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Wednesday, August 1, 2012 8:30 PM PDT

Today's Politics - Bloomberg News Headlines - Yahoo! News: Venezuelan fencer Limardo wins gold, thanks Chavez Tennessee candidates engage in anti-Islam contest Cyclist killed after collision with Olympic shuttle bus New Republican Hispanic star Cruz stresses American story U.S. appeals court blocks Arizona's new late-term abortion ban Union leader strives to ease Obama's "white guy problem" Obama authorizes secret support for Syrian rebels Thousands of Florida ex-felons may not know they can vote Congress approves new Iran sanctions on oil, shipping sectors Study projects growing demand for commercial spaceflights Spain faces tough debt auction as ECB jitters grow Canada plans no new steps to cool housing market: finance minister U.S. concerned over Iraqi threats to force Iran dissidents from camp UK ministers eye nationalizing Royal Bank of Scotland: FT Stop-gap spending, tax deals hint at year-end ploy Hamas slams Palestinian visit to "alleged" Holocaust site White House lobbies for cybersecurity bill amid worries it may stall Drought bill offers livestock farmers up to $100,000 each U.S. to mull more bombers, submarines for Pacific House votes to extend tax cuts in symbolic vote Ecuador wants to avoid Assange's extradition to Sweden Syrian troops kill 35 in Damascus suburb: activists In Texas, rising Hispanic tide fails to boost number in Congress House approves new Iran sanctions on oil, shipping sectors Connecticut town ruled not liable in fatal 1997 shooting San Antonio airport terminals reopened after bomb threat Senators reach tentative deal on business tax breaks Exclusive: Obama authorizes secret U.S. support for Syrian rebels Same-sex marriage foes flock to Chick-fil-A chain Madagascar to hold presidential election next May Congress urged to avert looming budget cut U.N. monitors' presence in Syria good for aid delivery: EU Wiggins tastes glory, badminton hit by scandal Democrats, Republicans offer rival views to control health costs Massachusetts lawmakers finalize major transport bill Once reviled, Indonesia's Prabowo may become next president U.S. court revives InterDigital lawsuit against Nokia Syria's Assad praises troops, keeps out of public eye Judo: Medal is for ailing Greeks, says Iliadis Fed says economy may need help, keeps policy on hold Venezuelan fencer Limardo wins gold, thanks Chavez Wed,1 Aug 2012 06:50 PM PDT Reuters - CARACAS (Reuters) - Fencer Ruben Limardo thanked Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez after breaking the country's 44-year gold medal drought by winning the men's epee fencing competition at the 2012 Olympics on Wednesday, saying the socialist leader helped him achieve his dream. Venezuelans rejoiced in their nation's first fencing medal, and their first of the 2012 Olympics, after Limardo beat Seth Kelsey of the United States and Norway's Bartosz Piasecki. ... Full Story Top Tennessee candidates engage in anti-Islam contest Wed,1 Aug 2012 06:42 PM PDT Reuters - NASHVILLE, Tennessee (Reuters) - An argument over who is more opposed to the Islamic faith and the construction of a mosque near Nashville has become an unlikely issue in a nasty Tennessee Republican congressional primary to be decided on Thursday. Freshman Republican Representative Diane Black is challenged by Lou Ann Zelenik, who lost to Black in a primary to represent the rural district two years ago by less than 300 votes. ... Full Story Top Cyclist killed after collision with Olympic shuttle bus Wed,1 Aug 2012 06:33 PM PDT Reuters - LONDON (Reuters) - A cyclist was killed after a collision with an Olympic media shuttle bus in east London on Wednesday evening, Scotland Yard said. The 28-year-old was pronounced dead at the scene of the accident which occurred at about 1945 local time (2.45 p.m. EDT) in Hackney. Police arrested a man, aged in his mid-60s, on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving. Shuttle buses have been transporting thousands of journalists covering the Games between the Olympic Park in Stratford and central London. ... Full Story Top New Republican Hispanic star Cruz stresses American story Wed,1 Aug 2012 06:29 PM PDT Reuters - AUSTIN, Texas (Reuters) - As Tea Party favorite Ted Cruz hit the campaign trail before his victory on Tuesday in a Republican U.S. Senate primary runoff, he often told the story of his father fleeing Cuba and coming to Texas with just $100 sewn into his underwear. But the 41-year-old lawyer who became a national Republican star by beating the Texas Republican establishment pick, Lieutenant Governor David Dewhurst, also talks about how every American family has a story like his