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Newser Story Index from October, 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.

Insurers Drop Rape Victims Who Take HIV Meds
Huffington Post | Oct 22, 2009 11:16 AM CDT
(Newser) - Sexual assault victims prescribed precautionary HIV/AIDS meds risk being denied health insurance—because they have a pre-existing condition. The vast majority never develop the disease, but many have lost their insurance altogether, the Huffington Post reports. Others have been denied mental health care for PTSD that arose after they were...
Clinton Boosts Kerry on Afghan Mission
Politico | Oct 22, 2009 11:00 AM CDT
(Newser) - Hillary Clinton was instrumental in convincing Afghan President Hamid Karzai to accept a runoff election—but it was what she didn’t do that mattered most. She didn’t interfere with erstwhile rival John Kerry’s mission. In fact, sources say, Clinton facilitated the meeting between Kerry and Karzai and then stepped away. “We...
Lil Wayne Pleads to Gun Charge
Associated Press | Oct 22, 2009 10:48 AM CDT
(AP) - Grammy-winning rapper Lil Wayne pleaded guilty to attempted weapons possession today and expects to receive a one-year jail sentence. He previously had pleaded not guilty to illegal gun possession charges that carried at least 3 1/2 years in prison upon conviction. Police said a gun was found on his tour bus in Manhattan in 2007. His trial had been...
Khloé, Lamar Will 'Hopefully' Procreate
Us Weekly | Oct 22, 2009 10:43 AM CDT
(Newser) - Fantastic news! Khloé Kardashian and hubby Lamar Odom will be procreating "maybe one day, hopefully," he says. We simply cannot wait! After all, "that's what kings and queens are put on the earth for, to have offspring," he tells Us . And their spawn will probably be lookers—or at least look "all right"—because,...
Kidman: Hollywood Hurting Women
Associated Press | Oct 22, 2009 10:37 AM CDT
(Newser) - Violence against women can "probably" be blamed in part on Hollywood's depiction of them as weak sex objects, Nicole Kidman says. The actress—and goodwill ambassador for the UN Development Fund for Women—testified before a House subcommittee to promote humanitarian efforts to relieve such violence overseas. She was quick to add...
Letter Surfaces in Steve Phillips Sex Scandal
New York Post | Oct 22, 2009 10:27 AM CDT
(Newser) - The New York Post is all over the story of Steve Phillips' affair with 22-year-old production assistant Brooke Hundley, whom they have poetically dubbed "the tubby temptress." In addition to "translating" her letter to Phillips' wife Marni ("I may be 22, but I'm not stupid" equals "I'm a raging idiot. I'm also totally...
Inside Gaga's 'Delicious' Tour
Rolling Stone | Oct 22, 2009 10:18 AM CDT
(Newser) - Lady Gaga's upcoming tour is more than just a series of concerts—it's a pop-electro opera, "a truly artistic experience that is going to take the form of the greatest post-apocalyptic house party that you've ever been to," she tells Rolling Stone . The Monster Ball launches Nov. 27, four days after the release of The Fame Monster...
More Troops in Afghanistan = Angrier Insurgents
New York Times | Oct 22, 2009 9:56 AM CDT
(Newser) - The United States was born from a nationalist insurgency. “Given that history, you’d think we might be more sensitive to nationalism abroad,” writes Nicholas Kristof. “Yet the most systematic foreign-policy mistake we Americans have made in the post-World War II period has been to underestimate its potency.” It was true...
50% Pay Cuts for Bailout Execs Due Today
Associated Press | Oct 22, 2009 9:40 AM CDT
(AP) - The Treasury Department today is expected to order seven companies that have not paid back last year's US government bailouts to halve their top executives' average compensation. The cuts apply to the 25 highest-paid executives at banks and other companies that received the most assistance, with salaries being slashed by as much as 90%. The move, reported...
MSNBC Host to Jesse Jackson: 'Hi, Al Sharpton'
YouTube | Oct 22, 2009 9:24 AM CDT
(Newser) - In a stunningly awkward clip going viral as we speak, MSNBC host Contessa Brewer accidentally introduces guest Jesse Jackson as, “the Reverend Al Sharpton.” When Jackson gives the camera a priceless you-gotta-be-kidding-me glare and corrects her, Brewer hastily blames the script and apologizes, saying “I know who you are Rev. Jackson,...
