Reuters - Calls mount for New York Gov. Spitzer to resign

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Calls mount for New York Gov. Spitzer to resign

Wednesday, Mar 12, 2008 5:19AM UTC

By Ellen Wulfhorst

NEW YORK (Reuters) - New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer faced growing pressure to resign on Wednesday after becoming entangled in a sex scandal linking him to a high-priced prostitute.

State Republicans threatened to impeach the Democratic governor if he did not quit over the scandal that raises the possibility of criminal charges and the end of the political career of a man once considered a rising star in his party.

Several local media cited sources saying that Spitzer, 48, who is married and has three daughters, would resign as early as Wednesday. Unidentified aides told The New York Times his wife, Silda Spitzer, was urging him not to step down.

Public opinion was heavily in favor of the governor leaving office, according to a WNBC/Marist poll that found 70 percent of registered New York voters wanted Spitzer to quit.

"It's a big thumbs-down from New York voters," said Lee Miringoff, director of the Marist Institute for Public Opinion in Poughkeepsie, New York. "He's in a politically untenable position as far as public opinion is concerned."

Legal observers speculated Spitzer, the state's former chief prosecutor who built a reputation fighting white-collar crime on Wall Street, hoped to reach a deal with prosecutors over possible criminal charges before leaving his post.

Although clients of prostitutes typically are not charged with crimes under state laws, the Spitzer case is in the hands of federal authorities. He could face charges of structuring, which entails payments of money made in such a way as to conceal their purpose and source.

The scandal erupted after The New York Times said Spitzer hired a $1,000-an-hour prostitute and was caught on a federal wiretap arranging to meet her at a Washington hotel.

Spitzer apologized on Monday for what he called a "private matter." He said nothing about resigning nor did he confirm or deny the report.

He retreated to his Manhattan apartment building and has not appeared in public since.

PUBLIC SPLIT ON POSSIBLE PROSECUTION

Spitzer was elected with nearly 70 percent of the vote in 2006 following a stint as state attorney general, when his high-profile financial probes attracted publicity but also resentment on Wall Street.

New Yorkers were split on what should happen to Spitzer, with roughly half saying he should face criminal charges and half saying he should not, the WNBC/Marist poll said.

If Spitzer does not resign, 66 percent said the state Legislature should impeach him, the poll said.

On Tuesday, James Tedisco, head of the Republicans in the state Assembly, said if Spitzer did not resign in 24 to 48 hours, they would prepare articles of impeachment.

At the heart of the scandal is a criminal complaint unveiled last week charging four people with running a prostitution ring dubbed The Emperors Club.

Spitzer was identified as Client 9 in court papers in that case, according to the Times. Client 9 arranged to meet with "Kristen," a prostitute who charged $1,000 an hour, on February 13 in a Washington hotel and paid her $4,300, the papers said.

Unidentified sources told New York's Newsday that Spitzer had as many as seven or eight liaisons over the past several years with prostitutes supplied by an international call girl ring based in New Jersey. For each encounter, Spitzer paid several thousand dollars, the sources told the newspaper.

The Times, citing unidentified law enforcement officials, reported the investigation began last year during an Internal Revenue Service review of suspicious financial transactions as reported by banks.

(Additional reporting by Claudia Parsons, Christine Kearney, Daniel Trotta, Emily Chasan and Michelle Nichols in New York and Joan Gralla in Albany; Editing by Peter Cooney)

(For more on the Eliot Spitzer case, see Reuters online at:

http://www.reuters.com/news/globalcoverage/eliotspitzer)

USA TODAY - $4-a-gallon gas forecast in some areas

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WASHINGTON
By Barbara Hagenbaugh, USA TODAY

Gasoline prices in the coming months are likely to top $4 a gallon in some parts of the country, and perhaps nationally, the government said Tuesday.

According to the monthly report of the Energy Information Administration, the non-partisan statistical arm of the U.S. Energy Department, the monthly nationwide average gasoline price is likely to peak at $3.48 a gallon in May and June. That would be up more than a quarter a gallon from the record nationwide average price of $3.225 registered on Monday.

The EIA report notes, however, that "even if the national average monthly gasoline price peaks near that level, there is a significant possibility that prices during some shorter time period, or in some region or subregion, will cross the $4 per gallon threshold."

HITTING HOME: Record fuel prices blow household budgets

The projection came as the Energy Department and the International Energy Agency have lowered their forecasts for energy demand growth in 2008. Despite that, oil prices continued to break records. The price of a barrel of light, sweet crude for delivery in April rose 85 cents to $108.75 in trading Tuesday. Oil accounts for about two-thirds of the U.S. retail gas price.

In its monthly report Tuesday, IEA, an energy policy adviser to 27 countries including the United States, warned of continuing high fuel prices. "We are in an era of higher oil prices, and so if we look at $100 (per barrel) oil, we have to do so with an understanding that prices are unlikely to return to levels seen in the early part of this decade." Oil prices at the beginning of the decade were in the $20-to-$30-a-barrel range.

Oil prices are rising as investors rush into commodities of all kinds seeking safety amid a falling dollar, rising inflation worries and general economic concerns. The EIA, the Energy Department unit, predicted oil prices would ease somewhat during the second half of March and continue to retreat throughout the year.

Still, the monthly average is expected to be $90 or higher through November, the EIA said. That's higher than the prediction a month ago, when the government forecast the average price would peak this year in January.

Burden on economy

Retail gasoline prices now top $3 a gallon in every state and the District of Columbia, according to AAA and the Oil Price Information Service. The highest statewide average price Tuesday was $3.61 in Hawaii; the lowest was $3.01 in New Jersey.

High gasoline prices not only create headaches for businesses and consumers, but they also act as a drag on the economy as people have less money to spend on non-energy goods. The hit is coming at a time when the economy is particularly vulnerable, given a sharp drop-off in housing, a contraction in jobs and turmoil in financial markets.

Higher prices are leading consumers to cut their demand for gasoline, which has been lower in recent weeks than the same time a year ago, when prices were 26% lower.

The American Public Transportation Association this week said Americans took 10.3 billion trips on public transportation in 2007, up 2.1% from 2006 and the most in 50 years. The group attributed the gain in ridership in part to higher gasoline costs.

Employees at Jada Management Systems, a software firm in West Linn, Ore., are being choosier about driving to meet with potential clients.

Before gas prices got too high, workers would drive to sales calls as much as 60 miles away without too much consideration. Now, they do an online demonstration for a potential client, then analyze how interested the customer seems to be before getting in the car, says Megan Bowes, head of sales and marketing.

"Where before we might have gone 40 or 50 miles just to introduce the product and build good will in the area, now we have to think, especially if it is a prospect on the fence," she says.

Diesel prices have also soared to record highs, leading to higher shipping costs. That, too, can have a crippling effect on the economy as firms are often forced to eat higher costs.

The U.S. trucking industry is expected to pay a record $125 billion for fuel in 2008, up from $112 billion in 2007, according to the American Trucking Associations.

"For many trucking companies, fuel now costs nearly as much as labor," ATA chief economist Bob Costello says. "For many small carriers, fuel has surpassed labor."

