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>>> Having trouble viewing this newsletter? View as a webpage. Top Stories Tuesday, May 26, 2009 Explosion, fire leave families homeless | VIDEO An early morning blast leveled one apartment building and spread flames through several more. UofC reacts to SCOTUS nominee | VIDEO Students and faculty at the University of Chicago reacted Tuesday to the president's choice of a New York judge for the nation's highest court. Judge approves release of Burris conversation A federal judge said Tuesday he would allow the U.S. Senate Ethics Committee to have a federal wiretap of former Gov. Rod Blagojevich's brother having a phone conversation with U.S. Sen. Roland Burris. Chicago activists plan for Prop 8 ruling Activists plan to rally in Chicago to either celebrate or protest a decision by the California Supreme Court. Patti Blagojevich getting ready for reality TV | VIDEO Former Illinois first lady Patti Blagojevich says she's getting ready for her stint on reality TV by doing yoga and cooking meals for her kids to eat while she's gone. MORE STORIES Strange Cigarette bandit wore beer carton disguise 40 men parade in women's shoes Huge lobster roll to be colossal creation Horror story printed on toilet paper Bee swarm traps workers in game store Consumer Gas-Saving Scooters Court: No exclusive cable rights in apartments Local kids create iPhone application | VIDEO Mower Safety Stricter ID rules for travel in effect June 1 Healthbeat Vaccine refusal boosts kids' whooping cough risks Researchers ID baldness gene in mice Report: Many over 40 have inner ear damage Pregnant exercise benefits child, mother Primate brains may shed light on Alzheimer's MOST POPULAR Teacher charged with sexual abuse More evidence found in Des Plaines River 2 people killed in crash Counselors offered for murder suspect's peers Obama picks Sotomayor for high court All Most Popular Advertisement TODAY'S WEATHER OUTLOOK 72°F 57°F Mostly cloudy with a shower or thunderstorm in spots Hour-by-Hour | 7 Day Forecast | Radar & Satellite TONIGHT ON ABC 7:00 PM According to Jim 7:30 PM According to Jim 8:00 PM Diamonds 10:00 PM ABC 7 News 10:35 PM Nightline Lottery Results Your Daily Horoscope Obama picks Sotomayor for high court President Barack Obama named federal appeals judge Sonia Sotomayor as the nation's first Hispanic Supreme Court justice on Tuesday. SLIDESHOW: Judge Sonia Sotomayor NY judge rises from projects to SCOTUS Chicago judge passed over for high court Republicans set to examine nominee's record 'Ferris Bueller' home offered at $2.3 million The home of Ferris Bueller's best friend is on the market. SUBSCRIPTION OPTIONS I'd like to receive the following newsletters from abc7chicago.com Daily Weather | Daily News | 190 North Sign up for news alerts

Politics, Political News - POLITICO.com

Politics, Political News - POLITICO.com

President Barack Obama will select New York federal judge Sonia Sotomayor to be the next Supreme Court justice, naming the first Hispanic justice to the high court and adding a second woman to the panel.

Report: North Korea test-fires 2 more missiles - Yahoo! News

Report: North Korea test-fires 2 more missiles - Yahoo! News: "North Korea launched tests Tuesday of two more short-range missiles a day after detonating a nuclear bomb underground, a news report said, pushing the regime's confrontation with world powers further despite the threat of U.N. Security Council action."

Israel to propose settlement compromise to US - Yahoo! News

Israel to propose settlement compromise to US - Yahoo! News: "Israel would dismantle nearly two dozen wildcat settlement outposts in the West Bank in the next few weeks if the U.S. drops its objections to continued building in existing, government-sanctioned settlements, officials said."

EU, US: NKorean nuke test violates UN sanctions - Yahoo! News

EU, US: NKorean nuke test violates UN sanctions - Yahoo! News: "The U.S., the EU and Russia condemned North Korea's reported nuclear test Monday as a violation of U.N. resolutions and promised to take the isolated regime before the Security Council. Even China joined the chorus of disapproval, saying it 'resolutely opposed' the test."

Iran's Ahmadinejad wants to debate Obama at UN - Yahoo! News

Iran's Ahmadinejad wants to debate Obama at UN - Yahoo! News: "Mahmoud Ahmadinejad proposed on Monday a face-to-face debate with President Barack Obama at the United Nations if he is re-elected next month as Iran's president."

Iraqi trade chief resigns amid corruption scandal - Yahoo! News

Iraqi trade chief resigns amid corruption scandal - Yahoo! News: "Iraq's prime minister has accepted the resignation of the country's trade minister, who agreed to step down following allegations of widespread corruption in his department, the government said Monday."

