Newser Premium News Archive Index
Newser Stories from July, 2009

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 Funny People Puts Serious Pressure on Sandler
Variety | Jul 31, 09 2:22 PM CDT
(Newser) - Though it’s called Funny People , Adam Sandler’s latest film is a bit more serious than his fans are used to—and its opening-weekend performance is a mystery, Variety reports. Forecasts range from just over $20 million to more like $35 million, Audiences loved director Judd Apatow’s prior efforts—which were more upbeat...

Premium news related to Google Voice Worth More Than Beloved iPhone
TechCrunch | Jul 31, 09 2:10 PM CDT
(Newser) - Apple and AT&T rejected the Google Voice app for the iPhone, driving TechCrunch founder Michael Arrington to drop the mobile device entirely. Why are Apple and its carrier blocking an innovative program that has amazing call-forwarding features and transcribes voicemail into text? “Because they absolutely don’t want people doing exactly...

Premium news related to GOP Needs Its Brains Back
Atlanta Journal-Constitution | Jul 31, 09 1:57 PM CDT
(Newser) - Republican sycophants may think Sarah Palin’s resignation was brilliant, “but don’t kid yourself,” writes Robert Eisinger in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution . “The GOP is in trouble.” The party has lost its intellectual coherence, and if it wants it back, it’s got to look beyond the Palins and Mark Sanfords...

Premium news related to 'Swine Flu Ship' Docks In France
BBC | Jul 31, 09 1:45 PM CDT
(Newser) - A cruise ship carrying 60 crew members diagnosed with swine flu and 70 more showing symptoms has docked in southern France, the BBC reports. The infected will receive onboard treatment in Villefranche-sur-Mer. French officials say Spanish authorities confirmed the diagnosis, but Royal Caribbean, which owns the Voyager of the Seas , denied that report....

Premium news related to Italy OKs RU-486; Vatican Threatens Excommunications
ANSA (Italy) | Jul 31, 09 1:37 PM CDT
(Newser) - Italy has legalized the abortion drug RU-486, drawing the ire of the Vatican, which threatened to excommunicate doctors who prescribe the medication and women who take it. A church official said using the pill is "a sin in a moral and juridical sense," but a politician who is also a gynecologist hailed yesterday's decision, telling ANSA,...

Premium news related to Texas Education Chief: Stop Hiring Dropouts
Dallas Morning News | Jul 31, 09 1:30 PM CDT
(Newser) - Texas Education Commissioner Robert Scott, reeling from criticism that the state is underreporting its dropout rates, called yesterday on the state’s leading business group to institute a voluntary ban on hiring dropouts, the Dallas Morning News reports. “It would send a powerful message to these kids,” Scott argued, and it would...

Premium news related to Plastic Surgery May Cure Migraines
Time | Jul 31, 09 1:22 PM CDT
(Newser) - A novel plastic-surgery procedure on the forehead could cure migraines entirely, Time reports. The surgery removes certain muscles—or “migraine triggers”—around the trigeminal nerve branches, which some think are the source of the painful headaches; it also smoothes wrinkles. In a recent study, more than half of 49 migraine...

Premium news related to This Is Your Best Shot to Finish a Pynchon Novel
Salon | Jul 31, 09 1:10 PM CDT
(Newser) - Thomas Pynchon's back with what appears to be his most accessible novel yet, in the unlikely category of detective fiction. Critics reviewing Inherent Vice say he pulled it off: Laura Miller, Salon: It's "a sun-struck, pot-addled shaggy dog story that fuses the sulky skepticism of Raymond Chandler with the good-natured scrappiness of...

Premium news related to Top Obama Birthday Gifts
Politico | Jul 31, 09 1:00 PM CDT
(Newser) - President Obama’s birthday is right around the corner—no matter where Lou Dobbs thinks he was born—but what do you get the leader of the free world? Politico asked various Washingtonians their thoughts for Tuesday's big occasion. Some notable responses: Joe Biden: “It’s a surprise!” Rep. Jason Chaffetz...

Premium news related to New GI Bill Gives Veterans Better Shot at College
Houston Chronicle | Jul 31, 09 12:48 PM CDT
(Newser) - The new GI Bill, called the biggest veterans’ educational benefit program since 1944, takes effect tomorrow—and it’s poised to make a big difference, the Houston Chronicle reports. Some 90% of vets will receive two to three times more help paying for college, says one advocate. “This type of investment is going to build the...

