Snappy newsletters. Simple Facebook sharing. Spirited comments. Sweet features are waiting… GET THEM NOW!

Newser Story Index from July, 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.

Roethlisberger Sued Over Sex Assault
Pro Football Talk | Jul 21, 2009 9:02 AM CDT
(Newser) - A Nevada hotel employee is suing Ben Roethlisberger for sexual assault and battery, Pro Football Talk reports. Andrea McNulty claims the Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback lured her to his hotel room, then forced her to have sex. Roethlisberger’s lawyer denies the allegations: “Ben has never sexually assaulted anyone; especially Andrea McNulty,”...
Beck: 'Be Afraid' of Obama's 'Socialist Wonderland'
Huffington Post | Jul 21, 2009 8:57 AM CDT
(Newser) - Glenn Beck outdid himself yesterday with a high-strung rant about health care reform. He told his viewers to “be afraid” because Obama is “remaking” America “into a place that’s a whole lot crappier. Kind of a hybrid between France and Venezuela.” He then cackled like a witch to mock Nancy Pelosi, decrying...
Joe: I Never Abused Michael
CNN | Jul 21, 2009 8:28 AM CDT
(Newser) - Joe Jackson spoke to Larry King last night—in an interview King made sure to affirm was not paid for—and reaffirmed his belief Michael’s death involved “foul play,” denied any plans to put his three grandchildren into show business, and called claims he abused Michael “bull. I’ve never been abusive to him,...
Obama Asks Bloggers to Pressure Hill on Health Care
Huffington Post | Jul 21, 2009 8:16 AM CDT
(Newser) - Barack Obama unleashed the hounds last night, asking progressive bloggers to pressure Congress on health care reform. “There is a default position of inertia here in Washington,” he said on an invitation-only conference call. Lawmakers need to feel the same urgency and desperation ordinary Americans feel, he said, “and you guys can...
Census Shows Minorities' Role in Obama Victory
Wall Street Journal | Jul 21, 2009 8:03 AM CDT
(Newser) - Increased turnout by minorities in last year's election helped Barack Obama take several swing states and advance in GOP strongholds, new data from the Census Bureau shows. Turnout was 64%, the same as the last presidential election—but a growing population means that 5 million more people voted in 2008 than 2004. Minorities account for...
German Thief Caught With 1,000 Pairs of Underwear
Der Spiegel | Jul 21, 2009 8:00 AM CDT
(Newser) - A German man arrested for shoplifting may be the culprit behind a string of recent underwear thefts, der Speigel reports. The 56-year-old resident of Gelnhausen, near Frankfurt, escaped after staff noticed him trying to steal three pairs of men’s underwear from a sports shop. Police identified him and collared him at home, where they found...
Health Care Surtax on the Chopping Block
New York Times | Jul 21, 2009 7:54 AM CDT
(Newser) - Democrats are growing queasy about their plan to tax the wealthy to help pay for health care reform, the New York Times reports. Nancy Pelosi yesterday suggested revising the contentious provision so that fewer households would have to pay the surtax. Under the current House draft, individuals earning more than $280,000, and couples earning more...
O'Neal Remembers Farrah's Final Moments
MSNBC | Jul 21, 2009 7:37 AM CDT
(Newser) - In his first interview since Farrah Fawcett’s death, Ryan O’Neal remembers her final days and son Redmond’s promise to her “of a good life. Of a life she would have been proud of,” he tells Meredith Vieira this morning on Today . Watching Fawcett’s long struggle was “horrible,” he says. At the end, the...
Immunotherapy Offers New Hope on Alzheimer's
HealthDay News | Jul 21, 2009 7:23 AM CDT
(Newser) - An immune-system booster already used in the treatment of other diseases could prove to be a powerful weapon in the fight against Alzheimer's disease, researchers have found. Analyzing the records of patients who received intravenous immunoglobulin—IVIg—they discovered that recipients were 42% less likely to develop Alzheimer's, HealthDay...
Japan Faces Historic Change as Election Opens
Reuters | Jul 21, 2009 7:16 AM CDT
(Newser) - Japanese PM Taro Aso dissolved parliament today to begin a watershed election that could break his party's 50-year grip on power, Reuters reports. In a nationwide TV address, Aso apologized for his shortcomings as a leader and for internal squabbling that cost his conservative party at recent local elections. Opposition leader Yukio Hatoyama,...
