Ebola A Constant Threat In Reporting From Liberia

Residents of the village of Freeman Reserve, about 30 miles north of Monrovia, Liberia, watch members of District 13 ambulance service pickup six suspected Ebola sufferers that had been quarantined Tuesday Sept. 30, 2014

MONROVIA, LIBERIA (AP) — The nurse excitedly grabbed the sheet of paper with 11-year-old Chancey's lab results. "It's negative, it's negative," she shouted above the sound of her boots pounding the gravel as she ran toward the outdoor Ebola ward.

Soon the boy in a neon green T-shirt came running to the hole in the orange plastic fencing to greet her. The barrier separates health workers from those sick with one of the world's deadliest diseases.

"We're so glad he's going to make it. His little brothers will really need him now — their mother just died last night," a nurse told me. Instantly that moment of rare joy amid Liberia's Ebola epidemic turned to sorrow, and I could no longer make eye contact with the beaming boy. Knowing that he did not yet know his mother was dead — and I did — was just too much.

Here in Liberia, more than 2,000 people have lost their lives to a disease that shows no mercy, and even the stories of survivors are tainted with unspeakable loss. Radio talk shows describe infants trying to breastfeed off dead mothers, orphans whose relatives are so afraid of contagion that they refuse to take in brokenhearted children.

For months I had pored over situation reports from the World Health Organization and listened to experts describe the possibility of a disaster beyond measure as the Ebola epidemic gathered speed. Nothing prepares you, though, for the heartbreak and the fear now ravaging Liberia.

Krista Larson, an Associated Press correspondent based in Dakar, Senegal, arrived in Monrovia on Sept. 25 to join AP staff covering the Ebola epidemic. Here she describes some of her experiences.

Friends and family had begged me not to go. A housekeeper cried as I left for the airport and gave me a crucifix that she told me not to take it off even though I am not a Catholic. Even my assistant at the plastic baggage wrap station in the steamy overcrowded airport at midnight was sure this was all just some horrible mix-up. "Liberia? You mean Nigeria? You know people are dying there!"

The dangers of covering this story were brought home Thursday with word that Ashoka Mukpo, an American freelance cameraman who had just taken a job in Liberia with NBC, was diagnosed with Ebola and is scheduled to return to the U.S. for treatment.

After meeting my colleagues in Morocco, we embarked on a flight full of other journalists and aid workers for Liberia on one of the last commercial airlines still servicing the country.

We arrived in Monrovia at 3 a.m. in a thunderstorm, and after a sleepless flight, we washed our hands in a mixture of bleach and water for the first time and had our temperatures taken before we picked up the soggy luggage that was not lost by our airline. Rainy season in sub-Saharan Africa is always a sweaty endeavor, and it takes every bit of self-discipline to avoid touching your face to wipe the sweat from your brow.

Ebola is spread only through direct contact with the bodily fluids of people showing symptoms of the disease. That said, people have fallen sick after coming into contact with soiled linens. Vigorous hand-washing is the mainstay of Ebola prevention, though at this point it's nearly impossible to know who is sick with Ebola and who might just have malaria or the flu.

The Ebola patients I saw lined up outside the clinic my first day of reporting were not bleeding from the eyes — we're told that actually happens only in a minority of cases. Instead, we found a very weak and tired boy, and I winced at the sight of his mother touching his sweaty face with her bare hands. It might only be a matter of time before she too becomes sick.

It's hard to forget the reason why we are in Monrovia: When you make a call with a local phone number a public service message reminds you "Ebola is real!" before the call goes through. The wailing of ambulance sirens is constant, and men can be seen pushing the sick in wheelbarrows when no such emergency vehicle is available.

I'm here as part of a team of AP reporters including photographers Jerome Delay and Abbas Dulleh, video producer Andrew Drake, correspondent Jonathan Paye-Layleh and television contributor Wade Williams, who fearlessly interviews Ebola victims with her warm, commanding voice.

"Wear long sleeves and don't touch anyone," she said firmly as I prepared to get out of her car and visit an Ebola clinic for the first time last week. "And leave your bag in the car."

I admit I was initially afraid to come to Liberia. Unlike the wars and coups I have covered, you cannot see or avoid Ebola as you can a fighter. If you are shot, you know to seek medical attention immediately. Ebola's incubation period, by contrast, is up to 21 days. Every sore throat, every achy muscle can set off anxiety.

And yet the world needs to know what is happening here: Ebola is obliterating entire neighborhoods, leaving orphaned children with no one to lean on but a tree.

More and more international journalists are starting to come. Several dozen working for outlets ranging from American newspapers to European radio are now taking Liberia's story to an ever-widening audience.

Aid workers in West Africa say they need more than just gloves and supplies. They need more people willing to come here despite the personal risks. The anguish and pain are too much for Liberia to bear alone.

Follow Krista Larson at https://www.twitter.com/klarsonafrica.

