Newser Premium News Archive Index
Newser Stories from July, 2007

Within this archive you´ll find more than 1.5 million premium articles from our content partner, Highbeam Research, dating from as far back as 1984. These pages provide a deep news history of the last three decades along with more current related Newser articles.

Premium news related to UN OKs 26K Troops for Darfur
Reuters | Jul 31, 07 6:21 PM CDT
(Newser) - The Security Council voted today to send as many as 26,000 soldiers and police to Sudan, Reuters reports. But the combined UN-African Union peacekeeping troops will have permission to use force only to defend civilians and humanitarian workers, a watering-down of proposals that would have allowed troops to seize weapons and would have included the...

Premium news related to Transplant Doc Accused of Quickening Patient's Death
Los Angeles Times | Jul 31, 07 5:56 PM CDT
(Newser) - A San Francisco surgeon is facing unprecedented felony charges of accelerating the death of a 25-year-old disabled man to harvest his organs for transplant. The doctor denies the charges that he acted without a legitimate medical purpose, the LA Times reports, but the controversy is bad news for transplant doctors nationwide.

Premium news related to Best Home Sellers' Markets
Forbes | Jul 31, 07 5:35 PM CDT
(Newser) - The housing market overall isn't good, but luckily for some, there's an exception to every rule. Forbes points you toward 10 towns where sellers can still finish with smiles on their faces. Raleigh, NC San Francisco Austin, Texas San Antonio, Texas St. Louis 

Premium news related to Mexico Calls for Eco-Friendly Border Fence
BBC | Jul 31, 07 5:14 PM CDT
(Newser) - Citing environmental concerns, Mexico is calling on the US to revise its plan to expand border fences. The current layout threatens fragile ecosystems in the Sonora Desert area and could wipe out endangered species like the Mexican black bear, a new report shows. Mexico is ready to take the US to international court if it doesn't respond, the BBC reports.

Premium news related to Let Gonzo Off the Perjury Hook
Washington Post | Jul 31, 07 4:52 PM CDT
(Newser) - Alberto Gonzales’ Senate testimony last week was a disgraceful exercise in dodging, but the perjury charge Democratic senators have been hawking ever since doesn’t hold water, says  the Washington Post ’s lefty Ruth Marcus. In an “unexpected position,” the writer defends Gonzales, saying he may have minced words...

Premium news related to Lefty Gene Found, Linked to Mental Illness
BBC | Jul 31, 07 4:35 PM CDT
(Newser) - A gene that increases the likelihood of left-handedness also boosts the risk of mental illnesses like schizophrenia, the BBC reports. Lefties’ brains often differ from righties’ in the location of controls for speech and emotions, scientists say, and the newly pinpointed gene appears to catalyze the switch.

Premium news related to Consumer Confidence Rises
Bloomberg | Jul 31, 07 4:18 PM CDT
(Newser) - Consumer spending rose more than expected this month, to its highest level in 6 years, after shoppers tightened their belts in June, Bloomberg reports. Consumer confidence jumped 7.3 points according to a Conference Board index, suggesting the slump was temporary. Economists chalk up the spending jump to low unemployment and the fact that incomes are...

Premium news related to Russian Kids Spend Summer Goose-stepping
Weekly Standard | Jul 31, 07 4:12 PM CDT
(Newser) - In a Soviet Era throwback, a new Russian youth group is said to be providing more than fun and games in its summer camp, the Weekly Standard r eports. Nashi, Russian for “Ours,” is said to be an elite indoctrination program; while Russian officials liken it to the Boy Scouts, Nashi also inspires comparisons to Hitler’s Jugend youth...

Premium news related to Ethics Bill Clears House
Washington Post | Jul 31, 07 4:10 PM CDT
(Newser) - The House passed a bill today that would impose sweeping new ethics rules and restrictions on lobbying, the Washington Post reports. The bill, which passed by an overwhelming 411-8 vote, takes particular aim at earmarks for legislators' personal projects. It also curbs campaign contributions and lobbyist wining and dining and imposes new restrictions...

Premium news related to 'GMA' Host Has Breast Cancer
ABC News | Jul 31, 07 3:56 PM CDT
(Newser) - Good Morning America' s Robin Roberts revealed she has breast cancer today and will be undergoing surgery shortly and follow-up treatment in the coming months. After filming a special about colleague Joel Siegel's battle with cancer, she told ABC News, "I went to bed, I did a self breast exam and found something that women everywhere fear: I...

