Newser Story Index from June, 2012
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.
If Iran Shuts Strait of Hormuz, Saudis Have Plan B
Reuters
|
Jun 28, 2012 12:22 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Iran is making noises about shutting the crucial Strait of Hormuz in retaliation for sanctions, and Saudi Arabia is getting ready just in case. If it can't ship its crude through the Gulf, it plans to use an old pipeline that cuts across the country to the Red Sea, reports Reuters . Iraq actually built the pipeline in the 1980s when it was having...
Romney Blasts 'Bad Law', as Obama Lauds SCOTUS 'Victory'
CNN
|
Jun 28, 2012 12:12 PM CDT
(Newser) -
President Obama and Mitt Romney wasted little time responding to the Supreme Court's ruling upholding the Affordable Care Act today. Romney went first, speaking at a podium emblazoned with the words, "Repeal and Replace ObamaCare," and that's indeed the message he pressed. The court, he said, may have ruled the law constitutional,...
Vaccine Could Prevent Nicotine Addiction
Wall Street Journal
|
Jun 28, 2012 11:47 AM CDT
(Newser) -
A new study has given fresh hopes that a one-shot vaccine could inoculate a person against nicotine addiction. Cornell researchers injected mice with a gene for a nicotine antibody, and watched as those antibodies managed to prevent more than 80% of all nicotine from reaching their brains, the Wall Street Journal reports. The gene was injected...
Guy Cleared in 'Stand Your Ground' Case Shot Dead
Miami Herald
|
Jun 28, 2012 11:17 AM CDT
(Newser) -
In a stunningly ironic turn of events, a Miami man who was freed just three months ago in a controversial "Stand Your Ground" case was killed by a stray bullet this week. Greyston Garcia—who was granted immunity by a judge in March after chasing down and killing a man who was attempting to steal his car radio—left his job...
GOP Wastes No Time: #FullRepeal
Washington Post
|
Jun 28, 2012 10:56 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Democrats wasted no time in celebrating the Supreme Court's ObamaCare ruling ("it's constitutional. Bitches" tweeted the DNC's executive director); Republicans wasted no time in readying the counterattack. Eric Cantor announced that the House will vote (again) to repeal the law after the July Fourth recess, on July 11, reports...
Louis CK Wins Big in Stiffing Ticketmaster
Gawker
|
Jun 28, 2012 10:50 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Louis CK's idea to sell tickets directly to fans was officially a good one: Within less than two days, 100,000 tickets had been sold, the comedian tweeted last night. He added that "lotsa shows are sold out," but says more are being added. That doesn't mean he's coming to your town, though: He notes that it's very...
Poll: If Aliens Invade, Americans Want Obama
AFP
|
Jun 28, 2012 10:42 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Americans may be divided on President Obama's handling of the economy, but if aliens invade, he's their guy. A whopping 65% think Obama would be better at handling an alien invasion than Mitt Romney, according to a new National Geographic poll spotted by the AFP . And for more than a few of them this is a real concern. Some 36% said they...
State Paying Sandusky's $5K-a-Month Pension
abc27.com
|
Jun 28, 2012 10:10 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Jerry Sandusky may wind up spending the rest of his life in prison, but apparently that's no reason to deny him his hard-earned pension. Sandusky will continue receiving his $4,908-a-month state pension, which is partially funded by taxpayers, ABC 27 reports. In order to strip Sandusky of his pension, he would have to be convicted of an Act 140...
6 Celebs Who Didn't Watch Their Own TV Shows
Huffington Post
|
Jun 28, 2012 9:55 AM CDT
(Newser) -
If you're still wondering what, exactly, Lost was about … don't bother asking Naveen Andrews, otherwise known as Sayid. Andrews revealed this week that he never actually watched an episode of the show in which he starred. (So, according to Jezebel's Lindy West , "as far as he knows it was just a show about a guy on a beach...
Ann Curry's Send-Off Hits 'Wrong Note'
MSNBC
|
Jun 28, 2012 9:38 AM CDT
(Newser) -
There was no fancy farewell montage or goodbye song performance : just Ann Curry, on the Today couch alongside Matt Lauer, Al Roker, and Natalie Morales, bidding adieu to the viewers she loves. "This is not easy to say, but today is going to be my last morning as a regular co-host of Today . I will still be a part of the Today show family,...
