Newser Story Index from June, 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.
Obama-Hagel Ticket? Tempting, but Forget It
Salon
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Jun 17, 2008 2:49 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Republican maverick Chuck Hagel is being bruted as a possible running mate for Barack Obama, and it's a tempting fantasy. He's a Vietnam vet with abundant foreign policy experience and a very public split with Bush on the Iraq war; having him on the ticket would also give serious cred to Obama's post-partisan message. But he “may be a more attractive...
Obama Hire Bodes Ill for Clinton as VP
Huffington Post
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Jun 17, 2008 2:48 PM CDT
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Don’t be fooled into thinking Barack Obama's hiring of Hillary Clinton’s ex-campaign manager is a play for unity; insiders say it’s a signal Clinton is not the future VP nominee. One Clinton bundler called the move the “biggest f--- you I have ever seen in politics.” Patti Solis Doyle will be the VP nominee's chief of...
Vets Used to Test Drugs Linked to Suicide
ABC News
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Jun 17, 2008 2:33 PM CDT
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Combat veterans suffering post-traumatic stress disorder were recruited for clinical trials of drugs linked to suicide and mental disorders, ABC reports. In a trial involving the smoking-cessation drug Chantix, the VA did not warn patients of the drug's serious potential side effects until 3 months after the FDA and the drug's maker had issued warnings.
Firefox 3 Rocks
Wired
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Jun 17, 2008 2:20 PM CDT
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Download Firefox 3, out today. That’s what Michael Calore suggests on Webmonkey. The new version of the open-source browser lets users set application-specific links on Web pages—such as “mailto” links—to launch webapps instead of other applications—say, Gmail instead of Outlook. It also supports using webapps offline,...
Gay Weddings Go on Without Bridezillas
Los Angeles Times
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Jun 17, 2008 1:56 PM CDT
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Same-sex couples getting married in California are trying to avoid offbeat weddings that gay marriage opponents could use in a campaign against them, reports the LA Times. "We want everybody to be free, but the image does matter. They are going to try to make us look like freaks," says a soon-to-be-wed Californian.
Famous Nudie Beach Under Fire
Associated Press
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Jun 17, 2008 1:40 PM CDT
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Sunbathers at one of the nation’s most famous nude beaches may be forced to put their clothes on, the AP reports. South Cove in Vermont is considered destination traveling for nudists, but locals are petitioning for a town ordinance against nudity. “It’s about common public decency,” said one petitioner. Nudists shouldn't "prance...
Note to McCain: Gitmo Ruling Hardly 'Worst'
Washington Post
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Jun 17, 2008 1:29 PM CDT
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John McCain's painting of last week's Guantanamo Bay ruling as one of the Supreme Court’s “worst decisions" has George Will scoffing in the Washington Post . Various segregation rulings could hold that title, he notes, but more important to McCain should be the justices' affirmation of habeas corpus, "the heart of the centuries-long...
Mars Lander Finds Ice... or Salt
Associated Press
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Jun 17, 2008 1:20 PM CDT
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The Phoenix Mars lander has found… well, something. While digging a pair of trenches on the Red Planet’s North Pole, the little robot sent back images of soil streaked with something white. Now scientists are wondering whether it’s the ice they’d hoped for, a salt deposit, or something else. If it’s ice, scientists expect...
Low-Profile US-Iraq Pact Sparks Big Worries
New York Times
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Jun 17, 2008 1:11 PM CDT
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The US is pressuring Iraq to sign off on a long-term security agreement that looks unfortunately similar to a disastrous 1930 pact between Iraq and Britain, and the new pact "could haunt Washington’s relations with Baghdad for years to come," historian and journalist Karl E. Meyer writes in the New York Times .
Study: Cuddles Calm Chimps After Conflict
Associated Press
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Jun 17, 2008 1:00 PM CDT
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Chimpanzees console each other with hugs and kisses after a conflict much like humans do, researchers have discovered. After a chimp has been the victim of aggression, its stress levels are greatly reduced when it's embraced by another. The findings reveal a level of empathy in man's closest relative that is absent in monkeys, said a primate expert.
