Thursday, November 20 

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Aide: Obama on track to nominate Clinton (AP)

US president-elect Barack Obama (L) and New York Senator Hillary Clinton address supporters during a rally at Amway Arena in Orlando, Florida, in October 2008. Signs that Barack Obama may make once bitter foe Hillary Clinton his secretary of state are provoking a flurry of questions over the president-elect's motivation and vision for foreign policy.(AFP/File/Emmanuel Dunand)AP - President-elect Barack Obama is on track to nominate Hillary Rodham Clinton as secretary of state after Thanksgiving, an aide to his transition said Thursday.


Dems delay auto bailout vote, seek plan from Big 3 (AP)

Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich., at podium gestures during a  news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, Nov. 20, 2008, to discuss the auto industry bailout. From left are Sen. Arlen Specter, R-Pa., Sen. Christopher Bond, R-Mo., Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, Levin, Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., and Sen. George Voinovich, R-Ohio. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)AP - The $25 billion rescue plan for the auto industry, desperately sought by Detroit's beleaguered Big Three, collapsed Thursday as Congress drew the line at one more bailout and Democrats said they wouldn't even consider it until the companies produced a convincing plan for rebuilding their once-mighty industry.


Congress extends jobless benefits, stocks sink (AP)

A trader works on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, November 20, 2008. (Shannon Stapleton/Reuters)AP - Jarred by new jobless alarms, Congress raced to approve legislation Thursday to keep unemployment checks flowing through the December holidays and into the new year for a million or more laid-off Americans whose benefits are running out.


Gates more likely to remain Secretary of Defense under Obama (AP)

Defense Secretary Robert Gates, right, and Joint Chiefs Vice Chairman Gen. James Cartwright arrives on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, Nov. 19, 2008, for a closed session meeting with Senate Foreign Affairs Committee members regarding the new Iraq security pact. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)AP - What Robert Gates once called "inconceivable to me" ? his remaining as defense secretary beyond Inauguration Day ? is looking a bit more conceivable to the rest of Washington.


Judge orders release of five terror suspects at Guantanamo (AP)

In this image reviewed by the U.S. Military, a Guantanamo detainee, photographed through a glass window with a U.S military guard seen reflected on it,  sleeps on a mattress on the floor of his cell, at the Camp 5 detention facility, at the U.S. Naval Base, in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, Wednesday, Nov. 19, 2008. A federal judge on Thursday, Nov. 20 ordered the release of five Algerians held at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and the continued detention of a sixth in what is being called a blow to the Bush administration's policy to keep terror suspects locked up without charges. (AP Photo/Brennan Linsley)AP - A federal judge on Thursday ordered the release of five Algerians held at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and the continued detention of a sixth in a major blow to the Bush administration's strategy to keep terror suspects locked up without charges.


 

World

Emaciated children dying in Haiti, victims of food crisis (AP)

Venecia Lonis, 4, who suffers from malnutrition, is weighed at the Doctors Without Borders hospital in Port-au-Prince, Wednesday, Nov. 19, 2008. Aid workers fear hunger is worsening in rural Haiti after at least 26 children died of conditions exacerbated by a lack of nutrition, raising concerns that a grave food crisis may be brewing following four devastating tropical storms. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)AP - The 5-year-old teetered on broomstick legs ? he weighed less than 20 pounds, even after days of drinking enriched milk. Nearby, a 4-year-old girl hung from a strap attached to a scale, her wide eyes lifeless, her emaciated arms dangling weakly.


World struggles to take on plague of Somali piracy (AP)

Local women sit on the banks of the Suez canal as a Suez Canal Authority pilot boat passes by in Ismailia, Egypt, Thursday, Nov. 20, 2008. Major shipping companies said that they are considering other options including avoiding the passage through the Suez Canal to avoid having to go through the Gulf of Aden due to increasing piracy risks - meaning longer, costlier trips around the southern tip of Africa. (AP Photo)AP - The U.N., African Union and Arab nations struggled to respond Thursday to a surge of pirate attacks, authorizing sanctions and calling for international peacekeepers to address the chaos in Somalia that has spawned an upsurge in sea banditry.


In Congo's remote hills, a struggle to survive (AP)

Judith, a four year old displaced girl, no last name given, receives medical treatment for severe malaria as her mother keeps watch, at a clinic run by the aid organization Merlin, in Goma, eastern Congo,  Thursday, Nov. 20, 2008. (AP Photo/Karel Prinsloo)AP - His home was looted by wild government soldiers still pillaging this empty hilltop town. His fields are at the mercy of armed militias. And somewhere in the countryside, a rebel army is digging in.


Shouting and pounding, Iraqis fight over US pact (AP)

U.S Army soldiers of Charlie Company, 1st Battalion, 8th Infantry Regiment, aims with his rifle during a routine house to house searching patrol, in Masariyah neighborhood, northwestern Mosul, 360 kilometers (225 miles) northwest of Baghdad, Iraq, on Thursday, Nov. 20, 2008.(AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)AP - Iraq's parliament persevered Thursday in its debate on a proposed security agreement with the United States despite raucous attempts by opposition lawmakers to disrupt proceedings ahead of next week's vote on the deal.


