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.
McCain Will Run for Fifth Term in Senate
Associated Press
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Nov 18, 2008 7:14 PM CST
(AP) -
Sen. John McCain, whose presidential bid was snuffed out two weeks ago by Barack Obama, is setting up a political action committee as a first step in running for a fifth term in the Senate. A McCain spokesperson said the 72-year-old Arizona senator decided with his senior advisers tonight to set up the fundraising PAC. The spokesperson spoke anonymously...
Pitt, Jolie Dish on Raising Six Kids
People
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Nov 18, 2008 6:41 PM CST
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As Hollywood's favorite power couple makes the rounds to plug their respective movies, interviewers just can't seem to get enough about the travails of raising six kids. Brad Pitt tells Oprah in an interview to air tomorrow that daughter Shiloh wants to be called John and that even mundane trips to the mall are logistical nightmares, People reports....
New Leads Could Solve Holloway Case
CNN
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Nov 18, 2008 6:15 PM CST
(Newser) -
Authorities in Aruba say they have new leads in the disappearance of Alabama teenager Natalee Holloway that could lead to an arrest before the end of the year, CNN reports. Dutch student Joran van der Sloot remains the prime suspect. A new witness says she saw van der Sloot and his father near a pond the night Holloway disappeared. And one of van der...
Recession in China Could Sink Regime
New Republic
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Nov 18, 2008 5:54 PM CST
(Newser) -
Beijing's grip on power in recent years has relied on a simple agreement with its citizens: "Tolerate our authoritarian rule and we'll make you rich,” writes Joshua Kurlantzick in the New Republic . But with the nation's economy on the rocks, that agreement is now breaking down. If Beijing's $586 billion stimulus package fails, the ensuing...
Detroit's Big 3 Plead Their Case in Washington
New York Times
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Nov 18, 2008 5:17 PM CST
(Newser) -
The CEOs of the Big Three automakers told the Senate today that a $25 billion bailout of the industry is necessary to prevent "catastrophic" effects on the economy, the New York Times reports. “If the domestic industry were allowed to fail,” said GM's Rick Wagoner, it would mean “three million jobs lost within the first...
Fellow Black Woman Hails Michelle's Butt
Salon
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Nov 18, 2008 4:55 PM CST
(Newser) -
Among the top qualities Michelle Obama brings to the White House is a “class-A boo-tay,” Erin Aubry Kaplan writes in Salon, hailing an era in which black women (like herself) no longer have to cover up their, er, assets. Too occupied with her words during the campaign, Kaplan “hardly looked south” to notice Michelle’s...
Somali Pirates Hijack Yet Another Cargo Ship
Financial Times (UK)
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Nov 18, 2008 4:40 PM CST
(Newser) -
Pirates off the coast of Africa have struck again, hijacking a Hong Kong cargo ship in the Gulf of Aden, the Financial Times reports. The Delight has 25 crew members and 36,000 tons of wheat, and hijackers were reportedly steering it toward Somalia. It's the latest in a string of such hijackings, including one of a Saudi super-tanker now anchored...
Our Not-So-Distant Relatives: Kangaroos
Telegraph (UK)
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Nov 18, 2008 4:26 PM CST
(Newser) -
The kangaroo genome has much in common with that of humans, the Telegraph reports. Scientists in Australia, under the auspices of the Centre of Excellence for Kangaroo Genomics, have completed mapping the marsupial’s genetic code. “There are a few differences, we have a few more of this, a few less of that,” one researcher said,...
South Park Duo to Skewer Mormons—on Broadway
New York Post
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Nov 18, 2008 4:15 PM CST
(Newser) -
Canadians can rest easy. The creators of South Park are ready to offend an entirely new population—Mormons, reports the New York Post . This time, though, they will do so not on the big screen or the small screen but on Broadway. Trey Parker and Matt Stone are bringing the Mormon Musical to the Great White Way with the help of Avenue Q...
Cheaper Oil Likely to Stay Awhile
Reason Magazine
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Nov 18, 2008 4:02 PM CST
(Newser) -
Oil prices are down, and they’re likely to stay that way for now, writes Ronald Bailey for Reason . Not only did the recent spike in gas prices drive down demand in the US; it also heightened the effect of domestic and local production. Government mandates, made in response to the surge in oil prices, are likely to curb demand in the US for...
