Newser Story Index from February, 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.
'Black Geniuses' Remark is OK
Washington Post
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Feb 26, 2008 6:30 PM CST
(Newser) -
The presidential race is so odd that Geraldo Rivera has pondered "black geniuses" on Fox—which was “absurd in a way that’s new and refreshing," Eugene Robinson writes in the Washington Post . Rivera was talking about Barack Obama and Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick last week on "Fox and Friends" when...
China Will Resume Talks on Human Rights With US
Washington Post
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Feb 26, 2008 6:07 PM CST
(Newser) -
China said today it is ready to restart a discussion on human rights with the US that has been suspended since 2004, the Washington Post reports. The move, announced by Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi after a meeting with Condoleezza Rice, comes as China looks to improve its image before the summer Olympics. A growing number of Western rights groups...
German Tax Case Reads Like Spy Thriller
Der Spiegel
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Feb 26, 2008 5:34 PM CST
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Code names, kidnappings, secrets sold to international intelligence agencies: these staples of a thriller movie come from the real life of Heinrich Kieber, the whistleblower who for $7.4 million sold German authorities the information that exposed a huge tax-evasion ring. Kieber has been given a new identity and is living in hiding, but an exposé...
Obama Calls on Both Camps to Simmer Down
Los Angeles Times
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Feb 26, 2008 5:15 PM CST
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Barack Obama said today that both Democratic campaigns should chill out. “It is important for me as well as Sen. Clinton to communicate to our staffs as well that we’re both trying out for quarterback, but we’re on the same team,” said Obama. He noted that the trail has become noticeably "hotter" in recent days, the...
Supreme Court Declines to Rule in Ageism Case
New York Times
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Feb 26, 2008 4:55 PM CST
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The Supreme Court bounced an age-discrimination case back to district court for clarification today without making a ruling, the New York Times reports. The district court had ruled that other Sprint employees could not testify in the case of Ellen Mendelsohn, who alleges Sprint fired her because of her age. She was 51 at the time.
Power Returns to Millions in Fla.
St. Petersburg Times
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Feb 26, 2008 4:40 PM CST
(Newser) -
A blackout that cut off millions of Florida residents today is ending, authorities say, but they disagree on the cause. Florida Power & Light blames a substation west of Miami for sparking the outage, and a state emergency office says a station south of Miami suffered a mechanical failure that triggered two nuclear plants to go offline, the St....
McCain Steps Over Gauntlet Huckabee Throws Down
MSNBC
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Feb 26, 2008 4:30 PM CST
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Mike Huckabee wants to debate John McCain, he told a sparsely attended press conference today. Campaign finance laws may make the presumptive nominee “go completely dark between virtually now and the nomination convention,” said Huckabee, who described himself as “disappointed” at the lack of GOP debates, MSNBC reports.
Air Cars Motor Toward US
Popular Mechanics
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Feb 26, 2008 4:20 PM CST
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A car powered by compressed air and a supplemental fuel source will be available in the US as early as 2010, Popular Mechanics reports. Manufacturer Zero Pollution Motors wants to introduce a $17,800 six-seater, which the company estimates will get 800 to 1,000 miles out of a tank of air and 8 gallons of either conventional gas, ethanol or another...
Fey's 'SNL' Spot May Boost Clinton
Time
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Feb 26, 2008 4:00 PM CST
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She didn't rap over a stump speech, but Tina Fey's rousing defense of Hillary Clinton on "Saturday Night Live" may help the underdog candidate challenge Barack Obama's domination of viral videos, writes Time TV blogger James Poniewozik. Fey's lampooning of the arguments against Hillary, including that she's a bitch—"Yeah, she...
Stocks Surge on IBM Buyback
Wall Street Journal
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Feb 26, 2008 3:40 PM CST
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A $15 million buyback by IBM plus today's good retail news and higher commodity prices set off a third straight day of stock market gains. IBM sparked a tech rally, including big gains by Intel and Microsoft, the Wall Street Journal reports. The Dow gained 114.7 to close at 12,684.92, the Nasdaq 17.51 to 2,344.99, and the S&P 500 9.49 to 1,381.29.
