Later this morning President Bush will speak at the National Defense University about the status of troops in Iraq, and possibly Afghanistan. The speech comes on the heels of a review of Iraq plans by General David Petraeus, who has been the theater commander in Iraq since January, 2007. (General Petraeus has recently been nominated to head U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) and confirmed by the Senate.) The Takeaway spoke about Iraq plans with Lt. Col. Nathan Freir (Ret), who has served in Iraq under General Ray Odierno, the man who will be assuming command of Iraqi forces once Petraeus leaves.

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Three years after Hurricane Katrina slammed into the gulf coast; thousands of folks remain in trailers or are still homeless. The barriers to recovery are complex but the struggles exist for the poorest of folks, particularly in the area of housing and jobs. Sharon Hanshaw, a lifelong resident of Biloxi, Mississippi was and remains one of those thousands of Americans still struggling with recovery.

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Rising gas prices are forcing school districts to cut back on school bussing of students. For many it means longer rides and longer walks. Still, in the world of heavy traffic, working parents and longer bus routes, the new reality fosters real thought and growing concern about safety.

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John Zogby, who has been polling the state of America for decades, has taken his numbers and translated them into a forecast of where our society is headed. America is on the precipice of major change and Zogby is bullish about it, suggesting that citizens are adjusting to the new reality of the world and staying steps ahead of the politicians tiptoeing around difficulties.

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Foreclosures are not just yesterday’s headlines but today’s continuing nightmare. The real estate shakeout continues and with it, growing problems for Mayors for cities big and small who have to oversee abandoned properties and neighborhoods now beset with crime, squatters, drug sales, waste, abandonment, disarray and shrinking tax rolls.

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A Michigan judge ordered Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick to jail for breaking a bond agreement Thursday. Kilpatrick, who is facing eight felony charges for allegedly lying under oath, says he went to nearby Windsor, Ontario, on official business to push the sale of the city’s Michigan-to-Ontario underwater link.

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A story of golf and resurrection is playing out in Detroit, where a 94-year-old golf course (and an icon of urban decay) was purchased by the Greater Grace Temple for $2.5 million.

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The FBI has arrested two people in connection with a multimillion-dollar Medicaid/Medi-Cal scam involving three private hospitals and hundreds — possibly thousands — of homeless people. This is an ongoing investigation — more arrests could come.

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This year, middle-class and poor consumers are being hit with a triple whammy of energy increases: gas bills, home heating fuel bills and utility bills.

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American presidents Kennedy, Reagan and Clinton all addressed Berliners during dramatic moments of struggle and change. Now, a presumptive presidential nominee is using Berlin as a backdrop for his campaign. After meeting with leaders in Afghanistan, Iraq, Jordan, Israel and the West Bank, Obama hits the European continent amidst a frenzy of Obama-mania. How will Obama play later today in the new Berlin? And is it a political gamble to campaign on this grand political stage?

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American presidents Kennedy, Reagan and Clinton all addressed Berliners during dramatic moments of struggle and change. Now, a presumptive presidential nominee is using Berlin as a backdrop for his campaign. After meeting with leaders in Afghanistan, Iraq, Jordan, Israel and the West Bank, Obama hits the European continent amidst a frenzy of Obama-mania. How will Obama play later today in the new Berlin? And is it a political gamble to campaign on this grand political stage?

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Tonight, the House that Ruth Built, Yankee Stadium, will witness Ruthian feats during a home run derby. But first, The Takeaway "hits it out of the park," talking about how the language of sports fans becomes the language of America.

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Saudi Arabia wants to call a meeting between oil-producing and oil-consuming countries to discuss record high prices. President Bush has called for the United States to be less dependent on hydrocarbons. The Takeaway speaks with Lisa Margonelli to discuss the persistent high price of energy and its social and cultural effects.

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Maggie Wellington and John Vivo are two Ohio Democrats who volunteered to work for Hillary Clinton and are not yet sold on Barack Obama as the leader of the ticket. Both live just outside Youngstown, Ohio, in a mixed blue-collar—white-collar community.

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Rep. Debbie Wasserman Shultz, D-Fla., is a comer in the Democratic Party and an insider who was going to help deliver Florida for the Democrats. As a national co-chair for Hillary Clinton's campaign, Shultz spent last night with the senator in New York. She tells The Takeaway about her candidate's mood and plans following a nomination defeat to Barack Obama.

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Congressman Jason Altmire, D-Pa., is an uncommitted superdelegate who's been waiting to the end to pick his candidate. The Takeaway talks with the hold out about his decision — and a recent call from the Obama campaign.

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