Why Some Brits Don’t Want a Sir Ted Kennedy

If Gordon Brown expected props back home for being the first European leader to enjoy President Obama’s hospitality at the White House and only the fifth British Prime Minister ever to address Congress, he might have reconsidered the fourth paragraph of that speech. Like a nervous entertainer at a particularly rowdy children’s party, Brown pulled his rabbit out of the hat almost at the start of his act. Her Majesty — Britain’s Queen — had bestowed an honorary knighthood on “Sir Edward Kennedy,” he announced

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Obama Stands Aside, Slightly, at Health Summit

There is a battle looming in Congress, a contest that will pit many of the most powerful companies in America against each other, potentially reallocate trillions of dollars in spending, and literally impact the future health and well-being of each and every American. No one knows how the conflict will end, just yet, or who the winners and losers will be

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Senate Democrats to consider GOP changes on spending bill

After postponing a vote on a $410 billion spending bill, Senate Democrats planned to consider Republican amendments as early as Friday to get the votes needed to move the legislation forward. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nevada, delayed a vote on the spending plan late Thursday, saying he was one vote shy of the 60 needed to end debate on the bill

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What Lies Behind the Cuban Purge

Whatever differences might exist between former Cuban President Fidel Castro and his younger brother, President Raúl Castro, the most important is style. Fidel values a fiery belly full of political ideology; Raúl prizes a cooler head equipped with administrative acumen. The latter has been at the forefront ever since the ailing Fidel, 82, ceded power to Raúl, 77, last year

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Critics question Obama’s pledge to end ‘pork’

As a spending bill loaded with pork makes its way through Congress, President Obama is getting pushback from members of his own party who are questioning his vow to end wasteful spending. The president on Wednesday pledged turn tide on an “era of fiscal irresponsibility,” reiterating his campaign promise that the days of “pork … as a strategy” are over

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Surviving Beatles unite to promote meditation

Former Beatles Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr will reunite on stage next month to raise money to teach transcendental meditation to children around the world to "help provide them a quiet haven in a not-so-quiet world," McCartney said. The star-studded list of performers who will join them include two musicians who were with the Beatles when they journeyed to India’s Himalayan foothills in 1968 to learn transcendental meditation from Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. “In moments of madness, it has helped me find moments of serenity,” McCartney said in the concert announcement

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