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.
Geithner: We'll Deduct AIG Bonuses From Next Bailout
Bloomberg
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Mar 18, 2009 4:43 AM CDT
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Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner promised last night that taxpayers wouldn't be paying a penny toward AIG's massive executive bonuses, Bloomberg reports. He explained in a letter to lawmakers that the government would require the insurer to pay back the $165 million from company operations and that an equal amount would be deducted from the next round...
Cops Eye Link in Mother-Daughter Murders
Washington Post
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Mar 18, 2009 4:21 AM CDT
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Police are hunting for possible links between the grisly murders of a pair of mothers and daughters in the Washington DC area, reports the Washington Post . Both cases could "possibly" be the work of a serial killer, said a police official. Both moms were in their 40s and were killed with their teenage daughters. They were murdered within...
Bat Hitched Short Ride on Shuttle
Space.com
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Mar 18, 2009 3:56 AM CDT
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A small bat clung to the space shuttle Discovery's fuel tank throughout its launch Sunday, Space.com reports. Observation teams had hoped it would fly away before liftoff, but images reveal it stayed with the shuttle as it blasted off from Kennedy Space Center. NASA officials, who judged the bat was no threat to the shuttle's heat tiling, believe the...
US to Sign UN Gay Rights Declaration
Associated Press
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Mar 18, 2009 3:31 AM CDT
(AP) -
The Obama administration will endorse a UN declaration calling for the worldwide decriminalization of homosexuality that President Bush refused to sign, reports AP. The US was the only western government that refused to back the declaration last year, triggering stinging criticism of the Bush administration. Some 70 UN nations still outlaw homosexuality,...
2 Octuplets Come Home to Mob
Associated Press
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Mar 18, 2009 3:09 AM CDT
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A swarm of spectators and paparazzi met octuplet mom Nadya Suleman as she arrived home from the hospital with two of her babies last night, the Los Angeles Times reports. Onlookers clung to her car to glimpse 7-week-old Noah Angel and Isaiah Angel. The boys were released from the Kaiser Permanente medical center earlier that evening.
Richardson Family Gathers to Say Goodbye
New York Daily News
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Mar 18, 2009 2:39 AM CDT
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Family members have gathered at a New York hospital to say farewell to Natasha Richardson, reports the New York Daily News . The actress, on life support and believed to be brain dead after suffering a fall on a Canadian ski slope Monday, has been joined by husband Liam Neeson, the couple's sons aged 12 and 13, and mother Vanessa Redgrave.
Study: Obesity as Bad as Smoking
USA Today
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Mar 18, 2009 2:09 AM CDT
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Obesity can take years off a life, and in some cases is as dangerous to health as smoking, reports USA Today . Researchers analyzing studies involving almost a million people found that obese adults died an average of three years earlier than people with a healthy body-mass index. Extremely obese adults—100 or more pounds overweight—died...
US May Strike Deeper Into Pakistan
New York Times
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Mar 18, 2009 1:44 AM CDT
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The Obama administration is considering expanding its covert war in Pakistan beyond tribal areas to strike Taliban havens in regions under the central government's control, reports the New York Times . US commanders believe the Taliban, under the leadership of Mullah Omar, is operating out of sanctuaries in Baluchistan—which borders southern...
Brodeur Has Most Wins in NHL History
Associated Press
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Mar 17, 2009 9:49 PM CDT
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Martin Brodeur posted his 552nd win tonight and passed childhood idol Patrick Roy for the most career victories by a goalie in NHL history. He made 30 saves in the New Jersey Devils' 3-2 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks. The victory came in Brodeur's 987th game of a 15-year career played entirely with the Devils. "If this continues being fun,...
AIG Chief to Testify Amid Rising Rage
The Hill
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Mar 17, 2009 9:33 PM CDT
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AIG chief Edward Liddy has the not-so-distinct pleasure of testifying before Congress tomorrow just as rage at his company is reaching a full-throated roar. The House and Senate seem to be in a race to see who can recover the $165 million in bonuses faster, the Hill reports. If AIG employees don't give them up, Sen. Schumer suggested a tax on...
