Newser Story Index from August, 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.
Om My! Meditation Lowers Blood Pressure
NPR
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Aug 24, 2008 7:05 PM CDT
(Newser) -
An Om a day might just keep the blood pressure medication away, reports NPR. Daily meditation helped lower the blood pressure in two-thirds of patients in a recent study who were striking out on the medication front. Participants used the “relaxation response” technique, of sitting quietly for 15 minutes while repeating a word silently....
Thunder Holds Onto Top Spot
Variety
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Aug 24, 2008 6:41 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Tropic Thunder banked $16.1 million to become the third flick this summer to win two straight weekend box office crowns, Variety reports. Sorority laffer The House Bunny earned $15.1 million to debut in second, followed by Universal’s remake of Death Race ($12.3 million), The Dark Knight ($10.3 million), and the animated Star...
Denver Gears Up for Democratic Convention
Denver Post
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Aug 24, 2008 6:06 PM CDT
(Newser) -
The Democratic convention is ready to roll in Denver tomorrow despite a few hiccups, like the 1,500 anti-war marchers who gathered outside the Pepsi Center today, the Denver Post reports. But the "Recreate 68" protesters dispersed when asked by police, returning the spotlight to the Democrats' mega-plan—which includes 25,000 volunteers...
4 Fla. Counties Declared Disaster Zones
St. Petersburg Times (Russia)
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Aug 24, 2008 5:32 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Florida's governor warned today that floodwaters may worsen as President Bush declared four state counties disaster zones, the St. Petersburg Times and the AP report. Gov. Charlie Crist, touring areas hard-hit by Tropical Storm Fay, said cresting Panhandle rivers and water pouring in from Georgia and Alabama could heighten the state's "unprecedented...
Eco-Waste, Water Plans Aid Kenya's Poor
Associated Press
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Aug 24, 2008 5:03 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Sewage and sunlight are offering unexpected aid to the poor of Kenyan slums, the AP reports. Public toilets are recycling waste into gas, while sunlight disinfects water and reduces cases of waterborne illness. Adapted from a plan in Tanzania, the project was funded by international donors to help people struggling with high coal and food prices.
Sunday Pundits Dissect Biden Pick
Politico
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Aug 24, 2008 4:29 PM CDT
(Newser) -
The newly announced Obama/Biden ticket predictably dominated the talk shows today. Politico gives the run-down: Obama VP adviser Caroline Kennedy told Meet the Press she hoped Joe Biden would prove to be as sage a pick as her father's choice of LBJ. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi turned Biden's rep for gaffes into a snipe at Bush on NBC,...
Democracy to Avenge Bhutto's Death: Zardari
Newsweek
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Aug 24, 2008 4:00 PM CDT
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Democracy will avenge Benazir Bhutto's death and diminish rising extremism in Pakistan, Bhutto's widower tells Newsweek . Asif Ali Zardari, now a presidential nominee, says he cut no deal with departing president Pervez Musharraf and hopes he will stay to witness rule by the people. “Personally I would like him to be around and see us flourish,”...
Michelle Embraces Jill on Trail
People
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Aug 24, 2008 3:35 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Michelle Obama eagerly backed her husband's veep pick this week and welcomed Jill Biden with an embrace at yesterday's rally , People reports. "I've stayed out of this process," Michelle said, "but when he told me his choice I said, 'That's the right choice.' I was like, 'Good!'" Jill said they have only met in passing before,...
Water-Neutral Campaign Is Nothing but Eco-Guilt
Spiked
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Aug 24, 2008 3:07 PM CDT
(Newser) -
A new UK campaign urging people to be more “water wise” lays bare a flaw in the environmental movement, Brendan O’Neill writes in Spiked. The campaign urges people to be conscious of the “virtual water” used on their behalf to carry out tasks like growing coffee beans and feeding cows—as if rich countries airlifted...
US Urges China to Free 8 Yanks
Reuters
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Aug 24, 2008 2:33 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Washington is seeking the release of eight US protesters held by China during the Olympics, Reuters reports. Two were collared Thursday for posting a "Free Tibet" banner near an Olympic event; six others were members of Free Tibet Reporters detained the day before. Beijing vows to release all eight next weekend. This marks the first time...
