Salon.com > Associated Press http://www.salon.com Fri, 03 May 2013 03:47:40 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 Text messaging down across the U.S. http://www.salon.com/2013/05/02/text_messaging_down_across_the_u_s_ap/ http://www.salon.com/2013/05/02/text_messaging_down_across_the_u_s_ap/#comments Thu, 02 May 2013 20:21:00 +0000 http://www.railrode.net/?p=13288071 NEW YORK (AP) -- Americans are saying CUL8TR to text messaging, a wireless industry group says, as Internet-based applications such as Apple's Messages are starting to take over from what was once a cash cow for phone companies.

CTIA - The Wireless Association said Thursday that Americans sent 2.2 trillion text messages last year, down 5 percent from 2011. That's still 19 text messages per person per day.

Text messages vaulted into the U.S. mainstream in 2007, despite often costing 10 cents each. Costs came down quickly as phone companies started selling monthly "bundles" of texts. Now, many phone companies give text messaging away for free as part of a plan that mainly meters the amount of data used. That has helped stave off mass migration to Internet chat applications and Facebook messaging in the U.S., making the decline somewhat surprising, said Pamela Clark-Dickson, an analyst with Informa Telecoms & Media in Britain.

In countries where phone companies have kept the cost of text messaging high, the use of chat applications that avoid those fees has exploded. Those apps include WhatsApp and allow people to text other users of the same service for free, using the Internet and bypassing the phone companies' text systems. Informa estimates that the number of messages sent through such services worldwide exceeded those sent by text last year.

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/05/02/text_messaging_down_across_the_u_s_ap/feed/ 0 Shots fired at Houston airport http://www.salon.com/2013/05/02/shots_fired_at_houston_airport_ap/ http://www.salon.com/2013/05/02/shots_fired_at_houston_airport_ap/#comments Thu, 02 May 2013 20:02:00 +0000 http://www.railrode.net/?p=13288051 HOUSTON (AP) -- Shots were fired near a ticket counter at Houston's largest airport on Thursday, critically injuring at least one armed man and sending people in the terminal scrambling and screaming, a Houston police spokesman and witnesses said.

A call that there had been a "discharge of firearms" came into police at 1:35 p.m., John Cannon, the spokesman said. The shots were fired near the ticket counter in Terminal B at Bush Intercontinental Airport, he said. One person has been taken to an area hospital with life threatening injuries.

Dale Howard, of Tomball, was at the baggage handling area of the airport waiting for his sister to arrive on an incoming flight when he heard two shots fired from the floor above. A few seconds later, he said he heard three more shots.

"People were screaming. I knew exactly what it was - gunfire," Howard said.

Police from an adjacent station rushed in, and Howard said he directed them to the floor above.

Parts of the terminal remained blocked off as police investigated the shooting. The airport announced on its Twitter feed that the terminal had been closed and passengers would be redirected to other terminals.

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/05/02/shots_fired_at_houston_airport_ap/feed/ 4 U.S. calls for amnesty of American prisoner in North Korea http://www.salon.com/2013/05/02/u_s_calls_for_amnesty_of_american_prisoner_in_north_korea/ http://www.salon.com/2013/05/02/u_s_calls_for_amnesty_of_american_prisoner_in_north_korea/#comments Thu, 02 May 2013 18:58:00 +0000 http://www.railrode.net/?p=13287980 WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. is calling for North Korea to grant an amnesty for the immediate release of a Korean-American sentenced to 15 years hard labor for "hostile acts" against the state.

The 44-year-old Kenneth Bae is at least the sixth American detained in North Korea since 2009. The others eventually were deported or released without serving out their terms, some after trips to Pyongyang by prominent Americans, including former presidents.

Analysts say Bae's sentencing could be an effort by Pyongyang to win diplomatic concessions in the ongoing standoff over its nuclear program.