'No Gisele' for Brady While Knee Heals: Trainer
Boston Herald
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Nov 18, 2008 3:50 PM CST
(Newser) -
Tom Brady is hard at work training to rehabilitate his injured knee, and he’s leading a monk’s life while doing it, the Boston Herald reports. Spies spotted supermodel girlfriend Gisele Bündchen—sans Brady—at a New York cocktail party over the weekend; Brady’s trainer, meanwhile, says the QB is intently focused...
Obama Taps Holder for AG
Newsweek
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Nov 18, 2008 3:38 PM CST
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Eric Holder, a former US Attorney, judge, and deputy attorney general under Bill Clinton, will be Barack Obama’s nominee to head the Justice Department, Newsweek reports. Sources say Holder has been considered for the post from the beginning, and he ran the Democrat’s vice-presidential search along with Caroline Kennedy. If confirmed,...
Obama Vows to 'Engage Vigorously' in Climate Fight
AFP
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Nov 18, 2008 3:30 PM CST
(Newser) -
In an unexpected video appearance today at a conference on climate change, President-elect Barack Obama promised to fight global warming, saying the stakes are too high to continue delaying action and denying global warming. He vowed to usher in a “new era of global cooperation” come January and says he'll “engage vigorously”...
Dow Up 151 After Seesaw Day
Wall Street Journal
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Nov 18, 2008 3:20 PM CST
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Stocks finished up slightly today amid a raft of mixed economic and earnings news, MarketWatch reports. On light trading volume, the indices swung between significant gains and losses, and the Dow closed up 151.17 at 8,424.75. The Nasdaq clawed out of the red at the last moment, closing up 1.22 at 1,483.27, and the S&P 500 gained 8.37, settling...
Hoops Coach Newell 'Simply the Best There Ever Was'
San Francisco Chronicle
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Nov 18, 2008 3:05 PM CST
(Newser) -
Pete Newell will be remembered as perhaps the “greatest basketball coach of all time,” Bruce Jenkins writes for the San Francisco Chronicle . The legendary UC-Berkeley coach died yesterday, at 93; he was the first man to win NIT and NCAA titles and Olympic gold. “He built empires out of sawdust,” Jenkins writes, “all...
'Grenade Cam' Gives 360° View
BBC
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Nov 18, 2008 2:56 PM CST
(Newser) -
The British military is developing a small, ball-shaped camera that soldiers can throw like a grenade to get visual information about dangerous surroundings, the BBC reports. The “I-Ball,” which will also be able to be fired from a grenade launcher, transmits a 360-degree image as soon as it’s released, so troops can see around corners...
Debunking 6 Myths About Detroit Carmakers
Detroit Free Press
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Nov 18, 2008 2:45 PM CST
(Newser) -
Misconceptions and half-truths abound in the discussion over giving Detroit’s big three carmakers a chunk of federal bailout cash. Mark Phelan, in the Free Press , clears up six myths: Nobody buys GM, Ford or Chrysler anymore. Fact: The three combined sold 8.5 million vehicles domestically last year—GM alone beat Toyota’s...
More Kids for Kidman?
Reuters
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Nov 18, 2008 2:34 PM CST
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Nicole Kidman may join the list of actors ditching the limelight for full-time motherhood—or at least threatening to. "In terms of my future as an actor and stuff, I don't know," said the 41-year-old Oscar winner, who may want to give 4-month-old Sunday Rose, her daughter with hubby Keith Urban, a sibling, Reuters reports.
Atheists Offer 'Reason's Greetings' in Marketing Blitz
Wall Street Journal
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Nov 18, 2008 2:25 PM CST
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It just isn’t the holiday season in America until nonbelievers and the devout begin sparring. This year, the godless are on the offensive, launching a marketing campaign to capitalize on the loosening grip of organized religion, telling neighbors, “We’re just like you,” the Wall Street Journal reports. Next month’s HumanLight...
Public Transit Returns to Baghdad
Los Angeles Times
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Nov 18, 2008 2:10 PM CST
(Newser) -
After years of destabilizing violence, Baghdad has a commuter train again, the LA Times reports. For about a month, the “Baghdad Metro,” as employees call it, has made two complete trips around the city in the morning and afternoon for the benefit of working Iraqis who have to suffer through traffic choked by checkpoints and convoys.
