prompt_front: Now, answer the following question based on the text below, only give me the answer and do not output any other words.

Question: What is the sticking point in the political showdown over the budget?

Read the following text and answer briefly.

Context 1: CNN com - Transcripts
Tensions Boil Over possible government shutdown; New trouble targeting Gadhafi; Libyan Rebels in Panicked Retreat; Should U S  Recognize the Rebels?; Meeting With Gadhafi; Washington, D C  to Feel Burden of Shutdown; Religious Leaders Fast to Protests Cuts for Poor
WOLF BLITZER, HOST: Don, thanks very much 
Happening now, the top U S  general in charge of the military mission in Libya now expressing doubts that the opposition has the manpower to topple Moammar Gadhafi, as deadly new air strikes force rebel fighters into another retreat  This hour, I'll speak with a former Republican Congressman who's in Tripoli right now trying to get Gadhafi to step down 
Also, growing outrage across the United States, amidst new signs tomorrow's potential government shutdown may -- repeat may be unavoidable  Why one lawmaker is telling Congress -- and I'm quoting right now -- "go straight to hell "
And possible presidential hopeful, Donald Trump, on a mission to tell President Obama, "you're fired " We're fact checking his controversial investigation into the president's birth 
Up first, the political showdown over the budget, as tensions reach a boiling point about 31 hours until impending government shutdown  Just hours from now, President Obama will meet with Republican House speaker, John Boehner, and the Democratic Senate majority leader, Harry Reid, for further negotiations  Those talks scheduled to begin 7:00 p m  Eastern 
Hundreds of thousands of people across the country will be impacted by the shutdown  And we'll be bringing you examples throughout the next two hours 
One place it would be felt heavily is right here in Congress' backyard, the city of Washington  Washington, DC -- its spending is tied to the federal budget  And this major metropolitan area could lose millions of dollars while a number of critical services, like trash collection, for example, would be suspended for at least a week 
Today, an enraged Eleanor Holmes, the delegate representing Washington, DC, lit into Congress over the stalemate 
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) ELEANOR HOLMES NORTON (D), D C  DELEGATE: It's one thing to beat up on the District of Columbia  It's another thing drop a bomb on the city  And that's what this Congressional -- C R  does  It takes the route of authoritarian governments and dictatorships by dictating to a local government how it may spend its local funds  And it may force the District of Columbia government to shut down, although our government had a balanced budget 
BLITZER: And get this -- the members of Congress charged with reaching a deal, they'll still be receiving a paycheck if there's a shutdown, despite the hundreds of thousands of government employees who won't be receiving any paychecks  The current Congressional salary, by the way, $174,000 a year 
Our CNN senior Congressional correspondent, Dana Bash, is up on Capitol Hill with the latest developments -- Dana, specifically, where are the sticking points right now?
DANA BASH, CNN SENIOR CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT:
Well, look, Wolf, this is effectively a bill to fund the government  And the sticking points certainly are about how much spending to cut  That's what this whole issue has been about 
However -- however, one of the main issues, I am told, that were just -- that was discussed at the White House meeting this afternoon with the president, the House speaker and the Senate majority leader, was over not necessarily spending measures, but over lightning rod issues like regulating greenhouse gases and abortion 
BASH (voice-over): One of the biggest disagreements is not over government spending, but policy 
REP  JOHN BOEHNER (R-OH), SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE: Some 40 or 50 policy restrictions that were attached to -- to our bill 
BASH: So-called policy riders Republicans call essential and Democrats call nonstarters  The most divisive is over abortion  A GOP plan to cut all federal funding for Planned Parenthood, which provides abortion procedures in addition other women's health services 
SEN  HARRY REID (D-NV), MAJORITY LEADER: This is a budget  This is to keep our country running  This is not a woman's health bill 
BASH: Planned Parenthood staged a rally outside the Capitol to protest 
CECILE RICHARDS, CEO, PLANNED PARENTHOOD: They don't want to allow Planned Parenthood to serve the three million women that we see every single year  Ninety-seven percent of the services Planned Parenthood provides are preventive care 
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I certainly don't think that taxpayers should subsidize abortions  It's -- if a woman chooses to have an abortion, it's legal to do that in this country  But I don't think taxpayers should be put in a position to have to pay for those abortions 
BASH: Another major sticking point -- how much spending to cut  A Democratic source tells CNN they have finally tentative agreement on slashing $34 5 billion from the rest of this year's budget  But a Republican source says there's no deal 
BOEHNER: There is no agreement on the number  There are no agreement on the policy issues that are contained with it 
BASH: Then there's the critical issue of what programs and agencies to cut  Democrats say they're trying to find spending cuts with the least impact on those who need it most  So they're pushing for things like temporary one year cuts in programs  Some examples, cuts in wetlands protection and Pell grants for summer school and graduate students 
Republicans call that smoke and mirrors 
BOEHNER: And our goal is to make real spending cuts 
BASH: Some examples of what Republicans want to cut -- money for food inspectors, Head Start education programs and funding for housing 
BASH: This afternoon, House Republicans did pass a bill to keep the government running for one week past tomorrow's midnight deadline  It has $12 billion in cuts  It would fund the Defense Department for the rest of the year  But Democrats, including the president of the United States, call it a distraction and they say that they really want to keep the focus on what they're negotiating, which is a bill that would keep the government open -- keep the government functioning and funded for the rest of the year 
BLITZER: And the president's playing hardball  He's saying he'll veto that legislation --
BASH: He was, yes 
BLITZER: -- if it were to pass the Senate and come to his desk  I hear, Dana, that some employees already are getting furloughing notices 
BASH: It's true  This is just preventive  But all across the Capitol here today, people in offices and -- and -- well, really, everywhere -- were told whether or not, if, in fact, it does come to a government shutdown, if they're going to be here or not  And this is an example  We obtained one of the furlough notices  And I'll just read you a line  This -- imagine if this came across your desk  It says: "Because your services are not needed for the orderly suspension of operations and you're not engaged in one of the accepted functions, you're being placed on furlough effective Saturday, April 9, 2011 "
Now, again, of course, this is just protective  The government is still open  But interesting that they're already getting ready for a government shutdown and telling people who will come to work and not 
One more note  Even people who are here, who are called essential, they're not going to get paid, either 
BLITZER: All right, Dana 
Don't go too far away 
We'll be in close touch 
The impact of the potential government shutdown is even being felt on the front lines of combat in Afghanistan  And Iraq  The Defense secretary, Robert Gates, is in Iraq right now  And he's telling U S  troops they will feel a pinch 
ROBERT GATES, SECRETARY OF DEFENSE: I hope they didn't have you standing out here in the sun too long
If -- if the government shutdown starts on the 8th and goes for a week, you'd get a half a check  If it goes from the 15th to the 30th, you wouldn't get a paycheck on the 30th but you would be back paid for all of it  So that's -- that's the deal 
BLITZER: Not great deal 
Gates also told the troops this would likely be his last trip to the country as Defense secretary and he wanted to say thank you 
He's expected to retire later this year 
