PRESS DIGEST - Washington Post - July 8

Washington July 8 (Reuters) - The Washington Post included the following items on its front page on July 8. Reuters has not verified these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy.

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BAGHDAD - Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has for the first time suggested establishing a timetable for the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq, a step that the Bush administration has long opposed.

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Presidential candidates Barack Obama and John McCain are both proposing dramatic changes to Social Security, taking on the financially fragile "third rail of American politics" that Congress and recent presidents have been unable to repair.

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Investors dumped shares of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac Monday based on worries that the two pillars of the housing market could be forced to raise $75 billion of capital, potentially confronting them with an overwhelming burden and crippling already struggling financial markets.

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Marcus Brauchli was named executive editor of The Washington Post, returning him to the top ranks of American journalism less than three months after Rupert Murdoch forced him out as the Wall Street Journal's editor.