State Department spokesman Patrick Ventrell said Thursday the U.S. was still seeking to learn the facts of the case. He said the Swedish Embassy in Pyongyang, which handles consular matters there for the U.S., did not attend Tuesday's trial.

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/05/02/u_s_calls_for_amnesty_of_american_prisoner_in_north_korea/feed/ 1 Maryland bans the death penalty http://www.salon.com/2013/05/02/maryland_bans_the_death_penalty_ap/ http://www.salon.com/2013/05/02/maryland_bans_the_death_penalty_ap/#comments Thu, 02 May 2013 18:28:00 +0000 http://www.railrode.net/?p=13287939 ANNAPOLIS — Maryland lawmakers approved a measure abolishing the death penalty on Friday, and the bill is expected to be signed by the Democratic governor who has long pushed for banning capital punishment in the state.

If the measure is signed by Gov. Martin O'Malley, it will make Maryland the 18th state in the nation to do away with the death penalty.

A repeal bill won final passage from the House of Delegates on Friday. It already had been approved by the Senate.

The House advanced the legislation this week after delegates rejected nearly 20 amendments, mostly from Republicans, aimed at keeping capital punishment for the most heinous crimes.

If passed, life without the possibility of parole would be the most severe sentence in the state.

Supporters of repeal argue that the death penalty is costly, error-prone, racially biased and a poor deterrent of crime. But opponents say it is a necessary tool to punish lawbreakers who commit the most egregious crimes.

Maryland has five men on death row. The measure would not apply to them retroactively, but the legislation makes clear that the governor can commute their sentences to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/05/02/maryland_bans_the_death_penalty_ap/feed/ 1 Bangladesh building collapse toll climbs to 433 http://www.salon.com/2013/05/02/bangladesh_building_collapse_toll_climbs_to_433_ap/ http://www.salon.com/2013/05/02/bangladesh_building_collapse_toll_climbs_to_433_ap/#comments Thu, 02 May 2013 15:10:00 +0000 http://www.railrode.net/?p=13287677 DHAKA, Bangladesh (AP) — Rescuers found more bodies in the concrete debris of a collapsed garment factory building Thursday and authorities say it may take another five days to clear the rubble.

In addition to the 433 confirmed dead, police report that 149 people are still missing in what has become the worst disaster for Bangladesh's $20 billion-a-year garment industry.

Maj. Gen. Chowdhury Hassan Suhrawardy, the commander of the area's army garrison supervising the rescue work, dismissed reports that up to 1,000 people were missing and accusations from some relatives that authorities are hiding the bodies to keep the death toll low.

"Don't listen to such rumors," he told reporters.

A mass Muslim funeral was held Wednesday for 34 victims whose bodies were too battered or decomposed to be identified. Cemetery workers have dug several long rows of graves where scores more unidentified bodies are expected to be buried in the coming days.

Suhrawardy said Thursday that 20 bodies were recovered overnight, bringing the death toll to 430. Several more bodies were recovered throughout the day. Rescue workers believe more bodies are buried on the building's ground level, and were using cranes and cutting machines to clear tons of rubble.

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/05/02/bangladesh_building_collapse_toll_climbs_to_433_ap/feed/ 2 Police, politicians push for increased surveillance post-Boston http://www.salon.com/2013/05/02/police_politicians_push_for_increased_surveillance_post_boston_ap/ http://www.salon.com/2013/05/02/police_politicians_push_for_increased_surveillance_post_boston_ap/#comments Thu, 02 May 2013 04:06:00 +0000 http://www.railrode.net/?p=13287739 LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Police and politicians across the U.S. are pointing to the example of surveillance video that was used to help identify the Boston Marathon bombing suspects as a reason to get more electronic eyes on their streets.

From Los Angeles to Philadelphia, efforts include trying to gain police access to cameras used to monitor traffic, expanding surveillance networks in some major cities and enabling officers to get regular access to security footage at businesses.

