SPB News for Friday

Ex-AIG CEO Greenberg Pays $15M In Fraud Settlement

California Meatpacker Linked To Salmonella Outbreak

Illinois Becomes 17th State To Ban Texting While Driving

Sarah Palin Gets Back In The Limelight In The Big Apple

After massives losses, Fannie asks Treasury for $10.7 billion

In US, 34 million get food stamps

Amid deep recession, one in nine Americans require aid just to eat.

Unions To Take On Conservative Groups Health Care Town Halls — The nation's largest federation of labor organizations has promised to directly engage with boisterous conservative protesters at Democratic town halls during the August recess. — In a memo sent out on Thursday …

White House: ‘War on terrorism’ is over — ‘Jihadists’ and ‘global war’ no longer acceptable terms — It's official. The U.S. is no longer engaged in a “war on terrorism.” Neither is it fighting “jihadists” or in a “global war.” — President Obama's top homeland security …

Obama's counter-terrorism advisor denounces Bush-era policies President Obama's counter-terrorism chief rebuked the Bush administration repeatedly today in a speech designed to make the case for an expanded approach to fighting Islamic extremism, just weeks before the anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks. In his first public appearance as White House counter-terrorism advisor, John Brennan said the Bush administration's policies had been an affront to American values, undermined the nation's security and fostered a "global war" mind-set that served only to "validate Al Qaeda's twisted worldview."

Fluor names ex-KBR exec to run government division Engineering company Fluor Corp has named Bruce Stanski as head of its government group, giving him a similar position to what he once held at KBR Inc as Fluor competes for more military contracts. Stanski replaces John Hopkins, who will become group executive for corporate development, Fluor said in a statement on Wednesday.

Congress OKs $2B Refill of 'Cash For Clunkers' --Program Would Run Through Labor Day Congress has passed a $2 billion extension of the popular "cash for clunkers" program, clearing the legislation for President Barack Obama's signature. The Senate passed the extension Thursday evening. The House approved the measure last week. Lawmakers made sure to keep the popular program alive before heading home for a monthlong vacation.

City Says Exxon Is Liable for Tainted Well Water in Queens Lawyers for New York City are trying to convince a jury in a federal trial that Exxon Mobil knew that an additive that it began using in gasoline in the 1980s would contaminate groundwater. The trial, which began on Tuesday before Judge Shira A. Scheindlin of United States District Court in Manhattan, is one of hundreds of cases that have been presented around the country against oil companies over the additive, MTBE, a chemical compound that replaced lead in gasoline as an octane enhancer.