Links to the News

Sun Herald, November 30, 2006 Newseum Image

November 30, 2006: An excerpt from a story in the Biloxi, Mississippi newspaper, the Sun Herald:

WHEW!
2006 hurricane season is over

By MELISSA M. SCALLAN

GULFPORT -- The 2006 hurricane season didn't live up to experts' predictions, and everyone living along the coastline -- from Texas to Maryland -- is breathing a sigh of relief.

The season, which ends today, saw nine named storms, including four tropical storms and five hurricanes, and two of those reached Category 3 status. Only one of the storms, Tropical Storm Alberto, hit the United States.

This year was a stark contrast to the 2005 season, which saw 27 named storms, including 15 hurricanes with seven reaching Category 3 or above.

Forecasters in May predicted as many as 16 named storms, 10 possible hurricanes and six major hurricanes.

The reason for the severe drop in the number of storms? El Nino.
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Turkish Daily News, November 29, 2006 Newseum Image

November 29, 2006: An excerpt from a story in the Istanbul newspaper, the Turkish Daily News:

Receiving a warm welcome, pope extends EU support

ANKARA -- Turkish Daily News

On the first day of a historic visit by Pope Benedict XVI to the Turkish capital, the pontiff and Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan traded conciliatory gestures as both of them sought to calm the storm unleashed when the pontiff appeared to link Islam to violence.

Erdogan, who was accused for weeks of snubbing the pope for refusing until the last minute to meet with him during his four-day visit to Turkey, personally greeted the pontiff as he stepped off his airplane at Ankara's Esenboga Airport -- a kind of greeting that was interpreted as a major diplomatic gesture and an unusual break with protocol.

The pope's reply was timely when he for the first time expressed support for Turkey's bid to join the European Union, which he had strongly opposed as "a grave error" when still Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger.
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Kansas City Star, November 28, 2006 Newseum Image

November 28, 2006: An excerpt from a story in the Kansas City Star:

10 dead, two dozen injured in group home fire
The cause of the blaze is unclear, but officials call it "suspicious."

By KEVIN MURPHY and TIM HOOVER

ANDERSON, Mo. -- Steve Spears glanced at his home's security-camera monitors early Monday and saw a fiery nightmare playing out next door.

The Anderson Guest House, home to 32 elderly, mentally ill and drug-rehabilitation patients in southwest Missouri, was a torrent of flame.

"There was a blast of fire from the front end of the building that came right out the front doors," Spears said.

He rushed to the scene, where he said he helped move a burning car away from the building before it could blow up. Surviving residents of the home spilled out of the building. Some were screaming. One man was vomiting, Spears said.

Betty Wood, who lives across the highway from the home, said the north end of the building "was completely in flames." By the time she got there, with blankets in hand for the survivors, stunned residents could only watch.

"There were no expressions on their faces at all," Wood said. "They just stared at the fire."
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International Herald Tribune November 25, 2006, Newseum Image

November 25, 2006: An excerpt from a story in the International Herald-Tribune:

Before dying, ex-Russian spy accused Putin

By ALAN COWELL / The New York Times

LONDON -- In a day that unfolded with the mystery and menace of a dark political thriller, the British authorities said Friday that Alexander Litvinenko, a former Russian KGB officer and foe of the Kremlin, had died of radiation poisoning after he was hospitalized here.

The cause of his death was so unusual, so baffling and so chilling that a senior official called it "unprecedented." With echoes of the Cold War, the government called a high-level meeting restricted to the most senior ministers - code-named COBRA - and the Russian ambassador was
summoned to the Foreign Office. A police inquiry was headed by an officer who normally deals with only the most serious cases of suspected terrorism.

The police said radioactive traces had been found at three London sites where Litvinenko had been, underscoring the highly unusual nature of the whole episode since he first complained of feeling unwell more than three weeks ago.

His family, moreover, issued what they said was his deathbed testament accusing President Vladimir Putin of Russia of "barbaric and ruthless" murder - a charge promptly rejected by the Russian leader.
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Izvestia, November 15, 2006 Newseum Image

November 15, 2006: 

President George Bush's short visit to Russia is described in the Moscow newspaper, Izvestia. The president stopped in Russia on his way to Asia for an eight-day trip.












