Newser Story Index from February, 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.
Stanford Officer Held on $300K Bail
Houston Chronicle
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Feb 27, 2009 5:10 PM CST
(Newser) -
Laura Pendergest-Holt, the chief investment officer for disgraced financier Robert Allen Stanford’s firm, is being held on $300,000 bail, the Houston Chronicle reports. Her family is attempting to come up with the $30,000 cash necessary to free her. Holt spent last night in prison after being accused of lying to the Securities and Exchange...
Official Portrait of Michelle: Gun Show
People
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Feb 27, 2009 4:57 PM CST
(Newser) -
The White House released the first official portrait of Michelle Obama today, People reports, and it calls attention to her most famous accessory. No, not the Kennedy-esque double strand of pearls—her rock-solid arms. In the photo, snapped in the Blue Room, the first lady also sports a sleek black sheath designed by Michael Kors, according...
World of Warcraft: the 'Cocaine of Gaming'
The Local (Sweden)
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Feb 27, 2009 4:45 PM CST
(Newser) -
World of Warcraft is the most addictive video game on the market, the Local of Sweden reports. WoW is the most popular of the online multiplayer fantasy games—by far the most addicting game genre, according to a study by the Swedish Youth Care Foundation. The Blizzard title is "the cocaine of the computer games world," the foundation's...
Marri Faces Charges of Aiding Al-Qaeda
Washington Post
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Feb 27, 2009 4:31 PM CST
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The charges against Ali al-Marri include conspiracy and material support for terrorism, according to a federal indictment unsealed today. The only alleged enemy combatant held on US soil is incarcerated in a naval brig in South Carolina, where he has been held for over 5 years without being charged, and will now be transferred to the custody of...
Americans See a Lot of Bull on Wall Street
Reuters
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Feb 27, 2009 4:29 PM CST
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The executives who run Wall Street are bankrupt—at least, morally, say Americans in a new poll. Nearly 60% gave them poor grades for dishonesty and unethical behavior, Reuters reports. Most also blame the executives for Wall Street's mess. “We can’t act like it’s the fault of the system,” a spokesman for poll taker Knights...
Podcasts More Effective Than Lecture Alone: Study
Ars Technica
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Feb 27, 2009 4:15 PM CST
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Though podcasts can’t replace actually going to class, research suggests that students who download recorded versions of lectures get better grades, Ars Technica reports. Being able to repeat tricky parts of the lecture seems key; a group that attended a lecture and downloaded it later scored 9% higher than those who just attended the lecture—and...
U2's Latest Good, Not Great
Time
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Feb 27, 2009 4:02 PM CST
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At its best, U2’s latest album has the band both pushing forward with a dense, atmospheric sound courtesy of producers Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois—but in other moments, Bono and company are content to lazily rehash their stadium-pop formula, critics say. “The album lacks a unified feel,” writes Josh Tyrangiel for Time...
'Coaches' Help New Inmates Move from Suits to Stripes
Los Angeles Times
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Feb 27, 2009 3:50 PM CST
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The recession is providing new career opportunities for criminals turned consultants, reports the Los Angeles Times. Using the web, “jailhouse litigators” coach future inmates who’ve been convicted of white-collar crimes that presumably haven't prepared them for life on the inside. “We deal with anybody who has fears,”...
$100M for Haynesworth Opens NFL Free Agency
Washington Post
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Feb 27, 2009 3:35 PM CST
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The NFL free agency period began at midnight, and the Redskins quickly got down to business, agreeing to a 7-year, $100 million deal with defensive lineman Albert Haynesworth, the Washington Post reports. The former Tennessee Titan's contract includes an NFL-record $41 million in guaranteed money, the AP adds. He joins cornerback DeAngelo Hall,...
Google's Twitter Attracts 27K Followers—in 2 Days
CNET
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Feb 27, 2009 3:35 PM CST
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Google’s Twitter feed has attracted a staggering number of readers in the two days since it launched, proving that the micro-blogging service is already a fixture of internet culture, cNet reports. Google’s feed already has 27,176 followers—not as popular as Barack Obama, whose Twitter has 333,381 readers, but head and shoulders above...