Germans Get Engineers Started Young
Financial Times (UK)
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Jun 17, 2008 12:49 PM CDT
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With a personnel shortfall that's serious and getting worse, Germany wants to get its next generation of engineers started as soon as possible, the Financial Times reports. Hundreds of companies are sending materials and experts to kindergartens to try interest youngsters in technology and science. They hope getting the tots interested early will...
Obama Opens 11-Point Ohio Lead
Talking Points Memo
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Jun 17, 2008 12:44 PM CDT
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Barack Obama now holds an 11-point margin over his rival in the state that decided the 2004 election. As recently as March, John McCain led in Ohio 49% to 41%; three months later, a significant shift finds Obama winning 50% to 39%. Talking Points Memo notes that polling organization PPP was “almost exactly right” in its pre-vote survey...
Brains Look Alike in Gay Men, Straight Women
Guardian (UK)
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Jun 17, 2008 12:24 PM CDT
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Gay men and straight women have similarly shaped brains, new research shows. Homosexual men and heterosexual women both have relatively symmetrical brains, while heterosexual men and lesbians have significantly larger right hemispheres, reports the Guardian . The research provides new evidence that sexual orientation is hardwired into the brain.
RIP, Tim... Now Get Off the Air
San Francisco Chronicle
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Jun 17, 2008 12:20 PM CDT
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Tim Russert was an extraordinary journalist, and his passing is a sad loss, but the news media went a bit overboard this weekend, writes Debra Saunders in the San Francisco Chronicle . “We now know more about Tim Russert than Vladimir Putin,” she points out. Did the country really need hours parsing Russert’s relationship with his...
Dems' Coded Message: McCain Is Old
Politico
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Jun 17, 2008 12:07 PM CDT
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To a chorus of Republican indignation, Democrats are taking subtle swipes at John McCain's, er, septuagenarian status. From Joe Scarborough saying the "doddering" 71-year-old "needs to go to Miami Beach and play checkers” to John Kerry calling him “confused” or Barack Obama, 46, noting McCain's “half-century of...
LiLo at Work: 'So Far, So Good'
People
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Jun 17, 2008 11:58 AM CDT
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Lindsay Lohan is back at work on the set of the comedy Labor Pains , and after a week, the movie's producers are impressed with her skill and professionalism. "We were a little bit reluctant to work with her," producer Lati Grobman tells People . "But she's been amazing. She's so natural at what she does."
Raccoon Checks Into Berlin Hotel
Der Spiegel
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Jun 17, 2008 11:42 AM CDT
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The talk of the town in Berlin is a raccoon who's taken up residence in a hotel garage and can't legally be removed. Under German law, a wild animal can't be removed from private property unless it poses a threat, Der Spiegel reports. One wildlife expert says he thinks the animal, a rarity in Germany, may have grown up at the Brandenburg Gate.
Abigail Breslin: Little Miss a Serious Actress
Vanity Fair
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Jun 17, 2008 11:37 AM CDT
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Pint-sized Abigail Breslin swears that her Oscar nod and whirlwind career have barely changed her life, Vanity Fair reports. She will admit that her best supporting actress nomination for Little Miss Sunshine “was really exciting," but so are the 12-year-old's veterinary dreams. “I got to ride a sea lion, and I got to play with...
Short On Cash, Democrats Trim Convention
Associated Press
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Jun 17, 2008 11:30 AM CDT
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Democrats are scaling back their national convention plans in the face of fundraising shortfalls, the AP reports. The Denver host committee has just $29 million of the $40.6 million it promised to deliver by yesterday. The committee says it’s confident it’ll get the money before the convention begins Aug. 25, but organizers are shaving...
In Vino, Room for Interpretation
Gourmet
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Jun 17, 2008 11:27 AM CDT
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That peppery flavor of Syrah? It comes from the same chemical that gives pepper its aroma, a recent study says. So sommeliers aren't making this stuff up: Wine bouquets actually have an empirical basis. But the compounds are tough to pin down because they change when mixed, and 20% of the study's subjects couldn't whiff the chemical in question at...
