WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Piracy off the coast of Somalia can't be stopped until there is some authority to bring pirates to justice, according to the commander of the U.S. Navy's Fifth Fleet, based in Bahrain.

U.S. Vice Admiral William Gortney: Need to hold pirates off Africa's east coast accountable.

Because there is no working government in Somalia and no country is willing to take captured pirates, bring them to trial and detain them, there is no deterrent for pirates to stop attacking ships, Vice Admiral William Gortney said at a Pentagon briefing Thursday.

"The problem is there's not a way to -- until we have a mechanism [to hold them] accountable and try them for their actions, there's no way to -- to finish the problem," Gortney said.

The United States is making a deal with a country in the eastern Africa region to hold and try pirates captured by the U.S.-led Combined Task Force 151, a new maritime anti-piracy mission started earlier this month.

He said an official announcement would be made after the deal with the country is official.

In the past three months, piracy attacks have averaged about 12 to 14 a month off the east coast of Africa. As of mid-January, the attack numbers are already at the average of the past three months, according to Gortney.

"That [number] should tell you that we're not -- we're not being 100 percent successful on the deterrence of the attempt. And that's where we have to go after," Gortney said.

The United States is expecting other nations to join the anti-piracy task force, but at the moment, the United States is the only country in the task force with just three ships off of the waters of Somalia.

There are ships from some European and Asian countries patrolling the waters independently as well, primarily guarding cargo ships from their own countries.

Pirates attacked nearly 100 vessels and hijacked as many as 40 in the waters off the coast of Somalia in 2008, according to the International Maritime Bureau.  See how pirate attacks peaked in 2008 »

Pirating off of Somalia has increased during the past four to five years as fishermen from Somalia realize that pirating is more lucrative than fishing. Additionally, pirates are able to get away with the crimes because of the lack of government and overall lawlessness in the country.

Gortney said statistically the chances of ships being pirated off of Somalia less than one percent, but it won't be stopped until piracy is "disincentivized."

Question: who have own ships independently patrolling region?

Question: Who are currently the only nation with anti-pirate task force?

Question: Who said that the Somalian government is not working to detain pirates?

Question: who is only country with anti-pirate task force?

Question: What government is not working?

Question: What are the pirates accused of?

Question: What is the anti-pirate task force?

Question: Who is Gortney?

Question: What are the ships dedicated to?

Answer: European and Asian countries

Answer: United States

Answer: Vice Admiral William Gortney

Answer: the United States

Answer: Somalia

Answer: attacked nearly 100 vessels and hijacked as many as 40 in the waters off the coast of Somalia in 2008,

Answer: a new maritime anti-piracy mission

Answer: U.S. Vice Admiral

Answer: patrolling the waters independently

Summary:
Gortney: No working Somali government, country willing to detain, try accused pirates .
U.S. currently only nation with ships dedicated to anti-pirate task force .
Asian, European nations have own ships independently patrolling region .


WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Pirates in ships are searching for the lifeboat containing four pirates and their hostage -- the captain of a freighter they failed to hijack earlier this week -- according to a U.S. military official with knowledge of the situation.

Capt. Richard Phillips of the Maersk Alabama is being held by pirates on a lifeboat off Somalia.

The pirates are using ships they have already hijacked and larger ships from which they are launching skiffs, the official said Friday.

One of the pirated ships is the German cargo ship Hansa Stavanger, seized April 4 off the coast of Somalia.

The U.S. military has been monitoring communications between the pirates, the official said. The guided missile frigate USS Halyburton, with helicopter capabilities, has now joined the guided missile destroyer USS Bainbridge in the area. A third ship, the amphibious assault ship USS Boxer, which has a large medical facility on board, will be there within a day.

Richard Phillips, the hostage, tried to escape from the pirates Thursday night by jumping out of the lifeboat, a U.S. official said Friday.  Watch what it's like inside a lifeboat »

Phillips was believed to be trying to swim to the USS Bainbridge, which is in communication with the four gunmen holding Phillips in the 28-foot boat off Somalia's coast, the official said.

Some of the kidnappers jumped into the water, recaptured Phillips, and returned him to the lifeboat, according to the official.  Watch what happened when captain tried to escape »

The pirates fired shots, the military official said, but had no further details.

A Defense Department official told CNN that Phillips appeared to be tied up by the pirates after the escape attempt.

The U.S. official -- who did not want to be named because of the sensitive nature of the situation -- said the escape attempt is being viewed by negotiators as an "optimistic sign" that Phillips is in good health. He has been held since Wednesday, when the hijackers seized control of his U.S.-flagged ship, the Maersk Alabama.  Watch expert talk about hostage escape attempts »

The captain's wife Andrea Phillips thanked everyone for their support in a statement.

"My husband is a strong man and we will remain strong for him," she said. "We ask that you do the same. "

Phillips' 20-man crew regained control of the vessel, and they and the vessel are en route to Mombasa, Kenya, according to the father of one of the crew members.

The ship's owners -- the Norfolk, Virginia-based Maersk company -- would not say how the crew regained control. "There will be time for due diligence and retrospective review once we have the safe return of all parties and the opportunity for a full debriefing," it said in a statement.

For the U.S. Navy, the show of strength is more than just a means to resolve a hostage situation, said Chris Lawrence, CNN's Pentagon correspondent.

Attacks in the area have picked up so drastically in recent months that the Navy has to reposition some of its fleet to deal with the threats, he said. iReport.com: How should the U.S. respond?

The pirates have shown no signs of giving in.

The Maersk Alabama was on its way to Mombasa, Kenya, with a cargo of food aid when it was attacked Wednesday. It was the first time in recent history that pirates had targeted an American ship.

The ship was hijacked some 350 miles off Somalia's coast, a distance that used to be considered safe for ships navigating in the pirate-infested waters.

CNN's Mike Mount and Barbara Starr contributed to this report.

Question: Who was the captain?

Question: What did the pirates try to do?

Question: what did the pirates use to look for lifeboat?

Question: What is the name of the captain?

Question: Who was tied up?

Question: What happened to the captain?

Question: who is being held?

Question: what has happened to the captain

Question: what are the pirates using to look for the lifeboat

Question: where is the captain?

Question: how many gunmen is he being held by

Question: what are the pirates doing

Question: what did the officials say

Answer: Richard Phillips

Answer: are using ships they have already hijacked and larger ships

Answer: are using ships they have already hijacked and larger ships from which they are launching skiffs,

Answer: Capt. Richard Phillips

Answer: Capt. Richard Phillips of the Maersk Alabama

Answer: held by pirates on a lifeboat off Somalia.

Answer: Capt. Richard Phillips

Answer: is being held by pirates

Answer: ships they have already hijacked and larger ships from which they are launching skiffs,

Answer: lifeboat off Somalia.

Answer: four

Answer: searching for the lifeboat

Answer: The pirates are using ships they have already hijacked and larger ships from which they are launching skiffs,

Summary:
NEW: Shots fired in escape attempt, captain apparently tied up, military officials say .
Pirates using other hijacked ships to look for lifeboat as Navy ships arrive .
Captain's escape attempt viewed as "optimistic sign" of his vitality .
Richard Phillips, captain of a U.S.-flagged cargo ship, is being held by four gunmen .


WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Pirates off the eastern coast of Africa fired on U.S. sailors Saturday as they tried to reach the lifeboat where an American captain is being held, a U.S. official familiar with the situation told CNN.

The guided missile frigate USS Halyburton, with helicopter capabilities, is now at the scene.

The gunfire forced the sailors, who did not return fire, back to the guided missile destroyer USS Bainbridge, the official said.

Capt. Richard Phillips reportedly offered himself as a hostage to the pirates during an attack Wednesday on the U.S.-flagged container ship Maersk Alabama in the Indian Ocean.

The Alabama was en route to Mombasa, Kenya, with a cargo of food aid when it was hijacked about 350 miles off the Somalia coast.

The American crew regained control of the vessel, but the Maersk company would not say how. There are about 20 crew members.

The Alabama arrived Saturday in Mombasa, along with an 18-person armed security detail on board.

"For security reasons, the vessel will berth in a restricted area of the port and will not be accessible to the media. FBI agents will debrief members of the crew on board the vessel before they disembark. The crew will not be available to the media in Mombasa," Maersk Ltd. said.  Watch the latest Maersk briefing »

The U.S. Navy -- which is in charge of the situation -- requested help from the FBI to resolve the standoff.

The FBI is launching a criminal investigation into the hijacking and hostage-taking, two law enforcement officials told CNN. The probe will be led by the FBI's New York field office, which has responsibility for looking into cases involving U.S. citizens in the African region. Agents from the office were scheduled to leave for Africa sometime this weekend, the officials said.

Phillips lives in Underhill, Vermont, where neighbor and longtime family friend, Tom Walsh, told CNN the captain's wife, Andrea, was surrounded by relatives.

"If they need us to help with anything. That's kind of the way it is in these communities. ... just showing that we're concerned. We want to do whatever she needs," Walsh said. "She has a lot of family there."  Watch more about the hostage situation »

Earlier Saturday, pirates sailing a hijacked German cargo ship returned to port after failing to reach the area of the standoff with the Bainbridge, a local journalist told CNN.

The German ship Hansa Stavanger was among several pirated vessels trying to sail to the area some 300 miles off the Somali coast, a Somali journalist told CNN.

The pirate crew had intended to help the pirates holding Phillips but turned back because of the U.S. naval presence, the journalist said. The Hansa Stavanger is now at the Somali port of Eyl, the journalist said.

The Hansa Stavanger was hijacked April 4 off the Somali coast.

Pirates have been searching the waters off Africa's coast for the Alabama's lifeboat, a U.S. military official with knowledge of the situation said Friday. They are using hijacked vessels and skiffs launched from larger ships, the official said.

