Newser Story Index from June, 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.
Strip Search of Middle School Student Illegal: Supremes
Associated Press
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Jun 25, 2009 10:13 AM CDT
(AP) -
An Arizona middle school's strip search of a teenage girl accused of having prescription-strength ibuprofen was illegal, the Supreme Court ruled today. School officials violated the law with their search of Savana Redding, the justices said in an 8-1 ruling. Redding, who now attends college, was 13 when school officials ordered her to remove her clothes...
GOP to Target Sotomayor With Gun Questions
Los Angeles Times
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Jun 25, 2009 10:07 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Republicans, who've failed to get traction in opposing Sonia Sotomayor's nomination to the Supreme Court, finally think they have an issue that might stick: gun control. When the high court struck down Washington’s tough gun control laws as unconstitutional, many wondered if the ruling applied to state laws as well. This year Sotomayor’s...
Sanford Meltdown Mortifying—but Real
Salon
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Jun 25, 2009 9:40 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Mark Sanford went before the cameras to confess and apologize yesterday, a ritual that is typically “a schtick, a plastic act of absolution performed by men who are just as plastic,” writes Gary Kamiya of Salon. But not this time. Sanford “got all weird and human on us.” Suddenly “instead of a press conference, we had...
In the Shadows, Ayatollah's Son Calls the Shots
Los Angeles Times
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Jun 25, 2009 9:28 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei rarely appears in public and cultivates a shadowy reputation—but even further out of the public eye, his son has become one of the post powerful men in Iran. Ultraconservative cleric Mojtaba Khamenei, believed to be around 50 years old, has connections throughout the Revolutionary Guards and the paramilitary Basij. As the...
New Class of Drugs Could Revolutionize Cancer Treatment
NBC News
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Jun 25, 2009 9:12 AM CDT
(Newser) -
A new class of drugs in development represents the biggest cancer breakthrough in a decade, Robert Bazell writes at NBC. In a study causing much excitement in the medical world, breast, ovarian, and prostate cancer patients treated with Olaparib, one of a group of drugs known as PARP inhibitors, had their tumors shrink or vanish, often without the...
Afghan Prez Squeezes Out Opponents
New York Times
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Jun 25, 2009 9:06 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Afghanistan’s president isn’t popular with his people—in a recent poll, just 31% said they would vote for him—but he’ll probably win an August election anyway, Dexter Filkins reports in the New York Times . Hamid Karzai, in power for 8 years, is blamed for widespread corruption and mismanagement, allowing the resurgence...
Cavs Swing Trade for Shaq
Cleveland Plain Dealer
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Jun 25, 2009 8:55 AM CDT
(Newser) -
LeBron James is about to get some big help—literally. The Suns and Cavaliers have agreed in principle to a deal to send Shaquille O’Neal to Cleveland in exchange for Ben Wallace, Sasha Pavlovic, and the 46th pick in today's draft, multiple team execs tell the Plain Dealer. The trade will save Phoenix around $9 million, or more if Wallace...
No Sex (After 9), Please—We're the BBC
Telegraph (UK)
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Jun 25, 2009 8:52 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Responding to viewers’ concerns, the BBC will no longer give free rein to potentially offensive material after 9pm, the Telegraph reports. A network survey of 2,700 people age 11 and up found that its audience, especially older viewers, is unhappy with the content. Now, foul language may be subject to “bleeping out” after 9, and...
Michelle, Daughters Take in Beyoncé Concert
ABC News
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Jun 25, 2009 8:46 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Most of the first family took in a Beyoncé concert last night in Washington, ABC News reports. The first lady took Sasha, Malia, friends from Chicago, and even some staffers along. They may have even caught a glimpse of President Obama, who was wrapping up a health care discussion— Rolling Stone says Beyoncé’s opening montage...
Hillary's Wrong: Bush, Israel Agreed on Settlements
Wall Street Journal
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Jun 25, 2009 8:35 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Hillary Clinton said last week that the Bush administration hadn’t made any “informal or oral agreements” on Israel settlements, but that’s simply not true, writes Bush adviser Elliott Abrams in the Wall Street Journal . In fact, talks between the administration and Israel’s then-PM resulted in Ariel Sharon’s agreement...
