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Why the stupid 'Balloon Boy' story actually matters
It wouldn’t be the first time that members of the media have been accused of being asleep at the wheel, but the coverage of the so-called balloon boy story (officially dubbed a hoax by authorities) might be the fir... Read More

Can we save Black marriage?
In recent months mainstream coverage of a research study about how marriage may be “eluding” highly educated black women has been vast and dire. The study tends to brand black women with the plight of endless... Read More

New Daily Briefs

Insurance Premiums Higher For Women. Discrimination?
According to Newsweek, gender is among a set of characteristics, like age or smoking, that health-insurance companies routinely use to predict a consumer's costs and thus set the price of their premiums.Aside from the ob... Read More

U.S. And Russia Eye Lowering Nuclear Alert Levels
According to the Washington Post, the high alert levels for U.S. and Russian nuclear forces are primarily a carry over from the Cold War. The two nations, the Post reports, might consider lowering that alert as part... Read More

Round Two: Obama v. The Chamber of Commerce
According to the Washington Post, the White House is moving aggressively to remove the U.S. Chamber of Commerce from its traditional Washington role as the chief representative for big business."The question we have... Read More

The Public Takes A Favorable Turn on the Public Option
According to a poll conducted by the Washington Post, Americans are warming up to the public option.Though the country remains sharply divided, reflecting the highly partisan debate, a sizable majority now approve of hea... Read More

Obama Offers Help for Small Banks and Businesses
According to Yahoo.com, President Barack Obama wants smaller banks to have access to the $700 billion bailout fund. (more)... Read More

Philadelphia Eagles Get Will Witherspoon From Rams
According to The Associated Press, the Philadelphia Eagles have acquired linebacker Will Witherspoon from the St. Louis Rams for wide receiver Brandon Gibson. The trade was made Tuesday.... Read More

African Leadership Prize Unable To Find A Winner  
According to the Global News Network, the selection committee for the Ibrahim Prize for Achievement have decided not to choose a winner.Finalist for the award included former Presidents Thabo Mbeki of South Africa, John ... Read More

CDC: More Than Half Of H1N1 Cases Are Young People
According to theWall Street Journal, the H1N1 influenza virus continues to disproportionately affect young people, according to new government figures released Tuesday.Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Preven... Read More

U.S. Launches "Natural Fire 10" To Train East African Armies
According to the Global News Network, the armies of five East African nations are taking part in a major military exercise being led by the U.S. military, dubbed “Natural Fire 10.”More than 1,200 military per... Read More

Charge Against Teen In Chicago Beating Dropped
According to CNN, prosecutors dropped a murder charge against Eugene Bailey in the beating death last month of a Chicago honors student. Bailey said he considered Derrion Albert a "good friend" and approached p... Read More

Three States To Sue FedEx For Labor Violations
According to Reuters, three U.S. states said on Tuesday they plan to sue FedEx Corp, accusing the second-largest U.S. package delivery company of violating labor laws by illegally classifying drivers as independent contr... Read More

NY Gov. David Paterson Ratings Near Record Lows
According to Reuters, New York Governor David Paterson's ratings with voters in the 2010 gubernatorial race were near record lows while his rivals gained ground.Only 15 percent of the 624 voters polled between October 14... Read More

In Botswana Diamonds Losing Some Of Their Sparkle
According to the Global News Network, a slump in demand for diamonds caused by the world’s global recession is presenting a major challenge for newly-re-elected President Ian Khama."We have always appreciated ... Read More

AP: Artist Used Copyrighted Image For Iconic Obama Poster
According to AP, the Associated Press said Shepard Fairey concocted the story that he was mistaken about which photo he used to create the famous Obama HOPE poster.The news organization also disputes Fairey's contention ... Read More

Yahoo Profits Triple
According to MarketWatch, Yahoo Inc. said Tuesday that its third-quarter profit more than tripled as it cut costs and benefited from a smaller-than-expected decline in the sale of online display advertising.... Read More

Oprah To Interview Sarah Palin
According to MSNBC, Oprah Winfrey will interview Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin on Nov. 16 about her upcoming book, Going Rogue: An American Life.... Read More

Obama To Announce Help For Small Banks
According toAssociated Press, President Barack Obama wants smaller banks to have greater access to the government's $700 billion financial rescue fund.Obama on Wednesday plans to announce a package of initiatives designe... Read More

Barnes and Noble E-Reader To Compete With Kindle
According to Associated Press, Barnes & Noble Inc. Inc. will unveil an electronic-book reader Tuesday to compete with Amazon.com's Kindle.The wireless reader will be called the "Nook" and sell for $259 &mda... Read More

First Pictures Of Steve McNair's Other-Other Woman Appears On CBS
According to CBS, the first photos of Steve McNair's other-other-woman, Leah Ignagni, have been obtained exclusively by CBS News' Crimesider. Nashville police named Ignagni in a case summary, released Monday, regarding t... Read More

Fake Security Software Exposes Computers To Cybercrime
According to Reuters, tens of millions of U.S. computers are loaded with scam security software which only makes the machines more vulnerable, according to a new report on cybercrime.Cyberthieves are increasingly plantin... Read More

Patriots Release Wide Receiver Joey Galloway
According to UPI, wide receiver Joey Galloway,a 14-year NFL veteran, has been released by the New England Patriots.Galloway, 37, a first-round draft pick by the Seattle Seahawks in 1995, signed a free-agent deal with the... Read More

Home Values Dropping
According to CNN, home values are predicted to drop in 342 out of 381 markets during the next year, according to a new forecast of real estate prices.Overall, the national median home price is predicted to drop 11.3% by ... Read More

