Both issues - the payroll tax cut and the spending bill - that threatened to shut down the government have been all but solved. There will be no government shutdown.
"Everyone doesn't have to worry about the government closing today," Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., said on the Senate floor Friday morning.
Agreement came from the Senate Republican leader.
"I think everybody should be reassured that's not going to happen," Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., echoed. "The conference report has been signed and we're moving toward completing the basic work of government through next September 30 th very shortly."
A short time later, by a bipartisan vote of 296-121, the House of Representatives passed the conference report that bundled nine appropriations bills in the form of the so-called Megabus. 147 Republicans and 149 Democrats joined forces to vote in favor of the package. Eighty-six Republicans and 35 Democrats voted against the bill.
"This bipartisan, bicameral agreement reflects our year-long focus on the American people's top priority: jobs," House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, said following the bill's passage. "Now it's time for Senate Democrats to support both this and our bipartisan measure extending payroll tax relief, extending and reforming unemployment insurance, and speeding up a decision on the bipartisan Keystone XL energy project."
House Minority Leader Nancy urged the GOP to transcend that sense of bipartisanship into the year-end jobs bill pending before Congress.
"Today, the House came together in a spirit of compromise to keep the doors of the federal government open," Pelosi, D-Calif., said in a statement after the vote. "Now, it is time for Republicans to remain at the negotiating table to extend the payroll tax cut for 160 million Americans and unemployment benefits for those who lost their jobs through no fault of their own. We must not recess for the holidays until we get the job done. We must act to strengthen our economy, our middle class, and our future."
The Senate is not scheduled to vote until tomorrow on the omnibus, technically after the deadline for final passage. The Majority Leader said final passage from the Senate is not necessary today in order to avoid a shutdown at midnight tonight, that it will be just fine to hold the vote tomorrow with no ramifications.
"There's a ruling from this White House, its predecessors that if one House passes a spending bill as we are doing here, and there's a presumption it will pass in the other body, the time is extended for 24 hours," Reid said.
After the Senate votes Saturday, the omnibus will be sent to the White House.
Both sides in the Senate will continue to work through the weekend on the payroll tax proposal, with both parties stressing that issues still remain that need to be worked out. But today, both sides again spoke confidently that a deal is on the horizon.
There is a proposal in the work for a Continuing Resolution (CR) for the payroll plan - likely a short, two-month, $40 billion extension of the payroll tax cut, unemployment insurance and the current Medicare reimbursement rates for doctors.
"We're not there yet, but we're very, very close," Reid said today on the Senate floor.
"We are making significant progress and reaching an agreement on a package that will have bipartisan support," McConnell echoed today. "I think we're going to get to that place. And I share his view that good progress is being made."
2012年2月6日星期一
Despite His Many Advantages, Romney Struggles to Win Over GOP Voters
CHICAGO - There was a candidate at the outset of the Republican primary who seemed a decent bet to win it all, or at the very least contend until the final days of the race. He had the organization of a top-notch campaign staff, the experience as governor of a traditionally blue state, the war chest to mount a strong bid, the appearance of your everyday politician, and the no-skeletons-in-the-closet resume built to withstand the national spotlight.
But today Tim Pawlenty is an afterthought, the first candidate to exit the race when he dropped out after the Iowa straw poll in August. Despite his strength on paper, Pawlenty simply did not resonate with voters, which, after all, is the only thing that really matters in political campaigns.
Could Mitt Romney be suffering from a similar problem? Just like Pawlenty, Romney seems to have it all, on paper. The former governor of Massachusetts has a well-honed resume, the experience of his 2008 bid for the White House, a seasoned campaign staff, gobs of money, and a clean-as-a-whistle background. In fact, Romney has far more support than Pawlenty ever did.
But here we are, less than three weeks from the Iowa caucuses, and Romney has been unable to gain any ground in the polls in the past six months. Month after month, there he is, stuck with around 25 percent support, sometimes a little more, sometimes a little less.
There are two ways to look at that fact. The glass-half-full approach is the one Romney has taken: While other candidates surge to the top of the polls only to plunge back down - see Cain, Herman; and Perry, Rick - Romney has held steady, if not at the top then at least in the top two.
"For the entire last year, I've been either at the lead or number two," Romney told Politico last week. "That's a pretty good place to be."
Then there's the glass-half-empty approach: While one-quarter of Republican voters are sure about their support for Romney, the remaining three-quarters of voters are frantically seeking another option.