Some in law enforcement, however, acknowledge that their plans may face an age-old obstacle: Americans' traditional reluctance to give the government more law enforcement powers out of fear that they will live in a society where there is little privacy.

"Look, we don't want an occupied state. We want to be able to walk the good balance between freedom and security," Los Angeles police Deputy Chief Michael Downing, who heads the department's counter-terrorism and special operations bureau.

"If this helps prevent, deter, but also detect and create clues to who did (a crime), I guess the question is can the American public tolerate that type of security," he said.

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/05/02/police_politicians_push_for_increased_surveillance_post_boston_ap/feed/ 0 Study: Medicaid improves mental health for uninsured http://www.salon.com/2013/05/01/medicaid_improved_mental_health_for_uninsured_ap/ http://www.salon.com/2013/05/01/medicaid_improved_mental_health_for_uninsured_ap/#comments Wed, 01 May 2013 21:15:00 +0000 http://www.salon.com/2013/05/01/medicaid_improved_mental_health_for_uninsured/ WASHINGTON (AP) — If you're uninsured, getting on Medicaid clearly improves your mental health, but it doesn't seem to make much difference in physical conditions such as high blood pressure.

The counterintuitive findings by researchers at Harvard and MIT, from an experiment involving low-income, able-bodied Oregonians, appear in Thursday's New England Journal of Medicine. The study offers a twist for states weighing a major Medicaid expansion under President Barack Obama's health care law, to serve a similar population of adults around the country.

"The study did not generate any evidence that Medicaid coverage translated to measurable improvements in physical health outcomes over a two-year window," said lead researcher Katherine Baicker of the Harvard School of Public Health. "It did generate robust improvements in mental health and enormous reductions in financial strain and hardship."

That leaves policymakers with "a much more nuanced and complex picture" of the potential benefits of expanding Medicaid, said Baicker, an economist.

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/05/01/medicaid_improved_mental_health_for_uninsured_ap/feed/ 2 Media companies reap benefits of higher network fees http://www.salon.com/2013/05/01/media_companies_reap_benefits_of_higher_network_fees_ap/ http://www.salon.com/2013/05/01/media_companies_reap_benefits_of_higher_network_fees_ap/#comments Wed, 01 May 2013 20:27:00 +0000 http://www.railrode.net/?p=13287082 NEW YORK (AP) -- Media companies benefited from higher fees for cable television networks such as TBS, Comedy Central and CNBC in the first three months of the year.

Time Warner Inc., Viacom Inc. and Comcast Corp. all saw growth in their cable network businesses, thanks to distribution fees they charge cable and satellite TV service providers for rights to carry their channels on subscribers' lineups. Those fees get passed on to customers of cable and satellite service.

The boost in television helped make up for weakness at two of the three movie studios that reported results Wednesday.

The trends show how important such fees have become to the television industry. Revenue at Time Warner's television business grew, even with a decrease in ad revenue. Even broadcast networks such as CBS are increasingly relying on distribution fees to ride out fluctuations in the ad market.

The fees have become so vital that broadcasters are worried about the threat posed by a Barry Diller-backed startup called Aereo. The company sends over-the-air broadcasts over the Internet and bypasses traditional cable and satellite operators. Disputes over the fees have also led to high-profile blackouts of channels on cable and satellite lineups.

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/05/01/media_companies_reap_benefits_of_higher_network_fees_ap/feed/ 0 IBM makes world’s tiniest movie http://www.salon.com/2013/05/01/ibm_makes_worlds_tiniest_movie_ap/ http://www.salon.com/2013/05/01/ibm_makes_worlds_tiniest_movie_ap/#comments Wed, 01 May 2013 19:45:00 +0000 http://www.railrode.net/?p=13287031 WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. (AP) -- Scientists have taken the idea of a film short down to new levels. Molecular levels.

IBM says it has made the tiniest stop-motion movie ever - a one-minute video of individual carbon monoxide molecules repeatedly rearranged to show a boy dancing, throwing a ball and bouncing on a trampoline.