father's. ... Full Story Top U.S. appeals court blocks Arizona's new late-term abortion ban Wed,1 Aug 2012 06:24 PM PDT Reuters - PHOENIX (Reuters) - A federal appeals court blocked Arizona on Wednesday from enforcing a new state ban on most late-term abortions that opponents say is the toughest in the nation, and agreed to an expedited review of the controversial measure. A three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals issued the injunction two days after a federal judge upheld the ban and threw out a lawsuit brought against the Republican-backed law, which was due to go into effect on Thursday. ... Full Story Top Union leader strives to ease Obama's "white guy problem" Wed,1 Aug 2012 06:12 PM PDT Reuters - LAS VEGAS (Reuters) - President Barack Obama made history in his 2008 election victory as the first black U.S. president, but he risks achieving another, less welcome, first if he wins again in November. Obama is on course to become the candidate with the lowest support from white male working class voters to win a U.S. election if he triumphs over Republican Mitt Romney on November 6. Polls show support for Obama from white males without college degrees at under 30 percent, well below the 39 percent he had when he defeated Republican John McCain four years ago. ... Full Story Top Obama authorizes secret support for Syrian rebels Wed,1 Aug 2012 06:04 PM PDT Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama has signed a secret order authorizing U.S. support for rebels seeking to depose Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his government, sources familiar with the matter said. Obama's order, approved earlier this year and known as an intelligence "finding," broadly permits the CIA and other U.S. agencies to provide support that could help the rebels oust Assad. This and other developments signal a shift toward growing, albeit still circumscribed, support for Assad's armed opponents - a shift that intensified following last month's failure of the U.N. ... Full Story Top Thousands of Florida ex-felons may not know they can vote Wed,1 Aug 2012 06:00 PM PDT Reuters - TALLAHASSEE, Florida (Reuters) - More than 13,000 ex-felons may be eligible to vote in Florida but don't know it because the notices the parole board mailed to them were returned as undeliverable, the American Civil Liberties Union said Wednesday. The civil rights group raised the concern after analyzing more than 17,000 names of ex-felons who had their voting rights automatically restored by the Florida Parole Commission. ... Full Story Top Congress approves new Iran sanctions on oil, shipping sectors Wed,1 Aug 2012 05:40 PM PDT Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Congress overwhelmingly passed a new package of sanctions against Iran on Wednesday that aims to punish banks, insurance companies and shippers that help Tehran sell its oil. The legislation, agreed to by senior lawmakers of both parties, "seeks to tighten the chokehold on the regime beyond anything that has been done before," said Republican Representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee. The bill now heads to the White House for President Barack Obama's signature. ... Full Story Top Study projects growing demand for commercial spaceflights Wed,1 Aug 2012 05:20 PM PDT Reuters - CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida (Reuters) - Commercial suborbital spaceflights should bring in between $600 million and $1.6 billion in revenue in their first decade of operations, according to a study commissioned by the U.S. and Florida governments and released on Wednesday. Tourism drives about 80 percent of the demand for suborbital flights, which reach about 63 miles above the planet's surface before plunging back through the atmosphere. The thrill ride gives fliers a few minutes to float in microgravity and a view of the Earth set against the blackness of space. ... Full Story Top Spain faces tough debt auction as ECB jitters grow Wed,1 Aug 2012 05:08 PM PDT Reuters - MADRID (Reuters) - Spain faces yet steeper borrowing costs at a bond auction on Thursday as investors worry that the European Central Bank might disappoint their high hopes of help for struggling euro zone economies later in the day. Spanish bond yields, which had hit euro-era highs due to the possibility that Madrid will have to be bailed out, fell last week after President Mario Draghi said the ECB would do whatever it takes to save the common currency, within its mandate. ... Full Story Top Canada plans no new steps to cool housing market: finance minister Wed,1 Aug 2012 05:04 PM PDT Reuters - SUNNYVALE, California (Reuters) - Canada does not expect to have to tighten mortgage rules