"It may be that Newt is appealing to something that … Mitt isn't appealing to," former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani said Thursday on MSNBC's "Morning Joe." "There's something wrong when you've been running as long as Mitt has and you're at 25 percent. … Seventy-five percent of the other Republicans are telling you something about him. … I think it's deeper than just a) 'he's kind of staid' and everything else."
"I ran against him in '07, '08, I have never seen a guy - and I've run in a lot of elections, supported a lot of people, opposed them - never seen a guy change his positions on so many things, so fast, on a dime," he added.
Whether it is that reputation as a flip-flopper or eyebrow-raising comments such as "corporations are people" or his offer to Perry of a $10,000 bet, Romney has yet to gain any more support than he had when the GOP primary began.
A Wall Street Journal-NBC News poll released Tuesday revealed that 40 percent of Republican voters back Newt Gingrich, compared to 23 percent for Romney and less than 10 percent for the rest of the candidates. While Romney acknowledged to Politico that Gingrich is the front-runner at the moment, Romney also noted that it is "a very fluid electorate" and he expects to win the nomination.
"I've got - what? - five or six more months to make that a reality," he said.
But what more can Romney do to convince GOP voters, a good chunk of whom might have already made up their minds about him? For starters, he can tap into his ample war chest.
Romney is hitting the airwaves this week in South Carolina, the third state to vote in the primary. He is already on the air in Iowa and New Hampshire.
He can also get through to voters by becoming more media-friendly, something that he has started to do this past week. After for the most part steering clear of interviews this year, a strategy that backfired when he appeared frustrated and flustered during a sit-down with FOX News a few weeks ago, he has lately found time to chat with almost every major national news outlet, including an interview with ABC News before last Saturday's debate in Des Moines.
Another way Romney can try to boost his support is by calling into action his volunteer army. In Iowa, he has a network of motivated, politically-connected volunteers fighting on his behalf while he campaigns elsewhere.
While Romney has pledged not to make "offensive" or "incendiary" statements about Gingrich, that doesn't mean he is going to stay quiet and let the former House speaker run away with his party's nomination. Far from it.
He called Gingrich "zany" in an interview this week with the New York Times, described him as "a very wealthy man" and hardly a member of the middle class in a sit-down with CBS News, and told the Washington Post that Gingrich was "an extraordinarily unreliable leader in the conservative world."
All the criticisms might be working. Romney insiders have suggested this week that Gingrich may be starting to slip in the polls. If Romney can knock Gingrich off his perch, then who will be left for Republican voters to turn to in their search for a so-called "anti-Romney alternative"?
Cain has suspended his campaign in the wake of numerous allegations of sexual misconduct. Perry was sitting pretty earlier this fall, but quickly collapsed after a rash of poor debate performances and questionable comments, highlighted by his "oops" gaffe at a debate outside of Detroit last month. Michele Bachmann won the straw poll in August, but has since plunged toward the bottom of the polls. Ron Paul finished a close second to Bachmann in the straw poll and could spring a surprise in the Iowa caucuses, but is viewed as too much of a fringe candidate to make a serious bid for the nomination.
Rick Santorum has yet to gain any traction at all. And Jon Huntsman has focused solely on New Hampshire to the point that his poll numbers were so low in Iowa that he was failed to make the cut for ABC's recent debate there.
Romney's argument, then, could be that while he might not be exactly what the GOP's Tea Party wing is looking for, he remains the Republican with the best chance at knocking off President Obama in the general election.
In his interview with ABC's David Muir, Romney said there is "no question in my mind" that Gingrich would be an easier opponent for Obama to defeat than he would be.
After Pawlenty's abrupt withdrawal from the GOP race after his disastrous showing at the straw poll, the former Minnesota governor decided to endorse Romney and has since appeared on the campaign trail on numerous occasions to stump for him. Maybe along the way he has offered Romney some pointers on how to avoid a similar fate, despite their similar problems.
But today Tim Pawlenty is an afterthought, the first candidate to exit the race when he dropped out after the Iowa straw poll in August. Despite his strength on paper, Pawlenty simply did not resonate with voters, which, after all, is the only thing that really matters in political campaigns.
Could Mitt Romney be suffering from a similar problem? Just like Pawlenty, Romney seems to have it all, on paper. The former governor of Massachusetts has a well-honed resume, the experience of his 2008 bid for the White House, a seasoned campaign staff, gobs of money, and a clean-as-a-whistle background. In fact, Romney has far more support than Pawlenty ever did.
But here we are, less than three weeks from the Iowa caucuses, and Romney has been unable to gain any ground in the polls in the past six months. Month after month, there he is, stuck with around 25 percent support, sometimes a little more, sometimes a little less.