The guided missile frigate USS Halyburton, with helicopter capabilities, has joined the Bainbridge in the area. A third ship, the amphibious assault ship USS Boxer -- with a medical facility aboard -- should be there by the end of the day. iReport.com: Share your thoughts on how the pirates are being handled

Phillips is being held by four gunmen in the covered, fiberglass lifeboat. He jumped overboard at one point to try to escape, but one of the pirates jumped into the water after him and brought him back onboard the 28-foot boat.

The pirates fired shots, the military official said, without providing further details.

Phillips appeared to be tied up by the pirates after the escape attempt, a Defense Department official told CNN.

For the U.S. Navy, bringing in more firepower is more than just a means to resolve a hostage situation, said Chris Lawrence, CNN's Pentagon correspondent.

Attacks in the area have picked up so drastically in recent months that the Navy has to reposition some of

Question: What is the FBI investigating?

Question: where does alabama arrive

Question: who launches criminal investigation into hijacking?

Question: Who was responsible for gunfire?

Question: what forces sailors to turn back?

Question: where did Maersk Alabama arrive?

Question: Who is Richard Phillips?

Question: who is being held

Answer: is launching a criminal investigation into the hijacking and hostage-taking,

Answer: Mombasa,

Answer: The FBI

Answer: Pirates off the eastern coast of Africa

Answer: gunfire

Answer: Mombasa,

Answer: American captain

Answer: an American captain is

Summary:
NEW: Gunfire from pirates forces sailors, who did not return fire, to turn back .
NEW: FBI launches criminal investigation into hijacking, hostage-taking .
Maersk Alabama arrives in Mombasa, Kenya under armed guard .
Capt. Richard Phillips is being held by four gunmen in covered, fiberglass lifeboat .


WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Pirates off the eastern coast of Africa fired on U.S. sailors Saturday as they tried to reach the lifeboat where an American captain is being held, a U.S. official familiar with the situation told CNN. The guided missile frigate USS Halyburton, with helicopter capabilities, is now at the scene. The gunfire forced the sailors, who did not return fire, back to the guided missile destroyer USS Bainbridge, the official said. Capt. Richard Phillips reportedly offered himself as a hostage to the pirates during an attack Wednesday on the U.S.-flagged container ship Maersk Alabama in the Indian Ocean. The Alabama was en route to Mombasa, Kenya, with a cargo of food aid when it was hijacked about 350 miles off the Somalia coast. The American crew regained control of the vessel, but the Maersk company would not say how. There are about 20 crew members. The Alabama arrived Saturday in Mombasa, along with an 18-person armed security detail on board. "For security reasons, the vessel will berth in a restricted area of the port and will not be accessible to the media. FBI agents will debrief members of the crew on board the vessel before they disembark. The crew will not be available to the media in Mombasa," Maersk Ltd. said.  Watch the latest Maersk briefing » The U.S. Navy -- which is in charge of the situation -- requested help from the FBI to resolve the standoff. The FBI is launching a criminal investigation into the hijacking and hostage-taking, two law enforcement officials told CNN. The probe will be led by the FBI's New York field office, which has responsibility for looking into cases involving U.S. citizens in the African region. Agents from the office were scheduled to leave for Africa sometime this weekend, the officials said. Phillips lives in Underhill, Vermont, where neighbor and longtime family friend, Tom Walsh, told CNN the captain's wife, Andrea, was surrounded by relatives. "If they need us to help with anything. That's kind of the way it is in these communities. ... just showing that we're concerned. We want to do whatever she needs," Walsh said. "She has a lot of family there."  Watch more about the hostage situation » Earlier Saturday, pirates sailing a hijacked German cargo ship returned to port after failing to reach the area of the standoff with the Bainbridge, a local journalist told CNN. The German ship Hansa Stavanger was among several pirated vessels trying to sail to the area some 300 miles off the Somali coast, a Somali journalist told CNN. The pirate crew had intended to help the pirates holding Phillips but turned back because of the U.S. naval presence, the journalist said. The Hansa Stavanger is now at the Somali port of Eyl, the journalist said. The Hansa Stavanger was hijacked April 4 off the Somali coast. Pirates have been searching the waters off Africa's coast for the Alabama's lifeboat, a U.S. military official with knowledge of the situation said Friday. They are using hijacked vessels and skiffs launched from larger ships, the official said. The guided missile frigate USS Halyburton, with helicopter capabilities, has joined the Bainbridge in the area. A third ship, the amphibious assault ship USS Boxer -- with a medical facility aboard -- should be there by the end of the day. iReport.com: Share your thoughts on how the pirates are being handled Phillips is being held by four gunmen in the covered, fiberglass lifeboat. He jumped overboard at one point to try to escape, but one of the pirates jumped into the water after him and brought him back onboard the 28-foot boat. The pirates fired shots, the military official said, without providing further details. Phillips appeared to be tied up by the pirates after the escape attempt, a Defense Department official told CNN. For the U.S. Navy, bringing in more firepower is more than just a means to resolve a hostage situation, said Chris Lawrence, CNN's Pentagon correspondent. Attacks in the area have picked up so drastically in recent months that the Navy has to reposition some of

Question: What happened to the captain?

Question: who opened gunfire?

Question: Who is investigating the hijacking?

Question: who is being held?

Question: Who is the captain of the Maersk Alabama?

Question: what crimes are being investigated?

Question: Who fired on the sailors?

Answer: Capt. Richard Phillips reportedly offered himself as a hostage

Answer: Pirates

Answer: The FBI

Answer: Capt. Richard Phillips

Answer: Capt. Richard Phillips

Answer: hijacking and hostage-taking,

Answer: Pirates


WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Pledging to take "the air out of golden parachutes," President Obama announced Wednesday that executives of companies receiving federal bailout money will have their pay capped at $500,000 under a revised financial compensation plan. $500,000 will be the limit on executive salaries at companies receiving tax dollars, President Obama says. Last year's "shameful" handout of $18 billion in Wall Street bonuses "is exactly the kind of disregard for the costs and consequences of their actions that brought about this crisis: a culture of narrow self-interest and short-term gain at the expense of everything else," Obama said to reporters at the White House. "For top executives to award themselves these kinds of compensation packages in the midst of this economic crisis isn't just bad taste -- it's a bad strategy -- and I will not tolerate it. We're going to be demanding some restraint in exchange for federal aid -- so that when firms seek new federal dollars, we won't find them up to the same old tricks," the president added. Under Obama's plan, companies that want to pay their executives more than $500,000 will have to do so through stocks that cannot be sold until the companies pay back the money they borrow from the government. The rules will be implemented by the Treasury Department and do not need to be approved by Congress. The restrictions will most affect large companies that receive "exceptional assistance," such as Citigroup. The struggling banking giant has taken about $45 billion from the government's Troubled Asset Relief Program. The new rules also will mandate that shareholders of banks have a greater say about the salaries paid to company heads. The measures will put in place greater transparency for costs such as holiday parties and office renovations. Obama also pledged further reforms in the future, promising that the administration will "examine the ways in which the means and manner of executive compensation have contributed to a reckless culture and quarter-by-quarter mentality that in turn have wrought havoc in our financial system."  Watch Obama talk about limiting executive salaries » "We're going to be taking a look at broader reforms so that executives are compensated for sound risk management and rewarded for growth measured over years, not just days or weeks," Obama said. CNN's Suzanne Malveaux contributed to this report.

Question: What was the bailout money capped at?

Question: What is the executive pay capped at?

Question: At what amount will compensation have to be in stocks?

Question: What does Obama pledge?

Question: What will over 500,000 have to be?

Question: Which President is making these rules and laws?

Question: A company that would get affected by the plan?

Question: What is the cap for executive pay in these certain companies?

Question: Amount of money that the bailout money is capped at?

Answer: $500,000

Answer: $500,000

Answer: $500,000

Answer: further reforms in the future,

Answer: the limit on executive salaries at companies receiving tax dollars,

Answer: Obama

Answer: Citigroup.

Answer: $500,000

Answer: $500,000

Summary:
NEW: Pay for executives at companies that take bailout money capped at $500,000 .
NEW: Obama pledges further rules on compensation .
Compensation over $500,000 will have to be in  stocks with sales limit .
The plan will affect companies getting "exceptional assistance," like Citigroup .


WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Police arrested a man near the U.S. Capitol on Tuesday after he drove up to one of the building's barricades with a rifle in his vehicle and told officers that he had a delivery for President Obama, a Senate spokesman said.

A man drove to the Capitol with a rifle and said he had a delivery for President Obama, police said.

Sgt. Kimberly Schneider identified the man as Alfred Brock, 64, of Winnfield, Louisiana. She said Brock was charged with possession of an unregistered firearm and unregistered ammunition.

Brock drove up to the north barricade at the Capitol late Tuesday afternoon, saying he had a delivery for the president, Schneider said.

After further questioning, he admitted he had a rifle in his truck. He was arrested and taken to police headquarters for processing, she said.

A search of his truck turned up several rounds of ammunition, Schneider said. Police also checked the area around the barricade, but found nothing hazardous.

Threats against Obama have led to arrests in previous cases.

In one, federal prosecutors concluded that three people arrested with drugs and weapons in a suburban Denver, Colorado, motel posed a "true threat" to Obama during the Democratic National Convention.

In the second, a Florida man was charged with threatening bodily harm against the then-candidate in August. He has pleaded not guilty.

Question: What was Brock charged with?

Question: Who stopped Brock and prevented him from proceeding?

Question: Who is Alfred Brock?

Question: How old is Alfred Brock?

Question: Where did Brock go after his arrest?

Question: What is Brock charged with?

Question: What did Brock tell the police?

Question: What did Brock tell police that he had for the president?

Question: How old is Brock?

Question: What is the man's name that drove up to the Capitol with a gun?

