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Afternoon Buzz: A dismissed juror and an offending Jesus documentary
Tweet Share on Facebook February 26, 2007 CommentHere are the hot stories making headlines this afternoon around the Web:
- One of the 12 jurors in the much-watched trial of former Cheney aide I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby was dismissed today by Judge Reggie Walton, who sent the other 11 back to continue their deliberations. The juror, Walton said, was exposed to something over the weekend that disqualifies her from the jury, but he did not offer specifics. Jurors have been told to avoid media coverage of the trial.
- The United Kingdom will soon deploy an additional 1,400 troops to Afghanistan, an announcement that comes on the heels of an announced withdrawal of troops from Iraq.
- A forthcoming Discovery Channel documentary called "The Lost Tomb of Christ" is drawing fire from both archaeologists and church officials. The documentary suggests that Jesus--and possibly his family as well--were buried in southern Jerusalem, contradicting the story as told in the gospels.
- During his surprise stopover in Pakistan en route to Afghanistan, Vice President Cheney sought the support of Pakistan's President Gen. Pervez Musharraf in stepping up his country's push against the Taliban and al Qaeda. The New York Times reports that White House officials do not feel that Musharraf is living up to his promise to vigorously root out terrorists in Pakistan, particularly along the border.
Etc.: A bold new take on the historical Jesus, on USNews.com -
Daily Poll: Overall, Giuliani, Obama are most favorable candidates
Tweet Share on Facebook February 26, 2007 CommentA Gallup poll released this morning found that, among major presidential candidates, Republican Rudy Giuliani and Democrat Barack Obama have the highest "net favorability" -- the percentage of people who rate the candidate as "favorable" minus those who rate him or her "unfavorable" -- among both all of respondents and just those who identified themselves as independents.
Within a candidate's own party, however, Hillary Clinton was the runaway winner among Democrats with 77 precent -- 87 percent favorable minus 10 percent "unfavorable." Giuliani led the Republicans with 70 percent.
The other two Democrats listed in the poll, Obama and John Edwards, each had a high number of Democratic respondents say they had not formed an opinion on the men (24 and 22 percent, respectively), while only 10 percent of Republicans registered themselves as undecided for either Giuliani or John McCain.
The poll, conducted Feb. 9-11, surveyed 1,006 adults and carries a margin of error of 3 percentage points for the entire pool.
Etc.: Good numbers for Dems, but watch out for overexposure, on USNews.com -
On the Trail: Feb. 26, 2007
Tweet Share on Facebook February 26, 2007 CommentHere's a rundown of where some of the presidential candidates are taking to the stump today.
The Democrats
- John Edwards attends a fundraiser in Colts Neck, N.J.
- Barack Obama makes two stops in Ohio: a fundraiser in Cincinnati and a rally in Highland Hills.
The Republicans- Sam Brownback holds a town hall meeting in Spartanburg, S.C..
- Rudy Giuliani headlines a GOP fundraiser in Tyson Corner in northern Virginia.
Have you attended a campaign rally for a 2008 presidential candidate recently? Send us your review at newsblog@usnews.com and maybe we'll share it here.Keep reading for an explanation of how we compile this info.
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Morning Buzz: Feb. 26, 2007
Tweet Share on Facebook February 26, 2007 CommentOne of the two Iraqi vice presidents survived an assassination attempt this morning when explosives were detonated inside the office building in Baghdad where he was speaking, the AP reports. Ten people reportedly died in the blast, which knocked the Shiite leader, Adel Abdul-Mahdi, to the ground but did not significantly harm him.
Meanwhile, the president of Iraq, 73-year-old Jalal Talabani, was hospitalized yesterday after he fell ill and was flown from Iraq to a hospital in Jordan, where he is conscious and in stable condition. Talabani, a member of the Kurdish minority in Iraq, is largely a ceremonial leader.
Back home, former vice president Al Gore won an Academy Award at last night's Oscars for his documentary on climate change, "An Inconvenient Truth." Gore's victory, however, was largely overshadowed in this morning's headlines by the best director award, which went to Martin Scorsese, who finally won an Academy Award for his eighth nomination, "The Departed."
New on USNews.com this morning, Dan Gilgoff offers an inside look at the Evangelical base of the Republican Party and its search for a presidential candidate who can take up its causes. Meanwhile, Gilgoff writes, the Democrats appear more comfortable talking about faith than they have in recent memory.
Coming up at the News Desk 10 a.m. ET: Analysis of a new Gallup poll finds which 2008 presidential candidates are most and least popular among members of their own party.
Etc.: Bedard: Could Al Gore Bankroll His Bid?, on USNews.com
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Welcome to the News Desk
Tweet Share on Facebook February 24, 2007 CommentThe News Desk at USNews.com is a different kind of news blog. The Internet has made journalism a two-way street, and we're here to answer your questions about what's happening in the world with answers straight from our reporters on the ground.
We'll be anchoring the blog live from the U.S. News headquarters in Washington, D.C., every weekday. And we won't just limit our reports to stories from our staff. We're going to bring you the best breaking news from across the Web, adding our original analysis and insight on top of the events of the day.
Below each post you will see a button that says "Ask a question." Give it a try. What doesn't seem clear about a story? What major questions have reporters not asked? Every afternoon we'll respond to a few readers' questions here on the blog.
As always, we're happy to receive feedback at newsblog@usnews.com. Thanks for reading.
