Newser Story Index from May, 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.
Beckett Is Back
MLB.com
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May 30, 2007 6:22 AM CDT
(Newser) -
The AL-leading Red Sox stuck it to the Indians, 4-2, as Josh Beckett continues the best season-opening run by a Boston pitcher since Roger Clemens started 14-0 in 1986. Beckett had spent 15 days on the disabled list with an irritated middle finger, but mystified Cleveland to the tune of three hits and two runs in seven innings.
Drug-Resistant TB Patient Flies Commercial
CNN
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May 30, 2007 6:02 AM CDT
(Newser) -
A man infected with drug-resistant tuberculosis boarded two transatlantic flights in two weeks, CNN reports, putting his fellow passengers at risk. Planes are equipped with air filters that should catch the rod-shaped TB bacili, but the CDC recommends anyone on Air France 385, from Atlanta to Paris May 12, or Czech Air 0104, Prague to Montreal May...
U.S. Massacred at French Open
Xinhua (China)
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May 30, 2007 5:42 AM CDT
(Newser) -
In their worst-ever Open showing, eight of the nine American men's tennis players at Roland Garros were defeated in one day; the ninth had his match suspended due to darkness. Third-seed Andy Roddick and eighth-seed James Blake both dropped to lower-ranked opponents in four sets each after initially leading.
Barack Backs Universal Health Care
Chicago Tribune
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May 30, 2007 5:24 AM CDT
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White House applicant Barack Obama has unveiled a health care plan which will offer all Americans coverage comparable to what federal employees get. The Obama Plan would cost upwards of $65 billion a year, which the Senator plans to fund by cancelling Bush tax cuts and increasing efficiency, the Chicago Tribune reports.
Kurds Forced From Homes in Mosul
International Herald Tribune
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May 30, 2007 5:16 AM CDT
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Over 1,000 Kurds have been killed in Mosul recently, victims of a Sunni Arab insurgent drive to force them out of the Ninevah province and into Iraqi Kurdistan. And the attacks are working, reports the International Herald Tribune ; as many as 70,000 Kurds have abandoned Iraq's third-largest city.
High Court Curbs Pay Bias Suits
Washington Post
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May 30, 2007 4:55 AM CDT
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The Supreme Court severely limited the right of women to sue employers over pay discrimination in a stormy 5-4 decision yesterday. A lone woman employee at a tire factory sued because she was paid less than male coworkers over her long career; the court held that such charges must be filed within the 180-day window proscribed by the Civil Rights Act.
Five Brits Kidnapped in Baghdad
Guardian (UK)
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May 30, 2007 4:41 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Five Britons—four members of a private security detail and a financial consultant—were kidnapped in Baghdad yesterday by gunmen wearing Iraqi police uniforms. The kidnappers are said to have barged into the finance ministry around noon, demanding, "Where are the foreigners?" After rounding up the British civilians, they...
14 Die in Indian Race Riots
BBC
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May 30, 2007 4:24 AM CDT
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An ethnic minority in Northwest India clashed with police yesterday during a demonstration, leaving 14 people dead. The Army has been called into Rajasthan to restore order, after tens of thousands of Gujjars blocked a key highway and fought with police trying to break up their protest.
Russia Tests New Missile System
Associated Press
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May 30, 2007 4:00 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Russia tested a new line of missiles yesterday that the Kremlin claims can penetrate any defense system. Putin took the opportunity to reiterate his warning that the US plan to to deploy an anti-missile shield in Poland and the Czech Republic will turn the region into a "powder keg," the AP reports.
MySpace Opens Up to Donations
Financial Times (UK)
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May 29, 2007 5:55 PM CDT
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Rupert Murdoch's News Corp. is entering the online political scene in a very significant way with a tool that will allow 60 million MySpace users to donate up to $500 to the presidential candidate of their choice, reports the Financial Times . News Corp. has yet to make a decision, reports an official, as to whether they will track the data on who...