Jackie, Bobby Had Affair: Book
New York Daily News
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Jun 25, 2009 8:25 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Jackie Kennedy turned to the arms of brother-in-law Bobby after John F. Kennedy’s assassination—or so a Kennedy biographer claims in Bobby and Jackie: A Love Story , out July 14. C. David Heymann alluded to such claims in two previous books, the New York Daily News reports, but Kennedy insiders aren’t convinced. “It’s...
On Health Reform, Obama Should Heed His Doc, Not AMA
New York Times
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Jun 25, 2009 8:19 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Its membership may abide by the Hippocratic Oath, but the American Medical Association is definitely doing the public harm in its opposition to meaningful health care reform, writes Nicholas Kristof in the New York Times . The AMA has become infamous for its lousy political stands: it supported segregation, backed tobacco, denounced Medicare, and...
Perez Sorry for Gay 'F Word'
Gawker
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Jun 25, 2009 7:58 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Celeb blogger Perez Hilton has apologized for using the "F word" gay slur in his dust-up with the Black Eyed Peas. Band manager Polo Molino has been charged with assault for allegedly punching Hilton after the gossip maven dissed Will.i.am after a video awards show in Toronto. GLAAD called on Hilton to apologize for his anti-gay slur.
A Frosty Merkel Arrives in DC
Financial Times (UK)
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Jun 25, 2009 7:40 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Angela Merkel arrives in Washington today for a two-day visit, where the German chancellor will hold talks with President Obama before a rare joint press conference in the Rose Garden. Yet despite the smiles, the two leaders have a strained if not frosty relationship, with both sides carping about economic policy, the GM bailout, and the war in...
Mousavi Fights On as Ahmadinejad Bashes Obama
Guardian (UK)
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Jun 25, 2009 7:16 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Mir Hossein Mousavi said today that the Iranian regime has pressured him to drop his challenges to the disputed election, but that he would resist any efforts to abridge his "constitutional right to protest." The opposition leader has not been seen in public for days, reports the Guardian , and he wrote on his website today that his "access...
Ballmer: Old Media Won't Last a Decade
Guardian (UK)
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Jun 25, 2009 7:00 AM CDT
(Newser) -
The ad revenue media companies lost in the downturn won't be coming back when things turn around, Steve Ballmer told an advertising conference yesterday. The Microsoft boss said the industry has been "reset" at a lower level, and media companies are going to have to learn to survive on less revenue as content continues to move online and...
Iran Arrests 70 Profs Who Met With Mousavi
Los Angeles Times
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Jun 25, 2009 6:38 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Iranian authorities arrested 70 university professors yesterday, after they met with Mir Hossein Mousavi, according to a dissident website, as the regime intensified its crackdown on demonstrators. The professors' whereabouts are now unknown, but hundreds of activists are now being held in a prison system notorious for torture and human rights abuses....
'Killing Fields' Prosecutor Quits, Slams Interference
Independent (UK)
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Jun 25, 2009 6:30 AM CDT
(Newser) -
The international prosecutor at the Khmer Rouge war crimes tribunal has abruptly resigned, the Independent reports. Robert Petit insisted that the resignation is due to family reasons, but he warned that the court is in danger from corruption and political meddling from Cambodian government official. Five former Khmer Rouge cadres have been charged...
Twitchy GOP Absorbs Yet Another Scandal
New York Times
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Jun 25, 2009 5:47 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Mark Sanford caused the GOP enough of a headache when he disappeared—but coming back to South Carolina only made it worse. The second Republican sex scandal in a week has left party leaders angry and exhausted, reports the New York Times , and has them wondering whether they can mount a challenge to Barack Obama in 2012. "The concern here...
Russia Orders Retrial in Journalist's Murder
BBC
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Jun 25, 2009 5:33 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Russia's Supreme Court has overturned the acquittals of three men in the murder of crusading journalist Anna Politkovskaya, and ordered a retrial, reports the BBC. Prosecutors claimed that judicial irregularities and misinformation led to an improper verdict, and Politkovskaya's newspaper colleagues have accused the police of shoddy work. Despite international...
