Newser Story Index from January, 2009
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.
Ohio Vote Fraud Probe Uncovers Single Case
Cincinnati Enquirer
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Jan 29, 2009 2:30 AM CST
(Newser) -
An investigation into allegations of widespread voter fraud in Ohio's Hamilton County last fall found just one case, reports the Cincinnati Enquirer . A county prosecutor—and local chairman of John McCain's campaign—had demanded 600 votes be examined. The only fraudulent vote was cast by a Connecticut man who turned himself in and was...
Army Suicides Hit Record High
CNN
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Jan 29, 2009 2:07 AM CST
(Newser) -
A record 128 US soldiers committed suicide last year, and an additional 15 are suspected of taking their own lives, CNN reports. The previous record was set in 2007. In response to the latest figures, the Army is expected to announce new studies of post-combat stress and why its suicide-prevention programs aren't working. Army officials have long attributed...
GOP Stimulus Stonewall Spells Trouble for Prez
Politico
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Jan 29, 2009 1:43 AM CST
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Barack Obama's failure to snag a single vote from House Republicans for his economic stimulus package underlines the tough task the president faces in winning bipartisan support for his plan, notes Politico. Obama aides were surprised by the vote but expressed confidence that some Republicans will eventually come around.
ABC May Move Kimmel to 11:35
New York Times
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Jan 28, 2009 9:29 PM CST
(Newser) -
ABC is exploring the idea of moving Jimmy Kimmel's show to 11:35 later this year, in place of Nightline , so he can compete directly with Conan O'Brien, the New York Times reports. ABC denies it, and the speculation all comes from anonymous sources. But those sources say that ABC is trying to figure out how to better compete with...
CIA Official Accused of Raping Two Muslim Women
ABC News
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Jan 28, 2009 8:50 PM CST
(Newser) -
A CIA station chief in Algeria is under investigation for allegedly raping two Muslim women after knocking them unconscious with date-rape drugs, ABC News reports. The agency sent him back to the US in October after the women came forward a month earlier about the separate attacks. The allegations surface just days after President Obama made...
Storm Leaves 1.4M Without Power; 23 Dead
Associated Press
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Jan 28, 2009 7:57 PM CST
(AP) -
More than a million people shivered in ice-bound homes across the country tonight, waiting for utility crews to restring power lines brought down by a storm that killed 23 as it moved from the Southern Plains to the East Coast. But with temperatures plunging, utility officials warned that it could be mid-February before electricity is restored to some...
Russia, China Blame US for World's Mess
Wall Street Journal
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Jan 28, 2009 7:38 PM CST
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The leaders of Russia and China laid the blame for the world's financial troubles squarely at the feet of the US today, the Wall Street Journal reports. In speeches at the world economic forum in Davos, both focused on the role of the dollar, with Putin calling the world's over-reliance on it "dangerous." He also mocked US businessmen...
Fla. Developer Offers Investors Green Cards
Orlando Sentinel
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Jan 28, 2009 7:12 PM CST
(Newser) -
Foreigners still interested in the American dream can get permanent residence in the US by investing $1 million in a Florida condo-hotel project starved for credit. The government-approved offer gives investors a conditional visa in exchange for the investment, the Orlando Sentinel reports. If the foreigners can prove within two years that their...
Starbucks Closing 200 More US Stores
Associated Press
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Jan 28, 2009 6:40 PM CST
(AP) -
Starbucks Corp. plans to slash nearly 7,000 more jobs during a new round of store closures and other cuts, the company said as it reported that its profit dropped by more than two-thirds in its fiscal first quarter. The coffee chain plans to close 300 underperforming stores around the world—including 200 in the US—by the end of the fiscal...
Republican Congressman Apologizes for Limbaugh Flap
Politico
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Jan 28, 2009 6:21 PM CST
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A Republican congressman who defended his colleagues from the wrath of Rush Limbaugh apologized today to his "fellow conservatives" and said his anti-Rush statements were taken out of context, Politico reports. Georgia's Phil Gingrey said his comments "read much harsher than they were actually intended," and he took issue with a...
