CNN 2008-07-16

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Hope you're having a great day. I'm Nicole Lapin at the CNN Center in Atlanta. Here is a look at what's happening NOW IN THE NEWS.

Senator Barack Obama is now calling the war in Iraq "a distraction¹ that makes the country less safe". He says the most serious threat to the United States comes from terrorists in places like Afghanistan. The presumptive Democratic presidential nominee² is laying out his strategy for withdrawing US troops from Iraq, and also increasing US forces in Afghanistan. Meanwhile, Senator and presumptive Republican presidential nominee John McCain is slamming Barack Obama's Iraq War proposals. He says Obama shouldn't formulate³ an Iraq strategy until he's actually been there. At a campaign event in New Mexico, McCain offered his own plans for military strategy in Afghanistan. Like Obama, he wants to increase troop levels there.

And this is coming at the same time as General Motors is really hoping that a new round of cuts will help keep the struggling automaker in business. Among the moves announced this morning, GM is eliminating 20% of its salaried positions and will also eliminate health insurance for salaried retirees older than 65. The company is also selling off four to seven billion dollars in assets. GM has not made a profit since 2005.

A marine⁴ is expected in court this afternoon on charges that he may have murdered his old wife. Marine Corporal John Wimunc is accused of setting fire to their apartment, then killing⁵ his wife Army Lieutenant⁶ Holley Wimunc. A second Marine is also due in court on charges of helping⁷ with this plot. Holley Wimunc hasn't been seen since Thursday's fire. A charred⁸ body was found yesterday.

Firefighters meanwhile getting some help from the weather as they try to control a wildfire, look at this, that is still raging near Big Sur, California. Winds and temperatures are both a little lower. The fire crews are preparing to start a blaze called "the controlled burn" that could help them contain the big one.

And those are the headlines at this hour. For more on those stories and other news of the day, CNN is always your source online, on TV or on your cellphone. Take care.