All Global News on One Page

NEW YORK – David Letterman’s squabble with Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin gave his “Late Show” a ratings boost last week, but new NBC rival Conan O’Brien retains the upper hand after two weeks as “Tonight Show” host.
Overall for the week of June 8, “Tonight” won in total viewers as well as among such demographic groups as adults 18-49 and 18-34, according to Nielsen Media Research figures released Thursday.
Even so, CBS’ “Late Show” scored total-viewer victories on three nights last week, as controversy (and viewer interest) heated up following Letterman’s racy joke about a Palin daughter. The joke was delivered as part of Letterman’s June 8 monologue.
Last week’s Tuesday, Thursday and Friday editions of “Late Show” edged out “Tonight” in viewers.
“Late Show” also edged out “Tonight” in household ratings, 2.7 vs. 2.6 for the week. (A ratings point represents 1,145,000 households, or 1 percent of the nation’s estimated 114.5 million TV homes.)
For the week, “Late Show” had 3.67 million viewers, separated from front-runner “Tonight” with its 3.77 million viewers by just 100,000 viewers. For “Late Show,” it was the closest competitive position to “Tonight” since December 2005, Nielsen said.
Until longtime host Jay Leno departed “Tonight” on May 29, the NBC late show had been the traditional ratings leader at 11:35 p.m.
___
CBS is a division of CBS Corp. NBC is a unit of General Electric.
___
On the Net:

http://www.cbs.com

http://www.nbc.com

WASHINGTON (AFP) –
Pakistani opposition figure and cricket legend Imran Khan said Thursday an army offensive was threatening the country itself and urged the United States to wind down its involvement in Afghanistan.
On a visit to Washington, Khan said the Pakistani military faced a crisis of morale, estimating that 25 percent of the troops involved in the push in the troubled northwest belonged to the same Pashtun ethnicity as local people.
“Pakistan is at risk,” Khan said at the Middle East Institute, a Washington think-tank. “How long will the government soldiers keep fighting their own people?”
Khan, who met US congressional leaders including Senator John Kerry, said that the United States must begin to end its military campaign in neighboring Afghanistan first launched after the September 11, 2001 attacks.
“The US must think of an exit strategy in Afghanistan. As long as there is chaos in Afghanistan, or there is fighting going on, there will be no peace in Pakistan's tribal area,” Khan said.
Pakistani troops have waged a more than seven-week battle in northwestern areas after Taliban guerrillas advanced perilously close to the capital Islamabad.
Khan regretted that a campaign against thousands of guerrillas in the scenic Swat valley had displaced more than 2.5 million people.
“If ever the Taliban were discredited and the public was behind the military operation, it was during the Swat operation. But the anger against the army is much greater,” Khan said.
“When the true horrors of the collateral damage are known … the Taliban will have won” through new recruits, Khan said.
Khan, a longtime critic of how the United States has executed its “war on terror,” said Pakistan should not necessarily target self-described Taliban, whom he characterized as a local political movement.
“Terrorism is an idea and to fight it as if you're fighting an army is fundamentally flawed,” Khan said. “The real enemy was always Al-Qaeda and the eye has been taken off the ball.”
Khan is a hero in Pakistan for leading the country to victory in the 1992 cricket World Cup. He has been less lucky in politics, with his Tehrik-e-Insaaf (Movement for Justice) a small force.

Los Angeles (E! Online) –
Don't shoot the messenger—or, since there's apparently some confusion on the matter, the dog.
A month after Shanna Moakler resigned in protest from her post as the Miss California pageant codirector, the former beauty queen tells E! News she's ready and willing to once again mentor the tiara-wearing masses and resume her pageant duties, should her services be so requested.
“If Donald Trump gives his blessing, I'll be back in a heartbeat,” Moakler says.
Moakler, who groused about Carrie Prejean's failure to live up to her contract, was seemingly vindicated last week, when Trump reversed his earlier decision and agreed with state pageant director Keith Lewis to fire Prejean.
Neither Trump nor Lewis immediately returned calls seeking comment on Moakler's desire to return.
Meanwhile, Moakler says she is ready to recommit to the Miss Universe universe now that she believes its credibility has been restored, and she also praises Prejean's replacement, new Miss California Tami Farrell.
Says Moakler: “She actually shows up for work.”
··· THEY SAID WHAT? Get today's most commented stories now at www.eonline.com

LONDON (Reuters) –
Tiny mussel-like creatures living 100 million years ago made giant sperm longer than their own bodies, proving size has always mattered for some animals when it comes to sex, scientists said on Thursday.
Giant sperm are still around today. A human sperm, for example, would have to be 40 meters long to measure up against a fruit fly's. The insect is only a few millimeters in size but can produce 6 cm-long (2.5 inch) coiled sperm.
Scientists have been unsure if such gigantism is a freakish one-off.
Now the discovery that ostracodes, an extinct ancient class of arthropods, displayed the same trait shows that making giant sperm is a long-standing and evolutionarily successful reproduction strategy.
“Giant sperm have been produced in at least some species over long periods of time, even though they come at an extremely high price for both males and females,” said Renate Matzke-Karasz of the Ludwig Maximilian University in Munich.
In most animals, including humans, reproductive success depends on males producing a large number of tiny spermatozoa, while females invest in a few large eggs.
But in some cases where sperm have to compete inside a female's body, the chance of successful fertilization can be improved by increasing the size of the sperm cell.
Matzke-Karasz and colleagues used a new imaging technique known as “holotomography” to detect organs used for transferring giant sperm in fossil remains of the ostracodes, which are only 1 mm long.
They described their findings in the journal Science.
(Reporting by Ben Hirschler; Editing by Kevin Liffey)

WASHINGTON – Authorities say they found child pornography on a computer belonging to a white supremacist charged with shooting and killing a security guard at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum.
In a document filed Wednesday, FBI officials say they found the material on a computer seized last week from the Annapolis, Md., apartment where 88-year-old James von Brunn lived.
The FBI said in separate documents it found dozens of rounds of .22-caliber ammunition in a search of von Brunn’s car. They also found business cards advertising a Web site that claims the Navy’s USS Liberty was “brutally attacked” by Israeli forces in 1967.
Von Brunn faces murder charges in the guard’s death. Authorities say von Brunn’s car was parked outside of the Washington, D.C., museum during last week’s shooting.