Now to the deadly stalemate in Libya  New signs the military operation in the region is facing some tough new challenges 
Our Pentagon correspondent, Barbara Starr is here 
She's watching the story 
She's got more 
What are you learning? BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, there was very dramatic, very hard-nosed testimony today on Capitol Hill from the top U S  commander responsible for the U S  involvement in Libya, saying that Gadhafi forces are becoming increasingly difficult to target, as they are using civilian vehicles, mixing in with local populations, moving next to mosques, schools, hospitals -- all the same tactics we saw for years in Iraq 
And now, all of this today leading to a very dramatic exchange between General Carter Ham and one of the most vocal administration critics, Senator John McCain 
SEN  JOHN MCCAIN (R), ARIZONA: Hearing your testimony, General Ham, is almost an Orwellian experience for me  The fact is that if we had imposed the no-fly zone three weeks, four weeks ago, Gadhafi would not be in power today 
The fact is that the situation on the ground is basically a stalemate 
Would you say that the situation on the ground is a stalemate or an emerging stalemate?
GEN  CARTER HAM, COMMANDER, U S  AFRICA COMMAND: Senator, I -- I would agree with that if present on the ground 
MCCAIN: So the goal -- our policy objective of the removal of Gadhafi is further from being achieved than it was three or four weeks ago 
HAM: Senator, I -- I don't know that I would agree with that  What I -- because that, again, was not a military mission  The military mission of protecting, I think, was not wholly achieved, but achieved in large part 
STARR: General Ham also acknowledging another problem -- a key U S  aircraft, the AC-130, that flies low and slow to target on the ground, is facing what he called "a significant threat" from surface to air missiles, which he said remain effective and operational in some cases 
And, Wolf, get this  General Ham says there were about 20,000 of those surface to air missiles when the campaign started and they are concerned that an awful lot of them are still out there -- Wolf 
BLITZER: Barbara, thanks very much for that report 
Panicked rebels are once again on the retreat from Gadhafi's forces  Just today, at least three people were killed, another 10 injured, in new air strikes  And there are mounting questions about whether NATO could be responsible for the attack 
Our senior international correspondent, Ben Wedeman, is joining us now from Benghazi 
Ben's watching all of this closely 
You just heard General Ham, who is the commander of the U S  military's Africa Command  He was in charge of the mission before handing over complete control to NATO  You just heard him say there could be a stalemate out there 
What's the sense on the ground?
BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, the sense was a few days ago that it was, indeed, a stalemate -- sort of a seesaw battle that went back and forth between Ajdabiya and Brega 
But what we saw today was that that seesaw was tipped over  And it was a general retreat by the opposition forces from somewhere near Brega to almost the other side of Ajdabiya  This, after this air strike, which almost everybody on the ground believes to be NATO leaving not three, but four people dead  And many others are still unaccounted for 
That set off this general retreat whereby we saw all their heavy -- all of the opposition forces' heavy equipment -- multiple rocket launchers, tens and tens of these pickup trucks mounted with heavy machine guns streaming through Ajdabiya to the other side, the far side of the city  Some of them going all the way back to Benghazi, according to the head of the rebel forces in the eastern part of the country, Abdul Fatah Younis  He says that the Gadhafi forces were approaching Ajdabiya from three different directions 
I would not call that a stalemate -- Wolf 
BLITZER: Ben, you got a close-up look at some of the casualties today out on the front lines 
WEDEMAN: It's very bad, very bad  I mean it wasn't just fighters  It was also medics who had gone to the scene of this reported air strike, which then got hit again  So one of them was a doctor, one of them was a medic  And we were in the hospital  And there was real anger at NATO, anger at the fact that when they needed those air strikes on the Gadhafi forces, they weren't getting them  And now, for the second time in a week, there's been another strike  Now, of course, we must stress that NATO says that they -- because they don't have enough boots on the ground, they can neither confirm nor deny this was a NATO strike  But certainly, speaking to eyewitnesses in the hospital, it certainly sounded like an air strike  And there are no other planes in the skies of Libya other than NATO planes -- Wolf 
BLITZER: Ben Wedeman in Benghazi for us 
The U S  says Moammar Gadhafi is no longer the legitimate leader of Libya 
So why not recognize the rebels?
Why one U S  official says it raises serious concerns 
And a former U S  Congressman in Libya armed with a message for the Libyan dictator 
Will he get to meet with him face-to-face?
My interview with Curt Weldon, that Republican former Congressman -- that's coming up, as well 
BLITZER: Let's get right to Jack 
He's got some nuclear concerns on his mind with The Cafferty File -- Jack 
JACK CAFFERTY, THE CAFFERTY FILE: Well, they had another little temblor in Japan -- a 7 1 magnitude earthquake hit Northeastern Japan today, the strongest aftershock since that massive 9 0 quake and tsunami that followed devastated that nation four weeks ago  And this one today was in roughly the same area 
One of the big concerns, of course, is possible further damage to the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant  The Tokyo Electric Power Company, TEPCO, which operates the plant -- or what's left of it -- said there were no serious incidents as a result of today's aftershock 
So they say  Radioactivity from that plant has poisoned the surrounding land, air and ocean  Millions of people have been exposed  Millions more could be, as radioactivity has been picked up in food and drinking water and detected in faraway places, like California 
This week, workers plugged a crack in the plant that had been gushing contaminated water into the ocean for weeks  As a result, TEPCO says now radiation levels in the ocean waters off the coast there have dropped dramatically 
Yesterday, the head of the United Nations' scientific committee on the effects of atomic radiation said the Fukushima accident is not expected to have any serious impact on the health of the Japanese people  He said, quote: "We have seen traces of iodine in the air all over the world, but they are much, much, much lower than traces we have seen at similar distances following Chernobyl," unquote 
Well, not everybody is convinced  In South Korea, more than 130 primary schools and kindergartens ordered closed today outside of Seoul  People there were worried that windy, rainy weather could be carrying radioactive material from Japan 
North Korea aired warnings on television for its people to stay indoors during that rain storm and to take a full shower if they were caught outside in the storm 
Even here in the United States, some chefs are now using sensors to test levels of radiation in the fish they plan to serve in restaurants 
Here's the question -- do you think you're being told the truth about the nuclear accident in Japan?
If your -- if your trout is he glowing, Wolf --
BLITZER: Yes?
CAFFERTY: -- you might want to send it back and get a ham sandwich 
BLITZER: You want it well done, but not necessarily that well done 
CAFFERTY: No 
BLITZER: All right, Jack 
Not a laughing matter 
BLITZER: Serious stuff 
CAFFERTY: Right 
BLITZER: See you in a few moments 
New questions this hour about the capabilities of the rebels in Libya and whether they have the power to overthrow Moammar Gadhafi 
Should the United States -- should the United States have a hand in helping arm the rebels?
Let's bring in our foreign affairs correspondent, Jill Dougherty, with this part of the story 
What are you hearing over at the State Department -- Jill  JILL DOUGHERTY, CNN FOREIGN AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know, Wolf, other countries have done it, other countries like France and Italy have done it -- recognizing the opposition  And supporters say now, with the rebels in retreat, the U S  shouldn't wait 
But what would it really change anything?
DOUGHERTY (voice-over): The U S  says Moammar Gadhafi is no longer the legitimate leader of Libya 
