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Newser Story Index from November, 2008

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.

GM Shrinks Fleet of Corporate Jets
Detroit News | Nov 21, 2008 1:38 PM CST
(Newser) - After facing turbulence on Capitol Hill over its corporate jets, General Motors is cutting two aircraft from the ranks, the Detroit News reports. “This is strictly the result of drastic cutbacks in travel around the globe,” said a spokesman. The automaker, which began this year with seven jets, also turned in two in September. GM spent...
What Recession? Dubai Throws $20M Party
Bloomberg | Nov 21, 2008 1:28 PM CST
(Newser) - Rich and famous people from around the world avoided the recession blues last night by flocking to a ridiculously extravagant party on a man-made island in Dubai, Bloomberg reports. Boasting a performance from Kylie Minogue and a fireworks display that could be seen from space, the party was the emirate’s latest play to retain its super-luxe...
Why Gates Should Stay —and Why He Shouldn't
Time | Nov 21, 2008 1:25 PM CST
(Newser) - Conventional wisdom has it that Barack Obama will ask Robert Gates to keep his post as Secretary of Defense, but there’s no conventional wisdom about how wise that is. “It has more minuses than pluses,” opines one ex-Pentagon official, but others disagree. Some pros and cons: Gates would ensure a smooth wartime transition....
Bolt Is Fetching Fun
Rotten Tomatoes | Nov 21, 2008 1:18 PM CST
(Newser) - Disney's latest animated movie may not win prizes for originality, but Bolt is barking up the right tree for family entertainment, say critics. John Travolta voices with "terrific tenderness" the super-powered pooch who's unaware that his life has been a canine Truman Show , writes Michael Rechtshaffen in the Hollywood Reporter. Miley...
Ailing Biotech Firms Need Shot in the Arm
Bloomberg | Nov 21, 2008 1:05 PM CST
(Newser) - For the first time in years, the biotech industry is in desperate need of a lifeline, Bloomberg reports, as the economic crisis threatens to shove companies into bankruptcy and derail the development of potentially life-saving drugs. “I’m looking down the barrel of a gun,” admitted one CEO. Five such companies declared bankruptcy...
Squabbling LiLo and Sam Get Counseling
New York Post | Nov 21, 2008 12:54 PM CST
(Newser) - Vicious spats between Lindsay Lohan and galpal Sam Ronson have led the pair to seek couples counseling, a source tells the New York Post . They’re “fighting like cats and dogs,” the insider said. “Sam and Lindsay are still very much together and very much in love, but drama just seems to follow Lindsay, and Sam hates it.”...
Napolitano Pick Suggests Focus on Immigration
CQPolitics | Nov 21, 2008 12:45 PM CST
(Newser) - If Janet Napolitano is indeed Barack Obama’s pick for Homeland Security chief, it likely signals a shift in the department away from terrorism and toward immigration issues, CQPolitics reports. The Arizona governor has been on the front lines of the immigration battle. “She would do a pretty serious systematic review of the border strategy,”...
Buyout Bid Threatens Everglades Protection Plan
St. Petersburg Times | Nov 21, 2008 12:36 PM CST
(Newser) - A possible new bid has thrown a wrench into the state of Florida's plan to buy most of US Sugar's land for $1.34 billion and use it to help restore the Everglades, the St. Petersburg Times reports. The Lawrence Group, which has tried twice before to buy US Sugar, says it plans to offer a "far superior" deal for $300 a share, but the...
Contractors in Iraq Could Be Charged for Old Incidents
McClatchy Newspapers | Nov 21, 2008 12:22 PM CST
(Newser) - Iraq may be able to prosecute US contractors for misdeeds committed when they were thought to be operating under American immunity, McClatchy reports. The new security pact doesn’t block such retroactive legal action, news that came as a surprise to Blackwater, whose contractors have been involved in the most high-profile incidents. ...
Obama Will Wait on 'Don't Ask' Repeal
Washington Times | Nov 21, 2008 12:12 PM CST
(Newser) - President-elect Barack Obama plans to wait a bit before pursuing a campaign promise to overturn the military’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy on homosexuals, reports the Washington Times . The new administration may not bring up the ban on gays in the military until 2010, in order to generate support and avoid another...
