice for Democrats between the interests of younger voters and older ones.

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CNN: King Monday Memo: Remembering a defining moment of the 20th century
It is a week to remember a defining moment of the 20th century - the fall of the Berlin Wall. And a week to remember the victims of an Army post massacre, a horrific rampage that has Army leaders openly worrying about discrimination against Muslims in their ranks.

CNN: Obama: Health care baton now passes to Senate
President Obama on Sunday praised the "historic" House vote to pass a bill overhauling the nation's ailing health care system, and said now it is time for the Senate to "take the baton" and complete its work.

CNN: Casey: I'm 'concerned' about backlash against Muslim soldiers
The Army Chief of Staff hesitated Sunday to get into any details of the investigation into Thursday’s shootings at Fort Hood. At the same time, Gen. George Casey said he was ‘concerned’ that the incident could result in a potential backlash against Muslim soldiers.

CNN: House passes amendment prohibiting abortion funding
The House of Representatives on Saturday night passed an amendment to pending health care legislation that prohibits federal funds for abortion services in the public option and in the insurance "exchange" the bill would create.

CNN: Obama, Netanyahu to meet Monday, White House says
President Obama will meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House on Monday evening after a rough stretch in U.S. efforts to settle the decades-old Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

New York Times: Iran Is Said to Ignore Effort to Salvage a Nuclear Deal
The Obama administration, attempting to salvage a faltering nuclear deal with Iran, has told Iran’s leaders in back-channel messages that it is willing to allow the country to send its stockpile of enriched uranium to any of several nations, including Turkey, for temporary safekeeping, according to administration officials and diplomats involved in the exchanges.

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CNN: Obama: Fort Hood shootings 'horrific'
President Barack Obama on Thursday called the Fort Hood, Texas, shootings "tragic" and "a horrific outburst of violence."

CNN: Sen. Cornyn: Don't jump to conclusions over Fort Hood shootings
Before making judgments about the shootings at Fort Hood, a thorough investigation needs to take place, Sen. John Cornyn of Texas said Thursday.

CNN: House, Senate hold moments of silence for Fort Hood victims
Both chambers of Congress observed moments of silence Thursday for victims of the shootings at Fort Hood, Texas, and their families.

The Hill: Armed Services panel wants 'detailed accounting' of Fort Hood tragedy
The Senate Armed Services Committee is seeking a "detailed accounting" of a Thursday shooting at Fort Hood, Texas, that left 12 soldiers dead and 31 wounded.

CNN: AMA, AARP back House health care bill
The push to overhaul health care received a major boost Thursday as the American Medical Association and AARP endorsed legislation drafted by top House Democrats.

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CNN: Health care bill ready for full House
House Democratic leaders have put the finishing touches on their health care bill and could bring it to the full chamber as soon as Friday.

CNN: The West is tough terrain for Democrats
The western United States, with its independent streak and growing population, is the terrain both political parties are hoping to mine for electoral gains in the coming years.

Wall Street Journal: Clash Looms on Banks
A key Senate lawmaker is readying legislation that would dramatically redraw how the financial system is regulated, setting the chamber on a collision course with both the House of Representatives and the Obama administration, which have championed markedly different approaches.

Wall Street Journal: Senate Alters Taxes for Big Companies
The Senate on Wednesday passed legislation that would give tax breaks to big companies hit by the recession and expand a credit for homebuyers, while raising other corporate levies, particularly for multinationals.

New York Times: Haggling Over Abortion Deal in Health Bill
House Democratic leaders struggled Wednesday to strike a deal that would restrict the use of federal money to pay for abortions under sweeping health care legislation headed for debate on the House floor this week.

CNNMoney: Senate throws a lifeline to the jobless
After weeks of partisan debate, the Senate voted on Wednesday to lengthen unemployment benefits by up to 20 weeks and to extend the $8,000 homebuyer tax credit.

CNN: Months into Obama's presidency, promise of 'change' is a slow go
On that unusually balmy Chicago night a year ago, the candidate who campaigned on what he called the "fierce urgency of now" became the president-elect who needed time.

