Liar, Liar Pants On Fire

(Newser) - The Internet probably doesn’t need more false information, but some of the recent hoaxes have been so good that ComputerWorld had to recognize them. Here’s their list of best new tomfoolery: GoogleTV made thousands log into GMail over and over and over. Many thought the UFO Haiti video was proof we weren’t alone. More »

(Newser) - The future of Indiana University's basketball team could be at stake this spring, as coach Kelvin Sampson's alleged infractions of NCAA rules may be catching up with him. The NCAA alleges that the coach, who left Oklahoma after four violations, kept making recruiting calls despite being ordered not to. Sampson may also have lied to NCAA investigators, reports the Indianapolis Star. More »

(Newser) - When a homeowner is desperate to sell and a buyer is ready to fork over the cash, the truth about a house is often swept under the rug, MSNBC reports. Watch out for frequent fibs when talking about: Personality of neighbors and the neighborhood. Status of home repairs (particularly the roof). Insect and rodent infestations. Elevated radon levels. More »

(Newser) - With Super Tuesday fast approaching, at least one campaign appears to be benefiting from so-called "pollsters" who are stumping for their candidate. A pro-Hillary Clinton "push-poll" is asking leading questions of Southern California independent voters whose real purpose appears to be to spread positive information about Clinton, and negative information about everyone else. Los Angeles Times political blogster Andrew Malcolm calls the tactic a "malicious political virus appearing under the guise of an honest poll." More »

(Newser) - The steroids probe that brought down Marion Jones has claimed it first NFL player: Three-time Pro Bowler Dana Stubblefield pleaded guilty today in federal court to making false statements to a federal agent about performance-enhancing drugs. Prosecutors alleged the former defensive lineman lied in 2003 about taking a previously undetectable steroid called “the clear” and the blood-boosting drug EPO. More »

(Newser) - A federal judge said he suspects the CIA lied to his court about tapes showing the harsh interrogations of two al-Qaeda leaders, the New York Times reports. The CIA claims no records exist concerning the tapes, which were destroyed in 2005. But the judge, currently deciding a Freedom of Information Act request concerning the videos, says that's not credible. “I just can’t accept it,” said Manhattan Judge Allen Hellerstein. More »

(Newser) - Roger Clemens' personal trainer was involved in a 2001 rape investigation in which police believed he lied, the Orlando Sentinel reports. The Rocket, in his defamation suit filed against Brian McNamee on Sunday, points to the incident as an example of further dishonesty on the part of the trainer who accuses Clemens of steroid use. More »

(Newser) - In her second annual roundup of the Bush administration's most egregious legal arguments, Dahlia Lithwick of Slate offers her top 10 doozies: The United States does not torture State-secrets privilege used to shield almost anything. Almost anything Alberto Gonzales said. The nine US attorneys were fired for cause. Anyone who talks to the president is barred from congressional testimony by executive privilege. More »

(Newser) - A 6-year-old Texas girl's heart-wrenching essay that began "my daddy died this year in Iraq" won a trip and tickets for four to the upcoming sold-out Hannah Montana concert. But the essay was a lie, and the prize has been withdrawn, reports the Dallas Morning News . The girl's father wasn't killed in Iraq. More »

(Newser) - Is Apple trying to shut down Fake Steve Jobs? Real Steve Jobs has said he finds his impersonator’s satirical blog amusing, but now Fake Steve writes that Apple has offered him $500,000 to quit, at one point threatening to sue him if he declined. FSJ stood on principle and turned down the money … assuming any of this really happened. More »

(Newser) - Onetime newspaper magnate Conrad Black was sentenced today in Chicago to 78 months in prison for fraud and impeding an investigation. He was also ordered to forfeit $6.1 million and fined $125,000. Prosecutors had pressed for a harsher sentence, but the judge decided to use more lenient sentencing guidelines from 2000, the Globe and Mail reports. More »

(Newser) - A South Korean man thought to have been killed by an exploding cell phone was actually accidentally run over by a coworker. The quarry worker, found dead yesterday morning with a melted cell phone in his pocket, was not in fact slain by his mobile. "I lied that the battery exploded and killed Seo," says the culprit, who backed his excavator into the victim. More »

(Newser) - Revelations was the theme of the day for a scandal-plagued Atlanta church as its archbishop had to admit that his "nephew" is really his son. And worse, he’d lied about it under oath, AP reports. A court-ordered DNA test showed Archbishop Earl Paulk fathered D.E. Paulk. Both work at the Cathedral of the Holy Spirit at Chapel Hill Harvester Church. More »

(Newser)