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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.

UK's Ex-Chief Justice Rips Into Iraq Invasion
Guardian (UK) | Nov 18, 2008 8:36 AM CST
(Newser) - One of Britain's most respected judges struck out last night against the invasion of Iraq, which he declared illegal and worthy of a "world vigilante." Thomas Bingham, who held the UK's equivalent post to chief justice, used his first speech since retirement to decry "a serious violation of international law and the rule of law."...
GOP Picks for Obama's 'Team of Rivals'
Wall Street Journal | Nov 18, 2008 8:26 AM CST
(Newser) - Barack Obama talks a good game about bipartisanship. But now that he’s staffing up, it’s time to see if he walks the walk. The Wall Street Journal runs through some potential GOP appointees: Jim Leach. This former Iowa congressman was chosen to help represent the president-elect at the G-20. He’s a veteran of the foreign...
You'll Need FDR's Optimism to Save Us, Obama
Washington Post | Nov 18, 2008 8:16 AM CST
(Newser) - Barack Obama keeps saying he wants to emulate Abraham Lincoln but he’s lucky that he more closely resembles Franklin D. Roosevelt, Richard Cohen writes in the Washington Post . Lincoln faced the massive challenge of reuniting the Union but knew just how to do it, while FDR, like Obama, confronted an economic crisis that stumped all the experts....
Save GM With Guided Bankruptcy
New York Times | Nov 18, 2008 8:07 AM CST
(Newser) - GM is claiming all it needs is a “bridge loan,” but the automaker is losing money so fast that bridge would be burned by February, writes Andrew Ross Sorkin in the New York Times. What GM really needs is bankruptcy—but one guided by the government. “Taxpayers shouldn’t fork over a cent, at least until shareholders are...
Bank of America Doubles Stake in Chinese Bank
Bloomberg | Nov 18, 2008 8:02 AM CST
(Newser) - Bank of America will inject $7 billion into China Construction Bank Corp, Bloomberg reports, nearly doubling its stake in the bank even as it slashes jobs and accepts government bailout money. CCB is down 45% over the past six months, and BoA CEO Ken Lewis is getting a 32% premium on that devalued market price. The acquisition comes on the heels of...
New Superbug Stalks Hospitals
AFP | Nov 18, 2008 7:53 AM CST
(Newser) - A deadly new superbug is stalking the world's hospitals, health experts warned today. The pathogen Acinetobacter baumannii is a burgeoning threat and proving extremely difficult to control, with a third of outbreaks resistant to front-line antibiotics, according to a study in the Lancet . Of 24,000 US cases in a year, nearly 34% of infected hospital...
2,000 Chinese Rioters Mob Gov't Building in Quake Dispute
CNN | Nov 18, 2008 7:42 AM CST
(Newser) - An angry mob of some 2,000 people stormed Communist Party headquarters in a city in China's Gansu province last night to protest a decision to move the town's quake-damaged administrative center. The protest turned violent when officials refused to listen to complaints that families would have to move to get help, and called in armed police to disperse...
Brit: 'My Life Is Worse Than Jail'
Telegraph (UK) | Nov 18, 2008 7:33 AM CST
(Newser) - Britney Spears thinks her post-breakdown life might be more enjoyable behind bars, the Daily Telegraph reports. In a new documentary airing on MTV on November 30, Spears says her life is “too in control.” The singer, whose dad was granted post-meltdown control of her affairs, believes she’s still paying for antics such as shaving...
White House Scrambles to Find Operatives Permanent Jobs
Washington Post | Nov 18, 2008 7:13 AM CST
(Newser) - The Bush administration is racing to put its political appointees into permanent civil service jobs before the clock runs out, reports the Washington Post . Federal job protection rules will make it tough for the new administration to dislodge the Bush operatives once they are in, meaning that they may keep influencing policy long after the president...
In Vitro Linked to Birth Defects
Chicago Tribune | Nov 18, 2008 6:59 AM CST
(Newser) - Babies conceived with the help of medical technology are much more likely to suffer from several serious birth defects, a new study finds. Infants whose mothers used in vitro fertilization or intra-cytoplasmic sperm injection were around twice as likely to have heart defects or cleft palates and four times as likely to suffer gastrointestinal defects,...