Post Folds Book Review Section to Cut Costs
New York Times
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Jan 28, 2009 6:01 PM CST
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The Washington Post will print Book World —its stand-alone Sunday section—for the last time Feb. 15 and shuffle its reviews into other newspaper sections to cut costs, the New York Times reports. Book World will remain intact online, run by a previously downsized staff. The closure comes amid a wave of cost-cutting measures throughout...
Electric Motorcycles Closing Gap on Speed
Wired
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Jan 28, 2009 5:45 PM CST
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An English entrepreneur is developing an all-electric motorcycle he says can compete on the racetrack, Wired reports. Well, in the near future. His prototype—the bike is expected to be for sale next year and will be legal for street use—can go from 0 to 60 in 3.8 seconds and tops out at 135mph. That falls short of gas bikes, but Azhar...
House Passes Stimulus; No Republicans Back It
CNN
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Jan 28, 2009 5:36 PM CST
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The House this evening passed President Obama's $819 billion stimulus plan on a party-line vote of 244-188, CNN reports. In a potentially troubling sign for the president, no Republicans voted to back the plan, which calls for $544 billion in spending and $275 billion in tax cuts. Eleven Democrats also voted against it, the Post notes. The Senate...
Wall Street Bonuses Fall 44%
Reuters
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Jan 28, 2009 4:58 PM CST
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Wall Street firms still dished out end-of-year bonuses in 2008, but they were a lot smaller. Cash bonuses fell 44% from the year prior, from a total of $33 billion to $18 billion, Reuters reports. That drop may take $1 billion in tax revenue from New York state, which is already anticipating a potential $15.4 billion deficit. Ailing financial firms...
Time to Give Netflix Its Dot-Com Due
San Jose Mercury News
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Jan 28, 2009 4:47 PM CST
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Despite plenty of naysayers, Netflix boasts success like few other dot-coms, Chris O’Brien writes in the San Jose Mercury News . The movie-rental service reported record earnings despite the recession, “a neat trick that eBay and Yahoo could only dream of emulating.” Netflix’s innovative distribution system, inventory management,...
US Drafts Letter to Iran to Mend Ties
Guardian (UK)
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Jan 28, 2009 4:34 PM CST
(Newser) -
Barack Obama is moving his efforts to improve relations with Iran beyond mere speech-making, the Guardian reports. The State Department is drafting a letter to Iranian leaders to assure them the US is not looking to overthrow the curent regime, just change its behavior. The letter—a response to a congratulatory letter sent by President Mahmoud...
After Stimulus Vote, Happy Hour's at the White House
New York Post
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Jan 28, 2009 4:26 PM CST
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A little liquor can buy a lot of goodwill. At least, that’s what President Obama is hoping—he’s invited key lawmakers to the White House for cocktails after the House votes this evening on the stimulus package, the New York Post reports. Keeping with Obama’s keenly diplomatic style, the invite list includes six House Democrats,...
Cards' Warner Should Be Lock for Hall of Fame
Chicago Tribune
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Jan 28, 2009 4:20 PM CST
(Newser) -
Kurt Warner belongs in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and it’s only because NFL teams have dreadfully misused his talents that anyone would dispute that, Dan Pompei writes for the Chicago Tribune . Green Bay signed Warner but failed to develop him. He later took the Rams to two Super Bowls, but they gave up on him while he struggled with injury.
Phony Ad Clicks at Record High
CNET
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Jan 28, 2009 4:07 PM CST
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Fraudulent attempts to deceive web advertisers into paying for phony clicks reached an all-time high in the last quarter of 2008, CNET reports. The rate of phony to genuine clicks climbed to 17.1% in the fourth quarter, increasing 1.1% from the third quarter and 0.5% from the fourth quarter of 2007.
Toyota Recalls 1.3M Cars Over Seatbelt Issue
The Car Connection
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Jan 28, 2009 3:56 PM CST
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About 1.3 million Toyota Yaris models are being recalled for repairs after a seatbelt defect was discovered that, during a severe frontal collision, can cause a pad inside the vehicle to ignite, the Car Connection reports. Some 134,900 US models, from 2006 and ’07, are affected; the Yaris’ compact sedan and hatchback versions are sold under...
