Supreme Court Politics: Why Obama Picked Sonia Sotomayor

So why did Sonia Sotomayor get the nod as Barack Obama’s first pick for the Supreme Court? Of the four women in final contention for the job — the competition included two members of his Administration, Solicitor General Elena Kagan and Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano as well as his fellow Chicagoan, Appeals Court Judge Diane P. Wood — Sotomayor was the candidate with whom the President was least familiar.

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Regular flu season precautions advised in current outbreak

As reports of swine flu continue to rise in the United States and around the world, the average American is probably asking, "How should I protect myself?" And the answer is: Do what you’d do in other flu outbreaks. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is advising people to “take the ordinary steps they would take to protect themselves: frequent hand washing, and making sure you cover your nose and mouth when coughing or sneezing.” By midday Sunday, there were 20 confirmed cases in the United States

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TSA: Mule skinners need background checks, too

A federal anti-terror law that requires longshoremen, truckers and others to submit to criminal background checks has ensnared another class of transportation worker — mule drivers. Yes, so-called mule skinners — in this case, seasonal workers who dress in colonial garb at a historical park in Easton, Pa.

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