Newser Story Index from September, 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.
Buffett Strikes as Investors Flee; Buys Energy Firm
Baltimore Sun
|
Sep 19, 2008 10:01 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Warren Buffett swooped in yesterday with one of his patented moves, his first during the current market turmoil. He purchased Constellation Energy Group, Baltimore’s large hometown energy supplier, after its stock plummeted by 60 percent since Monday, the Sun reports. As investors fled the company, Buffett saw opportunity, adding to the vast...
Who's Who: The Players Remaking Wall St.
Wall Street Journal
|
Sep 19, 2008 9:41 AM CDT
(Newser) -
The financial world has been rocked to its foundations in a few short days, with a handful of men making momentous decisions. The Wall Street Journal outlines the key players. Henry Paulson. No Treasury chief has wielded such power. He decides whether big firms live or die via federal bailouts. Will his too-big-to-fail philosophy stand the...
Supreme Court to Hear Huge Consumer Rights Case
New York Times
|
Sep 19, 2008 9:30 AM CDT
(Newser) -
The Supreme Court will soon hear arguments in what could be one of the biggest consumer-rights cases in years, reports the New York Times . The case focuses on whether customers who have been harmed by products that meet federal regulations can sue the manufacturer for damages, and is centered on a Vermont woman whose arm was amputated after an intravenous...
Gervais Gives Ghost Town Life
Rotten Tomatoes
|
Sep 19, 2008 9:19 AM CDT
(Newser) -
A spirited performance from Ricky Gervais banishes the spectre of mediocrity from supernatural romantic comedy Ghost Town , critics say. The story of a dentist who starts seeing dead people is a touch generic, Bill Goodykoontz writes in the Arizona Republic , but Gervais—the UK creator of the original Office —shines through "with...
Stocks Skyrocket as New Rules Boost Financials
Wall Street Journal
|
Sep 19, 2008 9:05 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Stocks surged this morning, with the Dow shooting up more than 400 points within minutes of the open, and steadying just under that, as investors celebrated new rules clamping down on short selling and the government’s hotly anticipated plan to buy bad debt from banks. The S&P and Nasdaq leapt 3% and 4.9% respectively. The US’ remaining...
Why Bush Is a Great President
Washington Post
|
Sep 19, 2008 8:58 AM CDT
(Newser) -
George Bush may not be everyone’s favorite leader right now, but history will polish the wartime president’s image, writes Charles Krauthammer in the Washington Post . No one knew war was imminent when Bush entered office—but 9/11 changed that. Yet Bush has kept us safe and paved the way for his successor to do the same. Early reviews...
Swing States Will Face Voting Glitches: Report
CNN
|
Sep 19, 2008 8:46 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Little has been done to fix voting problems in some key states over the last few years, and voters in those states could have problems at the polls in November, CNN reports. Ten swing states—including Florida and Ohio—are likely to face voting day snarls, including shortages of voting machines, glitches with electronic registration poll...
Russia Snubs US, Sells Arms to Iran
Times (UK)
|
Sep 19, 2008 8:29 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Defying the objections of the United States, Russia has announced plans to sell military hardware to Iran and Venezuela. In the latest escalation of the diplomatic standoff between Russia and the West, the state arms exporter will sell anti-aircraft systems to the two countries, the Times of London reports. "Contacts between our countries are...
Treasury Taps $50B to Insure Money Market Funds
Bloomberg
|
Sep 19, 2008 8:14 AM CDT
(Newser) -
The US Treasury moved today to temporarily insure investors against losses on money-market funds, Bloomberg reports. As much as $50 billion from the government’s Exchange Stabilization Fund will be used to back for a year funds that pay to participate in the program. Money-market funds, in which investors normally aren't at risk of losing their...
Scientology Protests Greet Katie on Broadway
Associated Press
|
Sep 19, 2008 7:59 AM CDT
(AP) -
Katie Holmes made her Broadway debut in All My Sons last night, but not before about 30 anti-Scientology protesters put on a show of their own outside Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre. The protesters, some masked, chanted "Scientology kills! and carried "FREE KATIE" placards. And, yes, her famous hubby showed up for moral support.
