Newser Story Index from March, 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.
Dow Drops 86 on Financials
Wall Street Journal
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Mar 19, 2009 3:23 PM CDT
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Financial stocks led declines today as the boost from the Fed’s announcement of new plans to lower lending costs faded, the Wall Street Journal reports. Citigroup and Bank of America shares both fell at least 10%, giving back recent gains. Crude oil rallied to $50.80 a barrel, the highest price this year. The Dow closed down 85.78 points at...
Fishing Hooks Cash-Strapped
Reuters
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Mar 19, 2009 3:20 PM CDT
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The floundering economy means boom times for America's angling industry, Reuters reports. Bait-shop owners say they've had one of the best winters in memory as layoffs and cutbacks give workers a lot more free time to fish. Families are finding a day fishing makes a good alternative to costlier outings—with the bonus of lower grocery bills for...
Warming Is Polar Bears' Top Killer, Host Nations Agree
AFP
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Mar 19, 2009 2:50 PM CDT
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Five nations whose land is home to polar bears signed a joint statement today declaring global warming to be the biggest threat to the animals, AFP reports. Canada, Denmark/Greenland, Norway, Russia, and the US agree that “long-term conservation of polar bears depends upon successful mitigation of climate change,” the statement said.
House OKs 90% Tax on AIG Bonuses
Washington Post
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Mar 19, 2009 2:46 PM CDT
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By a 328-93 vote, the House today approved a bill that would recover most of the bonus money awarded to executives of bailout-buoyed AIG by taxing it at 90%. The measure drew significant Republican support, and some Democrats made it clear the legislation is an attempt to persuade execs to return the payments voluntarily, the Washington Post reports....
James Joyce Beat Britney to the Dirty Pun
Slate
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Mar 19, 2009 2:41 PM CDT
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Britney Spears' not-so-subtle pun in her single "If U Seek Amy" (say it fast) may seem devilishly naughty, but completely original it is not. Many musicians have used the similarly racy "If you see Kay" line—from blues pianist Memphis Slim to Norwegian punk band Turbonegro—which was coined by James Joyce in Ulysses...
Auto-Parts Suppliers Get Own $5B Bailout
Wall Street Journal
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Mar 19, 2009 2:31 PM CDT
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The US will provide $5 billion in aid to the nation’s auto-parts manufacturers, a sector struggling because of the tenuous financial situation of Detroit’s Big Three car companies, the Wall Street Journal reports today. Many parts makers face bankruptcy, as they have not been paid for product delivered. The federal money will guarantee...
Milwaukee Jewel Thieves Get Robbed Leaving Store
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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Mar 19, 2009 2:26 PM CDT
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Thieves in Milwaukee knocked off a jewelry store yesterday—only to be robbed of the loot themselves as they made their getaway, the Journal Sentinel reports. Police say the two suspects were confronted and robbed by at least four men as they left the store. Cops managed to arrest the original robbers, plus two of the others, but the jewels...
Pols Invade YouTube ... Badly
Telegraph (UK)
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Mar 19, 2009 2:14 PM CDT
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Congress got its own YouTube channel 2 months ago, allowing politicians to beef up contact with voters—but instead they're just floundering, the Daily Telegraph reports. Clips seem more awkward than anything else, analysts say. Many lawmakers ramble too long in speeches; other videos are just plain weird, like Nancy Pelosi’s video of...
Richardson Died After 'Blunt Impact,' Clot
New York Post
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Mar 19, 2009 2:07 PM CDT
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Natasha Richardson’s cause of death was an “epidural hematoma due to blunt impact to the head,” the New York Post reports. The verdict comes from the city’s medical examiner, ruling the actress’ death an accident. A hematoma is a blood clot that grows between the brain and the skull, the Daily News adds. The lights...
French Mock Sarkozy by Reading Book He Hates
Telegraph (UK)
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Mar 19, 2009 2:03 PM CDT
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France is in the grip of a nationwide strike, but dissatisfaction with Nicolas Sarkozy’s reforms is also taking a more cultured form: the reading of a classic 17th-century book the president has said he hates. The book has become an odd symbol of dissent. Sales are climbing as Sarko’s approval rates plummet, and buttons that say "I...