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The Atlanta Journal-Constitution November 14, 2006, Newseum Image

November 14, 2006: An excerpt from a story in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution:

Civil rights leaders moved by King memorial groundbreaking

By PATRICE RELERFORD

Washington -- A scant half-mile from where the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. stood on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial and urged a divided nation to complete the work of the great emancipator, ground was broken Monday for a monument to King's place in American history.

From across the political spectrum, dignitaries gathered to mark the moment and reflect on King's legacy. They included former President Bill Clinton, who signed legislation to create the monument, and President Bush, who declared, "An assassin's bullet cannot shatter the dream. It continues to inspire millions around the world."

But among the most visibly moved among the thousands at the site on the National Mall was one who shared the podium with King when his "I Have a Dream" speech gave momentum to the movement for new civil rights laws.

U.S. Rep. John Lewis, a leader of the 1963 March on Washington that culminated in King's speech, broke down in tears as he held a groundbreaking shovel.

"It's unreal. It's so fitting and appropriate," the Atlanta Democrat said of the ceremony. "Out of all the people that spoke that day, I'm the only one who is still around."

Also on hand were several of King's children, who this year laid to rest their mother, Coretta Scott King, near their father's tomb at the King Center in Atlanta.
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Apple Daily, November 13, 2006 Newseum Image

November 13, 2006: 

The Taipei, Taiwan newspaper, Apple Daily, reports on the fourth day of the baseball International Cup.

 

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Newsday, November 10, 2006 Newseum Image

November 10, 2006: An excerpt from a story in Newsday:

CBS newsman Ed Bradley dies

 

By DIANE WERTS

 

Ed Bradley was a pioneer on "60 Minutes." Never mind that he was the legendary CBS News broadcast's first black regular when they added his correspondent's chair in 1981. Among a reporter corps renowned for their collective, uh, experience (OK, let's say it, their advanced age), Bradley, then 40, was definitely the young turk. He even wore an earring, off-camera only, until his "60 Minutes" presence was established enough to chance the on-air flak of the time.

 

Bradley was widely heralded as the first "new blood" at a program born of the World War II generation and grown into a TV institution that would belatedly grasp the need to refresh itself. By the time Bradley died Thursday at Manhattan's Mount Sinai Hospital of leukemia at the age of 65, he had become one of the old guard himself, criticized earlier this year for fawning over golfer Tiger Woods in a softball "60 Minutes" interview.

 

Over the intervening 25 years, however, Bradley distinguished himself journalistically with reports on a wide range of topics, from sexual abuse in the Catholic church to the Columbine school killings to reopening the murder case of civil rights era victim Emmett Till, which won Bradley his 19th news Emmy last year.

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The Virginian-Pilot, November 9, 2006 Newseum Image

November 9, 2006: An excerpt from a story in The Virginian-Pilot:

'Senator-elect Webb' closer to being reality

 

By CHRISTINA NUCKOLS and WARREN FISKE

 

RICHMOND -- With control of the U.S. Senate at stake, Virginia inched Wednesday toward a possible recount that Democrat Jim Webb appeared in a strong position to survive.

 

Webb held a 7,316-vote lead Wednesday night over incumbent Republican Sen. George Allen, an advantage that Democrats and legal experts said would be difficult to overcome.

 

The Associated Press last night declared Webb the winner, based on their examination of elections results.

 

An adviser to Allen, speaking to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because his boss hasn't formally decided to end the campaign, said the senator wanted to wait until most of the canvassing was completed before announcing his decision, possibly as early as tonight.

 

The adviser said Allen was disinclined to request a recount if the final vote spread was similar to that on election night. "I can't think of a reversal on a recount where the margin was that large," said Davison Douglas, director of election law at the College of William and Mary School of Law, but, he added, "We're probably not going to know the outcome of this election until mid-December."

 

A Webb victory would give Democrats the Senate majority for the first time since 1994. An Allen victory would keep Republicans in power.

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The New York Times, November 9, 2006 Newseum Image

November 9, 2006: An excerpt from a story in The New York Times:

Rumsfeld Resigns; Bush Vows to 'Find Common Ground'

 

By SHERYL GAY STOLBERG and JIM RUTENBERG

 

WASHINGTON, Nov. 8 -- Faced with the collapse of his Republican majority in Congress, President Bush responded swiftly on Wednesday by announcing the departure of Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld and vowing to work with Democrats "to find common ground" on the war in Iraq and domestic issues.