Bush: Obama 'Deserves My Silence'
Globe and Mail
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Mar 17, 2009 8:49 PM CDT
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In his first speech as a former president, George W. Bush declined to offer any criticism of his successor. "He deserves my silence," Bush told a group of business leaders in Calgary, reports the Toronto Globe and Mail . “I want the president to succeed. I love my country more than politics.” Bush also said he planned to write...
Feds Go After Madoff's Sons, Wife's Jewelry
New York Daily News
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Mar 17, 2009 8:16 PM CDT
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The Madoff accounting continues. Authorities said today they intend to collect millions of dollars from Bernie's sons, about $2.6 million worth of his wife's jewelry, and 35 watches and cufflinks that belonged to the Ponzi schemer himself, the Daily News reports. Madoff lent son Mark $9.5 million, much of it just months ahead of his arrest, and son...
Apple Unveils New Gizmos for iPhone
Associated Press
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Mar 17, 2009 7:44 PM CDT
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Apple is updating its software for iPhones so that users can cut, copy, and paste text—a basic computing feature missing from the gadget. The company—which unveiled 100 new features that will be available in the summer—also pledged to change the way third-party software programmers can build and sell content. Developers now will be...
White House on Defensive as Schumer Warns AIG
Los Angeles Times
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Mar 17, 2009 7:04 PM CDT
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The AIG fury grows. The White House today found itself defending Treasury chief Tim Geithner's handling of the bonus mess as congressional anger rose. Under siege by reporters about why the Obama administration didn't act sooner, spokesman Robert Gibbs said the president retains full confidence in Geithner, the Los Angeles Times reports. Meanwhile,...
Guinness' Booming Market: Nigeria
GlobalPost
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Mar 17, 2009 6:26 PM CDT
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Guinness may be synonymous with Ireland, but Nigerians down more of the stuff than the Emerald Isle, GlobalPost reports. Nigerians also out-Guinness the US—their country is second only to the UK in its consumption of the beer and is home to the first Guinness brewery outside the British Isles. Nigerians got their first taste in the 1940s,...
Feds Loosen Restrictions on 'American Taliban'
Washington Post
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Mar 17, 2009 5:54 PM CDT
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Federal prison officials are easing up a bit on John Walker Lindh, better known as the American Taliban, reports the Washington Post . All "special administrative measures" against Lindh will expire on Friday, meaning he'll be able to get more visitors, mail, and access to the media, among other things. Lindh, 28, has served 6 years of a...
10 Seriously Unlucky Irish Accents in Film
Irish Central
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Mar 17, 2009 5:40 PM CDT
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In honor of St. Patrick's Day, Irish Central ranks the worst Irish accents to hit the big screen. Sean Connery, "the gold standard to judge against all other bad Irish accents," takes the No. 1 and 2 spots, for Darby O'Gill and the Little People in 1959 and The Untouchables in 1987.
Chrysler Wants $1.5B More for Auto Loans
Detroit Free Press
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Mar 17, 2009 5:20 PM CDT
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Chrysler, which has received $4 billion in federal money for its manufacturing operations and $1.5 billion for lending, wants another $1.5 billion for its loan arm, the Detroit Free Press reports. “We’ve gone to Treasury and said we need to re-up that amount,” Chrysler’s CEO told CNBC. The initial money boosted sales by allowing...
Discovery Sues Kindle, Claims Patent Infringement
Reuters
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Mar 17, 2009 5:05 PM CDT
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Kindle is catching more legal flak. Discovery Communications—best known for the similarly named cable channel—says Amazon infringed on its patent for electronic book technology, Reuters reports. It's seeking unspecified damages. The Kindle also has taken heat from publishers because of its text-to-speech technology, which could cut into...
Ingraham Calls Meghan McCain 'Useful Idiot'
CNN
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Mar 17, 2009 4:55 PM CDT
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Meghan McCain, who has recently attacked certain prominent female conservatives, is a “flavor of the month” being manipulated by the media, says one of her targets. Laura Ingraham writes on her blog—under the title 'Useful Idiot' Watch— that McCain is following her father’s maverick playbook, CNN reports. But he, at least,...