Home Construction Applications Decrease: Bad for the Economy
According to MSNBC.com, applications for home building permits, a key indicator for future construction, fell in September by the largest amount in five months. This is a negative sign for the housing industry, because a... Read More

Secret Service Struggles to Protect Obama and Others Due to Terrorist Threats
According to Boston.com, the Secret Service has been strained because of the growing need for protection for current and former Presidents due to a rise in terrorist cells and activities, particularly since the election ... Read More

Death Penalty Sucking Away California's Dollars
According to CNN, California has 678 inmates on death row, making the nation's largest death row population, yet the state has not executed anyone in four years.However, it spends more than $130 million a year on its cap... Read More

Flickr Is Down
According to CNET News, Yahoo-owned social photo site Flickr went down today. The outage is keeping users from accessing all parts of the site, however photos that had been embedded on third-party sites are still able to... Read More

Nightclub Sued $1 Billion For Racial Profiling
According to WPIX, a SoHo nightclub is being sued $1 billion after the club's bouncer and owner allegedly turned away nearly 100 guests because they were Black.... Read More

President Awards Vietnam Vets For Heroism
According to CNN, Nearly four decades after members of a U.S. cavalry unit put their lives in danger to save 100 fellow soldiers trapped under enemy fire in Vietnam, they received the Presidential Unit Citation on Tuesda... Read More

Apple Brings Back The Plastic MacBook
According to PC World, After promising earning reports, Apple decided to revive the plastic 13-inch MacBook right before the Windows 7 launch.  Apple's new laptop is called simply the MacBook, and it molds the origi... Read More

Anglicans Welcomed Into Catholic Church
According to CNN, the Vatican has worked out a way for Anglicans who are dissatisfied with their faith to join the Catholic Church.The process will allow groups of Anglicans, including bishops and married priests, to joi... Read More

California Sues State Bank For $200 Million
According to Associated Press, California Attorney General Jerry Brown accused State Street Bank and Trust Co. of "unconscionable fraud", stating in a lawsuit the firm had cheated the state's largest pension fu... Read More

Google And Space Agencies Team Up To Stop Global Warming
According to Reuters, space agencies and Google Inc are helping an global project to monitor forests by satellite to fight global warming.Deforestation from Brazil and Indonesia is blamed for emitting about a fifth of al... Read More

Michelle Obama To Appear On 'Jay Leno Show'
According to Reuters, NBC said Monday that Michelle Obama will appear on The Jay Leno Show Friday in a brief comedy bit. The first lady will answer 10 "rapid-fire questions" from the show's host.... Read More

Rihanna's 4th Album Drops Nov. 23
According to MTV.com, Rihanna premiered the first single from her fourth album which will debut on Nov. 23. The album entitled Rated R was produced by Tricky Stewart, Justin Timberlake, Chase & Status and Stargate. T... Read More

Supreme Court To Hear Guantanamo Uighur Ethnic Group Appeal
According to Reuters, the Supreme Court said on Tuesday it would hear an appeal by Chinese Muslim prisoners held for years at Guantanamo Bay who argue that they should be released in the United States.A U.S. appeals cour... Read More

Pay Czar Finalizes Rulings On TARP Pay Plans
According to Reuters, the Obama administration's pay czar, Kenneth Feinberg, said on Tuesday he is finalizing his determinations for the compensation packages at the top earners at bailed out firms and may release t... Read More

IRS Warned On Homebuyer Credit Fraud
According to Reuters, the internal watchdog for the Internal Revenue Service is expected to warn the agency for the fourth time about fraud in the multibillion dollar homebuyer tax credit program.About 1.4 million tax re... Read More

Final Text Messages Included In McNair Murder-Suicide Police Report
According to USA Today, Nashville police have released more details about the murder-suicide of former Tennessee quarterback Steve McNair and his 20-year-old girlfriend, Sahel Kazemi, including some of their final text m... Read More

Plum Organics Recalls Apple, Carrot Flavored Baby Food
According to the New York Daily News, Plum Organics is recalling its apple- and carrot-flavored baby food for fear of botulism poisoning. The California-based company announced the recall Tuesday morning, saying the prod... Read More

Feds Decriminalize Medical-Marijuana Use
According to New York Times, the Obama administration announced it will not go after medical-marijuana users and suppliers who conform to state laws. This is being met with relief by pro-legalization activists and conste... Read More

Bipartisanship (In Theory) Discovered: Obama's Fatherhood Initiative
According to the Christian Science Monitor, President Obama might catch a rare glimpse of bipartisan support as his administration begins its National Conversation on Fatherhood and Parental Responsibility.It’s a f... Read More

Financial Giants Giving Obama and Dems A Cold Shoulder Financiallly
According to the New York Times, financial giants that received a lifeline from Washington have no qualms about taking bonus money. But they don't appear willing to send "thank you" notes in the form of politia... Read More

Kanye West Pulls 'Fairytale' Video From His Blog
In a new video directed by Spike Jonze, Kanye West acts drunk and obnoxious. West posted the 15-minute We Were Once a Fairytale video on his blog last weekend, but he's now removed it and replaced it with a message: ... Read More

More College Students Seek Help For Mental Health Issues
More than 90 percent of therapists working on college campuses say they're seeing more students with mental health problems and with more severe cases, according to results of a new national survey. Officials behind the ... Read More

HIV Vaccine Trial More Important Than Thought, Scientists Say
Scientists said in September they had developed an HIV vaccine that protected 31 percent of adults ages 18 to 30 in their trial, but it wasn't a clear victory. Now, after the results were published at a Paris conference,... Read More