Newser Story Index from May, 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.
133K Dead, Missing: Junta
Reuters
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May 16, 2008 5:05 PM CDT
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Nearly 78,000 are confirmed dead and another 56,000 missing in the wake of Cyclone Nargis, Reuters reports. Torrential rains continued to pound Burma today, complicating rescue efforts. The EU’s chief aid official met with military leaders to press for increasing foreign rescue workers' involvement, but he met with no more success than UN and...
Calif. Gays May Have 6-Month Window
Slate
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May 16, 2008 4:50 PM CDT
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Despite its staying power in Massachusetts, gay marriage may not last long in California, Emily Bazelon writes for Slate. Unlike Massachusetts, where “a layered and intricate legislative process” gave voters time to get comfortable with the new law, Californians can overturn the landmark ruling on election day in November, by passing an...
VP Rerun 'Won't Happen': Edwards
Boston Globe
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May 16, 2008 4:37 PM CDT
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Days after endorsing Barack Obama, John Edwards is beating back buzz he’s on the vice-presidential shortlist. “No, no, won’t happen,” he told NBC today. “It’s just not something I’m interested in.” The '04 nominee wouldn’t cop to an interest in being attorney general either, the Boston Globe reports,...
Asia Financiers Looking Askance at Western Banks
Economist
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May 16, 2008 4:30 PM CDT
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Bankers and regulators across Asia have grown wary of the big US banks they once invited to underwrite major moves, the Economist reports. One Chinese regulator described the West’s big banks to the magazine as “shit,” among signs the East no longer trusts the West’s wisdom, or its regulation model, in the wake of the subprime...
Eloquence Can, in Fact, Be Presidential
Los Angeles Times
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May 16, 2008 4:17 PM CDT
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It’s a bit weird to defend something like eloquence, but that’s just the task to which the primary season has inspired Calvin Trillin, writing in the Los Angeles Times . Rivals and pundits alike dismiss Barack Obama’s eloquence as some kind of liability, whereas Trillin sees in the Democrat's ability a key component of the role of...
Site's Grass Roots Planted in Right-Wing 'AstroTurf'
Wall Street Journal
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May 16, 2008 3:57 PM CDT
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AngryRenter.com might look “underdoggy and grass-rootsy, with a heavy dose of aw-shucks innocence,” the Wall Street Journal reports, but the anti-mortgage bailout website is actually the work of publisher Steve Forbes, former House majority leader Dick Armey and other Republican bigwigs. It’s a paragon of “AstroTurfing”—big-sponsor...
Weekend With Mel Gibson Part of Brit's Rehab
Entertainment Tonight
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May 16, 2008 3:44 PM CDT
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Mel Gibson and wife Robyn are building on attempts to help with ex-neighbor Britney Spears' personal rehabilitation with a getaway to their Costa Rica pad, People reports. The group, also including Brit's dad, jetted there yesterday "for a few days to relax." Gibson and Spears have met up previously for meals; a source tells TMZ.com the...
To See Root of GOP's Problems, Look to the Top
Wall Street Journal
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May 16, 2008 3:31 PM CDT
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It’s too late for the Republican Party to break with President Bush, Peggy Noonan writes in the Wall Street Journal, and that will translate to heavy losses come November. The time for the GOP to call out the administration has passed, she argues. “What two years ago would have been honorable and wise will now look craven.”
Oil Surges; Markets Record Weekly Gains
Bloomberg
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May 16, 2008 3:27 PM CDT
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Stocks fell, then climbed back almost to opening levels today to wrap up a generally strong week. Yet another record oil price—almost $128 a barrel—drove early losses, and a report of the lowest consumer-confidence rating in 28 years did not help. The Dow closed down 5.86 at 12,986.80, and the Nasdaq dropped 4.88, closing at 2,528.85. The...
'Poor Hillary' Refrain Has Hillary-Like Staying Power
Washington Post
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May 16, 2008 3:08 PM CDT
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There’s Hillary Clinton, writes Libby Copeland in the Washington Post , and then there’s “Poor Hillary.” Though Barack Obama destroyed her “inevitability,” she continues to quixotically pursue the Democratic nomination, touting the power of “grit” against arithmetic, and moving op-ed writers, news anchors...
