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.
Florida Throws Off Nomination Race for Dems
Los Angeles Times
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May 20, 2007 1:43 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Florida, home of the hanging chad and the butterfly ballot, is causing election-related panic once again, reports The LA Times . Florida Republicans pushed the state's primaries up to January 29, a week earlier than recently changed Democratic rules allow. If the rules aren't amended, delegates for major candidates may actually be barred from the...
African Colleges Fail a Generation
New York Times
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May 19, 2007 9:49 PM CDT
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Once a beacon of hope for the world's poorest continent, Africa's colleges are collapsing under the weight of too many students and too little cash, the Sunday Times reports. At Cheikh Anta Diop University in Dakar, students are packed into overcrowded dorms and classrooms, labs are dilapidated, and qualified teachers consider leaving for greener...
Guantanamo Detainee Returns to Australia
Reuters
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May 19, 2007 9:33 PM CDT
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After five years in custody at Guantanamo Bay, David Hicks is back in his native Australia, where the convicted Al-Qaeda supporter will spend the next seven months in a maximum-security prison. His family and other supporters spent years campaigning for his release before Hicks pleaded guilty in March to providing material support to a terrorist organization.
Bush, Dems Test Compromise Skills on Iraq
New York Times
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May 19, 2007 8:58 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Congress' Democratic bosses and the White House are attempting diplomacy after six years of Republican neglect that has left the new majority uneasy, the Times reports. But this week's agreements on less thorny issues, trade and immigration, contrast significantly with a divided Washington's repeated, fumbled attempts at a compromise war appropriations...
Palestinian Factions Call Another Truce
CNN
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May 19, 2007 8:28 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Fatah and Hamas agreed on a ceasefire today for the fifth time in a week, hitting the pause button on a situation that threatens the Palestinian Authority's coalition government. Meanwhile, air strikes in and out of Israel continued, and a source told the Sunday Times of London that Israel was preparing to invade Gaza.
Hillary Downplays History With Wal-Mart
New York Times
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May 19, 2007 7:41 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Throughout her political career, Hillary Clinton has kept quiet about a six-year stint on the Wal-Mart board of directors, the Times reports. She championed environmental issues and the cause of women in management, but with Wal-Mart a popular Democratic Party target, the presidential candidate has been forced to cut many ties to Bentonville.
Iran Extends Hand Into Southern Iraq
Guardian (UK)
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May 19, 2007 7:13 PM CDT
(Newser) -
The southern Iraqi city of Basra is under the control of an array of private militias, some of which have strong ties to Iran, the Guardian reports. Factions like "God's Revenge" mete out patronage and enforce a fragile order in Iraq's second-largest city at the behest of competing warlords taking their orders—not to mention cash...
Curlin Foils Street Sense
Blood-Horse (Ky.)
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May 19, 2007 6:11 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Curlin won the Preakness by a nose today in Baltimore, upsetting favored Street Sense and ending the Kentucky Derby champion's chances of capturing the first Triple Crown since 1978. Street Sense rallied to the lead in the stretch, but Curlin found another gear and slipped past in the final strides to take the victory in just his fifth career start.
Blair Makes Last Visit to Iraq
Guardian (UK)
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May 19, 2007 9:13 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Tony Blair dropped in on Iraq's prime minister today, to assure him the Britain would continue to support the struggling Iraqi government even after he leaves office next month. Blair used the surpise visit to reiterate his confidence that there are "real signs of change and progress" in Iraq, despite security challenges, the Guardian reports.
Contractor Fatalities Soar in Iraq
New York Times
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May 19, 2007 9:13 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Private contractors have been killed in Iraq in record numbers this year, the New York Times reports, as the deployment of U.S. forces in outside the Green Zone amps up the danger for both soldiers and civilians. Through March, there were at least 146 killed, compared to 224 troops during the same period.