Question: Who was transported to Capitol Hill?

Answer: possession of an unregistered firearm and unregistered ammunition.

Answer: Police

Answer: 64, of Winnfield, Louisiana.

Answer: 64,

Answer: taken to police headquarters for processing,

Answer: possession of an unregistered firearm and unregistered ammunition.

Answer: saying he had a delivery for the president,

Answer: a delivery

Answer: 64,

Answer: Alfred Brock,

Answer: Alfred Brock,

Summary:
NEW: Alfred Brock, 64 drove up to Capitol barricade with a rifle in his vehicle .
NEW: Brock charged with possession of an unregistered firearm, ammunition .
Police say he told them he had a delivery for President Obama .
Man was arrested, transported to Capitol Hill police headquarters for processing .


WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Pope Benedict XVI on Wednesday addressed issues ranging from the sex abuse scandal in the Roman Catholic Church to the easy availability of pornography to the "alarming decrease" in Catholic marriages in the United States. The pope arrives to address U.S. bishops in the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. He spoke at a prayer service with U.S. bishops at Washington's Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, the largest Roman Catholic church in North America. Benedict said the sexual abuse of children by priests has caused a "deep shame" and called it "gravely immoral behavior." "Many of you have spoken to me of the enormous pain that your communities have suffered when clerics have betrayed ... their obligations," he told the bishops. Responding to the situation has not been easy and was sometimes very badly handled, the pope admitted.  Watch the pope address the issue » "It is vitally important that the vulnerable are always shielded from souls who would cause harm," he said. The pope then turned his attention to a different concern involving kids. "What does it mean to speak of child protection when pornography and violence can be viewed in so many homes through media widely available today?" he asked. Benedict urged the media and entertainment industry to take part in a "moral renewal." Earlier Wednesday, President Bush, first lady Laura Bush and more than 13,500 spectators welcomed Benedict in an elaborate ceremony on the South Lawn of the White House. In remarks greeting the pope to the White House, Bush called the United States "a nation of prayer." Bush was interrupted by applause as he said, "In a world where some treat life as something to be debased and discarded, we need your message that all human life is sacred and that each of us is willed." Benedict responded by praising the role of religion in the United States. "From the dawn of the republic, America's quest for freedom has been guided by the conviction that the principles governing political and social life are intimately linked to a moral order based on the dominion of God the creator," he said.  Watch Benedict talk about his hopes for the trip » Earlier, a U.S. Marine Corps band performed the national anthem of the Holy See as well as "The Star-Spangled Banner." A fife and drum corps in Colonial costumes also played tunes, including "Yankee Doodle," and soprano Kathleen Battle sang "The Lord's Prayer." The day, with perfect spring weather, was also the pontiff's 81st birthday.  After the ceremony concluded, the crowd, led by Battle, serenaded Benedict with "Happy Birthday" as he smiled from a White House balcony.  Watch a priest who has known Benedict for years tell what he's like » Guests on the South Lawn included Catholic clergy, ecumenical representatives, Catholic schoolchildren, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, Sisters of the Poor and Knights of Columbus. Event planners faced an enormous demand for tickets for what White House press secretary Dana Perino called "one of the largest arrival ceremonies ever held at the White House." Following the ceremony, Bush and the pope had a one-on-one meeting in the Oval Office. The pope left the White House at about noon in his distinctive "popemobile." His massive motorcade moved slowly down the wide avenues of the U.S. capital to the Vatican Embassy, where the pope is staying. Crowds of enthusiastic spectators waved U.S. and Vatican flags and screamed as the pontiff rode past. A smiling Benedict arrived Tuesday at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland to cheers from a crowd of invited guests. The pontiff was greeted by Bush, the first lady and their daughter Jenna, each of whom shook his hand. It was believed to be the first time an American president has greeted a world dignitary on arrival at Andrews. It marks Benedict's first visit to the United States as pope.   Watch how the pope's visit could affect the presidential campaign » Security will

Question: What transportation will the pope use?

Question: What will he celebrate?

Question: Who spoke to bishops about the abuse of children?

Question: What did the Pope discuss?

Question: what did the pope say

Question: When did the pope and president discuss?

Question: What was the behavior labelled?

Answer: "popemobile."

Answer: 81st birthday.

Answer: Pope Benedict XVI

Answer: issues ranging from the sex abuse scandal

Answer: Benedict said the sexual abuse of children by priests has caused a "deep shame" and called it "gravely immoral behavior."

Answer: Wednesday,

Answer: "gravely immoral

Summary:
NEW: Pope tells bishops abuse of children was "gravely immoral behavior"
Pope, president discuss Middle East, Latin America, says White House .
Six-day, two-city visit to U.S. marks Pope Benedict XVI's first as pope .
Pope will celebrate Mass at stadium Thursday, travel to New York on Friday .


WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Poppy production in Afghanistan is at record levels and is threatening the government and security there, the U.S. State Department said in a report on worldwide drug sales and production.

In a photo from last year, villagers tend to opium poppies in southern Afghanistan.

"Although President [Hamid] Karzai has strongly attacked narco-trafficking as the greatest threat to Afghanistan, one-third of the Afghan economy remains opium-based," the International Narcotics Control Strategy Report says.

"The government at all levels must be held accountable to deter and eradicate poppy cultivation, remove and prosecute corrupt officials."

Poppy production soared last year in southern provinces controlled by insurgents, Assistant Secretary of State David Johnson told reporters.

"There is incontrovertible evidence that the Taliban use drug trafficking proceeds to fund insurgent activities," he said.

He said the United Nations is predicting that opium production in Afghanistan will fall slightly this year, after recent years of double-digit growth.

The two-volume report contains more than 1,100 pages with details of drug sales and production.

Twenty nations, including some major U.S. allies, were designated as major drug-producing or drug-transit countries. Burma (also known as Myanmar) and Venezuela were singled out as having "failed demonstrably" to live up to their obligations under anti-drug agreements.

Also on the list are Afghanistan, the Bahamas, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Guatemala, Haiti, India, Jamaica, Laos, Mexico, Nigeria, Pakistan, Panama, Paraguay and Peru.

Canada was criticized in the report for an increasingly sophisticated marijuana industry. "We remain concerned that the production of high-potency indoor grown marijuana for export to the United States continues to thrive in Canada in part because growers do not consistently face strict legal punishment," the report said.

Journalists were briefed on the report by Johnson, assistant secretary of state for international narcotics and law enforcement affairs. E-mail to a friend

Question: About what Canada criticized?

Question: Burma and Venezuela have not lived up to what agreements?

Question: What country was criticized for not cracking down on indoor marijuana production?

Question: What percentage of the Afghan economy is allegedly opium-based?

Question: How many countries are branded as drug-transit nations?

Question: What number of countries did the U.S brand as drug producing?

Question: Burma and which other country have not lived up to anti-drug agreements?

Question: Which country have not lived up to anti-drug agreements?

Answer: increasingly sophisticated marijuana industry.

Answer: their obligations under anti-drug

Answer: Canada

Answer: one-third

Answer: Twenty

Answer: Twenty nations,

Answer: Venezuela

Answer: Venezuela

Summary:
U.S. brands 20 countries, including allies, as drug-producing or drug-transit nations .
Canada criticized for not cracking down on indoor marijuana production .
State Department report says one third of Afghan economy is opium-based .
Burma and Venezuela have not lived up to anti-drug agreements, report says .


WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Power-driven wheelchairs are costing Medicare and its beneficiaries nearly four times what suppliers pay for them, and competitive bidding could have reduced those costs, according to an inspector general's report released Wednesday.

Competitive bidding would have cut costs on a standard power wheelchair by nearly $1,000, the report says.

A standard power wheelchair costs the federal health insurance program for seniors an average of $4,018 to lease, compared with $1,048 for suppliers to buy, the Department of Health and Human Services' internal watchdog reported.

"Medicare and its beneficiaries paid suppliers an average of $2,970 beyond the supplier's acquisition cost to perform an average of five services and cover general business costs," the report found.

The difference was not as dramatic for more advanced wheelchairs used for physical rehabilitation patients, but at an average lease of $11,507, those chairs still cost Medicare about twice as much as the $5,880 paid by suppliers, the report found.

More than 173,000 Medicare beneficiaries received power wheelchairs in the first half of 2007, at a cost of about $686 million, the report said. The cost could have been reduced considerably had Congress not delayed a planned system of competitive bidding for what Medicare classifies as "durable medical equipment," such as wheelchairs and oxygen tanks, the report said.

Competitive bidding would have cut Medicare's average cost of a standard power wheelchair by nearly $1,000, the inspector general found.

"Medicare and beneficiary payments under the Competitive Bidding Acquisition Program would have decreased by an average of 26 percent across all included categories of [durable medical equipment], saving up to an estimated $1 billion annually," the report found. "However, Congress delayed the program and exempted complex rehabilitation power wheelchairs from future competitive bidding."

Medicare's annual budget for 2008 was $444 billion. In January, it cut its payments to suppliers by 9.5 percent to make up for what it thought competitive bidding would have saved taxpayers, according to the report.

In July, a CNN investigation found that a patient and taxpayers were billed about $1,200 over four years for a nonmotorized chair, while a nearly identical chair could be bought from the same supplier for $349.

The issue has become controversial as the Obama administration tries to overhaul the U.S. health care system and rein in the cost of Medicare.

Administration officials want to require competitive bids for items such as wheelchairs. But the American Association for Homecare, which represents many in the durable equipment industry, said the bidding program would reduce patient choice, limit access to home medical care and drive up Medicare costs by requiring more hospital stays.

Question: what will be the cost

Question: What does the industry say about patient choice?

Question: How much does a power wheelchair cost?

Question: what does the industry say

Question: Can competitive bidding reduce costs?

