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.
Libertarian's Run May Raise Barr for McCain
Economist
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May 24, 2008 4:57 PM CDT
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Many Americans don't know Bob Barr, but they may become familiar with him as John McCain’s Ralph Nader in the 2008 election, the Economist reports. The former GOP lawmaker is seeking the Libertarian Party’s presidential nomination, and his viability shows that McCain still has work to do to win over Republican voters.
Honda Sells 60 Millionth Super Cub
Wired
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May 24, 2008 4:23 PM CDT
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Honda’s Super Cub motorcycle may look mundane, but it's also the best-selling motorized vehicle in history, Wired reports. In fact, Honda recently sold its 60 millionth. The Cub first put Honda on the map by making motorcycles safe for suburbanites. But the ultra-dependable little bike isn’t available in the US anymore; it was discontinued...
High Gas Prices Give Economy a Headache
Los Angeles Times
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May 24, 2008 3:52 PM CDT
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Oil prices gushed for 5 years, but the US economy remained blissfully unaffected—until now, the Los Angeles Times reports. Rising gas prices have finally spooked consumers and sparked ominous news from two major airlines, Ford, and even memory card maker SanDisk. “The economic outlook has been taken hostage by the relentless surge in...
Hillary's Killer RFK Quote Stuns Pundits
New York Daily News
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May 24, 2008 3:10 PM CDT
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Hillary’s RFK gaffe certainly has people talking—and most aren’t being too kind. Michael Goodwin of the New York Daily News calls it “an X-ray of a very dark soul” that considers murder just another strategic possibility. Hillary has shot her chance at being vice president, he writes: “She doesn’t...
China Says Toll May Hit 80,000
Reuters
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May 24, 2008 2:27 PM CDT
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Up to 80,000 people may have been killed in Sichuan earthquake, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao said today, suggesting that hopes of rescuing any of the approximately 20,000 people listed as missing are just about extinguished. The revision came as UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon visited some of the hardest hit regions. Moon praised China’s recovery...
Rockefellers Pump Exxon Execs for Changes
Wall Street Journal
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May 24, 2008 1:58 PM CDT
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Executives at Exxon are bracing for an onslaught from the Rockefeller family, whose patriarch founded the oil firm’s predecessor a century ago, the Wall Street Journal reports. Led by John D. Rockefeller’s great-granddaughter, the family wants Exxon to pursue renewable forms of energy and appoint an independent chairman.
NHL Hopes Star-Studded Final Lifts Hockey
Washington Post
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May 24, 2008 1:39 PM CDT
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The NHL may have dinky ratings and a long way to go to catch the big three of American sports, but it couldn’t ask for a better pick-me-up than this year’s Stanley Cup final. The Pittsburgh-Detroit matchup that starts tonight is one of the most compelling in years, the Washington Post notes. The Penguins are loaded with young phenoms...
Commies See Red Over Indiana Jones Film
Times (UK)
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May 24, 2008 12:52 PM CDT
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Indy's new Cold War adventure has infuriated St. Petersburg's Communist Party, the London Times reports. The angry apparatchiks say Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull 's depiction of ruthless KGB spies who send terrorists to the US is pure propaganda intended to “slander Soviet Communists” and poison young Russians against ...
Belgium's InBev Mulls Budweiser Takeover
Wall Street Journal
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May 24, 2008 12:48 PM CDT
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Belgian-based brewer InBev NV is considering an unsolicited takeover of Anheuser-Busch, the Wall Street Journal reports. The Busch family is loathe to sell the 150-year-old American icon and brewer of Budweiser—Executive August A. Busch IV vowed it wouldn’t happen “on my watch”—but activist investors have been scooping...
Could McCain Win Big?
Politico
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May 24, 2008 12:00 PM CDT
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Despite the odds stacked against Republicans, GOP analysts are cautiously saying that John McCain will not only win, but he might do so by a comfortable margin, Politico reports. When Obama’s specific and geographical weaknesses are played against McCain’s strengths, the result adds up to a win of up to 50 electoral votes, more than President...
