60th Anniversary of the Berlin Airlift
On the eve of the 60th anniversary of the historic, American-led initiative to supply the besieged German capital we will take a look at the Berlin Airlift. On June 26, 1948, in response to the Soviet blockade, C-47s began landing millions of tons of food and other supplies in an operation centered at Tempelhof. At its peak, the airlift landed planes every 90 seconds in West Berlin, along the way dropping handkerchief parachutes of chocolate and raisin into the arms of children. The planes became known as Candy Bombers.

ELECTIONS 2008: Connecting Past and Present
As the hard-fought Democratic primary race nears the finish line we will connect the past with the present. Please take a look at the evolution of the Democratic Party, Alexis de Tocqueville's analysis of Democracy in America and a comparison of Democratic frontrunner Barack Obama with Robert F. Kennedy. unning for election to federal office in the United States requires candidates to raise enormous sums of money to finance their campaigns, and the raising and spending of that money is highly regulated by the U.S. government.

1968: A Year of Social and Political Turmoil
The 1960s reached an apex in 1968. This single year was a flashpoint for many of the social, political, and cultural transformations for which the overall decade of the 1960s is known. The tension that had been increasingly brewing over the previous years finally came to a head, exploding across 365 days of violence, uprising, and mourning. Robert Kennedy and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. were assassinated, riots broke out at the Democratic National Convention, and the media coverage of the Tet Offensive exposed the gruesome underbelly of the Vietnam War. Together, these events signaled the powerful cultural, economic, and social changes that still reverberate today.

RFK - Robert F. Kennedy
The tensions and transformations of 1968 set the stage for one of the most dramatic presidential races in U.S. history. For many Americans who lived through the turbulent 1960s, Robert F. Kennedy's presidential campaign remains the great "what if." On June 5, 1968, U.S. presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy was shot at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles, CA by Sirhan Sirhan. Kennedy died from his injuries the next day.

This Month
President George W. Bush's Visit to Germany
The President and Mrs. Bush will travel to Europe from June 9 to June 16, 2008, to strengthen the trans-Atlantic partnership and to celebrate the enduring friendship between our nations based on shared democratic values. The President and Mrs. Bush's visit will also commemorate the 60th anniversary of the Marshall Plan and the Berlin Airlift, underscoring the historic and continuing U.S. role in supporting a Europe increasingly whole, free, and at peace.

In Focus
Food Crisis - Food Prices
The U.S. is the world’s largest food aid donor and has acted quickly to address the rise in global food prices. The U.S. is on track to provide nearly $5 billion to fight global hunger in 2008 and 2009. From 2001-2006 approximately 50 percent of total world food aid came from the U.S. Food security is an international issue requiring an international response. The United States is coordinating closely with the United Nations, the G8, the World Bank, and other international partners.