Newser Story Index from November, 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.
Top-Grossing Films of the Decade
The Wrap
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Nov 17, 2009 4:21 PM CST
(Newser) -
Thanks to a Wikipedia contributor who put together a list of the 50 highest-grossing films of the decade, it’s easy to see Hollywood’s—and, apparently, America’s—obsession with rehashing old material. As The Wrap points out, only nine aren't sequels or adaptations, and you have to reach No. 15 before finding an original....
Conservatives to GOP: Stop Gitmo 'Scaremongering'
Talking Points Memo
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Nov 17, 2009 4:02 PM CST
(Newser) -
Three leading conservatives sought to quash what they called “scaremongering” by Republican politicians over plans to relocate Guantanamo Bay detainees to a prison in Illinois. In a joint statement, Bob Barr, David Keene, and Grover Norquist said the prison was secure enough to hold the detainees. “The federal prison system has proven...
Clinton: I Didn't Want The Job
Vogue
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Nov 17, 2009 3:48 PM CST
(Newser) -
Hillary Clinton accepted the Secretary of State job only because Barack Obama badgered her into it. In a glowing profile in Vogue , Clinton tells Jonathan Van Meter that she was “ stunned ” Obama wanted her. “I didn't want to do it. I just really had a lot of doubts, and I kept suggesting other people.” What changed her mind?...
Ford Fusion Wins Car of the Year
Detroit Free Press
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Nov 17, 2009 3:23 PM CST
(Newser) -
The 2010 Ford Fusion midsize model has won Motor Trend ’s car of the year award, one of the most sought-after in the industry. Ford’s reboot of the Fusion model impressed judges with better fuel efficiency, an upgraded engine, and a new interior. Among the finalists were the Camry and Accord. The Fusion already is the best-selling car...
Dow Up 30 on Mixed Data
Wall Street Journal
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Nov 17, 2009 3:11 PM CST
(Newser) -
Stocks ended a seesaw session with modest gains as data for October retail sales and industrial production registered modest advances but failed to meet expectations, the Wall Street Journal reports. The Dow rose 30 points to close at 10,437. The Nasdaq added 5 points, settling at 2,204. The S&P 500 gained 1 point to close at 1,110....
'Kramer' Parodies Racist Rant
TMZ
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Nov 17, 2009 2:48 PM CST
(Newser) -
Michael Richards makes fun of the racist fit that derailed his standup career on the latest episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm . The show has a black character deceive Richards—playing himself—as part of a ruse by Larry David. Richards corners the character and begins to scream: "If only there were a horrible name that I could call you...
Machete-Armed Mugger Steals Man's Tacos
NBC Chicago
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Nov 17, 2009 2:34 PM CST
(Newser) -
A mugger stole a Chicago-area man’s tacos and nothing else on Sunday. The victim was walking back to his car carrying 16 tacos from a restaurant when he was cornered by a man in a black ski mask brandishing a machete. The mugger demanded the food but didn’t ask for anything else, then got in a car and drove off with his ill-gotten dinner,...
Vanished Persian Army Turns Up in Sand
Time
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Nov 17, 2009 2:21 PM CST
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Italian archaeologists in Egypt claim to have unearthed evidence of a 6th-century BC Persian military folly once thought mythical. Herodotus described an army of 50,000 Persians sent by their emperor, Cambyses, to destroy an oracle that had spoken ill of his ambitions. The army was, according to lore, beset by a massive sandstorm and “utterly...
Palin Slams 'Sexist' Newsweek
Facebook
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Nov 17, 2009 2:04 PM CST
(Newser) -
Sarah Palin criticized Newsweek as “sexist” for using a photo from Runner’s World that shows her bare-legged in fitness gear for its cover. “The out-of-context Newsweek approach is sexist and oh-so-expected by now,” Palin wrote on Facebook. “When it comes to Sarah Palin, this 'news' magazine has relished...
Smart's Co-Abductor: 'I Am So Sorry, Elizabeth'
Associated Press
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Nov 17, 2009 1:53 PM CST
(AP) -
A woman charged in the 2002 kidnapping of Elizabeth Smart pleaded guilty today as part of a deal with prosecutors and asked Smart to forgive her. Wanda Eileen Barzee is expected to receive a 15-year sentence, with credit for about six already served. "I am so sorry, Elizabeth, for all the pain and suffering I have caused you and your family,"...
