‘DASH’ diet can lower heart attack risk almost 20%

Eating a diet rich in fruits and vegetables and low in saturated fats can significantly lower the risk of heart attack for people with mildly elevated blood pressure, Johns Hopkins University researchers say. The diet they examined — called the DASH diet (dietary approaches to stop hypertension) — was designed to lower blood pressure and cholesterol. In this new study, it reduced the risk of heart attack by almost 20%, the researchers said. DIET SELECTOR: Find the right plan for you LOW…

Labor Secretary: ‘There are jobs out there’

As the nation’s Secretary of Labor, I have a unique opportunity to meet many of the men and women who truly make America run. I am, of course, referring to our workers. In small towns and large cities alike, I’ve heard the concerns of many of these remarkable people — the electrician who was laid off when the housing market collapsed; the seamstress who is making half as much as she used to although she now works twice as hard; the recent college graduate who can’t find a job and is running up against student loan payments; …

U.S. changes military commanders in Iraq

RAMADI, Iraq (AP) — The United States changed commanders in Iraq Wednesday, beginning the final phase of American military involvement in the country despite political uncertainty and persistent violence. The transfer of authority came a day after President Obama announced the shift from combat operations to preparing Iraqi forces to assume responsibility for their own security. Obama made clear in Tuesday’s speech that this was no victory celebration. A six-month stalemate over forming a new Iraqi government has raised concerns about the country’s stability and questions over whether the leadership can cope with a diminished but still dangerous insurgency. Newly promoted Army Gen. Lloyd Austin also maintained a somber tone as he took the reins of the some 50,000 American troops who remain in…

Analysis: Obama makes clear Iraq’s future is its own

WASHINGTON — The venue was the same: the Oval Office. The president’s tone was different. President George W. Bush announced the beginning of combat operations in Iraq in an unyielding four-minute speech to the nation in March 2003, declaring, “We will accept no outcome but victory,” and promising that the U.S.-led invasion would “bring freedom to others.” Seven years later, sitting behind the same historic desk, President Obama announced the end of combat operations by U.S. forces with …

Ovary removal can raise survival of women with high cancer risk

For the first time, a study out today has found that women with certain high-risk genetic mutations — which dramatically increase the risk of breast and ovarian cancers — were more likely to survive if they had preventive surgery to remove healthy ovaries and fallopian tubes. Earlier studies have shown that removing the ovaries and tubes of women with mutations in the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes reduces the risk of ovarian and breast cancer, and that mastectomies nearly eliminate the risk of breast tumors. Doctors have assumed both procedures save lives, says Noah Kauff of New York’s Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, who wasn’t involved in the new study. But…

Iraq to spend $13B on U.S. arms, equipment

BAGHDAD — Iraq is preparing to buy as much as $13 billion in U.S. arms and military equipment, a huge arms order of tanks, armored vehicles and ships that American officials say shows Iraqi-U.S. military ties will be tight for years to come. “It helps to build their capablities, first and foremost, and second it builds our strategic relationship for the future,” said Army Lt. Gen. Michael Barbero, the ranking U.S. officer responsible for training and advising Iraq forces. U.S. and Iraqi officials will mark the formal end of U.S. combat operations Wednesday and the transition to a role of advising and assisting Iraqi security forces. The number …

FAA hits American Airlines with largest-ever safety fine

WASHINGTON — Federal aviation regulators hit American Airlines on Thursday with the largest fine in history, charging that the carrier made thousands of flights on jets with wiring prone to dangerous sparking. The Federal Aviation Administration intends to fine American $24.2 million, which far exceeds the previous largest penalty. The airline flew 14,278 times on its fleet of MD-80 jets without making required upgrades to wiring, the agency charged. “We put rules and regulations in place to keep the flying public safe,” Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said. “We expect operators to perform inspections and conduct regular and required maintenance in order to prevent safety issues. There can be no compromises when it comes to safety.”…

Michelle Obama’s ‘cleanse’: Would it work for you?

In an interview in September’s Ladies’ Home Journal, first lady Michelle Obama mentions that she occasionally takes part in a cleanse. She meant, according to her press office, that she eats as much fruit and vegetables as possible and cuts out fats and oils, dairy, meat, caffeine, sugar and starch for a short period of time. Doing so, she told the magazine, helps “clean out my palate.” Such a cleanse isn’t something I considered for my Me Minus 10 weight-loss project, but I wondered whether it could be beneficial to others. Temporarily restricting one’s food can be a useful way to kick off…

Cleric al-Awlaki dubbed ‘bin Laden of the Internet’

As a student at Colorado State, Yusuf Siddiqui remembered fellow student Anwar al-Awlaki as someone concerned mostly about the “simple-minded clichés” that characterized the way Muslims were depicted in American television and movies. He didn’t express extremist views, and his criticisms of the United States were fairly benign, said Siddiqui, also a Muslim. Al-Awlaki’s political activism amounted to the wearing of a T-shirt that supported the plight of Muslims in Eritrea and sporting traditional Afghan clothing. “We hardly ever talked about politics,” Siddiqui said of their time together in the early 1990s. “Anwar was more concerned about correcting negative images of Muslims.” Al-Awlaki, 39, who is a U.S. citizen, has clearly…

Military: Number of U.S. troops in Iraq below 50,000

BAGHDAD (AP) — The American military says the number of American troops in Iraq has fallen below the 50,000 figure that was mandated by President Obama. This is the lowest troop level in Iraq since the 2003 U.S.-led invasion and comes ahead of the Aug. 31 deadline set by the president. IRAQ: Withdrawal of U.S. combat forces a ‘New Dawn’ Under a plan by Obama, American forces in Iraq will no longer conduct what are described as combat operations. They are instead to concentrate on training Iraqi forces and helping with counterterrorism operations — if asked …

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