There are two ways to look at that fact. The glass-half-full approach is the one Romney has taken: While other candidates surge to the top of the polls only to plunge back down - see Cain, Herman; and Perry, Rick - Romney has held steady, if not at the top then at least in the top two.
"For the entire last year, I've been either at the lead or number two," Romney told Politico last week. "That's a pretty good place to be."
Then there's the glass-half-empty approach: While one-quarter of Republican voters are sure about their support for Romney, the remaining three-quarters of voters are frantically seeking another option.
"It may be that Newt is appealing to something that … Mitt isn't appealing to," former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani said Thursday on MSNBC's "Morning Joe." "There's something wrong when you've been running as long as Mitt has and you're at 25 percent. … Seventy-five percent of the other Republicans are telling you something about him. … I think it's deeper than just a) 'he's kind of staid' and everything else."
"I ran against him in '07, '08, I have never seen a guy - and I've run in a lot of elections, supported a lot of people, opposed them - never seen a guy change his positions on so many things, so fast, on a dime," he added.
Whether it is that reputation as a flip-flopper or eyebrow-raising comments such as "corporations are people" or his offer to Perry of a $10,000 bet, Romney has yet to gain any more support than he had when the GOP primary began.
A Wall Street Journal-NBC News poll released Tuesday revealed that 40 percent of Republican voters back Newt Gingrich, compared to 23 percent for Romney and less than 10 percent for the rest of the candidates. While Romney acknowledged to Politico that Gingrich is the front-runner at the moment, Romney also noted that it is "a very fluid electorate" and he expects to win the nomination.
"I've got - what? - five or six more months to make that a reality," he said.
But what more can Romney do to convince GOP voters, a good chunk of whom might have already made up their minds about him? For starters, he can tap into his ample war chest.
Romney is hitting the airwaves this week in South Carolina, the third state to vote in the primary. He is already on the air in Iowa and New Hampshire.
He can also get through to voters by becoming more media-friendly, something that he has started to do this past week. After for the most part steering clear of interviews this year, a strategy that backfired when he appeared frustrated and flustered during a sit-down with FOX News a few weeks ago, he has lately found time to chat with almost every major national news outlet, including an interview with ABC News before last Saturday's debate in Des Moines.
Another way Romney can try to boost his support is by calling into action his volunteer army. In Iowa, he has a network of motivated, politically-connected volunteers fighting on his behalf while he campaigns elsewhere.
While Romney has pledged not to make "offensive" or "incendiary" statements about Gingrich, that doesn't mean he is going to stay quiet and let the former House speaker run away with his party's nomination. Far from it.
He called Gingrich "zany" in an interview this week with the New York Times, described him as "a very wealthy man" and hardly a member of the middle class in a sit-down with CBS News, and told the Washington Post that Gingrich was "an extraordinarily unreliable leader in the conservative world."
All the criticisms might be working. Romney insiders have suggested this week that Gingrich may be starting to slip in the polls. If Romney can knock Gingrich off his perch, then who will be left for Republican voters to turn to in their search for a so-called "anti-Romney alternative"?
Cain has suspended his campaign in the wake of numerous allegations of sexual misconduct. Perry was sitting pretty earlier this fall, but quickly collapsed after a rash of poor debate performances and questionable comments, highlighted by his "oops" gaffe at a debate outside of Detroit last month. Michele Bachmann won the straw poll in August, but has since plunged toward the bottom of the polls. Ron Paul finished a close second to Bachmann in the straw poll and could spring a surprise in the Iowa caucuses, but is viewed as too much of a fringe candidate to make a serious bid for the nomination.
Rick Santorum has yet to gain any traction at all. And Jon Huntsman has focused solely on New Hampshire to the point that his poll numbers were so low in Iowa that he was failed to make the cut for ABC's recent debate there.
Romney's argument, then, could be that while he might not be exactly what the GOP's Tea Party wing is looking for, he remains the Republican with the best chance at knocking off President Obama in the general election.
In his interview with ABC's David Muir, Romney said there is "no question in my mind" that Gingrich would be an easier opponent for Obama to defeat than he would be.
After Pawlenty's abrupt withdrawal from the GOP race after his disastrous showing at the straw poll, the former Minnesota governor decided to endorse Romney and has since appeared on the campaign trail on numerous occasions to stump for him. Maybe along the way he has offered Romney some pointers on how to avoid a similar fate, despite their similar problems.
Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac Top Executives Charged With Fraud
Three years after taxpayers footed the bill to bail out mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the top six executives at the government-supported lenders were charged by the Securities and Exchange Commission with fraud for failing to disclose billions of dollars in risky subprime mortgages.