Congress Leads Dems on 'Liberal Suicide March'
New York Times | Jul 21, 2009 7:10 AM CDT
(Newser) - The Republican Party turned away from America during its years in power, writes New York Times columnist David Brooks, by paying more attention to echo-chamber media outlets and yes-men pollsters than voters. Now the Democrats are doing the same—instead of Southern conservatives, now it's left-wingers from the coasts who are leading a "liberal...
US Troop Deaths Pass 5K in Iraq, Afghanistan
USA Today | Jul 21, 2009 6:54 AM CDT
(Newser) - The combined death toll among US troops in Iraq and Afghanistan has passed 5,000, USA Today reports. The Pentagon says 4,332 have died in Iraq and 669 in Afghanistan. At least 30 American troops have died in Afghanistan in July, the deadliest month in the nearly 8-year-old war, including four who were killed by a roadside bomb yesterday. At least...
Malaysian Woman Sentenced to Flogging for Drinking Beer
Associated Press | Jul 21, 2009 6:49 AM CDT
(Newser) - A Malaysian woman will be flogged for drinking a beer in a nightclub, reports the AP. A judge ordered the part-time model, 32, to be struck six times with a rattan cane and fined $1,400. She pleaded guilty in a religious court to consuming alcohol, but now plans to appeal the sentence. The punishment "is aimed at making the accused repent and...
Moon-Landing Denier Exposed as a Cheat
Examiner | Jul 21, 2009 6:44 AM CDT
(Newser) - A filmmaker who persistently claims the moon landings were a hoax is beginning to look like a hoaxer himself, the Examiner reports. Bart Sibrel has produced documentaries labeling the Apollo landing a fake, but a new video has surfaced proving he deliberately mismatched NASA's audio and video footage to mislead viewers. Sibrel is notorious for...
Serb Cousins Convicted of Burning 132 People Alive
CNN | Jul 21, 2009 6:32 AM CDT
(Newser) - Two Serb cousins were convicted yesterday by the UN tribunal in the Hague of burning scores of Bosnian men, women, and children to death during the early 1990s. Milan Lukic was sentenced to life in prison for the deaths of "at least 132 Muslim people," whom he locked inside houses and then set on fire with explosives. Sredoje Lukic received...
Report on Closing Gitmo Delayed 6 Months
Washington Post | Jul 21, 2009 5:50 AM CDT
(Newser) - President Obama's task forces on the detention and interrogation of terror suspects will miss today's deadline for reporting their findings, the Washington Post reports. The review on detention policy has been given a 6-month extension, raising fears that the Guantanamo Bay prison may not be closed in January next year as promised. The task force...
In a Recession, One Counts Swans Oneself
Times (UK) | Jul 21, 2009 5:40 AM CDT
(Newser) - With Britain still stuck in a biting recession, Queen Elizabeth is doing a bit of her own home economics—yesterday, she got on a barge and became the first monarch to undertake the annual counting of the swans. Traditionally the Queen owns all the swans on the River Thames, although a few permissions have been granted over the centuries. But...
Puppy Madness Strikes Times Newsroom
New York Times | Jul 21, 2009 5:24 AM CDT
(Newser) - Somewhat unexpectedly, the New York Times has a new feature called "The Puppy Diaries," which today's debut installment describes as being "about the challenges and satisfactions of raising a puppy through its first year of life." Even less expected: The author is managing editor for news Jill Abramson. Not surprising: The...
Venice's First Lady Gondolier Makes a Splash
Los Angeles Times | Jul 21, 2009 5:17 AM CDT
(Newser) - A 23-year-old mother of two has overcome a grueling entrance exam and 900 years of taboos to become the first female gondolier in Venetian history, the Los Angeles Times reports. Giorgia Boscolo's entry into the profession has caused waves among the city's close-knit fraternity of gondoliers, with some fearing she is seeking to exploit her newfound...
US Squelched Data on Car Phone Danger
New York Times | Jul 21, 2009 4:53 AM CDT
(Newser) - In 2003 a federal agency compiled hundreds of pages of research on the dangers of using cell phones while driving, but suppressed the findings because of pressure from Congress. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, a part of the Transportation Department, also planned a long-term study of the risks of cell phone use but never undertook...
