Newser Story Index from April, 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.
Don't Count Your Black Votes Yet, Barack
Philadelphia Inquirer
|
Apr 4, 2007 12:19 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Never mind his skin color—Barack Obama doesn't have a record that can guarantee black turnout, writes inquirer Harold Jackson. Prominent African American leaders like Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton are still undecided, and Obama will have to court that constituency just like rival Hillary Clinton did.
Feds Sue Tax Preparers for Fraud
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
|
Apr 4, 2007 11:45 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Tax preparers Jackson Hewitt have bilked the government out of more than $70 million, alleges a suit filed yesterday by the Justice Department. The suit claims that over 125 of the company's franchises, all owned at least in part by the same Atlanta businessman, engaged in massive tax fraud.
States Rewrite Organ-Donation Laws
Washington Post
|
Apr 4, 2007 11:26 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Doctors will be able to take organs from potential donors in more sticky situations, under revisions to state laws on the boards in more than 24 states. Model legislation that's already passed in four states clarifies how to handle ethically complex decisions, helping to alleviate the chronic shortage of kidneys and other organs, the Washington...
Keith Richards: "I Snorted My Dad"
BBC
|
Apr 4, 2007 10:20 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Legendary rock guitarist and professional strange person Keith Richards—still alive against all apparent odds—admitted yesterday to snorting cocaine laced with his own father's ashes. "He was cremated and I couldn't resist grinding him up with a little bit of blow. My dad wouldn't have cared," he told British music magazine NME.
Pelosi Says Syria Is Ready for Peace Talks
BBC
|
Apr 4, 2007 10:14 AM CDT
(Newser) -
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi says Syria is ready to resume peace talks with Israel, based on her meeting with President Bashar al-Assad, the BBC reports. Flying in the face of Bush's Syrian boycott, Pelosi and a congressional delegation are in Damascus meeting with top leaders. Bush said the visit undermined US foreign policy.
Chavez Decrees Dry Holy Week
Guardian (UK)
|
Apr 4, 2007 9:48 AM CDT
(Newser) -
No Easter imbibing, decrees Venezuelan president and socialist icon Hugo Chavez. Chavez has instituted a Holy Week liquor ban in restaurants to combat the hundreds of drunk driving deaths that occur during holidays in Venezuala. While some citizens applaud his boldness, others say they cannot follow their fearless leader quite this far.
FCC: Shut Up and Fly
Associated Press
|
Apr 4, 2007 9:19 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Chatty frequent-flyers were disappointed yesterday, as the Federal Communications Commission refused to lift its ban on cell phone use during flight. The two-year old proposal had prompted a massive outpouring from airline customers who called airborne conversation "a recipe for a lot of anger" and "torture."
IRAN TO RELEASE SAILORS
Guardian (UK)
|
Apr 4, 2007 9:04 AM CDT
(Newser) -
The 15 captured British sailors are to be released immediately, says Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. The surprise announcement came toward the end of an hour-long press conference, in which Ahmadinejad berated the British government for using the situation to create "media hype." He maintains that the Brits invaded Iran and says the...
Tribune Saddled With Daunting Debt
Wall Street Journal
|
Apr 4, 2007 8:53 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Sam Zell 's bid for the Tribune Co. beat back his well-heeled rivals, but it saddled an already struggling enterprise with over $12 billion in debt. Now the Wall Street Journal wonders how he expects to pay it back. The likely annual interest fees alone will reach $1 billion, only slightly less than the company's entire annual cash flow.
Depression Causes Preemies
Financial Times (UK)
|
Apr 4, 2007 8:40 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Most new mothers with post-partum depression are ill long before their babies are born, the first study of clinical depression during pregnancy has found. The research, conducted at the Institute of Psychiatry in London, shows that depression, triggered by a natural increase in stress hormones during pregnancy, is a "hidden" cause of infant...