"Investors were robbed of the opportunity to make informed investment choices on whether or not to invest in the companies," said Robert S. Khuzami, the SEC's director of enforcement. "All individuals, regardless of their rank or position, will be held accountable for perpetuating half-truths or misrepresentations about matters materially important to the interest of our country's investors."
Khuzami said that starting in 2006, as Wall Street banks began to gobble up a larger portion of Fannie and Freddie's market share, the two companies began downplaying the amount of risky loans they held.
"They sought to maintain the illusion that their businesses involved minimal and manageable credit risk," Khuzami said. "They led investors to believe that Freddie Mac was disclosing subprime exposures, however that was not the case."
The SEC suit alleges that while Freddie Mac's CEO Richard Syron publically stated that the company had basically no subprime exposure, the company was in fact exposed to $141 billion in subprime loans in 2006. By 2008 these risky investments grew to $244 billion, or 14 percent of Freddie Mac's portfolio.
In a statement responding to the charges Syron's attorneys said the case was "without merit."
"There was no shortage of meaningful disclosures, all of which permitted the reader to asses the degree of risk in Freddie Mac's guaranteed portfolio," attorneys Thomas Green and Mark Hopson said in the statement. "The SEC's theory and approach are fatally flawed."
The commission's charges that Fannie May also failed to disclose the extent of their risky loans.
In 2007 Fannie Mae reported that only .2 percent, approximately $4.8 billion, of its Single Family loan portfolio was comprised of loans "made to borrowers with weaker credit histories" when in fact, the exposure to subprime loans was nearly ten times that amount, the SEC alleges.
The federal government took control of the two mortgage giants in 2008 after poor lending practices put them at the brink of bankruptcy. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have cost taxpayers $150 billion.
The commission has filed fraud charges against Syron, former Executive Vice President and Chief Business Officer Patricia L. Cook and Vice President Single Family Guarantees Donald J. Bisenius.
Fannie Mae's former Chief Executive Officer Daniel H. Mudd, former Chief Risk Officer Enrico Dallavecchia, and former Executive Vice President of Single Family Mortgages, Thomas A. Lund have also been charged with fraud.
Because the SEC cannot press criminal charges, the executives do not face jail time. Under the civil charges they could be forced to pay fines and penalties that range from the hundreds of thousands into the low millions.
"Investors were robbed of the opportunity to make informed investment choices on whether or not to invest in the companies," said Robert S. Khuzami, the SEC's director of enforcement. "All individuals, regardless of their rank or position, will be held accountable for perpetuating half-truths or misrepresentations about matters materially important to the interest of our country's investors."
Khuzami said that starting in 2006, as Wall Street banks began to gobble up a larger portion of Fannie and Freddie's market share, the two companies began downplaying the amount of risky loans they held.
"They sought to maintain the illusion that their businesses involved minimal and manageable credit risk," Khuzami said. "They led investors to believe that Freddie Mac was disclosing subprime exposures, however that was not the case."
The SEC suit alleges that while Freddie Mac's CEO Richard Syron publically stated that the company had basically no subprime exposure, the company was in fact exposed to $141 billion in subprime loans in 2006. By 2008 these risky investments grew to $244 billion, or 14 percent of Freddie Mac's portfolio.
In a statement responding to the charges Syron's attorneys said the case was "without merit."
"There was no shortage of meaningful disclosures, all of which permitted the reader to asses the degree of risk in Freddie Mac's guaranteed portfolio," attorneys Thomas Green and Mark Hopson said in the statement. "The SEC's theory and approach are fatally flawed."
The commission's charges that Fannie May also failed to disclose the extent of their risky loans.
In 2007 Fannie Mae reported that only .2 percent, approximately $4.8 billion, of its Single Family loan portfolio was comprised of loans "made to borrowers with weaker credit histories" when in fact, the exposure to subprime loans was nearly ten times that amount, the SEC alleges.
The federal government took control of the two mortgage giants in 2008 after poor lending practices put them at the brink of bankruptcy. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have cost taxpayers $150 billion.
The commission has filed fraud charges against Syron, former Executive Vice President and Chief Business Officer Patricia L. Cook and Vice President Single Family Guarantees Donald J. Bisenius.
Fannie Mae's former Chief Executive Officer Daniel H. Mudd, former Chief Risk Officer Enrico Dallavecchia, and former Executive Vice President of Single Family Mortgages, Thomas A. Lund have also been charged with fraud.
Because the SEC cannot press criminal charges, the executives do not face jail time. Under the civil charges they could be forced to pay fines and penalties that range from the hundreds of thousands into the low millions.
