UPI VIDEO NEWS 02.25.08

Nader jumps into presidential race.

Consumer advocate Ralph Nader says he's running for president again. This run would be Nader's fifth consecutive bid for the White House. Many Democrats fear that Nader could draw votes from whoever gets the party's nomination. That move could help the nearly-cemented Republican nominee John McCain win the White House in November.

Meanwhile, Senators Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama traded sharp words over trade this weekend while campaigning in Ohio. The rivals for the Democratic presidential nomination have blamed trade agreements for the loss of manufacturing jobs. Clinton accused the Illinois senator of misrepresenting her record on the North American Free Trade Agreement. The New York Senator has said she's hesitant about NAFTA, blaming countries for shipping jobs overseas. But, Obama accused the New York Senator for supporting NAFTA when her husband was president.

The brother of former Cuban president Fidel Castro is the new president of the communist country. Raul Castro took to his post yesterday after running Cuba's military for at least 50 years. The news came five days after the 81-year-old elder announced his resignation, citing his critical health condition.

Classes are resuming today at Northern Illinois University where six students were killed nearly two weeks ago. But there won't be any meetings in Cole Hall this semester where a gunman burst in and shot five students before taking his own life. Officials haven't decided what to do about the building yet. Since the incident, memorial services have been held to honor the slain and the 16 others who were wounded.

UPI VIDEO NEWS 02.15.08

Shooting leaves seven dead at Illinois university.

Seven people are dead following a shooting rampage at Northern Illinois University yesterday. More than a dozen others are wounded. The alleged gunman, Steven Kazmierczak, opened fire on a geology class before turning the gun on himself. Kazmierczak was reportedly a former graduate and undergraduate student at the university. A preliminary investigation shows the man had no contact with university police while he was a student there.

Former President George H.W. Bush will endorse John McCain in his bid for the Oval Office. This comes just one day after former Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney endorsed the Arizona senator. McCain will most likely travel to Texas next week to accept Bush's nod. The endorsement is reportedly aimed especially at Texas where voters will weigh in next month.

The House has failed to renew a surveillance measure that President Bush says is vital to tracking terrorists. The Senate approved the measure earlier this week, but it's set to expire Saturday at midnight without the House's vote. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi refused to schedule a vote on the legislation before breaking yesterday for a week's recess. The bill would give government the ability to work with telecommunications companies to eavesdrop on suspected terrorists calls and emails. Under the legislation, those companies would receive retroactive protection from lawsuits over wiretapping and privacy. Many House Democrats oppose that immunity.

However, the House did vote to issue contempt citations to two Bush aides. White House chief of staff Josh Bolten and former White House lawyer Harriet Miers refused to cooperate in an investigation into the controversial firings of those U.S. attorneys, citing President Bush's executive privilege. Bush has invoked the privilege that protects all former and current White House officials from testifying about this issue. The contempt citations were the first approved by Congress against the executive branch since the Reagan administration.

UPI VIDEO NEWS 02.06.08

McCain leads GOP race after Super Tuesday.

Arizona Senator John McCain has cemented his status as the front-runner for the GOP nomination following yesterday's Super Tuesday nominating contest. McCain won nine states yesterday, including California, New York and Missouri. That gave him more than a 300-delegate lead over his closest rival, Mitt Romney. The former Massachusetts governor won seven states in the contest, followed by former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee. He won five states, including the West Virginia party convention.

Yesterday's results show Democrats are evenly split between New York Senator Hillary Clinton and Illinois Senator Barack Obama. Clinton grabbed about 41 percent of the delegates needed for the Democratic presidential nomination. Obama received 36 percent. The New York Senator took the majority of delegates in large states like California, New York and New Jersey. But Obama won more states overall, taking 13 over Clinton's 8.