 

With Democrats having recaptured the House and control of the Senate depending on the outcome of a single unsettled contest in Virginia, Mr. Bush, sounding alternately testy and conciliatory at a White House news conference, said he was "obviously disappointed." He portrayed the results as a cumulative "thumping" of Republicans and conceded that as head of the party, he bore some responsibility.

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Los Angeles Times, November 8, 2006 Newseum Image

November 8, 2006: An excerpt from a story in the Los Angeles Times:

Democrats capture house
The Senate is up for grabs, with two key races virtually even. Voter turnout is expected to set records.

 

By JANET HOOK 

 

WASHINGTON -- Two years after reelecting President Bush and affirming the Republican dominance of Washington, voters handed the president and his party a stinging rebuke Tuesday, giving Democrats control of the House for the first time in 12 years in a campaign overshadowed by deepening public disapproval of the Iraq war.

 

In the Senate, Democrats were on the brink of picking up the six seats they needed to capture a majority, with the outcome resting on cliffhanger races in Montana and Virginia.

 

The Democratic takeover of the House, and possible victory in the Senate, loomed as the most decisive political shift in Washington since 1994, when Republicans won control of Congress for the first time in 40 years.

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Arizona Daily Star, November 8, 2006 Newseum Image

November 8, 2006: An excerpt from a story in the Arizona Daily Star:

Giffords wins contentious race
Beats out Graf, who leaned on entrants issue

 

By DANIEL SCARPINATO  

 

Democrat Gabrielle Giffords ended 22 years of Republican congressional representation in Southern Arizona Tuesday night, handily beating rival Randy Graf.

Saying she ran a "cactus roots campaign," Giffords promised during a press conference before she officially declared victory that she would "send the values of Southern Arizona to Washington."

Later leading the crowd in a chant of her campaign slogan "Change can't wait" Giffords promised to work with both Democrats and Republicans.

"It's not just Democrats but independents and Republicans who want change," she said on a night when Democrats gained enough seats nationally to win control of the U.S. House of Representatives.

 
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Billings Gazette, November 8, 2006 Newseum Image

November 8, 2006: An excerpt from a story in the Montana newspaper, the Billings Gazette:

Tester leads Burns as count drags on
Counting delayed in GOP-leaning Ravalli, Flathead counties

 

HELENA -- Democratic challenger Jon Tester clung to a lead over Republican U.S. Sen. Conrad Burns on Tuesday night, but vote-counting delays prevented a winner from being named.

 

Tester jumped to an early lead over Burns, but Republicans weren't ready to concede because of delays in vote-counting in Flathead County, a Republican stronghold, and Gallatin County, which Burns carried in his 2000 re-election.

 

At press time, with 65 percent of the precincts counted, the unofficial tally showed Tester with 127,342 votes or 51 percent, while Burns had 116,751 or 47 percent. Libertarian Stan Jones trailed with 6,168 votes for 2 percent.

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Argus Leader, November 8, 2006 Newseum Image

November 8, 2006: An excerpt from a story in the Sioux Falls, South Dakota newspaper, the Argus Leader:

Vote against abortion ban pays off for Democrats
But candidates offered more than pro-choice stance

 

By DAVID KRANZ 

 

When the South Dakota Legislature passed a ban on nearly all abortions earlier this year, Democrats saw an opportunity to recruit quality candidates for this election cycle.

 

Those efforts were paying off late Tuesday with a trio of pro-choice Democrats leading in high-profile Senate races.

 

If the leads hold, those gains predict changes within the languishing Democratic caucus at the State Capitol. It also means that passing abortion legislation the next two years -- even a less-restrictive version -- would become more difficult.

 

Democrats based their early optimism on an anticipated voter backlash against the most restrictive abortion measure known in the country. The ultimate objective was to challenge Roe v. Wade and have the U.S. Supreme Court overturn it.

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St. Louis Post-Dispatch, November 8, 2006 Image from newspaper's Web site

November 8, 2006: An excerpt from an updated story in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch:

McCaskill ousts Talent in tight Senate race

 

By DEIRDRE SHESGREEN  

 

Democratic U.S. Senate nominee Claire McCaskill narrowly defeated Republican incumbent Jim Talent in one of the nation's most closely watched contests on Tuesday.