Female Perspective Sorely Lacking at Davos
Der Spiegel
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Jan 28, 2009 3:45 PM CST
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Women may be the ticket out of the global recession, but World Economic Forum leaders wouldn’t know it. The predominantly male organizers have invited few women—5% of announced attendees—to the exclusive Davos forum, a misstep for a meeting billed “Shaping the Post-Crisis World,” Morice Mendoza writes in Der Spiegel :...
Circle of Life Closes In on Backyard Coyotes
Los Angeles Times
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Jan 28, 2009 3:34 PM CST
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Across Southern California, an old battle is raging: tireless hunter vs. wily coyote. It's tough to tell who's winning, but it's easy to hear who's unhappy: both animal-rights groups and homeowners. "We had a cat, and he became coyote sushi," one resident tells the LA Times . Suburbia, with its fenced-in pets and hiding spots, lures...
Athletes Put Lives on the Line
Washington Post
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Jan 28, 2009 3:25 PM CST
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When Willis McGahee was wheeled off the field during the AFC championship game, “it was impossible not to fear the worst,” writes Wendy MacLeod in the Washington Post . And when she tried to find his status online, she turned up a YouTube video entitled, “McGahee Gets ‘Jacked Up’ … Hardest Hit Ever!” It’s...
Blago Will Give Own Closing Argument at Impeachment
Chicago Tribune
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Jan 28, 2009 3:16 PM CST
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Rod Blagojevich will show up at his own impeachment trial after all. The Illinois governor will appear before the state Senate tomorrow, the Chicago Tribune reports. Blagojevich won't take questions but will deliver a closing argument on his own behalf. State senators could vote to remove him from office later in the day.
Dow Up 201 on Fed News
Wall Street Journal
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Jan 28, 2009 3:10 PM CST
(Newser) -
The Fed’s announcement today that it will keep target rates near zero sustained a rally led by financials, the Wall Street Journal reports. Financials continued to rise off the Obama administration’s plan to create a “bad bank” to buy toxic assets, with the Financial Select Sector Fund, which tracks the sector, up 11.2%. The...
Israeli Rabbis Cut Off Vatican Over Holocaust Dispute
Telegraph (UK)
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Jan 28, 2009 3:02 PM CST
(Newser) -
Israel’s senior rabbinical body has severed ties with the Vatican, saying Bishop Richard Williamson should recant his statements denying that millions of Jews were "deliberately gassed" during the Holocaust. The chief rabbinate expressed “sorrow and pain” at the decision, which follows worldwide outrage among Jews and progressive...
HS Benches Racy Dance Team
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Jan 28, 2009 2:48 PM CST
(Newser) -
A Georgia high school dance team has been barred from practicing or performing this year after a provocative routine drew parents' ire, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports. The girls wore skimpy outfits while dancing atop chairs during halftime at a school basketball game. “The team will not perform for the remainder of the year, nor will...
Postmaster Wants to Drop Delivery 1 Day a Week
Associated Press
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Jan 28, 2009 2:34 PM CST
(AP) -
Massive deficits could force the postal service to cut out 1 day of mail delivery per week, the postmaster general told Congress today. John Potter asked lawmakers to lift the requirement that the agency deliver mail 6 days a week. "It is possible that the cost of 6-day delivery may simply prove to be unaffordable," Potter said.
No Way Mitchell Hits Latest Pitch Out of Park
New Republic
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Jan 28, 2009 2:23 PM CST
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Those who think George Mitchell will achieve progress in the Middle East point to his record of robust diplomacy in Northern Ireland 10 years ago. One hopes, for the sake of peace, that Mitchell follows his work there and not a more recent example, Will Leitch writes for the New Republic : the shambolic Mitchell Report on steroid use in baseball.
Senate Committee OKs Holder for Attorney General
Associated Press
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Jan 28, 2009 2:08 PM CST
(AP) -
Senate Republicans did little to stop the progress of Barack Obama's choice for attorney general, with the Judiciary Committee voting 17-2 today to endorse Eric Holder; John Cornyn of Texas and Tom Coburn of Oklahoma, Republicans both, were the lone dissenters. The Senate could vote as early as tomorrow to confirm Holder as the first African American...