Aussie Bursts Into Flames After Police Taser Blast
Sydney Morning Herald | Jul 21, 2009 4:27 AM CDT
(Newser) - An Australian man has been hospitalized with burns over 20% of his body after he burst into flames when Tasered by police, reports the Sydney Morning Herald reports. Police say they had no choice but to use the stun gun on the man—a known gas-sniffer and violent offender—when he charged them carrying a container of fuel and a lighter...
Jupiter Slammed by Mystery Object
Associated Press | Jul 21, 2009 3:58 AM CDT
(Newser) - A massive mysterious object scientists believe may be a comet slammed into Jupiter yesterday, AP reports. The Earth-size impact "scar" left by the object was caught on NASA's powerful infrared telescope in Hawaii. The agency was alerted to the new mark on the planet by an amateur astronomer in England who was searching the planet with his...
Lawyer: Harvard Prof. Busted After Demanding Cop ID
The Root | Jul 21, 2009 3:27 AM CDT
(Newser) - African-American Harvard scholar Henry Louis Gates Jr. was hauled into custody after repeatedly asking a police officer for his badge number, Prof. Charles Ogletree writes in the Root . Gates forced open his front door after arriving home from a foreign trip to find it damaged. When a police officer arrived saying he was responding to a 911 call,...
Fox's Kilmeade Sorry for Yank 'Purity' Gaffe
Gawker | Jul 21, 2009 3:04 AM CDT
(Newser) - Brian Kilmeade of Fox and Friends has "sincerely apologized" for saying Americans might not be as vigorous as Scandinavians because they're not as "pure." It "was not my intention to offend anyone," Kilmeade said on the air yesterday. Several people demanded an apology after Kilmeade said that a Scandivian study finding...
Globe Union Caves, Votes to Accept $10M in Cuts
Boston Herald | Jul 21, 2009 2:41 AM CDT
(Newser) - The Boston Globe 's biggest union has ended a four-month battle with the New York Times company and voted to accept $10 million in pay and benefit cuts, the Boston Herald reports. Union members—who have been living with a 23% pay cut since rejecting an 8.3% decrease last month—approved a 5.9% wage slice by a wide margin. The deal...
US Army to Add 22K Soldiers
Army Times | Jul 21, 2009 2:16 AM CDT
(Newser) - Defense Secretary Robert Gates is temporarily boosting the Army's ranks with 22,000 new soldiers, reports the Army Times . The increase, which follows a permanent increase of 65,000, will reduce the strain on the forces over the next three years, according to Gates. The hike "will be used to ensure that our deploying units are properly manned...
Calif. Finally Forges Budget Deal
Sacramento Bee | Jul 21, 2009 1:48 AM CDT
(Newser) - After weeks of wrangling, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has made a deal with state lawmakers to close the $26 billion hole in California's budget, the Sacramento Bee reports. Leaders believe the plan—which involves massive spending cuts and borrowing from city governments—is solid enough to secure billions of dollars in short-term loans,...
Astronauts Spacewalk on Apollo Anniversary
Space.com | Jul 21, 2009 1:20 AM CDT
(Newser) - Two Endeavour astronauts enjoyed a successful spacewalk on the 40th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing yesterday, reports Space.com. The astronauts, who attached three large spare parts to the International Space Station, were outside at 4:17pm—the exact time Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin touched down on the lunar surface.
Captured US Soldier May Be in Pakistan
ABC News | Jul 20, 2009 8:48 PM CDT
(Newser) - The American soldier captured by the Taliban in Afghanistan may be in Pakistan, a potentially huge stumbling block in the quest to free the 23-year-old, ABC News reports. If the insurgent group that apparently kidnapped him has indeed moved Pfc. Bowe Bergdahl over the border to South Waziristan, the American military would be forbidden to pursue...
TSA's Favorite Dog Foods
US News & World Report | Jul 20, 2009 7:55 PM CDT
(Newser) - Want your household guardian to perform up to federal standards? Check out the brands the Transportation Security Administration prefers for its bomb-sniffing dogs, via US News & World Report : Hills Science Diet: Including the Adult and Active K9 versions. Canidae : Lamb & Rice formula in particular. California Natural:...
Hey, Guys, Keep iPhone Out of the Bedroom
Boing Boing | Jul 20, 2009 7:15 PM CDT
(Newser) - Her boyfriend’s obsession with his iPhone drove Lisa Katayama to lay down some ground rules, she writes for Boing Boing. “Rule #1: It’s not romantic to have an iPhone in the bedroom.” She elaborates: “Brian once said that every time he goes online, he feels like he’s meeting a bunch of friends. Well, I don’t...
