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.
Autistic Boy, 13, Drives Solo to Airport, Flies Across US
Palm Beach Post
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Apr 29, 2009 4:08 PM CDT
(Newser) -
A 13-year-old Florida boy with autism was found in San Jose, Calif., last night after driving himself to the airport and, apparently without identification or a credit card, getting on a cross-country flight, the Palm Beach Post reports. Kenton Weaver—who had never before driven—has Asperger’s Syndrome and is so obsessed with flying...
WHO Raises Pandemic Alert to Second-Highest Level
MSNBC
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Apr 29, 2009 3:48 PM CDT
(Newser) -
The World Health Organization today raised the pandemic alert level for swine flu to its second-highest level and asked all nations to ramp up emergency measures, MSNBC reports. The agency says human-to-human transmission of the disease is spreading and believes the world could be on the brink of a global outbreak. If conditions worsen, the agency...
Dow Surges 168 on Fed Hopes
Wall Street Journal
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Apr 29, 2009 3:40 PM CDT
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Stocks gained today but ended off session highs after good news from a key Federal Reserve body, the Wall Street Journal reports. The Open Market Committee said it saw evidence the economy is stabilizing, and the Fed said it may increase purchases of Treasury securities to lower borrowing costs. The Dow gained 168.46 to close at 8,185.73. The Nasdaq...
6 Car Bombs Kill 48 in Baghdad
CNN
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Apr 29, 2009 3:19 PM CDT
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Six car bombs rattled predominantly Shiite areas of Baghdad within four hours today, killing 48 and injuring 81. The three bloodiest explosions went off in quick succession in Sadr City, a dense Shiite neighborhood, CNN reports. The bombings were similar to seven coordinated attacks earlier this month, which the US says were orchestrated by al-Qaeda...
Lebanon Frees Generals Held in Death of Ex-PM Hariri
Associated Press
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Apr 29, 2009 3:16 PM CDT
(AP) -
Lebanon today released four generals held nearly 4 years in the 2005 assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri after a UN-backed tribunal ordered them freed, setting off celebrations with fireworks and dancing. Their release leaves the international tribunal with no suspects in custody after a four-year UN investigation into an assassination...
NH Moves Closer to Legal Gay Marriage
The Dartmouth
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Apr 29, 2009 3:05 PM CDT
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New Hampshire took another step toward legalizing gay marriage today, when the state Senate passed a measure already approved by the House, the Dartmouth reports. The bill will become law automatically Jan. 1 unless Gov. John Lynch vetoes it—and though he has said he’s against same-sex nuptials, it’s not clear whether he’ll...
Spanish Judge to Investigate Torture at Gitmo
AFP
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Apr 29, 2009 2:56 PM CDT
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A Spanish judge has launched a probe into allegations of torture at the American prison at Guantanamo Bay, AFP reports. Baltasar Garzon initiated the investigation after reading statements by Spanish citizen Hamed Abderrahman Ahmed and three other prisoners about their treatment there. Garzon also said that the memos recently declassified by the Obama...
Minn. Asks ISPs to Block Gambling Sites
Minneapolis Star Tribune
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Apr 29, 2009 2:48 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Minnesota wants Internet providers who serve customers in the state to block access to Internet gambling sites, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports. Officials say the practice is illegal in the state, but how prevalent it is is unclear. “It's hard to know that," a gambling regulator said. “I can't tell you if it's one or 500,000....
Rihanna Photo Leak Could Sink Brown Case
E! Online
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Apr 29, 2009 2:38 PM CDT
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The case against Chris Brown could be dismissed if a pending probe finds cops were responsible for leaking photos of a battered Rihanna, his lawyer tells E! Online. A Los Angeles judge scheduled the preliminary hearing for May 28 in response to the lawyer's request for a delay in anticipation of the results of the investigation. The judge also...
Penns Separate—Again
Extra
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Apr 29, 2009 2:30 PM CDT
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Sean Penn has filed for legal separation from wife Robin Wright Penn less than 2 years after a high-profile reconciliation, Extra reports. In 2007, Penn filed for divorce, though the proceeding was dropped when the two decided to stick it out. Expect the couple—married since 1996—to seek joint custody of their two teenage children, which...