Can Contrarian Owner Save Horse Racing?
Wall Street Journal
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May 16, 2008 2:54 PM CDT
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Jess Jackson is on a mission. The owner of last year’s Preakness winner thinks that by breeding horses from sturdier stock, rather than the same old fashionable bloodlines, he can create stronger animals less likely to succumb to the kind of tragedy that took Eight Belles at the Kentucky Derby. But taking on the entire horse racing establishment...
Bladerunner Wins Appeal, Sets Sights on Olympics
AFP
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May 16, 2008 2:50 PM CDT
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Oscar Pistorius, the double-amputee sprinter who wants the chance to compete in the Olympics on his carbon-fiber blades, has won his appeal. The Court of Arbitration for Sport revoked the IAAF's ban on the South African Paralympic champion, making Pistorius eligible to compete against able-bodied runners. The runner is eager to "pursue my dream...
Obama Fires Back at Bush—and McCain
Talking Points Memo
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May 16, 2008 2:46 PM CDT
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Barack Obama struck back at the GOP's leading lights today, saying he’d win a foreign policy debate “because George Bush and John McCain have a lot to answer for.” In his most extensive and direct remarks since the president suggested yesterday that Obama would appease terrorists, he lashed out at "dishonest, divisive attacks"...
MySpace Bully's Case Sets Risky Course: Experts
Wired
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May 16, 2008 2:43 PM CDT
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A criminal indictment over MySpace bullying that led to a Missouri teen's suicide sets an unusual and perhaps dangerous legal precedent, experts say. Because her activities violated the site’s terms of use, Lori Drew faces charges of computer fraud and abuse related to the death of Megan Meier, Wired reports—and the charges involve a...
How to Avoid R. Kelly Jury Duty
Chicago Tribune
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May 16, 2008 2:33 PM CDT
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R. Kelly's jury is complete, and the arduous process of getting it filled contains a lesson: Should you ever be called upon to weigh in at a child pornography trial, the Chicago Tribune offers some proven ways—at least they worked in this case— to avoid getting trapped in the jury box: Mention your teenage daughter. Argue...
EU Will Toughen Car Ads to Curb Gas Guzzlers
Der Spiegel
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May 16, 2008 2:22 PM CDT
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Car ads in Europe will soon have to highlight gas mileage and carbon dioxide emissions under regulations in the works from the European Union, Der Spiegel reports. EU commissioners hope regulating ads will motivate more Europeans to ditch gas-guzzling models, but manufacturers and media execs aren’t happy. The plan could push some automakers...
Waltz Explodes at Cannes
New York Times
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May 16, 2008 2:10 PM CDT
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Now that's more like it. After a typically lousy opening—allegorical disaster Blindness —the Cannes Film Festival shook things up yesterday with Waltz with Bashir , a ferocious animated documentary from Israel recounting the 1982 massacre at Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon. It’s “stunning,” writes Manhola Dargis...
Mac at 'Height of Hypocrisy' on Hamas, Obama
Washington Post
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May 16, 2008 1:55 PM CDT
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John McCain’s effort to link Barack Obama and Hamas—waxing astonished the Democrat could sit down with the violent Palestinian group—is “Nixon-style dirty campaign tactics,” and the “height of hypocrisy,” James Rubin writes in the Washington Post . In a 2006 interview, McCain said the US would “have...
NBA Game Or the Circus?
Cleveland Plain Dealer
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May 16, 2008 1:42 PM CDT
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Cleveland's Q is one of the loudest arenas in basketball, filled with fire and smoke and ear-shattering music. But it's hardly unique among NBA venues. After Commissioner David Stern recently wondered whether teams were getting a smidge carried away, the Plain Dealer takes a look at the pros and cons of the noisy spectacles.
FAA Questions American's Lightning Safety
Wall Street Journal
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May 16, 2008 1:40 PM CDT
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The FAA is questioning American Airlines' new policy on lightning inspections, and its opener is: Why doesn’t American do them anymore? American recently forbade its mechanics from doing extensive lightning damage checks unless pilots suspected a strike, a move designed to reduce delays and cancellations. Big airlines are typically allowed to...
