California declares emergency........

Firefighters this morning were battling several large brush fires across California, including a wind-driven blaze in the Santa Cruz Mountains that was threatening several towns and forced thousands to evacuate. Gusty winds continued to hamper efforts to fight the brush fires, and weather forecasters said the conditions should continue through the weekend...Link

United States soldiers will deploy to Colombia.

Some American troops will soon find themselves stationed at military bases scattered across the South American nation of Colombia with a mission to use advanced Predator drone technology to aid in fighting the drug trade and to combat terrorism, according to published reports Saturday. But Colombia’s neighbors certainly do not see it that way...Link

New Crops to Supplant Afghan Poppies.......

QALAI BOST VILLAGE, Afghanistan -- The Obama administration is overhauling its strategy for eliminating Afghanistan's flourishing drug trade, a key source of funds for the Taliban. Its plan hinges on persuading farmers like Mohammed Walid to grow something other than poppies...Link

Fast foward to 4:09...................

Foreclosures reach record numbers again.

While the Obama administration tries to put on a good show of encouraging mortgage modifications, the grandstanding is not working. According to Realty Trac, only about 230,000 homes have received help, while 464,058 homeowners lost their homes this year through the end of July...Link

Secret agreements.........

A memo obtained by the Huffington Post confirms that the White House and the pharmaceutical lobby secretly agreed to precisely the sort of wide-ranging deal that both parties have been denying over the past week. The memo, which according to a knowledgeable health care lobbyist was prepared by a person directly involved in the negotiations, lists exactly what the White House gave up, and what it got in return. It says the White House agreed to oppose any congressional efforts to use the government's leverage to bargain for lower drug prices or import drugs from Canada -- and also agreed not to pursue Medicare rebates or shift some drugs from Medicare Part B to Medicare Part D, which would cost Big Pharma billions in reduced reimbursements...Link

In the Lobby..........

It seems everyone wants their opinions on health care reform to be heard, judging by the crowds of people attending town hall forums across the country, but will the investment of money and manpower that lobbying firms are devoting to making themselves heard by Congress drown out the general public?...Link