Each frame measures 45 by 25 nanometers - there are 25 million nanometers in an inch - but hugely magnified, the movie is reminiscent of early video games, particularly when the boy bounces the ball off the side of the frame accompanied by simple music and sound effects.

The movie is titled, "A Boy and His Atom."

Videos showing atoms in motion have been seen before but Andreas Heinrich, IBM's principal scientist for the project, said Tuesday this is the first time anything so small has been maneuvered to tell a story.

"This movie is a fun way to share the atomic-scale world," Heinrich said. "The reason we made this was not to convey a scientific message directly, but to engage with students, to prompt them to ask questions."

Jamie Panas of Guinness World Records said Guinness certified the movie as "Smallest Stop-Motion Film."

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/05/01/ibm_makes_worlds_tiniest_movie_ap/feed/ 2 FBI: 3 removed backpack from bombing suspect’s room http://www.salon.com/2013/05/01/fbi_3_removed_backpack_bombing_suspects_room_ap/ http://www.salon.com/2013/05/01/fbi_3_removed_backpack_bombing_suspects_room_ap/#comments Wed, 01 May 2013 19:32:00 +0000 http://www.railrode.net/?p=13287021 BOSTON (AP) — Three college friends of Boston Marathon bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev were arrested and accused Wednesday of removing a backpack containing fireworks emptied of gunpowder from Tsarnaev's dorm room three days after the attack to try to keep him from getting into trouble.

Azamat Tazhayakov and Dias Kadyrbayev were charged with conspiring to obstruct justice. A third man, Robel Phillipos, was charged with lying to investigators about the visit to Tsarnaev's room.

In court papers, the FBI said Tazhayakov and Kadyrbayev agreed to throw the backpack in the garbage — it was later found in a landfill by law enforcement officers — after concluding from news reports that Dzhokhar Tsarnaev was one of the bombers.

A court appearance for the three was scheduled for Wednesday afternoon. Their lawyers refused to comment ahead of the hearing.

Three people were killed and more than 260 injured on April 15 when two bombs exploded near the finish line. The suspect's brother, Tamerlan Tsarnaev, died after a gunfight with police days later. Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, a 19-year-old sophomore at the University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth, was captured and lies in a prison hospital.

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/05/01/fbi_3_removed_backpack_bombing_suspects_room_ap/feed/ 1 2 of 3 new bombing suspects from Kazakhstan http://www.salon.com/2013/05/01/2_of_3_new_bombing_suspects_from_kazakhstan_ap/ http://www.salon.com/2013/05/01/2_of_3_new_bombing_suspects_from_kazakhstan_ap/#comments Wed, 01 May 2013 17:47:00 +0000 http://www.railrode.net/?p=13286878 BOSTON (AP) — Three more suspects were taken into custody in the Boston Marathon bombing case, including two college friends of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev who came to the U.S. from Kazakhstan, officials said Wednesday.

The allegations against them were not immediately disclosed. Gov. Deval Patrick, who said he was briefed on the investigation, told reporters it's his understanding that the suspects had nothing to do with the bombings but helped the suspect after the fact.

Three people were killed and more than 260 injured on April 15 when two bombs exploded near the finish line. Suspect Tamerlan Tsarnaev died after a gunfight with police several days later. His brother, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, was captured and lies in a hospital prison.

Linda Cristello, a Boston attorney who represented Azamat Tazhayakov and Dias Kadyrbayev in immigration court Wednesday morning, said her clients now face separate federal charges and have an afternoon court appearance related to the bombing case.

The two have been held in jail for more than a week on allegations that they violated their student visas while attending the University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth with Dzhokhar Tsarnaev.