Pakistan protests to US over deep missile strike (AP)

Pakistani protesters burn a U.S. flag before a banner reads 'Down with America rally'  to condemn a suspected American missile strike at Taliban and militants' hideouts in Pakistani tribal areas along Afghanistan in Multan, Pakistan on Thursday, Nov. 20, 2008. Pakistan summoned the U.S. ambassador Thursday to protest a suspected American missile strike deep inside its territory as militants threatened revenge attacks unless the cross-border raids stop. (AP Photo/Khalid Tanveer)AP - Pakistan protested to the U.S. ambassador Thursday over a deep cross-border missile strike, and a militant group threatened to target foreigners unless the attacks stop.


 

Sports

Steelers take 10-7 lead over Bengals at half (AP)

Pittsburgh Steelers running back Carey Davis, left, runs past Cincinnati Bengals linebacker Brandon Johnson (59) for a first down in the second quarter of the NFL  football game in Pittsburgh, Thursday, Nov. 20, 2008. (AP Photo/Keith Srakocic)AP - Ben Roethlisberger threw a touchdown pass to Heath Miller and Jeff Reed made a 37-yard field goal, giving the Pittsburgh Steelers a 10-7 halftime lead over the Cincinnati Bengals on Thursday night.


Browns' Quinn has broken finger (AP)
AP - Cleveland Browns quarterback Brady Quinn broke his right index finger in the first half of Monday night's win over Buffalo, but will try to play Sunday against the Houston Texans.
Phillies Utley (hip), Feliz (back) to have surgery (AP)
AP - Three-time All-Star Chase Utley, who anchored the middle of the lineup for the World Series champion Phillies, will have surgery and may not be ready for the start of the 2009 regular season.
Yankees control shifts to Steinbrenner's son Hal (AP)

Hal Steinbrenner, the newly-approved control person of the New York Yankees baseball team speaks at a press conference following a meeting at corporate headquarters, Thursday, Nov. 20, 2008, in New York.  Baseball owners unanimously approved the change in control during a meeting Thursday.  (AP Photo/ Louis Lanzano)AP - For more than three decades, George Steinbrenner's imprints were all over the New York Yankees.


Mussina calls it a career after first 20-win year (AP)

In this Sept. 18, 2008 file photo, New York Yankees' Mike Mussina waves to the crowd as he leaves the field during the seventh inning against the Chicago White Sox in a baseball game at Yankee Stadium in New York.  FoxSports.com reported Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2008, that Mussina intends to retire and will make the move official this week. In the report, the Web site cited unidentified major league sources. (AP Photo/Julie Jacobson, File)AP - Mike Mussina took a secret to the ballpark every day this season. Maybe that's why he was so successful on the mound, so jovial in the clubhouse.


 

Business

S&P dives to lowest level since 1997 (Reuters)

A trader watches a trade monitor on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, November 20, 2008. (Shannon Stapleton/Reuters)Reuters - Stocks plunged yet again on Thursday, as a frantic flight from risk prompted by investors' deepening economic fears drove the benchmark Standard & Poor's 500 index to its lowest level since 1997 -- completing the erasure of more than a decade of stock market gains.


Democrats demand U.S. Big 3 offer survival plan (Reuters)

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA)(R) and Senate Majority leader Harry Reid (D-NV) hold a news conference to discuss proposed automobile bailout legislation on Capitol Hill in Washington, November 20, 2008. (Jim Young/Reuters)Reuters - Democratic congressional leaders, seeking to salvage a bailout of the Big Three automakers, demanded executives provide a business survival plan in exchange for their support of up to $25 billion in loans.


Citigroup eyes options including merger (Reuters)

Saudi billionaire Prince Alwaleed bin Talal in a file photo. (Ahmed Jadallah/Reuters)Reuters - Citigroup Inc lost more than one-quarter of its market value on growing worries over whether it has enough capital to withstand billions of dollars of potential losses and despite new support from its largest individual investor.


Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac suspend some foreclosures (Reuters)

The headquarters of mortgage lender Freddie Mac is seen in Mclean, Virginia, near Washington in this September 8, 2008 file photo. (Jason Reed/Reuters)Reuters - Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the two biggest U.S. home loan finance companies, on Thursday said they would suspend foreclosures of occupied homes until early 2009, as the government moves to stem the tide of home losses plaguing the economy.


Fed's Bullard: U.S. spending slump to sap 2009 growth (Reuters)
Reuters - St Louis Federal Reserve President James Bullard said on Thursday that financial market turmoil has collapsed U.S. consumer confidence and this would weigh on growth well into next year.
 

