WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Actor, author and Parkinson's disease activist Michael J. Fox spoke with CNN's "Larry King Live" to be aired Thursday. Michael J. Fox: "I still travel with my kids, and I'm with them part of the day, every day." In the interview, Fox, who was diagnosed with Parkinson's in 1991, talks about his new book, which he describes as "a memoir of the last 10 years." In it, he explores the nature of optimism. He also talked about his family, a new approach to acting and President Obama's lifting of a ban on stem cell research, among other things. Here are some excerpts from the show. Larry King: He's founder of The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research. He's a best-selling author -- the new book is "Always Looking Up." By the way, he has got an ABC special, "Michael J. Fox: Adventures of an Incurable Optimist." It airs on May 7. You remain -- is it easy to be an optimist? Michael J. Fox: Well, for me it's second nature. It's just the way I look at life. And it's certainly a challenge now for most people to be optimistic, obviously, with all of the troubles we have and the problems that the country is facing. But I think it's exactly in those times when our optimism kicks in highest gear. I think -- there's an expression that I like that I always use: "Don't wish for a lighter load, wish for broader shoulders." And I think that people are really -- I see a lot of broader shoulders these days, people are really working on the delts, you know? King: What was it like when you were diagnosed? Fox: Well, you know, it's hard to describe it, because I was so young, I was 29 years old. And so Parkinson's is not what you expect to hear. I had a twitch in my pinky and I figured it was some kind of nerve damage or I'd done something probably athletic. ... But then I got this diagnosis, and I thought the guy was kidding. And then it was shock, and then I had a certain amount of fear and I started to react to it in certain ways. I started drinking more heavily as a way of self-medicating it. And it took me -- you know, it's funny, because I sit and talk about "Always Looking Up" and being optimistic, and accept the losses and move on or find new gains, but it took me about seven years, I think, to really get to the point where I could tell people about it. ... I was diagnosed in '91, and it wasn't until '98 that I admitted publicly that it was a situation I was facing. King: It is not life-threatening, is it? Fox: No. And I would say you don't die from it, but you -- up to now, you'll definitely die with it if you have it. ... King: Why did you write the book? Fox: The book was -- I wrote the first book because I had to, I think I had to kind of tell that story just for myself, just kind of to acknowledge all of the work that I had done on getting through that journey. And then this book was -- I thought about writing another, and I thought about people responding so positively to the optimism in the first book. And so many people wanted to talk to me about that. So I thought, well, optimism: What is optimism? And so I started to think about it more kind of empirically, writing a book about optimism as a subject, and interviewing researchers about it and talking to people who are optimistic and traveling to places where people are optimistic and all of this stuff. ... So I had to kind of tell it -- I couldn't tell

Question:
Who gratified Obama?
What was Fox gratified with Obama for?
Who did research?

Answer: Michael J. Fox

Answer: lifting of a ban on stem cell research,

Answer: Michael J. Fox

Summary:
Fox gratified Obama lifted ban on federal money for embryonic stem cell research .
He says the research doesn't guarantee a cure, but it can't hurt .
Fox has some bad days, but he tries to separate the physical from the emotional .


WASHINGTON (CNN) -- After Friday night's presidential debate, former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger defended Sen. John McCain's attack against Sen. Barack Obama for Obama's willingness to meet with the Iranian president "without precondition." Former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger says he is not in favor of negotiations with Iran at the presidential level. Immediately after the debate, the McCain campaign released a statement from Kissinger backing the Republican nominee's sentiments on structuring any talks with Iran. "Sen. McCain is right. I would not recommend the next president of the United States engage in talks with Iran at the presidential level," Kissinger said in the statement. "My views on this issue are entirely compatible with the views of my friend Sen. John McCain. We do not agree on everything, but we do agree that any negotiations with Iran must be geared to reality." McCain and Obama sparred during the debate over how to best handle relations with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who has repeatedly threatened Israel. Both candidates referenced Kissinger's comments from a CNN forum last week in which former secretaries of state discussed several topics, including Iran, and the presidential candidates disagreed over what Kissinger had said. The exchange started with McCain criticizing Obama for stating in two previous debates that he would sit down with Ahmadinejad, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez and Cuban President Raúl Castro "without precondition." McCain, the Republican nominee, said that in the past, U.S. presidents such as Ronald Reagan refused to meet with adversaries until a Cabinet member, such as the secretary of state, had several talks. "Look, I'll sit down with anybody, but there's got to be preconditions," McCain said.  Watch the candidates debate policy in Iran » Obama responded by claiming that Kissinger, "along with five recent secretaries of state, just said we should meet with Iran, guess what, without preconditions." McCain denied the claim: "Dr. Kissinger did not say that he would approve a face-to-face meeting" with Ahmadinejad. "He did say there could be secretary and lower-level meetings." Obama defended his stance, explaining, "Look, Sen. McCain keeps on using this example that suddenly the president would just meet with somebody without doing any preparation, without having low-level talks. Nobody's been talking about that. Sen. McCain knows it. That's a mischaracterization of my position." He also said, "I reserve the right as president of the United States to meet with anyone at the time and place of my choosing if I think it's going to keep the American people safe." He added that those talks would come after "preparations, starting with low-level diplomatic talks." The forum last week -- "The Next President: A World of Challenges" -- was co-sponsored by CNN and hosted former secretaries of state Warren Christopher, Kissinger, Madeleine Albright, James Baker and Colin Powell. During the forum, Albright, who served in the Clinton administration, said, "I believe we need to engage with Iran." Kissinger, who served in the Nixon and Ford administrations, echoed the sentiment. He said he is "in favor of negotiation with Iran" at the secretary of state level. "I always believed that the best way to begin a negotiation is to tell the other side exactly what you have in mind ... what the outcome is that you're trying to achieve so that they have something that they can react to," Kissinger said.

Question: When did Kissinger issue a statement siding with McCain?

Question: Which former secretaries of state provided commentary?

Question: What did Obama say about Kissinger?

Question: Who said U.S. should meet with Iran without preconditions?

Question: Who did Kissinger side with?

Question: What country should next president have talks with according to ex-secretaries?

Question: Kissinger thought the US  should meet with Iran without what?

Answer: After Friday night's presidential debate,

Answer: Warren Christopher, Kissinger, Madeleine Albright, James Baker and Colin Powell.

Answer: "along with five recent secretaries of state, just said we should meet with Iran,

Answer: Sen. Barack Obama

Answer: Sen. John McCain's

Answer: Iran."

Answer: preconditions."

Summary:
Obama said Kissinger thought U.S. should meet with Iran without preconditions .
McCain: "Kissinger did not say that he would approve a face-to-face meeting"
Kissinger releases statement siding with McCain .
Ex-secretaries of state: Next president should have some form of talks with Iran .


WASHINGTON (CNN) -- After a losing presidential campaign, it became clear to Edward "Ted" Kennedy that his true calling was to help shape the country's political future from the U.S. Senate. The turning point came in 1980 when Kennedy unsuccessfully challenged President Carter in the Democratic primaries. But Kennedy's loss was not necessarily such a bad thing, a top political historian notes. "I think partly it related to that time when he, after 1980, he realized that he was not going to be president of the United States ... and that being a United States senator was a pretty important and powerful job in which he could do good," said Stephen Hess, author of "America's Political Dynasties." Kennedy, 77, had represented Massachusetts in the U.S. Senate since his 1962 election when he was chosen to finish the unexpired Senate term of his brother, John F. Kennedy, who was elected president in 1960. The Massachusetts governor appointed Democrat Benjamin A. Smith to the seat following John Kennedy's presidential win. Political observers have said that Smith was a mere seat warmer until Ted Kennedy turned 30 -- the required age to become a U.S. senator.  Watch how the youngest Kennedy brother carried on the family torch » "It's quite remarkable for a person who got there in 1962 at age 30 with no greater qualification for the office than his brother was president of the United States and the voters of Massachusetts respected that name," Hess said. And after nearly 50 years, Hess said Kennedy -- the patriarch of the first family of U.S. Democratic politics -- has truly "made a substantial mark."  Learn more about Kennedy's funeral arrangements » Deemed by many as the "Lion of the Senate," Kennedy was considered one of the most effective legislators of the past few decades, especially in his ability to cross party lines to get legislation passed. In 2001, Kennedy helped President Bush craft and pass education legislation with the No Child Left Behind Act. While facing some criticism from his party, Kennedy pushed ahead on an issue close to his heart. "Kennedy realized how much more you could do when you engaged the opposition party and wanted to make the compromises or the agreements that could keep the peace on legislation," Hess said. Kennedy, Hess added, was good at coalition building because he was an engaging person who "owned the Senate." Ted Sorensen, a speechwriter for President Kennedy, said that Ted Kennedy's legacy in the Senate "is comparable and consistent with the legacy of his entire family for generations." That legacy, in addition to popularity among fellow senators, might be the reason why he had major roles in the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Voting Rights Act of 1965, the 1990 Americans With Disabilities Act, the 1993 Family and Medical Leave Act and the Kennedy-Hatch law of 1997. In 1994, Kennedy was instrumental in helping the Clinton administration with its plan to overhaul health care. The legislation, maligned by Republicans and conservatives, later failed. Fifteen years later, he continued his fight for comprehensive health care alongside the nation's first black president, Barack Obama. Kennedy, an early supporter of Obama's presidential campaign, seemingly handed the torch down to Obama before the "Super Tuesday" Democratic primaries by likening the senator from Illinois to his brother, the late president. But the man who spent much of his career helping others to get better health care, civil rights and education, now faced his own personal medical struggle -- the Kennedy patriarch had brain cancer. As that news broke in 2008, his colleagues on both sides of the aisle not only prayed for his recovery but also honored Kennedy's legacy. Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Illinois, released a statement saying, "Ted Kennedy has spent his life caring for those in need. Now it's time for those who love Ted and his family to care for them and join in prayer to give them strength." Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, said that while he "sparred a lot"

Question: Who was a Massachusetts senator since 1962?