further as the real estate market has softened in the wake of government measures to cool it down, Finance Minister Jim Flaherty said in an interview on Wednesday. Home prices hit a third straight record high in June, extending a steady climb that had triggered fears of a property bubble. But a slowdown in the pace of price increases suggested to economists the red-hot housing market is cooling. "We always monitor the housing market. ... Full Story Top U.S. concerned over Iraqi threats to force Iran dissidents from camp Wed,1 Aug 2012 05:01 PM PDT Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States expressed concern on Wednesday over Iraqi threats to force an Iranian dissident group out of a camp in Iraq, but it also urged members of the group to relocate voluntarily to a large former U.S. military base in Baghdad. The United Nations also voiced concerns and urged both the Iraqi government and the Iranian dissidents to avoid violence. Iraqi authorities have been locked in a protracted dispute with the Mujahadin-e Khalq (MEK) over plans to move 3,000 MEK members from Camp Ashraf, where they have lived for years, to a former U.S. ... Full Story Top UK ministers eye nationalizing Royal Bank of Scotland: FT Wed,1 Aug 2012 05:01 PM PDT Reuters - LONDON (Reuters) - Senior British government figures are discussing the possibility of buying out private investors in Royal Bank of Scotland , the Financial Times reported on Thursday. Ministers are discussing a potential full nationalization of RBS, which is already 82 percent owned by the government, to help boost business lending to companies. The remaining 18 percent of the bank is owned by private investors and it would cost the government around 5 billion pounds ($7.79 billion) to buy them out, the FT said. ... Full Story Top Stop-gap spending, tax deals hint at year-end ploy Wed,1 Aug 2012 04:43 PM PDT Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A pair of deals struck this week by influential lawmakers, combined with a new pragmatism among Tea Party conservatives, provides clues how the "fiscal cliff" could be avoided by extending all current budget and tax policies until the new president and Congress take office in January. In sharp contrast to the budget wars they waged last year, Tea Party activists in Congress are so far going along with the script that is now developing. ... Full Story Top Hamas slams Palestinian visit to "alleged" Holocaust site Wed,1 Aug 2012 04:39 PM PDT Reuters - GAZA (Reuters) - The Hamas Islamist group in charge of the Gaza Strip on Wednesday denounced a Palestinian official's visit to the site of a Nazi death camp in Poland, and called the Holocaust in which 6 million European Jews perished an "alleged tragedy." Ziad al-Bandak, an adviser to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas who governs in the occupied West Bank, had made a rare visit by a Palestinian official to the site of the Auschwitz death camp late last month. "It was an unjustified and unhelpful visit that served only the Zionist occupation," said Fawzi Barhoum, a spokesman for Hamas. ... Full Story Top White House lobbies for cybersecurity bill amid worries it may stall Wed,1 Aug 2012 04:35 PM PDT Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Obama administration prodded Congress on Wednesday to pass cybersecurity legislation, but the bill looked increasingly likely to languish until next year as opposition from business and privacy concerns bogged down Senate debate. The Democratic-led Senate this week has been debating a bill that would allow information sharing and create a set of voluntary cybersecurity standards for companies in charge of U.S. energy, water, transportation and other critical infrastructure. ... Full Story Top Drought bill offers livestock farmers up to $100,000 each Wed,1 Aug 2012 04:33 PM PDT Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Livestock producers hit by the worst drought in half a century could get up to $100,000 each to offset high feed costs and death of animals under a bill expected to pass the House of Representatives as early as Thursday. Republican leaders indicated they would fast-track a vote on the $383 million bill before Congress leaves on Friday for a five-week vacation. There would be little time left for the Senate to act, so it could be fall before the plan becomes law. ... Full Story Top U.S. to mull more bombers, submarines for Pacific Wed,1 Aug 2012 04:24 PM PDT Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Pentagon planners will consider adding bombers and attack submarines as part of a growing U.S. focus on security challenges in the Asia-Pacific, a senior Defense Department official said on Wednesday. "We will