Sri Lanka war on words continues
One month after Tamil Tigers rebels were defeated in Sri Lanka with the death of their leader Velupillai Prabhakaran, the working environment for journalists shows no sign of improving, as this correspondent, who prefers to remain unnamed, reports from Colombo.Independent journalists in Sri Lanka say they still feel threatened and intimidated. A journalist union leader was recently abducted and assaulted on his way home in Colombo within weeks of the government announcing the end of combat operations against the Tamil Tigers on 19 May. State run media, particularly the Sinhala language electronic media, have continuously accused those who criticised human rights violations and other excesses during the last stages of war as either supporting the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) or being paid by them. Those accusations have not diminished with the end of the fighting. ‘Betrayed’In a television discussion after the victory over the LTTE, police Chief Jayantha Wickramaratne said there was evidence that some journalists, especially Sinhala nationals, were on the payroll of the Tamil Tigers.
“Although the police are aware of this treason I do not like to reveal the names as it might obstruct our investigations. They betrayed the noble profession and not only distorted and misreported against Sri Lanka but also worked for cash and other benefits,” Mr Wickramaratne said on 28 May. Police are yet to provide any evidence before the courts and no arrests have been made in this regard. On 1 June, amid a growing state media campaign over the issue, Poddala Jayantha was abducted and assaulted in Colombo. Mr Jayantha was a key activist of the Sri Lankan Working Journalists Association. He was a strong advocate of freedom of expression and a visible participant in protests against threats to media – but had avoided playing an active role in criticising the government over the past few months. Police arrested editors of the Lankanews website, which exposed the incident, but no other suspects were found. “It is journalists and the state media that incited this attack,” says prominent human rights lawyer and media activist SG Punchihewa. The editor of the state-owned Dinamina Sinhala weekly, Mahinda Abeysundara, is a leading figure accused by free media activists of inciting the hatred. Mr Abeysundara has accused the prominent media activist, Sunanda Deshapriya, of “betraying the country” by producing a report on the plight of displaced people for a UN High Commission for Refugees session in Geneva. Mr Abeysundara has also accused other journalists of being paid by the LTTE. “I make these revelations on behalf of my country but it is not my intention to incite attacks against anybody,” he told Ravaya Sinhala weekly. “I exposed Sunanda Deshapriya’s act as his speech was treacherous. I will not stop exposing these traitors”. Mr Deshapriya has not returned to the country after his trip to Geneva. ‘Little progress’The Free Media Movement (FMM) says that the government should take responsibility for the recent spate of attacks on the media. The group accuses the government of failing to take any concrete action against the killings, abductions and threats.
“We have to point the finger at the government as it has a huge responsibility to stop these attacks but has failed to do so,” FMM Secretary Sunil Jayasekara told the BBC. However, the government says it does not intervene in police investigations. Media minister Lakshman Yapa Abeywardene admits the investigations over attacks on the media sometimes are lacking in progress and focus. “As a person who is regularly in touch with journalists I am genuinely shocked,” he told the BBC Sinhala service. “But it is up to the security services to investigate and we do not intervene.” A senior journalist who did not wish to be identified told the BBC that euphoria created at the end of the war and vitriol spread by the state media were the prime reasons behind the increased threats. “Not a single media institution protested when state media repeatedly showed Poddala Jayantha’s image while reporting alleged payments by the LTTE to journalists. He was never given an opportunity to answer the accusations. I wonder whether there is any media ethic in this country,” he said.
Mr Wickramatunga was shot in January by unidentified gunmen
In an earlier statement to parliament, chief government whip Dinesh Goonawardene admitted that nine journalists had been killed since President Mahinda Rajapaksa took over. Many leading journalists left the country after the assassination of Sunday Leader Editor Lasantha Wickramatunge in Colombo on 8 January. Poddala Jayantha who was among those who fled, but returned to the country after three weeks. Many leading journalists are yet to return and the fear is such that many do not wish to speak even while living in exile. Gamini Viyangoda, a writer and former editor of the Lankadissent news website, says he is not surprised to see the situation deteriorating since the writing was on the wall even before the war started. Lankadissent, a website that frequently criticises the government, decided to close its operations just after the assassination of Mr Wickramatunge. At the same time Mr Viyangoda stopped writing his weekly column in the Ravaya newspaper because the situation “was not conducive for the expression of free opinion any more”. “Now the war is over, this should be the hour of reconciliation but sadly the political ambitions of certain groups in the ruling coalition seem to be taking the country in a different direction,” he said.

Source:BBC

MARTINS FERRY, Ohio – Two Ohio police chiefs are being investigated in a suspected burglary aimed at supplying a tabloid with photos and other information about the surrogate mother carrying twins for Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick, an official told The Associated Press on Thursday.
The alleged burglary took place in mid-May in the eastern Ohio town of Martins Ferry, and the allegations against Police Chief Barry Carpenter and Bridgeport Police Chief Chad DoJack surfaced about a week later, said the knowledgeable law enforcement official, speaking on condition of anonymity because the investigation continues and no charges have been filed.
The targets were “pictures, phone messages, all those things” at the home of the surrogate, Michelle Ross, who is no longer believed to be staying in the Martins Ferry area, the official said. Published reports have said she’s due to give birth in July.
The official said the allegations are that “two police chiefs were breaking in and trying to sell it to the tabloid,” but did not identify the publication.
Agents from the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Identification and Investigation have been investigating, and a special prosecutor, T. Shawn Hervey of Harrison County, has been appointed. Carpenter and DoJack didn’t return messages seeking comment. Martins Ferry Mayor Phil Wallace confirmed the bureau was investigating Carpenter but wouldn’t elaborate.
Parker, the 44-year-old star of the TV show and film “Sex and the City,” and Broderick, her 47-year-old husband and fellow actor, have confirmed they’re expecting twin daughters by a surrogate because they’re unable to conceive since Parker gave birth to a son, who is now 6.
“Matthew and Sarah Jessica have complete faith in the legal system,” publicist Simon Halls said in a statement. “But because it’s a criminal investigation — we will not be making any more comment. What I can say is the entire family looks forward to the healthy delivery of their daughters later on this summer.”
Parker, who lives in New York, said around the time of the break-in that she was concerned for the safety and well-being of the surrogate. She told “Access Hollywood” that she worries about “the safe delivery of our children.”
Parker told the television program that the surrogate’s telephone and computer had been hacked into, and that the woman had received threats. She didn’t address whether a burglary had taken place.
The law enforcement official said one purpose of the burglary was apparently to ascertain the identity of the surrogate, which wasn’t public knowledge at the time of the break-in.
The twin towns of Bridgeport and Martins Ferry lie just across the Ohio River from Wheeling, W.Va., in a heavily wooded industrial valley and have a total population of about 9,000.
The Belmont County prosecutor, who would normally handle a crime in Martins Ferry, would have a conflict of interest because Carpenter and DoJack are chiefs within his jurisdiction, said Hervey, the special prosecutor.
Investigators have gotten a search warrant, but it has been sealed, Hervey said. Bureau investigators have told him to expect a written report within three weeks, at which point he’ll decide whether to file criminal charges, he said.

