Newser Story Index from April, 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.
How LiLo Can Save Her Career
New York Daily News
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Apr 30, 2009 9:00 AM CDT
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It’s hard to imagine Lindsay Lohan as the next Julia Roberts, but that once seemed to be her destiny. After the DUIs, rehab, bad movies, and drama-ridden relationships, can she ever stage a comeback? The New York Daily News asked the experts for advice: “Get involved in charitable work,” says a PR exec. “Erase...
Cohen's 'Bruno' Pranks Abdul
New York Post
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Apr 30, 2009 8:51 AM CDT
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Paula Abdul isn’t just acting oblivious on American Idol . Sacha Baron Cohen pranked the infamously airheaded judge for his upcoming film Bruno , and her interview with the character will appear in the movie, the New York Post reports. “ Paula was totally fooled,” says an insider. "She bought into his character and to this...
Earnings Send Stocks Higher
Wall Street Journal
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Apr 30, 2009 8:42 AM CDT
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Stocks surged at the open, as better-than-expected earnings buoyed hopes that the economy is ready for a comeback, the Wall Street Journal reports. The Dow was up 71 points, while the S&P and Nasdaq rose 8 and 20 points, respectively. Earnings reports have been surprisingly good this quarter; about two-thirds of the S&P 500 companies that...
Natural Gas Finds Could Herald Energy Shift in US
Wall Street Journal
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Apr 30, 2009 8:42 AM CDT
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A huge natural-gas discovery in Louisiana, on the heels of similar finds elsewhere over the past decade, is fueling a push to shift the nation’s energy portfolio, the Wall Street Journal reports. Louisiana’s Haynesville Shale could hold the energy equivalent of 18 years of current US oil production; one industry group thinks there’s...
Debit Cards Overtake Credit
Wall Street Journal
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Apr 30, 2009 8:35 AM CDT
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The recession has boosted the popularity of debit cards, the Wall Street Journal reports. In the last quarter of 2008, debit-card transactions processed by Visa were 50.4% of the company’s volume, surpassing credit cards for the first time. Rival MasterCard’s debit volume surged 13% last year as credit-card volume declined 2.2%. Consumers...
Republicans Play Blame Game Over Specter
Politico
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Apr 30, 2009 8:33 AM CDT
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Arlen Specter’s departure has set off a wave of finger pointing within the Republican Party, Politico reports. Some blame Specter for not having the ideological purity to stick with the party. But others single out various Republicans they claim helped push Specter out the door, from Michael Steele, who once said he’d support a primary...
Blaine Offers Farrow Hunger Strike Tips
New York Daily News
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Apr 30, 2009 8:30 AM CDT
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Mia Farrow took advice from a pro before going on a hunger strike for Darfur, the New York Daily News reports. Farrow says illusionist David Blaine—who once spent 44 seemingly food-free days sealed inside a Plexiglass case—told her the hunger pangs would stop six days in, and to drink plenty of water. Farrow is now into her fourth day...
Meghan: Specter Bailed on Us
Daily Beast
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Apr 30, 2009 8:28 AM CDT
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Arlen Specter has let the GOP down, but only because Republicans did the same, Meghan McCain writes for the Daily Beast. “He’s been made to feel like an outcast by a small, vocal group,” says McCain, herself familiar with the “tired rhetoric” now being hurled at the “progressive-minded” senator. “We need...
Avoid Planes, Trains, Closed Spaces: Biden
MSNBC
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Apr 30, 2009 8:26 AM CDT
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Joe Biden is advising his family to avoid confined places where swine flu could spread easily, including airplanes, subways, classrooms, and malls, the VP told the Today Show today. A single sneeze "goes all the way through the aircraft," he noted. Biden also said it's too late to close the Mexican border since the flu has already spread...
Chrysler to Declare Bankruptcy: White House
CNN
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Apr 30, 2009 8:22 AM CDT
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Having failed to make a deal with the creditors to which it owes some $7 billion, Chrysler will declare Chapter 11 bankruptcy later today, a White House official tells CNN. The filing does not mean the company will cease operations—rather, it represents an opportunity to execute a merger with Fiat. President Obama expressed optimism during last...
