Staff Bios
Michael Hedges
Michael Hedges worked at The Washington Times as an investigative reporter who also reported on international events including Operation Desert Storm, and conflicts in Somalia, Bosnia, the West Bank, Rwanda, and Haiti. He then wrote for the Scripps Howard national news bureau, covering Whitewater, the war in Kosovo and the Monica Lewinsky scandal. Before becoming managing editor at The Examiner he was a correspondent with the Houston Chronicle's Washington bureau, writing about the 2004 presidential campaign, Hurricane Katrina, and wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.
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$200 million research venture will create 415 jobs in Fairfax
Published: Nov 17, 2009
An ambitious medical research institute planned in Fairfax County will create 415 new jobs and bolster the commonwealth's presence in the biotechnology industry, state and county officials said Monday.
The Ignite Institute, a nonprofit venture by Inova Health System and geneticist Dietrich Stephan, will be focused on developing treatments for diseases tailored to a patient's genetic makeup.
"This is the place where personalized medicine will take root and flourish," Stephan, the institute's chief executive officer, told a crowd at the Fairfax County Government Center.
Both Gov. Tim Kaine and Gov.-elect Bob McDonnell were on hand for the unveiling of the decision. Kaine said the $200...
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Iran
Published: Nov 10, 2009
Three Americans detained on Iran's border with Iraq have been formally accused of espionage, a signal they may be tried, or used as bargaining chips in Tehran's cold war with the West over its nuclear program.
The announcement came as Washington and Tehran were maneuvering over a deadlock in negotiations over Iran's nuclear program.
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad alleged the three crossed Iran's border illegally. "In all countries, crossing borders would have a very heavy sentence, according to the law," he said. "Unfortunately, they crossed our borders illegally. We are not happy about that, but there is a law."
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said the charges were...
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Independents flock to McDonnell
Published: Nov 04, 2009
Independent voters reversed field from 2008 when they backed Barack Obama and broke heavily for Republican Bob McDonnell Tuesday, exit polls show.
The sluggish economy in the commonwealth proved to be the crucial issue with voters, according to polls.
The same unaffiliated swing voters who helped put Mark Warner in the governor's mansion in 2001 flocked to McDonnell by nearly a 2 to 1 margin.
"The independents are pivotal in Virginia," said former Virginia Gov. George Allen, a Republican. "You can't win with just Republicans, the Democrats can't win with just Democrats ... now, they're on our side."
The race saw a reversal of traditional partisan tactics, with the Republican...
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Giuliani makes pitch for McDonnell, against 'out-of-control government'
Published: Oct 29, 2009
A Republican victory in Virginia next week would send a national message that "enough is enough" on the expanding federal government, former New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani said Wednesday.
In a short speech at Springfield's Greenspring Retirement Community, Giuliani -- acting as a surrogate for Republican gubernatorial nominee Bob McDonnell -- equated a vote for McDonnell to a call to rein in federal spending and power.
"This is a chance for the people of Virginia to say 'enough is enough' and we've gone to far in the direction of building government, growing government," Giuliani said. "It's getting out of control, and there's got to be a...
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Iraq
Published: Oct 27, 2009
The death toll in twin suicide bombings in Iraq climbed to at least 155, with the horrific explosions aimed at rattling public confidence in the government of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's government ahead of upcoming elections.
With the United States withdrawing from Iraq, and voting scheduled for January, groups affiliated with al Qaeda appear to be targeting symbols of the government's authority, like the Justice Ministry and other government buildings destroyed in the Sunday bombings.
The January elections will seat a new parliament in Iraq, and Maliki has made the country's security the center of his party's election hopes.
"The cowardly acts of terrorism which occurred...
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Iran
Published: Oct 20, 2009
Talks began in Vienna between Iran and the world powers with the future of Tehran's nuclear program hanging in the balance. Mohamed ElBaradei, the United Nations atomic agency chief, said Monday the talks were off to a good start, but Iran warned that it would continue to produce highly enriched uranium until there is a deal.
Iran stalled harsh U.N. sanctions earlier this month by agreeing in principle to send low-enriched uranium to Russia and France for further enrichment into fuel for a reactor used for medical purposes. The meeting that began Monday is supposed to hash out details of that plan.
"We're off to a good start. We have had a constructive meeting," ElBaradei said. "Most...
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Libya
Published: Sep 01, 2009
Government officials in the North African nation are dismissing growing global suspicion that the man convicted of the 1988 destruction of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland, was freed as part of deal to swing oil concessions to British Petroleum company.
Abdel Basset al-Megrahi was freed from prison in Scotland last month, returning to a joyous reunion in Libya. A Scottish official said the decision was made on the grounds of compassion, to allow al-Megrahi, a cancer patient, to die at home. But the move angered many in the United States and in Britain, and generated press speculation that it was linked to a 2007 deal giving BP generous oil concessions.
"Linking this [BP...
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