Newser Story Index from July, 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.
Airfare to Get More Expensive This Holiday Season
USA Today
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Jul 18, 2008 1:40 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Get ready—this holiday season is going to boast some of the most expensive airfares ever, USA Today reports. Because of high fuel costs, most airlines have cut back flight schedules; figure about 9% fewer flights in November compared to a year ago. Having constricted supply, expect the airlines to raise prices $50-$200 extra per seat. And don't...
Obama's Republican Pal Gets Grief
Politico
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Jul 18, 2008 1:25 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Kirk Dillard is a lot like many Obama supporters. He came to respect and admire Obama, and he appeared in an early primary ad saying so. But the Illinois legislator also happens to be a Republican—and a delegate for John McCain. Now that Obama is the nominee, Dillard’s GOP colleagues have gotten hostile, Politico reports.
Wily Monkeys Elude Trappers
Tampa Tribune
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Jul 18, 2008 1:11 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Trappers have managed to catch 10 of 15 patas monkeys that escaped from a central Florida wildlife preserve in April, the Tampa Tribune reports. But the remaining five primates continue to evade capture through a mix of guile and speed; trappers say they know where they are, but have so far been helpless to bring them in.
Beijing Faces Glut of Hotel Rooms
Wall Street Journal
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Jul 18, 2008 12:55 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Beijing’s newest construction binge may lead to a glut of rooms as hoteliers race to finish new properties before the Olympic Games begin in August, the Wall Street Journal reports. When the Games open, Beijing will have 50 five-star hotels, more than double the total of five years ago. While three-quarters of those rooms are booked, fewer...
Dog Tale Has Happy Ending
Philadelphia Inquirer
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Jul 18, 2008 12:41 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Two Philly cops engaged in an intense chase yesterday, using their cruisers and their feet as they took to the streets in pursuit of a fugitive, Inquirer columnist Jill Porter reports. The hour-long hunt ended with the apprehension of a terrified youngster and moved one of the arresting officers to say, "We've got to find her a home." The...
Levi Strauss Bets on One-Size-Fits-All
Wall Street Journal
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Jul 18, 2008 12:24 PM CDT
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Levi Strauss is revamping its signature button-fly 501 jeans with a one-size-fits-all philosophy and launching its first global marketing campaign, the Wall Street Journal reports. No longer will jeans in, say, Hong Kong, fit differently than those in New York. The company, which says the jeans are sold in 110 countries, hopes to jump-start flagging...
Oil-Rich Alaska Pays Most for Gas
Reuters
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Jul 18, 2008 12:18 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Think you’re paying a lot for gas? Try telling that to the people in Lime Village, Alaska, an isolated outpost where prices have hit $8.55 a gallon. Alaska is a major crude supplier, but its residents, paradoxically, face the highest average gas prices in the nation, Reuters reports, because the economies of scale don’t work in the sparsely...
Mandela's Birthday Wish: Help the Poor
BBC
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Jul 18, 2008 12:06 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Nelson Mandela turned 90 today, and he used the occasion to talk to reporters about the plight of South Africa’s poor, the BBC reports. “If you are poor, you are not likely to live long,” he said. “There are many people in South Africa who are rich and who can share those riches with those not so fortunate.”
Man Trades Baby Name for $100 Gas Card
Reuters
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Jul 18, 2008 11:56 AM CDT
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An Orlando man agreed to name his baby after two local radio hosts in exchange for a gift card worth $100 of gasoline, Reuters reports. The listener will collect the card in December, when his son is born, after producing a birth certificate. He's not the only American susceptible to offers of free gas these days: from brothels to churches, fuel has...
Iraqi Visits: Much Ado but Few Epiphanies
Washington Post
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Jul 18, 2008 11:45 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Lawmakers have been flocking to Iraq to assess the situation on the ground, as Barack Obama is about to do, but the visits rarely result in any revelations for them, writes Karen DeYoung in the Washington Post . The itineraries are fairly routine by now—meet the generals, the troops, and some Iraqi leaders; maybe visit the front lines—and...
