Immigration and Marriage: Will Congress End the ‘Widow Penalty’?

It was bad enough that Natalia Goukassian, then 21, had to spend her honeymoon in June 2006 in West Palm Beach, Fla., helping her husband Tigran find alternative treatments for connective tissue sarcoma, an aggressive cancer, or that six months later, the Air Force–enlisted man, 21, succumbed to the disease. But as it turned out, her painful ordeal had only just begun.

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Will Congress Do Away With the Immigration ‘Widow Penalty’?

It was bad enough that Natalia Goukassian, then 21, had to spend her honeymoon in June of 2006 in West Palm Beach, Fla., helping her husband Tigran find alternative treatments for connective tissue sarcoma, an aggressive cancer, or that six months later the Air Force enlisted man, 21, succumbed to the disease.

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Obama toughens his talk on Iran

President Obama sharpened his language on Iran and stressed the urgency of overhauling the health care system at his news conference Tuesday. “The United States and the international community have been appalled and outraged by the threats, beatings and imprisonments of the last few days

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Pete Hoekstra: Internet Meme

Pity Pete Hoekstra. His only crime was to make the oh-so-obvious comparison between oppressed Iranians and the GOP. “Iranian twitter activity similar to what we did in House last year when Republicans were shut down in the House,” the Michigan Congressman, who is running for governor, tweeted June 17

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Sexual assaults on the high seas come under scrutiny

It’s the midst of peak cruising season, and millions of travelers are eagerly embarking on exotic vacations without thinking they could ever fall victim to a crime at sea. But sexual and physical assaults were the leading crimes committed onboard cruise ships in recent years, the FBI says. In March, a 42-year-old female passenger aboard the Coral Princess says a Portuguese crew member sexually assaulted her during a cruise, according to an FBI affidavit

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Jacob Zuma: South Africa’s Next President

Observers have quipped that the greatest mystery surrounding South Africa’s presidential elections this week was not the identity of the victor — Jacob Zuma had the job sewn up when he seized control of the country’s ruling party in 2007 — but rather his first lady. Zuma, who will almost certainly be confirmed in the coming days, is an unabashed polygamist. That’s just one of the personal quirks causing some foreigners to shudder at the prospect of Zuma assuming control of one of Africa’s most successful democracies

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Former Congressman Tom Davis Emerges as Favorite in Obama’s Cyberczar Search

Tom Davis, a moderate Republican from Virginia, has emerged as a leading candidate for the Obama Administration’s newly created position of cybersecurity czar. Sources familiar with the White House’s deliberations on the subject say Obama officials feel a Washington power player would make a better candidate than a tech guru

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What Comes After the Recession: A Fun Free Recovery

Even as Congress belatedly tackles legislation that would cut U.S. carbon emissions and international negotiators bickered over a global climate deal in Bonn, Germany, a new report by several federal agencies underscores the truths that too often risk getting lost in politics: global warming is real, it’s happening now, and if we don’t act soon, the consequences are likely to be catastrophic.

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