McCain Repudiates Backer's Anti-Obama Rant
CNN
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Feb 26, 2008 3:20 PM CST
(Newser) -
John McCain is distancing himself from a conservative commentator who introduced him at a rally today and launched into a tirade against Barack Obama, CNN reports. Talk-radio host Bill Cunningham called Obama a “hack” and used his middle name, Hussein, three times. McCain called the speech “disparaging” and vowed, “It...
'Net Runs Messengers Off Road
Seattle Post-Intelligencer
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Feb 26, 2008 3:10 PM CST
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Bike messengers, nearly ubiquitous in many cities in the '90s, are declining in numbers as internet transmission of documents cuts into their business. Seattle has fewer than half the number of active messengers it did 10 years ago, and New York has lost more than 1,000 couriers in the same period. The Seattle-Post Intelligencer looks at a job category...
IBM to Buy Back $15B of Stock
Associated Press
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Feb 26, 2008 3:04 PM CST
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IBM will repurchase $15 billion of its own stock, it revealed today, leading the IT company to raise its profit forecast for the year to beat Wall Street predictions. The Armonk, NY-based computing giant will spend $12 billion on the buyback this year, the AP reports. The company told the Street that would help elevate its projected earnings-per-share...
iTunes Store Now No. 2 Music Retailer
Ars Technica
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Feb 26, 2008 3:00 PM CST
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iTunes is the world's No. 2 music retailer, a ranking that includes stores that sell CDs. The reason is a combination of a modest increase in digital music sales and a sharp dive in CD sales, so the news isn't much to celebrate for the music industry. And kids are leading the way in abandoning the CD format, Ars Technica reports.
'Osama bin London' Convicted
Times (UK)
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Feb 26, 2008 2:50 PM CST
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An extremist preacher who called himself "Osama bin London" has been convicted of organizing terrorist training camps and promoting murder, the London Times reports. Mohammed Hamid trained five of the terrorists who undertook a thwarted attack at outdoor sights in suburban London. He mocked the death toll from the 7/7 London bombings: ...
Giant, Diverse Texas Presents a Primary Riddle
New York Times
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Feb 26, 2008 2:40 PM CST
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Trying to win a primary in Texas is “like running a national campaign,” a veteran strategist says one week before the pivotal vote. With its enormous size and diversity, its multitude of media markets, and a voting system so complicated it’s been nicknamed the Texas two-step, Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama have been campaigning...
Huge Power Outage Strikes Fla.
Miami Herald
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Feb 26, 2008 2:30 PM CST
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Power outages concentrated in the Miami area struck across Florida just after 1 this afternoon, the Miami Herald reports. The lights started coming back on within 2 hours, but the cause of the blackout still wasn't known. Both nuclear reactors at the Turkey Point plant south of Miami automatically shut down, blacking out hundreds of thousands of...
Nissan Murano Top Pick for Safety Among SUVs
Detroit Free Press
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Feb 26, 2008 2:20 PM CST
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The 2009 Nissan Murano snagged the best safety rating out of 10 midsize SUVs in industry-run crash tests, the Detroit Free Press reports. The Murano was the only one to receive the top "good" rating in front, side, and rear crashes. The Mazda CX-7 and CX-9, and the Mitsubishi Endeavour also fared well overall but missed out on the top ranking...
Clinton Aides Melt Down in Front of Press
Washington Post
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Feb 26, 2008 2:11 PM CST
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With many top Washington reporters in attendance, two senior Hillary Clinton advisors tried to make their candidate’s case yesterday—and instead “severed all ties with reality” in a “flailing, a lashing-out,” Washington Post columnist Dana Milbank writes. The session, he says, "explained everything about the...
Home Seizures by Banks Jump 90% in Year
Bloomberg
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Feb 26, 2008 2:00 PM CST
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Banks seized more than 45,000 homes in January, nearly double the number from a year ago and up 8% from December, Bloomberg reports. Rising adjustable-rate mortgage payments were the culprit. Total foreclosure filings, which include default and auction notices in addition to seizures, increased 57% to 233,001, the sixth consecutive month with more...
