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Newser Story Index from July, 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.

Syria Moved Chemical Weapons to Airports: Rebels
Telegraph (UK) | Jul 24, 2012 7:57 AM CDT
(Newser) - The Free Syrian Army believes that the Assad regime has moved chemical weapons to airports near the country's borders, in what the rebels say is a bid to put "pressure on the region and the international community," according to the Telegraph . The regime yesterday threatened to use its chemical arsenal against foreign interlopers....
Navy: Worker Set $400M Sub Fire to Get Out of Work
Associated Press | Jul 24, 2012 7:49 AM CDT
(Newser) - That fire on the USS Miami that caused $400 million in damage in May? Turns out it may not have been caused by a vacuum after all. Navy investigators say civilian laborer Casey James Fury actually set the fire ... because he wanted to leave work early. Fury now faces two counts of arson and, if convicted, could find himself in prison for life, the...
Penn State's Spanier: I Was Abused as Kid
Associated Press | Jul 24, 2012 7:30 AM CDT
(Newser) - The damning report is in and the punishment has been doled out , but former Penn State President Graham Spanier is still trying to salvage a bit of his reputation by revealing himself as a victim of child abuse. In a letter sent yesterday to school trustees, Spanier writes that "it is unfathomable and illogical to think ... someone who experienced...
Beset by Problems, Search for Earhart's Plane Ends
Associated Press | Jul 24, 2012 7:23 AM CDT
(Newser) - The latest ambitious, expensive expedition to find Amelia Earhart's plane is returning to Hawaii, without the pictures of the plane researchers were hoping to obtain. "This is just sort of the way things are in this world," the president of the International Group for Historic Aircraft Recovery (TIGHAR) tells the AP . "It's...
UK Charges Brooks, Coulson in Hacking Scandal
BBC | Jul 24, 2012 6:15 AM CDT
(Newser) - British authorities have announced 19 charges over the tabloid phone hacking scandal, and they're targeting some of the biggest names in the case. Former News International CEO Rebekah Brooks and David Cameron's former communications chief Andy Coulson will both be charged with conspiring to "intercept communications." Also facing...
German Credit Rating Downgraded to Negative
Reuters | Jul 24, 2012 4:23 AM CDT
(Newser) - Germany, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg may have strong credit ratings, but that didn't stop Moody's from downgrading all three to "negative" yesterday, as the never-ending euro crisis continues to deepen, reports Reuters . The rating agency specifically warned about yesterday's threat by Germany to kick Greece out of the euro...
Heavily Armed Man Busted After Packing Gun to Dark Knight
Reuters | Jul 24, 2012 4:03 AM CDT
(Newser) - A heavily armed man loaded with newspaper clippings about Colorado's Dark Knight massacre has been busted while speeding down a Maine highway. He boasted to cops he had just attended a showing of the Batman film packing a loaded gun—and was on his way to New Hampshire to shoot a former boss, said police. Timothy Courtois, 49, was driving...
Court Halts Execution of Georgia Inmate
CNN | Jul 24, 2012 3:00 AM CDT
(Newser) - Georgia's high court has halted a controversial execution in the nick of time. Warren Hill, whose lawyers say he is mentally retarded and thus can't be executed, was set to die last night. But the court delayed the move for an entirely different reason: Judges are set to decide whether public hearings are necessary before the state can switch...
Romney: New Gun Laws Wouldn't Matter
Reuters | Jul 24, 2012 2:53 AM CDT
(Newser) - Here's Mitt Romney's assessment of the Dark Knight massacre that claimed 12 lives: Different gun laws would not have made any difference. Even though the candidate has supported stricter gun controls in the past, he said on CNBC yesterday : "I still believe that the Second Amendment is the right course to preserve and defend, and I...
Cisco Slashing 1.3K Jobs
Bloomberg | Jul 24, 2012 2:40 AM CDT
(Newser) - As Cisco Systems continues to struggle, the computer-networking equipment maker plans to cut 2% of its workforce—around 1,300 jobs. Profits are down and shares fell 11% this year thanks in part to Europe's financial crisis and slower spending by corporate customers, Bloomberg notes. And an analyst says more cuts are likely. Last year, Cisco...