Hospitals Build 'Womb Rooms' for Preemies
New York Times
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May 29, 2007 5:36 PM CDT
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With preterm births soaring—and tinier preemies surviving—many hospitals are redesigning their neonatal units to provide environments closer to those babies experience in utero, the New York Times reports. The new rooms are darker and quieter, and provide space for skin-to-skin contact with parents (not to speak of places for parents...
Former Trade Rep to Head World Bank
New York Times
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May 29, 2007 5:30 PM CDT
(Newser) -
President Bush will tap former US trade representative Robert Zoellick as the new World Bank prez, sources close to administration said this afternoon. Zoellick, who has spent over 20 years in government, served as deputy secretary of state and the country's top trade official until last year, when he joined Goldman Sachs.
Nigerian Scams Hit Purebred Puppy Market
Los Angeles Times
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May 29, 2007 5:25 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Nigerian scammers have a new ploy—this time giving away "free" purebred puppies that are worth upwards of $3,000, the LA Times reports. Racketeers advertise the pups using websites, MySpace postings, and even print ads, asking pet lovers to rescue the dogs or offering to sell them at heavily discounted prices. The only catch: The...
China Sentences Ex-Drug Chief to Death
BBC
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May 29, 2007 3:03 PM CDT
(Newser) -
China's former top food and drug watchdog was sentenced to death today after being convicted of corruption and dereliction of duty. In the midst of an international uproar over food and pharmaceutical standards, the government found that Zheng Xiaoyu, 63, who was forced out in 2005, accepted more than $850,000 in bribes to approve questionable drugs...
Franchitti's Thirsty for More
Indianapolis Star
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May 29, 2007 2:36 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Still basking in the glow of his first Indy 500 victory, Dario Franchitti isn't even thinking about retirement. "I'm having a blast," the driver formerly best known for being married to Ashley Judd tells the Indianapolis Star. And no wonder—Franchitti, 34, reeled in a record $1.6 million for his victory in the rain-shortened spectacle.
Mom, 3 Girls Found Dead in Mobile Home
Houston Chronicle
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May 29, 2007 1:55 PM CDT
(Newser) -
The bodies of a woman and her four young daughters were found hanging in a closet in the Oak Hills mobile home park in Texas this morning, all dead except the youngest girl, an 8-month-old.
Eye-Care Recall Reverberates on Wall Street
MarketWatch
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May 29, 2007 1:24 PM CDT
(Newser) -
In the wake of reports linking its Complete MoisturePlus contact lens solution to a rare eye infection that can lead to blindness, Advanced Medical Optics has recalled the product. Competitor Bausch & Lomb's stock price dropped on the news, since the recall may put AMO's plans to enter the bidding war for B&L in jeopardy.
Scientists Find Lead in Bird Flu Vaccine
Guardian (UK)
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May 29, 2007 12:00 PM CDT
(Newser) -
In the first break in the deadly bird flu epidemic, an international team of researchers using antibodies from survivors of the Vietnamese strain of the disease were able to prevent it from developing in mice, and to neutralize those already infected.
Tishman, Lehman Close REIT Deal
Bloomberg
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May 29, 2007 11:50 AM CDT
(Newser) -
In a penthouse-level play, real estate developer Tishman Speyer Properties and investment bank Lehman Brothers will spend $13.5 billion to buy the nation's second-largest apartment owner. The $60.75 per share offer for real estate trust Archstone-Smith, confirmed this morning, will take the company private in a deal worth over $22 billion including...
Iraqi Refugees Resort to Prostitution
New York Times
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May 29, 2007 11:09 AM CDT
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As Iraqi refugees flood across the border into Syria, more and more women are turning to prostitution to support themselves and their families. The Times visits the Damascus area, where some women approach men on the street, some work at clubs known as "casinos," and some are even pimped by family members.