Conservative Kids' Book Vilifies Pelosi
Boing Boing
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Nov 17, 2009 1:42 PM CST
(Newser) -
Help! Mom! The Radicals Are Ruining My Country! sounds like what it is: A picture book aimed at conservative children—or maybe the children of conservative parents. In any case, a tiara-wearing Nancy Pelosi features prominently, and she ain’t a Santa Claus figure, notes Boing Boing . The book, which follows the travails of two boy...
Men Try to Rob Bank With Fake Search Warrant
Las Vegas Sun
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Nov 17, 2009 1:33 PM CST
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Five Nevada men are set to appear in federal court today after allegedly attempting to rob a bank armed only with handcuffs and a fake search warrant. These criminal masterminds claimed that the search warrant entitled them to take all the money out of the bank’s vault, according to the police report. When the bank’s manager saw through...
Music Prompts Memory in Alzheimer's Patients
Wall Street Journal
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Nov 17, 2009 1:26 PM CST
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Therapists and doctors who treat Alzheimer's are now using music not only to soothe and entertain their patients but to restore some cognitive function. For decades it's been recognized that Alzheimer's patients can still remember and sing songs long after they've stopped recognizing names and faces. Now it's thought that those tunes can provide a...
Iran Sentences 5 to Death for Election Protests
Associated Press
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Nov 17, 2009 1:15 PM CST
(AP) -
Five people have been sentenced to death over the unrest that followed Iran's disputed June presidential election, according to state television reports. The report quotes a statement by the Justice Department saying the five sentenced were members of terrorist and armed opposition groups.
Fox News Lands Obama Interview
USA Today
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Nov 17, 2009 12:57 PM CST
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President Obama has apparently softened on Fox News and will grant the network an interview while in Beijing. “I will interview POTUS on camera,” tweets Fox’s Major Garrett. “4 other networks will too. 10 mins per. Many had asked. Can say now.” Though the White House has been searingly critical of Fox recently, calling...
Millions Must Repay Part of Stimulus Tax Credit
Washington Post
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Nov 17, 2009 12:49 PM CST
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An IRS tax credit designed to lighten the load on recession-addled taxpayers won't work out as well as hoped for about 15.4 million Americans. Because certain minutiae of the new Making Work Pay credit weren’t factored in to withholding tables, more than 10% of taxpayers who file individual returns have been underpaying and will see a smaller...
Ex-Nazi, 90, Charged With 58 Murders
Guardian (UK)
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Nov 17, 2009 12:40 PM CST
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A 90-year-old former SS officer has been charged with 58 counts of murder for allegedly taking part in a massacre of Jewish forced laborers in Austria, German officials announced today. The man, identified in German media reports as Adolf Storms, had been living unnoticed in Duisburg until an Austrian university student found him while researching...
We Need an Institute to Study Sarah Palin
Washington Post
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Nov 17, 2009 12:30 PM CST
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Dear George W. Bush: Instead of setting up some boring policy institute—there are already about 3,000 of them—why not spend your money on something important, like studying Sarah Palin. Set up the Institute for the Study of Sarah Palin, and “my check is in the mail,” writes Richard Cohen of the Washington Post . Such a place...
It's Un-American to Pledge Allegiance to the Flag
Salon
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Nov 17, 2009 12:22 PM CST
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Americans everywhere ought to applaud 10-year-old Will Phillips, who told his teacher to "go jump off a bridge" after doing what we all should do: criticizing the Pledge of Allegiance. Phillips argued that because gay marriage isn’t legal, there isn’t “liberty and justice for all”—but forget his specific complaint...
Ohio Woman Tipped Cops to Sowell Last Year
Cleveland Plain Dealer
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Nov 17, 2009 12:04 PM CST
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A Cleveland woman says she was assaulted by accused murderer Anthony Sowell last December in a struggle that left her blood at his house—but after she narrowly escaped and went to the police, authorities believed him instead of her. In the ensuing months, five more women went missing. Wade says a police detective was skeptical of her allegations...
