Sunny but cooler weekend ahead
After experiencing warm temperatures most of this week, a cold frontal passage last night ushered in more fall-like weather. A high-pressure system will settle in to the region, bringing with it a much colder and drier air mass. While temperatures Monday through Thursday were 10°F above normal mid-60°Fs, temperatures this weekend could be as much as 10°F below normal. With clear skies and low wind speeds, the conditions tonight will be ideal for radiative cooling, allowing temperatures to drop into the mid 40°Fs.
White House weighs limits of terror fight
WASHINGTON — The Obama administration’s legal team is split over how much latitude the United States has to kill Islamist militants in Yemen and Somalia, a question that could define the limits of the war against al-Qaida and its allies, according to administration and congressional officials.
Shorts (right)
JERUSALEM — Senior U.S. and European diplomats tried without success Thursday to persuade the Palestinian leaders to skip or modify their planned U.N. membership bid, officials involved said.
Striking prediction: Abundance of US oil
A new report that predictably found huge potential natural gas supplies in the U.S. also contained news its own writers found surprising — that oil is more abundant than they thought.
Shorts (left)
Broadcom agreed Monday to buy NetLogic Microsystems for $3.7 billion in cash, in a bid to capitalize on the world’s surging data needs.
Wall Street recovers as new worries shake Euro markets
Shares on Wall Street closed mostly higher Monday despite fears of a deepening debt crisis in Europe that battered European markets and financial institutions suspected of being vulnerable to a possible Greek default.
Warm weather now, but cooling through the week
New England will not contend with any rain today, except for some afternoon clouds. A strong low pressure spinning in northern Quebec will funnel in warm, moist air from the southern U.S. This will raise temperatures well into the 80s°F for today and tomorrow. Then, a cold front should approach on Wednesday, providing an opportunity for some pop-up thunderstorms. A cooler air mass will follow the front’s passage on Thursday, as well as clear skies by the weekend.
Default rates for federal student loans rise sharply
The share of federal student loan defaults rose sharply last year, especially at for-profit schools, where 15 percent of borrowers defaulted in the first two years of repayment, up from 11.6 percent the previous year.
Shorts (left)
WASHINGTON — Ben S. Bernanke PhD ’79, the Federal Reserve chairman, offered a new twist on a familiar subject Thursday, revisiting the question of why growth continues to fall short of hopes and expectations.
Obama to Congress: ‘Pass this jobs bill’
WASHINGTON — Mixing politically moderate proposals with a punchy tone, President Barack Obama challenged lawmakers Thursday to “pass this jobs bill” — a blunt call on Congress to enact his $447 billion package of tax cuts and new government spending designed to revive a stalling economy as well as his own political standing.
Rain, rain, going away … for now
Here in Cambridge, everyone is griping about the miserable rain that dampened the first week of classes. However, we escaped the worst of the deluge that continues to cause unprecedented flooding throughout New York, Pennsylvania, and much of the interior Northeast.
Investigators assess threat of bombing tied to 9/11 anniversary
WASHINGTON — Counterterrorism officials on Thursday were assessing a new report of a threat of an attack in New York City or Washington using a car or truck bomb, timed to the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks, according to several officials briefed on the matter.
Lee sets sights on Appalachians
The mountainous regions of the eastern United States may not appear to be a likely target for a tropical storm, but the remnants of tropical storm Lee will bring trouble to the area. Slow moving Lee delivered over a foot of rain to some places along the Gulf Coast when it was a tropical storm. Now the moisture associated with it will track along the Appalachian mountains from Georgia to New Hampshire and drop over 6 inches of rain in many places along the way.
Shorts (right)
NEW DELHI — One of India’s most powerful mining barons, whose political clout and wealth have made him a controversial national figure, was arrested Monday as investigators raided his offices and seized about $1 million in cash and more than 66 pounds of gold.
GOP presidential candidate hopefuls vie for Tea Party support
COLUMBIA, S.C. — The leading Republican presidential candidates spent Labor Day declaring their fealty to limited government as they sought to demonstrate credibility with a Tea Party movement that has seized the political energy of their party.
Iran offers inspectors ‘full supervision’ of nuclear program
WASHINGTON — Iran on Monday made its first counterproposal in two years to ease the confrontation with the West over its nuclear program, offering to allow international inspectors “full supervision” of the country’s nuclear activities for the next five years, but on the condition that the mounting sanctions against Iran are lifted.
Syria lets Red Cross visit prison as crackdown on protestors continues
BEIRUT — Syria opened its main prison in Damascus Monday to a delegation from the International Committee of the Red Cross for the first time since the uprising started in mid-March, amid hopes the move could begin to reveal the fate of thousands of political detainees.
Police accounts favor Mubarak in Egypt trial
CAIRO — The criminal prosecution of former President Hosni Mubarak stumbled badly Monday after four senior police officials denied that he had ordered Egyptian security forces to use live ammunition against demonstrators challenging his rule.
Discovery of zinc- and bromine-laden Mars rock excites scientists
It has been driving on and off for more than seven years, but this month it reached its new destination. Opportunity, a small exploratory rover that landed on Mars in 2004, has trundled to a crater called Endeavour.
In Irene’s Wake, Katia Strengthens
Just days after Hurricane Irene killed at least 54 people and caused widespread flooding in the northeast United States, another tropical cyclone is brewing in the tropical Atlantic Ocean. Tropical Storm Katia, which last night was downgraded from hurricane status, is expected to reattain that status today, and is forecast to intensify in the next few days as it moves westward toward the North American continent. In fact, Katia could become a major hurricane by early next week. Whether or Katia will threaten the U.S. will depend on the strength of the subtropical ridge several days out, which will dictate whether the storm turns to the north, or continues westward toward land. Still, Katia will not begin to near land for more than a week.