2012年2月3日星期五
In Local Theaters
"Big Miracle" — Amid the Cold War, a smalltown reporter and his environmentalist ex-girlfriend lead an unlikely international coalition to save a family of gray whales trapped in the Arctic circle. With Drew Barrymore, John Krasinski, Kristen Bell and Dermot Mulroney. Directed by Ken Kwapis. PG.
"Chronicle" — After making a surprising discovery, three high school students develop uncanny powers and begin to lose control. With Dane DeHaan, Alex Russell and Michael B. Jordan. Directed by Joshua Trank. PG-13.
"The Woman in Black" — When a widowed lawyer is sent to a remote village to settle the affairs of a deceased eccentric, he discovers the place holds a deadly secret. With Daniel Radcliffe, Ciaran Hinds, Janet McTeer and Liz White. Directed by James Watkins. PG-13.
Held over
"The Grey" — When their plane crashes in the remote Alaskan wilderness, a group of roughneck oil rig workers struggle to survive injuries, the elements and a vicious pack of wolves. With Liam Neeson, Dermot Mulroney, Frank Grillo and Dallas Roberts. Directed by Carnahan. R.
"Man on a Ledge" — As a police negotiator tries to talk a fugitive former cop off a ledge, she discovers he may have a plan to prove his innocence and reveal an NYPD conspiracy. With Sam Worthington, Elizabeth Banks, Jamie Bell and Anthony Mackie. Directed by Asger Leth. PG-13.
"The Descendants" — An indifferent father of two girls is forced to re-examine his life when his wife suffers a boating accident and he's confronted with a big decision. With George Clooney, Shailene Woodley, Beau Bridges and Robert Forster. Directed by Alexander Payne. R.
"One for the Money" — A newly divorced, recently laid-off woman lands a job with a shady bail-bond business and gets swept up in a world of murder and deception. With Katherine Heigl, Jason O'Mara and Daniel Sunjata. Directed by Julie Ann Robinson. PG-13.
"Red Tails" — This World War II historical drama tells the story of the black fighter pilots known as the Tuskegee Airmen. With Nate Parker, David Oyelowo, Ne-Yo and Terrence Howard. Directed by Anthony Hemingway. PG-13.
"Underworld Awakening" — After 12 years in captivity, the vampire warrior Selene escapes and enters a new world in which humans are waging war on her kind and werewolves. With Kate Beckinsale, Stephen Rea, Michael Ealy and Theo James. Directed by Mans Marlind and Bjorn Stein. In 3-D. R.
"Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close" — After finding a mysterious key that belonged to his father, who died in the Sept. 11 attacks, a young boy goes on a journey across the five boroughs of New York City. With Tom Hanks, Sandra Bullock, Thomas Horn and James Gandolfini. Directed by Stephen Daldry. PG-13.
"Joyful Noise" — The two leading ladies of a small-town Georgia choir butt heads while trying to win a national singing competition. With Queen Latifah, Dolly Parton, Keke Palmer and Courtney B. Vance. Directed by Todd Graff. PG-13.
"Chronicle" — After making a surprising discovery, three high school students develop uncanny powers and begin to lose control. With Dane DeHaan, Alex Russell and Michael B. Jordan. Directed by Joshua Trank. PG-13.
"The Woman in Black" — When a widowed lawyer is sent to a remote village to settle the affairs of a deceased eccentric, he discovers the place holds a deadly secret. With Daniel Radcliffe, Ciaran Hinds, Janet McTeer and Liz White. Directed by James Watkins. PG-13.
Held over
"The Grey" — When their plane crashes in the remote Alaskan wilderness, a group of roughneck oil rig workers struggle to survive injuries, the elements and a vicious pack of wolves. With Liam Neeson, Dermot Mulroney, Frank Grillo and Dallas Roberts. Directed by Carnahan. R.
"Man on a Ledge" — As a police negotiator tries to talk a fugitive former cop off a ledge, she discovers he may have a plan to prove his innocence and reveal an NYPD conspiracy. With Sam Worthington, Elizabeth Banks, Jamie Bell and Anthony Mackie. Directed by Asger Leth. PG-13.
"The Descendants" — An indifferent father of two girls is forced to re-examine his life when his wife suffers a boating accident and he's confronted with a big decision. With George Clooney, Shailene Woodley, Beau Bridges and Robert Forster. Directed by Alexander Payne. R.
"One for the Money" — A newly divorced, recently laid-off woman lands a job with a shady bail-bond business and gets swept up in a world of murder and deception. With Katherine Heigl, Jason O'Mara and Daniel Sunjata. Directed by Julie Ann Robinson. PG-13.
