- Making News: Explosion Destroys Hotel in Baghdad
A massive explosion has destroyed a hotel in central Baghdad tonight. Initial reports say the blast, which left a 20-foot wide crater, killed at least 27 people and wounded 41 others. The five-story Jabal Lebanon Hotel, located in a mixed neighborhood, served a largely civilian clientele and had little, if any, security. Newsweek's Melinda Liu, currently on assignment in Baghdad, reports on the evacuation and rescue efforts. - Reporter-s Notebook: Oil-for-Food Program Scandal at the UN
After the Gulf War, Iraq was subject to trade sanctions. With millions of Iraqis struggling to survive, the United Nations allowed Iraq to sell oil in exchange for food and medical supplies. Iraq's multi-billion dollar Oil-for-Food Program was supervised by the top aide to Secretary General Kofi Annan. Susan Sachs of the New York Times says official accounts and documentation reveal hidden slush funds, supplied with suitcases full of cash, and all unnoticed by UN monitors.
MSNBC article on blast at Baghdad hotel
Medicare Modernization Act of 2003
American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) on prescription drug coverage
Congressional Budget Office (CBO)