Question: Where was Kennedy senator for?

Question: What state is Senator Kennedy from?

Question: Who was considered one of the most effective legislators?

Question: What was one of the senator's hallmarks?

Question: What year has Kennedy been senator since?

Question: What year did Senator Kennedy become a senator?

Answer: Kennedy,

Answer: Massachusetts

Answer: Massachusetts

Answer: "Ted" Kennedy

Answer: No Child Left Behind Act.

Answer: 1962

Answer: 1962

Summary:
Edward "Ted" Kennedy had been U.S. senator from Massachusetts since 1962 .
Kennedy was considered one of the most effective legislators .
A hallmark was the senator's ability to work across party lines, colleagues say .


WASHINGTON (CNN) -- After months of stalemate, the Senate late Tuesday passed a huge government spending bill that includes billions of dollars requested by President Bush to continue the war in Iraq. White House officials have said President Bush would sign off on the spending plan if the Iraq money was added. The roughly $555 billion bill -- which passed 76-17 -- also preserves thousands of earmarks for lawmakers who will deliver them to constituents just in time for the holidays. The final vote came at about 11 p.m. ET Tuesday -- after hours of debate that included two more attempts by Senate Democrats to tie war funding to a plan to withdraw U.S. troops from Iraq. Those efforts failed, as have dozens of others in the House and Senate since Democrats took control of Congress last year. Earlier, members voted to add $40 billion for the war in Iraq that had been removed by the House -- which passed the spending bill on Monday. The plan also includes $30 billion for troops in Afghanistan. Sen. Joe Lieberman, an independent from Connecticut who co-sponsored the push to reinstate the Iraq money, called its approval "a very powerful bipartisan message of support for our men and women serving in Iraq." White House officials have said Bush would sign the spending plan if the Iraq money was added. In the weeks leading up to the vote, Bush had repeatedly pushed members of Congress to approve a military spending bill that did not place troop-withdrawal requirements on the military in Iraq. The bill wraps together 11 of the 12 government spending bills for 2008 -- except for that of the Department of Defense, which was already funded. Facing a president determined to keep spending in check and a unified Republican minority in the House and Senate, Democrats have been stymied at nearly every turn in their attempts to increase spending on their domestic priorities. Fearing a politically dangerous government shutdown, Democratic leaders ultimately gave in to Bush's top line number and trimmed $22 billion from the measure. But Democrats stemmed their losses somewhat by shifting some funding from the president's priorities to their own. And they added billions more above Bush's top line in "emergency" funding for veterans health care, California fires, border security and more. The government spending watchdog group Taxpayers for Common Sense, which scrambled Monday to pore over the nearly 1,500-page bill that was made public late Sunday night, said it has identified almost 9,000 earmarks worth $7.4 billion. Many of the earmarks avoided normal congressional scrutiny and were "airdropped" -- or slipped in without going through normal committee consideration -- into the final bill, the group said. But Sen. Robert Byrd, D-West Virginia, chairman of the budget-writing appropriations committee, said the spending plan represents a dramatic decrease in pork-barrel projects from the one approved by Bush two years ago -- when Republicans controlled Congress. "The total dollars that are earmarked is reduced -- hear me now -- by 43 percent," Byrd said Tuesday from the Senate floor. "That ain't chicken feed." Arguing for a plan that would have begun pulling troops from Iraq within 90 days, Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Massachusetts, became emotional as he called the Bush administration's efforts in Iraq "a continuing quagmire." "The best way to end this charade and protect our troops and our national security is to put the Iraqis on notice that they need to take responsibility for their future," Kennedy said. "Unless there's a binding timeline for the redeployment of our troops, the Iraqis will not feel the need to make the compromises essential for a political solution." The measure now goes back to the House for approval in its revised form. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said she expects the bill to pass the House, although she will vote against it because of the war funds added in the Senate version. E-mail to a friend CNN's Ted Barrett contributed to this report.

Question: What did Democrats fail to tie?

Question: What number roughly of dollars was the budget passed?

Question: What is the budget that passed 76-17?

Question: Who failed to tie war funding?

Question: What passed 76-17

Question: What number of votes were against budget?

Question: What number of dollars are the earmarks worth?

Answer: war funding

Answer: $555 billion

Answer: $555 billion

Answer: Senate Democrats

Answer: The roughly $555 billion bill

Answer: 76-17

Answer: $7.4 billion.

Summary:
NEW: The roughly $555 billion budget measure passed 76-17 .
Democrats failed to tie war funding to plan to withdraw U.S. troops from Iraq .
Bill has nearly 9,000 earmarks worth $7.4 billion, watchdog group says .
Measure now goes back to House for approval in its revised form .


WASHINGTON (CNN) -- After touring the wreckage Tuesday of two Metro transit trains that crashed the day before, killing nine, Washington Mayor Adrian Fenty said it was a sight that "no one should have to see." Investigators work Tuesday at the site of a Metro train crash in Washington. Officials said that all the wreckage has been cleared and that no other bodies have been found in what was the worst subway train accident in the history of the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority. Three bodies discovered Tuesday were lodged behind the driver's compartment of the rear train, an official said at the scene. The driver of that train, who was among the dead, was Jeanice McMillan, 42, of Springfield, Virginia, Metro spokeswoman Lisa Farbstein said. McMillan had worked at Metro since January 2007. McMillan's aunt, Venice Foster, said her niece loved her job and "was just a joy to be around." Retired Maj. Gen. David F. Wherley Jr., former commanding general of the District of Columbia National Guard, and his wife, Ann, also were killed in the collision. Both were 62. Names of the other casualties were released by authorities Tuesday afternoon: Mary Doolittle, 59; Lavanda King, 23; Veronica Dubose, 26; Cameron Williams, 36; and Dennis Hawkins, 64, all of Washington; and Ana Fernandez, 40, of Hyattsville, Maryland.  Watch what officials know about the crash » The Metro's board approved a $250,000 hardship fund to assist the victims' families with funerals and other immediate expenses. According to Fenty, at least three bodies were trapped in a "very compressed area." It wasn't clear whether those were the bodies found behind the operator's station. "It just brings home what an awful tragedy this was," the mayor said. The crash occurred along the Red Line just before 5 p.m. Monday on an above-ground track in the District of Columbia near Takoma Park, Maryland.  See location of crash » Both cars were on the same track, traveling in the same direction: southward from the Fort Totten Metrorail station to the Shady Grove station. The train in front had stopped behind another train undergoing service and awaited directions to move ahead. "We don't know at this point whether the operator could see the train in front of her in time to stop," said Deborah Hersman, who is leading the investigation for the National Transportation Safety Board. The weather at the time of the crash was good, she said.  See pictures of crash site » "I did have the opportunity to walk the track with our investigators. I can tell you it is a scene of real devastation," Hersman said. Jamie Jiao was sitting in the front car of the second train. He said he suffered injuries to his feet and back. "I see the train in front a split second before we crashed. That's all. You don't have time to react or do anything," he told CNN's Jeanne Meserve. He said that after impact, "You just hear really loud noises, as if there was an explosion. I could see things falling apart, tearing apart." A pole fell on top of him, but he was able to throw it off. The car broke open, and he crawled outside, where he waited for firefighters. He said he didn't notice whether the driver tried to brake before hitting the other train. Many of the passengers in his car were injured, he said. "I'm lucky to be alive," Jiao said. "My injuries aren't too bad." iReport.com: Were you there? Share your photos, video Hersman said there was a telescoping effect when the second car slammed into the first and landed atop it. "The first car [of the second train] overrode the rear car [of the front train], and much of the survivable space on that first car of the striking train was compromised," she said. One of

Question: what caused the accident

Question: A former commanding general of what was among those killed?

Question: where was the killing

Answer: The train in front had stopped

Answer: of Columbia National Guard,

Answer: Washington.

Summary:
Former commanding general of the D.C. National Guard among those killed .
Death toll in accident is 9, spokesman says; 76 people were injured .
Official says driver of rear train may have employed brakes .
Investigator says it's unclear whether train operator could see stopped train .


WASHINGTON (CNN) -- After wrapping up the longest presidential primary campaign in modern history, Sen. Hillary Clinton said Tuesday that she is ready to turn her attention back to being the junior senator from New York. Sen. Hillary Clinton is greeted with cheers as she returns to the Senate after a two-week vacation. "I look forward to being back with this great team," she said as she returned to the Senate at the end of a two-week vacation, taken after she conceded the 17-month-long primary contest to Sen. Barack Obama. The second-term New York Democrat pledged to "immerse myself in there," pointing to the chamber. She had just emerged from the party's weekly luncheon, which Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid called "one of the most emotional caucuses" he's ever attended on Capitol Hill. He said the New York senator entered the event to a sea of high fives, cheers and a standing ovation from her Democratic colleagues. Clinton said the opportunity to run for the Oval Office allowed her to "immerse myself in the extraordinary resilience and resourcefulness that is the American people."  Watch Clinton being greeted with cheers » "I come back with an even greater depth of awareness about what we have to do here in Washington," she said. "So many of the concerns that people have expressed to me over the course of this campaign are ones that they can't individually solve. They can't even really take it on just at the state or local level." Clinton said that in addition to working "very hard to elect Sen. Obama our president," she plans to campaign on behalf of Democratic Senate candidates. "We have been unfortunately stymied by the stalling tactics" of Republicans, she said, noting the need for 60 votes to get any legislation passed in the Senate. "It's going to be up to the Democratic Party, and particularly the Democratic Senate, to make progress on everything from health care and the economy to ending the war in Iraq," she said. "I look forward to being back with this great team that we have here and doing everything I can to make that happen." Clinton said she is not spending time on the possibility that she may be asked to fill the No. 2 spot on Sen. Barack Obama's presidential ticket. "You know, it is not something that I think about," she said. "This is totally Sen. Obama's decision, and that's the way it should be." But she made clear, as she tried to do in her ultimate concession speech June 7, that her supporters should not stray toward John McCain, no matter any hard feelings left over from a bruising primary. "Anyone who voted for me has very little in common with the Republican Party," she said. Thursday night, Obama and Clinton are set to meet with key donors in Washington. The next day, the two will appear jointly in Unity, New Hampshire, a small town on that state's western border where the two candidates tied in the January primary. "This is going to be a symbolic event that I hope will rally the Democratic Party behind the nominee," she said. Obama said he looked forward to working with Clinton and her husband, former President Clinton, on his campaign for the White House. "Bill Clinton is one of the most intelligent, charismatic political leaders that we have seen in a generation, and he has got a lot of wisdom to impart," Obama said Tuesday. "We are going to be working very closely with him and Sen. Clinton to make sure that we not only win in November, but we actually govern in a way that delivers on the promise of universal health care, good jobs and good wages, clean energy, lower gas prices, the things that are really going to make an impact on people's lives," he said.  Watch Obama discuss Clintons' role » Obama said the senator's presidential campaign had "enhanced" her stature in a

Question: What city are Clinton and  Obama to campaign together in?