Dow Falls 119 on Citi Fears
Bloomberg
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Feb 27, 2009 3:23 PM CST
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The government’s move to downgrade its shares in Citigroup pushed the Dow down today, Bloomberg reports. Not helping was news that GDP contracted 6.2% in the last quarter, and the end to a weeklong rally by other big banks. The Dow fell 119.15, to 7,062.93; the Nasdaq was off 13.63, to 1,377.84; and the S&P 500 lost 17.74, ending at 735.09.
Usefulness Keeps Left-Handed Trait Alive: Study
AFP
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Feb 27, 2009 3:22 PM CST
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Left-handedness seems to have avoided the fate of similarly rare genetic traits—that is, extinction—because it’s so useful, a study finds. For instance, left-handers in earlier times had the advantage of surprise in fights with right-handers, AFP reports; they often used both hands well, while righties were overly dependent on the...
Berlin Protesters Torch Luxury Cars
Bloomberg
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Feb 27, 2009 3:13 PM CST
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As the financial crisis inflames class tensions, economic protest in Berlin has taken the form of arson attacks on luxury cars, Bloomberg reports. Activists have torched more than 2 dozen vehicles this year, and the pace is increasing. A group puckishly calling itself “BMW”—an acronym for "Movement for Militant Resistance"...
Vetting Process Leaves Agencies Understaffed
Boston Globe
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Feb 27, 2009 3:02 PM CST
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President Obama’s nominee vetting process is making it hard for federal agencies to get to work on new projects, the Boston Globe reports. Of about 500 senior positions, only 70 have been filled. Normally that wouldn’t be a problem, but the passage of the stimulus package “may exacerbate the consequences of appointments taking awhile,”...
Focus on the Family Chair Dobson Resigns
Associated Press
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Feb 27, 2009 2:53 PM CST
(Newser) -
James Dobson is stepping down from his perch atop Focus on the Family, the AP reports, saying he wants to “lessen his administrative burden.” The conservative evangelist said he’ll keep playing a big role in the organization he founded, and will keep pushing his political agenda. Though Focus on the Family says it spends most of its...
Before Obama Visited Canada, Russian Bomber Did
National Post (Canada)
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Feb 27, 2009 2:42 PM CST
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On the day before President Obama’s recent visit to Canada, that nation’s warplanes turned back a Russian bomber, the National Post reports. The plane did not enter Canadian airspace, but the incident still alarmed officials, who have striven to enforce sovereignty. “When we see a Russian bear approaching Canadian air space, we...
McMahon Has Pneumonia, Bone Cancer
Entertainment Tonight
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Feb 27, 2009 2:34 PM CST
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Ed McMahon has been hospitalized for almost a month with pneumonia, and was recently diagnosed with bone cancer, Entertainment Tonight reports. McMahon’s wife, Pam, has been with the sickly former Tonight Show sidekick, and her “deep faith is helping her through this difficult time,” a source said. McMahon, who is 85, is in the...
Vatican Unsatisfied by Holocaust Bishop Apology
CNN
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Feb 27, 2009 2:26 PM CST
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The Vatican today rejected Bishop Richard Williamson’s so-called apology for his Holocaust beliefs, CNN reports, a mea culpa mandated by the Pope. “He must also distance himself in an absolutely unequivocal and public from his stand regarding the [Holocaust],” a spokesman said. Williamson said he regretted the “distress”...
Unemployed Furious at Contrarian Govs
New York Times
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Feb 27, 2009 2:21 PM CST
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Opposing the stimulus’ expansion of unemployment benefits may be good PR, but there’s one constituency it’s not playing well with: unemployed people. “It just seems unreasonable,” one jobless Texan tells the New York Times , “that when people probably need the help the most, that because of partisan activity …...
Buffalo Flight's De-Icing 'Antiquated:' Suit
Buffalo News
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Feb 27, 2009 2:11 PM CST
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The first lawsuit involving the crash of Continental Flight 3407 contends that the turboprop airplane should not have been flying at all in icy conditions, the Buffalo News reports. The “antiquated de-icing boots,” said a lawyer filing suit on behalf of Cantor Susan A. Wehle, “are 1920s, 1930s technology, which has not been brought...
Obama Will Undo Abortion 'Conscience' Provision
New York Times
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Feb 27, 2009 1:58 PM CST
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The Obama White House plans to overturn protections that President Bush extended to health workers who refuse to perform abortions or other procedures on moral grounds, the New York Times reports. Bush’s last-minute “conscience regulation” took effect on Obama’s first day in office, and now, after a 30-day public comment period,...