Free Agents Can Be Your Slump-Busters
ESPN
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May 24, 2008 11:39 AM CDT
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If your fantasy baseball squad is struggling, you can take the Jason Giambi approach and wear a gold thong to break out of your slump; or you can check out your league's free agents and get yourself a slump-buster in the form of a starting pitcher—like Darrell Rasner, for example. ESPN's Matthew Berry offers a few other possible winners:
Big Brown's Paycheck to Help Injured Cop's Son
Newsday
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May 24, 2008 11:27 AM CDT
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When Big Brown makes a run for the history books in the Belmont next month, he'll also be racing for the son of a seriously injured Long Island police officer. The horse's owners have pledged a portion of their Belmont earnings to Christopher Baribault, 6, whose dad, Kenneth, was hit by an alleged drunken driver Sunday, reports Newsday .
Airlines Hike Ticket Prices
Associated Press
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May 24, 2008 11:05 AM CDT
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The big three US airlines responded to soaring oil prices by boosting most domestic prices by up to $60 roundtrip in the last few days, the AP reports. United led the way with increases from $10 to $60 Thursday; American and Delta followed suit yesterday. Meanwhile, low-cost AirTran raised its leisure tickets $30 and business tickets $50.
NYC Plans Organ-Recovery Ambulance
Washington Post
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May 24, 2008 10:45 AM CDT
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New York City is planning a “rapid-organ-recovery ambulance” that would collect the bodies of victims of sudden deaths to be used for organ transplants, hoping to ease a pressing need for donors, the Washington Post reports. But the idea has sparked controversy among health and bioethics experts, concerned over what it might mean for...
On RFK, Clinton Should Have Known Better
Washington Post
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May 24, 2008 10:25 AM CDT
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Hillary Clinton used history to make a point, but her RFK gaffe provides a valuable lesson for those studying it: “There are taboos in presidential politics, and this is one of the biggest,” Libby Copeland writes in the Washington Post . Clinton has apologized for referring to the assassination in her rationale for staying in the race,...
US, UK Workers to Create First Trans-Atlantic Union
Wall Street Journal
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May 24, 2008 10:07 AM CDT
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Workers from the US and UK are close to joining forces in what would be the first trans-Atlantic labor union, the Wall Street Journal reports. United Steelworkers is in talks with Britain’s Unite to create a 3-million-member group that would act as a single union in the US, Canada, Britain, and Ireland, fighting for workers’ interests...
Players OK More Drug Tests
Associated Press
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May 24, 2008 9:44 AM CDT
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Baseball players agreed to more frequent drug tests yesterday and gave more clout to the drug program's independent administrator, the AP reports. The tougher guidelines follow recommendations made in the Mitchell Report and mark the third time the league has toughened its doping policy since 2002—each time under the threat of congressional action,...
Poll Highlights Obama's Race Dilemma
Newsweek
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May 24, 2008 9:24 AM CDT
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Barack Obama will need to defeat not only John McCain but prejudice within his own party if he is to win the presidency, a Newsweek poll finds. Pollsters divided respondents into two categories, based on answers to questions on race-related topics. Among white Democrats who scored low on the poll's "Racial Resentment Index," Obama beat...
150 Animals to Star in Massive 'Ark' Musical
Economist
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May 24, 2008 8:48 AM CDT
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Hold on to your camels, folks: A full-blown Biblical gala is opening tonight in Branson, Mo., in the form of Noah—the Musical . The show will feature more than 40 actors and 150 animals, half live, half animatronic, the Economist reports.
SUVs Plunge in Value as Drivers Turn to Smaller Cars
CNN
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May 24, 2008 8:21 AM CDT
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SUVs are falling out of fashion fast as gas prices go through the roof, CNN reports. As drivers downsize to more fuel-efficient vehicles, gas-guzzlers are filling up used-car lots—but there aren't many buyers. The biggest SUVs—like the Cadillac Escalade, Ford Expedition, and Chevy Suburban—are dropping in value by the thousands, a...
Metal Makes a Heavy Comeback
Guardian (UK)
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May 24, 2008 7:27 AM CDT
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Heavy metal is coming back with a vengeance this summer, the Guardian reports. Kiss, Def Leppard, Judas Priest, and plenty of other massive metal names from the '80s will dust off the spandex and play stadium shows for audiences of aging headbangers along with a new generation of fans weaned on Guitar Hero. Many of the rock dinosaurs are even recording...