Supreme Court Upholds ObamaCare
SCOTUSblog
|
Jun 28, 2012 9:24 AM CDT
(Newser) -
The fate of ObamaCare has been decided—and it's very, very good news for President Obama and tens of millions of uninsured Americans. The Supreme Court today upheld the Affordable Care Act with one Medicaid-related exception. SCOTUSblog reports that Chief Justice John Roberts' vote "saved" ObamaCare; he sided with the left...
How RIM Killed the BlackBerry
Wall Street Journal
|
Jun 28, 2012 9:08 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Research in Motion is announcing its earnings today, and they're "going to be terrible with a scoop of worse for August," an analyst tells CNET . How did things get so bad for the BlackBerry maker? It started at the top, the Wall Street Journal says in a lengthy piece detailing RIM's woes: For years, the company had two CEOs,...
Heat Wave Smashes 1K+ Records in Week
Associated Press
|
Jun 28, 2012 8:44 AM CDT
(Newser) -
The nation is sizzling this week, breaking a whopping 1,015 daily high temperature records in just the seven days ending Tuesday alone. That's significant, considering records typically aren't broken until July or August, the AP reports. And don't get your hopes up for any sort of relief: Forecasts show more records are set to be broken...
Airbus Plans First US Assembly Line in Alabama
New York Times
|
Jun 28, 2012 8:40 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Airbus plans to invest several hundred million dollars in a new plant in Mobile, Ala., which would be the European plane manufacturer's first factory on US soil, sources tell the New York Times . The move would ramp up its competition with Boeing, which has been the only company building large commercial aircraft in the US since 1997, Flightglobal...
Alaska Glacier Yields '50s Plane Wreck
Associated Press
|
Jun 28, 2012 8:31 AM CDT
(AP) -
The wreckage of a military plane found this month on an Alaska glacier is that of an Air Force plane that crashed in 1952, killing all 52 people aboard, military officials said yesterday. Army Capt. Jamie Dobson said evidence at the crash site correlates with the missing C-124A Globemaster, but the military is not eliminating other possibilities. Processing...
D-Day for ObamaCare: What You Need to Know
Politico
|
Jun 28, 2012 7:49 AM CDT
(Newser) -
The most closely watched Supreme Court decision in years is due shortly after 10am today, and there are a lot of nervous people in Washington, DC, waiting to learn the fate of President Obama's health care reform—and lots of predictions. The best-case scenario for Obama would be that the law is upheld in full, writes Josh Gerstein at Politico...
JPMorgan May Have Lost $9B
New York Times
|
Jun 28, 2012 7:47 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Forget $2 billion ; JPMorgan's trading losses on its bad derivative bets could reach a jaw-dropping $9 billion, sources tell the New York Times , based on an internal company report. Jamie Dimon had warned investors that the $2 billion loss could double within a few quarters, but losses have gotten much worse much faster than anticipated. That's...
Ann Curry's Today Goodbye: Today's the Day
USA Today
|
Jun 28, 2012 7:42 AM CDT
(Newser) -
It's official: Ann Curry is saying goodbye to Today viewers this morning, she told USA Today in an emotional interview yesterday. It's "going to be a bit of a tough day," Curry says, but she is excited about her new role within NBC: She will lead a seven-person unit covering stories around the world, and you'll likely see...
Turkey Deploys Troops to Syrian Border
Wall Street Journal
|
Jun 28, 2012 7:32 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Turkey is apparently not turning the other cheek, with the country's media today reporting that a military deployment is en route to its border with Syria. A dozen trucks and short-range antiaircraft missiles are making their way toward the south-central Kilis Province, which contains both a military base and a Syrian refugee camp. Earlier reports...
News Corp Confirms It Will Split
Wall Street Journal
|
Jun 28, 2012 7:00 AM CDT
(Newser) -
News Corp is confirming that the media behemoth will split in two, allowing its more profitable entertainment properties to break free of its less profitable publishing ones, reports the Wall Street Journal —which itself is on the publishing half of that divide. "We will wow the world as two, as opposed to merely one," wrote Rupert...