Nothing New in Dell's Sexy Offerings
Wall Street Journal
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Apr 30, 2009 8:15 AM CDT
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Dell is desperate to expand its chunk of the consumer PC market and shed its reputation for stodgy design, so Walt Mossberg decided to take a look at two of its flashier offerings: the ultrathin Adamo laptop, and the Studio One 19 touch-screen desktop. They’re not bad machines, he concludes, but they’re not exactly groundbreaking, either....
Swine Flu Not So Tough: Scientists
Los Angeles Times
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Apr 30, 2009 8:09 AM CDT
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Scientists are gradually downgrading their worst-case scenarios for the swine flu outbreak, the Los Angeles Times report. The H1N1 strain initially appeared to have disturbing similarities to the 1918 flu virus, but researchers analyzing genetic data released this week say the strain is less lethal than feared—and may in fact be less harmful...
Kentucky Bourbon No Backwoods Booze
Washington Post
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Apr 30, 2009 8:02 AM CDT
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Bourbon is sweet, but that’s no reason to call it unsophisticated, as one lover of the stuff learned on a trip to Kentucky. Making the whiskey is a process so complex and nuanced that master distillers are few—and the job often stays within families, writes spirits expert and food blogger Jason Wilson in the Washington Post . “We're...
Exxon Mobil Profits Plunge 58% on Low Oil Prices
Associated Press
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Apr 30, 2009 7:57 AM CDT
(AP) -
Exxon Mobil’s first-quarter profit fell 58% from the previous year to $4.6 billion—its lowest profit in more than 5 years—as the world's largest publicly traded oil company, along with the rest of the industry, saw gas prices deflate dramatically. This time last year crude was in the triple digits, in the midst of a historic run-up...
NYT Readers Brain Dead: WSJ Editor
Gawker
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Apr 30, 2009 7:50 AM CDT
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Media-to-media relations are starting to resemble reality shows, writes Ryan Tate in Gawker—maybe this will up readership. In a staff memo about circulation growth, the Wall Street Journal managing editor slammed the New York Times , writing “there are two measures of mortality, brain death and the day the NYT subscription ceases—the...
Usain Bolt Crashes Gift Car, Walks Away
Guardian (UK)
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Apr 30, 2009 7:46 AM CDT
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Olympic gold medalist Usain Bolt walked away from a car accident in Jamaica with no apparent injuries except a thorn in his foot. The world champion sprinter crashed his BMW M3—a gift from sponsor Puma for his performance in Beijing—after speeding down a wet highway, the Guardian reports. But Bolt, 22, may miss an invitational meet this...
Berlusconis Row Over PM's Wandering Eye
New York Times
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Apr 30, 2009 7:43 AM CDT
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Silvio Berlusconi's wife is taking her complaints of philandering and dishonesty to the press—and it's not the first time she's done so, the New York Times reports. The Italian first lady was angry that Berlusconi went to the 18th birthday party of a business associate's daughter, who has been photographed in lingerie. "This surprised...
Making Swine Flu Vaccine Now Could Backfire
BusinessWeek
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Apr 30, 2009 7:34 AM CDT
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The world's leading flu vaccine maker is on standby, ready to start cranking out a swine flu vaccine—but doing so might not be the smartest move, Carol Matlack writes in BusinessWeek. Vaccine makers can't shift or expand production easily, Matlack notes, meaning that a switch now could lead to a shortage of vaccines for seasonal flu—which...
Saudi Child Bride's Marriage Annulled
BBC
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Apr 30, 2009 7:27 AM CDT
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The marriage of an eight-year-old Saudi girl to a man in his 50s that drew worldwide attention has been annulled in an out-of-court settlement, the BBC reports. A judge had twice denied the girl—reportedly married off by her father to pay a debt—a divorce. The case has led Saudi officials to say they’d start regulating young girls’...
South Africa Asks: Who Will Be First Lady?
Wall Street Journal
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Apr 30, 2009 7:19 AM CDT
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In a few days Jacob Zuma will become president of South Africa—but who will become the country's first lady is less certain. The African National Congress leader, who has two wives and a fiancée, will be the first avowed polygamist to serve as the country's head of state. Yet as the Wall Street Journal reports, protocol means that only...