297 Illegal Immigrants Get Jail in Federal Crackdown
New York Times
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May 24, 2008 7:08 AM CDT
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Some 270 illegal immigrants have been sentenced to 5 months in federal prison in a sign that the Bush administration is taking a much harder line on undocumented workers, the New York Times reports. Busted for using fake IDs, the workers were among 389 swept up at a kosher meat-packing plant in Iowa in the biggest immigration raid on a workplace...
Tsvangirai Returns to Zimbabwe
BBC
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May 24, 2008 6:51 AM CDT
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Opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai returned to Zimbabwe today to campaign for a run-off presidential vote June 27, the BBC reports. Rumors of an army assassination had delayed his return by a week. Meanwhile, a top official from the ruling Zanu-PF party warned of a coup if President Robert Mugabe doesn’t win the run-off, the Los Angeles Times...
Jenna 'Offers' Bush Ranch for Ellen's Wedding
People
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May 24, 2008 6:41 AM CDT
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Ellen Degeneres couldn't get John McCain to walk her down the aisle, but she did score an offer of the Bush ranch for a wedding venue. Newlywed Bush daughter Jenna Hager appears on the Ellen show next week, along with her first-lady mom, in a segment taped Thursday, reports People . Jenna had some advice for the host, who plans to marry her girlfriend...
Huge New Cracks Seen in Arctic Ice Shelf
BBC
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May 24, 2008 6:24 AM CDT
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A Canadian expedition has found a major new network of cracks, more than 10 miles long, in the Arctic's ice shelves, the BBC reports. Scientists say the huge shelves are disintegrating; pieces become "ice islands" that can float hundreds of miles away as climate changes takes hold. Arctic sea ice shrank to a record low last year and could...
Lakers Thump Spurs, Take 2-0 Series Lead
Associated Press
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May 24, 2008 6:08 AM CDT
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No comeback required for the Lakers on Friday, as they scored the final nine points of the first half and never looked back in a 101-71 thrashing of defending champion San Antonio, reports AP. Kobe Bryant scored 22 points and Lamar Odom added 20 points and 12 rebounds as LA held serve at home, taking a 2-0 Western Conference finals series lead.
12 Children Returned to Sect Parents
San Antonio Express-News
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May 24, 2008 6:00 AM CDT
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Texas has agreed to return a dozen of the children in its custody to their parents, members of the polygamist sect FLDS, but the state is fighting to hang on to hundreds more, the San Antonio Express-News reports. The reunited families won't be allowed to return to the sect's Yearning for Zion ranch but can live in the San Antonio area under state...
Toad Venom Aphrodisiac Kills NYC Man
Associated Press
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May 23, 2008 9:25 PM CDT
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New York City officials warned people today to avoid a toad venom-based aphrodisiac that recently killed a man, the AP reports. The illegal love drug, often sold as Jamaican Stone or Chinese Rock, is harmful whether ingested or applied to the skin. "There is no definitely safe way to use it,” one official said. Similar drugs have killed...
No Octopi for Wings Fans, Seller Says
Detroit Free Press
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May 23, 2008 8:33 PM CDT
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Red Wings fans, save room in that suitcase—it may be tough to buy an octopus in Pittsburgh next week. One steel-town fishmonger refuses to sell octopi to Detroit fans once the Wings-Penguins Stanley Cup finals kick off on Saturday. In a tradition spanning more than 50 years, Detroit fans have been tossing eight-leggers on the ice to boost their...
Clinton's RFK Remark Sparks Fear, Outrage
New York Times
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May 23, 2008 7:54 PM CDT
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Hillary Clinton whipped up a storm of anger today by invoking Bobby Kennedy's murder as grounds for staying in the Democratic race, the New York Times reports. Recalling the surprise outcomes of past contests, including her husband’s in 1992, the senator told editors at a South Dakota newspaper that “we all remember Bobby Kennedy was...
