Q: Did Home Depot or Lowe's retail stores sell any of the Chinese drywall now causing health, corrosion and insurance concerns?
A: Both home improvement stores have said their companies did not buy or sell drywall manufactured in China. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission reports that it has received about 1,501 reports from residents in 27 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico with health problems they believe are related to the corrosion of metal components in their homes resulting from Chinese drywall. Most of the homes were built in 2006 and 2007, according to the CPSC.
Q: What was the cost to the American taxpayers for the Obamas' trip to Copenhagen for Chicago's appeal to the International Olympic Committee?
A: The 14-hour trip to Copenhagen and back to the U.S. for the president, his wife and others cost an estimated $1 million or more, according to The Associated Press. That figure resulted from tallying the hourly cost for flying Air Force One, as well as for security personnel and equipment. Obama, who went to Copenhagen as part of Chicago's failed bid to host the 2016 Olympics, also conducted non-Olympics business, meeting with Army Gen. Stanley McChrystal, the U.S. commander in Afghanistan, the AP reported.
Q: What is United Nations Ambassador Susan Rice's background, education and ties to President Obama?
A: Rice served from February 2007 to November 2008 as senior adviser for national security affairs on the Obama for America Campaign. She then served on the advisory board of the Obama-Biden Transition and as co-chair of its policy working group on national security.
From 2002-2009, she was a senior fellow at the Washington, D.C.-based Brookings Institution. Rice served as the U.S. assistant secretary of state for African affairs from 1997 to 2001. From 1995-1997, she served as special assistant to President Clinton and senior director for African affairs at the National Security Council. She was director for international organizations and peacekeeping on the National Security Council staff from 1993 to 1995.
She previously worked as management consultant with McKinsey and Co. Rice, 44, received her bachelor's in history from Stanford University and her master's degree and a doctorate in international relations from New College at Oxford University, where she was a Rhodes Scholar.
Q: What are the airline regulations for passengers with personal portable oxygen?
A: Passengers may not bring a portable compressed oxygen tank on a commercial flight, unless their airline agrees to test the tank to ensure its safety 48 hours ahead of the flight, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.
Travelers can carry on board a portable oxygen concentrator approved by the FAA. The FAA says concentrators are not hazardous, unlike a portable compressed oxygen tank, because they filter nitrogen from the air and deliver oxygen in a concentrated form.
Some airlines allow passengers to provide their oxygen tank before the flight to be tested and determined whether it is safe, the FAA said. The FAA recommends checking with your airline before purchasing a ticket to see if they allow certain portable oxygen concentrators, provide oxygen to passengers (at an additional cost) or test portable tanks.
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