Bush Tightens Sudan Sanctions
BBC
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May 29, 2007 10:11 AM CDT
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President Bush ordered new, tougher sanctions against Sudan today, ratcheting up pressure on Khartoum to end violence in the Darfur region. In an effort to keep the government from exploiting US resources to carry out genocide, the measures beef up enforcement and increase the number of companies and individuals barred from trading with the US or using...
Estonia Attack Prompts Cyber Security Blitz
New York Times
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May 29, 2007 10:00 AM CDT
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In the wake of what some are calling the first digital act of war—when hackers using as many as a million computers attacked Estonia's web-based infrastructure—cyber security experts from all over Europe and the US are huddling to study how to prevent future disasters, reports the New York Times .
Museum Bids to Turn eBay to Art
Boston Globe
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May 29, 2007 9:16 AM CDT
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Ebay as high culture? The Shelburne Museum in Vermont is showcasing the online auction winnings of celebs such as Jerry Seinfeld, Bianca Jagger, and John Lurie, in an exhibition titled "Got eBay? Celebrity Collections Created Online." Museum director Stephen Jost gave a group of big names $1000 each to bid on eBay items and create a personal...
RBS Consortium Renews Bid for ABN Amro
Wall Street Journal
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May 29, 2007 9:02 AM CDT
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Refusing to take no for an answer, a coalition led by Royal Bank of Scotland today submitted a renewed $95.6 billion bid for ABN Amro. The offer overshadows a competing $86 billion offer from Barclays, but legal wrangling over the sale of LaSalle Bank continues to bog down the RBS group's proposal, the Wall Street Journal reports.
Lindsay Lohan Is The New Britney Spears
Daily Mirror (UK)
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May 29, 2007 9:00 AM CDT
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Less than 48 hours after being hit with DUI charges, Lindsay Lohan went on a paparazzi-documented bender. The "Mean Girls" star and recent rehab patient stumbled out of an LA nightclub at 4:30 AM, nearly collapsed, and was helped into the back of her car. Paparazzi snapped pictures of the starlet in a deep sleep.
Brazil to Subsidize Birth Control
Time
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May 29, 2007 7:50 AM CDT
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Just weeks after Pope Benedict XVI decried contraception as a threat to the future of Latin America on his visit to Brazil, Brazil's president announced that the government would subsidize birth control pills at private pharmacies so poor women can have "the same right that the wealthy have to plan the number of children they want."
Medical Reality Show Raises Controversy
BBC
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May 29, 2007 7:46 AM CDT
(Newser) -
The brains behind "Big Brother" are branching out into medicine and stirring up serious controversy in the process. "The Big Donor Show," set to air on Dutch TV Friday, follows a terminally ill woman as she chooses among three contestants vying for one of her kidneys. One doctor tells the BBC the program is "ethically totally...
Crop of New Planets Means Better Chance of Life
Reuters
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May 29, 2007 7:07 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Astronomers who've spotted 28 new planets in the past year are gaining confidence that other solar systems may be able to support life like ours. One researcher estimated that there are probably "tens of billions" of planets with habitable conditions, most important of which is hospitality to water.
Kevin Reilly Quits NBC
Variety
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May 29, 2007 6:35 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Kevin Reilly is bolting from his gig as NBC's entertainment president, reports Variety , after network capo Jeff Zucker recruited Reveille head Ben Silverman for a position over him. Reilly—who produced several hits including Heroes and Deal or No Deal —will take his multi-million dollar severance package and most likely join a new...
Cooperstown Won't Be Long on Bonds
ESPN
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May 29, 2007 6:24 AM CDT
(Newser) -
With 746 home runs, Giants masher and suspected steroid user Barry Bonds is just 10 away from breaking the record. The souvenirs from his run at history, however, may be staying in the family, the crotchety superstar has announced. Curators at the Hall of Fame are concerned that they will have difficulty creating relevant exhibits without the items.