South Africa's President May Be Ousted in Party Revolt
Guardian (UK)
|
Sep 19, 2008 7:47 AM CDT
(Newser) -
The leaders of the African National Congress, South Africa's ruling party, are meeting today to debate whether to force Thabo Mbeki to resign. The country's president has been under fire since a court ruled that the prosecution of Jacob Zuma, Mbeki's archrival and the head of the ANC, was politically motivated. While powerful factions in the ANC want...
Iran's President Has No Problem With Israelis...
New York Times
|
Sep 19, 2008 7:30 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said yesterday that he harbors no hostility to Israelis themselves even as he refuses to recognize Israel as a legitimate state, the New York Times reports. "We have no problem with people and nations,” said the Iranian president, whose comments caused at least some analysts to see a policy shift in the works. “Of...
SEC Halts Short Selling on Financial Stocks
CNN
|
Sep 19, 2008 6:56 AM CDT
(Newser) -
The SEC temporarily banned short-selling of 799 financial companies today, an “emergency action" aimed at slowing sliding stock prices that have rattled investors’ confidence in recent weeks, CNNMoney reports. The practice, in which in investors borrow stock and sell it, hoping to buy it back cheaper and pocket the difference when...
Ancient Ice Find Cools Warming Fears
Globe and Mail
|
Sep 19, 2008 6:41 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Canadian scientists have found the oldest chunk of ice in North America, the Globe and Mail reports, a discovery that suggests the earth’s carbon-laden permafrost may be more resistant to global warming than once thought. The 700,000-year-old chunk of Yukon ice has stayed frozen through two ancient, hotter times, which might mean a slower melt...
USC Student Fatally Stabbed in Neighborhood Attack
Los Angeles Times
|
Sep 19, 2008 5:58 AM CDT
(Newser) -
USC students are demanding the university beef up security after a film student was fatally stabbed yesterday in a neighborhood attack, the Los Angeles Times reports. The Idaho native was killed after an argument with a man in an apartment complex near the LA campus. A wave of anxiety has gripped the campus since the slaying—and two recent...
Oprah Stirs Saudi Women
New York Times
|
Sep 19, 2008 5:31 AM CDT
(Newser) -
The Oprah Winfrey Show has become a Saudi sensation, giving hope to women isolated in their homes with the talk show queen to keep them company, reports the New York Times . Women in the conservative kingdom are delighted to see Oprah tackle taboo subjects like sex and race. Many say her message of self-empowerment resonates strongly with...
A-Rod Divorce Battle Ends Peacefully
New York Daily News
|
Sep 19, 2008 4:56 AM CDT
(Newser) -
The mud-slinging A-Rod divorce battle has ended amicably, reports the New York Daily News . Alex and Cynthia Rodriquez ended their 5-year marriage with a private settlement, said the attorney for the Yankees slugger, who offered no details. Cynthia filed for divorce in July, citing her hubby's "long period of infidelity" with mistresses...
Global Stocks Surge on Credit-Market Moves
Bloomberg
|
Sep 19, 2008 4:33 AM CDT
(Newser) -
World stocks jumped today on government measures to stop the credit-market meltdown and news that the US and the UK were getting tough on short sellers, Bloomberg reports. Deutsche Bank and Credit Suisse climbed 15% after four days of decline in Europe, while Australia’s Macquarie surged 38% after the US proposed a new institution to take the...
Photog Must Pay Damages for Diana Make-Out Shots
BBC
|
Sep 19, 2008 4:02 AM CDT
(Newser) -
A British photographer has been ordered to pay damages for snapping shots of Princess Diana kissing boyfriend Dodi Fayed. A Paris court levied $6,000 in fines and $8,000 in damages to be paid to Dodi's dad, Mohamed Al Fayed, owner of the yacht where the the two were photographed canoodling just days before they died in a Paris car crash in 1997. A...
Todd Palin Defies Subpoena
CNN
|
Sep 19, 2008 3:26 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Sarah Palin's husband will not comply with a subpoena demanding he testify before a panel of Alaska lawmakers investigating Troopergate. He and anyone else who refuses to compy with the subpoena cannot be held in contempt until the full state Senate reconvenes in January—after the presidential election.