Hayek Back on the Market
USA Today
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Jul 18, 2008 11:34 AM CDT
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Salma Hayek and French billionaire Francois-Henri Pinault have called it quits 10 months after their daughter was born. "We are sad to announce the engagement of Salma Hayek and Francois-Henri Pinault has been canceled. There will be no further comment," Hayek's rep told USA Today . Pinault is CEO of the Gucci’s parent company.
Illinois Man Calls Home a Church, Saves $80K in Taxes
Chicago Tribune
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Jul 18, 2008 11:22 AM CDT
(Newser) -
An Illinois man has declared his home a church, knocking $80K off his property taxes in the bargain, the Chicago Tribune reports. George Michael says he got an online pastor's degree and transformed his $3 million lakefront estate into a house of worship so his disabled wife and daughter could attend Armenian services without traveling. But many...
K-Fed Keeps Custody of Kids
People
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Jul 18, 2008 11:10 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Britney Spears and Kevin Federline have reached a custody agreement that will keep them out of court for the near future. If the judge approves, K-Fed will retain sole custody of Preston, 2½, and Jayden, 18 months, with Spears continuing to have two visits and one overnight per week, People reports.
Obama: The Arrogance of Hope
Washington Post
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Jul 18, 2008 11:00 AM CDT
(Newser) -
When Barack Obama appeared on the scene, the nation asked, “Who is he?” Now the Washington Post 's Charles Krauthammer wants to know, “Who does he think he is?” Obama—who wants to speak at the hallowed ground of Germany's Brandenburg Gate—seems to have an awfully high opinion of himself for someone who’s...
Take a Chance on Mamma Mia!
Rotten Tomatoes
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Jul 18, 2008 10:48 AM CDT
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Mamma Mia ! doesn't quite pull off the leap from stage to screen, but ABBA fans will find it worth taking a chance on, critics say. The "jukebox musical that strings together 19 ABBA hits on a narrative thread flimsier than dental floss" had Carrie Rickey of the Philadelphia Inquirer "smiling and wincing—often at the same...
For Albom's Latest, You'll Need a Kindle
Associated Press
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Jul 18, 2008 10:38 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Mitch Albom's newest work is less than 4,000 words long and available for 99 cents—but only if you have a Kindle e-book reader to view it on. The exclusive deal for the text—a speech Albom delivered to his nephew's graduating class in May—could reveal some of the mysteries about the Kindle's place in the publishing market, reports...
Big Differences Found in Male, Female Brains
Independent (UK)
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Jul 18, 2008 10:28 AM CDT
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The brains of men and women are so physically different they amount to different organs and may have developed from distinct genetic blueprints, new research shows. Distinct anatomical differences between male and female brains likely explain many well-established differences of perception and behavior between the sexes, from problem-solving strategies...
Here Comes Era of Activist Government
New York Times
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Jul 18, 2008 10:17 AM CDT
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With daunting issues demanding immediate action—energy, the markets, and crumbling infrastructure to name but a few—the US is about to enter a phase of "government activism," writes David Brooks in the New York Times . Bad news for John McCain, right? Maybe not. As past periods of great change show, it is more often the conservatives...
Garner, Affleck Expecting Again
Us Weekly
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Jul 18, 2008 10:06 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner are expecting their second child, Garner’s ex- Alias co-star Victor Garber tells Us Weekly. “She is five months pregnant," another source tells the magazine in confirming the rampant rumor, adding, "They are very happy." Garner and Affleck, who married in 2005, are the parents of 2-year-old...
9M% Inflation Crushes Zimbabwe
Guardian (UK)
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Jul 18, 2008 9:56 AM CDT
(Newser) -
The political violence that ravaged Zimbabwe has subsided since Robert Mugabe's sham reelection, but another devastation continues unabated: economic meltdown. Zimbabwe's inflation rate has now hit 9 million percent, and a $50-billion Zimbabwean note is worth just 34 cents and falling in American currency. The Guardian investigates the surreal economic...
