Washington (CNN) -- An engine problem forced passengers -- including U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg -- to evacuate a United Airlines flight at Dulles International Airport on Wednesday, officials said.

Flight attendants shouted "everyone get out" after passengers spotted smoke coming from the plane's right engine and notified the crew, according to one passenger who was onboard. Passengers slid down the plane's emergency slides onto the airport's tarmac, officials said.

"I am shaking ... People were screaming," passenger Jodi Gersh wrote in a Twitter post after evacuating.

"Attendants opened (the) rear door to see where smoke was coming from," she wrote in another post. "They then very loudly started yelling 'everyone get out.' Very scary."

Ginsburg was on the flight and was not injured, a Supreme Court spokeswoman said.

Passengers evacuated from the Boeing 757 onto the tarmac just after the aircraft left the gate, said Rob Yingling, a spokesman for the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority. There were 179 passengers and six crew members onboard, United spokesman Mike Trevino said.

Yingling said an engine problem caused the evacuation. The Federal Aviation Administration said there was a report of a fire onboard. Trevino said the airline was investigating the incident, but did not confirm whether there had been an engine problem or a fire.

Video from CNN affiliate WUSA showed firefighters at the scene.

Flight 586 was scheduled to fly to San Francisco, Trevino said. Passengers will head to San Francisco on a different plane scheduled to leave Dulles later Wednesday, he said.

Dulles is located in Chantilly, Virginia, about 25 miles from downtown Washington.

CNN's Lindy Royce-Bartlett, Bill Mears and Carol Cratty contributed to this report.

Question: who caused the evacuation?

Question: Who was on the flight?

Question: For what reason did the passengers have to evacuate?

Question: what is the name of Supreme Court Justice?

Question: What caused the flight to be evacuated?

Question: What did the passenger tweet?

Question: how many passengers  was on board?

Question: Where was the plane scheduled to land?

Question: Who was on board the flight?

Answer: An engine problem

Answer: Bader Ginsburg

Answer: engine problem

Answer: Ruth

Answer: An engine problem

Answer: "I am shaking ... People were screaming,"

Answer: 179

Answer: San Francisco,

Answer: Bader Ginsburg

Summary:
NEW: "I am shaking ... People were screaming," one passenger tweets .
Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg was on the flight .
There were 179 passengers and six crew members onboard .
An engine problem caused the evacuation, an airport authority spokesman says .


Washington (CNN) -- An expanded team of civilian technical experts from a "quick-reaction force" is on the ground in Libya, tracking down and destroying "MANPADs," shoulder-fired, heat-seeking missiles that the U.S. fears could be used to bring down a civilian airliner.

The United States currently has a State Department officer and 14 technical experts who are embedded with munitions and destruction teams from Libya's National Transitional Council, according to Andrew Shapiro, assistant U.S. secretary of state for political-military affairs.

Officials hope to ramp up the search effort "significantly," Shapiro said, with the number of specialists on the ground increasing to 50.

The joint teams are sweeping, surveying and securing stockpiles of the weapons that were previously under control of the Moammar Gadhafi regime.

The joint teams already have surveyed 20 out of 36 known ammunition storage sites, a State Department official said, and have disabled or destroyed hundreds of MANPADs. The official was not authorized to speak on the record. At each site they have found from several dozen to several hundred storage bunkers.

The United States estimates there were as many as 20,000 surface-to-air missiles in Libya when NATO began its operations to aid rebels in ousting Gadhafi.

Shapiro declined to say how many weapons might be missing, but U.S. Gen. Carter Ham, commander of U.S. Africa Command, expressed concern that the missiles could be crossing the border.

"There are some worrying indicators ... that some of these portable air defense systems have left Libya," Ham said, adding that he didn't have enough information to know how many have possibly moved, "but there's enough ... churn out there in the information I see to cause me to be very concerned."

U.S. officials are working with Libya's neighbors on "how best to address this threat," Shapiro said.

The United States is distributing thousands of pamphlets in multiple languages, including Arabic and English, to neighboring countries, including Egypt, Algeria and Morocco, to inform their border guards what the MANPADs look like and to be on watch for any attempts to move them out of Libya.

Ham noted that the MANPADs are a threat "to anything that flies," including commercial airliners upon takeoff and landing.

The United States also is working through NATO to alert the Libyans to stockpiles NATO was aware of and may have targeted during the conflict.

"When it comes to the conventional weapons destruction challenge, the NTC have not only have talked the talk, they've walked the walk," the State Department official said. "They have really taken leadership on this and we are committed to helping them secure the weapons stockpiles."

The U.S. experts involved in the operation are mostly retired military personnel who were specialists in munitions handling and ordnance destruction at the Department of Defense, Shapiro said. Many of them work with nongovernmental organizations on de-mining. Shapiro noted the United States paid $3 million to two non-governmental organizations in Libya "to help secure weapons that they discovered."

CNN Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr contributed to this report.

Question: What is Gen.Ham very concerned about?

Question: Who is helping in securing weapons stockpiles?

Question: What does Ham think  missles pose a threat to?

Question: What does the missiles pose a threat to?

Question: What is the search effort focused on?

Question: Who is very concered over the proliferation acroos libyan borders?

Answer: that the missiles could be crossing the border.

Answer: The joint teams

Answer: anything that flies,"

Answer: anything that flies,"

Answer: tracking down and destroying "MANPADs," shoulder-fired, heat-seeking missiles

Answer: U.S. Gen. Carter Ham,

Summary:
Gen. Ham is "very concerned" about proliferation across Libyan borders .
A team of U.S. technical experts is assisting in securing weapons stockpiles .
The search effort is focused on shoulder-fired heat-seeking missiles .
The missiles pose a threat "to anything that flies," Ham says .


Washington (CNN) -- Another massive snowstorm barreled into the mid-Atlantic region Tuesday, as residents still reeling from a paralyzing weekend blizzard faced more of the same.

Hundreds of flights were canceled, and airlines were waiting to see whether they would have to cancel more. No flights were expected to be operating Wednesday at Reagan National Airport or at Washington Dulles International, the Washington Airports Authority said.

Federal workers and schoolchildren in the nation's capital were told to stay home for a second consecutive day.

The National Weather Service predicted another 10 to 20 inches of snow for northern Virginia, eastern Maryland and Washington beginning Tuesday afternoon and continuing through Wednesday.

In last weekend's blizzard, a record 32.4 inches of snow fell on Washington's Dulles International Airport over two days, breaking the January 7-8, 1996, record of 23.2 inches.

Are you there? Share your winter weather photos, video

If as severe as predicted, the new storm will be the third major snowfall to hit the nation's capital and surrounding region in slightly more than seven weeks.

In Washington on Tuesday, out-of-towners Susan Martin and Robert Travers told CNN affiliate WJLA they had just flown to the city for a conference, but learned when they arrived that the conference had been canceled. Flights that would take them home from Reagan National Airport had been canceled, too.

"We probably won't get a flight back out of here until Thursday. That's what they're telling us," Martin told WJLA.

WJLA.com: People stranded at Washington airports, train stations

It was not expected to begin snowing in some areas until Tuesday night or Wednesday.

Forecasters said Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, could be slammed with 3 to 7 inches Tuesday and an additional 8 to 12 inches on Wednesday; Washington, 4 to 8 inches on Tuesday night and another 3 to 7 inches Wednesday; 5 to 8 inches Tuesday and 3 to 5 on Wednesday in Boston, Massachusetts; and 2 to 4 inches Tuesday and 6 to 10 inches Wednesday in New York.

Snow coverage from CNN affiliate WBAL

Delays of 30 minutes were reported for some flights at Chicago, Illinois', O'Hare International Airport, where more than 600 flights were canceled. Most of the flights at Midway Airport also were canceled, according to Gregg Cunningham, spokesman for the Chicago Department of Aviation.

Southwest Airlines was expecting to resume its normal schedule Wednesday at 10:30 a.m., he said.

Travelers should confirm the status of their flights by checking their airline's Web site before departing for the airport, he advised.

Delta Air Lines canceled 375 flights, including regional flights, in various locations Tuesday, spokesman Anthony Black said. He said a decision would be made Tuesday evening on any Wednesday cancellations.

American Airlines canceled 80 flights into and out of Washington and Philadelphia, spokesman Tim Wagner said. American and Delta said they had pre-emptively canceled 120 flights for Wednesday for both cities.

US Airways canceled 135 mainline flights and 307 US Airways Express flights systemwide, spokesman Andrew Christie said. He said the airline has canceled 380 mainline flights and 1,042 US Airways Express flights.

Snow causes more headaches for travelers

The storms were taking a financial toll on local governments.

Alexandria, Virginia, spent more than $1 million for the massive snowstorm that hit the region in December, budget analyst Morgan Routt said, and the city was still cleaning up after last weekend's storm.

"So, you can imagine, that's costing even more," he said. "We've had people working around the clock."

The city, whose fiscal year runs from July 1 to June 30, generally budgets $790,000 annually for snow removal. That covers the costs of equipment, personnel, contractors, materials and supplies.

For the 2009 year ending in July, Routt said, the city spent only $485,000.

Part of this year's costs are reimbursable by the federal government because the governor declared a snow emergency, he added.

All Washington National Guard full-time personnel were asked to report for duty Tuesday morning and

Question: Where were flights canceled?

Question: What amount of snow was recorded at Dulles?

Question: what is the reason for the cancelations

Question: What is the record snowfall?

Question: How many inches forecast?

Question: Were there any flight cancellations?

Question: What is the forecast for snow?