Question: what Junior senator returns after?

Question: What number of weeks was the junior senator's vacation?

Question: what clinton promises?

Answer: Unity,

Answer: Hillary Clinton

Answer: two-week

Answer: universal health care, good jobs and good wages, clean energy, lower gas prices, the things that are really going to make an impact on people's lives,"

Summary:
NEW: Obama says he's looking forward to working with Clintons .
Junior senator from New York returns after a two-week vacation .
Clinton promises to "immerse myself" in the Senate chambers .
Clinton, Obama to campaign together in Unity, New Hampshire, on Friday .


WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Airline passengers who were trapped on tarmacs "like sardines in a can" had their opportunity to air their grievances Tuesday at an unofficial Capitol Hill hearing that shared some of the characteristics of those flights. The hearing was sponsored by advocates of the Airline Passenger Bill of Rights. The hearing was overbooked: The room had more participants than seats. The take-off was slightly delayed: The hearings started five minutes late. And, appropriately, it lasted more than three hours, the maximum time passenger advocates say people should be confined on the ground. The hearing was sponsored by advocates of the Airline Passenger Bill of Rights, which would require airlines to give passengers the option of leaving a plane after it has sat on the ground for three hours. The proposal, which lacked adequate support in 2007 and 2008, has gained steam this year because of several highly publicized incidents, including a nearly six-hour overnight wait involving a regional jet in Rochester, Minnesota. "We were not offered food. We were not offered water," said Link Christin, one of 47 passengers on the Rochester plane. "The toilet broke at about 3 o'clock in the morning, and it was impossible to sleep. Either Baby One cried, or Baby Two cried, or my foot got stepped on by somebody going to the bathroom." "People have asked me, 'Why didn't you do something?' " he said. "As a practical matter, you're a little bit in shock; you're in survival mode. You're being told every hour that you're going to get off. ... There was always a carrot in front of us that we think is going to get us off the plane. And I suggest to you that that's why 47 people did not mutiny that evening." The star witness for the passenger advocates was Robert Crandall, former chairman and chief executive of American Airlines, who spoke in support of the three-hour limit. "We can and we should solve the problem of extraordinarily long tarmac delay by imposing reasonable obligations on the airlines and other agencies that make up our aviation system," Crandall said. But he added that he favors a looser four-hour limit until 2011 to give the industry time to adjust operating procedures. Crandall said the industry's resistance to the rule is rooted in its "preoccupation with safety." The industry resists any change "that is not fully understood and has not been thought through in every detail," he said. He said he believes that the rule can be made without affecting safety. While saying that lengthy tarmac delays can have significant impacts on individuals, he said the problem is statistically small. In the first seven months of this year, only 776 of 3.8 million flights -- or 0.02 percent -- experienced tarmac delays of more than three hours, he said. Sen. Barbara Boxer, sponsor of the Airline Passenger Bill of Rights, called her bill "extremely modest," saying many passenger advocates want even tighter time limits. The rule would give pilots discretion to keep passengers on board longer than three hours for safety reasons, such as lightning storms, or if the pilot believed that the plane would take off shortly. But two hearing participants testified that a three-hour rule could worsen the situation, increasing the number of canceled flights. "I don't believe the three-hour rule will actually change things very much at all, given the small number of affected flights," said Amy Cohn, an associate professor at the University of Michigan. "And when it does change things, I think some passengers may be helped, and others may be harmed." If one passenger insists on being released, Cohn said, the plane would return to the terminal, possibly delaying departure for everyone else on the plane. Cohn said the focus on extremely lengthy delays is also diverting attention from the more pressing problem of routine delays. If Congress fixed routine delays, it would help alleviate lengthy delays, she said. Tuesday's hearing was sponsored

Question: who was the bill sponsored by

Question: what is more pressing?

Question: What was more of an issue

Question: The hearing addressed concerns over what?

Question: Who was the Bill sponsered by?

Question: who is the former CEO

Question: What were the concerns

Answer: advocates of the Airline Passenger

Answer: routine delays.

Answer: routine delays.

Answer: Airline passengers who were trapped on tarmacs "like sardines in a can"

Answer: advocates of the Airline Passenger

Answer: Robert Crandall,

Answer: others may be harmed."

Summary:
Unofficial Capitol Hill hearing addressed concerns over long tarmac delays .
Bill sponsored by Sen. Barbara Boxer would allow fliers to deplane after three hours .
Former American Airlines CEO spoke in support of three-hour limit .
Another witness said routine delays are more pressing issue .


WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Al Qaeda is still operating within Pakistan's mountainous tribal region bordering Afghanistan, and the United States lacks a "comprehensive" plan for meeting its national security goals there, said a U.S. government study released Thursday. A Pakistani policeman watches over a border area in February 2008. Despite the United States providing $10.5 billion in military and economic aid to Pakistan, a key U.S. ally, the Government Accountability Office said it "found broad agreement ... that al Qaeda had regenerated its ability to attack the United States and had succeeded in establishing a safe haven" in Pakistan's Federally Administrated Tribal Areas. Of the $10.5 billion in U.S. aid, more than half -- $5.8 billion -- was specifically provided for the tribal region, the GAO said. Furthermore, the report said, "No comprehensive plan for meeting U.S. national security goals in FATA has been developed, as stipulated by the National Security Strategy for Combating Terrorism [in 2003], called for by an independent commission [in 2004] and mandated by congressional legislation [in 2007]." "Our report does not state that the U.S. lacks agency-specific plans; rather, we found that there was no comprehensive plan that integrated the combined capabilities of Defense, State, USAID [U.S. Agency for International Development], the intelligence community," GAO said. After the September 11 terrorist attacks, U.S. officials said intelligence indicated that Osama bin Laden and other senior al Qaeda leaders, who had been based in Afghanistan before the attacks on New York and Washington, were operating in the tribal region. Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf has denied that claim and has said that U.S. military missions there would violate Pakistan's sovereignty. So, since 2002, the United States has "relied principally on the Pakistan military to address U.S. national security goals" in that region, the GAO report said. Of the $5.8 billion the United States provided for aid in the tribal region, 96 percent of it reimbursed Pakistan for military operations there, the agency said. Two of the eight lawmakers who commissioned the GAO report, Democratic Sens. Tom Harkin of Iowa and Bob Menendez of New Jersey, said it indicated a failing on the part of the Bush administration. "The Bush administration has had six years to come up with a plan to get Osama bin Laden and his group, but it is still flying by the seat of its pants," Menendez said in a statement. "We've dumped 10 billion American taxpayer dollars into Pakistan with the expectation that the terrorists will be hunted down and smoked out, but al Qaeda has been allowed to rejuvenate in the area that is supposed to be locked down," he said. Harkin called the report's findings "appalling." "The White House must propose a strategic policy in this area and follow it, especially when we have this new opportunity to forge a fresh strategic relationship with the new civilian government in Pakistan," he said in a statement. The Defense Department said it agreed with the report's findings, according to letters attached at the end of the GAO report, but the State Department disagreed with them, saying there was a comprehensive plan in place. A letter from Kathleen Turner, a spokeswoman for the office of the Director of National Intelligence, said that office and the National Counterterrorism Center concurred with the report's assessment that the United States has not met its national security goals in the tribal region but maintained that there was a plan in place. USAID said that it generally agreed with the report's recommendation for a comprehensive plan but that work in the tribal areas should be guided by the Pakistani government's own FATA Sustainable Development Plan from 2006. E-mail to a friend

Question: What says there is no comprehensive U.S. plan for reaching security goals?

Question: what is a gao?

Question: What has "succeeded in establishing a safe haven"?

Question: what there is no comprehensive U.S. plan ?

Question: Who says report is "appalling"?

Question: what agency made this report?

Answer: government study

Answer: Government Accountability Office

Answer: al Qaeda

Answer: for meeting its national security goals

Answer: Harkin

Answer: Government Accountability Office

Summary:
Al Qaeda has "succeeded in establishing a safe haven," GAO says .
Report says there is no comprehensive U.S. plan for reaching security goals .
Democratic critic says report is "appalling," blames administration .


WASHINGTON (CNN) -- All 50 states plus Puerto Rico and Washington, D.C., submitted applications to the Department of Transportation for grants to fund DOT projects, but -- in a sign of tough economic times coupled with a shortage of federal dollars -- not everyone is finding presents under the federal Christmas tree this year.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood announced Thursday that 46 transportation projects in 33 states and Puerto Rico will receive $511 million in the latest round of Transportation Investments Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) grants.