Psych Drugs Drove Kid Crazy
Salon
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May 18, 2007 9:44 PM CDT
(Newser) -
The careless prescription of anti-psychotic drugs, often by psychiatrists who draw pay checks from the companies who make them, has drawn attention in the New York Times recently. Now Ann Bauer, writing in Salon , draws an intimate portrait of the effects of such carelessness on one autistic teenager, who turned from shy chess nerd to psychotic...
Chinese Killer Supplied Corpse Brides
Guardian (UK)
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May 18, 2007 9:13 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Chinese authorities have arrested a man said to have killed six women in order to sell their bodies to families seeking "ghost brides" to marry their deceased sons. He and three other corpse traders are reputed to be members of an underground supply network prompted by a growing demand for afterlife spouses in rural areas,...
Boston Show Tries Out Imus Sidekick
Boston Globe
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May 18, 2007 8:56 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Don Imus's old sidekick Bernard McGuirk will audition live next week to be the co-host of "Finneran's Forum," a morning political talk show on Boston's WRKO. McGuirk set off last month's controversy by calling the Rutgers womens' basketball team "hard-core hos." But his potential future co-host, Tom Finneran, is confident there...
Clear Channel Board Takes Private Equity Bait
Bloomberg
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May 18, 2007 3:14 PM CDT
(Newser) -
After months of stops and starts, Clear Channel's board today gave the green light to a $19.5 billion buyout offer. The communications giant bit after Thomas H. Lee Partners and Bain Capital, which have been bidding since November, gained the backing of two large shareholders. The successful offer was $39.20 per share, 20 cents more than a previously...
Dogs Go Nuts for Fake Family Jewels
Globe and Mail
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May 18, 2007 2:27 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Bob Barker, meet Gregg Miller. The outgoing "Price Is Right" host's signature sign-off is a plea to spay and neuter your pets. Miller sells prosthetic dog testicles. Kismet! Says one pet owner who ponied up for the phony cojones, "Mostly it was to make sure Dallas still felt like a man and other dogs wouldn't make fun of him."
Search for Maddie Turns Corporate
Guardian (UK)
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May 18, 2007 1:41 PM CDT
(Newser) -
The search for Maddy has become big business. Multinational corporations across Europe have joined celebrities, sports figures and politicians to spread the word about kidnapped 4-year-old Madeleine McCann, who disappeared in Portugal 15 days ago while on vacation with her parents. Companies from Shell Oil to McDonald's will blanket gas stations,...
Small Labels Are the New Fashion Stars
Wall Street Journal
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May 18, 2007 1:11 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Women of all ages are springing for trendier clothes from newer labels, and the fashion industry is scrambling to keep up, the Wall Street Journal reports. The fastest growing segment of the industry is small risk-taking labels that have elevated casual pieces like jeans, t-shirts and cotton dresses to edgy fashion statements.
Microsoft Buys Ad Firm for $6B
CNET
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May 18, 2007 11:15 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Microsoft will plunk down $6 billion for aQuantive, a leading digital marketing agency. The $66.50 per share offer—nearly double aQuantive's closing price yesterday—comes on the heels of WPP's 24/7 Real Media purchase. It's Microsoft's biggest acquisition ever, reflecting its growing desperation to regain its status as a major player in...
Wolfowitz Torpedoed 2nd Chance
New York Times
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May 18, 2007 11:14 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Paul Wolfowitz clung to his job at the World Bank with characteristic tenacity, but friends and colleagues tell the New York Times that his failure there may have been inevitable. He approached the bank position with the same single-mindedness he displayed at the Pentagon, where he was blind to dissenting views and dismissive of naysayers.
China Loosens Up on Yuan
Bloomberg
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May 18, 2007 10:40 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Just days before a meeting with US Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson, China is taking baby steps toward letting its currency trade more freely. The government also raised interest rates and the reserve on bank loans today, signaling concern over the country's red-hot economy. China's trade surplus—which some American politicos say the undervalued...