Obama Plans 'Reverse Boot Camp' for Vets
NBC News | Jul 24, 2012 2:32 AM CDT
(Newser) - The Transition Assistance Program for US service members leaving the military is getting an overhaul, expanding into what President Obama is calling a "reverse boot camp" for veterans, reports NBC News . TAP's three-day workshop will be expanded to five or seven, with more sessions on career options and financial planning, as well as...
Jason Alexander Stirs the Pot on Gun Rights
ABC News | Jul 24, 2012 2:03 AM CDT
(Newser) - George Costanza's political stature just keeps growing. Former Seinfeld actor Jason Alexander has taken to Twitter to voice his stance on gun control, noting that the weapon on the Dark Knight massacre was "a military weapon. Why should it be in non-mil hands?" After that prompted online debate, he offered a lengthy follow-up ...
Dark Knight Studio Donating Funds to Victims
Hollywood Reporter | Jul 24, 2012 1:30 AM CDT
(Newser) - The studio behind The Dark Knight Rises is donating funds to help the victims of the mass shooting at the Aurora theater. The exact amount isn't being disclosed, but Warner Bros. officials plan to make a "substantial" lump-sum contribution, according to the Hollywood Reporter . Studio representatives have been in touch with the office...
Muppets Cut Strings to Anti-Gay Chick-fil-A
Huffington Post | Jul 24, 2012 1:03 AM CDT
(Newser) - Sesame Street is not brought to you by the letter A anymore, at least not as in "Chick-fil-A." The Muppets and the Jim Henson Company have pulled out of a promotional campaign at the popular fast food franchise after Chick-fil-A's president said the company is opposed to gay marriage , reports the Huffington Post . The Muppet crew will...
Scary New Text Scam: Pay or Die
CNN | Jul 24, 2012 12:59 AM CDT
(Newser) - Get ready for a massive new wrinkle in texting scams: death threats. Australian authorities are hunting for crooks who are ordering victims via text to "pay up or die." The texts talk of a contract to kill the textee, who can undo the hit by paying $5,000 following instructions via email. "Sum1 paid me to kill you," read the texts....
Bizarre 'Goat Man' Turns Out to Be Hunter
StandardNet | Jul 24, 2012 12:47 AM CDT
(Newser) - Authorities got a baa-d feeling about a worrisome "goat man" spotted wearing a white fur and scrambling along on his hands and knees trailing the wild goats on a Utah mountain. But the unidentified beastie has contacted a wildlife worker to explain that he's merely preparing for a goat hunt the way he has in the past. The 57-year-old...
Fight Erupts at Jackson Family Home
TMZ | Jul 24, 2012 12:31 AM CDT
(Newser) - The mounting problems in Michael Jackson's clan just got uglier. Los Angeles County sheriff's deputies responded yesterday to a report of a disturbance at the Jackson family home in Calabasas, where a family member accused another of assault, reports TMZ . No other details were available. The incident follows a tangled web of accusations and...
129 Hurt in Hong Kong Typhoon
CNN | Jul 24, 2012 12:03 AM CDT
(Newser) - Amid vicious winds and rain, Hong Kong last night raised its highest-level typhoon warning for the first time in 13 years. Some 129 people were injured in the storm; no deaths have been reported. But 60 flights were cancelled, and much of the city closed as Typhoon Vicente knocked down some 1,000 trees and triggered major flooding. Temporary shelters...
Seinfeld's New Show Truly About 'Nothing'
Independent | Jul 23, 2012 7:10 PM CDT
(Newser) - Looks like Jerry Seinfeld has trumped himself in his quest to make a show about "nothing." His new Web series, Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee , has Seinfeld chatting with comedy buddies (like Larry David and Ricky Gervais) while driving, snacking, and—you guessed it—having coffee. Reviews are mixed after the first episode:...
UC Davis Docs Punished for Human Experiments
Sacramento Bee | Jul 23, 2012 6:40 PM CDT
(Newser) - UC Davis has punished an eminent neurosurgeon for experimenting on dying cancer patients without permission from the university—and possibly hastening the deaths of two of them, reports the Sacramento Bee . J. Paul Muizelaar, 65, and his colleague, Rudolph Schrot, 44, say they had permission for their work last fall, but a university investigation...
