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.
Colbert Grabs a Peabody
Broadcasting & Cable
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Jun 17, 2008 2:58 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Comedy Central funnyman Stephen Colbert snatched a prestigious Peabody media award at last night's ceremony hosted by CBS correspondent Lesley Stahl. She stepped in to replace Brian Williams, who opted to spend time with NBC colleagues after Tim Russert's death. Colbert displayed his usual deadpan style, comparing his staff to a "barium enema"...
Fuel Costs Squeeze Services for Native American Tribes
Reznet News
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Jun 17, 2008 2:26 AM CDT
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Higher gas prices are forcing Native American tribal governments to cut back on transportation services, reports Reznet News. The Rosebud Sioux tribe provides its police, education and social services departments with transportation, as well as rides for the elderly and trips to medical appointments. But with coffers running on empty, the South Dakota...
White House Emails Can Stay Missing: Judge
Washington Post
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Jun 16, 2008 8:08 PM CDT
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Records on millions of missing White House emails can stay secret after all, a federal judge ruled today. US District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly rejected a watchdog group's lawsuit, saying the records are kept in an agency exempt from the Freedom of Information Act. A probe, lawsuit, and appeal are all pending in the battle over emails that vanished...
Gay Couples Tie Knot Across California
Los Angeles Times
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Jun 16, 2008 7:45 PM CDT
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Dozens of gay couples legalized their love in California today as the state embraced same-sex marriage, the Los Angeles Times reports. While small groups demonstrated outside county clerk's offices, activist couples got first dibs in San Francisco and Los Angeles. "We just love each other," said Robin Tyler, whose marriage to Diane Olson...
Blogger on Trail Scoops MSM
New Yorker
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Jun 16, 2008 7:20 PM CDT
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Two of the biggest recent campaign scoops—Barack Obama's "bitter" bomb and Bill Clinton's "scumbag" tirade—originated not with the mainstream media but with a 61-year-old Oakland resident who blogs for the Huffington Post. The New Yorker visits with Mayhill Fowler, who ruminates about her exclusives and expresses a...
Legal Tangles Loom in Gay Marriage Ruling
Arizona Republic (Phoenix)
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Jun 16, 2008 6:53 PM CDT
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Gay newlyweds coming home from California this week will likely spark legal battles in their home states, the Arizona Republic reports. California is sure to hitch up more than Massachusetts did 4 years ago, and many will return to states that prohibit gay marriage, some by constitutional amendment. "It's uncharted legal territory," law...
US Attorney Probe Moves Forward
Wall Street Journal
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Jun 16, 2008 6:33 PM CDT
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For the first time since it came to light 2 years ago, the US attorneys scandal has gone beyond the investigative phase. The Justice Department has asked for a grand jury to hear evidence as it weighs perjury charges against a former interim US attorney, the Wall Street Journal reports. Bradley Schlozman left government last year under fire after...
Lakers Still Alive, But for How Much Longer?
Boston Globe
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Jun 16, 2008 6:15 PM CDT
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The Lakers showed last night that Boston doesn't have the NBA title wrapped up yet, but columnists say they still face an uphill battle. Los Angeles, trailing 3-2, has "very little to be proud of," Bob Ryan sniffs in the Boston Globe , pointing to squandered leads. Bill Plaschke in the Los Angeles Times disagrees: "On a thumping Sunday...
Italian Churches Ban Da Vinci Code Prequel
ANSA (Italy)
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Jun 16, 2008 5:55 PM CDT
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The diocese of Rome is branching out into film criticism and banning a DaVinci Code prequel from shooting in two of the city's churches because the first movie was “harmful to religious feeling,” the ANSA news agency reports. Like the original, Angels & Demons is directed by Ron Howard from Dan Brown’s adaptation of his novel.
Ex-Clinton Manager Joins Team Obama
Associated Press
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Jun 16, 2008 5:37 PM CDT
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Hillary Clinton's former campaign manager and longtime loyalist Patti Solis Doyle will serve as chief of staff to Obama's eventual VP choice. This may mean that Clinton is unlikely to nab the veep spot, since Doyle—booted from Hillary's campaign—has not spoken to her since, Don Frederick blogs in the Los Angeles Times .