Question: how long will the effect be

Answer: Reagan National Airport or at Washington Dulles International,

Answer: 32.4 inches

Answer: massive snowstorm

Answer: 32.4 inches

Answer: 10 to 20

Answer: Hundreds

Answer: another 10 to 20 inches of

Answer: Tuesday afternoon and continuing through Wednesday.

Summary:
Airlines cancel hundreds of flights in Chicago, Northeast .
Another 10 to 20 inches of snow forecast for northern Virginia, eastern Maryland .
Federal workers, students in Washington told to stay home Tuesday .
Record 32.4 inches of snow fell on Dulles International Airport over weekend .


Washington (CNN) -- Apparently no good deed goes unpunished for President Barack Obama, who was trying to make sure he didn't get a flabby belly after Thanksgiving but wound up with a fat lower lip instead.

White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said the president received a dozen stitches after getting hit with an errant elbow during a Friday morning basketball game with White House aide Reggie Love and others at the Fort McNair military base in Washington.

The elbow belonged to Rey Decerega, who works for the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute. According to White House aides, Decerega went up for a shot and turned into the President, who was playing defense and accidentally got hit in the mouth.

"I learned today the president is both a tough competitor and a good sport," Decerega said in a statement released by the White House. "I enjoyed playing basketball with him this morning. I'm sure he'll be back out on the court again soon."

According to Gibbs, "After being inadvertently hit with an opposing player's elbow in the lip while playing basketball with friends and family, the president received 12 stitches today administered by the White House Medical Unit. They were done in the doctor's office located on the ground floor of the White House."

Aides said Obama was given a local anesthetic while receiving the stitches, and doctors used a smaller-than-usual filament. That increased the number of stitches needed to patch up the tear, but it made a tighter stitch so that the scar on the president's lower lip should be smaller.

Obama frequently plays basketball, works out on a daily basis, and was undoubtedly playing Friday to work off some extra Thanksgiving calories. An official White House menu showed that in addition to turkey and the usual trimmings, the first family dined Thursday on six types of pie: apple, sweet potato, pumpkin, banana cream, cherry, and huckleberry.

Asked by CNN if Decerega will be getting a presidential pardon, a top White House aide just laughed.

Question: How many stitches did Obama get?

Question: What did the ownder call Obama

Question: What did Obama take to the lip?

Question: Who was called "a tough competitor and a good sport"?

Question: What was the cause of Obamas stitches

Answer: dozen

Answer: tough competitor and a good sport,"

Answer: an errant elbow

Answer: Barack Obama,

Answer: getting hit with an errant elbow

Summary:
Obama gets 12 stitches after taking an elbow to the lip .
Gibbs: Obama is sewn up in the White House doctor's office .
The owner of the errant elbow calls Obama "a tough competitor and a good sport"


Washington (CNN) -- Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer made clear Tuesday she's not worried about a potential legal challenge from the Obama administration over her state's controversial immigration law.

"We'll meet you in court," Brewer told CNN' when asked how she would respond if President Barack Obama's Department of Justice decided to challenge the law. "I have a pretty good record of winning in court."

The American Civil Liberties Union is currently leading a court challenge. Attorney General Eric Holder, who met with a delegation of police chiefs from Arizona and elsewhere this week to discuss the law, has yet to indicate whether the federal government would file a legal challenge.

Obama, who has called the law "misguided," will meet with Brewer at the White House on Thursday, a White House official told CNN. It will be the first one-on-one meeting between the two since Brewer approved the law in April.

The new immigration law, implemented last month, allows police officers to check the residency status of anyone who is being investigated for a crime or possible legal infraction if there is reasonable suspicion the person is an illegal resident. Critics, including Holder, have said the law will promote racial profiling.

But Brewer said Tuesday the law does not target an individual's specific race. She also made clear driver's licenses are not sufficient to prove citizenship.

"It wouldn't matter if you are Latino or Hispanic or Norwegian," she said. "If you didn't have proof of citizenship and the police officer had reasonable suspicion, he would ask and verify your citizenship. I mean, that's the way that it is. That's what the federal law says. And that's what the law in Arizona says."

Brewer strongly defended the law, saying she would not suspend it even if Obama sharply increased the number of U.S. troops at the Mexican border.

iReport: Share your view on the Arizona law

The Arizona governor also said the White House has not adequately communicated with her about Obama's recently announced plan to dispatch 1,200 National Guard troops to the border.

"I'm sitting here with no good information. It would be very helpful, I might say, if somebody would give me something in writing telling me what they're sending to Arizona, how will it be distributed?" she said.

CNN's Alex Mooney and Ed Henry contributed to this report

Question: What did Brewer say she'll ask Obama to do?

Question: Who  says she'll ask Obama to tighten border security?

Question: Who defends her state's controversial immigration law?

Question: What does Jan Brewer defend?

Question: What is Gov. Brewer's first name?

Answer: "We'll meet you in court,"

Answer: Jan Brewer

Answer: Jan Brewer

Answer: immigration law.

Answer: Jan

Summary:
Arizona governor to meet Thursday with President Barack Obama .
Gov. Jan Brewer defends her state's controversial immigration law .
Brewer says she'll ask Obama to tighten border security .


Washington (CNN) -- Army Secretary John McHugh ordered a new investigation into poor record keeping and other problems at Arlington National Cemetery even as a separate investigation ended without an absolute answer to who is buried in a grave marked "Unknown." "As the final resting place of our nation's heroes, any questions about the integrity or accountability of its operations should be examined in a manner befitting their service and sacrifice," McHugh said in a statement after signing the order directing the Army's Inspector General to begin an investigation into allegations regarding cemetery operations. The Army IG is already in the middle of an investigation ordered by the previous secretary of the Army to review management of the cemetery. In recent years, the cemetery -- where President Kennedy and thousands of fallen U.S. soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines are buried -- has had a number of embarrassing problems. In 2008, the cemetery discovered that workers inadvertently buried cremated remains at a grave site already in use. Those remains were moved to another grave site. In 2003, as workers were digging a grave for a new burial, they discovered a casket already buried there. There was no headstone or grave marker to indicate who. Only recently, after a report by a journalist at Salon.com, did the Army take action on the problem. Over the summer, the cemetery put up a headstone on the mystery grave that reads "Unknown." As McHugh ordered the new investigation, the Army released results of a separate investigation of problems at the cemetery. That investigation focused on the discovery of the "Unknown" grave. A spokesman for the Military District of Washington, which conducted the review, said "Cemetery records, the MDW investigation, and the non-invasive geophysical analysis of the grave sites strongly indicate that a husband and wife, who died years apart and should have been buried in the same grave site, were instead buried in adjacent graves." A DNA test of the remains in the two adjacent graves could prove conclusively that is what happened, but the family of the husband and wife did not wish for their remains to be disturbed. The MDW said the Army will abide by the family's wishes and has ordered a headstone to properly mark the wife's grave. One of the problems discovered by the MDW investigation was a possible lack of adequate staffing at the cemetery. Last year Arlington conducted 4,377 burials, up more than 21 percent over the past 10 years. During that same period the number of civilian staff members has dropped nearly 19 percent. Currently the cemetery has four employees to schedule 135 to 150 funerals a week as well as maintain all grave records. Arlington, which sits on a hill across the Potomac River from the Lincoln Memorial, has been the final resting place for America's military heroes since the Civil War, when the Union seized the estate from the family of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee. McHugh hopes this new investigation will "ensure America's confidence in the operation of its most hallowed ground."

Question: What did army secretary order?

Question: Who ordered the inquiry into poor record keeping?

Question: What previous investigation sought to identify?

Question: What happened in cemetary in recent years?

Question: What has had a number of embarrassing problems in recent years?

Question: What was the grave marked?

Question: What does previous investigatiosn what to identify?

Question: Who orders inquiry into poor record keeping?

Question: What has had a number of embarrassing problems?

Answer: a new investigation into poor record keeping

Answer: Army Secretary John McHugh

Answer: who is buried in a grave marked "Unknown."

Answer: buried cremated remains at a grave site already in use.

Answer: Arlington National Cemetery

Answer: "Unknown."

Answer: As McHugh ordered the new investigation, the Army released results of a separate investigation of problems at the cemetery. That investigation focused on the discovery of the "Unknown" grave.

Answer: Army Secretary John McHugh

Answer: Arlington National Cemetery

Summary:
Army Secretary John McHugh orders inquiry into poor record keeping .
Previous investigation sought to identify remains in grave marked "Unknown"
In recent years, the cemetery has had a number of embarrassing problems .


Washington (CNN) -- As Libyans in the United States cheered the death of Moammar Gadhafi, President Barack Obama on Thursday called the fate of the former Libyan leader both the end of a "long and painful chapter for the people of Libya" and the hallmark of a successful U.S. foreign policy.

In the first official government remarks on the killing of a longtime foe who was behind terrorist attacks against U.S. citizens, Obama pledged American support as Libya builds a democratic system from the ruins of dictatorship.

"You have won your revolution," he said to the Libyan people.

Obama also praised the efforts of U.S. military personnel who took part in the NATO-led military mission that launched thousands of airstrikes in support of Libya's rebel forces.

"Without putting a single U.S. service member on the ground, we achieved our objectives," Obama said in heralding a strategy that "demonstrated what collective action can achieve in the 21st century."

In an obvious reference to Syria and the crackdown on dissent by President Bashar al-Assad, Obama noted that Gadhafi's death proved "once more that the rule of an iron fist inevitably comes to an end."

"Across the Arab world, citizens have stood up to claim their rights," the president said. "Youth are delivering a powerful rebuke to dictatorship, and those leaders who try to deny human dignity will not succeed."

His statement, delivered in the White House Rose Garden, followed hours of silence by top government officials as initial reports that Gadhafi had been captured or killed emerged from Libya.