"Red Tails" — This World War II historical drama tells the story of the black fighter pilots known as the Tuskegee Airmen. With Nate Parker, David Oyelowo, Ne-Yo and Terrence Howard. Directed by Anthony Hemingway. PG-13.
"Underworld Awakening" — After 12 years in captivity, the vampire warrior Selene escapes and enters a new world in which humans are waging war on her kind and werewolves. With Kate Beckinsale, Stephen Rea, Michael Ealy and Theo James. Directed by Mans Marlind and Bjorn Stein. In 3-D. R.
"Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close" — After finding a mysterious key that belonged to his father, who died in the Sept. 11 attacks, a young boy goes on a journey across the five boroughs of New York City. With Tom Hanks, Sandra Bullock, Thomas Horn and James Gandolfini. Directed by Stephen Daldry. PG-13.
"Joyful Noise" — The two leading ladies of a small-town Georgia choir butt heads while trying to win a national singing competition. With Queen Latifah, Dolly Parton, Keke Palmer and Courtney B. Vance. Directed by Todd Graff. PG-13.
2012年1月31日星期二
New Year's is Christmas for car thieves - Fox Business
New Year's is Christmas for car thieves
Fox Business
Here's one more reason to lock your car in the garage and take a taxi on New Year's: It's a car thief's favorite holiday. Actually, it's the cold light of the next day that they love, the National Insurance Crime Bureau reports. ...
Fox Business
Here's one more reason to lock your car in the garage and take a taxi on New Year's: It's a car thief's favorite holiday. Actually, it's the cold light of the next day that they love, the National Insurance Crime Bureau reports. ...
2011年11月25日星期五
Bringing Hero Home: Soldier's Puppy Gives Hope to Grieving Family uggbootssale-aus.com
"It had become our life, and then I was like, oh my God, he's leaving. And that's when I had broken down, and there's a picture of us where he's sort of trying to talk me out of being upset," said Brittney.
"They were embracing, that was the last time that we saw him alive," said Skip Rollins, Justin's father.
No one knew in that moment that it was their last moment with Justin. In fact, Justin was making plans to propose to Brittney.
"On the last phone call that he called home, he saidugg boots colorado ugg outlet los angeles ugg outlet buffalo I want to take her to Tiffany's and pick out a diamond for her. So I knew my son was going to propose to his girlfriend," said Rhonda.
In March 2007, two weeks before Justin could come home, he made an intriguing phone call to Brittney from his Iraqi base camp.
"He was like, I got some really great pictures, and I can't wait for you to see them. I didn't know what was going to be in it," recalls Brittney.
The mysterious pictures would arrive by email the next day. But by then, Justin Rollins would be dead.
"I remember he said I love you twice to me that night, and that was the last time that I heard from him," said Brittney.
"At six thirty in the morning I was getting ready for work, and I felt a jolt just go right through me. And instinctively I thought of Justin, and I thought, boy, I hope everything's OK, it just was the weirdest feeling I've ever had. And went to work, went on my day, and had no more thoughts of this at all," Rhonda recalled.
Bringing Hero Home Watch Video
Person of the Week: Justin Rollins Watch Video
Fallen Marine's Dog Comes Home Watch Video
"I had the afternoon off. I looked out the window, and I saw a car come up the driveway. Two officers in uniform," said Skip. "I remember what they said to me that day, 'Mr. Rollins, we regret to inform you that your son Justin Rollins was killed in action early today.' You just go empty, you die on the inside."
Adding to their despair was Brittney's broken heart.
"My mom called me, and she goes, Brittney, he's gone. I ended up passing out shortly after I had found out," said Brittney.
"It was hard for my own heart to be broken, and myugg milwaukee ugg boots minnesota ugg boots in minnesota family's, but to see this little girl that just loved my son so much, it, it really was very, very difficult," Rhonda recalled.
As family and friends were grieving together, something beautiful happens that changes this story forever.
"It was late in the night And I pulled up my email, and Rhonda, I just remember she goes, oh my God, look at his smile, look at his, how happy he is," Brittney said.
The pictures were of Justin, a big solider, playing with puppies small enough to fit in his hand.
"It was just so nice because they were just the day before. It felt like he was still real, he was still here," said Brittney.
Jason Wheeler remembers the night Iraqi police alerted his platoon that some puppies were living in a very strange place.
"They say, hey, there are some puppies on the old port-a-john, which was like a toilet. There's, like, eight puppies laying underneath the toilet. So, we started playing with them, and that's, that's where all the pictures came from that night, that was the night before Justin got killed."