Climate Change Accelerates
Times (UK)
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May 18, 2007 9:59 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Oceans that absorb a quarter of all the carbon belched into the atmosphere every day are losing their capacity to do so, accelerating global warming by as much as 30%. New research, which focuses on the compromised ability of Antarctica's Southern Ocean to soak up carbon emissions, suggests that climate change is already decades ahead of the grimmest...
De Niro and Pacino Reunite
Variety
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May 18, 2007 9:07 AM CDT
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They were both in Godfather II, but never on-screen together. They teamed up for Heat, but only for a few scenes. Now Robert De Niro and Al Pacino are finally going to tear up the screen together for a whole movie. "This is an event in world history," says one producer, without irony, unveiling the project at the Cannes Film Festival....
Ban Chinese Ingredients? Easier Said Than Done
Los Angeles Times
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May 18, 2007 8:46 AM CDT
(Newser) -
In the wake of the pet-food poisoning scandal, some of the biggest U.S. food manufacturers—Tyson and Mission Foods—have banned Chinese ingredients. But since China is the world's biggest supplier of the flavorings, vitamins and preservatives that are used in virtually all processed foods, the bans may be impossible to uphold, the LA Times...
Doping Scandal Takes a Turn for the Tabloid
New York Daily News
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May 18, 2007 8:14 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Floyd Landis' doping hearing vaulted from procedural to lurid yesterday with an allegation of harassment and acknowledgment of sexual abuse by a fellow American Tour de France winner. In an attempt to keep Greg LeMond from taking the stand, Landis' manager phoned him on Wednesday and impersonated the uncle who had sexually abused the cycling champ...
McCain Misses 42nd Straight Senate Vote
Washington Post
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May 18, 2007 7:59 AM CDT
(Newser) -
John McCain missed his 42nd straight Senate roll call yesterday, marking a whopping five weeks in a row that he hasn't showed up to be counted. If he misses the next three votes, he will have been AWOL for 50% of the votes in the 110th Congress, the Washington Post notes.
Russia Sues Bank of New York for $22 Billion
Financial Times (UK)
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May 18, 2007 7:40 AM CDT
(Newser) -
The Russian government hit the Bank of New York with as $22 Billion lawsuit in a Moscow court Wednesday—the latest in a wave of hostile moves some see as portending a new Cold War. With Russians irate over U.S. missile bases planned for Eastern Europe, East-West relations are their lowest ebb since the fall of the Soviet Union, the Financial...
Dems Crank Up Heat on Gonzales
Washington Post
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May 18, 2007 7:34 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Alberto Gonzales will face a non-binding motion of no confidence in the Senate as soon as next week, intensifying pressure on the AG to resign. The Washington Post reports today that the list of US attorneys his office considered for dismissal—which Gonzales has testified included just eight names—now numbers 30.
Israeli Strikes Kill 5 in Gaza
Guardian (UK)
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May 18, 2007 7:08 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Israel has launched air strikes at Gaza for a second day in response to continued Hamas rocket attacks. Helicopter gunships and fighter jets targeted militants, and at least five Hamas fighters were killed in the strikes. Hamas has fired about a hundred makeshift missiles into Israel in the past several days.
Titans Mull Giving Keyshawn the Damn Ball
WCNC
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May 18, 2007 7:02 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Thin at receiver, a young Tennessee Titans team may add leadership in the form of 34-year-old Keyshawn Johnson, who helped win a Super Bowl in Tampa Bay but is best known for a book entitled, "Just Give Me the Damn Ball," written after a frustrating rookie campaign. Carolina released Johnson shortly after the draft.
Giuliani Loses Dobson's Vote
Associated Press
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May 18, 2007 6:58 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Christian evangelist James Dobson came out swinging against Rudy Giuliani after the former mayor admitted last week that he supports abortion rights and same-sex domestic partnerships. Dobson says he won't vote for Rudy if he wins the GOP nomination, citing those issues and "moral concerns" over his marital behavior.