LOS ANGELES – Police say they have arrested the lead singer of Warrant on suspicion of drunken driving.
Records show Jani (JAY’-nee) Lane was arrested late Wednesday in the San Fernando Valley. Police say the 45-year-old singer posted 30,000 bail on Thursday.
No other details about his arrest were released Thursday afternoon.
A call to his management was not immediately returned Thursday.
Lane has been the off-and-on frontman for Warrant, which shot to fame in 1990 for its album and iconic music video “Cherry Pie.”
The arrest was first reported by celebrity Web site TMZ.

FARMINGDALE, New York (Reuters) –
Rain made a shambles of the U.S. Open schedule with Thursday's postponement of play and more downpours in the forecast pointing to a probable Monday finish at the earliest, officials said.
“If the current weather forecast was accurate, a finish on Sunday would be borderline impossible,” Mike Davis, U.S. Golf Association director of rules and competitions, told reporters.
With rain continuing to pound down, Davis said Bethpage Black was expected to receive an inch and a half of total precipitation on Thursday on an already soggy course.
The last group of Thursday's first-round morning flight were able to finish only two holes.
The 78 players already on the course were scheduled to return at 7:30 a.m. EDT to resume the first round, with the rest of the first-round starters pencilled in to start their rounds at 10 a.m. EDT, weather permitting.
Davis said the hope was to start second-round play at 12 p.m..
GLOOMY OUTLOOK
While Friday's forecast was encouraging, with lighter rain that would allow golf to be played, the outlook for Saturday was discouragingly similar to Thursday, he added.
Despite feeling the urgency to get as much golf in as soon as possible, officials ruled out the use of lift, clean and place practices employed by the golf tours when balls can become muddied after landing in soaked fairways.
“We just don't play lift, clean and place,” Jim Hyler, chairman of the USGA championship committee told reporters. “If it gets that bad we're going to suspend.”
However, using a squeegee on the greens to chase away standing water would continue and players could request their putting line be squeegeed.
“Where you have casual water on the green, where you have water on the green, we don't see that as inconsistency to squeegee the line of putt,” said Hyler.
“As long as you squeegee (three feet) past the hole.”
Players would also have the option to move the ball on a different line.
“If casual water intervenes on your line of putt you can get relief,” said Hyler. “But typically you're going to see it squeegeed and get rid of the casual water.”
(Editing by Ken Ferris)

Humans are a step closer to returning to the moon after NASA launched a lunar orbiter Thursday to provide a comprehensive survey of our nearest celestial neighbor.
A rocket-propelled lunar orbiter lifts off from Florida’s Cape Canaveral Thursday on its way to the moon.
The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter lifted off aboard an Atlas V Rocket from Cape Canaveral in Florida at 5:32 p.m. ET, powered by two liquid-fueled engines and a pair of solid-fueled boosters. NASA described the liftoff as “flawless” on its Web site. It is the first mission in NASA’s plan to return to the moon, then travel to Mars and beyond, NASA said. The data that the orbiter collects and sends back to Earth will be used to build an eventual lunar outpost, NASA said. Watch the orbiter head to the moon » The orbiter will send back all kinds of data, from day-night temperature maps to color imaging and UV reflection, NASA said. There is particular emphasis on areas of the moon that may have continuous access to sunlight and where water may exist. Because building a lunar outpost implies extended periods on the moon’s surface, NASA is hoping the orbiter can help it identify safe landing sites and moon resources, and how the lunar radiation environment would affect humans. The orbiter’s trip to the moon will take about four days. It will then spend at least a year in a low polar orbit around the moon, eventually orbiting about 50 kilometers (31 miles) above its surface, NASA said.
Don’t Miss
Space shuttle launch scrubbed over gas leak
The orbiter will have six instruments aboard, including the Cosmic Ray Telescope for the Effects of Radiationcalled CRaTERto characterize lunar radiation and its potential biological impacts. It will also have instruments to do thermal and ultraviolet mapping. Some of the instruments will look for surface ice and frost, and one will be able to search for water below the surface. The Lunar Orbiter Laser Altimeter will measure the slope of potential landing sites and the roughness of the moon’s surface, and generate a high-resolution 3-D map of the moon. Though not quite as high-tech as the orbiter and its on-board instruments, the mission also has its own Twitter page to allow those on Earth to monitor its progresshttp://twitter.com/LRO–NASA.
“The return to the Moon will enable the pursuit of scientific activities that address our fundamental questions about the history of Earth, the solar system and the universeand about our place in them,” NASA said. “It will allow us to test technologies, systems, flight operations and exploration techniques to reduce the risk and increase the productivity of future missions to Mars and beyond. It will also expand Earth’s economic sphere to conduct lunar activities with benefits to life on the home planet.”
Source:CNN

