WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Negative attacks are as American as apple pie. Since the early days of the republic, candidates attacked with a vigor that contemporary strategists would admire. In the 1800 presidential election, for example, Thomas Jefferson and John Adams criticized one another with a stunning ferocity on everything from foreign and domestic policy to private character and personal behavior. Later campaigns weren't much better. Critics of Andrew Jackson in 1836 accused him of murdering Indians. In 1884, Grover Cleveland was ridiculed for fathering an illegitimate child. William Jennings Bryan was characterized as a dangerous radical in 1896 who would ruin the economy. Despite these historical precedents, the 2008 campaign has reached all-time lows in the use of misleading and inaccurate political appeals. Even Karl Rove, the architect of negative ads in previous campaigns, has complained about the tenor of this year's campaign. John McCain broadcast an ad taking Barack Obama's words out of context and suggesting Democrats were trying to compare GOP vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin to a pig. The McCain campaign ran another spot erroneously claiming Obama favored comprehensive sex education for kindergarteners. Democrats have not been above reproach either. After McCain secured the GOP nomination this spring, outside groups falsely claimed the Republican supported a 1,000-year war in Iraq and therefore was not worthy of the presidency. These misleading appeals suggest voters must remain vigilant about candidate, party, and group claims. Generally, the most misleading commercials have come from independent groups uncoordinated with the candidates. These organizations feel free to run emotional and inaccurate content designed to play on voter's fears and anxieties. Some of the worst ads in recent memory, such as the Willie Horton ad in 1988, have been broadcast by these kinds of groups. In past years, the only upside of attack ads was that they generally contained more issue content than other types of ads. Since reporters police campaign appeals, the ads generally stick to the issues and rely on factually-accurate information. Ad sponsors and candidates realize they will be held accountable for unfair ad content. However, commercials run this year represent a break with this general pattern. Attack ads broadcast in recent months have twisted the truth, lied about personal background, taken statements out of context, and clearly sought to manipulate voter sentiments. Most worrisome from a factual standpoint is McCain's claim that Obama will raise taxes on the middle class. Although Obama has pledged to increase income taxes on those earning more than $250,000, he has been careful not to make proposals that would raise taxes on the middle class for fear of being labeled a tax-and-spend liberal. McCain's tax claims have been condemned by leading editorial boards and surely will attract considerable attention in upcoming debates. With all the factual inaccuracies that have taken place, voters need to protect themselves from efforts at political manipulation. Non-partisan Web sites such as www.factcheck.org represent one source of unbiased information. They analyze ads and compile factual information in support of or in opposition to ad claims. Other trustworthy fact-checkers include ad watches and reality checks run by leading news organizations. These features dissect candidate claims in regard to accuracy, strategy, and impact. But the best thing for voters to do is to watch the candidate debates and judge for themselves. Study the statements and the factual bases of policy claims. Pay attention to how the candidates speak and what they say. Find out what non-partisan groups think and see what they have to say regarding the major issues. By the time the campaign is over, the presidential candidates are expected to have spent 55 percent of their overall budget on ads. Strategists put together spots very carefully and pre-test major messages on small groups of voters. Most of this money will be devoted to television spots. But increasingly amounts are being targeted on radio, direct mail, and Internet appeals. In the end, voters are going to have to decipher competing charges and counter-charges amid considerable noise from all sides. The 2008 election is unusual in having so many big issues on the agenda: the economy, the Iraq and Afghanistan wars

West said to use what to help voters sort out the media?

What kind of resources should voters use?

Answer: Negative attacks

Answer: Non-partisan Web sites

Answer: need to protect themselves from efforts at political manipulation.

Answer: Non-partisan Web sites

Answer: twisted the truth, lied about personal background, taken statements out of context,

Answer: John McCain

Summary:
Darrell West: Negative attacks have long history in U.S. politics .
This year's ads have hit new lows for distorting the truth, West says .
Ads against McCain and Obama have twisted their words, he says .
West: Voters should use fact-checking resources in media and on the Web .


WASHINGTON (CNN) -- New Haven, Connecticut, firefighter Frank Ricci, the lead plaintiff in perhaps the most controversial case involving Judge Sonia Sotomayor, said Thursday that Sotomayor's rejection of his reverse discrimination claim had undermined the concept of a merit-based civil service system. New Haven firefighter Frank Ricci sued after the city threw out results of a 2003 firefighter promotion exam. Ricci was one of a group of 20 mostly white firefighters who sued the city of New Haven after it threw out the results of a 2003 firefighter promotion exam because almost no minorities qualified for promotions. The 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals, including Sotomayor, backed the city in the 2008 case Ricci v. DeStefano. The ruling of the Circuit Court was overturned in June by a 5-4 ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court. The "belief that citizens should be reduced to racial statistics is flawed," Ricci told the members of the Senate Judiciary Committee. "It only divides people who don't wish to be divided along racial lines. The very reason we have civil service rules is to root out politics, discrimination and nepotism. Our case demonstrates that these ills will exist if the rules of merit and the law are not followed."  Watch firefighters testify » Ricci also criticized Sotomayor's 2nd Circuit for disposing of the case in an "unsigned, unpublished summary order that consisted of a single paragraph." Sotomayor was not present when Ricci spoke. She left the session after concluding her remarks earlier Thursday. Sotomayor argued before committee members Tuesday that her ruling in the Ricci case was decided on the basis of "a very thorough, 78-page decision by the district court" and followed an established precedent. "This was not a quota case or (an) affirmative action case," she said. The case was a challenge to a firefighter test that had a wide range of difference between the pass and failure rate of different groups. The city of New Haven, she noted, was at risk of being sued by employees who could show they were "disparately impacted" by the test. New Haven city officials, after a number of days of hearings, decided they wouldn't certify the test but would instead attempt to develop a test of equal value in measuring a candidate's qualifications without having a disparate impact, she said. The question before the 2nd Circuit, Sotomayor said, was whether the city's decision was based on race or its understanding of what the law required it to do. The Circuit Court ruled that it was based on the latter. Based on established legal precedent, the 2nd Circuit decided that the city's decision was proper under established law. The Supreme Court, however, applied a new standard, she said, based on a different area of law. If she were ruling on that case today, she said, she would be bound by the new standards set by the Supreme Court. Ricci was one of several witnesses who testified both for and against Sotomayor. Linda Chavez, head of the conservative Center for Equal Opportunity, which opposes affirmative action, argued that "it is clear" from Sotomayor's record "that she has drunk deep from the well of identity politics." It is impossible for Sotomayor to be a fair judge when she has "shown a willingness to let her policy preferences guide her," Chavez said. Arkansas Attorney General Dustin McDaniel testified on Sotomayor's behalf, arguing that her opinion in the Ricci case was, in fact, an example of judicial restraint. It followed a string of legal precedents dating back almost three decades, he said. New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg also testified in favor of Sotomayor, telling committee members that she is an "independent jurist" with a "sharp and agile mind" who would bring "a wealth of unique experience" to the high court.

Who spoke in favor of the judge's confirmation?

Who spoke in favor of judge's confirmation?

Who was one of 20 firefighters who claimed reverse discrimination in promotions?

What undermined the concept of a merit-based civil service system?

Answer: New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg

Answer: Arkansas Attorney General Dustin McDaniel testified on Sotomayor's behalf,

Answer: reverse discrimination

Answer: Frank Ricci

Answer: Frank Ricci,

Answer: "a very thorough, 78-page decision by the district court"

Answer: New Haven, Connecticut, firefighter

Answer: that Sotomayor's rejection of his reverse discrimination claim

Summary:
Frank Ricci one of 20 firefighters who claimed reverse discrimination in promotions .
Plaintiff: Decision undermined concept of a merit-based civil service system .
Sotomayor: Ruling was based on "a very thorough" decision by the district court .
New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, others spoke in favor of judge's confirmation .


WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Newly released documents from Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor's service on the board of a Puerto Rican civil rights organization show the group opposed Robert Bork's nomination to the high court more than two decades ago. Judge Sonia Sotomayor is set to face Supreme Court confirmation hearings. Sotomayor, a judge on the New York-based U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit, was nominated by President Obama in May to fill the vacancy of retiring Justice David Souter. Her confirmation hearings are set to begin July 13. She served as a board member of the Puerto Rican Legal Defense and Education Fund from 1980-92, leaving when she became a federal judge. During her years on the PRLDEF board, the group opposed President Reagan's 1987 nomination of the conservative Bork -- then a federal appeals judge -- "because of the threat he poses to the civil rights of the Latino community," according to the documents. The group's attorneys prepared press releases and "worked on numerous efforts to build coalitions against the nominee," according to the documents. Bork was ultimately rejected by the Senate. The Fund also met in 1987 with staff at the New York Daily News to address what it called "negative images of Puerto Ricans presented by the News' staff," including well-known columnist Jimmy Breslin. Republicans are challenging Sotomayor's record on affirmative action, and the newly released documents on her work at the Fund will likely be a centerpiece of debate at the upcoming confirmation hearings. The 350 pages of documents released Wednesday by the Senate Judiciary Committee show the Fund filed hundreds of discrimination lawsuits over the years on behalf of Hispanics. The documents do not reveal whether Sotomayor was directly involved in them. She was a private attorney at the time, and was volunteering for the group. However, they reflect the Fund's strong push to establish a precedent of cases that would establish legal authority to uphold workplace quotas for minorities. One case dealt with promotions in the New York City Police Department. A May 1992 memo on "litigation highlights" noted, "We obtained quota promotions for Latinos and African Americans to the rank of sergeant." A PRLDEF class-action lawsuit filed on behalf of minority applicants claimed advancement exams were "discriminatory and not job related." The city settled, agreeing to promotions that reflected the percentage of Hispanic test-takers. Backpay and retroactive seniority were also provided. "As a result," said the memo, "almost 100 Hispanics were promoted, over twice the number that would have been promoted without the settlement." Fast forward 17 years to a case Sotomayor heard as an appeals judge. She and her colleagues rejected a lawsuit by white firefighters in New Haven, Connecticut, after the city threw out the results of promotional exams because too few minorities qualified for advancement. In the case, one Hispanic and 19 white firefighters who scored high on the exams and would have gained captain and lieutenant positions claimed "reverse" discrimination. Last week, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of the so-called "New Haven 20," concluding "the city rejected the test results solely because the higher scoring candidates were white." Justice Anthony Kennedy, writing for the majority said, "No individual should face workplace discrimination based on race." The high court said municipalities would now have to establish "a strong basis of evidence" that promotion tests were unfairly designed or administered before nullifying them, and not simply because too many minorities did poorly. Sotomayor's views in the case have been criticized by some conservatives, saying it shows she supports racial preferences for Hispanic and other minorities. The high court dissent, however, criticized the ruling for reinterpreting what Congress intended. "Congress endeavored to promote equal opportunity in fact, and not simply in form," wrote Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. "The damage today's decision does to that objective is untold." Supporters also contend the PRLDEF documents add nothing to the nomination debate. "Documents that Judge Sotomayor did not write, or approve -- many of them more than

what Group opposed the 1987 nomination of Robert Bork?