Obama Uses Troop Bump to Pressure Karzai
Associated Press | Oct 22, 2009 9:14 AM CDT
(AP) - The US built pressure on Hamid Karzai yesterday, with both Barack Obama and John Kerry signaling that a troop increase could hinge on a successful runoff election, and that the Obama administration would be receptive to a power-sharing deal between Karzai and his chief rival. A coalition government could provide a critical internal check on Karzai,...
Gates Warns Japan Not to Back Out of Troop Deal
Washington Post | Oct 22, 2009 9:03 AM CDT
(Newser) - All is not well between the US and Japan. Yesterday Robert Gates warned the country of serious consequences if it backs out of a troop movement deal the two countries spent 10 years negotiating. Japan’s new ruling party wants to reopen those negotiations, as it moves to redefine its relations with the US. Washington isn’t pleased, and State...
Stingers Release Philly ACORN Video
Huffington Post | Oct 22, 2009 9:00 AM CDT
(Newser) - The ACORN stingers have released another video, this time of their visit to the Philadelphia location—where, ACORN has until now insisted, they were kicked out. In the new, edited video, James O’Keefe says they weren’t kicked out, but instead sat for more than half an hour with an office employee, who gave them her business card and...
Bale's American Psycho Inspiration: Tom Cruise
BlackBook | Oct 22, 2009 8:39 AM CDT
(Newser) - To capture the "Martian-like" behavior of serial killer Patrick Bateman in American Psycho , Christian Bale studied a fellow Hollywooder with a well-publicized belief in aliens, says director Mary Harron: Tom Cruise. Bale-as-Bateman looked at the world "like somebody from another planet," she tells BlackBook. "One day he...
Boyle Breaks Pre-Order Record
New York Daily News | Oct 22, 2009 8:18 AM CDT
(Newser) - Susan Boyle's popularity shows no signs of dying down: The Britain's Got Talent runner-up is releasing her first album Nov. 23, and it has already broken Amazon's record for most pre-orders, the New York Daily News reports. "Although it's normal to see early enthusiasm for artists who have come off of television shows, the response from our...
Saudi Family Feud Rocks World Banks
Wall Street Journal | Oct 22, 2009 8:03 AM CDT
(Newser) - A bitter dispute between two of Saudi Arabia's richest families is damaging the world banking industry, dragging down the Saudi economy, and causing deep discomfort over Ramadan party invites. The Gosaibi clan accuse their son-in-law Ma'an al Sanea of embezzling $10 billion from the family business, while Sanea says the other family is making him a...
Windows 7 Drops: Microsoft Is Back
New York Times | Oct 22, 2009 7:41 AM CDT
(Newser) - At last, you can put your Vista woes behind you. Microsoft's new operating system, Windows 7, which drops today, takes what's good about its predecessor—especially security and good looks—and eliminates the parts that drove users bonkers. Windows 7 isn't just substantially faster and more compatible with users' machines, it also dumps Vista's...
Obama Owns Up: Michelle Made More Sacrifices
NBC | Oct 22, 2009 7:23 AM CDT
(Newser) - The men in many families need to be "knocked across the head every once in a while" to realize how much more work their partners are putting into child-raising, President Obama says, and the Obamas are no exception. "There's no doubt that our family, like a lot of families out there, were ones in which the men are still a little obtuse...
Maine's Other Senator Could Swing Health Reform
Washington Post | Oct 22, 2009 7:15 AM CDT
(Newser) - Last week Sen. Olympia Snowe was the center of attention of Capitol Hill as she bucked the GOP line to support health care reform, but now Maine's other Republican senator, Susan Collins, is the one to watch. Both women voted for President Obama's stimulus package in February, and Democrats and the media are following Collins everywhere, trying to...
Missing Girl's Body Found in Ga. Landfill
MSNBC | Oct 22, 2009 6:56 AM CDT
(Newser) - A child's body found in a Georgia landfill has been identified as Somer Thompson, a 7-year-old Florida girl missing since Monday. The local sheriff told reporters that police were now in "full investigation mode" after discovering the corpse. Somer, who was identified from her clothes and a birthmark, disappeared while walking...