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CNN projects Republicans win governor races in Virginia, New Jersey
A Republican Party that struggled in the wake of recent Democratic landslides sprang back to life Tuesday with wins in hotly contested races for governor in Virginia and New Jersey, according to CNN projections.

CNN: Ten key election races and results
Tuesday's off-year election might not have the high stakes of the 2008 presidential election, but several significant races are worth watching:

CNN: Analysis: Elections not a referendum on Obama
Victories in New Jersey and Virginia Tuesday provided a major shot in the arm for the Republican Party heading into the 2010 elections, but the Democratic losses of these two governorships should not be interpreted as a significant blow to President Obama.

CNN: McDonnell turns back Democratic tide in Virginia
Buoyed by support from independent voters and lingering concerns over the state of the economy, Virginians elected Republican Bob McDonnell the 71st governor of the Commonwealth on Tuesday.

CNN: Christie win completes GOP gubernatorial sweep
Republican Chris Christie defeated incumbent Democratic Gov. Jon Corzine Tuesday, giving the GOP a rare Northeast win and a sweep of the night's gubernatorial races.

CNN: Democrats win New York congressional race, but conservatives claim victory too
The three-way race in New York's 23rd congressional district ended Tuesday night with a surprise Democratic win – the first for the party in the reliably-Republican district since the 19th century.

Bangor Daily News: Gay marriage repealed in Maine
Voters on Tuesday repealed the state’s same sex marriage law after an emotionally charged campaign that drew large numbers to the polls and focused national attention on Maine.

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CNN: Question marks for GOP in New York district and beyond
If Democrats suffer a loss in an upstate New York congressional race Tuesday, it could well spark an uneasy celebration among Republican leaders.

CNN: Analysis: Anger, frustration fuel Election Day 2009
As voters across the country head to the polls Tuesday, one thing appears certain: Many of them are angry.

CNN: Reports: N. Korea completes work on fuel rods
North Korea has completed reprocessing thousands of spent fuel rods, producing plutonium which could be used in nuclear weapons, state-run media reported Tuesday.

CNN: Obama calls for 'new chapter' in Afghanistan
President Barack Obama called Monday for a "new chapter" of improved governance in Afghanistan now that Hamid Karzai's re-election as president is complete.

CNN: Commentary: Phantom fear of Taliban is driving the war in Afghanistan
The recent suicidal violence in Pakistan coincides with a growing concern that President Obama might be tempted by the same folly that drove President Bush and massively increase the number of U.S. troops in Afghanistan - by up to 65,000 if he were to listen to some of his military advisers.

Washington Post: Karzai is wild card for U.S. strategy
As the dust settles from Afghanistan's election, President Hamid Karzai's emergence as the victor by default cements the central dilemma facing President Obama as he decides whether to escalate the U.S. involvement in the war there.

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CNN: King: One year after Obama's victory
This is a week that, in more ways than one, will bring lessons of how much has changed since President Obama's historic election victory one year ago.

CNN: Karzai challenger quits Afghan runoff
Afghan politician Abdullah Abdullah withdrew Sunday from the upcoming runoff election, saying he believes that the second round would be as fraudulent as the first.

New York Times: With Karzai, U.S. Faces Weak Partner in Time of War
With the White House’s reluctant embrace on Sunday of Hamid Karzai as the winner of Afghanistan’s suddenly moot presidential runoff, President Obama now faces a new complication: enabling a badly tarnished partner to regain enough legitimacy to help the United States find the way out of an eight-year-old war.

CNN: Police: Dozens dead in Pakistan explosion
A suicide bomber detonated explosives Monday outside a bank in Rawalpindi where people had lined up to pick up their monthly checks, police said.

CNN: GOP nominee endorses Democrat
The Republican Party nominee in this week’s special congressional election in New York endorsed her Democratic opponent Sunday, one day after releasing supporters from their commitment to support her, the Watertown Daily Times reported on its Web site.