Cleveland Browns wide receiver Donte Stallworth has been suspended indefinitely by the National Football League, days after he pleaded guilty to killing a pedestrian while driving under the influence of alcohol, the NFL said.
Cleveland Browns wide receiver Donte Stallworth on Tuesday pleaded guilty to DUI manslaughter.
Stallworth, 28, pleaded guilty in a Florida court Tuesday to DUI manslaughter charges in the March death of construction worker Mario Reyes. Under terms of a plea agreement, he will serve 30 days. Prosecutors said he began serving his sentence immediately. “The conduct reflected in your guilty plea resulted in the tragic loss of life and was inexcusable,” NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell told Stallworth in a letter Thursday, the league said. Excerpts from the letter were posted on the NFL Web site. “While the criminal justice system has determined the legal consequences of this incident, it is my responsibility as NFL commissioner to determine appropriate league discipline for your actions, which have caused irreparable harm to the victim and his family, your club, your fellow players and the NFL.” Stallworth’s suspension is effective immediately, the league said. Goodell wrote in the letter that “in due course” the league would contact his attorney to schedule a meeting with him, after which a final determination would be made on discipline. Stallworth was driving his black Bentley GT east on the MacArthur Causeway, which connects Miami, Florida, to the South Beach area of Miami Beach, when he struck Reyes on the morning of March 14, according to prosecutors. He had been drinking at a Miami Beach club, according to court documents. His blood alcohol level was 0.126 percent, prosecutors said; Florida’s legal limit is 0.08.
Don’t Miss
Stalworth gets 30 days in jail after plea deal
Atlanta Falcons cut ties with former quarterback Vick
Miami Dolphins player arrested in truck incident
Reyes, 59, reportedly was heading to a bus stop after work when he was struck. Court documents said he suffered “critical head, chest and abdominal injuries” and died at a hospital. When police arrived at the scene, Stallworth told them he was the driver of the car and admitted striking Reyes. During Tuesday’s hearing, Stallworth offered his “deepest condolences to the Reyes family.” “Though I cannot bring back Mr. Reyes or ease his family’s pain, I can and will honor his memory by committing my time, my resources and my voice by educating this community about the dangers of drunk driving,” he said. Stallworth could have served up to 15 years in prison. But State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle noted in a statement that he cooperated with authorities and had no previous criminal record or traffic violations. Reyes’ family supported the plea agreement, she said. Stallworth’s attorney, Chris Lyons, on Tuesday told CNN sister network HLN that Stallworth had reached an “amicable” financial settlement with Reyes’ family but would not disclose the amount. He said the length of Stallworth’s jail term “had nothing to do with Donte Stallworth being a celebrity, a professional football player or money.” Stallworth has shown “genuine remorse” and accepted responsibility for his actions, Lyons said. Goodell wrote Stallworth that there is “ample evidence to warrant significant discipline” under both the NFL’s personal conduct and substance abuse policies. “There is no reasonable dispute that your continued eligibility for participation at this time would undermine the integrity of and public confidence in the league,” the letter said. “Everyone associated with the league derives tremendous benefits from participating in our game and from the extraordinary support we receive from the public,” Goodell wrote. “With these benefits comes, among other things, the responsibility to conduct ourselves in a lawful and responsible way, with no entitlement to or expectation of favorable treatment.” Goodell notified NFL clubs earlier this year that there would be increased emphasis on addressing driving under the influence and other misconduct, the league said. It noted the NFL offers a “safe rides” program used by most clubs to provide players and other employees with alternative transportation if they have been drinking. Under terms of Stallworth’s plea agreement, he will face two years of house arrest upon his release. He is also required to donate 2,500 to Mothers Against Drunk Driving, serve eight years of probation and submit to random drug and alcohol testing throughout his probation. His driver’s license was permanently revoked.
Source:CNN

WASHINGTON (Reuters) –
The U.S. Navy is monitoring a North Korean ship at sea under new U.N. sanctions that bar Pyongyang from exporting weapons, including missile parts and nuclear materials, U.S. officials said on Thursday.
Officials said the vessel, called Kang Nam, is based in North Korea and became “a subject of interest” after leaving a North Korean port on Wednesday. They could not confirm media reports describing the vessel as North Korean flagged.
The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, could not say what the ship, now in international waters, might be carrying.
One official said the Kang Nam would be the first North Korean ship to be monitored under the authority of the U.N. sanctions adopted last week after Pyongyang raised tensions by test-firing missiles, restarting a plant to produce arms-grade plutonium and conducting a May 25 nuclear test.
The Navy and the Pentagon both declined to comment on the vessel.
The U.N. Security Council approved a resolution last Friday that banned all weapons exports from North Korea and most arms imports into the country. It authorized U.N. member states to inspect North Korean sea, air and land cargo, requiring them to seize and destroy shipped goods that violate the sanctions.
Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, declined to discuss specifics when asked about the ship at a briefing on Thursday.
“I wouldn't go into any kind of details at this particular point in time, except to say that it's very clear that the resolution prohibits North Korea from shipping these kinds of materials … from conventional weapons up to fissile material or nuclear weapons,” Mullen said.
Mullen, the highest-ranking officer in the U.S. military, stressed the U.N. resolution would allow the Navy to search a ship only with permission.
If a vessel refused to allow a search, Mullen said the home country of any port where the vessel docks would be required to search its cargo.
Defense Secretary Robert Gates said the Obama administration was also concerned about the possibility of North Korea firing off more missiles, possibly in the direction of Hawaii.
“We're obviously watching the situation in the North with respect to missile launches very closely, and we do have some concerns if they were to launch a missile to the West in the direction of Hawaii,” he said.
“Without telegraphing what we will do, I would just say we are in a good position — should it become necessary — to protect American territory.”
Gates said he had directed the redeployment of anti-missile assets in the Pacific region, including advanced radar and other defensive systems capable of bringing down medium-range ballistic missiles as a precaution.
(Reporting by David Morgan; Editing by Peter Cooney)

ATLANTA, GeorgiaThousands of people showed up at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta on a muggy June morning with stars in their eyesand not just because they arrived before dawn.
Crowds gathered at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta as the search for the next “American Idol” began.
A snaking line of wanna-be “American Idol” contestants angled for their chance in the spotlight, with the hopes of becoming a season-nine semifinalist on the popular show. They primped, they rehearsed and they made sure to smile, squeal and cheer enthusiastically for the Fox network cameras there to catch every single moment of the adventure. “I’ve been singing since I could talk,” said 16-year-old Priscilla Gray, who made it to the front of the line after driving five hours with her dad, Tommy E. Gray, from Randleman, North Carolina, and camping out in their car overnight. “I’m not nervous, but it may not have hit me just yet.” Gray needed that confidence because she faced some stiff competition. Patrick Lynn, “Idol’s” supervising producer, said more than 8,000 people were expected at the Atlanta auditions. Two dozen representatives of the show would screen the performers and the chosen ones would move on to a later round where they would sing for a group of executive producers, Lynn said. Those who survived that cut would ultimately get their shot to sing for the show’s celebrity judges, he said.
Don’t Miss
Adam Lambert: I’m ‘proud of my sexuality’
Fox: Allen won ‘Idol’ fair and square
Lynn wouldn’t comment on whether all or any of the judges from last seasonSimon Cowell, Paula Abdul, Randy Jackson and Kara DioGuardiwould be returning next year, but he did say producers haven’t changed what they are looking for: talent and originality. “For me, as a producer, the things that separate a singer from a star are confidence, originality, being able to hold your own and not being intimidated by the group,” Lynn said. A hopeful might also consider avoiding the Etta James classic “At Last,” which Lynn said is one of the most popular “Idol” audition song choices. “I wouldn’t say that we don’t like hearing ["At Last"] sung, it’s just that we like hearing it sung well,” Lynn said. It’s a long road to the ultimate destination of the semi-finals in Hollywood and Atlanta was the second city stop in a tour of seven cities, including Boston, Massachusetts; Chicago, Illinois; Dallas, Texas; Los Angeles, California; Denver, Colorado; and Orlando, Florida. Those who auditioned in Atlanta were happy to sing, though not all sang well, for the multitudes of cameras present to document the experience. Many had family and parents in tow for support and more than one anxious mother helped their superstar run though lyrics and apply makeup. Watch “Idol” hopefuls at the auditions » Lucida Parrish of McDonough, Georgia, rattled off a multitude of musical activities and achievements as her 17-year-old daughter, Emily, tried not to look too discomfited. Asked if Lucida was a “stage mom,” Emily answered with a definitive “Yes!” before her mom could chime in. “But not like she pushes me or anything,” added Emily, who has wanted to audition for “American Idol” since she was 10 years old. “I’m there to support, but never push,” her proud mother said. Jason Perez, a 25-year-old power company employee said he had never even watched “American Idol,” but gave in to his friends’ urging to try out. He stood in line with his girlfriend, Lauren Crossman, and said he was prepared for what fame might bring if he realized his dream to become a professional singer. “Hopefully it will pay the bills,” Perez said. “I want to entertain my friends and family and make them happy.” After several sweaty and anxious hours, a steady stream of dejected performers emerged from the Dome, including a woman looking like a runaway bride in a wedding gown who covered her face with a bag and declined to speak with the media. There were tears, jeers and the lots of cell phone calls back home to break the bad news. “It’s all a matter of look,” said 25-year-old college student Julie Scott, who traveled from Nashville, Tennessee. She said judges tried to be kind in their rejection. “I saw a lot of really talented people get shut down.” Sixteen-year-old Kayla McQuillan was undaunted despite having to return to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, without moving on in the competition. “I’m sad, but there’s always next year for me if I decide to come back,” the cowboy-hat wearing ingénue sighed. “You only got about 30 seconds to sing.” Not everyone left disappointed. Drake Johnson, a strapping 16-year-old from Florence, South Carolina, carried his acoustic guitar and the hopes of his family and friends into the auditions. His mother, Sherry Nordine, beamed after learning that her baby would be moving on to the next round. “I’m so very happy for him,” she said, choking back tears. “It’s been a long road and this is a gift that is just in him.” Drake said he hadn’t really watched “Idol” last season until one day he was in his room and heard Kris Allen, who ultimately won the competition, perform “Heartless.” The teen obviously hoped for some of Allen’s good fortune to spill over to him as Johnson chose to perform both “Heartless” and Jason Mraz’s “I’m Yours.” “Kris Allen, he’s like my style,” said Johnson, who like the “American Idol” champion performs with his church. “I definitely want a career in music.” One person who remembers that sense of excitement is season eight finalist Alexis Grace, who was on hand as a correspondent for TV Guide Network’s “Idol Tonight.” Grace made it to the top 11 before she was voted off the show and said her life has changed immeasurably since that long, hot day last year when she auditioned in Louisville, Kentucky.
The petite blonde, who had been an early favorite in the competition, had a few words of advice for those who made it through. “Be confident and stay true to yourself,” she said. “Know who you are as an artist and just go out there and belt it.”
Source:CNN

