Drudge Retort

Wasps Prefer Sex with Orchids

oohrah — Fri, 09 May 2008 07:52:44 -0400

Orchids that mimic female wasps may not only waste the time of the male wasps they lure into spreading their pollen -- they also seduce them into wasting valuable sperm, Australian researchers reported on Wednesday. "Male pollinators can prefer orchids to real females, prematurely end a copulation with a real female to visit an orchid, or be unable to find real female mates among false orchid signals," the researchers wrote.

Cindy McCain Refuses to Release Tax Returns

Doc_Sarvis — Fri, 09 May 2008 07:50:27 -0400

Cindy McCain says she will never make her tax returns public even if her husband wins the White House and she becomes the first lady.

U.S. Deploys 43,000 Unfit for Combat

Zap — Thu, 08 May 2008 21:32:18 -0400

More than 43,000 U.S. troops listed as medically unfit for combat in the weeks before their scheduled deployment to Iraq or Afghanistan since 2003 were sent anyway, Pentagon records show.

Alec Baldwin May Run for Office

rcade — Thu, 08 May 2008 20:45:30 -0400

Now that he's 50, Alec Baldwin tells 60 Minutes that political office is looking more appealing. "There's no age limit on running for office," he said in an interview that airs Sunday.

Congress Debates Aid for Homeowners

rcade — Thu, 08 May 2008 19:50:48 -0400

Despite a threatened veto, the House on Wednesday debated a broad housing package intended to help hundreds of thousands of troubled homeowners refinance into cheaper mortgages and provide tax breaks for first-time buyers.

Iraq Al-Qaeda Leader Arrested

rcade — Thu, 08 May 2008 19:19:43 -0400

The leader of al-Qaeda in Iraq, Abu Ayyub al-Masri, was arrested in the northern city of Mosul, the Iraqi Defense Ministry spokesman said Thursday.

Michigan Dems Agree on Delegate Split

member2586 — Thu, 08 May 2008 18:34:01 -0400

Michigan's lost Democratic delegation may be a step closer to this summer's convention in Denver. The delegation, stripped of its convention credentials when state party leaders scheduled a Jan. 15 primary in violation of national rules, could finally be seated under a compromise the state party's executive committee endorsed Wednesday night. Under that proposal -- hammered out weeks ago by Sen. Carl Levin, Rep. Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick, UAW President Ron Gettelfinger and National Committeewoman Debbie Dingell -- Sen. Hillary Clinton would get 69 of the state's delegates and Sen. Barack Obama, 59.

Court: Malaysian Woman Can Leave Islam

Zatoichi — Thu, 08 May 2008 17:34:04 -0400

A religious court in Malaysia has allowed a Muslim convert to leave the Islamic faith, in what is being hailed as a landmark ruling. Penang's Sharia court ruled that Siti Fatimah Tan Abdullah was free to return to Buddhism, following the collapse of her marriage to a Muslim man. It was decided she had not had proper counselling during her conversion.

Country Singer Eddy Arnold Dies

rcade — Thu, 08 May 2008 16:47:16 -0400

NASHVILLE -- Eddy Arnold, the gentleman crooner who took country music uptown and sold more than 85 million recordings over seven decades, died Thursday. He was 89.

Congressman: I Fathered Secret Fun Baby

rcade — Thu, 08 May 2008 15:12:18 -0400

Rep. Vito Fossella of New York acknowledged on Thursday that he fathered a child from an extramarital affair, answering questions that arose from his arrest on drunken driving charges last week. "My personal failings and imperfections have caused enormous pain to the people I love and I am truly sorry," said Fossella, a Republican, who has three children with his wife in Staten Island, N.Y.

Dems Divide by Race, Gender, Class

rcade — Thu, 08 May 2008 14:55:12 -0400

It's now common wisdom that Sen. Hillary Clinton attracts older voters, women and the white working class, while Sen. Barack Obama is the go-to guy for youth, African-Americans and the elite.

Superdelegate Will Sell Vote for $20 Million

Pirate — Thu, 08 May 2008 13:36:23 -0400

In this tight battle for the democratic nomination we've heard a lot about the candidates courting super-delegates. But, one superdelegate is courting the candidates. He says he'll sell his vote for a price. A very high price: $20 million. Sacramento superdelegate Steven Ybarra says that eight-figure price is peanuts for the presidency.

Vietnam Puts American on Trial for 'Terrorism'

rcade — Thu, 08 May 2008 12:39:46 -0400

A U.S. citizen and a Thai citizen will be put on trial in Vietnam on charges of "terrorism", a government spokesman said on Thursday, six months after they were arrested with leaflets calling for political change.

EPA Scientists Muzzled by Bush Admin

reinheitsgebot — Thu, 08 May 2008 11:34:01 -0400

Over the past several years, the Union of Concerned Scientists has been performing an amazing public service: Surveying scientists, agency by federal agency, to determine how many report inappropriate political interference in their work. And so UCS has canvassed the Fish and Wildlife Service, the National Marine Fisheries Service, the Food and Drug Administration--and so on. In each case, the surveys have shown intolerable levels of political meddling, and collectively have documented the existence of hundreds of unhappy researchers across the government. But we were all waiting to hear about the agency that many have long suspected to harbor the worst problems -- the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The nonprofit group received responses from 1,600 EPA scientists, and found an "agency under siege from political pressures": 60 percent of respondents said they'd personally experienced political interference in their work in the past 5 years. Meanwhile, just over half of respondents -- 783, by number -- said they could not freely share their findings with the media.