The Russian president suggested that instead of building radar defenses in the Czech Republic, the U.S. should use an existing system in the former Soviet republic of Azerbaijan.
In the end, there was no loud burst, or even a sharp pop. Instead, the springtime aftermath of the nation's housing bubble is sounding "more like a whoopee cushion," says June Fletcher, author of House Poor: How to Buy and Sell Your Home Come Bubble or Bust. "The air is coming out of the market, but slowly."
Since the beginning of the subprime mortgage industry meltdown early last year, the online Mortgage Lender Implode-O-Meter, run by Emory University librarian Aaron Krowne, has recorded 76 outfits that have "gone kaput." As for the lenders left behind, they have been causing headaches for borrowers and mortgage brokers alike.
AP - A broad immigration bill to legalize millions of people in the U.S. unlawfully suffered a stunning setback in the Senate Thursday, costing President Bush perhaps his best opportunity to win a top domestic priority.
AP - The Democratic-controlled Congress passed legislation Thursday to loosen restraints on federally funded embryonic stem cell research, but the bill's supporters lacked the votes needed to override President Bush's threatened veto.
The mother of a girl found hidden in an acquaintance's house said Thursday she wants to be reunited with her but is willing to wait until the time is right. "I've told her I never want to let her go again, and I have no intentions of letting her go. She's my girl," said Jennifer Hesse. Danielle Erica Cramer, 15, was missing for nearly a year before police discovered her hidden in a 4-by-2-foot closet under a staircase Wednesday.
A new approach by American-led forces in Iraq is producing "breathtaking" improvements in security in some areas, says Lt. Gen. David Petraeus, commander of U.S. forces in the country, but al Qaeda in Iraq remains well-entrenched in some Baghdad neighborhoods.
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