Ancient Plaza Found in Peru
Reuters
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Feb 26, 2008 1:50 PM CST
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Archaeologists in Peru have unearthed one of the oldest structures in the Americas, Reuters reports. Carbon dating indicates the ceremonial plaza in Casma is 5,500 years old, scientists at the dig say. That's 500 years older than the nearby ancient citadel of Caral, previously thought be Peru’s oldest ruins. "It's an impressive find,"...
Winehouse to Launch Clothing, Makeup Line
Sun (UK)
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Feb 26, 2008 1:40 PM CST
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Amy Winehouse is about to release a line of clothing and makeup for the many, many people who want to look like her, the Sun reports. Prepare for Winehouse-brand leopard-print headscarves, hairspray, and, of course, liquid eyeliner. “I think this stuff would sell very well,” said a fashion industry source. “She has become a fashion...
Princess Diana's Butler Is Gay. Who Cares?
Independent (UK)
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Feb 26, 2008 1:20 PM CST
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A British tabloid had a field day this weekend outing Princess Diana's butler Paul Burrell, who has parlayed his notoriety into hosting a TV show on etiquette called "American Princess." But for one columnist, the allegations that Diana's married-with-children confidant trawls saunas for sex demonstrate a sea change in public perception:...
What's White and White and Read All Over?
Los Angeles Times
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Feb 26, 2008 1:10 PM CST
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When a twentysomething writer launched a satirical blog called "Stuff White People Like" 6 weeks ago, he didn't expect an overwhelming response, and he certainly didn't expect to average 300,000 hits a day. The blog was intended to mock the way the media stereotypes ethnicities, but not all of its readers seem to be in on the joke, the LA...
Mortgage Crisis: Judges to the Rescue?
Los Angeles Times
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Feb 26, 2008 1:00 PM CST
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Over the loud objections of lenders, Senate Democrats are lining up behind a plan to give bankruptcy judges the power to alter mortgages, the LA Times reports. The proposals could go to the floor as early as today. “This bill will have more impact… than any other option currently on the table,” said Jack Kemp, housing secretary...
The McCain-Obama Buddy Flick
Salon
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Feb 26, 2008 12:50 PM CST
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For too many men, the 2008 election is a McCain-Obama buddy flick, writes Edward McClelland for Salon. The candidates may be ideological opponents, but the grizzled veteran and hip black guy share qualities men admire in other men, like independence, charisma, and toughness. Many guys are backing both, ideology be damned—and revealing a subconscious...
Move Over, Heisenberg: Electron Caught on Film
LiveScience
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Feb 26, 2008 12:40 PM CST
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Electrons are tiny, fast, and, until recently, impossible to capture on film. But a short, super-slow-mo video offers the first direct look at the wily subatomic particle. Coaxing the reclusive electron into the limelight took major maneuvering by Swedish scientists, LiveScience reports. The paparazzi of physicists caught the negative particle by...
FCC Ready to Defend Net Neutrality
Wall Street Journal
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Feb 26, 2008 12:30 PM CST
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FCC boss Kevin Martin told a hearing yesterday that the government was "ready, willing, and able to step in" to stop Internet service providers from restricting traffic sent by rivals, the Wall Street Journal reports. Comcast is accused of acting improperly by slowing or blocking access to file-sharing sites. The cable giant says it is...
Starbucks to Close 7,100 US Stores Today
CNN
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Feb 26, 2008 12:20 PM CST
(Newser) -
Get your afternoon latte early today, because Starbucks—all 7,100 US locations—is closing at 5:30pm for 3 hours of staff training, CNNMoney reports. The company says it hopes baristas will “deepen their passion for coffee” and even “transform the customer experience,” not to speak of turning around a...
Domain Snatchers Hit With Lawsuit
Network World
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Feb 26, 2008 12:10 PM CST
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A class-action lawsuit filed yesterday targets a top purveyor of domain names and its alleged practice of “frontrunning,” Network World reports. Network Solutions essentially registers a domain name the second a customer searches for it, forcing the customer to pay the company’s above-market rate of $35 for the address. The suit also...