Insurer Ties Employee Pay to Patient Health
Los Angeles Times
|
Apr 4, 2007 8:32 AM CDT
(Newser) -
The country's largest health insurer says it will pay up for good health--offering bonuses to employees who boost patients' use of preventive medical services. WellPoint Inc.'s plan is intended to encourage participation in programs like diabetes management, which helps patients handle their medical needs before they end up in the emergency room.
225 Days Later, Blogger Walks
San Francisco Chronicle
|
Apr 4, 2007 8:28 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Joshua Wolf, the blogger who set a record for time served by an American journalist for withholding information, was freed from a federal prison yesterday after 224 days. Wolf was released after he posted footage of a 2005 anarchist protest on his Web site and gave a copy to reporters, the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
LADY VOLS TAKE CHAMPIONSHIP
Associated Press
|
Apr 4, 2007 7:34 AM CDT
(Newser) -
The Tennessee Lady Vols won the NCAA title last night, sweeping No. 4 seed Rutgers 59-46 behind a suffocating defensive effort. All-American Candace Parker won her first championship, leading the way with 17 points, as Tennessee broke a nine-year tournament drought. "We were a team that didn't want to be denied," says Coach Pat ...
Brit Standoff Shows Deeply Divided Iran
New York Times
|
Apr 4, 2007 7:26 AM CDT
(Newser) -
An internal squabble between Iran's radical president and more moderate officials is in evidence in the crisis over the captive British marines and sailors. President Ahmadinejad and his Revolutionary Guards are pushing for a trial. Cooler heads, including Ali Larijani, the diplomat who offered bilateral negotiations yesterday, are pushing back,...
"30 Rock" Is In A Hard Place
Los Angeles Times
|
Apr 4, 2007 6:44 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Tina Fey takes things a lot more calmly than her strung-out alter-ego on "30 Rock," and it's a good thing: the TV comedy about a TV comedy is on very, very thin ice. NBC is expected to pick it up for another season, reports the LA Times, but the critic's darling still has very anemic ratings.
Obama Played Hardball Early
Chicago Tribune
|
Apr 4, 2007 6:41 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Barack Obama showed his acumen for sharp-elbowed politics early on, according to a report in the Tribune. The 2008 hopeful, famous for his affable and earnest optimism, launched his career in an old-fashioned Chicagoan way, by pushing a former political mentor off a ballot, He won "not by leveling the playing field, but by clearing it,"...
Edwards Gains on Clinton, Passes Obama
CNN
|
Apr 4, 2007 6:40 AM CDT
(Newser) -
John Edwards pushed past Barack and sliced into Hillary's comfortable lead in the latest New Hampshire poll, putting all three cadidates in a statistical dead heat. Clinton dropped from 35% of likely Democratic voters in February to 27%. Edwards rose from 16% to 21%, and Obama lost a point, from 2!% to 20%.
LeBron Tepid On Team USA
ESPN
|
Apr 3, 2007 10:23 PM CDT
(Newser) -
In Beijing next year, basketball's Team USA may be missing one of the sport's most familiar faces. For flaky-sounding reasons, LeBron James has let it be known that he is "50-50" for the upcoming Tournament of the Americas, an Olympic qualifier, and Jerry Colangelo, the man putting the team together, is not thrilled.
Florida Coach Mulls Move To Kentucky
Yahoo
|
Apr 3, 2007 10:16 PM CDT
(Newser) -
In the wake of his second straight championship, Gators coach Billy Donovan has a difficult, if enviable, decision. The 41-year-old workaholic can continue stewarding the historic program he has built in Gainesville, or he can fill the vacancy at basketball powerhouse Kentucky, where he was assistant coach for five years.
Padres Subdue Two Highly Paid Barrys
Associated Press
|
Apr 3, 2007 9:46 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Two men named Barry—a $126-million pitcher (Zito) and an embattled slugger gunning for the home-run record (Bonds)-—went out with a whimper as the Giants lost to the Padres, 7-0. Soft-spoken ace Jake Peavy was the hero of the afternoon, with six scoreless innings.