A 40th-minute header from Mohamed Homos gives Egypt a shock 1-0 Confederations Cup victory over Italy at Ellis Park, Johannesburg, to leave the world champions’ qualification hopes in the balance.
Egypt players celebrate Mohamed Homos’ goal in their stunning 1-0 victory over world champions Italy.
Homoswho replaced 35-year-old captain Ahmed Hassan, the country’s most capped player, in the only change to the Egyptian side beaten 4-3 by Brazilrose powerfully to nod a corner from Mohamed Aboutrika past Italian goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon. Egypt and Italy are now level on three points in Group B, behind Brazil who have won both their matches, with the Pharoahs favorites to go through to the semifinals. They face the United States on Sunday while Italy must play Brazil, needing at least a point and hoping Egypt are beaten. Egypt had goalkeeper Essam al-Hadary to thank for their surprise win as he pulled off a string of fine saves. Juventus striker Vincenzo Iaquinta and Villarreal’s Giuseppe Rossi both forced saves from Al-Hadary within the space of a minute midway through the half.
Don’t Miss
What is the Confederations Cup?
Brazil ease past 10-man USA
Brazil edge Egypt with controversial winner
Rossi double as Italy beat USA
The Italians had also gone 1-0 behind against the United States and fought back to win andafter Homos’ goalthey began the second half with a sense of real purpose. They should have levelled when Iaquinta found himself unmarked in the penalty area box but Al-Hadary scrambled the ball clear after the striker’s control let hom down. Al-Hadary continued to make save after save to deny the frustrated Italians, who had one last chance as the seconds ticked down, but AC Milan’s Andrea Pirlo sent his free-kick sailing over the crossbar.
Source:CNN

There are signs that the ongoing protests against last week’s presidential election results may be starting to divide Iran’s conservative leadership.
Mir Hossein Moussavi, shown Monday, spoke to a large gathering Thursday in Tehran.more photos »
Iran’s influential parliamentary speaker Ali Larijani on Thursday blamed the Interior Ministry for a bloody crackdown on civilians, including students at Tehran University, after Monday’s protests. At least eight people died in the violence. Reformist candidate Mir Hossein Moussavi and his supporters have taken to the streets this week urging the government to dismiss the results that gave President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad a second term in office. They are calling for a new election. Iran’s Interior Ministry is aligned with Ahmadinejad, while Larijani is aligned with Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Larijani and Ahmadinejad have had a tense relationship in the past. In addition, key religious conservatives have publicly complained of Ahmadinejad’s treatment of the protesters, whom the president described as “football hooligans” and as “dirt and dust” during a rally Sunday after the release of the election results. Since then, Ahmadinejad has said his comments were taken out of context, according to the FARS News Agency, which is aligned with him. One of the conservatives critical of Ahmadinejad is Habibolah Asgharoladi, a senior member of a key conservative voting bloc allied with Khamenei, which represents Tehran’s traditional bazaar merchants classan influential segment in Iranian politics. Asgharoladi has accused Ahmadinejad of treating the pro-Moussavi demonstrators improperly and urged him to treat them with more respect.
Don’t Miss
Moussavi addresses throngs at protest in Tehran
Iranians get word out despite obstacles
Iranian protesters mostly unfazed by warnings
Time: Four ways the crisis may resolve
iReport.com: Los Angeles protest gets heated
Soccer team wears symbolic green bands
These developments mark an extraordinary rebuke to Ahmadinejad, and a rare public airing of the rift among ruling conservatives. Watch a report on splits in Iran’s conservative establishment » Other segments of Iranian society are planning to hold rallies, including the Association of Combatant Clerics. The group of influential clerics has requested permission to demonstrate on the streets of Tehran on Saturday, Iran’s government-funded Press TV reported. The protests over the results of the presidential election have taken on a broader significance, according to Hamid Dabashi, a professor of Iranian studies at Columbia University in New York City. “I am absolutely convinced that what we are witnessing is a turning point in the history of the Islamic republic,” he said. “Even if the Islamic republic survives this crisis, it will no longer be as it used to be.” All eyes will be on Friday’s sermon by Khamenei at Tehran University, just days after a bloody crackdown there. Moussavi and other reformist leaders are expected to attend. Khamenei’s words will be closely watched for a sign of how the government plans to resolve the stalemate. Tehran University students have described a massive crackdown by pro-government forces early Monday at the university. Some students were detained in the raid. Khamenei may have miscalculated the mood of the country when he endorsed Ahmadinejad’s victory Sunday before the country’s election authority made the final call, according to Alex Vatanka, a senior Middle East analyst at IHS Jane’s, a provider of defense and security information. Khamenei has since asked the authority, the Guardian Council, to recount some of the votes. But Moussavi and his supporters are demanding fresh elections. Behind closed doors, political parties are caught in the middle of a power struggle between Khamenei and former President Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani. Rafsanjani’s role as chairman of the Assembly of Expertswhich is responsible for appointing the supreme leader and monitoring his performancegives him the ability to influence that body’s attitudes toward Khamenei, Vatanka said. That could only add more fuel to the political fire and social unrest in the streets, analysts say. Some experts say where Iran is headed has a lot to do with its past. Politics aside, at the end of the day, Iranian expatriates such as Mitra Gholami, who participated in the historic 1979 revolution, feel a sense of deja vu.
Gholami, now a resident of Atlanta, Georgia, fled Iran with her three children 15 years ago. “I want people to have a normal life,” Gholami said. “I want them to have freedom.”
Source:CNN

