Obama pledges commitment to U.S. veterans
PHOENIX, Aug. 17 (UPI) -- The U.S. armed forces will be sent to war only when "absolutely necessary," President Barack Obama told a veterans group in Phoenix Monday.
"I have made this pledge to our armed forces: I will only send you into harm's way when it is absolutely necessary," Obama said during his remarks to the Veterans of Foreign Wars national conference. "When I do, it will be based on good intelligence and guided by a sound strategy."
If troops must be sent to war, Obama also promised to provide a clear mission, defined goals and the equipment and support needed "to get the job done."
Obama noted increases in Army and Marine Corps personnel are two years ahead of schedule and approved another temporary increase in Army strength.
"This will give our troops more time home between deployments, which means less stress on families and more training for the next mission," Obama said.
Speaking of Iraq, Obama repeated the timetable for removing combat brigades from Iraq by the end of 2011. By moving forward in Iraq, the United States can refocus on the war against al-Qaida and its allies in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
The United States also must prepare its troops for the missions of tomorrow.
"We can't build the 21st century military we need -- and maintain the fiscal responsibility that Americans demand -- unless we fundamentally reform the way our defense establishment does business," Obama said. "If a project doesn't support our troops, we will not fund it."
He said he also directed Veterans Affair Secretary Eric Shinseki to focus on a top priority of reducing homelessness among veterans.
"After serving their country, no veteran should be sleeping on the streets," he said. "We should have zero tolerance for that."
He also said any healthcare reform would not reduce veterans healthcare. "That's the plain and simple truth."
Government extends TALF program
WASHINGTON, Aug. 17 (UPI) -- The U.S. Treasury and Federal Reserve announced Monday they would extend a consumer lending program for six months.
The Term Asset-Backed Securities Loan Facility was set up to purchase securities backed by consumer automobile and credit card loans. A commercial loan facility was also set up to buy loans backed by commercial real estate.
In a joint statement, the Treasury and Fed said "conditions in financial markets have improved considerably in recent months, but markets for asset-backed securities "are still impaired."
The agencies, however, "do not anticipate any further additions to the types of collateral that are eligible for the facility," the statement said, signaling a possible end to the program after the extension.
The agencies said they would continue to support commercial real estate borrowing through the end of June 2010 because commercial deals "can take a significant amount of time to arrange." The target date to wind down the asset-backed securities program was set at the end of March 2010.
Court tells judge to hear death row claim
WASHINGTON, Aug. 17 (UPI) -- The U.S. Supreme Court, by a vote of 7-2, ordered a federal judge in Georgia Monday to consider a death row prisoner's claim of innocence.
Troy Anthony Davis was convicted of the 1989 shooting death of an off-duty Savannah, Ga., police officer responding to the beating of a homeless man in a parking lot. Since his 1991 trial, seven of nine prosecution witnesses have recanted their testimony and other witnesses have implicated someone else in the killing, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution said.
The order was unusual in that the court usually does not make a major decision during its summer recess, scotusblog.com reported. It is also unusual in that the court usually does not issue an opinion justifying its decision -- Justice John Paul Stevens wrote the opinion and was joined by the majority with the exception of Justice Sonia Sotomayor, who is new on the court.
Justice Antonin Scalia wrote a dissent and was joined by Justice Clarence Thomas.
Attorneys for Davis filed an original writ of habeas corpus -- a request that the justices review the constitutionality of his detention -- directly with the Supreme Court. Such requests make an end run around federal law limiting the scope of death penalty appeals.
"Today, without explanation and without any meaningful guidance, this (Supreme) Court sends the U.S. District Court ... on a fool's errand," Scalia wrote in dissent. "That court is directed to consider evidence of actual innocence which has been reviewed and rejected at least three times. ... I truly do not see how the District Court can discern what is expected of it."
A number of officials have taken up the prisoner's cause, including Pope Benedict XVI.
G20 protesters plan march in Pittsburgh
PITTSBURGH, Aug. 17 (UPI) -- Group of 20 summit protesters say they will stage a march in Pittsburgh even though they may not be able to obtain a permit.
Leaders of the city's Thomas Merton Center and its Anti-war Committee said Sunday they will stage a march on the second day of the G20 summit, set for Sept. 25, stretching from the city's Oakland cultural district to the City-County Building in downtown Pittsburgh, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported.
Once there, they intend to protest what Merton Center leaders called a "lack of opportunity for public input at the upcoming G20 summit."
But, the newspaper reported, it's unclear if the Secret Service will allow the marchers to stage the rally. Nadine Brnilovich, special events coordinator for the Pittsburgh police, said city officials can't approve or deny any applications until the Secret Service decides where it will set the security perimeters for the summit.
Edith Bell, local coordinator for the Women's International League of Peace and Freedom, told the Tribune-Review, "With the denial of permits, it's going to be more chaotic. By not being able to get permits, we're forced to go without."
Missing cargo ship found, crew alive
ASTRAKHAN, Russia, Aug. 17 (UPI) -- The crew of the missing Russian cargo ship Arctic Sea has been found and taken aboard a warship, Russian defense minister Anatoly Serdyukov said Monday.
The Arctic Sea was found Monday afternoon 300 miles off the Cape Verde and its crew, found alive, was taken aboard the Russian Navy frigate Ladny, Serdyukov told the Russian news agency RIA Novosti.
The defense minister indicated Russian President Dmitry Medvedev was informed an investigation had been launched "to identify the circumstances behind the vessel's disappearance and its failure to make radio contact," the news service said.
Serdyukov said the defense ministry would soon release more details about the Arctic Sea, a Maltese-flagged cargo ship that left Finland with a cargo of timber July 22 and had been out of radio contact since July 28.
Interpol had reported earlier that the ship had been briefly hijacked by masked men in Swedish waters, but that after 12 hours the pirates left the ship and it resumed its voyage, RIA Novosti said.