Shuttle Docks at Space Station
Associated Press
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Mar 17, 2009 4:41 PM CDT
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Space shuttle Discovery has arrived at the International Space Station. The shuttle docked with the orbiting outpost late this afternoon, carrying the station's final set of solar wings. Before arriving, Discovery did a 360-degree backflip so station astronauts could photograph its belly. NASA will examine the photos as a precaution to check for damage...
Self-Kissing A-Rod: 'Surreal' Before the Fall
Details
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Mar 17, 2009 4:22 PM CDT
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Jason Gay interviewed Alex Rodriguez just a day before his past dalliances with performance-enhancing drugs were uncovered, he writes in Details. A-Rod knew what was coming, but the star was more concerned that his favorite Madonna song not be published, for fear of it being played at away games. “Looking back, his preoccupation seems surreal,”...
Air Force Nurse Charged in 3 Deaths
Associated Press
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Mar 17, 2009 4:15 PM CDT
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An Air Force nurse has been charged with giving lethal amounts of medication to three terminally ill patients in his care. Capt. Michael Fontana, 35, was formally charged in military court with deliberately giving three patients at Wilford Hall Medical Center—the Air Force's largest hospital—lethal amounts of medication, and with conduct...
MBA Programs Face Their Role in Financial Crisis
New Republic
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Mar 17, 2009 3:50 PM CDT
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Executives have taken a lot of blame for the financial crisis, whether for focusing on short-term gains in stock price or placing too much faith in ultra-complex financial instruments, writes Bradford Plumer for the New Republic . But what about the business schools that taught them to manage that way in the first place? With Wall Street in ruins,...
Family of Chimp Victim Sues for $50M
New York Post
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Mar 17, 2009 3:35 PM CDT
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Relatives of a woman mauled by a pet chimp are suing the primate's owner for $50 million, the New York Post reports today. The family of Charla Nash says Sandra Herold had no business owning a "wild animal with violent propensities" because she didn't have the skill or strength to keep it under control. The chimp, Travis, nearly killed...
Recession Creates Nation of Potty Mouths
MSNBC
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Mar 17, 2009 3:30 PM CDT
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The state of the economy has made for a lot of bad news, and bad news makes for a lot of cussing, MSNBC reports. “I’ve been dropping the F-bomb every time I look at the Dow,” said one 35-year-old writer. “You see that number and you say a few choice words.” Psychologists say two-thirds of all swearing is related to frustration...
Tech Rallies; Dow Climbs 179
Wall Street Journal
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Mar 17, 2009 3:19 PM CDT
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Stocks made gains today, with the financial and tech sectors pacing advances, the Wall Street Journal reports. Google and Research in Motion both gained at least 4%, with Citigroup and US Bancorp posting similar rises. The S&P 500’s financial sector gained 6.57%, and the index overall rose 24.23 to close at 778.12. The Dow closed up 178.73...
Wild Dogs Kill, Maul in Sicily
BBC
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Mar 17, 2009 3:12 PM CDT
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Packs of wild dogs are a public threat in Sicily, where they have killed a 10-year-old boy and mauled a 24-year-old woman, the BBC reports. The police have caught nearly 30 strays but believe at least 20 to still be at large. Police believe many of the dogs were starved and neglected by their owner, and have arrested a suspect.
ESPN Defends Busty Candace Parker Piece
WNBA.com
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Mar 17, 2009 3:00 PM CDT
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ESPN: The Magazine ’s latest cover story—which features a shot of very pregnant basketball player Candace Parker, and begins with a lengthy discussion about her breasts—has ruffled some feathers, but editor Gary Belsky is proud of it. In a friendly chat with WNBA.com, Belsky says he was OK having a pregnant woman on the cover because...
Relax, Parents: Tween Dora Still 'Wholesome'
Hispanic Business
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Mar 17, 2009 2:52 PM CDT
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Dora the Explorer is getting a tween update in a new doll, which trades her baby fat for a more girly, urban look, Hispanic Business reports. After concerns were sparked by a silhouette preview of the doll sporting a very short dress, parents can breathe a sigh of relief: the older version of the Nickelodeon cartoon character wears leggings under...