GameStop Axes Zune; Microsoft Shrugs
TheStreet
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May 23, 2008 7:22 PM CDT
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GameStop, a national chain of video game stores, has announced it will no longer carry Microsoft’s floundering Zune digital media player, TheStreet.com reports. "We have decided to exit the Zune category because it just did not have the appeal we had anticipated," a spokesman said of the iPod competitor, on shelves since late 2006....
Belgians Eye $46B Anheuser-Busch Takeover
Financial Times (UK)
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May 23, 2008 6:51 PM CDT
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A Belgian brewing giant whose brands include Stella Artois is contemplating a $46 billion takeover of Anheuser-Busch, the Financial Times reports today. If CEO August Busch IV denies Belgium's InBev, as he reportedly did in October, the company may go directly to shareholders. InBev is also contemplating a partnership with SABMiller (Miller and other...
Construction Oglers Get an Eyeful
New Zealand Herald
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May 23, 2008 6:29 PM CDT
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Some wolfish construction workers got an eyeful of a sheep without clothing, the New Zealand Herald reports, when a female Israeli tourist apparently fed up with their whistling got naked as she used an ATM in downtown Kerikeri. "She gave the explanation that she had been pestered by New Zealand men," a local policeman said. "She's...
How TV, Money Robbed Sports Fans—and Journos
Slate
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May 23, 2008 6:05 PM CDT
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The days when journalists could get to know professional athletes well enough to write the kinds of profiles that would give fans true insight are long gone, Pat Jordan laments on Slate, with television and the accompanying big money the main culprits. Where Jordan once spent days with Catfish Hunter, he can't get to today's stars without dealing with...
What Comes Around: Limbaugh ‘Hurt’ by Obama's Words
Huffington Post
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May 23, 2008 5:47 PM CDT
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Rush Limbaugh's “feelings are hurt” by comments Barack Obama made linking the radio host’s rhetoric to a rise in hate crimes against Hispanics. Speaking in Florida last night, Obama said, “There's a reason why hate crimes against Hispanic people doubled last year. If you have people like Lou Dobbs and Rush Limbaugh ginning things...
Harding Skates Back Into Spotlight
Newsweek
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May 23, 2008 5:20 PM CDT
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What read like a closed book in 1994 is falling open in a Tonya Harding tell-all, reports Newsweek in an interview with the fallen figure skater. The Tonya Tapes argues that Harding wasn't just uninvolved in Nancy Kerrigan's knee-whacking—she planned to rat out her ex-husband to the FBI until he intervened, backed by two enforcers and a gun.
Mac in ‘Excellent Health’: Doctors
New York Times
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May 23, 2008 5:00 PM CDT
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John McCain’s doctors said today the 71-year-old candidate is in “excellent health and displays extraordinary energy,” and there has been no recurrence of the skin cancer that prompted surgery 8 years ago. The future Republican nominee has kidney stones and takes several medications—including one to reduce cholesterol—but...
Muted By Thieves, Scream Returns at Full Volume
CNN
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May 23, 2008 4:45 PM CDT
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Edvard Munch's masterpiece The Scream is hanging again in an Oslo museum today, 4 years after armed robbers stole it in broad daylight, CNN reports. The painting has been undergoing restoration since it was retrieved in 2006. It was structurally damaged, stained, scratched (exposing cardboard beneath the paint) and “considerably” dirtier,...
Yes On Phones, No On Talking: Poll
PC World
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May 23, 2008 4:30 PM CDT
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Americans want wireless service on airplanes, but not voice calls, PC World reports. A survey finds 60% would use silent features like texting and email, but 74% think that no matter what, conversations shouldn’t be allowed. Americans "don't want to be forced to listen to the conversation of the passenger sitting next to them," a...
In Wartime, Soldiers' Kids Graduate Alone
Associated Press
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May 23, 2008 4:16 PM CDT
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Fort Campbell High’s graduation had the usual pomp and circumstance—along with a familiar pall. Many of the seniors crossing the stage did so without a mom or dad watching from the audience. Fort Campbell is the biggest military base high school in the US, and nearly every student at the Tennessee school has, or had, a parent in Iraq or...
