Endeavour Launch on May 16th

National Aeronautics and Space Administration on Monday declared the space shuttle Endeavour for a second launch attempt on May 16 to deliver a pioneering physics experiment and spare parts to the International Space Station.
NASA was cancelled the launch of Endeavour Space Shuttle due to an electrical problem, particularly a short in the heater circuit linked with the orbiter’s hydraulic system. The problem led to the cancellation of the April 29 launch of Endeavour.
NASA Engineers traced the problem to an electronics box, A fresh box was installed last week, along with about 20 feet of new wiring that bypasses the original circuitry, just in case that’s where the problem began. The repair involved retesting other shuttle systems, including life support, environmental control and propulsion that draw power through the same electrical switching box
“We’ve kind of end-to-end checked and wrung out the whole system … and now have extremely high confidence that the problem is no longer in the ship or in any of the electronics,” said Mike Moses, chairman of the mission management team.
Atlantis, which will be carrying a last load of supplies for the station, had been targeted for launch on June 28. The mission likely will be delayed about two weeks.

Mission Commander Mark Kelly and his five-member crew are scheduled to arrive at Kennedy on May 12 for prelaunch preparations to spend 16 days in orbit to help prepare the station for operations after the shuttles are retired. Astronauts will deliver the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer-2 – designed to search for various types of unusual matter - and critical supplies to the space station, including two communications antennas, a high-pressure gas tank and additional parts for the Dextre robot.

Europe Gates hopes to expand US-Russian cooperation

U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates arrived in Russia Monday to take a final, personal try at easing Moscow's worries over a missile defense shield in Europe and to expand a military relationship that has grown dramatically since his Cold War days at the helm of the CIA. Gates, who is expected to retire this summer, told reporters traveling with him that Russian cooperation in the Afghanistan war and support of U.N. Security Council resolutions against North Korea and Iran underscore an alliance that has dramatically evolved in recent years. Russia also abstained in the recent United Nations vote for military intervention in Libya, effectively allowing the allied assault to go forward.The ongoing military action in Libya, however, didn't come up as Gates spoke to Kuznetsov Naval Academy midlevel officers during a stop at The Central Naval Museum. The future leaders of Russia's Navy quizzed the Pentagon chief on the likelihood of joint training and military exercises between the two nations.

 Hopes to expand US-Russian cooperation

There was no mention of Russia's unease with the Libya attack, and Gates avoided the subject as well when asked about the primary roles of the U.S. Navy. He mentioned disaster relief, humanitarian missions and securing global waterways  even as his Naval commanders were assessing the damage from their two-day pounding of Libyan air defenses, including the use of cruise missiles off Navy destroyers and submarines. The issue is more likely to come up Tuesday when he heads to Moscow for meetings with Russian leaders. Gates focused instead Monday, on what he said was a significantly improved relationship with Moscow and agreed that joint exercises would be a good move. "I start from the premise that the closer we work together the better off the world will be," he told the officers. Gates said that 21st century security terror threats have created new opportunities for U.S. and Russia to cooperate.

Both nations recognize, he said, that "allowing terrorism that weakens one nation does not provide opportunity for another, but rather ultimately increases the danger for everyone." Earlier he told reporters traveling with him that, "We have now had underway, for more than 40 years, the kind of dialogue with Russia that I'm just trying to get started with China." Gates, a Russian scholar, spent much of his career as an officer, and later director of the CIA, focused on the threat posed by the former Soviet Union. He has made four trips to Russia as defense secretary, but said he was last in St. Petersburg in 1992, making the first trip to the city by a CIA chief. His latest visit comes as the U.S. and Russia continue to joust over details and coordination of the European missile shield which is aimed at countering future Iranian threats. Russia has raised strong objections to the plan, which is already underway, and begins with ship-based, anti-missile interceptors and radars. It would add land-based radars in Southern Europe later this year.

The four-phase plan would put land- and sea-based radars and interceptors in several European locations over the next decade. Gates is expected to meet Tuesday with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov, who said last month that the issile shield could undermine Russian nuclear deterrent forces. Moscow remains skeptical of U.S. insistence that the systems is not aimed at Russian missiles or that it could be used against Russia's security interests. Reflecting on the changes in U.S-Russia relations over his career, Gates suggested they have moved from what was once a fierce rivalry to a bureaucratic brotherhood. Now, he said, the U.S. and Russia have a common enemy  the battle to modernize their militaries amid rising costs for weapons and elusive contract deadlines that are never met. He said that while the two nations' interests will differ, they have learned one critical lesson from the past to avoid the mistrust and lack of transparency that can trigger dangerous consequences.

Acknowledging that Russia still has uncertainties about the defense shield, Gates told the young officers that both are committed to resolving the differences, and eventually collaborate, including on launch information, a data fusion center and conducting joint analysis.  In other comments, Gates said the Pentagon needs to do more to streamline spending, and warned that additional budget cuts could force more reductions in the size of the U.S. military. He said another key way to save money would be for all of the armed services to buy more of their weapons jointly, including unmanned aircraft, which are in great demand by U.S. commanders around the world, including Iraq and Afghanistan.

Washington (CNN) -- President Barack Obama called Monday for Congress to pass education reforms by the time students return to school next fall, telling a Virginia middle school that fixing problems in the Elementary and Secondary Education Act -- more commonly known as "No Child Left Behind" -- should be a top priority. "In the 21st century, it's not enough to leave no child behind. We need to help every child get ahead," Obama said, urging Congress "to send me an education reform bill I can sign into law before the next school year begins."

Obama calls for Congress to pass education reforms

Mindful of the budget debate currently enveloping Washington, Obama insisted that education funding must remain robust because it is vital to the nation's future success. "We cannot cut education," Obama said, noting that families facing tough times cut back on vacation or movies or eating out, rather than dipping into savings for a child's college tuition. "A budget that sacrifices our children's education will be a budget that sacrifices our country's future," he said. The Elementary and Secondary Education Act was originally passed in 1965 and requires periodic reauthorization. The current version of the law, which was passed on a bipartisan basis in 2002, requires states to set higher standards and to have greater accountability through standardized testing.