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is full of praise for them 
HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON, SECRETARY OF STATE: These were not soldiers  These were not trained military forces  They were doctors and lawyers and university professors and economists and, you know, young men who were students  And they are being attacked by mercenaries, by ruthless forces that Gadhafi is utilizing to show no mercy against his people  And they are courageous  They are moving as fast as they can to try to form themselves into a military operation 
DOUGHERTY: Clinton has met with the rebel leaders personally, but the administration still is cautious  The president authorized the CIA to send in agents to learn about the rebels and assess their needs  Clinton's special representative, the State Department's Christopher Stevens, seen here in 2008 in Tripoli, is on the ground in Benghazi, scoping them out 
MARK TONER, U S  STATE DEPARTMENT SPOKESMAN: We sent somebody in to get that kind of on the ground assessment of the -- of -- of their identity, of their leadership structure, to talk with them firsthand and to see what direction we think they're moving in  We've seen some positive signals 
DOUGHERTY: Recognizing the rebels, a senior official tells CNN, raises serious issues  It would acknowledge that Libya is now a divided country 
And could the U S  be sure the group represents the whole opposition movement?
It's a bit early, this official says  Maybe they turn out not to be the right folks 
But Secretary Clinton knows the timing is urgent 
CLINTON: What NATO is doing is buying time, buying space 
DOUGHERTY: So far, the U S  is providing what's called non- lethal humanitarian aid  The administration hasn't yet decided to arm them or provide financial assistance 
DOUGHERTY: But a senior U S  official tells CNN there's a lot the United States could be doing right now without going so far as to recognize the rebels, pointing out that the U S  funds political groups and other organizations around the world  But this official says you want to be careful about who they are 
So, so far, caution seems to be winning out over urgency -- Wolf 
Jill is at the State Department 
The House speaker, John Boehner, may be doing double duty if the government shuts down this weekend  You're going to find out why he could be cleaning up a lot of trash in his own backyard 
And a former U S  Congressman now on a mission to meet with Moammar Gadhafi in Tripoli in person  Curt Weldon, he's here  He'll join us in THE SITUATION ROOM from Tripoli  You're going to find out who he says would be a good replacement for the embattled Libyan leader 
BLITZER: Military leaders have a message for Congress about "don't ask/don't tell "
Well, military leaders say preparations for repealing "don't ask/don't tell" are going better than they expected  They testified before a House committee today about getting rid of the policy that bars openly gay service members  They caution, though, that it will take time and training to implement the repeal  And it must still be certified by President Obama, the Defense secretary and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff 
Well, your Smartphone just got a little smarter  The FCC is requiring that wireless carriers provide access to the mobile Internet anywhere it's available, even when it's offered by a competing provider  And that could be a huge -- make a huge difference to smaller carriers, who told the FCC they just can't compete otherwise against industry heavyweights like Verizon and AT&T 
New York City school chancellor, Cathie Black, is stepping down after only three months on the job  Mayor Michael Bloomberg says her short stint just didn't work out as either of them had expected or hoped  Her approval rating has plunged to 17 percent 
Black chaired "First" magazine before overseeing the nation's largest school system  Deputy Mayor Dennis Walcott will replace her 
And a war of words is erupting between an emerging Republican star, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, and his state's largest teachers' union  In a network TV interview, Christie called the union leaders, quote, "political thugs " He blames them for teacher lay-offs that he says could have been avoided if they had not opposed salary freezes  The New Jersey Education Association is firing back, accusing Christie of name-calling -- Wolf 
BLITZER: Sticks and stones will break many bones 
SYLVESTER: Sticks and stones may break my bones --
SYLVESTER: But words never hurt me 
A former U S  Congressman is in Tripoli, Libya right now  His goal -- to talk to Moammar Gadhafi  His message -- we'll talk about that  My interview with Curt Weldon coming up next 
Plus, we showed it to you earlier -- a member of Congress telling colleagues to, quote, "go to hell "
Now she's is joining us live here in THE SITUATION ROOM to explain 
HOLMES NORTON: -- of Columbia  It's another thing to drop a bomb on a city  And that's what this --
BLITZER: Former Congressman Curt Weldon is in a -- Weldon is on a mission to Libya right now to try to meet with the embattled leader, Moammar Gadhafi  But that may be easier said than done 
Joining us now from Tripoli, former Republican Congressman Curt Weldon of Pennsylvania  Congressman, thanks very much for coming in 
And joining us now from Tripoli, former Republican Congressman Curt Weldon of Pennsylvania 
CURT WELDON, FORMER U S  CONGRESSMAN: My pleasure, Wolf 
BLITZER: Let's talk about your meeting with Moammar Gadhafi  I take it it has not yet happened 
Do you expect to meet with the Libyan leader? WELDON: Absolutely  The invitation that was sent to me was from his chief of staff, Bashir Salah, who I've met on all three of my official visits here in 2004 and 2005  And the letter specifically says we want you to come over and meet with the leader and our senior leadership 
And I said it's worth me coming over to support the administration and to try to let the leader know face to face that this is facing -- it's very grave timing in the situation and they have to have some movement fairly quickly or they're not going to be happy with the -- with the alternatives 
BLITZER: What's taking so long?
Why haven't you been able to meet with Gadhafi yet?
WELDON: Well, it -- that's not unusual  I mean all three of the delegation trips that I led here in 2003 and 2004 -- or, actually, 2004 and 2005 -- they always make you wait until 30 minutes before the meeting and then you go  And some of those meetings were at 10:00 at night, some were at 5:00 in the afternoon 
As you know from the excellent reporting being done by your folks here, there's a lot of security concerns, and they are very concerned where Gadhafi is at any given moment  That's one of the issues, but we have been making ourselves available 
We have been doing a lot of back-channel meetings with friends and associates that I have here, and we have met with the chief of staff and one of the sons, and today with the prime minister, a very lengthy meeting for two hours  So, we're going to give them until tomorrow  We're not going to stay beyond that  And we have given them some suggestions, and we expect a response by midday tomorrow  And if we don't, we will done exit conversation with your people and let you know our feelings 
BLITZER: What's the major headline that you got out of these meetings with other leaders? I take it you met with Saif Al-Islam Gadhafi, one of the sons of Moammar Gadhafi  What are they saying to you?
WELDON: Well, we actually didn't meet with Saif  I have met with Saif probably 10 times over the past seven years, both in America and here in Libya  I have not yet met with Saif  I have offered, if he is available 
I have met with Saadi  And the general thrust is obviously that they want peace and they want to find a way out of this  But as I have explained to them, there's certain things that have to be done according to our president and our secretary of state, who I'm here to support 
We don't have a different agenda  There's no compromise on our part  Our only mission here is to talk face to face with them and say this is reality and this is a grave situation, and you need to do certain things that we suggest that we think will get our administration to respond to your actions  And again, we're not doing any negotiating 
They know me, they have seen my efforts  I have not taken anything from their country in the way of financial benefits, and I'm here only because I want to avoid war  I don't want to see American soldiers killed, and I don't want to see more innocence Libyans killed 
