Pilots missed Twin Cities by 150 miles _ but how?
WASHINGTON (AP) _ Were the pilots distracted? Catching up on their sleep? Federal investigators struggled to determine what the crew members of a Northwest Airlines jetliner were doing at 37,000 feet as they sped 150 miles past their Minneapolis destination and military jets readied to chase them. Unfortunately, the cockpit voice recorder may not tell the tale. A report released late Friday said the pilots passed breathalyzer tests and were apologetic after Wednesday night's amazing odyssey. They said they had been having a heated discussion about airline policy. But aviation safety experts and other pilots were frankly skeptical they could have become so consumed with shoptalk that they forgot to land an airplane carrying 144 passengers.
House health care bill over $1 trillion for decade
WASHINGTON (AP) _ Health care legislation taking shape in the House carries a price tag of at least $1 trillion over a decade, significantly higher than the target President Barack Obama has set, congressional officials said Friday as they struggled to finish work on the measure for a vote early next month. Democrats have touted an unreleased Congressional Budget Office estimate of $871 billion in recent days, a total that numerous officials acknowledge understates the bill's true cost by $150 billion or more. That figure excludes several items designed to improve benefits for Medicare and Medicaid recipients and providers, as well as public health programs and more, they added.
Politics at play as Obama helps anemic Democrats
BOSTON (AP) _ President Barack Obama lent his popularity and cash-raising abilities to embattled fellow Democrats on Friday, defending White House allies whose potential losses would deliver embarrassments to the president. Obama began a day of politicking with a quick event at Cambridge's Massachusetts Institute of Technology to challenge the nation to lead the global economy in clean energy. But even as he stood in front of the seal of the presidency, Obama didn't forget politics.
Palin backs 3rd-party candidate in NY House race
ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) _ Former Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin has endorsed a third-party candidate over the GOP-backed contender in New York's congressional special election, saying her own party has abandoned its core values. The former Alaska governor, who was Arizona Sen. John McCain's running-mate last year, said Thursday she was backing Conservative Party candidate Doug Hoffman over Republican Assemblywoman Dierdre Scozzafava in the 23rd Congressional District race.
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Holbrooke optimistic on avoiding Afghan vote fraud
WASHINGTON (AP) _ The Obama administration's coordinator of policy on Afghanistan and Pakistan offered an upbeat outlook Friday for avoiding extensive cheating in the Nov. 7 Afghan presidential runoff election. In his remarks at the State Department, Richard Holbrooke also sought to dispel suggestions that his relations with Afghan President Hamid Karzai are so bad that he is unable to work with the Afghan leader.
NATO considers beefing up Afghan war support
BRATISLAVA, Slovakia (AP) _ Top NATO and United Nations officials signaled Friday they may request more international troops to join American forces in Afghanistan as the top U.S. defense official said President Barack Obama is still weeks away from deciding on a shift in war strategy. At a Friday meeting of 28 NATO defense ministers, Pentagon chief Robert Gates said allies indicated a willingness to boost military and civilian aid _ even as Obama remains undecided over whether to escalate U.S. troop strength to counter Afghan insurgents.
Analysis: Obama's consumer agency no sure deal
WASHINGTON (AP) _ Take a hard look now. A new agency that consumers were promised would make bankers, credit card companies and mortgage lenders treat them fairly will never look as strong again. Legislation to establish President Barack Obama's proposed Consumer Financial Protection Agency cleared a key hurdle this week. But it's already been watered down from what Obama proposed and will likely become even weaker when it comes up against higher hurdles on the House floor and in the Senate. It may even die along the way.
Obama: 'Cynical claims' attacking energy bill
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. (AP) _ President Barack Obama said Friday that opponents of his energy bill are disputing the evidence of global warming in a cynical ploy to undermine efforts to curb pollution and steer the nation to greener energy sources. Obama said some opponents "make cynical claims that contradict the overwhelming scientific evidence when it comes to climate change _ claims whose only purpose is to defeat or delay the change that we know is necessary."
Obama Cabinet members often stop in Reid country
WASHINGTON (AP) _ The travel industry may be hurting in Las Vegas these days but not for lack of visits from members of President Barack Obama's Cabinet. Attorney General Eric Holder was the ninth Cabinet member to visit Nevada during the past six months. Holder and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., toured facilities on Saturday designed to help law enforcement officers respond to security threats.
Michelle Obama highlights breast cancer awareness
WASHINGTON (AP) _ Joni Lownsdale never thought her 2002 breast cancer diagnosis would land her in the middle of the Obama administration's fight with the health insurance industry. But that's where the Rockford, Ill., woman was Friday as she stood in a White House flower garden and shared her story of being repeatedly denied health insurance because of the cancer in her past.