Which group opposed Robert Borks nomination to the higher court in 1987?

what Sotomayor once served on the Puerto Rican Legal Defense?

Answer: PRLDEF

Answer: Supreme Court

Answer: Puerto Rican civil rights organization

Answer: PRLDEF

Answer: Sonia Sotomayor's

Summary:
Sotomayor once served on the Puerto Rican Legal Defense and Education Fund .
Group opposed the 1987 nomination of Robert Bork to the high court .
Supporters: PRLDEF documents add nothing to the nomination debate .
Republicans are challenging Sotomayor's record on affirmative action .


WASHINGTON (CNN) -- North Korea has positioned what is thought to be a long-range missile on its launch pad, a U.S. counter-proliferation official said on Wednesday.

A North Korean soldier stands guard in the border village of Panmunjom on December 1, 2004 in South Korea.

The official confirmed a Japanese media report.

North Korea recently informed a pair of U.N. agencies that it plans to launch a satellite. The launch is slated for sometime between April 4-8, according to Yonhap, South Korea's state-sponsored news agency.

North Korea is technically capable of launching a rocket in as little as two to four days, according to Kim Taewoo, an expert at the Korea Institute for Defense Analyses, but who doubts a launch will come that soon.

It would not make sense for Pyongyang to make such a move after going through official channels with its plans, Kim said.

"The North could delay the launch if they experience problems with the weather, or within the leadership, but I don't see any reason why they would fire it ahead of time," Kim said.

North Korea's announcement has triggered international consternation. U.S. and South Korean officials have long said the North is actually preparing to test-fire a long-range missile under the guise of a satellite launch.  Watch what might motivate Pyongyang to pursue missile tests »

Japan said this month that it could shoot down the satellite that North Korean officials said they plan to launch. What the North Koreans would be testing may not be known until an actual launch.

A U.N. Security Council resolution in 2006 banned North Korea from conducting ballistic missile activity. Japanese officials said they could shoot down the object whether it is a missile or a satellite.

"As the U.N. resolutions prohibit (North Korea) from engaging in ballistic missile activities, we still consider it to be a violation of a technical aspect, even if (the North) claims it is a satellite. We will discuss the matter with related countries based on this view," Japanese Foreign Minister Hirofumi Nakasone said this month.

The United States has no plans to shoot down the North Korean rocket, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Wednesday, but will raise the issue with the U.N. Security Council if Pyongyang carries out a launch.

"We are doing our best to dissuade the North Koreans from going forward, because it is provocative action," Clinton said. "It raises questions about their compliance with the Security Council Resolution 1718. And if they persist and go forward, we will take it up in appropriate channels."

South Korea echoed Clinton's statements.

"The South Korean government believes that if the North conducts its launch despite continuous warnings of the South Korean government and the international community, it is a provocative action that constitutes a serious threat to the security of northeast Asia and the Korean peninsula," said Foreign Ministry spokesman Moon Tae-Young.

"The launching of the long-range rocket is a clear violation of the U.N. Security Council Resolution No. 1718, and we strongly urge North Korea to immediately stop such measures."

The North Korean Taepodong-2 missile is thought to have an intended range of about 4,200 miles (6,700 kilometers) that -- if true -- could strike Alaska or Hawaii.

who intend to launch a communications satellite?

what is making us not shoot the rockets?

what could launch either a warhead or a satellite?

Answer: The United States

Answer: long-range missile

Answer: dissuade the North Koreans from going forward,

Answer: North Korea

Answer: Hillary Clinton

Answer: U.N. Security Council

Answer: missile

Answer: North Korea

Summary:
NEW: U.S. Secretary of State Clinton says U.S. has no plans to shoot rocket down .
N. Korea positions what analyst is believes is long-range missile for launch .
Taepodong 2 rocket could launch either a warhead or a satellite .
North Koreans have said they intend to launch a communications satellite .


WASHINGTON (CNN) -- North Korea's rhetoric toward the United States has always had a certain bizarre, over-the-top quality to it. Under the Bush administration it labeled Undersecretary of State John Bolton "human scum." "Complete and irreversible denuclearization is the only viable path for North Korea," Hillary Clinton says. But the North Korea's latest comments about Secretary of State Hillary Clinton are stunningly personal. An unnamed North Korean official quoted by the state-run KCNA news agency calls Clinton "by no means intelligent" and a "funny lady." "Sometimes she looks like a primary schoolgirl and sometimes a pensioner going shopping," he said. The remarks seem to be a reply to Clinton's comments to ABC News in which she compared North Korea's leadership to "small children and unruly teenagers and people who are demanding attention." Behind the scenes, U.S officials for months have made similar comparisons, claiming the Pyonyang's modus operandi is to be deliberately provocative, to "act out" to get the United States' attention and be rewarded for its "misbehavior." This time, they say, it's not going to work. Clinton said Pyonyang has "no friends left." After North Korea conducted an underground nuclear test in May and fired several ballistic missiles over Japan, the United States rallied the United Nations to pass resolution 1874, which invoked strong sanctions, including targeting top North Korean officials connected to Pyonyang's nuclear program. Significantly, the resolution was supported by Russia and China, countries that have been reluctant to impose strict sanctions on North Korea. "Complete and irreversible denuclearization is the only viable path for North Korea," Clinton said at the Association of Southeast Asia Nations meeting in Thailand this week. "We do not intend to reward North Korea just for returning to the table, nor do we intend to reward them for actions they have already committed to taking and then reneged on. The path is open to them, and it is up to them to follow it. Unless and until they do, they will face international isolation and the unrelenting pressure of global sanctions." North Korea, however, says the six-party talks with the United States, South Korea, Russia, China and Japan are dead and it's not going back. The country has the right to a nuclear program, it says, since it must defend itself against possible attack from the United States. With strong words on both sides, the standoff seems intractable. Clinton maintains the door still is open to the North, but only if Pyonyang does what it already has committed to: resume talks and dismantle its nuclear program -- completely, irreversibly and verifiably. "We have made it very clear to the North Koreans that if they will agree to irreversible denuclearization the United States, as well as our partners, will move forward on a package of incentives and opportunities, including normalizing relations that will give the people of North Korea a better future," she said. But a North Korean official, quoted by South Korean news agency Yonhap, calls the package of incentives "nonsense." "The U.S. is telling us to take off all of our clothes," he's quoted as saying. "The most important thing for us is sovereignty. Sovereignty, security, namely life, should be guaranteed. How can we barter life with money?"

what does the official reportedly says about Clinton?

what's the reason behind the U.S. officials that likened North Korea's provocative actions?

What has officials likened N Korea's actions to?

Answer: "by no means intelligent"

Answer: May

Answer: to "act out" to get the United States' attention and be rewarded for its "misbehavior."

Answer: fired several ballistic missiles over Japan,

Answer: North Korea,

Answer: "small children and unruly teenagers and people who are demanding attention."

Answer: "by no means intelligent" and a "funny lady."

Summary:
"Sometimes she looks like a primary schoolgirl," official reportedly says of Clinton .
U.S. officials have likened North Korea's provocative actions to children acting out .
North Korea's nuclear test in May strengthened U.S. call for sanctions .
North Korea remains defiant, showing no signs of abandoning nuclear program .


WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Officials in the United States are looking into the recent arrest of an Iranian-American student in Tehran who was working on a research project on women's rights in Iran. Esha Momeni was arrested October 15 in Tehran, Iran, officials said. Esha Momeni, a graduate student at California State University-Northridge, was arrested October 15 in Tehran for unlawfully passing another vehicle while driving, according to Change For Equality, an Iranian women's movement. "We're seeking additional information about this case," State Department spokesman Robert Wood said Wednesday. "We stand with all those in Iran who are working for universal human rights and justice in their countries." Momeni, who was born in Los Angeles, California, is a member of Change for Equality's California chapter. She arrived in Tehran two months ago to work on her masters thesis project on the Iranian women's movement, according to the group, which is in touch with Momeni's family in Iran. Momeni is being held in a section of Tehran's notorious Evin Prison that is managed by the Intelligence Ministry, the group said. Evin Prison houses many Iranian dissidents and political prisoners, and it is where four Iranian-Americans were held for several months last year. All have been released. Iranian officials had promised Momeni's family that she would be immediately released if the news of her arrest was not published, the organization said. "While Esha's friends and colleagues were insistent about announcing the news of her arrest immediately, based on requests from her family this news was announced with delay," Change for Equality said on its Web site. Momeni's parents decided to release the information after they went to Iran's Revolutionary Court on Sunday -- five days after her arrest -- to inquire about her case, and they were told not to return until the investigation into her case has been completed, according to Change for Equality. The Momeni family returned to Iran after the 1979 Islamic revolution, but Esha had gone back to the United States several years ago to study for her masters degree, according to a blog post from her journalism professor, Melissa Wall. A separate blog calling for her release (for-esha.blogspot.com) has been established and includes an interview with Wall, who describes her student as "an exceptionally bright person, very creative and artistic." She calls herself "shocked" to hear of Momeni's arrest. "I'm aware that such things happen in Iran, but I'm confident that they have nothing to fear from Esha's research project," Wall said. "It is simply an academic exercise, not meant for publication outside of academic circles. I cannot image why she should be held in detention." On her personal blog, Wall said, "She is a videographer who was simply interviewing Iranian women. She has broken no laws, has not done anything wrong."