CNN: RNC commends Scozzafava, endorses Hoffman
Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele quickly endorsed Conservative Party candidate Doug Hoffman in New York's 23rd congressional district Saturday, after Republican Dede Scozzafava's late decision to drop out of the special election.

CNN: Palestinians blast Clinton for Israel praise
Palestinian leaders angrily dismissed Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's praise for Israel on Sunday, openly questioning her ability to jumpstart peace talks just hours after she left Israel.

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CNN: House Democrats unveil $894 billion health care bill
The battle over health care reform reached another milestone Thursday as top House Democrats unveiled sweeping legislation that includes a highly controversial public health insurance option.

Washington Post: Dozens in Congress under ethics inquiry
House ethics investigators have been scrutinizing the activities of more than 30 lawmakers and several aides in inquiries about issues including defense lobbying and corporate influence peddling, according to a confidential House ethics committee report prepared in July.

New York Times: Iran Rejects Deal to Ship Out Uranium, Officials Report
Iran told the United Nations nuclear watchdog on Thursday that it would not accept a plan its negotiators agreed to last week to send its stockpile of uranium out of the country, according to diplomats in Europe and American officials briefed on Iran’s response.

CNN: Clinton questions why Pakistan has not destroyed al Qaeda
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Thursday questioned why Pakistani officials have not been able to capture or kill members of al Qaeda taking refuge in the country.

CNNMoney: White House fights back on Cash for Clunkers
The Obama administration on Thursday lashed out at a prominent critic of its Cash for Clunkers program, arguing that the popular trade-in initiative helped give the auto industry and the economy a much needed boost in the past few months.

Washington Post: 7 on defense panel scrutinized
Nearly half the members of a powerful House subcommittee in control of Pentagon spending are under scrutiny by ethics investigators in Congress, who have trained their lens on the relationships between seven panel members and an influential lobbying firm founded by a former Capitol Hill aide.

McClatchy: Blue Dogs aren't there yet on new House health bill
Democratic leaders Thursday invoked the spirit of generations of party heroes to rally their members of the House of Representatives behind a new health care plan - but it's clear that winning a majority will be a tough fight.

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CNN: Obama attends return of fallen troops from Afghanistan
The flag-draped caskets of at least 18 Americans killed in Afghanistan arrived at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware early Thursday, government and military officials said.

CNN: McCain: Why we can - and must - win the war in Afghanistan
For the first time since September 11, 2001, America is having a vigorous national debate about how to succeed in Afghanistan. This debate is entirely worth having. Whenever America sends its citizens into harm's way, it must do so with eyes wide open.

Washington Post: Obama seeks study on local leaders for troop decision
President Obama has asked senior officials for a province-by-province analysis of Afghanistan to determine which regions are being managed effectively by local leaders and which require international help, information that his advisers say will guide his decision on how many additional U.S. troops to send to the battle.

New York Times: Reported Ties From C.I.A. to a Karzai Spur Rebukes
Senior lawmakers from both parties on Wednesday criticized what American officials said were financial ties between the Central Intelligence Agency and Ahmed Wali Karzai, a brother of the Afghan president, with one top Democrat suggesting that intelligence officials had misled him about Mr. Karzai’s role in Afghanistan’s opium trade.

Los Angeles Times: Afghan attack puts aid programs at risk
The deaths of five U.N. employees in a Taliban assault on a Kabul guesthouse Wednesday is forcing the world body and humanitarian agencies to reevaluate the way they operate in Afghanistan, officials said, putting at risk programs aimed at helping millions of people and stabilizing the war-torn country.

CNN: Democrats ready with tempered public option, aides say
House Democratic leaders will unveil on Thursday a health care bill that includes a more moderate version of the public option, several Democratic leadership aides tell CNN.

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CNN: Public option would lead him to filibuster, key senator says
Independent Sen. Joseph Lieberman said Tuesday he would join a Republican filibuster to block the final vote on any health care bill that has a government-run public health insurance option.

CNN: U.N. staff killed in Taliban attack in Kabul
Taliban militants attacked a private guesthouse in central Kabul on Wednesday morning, killing at least six U.N. staff members and wounding nine more, according to a U.N. spokesman.