They Pay the Price of Warming
New York Times
|
Apr 3, 2007 5:37 PM CDT
(Newser) -
The obligation of people who live in countries that contribute the most to climate change--the developed nations— to those who will suffer most from it —the poor ones—is the subject of a provocative piece in the New York Times.
Support The Troops With A War Tax
Detroit Free Press
|
Apr 3, 2007 4:15 PM CDT
(Newser) -
If the Democrats want to support the troops but call the question on the war, they should pass a "war tax," writes Richard Hall in the Detroit Free Press. They could adopt the supplemental appropriations, but attach an income tax surcharge to finance it. Would the president veto it because it pays for rather than borrows for his war?
The Surge Is Our Last Stand
Los Angeles Times
|
Apr 3, 2007 3:37 PM CDT
(Newser) -
"We are in a position of strategic peril," says a retired general who's just back from Bagdhad in a blunt, sobering piece in the L.A. Times . Barry McCaffrey, now at West Point, urges support of the surge and the new strategy to secure Baghdad without sugar coating the prospects for success, which are grim.
Gators Win Twice with Teamwork
Philadelphia Inquirer
|
Apr 3, 2007 1:44 PM CDT
(Newser) -
By repeating as national champions, the University of Florida men's basketball team has shown what commitment and teamwork can do, says Dick Jerardi. "It was equal parts breathtaking and mesmerizing," he writes. "If you love to watch selfless basketball in which there is one goal, you had to love watching this Florida team."
To Work Or Not to Work?
Salon
|
Apr 3, 2007 1:34 PM CDT
(Newser) -
The feminist generation gap gets a sharp appraisal in "The Feminine Mistake," the new book by Leslie Bennetts that questions why so many upscale young women are abandoning careers for children. Joan Walsh finds it a refreshing rebuttal to recent paens to motherhood, especially since Bennetts recognizes that status seeking is behind...
The Letter That Launched a War
Washington Post
|
Apr 3, 2007 1:12 PM CDT
(Newser) -
How the so-called "Italian Letter"—the discredited document suggesting Saddam Hussein sought to buy uranium from Niger—made its way from the hands of an Italian journalist into the President's State of the Union speech is the subject of an irresistible piece of sleuthing by Peter Eisner in the Washington Post.
Bush Staying the Course on Veto
Washington Post
|
Apr 3, 2007 1:03 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Bush is staying the course in the war with Congress, ripping into "Democrat leaders" in a press conference today, and repeating his vow to veto any bills with troop withdrawal deadlines that crossed his desk. Congress, he said, is more clearly interested in fighting political battles than real ones.
Thumb Prints Produce Cash in Rural India
BBC
|
Apr 3, 2007 11:22 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Payday in rural India now comes with the scan of a fingerprint: Brand new biometric cash machines are letting illiterate laborers collect their meager wages hassle-free. Account holders are issued an ATM card bearing their thumb print information; when they withdraw money, they follow voice commands to retrieve their wages.
Google Scores First Deal to Serve TV Commercials
San Francisco Chronicle
|
Apr 3, 2007 9:32 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Drunk with its success at dominating the internet ad business, Google wants to start serving up TV commercials, too. The first company to sign up is EchoStar Communications, a satellite TV provider which will announce today a deal with Google to broker commercials across its 125 TV channels.
Obama as Jesus Stirs Some Ire
Chicago Tribune
|
Apr 3, 2007 9:04 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Another sculpture of Jesus is stirring protest this Holy Week—this time a work portraying Barack Obama as the savior. The Art Institute of Chicago has gotten a flood of angry calls over the piece in an exhibition of student work, close on the heels of the chocolate Christ brouhaha in Manhattan.