Franken Is 'Likely to Win' Recount: Expert
Huffington Post | Nov 18, 2008 6:47 AM CST
(Newser) - Bumbling Democratic voters in Minnesota are likely to hand Al Franken a win, a political scientist tells the Huffington Post. The professor estimates that as many as 10,000 voters voided their ballots by circling a name or marking an X instead of filling in a circle. But Minnesota considers the "intent" of voters during recounts, and more...
Armstrong Fears Attack on Tour Return
Times (UK) | Nov 18, 2008 6:39 AM CST
(Newser) - Super cyclist Lance Armstrong fears a physical attack if he returns to race again in the Tour de France, reports the Independent . “There are some aggressive, angry emotions. My personal safety could be in jeopardy," said Armstrong, 37. French team directors "have encouraged people to take to the streets. It’s very emotional...
Obama Stacking His Cabinet With Pit Bulls
New York Times | Nov 18, 2008 6:22 AM CST
(Newser) - For a man who earned himself the nickname "No-Drama Obama" during the campaign, the president-elect seems to be assembling a surprisingly high-maintenance cabinet, writes Helene Cooper in the New York Times . From Larry Summers to Rahm Emanuel to Hillary Clinton, the partners that Obama has chosen or considered have big personalities...
Iraq Firing Corruption Watchdogs
New York Times | Nov 18, 2008 6:00 AM CST
(Newser) - After the invasion of Iraq, the American transitional administration installed dozens of anticorruption officials to bring order to the nation's bureaucracy. But in recent months the Iraqi government has systematically fired these inspectors without making any public announcement, reports the New York Times . Only recently a senior Iraqi official...
Leukemia Drugs Cure Mouse Diabetes
Reuters | Nov 18, 2008 5:37 AM CST
(Newser) - Two common leukemia drugs prevented or halted mouse diabetes in a new study, Reuters reports. The drugs prevented mice predisposed to Type 1 diabetes from developing the disease, and sent 80% of mice who already had it into remission within weeks. Scientists say the mice maintained normal blood sugar levels even after treatment finished, suggesting...
Oldest-Known Nuclear Family Unearthed
Independent (UK) | Nov 18, 2008 4:57 AM CST
(Newser) - The oldest nuclear family ever discovered has been found in a group hug in a Stone Age burial site, the Independent reports. Genetic testing revealed that the four skeletons buried in each other's arms at the site in Germany were a father, mother, and their two young sons. All had died violently and were buried at the same time.
Brazilian Trader Shoots Himself at Exchange
Reuters | Nov 18, 2008 4:28 AM CST
(Newser) - A Brazilian trader was in critical condition after shooting himself in the chest on the floor of the nation's commodities and futures exchange yesterday. The tragedy occurred in the raucous interest rate futures pit, where some $21 billion in contracts are traded daily. Brazil's main stock index has plunged 50% since May.
Record 4M Expected Inauguration Day
Washington Post | Nov 18, 2008 4:07 AM CST
(Newser) - A record 4 million people are expected to pack Washington for the inauguration of President-elect Barack Obama, reports the Washington Post. Extra giant TV screens will be placed on the inaugural parade route and in sections of the Washington Mall to give as many visitors as possible the opportunity to witness the historic event. 
Dems Likely to Let 'Wayward' Lieberman Keep Senate Chair
Politico | Nov 18, 2008 3:36 AM CST
(Newser) - Senate Democrats are likely to allow Joe Lieberman to retain chairmanship of the powerful Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee despite his vocal support for John McCain and repeated attacks on Barack Obama during the election, Politico reports. The Connecticut independent has threatened to leave the Democratic caucus and join the Republicans...
'Bruno' Borat Disrupts NBC Set
Entertainment Weekly | Nov 18, 2008 3:05 AM CST
(Newser) - No one saw it coming. Production was temporarily halted and an extra forcibly removed during the filming of the popular NBC detective series the Medium when the actor suddenly disrupted a tense courtroom scene involving Patricia Arquette, reports Entertainment Weekly . The extra turned out to be Borat star Sacha Baron Cohen in character as his...