Those sweet images were still on Rhonda's mind when, less ugg boots in houston ugg boots houston ugg arizonathan two weeks later, Justin's body was flown home for burial. As customary, Army brass attended the funeral and asked the family what it could do to help.
"They were embracing, that was the last time that we saw him alive," said Skip Rollins, Justin's father.
No one knew in that moment that it was their last moment with Justin. In fact, Justin was making plans to propose to Brittney.
"On the last phone call that he called home, he saidugg boots colorado ugg outlet los angeles ugg outlet buffalo I want to take her to Tiffany's and pick out a diamond for her. So I knew my son was going to propose to his girlfriend," said Rhonda.
In March 2007, two weeks before Justin could come home, he made an intriguing phone call to Brittney from his Iraqi base camp.
"He was like, I got some really great pictures, and I can't wait for you to see them. I didn't know what was going to be in it," recalls Brittney.
The mysterious pictures would arrive by email the next day. But by then, Justin Rollins would be dead.
"I remember he said I love you twice to me that night, and that was the last time that I heard from him," said Brittney.
"At six thirty in the morning I was getting ready for work, and I felt a jolt just go right through me. And instinctively I thought of Justin, and I thought, boy, I hope everything's OK, it just was the weirdest feeling I've ever had. And went to work, went on my day, and had no more thoughts of this at all," Rhonda recalled.
Bringing Hero Home Watch Video
Person of the Week: Justin Rollins Watch Video
Fallen Marine's Dog Comes Home Watch Video
"I had the afternoon off. I looked out the window, and I saw a car come up the driveway. Two officers in uniform," said Skip. "I remember what they said to me that day, 'Mr. Rollins, we regret to inform you that your son Justin Rollins was killed in action early today.' You just go empty, you die on the inside."
Adding to their despair was Brittney's broken heart.
"My mom called me, and she goes, Brittney, he's gone. I ended up passing out shortly after I had found out," said Brittney.
"It was hard for my own heart to be broken, and myugg milwaukee ugg boots minnesota ugg boots in minnesota family's, but to see this little girl that just loved my son so much, it, it really was very, very difficult," Rhonda recalled.
As family and friends were grieving together, something beautiful happens that changes this story forever.
"It was late in the night And I pulled up my email, and Rhonda, I just remember she goes, oh my God, look at his smile, look at his, how happy he is," Brittney said.
The pictures were of Justin, a big solider, playing with puppies small enough to fit in his hand.
"It was just so nice because they were just the day before. It felt like he was still real, he was still here," said Brittney.
Jason Wheeler remembers the night Iraqi police alerted his platoon that some puppies were living in a very strange place.
"They say, hey, there are some puppies on the old port-a-john, which was like a toilet. There's, like, eight puppies laying underneath the toilet. So, we started playing with them, and that's, that's where all the pictures came from that night, that was the night before Justin got killed."
Those sweet images were still on Rhonda's mind when, less ugg boots in houston ugg boots houston ugg arizonathan two weeks later, Justin's body was flown home for burial. As customary, Army brass attended the funeral and asked the family what it could do to help.
Sharp Elbows: Shoppers Scuffle on Black Friday uggsuggboots.com
A shopper in Los Angeles pepper-sprayed her competition for an Xbox and scuffles broke out elsewhere around the U.S. as bargain-hunters crowded stores in an earlier-than-usual start to the madness known as Black Friday.
For the first time, chains such as Target, Best Buy and Kohl's opened their doors at midnight on the most anticipated shopping day of the year. Toys R Us opened for the second straight year on Thanksgiving itself. And some shoppers arrived with sharp elbows.
Near Muskegon, Mich., a teenage girl was knocked down and ugg maine ugg in seattle ugg brooklynstepped on several times after getting caught in the rush to a sale in the electronics department at a Walmart. She suffered minor injuries.
On Thanksgiving night, a Walmart in Los Angeles brought out a crate of discounted Xboxes, and as a crowd waited for the video game players to be unwrapped, a woman fired pepper spray at the other shoppers "in order to get an advantage," police said.
Ten people suffered cuts and bruises in the chaos, and 10 others had minor injuries from the spray, authorities said. The woman got away in the confusion, and it was not immediately clear whether she got an Xbox.
On Friday morning, police said, two women were injured and a man was charged after a fight broke out at an upstate New York Walmart. A man was arrested in a scuffle at a jewelry counter at a Walmart in Kissimmee, Fla.
null
AP
Early bird shoppers watch a Harry Potter... View Full Caption
Wal-Mart Stores, the nation's biggest retailer, has taken steps in recent years to control its Black Friday crowds following the 2008 death of one of its workers in a stampede of shoppers. This year, it staggered its door-buster deals instead of offering them all at once.