Website address: http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/energy/2008-03-11-oil-tuesday_N.htm

USA TODAY - $4-a-gallon gas forecast in some areas

This story has been sent from the mobile device of Bombastic4000@gmail.com. For real-time mobile news, go to m.usatoday.com.

WASHINGTON
By Barbara Hagenbaugh, USA TODAY

Gasoline prices in the coming months are likely to top $4 a gallon in some parts of the country, and perhaps nationally, the government said Tuesday.

According to the monthly report of the Energy Information Administration, the non-partisan statistical arm of the U.S. Energy Department, the monthly nationwide average gasoline price is likely to peak at $3.48 a gallon in May and June. That would be up more than a quarter a gallon from the record nationwide average price of $3.225 registered on Monday.

The EIA report notes, however, that "even if the national average monthly gasoline price peaks near that level, there is a significant possibility that prices during some shorter time period, or in some region or subregion, will cross the $4 per gallon threshold."

HITTING HOME: Record fuel prices blow household budgets

The projection came as the Energy Department and the International Energy Agency have lowered their forecasts for energy demand growth in 2008. Despite that, oil prices continued to break records. The price of a barrel of light, sweet crude for delivery in April rose 85 cents to $108.75 in trading Tuesday. Oil accounts for about two-thirds of the U.S. retail gas price.

In its monthly report Tuesday, IEA, an energy policy adviser to 27 countries including the United States, warned of continuing high fuel prices. "We are in an era of higher oil prices, and so if we look at $100 (per barrel) oil, we have to do so with an understanding that prices are unlikely to return to levels seen in the early part of this decade." Oil prices at the beginning of the decade were in the $20-to-$30-a-barrel range.

Oil prices are rising as investors rush into commodities of all kinds seeking safety amid a falling dollar, rising inflation worries and general economic concerns. The EIA, the Energy Department unit, predicted oil prices would ease somewhat during the second half of March and continue to retreat throughout the year.

Still, the monthly average is expected to be $90 or higher through November, the EIA said. That's higher than the prediction a month ago, when the government forecast the average price would peak this year in January.

Burden on economy

Retail gasoline prices now top $3 a gallon in every state and the District of Columbia, according to AAA and the Oil Price Information Service. The highest statewide average price Tuesday was $3.61 in Hawaii; the lowest was $3.01 in New Jersey.

High gasoline prices not only create headaches for businesses and consumers, but they also act as a drag on the economy as people have less money to spend on non-energy goods. The hit is coming at a time when the economy is particularly vulnerable, given a sharp drop-off in housing, a contraction in jobs and turmoil in financial markets.

Higher prices are leading consumers to cut their demand for gasoline, which has been lower in recent weeks than the same time a year ago, when prices were 26% lower.

The American Public Transportation Association this week said Americans took 10.3 billion trips on public transportation in 2007, up 2.1% from 2006 and the most in 50 years. The group attributed the gain in ridership in part to higher gasoline costs.

Employees at Jada Management Systems, a software firm in West Linn, Ore., are being choosier about driving to meet with potential clients.

Before gas prices got too high, workers would drive to sales calls as much as 60 miles away without too much consideration. Now, they do an online demonstration for a potential client, then analyze how interested the customer seems to be before getting in the car, says Megan Bowes, head of sales and marketing.

"Where before we might have gone 40 or 50 miles just to introduce the product and build good will in the area, now we have to think, especially if it is a prospect on the fence," she says.

Diesel prices have also soared to record highs, leading to higher shipping costs. That, too, can have a crippling effect on the economy as firms are often forced to eat higher costs.

The U.S. trucking industry is expected to pay a record $125 billion for fuel in 2008, up from $112 billion in 2007, according to the American Trucking Associations.

"For many trucking companies, fuel now costs nearly as much as labor," ATA chief economist Bob Costello says. "For many small carriers, fuel has surpassed labor."

Website address: http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/energy/2008-03-11-oil-tuesday_N.htm

Reuters - A walkabout with Mazda's design chief in Geneva

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http://mobile.reuters.com

A walkabout with Mazda's design chief in Geneva

Tuesday, Mar 11, 2008 11:55AM UTC

By Chang-Ran Kim, Asia auto correspondent

GENEVA (Reuters) - Of the four major international auto shows each year, Geneva is the one best known for its focus on style, with big and small design houses sharing the spotlight alongside the world's top car brands.

So to get a sense of what's hot (and not) at the show, Reuters walked the floor with Laurens van den Acker, head of design at Mazda Motor.

The 42-year-old Dutchman who has designed for Ford, Volvo, Audi and joined Mazda in 2006, had this to say about some of the cars and brands on display at the Geneva International Motor Show, which runs through March 16:

FORD

For me the two Fiestas really stand out. They're impressive on the outside but more impressive in the interior. A lot of it was inspired by cell-phones - you can see it in the way the knobs are executed. To get this level of sophistication and expression in a small car that is normally considered a cheap transportation I think is really really nice. I think they have a real hit on their hands.

ASTON MARTIN

The cars for car lovers. It's hard to fault these classic designs. It's nice whenever you have a car brand and you couldn't pick a bad one in the line-up.

LAND ROVER

LRX concept car. It shows a new direction for the brand to go into a smaller, more urban, stylish vehicle. This is like a little Gucci handbag -- very fashionable.

VOLVO

XC60. The smaller brother of the XC90. This is one of the fastest-growing segments in Europe. You can see how they're using their interior flow IP (instrument panel) as a trademark element across the line-up. It started in the S60 and it was such a riveting design element in the interiors that it's become kind of an iconic feature for Volvo. Even though this vehicle still has typical Volvo features - a strong shoulder and large, unique rear-light graphics - it still feels it's much more emotional than previous Volvos.

PEUGEOT

Peugeot is one of the more unusual brands - very French, very daring. Never afraid to make a bold impression, and depending on whom you talk to, it's on the good or the bad end of good taste.

MINI

This is, of course, the brand that has its act together. I can't think of another brand that is so consistent in terms of identity, the complete experience. I think in many ways it's the benchmark for any company on how to develop the brand.

BMW

The 1-series coupe. This is the spiritual successor to the 2002 which is the first vehicle that was introduced in America and was the core essence of what BMW stood for and became. I think this is a very very attractive vehicle.

MERCEDES-BENZ

What's interesting for me is that Mercedes' product portfolio is becoming so large that they feel the need to differentiate within their design language between their vehicles. So you're seeing that they're opening up their design language to accommodate a more angular surface language as well as the more chic and luxurious one that we're used to.

CHRYSLER

Dodge ZEO, Chrysler EcoVoyager, Jeep Renegade. A trio of concept cars shown first in Detroit: What's interesting is that for an American company you're seeing a small Jeep, a small Dodge and a relatively small Chrysler.

CITROEN

Here's a company that in my view is making a bit of a design renaissance. Design chief Jean-Pierre Ploue has done an amazing job of giving Citroen an avant-garde feeling. Citroen is a very interesting brand because on the one hand it's very elitist and avant-garde, and on the other it needs to appeal to a lot of people in the affordable price range. It's probably one of the most difficult sells.