Answer: average of $4,018 to lease,

Answer: limit access to home medical care and drive up Medicare costs by requiring more hospital stays.

Answer: $4,018

Answer: the bidding program would reduce patient choice, limit access to home medical care and drive up Medicare costs by requiring more hospital stays.

Answer: would have cut

Summary:
Watchdog report says competitive bidding could have reduced costs .
Standard power wheelchair costs Medicare $4,018 to lease .
Same wheelchair costs $1,048 for suppliers to buy, report says .
Industry says competitive bidding would reduce patient choice, increase costs .


WASHINGTON (CNN) -- President Barack Obama addressed Congress shortly after 9 p.m.  Tuesday, but a casual viewer might have believed it was actually morning in America.

President Obama takes a page from Ronald Reagan's playbook in his speech to Congress.

"Morning in America" was the theme of Ronald Reagan's 1984 re-election campaign, and it was front and center in Obama's most critical event since Inauguration Day.

The president who has pledged to reverse much of Reagan's economic revolution took a page from the 40th president's playbook in his 52-minute speech, striking a defiantly optimistic tone that belied the nation's sour mood and rebutted critics who have accused him of intentionally talking down the economy for short-term political gain.

"Though we are living through difficult and uncertain times, tonight I want every American to know this: We will rebuild, we will recover and the United States of America will emerge stronger than before," Obama declared to a thunderous round of applause from a packed House chamber.  See video highlights of the speech, issue by issue »

Delivered against a backdrop of dismal economic news and with polls showing overwhelming majorities of Americans believing the country is on the wrong track, Obama's first speech to Congress amounted to a political tour de force. He proposed what many claim is a complete overhaul of the country's economic foundation while ripping his conservative predecessors for transferring "wealth to the wealthy" and gutting regulations "for the sake of a quick profit at the expense of a healthy market."

And he did it while employing some of Reagan's favorite rhetorical tools. Obama stuck to a fairly short list of priorities while invoking traditional American values of responsibility, hard work and thrift to pound home a back-to-basics message. iReport.com: 'Obama just replaced Reagan'

"A generosity, a resilience, a decency and a determination that perseveres; a willingness to take responsibility for our future and for posterity ... Those qualities that have made America the greatest force of progress and prosperity in human history we still possess in ample measure," he said.

It is time, he declared, to "summon that enduring spirit of an America that does not quit."

Ideological differences aside, the nation's 44th president has made no secret of his admiration for his Republican predecessor.

"Ronald Reagan changed the trajectory of America in a way that Richard Nixon did not, and a way that Bill Clinton did not," Obama argued at the start of last year's Democratic primaries.

Reagan, Obama said, knew that Americans "want clarity. We want optimism. We want a return to that sense of dynamism and entrepreneurship that [has] been missing."

Tuesday night's speech featured all of those elements.

"The answers to our problems don't lie beyond our reach. They exist ... in the imaginations of our entrepreneurs and the pride of the hardest-working people on Earth," Obama said.  What did you think of the speech? Rate it through our CNN report card »

The president's agenda as defined in his address to Congress may have been the most ambitious in a generation or even two, but it was also easily boiled down to a few bullet points: restore financial stability, strengthen education and promote energy independence and health care reform.

It was, in many ways, the mirror image of 1981, when a newly inaugurated Reagan used the combination of stagnating economic growth and skyrocketing inflation to promote an equally ambitious, simple agenda: cut taxes, shrink government and build up the defense budget.

"You never want a serious crisis to go to waste," White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel said shortly after the election in November.

In fact, Obama's team believes that their boss has already trumped both the Great Communicator and Obama's immediate Democratic predecessor.

Reagan didn't get his economic agenda passed until summer 1981, a senior White House official noted before the speech Tuesday.

And when then-President Bill Clinton delivered his first speech to a joint session of Congress in 1993, he had

Question: What tones do Reagen and Obama take?

Question: What did Obama employ?

Question: What did Obama say?

Question: Like who did Obama take an optimistic tone?

Question: What tools did he employ?

Answer: optimistic

Answer: complete overhaul of the country's economic foundation

Answer: said, knew that Americans "want clarity.

Answer: Ronald Reagan's

Answer: some of Reagan's favorite rhetorical

Summary:
Like Reagan, Obama takes a defiantly optimistic tone in speech to Congress .
Obama employs some of Reagan's favorite rhetorical tools .
But Obama rejects Reagan view that government has no role in prosperity .


WASHINGTON (CNN) -- President Barack Obama claimed the second major legislative victory of his young administration Wednesday, signing a bill to provide federally funded health care to an estimated 4 million children. President Obama says the SCHIP bill is a downpayment on his "commitment to cover every single American." The final version of the new law, which expands the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) by roughly $35 billion over the next five years, passed a sharply polarized House of Representatives earlier in the day, with almost every Democrat voting in favor of the expansion and most Republicans opposing it. With the bill, Obama said at a White House ceremony, "We fulfill one of the highest responsibilities that we have -- to ensure the health and well-being of our nation's children." The president said the bill was a downpayment on his "commitment to cover every single American." The SCHIP expansion is Obama's second major legislative win in less than a week. The first was Thursday's approval of the Lilly Ledbetter Pay Equity Act, which makes it easier to sue employers for wage-based discrimination.  Learn more about the SCHIP program » The expansion is also a sign of the strength of Washington's new Democratic majority. Former President George W. Bush vetoed two similar health care bills in 2007, arguing that the legislation would encourage families to leave the private insurance market for the federally funded, state-run program. Before the bill's passage, SCHIP covered almost 7 million children whose parents earn too much to qualify for Medicaid -- the federal health insurance program for the poor -- but who can't afford private insurance. The new law boosts total SCHIP funding to approximately $60 billion. The expanded program will be financed with a 62-cent-per-pack increase in the federal tax on cigarettes. "This is a day worthy of celebration. There can be no greater cause ... than protecting the well-being of our nation's children," New Jersey Rep. Frank Pallone, the legislation's primary House author, said shortly before the bill's final passage on a 290-135 vote. Passing the health program's expansion is "morally the right thing to do by our children," said freshman Rep. Tom Perriello, D-Virginia. "At a time when the cost of health care is crushing America's families ... this is an important lifeline." Opponents of the legislation argued that, among other things, it will allow undocumented immigrants to illegally access taxpayer-financed health care, and is insufficiently funded. "This will go out of control just like all the other [entitlement] programs have, and our children will pay," Rep. Jack Linder, R-Georgia, warned during the House debate Wednesday. Rep. Steve King, R-Iowa, ripped the bill as a "foundation stone for socialized medicine in the United States," arguing that raising the income limit for SCHIP eligibility will serve as the basis for a massive expansion of government-run health care. The Senate passed the expansion Friday in a 66-32 vote. All those voting against the bill were Republicans, though nine Republicans voted in favor of the measure.

Question: What individual signed SCHIP into law?

Question: When did Obama sign the law?

Question: What did SCHIP make millions of children eligible for?

Question: What does SCHIP stand for?

Question: What did Obama sign into law?

Question: How much does SCHIP cost?

Answer: President Barack Obama

Answer: Wednesday,

Answer: federally funded health care

Answer: State Children's Health Insurance Program

Answer: bill to provide federally funded health care to an estimated 4 million children.

Answer: $35 billion

Summary:
NEW: President Obama signs State Children's Health Insurance Program into law .
House approves the bill in vote that falls largely along party lines .
SCHIP passed the Senate last week .
SCHIP makes additional 4 million kids eligible for federally funded health insurance .


WASHINGTON (CNN) -- President Barack Obama is planning to issue three executive orders Thursday, including one demanding the U.S. military detention facility at Guantanamo Bay be closed within a year, according to a senior administration official and a congressional aide.

A guard keeps watch from a tower at the military facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

A second executive order will formally ban torture by requiring the Army field manual be used as the guide for terror interrogations, essentially ending the Bush administration's CIA program of enhanced interrogation methods.

A third executive order, according to the officials, will order a systematic review of detention policies and procedures and a review of all individual cases.

The officials said new White House Counsel Greg Craig was briefing congressional Republicans Wednesday afternoon about the three executive orders.

"We've always said the process would include consultation," the senior administration official said of the closed-door meeting informing Republicans of the moves.

The detention facility at Guantanamo Bay became a lightning rod for critics who charged that the Bush administration had used torture on terror detainees. President George W. Bush and other senior officials repeatedly denied that the U.S. government had used torture to extract intelligence from terror suspects.

Obama's move will set off a fierce legal struggle over where the prison's detainees will go next.  Watch experts debate the Gitmo dilemma »

"The key question is where do you put these terrorists," House Minority Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio, said in a statement issued Wednesday. "Do you bring them inside our borders? Do you release them back into the battlefield?"

The meeting with Craig did not address how the administration plans to handle Guantanamo detainees, said Rep. Bill Young of Florida, the top Republican on the Defense Appropriations Committee. The executive orders "will leave some wiggle room for the administration," he said.

Young said he has "quite a bit of anxiety" about transferring detainees to United States facilities.

"Number one, they're dangerous," he said. "Secondly, once they become present in the United States, what is their legal status? What is their constitutional status? I worry about that, because I don't want them to have the same constitutional rights that you and I have. They're our enemy."  Watch what may happen to Gitmo's inmates »

He said he asked Craig what the government plans to do with two recently built facilities at Guantanamo, which he said cost $500 million. He said Craig had no answer, but pledged to discuss the issue further.

Young said he suggested reopening Alcatraz, the closed federal prison on an island outside San Francisco, California -- in Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's district.

"Put them in Alcatraz, where supposedly they can't escape from," Young said, but added the suggestion "didn't go over well."

