Colleagues pay final respects to Murtha
[cnn-photo-caption image= http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2010/images/03/03/art.murthamemorial.gi.jpg caption="House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Vice President Joe Biden were among the attendees at a memorial service for the late Rep. John Murtha."]Washington (CNN) - Rep. John Murtha, D-Pennsylvania, was remembered by colleagues Wednesday during a memorial service held in the U.S. Capitol building's Statuary Hall. Murtha died February 8 after complications from gallbladder surgery.
Among the speakers at the ceremony were Vice President Joseph Biden, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Defense Secretary Robert Gates, National Security Advisor James L. Jones, and several Democratic and Republican leaders.
Speaking towards the end of the service, Pelosi recalled Murtha as a courageous and loyal supporter of American servicemen.
"He was so interested in the soldiers. He could identify with and speak to them as one who had served in the military, but also his affection for them was as a father," Pelosi said.
The House Speaker also told a story about one of the many trips Murtha took to military hospitals to visit wounded war veterans, during which one soldier, dressed in a Pittsburgh Steelers jersey, waited in his room for Murtha in full salute.
"Jack loved that," Pelosi said.
Wounded Warrior Program urges funding for war vet caregivers
WASHINGTON (CNN) - Families of wounded war veterans and politicians met on Capitol Hill Tuesday to urge Congress to pass bipartisan legislation that would provide services to caregivers of injured American soldiers.
Supporters and members of the Wounded Warrior Project - which raises awareness of injured soldiers' needs and provides services to them - stressed in a news conference that not enough is being done to support the people who have made significant financial sacrifices to care for injured soldiers.
"As nation, we're failing these families by not providing them the basic support they need to continue to care for their loved ones," said Wounded Warrior Executive Director Steve Nardizzi in support of the Caregiver Assistance and Resource Enhancement Act.
He also was critical of the Department of Veterans Affairs, saying it needs to "acknowledge its obligation" to families and help provide them compensation, respite care, health-care coverage, and mental health support.
Congress to push for education on 'sexting'
[cnn-photo-caption image=
http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2008/TECH/12/16/inauguration.phones/art.cellphone.afp.gi.jpg caption=" 'Sexting' implies sharing a risqué photo or suggestive words via text message."]
WASHINGTON (CNN) - New Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez and Florida Rep. Debbie Wasserman-Schultz have teamed up to introduce a bill that would educate young students about the consequences of "sexting."
At a press conference Wednesday on Capitol Hill, they introduced The Safety Internet Act, which would give money to internet safety non-profit organizations to work with schools in hopes of "integrating internet safety curricula" into classrooms.
The bill proposal comes after 18 year-old Jessica Logan of Cincinnati, OH committed suicide after she "sexted" a nude photo of herself to her boyfriend and it leaked to several fellow classmates and students at nearby schools. "Sexting" implies sharing a risqué photo or suggestive words via text message. As a result of the picture, Logan's mom said she was bullied, tormented, and left to deal with the problem on her own.
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Biden pup to obedience school
[cnn-photo-caption image= http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2009/images/03/20/art.getty.german.sherpherd.jpg caption="The Biden family got a German Shepherd, like the one pictured above, in December."]
(CNN) - With an innocent face and America's vice president as his master, it's hard to believe even Joe Biden's puppy isn't exempt from the occasional in-house accident.
That's why next month the VP's German Shepherd named Champ will head to obedience school for some housebreaking training.
Champ will attend sessions with trainer Mark Tobin not only to make sure he's fully house trained, but to help him adapt to the Bidens' hectic and mobile lifestyle.
"Champ's a laid-back, very fun, energetic puppy," Tobin told The Washington Post. "He's great with kids, very, very, good-natured." Tobin trains dogs to fit into their future life - in this case, he took the puppy to several locations. "We wanted him to get used to a lot of environmental changes."
Tobin is a Biden family friend and runs a dog obedience school and New Castle County's K-9 Unit in Delaware.
The three-month-old dog has traveled back and forth with the Bidens from their new residence at the Naval Observatory in Washington to their home in Delaware. Named by Biden's grandkids and a present from Jill Biden, Champ joined the Second family in December shortly after the election.
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