WASHINGTON (CNN)  -- The U.S. military will stop publishing the number of Taliban and insurgents it kills in Afghanistan under orders from the senior U.S. military spokesman for the American-led coalition. A French soldier mans a gun Sunday during maneuvers in Afghanistan's Kapisa province. Rear Adm. Gregory Smith ordered the change as part of the new military strategy in the war that focuses on protecting Afghan citizens rather than killing militants. "Indicating the number of insurgents killed has little relevance to impacting the lives of Afghans. In fact, if that were the only purpose and metric, you would likely only extend the time it takes to bring about an end to the insurgency," Smith said in an e-mail to CNN responding to a query about the change. The issue of publishing enemy body counts has been extremely sensitive to the U.S. military since the Vietnam War when the military regularly published large enemy body counts but seemed to be failing overall to make progress in the war. In the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, the Pentagon has shifted policies several times, both publishing numbers in news releases on particular engagements and firefights and also declaring it would not publish body counts. In the past some military officials have said the numbers have been part of individual releases to the media as a means of demonstrating success against enemy forces. Smith said, "We conduct operations not aimed at killing insurgents, although in many instances that is the outcome, but to over time clear areas of insurgency and give the people a chance to reconnect with official forms of governance and to rebuild their lives, socially and economically."

Question: Who will stop publishing numbers?

Question: What does the new military strategy focus on?

Question: Where are Taliban and insurgents killed?

Answer: The U.S. military

Answer: protecting Afghan citizens rather than killing militants.

Answer: Afghanistan

Summary:
U.S. will stop publishing number of Taliban and insurgents killed in Afghanistan .
Change is part of a new military strategy that focuses on protecting Afghans .
Issue of publishing enemy body counts has been sensitive to military since Vietnam .


WASHINGTON (CNN)  -- The United States Mint launched a new coin Tuesday featuring jazz legend Duke Ellington, making him the first African-American to appear by himself on a circulating U.S. coin.

The District of Columbia coin honoring Duke Ellington was introduced Tuesday in Washington.

Ellington, the composer of classics including "It Don't Mean a Thing If It Ain't Got That Swing" appears on the "tails" side of the new D.C. quarter. George Washington is on the "heads" side, as is usual with U.S. quarters.

The coin was issued to celebrate Ellington's birthplace, the District of Columbia.

U.S. Mint Director Ed Moy introduced the new coin at a news conference Tuesday at the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of American History.

Members of Ellington's family were present at the ceremony, and the jazz band of Duke Ellington High School performed.

Ellington won the honor by a vote of D.C. residents, beating out abolitionist Frederick Douglass and astronomer Benjamin Banneker.

Also on the coin is the phrase "Justice for all." The Mint rejected the first inscription choice of D.C. voters, which was "taxation without representation," in protest of the district's lack of voting representation in Congress.

Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington received 13 Grammy Awards and a Pulitzer Prize, among numerous other honors. His orchestra's theme song, "Take the A Train," is one of the best-known compositions in jazz.

Ellington was born in the district in 1899 and composed more than 3,000 songs, including "Satin Doll," "Perdido" and "Don't Get Around Much Any More." "It Don't Mean a Thing If It Ain't Got That Swing" helped usher in the swing era of jazz.

Ellington performed with other famous artists, including John Coltrane, Louis Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald, and he traveled around the world with his orchestras.

He died in 1974 at the age of 75.

The first African-American to appear on a circulating coin was York, a slave who accompanied Lewis and Clark on their "Corps of Discovery" adventures across America at the dawn of the 19th century. The 2003 Missouri quarter features the three men together in a canoe on the obverse.

The U.S. Mint distinguishes between circulating coins, which are intended for daily use, and commemorative ones, which mark special occasions.

African-Americans including Jackie Robinson, who broke baseball's color barrier, have appeared on commemorative coins. Educator Booker T. Washington, botanist George Washington Carver and the first Revolutionary War casualty, Crispus Attucks, all of whom were black, have also appeared on commemorative coins, according to the U.S. Mint.

Question:
Where was the coin introduced?
Where was the musician born?
Where was Ellington born?
Who is featured on the quarter?
What was Ellington featured on?

Answer: Washington.

Answer: the District of Columbia.

Answer: District of Columbia.

Answer: Duke Ellington,

Answer: "tails" side of the new D.C. quarter.

Summary:
Duke Ellington featured on reverse of new quarter honoring District of Columbia .
Coin introduced at Smithsonian's National Museum of American History .
African-Americans have appeared on commemorative coins or as minor figures .
Ellington was born in D.C. and composed several jazz standards .


WASHINGTON (CNN)  -- The United States ambassador to Afghanistan, William Wood, said Friday that changes in communications with Afghan military forces have been made in the aftermath of a disputed U.S. air raid on an Afghan village.

Civilians are overcome with emotion outside a home destroyed by a U.S. airstrike in Afghanistan.

And despite Afghanistan's outrage over the loss of life, he said, the incident has not undermined the nations' relationship.

The Afghanistan government has said that as many as 90 civilians -- including many children -- were killed in the August 22 air attack on a village in the Shindand district of Western Afghanistan. The United States had said that only seven civilians died, along with dozens of insurgents.

A number of investigations into the incident are under way, including a "senior level" review by the United States.

"People who are reviewing our findings have been in Afghanistan for a while, and I don't know when they will complete their review," Wood said at the State Department late Friday.

"There is no American involved who doesn't feel a personal sense of pain and regret any time any civilian casualty occurs," he said. "Speaking as an official of the American government, I can say there is no one who works harder than the United States does to minimize such casualties.

"I know as a matter of absolute certainty of operations that have been canceled precisely because there was a risk of civilian casualties," he added.

"I think there is no question there has been what one Afghan official referred to as 'sort of a bumpy time' over this issue in the last few weeks. I think that it has never threatened the underlying relationship of confidence between our two countries and between our peoples or between our military and the people of Afghanistan.

"That said, we are certainly committed to taking the steps necessary to ensure that such casualties are reduced to the absolute minimum and to working closely, even more closely, with the Afghan government to successfully carry out the military mission."

The ambassador said the United States has made changes in communication between the U.S. and Afghan forces.

"Steps are already not simply under way but have been taken to improve coordination," he said.

U.S. and Afghanistan officials have just completed a new round in what is called the United States-Afghanistan Strategic Partnership.

A joint U.S.-Afghanistan statement released Thursday referred to the attack.

"The United States delegation expressed regret over the loss of any innocent civilian lives incurred during security operations," the statement said. "In response to concerns expressed by the government of Afghanistan, the United States is conducting a senior level review and assessment of the August 22 Shindand operation. In addition, both sides recognize the need for establishing a mutually agreed-upon framework and mechanism to minimize civilian casualties and to maintain the strong support of the Afghan people in fighting terrorism."

Question: Who said attack hasn't threatened nation's relationship?

Question: How many civilians does Afghan government say we're killed?

Question: How many were killed by the airstrike?

Question: What did the ambassador say about the incident?

Question: What did the bombings lead to according to US ambassador?

Question: What did the bombing lead to?

Question: Number of civilians the airstrike killed?

Question: Who said bombing lead to "bumpy time"?

Question: what did U.S. ambassador call time after the bombing?

Question: US says what number was killed in airstrikes?

Question: Who said airstrike lead to 90 civilian deaths?

Question: How many civilians does U.S. say we're killed?

Answer: William Wood,

Answer: 90

Answer: as many as 90 civilians

Answer: has not undermined the nations' relationship.

Answer: in communications with Afghan military forces

Answer: U.S. airstrike in Afghanistan.

Answer: as many as 90

Answer: William Wood,

Answer: bumpy

Answer: 90

Answer: Afghanistan government

Answer: 90

Summary:
U.S. ambassador says bombing led to "bumpy time"
Afghan government says August airstrike killed 90 civilians .
U.S. says attack killed seven civilians and many insurgents .
Incident hasn't threatened nations' relationship, ambassador says .


WASHINGTON (CNN)  -- The United States and Britain said Wednesday they are committed to remaining in Afghanistan, despite increased military casualties and declining public support for the war effort. U.S. Marines partrol part of the Gharmsir district in Afghanistan's Helmand province on Wednesday. "We went into this together, and we will work it through together because we are stronger together," British Foreign Secretary David Miliband said after a half day of talks at the State Department with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Clinton praised Miliband's approach on Afghanistan, including the call for the government to reconcile with moderate elements of the Taliban. "His analysis of the way forward is very much consistent with ours, and we will continue to stand shoulder to shoulder in pursuit of our common objectives," Clinton said of her counterpart. In a speech at NATO headquarters on Monday, Miliband called for rank-and-file Taliban to be given the chance to reconcile with the Afghan government, even as the campaign continues against Taliban commanders who are waging jihad. He also urged greater burden sharing not only among NATO allies in Afghanistan but by the Afghan government. "There is a lot of talk, rightly, about burden sharing within the coalition, but the greatest burden sharing must be between the international community and the government of Afghanistan, which increasingly needs to take the lead -- the security lead, as well as the political lead -- in shaping the future of that country," he said. Richard Holbrooke, the U.S. special representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan, told reporters that boosting the training of Afghan forces would be a big focus after the country's August 20 election. When asked whether the election would be fair, Holbrooke, who just returned from the region, said he had heard complaints from all sides but was not "unduly upset." "It's an extraordinary thing to hold an election in the middle of a war, and this is the first contested election in Afghanistan in history," Holbrooke said, adding the United States has no favorite candidate but only wants "an election whose outcome is accepted as legitimate by the Afghan people and the world, which reflects the desires of those who vote." July has been the deadliest month for U.S. and British forces since the U.S.-led invasion in 2001, with 39 U.S. troops and 22 British troops killed. Miliband said the effort was going through a "tough phase," but added that the British people understood the "vital nature" of the mission to stabilize Afghanistan. British Prime Minister Gordon Brown has been under under enormous pressure from his opposition, which charges that British troops don't have proper resources to fight the war, including helicopters. But he was sanguine. "I think the British people will stay with this mission, because there is a clear strategy and a clear determination on behalf of the United States and other coalition members to see this through," he said, adding that the British people understood the mission's "vital nature." Americans, too, have questioned whether the war in Afghanistan is winnable and worth the effort. U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates and members of Congress, including Democrats, have predicted that President Obama has a year to show progress in Afghanistan before public support for the war further erodes. Clinton said Britain and the United States "have made significant gains in the recent operations" against the Taliban, but "there remains much work to be done." "We know that this is a challenge that is not going to be easily resolved in a short period of time," she said, adding "both of our countries are still threatened by the same enemy, an enemy that has attacked London, New York and Washington." "We know they've attacked us in the past, and, unfortunately, we know that they plot against us even today," she said.