Young Slumdog Actor Gets Beating From Father
Sun (UK)
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Feb 27, 2009 1:42 PM CST
(Newser) -
Angered that his son wouldn’t play to a crowd welcoming 10-year-old Slumdog Millionaire actor Azharuddin Mohammed back to Mumbai, the boy’s father administered a public beating today, the Sun reports. Azharuddin arrived home yesterday following the film’s Oscar triumph, and had the day off school; when he wouldn’t appear...
Pelosi: It's My House, Not Obama's
Politico
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Feb 27, 2009 1:30 PM CST
(Newser) -
Nancy Pelosi was happy to block for President Obama on the stimulus, but she won’t keep at it forever, reports Politico. Pelosi’s responsibilities are to her liberal district and caucus; on the pace of repealing tax cuts, withdrawal from Iraq, and other issues, Pelosi doesn’t plan on rolling over. “Unlike recent Republican speakers,...
Grabby Octopus Blamed For Calif. Aquarium Flood
Los Angeles Times
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Feb 27, 2009 1:20 PM CST
(Newser) -
A curious octopus caused a flood that soaked the Santa Monica Pier Aquarium with 200 gallons of water, the Los Angeles Times reports. A tiny two-spotted octopus “grabbed the tube that pulls out the water and caused it to spray outside the tank,” the aquarium’s education specialist said. Workers quickly cleaned up the mess yesterday,...
Media Hijacks Rihanna's Right to Privacy
Huffington Post
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Feb 27, 2009 1:10 PM CST
(Newser) -
The Los Angeles Times and other media outlets violated Rihanna’s privacy by publicizing her identity as a domestic-violence victim, Smita Satiani writes for the Huffington Post. Public desire for details, the need to know if Rihanna herself somehow brought it on, “stems from the ultimate denial that these horrendous crimes are real—and...
Jewish Leaders Blast Clinton for Israel Criticism
Haaretz (Israel)
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Feb 27, 2009 12:51 PM CST
(Newser) -
Hillary Clinton has sent sharply worded messages to Israel over the past week, lambasting Jerusalem for throwing obstacles in the way of humanitarian aid to Gaza, reports Haaretz . The move isn't sitting well with Jewish leaders back home, notes CBS News. “I liked her a lot more as a senator from New York,” said Assemblyman Dov Hikind...
Colbert Challenges RNC Chair to Rap Debate
Comedy Central
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Feb 27, 2009 12:26 PM CST
(Newser) -
Stephen Colbert wants to help Michael Steele bring his flava to the masses. The Colbert Report star can tell the new RNC chairman is a gangsta at heart, because he’s said he wants to bring the conservative message to “urban-suburban hip-hop settings,” which he promises will be “off the hook.” So Colbert’s inviting—nay,...
But Wait, There's More! Snuggie's Not the Original
New York Times
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Feb 27, 2009 12:11 PM CST
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Casual observers—meaning late-night TV watchers—probably think the sleeved-blanket craze started with the Snuggie. Easy mistake: The ads showing cultish, cozy Snuggie converts are everywhere, and 4 million have been sold since October, the New York Times reports. But the creator of the Slanket wants to set the record straight. Gary Clegg...
Obama: Iraq War Ends by Aug. 31, 2010
USA Today
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Feb 27, 2009 12:00 PM CST
(Newser) -
President Obama didn’t mince his words in his address at Camp Lejeune, NC, today. “By Aug. 31, 2010, our combat mission in Iraq will end,” he declared, earning his first applause from the audience of Marines. “Iraq is not yet secure, and there will be difficult days ahead,” he said, but all US troops will be out by the...
Money Woes Ground Spidey, Other Musicals
Bloomberg
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Feb 27, 2009 11:48 AM CST
(Newser) -
Financial woes are forcing more musicals to face the music: Spider-Man’s Broadway appearance has been delayed until next January, while Stephen Sondheim’s latest couldn’t raise the cash for tryout performances, Bloomberg reports. Spidey’s show, with tunes by U2’s Bono and the Edge, costs a record $31.3 million to perform,...
