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National Politics

Obama sees terror threat reduced to pre-9/11 level

FILE  In this May 23, 2013, file photo President Barack Obama is seen at the National Defense University at Fort McNair in Washington during a speech in which he sought to refine and recalibrate his counterterrorism strategy, and asserted that al-Qaida is "on the path to defeat." Some call it wishful thinking, but Obama has all but declared an end to the global war on terror. He is not claiming final victory over extremists who still seek to kill Americans and other Westerners, but he is steering the country away from what he calls an equally frightening threat: a country in a state of perpetual war.

Some call it wishful thinking, but President Barack Obama has all but declared an end to the global war on terror. 1 hour ago

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NATIONAL POLITICS

Community outreach key to Obama counterterror plan

Within hours of the Boston Marathon blasts, government officials and Boston Muslims called each other to offer assistance, calls that were the fruits of years of cultivating such relationships in an effort to ultimately prevent the very type of attack Boston experienced April 15.

3 hours ago
NATIONAL POLITICS

Hagel: Cadets must stamp out sex assault scourge

Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel told cadets at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point on Saturday that they must stamp out the scourge of sexual assault in the military.
NATIONAL POLITICS

Key senators tightly control immigration debate

For all the soothing words she heard from fellow Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee, Sen. Mazie Hirono of Hawaii never had a chance to win a relatively modest change to far-reaching immigration legislation.
NATIONAL POLITICS

Improving economy changes political landscape

Alleged misbehavior by the Internal Revenue Service and other federal agencies gives the GOP something else to talk about and investigate as the economy clearly, if slowly, recovers on President Barack Obama's watch, robbing Republicans of a central argument against Democrats.
NATIONAL POLITICS

The Crew of Spooky 21

Select an image to the right for more information on each of Spooky 21's crew members. Arlington National Cemetery Site of the crew's grave Back to map ...
NATIONAL POLITICS

Whatever cause, Washington state bridge collapse points to bigger problems

The collapse of an interstate highway bridge in Washington state brings new attention to the limits of the country’s infrastructure, especially older structures that were designed with little room for error and were never intended to carry the number of cars and trucks they see today.
NATIONAL POLITICS

A long-ago war, a missing plane and an enduring mystery

Maj. Derrell Jeffords bounced his roaring Spooky 21 down and off the runway at Da Nang Air Base in Vietnam. It was just before 7:30 a.m., on Christmas Eve 1965. The big camouflaged belly of his twin-prop AC-47 was easily visible against a blue sky as he banked west.
NATIONAL POLITICS

Obama says nation must do more for fallen heroes

President Barack Obama says the nation must do more than just remember its fallen heroes on Memorial Day.
NATIONAL POLITICS

The Modified AC-47 aircraft

A brief description of the Spooky gunship, the modified AC-47.
NATIONAL POLITICS

Interactive: The Flight of Spooky 21

It is unclear exactly what conditions the six-man crew encountered that caused their mission on Dec. 24, 1965, to end in a crash in southeastern Laos. Decades later, a small amount of their physical remains were found. Follow the flight and subsequent search in this interactive map.