Krista Larson, an Associated Press correspondent based in Dakar, Senegal, arrived in Monrovia on Sept. 25 to join AP staff covering the Ebola epidemic. Here she describes some of her experiences.

Obama Touts Economic Gains Under His Watch

Secret Service agents surround President Barack Obama as he greets guests after speaking about the economy, Thursday, Oct. 2, 2014, at Northwestern University in Evanston, Ill. Obama is looking to frame the closing  economic arguments of the midterm campaign.

EVANSTON, Ill. (AP) — President Barack Obama laid claim to an economic recovery Thursday that he said has made steady progress even as he blamed Republicans for rejecting steps he argued would help families with little to show for an upturn that has lowered unemployment, beefed up corporate accounts and fueled the stock market.

Promoting pocketbook issues in the homestretch of the midterm election campaign, Obama fluctuated between bullish assurances that the recovery was real and recognition that joblessness and low wages still afflict millions of Americans.

"These truths aren't incompatible," he said in speech at Northwestern University that marked a shift in attention from foreign entanglements to domestic concerns. "Our broader economy in the aggregate has come a long way, but the gains of recovery aren't yet broadly shared."

Obama offered a lengthy defense of his policies, from bailing out the auto industry to his health care law. He said that while he's not on the ballot in November, his economic policies are. Underscoring the political climate just four weeks before congressional elections, he accused Republicans of rejecting efforts to increase the minimum wage, refinance student loans or extend unemployment benefits and of pressing for more tax cuts for the wealthy.

"When nearly all the gains of the recovery have gone to the top 1 percent, when income inequality is at as high a rate as we've seen in decades," he said, "I find that hard to swallow." The speech comes after Obama has spent weeks consumed with international crises, but the White House had always planned to refocus on the economy to assure voters that he hasn't forgotten about their money struggles.

An Associated Press-GfK poll released Wednesday found that the economy is the top issue for the Americans most likely to cast ballots in the midterm elections. Nine out of 10 consider it extremely or very important in deciding their votes for Congress. They have just one month to make up their minds, and Obama plans to speak out more during that time on pocketbook concerns, including a jobs speech Friday in Indiana.

Besides criticizing Republicans for blocking his economic proposals, he also needled his favorite news media target, saying that fewer Republicans were running against his health care plan because "while good, affordable health care might seem to be a fanged threat to freedom on Fox News, it turns out its 's working pretty well in the real world."

As the economy shows signs of improving, however, Obama's challenge has been to walk a delicate line — taking some credit for an economic recovery without seeming to disregard continuing hard times. "It's very tricky for a president when economies are emerging from recessions," said Matt Bennett, a strategist who has consulted for various Democratic candidates. "It's just very difficult to take credit that you are due — or as much as presidents are due blame or credit for the economy— without sounding a false note for people who still feel very vulnerable."

Many important indicators are in a positive place — unemployment has been going down, consumer spending is up and housing prices are rising. The stock market hit records in the past month, though it has softened in recent days.

The speech comes one day ahead of the government releasing its job report for September. The unemployment rate in august was 6.1 percent, far below its high of 10 percent in 2009. But while the number of people who have been unemployed for less than 26 weeks has declined, many of those still in the jobless ranks have been without jobs for a long time.

What's more, since 2007, the proportion of adults either working or seeking work has sunk from 66 percent to 62.8 percent, the lowest in 35 years. Much of that is due to voluntary retirements, but much is also due to workers who have grown disillusioned with the job market.

Also, while corporate bottom lines are improving, companies aren't filling jobs as fast they were before the recession. An index compiled by Steven Davis, a University of Chicago economist, found companies took an average of nearly 25 days to fill a job in July 2014, up from fewer than 22 in 2006.

While acknowledging that the recovery has failed to reach all middle class Americans, Obama blamed part of that failure on Republicans. He said he had presented his plans for jobs and higher wages. "A true opposition party should have the courage to lay out theirs," Obama said, in a remark that ignored the fact that the Republican-controlled House of Representatives has passed a number of GOP inspired economic proposals that have stalled in the Democratic-run Senate.

In the AP-GfK poll, 4 in 10 approved of President Barack Obama's handling of the issue, generally unchanged since late last year. Likely voters give Republicans a narrow edge as the party more trusted to handle the economy, 36 percent to 31 percent who favor the Democrats' approach.

Kuhnhenn reported from Washington, D.C. AP Economics Writer Christopher S. Rugaber and AP Polling Director Jennfer Agiesta contributed.

Many Sick In US Ebola Patient's Liberia Hometown

Mercy Kennedy, 9, cries as she learned her mother has died, outside her home in Monrovia, Liberia, Thursday Oct. 2, 2014. Kennedy's mother was taken away by an ambulance to an Ebola ward the day before.

MONROVIA, LIBERIA (AP) — Thomas Eric Duncan rushed to help his 19-year-old neighbor when she began convulsing days after complaining of stomach pain. Everyone assumed her illness was related to her being seven months pregnant.