Pope Must Hide Cross at Jerusalem Site: Rabbi
Time
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Mar 19, 2009 1:58 PM CDT
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Pope Benedict XVI plans to visit the Western Wall in Jerusalem next month as a show of mutual understanding and sensitivity between Catholicism and Judaism—but a request from a prominent rabbi almost ensures he’ll offend someone, Time reports. Rabbi Shmuel Rabinovitch said the pontiff should remove the cross he wears constantly, “out...
Spanish Teens + $82 Balloon = Stunning Space Pics
Telegraph (UK)
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Mar 19, 2009 1:49 PM CDT
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A group of Spanish high-school students has successfully sent a balloon and camera package 20 miles above the surface of the Earth, scoring stunning pictures of space, the Telegraph reports—and on a budget of about $82. “We were overwhelmed at our results, especially the photographs,” the team’s 18-year-old leader said. “To...
March Madness Sets Standard for Online Sports
Chicago Tribune
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Mar 19, 2009 1:42 PM CDT
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If you're reading this with an NCAA tournament game streaming live in another browser tab, you're in good company: In 2008, nearly 5 million people watched March Madness online, reports the Chicago Tribune. The tipping point between novelty and mainstay came 4 years ago, when CBS made access free, setting an example that revolutionized...
It's Now or Never for Health Care Reform: Grassley
Reuters
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Mar 19, 2009 1:33 PM CDT
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Barack Obama’s promised health care reform must happen this year—or it won't happen at all in the next four years, says a key GOP senator. Charles Grassley—he'll play a major role in any new legislation as the ranking Republican on the finance panel—warns that election politics will make reform nearly impossible to enact...
Colbert Plans Persian Gulf Tour
Variety
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Mar 19, 2009 1:25 PM CDT
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Stephen Colbert is putting on a flak jacket and heading to the Persian Gulf, Variety reports. The Colbert Report will film a week of shows on a USO tour, but no one is dishing out air dates or specific locations. Says Colbert, “I can’t tell you where I’m going, but the fact that I can’t tell you where I'm going should tell...
Haggards Plug Marriage ... on Divorce Court
Colorado Springs Gazette
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Mar 19, 2009 1:17 PM CDT
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Disgraced pastor Ted Haggard and his wife are headed for Divorce Court , the Colorado Springs Gazette reports—but to plug the virtues of marriage and describe how his homosexual affair made theirs stronger. In a taping to air April 1, the New Life Church pastor says he asked Gayle Haggard to divorce him; she refused. “I see what happened...
Congressional Run-Ins With TSA Continue
Washington Post
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Mar 19, 2009 1:08 PM CDT
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It’s not quite a David Vitter, but Oregon Rep. Peter DeFazio had his own run-in with airport security this week, the Washington Post reports. DeFazio, one of the architects of the Transportation Security Administration, had to endure what he thought was an unnecessary search. But when he told the screeners he was “kind of an expert on...
Willis Set for Island Wedding
People
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Mar 19, 2009 1:03 PM CDT
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Bruce Willis—who turned 54 today—is going to tie the knot this week in the Caribbean with his girlfriend, 32-year-old model Emma Heming, a source tells People . The intimate ceremony will be on the Turks & Caicos, where Willis has a home. Guest villas have been booked and friends, including ex-wife Demi Moore and her hubby Ashton Kutcher,...
Squirrel Infiltrates Philly PD
Philadelphia Daily News
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Mar 19, 2009 12:54 PM CDT
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Let this be a lesson, kids: Dressing up in a squirrel costume can have unintended consequences. The Philadelphia Police Department’s Internal Affairs division is wrapped up in a truly bizarre squirrel case, the Daily News reports, after an officer who caught sight of a colleague in full rodent gear took offense and complained.
Hill Grilled the Wrong AIG Guy
Slate
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Mar 19, 2009 12:44 PM CDT
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Edward Liddy’s much-ballyhooed testimony yesterday—Chris Matthews billed it as “Watergate Redux”—didn’t wind up accomplishing much, “aside from revealing congressional ignorance of all things financial,” Daniel Gross writes in Slate. Yes, Liddy currently runs the reviled AIG, but he wasn’t running...
