Newser Story Index from December, 2007
Welcome to the Newser Story Index. Here you find stories written by Newser writers and editors, assembled with supporting photos and videos from the files of the news story.
And Dr. Spock Breathes Sigh of Relief
People
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Dec 19, 2007 5:31 PM CST
(Newser) -
Lynne Spears might have been able to explain elder daughter Britney's head-shaving incident and even finessed the no-skivvies romp, but, People reports, news that younger daughter Jamie Lynn, 16, is pregnant appears to have derailed Lynne's book on … you guessed it, parenting. A spokeswoman for her publisher says the book, scheduled for release...
New Era at eBay Includes Absent CEO, Turmoil
Wired
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Dec 19, 2007 5:21 PM CST
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Online auction site eBay is sailing into new, perhaps troubled waters, reports Wired , as users write angry letters to newspapers, its CEO-in-waiting--John Donahoe--disses the site as a flea market, and CEO and founder Meg Whitman follows the campaign trail behind presidential hopeful Mitt Romney. Yet, in a down market, its shares are up 6% on the...
House Votes to Keep Alternative Tax at Bay
New York Times
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Dec 19, 2007 5:16 PM CST
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The House voted today to enact a one-year stay of the alternative minimum tax, a measure originally designed to ensure that rich Americans paid their share but has increasingly placed a burden on the middle class, the New York Times reports. President Bush has said he'll sign the legislation, which could save 21 million taxpayers $2,000 on their...
US Caps JFK Flights to Ease Delays
New York Times
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Dec 19, 2007 4:59 PM CST
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Transportation officials today capped the number of flights per hour at New York's JFK airport in a bid to keep flight delays from cascading around the country, the New York Times reports. Starting in March, JFK will be allowed up to 83 flights an hour, down from about 100 at peak times this summer. Newark's Liberty airport will get similar limits,...
Lott Cashes in Chips
Associated Press
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Dec 19, 2007 4:48 PM CST
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Minority whip Trent Lott retired from the Senate last night, five years before his term’s end. He revealed his departure 16 minutes before the chamber’s 12:05 a.m. closing. The 35-year Congressional career ended with “characteristic flair,” the AP reports—Lott quoting his high school motto from the Senate floor: “The...
Man's Best Friend Just Following Orders
Der Spiegel
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Dec 19, 2007 4:43 PM CST
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A healthy, friendly, affectionate and evidently obedient Alsatian is looking for a good home. Taught by his master to affect a Nazi salute on command, Adolf—that's right—is in a Berlin animal shelter. His owner is in jail after showing the trick to police in a country where all Nazi symbols, slogans and gestures are illegal.
Huck Navigates Tricky New Trail
New York Times
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Dec 19, 2007 4:22 PM CST
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Mike Huckabee’s campaign is experiencing growing pains, the New York Times reports, with his surge to the top of the Republican heap forcing his understaffed organization to face an onslaught of criticism, particularly from Mitt Romney’s well-oiled political machine. “I have a lot more enemies now, but that’s part of the deal,”...
Knicks Fans Wave Huge Pink Slip at Isiah
Associated Press
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Dec 19, 2007 4:22 PM CST
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A tiny but media-savvy throng of Knicks fans waved an enormous pink slip outside Madison Square Garden today, demanding the firing of beleaguered coach Isiah Thomas, the AP reports. In the latest phase of a campaign to dump Thomas, fans irate over their beloved team's 7-17 record called on the Garden's chief exec to let Isiah go, chanting, ""Fire...
Brother of Candidate Kucinich Dies
Cleveland Plain Dealer
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Dec 19, 2007 3:57 PM CST
(Newser) -
Perry Kucinich, the 52-year-old youngest brother of Democratic presidential hopeful Dennis, was found dead today in his Cleveland home, the Plain Dealer reports. His body was found face-down this morning by another brother, Larry, the AP and CNN report. Authorities found no evidence of foul play.
Markets Dip on Bond News
MarketWatch
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Dec 19, 2007 3:47 PM CST
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The market ended slightly lower after another rollercoaster day, as S&P’s downgrade of major bond insurers took a toll on stocks otherwise buoyed by reports of a positive auction by the Fed. The Dow was off 25.20 to 13,207.27 on news Ambac Financial and MBIA would earn downgraded ratings. The Nasdaq climbed 4.98 points to 2,601.01, while...