See the list of projects (PDF)

The Transportation Department had received a total of 848 applications requesting $14.3 billion, exceeding the $511 million available under the TIGER program.

The grants will fund a range of transportation work in urban and rural areas from light rail systems and ports to bridges, roadways, runways, pipelines, streetcars and bike-share projects.

Among the biggest grants: $20 million for Chicago to complete 3.6 miles of track on the city's transit authority's Blue Line, serving millions of passengers, as well as expanding a bike-share program. The Missouri Department of Transportation also received $20 million for roadway improvements along the I-270 corridor in St. Louis.

Three grants were directed to tribal governments to create jobs and provide transportation needs. A grant of $3.7 million was given to the Seminole Tribe of Florida to improve several miles of road on the Big Cypress Reservation. The existing road has two 10-foot lanes with worn, unpaved shoulders and substandard sidewalks, according to DOT. Officials say the improvements will enhance emergency hurricane evacuation routes and enhance access to commercial and tourist destinations.

The smallest grant went to the Native Village of St. Michael, Alaska, which received a $1 million grant to resurface and re-contour roads to provide better access to schools and improve drainage issues that arise from seasonal flooding.

Obama orders contracts be awarded by year's end

LaHood, who was in Cincinnati, Ohio, Thursday to highlight a streetcar project, told reporters the allocation of funds is coming months ahead of schedule to allow communities to move forward with critical, job-creating infrastructure projects. "Our economic challenges have been decades in the making and won't be solved overnight," said LaHood.

The city of Cincinnati was awarded a nearly $11 million grant to design and construct the Streetcar Riverfront Loop that the transportation department says "has the potential to revitalize" the city's urban core by providing a public transit alternative.

Work has already begun on 33 planning projects while 58 capital projects are under way from the previous two rounds of grants. LaHood said an additional 13 projects are expected to break ground within the next six months.

Of the $511 million in available funds, more than $150 million will go to projects in rural areas. Almost half of the funding will go to road and bridge projects.

An additional $16 million will be used to pay for administrative costs to make sure the program is properly administered "by the book," said LaHood.

DOT says grants are awarded to transportation projects that have a significant national or regional impact. the department gives priority to work expected to create jobs and stimulate economic growth.

Question: What was the total asked for from the application?

Question: Where did the applications come from?

Question: How many applications were submitted?

Question: what amount of money will go for the projects

Question: What number of applicants sought 14.3 billion?

Question: What does the projects range from?

Question: from where comes the applications

Question: How many projects will get funding?

Question: what is the total of the applications

Answer: $14.3 billion,

Answer: All 50 states plus Puerto Rico and Washington, D.C.,

Answer: 848

Answer: $511 million

Answer: 848

Answer: light rail systems and ports to bridges, roadways, runways, pipelines, streetcars and bike-share

Answer: All 50 states plus Puerto Rico and Washington, D.C.,

Answer: 46

Answer: 848

Summary:
Projects range from roadways to light rail systems to bike-share programs .
Applications came from all 50 states plus Puerto Rico and Washington, D.C.
A total of 848 applications sought $14.3 billion .
The $511 million available will go for 46 projects in 33 states and Puerto Rico .


WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Allegations that Blackwater USA -- whose operations were suspended after 20 Iraqi civilians were shot to death last weekend -- was "in any way associated or complicit in unlawful arms activities are baseless," the company asserted Saturday.

Blackwater employees patrol Baghdad by air in a February 2005 photograph.

Federal prosecutors are investigating allegations that employees of Blackwater illegally purchased weapons and sold them in Iraq, according to U.S. government sources.

A U.S. government official has said the U.S. attorney's office in Raleigh, North Carolina, is in the early stages of an investigation that focuses on individual company employees, and not the firm.

Blackwater, which is based in Moyock, North Carolina, is a security firm hired by the State Department to guard U.S. staff in Iraq.

"The company has no knowledge of any employee improperly exporting weapons," the Blackwater statement said. "When it was uncovered internally that two employees were stealing from the company, Blackwater immediately fired them and invited the ATF to conduct a thorough investigation."  Watch a report on Blackwater's response to the allegations »

The first public hint that an investigation was under way came earlier this week in a statement from State Department Inspector General Howard Krongard after he was accused of blocking fraud investigations in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Krongard said the State Department has been cooperating with the prosecutors in the Blackwater probe.

"In particular, I made one of my best investigators available to help assistant U.S. attorneys in North Carolina in their investigation into alleged smuggling of weapons into Iraq by a contractor," Krongard's statement said.

Blackwater resumed normal security operations in Iraq on Friday, the State Department said, after a brief hiatus following the lethal incident last Sunday.

The Iraqi government was outraged by the shootings  and disputes the U.S. and Blackwater's claim that the guards were responding to an attack.  E-mail to a friend

CNN's Elise Labott and Kelli Arena contributed to this report.

Question: Who investigated claims?

Question: whats the atf gonna do?

Question: Which company is under investigation?

Question: What did the company say?

Question: Who were the fired workers turned in to?

Question: Who investigated claims about illegal arms deals?

Question: Who says employees bought and sold weapons on their own?

Question: What did the company do to two employes?

Question: What were the Feds investigating?

Question: What employees made illegal arms deals?

Question: What are Feds investigating?

Question: What did employees buy and sell?

Question: Who bought and sold weapons on their own?

Question: who were the employees?

Question: What are the Feds investigating about Blackwater employees?

Question: What company was investigated by Feds?

Question: Which company is in spotlight over killing?

Question: when were the shootings?

Question: Who is investigating the claims?

Question: Who bought weapons?

Question: Who is investigating claims?

Question: Who made illegal arms deals?

Question: What was the number of Iraqis killed?

Answer: Federal prosecutors

Answer: conduct a thorough investigation."

Answer: Blackwater USA

Answer: "in any way associated or complicit in unlawful arms activities

Answer: ATF

Answer: Federal prosecutors

Answer: A U.S. government official

Answer: Blackwater immediately fired them

Answer: allegations that employees of Blackwater illegally purchased weapons and sold them in Iraq,

Answer: Blackwater

Answer: allegations that employees of Blackwater illegally purchased weapons and sold them in Iraq,

Answer: weapons

Answer: employees of Blackwater

Answer: of Blackwater

Answer: illegally purchased weapons and sold them in Iraq,

Answer: Blackwater USA

Answer: Blackwater USA

Answer: last weekend

Answer: Federal prosecutors

Answer: Blackwater

Answer: Federal prosecutors

Answer: employees of Blackwater

Answer: 20

Summary:
Two employees bought, sold weapons on their own, company says .
Company fired workers, turned them in to ATF, says source .
Feds investigating claims Blackwater employees made illegal arms deals .
Blackwater in spotlight after shootings last weekend that killed 20 Iraqis .


WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Although President-elect Barack Obama will become the next commander-in-chief in just two weeks, several key issues remain to be resolved regarding the drawdown of U.S. troops in Iraq and the buildup of U.S. forces in Afghanistan. A U.S. soldier patrols in a village north of Kabul, Afghanistan, last month. A closed-door meeting Monday at the Pentagon with the Joint Chiefs of Staff and Gen. David Petraeus -- who is in charge of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars -- ended with no consensus on troop plans for either country, several top U.S. military officials told CNN. The officials, who did not want to be identified because the meeting was private, all offered CNN similar accounts of the discussions. In addition, a review of the Afghanistan war strategy being conducted by Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Adm. Michael Mullen is also incomplete and has not been approved by the Joint Chiefs. That review, according to one official, will not be finished until the Obama administration is in office. The Monday meeting was polite, one official said, but also interesting and intense. A second official described the discussion as lively and said it ranged further than originally anticipated. The session was held in the "tank," a secure meeting room inside the Pentagon reserved for some of the most sensitive and classified conversations by top officials. It was called to discuss yet again how the drawdown of troops in Iraq could be scheduled so that more troops could be sent to Afghanistan -- an issue that the chiefs have struggled to resolve for months. According to the officials, a 10-page plan from the U.S. Central Command calls for a very gradual drawdown between now and the end of 2011, when all U.S. troops are supposed to be out of Iraq under the terms of a recent agreement between the two countries. But Petraeus and other top U.S. commanders in Iraq are reluctant to agree to any specific drawdowns of units more than six months ahead of time because of the uncertain security situation and the upcoming elections in Iraq, according to a second official. "The real debate is over the timing and risk of drawing down troops in Iraq," the second official said. That decision is considered a vital first step. Military officials have long said the Pentagon needs to have some assurance of drawdowns over the next year in order to free up enough troops to send more units to Afghanistan, where commanders are asking for up to 30,000 additional troops. The Marine Corps is continuing to press its position that several thousand Marines could be withdrawn from Iraq in the coming months, with their replacements going to Afghanistan instead. The current calculation is that the full complement of troops for Afghanistan could not be completely sent until sometime next year or in 2011. Some commanders in Afghanistan say that's too late, given the deteriorating security situation there. Once in office, Obama is expected to ask commanders to develop a plan for a 16-month drawdown, as he promised during his campaign for the White House. It's not clear if the Joint Chiefs and Petraeus will recommend that there is unacceptable risk in the quicker drawdown option. The second official also emphasized that even though Washington and Baghdad have agreed that all U.S. troops would leave Iraq by 2011, there is a general private understanding by both sides that some U.S. troops could remain there or in neighboring Kuwait to provide help in key areas such as training, securing borders and providing airlift capabilities. Obama has also said he wants a residual force to remain in Iraq.

Question: What was Obama expected to do?

Question: What is Obama expected to ask for once he is in office?

Question: What type of meeting did Gen. David Petraeus hold?

Question: What did officials say about the meeting?

Question: Was there a consensus on troop plans at the end of the Joints Chiefs of Staff meeting?

Question: Who held a closed-door meting?