Beck, Limbaugh & Co. Scare GOP Brass
Politico | Oct 22, 2009 6:48 AM CDT
(Newser) - Top Republicans are fed up with Glenn Beck and Rush Limbaugh—off the record at least. Without naming names, Politico says that “congressional leaders” privately complain that the conservative commentariat is hurting their chances in 2010 by pushing the party too far to the fringe. Operatives close to top 2012 presidential contenders...
Undergrad's Search for Assistant Meets Mockery
Washington Post | Oct 22, 2009 6:33 AM CDT
(Newser) - How's a busy undergrad supposed to juggle study, a social life, and a part-time job? For one 19-year-old at Georgetown University, the answer is hiring a personal assistant. The sophomore sparked controversy on campus this week by placing an ad on the university's student employment site seeking a personal assistant to tackle chores like doing his...
People Still Signing Up for Guru's Sweat Lodges
Los Angeles Times | Oct 22, 2009 5:43 AM CDT
(Newser) - James Arthur Ray has hardly missed a beat since three people died in one of his sweat lodge ceremonies two weeks ago: The self-help guru is back on the road peddling his workshops, and many members of his audience seem unfazed by the deaths. "When you're pushing the limits, unfortunately, things can happen," one who recently signed up for...
W.Va. Woman Recants Kidnap, Torture Story
New York Times | Oct 22, 2009 5:40 AM CDT
(Newser) - A black woman who accused seven white people of beating and raping her while keeping her captive in a West Virginia trailer in 2007 has recanted her story, according to her lawyer. Six of the seven are currently serving prison time after confessing and accepting plea bargains. Megan Williams, whose case sparked a national hate-crimes controversy, made...
Anglican Deal May Lead to Married Priests
New York Times | Oct 22, 2009 4:55 AM CDT
(Newser) - The Vatican's attempts to heal the centuries-old rift with the Anglican Church may have a consequence nobody intended: an end to celibacy for priests. By offering a new Anglican rite under the umbrella of Catholicism, Pope Benedict XVI has invited married Anglican clergy into the fold—and cracked open the possibility of the same for...
Karadzic to Boycott Bosnia Genocide Trial
CNN | Oct 22, 2009 4:49 AM CDT
(Newser) - Radovan Karadzic, the Bosnian Serb leader arrested last year after more than a decade in hiding, will boycott his trial for genocide and other crimes next week. The trial at the international court in The Hague will begin Monday in Karadzic's absence, an official says. Prosecutors are expecting they'll need a year to lay out all the evidence against...
Kanye Lives! And So Do These Other Hoaxed Celebs
Los Angeles Times | Oct 22, 2009 4:26 AM CDT
(Newser) - We're happy for you Kanye, but Paul McCartney's may have been the best celebrity death hoax of all time. An elaborate Internet hoax fooled many into thinking Kanye West had been killed in a car crash yesterday, prompting the Los Angeles Times to look at other celebs who fell victim to great exaggeration. A 1966 rumor that Paul McCartney was...
Brigadier Assassinated in Islamabad
New York Times | Oct 22, 2009 4:04 AM CDT
(Newser) - A top army officer was gunned down in the Pakistani capital today as the military continued to push into the Taliban's Waziristan sanctuary. Brigadier Moinudin Ahmed, head of the UN peacekeeping mission in Sudan, was shot dead  along with his driver by suspected militants on a motorbike as their jeep moved through rush-hour traffic in Islamabad....
Euro Cracks $1.50, Dollar Hits New Lows
Financial Times (UK) | Oct 22, 2009 4:00 AM CDT
(Newser) - The dollar fell below the $1.50 threshold against the euro yesterday for the first time in 14 months, as investors with renewed appetites for risk continue to abandon the greenback. The dollar is at its lowest level against six other currencies in more than a year, and foreign exchange experts foresee more falls for the low-yielding currency to come....
China To Scour Museums for Looted Art
Times (UK) | Oct 22, 2009 3:40 AM CDT
(Newser) - China is about to send teams of artifact hunters to the world's top museums to track down looted art treasures. They'll be on the lookout for art from the splendid Imperial Gardens of Yuan Ming Yuan, more commonly known as the Old Summer Palace, which was used by Chinese emperors in the 18th and 19th centuries. British and French armies sacked the...