Warning Labels Can Be Hazardous to Your Health
Wall Street Journal
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Nov 18, 2008 1:59 PM CST
(Newser) -
Ignorance truly is bliss when it comes to prescription drugs. The side effects listed on warning labels have a self-fulfilling quality, researchers tell the Wall Street Journal . People sensitive to this "nocebo effect" should think twice before reading that their pills can cause nausea, vomiting, irritability, or difficulty concentrating....
Ravenous Beetles Decimate West's Pines
New York Times
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Nov 18, 2008 1:48 PM CST
(Newser) -
Peanut-sized bark beetles have drilled into and killed millions of acres of green pines from New Mexico to British Columbia, threatening the Rockies’ iconic lodgepoles with extinction, reports the New York Times . With only costly and temporary fixes available, preservationists are hoping for an atypically frigid winter to contain the pests,...
Boston's Pedroia Wins American League MVP
Boston Globe
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Nov 18, 2008 1:36 PM CST
(Newser) -
Boston Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia was named the American League’s Most Valuable Player today, the Globe reports, beating out Minnesota’s Justin Morneau and Red Sox teammate Kevin Youkilis. Pedroia, 25, was the AL’s top rookie last season, and finished 2008 with a league-leading 213 hits, batting .326 with 17 home runs...
Obama Girls Visit DC Schools
Associated Press
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Nov 18, 2008 1:31 PM CST
(Newser) -
Sasha and Malia Obama visited their mother's shortlist of Washington schools today, the AP reports. Reporters scoured the Beltway for signs of their motorcade, making a possible sighting outside the diverse Georgetown Day School. Chelsea Clinton's alma mater, Sidwell Friends, is also expected to be an option, as are DC's public schools.
'Rightosphere' Hopes to Reshape GOP
The Hill
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Nov 18, 2008 1:26 PM CST
(Newser) -
The election of Barack Obama has energized conservative bloggers, who see a spell in opposition as an opportunity ideal for reshaping the party, writes Walter Alarkon for the Hill . Conservatives in the “rightosphere” are eying the progress the left’s “netroots” made during the Bush years, when sites like Huffington Post,...
GOP Delays Vote to Oust Stevens
Anchorage Daily News
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Nov 18, 2008 1:18 PM CST
(Newser) -
Senate Republicans will wait until Alaska announces a victor in the still-tight race for Ted Stevens' seat before voting on whether he will be allowed to keep it. The last batch of ballots in the race is expected to be counted today, as the longest-serving conservative senator—who trails by 1,022 votes—turns 85, reports the Anchorage Daily...
Airport Security Loophole Gets High-Tech Fix
Wired
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Nov 18, 2008 1:05 PM CST
(Newser) -
The government is finally closing a well-known loophole that makes it easy for would-be terrorists to board planes, Wired reports. Under current rules, it’s possible to forge a boarding pass at home. But new measures will put the passes, with secure barcodes, on smartphones, making it “well-nigh impossible to make a phony one,”...
Nonprofits May Be Future of Muckraking
New York Times
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Nov 18, 2008 12:50 PM CST
(Newser) -
Internet journalism has long been dominated by partisan commentary, gossip, and well-intentioned amateurs, but that’s all changing, the New York Times reports. Sites like VoiceofSanDiego or the St. Louis Beacon are doing serious, investigative journalism many a newspaper would envy at a fraction of the cost. Voice’s reports on local corruption,...
Waxman Counts on Freshmen to Win Energy Post
Politico
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Nov 18, 2008 12:31 PM CST
(Newser) -
John Dingell has spent a lot more money than Henry Waxman in his quest to keep his chairmanship of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, lavishing gifts on the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. But Waxman has a strategy, Politico reports. The California rep gave generously to 19 promising Democratic candidates. Most won, and they'll come...
Hang Onto That BlackBerry, Barack
BusinessWeek
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Nov 18, 2008 12:10 PM CST
(Newser) -
This weekend was full of stories about how Barack Obama will have to give up his beloved Blackberry as president—but that’s wholly unnecessary, writes Stephen Wildstrom in BusinessWeek . The only good reason to dump the phone would be because it's a timesuck, but “Obama has shown himself to be nothing if not disciplined,” Wildstrom...