Premium news related to Dolphin Doc The Cove a Real Thrill
Rotten Tomatoes | Jul 31, 09 12:37 PM CDT
(Newser) - Critics are raving about The Cove , a documentary about a Japanese town whose economy rests on capturing and killing dolphins for the worldwide market: It’s “an exceptionally well-made documentary that unfolds like a spy thriller, complete with bugged hotel rooms, clandestine derring-do and mysterious men in gray flannel suits,”...

Premium news related to Costs Soar as Docs Order and Perform Tests
Washington Post | Jul 31, 09 12:25 PM CDT
(Newser) - As Congress wrestles with health-care reform, studies show it’s tough to regulate the status quo: Doctors’ “self-referrals” for medical imaging have continued despite efforts to legislate against them, the Washington Post reports. Doctors who own the equipment that scans patients stand to make more cash—and tend to order...

Premium news related to Pentagon Weighs Ban on Facebook, Twitter
Military Times | Jul 31, 09 12:16 PM CDT
(Newser) - The US military is considering restrictions on access to social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter, citing privacy and security concerns, the Military Times reports. “Sometimes people, because of the nature of these sites, can have a tendency to get lax in what they put on there,” a Pentagon spokesman says. On the table are everything...

Premium news related to Scientists Upgrade Century-Old X-Ray Tech
Economist | Jul 31, 09 12:06 PM CDT
(Newser) - A team of University of North Carolina scientists are working to bring X-ray technology into the 21st century, the Economist reports. The X-ray machines commonly used today rely on vacuum-tube technology little changed from a century ago, but physicist Otto Zhou and his colleagues have used nanotechnology to create smaller, far more efficient machines...

Premium news related to Dodd Has Prostate Cancer
Hartford Courant (Conn.) | Jul 31, 09 11:55 AM CDT
(Newser) - Senator Chris Dodd has been diagnosed with prostate cancer, the Hartford Courant reports, but the disease is in its early stages, and Dodd doesn’t think it will sideline him long. He’ll undergo surgery during the August recess, and expects to return after a “brief recuperation,” the 65-year-old said. “It’s something...

Premium news related to Palin's Silence Drives Fans Crazy
Associated Press | Jul 31, 09 11:48 AM CDT
(Newser) - It’s been five entire days since Sarah Palin ceased being an elected official, and her fans are restless, the AP reports. “Sarah can you give us just a hint!” pleaded one Facebook follower. Said another: “Sarah, our country really NEEDS YOU NOW!!!” Palin promised to launch her next chapter on social networking sites, but...

Premium news related to Ghostface on New Album: No 'Slinging Crack' in R&B
New York | Jul 31, 09 11:42 AM CDT
(Newser) - Ghostface Killah is one of today’s most critically acclaimed rappers, and he doesn’t plan on quitting any time soon: “I’ma definitely be old in hip-hop. This is a mental thing. You can write music till you 70,” he tells New York . His new album, Wizard of Poetry , finds him exploring a new direction: R&B. The main...

Premium news related to Miami Cops Hunt Horse Killers
Associated Press | Jul 31, 09 11:30 AM CDT
(Newser) - Miami police have a mystery on their hands. Someone, or a group of people, is slaughtering horses and making off with the meat, the AP reports. Since January, 17 horses have been found dead, their butchered bodies generally left by the roadside or in pastures. Animal rights groups believe the killers are selling the meat on the black market.

Premium news related to Hollywood Focuses on Post-Apocalyptic Future
Wall Street Journal | Jul 31, 09 11:16 AM CDT
(Newser) - In one, the Earth's destruction fulfills an ancient prophesy. In another, mechanical dolls take over where humans left off. From serious to humorous, reality shows to documentaries, Hollywood is obsessed with the theme of a post-apocalyptic future, the Wall Street Journal reports. Some attribute the trend to escapism: “People are less concerned...

Premium news related to 'Cash For Clunkers' Safe: White House
New York Times | Jul 31, 09 11:03 AM CDT
(Newser) - The rumors of the “cash for clunkers” deal’s demise have been greatly exaggerated, the White House said today, promising that the trade-in program will continue even after consumers have used up its allotted $1 billion. “If you were planning on going to buy a car this weekend using this program, the program continues to run,”...