Answer: ask commanders

Answer: a 16-month drawdown,

Answer: closed-door

Answer: ended with no consensus on troop plans for either country,

Answer: ended with no

Answer: Joint Chiefs of Staff and Gen. David Petraeus

Summary:
Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. David Petraeus hold closed-door meeting .
Officials say meeting ended with no consensus on troop plans .
Discussions deal with pulling troops out of Iraq, beefing up forces in Afghanistan .
Obama, once in office, is expected to ask for plan on Iraq troop drawdown .


WASHINGTON (CNN) -- America's first female four-star general has been nominated, the Pentagon announced Monday. Lt. Gen. Ann E. Dunwoody was nominated to be America's first four-star female general. President Bush nominated Lt. Gen. Ann E. Dunwoody to serve as head of the Army's supply arm. By law women are excluded from combat jobs, the typical path to four-star rank in the military. "This is an historic occasion for the Department of Defense and I am proud to nominate Lt. Gen. Ann Dunwoody for a fourth star," said Defense Secretary Robert Gates. "Her 33 years of service, highlighted by extraordinary leadership and devotion to duty, make her exceptionally qualified for this senior position." The Senate must approve the nomination. Dunwoody, a native of New York, was commissioned as a second lieutenant in 1975 after her graduation from the State University of New York in Cortland. She also holds graduate degrees in national resource strategy and logistics management. She became the Army's top-ranking woman in 2005 when she received her third star and became deputy chief of staff for Army logistics. "I am very honored but also very humbled today with this announcement," said Dunwoody. "I grew up in a family that didn't know what glass ceilings were. This nomination only reaffirms what I have known to be true about the military throughout my career ... that the doors continue to open for men and women in uniform." The Army Materiel Command handles all material readiness for the Army. During her career, Dunwoody has been assigned to the 82nd Airborne Division, 10th Mountain Division and the Defense Logistics Agency. She served with the 82nd Airborne in Saudi Arabia during the 1991 Persian Gulf War. She has been awarded the Distinguished Service Medal, Defense Superior Service Medal, the Legion of Merit, the Meritorious Service Medal, the Army Commendation Medal, the Army Achievement Medal, Master Parachutist Badge and the Army Staff Identification Badge. The first woman to become a general officer in the U.S. armed services was Brig. Gen. Anna Mae Hays, chief of the Army Nurse Corps, who achieved the rank in 1970 and retired the following year. Elizabeth Hoisington, the director of the Women's Army Corps, was promoted to brigadier general immediately after Hays. She also retired the following year. Maj. Gen. Jeanne M. Holm, the first director of Women in the Air Force, was the first woman to wear two stars, attaining the rank in 1973 and retiring two years later. In 1996, Marine Lt. Gen. Carol A. Mutter became the first woman to wear three stars. Mutter retired in 1999. Currently, there are 57 active-duty women serving as generals or admirals, five of whom are lieutenant generals or vice admirals, the Navy's three-star rank, according to the Pentagon.

Question: Who did Bush name to lead an arm of the Army?

Question: What are women excluded from?

Question: How long has Dunwoody served?

Question: When did Dunwoody become the Army's top ranking woman?

Question: Who did Bush nominate?

Question: How long has Dunwoody served in the Army?

Question: When was Dunwoody named Army's top ranking woman?

Question: What is the standard route to four-star rank?

Question: How many women are serving as generals or admirals?

Question: How many active-duty female generals or admirals are there?

Question: How many years has Dunwoody served?

Question: Who was nominated to serve as head of Army's supply arm?

Answer: Lt. Gen. Ann E. Dunwoody

Answer: combat jobs,

Answer: 33 years of service,

Answer: 2005

Answer: Lt. Gen. Ann E. Dunwoody

Answer: 33 years of service,

Answer: Monday.

Answer: combat jobs,

Answer: 57

Answer: 57

Answer: 33

Answer: Lt. Gen. Ann E. Dunwoody

Summary:
Bush nominated Lt. Gen. Ann E. Dunwoody to be head of Army's supply arm .
By law women are excluded from combat jobs, the typical path to four-star rank .
Dunwoody has served 33 years, and became Army's top-ranking woman in 2005 .
There are 57 active-duty women serving as generals or admirals .


WASHINGTON (CNN) -- America's most recent war dead lie in a quiet patch of ground at Arlington National Cemetery known as Section 60. A soldier places flags alongside tombstones at Arlington National Cemetery. In that parcel are 485 men and women who were killed in Iraq and Afghanistan. Most tourists keep to other paths at the cemetery, visiting the Tomb of the Unknowns or President John F. Kennedy's gravesite. However, especially on Memorial Day weekend, relatives and friends pay their respects at the graves in Section 60. "I wish that everyone in their lifetime could come here at least once," said David Christoff of Rossford, Ohio, as he stood where his son is buried. Marine Sgt. David Christoff Jr. died in Iraq two years ago at age 25. As his father's arms swept toward the rows of white granite gravestones, he said, "You can see the cost of freedom. It's not free, by any means." "These are all heroes. This is why we're free today. This is why my son was there." According to the latest numbers from the Department of Defense, 4,080 U.S. troops have lost their lives in Iraq and 423 in Afghanistan. Arlington is one of more than 100 national cemeteries in the United States where there are military graves. Some families turn down the opportunity to have a loved one buried at Arlington, opting instead to have the grave closer to home. "It's a hard place to be -- very emotional," said Jerry Fowler of Los Altos, California, while visiting the grave of her nephew, Army Sgt. Dale Brehm. He died in Iraq two years ago. "All these people who lost their lives," Fowler said, "and we just walk by like it's nothing. They meant something." "When you walk down these rows," she added, "you learn to respect every single person in this row, not just the person you came to see -- every one." At least 4 million people visit the cemetery each year, according to its Web site, and officials say Arlington, sadly, is running out of space for graves. There are more than 290,000 bodies buried there. Plans to expand the cemetery include seven areas where urns can hold the ashes of more than 100,000 people. Stepping lightly with heavy boots along the row of graves, Army medic Andrew Harriman of the 82nd Airborne dropped to one knee at several. "We lost 22 guys from our unit," said the soldier, who was wounded in Iraq. He was awarded the Silver Star and Bronze Star for his valor. "Every time I come to town, I stop by." Four of Harriman's friends are buried in Section 60. "I don't think people realize how hard it is for the families and the co-workers or friends of these guys," he said. Also buried in Section 60 is Ross Andrew McGinnis of Knox, Pennsylvania. The 19-year-old Army specialist died in Baghdad when he threw himself on a grenade that had been tossed into his Humvee. He saved four fellow soldiers. Next month, McGinnis will be awarded the Medal of Honor, the nation's highest military award, for his bravery. Not far from his resting place is the burial site of Capt. Maria Ines Ortiz, who became the first Army nurse killed in combat since Vietnam when she died in Iraq last year. Particularly touching are the mementos left at some of the graves -- photographs of wives and children, children's drawings, coins, greeting cards, notes, stones and even unopened beer bottles. Nino Livaudes was killed in Iraq in April 2003. At his grave is a multicolored, handmade card bearing the message: "You are my hero, Daddy. I am 4 years old, and I miss you and love you very much, Grant."

Question:
What did one handmade card read?
Where is Arlington?
More than 290,000 veterans are buried?
Section 60 is final resting place for?

Answer: bearing the message: "You are my hero, Daddy. I am 4 years old, and I miss you and love you very much, Grant."

Answer: in the United States

Answer: Arlington,

Answer: America's most recent war dead

Summary:
More than 290,000 veterans are buried at Arlington National Cemetery .
Section 60 is final resting place for troops killed most recently in Iraq, Afghanistan .
Particularly touching are the mementos left at some of the graves .
"You are my hero, Daddy. ... I miss you," reads one handmade card .


WASHINGTON (CNN) -- American U2 reconnaissance planes have been flying over the Turkey-Iraq border to observe military movements, said three U.S. military sources Wednesday. A Turkish army convoy heads toward the Turkey-Iraq border on Monday. Word of the flights comes a day before top-level meetings between U.S. and Turkish government officials and prior to a regional conference aimed at easing tensions between Ankara and Kurdish rebels across Turkey's border with Iraq. Turkey -- which shares its Incirlik air base with U.S. forces -- is a key member of  NATO and acts as a vital conduit for U.S. military supplies. Pentagon spokesman Geoff Morrell confirmed Wednesday that U.S. military and intelligence communities are sharing information with Turkey to help them fight members of the Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK, who have made cross-border attacks.  See location of key U.S.-Turkish air base » "We are assisting by supplying them, the Turks, with intelligence, lots of intelligence," said Morrell. "There has been an increased level" of intelligence sharing. Turkey has urged Washington to offer more support against the rebels and Ankara has threatened to launch a full-scale offensive if Iraqi and Kurdish officials fail to neutralize the PKK. U.S. and Iraqi diplomats have been working to restrain Turkey from such a response. Recent limited fighting in southeastern Turkey has spilled into northern Iraq. During operations near the border on Monday, Turkish forces fired on suspected rebel positions.  Watch Turkish helicopters fire on rebels » On Thursday, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is set to meet with Turkish officials in Ankara and President Bush holds talks in Washington with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Also, a conference of regional officials, including Iraq, is scheduled Thursday and Friday in Istanbul. Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki has joined efforts to ease cross-border tensions. Mottaki met in Iraq Wednesday with his Iraqi counterpart, Hoshyar Zebari, and Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki. Mottaki's involvement prompted him to delay a scheduled visit to Lebanon, according to Iran's Islamic Republic News Agency, which quoted Iranian Ambassador to Lebanon Mohammad Reza Sheibani. Iran's foreign minister is offering his "full support" to the regional conference in Istanbul, said a statement from al-Maliki's office. The statement also said Mottaki wants to help "solve the border crisis between Turkey and the PKK." Earlier this month, proposed legislation in the U.S. Congress prompted Turkey to threaten to restrict U.S. access to Turkish airspace or cut off access to the air base at Incirlik. Some lawmakers wanted a vote on legislation that would have officially declared that the killing of Armenians by Ottoman Turks in World War I was "genocide." Turkey recalled its ambassador to the United States and warned of repercussions in the growing dispute. Sponsors of the congressional resolution have asked for a delay in the vote. E-mail to a friend

Question:
What has Turkey threatened?
Who is observing military movements?
What is there an increased level of?
Who is meeting with Turk officials?
Who has threatened full scale attack?