It was a very different scene hours later outside the White House, as dozens of people waved and wrapped themselves in the Libyan flag while cheering Gadhafi's death.

Many sang to the beat of a drum Thursday evening, while one celebrant held a hand-drawn sign showing a newborn baby drawn over the outline of Libya -- symbolizing a country reborn.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was in Afghanistan when she said "Wow" after an aide handed her a Blackberry that spoke of Gadhafi's capture. At the time, she stressed the reports were "unconfirmed" and noted similar stories had proven false,

Politicians were less reticent, especially as it became more clear that Gadhafi was in fact dead. Sens. John Kerry and John McCain, both foreign affairs veterans, were among several legislators who remarked about Gadhafi's death long before Obama issued his statement.

McCain, an Arizona Republican who lost to Obama in the 2008 presidential election, called it a "great day" and said the administration he previously criticized for withholding full U.S. military capacity in Libya "deserves great credit."

"Obviously, I had different ideas on the tactical side, but ... the world is a better place, and the Libyan people now have a chance," McCain told CNN.

Kerry, a Massachusetts Democrat, said Obama's policy of building a NATO-led coalition for the Libya mission "demonstrated clear-eyed leadership, patience and foresight by pushing the international community into action."

"Though the administration was criticized both for moving too quickly and for not moving quickly enough, it is undeniable that the NATO campaign prevented a massacre and contributed mightily to Gadhafi's undoing without deploying boots on the ground or suffering a single American fatality," Kerry said.

Rep. Mike Rogers, the chairman of the House intelligence committee, cheered the news that Gadhafi's "brutal regime is finally over." At the same time, the Michigan Republican stressed what he deemed an urgent need to secure "Libya's large stockpile of chemical and other advanced weapons" in this period of transition.

Vice President Joe Biden noted that the U.S. role in the campaign cost no more than $2 billion and that no American lives were lost, saying: "This is more a prescription about how we ought to deal going forward.

"We do not have to do it ourselves. ... The NATO alliance worked like it was designed to do," Biden told CNN's Candy Crowley in New Hampshire, calling Gadhafi "one bad guy. This was real burden sharing

Question: What did Biden say the nato alliance worked with

Question: who celebrate Gadhafi's death?

Question: what president says gadhafi's death ends in

Question: Whose death was celebrated outside the White House?

Answer: like it was designed to do,"

Answer: Libyans in the United States

Answer: "long and painful chapter for the people of Libya"

Answer: Moammar Gadhafi,

Summary:
NEW: Dozens outside of the White House celebrate Gadhafi's death .
VP Biden says "the NATO alliance worked like it was designed to do"
The president says Gadhafi's death ends a "long and painful chapter"
NATO's leader announces the alliance will end its mission in Libya .


Washington (CNN) -- As the Martin Luther King Jr. National Memorial was officially dedicated Sunday, speakers called for carrying on King's ideals and values and confronting issues including bullying and social and economic justice for all Americans.

"Nearly 50 years after the March on Washington, our work -- Dr. King's work -- is not yet complete," President Barack Obama said at the dedication ceremony.

The nation faces many challenges, he said, including an ailing economy, substandard education, war and tragedy.

Progress, he said, can often be a slow and painful process. During the civil rights movement, "progress was purchased through enduring the smack of billy clubs and the blast of fire hoses. It was bought with days in jail cells and nights of bomb threats." Every victory was met with setbacks and defeat, Obama said. Today's America can draw strength from that struggle, from King's belief that we are one people and from his refusal to give up, the president said.

"Let us not be trapped by what is," Obama said. "We can't be discouraged by what is. We've got to keep pushing for what ought to be."

He noted that King "will stand for all time, among monuments to those who fathered this nation and those who defended it. A black preacher, no official rank or title, somehow gave voice to our deepest dreams and our most lasting ideas."

"I know we will overcome," the president said. "I know there are better days ahead. I know this because of the man towering over us."

The monument to the slain civil rights leader was due to have been dedicated on August 28, the anniversary of the 1963 March on Washington when King delivered his world-altering "I Have a Dream" speech, but Hurricane Irene forced the event to be postponed.

Perhaps, said the Rev. Bernice King, one of King's daughters, that postponement was due to divine intervention. "Perhaps God wanted us to move beyond the dream into action," she said.

"As we dedicate this monument, I can hear my father saying that oppressed people cannot remain oppressed forever," she said. "The yearning for freedom eventually manifests itself ... I hear my father saying what we are seeing now, all across the streets of America and the world, is a freedom explosion."

She called for "a radical revolution of values and reordering of priorities in this nation."

She urged attendees to also pay homage to her mother, Coretta Scott King, who even as a grieving widow with four children "raised a nation in my father's teachings and values. It was vitally important to her that his life and principles become institutionalized."

The memorial site, which features a striking 30-foot statue of King gazing out on the iconic Tidal Basin, lies between the Lincoln Memorial and the Thomas Jefferson Memorial on the National Mall. The statue, representing a "Stone of Hope," sits forward from a "Mountain of Despair."

Visitors pass through the mountain on their way to King's statue and an expanse along the basin rimmed with an inscription wall covered with stone carvings of some of his most famous quotes. The four-acre area will also feature the iconic cherry blossom trees that draw thousands of tourists to the Mall each spring.

"The very first time that I came to the site, I was almost overwhelmed," Martin Luther King III said. "I really was impressed by this artist. He was able to capture the essence of my dad."

On Sunday, he described his father as "a champion of human rights and social justice for all people," regardless of race, gender and ethnicity.

"Let us not forget that he paid the ultimate price for our civil rights," he said.

But, he said, "we've lost our souls," noting the recent killing of a black man in Mississippi; child bullying; wars in Iraq and Afghanistan; and the lack of social and economic justice

Question: Who said we've got to keep pushing for what ought to be?

Question: What did kings children urge?

Question: What do the speakers at the ceremony urge?

Question: What did speakers at the ceremony urge?

Answer: Obama

Answer: attendees to also pay homage to her mother, Coretta Scott

Answer: carrying on King's ideals and values and confronting issues including bullying and social and economic justice

Answer: for carrying on King's ideals and values and confronting issues including bullying and social and economic justice for all Americans.

Summary:
NEW: Obama: "We've got to keep pushing for what ought to be"
King's children urge that his ideals and values be remembered .
Speakers at the ceremony urge the pursuit of economic justice .
Celebrated writer Maya Angelou says King has been edited to make him seem arrogant .


Washington (CNN) -- As the United States completes its withdrawal of all military forces from Iraq by the end of the month, Iraq's prime minister made a pitch to leaders of American commerce and industry Tuesday: Iraq is open for business.

In an address to American executives at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in Washington, Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki said his country offers "limitless" opportunities for American companies.

Al-Maliki said his country is trying to diversify from an energy-dominated economy, to one that focuses on financial, medical, agricultural, educational and infrastructure services as well.

The end of U.S. military operations in Iraq heralds the beginning of a "wider relationship" between the two countries where "not generals but businessmen" will focus on economic and political engagement between the two countries, al-Maliki told the audience. He spoke to more than 400 executives representing a wide range of industries including petroleum, engineering and construction, commercial aviation, architecture, maritime cargo and financial services.

As U.S. investment in Iraq has increased since 2008, al-Maliki said Iraq wants to see a much greater presence of U.S. companies in his country to help spur greater spending and investment on the country's infrastructure as a way to better the lives of Iraqis and create more U.S. jobs in the process.

Total foreign direct investment in Iraq hit $70 billion for the first months of 2011, according to the chamber. The United States has increased its investment from nearly nearly $2 billion in 2010 to more than $8 billion this year, the organization said. That figure represents 11.6% of all investment entering Iraq, the chamber said.

The International Monetary Fund has projected the Iraqi economy to grow at a faster pace than China or India over the next two to three years.

Despite growing U.S. investment in Iraq, the chamber continued its own pitch to U.S. businesses of the potential Iraq represents for them, and American workers, before al-Maliki spoke.

"We continue to trail our trading partners with respect to investment and economic engagement in Iraq," said Lionel Johnson, vice president for Middle East and North African Affairs at the chamber. The private sector stands to play a crucial role in filling the capacity void left in many sectors of the Iraqi economy following the U.S. military departure, Johnson said.

Winning business for American firms in Iraq has not been an easy prospect in the past. Not a single U.S. energy firm secured a deal for oil production at an auction of contracts by the Iraqi government two years ago. Many members of Congress were outraged, and questioned the U.S. investment in Iraq to that point after lucrative multi-billion-dollar contracts went to Russian and Chinese firms instead.

In the past year, the United States Business Council in Iraq was established to advance commercial interests for American firms operating in Iraq.

Opportunity aside, al-Maliki acknowledged the difficulty of moving his country from the planned economy of the Saddam Hussein era to a market-based system governed by transparency laws and international regulations, not to mention convincing American businesses to invest in a country that still experiences a high volume of violence. He assured his audience that his government was doing all it could to root out corruption and make the country safe for businesses to operate.

"Make no mistake, this is a country that's developing, its commerce is developing, it's going to take time, it's going to take energy," Deputy Secretary of State Thomas Nides told CNN after al-Maliki spoke. "U.S. companies are going there because they believe they can make money and at the end of the day that's what it is about, and most of these companies have dealt with complicated environments. Iraq is no different, but we have seen huge progress."

Nides said the "robust diplomatic staff" still based in Iraq after the military withdrawal will include large economic and legal teams to work with U.S. companies operating in Iraq.

Nearly 40 leaders from the Iraqi private sector made the trip to Washington with al-Maliki to meet with their American counterparts.

Question: With what organization Al-Maliki has business talks?

Question: What will build the U.S.-Iraq relationship?