White House Slams NYT for 'Misleading' CIA Story
CNN
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Dec 19, 2007 3:34 PM CST
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The Bush administration refuted a New York Times story today that White House lawyers discussed with the CIA whether or not to destroy detainee interrogation videotapes, CNN reports. "The New York Times ' inference that there is an effort to mislead in this matter is pernicious and troubling," a White House statement reads; its no-comment...
Suspect in Porn Star's Murder Nailed in Mexico
Wichita Eagle
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Dec 19, 2007 3:13 PM CST
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The suspected killer of community-college student and internet porn star Emily Sander, 18, was arrested today in Mexico, the Wichita Eagle reports. Israel Mireles, 24, is being held in Melchor Muzquiz until he is extradited, the AP reports. Sander turned up dead along a Kansas road after reportedly leaving an El Dorado bar with Mireles on Nov. 24.
Europe's Border Set to Move Farther East
Times (UK)
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Dec 19, 2007 2:51 PM CST
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The Iron Curtain moves east Friday as nine countries in Eastern Europe join the no-passport-needed Schengen travel zone, allowing citizens to travel from Estonia to Portugal. As many of the new EU member states join the zone, the Times of London travels to the Slovenia-Croatia border, one of the spots where security is being tightened to keep illegal...
Press Tougher on Clinton, Veterans Say
Washington Post
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Dec 19, 2007 2:39 PM CST
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Hillary Clinton's campaign is convinced that the media skew coverage to favor Barack Obama, and the Washington Post reports that top reporters agree. Not only do veteran commentators Mark Halperin and Howard Fineman say it’s so— Time 's Halperin: “It’s not a level playing field”—but many journalists admit they’re...
Vacuuming Sucks Fleas to Doom
Columbus Dispatch
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Dec 19, 2007 2:36 PM CST
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Does vacuuming kill fleas? The answer is yes, according to a retired Ohio professor, the Columbus Dispatch reports. In a study he did years ago for an appliance company, Fred Hink sucked up 100 fleas at a time with a vacuum cleaner and was surprised to find very few of them survived the experience.
NH Operative Fingers GOP Brass in 2002 Phone Scam
McClatchy Newspapers
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Dec 19, 2007 2:31 PM CST
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A political operative jailed in a scheme to jam Democratic phones during 2002's Senate race in New Hampshire claims the scandal originated in the upper reaches of the Republican Party, McClatchy Newspapers report. Allen Raymond’s book, How to Rig an Election, accuses the party of an “old-school cover-up,” but the author also alleges...
Eulogy Offers Some Answers
Washington Post
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Dec 19, 2007 2:17 PM CST
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The questions have echoed through the ages, ever since people started dying and leaving behind loved ones able to express the sentiment: Why? Why now? Now what? Writing for the Newsweek/Washington Post website "On Faith," Sally Quinn points her readers to the extraordinary eulogy Erik Kolbell delivered last week at the funeral of 38-year-old...
PETA Card Lets You 'Give Vick a Good Shake'
Associated Press
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Dec 19, 2007 2:08 PM CST
(Newser) -
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals has released a series of online holiday cards that strike back at celebrities on their naughty list, including dogfighter Michael Vick. The card features the former Falcons quarterback dragging a ball and chain around a prison yard, surrounded by guards and, of course, their dogs, AP reports. When viewers...
Bush Signs Huge Energy Bill
Washington Post
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Dec 19, 2007 2:00 PM CST
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President Bush today signed a sweeping energy bill that will improve automotive fuel-efficiency standards, boost biofuel production, and kill off the incandescent light bulb, the Washington Post reports. Bush said the law would reduce US dependence on foreign oil and even the likelihood of terrorist attacks. Both the White House and Congressional...
60% of Viewers Favor Writers Over Studios
USA Today
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Dec 19, 2007 1:52 PM CST
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The sympathies of viewers affected by the Hollywood writers' strike lie squarely with the writers, not the studios, a new poll shows. USA Today reports that 60% of Americans side with the scribes, and only 14% with their erstwhile employers. Reactions to the strike are varied: Many viewers watch more reruns, more reality shows, and/or less TV in...