'Radical' Budget Aims to Shrink Income Gap
New York Times
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Feb 27, 2009 11:35 AM CST
(Newser) -
Barack Obama's first budget is, above all, an attempt to shrink the gap between rich and poor that has grown rapidly for 30 years, writes David Leonhardt of the New York Times . The "bold, even radical" budget hikes taxes on the rich while dropping them to their lowest point in decades for lower-income Americans. Its also plows money into...
Guy's Name for Madonna: 'It'
Sun (UK)
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Feb 27, 2009 11:22 AM CST
(Newser) -
It seems Guy Ritchie can be added to the list of people who think Madonna’s looking a bit well-preserved. Her ex-hubby has taken to calling the singer “it,” the Sun reports, and he did so even before the split. “Guy will say, ‘Oh, it’s in a bad mood today,’” a source says. “He told people, ‘We...
Rihanna Appears in Public
E! Online
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Feb 27, 2009 11:07 AM CST
(Newser) -
After weeks of hiding out, Rihanna resurfaced on a Mexican beach in the first clear pictures taken of her since Chris Brown allegedly assaulted her on Feb. 8, E! reports. The shots, originally published by the New York Daily News , were taken over the weekend at a private villa in Punta Mita following the singer’s 21st birthday celebration....
Lennon Ripped Building Safety Just Before Death
New York Post
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Feb 27, 2009 10:50 AM CST
(Newser) -
John Lennon slammed security in his New York apartment building just months before he was murdered, the New York Post reports. In a handwritten note to an aide in April 1980, the ex-Beatle wrote, “explain to me why we are sleeping here with a front door that any nut can open (it doesn't lock). People know I'm here.” Lennon was shot and...
Noonan: OK, Now He's President
Wall Street Journal
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Feb 27, 2009 10:41 AM CST
(Newser) -
Presidents don’t become presidential when they’re inaugurated, writes Peggy Noonan in the Wall Street Journal . “Every president has a moment when suddenly he becomes what he meant to be.” For Barack Obama, that moment came during his speech on Tuesday. “He put on the cloak,” writes Noonan. Whether or not his proposals...
Mr. T to Unemployed: 'Man Up!'
Daily Mirror (UK)
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Feb 27, 2009 10:30 AM CST
(Newser) -
Feeling the recession depression? Not sure how you’re going to make ends meet? Mr T has some advice for you: “Man up,” the Mirror reports. The professional tough guy, who said he was in London to show Brits how to be a man, added, “If you get knocked down, setbacks in life, like applying for a job if they don't hire you, keep...
Only One Fund Manager Made Money in 2008
Wall Street Journal
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Feb 27, 2009 10:24 AM CST
(Newser) -
Of the 8,200 stock mutual funds in the United States, only one—Forester Value—managed to turn a profit in 2008. With a gain of just 0.4%, Thomas Forester has become a minor celebrity in the financial world, and brokers are suddenly eager to sell his tiny fund to investors. It's a welcome turnaround for Forester, who nearly shuttered the...
3D Concert Strictly for Jonas Junkies
Metacritic
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Feb 27, 2009 10:15 AM CST
(Newser) -
The band's tweener fans will swoon for the new Jonas Brothers concert movie, say critics, but Jonas Brothers: The 3D Concert Experience has little to offer the uninitiated. Mark Olsen, Chicago Tribune : The movie is "awkwardly stitched together from candy-gloss arena concert footage and somewhat grimier-looking backstage/limo/hotel...
'Naked Runway Challenge' in Prince Harry's Future
Sun (UK)
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Feb 27, 2009 10:05 AM CST
(Newser) -
Princes William and Harry will engage in some undignified behavior in a bid to earn their “drinking wings” as they train to become helicopter pilots, the Sun reports. As part of the RAF's traditional initiation, William will drink beer out of a toilet, and Harry will run naked across a landing strip. The hazing isn't mandatory, but the...
Climate Alarmists Are Off Base: George Will
Washington Post
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Feb 27, 2009 9:55 AM CST
(Newser) -
George Will set off a flurry of criticism this month with a column that questioned global warming. In his Post column today, he's not backing down, taking particular aim at the New York Times —long “a megaphone for the alarmed.” A Times article by Andrew Revkin asserted that “experts” attacked Will’s information,...
