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Saturday

National

VFW Chief Envisions a Changing Post

Imagine a family-friendly VFW post, with child care, a fitness center... and a ban on smoking. That's what Gary Kurpias has in mind. He's the new commander-in-chief of the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States.

VFW Chief Envisions a Changing Post

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The Mark Foley Scandal

Rep. Foley Quits over E-Mails to Male Teen Pages

Rep. Mark Foley (R-FL) resigned from Congress Friday after being confronted with sexually explicit Internet messages he reportedly sent to at least one, and possibly several, underage former male pages.

Rep. Foley Quits over E-Mails to Male Teen Pages

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Politics

Congress Approves 700-Mile Border Fence

The Senate on Friday night approved the construction of a 700-mile-long barrier along the U.S.-Mexico border, before recessing for the midterm-election campaign break. Congress also passed guidelines for trying and treating detainees, but it left several other key bills unfinished.

Congress Approves 700-Mile Border Fence

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Opinion

Weekend Edition Saturday

GOP Seeks to Reposition Itself for Fall Vote

As the midterm elections approach, Republicans seek to shift voters' focus from discontent over the war in Iraq to national security. Analysts say the GOP is vulnerable, and Democrats have a real chance of taking control of the House.

GOP Seeks to Reposition Itself for Fall Vote

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Friday

National

California's 'Day Fire' Keeps Burning -- and Costing

One of the largest wildfires in Southern California's history is still claiming huge areas of forest land north of Los Angeles. The Day Fire, which started by accident on Labor Day, already has consumed nearly 200,000 acres. More than 4,200 firefighters are on the front lines of the blaze.

California's 'Day Fire' Keeps Burning -- and Costing

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Sports

Baseball Set to Enter October Playoffs

Next week, the Major League Baseball playoffs get under way -- but the matchups are far from set. In the National League, the New York Mets are in, but six other teams are still alive for the other three spots. In the American League, it's still unclear whether the Tigers or Twins will take the wildcard spot -- and open against the Yankees.

Baseball Set to Enter October Playoffs

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Politics

Congress Gives Final OK to Detainee Bill

Congress gives final approval to a new system for trying and interrogating terror suspects while it scrambles to try to finish a mountain of unfinished work as lawmakers campaign to hold on to their jobs. Democrats are calling this a "do-nothing" Congress; Republicans say they are the ones voters can count on to protect national security.

Congress Gives Final OK to Detainee Bill

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Politics

White House Steps Up Rhetoric, Denies Charges

As Congress wraps up and heads for the campaign trail, the White House is ramping up its political rhetoric against what it calls "the party of cut and run." President Bush says his Iraq war critics are buying into what he calls "the enemy's propaganda."

White House Steps Up Rhetoric, Denies Charges

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Law

Mass. Judge: Out-of-State Gay Couple Can Marry

A Massachusetts court rules that gay and lesbian couples from Rhode Island can get married in Massachusetts, the only state that allows gay marriage. The case may pave the way for couples in other states that, like Rhode Island, don't explicitly prohibit gay marriage.

Mass. Judge: Out-of-State Gay Couple Can Marry

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Technology

E-Mail Takes a Holiday, at Least for One Day

Feeling his employees should work face-to-face as often as possible, one CEO has banned in-house e-mails on Fridays. PBD Worldwide Fulfillment Services chief Scott A. Dockter says that while there's been some grumbling, the practice is improving office culture -- and cutting down the amount of emails employees send.

E-Mail Takes a Holiday, at Least for One Day

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All Things Considered

Parties Court the Growing Exurban Vote in 2006

Robert Siegel travels to the eastern portion of Loudoun County, Va., to talk with a group of residents about the upcoming midterm elections. Loudon, the eighth-fastest growing county in the United States, has struggled to grow its infrastructure along with its population.

Parties Court the Growing Exurban Vote in 2006

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World

Iraqi Government Applies Pressure to Journalists

As many as 130 journalists have been killed in Iraq since the U.S.-led invasion of 2003 -- the vast majority of them Iraqis. Iraqi journalists are under attack from both Sunni and Shiite extremists, and the U.S. military has detained some for months at a time. Now the Iraqi government is stepping up pressure on the country's journalists.

Iraqi Government Applies Pressure to Journalists

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The Mark Foley Scandal

Foley Resigns; E-mails to Male Page Questioned

Rep. Mark Foley has resigned, effective immediately, in the face of questions about e-mails he wrote to a former male page. Before news of the e-mails surfaced, the Florida Republican had been predicted as an easy winner over Democrat Tim Mahoney.

Foley Resigns; E-mails to Male Page Questioned

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Detainees at Guantanamo Bay

Bill Lets U.S. Citizens Be Held as Enemy Combatants

The new detainee legislation passed by Congress this week addresses who can be detained as an unlawful enemy combatant and what rights they are entitled to. One provision allows the president to declare U.S. citizens to be enemy combatants.

Bill Lets U.S. Citizens Be Held as Enemy Combatants

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Opinion

StoryCorps

A Father, a Son, and a 10-Cent Mistake

To say that Samuel Black's father worked would be like saying that Bill Gates made money. But he found time to teach his son lessons. "He was a very stern disciplinarian," Samuel Black says -- often, all his father had to do was look at his sons, and his meaning was clear.

A Father, a Son, and a 10-Cent Mistake

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