Richardson Brain Dead: Report
New York Post
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Mar 17, 2009 2:42 PM CDT
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Actress Natasha Richardson is brain dead after a ski accident yesterday in Canada, sources tell the New York Post , and is being taken from the Montreal hospital where she was on life support to New York so loved ones, including mother Vanessa Redgrave, can say their goodbyes. Richardson, 45, fell during a lesson; though she initially said she was...
Help Jim Cramer—Arcade Style
San Jose Mercury News
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Mar 17, 2009 2:41 PM CDT
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Jim Cramer is facing his share of critics, from Jon Stewart to Fox Business, the San Jose Mercury News reports. Now you can help him defend himself in a new web video game: Jim Cramer’s Crashsteroids. Steer Cramer’s sneering mug as he takes aim at his detractors in the format of classic arcade game Asteroids.
Ledger-Directed Music Videos to Air This Year
Hollywood Reporter
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Mar 17, 2009 2:30 PM CDT
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Music videos showcasing Heath Ledger’s directorial skills will be released this year, according to the Hollywood Reporter . One of the videos is for Grace Woodroofe’s cover of David Bowie’s “Quicksand.” The other, a fully animated spot for Modest’s Mouse’s “King Rat,” was a collaboration between...
Brothel Battles Downturn with Flat-Rate Pass
Der Spiegel
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Mar 17, 2009 2:21 PM CDT
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A Berlin brothel is fighting world economic gloom with a special offer: a flat-rate, unlimited, all-access pass, Der Spiegel reports. For about $90, clients are free to get chummy with all the workers. Men can even bring their wives. “70 euros, that includes everything—ladies, drinks and food,” says a staff member.
White House Greens Fountains for St. Pat's
Chicago Tribune
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Mar 17, 2009 2:05 PM CDT
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Fountains on the White House lawns run green today in honor of St. Patrick’s Day, the Chicago Tribune reports. The dye was suggested by the First Lady, perhaps to make Pennsylvania Ave a bit more like her native Chicago, which dyes the Chicago River green to mark the holiday. Irish Prime Minister Brian Cowen, visiting today, gave the president...
Spitzer: AIG Bailout an 'Inside Job'
Slate
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Mar 17, 2009 1:43 PM CDT
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Eliot Spitzer is mad about AIG, and not because it’s giving out bonuses. No, the real scandal, he writes for Slate, is the tens of billions of taxpayer dollars going to pay back AIG’s counterparties. The decision to bail out AIG was made by Henry Paulson, Timothy Geithner, Ben Bernanke—and Lloyd Blankfein, CEO of Goldman Sachs. Which...
Fritzl Gets Counseling for 'Ordeal of Trial'
Telegraph (UK)
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Mar 17, 2009 1:38 PM CDT
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Austria’s most infamous incestuous rapist has access to counseling at the prison where he is housed "to help him through the ordeal of the trial," a prison official said. But the official stressed that Josef Fritzl's care was not out of the ordinary. “There is no special treatment for Josef F,” he said. M
Hip-Hop Fans Get Own Guitar Hero
Ars Technica
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Mar 17, 2009 1:23 PM CDT
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Could DJs be the next Guitar Heroes? The publisher of Scratch: The Ultimate DJ hopes so. "I know that Scratch can reinvigorate DJ culture," turntable icon Mix Master Mike tells Ars Technica of the videogame, due out this summer. It'll push kids "into getting real turntables to not only keep the art alive but to spawn a new generation...
Ex-SLA Leader Released From Prison
CNN
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Mar 17, 2009 1:18 PM CDT
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The strange saga of Sara Jane Olson, from ‘70s agitator to bank robber to housewife, ended today when she was released from prison in California after serving seven years, CNN reports. Olson, a member of the Symbionese Liberation Army—best known for kidnapping Patty Hearst—fled in 1976 after being indicted for the attempted bombings...
73 AIG Execs Got $1M Bonuses: Cuomo
Associated Press
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Mar 17, 2009 1:16 PM CDT
(AP) -
AIG paid bonuses of $1 million or more to each of 73 employees, including 11 who no longer work for the company, said New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo. He subpoenaed information from AIG yesterday saying he wanted to determine whether the payments constitute fraud under state law. In a letter to Barney Frank of the House Committee on Financial...