Edwards: I Cried, Screamed Over John's Affair
New York Daily News
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Apr 30, 2009 7:00 AM CDT
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Elizabeth Edwards reveals her reaction to husband John’s affair—which she knew about nearly a year before the story broke—in her new book, the New York Daily News reports. “I cried and screamed, I went to the bathroom and threw up,” she writes in Resilience , out May 12. She wanted John to quit the presidential race,...
No-Shock Barack Aces Day 100 Presser
Salon
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Apr 30, 2009 6:50 AM CDT
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Barack Obama's 100th-day press conference last night was a "schizophrenic affair," writes Mike Madden in Salon, with the president fielding questions on everything from swine flu to torture to the intricacies of running a profitable car company. On every issue, Obama stuck to the "loose, easy style" that marked his campaign....
Britain Ends Iraq Mission
Guardian (UK)
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Apr 30, 2009 6:43 AM CDT
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Britain officially ended its combat operations in Iraq today, lowering the flags of its armored brigade and turning over control of its Basra base to US troops, the Guardian reports. “The role of British ground forces is finished,” a defense official confirmed. “Today, Iraq is a success story,” added Gordon Brown, after a...
Mexico Shuts Down to Stem Outbreak
Reuters
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Apr 30, 2009 6:32 AM CDT
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The Mexican president told citizens to stay home tomorrow through May 5 for a five-day partial shutdown of the country's economy to reduce the risk of spreading swine flu, Reuters reports. In his first televised address since the outbreak, Felipe Calderón said that "there is no safer place than your own home," and ordered non-critical...
12 Killed in Azerbaijan School Shooting
Associated Press
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Apr 30, 2009 6:32 AM CDT
(AP) -
A gunman opened fire at Azerbaijan's prestigious oil industry academy today, killing 12 and wounding 13 before turning the gun on himself. The suspect, Georgian citizen Farda Gadyrov, entered the Azerbaijan State Oil Academy in Baku and climbed five floors of the building, shooting everyone he met along the way, said a government statement. Gadyrov...
Prof's Nazi-Israeli Comparison Stirs Uproar
Los Angeles Times
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Apr 30, 2009 6:24 AM CDT
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A UC Santa Barbara professor's decision to send his students an email comparing graphic photographs of the Holocaust's Jewish victims to similar shots taken of Palestinians during the recent offensive in Gaza has caused an uproar. Many students and faculty members have expressed support for the professor, who is Jewish, but two national Jewish...
Applegate Tops Most Beautiful List
People
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Apr 30, 2009 6:02 AM CDT
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Cancer survivor Christina Applegate has clinched the coveted cover spot on People's annual World's 100 Most Beautiful issue. Standbys like Angelina Jolie, Hugh Jackman, and George Clooney also made the list, but there are plenty of newcomers: Slumdog Millionare stars Dev Patel and Freida Pinto Michelle Obama make the list; Timothy...
US Terror Reports Boost Jihadis' Radical Cred
New York Times
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Apr 30, 2009 5:43 AM CDT
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Prominent anti-Western cleric Abu Muhammad al-Maqdisi says he isn't going soft in his old age—and he's got the Western intelligence reports to prove it. The Jordanian jihad theorist, under fire from more radical and violent younger extremists, proudly points to a report from West Point's counterterror center labeling him a dangerous and influential...
Mercy's Dad Rips 'Scandalous' Madge
Daily Mail (UK)
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Apr 30, 2009 5:17 AM CDT
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Madonna's battle to adopt a second Malawi child suffered a major blow yesterday when the toddler's father blasted the singer's loose morals and launched a battle for custody, reports the Daily Mail. James Kambewa is seeking to block the adoption because he wants to spare 3-year-old Mercy a life of "scandal" living with a woman who lacks...
Legal 'Party Drug' Blamed for 20 British Deaths
Telegraph (UK)
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Apr 30, 2009 4:54 AM CDT
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The British government is facing calls to ban a substance doctors blame for at least 20 deaths, the Daily Telegraph reports. GBL—an industrial solvent banned for personal use in the US years ago—is metabolized into banned drug GBH when ingested. Doctors warn that even tiny amounts can be poisonous and say it has killed several people...