Russia Paves Way for Return of Putin
CNN | Nov 21, 2008 12:04 PM CST
(Newser) - Russia's lower house of parliament approved a change to the constitution that extends the term of the president from four to six years, CNN reports. The move is widely seen as a bureaucratic maneuver that will lead to the return of Vladimir Putin as president. The upper house of parliament is expected to follow suit and make the measure law.
Teens Will Swoon for Twilight
Metacritic | Nov 21, 2008 11:55 AM CST
(Newser) - The teen-vampire drama Twilight will “mesmerize its target audience, 16-year-old girls and their grandmothers,” writes Roger Ebert in the Chicago Sun-Times . “The movie is lush and beautiful, and the actors are well-chosen.” The story of a girl and her vegetarian-vampire lover focuses on the “fervent, sexually charged...
Meet Mikaeel: Jacko Converts to Islam
Sun (UK) | Nov 21, 2008 11:40 AM CST
(Newser) - Michael Jackson has followed the path of fellow entertainer Cat Stevens in converting to Islam, a source tells the British tabloid the Sun . Jackson—now called Mikaeel—recently went through a ceremony at a friend’s Hollywood Hills home, after being swayed by pals who said the faith had made them better people. Stevens, now Yousef...
Mukasey Released From Hospital
ABC News | Nov 21, 2008 11:27 AM CST
(Newser) - Michael Mukasey is out of the hospital with a clean bill of health after collapsing during a speech last night. The attorney general spent an "uneventful night" at the hospital and passed a battery of tests. Doctors have seen no indication that he suffered a stroke or heart attack, ABC News reports. "Everything looks great," said...
NFL Tweaks Rules on Instant Replay
New York Daily News | Nov 21, 2008 11:11 AM CST
(Newser) - The NFL is modifying its instant-replay policy after yet another botched call in a game, the New York Daily News reports. This much stays the same: Only one official will go under the hood to look at the replay. But another official will tag along with him, stand nearby, and act as a sort of official stenographer. He'll record the decision,...
Reese Not Ready to Marry Jake
Parade | Nov 21, 2008 11:03 AM CST
(Newser) - Reese Witherspoon quashed rumors of an impending engagement to Jake Gyllenhaal in a recent interview with Parade magazine. “I don’t know how I feel about marriage,” she said. “Obviously, I’m not far enough out of being married to think about doing it again.” The actress also discussed her relationship with ex-husband...
Obama Team Weighs Streamlined Auto Bankruptcy
Bloomberg | Nov 21, 2008 10:55 AM CST
(Newser) - Barack Obama’s transition team is looking at a streamlined, “prepackaged” bankruptcy for the Big Three automakers, Bloomberg reports. In a “prepack,” the companies already would have financing lined up when they go to court, and would have to reach agreements with banks, workers, and suppliers. The government likely would...
Ivanka Snags Book Deal
New York Post | Nov 21, 2008 10:43 AM CST
(Newser) - Ivanka Trump sees herself as a motivational figure, and a prominent book publisher agrees, reports the New York Post. The one-time model, 27, says the tome will present a "positive perspective with the women of my generation.” A Simon & Schuster rep called the aspiring author and tycoon daughter a “high-profile figure who has...
Economy's Tanking Too Fast to Wait for Obama: Krugman
New York Times | Nov 21, 2008 10:32 AM CST
(Newser) - The state of the economy right now reminds Paul Krugman a lot of the start of the Great Depression, including a lame-duck administration that seems to have no credibility, hence no influence on the markets, the columnist writes in the New York Times . Drastic damage was done to the country in the months of paralysis between the election and the inauguration...
Financial Industry May Shed 350K Jobs
Bloomberg | Nov 21, 2008 10:23 AM CST
(Newser) - Job cuts in the financial services sector could hit 350,000 worldwide by the middle of 2009, double the number so far, Bloomberg reports. "This is the financial equivalent of World War II," says the CEO of a major headhunting firm. If he's right, by summer, the industry will be 20% smaller than it was before Lehman Brothers and other investment...