Technology

Google empowers users to edit search results (AP)
AP - If Google delivers useless search results, just erase them and you won't see them again.
Dell 3Q profit falls as PC spending slows (AP)
AP - PC maker Dell Inc. said Thursday its third-quarter profit fell 5 percent as businesses around the world bought fewer computers and other technology products.
Google's virtual world Lively to die next month (AP)
AP - Lively, a virtual reality service from Google Inc., is dying.
Web ad sales rise slightly from prior quarter (AP)
AP - Despite the bad economy, U.S. Internet advertising revenue rose in the third quarter, according to an analysis released Thursday.
British PM comments on NASA hacker Gary McKinnon (CNET)
CNET - British prime minister Gordon Brown spoke on Thursday (at least indirectly) about the future of Gary McKinnon, a 42-year-old UFO enthusiast accused of hacking into several U.S. military sites. It was the prime minister's first public comments on the case which, after six years, took a twist over the summer.
 

Entertainment

Madonna, Ritchie on London divorce docket Friday (AP)

In this Sept. 1, 2008 file photo, British director Guy Ritchie, left, and his wife Madonna arrive for the world premiere of his film 'Rock n Rolla' in London. A court schedule says Madonna and Guy Ritchie will be granted the first stage of their divorce in London Friday, Nov. 21, 2008. London's High Court lists 'Ciccone M L v Ritchie G S' as one of 16 cases listed for 'matrimonial and civil partnership causes for pronouncement of decree.' (AP Photo/Sang Tan, file)AP - A judge will likely grant Madonna and Guy Ritchie an initial divorce decree on Friday, according to the schedule for London's High Court.


Surprise! Violinist Shaham gets Avery Fisher Prize (AP)

In this image released by the Avery Fisher Artist Program, conductor Gustavo Dudamel, left, presents 2008 Avery Fisher Prize to friend and colleague violinist Gil Shaham during a PBS broadcast performance, 'Live From Lincoln Center,' Thursday, Nov. 20, 2008, at Lincoln Center in New York. (AP Photo/Avery Fisher Artist Program, Henry Grossman)AP - The last time they shared a Lincoln Center stage, violinist Gil Shaham wielded the big smiles as Gustavo Dudamel made his conducting debut with the New York Philharmonic.


John Mayer Meets Jennifer Aniston's Dad? (E! Online)

John Mayer Meets Jennifer Aniston's Dad?(E! Online)E! Online - Sounds like things are getting serious between Jennifer Aniston and John Mayer.


Sources: Daisies, Stone and Dirty Sexy Canceled (E! Online)

The Last Thing Pushing Daisies Needed? Last Night's Ratings(E! Online)E! Online - ABC has canceled Pushing Daisies, executive producer Bryan Fuller confirms to me exclusively.


See Ya Later, Top Chef: Jill Snyder (E! Online)

See Ya Later, Top Chef: Jill Snyder(E! Online)E! Online - Former Top Chef wannabe Jill Snyder likes to joke that she's going to buy an ostrich farm.


 

Health

Study: Pill as good as chemo on lung cancer, but costlier (AP)
AP - Some advanced lung cancer patients already treated with chemotherapy might be able to skip some of the bad side effects of another series of chemo by taking a pill instead, a study suggests. An international study showed patients on Iressa, an expensive, newer targeted treatment, survived about as long as those on another course of chemotherapy.
HIV tests not yet as routine as cholesterol checks (AP)
AP - Two years after the government urged making HIV tests as common as cholesterol checks, there are small gains but still one in five people infected with the AIDS virus doesn't know it, scientists said Thursday.
Teen lives 4 months with no heart, leaves hospital (AP)

Fourteen-year-old D'Zhana Simmons (L) of South Carolina, who survived without a heart for nearly four months, walks with her mother, Twolla Anderson (R) as they enter a news conference at the University of Miami/Jackson Memorial Medical Center in Miami November 19, 2008. Simmons was kept alive by a custom-built artificial blood pumping device until she was able to have a heart transplant. (Joe Skipper/Reuters)AP - D'Zhana Simmons says she felt like a "fake person" for 118 days when she had no heart beating in her chest. "But I know that I really was here," the 14-year-old said, "and I did live without a heart."


Insurers make pitch for health coverage mandate (AP)
AP - The health insurance industry said Wednesday it will support a national health care overhaul that requires them to accept all customers, regardless of pre-existing medical conditions ? but in return it wants lawmakers to mandate that everyone buy coverage.
Surgeon who did first US heart transplant dies (AP)

In this photo released by L.VAD Technology Inc., Dr. Adrian Kantrowitz is shown in New York in 1968. Dr. Kantrowitz, who performed the first human heart transplant in the United States in 1967 also pioneered development of mechanical devices to prolong the life of patients with heart failure, died in Ann Arbor, Mich., Friday, Nov. 14, 2008. He was 90. (AP Photo/L.VAD Technology Inc.)AP - Dr. Adrian Kantrowitz, a cardiac surgeon who performed the nation's first human heart transplant and who also developed lifesaving medical implants, has died. He was 90. Kantrowitz died Friday in Ann Arbor of complications from heart failure, said his wife, Jean Kantrowitz.