Premium news related to Beneath the Growl, Michael Savage Is a Softie
New Yorker | Jul 31, 09 10:57 AM CDT
(Newser) - Michael Savage is on a roll: First the Brits take him off the "hate promoters" list that had him banned from the country, and now Kelefa Sanneh has an affectionate profile of the heretical conservative shock jock in the New Yorker . The toxic soundbites that emerge from Savage's show, and even his own stridently polemical books, don't do...

Premium news related to Town Halls Turn to Mayhem for Lawmakers
Politico | Jul 31, 09 10:51 AM CDT
(Newser) - Members of Congress are increasingly seeing town-hall meetings turn to bedlam, with people yelling and protesters being pulled out by police, Politico reports. A New York representative who’d hosted more than 100 such meetings has called it quits after a chaotic scene last month that necessitated his departure with a police escort. “There...

Premium news related to Anderson to Bachelorette : How Much Sex?
Gawker | Jul 31, 09 10:40 AM CDT
(Newser) - Anderson Cooper got a little personal yesterday when, as Regis Philbin’s stand-in, he asked Bachelorette Jillian Harris how many of the bachelors on her reality show she slept with. But he was only asking “the question everybody wants to know,” said Erica Hill when he recapped the moment with her last night on his CNN show,...

Premium news related to Why the Kindle Stinks
New Yorker | Jul 31, 09 10:34 AM CDT
(Newser) - Nicholson Baker wanted to like the Kindle, honest. But when he unwrapped it and began to see what all the fuss was about, he "tussled with a sense of anti-climax," the prolific author writes in the New Yorker . Things never improved. He slams the e-reader for having a "greenish, sickly gray" screen, cruddy images, and limited selection...

Premium news related to Career-Switchers Flock to Teacher-Training Programs
Washington Post | Jul 31, 09 10:25 AM CDT
(Newser) - With unemployment soaring, interest is booming in teacher-training programs for people switching careers, the Washington Post reports. This year, a 20-city retraining program saw applications climb 30%; in many areas there’s more interest than jobs available, outside of science, math, and physical education. The surge could help avert likely...

Premium news related to Shuttle Returns to Earth
Associated Press | Jul 31, 09 10:14 AM CDT
(Newser) - Space shuttle Endeavour and its seven astronauts are back on Earth. Endeavour landed at Florida's Kennedy Space Center this morning after a 16-day mission that saw the crew complete its major construction goals at the International Space Station. Japanese astronaut Koichi Wakata, back after 4½ months in space, says he can't wait to eat some...

Premium news related to Dethroned Miss Cali to Sue
PerezHilton.com | Jul 31, 09 10:08 AM CDT
(Newser) - The Miss California drama isn’t over yet: dethroned Carrie Prejean is filing a lawsuit against the organization, reports Perez Hilton, who snagged a copy of the complaint. Prejean names Keith Lewis and Shanna Moakler, but not Donald Trump, as defendants in her suit for—among other things—slander, libel, and religious discrimination....

Premium news related to Maher: Birthers Stupid, But Dangerous
Los Angeles Times | Jul 31, 09 9:56 AM CDT
(Newser) - Lately, liberals have “been laughing heartily at the wacky antics of ‘birthers,’” the goofballs who think “President Obama is an African sleeper spy,” writes Bill Maher in the Los Angeles Times . But we need to stop laughing, because this is America, “where if you don’t immediately kill errant nonsense...

Premium news related to Health Industry Rains Cash on Blue Dog Dems
Washington Post | Jul 31, 09 9:43 AM CDT
(Newser) - The Blue Dogs—the 52 fiscally conservative Democrats who have been fighting to kill health care reform proposals the industry doesn’t like—receive far more money from that industry than their non-coalition-member counterparts, the Washington Post reports. The reform push has been a boon for the lawmakers' ledgers; the group has...

Premium news related to 29 Killed in Baghdad Mosque Bombings
Associated Press | Jul 31, 09 9:31 AM CDT
(Newser) - Bombs exploded near five Shiite mosques in Baghdad today, killing at least 29 people, according to Iraqi police and hospital officials. The bombings, apparently part of a coordinated attack that targeted worshipers leaving Friday prayers, shattered a period of relative calm in the Iraqi capital. The deaths raised to at least 303 the number of Iraqis...