Question: What does Al-Maliki say Iraq wants to see?

Question: When were Iraqi contracts auctioned?

Question: Who talked business?

Question: Who talked business with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce?

Question: Who said he wants to see more us companies in his country?

Answer: U.S. Chamber of Commerce

Answer: end of U.S. military operations

Answer: a much greater presence of U.S. companies in his country to help spur greater spending and investment on the country's infrastructure

Answer: two years ago.

Answer: Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki

Answer: Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki

Answer: Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki

Summary:
Al-Maliki talks business with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce .
"Not generals but businessmen" will build the U.S.-Iraq relationship now, he says .
Al-Maliki says Iraq wants to see more U.S. companies in his country .
No U.S. energy firm secured a deal at an auction of Iraqi contracts two years ago .


Washington (CNN) -- As the new evangelist for entrepreneurship, President Obama is finally on the right track. Mentioning "small business" 14 times in his State of the Union address last week, he pledged to increase small business lending and provide tax incentives to jump-start new jobs.

And pivoting from propping up "too big to fail" behemoths to boosting more nimble job generators is smart. After all, mom and pop shops, small enterprises, and garage start-ups get Americans on the payroll.

Small Business Administration (SBA) data shows that small companies have generated 64 percent of net new jobs annually over the past 15 years. What's more, a Kauffman Foundation study reveals that firms less than five years old are the engine of this growth.

Yet, for these businesses the recession has been particularly acute. According to a Senate report last year, American businesses with fewer than 20 employees have suffered steeper job losses than bigger companies. With unemployment hovering at 10 percent, the president must kick-start small business. In an appearance in Nashua, New Hampshire, yesterday, Obama detailed his proposed small business lending program.

Let's examine his proposals:

$30 billion of federal bailout funds redirected to community banks to lend to small business. Yesterday in Nashua, President Obama unveiled his proposal to redirect $30 billion of Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) funds to create a new Small Business Lending Fund for community banks. To do this, the White House has said, would require an act of Congress to change current law.

On Capitol Hill yesterday, White House Budget Director Peter Orszag met with severe criticism from Sen. Judd Gregg (R-N.H.), who accused the administration of viewing TARP as a "piggy bank" and using it for political purposes.

Certainly access to credit is the lifeblood of small business and has been sorely lacking. If we are to direct funds to community banks, we must not make the same mistake twice. Federal funds must come with mandatory loan distribution requirements to ensure that banks actually lend.

Better yet, Obama should channel capital to small businesses through the Small Business Administration directly. Pending legislation introduced by Sen. Benjamin L. Cardin, D- Maryland, proposes funneling bailout funds through the SBA itself. The infrastructure is in place and such a process would be quicker and more efficient.

At a minimum, Obama needs to empower the SBA with funding for consistent loan guarantees. As part of the Recovery Act, the SBA raised guarantees from 75 to 90 percent and eliminated fees, making it more attractive for banks to lend. This was helpful, but inconsistent funding left 1,069 small businesses on a waiting list in late 2009. Subsequent funding was extended, but this on-again, off-again fluctuation makes it impossible for small businesses to plan, and in some cases, survive.

Tax credits for new hires and wage increases. The goal of this program is to encourage on-the-fence businesses to take the plunge and hire new workers. While tax credits rarely provide the reason to add new staff, for businesses anticipating growth, this nudge can catalyze hiring.

As part of Obama's $33 billion tax credit proposal, employers would get a $5,000 tax credit for every net new worker hired in 2010 and reimbursement for Social Security taxes paid when they increase wages. By limiting the maximum credit to $500,000 per company, the intention is to focus on small companies, though all businesses would be eligible.

Elimination of capital-gains tax on investments in small business. This is a winning proposal. For small companies seeking investment, a zero-rate capital gains tax will attract private investors who together with friends and family provide essential funding for small business start-ups. Such incentives will reward entrepreneurs who take start-up risks, and create a more level playing field for worldwide investors, as many other countries do not tax capital gains.

Tax incentives for investment in new facilities and equipment. Allowing companies to write off, instead of depreciate, new equipment helps businesses buy things they were already planning to buy. Encouraging businesses to

Question: What does she say took a hit in the recession?

Question: What does Amy Wilkinson say Obama's new focus ?

Question: What does she say about Obama's plan for lending, tax breaks, incentives ?

Question: What is Obama's plan for small business's?

Answer: "small business"

Answer: "small business"

Answer: on the right

Answer: increase

Summary:
Amy Wilkinson says Obama's new focus on small businesses and jobs is on track .
She says small businesses, the engines for U.S. job recovery, took hit in recession .
Obama's plan for lending, tax breaks, incentives could go even further, she says .
Wilkinson: Give SBA a role in loans; reform immigration to bring job-creating talent to U.S.


Washington (CNN) -- At the House Republican strategy session in January, I stood before the Republican Conference and said, "I am your worst nightmare." It was a figure of speech, of course, but my point was that our campaign helped change the political equation for winning elections. No longer is it enough to have big-name identification and big money to win. We demonstrated that principles and policy matter, and if you combine that with hard work and dynamic new media, young upstarts can beat incumbents in a big way. (I beat a 12-year incumbent in my own party, winning by 20 points.) In order to survive in the current political climate, it's paramount to be on the cutting edge of technical trends. As a young freshman, it is challenging to distinguish myself among 434 other members. If I want to be relevant and productive, I have to work hard to get my message across. Using social media is a great way to do just that. I stay in contact with people through Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. Other members of Congress have also jumped aboard the Online Express. These days, even John McCain is all-a-twitter over new social media. See the latest episode of "Freshman Year" Granted, my "tweets" will not replace town hall meetings or direct mail, but social media is an important outreach supplement. People like feeling connected to their elected officials. Residents of my district want their voices to be heard and want to be a part of the political process. It has been very important to me that my constituents don't have to wade through layers of bureaucracy to reach me. My Facebook page, for example, hosts hundreds of interactions each week from "supporters." I post frequently and engage in the comments. I never outsource this type of communication to staff. It's done entirely by me. That kind of attention builds trust with people. They know what I really think, and they develop a connection with me -- even if we disagree. Twitter has become a particularly useful tool for me. I often tweet several times a day. Followers get an inside look at not only my job, but also my personality -- and sometimes my appetite. When I came to Washington as a newly elected member of Congress, I got a few headlines for bringing a cot to sleep on in my office. Taking my inspiration from FDR's Fireside Chats in the 1930s and '40s, I began producing "Cotside Chats" that are featured on my Web site. These chats give me the opportunity to talk directly with my constituents about the issues I think are important. Social media is a two-way street. It's a great way to deliver a message, and it's free. It also provides me with opportunities to listen to what is going on in the real world in real time. With today's easy Internet access and the surging popularity of social networking, there's no excuse for politicians to remain in the 20th century. For me, embracing new media and increasing the accessibility for my constituents is a winning formula. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Jason Chaffetz.

Question: What does Rep. Jason Chaffetz talk about?

Question: What drives campaigns today?

Question: What is a great way to get a message out?

Question: What do constituents want?

Question: Rep. Jason who?

Question: What is social media?

Question: Chaffetz says social media does what?

Answer: With today's easy Internet access and the surging popularity of social networking, there's no excuse for politicians to remain in the 20th century. For me, embracing new media and increasing the accessibility for my constituents is a winning formula.

Answer: Social media

Answer: Using social media

Answer: to be a part of the political process.

Answer: Chaffetz.

Answer: important outreach supplement.

Answer: is an important outreach supplement.

Summary:
Rep. Jason Chaffetz: Campaigns today are driven by use of social media .
He says using social media is a great way to get a message out .
He says constituents want to hear from their representatives, and they want to talk back .


Washington (CNN) -- At the end of his career, former House Speaker Tip O'Neill was asked how Congress had changed between the 1950s and 1980s. O'Neill answered: "The people are better. The results are worse."

Watching last week's health summit, you see what O'Neill meant. The conversation was intelligent, civil, well-informed. It also predictably achieved nothing. How could it? Deals are never reached in front of the television camera.

Take this quiz. Name the most important legislation enacted in the 30 years between 1950 and 1980.

Overwhelming isn't it? Civil rights. Voting rights. Interstate highways. Medicare. Medicaid. The deregulation of the airlines, natural gas, trucking, rail and oil. The immigration act of 1965. Clean Air, Clean Water, and the Endangered Species Acts. Supplemental Security Income in 1974. I could fill the whole screen.

Now ... the next 30 years.

There's the Reagan tax cuts of course. Deregulation of the savings & loans in 1982. The Americans with Disabilities Act in 1990. Welfare reform in 1995. Medicare Part D. What else?

Leave aside whether you are liberal or conservative, whether you approve the measures mentioned above or disapprove. It's hard to dispute: Congress just got a lot more done in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s than in the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s.

Why?

You hear many grand, sweeping explanations. Let's try just one simple one.

Congress in the first period was controlled by a handful of committee chairmen, who owed their positions to seniority. The committees did their work in secret. Bills written in committee typically could not be amended on the floor of Congress. The institution was authoritarian, hierarchical, opaque. And stuff passed.

In the mid-1970s, Congress underwent a revolution. The power of the committee chairmen was broken. The number of subcommittees proliferated. The committees met in public. Amendments multiplied. Congress become more open, more egalitarian, more responsive. And stuff ceased to pass.

Again and again, today's gridlock can be traced to yesterday's reform.

Is the filibuster grinding Congress to a halt? Before the 1970s, filibusters were both very rare and very difficult. But when Congress took action to make filibusters easier to break, it inadvertently made them easier to use. Back in the 1950s, a filibuster would bring the entire Senate to a halt, as the filibustering Senator talked and talked and talked.

