Shorts (right)
MAPLE HEIGHTS, Ohio — Democrats have tried improving the political climate, discrediting their Republican opponents and asking Americans for patience in tackling the nation’s challenges, but the party’s best hope of stemming deep losses on Election Day may now rest on loyalty and logistics, not persuasion.
New U.S. emissions and fuel economy standards take aim at heavy vehicles
WASHINGTON — The federal government announced the first national emissions and fuel economy standards for heavy vehicles Monday, one of a series of regulatory steps that the Obama administration is taking to increase energy efficiency and reduce atmospheric pollution in the absence of congressional action on climate change.
Midwest prepares for strong storm system
The northern Midwest states are in the direct path of a rapidly strengthening low pressure system. Winds over 50 mph, rain, and thunderstorms will be likely from the Dakotas to the Great Lakes.
Afghan president Karzai confirms that Iran gives ‘bags of money’
KABUL, Afghanistan — President Hamid Karzai acknowledged Monday that he regularly receives bags of cash from the Iranian government in payments amounting to millions of dollars, as evidence mounted of a worsening rift between his government and its U.S. and NATO supporters.
NASA locates a moon oasis that’s wetter than the Sahara
The Moon, at least at the bottom of a deep, dark cold crater near its south pole, seems to be wetter than the Sahara, scientists reported Thursday.
Toyota recalling 1.5 million cars for problems
TOKYO—The Toyota Motor Co. announced a global recall of 1.53 million vehicles Thursday because of brake and fuel pump problems, but stressed that the repairs reflected a companywide effort to be more proactive in addressing potential flaws.
Shorts (right)
WASHINGTON <i>— </i>Sikhs in the United States expressed their frustration Thursday that President Barack Obama would skip a tentatively planned visit to their holiest site in India, while advocacy groups called on the White House to reconsider.
Democrats try to revive<br />female voters’ enthusiasm
SEATTLE—Women came out strong for Barack Obama in 2008. Now, with barely 10 days before the midterm elections that are looking increasingly perilous for his party, he is trying to win them back.
One comment leads to contract termination at NPR
NPR’s decision Wednesday to fire Juan Williams and Fox News Channel’s decision Thursday to give him a new contract put into sharp relief the two forms of journalism that compete every day for Americans’ attention.
Shorts (left)
Three months after BP capped its runaway well in the Gulf of Mexico, the state of Louisiana is still doggedly building a chain of sand berms off its coast to block and capture oil, even as federal officials and many scientists argue that the effort will prove pointless. Since early June, a series of low-lying islands stretching nearly eight miles have been constructed several miles from the coastline by hundreds of workers with sand dredged from gulf waters.
Large corporate donors help Chamber influence campaign
Prudential Financial sent in a $2 million donation last year as the U.S. Chamber of Commerce launched a national advertising campaign to weaken the historic rewrite of the nation’s financial regulations.
Fall fluctuations
Fall weather in New England is characterized by a great deal of variability in the day to day weather, particularly the temperature. The temperature oscillates back and forth between warm and cold, while overall trending colder as we move towards winter. This will be especially apparent over the next couple of days. A cold frontal passage last night brought dry, cold air into the region, making today’s high 5–10°F below normal. Breezy conditions out of the northwest will make it feel even colder, so it is definitely a day to break out a jacket. The dry, clear conditions mean the temperature could drop quite a bit over night into the lower to mid 30s °F . Over the weekend, partial sunshine and warm air advection will moderate the temperatures, before we enter a few days of above average temperatures (upper 60s °F) at the beginning of next week. The weekend should be mostly rain free, with the exception a chance of showers on Sunday afternoon.
The $116 billion income tax cut that Obama gets no credit for
HUNTERSVILLE, N.C. — What if a president cut Americans’ income taxes by $116 billion and nobody noticed?
Four found guilty in plot to bomb synagogues in the Bronx
NEW YORK — Four men were convicted Monday on charges of planting what they believed were bombs outside synagogues in the Bronx and plotting to fire missiles at military planes.
Shorts (left)
BEIJING<i> — </i>A dispute between China and the United States over Beijing’s subsidies to clean energy industries escalated on Sunday when a senior Chinese economic official warned that Washington “cannot win this trade fight.”
Democrats’ grip on the South continues to slip downward
JONESBORO, Ark. — The Southern white Democrat, long on the endangered list, is at risk of being pushed one step closer to extinction.
The X factor of economics: Why do economists disagree so much?
Economists — they certainly are a contentious bunch.
Facebook vows to fix a flaw in data privacy in Farmville
SAN FRANCISCO — When you sign up for Facebook, you enter into a bargain. You share personal information with the site, and Facebook agrees to obey your wishes when it comes to who can see what you post.
Shorts (right)
MOSCOW — BP raised $1.8 billion Monday to help pay for the cost of the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico by selling assets in Venezuela and Vietnam to its own joint venture in Russia.