BLITZER: You wrote an op-ed in "The New York Times" this week saying that once you meet face to face with Moammar Gadhafi, you will tell him to step down  Is that still your intention?
WELDON: Absolutely, Wolf  I wrote the op-ed before the trip was planned  And I wrote it, Wolf, because back in 2004, when I led the first delegation of Americans to sit down with him in the tent in Tripoli, he said to me, "Congressman, why did it take 30 years for someone from your country to come and sit with me and tell me to my face that you believe that I'm a criminal and a terrorist  And then if you didn't believe me, bomb me?"
And I said, "Leader, I can't explain that " So I said now it's time for someone to sit in a tent face to face with Colonel Gadhafi and let him know how grave this situation is 
And I'm willing to do that  And I think I'm probably the best person because I have met with him three times, and because I sat in that tent in 2004 and listened to him tell me that  So, in effect, that's why I'm here 
BLITZER: You wrote also in "The New York Times" this -- you wrote, "Colonel Gadhafi's son, Saif, a powerful businessman, a politician, could play a constructive role as a member of the committee to devise a new government structure or constitution "
You know, a lot of people, including the opposition, the rebels, as they're called, they think Saif Al-Islam Gadhafi is just as much a killer or thug as his father is, and they say they have no interest in dealing with him either 
What do you say to that criticism?
WELDON: Well, what I said, I'm not endorsing anything anyone for any office here  What I am hoping for is what the president wants, which is a free and fair election to take place, hopefully sooner rather than later 
But having been involved with Libya for seven years, I was a witness to the work that Saif did in the Lockerbie case, the La Bella nightclub bombing  I personally witnessed through the Gadhafi Foundation the work that Saif did to free up the Bulgarian nurses who were sentenced to death twice, along with a Palestinian doctor 
I have seen the work that Saif and Dr  Salani (ph) at the foundation have done in dealing with chemical weapons destruction and with the elimination of landmines and humanitarian efforts worldwide  I have been out to (INAUDIBLE), the chemical weapons plant, and I have actually seen visibly how they have removed the chemical weapons production materials  He was behind all of that 
Believe me, Wolf, I'm not happy with some of the statements and the actions that he's made over the past month, and he knows I'm not happy  But I think in a fair election, up until now, he should be given the opportunity to seek office where he can run against other candidates, perhaps, for the presidency  And so I would at this time think that he should be allowed that opportunity 
That's not to say I condone anything that he said or his actions  He will have to be accountable for those on his own 
BLITZER: Because you make him sound like he's a decent guy when so many people think he is a killer, a murderer, especially given the statements that he recently made, that if he goes into Benghazi, if he finds these rebels, he will go and kill them all  You make it sound like he's a decent guy 
WELDON: Well, I -- you know, I haven't been with him on a continual basis  I have met with him a number of times, both in the U S  and here, under some very stressful situations, especially when it came to resolving the Lockerbie case and the La Bella nightclub  And despite what Sarkozy said about resolving the issues of the Bulgarian nurses when they were sentenced to death twice, it was Saif who played a very critical role against some very powerful forces in this country that wanted to kill those people 
You know, I don't know of any incidences where I, first hand, have seen evidence of him committing human rights violations, and if he did, he has to be held accountable like everyone else  And I have said that publicly and I will say that privately 
So my judgment is just based upon my experience with him, the fact that he is a knowledgeable person, he understands the need to interact and interface with the West  I think he could be a viable candidate  But ultimately, my opinion is hopefully going to be the opinion of the Libyan people 
BLITZER: Because you probably have seen all of the articles, the reports over the past month, month and a half, of mass murder, of killings, not only by Saif Al-Islam, but some of his brothers that have gone on, the atrocities that have been so widely reported  I hear what you're saying about his role over the recent years when the Bush administration, and later the Obama administration, was trying to improve relations with Libya, but over the past several weeks, based on all of the international reporting we have seen, it's been a brutal record that he has accomplished 
WELDON: Well, again, I don't have firsthand evidence of that  I just got here two days ago  And I fully support an international tribunal to look at human rights violations on everyone in this country  That's necessary  And if they find evidence that he has been involved in that, then he should suffer the consequences of his actions 
(END VIDEOTAPE) BLITZER: In our next hour, part two of the interview with former congressman Curt Weldon  There have been some questions raised about his motive  Is he in all of this for the money? You're going to find out his answer to that and more  Stand by 
Also, Washington, D C 's congressional delegate is telling colleagues -- and I'm quoting her now -- "Go to hell " She is joining us live in THE SITUATION ROOM to tell us why 
Plus, no budget deal, no food -- the extreme tens of thousands of people are going to as a government shutdown looms 
BLITZER: Let's get back to the outrage boiling over on Capitol Hill, only hours before a potential government shutdown 
Joining us now, the Democratic delegate representing the city of Washington, D C , Eleanor Holmes Norton 
ELEANOR HOLMES NORTON (D), D C  DELEGATE: Of course, Wolf 
BLITZER: I think it's fair to say that Washington, D C , a city of a population of about 600,000 people, the only major metropolitan -- the only major city in the United States that's going to foal the direct impact of a federal government shutdown so dramatically, so powerfully, because it is a federal district 
Give me an example of what's going to happen if there's a government shutdown 
NORTON: Absolutely, although your viewers will be shocked by what they are about to hear 
They know a little bit about taxation without representation -- we pay our taxes, then we have full representation in the House and the Senate  But I bet they didn't know that our local budget, without a dime of federal money in it -- and we support ourselves almost entirely -- has to be sent to the masters in the Congress to sign off on it before we can spend our own local money 
Well, listen to this, Wolf  We passed our budget in -- last spring  The appropriators signed off on it last summer 
So, why are we in a federal budget fight over their money when it is our money I am talking about? I have put forward amendments that said the district can spend its own local funds 
BLITZER: What's going to happen in the District of Columbia Saturday, Sunday, Monday, if there is a government shutdown? Give me an example or two 
NORTON: I will give you some dramatic ones  How about the shutdown of the D C  government itself? Because since the final gavel hasn't fallen on all the federal appropriations, then the district government has now prepared to shut down on Saturday morning just because the federal government is shutting down 
We are at the height of the tourist season, the Cherry Blossom Festival  That has been severely curtailed because of the federal shutdown  That's going to -- three million people come here just in one month for the cherry blossoms  Our mayor has had to put out a list of agencies that will be open and a list of agencies that won't be open 
BLITZER: Trash collection -- will there be any trash collection in the District of Columbia?
NORTON: No trash collection, and some residents have started up a Facebook page that says if they close down the District of Columbia, we're carrying our trash to Speaker Boehner's House 
BLITZER: You don't support that do you?
NORTON: I do not 
NORTON: And let me just say right here, I do not  But let me tell you, I am only expressing a little of the rage that the taxpaying residents of the District of Columbia are feeling 
