Nancy Youssef / MCT
Sgt. First Class John Russell, 45, has extended his tour of duty in Afghanistan, hoping the economy will turn around while he serves.
Around the barren military base, which sits at the crossroads of the Taliban's poppy trade route, news arrives slowly. However, the domestic economic meltdown has reached even here. The National Guardsmen who serve with the Marines of the 3rd Battalion, 8th Marine Corps Regiment, based here, say they fear that their jobs won't be there when they return. With uncertainty at home, some are doing what they once considered unthinkable: extending their tours. » read more
Olivier Douliery / Abaca Press / MCT
Barack Obama at the Democratic National Convention
President-elect Barack Obama radiates a certain stylistic sophistication that's at once Kennedyesque in its reverence for clean-cut, American style and modern in its confident embrace of a look that's both effortless and urbane. Some hope his style will encourage younger African-Americans to "pull their pants up." » read more
President-elect Barack Obama ripped President Bush for "irresponsibly" doubling the federal debt, then warned that he could preside over trillion-dollar deficits for "years to come." He also promised change at the CIA, saying he expected his nominee to lead the agency, Leon Panetta, to put together a team "that will break with some of the past practices." » read more
Many states are giving military voters overseas too little time to cope with cumbersome mailing systems, according to a study that the Pew Center on the States released Tuesday. » read more
Celebrations for the 60th anniversary of modern China's founding are still nearly 10 months off, but newspapers are already full of stories about the grand military parade in Tiananmen Square that will show off the country's muscle. » read more
Florida now leads the nation in food stamp requests, with much of the new enrollees coming from people who've never received such aid before. The new stat was among a list of sobering statistics released as lawmakers began a budget-cutting session: Florida also has a record number of home foreclosures and job losses. » read more
Want to know who's in Obama's cabinet? See our interactive guide. Also read complete McClatchy coverage of the upcoming Jan. 20 presidential inauguration. Make sure to play our interactive game matching quotes from past inaugurations to the presidents who delivered them.
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