Control Emerges as Key Issue in Detroit Rescue Bills
Detroit Free Press | Nov 18, 2008 2:35 AM CST
(Newser) - Competing versions of a rescue package for US automakers have hit the floors of the House and Senate, the Detroit Free Press reports. The bills, both of which face fierce opposition from Republicans, draw on the $700 billion bailout allotted to the finance sector and call for similar limits on executive pay, though the House version sets out much...
Less Sleep Linked to Cancer
Reuters | Nov 18, 2008 2:07 AM CST
(Newser) - Sleep and exercise may play an important role in cancer risk, according to a new US study. Researchers confirmed earlier studies that exercise appears to protect against cancer—but discovered that physically active women who slept less than seven hours a night had a 47% higher risk of developing cancer. How sleep and disease are connected is...
Mullen Warns Iraq Exit Will Take More Than 2 Years
Washington Post | Nov 18, 2008 1:44 AM CST
(Newser) - The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff is "comfortable" with the new US-Iraq security pact scheduling the start of an American troop pullout next year, but believes some major hurdles still exist, the Washington Post reports. Admiral Michael Mullen cautioned that the US has huge amounts of equipment and thousands of troops within the...
Report: Clinton Will Be Secretary of State
Guardian (UK) | Nov 17, 2008 9:15 PM CST
(Newser) - Hillary Clinton will accept Barack Obama's offer to become secretary of state, the Guardian reports. The president-elect's team does not anticipate problems arising from an ongoing examination of the records of Bill Clinton's foundation, clearing the way for Obama's fiercest primary rival to embody his stated ambition to assemble a bipartisan administration....
Paulson: We're Doing the Right Thing
ABC News | Nov 17, 2008 9:00 PM CST
(Newser) - On the eve of his testimony before Congress, beleaguered Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson used last night's speech to defend the administration's response to the nation's "unprecedented" financial crisis. Paulson said without the $700 billion Wall Street bailout, things would be even worse, ABC News reports. "It's hard to get credit...
Yang Out as Yahoo CEO
All Things Digital | Nov 17, 2008 8:18 PM CST
(Newser) - Jerry Yang is stepping down as Yahoo's CEO after a short and embattled tenure, Kara Swisher reports on AllThingsD. He will remain on the company board and retain his old "Chief Yahoo" title, as well as help find a replacement. The board and Yang have chewed over the move for months, but publicly Yang said he planned to continue...
5 Gizmos Nixed by Cellphones
Wired | Nov 17, 2008 7:54 PM CST
(Newser) - Cellphones have sent five once-hot gadgets to the techno graveyard, Wired reports: The PDA: Dating back to the Psion Organizer 24 years ago, PDAs enabled busy folk to schedule meetings, keep addresses, and type notes. Only when cellphones included good calendars did PDAs die off.
Banks Will Pay for Top Model Contestant's Sex Change
New York Daily News | Nov 17, 2008 7:27 PM CST
(Newser) - Tyra Banks shocked a former America's Next Top Model contestant by offering to pay for her sex change, the New York Daily News reports. Transgendered Isis King, booted off the show for flunking a poolside photo shoot, was stunned when Banks said a doctor will operate pro bono. "This is not happening," cried King on the Tyra Banks Show...
SoCal Residents Return to Charred Homes
Los Angeles Times | Nov 17, 2008 6:52 PM CST
(Newser) - Residents of Yorba Linda, Calif. sifted through their charred belongings today amid 113 houses razed by the so-called "Freeway Complex Fire," the Los Angeles Times reports. Meanwhile fire officials shuttled residents into a mobile home park near the Sylmar fire, which has destroyed 477 houses and 10 commercial buildings. Both blazes are...
Retired Brass Aim to Undo 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell'
Associated Press | Nov 17, 2008 6:19 PM CST
(AP) - More than 100 retired generals and admirals called today for repeal of the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy on gays so they can serve openly, the AP reports. The list of 104 former officers who signed the statement appears to signal growing support for resolving the status of gays in the military. Last year, 28 former generals...