Answer: to launch a full-scale offensive if Iraqi and Kurdish officials fail to neutralize the PKK.

Answer: American U2 reconnaissance planes

Answer: intelligence sharing.

Answer: Condoleezza Rice

Answer: Ankara

Summary:
"Increased level" of intelligence sharing with Turkey, says Pentagon .
U2s observing military movements amid tensions between Turks, Kurd rebels .
Turkey has threatened full-scale attack on rebels; U.S. relies on Turk air base .
Bush, Rice to meet with Turk officials; Iranian diplomat meets with Iraqi PM .


WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Americans have varied feelings about guns. In Focus: Guns in America is a series of stories by CNN photojournalists that looks at the complex views and emotions that surround this controversial subject. In a 5-4 ruling, the U.S. Supreme Court rejected Washington, D.C.'s, ban on handgun ownership, saying it violates the constitutional right to "keep and bear arms" by preventing individuals from having guns in their homes. In this series, Americans tell their stories about guns on a first-hand basis, providing a more intimate look at a topic that is often ignored until gun violence erupts. In one video, 32-year-old Steve Ferguson talks about a shooting in Washington that left him paralyzed, his battle to recover and his views on guns. In another story, Scott Morris shares his passion for his shooting range on a road he named 2nd Amendment Drive. CNN photojournalists also traveled to Massachusetts to play paintball, rural Pennsylvania to hunt turkeys, and to Hollywood to hang out on a movie set. They also meet Dale Tate, who hand-makes guns that he considers works of art, and they learn about new technology for less lethal weapons.

Question: Who rejected the ban?

Question: What are individual Americans telling their stories about?

Question: What ban do they reject?

Question: What was Washington trying to ban?

Question: What did the Supreme Court reject?

Question: Who tell their stories?

Question: What do Individual Americans talk about?

Question: Which journalists take a look?

Answer: the U.S. Supreme Court

Answer: guns on a first-hand basis,

Answer: handgun ownership,

Answer: handgun ownership,

Answer: Washington, D.C.'s, ban on handgun ownership,

Answer: CNN photojournalists

Answer: guns on a first-hand basis,

Answer: CNN photojournalists

Summary:
The U.S. Supreme Court rejects Washington, D.C.'s, ban on handgun ownership .
CNN photojournalists take a look at the views and feelings about guns in America .
In this series, individual Americans tell their stories about guns .


WASHINGTON (CNN) -- An Air Force F-22A fighter jet crashed Wednesday near Edwards Air Force Base in California, killing the test pilot, the Air Force said. An F-22A fighter jet similar to this one crashed Wednesday during a test mission in California. The single-seater crashed about 10:30 a.m. (1:30 p.m. ET) for unknown reasons, Air Force officials said. Lockheed Martin said the test pilot, David Cooley, 49, of Palmdale, California, joined the company in 2003 and was a 21-year veteran of the U.S. Air Force. The fighter was on a test mission when it crashed about 35 miles northeast of  Edwards AFB, where it was stationed, the Air Force said in a news release. At $150 million apiece, the F-22A is the most expensive Air Force fighter. In 2004, an F-22 Raptor crashed on a training mission in the Nevada desert. The pilot ejected and was not hurt, though the jet was destroyed. The plane was designed in the 1980s to provide a stealthy method to enter Soviet air space and strike Soviet bombers if the USSR attempted a nuclear strike. Once the Cold War ended, the Air Force found a new mission for the F-22 as a long-range fighter with a sophisticated stealth design and state-of-the-art equipment that no other plane could rival. However, the rising cost of the plane and numerous design and software problems threatened the program, which was almost eliminated by Congress. In the end, the aircraft survived, and most of the problems were fixed -- except for the price tag, which forced the Air Force to buy fewer aircraft.

Question: What does one of the F-22A jets cost?

Question: What was the one-seater jet doing when it crashed?

Question: When did the plane crash?

Question: What crashed 35 miles northeast of Edwards AFB?

Question: What kind of plane crashed?

Question: What is the age of David Cooley?

Question: Who died in the crash?

Question: What age did the test pilot die at?

Answer: $150 million

Answer: on a test mission

Answer: Wednesday

Answer: An Air Force F-22A fighter jet

Answer: An Air Force F-22A fighter jet

Answer: 49,

Answer: David Cooley,

Answer: 49,

Summary:
NEW: Test pilot David Cooley, 49, of Palmdale, California, dies in crash .
F-22A fighter jet crashes 35 miles northeast of Edwards AFB around 10:30 a.m.
The one-seater jet was on a test mission when it crashed .
At $150 million apiece, the F-22A is the most expensive Air Force fighter .


WASHINGTON (CNN) -- An English-language immersion class failed Miriam Flores, her mother contended. A divided Supreme Court dismissed on Thursday a 17-year-old suit filed on behalf of English-deficient students. After two years of instruction in her native Spanish, Miriam entered the Nogales, Arizona schools' English Language Learner program as a third-grader. However, she continued to lag behind her classmates and was cited as a disruptive influence in the classroom because she often had to ask a fellow student for help. The girl's mother, also named Miram Flores, and other minority parents claimed school officials in Nogales, a border town about 70 miles south of Tucson, did not provide enough money to get English-deficient students up to speed in writing and reading comprehension. In 2000, a federal judge agreed, concluding Arizona violated the Equal Educational Opportunities Act, and ordering the state to rework its plan and increase funding. The English Language Learner (ELL) program was then placed under federal oversight. On Thursday, a divided Supreme Court dismissed the 17-year-old lawsuit, but ordered a federal judge to review whether Nogales officials are "providing equal opportunities" to mainly Spanish-speaking students in the community. Arizona maintained the federal court injunction delayed its plans to fix the system. It maintained it has provided enough resources to improve its ELL program, allowing it to end federal oversight. "Injunctions of this sort bind state and local officials to the policy preferences of their predecessors," wrote Justice Samuel Alito for the majority. Some legislators claim a 2006 state law essentially eliminated long-standing funding inequities. But parents say officials continue to drag their feet when it comes to complying with an appropriate classroom model for non-English-speaking students. Arizona says it increased more than twofold the amount of money it spends per non-English-speaking pupil, and that it has complied with the No Child Left Behind Act, the sweeping public classroom accountability act passed in 2002 that ties federal education funding to improvements in measurable student achievement. The current dispute has pitted the GOP-led state legislature and the school superintendent against the Democratic governor and attorney general, along with civil rights and teacher groups. Alito said a federal law guaranteeing equal opportunity in public schools "is a vitally important one, and our decision will not in any way undermine efforts to achieve that goal." He added that if state officials ultimately prevail in their reform efforts, "it will be because they have shown that the Nogales School District is doing exactly what this statute requires -- taking appropriate action to teach English to students who grew up speaking another language." Alito was backed by Chief Justice John Roberts and Justices Antonin Scalia, Anthony Kennedy and Clarence Thomas. But in a lengthy dissent -- parts of which were read from the bench -- Justice Stephen Breyer said the ruling was "misguided," calling it "a mistaken effort to drive a wedge between review of funding plan changes and review of changes that would bring the state into compliance with federal law." He was backed by Justices John Paul Stevens, Ruth Bader Ginsburg and David Souter. The divided court seemed poised to issue a narrow ruling, fact-specific to the ELL plan in Nogales. But groups on both sides of the issue asked the high court for broader guidance on settling state-federal conflicts involving institutional reform mandates, especially those involving disadvantaged groups. Such political turf battles often end up in the courts, and can lead to decades of federal oversight, such as the fight over school desegregation beginning in the 1950s. Against that backdrop is the continuing fight over immigration and the responsibility of states to fund the education of illegal immigrants and their children. Miriam Flores is now an adult and a student at the University of Arizona. The cases are Horne v. Flores (08-289) and Speaker of the Arizona House of Representatives v. Flores (08-294).

Question: When was the case originally dismissed?

Question: What case did the Supreme court dismiss?

Question: who are judged?

Question: What did a federal judge do after agreeing?

Question: what was failed?

Answer: Thursday

Answer: Horne v. Flores

Answer: Nogales officials

Answer: ordering the state to rework its plan and increase funding.

Answer: English-language immersion class

Summary:
Supreme Court dismisses case that claimed schools failed English-deficient kids .
The 17-year-old case began in Nogales, Arizona, a border town .
A federal judge agreed and ordered increased funding and federal oversight .
Both sides seek help from high court in resolving political turf wars over reforms .