Premium news related to Lighten Up on Presidential Gaffes
Washington Post | Jul 31, 09 9:12 AM CDT
(Newser) - Saying the Cambridge police acted "stupidly" wasn't Barack Obama's first or even worst gaffe; as president-elect he mused about Nancy Reagan séances, and he still hasn't lived down his awful joke on Jay Leno. But gaffes are okay, writes Michael Kinsley in the Washington Post —we want a president who speaks honestly, even if...

Premium news related to Add Rogen, Apatow to List of Heigl Haters
Los Angeles Times | Jul 31, 09 9:00 AM CDT
(Newser) - Critics hate Katherine Heigl’s new movie and Internet commenters hate her attitude—and it turns out her colleagues aren’t too happy with her either, the Los Angeles Times reports. Heigl’s Knocked Up director and co-star are still pissed she implied the film was sexist back in 2007, and they took the opportunity to slam her...

Premium news related to Silicon Valley Unemployed Turn From Tech
Wall Street Journal | Jul 31, 09 8:45 AM CDT
(Newser) - After holding its own against the economic tide, the tech industry is hurting—and many jobless in Silicon Valley are heading to other sectors, the Wall Street Journal reports. One group that helps job-seekers grew to capacity this year, from 180 to 225 members, with 450 on the waiting list; some 80% of members worked in tech, and a third of...

Premium news related to US Frontier Mythology Is Alive and Dangerous
Guardian (UK) | Jul 31, 09 8:33 AM CDT
(Newser) - Sarah Palin took to the national stage in August 2008, and two weeks later Lehman Brothers collapsed. That's a helpful metaphor, writes Naomi Klein in the Guardian , who sees the former Alaska governor as "the last clear expression of capitalism-as-usual before everything went south." The financial crisis should have voided Palin's belief...

Premium news related to Krugman, Noonan Agree: Just Build on Medicare
New York Times | Jul 31, 09 8:25 AM CDT
(Newser) - Everyone's suddenly allergic to letting the government into health care, but Paul Krugman has news: The government is already knee-deep in health care, he writes in the New York Times . It's called Medicare, and without it almost no one over 65 would be covered. You can also thank tax subsidies and government mandates for the fact that your employer-provided...

Premium news related to Obama's Sister Moving to DC
New York Times | Jul 31, 09 8:10 AM CDT
(Newser) - Barack Obama's half-sister Maya Soetoro-Ng is moving with her family from Hawaii to Washington for the next several months, reports the New York Times . Soetoro-Ng, the daughter of Obama's mother Stanley Ann Dunham and an Indonesian father, has quit her job as a high school teacher to write a book. Her stay in DC will mark the first time brother...

Premium news related to GDP Slows Descent, Falls Just 1%
Bloomberg | Jul 31, 09 8:00 AM CDT
(Newser) - The US economy contracted in the second quarter, but it was a mild decline that beat analyst estimates, Bloomberg reports. GDP fell 1%, less than the 1.5% economists predicted, and a heck of a lot less than the 6.4% and 5.4% drops seen in the two previous quarters. “We’re well on our way to a recovery,” says one economist. “But,...

Premium news related to Roseanne Poses as Hitler: Cue Controversy
Heeb | Jul 31, 09 7:55 AM CDT
(Newser) - Roseanne Barr, always good for a controversy, recently dressed up as a “Nazi domestic goddess” for Jewish magazine Heeb , causing quite a flap. “Yes, the story of this infamous satirist/Jewish grandmother pulling a tray of burnt ‘Jew cookies’ out of an oven has been making its way around the Internet,” writes publisher...

Premium news related to Brit Big Brother Contestant Slashes Wrists
Guardian (UK) | Jul 31, 09 7:45 AM CDT
(Newser) - A contestant on the British edition of Big Brother slit his wrists after he was voted off the show, reports the Guardian . Sree Dasari, still being treated in the hospital, was an unpopular character; he faced mockery after flirting with another housemate who wasn't attracted to him, and when he left the house he was booed. The incident has reignited...

Premium news related to Apatow's Funny People : Insightful, Smug, Too Long
Rolling Stone | Jul 31, 09 7:40 AM CDT
(Newser) - Judd Apatow doesn't dispense entirely with his raunchy humor in Funny People , but his venture into more serious themes meets mixed success with critics. Most, however, love Adam Sandler as a gravely ill comedian confronting the emptiness of his life. Peter Travers, Rolling Stone : "Apatow scores by crafting the film equivalent of a stand-up...