Utilities May Profit From Ruling
Wall Street Journal
|
Apr 3, 2007 8:31 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Some utility companies may actually benefit financially from the Supreme Court ruling forcing the EPA to crack down on greenhouse gas emissions, the Wall Street Journal reports. While it will cost them millions in the short-term to meet new requirements, utilities in government-regulated markets—mostly in the Southeast, Great Plains,...
Cleric Opposes Rebaathification
New York Times
|
Apr 3, 2007 8:17 AM CDT
(Newser) -
A bill allowing Saddam's party members back into power in Iraq has been rejected by that country's most powerful cleric. The law, aggressively pushed by the U.S., would allow former low-level Baathists--most of them Sunnis--to hold positions in government. Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, the powerful Shiite cleric, dismissed the law...
Docs Tell Younger Women: Avoid Mammograms
Washington Post
|
Apr 3, 2007 8:16 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Forty-something women should consider skipping their annual mammograms, the American College of Physicians is suggesting after a new review of research. Docs point to danger from radiation and unnecessary biopsies, surgery and chemotherapy, thanks in part to a high rate of false positives. "We don't think the evidence supports a blanket...
EPA Must Regulate Greenhouse Gases
New York Times
|
Apr 3, 2007 7:52 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Carbon dioxide must be regulated by the federal government unless it can provide a scientific reason not to, the Supreme Court ruled Monday. The 5-4 decision, which ordered the EPA to consider CO 2 an "air pollutant" as defined by the Clean Air Act, was a blow to the Bush administration's policy of refusing to regulate factory and automobile...
Baghdad Merchants Beg to Differ With McCain
New York Times
|
Apr 3, 2007 7:45 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Of course John McCain found Baghdad's central market perfectly safe during his weekend visit: He came with 100 soldiers in armored Humvees, backed by attack helicopters and sharpshooters. In a follow-up visit, Kirk Semple of the New York Times found merchants incredulous at the Congressional delegation's sunny description of the security situation...
Docs Too Quick to Cry Depression
Washington Post
|
Apr 3, 2007 6:58 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Shrinks are too quick to term patients clinically depressed, says a new study reported in the Washington Post . Researchers argue that a quarter of "acute grief reactions," the standard symptom of depression, may in fact constitute normal responses to stress; they blame the bloated psychopharmaceutical industry, in part, for the inaccurate...
Iranians, Brits Move Toward Talks
Guardian (UK)
|
Apr 3, 2007 6:56 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Iran is ready to negotiate freeing its 15 British captives, according to the country's top diplomat. In a cryptic TV interview, Ali Larijani suggested the marines and sailors could be released if the Brits apologized and stopped putting international pressure on Tehran. "We are not interested in the issue getting more complicated," he said.
Milwaukee Ace Two-Hits Dodgers on Opening Day
MLB.com
|
Apr 2, 2007 7:15 PM CDT
(Newser) -
This year's chic dark-horse pick to win baseball's NL Central, the Milwaukee Brewers, did not disappoint in their season opener, winning 7-1. The opposing Dodgers mustered two hits in nine innings against Ben Sheets, the Brewers' alternately dominant and fragile ace. Sheets has missed much of the past two seasons with injuries, but he feels...
Lamoriello Pulls Another Riley
Sports Illustrated
|
Apr 2, 2007 7:02 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Despite his team's first-place standing in the NHL's Atlantic Division, New Jersey Devils GM Lou Lamoriello has summarily dismissed coach Claude Julien and will coach the team himself for the remainder of the season, which consists of a week and then the playoffs. This is the second time in as many years the perfectionistic Lamoriello has taken...
How We Fight: In Public and In Private
MSNBC
|
Apr 2, 2007 4:15 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Fit and under fifty when diagnosed with a rare form of lymphoma, Newsweek reporter Jonathan Alter talks about his own battle with cancer in the wake of a week of high-profile recurrences. Now in remission, as Elizabeth Edwards and Tony Snow were until last week, Alter describes managing the fear survivors live with.
