WASHINGTON -- President Barack Obama said the government will recover all the taxpayer money his administration provided to bail out the auto industry last year.

A severe thunderstorm with winds as fast as 60 mph moved through the Washington region Thursday, prompting concern that additional power outages and damage could occur as the area struggles to recover from the weekend storm that claimed four lives, left up to 300,000 households without electricit...


Meteorology - Earth Sciences - Atmospheric Sciences - Storm Chasing - Images and Videos

A severe thunderstorm with winds as fast as 60 mph moved through the Washington region Thursday, prompting concern that additional power outages and damage could occur as the area struggles to recover from the weekend storm that claimed four lives, left up to 300,000 households without electricit...


Power outage - Earth Sciences - Atmospheric Sciences - Meteorology - Storm Chasing

NEW YORK -- Toyota is recalling nearly half a million cars, most of them large sedans sold in the U.S., for problems that can cause the steering wheel to lock up. It's the latest indication that the automaker is still struggling with vehicle problems even as it works to overhaul quality control.

NEW YORK -- The dollar slid to its lowest level against the euro in nearly three months Thursday amid mounting concerns about the U.S. economy at a time when European indicators are improving.


United States - European Union - Euro - Currency - Business

PHOENIX -- Arizona is appealing a federal judge's order that put most of the state's immigration law on hold.

Jason Campbell enters his first training camp with the Oakland Raiders as their starter at quarterback. Raiders Coach Tom Cable named Campbell the team's starter Wednesday.


Jason Campbell - Washington Redskin - Oakland Raider - NFL - sport

WASHINGTON -- The Federal Reserve should revive a crisis-era program to buy government debt if the country seems headed toward a bout with deflation, a Fed official said Thursday.


United States - Federal Reserve System - Government debt - Economy - Central bank

A case against Rep. Charles B. Rangel (D-N.Y.) went before the House ethics committee Thursday after efforts to reach a settlement apparently fell short, setting in motion a potentially historic trial of the 20-term congressman.


United States - Business - Products and Services - Healthcare - Disability

South Carolina Sen. Jim DeMint has endorsed former Washington state Sen. Dino Rossi. AP Photo South Carolina Sen. Jim DeMint will throw his support to former Washington state Sen. Dino Rossi's Senate bid today, the latest in a series of endorsements in contested intraparty squabbles by the rising conservative icon. "When I met with Dino a couple months ago, he made it clear he was only interested in running if Republicans were serious about saving our country from fiscal collapse," DeMint will say in announcing the endorsement. "I've studied his record and his positions on the key issues, and it's clear that he will stand up to the establishment in both parties." The formal endorsement comes from DeMint's Senate Conservatives Fund, which collected better than $2 million in the first six months of the year. DeMint allies believe they can raise upwards of $500,000 for Rossi's candidacy. In backing


Dino Rossi - Washington - United States Senate - United States - Republican

Zac Efron began to chart a path away from shiny, happy "High School Musical" land with last year's engaging, but little seen "Me and Orson Welles." This weekend, he takes a few more steps along that same, take-me-seriously road with the release of his latest film, the weepy drama "Charlie St. Cloud." In his personal life, Efron also appears to be seeking to pursue more "adult" behavior. On Wednesday's "Jimmy Kimmel Live," he confirmed that he and "High School Musical" co-star Corbin Bleu visited a strip club in New York as rumored, an incident that New York magazine characterized as another potentially calculated move to prove that Efron is, indeed, a grown man. Of course, he was so honest and cute about the whole thing on "Kimmel" that the effort -- if it was indeed an effort -- may not have achieved the desired effect. Given these developments, this seems


Zac Efron - Corbin Bleu - New York - Strip club - United States

WASHINGTON -- Banking titan Citigroup Inc. is paying $75 million to settle civil charges that it misled investors about its potential losses from subprime mortgages as the housing bust hit in 2007.

Ken Cuccinelli was at his desk past midnight, laboring over calculus homework, when he heard a long, loud scream. It came from an adjacent basement bedroom in the group house he rented with some friends that summer of 1989 in Charlottesville, where he was a student at the University of Virginia. The woman in the room had awakened to an intruder climbing onto her bed. She kicked him and bolted upstairs. The man fled through the window he had entered.

WASHINGTON -- The Entertainment Software Association, a trade group for video game companies, spent $1.1 million during the second quarter to lobby on the regulation of video game content, First Amendment protection, parental control technology and other issues, according to a recent disclosure report.

President Barack Obama's appearance on "The View" today drew all sorts of reaction. Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell (D) compared the daily chat show -- featuring Barbara Walters, Whoopi Goldberg, Elizabeth Hasselbeck, Joy Behar and Sherri Shephard -- to "The Jerry Springer Show", adding: "I think the president of the United States has to go on serious shows." CBS News anchor Katie Couric took the opposite view; "Daytime television viewers may be exactly who President Obama needs to reach," she said. With opinion so divided over whether Obama should have appeared and why he did, it seemed like the perfect topic for our Daily Fix Poll. Vote below! (Yesterday's Daily Fix Poll winner? Forty four percent of you think five or six women will win governors races this fall.)