WASHINGTON – U.S. officials say the military is tracking a ship from North Korea, the first vessel monitored under the new United Nations nonproliferation resolution.
Two officials say the Kang Nam is being monitored in the Pacific Ocean since it left North Korea on Wednesday. The officials say it is uncertain what the ship is carrying, though it believed to have been involved in weapons proliferation in the past.
They spoke on condition of anonymity to speak about intelligence.
The new U.N. resolution allows the international community to ask for permission to board any ships suspected of carrying weapons, nuclear material or missile parts. If no permission is granted the ship can be followed to its next port for inspection.

MARTINS FERRY, Ohio – A law enforcement official says two Ohio police chiefs are being investigated on allegations that they burglarized the home of a woman serving as a surrogate mother for Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick.
The official said Thursday that the chiefs are accused of trying to sell photos and other information to a tabloid. The official spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because no charges have been filed.
The official says the suspected burglary took place in mid-May in Martins Ferry in eastern Ohio. The allegations against Martins Ferry Police Chief Barry Carpenter and Bridgeport Police Chief Chad DoJack surfaced about a week later.
Messages were left for them and Broderick’s publicist.

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – Two great-grandmothers from Grand Rapids have become state bowling champions. The women are 86-year-old Emma Dausman and 69-year-old Judy Conner. They won a Division 2 doubles title at the U.S. Bowling Congress’ Women’s Bowling Association state tournament.
Dausman carried a 125 average but the octogenarian rolled games of 192, 189 and 173 for a personal-best 554 series in the tournament, which ended last month.
Conner had games of 178, 203 and 176 for a 557 series. She carries a 161 average.
With their combined handicap of 496 pins, they won by 32 pins with a total score of 1,607.
Dausman told The Grand Rapids Press that Conner made her feel very relaxed by always encouraging her.
___
Information from: The Grand Rapids Press, http://www.mlive.com/grand-rapids

With his round face and sad eyes, Oracio Sandoval, 33, sits at a Los Angeles County welfare office in Carson, Calif., armed with a thick pile of job-application forms. Out of work since January, Sandoval is struggling to stay afloat financially. Married with two children, he and his wife used to make 3,000 a month. Now they rely on her 800 from Starbucks and their CalWORKs payment of 250. “It’s not much, but it helps. We just barely make ends meet for rent and the bills. I am not sure how much longer we can go on like this,” he says.
Sandoval, like many of California’s 39 million residents, is caught up in the pain of the worst recession in 50 years and a state’s flailing attempt to balance its books by making brutal cuts in programs long seen as essential. The Sandoval family is but one of more than 154,000 welfare cases in Los Angeles County. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger says the state should abolish its welfare program. Doing so would save 1.3 billion and rip a large gaping hole in the safety net that now keeps more than 500,000 California families like the Sandovals out of homeless shelters. (Read “With a New Budget, Now Californians Brace for the Pain”)
States across the nation are suffering the effects of lost tax revenue in the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression. California’s woes are similar and different in kind, played out on a grand scale in a state that boasts the world’s eighth largest economy and a Hollywood star in the lead role. After voters rejected a slew of convoluted budget-balancing measures, the governor has proposed cuts to programs that would make California more like a struggling Third World state than 21st century America: welfare subsistence benefits would end, 1 million poor children would lose health care, college aid for the state’s best and brightest would be phased out, nonviolent prisoners would be released, hundreds of state parks would be shuttered, and thousands of teachers would lose their jobs.
“California could become the only state in the First World without subsistence benefits for poor children,” says Frank Mecca, executive director of the County Welfare Directors Association of California. If California ends CalWORKs, the state’s welfare-to-work program, it would save 1.3 billion but lose three times that amount in federal money. (Since President Bill Clinton’s reform, welfare has been run by the states, which receive block grants from the Federal Government that they spend as they wish. Mecca says no other state has ever said no to the federal money, nor has one proposed a flat-out elimination of welfare for families with children.) (Read “Can Marijuana Help Rescue California’s Economy?”)
As California faces a 25 billion budget shortfall, which it must resolve by July 1, the state is on the brink of financial disaster, and ripples from its fiscal collapse could adversely affect both the nation’s economic rebound and, potentially, the Federal Government’s credit status. The Republican governor and GOP legislators say they will not raise taxes, especially after Schwarzenegger and six Republican legislators joined a budget deal with Democrats in February that combined deep cuts and 12.8 billion in higher taxes. Now the budget shortfall has spiked again as state tax receipts have dropped 27% from a year ago. Democrats and advocates for programs under the knife will fight the cuts, but neither money nor time are on their side.
In addition to its multibillion-dollar deficit, California faces a severe cash-flow crisis and state controller John Chiang warns that the state could run out of money in July. California has the worst credit rating among the 50 states, so its leaders have pressed the Obama Administration and Congress to act as a co-signer on the state’s borrowing. As with AIG, California officials argued, the state is too big to fail. “A fiscal meltdown by California … would surely destabilize the U.S., if not worldwide financial markets,” state treasurer Bill Lockyer wrote U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner on May 13. Yet experts say such action by the Federal Government, while not a bailout, could possibly endanger the nation’s AAA credit rating. Without short-term assistance, California could plunge deeper into chaos and become a drag on the nation’s economic recovery. (The Page: “California Budget Deadlock Broken.”)
This week, however, the Obama Administration said it was not going to do anything to help California right now, believing that the state should try to get its budget mess in order first. There are good reasons for the Treasury not to rush to California’s aid. If it backstops Sacramento, rewarding the state’s bad behavior, it would set an example for other states to follow. A nightmare scenario: the Federal Government backs California’s loans, which leads to a downgrading of the Treasury’s credit rating and the unnerving of the global credit markets. Spooked, the Chinese government, which currently bankrolls a large portion of the U.S. deficit, decides to take its money elsewhere. The ripples from California’s crisis would then extend far beyond the Sandovals and other families on the wrong end of the budget ax. (See TIME’s gallery of Businesses Bucking the Recession”)
View this article on Time.comRelated articles on Time.com: Can the U.S. Government Afford to Let California Fail? Is California the State Closest to Economic Ruin? California’s Day of Reckoning: The Fight over What to Cut California: One Vote Short of Averting Catastrophe Election Unlikely to Ease California’s Budget Crisis