Best and Worst Airports for Sleeping
Reuters | Jul 20, 2009 6:31 PM CDT
(Newser) - Looking to save a buck or two on your next vacation? Consider sleeping in the airport: It’s not “just for the young budget traveler” anymore, says the Guide to Sleeping in Airports. The website ranks the best—and worst—to sleep in, Reuters reports. Best: Changi, Singapore Incheon, Seoul Schiphol, Amsterdam...
Same-Name Couple to Wed After Meeting on Facebook
Associated Press | Jul 20, 2009 6:00 PM CDT
(Newser) - Kelly Hildebrandt found her soon-to-be husband on Facebook—but not in the usual ways, such as through college or friends in common, the AP reports. The 20-year-old Floridian plugged her name into the social-networking site’s search engine and found the only match at the time—Texan Kelly Carl Hildebrandt. Intrigued, she sent him a...
Savaged in Book, McCourt's Hometown Split on Legacy
Associated Press | Jul 20, 2009 5:20 PM CDT
(Newser) - The Irish town exposed in grisly detail by late son Frank McCourt in Angela’s Ashes isn’t quite sure what to do with its ignominy, the AP reports. A majority of Limerick citizens are proud—“The book was a delight and 80% true,” one historian says—but a vocal minority says McCourt fabricated a rough-and-tumble childhood...
Brown Apologizes for Rihanna Assault
E! Online | Jul 20, 2009 4:55 PM CDT
(Newser) - Chris Brown breaks the silence on his alleged assault on Rihanna with a YouTube confessional posted today, E! reports. “I felt it was time that you heard directly from me that I am sorry,” the singer said, explaining that he had remained silent since the February incident on the advice of his attorney.
McNair Was Drunk At Time of Death: Medical Examiner
Tennessean | Jul 20, 2009 4:37 PM CDT
(Newser) - Steve McNair was legally drunk the day he was killed by his 20-year-old lover, the Tennessean reports. The former NFL quarterback had a blood-alcohol content of 0.16, the state medical examiner said today—twice the amount at which it is illegal to drive. Sahel Kazemi had a small amount of marijuana in her system, but no alcohol.
Wall Street Lives, Dies by Overconfidence: Gladwell
New Yorker | Jul 20, 2009 4:31 PM CDT
(Newser) - Confidence is key to the banking game, but an overabundance of it seems to have made the industry’s titans so delusional they blundered into the financial crisis, Malcolm Gladwell writes in the New Yorker . “The roots of Wall Street’s crisis were not structural or cognitive so much as they were psychological.” Yet the same...
Italian Paper Releases 'Tapes' of Berlusconi Escort Tryst
BBC | Jul 20, 2009 4:16 PM CDT
(Newser) - Silvio Berlusconi’s prostitution scandal flared anew today as Italian newspaper L’Espresso released audio recordings made by the woman who claims she was paid to attend a party with the Italian PM, the BBC reports. On the recordings, a voice said to be Berlusconi’s says: “I’m going to have a shower too, so wait for me...
Righty Radio Host Savage Off 'Banned in Britain' List
San Francisco Chronicle | Jul 20, 2009 4:05 PM CDT
(Newser) - Radio talk-show host Michael Savage can again enter the UK after Britain’s new home secretary decided to take him off the country’s “banned in Britain” list, the San Francisco Chronicle reports. The conservative pundit is still suing the former home secretary, Jacqui Smith, for libel after putting him on the list alongside...
Prejean Plans Book on Miss USA Scandal
US News & World Report | Jul 20, 2009 3:51 PM CDT
(Newser) - Former Miss California and gay-marriage opponent Carrie Prejean will pen a memoir about her time at the center of a media maelstrom, US News & World Report notes. Still Standing is due on shelves before Christmas. “The 22-year-old won the respect of millions for modeling something other than evening gowns and swimsuits—the courage...
TARP Watchdog: Bailouts May Cost US $24T
Bloomberg | Jul 20, 2009 3:41 PM CDT
(Newser) - The special inspector overseeing Treasury’s TARP program says federal assistance to banks and other financial entities could end up costing taxpayers $23.7 trillion, Bloomberg reports. Aside from the $700 billion bailout, Neil Barofsky says in testimony prepared for told Congress tomorrow, other trillion-dollar federal programs could balloon....
