WASHINGTON — Gen. Stanley McChrys-tal’s forced return from Afghanistan today toexplain embarrassing comments about Presi-dent Obama and his top advisers could hard-ly come at a worse time.

A spring offensive against the Taliban in southern Af-ghanistan is moving slower than expected. The prom-ised effort to retake Kandahar, the country’s second-largest city, will take longer than initially forecast. At-tacks on U.S. and coalition troopsare setting records each month,and June is on track to be one ofthe bloodiest months for Ameri-cans in the 9-year-old war.

Obama said Tuesday the gen-eral he picked in May 2009 torun the war showed “poor judg-ment” in the comments

McChrystal and top aides made in interviews withRolling Stone magazine.

During the series of interviews, McChrystal andaides ridiculed several administration officials, includ-ing Vice President Biden.

One unidentified staffer described national securityadviser Jim Jones, a former Marine Corps com-mandant, as a “clown” who was “stuck in1985,” according to the magazine. AndMcChrystal accused U.S. Ambassador to Af-ghanistan Karl Eikenberry, a former top U.S.commander there, of leaking a memo that was

skeptical of McChrystal’s troop plan in order to cover“his flank for history books.”

Most of the article featured quotes from anony-mous aides, including some who were getting drunk

in a Paris bar. Aside from hiscomments about Eikenberry,McChrystal says nothing aboutpolicy differences with thepresident.

Obama said any decisionsabout McChrystal’s future

By Pete Souza, White House, via AP

“Poor judgment”: President Obama meets Gen. Stanley McChrystal, the top commander in Afghanistan, in Copenha-gen in October. McChrystal will meet Obama today to explain comments he made about Obama and his colleagues.

Fire McChrystal? Anew test for Obama

Remarks by general, staffcomplicate Afghanistan effortBy Tom Vanden Brook, Jim Michaels and Mimi HallUSA TODAY

See COVER STORY next page u

Rolling Stone via AP Magazine: Copy of Rolling Stone story.

Coverstory

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World stageset for USAmAmericans faceAlgeria today in bidto advance to nextround. World Cupreport, 1, 3, 6C

By Martin Meissner, AP

Landon Donovan: USA has two draws.

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

cNO. 1 IN THE USA

‘Knightand Day’is wittyand wildmCruise, Diaz addto charm.eeemovie review, 1DmCentury’s newclassics, 1-2D

By Frank Masi, 20th Century Fox

Action team: Cameron Diaz, Tom Cruise.

The recession and housing slumphave ended booming growth for manycities in the Sun Belt, while some olderurban centers and places with diversi-fied economies are enjoying healthygains, Census estimates released Tues-day show.

Texas cities are emerging as thegrowth leaders, according to the July 1,2009, estimates. Four of the 10 fastest-growing — including No. 1 Frisco — and11 of the top 25 cities that have pop-ulations above 100,000 are in Texas.

Florida cities, which saw dizzyinggrowth during the housing boom, areseeing a dramatic reversal of fortune:Two of the state’s 19 large cities lostpeople from 2008 to 2009.

Cape Coral, for example, grew by al-most 50% since 2000, which put itamong the 10 fastest-growing. From2008 to 2009, however, it was theUSA’s sixth-fastest decliner, losingabout 600 people to 154,202.

“The economy is changing the econ-omy of growth, putting Texas in thelead and reducing Florida to a profilesimilar to a Northeastern state,” saysRobert Lang, urban sociologist at theUniversity of Nevada-Las Vegas.

Growth is shrinking in many SunBelt cities hit hard by the foreclosure

crisis. Phoenix gained 24,000 peoplefrom 2008 to 2009, compared with al-most 41,000 from 2005 to 2006.

Big Texas gainers include Dallas sub-urbs such as McKinney, Carrollton andLewisville; oil centers Odessa and Mid-land; and high-tech hub and state cap-ital Austin. Texas has escaped theworst of the downturn because of a di-versified economy that includes oil andhigh-tech. It is “the star of the SunBelt,” says demographer William Freyof the Brookings Institution. “Peopleare moving there for high-skilled andlow-skilled kinds of jobs.”

The estimates — the last before offi-cial 2010 Census numbers are releasedlater this year and in 2011 — capturethe fallout of the recession at its peak.

The recession has benefited largecities such as New York and Chicago, aspeople stay put rather than move out.

