Attorney General Plans Overhaul At Civil Rights Division
Seven months after taking office, Attorney General Eric Holder is reshaping the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division by pushing it back into some of the most important areas of American political life, including voting rights, housing, employment, bank lending practices and redistricting after the 2010 census.
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Amid fevered speculation about possible contenders for the late Edward M. Kennedy’s U.S. Senate seat, Gov. Deval Patrick on Monday scheduled a special election for Jan. 19 and said he would keep pushing the state Legislature to change the law so he could name an interim successor.
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The Walt Disney Co.’s surprise deal to acquire Marvel Entertainment for $4 billion redraws the architecture of Hollywood and spotlights how the media giant has become more aggressive than its peers about growth.
Unusual Wildfire Threatens Hundreds of Homes in Calif.
A deadly wildfire that has burned for nearly a week in the foothills north of here threatened hundreds of homes on Monday and frustrated firefighters with its unusually rapid and unpredictable spread.
Japanese Opposition Wins Elections in a Landslide
Japan’s voters cast out the Liberal Democratic Party for only the second time in postwar history on Sunday, handing a landslide victory to a party that campaigned on a promise to reverse a generation-long economic decline and redefine Tokyo’s relationship with Washington.
El Niño Projected to Strengthen
As the student population returns to MIT, it hardly seems the time to be looking ahead to the end of the semester and beyond. However, meteorologists must be aware of the atmosphere’s current patterns, and what can be expected to come; being aware of the climate in the next few months is both economically and socially advisable. For example, if drought is expected, farmers and economists alike can prepare for and hopefully mitigate any losses.
Obama to Weigh Buildup Option in Afghan War
A new report by the top commander in Afghanistan detailing the deteriorating situation there confronts President Barack Obama with the politically perilous decision of whether to deepen U.S. involvement in the eight-year-old war amid shrinking public support at home.
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Even though financial stocks have rallied nearly 70 percent since the end of March, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. issued another grim quarterly report Thursday on the health of the nation’s banks.
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For more than a decade, Dennis Rivera was New York’s mightiest labor leader, running a union of 300,000 health care workers that often bent Albany to its will as it scared — and angered — governors, Democratic and Republican, with its hard-hitting ads.
O-Rain-tation
With the Obamas in Martha’s Vineyard and the passing of Senator Kennedy, there hasn’t been a shortage of national news coverage of Massachusetts this past week. Nonetheless, tropical storm Denny is jockeying for attention as it makes its way towards Boston. Although there’s significant uncertainty in the storm’s track (and hence how much rain will fall here on campus), there is confidence in the prediction of the storms intensity. Because of the surrounding dry air, the upper-level convergence, and a southern shift of the jet stream, Denny will likely not become a hurricane.
Obama Seeks ‘New Beginning’ With Islamic World
President Barack Obama pledged on Thursday to “seek a new beginning between the United States and Muslims around the world,” imploring America and the Islamic world to drop their suspicions of one another and forge new alliances to confront violent extremism and heal religious divides.
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Two more deaths linked to swine flu — both of adults in their 40s — were reported by the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene on Wednesday, bringing the total H1N1-related fatalities in the city to seven.
Small Businesses Taking Steps Toward Online Networking
By choice or necessity, successful small-business owners are earnest networkers, gladly shaking hands, handing out cards and attending local meetings to find and keep customers, solve problems, seek feedback or support and bolster their bottom lines.
Chrysler Sale to Fiat Moves to Higher Court
A federal appeals court agreed late Tuesday to hear an appeal of Chrysler’s sale to Fiat, after a lower court judge approved the move to help expedite the process.
A First French Open Title: Federer Can See It Now
With just two victories separating Roger Federer from that trophy and with no Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic or Andy Murray in sight, Federer was ready to accept the obvious on Wednesday at the French Open.
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Youssef Megahed toyed with a piece of lint on the other side of the bulletproof glass and described his case as simply “weird.”
New Hampshire Approves Same-Sex Marriage
The New Hampshire legislature approved revisions to a same-sex marriage bill on Wednesday, and Gov. John Lynch promptly signed the legislation, making the state the sixth to let gay couples wed.
Summer Outlook
First of all, congratulations and best wishes to all the graduates. The weather will fortunately allow for outdoor celebrations today. Although it will be cloudy, rain should remain to our south until the evening hours. A coastal storm will scrape us tonight, but pleasant conditions for the weekend will follow.
Book Publishers Face Digital Piracy Problems
Ursula K. Le Guin, the science fiction writer, was perusing the Web site Scribd last month when she came across digital copies of some books that seemed quite familiar to her. No wonder. She wrote them, including a free-for-the-taking copy of one of her most enduring novels, “The Left Hand of Darkness.”
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The global recession sapped demand for all kinds of commodities — like steel and grain — yet small burlap bags are still arriving by the planeload at Russia’s state-owned diamond company.