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Most popular news on 17 August 2009 |
White House appears ready to drop 'public option'
AP - Bowing to Republican pressure and an uneasy public, President Barack Obama's administration signaled Sunday it is ready to abandon the idea of giving Americans the option of government-run insurance as part of a new health care system.
W.H. backs away from public option
Politico - President Barack Obama and his top aides are signaling that they?re prepared to drop a government insurance option from a final health-reform deal if that?s what?s needed to strike a compromise on Obama?s top legislative priority.
Mexico cartels go from drugs to full-scale mafias
AP - Shopkeepers in this pine-covered mountain region easily recite the list of "protection" fees they pay to La Familia drug cartel to stay in business: 100 pesos a month for a stall in a street market, 30,000 pesos for an auto dealership or construction-supply firm.
Tropical Storm Claudette threatens Fla. Panhandle
AP - Claudette was close to coming ashore along the Florida Panhandle late Sunday, with the first tropical storm expected to strike the U.S. mainland this year already dumping heavy rain in some areas.
Korean Yang upstages Woods with Hazeltine win
Reuters - South Korean Yang Yong-eun became Asia's first male major winner after overhauling Tiger Woods in stunning fashion to clinch the U.S. PGA Championship by three shots on Sunday.
Evacuation lifted from town threatened by fire
AP - Hundreds of residents returned home when an evacuation order was lifted in a Santa Cruz mountain town Sunday, even as hot and dry winds fanned nearly a dozen wildifres across the state.
Gun law complaints trail Obama during park tours
AP - Family in tow for a tour of national treasures far from Washington, President Barack Obama is trailed by criticism from gun opponents and parks advocates for allowing firearms into such majestic places as this.
Stocks could pull back as earnings end
Reuters - U.S. stocks could extend last week's retreat after a four-week advance as the earnings season winds down and investors search for signs that consumer spending will help sustain an economic recovery.
Yang topples Tiger in the PGA
AP - Y.E. Yang shook his fists and shouted with joy over a victory felt around the world. Equally stunning was the sight of Tiger Woods, standing over the final putt of the PGA Championship with nothing at stake.
Bolt shatters 100-meter world record
AP - Usain Bolt crossed the finish line, saw his record-setting time on the clock and spread his arms as if he were soaring like a bird.
Milwaukee mayor hospitalized after pipe attack
AP - Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett remained hospitalized Sunday after a man attacked him with a metal pipe as the mayor tried to assist a grandmother screaming for help near the Wisconsin State Fair.
Taliban threatens polling stations in Afghanistan
AP - The Taliban are threatening to attack polling centers in the key southern province of Kandahar, a warning likely to have a chilling effect on potential voters in this week's presidential election.
1,000 still stranded as Taiwan storm aid arrives
AP - The first shipments of foreign aid arrived Sunday as Taiwan struggled to reach more than 1,000 people still stranded a week after its deadliest typhoon in half a century.
Iran defies condemnation, expands opposition trial
AP - Iran expanded a mass trial of opposition supporters on Sunday with the addition of 25 defendants — including a Jewish teenager — in defiance of international condemnation, as France said Iran agreed to release a French woman held on spying charges from prison.
'District 9' lifts off with No. 1 weekend at $37M
AP - The first-time director and cast of unknowns of the acclaimed sci-fi thriller "District 9" have given Hollywood a late-summer box-office boost.
Britain publishes more UFO files, but few answers
AP - The deputy commander of a U.S. Air Force base in England was baffled by what he'd seen: bright, pulsing lights in the night sky.
UBS to name 5,000 accounts under U.S. deal: paper
Reuters - The deal initialed last week between the United States and Switzerland over UBS will involve the disclosure of around 5,000 holders of secret Swiss accounts, weekly newspaper NZZ am Sonntag said on Sunday.
How were Social Security numbers given away?
AP - When Tropical Storm Chata'an struck the Federated States of Micronesia in 2002, the U.S. government sent 1,300 blankets, 4,000 disposable diapers, 30 cases of sardines — and my Social Security number.
NKorea agrees to resume joint projects with SKorea
AP - North Korea announced Monday it would resume reunions of families separated by the border with South Korea and restart stalled tourism ventures in its latest gesture of conciliation after nearly 18 months of rising tensions.
Tropical Storm Claudette soaks Florida coast
Reuters - Tropical Storm Claudette drenched the Florida panhandle but spared the U.S. Gulf of Mexico oil patch on Sunday while two other cyclones, Ana and Bill, raced through the Atlantic Ocean toward the Caribbean islands.
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