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.
'Sick' Worker Fired for Facebooking
BBC
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Apr 25, 2009 1:48 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Hint to employees: If you say you're sick, don’t use Facebook. A Swiss woman was fired for doing just that, the BBC reports. She claimed her migraine prevented her from working on her computer and asked to lie in a darkened room—where she accessed Facebook through her iPhone. She asserted her innocence, and accused the company of creating...
Iowans (Mostly) Still Smile on Obama
Politico
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Apr 25, 2009 1:22 PM CDT
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Iowa, arguably the state that launched Barack Obama on his path to the presidency, will always be a "special place" for him, says press chief Robert Gibbs. And the feeling is—mostly—mutual, Politico reports. Obama enjoys a 64% statewide approval rating, and Iowans are reviving their Obama for America campaign to promote his presidential...
Markoff to Family: 'Forget About Me'
Boston Herald
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Apr 25, 2009 12:57 PM CDT
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Accused Craigslist killer Philip Markoff told his family “there is more coming out” yesterday during their jail visit, a source tells the Boston Herald . Along with his parents, Markoff saw his brother and sister-in-law, telling them to “forget about me” and “move to California.” His lawyer released a statement...
SC Man: Don't Blame Me, Blame Fire Dept.
Associated Press
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Apr 25, 2009 12:29 PM CDT
(Newser) -
A South Carolina man accused of setting off the state's still-burning wildfires says the fire department should be taking the blame, not him. Marc Torchi says he's gotten death threats since fire officials named him, alleging that Torchi's backyard fire to burn debris started the larger blaze. Torchi said they left something out: Firefighters came...
Pirates Seize German Ship
Associated Press
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Apr 25, 2009 12:08 PM CDT
(AP) -
Hijackers seized a German-owned ship in the pirate-infested waters between Somalia and Yemen today, a US Navy spokesman said. Pirates captured the Maltese-flagged MV Patriot in the Gulf of Aden about 150 nautical miles southeast of the Yemeni coastal city of Muqalla. An official from the German Foreign Ministry could not immediately confirm the ship's...
WHO Chief Sees 'Pandemic Potential'
Washington Post
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Apr 25, 2009 12:02 PM CDT
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The World Health Organization believes the outbreak of swine flu in Mexico and the southwestern United States could grow into a pandemic, the Washington Post reports. “It has pandemic potential,” said WHO’s director-general. “It is infecting people.” Margaret Chan cautioned that the WHO is still collecting information...
Spacey to Play Jailed Lobbyist Abramoff
Deadline
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Apr 25, 2009 11:52 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Kevin Spacey met with lobbyist-extraordinaire-turned-convict Jack Abramoff yesterday to discuss the actor’s portrayal of him in the upcoming Casino Jack , Deadline Hollywood Daily reports. The jailed Abramoff, convicted of scamming American Indians out of millions in casino money, is reportedly a huge Spacey fan. “For two guys who couldn't...
First Twitter Arrest: FBI Nabs Man Posting Threats
Wired
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Apr 25, 2009 11:47 AM CDT
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Another Twitter first: An Oklahoma City man has been arrested by the FBI after tweeting threats of a bloody rampage against the government at last week’s "tea party” in that city, Wired reports. “START THE KILLING NOW! I am willing to be the FIRST DEATH!” wrote Daniel Knight Hayden. Agents arrested Hayden the day...
Newt Filling Void of GOP Leadership
Politico
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Apr 25, 2009 11:06 AM CDT
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Newt Gingrich is back, and he seems to want everyone to know it. The former Republican House speaker is bashing President Obama on everything from his stimulus plan—a “European socialist model"—to his "fantasy foreign policy," Politico reports. "Gingrich is the classic political counterinsurgent," a GOP...
Faux Owners Dress Up Luxury Homes for Sale
Wall Street Journal
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Apr 25, 2009 10:41 AM CDT
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The slump at the top of the property market has been a bonus for people who can make a mansion look like a happy home but can't afford one of their own, reports the Wall Street Journal . Realtors stuck with empty luxury homes have been seeking the services of resident "home stagers" to give their properties an attractive lived-in look....