Education Secretary Arne Duncan issued a dire prediction Sunday afternoon during a conference call with reporters, saying that if "No Child Left Behind" isn't reformed, four out of five schools won't meet the law's standards. "Under the current law, it's one size fits all," Duncan said. "We need to fix this law now so we can close the achievement gap." The administration, which has been meeting with congressional leaders to hash out changes before any reauthorization vote, believes current law is too punitive and has led to a too-narrow curriculum and lower standards.

A pair of House Republicans agree.

"Although we have our different approaches, everyone agrees the current law is broken and in need of repair. The status quo is failing both students and taxpayers," Reps. John Kline, R-Minnesota, and Duncan Hunter, R-California, said in a joint statement last week. "No one disagrees on the importance of education," Duncan said Sunday. "For the most part, we've been largely aligned with leaders on both sides of the aisle, but we need to come together and do the right thing for our children."

For Obama, that means increasing the incentive-based concept of his "Race to the Top" program that offers extra funding for states that show home-grown education reforms are improving performance. He proposed expanding "Race to the Top" to let local school districts apply, and said reforming "No Child Left Behind" should build on the program's goals. The president made a point of promoting the importance of teachers, calling for them to get more pay and respect as valued assets in the nation's future success. He made no mention of the new Wisconsin law that stripped some collective bargaining benefits from teachers and other public employees, but his enthusiastic promotion of teachers prompted applause and cheers of support.

China challenges US predominance in Asia-Pacific

China's military has been on a spending spree at a time that the debt-ridden U.S. government is looking to cut defense costs. On Friday, China announced a 12.7 percent hike for this year, the latest in a string of double-digit increases. That trend has triggered worries in Congress and among security analysts about whether the United States can maintain its decades-long military predominance in the economically crucial Asia-Pacific.

China challenges US predominance in Asia-Pacific

While the U.S. military has been drained by 10 years of costly conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq, China has developed air, naval and missile capabilities that could undercut U.S. superiority in China's backyard. China is still decades away from building a military as strong as the United States. It has not fought a major conflict since a border war with Vietnam in 1979 and is not a Soviet-style rival threatening American soil.

But the shift raises questions about whether the U.S. can meet its commitment to maintain a strong presence in the Asia-Pacific for decades a matter not just of global prestige but also seen as critical for safeguarding shipping lanes vital for world trade and protecting allies. China already has an innate geographical advantage in any conflict in the west Pacific. One expert posits that with its military buildup, China could conquer Taiwan by the end of the decade even if the U.S. military intervenes. China regards Taiwan as part of its territory. Relations between the two, long seen as a potential flash point, have warmed in the past two years. But China's assertion of territorial claims in the South China Sea, which it has declared as a "core interest" essentially something it could go to war over has spooked its neighbors and fortified their support for a strong U.S. presence in the region. Even former enemy Vietnam is forging military ties with the U.S.

Last week, the Philippines deployed two warplanes after a ship searching for oil complained it was harassed by two Chinese patrol boats in the South China Sea. Japan scrambled F-15 fighter jets after Chinese surveillance and anti-submarine aircraft flew near disputed islands in the East China Sea. "As China's military has gotten more capable and China has behaved more aggressively, a number of countries are looking at the U.S. as a hedge to make sure they can maintain independence, security and stability," said Abraham Denmark, director of the Asia-Pacific Security Program at the Center for a New American Security. But those allies question whether the U.S. can retain its freedom to operate in the region, and whether its economy highly indebted to China and struggling to recover from a recession can sustain its high level of military spending, said Bonnie Glaser, a China expert at the Center of Strategic and International Studies think tank.

The U.S. Pacific Command has 325,000 personnel, five aircraft carrier strike groups, 180 ships and nearly 2,000 aircraft. Tens of thousands of forces stay on China's doorstep at long-established bases in South Korea and Japan. China's defense spending is still dwarfed by the United States. Even if China really invests twice as much in its military as its official $91.5 billion budget, which some analysts believe, that is still only about a quarter of U.S. spending. It has no aircraft carriers and lags the U.S. in defense technology. Some of its most vaunted recent military advances will take years to reach operation. For example, China test flew its stealth fighter in January, months earlier than U.S. intelligence expected, but U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates says China will still only have a couple of hundred of these "fifth-generation" jets by 2025, when the United States should have 1,500.

But China's growing array of aircraft, naval and submarine vessels, ballistic and cruise missiles, anti-satellite and cyber war capabilities already enable it to project power beyond its shores. It plans new submarines, larger naval destroyers and transport aircraft that could expand that reach further. Roger Cliff, a respected defense researcher who recently testified before a congressional hearing on China, says many of the missiles and strike aircraft have a range of about 900 miles, which put them within attacking distance of virtually all U.S. air and naval bases in the region. They include the DF-21D missile which is designed to target aircraft carriers. It employs technology that no other U.S. rival has mastered. It does not appear to have been tested yet against a maneuvering target at sea.

GAO Details Billions in Federal Waste --- Report Obtained by Fox

As members of Congress fight over what to cut in the current federal budget to avert a government shutdown, lawmakers are about to receive a blockbuster report that could provide a roadmap to potentially hundreds of billions of dollars in waste. The nonpartisan General Accounting Office (GAO) is poised to release a report Tuesday that one senator said "will make us all look like jackasses." "Go study that (report). It will show why we're $14 trillion in debt," said Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla. "Anybody that says we don't look like fools up here hasn't read the report."

provide a roadmap to potentially hundreds of billions of dollars in waste

The report, a summary of which was obtained by Fox News, was mandated by Congress the last time it raised the debt limit in January 2010. In its analysis of federal agencies, the GAO found 33 areas with "overlap and fragmentation." "Reducing or eliminating duplication, overlap, or fragmentation could potentially save billions of taxpayer dollars annually and help agencies provide more efficient and effective services," the report says. In one example, the report found that if the Defense Department were to make "broader restructuring" of its "military health care system" it "could result in annual savings of up to $460 million."

Even more scathing is the duplication investigators found in the nation's biodefense efforts, with the report essentially saying that the billions of dollars spent annually is the responsibility of no one individual and that there is no plan for post-attack coordination, this on the heels of a 2010 federal commission finding that gave the U.S. a "failing grade" in its prevention measures. "There are now more than two dozen presidentially appointed individuals with some responsibility for biodefense. In addition, numerous federal agencies, encompassing much of the federal government, have some mission responsibilities for supporting biodefense activities. However, there is no individual or entity with responsibility, authority, and accountability for overseeing the entire biodefense enterprise," the report finds.