Premium news related to Markets Ignore Upbeat News, Head Down
Wall Street Journal | Jul 31, 07 3:54 PM CDT
(Newser) - The Dow started was up triple digits in early trading today before plunging to close down 146.32 points at 13211.59. A report of improved consumer confidence and better-than-expected inflation data distracted traders from the ongoing credit earthquake and its tremors in the housing market, but the reentry of foundering American Home Mortgage on the...

Premium news related to The Mind Thinks More Than It Knows
New York Times | Jul 31, 07 3:46 PM CDT
(Newser) - After just handling a stranger’s coffee, people make subconscious judgments about personality, psychologists say. Asked to hold a lab assistant’s cup of hot or iced coffee, Yale students associated cold drinkers with selfish personalities, the Times reports. The experiment is part of a body of research that leads to the conclusion that...

Premium news related to Khmer Rouge Jailer First to Be Charged
BBC | Jul 31, 07 3:31 PM CDT
(Newser) - A UN tribunal has charged an ex-Khmer Rouge prison chief with crimes against humanity in the torturing and killing of as many as 17,000 people during the Cambodian genocide of the 1970s. Kang Kek Ieu, known as Duch, ordered inmates executed at the "killing fields" near Phnom Penh, the BBC reports. He is one of five suspects the tribunal...

Premium news related to Senators Pitch Regional Primary Days
The Hill | Jul 31, 07 3:15 PM CDT
(Newser) - Three senators—a Democrat, an Independent and a Republican—have proposed a radical reinvention of the now-hopelessly-congested presidential primary system. To avoid states racing to the top of the calendar, it would establish four regions, each assigned its own voting day. Drafted by Amy Klobuchar, Joe Lieberman, and Lamar Alexander, the...

Premium news related to Ethanol More Mean Than Green
Rolling Stone | Jul 31, 07 2:54 PM CDT
(Newser) - Far from the solution to America’s energy crisis, corn ethanol is “one if the great political boondoggles of our time,” Rolling Stone says in a scathing broadside. The “dangerous” and “delusional” hype over the corn biofuel raises the price of food for the needy because it puts corn to work powering SUVs....

Premium news related to SF Studies Bridge Jumpers, Ponders Barriers
San Francisco Chronicle | Jul 31, 07 2:48 PM CDT
(Newser) - After a decade of official silence about Golden Gate Bridge jumpers, San Francisco officials yesterday reversed course and released a study of  suicide statistics, the Chronicle reports.  Having seen a slight increase in suicides in recent years—three people jump each month—officials concluded that it was time to abandon the...

Premium news related to Chief Justice Checks Out of Hospital
Associated Press | Jul 31, 07 2:26 PM CDT
(Newser) - Chief Justice John Roberts left a Maine hospital today in good condition, a day after suffering a seizure of unknown cause. The 52-year-old jurist told President Bush he was doing just fine, reports the AP. He waved as he scooted out of the hospital and headed back to his vacation house on Hupper Island to finish his summer break.

Premium news related to Peppy Combo May Battle Skin Cancer
Associated Press | Jul 31, 07 1:53 PM CDT
(Newser) - A 1-2 punch of caffeine and exercise may help prevent skin cancer. Hairless mice fed caffeinated water who worked out on a running wheel showed an increase in destruction of skin cells damaged by UVB rays, the AP reports, and the secret appears to be the combination. Researchers caution, however, that sunscreen remains the best skin cancer prevention.

Premium news related to Sell Yourself: 5 DIY PR Tips
Forbes | Jul 31, 07 1:12 PM CDT
(Newser) - Most of us can't afford to hire a PR firm. Forbes offers tips for self-promoting with the best of them. Know your audience. Spend some time researching the best way to put yourself out there. Make a (useful) press kit. Not just more fodder for the recycling bin.

Premium news related to State 'Exports' Ease Prison Overcrowding —At a Cost
New York Times | Jul 31, 07 12:56 PM CDT
(Newser) - States struggling with prison overcrowding are exporting inmates across borders to serve terms in far-flung private institutions, the New York Times reports. Thousands of prisoners from Hawaii are held in Arizona, Oklahoma, Mississippi and Kentucky. California plans to send 8,000 prisoners out of state. Critics say the policy disrupts families and...