Many Retirees Will Have Less Than They Think
Economist
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Jun 16, 2008 5:21 PM CDT
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Many employees will enter retirement with a much smaller income than they expect, the Economist reports. By 2014, the amount of money saved in direct-contribution retirement plans—ie 401Ks—will outpace than the amount saved in old-fashioned direct-benefit plans. But workers set contributions to their DC schemes at lower levels than might...
Effects Wizard Stan Winston Dead at 62
Los Angeles Times
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Jun 16, 2008 5:00 PM CDT
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Oscar-winning special-effects wizard and creature creator Stan Winston died yesterday at 62 after a 7-year struggle with multiple myeloma, the Los Angeles Times reports. Winston won Oscars for his work on Aliens , Terminator 2 , and Jurassic Park . "Stan contributed to some of the greatest fantastic movie characters in motion picture history,"...
Gore Endorses Obama
ABC News
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Jun 16, 2008 4:43 PM CDT
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Al Gore will endorse Barack Obama for president tonight at a rally in Detroit, ABC News reports. "From now through Election Day, I intend to do whatever I can to make sure he is elected President of the United States," Gore said of Obama in an email to supporters. Obama has talked openly of inviting Gore to serve in an administration.
Anti-Obama Evangelical Writes Pro-Obama Book
Politico
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Jun 16, 2008 4:35 PM CDT
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Stephen Mansfield expects to cast his ballot against Barack Obama in November. But that hasn’t stopped him from writing an admiring book about the candidate's religious profile— The Faith of Barack Obama —which argues that the candidate may well steal young evangelical voters away from John McCain. McCain is “clumsy when it...
Punditry for the Playgroup Set
New York Times
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Jun 16, 2008 4:15 PM CDT
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The cover is a dead ringer for the bedtime classic, and the point of Goodnight Bush is equally recognizable. In authors' Erich Origen and Gan Golan’s re-purposing of Goodnight Moon , Dubya snuggles into bed wearing a “Mission Accomplished” flight suit, in the company of “war profiteers giving three cheers,” with a crayon-redacted...
AP Waffles on Blog Policies
paidContent.org
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Jun 16, 2008 4:00 PM CDT
(Newser) -
The Associated Press is struggling to hash out its policies toward bloggers who excerpt the organization's coverage, paidContent.org notes. The news agency attacked a liberal blog that posted snippets from its stories, but an AP exec later told the New York Times he regretted such a "heavy-handed" approach. Still, he's not withdrawing any...
Woods Wins US Open on 19th Hole
Associated Press
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Jun 16, 2008 3:45 PM CDT
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With a throbbing knee and a pounding heart, Tiger Woods made one last improbable escape Monday and won the U.S. Open in a 19-hole playoff over Rocco Mediate, his 14th career major and maybe the most amazing of them all. One shot behind on the 18th hole after a collapse no one saw coming, Woods birdied the 18th hole to force sudden death at Torrey Pines...
Look Well Beyond Nov. in Picking Your Running Mate
New Republic
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Jun 16, 2008 3:35 PM CDT
(Newser) -
It’s a myth that running mates put a ticket over the top, former Bush speechwriter David Frum writes in the New Republic —so John McCain might as well just look to the future of the Republican Party. "Keep in mind that, when you choose, you may well be choosing a future leader of the party," Frum pleads, "a leader whose...
Stocks Mixed as Oil Pulls Back
Wall Street Journal
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Jun 16, 2008 3:22 PM CDT
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Stocks ended mixed today as oil prices pulled back after hitting a high of nearly $140 a barrel. Investors are still concerned about economic instability, but many have already abandoned financials, reports the Wall Street Journal . The Dow ended down 38.27 at 12,269.08, the Nasdaq up 20.28 at 2,474.78, and the S&P 500 barely changed, rising 0.11...
Johansson-Obama Link Is a Family Tie
New York Post
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Jun 16, 2008 3:20 PM CDT
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Scarlett Johansson's well-publicized e-correspondence with Barack Obama—“how can he return these personal e-mails,” she exclaimed—isn't all that mysterious, the New York Post reports. The actress’ twin brother, Hunter, works for Obama. He was community liaison for the Manhattan borough president until last week, when...