FIAT

Cinquecento. It's that small car that's bigger than life. This is one of those cars that if you see it driving out on the streets you want to give it a hug and a kiss. Apart from being very cute, it has tremendous history in Italy and Europe, and has been made famous in many classic American movies.

TOYOTA

I think the most significant vehicle on this stand is the little iQ. The simple way to put it is that this is Toyota's answer to (Daimler's) Smart. The concept version shown last year was very cute and appealing and I feel this production version is looking a little bit more plump and lost a little bit of its appeal. It's a difficult proportion.

INFINITI

FX50. The successor to the FX45, which was significant because it was the first most sporty all-out crossover that I saw in the American market that had great proportions, great wheels and great presence on the road. This is a careful evolution of the FX45. It'll be interesting to see how it does in Europe, where Infiniti will be launched for the first time this year.

SAAB

9-X. To me what's interesting is that where Volvo is going in a more emotional design direction, Saab seems to be embracing Scandinavian design more to the extreme. So you see a purity of shapes, the starkness of colors and some reduced elements.

AUDI

One of the most well-managed brands, I'd say. Very concise and consistent. All the right German values: great technology, no fluff, very strong presence. Another brand that's figured out what they want to be about and is applying it consistently - not only through design but throughout the whole experience: the show stand, the line-up, the presentation. We still have a lot to learn.

SKODA

New Superb Elegance. There is something very East European about this car. I don't know what it is but it brings out memories of Russian Volgas in some ways -- it has a state limousine kind of a presence. The transformation that Skoda has gone through under Volkswagen's leadership is amazing.

VOLKSWAGEN

The new Scirocco. I'm not sure whether this looks like a Volkswagen. The company is going through a design leadership change so you're in this interesting phase where the Murat Gunak cars are running out while Walter de'Silva's are coming in. This vehicle has a bit of both. I imagine that there's literally a philosophical change within Volkswagen going on at the moment.

NISSAN

GT-R. This is the Japanese Mustang in styling, and Japanese Porsche in technology. If there ever was a manga-inspired car (Japanese comics), it's this.

RENAULT

Megane Coupe Concept. An incredible interior, especially with the striking red, glossy finish and beautiful sculpted shapes with an architectural feel to the design. I think they've found this way of mixing strong geometric shapes with the fluidity in between. You can only hope that their production cars benefit from these vehicles.

HONDA

The CR-Z hybrid concept is a very nice and cute vehicle. It's got a great front end, great stumps and I hope they build this vehicle just as is.

MAZDA

Here at this show we wanted to concentrate on the full line-up of the Mazda6 -- it's the first time that you see them all together including the wagon. And to support our sustainable "zoom-zoom" idea, we have the Taiki (a sports car powered by a hydrogen-fuelled rotary engine) to give you a glimpse of the future.

(Reporting by Chang-Ran Kim, editing by Paul Casciato)

Reuters - Tackling urban gridlock with foldable car

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Tackling urban gridlock with foldable car

Monday, Mar 10, 2008 12:53PM UTC

By Allyn Fisher-Ilan

CAMBRIDGE, Massachusetts (Reuters) - Wouldn't it be nice to drive a car into town without worrying about finding a parking space?

Scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have devised just such a vehicle, a futuristic "City Car" that could even drive itself.

Once at your destination, the vehicle's computers would, at the press of a button, look for a parking spot behind others like itself, then fold roughly in half so you could stack it there as you would a shopping cart.

"We have reinvented urban mobility," said Bill Mitchell, a professor in architecture and director of the project at an MIT think tank in Cambridge, just outside Boston.

The vehicle hasn't yet been built. But a miniature mock-up version has gone on display at a campus museum, and there are plans to build a full-scale model this spring.

The dozen or so engineers and architects on Mitchell's team are confident their computer-generated work is on target.

They feel their golf cart-sized vehicle could provide a novel solution to the chronic traffic congestion afflicting cities across the United States, Europe and Asia -- not to mention pollution and energy use, since it would run on a rechargeable battery, the researchers say.

On the drawing board, their two-seater is roughly half the size of a typical compact automobile and a little smaller than the Smart car made by Daimler's Mercedes-Benz.

"It's a virtual computer on wheels," said Franco Vairani, designer of the vehicle's foldable frame, which he predicts will shrink the car to as little as an eighth the space needed to park the average car. While parked, it would hook up to an electricity grid for recharging, he added.

Hundreds could be stacked around a city and "you would just go and swipe your (credit) card and take the first one available and drive away," Vairani said, seated by his computerized drawing board.

People wouldn't have to worry about where to park their cars in town and automobiles would take up less urban space, leaving more room for parks and walkways, he added.

Peter Schmitt, a team engineer, says the car would have independently powered robotic wheels and be controlled using a computerized drive-by-wire system with a button or joystick.

Mitchell said he would like to bring the car to the manufacturing stage within the next three to four years.

But a key consultant for the project, Christopher Borroni-Bird, director of the Advanced Technology Vehicle Concepts at U.S. automaker General Motors Corp, said he doesn't think City Car is quite ready yet for the road.

"What we have is a very intriguing concept," Borroni-Bird told Reuters in a telephone interview. "It is certainly a very promising idea, but I don't want to say it is ready for production ... there's still a lot of work yet to take it from concept to production."

(Editing by Eric Walsh)

Reuters - "Client 9" T-shirts hit the Web

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"Client 9" T-shirts hit the Web

Tuesday, Mar 11, 2008 9:29PM UTC

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Who really is "Client 9"?

The New York Times says it's the code name for New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer in court papers that link him to a prostitution ring, but now anyone can be "Client 9" with T-shirts available online just a day after the scandal broke.

From simply "Client 9" with a large lipstick smooch over the top to "Just Call Me CLIENT 9," designers on Web sites like www.cafepress.com and www.zazzle.com are cashing in on reports that Spitzer had hired a high-priced prostitute.

"Look like a governor in this stylish CLIENT 9 design," one designer advertises on www.cafepress.com.

The two online retail sites allow designers to upload their own graphics to print on products such as T-shirts and mugs.

(Reporting by Emily Chasan, editing by Michelle Nichols and Todd Eastham)

CNN - Obama wins in Mississippi, CNN projects

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Obama wins in Mississippi, CNN projects

Sen. Barack Obama claimed victory in Mississippi's Democratic primary Tuesday.

"What we've tried to do is steadily make sure that in each state we are making the case about the need for change in this country. Obviously the people in Mississippi responded," Obama told CNN after his win.

Mississippi had 33 pledged delegates up for grabs, which will be allocated proportionally.

The state's Democratic voters were sharply divided among racial lines, exit polls indicate. Watch what the results mean

As has been the case in many primary states, Obama won overwhelming support from African-American voters. They went for him over Clinton 91-9 percent. See the results

The state has a larger proportion African-Americans (36 percent, according to the 2000 census) than any other state in the country. And black voters make up nearly 70 percent of registered Democrats.

But Mississippi white voters overwhelmingly backed the New York senator, supporting her over Obama 72 percent to 21 percent.