Graham Ripped 'Synagogue of Satan' on Nixon Tapes
USA Today
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Jun 25, 2009 4:57 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Billy Graham blamed Jews from the "Synagogue of Satan" for pornography in a newly released 1973 conversation with Richard Nixon, USA Today reports. The men, in a discussion about anti-Semitism and Jewish opposition to Christian evangelical efforts, agreed that Jews needed to "behave themselves" to avoid unleashing a tide...
Abercrombie & Fitch Sued By Disabled Clerk
Guardian (UK)
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Jun 25, 2009 4:34 AM CDT
(Newser) -
A British woman with a prosthetic arm is suing Abercrombie & Fitch for workplace discrimination, the Guardian reports. The trendy clothing retailer shifted her to backroom duties to hide her from customers, telling her that a cardigan she wore to cover the link between the prosthesis and her arm contravened its "look policy," according...
Turkish Ref Booted for Being Gay
Independent (UK)
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Jun 25, 2009 4:06 AM CDT
(Newser) -
A Turkish referee is kicking back against soccer authorities who fired him for being gay, the Independent reports. After the authorities leaked his name to the press, Halil Dincdag "outed" himself on a TV sports show, despite discrimination against gays in Turkey. Dincdag has won the support of many of his fellow referees,...
Fox News On Track for Most-Watched Year Ever
Hollywood Reporter
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Jun 25, 2009 3:41 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Fox News has avoided the post-election ratings drop that hit other networks and is on course to have it best year ever, according to the Hollywood Reporter. The network, helped by programming changes like shifting Glenn Beck to 5pm, has shown a steady rise in ratings and now has as many viewers as CNN, CNN Headline News and MSNBC combined.
Credit Crisis Snips Ranks of Super Rich
Financial Times (UK)
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Jun 25, 2009 3:15 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Won't somebody think of the poor millionaires? The global financial crisis has hit the world's "super rich" hard and left many of them merely extremely wealthy, the Financial Times reports. The number of "ultra high net worth individuals" with over $30 million to invest shrank by nearly a quarter last year, and the group's...
NJ Blogger Busted Over Judge Threats
Chicago Sun-Times
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Jun 25, 2009 2:43 AM CDT
(Newser) -
A white supremacist blogger and Internet radio host has been charged with threatening three federal judges who ruled in favor of Chicago's handgun ban, the Chicago Sun-Times reports. “Let me be the first to say this plainly: These judges deserve to be killed,” Hal Turner wrote, providing the judges' names, addresses, and phone numbers....
Circuit Flaw Suspected in DC Crash
Washington Post
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Jun 25, 2009 2:22 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Federal investigators believe an electronic problem may have caused Monday's deadly train crash in Washington DC, the Washington Post reports. Teesting has uncovered "anomalies" in a section of the Metro's automated control system, which senses train locations and sends speed commands, according to investigators.
Stunning US Soccer Upset Matches 'Miracle on Ice'
New York Times
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Jun 25, 2009 1:55 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Last night's stunning soccer victory over Spain by the US team ranks up there with 1980's "Miracle on Ice" Olympic defeat of the Russians as one of the greatest upsets ever pulled off by Americans, George Vecsey writes in the New York Times . The Confederations Cup victory over the world's top-ranked soccer team may not transform the US...
Fawcett 'Close to Death'
New York Daily News
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Jun 25, 2009 1:29 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Farrah Fawcett is in the final stages of her battle with anal cancer and her condition is believed to be deteriorating rapidly, the New York Daily News reports. Her loved ones, including longtime love Ryan O'Neal, have gathered at her bedside in a Los Angeles hospital and a priest has been summoned to give her the last rites. Her rep said only that...
North Korea Warns South of Nuclear 'Fire Shower'
Associated Press
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Jun 24, 2009 10:20 PM CDT
(AP) -
North Korea condemned a US pledge to provide nuclear defense of South Korea, saying the move boosts its justification to hold onto atomic bombs and invites a potential "fire shower of nuclear retaliation." The salvo in Pyongyang's main newspaper is the North's latest reaction to last week's summit between President Obama and South Korea's...