Former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney is expected to meet with his top aides today to discuss the future of his campaign. That's after a disappointing Super Tuesday finish. They'll reportedly discuss whether to launch an advertising campaign in the upcoming primary states. Romney vowed late yesterday to press on, but his top advisers acknowledged skepticism. The former governor has spent more than $35 million of his personal fortune on his campaign.

At least 48 people are dead following a wrath of deadly tornadoes that tore through the South last night. The storms ripped through Alabama, Arkansas, Tennessee and Kentucky, destroying homes and shopping mall. They also trapped students in a university dorm. Emergency crews are combing through areas today, searching for more victims who may have been overlooked.

UPI VIDEO NEWS 02.01.08

Clinton, Obama cordial in latest debate.

Senators Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton set a new tone in last night's Democratic debate in Los Angeles. Unlike the last time the rivals took the stage together, Clinton and Obama almost hugged each other at the end, whispering into each other's ear. The night was filled with smiles and gentle joking as they pointed out their differences on Iraq, health care and the economy. This was the Democrats' last debate before next week's Super Tuesday contests.

Microsoft has made a $45 billion bid to acquire the Internet site "Yahoo." The world's biggest software maker is hoping that such a deal would challenge Google's lead in Internet search services and advertising. Yahoo says that it plans to evaluate the proposal promptly.

More than 50 people are dead after two bombs exploded in Baghdad today. Nearly 200 are wounded. It was the worst attack in the Iraqi capital for many months. Iraqi officials say two mentally disabled women were strapped with explosives and blown up by remote control in busy Baghdad markets. The U.S. military is blaming the bombings on Al Qaeda in Iraq.

Economists are hoping for more employment in February following a drop in jobs last month. There was a net loss of 17 thousand jobs in January. It was the first decline in employment in four years, raising new concerns about the risk of a recession. However, the drop was based on a preliminary reading, which could be revised later.

UPI VIDEO NEWS 01.28.08

Bush to announce earmark changes tonight.

President Bush is expected to announce big changes tonight in the way lawmakers earmark money for their own special projects. Bush will deliver his last State of the Union address as president this evening to the nation. He'll reportedly sign an executive order tomorrow that says Congress should debate spending items in the open and hold a public vote. Besides the issue of earmarks, the President is expected to talk about Iraq, the economy, permanent extensions of his tax cuts and free-trade agreements with South Korea, Colombia, and Panama.

Lebanon is declaring a day of mourning today after eight people were killed overnight in anti-government rioting. Dozens of others were wounded. The violence happened in Beirut's mostly Shi'ite southern suburbs. Demonstrators reportedly took to the streets, setting fire to vehicles, to protest cuts in electricity. However, Lebanon's pro-Western government accuses protestors of deliberately trying to create violence.

Five U.S. soldiers are dead following a roadside bomb attack in Iraq. Today's incident in the northern city of Mosul was one of the deadliest attacks against U.S. troops in months. The U.S. military says Al Qaeda has regrouped in northern provinces after being driven away from western areas like Anbar and from around Baghdad during security crackdowns.

Senator Edward Kennedy will endorse Senator Barack Obama for president. Kennedy reportedly intends to announce his support for the Illinois senator later today. His niece, Caroline Kennedy, who's daughter of the late president, has already endorsed Obama. She wrote in the New York Times saying the first-time senator seems to be able to inspire people the way her father did a half century ago.

UPI VIDEO NEWS 01.15.08

Bush pushes for more oil production.

President Bush is calling on oil producing countries to put more oil on the world market. Earlier today, the President met with Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah, whose country holds the world's largest oil supply. He warned that soaring oil prices could cause an economic slowdown in the U.S., and increased production would be helpful to American consumers. OPEC, which is the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, will meet next month to consider increasing output.

Meanwhile, a special commission is urging the government to raise federal gasoline taxes by as much as 40 cents per gallon over five years. The commission, which conducted a two-year study, says increasing those taxes would ease traffic congestion and repair the nation's decaying bridges and roads. This comes after the devastating bridge collapse in Minneapolis last August. Under the recommendation, the current tax of 18.4 cents per gallon for unleaded gas would be increased annually, anywhere from 5 to 8 cents each year.