"There is no national plan to coordinate federal, state, and local efforts following a bioterror attack, and the United States lacks the technical and operational capabilities required for an adequate response," the report goes on. "Neither the Office of Management and Budget nor the federal agencies account for biodefense spending across the entire federal government." As a result, the federal government does not know how much is being spent on this critical national security priority."

The report touches agencies and programs across the federal government, from the Transportation Security Agency to homeless programs and domestic food assistance, and what emerges is a kind of bureaucratic morass where sometimes enough is not even known about federal programs to provide an accurate evaluation. "We don't know what we're doing," Coburn chastised. The Defense Department takes a number of hits in the report. The GAO found many instances of duplication in the sprawling agency. The use of "urgent need" funds have been expanded, GAO found, with "multiple places for a warfighter to submit" such requests. GAO found that the Pentagon has "no tracking mechanism" for these funds, resulting in an estimated $77 billion in overlap since 2005. An analysis of 18 different programs across three federal agencies that deal with domestic food assistance found that though multiple programs can ensure the needy have access to food, "administrative costs increase significantly," with GAO estimating a $62.5 billion expense to the government from overlap and duplication. Better coordination of hazardous material assessments between TSA and the Department of Transportation could save the government more than $1 million.

"Congress is often to blame," the report reads in bold type for emphasis, as the report details $2.9 billion in overlap in 20 homeless programs spread throughout seven different agencies. "Fragmentation and overlap in some of these programs may be due in part to their legislative creation as separate programs under the jurisdiction of several agencies," the report finds.  

"Little is known about the effectiveness of most (federal job training and employment) programs," GAO says, resulting in a possible $18 billion in savings. The report says there are 47 programs offered currently, but 44 of those "overlap with at least one other program." Congress asked GAO to look specifically at "federal programs, agencies, offices, and initiatives with duplicative goals and activities, to estimate the cost of such duplication, and to make recommendations to Congress for consolidation and elimination of such duplication." There are many other examples of potential waste found across the yawning federal bureaucracy, with GAO concluding, "Considering the amount of program dollars involved in the issues we have identified, even limited adjustments could result in significant savings." Perhaps members looking to find billions in savings will not have as tough a job finding the money as they thought.

FBI arrests Saudi student for plotting to attack Bush's home

BOSTON: A 20-year-old Saudi student has been arrested and charged by the FBI for plotting to build bombs and carry out terrorist attacks in the US, targetting nuclear power plants and residence of former President George Bush. Khalid Ali-M Aldawsari, a Saudi citizen and Texas resident, attempted to "use a weapon of mass destruction" and researched online on how to construct an improvised explosive device using several chemicals as ingredients. 

Saudi student has been arrested and charged by the FB

According to the criminal complaint unsealed on Thursday, Aldawsari conducted research on potential terror targets in the US including hydroelectric dams, nuclear power plants and the Dallas address for former President Bush. Aldawsari had acquired most of the ingredients and equipment necessary to construct the explosive devices. He is expected to appear in federal court later today. He came to the US in 2008 on a student visa and is enrolled at South Plains College near Lubbock, Texas. He faces a maximum sentence of life in prison and a USD 250,000 fine if convicted of attempted use of a weapon of mass destruction. One of the e-mails he sent to himself had the subject line 'Targets' and contained names and home addresses of three American citizens who had previously served in the US military and had been stationed for a time at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq. In another e-mail titled 'Nice Targets 01', Aldawsari allegedly sent himself the names of 12 reservoir dams in Colorado and California while one e-mail titled 'Tyrant's House' had the Dallas address of Bush. 

Aldawsari intended to use infant dolls to conceal explosives and plotted to target a nightclub with an explosive concealed in a backpack. In addition, he allegedly described his desire for violent jihad and martyrdom in blog postings and a personal journal. During searches at Aldawsari's residence, FBI agents also found a notebook, excerpts from which indicated that Aldawsari had been planning to commit a terrorist attack in the United States for years.

One entry describes how Aldawsari sought and obtained a particular scholarship because it allowed him to come directly to the United States and helped him financially, which he said "will help tremendously in providing me with the support I need for Jihad." "And now, after mastering the English language, learning how to build explosives and continuous planning to target the infidel Americans, it is time for Jihad," the Saudi citizen wrote in his journal.

In another entry, Aldawsari wrote that he was near to reaching his goal and near to getting weapons to use against infidels and their helpers. He also listed a "synopsis of important steps" that included obtaining a forged US birth certificate, renting a car, using different driver's licenses, putting bombs in cars and taking them to different places during rush hour and then leaving the city for a safe place. The affidavit alleges that on February 1, 2011, a chemical supplier reported to the FBI that Aldawsari attempted to purchase concentrated phenol, a toxic chemical. Aldawsari wanted to have the phenol order shipped to a freight company so it could be held for him there, but the freight company returned the order to the supplier and called the police. Later, Aldawsari falsely told the supplier he was associated with a university and wanted the phenol for "off-campus, personal research."

Frustrated by questions being asked over his phenol order, Aldawsari cancelled his order and later e-mailed himself instructions for producing phenol. Aldawsari also e-mailed himself instructions on how to convert a cellular phone into a remote detonator and how to prepare a booby-trapped vehicle using items available in every home. ne such e-mail contained a message stating that "one operation in the land of the infidels is equal to ten operations against occupying forces in the land of the Muslims." During December 2010 and January 2011, Aldawsari allegedly purchased items like a gas mask, a Hazmat suit, a soldering iron kit, glass beakers and flasks, wiring, a stun gun, clocks and a battery tester. The affidavit also alleges that Aldawsari created a blog in which he posted extremist messages. In one posting, he expressed dissatisfaction with current conditions of Muslims and vowed jihad and martyrdom. "You who created mankind... grant me martyrdom for Your sake and make jihad easy for me only in Your path," he wrote.

Fed's Evans: Current bond buys may suffice

The U.S. economy still needs the Federal Reserve's super-easy monetary policy, a top official said on Thursday, but the recovery may be strong enough June that the central bank will not need to extend its current $600 billion bond-buying program."To put it bluntly, with unemployment too high and inflation too low and both forecasted to stay that way over the next two years  we have missed on both of our policy objectives," Chicago Federal Reserve Bank President Charles Evans told a group of business leaders in this manufacturing town northwest of Chicago.

