Week of June 15, 2008

Water from the swollen Mississippi River surges over more than 10 levees,

flooding huge chunks of Missouri farmland and thousands continue to pile

sandbags.

Former White House Press

testifies before the House

Judiciary Committee - saying

he was suspicious of I. Lewis

“Scooter” Libby’s denial that he

had leaked the name of a CIA

agent but had no choice but to

go along with it.

Sen. Barack Obama meets with

city leaders who had earlier,

supported Hillary Rodham

Clinton.

Barack Obama celebrates

Father’s day by calling on

fathers who he said were

“missing from too many lives

and too many homes” to become active in raising their children.

In London - President Bush receives a boost - pledges for new financial

sanctions against Iran and a commitment for a net increase of 230 British troops

in Afghanistan.

Iraq - Members of Shiite Muslim cleric Muqtada Sadr’s political bloc announce

that the group would not compete as a party in coming local elections but would

endorse candidates.

For nearly two months - Pakistan’s new government has been engaged in

intensive negotiations with Islamic militants who use the tribal areas along the

border with Afghanistan as both a sanctuary and springboard for attacks.

Indictments are handed out to two Bear Stearns execs accused of misleading

investors over the sub-prime collapse. They are hedge fund mangers Ralph Cloffi

and Matthew tannin. The indictment alleges they knew the market for bonds

backed by home loans given to people with bad credit was beginning to capsize

in early 2007, but hid it from investors in two Bear Stearns hedge funds.

Week of June 15, 2008

With the rise in oil - Sen. John McCain proposes to dramatically increase

America’s commitment to nuclear power, calling for a crash program to build 45

reactors by 2030 and a long-term goal of building 100 such plants across the

country.

Kellogg Co. is using smaller packaging while charging the same prices for five

brands of its cereals sold in the U.S., effectively raising their prices for the

second time this year. The new boxes arrived at stores beginning this month.

Boxes were reduced by an average of 2.4 ounces for 14 items including Froot

Loops, Cocoa Krispies, Corn Pops and Apple Jacks.

A car bomb explodes on a commercial street in west Baghdad’s Shiite

neighborhood of Hurriya, killing at least 51.

In California - Hundreds of gay couples obtain marriage licenses as same-sex

marriage in that state - is on!

Sports -

Lakers 131-92 in game 6.

Entertainment -

Disney is firing up its next multi-platform musical

extravaganza, “Camp Rock” with the Jonas

Tony Awards - In The Heights” wins best

musical.

Billy Ray Cyrus says he wasn’t around when

Annie Leibovitz photographed his 15-year-old

daughter, Miley, wrapped in a sheet with her

back exposed for the June issue of Vanity Fair.

“Miley’s “publicist was there and everyone

seemed in control. I didn’t know they were going

to strip her down and wrap her with a blanket.”

“So I was surprised when I saw it, you know,

but… stuff happens. That’s life. Things happen

and sometimes things get a little out of control

and you just gotta deal with life,”

Week of June 15, 2008

girl. She starred in Nick’s “Zoey 101” and

is Britney’s younger sister. She’s also 17 -

and the father is Casey Aldridge.

Music news -

Coldplay becomes the first British act in

more than a decade to reach #1 in

Billboard’s hot 100 with “Viva La Vida” -

the first single from the group’s new

album. The album is “Viva La Vida.”

Stone Temple Pilots are back playing

again after more than half a decade’s

breakup.

Lil Wayne calls himself the greatest rapper

alive.

Television news -

Brian Williams hosts “Meet the Press” this week as NBC ponders the show’s

replacement after the death of Tim Russert.

NBC Sports and World Championship Sport Network, team up to create

Universal Sports - adding to their online sports package.

Oprah’s Winfrey’s new cable TV channel, scheduled to launch next year

announces its first major hire - Robin Schwartz. Look for OWN - the Oprah

Winfrey Network - next year.

Top TV -

NBA Finals - Game 5 - 17.39 million viewers

NBA Finals, Game 3 - 14.51

NBA Finals - Game 4 - 13.76

Two and a Half Men - 10.72

NCIS - 10.16

CSI - 9.42

Million Dollar Password - 9.36

48 Hours Mystery (Tue.) - 9.21

CSI: MY - 9.18

So You Think You Can dance (Wed.) - 8.91

Hell’s Kitchen - 8.81

Deal or No Deal (Wed.) - 8.62

Week of June

15,

2008

CSI: Miami - 8.53

Rules of Engagement - 8.51

Criminal Minds - 8.32

Without a Trace - 8.20

So You Think You Can Dance (Thu.) - .02

House - 7.97

60 Minutes - 7.56

Bones - 7.49

Swingtown - 7.00

Numbers - 6.81

Nashville Star - 6.70

Some best-selling books -

The Spies of Warsaw - Alan Furst

The Enchantress of Florence - Salman

Rushdie

Noting to Lose - Lee Child

Unaccustomed Earth - Jhumpa Lehiri

The Last Lecture - Randy Pausch

When You Are Engulfed in Flames - David

Sedaris

What Happened - Scott McClellan

Audition - Barbara Walters

At the movies -

Get Smart

The Incredible Hulk

Kung Fu Panda

The Love Guru

The Happening

You Don’t Mess with the Zohan

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

Sex and the City

Iron Man

The Strangers

Week of June 15, 2008