Sheehan Quits the Peace Movement
Daily Kos Blog
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May 29, 2007 6:13 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Cindy Sheehan is retiring from the anti-war movement . In a long, bitter online letter posted yesterday on Daily Kos, the iconic "peace mom" expressed frustration over the Democrats' failure to end the war, and characterized the US as "a country which cares more about who will be the next American Idol than how many people will be killed...
Pope Backtracks on Muslims
Reuters
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May 29, 2007 5:31 AM CDT
(Newser) -
The Pope applied some salve to wounded relations with the Muslim world yesterday after neglecting and then appearing to slander Islam in a speech last fall. In a surprising reversal, Benedict XVI announced he is restoring the Vatican department responsible for Muslim affairs, which he demoted in importance last year.
Israel Votes Out Labor Leader
BBC
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May 29, 2007 5:14 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Ehud Olmert was the biggest loser as the Israeli Labor party yesterday ousted its current leader, Defense Minister Amir Peretz, in favor of two stauncher critics of Israel's uneasy coalition government. The vote yielded a runoff between former PM Ehud Barak and former Shin Bet chief Ami Ayalon, both of whom say they'll withdraw Labor from the...
Feds Launch Search Into Google Deal
New York Times
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May 29, 2007 4:54 AM CDT
(Newser) -
The FTC has initiated an antitrust probe into search behemoth Google's $3.1 billion acquisition of a major online ad company, sources tell the New York Times. Both competitors and privacy advocates are chafing at the proposed deal between Google, which stores users' search histories, and DoubleClick, which keeps track of their web use.
Rocket Looks Ready for Launch
MLB.com
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May 29, 2007 4:34 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Seven-time Cy Young laureate Roger Clemens dominated a scoreless outing for the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees, as New York management prepares to announce whether the he'll make his next scheduled start in pinstripes. If he does, it'll be in Boston, against both the Yankees' arch-rival and Clemens' former squad.
Right Wing Is Leaning Rudy-ward
Politico
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May 29, 2007 4:33 AM CDT
(Newser) -
The religious right is lining up behind Rudy Giuliani, Pew tells the Politico, despite the candidate's support for gay rights and abortion. Analysis of recent polls suggests that pragmatic social conservatives are so frightened of a Democrat in the White House they're passing over harder-line hopefuls like McCain, and buying Guiliani's more-electable-than-thou...
Tolerant Swiss to Ban Minarets?
BBC
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May 28, 2007 9:57 PM CDT
(Newser) -
The Swiss have gone NIMBY (not in my back yard) on minarets. While Switzerland's constitution guarantees freedom of religion, a number of leading politicians want to ban them via a referendum this fall. There are now exactly two minarets in all of Switzerland.
Desmond Tutu to Anglicans: Get Over It
BBC
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May 28, 2007 9:10 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Nobel peace laureate Archbishop Desmond Tutu called on Africa's Anglican church to let go of what he called its "extraordinary obsession" with gay priests and same-sex marriage. The church should, instead, be paying attention to the crises caused by AIDS, Darfur and Zimbabwean leader Robert Mugabe's corruption.
Doctors Post Prices for Procedures
Los Angeles Times
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May 28, 2007 8:23 PM CDT
(Newser) -
A group of doctors in California has become the largest private practice in the country to go public with its prices for medical procedures. Breaking with the notion that price-shopping demeans professional services, HealthCare Partners posted the price of 58 common procedures, from x-rays to flu shots, on its website last week, the LA Times reports.
China's Stock Market Soars to Record
BBC
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May 28, 2007 8:17 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Despite Alan Greenspan’s warning that the market was due for a correction, Shanghai’s stock market index topped 4000 today. So far this year the Chinese stock market has doubled. Since 2006 it has quadrupled. The main driving force behind the surge has been an odd form of democracy.
Wii Will Rock You, But for How Long?