When no ambulance came, Duncan, Marthalene Williams' parents and several others lifted her into a taxi, and Duncan rode in the front seat as the cab took Williams to the hospital. She later died. Within weeks, everyone who helped Williams that day was either sick or dead, too — victims of Ebola, the virus that is ravaging Liberia's capital and other parts of West Africa, with more than 3,300 deaths reported.

The disease is spread through direct contact with saliva, sweat, blood and other bodily fluids, and all those who fell ill after helping Williams had touched her. She turned out to have Ebola. Duncan is now hospitalized in an isolation ward in Texas after falling sick with Ebola following his arrival last month on a family visit. He has become a symbol of how the lethal disease could spread within the U.S.

Here in Liberia, however, he is just another neighbor infected by a virus that is devastating the cluster of tin-roof homes along 72nd SKD Boulevard where Williams lived. "My pa and four other people took her to the car. Duncan was in the front seat with the driver, and the others were in the back seat with her," recounted her 15-year-old cousin Angela Garway, standing in the courtyard between the homes where they all lived. "He was a good person."

Meanwhile, Liberian authorities Thursday announced plans to prosecute Duncan, saying the delivery driver lied about his Ebola status upon leaving the country. On an airport screening questionnaire obtained by The Associated Press, Duncan said that he hadn't come into contact with an Ebola patient. However, it is not clear whether he had learned of Williams' diagnosis before traveling.

In an interview with Canada's CBC News, Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf said she was "very saddened" and "very angry" with Duncan for putting Americans at risk, adding: "I just hope that nobody else gets infected."

In the neighborhood where Williams lived, some people were no longer willing to take any risks Thursday, not after seeing what happened to those who showed compassion for the pregnant woman. As 9-year-old Mercy Kennedy sobbed along with neighbors mourning news of her mother's death, not a person would touch the little girl to comfort her.

Mercy's mother had helped to wash the pregnant woman's clothes, and had touched her body after she died at home when no hospital could find space for her, neighbors said. On Thursday, little Mercy walked around in a daze in a torn nightgown and flip-flops, pulling up the fabric to wipe her tears as a group of workers from the neighborhood task force followed the sound of wailing through the thick grove of banana trees and corn plants.

"We love you so dearly, yeah," one man wearing rubber gloves told her from a safe distance. "We want to take care of you. Have you been playing with your friends here?" With Mercy's mother dead, neighbors fear it is only a matter of time before she, too, shows signs of the virus, and they want to know which other children may have come into contact with her while she was fetching water.

Pewu Wolobah, a member of the neighborhood anti-Ebola task force, lamented that even as Americans try to trace all of Duncan's contacts there, the virus is spreading through Duncan's old neighborhood faster than anyone can keep track.

The aunt of the pregnant victim died on Wednesday after collapsing in her house next door to the Williams home. Her 15-year-old daughter Angela is left behind, along with the pregnant woman's three younger siblings — Ezo Williams, 16, Tete Williams, 12, and Stanley Williams, 3 — and the family dog.

Their parents left Thursday morning for an Ebola treatment center. As word spread that they, too, took a taxi, the health workers expressed alarm. "Does anybody know the taxi number or the license plate?" one man called into the crowd. "We need to find this vehicle!"

All the cases, including Duncan's, appear to have started with Williams, though some wondered how a pregnant woman who stayed at home could have contracted Ebola. Maybe it was her boyfriend, who hasn't been seen in weeks, they said. Or could it have been her close friend known as Baby D, who has since died herself?

The tragedy of Williams' death could grow larger still: Neighbors and relatives said more than 100 people came to a wake for her. No one could say for sure how many people may have touched the body. "We had a lot of people come from a great distance to sympathize with her family," said Joseph Dolo from the anti-Ebola task force. "She had a lot of friends."

Follow Krista Larson at https://www.twitter.com/klarsonafrica

Liberia To Prosecute Man Who Brought Ebola To US

Dallas County Health and Human Services Director Zachary Thompson and Christopher Perkins, D.O., M.P.H. Medical Director, Health Authority with DCHHS walk out of an apartment unit at The Ivy Apartment Complex, 

DALLAS (AP) — Liberia plans to prosecute the airline passenger who brought Ebola into the U.S., alleging that he lied on an airport questionnaire about not having any contact with an infected person, authorities said Thursday.

Thomas Eric Duncan filled out a series of questions about his health and activities before leaving on his journey to Dallas. On a Sept. 19 form obtained by The Associated Press, he answered no to all of them.

Among other questions, the form asked whether Duncan had cared for an Ebola patient or touched the body of anyone who had died in an area affected by Ebola. "We expect people to do the honorable thing," said Binyah Kesselly, chairman of the board of directors of the Liberia Airport Authority in Monrovia. The agency took the case to the Ministry of Justice, which will formally prosecute it.

Neighbors in the Liberian capital believe Duncan become infected when he helped bundle a sick pregnant neighbor into a taxi a few weeks ago and set off with her to find treatment. The case has raised questions about whether a disease that has killed 3,300 people in West Africa could spread in the United States. U.S. health officials say they remain confident they can keep it contained. Liberia is one of the three countries hit hardest in the epidemic, along with Sierra Leone and Guinea.