CNN: Powerful car bomb kills at least 57 in Peshawar market
A powerful car bomb ripped through a bustling marketplace in Peshawar, killing at least 57 people on Wednesday, officials said.

New York Times: Brother of Afghan Leader Is Said to Be on C.I.A. Payroll
Ahmed Wali Karzai, the brother of the Afghan president and a suspected player in the country’s booming illegal opium trade, gets regular payments from the Central Intelligence Agency, and has for much of the past eight years, according to current and former American officials.

CNN: Obama to meet with Joint Chiefs on Afghanistan
President Obama is scheduled to meet with the Joint Chiefs of Staff on Friday as part of his reassessment of the military strategy in Afghanistan, a White House spokesman said Tuesday.

New York Times: U.S. to Protect Populous Afghan Areas, Officials Say
President Obama’s advisers are focusing on a strategy for Afghanistan aimed at protecting about 10 top population centers, administration officials said Tuesday, describing an approach that would stop short of an all-out assault on the Taliban while still seeking to nurture long-term stability.

CNN: Afghanistan haunted by ghost of Vietnam
While President Obama's war council deliberates its strategy toward Afghanistan, the ghost of Vietnam is often invoked as a warning.

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CNN: Reid backs health care public option
The contentious debate over health care took a new twist Monday as Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid announced his decision to craft legislation including a public insurance option allowing states to opt out.

CNN: Reid: Reconciliation 'always an option'
After announcing his intention to move forward with a health care reform bill in the Senate that includes a version of the public health insurance option that would allow states to opt out, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid told CNN that he has not ruled out using a budgetary procedure called reconciliation which would allow Democrats to pass the bill with a simple majority.

CNN: Clyburn: 60 shouldn't be 'the crucial number' for Senate health bill
Citing a recent CNN/Opinion Research Corporation poll, House Majority Whip James Clyburn said Monday that the Senate Majority Leader should use a budgetary maneuver to pass health care reform with a government-run insurance option if Democrats do not have the 60 votes necessary to break a filibuster.

Washington Post: AARP: Reform advocate and insurance salesman
The nation's preeminent seniors group, AARP, has put the weight of its 40 million members behind health-care reform, saying many of the proposals will lower costs and increase the quality of care for older Americans.

CNN: Kerry treads middle ground on Afghanistan
The chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee warned Monday against a narrowing of the U.S. mission in Afghanistan, but also suggested a plan by the commanding U.S. general in the country is overly ambitious.

CNN: Commentary: U.S. is losing Afghan war on two fronts
We are losing in Afghanistan, on two fronts. The most important center of gravity of the conflict - as the Taliban well recognizes - is the American public. And now, most Americans are opposed to the war.

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CNN: King: Monday Memo: Optional public option risky strategy
It is a busy week ahead, to say the least, and perhaps a telling one in the health care debate.

CNN: Obama declares H1N1 emergency
President Obama has declared a national emergency to deal with the "rapid increase in illness" from the H1N1 influenza virus.

Washington Post: U.S. tested 2 Afghan scenarios in war game
The Pentagon's top military officer oversaw a secret war game this month to evaluate the two primary military options that have been put forward by the Pentagon and are being weighed by the Obama administration as part of a broad-based review of the faltering Afghanistan war, senior military officials said.

CNN: Aide: Reid likely to include public option in Senate health care bill
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is poised to proceed with plans to introduce a Senate health care bill with a public health insurance option that would allow states to opt out, a senior aide to Reid told
CNN on Sunday.

CNN: Senate likely to consider various versions of public option
The Senate will consider several versions of a government-run public health insurance option in the chamber's upcoming debate on a health care bill, a Democratic senator predicted Sunday.

CNN: Dem senators diverge on public option
As Democratic leaders in Congress appear to be converging on proposals for a public health insurance option that might win passage in each chamber, the comments of two Democratic senators Sunday suggested that a long fight is likely ahead in the Senate.

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