ATLANTA – The first study of U.S. health care workers with swine flu found that many didn’t do enough to protect themselves against the virus.
Researchers focused on 13 nurses and other health care workers who were likely infected at work in the early days of the U.S. outbreak. They found that only half always wore gloves, and even fewer routinely wore other protection around patients who might have the virus.
In late April — just as U.S. cases were first mounting — the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said health care workers should wear gloves, gowns, eye protection and respirator masks when dealing with patients suspected of having swine flu. The CDC also advised sick workers to stay home.
To date, about 80 health care workers have been confirmed with swine flu. The study examined the 26 cases of infected workers with detailed information as of mid-May
The study’s numbers are too small to generalize about what’s going on in clinics and hospitals. But they suggest that at least some health care workers aren’t doing enough to identify and isolate patients with swine flu and take precautions when treating them, said Dr. Michael Bell, a CDC official focused on infection control in health care settings.
“I think we’ve been lucky that this first wave has not been of the lethality that some people feared,” Bell said, at a news conference Thursday.
But CDC officials say many health care workers will need to improve how they deal with the flu, especially if — as some fear — the virus mutates into a deadlier form.
The study is being published this week in a CDC publication, Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
The 80 cases of health care workers is out of the nearly 18,000 confirmed and probable U.S. cases reported as of last Friday. Those numbers suggest health care workers are underrepresented in the case counts, CDC officials said.
About 1,600 people have been hospitalized and at least 44 died, according to CDC numbers. Many of the victims were younger adults, children and people with other illnesses. About 40 percent of those hospitalized have been people with asthma, diabetes, heart disease and other medical conditions, said Dr. Daniel Jernigan, a CDC flu expert.
Widespread cases in 17 states — particularly in the Northeast — suggest swine flu will continue through July and August and into the fall and winter, he said.
In some earlier flu pandemics, the new virus essentially elbowed out other flu strains. It’s likely that swine flu will circulate along with seasonal flu bugs in the fall, Jernigan said.
__
On the Net:
CDC report: http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr

ERIE, Pa. – Former President George W. Bush said Wednesday that he hopes that his successor’s plans to close the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, will not compromise domestic security.
Bush, though, maintained during an appearance in northwestern Pennsylvania that he would not criticize President Barack Obama, though he did discuss his policies.
“I will just tell you that there are people at Gitmo who will kill Americans at the drop of a hat,” the nation’s 43rd president said at a dinner held by a group of business leaders in Erie. “Persuasion isn’t going to work. Therapy isn’t going to change their mind.”
Bush has made just a handful of public appearances since he left office in January, though his hour-long session before a friendly crowd of about 1,600 touched on familiar themes in reminiscing about his eight years in the White House.
The topic of Guantanamo Bay arose during a question-and-answer session, in which e-mailed or submitted questions were screened and chosen by a moderator during the event.
“I certainly hope not,” Bush answered when asked if he thought Obama’s plan could compromise security before adding, “I told you I would not criticize my successor.”
Bush reminded the audience that he had also remarked during his presidency that he thought the detention facility should eventually close, and that detainees should be able to have hearings — referring to military tribunals.
“I just want to make sure that when people have a hearing … we don’t have to give away our secrets in order to protect you,” he said, drawing applause.
On Iran, Bush said he was troubled by its leaders’ use of the Revolutionary Guard, the country’s powerful military force, and that he was concerned about cries that the recent national election was a sham.
Bush demurred when asked who could lead his own Republican Party in the 2012 presidential race, saying he would wait until at least after the 2010 midterm elections.
“Invite me back — I’ll give you my opinion,” he said.
Talk about the economy and the recession took up much of the evening. He said U.S. businesses — and not the government — will be the engine to a financial resurgence.
The free enterprise system “will work again, which gives me great confidence if government just releases the ingenuity of the American people, if we provide incentives for people to take risk … we’ll come out of this thing better than before,” Bush said.
He was roundly applauded after giving an immediate answer to a question about how to make the manufacturing sector more vibrant. “Low regulations, no frivolous lawsuits and export markets,” he said, before also adding support for research and development tax credits.
Among those in attendance in Erie were former first lady Laura Bush and Penn State football coach Joe Paterno, a Republican and supporter of Bush’s father, former President George H.W. Bush.
A Bush spokesman declined to comment when asked how much Bush was paid for the appearance.

BAGHDAD – A U.S. soldier charged with involuntary manslaughter in the shooting death of a comrade in Iraq has entered plea negotiations instead of facing a hearing, the military said Thursday.
Sgt. Miguel A. Vegaquinones, 33, of Havelock, N.C., also has been charged with lying to investigators in the death of Pfc. Sean P. McCune.
Vegaquinones had been due to face an Article 32 hearing — the military equivalent of a grand jury — but has entered plea negotiations instead, the U.S. military said in an e-mail.
McCune, 20, of Euless, Texas, died after Vegaquinones allegedly discharged a round of ammunition while cleaning his weapon, the military said. The death occurred after the two men had finished a guard duty shift on Jan. 11 in Samarra.
Vegaquinones and McCune were assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 35th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, which is based at Schofield Barracks, Hawaii.
Involuntary manslaughter carries a maximum 10-year prison sentence, while making a false official statement can bring a sentence of up to five years, according to the military.
Samarra, 60 miles (95 kilometers) north of Baghdad, is a former Sunni insurgent stronghold. It has seen a drastic drop in violence after local tribal leaders joined forces with the Americans against al-Qaida in Iraq.
It also was the site of a 2006 bombing that destroyed a golden-domed Shiite mosque, triggering months of retaliatory sectarian violence nationwide.