Nebraska Closes Loophole on Abandoning Unruly Kids
Omaha World-Herald | Nov 21, 2008 10:09 AM CST
(Newser) - Nebraska lawmakers today closed a loophole that allowed parents to abandon their unruly teenagers and leave them in state custody, the Omaha World-Herald reports. The original law was meant to allow unwanted infants to be left at hospitals without penalty, but it lacked an age restriction. Since September, 35 children, nearly all them 11 or older,...
Lilo, Sam Duke It Out at Club
Sun (UK) | Nov 21, 2008 10:00 AM CST
(Newser) - Lindsay Lohan and girlfriend Samantha Ronson had an ugly fistfight in London, “screaming and spitting” at each other, the British tabloid Sun reports. Ronson flew off the handle when she spotted Lilo dancing with ex Calum Best at trendy nightclub Boujis. “And then all hell broke loose,” one onlooker said. Sam “went ballistic”...
Conrad Black Asks Bush for Clemency
CBC (Canada) | Nov 21, 2008 9:49 AM CST
(Newser) - Onetime media mogul Conrad Black is seeking clemency from President Bush in hopes that his 6½-year jail sentence will be commuted, the CBC reports. Black, the former chair of newspaper firm Hollinger International, was convicted on fraud and obstruction of justice charges in 2007 for channeling $6 million from his company. No word from the Bush...
Noonan: Keep Gates at Pentagon
Wall Street Journal | Nov 21, 2008 9:38 AM CST
(Newser) - The will-he-won’t-she dance of Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton is drawing all the attention, but, writes Peggy Noonan in the Wall Street Journal , that’s not the most important Cabinet pick. Instead we ought to watch whether Obama does the right thing and asks Defense Secretary Robert Gates to stick around. “He is a bipartisan figure...
Obama Gun Question Has NRA Crowd Up in Arms
Politico | Nov 21, 2008 9:28 AM CST
(Newser) - In its questionnaire for job seekers, the Obama transition team is asking applicants if they own guns, and to provide detailed registration information on any that they do or did, Politico reports. The team says the question is just aimed at ferreting out any potential gun law violations, but gun fans are locking and loading outrage. One Republican...
Fears of Deflation Spook Economists
Washington Post | Nov 21, 2008 9:18 AM CST
(Newser) - Lower prices may sound like a good thing, but economists say sustained deflation poses a serious threat to any turnaround, the Washington Post reports. Consumer prices are tanking on everything from clothes to steel, which feeds a cycle: People stop buying as they hold out for better sales, and stores keeping cutting prices, then jobs. One economist...
Former Union Leader In Line for FAA Post
Wall Street Journal | Nov 21, 2008 9:07 AM CST
(Newser) - Barack Obama’s hoping to bring about long-needed reforms in aviation, but to do it, he’ll need the support of organized labor. Hence, reports the Wall Street Journal , the frontrunner for the top job at the Federal Aviation Administration is the head of the former pilots union, Duane Woerth. Air-traffic controllers have complained about...
ABC Cancels Daisies , Eli Stone
E! Online | Nov 21, 2008 8:57 AM CST
(Newser) - In a sweep of pre-holiday cuts, ABC has decided to pull the plug on Pushing Daisies , Dirty Sexy Money , and Eli Stone after the current season, reports E! Online . Daisies executive producer Bryan Fuller says plans are in the works for a comic book and feature film to continue the storyline of a pie-maker who can bring the dead back to life.
Obama Records Radio Ad for Georgia's Martin
Politico | Nov 21, 2008 8:48 AM CST
(Newser) - Barack Obama is lending his voice to Georgia Democrat Jim Martin's Senate run-off race, Politico reports. In a 1-minute radio spot, the president-elect calls on listeners to “turn out one more time and help elect Jim Martin.” If Martin can win the support of the African-Americans who voted for Obama, he has a good shot at victory over...
Bloodied Stocks Rebound
Wall Street Journal | Nov 21, 2008 8:45 AM CST
(Newser) - Stocks took a big bounce at the open today, after two brutal days that sent markets to 11-year lows. The Dow jumped 137 at the open, with the S&P and Nasdaq trading 2.2% and 1.8% higher, respectively. Citigroup shares jumped 5%, on news the company was considering selling all or part of itself. The company has dropped 50% in the past two days.
