Newser Story Index from September, 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.
Jena 6 Teen Denied Release
Associated Press
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Sep 22, 2007 5:48 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Mychal Bell, the black Louisiana teenager in jail since December for the battery of a white classmate, was not released on bail yesterday, as has supporters had hoped. The day after a demonstration that brought 10,000 civil rights activists to the tiny town to protest the treatment of the teenagers, a juvenile court judge denied his request to be...
Bonds' Giants Career Ends
San Francisco Chronicle
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Sep 21, 2007 8:30 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Home run king Barry Bonds announced on his website today that the Giants won't be bringing him back in 2008, ending a 15-season tenure in which the slugger became the face of the franchise. Bonds received $16 million this year and no longer fits into the team's plans, which are focused on rebuilding after three playoff-free seasons.
Blackstone Lobbying Backfires
Bloomberg
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Sep 21, 2007 8:10 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Private equity firms launched their first coordinated effort at lobbying this year—and overshot by a long stretch, Bloomberg reports. Blackstone and 11 other firms joined hands to fight a tax hike on carried interest—fund managers' share of profits—and have gone so far as to argue that the lower rate they enjoy spurs development in...
Castro's Hat Is Suddenly Hot Fashion Item
Reuters
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Sep 21, 2007 7:56 PM CDT
(Newser) -
The trademark Castro hat is selling like hotcakes in Havana, bought by tourists and Cubans alike, although in neither case as a symbol of socialist support. Although the cap may often feature an image of Che Guevara, Cuban youths have been decorating it with tags from western clothing multinationals like Adidas, Puma or Tommy Hilfiger.
Rudy Takes Call During NRA Speech
Chicago Tribune
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Sep 21, 2007 7:07 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Rudy Giuliani, former gun control-lover, wasn't exactly killing with a speech to the National Rifle Association today when he interrupted his remarks at the podium—to take a phone call from his wife. After a little lovey-dovey with Judith ("OK, have a safe trip, bye-bye. Talk to you later dear, I love you.") he turned back to...
KKR Abandons Harman Buyout
Bloomberg
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Sep 21, 2007 6:39 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Kohlberg Kravis Roberts and Goldman Sachs today called off their deal to buy out audio giant Harman International for $8 billion. The firms announced that a "material adverse change in Harman's business has occurred,'' one of the limited circumstances in which they could abandon the deal without getting stuck with a $225 million break-up fee,...
Everett Arrives in Houston for Rehab
ESPN
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Sep 21, 2007 6:07 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Injured Bills tight end Kevin Everett was back home in Houston this afternoon to begin the next phase of rehabilitation. Disembarking from a private flight, Everett was moved by ambulance to a Houston hospital that specializes in the rehabilitation of trauma patients. Wearing an Everett jersey, his mom, Patricia Dugas, follwed in a town car, ESPN ...
1 Million Cribs Recalled
Chicago Tribune
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Sep 21, 2007 5:50 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Following the deaths of at least three children, the Consumer Product Safety Commission today recalled roughly 1 million Simplicity and Graco cribs. "We do not want your child in that crib tonight," a CPSC spokesman told the Chicago Tribune. The cribs, manufactured in China, can trap and suffocate infants if the drop side is improperly...
Delaware St. Shooting Probe Focuses on Students
Associated Press
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Sep 21, 2007 5:21 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Police have identified two students as "persons of interest" in the investigation of the shooting of two fellow students early this morning on the Delaware State campus. One was in custody for questioning this afternoon, the AP reports. One of the two 17-year-old victims refused to answer questions from the police, suggesting he may know...
Troop Withdrawal Timetable Fails in Senate
Washington Post
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Sep 21, 2007 4:54 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Antiwar Democrats continued their losing streak today as a Senate measure to set a timetable for the withdrawal of troops from Iraq didn't get enough support to keep it alive. The vote on the amendment to a defense authorization bill, which would have mandated a drawdown to begin in 120 days, was split 47 to 47. Sixty votes were needed to block a Republican...