USA economy still needs the Federal Reserve's

"This leads me to conclude that accommodative monetary policy continues to be beneficial for achieving each of these goals." The Fed has kept short-term rates near zero since December 2008, and is in the midst of buying $600 billion in Treasury securities to stimulate the economy and bring down borrowing costs further. The current round of asset-buying, slated to run through June, comes on top of $1.7 trillion in long-term assets bought in 2009 and 2010. Although "open minded" about curtailing the current program, Evans suggested economic conditions would probably warrant completing it.

"It's quite likely we will continue with the 600," Evans, a voter on the Fed's policy-setting panel this year and a consistent policy "dove, told reporters after his speech. "It will not surprise me if at the time we get to June and we are looking at the economy, that things are sufficiently better that that might be enough." Speaking nearly simultaneously in Houston, Dallas Fed President Richard Fisher, one of Fed's most outspoken inflation "hawks," said he would not support any further easing beyond the current program and said there was evidence price pressures were building. Core consumer prices in January rose at the fastest pace in more than a year, data on Thursday showed, suggesting a long period of slowing inflation had run its course.

Evans called the increase a "good" development, but said he was still concerned about inflation below the Fed's 2 percent target, to which he does not see a return until at least 2014. He dismissed concerns that the Fed's easy monetary policy was fueling a global spike in commodity prices, blaming the increase instead on demand for resources from strong economies like India and China. In fact, he said, boosting short-term inflation expectations in the U.S. "appropriately" is consistent with the Fed's goal of keeping prices stable. If unwelcome inflation start to build, he said, the Fed has the tools to bring it under control. "We could turn very quickly if we needed. I don't expect that we will need to," he said. Evans called the pace of recovery "disappointing," and only a "marked and sustained pickup in growth" could close the gap between the economy's current rate of growth and its potential.

White House will spend $20bn on cloud computing in 2012 says White House CIO

Vivek Kundra, chief information officer of the White House, told the audience at the Cloud Security Alliance Summit in San Francisco this morning that the White House will be spending $20bn on cloud security according to the new 2012 budget. “$20bn of the $80bn total IT spending can be moved to the cloud”, Kundra announced, with the Department of Homeland Security, the Treasury, and the Department of Defense having the most potential for spending in the cloud. “We have already committed to shutting down 800 data centers by 2015”, he said, expressing his disapproval that whilst the private sector has been reducing its number of data centers, the public sector has seen an increase from 432 to 2094 data centers in the last decade.

US Government Spend $20 billion on Cloud Computing

Kundra expressed his disappointment that “sufficient time has not been spent making sure we serve the American people properly”. This is, in part, he suggested, due to the government insisting on “continuing to build on-premise custom software, rather than tapping into the innovative spirit of vendors and companies [in the information security industry]. This behavior just feeds into a risk-adverse culture”, he said. To the contrary, Kundra believes the government needs to “tap into the innovation that is happening in the Silicon Valley and across the US”. Some of the government departments which have been early adopters of cloud computing – including HHS, GSA, DoD, DoA – have already reaped time and money savings from the move, Kundra shared.  He did however advise that the following need to be considered when catalyzing cloud adoption: 

Security: Centralizing certification and accreditation for cloud solutions; prioritizing security controls to counter the most serious threats; using near real-time security dashboards to facilitate continuous monitoring; integrating identity management. 

Standards: Currently working with NIST to set up bodies to look at standards, which is important for interoperability, portability and security; proposing and testing interim standard; publishing cloud computing business and technical user cases. 

Procurement: Putting in place government wide enterprise procurement; working with state and local governments to leverage centralized procurements. “In the next few weeks we are pushing out procurement in collaboration in the cloud to maximize strategic sourcing to buy cloud solutions, and eliminate redundant and inefficient vendor certifications”.

Governance: Setting policy and enforcing budget priorities; aligning regulatory and legal frameworks; driving government-wide adoption of cloud computing; collaborating with international entities.

“A lot of [government] agencies are interested in finding out what cloud solutions are available. People are wondering why they have far better technology at home that they do in their government department at work. Coming into work is like going back in time”, he said. “There is a huge technology gap”. In conclusion, Kundra advised the audience that the “industry needs to introduce Darwinian pressure in Washington” to pay attention to what the industry has to offer. “This is a $20bn opportunity”, he said.

Obama Plans Jobless Aid Help for States

WASHINGTON The Obama administration is proposing short-term relief to states saddled with unemployment insurance debt, coupled with a delayed increase in the income level used to tax employers for the aid to the jobless. The administration plans to include the proposal in its budget plan next week. The plan was confirmed to Fox News late Monday by a person familiar with the discussions on the condition of anonymity because the budget plan is still being completed.

Obama administration proposing short-term relief

Rising unemployment has placed such a burden on states that 30 of them owe the federal government $42 billion in money borrowed to meet their unemployment insurance obligations. Three states already have had to raise taxes to begin paying back the money they owe. More than 20 other states likely would have to raise taxes to cover their unemployment insurance debts. Under federal law, such tax increases are automatic once the money owed reaches a certain level.

Under the proposal, the administration would impose a moratorium in 2011 and 2012 on state tax increases and on state interest payments on the debt. In 2014, however, the administration proposes to increase the taxable income level for unemployment insurance from $7,000 to $15,000. Under the proposal, the federal unemployment insurance rate would be adjusted so that the new higher income level would not result in a federal tax increase, the person familiar with the plan said. States, however, could retain their current rates, meaning employers could face higher unemployment insurance taxes beginning in 2014.

Though the administration could face criticism for enabling states to increase taxes, the thrust of the administration's argument is that federal taxes would not increase and that the move is fiscally prudent because the federal government ultimately would be repaid at a faster rate than if it did nothing. The person who described the plan said only 13 of the 30 states that owe the $42 billion would be expected to repay their share of the money in the next nine years under current conditions. The administration's proposal would allow 15 more states to repay the money, this person said.

Day of Departure Egypt Braces for Mass Rally

Organizers of Egyptian protesters trying to topple the regime of President Hosni Mubarak have called on their supporters to fill every square in the capital Friday for a 'Day of Departure' in the wake of two days of street battles between the pro- and anti-government camps that marked an ugly turn in the country's crisis. On Thursday, menacing gangs backing Mubarak attacked journalists and human rights activists as government opponents pushed supporters out of Cairo's main square. The new vice president, widely considered the first successor Mubarak has ever designated, fueled anti-foreign sentiment by going on state television and blaming outsiders for fomenting unrest.