BLITZER: But let me ask you this, Congresswoman, because the Democrats were in control, they had a large majority in the House all of last year; in the Senate, a significant majority  They failed to pass a budget  Don't the Democrats deserve a lot of the blame for this current impasse?
NORTON: Absolutely not, because the Democrats would never have held our budget up here 
LISA BLOOM, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Why didn't they pass the budget?
NORTON: Well, that doesn't have anything to do with us  This is our local money 
All it would take is -- the Democrats in the Senate are ready to agree  The president is ready to sign an amendment --
BLITZER: But they could have done this any time last year 
NORTON: Wait a minute, Wolf  Wait a minute -- an amendment that said while we're fighting it out on the federal budget, we will let the district spend its own local funds 
So that's all I'm asking  I'm not in this fight, so don't ask me why the Democrats didn't pass the Democratic budget 
I passed -- we passed our budget  Our budget is balanced  The only issue before the Senate and the House is, can we spend our local money? It doesn't have anything to do with their budget 
They can go on from now until Timbuktu  Let us spend our money and don't close down our city because the federal government can't get its act together 
BLITZER: I'm with you there  This is an outrage, the fact that there is -- if there is going to be shutdown  I'm still hoping there won't be a shutdown, but it's --
NORTON: I think there may not be 
BLITZER: -- ridiculous when you think about it, when you think about how close they are  It would be a horrible, horrible tragedy, because 800,000 people directly are going to start losing their paychecks  And the District of Columbia, which is, as you point out correctly, taxation without representation, is going to suffer a great deal more than any other city in the United States 
Good luck, Congresswoman  Thanks very much 
NORTON: Thank you, Wolf 
BLITZER: I feel your pain 
Concerns within military families over a government shutdown  Also, why they are downright scared they won't be able to put food on the table 
And tens of thousands of people on a hunger strike, including some members of Congress  We'll explain why 
CAFFERTY: The question this hour is: Do you believe you're being told the truth about the nuclear accident in January?
Fred writes, "You want the truth? You can't handle the truth "
"Just how should a government balance our right to know the truth with the perceived need to not create a panic and thus a larger problem? Can you really evacuate a million people? To where? Yes, without the truth, how can anyone try to act reasonably?"
"In the end, we do have a right to know the truth  Honesty is the best policy "
Paul in Ohio writes, "Jack, I believe they're telling what they think they know with certainty  It is most certain that they don't know everything "
Jeremy in California, "So I'm confused  Is the current California radiation level 'harmless to human health,' 'not immediately harmful to human health,' not permanently harmful to people outside the region,' or no more than an apples-to-oranges transcontinental flight?"
Craig writes, "Perspective  In Japan, they have had yet another earthquake and have lived in fear and chaos for over a month  And yet, their government hasn't shut down  Nuclear disaster, natural disaster, absolute destruction hasn't kept their elected officials from doing their duty to the people 
"Yet, in America, we get Harry Reid, John Boehner and a White House who are more concerned with the 2012 election campaign  It's times like these when we see just how far off the mark we really are "
Louis writes, "No  Just too many things going wrong  They say that the seafood will be safe  I ask this: Do fish migrate or do they set up housekeeping in one spot and then stay there? And if so, why don't I catch fish in the same place every day?"
And Jim in Colorado, "The nuclear industry telling the truth? The unicorn, garden gnome and I were talking this over just the other day, and we all agreed it could happen  Why not?"
If you want to read more about the unicorn and the garden gnome, go to CNN com/CaffertyFile 
BLITZER: We will, for sure, Jack  Thank you  See you in a few moments 
Several sticking points in the ongoing budget negotiations, but will the government shutdown come down to money or social issues?
Plus, Donald Trump, he's making allegations about President Obama's birthplace  Does Donald Trump have any grounds for any of that? We're digging deeper for answers 
BLITZER: The growing outrage over the budget crisis isn't just about Congress' failure to reach a deal, it's also about some of the cuts that are being proposed 
Lets bring in our own Lisa Sylvester once again  She has the details -- Lisa 
Well, as congressional leaders hammer away on a budget compromise, a group of religious leaders have been fasting and praying to raise awareness of cuts in the budget that they say will harm the poor 
JIM WALLIS, PRESIDENT, SOJOURNERS: Orange juice never tasted so good 
SYLVESTER (voice-over): It's been 10 days since Jim Wallis last had solid food  The president of Sojourners, a Christian group that advocates for the underprivileged, is leading the charge among faith groups on a hunger fast to protest proposed cuts in the federal budget for the poor 
WALLIS: We're saying a budget is a moral document  And whether at your kitchen table, as a family, or a church or a nation, you make choices  What's important, what's not?
SYLVESTER: Wallis said in the last 10 days, more than 30,000 people around the country have joined in the fast in their own way  He says they have become a bit like God's lobbyists for the poor, putting a theological and moral spin on the cuts  Wallis said he is all for deficit reduction but --
WALLIS: I don't think doing this at the expense of the poorest people is a good choice, or hurting those who are already hurting the most is moral or even is smart 
SYLVESTER: Fiscal conservatives have suggested cuts in food stamps, foreign aid, and preschool programs for low-income families, that private groups can and should provide for the needy  But David Beckman of Bread for the World, who used to work at the World Bank, says the private sector can't fill the gap 
DAVID BECKMAN, PRESIDENT, BREAD FOR THE WORLD: All the private charitable feeding in the country amounts to about six percent of the food that poor people get from the national programs  So if you slash food stamps, as the House Republicans are proposing to do, there is no way that churches and charities and charitable people can make up for that 
SYLVESTER: Tony Hall was a member of Congress for years  As part of the fast, he is urging his former colleagues to reconsider cuts 
TONY HALL, ALLIANCE TO END HUNGER: When you make decisions about people's lives, be careful  You don't cut the poorest of the poor, because they didn't get you here  They didn't cause this mess 
SYLVESTER: On Wednesday, members of Congress began signing up for the fast 
REP  BARBARA LEE (D), CALIFORNIA: Several members of Congress today will be joining you in this fast 
SYLVESTER: Now, Sheila Jackson Lee, Keith Ellison and Jim McGovern are among 28 congressional Democrats who have signed on so far to join the hunger fast, and they will be doing a relay, with each taking one day to fast and then passing on the fast to their colleagues 
Wallis and Hall, they're doing it a little differently  They're fasting all the way through Easter Sunday  But they say for them, this fight for the poor is larger than just the specific budget battle -- Wolf 
BLITZER: These are committed, committed people to try to help 
We're going back to Libya in just a few moments  Rebel forces, furious with NATO right now, the R-rated message they are sending through our own Ben Wedeman 
Context 2: Brooksley Elizabeth Born (born August 27, 1940) is an American attorney and former public official who, from August 26, 1996, to June 1, 1999, was chair of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), the federal agency which oversees the U S  futures and commodity options markets  During her tenure on the CFTC, Born lobbied Congress and the President to give the CFTC oversight of off-exchange markets for derivatives, in addition to its role with respect to exchange-traded derivatives, but her warnings were ignored or dismissed, and her calls for reform resisted by other regulators <ref name="nytimes">Goodman, Peter S  The Reckoning - Taking Hard New Look at a Greenspan Legacy, The New York Times, October 9, 2008 </ref> Born resigned as chairperson on June 1, 1999, shortly after Congress passed legislation prohibiting her agency from regulating derivatives 

