Week of August 1, 2009
The Pentagon is seeking to speed deployment of an ultra-large "bunker-buster"
bomb on the most advanced U.S. bomber as soon as July 2010, the Air Force
said on Sunday, amid concerns over perceived nuclear threats from North Korea
and Iran. The non-nuclear, 30,000-pound Massive Ordnance Penetrator, or
MOP, which is still being tested, is designed to destroy deeply buried bunkers
beyond the reach of existing bombs.
A third man has died of pneumonic plague in northwest China, in an outbreak
that prompted authorities to lock down a town where about a dozen people were
infected with the highly contagious deadly lung disease, a state news agency
said. The World Health Organization office in China said it was in close contact
with Chinese health authorities and that measures taken so far to treat and
quarantine sickened people were appropriate.
North Korea welcomed former President Bill Clinton to Pyongyang with flowers
and hearty handshakes Tuesday as he arrived in the communist nation on a
surprise mission to bring home two jailed American journalists. Clinton landed
in the North Korean capital in an unmarked jet. On arrival he shook hands with
Vice Foreign Minister Kim Kye Gwan and the deputy speaker of parliament.
Footage from the television news agency APTN showed Clinton bowing and
smiling as a young girl presented him with flowers.
Consumers opened their wallets and pocketbooks a bit more in June, increasing
their spending for the second straight month while saving a bit less, even as
incomes fell sharply. Consumer spending is closely watched because it accounts
for about 70 percent of total economic activity. The increase could provide a lift to
the economy, but may be hard to sustain if incomes continue to fall. The
Commerce Department said Tuesday that consumers boosted their spending 0.4
percent in June, slightly ahead of analysts' estimates. That comes after spending
rose 0.1 percent in May.
A gunman walked into an
exercise class in suburban
Pittsburgh and fired dozens of
shots, killing three women and
himself and injuring nine other
women, authorities said. Two
women and the man believed to
be the shooter died at the
scene Tuesday night and
another woman died on the way
to a hospital, Allegheny County
Week of August 1, 2009
police Superintendent Charles Moffatt said.
Mahmoud
Ahmadinejad was
sworn in for a second
term as Iran's
president Wednesday
while security forces
battled hundreds of
protesters chanting
"Death to the Dictator"
in the streets around
parliament where the
ceremony was held.
Key opposition
leaders, moderate
lawmakers and all
three of
Ahmadinejad's
election challengers boycotted the swearing in ceremony. State-run Press TV
said more than 5,000 security forces were in the streets around parliament and
police with sniffer dogs patrolled the area after the opposition called for
demonstrations to coincide with the inauguration
The number of newly-laid off workers seeking unemployment insurance fell last
week, the government said Thursday, fresh evidence that layoffs are easing.
The Labor Department said that initial claims for jobless benefits dropped to a
seasonally adjusted 550,000 for the week ending Aug. 1, down from an upwardly
revised figure of 588,000 in the previous week.
The Senate is poised to add $2 billion to the popular "cash-for-clunkers"
program after lawmakers agreed to vote on the government car incentives and
give shoppers until Labor Day to visit their local dealerships and make a deal.
Administration officials have estimated the tripling of the $1 billion program
could fund an additional 500,000 new car sales, giving automakers a late
summer boost after months of ragged sales. The Obama administration has
said the program would go broke by Friday without congressional approval of
the extension.
Employers sharply scaled back layoffs in July, and the unemployment rate
dipped for the first time in 15 months, sending a strong signal that the worst
recession since World War II is finally ending. A net total of 247,000 jobs were
lost last month, the fewest in a year. That compares with 443,000 jobs that
Week of August 1, 2009
disappeared in June. And the unemployment rate for July declined to 9.4 percent
from 9.5 percent in June.
Pakistan's Taliban commander Baitullah Mehsud, who unleashed a fearsome
campaign of suicide attacks and assassinations that made him the country's
most-wanted man, was killed in a U.S. missile strike, an aide said Friday. The
U.S. put a $5 million bounty on his head in March. Increasingly, American
missiles fired by unmanned drones have focused on Mehsud-related targets.
Tiger Woods shot a 69 Sunday and coasted to a three-shot victory with a 20-
under 268 at the Buick Open for the 69th PGA Tour title of his career.
"This one feels good," he said.
Adam Sandler's serious side has caught on with audiences. Universal Pictures'
"Funny People," with Sandler trading adolescent humor for an adult story about a
terminally ill comedy star, debuted as the top weekend movie with $23.4 million,
according to studio estimates Sunday. It was a modest weekend for Hollywood,
with the shadow of last summer's juggernaut "The Dark Knight" hanging over the
current blockbuster season. Overall summer revenues, which had been running
ahead of last year's since early May, dipped below those of 2008, when "The
Dark Knight" was packing theaters for weeks on end.
