Newser Story Index from September, 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.
Ahmadinejad Rips Israel, US, as Usual, in UN Speech
MSNBC
|
Sep 23, 2009 7:28 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad ripped Israel and the US in his speech today before the United Nations General Assembly, even as Iran’s president said his country was ready to work for peace and would shake hands “honestly extended to us.” The US and other delegations walked out—in protest at the content and not, as with the earlier epic...
Heard Gupta's Swine Flu Spiel? Well, He Got It, Too
CNN
|
Sep 23, 2009 7:15 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Now just imagine how embarrassing this would’ve been if he had been Surgeon General: Sanjay Gupta, CNN’s medical talking head, got swine flu on a recent reporting trip to Afghanistan, he writes in a blog post today. “I am not someone who gets sick, really ever,” he writes. “And this was the sickest I have ever been.”...
CityCenter: Las Vegas' $8.5B Stimulus Bet
Time
|
Sep 23, 2009 6:54 PM CDT
(Newser) -
A gigantic addition to the Las Vegas Strip is a one-stop stimulus package for a city and state walloped by the recession and an $8.5 billion bet that happy days are near again. With 12,000 jobs, the CityCenter project—a kaleidoscope of condominiums, boutique hotels, shopping, and, of course, gambling—is the “single biggest hiring...
ACORN Sues Creators of Sting Video
Associated Press
|
Sep 23, 2009 6:21 PM CDT
(AP) -
ACORN is suing the makers of a hidden-camera video that showed employees of its Baltimore office giving tax advice to a man and woman posing as a pimp and prostitute. The liberal group contends that the audio portion of the video was obtained illegally because Maryland requires two-party consent to create sound recordings.
FBI Database Tracks Hotel Reservations, Car Rentals
Wired
|
Sep 23, 2009 5:51 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Big Brother alert: A data-mining system set up by the FBI ostensibly to catch terrorists is quickly growing into a database that tracks the comings and goings of ordinary citizens. The database has tens of thousands of records from private corporations, including some Wyndham hotel reservations, Avis car rentals, and even Sears credit card transactions,...
Abortion Ended Relations With Dad: Phillips
USA Today
|
Sep 23, 2009 5:21 PM CDT
(Newser) -
More unfortunate details from the Mackenzie Phillips saga: She tells Oprah on today's show that she ended her decade-long incestuous relationship with her father only after having an abortion. He paid for the procedure, but she wasn't sure who fathered the child, notes USA Today . After that, “I never let him touch me again." Phillips...
McChrystal Denies Rift, Says He's Not Quitting
New York Times
|
Sep 23, 2009 4:52 PM CDT
(Newser) -
General McChrystal says his bleak assessment of the US effort in Afghanistan has not created any ill will between him and the Obama administration, and he welcomed the national debate over the mission. In an interview with the New York Times , McChrystal also denied rumors that he will resign he doesn't get more troops. His specific request for them...
US Bankers' Pay Is World's Highest—by Far
Reuters
|
Sep 23, 2009 4:33 PM CDT
(Newser) -
US bank CEOs are paid drastically more than their counterparts around the world. The CEO of Commercial Bank of China, the largest bank in the world, brings home just $234,700 a year—or roughly 2% of JP Morgan boss Jamie Dimon’s $19.6 million haul. The US has only four of the world’s 20 biggest banks, but all four are among the top...
Modern Family Is 'Startlingly Good'
Hollywood Reporter
|
Sep 23, 2009 4:12 PM CDT
(Newser) -
ABC's Modern Family is a critics' darling, who generally think it's a clever update of the family sitcom, and one that doesn't sacrifice the tenderness we've come to expect from the classics of the genre. A sampling: The series, "with its multifamily approach and semi-documentary form, redefines, updates and invigorates the family-comedy...
ACORN's Founder Blasts GOP Attacks
Washington Post
|
Sep 23, 2009 3:53 PM CDT
(Newser) -
The founder of ACORN says the conservative portrayal of the group as a "criminal enterprise" is a “complete fabrication." Claims that the group systematically misuses federal funds for political purposes are being circulated as fact on TV talk shows and blogs, Wade Rathke tells the Washington Post . "It's balderdash on top...