Question: Who called for reconciliation?

Question: What will be a big focus for the US in regards to Afghan forces?

Question: The Afghan government needs to reconcile with who?

Question: What is the name of the British Foreign Secretary?

Question: What is the deadliest month for the forces?

Question: What month is deadliest month fro U.S and British forces?

Question: What British Foreign Secretary said about it?

Question: what did the british foreign secretary David Miliband said?

Question: What did Miliband say?

Question: What month was the deadliest month for U.S. and British forces in Afganistan since the 2001 invasion?

Question: What was the deadliest month?

Question: what's the deadliest month for U.S. British forces in Afghanistan since '01 invasion?

Question: Miliband calls for Afghan government to do what?

Question: What did the U.S. official say?

Question: Who does the British Foreign Secretary want the Afghan government to reconcile with?

Answer: David Miliband

Answer: boosting the training of

Answer: moderate elements of the Taliban.

Answer: David Miliband

Answer: July

Answer: July

Answer: "We went into this together, and we will work

Answer: "We went into this together, and we will work it through together because we are stronger together,"

Answer: "We went into this together, and we will work it through together because we are stronger together,"

Answer: July

Answer: July

Answer: July

Answer: reconcile with moderate elements of the Taliban.

Answer: that boosting the training of Afghan forces would be a big focus after the country's August 20 election.

Answer: moderate elements of the Taliban.

Summary:
July deadliest month for U.S., British forces in Afghanistan since '01 invasion .
"We will work it through together," British Foreign Secretary David Miliband says .
Miliband calls for Afghan government to reconcile with moderate Taliban elements .
U.S. official: Boosting the training of Afghan forces will be a big focus .


WASHINGTON (CNN)  -- The United States fears recent weapons purchases by Venezuela could fuel an arms race in South America, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Tuesday. Uruguayan President Tabare Vazquez met and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in Washington on Tuesday. "They outpace all other countries in South America and certainly raise the question as to whether there is going to be an arms race in the region," Clinton said about Venezuela's arms deals, after a meeting with Uruguayan President Tabare Vazquez. The Russian government Monday extended $2.2 billion in credit to Venezuela to finance arms purchases, including 92 Soviet-era T-72 tanks and short-range missiles with a reach of 55 miles (90 kilometers). Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez also said his nation will purchase an anti-aircraft weapons system with a range of 185 miles (300 kilometers). The planned arms purchases come at a time when Venezuela is at odds with neighboring Colombia over negotiations that would give U.S. troops access to Colombian military bases. Chavez has said his military buildup is in response to the growing U.S. presence in the region, which he calls threatening and dangerous to Latin America. The United States is also concerned about deepening ties between Venezuela and Iran. In addition to ongoing military cooperation, Chavez said in Tehran last week that the Iranian government would help Venezuela develop nuclear technology. In exchange, Venezuela has offered to export gasoline to Iran, which would give Tehran an out if Western nations impose petroleum sanctions over Iran's nuclear program. Senior administration officials say Venezuela's attempt at "sanctions busting" is alarming. Clinton urged Venezuela to be transparent about its weapons purchases. Venezuela, she said, "should be putting in place in procedures and practices to ensure that the weapons they buy are not diverted to insurgent groups or illegal organizations like drug trafficking gangs and other criminal cartels." Vazquez voiced concern that an arms race in South America would divert funds from badly needed development in poor countries. "We should devote our energies and resources to fight against the real scourges of our societies ... such as drug trafficking and terrorism," he said. "Instead of spending it in weapons, spending it in housing, good housing for our people, and to further deepen investment, especially in the field of education."

Question: Washington worries about who deepening ties to Iran?

Question: Who has deepening ties to Iran?

Question: Who is Secretary of State?

Question: Who worries about the arms race in South America?

Question: How many credit extends Russia to Venezuela?

Question: Russia extends how much in credit to Venezuela to finance arms purchases?

Question: Who is worried about arms race in South America?

Answer: Venezuela

Answer: Venezuela

Answer: Hillary Clinton

Answer: The United States

Answer: $2.2 billion

Answer: $2.2 billion

Answer: The United States

Summary:
Russia extends $2.2 billion in credit to Venezuela to finance arms purchases .
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton worries about arms race in South America .
Relations tense between Venezuela and neighboring Colombia, a U.S. ally .
Washington worries about Hugo Chavez's deepening ties to Iran as well .


WASHINGTON (CNN)  -- The United States is expelling the Venezuelan ambassador to the United States in response to a similar move by Venezuela, U.S. State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said Friday. "We have informed the Venezuelan ambassador to the United States that he will be expelled and should leave the United States," McCormack said. Separately, the U.S. Treasury Department accused Friday two senior Venezuelan intelligence officials -- Hugo Armando Carvajal Barrios and Henry de Jesus Rangel Silva -- and one former official -- Ramon Rodriguez Chacin -- of assisting leftist rebels in the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, with narcotics trafficking. "Today's designation exposes two senior Venezuelan government officials and one former official who armed, abetted and funded the FARC, even as it terrorized and kidnapped innocents," said Adam J. Szubin, director of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control, in a statement. The action freezes assets the three men may have under U.S. jurisdiction and prohibits Americans from conducting business with them. The U.S. decision to expel the Venezuelan ambassador, Bernardo Alvarez Herrera, is the latest move in an escalating diplomatic battle that pits the United States against two of Latin America's leftist leaders. It comes a day after Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez announced that he was expelling the U.S. ambassador to Venezuela, Patrick Duddy. Chavez also said he was recalling the Venezuelan ambassador from the United States. "He has 72 hours, from this moment, the Yankee ambassador in Caracas, to leave Venezuela," Chavez told a crowd of supporters. "When there's a new government in the United States, we'll send an ambassador. A government that respects Latin America." The president said he was making the moves "in solidarity with Bolivia and the people of Bolivia." Bolivian President Evo Morales on Thursday accused the United States of fomenting a coup d'etat by rich eastern department landowners against him, and he called for the U.S. ambassador to leave for allegedly encouraging those protesters. For the past two weeks, the demonstrators in the country's richer eastern lowlands have been protesting Morales' plans to redistribute the country's natural gas revenues. "Without fear of anyone, without fear of the empire, today before you, before the Bolivian people, I declare the ambassador of the United States persona non grata," Morales said Wednesday of Ambassador Philip Goldberg in a nationally televised speech. The United States called the allegations baseless and kicked out the Bolivian ambassador Thursday. The Bolivians "made it very clear what their intention was and we took them at their word," McCormack said Friday. "We take President Chavez at his word in this particular case, and we have reacted appropriately." Before expelling the U.S. diplomat from his country, Chavez also said Thursday that he had uncovered a U.S.-backed plot to remove him from power. "It's the empire that's behind this," he told supporters in a televised address. "They go around looking for a way to stop our revolution and, with it, to strike all the processes of change that are occurring in our Americas, in the Caribbean, in Central America." Chavez then played a four-minute tape of what he said were conversations among current and retired members of the Venezuelan military discussing whom they could count on to support a movement against the presidential palace. He said also that the presence of two Russian warplanes on Venezuelan soil for a training exercise "is a warning" to the rest of the world that Venezuela's allies include Russia.

Question: Who is expelling the US ambassador?

Question: Who acussed the Venezuelans of aiding Colombian rebels?

Question: Who is the Venezuelan president?

Question: What ambassador is being expelled by Chavez?

Question: Who moved on the Venezuelan ambassador?

Question: What's then name of the Venezuelan President?

Question: What does the U.S. Treasury accuse Venezualans of?

Question: Where was the U.S. ambassador expelled to?

Question: What does the U.S. Treasury Department accuse Venezuelans of doing?

Question: Who is the US in an escalating diplomatic war with?

Answer: Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez

Answer: U.S. Treasury Department

Answer: Hugo Chavez

Answer: U.S.

Answer: The United States

Answer: Hugo Chavez

Answer: of assisting leftist rebels in the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, with narcotics trafficking.

Answer: Venezuela,

Answer: assisting leftist rebels

Answer: Venezuela,

Summary:
U.S. move on Venezuelan ambassador follows similar action by Caracas .
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez expelling the U.S. ambassador to Venezuela .
U.S. Treasury Department also accuses Venezuelans of aiding Colombian rebels .
U.S. in escalating diplomatic battle with Venezuelan, Bolivian leaders .


