Countdown Newsletter: 08/14/06 -- Terror Plot Aftermath

[Patsy Stone]

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Tonight on Countdown
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Authorities downgraded Britain's terror threat level Monday, offering hope to travelers mired in chaos at airports since security forces foiled an alleged plot to bomb trans-Atlantic jetliners. But more flights from London were canceled on the fifth day of the crisis. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/14340663/
Soldiers in the war on terror have learned much since 9/11. So, too, has the enemy. How the London plot was foiled-and where we are in the five-year struggle. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/14323311/

And the latest on the investigation from NBC's Lisa Myers.

Countdown w/ Keith Olbermann broadcasts LIVE at 8 pm et, and the count is never complete without you. Join us.

Lebanese civilians defied an Israeli travel ban and streamed back to war-ravaged areas Monday after a U.N. cease-fire halted a month of fighting between Israel and Hezbollah that claimed more than 900 lives. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/14326294/

The Jill Carroll Story - Part 1: The kidnapping. http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2006-08-13-jill-carroll_x.htm

A woman wrongly identified as a college classmate killed in a traffic crash says it was "strange to find out my family and friends had a funeral for me." Whitney Cerak, posting a message Saturday on her family's online journal, described her experiences after reawakening from a near-comatose state and learning about the mix-up. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/14345120/

Tucker Carlson on "Dancing With The Stars"...
The 'Idol' juggernaut rolls into New Jersey. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/14345439/

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

Finally,
SAN ANTONIO -- Is it an artesian spring, a broken water pipe or an abandoned well? Lucille Pope's red oak tree has gurgled water for about three months, and experts can't seem to get to the root of the problem. "I got a mystery tree," Pope said in Friday editions of the San Antonio-Express News. "What kind of mystery do I have where water comes out of a tree?" Her son, Lloyd, 47, discovered water leaking from the tree in April. He said it was cool, like it came from the tap. The only damp spot around the tree trunk is where the water lands. Lucille Pope has started to wonder if the water has special properties. Her insurance agent dabbed drops of the water on a spider bite and the welt went away, she said. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/T/TREE_FOUNTAIN?SITE=NWCN&TEMPLATE=STRANGEHEADS.html&SECTION=HOME
This is the best thing since the Virgin Mary Grilled Cheese.

-- Carey Fox

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

Other News:
Residents dug through wrecked buildings and swept glass off the streets Monday in a predominantly Shiite neighborhood devastated by explosions that killed at least 47 people. Iraqis blamed bombs, but U.S. military experts pointed to a natural gas explosion. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/14343108/

Cuba's Communist daily published new photographs of ailing leader Fidel Castro on Monday, showing him in bed on his 80th birthday during a visit with his brother Raul and Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/14341649/

Nationwide gas prices hit yet another record in the last three weeks, rising just over one cent to nearly $3.03 per gallon, but absent an event that could curtail production, prices could fall dramatically in the coming weeks, according to energy analyst Trilby Lundberg. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/14342742/

With a city-issued broom in his hand, Boy George started his court-ordered community service early Monday, sweeping leaves and trash off the sidewalks of New York. It took less than an hour for the former Culture Club frontman to get into a spat with the media. "You think you're better than me?" he yelled. "Go home. Let me do my community service." The singer was ordered to spend five days working for the Department of Sanitation after pleading guilty in March to falsely reporting a burglary at his lower Manhattan apartment. The officers who responded found cocaine instead. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/14343349/

Nearly 2,500 astronomers from 75 countries gathered in Prague Monday to come up with a universal definition of what qualifies as a planet and possibly decide whether Pluto should keep its planet status. http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/world/AP-Planet-Spat.html?hp&ex=1155614400&en=03cd5db13e4719d4&ei=5094&partner=homepage

[RevCheesehead]

1. Hmmm... a couple of things:

* will Keith be back in place tonight? If not, then who?
* will someone attempt another luggage-napping at the airport? Do they know the consequences of perhaps being the next WPITW?
* I hope they air the gas prices story. Yesterday, I saw the prices tumble 13 cents, from 3.12/gal to 2.99. And we're still in tourist season. The best I can guess is that the oil industry is fearful of the upcoming primaries, and backpedaling like crazy. Oddly enough, backpedaling does NOTHING for motor-driven vehicles.
* Can Boy George now finally replace the Runaway Bride as the community service du jour video? And will the caption read "kama-kama-kama-kama-kama-community"?
* what ever happened to the nekkid man story? :evilfrown:

[gkhouston]

2. mmm...

if Keith isn't back, could we have Monica? Pretty please??

Maybe the nekkid guy should do the luggage-napping? (Sounds like he's sleeping on the bags... considering the latest delays, entirely possible.)

I think the gas price drop is so they can boost it a quarter right before Labor Day weekend without too much screaming. Deflate now to inflate later. I do expect a price drop before election day, but not too long before... can't expect the administration's friends to make any true sacrifices, now can we? :sarcasm:

Boy George? :shrug: Then again, I came back from vacation and had completely missed about 5 days' worth of Mel Gibson. That was nice.

[Gogi]

3. I have a suggestion: Let's demote Pluto and rename it "Bush World"...

because it's a great, big loser! It would be a way for Dumbass to keep failing upward! First he failed in business, then he failed as TX governor, going on to greater heights he screwed up a nation! AND NOW HE BRINGS A PLANET DOWN! DON"T MISS: "DUBYA IN SPAAAAACE!!!!!!!!!!!" A Quinn-Martin Production.


:loveya: Keefy's back!

[Berry Cool]

4. Yes, you can bank on it, Keith's definitely back.

First of all, the newsletter mentions no stand-in.

Second, I got this lovely suitcase here that I picked up off the baggage carousel at JFK, and...

:rofl: JUST KIDDING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!