Premium news related to That's Hot: Paris to Star in Futuristic Opera
Variety | Jul 31, 07 12:26 PM CDT
(Newser) - Paris Hilton will sing in a big-screen rock opera, playing an evil mogul’s daughter in a futuristic drama about organ transplants. She beat out "at least 30 actresses" who auditioned for the role in Repo! The Genetic Opera , the director tells Variety. “Paris came in and owned it," says Darren Lynn Bousman. "She ...

Premium news related to Literati Rejoin the Fray Over Frey
Time | Jul 31, 07 12:00 PM CDT
(Newser) - More than a year after Oprah delivered her on-air dressing-down to James Frey for fictionalizing his own memoir, his publisher, Nan Talese, hasn't forgiven or forgotten.  At a literary convention in Texas last weekend, Talese called Oprah's behavior  "mean and self-serving,"  said the confrontation was "fiercely bad manners,"...

Premium news related to Indian Parents Spend It Like Beckham
Washington Post | Jul 31, 07 11:20 AM CDT
(Newser) - As the Indian economy skyrockets to new levels, so do the price tags of kids' birthday parties, the Washington Post reports. The celebrations are providing a golden opportunity for parents to showcase their little darlings—and their new prosperity. Some predict the birthday hoopla—complete with party planners, catered halls, merry-go-rounds...

Premium news related to Energy Bill Boosts Nuclear Expansion
New York Times | Jul 31, 07 10:48 AM CDT
(Newser) - The newly passed Senate energy bill contains one sentence that 's worth tens of billions of dollars to the nuclear industry. Never debated, the provision offers builders of new nuclear plants as much as $50 billion in loan guarantees over two years. That, the New York Times reports, can be expected to prompt major expansion in the industry, with...

Premium news related to Hitchens: Stop Fearing (and Coddling) Islam
Slate | Jul 31, 07 10:38 AM CDT
(Newser) - Unflappable contrarian Christopher Hitchens asks why he's accused of "insulting 1.5 billion Muslims" whenever he challenges their faith in public. Arguing that no other group takes such umbrage when its empirical beliefs are questioned, the militant secularist concludes that the appeal to Muslims' feelings has an "unmistakable note of...

Premium news related to GM’s Quarter Is Twice as Nice
Bloomberg | Jul 31, 07 10:02 AM CDT
(Newser) - General Motors scored a breakout second quarter, more than doubling earnings estimates and turning a profit of $891 million, compared to a loss of $3.4 billion a year ago, Bloomberg reports. GM made money in three out of four regions globally, and nearly broke even in the recently treacherous North American market. Shares rose 23% on the quarter.

Premium news related to Antonioni Dead at 94
Associated Press | Jul 31, 07 9:36 AM CDT
(Newser) - Michelangelo Antonioni, one of Italy’s most beloved filmmakers, died yesterday at age 94, after directing 25 films over nearly 50 years. His masterpieces of alienation, known for their nearly wordless, melancholic style, included "Red Desert" and "The Passenger." Immobilized by a stroke that left him mute, he still managed...

Premium news related to Lifting That Glass Boosts Cancer Risk
Daily Mail (UK) | Jul 31, 07 9:13 AM CDT
(Newser) - What's a bloke to do? After the reassuring news that a glass of red wine a day helps fend off heart disease, now comes a British study that one large glass—or a pint of beer—increases the risk of colon cancer by 10%. ""The research shows quite clearly that the more alcohol you drink the greater your risk of bowel cancer,"...

Premium news related to Campaign Trail Awaits Chelsea Clinton—Again
New York Times | Jul 31, 07 8:04 AM CDT
(Newser) - After nurturing a low profile for years, former First Daughter Chelsea Clinton, 27, is back in the public eye, stumping for her presidential candidate mom. During her mother's 2000 Senate campaign, she was little more than set dressing. She has reprised that role this time around but may play a more prominent part later, reports the New York Times....

Premium news related to Wanna Work for Diddy? Post an Iddy-Biddy YouTube Viddy
Reuters | Jul 31, 07 7:33 AM CDT
(Newser) - Rap music big Sean Combs, aka Diddy, needs a new assistant, and 3D wannabes need not apply. He's taking only filmed applications posted on YouTube. Diddy's video announcing the search on appeared YouTube recently and gained a clarification less than 24 hours later: Applicants must be able to read, write, and count—oh, and must have a college...