What was Momeni arrested for?
What was Momeni doing in Iran?
Where is she being held?
Where is Momeni held in captivity?
Why was she arrested?
When was she arrested?
What was the reason for her arrest?
Where is Momeni being held?
What is the topic of Momeni's thesis?
What was Momeni's theis on?

Answer: unlawfully passing another vehicle while driving,

Answer: working on a research project

Answer: Evin Prison

Answer: Evin Prison

Answer: unlawfully passing another vehicle while driving,

Answer: October 15

Answer: unlawfully passing another vehicle while driving,

Answer: Tehran's notorious Evin Prison

Answer: the Iranian women's movement,

Answer: women's rights in Iran.

Summary:
Esha Momeni was was working on her thesis on women's rights in Iran .
She was arrested for unlawfully passing another vehicle while driving October 15 .
Momeni is being held in Tehran's notorious Evin Prison .
News of arrest withheld because family was told she would be released .


WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Ohio congressman David Hobson is the latest Republican to announce his exit from the House of Representatives, telling constituents Sunday he would step down in 2008 after nine terms. Rep. David Hobson, shown in February, was the lone Republican on Rep. Nancy Pelosi's Mideast trip this year. Hobson, 71, is a senior member of the House Appropriations subcommittee that oversees the Pentagon. He has represented his district, which includes parts of the Dayton and Columbus areas, since 1991. His fellow Ohio Republican, House Minority Leader John Boehner, praised his "effective leadership and dry wit" in a statement issued Sunday evening. "During the remainder of his term, I am certain that Dave will continue to represent his constituents with the same energy and dedication that have been the trademarks of his tenure in the U.S. House," Boehner said. "I look forward to continuing our close work over these next 14 months, and when the 111th Congress begins, I'll be eager to work beside a new Republican from Ohio's 7th District." Hobson is the 12th GOP House member to announce retirement ahead of the 2008 elections, when the Republican Party will be seeking to reclaim the congressional majorities it lost to Democrats in 2006. Another Republican representative, New Mexico's Heather Wilson, has said she will run for the Senate seat being given up by Sen. Pete Domenici -- one of five Republicans retiring from the Senate in 2008 rather than seeking a new term. "Ohio's 7th Congressional District is a strong Republican seat that will continue to elect candidates that fight to keep taxes low, the economy strong and the nation secure," said Rep. Tom Cole, the chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee. "We will be working with local activists and party leaders to send a candidate that fights for those same values back to Congress in 2008." E-mail to a friend CNN's Jessica Yellin and Deirdre Walsh contributed to this report.

What does the House Appropriations defense subcommittee do?

What year did the GOP lose the congressional majorities?

After how many terms will Rep. David Hobson step down?

Answer: oversees the Pentagon.

Answer: 2008

Answer: 2006.

Answer: nine

Answer: to reclaim the congressional majorities it lost to Democrats in 2006.

Summary:
Rep. David Hobson tells constituents he will step down in 2008 after nine terms .
Hobson is a senior member of a House Appropriations defense subcommittee .
GOP will be seeking to reclaim the congressional majorities it lost in 2006 .


WASHINGTON (CNN) -- On Inauguration Day, there's one scene at the White House that won't be playing out exactly as it has during past transitions: the traditional moving of the outgoing first family's belongings.

President Bush walks out of the White House Oval Office on January 10.

Anita McBride, chief of staff to first lady Laura Bush, tells CNN that the Bushes have moved almost all of their belongings out of the White House ahead of schedule.

"There won't be ... the moving trucks for the Bushes coming here," McBride said, adding, "The only things really left for President and Mrs. Bush are their personal belongings and luggage that they'll take that day."

McBride said Mrs. Bush directed residence staff early -- in the summer of 2008 -- to prepare the White House for the personal transition.

"It's probably the librarian in her," McBride said of Mrs. Bush, a former librarian. "Maybe we've got a bit of a Dewey Decimal system of move-out process, but that certainly made it easier for the residence staff, and they very much appreciate it," McBride said.

The actual clearing out of the Bushes' belongings began over the summer, McBride says, when many items were packed and taken to Crawford, Texas. Then, during the Christmas holiday, the Bushes moved their personal things out of Camp David, the presidential retreat in Maryland, according to McBride.

That means on Inauguration Day, while President Bush and Mrs. Bush, along with President-elect Obama and his family, are at the Capitol, staff in the White House residence will have more time to unpack and prepare the Obamas' personal belongings.

"They have rehearsed this over the last few weeks, everyone has their marching orders, it will be all hands on deck," said McBride.

"The residence staff will be here that morning, and they know what their jobs are when the moving truck for the Obamas' move-in arrives," she said, adding, "Their things will be unpacked, and their clothes will be in their rightful place, and whatever furniture that they may have selected from the White House furniture collection will be in the place that they want it to be."

when will the obama's belongings be moved?

When will the Obamas move into the White House?

Where will Bush move after the White House?

When will the Obama Family start moving into the White House?

Answer: Crawford, Texas.

Answer: January 10.

Answer: Inauguration Day,

Answer: Inauguration Day,

Answer: Crawford, Texas.

Answer: summer of 2008

Answer: Inauguration Day,

Answer: Crawford, Texas.

Summary:
The Obamas' belongings will be moved into the White House on Tuesday .
Most of the Bush family items are already moved to Crawford ranch, Dallas home .
Bush move started last summer, according to a White House aide .


WASHINGTON (CNN) -- On his final full day in office, President Bush issued commutations for two former U.S. Border Patrol agents convicted in 2006 of shooting and wounding an unarmed illegal immigrant -- suspected of drug smuggling at the time -- and then covering it up. An artist's sketch shows Ignacio Ramos, left, and Jose Compean. The prison sentences of Ignacio Ramos and Jose Compean will now end March 20. Ramos had received an 11-year prison sentence; Compean had received a 12-year term. They began serving their sentences in January 2007. The Office of the Pardon Attorney was still reviewing the clemency request when Bush made his decision, Justice Department spokeswoman Laura Sweeney said. "The president has reviewed the circumstances of this case as a whole and the conditions of confinement and believes the sentences they received are too harsh and that they, and their families, have suffered enough for their crimes," a senior administration official said. "Commuting their sentences does not diminish the seriousness of their crimes. Ramos and Compean are convicted felons who violated their oaths to uphold the law and have been severely punished," the official stated. "This commutation gives them an opportunity to return to their families and communities, but both men will have to carry the burden of being convicted felons and the shame of violating their oaths for the rest of their lives." The official noted that both Democratic and Republican members of Congress have supported a commutation, including President-elect Barack Obama's incoming White House chief of staff, Rahm Emanuel, and Texas GOP Sens. Kay Bailey Hutchison and John Cornyn. The head of the labor union representing Border Patrol agents told CNN Radio he was "grateful" that Bush commuted the sentences but questioned why the prison terms won't end until March 20. "I would be quite curious to learn why they have to wait another two months for an unjust sentence," said Rich Pierce, president of the National Border Patrol Council. He said the union's ultimate goal would be for the men to get their Border Patrol jobs back. The shooting happened February 17, 2005, on the border southeast of El Paso, Texas. During their trial, Ramos and Compean said the illegal immigrant, Osvaldo Aldrete-Davila, had brandished a gun while actively resisting arrest. Aldrete-Davila, however, said he was unarmed and was attempting to surrender when Compean attempted to beat him with a shotgun. Aldrete-Davila was shot while fleeing toward the Rio Grande. Ramos and Compean were ultimately convicted of assault with a dangerous weapon, lying about the incident and violating Aldrete-Davila's Fourth Amendment right against illegal search and seizure. After receiving immunity to testify in the case against the two agents, Aldrete-Davila was arrested in 2007 on charges of bringing more than 750 pounds of marijuana into the United States. The case quickly became a political flash point, with advocates of tighter border controls defending the agents and civil liberties groups saying that the agents had used illegal and excessive force against Aldrete-Davila. Bush has granted 189 pardons and 11 commutations over his eight years in office, far fewer than Presidents Bill Clinton and Ronald Reagan in their two-term administrations. During the final months of the Bush administration, speculation has swirled around the question of whether former vice presidential aide Lewis "Scooter" Libby would be granted the presidential favor. Libby was convicted in March of 2007 of four counts of lying and impeding a federal investigation into the leak of information that revealed that Valerie Plame was a covert CIA operative. Among the more notable people who have applied for -- but not received -- some form of clemency are: former Rep. Randall "Duke" Cunningham, R-California, who was convicted of receiving bribes; publishing executive Conrad Black, who was found guilty of fraud; former junk bold salesman Michael Milken, who pleaded guilty to securities fraud;  and former WorldCom CEO Bernard Ebbers, convicted of accounting fraud. The parents of John Walker Lindh, who was given a 20-year sentence after pleading guilty to supporting terrorists in Afghanistan, held a news conference

What did Ignacio Ramos and Jose Compean do wrong?

What organization did this men previously work for?

Answer: assault with a dangerous weapon,

Answer: shooting and wounding an unarmed illegal immigrant

Answer: U.S. Border Patrol agents convicted in 2006 of shooting and wounding an unarmed illegal immigrant

Answer: Bush

Answer: U.S. Border Patrol

Answer: the sentences they received are too harsh and that they, and their families, have suffered enough for their crimes,"

Answer: shooting and wounding an unarmed illegal immigrant

Answer: U.S. Border Patrol agents

Answer: shooting and wounding an unarmed illegal immigrant

Answer: March 20.

Answer: Ignacio Ramos and Jose Compean

Summary:
Bush commutes sentences of Ignacio Ramos and Jose Compean .
President believes "the sentences they received are too harsh," official says .
Ex-Border Patrol agents will be released March 20 .
Pair convicted of shooting undocumented immigrant allegedly running drugs .