The revelation coincided with a judge's decision on Wednesday to halt the September 11 terrorism cases at the behest of President Obama. On Tuesday, he directed Defense Secretary Robert Gates to ask prosecutors to seek stays for 120 days so terrorism cases at the facility can be reviewed, according to a military official close to the proceedings.

CNN's Susan Candiotti and Laurie Ure contributed to this report.

Question:
how many orders give OBama?
What will Obama issue?
What did the judge grant?
what will the bans involve

Answer: three

Answer: three executive orders

Answer: decision on Wednesday to halt the September 11 terrorism cases at the behest

Answer: torture

Summary:
NEW: Obama to issue 3 orders Thursday that break from Bush administration .
NEW: Order 2 will ban torture by requiring use of Army field manual for interrogations .
NEW: 3rd order will mandate review of detention policies and procedures .
Military judge grants Obama's request to stay cases for 120 days .


WASHINGTON (CNN) -- President Barack Obama is planning to issue three executive orders Thursday, including one demanding the U.S. military detention facility at Guantanamo Bay be closed within a year, according to a senior administration official and a congressional aide. A guard keeps watch from a tower at the military facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. A second executive order will formally ban torture by requiring the Army field manual be used as the guide for terror interrogations, essentially ending the Bush administration's CIA program of enhanced interrogation methods. A third executive order, according to the officials, will order a systematic review of detention policies and procedures and a review of all individual cases. The officials said new White House Counsel Greg Craig was briefing congressional Republicans Wednesday afternoon about the three executive orders. "We've always said the process would include consultation," the senior administration official said of the closed-door meeting informing Republicans of the moves. The detention facility at Guantanamo Bay became a lightning rod for critics who charged that the Bush administration had used torture on terror detainees. President George W. Bush and other senior officials repeatedly denied that the U.S. government had used torture to extract intelligence from terror suspects. Obama's move will set off a fierce legal struggle over where the prison's detainees will go next.  Watch experts debate the Gitmo dilemma » "The key question is where do you put these terrorists," House Minority Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio, said in a statement issued Wednesday. "Do you bring them inside our borders? Do you release them back into the battlefield?" The meeting with Craig did not address how the administration plans to handle Guantanamo detainees, said Rep. Bill Young of Florida, the top Republican on the Defense Appropriations Committee. The executive orders "will leave some wiggle room for the administration," he said. Young said he has "quite a bit of anxiety" about transferring detainees to United States facilities. "Number one, they're dangerous," he said. "Secondly, once they become present in the United States, what is their legal status? What is their constitutional status? I worry about that, because I don't want them to have the same constitutional rights that you and I have. They're our enemy."  Watch what may happen to Gitmo's inmates » He said he asked Craig what the government plans to do with two recently built facilities at Guantanamo, which he said cost $500 million. He said Craig had no answer, but pledged to discuss the issue further. Young said he suggested reopening Alcatraz, the closed federal prison on an island outside San Francisco, California -- in Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's district. "Put them in Alcatraz, where supposedly they can't escape from," Young said, but added the suggestion "didn't go over well." The revelation coincided with a judge's decision on Wednesday to halt the September 11 terrorism cases at the behest of President Obama. On Tuesday, he directed Defense Secretary Robert Gates to ask prosecutors to seek stays for 120 days so terrorism cases at the facility can be reviewed, according to a military official close to the proceedings. CNN's Susan Candiotti and Laurie Ure contributed to this report.

Question:
What will be issued?
What will Obama issue on Thursday?

Answer: three executive orders

Answer: three executive orders


WASHINGTON (CNN) -- President Barack Obama reached out to Iran on Friday -- the start of the Iranian New Year -- in a video message offering "the promise of a new beginning" that is "grounded in mutual respect." Obama's message to Iran echoes his inaugural speech, where he said "we seek a new way forward." The message is a dramatic shift in tone from that of the Bush administration, which included Iran, along with North Korea and Iraq, in an "axis of evil." It also echoes Obama's inaugural speech, in which he said to the Muslim world, "we seek a new way forward, based on mutual interest and mutual respect." In Friday's video, Obama said: "The United States wants the Islamic Republic of Iran to take its rightful place in the community of nations. You have that right, but it comes with real responsibilities. And that place cannot be reached through terror or arms, but rather through peaceful actions that demonstrate the true greatness of the Iranian people and civilization." There was no immediate response from Tehran to Obama's message, but Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said last month that his country would welcome talks with the United States "in a fair atmosphere with mutual respect." The United States, several European nations and Israel suspect that Tehran has been trying to acquire the capacity to build nuclear weapons, but Iran says its nuclear program is solely for peaceful purposes. Last month, the Washington-based Institute for Science and International Security released a report saying that Iran has reached "nuclear weapons breakout capability" -- it has enough uranium to make a nuclear bomb. The report was based on an analysis of data from the International Atomic Energy Agency. However, an IAEA official who asked not to be named cautioned against drawing such dramatic conclusions from the data, saying Iran's stock of low-enriched uranium would have to be turned into highly enriched uranium to be weapons-grade material. That hasn't been done, the official said. The United States has had tortuous relations with Tehran since the Islamic revolution in 1979, but the Obama message speaks of "new beginnings" with the promise of a new year. "We have serious differences that have grown over time. My administration is now committed to diplomacy that addresses the full range of issues before us, and to pursuing constructive ties among the United States, Iran and the international community," the president said. "This process will not be advanced by threats. We seek, instead, engagement that is honest and grounded in mutual respect."

Question: Who has tortuous relations?

Question: Since what year has the US had bad relations with Tehran?

Question: Did Tehran give an immediate response?

Question: What Iranian holiday coincides with the timing of the video message?

Question: Who did not respond immediately?

Question: What city had no immediate message for the US?

Question: When did the tortuous relations start?

Answer: United States

Answer: 1979,

Answer: no

Answer: New Year

Answer: Tehran

Answer: Tehran

Answer: 1979,

Summary:
Video message coincides with the start of the Iranian New Year .
The U.S.  has had tortuous relations with Tehran since 1979 .
There was no immediate response from Tehran .


WASHINGTON (CNN) -- President Barack Obama weighed in Thursday on the conflict between Israel and Hamas, urging Israel to open Gaza border crossings and telling the Islamic fundamentalist organization to stop rocket fire into the Jewish state.

President Obama called on both Israel and Hamas to make changes toward Mideast peace.

He urged Israel to allow the flow of aid and commerce into the Palestinian territory.

"Our hearts go out to Palestinian civilians who are in need of immediate food, clean water and basic medical care," he said.

The crossings should be opened with an "appropriate monitoring," he added.

Obama said Hamas leaders, for their part, must put an end to rocket attacks.

He said he will send former Sen. George Mitchell, who was appointed Thursday as special envoy for Middle East peace, to the region as soon as possible.

Earlier, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton arrived at her new office in the State Department, promising a renewed emphasis on candor and "robust diplomacy" as the primary means for advancing American interests around the world.

America's new chief diplomat walked through the front doors of the State Department lobby shortly after 9 a.m. ET to thunderous applause from an overflow crowd of about 1,000 career diplomats and other department employees.

"I believe with all of my heart that this is a new era for America," Clinton told her colleagues. "President Obama set the tone with his inaugural address. ... Robust diplomacy and effective development are the best long-term tools for securing America's future."  Watch Clinton greet her new employees »

In remarks that could be interpreted as a rebuke of the departed Bush administration, Clinton also said that the Obama administration would not "tolerate the divisiveness and paralysis that has undermined our ability to get things done for America."

Clinton also called for a new sense of candor and free exchange of ideas. She urged the country's diplomatic corps to think "outside the proverbial box."

"There's nothing I welcome more than a good debate and the kind of dialogue that will make us better," she said.

Clinton later attended an intelligence briefing and a meeting with members of the Diplomatic Security Service. She also walked through various State Department offices, including the operations center.

Clinton also phoned international leaders, according to acting State Department spokesman Robert Wood. She is expected to call Asian leaders later Thursday.

Clinton will also visit the U.S. Agency for International Development, which she praised "for the work they've done on behalf of development through some very difficult years."

During her confirmation hearing, Clinton pledged to secure more resources for the State Department and USAID, which has seen a lot of its development work fall to the Pentagon during the Bush administration.

Clinton is the 67th U.S. secretary of state.

CNN's Elise Labott contributed to this report.

Question: Where are the border crossings?

Question: What does Obama want Israel to do?

Question: what is hillary clinton's profession?

Question: When was Clinton confirmed as secretary of state?

Question: Which country did President Obama urge to open Gaza border crossings?

Answer: Gaza

Answer: open Gaza border crossings

Answer: Secretary of State

Answer: shortly after 9 a.m. ET

Answer: Israel

Summary:
NEW: President Obama urges Israel to open Gaza border crossings .
Hillary Clinton receives intelligence briefing on first day at State .
Clinton greets employees at the State Department .
Clinton was confirmed as secretary of state Wednesday .