WASHINGTON (CNN)  -- The United States on Tuesday imposed financial sanctions on an Iran-based company that it said is a cover for North Korea's missile proliferation network, the Department of the Treasury announced. Hong Kong Electronics in Kish Island, Iran, was added to the list of "designated proliferators of weapons of mass destruction and their supporters" for working with two others already on the list: North Korea's Tanchon Commercial Bank and the Korea Mining Development Trading Corp. (KOMID), according to a Treasury news release. The designation under Executive Order 13382 freezes any U.S. assets of Hong Kong Electronics and prohibits any transactions with the company by U.S. individuals, companies or financial institutions, the statement said. "North Korea uses front companies like Hong Kong Electronics and a range of other deceptive practices to obscure the true nature of its financial dealings, making it nearly impossible for responsible banks and governments to distinguish legitimate from illegitimate North Korean transactions," said Stuart Levey, the undersecretary for terrorism and financial intelligence at the Treasury. "Today's action is a part of our overall effort to prevent North Korea from misusing the international financial system to advance its nuclear and missile programs and to sell dangerous technology around the world." The Treasury statement alleged that Hong Kong Electronics has transferred millions of dollars of proliferation-related funds on behalf of Tanchon and KOMID since 2007. It also accused Hong Kong Electronics of facilitating the movement of money from Iran to North Korea on behalf of KOMID. Tanchon, a commercial bank based in Pyongyang, North Korea, is the financial arm for KOMID, which the Treasury statement described as North Korea's premier arms dealer and main exporter of goods and equipment related to ballistic missiles and conventional weapons. Both Tanchon and KOMID were previously subjected to sanctions under Executive Order 13382 and sanctioned by the U.N. Security Council, according to the Treasury statement. It said both also had ties with other sanctioned entities, including Iran's Shahid Hemmat Industrial Group, which it called the Iranian organization responsible for developing liquid-fueled missiles.

Question: What did Hong Kong Electronics call a cover for?

Question: Who called for a cover of NK's missile proliferation network?

Question: What is the Treasury's goal?

Answer: North Korea's missile proliferation network,

Answer: The United States

Answer: to prevent North Korea from misusing the international financial system to advance its nuclear and missile programs and to sell dangerous technology around the world."

Summary:
Hong Kong Electronics called a cover for North Korea's missile proliferation network .
U.S. Treasury says company's U.S. assets frozen, transactions in U.S. prohibited .
It says company worked with bank, arms dealer tied to other sanctioned entities .
Goal is to stop misuse of financial system to advance arms programs, Treasury says .


WASHINGTON (CNN)  -- The United States temporarily closed its government facilities in South Africa on Tuesday after a "possible threat" to its embassy, the U.S. State Department said. The U.S. Consulate in Johannesburg, South Africa, is among the American facilities closed Tuesday. The U.S. Embassy in Pretoria and other government offices in South Africa will remain closed Wednesday as the security threat is being monitored, embassy spokeswoman Sharon Hudson-Dean said. State Department spokesman Ian Kelly said the action was a precaution. "We are ... notifying the American community in South Africa to remain vigilant," Kelly said. "We are also maintaining close contact with South African authorities on this issue." He had no further details on the "possible threat" to the embassy in Pretoria. A note on the embassy's Web site said all U.S. government facilities in South Africa were temporarily closed following "information recently received" by regional security officials. Kelly said the embassy's Emergency Action Committee met and is formulating an appropriate course of action. CNN's Nkepile Mabuse and Elise Labott contributed to this report.

Question: What are Americans being told to do?

Question: What will be closed an additional day ?

Question: What recommendation are giving to Amercans in South Africa ?

Question: When are they closed?

Question: What are the closing for ?

Question: Where is the U.S. Embassy located?

Answer: remain vigilant,"

Answer: The U.S. Embassy in Pretoria and other government offices in South Africa

Answer: remain vigilant,"

Answer: Tuesday.

Answer: "possible threat" to its embassy,

Answer: in Pretoria

Summary:
NEW: U.S. Embassy in Pretoria, other offices will be closed additional day .
U.S. State Department spokesman calls temporary closings a precaution .
Americans in South Africa told to remain "vigilant"


WASHINGTON (CNN)  -- The Veterans Administration's handling of disability claims has seen improvements and setbacks, a congressional watchdog said Wednesday. Sen. Daniel Akaka says, "Our goal is to provide veterans with accurate and timely resolution to their cases." "Over the past several years, VA disability claims workloads at both the initial and appellate levels have improved in some areas and worsened in others," the Government Accountability Office said in a report. The Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee asked the GAO to present its preliminary findings on the processing of disability claims, which were under discussion at a committee hearing. "Our goal is to provide veterans with accurate and timely resolution to their cases," said Sen. Daniel Akaka, D-Hawaii, the committee's chairman. Ranking member Sen. Richard Burr, R-North Carolina, said, "For the men and women who have served and sacrificed for our nation, they deserve a system that meets their needs without hassles or delays." Along with a GAO representative, the hearing invited testimony from the Pentagon and the Department of Veterans Affairs, a professor and an official from the Disabled American Veterans. The GAO report said the number of initial claims the VA annually completes has increased from the 1999 to 2008 fiscal years. But it says the number of pending claims at year's end has grown during the same time period. The review cites "increases in disability claims received, growing complexity of claims, court decisions and changes in regulation." There have been mixed results for claims workloads at the appellate level. The number of resolved claims has increased from 2003 to 2008, but it took an average 96 days longer to resolve appeals during that same time period. "One factor that affects workloads at the appellate level is the submission of new evidence or claims that must be evaluated," the report said. The report said the VA has worked to improve the handling of claims but said the results of those efforts "is not yet known." It mentions an increase in staff from 2005 to 2009, "which has helped to increase the total number of decisions VA issues annually." At the same time, training and staff integration challenges could cause a "short-term" decline in productivity "In addition, VA has established 15 resource centers to which it redistributes claims and appeals for processing from backlogged regional offices. Although VA has not collected data to evaluate the effect of its workload redistribution efforts, these efforts may ultimately increase the timeliness and consistency of VA's decisions," the report said. The VA is starting a pilot program with the Pentagon "to perform joint disability evaluations that has the potential to streamline the disability process for prospective veterans." The VA also is reviewing other potential programs -- "targeting certain claims for fast-track processing and leveraging technology."

Question: Who has led to increase?

Question: What happened with the number of claims?

Question: Who has seen improvements?

Question: What happened with handling claims?

Question: What has seen improvvements?

Answer: Sen. Daniel Akaka

Answer: has increased

Answer: The Veterans Administration's

Answer: has seen improvements

Answer: The Veterans Administration's handling of disability claims

Summary:
VA's handling of disability claims has seen improvements, setbacks, review finds .
Government Accountability Office presents findings at Senate panel hearing .
Number of pending claims at year's end has grown, GAO report says .
Report: Larger staff has led to increase in number of decisions VA issues annually .


WASHINGTON (CNN)  -- The Watergate Hotel, part of a complex that became synonymous with President Richard Nixon's downfall, attracted no bids at an auction Tuesday. The Watergate Hotel will most likely have to be sold privately after not attracting bids at auction. According to Paul Cooper, vice president of Alex Cooper Auctioneers, some 10 bidders ready to provide a $1 million deposit were registered for the auction. But the hotel fell back into the hands of its lender, PB Capital, after no one advanced the $25 million opening bid, the auction company said. The auction was sponsored by PB Capital, which holds a $40 million note on the hotel after the previous owner, Monument Reality, defaulted on its loan. Monument's 30-day foreclosure note expired Thursday. Cooper said PB Capital will most likely sell the hotel privately after it takes over the title and will not try to operate the hotel itself. On the night of June 17, 1972, the hotel served as a base for an illegal break-in by operatives of the Nixon re-election campaign at the offices of the Democratic National Committee, located in the Watergate office building next door. Some of the burglars and their handlers, whose arrests began the investigation that led, two years later, to Nixon's resignation, actually stayed at the Watergate hotel prior to the break-in. Among the hotel guests were former FBI agent G. Gordon Liddy, and former CIA operative Howard Hunt, both of whom later served prison time as a result of the Watergate break-in. Developers estimate the hotel could need up to $100 million in renovations. The Watergate complex was built in the late 1960s and consists of the hotel, two office buildings, and three apartment buildings. Only the hotel building was up for auction Tuesday. It closed two years ago for renovations, and possible conversions into co-op apartments.

Question: When will PB Capital likely sell the hotel?

Question: What will PB Capital do after it takes over the title?

Question: What did Nixons operatives do?

Question: What was the hotel a base for?

Question: Who is the lender?

Question: Name the lender?

Question: What did the hotel fall back to?

Question: The operatives were part of whose campaign?

Question: What will PB Capital do with the hotel?

Answer: after it takes over the title

Answer: sell the hotel privately

Answer: break-in

Answer: an illegal

Answer: PB Capital,

Answer: PB Capital,

Answer: PB Capital,

Answer: Nixon re-election

Answer: sell the

Summary:
Hotel falls back into the hands of its lender, PB Capital .
PB Capital will most likely sell the hotel privately after it takes over the title .
Hotel was a base for a break-in by operatives of the Nixon re-election campaign .