Premium news related to Upbeat Earnings Have CEOs Singing Rebound
Wall Street Journal | Jul 31, 09 7:20 AM CDT
(Newser) - CEOs and investors have springs in their steps. After a week full of positive earnings reports, many now believe worst is over, the Wall Street Journal reports. Yesterday saw a slew of reports that matched or beat estimates, including Motorola, Goodyear, Sony, and Kellogg Co. The economy “has found bottom,” says Dow Chemical’s CEO,...

Premium news related to British MS Victim Wins Key Right-to-Die Ruling
Guardian (UK) | Jul 31, 09 7:12 AM CDT
(Newser) - A British woman has won her legal battle to force the government to clarify its law on assisted suicide, the Guardian reports. Multiple sclerosis sufferer Debbie Purdy, whose health is deteriorating, wants to travel to a Swiss euthanasia clinic to die when her condition becomes unbearable. Britain's highest court agreed that the government needs...

Premium news related to Cops Seeking Tab Dirt in Parker Birth Busted
E! Online | Jul 31, 09 6:48 AM CDT
(Newser) - A pair of Ohio police chiefs have been arrested for allegedly breaking into the home of Sarah Jessica Parker's surrogate mother to hunt for tabloid fodder they could sell for profit, AP reports. The woman gave birth to Parker and Matthew Broderick's twin girls last month. Local officials confirmed that the men were arrested, but declined to name the...

Premium news related to 'Makeovers' Spell Doom for Oceans' Ugliest Fish
Washington Post | Jul 31, 09 6:32 AM CDT
(Newser) - Don't like the sound of slimefish fillets? How about some orange roughy instead? Efforts to "rebrand" ugly, unpopular types of fish to make them more palatable to consumers have been successful— too successful, the Washington Post reports. Many species once considered "trash fish" have become dangerously depleted as...

Premium news related to Tiger Flees Magic Act for Vegas Streets
Associated Press | Jul 31, 09 6:13 AM CDT
(Newser) - An escaped tiger ended up roaming the streets of Las Vegas after pulling a disappearing act from its magician owners, AP reports. Police, who heard reports from residents about a wandering tiger, say they recaptured the tame animal without incident after it was found in a back yard. The animal is believed to belong to the Fernando Brothers magic act....

Premium news related to Suu Kyi Verdict Delayed, but Rumors Fly
Times (UK) | Jul 31, 09 5:55 AM CDT
(Newser) - The Burmese court trying Aung San Suu Kyi has postponed its verdict for two weeks, surprising her supporters and foreign observers who expected a finding of guilt today. Although the court said it needed more time to decide the case, one diplomat told the Times of London that the junta may be "trying to deflate the foreign reaction." Another...

Premium news related to Dobbs' Ratings Plummet After Birther Talk
New York Observer | Jul 31, 09 5:17 AM CDT
(Newser) - Even Bill O'Reilly thinks that Lou Dobbs' continuing sympathy with the birther movement questioning President Obama's birth certificate is just a ploy "to get ratings, trying to be provocative." But if Dobbs is pushing conspiracy theories to bump up viewership, it isn't working, reports the New York Observer . Over the past two weeks Dobbs'...

Premium news related to Gates: 'Thank God' for Cops
The Root | Jul 31, 09 4:57 AM CDT
(Newser) - The beer meeting at the White House has come and gone, but Henry Louis Gates offers a postscript: "I thank God that I live in a country in which police officers put their lives at risk to protect us every day," he writes in the Root , where he is editor in chief. The Harvard professor also thanks President Obama for bringing him and Sgt....

Premium news related to Ho-Ho-Hold on a Minute, Xmas in July?
Wall Street Journal | Jul 31, 09 4:38 AM CDT
(Newser) - It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas in malls across the country as stores angle for some extremely early holiday dollars, the Wall Street Journal reports. Retailers like Toys'R'US, Sears and Kmart have dragged Santa away from his summer break and launched July Christmas promotions, hoping to boost sales with a touch of festive spirit and...

Premium news related to Kudrow: Making Friends Was Hell
Daily Telegraph (UK) | Jul 31, 09 4:11 AM CDT
(Newser) - Funny, goofy Lisa Kudrow lived through hell making friends—back in high school. "I used to cry every night," she tells the Telegraph . "With high school, for many people, it’s just a case of trying to keep breathing and getting through it." The former Friends star reminisced about the bad old days as she talked...