take another look" at sending more such muscle to the strategic hub of Guam in the western Pacific, now that this has been recommended by an independent review of U.S. regional military plans, Robert Scher, deputy assistant secretary of defense for plans, told lawmakers. U.S. ... Full Story Top House votes to extend tax cuts in symbolic vote Wed,1 Aug 2012 04:13 PM PDT Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Republican-controlled House of Representatives on Wednesday passed a largely symbolic plan to extend all expiring individual income tax cuts, leaving a deep rift over tax policy unresolved until after November's elections. The Republican measure, passed largely along party lines but with the help of 19 Democrats, would extend all current low individual tax rates set to lapse at year-end, a contrast to a rival Democratic bill passed by the Senate that would raise some tax rates on the wealthiest. ... Full Story Top Ecuador wants to avoid Assange's extradition to Sweden Wed,1 Aug 2012 04:05 PM PDT Reuters - QUITO (Reuters) - Ecuador wants to prevent Julian Assange's extradition to Sweden because it is disappointed that the Scandinavian country has turned down an offer to question the WikiLeaks founder in the Ecuadorean Embassy in London, a minister said on Wednesday. Assange has been holed up in Ecuador's Embassy in London for six weeks as he awaits a decision on his asylum request by the leftist government of Rafael Correa. The Australian anti-secrecy campaigner, who angered Washington in 2010 when his WikiLeaks website published secret U.S. ... Full Story Top Syrian troops kill 35 in Damascus suburb: activists Wed,1 Aug 2012 04:00 PM PDT Reuters - AMMAN (Reuters) - Syrian troops killed at least 35 people on Wednesday, mostly unarmed civilians, when they shelled and overran a suburb of the capital Damascus, residents and activist organizations said. "The tanks and troops left around 4 p.m. When the streets were clear we found the bodies of at least 35 men," a resident, who gave his name as Fares, said by phone from Jdeidet Artouz, southwest of Damascus. ... Full Story Top In Texas, rising Hispanic tide fails to boost number in Congress Wed,1 Aug 2012 03:59 PM PDT Reuters - DALLAS (Reuters) - Hispanic population growth in Texas will not boost the number representing the state in Washington after November's election, because many Latinos do not vote, and Republicans have redrawn districts to limit their clout, an analysis of voting results suggests. Texas added four congressional seats after the 2010 U.S. Census, more than any other state. These four seats, plus the fact that Hispanics accounted for 65 percent of the Texas population growth in the last decade, had raised hopes that 2012 would be a breakout political year for Hispanics in the state. ... Full Story Top House approves new Iran sanctions on oil, shipping sectors Wed,1 Aug 2012 03:40 PM PDT Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The House of Representatives passed a new package of sanctions against Iran on Wednesday that aim to punish banks, insurance companies and shippers that help Tehran sell its oil. The legislation, agreed to by senior lawmakers of both parties in Congress, "seeks to tighten the chokehold on the regime beyond anything that has been done before," said Republican Representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee. ... Full Story Top Connecticut town ruled not liable in fatal 1997 shooting Wed,1 Aug 2012 03:36 PM PDT Reuters - BOSTON (Reuters) - A federal appeals court ruled on Wednesday that the town of East Haven, Connecticut, is not liable in the 1997 shooting death of Malik Jones, an unarmed black man, by a police officer. A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit in New York overturned a lower court decision in favor of Jones' mother, Emma Jones. It had awarded her $900,000 in damages in 2010 for the death of her son, but the town of East Haven appealed. ... Full Story Top San Antonio airport terminals reopened after bomb threat Wed,1 Aug 2012 03:26 PM PDT Reuters - SAN ANTONIO (Reuters) - The San Antonio International Airport was evacuated for about 90 minutes on Wednesday after a caller said three bombs were planted in a parking garage, but police did not find anything dangerous. "We have cleared all sections of the parking garage," San Antonio Police spokesman Sergeant Javier Salazar said. Police were on the scene investigating. The terminals were reopened around 4 p.m. local time. But airport officials said they believed it would take several hours for the flights to resume as scheduled because evacuated passengers have to go back through security. ... Full Story Top Senators reach tentative deal on business