Countdown Newsletter 9/28/05: DeLay Indicted

[Patsy Stone]

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Tonight on Countdown
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A Texas grand jury on Wednesday charged Rep. Tom DeLay and two political associates with conspiracy in a campaign finance scheme, an indictment that could force him to step down as House majority leader. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9507677/

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Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco asked Congress on Wednesday for help in rebuilding her devastated state, saying Hurricanes Katrina and Rita "knocked us down but they did not knock us out." http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9515279/

The morning Hurricane Katrina thundered ashore, Louisiana National Guard commanders thought they were prepared to save their state. But when 15-foot floodwaters swept into their headquarters, cut their communications and disabled their high-water trucks, they had their hands full just saving themselves. http://www.nytimes.com/2005/09/28/national/nationalspecial/28guard.html?hp&ex=1127966400&en=ce597fd0cd7fe88d&ei=5094&partner=homepage

Home-run leader Hank Aaron and other baseball Hall of Fame members condemned the players union's stand on steroid tests before a U.S. Senate panel. http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=10000103&sid=a1vEmENfcdSA&refer=us
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9507830/

Was the Ashton Kutcher - Demi Moore wedding a Punk'd prank?

That's some of what we're planning for tonight's show.

Finally,
A new fraternity of sorts has moved in on the Greek row at Louisiana State University: the FBI. About 50 New Orleans agents displaced by Hurricane Katrina will be living in the red-brick home once occupied by a fraternity exiled for hazing violations. "They've been jokingly referred to as Phi Beta Iota," Special Agent in Charge Jim Bernazzani said Monday. "We even had T-shirts made up." http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/F/FBI_FRATERNITY?SITE=NWCN&TEMPLATE=STRANGEHEADS.html&SECTION=HOME
I see the premise for a great Hollywood script.

-- Carey Fox

Countdown Home: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3036677/

More:
On Sept. 1, as tens of thousands of desperate Louisianans packed the New Orleans Superdome and convention center, the Federal Emergency Management Agency pleaded with the U.S. Military Sealift Command: The government needed 10,000 berths on full-service cruise ships, FEMA said, and it needed the deal done by noon the next day. The hasty appeal yielded one of the most controversial contracts of the Hurricane Katrina relief operation, a $236 million agreement with Carnival Cruise Lines for three ships that now bob more than half empty in the Mississippi River and Mobile Bay. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9507503/

An Amtrak Acela train collided Wednesday with a car at a crossing in eastern Connecticut, killing two and causing major delays on the Northeast rail line. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9515654/

The Food and Drug Administration is warning that a study has suggested that the antidepressant Paxil may be associated with birth defects. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9511980/

The color of money is getting more varied. A newly designed $10 bill was unveiled Wednesday featuring splashes of orange, yellow and red to go with the traditional green. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9514184/

Apple Computer Inc. has acknowledged customer complaints about flaws in its iPod nano digital music player, saying one problem is a "real but minor issue." Early iPod nano customers have filled several Internet sites with complaints about broken and scratch-prone LCD screens. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9515537/