Score Card on Late White House Rules Changes
ProPublica | Nov 21, 2008 8:28 AM CST
(Newser) - With the  Bush White House pushing through a raft of last-minute rules, the nonprofit journalism group ProPublica offers a running list, with the status of each: Business-friendly safety regulations would loosen restrictions on exposure to toxic chemicals in the workplace. Local police would get increased surveillance ability. ...
Neil Young: Detroit's Dinosaurs Can Go Electric
Huffington Post | Nov 21, 2008 8:27 AM CST
(Newser) - Motorists considering electric cars can hang on to their Cadillac dreams as well, writes Neil Young at the Huffington Post. Barack Obama's plan to get a million electric vehicles on American roads within a decade is possible—and the cars don't need to be tiny or even have new designs, writes the rock legend, pointing to his own converted 1959...
UAW Eyes Give-Backs to Help Big 3 Bailout
Detroit Free Press | Nov 21, 2008 7:55 AM CST
(Newser) - The United Auto Workers appears to be easing off its “no more cuts” stance. The union is negotiating a swath of concessions it hopes will convince Congress to loan money to the Big Three, starting with the elimination of its controversial jobs bank, the Detroit Free Press reports. The bank pays laid-off workers, sometimes for years after...
As Museums Struggle, LA's MOCA Seeks Merger
New York Times | Nov 21, 2008 7:36 AM CST
(Newser) - The Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles, one of the nation's leading modern art galleries, is holding talks with other LA institutions about a possible merger. MoCA has already announced a 10% cut in staff and the temporary closure of 50% of its exhibition space. For the New York Times , the talks highlight the dire straits of nonprofit...
Ashlee Welcomes Baby Bronx
People | Nov 21, 2008 7:22 AM CST
(Newser) - Ashlee Simpson-Wentz gave birth to a baby boy last night, People reports, and the family is healthy and happy. Pete Wentz once said “you've gotta have a baby with a name that could be a rock star or a senator,” so what did the couple ultimately choose? Bronx Mowgli. He might be the first of many, as Ashlee “would love to have a...
Royal Ahead as French Left Picks Leader
Reuters | Nov 21, 2008 7:07 AM CST
(Newser) - Ségolène Royal has emerged as the strongest candidate to take over France's Socialist Party as a bitter leadership contest goes to a runoff today, Reuters reports. Royal, defeated by Nicolas Sarkozy in last year's presidential race, will face Martine Aubry, the mayor of Lille who as a minister introduced the controversial 35-hour working...
10,000 Iraqis Protest Troop Deal
New York Times | Nov 21, 2008 6:49 AM CST
(Newser) - More than 10,000 Muqtada al-Sadr supporters gathered in Baghdad today to protest the US-Iraqi security pact that would keep troops in the country for another 3 years. The protesters hanged an effigy of President Bush from the same plinth Saddam Hussein’s statue was once toppled from by US forces, placing a black bag around Bush’s head in...
Would She Rather Stay in the Senate?
New York Times | Nov 21, 2008 6:45 AM CST
(Newser) - The Clinton agonizing continues, the New York Times reports, as friends said yesterday she was "back in the indecisive column," and Senate Democrats said  they'd offer her a substantial leadership role if she doesn't end up as Barack Obama's secretary of state. Obama's team put the word out last night that things are on track for the...
Jackson Will Testify in UK Trial
Guardian (UK) | Nov 21, 2008 6:26 AM CST
(Newser) - Michael Jackson will appear in a London court next week in a civil trial over his soured partnership with Bahrain's Sheikh Abdullah, the Guardian reports. The Sheikh reportedly gave Jackson a $7M advance for several joint business ventures that never came to fruition, including building Jackson his own "oasis of calm" in Bahrain where he...
Early Plankton Blooming May Starve Ocean Creatures
San Francisco Chronicle | Nov 21, 2008 6:23 AM CST
(Newser) - A vast and colorful explosion of life in the Arctic Sea—the sudden, unprecedented blossoming of phytoplankton prompted by warming waters—could spell death for untold numbers of creatures, the San Francisco Chronicle reports. Phytoplankton, a microscopic but vital part of the food chain, is blooming—and swiftly dying—at the...