Their Book Deals Snag Big $$$
New York Observer | Nov 17, 2008 5:47 PM CST
(Newser) - Literary agent Dan Strone oversaw two multimillion-dollar celebrity book deals last week, stunning the publishing industry, the New York Observer reports. He scored $2.5 million for a Sarah Silverman book and drew bids topping $7 million for a Jerry Seinfeld title. Both were auctioned without a proposal. “I don’t make people...
Locklear Indicted on DUI Charge
People | Nov 17, 2008 5:17 PM CST
(Newser) - Prosecutors today charged Heather Locklear with driving under the influence of drugs, People reports. Filed by the district attorney in Santa Barbara, Calif., 2 months after Locklear's DUI arrest, the misdemeanor charge blames her intoxication on "prescription medications." A conviction could force the actress, 47, to pay a fine...
Time, Here's Your Person of the Year
National Review | Nov 17, 2008 4:45 PM CST
(Newser) - Sarah Palin made such a splash in American politics this year that she deserves consideration for Time magazine Person of the Year, Kathryn Jean Lopez writes for the National Review . “They’ve probably long picked The One,” Lopez writes, referring to Barack Obama. But “like Obama, all you had to do was look at her to see...
Insurers Buy Troubled S&Ls in Ploy for Bailout Cash
Bloomberg | Nov 17, 2008 4:21 PM CST
(Newser) - Four huge insurers are in the process of buying small, troubled S&Ls in order to qualify for a chunk of the Treasury’s bailout cash, Bloomberg reports. Genworth Financial, Lincoln National, Hartford Financial Services, and Aegon NV have set their sights on US banks cited for “unsafe and unsound” financial practices and have announced...
Gulf War Illness Is Real: Study
Los Angeles Times | Nov 17, 2008 3:55 PM CST
(Newser) - Gulf War syndrome is real, and "few veterans have recovered or substantially improved with time," according to a scientific study commissioned by Congress. Nearly a quarter of the 700,000 troops who served in the first Gulf War suffer from neurological problems related to exposure to chemicals during the conflict, the LA Times reports....
Cardinals' Pujols Wins Second NL MVP Award
St. Louis Post-Dispatch | Nov 17, 2008 3:27 PM CST
(Newser) - Albert Pujols of the St. Louis Cardinals won the National League’s Most Valuable Player award today, the Post-Dispatch reports, taking the honor for the second time despite missing a significant portion of the season due to injury. The first baseman hit .357 with 37 home runs and 116 RBI. Ryan Howard, who led the majors with 48 homers and 146...
Dow Off 223 on Japan, Retail Woes
MarketWatch | Nov 17, 2008 3:15 PM CST
(Newser) - Stocks seesawed to losses today as investors absorbed bad retailer reports and news that Japan’s economy had entered a recession, MarketWatch reports. The Dow fell 223.73 to close at 8,273.58. The Nasdaq lost 34.80, closing at 1,482.05, while the S&P 500 shed 22.54 to settle at 850.75.
History of Lincoln Inspires Obama's 'Team of Rivals'
Guardian (UK) | Nov 17, 2008 2:55 PM CST
(Newser) - “Team of rivals” is the post-campaign buzzphrase, Graeme Allister writes in the Guardian , replacing the lipsticked pigs and pitbulls. The term refers to Barack Obama’s strategy of filling Cabinet positions with Republicans and political enemies (ie, Hillary Clinton), and comes from a 2005 book by Doris Kearns Goodwin chronicling...
Obama-McCain Meeting Stresses Cooperation
Chicago Tribune | Nov 17, 2008 2:41 PM CST
(Newser) - Barack Obama and John McCain met today in Chicago, and reaffirmed their call for bipartisanship and cooperation, the Tribune reports. The 90-minute meeting, at Obama’s transition headquarters, was described by the president-elect as a “conversation about how we can do some work together to fix up the country.” McCain, asked if he...
Family History of Breast Cancer Trumps Genes
HealthDay News | Nov 17, 2008 2:40 PM CST
(Newser) - Women with family history of breast cancer are at elevated risk even if they don’t have a proven genetic indicator, HealthDay reports. Specific mutations in the BRCA gene correlate with an 80% lifetime risk of developing breast cancer; women in a new study who had a family history of the disease, but not that marker, had a 40% chance of developing...