Wal-Mart spokesman Greg Rossiter said Black Friday was safe at most of its nearly 4,000 U.S., but there were "a few unfortunate incidents."
The incidents were attributed to two converging Black Friday trends: Crowds are getting bigger as stores open earlier and stay open later. At the same time, cash-strapped shoppers are competing for deals on a small number of gifts that everybody wants — tablet computers, TVs and game consoles like Xbox, Nintendo 3S and Wii.
That's a shift from years past, when there was a wider range of must-have items.
"The more the people, the more the occurrences," said Marshal Cohen, chief industry analyst with market research firm The NPD Group.
A record number of shoppers are expected this weekend to take advantage of discounts of up to 70 percent. For three days starting on Black Friday, 152 million people are expected to shop, either online or in stores, an increase of about 10 percent from last year, according to the National Retail Federation.
Thanksgiving weekend, particularly Black Friday, is huge for retailers. Over the past six years, Black Friday was the biggest sales day of the year, and it is expected to ugg boots nj ugg boots miami ugg boots in njkeep that crown this year, though shoppers seem to be procrastinating more every year, and the fate of the holiday season is increasingly coming down to the last few days before Christmas.
Last year, the Thanksgiving shopping weekend accounted for 12.1 percent of overall holiday sales, according to ShopperTrak, a research firm. Black Friday made up about half of that.
ShopperTrak is expected to release sales data onugg boots in buffalo ugg boots buffalo uggs in minnesota Saturday on how Black Friday fared, but a better picture will emerge when major retailers report their November sales figures next Thursday.
For the first time, chains such as Target, Best Buy and Kohl's opened their doors at midnight on the most anticipated shopping day of the year. Toys R Us opened for the second straight year on Thanksgiving itself. And some shoppers arrived with sharp elbows.
Near Muskegon, Mich., a teenage girl was knocked down and ugg maine ugg in seattle ugg brooklynstepped on several times after getting caught in the rush to a sale in the electronics department at a Walmart. She suffered minor injuries.
On Thanksgiving night, a Walmart in Los Angeles brought out a crate of discounted Xboxes, and as a crowd waited for the video game players to be unwrapped, a woman fired pepper spray at the other shoppers "in order to get an advantage," police said.
Ten people suffered cuts and bruises in the chaos, and 10 others had minor injuries from the spray, authorities said. The woman got away in the confusion, and it was not immediately clear whether she got an Xbox.
On Friday morning, police said, two women were injured and a man was charged after a fight broke out at an upstate New York Walmart. A man was arrested in a scuffle at a jewelry counter at a Walmart in Kissimmee, Fla.
null
AP
Early bird shoppers watch a Harry Potter... View Full Caption
Wal-Mart Stores, the nation's biggest retailer, has taken steps in recent years to control its Black Friday crowds following the 2008 death of one of its workers in a stampede of shoppers. This year, it staggered its door-buster deals instead of offering them all at once.
Wal-Mart spokesman Greg Rossiter said Black Friday was safe at most of its nearly 4,000 U.S., but there were "a few unfortunate incidents."
The incidents were attributed to two converging Black Friday trends: Crowds are getting bigger as stores open earlier and stay open later. At the same time, cash-strapped shoppers are competing for deals on a small number of gifts that everybody wants — tablet computers, TVs and game consoles like Xbox, Nintendo 3S and Wii.
That's a shift from years past, when there was a wider range of must-have items.
"The more the people, the more the occurrences," said Marshal Cohen, chief industry analyst with market research firm The NPD Group.
A record number of shoppers are expected this weekend to take advantage of discounts of up to 70 percent. For three days starting on Black Friday, 152 million people are expected to shop, either online or in stores, an increase of about 10 percent from last year, according to the National Retail Federation.
Thanksgiving weekend, particularly Black Friday, is huge for retailers. Over the past six years, Black Friday was the biggest sales day of the year, and it is expected to ugg boots nj ugg boots miami ugg boots in njkeep that crown this year, though shoppers seem to be procrastinating more every year, and the fate of the holiday season is increasingly coming down to the last few days before Christmas.
Last year, the Thanksgiving shopping weekend accounted for 12.1 percent of overall holiday sales, according to ShopperTrak, a research firm. Black Friday made up about half of that.
ShopperTrak is expected to release sales data onugg boots in buffalo ugg boots buffalo uggs in minnesota Saturday on how Black Friday fared, but a better picture will emerge when major retailers report their November sales figures next Thursday.
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