$70M in Anonymous Gifts Spark Academic Whodunit
New York Times
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Apr 25, 2009 10:27 AM CDT
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A wave of nearly $70 million in mysterious donations to a dozen colleges across the country has set off a happy guessing game in academic circles, the New York Times reports. "Whoever it is wishes to remain anonymous and I, for one, am perfectly happy to respect that," says the president of New Jersey's Montclair State, which received $5...
Bill Gates Senior: Bill Junior Was a Brat
Wall Street Journal
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Apr 25, 2009 10:24 AM CDT
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Bill Gates stopped being a kid right about age 11, his father tells Wall Street Journal . And then he turned into a royal pain, at least for a while. In the most famous bit of family lore, Bill Gates Sr. says he had to chuck a glass of cold water over the head of his 12-year-old son during an outbreak of "utter, total sarcastic, smart-ass kid...
Craigslist Founder Declines to Shut Down Erotic Ads
Associated Press
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Apr 25, 2009 10:18 AM CDT
(AP) -
The founder of Craigslist does not plan to close the "erotic services" section of the website despite criticism that has intensified after Philip Markoff, a Boston medical student, was accused of killing a masseuse who advertised there, and robbing two others. Craig Newmark contends his site already allows users to flag inappropriate material...
ANC Misses Two-Thirds Majority
BBC
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Apr 25, 2009 10:10 AM CDT
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The African National Congress easily won South Africa’s general election as predicted, but it failed to get a two-thirds majority that would have given it greater muscle, BBC reports. The ANC received 65.9% of approximately 17 million votes, putting Jacob Zuma in line to be president. A two-thirds majority would have allowed the ANC to change...
Obama Asks Workers How to Curb Spending
Associated Press
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Apr 25, 2009 9:49 AM CDT
(AP) -
President Obama appealed to federal workers today to propose ways to make their agencies' and departments' budgets more efficient. The president said employees' ideas would be key as his Cabinet officials cut millions from the federal budget and trim the deficit. "After all, Americans across the country know that the best ideas often come from...
Heads Up, Susan Boyle: They're Going to Turn on You!
New York Times
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Apr 25, 2009 9:31 AM CDT
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Sure, the eye-rollers in the Britain’s Got Talent audience got over it fast when Susan Boyle sang. Yes, the YouTube celebrity quickly became one of our most beloved pop-culture figures. But “people can turn back into snarky snobs just as easily,” warns Tom Bergeron in the New York Times , and “some already have.” Bergeron,...
Popular Michelle Plays Up Domestic Side—For Now
New York Times
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Apr 25, 2009 9:21 AM CDT
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Michelle Obama has become the most popular incoming first lady since Nancy Reagan after some determined image-building, the New York Times reports. The first lady has carefully shaped her public image through a series of interviews that focus on her domestic side. Some admirers, however, complain that the country isn't seeing enough of Michelle Obama...
Jailed Journo on Hunger Strike in Iran
BBC
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Apr 25, 2009 8:50 AM CDT
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The father of jailed journalist Roxana Saberi says his daughter stopped eating 5 days ago, the BBC reports. "I'm very worried," Reza Saberi said. Saberi, 31, an Iranian-American reporter, was convicted of being a US spy and sentenced to 8 years in jail in Iran. Her appeal is expected to be heard in the next week or so, and Iranian President...
Captain: 'I Didn't Think I'd Ever Get Out of That Boat'
MSNBC
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Apr 25, 2009 8:18 AM CDT
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Capt. Richard Phillips thought he'd never escape the Somali pirates holding him hostage, MSNBC reports. “I didn't think I'd ever get out of that boat," Phillips tells Matt Lauer in a Today Show interview airing Tuesday. He had resigned himself for the worst. “It was just settling everything, getting ready to die," he says. "You...
Lost Star Sued for Sexual Harassment
E! Online
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Apr 25, 2009 8:01 AM CDT
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A woman who says she found Lost actor Henry Ian Cusick's hands where they shouldn't have been is taking him to court, E! Online reports. The woman, a former ABC employee, says the Scotsman started groping her and moaning on the Lost set in October 2007, and that she was fired soon after she complained to management.