A filibuster was both spectacularly visible and personally exhausting: it exacted a high price from the filibustering senator. Then Congress took action to make filibusters easier to break, requiring only 60 votes instead of 67. But that same deal made them much easier to start. No need to speechify all night; no colleagues enraged that the filibustering senator has paralyzed the chamber.

Today, a filibustering senator need only notify the majority leader of his intention. The filibustered legislation is sidetracked until 60 votes are found to enact it, while other business continues as normal. The price of the filibuster has been drastically cut. No surprise we get more of them.

Candidates consumed by fundraising? Two generations ago, candidates barely raised money at all. Once nominated, a candidate would turn to his party apparatus to provide the money and expertise needed to contest an election. But the maximum contribution by a party organization was capped in the 1940s, and it has not been raised significantly since.

This cap was supposed to clean up politics by weakening party bosses. Instead, it has forced every individual member of Congress to spend the bulk of his or her time begging for funds -- the very opposite of clean politics.

Lobbyists everywhere? In 1950, a lobbyist who wanted a tax measure would have very few targets. The chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee could help, ditto the ranking member of the opposition party. The senior members of the Senate Finance Committee would likewise be worth talking to. Maybe some of the upper level officials at Treasury. The days of concentrated power have ended. Today, almost any one of the 535 members of

Question: when did reforms happen

Question: When did more transparency happen?

Question: when were the landmark bills passed

Question: When were landmark bills passed through secret deals?

Answer: 1995.

Answer: In the mid-1970s,

Answer: between 1950 and 1980.

Answer: 1950s, 1960s and 1970s

Summary:
In '50s and '60s, landmark bills were passed through secret deals, David Frum says .
Reforms of the 1970s resulted in much more transparency, he says .
Frum says the result has been that very little major legislation can get accomplished .


Washington (CNN) -- Authorities evacuated Union Station, the main train terminal in Washington, D.C., for part of Sunday afternoon due to a chemical odor from an overheated battery system, according to a spokesman for the D.C. Fire and Emergency Medical Services Department.

The evacuation ended just over an hour after it began, after a hazardous materials team responded and all train service had been suspended, said fire department spokesman Peter Piringer.

One person was taken to a hospital for evaluation after complaining of dizziness, Piringer said.

The odor, described as smelling like sulfur or natural gas, was due to the battery that backs up the train platform's lighting system getting overheated, the spokesman said.

Amtrak spokesman Marc Magliari said all rail traffic in and out of the station was suspended for 75 minutes due to the evacuation. Delays from the temporary suspension would probably affect train service through the afternoon, Magliari said.

Subway service continued to operate during the evacuation, but trains were not stopping at Union Station, according to the Washington Metro Area Transit Authority. Regular subway service was to resume shortly after the evacuation lifted.

Question: what has caused chemical odor?

Question: How many people were taken to hospital?

Question: What caused an hour- long evacuation at Washington D.D's Union Station?

Question: what does the spokesman says about Amtrak train?

Question: How long was the evacutation?

Question: What caused the odor?

Question: what is the caouse of odor?

Question: what was suspended for 75 minutes?

Answer: overheated battery system,

Answer: One

Answer: chemical odor from an overheated battery system,

Answer: all rail traffic in and out of the station was suspended for 75 minutes due to the evacuation. Delays from the temporary suspension would probably affect

Answer: just over an hour after it began,

Answer: an overheated battery system,

Answer: an overheated battery system,

Answer: all rail traffic in and out of the station

Summary:
Chemical odor causes hour-long evacuation at Washington, D.C.'s Union Station .
Cause of odor was overheated battery system, official says .
One person taken to hospital for evaluation after complaining of dizziness .
Amtrak train service was suspended for 75 minutes, spokesman says .


Washington (CNN) -- Bush administration lawyers who wrote "torture" memos have been cleared of allegations of professional misconduct after a Justice Department internal investigation, which recommends no legal consequences for their actions.

The report by the Justice Department concludes the high-ranking lawyers who developed controversial legal guidance on waterboarding and other enhanced interrogation techniques may have exercised poor judgment, but not professional misconduct.

The conclusion resulted from a decision by top career Justice Department executive David Margolis to reverse a recommendation of investigators that found the two lawyers' legal memos did constitute professional misconduct. That tentative conclusion, which was overruled by Margolis, said the lawyers should be referred to their state bar associations for potential disbarment.

But in the final report, the examination of the legal guidance written by Justice Department lawyers John Yoo and Jay Bybee found they did not constitute a professional breach that could have led to state disbarment.

The report by the Justice Department ethics office, called the Office of Professional Responsibility, also examined and cleared attorney Steven Bradbury. He headed the Office of Legal Counsel, which provided legal guidance to the executive branch during President George W. Bush's second term.

The often-delayed release of the report came late Friday after it was sent to lawmakers on the House and Senate Judiciary committees, who made the findings public.

In addition to the content itself, the constantly delayed release of the politically sensitive report had become an issue. Issuance of the report was repeatedly postponed for more than a year, prompting lawmakers and civil liberties groups to press for publication of the investigation's findings. In November, Holder told Congress the report would be made public "by the end of the month."

Reaction to the Justice Department investigation largely fell along party lines, with liberal Democrats unhappy with the conclusions, and highlighting criticism of the Bush Administration lawyers.

"While the report concludes the lawyers did not breach their minimal professional obligations, I certainly hold top lawyers at the Justice Department] to a higher standard than that, as all Americans should," said Rep. John Conyers, D-Michigan.

Conyers, who chairs the House Judiciary Committee focused on the lawyers' "poor judgments," and said, "Today's report makes plain that those memos were legally flawed and fundamentally unsound."

Meanwhile, conservative lawmakers applauded the decision not to recommend action against the Bush administration officials who proposed enhanced interrogation techniques.

"It is important that future government lawyers know that their efforts to protect Americans will not be criminalized by future administrations," said Rep. Lamar Smith, R-Texas, the top Republican on the House Judiciary Committee.

"We know that the decision of these attorneys to approve enhanced interrogation tactics in the wake of 9/11 saved lives," he declared.

Question:
Who was also cleared?
What did the conclusion reverse?
Who developed legal guidance?
Who developed the legal guidance?
What did Steven Bradbury head?
when will Steven Bradbury be cleared?

Answer: attorney Steven Bradbury.

Answer: a recommendation of investigators

Answer: high-ranking lawyers

Answer: high-ranking lawyers

Answer: Office of Legal Counsel,

Answer: late Friday

Summary:
DoJ: No professional misconduct by lawyers who wrote "torture memos"
Conclusion reversed recommended referral of lawyers for disbarment .
John Yoo and Jay Bybee developed legal guidance on enhanced interrogation .
Also cleared was Steven Bradbury, who headed the Office of Legal Counsel .


Washington (CNN) -- Citing a "deficit of trust" in government by the American people, President Obama's first State of the Union address urged Congress to erode the influence of special interests and work together to confront the nation's most pressing problems. In the nationally televised speech Wednesday night to a joint session of Congress, Obama sought to reassure Americans angry and nervous about the pace of economic recovery that his government understands the challenges and would act boldly to meet them. Obama called for a new political climate of "common sense" approaches that invest in the American people without building "a mountain of debt." Highlights of the speech "We have to recognize that we face more than a deficit of dollars right now. We face a deficit of trust -- deep and corrosive doubts about how Washington works that have been growing for years," Obama said. Key areas where Obama wants to build that trust include: the economy, education, energy, health care and national security. Democrats applauded the remarks of their party's leader. "He outlined a road map that, if followed with bipartisan support in Congress, can reduce our deficit, rebuild our economy and create a new foundation of prosperity for American families and businesses," said Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa. "It was a serious speech -- reached out to Republicans," said Rep. Steny Hoyer, D-Maryland, the House majority leader. iReport: Share your views on the speech Republicans, however, were skeptical of Obama's ability to change the partisan atmosphere in Washington. "Real bipartisanship requires more than just lip service; it demands both sides coming together in a real and meaningful way. It's time for the administration to abandon this big-government agenda and start working in a meaningful way with Republicans to find common-sense solutions to move the country forward," said Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah. "I would have liked to have seen him emphasize reaching out to the other side of the aisle and bringing us together," said Sen. George Voinovich, R-Ohio. Read more reaction to address Analysts, too, were mixed in their reactions to what Obama had to say Wednesday night. CNN political contributor John Avlon said Obama was targeting independents with his remarks, but questioned his success. "They still hear The Who's 'Won't Get Fooled Again' in the back of their minds," Avlon said. Democratic strategist James Carville said Obama made progress. "He picked up a first down tonight," Carville said. And a post-speech opinion poll shows a divided public. A CNN/Opinion Research Corp. survey indicated that 48 percent of speech watchers had a very positive reaction, with three in 10 saying they had a somewhat positive response and 21 percent with a negative response. See full results of poll The 48 percent who indicated they had a very positive response is down 20 points from the 68 percent of speech watchers who felt the same way a year ago about the president's February 24 primetime address to a joint session of Congress. "Wednesday night's State of the Union audience is more Democratic than the nation as a whole, but speech-watchers were less Democratic this year than they were last year," said Keating Holland, CNN polling director. "That may be one reason why the number who gave his speech a 'very positive' rating is lower this year. But part of the reason also may be that speech-watchers didn't necessarily hear a new agenda and aren't confident that the president can improve health care or lower the deficit."

Question: Who is the US President?

Question: What does Obama say about the "deficit of trust"?

Question: What did the Republicans say about Obama?

Question: Where do Republicans say Obama doesn't go far enough to reach?

Question: What do his opponents say?

Question: Who says that Obama hits the rigth areas with his speech?