According to the Associated Press, only two other primary states were as racially polarized -- neighboring Alabama, and Clinton's former home state of Arkansas.

The exit polls also indicated roughly 40 percent of Mississippi Democratic voters said race was an important factor in their vote, and 90 percent of those voters supported Obama.

In Ohio, roughly one in five voters said race factored into their decision. About 60 percent of those voters picked Clinton over Obama.

Clinton's campaign issued a statement congratulating Obama on his win, and said they "look forward to campaigning in Pennsylvania and around the country as this campaign continues." CNN's political team weighs in on the results

Pennsylvania is the next battleground for the Democrats. It holds its primary on April 22 and has 158 delegates at stake.

Obama also finished first in the Texas Democratic caucuses. The caucuses were held last week, but the race was not called until Tuesday night. Watch Obama talk about his win

Obama will get more delegates out of the state than Clinton, who won the state's primary.

Under the Texas Democratic Party's complex delegate selection plan, Texas voters participated in both a primary and caucuses last week.

Two-thirds of the state's 193 delegates were at stake at the primary, while the remaining third were decided by the caucuses.

Obama leads Clinton in the overall delegate count 1,597-1,470, but neither candidate is close to the 2,025 delegates needed to clinch the Democratic presidential nomination.

Between 125,000 and 150,000 voters were expected to cast ballots Tuesday, according to Pamela Weaver of the Mississippi Secretary of State's Office.

While the number would represent a 25 to 50 percent increase in turnout from the 2004 primaries, Weaver still described the voting rate as light to moderate.

Obama touched on the Mississippi Delta's economic struggles during a final campaign stop in Greenville, Mississippi, according to the AP.

"We just haven't seen as much opportunity come to this area as we'd like," he told those gathered at a restaurant, the AP reported. "And one of the challenges, I think, for the next president is making sure that we're serving all communities and not just some communities."

Obama campaigned in Mississippi on Monday and spent part of Tuesday doing the same, while rival Clinton made a swing through the state on Thursday and Friday. Watch what Mississippi voters say is the top issue

In addition, former President Bill Clinton made the rounds for his wife in Mississippi over the weekend.

For Mississippi, it's a moment to bask in the national spotlight. And for a state with images of a strictly segregated past, the Democratic primary is a chance to alter some long held stereotypes.

"We're seeing a contest where I think you're going to see a huge turnout of voters voting either for a woman or an African-American, and that gives us a chance to make a statement," said Marty Wiseman, a professor of political science at Mississippi State University.

GQ_Gant Party 3.11.08

So tonight I went to a GQ_Gant event in Manhattan. Ultra chic clothing "Gant" is attempting a comeback so they held a lil shindig in New York. Let it ride.

Elliott's Sports Award

So monday night (last night) my younger brother had an sporting awards event at his school. He got earned a Varsity letter and a Academic Athlete certificate of recognition. After that we went out ot eat at Red Lobster to celebrate. Free product placement right there. Anyway, Go Elliott and go Uniondale!

BillBoard in the City

Inside the Gant-GQ party

Official Google Blog : We've officially acquired DoubleClick

the black rider has sent you a link to a blog:

googles statement on its aquisition of doubleclick

Blog: Official Google Blog
Post: We've officially acquired DoubleClick
Link: http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2008/03/weve-officially-acquired-doubleclick.html

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Barack Obbama, wil.i.amm Dip Dive Blackberry, Yes We Can

CNN - Obama wins in Mississippi, CNN projects

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Obama wins in Mississippi, CNN projects

Sen. Barack Obama will win Mississippi's Democratic primary, CNN projects.

Obama will also finish first in the Texas Democratic caucuses, which were held last week.

He will get more delegates out of the state than rival Sen. Hillary Clinton, who won the state's primary.

Under the Texas Democratic Party's complex delegate selection plan, Texas voters participated in both a primary and caucuses last week.

Two-thirds of the state's 193 delegates were at stake at the primary, while the remaining third were decided by the caucuses.

As has been the case in many primary states, Obama won overwhelming support from African-American voters. They went for him over Clinton 91-9 percent.

The state has a larger proportion African-Americans (36 percent, according to the 2000 census) than any other state in the country. And black voters make up nearly 70 percent of registered Democrats.

But Mississippi white voters overwhelmingly backed the New York senator, supporting her over Obama 72 percent to 21 percent.

According to the Associated Press, only two other primary states were as racially polarized -- neighboring Alabama, and Clinton's former home state of Arkansas.

The exit polls also indicated roughly 40 percent of Mississippi Democratic voters said race was an important factor in their vote, and 90 percent of those voters supported Obama.

In Ohio, roughly one in five voters said race factored into their decision. About 60 percent of those voters picked Clinton over Obama.

The exit polls in Mississippi also showed Democratic voters divided.

Of those who voted for Obama, 42 percent said they would be satisfied if Clinton was the nominee, according to the exit polls.

Among Clinton voters, only 16 percent said they would be satisfied if Obama wins the party's top spot.

The exit polls are based on surveys of 925 voters in Mississippi's Democratic primary.

Mississippi had 33 delegates up for grabs.

Obama leads Clinton in the overall delegate count 1,597-1,470, but neither candidate is close to the 2,025 delegates needed to clinch the Democratic presidential nomination.

Between 125,000 and 150,000 voters were expected to cast ballots Tuesday, according to Pamela Weaver of the Mississippi Secretary of State's Office.

While the number would represent a 25 to 50 percent increase in turnout from the 2004 primaries, Weaver still described the voting rate as light to moderate.

Obama touched on the Mississippi Delta's economic struggles during a final campaign stop in Greenville, Mississippi, according to the AP.

"We just haven't seen as much opportunity come to this area as we'd like," he told those gathered at a restaurant, the AP reported. "And one of the challenges, I think, for the next president is making sure that we're serving all communities and not just some communities."

Obama campaigned in Mississippi on Monday and spent part of Tuesday doing the same, while rival Clinton made a swing through the state on Thursday and Friday. Watch what Mississippi voters say is the top issue

In addition, former President Bill Clinton made the rounds for his wife in Mississippi over the weekend.

Mississippi holds open primaries, which means independents and Republicans can vote in the Democratic contest.

Another thing to keep an eye on is turnout. Jesse Jackson grabbed 45 percent of the vote in the Mississippi Democratic primary when he ran for the White House in 1988.

Al Gore, at the time a senator from Tennessee, came in second with 33 percent of the vote. More than 359,000 people voted in that year's Democratic primary. Only 76,000 people cast ballots in the 2004 contest, which John Kerry won overwhelmingly.

For Mississippi, it's a moment to bask in the national spotlight. And for a state with images of a strictly segregated past, the Democratic primary is a chance to alter some long held stereotypes.

"We're seeing a contest where I think you're going to see a huge turnout of voters voting either for a woman or an African-American, and that gives us a chance to make a statement," said Marty Wiseman, a professor of political science at Mississippi State University.

CNN - Mississippi takes center stage in tight Democratic race

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Mississippi takes center stage in tight Democratic race

Sens. Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton are facing off Tuesday in one of the most Republican states in the nation.