Quote of '07: Don't Tase Me, Bro!
Reuters
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Dec 19, 2007 1:36 PM CST
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As he was being arrested at a John Kerry rally, a college student yelled, “Don’t Tase me bro!” He was Tasered anyway, and that yell is the top quote of 2007, according to the Yale Book of Quotations. Here’s the rest: Miss Teen South Carolina’s “US Americans” answer “In Iran, we don’t...
Companion in Saudi Rape Case Pardoned
CNN
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Dec 19, 2007 1:06 PM CST
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The companion to the Saudi rape victim who was convicted of a crime for being alone with him, and then pardoned after an international uproar, has himself been pardoned, CNN reports. Saudi Arabia's minister of justice confirmed this—and by implication revealed that the man, kidnapped along with the woman by the seven men who raped her, also suffered...
Hamas Seeks Israeli Ceasefire
Associated Press
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Dec 19, 2007 12:49 PM CST
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The leader of Gaza’s Hamas party, weary of months of Israeli airstrikes and sanctions, has appealed for a ceasefire through Israeli media, the AP reports. "The occupation should stop its attacks and siege." In return, Hamas PM Ismail Haniya said in an unprecedented phone call to an Israeli TV station, "a truce would be possible,...
France to Admit Colombian Rebels in Hostage Deal
BBC
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Dec 19, 2007 12:38 PM CST
(Newser) -
France's PM said today the country will take in freed Colombian rebels as part of an exchange for the 46 hostages the rebel group FARC is holding, including a former presidential candidate who holds dual French-Colombian citizenship. The offer came hours after FARC agreed to release three hostages—a former congresswoman, an aide to the presidential...
Big Stud Fees ≠ Great Racers
BBC
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Dec 19, 2007 12:29 PM CST
(Newser) -
In horse racing, nurture trumps nature, a study finds. Just 10% of a horse’s winnings can be chalked up to lineage, the BBC reports; offspring of high-priced stallions do perform better overall, but not because of genetics. “People who can afford to pay high stud fees can also afford to manage and train their horses well,” one researcher...
Android Bugs Developers
Wall Street Journal
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Dec 19, 2007 12:28 PM CST
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Google may have millions of answers, but software developers say the company’s ballyhooed mobile phone software, Android, misses the mark. “It’s clearly not ready for primetime,” says one Seattle-based designer who’s struggled for weeks with bugs and poor documentation, reports the Wall Street Journal . He’s not...
Interest Groups Gain in Cash —and Influence
Wall Street Journal
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Dec 19, 2007 12:27 PM CST
(Newser) -
The swift-boating of John Kerry was only the first wave—election spending by groups unaffiliated with the major political parties nearly tripled between 2000 and 2006, the Wall Street Journal reports, to 19% of the total. And the so-called "527" groups, which don't have to disclose their donors, are ramping up even more for 2008,...
Executions Drop to 13-Year Low
CNN
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Dec 19, 2007 12:14 PM CST
(Newser) -
With the Supreme Court set to hear arguments Jan. 7 about lethal-injection procedures, figures show that US states executed just 42 people this year, a 13-year low. The case before the court has prompted states using lethal injection to execute inmates to stay pending executions; on Monday, New Jersey became this first state since 1965 to abolish the...
Feds Investigate Bear Stearns Fund Manager
Bloomberg
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Dec 19, 2007 12:00 PM CST
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The manager of hedge funds that lost $1.6 billion when they went bankrupt in July has left Bear Stearns, and federal investigators are looking into whether he withdrew his own money before the collapse. Ralph Cioffi moved $2 million in March—before the funds tanked in the subprime collapse—to another Bear offering, Bloomberg reports; the...
Studios Win Suit Against TorrentSpy
Wall Street Journal
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Dec 19, 2007 11:41 AM CST
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A federal judge has put an early end to a copyright infringement trial, finding online file-sharing service TorrentSpy.com liable for movie piracy. In a victory for Paramount Pictures and other film studios, the Los Angeles court ruled that the operators of TorrentSpy destroyed evidence and made false statements under oath, the Wall Street Journal...