Smart Car Scores Big on Cute
Washington Post
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Jul 18, 2008 9:45 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Mercedes’ Smart cars are selling brilliantly—the US waiting list is 30,000 long—and the tiny two-seater's performance at the gas pump isn't the whole story. Yes, they’re the most fuel-efficient non-hybrids around, but only barely—some Hondas and Toyotas almost match their 33mpg. There's also the cute factor, the Washington...
Jogger in Mystery Murder Abused by Hubby: Family
ABC News
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Jul 18, 2008 9:37 AM CDT
(Newser) -
The family of a woman found murdered in North Carolina has won custody of her two children after they told the court that her "mentally unstable" husband had been emotionally abusive and had been involved in an affair. No suspects have been named in the mystery murder, but police have taken a DNA sample from the husband.
Take That Bjork: China Bans Performers Deemed a Threat
New York Times
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Jul 18, 2008 9:35 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Entertainers deemed a threat to China’s sovereignty will not be allowed to perform in the country, the New York Times reports. The Ministry of Culture warned it will conduct background checks and ban those who “advocate obscenity or feudalism and superstition” or "take part in activities that harm our nation’s sovereignty."...
Pistorius Misses Last Shot at Beijing
Associated Press
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Jul 18, 2008 9:22 AM CDT
(AP) -
Double-amputee sprinter Oscar Pistorius was not chosen today to be on South Africa's Olympic team for Beijing. After failing to qualify for the 400 meters earlier, Pistorius was left off the 1,600-meter relay team, the AP reports. Four other South Africans had faster times, and two others were chosen as alternates.
Army Pig-Shoot Angers Animal Rights Activists
Associated Press
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Jul 18, 2008 9:12 AM CDT
(Newser) -
The Army is butting heads with animal rights activists over a planned drill that involves shooting live pigs. As practice for battlefield medical care, soldiers will fire at the pigs, then rush to save them. "It's to teach Army personnel how to manage critically injured patients within the first few hours of their injury," said an Army spokesman.
Indian Politician Bridges Caste Divide
New York Times
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Jul 18, 2008 9:02 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Kumari Mayawati, the 5-foot-tall, unmarried member of the so-called untouchable caste, has gained unprecedented power and stature in Indian politics. The leader of the nation's most populous state, Mayawati is positioning herself to become India's next prime minister, a feat that would have been unthinkable until recently and for which she can thank...
Tech Firms Buoyed by Demand Abroad
Wall Street Journal
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Jul 18, 2008 8:53 AM CDT
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The tech sector keeps rolling even as the overall economy continues to flail, the Wall Street Journal reports. Four of tech’s giants, Microsoft, Google, IBM and Nokia, posted quarterly results yesterday, riding high on developed nations’ need for cost-saving technologies and emerging economies’ demand for infrastructure upgrades...
Citi Losses Shrink in 2nd Quarter, Beat Expectations
Wall Street Journal
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Jul 18, 2008 8:32 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Citibank delighted shareholders today by losing a mere $2.5 billion in the second quarter, the Wall Street Journal reports. Analysts had expected much worse from the US’ biggest bank by assets, but Citi beat expectations by reducing writedowns and slashing jobs. The results should prove a counterweight to the ghastly results Merill Lynch reported...
Obama Relying on Own Mini State Dept.
New York Times
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Jul 18, 2008 8:27 AM CDT
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As Barack Obama makes his first overseas visit as the presumptive Democratic nominee, the New York Times spotlights the 300-strong army of foreign policy advisers that keep the candidate abreast of world affairs. Obama's operation is run like a mini-State Department, the Times notes, with senior aides taking responsibility for regions and overseeing...
Medical Bracelet With Soul Sells for $32K
E! Online
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Jul 18, 2008 8:11 AM CDT
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The personal belongings of James Brown sold for $850,000 at a bittersweet Christie's auction yesterday, E! Online reports. Letterman bandleader Paul Shaffer provided the day's surprise by shelling out $32,500 for the medical bracelet Brown was wearing before he died on Christmas Day in 2006; the estimate had been $200 to $300. A full-length, black...
