Newser Story Index from May, 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.
Tone Loc OK After Collapsing Onstage
Pensacola News Journal
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May 29, 2009 3:07 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Tone Loc is on the mend after collapsing during a concert early this morning in Pensacola Beach, Fla., the News Journal reports. The 1980s rapper, 43, fell victim to the heat and the stress of a 12-hour journey from California, his manager said. The mastermind of megahits Funky Cold Medina and Wild Thing was rushed by ambulance to a nearby hospital,...
Berlin Corpse May Be Slain Leftist Hero
Der Spiegel
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May 29, 2009 2:55 PM CDT
(Newser) -
For nearly a century, left-wingers have mourned at the tomb of Rosa Luxemburg, a murdered academic who fought to make Germany communist. But one pathologist insists Luxemburg’s body isn’t there, rather abandoned in a hospital cellar, Der Spiegel reports. The corpse Michael Tsokos found had no head, feet, or hands, and legs of different...
Starbucks Looks to Cut Back on Rent
Bloomberg
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May 29, 2009 2:42 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Starbucks is asking some of its landlords for a venti favor: lower lease rates by as much as 25%, Bloomberg reports. With the real-estate market in decline, a rep says, “We’re taking advantage of the opportunity,” adding that most landlords foresee a “mutually beneficial situation.” Indeed, one analyst says many leasers...
Costello Goes a Little Country
Blog Critics Magazine
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May 29, 2009 2:36 PM CDT
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Elvis Costello's new Secret, Profane & Sugarcane CD has a spare, country feel to it—T. Bone Burnett returns as producer—and critics generally think it hits the mark. Glen Boyd, Blog Critics: A little too much "filler" among the bright spots, but those bright spots are terrific. "For those willing to...
Big Three See Bumpy Road With 20-Somethings
BusinessWeek
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May 29, 2009 2:23 PM CDT
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Detroit automakers face a hard road when it comes to Generation Y—consumers aged 22-32 whose business is crucial to securing the firms' futures, BusinessWeek reports. Their boomer parents broke from tradition by shifting to Japanese cars, and Gen Y is following in those footsteps. Detroit “simply must do much better with Gen Y than they...
Ambassadors: Rich People in Useless Jobs
Foreign Policy
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May 29, 2009 2:11 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Barack Obama opted for politics as usual in his ambassador appointments yesterday, writes David Rothkopf for ForeignPolicy. Like recent predecessors, Obama turned to deep-pocketed campaign donors; hence Japan, the world’s second-largest economy, will deal with a tech lawyer whose sole qualification seems to have been his ability to raise $500,000,...
Site Taps Into Twitterers' Playlists
ReadWriteWeb
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May 29, 2009 2:00 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Are the Billboard music charts just too yesterday’s-news for you? Do you need to know which songs people are listening to the most, right this red-hot minute ? Luckily, the website We Are Hunted has figured out how to mine Twitter feeds to find out what’s playing the most, and has concoted an illustrated list, reports ReadWriteWeb. ...
Spector Sentenced to 19 Years to Life
KTLA
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May 29, 2009 1:59 PM CDT
(Newser) -
A Los Angeles judge today sentenced Phil Spector to 19 years to life in prison in the 2003 shooting death of actress Lana Clarkson. The legendary music producer, whose first trial in the case ended in a mistrial, plans to appeal, KTLA-TV reports. Spector, 69, listened impassively as he drew the mandatory minimum of 15 years to life for second-degree...
Suspended Manny Nears All-Star Spot
New York
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May 29, 2009 1:48 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Despite his 50-game suspension for performance-enhancing drug use, Manny Ramirez is in the running for a spot in the All-Star game, currently just 30,000 votes shy of an outfield post, New York magazine reports. While the media’s upset about it, the Dodgers’ owner likes the idea, and a "Vote for Manny" blog aims to get him on...
Prince Harry Tours Ground Zero
Associated Press
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May 29, 2009 1:37 PM CDT
(AP) -
Britain's Prince Harry bowed his head in prayer at ground zero today, then toured the Sept. 11 attack site and shook New Yorkers' hands in his first official visit to the US. “Big question—when is this supposed to be finished?" the 24-year-old asked officials showing him rebuilding plans for the World Trade Center site. The prince...
