T O D A Y ' S H E A D L I N E S
Petraeus supports closure of Guantanamo Bay prison
LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. -- Closing the military prison at Guantanamo Bay would purge the U.S. of a symbol used by enemies to divide the nation, the head of the U.S. Central Command said Friday.
Retired general now says he was misquoted in rape photo flap
A retired U.S. general has denied reports that he had seen pictures of Iraqi prisoners being abused which President Barack Obama is seeking to keep secret, Salon reported on Friday.
Bush calls
Clinton 'his brother'
 >> Note: HinesSight earlier transposed the headline | Former President George W. Bush called former President Bill Clinton "his brother" and the two rarely disagreed in their first-ever appearance together on stage. The Republican and Democratic ex-presidents defended each other at a Toronto forum on Friday.
Swat's main town 'almost'
secured, says Pakistan army
Pakistani security forces have virtually regained control of Mingora, but Taliban fighters were still resisting on the outskirts of the main town in Swat valley, the military said on Saturday.
PA newspaper ad calls
for Obama assassination
Warren Times Observer Publisher John Elchert says the ad appeared Thursday. It read, "May Obama follow in the steps of Lincoln, Garfield, McKinley and Kennedy!" The four presidents were all assassinated.
After 17 years, Leno hands
'Tonight' over to Conan
It was a homespun farewell for Jay Leno's last show at "Tonight." Celebrities were largely absent and the self-effacing comedian said he wanted to be remembered for the children born to his staffers during his 17-year tenure as the show's second-longest running host.
Obama sure Sotomayor
would restate 2001 comment
 President Barack Obama on Friday personally sought to deflect criticism of Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor, who finds herself under intensifying scrutiny for saying in 2001 that a female Hispanic judge would often reach a better decision than a white male judge.
GOP Insiders:
Don't fight Sotomayor
About two-thirds of GOP operatives think the party shouldn't try to keep Sonia Sotomayor off the Supreme Court, according to National Journal's latest Insiders Poll.
Americans back Sotomayor
by large margin
A new Quinnipiac poll finds American voters approve of President Obama's pick of Judge Sonia Sotomayor to the U.S. Supreme Court by a 54% to 24% margin, with 22% still undecided.
Murtha corruption probe
heats up on Capitol Hill
The probe focuses on the PMA Group, a now-defunct lobbying firm that specialized in securing federal contracts for defense firms from Visclosky, Rep. John Murtha, D-Pa., and others on the House Appropriations defense subcommittee that Murtha chairs.
PA labor officials probing
'Jon & Kate' complaint
In a cold dose of reality for reality TV, Pennsylvania's Labor Department has opened an investigation into whether the hit show "Jon & Kate Plus 8" is complying with state child labor laws.
Sooty Ohio top emitter of global warming pollution
Ohio has emitted more global warming pollution from 1960 to 2005 than any one of 172 countries including Mexico and Australia, Greenpeace, the environmental group, said in a newly released report. Coal power plants dotting the Ohio River near filthy Cincinnati have played a major role.
Crash diet: GM getting
in shape for Chapter 11
  The speed at which General Motors Corp. exits bankruptcy protection will depend a lot on the shape the company is in when it enters. GM has three more days to tidy up.
Obama again demands that
Israel stop settlement building
Israel must halt West Bank settlement activity and the Palestinians need to increase West Bank security to advance the Middle East peace process, President Obama said Thursday after meeting with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.
Obama to host G20 in Pittsburgh
The Obama administration has picked Pittsburgh to host September's G20 summit, where leaders representing 85% of the world's economy.
Gates: No reason to build
up US troops in Korea
While worrisome, North Korea's nuclear and missile tests have not reached a crisis level that would warrant additional U.S. troops in the region, U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said.
Obama says health care
changes must come this year
President Barack Obama warned Thursday that if Congress doesn't deliver health care legislation by the end of the year, the opportunity will be lost, a plea to political supporters to pressure lawmakers to act.
Bush misses seeing GI's,
White House food
Flying on Air Force One, eating meals prepared by the White House kitchen staff and drawing inspiration from his encounters with U.S. military personnel were among things former President George W. Bush missed since leaving office, he said Thursday.
Multiracial people become
fastest-growing US group
Multiracial Americans have become the fastest growing demographic group, wielding an impact on minority growth that challenges traditional notions of race.
Obama accused of targeting
dealerships owned by Republicans
 Citing a handful of right-wing bloggers yesterday afternoon, the Washington Examiner reported ominously, "Evidence appears to be mounting that the Obama administration has systematically targeted Chrysler dealers who contributed to Republicans" for closure. Now, Fox News has picked up on it.
'75 Gerald Ford attacker
hoped to start revolution
The woman who fired a gun at President Gerald Ford in 1975 and spent the next 32 years in prison said in an interview Thursday that she believed the country would change only through a violent revolution.
Top newspaper executives work on charging for online viewing
The nation's top newspaper executives gathered at a Chicago O'Hare airport hotel today to discuss charging for online content and protecting intellectual property.