5th Severed Foot Steps Up Canadian Probe
Associated Press
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Jun 17, 2008 11:16 AM CDT
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Yet another severed foot—the fifth in a year—has washed ashore in British Columbia, causing authorities to take a fresh look at evidence. This is the first sneaker-clad left foot to be found so far. "We're certainly not discounting the possibility that this may be linked to the other recovered feet, but it's very speculative to even...
Paris Denied New Pup
New York Post
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Jun 17, 2008 11:00 AM CDT
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Paris Hilton went “ballistic” over the weekend when an LA pet store refused to sell her a Yorkie, telling the celebutante the purchase was clearly “an impulse buy,” the New York Post reports. Hilton was on her way to a photo shoot and "wanted a puppy in the picture with her so it would look cuter,” says a spy.
With GOP Adrift, McCain Does Left-Right Shimmy
Washington Post
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Jun 17, 2008 10:44 AM CDT
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John McCain seems to be doing a sidestep between left and right while Barack Obama waltzes toward the center, Dana Milbank writes in the Washington Post . On issues like energy policy, the GOP candidate lurches between riling the right and enraging greenies. Apparently feeling nostalgic, Milbank writes, "McCain's route has had more turns than...
Not Guilty-Plea From Ex-CEO in Drug, Fraud Rap
Associated Press
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Jun 17, 2008 10:36 AM CDT
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Broadcom co-founder Henry Nicholas pleaded not guilty yesterday to securities fraud and drug charges, the AP reports. The former microchip king was accused of false accounting as well as dropping ecstasy into associates’ drinks, running a drug warehouse, and using bribery and death threats to keep it all quiet. The company’s former CFO...
Summer of Jonas Bros. Looms
New York Times
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Jun 17, 2008 10:30 AM CDT
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Brace yourselves: Disney is prepping a summer media blitz for the squeaky-clean, tween-rockin' Jonas Brothers that'll put Hannah Montana to shame. The former Christian rock band made up of three real-life siblings is starring in two movies, releasing an album, and touring Europe and the US—before getting their own spy-themed comedy-adventure...
EU Convulses, the World Could Care Less
Financial Times (UK)
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Jun 17, 2008 10:23 AM CDT
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The EU has been wracked with self-doubt and indecision in the days since the Irish electorate voted down the Treaty of Lisbon. But watching the turmoil unfold from Beijing, Financial Times columnist Philip Stephens observes just how introverted the Union has become. At a critical moment in the history of one of the world's great powers, the rest...
Jerry to Mick's Kids: Don't Date Men Like Dad
Daily Mail (UK)
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Jun 17, 2008 10:16 AM CDT
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Mick Jagger’s ex stomached his philandering for 20 years but Jerry Hall insists their daughters—Elizabeth, 21, and Georgia May, 15—will never date a wild womanizer like their Rolling Stones dad, the Daily Mail reports. “No, never. But I don't think they would. They have far more confidence than I did, and they have great boundaries.”
To Court Blue-Collar Vote, Light Up
New York Times
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Jun 17, 2008 10:00 AM CDT
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Everyone has ideas about how Barack Obama can attract the working-class white voters that eluded him in the primaries. Author Tony Horwitz goes for the throat: Start smoking again. West Virginia and Kentucky, where Hillary Clinton clobbered Obama, lead the nation in cigarette consumption among whites, and lighting up could help worse-off voters see...
The Greatest US Open Ever?
ESPN
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Jun 17, 2008 9:55 AM CDT
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The 2008 US Open at Torrey Pines will go down as the epic tournament that Tiger Woods won on one leg, writes Pat Forde for ESPN, both because of the spellbinding golf and the characters who shaped the 5-day contest. The champ faced off with the 45-year-old chatterbox in myriad do-or-die situations in a battle that will go down in the history books.
Israel, Hamas Agree to Begin Ceasefire Thursday
BBC
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Jun 17, 2008 9:48 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Israel has reached a tentative truce with Hamas, brokered by Egypt, the BBC and AP report. Starting Thursday, the two sides will begin a “mutual and simultaneous calm,” in which militants will theoretically stop their daily cross-border rocket bombardments, and Israel will in turn cease its military raids. Some border crossings will be...
