It's a shame what happened to free speech. No, the First Amendment hasn't been repealed; we still have the constitutional right to freedom of the press, religion, speech and the right to assemble and to petition the government. The problem is with those who own, manage, manipulate, influence, gather and disseminate the news.

WASHINGTON -- President Barack Obama declared the swine flu outbreak a national emergency Oct. 24, giving his health chief the power to let hospitals move emergency rooms offsite to speed treatment and protect noninfected patients.

Administration officials said the emergency declaration was a pre-emptive move designed to make decisions easier when they need to be made.

If the Obama administration is going to pass a health care reform bill that meets Americans' expectations, all sides must be heard and all negotiations and arguments need to be made before media cameras.

OSLO -- President Barack Obama won the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize on Friday in a stunning decision designed to encourage his initiatives to reduce nuclear arms, ease tensions with the Muslim world and stress diplomacy and cooperation rather than unilateralism.

Nobel observers were shocked by the unexpected choice so early in the Obama presidency, which began less than two weeks before the Feb. 1 nomination deadline.

White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said Obama woke up to the news a little before 6 a.m. EDT. The White House had no immediate comment on the announcement, which took the administration by surprise.