Mississippi, which has not voted for a Democratic candidate in a presidential election in 32 years, holds a Democratic primary Tuesday.

The state has 33 Democratic delegates up for grabs, and with the race so tight, every delegate counts.

Obama leads Clinton in the overall delegate count 1,591-1,467, but neither candidate is close to the 2,025 delegates needed to clinch the Democratic presidential nomination.

Clinton is coming off last week's wins in Ohio, Texas and Rhode Island.

Obama won the caucuses in Wyoming on Saturday, taking seven of the 12 delegates at stake. Watch more on Obama's win in Wyoming

Recent polls show Obama with a double-digit lead over Clinton in Mississippi.

Between 125,000 and 150,000 voters were expected to cast ballots Tuesday, according to Pamela Weaver of the Mississippi Secretary of State's Office.

While the number would represent a 25 to 50 percent increase in turnout from the 2004 primaries, Weaver still described the voting rate as light to moderate.

Obama touched on the Mississippi Delta's economic struggles during a final campaign stop in Greenville, Mississipi, according to The Associated Press.

"We just haven't seen as much opportunity come to this area as we'd like," he told those gathered at a restaurant, the AP reported. "And one of the challenges, I think, for the next president is making sure that we're serving all communities and not just some communities."

Obama campaigned in Mississippi on Monday and spent part of Tuesday doing the same, while rival Clinton made a swing through the state on Thursday and Friday.

In addition, former President Bill Clinton made the rounds for his wife in Mississippi over the weekend.

The state has a larger proportion African-Americans (36 percent, according to the 2000 census) than any other state in the country. And black voters make up nearly 70 percent of registered Democrats. Those numbers appear to benefit Obama, who's overwhelmingly won the African-American vote so far this primary season.

Mississippi also holds open primaries, which means independents and Republicans can vote in the Democratic contest. Exit polls indicate that Obama is winning the votes of independents and Republicans who cross over and cast ballots in Democratic contests. Watch what Mississippi voters say is the top issue

But Clinton is not conceding. While the odds are against a victory in Mississippi, her campaign is hoping they can come out of Tuesday's contest with a decent amount of delegates.

Another thing to keep an eye on is turnout. Jesse Jackson grabbed 45 percent of the vote in the Mississippi Democratic primary when he ran for the White House in 1988.

Al Gore, at the time a senator from Tennessee, came in second with 33 percent of the vote. More than 359,000 people voted in that year's Democratic primary. Only 76,000 people cast ballots in the 2004 contest, which John Kerry won overwhelmingly.

For Mississippi, it's a moment to bask in the national spotlight. And for a state with images of a strictly segregated past, the Democratic primary is a chance to alter some long held stereotypes.

"We're seeing a contest where I think you're going to see a huge turnout of voters voting either for a woman or an African-American, and that gives us a chance to make a statement," said Marty Wiseman, a professor of political science at Mississippi State University.

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Inside The Gant GQ Party

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Reuters - Nokia, techs drop as TI points to 3G weakness

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Nokia, techs drop as TI points to 3G weakness

Tuesday, Mar 11, 2008 4:30PM UTC

By Tarmo Virki

HELSINKI (Reuters) - Shares in the world's top cell phone maker Nokia <NOK1V.HE> <NOK.N> and several other technology firms fell on Tuesday after Texas Instruments <TXN.N> cut its first-quarter forecasts, citing a weaker market for chips used in phones with high-speed Web links.

Even as some analysts said that TI's shortfall related to inventory management at Nokia, fears that it meant the weakening global economy is biting into consumers' appetite for pricier phones sent Nokia shares down almost 5 percent.

"In our view the replacement cycle will slow due to the economy and consumers will increasingly go for cheaper phones over more pricier models," said Carnegie analyst Janne Rantanen.

Texas Instruments said the warning came after one of its key clients cut plans for building third-generation advanced phones in the preceding week or so.

Analysts said that the 3G customer, which TI did not name, was likely to be Nokia, its biggest client for mobile chips. A Nokia spokeswoman declined to comment.

Citing weak wireless demand, especially for third-generation high-end chips, TI cut its January-to-March quarter profit forecast and sales target ranges on Monday.

Brokerage Cazenove and Cheuvreux cut their recommendations on Nokia stock on the news.

Cazenove cut Nokia stock to "in-line" on the news, saying weaker demand for high-end 3G phones was likely to hurt the Finnish firm's average selling price and earnings per share.

"We are usually careful about comments from Nokia's supply chain, but the scale of the downgrade at Texas Instruments and the precision of the comments make us conclude that demand for Nokia's 3G/high-end phones has decreased in the second half of the quarter," Cazenove analysts said in a note.

SHARES DOWN

TI shares were down almost 5 percent at $28.26 on the New York Stock Exchange and Nokia's U.S. shares were down 4.6 percent, or $1.50, at $31.39, also on NYSE. Shares in Qualcomm Inc <QCOM.O>, TI's bigger wireless chip rival, were down 73 cents, or 1.9 percent, at $38.44.

But some analysts said the fears were overdone as they viewed TI's cut in sales estimates as the result of Nokia over-ordering chips for the first quarter due to component shortages in the previous quarter rather than weak demand.

"We continue to expect Nokia ships 20.4 million 3G handsets in the first quarter, down only slightly from an estimated 21.4 million" in the fourth quarter, JPMorgan analyst Ehud Gelblum said in a note to clients.

Another analyst, Tim Long of Bank of America, said that the shortfall was likely an inventory issue rather than the result of weak end-market demand at Nokia.

"Nokia's inventory was higher than usual at year end due to overall sales growth, stronger sales in December and Nokia making up for prior production under-runs due to component shortages," Long said in a note to clients.

Shares in Ericsson <ERICb.ST> also dropped, falling as much as 1.9 percent to 11.92 crowns in Stockholm.

"There is a fundamental reason to sell Ericsson on this as it may indicate less end-user demand for 3G in Europe, but much more so to sell Nokia as they are the reason for the TI downgrade," said analyst Per Lindtorp at ABN AMRO.

Shares in Texas's rival chip makers Infineon <IFXGn.DE> and STMicroelectronics <STM.PA> also fell on Tuesday before recovering later in the day.

"In our view, STM stands to be the most impacted in Europe as it has focused on 3G ... with little exposure to the low end," Credit Suisse analysts said in a note to clients.

(Additional reporting by Sven Nordenstam in Stockholm and

Sinead Carew in New York; Editing by Brian Moss and Louise Ireland)

Reuters - Internet TV subscriptions doubled in 2007: Informa

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Internet TV subscriptions doubled in 2007: Informa

Tuesday, Mar 11, 2008 1:7PM UTC

FRANKFURT (Reuters) - The number of Internet TV subscribers more than doubled in 2007 to 12.3 million worldwide, driven by western Europe where some broadband suppliers offered the service for free, according to a report.

Western Europe, led by France, accounted for 57 percent of global IPTV subscribers, research firm Informa Telecoms & Media said in a report published on Tuesday.

Traditional telecom providers are seeking new revenue streams to compensate for declining sales of fixed-line connections for voice calls, and IPTV is a promising new area, especially for state incumbents with extensive networks.