New Photo Shows Old Manson
Associated Press
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Mar 19, 2009 12:36 PM CDT
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A photo showing an aged, haggard Charles Manson was released yesterday as part of a routine updating of California prison documents, the Los Angeles Times reports. The photo shows Manson mostly bald and with a thick, grey beard, his homemade swastika tattoo faded. Manson, 74, is serving a life sentence for his role in a series of 1969 murders.
Latest Bin Laden Tape Targets Somali President
CNN
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Mar 19, 2009 12:29 PM CDT
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An audio message allegedly from Osama bin Laden posted on the Internet today and entitled “Fight On, Champions of Somalia,” calls for Somalia's new president to be “dethroned, fought, and removed with armed force,” reports CNN. The elected Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed—who backtracked from a concession to rebels that he would...
Starbucks: We're No 'Poster Child for Excess'
Advertising Age
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Mar 19, 2009 12:21 PM CDT
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Starbucks has become a “poster child for excess,” says CEO Howard Shultz, and the traditionally advertising-shy company is planning media blitz to combat that, Advertising Age reports. TV and Internet ads and social-media efforts will attempt to change the "myth out there that there's this $4 cup of coffee at Starbucks ... and if...
Pope Draws 60K in Cameroon
BBC
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Mar 19, 2009 12:12 PM CDT
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Roughly 60,000 people packed a soccer stadium in Yaounde, Cameroon, today to hear Pope Benedict XVI’s first giant African mass, the BBC reports. The pontiff used his sermon to warn the throngs of the dangers of urbanization and materialism. Earlier, Benedict met with Cameroon’s Muslim leaders, and said the peaceful relationship between...
Plummeting Mortgage Rates Near Record Low
MarketWatch
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Mar 19, 2009 12:03 PM CDT
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Interest rates for fixed-rate mortgages decreased this week, with the rate for a 30-year mortgage falling 0.05% to an average 4.98%, near January’s record low of 4.96%, MarketWatch reports. Thirty- and 15-year mortgage rates are down nearly a full percentage point from a year ago. The fall in rates comes a day after the Fed announced it would...
Tragedy Shadows Richardson's Family
Telegraph (UK)
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Mar 19, 2009 11:57 AM CDT
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Natasha Richardson's death has added a grim chapter to a history of misfortunes in the Redgrave family, the Telegraph reports. Various marital failures and controversies have often led to speculation about a Redgrave "curse"—something Richardson always dismissed. Richardson herself went through an acrimonious divorce; when she married...
Madoff Lawyer, DA Lock Horns on Bail
New York Times
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Mar 19, 2009 11:48 AM CDT
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Bernard Madoff’s lawyer argued today that the financier, who has pleaded guilty to a $65 billion Ponzi scheme, should be free on bail until June sentencing, the New York Times reports. Ira Sorkin cited past precedent in similar cases, but the prosecution said Madoff has incentive to flee—and one dubious appeals judge noted that he has...
Wal-Mart Gives Workers $2B in Bonuses, Rewards
Reuters
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Mar 19, 2009 11:42 AM CDT
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The recession has been kind to Wal-Mart, and it’s decided to share the wealth with the wage slaves. The mega-discounter will dole out about $2 billion in financial incentives to its hourly workers, Reuters reports, including $933.6 million in bonuses and $788.8 million in profit-sharing and 401(k) contributions. “While economic challenges...
Marc Jacobs Engaged Again
Women's Wear Daily
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Mar 19, 2009 11:33 AM CDT
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Designer Marc Jacobs is engaged once again, Women’s Wear Daily reports. Jacobs and ad executive Lorenzo Martone have been together about a year, and this is the second engagement rumor for the pair—the fourth for Jacobs since 2007, snarks Gawker. The lovebirds just bought a $13 million New York townhouse, the Post adds. The 4,500-square-foot...
13 Bailed-Out Banks Owe Back Taxes
Associated Press
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Mar 19, 2009 11:25 AM CDT
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At least 13 of the firms that got billions of dollars from the federal government owe back taxes, and their tab exceeds $220 million, Rep. John Lewis said today. What's more, that could be just the tip of the iceberg, the AP reports. The House Ways and Means subcommittee, which Lewis chairs, made the discovery by examining the tax records of just...