President Hosni Mubarak announces he will not seek re-election as anti-government protests have killed nearly 100 people over the past week.

The government has accused media outlets of being sympathetic to protesters who want the president to quit now rather than serve out his term, as he has vowed to do. The Obama administration, meanwhile, was in talks with top Egyptian officials about the possibility of Mubarak immediately resigning and the formation of an interim government that could prepare the country for free and fair elections later this year, U.S. officials said Thursday. The talks were first reported by The New York Times. The creation of a military-backed caretaker government in Egypt is one of several ideas being discussed as anti-Mubarak protests escalate in the streets of Cairo and other Egyptian cities, said the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive diplomatic talks that are continuing.

Among those options is a proposal for Mubarak to resign immediately and cede power to a transitional government run by Vice President Omar Suleiman. White House and State Department spokesmen would not discuss details of the discussions U.S. officials are having with the Egyptians.

The president has said that now is the time to begin a peaceful, orderly and meaningful transition," said White House national security spokesman Tommy Vietor on Thursday night. "We have discussed with the Egyptians a variety of different ways to move that process forward." Mubarak, 82, told ABC television in an interview that he was fed up and wants to resign. But he said he can't for fear the country would sink into chaos. He said he was very unhappy about the two days of clashes in central Tahrir Square. "I do not want to see Egyptians fighting each other," he was quoted as saying.

The violence that had been concentrated in Tahrir spread around the city of 18 million, with a new wave of arson and looting. Soldiers, mainly protecting government buildings and important institutions, remained passive as they have since replacing police on the streets almost a week ago. Few uniformed police have been seen around the city in that time, and protesters allege some of them have stripped off their uniforms and mixed in with the gangs of marauding thugs. When there are demonstrations of this size, there will be foreigners who come and take advantage and they have an agenda to raise the energy of the protesters," Suleiman said on state television. Pro-government mobs beat foreign journalists with sticks and fists Thursday. The Committee to Protect Journalists said 24 reporters were detained in 24 hours, including representatives of The Washington Post and The New York Times. Twenty-one journalists were assaulted, including two with Fox News.

Axelrod on Way Out: We've Learned Some Lessons

President Barack Obama's message, picked the right day to show up at a news conference. His boss wasn't just going off script. He was going off. Humbled by a poor election for his party, sharply defensive about a tax deal with Republicans, Obama kept talking until he finally refocused on his whole purpose for being president. He spoke about the value of compromising, the merits of thinking long term, the point of leadership being to help people have better lives. Axelrod looked up from his BlackBerry as if someone had jolted him. "That's our guy," Axelrod recalled thinking. "That's the guy I've been working with for almost a decade now."

White Hours Senior Advisor David Axelrod on CBS's Face the Nation in Washington

Since that moment in early December, what's happened in the White House amounts to a presidential rediscovery in the eyes of Axelrod. He considers the last two months a template for the next two years and a re-election campaign in which, he promises, Obama will try to "play big" all over the electoral map and revitalize a weakened coalition.  It all helps explain why Axelrod seems so comfortable about quitting the place. Obama's chief political strategist, senior adviser, close friend, late-night sounding board and comedic foil is done at the White House. This was always his plan: two years of insider work from his office near Obama's in the West Wing, then home to family and more freedom in Chicago. But that doesn't lessen the sense that Obama's world is changing significantly. Axe, as he is known, has had a huge internal influence. He and press secretary Robert Gibbs, who also is leaving, were at Obama's side daily in his campaign and have been among the most trusted keepers of a remember-what-we-promised perspective. The whirling force of Rahm Emanuel also quit the chief of staff's job in October to run for Chicago mayor. Axe, Gibbs and Rahm. Few major conversations in or about Obama's first two years didn't include those words.

Axelrod hears this and responds bullishly about the new members of Obama's team, including chief of staff Bill Daley, incoming press secretary Jay Carney and senior adviser David Plouffe, who replaces Axelrod. That's not to mention the guidance of the core advisers who are staying, like senior adviser Valerie Jarrett and communications chief Dan Pfeiffer. "Just remember one thing," Axelrod said about the upheaval in an interview on his final day on the job. "The heart of the Obama operation is Obama." And it is on that point that Axelrod is now feeling better about what he's leaving. In his mind, the president is back in his comfort zone. When Republicans stormed to victory in November, most notably by winning a majority in the House, the White House was reeling. The sense was that the problem went beyond the plodding recovery of the economy, or the unpopular interventions by the government to help or the giant health care law that swallowed up so much time and debate. It was that Obama the campaigner had lost his connection with the people. A White House in emergency fix-it mode got caught up in means, not ends. Less hope, more process. That ate at message-man Axelrod, who, like Obama, can't help but show exasperation about today's rapid-fire news coverage and the attention paid to political winners and losers. "It was very hard to control the narrative in a way that you would like," Axelrod said. "I think we've been better at it in the last 60 days, for sure. We've learned some lessons." That period began after the election in a wrap-up legislative session in which Obama got congressional approval for a compromise tax package, a major nuclear treaty and lifting a ban on openly gay military service. Obama took a rejuvenating break in Hawaii, approved staff changes to make his office less insular and responded to the Arizona mass shooting with a unifying speech that even his critics commended. He then gave a State of the Union address -- Axelrod's final project -- in which he tried to find an economic agenda for both parties.  Now comes the question of whether Obama can get anything done with Republicans to shrink the nation's joblessness and debt. That's one front.

The other is the starting of Obama's re-election campaign in which the health of the economy will be paramount. Axelrod will be Obama's chief strategist in the campaign. He spoke eagerly of the chance for Obama to run against a Republican, instead of how the White House views the midterm election: Obama running against the idealized version of himself. Yet economists say it will take years for the nation to recover from a giant recession. The question will be whether voters think progress is good enough.  "Yes, there are going to be people who are still struggling under any scenario," Axelrod said. "But the question for them will be, `Does the alternative hold out more hope for me than the direction this president is leading?' I think we can make that case." The Obama political minds, of course, already have their minds on whom they will face.  "Probably more than any time in my lifetime, it's an unfathomable race," Axelrod said of the field of potential opponents. To win again, Obama has ground to recover in assembling the coalition of independents, infrequent voters and other groups that rallied behind him last time. Less than two years from election day, the electoral map looks more challenging than it was in 2008.