Cable Guys Won't Likely Fill Russert's Seat
Variety
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Jun 16, 2008 3:12 PM CDT
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Early word on Tim Russert's Meet the Press successor focused on in-house candidates, like Chris Matthews, David Gregory, or Joe Scarborough. But one insider now tells Variety that there’s “no way” a cable personality will land the gig. NBC’s broadcast division would rather stay “pristine”—free from the...
Justices Will Decide If Immigrant Can Sue Ashcroft
Los Angeles Times
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Jun 16, 2008 3:01 PM CDT
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The Supreme Court today agreed to hear an appeal from John Ashcroft, with the former attorney general insisting top government officials cannot be sued by immigrants who allege they were beaten and abused after 9/11. Lower courts have refused to dismiss a suit from a man who was held for 6 months before being deported to Pakistan—without being...
Clinton Wins by Losing
New York
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Jun 16, 2008 2:46 PM CDT
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Hillary Clinton won big by losing narrowly, shedding her toxic image and escaping her husband's ambiguous legacy to become a lionized figure for women, the left, and even some Republicans, John Heilemann writes in New York . "Although in the end she may wind up being dwarfed by Obama, for the moment she is something he is not: fully, poignantly...
Winehouse Hospitalized After Fainting
BBC
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Jun 16, 2008 2:34 PM CDT
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Amy Winehouse was hospitalized today after fainting at her London home, the BBC reports. Winehouse's assistant caught her before she fell, and, though she "quickly recovered," the singer's father took her to hospital "as a precaution," says her spokesman. Doctors aren't sure what caused the fainting, and may keep her overnight for...
Web's Growth Shows No Sign of Pause
GigaOm
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Jun 16, 2008 2:21 PM CDT
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Internet traffic continues to grow at an astonishing pace, GigaOm reports. A study by Cisco Systems has found that world network traffic will increase 46% from 2007 to 2012. By 2012, the annual bandwidth demand is estimated to become 522 exabytes—a billion gigabytes.
Judge to Helmsley's Dog: Let Go of That
New York Post
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Jun 16, 2008 2:09 PM CDT
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Leona Helmsley’s dog, Trouble, turns out not to need that $12 million trust fund after all. The world's most spoiled Maltese will manage on $2 million, and the rest will go to charity, the New York Post reports.
Big Brother Sees Washington
Los Angeles Times
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Jun 16, 2008 1:55 PM CDT
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If you plan to go outdoors in Washington, DC, comb your hair first, because someone's probably going to see you. The capital is ramping up a video surveillance system that puts most others in the entire world to shame, the LA Times reports. Unsurprisingly, the 5,625-camera network has captured the attention of privacy and civil-liberties advocates,...
Olbermann to Media: 'Shut the Hell Up'
New Yorker
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Jun 16, 2008 1:42 PM CDT
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Keith Olbermann has always been mad as hell, and a parade of ex-colleagues tell the New Yorker they just couldn't take it anymore. The O'Reilly-pummeling, Murrow-channeling ex-sportscaster host of MSNBC's Countdown has consistently alienated both co-workers and higher-ups with the same brusque combativeness he applies nightly to the Bush administration.
Coffee's Smell Alone Can Perk You Up
LiveScience
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Jun 16, 2008 1:19 PM CDT
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The aroma of coffee is enough to wake you up, a new study shows. Smelling coffee stimulated the expression of genes known to reverse the damaging effect of stress and sleep deprivation in test animals’ brains, international researchers tell LiveScience. Coffee’s stimulating effects have been known for ages, but are usually attributed to...
Quaid to Hollywood: I'm Outta Here
OK!
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Jun 16, 2008 1:03 PM CDT
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Actor Dennis Quaid is heading for the hills—no, make that the plains—of Texas with his family, OK! reports. He’s relocating to his hometown, Houston, to be nearer friends and family, Quaid says, not quitting the business.