Hague Acquits Karadzic of 1 Genocide Count
Associated Press
|
Jun 28, 2012 6:36 AM CDT
(AP) -
The Yugoslav war crimes tribunal has acquitted former Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic of one of the two genocide charges he faces at the halfway stage of his long-running trial. Judges say prosecutors did not present enough evidence to support the genocide count covering mass killings, expulsions, and persecution by Serb forces of Muslims and...
Clinton Breaks Travel Record
CBS
|
Jun 28, 2012 6:00 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Four years after telling staffers that she would "not in a million years" consider becoming secretary of state, Hillary Clinton is setting a record: She visits Latvia today, the 100th country she has visited in the role. Clinton is now the best-traveled secretary of state in American history, having beaten the record of 96 countries set by...
Louisiana's Rogue Dolphin Entertains ... and Bites
ABC News
|
Jun 28, 2012 5:50 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Residents of an upscale New Orleans suburb have been warned to stay away from their friendly neighborhood dolphin. The young bottlenose dolphin, who arrived in a canal off the north shore of Lake Pontchartrain after Hurricane Katrina, is a big hit with boaters and swimmers, but has bitten at least three people who got too close to him. Wildlife officials...
IRS Probing Rove's Crossroads GPS
Wall Street Journal
|
Jun 28, 2012 5:49 AM CDT
(Newser) -
The IRS has launched an investigation to determine if Karl Rove's GOP-boosting Crossroads GPS and similar organizations are violating their tax-exempt status by spending too much money promoting a party agenda and candidates. Organizations are granted tax-exempt status only if they promote a benefit to the community. The IRS is developing a questionnaire...
Romney Camp: Dinner With Trump 'Won't Be Happening'
ABC News
|
Jun 28, 2012 5:48 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Donald Trump's claim to be co-hosting a glitzy fundraising dinner with Mitt Romney in New York City tonight apparently came as a surprise to none other than the Romney campaign, the AP reports. Trump tweeted that he was looking forward to the "Dine With Mitt and Donald" event and couldn't wait to meet the "lucky winner"...
Obama to Visit 'Epic' Fire Devastation
Reuters
|
Jun 28, 2012 3:44 AM CDT
(Newser) -
President Obama plans to jet to Colorado tomorrow to view the devastation of an "epic" rampaging wildfire near Colorado Springs that has gutted hundreds of homes, sent some 35,000 residents fleeing, and destroyed 19,000 acres. Rich Brown, fire chief of Colorado Springs, the state's second largest city, called the blaze a "monster,"...
Japan Powering Up Reactor Amid Protests
CNN
|
Jun 28, 2012 3:13 AM CDT
(Newser) -
After almost two months of doing without nuclear energy for the first time in nearly 40 years, Japan is planning to restart its first reactor this weekend, CNN reports. Nuclear power supplied almost a third of the country's electricity before last year's Fukushima disaster, but all 50 of the country's reactors have been offline for safety...
Feds Search for Trapped Stowaways on Massive NJ Ship
Wall Street Journal
|
Jun 28, 2012 2:40 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Frantic federal authorities were continuing to search containers on a massive cargo ship last night for stowaways after Coast Guard officials reported hearing suspicious noises during a routine inspection at the Newark port. Inspectors heard knocking from inside a shipping container buried deep within the cargo stacks, which had been loaded in India...
China Slams Mitt, Obama for 'Playing China Card'
Reuters
|
Jun 28, 2012 1:51 AM CDT
(Newser) -
"Playing the 'China card' is not inspired, and cannot save the US economy," China's main state-run newspaper warns in an editorial slamming both President Obama and Mitt Romney for competing to see "who can be toughest on China." The People's Daily accuses the candidates of displaying "short-sightedness"...
Texan Gets 40 Years for 'Stand Your Ground' Slaying
Los Angeles Times
|
Jun 28, 2012 1:27 AM CDT
(Newser) -
A Texas man has been sentenced to 40 years in prison for what prosecutors described as an attempt to use the state's "stand your ground" law to get away with murder. Raul Rodriguez shot dead his neighbor, a 36-year-old teacher, after going next door to complain about noise from a party—carrying a gun, a video camera, and a cell...