Obama Names Steelers Owner Ambassador to Ireland
Associated Press
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Mar 17, 2009 1:12 PM CDT
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President Barack Obama has tapped Dan Rooney, the owner of the Pittsburgh Steelers, to be US ambassador to Ireland. Rooney, 76, is a lifelong Republican who endorsed Obama during Pennsylvania's contentious Democratic primary and campaigned for him ahead of the general election. A good year continues for Rooney, whose team beat the Arizona Cardinals...
Palin May Not Show for Dinner She's Headlining
Anchorage Daily News
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Mar 17, 2009 1:04 PM CDT
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Congressional Republicans were getting ahead of themselves when they announced that Sarah Palin would headline June's Senate-House dinner in DC, one of the biggest GOP powwows of the year, the Anchorage Daily News reports. In reality, Palin hasn’t even decided if she’s attending, her spokesman said yesterday. “I communicated with...
Medvedev: NATO Threat Means Russia Will Rearm
Reuters
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Mar 17, 2009 1:00 PM CDT
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Russia will rearm its military and boost its nuclear capabilities in response to NATO's growth, President Dmitry Medvedev told Russian military heads today. “Attempts to expand the military infrastructure of NATO near the borders of our country are continuing,” Medvedev said. That, alongside international terrorism and local concerns, “requires...
Obama's CIO Once Pleaded Guilty to Theft
Gawker
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Mar 17, 2009 12:45 PM CDT
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Vetting blunders don't get much more basic than this: Vivek Kundra, Barack Obama’s embattled Chief Information Officer, has a criminal record, Gawker’s Owen Thomas reports. Kundra, who’s currently suspended because of unrelated bribery charges against an employee, pleaded guilty to stealing less than $300 in 1997, according to Maryland...
OK! Prints Jade Tribute —but She's Not Dead
Guardian (UK)
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Mar 17, 2009 12:42 PM CDT
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OK! magazine jumped the proverbial gun today with the release of an issue “in loving memory” of British reality-TV star Jade Goody—who is still alive, the Guardian reports. The edition bills itself as the "official tribute issue 1981-2009," containing photos and recollections of Goody along with her “last words.”...
Madoff, Stanford Victims Can Get Break From IRS
New York Times
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Mar 17, 2009 12:35 PM CDT
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Victims of Ponzi schemes—including those perpetrated by Bernard Madoff and R. Allen Stanford—can claim big deductions on their taxes, the IRA commissioner told lawmakers today. The matter, unclear in the tax code, had been a concern for victims, the New York Times reports. The IRS “is issuing guidance articulating the tax rules...
Beyoncé: A Star En Route to Legend
Vogue
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Mar 17, 2009 12:23 PM CDT
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She’s a music icon and a movie star in the making, but Beyoncé has a new job: role model for the First Daughters. After Beyoncé’s inauguration performance, Michelle Obama “told me she was very happy that her girls have someone like me to look up to,” the singer reveals in an extensive Vogue interview that highlights...
March Madness: It All Started With Larry and Magic
NPR
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Mar 17, 2009 12:16 PM CDT
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March wasn't always so mentally unstable. A new book claims the whole college roundball craze started 30 years ago, when Michigan State and Indiana State—and their stars, Magic Johnson and Larry Bird—met in the title game. “You couldn't have asked for a better dynamic between these two central characters,” says Seth Davis, who...
Angry Congress Threatens Big Taxes on AIG Bonuses
Associated Press
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Mar 17, 2009 11:55 AM CDT
(AP) -
Outraged lawmakers threatened today to impose new taxes to recoup at least some of the $165 million in bonuses that insurance giant AIG awarded executives and traders after getting billions in federal bailout money. "What is the highest excise tax we can impose that will stand up in court?" Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus asked....
Sarkozy Faces Confidence Vote Over Rejoining NATO
BBC
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Mar 17, 2009 11:45 AM CDT
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Nicolas Sarkozy’s government must submit to a vote of confidence after the president announced his intention to have France rejoin NATO’s integrated military command, the BBC reports. Opposition politicians and some in Sarkozy’s UMP party say tightening NATO ties will threaten France’s independence. But Sarkozy says it doesn't...