Texas Schools Cancel Sports as Flu Spreads
Houston Chronicle
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Apr 29, 2009 2:21 PM CDT
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All Texas high schools are canceling sports and academic competitions until May 11 to prevent swine flu from spreading, and five school districts have canceled classes altogether, the Houston Chronicle reports. "Altering the schedule of our events is a way to keep our participants safe," said a state official. Sixteen Texans have...
N. Korea to UN: Apologize or It's Bombs Away
Guardian (UK)
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Apr 29, 2009 2:14 PM CDT
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North Korea is demanding an apology from the UN Security Council for condemning its rocket test this month, threatening more tests of nuclear and conventional missiles if it is not mollified, the Guardian reports. Pyongyang demanded the council drop its resolutions against North Korean military tests. The South Korean government accused the North...
Obama Takes Swipe at 'Folks Waving Tea Bags'
Politico
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Apr 29, 2009 2:04 PM CDT
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President Obama directed his most direct criticism yet at anti-tax “tea partiers” today at a town hall event marking his first 100 days in office, Politico reports. Though studiously vague, Obama conceded that people watching “certain news channels on which I'm not very popular” might “see folks waving tea bags around....
Steve Jobs Too Sick to Make Meeting on Fate of Home
San Jose Mercury News
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Apr 29, 2009 2:02 PM CDT
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Apple CEO Steve Jobs was too ill to attend a California town council meeting last night over the fate of a historic home he owns in Woodside, the San Jose Mercury News reports. “I don't think he would be strong enough if we were here until 1 am, and I think there's a strong possibility of that,” said Jobs' lawyer, who represented him...
Those Masks Won't Save You
Chicago Tribune
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Apr 29, 2009 2:01 PM CDT
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Chicago has swine flu fever—not the actual flu, mind you, but the pandemic of fear that has swept the US, Mary Schmich writes for the Tribune. Photos abound of Americans donning face masks to go out in public, and Schmich, calling around to pharmacists, found most fresh out. A Target pharmacist said she’d sold “at least 20 today.”...
Flyover 'Red Flags' Get News Orgs Poking Around
American Spectator
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Apr 29, 2009 1:57 PM CDT
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At least one news organization may file a Freedom of Information Act request, demanding the manifest for Monday’s Air Force One flight over New York, according to the American Spectator ’s anonymous “Prowler”—who relays suspicions that civilians or a high-level administration official was on board. “This is a bigger...
Obama Brings Game to DC Politics
Wall Street Journal
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Apr 29, 2009 1:44 PM CDT
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Whether shooting hoops or lobbying the IOC, Barack Obama is fast becoming the nation's sports fan-in-chief. In his first 100 days, the president hosted a Super Bowl party, sat courtside at a Bulls-Wizards game, and shot around with Connecticut's women's basketball team, the Wall Street Journal reports. He's also proposed a national college football...
WWJD? OK Medical Pot: Pastors
Chicago Tribune
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Apr 29, 2009 1:43 PM CDT
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More than 60 Illinois religious leaders want state lawmakers to legalize medical marijuana, saying their faith compels them to show mercy, the Chicago Tribune reports. "Jesus lived his life healing those where he could and bringing those to the absence of pain," said one minister. "This is entirely consistent with that."...
Obama Policies Make Boehner 'Want to Throw Up'
Washington Times
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Apr 29, 2009 1:41 PM CDT
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The Obama administration’s policies on national security, spending, and the law make John Boehner almost physically ill, the House minority leader tells the Washington Times . Democratic hate-crime legislation in particular, which Boehner says could be used against religious leaders who don’t support the gay agenda, makes him “want...
Mass. Principal Under Fire for Touting Her Racy Novel
Boston Globe
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Apr 29, 2009 1:31 PM CDT
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A Boston-area grade school principal is on indefinite leave following complaints that she peddled her steamy romance novel on school grounds and reassigned a teacher who criticized her self-promoting ways, the Globe reports. Beth Gannon's self-published book, which follows an engaged woman who reconnects with a past lover, is "pretty racy stuff," said...