Maersk's First Mate Rips Limbaugh for Race-Baiting
WCVB Boston
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Apr 25, 2009 7:37 AM CDT
(Newser) -
The second-in-command who helped thwart a pirate attack on the Maersk Alabama has laid into Rush Limbaugh for playing up the drama's racial aspect. Shane Murphy says Limbaugh, who sneered that a Republican president would have been in hot water for ordering the shooting of "black teenagers on the high seas," is spewing hate speech. "I...
Markoff Linked to Third Craigslist Assault
Boston Globe
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Apr 25, 2009 7:24 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Philip Markoff has been linked to a third assault on a woman advertising sexual services on Craigslist, the Boston Globe reports. Police say the accused killer left fingerprints at a Rhode Island hotel where he tried to rob a prostitute last week and sent identifiable text messages immediately after the incident. Sources say he’ll soon be charged...
Mexico Grapples With Flu as Pandemic Fears Fly
Associated Press
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Apr 25, 2009 7:13 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Schools and museums are closed, sold-out soccer games are being played in empty stadiums, and health workers are ordering sickly passengers off subways and buses. At nightclubs, teenagers are dancing with surgical masks on. Mexico City is grappling with what authorities fear is ground zero for a global epidemic of a new kind of flu—a strange...
Pill-Poppers Flock to Florida
Los Angeles Times
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Apr 25, 2009 6:13 AM CDT
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Prescription drug abusers and dealers from across the eastern US have been hotfooting it to Florida to take advantage of the state's loose regulations, the Los Angeles Times reports. It’s the biggest state to not have a prescription monitoring program and hundreds of poorly regulated "pain clinics" do a brisk business selling...
Dems Fast-Track Health Care Overhaul
New York Times
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Apr 25, 2009 5:57 AM CDT
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Democratic leaders in Congress have agreed to adopt a filibuster-proof tactic to get President Obama's health care bill passed before the year is out, reports the New York Times . The tactic—known as "budget reconciliation"—will let the bill pass the Senate with a simple majority instead of the 60 votes needed to break filibusters,...
N Korea Relaunches Nuke Plant
BBC
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Apr 25, 2009 5:40 AM CDT
(Newser) -
North Korea has begun harvesting weapons-grade plutonium from its spent nuclear fuel rods, the BBC reports. The official announcement comes on the heels of UN sanctions against three North Korean companies accused of helping the country with its long-range rocket launch earlier this month. Pyongyang called the sanctions—which freeze the companies’...
Fierce Rivalries Shape, Threaten Kenyan Politics
Economist
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Apr 25, 2009 4:54 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Election violence in 2007 gave way to an uneasy coalition between Kenyan PM Raila Odinga and President Mwai Kibaki, but that move seems only to have transformed the fighting on the streets into squabbling in the capital. Now, "Kenya does not have a functioning executive at all, just an unholy alliance of fierce rivals," reports the Economist....
Chrysler Strikes Deal With Canadian Workers
Globe and Mail
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Apr 25, 2009 4:05 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Chrysler has won concessions from its Canadian workers that may help keep it out of bankruptcy, the Globe & Mai l reports. The Canadian Auto Workers union—faced with the prospect of Chrysler abandoning its operations north of the border—agreed to give up a range of hard-won benefits and to accept rules making it easier for Chrysler...
Clinton Makes Surprise Visit to Iraq: 'Still on Right Track'
Associated Press
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Apr 25, 2009 3:18 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Hillary Clinton said Iraq is still "on the right track" during a surprise visit to Baghdad today, the AP reports. The secretary of state said attacks like the twin suicide bombings that killed 60 people outside a Shiite shrine yesterday were the work of "rejectionists" who fear the country is going in the right direction.
Lions to Make Stafford No. 1 Draft Pick
ESPN
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Apr 25, 2009 2:41 AM CDT
(Newser) -
The Detroit Lions have signed a deal to make Matthew Stafford the NFL's top draft pick, sources tell ESPN. The Georgia quarterback, a key part of the Lions' plans to rebuild after the worst season in NFL history, has been given a 6-year deal worth a maximum of $78 million, with $41.3 million guaranteed.