'Spam King' Owes MySpace $6M
Associated Press
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Jun 17, 2008 9:36 AM CDT
(Newser) -
A Colorado company accused of spamming must pay MySpace $6 million in damages and legal fees after an arbitrator ruled for the social networking site, the AP reports. Media Breakaway and its CEO, aka the "Spam King," were accused of using hijacked or "phished" accounts to send millions of advertising messages to MySpace members....
Mariners Finally Sack Bavasi. Who's Next?
Fox Sports
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Jun 17, 2008 9:14 AM CDT
(Newser) -
It's about time the Seattle Mariners fired Bill Bavasi, the general manager whose ill-advised trades contributed to the team's position in baseball's cellar this year, writes Ken Rosenthal for Fox Sports. But simply jettisoning the guy who got the least possible return out of a $117 million payroll won't be enough to turn this sinking ship around.
How Fair Is the 'Third Term' Jab?
New York Times
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Jun 17, 2008 9:06 AM CDT
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With President Bush posting record disapproval ratings, Democrats have gleefully dubbed a John McCain presidency a "third Bush term." The claim is at least partially justified, reports the New York Times in an analysis of the "McBush" charge—McCain agrees with Bush on taxation, health care, the war, abortion, and judicial...
Four Japanese Busted for Copycat Stabbing Threats
Associated Press
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Jun 17, 2008 8:50 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Threats of copycat violence posted on Japanese websites have led to four arrests in the wake of seven fatal stabbings in Tokyo this month by a crazed attacker, AP reports. “I'm going to do it, too. I’m going to kill 100 people,” wrote one man. Last week's killings, in which a man drove a truck into a crowd before stabbing bystanders,...
Red Cross Disaster Fund Is Broke
Washington Post
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Jun 17, 2008 8:35 AM CDT
(Newser) -
The American Red Cross, reeling from dealing with catastrophic floods in the Midwest, is facing its own disaster as it runs out of money to pay for relief aid. The charity has raised just $3.2 million to pay for shelters, food, and other costs—a fraction of the $40 million that may be needed in seven states hit by floods, reports the Washington...
Chinese, Enjoying New Clout, Chide US on Fiscal Policy
New York Times
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Jun 17, 2008 8:16 AM CDT
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As the US economy struggles and its own booms, China is reveling in its newfound self-confidence, blasting American fiscal policy, the New York Times reports, and flaunting its own regulatory successes. Chinese officials have recently taken the US to task over the subprime mortgage crisis, the weakening dollar, and “discriminatory” attitudes...
'Rock Band' Reinvents the Cover Band
More Intelligent Life
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Jun 17, 2008 8:07 AM CDT
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The hugely popular "Rock Band" is more than just a video game—it's a musical revolution, Brett McCallon writes in More Intelligent Life. The game, which expands "Guitar Hero" to two axes, a drum kit and a singer, finally realizes “the democratizing dreams of the punk movement.” McCallon should know, because his...
Army Overseer Ousted After Rejecting Bogus Iraq Bills
New York Times
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Jun 17, 2008 7:54 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Did a top Army official lose his job for trying to save the Army money? Charles Smith was ousted from his job after refusing to pay then-Halliburton subsidiary KBR more than $1 billion in charges deemed bogus by Army auditors. “They had a gigantic amount of costs they couldn’t justify,” Smith tells the New York Times . “The...
Iowa Flood Tide Turns Noxious
Associated Press
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Jun 17, 2008 7:48 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Iowa floodwaters have become a toxic mess of sewage, chemicals, diesel, and animal carcasses, the AP reports, pushing some Iowans attempting to salvage possessions to update tetanus shots. "It bothers me, with everything that's in the water," said one resident. "I probably won't keep anything." Meanwhile, some Iowa towns prepared...
Law Firm Escapes Criminal Charges in $75M Deal
Wall Street Journal
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Jun 17, 2008 7:41 AM CDT
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Ducking criminal charges, law firm Milberg LLP will pay the government $75 million and admit wrongdoing in a settlement following a 2-year-old indictment, the Wall Street Journal reports. The firm, which deals with shareholders' class-action lawsuits, acknowledges it paid kickbacks to attract clients between 1979 and 2005, enabling the firm to reap...
