U.S. President Barack Obama arrived in Mexico for his first summit with his Mexican and Canadian counterparts, with economic and security issues high on the agenda.
During the two-day North American Leaders Summit, Mr. Obama, Mexican President Felipe Calderon and Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper are discussing efforts to stem the spread of the H1N1 flu virus, economic competitiveness, national security, and global climate change, White House officials said. Canada and Mexico are the U.S.'s first- and third-largest trading partners, respectively, and trade-related issues are another focus of the meeting.
Late Sunday afternoon, Mr. Obama joined Mr. Calderon in what one senior administration official described as a "cordial" bilateral meeting. Mr. Calderon raised objections to a U.S. ban on Mexican trucks shipping goods across the border, a violation of the North American Free Trade Agreement.
"I think there's been a clear understanding that this issue was one that was a priority issue and one that everyone would like to see resolved as quickly as possible," the administration official said.
From the Washington Post, on H1N1:
As the first influenza pandemic in 41 years has spread during the Southern Hemisphere's winter over the past few months, the United States and other northern countries have been racing to prepare for a second wave of swine flu virus.
At the same time, international health authorities have become increasingly alarmed about the new virus's arrival in the poorest, least-prepared parts of the world. While flu viruses are notoriously capricious, making any firm predictions impossible, a new round could hit the Northern Hemisphere within weeks and lead to major disruptions in schools, workplaces and hospitals, according to U.S. and international health officials.
"The virus is still around and ready to explode," said William Schaffner, a Vanderbilt University School of Medicine influenza expert who advises federal health officials. "We're potentially looking at a very big mess."
President Obama arrived in Mexico on Sunday for a two-day summit that will include discussions on swine flu, along with Mexico's drug wars, border security, immigration reform and economic recovery.
"Everyone recognizes that H1N1 is going to be a challenge for all of us, and there are people who are going to be getting sick in the fall and die," said John Brennan, the U.S. deputy national security adviser for counterterrorism and homeland security. "The strategy and the effort on the part of the governments is to make sure we . . . collaborate to minimize the impact."
From MSNBC, on counterfeit cash:
Nicholas Ostergaard has a new policy at the Jukebox, the deli and pub he owns in Indian Trail, N.C.: "No more hundreds."
The Jukebox now accepts nothing bigger than a $50 bill after a teenager paid for an $11 order last month with what turned out to be a fake $100 bill and walked away with $89 in change.
"I instantly thought it was fake," Ostergaard said. But when he checked the bill with a detector pen - a common device that uses iodine to verify U.S. currency - "it came up it was real."
That made the deli another victim in what the U.S. Secret Service said was an ambitious counterfeiting operation that has spread as much as $60,000 in phony currency at businesses from Hickory to Greensboro, in central North Carolina, just since May.
Leadership Events
8:45 AM EDT
Deputy Secretary Jane Holl Lute will deliver remarks at the 2009 National Conference on Community Preparedness
Hyatt Regency Crystal City Hotel
2799 Jefferson Davis Highway
Arlington, Va.
Public Events
8 AM EDT
Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Administrator Craig Fugate will deliver opening remarks at the 2009 National Conference on Community Preparedness
Hyatt Regency Crystal City Hotel
Arlington, Va.
2:30 PM MDT
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Assistant Secretary John Morton will participate in a panel discussion on The Merida Initiative at the Border Security Conference
University of Texas at El Paso
500 W. University Ave.
El Paso, Texas