WASHINGTON (CNN) -- On the same day that it announced record suicides among its soldiers, the U.S. Army said Thursday that it will soon conduct service-wide training to help identify soldiers at risk of suicide. The program will teach soldiers how to recognize behaviors that may lead to suicide, and how to intervene. The program, which will run February 15 through March 15, will include training to recognize behaviors that may lead to suicide and instruction on how to intervene. The Army will follow the training with another teaching program, from March 15 to June 15, focused on suicide prevention at all unit levels. Earlier Thursday, the Army reported the highest one-year level of suicides among its soldiers since it began tracking the rate 28 years ago. The Army said that 128 soldiers were confirmed to have committed suicide in 2008, and an additional 15 were suspected to have committed suicide that year in cases under investigation among active-duty soldiers and activated National Guard and reserves. The Army's confirmed rate of suicides in 2008 was 20.2 per 100,000 soldiers. The nation's suicide rate was 19.5 per 100,000 people in 2005, a figure considered the most recent, Army officials said last month. In 2007, the Army reported 115 confirmed suicides, which was then the highest level since 1980, when it began tracking suicides. Suicides for Marines were also up in 2008. There were 41 in 2008, up from 33 in 2007 and 25 in 2006, according to a Marines report. In addition to the training the Army announced Thursday, the service has a program called Battlemind, intended to prepare soldiers and their families to cope with the stresses of war before, during and after deployment. It also is intended to help detect mental-health issues before and after deployments. The Army and the National Institute of Mental Health signed an agreement in October to conduct research to identify factors affecting the mental and behavioral health of soldiers and to share strategies to lower the suicide rate. The five-year study will examine active-duty, National Guard and reserve soldiers and their families.

How many soldiers killed themselves in 2008?

what have 128 soldiers been confirmed doing

how many soldiers have committed suicide

What percentage of suicides in the US are of military personnel?

Answer: 2007,

Answer: 128

Answer: committed suicide in 2008,

Answer: 128

Answer: soldiers at risk of suicide.

Answer: 20.2

Summary:
Service-wide training to help soldiers identify those at risk of suicide .
2008 was record year for U.S. Army suicides, service reports .
Army: 128 soldiers confirmed to have committed suicide in 2008 .


WASHINGTON (CNN) -- On their son's last night as president, a melancholy former President George H.W. Bush and his wife, Barbara, made an impromptu visit to the White House's press briefing room and told reporters how much they'll miss the building.

Ex-President George H.W. Bush says he'll miss coming and going from the White House.

"We will miss coming and going, but it's time to move on," said the former president, who was a frequent visitor during his son's two terms in office.

"The Bushes are going to a happy life."

When a reporter suggested that perhaps one of their other sons, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, will take the White House someday, the former president smiled.

"Maybe Jeb will do something. I'd like to see him try," the former president said.

Barbara Bush, who was first lady from 1989 to 1993, said the hardest part of the night was saying goodbye to the White House residence staff a second time.

"In tears twice," she said, her eyes red.

She added that she and her husband are looking forward to attending Tuesday's inauguration of President-elect Barack Obama.

"Very exciting day," she said.

In addition to the inauguration, the former first couple was to attend a final dinner at the White House with current President Bush, first lady Laura Bush and the first couple's two daughters, Barbara and Jenna.

As the former first couple left the briefing room, some reporters and photographers spontaneously started clapping out of respect.  Your view of history

The ex-president, who was using a long walking stick to get around, quipped, "You didn't clap when I was president, what the hell is going on?"

Who visited the White House on Bush's last night as president?

Who visited the White House on G.W. Bush's last night as President?

Whose inauguration did the former first couple Attend?

What were former first couple attending?

Who visited the White House on son's last night as president?

What did the senior Bush do when reporter suggested his other sun could run?

Answer: George H.W.

Answer: George H.W. Bush

Answer: Barbara Bush,

Answer: George H.W.

Answer: President-elect Barack Obama.

Answer: President George H.W.

Answer: Barbara

Answer: Barack Obama.

Answer: White House's press briefing

Answer: George H.W.

Answer: hardest part of the night was saying goodbye to the White House residence staff a second time.

Answer: smiled.

Summary:
Former president, wife visit White House on son's last night as president .
George H.W. Bush smiles when reporter suggests other son could run .
Barbara Bush reflects on saying goodbye to White House staff for second time .
Former first couple attending inauguration of Barack Obama .


WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Once he roamed the streets, moving from shelter to shelter. Now, Oliver Gomes rubs shoulders with Washington's elite. Oliver Gomes says working in the halls of Congress gave him the motivation and money to get off the streets. Squatting next to a white wall outside a Senate hearing room recently with a cell phone glued to his ear, Gomes is being paid to hold a place in line for a lobbyist at a hearing on the climate-change bill. Gomes -- 6 feet tall, with long curly hair pulled back, wearing a polo shirt and shorts -- is one of the contracted men and women holding places in line for this hearing. Many have been waiting since midnight to ensure their clients a seat. By 9 a.m., more than 100 people are lined up for the hearing. Only 10 seats are available to the public, and the first 10 spots are held by line-standers. The rest are shut out. Though the practice is controversial, Gomes said it has lifted him from life on the street. "Sitting in the halls of Congress made me feel a little better," he said. "It elevated me and made me feel like, well, you know, maybe I do belong here, maybe I can contribute even at that little minute level."  Watch Gomes tell his story » As the need for couriers on Capitol Hill declined with e-mail and fax, courier services like Quick Messenger Service of DC, Inc. have added the service of contracting men and women to hold places in line for lobbyists at hearings. The seats are valuable to lobbyists because the hearing is often their only face time with legislators. For big hearings with limited availability, line-standers may wait 20 to 30 hours. They're paid anywhere from $11 to $35 an hour. Gomes was living in a shelter when he started line-standing. He said working in the halls of Congress gave him the motivation and money he needed to get off the streets. He now makes extra money by recruiting men for the line-standing services from the homeless shelters where he used to stay. "When I was down and out and I was on the Hill and I had that little bit of hope that while I was actually here, it gave me the incentive to dress a little better, more professional," Gomes said. Many of the contracted line-standers are homeless or formerly homeless like Gomes. Williams Howard Johnson Jr., one of Gomes' recruits, found his bright yellow button-down shirt, green patterned tie, and slacks at a donation center because he wanted to dress well for his job. "That comes from being a part of something that's really meaningful to not only me but to society," Johnson said. Johnson was among those who had been in line since midnight for the 10 a.m. climate-change bill hearing, but he said he was happy to be there. "I'm a part of something today and I'm very happy about that," Johnson said. Although Johnson and Gomes are glad to have a job and a feeling of importance on Capitol Hill, many people are opposed to the practice of hiring line-standers. Kalen Pruss, a fellow at the Internet environmental group avaaz.org, and her group of cheering green T-shirted environmentalists were shut out of the hearing. "It's very unfortunate that the people who come here to line-stand always beat us here cause they can stand here all night," Pruss said. John Winslow, director of linestanding.com, said the committees might be creating the lines by limiting the number of seats for the public in the hearing rooms. At this hearing, some of his clients that paid for line-standers to wait at midnight were not able to get into the hearing. "It's really a question of logistics, how many people does the committee want to service," Winslow said. "And it seems like overwhelmingly they try to limit the number of people who attend these hearings and

Who are lobbyists trying to get face time with?

Approximate amount that line-standers are paid?

Answer: legislators.

Answer: 10 seats are available to the public,

Answer: $11 to $35 an hour.

Answer: $11 to $35 an hour.

Summary:
Contracted line-holders stand for hours to ensure their clients get seats .
Seats at hearings often only chance for lobbyists to get face time with legislators .
Line-standers, some homeless, are paid anywhere from $11 to $35 an hour .
Critics see practice as another way lobbyists are buying influence on Capitol Hill .


WASHINGTON (CNN) -- One can only imagine the sights this hat has seen. Perched atop a man who towered over his peers at 6 foot 4 inches, this hat must have had quite a view. "Abraham Lincoln: An Extraordinary Life" will be on display through January 2011. It may have been there when a divided nation -- a devastating Civil War on the horizon -- elected a politician from Illinois as president. It could have watched as this president, so desperate to preserve the Union, carefully drafted the Emancipation Proclamation, thus changing the course of American history. And we know for sure that this hat was witness to a tragic April night when the same president was fatally shot while enjoying a play. The iconic top hat, part of a collection of items associated with Abraham Lincoln, is now on display at the National Museum of American History. Nearly three years in the making, "Abraham Lincoln: An Extraordinary Life" is part of the Smithsonian Institution's bicentennial celebration of Abraham Lincoln's birth and a rare glimpse into the life of one of our nation's greatest presidents. Nearly two centuries later, still adorned with a black band of mourning for a son who died too early, Lincoln's hat is worn-down, yet strangely magnificent. Maybe it is the hat's history that gives it such a majestic quality. Or perhaps it is simply that a top hat always commands a certain reverence -- an attribute that may reveal a great deal about the vanity of its owner. "Why would somebody who is 6 foot 4 inches decide to wear a tall hat?" asks Harry Rubenstein, curator of the exhibit. "He clearly has this desire to stand out in the crowd, to make his place in it." Rubenstein hopes this is the type of intimate detail about our 16th president's life that people will take away from the ongoing Lincoln exhibit. "This is the first time we've brought together all of the museum's best Lincoln objects to tell the story of Lincoln's life," Rubenstein says. "And I think it's a different kind of story that emerges -- one that's more intimate and more personal and one that brings this story to life in very tangible ways."  Watch descriptions of items in the Lincoln exhibit » The Smithsonian Institution started its Lincoln collection more than 140 years ago, Rubenstein says. The exhibit, which opened in January, houses more than 60 items from Abraham Lincoln's life, spanning his humble beginnings, his political career, his life in the White House, and even relics recovered in the wake of his assassination. Rubenstein says the collection includes "little personal objects of things he touched and used at pivotal moments in his life," like his office suit, his gold pocket watch -- and a coffee cup he left on a windowsill the night of his assassination. The exhibit is also home to more significant objects, such as the inkstand Lincoln used to draft the Emancipation Proclamation, and a patent model of a device he invented for lifting boats over sand bars.  See photos from the exhibit » Also on display is memorabilia from the 1860 presidential election campaign -- such as a replica poster portraying a young and masculine Lincoln splitting rail -- that reveal a candidate not impervious to the somewhat superficial aspects of the American political system. Rubenstein says that although Lincoln scoffed at his party's attempts to brand him as "Old Abe the Rail Splitter," he understood the importance of appealing to the masses and creating an image to "link him and his ideals in an iconic kind of way." Perhaps no one is more aware of the power of Lincoln's iconic image than President Barack Obama, who frequently cited his Illinois predecessor as a source of inspiration for his own presidency. While Rubenstein warns against drawing too much of a comparison between presidents -- the two Illinoisans have been linked by their reformist platforms, their penchant for eloquent speeches, and even for their physical likenesses -- he acknowledges the significance of the symbolic timing: As the first African-American becomes president, the nation celebrates the 200th birthday of

What is the exhibit a part of?
What is it part of?
What is the exhibit part of?
Where are the exhibits shown?
What does the curator say?
Who is the exhibit honouring?
Who does the exhibit honor?