French Hotel Lets You Live Like a Hamster
Reuters
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Nov 17, 2009 11:54 AM CST
(Newser) -
So much for escaping the rat race: A French hotel offers guests the opportunity to act like, of all things, a hamster for the weekend—complete with grain to eat and a wheel to run in. The “Hamster Villa” also offers haystacks to sleep in for about $148 a night, Reuters reports. The owner—who was dressed as a hamster for the...
World's Most Valuable Models
Daily Beast
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Nov 17, 2009 11:35 AM CST
(Newser) -
Even supermodels are making less money these days. The Daily Beast came up with a formula to determine which are the most valuable, based on everything from runway work (weighed 10%) to cover appearances (10%) to income from contracts (40%): Gisele Bündchen: She no longer walks the runway, but an avalanche of endorsements, from the likes...
Going Rogue: What Reviewers Are Saying
Bloomberg
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Nov 17, 2009 11:22 AM CST
(Newser) -
Most reviewers agree Sarah Palin's Going Rogue is intriguing—mostly for the swipes at the McCain campaign and what Palin writes about her life off the political stage. Some takes: The book is "a crackling read of grudges recalled, and settled, in her favor, a rewriting of the 2008 campaign that makes Palin the heroine of every encounter,"...
Old Paris Law Still Stands: No Pants for Women
Telegraph (UK)
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Nov 17, 2009 11:06 AM CST
(Newser) -
Turns out fashion-forward Paris has some rather retro regulations. Namely, a ban on women wearing pants. It's the type of law associated with the Sudan, not the Champs-Elysées, but more than 200 years after it was enacted by the city's police chief, the law stands. But today's cops may have a tough time enforcing it: Trousers are mandatory for...
14 Scariest Twilight Souvenirs
Associated Press
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Nov 17, 2009 10:56 AM CST
(Newser) -
As thousands of fans mobbed last night’s New Moon premiere (some had been waiting since Thursday afternoon, the AP reports), Gawker runs down the 14 craziest pieces of Twilight merchandise: Edward Cullen panties Edward Cullen sock puppet Jacob Black light switch cover Vampire sparkle dildo Edward Cullen sweatshirt that reads,...
Beyonce, Gaga Video Surprisingly Tame
MTV
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Nov 17, 2009 10:53 AM CST
(Newser) -
The weirdest part of Beyoncé’s collaboration with Lady Gaga for the “Video Phone” video, which premiered on MTV early today, is Gaga's cameo—"mostly because it's shockingly normal," writes James Montgomery. "It's definitely not the Gaga we're used to seeing," nor the Beyoncé for that matter....
Army Arrests Single Mom Who Won't Deploy
Associated Press
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Nov 17, 2009 10:42 AM CST
(Newser) -
A single mom faces potential criminal charges after she skipped her deployment to Afghanistan to care for her 10-month-old son. Spc. Alexis Hutchinson, an Army cook, says she couldn’t find anyone to care for the boy, and that when she told her superiors of her dilemma, they said she’d have to put the child in foster care. “For her...
Blake Lively, Serial Boob Flaunter
New York
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Nov 17, 2009 10:25 AM CST
(Newser) -
Diane Keaton had her pantsuits, Lisa Lopez had her condom glasses, Kriss Kross had their backwards pants…and Blake Lively has her boobs. The Gossip Girl’ s long blond locks get a lot of attention, “but the assets Lively flaunts most flamboyantly are not on her head: They're on her chest,” writes Jessica Pressler for New...
Janet Blames Doc for Michael's Death
ABC News
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Nov 17, 2009 10:12 AM CST
(Newser) -
Janet Jackson blames Dr. Conrad Murray for her brother Michael’s death, and says he should no longer be practicing medicine in an interview airing tomorrow. Jackson tells Robin Roberts of ABC News that Murray “was the one that was administering. I think he is responsible.” She adds, “It’s been a tough year. And a day...
A Guide to Going Rogue
Politico
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Nov 17, 2009 10:09 AM CST
(Newser) -
It's the read all of Washington has been waiting for, but, alas, it has no index. Lest Sarah Palin's friends, foes, and frenemies be forced to read it all the way through to see how they made out, Politico's Jonathan Martin and Andy Barr offer a guide: Friends John McCain: Palin praises him, but ruefully recalls his decision to muzzle...