 

"Tonight we have heard the voices of Missourians and they have said we want change," McCaskill said in declaring victory at the Democratic election party early this morning.

 

Talent called McCaskill about 1 this morning to concede.

 

"It just looked like we couldn't do it" he said. "The headwind was very strong this year."

 

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The Tennessean, November 8, 2006 Newseum Image

November 8, 2006: An excerpt from a story in The Tennessean:

Corker captures Frist Senate seat
Democrats take U.S. House from Republicans;
Ford falls in contentious race

 

By BONNA de la CRUZ and CLAY CAREY

 

Republican Bob Corker kept Tennessee's U.S. Senate seat in Republican hands on Tuesday, blocking U.S. Rep. Harold Ford Jr.'s bid to become the first black senator from the South since Reconstruction.

 

With 30 precincts left unreported in the state, Corker had 51 percent of the vote and Ford 48 percent. With 2,300 precincts of 2,330 reporting, Corker led by 48,495 votes.

 

Corker thanked his supporters this morning for voting for him, and vowed to work together with all the Tennesseans who cast a ballot for his opponent.

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Indianapoliis Star, November 8, 2006 Newseum Image

November 8, 2006: An excerpt from a story in the Indianapolis Star:

Democrats seize majority of state's seats in Congress

 

By MAUREEN GROPPE 

 

Hoosier voters' dissatisfaction with the direction the nation is heading cost Republicans control of the state's congressional delegation and the U.S. House.

The state's delegation flipped from seven Republicans and two Democrats to five Democrats and four Republicans in an election dominated by concern about the direction of the war in Iraq.

It's the first time Democrats have a majority of the state's congressional districts since before the 1994 GOP revolution.
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Chicago Sun Times, November 8, 2006 Newseum Image

November 8, 2006: An excerpt from a story in the Chicago Sun Times:

Hastert re-elected, but days as House speaker are over

 

By LESLIE BALDACCI and LORI RACKL

 

Election nights are usually a cause for celebration for longtime Rep. J. Dennis Hastert.

 

But on Tuesday, a somber crowd waited at Hastert's election night headquarters as the House speaker's political future was more uncertain than ever.

 

Hastert (R-Ill.) thanked supporters for re-electing him in the 14th Congressional District. With 93 percent of precincts reporting, Hastert had 60 percent of the vote. But the bigger race centered on whether Hastert would remain speaker -- something that's questionable even if the GOP manages to keep control of Congress.   
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Chicago Tribune, November 8, 2006 Newseum Image

November 8, 2006: An excerpt from a story in the Chicago Tribune:

Democrats' Day

GOP loses U.S. House; parties battle for Senate

 

Voter discontent, war end 12 years of Republican rule

 

By JILL ZUCKMAN 

 

After six years of near-total Republican domination under President Bush, voters expressed displeasure with the president, the Iraq war and the GOP-held Congress in multiple districts and states throughout the nation, handing control of the House of Representatives to Democrats, cutting Republican numbers in the Senate and altering the balance of power in Washington.

 

The election, which centered on the war, scandal and an array of anxieties about illegal immigration, high gasoline prices and embryonic stem cell research, abruptly ended 12 years of Republican rule in the House, casting out incumbents in every region of the country.

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Detroit Free Press, November 8, 2006 Newseum Image

November 8, 2006: An excerpt from a story in the Detroit Free Press:

Granholm beats DeVos, is ready to work
Enthusiasm overcomes worries about the economy

 

By CHRIS CHRISTOFF

 

Gov. Jennifer Granholm steamrolled to a decisive victory over Republican challenger Dick DeVos on Tuesday, slapping an exclamation point at the end of a campaign that broke spending records and left voters weary from its intensity and nonstop TV ads.

 

With 99 percent of all the votes counted, Granholm led with 56%, or 2,124,356 votes, compared to DeVos' 42%, or 1,601,907 votes. That tracked a poll of voters conducted Tuesday for the Free Press and WDIV-TV Local 4 that showed the incumnent with a surprisingly large lead.
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The Detroit News, November 8, 2006 Newseum Image

November 8, 2006: An excerpt from a story in The Detroit News:

Granholm coasts to second term

 

By MARK HORNBECK, CHARLIE CAIN and GORDON TROWBRIDGE 

 

Democrat Jennifer Granholm won her second term as Michigan governor Tuesday, dodging fallout from an anemic state economy and a record-smashing challenge bankrolled by her multimillionaire opponent, Dick DeVos.