President Obama's ambitious overhaul of the financial regulatory system would create a new layer of consumer protections, expand the Washington regulatory establishment and change the way America's banks do business. The goal is to provide more stability to the financial system, which would benefit most Americans. But such abrupt change would also cause some casualties. Here's who stands to lose under Obama's reforms:
Big Money. The nation's biggest financial firms–those deemed “too big to fail,” like Citigroup, AIG and Bank of America–would get enhanced treatment under the Obama plan. Since the failure of just one such institution could trigger a global meltdown–the way AIG's collapse nearly did last September–they'd have to keep more capital on reserve than smaller firms, disclose more information, endure more supervision from regulators and submit to quick corrective action if a crisis occurred. The danger is that government handcuffs could turn TBTF firms into quasi-nationalized monoliths that can't keep up with more nimble competitors. Of course, that's what AIG, Citigroup, and some other big bailout recipients have already become. The real aim could be a set of rules so stringent that the biggest firms decide it's better to break themselves up than submit to superregulation.
[See who stands to win from Obama's new rules.]
Overpaid CEOs. The glory days seem to be over for chief executives getting multimillion-dollar bonuses based on a couple quarters' worth of good numbers. Or even a couple quarters' worth of lousy numbers. Proposed “say on pay” rules would require public companies to hold shareholder votes on the pay packages top executives get. Other proposed rules would require bonuses to be held in escrow for a few years, so the CEO's pay can be better linked to the company's performance. We'll miss hearing about those golden commodes.
Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. The two mortgage giants were taken over by the government last year, as they approached insolvency. They now back most of the mortgages issued in the United States, but the future of these lightning-rod agencies seems cloudy at best. The Obama administration has begun a review process to figure out what to do with them. One option is to nurse them back to health, then spin them off as public companies. But given their tattered history, that seems unlikely. Other options Obama has put on the table: slowly winding them down and liquidating them; incorporating their activities into some other federal agency; running them like public utilities, with regulated fees and profit margins; and dissolving them into a bunch of smaller companies.
[See how to tell when a real recovery has begun.]
S&Ls. The local savings and loan might be a nostalgic throwback to the days of George Bailey, but this breed of bank–also known as “thrifts”–may lose its niche. S&Ls, which typically offer limited services like savings accounts and mortgages, had an unwitting role in the financial meltdown: Some huge conglomerates, like AIG, bought a thrift or two, because it meant they could be overseen by soft-shelled regulators like the Office of Thrift Supervision, which has more lenient rules than the FDIC or the Federal Reserve. That's one reason Obama wants to abolish the OTS, and turn thrifts into ordinary banks. The only change their customers may notice is that interest rates become a bit less generous, since the banks would have to meet stricter standards that would cost them a bit more.
[See why you're going to save more, like it or not.]
Standard & Poor's and Moody's. These private-sector credit rating agencies played an insidious role in the housing bust, giving top ratings to mortgage-backed securities that contained lots of subprime mortgages destined to blow up. Their stamp of approval made “toxic assets” seem much safer than they were, drawing investors who never would have put their money into mortgages if they knew the true risk. S&P and Moody's, the top two rating agencies, have revised their rating procedures, but Obama's proposal dinged them anyway, stating that “regulators should reduce their use of credit ratings in regulations and supervisory practices, wherever possible.” The official rebuke indicates that these once venerable firms may need to make sweeping changes to get back in the government's good graces.
[See how the TARP paybacks expose the weakest banks.]
Shadow banks. The housing boom was fueled by thousands of mortgage brokers that weren't banks, and therefore evaded regulation by federal or state overlords. Those lenders were often the ones that issued the most egregious mortgages to borrowers who shouldn't have qualified, couldn't afford the payments and didn't understand the risks. Obama's plan would bring just about any kind of lender under the feds' purview. And the proposed Consumer Financial Protection Agency would have the authority to issue new rules for debt counselors, mortgage advisors, and anybody else aiming to make a buck off unsuspecting borrowers. Fresh hucksters will no doubt materialize, but when they do, newly energized financial sheriffs may form a posse instead of looking the other way.
[See why the banks still aren't fixed.]
Consumers. Sure, there will be a lot of new rules designed to protect you and me, but if the government's got our back, why bother looking out for ourselves? Financial illiteracy has been a major contributor to the economic meltdown, and for some people, more government responsibility will lead to less personal responsibility. Buyer beware, whether the government's on the case or not.

WASHINGTON (AFP) –
The United States has concerns about a possible North Korean missile launch towards Hawaii and has taken steps to ensure the protection of US territory, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said on Thursday.
“We do have some concerns if they were to launch a missile … in the direction of Hawaii,” Gates told a news conference.
The defense secretary said he had approved the deployment of THAAD missile defense weaponry to the US state and radar “to provide support” in case of a possible North Korean missile attack.
And he said that ground-based defenses in Alaska were also at the ready.
“I would just say I think we are in a good position should it become necessary to protect American territory,” he said.
The Theatre High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) weaponry is designed to shoot down ballistic missiles.
US and South Korean officials have said North Korea might be readying another ballistic missile test after three previous launches in 1998, 2006 and this year.
Pyongyang said its latest April 5 launch put a satellite into orbit, while the United States and its allies labeled it a disguised test of a Taepodong-2 missile theoretically capable of reaching Alaska.
Tensions on the Korean peninsula have mounted after Pyongyang carried out its second nuclear test last month.
On Saturday, the North vowed to build more atomic bombs and start enriching uranium for a new nuclear weapons program, in response to new UN sanctions.
The UN financial and shipping sanctions are designed to choke off revenue and disrupt transfers of arms and nuclear technology in and out of North Korea.
The measures do not authorize military force to board North Korean ships, but allow for the US Navy and its allies to ask to inspect North Korean vessels and ships flagged from other countries suspected of carrying banned cargo.
US media reported on Thursday that the US Navy was tracking a flagged North Korean ship suspected of ferrying banned weapons cargo in violation of the UN Security Council resolution adopted last week.
The ship, Kang Nam, departed a port in North Korea on Wednesday and appears to be heading toward Singapore, according to media reports.
Analysts say North Korea could sidestep the shipping sanctions by transporting banned cargo by air or exploiting the wording of the UN resolution which does not approve the use of military force.
The Japanese daily Yomiuri Shimbun meanwhile reported on Thursday that Tokyo's defense ministry believes that North Korea might now be planning to launch a two-stage or three-stage Taepodong-2 missile towards either Japan's Okinawa island, Guam or Hawaii.
But the ministry said launches toward Okinawa or Guam were “extremely unlikely” because the first-stage booster could drop into waters off China, agitating Beijing, or hit western Japanese territory, the report said.
If the missile were fired in the direction of Hawaii, the booster could drop in the Sea of Japan (East Sea) well before the missile's remaining part flies over northern Japan and towards North America.