A MOTHER'S PRIDE

Neda's mother speaks of her pride

Neda's name and face have acquired iconic status in Iran's opposition struggle

Neda Agha-Soltan was the young Iranian woman whose death in anti-government protests in Teheran last month galvanized the opposition.

Neda's mother has been visited by opposition figure Mehdi Karroubi

She was killed on June 20 and within hours video footage of her death sped around the world and has now been seen by millions.

Now her mother, Hajar Rostami Motlagh, has told Newshour she is waiting for her daughter's killer to be arrested and brought to justice.

It is the first interview she has given for an English-speaking audience since Neda was killed.

For sale: Madonna's sexy phone messages to ex-boytoy Jim Albright, plus other rock 'n' roll gems

BY Joy Resmovits
DAILY NEWS WRITER

Updated Tuesday, July 28th 2009, 9:03 AM

Buckner/Getty

Madonna's personal items, including love letters and erotic tape recordings, are up for sale in New York City.

Stawiarz/Getty

Two microcassettes of Madonna's erotic phone messages to then boyfriend James Albright.

Stawiarz/Getty

One of 21 faxed letters from Madonna to then boyfriend James Albright.

SOTOMAYOR ENDORSED

Senate Panel Endorses Sotomayor in 13-6 Vote

Brendan Smialowski for The New York Times

Of the seven Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee, only Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina voted in favor of Judge Sonia Sotomayor.

'American Idol' stars in talks for bigger pay

Barbara Davidson / Los Angeles Times, left; Steve Shaw / 42West; Dan Steinberg / Associated Press

"American Idol" judge Paula Abdul, left is making $4 million a year and is seeking $12 million, sources say. Host Ryan Seacrest has made a three-year deal, while judge Simon Cowell, who some see as essential for the show to remain a success, is in talks. He could use his leverage to try to get "X Factor," which he hosts overseas, on Fox.

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Ryan Seacrest has a $30-million deal, Simon Cowell is in talks for what could be $45 million a year and Paula Abdul has cut her request for $20 million, sources say, amid a dearth of TV network hits.

By Joe Flint>>>
July 27, 2009

The first talent auditions for the ninth season of the Fox juggernaut "American Idol" are still two weeks away, but there is already a beauty contest going on behind the scenes.

Negotiations on a new contract for Simon Cowell, the show's linchpin, chief prosecutor and animating force, are progressing quickly and could be concluded as early as this week. Cowell, who currently makes about $36 million annually and still has another year on his pact, is looking at a new multiyear deal that would boost his pay to the $45-million range, people close to the talks said.

Cowell's push for more money comes on the heels of host Ryan Seacrest's new contract, which pays him $30 million over three years to host plus $15 million for merchandising rights to his image. Co-judge and pop diva Paula Abdul is also seeking a hefty increase in pay, although it's unclear whether she will be able to wrangle the kind of raises won by her colleagues.

From The Times

July 27, 2009

Sarah Palin resigns as Alaska Governor to embark on political career

The captivating and at times vaudevillian career of Sarah Palin entered an unpredictable phase yesterday when she stepped down as the Governor of Alaska to try to forge a role as the voice of the Republican Party.

Mrs Palin, who announced her shock resignation on July 3 with 18 months of her term left to run, has remained coy about her ambitions but the move has increased speculation that she wants to make a bid for the White House in 2012.

Such a scenario delights many Democrats, who believe that because Mrs Palin is a controversial figure whose performance as John McCain’s running-mate damaged the Republican ticket, a presidential campaign would probably end in disaster.

She re-enters national politics dogged by ethics inquiries, big legal bills and fresh polls showing that most Americans no longer see her in a positive light and harbour doubts about her governing skills.

Hillary Clinton denies that she has been elbowed out

'Invisible' Secretary of State returns after arm injury

Catherine Philp in Washington

A poignant photograph taken at the White House last month shows Hillary Clinton standing alone by a colonnade as she watches a press conference between President Obama and his South Korean counterpart. Was she feeling left out? If not, she soon would be.

The next day she fell heavily in the basement of the State Department, shattering her elbow and consigning herself to intensive physical therapy that would force her to miss some of the most important foreign visits yet undertaken by the Administration, including President Obama’s landmark visit to Moscow.

