- Gen. David Petraeus, the top American commander in Baghdad, is currently testifying [1] before the Senate, including all three presidential candidates. Facing questions from the Senate Armed Services Committee and the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Gen. Petraeus is expected to recommend a temporary halt in troop withdrawals and to explain more about Iran’s influence in Iraq. The three candidates will have opportunities to ask questions, which will highlight their positions on the war. The last time Gen. Petraeus appeared before the committees, the sessions lasted 10 hours. The session this morning has already been interrupted once by protesters.
- The number of women and children removed from the polygamy compound [2] in Texas has surpassed 500. Authorities say more than 400 children and 130 women have left the compound after raids stemming from a child abuse inquiry. State troopers are holding an unknown number of men inside as they search the 1,700-acre compound, and officials have been authorized to remove computers, DVDs, and photos in the search. Members of the sect believe a man must marry at least three wives in order to ascend to heaven.
- Protesters in Haiti, angered by food prices [3], took to the streets of the capital, Port-au-Prince. The demonstrations forced businesses and schools to close as unrest spread from the countryside. During the protest someone called out, “we’re hungry!” Haitians are particularly affected by worldwide rising food prices. Eighty percent of the population lives on less than $2 a day. The price of staples like rice, beans, fruit and condensed milk has gone up 50 percent in the past year.