Asian Shares Surge, Europe Opens Up
Wall Street Journal
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Apr 30, 2009 4:34 AM CDT
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Asian shares jumped today and European markets opened strongly, as good political and economic news encouraged investors. The Taiwan Stock Exchange rocketed 6.8% amid talk that mainland Chinese investors will be allowed to invest in the market, while in Tokyo the Nikkei closed up 4%. In London the FTSE opened up 1.2%, with banks leading advances....
A-Rod Juiced in School, on Yankees: Book
New York Daily News
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Apr 30, 2009 4:05 AM CDT
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An explosive new book probing deep into A-Rod's career suggests the slugger has failed to fully come clean about his steroid use, the New York Daily News reports. Rodriguez insists he only used steroids as a Texas Ranger, but the book quotes sources who believe he was juicing both as a high school player and after coming to New York.
Moms Livid Over Barbie Tats
Sun (UK)
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Apr 30, 2009 3:40 AM CDT
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A made-over Barbie has hit store shelves with her own tiny tats, and parents are livid, reports the Sun . "What's next? Drug Addict Barbie? Alcoholic Barbie?" asked an angry mom. The diminutive owners of the the Totally Stylin' Tattoo Barbie version of the 50-year-old babe will have a choice of over 40 tattoo stickers and a washable tattoo...
Cops Quiz Octuplet Mom Over Son's Black Eye
Associated Press
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Apr 30, 2009 3:08 AM CDT
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Police and social workers visited Nadya Suleman's home yesterday after her autistic 4-year-old son turned up at school with a black eye and bite marks, the Los Angeles Times reports. Suleman's attorney said the boy probably got the black eye in a fall and the bites were from one of Suleman's twins. He said it wasn't clear if authorities plan...
'My Dad Was the Zodiac Killer'
San Francisco Chronicle
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Apr 30, 2009 2:45 AM CDT
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A Californian real estate agent came forward yesterday claiming to offer proof that her late father was the serial Zodiac Killer who terrorized the Bay Area in the '60s, reports the San Francisco Chronicle . Her carpenter dad took her along to murder sites where the 7-year-old sat in the car unaware, said Deborah Perez. But her father told her he...
Dems in a Snit Over Specter's Cozy Deal
The Hill
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Apr 30, 2009 2:20 AM CDT
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Some top Democratic senators are rebelling against the deal that brought Arlen Specter into the fold, the Hill reports. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid told the aisle-crosser he could keep the 28 years of seniority he gained as a GOP senator, infuriating long-serving Democrats whom Specter will now likely leapfrog over to the top of important...
Antarctic Ice Shelf Crumbles
Telegraph (UK)
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Apr 30, 2009 1:53 AM CDT
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A huge ice shelf in the western Antarctic has become unstable and is beginning to fracture into icebergs, the Telegraph reports. Images from space show that the Jamaica-sized Wilkins ice shelf has lost 270 square miles of ice in recent weeks. Scientists expect the "fragile and vulnerable" shelf to continue losing ice, and blame the changes...
Apple Builds New Team of Chip Gurus
Wall Street Journal
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Apr 30, 2009 1:31 AM CDT
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Apple has been steadily assembling a team of experts with the capability to design the company's own brand of chips, the Wall Street Journa l reports. Insiders say the move—a major shift in strategy—will help Apple design new, exclusive features for its gadgets, and will eliminate the need for the company to share details of its work with...
Chrysler Talks Break Down; Bankruptcy Expected Today
Wall Street Journal
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Apr 29, 2009 11:14 PM CDT
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Last-minute talks between the Treasury Department and Chrysler's creditors have broken down, making a bankruptcy filing nearly certain today, the Wall Street Journal reports. In other developments, the Detroit News says Italian automaker Fiat will still sign a deal today to forge an alliance with Chrysler. Under the bankruptcy plan being worked...
Obama: Waterboarding Is Torture
Politico
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Apr 29, 2009 9:31 PM CDT
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President Obama said tonight that waterboarding and harsh interrogation techniques may have yielded useful information, but he said "we could have gotten this information in other ways—in ways that are consistent with our values," Politico reports. The techniques—"I do believe that it is torture," Obama said of waterboarding—damage...