WASHINGTON (CNN)  -- The commander of a U.S. Navy submarine that collided with another Navy ship last month has been relieved of duty, according to a U.S. Navy statement issued Tuesday. The submarine USS Hartford and amphibious ship USS New Orleans are shown in Navy photos. U.S. Navy Cmdr. Ryan Brookhart was relieved by his superior officer, who cited a loss of confidence in his ability to command, according to the statement. While the investigation into the collision is still ongoing, Brookhart's commander, Rear Adm. Michael J. Connor, decided there was enough evidence to remove him from his leadership position. Brookhart has been reassigned to administrative duty in Bahrain. Cmdr. Chris Harkins, deputy commander of Submarine Squadron Eight, based in Norfolk, Virginia, has taken over as commander of the USS Hartford, according to Navy officials. Brookhart was in command of the Hartford, a nuclear-powered submarine, when it collided with the USS New Orleans (LPD 18) on March 20 in the Strait of Hormuz. Fifteen sailors aboard the Hartford were slightly hurt in the incident, and both vessels suffered extensive damage, according to U.S. Navy officials. The submarine also punched a hole in the fuel tank of the New Orleans, causing thousands of gallons of fuel to pour from the ship. When the incident occurred, both vessels were headed to ports in the Persian Gulf to stock up on provisions and allow for some recreation, Navy officials said. There were about 200 sailors in the sub and 1,000 sailors and Marines aboard the ship. The Strait of Hormuz is between the United Arab Emirates and Iran, linking the Gulf of Oman and the Persian Gulf. It is heavily used by oil tankers. Both vessels are on regularly scheduled deployments to the U.S. Navy Central Command area of responsibility and conduct Maritime Security Operations.

Question:
what did the officer cite
where was he assigned
What will happen in Bahrain?
who was assigned in Bahrain

Answer: a loss of confidence in his ability to command,

Answer: to administrative duty in Bahrain.

Answer: Brookhart has been reassigned to administrative duty in

Answer: U.S. Navy Cmdr. Ryan Brookhart

Summary:
Superior officer cited a loss of confidence in removing the Navy commander .
U.S. Navy Cmdr. Ryan Brookhart reassigned to administrative duty in Bahrain .
Fifteen sailors were slightly hurt in the incident; two vessels damaged .


WASHINGTON (CNN)  -- The confirmation of Michael Mukasey as attorney general was all but assured Friday when two key Democratic senators said they will vote in favor of the nominee despite questions about his views on "waterboarding" and the president's power to order electronic surveillance.

Sens. Dianne Feinstein of California and Charles Schumer of New York announced they would support the retired federal judge from New York just hours after the chairman of the Judiciary Committee announced his opposition to the nominee.

Feinstein and Schumer are members of the Senate Judiciary Committee, which is scheduled to vote on the Mukasey nomination Tuesday.

If all the Republican members of the committee also vote for Mukasey, which is expected, his nomination will go before the full Senate. A leading Democrat, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Wednesday Mukasey is likely to be confirmed if his nomination passes the Judiciary Committee.

Schumer had praised the nomination of Mukasey as a consensus candidate when the president announced Mukasey as his choice to replace former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales. Gonzales gave up the post in September.

"This is an extremely difficult decision," Schumer said.

"When an administration so political, so out of touch with the realities of governing and so contemptuous of the rule of law is in charge, we are never left with an ideal choice. Judge Mukasey is not my ideal choice. However, Judge Mukasey, whose integrity and independence is respected even by those who oppose him, is far better than anyone could expect from this administration."

A number of Democratic senators, however, have said they will oppose Mukasey because of questions about his views on the interrogation technique called "waterboarding" and the president's power to order electronic surveillance.

Waterboarding involves restraining a suspect and using water to produce the sensation of drowning.

Mukasey told senators this week that he finds waterboarding "repugnant," but he could not answer whether the technique amounts to torture.

While saying "serious questions have been raised about Judge Mukasey's views on torture and on separation of powers," Feinstein said she would support the nominee because the Justice Department needed fresh leadership.

"First and foremost, Michael Mukasey is not Alberto Gonzales. Rather, he has forged an independent life path as a practitioner of the law and a federal judge in the Southern District of New York.

"I believe that Judge Mukasey is the best we will get and voting him down would only perpetuate acting and recess appointments, allowing the administration to avoid the transparency that confirmation hearings provide and diminish effective oversight by Congress."

Just hours before Feinstein and Schumer announced their decisions, Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vermont, announced he would vote against the Mukasey nomination.  Watch Sen. Leahy explain why he can't support the Mukasey nomination »

"No American should need a classified briefing to determine whether waterboarding is torture," Leahy said. "Waterboarding was used at least as long ago as the Spanish Inquisition. We prosecuted Japanese war criminals for waterboarding after World War II.

"I am eager to restore strong leadership and independence to the Department of Justice. I like Michael Mukasey. I wish that I could support his nomination. But I cannot. America needs to be certain and confident of the bedrock principle -- deeply embedded in our laws and our values -- that no one, not even the president, is above the law."

President Bush demanded the Senate confirm Mukasey during a speech Thursday at the Heritage Foundation, an influential conservative think tank.

"In a time of war, it's vital for the president to have a full national security team in place," the president said.

The president has equated asking Mukasey about his opinion of waterboarding with asking him about the CIA-run interrogation program, whose details are classified.

Bush said the program does not violate U.S. bans on torture, but added that Mukasey "does not want an uninformed opinion to be taken by our professional interrogators in the field as placing them in legal jeopardy."

But Leahy said "Judge Mukasey was not asked to evaluate any secret 'facts and circumstances

Question: Who has endoresed Mukasey?

Question: When is the vote?

Question: Is Mukasey's nomination expected to pass the Judiciary Committee?

Question: Who says he will not vote to confirm Michael Mukasey?

Question: What party is Sen. Leahy?

Question: Who is in the Judiciary Committee?

Question: Who said they will vote for a nominee?

Question: Who says they'll vote for attorney general nominee?

Question: Is there a reason why Sen. Patrick Leahy won't vote?

Question: Who is nominated?

Question: What day is the committee scheduled to vote on?

Question: When is the committee scheduled to vote on the nomination?

Question: Who will not vote for Mukasey?

Question: Who is the attorney general nominee?

Question: Will Sen. Leahy vote to confirm Mukasey?

Question: what will the committee vote for?

Question: What was the outcome of the committee's decision?

Question: Who is Michael Mukasey

Question: When will the vote take place?

Question: Who will vote for the nominee?

Answer: Sens. Dianne Feinstein of California and Charles Schumer of New York

Answer: Tuesday.

Answer: all but assured

Answer: Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vermont,

Answer: D-Vermont,

Answer: Schumer

Answer: Democratic senators

Answer: Charles Schumer

Answer: he can't support the Mukasey nomination

Answer: Michael Mukasey

Answer: Tuesday.

Answer: Tuesday.

Answer: A number of Democratic senators,

Answer: Michael Mukasey

Answer: Patrick

Answer: confirmation of Michael Mukasey as attorney general

Answer: The confirmation of Michael Mukasey as attorney general

Answer: attorney general

Answer: Friday

Answer: Sens. Dianne Feinstein of California and Charles Schumer of New York

Summary:
NEW: Feinstein, Schumer say they'll vote for attorney general nominee .
Michael Mukasey's nomination now expected to pass Judiciary Committee .
Sen. Patrick Leahy says he will not vote to confirm Michael Mukasey .
Committee scheduled to vote on nomination on Tuesday .


WASHINGTON (CNN)  -- The contentious debate over so-called enhanced interrogation techniques took center stage Wednesday on Capitol Hill as a former FBI agent involved in the questioning of terror suspects testified that such tactics -- including waterboarding -- are ineffective. From left: Sens. Lindsey Graham, Sheldon Whitehouse,

Patrick Leahy and Dianne Feinstein listen Wednesday. Ali Soufan, an FBI special agent from 1997 to 2005, told members of a key Senate Judiciary subcommittee that such "techniques, from an operational perspective, are ineffective, slow and unreliable and harmful to our efforts to defeat al Qaeda." Soufan's remarks followed heated exchanges between committee members with sharply differing views on both the value of the techniques and the purpose of the hearing. Soufan, who was involved in the interrogation of CIA detainee Abu Zubaydah, took issue with former Vice President Dick Cheney, who has said that enhanced interrogation techniques helped the government acquire intelligence necessary to prevent further attacks after September 11, 2001. The techniques, which the Bush administration approved, are considered torture by many critics.  Watch analysts discuss harsh interrogations and torture » "From my experience -- and I speak as someone who has personally interrogated many terrorists and elicited important actionable intelligence -- I strongly believe that it is a mistake to use what has become known as the 'enhanced interrogation techniques,' " Soufan noted in his written statement. Such a position is "shared by many professional operatives, including the CIA officers who were present at the initial phases of the Abu Zubaydah interrogation." Soufan told the committee that within the first hour of his interrogation of Zubaydah, the suspected terrorist provided actionable intelligence. But once the CIA contractors took over and used harsh methods, Zubaydah stopped talking, Soufan said. When Soufan was asked to resume questioning, Zubaydah cooperated. After another round of more coercive techniques used by the contractors, however, Soufan said it was difficult for him to re-engage Zubaydah. One of four recently released Bush administration memos showed that CIA interrogators used waterboarding at least 266 times on Zubaydah and Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, the suspected planner of the September 11 attacks. "People were given misinformation, half-truths and false claims of successes; and reluctant intelligence officers were given instructions and assurances from higher authorities," Soufan testified. "I wish to do my part to ensure that we never again use these ... techniques instead of the tried, tested and successful ones -- the ones that are also in sync with our values and moral character. Only by doing this will we defeat the terrorists as effectively and quickly as possible."  Watch as Soufan makes his case before the panel » Soufan was hidden behind a protective screen during his testimony before the Judiciary Committee's Subcommittee on Administrative Oversight and the Courts. Staffers for the committee cited "documented threats" against him, noting his previous interaction with al Qaeda terrorists as well as his undercover work against Islamic extremists. Philip Zelikow, who was a top aide to former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, repeated an accusation during the hearing that Bush officials ordered his memo arguing against waterboarding to be destroyed. The order, "passed along informally, did not seem proper, and I ignored it," Zelikow said. He said that his memo has been in State Department files and is being reviewed for possible declassification. Zelikow slammed the "collective failure" behind the government's adoption of "an unprecedented program of coolly calculated dehumanizing abuse and physical torment to extract information. This was a mistake, perhaps a disastrous one." He added that some "may believe that recent history, even since 2005, shows that America needs an elaborate program of indefinite secret detention and physical coercion in order to protect the nation. ... If they are right, our laws must change and our country must change. I think they are wrong."  Watch Zelikow tell CNN's Kiran Chetry how U.S. leaders came to the wrong conclusions on interrogation policy » Committee Republicans warned that the hearing ultimately could contribute to diminished national security. "As we harshly judge those who had to make decisions we

Question: what did the republican committee say?