Chinese man jailed for illegally exporting US military equipment

A Chinese national convicted of illegally exporting military electronics components to a China has been jailed for eight years by a US court, providing further evidence of China’s military espionage activities. Zhen Zhou Wu, 46, made multiple visits to the US to buy components used in radars and missile systems which he then exported to China via Hong Kong using forged papers to evade the US arms embargo to China imposed after the 1989 Tiananmen Square killings.

Chinese man jailed for illegally exporting US military equipment

He is the second Chinese to be sentenced in America this week for illegally transferring military technology to China after a 66-year-old former B-2 Stealth Bomber engineer was jailed for 32 years for selling military secrets to be used in the development of a Chinese cruise missile. A US Congressional commission on US-China affairs warned in 2009 that Chinese spying in American was becoming increasingly aggressive and “growing in scale, intensity and sophistication.” Earlier this month China unveiled its first stealth fighter, the Chengdu J-20, which analysts at Jane’s, the defence specialists, say is based on a mix of Russian and American technology, including possible elements of the Lockheed YF-22 and the Northrop YF-23.

David Kris, Assistant Attorney General for National Security, said Zhen’s convictions showed the importance of safefuarding American technology from “illicit” foreign procurement. "They also serve as a warning to those who seek to covertly obtain technological materials from the US in order to advance military systems of their own. I applaud the many agents, analysts and prosecutors who helped bring about this successful outcome,” he added after the verdict was released last year.

Zhen’s sentencing comes just days after China’s president Hu Jintao completed a state visit to American which analysts billed as chance to “re-set” US-China relations that have become severely strained over the past year. China has persistently claimed it intends to have a “peaceful rise”, however the US has expressed growing concerns that China’s rapid military modernization - including developing new fighters, an aircraft carrier and a carrier-killing missile - appears at-odds with that stated policy.Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, said in a speech in Washington last June of a wide gap between China’s stated intent and its military programs. “I have moved from being curious to being genuinely concerned,” he added.

The court heard that Zhen had set up a company, Chitron Electronics Ltd, in Waltham, Massachusetts to procure and export the components used in electronic warfare, military radar, fire control, guidance and control equipment, missile systems, and satellite communications. By 2007 more than 25 per cent of Chitron’s illegal exports were being passed to a number of state-owned Chinese corporations charged with the procurement, development and manufacture of electronics for the Chinese military. “This defendant and corporation violated US export laws and compromised our national security for more than a decade,” said US Attorney Carmen Ortiz.

Tensions rise between Supreme Court, politicians

WASHINGTON — The moment lasted about 20 seconds. But its political reverberations have endured for a year and exemplify today's knotty confluence of law, politics and public perception. At last year's State of the Union speech Jan. 27, with six Supreme Court justices in attendance, President Obama denounced a recent campaign-finance ruling, saying it reversed a century of precedent and warning that it would "open the floodgates" for corporate spending on elections. Justice Samuel Alito shook his head and mouthed "not true." That tense moment has been viewed on youtube.com more than 650,000 times in the past year. It was singularly controversial but not the only headline-grabbing interaction between members of the political branches and the Supreme Court in the past twelve months.

President Obama greets Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts before he delivers the State of the Union Address at the U.S. Capitol last Jan. 27

A series of events, most recently Justice Antonin Scalia's acceptance of an invitation to speak to Tea Party members, has made clear that against the backdrop of an increasingly polarized Washington and the 24-hour media frenzy, interactions between justices and the two elected branches have become more politicized.  "It's a significant phenomenon," says University of Pittsburgh law professor Arthur Hellman. "It wasn't happening 20 years ago."  Court scholars say the trend could lead to public doubts about the ability of judges to be impartial and above politics, particularly when highly charged disputes over health care, gay rights and immigration are moving through the judiciary.  "It's important not to overemphasize it because we don't know where it's going to lead," Hellman says. "But the totality could be to reduce the sense that there is something special about the courts, that they are above politics, above commerce, above other sectors of society today."

A factor that could exacerbate that view: The Supreme Court, for the first time in modern history, is split 5-4 along political  not just ideological lines. The five conservatives were appointed by Republican presidents, the four liberals by Democratic presidents.  Until President Obama's recent appointments of Justices Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan, two justices on the liberal side David Souter and John Paul Stevens were GOP appointees. At other times, some Democratic appointees such as Byron White, named by John F. Kennedy regularly voted on the conservative side.  "It only heightens the frenzy when it looks like a party conspiracy," says Barry Friedman, a New York University law professor who has studied the intersection of public opinion and the law.

Friedman says the recent series of judicial-political clashes could have "a cumulative effect" but that probably would become evident only after a major ruling, such as might occur in a high court test of the constitutionality of the 2009 Obama-sponsored health care law.  "Most of what the public cares about is outcomes," Friedman says. "You can have all this partisan frenzy, but if the court is not doing anything dramatic on the law, it's not going to matter."

Yet it is plain the political atmospherics around the court have changed. Even ceremonial gestures involving politicians generate attention.  When Chief Justice John Roberts swore in aides to new House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, this month, Politico reporter David Rogers likened Roberts to "a high priest of the right."  The New York Times editorial page criticized Scalia in mid-December for accepting the invitation to speak to the House Tea Party caucus Monday  declaring it "the kind of organization no justice should speak to." The Los Angeles Times editorial page disagreed, saying, "Let Scalia speak."
Professor Hellman does not fault Scalia, a book author and former law professor, for wanting to speak to any congressional audience. But Hellman says, "To the extent that people are talking about judges the way they talk about politicians, it does feed into the new climate."

Health care issue
There have been legendary political clashes between presidents and the Supreme Court, notably President Franklin Roosevelt's failed effort in 1937 to "pack the court." He hoped to add new justices for every sitting justice over age 70 and gain votes to uphold his New Deal initiatives.  In contrast, today's phenomenon arises mostly from extracurricular incidents in a polarized climate  from which the judiciary is not exempt.  Consider the backdrop to the looming fight over the constitutionality of Obama's health care law. Of the three lower-court judges who have ruled on it, the two appointed by a Democratic president upheld the measure; the one appointed by a Republican struck it down.  "That reinforces the perception that politics and adjudication aren't all that different," Hellman says.