Earmarks Are Weapons in House Spat
Politico
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May 18, 2007 6:38 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Rep. John Murtha, the pugnacious Democratic chairman of the House Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, is accused of breaking House rules by threatening to withhold future spending from a GOP member with whom he had a disagreement. Politico reports that Rep. Mike Rogers is calling for a House vote to reprimand Murtha.
Wolfowitz Resigns From World Bank
Financial Times (UK)
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May 17, 2007 5:59 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Paul Wolfowitz will leave the World Bank on June 30, capping a tumultuous two years for the development institution and its beleaguered president. Wolfowitz's tenure was marked by controversy from day one, when he assumed the office under the cloud of the Iraq war, until today, when a drawn-out ethics scandal finally drove him from office.
Senate Brokers Immigration Bill
Los Angeles Times
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May 17, 2007 5:30 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Illegal immigrants are offered a path to citizenship for the first time under a new Senate immigration reform package unveiled today. A precarious compromise hammered out by Bush administration officials and top senators, the bill trades hard-line border control measures for controversial provisions like a guest-worker program and a system for earning...
$72M Sale Shatters Warhol Record
BBC
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May 17, 2007 4:33 PM CDT
(Newser) -
An Andy Warhol painting sold for $71.7 million last night at Christie's, more than quadrupling the previous record price for a work by the pop artist. The price for "Green Car Crash (Green Burning Car I)," part of Warhol's "Death and Disaster" series, more than doubled the presale estimate and overshadowed the $28 million sale of...
YouTube to Co-Host Debate
San Jose Mercury News
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May 17, 2007 4:32 PM CDT
(Newser) -
YouTube, the viral-video nemesis of many a gaffe-prone political candidate, will co-sponsor a Democratic presidential debate July 23rd in Charleston, South Carolina. CNN is the television partner for the debate, which will be the first of six, the DNC announced yesterday.
XM Fans Irate at Shock Jock Suspension
Los Angeles Times
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May 17, 2007 4:01 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Fans of "The Opie & Anthony Show" cancelled their satellite radio subscriptions by the hundreds after XM slapped the shock-jock duo with a 30-day suspension earlier this week. Subscribers are accusing the station—which promises uncensored content—of pandering to the FCC so they won't block a pending merger with Sirius.
Bloomberg Run Gains Credibility
New York Observer
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May 17, 2007 3:35 PM CDT
(Newser) -
The New York mayor is looking more and more like presidential material, reports the NY Observer . What started as speculation fueled by Bloomberg's own aides has become the buzz of a conference of mayors in New York this week. And why not? The Washington Times reports that he's ready to spend $1 billion of his own money on a presidential bid.
Blackstone Makes $7.8B Deal for Alliance
Reuters
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May 17, 2007 2:55 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Blackstone has snapped up credit card services provider Alliance Data for $7.8 billion, joining a surge of private equity into dull but profitable back-office firms. The 30% above-market offer for Alliance, which also runs a data processing unit, is the latest in a wave of takeovers in the financial-processing sector that started with KKR's April bid...
Racial Generation Gap Opens
New York Times
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May 17, 2007 2:54 PM CDT
(Newser) -
The number of non-white Americans has passed 100 million—a third of the current population—for the first time, the Census Bureau reports, and the growing minority population is creating a new racial generation gap. Hispanics had the lowest median age at 27.4, while the median age of whites, 40.5, was the highest reported.
Britain OKs Human-Animal Hybrids for Research
Guardian (UK)
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May 17, 2007 2:31 PM CDT
(Newser) -
The British government has reversed its stance on the creation of human-animal hybrid embryos and will propose allowing scientists to use them as sources of stem cells. Scientists developing treatments for incurable diseases would be allowed to grow the hybrid embryos for no longer than two weeks, and implanting them into a human womb would not be...