Gas Prices Plummet Below $2
Wall Street Journal | Nov 21, 2008 5:41 AM CST
(Newser) - As crude oil sank below $50 for the first time in years, gas prices in America continued their precipitous fall, with the average cost of a gallon below $2 today for the first time since 2005. The turnabout is the sharpest since the government began tracking prices in 1980. Suddenly, writes the Wall Street Journal , debate in Washington has shifted...
Verizon Staffers Breached Obama Cell Phone Records
Washington Post | Nov 21, 2008 4:46 AM CST
(Newser) - Verizon has suspended all employees who accessed Barack Obama's personal cell phone records after learning that some workers snooped into the account without authorization, the Washington Post reports. Company executives, who didn't specify what kind of information had been viewed, apologized to the president-elect. Verizon is investigating and has...
Frantic Citigroup Considers Sell-Off
Wall Street Journal | Nov 21, 2008 4:20 AM CST
(Newser) - Citigroup is keeping all its options on the table as its share price plunges—including selling itself, insiders tell the Wall Street Journal .  The battered giant's share price plummeted another 26% yesterday—its worst one-day hit ever—chalking up an 83% dive for the year. Directors plan crisis talks today.
Jolie Photo Deal Hinged on Positive Coverage
New York Times | Nov 21, 2008 3:57 AM CST
(Newser) - Angelina Jolie wanted more than mere millions of dollars for the first photos of herself  and her new twins, the New York Times reports. As part of a carefully orchestrated campaign to mold her public image, the star demanded, and won, a promise from People that the magazine's future coverage of her would be glowingly positive.
Obese? Court Backs Two Seats for One Fare
Reuters | Nov 21, 2008 3:36 AM CST
(Newser) - Obese air travelers in Canada who need two seats must be given the extra seat for free, Reuters reports. The Supreme Court of Canada has refused to hear an appeal from Air Canada and two other airlines after they failed to win a lower court appeal on the fare issue. That means the country’s “one person, one fare” policy for disabled...
Florida Teen Kills Himself on Web TV as Viewers LOL
NewTeeVee | Nov 21, 2008 3:11 AM CST
(Newser) - A Florida teenager broadcast his hours-long suicide on an internet video-streaming channel as viewers watched, reports Newteevee. After threatening to kill himself on Justin.tv, the teen was egged on by viewers as well as posters on a chat room he used. The young bodybuilder, 19, took a fatal overdose of pills on camera, then lay on his bed for hours....
Pirates Demand $25M for Saudi Supertanker
Guardian (UK) | Nov 21, 2008 2:37 AM CST
(Newser) - Pirates who seized a Saudi supertanker and its crew have demanded a $25 million ransom from its owners within 10 days, reports the Guardian . The Sirius Star, which is carrying 2 million barrels of oil, is one of an astounding 17 ships being held by pirates off the coast of Somalia.  
US Dominance 'Fading Fast' as Global Upheaval Looms
Times (UK) | Nov 21, 2008 2:15 AM CST
(Newser) - US intelligence agencies believe the next 20 years will be the twilight of America's global dominance, the Times of London reports. A report from the National Intelligence Council paints a bleak future of an increasingly unstable world in which new powers and alliances emerge as competition for dwindling resources heats up—along with the planet....
Bailout Wait 'Nerve-Wracking'
Detroit News | Nov 21, 2008 1:50 AM CST
(Newser) - Two grueling days of congressional hearings on a bailout for the auto industry were "hostile" and the wait for an answer is "nerve-wracking," General Motors CEO Rick Wagoner told the Detroit News yesterday. GM is ready now to show Congress detailed restructuring plans to convince lawmakers to hand over billions in aid. Legislators...
Obama 'On Track' to Name Clinton to State
Politico | Nov 20, 2008 11:52 PM CST
(Newser) - Barack Obama remains "on track" to name Hillary Clinton as his secretary of state and plans to do so shortly after Thanksgiving, senior aides to the president-elect tell Politico. They said Clinton is expected to accept the offer and added that disclosure issues related to the complicated funding of Bill Clinton's foundation have been ironed...
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