Legend Science a Little Shaky
Popular Mechanics
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Dec 19, 2007 11:38 AM CST
(Newser) -
A man-made virus has turned people into mutants and killed off the rest. Downtown New York City looks like a jungle, and the only man left on the planet is trying to reverse the plague using his immune blood. So how realistic is the premise of Will Smith’s new blockbuster I Am Legend? Surprise! Not very, experts tell Popular Mechanics .
Online Plea Nets Tooth Repair for Bush Pool Boy
San Francisco Chronicle
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Dec 19, 2007 11:20 AM CST
(Newser) -
A San Francisco Chronicle article about the differing political stances of George H. W. Bush and his pool boy led to a flood of donations for James Razsa's personal cause: his teeth. In addition to bagging $6,000, Razsa got a more singular offer from a San Jose dentist: Come stay at my house, and I'll fix your smile for free.
Pro Bowl Lineup Includes Taylor
Washington Post
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Dec 19, 2007 11:03 AM CST
(Newser) -
Washington Redskins safety Sean Taylor, killed last month in a home invasion, has been elected to the Pro Bowl for the second straight year as free safety. The posthumous honor isn't merely a tribute: In the nine games before he died, Taylor had 42 tackles, a forced fumble, and a league-best five interceptions, reports the Washington Post.
Russia Cancels UK Painting Exhibition
Guardian (UK)
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Dec 19, 2007 10:53 AM CST
(Newser) -
A major exhibition of Russian-owned art in London was canceled today, the Guardian reports, the latest casualty of cooled relations in the wake of the Alexander Litvinenko affair. More than 100 paintings were to go on exhibition Jan. 26 at London's Royal Academy, but Russian agencies are now refusing the loans, officially for fear the art won't be...
A Belgian Government, at Last
Deutsche Welle (Germany)
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Dec 19, 2007 10:44 AM CST
(Newser) -
Six months after inconclusive elections, Belgium will finally get a new government, thanks to a deal struck overnight. The emergency administration, to be led by "outgoing" prime minister Guy Verhofstadt, will include five parties from both French- and Dutch-speaking Belgium and will only govern until March 23, when the binational kingdom...
Airlines Move to Ground Flyer 'Bill of Rights'
Democrat and Chronicle
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Dec 19, 2007 10:29 AM CST
(Newser) -
The airline industry is in court trying to block a New York "bill of rights" for airline passengers, which could have a big impact on similar measures nationwide. The Air Transport Association of America is arguing that New York has no jurisdiction to require the industry to provide food, water, fresh air and clean toilets for passengers...
War Hero Wants His Pot Back
Military Times
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Dec 19, 2007 10:15 AM CST
(Newser) -
A former Marine arrested for growing marijuana plants turns out to be a wounded Gulf War hero—and a licensed grower of pot for medicinal purposes. The 39-year-old former lieutenant corporal is insisting Denver area police return his plants, worth more than $100,000. Kevin Dickes uses marijuana to control mood swings linked to his wounds, reports...
Paul Allen to Bid in FCC Wireless Airwaves Auction
Reuters
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Dec 19, 2007 9:57 AM CST
(Newser) -
Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen is joining the competition for wireless airwaves being auctioned by the FCC next month. Allen’s firm, Vulcan Spectrum, applied, as have Google, Verizon, AT&T and others, to bid for the 700-megahertz spectrum that goes on the block Jan. 24, reports Reuters. Allen's investment company, Vulcan Capital, also holds...
White House Neighbor on Fire
CNN
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Dec 19, 2007 9:16 AM CST
(Newser) -
The Eisenhower Executive Office Building caught fire today. Firefighters rushed to evacuate the historic building, which stands next to the White House and holds Dick Cheney's ceremonial offices, CNN reports. The blaze began on the third floor, in an electrical closet or phone bank, and according to the Secret Service is already contained on the second...
Bruckheimer Inks Vid Game Deal With MTV
New York Times
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Dec 19, 2007 9:07 AM CST
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When MTV heard that Jerry Bruckheimer wanted to make video games, the company jumped to sign him. Sure, Bruckheimer’s never made a video game before, but he doesn’t think it’ll be too different from making Pirates of the Caribbean or "CSI." “Get creative talent together and do something interesting,” he says....