Former Exec Rails on Paydays
Bloomberg
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May 17, 2007 2:22 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Former Goldman Sachs chairman John Whitehead is appalled by Wall Street's salary binge, and he wants his ex-employer to snap out of it. In an ornery interview with Bloomberg News , Whitehead, who ran the company from 1976 to 1984, says hedge funds sparked the rush toward obscene paydays but Goldman is now the "leader in this outrageous increase.''
West Nile Turns Down Volume on Songbirds
Washington Post
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May 17, 2007 1:44 PM CDT
(Newser) -
The West Nile virus is responsible for a major decline in North American bird populations, and the sudden quiet speaks volumes to environmental scientists. Beyond a lack of birdsong, a new National Zoo study reports, the decimation signals far-reaching ecological problems that have emerged since the mosquito-borne virus appeared on the continent in...
MEET THE MILLIONAIRES
Washington Post
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May 17, 2007 11:44 AM CDT
(Newser) -
No surprise that they're wealthy—at least 10 of this year's presidential candidates are millionaires. But how they brought in the big bucks is the focus of the Washington Post 's analysis of their latest financial disclosure forms and other documents. Rudy Giuliani, for instance, made $11 million last year from speaking engagements alone.
Estonia Suspects Russia of Cyberattack
Guardian (UK)
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May 17, 2007 11:20 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Estonia is under cyberattack after removing a Soviet war memorial from its capital, reports the Guardian . A barrage of mysterious spam assaults crippling government ministries, banks, corporations, political parties and news organizations has prompted NATO to deploy counter-cyberterrorism experts to the Baltic state, as officials cast a suspicious...
Paris Gets Prison Break
Los Angeles Times
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May 17, 2007 10:50 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Before even setting foot in jail, Paris Hilton is already getting time off for good behavior. The celebutante will serve only 23 days of her 45-day sentence, and she'll spend it in a "special needs housing unit"—a sort of Hilton behind bars—reserved for high-profile inmates, the LA sheriff said yesterday.
Big Pharma Loses Generic Drug Fight
Wall Street Journal
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May 17, 2007 10:23 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Congress and the White House have agreed to give developing nations more access to affordable generic drugs by easing some patent enforcement rules. Tucked into a broader trade agreement passed last week, the provision is the first blow to American pharmaceutical companies since the Democrats won control of Congress, the Wall Street Journal reports.
Sarkozy Taps Close Adviser to Be PM
BBC
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May 17, 2007 9:56 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Nicolas Sarkozy named chief campaign adviser Francois Fillon his prime minister today, replacing firebrand Dominique de Villepin. Fillon, a right-of-center senator who directed an overhaul of France's pension system as a Chirac administration official, will lead Sarkozy's effort to institute reforms in employment and welfare laws. Fillon, whose wife...
FBI Expert Reopens JFK Shooting
Washington Post
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May 17, 2007 8:48 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Evidence proving that Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone has been discredited by a research team using techniques unavailable to previous investigators. Bullet analysis used to rule out a second JFK assassin is called "fundamentally flawed" by the new team, led by the former chief metallurgy expert for the FBI, the Washington Post reports.
US Attorney Scandal Widens
Washington Post
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May 17, 2007 8:42 AM CDT
(Newser) -
The Justice Department considered firing at least 26 US attorneys, the Washington Post reports, including 13 who still have their jobs. Alberto Gonzales' office compiled the previously undisclosed lists, which appear to indicate that the AG targeted far more prosecutors than he has acknowledged. He has testified that the purge effort was limited...
Understaffed Suns Set Just Short of Victory
Yahoo
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May 17, 2007 8:17 AM CDT
(Newser) -
The Phoenix Suns, minus their two best big men, squandered their home-court advantage last night, dropping game 5 of a hotly contested playoff to the Spurs, 88-85. Serial gamemakers Amare Stoudemire and Boris Diaw sat the game out on a controversial suspension for leaving their bench out of turn in game 4.