Dow Drops 81 Despite Fed News
Wall Street Journal
|
Sep 23, 2009 3:21 PM CDT
(Newser) -
After an initial boost off the Fed's cautiously optimistic announcement and decision to leave interest rates unchanged, stocks fell late in the session, the Wall Street Journal reports. Crude oil tumbled $2.79 to $68.53 a barrel, driving sell-offs in energy stocks that in turn depressed the major indices. The Dow dropped 81 points to close at...
Former DNC Chief Kirk to Get Kennedy's Seat
Fox News
|
Sep 23, 2009 3:01 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Former DNC chairman Paul Kirk will get Ted Kennedy's Senate seat, sources tell Fox News. Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick is expected to make the formal pick tomorrow, assuming the state legislature irons out the logistics today. Kennedy's sons called Patrick to push for Kirk, 71, a Boston attorney who served as an aide to their father and is a close...
JFK, Swine Flu Plots: Gadhafi Covers All
New York Times
|
Sep 23, 2009 2:40 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Maybe he just needs a good night's sleep (somewhere). Moammar Gadhafi made such a long and rambling speech today—his main point seemed to be to rail against the Security Council's power—that he wore out his first translator. Some odds and ends: He suggested Israel had a hand in the JFK assassination. Swine flu might be a military...
Earth, Wind & Fire Flower Again in Obama's America
Newsweek
|
Sep 23, 2009 2:29 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Earth, Wind & Fire is back on top again in its 40th year, playing stadiums for the first time in a quarter-century. And their resurgent success, the band tells Newsweek , is based on a mixture of '60s idealism and the good favor of the president. Barack Obama has always been a huge fan, and he invited the funk pioneers to play at his first formal...
British R&B Star Climbs US Charts
BBC
|
Sep 23, 2009 2:12 PM CDT
(Newser) -
“It doesn't matter if we're from a little place called Hounslow,” Jay Sean tells the BBC. “If you have some good music, you can make it anywhere.” That’s how the British R&B singer found himself collaborating with Lil Wayne, and climbing to No. 2 on the US charts—making him more successful abroad than he is at...
Ellen Pompeo, Sarah Michelle Have Babies
Perez Hilton
|
Sep 23, 2009 2:00 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Ellen Pompeo and Sarah Michelle Prinze (neé Geller) have each popped out their respective bundles of joy. Pompeo and hubby Chris Ivery actually welcomed their girl, the unfortunately named Stella Luna Pompeo Ivery, into the world last Tuesday, but managed to keep it secret, Perez Hilton reports. Sarah Michelle and Freddie Prinze Jr, meanwhile,...
Curt Schilling Nixes Run for Kennedy Seat
CNN
|
Sep 23, 2009 1:50 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Curt Schilling won’t be jumping into the political ring after all. The Red Sox legend ruled out a run for Ted Kennedy’s senate seat last night on Joe Buck Live, saying it “just did not make sense.” Schilling, an outspoken conservative, had publicly considered running, and even drew support from party big-wigs like John McCain....
Fed Holds Rates Steady, Says Economy 'Picked Up'
Associated Press
|
Sep 23, 2009 1:41 PM CDT
(AP) -
The Federal Reserve today decided as expected to hold a key bank lending rate at a record low near zero and pledged to keep rates there "for an extended period." The Fed also declared that "economic activity has picked up following its severe downturn" and said it would slow the pace of a program to lower mortgage rates and prop...
The Seven Deadly Sins of Prejean's Speech
The Faster Times
|
Sep 23, 2009 1:32 PM CDT
(Newser) -
For some reason, people are still listening to Carrie Prejean. The Value Voters Summit even had her give a speech recently (see video). But Prejean made a few mistakes, or sins if you like, writes Oliver Miller for TheFasterTimes.com: Pride: “You know who doesn’t feel the need to constantly tout their own courageousness? Actual...
Two-Disc Jackson Album Has New Song
Music Week
|
Sep 23, 2009 1:19 PM CDT
(Newser) -
The world hasn’t heard the last of Michael Jackson. On October 28, Sony Music will release This Is It , a two-disc compilation album tying into the upcoming Jackson documentary of the same name. The album will include one brand-new song—the title track—along with previously unreleased versions of old songs and a spoken word poem.
