Bar Association Seeks to Halt Executions

Northeast, Midwest would lose seats if today's census was used

(NEWSER) - The South is gaining population and power at the expense of the Northeast and Midwest, according to Census Bureau estimates released yesterday. If House seats were distributed based on the estimates, which are believed to be a strong predictor of the 2010 census results, Texas would be the big winner, gaining three seats, with Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Nevada, South Carolina, Utah, and Washington each adding one. More»

Tuscaloosa looks something like a war zone

(NEWSER) - With the death toll at 194 and climbing as a result of the violent storms that rampaged across the South, the governors of Alabama, Georgia, and Mississippi have declared states of emergency. A nuclear plant near Huntsville, Ala., lost power and was relying on diesel generators, reports the AP. Click through the gallery for a look at what the South woke up to this morning. More»

Eleven states plan to cite constitutionality of newly passed measure

(NEWSER) - Florida and nine other states—all of which have Republican attorneys general—will sue to overturn health care reform, arguing that it’s unconstitutional. Florida AG Bill McCollum, who is running for governor, said today he views the expansion of Medicaid as a violation of states' rights, and called the penalty on those who don’t buy insurance “a tax on being alive.” More»

(AP) - In the wake of this morning's bankruptcy filing, GM will permanently close nine more plants and idle three others to trim production and labor costs, the AP reports. Assembly plants in Pontiac, Mich., and Wilmington, Del., will close this year; plants in Spring Hill, Tenn., and Orion, Mich., will shut down production but remain on standby. More»

Victory, or close loss, in Indiana would bode well for Obama

(NEWSER) - What happens early tomorrow night may hint at the final outcome, John Whitesides notes for Reuters. A victory, or close loss, in Indiana—where polls close at 6pm EST and which has gone Republican in every presidential race since 1964—would presage good things for Barack Obama; if John McCain wins by more than 4%, the wait-and-see game starts. More»