Los Angeles Times
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May 28, 2007 5:16 PM CDT
(Newser) -
The Wii is riding high in the console wars, with demand far exceeding supply since the system debuted in November—but it may be just a fad. Although Nintendo's strategy of appealing to a broader slice of the population than teenage button-mashers seems to be working, the LA Times reports, some analysts warn that it may not last.
Searchers Recover Body of Missing NE Patriot
Boston Globe
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May 28, 2007 3:55 PM CDT
(Newser) -
The body of New England Patriots defensive end Marquise Hill was pulled from Lake Pontchartrain this afternoon, almost a day after the New Orleans native was reported missing. His agent told the Boston Globe that Hill, 24, and a young woman fell off a personal watercraft in a strong current. He had played three NFL seasons, appearing in 13 games.
Immigration Debate Splits GOP
Los Angeles Times
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May 28, 2007 1:13 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Deep divisions within the GOP over immigration reform have become increasingly bitter in recent weeks, the LA Times reports, with senior figures on both sides engaging in a rare public spat. On one side are those who fear alienating the mostly white conservative base; on the other those who want the party to woo the fast-growing Latino community....
Lost Whales Heading Home, Face New Perils
Associated Press
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May 28, 2007 12:45 PM CDT
(Newser) -
The lost whales in the Sacramento River are on their way home, but may now be in danger from large ships. The mother humpback and her calf had lingered more than a week in the freshwater river, but now have made it to about 50miles from the ocean. The closer they get to the sea, however, the larger the vessels they will have to avoid.
U.S. Tells Iran to Stop Supporting Iraqi Insurgents
CNN
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May 28, 2007 12:39 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Ryan Crocker, US ambassador to Iraq, used the first formal meeting between the two countries in 27 years to tell his counterpart that the US wants Iran to stop supporting insurgents in Iraq. In a press conference after the meeting in Baghdad, Crocker said the Iranian ambassador did not respond directly to the charges he laid out.
Scandal-Plagued Japanese Minister Dead
Bloomberg
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May 28, 2007 8:48 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Facing questioning in an investigation of political contributions, the Japanese agriculture minister hanged himself at his Tokyo home today. Toshikatsu Matsuoka had refused calls to resign or explain reports of financial improprieties, but embattled PM Shinzo Abe had stood by him. Abe faces a serious challenge to his Liberal Democratic Party's majority...
G.I.'s Disillusioned About the War
New York Times
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May 28, 2007 8:45 AM CDT
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More than a dozen soldiers from the elite 82d Airborne division tell the New York Times that they now see the war in Iraq as futile. “In 2003, 2004, 100 percent of the soldiers wanted to be here, to fight this war,” says one platoon sergeant who advocates withdrawal. “Now, 95% of my platoon agrees with me.”
Breaking from Bush, GOP Splinters
New Yorker
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May 28, 2007 8:00 AM CDT
(Newser) -
The Republican Party is fracturing politically and strategically, writes the New Yorker 's Jeffrey Goldberg. As Bush's approval ratings continue to sink, current and former GOP bigwigs—like Newt Gingrich and Tom DeLay—are looking to redirect the conservative movement as the 2008 election nears.
'Pirates' booty fails to best 'Spidey'
Los Angeles Times
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May 28, 2007 7:58 AM CDT
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The third installment of "Pirates of the Caribbean" is making some serious booty, but won't knock Spiderman off his perch. In a battle of titans with poor to middling reviews, "Spiderman 3" will keep the domestic weekend record of $151 million, with "Pirates" sailing behind at $126.5 million.
Problems Plague Immigration Agency
Washington Post
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May 28, 2007 7:46 AM CDT
(Newser) -
The agency that will have to deal with the avalanche of paperwork generated by immigration reform can't handle it, the Washington Post reports today. With over a million citizenship applications already stalled in the pipeline, Citizenship and Immigration (the former INS) faces the possibility that its workload will nearly triple, and critics are...