Google Now Selling Prototype Glasses
BBC
|
Jun 28, 2012 1:00 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Google's new computerized glasses are now on sale—but only to developers attending Google's I/O conference this week. The San Francisco conference was treated to a stunning demonstration of the technology yesterday, when Google employees wearing the Internet-connected glasses skydived from a blimp above the conference building, using...
Dad of Murdered Lesbian Teen Calls for Justice
MSNBC
|
Jun 28, 2012 12:57 AM CDT
(Newser) -
The dad of the teenage lesbian shot dead in a Texas park called for justice yesterday. He immediately had a "bad feeling" when his 19-year-old daughter, Mollie, failed to show up for work, said Mario Olgin. “It was not like Mollie," he told KIII-TV . "If she had some place to be she was going to be there.” Mollie...
Chimp Kills Baby Chimp at LA Zoo
CBS News
|
Jun 28, 2012 12:03 AM CDT
(Newser) -
An adult male chimpanzee at the Los Angeles Zoo bashed to death a three-month-old baby chimp as nearly 100 horrified onlookers watched on Tuesday. The baby, daughter of mom Gracie, was a favorite of zoo fans, and several fled the scene after witnessing the bloody attack. "All I heard was screaming" from the chimp enclosure, said a boy visiting...
Tests Find No Bath Salts in Face Eater's System
Associated Press
|
Jun 27, 2012 7:12 PM CDT
(AP) -
Lab tests detected only marijuana in the system of a Florida man fatally shot while chewing another man's face, finding no trace of the components typically found in the stimulants known as bath salts. The Miami-Dade County Medical Examiner said in a news release that the tests detected pot, but they didn't find any other street drugs, alcohol,...
To Run Like a Cheetah, Get Stronger Thighs
well.blogs.nytimes.com
|
Jun 27, 2012 6:52 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Scientists trying to figure out how cheetahs manage to run faster than any other mammal might have a few tips to pass along to human runners, reports the New York Times ' Well blog . For one thing, build up those thighs. The cheetah has powerful upper legs, which allow them to pump faster than, say, a greyhounds' legs. (The two animals were...
Kings Wonder if a Devil Stole Winning Puck
Star-Ledger
|
Jun 27, 2012 6:05 PM CDT
(Newser) -
The Los Angeles Kings may have won the Stanley Cup , but they can't find their winning puck. And they want it back in a bad way. Last time anyone saw it, New Jersey's Patrik Elias flipped it into his own glove after the final game ended, reports the LA Times . A fan's video shows him skating over to Devils teammate Martin Brodeur, then...
Businesses Must Stop Worshiping Shareholders
ProPublica
|
Jun 27, 2012 5:25 PM CDT
(Newser) -
The notion that businesses exist solely to increase their stock prices and thus reward shareholders may be a "bedrock principal of our era," writes Jesse Eisinger at the Trade blog for ProPublica, but it also may be taking a serious toll on America's financial health. He sums up the argument of Cornell law professor Lynn Stout, who...
Madoff's Brother to Plead Guilty, Get 10 Years
Wall Street Journal
|
Jun 27, 2012 5:03 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Bernie Madoff's brother is heading to prison for 10 years. Peter Madoff made an agreement with prosecutors and will plead guilty on Friday to two charges: falsifying the records of an investment adviser and conspiracy to commit securities fraud and other crimes, reports the Wall Street Journal . Peter served as the chief compliance officer and...
Poorer Nations Seeing a Rise in Drug Use
Wall Street Journal
|
Jun 27, 2012 4:35 PM CDT
(Newser) -
It used to be that poor nations in South America and elsewhere shipped drugs to richer nations while their own residents largely avoided using them. That has changed in the last decade as the economies of developing nations have improved, according to a new UN report. Now these rising nations are seeing a spike in drugs such as cocaine, ecstasy, and...
Ancient Relatives of Humans Ate Wood
bbc.co.uk
|
Jun 27, 2012 4:15 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Did our ancestors eat trees? New fossil evidence shows that a 2 million-year-old relative of humans nibbled on bark and leaves, reports BBC . Scientists analyzed the teeth of two members of the "southern ape" species, or Australopithecus sediba , and found evidence that they included wood in their diet.