Obama: N. Korea 'recklessly challenging' the world - Yahoo! News

Obama: N. Korea 'recklessly challenging' the world - Yahoo! News: "President Barack Obama said Monday that North Korea's latest nuclear test should be 'a matter of grave concern to all nations' and accused Pyongyang of behaving recklessly and defying international will."

NKorea says it conducted nuclear test - Yahoo! News

NKorea says it conducted nuclear test - Yahoo! News: "North Korea announced Monday that it successfully carried out an underground nuclear test, weeks after threatening to restart its rogue atomic program."

GOP senator: Court nominee could incite filibuster - Yahoo! News

GOP senator: Court nominee could incite filibuster - Yahoo! News: "The Senate's No. 2 Republican on Sunday refused to rule out a filibuster if President Barack Obama seeks a Supreme Court justice who decides cases based on 'emotions or feelings or preconceived ideas.'
Sen. Jon Kyl made clear he would use the procedural delay if Obama follows through on his pledge to nominate someone who takes into account human suffering and employs empathy from the bench. The Arizona Republican acknowledged that his party likely does not have enough votes to sustain a filibuster, but he said nonetheless he would try to delay or derail the nomination if Obama ventures outside what Kyl called the mainstream."

Powell Takes on Cheney, Limbaugh in Battle for Republican Party - Yahoo! News

Powell Takes on Cheney, Limbaugh in Battle for Republican Party - Yahoo! News: "Former Secretary of State Colin Powell said the Republican Party needs to break free from the grip of conservative radio commentator Rush Limbaugh and forge a more inclusive identity."

Facebook block ahead of Iran vote hampers youth - Yahoo! News

Facebook block ahead of Iran vote hampers youth - Yahoo! News: "Iran's decision to block access to Facebook — less than three weeks before nationwide elections — drew sharp criticism Sunday from a reformist opposition hoping to mobilize the youth vote and unseat President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad."

'Bloody intersection' secured by Pakistani troops - Yahoo! News

'Bloody intersection' secured by Pakistani troops - Yahoo! News: "The Taliban left so many mutilated bodies at the crossing — some hanging from trees with threatening notes — that Pakistanis in the Swat Valley's main town took to calling it 'bloody intersection.'"

Defeated Tamil Tiger rebels confirm leader's death - Yahoo! News

Defeated Tamil Tiger rebels confirm leader's death - Yahoo! News: "The defeated Tamil Tiger rebels confirmed Sunday that their supreme leader was killed in the group's final battle against Sri Lankan troops."

Embattled SKorean ex-president jumps to his death - Yahoo! News

Embattled SKorean ex-president jumps to his death - Yahoo! News: "Embattled former President Roh Moo-hyun — a reformist shamed by a corruption scandal that tarnished his image as a 'clean' politician — jumped to his death while hiking in the mountains behind his rural home in South Korea, his lawyer said. He was 62."

Media Matters Daily Summary

Here are today's news items from Media Matters for America, click on the title or 'read more' to read the entirety of each story. Brzezinski's reading of CNN's Cheney poll contradicts CNN polling director Citing a CNN poll, Mika Brzezinski asserted, "[Dick] Cheney's recent foray into the media spotlight is boosting his approval rating." However, CNN's polling director refuted the notion that Cheney's higher favorability in the poll is related to his "recent foray into the media spotlight." Read More Karl Rove, Super Genius Karl Rove has a regular Wall Street Journal column. He's a Fox News contributor. Newsweek hired him as a contributor. As Gloria Borger said in 2007: "[W]hen Rove speaks, the political class pays attention -- usually with good reason." Read More Coulter falsehood: No evidence Guantánamo "has served as a recruiting tool for terrorists" Ann Coulter falsely asserted that there is "no evidence" that Guantánamo "has served as a recruiting tool for terrorists." In fact, military and FBI interrogators have stated that terrorists have successfully used the detention facility at Guantánamo Bay as a recruiting device. Read More Media uncritically aired Cheney claim that "EITs" were used after other techniques failed Four evening news programs uncritically aired discredited claims Dick Cheney made suggesting that detainees provided information after -- and only after -- "enhanced interrogation techniques" were used. Read More Obtuse Angle: Fox News correspondent repeats debunked Library Tower claim Reporting on Dick Cheney's speech, Jim Angle repeated the debunked claim that the use of harsh interrogation techniques helped thwart an attack on the U.S. Bank Tower in Los Angeles. Read More Will the NY Times issue correction to report on former Gitmo detainees? On May 21 on MSNBC, New York Times reporter Elisabeth Bumiller acknowledged that the assertion in an article published earlier that day that one in seven detainees at Guantánamo has "returned" to terrorist activities might not be accurate. Conservatives and media seized on the dubious assertion, but the paper has not run a correction. Read More Wash. Times fails to disclose op-ed author's ties to defense industry The Washington Times published an op-ed by John R. Guardiano criticizing Robert Gates' decision to cancel the Future Combat Systems' vehicle program but did not disclose Guardiano's ties to a contractor for the FCS vehicle program. Read More Memo to Chris Wallace: Military officials say Gitmo has been a "recruiting tool" for terrorists Ignoring statements from military officials and reports, Chris Wallace suggested that the detention facility at Guantánamo Bay has not been used by terrorists as a "huge recruiting tool." Read More Un-debatable: Contrary to media claim, national security was an issue during 2008 campaign Numerous media figures advanced the argument that national security issues discussed by President Obama and Dick Cheney in May 21 speeches weren't debated during the 2008 presidential election campaign. In fact, the issues were vigorously debated during the Republican primary campaign. Read More You can help support our work; become a volunteer media monitor, or donate to Media Matters for America.