McCain's Dream Ticket? Powell on Veep List, Aide Says
Politico
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Aug 24, 2008 2:08 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Decorated general and former secretary of state Colin Powell might add another title to his resume, reports Politico, citing a McCain adviser who says his candidate's failure to rule out a running mate who supports abortion rights points to Powell as a possible pick. But Mitt Romney—whose father was a Michigan governor—is still a more likely...
For One Man, Best Friend a Butterfly
Washington Post
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Aug 24, 2008 1:56 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Walking in DC last summer, Dan Southerland felt a butterfly land on his shoulder—where it stayed perched for the next few hours, as he ducked first into a photo store to document his fluttery friend, then into a steakhouse, and finally on a taxi ride to his suburban home, where he named it Poppy. The unusual friendship lasted for more than a...
71 Dead as Jet Crashes on Takeoff in Kyrgystan
Associated Press
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Aug 24, 2008 1:11 PM CDT
(AP) -
A passenger jet carrying at least 120 people to Iran crashed today near the main airport in Kyrgyzstan, Kyrgyz and US officials said. Russia's RIA-Novosti news agency quoted a Kyrgyz civil aviation official as saying 25 people survived. An airport official said the crash occurred after the crew reported a technical problem on board about 10 minutes...
US Aid Ship Arrives in Georgia
Associated Press
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Aug 24, 2008 12:57 PM CDT
(AP) -
A US Navy warship carrying humanitarian aid anchored at the Georgian port of Batumi today, sending a strong signal of support to an embattled ally as Russian forces built up around two separatist regions. But a top Russian general suggested that the presence of US and other NATO ships in the Black Sea would worsen tensions already at a post-Cold War...
Boorish Brits Overwhelm Resorts
New York Times
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Aug 24, 2008 12:30 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Lured by all-you-can-drink vacations and very un-British weather, more Britons are heading south for their getaways—but many resorts are no longer thrilled to welcome them. In places like the Greek city of Malia, inebriated Englishmen are wreaking havoc, writes the New York Times . “It is only the British—not the Germans or the French,”...
China Wraps Up Olympic Idyll
BBC
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Aug 24, 2008 11:54 AM CDT
(Newser) -
The 2008 Beijing Olympic Games wrapped up today with a star-studded fireworks-filled extravaganza worthy of its opening, Reuters reports. With 51 golds, China easily topped the medal rankings, capping a near-flawlessly-executed couple of weeks that saw smog lifting, transport worries evaporating, and Tibet protests dwindling. Still, arrests and suppression...
Biden By the Numbers: A Solid Choice
New Republic
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Aug 24, 2008 11:18 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Some argued Hillary Clinton was Barack Obama’s best VP choice because she could unite the Dems. But in crunching Rasmussen's favorable-unfavorable numbers, the New Republic finds Joe Biden can do that almost as well, while pulling in more independent voters and keeping Obama backers in the fold. Biden scores the fewest “unfavorable”...
Tokio Hotel Rocks Screaming Tweens
San Francisco Chronicle
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Aug 24, 2008 10:53 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Having dominated Europe, German rockers Tokio Hotel are threatening to go mainstream in the US, if the reception their riff-heavy pop metal earned among screaming preteens in San Francisco this week is any indication. "The best way to describe the glam-metal-emo-pop-tween group," Aidin Vaziri writes in the Chronicle , "is like the Jonas...
Al-Qaeda Works Cheap, Stays Hidden
Washington Post
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Aug 24, 2008 10:18 AM CDT
(Newser) -
International efforts to cut off terrorists from funding have failed because al-Qaeda cells operate cheaply and independently, avoiding official funding channels, experts say. While the US and its allies have focused on freezing bank accounts and monitoring financial transactions, operatives build $15 bombs, drum up hard-to-trace cash through illegal...
Time to Change the Slogan, Obama
New York Times
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Aug 24, 2008 9:44 AM CDT
(Newser) -
It’s time for Barack Obama to drop the “Change We Can Believe In” slogan in favor of something closer to “Change Before It’s Too Late,” writes Frank Rich in the New York Times . The former phrase fit the Democratic primary throwdown, but now Obama must focus on John McCain, "an unstable bridge back not just...
