Yahoo! Buzz US: Top Stories

UK comedy actress Mollie Sugden dies at 86 (Reuters)

Thu, 2 Jul 2009 02:06:01 PDT

Reuters - British actress Mollie Sugden, best-known for her role as Mrs Slocombe in the television comedy series "Are You Being Served?," has died at the age of 86.

Iran Uprising Blogging (Thursday July 2)

Thu, 2 Jul 2009 04:43:01 PDT

I'm liveblogging the latest Iran election fallout. Email me with any news or thoughts, or follow me on Twitter. Send me instant messages at nico.pitney@gmail.com or njpitney on AIM. Scroll down for news related to the front-page headlines. Local Iran time is 8 1/2 hours ahead of Eastern time. 11:43 AM ET -- Fight the propaganda. A Facebook page protesting Iran's state media is growing very quickly. 11:28 AM ET -- Freedom Glory Project. Reader Minoo writes, "Yesterday, I was listening to NPR's Soundcheck program and for the first time heard of this Iranian underground rock band HYPERNOVA, and

Putin has 'one foot in old ways,' Obama says (AP)

Thu, 2 Jul 2009 11:11:05 PDT

On the eve of a trip to Moscow, President Barack Obama chided Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin on Thursday for keeping "one foot in the old ways of doing business." By contrast, he said Putin's handpicked successor as president understands that Cold War behavior is outdated.

Feds seize Madoff penthouse, wife leaves (AP)

Thu, 2 Jul 2009 10:21:16 PDT

AP - Federal marshals seized disgraced financier Bernard Madoff's $7 million Manhattan penthouse on Thursday and forced his wife to move out and leave her possessions behind, including a fur coat she asked to take with her, an official told The Associated Press.

Michael Jackson Public Memorial Set For July 7 At Staples Center

Thu, 2 Jul 2009 11:40:44 PDT

LOS ANGELES, Calif. -- The public memorial for Michael Jackson will take place on Tuesday, July 7, 2009, in Los Angeles, Access Hollywood has learned. The "private and public memorial" will be held at the Staples Center in downtown LA at 10 AM, AEG Live president Randy Phillips told NBC News.

French: Air France plane hit sea vertically

Thu, 2 Jul 2009 02:50:50 PDT

Air France Flight 447 plunged vertically into the Atlantic Ocean intact at a very high speed, a top French investigator said ...

Biden Visits Baghdad In Surprise Trip

Thu, 2 Jul 2009 10:17:32 PDT

Vice President Joe Biden just landed in Baghdad for a surprise three-day Iraq trip, Reuters reports. Biden will meet with Iraqi officials and visit US troops, according to the White House. "He will discuss with Iraq's leaders the importance of achieving the political progress that is necessary to ensure the nation's long-term stability," according to a statement. Biden said he was optimistic about the country's future but much work is still needed, according to Reuters. Biden's three-day visit comes after President Barack Obama appointed him to help coordinate Iraq policy as U.S. officials

News Analysis: To Critics, New Policy on Terror Looks Old

Wed, 1 Jul 2009 21:12:28 PDT

Obama administration officials see a fundamental difference between their approach and George W. Bush’s. Civil libertarians disagree.

White House payroll unveiled

Thu, 2 Jul 2009 12:19:34 PDT

One staffer's salary eclipses those of aides Rahm Emanuel, Desiree Rogers, and Reggie Love.

Post Publisher Cancels Plans for Off-the-Record 'Salons'

Thu, 2 Jul 2009 09:12:48 PDT

Washington Post Publisher Katharine Weymouth today canceled plans for a series of policy dinners at her home after learning that marketing fliers offered lobbyists access to Obama administration officials, members of Congress and Post journalists in exchange for payments as high as $250,000.

Antoni Hardonk thwarts attempted L.A. robbery

Thu, 2 Jul 2009 14:21:20 PDT

Score one for the good guys, finally. Antoni Hardonk, a heavyweight who competes in the Ultimate Fighting Championship, had just finished a training session last month in Los Angeles when three young men approached him. They asked if he had money so they could buy cigarettes. But when Hardonk pulled out his wallet, one of the men pulled out a knife. As Yahoo! Sports' Kevin Iole reports, the men didn't intimidate the 6-foot-4, 250-pound fighter. And when they cornered another potential victim, Hardonk sprung into action.

Va. Man, 107, Finds Blessings And Burdens In Longevity

Wed, 1 Jul 2009 21:12:37 PDT

Ask Larry Haubner for the secret to living 107 years, and the Fredericksburg man flexes his biceps, flashes a mostly toothless smile and growls. "Nutrition!" he bellows. "Exercise! I think we should all exercise more than we do."

Police: Conn. teens mishear sex screams, beat man (AP)

Thu, 2 Jul 2009 08:42:59 PDT

AP - A 16-year-old girl thought she heard her mother being assaulted by her boyfriend and rounded up some friends who beat him up, only to learn later that the couple actually were having sex, the woman and police said. The girl misinterpreted the woman's amorous screams, and she and four other teens went to the woman's bedroom in the Torrington home on June 6, police Lt. Bruce Whiteley said Thursday.

BEST MOTOCROSS JUMP EVER

Thu, 2 Jul 2009 12:37:00 PDT

Pulls off never before seen stunt

Washington: Even More Corrupt Than You Thought! (The Nation)

Thu, 2 Jul 2009 08:50:38 PDT

The Nation - The Nation -- The corrupting influence of monied interests is so established by now, such a dog-bites-man story that it can be hard to find novel and compelling ways to retell it. But luckily for us chroniclers of same the sheer depth, breath and audacity of the corruption continues to grow at such a pace that tracking its outer edges makes for good (but depressing) copy.