Morgan Stanley, WaMu Edge Closer to Deals
Bloomberg
|
Sep 19, 2008 3:07 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Two of the biggest financial institutions in the midst of the market turmoil are moving closer to hammering out deals. Washington Mutual's suitors are believed to include Citibank, JP Morgan and Bank of America, insiders tell Bloomberg, while Morgan Stanley and Wachovia have stepped up merger talks, reports the New York Times . Morgan is also in separate...
Sea of New Ocean Life Discovered
Sydney Morning Herald
|
Sep 19, 2008 2:42 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Over 100 new ocean species have been discovered in coral reefs off Western Australia during a global census of marine life. They include exotic soft corals, new kinds of jellyfish, rays and shellfish, and parasites that feed on the tongues of fish, reports the Sydney Morning Herald . The discoveries are just a fraction of the new species being identified...
New AIG Chief Plans to Carve Leaner Corporation
Wall Street Journal
|
Sep 19, 2008 2:18 AM CDT
(Newser) -
The new CEO of beleaguered giant American Insurance Group plans to trim the company, selling some assets to raise capital and pay back the government following its $85 billion bailout, reports the Wall Street Journa l. "There will be a company at the end of this," vowed Edward Liddy, 62, former chief executive of Allstate.
Deal Ends Budget Impasse
San Francisco Chronicle
|
Sep 19, 2008 1:55 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and the California state legislature have ended a nasty budget showdown with a compromise expected to be approved today, reports the San Francisco Chronicle . The agreement eliminates extra withholding from workers' paychecks, and bridges a $17 billion budget gap largely by adding penalties on corporations that underpay...
US Zeroes In on Sweeping Rescue Plan
Wall Street Journal
|
Sep 18, 2008 8:35 PM CDT
(Newser) -
The nation's top finance officials briefed members of Congress tonight on an unprecedented plan in the works to keep troubled institutions afloat, the Wall Street Journal reports. Treasury chief Henry Paulson and Fed chief Ben Bernanke said they would work through the weekend to get something to lawmakers for a vote next week. The centerpiece reportedly...
Ryder Cup Ready to Tee Off
Associated Press
|
Sep 18, 2008 8:06 PM CDT
(AP) -
The Ryder Cup gets under way tomorrow at Valhalla Golf Club in Kentucky, with Americans looking to end a nearly decade-long drought against the Europeans. US captain Paul Azinger acknowledged some nerves today for the first time all week. "It's like drawing back a bow string," he said, motioning like an archer. "You pull it back for...
Short-Sellers, False Rumors Under Scrutiny
Bloomberg
|
Sep 18, 2008 8:00 PM CDT
(Newser) -
They may not be the most glamorous of villains, but so-called short-sellers are coming under growing scrutiny for their role in the market chaos, Bloomberg reports. New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo said today he's investigating whether short-sellers spread false rumors about firms such as AIG and Lehman Brothers so they could drive down the stock...
GOP Mailing Confuses Voters in Swing States
Miller-McCune
|
Sep 18, 2008 7:47 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Republican mass mailings have some swing-state residents confused about their voting status, Miller-McCune reports. Mailers with absentee-ballot applications or requests for updated voter-registration records in at least eight states were either missing information or organized confusingly, which could lead to discounted votes or registration errors.
New England Pumpkin Crop Patchy After Summer Deluge
Boston Globe
|
Sep 18, 2008 7:45 PM CDT
(Newser) -
An unseasonably wet growing season has devastated the New England pumpkin crop, the Boston Globe reports. The rain has multiple effects, almost all bad: some overwatered gourds swell so much they burst, while beds are washed out and depleted of fertilizer, leading to undersized specimens. And “pumpkins are pollinated by bees,” one grower...
Confidence in Strategy Keeps Obama Cool
Slate
|
Sep 18, 2008 7:07 PM CDT
(Newser) -
The polls may go up and down for Barack Obama, but his campaign stays as cool as if he were ahead by 10 points, writes John Dickerson in Slate. Why hasn’t Obama panicked? Maybe the campaign has panicked, but staffers don’t "dare let on because voters won’t want to elect a candidate who can’t take the heat."...