Mets Cut Randolph Loose
Newsday
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Jun 17, 2008 7:25 AM CDT
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The New York Mets have fired manager Willie Randolph, as well as two of his coaches, reports Newsday . The announcement came this morning after weeks of speculation about Randolph's fate, as the Mets continue to struggle just under .500 after last season's historic collapse. Bench coach Jerry Manuel will take over as interim manager.
Bike Helmets? Up to You, Says London Mayor
Telegraph (UK)
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Jun 17, 2008 6:58 AM CDT
(Newser) -
The bicycle-loving mayor of London has a clear message for riders in the capital: wear a helmet, or else don't wear one. Writing in the Telegraph , Boris Johnson admits that despite the obvious arguments about safety, it's not always easy to put on an "undignified plastic hat" in fair weather. Not unlike many other issues in politics, helmet-wearing...
Coffee May Cut Heart Attacks
Reuters
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Jun 17, 2008 6:35 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Regular coffee drinking has been linked to a reduced risk of fatal heart attacks, according to a new study of the health effects of coffee. Women who regularly drank three cups of coffee a day had a 25 percent lower risk of death from heart disease than women who didn't drink coffee. Some studies have found that coffee is a source of antioxidants,...
40 Years Later, France Returns to NATO
New York Times
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Jun 17, 2008 6:19 AM CDT
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More than four decades after France withdrew from NATO military command, President Nicolas Sarkozy announced today that his nation's military will once again integrate itself with American and European forces. France's first new national defense policy in 14 years constitutes a major shift away from earlier Gaullist ideals of self-sufficiency, the...
Gore: 'We Need Change'
Detroit Free Press
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Jun 17, 2008 5:48 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Al Gore endorsed Barack Obama for president at a Detroit rally last night, saying the 2008 election “matters more than ever before,” the Detroit Free Press reports. “After 8 years of lost jobs, we need change,” the former Democratic nominee said. “After 8 years of the worst, most serious foreign policy mistakes, we need...
Ex-Pentagon Lawyers Face Grilling in Torture Probe
New York Times
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Jun 17, 2008 5:33 AM CDT
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Pentagon lawyers had more input than was initially thought into the harsh interrogation techniques used on Guantanamo Bay prisoners, sources close to a Senate investigation have told the New York Times . Documents from 2002 reveal that officials in the Department of Defense, then run by Donald Rumsfeld, researched techniques like waterboarding months...
Bush, Brown Butcher 'Homie Handshake'
Daily Mail (UK)
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Jun 17, 2008 4:57 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Prime Minister Gordon Brown looked a little heavy handed when President Bush tried out a "homeboy handshake" on the British leader yesterday, the Daily Mail reports. Clearly caught by surprise by Bush's American-style "street" greeting, Brown fumbled, accidentally stuck a few fingers up the president's sleeve—and ended up...
Dad Fatally Beat Baby Son to Oust 'Demons'
San Francisco Chronicle
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Jun 17, 2008 4:21 AM CDT
(Newser) -
A California grocery clerk shot dead by cops as he fatally beat his baby son did so to oust "demons" in the boy, he told witnesses. He removed his son from his car on a rural road and viciously beat him in front of horrified onlookers who tried in vain to stop him. "Good shot," said one witness after a cop downed him. "That...
Bridge 'Suicide' Ruled Fugitive
Bloomberg
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Jun 17, 2008 3:57 AM CDT
(Newser) -
A New York hedge fund manager who bilked investors out of $400 million has been declared a fugitive by federal authorities, reports Bloomberg. "Suicide has been ruled out,'' said a spokesman for the US Marshals Service. Samuel Israel disappeared the day he was scheduled to begin a 20-year sentence last week. His car was found on a bridge over...
Industry Shakeout Clips Hedge Funds
Wall Street Journal
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Jun 17, 2008 3:22 AM CDT
(Newser) -
A massive shakeout is transforming the world of hedge funds, the Wall Street Journa l reports. Tougher market conditions mean smaller funds are merging or closing their doors, and new ones are facing difficulty getting started. The business, which mushroomed from a few hundred firms to 8,000 over a decade, is increasingly dominated by "goliath"...