In 2009, Born received the John F  Kennedy Profiles in Courage Award, along with Sheila Bair of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, in recognition of the "political courage she demonstrated in sounding early warnings about conditions that contributed" to the 2007-08 financial crisis 

Early life and education
Born graduated from Abraham Lincoln High School (San Francisco, California) at the age of 16  She then attended Stanford University, where she majored in English and was graduated with the class of 1961   She initially wanted to become a doctor, but a guidance counsellor at Stanford advised her against medicine, so she majored in English literature instead 

She then attended Stanford Law School, one of only seven women in her class   She was the first female student ever to be named president of the Stanford Law Review  She received the "Outstanding Senior" award and graduated as valedictorian of the class of 1964 

Legal career
Immediately after law school Born was selected as a law clerk to judge Henry Edgerton of the U S  Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit  It was during this time that she met her first husband, Jacob C  Landau, who was a journalist covering the Federal courts at the time  Following her clerkship, she became an associate at the Washington, D C -based international law firm of Arnold & Porter  Born was attracted to Arnold & Porter because it was one of the few major law firms to have a woman partner at that time, Carolyn Agger, who was the head of the tax practice  Born took a two-year leave of absence from Arnold & Porter to accompany her first husband to Boston, where he had received a fellowship  During that time she worked as a research assistant to law professor Alan Dershowitz 

Born's early career at Arnold & Porter focused on international trade law, in which she represented a number of Swiss industries and the government of Switzerland  She developed a practice representing clients in numerous complex litigation and arbitration cases involving financial market transactions  Among her high-profile cases was the matter of the Hunt Brothers attempt to corner the market in silver in the 1970s  She made partner at Arnold & Porter, after moving to a three-day schedule to help raise her second child, and eventually rose to be the head of the firm's derivatives practice 

Born was among the first female attorneys to systematically address inequities regarding how the laws treated women  Born and another female lawyer, Marna Tucker, taught what is considered to have been the first "Women and the Law" course at Catholic University’s Columbus School of Law  The class exclusively concerned prejudicial treatment of women under the laws of the United States, past and present   Born and Tucker were surprised to discover that there was no textbook on the issue at the time   Born is also one of the co-founders of the National Women's Law Center  Born also helped rewrite the American Bar Association rules to make it possible for more women and minorities to sit on federal bench 

During her long legal career, and into her retirement, Born did much pro bono and other types of volunteer work  She was active in the American Bar Association, the largest professional organization of lawyers in the United States   Initially Born was named a member of the governing council of the ABA's Individual Rights Section, eventually becoming chairperson   Born and Tucker founded the ABA Women's Caucus, the first organization of female lawyers in the ABA   She held several other senior positions in the ABA, including being named the first woman member of the ABA's Standing Committee on the Federal Judiciary   As a member of the Judiciary Committee, Born provided testimony and opinion on persons nominated for federal judgeships  In 1980 she was named chair of the committee   As chair of the committee, Born was invited to address the U S  Congress regarding the nomination of Judge Sandra Day O'Connor to the U S  Supreme Court 

In 1993, Born's name was floated as a possible candidate for Attorney General of the United States, but Janet Reno was nominated 

In July 2009, Nancy Pelosi appointed Brooksley Born as a commissioner to the Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission (FCIC) 

Born and the OTC derivatives market
Born was appointed to the CFTC on April 15, 1994, by President Bill Clinton  Due to litigation against Bankers Trust Company by Procter and Gamble and other corporate clients, Born and her team at the CFTC sought comments on the regulation of over-the-counter derivatives, a first step in the process of writing CFTC regulations to supplement the existing regulations of the Federal Reserve System,  the Options Clearing Corporation, and the National Association of Insurance Commissioners  Born was particularly concerned about swaps, financial instruments that are traded over the counter between banks, insurance companies or other funds or companies, and thus have no transparency except to the two counterparties and the counterparties' regulators, if any   CFTC regulation was strenuously opposed by Federal Reserve chairman Alan Greenspan, and by Treasury Secretaries Robert Rubin and Lawrence Summers  On May 7, 1998, former SEC Chairman Arthur Levitt joined Rubin and Greenspan in objecting to the issuance of the CFTC's concept release  Their response dismissed Born's analysis and focused on the hypothetical possibility that CFTC regulation of swaps and other OTC derivative instruments could create a "legal uncertainty" regarding such financial instruments,  hypothetically reducing the value of the instruments  They argued that the imposition of regulatory costs would "stifle financial innovation" and encourage financial capital to transfer its  transactions offshore  The disagreement between Born and the Executive Office's top economic policy advisors has been described not only as a classic Washington turf war, but also a war of ideologies,  insofar as it is possible to argue that Born's actions were consistent with Keynesian and neoclassical economics while Greenspan, Rubin, Levitt, and Summers consistently espoused neoliberal, and neoconservative policies 

In 1998, a trillion-dollar hedge fund called Long Term Capital Management (LTCM) was near collapse   Using mathematical models to calculate debt risk, LTCM used derivatives to leverage $5 billion into more than $1 trillion, doing business with fifteen of Wall Street's largest financial institutions   The derivative transactions were not regulated, nor were investors able to evaluate LTCM's exposures   Born stated, "I thought that LTCM was exactly what I had been worried about"   In the last weekend of September 1998, the President's working group was told that the entire American economy hung in the balance   After intervention by the Federal Reserve, the crisis was averted   In congressional hearings into the crisis, Greenspan acknowledged that language had been introduced into an agriculture bill that would prevent CFTC from regulating the derivatives which were at the center of the crisis that threatened the US economy   U S  Representative Maurice Hinchey (D-NY) asked "How many more failures do you think we'd have to have before some regulation in this area might be appropriate?"  In response, Greenspan brushed aside the substance of Born's warnings with the simple assertion that "the degree of supervision of regulation of the over-the-counter derivatives market is quite adequate to maintain a degree of stability in the system"  Born's warning was that there wasn't any regulation of them   Born's chief of staff, Michael Greenberger summed up Greenspan's position this way: "Greenspan didn't believe that fraud was something that needed to be enforced, and he assumed she probably did  And of course, she did "  Under heavy pressure from the financial lobby, legislation prohibiting regulation of derivatives by Born's agency was passed by the Congress   Born resigned on June 1, 1999 

The derivatives market continued to grow yearly throughout both terms of George W  Bush's administration  On September 15, 2008, the bankruptcy of Lehman Brothers forced a broad recognition of a financial crisis in both the US and world capital markets   As Lehman Brothers' failure temporarily reduced financial capital's confidence, a number of newspaper articles and television programs suggested that the failure's possible causes included the conflict between the CFTC and the other regulators Faiola, Anthony, Nakashima, Ellen and Drew, Jill  The Crash: Risk and Regulation - What Went Wrong, The Washington Post, October 15, 2008 

Born declined to publicly comment on the unfolding 2008 crisis until March 2009, when she said: "The market grew so enormously, with so little oversight and regulation, that it made the financial crisis much deeper and more pervasive than it otherwise would have been " She also lamented the influence of Wall Street lobbyists on the process and the refusal of regulators to discuss even modest reforms 

An October 2009 Frontline documentary titled "The Warning"  described Born's thwarted efforts to regulate and bring transparency to the derivatives market, and the continuing opposition thereto  The program concluded with an excerpted interview with Born sounding another warning: "I think we will have continuing danger from these markets and that we will have repeats of the financial crisis -- may differ in details but there will be significant financial downturns and disasters attributed to this regulatory gap, over and over, until we learn from experience "

In 2009 Born, along with Sheila Bair of the FDIC, was awarded the John F  Kennedy Profiles in Courage Award in recognition of the "political courage she demonstrated in sounding early warnings about conditions that contributed" to the 2007-08 financial crisis   According to Caroline Kennedy, "Brooksley Born recognized that the financial security of all Americans was being put at risk by the greed, negligence and opposition of  powerful and well connected interests     The catastrophic financial events of recent months have  proved them [Born and Sheila Bair] right "  One member of the President's working group had a change of heart about Brooksley Born   SEC Chairman Arthur Levitt stated "I've come to know her as one of the most capable, dedicated, intelligent and committed public servants that I have ever come to know", adding that "I could have done much better  I could have made a difference" in response to her warnings 