Glowing Cancer Cells Signal Surgical Leap
Economist
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Apr 25, 2009 2:06 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Surgery to remove tumors has always been a delicate undertaking. Surgeons must try to remove all of the cancerous cells while minimizing the loss of surrounding tissue, a task made harder by the fact that it’s difficult to tell the difference just by looking. No longer: Scientists have found a way to make tumors glow green, the Economist reports.
Rihanna to Cops: Return My $1.4M Bling
E! Online
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Apr 24, 2009 8:50 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Rihanna wants a Gucci gown and $1.4 million in jewelry back from the LAPD, E! Online reports. The singer filed a motion in Los Angeles this week for their return, so she can give them to companies that loaned them to her on Grammy night. The LAPD seized the dress, hoop earrings, and metal rings as evidence when they arrested Chris Brown for allegedly...
Feds Aim to Calm Nerves With 'Brain Music' Therapy
New Scientist
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Apr 24, 2009 8:16 PM CDT
(Newser) -
A new federal study may be music to the ears of stressed firefighters and bomb squads, the New Scientist reports. The Department of Homeland Security is trying to record their brain activity when alert or calm, translate it into music, and play it back to soothe their frayed nerves. But psychologists are dubious of the plan. "I don't think they...
Experts Fear Swine Flu Pandemic
Wall Street Journal
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Apr 24, 2009 7:30 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Experts are stumped and very nervous about the current swine flu outbreak, the Wall Street Journal reports. The previously unknown flu strain, which has killed up to 68 in Mexico and infected eight Americans, is doing two new things: passing from person to person, and mixing viruses in a new way. The World Health Organization has asked an expert...
Conficker Virus Comes Alive, Attacks PCs
Reuters
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Apr 24, 2009 6:45 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Weeks after causing an April Fool's scare, the Conficker bug has come to life and used some personal computers to send out spam, Reuters reports. The computer virus, which has infected millions of PCs, downloaded the spam software onto a small percentage of them in recent weeks. One expert warns this is just the beginning. "Expect this to be long-term,...
Hospital Lets Out Dehydrated Leno
People
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Apr 24, 2009 6:05 PM CDT
(Newser) -
A Los Angeles-area hospital released funnyman Jay Leno today after observing him overnight for apparent dehydration, People reports. "We are happy to say that Jay Leno is feeling much better," NBC said in a statment. Leno plans to resume taping Monday after The Tonight Show was canceled today and yesterday. A Leno rep said he exerted...
Franken-Coleman Appeal Slated for June
Minneapolis Star Tribune
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Apr 24, 2009 5:39 PM CDT
(Newser) -
The Minnesota Supreme Court agreed today to hear oral arguments in the Al Franken-Norm Coleman legal battle starting June 1, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports. The appeal date is closer to a schedule proposed by Coleman, who appears to face an uphill battle in the Senate seat contest and sought more time to prepare. A Minnesota court recently...
Parents Visit Craigslist Murder Suspect in Jail
Boston Globe
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Apr 24, 2009 5:05 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Accused Craigslist killer Philip Markoff’s parents visited him for the first time today at the Boston jail where he is being held, the Boston Globe reports. Richard Markoff and Susan Haynes, who are divorced, did not speak to the press. Asked by reporters what the parents dreaded most about the visit, their son's attorney, John Salsberg, responded,...
Gates Pressure Speeds New Armor to Afghan Soldiers
New York Times
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Apr 24, 2009 4:34 PM CDT
(Newser) -
With a little push from Defense Secretary Robert Gates, the Army says it has completed its assessment of $3 million worth of high-tech, lightweight body armor and will send it immediately to soldiers in Afghanistan, the New York Times reports. The Army was dragging out testing on the new armor, which takes as much as 25 pounds off soldiers’...
Republican Concedes in NY House Race
Times Union (Albany)
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Apr 24, 2009 4:29 PM CDT
(Newser) -
The fight for Kirsten Gillibrand’s House seat is over, the Albany Times Union reports. Republican candidate Jim Tedisco conceded the race to Democrat Scott Murphy this afternoon, more than 3 weeks after the election. “Ultimately, it became clear that the numbers were not going our way,” Tedisco said. “The time had come to...