El Salvador, Costa Rica Restore Ties With Cuba
BBC
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Mar 19, 2009 11:19 AM CDT
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El Salvador and Costa Rica have decided to end decades-long diplomatic freezes with Cuba, the BBC reports. They were the last Central American countries still shunning the island. For El Salvador’s newly elected president, Mauricio Funes, normalizing relations is a simple matter of fulfilling a campaign promise. It’s a harder pill to swallow...
Co-Star Denies Rimes Affair
E! Online
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Mar 19, 2009 11:06 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Eddie Cibrian denies romancing LeAnn Rimes, E! reports—he insists “it is a fabricated story using random snapshots to create a scandalous relationship,” but an employee from the restaurant where the two were snapped thinks otherwise: “They were kissing over the table, holding each other's hands.” Elsewhere: Vin...
Oprah's Sick Puppy Hangs On
Chicago Tribune
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Mar 19, 2009 10:57 AM CDT
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Though Oprah Winfrey lost one of her new puppies to disease, a second is “holding steady for now,” a rep tells the Chicago Tribune . Ivan, one of the cocker spaniels Winfrey adopted earlier this month and showcased on her TV program, died of the highly contagious parvovirus. Littermate Sadie is undergoing treatment and in stable condition....
Some Spending Hard to Trim in 'Guilt Economy'
Wall Street Journal
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Mar 19, 2009 10:46 AM CDT
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Charitable contributions are down in a tough economy—but that may not mean people are feeling less philanthropic. Feeling too guilty to let the masseuse go under or a favorite shop die, many who can afford it are spending in an effort to help those around them, the Wall Street Journal reports. “It’s the guilt economy,” says...
Google Street View Launched in UK
Guardian (UK)
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Mar 19, 2009 10:37 AM CDT
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Google launched its Street View service in the UK last night, allowing Brits to wander the streets of 25 cities without leaving their computers, the Guardian reports. The 3-D maps allow 360-degree views of cities from London to Edinburgh. Specially equipped cars traveled 22,639 miles of British roads over about a year, taking pictures that show the...
Anger? Now That Would Be a Bonus
New York Times
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Mar 19, 2009 10:28 AM CDT
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Thank meek Tim Geithner for the wrath coming from the New York Times today. “We need a Treasury secretary so terrifying that if you were stuck in an elevator alone with him, you would just hand over your wallet,” Gail Collins writes. “And I’m totally angry at everybody in Congress for trying to pretend that they’re angrier...
LiLo Mourns Parent Trap Mom
USA Today
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Mar 19, 2009 10:25 AM CDT
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Parent Trap co-star Lindsay Lohan is remembering on-screen mom Natasha Richardson fondly, reports USA Today. "She was a wonderful woman and actress and treated me like I was her own," the starlet said of their work on the 1998 remake. "I didn't see much of her over the years but I will miss her. This is a tragic loss."
Butt Out of Primetime, Prez: Networks
Hollywood Reporter
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Mar 19, 2009 10:10 AM CDT
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President Obama is addressing the nation during primetime—again—and networks aren’t happy about it, notes the Hollywood Reporter . When Obama hits the airwaves Tuesday, he’ll bump American Idol ' s results show to Thursday, causing it to compete with the NCAA finals, and force the Big Four to cancel or move other programs....
Octuplet Mom Calls Cops on Paps
Los Angeles Times
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Mar 19, 2009 10:06 AM CDT
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Nadya Suleman is drawing all sorts of people to her new home, the Los Angeles Times reports, from paparazzi overrunning her property in suburban La Habra to prankster rappers claiming to be the octuplets' dad. The chaos led Suleman to call 911, and more than 200 residents complained to the police. Even a septuagenarian who copped to being “sick...
Runway Finalist Charged With Hurling Cat at Ex-Beau
New York Daily News
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Mar 19, 2009 9:57 AM CDT
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Way to have a hissy fit. Quirky Project Runway finalist Kenley Collins was arrested last night after hurling her cat at an ex-boyfriend in her Brooklyn apartment, reports the New York Daily News . The catty season-five contestant also lobbed a laptap, apples, and a glass of water, police said. She was released today and charged with assault, menacing,...