Healthiest US City Gets Moving
Associated Press | Nov 17, 2008 2:27 PM CST
(Newser) - Burlington, Vt., is America's healthiest city, with 92% of residents reporting that they're in good or great health. A number of factors account for the gap between Burlington and Huntington, W.Va., which brought up the rear in the CDC's healthy-city rankings, the AP reports. Burlington's residents are younger on average, but more important is...
Splitting Bills With Toronto Key to Revitalized Buffalo
The Atlantic | Nov 17, 2008 2:12 PM CST
(Newser) - The Bills’ loss in the 1967 AFL championship game began the downfall of the football team and the city of Buffalo itself, native Gregg Easterbrook writes in the Atlantic , and he suggests looking north to turn everything around. Adding affluent Toronto (100 miles away) as a second “home” city would inject dollars into the franchise...
Young Americans Ride Out Recession in Dubai
New York | Nov 17, 2008 1:55 PM CST
(Newser) - Back in Texas, Brooke Butler’s friends are worrying about their homes and jobs. Butler has other worries. “I’m thinking it’ll take about 5 years to make a million now,” the 24-year-old saleswoman tells New York . “It’s not that difficult over here.” Here is Dubai, the Persian Gulf emirate with a real-estate...
Kennedy Returns to Work on Capitol Hill
Boston Globe | Nov 17, 2008 1:38 PM CST
(Newser) - Ted Kennedy returned to the US Senate today, having undergone 6 months of extensive treatment for a brain tumor, the Boston Globe reports. Accompanied by his wife, Vicki, and their dogs, Kennedy was greeted by applause from his family and staff in the Russell Caucus Room under a banner that read “Welcome Back, Senator.”
Monk Will Go Out on Top
Media Life Magazine | Nov 17, 2008 1:23 PM CST
(Newser) - The news that the upcoming eighth season of Monk will be its last has fans in mourning, but the USA Network staple leaves a rich legacy, Media Life reports. Monk ushered in the era of original cable programming and has consistently scored top ratings in key demographics. Tony Shalhoub is one of only two basic-cable stars to win a best actor...
State Job Isn't Guarantee She Succeeds Obama: Silver
FiveThirtyEight | Nov 17, 2008 1:10 PM CST
(Newser) - Hillary Clinton is a contender to be Barack Obama’s Secretary of State, but taking the job probably wouldn’t help her if she wants to succeed Obama in 2016, Nate Silver writes on FiveThirtyEight. Being part of a popular Democratic administration certainly wouldn’t hurt, but it would be easier for Clinton to distance herself from an...
Detroit Bailout Is Key Opportunity for US Economy
Washington Post | Nov 17, 2008 12:58 PM CST
(Newser) - Letting one—or more—of the Big Three automakers slip into bankruptcy could push the US economy into depression and would imperil millions of jobs tied to the industry, writes Jeffrey D. Sachs in the Washington Post . Instead, the government should bail out the industry, taking the lead in positioning it as a high-tech leader producing...
Mark Cuban Hit With Insider-Trading Charges
Dallas Morning News | Nov 17, 2008 12:47 PM CST
(Newser) - Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban was charged today with insider trading, the Dallas Morning News reports. The government alleges that, in 2004, Cuban spoke with the CEO of a company in which he held shares, and was told, confidentially, of a new stock offering that would dilute the value of his holdings. “Well, now I’m screwed,”...
Blame Rush and Co. for GOP's Fall
Boston Phoenix | Nov 17, 2008 12:40 PM CST
(Newser) - Blame has been flying in Republican circles, but not enough has stuck where it belongs: on conservative talk radio. Rush Limbaugh and his imitators skyrocketed to prominence by being "rabble-rousers—high intensity, 'hot' performers whose appeal is based on energizing their base," writes Steven Stark in the Boston Phoenix . That's “all...
Campaign Arrows Puncture Righty Mag's Lofty Rep
New York Times | Nov 17, 2008 12:27 PM CST
(Newser) - The nasty tone of the presidential campaign dealt a blow to the National Review , considered the print home for conservative intellectuals and a standard-bearer for genteel debate, the New York Times reports. The death of founder William F. Buckley was followed by the ouster of his son Christopher following his endorsement of Barack Obama; now prominent...
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