Palin: I Didn't Mean to Knock Community Organizers
Chicago Tribune
|
Sep 18, 2008 6:39 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Sarah Palin says she didn’t mean to offend community organizers when she implied they didn’t have “actual responsibilities,” the Republican candidate tells Fox News—she was just firing back at Barack Obama for disparaging small-town mayors, the Chicago Tribune's Swamp reports. In the second part of her interview, airing...
New Mozart Score Surfaces in France
Telegraph (UK)
|
Sep 18, 2008 5:52 PM CDT
(Newser) -
A single-page musical score located in a French library has been confirmed as a Mozart original, the Telegraph reports. “Mozart's handwriting is clearly identifiable,” an expert said. “There's no doubt that this is an original piece handwritten by Mozart.” The notation is for a melody only, with no orchestrations, but “one...
McCain Wants SEC Chief Out; Obama Says It's Not Enough
Bloomberg
|
Sep 18, 2008 5:25 PM CDT
(Newser) -
John McCain said today he would fire the head of the Securities and Exchange Commission and blasted federal regulators for being “asleep at the switch,” Bloomberg reports. McCain, who's lost ground in the polls during the recent economic turmoil, said the SEC “kept in place trading rules that let speculators and hedge funds turn our...
Michelle Obama, Kate Hudson On Best Dressed List
People
|
Sep 18, 2008 5:13 PM CDT
(Newser) -
It's time once again for People 's annual roundup of those beauties who take glamor to another level. And the winners are: Kate Hudson: Went beyond haute hippy to refined elegance. Rihanna: The 'do would have been enough to earn her a top spot. Gwyneth Paltrow: A trim of the hair, hemlines sealed the deal. Fergie: Covered...
Cracking Palin's Email Was Easy, Hacker Writes
PC Magazine
|
Sep 18, 2008 4:51 PM CDT
(Newser) -
The hacker who recently accessed Sarah Palin’s email hardly broke a sweat, reports PC Magazine , citing the alleged perp’s account: All he or she had to do was look up some personal information on the Republican VP candidate. Using Yahoo’s password-recovery service, the hacker entered easily accessible biographical info—Palin’s...
McCain Biographer: He's Lost His Principles
Politico
|
Sep 18, 2008 4:38 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Elizabeth Drew liked McCain—she even wrote a fawning biography, Citizen McCain , in 2002. She respected the centrist who emerged after McCain’s failed 2000 primary bid, who broke from Bush on tax cuts and campaign finance reform. But watching McCain’s current campaign maneuver back to the right, she questions in Politico whether...
Mandatory Tests Key to Feds' New Crane Regulations
Associated Press
|
Sep 18, 2008 4:24 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Crane operators will be made to pass certification tests, the AP reports, as the US Department of Labor, reacting to a number of deadly crane accidents this year, moved to make written and performance assessments mandatory in every state. In the first update since 1971, the tests will measure safety awareness, crane assembly/disassembly and operation...
Tech Tools Gauge Politicians' Spin
New Scientist
|
Sep 18, 2008 4:11 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Want to know if John McCain and Barack Obama are stretching the truth? Speech, voice, and facial recognition technology is helping researchers determine just that, New Scientist reports. Analyzing words from 150 speeches from the presidential election, one researcher found that Obama used much higher “levels of spin” than McCain. “Obama...
McCain Accuses Obama of Killing Immigration Bill
Los Angeles Times
|
Sep 18, 2008 3:58 PM CDT
(Newser) -
John McCain is accusing Barack Obama of trying to kill an immigration overhaul that both candidates supported, reports the Los Angeles Times . McCain is running a Spanish-language ad attacking Obama for undermining the immigration bill. He has also criticized the Democrat for supporting amendments “that would have killed the legislation.”...
Paulson's New Plan: Buy Bad Wall Street Debt
CNBC
|
Sep 18, 2008 3:45 PM CDT
(Newser) -
The US government is considering the creation of a federal institution that would buy up bad debt from struggling Wall Street concerns, CNBC reports. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson is reportedly pushing the proposal around Washington. By relieving financial institutions of toxic debt, they could return to lending money as per usual, perhaps stabilizing...