Green Eggs and Slammer: NH Judge Channels Seuss
Concord (NH) Monitor
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Sep 21, 2007 4:30 PM CDT
(Newser) -
When a New Hampshire state prison inmate used a hard-boiled egg to illustrate his grievance with his institutional diet, the federal judge overseeing the case sought lofty counsel—Dr. Seuss. "I do not like eggs in the file. I do not like eggs any style," James Muirhead responded, reports the Concord Monitor.
Blackwater Prior Shootings Show Pattern, Iraqis Say
Los Angeles Times
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Sep 21, 2007 4:02 PM CDT
(Newser) -
In the ongoing controversy over Blackwater USA's role in Iraq, the Los Angeles Times details several earlier incidents in which civilians were killed by the private security firm used to guard American diplomats. One of the men wounded Sunday, when 11 Iraqis were killed at a busy Baghdad intersection, reports that his son was also wounded several...
Markets Wrap Up Banner Week
Bloomberg
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Sep 21, 2007 3:37 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Stocks climbed again today, closing out the biggest weekly gain since March. The Dow rose 53.49 to 13,820.19, the Nasdaq climbed 16.93 to 2,671.22, and the S&P 500 closed at 1,525.75, up 7.00. The Dow and S&P rose 2.8% on the week. In the wake of the Fed's rate cut Tuesday, "confidence is returning", one fund manager told Bloomberg.
China Installs Bishop With Pope's Approval
Reuters
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Sep 21, 2007 3:06 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Pope Benedict publicly approved the appointment of the new bishop installed today in Beijing, bringing some warmth to long-frozen relations between the Holy See and China’s government-controlled church, Reuters reports. In a critical test for future ties, Joseph Li Shan took over the highest-profile diocese in the atheist nation, which severed...
Turkey May Lift Headscarf Ban
Der Spiegel
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Sep 21, 2007 2:39 PM CDT
(Newser) -
A debate is raging in secular Turkey over the ban on headscarves that has resulted in Muslim women who don them being barred from universities since 1980. Now, PM Erdogan is considering drafting a new constitution with a less stringent dress code that has made many Turkish women hopeful—and many staunch secularists nervous, Der Spiegel reports.
Lions and Tigers and Bears—Oh, My!
LiveScience
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Sep 21, 2007 2:16 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Surprise, surprise—the deadliest animal is the mosquito! Carrying diseases like malaria, skeeters cause over 2 million deaths a year. LiveScience tells you what else to keep an eye peeled for: Mosquito Asian cobra Australian box jellyfish
Get Britney a Sequined Glove
Los Angeles Times
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Sep 21, 2007 1:54 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Britney Spears' meteoric rise, suspect marriages, bad parenting, outrageous public behavior, not to mention her spectacular VMA flub—it's better than watching a train wreck, but we've seen this implosion before. The LA Times studies the pop princess' antics and finds an eerie resemblance to the fall of the King of Pop, Michael Jackson.
'Hobbits' Were, Indeed, a Different Kind of Human
Telegraph (UK)
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Sep 21, 2007 1:30 PM CDT
(Newser) -
A new study of three wrist bones from an 18,000-year-old fossil shows that the so-called hobbits of Indonesia were, indeed, a separate human species. When the bones were discovered in 2003, scientists trumpeted the find as evidence of a smaller species, Homo floresiensis. But skeptics argued that the hobbit, at 3 feet tall with a brain the size...
US Reinstates Blackwater in Iraq
Associated Press
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Sep 21, 2007 1:08 PM CDT
(Newser) -
American convoys began emerging from the Green Zone again today, protected by Blackwater USA guards, just four days after an Iraqi ban on the private security firm halted all such travel. Iraqis remain outraged over the deaths of 11 civilians in a Blackwater shooting incident Sunday, but a Maliki aide told the AP that Iraq’s government...
MIT Student Wears Fake Bomb to Airport
Boston Globe
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Sep 21, 2007 12:48 PM CDT
(Newser) -
An MIT student was arrested today at the Boston airport wearing a device that appeared to be a bomb. Police armed with machine guns took her into custody and determined that the circuit board on her chest was harmless. “Thankfully because she followed our instructions, she ended up in our cell instead of a morgue,” said a police spokesman.