Yankees Trade for Ichiro
Associated Press | Jul 23, 2012 6:09 PM CDT
(AP) - The New York Yankees have acquired star outfielder Ichiro Suzuki from the Seattle Mariners in a trade for two pitchers. The Yankees also got cash in the deal that sent right-handers DJ Mitchell and Danny Farquhar to the Mariners. The trade was announced a few hours before the Yankees played at Seattle tonight.
Need Cheap Drugs? One Man Says You Can Print Them
Daily Mail (UK) | Jul 23, 2012 5:42 PM CDT
(Newser) - If you're tired of paying out the nose for prescriptions, Lee Cronin of Glasgow University may have a solution: a 3-D printer that makes whatever medicine you need, the Daily Mail reports. His $1,800 prototype is humming along these days, injecting molecules into micro-tubes and causing "chemical inks" to react to one another. Cronin's...
Sally Ride, 1st US Woman in Space, Dead at Age 61
CNN | Jul 23, 2012 4:57 PM CDT
(Newser) - Sally Ride, America's first woman space traveler, died today after fighting pancreatic cancer for 17 months, the New York Times reports. She was 61. Ride made history by flying on Challenger shuttles in 1983 and 1984, and being America's youngest person in orbit. She was also the only expert who served on both panels probing the fatal 1986...
Teenage Rape Victim Tweets Names of Her Attackers
Courier-Journal (Louisville, Ky.) | Jul 23, 2012 4:30 PM CDT
(Newser) - An angry teenage rape victim turned to Twitter for what she considered greater justice, and she got it. Savannah Dietrich, 17, shocked her attackers by violating a court order and tweeting their names. “There you go, lock me up,” she tweeted. “I’m not protecting anyone that made my life a living Hell.” Savannah said she...
'Chad Ochocinco' Is No More
NPR | Jul 23, 2012 3:59 PM CDT
(Newser) - Who wouldn't want the last name Ochocinco? Chad Ochocinco's wife, apparently, so the former NFL phenom has changed his name back to Chad Johnson, NPR reports. "The main reason behind the name change was due to his marriage to Evelyn Lozada," said the OchoCinco News Network . USA Today 's The Huddle blog quips that the change...
Horrific Hate Crime Inspires Evening Vigil
journalstar.com | Jul 23, 2012 3:36 PM CDT
(Newser) - A brutal homophobic attack in Lincoln, Nebraska, left one woman screaming as she crawled from her house yesterday and inspired hundreds to attend a vigil against hate crimes, the Journal-Star reports. The woman said three masked men burst into her house, tied her up, cut her all over, and carved anti-gay slurs into her body. When they set her floor...
American Idol's New Judge: Mariah Carey
TMZ | Jul 23, 2012 2:59 PM CDT
(Newser) - J.Lo, who? Mariah Carey has officially signed on to be American Idol's newest judge, reports TMZ . The singer/notorious diva is reportedly snagging a $12 million paycheck, but sources are already muttering, telling TMZ that Carey was a "nightmare to work with" when she appeared as a guest mentor in 2008. The announcement was made...
Springsteen Recalls Battles With Suicidal Thoughts
New Yorker | Jul 23, 2012 2:40 PM CDT
(Newser) - In the midst of a nearly-16,000-word New Yorker feature on Bruce Springsteen at 62 comes this tidbit: In the 1980s, the rocker was battling serious depression. When he drove across the country, then straight back, in 1982 while working on Nebraska, "He was feeling suicidal," Springsteen's friend and biographer says. "The depression...
GOP Convention Plays Nice With Ron Paul
USA Today | Jul 23, 2012 2:25 PM CDT
(Newser) - Ron Paul hasn't endorsed Mitt Romney yet, or even formally ended his bid for the GOP nomination, but the Republican National Committee is nonetheless making room for him and his supporters at the party's convention in August, USA Today reports. It even helped Paul secure the University of South Florida's Sun Dome as a venue for an August...
Goodbye Snoop Dogg, Hello Snoop Lion
Rolling Stone | Jul 23, 2012 2:00 PM CDT
(Newser) - Snoop Dogg is branching out into new musical styles and more intimidating animal pseudonyms. His Snoopness is about to release a reggae album, under the new monicker Snoop Lion, Rolling Stone reports. His first single, "La La La," is available now, and according to his website, "Snoop Lion & the Jungle" will make their live...