Answer: Smithsonian Institution's bicentennial celebration of

Answer: a collection of items associated with Abraham Lincoln,

Answer: Smithsonian Institution's bicentennial celebration of

Answer: Smithsonian Institution

Answer: "Why would somebody who is 6 foot 4 inches decide to wear a tall hat?"

Answer: "Abraham Lincoln:

Answer: "Abraham Lincoln:

Summary:
National Museum of American History exhibit honors Abraham Lincoln .
Exhibit is part of Smithsonian Institution's bicentennial celebration of Lincoln's birth .
Show brings together "all of the museum's best Lincoln objects," curator says .
Among objects on display are Lincoln's hat, suit, coffee cup, pocket watch .


WASHINGTON (CNN) -- One of the Marines shown in a famous World War II photograph raising the U.S. flag on Iwo Jima was posthumously awarded a certificate of U.S. citizenship on Tuesday.

The Marine Corps War Memorial in Virginia depicts Strank and five others raising a flag on Iwo Jima.

Sgt. Michael Strank, who was born in Czechoslovakia and came to the United States when he was 3, derived U.S. citizenship when his father was naturalized in 1935. However, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services recently discovered that Strank never was given citizenship papers.

At a ceremony Tuesday at the Marine Corps Memorial -- which depicts the flag-raising -- in Arlington, Virginia, a certificate of citizenship was presented to Strank's younger sister, Mary Pero.

Strank and five other men became national icons when an Associated Press photographer captured the image of them planting an American flag on top of Mount Suribachi on February 23, 1945.

Strank was killed in action on the island on March 1, 1945, less than a month before the battle between Japanese and U.S. forces there ended.

Jonathan Scharfen, the acting director of CIS, presented the citizenship certificate Tuesday.

He hailed Strank as "a true American hero and a wonderful example of the remarkable contribution and sacrifices that immigrants have made to our great republic throughout its history."

What war was the Iwo Jima battle a part of?

Who was among six who famously raised flag on Iwo Jima?

When was the certificate given to his sister?

Who was killed on Iwo Jima in World War II ?

Who was among the six who raised the flag in Iwo Jima?

Answer: II

Answer: Czechoslovakia

Answer: on the island

Answer: Sgt. Michael Strank,

Answer: Sgt.

Answer: Tuesday.

Answer: Michael Strank,

Answer: Czechoslovakia

Answer: citizenship papers.

Answer: Czechoslovakia

Answer: Strank's younger sister, Mary Pero.

Answer: Sgt. Michael Strank,

Summary:
Marine Sgt. Michael Strank was among six who famously raised flag on Iwo Jima .
Strank, born in Czechoslovakia, became a U.S. citizen after his father was naturalized .
Strank, killed on Iwo Jima in World War II battle, didn't receive citizenship papers .
Certificate given to his sister on Tuesday .


WASHINGTON (CNN) -- One of the main stumbling blocks to talk with Iran has been the condition that Iran suspends its uranium enrichment. Now, the Obama administration may take that option off the table, at least for now.

This is from an Iranian nuclear plant in the central province of Isfahan on April 9.

The United States and its European allies, which have just invited Iran to a fresh round of nuclear talks, are coming to the realization that if Iran's nuclear program isn't quite at the point of no return, it will be soon. With 5,500 centrifuges, roughly enough for about two weapons worth of uranium a year, Iran isn't going to just shut down its enrichment facility as a goodwill gesture.

For years, Iran has been willing to endure sanctions and economic isolation. What it hasn't been willing to do is suspend enrichment.

Iran maintains enriching uranium for nuclear energy is its right. Now the West seems to have come around to Iran's way of thinking. Last week during a speech on proliferation in Prague, Czech Republic, President Obama admitted as much when he said, "We will support Iran's right to peaceful nuclear energy with rigorous inspections."

The International Atomic Energy Agency, the U.N. nuclear watchdog, has long argued to allow Iran to maintain a small face-saving nuclear enrichment program under the guise of "research and development."

Allowing such a program under the Non-Proliferation Treaty, at least while negotiations continue, would involve strict IAEA inspections -- something which may give the international community the kind of insight into Iran's nuclear program which it has long sought.

It would also give Iran the cover to come back to the table without claiming it never gave in to the West. Rather, Tehran can boast the international community came around to its point of view. Preventing Iranian enrichment may be an ultimate pipe dream, but officials hope the right package of incentives, coupled with the threat of tougher sanctions, which could cripple its stumbling economy, could deter Tehran from developing a nuclear bomb.

If adopted, the new strategy will undoubtedly be condemned by Israel, which has warned the U.S. that it has until the end of the year to put an end to Iran's uranium production before it takes matters into its own hands.

However, moving beyond the issue of enrichment helps Obama inch closer toward engagement with Iran, something he promised during the campaign and has begun to undertake with small, albeit significant, steps, most noticeably his New Year's message to the Iranian people.

Those who watch Iran closely say Obama's outreach is being warmly received in the region. While the response from spiritual leader Ayatollah Khamanei and President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad seems vague at first glance, experts argue the regime is being quite conciliatory, even flirting with the U.S. overtures and opening the door for talks.

Now the administration is taking another leap, inviting Iran to several meetings on Afghanistan as a way to engage on issues of mutual interest. The U.S. is also seriously considering allowing U.S. diplomats around the world to interact with their Iranian counterparts and setting up a U.S. interests section in Iran.

Officials say not to expect any dramatic breakthroughs before the Iranians head to the polls to elect a new president in June. But Obama's conservative critics, including several Republican lawmakers, worry Obama is making it too easy for Iran to come back to the table and is giving credibility to Iran's defiant Ahmadinejad in his bid for re-election.

The goal of stopping Iran from building a nuclear weapon remains, but the tactics are shifting and the rules of the game have changed.

Obama and his advisers are betting that by finally giving Iran what it thinks it wants, the U.S. and its allies will get what they need -- a way to bring Iran to the table and start meaningful negotiations, which have eluded them for the past four years.

What does the Obama Administration hope for?

Answer: Iran's uranium production

Answer: deter Tehran from developing a nuclear bomb.

Answer: President

Summary:
White House may drop key condition that Iran suspend its nuclear program .
Obama administration hopes change will bring Iran to negotiation table .
Obama says he supports Iran's nuclear program "with rigorous inspections"
Israel wants U.S. to force Iran to end its uranium production program .


WASHINGTON (CNN) -- One of the most unexpected controversies of the Obama administration came to a head Tuesday as the president delivered a hotly debated back-to-school speech to students across the country. President Obama speaks to students Tuesday at Wakefield High School in Arlington, Virginia. Many conservatives expressed fear over the past week that the president's address would be used to push a partisan political agenda. Obama, however, avoided any mention of political initiatives. He repeatedly urged students to work hard and stay in school. "There is no excuse for not trying," he told students at Wakefield High School in Arlington, Virginia.  Watch Obama speak to the students » "This isn't just important for your own life and your own future. What you make of your education will decide nothing less than the future of this country. What you're learning in school today will determine whether we as a nation can meet our greatest challenges in the future." Read text of Obama's speech to students (pdf) Several Cabinet officials are slated to deliver similar messages at various schools across the country throughout the day. In the past week, news of Obama's speech had upset some parents. "Thinking about my kids in school having to listen to that just really upsets me," suburban Colorado mother Shanneen Barron told CNN Denver affiliate KMGH last week, before the text of the speech was released. "I'm an American. They are Americans, and I don't feel that's OK. I feel very scared to be in this country with our leadership right now." But Amy Veasley, a parent from the Dallas, Texas, area, said Monday that she was surprised by the controversy. "The president of our country wants to call our students to action. I'm not sure why parents wouldn't want their students to hear out the leader of our country," she said. A Baltimore, Maryland, teacher who asked not to be identified bemoaned the fact that the country has "become so polarized that we believe that our president is an enemy and not our leader." During George W. Bush's presidency, she said, "whether I disagreed or not, I still saw him as a leader." iReport.com: Share your thoughts on Obama's speech White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said Monday that "it's a sad state of affairs that many in this country politically would rather start an 'Animal House' food fight rather than inspire kids to stay in school." Some school administrators had decided to show the president's speech, but others decided against it. And others were leaving the decision in the hands of individual teachers. One school district in Toronto, Ohio, decided to air the speech live for students in the third grade and up but not show it to younger children, according to CNN affiliate WTOV. Nine out of 550 students attending the Toronto schools showing the speech chose not to watch it, WTOV noted. Toronto Superintendent Fred Burns said the parents of the nine children were concerned that the speech was too political.  Watch students respond to Obama's speech » "It's a very charismatic speech," Burns told WTOV. "It's very much a speech to help kids get involved in education and finish school." Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, a possible contender for the GOP's 2012 presidential nomination, said Sunday that Obama's speech could disrupt an already-hectic first day of school for many students. "I think there's concerns about the disruption," he said on CNN's "State of the Union," calling the scheduling of the speech a "little ham-fisted" by the White House.  Watch CNN's Ed Henry talk about school speech uproar » Education Secretary Arne Duncan, however, noted that Obama's speech was not unprecedented. President George H.W. Bush delivered a nationally televised speech to students from a Washington school in fall 1991, encouraging them to say no to drugs and work hard. In November 1988, President Reagan delivered more politically charged

what did school administrators did not show?