Barack Obama - View - Barbara Walters - Joy Behar - Whoopi Goldberg

Even as they were storming to a 12-5 start, the Washington Mystics knew they would reach a juncture in the WNBA season where they would be in urgent need of a victory. Having lost four of five games since the all-star break, the Mystics are at that point.


Washington Mystics - Sports - Basketball - WNBA - Professional

Tim Hudson once again dominates the Nationals, the Braves' starter mowing down the home team in a 3-1 victory.


Washington Nationals - Atlanta Braves - Sports - Baseball - Major League

President Obama pushed back Thursday against critics of his policy of forcing staff shake-ups and other major interventions in struggling schools, asserting that "something needs to be done differently" when schools fail year after year, according to excerpts from a speech to a civil rights organ...


Education reform - Barack Obama - United States - President - National Urban League

We have a big giveaway this week, chatters: a pair of tickets to see Arcade Fire and Spoon Aug. 6 at Merriweather. We know you want them. All we ask in return is that you help us honor this great musical pairing by telling us your favorite duo of local events; a show at Fort Reno followed by Steak & Egg, perhaps? Were looking for creativity here, so if you are planning on picking a place for dinner followed by a place for dancing, it should be pretty imaginative. Best answer wins. Click here to head for the chat.


Musical theatre - Games - People - Austin Texas - Business

An advertisement that Principal Nardos King placed in the Mount Vernon High School yearbook, for weight-loss products she sold in her free time, surprised and upset many parents this summer, and prompted an apology.


Programs - Yearbook - Teacher - School district - High school

An advertisement that Principal Nardos King placed in the Mount Vernon High School yearbook, for weight-loss products she sold in her free time, surprised and upset many parents this summer, and prompted an apology.


Programs - Yearbook - Teacher - School district - High school

When the Fix posse -- yes, we have "Fix" tattoos (or we may get them) -- started to ponder who the first family (aka the political dynasty) was in each of the 50 states, we came up with about 10 off the top of our heads. That's where the Fixistas came in. We asked for your suggestions on the first family (or families) in each state and boy did you respond. Our list, which includes at least one family from every state(!) and is culled from reader input, is below. Who did we miss? Send suggestions in via the comments section and we will keep updating our chart. Alabama The Wallaces: The late Gov. George Wallace (D) served as governor for four terms and ran for president four times. (His wife, Lurleen Burns Wallace, also served as governor from 1967 until her death from cancer in 1968.) George Wallace, Jr.,


George Wallace - Politics - Alabama - United States - Cancer

"Toy Story 3" has spoiled us. So have movies like "How to Train Your Dragon" and "Despicable Me." Beautifully executed, critically praised animated films like these sometimes make us forget that much of what passes for Hollywood family entertainment often looks like cartoon and/or CGI excrement. Three trailers for upcoming kid-friendly releases are proof of that. The question is: Which of these previews promises to deliver the most excruciating film-going experience the whole family can share? We begin with "Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore," the unfortunately named talking-animal sequel that arrives in theaters tomorrow with (so far) a shockingly low 8 percent positive score on Rotten Tomatoes. One look at the trailer pretty much explains why. Looking ahead to September, we've got "Alpha and Omega," a cartoon love story about two wolves trying to survive in the wild. This preview violates more cliche crimes than it's possible


Animation - Film - Movies - Toy Story - Arts

The court victory that the Obama administration won this week in Arizona will not make the ugly national tension over illegal immigration go away. The president needs to take this brief respite, step back from the Washington logjam and remember what he and every president since Ronald Reagan have been trying to achieve.

STONEPARK, Ireland (Reuters) - The advertising catalog promised a new residential development, with a creche, tennis court and a mini golf course, minutes from the bustling center of the Irish town of Longford.

NEW YORK -- Stocks fell Thursday as investors awaiting the government's gross domestic product report had a muted response to earnings and economic reports.


Gross domestic product - Business - Investing - Stocks and Bonds - Equities

RICHMOND, Va. -- A Virginia woman who used sex and money to persuade two men to kill her husband and her stepson to collect a $250,000 life insurance policy was scheduled Thursday to be executed in two months, which would be the first U.S. execution of a woman in five years.

Was Tony Hayward right, after all? Back in May, BP's chief executive told a British newspaper that "the Gulf of Mexico is a very big ocean," and the vast amounts of oil and chemical dispersants dumped into it were small by comparison. After he said that, BP's well leaked for two more months. Hayw...


Gulf of Mexico - Business - Energy - Oil and Gas - Oil spill

NAPA, Calif. -- The Oakland Raiders signed first-round pick Rolando McClain to a contract late Wednesday night, hours before the start of their first training camp practice.