Answer: Obama

Answer: urged Congress to erode the influence of special interests and work together to confront the nation's most pressing problems.

Answer: "It was a serious speech

Answer: the other side of the aisle and bringing us together,"

Answer: Republicans, however, were skeptical of Obama's ability to change the partisan atmosphere in Washington.

Answer: Steny Hoyer,

Summary:
Obama says he wants to close "deficit of trust" with American people .
Democrats say president hits right areas with speech .
Republicans say Obama doesn't go far enough to reach across aisle .


Washington (CNN) -- Coalition forces can attain "success" in Afghanistan, but U.S. officials should wait until December 2010 before they can measure the progress of the troop surge, a top U.S. commander told a Senate committee Wednesday.

Gen. David Petraeus, head of U.S. Central Command, predicted the surge will be met by an increase in violence in spring 2010 and a rise in "security incidents" in the summer.

Turmoil within the Afghan government over the 18 months of the troop increase is also expected as corruption is rooted out, Petraeus said. That, combined with an expected backlash in the spring and summer, Petraeus cautioned, means officials and the public should wait until December 2010 to evaluate the progress of the U.S. military strategy.

"While certainly different and in some ways tougher than Iraq, Afghanistan is no more hopeless than Iraq was when I took command there in February 2007," Petraeus told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. "Indeed the level of violence and number of violent civilian deaths in Iraq were vastly higher than we have seen in Afghanistan, but achieving progress in Afghanistan will be hard and the progress there likely will be slower in developing than progress was achieved in Iraq."

Petraeus' appearance before legislators was the latest by top U.S. officials on Capitol Hill this week. Gen. Stanley McChrystal, the commander of U.S. forces in Afghanistan, testified before the Senate and House counterparts of the Armed Services Committee on Tuesday, joined by Karl Eikenberry, the U.S. ambassador in Kabul, who also testified Wednesday. Jacob Lew, deputy secretary of state for management and resources also testified Wednesday.

McChrystal told CNN on Wednesday that U.S., Afghan and NATO forces need to cut off the Taliban insurgency from the Afghan people by establishing "security zones" that will gradually expand to encompass more and more territory.

"At the end of the day, the insurgency needs access to the population to be effective," McChrystal said in an interview with CNN's Christiane Amanpour. "They need to be able to coerce the population, to tax the population, to recruit from the population, and to prevent the government from extending its governance into those areas."

If Taliban fighters are forced to keep their distance from the Afghan population, then "over time, they become irrelevant, and they, in fact, are defeated," McChrystal said.

The generals and diplomats were called to testify before the congressional committees about President Obama's new plan for the Afghan war, which involves the deployment of another 30,000 U.S. troops and a July 2011 date for the beginning of an American withdrawal.

Part of stabilizing Afghanistan and fighting the Taliban will include supporting legitimate economies among Afghans, thwarting the chance that some would join the insurgency as a means of making a living, Eikenberry testified. About 80 percent of the Afghan people derive their income from agriculture and the United States plans to support agriculture among civilians while keeping farmers from growing heroin in the poppy fields, which can be lucrative for the Taliban, said Eikenberry.

Also critical is a partnership with Pakistan, Eikenberry, Petraeus and Lew agreed. Chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, Sen. John Kerry, D-Massachusetts, articulated that fighting the insurgency in Afghanistan includes addressing the problem of militants who have sought shelter across the border in Pakistan.

Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, who has been at large since the September 11 attacks in 2001, is widely believed to be hiding along the rugged border between Afghanistan and Pakistan.

While the withdrawal is set to begin July 2011, Kerry said the United States will maintain "engagement" with the region and talks with Afghanistan's neighbor, Pakistan. And Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai on Tuesday said that the country will need help financing their own military and police forces for the next 10 to 15 years.

Worried about billions of dollars in costs and the longevity of the commitment to Afghanistan, Sen. Richard Lugar, R-Indiana, asked Petraeus to explain whether 15 years would be necessary and how much money it could cost.

If Afghanistan attained the "aspirational" goal of 400,000 army and police members, it could cost about $10 billion

Question: Where will the progress "likely be slower"?

Question: how long should we wait for Full evaluations of progress?

Question: how much will Karzai's "aspirational" goals cost U.S.?

Question: About which insurgency was McChrystal speaking?

Question: Who is Karzai?

Question: who talked with CNN's Christiane Amanpour about insurgency?

Answer: Afghanistan

Answer: until December 2010

Answer: $10 billion

Answer: Taliban

Answer: Afghanistan President

Answer: Stanley McChrystal,

Summary:
NEW: Gen. Stanley McChrystal talks with CNN's Christiane Amanpour about insurgency .
Gen. David Petraeus: Full evaluations of progress should wait until December 2010 .
Petraeus: Progress "likely will be slower" to come in Afghanistan than it was in Iraq .
Karzai's "aspirational" goals would cost U.S. about $10 billion a year, Petraeus says .


Washington (CNN) -- Computer technicians have recovered about 22 million Bush administration e-mails that the Bush White House had said were missing, two watchdog groups that sued over the documents announced Monday. The e-mails date from 2003 to 2005, and had been "mislabeled and effectively lost," according to the National Security Archive, a research group based at George Washington University. But Melanie Sloan, executive director of the liberal-leaning Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, said it could be years before most of the e-mails are made public. "The e-mails themselves are not what we're getting," Sloan said. Documents related to the handling of e-mail under the Bush administration and subsequent information regarding how White House e-mails are currently archived will be released under a settlement with the Obama administration, which inherited a lawsuit the groups filed in 2007. But the National Archives must sort out which documents are covered by the Freedom of Information Act and which ones fall under the Presidential Records Act, which means they could be withheld for five to 10 years after the Bush administration left office in January, Sloan said. "The National Archives will sort this out," she said. The e-mail controversy dates back to the Bush administration's 2006 firing of the top federal prosecutors in nine cities. After congressional committees demanded the administration produce documents related to the firings, the White House said millions of e-mails might have been lost from its servers. Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington and the National Security Archive sued over the issue in 2007, arguing the Bush administration violated federal laws that require presidential records to be preserved. Court records have shown that the Bush administration knew about the e-mail problems as far back as 2005 and did nothing to fix them, Sloan said. "They never made an effort to restore them," she said. But Scott Stanzel, a former deputy press secretary in the Bush White House, said the group "has consistently tried to create a spooky conspiracy out of standard IT issues." "We always indicated that there is an e-mail archiving system and a disaster recovery system," Stanzel said. "We also indicated that e-mails not properly archived could be found on disaster recovery tapes. There is a big, big difference between something not being properly archived and it being 'lost' or 'missing,' as CREW would say." Monday's settlement allows for 94 days of e-mail traffic, scattered between January 2003 to April 2005, to be restored from backup tapes. Of those 94 days, 40 were picked by statistical sample; another 21 days were suggested by the White House; and the groups that filed suit picked 33 that seemed "historically significant," from the months before the invasion of Iraq to the period when the firings of U.S. attorneys were being planned. Also requested were several days surrounding the announcement that a criminal investigation was under way into the disclosure of then-CIA agent Valerie Plame Wilson's identity. That investigation led to the conviction of White House aide I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby on charges of perjury, obstruction of justice and lying to federal agents investigating the leak. Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington represented Wilson and her husband, former U.S. Ambassador Joseph Wilson, in a lawsuit over her exposure, which they argued was in retaliation for his accusation that the Bush administration over-hyped the intelligence used to justify the invasion of Iraq. A federal judge dismissed the case on procedural grounds in 2007, but Sloan said the missing e-mails raise the "strong possibility" that special prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald never received all the documents he requested during the leak investigation.

Question: how many emails are missing?

Question: Suing watchdog groups will settle lawsuit with what administration?

Question: How many Bush administration e-mails were missing?

Question: who will settle the lawsuit?

Question: who will settle lawsuit with obama administration?

Question: E-mails involve Bush administration's 2006 firing of who?

Question: who said bush emails were missing?

Answer: 22 million

Answer: Bush

Answer: 22 million

Answer: the Obama administration,

Answer: Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington and the National Security Archive

Answer: of the top federal prosecutors in nine cities.

Answer: White House

Summary:
White House had said that about 22 million Bush administration e-mails were missing .
E-mails involve Bush administration's 2006 firing of top federal prosecutors .
White House said during congressional hearings they might have been lost .
Suing watchdog groups will settle lawsuit with the Obama administration .


Washington (CNN) -- Congressional hearings into the massive oil spill growing in the Gulf of Mexico will start Tuesday, as winds continue to push the crude closer to the Mississippi Delta.

BP America President Lamar McKay and Transocean President Steven Newman will appear before the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee in the morning and then the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee in the afternoon. BP leased from Transocean the oil rig that exploded off the Louisiana coast last month, starting the spill.

Senators are expected to quiz McKay and Newman about the precautions taken before the blast that set off the underwater gusher and the steps being taken to stop the spill.

Experts also are expected to testify on the possible impact of the spill on fishing, tourism and local economies.

Also on Tuesday, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano plans to travel to Mobile, Alabama, "to inspect ongoing operations to minimize the Deepwater BP Oil Spill's impact on public health, the environment and the economy," the Deepwater Horizon Joint Information Center said in a statement. Napolitano and Alabama Gov. Bob Riley plan to talk with reporters late Tuesday afternoon, the center said.

A change in the weather could push more oil from BP's Deepwater Horizon site into the Mississippi Delta region and areas west of the river, according to Gov. Bobby Jindal, who called the development "bad news for Louisiana."

