Daily Key Article with Brief Excerpts by Category

Politics:
President Obama's Trip to New Orleans Draws Criticism--Before He Even Arrives: ABC
Slightly more than four years after Hurricane Katrina ravaged the Gulf Coast, President Obama is traveling to New Orleans today to fulfill a campaign promise to survey first-hand the city's recovery. Obama will visit the Martin Luther King Charter School in the city's Lower 9th Ward, a neighborhood devastated by the floodwaters of Katrina after the city's levees were breached. The charter school was the first to be rebuilt following Katrina. On the second anniversary of the hurricane, former President George W. Bush visited the school and met with Louisiana education officials.

Obama Absent From Virginia Governor's Race as Democrat Trails: Bloomberg
For Virginia, it’s not easy being purple. The state had shown signs of becoming Democratic territory when Barack Obama became the first presidential candidate of his party to win Virginia since 1964. The governor and both U.S. senators are Democrats, too. That trend may be in trouble.

Majority of Nobel Jury 'Object to Obama Prize': Google News
Three of the five members of the Norwegian Nobel Committee had objections to the Nobel Peace Prize being awarded to US President Barack Obama, the Norwegian tabloid Verdens Gang (VG) reported Thursday.

Poll: Obama Personal Popularity At New Low: Examiner
A new Gallup poll shows that the number of people who have a favorable impression of Barack Obama has fallen to its lowest point since he became president. Fifty-six percent say they have a favorable impression of Obama, versus 40 percent who say they have an unfavorable impression. (Four percent say they have no opinion.) Historically, a president's personal favorable rating has often been higher than his job approval rating; right now, Gallup has Obama's job approval at 52 percent.


Military:
U.S. Troop Funds Diverted to Pet Projects: Washington Times
Senators diverted $2.6 billion in funds in a defense spending bill to pet projects largely at the expense of accounts that pay for fuel, ammunition and training for U.S. troops, including those fighting wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, according to an analysis. Among the 778 such projects, known as earmarks, packed into the bill: $25 million for a new World War II museum at the University of New Orleans and $20 million to launch an educational institute named after the late Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, Massachusetts Democrat.


Health Care:
Obama calls for $250 payment to Seniors: MyWay
President Barack Obama called on Congress Wednesday to approve $250 payments to more than 50 million seniors to make up for no increase in Social Security next year. The Social Security Administration is scheduled to announce Thursday that there will be no cost of living increase next year. By law, increases are pegged to inflation, which has been negative this year.

Woman Saya Flu Shot Triggered Rare Disorder: WUSA
Many of you have been lining up to get the seasonal flu shot. But there is one Ashburn woman who wants you to hear her story before you do. Desiree Jennings is trapped in her body. Intellectually she's all there, but her muscles are fighting each other. She's been diagnosed with dystonia, an extremely rare and debilitating neurological disease.

Economy:
Foreclosures: 'Worst Three Months of All Time': CNN Money
Despite concerted government-led and lender-supported efforts to prevent foreclosures, the number of filings hit a record high in the third quarter, according to a report issued Thursday.


Foreign Affairs:
Deal May Return Zelaya: The Age
Honduran negotiators have reached agreement on ending a political crisis triggered by President Manuel Zelaya's ouster in a June coup. ''We have agreed in a document on point No. 6, which relates to the restitution of the powers of state to where they were before June 28, 2009,'' Mr Zelaya's representative said.


Other:
Stockholm's Bunnies Burned to Keep Swedes Warm: The Local
The bodies of thousands of rabbits culled every year from the parks in Stockholm’s Kungsholmen neighbourhood are being used to fuel a heating plant in central Sweden.
The decision to use Stockholm’s rabbit cadavers as bioenergy to warm Swedes living in Värmland doesn't sit well with Stockholm-based animal rights activists.

Fmr Police Association Contractor Charged with Snooping on 'Joe the Plumber': Columbus Dispatch
A former contractor for the Ohio Association of Chiefs of Police has been charged with rummaging through state computers to retrieve confidential information about "Joe the Plumber."