FDA OKs First Diet Pill in 13 Years
Bloomberg
|
Jun 27, 2012 3:57 PM CDT
(Newser) -
For the first time in 13 years, the FDA has approved an anti-obesity pill. The medication, called Belviq, targets a section of the brain responsible for regulating hunger, reports Bloomberg . Sales could hit $2 billion in 2020, predicts an analyst. “Two-thirds of the people in this country are overweight or obese,” he says. "It's...
Mongolian Election Issue: How to Spend Windfall
Associated Press
|
Jun 27, 2012 3:18 PM CDT
(AP) -
Mongolians vote for a new legislature this week facing a fortunate choice: How best can the landlocked, still poor country spend an expected windfall from its mining boom? The main political parties in tomorrow's elections are offering variations on using royalties and revenues from mammoth coal, copper, and gold mines to build out pension systems,...
Chicago Cops Won't Arrest You Over a Little Weed
NBC Chicago
|
Jun 27, 2012 2:27 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Expect to smell some celebratory puffs in Chicago. The city council voted today to approve a policy allowing police to ticket, rather than arrest, anyone found with 15 grams of marijuana or less, NBC Chicago reports. The policy, which is backed by Mayor Rahm Emanuel among others, passed by a whopping 43-3 margin. "This is about being efficient...
Cops: Guy Threatened Gassy Neighbor With Gun
MyFox New York
|
Jun 27, 2012 2:10 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Be careful where you fart: A New Jersey man is accused of threatening his neighbor with a gun after hearing the neighbor pass gas outside his apartment door. Daniel Collins Jr., 72, allegedly pointed a 32-caliber revolver at the neighbor and said, "I'm going to put a hole in your head," My Fox NY reports. He was subsequently arrested...
Lawsuits Demand Texas Air-Condition Prisons
New York Times
|
Jun 27, 2012 1:54 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Imagine being trapped in a small room without air-conditioning in 100-degree heat for days at a time. That's the reality most Texas prisoners face, and now two lawsuits are taking the state to task for it. One was filed yesterday by the wife of one of the four inmates who died of heat stroke or hyperthermia last year, the New York Times reports....
Scientists Ask: Why Does Hot Water Freeze the Fastest?
Telegraph (UK)
|
Jun 27, 2012 1:37 PM CDT
(Newser) -
It sounds like one of those quirky science questions every kid should know the answer to: Why does hot water sometimes freeze faster than cold water? In reality, not even the kids at the UK's Royal Society of Chemistry know—and they're offering a $1,600 prize to anyone who can tell them. The phenomenon, dubbed the Mpemba Effect, has been...
Homebuyers, Beware of Buying a Former Meth Lab
Fox News
|
Jun 27, 2012 1:24 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Those in the market for a home may want to add this question to their checklist: Was this by any chance ever used as a meth lab? The idea may sound far-fetched, but Fox News has a few examples of horror stories in which unsuspecting families move into homes, get seriously sick, and only then discover what previously went on there: “It came...
German Court Bans Circumcision
New York Times
|
Jun 27, 2012 1:08 PM CDT
(Newser) -
A court banned the circumcision of young boys in Cologne, Germany, ruling yesterday that the child's "fundamental right to bodily integrity" trumped their parents' right to religious freedom. The case centered around a 4-year-old Muslim boy who developed medical complications after he was circumcised, the New York Times reports....
ATF Did Not Intentionally Allow Guns Into Mexico
features.blogs.fortune.cnn.com
|
Jun 27, 2012 12:57 PM CDT
(Newser) -
The shorthand version of the Fast and Furious scandal goes something like this: ATF agents purposely allowed illegal guns to get into Mexico, then lost track of them, leading to horrific results . But a six-month investigation by Katherine Eban of Fortune magazine comes to a surprising conclusion: That so-called "gunwalking" strategy...
Counting Calories Not Enough
Los Angeles Times
|
Jun 27, 2012 12:53 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Once you've successfully lost some weight, all you have to do is count calories to keep it off, right? Wrong, according to an admittedly small but intensive study that basically determined that all calories are not created equal. Twenty-one overweight/obese participants followed a 12-week weight-loss program designed to peel off 10% to 15% of their...