Rauschenberg Rocked
New York Times
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May 16, 2008 12:37 PM CDT
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In some ways, Robert Rauschenberg lived more of the rock ’n’ roll life than his friend and collaborator David Byrne, who offers an affectionate farewell in the New York Times today . His life was just as wild and unpredictable as his work, says the Talking Heads founder. "Conversation was like one of his pieces: a crazy mishmash...
Zimbabwe Police Wage War on Anglican Church
New York Times
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May 16, 2008 12:29 PM CDT
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Zimbabwe riot police stormed an Anglican service this week, swinging batons to clear the pews, even striking a grandmother who bent to retrieve a fallen Bible. It wasn’t the first time, the New York Times reports. For three straight Sundays, Zimbabwe’s rulers have sent police to break up services, an escalation of its violent voter intimidation...
Swimsuit Battle Heads to Court
Associated Press
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May 16, 2008 12:24 PM CDT
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Swimwear maker TYR Sport has filed suit against rival Speedo, alleging that the maker of the much-touted LZR Racer has an inappropriately close relationship with the sport's governing body. "There's a big issue with a lot of the comments out there coming through USA Swimming and (coach) Mark Schubert about the relative merits of the LZR suit,"...
Kate Hudson, Owen Wilson Off Again
People
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May 16, 2008 12:00 PM CDT
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Kate Hudson and Owen Wilson aren’t engaged after all. The pair’s longstanding on-again, off-again relationship is officially off again, People reports. The rumor-spawning ring Hudson was spotted wearing was a prop. “It was a pretty bad breakup,” said a friend of Wilson’s, and a Hudson confidant said, “She feels...
Applause for Reprise
Metacritic
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May 16, 2008 11:54 AM CDT
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Joachim Trier’s debut film, the honest and amusing dramedy Reprise , is wowing critics. The film, which tells the story of a pair of young aspiring writers, “opens like a portrait of the artist as a young man (times two) and, with stealth and wit, metamorphoses into something wide and deep and funny,” writes Manohla Dargis in the...
Big Brown Jockey Rides for Ailing Son
USA Today
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May 16, 2008 11:51 AM CDT
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Kent Desormeaux, the jockey who rode Big Brown to victory in the Kentucky Derby, wants his son to see him win the Preakness tomorrow—before his eyesight fails entirely. Nine-year-old Jacob suffers from a genetic disorder that took his hearing and is slowly compromising his vision, but that hasn't stopped him from exulting in his dad's success,...
Patriots' Taper Disputes Belichick
New York Times
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May 16, 2008 11:05 AM CDT
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A former cameraman for the New England Patriots who helped tape other teams’ signals gave the New York Times details on his experience—and they don’t match the claims of coach Bill Belichick. Matt Walsh insists the team knowingly broke the rules and gained a big advantage over opponents. He says his direct supervisor told him...
Woman May Get New Trial in File-Sharing Conviction
Associated Press
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May 16, 2008 10:55 AM CDT
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The judge who presided over America's first music file-sharing trial might call for a do-over, the AP reports. A Minnesota mom was penalized $222,000 for illegal dowloads last fall, but the judge has since discovered that he may have issued faulty jury instructions. That's because a 1993 ruling said a copyright is broken only when copies are disseminated—and...
Hannah Montana: Plagiarist?
New York Post
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May 16, 2008 10:45 AM CDT
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It’s not easy being a rockstar. Just ask Miley Cyrus, who’s just finished apologizing for sultry Annie Leibovitz shots that shocked some of her fans (or at least their parents) and now is being accused of ripping off her new song “Rockstar,” the New York Post reports. The band Lustra says the song is too similar to their “Scotty...
McCain Ousts Consultant Over Conflict of Interest
Politico
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May 16, 2008 10:35 AM CDT
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The McCain campaign gave the boot to veteran conservative consultant yesterday after it came to light that he also was a paid consultant for a tax-exempt political group designed to attack Democratic candidates, Politico reports. The campaign says it never coordinated its activities with the so-called 527 group—which would be against FEC rules—and...