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/05/01/2_of_3_new_bombing_suspects_from_kazakhstan_ap/feed/ 0 3 more suspects in Boston Marathon bombing http://www.salon.com/2013/05/01/3_more_suspects_in_boston_marathon_bombing_ap/ http://www.salon.com/2013/05/01/3_more_suspects_in_boston_marathon_bombing_ap/#comments Wed, 01 May 2013 16:02:00 +0000 http://www.railrode.net/?p=13286781 BOSTON (AP) — Three more suspects have been taken into custody in the marathon bombings, city police said Wednesday.

The police department made the announcement in a tweet Wednesday morning, saying more details would follow. Police spokeswoman Cheryl Fiandaca confirmed the tweet but referred all other questions to the FBI.

Three people were killed and more than 260 injured on April 15 when two bombs exploded near the finish line.

Suspect Tamerlan Tsarnaev died after a gunfight with police several days later. His brother, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, was captured and lies in a hospital prison.

Tamerlan Tsarnaev's relatives will claim his body now that his wife has agreed to release it, an uncle said. Tsarnaev, 26, has been at the medical examiner's office in Massachusetts since he died after a gunfight with authorities more than a week ago.

Amato DeLuca, the Rhode Island attorney for his widow, Katherine Russell, said Tuesday that his client had just learned that the medical examiner was ready to release Tsarnaev's body and that she wants it released to his side of the family.

Police said Tsarnaev ran out of ammunition before his 19-year-old brother dragged his body under a vehicle while fleeing the scene. His cause of death has been determined but will not be made public until his remains are claimed.

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/05/01/3_more_suspects_in_boston_marathon_bombing_ap/feed/ 0 Brawl breaks out in Venezuelan parliament http://www.salon.com/2013/05/01/brawl_breaks_out_in_venezuelan_parliament_ap/ http://www.salon.com/2013/05/01/brawl_breaks_out_in_venezuelan_parliament_ap/#comments Wed, 01 May 2013 12:17:00 +0000 http://www.railrode.net/?p=13286502  

CARACAS, Venezuela — Venezuelan lawmakers punched, kicked and shoved one another as a postelection conflict between President Hugo Chavez’s heirs and rivals blew up into a brawl on the floor of congress.Tuesday night’s clash erupted when members of the opposition coalition unfurled a banner in the National Assembly denouncing a ruling that strips them of most legislative powers unless they recognize the April 14 election victory of President Nicolas Maduro.

Assembly member Julio Borges appeared on an independent television station soon after Tuesday night’s brawl with blood running down one side of his swollen face. The opposition said at least 17 of its allies and five pro-government deputies were injured.

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/05/01/brawl_breaks_out_in_venezuelan_parliament_ap/feed/ 5 Alan Alda isn’t interested in your scientific mumbo jumbo http://www.salon.com/2013/05/01/alan_alda_isnt_interested_in_your_scientific_mumbo_jumbo_ap/ http://www.salon.com/2013/05/01/alan_alda_isnt_interested_in_your_scientific_mumbo_jumbo_ap/#comments Wed, 01 May 2013 12:02:00 +0000 http://www.railrode.net/?p=13286489 STONY BROOK, N.Y. (AP) — Among the procedures Army surgeon Hawkeye Pierce performed on "M.A.S.H." was an end-to-end anastomosis.

Most of the viewers, actor Alan Alda concedes, had no idea he was talking about removing a damaged piece of intestine and reconnecting the healthy pieces.

Today, the award-winning film and television star is on a mission to teach physicians, physicists and scientists of all types to ditch the jargon and get their points across in clear, simple language.

The former host of the long-running PBS series "Scientific American Frontiers" is a founder and visiting professor of journalism at the Stony Brook University Center for Communicating Science, which has just been named in his honor.

"There's no reason for the jargon when you're trying to communicate the essence of the science to the public because you're talking what amounts to gibberish to them," Alda said in a recent interview with The Associated Press.

A better understanding of science, Alda said, can benefit society in ways great and small. Physicians can more clearly explain treatments to patients. Consumers can decipher what chemicals may be in their food. And lawmakers can make better decisions on funding scientific research.