Nader: Obama Is 'Weak, Waffling'
Time
|
Sep 23, 2009 1:08 PM CDT
(Newser) -
In an interview with Time to plug his new book, Ralph Nader doesn't mince words when asked his opinion of President Obama: "Weak. Waffling, wavering, ambiguous, and overwhelmingly concessionary." So does this mean we can expect another Nader run? "It's too early to say. One thing is I always want the progressive agenda represented...
Travolta Recounts Effort to Save 'Autistic' Jett
E! Online
|
Sep 23, 2009 12:59 PM CDT
(Newser) -
John Travolta appeared in a Bahamian court today and recounted his efforts to save dying son Jett earlier this year, E! reports. He also publicly acknowledged Jett's troubles for the first time: "He was autistic. He suffered from a seizure disorder." After a nanny woke them to say Jett was unconscious, “I ran downstairs with my wife...
Chynna Phillips: I Knew About Incest
Us Weekly
|
Sep 23, 2009 12:43 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Chynna Phillips’ half-sister Mackenzie told her of the 10-year affair she had with their father in 1997—a claim Chynna believes to be true. “Somebody could have dropped a piano on my head and I probably wouldn't have felt it,” the former Wilson Phillips singer tells Us. “But I knew it was true. I mean, who in their...
Spain Nabs Alleged Pilot in 'Dirty War'
BBC
|
Sep 23, 2009 12:35 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Spanish police have arrested a commercial pilot they say flew "death flights" that dumped political malcontents into the sea for Argentina's junta during the Dirty War, the BBC reports. Julio Alberto Poch was nabbed in Valencia as he was preparing to fly a Transavia passenger plane to Amsterdam.
Baucus Leaning Left Again
Salon
|
Sep 23, 2009 12:22 PM CDT
(Newser) -
With his health care reform bill finally in committee, finance chair Max Baucus appears to have given up on a truly bipartisan bill. On day one yesterday, "he seemed to be moving back to the left again," writes Mike Madden in Salon. He agreed to a host of modifications suggested by Democrats to make reform easier on lower-income Americans,...
10 Dirty Restaurant Tricks
Slashfood
|
Sep 23, 2009 12:09 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Restaurants are known to cut a few corners for the sake of their bottom lines. Slashfood sheds some light on dirty little industry secrets, including: Using cabbage instead of seaweed: An ex-maître d’ at an upscale Chinese joint says the chef assumed his celebrity clientele wouldn’t know the difference. He was right. ...
New Speculator Fave: AIG Stock
Wall Street Journal
|
Sep 23, 2009 11:59 AM CDT
(Newser) -
AIG’s stock has become the hottest commodity on Wall Street in recent weeks, the Wall Street Journal reports. It’s not that anyone believes the insurer is on the verge of paying back the $80 billion it owes Uncle Sam. Rather, the stock has become the go-to casino for day traders. In the past seven weeks its stock has swung between $13...
Only Half of Madoff's Clients Lost Money
Associated Press
|
Sep 23, 2009 11:41 AM CDT
(AP) -
Federal prosecutors said yesterday that a review of most accounts held by Bernard Madoff's customers when he was arrested shows that about half of the customers had not lost money because they withdrew more than they originally invested. That doesn't, however, take into account the loss of any money they thought they had made on that investment....
How TV's Trying to Woo You Back
Fast Company
|
Sep 23, 2009 11:36 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Networks know we’re watching our favorite shows online instead of on TV, but they’re not taking it sitting down. Here’s what they’re doing, smart or otherwise, to bring us back, writes Stephanie Schomer for Fast Company : Cutting commercials: ABC is going to do without the first commercial break on its new shows, tacking...
Congress Wants McChrystal in Hot Seat
Wall Street Journal
|
Sep 23, 2009 11:28 AM CDT
(Newser) -
With the White House beset by classified leaks and agonizing over a new Afghan strategy, lawmakers from both parties in both Houses of Congress are calling for a sitdown with Gen. Stanley McChrystal, the Wall Street Journal reports. Defense Secretary Robert Gates has refused requests for testimony from McChrystal until the administration completes...