SEC Overlooked Stanford Fraud in 2003
Financial Times (UK)
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Feb 27, 2009 9:49 AM CST
(Newser) -
A former employee of Sir Allen Stanford warned the SEC in 2003 of an “illegal Ponzi scheme” involving his firms, but regulators brushed off the allegations, the Financial Times reports. The whistleblower also told another regulatory body that one of Stanford’s companies was “engaged in a Ponzi scheme to defraud its clients,”...
Dems Balk at Obama Tax on Rich
Politico
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Feb 27, 2009 9:40 AM CST
(Newser) -
President Obama is about to get into his first tax battle and, surprisingly, it might be with Democrats. Politico reports that Obama’s proposal to limit the federal tax deduction of state and local taxes for the wealthy is running into opposition from officials from high-tax, largely Democratic states. Obama’s fight will be with senators...
Obama's Big Speech? 'Totally Forgot,' Says Laura Bush
People
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Feb 27, 2009 9:30 AM CST
(Newser) -
Post-White House life is decidedly less hectic for the Bushes—so much so that Laura “totally forgot” to watch President Obama’s address to Congress, People reports. “It came and went and I didn't even think about it,” the former first lady said in an interview with ABC News. She also discussed other details of...
Inspire Us, Tiger
Washington Post
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Feb 27, 2009 9:23 AM CST
(Newser) -
Ignore the nonstop gloom and doom of economic news to consider a wonderful thing: Tiger Woods is playing golf again. Woods has been rehabbing his left knee since just after his gutsy 2008 US Open win settled forever the question of whether a golfer could be called an “athlete,” writes Eugene Robinson of the Washington Post , and his return...
Airline Eyes Charging for Toilets
Times (UK)
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Feb 27, 2009 9:15 AM CST
(Newser) -
Just when you thought the airlines had figured out how to wring every penny out of flyers, budget carrier Ryanair announced it was mulling a new fee: a $1.50 charge to use the toilets. The Irish airline's CEO said today he was considering "putting a coin slot on the toilet door," similar to facilities at train stations. The comments...
Mass Grave Found in Bangladesh Mutiny
BBC
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Feb 27, 2009 9:05 AM CST
(Newser) -
Bangladeshi troops have discovered a mass grave in the capital after a border guard mutiny shook the country, the BBC reports. The grave contained the bodies of between 20 and 60 officers in what began as a spat over pay and conditions and has now claimed at least 60 lives. Some 200 suspected mutineers have been arrested over the two-day uprising.
Ex-NPR Editor Nabbed for Child Porn
The Smoking Gun
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Feb 27, 2009 8:58 AM CST
(Newser) -
Looks like kiddie porn is a bipartisan offense: just 2 weeks after a Fox News producer was arrested on child porn charges, a former NPR editor has been nabbed over the stuff, the Smoking Gun reports. David Malakoff, who worked in DC, is named in a felony criminal document charging that he possessed the illegal material between April and June...
Stocks Plunge on GDP, Citi
Wall Street Journal
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Feb 27, 2009 8:44 AM CST
(Newser) -
Stocks took an early dive today, as investors digested a bleak GDP report and Citigroup’s new rescue package, the Wall Street Journal reports. The Dow tumbled about 125 points, while the S&P lost 2%. The Nasdaq dropped 1.1%. Citigroup shares plummeted 31% after it announced a deal that would leave the government owning more than a third...
Gregg Pulled In Profit on Air Force Base Earmark
Associated Press
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Feb 27, 2009 8:42 AM CST
(Newser) -
Barack Obama can be glad Sen. Judd Gregg, briefly nominated for commerce secretary, backed out. Today, the AP reports that Gregg invested heavily in efforts by his brother Cyrus to redevelop New Hampshire’s Pease Air Force Base, while earmarking federal dollars for the redevelopment. “These earmarks do not benefit me in any way, shape,...
Manny Rejects Dodgers' $45M Offer
Los Angeles Times
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Feb 27, 2009 8:30 AM CST
(Newser) -
The Dodgers sent out an angry mass email last night, titled “Boras Rejects Dodgers Offer to Manny,” complaining that agent Scott Boras had shot down yet another offer—this time for a two-year, $45 million deal. But Boras says he didn’t reject the offer, he simply made a counter offer—for a two-year, $45 million deal. Confused?...