Did all school administrators show the speech?

What did the Secretary of Education have to say?

What did the Secretary of Education say?

Whats the Secretary of Education called?

Answer: at Wakefield High School in Arlington, Virginia.

Answer: the president's speech,

Answer: work hard and stay in school.

Answer: Arne Duncan,

Answer: urged students to work hard and stay in school.

Answer: the president's

Answer: "There is no excuse for not trying,"

Answer: Obama's speech was not unprecedented.

Answer: Some

Answer: President Obama

Answer: Obama

Answer: Obama's speech was not unprecedented.

Answer: back-to-school

Answer: Arne Duncan,

Summary:
President Obama speaks to students about education's importance .
"There is no excuse for not trying," Obama says .
Secretary of Education Arne Duncan says speech not unprecedented .
Some school administrators did not show speech; others let teachers decide .


WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Over-the-counter cold and cough medicines don't work for children under age 6, and giving the common medicine to young children cannot be recommended, a Food and Drug Administration advisory committee said in October. An FDA panel has called for more studies on how cold medicines affect children. The panel of health experts, which looked at how safe and effective antihistamines, decongestants, antitussins and expectorants are in children, said it is not appropriate to take data from adults and apply it to children under 12. After a two-day hearing, the panel called for more studies about how the medicines affect children. Although the panel's recommendation is nonbinding, it could lead to changes in how cough and cold medicines are used. The votes are to be taken into consideration by FDA regulators, who might take action against the products at a later time. Dr. Jeff Jenkins, of the FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, said it could take a year or even years for the agency to make a final decision on the recommendations. During the panel's meeting, the experts looked at a number of proposals, including whether multiple-symptom over-the-counter pediatric cough and cold medicines should be banned for children under 6 years old. FDA experts voted 13-9 that certain cold medicines with certain ingredients should not be used by young children. The committee said medicines with the same ingredients could be used by children ages 6 to 12. The experts voted unanimously to require that standardized dosing devices accompany all liquid medicines, in an effort to reduce the likelihood of excessive or unintentional overdosing. Separately, the committee voted to allow marketing of multiple-symptom products to children between the ages of 2 and 12 if new research showed the products to be safe and effective. Combination products can be particularly susceptible to problems with overdosing because parents sometimes don't realize they are duplicating ingredients. Committee members also emphasized the importance of proper and easy-to-read labels. Dr. Daniel Rausch, director of the pediatric hospital program for New York University, said that cold medicine is effective only at doses that are too strong for young children. Rausch recommends a more traditional treatment where dosing isn't a problem: chicken soup. "A cold does not kill, so people should just relax," Rausch said. "Kids get sick and there's nothing that people can do about it, but they will get better." About 800 pediatric cough and cold products are sold in the United States, many using multiple ingredients that have been marketed for use in children for some 30 years. Earlier this year, the FDA completed a review that found that between 1969 and the fall of 2006, there were 54 reported child deaths from decongestants and 69 from antihistamines.   Watch one family's tragic ending » Most of the deaths occurred in children under 2. In August, federal health officials recommended the "consult your physician" advice to parents on the labels of cold and cough medicines aimed at young children be replaced by a warning not to use the medications in children under 2 unless directed to do so by a health care provider. Before the FDA hearings, some of the leading manufacturers of cold and cough medicines announced a voluntary recall of more than a dozen cold medicines for infants. The Consumer Healthcare Products Association said the products were being pulled "out of an abundance of caution." Potential misuse of the medications, not product safety, is driving the voluntary withdrawal, the group said. The American Academy of Pediatrics applauded last week's decision to pull those products, saying, "These medicines are ineffective and can have serious side effects. There are other ways to treat cold symptoms." The AAP suggests: When the drug industry voluntarily withdrew products last week, it insisted that when used as directed, the drugs are safe, and they work. "Parents can continue to trust over-the-counter cough and cold remedies for their children," said Linda A. Suydam, president of the Consumer Healthcare Products Association

how many pediatric cough and cold products are sold in the United States?

Answer: looked at how safe and effective antihistamines, decongestants, antitussins and expectorants are in children,

Answer: 800

Answer: how cold medicines affect children.

Answer: chicken soup.

Summary:
Panel: No evidence that the over-the-counter medicines help young children .
More study sought about how cough, cold medicines work in children .
About 800 pediatric cough and cold products are sold in the United States .
Pediatrics group suggests "other ways to treat cold symptoms"


WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Pakistan is optimistic about the Obama administration's commitment to its region and will work with the United States on trying to root out extremism within its borders, Pakistan's foreign minister said. Pakistani Foreign Minister Makhdoom Shah Mehmood Qureshi meets U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Following a meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Pakistani Foreign Minister Makhdoom Shah Mehmood Qureshi cited a "convergence of interests" between Washington and Islamabad and a "willingness to work together." "I see a lot of hope in the new administration, the new leadership, and Pakistan is willing to work with the American administration to fight extremism and terrorism," he said Tuesday. "We are determined to defeat terrorism in all its forms and manifestations." Qureshi is in Washington to take part in strategic review of U.S. policy to stabilize Afghanistan and neighboring Pakistan. The effort is being led by South Asian security expert Bruce Reidel and Ambassador Richard Holbrooke, U.S. special envoy. Afghan Foreign Minister Rangin D. Spanta also was leading a delegation from his country to take part in the review. He and Qureshi will meet with both Clinton and Holbrooke this week. U.S. President Barack Obama and Clinton tapped Holbrooke as special representative for the two countries, a signal of how the new administration considers Afghanistan and Pakistan intertwined in any solution to the war in Afghanistan and the terrorist threat along their shared border. "We are consulting very closely with the government of Pakistan on our strategic review of our way forward and I'm very grateful for the minister's advice and counsel," Clinton said after meeting with Qureshi. Last week Obama announced he is sending another 17,000 troops to Afghanistan to fight a strengthening insurgency, which Obama has called the "central front in our enduring struggle against terrorism and extremism." The troops will be sent to southern Afghanistan, which borders Pakistan and is a haven for Taliban insurgents. Pakistani officials have expressed concern the deployment will push the Taliban across the border into Pakistan and further destabilize their country. The Obama administration is conducting several reviews of U.S. policy in Afghanistan, including a review by Gen. David Petraeus, the commander in the region. Defense Secretary Robert Gates has said the original mission in Afghanistan was "too broad" and needs to be more "realistic and focused" for the United States to succeed. Pakistan is engaged in its own effort against Taliban militants in its Northwest Frontier Provence. The militants, who effectively control the country's Swat Valley, extended a cease-fire Tuesday as part of an agreement with the government, a deal the U.S. and NATO warn risks granting a safe haven to extremists near the Afghan border.  Watch why the deal is being viewed as a capitulation » Swat Valley was once one of Pakistan's biggest tourist destinations. It is situated near the Afghanistan border and about 186 miles (300 kilometers) from Pakistan's capital, Islamabad. In recent months, militants have unleashed a wave of violence that has claimed hundreds of lives across the province. The militants want to require veils for women and beards for men and to ban music and television. The fighting has displaced nearly half of Swat's population, officials said. The central government has long exerted little control in the area, but it launched an intense military offensive in late July to flush out militants. As retaliation for the military presence, the Taliban carried out a series of deadly bombings, beheadings and kidnappings -- and said the attacks will continue until the troops pull out. The Taliban said Tuesday it was indefinitely extending a cease-fire Taliban leaders declared eight days ago after signing a controversial deal with the government to impose Islamic law, or Sharia, in the region. The Pakistani government's decision now to negotiate with Pakistan has been met with international criticism. Holbrooke has said the Obama administration was "troubled and confused" by the truce in Swat. Holbrooke and NATO officials have expressed concerns that such an accord could cede effective control of the Swat Valley to extremists.

What does Taliban militants extend  as part of their deal with Pakistan?

Who will meet with Clinton and Holbrooke?

Answer: will work with the United States on trying to root out extremism within its borders,

Answer: southern Afghanistan,

Answer: new administration, the new leadership,

Answer: cease-fire

Answer: Pakistani Foreign Minister Makhdoom Shah Mehmood Qureshi

Answer: southern Afghanistan,

Summary:
Qureshi: "I see a lot of hope in the new administration, the new leadership"
He and Afghan foreign minister will meet with Clinton, Holbrooke this week .
U.S. troops will be sent to southern Afghanistan .
Taliban militants extend cease-fire as part of deal with Pakistan .


WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Participation in government health insurance programs -- particularly those aimed at children -- increased from 2006 to 2007, leading to a decrease in the number of Americans lacking insurance, the U.S. Census Bureau said Tuesday.

The Census Bureau says 15.3 percent of Americans lacked health insurance in 2007.

Overall, 45.7 million people, or 15.3 percent of U.S. residents, did not have health insurance in 2007, the bureau said in releasing reports on poverty, income and insurance. That represents a decrease from the 2006 level of 47 million, or 15.8 percent.

The decrease came as a surprise, as the number of uninsured Americans had been expected to rise for a seventh straight year. It also gives a boost to proponents of expanding government health-care plans such as the State Children's Health Insurance Program, or SCHIP.

In December, President Bush signed legislation that extends SCHIP federal funding through the end of March 2009. That action came after Bush vetoed two congressional attempts to expand the program. In vetoing one of the measures, Bush said the proposed expansion "moves our country's health-care system in the wrong direction."

The percentages of people covered by private health insurance and by employment-based health insurance both decreased slightly in 2007, the Census numbers showed, although the number of those covered by employment-based insurance, 177.4 million, was not statistically different from 2006.