Question: What did Committee Republians say?

Question: Who did the ex-FBI agent take issue with?

Question: Who said "such tactics helped U.S."?

Question: What were people given?

Question: Who OK'd the techniques used?

Question: What could help diminish national security?

Answer: the hearing ultimately could contribute to diminished national security.

Answer: Republicans warned that the hearing ultimately could contribute to diminished national security.

Answer: former Vice President Dick Cheney,

Answer: Vice President Dick Cheney,

Answer: misinformation, half-truths and false claims of successes;

Answer: the Bush administration

Answer: the hearing

Summary:
Committee Republicans say hearing could help diminish national security .
Ali Soufan: "People were given ... half-truths and false claims of successes"
Ex-FBI agent takes issue with Dick Cheney, who says such tactics helped U.S.
The techniques, OK'd by Bush administration, are considered torture by some .


WASHINGTON (CNN)  -- The crew of a commuter plane that crashed outside Buffalo, New York, in February may have responded improperly to signs the plane was stalling, according to details of the investigation released Wednesday.

Only a few pieces of the Continental Connection Dash 8 turboprop were recognizable after the crash.

The crew of Continental Connection Flight 3407 pulled back on the plane's control column when it received a stall warning, pulling the plane upward, an update released by the National Transportation Safety Board revealed. That would have aggravated the situation rather than improving it, according to a veteran pilot contacted by CNN.

But investigators are far from determining the exact cause of the crash, the NTSB said. And Colgan Air, the plane's operator, urged the public not to jump to conclusions.

The Bombardier Dash 8 Q400 crashed into a house about six miles from Buffalo-Niagara International Airport the night of February 12. All 49 people on the plane and one man who was in the house were killed.

The pilot and first officer discussed "significant" ice buildup on the aircraft's windshield and wings before the crash, the cockpit voice recorder revealed. But in an update on the investigation, the NTSB said there is no indication that aircraft's systems failed, or that ice had a significant impact on the plane.

The NTSB said a stall warning device known as a "stick shaker" appears to have behaved properly, activating when the plane's speed dropped to 130 knots (150 mph). At that point, however, "there was a 25-pound pull force on the control column," pulling the plane upward, and data suggests there was a "likely separation of the airflow over the wing" -- meaning the plane had stalled.

"The circumstances of the crash have raised several issues that go well beyond the widely discussed matter of airframe icing," the NTSB's acting chairman, Mark Rosenker, said in a statement on the findings.

In general, when a stick shaker activates, pilots are taught to apply full power and maintain the plane's altitude or lower the nose, a captain for a major airline told CNN.

"What you don't want to do is aggravate the situation," said the pilot, who would not be named because he had not sought approval from his airline. "By pulling it up without adding power, you're aggravating the situation."

The safety board said it intends to investigate "stall recovery training" among other issues at a three-day public hearing it will offer on the crash in mid-May. Doug Moss, a United Air Lines pilot and aerospace consultant, said that appears to be what the NTSB "is really looking at."

"It's easy to build a lot of experience in airline flying without ever getting close to the edges of the envelope," he said.

In a statement issued Wednesday afternoon, Colgan Air said the NTSB data does not pinpoint a cause, and its crews "are prepared to handle emergency situations they might face."

"We stand by our FAA-certified crew training programs which meet or exceed the regulatory requirements for all major airlines and include training on emergency situations," the Virginia-based carrier said. Colgan Air said it is "cooperating thoroughly" with the investigation.

"The only absolute fact is that we do not know the cause of this accident," it said.

Information released Wednesday appears to count out one possibility that was the subject of speculation after the crash: a stall induced by ice on the aircraft's tail. Pilots say those stalls are particularly insidious because pilots cannot see the tail wings and because the recovery procedure is the opposite of a main-wing stall -- tail-wing stalls generally are overcome by raising the plane's nose.

The NTSB said that toxicology tests of the flight crew were negative for alcohol or illicit substances. The captain tested positive for diltiazem, a prescription blood pressure medication the Federal Aviation Administration had permitted him to use.

At the board's hearing in May, the NTSB will look into a number

Question:
How many were killed
What month did this accident occur?
What city were they killed near?
What did pilot tell CNN?
What shouldn't public do?

Answer: 49

Answer: February

Answer: Buffalo,

Answer: That would have aggravated the situation rather than improving it,

Answer: not to jump to conclusions.

Summary:
NEW: Plane's operator: Cause still not known; public shouldn't jump to conclusions .
NTSB: Crew pulled back on control column after stall warning .
A pilot tells CNN that move would have aggravated the situation .
All 49 aboard, plus 1 in house, were killed in February crash near Buffalo, New York .


WASHINGTON (CNN)  -- The director of Federal Emergency Management Agency on Sunday defended giving away an estimated $85 million in hurricane relief supplies, blaming Louisiana officials for turning down the stockpiles. A New Orleans charity keeps goods in trash bags in an empty church. FEMA never told it about the free items. "We still have quite a few left if Louisiana needs those," David Paulison said. "But we did find out, we did ask Louisiana, 'Do you want these?' They said, 'No, we don't need them.' So we offered them to the other states." A CNN investigation revealed last week that FEMA gave away 121 truckloads of material the agency amassed after 2005's Hurricane Katrina. The material was declared surplus property and offered to federal and state agencies -- including Louisiana, where groups working to resettle hurricane victims say the supplies are still needed. Paulison told CNN's "Late Edition with Wolf Blitzer" his agency distributed more than 90,000 "living kits" to people in Louisiana whose homes were destroyed or damaged by Katrina. The kits included cleaning supplies, mops, brooms, pots and pans. After CNN reported on the giveaway, Louisiana officials asked that the supplies be redirected to the state, which originally passed on them. John Medica, director of the Louisiana's Federal Property Assistance Agency, told CNN he was unaware Katrina victims still needed the items because no agency had contacted his office. Sen. Mary Landrieu of Louisiana, an outspoken critic of FEMA's response to the hurricane, told CNN the supply giveaway was "just a shame." "It's just another example of the failings of the federal bureaucracy," said Landrieu, who wrote Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff last week to request an explanation. "We're still trying to fix it. It's going to take a lot more work." Paulison said much of the stockpile included "things we don't normally store -- refrigerators, stoves, coolers, diapers, things like that." States, meanwhile, were requesting those items, he said. "It didn't make any sense for FEMA to sit on this much stuff and supplies we normally don't even keep. We have plenty of supplies in place if we have another disaster. We can duplicate that type of commodities and get them for people in need," he said. The agency's chief spokesman, James McIntyre, had declined a request for an on-camera interview and told CNN the giveaway was "not news." Paulison said the story "just really missed the mark" -- that the supplies given away were not exclusively for Katrina victims, but were "donated from disasters all around the entire country." But e-mails from McIntyre and from the General Services Administration, which manages federal property, contradict Paulison's account. In an e-mail sent in April, McIntyre told CNN "in many cases, items were purchased in the field by FEMA." And in a phone interview with CNN, McIntyre said, "That is property that was purchased in response to Katrina. We purchased most of that equipment because of the catastrophic nature of that disaster." General Services Administration spokeswoman Viki Reath wrote the supplies given away were "surplus from the Katrina and [hurricane] Rita disasters... some purchased by FEMA, some donated by foreign countries and federal government agencies." McIntyre said FEMA's storage costs were running more than $1 million a year, and that GSA officials wanted to tear down the Fort Worth, Texas, warehouses in which the stockpiles were being kept. CNN's Abbie Boudreau and Scott Zamost contributed to this report.

Question: when the CNN story was revealed?

Question: When did Katrina happen?

Question: What kind of property were the Katrina supplies  declared?

Question: what FEMA chief says?

Question: What kind of supplies were given away?

Question: What number of truckloads did FEMA give away?

Question: What state did the FEMA chief say didn't want the supplies?

Question: What does FEMA stand for?

Answer: last week

Answer: 2005's

Answer: surplus

Answer: to sit on this much stuff and supplies we normally don't even keep.

Answer: hurricane relief

Answer: 121

Answer: Louisiana,

Answer: Federal Emergency Management Agency

Summary:
NEW: FEMA chief: Louisiana said it didn't want the supplies .
CNN story revealed last week that FEMA gave away 121 truckloads of supplies .
Katrina supplies were declared surplus property, offered to federal, state agencies .