In 2010, a documentary film Inside Job further alleged that derivatives regulation was ineffective from the Clinton administration on  Along with fellow whistleblower, former IMF Chief Economist Raghuram Rajan, who was also scorned by the economic establishment, Brooksley Born was cited as one of the authorities arguing that financial derivatives increase economic risk 

 Personal life 
Born is married to Alexander E  Bennett (also retired from Arnold & Porter)   She has five adult children - two from a previous marriage to Jacob Landau and three stepchildren  Notably, Born was named a partner at Arnold & Porter while working part-time so she could raise her two young children   When both of her children were school-age, Born returned to practice full-time 

References

External links
Attorney profile at Arnold & Porter
Brooksley Born (2009 Winner) of the Profiles in Courage Award, with acceptance speech transcript and NECN video

Profile at MarketsWiki
Speeches and statements
"Testimony Of Brooksley Born Chairperson of the CFTC Concerning The Over-The-Counter Derivatives Market", before the House Committee On Banking And Financial Services, July 24, 1998 
"The Lessons of Long Term Capital Management L P ", Remarks of Brooksley Born, Chairperson of the CFTC, Chicago-Kent-IIT Commodities Law Institute, Chicago, Illinois, October 15, 1998 
 Interview: Brooksley Born for "PBS Frontline: The Warning", PBS, (streaming VIDEO 1 hour), October 20, 2009 
Articles
Manuel Roig-Franzia  "Credit Crisis Cassandra:Brooksley Born's Unheeded Warning Is a Rueful Echo 10 Years On", The Washington Post, May 26, 2009
 Taibbi, Matt  "The Great American Bubble Machine", Rolling Stone'', July 9–23, 2009

1940 births
American women lawyers
Arnold & Porter people
Clinton administration personnel
Columbus School of Law faculty
Commodity Futures Trading Commission personnel
Heads of United States federal agencies
Lawyers from San Francisco
Living people
Stanford Law School alumni
21st-century American women

Context 3: Hugh Hilton Goodwin (December 21, 1900 – February 25, 1980) was a decorated officer in the United States Navy with the rank of Vice Admiral  A veteran of both World Wars, he commanded escort carrier  during the Mariana Islands campaign  Goodwin then served consecutively as Chief of Staff, Carrier Strike Group 6 and as Air Officer, Philippine Sea Frontier and participated in the Philippines campaign in the later part of the War 

Following the War, he remained in the Navy and rose to the flag rank and held several important commands including Vice Commander, Military Air Transport Service, Commander, Carrier Division Two and Commander, Naval Air Forces, Continental Air Defense Command 

Early life and career

Hugh H  Goodwin was born on December 21, 1900, in Monroe, Louisiana and attended Monroe High School there (now Neville High School)  Following the United States' entry into World War I in April 1917, Goodwin left the school without receiving the diploma in order to see some combat and enlisted the United States Navy on May 7, 1917  He completed basic training and was assigned to the battleship   Goodwin participated in the training of armed guard crews and engine room personnel as the Atlantic Fleet prepared to go to war and in November 1917, he sailed with the rest of Battleship Division 9, bound for Britain to reinforce the Grand Fleet in the North Sea 

Although he did not complete the last year of high school, Goodwin was able to earn an appointment to the United States Naval Academy at Annapolis, Maryland in June 1918  While at the academy, he earned a nickname "Huge" and among his classmates were several future admirals and generals including: Hyman G  Rickover, Milton E  Miles, Robert E  Blick Jr , Herbert S  Duckworth, Clayton C  Jerome, James P  Riseley, James A  Stuart, Frank Peak Akers, Sherman Clark, Raymond P  Coffman, Delbert S  Cornwell, Frederick J  Eckhoff, Ralph B  DeWitt, John Higgins, Vernon Huber, Albert K  Morehouse, Harold F  Pullen, Michael J  Malanaphy, William S  Parsons, Harold R  Stevens, John P  Whitney, Lyman G  Miller and George J  O'Shea 

Goodwin graduated with Bachelor of Science degree on June 3, 1922, and was commissioned Ensign in the United States Navy  He was subsequently assigned to the battleship  and took part in the voyage to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, before he was ordered to the Naval Torpedo Station at Newport, Rhode Island for submarine instruction in June 1923  Goodwin completed the training several weeks later and was attached to the submarine   He then continued his further training aboard submarine  and following his promotion to Lieutenant (junior grade) on June 3, 1925, he qualified as submariner 

He then served aboard submarine  off the coast of California, before he was ordered for the recruiting duty to San Francisco in September 1927  While in this capacity, Goodwin applied for naval aviation training which was ultimately approved and he was ordered to the Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida in August 1928  Toward the end of the training, he was promoted to lieutenant on December 11, 1928, and upon the completion of the training in January 1929, he was designated Naval aviator 

Goodwin was subsequently attached to the Observation Squadron aboard the aircraft carrier  and participated in the Fleet exercises in the Caribbean  He was transferred to the Bureau of Aeronautics in Washington, D C  in August 1931 and served consecutively under the architect of naval aviation William A



ground_truth: The sticking point in the political showdown over the budget is how much spending to cut.

prompt_front: Now, answer the following question based on the text below, only give me the answer and do not output any other words.

Question: What hedge fund's collapse in 1998 highlighted the need for regulation of derivatives?

Read the following text and answer briefly.

Context 3:  Moffett and future Chief of Naval Operations Ernest J  King 

In June 1933, Goodwin was ordered to the Naval War College at Newport, Rhode Island, where he completed junior course in May of the following year  He subsequently joined the crew of aircraft carrier  and served under Captain Arthur B  Cook and took part in the Fleet exercises in the Caribbean and off the East Coast of the United States 

He was ordered back to the Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida in June 1936 and was attached to the staff of the Base Commandant, then-Captain Charles A  Blakely  When Blakely was succeeded by William F  Halsey in June 1937, Goodwin remained in Halsey's staff and was promoted to Lieutenant Commander on December 1, 1937  He also completed correspondence course in International law at the Naval War College 

Goodwin was appointed Commanding officer of the Observation Squadron 1 in June 1938 and attached to the battleship  he took part in the patrolling of the Pacific and 
West Coast of the United States until September 1938, when he assumed command of the Observation Squadron 2 attached to the battleship  

When his old superior from Lexington, now Rear Admiral Arthur B  Cook, was appointed Commander Aircraft, Scouting Force in June 1939, he requested Goodwin as his Aide and Flag Secretary  He became Admiral Cook's protégé and after year and half of service in the Pacific, he continued as his Aide and Flag Secretary, when Cook was appointed Commander Aircraft, Atlantic Fleet in November 1940 

World War II

Following the United States' entry into World War II, Goodwin was promoted to the temporary rank of Commander on January 1, 1942, and assumed duty as advisor to the Argentine Navy  His promotion was made permanent two months later and he returned to the United States in early 1943 for duty as assistant director of Planning in the Bureau of Aeronautics under Rear admiral John S  McCain  While still in Argentina, Goodwin was promoted to the temporary rank of Captain on June 21, 1942 

