Inside Politics: White House pushing for new Palestinian-Israeli talks

Poor judgment and poor oversight led to the teaching of anti-Islamic material at a military school for officers, according to a Pentagon report Wednesday

An Army lieutenant colonel who taught the class has been relieved of his teaching duties.

Materials in a course for military officers at Joint Forces Staff College in Norfolk, Va., portrayed the U.S. as at war with Islam. That’s an idea counter to repeated assertions by U.S. officials that the war being fought by America is one against terrorists.

HOUSE

FDA fee bill sent to Senate for final vote

The House on Wednesday passed a major bill affecting the Food and Drug Administration that will increase inspections of drug manufacturing facilities overseas, while also funding review of new drugs at home.

Under the bill, approved by majority voice vote Wednesday, the FDA will have more flexibility to inspect sites in China, India and other countries. The number of U.S. drugs produced overseas has more than doubled in the past decade.

The underlying legislation renews an agreement under which drug companies pay the FDA to review new products. The FDA will collect $6.4 billion in fees from companies over the next five years.

POLLS

Obama has 13-point lead in new Bloomberg survey

President Obama holds a big lead over Republican rival Mitt Romney in the presidential race, a new poll shows.

Results of a Bloomberg National Poll released Wednesday showed Mr. Obama leading Romney 53 percent to 40 percent among likely voters, despite 6 in 10 respondents saying the nation is going down the wrong track. The 13-point lead for the president was far bigger than in most other recent national polls, which show a much tighter race.

Fifty-five percent of respondents said Mr. Romney is more out of touch with average Americans, compared with 36 percent who said the president is more out of touch. The survey also showed 39 percent of voters hold a favorable opinion of Mr. Romney, while 48 percent view him unfavorably.

• From wire dispatches and staff reports

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