In Texas, health officials have reached out to about 80 people who may have had direct contact with Duncan or someone close to him in their efforts to stem the risk of the Ebola virus spreading. None of the people is showing symptoms, but health authorities have educated them about Ebola and told them to notify medical workers if they begin to feel ill, Erikka Neroes, a spokeswoman for the Dallas County Health and Human Services agency, said Thursday.

The group will be monitored to see if anyone seeks medical care during the three weeks immediately following the time of contact, Neroes said. Also Thursday, Texas health officials ordered four members of Duncan's family to stay in their Dallas home and posted law-enforcement officers outside to be sure.

Texas State Health Commissioner David Lakey said authorities took the unusual step to ensure the family could be closely monitored, including checking them for fevers over the next 21 days. Ebola symptoms can include fever, muscle pain, vomiting and bleeding, and can appear as much as three weeks after exposure to the virus. The disease is not contagious until symptoms begin. It spreads only by close contact with an infected person's bodily fluids.

The 80 people include 12 to 18 who came in direct contact with the infected man, as well as others known to have had contact with them, she said. "This is a big spider web" of people involved, Neroes said.

The initial group includes three members of the ambulance crew that took Duncan to the hospital, plus a handful of schoolchildren. Duncan arrived in Dallas on Sept. 20 to visit relatives and fell ill a few days later. His sister, Mai Wureh, identified him as the infected man in an interview with The Associated Press.

A Dallas emergency room sent Duncan home last week, even though he told a nurse that he had been in disease-ravaged West Africa. The decision by Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital to release Duncan could have put others at risk of exposure to Ebola before the man went back to the ER a couple of days later when his condition worsened.

He has been kept in isolation at the hospital since Sunday. He was listed Thursday in serious but stable condition. Duncan's neighborhood in Liberia, a collection of tin-roofed homes, has been ravaged by Ebola. So many people have fallen ill that neighbors are too frightened to comfort a 9-year-old girl who lost her mother to the disease.

The 19-year-old pregnant woman was convulsing and complaining of stomach pain, and everyone thought her problems were related to her pregnancy, in its seventh month. No ambulance would come for her, and the group that put her in a taxi never did find a hospital.

She eventually died, and in the following weeks, all the neighbors who helped have gotten sick or died, neighbors said. Meanwhile at a one-day conference in London, health officials discussed new ways to slow the lethal virus, including plans to build up to 1,000 makeshift Ebola clinics in Sierra Leone, even though the facilities will offer little or no care.

Proponents said the new clinics could be erected quickly and would get sick people away from their families and hopefully slow the infection rate.

Paye-Layleh reported from Monrovia, Liberia. Associated Press writers Nomaan Merchant and Paul J. Weber in Dallas, Emily Schmall in Fort Worth and Krista Larson in Monrovia also contributed to this report.

US Sharply Criticizes New Israeli Housing Project

President Barack Obama meets with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, Wednesday, Oct. 1, 2014.

WASHINGTON (AP) — In a striking public rebuke, the Obama administration warned Israel on Wednesday that plans for a controversial new housing project in east Jerusalem would distance Israel from "even its closest allies" and raise questions about its commitment to seeking peace with Palestinians.

The harsh criticism came just hours after President Barack Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met at the White House. Obama spokesman Josh Earnest said the president privately raised his concerns with Netanyahu though the two leaders made no mention of the matter in their public comments to reporters.

"This development will only draw condemnation from the international community," Earnest said. "It also would call into question Israel's ultimate commitment to a peaceful negotiated settlement with the Palestinians."

The new 2,500 unit project is contentious because it would complete a band of Jewish areas that separate Jerusalem from nearby Bethlehem. The U.S. has repeatedly criticized Israeli construction in east Jerusalem, casting it as damaging to efforts to secure an elusive peace accord with the Palestinians.

The White House also condemned what it called the recent occupation of residential buildings in Silwan, an Arab neighborhood in east Jerusalem where several hundred hard-line Israeli settlers have moved in recent years. Earnest called the occupation "provocative" and said it would "escalate tensions at a moment when those tensions have already been high."

Appearing before reporters earlier, Obama and Netanyahu betrayed little of the U.S. displeasure projected by the White House spokesman, as well as officials at the State Department. While the two leaders have long had a tense relationship, each took a polite and cordial tone in their brief public remarks.

Still, areas of discord were evident, most notably Obama's frustration with Palestinian civilian deaths in during the summer war in Gaza and Israel's wariness of U.S.-led nuclear negotiations with Iran.

Sitting alongside Netanyahu, Obama said leaders must "find ways to change the status quo so that both Israel citizens are safe in their own homes, and schoolchildren in their schools, from the possibility of rocket fire but also that we don't have the tragedy of Palestinian children being killed as well."

