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AP answers your questions on the news, from a piracy drop-off to recovering auto bailout money

The Associated Press

9:03 AM EDT, July 10, 2009

Dramatic pirate attacks were a regular occurrence off the coast of East Africa earlier in the year. So why has piracy fallen from the headlines in recent weeks? Have the attacks suddenly become less frequent?

Curiosity about the drop-off in pirate attacks inspired one of the questions in this edition of "Ask AP," a weekly Q&A column where AP journalists respond to readers' questions about the news.

If you have your own news-related question that you'd like to see answered by an AP reporter or editor, send it to newsquestions@ap.org, with "Ask AP" in the subject line. And please include your full name and hometown so they can be published with your question.

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By going into bankruptcy, will GM and Chrysler have their government loans "forgiven," so that the American people won't get that bailout money back?

Penni Jones

Tucson, Ariz.

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It's unclear if the American people will get their money back. The Obama administration has said there is a "reasonable probability" that the government will recoup the billions of dollars in loans to General Motors and Chrysler.

GM is expected to receive about $50 billion in government loans, and Chrysler has taken in about $15.5 billion in federal aid. Under the new ownership structures, the U.S. government will own 61 percent of the new, post-bankruptcy General Motors and an 8 percent stake of Chrysler.

Ron Bloom, a top adviser on the Obama auto task force — an agency formed to manage the automakers' restructuring — told a Senate committee on June 10 there was "a reasonable probability that we can get most if not all of our money back." Bloom said the government will look to sell its holdings in the companies as soon as possible but much will depend on the strength of the financial markets.

Obama administration advisers have said they hope to get back as much taxpayer money as possible but they never envisioned recovering a significant portion of the funding provided by the Bush administration last December to keep the companies afloat — about $17 billion in total.

Ken Thomas

Associated Press Writer

Washington

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Maybe it is just me, but I have not heard of one successful or even attempted pirate attack in months. Why has this slowed down so much? Does it have to do with increased violence in their homeland?

Chuck M.

Baton Rouge, La.

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