Sotomayor Lax in the Voting Department
NY1
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May 29, 2009 1:28 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Sonia Sotomayor isn't much of a voter. She skipped multiple New York elections in the past decade, including three for state supreme court, reports NY1. The 2nd Circuit appeals judge failed to vote for governor in 2002 and 2006, and for court positions in 1995, 1999, and 2007. Sotomayor is not registered with any party and thus cannot vote in party...
Fla. Eyes Loosing Bounty Hunters on Pythons
Miami Herald
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May 29, 2009 1:20 PM CDT
(Newser) -
With pythons slithering amok in the Everglades, Florida wildlife managers are toying with the notion of employing bounty hunters to cull the population, the Miami Herald reports. “If we don't get on top of this, they're going to eradicate the indigenous species of the Everglades,” said one. Officials have floated the idea to the US interior...
DJ Remixes Birth of a Nation for MoMA
The Stimulist
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May 29, 2009 1:07 PM CDT
(Newser) -
DJ Spooky is not your average turntabilist. The sci-fi-writing, French-lit-and-philosophy-studying 39-year-old has created arguably the greatest remix ever with his trip-hop soundtrack for the controversial 1915 film Birth of a Nation , the Stimulist reports. Next on the list for this soon-to-be household name? Showing his Rebirth of a Nation at...
UAW Overwhelmingly Backs GM Concessions
Associated Press
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May 29, 2009 12:56 PM CDT
(AP) -
United Auto Workers members have ratified a package of concessions designed to reduce General Motors' labor costs. Union president Ron Gettelfinger said today 74% of GM's production and skilled-trade workers voted in favor. The vote comes before the company's expected Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection filing Monday. Bankruptcy experts say having an...
Grandma Beats House With Record 154 Rolls
Time
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May 29, 2009 12:51 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Patricia Demauro didn’t know how to play craps. She came to the table in Atlantic City with $100. But when the dice came to her, beginner’s luck paid off. The New Jersey grandmother threw, and threw, and threw. Over four hours and 18 minutes, she threw the dice a record 154 times without rolling a seven, Time reports. The odds of doing...
How Vick Can Get Back to NFL
USA Today
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May 29, 2009 12:38 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Can Michael Vick overcome his dismal image and play again in the NFL? His high school coach thinks so—but it will require a serious, sustained effort from the quarterback convicted on dog-fighting charges, USA Today reports. “From a reputation standpoint,” says a crisis-management expert, “being inhumane is one of the worst...
Hef, Kendra to Share Wedding Dance
Daily Mirror (UK)
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May 29, 2009 12:25 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Hugh Hefner may not be walking ex-flame Kendra Wilkinson down the aisle when she marries NFL player Hank Baskett next month at the Playboy mansion, but they will have their own dance, she tells the Mirror . “He’ll always be in my life,” she added. “Hank was not secure about my relationship with Hef at first, but now he...
Drag Me Is Hellish Good Fun
Rotten Tomatoes
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May 29, 2009 12:08 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Drag Me to Hell is director Sam Raimi’s return to horror after a stint with Spidey—and he proves he's got the form down in the gruesome story of a cursed loan officer: The film “does everything we want a horror film to do: It is fearsomely scary, wickedly funny and diabolically gross,” says Betsy Sharkey in the Los...
'Mancow' Waterboarding May Have Been a Hoax
Gawker
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May 29, 2009 11:59 AM CDT
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Erich “Mancow” Muller’s on-air waterboarding was a hoax, an anonymous tipster tells Gawker, forwarding a seemingly damning e-mail exchange between the shock jock’s publicist and a veterans group she was hoping could find a torturer. “It is going to have to look ‘real,’” wrote Jerry Springer alum Linda...
Obama Lays Out Plans for 'Cyber Czar'
Associated Press
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May 29, 2009 11:56 AM CDT
(AP) -
The US has for too long failed to protect the security of its computer networks, President Obama said today, announcing he will name a new cyber czar to take on the job. This is a "transformational moment" for the country, Obama said, with computer networks probed and attacked millions of times a day. "We're not as prepared as we should...
