In the News: Jan-09

Palin: Is Kennedy getting 'kid glove' treatment? - 9 Jan 2009 at 9:38am - WASHINGTON -- Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin is questioning whether Caroline Kennedy is getting better treatment from the press in her bid for a Senate seat from New York than the battering she says she received as John McCain's running mate on the Republican presidential ticket.

If Kennedy starts listing "lipstick", "hockey", or "pitbull" among her qualifications, we'll talk about it.

TVA: Coal waste pond in Alabama ruptures - 9 Jan 2009 at 3:14pm - A waste pond at a coal-burning power plant in northeast Alabama ruptured early Friday, but the spill was quickly contained, utility officials said. TVA official Gil Francis said the leak at its Widows Creek coal-burning power plant in northeastern Alabama was caused by a break in a pipe that removes water from the 147-acre gypsum pond.

Toxic coal ash piling up in ponds in 32 states - 9 Jan 2009 at 3:11pm - WASHINGTON -- Millions of tons of toxic coal ash are piling up in power plant ponds in 32 states, a practice the government has long recognized as a risk to human health and the environment but has left unregulated.

Court steps into case involving Iraq - 9 Jan 2009 at 1:59pm - WASHINGTON -- The Supreme Court said Friday it will decide whether the Iraqi government has immunity in American courts for the acts of Saddam Hussein's regime.

Obama's new spy chiefs to break with Bush years - 9 Jan 2009 at 1:14pm - WASHINGTON (AFP) - Barack Obama Friday vowed to observe Geneva Conventions bans on torture and outlawed the tweaking of intelligence data for political gain, naming new US spy chiefs in a clean break from the Bush years.

Judge hands loss to White House on visitors logs - 9 Jan 2009 at 12:54pm - WASHINGTON -- A federal judge has turned down the Bush administration's latest attempt to keep secret the identities of White House visitors.

U.S. economy loses 524,000 jobs in December - 9 Jan 2009 at 9:23am - Mired in recession, the United States economy shed 524,000 jobs in December, pushing overall job losses for 2008 to 2.6 million - the largest annual drop since 1945.

Panel criticizes Treasury use of TARP funds - 9 Jan 2009 at 9:15am - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Treasury has done nothing to ensure a $700 billion financial bailout fund is used to stabilize the weak mortgage market, which caused the U.S. economic crisis, a congressional watchdog said on Friday.

Thought for the day:
She got her looks from her father. He's a plastic surgeon. -Groucho Marx (1890 - 1977)