WASHINGTON (CNN) -- President Bush condemned the escalated violence between Russia and U.S.-backed Georgia on Sunday, while Vice President Dick Cheney said aggression against Georgia "must not go unanswered." President Bush chats with Russian Prime Minister Vladmir Putin at the  start of the Olympic opening ceremonies. "My administration has been engaged with both sides of this trying to get a ceasefire," Bush told NBC's Bob Costas in an interview in Beijing, China, where the president has attended Olympic events. Bush was filmed speaking to Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin during Friday's opening ceremonies and said Sunday that he "was firm with Vladimir Putin" and that "this violence is unacceptable." Violence has continued to rage between Russia and the western ally since Thursday, when Georgia launched an operation to crack down on separatists in South Ossetia territory. Russia said it wanted to protect its peacekeepers already in South Ossetia following ceasefires in years past. But Georgia called it a full-on invasion. And while Russia has accused Georgia of a genocidal plot to cleanse the region of ethnic Ossetians loyal to Russia, Georgia accuses Russia of executing a long-planned war with the aim of taking control of the region -- including a key pipeline that carries Asian oil to Black Sea ports. "I expressed my grave concern about the disproportionate response of Russia," Bush said of his talk with Putin. "We strongly condemn bombing outside of South Ossetia." Putin says he's concerned about the flood of refugees arriving in Russia from South Ossetia. Russian officials said more than 30,000 refugees have left South Ossetia and crossed into Russia over the past two days, Interfax reported. "The actions of the Georgian authorities in South Ossetia are a crime, of course, primarily a crime against their own people," Putin said, according to Russian news agency Interfax. Meanwhile, Cheney talked to Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili on Sunday, telling him that Russia's aggression against Georgia "must not go unanswered." Cheney's spokeswoman Lea Ann McBride said the vice president spoke to Saakashvili to express "the United States' solidarity with the Georgian people and their democratically elected government in the face of this threat to Georgia's sovereignty and territorial integrity." Georgia withdrew its forces Sunday and offered a ceasefire, which Russia refused. "The vice president told President Saakashvili that Russian aggression must not go unanswered, and that its continuation would have serious consequences for its relations with the United States, as well as the broader international community," McBride said. Saakashvili has called on the United States and the world community to stop the "intervention and invasion of my sovereign country." "I think the U.S. is the most powerful country in the world," he told CNN. "I think the U.S. has lots of leverage. And I think there are lots of diplomatic means that it could be done through." Two senior officials have told CNN the United States sent envoy Matt Bryza to the region to help with mediation.

Question: What is causing the violence?

Question: What answer does Cheney recommend?

Question: What has continued between Russia and Georgia?

Question: What did Dick Cheney say?

Question: In what way was Bush firm?

Answer: has continued to rage between Russia and the western ally since Thursday, when Georgia launched an operation to crack down on separatists in South Ossetia territory.

Answer: aggression against Georgia "must not go unanswered."

Answer: escalated violence

Answer: aggression against Georgia "must not go unanswered."

Answer: with Vladimir Putin"

Summary:
NEW: Bush says he was "firm" with Putin and that the "violence is unacceptable"
Vice President Dick Cheney said Russian aggression "must not go unanswered"
Violence has continued to rage between Russia and western ally Georgia .


WASHINGTON (CNN) -- President Bush on Friday proposed a temporary, broad-based tax relief package aimed at spurring the nation's slowing economy. "We can provide a shot in the arm" to the economy, President Bush said Friday at the White House. During remarks at the White House, Bush, flanked by economic advisers, said the nation's economy is at risk for a downturn and Congress must act to head off trouble. "This growth package must be big enough to make a difference in an economy as large and dynamic as ours," Bush said. "By passing a growth package quickly, we can provide a shot in the arm to keep a fundamentally strong economy healthy, and it will help keep economic sectors that are going through adjustments, such as the housing market, from adversely affecting other parts of our economy."  Watch more of Bush's tax outline » It should equal about 1 percent of the nation's gross domestic product, or roughly $140 billion, he added. Bush said the economy will continue to grow but at a slower rate. The president offered no specific details of the proposed package, but he did insist that it include tax incentives for business, "including small businesses, to make major investments in their enterprises this year." Bush also said the economic package must include "rapid income tax relief" for consumers to "lift our economy at a time when people otherwise might spend less." Although Democratic leaders in Congress expressed general support for Bush's remarks, other Democrats on Capitol Hill met the president's proposal with suspicion. Two Democratic leadership aides made it clear Friday that the growth package would not win support from Democratic leaders unless it includes relief for low and middle income earners. "We want to include people who pay taxes, not necessarily income taxes -- a lot of lower income people pay payroll taxes," said one aide. Another source stated flatly, "We're not going to pass a bill in the House that doesn't include low-income people." Sen. Charles Schumer, D-New York, said he was disappointed that Bush did not include stimulus-spending measures aimed at helping the disadvantaged such as extending unemployment benefits. Schumer said such spending initiatives would jump-start the economy faster than tax cuts alone. "I think if we avoid any of the ideological fights, we could actually pass something so that it would take effect on March 1," Schumer said. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-California, expressed agreement with Bush on "the need to provide assistance immediately," saying in a statement that "we must invest our resources in such a way that injects confidence and consumer demand, promotes economic growth and creates jobs." Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nevada, said, "I also agree that our focus must be on finding temporary measures that will do the job effectively." Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Massachusetts, agreed that "we must act swiftly to boost the economy" but stressed the need to help families who "are struggling every day to pay their bills, heat their homes and pay their mortgages." Bush's remarks came a day after talks on the subject with Democratic and Republican lawmakers, and following Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke's call for a fiscal stimulus package to help an economy beset by plummeting stock prices and a credit and mortgage crunch. Bush said Friday he was encouraged by his discussions with lawmakers. "I believe there is enough broad consensus that we can come up with a package that can be approved with bipartisan support." Existing income tax cuts supported by the Bush administration are due to expire in 2010, and the president called on Congress to make them permanent. "Unless Congress acts, the American people will face massive tax increases in less than three years," Bush said. "This tax increase would put jobs and economic growth at risk."   Watch experts explain how to goose the economy » The proposed stimulus package comes as a leading gauge of future economic activity was released

Question: what did bush said about his taxes?

Question: Which president called for tax relief?

Question: When do the tax cuts expire?

Question: who alls for broad-based tax relief for consumers, businesses?

Question: Who is George Bush?

Question: What income level does the bill help?

Question: Who has Bush been talking to about the bill?

Question: who says he's encouraged by talks with Congress, hopeful of agreement?

Answer: "We can provide a shot in the arm" to the economy,

Answer: Bush

Answer: 2010,

Answer: President Bush

Answer: President

Answer: low and middle

Answer: Democratic and Republican lawmakers,

Answer: Bush

Summary:
NEW: Democratic leadership aides say bill must help low-, middle-income earners .
President calls for broad-based tax relief for consumers, businesses .
Bush says he's encouraged by talks with Congress, hopeful of agreement .
Bush says his tax cuts due to expire in 2010 should be made permanent .


WASHINGTON (CNN) -- President Bush on Monday signed a bill that will pay for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan through the remainder of his presidency and into spring 2009. President Bush on Monday said the men and women of the armed forces deserve "our unflinching support." The supplemental spending bill provides nearly $162 billion in war funding without the restrictions congressional Democrats vowed to put into place since they took control of Congress nearly two years ago. After signing the bill, Bush said the men and woman of the armed services are owed "our unflinching support, and the best way to demonstrate that support is to give them the resources they need to do their jobs and to prevail." Bush also said he appreciated that "Republicans and Democrats in Congress agreed to provide these vital funds without tying the hands of our commanders and without an artificial timetable of withdrawal from Iraq."   Watch as Bush thanks Congress » "This bill shows the American people that even in an election year, Republicans and Democrats can come together to stand behind our troops and their families," Bush said. He also touted the success of the "surge" strategy he implemented last year. "Our troops have driven the terrorists and extremists from many strongholds in Iraq. Today, violence is at the lowest level since March of 2004," he said. "As a result of this progress, some of our troops are coming home, as a result of our policy called 'Return on Success.' We welcome them home." White Houses spokeswoman Dana Perino called the bill a victory for the president. "Because we have seen success in the surge, perhaps Congress decided that it was OK to allow the commander in chief to be able to move forward as he saw fit," said Perino, noting the $162 billion was the same amount that the president had requested. The supplemental spending bill also contains a new GI Bill that expands education benefits for veterans who have served since the 9/11 attacks, provides a 13-week extension of unemployment benefits and more than $2 billion in disaster assistance for parts of the Midwest that have been hit by record floods. The signing comes two weeks before the deadline that Defense Secretary Robert Gates had established for the funds. Gates said he would consider laying off Defense Department employees to balance the Pentagon's books if legislation was not signed by July 15.  Watch a progress report from the U.S. ambassador to Iraq » House Democrats had tried to include restrictions on war funding when they drafted the bill, but they were unable to overcome procedural hurdles that Republicans put up. A compromise version of the supplemental bill was later negotiated between Democratic and Republican leaders that included the war funding along with the GI Bill, unemployment benefits and disaster relief -- three top legislative priorities for the Democrats that Bush and congressional Republicans originally resisted. "At a time when 2 million men and women have fought in Iraq and Afghanistan and when our troops have had to endure multiple deployments, stop-loss policies, insufficient equipment and an unclear strategy, giving them the opportunity to fuel our future economy is the least we can do," Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nevada, said of the GI Bill after the Senate sent it to the president's desk Thursday night. Congressional Democrats regained control of the House of Representatives and Senate after the 2006 midterm elections in large part to due to displeasure over the Iraq war. But Democrats -- lacking the 60 votes to overcome GOP filibusters in the Senate, let alone the two-thirds majorities in both the House and Senate to override a presidential veto -- have been unable to pass significant restrictions on war funding because Republicans, for the most part, have stuck with Bush on the war.

Question: Who is the president?

Question: Will there be any restrictions on funding the wars

Question: What victory did bush get

Question: What is the benefit for veterans?

Question: What else does the bill contain?

Question: What causes a victory for President Bush?

Question: what does legislation fund

Question: what does bill contains

Question: what did bush do

Question: What is the budget for the spending bill?

Question: What did he sign?

Answer: Bush

Answer: without the

Answer: the bill

Answer: education

Answer: that expands education benefits for veterans who have served since the 9/11 attacks, provides a 13-week extension of unemployment benefits and more than $2 billion in disaster assistance for parts of the Midwest that have been hit by record floods.