Premium news related to Fake Beckham Almost Scores on Angelenos
Los Angeles Times | Jul 31, 07 7:03 AM CDT
(Newser) - David Beckham called LA county and sheriff’s offices last week, offering to host kids’ charity events. At least the authorities thought it was the transplanted British soccer star. Instead, it was a crank caller, who made lofty claims about everything from charity work to a black Mercedes in about a dozen calls, the LA Times reports.

Premium news related to Corporate Buyers Muscle In on Private Equity Deals
Wall Street Journal | Jul 31, 07 6:40 AM CDT
(Newser) - Corporations have the upper hand over private equity firms in acquisitions for the first time in years because of chaos in the debt markets, the Wall Street Journal reports. Private equity firms are stalled until the credit situation stabilizes and they can sell off some of their debt. Corporate buyers have no such burden and can offer cash, stock...

Premium news related to Cohort: Vick Was Money Man for Dogfights
Bloomberg | Jul 31, 07 5:41 AM CDT
(Newser) - Falcons Quarterback Michael Vick financed the dogfighting ring busted on his Virginia property, his co-defendant told prosecutors yesterday. Tony Taylor entered a guilty plea for his role in Bad Newz Kennels, the organization Vick allegedly used to train and fight dogs, Bloomberg reports. Taylor's cooperation wasn't based on a specific sentencing...

Premium news related to Skipping Meds Can Be Deadly
Associated Press | Jul 31, 07 5:31 AM CDT
(Newser) - Half of all patients with chronic illnesses don't take their medication as prescribed, says a new report, undermining their health and hastening their death. Patients with illnesses like heart disease and asthma often skip doses, misunderstand prescriptions or drop medication as soon as they feel better. The result is  more doctor visits, more...

Premium news related to Funny Cide Jockey Retires
Associated Press | Jul 31, 07 5:04 AM CDT
(Newser) - Future Hall of Fame jockey Jose Santos retired yesterday, six months after breaking his back in a fall during an Aqueduct race. Santos, 46, rode Funny Cide to the winner's circle in the 2003 Kentucky Derby and Preakness. He posted 4,076 North American victories in his two-decade career, with a total purse of $186.9 million.

Premium news related to Notre Dame, U-M Will Play Until 2031
Detroit Free Press | Jul 31, 07 5:01 AM CDT
(Newser) - One of college football's greatest  battles will be fought for another quarter century: the Notre Dame Fighting Irish are slated to play the Michigan Wolverines at least once per season until 2031. A previous contract had dictated the schools, which have played each other since 1978, would cease regularly scheduled competition in 2011.

Premium news related to Exit Texas for Teixeira?
New York Times | Jul 31, 07 4:57 AM CDT
(Newser) - The Braves are close to a deal with the Rangers for slugger Mark Teixeira, who will correct a power outage at first base. The Rangers will receive a handful of prospects, including majors-ready catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia. With Brian McCann installed long-term behind the plate, the Braves could afford to lose the much-sought-after rookie.

Premium news related to FBI Raids Alaska Senator's Home
Associated Press | Jul 31, 07 4:39 AM CDT
(Newser) - FBI and IRS agents raided the vacation home of Sen. Ted Stevens of Alaska yesterday, seeking records of his relationship with a oil field contractor jailed in a corruption probe,  AP reports. The contractor profited from  tens of millions of dollars in federal contracts and also supervised the renovation of Stevens' home, more than doubling...

Premium news related to Celtics About to Punch Ticket
Sports Illustrated | Jul 31, 07 4:36 AM CDT
(Newser) - Where the Celtics failed late last month, they now seem to be succeeding in prying 12-year vet and 2004 MVP Kevin Garnett from Minnesota. Pending the trade, Boston will have the formidable trio of Garnett, new pickup Ray Allen, and franchise stalwart Paul Pierce; they should become instant contenders to rival Detroit and Boston in a hapless East.

Premium news related to Body of Second Korean Hostage Found
Reuters | Jul 31, 07 4:35 AM CDT
(Newser) - Afghan police have found the body of a second Korean hostage killed by the Taliban, Reuters reports. The man was shot in the head, and his body found in a clover field close to the spot where 23 Korean missionaries were kidnapped last week. The kidnappers have threatened to kill more hostages unless the Afghan government releases all Taliban rebel...

