Today's Top News from The Washington Times

		Thursday, August 18, 2011 Must Read Stories Today
Prepping for debt plan, Obama calls for 'shared sacrifice' President Obama wrapped up his three-day bus tour of the Midwest on Wednesday by previewing his renewed plans for deficit reduction involving what he called "shared sacrifice." On digital battleground, Obama is armed and dangerous President Obama holds the early advantage in the digital campaign for re-election, but his Republican challengers aren't ceding any ground in the race to gain an edge through social media and other online strategies. Police to use social media as way to head off flash mobs Law enforcement officials plan to use a combination of tried-and-true tactics such as curfews and newer techniques such as monitoring social media websites to fight the latest criminal phenomenon: flash mobs. Gadhafi prepares for blitz of Scuds Forces loyal to Libyan strongman Moammar Gadhafi are preparing an arsenal of Scud missiles for a full-scale assault on rebel positions, opposition sources told The Washington Times. Husband charged in murder of 91-year-old D.C. journalist The husband of the 91-year-old Georgetown woman found dead in her home last week was arrested and charged with her murder Tuesday night, according to the Metropolitan Police Department. 'Fast and Furious' weapons found at more violent crime scenes Weapons purchased during ATF's controversial "Fast and Furious" undercover investigation, which included the sale to "straw buyers" of hundreds of AK-47 assault rifles, have turned up at a dozen violent crime scenes across the Southwest, the Justice Department told a Senate committee. Canada-Colombia trade pact begins as U.S. deals stall As several free-trade pacts negotiated under President George W. Bush continue to collect dust, other countries are moving ahead with their own trade deals, a scenario many say puts U.S. industries at a competitive disadvantage and risks American jobs. White House must make visitor logs public, court holds A federal judge on Wednesday ruled that White House visitor logs maintained by the U.S. Secret Service are agency records and, as a result, are subject to disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act if not covered by one of the law's many exemptions. Year after oil spill, Gulf seafood rebounds President Obama is doing stomach stimulus this week as he eats his way across the Midwest, but exactly a year ago he had more riding on the presidential palate as he ate his way across the Gulf of Mexico coast, trying to revive the region's tourism and seafood industries one shrimp po' boy at a time. HHS releases simpler health insurance forms Standardized forms intended to make shopping for health insurance easier for consumers were released Wednesday by the Department of Health and Human Services. Airport board: Next move on Dulles Metro station isn't ours Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority members had a message Wednesday for officials from Virginia, Fairfax and Loudoun counties and the federal government regarding the second phase of the Dulles Metrorail project: The ball's in your court. Redskins' Miami alumni dismiss school's issues In Coral Gables, Fla., and around college football, the tremors of a Yahoo Sports report detailing specific and far-reaching allegations about the Miami Hurricanes are being felt. On Wednesday, Redskins players who went to the school brushed off the topic. Japanese tourists flock to 'miracle' Matsushima Japanese tourists are flocking to Matsushima, a fabled destination that escaped the wrath of the March 11 tsunami. Turkey PM compares Syrian leader to Gadhafi Turkey's prime minister compared Syria's president to Libya's Moammar Gadhafi on Wednesday, as Damascus defied international calls to end the crackdown on a 5-month-old uprising. Stocks fluctuate after earnings reports Stocks fluctuated Wednesday after companies gave mixed forecasts about how the fragile economy and rising costs will affect their growth. Aruba probes insurance in missing tourist case A U.S. tourist detained in the presumed death of his travel companion had an insurance policy that covered the missing woman, a prosecutor said Wednesday. Commentary MILLER: Get back to work Union members are so mad at their employer, Verizon, that they've been on strike for nearly two weeks. Wireline division employees, who are paid up to $91,000 a year with overtime and $50,000 a year in benefits, are irate at being asked to contribute a nominal sum toward their own health insurance coverage. EDITORIAL: The eurozone stalls Europe's economic powerhouse is faltering. The vital German economy slowed to a dangerous 0.1 percent level of growth in the second quarter of the year. That suggests the entire 17-country eurozone soon could find itself in a double-dip recession with no quick or easy way out of the misery. BOLTON: Why Tea Party should resist gutting defense Two recent, seemingly unrelated events weigh heavily on the question of whether America will remain able to protect its national security or languish in failed policies and a federal debt crisis that has led to our credit rating being downgraded. SIMMONS: Imported American pride A word of warning to all you jaded, politically correct readers out there: This op-ed piece is not for you. Go read the New York Times. TYRRELL: Perry right where Obama wrong There is squabbling in the White House. President Obama's approval rating has dipped to unprecedented lows in the polls, and he has not a clue what to do about it. Within the president's team there are the pragmatists led by David Plouffe and William M. Daley, who favor small gestures. I mean really small gestures. They would favor free-trade agreements, possibly with Gabon, perhaps the Maldives. They also favor improved patent protections for investors, assuming they can find investors, and something about Michele's garden. At least I thought it was about Michele's garden. At any rate, it was small. Maybe they were advocating growing cherry tomatoes. 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