Informa said France Telecom, Iliad's Free, Neuf and Telecom Italia's Alice had attracted more than 5 million IPTV subscribers between them in France by bundling the service free with broadband offers.

A large number of those subscribers may not be paying for additional content, however, Informa said.

"2007 was a watershed year for IPTV as many western European telcos launched full packages," the report said, adding that IPTV was still in its first phase of rollout and growth.

"It will be interesting to note their approach to IPTV in the future: whether it is used to increase customer loyalty or whether it is a genuine money-making stand-alone service."

China now has about 1 million IPTV subscribers and Hong Kong already had 1 million in September, making it the world's most mature IPTV market with 60 percent of DSL broadband customers subscribing for TV over the Web, Informa said.

Informa also said the United States added more than 1 million customers in 2007, largely thanks to fiber-to-the-home rollouts by Verizon and AT&T. fiber-to-the-home delivers faster connections than regular broadband.

In Germany and France, Deutsche Telekom and BT more than doubled their subscriber numbers to reach more than 100,000 each.

(Reporting by Georgina Prodhan; Editing by Mike Elliott)

Reuters - Google plans unspecified job cuts at DoubleClick

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Google plans unspecified job cuts at DoubleClick

Tuesday, Mar 11, 2008 7:4PM UTC

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Google Inc plans to make an unspecified number of job cuts at DoubleClick Inc following the closing of its $3.1 billion acquisition of the advertising technology company, Google said on Tuesday.

In a statement on Google's Web site, the Internet leader said it has been limited by law from making detailed integration plans, but by early April it expects to have a plan for staffing levels in DoubleClick's U.S. operations.

"An immediate task we'll undertake over the next few weeks is matching and aligning DoubleClick employees with our organizational plan for the business," Google said in a blog post at http://tinyurl.com/yuagge/.

"As with most mergers, there may be reductions in headcount. We expect these to take place in the U.S. and possibly in other regions as well," the company said. DoubleClick has 1,500 employees.

Outside of the United States, Google will begin consultations with employee organizations on potential job reductions in line with local laws, it said. A pioneer in the field of Web advertising, DoubleClick was headquartered in New York in the same building as Google's local offices. Google completed the acquisition earlier Tuesday.

(Reporting by Eric Auchard; Editing by Gerald E. McCormick)

Reuters - Stocks fly as Fed's cash injection eases credit fear

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Stocks fly as Fed's cash injection eases credit fear

Tuesday, Mar 11, 2008 8:30PM UTC

By Justin Grant

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Stocks surged more than 3 percent on Tuesday, led by financial shares, after the Federal Reserve said it would add up to $200 billion to strained credit markets in a coordinated effort with other central banks.

The market rang up its biggest gains of the year after the Fed said it was expanding a lending program and will accept a broader base of securities as collateral, including mortgage bonds whose value has declined as the housing bubble burst.

Shares of mortgage-related companies and banks led the way, helping the market recover after three days of losses. Stocks had been close to their lows for the year as recession fears mounted.

Shares of Fannie Mae, the largest U.S. mortgage finance company, advanced 11.1 percent to $22.00, and Citigroup Inc, the largest U.S. bank, climbed 9.1 percent to $21.49.

Home builders' shares also rallied, as the Fed's action could help boost mortgage lending and ease the drag of the housing slump on the broader economy.

Even so, analysts said an extended rally hinges on the health of the beleaguered credit markets.

"The key to any sustainable rally is going to be an improvement on the credit side," said Michael Darda, chief economist at MKM Partners LLC, in Greenwich, Connecticut.

"But this is positive. The Fed's making a major effort to get liquidity and credit into the cracks and crevices of the financial system that need it the most."

The Dow Jones industrial average soared 416.66 points, or 3.55 percent, to 12,156.81 in its best one-day performance since March 2003. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index climbed 47.28 points, or 3.71 percent, to 1,320.65. The Nasdaq Composite Index gained 86.42 points, or 3.98 percent, to 2,255.76.

On the Nasdaq, shares of Apple Inc rose 6.4 percent to $127.35, leading gainers. Google Inc's shares climbed 6.3 percent to $439.84 as the company closed its $3.1 billion acquisition of DoubleClick Inc

Shares of Freddie Mac, the No. 2 U.S mortgage company, gained 2.8 percent to $20.16, while Bank of America Corp shot up 6.8 percent to $37.72.

Bear Stearns, which hit a fresh 52-week low in earlier trading, recovered to finish up 1.1 percent at $62.97 after U.S. Securities and Exchange Chairman Christopher Cox said the SEC was comfortable with the "capital cushions" at the five largest U.S. investment banks, including Bear Stearns.

Joe Saluzzi, co-manager of trading at Themis Trading in Chatham, New Jersey, said Cox's comments boosted the stock and "carried the rest of the market with it."

Meanwhile, the dollar rose sharply following the Fed's move as concerns about a deepening credit crisis and U.S. recession abated.

Ted Oberhaus, manager of equity trading at Lord Abbett & Co., said, with respect to the Fed's liquidity action, that "if they can stabilize the credit markets without putting undue pressure on the dollar, the Fed will have won this leg of the journey."

The brief surge in U.S. crude oil futures prices to a record high above $109 a barrel helped shares of Exxon Mobil Corp rise 5.1 percent to $86.68, making the oil company's stock the top gainer in the S&P 500.

Among home builders, shares of Centex Corp climbed 11.5 percent to $21.67. The Dow Jones U.S. home construction index jumped 8.7 percent.

Volume was heavy on the New York Stock Exchange, where about 1.95 billion shares changed hands, above last year's estimated daily average of 1.9 billion shares. On the Nasdaq, about 2.45 billion shares traded, above last year's daily average of 2.17 billion.

Advancing shares outnumbered declining shares on the NYSE by a ratio of about 5 to 1 and almost 3 to 1 on the Nasdaq.

(Additional reporting by Caroline Valetkevitch; Editing by Jan Paschal)

CNN - Source: Spitzer 'cannot hold on to his job'

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Source: Spitzer 'cannot hold on to his job'

New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer's hold on office seemed less certain Tuesday as a legislative staffer said gubernatorial aides were in transition talks with the lieutenant governor, and Democratic sources said Spitzer had no choice but to step down.

"It is a 'when' question on the resignation, not an 'if.' He knows that," said a Democratic source with firsthand knowledge of the issue.

"It is hard to come to terms with, and there are legal issues that are related to any big political decisions. But Eliot knows he cannot hold on to his job here. He might want to, but he is absolutely aware of his predicament."

A Democratic campaign veteran with ties to the Spitzer team added, "A resignation was part of the discussions early yesterday but was tabled. The political people were clear about the options. There are none -- not for him."

If Spitzer resigns, Lt. Gov. David Paterson, 53, would become the state's first black governor and the fourth in U.S. history. The former Senate minority leader is legally blind and is the son of Basil Paterson, a longtime Democratic operative in New York City.

No further information was immediately available about the reported meetings between Spitzer and Paterson staffers.