Tancredo: Sotomayor is
a member of the 'Latino KKK'
The Obama administration has picked Pittsburgh to host September's G20 summit, where leaders representing 85% of the world's economy.
Residents seethe as Pakistan
army destroys homes
F-16 fighter jets, military helicopters, tanks and artillery reduced houses, mosques and shops to rubble, strewn with children's shoes, shattered TV sets and perfume bottles.
Openly gay teen voted prom
queen at LA high school
An openly gay teen has been voted prom queen at his Los Angeles high school in a campaign that began as a stunt but ended up spurring discussion on the campus about gender roles and popularity.
Music producer Spector
faces sentencing for murder
Legendary music producer Phil Spector was to be sentenced Friday after being found guilty last month of murdering an actress at his Los Angeles mansion six years ago.
Abu Ghraib photos don't
show rape, says Pentagon
The Pentagon denies a report that classified photos of prisoner abuse at Abu Ghraib depict rape and sexual abuse, Reuters reports.
Microsoft overhauls search
engine again; calls it 'bing'
Microsoft Corp. is rolling out a redesigned search site in the coming days and hopes it will lure more Web surfers than the two most recent incarnations, Live Search and MSN Search.
Bush still pre-screening questions
at speaking events
 Throughout George W. Bush's presidency, his handlers always made a special effort to ensure his appearances with regular Americans were scripted in such a way that shined the best possible light on Bush and his polices.
About 12% of homeowners
late paying or foreclosed
One of eight U.S. households with a mortgage ended the first quarter late on loan payments or in the foreclosure process in a crisis that will persist for at least another year until unemployment peaks.
Pentagon plans new cyberspace
war command: report
The Pentagon plans to create a new military command for cyberspace, stepping up preparations by the armed forces to conduct both offensive and defensive computer warfare, the New York Times said on Friday.
Weeping South Koreans pack
streets for Roh funeral
 Sobbing South Koreans jammed Seoul's streets on Friday for the funeral of former President Roh Moo-hyun, whose suicide last week has turned him from failed leader to lightning rod for criticism of his successor.
Job losses muddy outlook
for US housing comeback
A pickup in U.S. home sales has kindled hopes for a housing recovery, but plunging prices, rising unemployment and a new wave of foreclosures are clouding prospects for a quick end to the American real estate debacle.
Sotomayor ordered Vince Foster
suicide note released
There are hints in the record of Judge Sonia Sotomayor that the nominee understands the importance of a free press and judicial transparency. But, it's noted that she did order the release of the suicide note of former Clinton deputy White House counsel Vince Foster.
Health insured paying
$1000 a year for the uninsured
The average family with health insurance shells out an extra $1,000 a year in premiums to pay for health care for the uninsured, a new report finds.
Time Warner to spin off
AOL, ending ill-fated deal
The $147 billion deal in which AOL bought Time Warner in 2001 epitomized the mind-boggling wealth created during the dot-com boom and quickly became one of the worst corporate combinations in history.
Houses for sale
E A R L I E R H E A D L I N E S
Toys R Us acquires high-end
retailer FAO Schwarz
 Toys R Us Inc. announced early Thursday that it had bought troubled high-end retailer FAO Schwarz, which has struggled for years through bankruptcies amid tough competition from discount stores.
National security adviser:
US safer under Obama
President Barack Obama's national security adviser laid out a sweeping rebuttal Wednesday to former Vice President Dick Cheney's charge that America is less safe under the new administration.
Gene for glowing passed
along to monkey offspring
 Scientists gave marmosets a gene that made their feet glow green, and one of the animals passed it along to its offspring -- the first time that an added gene has been inherited by a monkey.
France relents; Queen now
invited to D-Day events
The French bowed to British anger over their failure to invite the Queen to next week's D-Day events.
>> Earlier: Queen livid at French snub
for Obama D-Day fete
Government will own
70% of General Motors
If GM does file, the governments of the United States and Canada could end up with as much as 70 percent of a reconstituted GM when the court dust settles_ with the biggest share by far held by the U.S. Treasury.
Israel dismisses Obama's demand to stop building settlements
Israel dismissed on Thursday a blunt US call for a halt to all Jewish settlement building on occupied Palestinian land, the latest sign Washington is hardening its tone towards its close ally.
World sitting on
'powder keg': Amnesty
The world is sitting on a "powder keg" of social unrest, which risks exploding as human rights are eroded by the global economic slowdown, Amnesty International warned.
Deadly salmonella: Frozen
food's newest ingredient
Contamination has become so widespread that major frozen food purveyors admit they can no longer ensure the safety of their products.
Home Depot involved with
environmentally destructive project
The company is associated with a project that would result in the world's longest clearcut through globally rare forests and massive dam building.
Prima donna: Foul-mouthed
Susan Boyle goes berserk
Cops intervened at 5pm yesterday after Susan, 48, went berserk in the lobby of the Wembley Plaza Hotel in North London when two strangers set out to "wind her up."
Bush v. Gore attorneys to fight
for gay marriages; federal suit filed
The legal eagles who fought on opposite sides in Bush v. Gore want to walk down the aisle together in federal court to overturn California's ban on gay marriage.