Google Ditches Mapmakers, Hires ... You?
New York Times
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Nov 17, 2009 9:56 AM CST
(Newser) -
Online maps that depend on user-generated content are growing at quite a clip, even threatening the more traditional purveyors of digital cartography. The famously canny Google marked the transition last month by dropping map company Tele Atlas from its US maps, opting to rely on free info provided by the government and, of course, users. “They...
Our Immune System Already Prepared for Swine Flu
HealthDay News
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Nov 17, 2009 9:45 AM CST
(Newser) -
The initial fear that swine flu is a totally new virus that your immune system isn’t equipped to handle turns out to be pure hype. According to a new study, immune systems that have previously had contact with flu viruses recognize H1N1 and deal with it the same way, by trying to attack the virus in the bloodstream and in infected cells. That’s...
Palin to Walters: 2012 'Not on My Radar,' But...
Associated Press
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Nov 17, 2009 9:35 AM CST
(AP) -
Sarah Palin says that a 2012 presidential bid is "not on my radar," but wouldn't rule out playing some role in the next presidential election. "My ambition, if you will, my desire is to help our country in whatever role that may be, and I cannot predict what that will be, what doors will be open in the year 2012," she tells Barbara...
Buenos Aires Grants First Gay Marriage License
Associated Press
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Nov 17, 2009 9:17 AM CST
(AP) -
Two men were granted a marriage license in Argentina's capital yesterday, breaking ground in a country and region where laws ban gay marriage. Jose Maria Di Bello and partner Alex Freyre won the right to get married when a judge ruled last week that a ban on gay marriage violates Argentina's constitution. "On December 1st we will become man and...
'Unfriend' Is Scam, Not Word, of Year
Gawker
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Nov 17, 2009 9:08 AM CST
(Newser) -
After "unfriend" won Oxford University Press' Word of the Year, Adrian Chen started typing away at a piece on Internet relationships for Gawker —"Then I realized that the Word of the Year is a huge scam." Here's the evidence: The past four winners have been hypermiling (maximizing gas mileage by adjusting your car and driving...
Abortion Amendment Not a Big Deal, by the Numbers
Wall Street Journal
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Nov 17, 2009 8:46 AM CST
(Newser) -
The Stupak-Pitts amendment clamping down on abortion funding by insurers isn’t the game changer it's been made out to be: It would affect only a tiny minority of women. Though 50% of privately insured women have plans that include abortion coverage, many, perhaps most, don't use it because of privacy concerns, notes Stephanie Simon in the Wall...
Call-Girl Scientist's Dad: I Had 150 Hookers
Daily Mail (UK)
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Nov 17, 2009 8:23 AM CST
(Newser) -
The father of Britain's most famous call-girl-turned-research-scientist Brooke Magnanti says he has used more than 150 prostitutes himself, and introduced his daughter to some of them. Paul Magnanti, whose daughter's double life has captivated the British press, says meeting the women showed her the "human face" of selling sex. Magnanti's...
In Afghanistan Debate, Obama Focuses on Exit
Wall Street Journal
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Nov 17, 2009 8:15 AM CST
(Newser) -
The Obama administration’s extended ruminations on an Afghan surge aren’t really over how many troops to send in—they’re about how they’ll get those troops out. Obama’s main problem with the initial military plan was that it seemed too open ended, administration sources tell Gerald Seib of the Wall Street Journal...
Spencer Vs. Al, Round 2
Us Weekly
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Nov 17, 2009 8:06 AM CST
(Newser) -
The inexhaustible Spencer Pratt and Heidi Montag are at it again, re-fueling their feud with Al Roker and campaigning for their own show. Pratt insulted Roker via Twitter (“WEATHERMAN I thought you were out of town today getting your stomache [sic] stapled again?” among other gems) when the couple’s interview yesterday was canceled,...
Doctors Blast New Mammogram Guidelines
Los Angeles Times
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Nov 17, 2009 7:46 AM CST
(Newser) -
There was an instant backlash from oncologists and gynecologists yesterday after a government panel recommended that that women in their 40s stop getting annual mammograms. “I think it is unfortunate that they came to this conclusion,” the director of imaging at one breast cancer center told the Los Angeles Times . “It would be...