Premium news related to Brit Kidnappings Linked to Iraqi Officials
Guardian (UK) | Jul 31, 09 3:52 AM CDT
(Newser) - The kidnapping of five British men in Baghdad two years ago appears to have been masterminded by Iraqi officials instead of insurgents, a Guardian investigation finds. Technology specialist Peter Moore and his bodyguards were seized from Iraq's Finance Ministry by 40 men in police uniforms. Interviews with Iraqi and British sources reveal that the...

Premium news related to Discovery's Shark Week Back With a Bite
USA Today | Jul 31, 09 3:26 AM CDT
(Newser) - Just when you thought it was safe to go back to the Discovery Channel, Shark Week is back. The channel's wildly popular annual look at the predators returns next week with six new documentaries, including a look at the deadly 1916 shark attacks off New Jersey that inspired Jaws . Channel execs say they're trying to mix entertainment with a serious...

Premium news related to Leibovitz Sued Over $24M Loan
Daily Telegraph (UK) | Jul 31, 09 2:34 AM CDT
(Newser) - A financial firm is suing Vanity Fair photographer Annie Leibovitz for failing to cooperate to repay a $24 million loan, reports the Telegraph . Leibovitz last year put up her photographs and two homes as collateral for the money to pay off debts. But now Art Capital Group said the 59-year-old photographer is engaging in "boldly deceptive"...

Premium news related to Jackson Autopsy Results Delayed Indefinitely
Los Angeles Times | Jul 31, 09 2:11 AM CDT
(Newser) - The Los Angeles County coroner's office has delayed the release of Michael Jackson's autopsy results indefinitely after meeting with police investigators, the Los Angeles Times reports. Officials, who earlier said that the results would probably be out next week, now say they have no idea when they will be made public. The results are expected to...

Premium news related to Pope Plans Christmas Album
Guardian (UK) | Jul 31, 09 1:45 AM CDT
(Newser) - Pope Benedict XVI has joined Guns n' Roses and Snoop Dogg on Geffen  records' roster of artists and plans to have an album out in time for Christmas, the Guardian reports. The pontiff won't be crooning holiday standards, however. The album will feature Benedict singing a prayer and reciting litanies in several languages, accompanied by some...

Premium news related to Houses Passes Sweeping Food Safety Bill
Washington Post | Jul 31, 09 1:20 AM CDT
(Newser) - The FDA would gain broad new powers to oversee food safety under a far-reaching bill passed by the House yesterday, the Washington Post reports. The measure—representing the first major changes to food safety laws since the 1930s—would give the agency vastly increased oversight of the nation's food chain from field to store, and would...

Premium news related to David: Seinfeld Reunion Will Be Big Part of Curb
Star-Ledger | Jul 30, 09 9:01 PM CDT
(Newser) - So what are Kramer, George, Jerry, and Elaine up to 11 years after Seinfeld went off the air? Larry David says fans can get an idea of how the characters turned out on the seventh season of his Curb Your Enthusiasm on HBO, reports the Star-Ledger . He shed more details today on the season's main storyline, which will revolve around a show-within-a-show...

Premium news related to Lawmakers Pushing to Extend Stimulus Tax Breaks
The Hill | Jul 30, 09 8:20 PM CDT
(Newser) - It's like a second, mini-stimulus. Lawmakers from both parties are pushing to extend the life of various tax breaks and benefits included in the original $787 billion stimulus package, the Hill reports. All told, the wish list adds up to about $88 billion. The biggest chunk of that would be $65 billion to extend unemployment and health benefits due...

Premium news related to Beer Summit Is Ho-Hum; Gates, Crowley to Talk Again
Boston Globe | Jul 30, 09 7:26 PM CDT
(Newser) - Turns out the president was right: the beer summit was pretty boring. In fact, it wasn't even the first time Skip Gates and Officer Crowley had gotten together after the arrest. "Even before we sat down for the beer, I learned that the two gentlemen spent some time together listening to one another, which is a testament to them," said Obama...

Premium news related to US Suspending Cash for Clunkers: It's Too Popular
Associated Press | Jul 30, 09 6:45 PM CDT
(Newser) - The government plans to suspend its popular "cash for clunkers" program amid concerns it could quickly use up the $1 billion in rebates for new car purchases. The Transportation Department called lawmakers' offices to alert them to the decision to suspend the program at midnight Friday. The program offers owners of old cars and trucks $3,500...