Louisiana has been mostly spared since the oil rig exploded April 20 and sank two days later about 50 miles off the southeast coast of Louisiana. The catastrophe is sending 210,000 gallons of crude into the Gulf of Mexico each day. Most of the slick has been centered in an area east of the environmentally sensitive delta.

"We've said all along that the oil coming west of the river would pose a whole new set of challenges," Jindal said at a Monday news conference.

He detailed efforts to place booms and other restraining devices into four passes near Grand Isle to prevent the oil from reaching land.

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration forecasters had warned over the weekend that the Mississippi Delta and areas to the northeast of it -- including Breton Sound, the Chandeleur Islands and the mainland behind them -- could see oil hit the coast by Tuesday.

So far, the spill has had little impact on wildlife, said Mark J. Musaus, deputy director of the Southeast region for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Only a few birds have been taken to a wildlife rehabilitation center at Fort Jackson, Louisiana, he said.

Two of them, a gannet and a pelican, were released Monday back into the wild. Another oiled pelican was still in the treatment center, as was a green heron, he said.

The stakes are high for residents of coastal Louisiana who make their living from fishing in the Gulf of Mexico.

The government has closed parts of the Gulf to fishing. The affected area, which is east of the Mississippi Delta, comprises about 4.5 percent of the Gulf of Mexico, NOAA said.

Hundreds of thousands of feet of boom and large volumes of dispersants continued to be deployed in an effort to capture or break up the spilled oil moving toward the Gulf coastline.

Thousands of workers and volunteers also have been skimming the water's surface.

Question: Senators expected to quiz them about massive oil spill in the Gulf of where?

Question: Who will appear before two Senate committees Tuesday?

Question: What are officials worrying about?

Question: Homeland security chief heads to what state?

Question: Where is the Homeland security chief heading to?

Question: Where was the massive oil spill?

Answer: Mexico

Answer: BP America President Lamar McKay and Transocean President Steven Newman

Answer: massive oil spill growing

Answer: Alabama,

Answer: Mobile, Alabama,

Answer: Gulf of Mexico

Summary:
Presidents of BP, Transocean to appear before two Senate committees Tuesday .
Senators expected to quiz them about massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico .
Homeland security chief heads to Alabama to see efforts to minimize impact of spill .
Officials worry that change in weather will push more oil into Mississippi Delta .


Washington (CNN) -- Defense Secretary Robert Gates will unveil the Pentagon's plan to prepare for repealing the controversial "don't ask, don't tell" law regarding gay soldiers at a committee hearing Tuesday, a Pentagon spokesman said.

"The Defense Department leadership is actively working on an implementation plan and the secretary will have more to say about this next week," Pentagon press secretary Geoff Morrell said on Thursday.

President Obama said in his first State of the Union address Wednesday night that he would work with Congress and the Pentagon this year to repeal the law that prohibits military members from acknowledging openly that they are gay.

According to the Senate Web site, the Senate Armed Services Committee has scheduled an hour to discuss the issue at Tuesday's hearing on the fiscal year 2011 defense budget, which Gates will attend.

The committee revised its schedule for the hearing, announcing that Gates and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Adm. Mike Mullen will testify on the budget, as planned, as well as the "don't ask, don't tell" issue.

Gates and Mullen are not expected to offer a specific legislative proposal to repeal the law, but rather to detail some of the preliminary steps that need to be taken inside the military in advance of formulating a legislative plan.

Gates will discuss options for more "humanely" implementing the current ban, for example, according to a senior Pentagon official. The secretary asked his general counsel's office for options six months ago including how to possibly not expel personnel whose homosexuality is revealed by third parties, the source said.

The 1993 law bars gay men and lesbians in the military from revealing their sexual orientation, and prevents the military from asking about it.

Another military official familiar with the discussion said some of the issues to be considered include the cost of implementing a new policy, benefits for gay spouses, potential hate crimes, and even logistical questions such as the possible need to renovate barracks to separate straight and gay troops.

According to the official, the idea of separate housing or showers was not considered a serious possibility, but would be discussed in order to rule it out.

Previously, Gates has said the transition from the existing law should be done gradually and "very, very carefully."

"The president has been clear about where he wants to go and what he thinks needs to be done," Gates said in April at the Army War College when asked about changing the law. "But I think that he is approaching this in a deliberate and cautious manner, so that if we do go down that road, we do it right and we do it in a way that mitigates any downsides, problems that might be associated with it."

At least one member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff -- Gen. James Conway, commandant of the Marine Corps -- has expressed reservations in the past about repealing the law.

In November, Conway said through a spokesman: "Our Marines are currently engaged in two fights, and our focus should not be drawn away from those priorities."

Some Congressional opposition already is clear. Sen. John McCain, R-Arizona, a former Navy pilot, released a statement after Wednesday night's State of the Union address saying "it would be a mistake" to repeal the law.

"This successful policy has been in effect for over 15 years, and it is well understood and predominantly supported by our military at all levels," McCain's statement said, later adding: "At a time when our Armed Forces are fighting and sacrificing on the battlefield, now is not the time to abandon the policy."

Others support the change. Gen. John Shalikashvili, former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said it was time to repeal the law.

"As a nation built on the principal of equality, we should recognize and welcome change that will build a stronger more cohesive military," Shalikashvili said in a letter sent to Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-New York, who supports repealing the policy.

The Servicemembers Legal Defense Network, an organization that works with those affected

Question:
Who is the Defense Secretary?
What were congress asked to repeal?
When is the hearing?
What were some of the issues raised?

Answer: Robert Gates

Answer: the law that prohibits military members from acknowledging openly that they are gay.

Answer: Tuesday,

Answer: possible need to renovate barracks to separate straight and gay troops.

Summary:
President has called on Congress to repeal policy on gays in military .
Defense Secretary Robert Gates will discuss Pentagon's plan at Tuesday hearing .
Issues include cost of implementation, benefits for gay spouses, potential hate crimes .


Washington (CNN) -- Democratic congressional leaders Wednesday demanded Republicans join them in condemning a spate of threats and vandalism that has followed Sunday's vote on a sweeping overhaul of the U.S. health care system.

More than 10 Democrats have reported trouble since the weekend vote, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer told reporters. Windows have been smashed at Democratic offices in at least three states, and federal agents were investigating whether a cut gas line at the home of a Virginia congressman's brother was related to the lawmaker's yes vote.

Democracy "is not about violence," Hoyer said at a news conference with South Carolina Rep. James Clyburn, the No. 3 Democrat in the House of Representatives.

"Both of us believe that to remain silent in the face of such activity gives the impression of either condoning or sanctioning such actions," added Hoyer, D-Maryland.

The top Republican in the House, Minority Leader John Boehner, told reporters that he has urged opponents to demonstrate legally.

"I've made statements that I understand people are angry, but violence and threats are inappropriate and irresponsible," the Ohio congressman said. "If people are angry, they ought to register to vote and get involved in a campaign."

The white-hot rhetoric that dominated the last several months of debate on the historic health care bill culminated in unruly protests by the Tea Party movement at the Capitol over the weekend. Three African-American House Democrats, including civil rights leader Rep. John Lewis of Georgia, reported protesters shouted racial slurs at them and spit at one of them, while Rep. Barney Frank, D-Massachusetts, an openly gay House member, had anti-gay slurs yelled at him.

One House member mentioned a map on the Facebook page of former Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin during a Wednesday meeting on safety concerns, a Democratic source said.

The map shows 20 House Democratic political targets believed to be vulnerable in the upcoming midterm elections -- some have already announced their retirements. Their home districts are marked with cross hairs. Mention of the map brought audible groans to the room, the source said.

Republican House members encouraged protesters outside and inside the House gallery, some of whom carried messages like "Vote no or else" or "If Brown won't stop it, a Browning will" -- a reference to newly elected Massachusetts Sen. Scott Brown accompanied by a silhouette of a pistol.

Since the vote, an Alabama blogger has launched a "window war" against Democrats and has kept a tally of the recent incidents of damage, including ones in upstate New York, Arizona and Kansas. A message left for Michigan Democrat Bart Stupak, whose last-minute decision to support the bill helped give Democrats the votes it needed to pass, warned that "there are millions of people across the country who wish you ill, and all of those thoughts projected on you will materialize into something that's not very good for you."

Clyburn, who is African-American, said he has received a fax in his office with a picture of a noose drawn on it and had threatening telephone calls at his home.

iReport: 'A very dangerous time for Obama'

"We're giving aid and comfort to these people, and this stuff gets ratcheted up," Clyburn told CNN. "We in this Congress have got to come together in a bipartisan way and tamp this foolishness down. It doesn't make sense. That's not what a democracy is all about."

Hoyer told a news conference that "a significant number, meaning over 10" lawmakers had reported either threats, vandalism or other incidents. Capitol police officials have briefed House Democrats on reporting suspicious or threatening activity and taking precautions to avoid "subjecting themselves or their families to physical harm," he said.

Rep. Louise Slaughter, D-New York, said her Niagara Falls district office had a brick thrown through one of its windows and a message that referred to "snipers" was left on one of her campaign offices. In a written statement, she said GOP leaders have been "fanning the flames with

Question:
When did this happen
What did Steny Hoyer say?
What did John Boehner say?
What did Democrats report?

Answer: Wednesday

Answer: Democracy "is not about violence,"

Answer: "I've made statements that I understand people are angry, but violence and threats are inappropriate and irresponsible,"

Answer: trouble since the weekend vote,

Summary:
Steny Hoyer: Some House Democrats reported threats or other incidents .
An aide to one Democrat said propane line on his brother's gas grill had been severed .
"Violence and threats are unacceptable," House Minority Leader John Boehner says .