GM's Opel, Vauxhall Get a Shot at Survival
Wall Street Journal
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May 29, 2009 11:48 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Canadian auto supplier Magna wants to buy GM’s European brands, offering Opel and Vauxhall a chance at survival, the Wall Street Journal reports. A deal for Opel would need temporary German funding. Angela Merkel’s government is debating putting up some $2 billion—but wants GM and the US Treasury to separate Opel from the rest of...
Boyle Goes Into Hiding, Will Compete
Associated Press
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May 29, 2009 11:44 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Though Susan Boyle is in hiding—her brother tells People , “It really has been terrible for her” dealing with the paparazzi—she took the time to post on the Britain’s Got Talent website, reassuring fans that she wants “nothing more than to stay and sing.” But how can American fans watch her Saturday performance...
Safer Stem Cells Bring Real-Life Treatments Closer
Reuters
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May 29, 2009 11:34 AM CDT
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In a development that brings practical applications of manufactured stem cells closer than ever, scientists have created stem-like cells using human skin cells, Reuters reports. "After a few more flight tests—in order to assure everything is working properly—it should be ready for commercial use," a researcher said of the technique,...
New Cancer Strategy: Don't Cure It, Manage It
Scientific American
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May 29, 2009 11:22 AM CDT
(Newser) -
The standard care for cancer patients is to kill tumors by blasting them with chemotherapy. Radiologist Roger Gatenby proposes a different approach in Nature : Forget about curing cancer and eliminating the tumors. Just keep them at a manageable size through drugs instead of chemo. "It just makes common sense," he tells Scientific...
Leno's Leaving, and Nobody Cares
Gawker
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May 29, 2009 11:09 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Why is no one crying as Jay Leno leaves the Tonight Show , wonders the Cajun Boy on Gawker. Is it “because he's liked by the olds and people who live in red states”? No, it’s because Leno is nice . He's like “a lover that you just sort of settle for. He's a serviceable, but utterly passionless flame.” Even if no one...
Lost-and-Found Letter Shows Lincoln's Terse Side
Washington Post
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May 29, 2009 10:59 AM CDT
(Newser) -
A handwritten note dated just a few days before Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address has finally made its way back to the National Archives, the Washington Post reports. The terse communication from the president to Treasury Secretary Salmon P. Chase addressed corruption charges against a Lincoln appointee. "Even though this item is seemingly...
One Susan Boyle Cashes In on Another
Mashable
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May 29, 2009 10:41 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Susan Boyle is selling susanboyle.com for $25,000. A possible purchaser? Singing sensation Susan Boyle. The Boyle who currently owns the site is an American painter who bears the same name as the British star, Mashable reports. The US Boyle has been getting a lot of visitors to her site lately, but they’re not after visual art. Now, she’s...
China's H1N1 Quarantines Trap Healthy Travelers
Washington Post
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May 29, 2009 10:30 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Now might not be the best time to visit China: the country's aggressive swine flu screening policies have kept even healthy travelers in isolation, the Washington Post reports. One Virginia man was deemed a threat to public health and quarantined for three days because he got off a plane with a temperature of 98.9, not even a degree above normal....
Wikipedia Bars Edits From Scientology Addresses
The Register
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May 29, 2009 10:24 AM CDT
(Newser) -
In an unusually broad push against posting biased content, Wikipedia’s “supreme court” has banned edits from IP addresses associated with Scientology headquarters and its affiliates, the Register reports. The Wikipedia Arbitration Committee voted 10-0 for the ban. Individual “Wikifiddlers” have had their privileges...
Boehner's No. 1 in Obama's Online Suggestion Box
Politico
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May 29, 2009 10:13 AM CDT
(Newser) -
House Minority Leader John Boehner didn’t like how the House Democrats were operating, so where did he appeal? The White House, of course. More specifically, reports Politico, Boehner used the White House online suggestion box to ask the president to back a 72-hour review period before any spending bill is passed. And Boehner's suggestion has...