Political opponents quickly called for Spitzer's resignation after federal investigators linked the Democratic governor to a high-rolling prostitution ring.

On Tuesday, a day after Spitzer apologized for a personal matter without elaborating, New York's minority leader in the state Assembly issued a warning: Resign by Thursday or face potential impeachment.

A spokesman for state Assemblyman James Tedisco said that Tedisco plans to introduce articles of impeachment within 48 hours if Spitzer didn't step down.

Tedisco, a Republican, called for Spitzer's immediate resignation after prosecutors unsealed an affidavit detailing a rendezvous in a Washington hotel room last month. The affidavit refers only to "Client 9," but a source with knowledge of the investigation told CNN on Monday that the reference was to Spitzer.

Tedisco said he was providing the two-day window because Spitzer "may be making decisions or negotiations with the law enforcement officials in relationship to the legal aspects of this."

"Our hearts are broken," Tedisco said. "But we have to continue with governance here and this is a total distraction. It's a circus here at the New York state Capitol."

Tedisco said he already is preparing the paperwork for the articles of impeachment, which haven't been introduced in the state Assembly in more than a century. He insisted it wasn't about partisan politics but "about what's right and wrong in moving this government forward."

More than half the Assembly would need to approve impeachment for it to pass. That would require all 42 Republicans and about a third of the 108 Democrats in the Assembly to cast yes votes. The GOP-controlled Senate then would need to pass the measure by a two-thirds vote.

Though he hasn't been been charged with any crime, Spitzer has begun assembling a legal team. He has tapped Michele Hirshman as his lead attorney, said Madelaine Miller, a spokeswoman for Hirshman's law firm, Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison.

Hirshman, who was the first deputy attorney general under Spitzer when he was New York attorney general, also is a former assistant U.S. attorney who "served as chief of the Public Corruption Unit, where she led major investigations and prosecutions of government fraud and political and police corruption," according to the law firm's Web site.

The Republican Governors Association called on Spitzer to resign to "allow the people of New York to pursue honest leadership."

"The American people are tired of corrupt and hypocritical politicians. The governor of New York is just another in the long list of politicians that have failed their constituents," said Nick Ayers, the association's executive director.

Spitzer, 48, took office in January 2007 after eight years as the state's attorney general, rising to national prominence.

Spitzer, who is married with three children, went before reporters Monday to confess to an undisclosed personal indiscretion, saying he had acted "in a way that violates my obligations to my family, that violates my or any sense of right and wrong."

He did not acknowledge the allegations, which were revealed Monday in The New York Times, nor did he take questions. Watch Spitzer's apology

Sources said a federal money-laundering probe led agents to Spitzer. According to two sources who spoke Tuesday with CNN, Spitzer hit the federal radar when a bank reported to the Internal Revenue Service that a significant amount of money had been suspiciously transferred from one account to another.

His alleged involvement with the ring was caught on a federal wiretap, the source said. View a gallery of recent political sex scandals

The prostitute, identified only as "Kristen" worked for the Emperors Club, which charged between $1,000 and $5,500 an hour and operated in New York; Los Angeles, California; Miami, Florida; London, England; and Paris, France, according to court papers.

If Spitzer paid for Kristen to travel from New York to Washington to perform sexual acts for money, as is alleged in the affidavit, the governor could be found violation of federal law. The Mann Act makes it a federal offense to take someone across state lines for the purpose of prostitution.

A source familiar with the investigation identified the Washington hotel where the pair allegedly met as the tony Mayflower. Spitzer registered at the hotel under the name George Fox, two sources close to the investigation said.

Spitzer, who built his career on rooting out public corruption as New York attorney general, became a national figure with a series of high-profile Wall Street investigations. He also prosecuted prostitution rings. See a timeline of his life

Now his lawyers may be questioned about how he paid for the alleged hotel encounter, whether the trail was concealed and whether any banking laws were circumvented as a result, the source said.

The investigation into the Emperor's Club, which began in October 2007, included evidence from a confidential source identified in court papers as a prostitute who worked at the club in 2006 and was given immunity.

It also included statements from an undercover officer who posed as a customer, more than 5,000 intercepted phone calls and text messages, more than 6,000 e-mails recovered with search warrants, bank records, travel and hotel records and physical surveillance.

CNN - Fallon resigns as chief of U.S. forces in Middle East

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Fallon resigns as chief of U.S. forces in Middle East

Adm. William Fallon has resigned as chief of U.S. forces in the Middle East and Central Asia after more than a year in the post, citing what he called an inaccurate perception that he is at odds with the Bush administration over Iran.

Fallon, the head of U.S. Central Command, was the subject of a recent Esquire magazine profile that portrayed him as resisting pressure for military action against Iran, which the Bush administration accuses of trying to develop nuclear weapons.

In a written statement, he said the article's "disrespect for the president" and "resulting embarrassment" have become a distraction.

"Although I don't believe there have ever been any differences about the objectives of our policy in the Central Command area of responsibility, the simple perception that there is makes it difficult for me to effectively serve America's interests there," he said.

In Washington, Defense Secretary Robert Gates told reporters at the Pentagon that he accepted Fallon's resignation "with reluctance and regret."

But he added, "I think it's the right decision."

"We have tried between us to put this misperception behind us over a period of months, and, frankly, just have not been successful in doing so," he said.

Fallon, a 41-year veteran of the Navy, took over as chief of Central Command in early 2007. Gates said he will be replaced by Lt. Gen. Martin Dempsey, his deputy, who commanded an Army division in Iraq in the early days of the war and led efforts to train the Iraqi military.

USA TODAY - 1 in 4 teen girls have STD

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CHICAGO

At least one in four teenage girls nationwide has a sexually transmitted disease, or more than 3 million teens, according to the first study of its kind in this age group.

A virus that causes cervical cancer is by far the most common sexually transmitted infection in teen girls aged 14 to 19, while the highest overall prevalence is among black girls nearly half the blacks studied had at least one STD. That rate compared with 20% among both whites and Mexican-American teens, the study from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found.

About half of the girls acknowledged ever having sex; among them, the rate was 40%. While some teens define sex as only intercourse, other types of intimate behavior including oral sex can spread some infections.

For many, the numbers likely seem "overwhelming because you're talking about nearly half of the sexually experienced teens at any one time having evidence of an STD," said Dr. Margaret Blythe, an adolescent medicine specialist at Indiana University School of Medicine and head of the American Academy of Pediatrics' committee on adolescence.

But the study highlights what many doctors who treat teens see every day, Blythe said.

Dr. John Douglas, director of the CDC's division of STD prevention, said the results are the first to examine the combined national prevalence of common sexually transmitted diseases among adolescent girls. He said the data, from 2003-04, likely reflect current rates of infection.

"High STD rates among young women, particularly African-American young women, are clear signs that we must continue developing ways to reach those most at risk," Douglas said.

The CDC's Dr. Kevin Fenton said given that STDs can cause infertility and cervical cancer in women, "screening, vaccination and other prevention strategies for sexually active women are among our highest public health priorities."