New York Times columnist David Brooks, a moderate conservative, wrote this month about the court fight over the health care law: "Future decisions are likely to break down on partisan lines. Given the makeup of the Supreme Court, this should concern the law's defenders."  The justices seek to stay above the partisan fray. They do not allow cameras in their courtroom. They talk of inhabiting a world apart. As Justice Anthony Kennedy explained to a Senate committee in 2007 as he opposed televising Supreme Court oral arguments, "We have a language ... and ethic and etiquette, a formality, a tradition that's different than the political branches; not better, not worse, but different." Individual justices circulate in public venues but largely on their own terms, promoting their books, traveling to law school campuses, taking overseas trips.  Yet in today's 24/7 media world, they get more coverage — and more scrutiny  than in the past.

Justice Stephen Breyer, a Clinton appointee who since last fall has appeared on more than a dozen radio and television shows to promote his latest book, drew criticism when he responded to George  tephanopoulos on Good Morning America about free speech rights and the burning of the Quran.
In his somewhat wandering answer, Breyer raised a different scenario involving falsely shouting fire in a crowded theater and suggested  to some critics at least  that Quran burning could similarly be speech deemed unconstitutional.

That notion would contradict past rulings protecting protest speech such as flag-burning that causes no real danger, and in later interviews, Breyer tried to make clear he was not suggesting the high court should strike down Quran burning. Still, some conservative voices, including the Washington Times editorial page, criticized Breyer's linking of Quran burning with shouting fire in a theater.
In turn, liberal columnist Dahlia Lithwith, writing for the online magazine Slate, said Breyer's musings did not "amount to some kind of dastardly liberal anti-free-speech conspiracy."  "If they signify anything," she wrote, they "illustrate the danger of allowing Supreme Court justices to go on live television for their book tours."

People's faith
The Supreme Court traditionally ranks higher in public opinion than Congress or the president. National studies suggest the public typically does not focus on — or even know the names of — individual members of the high court.  Last August, around the time that Kagan was sworn in, the Pew Research Center wrote in a report titled "The Invisible Court," "While legal scholars analyze Kagan's possible impact on the 'Roberts court,' most Americans have no idea who 'Roberts' is. In Pew Research's latest political knowledge quiz, just 28% correctly identified John Roberts as chief justice — from a list that included Harry Reid, Thurgood Marshall and John Paul Stevens." It would be difficult to detect any diminishment of public regard for the judiciary at this point, says Barbara Perry, a senior fellow at the University of Virginia's Miller Center of Public Affairs, who has written a book about the Supreme Court's image. She chalks up recent controversies to "the 24/7 media frenzy," as well as justices being caught unaware by a climate in which their comments can be amplified on the Internet.

"Judges may feel that they are staying out of politics," Perry says, "but what they say now can be picked up and spread across the country like a wildfire instantaneously."  She says the risk to the court would be in a lessening of people's regard for the institution and faith that it is a neutral decision-maker. "That's what the court needs to maintain," she says, "because that's where it gets its legitimacy, from people's faith in it."   

Chicago is Hu's last stop on U.S. trip

Washington (CNN) -- Chinese President Hu Jintao wraps up his U.S. visit Friday in Chicago, Illinois, the hometown of his counterpart, President Barack Obama. He is scheduled to visit a Chinese-owned auto parts firm, a Chinese wind energy company and the Confucius Institute -- a Chinese language and cultural education center housed at Walter Payton College Preparatory High School.  Hu is expected to head back to Beijing around midday. The Chinese leader wrapped up his three-day visit to Washington, D.C., Thursday, telling an audience of American business leaders that Beijing is seeking closer ties and greater trust with the United States on a range of issues.  He sought to assuage concerns about China's rising economic and military power, declaring that his country "will never seek hegemony or pursue an expansionist policy."

Chinese President Hu Jintao on US trip

The Chinese leader was unapologetic, however, about Beijing's position on the politically sensitive status of Tibet and Taiwan, calling it a matter of Chinese territorial integrity and a "core interest." We are building "a socialist country under the rule of law," he asserted. He said relations between Washington and Beijing need to be governed by a belief in "equality" and "mutual respect." Hu made his remarks at a luncheon hosted by the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations, the U.S.-China Business Council, and several other organizations.  Earlier in the day, Hu traveled to Capitol Hill, where congressional leaders used the occasion to raise strong concerns about Beijing's commitment to human rights and economic issues such as the protection of intellectual property.  Hu met with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nevada, and House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, among others. Neither man attended Wednesday night's White House state dinner in honor of the Chinese leader.  Earlier in the week, Reid called Hu a "dictator" -- a word that was later recanted by both the senator and his   spokesman.


Boehner noted that concerns related to tensions on the Korean peninsula also were raised during Thursday's talks.  We had "a good meeting," Boehner said. "I would hope that the dialogue on all of these subjects would continue." Disagreements over human rights -- including China's treatment of imprisoned Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Liu Xiaobo -- were "raised very strongly," according to Rep. Howard Berman of California, the top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee.
"I would not indicate there was great engagement ... other than a general recognition by the president of China that they have a ways to go," Berman told reporters.  On Wednesday, Hu met with President Obama behind closed doors at the White House as top officials from both countries worked to address issues tied to the global economic crisis, international security, the environment and human rights.
Obama administration officials used the president's meeting with Hu to highlight economic progress between the two countries, announcing Beijing's approval of $45 billion in new contracts for U.S. companies to export goods to China. The contracts will support an estimated 235,000 American jobs, according to the White House.


The two leaders acknowledged continuing differences on human rights, but pledged to keep working on the matter in a "frank and candid way," according to Obama.Human rights remain a touchy subject in China, as censors in the Asian nation made clear during Hu's visit by blacking out CNN's news broadcast each time the topic of human rights was mentioned. Even when Hu spoke about human rights, it was blacked out.Footage of anti-China protesters near the White House was similarly blacked out. Obama has nevertheless hailed Hu's visit as a chance to lay a foundation for the next 30 years of Sino-American relations. Hu declared the relationship between the two powers to be one of "strategic significance and global influence." During a news conference with reporters Wednesday, Obama said he had received a promise from Hu to establish a more "level playing field" for U.S. trade. China's currency, Obama said, remains undervalued -- a key factor in America's trade imbalance with Beijing.Hu conceded that key differences remain over economic policy, but he promised that Beijing would continue making attempts to resolve those differences.