More than 2,100 Palestinians — the vast majority of them civilians — and more than 70 Israelis were killed during the 50-day war in Gaza. Officials said much of Obama and Netanyahu's private discussions centered on Iran. The U.S. and its negotiating partners — Britain, France, Germany, Russia and China — have until Nov. 24 to reach a deal with Iran on its nuclear program, and all sides say significant gaps remain.

The West suspects that Iran is secretly trying to build a nuclear weapon alongside its civilian atomic program, something that Israel sees as an existential threat. Netanyahu reiterated his skepticism that the diplomatic process will allow Tehran to keep aspects of its program intact.

"Iran seeks a deal that would lift the tough sanctions that you worked so hard to put in place and leave it as a threshold nuclear power," Netanyahu told Obama. "And I firmly hope under your leadership that would not happen."

Iran insists its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes only. As Netanyahu arrived at the White House, city officials in Jerusalem announced plans to move forward with the construction of homes in east Jerusalem's Givat Hamatos neighborhood. The announcement was circulated by an anti-settlement watchdog group, though the officials said the decision was made two weeks ago and had no connection to Netanyahu's meeting with Obama.

The Palestinians claim east Jerusalem, which was captured by Israel in 1967, as the capital of a future state. While Israel considers east Jerusalem as part of its capital, the U.S. and most of the international community consider such construction projects to be illegal settlements.

Obama and Netanyahu also discussed the U.S.-led airstrike campaign against Islamic State militants in Iraq and Syria, an effort the Israeli leader said he "fully supports." During a speech at the United Nations earlier this week, Netanyahu had sought to draw a comparison between the Islamic State group and Hamas.

Still on the agenda but with less urgency was the status of stalled efforts to forge peace between Israel and Palestinians. The peace process broke down earlier this year and there has been little sign that either side is eager to resume talks.

Instead, the Palestinians plan to ask the U.N. Security Council to set a deadline of November 2016 for an Israeli withdrawal from all Palestinian territory occupied since 1967, including east Jerusalem.

The draft resolution, obtained Wednesday by The Associated Press, would affirm the Security Council's determination to contribute to attaining a peaceful solution that ends the Israeli occupation "without delay" and fulfills the vision of two states, "an independent, sovereign, democratic, contiguous and viable state of Palestine" living side by side with Israel in peace and security in borders based on those before the 1967 Mideast War.

U.S. officials have long told their Palestinian counterparts that a negotiated solution with Israel was the only way to resolve the conflict. Netanyahu, meanwhile, has begun calling for bringing an alliance of moderate Arab states into the peace process.

Associated Press writer Josef Federman in Jerusalem contributed to this report.

Follow Julie Pace at http://twitter.com/jpaceDC

AP-GfK Poll: Top Issues In The Midterm Election

Graphic shows results of AP-GfK poll on issues of concern to likely voters; 2c x 4 inches; 96.3 mm x 101 mm;

WASHINGTON (AP) — It's October and in some places, voters are already voting. The latest Associated Press-GfK poll finds those likely to cast a ballot are focused more on the economy than other issues. But that hasn't stopped campaigns from trying to appeal on other topics as well. Here's a look at what voters think on the top issues of the election cycle.

THE ECONOMY: The nation's economic blues remain at the top of voters' list of important issues. Asked to name the nation's biggest problem, 19 percent cite the economy, significantly higher than the 12 percent who name the next highest issue on the list, terrorism and national security. Among all adults, 4 in 10 approve of President Barack Obama's handling of the issue, a figure that's held steady since late last year.

Likely voters give Republicans a narrow edge as the party more trusted to handle the economy, 36 percent to 31 percent who favor the Democrats' approach. But six years after impressions of the economy took a negative turn from which public opinion has never recovered, a sizable 22 percent say they trust neither party on the issue. Overall, 62 percent of likely voters describe the economy as "poor," about the same as at this point in 2012, but better than 2010, when 79 percent of likely voters said it was in bad shape.

HEALTH CARE: Many expected Obama's signature domestic policy initiative to become a central topic in this year's campaigns, but the voters are less interested. Though 8 in 10 call health care an important issue for them personally, when asked to name the top issue facing the country, just 5 percent of likely voters named health care.

Public opinion on the law has been stagnant since the rollout of the state insurance exchanges a year ago. Overall, 25 percent of adults say they support the health care program, 40 percent oppose it, and 34 percent are neutral. About 6 in 10 say the law itself has been more of a failure than a success, . Among likely voters, there's more support for the health care overhaul (30 percent), but also more opposition (47 percent).

Those likely voters who call health care an extremely important issue are more closely divided than others on how the law's been working, though still fall mainly on the negative side of the line: 45 percent say it's been a success while 54 percent call it a failure.

IMMIGRATION: About two-thirds of likely voters call illegal immigration a serious problem for the United States today, and 8 percent name immigration or border security as the top issue facing the nation. Only 35 percent say they approve of Obama's handling of the issue.