Gay Marriage Activists Take the Fight to the Mormons
Washington Post
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May 29, 2009 10:01 AM CDT
(Newser) -
With the fight over gay marriage moving east, activists in favor of legalization are aiming to discredit a primary opponent: the Mormon Church. Stunned by the effect of Mormon fundraising and canvassing in the passage of California's Proposition 8, two groups are running ads attacking Mormon involvement in the issue, the Washington Post reports....
Idol Runner-Up Gets Ready to Come Out
New York Post
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May 29, 2009 9:48 AM CDT
(Newser) -
American Idol runner-up Adam Lambert, widely rumored to be gay, is finally coming out. A source tells the New York Post he’ll make it official on the next Rolling Stone cover. Meanwhile, Idol judge Kara DioGuardi seemed pretty certain of Lambert’s sexuality during her appearance on The View today, Perez Hilton reports: “I...
Sotomayor Shows Democrats' True Face
Washington Post
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May 29, 2009 9:38 AM CDT
(Newser) -
The people voted for Democrats, and Sonia Sotomayor reflects the views of the winning party. For that, writes Charles Krauthammer in the Washington Post , she deserves confirmation. But Republicans should seize the moment to illustrate what liberalism leads to. They should call Frank Ricci, the firefighter Sotomayor denied promotion. “Let Ricci...
Venus Out at French Open
Associated Press
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May 29, 2009 9:32 AM CDT
(AP) -
Venus Williams was eliminated from the French Open today, losing in the third round of the clay-court major for the third straight year. The third-seeded Williams, who reached the 2002 final at Roland Garros, lost to No. 29 Agnes Szavay of Hungary 6-0, 6-4. Williams was playing for the third straight day. Sister Serena is still alive in the tournament....
Tori-Mom Feud Turns Nastier
E! Online
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May 29, 2009 9:16 AM CDT
(Newser) -
This week on The Spelling Family: matriarch Candy implies daughter Tori is to blame for the death of producer Aaron—then gets mad when the media picks up on it. During a radio interview yesterday, Candy said Tori’s refusal to speak to Aaron was “what killed my husband, actually.” When E! called this an “accusation of patricide,”...
Looking for Extra Credit, Schools Get Downgraded
Wall Street Journal
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May 29, 2009 9:06 AM CDT
(Newser) -
The credit crunch is starting to hit even top-tier universities, the Wall Street Journal reports. Both Moody’s and S&P stripped Dartmouth of its AAA rating this week. It’s the 20th college Moody’s has downgraded this year. “That’s comparable to the rate of downgrades universities saw during the dot-com bust,”...
Stocks Look to End Month Up
Wall Street Journal
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May 29, 2009 8:52 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Stocks were modestly higher at the open, as stocks looked to close out the best three-month run they’ve had since 2007. The Dow rose 39 points, while the Nasdaq and S&P were each up 0.5%, reports the Wall Street Journal . For the month, the Dow is up 2.9%, while the S&P added a whopping 3.9%. Energy stocks were the big movers this morning,...
Justices Are Emotional Creatures
New York Times
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May 29, 2009 8:47 AM CDT
(Newser) -
America’s legal system “is based on a useful falsehood,” writes David Brooks of the New York Times . It assumes that judges are objective, almost robotic, executors of law. They’re not. “In reality, decisions are made by imperfect minds in ambiguous circumstances.” The question isn’t whether Sonia Sotomayor...
Sarah Palin Adept at 'Fake Smile': Levi
GQ
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May 29, 2009 8:30 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Levi Johnston says he won’t dish dirt on the Palins, but he will relay his impression of Sarah: “She knows how to throw in a fake smile,” he tells GQ in a wide-ranging profile, adding that she and Todd never liked him and “probably put a little pressure” on Bristol to dump him. Johnston also recalled his role in the...
Up Is a 'Buoyant Delight'
Rotten Tomatoes
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May 29, 2009 8:22 AM CDT
(Newser) -
It's nearly unanimous: Critics can't say enough good things about Up , the latest offering from Pixar: Ann Hornaday, Washington Post : The story of a curmudgeon who tries to fly his house to South America " is a soaring, touching, funny and altogether buoyant movie that lives up to its title in spirit and in form."