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/05/01/alan_alda_isnt_interested_in_your_scientific_mumbo_jumbo_ap/feed/ 9 Workers stage May Day protest for higher wages, better conditions http://www.salon.com/2013/05/01/workers_stage_may_day_rally_for_higher_wages_better_conditions_ap/ http://www.salon.com/2013/05/01/workers_stage_may_day_rally_for_higher_wages_better_conditions_ap/#comments Wed, 01 May 2013 11:53:00 +0000 http://www.railrode.net/?p=13286483 JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Tens of thousands of low-paid workers took to the streets on May Day to demand higher wages, better benefits and improved working conditions a week after a building collapse in Bangladesh became a grim reminder of the dangers of lax safety regulations in poor countries.

Laborers in Indonesia, Cambodia, the Philippines and elsewhere marched and chanted en masse Wednesday, sounding complaints about being squeezed by big business amid the surging cost of living. Asia is the manufacturing ground for many of the world's largest multinational companies.

Thousands of garment factory workers in Bangladesh also paraded through the streets calling for safeguards to be put in place and for the owner of the collapsed building to be sentenced to death.

In Indonesia, the world's fourth-most populous country, tens of thousands of workers rallied for higher pay and an end to the practice of outsourcing jobs to contract workers, among other demands. Some also carried banners reading: "Sentence corruptors to death and seize their properties" and protested against a proposed plan for the government to slash fuel subsidies that have kept the country's pump prices among the cheapest in the region.

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/05/01/workers_stage_may_day_rally_for_higher_wages_better_conditions_ap/feed/ 10 Family to claim Boston bombing suspect’s body http://www.salon.com/2013/05/01/family_to_claim_boston_bombing_suspects_body_ap/ http://www.salon.com/2013/05/01/family_to_claim_boston_bombing_suspects_body_ap/#comments Wed, 01 May 2013 11:38:00 +0000 http://www.railrode.net/?p=13286477 PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — Relatives of the dead suspect in the Boston Marathon bombing will claim his body now that his wife has agreed to release it, an uncle said as officials in both Washington and Russia deepened their investigations into him and his ties.

The body of Tamerlan Tsarnaev, 26, has been at the medical examiner's office in Massachusetts since he died after a gunfight with authorities more than a week ago.

Amato DeLuca, the Rhode Island attorney for his widow, Katherine Russell, said Tuesday that his client had just learned that the medical examiner was ready to release Tsarnaev's body and that she wants it released to his side of the family.

Police said Tsarnaev ran out of ammunition before his brother, 19-year-old Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, dragged his body under a vehicle while fleeing the scene. His cause of death has been determined but will not be made public until his remains are claimed.

"Of course, family members will take possession of the body," uncle Ruslan Tsarni of Maryland told The Associated Press on Tuesday night. "We'll do it. We will do it. A family is a family."

He would not elaborate. Tsarnaev's parents are still in Russia, but he has other relatives on his side of the family in the U.S., including Tsarni.

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/05/01/family_to_claim_boston_bombing_suspects_body_ap/feed/ 0 Democrats hold edge in Massachusetts special election http://www.salon.com/2013/05/01/democrats_hold_edge_in_massachusetts_special_election_ap/ http://www.salon.com/2013/05/01/democrats_hold_edge_in_massachusetts_special_election_ap/#comments Wed, 01 May 2013 11:29:00 +0000 http://www.railrode.net/?p=13286468 BOSTON (AP) — National Republicans cheered former Navy SEAL Gabriel Gomez's Massachusetts primary victory, but Democratic Congressman Ed Markey enjoys tremendous advantages in the special election to replace former U.S. Sen. John Kerry.

Tuesday's primary elections set up an eight-week sprint to the June 25 election.

