Week of March 29, 2009
A gunman burst into a North Carolina nursing home Sunday morning and started
"shooting everything," killing seven residents and a nurse and wounding at least
three others. Robert Stewart, 45, of Moore County, was charged hours later with
eight counts of first-degree murder and a single charge of felony assault of a law
enforcement officer. Authorities offered few other details, allowing only that
Stewart was not a patient or an employee at the nursing home, and isn't believe
to be related to any of the victims.
GM Chairman and CEO
Rick
Wagoner
will step down
immediately at the request of the
White House, administration
officials said Sunday. The news
comes as President Obama
prepares to unveil additional
restructuring efforts designed to
save the domestic auto industry.
The officials asked not to be
identified because details of the
restructuring plan have not yet
been made public. On Monday,
Obama is to announce plans to
restructure GM and Chrysler LLC
in exchange for additional government loans. The companies have been living on
$17.4 billion in government aid and have requested $21.6 billion more
Qatar's leader embraced Sudan's president in a red-carpet welcome as he
arrived to attend an Arab Summit in his most brazen act of defiance against an
international arrest warrant on charges of war crimes in Darfur. For host Qatar —
a key U.S. ally that is home to American warplanes and more than 5,000 U.S.
troops — the Arab League meeting beginning Monday also showcases its desire
to stake out a prominent role in regional affairs even at the risk of angering the
West. Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir had promised to attend the 22-nation
gathering after assurances from members they would not enforce the
International Criminal Court's arrest order issued March 4.
Insurgent troubles in Pakistan increase - The brazen occupation of a Pakistani
police academy by heavily armed gunmen near the eastern mega-city of Lahore
was the latest indication that Islamist terrorism, once confined to Pakistan's
northwest tribal belt, now threatens political stability nationwide. The precisely
orchestrated assault by a squad of young men, which left at least 11 people dead
Week of March 29, 2009
and took security forces nearly eight hours to quell, was also a likely sign that
Islamist militant groups in Punjab province, once tolerated and even supported
by the Pakistani state to fight in India and Afghanistan, have turned openly
against the government.
Ford Motor Co. said it is offering a payment protection plan to help reassure
consumers who may be putting off buying a new car because of worries about
losing their job. The offer comes as auto sales have been battered by the
recession and tight credit, reaching their lowest levels in 27 years. Ford's sales
declined 48 percent in February. Ford said it will cover payments of up to $700
each month for up to a year on any new Ford, Lincoln or Mercury vehicle if
consumers lose their jobs. The program runs until June 1.
Washington Post/ABC News Poll
- Asked who was responsible for the
economic meltdown, 80 percent in the poll blamed banks, financial institutions
and corporations. Some 70 percent also blamed consumers for taking on too
much debt and the former Bush administration for lax regulation. Only 26 percent
said the Obama administration was not doing enough to turn the situation
around. Two-thirds of respondents approve of the way Obama is handling the
presidency, and 60 percent approve of the way he is handling the economy.
Perez Hilton sure has a lot of famous friends. Christina Aguilera, the Jonas
Brothers, Paris Hilton and Kim Kardashian were among some 200 well-wishers
who attended the gossip king's 31st birthday party Saturday night. "I'm not thrilled
with the number 31," Hilton, whose real name is Mario Lavandeira, said on the
pink carpet in front of the Viper Room nightclub. "But I am super excited that,
right now, I'm happier in my life than I ever have been before."
Miley Cyrus
plans to be back on the big
screen, and soon. Hannah Montana? Not
likely. So says the 16-year-old tween
phenom, whose alter ego brings her
secret double life as a pop star to
theaters April 10 with "Hannah Montana:
The Movie." "We got really lucky with
having the material to make one movie,"
Cyrus said in an interview Monday. The
film reveals Hannah Montana's identity to
the world in a way Cyrus says is "very
clever" and diminishes the chances of a
sequel — but doesn't dampen the future
of the popular Disney TV show. "I don't
know if I would do another (Hannah
Montana) film, but I would love to do
another season," said Cyrus, who's
Week of March 29, 2009
signed up for a third and says she's interested in a fourth. "That would be what
we would all agree on."
Grammy-winning
rapper T.I.
was
sentenced to a year and a day in
prison on Friday for illegally
possessing machine guns and
silencers, as prosecutors lauded his
anti-violence advocacy since his
arrest. T.I., whose real name is
Clifford Harris, originally faced up to
20 years in prison and the effective
end of his career but performing
community service as part of his
plea agreement with prosecutors
reduced his sentence. T.I., 28, who was sentenced at a federal court in Atlanta,
toured the United States in recent months speaking to tens of thousands of
young people about the dangers of drugs and gangs, as he completed more than
1,000 hours of community service. His anti-crime advocacy has been chronicled
on cable channel MTV’s reality show “T.I.’s Road to Redemption.” He posted $3
million bail after his arrest.