RNC May Limit Steele's Power
Washington Times
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Apr 29, 2009 1:20 PM CDT
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A bitter fight is raging within the Republican Party after an attempt by an RNC faction to limit Michael Steele’s powers, the Washington Times reports. The “good governance” resolution would put new controls on the chairman’s ability to spend money and award contracts. Its backers, who include the RNC's treasurer, need...
Vineyard Offers $10K/Month to Drink, Tweet About Wine
San Francisco Chronicle
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Apr 29, 2009 1:16 PM CDT
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A California winery has a tempting offer for tech-savvy oenophiles, the San Francisco Chronicle reports. The Murphy-Goode Winery will set up the right candidate with a $10,000-a-month job at its Sonoma County HQ blogging and Twittering about, well, wine. The 6-month gig includes room and board; the 2-month hiring process is expected to draw 10,000...
I Want Revenge Is Early Derby Fave
Associated Press
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Apr 29, 2009 1:06 PM CDT
(AP) -
I Want Revenge has been made the early 3-1 favorite for Saturday's Kentucky Derby, with Pioneerof the Nile and Dunkirk sharing second-favorite status in the full field of 20 horses. I Want Revenge, coming off eye-catching victories on dirt in the Gotham Stakes and Wood Memorial at New York's Aqueduct, drew the No. 13 post position today. Pioneerof...
FEMA Scraps 9/11 Coloring Book
New York Daily News
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Apr 29, 2009 12:59 PM CDT
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After touting it for six years, FEMA has pulled a downloadable coloring book that depicts a plane flying towards the burning Twin Towers from its website. A Scary Thing Happened has been disseminated to thousands of children worldwide and no one has complained about it—or its potential to traumatize kids—until now, a public official...
Businesses Give Obama High Marks
BusinessWeek
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Apr 29, 2009 12:53 PM CDT
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Barack Obama’s seemingly tireless efforts to revive the economy have gone over well with business leaders, and the stimulus in particular has been a big hit, BusinessWeek reports. “We’re happy with the general outlines of what he’s done,” says John Castellani, president of the Business Roundtable, an association of CEOs....
Human Hair Grows Plants, Profits for Fla. Company
Marketplace
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Apr 29, 2009 12:44 PM CDT
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For growers and gardeners of all kinds, Smart Grow mats could be revolutionary. Tucked around the stems of plants, the cheap, natural mats keep weeds and pests away as they spur growth. There’s just one thing holding them back: They’re made from human hair. “No matter what you do,” says CEO Blair Blacker, some people just “won’t...
Kenyan Women Use Sex Strike to Sway Politics
Associated Press
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Apr 29, 2009 12:23 PM CDT
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Kenyan women are withholding sex in hopes of forcing an end to the squabbling that threatens to break the government's fragile coalition and plunge the nation into chaos, the AP reports. Thousands of members of 11 women's groups are participating in the week-long strike, and they have asked the wives of the president and prime minister to join...
100 Days of Work, Play in Photos
New York Post
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Apr 29, 2009 12:22 PM CDT
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President Obama’s first 100 days have been extensively photographed by the likes of White House photographer Pete Souza, the New York Post reports. Souza tries to be “discreet,” but it might not be necessary: “You know, he’s kind of oblivious to my presence.” For an inside look at the president and the first family...
Favre and the Rumor That Just Won't Die
Minneapolis Star Tribune
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Apr 29, 2009 12:04 PM CDT
(Newser) -
The fact that Brett Favre left the door ajar, if only slightly, has sportswriters in at least two cities salivating over where the “ at this time , I am retired” quarterback will land next season. And speculation is Minnesota, where, Judd Zalgad of the Minneapolis Star Tribune points out, the Vikings don’t have a proven leader for...
$1B Buys Quiet, 'Potent' Ride
Wired
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Apr 29, 2009 11:49 AM CDT
(Newser) -
To allay skepticism about progress on the development of the much-ballyhooed Chevrolet Volt, GM let Chuck Squatriglia of Wired take an engineering prototype for a spin. The vehicle—a Chevy Cruze with a Volt drivetrain—didn’t look like much, and not all of the features worked, but the ride "was remarkably smooth," and "out...