Alleged Lockerbie Bomber Could Be Released
Radar
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Aug 24, 2008 9:19 AM CDT
(Newser) -
A convicted terrorist could be released from a Scottish jail soon just because the British government doesn’t want to reveal sensitive evidence against him, Radar reports. Abdel Basset al-Megrahi has been locked up since 1999 for his alleged involvement in the 1988 Pan Am 103 bombing over Lockerbie, Scotland—but recent revelations suggest...
10 Missing in Mont Blanc Avalanche
Associated Press
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Aug 24, 2008 8:44 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Ten climbers are missing after an avalanche early this morning sheered off a snow slope on the north face of Mont Blanc, Europe's highest mountain. Helicopters, dogs, and rescue workers were searching today for survivors, which included Swiss and Austrian climbers. Eight people injured in the avalanche were being treated at nearby hospitals. A Dutch...
McCain Cheapens the POW Card
New York Times
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Aug 24, 2008 8:20 AM CDT
(Newser) -
John McCain’s campaign refers to his prisoner-of-war past so much that it’s becoming a “punch line,” writes Maureen Dowd in the New York Times . “By flashing the POW card to rebut any criticism, no matter how unrelated,” McCain “is cheapening his greatest strength," she adds. His apparent obsession is...
Sunni-Shiite Tensions Rattle Baghdad Nabes
New York Times
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Aug 24, 2008 7:50 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Sectarian violence in Iraq may be on the wane, but bitter tension between Sunnis and Shiites continue to tear apart neighborhoods, the New York Times reports. Only 7,112 of the 151,000 families who left Baghdad to escape the bloodshed have returned, and poor rural Sunnis have moved into houses and neighborhoods abandoned by Shiites. Conflicts often...
SNL 's Kattan Calls It Quits After 2-Month Marriage
People
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Aug 24, 2008 7:18 AM CDT
(Newser) -
No joke: Former Saturday Night Live star Chris Kattan has filed for a legal separation from the woman he married less than two months ago. The papers cite "irreconcilable differences" with model Sunshine Tutt, 31. Kattan, 37, met Tutt at a party three years ago and they married in Yosemite Valley. The couple has a prenuptial agreement,...
Taliban Govern Large Areas of Afghanistan
Guardian (UK)
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Aug 24, 2008 6:47 AM CDT
(Newser) -
The Taliban is regaining significant ground in Afghanistan, running a harsh but effective parallel government that wields more power than the official administration, reports the Observer . Taliban influence has spread as far as the outskirts of Kabul, and is firmly entrenched in large parts of the south and east.
New Sites Try 'Crowdfunding' to Finance Journalism
New York Times
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Aug 24, 2008 6:20 AM CDT
(Newser) -
As newspapers nationwide struggle to stay afloat in the internet era, a new online venture aims to harness the power of the people—or at least their checkbooks. The San Francisco-based Spot Us site solicits story ideas and donations from the public. If enough cash is raised for a particular story, and editors agree, Spot Us pledges to develop...
US Men Back on Top With Basketball Gold
Associated Press
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Aug 24, 2008 5:51 AM CDT
(Newser) -
The US Men's Basketball Olympic team pulled off a hard-fought victory to beat Spain 118-107 today to grab the gold medal. The US team has won gold every Olympics but three, including embarrassing defeats in 2004. "Much respect to Spain, but the US is back on top again," boasted player LeBron James. The US women's basketball team nailed gold...
Hard to Know Which Gaffes Will Hurt Most
Newsweek
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Aug 24, 2008 5:27 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Joe Biden’s reference to Barack Obama as “clean” won’t do the Democrats much harm. But Obama’s description of religious, rural folk as “bitter” just might. You just never know which political gaffes will do the most harm, Jonathan Alter writes in Newsweek . “Modern campaigns are about flinging 10 things...
World Economy Falls With US
New York Times
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Aug 24, 2008 4:53 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Gone is the hope that the global economy will stay strong as America's financial fortunes flag. The world’s largest economies are showing signs of a slowdown, the New York Times reports. Japan, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, the UK, even famously fast-growing India and China are all taking a hit. Global growth overall will slow to 4.1% from...