India Cowers Ahead of Total Solar Eclipse
AFP | Jul 20, 2009 3:30 PM CDT
(Newser) - Wednesday’s total solar eclipse is eliciting fear and speculation across the Indian subcontinent, AFP reports. A New Delhi gynecologist says caesarian sections scheduled for the day of the eclipse have been canceled. “This is a belief deeply rooted in Indian society,” he said. “Couples are willing to do anything to ensure that...
Bullish Earnings Boost Dow 104
Wall Street Journal | Jul 20, 2009 3:18 PM CDT
(Newser) - Stocks gained late today on bullish earnings from the S&P 500, the Wall Street Journal reports, with data showing that quarterly earnings from 71% of those firms beat expectations. CIT Group surged 81.4% on a possible plan to save it from bankruptcy. The Dow rose 104.21 to close at 8,848.15. The Nasdaq gained 22.68, closing at 1,909.29, and the...
Obama: Apollo 11 Crew 'American Heroes'
Associated Press | Jul 20, 2009 3:06 PM CDT
(AP) - President Barack Obama today hailed the Apollo 11 astronauts as "three American heroes," and claimed such exploration spurs ingenuity and inspires students in math and science. Obama commemorated the moment, 40 years ago today, when Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin took man's first steps on the moon. Obama says Armstrong, Aldrin and command...
Why Vick Should, and Shouldn't, Be Allowed Back to NFL
Sports Illustrated | Jul 20, 2009 3:00 PM CDT
(Newser) - Now that Michael Vick’s dogfighting sentence is over, it’s possible for him to return to the NFL. Whether commissioner Roger Goodell will allow it is another thing entirely. Jim Trotter and George Dohrmann, in Sports Illustrated , are divided. “It’s time for him to have an opportunity to return to work,” Trotter writes....
Forget Space, Fix Earth Instead
Gawker | Jul 20, 2009 2:45 PM CDT
(Newser) - On today’s 40th anniversary of the moon landing, President Obama should again show bravery and determination by not indulging in more space exploration, Alex Pareene urges for Gawker. NASA has $100 billion earmarked to replace the shuttles, in order to do what? Go “back to the damn moon, where we have been.” Dubya’s plans...
Gadget Translates 'Woof' into Words
Telegraph (UK) | Jul 20, 2009 2:33 PM CDT
(Newser) - Ever wonder what your dog is thinking? The “Bowlingual Voice” from Japanese toymaker Takara Tomy claims to be able to tell you just that, the Telegraph reports. The device is made up of a microphone and transmitter on the collar that categorizes the dog’s utterances into one of six emotions—such as sadness, anger or happiness—and...
'Recession-Proof' Job Is a Myth: Experts
Chicago Tribune | Jul 20, 2009 2:20 PM CDT
(Newser) - If the downturn has you considering a “recession-proof” job like teaching or medicine, think again, Greg Burns writes in the Chicago Tribune . The recession has affected all sectors, from layoffs and lower enrollment at educational institutions to dwindling state budgets choking civil servants. “It’s a question of degree,”...
Video of Naked ESPN Reporter Inspires Hackers
USA Today | Jul 20, 2009 2:09 PM CDT
(Newser) - Peephole video of an ESPN reporter naked in a hotel room is lighting up the sports blogosphere—and not just because Erin Andrews is the star of many a basement-dwelling mama's boy's fantasy. Some attempts to download illicit footage have led to the spread of a computer virus. "Hackers are no slacks when it comes to taking advantage...
Thriller Nears All- Time US Sales Record
Billboard | Jul 20, 2009 2:00 PM CDT
(Newser) - Buoyed by the singer’s passing, Michael Jackson’s Thriller looks set to match the Eagles’ Their Greatest Hits 1971-1975 as the bestselling album ever in the US, Billboard reports. The Eagles compilation was certified 29 times platinum in 2006, having sold at least 29 million copies—but Billboard says the sales boost...
NEWS FROM OUR PARTNERS
Other Sites We Like:   24/7 Wall St.   |   Betty Confidential   |   BuzzFeed   |   Cracked   |   Fark   |   Timelines   |   The Frisky   |   Geek Sugar   |   NewsOne