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27 Jun 2011 13:31

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U.S.: Blagojevich saga might finally come to an end

  • Guilty as charged? Rod Blagojevich may learn his fate later this afternoon. About a year ago, Blagojevich, accused of trying to appoint a senator to replace Obama’s senate seat that would help him personally, went to trial for similar reasons. However, the jury at that time could only make up their minds on two of the charges (see the Red Eye cover, via Flickr user quinn.anya, above). It’s not because of a lack of evidence, however: Federal regulators secretly began recording Blagojevich’s phone calls after Obama’s presidential win, after getting word that the former Illinois governor was scheming for campaign contributions, a cabinet post, or even a new job in exchange for appointing someone to Obama’s former senate seat. We’ll see where this one goes — a partial verdict should come out at 1 p.m. Central time. source
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23 Jun 2011 16:25

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U.S.: Southwest fires slowly (but surely) getting contained

  • monument Officials told the last of the evacuees from this fire that they can return home today. That’s the good news. The bad news: Though firefighters hope to declare potential victory soon, the fire is only 59 percent contained and may keep burning until mid-July.
  • wallow That one is still burning. The largest active fire in the U.S. and the largest in Arizona’s history, it’s currently around half the size of Rhode Island. A highway around the area is open now, but homes are still being evacuated. This fire is about 60 percent contained. source
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23 Jun 2011 16:12

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U.S.: Arizona man’s death possibly due to German E.coli outbreak?

  • The man reportedly visited Germany recently. The rare and dangerous form of E.coli in Germany, first discovered in May has already killed dozens of people in Europe. Now, it’s possible the epidemic has killed an American. Tests are still pending to see if it is that extra-deadly strain of E coli has made it stateside. But he wouldn’t be the first person to bring the bug home with them to the U.S. — on top of sickening over 3,800 Europeans, the disease has hit recent travelers from Massachusetts, Michigan, Wisconsin and North Carolina. source
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23 Jun 2011 15:19

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U.S.: Obama’s being pressured to support gay marriage

  • My baseline is a strong civil union that provides them the protections and the legal rights that married couples have. And I think that’s the right thing to do. But I recognize that from their perspective it is not enough, and I think (it) is something that we’re going to continue to debate, and I personally am going to continue to wrestle with going forward.
  • President Barack Obama, in a December news conference • Discussing his “evolving” views on gay marriage. Tonight, Obama will host a gala as a fundraiser for his campaign — the first of its kind for gay donors. With the gay marriage bill in New York being hanging over his head, this gala will really put his “evolving” view on the issue to the test. Lots of people are criticizing Obama for his stance on gay marriage — especially his progressive base. It’s also worth noting that Obama supported gay marriage back in 1996. It’ll be interesting to see how this gala pans out tonight, because this will come up. source
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23 Jun 2011 14:39

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U.S.: Pentagon bomb-scare suspect tied to building shootings

  • Remember those mysterious building shootings near DC a while back? Remember that Marine reservist who got arrested at Arlington National Cemetery last week with some possibly-for-bomb-making fertilizer on his back? Probably the same guy. At least that’s what authorities say about Yonathan Melaku, whom they charged with both crimes earlier today. The FBI says they found a video of him firing at what looks like the Marine Corps Museum in his apartment, along with some bomb-making materials and a list of other things he needed. It’s a good thing they caught this guy when they did, because he may have been a “lone wolf” seriously looking to do some damage. source
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23 Jun 2011 13:44

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Culture: OJ’s confession is just a dream of Oprah’s, not reality

  • claim Some sources (looking at you, ever-trustworthy Daily Mail) have reported that Oprah landed the ultimate PR stunt for her new network — a confession from OJ Simpson in the 1994 murder of his wife. We posted this earlier, but admit that we took it with a pretty big grain of salt.
  • denial A rep for the talk show icon denied the story not long after, however. Though she hasn’t gotten Simpson to confess, it’s a dream of hers — she said as much at an awards ceremony last week. She’s still waiting, but she knows exactly where to find the ex-football star — he’s sitting in prison. source
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22 Jun 2011 15:48

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World: Prison break in Yemen attributed to crumbling government

  • 57 al-Qaeda militants escaped from prison in Yemen source
  • » Political turmoil in Yemen gave them the green light. The turmoil in Ali Abdullah Saleh’s government gave the prisoners the extra courage to rise up against prison guards. They attacked the guards, stole their guns, and escaped — along with six prisoners without any ties to the terrorist group. As they fought inside, other gunmen outside the prison had a gunfight with guards outside to distract them further. As the situation in the country continues to destabilize, will this become the norm in the country?
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22 Jun 2011 15:30

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World: Chinese artist Ai Weiwei earns rare reprieve from prison

  • Receiving bail for any reason is a rarity in China, so he’s lucky. In Weiwei’s case, he confessed to committing tax evasion, which many activists claim is untrue. The world-famous artist, noted for his criticism of the country’s Communist Party, is out of jail as a result, but on a form of probation that doesn’t allow him to leave or talk to anyone. “I’m sorry I can’t (talk), I am on probation, please understand,” Ai told the Associated Press. Experts have said that international pressure is the only reason authorities released him (well, along with some health problems). Meanwhile, Weiwei, who says officials treated him well in prison, isn’t the only dissident forced to keep quiet after coming out of jail — hundreds of other outspoken opponents of the Chinese government have kept quiet after their arrests. source
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22 Jun 2011 14:44

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Politics: Sarah Palin’s “One Nation” bus tour runs out of gas

  • Sarah’s tour has made a premature stop. It’s pretty unclear exactly why. There she was, soaking up the national spotlight, making moves to make herself a top contender for the GOP’s presidential nomination. Then, after getting some facts wrong about Paul Revere, she vanished from the spotlight. Now, she’s back in Alaska, and her plans for the rest of her road trip are on hold. She never did get a chance to meet up with prominent people in those always-important early voting states, and heading home early could cost her a lot of the momentum she’d built thus far. She’s doing a few other things — namely, she has a documentary coming out — but other than that, she’s left her followers wondering what she’s doing. Frankly, we are too. source
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21 Jun 2011 14:41

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U.S.: FDA issues graphic warnings to help smokers quit

  • Starting next year, cigarettes Will have to put warnings like this on all their packs. The graphic warnings will cover up about half of the pack — both front and back. (For a slideshow of the graphic images, check here.) They should hit around September of next year. While the FDA says that this will help people quit, others say smokers are already aware of the risk they take when they light up. It’s also worth noting that other countries have had much harsher warnings on their cigarettes for years, and studies have shown they’ve helped people quit smoking. Either way, tobacco companies aren’t happy with this, and neither are many smokers. What do you think? source
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