Magna Carta Sells for $21.3M
Bloomberg
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Dec 19, 2007 9:00 AM CST
(Newser) -
A 1297 copy of the Magna Carta, the founding document of constitutional law, sold at auction for $21.3 million last night. Ross Perot's foundation put the document up for sale at Sotheby's in New York, where it was bought by David Rubenstein, a private equity magnate who served in the Carter administration. Rubenstein, co-founder of the Carlyle Group,...
Georgia Tech Rallies, Can't Top Kansas
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Dec 19, 2007 8:58 AM CST
(Newser) -
Georgia Tech pulled within one point of No. 3 Kansas in the last 9 seconds of play, but an intercepted pass kept the Yellow Jackets from getting off a final shot, securing a 71-66 victory for Kansas. The play "was there. We didn't execute it, and you have to put that on me," said coach Paul Hewitt.
Teary 'Sopranos' Creator on Lawsuit: Fuhgeddaboudit
E! Online
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Dec 19, 2007 8:55 AM CST
(Newser) -
"Sopranos" creator David Chase took the stand in a New Jersey courtroom yesterday and testified that hearing he was being sued over his hit TV series made him want to cry, E! News reports. A retired judge who took Chase on a tour of wiseguy hangouts, many of which wound up in the show, is suing Chase for a cut of the profits.
Putin Time's Person of the Year
Time
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Dec 19, 2007 8:27 AM CST
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Don't be fooled by the 5' 6" frame of the man George W. Bush termed "Pooty-Poot": Russian President Vladmir Putin is Time's Person of the Year for having "brought Russia back to the table of world power." The quiet man behind the steely stare snuck up to best 2007 heavyweights Al Gore and JK Rowling at perhaps their peak.
Hurricanes Stun Maple Leafs in Last Seconds
Globe and Mail
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Dec 19, 2007 8:26 AM CST
(Newser) -
With 30 seconds left in the game, Alexei Ponikarovsky was set to score on an empty net and put the game away for the Maple Leafs. But he held the puck a second too long, allowing Hurricane Cory Stillman to snatch it. Stillman set up the tying goal, which sent the game into overtime and ended with the Canes' 3-2 win.
Bush Lawyers Talked to CIA About Tapes
New York Times
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Dec 19, 2007 8:24 AM CST
(Newser) -
Alberto Gonzales and at least three other White House lawyers were involved in discussions with the CIA before the agency destroyed interrogation videotapes in 2005, the New York Times reports. Gonzales, Harriet Miers, David Addington, and John Bellinger all met with CIA officials, the Times says, based on interviews with current and former officials...
Morgan Stanley Stuns With $9.4B in Writedowns
Wall Street Journal
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Dec 19, 2007 8:10 AM CST
(Newser) -
Morgan Stanley, the nation's second-largest investment bank, lost $3.59 billion this quarter, its first loss ever, after taking a whopping $9.4 billion in writedowns on mortgage-backed securities. CEO John Mack, who promised to give up his 2007 bonus as penance for the losses, also announced a $5-billion cash infusion from China Investment Corp., the...
White House to Shrink Nuke Program
Washington Post
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Dec 19, 2007 7:52 AM CST
(Newser) -
The Bush administration is planning a substantial reduction in the size of the nuclear weapons program, with 600 buildings set for closure at facilities across the country, reports the Washington Post . The American nuclear program is an "outdated, Cold War complex," said the administrator of the National Nuclear Security Administration,...
No Bonus for Bear Stearns Execs
Wall Street Journal
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Dec 19, 2007 7:41 AM CST
(Newser) -
Bear Stearns’ CEO and other top executives, poised to announce the company’s first quarterly loss in its 84-year history tomorrow, are expected to bypass millions of dollars in annual bonuses, an acknowledgment of the dismal year the firm had, driven down by the collapse of the subprime mortgage market and two internal hedge funds, the...
Tribune CEO Expected to Resign
Los Angeles Times
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Dec 19, 2007 7:02 AM CST
(Newser) -
Tribune Chairman and CEO Dennis FitzSimons, a 25-year veteran of the media Goliath who rose through the ranks, could resign as early as today, reports the Los Angeles Times . FitzSimons, could leave with a nearly $40 million buyout when the $8.2 billion sale of Tribune to real estate mogul Sam Zell is finalized this week.
