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Most popular news on 11 June 2009 |
California nears financial "meltdown" as revenues tumble
Reuters - California's government risks a financial "meltdown" within 50 days in light of its weakening May revenues unless Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and lawmakers quickly plug a $24.3 billion budget gap, the state's controller said on Wednesday.
Gunman shoots, kills guard at Holocaust Museum
AP - An 88-year-old gunman with a violent and virulently anti-Semitic past opened fire with a rifle inside the crowded U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum on Wednesday, fatally wounding a security guard before being shot himself by other officers, authorities said.
Shooting suspect's history of seething anger
AP - A frustrated artist and an angry man, the suspect in the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum shooting once tried to kidnap members of the Federal Reserve board, a "caper" thwarted when a guard captured him outside a board meeting carrying a bag stuffed with weapons.
Investigators say Fed threatened bank CEO
AP - The Federal Reserve threatened to force the ouster of Bank of America CEO Kenneth Lewis if he didn't follow through with plans to buy Merrill Lynch & Co., Republicans said Wednesday after reviewing internal documents.
Fleeing car hits Philly crowd, killing 3 children
AP - A car fleeing a robbery scene and being chased by police Wednesday night jumped a curb and crashed into a crowd, killing three young children in front of their home and gravely injuring a woman, authorities said.
Fiat closes Chrysler deal
Reuters - Fiat SpA closed its acquisition of Chrysler's strongest assets on Wednesday, a key step in the Italian carmaker's ambitious plan to create a global player to ride out the worldwide auto sales downturn.
Jamie Foxx: 'I got booed at the Apollo'
AP - Is there anything Jamie Foxx can't conquer? His first try at the Apollo, apparently.
2 Koreas hold rare talks amid nuclear tension
AP - The two Koreas held rare talks lasting 50 minutes Thursday on the fate of a troubled industrial park, set up jointly as a symbol of reconciliation that is now a source of friction amid fears about North Korea's nuclear and missile programs.
French submarine begins Airbus black box search
Reuters - A French nuclear submarine with advanced sonar equipment began searching on Wednesday for the flight recorders of an Air France airliner that crashed into the Atlantic last week, the French military said.
Top Republican rips Democrats for Sotomayor 'rush'
AP - Republicans accused Democrats Wednesday of moving too hastily on Sonia Sotomayor's Supreme Court nomination, warning that the decision could imperil her confirmation as they pressed the judge for more documents from her past.
Ahmadinejad lashes out at rival before Iran vote
AP - Iran's hard-line president took a final shot at his rivals Wednesday during his last public pre-election rally, accusing them of resorting to a smear campaign against him similar to the one used by Adolf Hitler's propaganda minister.
Administration seeks ways to tame corporate pay
AP - Talking tough but stepping gently, the Obama administration rejected direct intervention in corporate pay decisions Wednesday even as officials argued that excessive compensation in the private sector contributed to the nation's financial crisis. Instead, the administration plans to seek legislation that would try to tame compensation at publicly traded companies through shareholder pressure and less management influence on pay decisions.
Donald Trump ousts Prejean as Miss California
AP - Miss California USA Carrie Prejean, who stirred up trouble for herself when she said gays shouldn't be allowed to marry, got two dreaded words from pageant poobah Donald Trump on Wednesday: "You're fired." Trump and other pageant leaders said Prejean was being sacked not because of the remarks but because she hadn't been holding up her end of the agreement she signed when she entered the pageant.
Report blames petroleum industry for 25% of toxic pollutants
AFP - The US petroleum industry accounted for a quarter of toxic pollutants recorded across North America in 2005 by a government-backed environmental watchdog, an annual report said on Wednesday.
WHO gets ready declare a swine flu pandemic
AP - The World Health Organization is gearing up to declare a swine flu pandemic, a move that could trigger both the large-scale production of vaccines and questions about why the step was delayed for weeks as the virus continued to spread.
New sanctions could hit North Korea's fundraising
AP - Room 39 is one of the most secret organizations in arguably the world's most secretive state. Its mission: Obtain foreign currency for the regime of North Korea's authoritarian leader Kim Jong Il.
Sub helps in hunt for Air France black boxes
AP - The urgent hunt for the black boxes of Air France Flight 447 received a boost Wednesday — a French nuclear submarine scoured the search area, listening for the data and voice recorders' pings before they fade away.
California's day of reckoning
The Christian Science Monitor - California faces a mammoth $24 billion budget deficit and potential bankruptcy. As its governor somberly told legislators last week, "California's day of reckoning is here."
Actor Johnny Palermo dies in car accident
Reuters - Actor Johnny Palermo, who appeared in more than 30 television shows in his brief career, died June 8 in an early morning car accident in North Hollywood, Calif. He was 27.
Sandra Bullock: Getting Naked With a "Rock Hard" Ryan
E! Online - Sandra Bullock is one lucky lady. In The Proposal, her new romantic comedy in which she plays a wretched book publisher who blackmails her assistant into marrying her, Bullock got to be very naked with Ryan Reynolds.
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