In Tiger's Pain, a More Human Face
Washington Post
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Jun 16, 2008 12:45 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Tiger Woods' putt to force today's US Open playoff was epic, surely, but his 18th-hole heroics weren’t the amazing part about yesterday's performance, Thomas Boswell writes in the Washington Post. Where Jack Nicklaus once transformed before our eyes, Woods is limping, grimacing, and grinding his way into a place "even better than the relationship...
Obama Pokes Mac on Sexist Texan Bundler
Politico
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Jun 16, 2008 12:32 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Barack Obama's campaign isn’t missing a beat, Politico notes, on publicizing John McCain’s dealings with a man who once said of rape, “As long as it's inevitable, you might as well lie back and enjoy it.” Said an Obama rep of accepting $300,000 from Clayton Williams, “That’s an interesting stand to take as they ramp...
A Vote for the Obama-Clinton 'Unity Ticket' ...
Salon
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Jun 16, 2008 12:18 PM CDT
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The logic for Hillary Clinton as Barack Obama's running mate is simple, writes Ed Kilgore for Salon: "Obama doesn't have any obvious alternative option that will please everyone, much less provide the political payoff of an Obama-Clinton ticket.” Kilgore notes that rank-and-file Democrats support the pairing and refutes a laundry list of...
... and a Vote for Sticking With the Message of Change
Salon
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Jun 16, 2008 12:17 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Barack Obama has a plethora of reasons to reject Hillary Clinton as his running mate, Thomas Schaller writes in Salon, but the most important is consistency: "Obama's decision to cast himself as a fresh alternative to both the Bushes and the Clintons is reason enough for him to choose somebody other than Hillary." Schaller lays out four anti-Clinton...
Cramer: Never Seen Wall Street This Bad
New York
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Jun 16, 2008 12:02 PM CDT
(Newser) -
While he steers clear of the Great Depression, everything else is fair game as reference in James J. Cramer’s apocalyptic appraisal of Wall Street for New York . In Cramer's 25 years, he's seen lots of implosions, but this one is different: With thousands of layoffs at major shops, and billions more in write-offs expected, he sees no place for...
Obama's Electoral Math: Win Without Ohio, Fla.
Associated Press
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Jun 16, 2008 11:46 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Barack Obama is hardly giving up on Florida and Ohio, but campaign manager David Plouffe thinks the Democrat can win without them. “You have a lot of ways to get to 270,” Plouffe says. “Our goal is not to be reliant on one state on Nov. 4.” Plouffe envisions a redrawn electoral map, where Virginia, Georgia, and several Western...
Lehman Loses $2.8B; CEO Faces the Music
New York Times
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Jun 16, 2008 11:30 AM CDT
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A week after skipping Lehman Brothers' first announcement of its $2.8-billion second-quarter loss, CEO Richard S. Fuld took the microphone himself today to made it official, attempting to reassure analysts and shareholders in the wake of the bank's executive shakeup. "It’s now my job to make sure that we execute," he said after removing...
McCain's Web Connection Slow to Load
Politico
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Jun 16, 2008 11:16 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Barack Obama, 46, is a known BlackBerry addict; John McCain, 71, has admitted he's a computer "illiterate." Needless to say, there’s a gulf between their online campaign operations. “It’s the difference between a horse and buggy and a NASA space ship,” one analyst tells Politico. Whereas Obama’s site embraces...
'Hermione' Conjures $6M Chanel Deal
Daily Mail (UK)
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Jun 16, 2008 11:02 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Harry Potter star Emma Watson has inked a $6 million deal to replace actress Keira Knightley as the new face of Chanel's perfume Coco Mademoiselle, the Daily Mail reports. The 18-year-old actress, who already makes $4 million a movie to play the precocious Hermione, "has been excitedly telling friends that she is going to be taking over from...
Blogger Busts Tripled Last Year: Report
Ars Technica
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Jun 16, 2008 10:49 AM CDT
(Newser) -
The number of blogging "citizen journalists" arrested worldwide in political crackdowns tripled in 2007 from the previous year, Ars Technica reports. Over half of last year's 36 arrests occurred in Egypt, Iran, and China, according to a new survey, which sorted arrests into six categories, most related to stirring up political controversy.