Voters are generally in favor of providing a legal way for illegal immigrants already in the United States to become citizens, 53 percent back that, but that support rests heavily on Democratic likely voters, 75 percent of whom favor such a policy. Among Republicans who are most apt to mail in a ballot or show up at the polls, 33 percent favor it, along with 37 percent of independent likely voters.

THE THREAT OF TERRORISM: About 8 in 10 likely voters say terrorism is a key issue for them, with Republicans more apt than Democrats to consider it important. Overall, 83 percent of Republicans say the issue is important compared with 72 percent of Democrats. Similarly, 87 percent of Republicans consider the threat posed by the Islamic State group an important issue compared with 75 percent of Democrats. And although some have raised the possibility of security-focused women as a key to the election, there is no difference by gender on the importance of the issue.

Republicans have a 16-point advantage among likely voters as the party more trusted to protect the country, 39 percent vs. 23 percent, and it's one issue where the parties haven't lost quite as much faith among the public. Just 16 percent say they trust "neither" party to keep the nation safe, the lowest share on any issue tested in the poll.

SOCIAL ISSUES: Democrats hold their strongest advantages in the poll on issues such as abortion or same-sex marriage, yet these same issues land near the bottom of voters' priority lists. Asked in an open-ended question to name the most important issue currently facing the U.S., neither issue scored even 1 percent of responses. When asked how important each issue was personally, 43 percent of likely voters ranked abortion an important one, 32 percent said that about same-sex marriage.

Female likely voters are more likely to call both issues important. On abortion, 47 percent of women consider it important compared with 38 percent of men, and on same-sex marriage, 35 percent of women say it's a key issue compared with 28 percent of men.

The AP-GfK Poll was conducted September 25-29, 2014 using KnowledgePanel, GfK's probability-based panel designed to be representative of the U.S. population. It involved online interviews with 1,845 adults, and has a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 2.5 percentage points for all respondents. Among 958 likely voters, the margin of sampling error is plus or minus 3.5 points.

Respondents were first selected randomly using phone or mail survey methods, and later interviewed online. People selected for KnowledgePanel who didn't otherwise have access to the Internet were provided with the ability to access the Internet at no cost to them.

Online:

AP-GfK Poll: http://www.ap-gfkpoll.com

Nigeria Independence Day Broadcast by Goodluck Jonathan

In this image by Julie Jacobson of Associated Press, President Goodluck Jonathan speaks during a United Nations Security Council meeting, Wednesday, September 24, 2014 at United Nations headquarters. Members of the Security Council met during which members were expected to adopt a resolution that would allow all countries to prevent the recruitment and transport of would-be foreign fighters preparing to join terrorists groups such as the Isxlamic State group.

1. Today marks the 54th anniversary of our country's independence as a sovereign nation. This is also the tenth month of our journey into a new century, having marked the centenary of our nation in January this year.

2. The first one hundred years were marked by triumphs and tribulations, benefits and burdens, opportunities and challenges. We made some far reaching advances in building a strong, united and prosperous nation. We also overcame the forces of disunity that culminated in a debilitating civil war. We have also renewed our faith in one another, and in our country. We have proven that we are truly a resilient nation.

3. In my address to the nation last year, I did emphasize that we were in a sober moment in our country. We are still in that mood in spite of the many accomplishments of our administration. Our sombreness has to do with the crises of nationhood occasioned by the activities of terrorist elements who have done the unimaginable to challenge our unity as a people.

4. On an occasion like this, it is important that we remember all the precious souls that have been lost in the unprecedented war of terror unleashed on some parts of our country by these individuals who want to compel us to live our lives their way. They will not succeed!

5. In their mission, they have maimed and raped. They have killed men, women and children, rendering many children orphans and several women widows.

6. They have made violence their ideology and are bent on destroying our country. Dear countrymen and women, we will not allow them.

7. Night after night, day after day, our security forces continue to engage the terrorists in battle. My gratitude goes out to our armed forces whose will has been greatly challenged by this insurgency more than any other time, since the civil war.

8. Yet, they have remained undaunted and unwearied in the face of constant challenge and mortal danger. Driven by patriotic zeal, they are turning the tide by their prowess and determination. As Commander-in-Chief, I will continue to do all it takes to enable them to keep on inflicting devastating blows at the heart of terror. Fellow Nigerians, it is our collective duty as patriots to avail our men and women in uniform of all the support they need to fight and win this war.

9. This Administration is committed to making Nigeria safe for all Nigerians, irrespective of our places of birth, how we worship God and our political persuasion. To all those waging war against our country, I ask that you lay down your arms and embrace peace.

10. To those who have genuine grievances, I affirm that Nigeria will listen to you, if you bring your grievances to the table of dialogue. To the good people of Nigeria, let me restate that our task of building a better and greater country must not waver.

11. While we continue to deploy our resources in the fight against the terrorists, we do recognize the great toll the conflict is taking on our people.

 12. This is why, to assist the afflicted, we have launched the Victims Support Fund, an independent multi-sectoral charity, which will aggressively solicit resources to augment Government's statutory intervention, in bringing succour to the injured, the displaced and the bereaved.