West Point Boss Demands Hymn Changes for Her
Times Herald-Record (Middletown, NY)
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May 16, 2008 10:25 AM CDT
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The head of West Point is calling for changes to the military academy's two most beloved songs to represent thousands of female graduates, the Times Herald-Record reports. References to "men" and "sons" in the Alma Mater and the 1902 hymn The Corps should be switched to something more gender-neutral, Lt. Gen. Buster Hagenbeck...
Final Doomsday Cultists Exit Russian Cave
BBC
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May 16, 2008 10:15 AM CDT
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The final nine members of a Russian doomsday cult holed up in a cave to await the apocalypse (coming this month) have abandoned ship, unable to stand the stench of two people who had died. Thirty-five followers of a self-declared prophet calling himself Father Pyotr climbed into the cave in November and threatened to blow themselves up if police tried...
Ellen to Wed Girlfriend
People
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May 16, 2008 10:05 AM CDT
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Ellen DeGeneres and longtime girlfriend Portia de Rossi are getting hitched. The news—Ellen announced it while taping today's show—comes after the California Supreme Court cleared the path to same-sex marriages in the state. The couple began dating in 2004 while de Rossi starred in Fox’s "Arrested Development," People ...
VA Doctor Discouraged Post-Traumatic Diagnoses
Washington Post
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May 16, 2008 9:55 AM CDT
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A team leader at a veterans' medical center in Texas sent staffers an email urging them to avoid diagnosing post-traumatic stress disorder, the Washington Post reports. "Given that we are having more and more compensation-seeking veterans, I'd like to suggest that you refrain from giving a diagnosis of PTSD straight out," wrote the psychologist,...
Gay Unions Return as Campaign Issue
New York Times
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May 16, 2008 9:35 AM CDT
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In the wake of the California decision, gay advocates hope to bring the issue of same-sex marriages to the forefront of the general election. But all three candidates have similar views—they support civil unions but think marriages should be between men and women, the New York Times reports. They differ in nuances, however, and if the issue...
Trump Sues Over Israeli Condo Deal
New York Post
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May 16, 2008 9:19 AM CDT
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Nobody makes a sucker out of Donald Trump…at least not without getting sued. Trump is taking an Israeli condo developer to court, saying the company profited off his name without giving him a cut. The developers made a deal to build a 70-story Trump Plaza residential and commercial tower on property they bought for $44 million, and agreed to...
Narnia Still Casts a Spell
Rotten Tomatoes
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May 16, 2008 8:59 AM CDT
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The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian returns to the fantasyland 1,300 years after The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe , and all is not well in the kingdom. The "darker, more conventional, and more crisply made" follow-up features "more clashing swords than all the Robin Hood movies put together," Todd McCarthy writes in...
Okinawa Marine Gets 4 Years for Teen Sex Abuse
Reuters
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May 16, 2008 8:40 AM CDT
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The US marine accused of raping a 14-year-old Japanese girl was sentenced by court martial today to four years in prison, after pleading guilty to abusive sexual conduct, Reuters reports. The other charges against 38-year-old Sgt. Tyrone Hadnott, including rape and kidnapping, were dropped. With his plea deal, Hadnott will serve only three of the four...
Wildlife Populations Plunging
BBC
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May 16, 2008 8:25 AM CDT
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Humanity is rapidly wiping out the planet's species, sending wildlife populations plunging, the BBC reports. Pollution, habitat loss, and overfishing have cut wildlife numbers as much as a third since 1970 and wipe out 1% of species each year. One of the "great extinction episodes" in Earth's history also spells serious trouble for humanity,...
Teen Shares Rape Tale on YouTube
CNN
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May 16, 2008 8:05 AM CDT
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After her case was dropped by the courts, a 16-year-old girl turned to YouTube to share her story of rape, CNN reports. “It's the only way I know that someone out there in the world is going to listen to me," says the tearful girl in her video. She joins a growing number of young people seeking help with abuse via the Internet—a method...