SKorea, US troops raise
alert after NKorean threat
 South Korean and US troops went on higher alert after North Korea threatened an attack on the South and Washington stressed its determination to defend its ally.
Cloud from Illinois continues
to hang over Burris
Sen. Roland Burris wants to be known for his work on Capitol Hill. But once again he's finding it hard to escape the cloud that followed him to the Senate.
Latinos happier now with Obama
Hispanics have been grousing since Bill Richardson's nomination as commerce secretary was torpedoed that they don't have enough seats at Obama's table. Sacking Louis Caldera as chief ofthe White House Military Office for authorizing the tone-deaf Air Force One Manhattan flyover last month didn't help soothe tensions.
AT&T admits: Overeager employees helped 'Idol' fans text
 A few overeager AT&T employees brought demo phones to "American Idol" viewing parties in Arkansas and helped fans text their votes, but their actions did not affect the outcome between native son Kris Allen and Adam Lambert, the company said Wednesday.
Most major editorials back
Sotomayor for court
Conservative papers made their objections clear, but few had any outright opposition to the woman who would be the first Hispanic on the high court.
Blowhard Gingrich whips up wingnuts on Sotomayor
Just a day after President Obama announced he was nominating appellate court judge Sonia Sotomayor to the Supreme Court, the battle over her confirmation has begun with former House speaker Newt Gingrich branding her a racist and saying she should withdraw.
>> Sotomayor vote could rip
the Republican Party apart
US sales tax gets fresh look
With budget deficits soaring and President Obama pushing a trillion-dollar-plus expansion of health coverage, some Washington policymakers are taking a fresh look at a money-making idea long considered politically taboo: a national sales tax.
Sessions doesn't foresee a
filibuster against Sotomayor
The top Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee said Wednesday he doesn't foresee a filibuster against Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor, even though he thinks her legal philosophy should be closely examined.
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Iran Mosque Bombing
Kills 30
A bombing at a Shiite mosque in Iran killed at least 30 people during evening prayers yesterday, Reuters reports.
Fiat Pulls Out of German
Talks to Buy GM Arm
Fiat is boycotting talks in Germany today to acquire Opel, the European arm of General Motors, blasting GM for withholding financial information necessary for due diligence and balking at a new request for emergency funding.
Polly Steals
a Passport
One of New Zealand's native parrots now has a British passport, the AP reports. The kea, one of a notoriously brazen species of alpine parrots.
Academic Scandals Hit NBA
Rookie of the Year Rose
Two allegations of academic fraud have surfaced against the Chicago Bulls' Derrick Rose, the Chicago Sun-Times reports.
Maine Law Targets
CFL Mercury
Maine has become the first state in the nation to tackle the problem of mercury in low-energy light bulbs, the Boston Globe reports.
Blue Whales Sing
Near NYC Coast
Experts have detected singing blue whales closer to the New York City coast than the endangered behemoths have ever been heard before, the Ithaca Journal reports.
Berlusconi Denies
Affair With Teen
Silvio Berlusconi has fiercely denied having sex with a teenage girl and says he will resign if caught lying, the BBC reports.
Kindle Rival E-Cooler Not
Ready for Prime Time
British company Interead's lighter, cheaper Kindle rival is intriguing but not ready for the big time yet, David Pogue writes in the New York Times.
Kansas Girl Wins Spelling
Bee With 'Laodicean'
Cool and collected, Kavya Shivashankar wrote out every word on her palm and always ended with a smile.
Sotomayor's Assertive
Style Rankles Some Critics
In the jargon of lawyers, Sonia Sotomayor runs a "hot bench." Meaning she is assertive, thorough, and unafraid to grill attorneys.
Nader: Dems Offered Me
Money in '04 to Skip Key States
Ralph Nader says Democrats were so worried about him in 2004 that DNC chief Terry McAuliffe offered to give his campaign money if he steered clear of 19 battleground states, reports the Washington Post.
Suu Kyi Lawyers 'Optimistic'
as Trial Nears End
Aung San Suu Kyi's lawyers are optimistic about her case despite the fact only one defense witness has been allowed to testify, the Press Association reports.
Why Our Health Care
System Is a Mess
For a clear example of our warped health care system, look no further than McAllen, Texas. The border town is second only to Miami in how much it spends on health care per person—$15,000 per Medicare enrollee.
LAX Security Removes
Obama Letter Writer
A woman who insisted on trying to hand a letter to President Obama today got a special delivery courtesy of LAX airport security instead. Brenda Lee, 58.
North Korea Fires 6th
Missile: Report
North Korea has fired yet another short-range off its east coast, according to reports from a South Korean news agency.
Obama Meets Abbas, Pushes
Israel on Settlements
Gingerly trying to advance Mideast peace, President Obama declared today that the US is a "stalwart ally" of Israel but challenged the Israelis to stop settlement construction in the West Bank.
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We first heard the term decades ago: The "Sun Belt" was just starting a run of phenomenal growth -- and no wonder. It conjured a sunny state of mind as well as a balmy place on the map. Everybody, it seemed, wanted a spot in the sun.