Wanjiru 1st Kenyan to Win Olympic Men's Marathon
Associated Press
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Aug 23, 2008 10:12 PM CDT
(AP) -
Samuel Wanjiru pulled away over the final few kilometers to become the first Kenyan in the storied running history of that nation to win an Olympic marathon. The 21-year-old negotiated the 26.2-mile course through Beijing streets in bright Sunday morning sunshine in an Olympic record of 2 hours, 6 minutes, 32 seconds. This was just the third marathon...
5 Things Revealed by Biden Pick
Politico
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Aug 23, 2008 8:26 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Presidential running mates rarely decide an election, but a candidate's VP choice can reveal his plans, Politico reports. Here's what Joe Biden shows about Barack Obama: Obama is ready for battle: “Biden is a brawler—and the Obama camp is eager to unleash him.” Surprise! Obama is more traditional than his image: “Two...
GOP Playbook: Find Foe's Strength and Attack It
Washington Post
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Aug 23, 2008 8:06 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Republican strategists are as adept as judo masters at turning opponents' strengths against them, Michael Kinsley writes in the Washington Post . With "genius, courage, creativity and utter ruthlessness," they managed to turn John Kerry's Vietnam service into a liability and Michael Dukakis' humble roots into elitism. Now, even more brazenly,...
1920s Mickey May Be Public Domain
Los Angeles Times
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Aug 23, 2008 7:44 PM CDT
(Newser) -
A trio of unlikely challengers has angered Walt Disney Co. by arguing that an early version of Mickey Mouse is no longer copyright-protected, the Los Angeles Times reports. Disney has won a $500,000 lawsuit against ex-employee Gregory Brown, who uncovered old film credits that he says invalidate Disney's claim to a 1920s version of Mickey. A law...
UK Banks 'Milk Borrowers' to Pay for Credit Crunch
Daily Mail (UK)
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Aug 23, 2008 7:19 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Britain's big banks are being accused of hoisting nearly £3 billion in interest payments on customers to make up for bad bank investments, the Daily Mail reports. Seeking to recoup huge losses from assets linked to subprime US mortgages, the banks have hiked mortgage rates and fees despite interest rate cuts that make it easier for banks to...
Fay Heads West After 4th Fla. Landfall
Associated Press
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Aug 23, 2008 6:57 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Tropical Storm Fay made a record fourth landfall in Florida today, bringing the state’s death toll to at least 11 before heading west to Georgia and possibly New Orleans, the AP reports. At least one person, a 10-year-old boy, has already drowned in Georgia under Fay's heavy rainfall. Officials in New Orleans—which is near the third anniversary...
Hillary to Supporters: Back Joe
Politico
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Aug 23, 2008 6:40 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Hillary Clinton tried to rally her disappointed supporters behind an Obama-Biden ticket today, praising her “colleague and friend” in a statement. “Sen. Biden will be a purposeful and dynamic vice president,” Clinton said, adding that he was “an exceptionally strong, experienced leader.” Clinton had little realistic...
Madonna Starts Tour, Draws Greenie Fire
BBC
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Aug 23, 2008 6:18 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Madonna kicked off her 51-stop stage show in Cardiff today, a sprawling extravaganza featuring 20 songs, 250 crew members, and $2 million worth of jewelry, the BBC reports. A giant “M” loomed over the stage as Madonna worked through the show’s four sections, titled Pimp, Old School, Gypsy, and Rave. But all that glitz couldn’t...
Bankruptcy Bill a Black Mark for Biden
Huffington Post
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Aug 23, 2008 5:49 PM CDT
(Newser) -
A black mark on Joe Biden's resume dismisses any notion that the senator is populist, Jackson Williams writes in the Huffington Post . Of all former Democratic presidential hopefuls, Biden alone supported a 2005 bankruptcy bill that favors credit companies and makes it harder for the working class to declare bankruptcy.
Cuban May Face Ban for Kicking Ref
Associated Press
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Aug 23, 2008 5:19 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Cuban martial artist Angel Matos may be banned from taekwondo for life after deliberately kicking a referee in the face, the AP reports. Matos was winning his bronze-medal match in Beijing when he was disqualified for taking too long a break after a hit. He angrily questioned the call, pushed a judge, and kicked a Swedish referee. The World Taekwondo...