WASHINGTON (CNN) -- An Ethiopian immigrant with a history of mental health problems is in custody after being accused of mailing a letter with HIV-tainted blood to Barack Obama when he was president-elect, according to court records. Police say blood-stained letters were addressed to President Obama and top aide Rahm Emanuel. Saad Bedrie Hussein told investigators that he is an admirer of Obama and that the letter -- containing his photo, an admission ticket to Obama's election night victory party in Chicago's Grant Park and six index cards containing writing and reddish stains -- was his way of seeking government help and tickets to Obama's inauguration. Hussein, who has HIV, said he "purposely cut one of his fingers with a razor so he could bleed on the letter," according to an affidavit by Terry L. Cullivan, an investigator with the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. The letter, postmarked December 27 and written in an Ethiopian language, was addressed to Obama at the Illinois Department on Aging in Springfield, Illinois. When the letter was opened two days later, it was found to contain an orange powder, Cullivan said. A state employee then took the letter to another state office, resulting in a two-hour lockdown of the building, affecting more than 300 people, the affidavit says. During an interview, Hussein was unable to remember what the orange powder was, but tests revealed it to be a drink-mix powder, the affidavit says. According to the affidavit, during a December 29 interview, Hussein denied mailing any additional letters. But, the affidavit said, two days later, the Illinois Department of Revenue notified him it had received two similar letters, both with Hussein's return address. One was addressed to the Illinois Department on Aging, and the second to "Emanuel," which investigators believe was intended for Obama aide Rahm Emanuel. Both letters contained what appeared to be dried blood and an orange powder. The criminal complaint filed in the U.S. District Court in Illinois alleges that Hussein "knowingly mailed" the letters containing HIV-infected blood "with the intent to kill or injure another." In January, a federal judge ordered a mental evaluation of Hussein, saying "there is reasonable cause to believe [Hussein] may ... be suffering from a mental disease or defect rendering him mentally incompetent [and] unable to understand the nature and consequences of the proceedings against him." According to court records, Hussein was arrested March 29, 2006, by Chicago police after setting a fire in the middle of a Chicago intersection, waving a Quran in the air and yelling "Allah[u] Akbar" -- Allah is great -- and other words. Hussein "created a standstill in the traffic and refused to comply" with police commands, Cullivan's affidavit says. Hussein's attorney, public defender Robert J. Scherschlight, could not immediately be reached for comment. U.S. Postal Service Inspector Peter Rendina said this is the second known case in which a person is alleged to have sent HIV-tainted blood through the mail for malicious reasons. In the other case, which is ongoing, a man sent blood to a person he thought was a business associate.

Question: Who was the note mailed to?

Question: What was mailed with orange powder?

Question: What did the judge order of the man?

Question: Who ordered a mental evaluation of the man?

Answer: Barack Obama

Answer: HIV-tainted blood

Answer: mental evaluation of Hussein,

Answer: federal judge

Summary:
Affidavit: HIV-positive man "cut one of his fingers ... so he could bleed on the letter"
The note, mailed with orange powder, was sent to Obama at an Illinois state building .
Investigators think another letter, to "Emanuel," was intended for Obama aide .
Judge ordered mental evaluation of man, citing his history of instability .


WASHINGTON (CNN) -- An Ohio death row inmate who says he is too overweight to be executed took his plea to the Supreme Court on Friday. Richard Cooey, 41, and an accomplice were convicted of the 1986 murders of two college students. Richard Cooey is scheduled to die by lethal injection Tuesday and has exhausted most of his state and federal appeals. Gov. Ted Strickland earlier Friday denied the 41-year-old prisoner's clemency petition. Cooey murdered two college students in 1986. The justices were expected to decide whether he should receive a stay of execution, and whether to address the larger constitutional claims over when a convicted person is medically unfit for capital punishment. His lawyers have argued that the inmate-- at 5-foot-7 and 267 pounds -- is "morbidly obese," and has gained about 70 pounds since his incarceration at age 19. Prison food and confinement in his cell for 23 hours a day, limiting his opportunities for exercise, contributed to his weight problem, his legal team said in recent court filings. Cooey also says regular medication he takes for migraines will weaken the effectiveness of an anesthetic used in the a three-drug cocktail administered during execution. He says his veins are weakened because of his health issues, and the lethal drugs would amount to cruel and unusual punishment. In 2003, one day before Cooey was scheduled to die, a judge stopped his execution on issues unrelated to his health claims. A federal appeals court ruled Thursday that Cooey waited too long to raise the medical issues, saying he "knew of and could have filed suit over vein access prior to July 2005." Cooey and a then-17-year-old accomplice were convicted of the brutal murders of Wendy Offredo and Dawn McCreery, students at the University of Akron. The men had been tossing concrete slabs onto Interstate 77, and one of them struck Offredo's car. Pretending to rescue the women, Cooey and Clinton Dickens took them to a remote field, according to prosecutors. There, the students were subjected to 3½ hours of rape, torture, stabbings and fatal bludgeonings. Cooey had carved an "X" into the stomachs of both women, prosecutors said. Each man blamed the other for delivering the fatal blows, but both were convicted of murder. Dickens received a life sentence because of his age. Cooey tried to escape from death row in 2005, when corrections officials said he constructed a ladder from magazines and bedsheets in an effort to scale the barrier around an outdoor recreation area. At an August clemency hearing, Jon Offredo, brother of one of the victims, said, "Our family has never gotten an apology from Richard Cooey. We've gotten blatant lies and excuses. Is an apology too much to ask? How could he commit such a heinous act and not feel regret?" But Cooey's lawyer, Dana Cole, said his client is sorry for his crimes. The high court has not offered clear guidelines on what medical standards need to be met before an inmate is eligible for death. But in a case five years ago, the justices allowed inmates to at least make a claim that their specific physical or medical issues could be cause to block an execution. The high court had sided with a convicted Alabama killer who claimed his veins were so damaged from years of drug abuse that executioners might have to cut deeply into his flesh to administer the deadly drugs. Writing for the unanimous court, then-Justice Sandra Day O'Connor said the court was not going to "open the floodgates to all manner of method-of-execution challenges," as Alabama feared. "Our holding is extremely limited." That inmate is still on death row. Richard Dieter of the Death Penalty Information Center, a data-resource group that opposes capital punishment, said the Supreme Court indicated that "how you're going to be executed is a civil rights matter, the same as if you were discriminated [against] on the basis of race or gender or something like that." A Washington state killer was given a reprieve in 1994 after claiming he was too obese to hang. Mitchell

Question:
what did cooey say
what are they going to address

Answer: he is too overweight to be executed

Answer: the larger constitutional claims over when a convicted person is medically unfit for capital punishment.

Summary:
Richard Cooey, set to die Tuesday, has exhausted most state, federal appeals .
Justices are expected to decide whether he should receive stay of execution .
They could also address constitutional claims about medical fitness for execution .
Cooey: Drug interaction, weakened veins would make punishment cruel, unusual .


WASHINGTON (CNN) -- An al Qaeda suspect alleged to have been involved in the 1998 bombing of the U.S. Embassy in Tanzania that killed 11 people faces war crimes charges, the Pentagon announced Monday.

Ahmed Khalfan Ghailani is shown in a photo posted by the FBI in 2004.

The bombing in Dar es Salaam, which also wounded hundreds, was one of two carried out nearly simultaneously on August 7, 1998. One in Nairobi, Kenya, killed 213 people.

Ahmed Khalfan Ghailani, from Tanzania, faces nine charges, six of them offenses that could carry the death penalty if he is convicted by a military tribunal.

He was captured by Pakistan in 2004 and is being held at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

In a written announcement, the Pentagon said Ghailani is "charged with the following substantive offenses: murder in violation of the Law of War, murder of protected persons, attacking civilians, attacking civilian objects, intentionally causing serious bodily injury, destruction of property in violation of the Law of War and terrorism. In addition, he is charged with conspiracy to commit all of the above offenses.

"Ghailani is further charged with providing material support to terrorism. This charge alleges that after the bombing, Ghailani continued in his service to al Qaeda as a document forger, physical trainer at an al Qaeda training camp, and as a bodyguard for Osama bin Laden."

The charges say he purchased bomb components, scouted the embassy with the suicide bomb driver, met with co-conspirators, and fled to Karachi, Pakistan, one day before the bombing.

The convening authority for military commissions, Susan J. Crawford, will determine whether probable cause exists for a trial by military commission, said Brig. Gen. Thomas Hartman of the Office of Military Commissions.

For Ghailani to ultimately be sentenced to death, the 12-member jury would have to unanimously find him guilty, determine that aggravating factors apply, and concur on the death sentence, Hartman told reporters at the Pentagon. "Everything has to be unanimous."

"And then there are four levels of post-trial review, which is an extraordinary set of rights available," he said.

In December, 1998 -- a few months after the embassy bombings -- Ghailani and three other fugitives were indicted in U.S. District Court in New York. It is not known whether he may ultimately face a federal trial.  E-mail to a friend

Question:
Where was the bomber from?
Where did the bombing occur?
Who faces nine charges?
Was the Kenya bomber caught?

Answer: Tanzania,

Answer: Embassy in Tanzania

Answer: Ahmed Khalfan Ghailani,

Answer: captured by Pakistan in 2004 and is being held at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

Summary:
1998 bombing in Dar es Salaam killed 11, injured hundreds .
Ahmed Khalfan Ghailani, a Tanzanian, faces nine charges .
Al Qaeda-linked suspect could get death sentence from military tribunal .
U.S. Embassy in Kenya bombed almost same time on August 7, 1998 .


WASHINGTON (CNN) -- An extended trip to Ecuador by two Americans changed from a dream to a nightmare after a brutal attack last week, according the couple's blog and U.S. officials. State Department spokesman Robert Wood confirmed Tuesday that the U.S. Embassy in Ecuador had been told that two Americans from Bend, Oregon, were attacked in the city of Esmeraldas, on Ecuador's northern coast. But he said he could provide no further information because of privacy laws. Two State Department officials, however, said that the man was stabbed more than 24 times and that his fiancée was beaten and raped. CNN does not name the victims of sexual assault and has removed publication of the man's name to help protect the identity of the woman. The couple was evacuated to the United States on Tuesday for treatment, the officials said. The couple wrote a blog throughout their trip. In the most recent post on Monday, the woman wrote that her fiance was in intensive care after three surgeries. "I was informed by the head surgeon there is no certainty he will survive," she wrote. The earlier postings were happier reflections on their visit to Ecuador, a year-long trip they planned after getting engaged and selling all their belongings. In the blog, the couple seems unconcerned about safety, posting that they occasionally hitchhiked, visited the homes of strangers and posed for pictures with new friends they made on their travels. One senior official told CNN that the victims' parents complained to U.S. consular officers in Ecuador  that the Embassy did not do enough to warn Americans that many people have been attacked in Esmeraldas. The State Department's  Web site advises caution when traveling to the northern border region of Ecuador, including Esmeraldas. The travel advisory section notes that "U.S. government personnel are under limitations with respect to traveling alone and over-nighting in these areas due to the spread of organized crime, drug trafficking, small arms trafficking, and incursions by various Colombian terrorist organizations." The Web site says that since 1998, at least 10 U.S. citizens have been kidnapped and one killed near Ecuador's border with Colombia. Wood on Tuesday expressed the State Department's "deep sympathy" for the victims and said the department worked with the victims' families to provide assistance. "It's a horrible and shocking incident" he said.