Gibbs: Don't Worry About Sotomayor on Abortion
Washington Post
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May 29, 2009 8:09 AM CDT
(Newser) -
President Obama nominated a candidate for Supreme Court with almost no record on abortion. Now, reports the Washington Post , he’s in the unexpected position of defending Sonia Sotomayor to his party’s pro-choice base. Spokesman Robert Gibbs went out of his way yesterday to suggest that Obama—who didn't specifically ask about abortion—is...
Pentagon Plans New Command for Online War
New York Times
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May 29, 2009 7:56 AM CDT
(Newser) -
The Pentagon is pushing ahead with a new military command devoted to cyberspace as the armed forces ramp up abilities to not only defend against computer attacks but launch them as well, the New York Times reports. The new command will work in concert with a civilian organization, which President Obama will unveil today, devoted to revamping the...
Sri Lankan Shelling Killed 20,000 Civilians
Times (UK)
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May 29, 2009 7:41 AM CDT
(Newser) -
The final battles of the 26-year civil war in Sri Lanka killed more than 20,000 Tamil civilians, most from government shelling, an investigation by the Times of London concludes. The number of casualties is three times higher than the government admitted. Aerial photographs, eyewitness testimony, and confidential UN documents show that an average...
Mortgage Rates Hit 3-Month High
Wall Street Journal
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May 29, 2009 7:28 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Mortgage rates jumped to a three-month high yesterday, putting hopes for a rebound in the housing market and consumer spending at risk, the Wall Street Journal reports. The average 30-year fixed rate hit 5.44% from 5.29% the day before and 5.03% Tuesday. The rates make it tougher for homeowners to lower payments by refinancing, which in turn can...
Banks Privately Chafe Against Derivatives Reform
Wall Street Journal
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May 29, 2009 7:22 AM CDT
(Newser) -
The Obama administration is pushing to reform the market for financial derivatives by requiring new reporting to make trades more transparent. In public, Wall Street is saying it's in favor of the changes, but as the Wall Street Journal reports, the banks are pushing hard against reforms behind the scenes. For them, legislation that would make the...
Noonan: Time for Republicans to Grow Up
Wall Street Journal
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May 29, 2009 7:06 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Sonia Sotomayor’s confirmation hearings are coming up, and Peggy Noonan has some advice for Republicans: play grown-up. “Some, and they are idiots, look at Judge Sotomayor and say: attack, attack, kill,” she writes in the Wall Street Journal . One told her the fight would excite the base. “Excite the base? How about excite...
Europe Balks at Taking Gitmo Detainees
Washington Post
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May 29, 2009 6:54 AM CDT
(Newser) -
The Obama administration has intensely lobbied its European allies to allow at least 50 Guantanamo detainees to resettle overseas. But as the US Congress rebels against the president's plans to move inmates to federal prisons, reports the Washington Post , an already skeptical Europe has strengthened its objections. "If the US refuses...
Chávez Begins 4-Day Talkathon
BBC
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May 29, 2009 6:43 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Hugo Chávez is on the air for the first part of his four-day talk show marathon, celebrating the 10th anniversary of the Venezuelan president's rambling television broadcast. As the BBC reports, today's Alo Presidente got under way in an electrical plant in the country's west, where Chávez regaled supporters with his opinions on...
Bush: Interrogations Were Legal
CNN
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May 29, 2009 6:34 AM CDT
(Newser) -
George W. Bush didn't mention Dick Cheney by name, but he backed his assertions that the CIA's harsh interrogations were legal and saved lives, CNN reports. After terror suspect Khalid Sheikh Mohammed was captured in 2003, for example, Bush said he checked with "the lawyers" to determine how to proceed. "I made the decision, within...
North Korea Fires 6th Missile: Report
Associated Press
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May 29, 2009 6:24 AM CDT
(Newser) -
North Korea has fired yet another short-range missile off its east coast, according to reports from a South Korean news agency. Although unconfirmed, the launch would be the sixth missile that the North has test-fired since its surprise nuclear test on Monday. Today Pyongyang warned it would take "self-defense" actions if the UN Security...