Let Citizens Elect The President
Washington Post
|
Apr 2, 2007 3:37 PM CDT
(Newser) -
E.J. Dionne wants electoral college reform, and now he's got a model to offer—a new Maryland law that requires the state's electors to support the winner of the nationwide popular vote. The law wouldn't take effect unless other states follow suit, creating "a compact among states genuinely committed to popular rule."
Hospitals Dial 911
New York Times
|
Apr 2, 2007 2:57 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Believe it or not, some small, physician-owned hospitals are calling in paramedics to revive their patients in emergencies. Already accused of cherry picking patients and focusing on profit-maximizing procedures, the facilities are now drawing fire for literally relying on other hospitals to rescue patients when complications arise, reports Reed Abelson...
Swank Rehab Center Sues Courtney Love
The Smoking Gun
|
Apr 2, 2007 1:59 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Courtney Love, mother to Francis Bean, widow to Kurt Cobain, and unexplainable guest at Comedy Central's Pamela Anderson roast, is in the courts again. No drugs or assault on the docket this time: Beau Monde International, a plush rehab facility where Love spent three months in 2005, is trying to collect an unpaid tab totaling $181,000. ...
Olmert Offers Talks With Arab Leaders
Haaretz (Israel)
|
Apr 2, 2007 1:06 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Ehud Olmert says he's keen for multilateral talks with Arab leaders, after a Saudi summit last week produced the outlines of a peace plan, Haaretz reports. "The readiness to accept Israel as a fact and to debate the terms of a future solution is a step that I cannot help but appreciate," the PM told a press conference yesterday. ...
School Buses Plug In to Hybrid
Christian Science Monitor
|
Apr 2, 2007 12:50 PM CDT
(Newser) -
School buses, usually in the slow lane, are passing automobiles by when it comes to converting to plug-in hybrid power, says the Christian Science Monitor . While plug-in hybrid cars are still a few years off, the buses are already rolling off assembly lines, and 19 have been ordered by 11 states.
Supreme Court Rejects Appeals From Gitmo Detainees
Washington Post
|
Apr 2, 2007 12:44 PM CDT
(Newser) -
The Supreme Court declined to hear the case of detainees at Guantanamo who challenged the constitutionality of their confinement, the Washington Post reports. The rejected appeal questioned the validity of the military commissions law passed last year, and the legality of being held for more than five years with being charged.
Tribune Sold To Zell
Chicago Tribune
|
Apr 2, 2007 9:45 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Chicago real estate magnate Sam Zell won a last-minute bidding war to buy the Tribune Compay with a $34-a-share offer, reports the Chicago Tribune. Zell will take the media conglomerate private in a deal that includes an employee stock ownership plan. The Cubs will be sold separately.
UK Women Limited to One Embryo
Guardian (UK)
|
Apr 2, 2007 8:42 AM CDT
(Newser) -
British women trying to get pregnant via In Vitro Fertilization will be limited to having one embryo implanted at a time, in a move by the government to stem the surge of problematic multiple births, the Guardian reports. Only women with particularly low chances of conception will still be allowed to have multiple embryos implanted via IVF.
Crisis Shows Isolated Iran
MSNBC
|
Apr 2, 2007 8:09 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Iran’s abduction of the British sailors and its subsequent belligerence may actually be evidence that international sanctions against the rogue nation are working. Fareed Zakaria argues in Newsweek that Iran’s posturing reflects its growing isolation, after both Russia and China backed U.N. condemnation of its nuclear program. "Tehran...
Google Stares Down Viacom, Copyright
New York
|
Apr 2, 2007 7:51 AM CDT
(Newser) -
With Viacom incubating "the biggest copyright lawsuit in history" against YouTube, the video-sharing site is beginning to smell a bit like Napster. Which leads Clive Thompson to ponder in New York why the Google boys decided to acquire YouTube—and its looming crisis—last year. And why, once they had, they decided to stare down...