Balloon Boy Another Blow to Trust
Wall Street Journal | Oct 22, 2009 3:35 AM CDT
(Newser) - The Falcon Heene fiasco sums up the dilemma facing a society riddled with fake news, Photoshop fakes, and even fake Rush Limbaugh quotes, writes Daniel Henninger. "Reality TV" is the perfect metaphor for a world where you need to routinely "ask yourself whether what's in front of you is real, sort of real, a hoax or what," Henninger...
Dad Busted for Kidnapping Daughter's Killer
Times (UK) | Oct 22, 2009 3:18 AM CDT
(Newser) - A French man has been arrested after the German convicted of killing his daughter was found bound, gagged, and dumped in front of a French courthouse. Cardiologist Dieter Krombach was found guilty in absentia by a French court for killing 14-year-old Kalinka Bamberski in 1982, but German authorities refused to hand him over because a court there...
Stars Demand Bush 'Music Torture' Files
Washington Post | Oct 22, 2009 2:55 AM CDT
(Newser) - A coalition of celebrity musicians is demanding the release of Bush administration documents revealing how music was used to torture Guantanamo Bay inmates. Songs from Metallica, The Real Slim Shady , and the Star Spangled Banner , among many others, were blasted all day for days on end to rattle prisoners, inmates have revealed. "The fact that...
Critics: New Black Barbie Not Black Enough
CNN | Oct 22, 2009 2:27 AM CDT
(Newser) - Mattel's new black Barbie dolls are more than just white dolls with a paint job—which is what the toy company tried last time. But some critics still say Mattel hasn't gone far enough. The trio of Barbies have features like fuller lips and wider noses, but some complain that the dolls' hair is too straight and too long, and suggest that the toy...
'Juror Leak' Sparks Travolta Mistrial
New York Daily News | Oct 22, 2009 2:06 AM CDT
(Newser) - A Bahamian judge ordered a mistrial in the John Travolta extortion case yesterday after a loose-lipped juror apparently spread word that one of the two accused would be acquitted. The judge blamed juror misconduct after a local politician made a speech saying that a former senator—charged along with a paramedic of trying to extort $25 million...
Michelle Hits 142 at Hula Hoops
Associated Press | Oct 22, 2009 2:00 AM CDT
(AP) - The president isn't the only Obama with impressive hoops prowess: Michelle managed 142 swivels of a hula hoop yesterday during a "healthy kids fair" on the White House lawn. Jumping rope double dutch? Not so much. The first lady also gave a pep talk about eating right to about 100 children and parents from local elementary schools. Obama...
Dad Runs Over 'Westernized' Daughter
CNN | Oct 22, 2009 1:41 AM CDT
(Newser) - Police in Arizona are searching for an Iraqi man they believe mowed down his daughter and a friend in a parking lot because she had become "too Westernized" and abandoned traditional Iraqi values. The daughter, 20, is in a local hospital with life-threatening injuries. Her friend has been hospitalized with less serious injuries, CNN reports....
Mandarin Becomes Talk of Chinatown
New York Times | Oct 22, 2009 1:20 AM CDT
(Newser) - Goodbye "Leih Hou Ma," hello "Ni Hao Ma." The language most often heard in New York's Chinatown and in Chinese communities across America is quickly changing from Cantonese to Mandarin as new immigrants from mainland China outnumber those from Hong Kong. Even Cantonese-speaking parents are pushing their children to speak Mandarin...
Phillies Oust Dodgers, Head Back to Series
MLB.com | Oct 21, 2009 11:00 PM CDT
(Newser) - Jayson Werth hit two of Philadelphia’s four home runs as the host Phillies beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 10-4 tonight to advance to their second consecutive World Series. The defending champions won the series 4-1, and now await the American League participant—with odds favoring the New York Yankees, who take a 3-1 edge into Thursday’s...
Stop Afghan 'Dithering' as Troops Face Danger: Cheney
Associated Press | Oct 21, 2009 9:52 PM CDT
(AP) - Former Vice President Dick Cheney tonight accused the White House of dithering over the strategy for the war in Afghanistan and urged President Barack Obama to "do what it takes to win." Cheney, accepting an award from a conservative national security group, added, "Make no mistake. Signals of indecision out of Washington hurt our allies...