House Rejects Digital TV Delay
Washington Post
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Jan 28, 2009 2:07 PM CST
(Newser) -
The House defeated a bill today to delay the switch to all-digital television, the Washington Post reports. The vote comes two days after the Senate approved extending the deadline to June 12 from Feb. 17, and is a defeat for congressional Democrats and the Obama administration, who want to give consumers more time. House Republicans argued that...
Salmonella Outbreak Raises a Red Flag
MSNBC
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Jan 28, 2009 2:00 PM CST
(Newser) -
The ongoing salmonella outbreak has sickened hundreds of people and played a part in eight deaths, and that's the good news, experts tell MSNBC. The strain in question responds to the standard treatment, but other varieties of the salmonella bacteria have become increasingly resistant to antibiotics in recent decades."This is kind of an alert,"...
LiLo's Dad: Sam Is 'Destroying' Her
New York Daily News
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Jan 28, 2009 1:57 PM CST
(Newser) -
Lindsay Lohan’s girlfriend, Samantha Ronson, gets no love from LiLo's dad, the New York Daily News reports. Michael Lohan said in a recent blog post he thanked “God for Lindsay's freedom from Samantha's bondage,” but “since Samantha has once again weaseled her way back into Lindsay's life, things have taken a dark turn.”
Robots Begin Takeover of Retail Warehouses
Wired
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Jan 28, 2009 1:48 PM CST
(Newser) -
The age of robots is upon us. Or at least, you might think so if you walked into one of the dozen retail warehouses currently manned by Kiva System’s robotic workers. The bots, which look a bit like a giant orange toaster, zip autonomously around the warehouse, completing orders and rearranging merchandise without any human interference, making...
Sox Want to Make Obama Cap
Chicago Sun-Times
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Jan 28, 2009 1:38 PM CST
(Newser) -
The Chicago White Sox are planning an Obama-themed hat to celebrate the historic victory of the team’s most famous fan, the Sun-Times reports. If the White House approves, the Sox will release a version of their classic cap with the “O” logo featured in campaign ads. Obama sporting a Sox lid has boosted the bottom line: sales have...
Fed Leaves Rate Unchanged, Will Try Other Tactics
Associated Press
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Jan 28, 2009 1:35 PM CST
(AP) -
The Federal Reserve said the US economy has weakened further and signaled it will keep a key interest rate near zero for quite "some time" to cushion the fallout. The Fed agreed—with one dissenting vote—to keep the targeted range for the federal funds rate at a record low of between 0% and 0.25%. Having taken the unprecedented...
Andrea Mitchell, Gay Icon
New York Observer
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Jan 28, 2009 1:30 PM CST
(Newser) -
Cher, Barbra Streisand, Madonna … and NBC correspondent Andrea Mitchell? Yes, John Koblin and Zachary Woolfe write in the New York Observer , Mrs. Alan Greenspan is an icon to gay men, if not as celebrated. “She’s the Golden Girls rolled into one,” one fan says: “The body of Sophia, the sassiness of Dorothy and probably...
Publishing Vet James Brady Dead at 80
Folio
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Jan 28, 2009 1:20 PM CST
(Newser) -
James Brady, a veteran of numerous publications who rose from business reporting to become the editor of New York and Harper’s Bazaar , has died. He was 80. Brady is credited with founding two long-lived New York gossip standbys, the New York Post ’s Page Six and New York magazine’s Intelligencer. Brady was also an Emmy Award...
A-Team Bound for Theaters
Radar
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Jan 28, 2009 1:11 PM CST
(Newser) -
The A-Team is coming back! Fox has tapped director Joe Carnahan, of Smokin’ Aces fame, to direct a big-budget update of the hugely popular '80s action show, Radar Online reports. Few plot details have emerged, except that it will keep the core story of veterans—now of Iraq, not Vietnam—who become mercenaries after being imprisoned...
Put a Ring on This: Obama Likes 'Single Ladies'
Vibe
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Jan 28, 2009 1:06 PM CST
(Newser) -
Maybe at the next inauguration, Barack Obama will provide the musical entertainment. As the then-president-elect hobnobbed with the stars who appeared at the Jan. 18 concert at the Lincoln Memorial, John Legend caught him on video as he and wife Michelle greeted Beyoncé. “Mr. President, you didn’t tell Beyoncé about 'Single...