Dems Switch Focus to Jobs
The Hill
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Nov 17, 2009 7:35 AM CST
(Newser) -
House Democrats hit by accusations they've been focusing on health care at the expense of employment plan to tackle job creation in the coming weeks. There's no consensus on whether the move will come as one big package or a series of smaller measures but Democratic leaders plan to have legislation in place by Christmas, congressional aides tell The...
Dobbs: CNN Didn't Want Obama Criticism
Huffington Post
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Nov 17, 2009 7:28 AM CST
(Newser) -
Lou Dobbs guarantees "100%" that he'll be staying in "the public arena" now that he's finished with CNN, he told Fox's Bill O'Reilly last night, but he demurred on whether that means a run for a New Jersey Senate seat. President Obama "isn't the devil," Dobbs said in response to a question from O'Reilly, but he noted that...
Health Care Reform Foes Outspend Friends 2:1
Associated Press
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Nov 17, 2009 6:53 AM CST
(AP) -
Business foes of health care overhaul legislation are outspending supporters at a rate of 2-to-1 for TV ads as they grow increasingly nervous over a final bill. Led by the US Chamber of Commerce, opponents of the Democratic health care drive have dropped $24 million on TV commercials over the past month—compared to the $12 million spent by labor...
YouTube Launches Citizen Journo Channel
Reuters
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Nov 17, 2009 6:35 AM CST
(Newser) -
A new YouTube service aims to make it easier for citizen journalists filming everything from celebrity antics to natural disasters to connect with news outlets. The YouTube Direct service allows news outlets to request, verify, and rebroadcast video from YouTube users. NPR, the San Francisco Chronicle , and Politico were among the news outlets on...
Obama, Hu Begin Bridging Divide
Associated Press
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Nov 17, 2009 6:08 AM CST
(AP) -
President Barack Obama and Chinese President Hu Jintao emerged from intense talks today determined to marshal their combined clout on crucial issues, but still showing divisions over economic, security, and human rights issues that have long bedeviled the two powers. "The relationship between our two nations goes far beyond any single issue,"...
Mom Charged With Sex Slavery in Girl's Death
CBS News
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Nov 17, 2009 4:47 AM CST
(Newser) -
The mother of a 5-year-old North Carolina girl found dead appeared in court yesterday and was charged with human trafficking and felony abuse. Antoinette Davis, 25, delivered daughter Shaniya to a man "with the intent that she be held in sexual servitude ," according to court documents. Davis was calm during a five-minute court appearance...
Stewart Pits '06 Giuliani Vs. '09 Giuliani
Comedy Central
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Nov 17, 2009 4:44 AM CST
(Newser) -
During last night’s Daily Show analysis of Khaled Sheikh Mohammed’s upcoming trial, Jon Stewart pointed out Rudy Giuliani’s blatant flip-flopping on the issue between 2006 and now. Though 2006 Giuliani believed that “America is dedicated to the rule of law” and “We are a free society, we have respect for peoples’...
Fed Report Rakes Geithner Over AIG Bailout
Politico
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Nov 17, 2009 4:18 AM CST
(Newser) -
Tim Geithner did a lousy job of looking out for the interests of taxpayers during the AIG bailout last year, according to a report from a federal oversight group. Geithner, then head of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, made no attempt to renegotiate AIG's debts, effectively giving the insurer's creditors a "backdoor bailout," the report...
Elizabeth Smart's Co-Kidnapper to Plead Guilty
Associated Press
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Nov 17, 2009 4:10 AM CST
(Newser) -
A woman accused of helping kidnap schoolgirl Elizabeth Smart in 2002 is expected to plead guilty today. Wanda Barzee could face a life sentence on kidnapping charges, although her lawyer declined to comment on whether her guilty plea is coming as part of a deal. Barzee was ruled competent to stand trial last month after completing 15 months of treatment...
'Unruly' Passenger Booted from Trans-Atlantic Flight
Associated Press
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Nov 17, 2009 4:05 AM CST
(Newser) -
A flight from Philadelphia to London made an unscheduled stop in Boston last night to eject an unruly Scottish passenger. The man, 50, was arrested for interfering with a flight crew, AP reports. A US Airways spokesman said the man was removed "in the interest of safety." The spokesman didn't comment on what kind of disturbance the man...