tax breaks Wed,1 Aug 2012 03:05 PM PDT Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - In a rare bipartisan pact, a group of U.S. senators clinched a tentative deal on Wednesday to renew dozens of business tax breaks that have expired or will lapse at year-end. Crafted by Democrats and Republicans on the Senate Finance Committee, the plan would also prevent the alternative minimum tax, intended to ensure the rich pay some taxes, from creeping into the tax bite on the middle class. "This effort has proven that legislating can still be done if both sides work together," Senator Max Baucus, the committee's Democratic chairman, said. ... Full Story Top Exclusive: Obama authorizes secret U.S. support for Syrian rebels Wed,1 Aug 2012 02:58 PM PDT Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama has signed a secret order authorizing U.S. support for rebels seeking to depose Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his government, U.S. sources familiar with the matter said. Obama's order, approved earlier this year and known as an intelligence "finding," broadly permits the CIA and other U.S. agencies to provide support that could help the rebels oust Assad. This and other developments signal a shift toward growing, albeit still circumscribed, support for Assad's armed opponents - a shift that intensified following last month's failure of the ... Full Story Top Same-sex marriage foes flock to Chick-fil-A chain Wed,1 Aug 2012 02:55 PM PDT Reuters - ATLANTA (Reuters) - Thousands of people across the United States heeded the call of two former Republican presidential candidates to eat at Chick-fil-A on Wednesday to show support for the chain restaurant as it weathers criticism for its president's public opposition to gay marriage. Business was so brisk at some of the privately owned chain's more than 1,600 locations that employees directed traffic in parking lots, lines remained long well past the lunch hour, and managers spoke of record sales. "I don't believe in same-sex marriage. ... Full Story Top Madagascar to hold presidential election next May Wed,1 Aug 2012 02:50 PM PDT Reuters - ANTANANARIVO (Reuters) - Madagascar will hold presidential elections on May 8 next year, officials said on Wednesday, as the Indian Ocean island follows a political road map aimed at ending three years of unrest. Madagascar has been in crisis since 2009 when then-opposition leader Andry Rajoelina ousted President Marc Ravalomanana with the support of the army after opposition protests. Ravalomanana was sentenced in absentia to life in prison for the killings of demonstrators by elite troops in the coup. ... Full Story Top Congress urged to avert looming budget cut Wed,1 Aug 2012 02:39 PM PDT Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Congress should stop fretting over the mechanics of implementing a huge, indiscriminate budget cut early next year and instead try to pass a more reasonable plan to reduce deficits, a senior U.S. official told lawmakers on Wednesday. In a hearing punctuated by partisan anger, acting White House budget director Jeff Zients rejected assertions that President Barack Obama was responsible for the stalemate over the looming budget cuts. Zients said the problem was Republicans' reluctance to consider higher taxes on the wealthiest Americans. ... Full Story Top U.N. monitors' presence in Syria good for aid delivery: EU Wed,1 Aug 2012 02:23 PM PDT Reuters - NEW YORK (Reuters) - The presence of U.N. observers in Syria, who have drastically curtailed their monitoring activities due to the escalating violence, continues to have a positive impact on humanitarian aid delivery, the EU crisis chief said on Wednesday. The U.N. Security Council extended the three-month mandate of the U.N. observer mission in Syria for another 30 days last month and will have to decide in a few weeks whether to extend it again. Some Western diplomats say they are loath to keep the mission in Syria given that there is no truce to monitor. ... Full Story Top Wiggins tastes glory, badminton hit by scandal Wed,1 Aug 2012 02:23 PM PDT Reuters - LONDON (Reuters) - Just 10 days after triumphing in the Tour de France, Bradley Wiggins won the Olympic cycling time trial on Wednesday on a golden day for hosts Britain, but a badminton match-throwing scandal left a sour taste on Day Five of the London Games. Hunched over the handlebars, the man with the trademark long ginger sideburns powered home a gaping 42 seconds ahead of Germany's Tony Martin to win his seventh Olympic medal, a record for a Briton. In the pool, Nathan Adrian of the United States edged out Australia's James Magnussen by the smallest possible margin, 0. ... Full Story Top Democrats, Republicans