Noontime News is a snapshot of our RSS feeds from the noon (Eastern time) hour.

Saying the economy is “growing stronger,” President Obama issued a strong warning to Congress on Friday: “Do not slow down the recovery … don’t muck it up!”

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Can Komen Recover From Controversy?

The Susan G. Komen for the Cure foundation has had one of the worst weeks in terms of public relations of any organization in recent memory.

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Have Economists Got It Wrong About The U.S.?

Five years ago, a subprime mortgage firestorm was melting down the U.S. economy, but most analysts didn’t see it happening.

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Air Force To Cut Troop Levels By 10,000

The Air Force on Friday detailed plans to cut the service by nearly 10,000 active, National Guard and Reserve troops next year, as part of a broad move to downsize and shift capabilities around the country to be better prepared for wars of the future.

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Pentagon won’t slow 9/11 death penalty filings

A senior Pentagon official on Friday refused to delay a pre-arraignment phase in the prosecution of five Guantánamo captives accused of conspiring in the Sept. 11 attacks.

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Senior U.S. And Israeli Officials Express Serious Reservations About Israeli Strike On Iran

For the past 24 hours, news outlets have feverishly reported on Defense Secretary Leon Panetta’s belief, as first reported by the Washington Post’s David Ignatius, that “there is a strong likelihood that Israel will strike Iran in April, May or June.” The views attributed to Panetta were quickly echoed by Israeli officials. But the appearance of a consensus that Israel has already decided to bomb Iran is undermined by various statements from U.S. and Israeli officials.

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Gates: GOP Claims That Obama Is Ushering U.S. Military Decline Are ‘Ridiculous’

The Republican candidates for president have largely settled on two common themes throughout the campaign thus far: that President Obama is ushering in American decline, both at home and abroad, and that the United States should confront Iran militarily over its nuclear program. “Internationally, we have witnessed a weakening of our military and a decline in our standing in the world,” Mitt Romney said in December. While Romney has gone back and forth the in using harsh rhetoric on Iran this campaign season, his competitors aren’t so shy about using bellicose rhetoric. Rick Santorum said attacking Iran is part of his plan.

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