Premium news related to Chief Justice Is 'Fully Recovered' After Seizure
Washington Post | Jul 31, 07 4:30 AM CDT
(Newser) - Chief Justice John Roberts was  "fully recovered" yesterday evening following  a seizure at his island summer home off Maine, according to a Supreme Court spokeswoman as Roberts spent the night in a hospital for observation. Roberts had a thorough neurological evaluation that revealed no cause for concern, the Washington Post ...

Premium news related to Ex-49er Coach Bill Walsh Dies
San Francisco Chronicle | Jul 31, 07 3:04 AM CDT
(Newser) - Bill Walsh, the coach who led the San Francisco 49ers to three Super Bowl championships in the 1980s, died of leukemia yesterday at the age of 75. During his decade-long tenure, Walsh won six National Football Conference division titles, transforming a club that had won only 10 games in 1987 into a football dynasty within three years.

Premium news related to 'Caffeinated' Workout May Cut Cancer
Associated Press | Jul 30, 07 7:20 PM CDT
(Newser) - New research suggests that drinking coffee, combined with regular exercise, speeds up the killing off of cells damaged by ultraviolet-B radiation. Researchers at Rutgers University specifically examined UVB apoptosis — the programmed death of cells that become damaged by ultraviolet rays – in hairless mice. This sort of cell-suicide...

Premium news related to Ex 49-ers Coach Walsh Dies At 75
Sports Illustrated | Jul 30, 07 7:02 PM CDT
(Newser) - Bill Walsh, known as  "The Genius" in football circles for leading the San Francisco 49ers to three NFL championships, has died. He was 75. Walsh, who had been in failing health in recent months, was diagnosed with leukemia in 2004. Walsh was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1993. He leaves behind an indelible legacy...

Premium news related to Pesticide Exposure May Increase Autism Risk
Los Angeles Times | Jul 30, 07 6:05 PM CDT
(Newser) - Certain pesticides may be partially responsible for causing autism, a small study reveals. The autism rate among the children of 29 women living near California fields sprayed with organochlorine pesticides was six times higher than that in kids of women living farther away, the LA Times reports. But researchers warn the study's small scope prevents...

Premium news related to FDA Panel Votes to Keep Avandia on Shelves
Wall Street Journal | Jul 30, 07 5:38 PM CDT
(Newser) - An FDA panel said today that GlaxoSmithKline's diabetes drug Avandia should remain in drugstores, despite earlier evidence the pill ups heart failure risks. Glaxo has defended its drug, countering that the risks associated with the popular Avandia are the same as those of other diabetes drugs.

Premium news related to Md. Cops Make Grisly Find
Baltimore Sun | Jul 30, 07 5:38 PM CDT
(Newser) - Police have found the remains of three infants while searching the property of a Maryland woman charged last week with murdering her newborn baby. Two bodies were found in the Ocean City woman's bedroom and the third in a motor home in her driveway. Authorities said the bodies were not full-term and could be years old, the Baltimore Sun reports.

Premium news related to No Tired Explanation: Yawning May Cool Brain
ABC News | Jul 30, 07 5:04 PM CDT
(Newser) - Yawning may be less a response to boredom than a natural mechanism for cooling off overheated brains, new research says. The human brain operates optimally when cool, much like a computer, and conditions like fatigue actually cause the organ to heat up, ABC News reports. A quick gulp of air can offer relief to sweltering skulls.

Premium news related to Brown Sends Mixed Signals in Talks with Bush
CNN | Jul 30, 07 5:02 PM CDT
(Newser) - On his first US visit as PM, Gordon Brown today reaffirmed that the US and the UK stand together in the war on terrorism. Wrapping up 2 days of meetings with President Bush, Brown expressed disappointment with progress in Iraq, CNN reports, specifically noting difficulty "getting political reconciliation within Iraq" and the slow progress...

Premium news related to In Workplace, Haggling Widens Gender Gap
Washington Post | Jul 30, 07 5:00 PM CDT
(Newser) - Women are less likely to initiate negotiations for promotions and raises, which may help explain salary and career gaps between the genders, according to new research. "There is an economic rationale to negotiate, but you have to weigh that against social risks of negotiating,"' one researcher says. "What we show is those risks are higher...