Diet Duchess Leaves Sour Taste
Spiked
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May 23, 2008 4:01 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Watching Duchess of York Sarah Ferguson lecture some of Britain’s poorest—and hungriest—on the virtues of healthy eating on the UK show " The Duchess of Hull " may turn stomachs, but it's just the latest offering from a lengthy menu of a la carte snobbery perpetuated by today’s TV food and makeover shows, argues...
Obama Wants Truce Even as McCain Spins Pastors' Ties
Chicago Tribune
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May 23, 2008 3:48 PM CDT
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Barack Obama is tweaking John McCain for slinging muck on Rev. Jeremiah Wright on one hand while distancing himself from Rev. John Hagee on the other, the Chicago Tribune reports. “Nobody thinks that McCain believes that stuff," Obama said. "For McCain to then suggest that every single statement that was made by somebody is somehow...
Dismal Day Ends Dismal Week
MarketWatch
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May 23, 2008 3:34 PM CDT
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Stocks fell today, rounding out a gloomy week as the familiar themes of housing malaise and energy costs manifested in widespread big losses, MarketWatch reports. The Dow fell 145.99 to close at 12,479.63, the Nasdaq lost 19.91, settling at 2,444.67, and the S&P 500 fell 18.42, closing at 1,375.93.
Rove Spurns Subpoena on US Attorneys
Politico
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May 23, 2008 3:20 PM CDT
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Karl Rove RSVPed in the negative to the subpoena the House Judiciary Committee issued yesterday, Politico reports. His lawyer said Rove wants none of what committee chair John Conyers has promised to dole out. Citing Conyers' promise of an "ass kicking," Robert Luskin said he's not “the least bit confused about the Committee’s...
Bringing Sexy Back? How About Just Reality?
San Francisco Chronicle
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May 23, 2008 3:08 PM CDT
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Tired of seeing the truth airbrushed and Photoshopped entirely out of Vogue and its glossy rack-mates, Mark Morford, in the San Francisco Chronicle , ruminates on his ideal reality-based publication. His mag— Truth Hurts or My Eyes, My Eyes! —will feature "wrinkles and scars and flab and sag, stretch marks and cigarette burns...
Landing Obama Last Minute Has Wesleyan Scurrying
Hartford Courant (Conn.)
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May 23, 2008 2:55 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Wesleyan University is happy that ailing Ted Kennedy found someone to take his place as commencement speaker Sunday, the Hartford Courant reports—though the fact that it's Barack Obama has created some logistical issues on the small Connecticut campus. "It'll be pretty crazy," an administrator says of the event, usually open to the...
Supreme Court Expands Margins
New York Times
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May 23, 2008 2:35 PM CDT
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The Supreme Court divisions expected after Samuel Alito replaced Sandra Day O’Connor materialized last term but have since disappeared in a tide of consensus. Only one of 35 cases this term has been decided 5 to 4. Linda Greenhouse of the New York Times looks at a once-predictable panel that seems to be emphasizing concessions over confrontations.
Texas Appeals to Keep Sect Kids in Custody
San Antonio Express-News
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May 23, 2008 2:18 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Texas officials today appealed yesterday’s ruling that the state acted incorrectly when it took custody of 460 FLDS children, the San Antonio Express-News reports. The ruling could have meant family reunions within weeks, but today's emergency filing means the children could remain in foster care pending state supreme court action.
Burma's Monks Forge Secret Relief Network
Wall Street Journal
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May 23, 2008 2:11 PM CDT
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Although Burma’s junta relented today and allowed in foreign aid workers, weeks of delays and restrictions have led to the formation of an underground network of volunteers led by monks, Internet activists, and pro-democracy students. The Wall Street Journal looks at their efforts, which risk the wrath of the government but often provide the...
Dictator Cat Remains Out of the Bag
Washington Post
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May 23, 2008 1:51 PM CDT
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Barack Obama was speaking off the cuff last summer when he deemed President Bush’s refusal to meet with dictators “a disgrace,” but “what started as a gaffe became policy,” Charles Krauthammer writes in the Washington Post. "By now, it has become doctrine." And whatever it's called, he writes, "It remains...