Accident or No, Gunfire Gets Automatic Penalty: Supremes
Associated Press
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Apr 29, 2009 11:42 AM CDT
(AP) -
The Supreme Court says accidentally shooting a gun during the commission of a crime should bring the same penalties as intentionally using a firearm. The high court today upheld the conviction and sentence of Christopher Michael Dean, who was arrested for trying to rob a bank in Georgia in 2004. A gun went off accidentally during the attempted robbery...
Obama, Biden Earn A-Minuses
Time
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Apr 29, 2009 11:24 AM CDT
(Newser) -
On President Obama’s 100th day in office, Mark Halperin of Time provides a White House report card: Barack Obama: A-. “Instantly comfortable and highly skilled at the hardest job in the world.” Joe Biden: A-: Operates "precisely in the manner he and Obama discussed before he accepted the position."...
Tomatoes Bring Fair-Trade Movement Stateside
Washington Post
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Apr 29, 2009 11:01 AM CDT
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With tomato pickers earning 45 cents per 32-pound bucket—the same wage as 30 years ago—fair-labor coalitions have long staged protests and boycotts. Now one of the country's biggest food-services companies is taking up the cause, the Washington Post reports. Bon Appetit says that if growers don't agree to fair labor practices, the company...
Biden Wooed Specter for Years
Politico
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Apr 29, 2009 10:49 AM CDT
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Joe Biden is the Democrat perhaps most responsible for Arlen Specter’s defection, Politico reports. The VP told a crowd yesterday that he had been trying to convince the Pennsylvania Republican “that he is really a Democrat” for more than 20 years. Specter's onetime Senate colleague recently stepped up the pace. “I have...
Jon & Kate Plus 8 , Minus Ring, Equals Rumors
Us Weekly
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Apr 29, 2009 10:38 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Reality star Jon Gosselin took a break from his eight kids and wife Kate—and wearing that pesky wedding band—at a nightclub two weeks ago, Us reports. The Jon & Kate Plus 8 dad, who took flak for palling around with coeds at a February party, “could barely walk” as he left the Pennsylvania club at 2am with an unknown...
After 100 Days, Obama Remains Elusive
Wall Street Journal
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Apr 29, 2009 10:32 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Whoever the man in the Oval Office really is, he's not a traditional liberal, writes Gerald Seib in the Wall Street Journal . Rather than aiming to bolster government programs, President Obama "seems to see government as the way to prompt the changes he wants in the economy or society." But not all Republican writers are as ambivalent:...
First 100 Days Better Than Great
Time
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Apr 29, 2009 10:30 AM CDT
(Newser) -
President Obama’s first 100 days have been momentous, to say the least. Here’s what his fans are saying: Obama is intent on remaking American culture, ending not just the post-Reagan era but the entire “quick-fix, sugar-rush, attention-deficit society of the postmodern age,” writes Joe Klein of Time . “Whether...
Suds Suck at New Yankee Stadium
New York Times
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Apr 29, 2009 10:17 AM CDT
(Newser) -
You can get steak and sushi at the new Yankee Stadium, yet somehow beer fans are slumming it with the likes of Heineken, Stella Artois, and—God help us—Pabst Blue Ribbon? “I want some beers worthy of the team,” writes Eric Asimov in the New York Times . How about a fine array of American pilsners—you know, the beer style...
Rendell Gets Machiavellian in Specter Switch
Newsweek
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Apr 29, 2009 10:09 AM CDT
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Arlen Specter’s party switch was a "seriously Machiavellian" move by Joe Biden and, particularly, Gov. Ed Rendell, writes Eleanor Clift of Newsweek. Biden’s self-interest in the matter is obvious: Specter represents the all-important 60th Senate vote. But the "gregarious, ambitious" Rendell, an even closer friend of...
Antitrust Concerns Prompt Google Books Probe
New York Times
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Apr 29, 2009 9:56 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Federal lawyers are looking into whether a Google Book Search agreement with authors and publishers may violate antitrust laws, the New York Times reports. The settlement of a 2005 suit allows Google to put millions of scanned books online, charge viewers to read them, and share revenues with both groups. Opponents say the deal puts Google in an...