Washington (CNN) -- Despite revelations in a congressional investigation of a subsidiary's mismanagement and questionable vetting of employees, the company formerly known as Blackwater could soon win millions of dollars in new job orders for work in Afghanistan. A subsidiary of Xe, the new name for Blackwater, is eligible to win Department of Defense work worth tens of millions of dollars to train Afghan police, according to a Pentagon official. Five companies were qualified to bid on the training and training-support contracts, including Raytheon, Northrop Grumman, Lockheed Martin Integrated Systems, ARINC and the U.S. Training Center. U.S. Training Center is a subsidiary company owned by Xe. The Pentagon contract is to be announced next month. Xe has not been officially notified whether it will be awarded the contract, according to a company spokesman. "We have not been awarded either and have no knowledge of the status of those contracts," said Xe spokesman Mark Corallo. An industry official told CNN that Xe made bids on two task orders under the training program, one for the actual training of Afghan police and one for logistics support for such training. Once awarded, the new orders would be in effect until August 2012, according to a Department of Defense statement. Since 2007, the company, then called Blackwater, has held the rights to bid against the other four companies on a pool of jobs worth as much as $15 billion. Xe still holds numerous contracts under three company names in Afghanistan for support of military and intelligence operations. Those companies are US Training Center, Greystone and Presidential Airways. The company has a troubled past both in Iraq and Afghanistan. It was banned from operating in Iraq by the government there after a shooting incident left Iraqi civilians dead and injured. That incident strained relations between the United States and Iraq. In May 2009, four contractors in Kabul were involved in a shooting incident that left two Afghan civilians dead. Two of the contractors are now facing charges in the United States. A congressional investigation found evidence that the company that hired them, a Xe subsidiary called Paravant, armed the employees despite having no permission to do so from the U.S. military. The probe also found that the company illicitly obtained the guns used in the shooting, and hundreds of others, from a stockpile of weapons meant for the use of the Afghan military and police. On Wednesday Xe officials were called before the Senate Armed Service Committee to discuss that shooting incident. The committee's chairman, Carl Levin, D-Michigan, said an Army investigation appeared to find that the contract personnel had "violated alcohol consumption policies, were not authorized to possess weapons, violated use-of-force rules and violated movement-control policies." He said one of the keys to beating the Taliban in Afghanistan is the ability of U.S. forces to win support from the Afghan people, many of whom do not distinguish between U.S. contractors and the U.S. military. Xe Services Vice President Fred Roitz acknowledged the company's culpability in the 2009 incident in his opening statement to the panel. In the statement, Roitz said, "the new Xe Services would act differently today. We simply will not send our personnel overseas without a proper authorization for a weapon (where needed) and without full compliance with all requirements." He said the company has "put in place new leadership and procedures to help ensure this commitment is kept." On Thursday, Pentagon spokesman Geoff Morrell defended the military's oversight of contractors. "We've made a lot of mistakes in both Iraq and Afghanistan. And we've tried to address those mistakes in a number of ways," Morrell said. "But as far as I know, people are being held to account for the mistakes and the violations that they have made."

Question: Who has a troubled past both in Iraq and Afghanistan?

Question: What is Blackwater now known as?

Question: What did the spokesman say?

Question: Since when Xe has held rights to bid against four other firms in a $15 billion jobs pool?

Question: What is a subsidiary of Xe?

Question: Who bid on the contract?

Question: Who said "No official word on whether company will be awarded contract"?

Answer: Xe

Answer: Xe,

Answer: "We have not been awarded either and have no knowledge of the status of those contracts,"

Answer: 2007,

Answer: U.S. Training Center

Answer: Raytheon, Northrop Grumman, Lockheed Martin Integrated Systems, ARINC

Answer: Xe spokesman Mark Corallo.

Summary:
A subsidiary of Xe, formerly Blackwater, bid on lucrative new training contract .
Xe spokesman: No official word on whether company will be awarded contract .
Since 2007, Xe has held rights to bid against four other firms in a $15 billion jobs pool .
The company has a troubled past both in Iraq and Afghanistan .


Washington (CNN) -- Despite the bruising battle over their proposals to overhaul health care, congressional Democrats have maintained an advantage over their Republican counterparts on one key measure, according to a new national poll. A CNN/Opinion Research Corp. survey released Wednesday indicates that a bare majority of Americans, 51 percent, believe that the Democrats' policies are good for the country, with 46 percent saying that those policies would take the U.S. in the wrong direction. Fifty-three percent of people questioned in the poll said the GOP's polices would move the nation in the wrong direction, with 42 percent saying Republican policies are good for the country. "The numbers for both parties are virtually unchanged since late August, just before President Barack Obama's health care speech to Congress opened the latest round of debate on this divisive issue," said Keating Holland, CNN's polling director. Democrats will be defending their large majorities in Congress next year when all 435 House seats and more than a third of the Senate seats are up for grabs. "This advantage on policy could be an important edge for the Democrats heading into the 2010 midterm elections," Holland added. "But independents will be the key to the midterms, and the numbers among independents spell bad news for both parties among that important group." In an August survey, independent voters' views of GOP policies were evenly divided. But a majority of independents now say Republicans would move the country in the wrong direction. Nonetheless, the number of independents who dislike Democratic policies, now at 57 percent, is higher than the 52 percent who hold a negative view of Republican policies. The survey suggests that Sen. Joe Lieberman is taking a hit in popularity due to his opposition to a major element in the health care bill. The Connecticut independent, who caucuses with the Democrats to give the party a 60-vote filibuster-proof majority in the Senate, threatened to undermine the bill unless compromises were made. Lieberman opposed the creation of a government-run public insurance option and the expansion of Medicare to individuals as young as 55. Both of those proposals were dropped from the bill this month, enraging many liberals. According to the poll, Lieberman's favorable rating has dropped 9 percentage points, from 40 percent to 31 percent, from early December. His unfavorable rating has risen 6 percentage points, from 28 percent to 34 percent. "Lieberman's biggest decline -- a 14-point drop -- came among independents," Holland said. "Only Republicans continue to like Lieberman." The survey also indicates that just one in five Americans trust the federal government always or most of the time, down 4 percentage points from a year ago. The CNN/Opinion Research poll was conducted December 16 through Sunday, with 1,160 adult Americans questioned by telephone. The survey's overall sampling error is plus or minus 3 percentage points. CNN deputy political director Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report.

Question: Did you see the sample size

Question: What percent believe democratic policies are good for country?

Question: What percent believe republican policies are good for country?

Question: What spells bad news for both parties in 2010 elections?

Question: What do the people say

Question: What spells bad news?

Answer: The CNN/Opinion Research poll was conducted December 16 through Sunday, with 1,160 adult Americans questioned by telephone.

Answer: 51

Answer: 42

Answer: the numbers among independents

Answer: the GOP's polices would move the nation in the wrong direction,

Answer: the numbers among independents

Summary:
Poll: Fifty-one percent believe Democratic policies are good for the country .
Forty-two percent say Republican policies are good for the country, poll shows .
Views of independents spell bad news for both parties in 2010 elections, CNN polling chief says .


Washington (CNN) -- Disturbed by the news that Moammar Gadhafi's wife and three children, along with some grandchildren, were able to flee over the Libyan border to Algeria in spite of a U.N. travel ban, the U.S. State Department nonetheless is taking a low-key approach.

"There are concerns that this isn't in keeping with the travel ban restrictions," State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland told reporters Tuesday but, defending the administration's response, she said the United States is reviewing Algeria's explanation for why it let the family into the country.

Gadhafi's two sons who fled, Hannibal and Mohammed, along with his daughter, Aisha, are specifically named in the U.N. travel ban for "closeness of association with (the) regime."

"We care, in terms of the fact that under U.N. Security Council Resolution 1970, the Gadhafi family was subject to a travel ban," Nuland said. "So, they have now traveled. The government of Algeria has now sent a letter to the UN. We are reviewing that letter now in New York but, clearly, there has to be an international community decision and response in regard to the travel ban restrictions that (the resolution) imposes."

The Algerian representative to the U.N. said Monday that his government let the Gadhafis into the country on "humanitarian grounds." Aisha Gadhafi gave birth to a daughter at the border.

Algeria's Ambassador to the U.N., Mourad Benmehidi, told CNN, "The wife of someone who has grievances with the international community is not necessarily subject to the same grievances."

The U.N. resolution does allow exceptions to the travel ban resolution: "Where the Committee determines on a case-by-case basis that such travel is justified on the grounds of humanitarian need, including religious obligation."

It requires a state to inform the United Nations within 48 hours of any such decision.

"We have said that members of Gadhafi's family should be held accountable," the State Department's Nuland said, but added: "...we need to review the Algerian government explanation, so does the (National Transitional Council), and we need to see where we go from there."

Algeria's decision to accept the family, however, has infuriated the rebel National Transitional Council. The council is demanding that Algerian authorities hand the family over to be tried by Libyan courts, calling Algeria's decision an "act of aggression."

Rebels who picked through Hannibal Gadhafi's seaside villa in Libya on Sunday introduced CNN's Dan Rivers to his family's badly scarred former nanny, who said she had been doused with boiling water by Hannibal's wife, model Aline Skaf, when she refused to beat one of their crying toddlers.

The abuse was corroborated by another member of the household staff.

Question:
Where did they flee?
What was the decision called?
Who were able to flee?
Who banned travel of Gadhafi's family?

Answer: Algeria

Answer: an "act of aggression."

Answer: some grandchildren,

Answer: U.N.

Summary:
U.N. Security Council resolution forbade travel to the Gadhafi family .
Gadhafi's wife, three children, some grandchildren were able to flee Libya into Algeria .
Libya's National Transitional Council called Algeria's decision an "act of aggression"
State Department: International decision is "clearly" called for in this instance .