SWAT Gear Scariest Part of James Holmes' Arsenal
Slate | Jul 23, 2012 1:46 PM CDT
(Newser) - James Holmes "didn't just kill a dozen people" with his Colorado shooting rampage, writes William Saletan on Slate . "He killed the NRA's answer to gun violence." The NRA has been arguing for years that, to quote its CEO in the wake of the Tucson shooting, "The best way to stop a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with...
Huckabee Launches 'Chick-fil-A Appreciation Day'
Mediaite | Jul 23, 2012 1:21 PM CDT
(Newser) - When Chick-fil-A boss Dan Cathy recently confirmed that the fast food chain is against gay marriage , quite a backlash ensued. Comedians mocked, Boston's mayor vowed to ban the restaurant in his town, and the Jim Henson Company even stopped making toys for Chick-fil-A children's meals. Fortunately, Mike Huckabee has come to the rescue of the...
How Olympics Hurt Host Cities More Than Help
The Atlantic | Jul 23, 2012 1:18 PM CDT
(Newser) - Cities go nuts trying to bring the Olympics home—and they may not be doing themselves any favors. Sure, if everything runs smoothly, the Games might offer a "small windfall." But the economic reality is far more complicated, writes Andrew Zimbalist at the Atlantic : Private companies, not cities, are the big winners in the bidding...
Hollywood's Latest Break-Ups, Make-Ups
Sun (UK) | Jul 23, 2012 1:14 PM CDT
(Newser) - Love and the lack thereof are both in the air in Hollywood. Reports of the latest make-ups, break-ups, and other romance-related happenings: News of their split broke about a month ago; now there are rumors of a reunion between Johnny Depp and Vanessa Paradis. Depp flew to Paradis' side in the south of France for a holiday with their kids,...
Obama Won't Push New Gun Laws
Associated Press | Jul 23, 2012 1:10 PM CDT
(Newser) - The Dark Knight shooting certainly has people talking about gun control again. The AP and New York Times are both running reports on the largely unregulated nature of Internet gun sales; James Holmes was able to order 3,000 rounds of assault rifle ammunition and 3,000 rounds of handgun ammo without so much as passing a background check....
Madonna Ignores Pleas to Honor Colo. Shooting
Daily Record (Glasgow) | Jul 23, 2012 12:54 PM CDT
(Newser) - Madonna had a couple pretty compelling reasons not to wave fake guns around onstage at her gig in Scotland Saturday: First of all, local authorities had asked her not to, due to the fact that she took to the stage less than 48 hours after the Dark Knight massacre in Colorado. Further, Madonna herself even joked her concert could be "cut off"...
Cops on Missing Cousins: There May Be a Witness
Associated Press | Jul 23, 2012 12:33 PM CDT
(AP) - Someone may have been present when Iowa cousins Lyric Cook-Morrissey and Elizabeth Collins disappeared on July 13. An FBI spokeswoman said today that investigators want to interview a person who was paddleboating on the lake around the time the girls vanished. She said that person, who has not voluntarily come forward, could help investigators learn...
Chavez Bashes Romney, Says Obama's a 'Good Guy'
Associated Press | Jul 23, 2012 12:12 PM CDT
(Newser) - Well here's an endorsement President Obama almost certainly didn't want. Hugo Chavez likened his current election rival, Henrique Capriles, to Mitt Romney on Saturday, saying that Capriles isn't truly a friend to the poor. "I believe the person to best explain the loser's agenda isn't Barack Obama but rather Romney, because...
Whoops: Shoplifting Mom, Aunt Flee Cops, Ditch Baby
Central Florida News | Jul 23, 2012 11:56 AM CDT
(Newser) - Allison Niemeyer's first bad decision was allegedly plotting to rob a Walmart. Her second bad decision was bringing her baby along. But the third was truly the charm: Seems the Florida 19-year-old and her sister, 22, are accused of stuffing some clothes into the infant's diaper bag Friday, Central Florida News reports. Upon exiting the store,...
Mayer's Job: Figure Out What Yahoo Is
New York Times | Jul 23, 2012 11:32 AM CDT
(Newser) - Yahoo is so unsure of its own goals that David Carr wonders "whether the frothy trademark Yahoo! should be replaced with Yahoo?," he writes in the New York Times . Now that Marissa Mayer is onboard as CEO, it's time for the company to define itself. And Carr believes it should focus on news—which has been a huge, albeit accidental,...