Huge Aftershock Rattles China
Reuters
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May 16, 2008 7:47 AM CDT
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A powerful aftershock struck today near the epicenter of this week's earthquake, wreaking more havoc as China struggled to bury its dead and care for thousands of homeless and hungry survivors, Reuters reports. Rescuers continued their search amid the rubble, but hope dimmed as the official death toll rose to more than 22,000. It is expected to exceed...
Vitamin D May Curb Breast Cancer: Study
Globe and Mail
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May 16, 2008 7:28 AM CDT
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Vitamin D deficiency has been linked to the spread of breast cancer tumors to other parts of the body, reports the Toronto Globe and Mail. Women diagnosed with breast cancer were twice as likely to see it spread and 73% more likely to die early if they had low levels of the vitamin, a new study says.
Zimbabwe Will Vote Again Next Month
BBC
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May 16, 2008 7:10 AM CDT
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Zimbabwe will go to the polls again on June 27, the government announced today, in one last run-off between President Robert Mugabe and opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai. Tsvangirai will take part, despite earlier threats to boycott over alleged fraud and government intimidation, the BBC reports. The opposition leader won the previous vote, but not...
'Bin Laden' Tape Urges Ongoing Fight With Israel
BBC
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May 16, 2008 7:05 AM CDT
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Just in time for Israel’s 60th anniversary, a speaker claiming to be Osama bin Laden has released a new audio recording calling for Muslims fighting Israel not to “give up a single inch of Palestine,” the BBC reports. The tape, posted on a website frequented by al-Qaeda, couldn’t be verified as authentic. The 9-minute message...
Hitler Donnybrook Rocks Hardball
Huffington Post
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May 16, 2008 6:54 AM CDT
(Newser) -
There's been an outcry from the Dems over President Bush's "appeasement" comments but the shouting was loudest on last night's Hardball , the Huffington Post reports. Radio host Kevin James sang the praises of Bush's remarks comparing Barack Obama's planned outreach to Iran to Nazi appeasement. But after being asked repeatedly by host Chris...
Dems Furious Over Bush 'Appeasement' Zinger
Reuters
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May 16, 2008 6:20 AM CDT
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Democrats stood shoulder-to-shoulder in fury yesterday to lash President Bush for indicating that Barack Obama is like a Nazi appeaser because he supports outreach to countries like Iran. Even Hillary Clinton leaped to her rival's defense, Reuters reports. "President Bush's comparison of any Democrat to Nazi appeasers is both offensive and outrageous,"...
Tenn. GOP Rips 'Anti-American' Mrs. O on Web
CNN
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May 16, 2008 5:34 AM CDT
(Newser) -
The Tennessee GOP has produced a controversial internet video attack on Michelle Obama, blasting her recent remarks that she was proud of America "for the first time in my adult life." The four-minute video, released yesterday to coincide with her campaign visit to the state, features Tennessee residents boasting of their pride in America...
Taliban 'Narco Terrorist' Convicted in US Court
Reuters
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May 16, 2008 4:58 AM CDT
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A Taliban militant has become the first person convicted under a "narco-terrorism" provision of the Patriot Act, Reuters reports. The Afghan man was busted by DEA agents for plotting to ship heroin to the US and use the proceeds to buy weapons to use against American and coalition forces. He was brought to the US last year to stand trial,...
Clean-Air Changes 'Imperil Parks'
Washington Post
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May 16, 2008 4:33 AM CDT
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Clean air rules likely to be changed this summer are causing serious concerns about future pollution at some of America's most spectacular national parks, reports the Washington Post . The changes will pave the way for 28 new coal-fired power plants near ten parks, according to a report supported by some National Park Service officials . Parks already...
Gay Marriage Foes Mobilize California Fight
San Francisco Chronicle
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May 16, 2008 4:03 AM CDT
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Organizations staunchly opposed to same-sex unions are already mobilizing to reinstate a ban on gay marriages that was struck down yesterday by California's Supreme Court, reports the San Francisco Chronicle . The coalition intends to hammer home the fact that four judges have "overturned the will" of millions of voters who approved...