Premium news related to Iraqi Parliament Takes a Break
Reuters | Jul 30, 07 4:45 PM CDT
(Newser) - Saying PM Nouri al-Maliki's government had given it little to work with, Iraq's parliament began a 5-week recess today, Reuters reports. The chamber normally begins its summer break in July, but with crucial legislation pending, members delayed. Squabbling between political factions then stalled laws seen as vital to mending the Sunni-Shiite fracture...

Premium news related to Lightning Strikes Same Man Twice
Guardian (UK) | Jul 30, 07 4:35 PM CDT
(Newser) - A man celebrated the 27th anniversary of being struck by lightning with a second electrocution from above—and once again lived to tell the tale, the Guardian reports. The 68 year old was hiding from a Pennsylvania storm in a shed when he and four others were shocked by lightning; he had been hit at the age of 41 while driving a tractor-trailer.

Premium news related to Chief Justice Takes a Tumble
CNN | Jul 30, 07 4:28 PM CDT
(Newser) - Chief Justice John Roberts was taken to the hospital in an ambulance this afternoon after falling at his Maine vacation home, the Supreme Court announced. A spokeswoman said he was conscious after the fall, and an EMT told NBC he was alert on the trip to the hospital. The cause of the fall and any possible injuries remain under wraps.

Premium news related to Al Gore III Pleads Guilty in Drug Bust
People | Jul 30, 07 4:22 PM CDT
(Newser) - Al Gore III pleaded guilty to four drug charges today and elected to enter a rehab program to avoid prison time, People reports. The ex-VP's 24-year-old youngest child was busted with marijuana and prescription drugs—including Vicodin, Xanax and Valium—after being pulled over in southern California for speeding in his Prius.

Premium news related to Russia Reportedly Strikes Fighter-Jet Deal With Iran
Jerusalem Post (Israel) | Jul 30, 07 4:19 PM CDT
(Newser) - Israel is investigating reports that Russia will supply Iran with $1 billion in long-range fighter jets and aerial fuel tankers, the Jerusalem Post says. Israeli officials say the pact could be a partial response to a billion-dollar US arms deal with Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states.

Premium news related to Look Out, Barbie: Here Comes Moses
BBC | Jul 30, 07 4:05 PM CDT
(Newser) - Faith-based action figures will soon compete with the latest Bratz and Transformers dolls on the shelves of a Wal-Mart near you. Tales of Glory figurines, including Samson, Jesus and Daniel (complete with the Lions’ Den), are being promoted as "God-honoring toys" in a market full of figures that "glorify evil, destruction, lying,...

Premium news related to White House Proposes $43B in Mideast Military Aid
Reuters | Jul 30, 07 3:48 PM CDT
(Newser) - More than $43 billion in US military aid is earmarked for the Middle East, Reuters reports, part of a strategy to fight terrorism and counterbalance Iran. The outlays, which require congressional approval, include $13 billion to Egypt, $30 billion to Israel, and an unspecified amount to Saudi Arabia and other Persian Gulf states, Secretary of State...

Premium news related to Dow Shocks with 92 Point Gain
Wall Street Journal | Jul 30, 07 3:44 PM CDT
(Newser) - The Dow rebuffed Wall St.'s bearish ambiance today, picking up 92.84 points to close at 13,358.31. One analyst says the weekend calmed jitters that led to a 500 point bloodletting at the end of last week, and a day without any major economic shakeups or earnings reports had brokers "looking at the numbers and realizing things aren't so bad."

Premium news related to In Virtual Graveyard, Friends, Voyeurs Gather
Associated Press | Jul 30, 07 3:36 PM CDT
(Newser) - A site that collects obituaries, often of young people, and links to their social-network profiles is gaining traction, the AP reports. MyDeathSpace.com lists more than 2,700 deaths and receives more than 100,000 hits daily. "This site does kind of let you look into the heart of darkness," one professor says.

Premium news related to Schumer Bucks Party on Wall St. Tax Hikes
New York Times | Jul 30, 07 3:07 PM CDT
(Newser) - Rejecting populist piety, Chuck Schumer is opposing legislation that would double tax rates for private equity and hedge fund executives, arguing that he’s torn over the measures but contending that they unfairly target an industry critical to his constituency. The New York Times reports the senator, the only Democrat on both committees with...