There's a Letterman Sex Tape: Enquirer
National Enquirer | Oct 21, 2009 8:36 PM CDT
(Newser) - Security-camera tape of David Letterman “in a compromising position” with a young female staffer is the next shoe to drop in the scandal surrounding the CBS late-night host, the National Enquirer reports. “Dave apparently didn’t know the location of the security cameras at his Late Night studios,” says a source, who...
SC Hopes Its Dumb Pols Don't Hurt Economy, Too
Los Angeles Times | Oct 21, 2009 7:41 PM CDT
(Newser) - The fact that two of its more prominent politicians—Gov. Mark Sanford and Rep. Joe Wilson—are the butt of recent political jokes is no laughing matter in South Carolina, where memories of the fight over flying the Confederate flag are still scaring off business and tourism. The firestorm around Sanford has paralyzed state government, and...
Survivor: Days of Fasting Before Sweat Lodge Disaster
Associated Press | Oct 21, 2009 7:07 PM CDT
(Newser) - Participants in the fatal Oct. 8 sweat-lodge ceremony had already been through five days of fasting and sleep deprivation, a survivor says—and the self-help guru leading the proceedings saw their gasping, vomiting and fainting as signs of weakness and urged them to push on through it. No charges have been brought against James Arthur Ray by Arizona...
Meet the Future of Conservatism
The Atlantic | Oct 21, 2009 6:22 PM CDT
(Newser) - He's a "nerdy-looking" political novice, but Doug Hoffman just may be the "conservative superstar of the future," writes Marc Ambinder. Hoffman is running as a Conservative in the closely watched special election in New York’s 23rd congressional district. Despite his lack of experience, the lifelong accountant has racked up...
Muslims, Gays Clash Over French Soccer Match
GlobalPost | Oct 21, 2009 5:47 PM CDT
(Newser) - An amateur soccer game sparked an ugly culture clash in France after a Muslim team refused to play a rival that welcomes openly gay players. On the eve of the match between Creteil Bebel and Paris Foot Gay, the Bebel president sent an email declining the match: "In light of the name of your team and in keeping with the principles of our team,...
The Most Influential DJs
IGN | Oct 21, 2009 5:19 PM CDT
(Newser) - With the release of "DJ Hero" upon us, it's a good time to honor the true masters of turntablism. IGN lists the most influential: DJ Kool Herc. He invented the “breakbeat” by using the two-turntable style of disco DJs to play two copies of a funk record, switching between the two to elongate the instrumental break...
Microsoft's Bing Teams With Twitter
Associated Press | Oct 21, 2009 4:54 PM CDT
(AP) - Microsoft has picked up a new weapon in its Internet search duel with Google—full access to Twitter's communications hotbed. The partnership announced today represents a coup for Microsoft as it tries to spice up its Internet search engine, Bing, in its long-running attempts to lure traffic from Google. A test version of Bing's Twitter feature...
No Appearance Fee? Heidi Skips Sister's Birthday
Fox News | Oct 21, 2009 4:42 PM CDT
(Newser) - It may be a new low for Heidi Montag—the Hills star refused to go her sister Holly’s birthday party this weekend because Empire Hollywood, the host of the party, wouldn’t pay her an appearance fee. "Holly was really wishing that her sister could just be a sister and stop by her birthday party, but Heidi only goes places if...
America's Most Powerful Octogenarians
Slate | Oct 21, 2009 4:25 PM CDT
(Newser) - Retirement? Bah! Slate’s annual 80 for 80 list ranks America’s mightiest octogenarians, giving extra credit for post-80 achievements, and “being really, really old.” The top: Thomas Monson (82): As the head of the Mormon church, 13 million people think he’s a prophet “in the same way they view Abraham, Moses,...
Tearful Rosie Hints at Break-Up
USA Today | Oct 21, 2009 4:10 PM CDT
(Newser) - Rosie O’Donnell confirmed today that there are “issues” in her marriage with Kelli Carpenter. Asked about hints she’s been dropping on her blog that the two have split, O’Donnell wouldn't divulge much. But she told USA Today , with tears welling: "We're a family, we remain a family, and we're working on the...
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