Hormone Therapy Skews Diagnosis
Reuters
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Feb 26, 2008 11:55 AM CST
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Women who use hormone replacement therapy to combat menopause symptoms are more likely to get false mammogram results and have unneeded biopsies, new research shows. The UCLA analysis of an earlier study of more than 16,000 women found that 35% of those on hormones received skewed test results, as opposed to 23% of women on a placebo, Reuters reports.
Dodd Endorses Obama
Cleveland Plain Dealer
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Feb 26, 2008 11:40 AM CST
(Newser) -
Chris Dodd endorsed Barack Obama today in Cleveland, praising his ex-opponent for his "ability to reach and touch the hearts and souls of Americans," the Plain Dealer reports. The first former candidate to make an endorsement in the race, Dodd told the Hartford Courant he was "back and forth" between Obama and Hillary Clinton...
Clinton and Obama: A Tale of Two Senators
Los Angeles Times
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Feb 26, 2008 11:25 AM CST
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The Senate isn’t a powerful presidential launching pad, but Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama arrived there amidst whispers of executive ambitions, and each charted a very different course, the LA Times reports. Clinton swiftly established herself as an inside operator, forging alliances and focusing on her state, while Obama traded on his outsider...
Annan Suspends Kenya Talks
Associated Press
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Feb 26, 2008 11:09 AM CST
(Newser) -
Mediator Kofi Annan is suspending the talks to end the bloody crisis in Kenya. In lieu of the negotiations, the ex-UN Secretary General says he will speak personally to rival leaders Mwai Kibaki and Raila Odinga, reports the AP. "I hope people will understand this is a move intended to speed up action," Annan said.
House Panel May Go After Clemens on Perjury
New York Times
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Feb 26, 2008 10:54 AM CST
(Newser) -
The congressional panel that questioned Roger Clemens about steroids has drafted a letter asking the Justice Department to investigate whether he committed perjury, the New York Times reports. The letter doesn't name his former trainer, Brian McNamee, who testified the same day and insisted Clemens is lying, but that could change before the letter...
Home Prices Decline Across Country
Wall Street Journal
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Feb 26, 2008 10:38 AM CST
(Newser) -
Home prices in the top 10 metro areas slumped 8.9% over the previous year, the largest decline in 20 years, according to the closely watched S&P/Case-Shiller price index, released today. "Wherever you look things look bleak," one economist tells the Wall Street Journal , noting that declines hit 17 of the top 20 markets, with Miami,...
US Didn't Protest Turkish Incursion Into Iraq
Wall Street Journal
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Feb 26, 2008 10:26 AM CST
(Newser) -
As fierce fighting continues in northern Iraq, American officials have confirmed they were aware that Turkey planned to strike at Kurdish guerrillas inside the border—and didn't raise objections, the Wall Street Journal reports. The US did, however, urge Turkey to limit the length and scope of the incursion. "They understood why Turkey...
Wholesale Inflation Surges
Bloomberg
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Feb 26, 2008 10:06 AM CST
(Newser) -
Wholesale prices rose more than twice as fast as analysts predicted in January, in the latest sign that inflation is outstripping growth, Bloomberg reports. After a 0.3% drop in December, finished good prices rose 1% last month, with the core indicator up 0.4%, its biggest gain in almost a year. Fed chief Ben Bernanke will discuss the inflation statistics...
Jury Convicts Ex-Insurance Execs in Fraud
Bloomberg
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Feb 26, 2008 9:48 AM CST
(Newser) -
A federal jury yesterday convicted five former insurance executives of fraud, conspiracy, and making false statements to the Securities and Exchange Commission as part of a scheme to deceive investors, Bloomberg reports. The convictions stem from a sham transaction in 2000 between General Reinsurance Corp. and American International Group that added...
Polly Want a Prozac?
Telegraph (UK)
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Feb 26, 2008 9:33 AM CST
(Newser) -
With more pet owners working long days and leaving their furry and feathered friends alone at home, cases of animal depression are on the rise, writes the Daily Telegraph . A TV vet says the trend is hitting parrots especially hard, causing the talkative birds to pull out their feathers or peck at their own legs—until they're dosed with Prozac.