By the end of December 1943, Goodwin was ordered to Astoria, Oregon, where he assumed command of newly commissioned escort carrier USS Gambier Bay  He was responsible for the initial training of the crew and was known as a strict disciplinarian, but the crew appreciated the skills he taught them that prepared them for combat  Goodwin insisted that everyone aboard has to do every job right every time and made us fight our ship at her best 

During the first half of 1944, Gambier Bay was tasked with ferrying aircraft for repairs and qualified carrier pilots from San Diego to Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, before departed on May 1, 1944, to join Rear admiral Harold B  Sallada's Carrier Support Group 2, staging in the Marshalls for the invasion of the Marianas 

The air unit, VC-10 Squadron, under Goodwin's command gave close air support to the initial landings of Marines on Saipan on June 15, 1944, destroying enemy gun emplacements, troops, tanks, and trucks  On the 17th, her combat air patrol (CAP) shot down or turned back all but a handful of 47 enemy planes headed for her task group and her gunners shot down two of the three planes that did break through to attack her 

Goodwin's carrier continued in providing of close ground support operations at Tinian during the end of July 1944, then turned her attention to Guam, where she gave identical aid to invading troops until mid-August that year  For his service during the Mariana Islands campaign, Goodwin was decorated with Bronze Star Medal with Combat "V" 

He was succeeded by Captain Walter V  R  Vieweg on August 18, 1944, and appointed Chief of Staff, Carrier Division Six under Rear admiral Arthur W  Radford  The Gambier Bay was sunk in the Battle off Samar on October 25, 1944, during the Battle of Leyte Gulf after helping turn back a much larger attacking Japanese surface force 

Goodwin served with Carrier Division Six during the Bonin Islands raids, the naval operations at Palau and took part in the Battle of Leyte Gulf and operations supporting Leyte landings in late 1944  He was later appointed Air Officer of the Philippine Sea Frontier under Rear admiral James L  Kauffman and remained with that command until the end of hostilities  For his service in the later part of World War II, Goodwin was decorated with Legion of Merit with Combat "V"  He was also entitled to wear two Navy Presidential Unit Citations and Navy Unit Commendation 

Postwar service

Following the surrender of Japan, Goodwin assumed command of Light aircraft carrier  on August 24, 1945  The ship was tasked with air missions over Japan became mercy flights over Allied prisoner-of-war camps, dropping food and medicine until the men could be rescued  She was also present at Tokyo Bay for the Japanese surrender on September 2, 1945 

Goodwin returned with San Jacinto to the United States in mid-September 1945 and he was detached in January 1946  He subsequently served in the office of the Chief of Naval Operations until May that year, when he entered the instruction at National War College



ground_truth: Long Term Capital Management (LTCM).

prompt_front: Now, answer the following question based on the text below, only give me the answer and do not output any other words.

Question: When did Goodwin become a Naval aviator?

Read the following text and answer briefly.

Context 3:  Goodwin graduated in June 1947 and served on Secretary's committee for Research on Reorganization  Upon promotion to Rear admiral on April 1, 1949, Goodwin was appointed Chief of Staff and Aide to Commander-in-Chief, Atlantic Fleet under Admiral William H  P  Blandy 

Revolt of the Admirals

In April 1949, the budget's cuts and proposed reorganization of the United States Armed Forces by the Secretary of Defense Louis A  Johnson launched the wave of discontent between senior commanders in the United States Navy  Johnson proposed the merging of the Marine Corps into the Army, and reduce the Navy to a convoy-escort force 

Goodwin's superior officer, Admiral Blandy was call to testify before the House Committee on Armed Services and his harsh statements for the defense of the Navy, costed him his career  Goodwin shared his views and openly criticized Secretary Johnson for having power concentrated in a single civilian executive, who is an appointee of the Government and not an elected representative of the people  He also criticized aspects of defense unification which permitted the Joint Chiefs of Staff to vote on arms policies of individual services, and thus "rob" the branches of autonomy 

The outbreak of the Korean War in summer 1950 proved the proposal of Secretary Johnson as incorrect and he resigned in September that year  Also Secretary of the Navy, Francis P  Matthews resigned one month earlier 

Later service

Due to the Revolts of the admirals, Blandy was forced to retire in February 1950 and Goodwin was ordered to Newport, Rhode Island for temporary duty as Chief of Staff and Aide to the President of the Naval War College under Vice admiral Donald B  Beary in April 1950  Goodwin was detached from that assignment two months and appointed member of the General Board of the Navy  He was shortly thereafter appointed acting Navy Chief of Public Information, as the substitute for Rear Admiral Russell S  Berkey, who was relieved of illness, but returned to the General Board of the Navy in July that year  Goodwin served in that capacity until February 1951, when he relieved his Academy class, Rear admiral John P  Whitney as Vice Commander, Military Air Transport Service (MATS) 

While in this capacity, Goodwin served under Lieutenant general Laurence S  Kuter and was co-responsible for the logistical support of United Nations troops fighting in Korea  The MATS operated from the United States to Japan and Goodwin served in this capacity until August 1953, when he was appointed Commander Carrier Division Two  While in this assignment, he took part in the Operation Mariner, Joint Anglo-American exercise which encountered very heavy seas over a two-week period in fall 1953 

Goodwin was ordered to the Philippines in May 1954 and assumed duty as Commander, U S  Naval Forces in the Philippines with headquarters at Naval Station Sangley Point near Cavite  He held that command in the period of tensions between Taiwan and China and publicly declared shortly after his arrival, that any attack on Taiwan by the Chinese Communists on the mainland would result in US participation in the conflict  The naval fighter planes under his command also provided escort for passing commercial planes  Goodwin worked together with retired Admiral Raymond A  Spruance, then-Ambassador to the Philippines, and accompanied him during the visits to Singapore, Bangkok and Saigon in January 1955 

On December 18, 1955, Goodwin's classmate Rear admiral Albert K  Morehouse, then serving as Commander, Naval Air Forces, Continental Air Defense Command (CONAD), died of heart attack and Goodwin was ordered to CONAD headquarters in Colorado Springs, Colorado to assume Morehouse's position  While in this capacity, he was subordinated to Army General Earle E  Partridge and was responsible for the Naval and Marine Forces allocated to the command designated for the defense of the Continental United States 

Retirement

Goodwin retired on June 1, 1957, after 40 years of active service and was advanced to the rank of Vice admiral on the retired list for having been specially commended in combat  A week later, he was invited back to his Monroe High School (now Neville High School) and handed a diploma showing that he had been graduated with the class of 1918  He then settled in Monterey, California where he taught American history at Stevenson school and was a member of the Naval Order of the United States 

Vice admiral Hugh H  Goodwin died at his home on February 25, 1980, aged 79  He was survived by his wife, Eleanor with whom he had two children, a daughter Sidney and a son Hugh Jr , who graduated from the Naval Academy in June 1948, but died one year later, when the Hellcat fighter he was piloting collided with another over the Gulf of Mexico during training 

Decorations

Here is the ribbon bar of Vice admiral Hugh H  Goodwin:

References

1900 births
1980 deaths
People from Monroe, Louisiana
Military personnel from Louisiana
United States Naval Academy alumni
Naval War College alumni
United States Naval Aviators
United States Navy personnel of World War I
United States Navy World War II admirals
United States Navy vice admirals
United States submarine commanders
Recipients of the Legion of Merit



ground_truth: Goodwin became a Naval aviator in January 1929.