However, the percentage of people, including children, covered by government health insurance programs increased to 27.8 percent in 2007 from 27 percent in 2006. The number of children under 18 without health insurance fell to 11 percent, or 8.1 million -- lower than the 2006 numbers of 11.1 percent and 8.7 million.  See a state-by-state breakdown of uninsured Americans »

Meanwhile, participation in Medicaid, the government insurance program for low-income Americans, increased to 13.2 percent and 39.6 million in 2007, up from 12.9 percent and 38.3 million in 2006.

Using a three-year average from 2005-2007, data showed that Texas had the highest percentage of uninsured, with 24.4 percent, the bureau said.

With 8.3 percent, Massachusetts and Hawaii had the lowest estimates for uninsured rates, according to the Census Bureau, but the two were not statistically different from Minnesota (8.5 percent), Wisconsin (8.8 percent) and Iowa (9.4 percent). Hawaii also did not differ statistically from Maine (9.5 percent), it said.

But "even with the overall drop in uninsured Americans, the 45.7 million uninsured number for 2007 exceeds the combined population of 24 states plus the District of Columbia," a group called Families USA said in a written statement. The group says on its Web site it is "dedicated to the achievement of high-quality, affordable health care for all Americans."

Being uninsured is a stark reality many Americans live with daily.

They include Linda Pendleton of Greensboro, North Carolina. Pendleton was unable to afford private coverage when the convenience store where she worked stopped offering insurance to its employees two years ago. It worked out fine, she said, until she was diagnosed with stage IV breast cancer last month.

Unable to work, she moved in with her daughter and her three grandsons. She has applied for Medicaid and disability, but has yet to receive a response. "So right now I'm trying to pay for everything," said her daughter, Randi Sharp.

But that's not easy. With two of her sons disabled, Sharp stays at home to care for them. Her eldest son receives disability payments of $632 per month, which supports the family, she said. The father of Sharp's children is supposed to pay support, but "he up and left and the court can't find him."

Though her monthly rent is $600, Sharp said her landlord has cut her some slack. And she goes to churches for her food and didn't buy her sons school clothes this year, she said. Meanwhile, her mother is so dragged down by her reaction to the chemotherapy that she "can barely do things for

What will give boost to backers of expanded government health-care plans?

How many million Americans were uninsured in 2007?

Answer: The decrease

Answer: State Children's Health Insurance Program,

Answer: 45.7

Answer: the number of uninsured Americans had been expected to rise for a seventh straight year.

Summary:
Census: 45.7 million Americans uninsured in 2007, down from 47 million in 2006 .
Decrease a surprise, number was expected to increase for seventh straight year .
Findings will give boost to backers of expanded government health-care plans .
Real median household income increased 1.3 percent nationwide, Census finds .


WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Pentagon officials have begun preparing for the first transfer of power during war since Vietnam. They insist that the complicated transfer from the Bush administration to the Obama administration will go smoothly. The coming transfer of power during wartime will be the first since 1968. President Bush met Thursday with members of his Cabinet, including Defense Secretary Robert Gates, and urged them to cooperate. "We're in a struggle against violent extremists determined to attack us, and they would like nothing more than to exploit this period of change to harm the American people," Bush said. "For the next 75 days, all of us must ensure that the next president and his team can hit the ground running." Teams in Gates' office and that of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Adm. Mike Mullen, have been working on the transition for months, according to Pentagon officials.  See who Obama may be considering for his Cabinet » With ongoing wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, it will mark the first time a transfer of power has taken place during wartime since 1968, when Lyndon Johnson handed over power to Richard Nixon while the Vietnam War raged. "We are preparing to make this as smooth a transition as we can," Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said this week. Although officials say the transition is in good hands, little is being said about what discussions will occur between the Pentagon teams and President-elect Barack Obama's transition teams when they begin showing up within days or weeks. "There is a recognition that given that we are a nation at war, that energy and effort [should] be sufficiently placed to ensure that we don't drop any balls, because national security and supporting our fielded forces that are engaged in combat is of paramount importance to this country," Whitman said. Robert Rangel, special assistant to Gates and the deputy secretary of defense, is in charge of the transition process in the Pentagon, while Marine Brig. Gen. Frank McKenzie, who reports to Rangel, is leading the effort for the Joint Chiefs. Last month, Gates issued guidelines for the transition, stressing that the department must maintain continuity of operations and ensure efficient and effective transition between the outgoing political leaders and the incoming administration, according to Whitman. The Pentagon has opened offices for Obama's transition staff. The nondescript offices are just down the hall from the secretary of defense's office and have been readied with computers, phones and filing cabinets. The offices remain empty until staff members are designated by Obama's team and cleared through the White House. "The initial contact point for the Obama transition team will be through the White House, and there will be a discussion on the way forward on the transition, and what will happen out of that will be a memorandum of understanding that says, 'these people will be working with the Defense Department,' so we know who has been sanctioned and designated by the president-elect," Whitman said. In his comments Thursday, Bush said, "ensuring that this transition is as smooth as possible is a priority for the rest of my presidency."

When was the last time there was a wartime transition of power?

When will the new president take office?

What was President Bush worried about during the transfer of power?

Who said that terrorists could use the transfer period to attack us?

Answer: 1968.

Answer: Afghanistan

Answer: 75 days,

Answer: Pentagon officials

Answer: violent extremists

Answer: the transition is in good hands,

Answer: Obama

Answer: "We're in a struggle against violent extremists determined to attack us, and they would like nothing more than to exploit this period of change to harm the American people,"

Answer: Bush

Answer: "ensuring that this transition is as smooth as possible

Summary:
Transition of power will be the first during wartime since Vietnam .
Pentagon officials say they began transfer preparations weeks ago .
President Bush says terrorists could use this transfer period "to attack us"
Smooth transition of power is a "priority for the rest of my presidency," Bush says .


WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Pilot error was to blame in the April 2006 crash of an unmanned aircraft, despite the fact no pilot was on board, the National Transportation Safety Board said in its accident report issued Tuesday -- the NTSB's first-ever investigation into an incident involving a drone. A drone similar to this one crashed near Nogales, Arizona, on April 25, 2006. The agency also issued 22 safety recommendations for unmanned aircraft. It "is an indication of the scope of the safety issues these unmanned aircraft are bringing into the National Airspace System," NTSB Chairman Mark Rosenker said in a statement. The unmanned aerial vehicles have been touted as a possible solution to several issues facing the United States, from drug trafficking to illegal border crossings. But, as the NTSB report shows, integrating them into the nation's airspace raises questions regarding their safety status -- and whether they should be held to a different standard than manned aircraft. On April 25, 2006, a turboprop-powered Predator B, operated on a surveillance mission by U.S. Customs and Border Protection, crashed in a sparsely-populated area near Nogales, Arizona. There were no injuries, but the aircraft, which has a 66-foot wingspan, was "substantially damaged," the NTSB said. The probable cause of the accident was the failure of the pilot -- who was operating the aircraft remotely -- to follow checklist procedures when switching operational control from a console that had locked up, the agency said. That resulted in the fuel valve's being inadvertently shut off and a total loss of engine power to the aircraft. Another cause, the NTSB said, was the lack of a flight instructor in the ground control station. But in a meeting Tuesday, the board highlighted areas of interest including the design and certification of unmanned aircraft; pilot qualification and training; and audio records of all UAV operations-related communications, among others. The Federal Aviation Administration doesn't require a pilot's certificate to operate a drone. "This investigation has raised questions about the different standards for manned and unmanned aircraft and the safety implications of this discrepancy," Rosenker said in the statement. "Why, for example, were numerous unresolved lock-ups of the pilot's control console even possible while such conditions would never be tolerated in the cockpit of a manned aircraft?" The pilot, the NTSB noted, was not proficient in emergency procedures. "The pilot is still the pilot, whether he is at a remote console or on the flight deck," Rosenker said. "We need to make sure that the system by which pilots are trained and readied for flight is rigorous and thorough. With the potential for thousands of these unmanned aircraft in use years from now, the standards for pilot training need to be set high to ensure that those on the ground and other users of the airspace are not put in jeopardy." Also, there is no equivalent of a cockpit voice recorder at a pilot console, the board said, and the pilot's communication with air traffic controllers and others was not recorded. The NTSB has recommended the FAA require all conversations, including telephone conversations, between pilots of unmanned aircraft and others be recorded and retained. Other recommendations, sent to the FAA and Customs and Border Protection, include: • Requiring all unmanned aircraft operations to report incidents of equipment malfunctions that affect safety to the FAA , and require analysis of the data. • Requiring pilots be trained on the expected performance and flight path of an unmanned aircraft any time communication with the aircraft is lost. • Identifying and correcting the causes of the lockups in the pilot's control console. • Requiring that a backup pilot or another person who can provide an equivalent level of safety as a backup pilot be readily available during the operation of a UAV system. Board members also voted to convene a two- to three-day public forum on the safety of UAV operations and investigative procedures. E-mail to a friend

How many safety issues did the agency issue?

On what date was the first unmanned aircraft given a test run?

What was the probable cause of the drone crash according to the agency?

Answer: was not proficient in emergency procedures.

Answer: no

Answer: FAA require all conversations, including telephone conversations, between pilots of unmanned aircraft and others be recorded and retained.

Answer: 22

Answer: April 25, 2006.

Answer: near Nogales, Arizona,

Answer: Pilot error

Summary:
Agency issues 22 safety recommendations for unmanned aircraft .
NTSB: The pilot is still the pilot, whether he is at a remote console or on board .
Agency: Probable cause of 2006 drone crash was pilot error .


WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Piracy off the coast of Somalia can't be stopped until there is some authority to bring pirates to justice, according to the commander of the U.S. Navy's Fifth Fleet, based in Bahrain.

U.S. Vice Admiral William Gortney: Need to hold pirates off Africa's east coast accountable.

Because there is no working government in Somalia and no country is willing to take captured pirates, bring them to trial and detain them, there is no deterrent for pirates to stop attacking ships, Vice Admiral William Gortney said at a Pentagon briefing Thursday.

"The problem is there's not a way to -- until we have a mechanism [to hold them] accountable and try them for their actions, there's no way to -- to finish the problem," Gortney said.

