Today's Top News from The Washington Times

		Sunday, August 21, 2011 Must Read Stories Today
Deaths of Egyptian troops test Israel-Egypt treaty The death of Egyptian soldiers caught in a battle between Israeli troops and Palestinian militants is testing the two nations' landmark 1979 peace treaty, just as a sudden spike in violence Saturday threatened to trigger a full-scale conflict between Israel and Gaza militants. Libyan rebels close in on Gadhafi Rebels fighting to end Libyan strongman Col. Moammar Gadhafi's 42-year reign seized control of one key oil town in the west of the country, but suffered setbacks in another in the east on Saturday. Bachmann stands by $2 gas pledge GOP presidential candidate Rep. Michele Bachmann on Friday stood by her promise to bring gas prices down to around $2 a gallon if elected. Gunmen enter Israel from Sinai, kill 8 Gunmen with explosives crossed into southern Israel from the Sinai Peninsula on Thursday and carried out an attack that left eight Israelis dead and prompted an airstrike on Gaza that Israel said killed six Palestinians linked to the attack. Huntsman pounds Perry on climate change and Fed Presidential candidate Jon Huntsman is pounding away at rival Rick Perry's skepticism of manmade global warming and criticism of the nation's central banker, saying those stands hurt the GOP and make the Texas governor come off as a not-so-serious national figure. 3 dead, 1 missing in Pittsburgh flash flooding Flash floods submerged more than a dozen vehicles in Pittsburgh, killing three people, leaving another missing and presumed dead, and forcing others to swim to safety or scramble onto the roofs of their cars. Obama to Congress: Work together to aid jobless President Barack Obama says members of Congress should put country before politics, set aside their differences and find ways to get people back to work. Syria condemns Obama's call for Assad to step down A government owned Syrian newspaper on Saturday rejected U.S. and European calls for President Bashar Assad to step down, saying they revealed the "face of the conspiracy" against Damascus. Iran sentences 2 American hikers to 8 years in jail Two American men already held for two years in Tehran have been sentenced to 8 years each in prison on charges of espionage and illegal entry into Iran, state TV reported Saturday. Prosecutors say Clemens should face second trial Prosecutors in the Roger Clemens perjury case said Friday they had made an honest mistake in showing jurors inadmissible evidence and that shouldn't save the baseball star from facing a new trial. Obama to deport illegals by 'priority' Bowing to pressure from immigrant rights activists, the Obama administration said Thursday that it will halt deportation proceedings on a case-by-case basis against illegal immigrants who meet certain criteria, such as attending school, having family in the military or having primary responsible for other family members' care. Suicide bomber kills 48 in Pakistan mosque A suicide bomber struck worshippers during prayers Friday at a mosque close to the Afghan border, killing 48 people in an attack one official said may have been aimed at anti-Taliban elders praying during the holy month of Ramadan. Stocks fall as traders worry over weekend A growing belief that the country is headed toward recession gave the stock market its fourth straight week of losses. White House orders agencies to cut their budgets It's a microcosm of the budget battling that has consumed Congress all year: The Obama administration wants federal agencies to save money while Republicans push for additional savings to take a substantial bite out of the government's towering pile of IOUs. Bank of America to cut 3,500 jobs Bank of America Corp., the nation's largest bank, said Friday that it plans to cut 3,500 jobs by the end of September. Gold hits a new high as Wall Street swings wildly Investors flocked to gold Friday, sending it to the latest of a series of records, as fears about recession in the world's major economies infected financial markets. Commentary MILLER: The partier in chief President Obama is chilling out at the beach while the country's economic engine is headed for a deep freeze. Those lucky enough to have a job will slug it out at work Monday while Mr. Obama parties with the rich and powerful. EDITORIAL: Obama: Whites need not apply The White House issued an executive order on Thursday titled "Establishing a Coordinated Government-wide Initiative to Promote Diversity and Inclusion in the Federal Workforce." The purpose of the order is "to promote the federal workplace as a model of equal opportunity, diversity and inclusion." In other words, it would be better for the government if public-spirited white workers sought employment elsewhere. Lost amid all the politically correct box-checking is the principle that the most qualified person should be hired for a job. EDITORIAL: The California cut Nobody can reasonably question Gov. Jerry Brown's liberal credentials. While at the helm of the Golden State in the 1970s, Mr. Brown sabotaged the death penalty and pushed special privileges for homosexuals. He expanded benefits for union bosses and ran for the Democratic presidential nod three times. Now that he's back in charge of America's largest and most indebted state, Mr. Brown has actually cut spending. Why can't President Obama do the same? PRELL: Obama made them hate us A new Zogby poll, "Arab Attitudes, 2011," has revealed that President Obama's charm offensive in the Arab world has failed. After he promised to restore America's international reputation, not only does the Arab world hate America more under Mr. Obama than it did under President George W. Bush, it even hates Mr. Obama - personally - more than it detested the swaggering unilateralist cowboy from Texas. WILLIAMS: Tax zombie that refuses to die Washington is famous for budget trickery, and the practice of base-line budgeting is one of its most cynical traditions. Base-line budgeting makes an increase in funding appear as a cut. For example, according to Dan Mitchell at the Cato Institute, "The 'cuts' in the [debt ceiling] deal are only cuts from the [Congressional Budget Office's] 'baseline,' which is a Washington construct of ever-rising spending. And even these 'cuts' from the baseline include $156 billion of interest savings, which are imaginary because the underlying cuts are imaginary." An egregious example of such base-line budgeting is the Federal Communications Commission's (FCC) Universal Service Fund (USF). 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