Jonas Brothers Test Waters of Grown-Up Music
Rolling Stone
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Jun 24, 2009 9:04 PM CDT
(Newser) -
The Jonas Brothers are cautiously courting a more mature audience with their new album, but they don’t want to leave their teeny-bopper past totally behind. “We are working to make that trade without having to give anything up,” Kevin Jonas tells Rolling Stone , but the pop sensations have no illusions. “It will take time,...
US Rescinds Party Invite to Iran Envoys
Washington Times
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Jun 24, 2009 8:38 PM CDT
(Newser) -
No fireworks for you, Iranian diplomats. The State Department today rescinded an invitation to Iran's envoys to attend Fourth of July celebrations at US embassies around the world, reports the Washington Times . Hillary Clinton notified her underlings that "circumstances have changed" and cited Tehran's "unjust actions." At the...
Ex-Exec: Insurers Rip Off Customers
Washington Post
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Jun 24, 2009 8:10 PM CDT
(Newser) -
In the latest battle in the public vs. private health insurance debate, private insurers took a beating today on Capitol Hill. The gist, as presented by a Senate report and testimony from a former PR executive: Insurance companies routinely make consumers pay for bills the companies themselves should cover, sell "junk" policies, try...
How You Can Shop —and Help the World
Slate
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Jun 24, 2009 7:34 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Want to do some shopping and do some good—at the same time? Sandy Stonesifer, writing for Slate, offers some ways to buy for the betterment of humanity: Go for products that donate a portion of proceeds to charity—like Product (Red) iPods, which give to the Global Fund, and pink playing cards, which donate to breast cancer research....
Iran Orders Neda's Family to Leave Tehran Home
Guardian (UK)
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Jun 24, 2009 7:28 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Authorities in Iran have ordered the family of Neda Aghan Soltan—the woman whose videotaped death has galvanized protesters—from their Tehran home, reports the Guardian . "We just know that they were forced to leave their flat," a neighbor told the newspaper, which has been unable to contact the family.
Saddam Feared Iran, Would Have Asked Bush for Help
New York Daily News
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Jun 24, 2009 7:01 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Saddam Hussein feared Iran more than the US and once considered cutting a deal with George W. Bush, the Daily News reports. In newly declassified interrogations from 2004, Saddam said that if Iran threatened to attack, he "would have sought a security agreement with the US," says the FBI report. He also adamantly denied working with al-Qaeda...
Saudi Women Learn to Sell Bras—But Still Can't
Associated Press
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Jun 24, 2009 6:24 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Two dozen Saudi women are pushing change in Saudi Arabia, one underwear at a time. The graduates of the first lingerie class in the kingdom—where women can't sell such products—learned essentials such as how to measure bra sizes during the 10-day class. An Australian woman taught the course, and Victoria's Secret employees donated the bras,...
Sanford Email: I Love Your 'Magnificent Gentle Kisses'
State (Columbia, SC)
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Jun 24, 2009 6:00 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Mark Sanford's hometown paper in South Carolina is revealing cringe-worthy emails between the governor and the woman identified only as Maria in Argentina. In one obtained by the State , Sanford writes in July 2008, "I could digress and say that you have the ability to give magnificent gentle kisses, or that I love your tan lines or that I love...
Weird Facts About Best-Selling Authors
Mental Floss
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Jun 24, 2009 5:54 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Summer's here, and that means it's time for beach reading. Mental Floss compiles some surprising facts about the authors most commonly toted along to the shore: Dan Brown hasn’t spent his whole life pondering Vatican conspiracies: he was also a musician and pop singer. The name of his second album? Angels & Demons . John Grisham...
Sanford's Wife Asked Him to Leave 2 Weeks Ago
Newsweek
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Jun 24, 2009 5:41 PM CDT
(Newser) -
The wife of South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford says she asked him to leave the house two weeks ago when she learned of his affair. Jenny Sanford says she still loves her husband and is willing to welcome him home if he works on their marriage with "humility and repentance." In what Katie Connolly of the Gaggle blog in Newsweek calls a "classy...