Answer: the bill

Answer: wars in Iraq and Afghanistan

Answer: nearly $162 billion in war funding

Answer: signed a bill that will pay for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan

Answer: $162 billion

Answer: a bill that will pay for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan

Summary:
NEW: White House spokeswoman calls bill a victory for President Bush .
Bush signs supplemental spending bill with $162 billion for wars .
Legislation funds Iraq and Afghanistan wars through spring 2009 without restrictions .
Bill also contains veteran education and unemployment benefits and disaster relief .


WASHINGTON (CNN) -- President Bush said Tuesday that Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah "knows our position loud and clear" on the punishment of the victim of a gang rape.

President Bush said he would be angry with a state that did not support a rape victim.

However, Bush said he did not recall having raised the issue during a recent telephone conversation with the king.

The woman was sentenced to 200 lashes and six months in prison for violating the kingdom's strict Islamic law by being alone with an unrelated man before the rape.

The president said during a White House news conference that upon learning of the case, "My first thoughts were these: What happens if this happened to my daughter? How would I react? And I would have been ... I would have been very emotional, of course.

"I'd have been angry at those who committed the crime. And I would be angry at a state that didn't support the victim.

"And our opinions were expressed by [White House press secretary] Dana Perino from the podium."

Asked whether he personally had pressed King Abdullah about the matter, Bush responded, "I talked to King Abdullah about the Middle Eastern peace. I don't remember if that subject came up. ... He knows our position loud and clear."

Last month, the Saudi Ministry of Justice said the woman had had an "illegitimate relationship" with a man who was not her husband, and that she was raped by seven men after she and the man she was with were discovered in a "compromising situation, her clothes on the ground."

The woman, now 19, was initially sentenced to 90 lashes for meeting with the man -- described by the woman's attorney as a former friend from whom she was simply retrieving a photograph.

When she appealed her sentence, a Saudi court more than doubled it. The rapists initially received sentences ranging from 10 months to five years in prison.

After the woman's appeal, the Qatif General Court also increased the sentence for the rapists, to two to nine years in prison.

The Justice Ministry had previously said the woman's sentence was increased after evidence came to light against her when she appealed her original sentence.

The attacks took place in the eastern city of Qatif in March 2006, when the woman was 18 and engaged to be married.

Her husband has told CNN that "from the onset, my wife was dealt with as a guilty person who committed a crime. She was not given any chance to prove her innocence or describe how she was a victim of multiple brutal rapes."

Under Saudi Arabia's Islamic law, women are subject to numerous restrictions, including a strict dress code, a prohibition against driving and a requirement that they get a man's permission to travel or undergo surgery.

The rape victim's husband, who has not been identified publicly in order to protect the identity of his wife, said he considered his wife's decision to meet with the man "a bad choice on her part," but denied that she had admitted meeting with the man illicitly. E-mail to a friend

Question:
Who is king abullah
who sentenced the victim

Answer: Saudi Arabia's

Answer: Saudi Ministry of Justice

Summary:
President says King Abdullah "knows our position loud and clear"
Subject didn't come up in recent phone conversation, he says .
Saudi court sentenced victim of gang rape to 200 lashes, jail time .
Court says sentence related to meeting with a man, not rape .


WASHINGTON (CNN) -- President Bush vetoed an expansion of the federally funded, state-run health insurance program for poor children for a second time Wednesday, telling Congress the bill "moves our country's health care system in the wrong direction." In his veto message, President Bush calls on Congress to extend funding for the current program. In his veto message, Bush said the bill is almost a duplicate of the proposal he spiked in October. "Because the Congress has chosen to send me an essentially identical bill that has the same problems as the flawed bill I previously vetoed, I must veto this legislation, too," he said in a statement released by the White House. The bill would have expanded the State Children's Health Insurance Program by nearly $35 billion over five years, the same as the measure Bush vetoed October 3.  Track recent and historical presidential vetoes » The president had proposed adding $5 billion to the program and said the version he vetoed would have encouraged families to leave the private insurance market for the federally funded, state-run program. Democratic leaders said the new version addressed Republican objections by tightening restrictions on illegal immigrants receiving SCHIP benefits, capping the income levels of families that qualify for the program and preventing adults from receiving benefits. Though the measure had strong bipartisan support, it fell short of the two-thirds majorities needed to override a presidential veto in the House and Senate. House Minority Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio, said Democrats were more interested in scoring political points with the veto than in reaching a compromise with Republicans. "We could have resolved the differences in his program in 10 minutes, if the majority had wanted to resolve the differences," Boehner said. "This has become a partisan political game." The program currently covers about 6 million children whose parents earn too much to qualify for Medicaid -- the federal health insurance program for the poor -- but who can't afford private insurance. Democrats wanted to extend the program to another 4 million, paying for it with a 61-cent-per-pack increase in the federal tax on cigarettes. "What a sad day that the president would say that rather than insuring [millions of] children, 'I don't want to raise the cigarette tax,' " said House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. She called for a January 23 vote on whether to override the veto. Meanwhile, Bush called on Congress to extend funding for the current program to keep the 6 million now covered on the rolls. E-mail to a friend

Question: Who vetoed the proposal before?

Question: President Bush: Measure is "essentially identical" to the proposal he vetoed before

Question: What did bush mention about measure?

Question: What number of children are covered by the program?

Question: What program covers 6 million children?

Question: What was "essentially identical"?

Question: What did President Bush say about the measure?

Question: What did Bush say the proposal was to a proposal he vetoed before?

Answer: President Bush

Answer: federally funded, state-run health insurance

Answer: the bill "moves our country's health care system in the wrong direction."

Answer: about 6 million

Answer: State

Answer: bill

Answer: the bill "moves our country's health care system in the wrong direction."

Answer: said the bill is almost a duplicate of the

Summary:
President Bush: Measure is "essentially identical" to the proposal he vetoed before .
Bill would have expanded the State Children's Health Insurance Program .
Bush: Measure "moves our country's health care system in the wrong direction"
Program covers 6 million children whose parents don't qualify for Medicaid .


WASHINGTON (CNN) -- President Bush's top adviser on homeland security is stepping down after 4½ years on the job, the White House said Monday. Fran Townsend served more than four years as homeland security adviser. Homeland Security Adviser Fran Townsend turned in her letter of resignation to President Bush on November 6 and will be looking for new opportunities outside government. "I'm going to just take another job doing 20-hour days, but this time in the private sector," said Townsend, who has spent 25 years working in law enforcement and government. Bush praised Townsend's work Monday. "Fran has always provided wise counsel on how to best protect the American people from the threat of terrorism," Bush said in a statement. "We are safer today because of her leadership." Townsend's job, as the president's top adviser on fighting terrorism, involved identifying terrorist groups around the globe and assessing their threat, and finding ways to track and cut off their funding. She said that experience should will be useful in the private sector as well. Townsend -- the mother of two, ages 6 and 12 -- said she first will look into public speaking, writing and board work before pursuing opportunities in global risk management for a large multinational corporation or financial institution.  Watch how Townsend is planning to use her skills » She said she's been talking with the president about her planned departure for eight months. Townsend's name had come up during the president's recent search for a new attorney general, but she was not considered. She said not getting the job "had absolutely nothing to do with her decision to leave." She said Bush had wanted her to stay on in his administration. "It was a hard decision as I have loved and will cherish my every minute of service," she said in an e-mail. "My family actually advocated that I remain and has always been supportive of my service so this was entirely my decision." Townsend is part of the search committee to find a replacement by the beginning of next year. The president appoints the senior staff position, and it needs no Senate confirmation. E-mail to a friend CNN's Suzanne Malveaux contributed to this report.

Question: Who has worked for 25 years?

Question: What is Townsend's first name?

Question: What is Townsend looking for in the private sector?

Question: What number of years has Townsend been working?

Question: What did Fran Townsend say?

Question: What is Townsend going to look for?

Answer: Fran Townsend

Answer: Fran

Answer: another job

Answer: 25

Answer: "I'm going to just take another job doing 20-hour days, but this time in the private sector,"

Answer: new opportunities outside government.

Summary:
Fran Townsend says she'll look for opportunities in the private sector .
Townsend has worked in government and law enforcement for 25 years .
Townsend will be on a panel searching for a replacement .


WASHINGTON (CNN) -- President Obama and Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki voiced cautious optimism regarding the situation in Iraq Wednesday, noting greater stability and decreased violence as U.S. troops continue to cede control to their Iraqi counterparts. President Obama and Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki talk Wednesday at the White House. "I have no doubt that there will be some tough days ahead," Obama said during a joint appearance of the leaders at the White House. "There are still those who want to foment sectarian conflict. ... But make no mistake, those efforts will fail," he added. The president said he is committed to moving forward with a pledge to remove all American combat brigades from Iraq by the end of August 2010, as well as all U.S. troops by the end of 2011. Al-Maliki promised the Iraqi government would step up its efforts to prevent a return of widespread sectarian violence. "Those who thought that the Iraqi forces [would] be incapable of imposing peace and security [have been] proved to be wrong," he said.  Watch al-Maliki speak about "strategic friendship" with U.S. » In addition to meeting with Obama, al-Maliki is scheduled to sit down with Vice President Joe Biden. He will also meet with the secretaries of State, Defense and Treasury, and with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Some foreign policy experts have expressed concern that as the United States pivots from Iraq to Afghanistan, Iraq and its problems will be ignored. Responding to that criticism, one senior administration official said this week, "Our goal is, in fact as we formalize the relationship, to concentrate on other areas," but he suggested that Iraq would remain a U.S. priority. Hours before the two leaders met, at least five Iranian pilgrims were killed and dozens more wounded earlier Wednesday in an attack northeast of Baghdad. The violence came a day after a spate of bombings left at least 22 Iraqis dead and about 150 wounded. CNN's Jomana Karadsheh and Dan Lothian contributed to this report.

Question: What goal has President Obama restated for 2011?

Question: Who said that Iraqi forces have proven naysayers wrong?