Fed Describes 'Stress Tests'
New York Times
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Apr 24, 2009 4:06 PM CDT
(Newser) -
At the behest of the Federal Reserve, the 19 biggest US banks are projecting their losses on 12 categories of financial product such as loans and mortgage securities, the New York Times reports. The Fed, which asked the institutions to project a hypothetical scenario of a “stressed economic environment,” made outlines of its criteria...
Summer's Film Fare: Prequels
Wall Street Journal
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Apr 24, 2009 3:55 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Hollywood’s set for a summer of prequels, with the backstories of Star Trek , X-Men , and Terminator ripe for the telling. But how do you make a film exciting when everyone knows how it turns out? “We didn’t want to fall into the trap of the first three Star Wars movies, and just make a straight-up reboot,” a Trek writer...
French Clear Armstrong in Doping Probe
CNN
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Apr 24, 2009 3:42 PM CDT
(Newser) -
The French anti-doping agency has cleared Lance Armstrong to compete in the Tour de France after resolving a controversy over blood and urine tests administered last month, CNN reports. The cyclist allegedly avoided an official by showering while the inspector's credentials were verified, which the agency has apparently found acceptable. “Case...
Big Banks Rally; Dow Up 119
Wall Street Journal
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Apr 24, 2009 3:24 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Stocks gained today on some positive earnings reports, but anxiety over the ramifications of government "stress tests" kept the lid on, the Wall Street Journal reports. The disclosure of the “stress test” methodology seemed to boost the biggest banks, like Bank of America, Wells Fargo, and US Bancorp, but investors worried about...
Errant Plane Breaches Security at White House
Bloomberg
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Apr 24, 2009 3:08 PM CDT
(Newser) -
An errant plane set off a brief security scare in Washington today, prompting the relocation of President Obama and VP Biden, Bloomberg reports. The small aircraft entered restricted airspace before being intercepted by military jets and obeying orders to leave the area and land at a nearby airport. During the alert, the White House and Capitol were...
GM to Scrap Pontiac Brand
CNN
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Apr 24, 2009 3:04 PM CDT
(Newser) -
GM plans to discontinue its underperforming Pontiac line, putting an end to the brand that inaugurated the era of the muscle car, CNNMoney reports. Though GM has not publicly announced the move, the fate of Pontiac has been in doubt since at least 2005, when an exec called the brand “damaged.” GM recently removed Pontiac, which was...
Obama Looks to Limit Right to Counsel
Associated Press
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Apr 24, 2009 2:48 PM CDT
(Newser) -
The Obama administration is pushing for a Supreme Court decision that would curtail the right of criminal suspects to counsel, the AP reports. At issue is a 1986 ruling that prevents police from questioning suspects unless a lawyer is present. The Justice Department says the restriction “serves no real purpose,” because suspects can always...
Waterboarding Isn't Easier 2nd Time, or 183rd
Slate
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Apr 24, 2009 2:39 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Like many other forms of torture, waterboarding doesn’t get any easier with repeated exposure. After multiple sessions of the simulated drowning technique, accused al-Qaeda plotters Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and Abu Zubaydah would at best have been able to slightly modify their response, explains Brian Palmer in Slate. The experience still would...
Gingrich, Gore Clash on Climate
MSNBC
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Apr 24, 2009 2:29 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Al Gore and Newt Gingrich both appeared on Capitol Hill today, arguing for and against Democratic legislation that would shape US policy on energy and the environment, MSNBC reports. Gore said the legislation, which would mandate a sweeping changeover to a green economy in the next 50 years, “has the moral significance equivalent to that of the...
Obsessed ? Don't Be
Orlando Sentinel
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Apr 24, 2009 2:21 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Obsessed , a thriller in which Ali Larter, as a temp in Idris Elba’s office, attempts to steal him away from wife Beyoncé, opens today. Having added a racial slant to the usual office love triangle story, the film has “can’t-miss hot-buttons built into it,” writes Roger Moore for the Orlando Sentinel. But director...