Obama's Tax Plan Is 'Dumb... Painful': McCain
Chicago Tribune
|
Sep 18, 2008 3:38 PM CDT
(Newser) -
John McCain slammed Democratic plans to raise taxes as “just plain dumb” and “painful,” the Chicago Tribune reports. The vehement appraisal came after Democratic vice presidential candidate Joe Biden urged high-income earners to embrace a tax hike targeted at them. “It's time to be patriotic…time to jump in, time...
Late Rally Lands Dow Up 410
Wall Street Journal
|
Sep 18, 2008 3:25 PM CDT
(Newser) -
The markets rallied late in today’s rollercoaster session, keying on a $360 billion plan to shore up money markets and reports that the Fed might form a government body to absorb firms’ bad credit bets, the Wall Street Journal reports. The Dow gained 410.03 to close at 11,019.69. The Nasdaq closed up 100.25 at 2,199.10, while the S&P...
Google Android Phone to Sell for $199
Wall Street Journal
|
Sep 18, 2008 3:24 PM CDT
(Newser) -
The first cell phone loaded with Google’s “Android” software will cost $199, the Wall Street Journal reports. Partner T-Mobile hopes the low-priced handset and data services, due out next month, will attract mass market consumers, not just geeky early adopters. Competitors Apple and AT&T priced their “3G” iPhone...
Campaign Skirts Obama Lobbyist Ban
Portfolio
|
Sep 18, 2008 3:18 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Barack Obama has built his campaign on being a Washington outsider, and won’t accept contributions from registered federal lobbyists. But Obama’s candidacy is far from untouched by special-interest cash, Matthew Cooper writes in Portfolio . The wives of more than 20 Washington lobbyists have donated to the Democrat, who also accepts contributions...
IRS Loosens Deadlines For Taxpayers Pummeled by Ike
Associated Press
|
Sep 18, 2008 3:06 PM CDT
(AP) -
Taxpayers in Texas counties and Louisiana parishes hit by Hurricane Ike will get until Jan. 5 to take care of tax filings and payments due this fall, the Internal Revenue Service said today. The IRS said the deadline extensions apply to 29 Texas counties and 14 Louisiana parishes declared presidential disaster areas.
Vegas Cop Thought OJ Heist 'Couldn't Be True'
Los Angeles Times
|
Sep 18, 2008 3:03 PM CDT
(Newser) -
The first Las Vegas detective to investigate OJ Simpson’s alleged involvement in an armed robbery last September said he was initially flabbergasted at the idea, the Los Angeles Times reports. “It didn't make sense,” Andy Caldwell testified yesterday at Simpson’s trial. Caldwell was soon swayed by surveillance video and the...
Rice: Russia Aimed for Georgia Overthrow
Guardian (UK)
|
Sep 18, 2008 2:37 PM CDT
(Newser) -
US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice blasted Russia today as “increasingly authoritarian at home and aggressive abroad,” accusing Moscow of trying to overthrow the Georgian government during its recent invasion, the Guardian reports. The harshest US condemnation of Russia yet comes as Moscow refuses to allow European observers into...
Rove Says Palin Excitement Will Pass; Polls Agree
Associated Press
|
Sep 18, 2008 2:28 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Excitement over Sarah Palin won’t last, Karl Rove told the AP last night. The Republican strategist said Palin was picked for “political” reasons, and acknowledged she was not the most qualified VP candidate available, although he feels she is ready for the job. Opinion polls support Rove on the Palin bounce: approval ratings for...
Calif. Ban on Gay Marriage Losing Steam
San Francisco Chronicle
|
Sep 18, 2008 2:15 PM CDT
(Newser) -
More Californians are opposing a gay-marriage ban there after language in the measure was made more explicit, the San Francisco Chronicle reports. A Field Poll showed a sharp increase in the majority who would vote no, from 51% in July to 55% today. A clause that would place a “limit on marriage” was changed to “eliminates the right...
Engineer Texted on Duty, but Link to Train Crash Unclear
Los Angeles Times
|
Sep 18, 2008 1:58 PM CDT
(Newser) -
The engineer involved in Friday’s catastrophic train collision near Los Angeles was texting on the job, the Times reports, but investigators do not yet know whether Robert Sanchez was using his phone when his engine slammed into an oncoming freight train. Federal transit officials are continuing to analyze phone records in the crash that killed...