This week, Mrs Clinton shed her sling and re-emerged on the global stage, delivering a high-profile foreign policy overview at the Council of Foreign Relations before departing on a key trip to India and Pakistan yesterday. In the months ahead she will embark on her own trip to Russia.

3 Senate Republicans Endorse Sotomayor

But One Leader Says Statements Indicate Partiality

Sen. Jeff Sessions (Ala.), the ranking Republican on the Judiciary Committee, greets Judge Sonia Sotomayor. (By Melina Mara -- The Washington Post)

Washington Post Staff Writer
Saturday, July 18, 2009

Three Senate Republicans yesterday endorsed Judge Sonia Sotomayor's nomination to the Supreme Court, giving increased momentum to securing President Obama's choice a place on the high court by early August.

Human rights activist Natalya Estemirova shot dead in Russia

(AFP)

Natalya Estemirova dedicated her career to uncovering Russian human rights abuses

An award-winning Russian human rights activist was murdered today after dedicating much of her life to investigating abuses by the Chechen regime.

Natalya Estemirova was shot twice in the head at close-range after she was bundled into a car in Grozny, the capital of Chechnya.

The activist, who was one of Anna Politkovskaya's key collaborators, was found dead near the city of Nazran in Ingushetia. A single mother in her early 40s, Estemirova had collected evidence of human rights abuses in Chechnya since the start of the second war there in 1999.

As well as the murdered Politkovskaya, she worked with Stanislav Markelov, a prominent lawyer and another opponent of rights abuses in Chechnya, who was shot and killed on a Moscow street in January.

GIRLS, WE REMEMBER JFK JR

But by age 19, the adorable boy had grown into a full-blown sex symbol, shown above shirtless during Labor Day weekend in 1980.

Credits: Galella/WireImage

Sarah why can't we get steady jobs working at the Broadway theaters why is it only for Irish white boys?

Daniel Hambury / EPA

16-year-old Hannah Clark had a donor heart grafted onto her own after suffering heart failure as a baby.

Transplant shows heart's reparative capabilities

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Daniel Hambury / EPA

16-year-old Hannah Clark had a donor heart grafted onto her own after suffering heart failure as a baby.

A girl received a piggyback heart transplant as a toddler, and the donor organ was removed 10 years later after her own healed. The technique may be useful in developing other types of heart therapy.

African American Woman as new Surgeon General

Obama Names Alabama Family Doctor as New Surgeon General

Dr. Regina Benjamin Rebuilt Rural Health Clinic After Hurricane Katrina

By JAKE TAPPER, KAREN TRAVERS and SUNLEN MILLER
July 13, 2009

President Barack Obama named Dr. Regina Benjamin as U.S. surgeon general in an announcement late this morning at the White House.

Dr. Regina Benjamin became nationally known for her determination to rebuild a rural health clinic...

Dr. Regina Benjamin became nationally known for her determination to rebuild a rural health clinic in Bayou La Batre, Ala., after it was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina. She is the first African American woman to head a state medical society and received a MacArthur Foundation "genius grant" last year.

(Bill Starling/The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation/AP Photo)

Benjamin, an Alabama family physician, runs a rural health clinic in Bayou La Batre, Ala.. She was the first African–American woman to head a state medical society and received a MacArthur Foundation "genius grant" last year.

Benjamin, who must be confirmed by the Senate, became known nationally for her determination to rebuild her clinic, destroyed by Hurricane Georges in 1998 and again by Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

MADONNA LOVES MICHAEL JACKSON

Madonna Pays Tribute to Michael Jackson

July 5, 2009

Sarah Palin Steps aside as Governor of Alaska

Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin announces that she is stepping down from her position as Governor in Wasilla, Alaska on Friday July 3, 2009. The former Republican vice presidential candidate made the surprise announcement, saying she would step down July 26 but didn't announce her plans.

(AP Photo/The Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman, Robert DeBerry)

Good bye Sweet Girl

Fawcett's family and friends say goodbye

LOS ANGELES, California (CNN) -- Friends and family of actress Farrah Fawcett -- including longtime partner Ryan O'Neal and their son Redmond, who was temporarily freed from jail for the service -- gathered Tuesday to say goodbye.

Actress Farrah Fawcett, known for her blond mane and gleaming smile, died Thursday at age 62.