Other findings:uOld industrial cities in the North-

east and Midwest continue to lose peo-ple: Flint, Mich., Cleveland, Buffalo. De-troit, the 11th-most-populous city at910,920, lost every year this decade.uNew Orleans (354,850) has the

largest decline since 2000 but thefourth-largest gain from 2008 to 2009— evidence of a gradual bounce backfrom Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

SlumpstuntsSun BeltgrowthTexas cities gaindespite economyBy Haya El Nasser and Paul OverbergUSA TODAY

Source: USA TODAYanalysis of Censusdata by PaulOverberg

By Julie Snider, USA TODAY

GrowthfadesThe recessionhas stuntedthe growth ofonce-boomingSun Belt citiessuch as CapeCoral, Fla.:

Rate ofgrowthper year

2000-08

2008-09

5.3%

-0.4%

Room cleaned, sir? Want to sleep on your bedsheets afew more days, madam?

More hotels are cutting back on housekeeping services.With their business sharply reduced, hotels are looking tosave money by urging customers to forgo daily changingof linens, towels and toiletries.

The trend isn’t new, but the urgency is spreading tomore chains as the industry battles a historic downturn intravel. Hotels market their new housekeeping approachas a “green” effort, and some analysts and travelers saythe spin has merit.

“I have no issues with hotels cutting back,” says fre-quent traveler Mark Hanna, a technology industry exec-utive. “Replacing my linen on a daily basis is the height ofabsurdity. I don’t do it at home, so why do it in my hotelroom?”

Best Western asks guests to specify their choice ofhousekeeping: no service, replace towels/empty trash/quick vacuum, or full clean. Guests can check their choiceand specify the cleaning hour on a card hung on the door

knob. Since the program began late last year, about 40% ofguests chose no or limited cleaning, says Ron Pohl of BestWestern.

Some chains operated by Wyndham — Super 8, How-ard Johnson, Travelodge, Days Inn and Ramada — areadopting Wyndham Hotels’ practice of leaving linens un-changed whenever possible, says Wyndham spokes-woman Evy Apostolatos. Starting next year, all Days Innhotels will reduce bed linen and towel changes from dailyto every third day in occupied rooms.

Omni Hotels began asking customers last year whetherthey want limited housekeeping, in which bed and bathlinens are changed on request or on the third day.

Some hotels give financial incentives. The MarmaraManhattan Hotel in New York offers a $20-a-night dis-count to customers who go without housekeeping forthree days. “The green rate” applies only to those whobook at least three nights on its reservation system.

Bjorn Hanson, of New York University, says customersaren’t buying the industry’s “green” argument but aregenerally accepting modest cutbacks in housekeeping.“The long-term trend (for companies) is to look for waysto make hotels more affordable and accessible,” he says.

Not every traveler likes the trend. Says business trav-eler James Lawrence Wilson: “If I’m paying for a hotel,then I want clean sheets, clean towels and a clean roomevery day.”

Hotels give deals to do less cleaningMoney-saving housekeepingcuts marketed as ‘green’By Roger YuUSA TODAY

In Gulf of Mexico; AP

Judge blocks6-month banon drillingmDeep-watermoratorium calledpunitive in federalcourt ruling, 1B

Haley winsGOP nod forS.C. governormVictor in toughvote; Rep. Inglis is5th incumbent tofall in primary, 5A

White House eyeing budget candidatesAdministration says it’s weighing “a number of

very talented” people to replace exiting Orszag. 2A.

Headway made in Arizona wildfiresFirefighters in Flagstaff area manage to secure

part of 22-square-mile blaze closest to homes. 3A.

mMoney: Radar up for Gulf fraudstersGovernment has suspended trading in two com-

panies claiming roles in oil spill cleanup. 1B.uDow dips 149 points on shaky home sales. 4B.

mSports: Stars shine at WimbledonTop seed Serena Williams, 2004 champ Sharapo-

va, French Open winner Nadal log victories. 1, 10C.uTop center prospects in NBA draft. 7C.

mLife: Superman goes grass-rootsDC Comics is asking readers to campaign for their

towns to appear in story line launching in July. 1D.

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The president vs. the general

Population in 75 large citiesm2000-09 rankings, shifts, 8A

mNHL: 2010-11 team schedules, 9C

Apple

Apple makesthe right callon iPhone 4mBuyers willlike smartphoneupgrade.eee¾review, 1-2B

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