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Rundown 8/19

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American Troops Withdraw From Iraq, But It Isn't Over Yet

A column of U.S. Army Stryker armored vehicles cross the border from Iraq into Kuwait on Wednesday. The trucks are part of the last combat brigade to leave Iraq as part of the drawdown of U.S. forces. (AP)
A column of U.S. Army Stryker armored vehicles cross the border from Iraq into Kuwait on Wednesday. The trucks are part of the last combat brigade to leave Iraq as part of the drawdown of U.S. forces. (AP)

The last U.S. combat brigade left Iraq today. So why are there still 56,000 American troops in the country? We'll parse the numbers and get the latest on the situation in the country with Anthony Shadid Baghdad Bureau Chief for The New York Times.

Amputee War Vets Climb Mt. Kilimanjaro

Neil Duncan makes his way slowly towards the summit of Mt Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, on the fourth day of his climb. Duncan lost his legs in Afghanistan. (AP/Courtesy of Disabled Sports USA)
Neil Duncan makes his way slowly towards the summit of Mt Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, on the fourth day of his climb. Duncan lost his legs in Afghanistan. (AP/Courtesy of Disabled Sports USA)

Earlier this month, three disabled American veterans reached the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro on prosthetics. We speak with two of them to try to understand how they accomplished one one leg what many have trouble doing on two. Kirk Bauer lost his leg in Vietnam in 1969 and is currently the executive director of Disabled Sports USA, a group that uses sports therapy to help the disabled. Neil Duncan had both of his legs blown off in Afghanistan in 2005.

How The Islamic Center In N.Y. Ignited A Political Firestorm

News first broke that a progressive Muslim group planned to build an Islamic Center two blocks from Ground Zero in New York back in December. So how come it just began to spark controversy in the past month? Justin Elliott of Salon investigated and found that a conservative blogger launched a personal crusade against the Cordoba House project. Elliott tells us how the issue ballooned from there into what he calls a campaign of "fear mongering."

Flood Waters Continue To Ravage Pakistan

The United Nations is holding an emergency session to boost international aid to Pakistan, where floods have left as many as eight million people needing aid. There are also fears of new flooding, as water continues to surge south along the Indus River. The BBC's Lyse Doucet is in Pakistan and she joins us with an update on the crisis.

Henry Winkler Is Still Having Fun On TV

Henry Winkler with a statue in honor of his 'Happy Days' character Fonzie. (elviskennedy/Flickr)
Henry Winkler with a statue in honor of his 'Happy Days' character Fonzie. (elviskennedy/Flickr)

In 1974 Henry Winkler debuted on television, as The Fonz in Happy Days, and nearly four decades later he continues to thrill in the work. Currently he is starring in Royal Pains on the USA network which is wrapping up its second season. This weekend, however, Winkler makes his debut on a new project — what he calls the "meta comedy" Childrens Hospital which premieres this Sunday at 10:30pm on Cartoon Network.

Music From The Show

  • Dean and Britta, "Herringbone Tweed"
  • Booka and the Flaming Geckos, "Barbed Wire Past"
  • The Claremont Trio, "Cafe' Music"
  • Calexico, "Crumble"
  • The Wee Trio, "About a Girl"
  • Air, "Mike Mills"
  • Tito Puente, "All Blues"

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