Question: How many surgeries did the man have?

Question: Where should travelers exercise extreme caution?

Question: What happened to the man's fiance?

Question: Was the man or the woman raped?

Question: Where was the attack?

Question: What did the fiance write in her blog?

Question: How many surgeries has the man had?

Question: What happened to the man?

Question: In what country was the couple attacked?

Answer: three

Answer: northern border region of Ecuador, including Esmeraldas.

Answer: beaten and raped.

Answer: his fiancée was beaten and raped.

Answer: Esmeraldas, on Ecuador's northern coast.

Answer: was in intensive care after three surgeries.

Answer: three

Answer: was stabbed more than 24 times

Answer: Ecuador

Summary:
U.S. officials say man was stabbed repeatedly, his fiancée raped and beaten .
Relative tells media that couple was attacked on beach in northern Ecuador .
Fiancée writes in blog that her companion may not survive despite three surgeries .
State Department site advises caution when traveling to parts of northern Ecuador .


WASHINGTON (CNN) -- An extensive federal report released Monday concludes that roughly one in four of the 697,000 U.S. veterans of the 1990-91 Gulf War suffer from Gulf War illness. A U.S. soldier wears protection against chemical weapons during the Gulf War in a February 1991 photo. That illness is a condition now identified as the likely consequence of exposure to toxic chemicals, including pesticides and a drug administered to protect troops against nerve gas. The 452-page report states that "scientific evidence leaves no question that Gulf War illness is a real condition with real causes and serious consequences for affected veterans." The report, compiled by a panel of scientific experts and veterans serving on the congressionally mandated Research Advisory Committee on Gulf War Veterans' Illnesses, fails to identify any cure for the malady. It also notes that few veterans afflicted with Gulf War illness have recovered over time. "Today's report brings to a close one of the darkest chapters in the legacy of the 1991 Gulf War," said Anthony Hardie, a member of the committee and a member of the advocacy group Veterans of Modern Warfare. "This is a bittersweet victory, [because] this is what Gulf War veterans have been saying all along," Hardie said at a news conference in Washington. "Years were squandered by the federal government ... trying to disprove that anything could be wrong with Gulf War veterans." The committee's report, titled "Gulf War Illness and the Health of Gulf War Veterans," was officially presented Monday to Secretary of Veterans Affairs James Peake. Noting that overall funding for research into Gulf War illness has declined dramatically since 2001, it calls for a "renewed federal research commitment" to "identify effective treatments for Gulf War illness and address other priority Gulf War health issues."  Watch CNN's Elizabeth Cohen report more on Gulf War illness » According to the report, Gulf War illness is a "complex of multiple concurrent symptoms" that "typically includes persistent memory and concentration problems, chronic headaches, widespread pain, gastrointestinal problems, and other chronic abnormalities." The illness may also be potentially tied to higher rates of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) -- more commonly known as Lou Gehrig's Disease -- among Gulf War veterans than veterans of other conflicts. The illness is identified as the consequence of multiple "biological alterations" affecting the brain and nervous system. iReport.com: Do you know someone affected by Gulf War illness? While it is sometimes difficult to issue a specific diagnosis of the disease, it is, according to the report, no longer difficult to identify a cause. The report identifies two Gulf War "neurotoxic" exposures that "are causally associated with Gulf War illness." The first is the ingestion of pyridostigmine bromide (PB) pills, given to protect troops from effects of nerve agents. The second is exposure to dangerous pesticides used during the conflict. The report does not rule out other possible contributors to Gulf War illness -- including low-level exposure to nerve agents and close proximity to oil well fires -- though it fails to establish any clear link. The report concludes there is no clear link between the illness and a veteran's exposure to factors such as depleted uranium or an anthrax vaccine administered at the time. "Gulf War illness isn't some imaginary syndrome," said Ken Robinson, the senior intelligence officer for the initial Department of Defense investigation into Gulf War illness in 1996-97. "This is real, and it has devastated families. Now is the time to restore the funding cuts that have been made in the Veterans Administration. Our mission has to be to ensure that these veterans get help and become whole again." Robinson noted that soldiers in the field today are not at risk for Gulf War illness, because the military is no longer using the PB pills or pesticides that led to the illness in 1990 and 1991. The report backs Robinson's conclusion, noting that no problem similar to Gulf War illness has been discovered among veterans from the conflict in Bosnia in the 1990s or in the current engagements in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Question: What did the officer say?

Question: which is the disease Gulf ?

Question: what are the consequences?

Question: What was the illness termed?

Question: One in four Gulf War veterans suffer from what?

Question: what illness befell them?

Question: who reported this illness

Answer: "Gulf War illness isn't some imaginary syndrome,"

Answer: War illness.

Answer: Gulf War illness.

Answer: Gulf War

Answer: illness.

Answer: "complex of multiple concurrent symptoms"

Answer: Anthony Hardie,

Summary:
NEW: Officer who investigated illness: "This is real, and it has devastated families"
One in four Gulf War veterans suffer from Gulf War illness, report says .
Pesticides, drug used to thwart effects of nerve gas called most likely to blame .
Illness termed "a real condition with real causes and serious consequences"


WASHINGTON (CNN) -- An increase in the number of suicides among military personnel can be traced, in part, to a "stressed and tired force" made vulnerable by multiple deployments, a military leader said Wednesday.

Long troop deployments in Iraq, above, and Afghanistan have been cited in the rise in military suicides.

"We must find ways to relieve some of this stress," said Gen. Peter W. Chiarelli, vice chief of staff of the Army, in testimony before the Senate Armed Services Military Personnel Subcommittee.

"I think it is the cumulative effect of deployments from 12 to 15 months," he said, adding that the longer deployments are scheduled to continue until June.

He cited long deployments, lengthy separations from family and the perceived stigma associated with seeking help as factors contributing to the suicides.

Adm. Patrick M. Walsh, vice chief of naval operations, said suicides are the third leading cause of death in the Navy.

"We must eliminate the perceived stigma, shame and dishonor of asking for help," he said.

Gen. James F. Amos, assistant commandant of the Marine Corps, said his branch of the service has incorporated education and training about suicide prevention "at all levels."

He said four of 55 mental health professionals deployed in the U.S. Central Command were recently embedded with Marines. He expressed optimism that that tactic would pay off, but he said he had no data to support his expectation.

And Gen. William M. Fraser, vice chief of staff of the Air Force, said his branch, too, was taking steps "to ensure airmen are as mentally prepared for deployment and redeployment as they are physically and professionally."

Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-South Carolina, said the efforts have not sufficed. He noted that last year, for the first time, the suicide rate among military personnel has exceeded that of the civilian population. "What's going on?" he asked rhetorically.

The panel members made clear that, whatever is going on, it is complex. Chiarelli said the Army tallied 133 confirmed suicides last year and is still investigating another seven possible ones. At least 70 percent of the suicides had "some kind of relationship problem," he said. Often, the situation was worsened by something else, such as a financial or legal problem, he said.

And it wasn't just the trauma of war that appears to heighten the risk. The suicides were about evenly divided among those who had returned from deployment, those who were still deployed -- some on a third or fourth tour -- and those who had never been deployed, Chiarelli said.

All of the military leaders said they had too few mental health professionals in their ranks.

But Walsh said professionals are not the only people who must be trained to intervene, noting that it is often the shipmate or the battle buddy who seeks assistance for someone in need.

And Navy counselors are now asking family members for feedback that often proves more illuminating than what the sailors themselves are willing to impart, he said.

"If I survey the family, I'm going to get a different set of answers."

One reason some service personnel are reluctant to seek help from their chain of command is because they fear they will then be passed over for promotions, the panel members said.

In some cases, they pay out of their own pockets to seek help privately, Rubenstein said.

And others call civilian hotlines, one of which reported getting three calls per day this year from active-duty military personnel.

Representatives of all of the branches of the military said they have seen recent increases in suicides.

At the Pentagon, Defense Secretary William Gates said he believes the 15-month deployments "were a real strain" on many, but expressed optimism that beneficial changes are in the works.

"All the services are are addressing this problem, but the Army in particular, I think, is really going after it in a very aggressive way," he said.

But some suicides appear to defy all prevention efforts. Maj. Gen. David A. Rubenstein

Question: What is to blame for the suicides?

Question: What does the Admiral say about suicides?

Question: What are a third leading cause of death?

Question: What is the third leading cause of death in the Navy?

Question: Who said we must find ways to relieve stress?

Question: What is cited as part of the problem?

Question: What was said to contribute to the problem?

Answer: Long troop deployments

Answer: "stressed and tired force"

Answer: suicides

Answer: suicides

Answer: Gen. Peter W. Chiarelli,

Answer: Long troop deployments in Iraq,

Answer: seeking help

Summary:
Army Gen. Peter W. Chiarelli: "We must find ways to relieve some of this stress"
Admiral says suicides are the third leading cause of death in the Navy .
"Perceived stigma ... and dishonor of asking for help" is cited as part of problem .
Also blamed: Long deployments and lengthy separations from family .