And federal investigators have concluded that steel plates on that interstate bridge that collapsed in Minneapolis last year are to blame for the disaster. The plates were reportedly not sufficient to hold the structure together. The collapse claimed the lives of 13 people. About 100 others were injured. The National Transportation Safety Board is planning to call on states today to do safety checks on gusset plates in bridges any time they add weight to a structure. Thirty years ago, additional pavement was added to the Interstate 35W bridge in Minneapolis that increased its weight.

Michigan voters are heading to the polls today for the state's GOP primary. Polls show former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney has a narrow lead over Senator John McCain. Mike Huckabee is currently in third place. All of the Republican presidential frontrunners are pledging to turn around Michigan's struggling economy. The state has one of the highest unemployment rates in the country at 7.4 percent. That's compared to 5 percent nationally.

UPI VIDEO NEWS 01.10.08

Bush expects Mideast peace treaty by next year.

President Bush is predicting that a Middle East peace treaty would be signed by the time he leaves office in 2009. This comes as Bush visits Israel and the Palestinian territories this week and meets with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. The President said both men realize the importance of democratic states living together in peace.

New Mexico governor Bill Richardson is reportedly quitting the race for the Democratic presidential nomination. The governor finished fourth place in both the Iowa caucuses and the New Hampshire primary. A Democratic strategist says the lack of votes and money Richardson received during his campaign are forcing him to drop out.

New York mayor Michael Bloomberg is apparently beginning to research whether to jump into the presidential race. Sources say data is being gathered but the mayor hasn't begun analyzing it. Bloomberg has reportedly decided on early March as a timetable for making a decision. It's been widely speculated that the mayor is interested in running for the White House as an independent.

Six U.S. soldiers are dead following a house explosion in Iraq. They were killed yesterday when a bomb exploded in a booby-trapped house while on patrol north of Baghdad. Four soldiers were also wounded in the attack. The incident was the first involving multiple deaths of U.S. soldiers in Iraq since September.

UPI VIDEO NEWS 12.17.07

Lieberman to endorse McCain for president.

Senator Joe Lieberman will back Senator John McCain for president. The Democrat turned Independent is planning to announce his plan today. An aide to Lieberman says the senator decided to endorse the Republican presidential hopeful because he considers him the most capable commander in chief and the best candidate to unite the country against Islamic extremism. The aide says the move isn't an endorsement of the Republican party, only the person. Lieberman will reportedly continue to caucus with the Democrats.

Russia says it's begun to deliver fuel to an atomic power station in Iran that's been the center of concern over Tehran's nuclear program. A Russian nuclear equipment monopoly is reportedly building a $1 billion nuclear plant in that country under the control of the International Atomic Energy Agency. Construction on the Russian-designed facility has continued despite pressure from the U.S. The Russian Foreign Ministry says the Iranian side has provided written guarantees that fuel can only be used at and for that plant.

Baghdad is calling on Turkey to stop military assaults on northern Iraq. This comes after yesterday's air strikes aimed at Kurdish rebels that killed a woman, injured four people, and destroyed a health clinic, a school, and bridges. Tensions have been high along the Iraqi-Turkish border, with Turkey threatening to launch a full-scale offensive against separatist guerrillas from the Kurdistan Worker's Party, or PKK.

The U.S. is reviewing its mission in Afghanistan amid rising concerns about lagging progress there. The study is looking at the efforts of U.S. troops placed along Afghanistan's rugged border with Pakistan. U.S. commanders say they've seen an increase in attacks by the Taliban there. They also say the movement has become more diverse with warlords, drug bosses and local fighters joining in. This comes as officials boast about progress in Iraq, saying the country is experiencing its most significant dip in violence since the first year of the invasion.

HE'S WHAT, O LAWD NO !!!

Bush Pronounces Mandela Dead