Golf Carts—Sorry, LSVs—Win Big in Stimulus

Conservatives react to Andrew Sullivan's article

(NEWSER) - Andrew Sullivan's unflinching defense of President Obama in Newsweek is irking conservative bloggers today. No wonder, considering the headline: "Why Are Obama's Critics So Dumb?" Taking on the right, Sullivan calls Obamacare a "moderate," fiscally responsible program, and says "a depression was averted" with Obama's $787-billion stimulus package. Engaging the left, he lists successes such as the Iraq pullout and advances in gay rights. Obama "practices a show-don’t-tell, long-game" that takes time to mature, Sullivan writes. "What matters to him is what he can get done, not what he can immediately take credit for." More»

Dealers will shore up protection around battery to prevent fires

(NEWSER) - Worried about battery fires in your Chevy Volt? Soon, you'll be able to bring the car to a dealer for a fix, GM says. The company will ask the owners of 8,000 of the cars to bring them to dealerships, the AP reports; technicians will then beef up the protective structure around the battery. That should prevent the casing from being punctured in crashes, which led to fires in tests last year. More»

Includes abortion restrictions and voter identification laws

(NEWSER) - The new year has brought us about 40,000 state laws ranging from abortion and voter restrictions to golf cart requirements and a ban on happy hours. MSNBC runs down a few of them:

• Several states will require employers to confirm the legality of workers through a federal system called E-Verify. Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee, and South Carolina all have versions of the law.

Two dozen cars destroyed, but batteries came through safely

(NEWSER) - Nissan is getting some good news from the tsunami that devastated Japan in March: Two dozen of Nissan's new Leaf were destroyed, but unlike the Chevrolet Volt , their heavily shielded batteries did not catch fire and remained intact. “Considering how they were tossed around and crushed, we think that is a very good indication of the safety performance of that vehicle,” the director of product safety tells the New York Times . More»

CEO makes offer to those worried about fires

(NEWSER) - General Motors says it's willing to buy back its Chevrolet Volts from any customer concerned by fires in crash tests . If needed, the auto giant also is prepared to conduct a recall of the 6,000 Volts currently on the road, Dan Akerson tells the AP . The company would fix them after the cause of the fires is determined. "If we find that is the solution, we will retrofit every one of them,” he adds. More»