Premium news related to Corruption Shadows Iraq Rebuilding
BBC | Jul 30, 07 2:48 PM CDT
(Newser) - US auditors monitoring the rebuilding process in Iraq are battling forces they compare to "a second insurgency"—corruption and economic mismanagement. The Iraqi government is refusing to handle reconstruction projects worth billions of dollars, and US officials are now investigating more than 50 fraud cases, the BBC reports.

Premium news related to China Flood Toll Nears 700
Times (UK) | Jul 30, 07 2:35 PM CDT
(Newser) - Massive flooding, landslides, and mudflows caused by weeks of violent rainstorms have killed 652 people in China and forced 5M out of their homes. Across the country, 452,000 houses have been destroyed, and officials are forecasting continued severe rain for China's southwest, northeast, and northwest regions in the coming days.

Premium news related to Hilton Grandpa Empties Paris' Purse
Australia's News Network | Jul 30, 07 1:32 PM CDT
(Newser) - Paris Hilton's grandfather, the only family member still bankrolled by the hotel chain, has reportedly put the kibosh on her $60 million inheritance, the Daily Telegraph of Australia says. Long red-faced over his granddaughter’s antics, 79-year-old Barron Hilton was sent over the top by her recent jail sentence and decided to write her out...

Premium news related to Murdoch May Cancel Deal Without Votes
Wall Street Journal | Jul 30, 07 1:14 PM CDT
(Newser) - Rupert Murdoch's News Corp. may balk at a proposed $5B buyout of Wall Street Journal publisher Dow Jones unless more support emerges from the controlling Bancroft family, a spokesman said today. So far the family has promised about 28% of total Dow Jones votes to Murdoch's proposal, but News Corp. says it's not enough.

Premium news related to Frustrated Cities Take Gangs to Court
Associated Press | Jul 30, 07 1:00 PM CDT
(Newser) - San Francisco, Fort Worth, and other cities are suing gangs in an effort to curb violence, winning injunctions forbidding members to ride in cars together and even talk to each other on the street. Courts have struck down citywide measures after critics argued they unfairly target minorities, but injunctions against specific gangs or members have held...

Premium news related to Late-Night Icon Tom Snyder Dead at 71
Associated Press | Jul 30, 07 12:24 PM CDT
(Newser) - Talk show host Tom Snyder, known for his interviews with celebrities like John Lennon and Johnny Rotten, died yesterday after battling leukemia for 2 years, the AP reports. The man who paved the way for David Letterman and Conan O'Brien as the host of NBC's "Tomorrow Show" and gained immortality through Dan Aykroyd's dead-on "Saturday...

Premium news related to Big Biz Lobbyists Sit Out Private Equity Tax Fight
Financial Times (UK) | Jul 30, 07 11:51 AM CDT
(Newser) - Two big business lobbying groups are sitting out the fight in Congress over increasing taxes on private-equity earnings—in part, the Financial Times reports, because many of their members are threatened by the rise of private equity.  Big firms like Blackstone pay traditional banks hefty fees for the underwriting their IPOs, but they also...

Premium news related to Tobacco Used in Cancer Vaccine
USA Today | Jul 30, 07 11:21 AM CDT
(Newser) - The same researchers who developed Gardasil—the vaccine that can prevent cervical cancer—have genetically engineered tobacco plants to produce a cheaper version of the vaccine. The new drug, designed for distribution in India and other poor countries, would cost $3 for three doses, as opposed to $360 for Gardasil, reports USA Today.

Premium news related to ‘Collateral Damage’ Is an Exact Science
Salon | Jul 30, 07 10:40 AM CDT
(Newser) - Technology allows US forces to know with precision how many civilians will die in targeted bombings—and at the beginning of the Iraq war, only those attacks expected to kill more than 30 civilians required approval from Rumsfeld or Bush, Salon reports. “‘Accident’ is not the right word,” said an activist.

Premium news related to Hollywood Tries Pigeon Birth Control
Los Angeles Times | Jul 30, 07 10:05 AM CDT
(Newser) - Hollywood will try to cut its pigeon population by lacing rooftop feeders with birdie birth control. The contraceptive OvoControl P is meant to reduce the spectacular amount of pigeon poop flooding from above, the LA Times reports, and even PETA is on board. "We would much rather they use contraception than poison or anything harmful,"...