The United States is making a deal with a country in the eastern Africa region to hold and try pirates captured by the U.S.-led Combined Task Force 151, a new maritime anti-piracy mission started earlier this month.

He said an official announcement would be made after the deal with the country is official.

In the past three months, piracy attacks have averaged about 12 to 14 a month off the east coast of Africa. As of mid-January, the attack numbers are already at the average of the past three months, according to Gortney.

"That [number] should tell you that we're not -- we're not being 100 percent successful on the deterrence of the attempt. And that's where we have to go after," Gortney said.

The United States is expecting other nations to join the anti-piracy task force, but at the moment, the United States is the only country in the task force with just three ships off of the waters of Somalia.

There are ships from some European and Asian countries patrolling the waters independently as well, primarily guarding cargo ships from their own countries.

Pirates attacked nearly 100 vessels and hijacked as many as 40 in the waters off the coast of Somalia in 2008, according to the International Maritime Bureau.  See how pirate attacks peaked in 2008 »

Pirating off of Somalia has increased during the past four to five years as fishermen from Somalia realize that pirating is more lucrative than fishing. Additionally, pirates are able to get away with the crimes because of the lack of government and overall lawlessness in the country.

Gortney said statistically the chances of ships being pirated off of Somalia less than one percent, but it won't be stopped until piracy is "disincentivized."

who have own ships independently patrolling region?

Who are currently the only nation with anti-pirate task force?

Who said that the Somalian government is not working to detain pirates?

who is only country with anti-pirate task force?

Answer: European and Asian countries

Answer: United States

Answer: Vice Admiral William Gortney

Answer: the United States

Answer: Somalia

Answer: attacked nearly 100 vessels and hijacked as many as 40 in the waters off the coast of Somalia in 2008,

Answer: a new maritime anti-piracy mission

Answer: U.S. Vice Admiral

Answer: patrolling the waters independently

Summary:
Gortney: No working Somali government, country willing to detain, try accused pirates .
U.S. currently only nation with ships dedicated to anti-pirate task force .
Asian, European nations have own ships independently patrolling region .


WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Pirates in ships are searching for the lifeboat containing four pirates and their hostage -- the captain of a freighter they failed to hijack earlier this week -- according to a U.S. military official with knowledge of the situation.

Capt. Richard Phillips of the Maersk Alabama is being held by pirates on a lifeboat off Somalia.

The pirates are using ships they have already hijacked and larger ships from which they are launching skiffs, the official said Friday.

One of the pirated ships is the German cargo ship Hansa Stavanger, seized April 4 off the coast of Somalia.

The U.S. military has been monitoring communications between the pirates, the official said. The guided missile frigate USS Halyburton, with helicopter capabilities, has now joined the guided missile destroyer USS Bainbridge in the area. A third ship, the amphibious assault ship USS Boxer, which has a large medical facility on board, will be there within a day.

Richard Phillips, the hostage, tried to escape from the pirates Thursday night by jumping out of the lifeboat, a U.S. official said Friday.  Watch what it's like inside a lifeboat »

Phillips was believed to be trying to swim to the USS Bainbridge, which is in communication with the four gunmen holding Phillips in the 28-foot boat off Somalia's coast, the official said.

Some of the kidnappers jumped into the water, recaptured Phillips, and returned him to the lifeboat, according to the official.  Watch what happened when captain tried to escape »

The pirates fired shots, the military official said, but had no further details.

A Defense Department official told CNN that Phillips appeared to be tied up by the pirates after the escape attempt.

The U.S. official -- who did not want to be named because of the sensitive nature of the situation -- said the escape attempt is being viewed by negotiators as an "optimistic sign" that Phillips is in good health. He has been held since Wednesday, when the hijackers seized control of his U.S.-flagged ship, the Maersk Alabama.  Watch expert talk about hostage escape attempts »

The captain's wife Andrea Phillips thanked everyone for their support in a statement.

"My husband is a strong man and we will remain strong for him," she said. "We ask that you do the same. "

Phillips' 20-man crew regained control of the vessel, and they and the vessel are en route to Mombasa, Kenya, according to the father of one of the crew members.

The ship's owners -- the Norfolk, Virginia-based Maersk company -- would not say how the crew regained control. "There will be time for due diligence and retrospective review once we have the safe return of all parties and the opportunity for a full debriefing," it said in a statement.

For the U.S. Navy, the show of strength is more than just a means to resolve a hostage situation, said Chris Lawrence, CNN's Pentagon correspondent.

Attacks in the area have picked up so drastically in recent months that the Navy has to reposition some of its fleet to deal with the threats, he said. iReport.com: How should the U.S. respond?

The pirates have shown no signs of giving in.

The Maersk Alabama was on its way to Mombasa, Kenya, with a cargo of food aid when it was attacked Wednesday. It was the first time in recent history that pirates had targeted an American ship.

The ship was hijacked some 350 miles off Somalia's coast, a distance that used to be considered safe for ships navigating in the pirate-infested waters.

CNN's Mike Mount and Barbara Starr contributed to this report.

what did the pirates use to look for lifeboat?

what are the pirates using to look for the lifeboat

Answer: Richard Phillips

Answer: are using ships they have already hijacked and larger ships

Answer: are using ships they have already hijacked and larger ships from which they are launching skiffs,

Answer: Capt. Richard Phillips

Answer: Capt. Richard Phillips of the Maersk Alabama

Answer: held by pirates on a lifeboat off Somalia.

Answer: Capt. Richard Phillips

Answer: is being held by pirates

Answer: ships they have already hijacked and larger ships from which they are launching skiffs,

Answer: lifeboat off Somalia.

Answer: four

Answer: searching for the lifeboat

Answer: The pirates are using ships they have already hijacked and larger ships from which they are launching skiffs,

Summary:
NEW: Shots fired in escape attempt, captain apparently tied up, military officials say .
Pirates using other hijacked ships to look for lifeboat as Navy ships arrive .
Captain's escape attempt viewed as "optimistic sign" of his vitality .
Richard Phillips, captain of a U.S.-flagged cargo ship, is being held by four gunmen .


WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Pirates off the eastern coast of Africa fired on U.S. sailors Saturday as they tried to reach the lifeboat where an American captain is being held, a U.S. official familiar with the situation told CNN.

The guided missile frigate USS Halyburton, with helicopter capabilities, is now at the scene.

The gunfire forced the sailors, who did not return fire, back to the guided missile destroyer USS Bainbridge, the official said.

Capt. Richard Phillips reportedly offered himself as a hostage to the pirates during an attack Wednesday on the U.S.-flagged container ship Maersk Alabama in the Indian Ocean.

The Alabama was en route to Mombasa, Kenya, with a cargo of food aid when it was hijacked about 350 miles off the Somalia coast.

The American crew regained control of the vessel, but the Maersk company would not say how. There are about 20 crew members.

The Alabama arrived Saturday in Mombasa, along with an 18-person armed security detail on board.

"For security reasons, the vessel will berth in a restricted area of the port and will not be accessible to the media. FBI agents will debrief members of the crew on board the vessel before they disembark. The crew will not be available to the media in Mombasa," Maersk Ltd. said.  Watch the latest Maersk briefing »

The U.S. Navy -- which is in charge of the situation -- requested help from the FBI to resolve the standoff.

The FBI is launching a criminal investigation into the hijacking and hostage-taking, two law enforcement officials told CNN. The probe will be led by the FBI's New York field office, which has responsibility for looking into cases involving U.S. citizens in the African region. Agents from the office were scheduled to leave for Africa sometime this weekend, the officials said.

Phillips lives in Underhill, Vermont, where neighbor and longtime family friend, Tom Walsh, told CNN the captain's wife, Andrea, was surrounded by relatives.

"If they need us to help with anything. That's kind of the way it is in these communities. ... just showing that we're concerned. We want to do whatever she needs," Walsh said. "She has a lot of family there."  Watch more about the hostage situation »

Earlier Saturday, pirates sailing a hijacked German cargo ship returned to port after failing to reach the area of the standoff with the Bainbridge, a local journalist told CNN.

The German ship Hansa Stavanger was among several pirated vessels trying to sail to the area some 300 miles off the Somali coast, a Somali journalist told CNN.

The pirate crew had intended to help the pirates holding Phillips but turned back because of the U.S. naval presence, the journalist said. The Hansa Stavanger is now at the Somali port of Eyl, the journalist said.

The Hansa Stavanger was hijacked April 4 off the Somali coast.

Pirates have been searching the waters off Africa's coast for the Alabama's lifeboat, a U.S. military official with knowledge of the situation said Friday. They are using hijacked vessels and skiffs launched from larger ships, the official said.

The guided missile frigate USS Halyburton, with helicopter capabilities, has joined the Bainbridge in the area. A third ship, the amphibious assault ship USS Boxer -- with a medical facility aboard -- should be there by the end of the day. iReport.com: Share your thoughts on how the pirates are being handled

Phillips is being held by four gunmen in the covered, fiberglass lifeboat. He jumped overboard at one point to try to escape, but one of the pirates jumped into the water after him and brought him back onboard the 28-foot boat.

The pirates fired shots, the military official said, without providing further details.

Phillips appeared to be tied up by the pirates after the escape attempt, a Defense Department official told CNN.

For the U.S. Navy, bringing in more firepower is more than just a means to resolve a hostage situation, said Chris Lawrence, CNN's Pentagon correspondent.

Attacks in the area have picked up so drastically in recent months that the Navy has to reposition some of

who launches criminal investigation into hijacking?

Answer: is launching a criminal investigation into the hijacking and hostage-taking,

Answer: Mombasa,

Answer: The FBI

Answer: Pirates off the eastern coast of Africa

Answer: gunfire

Answer: Mombasa,

Answer: American captain

Answer: an American captain is

Summary:
NEW: Gunfire from pirates forces sailors, who did not return fire, to turn back .
NEW: FBI launches criminal investigation into hijacking, hostage-taking .
Maersk Alabama arrives in Mombasa, Kenya under armed guard .
Capt. Richard Phillips is being held by four gunmen in covered, fiberglass lifeboat .