Gadhafi: Security Council Is 'Terror Council'
Associated Press
|
Sep 23, 2009 11:14 AM CDT
(AP) -
In his first appearance at the UN, Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi blasted the Security Council and called for the end of the five permanent members' veto power. He also wants to expand the group with additional member states to make it more representative. "It should not be called the Security Council, it should be called the 'terror council,'"...
Post Held Off Afghan Story at DoD Request
Washington Post
|
Sep 23, 2009 10:57 AM CDT
(Newser) -
When Bob Woodward obtained Gen. Stanley McChrystal's classified report on Afghanistan, the Obama administration asked for and got a one-day delay in publication from the Washington Post , the paper reports. Woodward and the Post ’s editor met with Pentagon officials Sunday and agreed to remove some sensitive information from the published document....
ACORN Sting Raises Media Ethics Questions
Los Angeles Times
|
Sep 23, 2009 10:35 AM CDT
(Newser) -
“You've got to give James O'Keefe and Hannah Giles credit for abundant chutzpah and guile,” writes James Rainey in the Los Angeles Times . The pair’s hidden camera ACORN takedown “likely will do for guerrilla video what Ashton Kutcher did for Twitter—popularize and expand the form.” But Giles and O’Keefe play...
Prince William Not Just an 'Ornament'
BBC
|
Sep 23, 2009 10:30 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Prince William wants to be more than just an “ornament,” and is working with his brother on charities in an attempt to find his "own way," he tells the BBC. He and Prince Harry formed the Princes’ Charities Forum to help groups pool resources, and a patron who works with him says the forum is “much more than a gimmick.”...
Lefties Finally Get Their Undies
Reuters
|
Sep 23, 2009 10:07 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Male lefties of the world have long suffered inconvenience and embarrassment at the urinal, thanks to their underwear. One British store is making up for the indignity with a new line of undies featuring a horizontal, rather than vertical, opening—giving Britain’s lefties an alternative to boxer shorts, Reuters reports. “In our view,...
Beck a PoMo Conservative— and It's Working Well for Him
FiveThirtyEight
|
Sep 23, 2009 9:54 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Glenn Beck’s popularity as compared to the more “traditional American conservatism” of, say, Rush Limbaugh heralds the advent of a new archetype, Nate Silver writes on FiveThirtyEight: “Beck is a PoMoCon—a postmodern conservative.” A recent poll shows Beck and Limbaugh equally popular while Limbaugh’s negatives...
Obama to UN: US Can't Solve World's Problems
Associated Press
|
Sep 23, 2009 9:54 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Barack Obama told the UN today that the global community has too long been "defined by our differences and outpaced by our problems." He said he was aware of the high expectations for his presidency, and he acknowledged US failings, but said solving the world's problems is not "solely America's endeavor," the AP reports. The...
Did Another Housewife Strip?
Fox News
|
Sep 23, 2009 9:43 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Perhaps the Real Housewives of Atlanta should be renamed the Real Former Strippers of Atlanta . Yet another member of the entourage—Nene Leakes was the first to admit it—is rumored to have taken part in the esteemed profession. This time it’s Kim Zolciak who supposedly made “a lot of money” working the Cheetah Club...
Congress, Military Question 'Protect Afghans' Rule
Washington Post
|
Sep 23, 2009 9:38 AM CDT
(Newser) -
With US casualties mounting in Afghanistan, some members of Congress are questioning recent orders that have put troops at greater risk in order to protect Afghan civilians, the Washington Post reports. Gen. Stanley McChrystal recently berated the military for being “preoccupied with protection of our own forces.” He ordered soldiers...
In Germany, Baby Rhino Is the New Knut
Der Spiegel
|
Sep 23, 2009 9:19 AM CDT
(Newser) -
A rhinoceros born Sunday in Germany is poised to become that country’s next cute and cuddly animal sensation, Der Spiegel reports. The as yet unnamed baby rhino, already 128 pounds, will live at the zoo in the city of Münster and be raised by humans after its mother rejected it. The 18-year-old mother, Emmi, had killed two of her...