In Markey, the race pits a longtime liberal politician known for environmental advocacy against Gomez, a fresh-faced social moderate with a distinguished biography and untested political skills. On paper, it looks like a competitive contest, but Republicans quietly concede that Markey is the strong favorite in a state where only around 11 percent of voters are registered Republicans.

"As we've shown before in the state, anything can happen in a special election," said Republican strategist Ron Kaufman, Massachusetts' national committeeman.

Indeed, little-known Republican state Sen. Scott Brown stunned Democrats in his 2010 special election U.S. Senate victory in a contest that became a referendum on Obama's healthcare overhaul. So far, at least, this race has drawn little national interest, even before being overshadowed by the Boston Marathon bombings.

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/05/01/democrats_hold_edge_in_massachusetts_special_election_ap/feed/ 1 Morning-after pill now available over-the-counter http://www.salon.com/2013/04/30/morning_after_pill_now_available_over_the_counter_for_ages_15_and_up/ http://www.salon.com/2013/04/30/morning_after_pill_now_available_over_the_counter_for_ages_15_and_up/#comments Tue, 30 Apr 2013 22:13:00 +0000 http://www.railrode.net/?p=13286155 WASHINGTON -- The Plan B morning-after pill is moving over-the-counter, a decision announced by the Food and Drug Administration just days before a court-imposed deadline.

On Tuesday, the FDA lowered to 15 the age at which girls and women can buy the emergency contraceptive without a prescription -- and said it no longer has to be kept behind pharmacy counters.

Instead, the pill can sit on drugstore shelves just like condoms, but that buyers would have to prove their age at the cash register.

Earlier this month, a federal judge had ruled there should be no age restrictions and gave the FDA 30 days to act. The FDA said its latest decision was independent of the court case.

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/04/30/morning_after_pill_now_available_over_the_counter_for_ages_15_and_up/feed/ 48 Apple selling record amount in bonds http://www.salon.com/2013/04/30/apple_selling_record_amount_in_bonds_ap/ http://www.salon.com/2013/04/30/apple_selling_record_amount_in_bonds_ap/#comments Tue, 30 Apr 2013 22:04:00 +0000 http://www.railrode.net/?p=13286149 NEW YORK (AP) -- Apple Inc. is selling $17 billion in bonds on Tuesday, according to a published report. That would make it the largest corporate bond issue ever.

Apple is selling the bonds in its first debt issue since the 1990s. The company is raising the money to give to shareholders through dividend payments and stock buybacks.

The company has $145 billion in cash, more than enough for the $100 billion cash return program it announced last week. However, most of its money sits in overseas accounts, and the company doesn't plan to bring it to the U.S. until the federal corporate tax rate is lowered.

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/04/30/apple_selling_record_amount_in_bonds_ap/feed/ 2 Online poker goes legit http://www.salon.com/2013/04/30/online_poker_is_back_ap/ http://www.salon.com/2013/04/30/online_poker_is_back_ap/#comments Tue, 30 Apr 2013 21:58:00 +0000 http://www.railrode.net/?p=13286144 LAS VEGAS (AP) -- Poker devotees can now skip the smoky casino and legally gamble their dollars away on the couch - at least in the state of Nevada.

A Las Vegas-based casino subsidiary launched the first fully legal poker website in the United States on Tuesday morning.

The site, run by Ultimate Gaming, is only accepting wagers from players in Nevada for now, but likely represents the next chapter in gambling nationwide.

Internet poker, never fully legal, has been strictly outlawed since 2011, when the Department of Justice seized the domain names of the largest offshore sites catering to U.S. customers and blacked them out.

This crackdown, dubbed "black Friday," left poker fanatics with two options: They could either get dressed and visit a card room, or break the law and log into an offshore site.

More recently, the federal government softened its stance on Internet betting, and three states - New Jersey, Delaware and Nevada- have legalized some form of online wagering within their borders.

With Tuesday's launch, Nevada wins the race to bring Texas Hold `em back to the Internet.

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