Mark Wahlberg and
his longtime girlfriend,
model Rhea Durham,
have married in
Beverly Hills. People
magazine reports the
38-year-old "Boogie
Nights" actor tied the
knot Saturday in front
of about a dozen
friends and family at
Good Shepherd
Catholic Church.
Wahlberg walked the
aisle in a dark suit and
the 31-year-old bride
wore a white strapless dress with silver embroidery.
Cameron Douglas, the son of Oscar-winning actor Michael Douglas, has been
arrested on drug charges, media reports and authorities said on Monday.
Week of August 1, 2009
Douglas, 30, was arrested in New York for possession of what The New York
Post reported was a "massive amount" of crystal methamphetamine with intent to
distribute it.
The primetime game show that became a phenomenon a decade ago is
returning to ABC for a two-week stint with original host Regis Philbin, a few game
modifications and an extensive Hollywood guest list! "Who Wants to be a
Millionaire?" will return to primetime on August 9th in celebration of its 10th
anniversary.
Jesse Ventura , the former Navy
SEAL, wrestler and Minnesota
governor, will explore the mysteries
behind modern-day conspiracies in
a new cable TV series. TruTV,
formerly Court TV, has ordered
seven episodes of "Conspiracy
Theory With Jesse Ventura," which
will premiere in late 2009.
Former TV news anchor Dan
Rather sued CBS Chief Executive
Leslie Moonves and former CBS
News President Andrew Heyward
on Monday in a bid to have them
reinstated as defendants in his $70
million lawsuit against the network.
In a lawsuit filed in New York State
Supreme Court, Rather accused the two men of fraud relating to his claim that
CBS made him a scapegoat in a scandal over a 2004 report on then-President
George W. Bush's military record. "These are the two individuals who committed
the crime on behalf of CBS and we're holding them personally responsible," said
Rather's lawyer, Martin Gold.
Michael Jackson’s 79-year-old mother was awarded custody of the singer's three
children on Monday and given more time to spell out objections to having two
music executives administer his multi-million dollar estate. Judge Mitchell
Beckloff officially admitted the pop singer's 2002 will into probate court and
extended until October 2 the temporary control of the "Thriller" singer's estate
granted to executors John Branca and John McClain. Jackson's mother,
Katherine, has asked for more say in guiding the matters of his estate, valued at
more than $500 million in an attachment to his will, and Superior Court Judge
Beckloff gave her until October 2 to come up with reasons why she should have
greater input.
Week of August 1, 2009
After eight seasons, Paula Abdul confirmed late that she is leaving the hit Fox
show American Idol . "With sadness in my heart, I've decided not to return to
Idol," Abdul, 47, Twittered. "I'll miss nurturing all the new talent, but most of all
being a part of a show that I helped from day one become an international
phenomenon."
Hip Monday night TV (TVS)
Discovery's Shark Week continues all night.
At 8, ABC has Sugarland: Live on the Inside .
NBC has a new Great American Road Trip at 8.
ABC Family has a new Secret Life of the American Teenager at 8, followed by
a new Make It or Break It .
At 9, USA has a new Monday Night RAW (with Jeremy Piven).
TNT has a new episode of The Closer at 9, then a new Raising the Bar .
TLC has the return of Jon & Kate Plus 8 at 9 (two episodes).
At 10, ABC has a new Dating in the Dark .
NBC has a new Dateline at 10.
Showtime has a new Weeds at 10, then a new Nurse Jackie .
TLC has a new Ultimate Cake-Off at 10.
Bravo has a new Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List at 10.
IFC has the movie I, The Jury at 10.
Also at 10: Food Network has a new Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives .
Jay Leno’s new prime-time series is going to kick off with a performance by Jay-
Z, Rihanna, Kanye West . NBC said the three singers will perform together on
"Run This Town," a tune from Jay-Z's new album, on the Sept. 14 debut of "The
Jay Leno Show." The network and Leno said this week that there will be fewer
musical acts. They also said he will feature interesting combinations of
performers.
John Hughes , who directed iconic 1980s films Sixteen Candles and The
Breakfast Club , died of a heart attack. He was 59
Week of August 1, 2009
Five-year-old start-up SplashCast Media will be shutting down in the next few
weeks. Co-founder and CEO Michael Berkley put out a blog earlier this week
detailing the various directions the company had taken, going from an enterprise
content management tool, all the way to a video player that was integrated with
social networks like Facebook and MySpace--none of which were enough to
keep it afloat.
Top movies this week:
Hurt Locker
Proposal
500 Days of Summer
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
Hangover
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen
My Sister’s Keeper
Taking of Pelham 1-2-3
Ugly Truth
Ice Age: Dawn of The Dinosours
Away We Go
Orphan
G-Force
Imagine That
My Life in Ruins
Week of August 1, 2009