About Nigel Stephen

VIA REUTERS: DETROIT/TOKYO (Reuters) – Toyota will shut down production at two of its U.S. assembly plants for a total of at least 11 days as it grapples with slower sales after a wave of safety recalls. The shutdowns, announced on Tuesday, will affect Toyota’s San Antonio, Texas, and Georgetown, Kentucky, plants and represent the […]

VIA POLITICS DAILY: The latest New York Times/CBS News poll paints a picture of a disaffected American public but President Obama, despite his lower approval ratings, fares better on its report card than the Republicans. Sixty-two percent believe the country is on the wrong track while 33 percent saying it is on the right track, […]

VIA CNN: A marijuana bust along the U.S.-Mexico border revealed 30 pounds of the drug stuffed into framed pictures of Jesus Christ, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency said Wednesday. “This is not the first time we have seen smugglers attempt to use religious figures and articles of faith to further their criminal enterprise,” […]

VIA REUTERS: NEW YORK (Reuters) – The only known aerial photographs of the World Trade Center as it collapsed on September 11, 2001, were released by ABC News on Wednesday. The photos, taken from a helicopter by New York Police Det. Greg Semendinger, show the twin towers in flames, falling amid huge, billowing clouds of […]

VIA ARA LIFESTYLE: The financial crisis has brought about new kinds of challenges for many Americans. High gas prices, foreclosures and low wages are some well-known symptoms. One of the biggest obstacles, however, has been the feeling of uncertainty we encounter on a daily basis, whether it be our job stability, our family budgets, or […]

VIA THE WASHINGTON POST: The D.C. Board of Elections and Ethics ruled Thursday, for the third time this year, that a proposed referendum on whether the city should legalize same-sex marriage cannot move forward. The board said that city law does not allow a referendum or initiative on a matter covered by the Human Rights […]

VIA THE WASHINGTON POST: Three young children were hospitalized early Wednesday in critical but stable condition after being trapped in their Southeast Washington condominium during a kitchen fire, authorities said. Details were sketchy, but officials and witnesses said the youngsters — an infant girl, a 2-year-old girl and a 5-year-old boy — were left alone […]

WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama is set to announce a series of economic initiatives Monday aimed at helping struggling middle class families. The proposals include a doubling of the child care tax credit, caps onstudent loan payments, and aid for families taking care of elderly relatives. The plan would also offer retirement savings options for […]

Roland Martin, host of TV One’s Washington Watch, has released a new book that chronicles his experience reporting on President Barack Obama’s historic ascendancy to the highest office in the land. The First: President Barack Obama’s Road to the White House begins in December 2006 – when Obama had yet to announce his candidacy – […]

VIA THE WALL STREET JOURNAL: Like at a lot of publications, Newsweek was forced to start its week over when the earthquake hit Haiti. Give the magazine credit for an artful recovery. The Washington Post Co.-owned publication has tapped President Barack Obama to pen a cover story on Haiti for the Jan. 25 issue hitting […]