Court Caps Man at More Than 400 Lawsuits
Los Angeles Times
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Nov 18, 2008 11:58 AM CST
(Newser) -
After filing more than 400 lawsuits under the Amercians With Disabilities Act, Jarek Molski will be be allowed to file no more, the Los Angeles Times reports. In 2004, a federal judge accused him of extorting California businesses, barring him from future litigation, and yesterday the Supreme Court declined to hear his case against the owner of a...
Beyoncé More Gimmicky Than Fierce
Entertainment Weekly
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Nov 18, 2008 11:47 AM CST
(Newser) -
Beyoncé’s latest, I Am … Sasha Fierce , consists of two discs: one with “some lovely ballads” and the other “aggressive, sexual, and, well, fierce,” writes Leah Greenblatt in Entertainment Weekly . But despite a few gems, “the collection might have been better served had she edited it down to one...
Brooks: Bottom Is Falling Out From Under Middle Class
New York Times
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Nov 18, 2008 11:36 AM CST
(Newser) -
All boom times are alike; each recession is unhappy, however, in its own way, writes David Brooks in the New York Times . This recession will hit hardest “people who achieved middle-class status at the tail end of the long boom, and then lost it.” Even if there’s no sign of it yet, this is where to look for the next social protest...
Lieberman Keeps Chairmanship
The Hill
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Nov 18, 2008 11:31 AM CST
(Newser) -
Senate Democrats voted 42-13 today to let Joe Lieberman keep his perch atop the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, hoping to prevent the Connecticut Independent from becoming a full-fledged Republican, the Hill reports, The former Dem, who actively supported John McCain's presidential bid, will instead lose his chairmanship of the...
Wild Horses Drag Pickens' Cash Away
Washington Post
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Nov 18, 2008 11:16 AM CST
(Newser) -
Some 2,000 wild horses of the American West were in danger of euthanasia—until billionaire T. Boone Pickens’ wife, Madeleine, stepped in and offered to adopt them and 28,000 of their closest friends, the Washington Post reports. The Bureau of Land Management holds the animals in pens, rounding up thousands each year to avoid a grazing...
Teary Angie Dedicates Role to Mom
Us Weekly
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Nov 18, 2008 11:11 AM CST
(Newser) -
Angelina Jolie choked up while mentioning her mother at a press conference yesterday, Us Magazine reports. The actress cursed when tears came, then dedicated her role as a strong mother in Changeling to her own mom, who died of cancer last year. “When it came to her kids, she was really fierce and so this is very much her, her story,”...
Paulson, Bernanke Defend Bailout Before House
Associated Press
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Nov 18, 2008 11:00 AM CST
(AP) -
Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson told Congress today he opposes tapping a $700 billion taxpayer-funded bailout pool to help struggling US automakers. Paulson and Federal Reserve Chair Ben Bernanke were on Capitol Hill defending their management of the bailout program, just a week after the Bush administration abandoned the original strategy behind...
McCready to Clemens' Wife: Sorry
New York Daily News
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Nov 18, 2008 10:47 AM CST
(Newser) -
Country singer Mindy McCready apologized to Roger Clemens’ wife for carrying on an affair with the baseball great, the New York Daily News reports. “I was young,” McCready said. “I now know better.” The singer denied rumors she wanted to marry Clemens, saying, “I wanted him to do right by his family.” Clemens...
Somali Pirates Could Force Shipping Detours
BBC
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Nov 18, 2008 10:43 AM CST
(Newser) -
The pirates who seized the Sirius Star have reportedly brought their massive prize to anchor off the coast of Somalia, the BBC reports. The Saudi oil tanker’s entire 25-person crew is believed to be safe, but the consequences for international shipping may be far-reaching, Roger Middleton writes in the Times of London.
Kiefer Had to Kick Butts in Slammer
People
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Nov 18, 2008 10:33 AM CST
(Newser) -
Not surprisingly, Kiefer Sutherland didn’t find prison a pleasant experience. “There’s no smoking,” the actor tells Vogue . Though he made it 48 days without cigarettes, the 24 star still hasn’t quit. Sutherland, 41, went on to complain about the lack of privacy, made worse by the fact that he had to share a cell, ...
