Washington (CNN) — A Marine who defied orders and braved a blizzard of enemy fire to recover wounded and dead fellow American and Afghan troops during a six-hour firefight in Afghanistan received the Medal of Honor Thursday from President Barack Obama.

“I know that you’ve grappled with the grief of that day, that you have said that your efforts were somehow a failure because your teammates didn’t come home,” Obama told Dakota Meyer, who became the first living Marine to be recognized with the nation’s highest military honor for actions in Afghanistan or Iraq.

“But, as your commander-in-chief, I want you to know it’s quite the opposite. You did your duty above and beyond, and you kept the faith with the highest traditions of the Marine Corps that you love.”

WASHINGTON — After examining hundreds of combat support and reconstruction contracts in Afghanistan, the U.S military estimates $360 million in U.S. tax dollars has ended up in the hands of people the American-led coalition has spent nearly a decade battling: the Taliban, criminals and power brokers with ties to both.

The losses underscore the challenges the U.S. and its international partners face in overcoming corruption in Afghanistan.

A central part of the Obama administration’s strategy has been to award U.S.-financed contracts to Afghan businesses to help improve quality of life and stoke the country’s economy.

WASHINGTON — Republicans hoping to unseat President Barack Obama say they see al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden’s death as a welcome development but no reason to change political strategy. While Obama almost surely will get a boost in his poll numbers, advisers
for the still-forming field of GOP candidates expect that it will be
temporary and that voters will select a president based on how the
economy recovers — or doesn’t — over the next 18 months.

WASHINGTON — The reshuffled national security team President Barack Obama introduced on Thursday will be charged with fighting not only the overseas war in Afghanistan but also budget battles at home over Pentagon spending that has ballooned into a fat target for politicans exercised by the national deficit.

As his re-election campaign approached, Obama turned to a cast of familiar and respected officials for the most sweeping reworking of his national security team since the opening weeks of his presidency.

WASHINGTON — The Obama administration warned Wednesday that a federal shutdown would undermine the economic recovery, delay pay to U.S. troops fighting in three wars, slow the processing of tax returns and limit small business loans and government-backed mortgages during peak home buying season.

The dire message, delivered two days before the federal government’s spending authority expires, appeared aimed at jolting congressional Republicans into a budget compromise.

(CNN) — Deadly protests sweeping Afghanistan in reaction to the Quran-burning by Florida Pastor Terry Jones are a defeat for those on all sides fighting for Afghanistan’s peaceful future. They could not come at a worse time for the war effort in Afghanistan or the push to win greater support for the war here in the United States.

Washington (CNN) — The Department of Defense says that if the government shuts down for an extended period, troops including those fighting in Afghanistan and Iraq will not be paid on time, according to a senior defense official.

The threat adds to the pressure the Pentagon is trying to put on Congress to pass a proper defense budget, rather than the continuing resolutions it has operated under for a the last few months. The resolutions fund the Department of Defense at a lower rate.

From NBC’s Chuck Todd, Domenico Montanaro, Ali Weinberg, and Carrie Dann
*** A third war? The U.S. appears headed for military action in a third country (in addition to Iraq and Afghanistan) with the United Nations Security Council’s approval of a resolution authorizing the international community “to take all necessary measures … to protect civilians” in Libya. Russia, China, India, Germany, and Brazil (where the president is headed today) abstained from the vote, NBC’s Sarah Blackwill reports. But it’s notable that China and Russia, the only two Security Council members of that group with veto power, opted not to veto it.

Kabul, Afghanistan (CNN) — Defense Secretary Robert Gates on Monday offered his personal apology to Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai for the killings of nine Afghan boys last week in a NATO-led helicopter attack targeting insurgents, saying the incident “breaks our hearts.”

Karzai responded at the joint appearance with the visiting Gates by saying he accepted the apology, which appeared to ease for now renewed tension over the issue of civilian casualties caused by the U.S.-led NATO forces fighting Taliban insurgents in Afghanistan.

Washington (CNN) — The United States plans to send more than 1,000 Marines to Afghanistan soon, a U.S. military official told CNN on Thursday.

The Marines will support the expansion of security efforts in southern Afghanistan, and they will be on the ground for only a few months, the official said.

“We intend to keep the pressure on the Taliban throughout the winter and take advantage of the security gains already achieved,” the official said.