Earliest Humans Played Flute 35,000 Years Ago
New York Times
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Jun 24, 2009 5:23 PM CDT
(Newser) -
A vulture-bone flute found in a cave in southwest Germany proves that homo sapiens have been rocking out for at least 35,000 years, archaeologists say. It’s the most complete musical instrument found in a region full of relics like busty carvings and ivory flutes, the New York Times reports. Early humans were just spreading throughout Europe...
Calif. May Need to Issue IOUs Next Week
Los Angeles Times
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Jun 24, 2009 4:59 PM CDT
(Newser) -
California’s finances are so dire that the state controller says he’s going to have to start doling out IOUs to creditors soon, reports the Los Angeles Times . Likening the situation to the Great Depression, John Chiang says he’ll have to issue IOUs to social-service agencies, private contractors, vendors, and others starting July...
Want to Bum a Smoke? Whisper in Their Right Ear
LiveScience
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Jun 24, 2009 4:48 PM CDT
(Newser) -
People prefer to listen with their right ears and are more giving when addressed from that side, LiveScience reports. An Italian study conducted in nightclubs shows that almost three-quarters of people observed listen with their right ear. Moreover, the researchers cadged significantly more cigarettes when they approached clubgoers on the right, rather...
Secrets for Summertime Bartending
New York Times
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Jun 24, 2009 4:35 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Hoping to do some bartending this summer—or just to bring some class to your home boozing? Pete Wells, in the New York Times, has an encyclopedia of tips for you. Highlights: Chilies: Small amounts of hot peppers can actually lower your body temperature. Cola: Some new colas are using actual cane sugar again instead of cloying...
Latest Iran Protests Turn Bloody, Witnesses Say
Guardian (UK)
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Jun 24, 2009 4:22 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Hundreds of protesters faced off against several thousand riot cops in a Tehran square today after Ayatollah Khamenei said Iran won’t budge on election results, the Guardian reports. Witnesses called the site a war zone, with helicopters hovering overhead as police savagely beat and arrested demonstrators. The reports could not be confirmed.
Soccer Stunner: US Tops No. 1 Spain
BBC
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Jun 24, 2009 4:11 PM CDT
(Newser) -
In an upset of enormous proportions in the soccer world, the US knocked off mighty Spain today to reach the finals of the Confederations Cup, reports the BBC. Top-ranked Spain hadn’t lost a game since November 2006, the AP adds. The 2-0 victory moves the US men’s team into its first-ever finals in a FIFA tournament, where it will face Brazil...
Sand May Be 5th State of Matter: Study
Wired
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Jun 24, 2009 4:02 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Sand exhibits so many unexplainable physical properties that some think granularity is a form of matter unto itself, Wired reports. Granular matter acts like a solid, a liquid, or a gas depending on the circumstance. “You walk on the beach, and the sand supports your weight,” said physicist Heinrich Jaeger. “Pick up a handful, and...
Jordan's Son Quits Illinois Hoops Squad
Chicago Sun-Times
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Jun 24, 2009 3:51 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Michael Jordan’s elder son is abandoning the University of Illinois’ basketball team to focus on school and his “life after basketball.” Jeff Jordan, a rising junior, earned a scholarship last season after making the team as a walk-on, and has played in 59 games; the son of the NBA legend was expected to become a key defensive...
5 Questions for Sanford
The Atlantic
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Jun 24, 2009 3:40 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Now that Mark Sanford has admitted that an affair led him to disappear earlier this week, the Atlantic has some more questions for the South Carolina governor: Will he resign? The once-rising political star has already quit as chair of the Republican Governors Association. Will the public support him? It's not certain that the public...
Musicians Who Can Teach Jonas Bros. How to Grow Up
Rolling Stone
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Jun 24, 2009 3:31 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Hate the Jonas Brothers? You're not alone—but there’s hope for them yet. Lots of artists have made the leap from teen heartthrob to legitimate musician. J. Edward Keyes, in Rolling Stone, breaks them down: The Beatles: It’s easy to forget now, but their pre- Rubber Soul stuff wasn’t exactly cutting-edge art. ...