James Holmes Appears in Court
Associated Press | Jul 23, 2012 10:56 AM CDT
(Newser) - The world got its first look at James Holmes since the 24-year-old allegedly killed 12 people in a movie theater shooting at the Dark Knight Rises premiere. He appeared in court for the first time today with red/orange hair, and the AP calls him "wide-eyed and unshaven as he sat staring down," often blinking rapidly. In a livestream,...
Katie Turns to Ex for Comfort
Australia's News Network | Jul 23, 2012 10:47 AM CDT
(Newser) - Now that Katie Holmes and Tom Cruise are donezo, the next unimportant question is, who will they hook up with next? For Katie, the answer may be an old flame: Holmes has turned to her ex-fiancé Chris Klein for comfort, a source tells Heat magazine in an interview picked up by Australia's News Network . "Chris has been a huge source...
Afghan Cop Kills 3 Western Trainers
Associated Press | Jul 23, 2012 10:18 AM CDT
(Newser) - The latest attacks on Westerners by Afghans have claimed three lives and wounded several other people. An Afghan policeman this weekend shot a trio of civilian police training advisers, two American and one British, Afghan and NATO authorities say. Two other people, including an Afghan training adviser, were wounded in the incident. Separately, an...
Obama Promises Not to Use Dark Knight Shooter's Name
Politico | Jul 23, 2012 10:10 AM CDT
(Newser) - In an effort to keep the focus on the victims, President Obama has agreed not to mention the name of James Holmes, the killer in Friday's Dark Knight Rises massacre . "Sat down with President Obama. He has been incredible. He too has agreed not to mention the shooter's name," tweets Jordan Ghawi, brother of victim Jessica Ghawi...
Gas Gone, Small Plane Lands on Freeway
Associated Press | Jul 23, 2012 10:02 AM CDT
(Newser) - For the second time in as many days, a small plane has landed on a California road near San Diego. Late last night, a plane carrying four landed on Interstate 15 in Escondido. No one on the road or on board the plane was hurt in the incident, the AP reports, though a pickup truck suffered some minor damage after it bumped into a wing. After landing...
Report: IMF, Germany Ready to Pull Plug on Greece
Der Spiegel | Jul 23, 2012 9:48 AM CDT
(Newser) - The International Monetary Fund could be ready to cut off fresh funds to Greece, a step that would likely lead to default and getting bounced from the eurozone, reports der Spiegel . The big problem is that Greece has fallen so far behind in its austerity promises—made to secure $158.6 billion in help from the IMF—that giving Greece...
Drug Resistance Threatens HIV Fight in Africa
BBC | Jul 23, 2012 9:28 AM CDT
(Newser) - HIV is developing a growing resistance to drugs in sub-Saharan Africa, and that has researchers worried, the BBC reports. Scientists found a 29% increase in drug resistance per year in East Africa, while Southern Africa saw a 14% increase, they say (compared to zero change in resistance levels in the rest of the continent and Latin America). Without...
Spain Panic Sends Dow Down 200+
Bloomberg | Jul 23, 2012 9:13 AM CDT
(Newser) - The Dow took a nosedive this morning, as did markets the world over, after Spanish media reported that up to six regions may need assistance from the federal government, sending the yields on Spanish 10-year bonds to a new high of more than 7.5%. The Dow plunged 237 points following the open, while the Nasdaq and S&P fell 71 and 24 points, respectively,...
Syria: Here's When We'd Use Chemical Weapons
BBC | Jul 23, 2012 9:02 AM CDT
(Newser) - Despite recent reports that Syria may be preparing to use its chemical weapons, a foreign ministry spokesperson today tried to assure the world that they will not be used on the Syrian people—officially acknowledging for the first time that the country actually has such weapons, reports Reuters . "Any chemical or biological weapons...
Proof Ashton and Mila Are an Item?
New York Daily News | Jul 23, 2012 8:45 AM CDT
(Newser) - For months, Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis have been denying rumors that they're seeing each other, despite being spotted on dinner dates and even weekend trips together. But now, finally, the New York Daily News seems to have definitive proof: A photo of the pair, who co-starred in That '70s Show , kissing at the wrap party for Kutcher's...
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