 

The incumbent governor will now have an ally in the Legislature as Democrats seized control of the 110-member state House for the first time in eight years, giving her a foothold to pass a second-term agenda. As of early this morning Democrats also had a chance to take over the state Senate, controlled by Republicans for the last dozen years.

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Quad-City Times, November 8, 2006 Newseum Image

November 8, 2006: An excerpt from a story in the Davenport, Iowa newspaper, the Quad-City Times:

 

 

By ED TIBBETTS 

 

For the first time since the Watergate era, voters in Iowa's 1st Congressional District elected a Democrat on Tuesday, picking Bruce Braley by a wide margin over Republican Mike Whalen in one of the nation's premier races.

 

Braley's win ended a two-year quest that started in early 2005 with seven suitors and turned into -- at last tally -- a $9.5 million race, easily a record for the Quad-Cities.

 

With 89 percent of the vote counted, Braley had 104,676 votes, or 55 percent, with Whalen receiving 81,072, or 43 percent, according to the unofficial tally.
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The Columbus Dispatch, November 8, 2006 Newseum Image

November 8, 2006: An excerpt from a story in The Columbus Dispatch:

From red to blue
Strickland rolls; Brown beats DeWine; Democrats take U.S. House GOP is rejected, for a change

 

By JOE HALLETT and JONATHAN RISKIND 

 

It was buyer's remorse en masse.

 

Overnight, voters who had handed President Bush another term just two years ago angrily sent him a message by turning Ohio, the national electoral gem, from red to blue.

 

Distraught by the Iraq war, anxious that the country is headed in the wrong direction, seething about scandals and disenchanted with Bush and Gov. Bob Taft, Ohio voters last night said it's time for a change.
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The Miami Herald, November 8, 2006 Newseum Image

November 8, 2006: An excerpt from a story in The Miami Herald:

Crist able to buck national backlash

 

Reflecting Florida's refusal to bleed uniformly red or blue, voters chose Republicans for governor, attorney general and agriculture commissioner and Democrats for the U.S. Senate and chief financial officer.

 

By BETH REINHARD

 

Republican Attorney General Charlie Crist cruised into Florida's top job Tuesday with a populist message packaged and sold by the most expensive campaign in state history.

 

Despite a national backlash against the GOP establishment, Floridians chose a career politician who at first vowed to continue the conservative legacy of the president's brother, Gov. Jeb Bush, but later adopted a centrist platform more suited to the battleground state.
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The Baltimore Sun, November 8, 2006 Newseum Image

November 8, 2006: An excerpt from a story in The Baltimore Sun:

Cardin tops Steele in key race

 

By JENNIFER SKALKA, MATTHEW HAY BROWN and KELLY BREWINGTON 

 

Rep. Benjamin L. Cardin turned back a strong challenge by Republican Lt. Gov. Michael S. Steele yesterday to keep Maryland's open seat in the U.S. Senate in the Democratic column.

 

A beaming Cardin spoke to cheering supporters at the American Visionary Art Museum in Federal Hill at about 11 p.m.

 

"How sweet it is," he said from a stage he shared with his wife, Myrna Cardin, and Democratic Sens. Barbara A. Mikulski and Paul S. Sarbanes, whose retirement after five terms in the upper chamber created the vacancy.

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Richmond Times-Dispatch, November 8, 2006 Newseum Image

November 8, 2006: An excerpt from a story in the Richmond Times-Dispatch:

In Va., a sharper divide in electorate

 

BY JEFF E. SCHAPIRO

Call it a Tale of Two Virginias.

 

The hard-fought U.S. Senate race between Republican incumbent George Allen and Democrat Jim Webb exposed sharp philosophical and partisan divisions -- over the Iraq war, President Bush, the economy -- in a state that has become more purple than blue or red, despite an enduring GOP reflex.

 

With the Senate contest too close to call, Allen rolled up victories in the conservative Republican heartland: the Richmond area, Southside, the Shenandoah Valley and Southwest Virginia.

 

Webb's strength was rooted in Democratic-leaning Northern Virginia and the state's big cities. Incomplete returns from Hampton Roads showed him competitive there.