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22 Feb 2011 23:47

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U.S.: New Jared Lee Loughner mugshots, courtesy of a legal battle

  • A bunch of news organizations fought hard for these photos. More than a dozen media outlets, in fact. And these pics of Jared Lee Loughner, the suspect in last month’s Gabrielle Giffords shooting, only came to light after a court decision forced their release (which prosecutors and defense attorneys fought against, saying that they unfairly biased potential jurors against Loughner). But it wasn’t a total loss for the lawyers. They managed to prevent the release of the search warrant records in the case. That said, these photos don’t seem quite as bad as the iconic one released after he was arrested. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

18 Feb 2011 20:12

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U.S.: Tucson shooting: Christina Taylor Green’s photographer may sue. Ugh.

  • Christina Taylor Green’s death may have been the saddest of the many that took place in Tucson last month. But now that Gabrielle Giffords has started to recover and the dust has mostly settled, ugliness is starting to seep in a little. Photographer Jon Wolf, who owns the copyright to this photo of Green, has pressured a number of media organizations, including the Arizona Republic, and the Tucson Citizen, to pay a licensing fee for use of the now-iconic image. He wants $125,000, which he’s said he wants to mostly give to charity, and he’s, uh, threatened to sue. Green’s family doesn’t support his actions, the charity has refused to take any of Wolf’s money, and there’s a Facebook campaign against Wolf’s business picking up steam. It’s a photo of someone who died. If we were him, we’d just take the modest licensing fee (which the media organizations have offered) and be done with this. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

09 Feb 2011 14:20

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U.S.: Gabby Giffords recovering well, beginning to regain speech faculties

Great news: Rep. Gabrielle Giffords is regaining the ability to speak. Sources wouldn’t divulge her first words, other than they involved her asking for toast. Good luck, Gabby! source
Posted by Seth Millstein • 0 Comments • Permalink

04 Feb 2011 13:33

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U.S.: Gabrielle Giffords’ husband Mark Kelly going back to astronaut job

  • January Astronaut Mark Kelly had to stop his preparations for a space flight after finding out his wife, Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, was shot in the head by a really crazy kid.
  • Monday With Giffords in full recovery mode in Houston, Kelly will return to his preparations for leading the space shuttle Columbia into orbit in a couple months.
  • April Kelly will leave for space, his fourth trip. His goal is that his crew “can execute this mission safely — and that it’s successful.” This is a good sign, right? source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

03 Feb 2011 11:08

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World: Gabrielle Giffords’ husband talks fate, his wife’s recovery

  • Maybe it was fate. I hadn’t been a big believer in fate until recently.
  • Gabrielle Giffords’ husband, Mark Kelly • Offering up an explanation at today’s National Prayer Breakfast for why Gabrielle Giffords survived her assassination attempt last month. According to Kelly, while this “has been the hardest time of my life, and the hardest time of my family’s life,” Giffords “gets a little better every day.” Obama praised Kelly and offered this sentiment to rally around: “We are with them for the long haul. God is with them for the long haul.” Warm feelings abound. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

26 Jan 2011 14:59

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U.S.: Good news on Giffords, as medical condition is upgraded

  • GOOD Giffords’ current condition source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

20 Jan 2011 22:52

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Politics: Why have Obama’s approval ratings skyrocketed?

  • 8% jump in Obama’s approval ratings since December
  • The question is, why? It feels like only yesterday that oil was spewing wildly throughout the Gulf Coast, Democrats were getting shellacked in the midterms, and prognosticators were foretelling of a one-term Obama presidency (well, okay, that’s still happening). But the President’s favorability ratings have been surging recently, up to the highest levels since July of ’09. We have three theories as to why.
  • the lame duck sessionIt was controversial to some, but for many Americans, the lame duck session was the first time they got to see members of Congress acting in a truly bipartisan manner. The President took an active role in this, hammering out compromises with GOP leadership. The result was one of the most productive lame duck sessions in our nation’s history. Also, nobody’s taxes went up.
  • A Divided GovernmentIn other words, the Republicans taking back the House. When one party controls the White House, the Senate, and the House, it’s easy to uniformly hate that party for the country’s problems. But with things a little more evenly divided, the President is getting some slack. It’s not necessarily a well-founded reason for liking the President more, but it’s likely a factor.
  • The Tuscon ShootingOkay, okay. We didn’t want to say it, but it’s true: After national tragedies, especially those with a human face, people tend to coalesce around the President. It happened with Bush after 9/11, and it’s happening now. Combine this with a wildly popular speech a few days after the shooting, and you have the recipe for surging approval ratings. source
Posted by Seth Millstein • 0 Comments • Permalink
 

19 Jan 2011 20:54

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U.S.: Gabrielle Giffords case: Jared Lee Loughner indicted in federal court

  • 3 initial federal charges for Loughner; more will likely be coming source
  • » And in case you’re wondering: Loughner could face the death penalty for the charges, which include attempted assassination of a congresswoman.
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

19 Jan 2011 10:31

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U.S.: Gabrielle Giffords improving significantly, could move to rehab facility

  • Everyday Gabby improves and shows higher levels of comprehension and complex actions.
  • Gabrielle Giffords’ mother, Gloria • Revealing that she could be let out of the hospital by Friday and moved to a rehabilitation facility in Houston. Which, if true, would be a miraculous recovery for Giffords, who nearly died after being shot in the head a week and a half ago. She’s been using her husband Mark Kelly’s iPhone and sitting upright. She also gave him a 20-minute neckrub. Hopefully this report isn’t too optimistic.  source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

17 Jan 2011 22:44

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Politics: Obama’s response to Giffords shooting more popular than others’

  • 78% approve of President Obama’s response to the Gabby Giffords shooting
  • 53% approve of how the news media responded to the attack
  • 30% approve of Sarah Palin’s response to the incident source
Posted by Seth Millstein • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
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