China Bans Tibetan Flags At Olympic Event
Associated Press
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Jul 18, 2008 7:59 AM CDT
(AP) -
Tibetan flags will be banned from all Olympic equestrian events in Hong Kong under rules aimed at heading off political protests inside competition venues, organizers said today. While China has tightened visa restrictions to keep out protesters during the Olympics, activists could demonstrate in Hong Kong, which grants visa-free access to citizens...
A Medical Frontier: 100-Year-Olds In Surgery
New York Times
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Jul 18, 2008 7:45 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Life expectancy in the United States keeps rising: more than 90,000 Americans have celebrated a 100th birthday, and experts foresee more than 1 million centenarians by 2050. As lifespans have grown, so too have medical efforts to treat the very old, from hip replacements to chemotherapy. But as the New York Times reports, the medical community is...
Boxer Diaz In Coma After Brain Surgery
ESPN
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Jul 18, 2008 7:30 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Boxer Oscar Diaz remains in a coma after undergoing surgery to relieve swelling on his brain after he collapsed during a match, ESPN reports. Although his vital signs are good, Diaz is relying on a ventilator to breathe and his condition is "touch-and-go, very critical," said fight organizer Ron Katz. Diaz crumpled to the ground in his corner...
Deep South Leads in Obesity
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
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Jul 18, 2008 7:13 AM CDT
(Newser) -
The South has the nation's largest percentage of obese residents, a new survey by the Centers for Disease Control finds, with 30% of adults in Mississippi, Alabama and Tennessee qualifying as obese. Even in Colorado, the state with the best fat stats, 19% of the populace is obese.
Freddie Eyes Selling $10B in Shares to Stave Off Bailout
Wall Street Journal
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Jul 18, 2008 6:53 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Freddie Mac is considering issuing $10 billion worth of new common and preferred shares, the Wall Street Journal reports, a move that might stave off a full-blown government rescue—and the increased scrutiny that would come with it. Freddie has been emboldened by two days of big gains, with shares levitating over 29% on Wednesday and...
Woman Sues Spitzer Call Girl in ID Theft
Star-Ledger
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Jul 18, 2008 5:59 AM CDT
(Newser) -
A New Jersey woman has filed a federal lawsuit against Ashley Dupre—better known as Eliot Spitzer's high-priced call girl—and Girls Gone Wild for defamation and invasion of privacy for Dupre's use of the woman's lost driver's license on the raunchy program.
Merrill Posts $4.65B Loss in Dismal 2nd Quarter
Bloomberg
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Jul 18, 2008 5:29 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Merrill Lynch posted a second-quarter loss of $4.65 billion late yesterday, more than twice the second-quarter loss analysts had expected and one of the worst in the brokerage's history. The firm took a hit of $9.7 billion in credit-market writedowns, reports Bloomberg, on top of some $30 billion in the previous three quarters. Moody's cut Merrill's...
Whoopi Reduces Hasselbeck to Tears Over N-Word
Huffington Post
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Jul 18, 2008 5:09 AM CDT
(Newser) -
A heated discussion of the N-word between View co-hosts Whoopi Goldberg and Elisabeth Hasselbeck ended in tears yesterday. Goldberg argued that black people should use the term to rob it of its power—and kept TV censors busy with her repeated use of the word. Hasselbeck fretted over how to teach her children not to say it when it was used...
Record US Births Top Boomer Peak
ABC News
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Jul 18, 2008 4:46 AM CDT
(Newser) -
More Americans were born last year than in any other in history, reports ABC News. The 4,315,000 bundles of joy even top the Baby Boom at its peak. The expanding population is expected to put more pressure on scarce resources, but all those new taxpayers will help foot Medicare bills for the original Boomers, say experts.
Maryland Cops Spied on Peaceniks
Baltimore Sun
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Jul 18, 2008 4:25 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Groups opposing the death penalty and the war in Iraq were infiltrated and spied on by undercover Maryland State Police officers, according to police logs obtained by the American Civil Liberties Union. Some activists were placed on terrorist and drug trafficking databases with no evidence they were involved in any illegal activity, reports the Baltimore...