China Sells Gas to Iran Despite US Pressure
Financial Times (UK)
|
Sep 23, 2009 9:13 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Chinese state oil companies began selling gasoline to Iran this month and now provide 30,000 to 40,000 barrels a day, or as much as a third of the country's imports. The development comes despite US-led attempts to block gas shipments to Iran, which has seen oil giants BP and Reliance end sales. Iran is one of the world's largest oil producers,...
GOP Legislators Dominate Twitter —but Does It Matter?
Politico
|
Sep 23, 2009 9:02 AM CDT
(Newser) -
If you think Twitter is the preserve of skinny-jeaned urbanites, think again; in the corridors of power, Republican microbloggers are leading the way. Politico reports that 101 GOP members of Congress have Twitter accounts to only 57 Democrats, and Republican legislators posted 932 messages over two weeks this summer—nearly four times the...
Goodbye, K-Fat: Federline to Slim Down—on TV
TMZ
|
Sep 23, 2009 8:37 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Kevin Federline is going to have to stop eating at McDonald's. Nicknamed K-Fat for the pounds he's packed on, Britney Spear's porky ex is on board for the next season of Celebrity Fit Club , TMZ reports, complete with embarrassing shirtless photos of the blown-up former model and wannabe rapper. He'll be joined on the VH1 reality show by Bobby Brown,...
Dancin' DeLay: This Is the 'Real Tom'
New York Times
|
Sep 23, 2009 8:21 AM CDT
(Newser) -
America is getting to see a whole different side of Tom DeLay on Dancing with the Stars , and he wants you to know it's the real Tom DeLay. Maureen Dowd chats up the man once dubbed the “meanest man in Congress” and ponders the meaning of his transformation. “I’m being more feminine and a little prissy," he tells her...
Goldman May Break Charter to Duck Pay Rules
Reuters
|
Sep 23, 2009 8:15 AM CDT
(Newser) -
With the Federal Reserve busily drafting rules to limit pay for bank executives, some investors believe Goldman Sachs will simply stop being a bank, Reuters reports. By shedding its year-old commercial banking charter, acquired in the heat of the financial meltdown to ensure access to credit, Goldman could elude restrictions in the offing. But Goldman...
Hey, Dems: Stop Whining About Civility and Fight Back!
Wall Street Journal
|
Sep 23, 2009 8:11 AM CDT
(Newser) -
The Democrats should be trying to land a few blows in the health care debate instead of meekly complaining about a lack of civility from the opposition, Thomas Frank writes in the Wall Street Journal . The right wing has made the issue into a crusade for its vision of liberty, Frank writes, and President Obama and Nancy Pelosi should tackle it as...
Anna Nicole, Doc Took Nude Pix
TMZ
|
Sep 23, 2009 8:00 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Not only did Anna Nicole Smith have a lesbian tryst with her psychiatrist, but there are pictures, TMZ reports. Legal documents describe photos of Smith and Dr Khristine Eroshevich, naked and contorted in various positions, including one in a bathtub. Radar also happened upon photos of Eroshevich—accused of supplying Smith with drugs—snorting...
Brown Eyes Nuke Bank, Will Cut Sub Fleet
New York Times
|
Sep 23, 2009 7:40 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Gordon Brown takes the stage at the United Nations today with an eye toward nuclear disarmament, reports the BBC, and he'll begin by offering to cut Britain's fleet of Trident nuclear submarines from four to three. While the British PM maintains full nuclear disarmament isn't an option, in an op-ed in the New York Times today, he calls...
Biden Plan Would Target al-Qaeda, not Taliban
New York Times
|
Sep 23, 2009 7:27 AM CDT
(Newser) -
The Obama administration’s national security heavyweights have yet to reach any kind of consensus on a strategy for Afghanistan, the New York Times reports. Obama is considering both increasing troop levels to carry out his original counterinsurgency strategy, and an alternative plan from Joe Biden that would pull troops out and focus purely...
Honduras Barricades Zelaya, Cuts Off Water, Electricity
Guardian (UK)
|
Sep 23, 2009 7:05 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Security forces in Honduras barricaded ousted president Manuel Zelaya inside the Brazilian embassy in Tegucigalpa overnight, cutting off water, electricity, and telephone service to the building. Zelaya and about 70 other people are enduring a de facto siege, reports the Guardian ; troops are stationed on nearby rooftops, speakers are blasting high-pitched...