To Consume or Not to Consume, That Is the Question
New York Times
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Jan 28, 2009 12:57 PM CST
(Newser) -
As Americans cut back on spending, a certain dread creeps in—not of having less, but of what curtailed consumption could mean for the future, Douglas Coupland notes in the New York Times . Sure, “a big drop in consumption sounds like the advent of a new utopia where people stay at home to eat” and “discover life’s simpler...
Los Angeles Zoo to Bob Barker: Price Is Wrong
Associated Press
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Jan 28, 2009 12:44 PM CST
(Newser) -
The Los Angeles Zoo responded forcefully—and negatively—late yesterday to a $1.5 million offer from celebrity Bob Barker to relocate the zoo’s last elephant to a sanctuary, the Times reports. “Billy’s home is at the Los Angeles Zoo, not a distant location that is both inaccessible and unaffordable for the working families...
Ice Shuts School, Baffles Obama Girls
Politico
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Jan 28, 2009 12:37 PM CST
(Newser) -
The ice storm plowing through Washington has many grown-ups wary of stepping outside, but it hasn’t fazed the first daughters, Politico reports. The Midwesterners were unimpressed that their school closed, President Obama said today, noting that Chicago schools never close. “My 7-year-old pointed out that in Chicago you’d go outside...
Israel, Palestine Need Outside Support for Lasting Fix
New York Times
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Jan 28, 2009 12:33 PM CST
(Newser) -
The dominant theory holds that the two-state solution is the answer to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. But the war in Gaza has pushed tensions past the point where an equitable sharing of geography is enough, argues New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman. He wants a "five-state solution—Palestine, Egypt, Jordan, Israel, and Saudi...
At RNC, Change Means Bashing Bush
Washington Post
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Jan 28, 2009 12:18 PM CST
(Newser) -
In deciding on a new chairman, Republican National Committee members are wrestling with ambivalence about George W. Bush, the Washington Post reports. Incumbent Mike Duncan, appointed by the former president, faces something of a backlash. Duncan “never criticized Bush when the president was wrong,” says one member. “He’s...
Ahead of Vote, Obama Makes Plea for Stimulus
Associated Press
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Jan 28, 2009 12:09 PM CST
(Newser) -
President Obama made one final pitch for his stimulus package ahead of the House vote on the bill later today. After an introduction from a pair of CEOs, Obama took the stage to urge “bold and swift” action. He said he understood skepticism about the “size and scale” of the bill but promised considerable transparency. Earlier,...
Tom Brady Goes Soft
Boston Globe
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Jan 28, 2009 11:53 AM CST
(Newser) -
“I can’t take it anymore. Aliens have taken over Tom Brady’s body,” declares Dan Shaughnessy of the Boston Globe. How else do you explain that photo of Gisele Bundchen feeding one of the greatest quarterbacks ever? “We put up with a lot,” says Shaughnessy. Tom can run Gisele’s errands, canoodle by candlelight,...
Gillibrand Mired in Ruckus Over Immigration
New York Times
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Jan 28, 2009 11:38 AM CST
(Newser) -
Name a policy that rural Upstate New York and New York City agree on, and you've got, well, try finding one first. For everything else, there's a rock and a hard place for newly appointed Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand. First it was gun control, which the former upstate representative opposes. Now, reports the New York Times , Gillibrand is in trouble for...
Biden Apologizes to Roberts
Christian Science Monitor
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Jan 28, 2009 11:24 AM CST
(Newser) -
The sun rose in the east today, and Joe Biden apologized for a hokey joke. The VP called Chief Justice John Roberts to say he was sorry for his crack about the flubbed inaugural oath, the Christian Science Monito r reports. “My memory’s not as good as Justice Roberts,” Biden said as he prepared to swear in White House staffers in...
Want to Save the Planet? Stop Dumping on Frankenfood
Slate
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Jan 28, 2009 11:22 AM CST
(Newser) -
It's time for greenies to take another look at the frankenfoods they've been campaigning against. Consider the enviropig. It’s a pig with an extra gene that means less phosphorous in manure runoff, and it’s just one example of how genetic modification in agriculture can be good for the environment, writes James E. McWilliams in Slate. Another...