WASHINGTON (CNN)  -- The family of a retired FBI agent who was reported missing in Iran two years ago said Monday that they remain hopeful for his return. Photos from Robert Levinson's family show him in 2006, left, and as he might look today. Monday marks the second anniversary of the disappearance of Robert Levinson, a father of seven children and grandfather of two. "After two years of constantly praying for his return, we continue to anxiously await word of his whereabouts," said Christine Levinson, the missing man's wife, in a statement. "Two years [have passed] since our seven children and I last heard his voice, saw his warm, loving smile, and since we last hugged him hello or kissed him goodbye," she said. Tuesday will be Levinson's 61st birthday. Levinson disappeared during a business trip to Iran's Kish Island in 2007. Iranian authorities have said repeatedly that they do not know what might have happened to him, but the claim is widely doubted in the United States. "Since that day our family has been living a nightmare," Christine Levinson said. "This has brought so much darkness to our lives." Christine Levinson released a computer-enhanced photograph showing what the family thinks Bob Levinson may look like today. The State Department has consistently denied Levinson was working for the U.S. government and has unsuccessfully pressed Tehran for information about his whereabouts. "We reiterate our commitment to determining Mr. Levinson's welfare and whereabouts, and reuniting him with his family," acting State Department spokesman Robert Wood said in a statement on Sunday. Congressional reaction in Levinson's home state of Florida has been more pointed. "On several diplomatic occasions when Bob Levinson's name has been brought up to Iranian officials, the standard answer is, 'We don't know anything about that.' But the next thing out of the Iranian officials' mouths are to discuss the matter of the Iranians held by the Americans in Irbil, Iraq," Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Florida, told reporters last month. "You can draw your own conclusions," he said. U.S. troops arrested five Iranians accused of being members of an elite Iranian military unit during a January 2007 raid in the Iraqi city of Irbil. The Iranians were accused of supporting Shiite militias in Iraq, but Iran said they were diplomats and accused the United States of violating international law by raiding a consulate. Nelson and Rep. Robert Wexler, D-Florida, have said they plan to introduce legislation in their respective chambers calling on Iran to cooperate with the United States and come up with information about Levinson. Levinson had been working as a private investigator in Dubai. He was last heard from on March 8, 2007, when he checked into a Kish Island hotel and then checked out to return to the United States the following day. Wexler has said Levinson never arrived at the airport for his flight home. In December 2007, Levinson's wife and other relatives traveled to Iran and met with officials. Christine Levinson has said the Iranian government was polite and guaranteed her family's security on their trip, but provided no details regarding her husband's whereabouts. "In the past two years, our family's grief has grown to despair," Christine Levinson said. The State Department is asking anyone with information about the case to contact the department or the Levinson family via their Web site, www.helpboblevinson.com. CNN'S Jill Dougherty contributed to this report.

Question: Whose family is "constantly praying for his return," wife says?

Question: Where is the Iranian claim doubted?

Question: What is the name of the family?

Question: What are Robert Levinson's family praying for?

Question: Where did Levinson disappear from?

Question: Who says they have no knowledge?

Answer: Robert Levinson's

Answer: in the United

Answer: Levinson,

Answer: his return,

Answer: a business trip to Iran's Kish Island

Answer: Iranian authorities

Summary:
Robert Levinson's family "constantly praying for his return," wife says .
Levinson disappeared two years ago during trip to Iranian island .
Iranians say they have no knowledge of missing man's whereabouts .
Iranian claim is widely doubted in the United States .


WASHINGTON (CNN)  -- The federal government has released to CNN more than 100 photographs of a Halloween party that temporarily threatened to derail the nomination of a top Department of Homeland Security official. ICE chief Julie Myers poses with a costume contest winner at the Immigration and Customs Enforcement party. The images included several digital photos that the official had ordered erased because they were deemed to be inappropriate and offensive. At the party, Julie Myers, then-acting chief of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), part of the Department of Homeland Security, gave an award for "most original costume" to an employee wearing prison stripes, a wig with dreadlocks and face-darkening makeup. Immediately after posing for a photo with the winner, Myers later told Congress, she recognized that she made an error in judgment and ordered the photos deleted from the camera. Myers said she did not know the employee was wearing skin makeup, but ordered the photos destroyed because she did not think that "recognizing an escaped prisoner in any way was beneficial to the agency's goal of treating everyone in our custody with dignity and respect." This week, in response to the Freedom of Information Act request filed by CNN on November 6, ICE released 113 official photographs of the party, including all of the deleted photos, which technicians were able to electronically restore. An ICE spokeswoman denied the photos were suppressed until after Myers' job was secure, saying ICE responded in an "efficient time frame" to the FOIA request. News of the photos' existence infuriated some members of Congress, who said they should have been made aware of them earlier. "It is too bad that these photos surfaced too late to have dealt with her nomination, perhaps, in a different way," said Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Missouri, who last November put a "hold" on Myers' confirmation because of the hubbub.  Watch what congressmen think about party photos » Myers was confirmed on December 20. As an assistant secretary of Homeland Security, she leads ICE, the agency charged with enforcing immigration law in the nation's interior. The agency has more than 15,000 employees, including 6,000 investigators. McCaskill said she believed the photos would have affected the confirmation. "This is such brutally bad judgment that, to me, it indicates that the leadership of this division is flawed," she said. Rep. Bennie Thompson, whose committee oversees ICE, said Wednesday he is upset both by the photos and by ICE's failure to give the photos to Congress in November. "I was satisfied [with Myers' explanations and apology] until I found out that these pictures existed," Thompson said. An ICE spokeswoman denied that there was any intentional effort to mislead Congress. "We had asked that they be destroyed, and as far as we knew, that was the case," spokeswoman Kelly Nantel said. Myers was "frank and honest about every aspect of that situation from the very beginning," she said. An estimated 50 to 75 employees attended the October 31 costume party at ICE headquarters in the District of Columbia. A poster advertising the contest said costumes should be tasteful and "office appropriate." Myers declined to talk to CNN Wednesday, but in written comments to Congress last November, she offered the following account of the incident: She and two other ICE officials served as judges of the costume contest, and she had "very limited interaction" with the employee in the prisoner costume, who "was present at the [judging] table for less than half a minute before he moved on. "I was not aware at the time of the contest that the employee disguised his skin color," she wrote. Nonetheless, after posing for a photo with the employee, she realized it was inappropriate. "Although I did not know that this individual had disguised his race, I determined that I had made an error in judgment in recognizing an escaped prisoner at this party," she wrote, and she instructed her chief of staff to direct the official photographer

Question:
who told photos were destroyed?
what kind of contest did they hold?
Who judged the costume contest?
What did the partygoer dress up as?
what did partygoer used to darken skin?

Answer: Julie Myers,

Answer: costume

Answer: ICE chief Julie Myers

Answer: prison stripes, a wig with dreadlocks and face-darkening makeup.

Answer: face-darkening makeup.

Summary:
Partygoer used make-up to darken skin, went as escaped prisoner .
Acting Immigration chief judged costume contest .
Congress told photos destroyed before Julie Myers' confirmation hearings .
CNN got photos through Freedom of Information Act request .


WASHINGTON (CNN)  -- The federal judge whose husband and mother were slain in their family home in Chicago, Illinois, four years ago was honored Monday by U.S. marshals charged with combating a growing number of threats to the judiciary. Judge Joan Lefkow has advocated improving judicial security since her husband and mother were killed. Judge Joan Lefkow, who eventually returned to the bench, credited the marshals who protect federal judges at work and at home with major improvements in judicial security in the years since her family tragedy. "It's now four years later, and I do see dawn has broken," Lefkow told a crowd of friends and federal officials gathered at the Marshals Service headquarters across the Potomac River from Washington. The improved security -- including home intrusion security systems and coordinated intelligence and threat analysis -- was badly needed, according to both judges and the Marshals Service. The number of threats has increased each year, and is expected to exceed 1,500 this year, up from 1,278 last year. "We've already had 600 inappropriate communications reported in the first months of this year," said Marshals Service spokesman Dave Turner. Whether real threats or hoaxes, every e-mail, phone call, written note and letter -- including some with white powder -- is investigated. The scope and seriousness of the protective effort increased sharply after the Lefkow tragedy. On Tuesday, the Marshals Service dedicated the "Joan Lefkow Conference Room" in the new Threat Management Center to the memory of her slain husband, Michael Lefkow, and mother, Donna Humphrey. Judge Lefkow returned home on February 28, 2005, to find them shot to death. The man authorities said was their killer committed suicide 10 days later when he was stopped by police in Wisconsin. The killer was angry that Judge Lefkow had dismissed his medical malpractice case and he sought revenge, police concluded. U.S. Marshals Director John Clark credits Lefkow's advocacy for better security as the catalyst for dramatic changes. "Because of her courage to speak out and her advocacy for reform in the protection of judges, things started to happen," Clark said. He cited congressional funding for home-intrusion alarms in every judge's residence and a sharp increase in funding to hire more threat investigators, protections specialists, analysts and trainers. The threat management center has been open for more than a year. Deputy marshals in the judicial protection effort attribute a growing number of the threats to disgruntled members of what is known as the sovereign citizenship movement. The movement is a loosely organized network of individuals and groups claiming not to be accountable to the federal government. The movement includes tax protesters, white separatists, zealots of fringe religious groups and desperate individuals lashing out at bankruptcy courts or judges who had wronged them. As a result, some judges have been given around-the-clock protective details by deputy marshals. "While steady progress has been made, we must be ever vigilant and progressive in order to ensure we are providing the best possible protection to our nation's judiciary," Clark said.

Question: How long has it been for Lekkow?

Question: Who is the man the U.S Marshals are honoring?

Question: What was the man angry about who killed the family?

Question: What was the motive behind the murder of the judge's family?