Newburgh 4: "These Guys Picked the Wrong Town" - Yahoo! News

Newburgh 4: "These Guys Picked the Wrong Town" - Yahoo! News: "It will be days, possibly weeks, before we know all the details of how the attempted Riverdale, New York, bombing was foiled, but counterterrorism experts say it's already clear where the plotters made their first mistake: they picked targets in New York City. Since the devastating attacks on Sept. 11, the city has built up formidable intelligence resources that are designed to anticipate, detect and eliminate terror threats. 'No city is better prepared for this kind of attack than New York,' says Fred Burton, a counterterrorism expert at Stratfor, a global intelligence firm. 'These guys picked the wrong town to mess with.'"

Corruption in Illinois Costs Each Family $109 as Reform Stalls - Yahoo! News

Corruption in Illinois Costs Each Family $109 as Reform Stalls - Yahoo! News: "Now that former Governor Rod Blagojevich is out of the way, Illinois politicians are getting back to business as usual, Chicago style.

“I don’t believe we’ll see any real reform in my lifetime,” said Lupe Martinez, a 56-year-old crane operator, as he swept the sidewalk in front of his brick bungalow on Chicago’s southwest side. “Every time we think we’ve elected someone who will do the right thing, they turn out to be liars and thieves.”"

Politics, Political News - POLITICO.com

Politics, Political News - POLITICO.com

After a one-two punch from Newt Gingrich and Dick Cheney, House Minority Leader John Boehner and other Republican lawmakers worry that their party has overplayed its hand on Nancy Pelosi.

CNN.com - Breaking News, U.S., World, Weather, Entertainment & Video News

CNN.com - Breaking News, U.S., World, Weather, Entertainment & Video News: "As the Memorial Day weekend and summer driving season approach, motorists are facing a familiar trend -- surging gasoline prices. But while pump prices have increased more than 15 percent over the last 23 days, and are likely to go even higher over the coming weeks, experts tell CNNMoney they don't foresee anything like the record levels of 2008"

Florida's BankUnited fails, will cost FDIC $4.9B - Yahoo! News

Florida's BankUnited fails, will cost FDIC $4.9B - Yahoo! News: "The federal seizure of struggling Florida thrift BankUnited FSB is expected to cost the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. $4.9 billion, representing the second-largest hit to the FDIC's insurance fund since the financial crisis began felling banks last year."

Hezbollah says Biden visit interferes in election - Yahoo! News

Hezbollah says Biden visit interferes in election - Yahoo! News: "Vice President Joe Biden reinforced U.S. support for Lebanon's government Friday ahead of key parliamentary elections that could see the pro-Western faction ousted by Iranian-backed Hezbollah and its allies."

European stocks recover ahead of expected US gains - Yahoo! News

European stocks recover ahead of expected US gains - Yahoo! News: "European stocks rose Friday, recovering from a sharp fall Thursday and shrugging off overnight losses in the U.S. and Asia as investors clung to hopes that the global recession is bottoming out and looked for bargains ahead of the weekend."

Obama set to approve new rules for credit cards - Yahoo! News

Obama set to approve new rules for credit cards - Yahoo! News: "New rules for the credit card industry that are designed to protect consumers from surprise charges, such as over-the-limit fees and costs for paying a bill by phone, are part of a bill President Barack Obama is set to sign into law."

Gates defends decision to close Guantanamo prison - Yahoo! News

Gates defends decision to close Guantanamo prison - Yahoo! News: "Defense Secretary Robert Gates says the Obama administration had no choice but to order the shutdown of the prison at Guantanamo because 'the name itself is a condemnation' of U.S. anti-terrorism strategy."