13. In partnership with Nigerian business leaders and international partners, we have also introduced the Safe Schools Initiative which is aimed at promoting safe environments for education nationwide, starting with the North East region.

14. The Presidential Initiative for the North East, a comprehensive programme to fast-track the economic restoration of this region, which has been the epicentre of terrorist activity, has been set up.

15. Our overall objective is to do all we possibly can, to sustain in the North-East, the momentum of economic advancement, which is on-going in other parts of the country, despite the machinations of the terrorists and their sponsors.

16. It should now be clear to anyone who was ever in doubt that these terrorists do not mean well for anyone, of whatever religion or dispensation. Their persistent choice of the weakest and most vulnerable in society, for gruesome attack, provides an insight into their abnormal mind-set.

17. I urge every Nigerian to put aside political, sectional or other parochial considerations, and support whole-heartedly the efforts of the government and the military, in checking this evil.

18. We are grateful to the international community, and especially our neighbours who are working closely with us in confronting this challenge, for their increased partnership and solidarity. Our steady progress in weakening the insurgency has certainly justified our cooperation.

19. Fellow Nigerians, in my independence anniversary address last year, I informed you that we had taken cognizance of the suggestion over the years by well-meaning Nigerians on the need to focus attention on rebuilding and strengthening the ligaments of our union. It was in that regard that we announced the convening of a National Dialogue on the future of our beloved country.

20. We have successfully delivered on that promise as we established the 2014 National Conference headed by Justice Legbo Kutigi. After months of deliberations, which did not come without its challenges, the conference concluded its assignment and has handed its Report to me.

21. I have made a firm commitment that we would act on the recommendations of the conference. This, I have started by setting up the Ministerial Committee headed by the Honourable Attorney General of the Federation to work out the modalities for implementing the Report. Every promise I make, God willing, I will see to its fulfilment. I assure you, we shall implement the report.

22. One major lesson which the 2014 National Conference has taught us as a country is that, a multi-ethnic country like ours, must learn to embrace painstaking dialogue until consensus is established.

23. To me, the National Conference is the greatest centenary gift to our country that we must cherish and sustain.

24. Fellow Nigerians, our 54 year-journey as a nation has not been easy. There have been tough periods, but the Nigerian spirit and the unflagging resilience of our people have seen us through. We will continue to march forward to greater heights.

25. We have been able to sustain a big, strong and influential country with a robust economy. We are currently in our sixteenth year of uninterrupted democratic rule, daily improving on the consolidation of our democratic process.

26. Our Administration has made a commitment to ensure that we build and sustain a democratic infrastructure anchored on free and fair elections. International and local observers have attested to the positive evolution of electoral credibility and we cannot afford to relent.

27. We will continue to ensure that the will of the electorate prevails so that political leaders would be reminded at all times that there is a day of reckoning when they have to go back to the people at the polls. Election days must not be days of violence and death. We must remain vigilant to ensure that our electoral process is characterised by peace, security and transparency.

28. I enjoin the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), all security agencies, politicians and the electorate to work conscientiously and peacefully, together, to consolidate on the gains of the recent elections. Free and fair elections have come to stay; nothing else will be acceptable to our people.

29. My dear countrymen and women, occasions such as this present an opportunity to thank God for our country and to report to you, on our journey so far.

30. Our power sector reform is on course with the ultimate objective of generating enough electricity to power our homes, industries and businesses. We are making giant strides in the Agricultural Sector which we are re-positioning to diversify our economy. We will continue to upgrade our infrastructure to make life easier for all and create an enabling environment for enterprise to flourish.

31. Over the last four years, the implementation of the Nigerian Content Act in the Oil and Gas Sector has ensured major increase in the participation of indigenous Oil and Gas companies in the industry. Several critical infrastructure projects have been commissioned and commenced. The level of indigenous asset ownership has greatly increased and utilisation of Nigerian-owned and built assets such as marine vessels and rigs is being progressively enforced.

32. There has been maximised local value addition by encouraging the manufacture of equipment components and parts within the country. There has also been massive growth in indigenous participation in the provision of goods and services to the upstream sector from 10% to 60% within the last four years.

33. Today, following the rebasing of our economy, every international monitoring and ratings agency now acknowledges Nigeria as the largest economy in Africa, with a Gross Domestic Product of five hundred and ten billion dollars ($510 billion) which also places us as the 26th largest economy in the world. This is progress.

34. Earlier in the year, we launched the Nigeria Industrial Revolution Plan (NIRP) and the National Enterprise Development Programme (NEDEP) with the stated objective of fast tracking inclusive growth, job creation, enterprise development and industrialisation.

35. The success of these policies is already evident in the increased value addition in the agricultural and manufacturing sectors.

36. In line with our objective of encouraging the production of made-in-Nigeria vehicles and making Nigeria a regional hub for the automobile industry, a number of foreign auto manufacturers have established plants in Nigeria, complementing the laudable efforts of our local vehicle manufacturers who have also demonstrated great innovation and competitiveness.