Shoddy Electrical Work Killing US Troops in Iraq
New York Times
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Jul 18, 2008 4:00 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Shoddy electrical work by private contractors is making Iraq an even deadlier place for US troops, reports the New York Times . At least 13 troops have died from electrocution and many more have been injured. Others have perished in electrical fires. The problem is worse than the Pentagon has acknowledged, with 283 fires sparked at military installations...
Air Force Seeks Anti-Terror $16M for 'Comfort Pods'
Washington Post
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Jul 18, 2008 3:37 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Air Force chiefs have sought $16 million in anti-terrorism funds to build luxurious "comfort capsules" to be installed in military aircraft for VIP officer travel, reports the Washington Post . The project's costs have soared as finicky generals demand changes, with modifications in the plush leather seats—including a switch from brown...
Roots of Speech Found in Humming Fish
National Geographic
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Jul 18, 2008 3:13 AM CDT
(Newser) -
The songs of birds, the hums and grunts of toadfish, and the lofty speech of humans all use the same ancient brain circuit, despite an evolutionary split 400 million years ago, reports National Geographic . Researchers have discovered that the base of the hindbrain and upper spinal cord is the starting point for all vocalizations.
Barbie Beats Bratz in Court Battle
Wall Street Journal
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Jul 18, 2008 2:43 AM CDT
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Barbie doll creator Mattel has won a bitter courtroom battle against rival MGA Entertainment, which sells the edgier Bratz dolls. A jury found that Bratz designer Carter Byant conceived the pouty-lipped dolls while on Mattel's payroll, and that MGA secretly plotted with him to steal the billion-dollar idea, reports the Wall Street Journal.
Corn Prices Leave Catfish Farmers Gasping
New York Times
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Jul 18, 2008 2:14 AM CDT
(Newser) -
The soaring price of corn and soybeans is moving up the food chain and drying up the South's catfish farming industry, reports the New York Times . Farmers are draining their ponds as the cost of feeding the fish becomes prohibitive. In the Mississippi Delta, heartland of the relatively new industry, thousands of much-needed jobs are disappearing.
How to Become Batman
Scientific American
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Jul 17, 2008 9:35 PM CDT
(Newser) -
We all want to be Batman. But how do we make it happen? An interview with neuroscience professor and martial artist E. Paul Zehr in Scientific American provides some tips: Three to 5 years of strength and conditioning training, 10 to 12 years of learning self-defense skills, and up to 18 years of martial arts training to put it all together. A nocturnal...
Judaism's Black Converts Growing Part of US Mosaic
Christian Science Monitor
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Jul 17, 2008 8:55 PM CDT
(Newser) -
The number of African-Americans converting to Judaism is growing, the Christian Science Monitor reports, at a time when Democrat Barack Obama is seeking to renew what was once a strong alliance between the groups. Politics, though, plays a small role; "Obama's candidacy, African-Americans choosing to be Jews ... is all part of the great American...
Pelosi: Bush Is a 'Total Failure'
Associated Press
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Jul 17, 2008 8:15 PM CDT
(AP) -
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi lashed out at President Bush in unusually personal terms today, calling him a "total failure" as president. "You know, God bless him, bless his heart, president of the United States, a total failure, losing all credibility with the American people on the economy, on the war, on energy, you name the subject,"...
Abe Lincoln Artifacts May Stay in Indiana
Fort Wayne Journal Gazette
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Jul 17, 2008 7:46 PM CDT
(Newser) -
A prized collection of Abraham Lincoln artifacts and memorabilia may not leave his boyhood home of Indiana after all. A coalition of state groups, including the Allen County Public Library and the Indiana State Museum, is one of the three finalists to take control of the collection housed by the recently closed Lincoln Museum in Fort Wayne, the News-Sentinel...
Hard-Core Supply-Sider: I'm Voting for the Democrat
New York Daily News
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Jul 17, 2008 7:45 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Being a Reagan, Gingrich and Dole soldier won’t stop former Chamber of Commerce honcho Larry Hunter from voting for Barack Obama this fall, he writes in the New York Daily News . It doesn’t matter that he wholly disagrees with the Dem on every point of domestic policy; the chance to close the book on “unjustified war and unconstitutional...