Premium news related to Jon and Kate Returning, Without Their Couch
Los Angeles Times | Jul 30, 09 6:16 PM CDT
(Newser) - They're back. Jon and Kate Gosselin's reality show—on hiatus since they stopped being Jon and Kate—will return to TLC Monday night, reports the Los Angeles Times . Loyal viewers will note one obvious change: gone is the couch they sat on together to describe the perils of raising eight kids. Now they'll sit in separate chairs. The show...

Premium news related to White House Invites CEOs for Lunch—Then Bills Them
Politico | Jul 30, 09 5:38 PM CDT
(Newser) - Four top CEOs who sat down to lunch with President Obama at the White House have an unusual memento: the bill for their meals. White House staffers collected the credit card numbers of the executives from Coke, Xerox, AT&T, and Honeywell so they could pay up afterward, Politico reports. The White House says it wanted to avoid any conflicts of interest...

Premium news related to It's Beer Time at White House
ABC News | Jul 30, 09 5:02 PM CDT
(Newser) - It's happy hour at the White House. President Obama, Joe Biden, Henry Louis Gates Jr., and James Crowley are clinking beer glasses in the White House Rose Garden, but alas, the media isn't invited to listen in. Earlier, the president sought to tamp down expectations, noting that he's "fascinated with the fascination with this evening." (CNN...

Premium news related to Wright's 'Temple on the Hill' for Sale in LA
NPR | Jul 30, 09 4:29 PM CDT
(Newser) - A fixer-upper is on the market in Los Angeles, but it will still set you back $15 million. Frank Lloyd Wright's Ennis House, which he built in 1924 and nicknamed the "temple on the hill," is for sale, reports NPR. The architectural gem boasts magnificent views of the city and an impressive Hollywood resume, with guest spots in movies such...

Premium news related to Boxer Gatti's Death Suicide, Wife Off Hook: Brazil Cops
Associated Press | Jul 30, 09 3:59 PM CDT
(Newser) - Boxer Arturo Gatti's death was ruled a suicide by Brazilian police today, and a judge ordered the release of his wife, once suspected of killing the former champion. Investigator Paulo Alberes says authorities decided Gatti killed himself July 11 while at a seaside resort. When asked if police had determined the case was a suicide, Alberes said "yes,"...

Premium news related to Nigerian Rebel Leader Dies in Police Custody
BBC | Jul 30, 09 3:40 PM CDT
(Newser) - The leader of an uprising set on introducing Islamic law in Nigeria died in custody today, the BBC reports. Mohammed Yusuf was captured in his in-laws’ goat pen in Maiduguri—and was later seen standing and with no visible injuries by a Reuters reporter. “He has been killed,” a police spokesman said. “You can come and see...

Premium news related to Dow Climbs 84, Hits '09 High
Wall Street Journal | Jul 30, 09 3:11 PM CDT
(Newser) - Good earnings reports and stellar performance by General Electric had markets at 2009 highs for a time today, the Wall Street Journal reports. “We have gotten so close to the S&P 1,000 level, you just sort of sense that unless there’s a horrible GDP number tomorrow, we’re going to have to go up and challenge this thing,”...

Premium news related to Green Sex: Healthier, Apocalypse-Proof
New York Post | Jul 30, 09 2:49 PM CDT
(Newser) - A green approach to sex, sexual aids, and protection is not only environmentally conscious but also healthy and prescient, the New York Post reports. “It’s really good to know you can power something up with your own body!” says the purveyor of a hand-cranked sex-toy. “It really is sort of post-apocalyptic: When you really...

Premium news related to Emails Show Rove Knee-Deep in Attorney Firings
Washington Post | Jul 30, 09 2:26 PM CDT
(Newser) - Karl Rove was intimately involved in the firing of at least three of the US Attorneys sacked for purportedly political reasons during the Bush administration, emails obtained by the Washington Post show. One note mentions a senator who “asked that we remove the US Atty” and “couldn’t be more serious about this request.”...

Premium news related to Medals of Freedom Will Go to Milk, Kennedy, Poitier
Los Angeles Times | Jul 30, 09 2:15 PM CDT
(Newser) - This year's Medal of Freedom recipients share a capacity to change the world, President Obama said today in naming the eclectic group. Among the 16 honorees are Sen. Ted Kennedy, slain gay-rights activist Harvey Milk, actor Sidney Poitier, tennis great Billie Jean King, and retired Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, the Los Angeles Times...