Question: How many Iranian pilgrims died in the Baghdad attack?

Question: When does Obama want to remove all U.S. forces from Iraq?

Question: How many Iranian Pilgrims died in an attack, northeast of Baghdad?

Question: how many Iranian pilgrims died?

Question: Who is the Iraqi Prime Minister?

Answer: he is committed to moving forward with a pledge to remove all American combat brigades from Iraq by the end of August 2010, as well as all U.S. troops by the end of

Answer: al-Maliki

Answer: at least five

Answer: by the end of 2011.

Answer: at least five

Answer: at least five

Answer: Nuri al-Maliki

Summary:
President Obama restates goal of removing all U.S. forces from Iraq in 2011 .
Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki: Capable Iraqi forces have proven naysayers wrong .
At least five Iranian pilgrims die in attack northeast of Baghdad .


WASHINGTON (CNN) -- President Obama and top aides have quietly stepped up talks with moderate Republican Sen. Olympia Snowe of Maine on a scaled-back health care bill, according to two sources familiar with the negotiations. Sen. Olympia Snowe is part of the bipartisan so-called "Gang of Six" negotiating on health care. The compromise plan would lack a government-run public health insurance option favored by Obama, but would leave the door open to adding that provision down the road under an idea proposed by Snowe, the sources said. One of the sources said White House officials are "deep in conversations" with Snowe on a much smaller health care bill than Obama originally envisioned. The modified proposal would include insurance reforms, such as preventing insurance companies from denying coverage to people with pre-existing conditions, according to the source. The potential deal would give insurance companies a defined period to make such changes in order to help cover more people and drive down long-term costs. But if those changes failed to occur within the defined period, a so-called "trigger" would provide for creating a public option to force change on the insurance companies, the source said. Snowe is pivotal to the debate because she may be Obama's last possibility for getting a Republican senator to support his push for a health care overhaul. She is one of the so-called "Gang of Six" members of the Senate Finance Committee, three Democrats and three Republicans, involved in separate negotiations on the only bipartisan health care proposal in Congress so far. However, the slow pace of those talks and recent partisan attacks by the other two Republicans in the negotiations have dimmed hopes for a breakthrough, leaving Snowe as the only Republican senator that White House aides believe they can work with on the issue. Snowe first proposed the so-called "trigger" idea for a public option months ago, and has talked to Obama about it on several occasions, according to a source familiar with the discussions. The source told CNN that the White House staffers increased their phone calls to Snowe aides and their interest in her trigger idea this week. Obama and Democratic leaders seek a solution that could win support from a Republican or two, and more importantly, help bridge a divide among Democrats on the public option issue. Allies of the president hope that if Snowe accepts a health care agreement, she might also bring along her Republican colleague from Maine, moderate Sen. Susan Collins. Getting some Republicans to sign onto a proposal would improve Obama's chances of gaining the support of key moderate Democratic senators such as Ben Nelson of Nebraska, Mary Landrieu of Louisiana and Blanche Lincoln of Arkansas. All three are skeptical of a government-run public option supported by their more liberal fellow Democrats. Despite the flurry of direct talks this week between Snowe and White House staff, Snowe aides insist she remains engaged in the "Gang of Six" bipartisan talks that have been going on for months. Those talks have focused on creating nonprofit health insurance cooperatives instead of a public option to force competition and lower medical rates. The source familiar with Snowe's discussions with the White House said Snowe's trigger idea isn't being considered in the bipartisan negotiations because of early resistance from fellow Republican negotiators, especially Sen. Mike Enzi of Wyoming. Enzi and the other Republican negotiator, Sen. Charles Grassley of Iowa, insist they are still committed to the bipartisan negotiations. However, their recent sharp criticism of Democratic health care proposals favored by Obama has caused tense relations with the White House.

Question: What is the last possibility?

Question: who is considered last possibility for democrats?

Question: Who is considered last possibility?

Question: What will trigger the public option?

Question: What does Snowe's plan not include?

Answer: for getting a Republican senator to support his push for a health care overhaul.

Answer: Snowe

Answer: Snowe

Answer: But if those changes failed to occur within the defined period,

Answer: government-run public health insurance option favored by Obama,

Summary:
Maine Sen. Olympia Snowe's plan doesn't include public care option .
But public option is triggered if private companies don't offer reforms .
Snowe is considered last possibility for Democrats to get some GOP backing .


WASHINGTON (CNN) -- President Obama is expected to announce Friday the creation of the position of cyber czar, a person who will coordinate the nation's efforts to protect government and private computer systems from hackers, criminal gangs, terrorists and spies, people familiar with the plan said Thursday. President Obama is expected to announce Friday the creation of the position of "cyber czar." The czar will report to both the national security adviser and the head of the National Economic Council, the sources said. Obama will not name anyone Friday to the post because the selection process is ongoing, they said. In addition, the White House will release a 40-page report that sets broad goals for combating cyber intrusions, but does not spell out in detail how to do so, said the sources, who would not agree to be identified because the report has not been released. Shortly after taking office, Obama ordered a 60-day review intended to ensure the federal government's cyber initiatives were "appropriately integrated, resourced and coordinated with Congress and the private sector." Melissa Hathaway, a senior member of the National Security Council who led the review process, told a security conference late last year that a public-private partnership and international alliances would be key to solving cyber security problems. Another senior official said any solution would be a "team sport" requiring a "holistic, comprehensive" approach. Administration officials said that representatives of the private sector, government departments and agencies, academics, state and local officials and civil liberties and privacy experts were among those consulted during the review. The Department of Homeland Security reports the number of cyber attacks on government and private networks increased from 4,095 in 2005 to 72,065 in 2008. This month, a Transportation Department audit -- carried out after hackers got into a support system containing personnel records -- indicated the nation's air-traffic control system could be at risk. Hathaway expressed concern that critical infrastructures such as the nation's power grid and financial networks could be vulnerable. "God forbid if somebody were to take down and or manipulate our financial system, and what would we do, and would it make the current financial crisis look like a walk in the park?" she asked. Director of National Intelligence Dennis Blair recently told reporters the biggest cyber threat facing the United States is from nation states, particularly Russia and China. "I think China is winning the sweepstakes for the origin of most attacks on U.S. persons and organizations," he said. The Bush administration's own review of the matter culminated in the mostly classified National Cybersecurity Initiative, which was enacted in January 2008. National Security Agency executive Sandra Stenar-Johnson said that plan consisted of 12 initiatives with three goals: reduce the current vulnerabilities in the system, defend against the full spectrum of threats, and develop next-generation technologies to maintain an edge over adversaries. The Bush initiative tapped the Department of Homeland Security as the lead agency in the cyber battle. Senior officials in the Obama administration say the White House will anchor the latest effort, providing guidance and direction to ensure all agencies and departments are working well together.

Question: What day will Obama announce the post?

Question: who is the cyber czar

Question: What will Cyber Czar lead?

Question: Who will release report with goals for combating cyber intrusions?

Question: What will the goals combat?

Question: what is the announcement

Question: What will the cyber czar try to protect?

Question: When will Obama announce?

Answer: Friday

Answer: will coordinate the nation's efforts to protect government and private computer systems from hackers, criminal gangs, terrorists and spies,

Answer: coordinate the nation's efforts to protect government and private computer systems from hackers, criminal gangs, terrorists and spies,

Answer: the White House

Answer: cyber intrusions,

Answer: creation of the position of "cyber czar."

Answer: government and private computer systems

Answer: Friday

Summary:
Obama will announce post Friday, sources say .
Cyber czar to lead effort to protect government and private computer systems .
White House will also release report with goals for combating cyber intrusions .


WASHINGTON (CNN) -- President Obama is expected to approve a proposal to withdraw most combat troops from Iraq within 19 months, Pentagon officials told CNN Wednesday. U.S. soldiers stand guard outside a mosque during a prisoner release Sunday in Baghdad, Iraq. The decision will be announced at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina on Friday, according to one senior administration official. Although the White House has made no announcement yet, "That's the way the wind is blowing," a Pentagon official said. A White House spokesman said the president has made no final decisions about Iraq policy. Obama's campaign pledge was to withdraw combat troops within 16 months. But shortly after taking office, he asked Pentagon and military commanders for an analysis of other time frames. The Pentagon sent Obama options for withdrawals at 16, 19, and 23 months. It is expected that the final plan will call for the majority of combat forces to be withdrawn, and keep as many as 50,000 in Iraq to serve mainly as military trainers or advisers. U.S. military officials said even those residual forces could find themselves in combat. For the last two months, the U.S. Central Command has been assessing how equipment and personnel will be withdrawn from Iraq, according to a U.S. military official.  Watch what Obama said Tuesday night about Iraq » The official did not want to be named because of the sensitivity of discussing withdrawal details before the president's announcement. However, he said the U.S. military is looking at exit routes through Jordan and Kuwait. The military is trying to determine what equipment might be returned to the United States; transferred to the Iraqi or Jordanian government; sent to Afghanistan; or simply discarded.

Question: What did Obama pledge during the campaign?

Question: When will the decision be announced?

Question: When is the decision to be announced?

Question: where are the exit routes

Question: when is the decision announced?

Question: What did Obama pledge?

Question: What is the time frame expected to be?

Question: Which exit routes is the pentagon looking at?

Answer: withdraw combat troops within 16 months.

Answer: Friday,

Answer: on Friday,

Answer: through Jordan and Kuwait.

Answer: Friday,

Answer: to withdraw combat troops within 16 months.

Answer: within 19 months,

Answer: through Jordan and Kuwait.

Summary:
NEW: Decision to be announced Friday at Camp Lejeune, official says .
Obama to approve 19-month time frame, military sources say .
During campaign, Obama pledged to get troops out within 16 months .
Pentagon said to be looking at exit routes through Jordan, Kuwait .