Obama: Consider Closing Flu-Case Schools
Associated Press
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Apr 29, 2009 9:52 AM CDT
(AP) -
President Obama said today that US schools with confirmed cases of swine flu should consider closing. "This is obviously a serious situation," Obama said, that "we are closely and continuously monitoring." He said it is the recommendation of public-health officials that authorities at schools with confirmed or suspected cases...
Tab: Oprah Has 3 Years to Live
National Enquirer
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Apr 29, 2009 9:42 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Oprah’s ongoing weight drama has reached a new level: Medical experts tell the National Enquirer that unless she has her thyroid removed to control her weight, she only has 3 years to live. “She can't face another round of strict dieting and rigorous exercise, and she fears surgery is the only way out,” a family source says. Elsewhere:
'Co-Sleeping' Puts Babies at Risk of Death
BBC
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Apr 29, 2009 9:38 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Sleeping with an infant on a bed or sofa is dangerous for the baby, new research finds. The risk of unexpected infant death goes up for babies sleeping somewhere other than their cribs, especially for parents who smoke or who have been drinking. The study found that half of sudden infant deaths can be traced to bed sharing, BBC reports.
Next 100 Days Promise Real Test
Newsweek
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Apr 29, 2009 9:33 AM CDT
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President Obama’s efforts to reach out domestically and internationally in his administration’s infancy “have paid off remarkably,” Howard Fineman writes in Newsweek , but there are tough times ahead. “To make good on the promise of days 1-100,” Fineman writes, “Obama will have to deal with—and in some...
Virus-Wary Egypt to Destroy All 300K Pigs
Associated Press
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Apr 29, 2009 9:16 AM CDT
(Newser) -
The Egyptian government says it will immediately slaughter the country’s entire population of 300,000 pigs to protect against the swine flu, the AP reports. Egypt has stressed that it has no reported cases of the virus, though two infections have been confirmed in neighboring Israel. The move comes as countries around the globe look to restrict...
Miss California 'Made Me Laugh': Rosie
New York Daily News
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Apr 29, 2009 9:13 AM CDT
(Newser) -
It was only a matter of time before Rosie O’Donnell commented on Miss California’s gay marriage drama, but the comic wasn’t too harsh. Carrie Prejean’s comment “made me laugh,” O’Donnell told the New York Daily News . “She said, ‘In America, you have the choice between same sex marriage and opposite...
Forget the Flu: Guns Cause Far More Deaths
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Apr 29, 2009 8:56 AM CDT
(Newser) -
In the US and Mexico, a plague much more widespread than swine flu continues to pick off its victims, regardless of age, health, or hometown. "While federal and state authorities are preoccupied with preventing a swine flu pandemic from overwhelming the United States, the epidemic of gun violence rages on, unabated and little noted," writes...
'Highly Intimate' Bruni Photos Stolen
Daily Mail (UK)
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Apr 29, 2009 8:50 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Hundreds of “highly intimate” pictures of Carla Bruni-Sarkozy with her ex-lover, the father of her child, were stolen Sunday, the Daily Mail reports. The photos were taken from the house of Raphael Enthoven’s brother, where the philosopher—who was married when he started seeing the French first lady, then an international...
Stocks Up, Despite GDP Plunge
Wall Street Journal
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Apr 29, 2009 8:45 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Stocks headed higher at the open today, despite a grisly first quarter GDP report. The Dow rose 61 points, while the S&P and Nasdaq rose 0.9% and 0.8%, respectively, buoyed in part by a surprise 2.2% boost in consumer spending for the quarter. But that optimism was tempered by a 6.1% plunge in GDP. It’s the third month in a row that the economy...
100 Days: Biggest Promises Kept, Broken
Politifact.com
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Apr 29, 2009 8:39 AM CDT
(Newser) -
One way to judge President Obama's first 100 days in office is to look at his rhetoric on the campaign trail. Taking into account the fallout from the economic crisis, PolitFact came up with the most crucial promises Obama has kept and broken. His vow to beef up alternative-energy investment looks good, but those about getting tough on lobbyists seem...