Political talk still stirring up controversy

Maine's new governor is the latest elected official to cause a stir with blunt talk — telling critics to "kiss my butt." Gov. Paul LePage, a businessman who this month became Maine's first Republican governor in 16 years, declined to attend or send a representative to a Martin Luther King Day event. When sponsors complained, LePage told a reporter Friday: "Tell them to kiss my butt."

LePage retreated slightly the next day, saying he would be happy to meet with civil rights leaders to talk about the needs for all the people. "I'm sure the governor wishes he'd used different words, but he's a blunt, outspoken person, and that's one thing people like about him," says Charles Webster, chairman of Maine's Republican Party.

Political talk still controversy

The tone of political dialogue has been a sensitive issue since Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, D-Ariz., was shot in Tucson, although it's unknown whether the mentally troubled gunman had a political motive. HARSH WORDS: Gabrielle Giffords shooting fuels debate over rhetoric TOLERANCE: Obama's call for civility seen as striking right tone Leaders of both political parties in Washington, D.C., have supported an effort to reduce hostility in political speech, but in state governments, where politicians are generally less experienced and political language less scripted, the conflict between straight-talk and political correctness is charting an uncertain course.

Former Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich is among Democrats who've found themselves in hot water for speaking too freely. Today, most of those criticized are conservative Republicans: Ohio. New Gov. John Kasich attacked those concerned over secrecy in his administration and, at first, refused to let reporters witness his swearing in.

Texas. Gov. Rick Perry caused a storm by hinting that Texas had a right to withdraw from the U.S. — remarks he later stepped back from. New Jersey. Gov. Chris Christie has attracted national attention and more than a million YouTube views for his attacks on teacher unions.

Voters "learn about (you) in those unscripted moments," Christie said Sunday on Fox News.

Former Al Gore speechwriter Bob Lehrman says the traditional political style — "my esteemed colleague from the other side of the aisle" — seems stiff to outsiders but helps politicians cope with a job that involves constant disagreements.

Still, political language is changing, he says, so Vice President Biden can say f--- and not create a big fuss. LaPage is one the new elected officials who aren't professional politicians. The governor was born poor in Maine, one of 18 children. His first language was French. He was successful in lumber and selling surplus goods. "He started with nothing and worked hard to get where he is," Webster says.

He knows how political language works. The plumber and heating equipment installer who has five employees was a "working man" when he ran successfully for the Legislature and a "businessman" when he ran unsuccessfully for governor in 1994.

Jack Shafer, media writer at slate.com, says: "I don't think anybody is genuinely offended by his frank talk. Instead, I think they're secretly delighted because they think they can score political points off of his directness."

D.C. tops rankings for USA's most literate cities

Washingtonians are the nation's most well-read citizens, but they're reading less these days. And so, it appears, are city dwellers everywhere.That's according to the latest findings of an annual study of the United States' most literate cities, which ranks the "culture and resources for reading" in the nation's 75 largest metro areas. The study examines not whether people can read, but whether they actually do."What difference does it make how good your reading test score is if you never read anything?" asks researcher Jack Miller, president of Central Connecticut State University in New Britain, Conn. "One of the elements of the climate, the culture, the value of a city is whether or not there are people there that practice those kinds of behaviors."

D.C. tops rankings for USA's most literate cities

The study, based on 2010, looks at measures for six items — newspapers, bookstores, magazines, education, libraries and the Internet — to determine what resources are available in each city and the extent to which its inhabitants take advantage of them.

CHART: Most literate cities in 2010 Now in its eighth year, the study finds little to celebrate. Were Washington's top score in 2010 applied to the 2004 rankings, for example, the city would land at No. 7. The study identifies "worrisome trends" consistent with other national research, including declines in newspaper circulation and book-buying, along with sluggish growth in educational attainment. Increases in Internet usage and stable library patronage aren't offsetting those declines, it says.Among details in the study, which can be seen at www.ccsu.edu/amlc2010:

 

Washington's climb to No. 1 this year was likely helped by troubles in Seattle, which has claimed or shared (with Minneapolis) the top spot four of the past five years. In recent years, Seattle has lost a newspaper and some legendary local bookstores have struggled.

New Orleans, which ranked 42nd in 2005, then dropped off the list because its population dipped after Hurricane Katrina, has more than bounced back. It returned last year at 17 and this year climbed to 15. Changing demographics likely explain the spike. "A lot of the people that left and haven't come back were poorer," Miller says.

Ten of California's 12 largest cities landed in the bottom half, including Sacramento, the state capital, at 45, and lowest-ranked Stockton, which has been at or near the bottom since the list debuted in 2004. San Francisco was ranked 6; Oakland squeaked into the top half at 37.

One bright spot: The use of public libraries has remained consistently strong over the years, particularly in manufacturing towns. Toledo, Ohio, and Fort Wayne, Ind., for example, were in the bottom half overall but were two of six Rust Belt cities in the top 10 for library resources.

Robert Lang, an urban planning and policy expert at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas, acknowledges cause for concern but questions whether results necessarily mean people are reading less. "People are reading more things and less in depth. They're getting briefed," Lang says. "The bigger finding (is) what's consumed is different."

Facebook appears on path toward IPO, possibly next year

Popular social-networking site Facebook is the latest Internet company rumored to be preparing to go public, causing some investors to wonder if there's a tech IPO revival on the way.

communications companies that went public

Facebook expects to hit the 500-shareholder threshold that would trigger regulations prompting it to publicly disclose financial statements and launch an initial public offering next year, according to a document given to potential private investors by Goldman Sachs, Reuters reports. USA TODAY confirmed the existence of the letter but could not obtain a copy.

Facebook and Goldman Sachs declined to comment. But market watchers say Facebook's path is clearly leading toward an IPO. "Facebook is on the runway; they just don't want to say, 'Here we go. Watch us,' " says Francis Gaskins of IPOdesktop.

If Facebook did go public, it would continue a reluctant return of technology companies to the IPO market. Last year, 45 U.S. tech and communications companies went public, up from 16 in 2009 and just four in 2008, says Renaissance Capital. That's still just two-thirds of the 68 tech and communications companies that went public in 2007, the year the broad stock market peaked.