Burmese Monks Take to Streets
BBC
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Sep 21, 2007 12:15 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Thousands of Buddhist monks are protesting in the streets of Burma, and they’ll continue to do so until they’ve “wiped the military dictatorship from the land,” their leaders said today. This is the first time the monks have explicitly challenged the government, the BBC reports, and though the demonstrations are peaceful, they...
Fujimori Will Be Extradited to Peru
Reuters
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Sep 21, 2007 11:50 AM CDT
(Newser) -
A Chilean court ruled today to extradite Peru's ex-president Alberto Fujimori to his former country to face corruption and human rights abuse charges, Reuters reports. Judges cited evidence from two massacres linked to Fujimori’s war with Maoist faction Shining Path as the key to their decision. Fujimori has been detained in Chile since late...
No Extra Exam Time for Nursing Mom
Associated Press
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Sep 21, 2007 11:25 AM CDT
(Newser) -
A Massachusetts court has denied a Harvard med student's suit demanding extra break time during a 9-hour medical licensing exam to pump breast milk for her 4-month-old child. Sophie Currier, 33, sued on grounds that she must nurse her infant daughter or pump milk every 2 to 3 hours or risk medical consequences; the judge said Currier has other options.
Taiwan Sits Out Olympic Torch Relay Over China Tiff
BBC
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Sep 21, 2007 11:00 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Add the Olympic torch route to the list of things China and Taiwan can’t agree on. After a month of debate, officials have canceled a stop in Taipei because the sides could not agree on the route, or the use of Taiwan’s national anthem and flag. Beijing said the move sets “a vile precedent,” the BBC reports.
Bitter Rather Wants CBS to Pay
Washington Post
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Sep 21, 2007 10:34 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Three years after the dust settled around CBS' firing of Dan Rather, the former anchor is quite content to fan the flames around his career low point—all in the name of revenge. Rather, 75, tells the Washington Post that he filed his $70 million suit against the network he says abandoned him because, "The only punishment they understand...
US Knew About Israel's Raid on Syria in Advance
Washington Post
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Sep 21, 2007 10:09 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Israeli intelligence provided President Bush with indications that North Korean nuclear officials had arrived in Syria before Israel stealthily bombed an alleged nuclear facility there. Although the US was reluctant to upset progress on North Korean nonproliferation, it nevertheless tacitly supported Israel's raid—and likely corroborated the...
'Eastern Promises' Makes Good
Rotten Tomatoes
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Sep 21, 2007 9:43 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Eastern Promises , like director David Cronenberg’s A History of Violence before it, is a crime thriller starring Viggo Mortensen. And like Violence , critics love it. Its Russian mobsters transplanted to London are not characters, Roger Ebert raves, but “plausible human beings.” Mortensen stands out, having “just the ratio...
Hyphen Takes a Knockout Blow
BBC
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Sep 21, 2007 9:17 AM CDT
(Newser) -
The new edition of the Shorter Oxford English Dictionary has far fewer of everyone's favorite little connector. Editors have dropped 16,000 hyphens from all sorts of compound words: "Fig-leaf" is now "fig leaf," "chick-pea" has become "chickpea." Email is the culprit, reports the BBC: writers no longer...
Blackwater Shooters Were Not Provoked, Iraq Says
New York Times
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Sep 21, 2007 8:46 AM CDT
(Newser) -
A man who failed to stop for a traffic policeman and a screaming woman with a baby in her arms were shot dead as they crossed a busy Baghdad intersection guarded by private US security guards, according to a harrowing Iraqi account of the incident Sunday that left eight civilians dead. Iraq's Interior Ministry has concluded that the Blackwater guards...
Rwandan War Crimes Suspect Arrested In Frankfurt
Deutsche Welle (Germany)
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Sep 21, 2007 8:30 AM CDT
(Newser) -
An ex-cabinet minister wanted for war crimes during the 1994 Rwandan genocide has been arrested in Germany after more than a decade on the lam. Deutsche Welle reports that a manhunt had tracked Augustin Ngirabatware since July as he shuttled between hotels and apartments before being caught on Wednesday near Frankfurt. He is one of only a dozen or...
