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Published: 11/23/09

The Point: SNL Skit a Warning for Obama?

By Steve Pendlebury

(Nov. 23) -- It's always been a good sign for "Saturday Night Live" when people are still talking about the show on Monday morning. That's happening more often now that the venerable comedy program is sharpening its satire of President Obama. ...

Published: 11/23/09

Clash Between BART Officer and Suspect Caught on Tape

By Richard C. Paddock

(Nov. 23) -- The Bay Area Rapid Transit system, which has been under fire since a transit officer was videotaped killing an unarmed passenger early this year, faces renewed controversy from a video that shows a man crashing into a plate glass window as he was being arrested. ...

Published: 11/20/09

Oh, Behave! Former GOP Rep. Seeks End to Uncivil Discourse

By Andrea Stone

WASHINGTON (Nov. 20) -- America has developed a troubling mean streak, the new chairman of the National Endowment of the Humanities declared Friday, and his organization is launching a campaign to do something about it. ...

Published: 11/20/09

'Pray for Obama' Not What It Seems

By Steve Pendlebury

(Nov. 20) -- The slogan "Pray for Obama Psalm 109:8" has suddenly appeared on bumper stickers, T-shirts and, of course, online message boards. It's a hot Web search term. And what appears to be a statement of support turns out to be just the opposite. ...

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Published: 11/20/09

Would Stymied Gotti Prosecutors Try (Try, Try, Try, Try) Again?

By Allan Lengel

(Nov. 20) -- Legally, there's no limit. But all the same, prosecutors in the U.S. Attorney's Office in New York working the case of mobster John Gotti Jr. must be wondering: When a defendant gets off thanks to repeated mistrials, how many times can you retry him before it's time to concede defeat? ...

Published: 11/20/09

Primary Sources: Maj. Nidal Hasan

By Steve Pendlebury

(Nov. 20) -- As investigators dig for clues about what led to the Fort Hood massacre, bits and pieces of the suspect's life are available online for all to see. Taken together, they present a strange and chilling portrait of Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan. ...

Published: 11/20/09

Illinois High School Defends Spiking of Report on Wayward Honor Students

By Stuart Warner

(Nov. 20) -- For the second time this year, school administrators have rebuked the award-winning student newspaper at a suburban Chicago high school named for free-speech champion, one-time journalist and former U.N. Ambassador Adlai E. Stevenson. ...

Published: 11/20/09

Opinion: A Needed Return to Immigration Reform

By Michael J. Wildes

Finally, in the midst of so many other ambitious agenda items, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano last week reasserted the administration's commitment to immigration reform, tentatively scheduled for early 2010. It's about time. ...

Published: 11/20/09

Environmentalist Quandary: Time to Eat the Dog?

By Theunis Bates

LONDON (Nov. 20) -- In "Time to Eat the Dog? The Real Guide to Sustainable Living," a husband and wife team calculated the ecological pawprint of various household pets. Fido and Fluffy don't come off too well. ...

Published: 11/20/09

Opinion: Stuck at the Airport? Aim Your Frustrations at Washington

By Robert Poole

The only thing surprising about Thursday morning's air traffic meltdown is that it doesn't happen more often, given our woefully outdated and highly politicized air traffic control system. It's long past time for a complete overhaul. ...

Published: 11/20/09

Panel Finds Against Bush-Era Plan for New Nukes

By Sharon Weinberger

Another aspect of Bush defense policy has quietly been undone, courtesy of an expert panel that determined the current arsenal of nuclear weapons has plenty of life left in it. The findings are a direct blow to proponents of building a new nuclear warhead, who have argued that potential flaws in the ...

Published: 11/20/09

Drastic Tuition Increase Roils California Campuses

By Richard C. Paddock

BERKELEY (Nov. 20) -- The well-regarded University of California, facing sharp cuts in public funding, has enacted one of the steepest fee hikes in its history, jeopardizing its ability to provide a first-class education and setting off a wave of dramatic student protests. ...

Published: 11/19/09

For 2nd Time in 2 Weeks, Fox Caught Using Misleading Footage

By David Knowles

(Nov. 19) -- In the news business, mistakes happen. And sometimes the same mistakes happen more than once. On Thursday, Fox News again apologized to viewers for what it said was another honest mix-up, this one involving footage of Sarah Palin. ...

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Published: 11/19/09

Will Iran Ever Get its Russian Super Missile?

By Sharon Weinberger

(Nov. 19) -- With negotiations over Iran's nuclear program stalled and the United States pushing for a new round of sanctions, officials in Tehran are anxiously awaiting delivery of state-of-the-art Russian air defense missiles that could be used to protect the country's nuclear sites. ...

Published: 11/19/09

10 States Where the Poor Pay the Most Unfair Share of Taxes

By David Knowles

(Nov. 19) -- The tax code is unfair and it's the poor and the middle class who are getting the raw end of the deal. ...

Published: 11/19/09

How to Survive a World Without Waffles

By Paul Wachter

(Nov. 19) -- Kellogg's announcement this week of a nationwide shortage of Eggo frozen waffles has prompted consumers to stock up, the blogosphere to sniff for conspiracies and would-be profiteers to hawk boxes on eBay at inflated prices. ...

Published: 11/19/09

Ransom Payments Give Wing to More Somali Piracy

By Willem Marx

LONDON (Nov. 19) -- Claims this week that the Spanish government paid Somali pirates a $3.3 million ransom to free a Spanish fishing trawler and its crew are fueling concerns that piracy is paying off better than ever -- and that shipping costs are rising as a result. ...

Published: 11/19/09

Opinion: Can You Trust Those Health Care Cost Numbers?

By John Merline

The numbers certainly have a pleasing specificity to them. The Senate health care reform bill will cost $848 billion over 10 years and cut the deficit by $130 billion. The House version will cost $1.052 trillion and cut the deficit by $109 billion. But how reliable are these forecasts? Not very, if ...

Published: 11/19/09

'Botax' Could Nip and Tuck the Cost of Health Reform

By Andrea Stone

WASHINGTON (Nov. 19) -- Looking good may soon cost more. Tucked away in Section 9017 on page 2,045 of the 2,074-page Senate health care reform bill is a 5 percent excise tax on elective cosmetic medical procedures. The "botax," it's been called. ...

Published: 11/19/09

FBI Makes Plea in Civil-Rights Cold Cases

By Allan Lengel

Many decades later, the FBI still holds out hope of solving dozens of unsolved racially motivated civil rights-era murders. On Wednesday, the FBI announced it was looking for help locating next of kin in 33 cold cases, both to ensure families know what happened to their loved ones and, with luck, to ...

 
 
 

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