Question: Who do the U.S. Marshals honor?

Answer: four years

Answer: Judge Joan Lefkow

Answer: that Judge Lefkow had dismissed his medical malpractice case and he sought revenge,

Answer: The killer was angry that Judge Lefkow had dismissed his medical malpractice case

Answer: The federal judge whose husband and mother were slain in their family home in Chicago,

Summary:
U.S. Marshals honor federal judge whose husband and mother were killed .
Family killed by man angry at judge's decision to dismiss malpractice case .
Judge Joan Lefkow, marshals have worked to help increase security for judges .
Lefkow: "It's now four years later, and I do see dawn has broken"


WASHINGTON (CNN)  -- The head of ACORN on Tuesday sharply deplored recent videos showing some of the group's workers advising people how to set up a prostitution business. ACORN leader Bertha Lewis defends her group at the National Press Club on Tuesday in Washington. "It made my stomach turn," Bertha Lewis, chief executive officer of ACORN, told reporters at the National Press Club in Washington. "It just made you sick." ACORN workers who did perform their tasks properly "did not deserve to have co-workers who did not live up to their standards," Lewis said. "So yes, I terminated those employees." At the same time, Lewis defended the community organizing group and punched back at widespread criticism, touting the group's efforts in helping poor people in the areas of housing and voting. She backed up the group's legal action in Maryland against the makers of one of the videos. Video, shot with a hidden camera, shows conservative activists posing as a pimp and a prostitute. Lewis said that "we want to hold them accountable" for what she said was breaking the law. Similar videos were made at other ACORN offices. "It is illegal, as Linda Tripp will tell you, to record someone in the state of Maryland without their permission. Just because we were embarrassed by these highly edited tapes, which don't tell the whole story again, and hopefully that will come out, doesn't mean that these people didn't break the law in order to embarrass and attack the organization," Lewis said. Lewis was referring to the former White House employee who recorded conversations with White House intern Monica Lewinsky about her sexual encounters with President Clinton, which ultimately led to his impeachment. ACORN -- which stands for Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now -- was in the headlines during last year's presidential campaign after GOP allegations of falsifying voter registration applicants. Some of its voter registration workers were prosecuted, and some other employees resigned. But after the recent release of videos, the political criticism grew. In the videos, some ACORN workers advised the undercover conservative activists how to set up a prostitution business involving underage, foreign girls. Along with firing employees, ACORN also is conducting an investigation through an independent auditor. The Justice and Treasury departments are investigating the group, too. The U.S. Census Bureau has terminated ACORN's involvement in its public outreach program, both chambers of Congress have voted to deny federal funding to the organization, and several states are looking into ACORN operations. In addition, ACORN suspended tax preparation services it carried out as part of an Internal Revenue Service program. And Bank of America announced it is pulling its funding of an ACORN housing affiliate until it is satisfied that all issues related to the organization have been resolved. Lewis contends the group also has been responsive to allegations that some canvassers falsified voter registration applications and turned in those who falsified voter registration forms. "We were punished for following the law and doing the right thing, and that part of the story was never told," she said. "And so nine months later it finally began to resonate with folks that we had not had one individual who voted fraudulently in the presidential election because of an ACORN registration -- not one Mickey Mouse, not one Donald Duck, not one New York Jet, Giant or any other fraudulent person." One of the shadows over ACORN is an embezzling incident involving Dale Rathke, the brother of ACORN founder Wade Rathke. Lewis acknowledged that the founder's sibling embezzled nearly $1 million from the group. She disputed reports that a subpoena from the Louisiana attorney general's office showed that the amount was up to $5 million. Lewis said the claim is "speculation, "completely false" and not based on any documentation. She attributed the contention to two "disgruntled former board members." Lewis' group works in poor precincts across the country considered Democratic turf. She said e-mails from Karl Rove, when he was Bush's top political adviser, show that ACORN was targeted

Question: What is the name of the spokesperson?

Question: What does ACORN claim to have done about the workers in the videos?

Question: Who defended the community organising group at the National Press Club?

Question: What did the ACORN workers advise undercover conservatives on?

Question: Who got fired in the videos?

Question: What is ACORN being forced to defend?

Question: What did ACORN leader do?

Answer: Bertha Lewis

Answer: terminated those employees."

Answer: ACORN leader Bertha Lewis

Answer: how to set up a prostitution business.

Answer: ACORN workers

Answer: recent videos showing some of the

Answer: deplored recent videos

Summary:
ACORN leader defends community organizing group at National Press Club .
Some ACORN workers advised undercover conservatives on prostitution in videos .
ACORN's Bertha Lewis says group targeted due to its voter registration efforts .
Lewis: ACORN has responded properly to allegations, fired workers in videos .


WASHINGTON (CNN)  -- The man charged with murder in the shooting death of a guard at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum was denied bail Wednesday and will undergo psychiatric testing against his will. "Your Constitution guarantees me a speedy and fair trial," James von Brunn said from his wheelchair. James von Brunn ignored the advice of the judge and his defense attorney and addressed the court during a hearing to fight any delays as prosecutors press their case. "Your Constitution guarantees me a speedy and fair trial," he said from his wheelchair during the hearing before U.S. District Judge Reginald Walton. But Walton granted the defense request for a mental evaluation, which will take place within the next 30 days at a facility in Butner, North Carolina. Von Brunn, a self-avowed white supremacist, will remain in custody after the judge said there were no conditions for release that would protect the public. Federal prosecutor Nicole Waid said von Brunn is "dangerous because this defendant has nothing to lose," and that he wants to be "a martyr for his cause." Von Brunn's attorney, public defender A.J. Kramer, did not challenge the government's request to deny bail, saying "we don't have any evidence to offer at this time." Kramer also convinced the judge to order a competency exam, which will include observations as to whether von Brunn understands the charges and can assist in his own defense. Prosecutors said four of the charges in the indictment are capital offenses and could mean the death penalty if he is convicted. Waid told the judge the government's evidence is "overwhelming" and includes security camera video from the June 10 attack, in which von Brunn is seen raising a gun and shooting guard Stephen Tyrone Johns, who had opened the door for him. As Johns stumbled back mortally wounded, Waid said, "you can see the defendant fire two more times," before he is shot and wounded by other guards. Also seen on the tape is the weapon being taken from von Brunn's hands, the prosecutor said. During the discussions about psychiatric testing, von Brunn looked at spectators in the courtroom and shook his head as if to say "no," when it became clear he would not be arraigned on the charges unless he is deemed competent. "Mr. von Brunn, I advise that you not speak," the judge said, explaining that his attorney can best represent him. But von Brunn ignored his advice. "I'm a United States citizen, and as a U.S. Naval officer, I swore to protect my country," he said. "I take my vows very seriously." The 89-year-old World War II veteran did not explain his remarks.

Question: What is the shooter's name?

Question: Who was denied bail?

Question: How long does James von Brunn have to get a psychiatric evaluation?

Question: when will the evaluation be done?

Question: What was Von Brunn charged with?

Question: Who was bail denied for?

Question: What did James von Brunn say?

Answer: James von Brunn

Answer: James von Brunn

Answer: 30 days

Answer: within the next 30 days

Answer: murder

Answer: James von Brunn

Answer: "Your Constitution guarantees me a speedy and fair trial,"

Summary:
NEW: Bail denied for accused Holocaust Memorial Museum shooter .
During hearing, James von Brunn says he doesn't want a psychiatric evaluation .
U.S. District Court judge orders an evaluation anyway, within 30 days .
Von Brunn is charged in the death of Holocaust museum guard Stephen Johns .


WASHINGTON (CNN)  -- The nation's largest publicly owned utility company may be vulnerable to cyber attacks, according to a new report. In 2007 President Bush visited the Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant, operated by the Tennessee Valley Authority. The Tennessee Valley Authority, which supplies power to almost 9 million Americans, "has not fully implemented appropriate security practices to protect the control systems used to operate its critical infrastructures," leaving them "vulnerable to disruption," the Government Accountability Office found. Simply put, that means a skilled hacker could disrupt the system and cause a blackout. Rep. James Langevin, a Rhode Island Democrat, fears the problem is much larger than just the TVA. "If they are not secure, I don't have a great deal of confidence that the rest of our critical infrastructure on the electric grid is secure," he said. The TVA operates 52 nuclear, hydroelectric and fossil-fuel facilities in the southeastern United States. Among the government watchdog agency findings: • The TVA's firewalls have been bypassed or are inadequately configured • Passwords are not effective • Servers and work stations lack key patches and effective virus protection • Intrusion-detection systems are not adequate • Some locations lack enough physical security around control systems. The GAO recommends 73 steps to correct the problems in its report to Congress. In September, CNN first aired dramatic footage of a government experiment demonstrating that a cyber attack could destroy electrical equipment. The experiment, dubbed "Aurora," caused a generator to fall apart and grind to a halt after a computer attack on its control system. The test was conducted by scientists at the Idaho National Laboratory. In October, the North American Electric Reliability Corp. told Congress that 75 percent of utilities had taken steps to mitigate the Aurora vulnerability, but Langevin said it now appears that Congress was misled. A congressional audit of the electric reliability corporation's claim cast doubt on the assertion that most utilities were taking steps to fix the problem. "It appears that they just made those numbers up," Langevin said. "It is not acceptable. It is outrageous." He said the result is there is now no clear picture of how vulnerable utilities are to cyber attacks. The electric reliability corporation -- a nongovernmental group that oversees the power system and comprises members of the industry and some consumers -- told CNN it regrets the confusion. Experts told CNN that Cooper Industries is the only manufacturer of hardware that can close the Aurora vulnerability. The company estimated it would need to sell about 10,000 devices to fix the problem nationwide. It has sold just over 100, it told CNN. Langevin said the federal government may need new powers to require utilities to take corrective actions to close cyber security gaps, and he will press to give those powers to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. The congressman is chairing an Emerging Threats, Cybersecurity, and Science and Technology subcommittee hearing Wednesday afternoon. Representatives of the TVA, the GAO, the federal commission and the electric reliability corporation are to appear before the subcommittee.