Fritzl's Wife Visits Incest Dungeon
Guardian (UK)
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Jun 16, 2008 10:34 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Rosemarie Fritzl visited her husband's incest dungeon for the first time last week, the Guardian reports. She received police permission to visit the house—still a crime scene—where Josef Fritzl imprisoned his daughter Elisabeth for 24 years, spending about 40 minutes there and emerging with two suitcases and a large bag said to be full...
Did the Butler Do It With Di?
News of the World (UK)
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Jun 16, 2008 10:20 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Did Princess Diana bed her royal butler? That’s what Paul Burrell's brother-in-law tells the News of the World , per a 1993 pub confession. "He suddenly tells me he's been having a sexual relationship with Princess Diana," Ron Cosgrove said. “He said they did it in the bedroom, the bath, everywhere. He claimed Diana liked to...
Networks Social Indeed, But Ad Dollars Remain Elusive
New York Times
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Jun 16, 2008 10:07 AM CDT
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A makeover planned to begin Wednesday for MySpace is the latest sign of the continued struggle to make social networking the cash cow many thought it would be when News Corp. bought the site three years ago, the New York Times reports. MySpace's user base has grown from 16 million to more than 118 million since—but still falling short of profit...
Honda Unveils Hydrogen Car
BBC
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Jun 16, 2008 9:42 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Honda has begun commercial production on the FCX Clarity, an emissions-free car that runs entirely on hydrogen and electricity, the BBC reports. Honda only plans to produce 200 models over the next 3 years, however, expecting the scarcity of hydrogen fueling stations to dampen demand. “In the next few years, we are not going to do without (gas)...
Bush's 'Poison Pill' Haunts Both Parties
New York Times
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Jun 16, 2008 9:28 AM CDT
(Newser) -
President Bush’s tax cuts have become the governmental equivalent of a corporate poison pill, Paul Krugman observes in the New York Times , aimed at hamstringing new stewardship. Both prospective replacements have tax plans very much haunted by the Bush cuts, with one-time critic John McCain promising not only to make them permanent, but add...
Mourning Russert, We Mourn an Era
New York Times
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Jun 16, 2008 9:16 AM CDT
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For those who still see politics as important and noble, Tim Russert was like a high priest presiding over a Sunday morning mass that drove the week's news cycle, writes David Carr in the New York Times. But as much as Russert was a key Beltway player, that mass was losing relevance fast—and his passing may be its death knell.
China Orders Muslims to Stay Home for Torch Relay
Reuters
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Jun 16, 2008 9:06 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Chinese officials have told China's Muslim Uighur to stay in their homes and watch the Olympic torch on TV when it winds its way through the troubled western region of Xinjiang, Reuters reports. Beijing blames the Uighur for a series of attacks that are part of a push for an independent state.
Obama as Manager: Crisp, Even, Big-Picture Guy
New York Times
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Jun 16, 2008 8:52 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Barack Obama's not a micromanager, he's not an obsessor, and he's not a blamer, the New York Times notes in a piece on the Democratic candidate's developing style as commander in chief of his campaign. After losing the Pennsylvania primary, he took a firmer grip on the wheel of his campaign, but tends to delegate the day-to-day. While the campaign...
Soldier Faces Death Penalty for Killing Comrades
New York Times
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Jun 16, 2008 8:24 AM CDT
(Newser) -
A soldier may soon face court-martial in the deaths of two US officers in Iraq, whom army prosecutors say he killed in a rare instance of “fragging”—the murder of a fellow soldier. The New York Times examines the case of Sgt. Alberto Martinez, who prosecutors say detonated a mine in Captain Phillip Esposito’s quarters in 2005,...
Britain Rolls Out New Iran Sanctions
Washington Post
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Jun 16, 2008 8:18 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Britain and the European Union will slap Iran with a new round of sanctions over its refusal to curtail its nuclear program, PM Gordon Brown announced today, handing President Bush an unexpected farewell gift on the last day of his weeklong European trip. Brown froze the assets of Iran's largest bank as of today, reports the Washington Post; he also...