5 Worst Video Game Deaths
MSNBC
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Sep 21, 2007 7:57 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Not all video game deaths are created equal. MSNBC selects the top five most gruesome: Spine ripped out: "Mortal Kombat" Sawed to pieces: "Gears of War," "Doom," "God of War," "Star Wars" Stomped to death: "Duke Nukem"
Recalls Our Fault, Mattel Tells China
Associated Press
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Sep 21, 2007 7:30 AM CDT
(Newser) -
The fallout from Mattel's recall of Chinese-made products took a bizarre turn today as the toy company apologized to Beijing and took the blame for design flaws in lead-tainted toys, AP reports. In a meeting with China's top product safety chief, a Mattel VP called the recalls "overly inclusive" and apologized for hurting "the reputation...
It's Forbes 400 Time Again
Forbes
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Sep 21, 2007 7:15 AM CDT
(Newser) -
In the 25th year of Forbes magazine's rankings of the 400 riches Americans, the net worth at the poor end of the list is $1.3 billion, up from a flat $1 billion a year ago. Microsoft founder Bill Gates still tops the list with $59 billion, closely followed by Warren Buffett ($52 million). Forty-five of the members appear on the list for the first...
Two Students Wounded in Delaware State Shooting
Associated Press
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Sep 21, 2007 6:49 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Two students were wounded early this morning in a shooting at Delaware State University. The campus was locked down, as police search for the shooter. Both students are alive, one with serious wounds that a university spokesman called “potentially life-threatening.” Classes are canceled for the day, with students and faculty told to remain...
Franco-Flemish Split Widens in Belgium
New York Times
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Sep 21, 2007 5:57 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Tensions in Belgium over whether the country should be split in half have reached a crescendo, with 3-month-old elections still unsettled and Flemish separatist politicians calling for a divorce, the New York Times reports. "We are two different nations with nothing in common except a king, chocolate, and beer," said the Flemish Bloc leader.
Phils Battle Back to Snatch Win
Philadelphia Inquirer
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Sep 21, 2007 5:49 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Jayson Werth hit a 3-run homer in the 7th and Jimmy Rollins knocked in the go-ahead run in the 8th to give the Phillies a 7-6 come-from-behind victory over the Nationals. That nudges them to within 1½ games of first place in the National League East.
Sarko Calls for Tougher Iran Sanctions —Not War
AFP
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Sep 21, 2007 5:17 AM CDT
(Newser) -
French President Nicolas Sarkozy has no doubt that Iran "is trying to obtain an atomic bomb," but France seeks tougher United Nations sanctions rather than war, he insisted yesterday. Sarkozy's comments clearly backed away from an earlier statement by his foreign minister that Europe must prepare for war in Iran, reports AFP.
'Thou Shalt Not Sue Me!'
Associated Press
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Sep 21, 2007 5:13 AM CDT
(Newser) -
"God" has apparently responded to a lawsuit accusing Him of making terroristic threats against mankind. If that sounds like the premise for a Jim Carrey movie, well, one day it might be. Agnostic Nebraska legislator Ernie Chambers sued God in a county court for all the disasters He brings to the world. Now a mysterious response claims God...
Everett Could Be Walking in Days: Docs
Associated Press
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Sep 21, 2007 4:55 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Buffalo Bills tight end Kevin Everett, who suffered a disastrous spinal cord injury in a tackle less than two weeks ago, is being transferred today to a Houston hospital, and could be walking "in days," according to doctors. Everett has already been sitting up unassisted. Doctors grimly predicted Everett would never walk again when he arrived...
Senate Passes FDA Drug Safety Bill
Reuters
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Sep 21, 2007 4:53 AM CDT
(Newser) -
The Senate moved the Food and Drug Administration drug-safety bill one step closer to law yesterday, passing it unanimously and sending it to President Bush, who is expected to sign it. The measure would grant the FDA more control over warnings on prescription drugs, and would allow the organization to call for additional studies on existing drugs,...