Modern Bullies Aren't World's Real Threat
Washington Post
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Aug 23, 2008 4:47 PM CDT
(Newser) -
The world's strong-arm autocrats are surging to the fore, ignoring human rights, denying election results, and barging into neighboring nations. But Hu Jintao, Robert Mugabe and Vladimir Putin are not Mao, Hitler, or Stalin, Francis Fukuyama writes in the Washington Post . That “sort of ideological tyrant no longer bestrides the world stage,”...
Top 11 Flicks Linked to Playboy
Entertainment Weekly
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Aug 23, 2008 4:18 PM CDT
(Newser) -
With The House Bunny hitting theaters, Entertainment Weekly looks back at history’s greatest films with Playboy connections: The Asphalt Jungle : Marilyn Monroe debuted here a couple years before gracing Playboy’s first cover. Faster Pussycat! Kill! Kill! : Directed by Russ Meyer, the Playboy photographer sometimes...
A 'Prose Guy' Explores the Comics Boom
Washington Post
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Aug 23, 2008 3:44 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Bob Thompson is a self-professed “prose guy,” but still can’t ignore the biggest trend in publishing: graphic novels. Thompson sets out for the Washington Post to discover how literature that uses word balloons can be book world's sole growing sector. He discovers that many “little see-saws” tipped at once to start the...
Biden Comes Out Swinging in Rally
Associated Press
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Aug 23, 2008 3:13 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Barack Obama officially introduced Joe Biden as his running mate today, and the newly minted VP candidate wasted no time attacking John McCain. Biden said he was a friend of McCain’s, but McCain had given in to the GOP's right wing. He poked fun at McCain’s house gaffe, saying that to fret about the economy around the kitchen table, McCain...
Karzai Blasts US for Deadly Air Strike
New York Times
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Aug 23, 2008 2:52 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Hamid Karzai lashed out at coalition forces over a US-led air raid that he says slaugtered up to 95 Afghan civilians, including 50 children, the New York Times reports. In a statement, the Afghan President said he “strongly condemns” the attacks, and will soon roll out civilian-protection initiatives. The US military is investigating,...
Obama Is a Son of Hawaii, but a Man of Chicago
Washington Post
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Aug 23, 2008 2:32 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Hawaii and Chicago shaped the Barack Obama we know today in very different ways, David Maranis writes in a detailed look at the candidate's formative years in the Washington Post. Hawaii, multiracial but with its own social stratification, helped form the young Obama's outlook on life, but he found himself as a man in the rough world of Chicago politics....
OMG! Perez Hilton Expands His Unlikely Empire
Wired
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Aug 23, 2008 2:22 PM CDT
(Newser) -
In three short years, Mario Armando Lavandeira—you may know him better as Perez Hilton—has transformed himself from shy recluse to celebrity gossip maven, with his website generating millions in revenue and page views. With TV specials, his own fashion line, a tell-all book due next year, and, soon, a boutique music label, Hilton appears...
Wire' s Snoop Released From Jail After Arrest
Baltimore Sun
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Aug 23, 2008 1:52 PM CDT
(Newser) -
The Wire actress Felicia “Snoop” Pearson was briefly detained this week by Baltimore police in connection with a murder trial, the Baltimore Sun reports. Pearson, who herself served time for second-degree murder as a juvenile, is thought to have witnessed a knife attack that left one man dead in 2005. Though she previously cooperated...
US Weighs Direct Pakistan Strikes
Los Angeles Times
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Aug 23, 2008 1:21 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Frustrated with what some see as unproductive new leadership in Pakistan and fearing a strengthening al-Qaeda, Pentagon officials are considering a unilateral mission to root out militants hiding in the country, the Los Angeles Times reports. The CIA has backed such a move for months, but some officials remain concerned that a strike would shake...
McCain Ad Strikes Quickly— Using Biden's Own Words
Wall Street Journal
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Aug 23, 2008 12:52 PM CDT
(Newser) -
The McCain campaign hit hard and fast at the newly minted Obama-Biden ticket, releasing an ad early this morning that makes use of the Delaware senator’s own comments, the Wall Street Journal reports. The ad includes footage of Biden casting doubt on Obama’s readiness, then later reaffirming the sentiment, and saying that he'd be "honored...