Oakland Raider - NFL - sport - Rolando McClain - Football

President Obama made his most extensive comments to date Thursday about the firing of Agriculture Department official Shirley Sherrod , calling it an overreaction to a "bogus controversy" and saying that she "deserves better than what happened last week."


President - United States - Barack Obama - FoxNews Channel - andrewbreitbart

It's Thursday and time for us to begin our look back at who had the "Worst Week in Washington." As compared to the past few weeks -- Robert Gibbs's comments on the battle for the House, the Shirley Sherrod incident -- the past few days have been relatively quiet. But we still must pick a, er, winner for the week. And we want your suggestions! So, in the comments section below, give us your nomination for the person, place or thing that had the absolute "Worst Week in Washington" and, just as importantly, why. We'll announce who we picked in this space tomorrow.


Washington - Robert Gibbs - House - United States - Shirley Sherrod

These were among incidents reported by the Fairfax County Police Department. For information, call 703-246-2253.


United States - Virginia - Counties - Fairfax - Fairfax County Virginia

These were among incidents reported by the Anne Arundel County Police Department. For information, call 410-222-8050.



United States - Maryland - Counties - Anne Arundel - Anne Arundel County Maryland

These were among incidents reported by Montgomery County police. For information, call 240-773-5030.


United States - Counties - Montgomery - Maryland - Ohio

Rep. John D. Dingell (D-Mich.) said Wednesday that the chairman of the Federal Communications Commission should drop his push to re-regulate broadband lines.


United States - Washington Post - Government - Federal Communications Commission - Cecilia Kang

The Obama administration is seeking to make it easier for the FBI to compel companies to turn over records of an individual's Internet activity without a court order if agents deem the information relevant to a terrorism or intelligence investigation.


White House - Government - United States - President - Executive Branch

NEW YORK -- Stocks rose Thursday after upbeat earnings reports and a modest drop in claims for unemployment benefits renewed some optimism about the economy.

NEW YORK -- Mortgage rates dropped to the lowest level on record for the fifth time in six weeks, making homebuying and refinancing the most attractive in decades for those who can get loans.

The Obama administration is seeking to make it easier for the FBI to compel companies to turn over records of an individual's Internet activity without a court order if agents deem the information relevant to a terrorism or intelligence investigation.


White House - Government - United States - President - Executive Branch

By the time the U.S. Postal Service announced plans to raise rates earlier this month, an unusual alliance of customers was in place to oppose it.


Recreation - Mail - United States - Business - Stamps

TORONTO -- The Baltimore Orioles got the strong outing they've been clamoring for as Jeremy Guthrie contained a Toronto Blue Jays' offense that had engaged in batting practice against Orioles' pitching over the previous two nights.


Toronto Blue Jays - Baltimore Orioles - Sport - Baseball - Major League

KABUL -- The second U.S. sailor who went missing in eastern Afghanistan last week has been found dead and his body recovered, according to sources familiar with the search.


Afghanistan - Asia - NATO - Logar Province - Taliban

CLEVELAND -- Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. reported a $28 million second-quarter profit Thursday in contrast to a loss a year ago as demand for its tires increased worldwide, especially in the key U.S. market.

KABUL -- President Hamid Karzai said on Thursday that the disclosure of the names of Afghan informants in the trove of classified U.S. military documents posted online by the WikiLeaks Web site was "extremely irresponsible and shocking."


Afghanistan - Hamid Karzai - Wikileaks - War in Afghanistan - Warfare and Conflict

KABUL -- The second U.S. sailor who went missing in eastern Afghanistan last week has been found dead and his body recovered, according to sources familiar with the search.


Afghanistan - Asia - NATO - Logar Province - Taliban

KABUL -- The second U.S. sailor who went missing in eastern Afghanistan last week has been found dead and his body recovered, according to sources familiar with the search.


Afghanistan - Asia - United States - Taliban - United States Navy

I've been thinking a lot about the Anthropocene. You know the drill on that. The Anthropocene is the geological epoch shaped by human beings. The concept is not really as flattering as it sounds. Ideally, we wouldn't have so drastic an impact on the world that it shows up stratigraphically. The Permian-Triassic boundary is marked by the sudden disappearance of 95 percent of species. The K/T (Cretaceous/Tertiary) boundary not only marks the disappearance of dinosaurs and 70 percent of the other species but has a distinct iridium layer discovered by Luis and Walter Alvarez, suggesting an extraterrestrial bolide. And so on. We're in the Holocene, the epoch that began something like 11,600 years ago with a sudden warming event and the retreat of the glaciers. The Holocene has been an epoch of climate stability in the main. It's been pleasant around here. We like the Holocene. Except it may


Holocene - Anthropocene - Walter Alvarez - Geologic time scale - Human