New IE8 Promising But Slow: Mossberg
Wall Street Journal
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Mar 19, 2009 9:56 AM CDT
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Internet Explorer 8 becomes available at noon, but don’t go ditching your current browser just yet, writes Walter S. Mossberg in the Wall Street Journal . Microsoft's latest is "a big improvement over its predecessor, IE7, and a much closer competitor to its main rival, Mozilla's Firefox"—but slower than Firefox, Google’s...
AIG's Money Lined Pockets in Washington
Wall Street Journal
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Mar 19, 2009 9:51 AM CDT
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Chris Dodd has been a major AIG critic of late, but the Senate Banking chairman also has the uncomfortable distinction of being the politician to benefit the most from the insurer’s generosity, the Wall Street Journal reports. AIG employees have donated $280,000 to Dodd over the years, including $104,000 during his presidential run. And he’s...
Striking French Workers Defy Sarkozy
AFP
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Mar 19, 2009 9:44 AM CDT
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France is in the grip of the second nationwide strike in 2 months today as unions protest the Sarkozy administration's economic policies, reports AFP. Air and rail transport has been disrupted, and half of primary school teachers have not come into work. The strikers are demanding a higher minimum wage, more progressive taxation, and an end to plans...
Fannie Mae's Task: Sell 65K Homes in Buyer's Market
NPR
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Mar 19, 2009 9:38 AM CDT
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It’s no secret that for US homeowners, it’s not a seller’s market. But imagine having 65,000 properties to sell. That’s the task ahead of Fannie Mae, NPR reports, as its volume of repossessed homes grows by the day. The guarantor of a third of all loans, Fannie is charged with foreclosing, renovating, valuing, and unloading...
Madoff Victims Get Free Meal
CNN
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Mar 19, 2009 9:36 AM CDT
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There ain't no such thing as a free lunch—but if you were a victim of Bernie Madoff's Ponzi scheme, a restaurant in New York will give you a free dinner. This week Nino's 208, an Italian restaurant located near Madoff's offices, is offering the city's swindled any three courses on the menu, which includes poached halibut and grilled filet mignon....
Soccer Offers an Escape in Bloody Juárez
New York Times
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Mar 19, 2009 9:31 AM CDT
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Even as the drug war claimed nine more lives in Ciudad Juárez last weekend, Mexicans filled the local soccer stadium to cheer on their team, the Indios. It’s perhaps the remaining safe bastion in the ravaged town. In May, when the Indios clinched promotion to the Mexican League’s top division, thousands rejoiced and reclaimed the...
Welcome Back, Loudmouth
Wall Street Journal
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Mar 19, 2009 9:20 AM CDT
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Taking potshots from Eliot Spitzer yesterday felt just like old times to the Wall Street Journal editorial board. "The Journal editorial page has been wrong on just about every issue out there," Spitzer told interviewer Brian Lehrer after being reminded of the paper's criticism of his efforts to tackle AIG during his days as a crusading...
Sony Reader Gets 500K Free Books From Google
Associated Press
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Mar 19, 2009 9:09 AM CDT
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Google is making half a million books available for free on the Sony Reader, propelling it past Amazon’s Kindle as the e-book device with the most tomes, at 600,000, the AP reports. The availability of the public-domain books, all published before 1923, marks the first time Google has made its scanned-book collection available on a reader.
Fritzl Gets Life Sentence
BBC
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Mar 19, 2009 9:06 AM CDT
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Austrian incest dad Josef Fritzl has been found guilty on all charges and sentenced to life in a secure psychiatric facility, the BBC reports. Jurors found Fritzl guilty on charges that included rape, incest, murder, and enslavement after he locked his daughter in a cellar for 24 years, raped her more than 3000 times, and fathered her seven children....
Check It Out: Bush Strikes $7M Book Deal
New York Post
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Mar 19, 2009 9:00 AM CDT
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The Decider, aka George W. Bush, will write a book titled Decision Points, the New York Post reports. The former president's rumored advance for the book, due out in 2010, is $7 million. That’s $5 million short of Bill Clinton’s deal for My Life, $1 million less than Hillary Clinton got for Living History, and $2 million shy of...