Killer Ex-Cop Begs Jury to Spare His Life
The Repository
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Feb 26, 2008 9:17 AM CST
(Newser) -
A former Ohio police officer convicted last week of murdering his pregnant girlfriend yesterday begged a jury not to sentence him to death. "I'm asking you to spare my life," said a sobbing Bobby Cutts Jr. The jury begins penalty deliberations this afternoon, reports the Canton Repository.
Pope Fans Rush for Tour Tickets
USA Today
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Feb 26, 2008 9:03 AM CST
(Newser) -
Pope Benedict XVI will be making his first visit to the US in April, and tickets for two super masses are in high demand, USA Today reports. Ticket requests for the masses at Yankee Stadium and Washington's National Park stadium are already more than double the number of seats available. Every Catholic archdiocese in the country has received a free...
Jailed Ex-Gov Wants Special Counsel
Associated Press
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Feb 26, 2008 8:47 AM CST
(Newser) -
Lawyers for Jim Siegelman want an outside investigator to look into charges that GOP operatives railroaded the ex-governor of Alabama on bribery charges, reports the AP. "60 Minutes" reported Sunday that prosecutors met over 70 times with the aide that helped put Siegelman behind bars, and had him write out his evidence over and over again....
Dour Housing Market Slams Home Depot Q4 Results
Wall Street Journal
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Feb 26, 2008 8:23 AM CST
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Continuing US housing market woes, showing no signs of letting up, helped drag Home Depot’s fourth quarter profits down 27% over the same quarter last year, to $671 million from $925 million. The world’s largest home-improvement retailer also predicted fiscal-year earnings will drop 19% to 24%, more than twice the decline analysts had expected,...
Obama Surges in National Poll
CBS News
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Feb 26, 2008 8:17 AM CST
(Newser) -
Barack Obama has opened up a lead of 16 points over Hillary Clinton among voters nationwide and is seen as the candidate with the best chance to beat John McCain, according to a new poll from CBS and the New York Times . Obama had a lead of 54% to 38% in the poll, which had the candidates tied at 41% three weeks ago, CBS reports.
Antidepressants Mostly Useless, Study Finds
Independent (UK)
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Feb 26, 2008 7:41 AM CST
(Newser) -
Big Pharma swallowed a bitter pill yesterday as Prozac and other antidepressants were found in a UK study to be largely ineffectual in all but the most extreme cases of depression. The meta-analysis of 47 clinical trials submitted to the FDA with licensing applications for six popular antidepressants concluded that they should be prescribed only when...
Philharmonic Wows North Korea
AFP
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Feb 26, 2008 7:16 AM CST
(Newser) -
The New York Philharmonic received a huge ovation in Pyongyang tonight after a concert that marked the first thaw in cultural relations between the US and North Korea in 50 years. The performance—which included the countries' national anthems, a Korean folk song, and works by Gershwin, Dvorak, Wagner, and Leonard Bernstein—was broadcast...
Feds Brace for a Wave of Bank Failures
Wall Street Journal
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Feb 26, 2008 7:13 AM CST
(Newser) -
Federal regulators are gearing up for as many as 100 bank failures in the next year—the most since the savings and loan crisis that saw more than 1,000 S&Ls go belly up in the ’80s and ’90s—as the subprime contagion continues to decimate the health of US financial institutions, reports the Wall Street Journal today.
Stevenson Stings Hornets at the Buzzer
Associated Press
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Feb 26, 2008 6:41 AM CST
(Newser) -
The Wizards stormed back from an 11-point halftime deficit against one of the West's best teams, knocking off the Hornets 95-92 on DeShawn Stevenson's buzzer-beating fadeaway three-pointer. It was a fitting conclusion on a career 33-point evening for Stevenson. The shot concluded a chippy, foul-intensive final minute.
8,000 Surge Troops to Stay Put
CNN
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Feb 26, 2008 6:38 AM CST
(Newser) -
More than a quarter of the extra troops sent to Iraq during the surge will stay in the war zone and not return to the US this summer as previously planned, the Pentagon has revealed. Some 8,000 of the 30,000 surge troops—including helicopter crews, supply units, headquarters staff, and military guards for Iraqi prisons—will be ordered...