Notre Dame: Jones May Go, Not to Illinois
Associated Press
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Sep 21, 2007 4:42 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Notre Dame announced yesterday that it will release quarterback Demetrius Jones from his scholarship, but only if he transfers to a school not on Notre Dame's "immediate future football schedules," reports AP. The school had previously refused to release Jones, who was dropped from his starting position and failed to board the team bus before...
Georgia Man Fed Live Kittens to His Dog: Cops
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Sep 21, 2007 4:40 AM CDT
(Newser) -
A 21-year-old Georgia man has been charged with aggravated animal cruelty for allegedly trapping and injuring kittens before feeding them, alive, to his pet pit bull, reports the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. A search of his home turned up two pounds of marijuana, firearms and the mangled bodies of two missing kittens, according to police.
Padres Nail 7th Straight Game
Associated Press
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Sep 21, 2007 4:26 AM CDT
(Newser) -
With a 6-3 win over the foundering Pittsburgh Pirates last night, the Padres gained a series sweep and a season-high seven-game win streak, and ramped up their threat to the division-leading Diamondbacks. Former Dodger Brett Tomko pitched six innings for the win that put San Diego within half a game of Arizona in the National League West, reports AP.
FBI Taped Senator's Phone Calls in Corruption Probe
Associated Press
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Sep 21, 2007 4:24 AM CDT
(Newser) -
The FBI secretly taped phone calls between Alaska Senator Ted Stevens and an oil businessman during an investigation into contract corruption, according to sources. The oil contractor agreed to the tapings last year after he was confronted with evidence that he had bribed other Alaska lawmakers, AP reports. Stevens acknowledged only months ago that...
Thousands March for 'Jena 6'
CNN
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Sep 21, 2007 4:20 AM CDT
(Newser) -
As many as 20,000 demonstrators flooded the streets of the tiny Louisiana town of Jena yesterday to protest the treatment of the "Jena 6"— the black high school students charged with felonies after the beating last year of a white student. An appeals court at midday ordered a hearing within 72 hours to determine if the lone teen still...
Groin Pulls Griffey Out for The Season
Cincinnati Post
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Sep 21, 2007 3:56 AM CDT
(Newser) -
After experiencing intense groin pain while fielding a routine ball against the Cubs, Ken Griffey Jr. is likely out for the season, and his Reds are officially out of playoff contention after the 3-2 loss. The slugger's pursuit of 600 homers—he could be the sixth player in history to achieve the milestone—will have to wait until next year.
Houston Picks Wade as GM
ESPN
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Sep 21, 2007 3:38 AM CDT
(Newser) -
The Houston Astros announced yesterday that they have hired Ed Wade as their new general manager. Wade, who was GM for the Philadelphia Phillies from 1998 to 2005, replaces recently axed Tim Purpura. Astros owner Drayton McLane cited Wade's focus on "player development" as one factor that influenced the hiring decision, reports ESPN.
Speilberg & Paramount Head for Divorce
Los Angeles Times
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Sep 21, 2007 3:35 AM CDT
(Newser) -
A split between the DreamWorks braintrust and Paramount appears inevitable amid reports that director Steven Spielberg and partner David Geffen will seek new backers as soon as they're free to do so. The duo have been upset almost from the moment they sold Dreamworks to Paramount two years ago, complaining that the parent label takes credit for hits...
Loonie Catches Up to Dollar
Canadian Press
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Sep 21, 2007 3:33 AM CDT
(Newser) -
The Canadian dollar reached parity with its US counterpart for the first time in over 30 years yesterday. As recently as March 2002, $1 American bought $1.60 Canadian, but the struggling US economy and the recent interest rate cut have pulled the greenback down, while increased demand for Canadian products such as wheat, oil and coal have buoyed the...
Hsu Swindled Investors of $60M: Feds
Washington Post
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Sep 21, 2007 3:19 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Businessman Norman Hsu swindled $60 million from investors across the country and made illegal campaign contributions to Hillary Clinton and others, federal prosecutors say. In a criminal complaint unsealed in Manhattan yesterday, the feds say Hsu broke US election law by reimbursing some of the political donors who participated in his Ponzi scheme,...
