In Iraq, Hummer's the Hottest Ride

(NEWSER) - Many Republicans won’t touch fuel economy issues, but not Sen. Orrin Hatch. He’s been an advocate for alternative-fuel vehicles for a decade, and yesterday got behind the wheel of the most muscular hybrid ever, reports Dana Milbank of the Washington Post. A company from Hatch’s native Utah has created a plug-in Hummer that gets 100 mpg. Just two problems: General Motors is jettisoning the Hummer brand, and Hatch apparently can’t drive. More»

Soaring fuel may be stunting sales, but owners won't surrender

(NEWSER) - Sure, the Hummer may be going the way of the dinosaur: Sales are down 40% this year on soaring gas and an eco-image problem, and GM is looking to ditch its troubled brand. But for owners, the AP reports, outsized pride remains part of the package. "It definitely sparks some intense reaction from people on both sides," says one Hummer owner, whose baby was attacked last year by baseball-bat-wielding vandals. But to sell? "I love this car," he says. More»

Say sunny security assessment is phony

(NEWSER) - Of course John McCain found Baghdad's central market perfectly safe during his weekend visit: He came with 100 soldiers in armored Humvees, backed by attack helicopters and sharpshooters. In a follow-up visit, Kirk Semple of the New York Times found merchants incredulous at the Congressional delegation's sunny description of the security situation there. More»

At least 30 dead as bombs strike six cities

(AP) - Bombings struck several areas in Baghdad and five other cities today, killing at least 30 people in the first major attacks in Iraq in nearly a month. Nearly 100 people were wounded in the rapid-fire explosions that unfolded over an hour and 15 minutes. Half of the bombs struck at security forces and government officials—two frequent targets for insurgents still seeking to undermine Iraq's efforts to normalize after years of war and violence. More»

And comes ahead of next week's Arab League summit

(NEWSER) - Car bombs exploded in cities across Iraq today, including Baghdad, Fallujah, and Kirkuk, in a spate of violence that both marks the ninth anniversary of the US invasion of Iraq, and presages the Arab League's summit in Baghdad next week. The attacks struck eight cities in all, killing at least 46, the AP reports. The Shiite holy city of Karbala suffered the deadliest attack; al-Qaeda used the tactic of staggering two car bombs, so that the second would hit emergency responders dealing with the first, according to the Telegraph . More»