Daily Democratic Wire 7-18-2009

George Wenschhof

The passing of journalist Walter Cronkite at the age of 92 is felt by many Americans - he was the news anchor at CBS for 20 years from 1960-1980 and his sign-off phrase "and that's the way it is" became known in every household. He reported on events from the Korean war, WWII, Vietnam, the assassinations of JFK and MLK, to the Apollo landing on the moon. MSNBC.com has a good read here.

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Today, President Barack Obama heads to Camp David for a little R&R - the presidential retreat, located near Thurmont, Maryland is nearby D.C. and a great spot to get away for a day. The president will return to D.C. tomorrow. Last night, he issued a statement on the passing of long time news anchor Walter Cronkite. Time.com has his statement here.

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House Intelligence Committee to investigate C.I.A. - in the wake of the recent disclosure the C.I.A. had a secret program to deploy teams to assassinate al-Queda leaders, Committee Chair Silvestre Reyes (D-Tex.) announced they would investigate if the law had been broken. You can read more here.

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Clinton arrives in Mumbai, India - yesterday, the U.S. Secretary of State signed a condolence book at the Taj Mahal Palace which was one of several luxury hotels targeted by terrorists a year ago. After spending two days in Mumbai, Hillary Clinton will visit New Dehli and then travel to Bangkok, Thailand. CNN.com has more here.

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Implementation of Obama administration plan to help homeowners facing foreclosure proves troublesome - the 50 Billion plan has only reached 160,000 out of the 3-4 million homes it is designed to help. Foreclosures are expected to hit 2 million this year. Politico.com has more here.

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Tina Fey receives Emmy nomination for her portrayal of Sarah Palin - earlier in the week, it was announced that in addition to the record 22 Emmy nominations for her show "30 Rock", she received one for her outstanding imitation of Republican Alaska Governor Sarah Palin. You can watch highlights of her Palin performances here.

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