Prop 8 Should Take Effect Amid Suits: Calif. AG
Los Angeles Times
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Nov 18, 2008 10:26 AM CST
(Newser) -
As gay-rights campaigners petition the California Supreme Court to overturn Proposition 8, the state’s attorney general is urging the court to let the measure banning same-sex marriage take effect. Jerry Brown asked the court to rule on the lawsuits to give the question “certainty and finality”—and wants to avoid marriages that...
Jacko Sued by Arab Prince
Reuters
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Nov 18, 2008 10:17 AM CST
(Newser) -
A Bahraini prince is suing Michael Jackson in a UK court, Reuters reports, claiming the singer skipped out on a deal to record an album after years of financial support. Sheikh Abdullah bin Hamad al-Khalifa claims payments to Jackson in 2005 and beyond were an advance for a new album, autobiography, and stage play; Jackson failed to produce, claiming...
Justice Stevens Is 88, and Not Looking to Play More Bridge
Washington Post
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Nov 18, 2008 10:04 AM CST
(Newser) -
Barack Obama can’t make his much-anticipated mark on the Supreme Court until a justice retires—and at 88, his most likely candidate, John Paul Stevens, has shown no mind to leave, the Washington Post reports. The second-oldest justice in Court history is in great shape, the Post notes, telecommuting from Florida, playing tennis, and...
Clinton at State Troubles Obamanauts
Politico
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Nov 18, 2008 9:55 AM CST
(Newser) -
While a Hillary Clinton appointment as secretary of State has been greeted with enthusiasm worldwide, Barack Obama’s own team of believers is feeling some confusion and dissonance, reports Politico. “These guys didn't put together a campaign in order to turn the government over to the Clintons,” says a Democrat close to Obama. "I...
Yang's Departure Gives Microsoft New Opening
BusinessWeek
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Nov 18, 2008 9:54 AM CST
(Newser) -
Investors are hoping Jerry Yang’s departure will lead to renewed talks with Microsoft, BusinessWeek reports. “This is probably the beginning of the end for Yahoo,” said one. “Microsoft will probably come back with an offer.” Microsoft has repeatedly denied interest in reviving a deal, but Yang’s departure “clears...
TiVo Adds Domino's to Its Menu
Wall Street Journal
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Nov 18, 2008 9:46 AM CST
(Newser) -
Hungry? Don't get up from the couch. TiVo customers can now order Domino's pizza right on their TVs, the Wall Street Journal reports, in a promotion that pops up when a customer forwards through a Domino's commercial. The promotion has two goals: Beefing up the pizza chain's bottom line—shares are down 71% in the past year—and taking...
How the US Made Somalia a Terrorist Haven
Times (UK)
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Nov 18, 2008 9:35 AM CST
(Newser) -
Iraq and Afghanistan loom largest among the fiascos undertaken in the name of a "war on terror," Martin Fletcher writes in the Times of London, but there has been a third front in that offensive: Somalia. After 15 years of anarchy, the US helped destroy the country's first ever stable government, paving the way for "virulently...
Iraq Vets Hit by Financial Woes
New York Times
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Nov 18, 2008 9:29 AM CST
(Newser) -
Many soldiers returning from Iraq are finding themselves up against a new enemy: their finances. Unemployment, lack of credit, and foreclosures all seem to be hitting veterans harder than the average citizen, the New York Times reports. "You fill out a job application and you can’t write ‘long-range reconnaissance and sniper skills,'...
Rule Protecting Anti-Abortion Staffers Sparks Furor
New York Times
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Nov 18, 2008 9:03 AM CST
(Newser) -
A host of hospitals, pharmacists, state officials and lawmakers—including President-elect Barack Obama—have slammed a last-minute Bush administration rule to protect health care providers from having to perform procedures they find morally objectionable, the New York Times reports. The plan would block federally funded hospitals, drugstores,...
Ford Sells 20% Stake in Mazda to Raise Cash
Associated Press
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Nov 18, 2008 8:40 AM CST
(AP) -
Ford is slashing its stake in Mazda by nearly two-thirds, joining other struggling US automakers in a fire-sale of prized assets to stay afloat. Ford, which owns 33.4% of Mazda, will sell about a 20% stake, the companies said. The sale would net Ford $540 million based on Mazda's closing price today, barely a quarter of what it would have been worth...
