First temperate exoplanet sized up (w/ Video)
“Combining observations from the CoRoT satellite and the ESO HARPS instrument, astronomers have discovered the first normal exoplanet that can be studied in great detail. Designated Corot-9b, the planet regularly passes in front of a star similar to the Sun located 1500 light-years …“
Obama picks up new support for health bill (Reuters)
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Reuters - President Barack Obama picked up support for healthcare reform on Wednesday from a former critic and from a group of Catholic nuns, who broke with bishops on the abortion issue and urged final passage of the Senate overhaul.
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Black people must leave, NJ Walmart announcer says (AP)
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AP - An announcement at a Walmart store in New Jersey ordering black people to leave brought chagrin and apologies Wednesday from leaders of the company, which has built a fragile trust among minority communities.
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Secular rival threatens Iraqi leader’s political survival (AP)
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AP - The man who has led Iraq for the past four years is battling for his political survival just as U.S. troops are getting ready to pack up and go home.
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Idaho first to sign law against health care reform (AP)
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AP - Idaho Gov. C.L. “Butch” Otter on Wednesday became the first state chief executive to sign a measure requiring his attorney general to sue Congress if it passes health reforms that force residents to buy insurance. Similar legislation is pending in 37 other states nationwide.
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More than 100 complaints lodged over fixed Toyotas (AP)
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AP - Complaints of sudden acceleration in Toyotas repaired under recalls have nearly doubled in the past two weeks, according to an Associated Press analysis of government data.
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Health bill gains ground; weekend vote likely (AP)
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AP - President Barack Obama’s sweeping health care legislation won precious support from a longtime liberal holdout in the House on Wednesday and from Catholic nuns representing dozens of religious orders, gaining fresh traction in the run-up to a climactic weekend vote.
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Research monkey deaths prompt calls for crackdown (AP)
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AP - Workers at a Nevada research lab were checking on a primate room when they came across a ghastly sight: Thirty dead monkeys were essentially cooked alive after someone left the heater on. Two others were near death and had to be euthanized.
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Taliban fight in Afghan town with fear campaign (AP)
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AP - A month after losing control of their southern base in Marjah, the Taliban have begun to fight back, launching a campaign of assassination and intimidation to frighten people from supporting the U.S. and its Afghan allies.
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The political firestorm over ‘deem and pass’: What it is and why it matters (The Newsroom)
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The Newsroom - âDeem and passâ: It sounds either like a gentlemanly gambit on a State Dinner dance floor or the most polite entry in an NFL playbook. But in the fierce endgame of Washingtonâs health care debate, the maneuver is provoking a partisan firestorm.
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