Miss California Pageant Paid for Prejean's Implants
Access Hollywood
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Apr 29, 2009 8:57 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Carrie Prejean—the Miss USA contestant whose views on gay marriage made her an instant celebrity—now has another media flap to deal with: The organizers of the Miss California pageant say they paid for her to have breast implants, reports Access Hollywood . "It's not a rarity," says co-director Shanna Moakler. "It’s...
Arena Football Team Rescinds Offer to Vick
Times Union (Albany)
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Apr 29, 2009 8:20 PM CDT
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The owner of an arena football team has rescinded an offer to Michael Vick, the Albany Times Union reports. "Can you imagine him playing for $200 a week?” asked the owner of the Albany Firebirds. The Af2 team generated plenty of buzz when it announced the offer, but owner Walter Robb says it was done without his knowledge. "I certainly...
Palin Appears on TLC's American Chopper
People
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Apr 29, 2009 7:16 PM CDT
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Sarah Palin shows off her outdoors credentials this week with a guest spot on TLC's American Chopper motorcycle show, reports People . The guys from the cable show visit Alaska to build a bike in honor of the state's 50th anniversary, stopping by the governor's office to chat about snowmobiling and fishing. Palin was "a real down to earth person...
Obama: I'm 'Proud,' But 'Not Content'
Politico
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Apr 29, 2009 7:01 PM CDT
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President Obama this evening joined in on the 100-day assessment of his presidency, saying that he's "proud" of his progress so far but "not content," Politico reports. In remarks before his primetime news conference, Obama also trotted out a new phrase—calling for a "New Foundation" that ties economic recovery to...
Congress OKs Budget Plan, Advances Health Reform
Washington Post
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Apr 29, 2009 5:42 PM CDT
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President Obama's plan to overhaul the nation's health care system got a big boost today as the Senate followed the lead of the House and approved a $3.4 trillion budget plan, the Washington Post reports. The approval sets the stage for lawmakers to hammer out legislation over the summer on health care and a host of other issues including early education,...
Lewis Ousted as BofA Chairman; Remains CEO
Wall Street Journal
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Apr 29, 2009 5:08 PM CDT
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Bank of America shareholders gave Ken Lewis a demotion today. Lewis will remain the bank's president and CEO, but he will lose his position as board chairman, the Wall Street Journal reports. Shareholders—angry about the bank's plummeting fortunes of late—voted to split the chairman and CEO duties. Walter E. Massey will succeed Lewis...
Last-Minute Chrysler Talks Hinge on Smaller Lenders
Wall Street Journal
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Apr 29, 2009 5:03 PM CDT
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Chrysler is still preparing for bankruptcy in case the Treasury's last-minute negotiations with hesitant creditors crumble, the Wall Street Journal reports. Most big lenders have agreed to write down part of Chrysler’s debt in exchange for stakes in the company, but smaller hedge funds also have to agree for the deal to move forward. President...
McDonald's Doesn't Own 'Mc' Prefix: Malaysian Judge
Associated Press
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Apr 29, 2009 4:58 PM CDT
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A Malaysian court ruled that McDonald’s does not control the rights to every word with the “Mc” prefix, the AP reports. The appellate court overturned a 2006 decision that forced a Malaysian restaurant named “McCurry’s” to pay damages to McDonald’s for using the name to associate its business with the fast-food...
Dazed Astor Didn't Recognize Jesse Jackson: Witness
New York Daily News
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Apr 29, 2009 4:42 PM CDT
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A decade before her death, Brooke Astor was so out of it that she couldn’t recognize Jesse Jackson, a prosecution witness testified today in the fraud trial against Astor’s son, the New York Daily News reports. Anthony Marshall’s defense rides on his mother’s mental state, with the prosecution charging that he took advantage...
Blago Mulls 'Apprenticeship' at Nev. Reality-Show Brothel
Gawker
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Apr 29, 2009 4:31 PM CDT
(Newser) -
A Nevada brothel featured on an HBO reality show is offering Rod Blagojevich the chance to recoup some of the cash he missed out on by being barred from leaving the country to film for NBC, Gawker reports. The former Illinois governor’s PR flak is taking “very seriously” the offer from the Moonlite Bunny Ranch of an “apprenticeship.”...
