Topic: Illinois
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Where do things stand at Guantánamo? Six basic questions answered.
President Obama this week pledged to “reengage” with Congress to find a way to close the terror detention camp at the Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, naval base. The renewed focus comes as 100 of the 166 detainees are reported to be engaged in a hunger strike. Here is a brief look at where things stand now.
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Presidential libraries: from Boston to Honolulu ... or maybe Chicago
Presidential libraries can be found coast to coast, and may even go beyond that once a site is selected for President Obama's future repository of documents and artifacts. To quickly hopscotch around to the 13 official presidential libraries and museums overseen by the National Archives, plus that of Abraham Lincoln, check out this library list.
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Thanksgiving Day by the numbers: 10 mind-stuffing facts
Data from the Census and other sources provide some numerical insights into Thanksgiving, arguably the most cherished national holiday.
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Hillary Clinton: 10 quotes on her birthday
Here are 10 quotes from Hillary Clinton – politician, public servant, and US Secretary of State.
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Election 2012: top seven super PACs
Decoder profiles the seven top super PACs, the organizations that have spent the most trying to influence the elections – and still have the most money in the bank.
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Powerball jackpot: Largest in history?
Officials predict last-minute sales will push the $600 million jackpot in Saturday night's Powerball lottery upward. The question remains whether these sales will push these possible winnings over the largest jackpot in history, $656 million (set by Mega Millions in March 2012).
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Hearing on IRS: What ousted chief offers, Republicans don't buy
Steven Miller, who resigned as acting IRS head this week, argued that the extra scrutiny for conservative groups amounted to ‘foolish mistakes.’ House Republicans see some problems reaching the White House.
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Why Obama agenda group faces pushback from some Democrats
Organizing for Action, an issue-advocacy group that spun off from President Obama's reelection campaign, is going after some Democrats and competing for fundraising dollars.
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Student loans: Could GOP, White House strike a compromise on interest rates?
The interest rates set for student loans expire July 1 – one year after Congress took action. Now, there’s a growing desire to come up with a longer-term plan.
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Energy Voices Struggling at home, US coal finds markets overseas
Coal companies in the US have been unable to compete with natural gas at home, Alic writes, but overseas this coal market is getting hotter by the minute.
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Gay marriage clears Minnesota House, heads to Senate
If the Minnesota Senate votes to legalize gay marriage next Monday, as expected, it will be the 12th state in the US to offer full marriage equality, following on the heels of Rhode Island and Delaware.
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NBA playoffs: Thunder and Pacers win conf. semifinal opening games
The Indiana Pacers and the Oklahoma City Thunder defeated, respectively, the New York Knicks and Memphis Grizzlies in NBA conference semifinal playoff action Sunday.
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Despite slowing growth, shareholders' faith in Warren Buffett holds strong
At Berkshire Hathaway Inc's annual meeting, investors acknowledged the company's fastest-growing days have probably passed. But shareholders say they are still confident with Warren Buffett and his hand-picked management team at the helm.
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Where do things stand at Guantánamo? Six basic questions answered.
President Obama this week pledged to “reengage” with Congress to find a way to close the terror detention camp at the Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, naval base. The renewed focus comes as 100 of the 166 detainees are reported to be engaged in a hunger strike. Here is a brief look at where things stand now.
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Online sales tax bill hits a potential firewall
A bill aimed at collecting sales tax for online goods has cleared the Senate. However, the House will prove to be a problem as many see the bill as a tax increase – something many Republicans pledged they would not do.
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Chapter & Verse Boston marathon bombing: how it connects Tolstoy, David Foster Wallace
Echoes of one of Tolstoy's great works, inspired by the conflict between Russia and Chechnya, can be found in the final novel by David Foster Wallace.
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Rhode Island's marriage equality strategy a 'recipe' for other states?
Rhode Island is days away from becoming the 10th US state to allow same-sex marriage. The combination of coalition building and old-fashioned politics that got it passed is 'a recipe that could definitely be replicated in other states,' says Speaker of the House Gordon Fox, but opponents credit shifting national attitudes.
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Mayor of Illinois town says five dead in shooting, suspect in custody
Manchester, a small Illinois town north of St. Louis, is rocked by multiple fatalities and one injury as the result of a shooting there, according to the town's mayor.
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The New Economy New home sales climb 1.5 percent, bolstering housing recovery
New home sales improved again in March. Despite a minor slowdown in existing home sales, analysts are optimistic that the US housing recovery is continuing and that home prices will rise.
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Along the Mississippi, river views trump flood protection
Mississippi floods don't have the impact today that they had during the Great Flood of 1993, thanks to better flood walls and levees and thousands of flood-plain homes converted to green space. But in some river towns, flood protection is a non-starter.
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Boston Marathon bombing: the blame game begins
Just days after the Boston Marathon bombing, the political maneuvering and blaming have begun. Some lawmakers fault the FBI for not following up on intelligence about one of the alleged bombers. Others want to prosecute the surviving suspect as an enemy combatant.
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Midwest sees record floods, road closures, runaway barges, and evacuations
After a week of torrential rains, six Midwestern states are struggling with massive flooding. Two Mississippi River bridges and part of the river have been closed as the waters continue to rise.
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Argument over NRA T-shirt gets eighth-grader jailed. Dress code run amok?
A student at a West Virginia middle school was suspended and arrested after a confrontation with a teacher over an NRA T-shirt with a picture of a rifle on it. Public schools have some leeway in setting dress codes, the Supreme Court has found.
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Decoder Wire Gun control: Three ways supporters are carrying on the fight
While gun control proponents may have conceded defeat in the Senate, they insist the war isn’t over. President Obama himself said he saw the defeat as just Round 1.
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Chicago flooding closes airports and highways, opens sinkhole
Chicago flooding opened a sinkhole, shut down expressways, delayed commuter trains, flooded basements, and caused officials to close schools, cancel flights, and evacuate a hospital.
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'Shame on you!' Gun vote shamed by Obama, Giffords, Maisch
'Shame' was the word of the day after the U.S. Senate failed to pass gun control legislation yesterday. A spectator in the gallery yelled out 'Shame on you!' while President Obama referred to the vote as 'pretty shameful' and Rep. Gabby Giffords wrote 'Shame on them' in an op-ed about the senators.
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Decoder Wire After Senate defeats, prospects for gun control shift to states
The failure of the Senate to pass even gun control measures that had overwhelming public support signals that the clout of the gun lobby is powerful enough to block reform on Capitol Hill.
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House passes CISPA bill
The US House of Representatives voted to approve CISPA, the much criticized legislation that aims to protect businesses from cyber attacks.
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Decoder Wire Four reasons the Senate gun control bill may be kaput
The Senate is slated to vote Wednesday on nine gun control provisions, but prospects for passage for several – including expanding background checks to more gun buyers – look dim. Here's why.
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USA Update Suspicious letter for Obama surfaces, after one for senator tests for ricin
The interception of the letters appears to demonstrate the effectiveness of security protocols put into place after the anthrax attacks in 2001. The letter that already tested positive for ricin is undergoing further analysis.
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