37. We have also launched a special support programme for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises with an initial intervention fund of two hundred and twenty billion naira (N220 b). This is in addition to the Presidential Job Creation Board which I inaugurated recently with the charge to create three million jobs annually.

38. In demonstration of our Administration's commitment to addressing Nigeria's housing deficit, we have commenced the new mortgage re-finance programme with the establishment of the Nigerian Mortgage Re-finance Company. It is expected that, in addition to creating additional housing units across the country, this initiative also represents a huge job creation opportunity.

39. We have recorded notable success in the social sector. Nigeria has been globally acknowledged for reducing extreme hunger by more than half, with the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) formally presenting the country with an award for achieving the Millennium Development Goal on Hunger three years ahead of the 2015 target date set for the Millennium Development Goals.

40. This progress is as a result of the deliberate policy of government to increase capacity in our agricultural sector of which the first step was to address and eliminate the graft in our fertilizer procurement system and ensure that the product gets directly to the farmer. We are expanding our irrigation infrastructure to ensure that our farmers have sufficient water supply for dry season farming.

41. A benefit of these combined actions is that our national food import bill has declined from 1.1 trillion naira (6.9 billion dollars) in 2009 to 684.7 billion naira (4.35 billion dollars) by December 2013, and continues to decline.

42. Modern hybrid schools are being provided for less privileged children across the country, resulting in significant increase in the national school enrolment figure

43. In order to further enhance access to education at the tertiary level, fourteen new Federal Universities have been established; and, to encourage persons of exceptional abilities, our Administration has also introduced a Presidential Scholarship Scheme based strictly on excellence and merit.

44. On infrastructure, we are building roads, bridges, and new rail lines to make it easier to traverse Nigeria and increase the integration of our people and our ability to do business with each other. In this regard, we have commenced the process of building the Second Niger Bridge. The Loko-Oweto Bridge over River Benue in Nasarawa and Benue States, will significantly reduce travel time by road between Northern and Southern Nigeria. The on-going dredging of the River Niger up to Baro in Niger State is opening up large parts of the Nigerian hinterland to maritime activity.

45. The Zungeru and Mambilla Hydro-electric power projects are on course, and the Kashimbilla dam which we started a few years ago, is nearing completion. The successful privatisation of our power sector will in the long run enhance industrial growth. Policies such as this and others have raised Nigeria to the enviable status of being the number one recipient of Foreign Direct Investment in Africa in the past year.

46. The result of this infrastructure drive is that two and a half million jobs have been created over the past two years. This is a record, which we are committed to improve upon to continue to provide jobs for our youth.

47. An unprecedented number of Airports across the country, are not only being reconstructed at the same time, but being re-equipped and reassessed with emphasis on maintaining global standards

48. Fellow Nigerians, the goals we set to achieve for our country involve expanding the frontiers of economic freedom. Let us therefore unite with one heart and one mind. All our people must have access to the good things of life. All our people must be empowered to pursue the gift of life with happiness. This is our country; we must build it for our common posterity.

49. As we move into an election year, desperate moves to overheat the polity are becoming a regular occurrence. Our political leaders in particular must know that the contest for power should not translate to the destruction of the polity.

50. The contest for the leadership of our country must yield good governance, and not ungovernable spaces. The love of country should rank higher than our individual ambitions.

51. We must remain committed to a united and indivisible Nigeria within democratic parameters. The protection of individual rights, liberty, equality before the law, freedom of thought, and a progressive pursuit of a sound economy must be our goal.

52. I cannot end this address without commenting on the deadly Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) which was sadly brought into our country recently. My directives to the Federal Ministry of Health saw the ministry leading the charge in curtailing the spread of this deadly scourge and managing its impact. This is how it should be: swift, effective and comprehensive action in defence of citizens.

53. It must be pointed out that the Ebola battle is still raging elsewhere in our sub-region. I therefore enjoin all our citizens to continue to adhere strictly to all the guidelines that have been given by our health officials to keep Ebola out of our country.

54. I appreciate and welcome the spirit of collaboration, unity and partnership with which we confronted the threat of the Ebola Virus Disease. I thank all Nigerians for working together to prevent what could have become a major epidemic. I particularly thank the medical personnel, some of whom made the ultimate sacrifice.

55. This is the spirit which we must demonstrate at all times as we face up to our challenges as a nation: one people, united by a common resolve, in the pursuit of one common national interest.

56. As we look forward to another year in our national life, I am more than confident that our tomorrow will be better than our yesterday and today. Nigeria has got the human and material resources to excel and we shall lead the way in that journey to our manifest destiny.

57. Fellow countrymen, brothers and sisters, in all our plans, and in all our words and our actions, we must stand together in love and unity, as one people under God.

58. We are one people from the womb of one Nigeria. We are brothers and sisters. We are one family. We are Nigerians.

59. God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria.