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28 Jun 2011 16:33

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U.S.: U.S. is wasting money on unsuccessful dollar coin program

  • 2005 Congress passed a bill to establish coin currency as a bigger force in America’s day-to-day transactions. Their plan was to produce $1 coins featuring, progressively over time, the full run of American Presidents. Republican Rep. Mike Castle sponsored the legislation.
  • 2011 The bill’s language has meant that the coins are still in production despite broad unpopularity — so much so that the Federal Reserve is sitting on an ever-expanding billion dollars worth of unwanted currency. Wanna talk wasteful spending? Here’s exhibit A. source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

28 Jun 2011 15:24

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U.S.: Slim margin eliminates one of Wisconsin GOP’s recall efforts

  • 2 signatures short for Wisconsin Rep. John Nygren’s recall candidacy source
  • » GOP pushback comes up a hair short: Following challenges by the Democratic Party in Wisconsin, the state’s Government Accountability Board has ruled that 26 of the Nygren campaign’s recall petition signatures are invalid, and as that left Nygren with just 398 signatures, they kicked him out of the race. Nygren is pursuing legal options, and frankly we don’t expect this to be over — two signatures is such a slim margin, it seems obvious that every last signature is again going to get combed over. The GOP still has a candidate, an activist named David VanderLeest, but given his comparatively lackluster background, we imagine they’re pushing to get Nygren back.
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

28 Jun 2011 13:50

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U.S.: Cancer drug might not be around much longer

  • Avastin saved my life…The studies are saying, they’re saying that people didn’t live for more than five months, you know. And there has to be other people like me that it works on.
  • Kerry Harrington, a breast cancer survivor • Arguing for the case for Avastin, a drug still being tested that treats breast cancer. The drug received accelerated approval for treating breast cancer, but now the FDA is backing away from allowing the drug for breast cancer treatment. This is mainly because Avastin has some pretty horrible side effects, like heart attacks and kidney damage. Many women are saying that the pros outweigh the cons — they’d rather deal with the side effects and know they’re treating their cancer. The FDA will decide after they hear testimony from patients and review other official data. source
Posted by Justin Jones • 0 Comments • Permalink

28 Jun 2011 13:44

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U.S.: Loughner’s lawyers: Doctors are forcing medication on him

  • If Jared Lee Loughner takes psychotropic drugs, he could become competent enough to stand trial. A while back, a judge ruled that Loughner can take any medicine he wants voluntarily, but his lawyers must be notified if he’s forced to take any medication to restore him to competency. However, those lawyers say that they weren’t in the room during a June 13th hearing which allowed a mental hospital to force him to take drugs to improve his mental condition — against the wishes of Loughner. Now they’re having a judge decide on the matter for a third time. So, the question is: If his lawyers are trying to prevent him from taking the medicine he needs to get better, how is he supposed to stand trial? Answer: If the decision favors Loughner, he probably won’t. source
Posted by Justin Jones • 0 Comments • Permalink

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
Posted by Justin Jones • 0 Comments • Permalink

27 Jun 2011 11:07

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U.S.: San Francisco wants to ban pet sales. Good idea or terrible one?

  • A case of local government overreach? In San Francisco, officials are pushing a bill that bans the sale of pets. Say whaaaaaaaaaaa? See, The Humane Pet Acquisition Proposal merely started out as a bill banning the sale of dogs and cats produced in puppy mills or kitten factories — as part of a push to improve adoption numbers. (Which is actually a pretty good idea, if you think about it.) But suddenly, the bill’s scope broadened dramatically, and now includes pretty much any type of pet you can buy in a store — from goldfish to gerbils, bunnies to birds. However, the bill has a pretty big loophole: If you plan to buy a live animal for the purposes of eating, a law already on the books allows that. So, just claim that it’s rabbit season and that you plan to eat Bugs Bunny, and you should be fine. (photo via flickr user blmurch) source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

25 Jun 2011 11:34

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U.S.: James “Whitey” Bulger’s former enforcer: He’s got lots of dirt

  • There’s a hole dug with a big portfolio full of a lot of dirty public officials and maybe some dirty law enforcement officials that ‘Whitey’ Bulger has had for years, waiting for this day of his capture, so that he can use it for some sort of bargaining tool.
  • Eddie MacKenzie, a former enforcer for recently-arrested mobster James “Whitey” Bulger • Emphasizing that corrupt public officials could have something to lose with Bulger’s arrest. While he won’t name names — in part because it could put public officials (along with himself) in danger. MacKenzie notes that the former mobster was very dangerous in his day, but that his longtime girlfriend, Catherine Greig, may not be fully aware of Bulger’s past. “‘Whitey’ Bulger was very cunning — the Hannibal Lecter of South Boston,” he notes.  source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 

23 Jun 2011 18:47

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U.S.: Rising flood waters force evacuations from Minot, ND

  • The waters are rising: The scene in Minot is looking pretty bad at this stage, and the forecast is not heartening — flooding unprecedented for the region is prompting the government to issue evacuation notices, as officials will deliberately release more waters from the Lake Darling Dam to mitigate the crisis (the dam is near Minot as well as other towns). The expected drainage will be three times what Minot could handle, all but assuring the damage and destruction of countless homes. Our thoughts are with these victims, and we hope people will prioritize their own safety. source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

23 Jun 2011 17:13

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U.S.: Eric Cantor, Jon Kyl leave negotiations on debt limit vote

  • Each side came into these talks with certain orders, and as it stands the Democrats continue to insist that any deal must include tax increases. … Given this impasse, I will not be participating in today’s meeting and I believe it is time for the President to speak clearly and resolve the tax issue.
  • Rep. Eric Cantor • Speaking on negotiations between Democrats and Republicans on raising the U.S. debt limit. Cantor, as well as Senator Jon Kyl, have abandoned the negotiations over tax raises the Democrats insist on pairing with the spending cuts the GOP is thirsting for. Speaker Boehner says that talks could continue if tax raises are off the table, which is obvious — if the Democrats abandon what they want out of this deal, it could get done, but that’s more caving than compromise. Cantor says they did find areas of compromise, though: “I believe that we have identified trillions in spending cuts, and to date, we have established a blueprint that could institute the fiscal reforms needed to start getting our fiscal house in order,” he notes. source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

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
Posted by Justin Jones • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
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