offer rival views to control health costs Wed,1 Aug 2012 02:21 PM PDT Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Democrats and Republicans agree that the next U.S. president will have to contend with rising healthcare costs that pose a growing, destabilizing burden for families, employers and government budgets. But two articles published in the New England Journal of Medicine on Wednesday show how far apart each side stands on the question of what to do, ahead of a November election showdown between President Barack Obama and presumptive Republican nominee Mitt Romney. Twenty-three co-authors led by former Obama health adviser Dr. ... Full Story Top Massachusetts lawmakers finalize major transport bill Wed,1 Aug 2012 02:11 PM PDT Reuters - BOSTON (Reuters) - Massachusetts lawmakers on Tuesday finalized a $1.39 billion bill for transportation infrastructure projects, including highway and bridge repair and railway expansion. The bill was completed late on the final day of the legislature's two-year formal session and sent to Governor Deval Patrick on Wednesday. The bill authorizes $685 million in borrowing for highway and public transportation projects, which will be matched in part by federal funds. ... Full Story Top Once reviled, Indonesia's Prabowo may become next president Wed,1 Aug 2012 02:07 PM PDT Reuters - SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Just over 14 years ago, Prabowo Subianto was one of Indonesia's most reviled men, accused of kidnapping, human rights abuses and a coup attempt. Now, the former general has emerged as the most popular candidate for president. If elected, he says he will not roll back the democratic reforms that Indonesia embraced after his then father-in-law Suharto was ousted from over three decades of autocratic rule. "I think the people want strong, decisive leadership," Prabowo told Reuters in an interview in Singapore. ... Full Story Top U.S. court revives InterDigital lawsuit against Nokia Wed,1 Aug 2012 01:40 PM PDT Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A federal appeals court revived a patent infringement complaint filed by InterDigital Inc against Nokia, sending InterDigital's shares sharply higher on Wednesday. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit said that the U.S. International Trade Commission erred in how it defined critical terms in the two patents in the complaint, and sent the case back to the ITC for reconsideration. InterDigital's shares closed up 14.2 percent to $31.18 on Wednesday. Both of the patents involve wireless cellular technology. ... Full Story Top Syria's Assad praises troops, keeps out of public eye Wed,1 Aug 2012 01:09 PM PDT Reuters - ALEPPO, Syria (Reuters) - President Bashar al-Assad told his troops on Wednesday that their battle against rebels would decide Syria's fate, but his written message gave no clues to his whereabouts two weeks after a bomb attack on his inner circle. In Aleppo, rebel fighters seized three police stations while fighting the army for control of a strategically important district. Explosions could be heard and helicopter gunships cruised the skies as troops tried to push the rebels out of the northern city and preserve one of Assad's main centers of power. ... Full Story Top Judo: Medal is for ailing Greeks, says Iliadis Wed,1 Aug 2012 01:07 PM PDT Reuters - LONDON (Reuters) - Ilias Iliadis put aside his disappointment at missing out on a judo gold medal at the London Olympics and said he hoped the bronze he won on Wednesday will bring some joy to those suffering in crisis-hit Greece. Iliadis said he wanted his medal, Greece's first of the Games, to have a positive impact back home. He had been favorite to add gold in the men's -90kg category to the one he won in Athens as a teenager eight years ago. However, he was upset at the quarter-final stage by Russia's Kirill Denisov before going on to defeat Camilo Tiago for a bronze medal. ... Full Story Top Fed says economy may need help, keeps policy on hold Wed,1 Aug 2012 01:07 PM PDT Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Federal Reserve stopped short of offering new monetary stimulus on Wednesday even as it signaled more strongly that further bond buying could be in store to help a economic recovery that it said had lost momentum this year. Fed officials described the economy as having "decelerated somewhat," a change of tone from its previous assessment in June when it said the economy had been "expanding moderately." The Fed's policymakers also reiterated their disappointment with the slow pace of progress in bringing down the nation's 8.2 percent jobless rate. ... Full Story Top

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