Question: Who can disrupt the Tennessee Valley Authority?

Question: What was Congress told?

Question: TVA supplies power to how many Americans?

Question: What does the TVA do?

Question: Who caused the blackouts?

Question: What did representative say?

Question: What percentage of utilities were fixed to combat attacks?

Answer: skilled hacker

Answer: 75 percent of utilities had taken steps to mitigate the Aurora vulnerability,

Answer: almost 9 million

Answer: supplies power to almost 9 million Americans,

Answer: a skilled hacker

Answer: "If they are not secure, I don't have a great deal of confidence that the rest of our critical infrastructure on the electric grid is secure,"

Answer: 75 percent

Summary:
A hacker could disrupt Tennessee Valley Authority system, causing blackouts .
TVA supplies power to almost 9 million Americans .
Congress was told 75 percent of utilities fixed problems to combat attacks .
Representative: no clear picture of how vulnerable utilities are to cyber attacks .


WASHINGTON (CNN)  -- The struggle over health care reform intensified Thursday as President Obama sought to build on what administration officials hoped was new momentum generated by his prime-time address to Congress. In his address to Congress on Wednesday, President Obama pushed for the government to help the uninsured. Republican leaders ripped the president's Wednesday night speech, arguing that he had botched a unique opportunity to build bipartisan consensus and offer specifics on his long-awaited plan. "Now is the time to act," Obama told an audience near the White House. "We have talked this issue to death. ... The time for talk is winding down. The time for bickering is past." The president was joined by representatives of the American Nurses Association, which has strongly endorsed the passage of a healthcare bill incorporating the president's ideas. Obama repeated several reform principles outlined in his Wednesday night address, including the need for all Americans to have access to coverage regardless of pre-existing conditions. He again insisted that his plan will provide "more security and stability to those who have insurance," extend it to those who don't and slow the rate of growth in health care costs. He reiterated his call to cap out-of-pocket costs and create a health insurance exchange in which individuals and small businesses can pool resources to help bargain for lower coverage costs. iReport.com: "Obama's speech lacked courage" Obama has also pushed for the federal government to provide greater financial assistance to those who can't afford insurance. The president's latest call for reform came as the Census Bureau released new data showing that the number of people without health insurance rose from 45.7 million in 2007 to 46.3 million in 2008. All Americans would be required by law to have health insurance under Obama's proposal, which the administration has projected to cost $900 billion over 10 years. The requirement, Obama noted Wednesday night, would be similar to mandatory auto insurance in most states. Businesses would also be required to either offer health care coverage to workers or contribute to covering their costs of obtaining coverage.  CNN's political analysts respond to Obama's speech » Top congressional Republicans declared Thursday that they remain staunchly opposed to Obama's plan. They also accused the president of delivering an intensely partisan speech to Congress that unfairly maligned opponents and distorted basic facts. "I thought the speech was partisan, uninformative, disingenuous and not likely to encourage those who have honest disagreements with him to be able to work toward some kind of common solution," said Senate Minority Whip Jon Kyl, R-Arizona. Kyl complained that Obama had made it tougher to reach common ground by constantly referring to opponents' "unyielding ideological" arguments and "bogus claims." "Nobody can have a disagreement with him based upon a valid difference of opinion," Kyl said. "It's always the other -- the motive of the other individual is a bogus motive." Among other things, Kyl disputed Obama's claims that the Democratic plan won't add to the federal deficit. "He wasn't referring to either the House or Senate bill that have gone through committee, because [the Congressional Budget Office] has projected that both of them have a deficit," he said. "So somehow there's going to be a different bill, which is going to solve that deficit problem, I gather, but we didn't hear any detail about that." Health care legislation has cleared three committees in the House of Representatives, as well as the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee. It is currently under consideration by the Senate Finance Committee. Kyl also took issue with Obama's claim that people will have the option of keeping their current coverage if they like it. "It's not true under the bills. Even if you like your insurance, there's a good chance you won't be able to keep it," Kyl claimed. Democrats and Republicans remain deeply divided over the question of whether to allow for a government-run public health insurance option.

Question: What do Republicans say?

Question: Where was the president while talking?

Question: What did the President say near the White House?

Question: Who is calling for a legislation this year?

Question: What did he follow up with Congress with a call for?

Question: Who are saying Obama is missing opportunities?

Question: What does new data show?

Question: What did republicans say about Obama?

Answer: that they remain staunchly opposed to Obama's plan.

Answer: near the White House.

Answer: "Now is the time to act,"

Answer: American Nurses Association,

Answer: to cap out-of-pocket costs and create a health insurance exchange in which individuals and small businesses can pool resources to help bargain

Answer: Republican leaders

Answer: number of people without health insurance rose from 45.7 million in 2007 to 46.3 million in 2008.

Answer: he had botched a unique opportunity to build bipartisan consensus and offer specifics on his long-awaited plan.

Summary:
NEW: Republicans say Obama missed opportunity to build consensus .
"The time for talk is winding down," president says near White House .
He follows up address to Congress with call for legislation this year .
New data show increase in number of Americans without insurance .


WASHINGTON (CNN)  -- The swine flu virus that has sparked fear and precautions worldwide appears to be no more dangerous than the regular flu virus that makes its rounds each year, U.S. officials said Monday. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said swine flu is no more danerous than the regular flu virus. "What the epidemiologists are seeing now with this particular strain of U.N. is that the severity of the disease, the severity of the flu -- how sick you get -- is not stronger than regular seasonal flu," Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said Monday as the worldwide number of confirmed cases of swine flu -- technically known as 2009 H1N1 virus -- topped 1,080. The flu has been blamed for 26 deaths: 25 in Mexico and one in the United States, according to the World Health Organization. Still, Napolitano noted, the seasonal flu results in "hundreds of thousands of hospitalizations" and roughly 35,000 fatalities each year in the United States. There are still concerns that the virus could return in the fall, in the typical flu season, as a stronger strain. "We are cautiously optimistic that this particular strain will not be more severe than a normal seasonal flu outbreak," Napolitano said.  Watch Napolitano assess the swine flu risk » Napolitano acknowledged claims by health officials in Mexico, the epicenter of the H1N1 outbreak, who believe their cases have peaked and said, "I have no reason to think that is inaccurate." The WHO said there were no immediate plans to raise its alert to the highest level, Phase 6. That designation would mean "that we are seeing continued spread of the virus to countries outside of one region," Assistant Director-General Keiji Fukuda said. "If you are seeing community outbreaks occur in multiple regions of the world, it really tells us if the virus has established itself and that we can expect to see disease in most countries in the world." In the United States, the CDC on Monday reported confirmed 279 cases across 36 states -- 60 more than were confirmed the day before. Several states, including New York and Massachusetts, confirmed dozens more cases Monday that were not immediately added to the CDC tally.  See where the H1N1 virus has spread across the world » Earlier, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal said the CDC "erroneously" doubled the cases in his state. Jindal confirmed his state's total is seven, and the CDC dropped its nationwide count from 286 to 279. Many of the cases are among children; the median age is 16, said Dr. Richard Besser, acting director of the CDC. The youngest confirmed case is a 3-month-old, he said. There are also more than 700 probable cases across 44 states, Besser said. "This likely represents an underestimation of the total number of cases across the country," he said, because not everyone with flu-like symptoms goes to the doctor and gets tested. The numbers are expected to increase. Dr. Anne Schuchat, the CDC's interim deputy director for public health, said Sunday, "We believe we're just on the upswing here." But in Mexico, where the first cases were reported, illnesses may have peaked for now. Mexico City will reopen government offices and restaurants Wednesday, and museums, libraries and churches Thursday as officials cited improvements in the battle against swine flu. Officials said university and secondary students can return to class Thursday while younger students will wait until May 11. In another sign of improving conditions with the H1N1 virus, federal officials lowered the nation's health alert level Monday from red, or "high," to orange, or "elevated." "The measures we have taken, and above all the public's reaction, have led to an improvement," Mexico City Mayor Marcelo Ebrard said at a news conference. "But I insist that the virus is still present, that we need to remain on alert, and the resumption of activities will be little by little, not all at once." The Mexican and Chinese government sent chartered flights to each other's countries

Question: How many confirmed cases are ther ein the US?

Question: When will Mexico City reopen restaurants?

Question: How many U.S. states have confirmed cases?

Question: Which city will open government offices?

Question: What has WHo got no plans to do at the moment

Question: Which city will be re opening restaurants and government buildings on wednesday

Question: How many cases have been confirmed in the United States

Question: What does Janet Napolitano say?

Question: Will WHO raise the alert level to 6?

Answer: 279

Answer: Wednesday,

Answer: 36

Answer: Mexico

Answer: raise its alert

Answer: Mexico

Answer: 279

Answer: swine flu is no more danerous than the regular flu virus.

Answer: no

Summary:
Janet Napolitano: Epidemiologists note severity of swine flu same as regular flu .
Mexico City will reopen government offices and restaurants Wednesday .
WHO has no plans to raise alert level to 6 .
Centers for Disease Control: 286 confirmed cases across 36 states in U.S.