The study by CDC researcher Dr. Sara Forhan is an analysis of nationally representative data on 838 girls who participated in a 2003-04 government health survey. Teens were tested for four infections: human papillomavirus, or HPV, which can cause cervical cancer and affected 18% of girls studied; chlamydia, which affected 4%; trichomoniasis, 2.5%; and herpes simplex virus, 2%.

Blythe said the results are similar to previous studies examining rates of those diseases individually.

The results were prepared for release Tuesday at a CDC conference in Chicago on preventing sexually transmitted diseases.

HPV can cause genital warts but often has no symptoms. A vaccine targeting several HPV strains recently became available, but Douglas said it likely has not yet had much impact on HPV prevalence rates in teen girls.

Chlamydia and trichomoniasis can be treated with antibiotics. The CDC recommends annual chlamydia screening for all sexually active women under age 25. It also recommends the three-dose HPV vaccine for girls aged 11-12 years, and catch-up shots for females aged 13 to 26.

The American Academy of Pediatrics has similar recommendations.

Douglas said screening tests are underused in part because many teens don't think they're at risk, but also, some doctors mistakenly think, '"Sexually transmitted diseases don't happen to the kinds of patients I see."'

Blythe said some doctors also are reluctant to discuss STDs with teen patients or offer screening because of confidentiality concerns, knowing parents would have to be told of the results.

The American Academy of Pediatrics supports confidential teen screening, she said.

Website address: http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2008-03-11-std_N.htm

CNN - Source: Spitzer transition talks under way

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Source: Spitzer transition talks under way

Aides to New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer are holding transition meetings with the lieutenant governor's office, a top legislative staffer said as calls for Spitzer's resignation heated up Tuesday.

If Spitzer resigns, Lt. Gov. David Paterson, 53, would become the state's first black governor and the fourth in U.S. history. The former Senate minority leader is legally blind and is the son of Basil Paterson, a longtime Democratic operative in New York City.

No further information was immediately available about the reported meetings between Spitzer and Paterson staffers.

Political opponents quickly called for Spitzer's resignation after federal investigators linked New York's Democratic governor to a high-rolling prostitution ring.

On Tuesday, a day after Spitzer apologized for a personal matter without elaborating, New York's minority leader in the state Assembly issued a warning: Resign by Thursday or face potential impeachment.

A spokesman for state Assemblyman James Tedisco said that Tedisco plans to introduce articles of impeachment within 48 hours if Spitzer didn't step down.

Tedisco, a Republican, called for Spitzer's immediate resignation after prosecutors unsealed an affidavit detailing a rendezvous in a Washington hotel room last month. The affidavit refers only to "Client 9," but a source with knowledge of the investigation told CNN on Monday that the reference was to Spitzer.

Tedisco said he was providing the two-day window because Spitzer "may be making decisions or negotiations with the law enforcement officials in relationship to the legal aspects of this."

"Our hearts are broken," Tedisco said. "But we have to continue with governance here and this is a total distraction. It's a circus here at the New York state Capitol."

Tedisco said he already is preparing the paperwork for the articles of impeachment, which haven't been introduced in the state Assembly in more than a century. He insisted it wasn't about partisan politics but "about what's right and wrong in moving this government forward."

Though he hasn't been been charged with any crime, Spitzer has begun assembling a legal team. He has tapped Michele Hirshman as his lead attorney, said Madelaine Miller, a spokeswoman for Hirshman's law firm, Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison.

Hirshman, who was the first deputy attorney general under Spitzer when he was New York attorney general, also is a former assistant U.S. attorney who "served as chief of the Public Corruption Unit, where she led major investigations and prosecutions of government fraud and political and police corruption," according to the law firm's Web site.

The Republican Governors Association called on Spitzer to resign to "allow the people of New York to pursue honest leadership."

"The American people are tired of corrupt and hypocritical politicians. The governor of New York is just another in the long list of politicians that have failed their constituents," said Nick Ayers, the association's executive director.

Spitzer took office in January 2007 after eight years as the state's attorney general, rising to national prominence.

Spitzer, 48, who is married with three children, went before reporters Monday to confess to an undisclosed personal indiscretion, saying he had acted "in a way that violates my obligations to my family, that violates my or any sense of right and wrong."

He did not acknowledge the allegations, which were revealed Monday in The New York Times, nor did he take questions. Watch Spitzer's apology

His alleged involvement with the ring was caught on a federal wiretap, the source said.

The prostitute, identified only as "Kristen" worked for the Emperors Club, which charged between $1,000 and $5,500 an hour and operated in New York; Los Angeles, California; Miami, Florida; London, England; and Paris, France, according to court papers.

Details from messages

According to the affidavit, defendant Temeka Rachelle Lewis -- who is accused of working as a booking agent for the club -- wrote a text message February 11, asking the operation's day-to-day organizer to "pls let me know if (Client 9's) 'package' arrives 2mrw. Appt wd be on Wed." Prosecutors say the message was a reference to a deposit.

On February 12, according to the affidavit, Lewis sent a message to Kristen, saying Client 9's deposit had not arrived but she should be able to "do the trip" if it arrived the next day. View a gallery of recent political sex scandals

In a later conversation, Lewis and Kristen discussed when the prostitute could take a train from New York's Penn Station to Washington's Union Station, the affidavit said. Client 9 would be "paying for everything -- train tickets, cab fare from the hotel and back, mini bar or room service, travel time, and hotel."

Paying for a prostitute to travel from New York to Washington could violate federal law. The Mann Act makes it a federal offense to take someone across state lines for the purpose of prostitution.

The affidavit says that on February 12 at about 5 p.m., Lewis spoke with Client 9 on the telephone and told him that his "package arrived today." The client asked Lewis whom he would be meeting and, when told it was Kristen, said, "Great, OK, wonderful."

The two discussed how the woman would get a key to his room for a February 13 rendezvous and how they could arrange credit for future services.

"Client 9 asked Lewis to remind him what Kristen looked like and Lewis said that she was an American, petite, very pretty brunette, 5 feet 5-inches and 105 pounds," the affidavit reads.

In a call to Lewis, Client 9 was told the balance would be $2,712.41, but Lewis suggested he give Kristen $1,500 or $2,000 more so that he would have a credit.

According to the affidavit, Kristen called Lewis about 9:32 p.m. on February 13 and told her she was in Client 9's room -- No. 871 -- at the Washington hotel.

Four minutes later, Client 9 was in the hotel, Lewis told Kristen in another call.

A source familiar with the investigation identified the hotel as the toney Mayflower. Spitzer registered at the hotel under the name George Fox, two sources close to the investigation said.

No more calls were logged until 12:02 a.m. -- Valentine's Day -- nearly 2½ hours later. At that time, Kristen told Lewis that Client 9 had left and she had collected $4,300.

Lewis told the prostitute she'd been told that Client 9 "would ask you to do things that, like, you might not think are safe -- you know -- I mean that ... very basic things," the affidavit says.

Kristen told Lewis, "I have a way of dealing with that. ... I'd be like, listen dude, you really want the sex?"

"I don't think he's difficult," Kristen is quoted as saying. "I mean it's just kind of like ... whatever ... I'm here for a purpose. I know what my purpose is. I am not a ... moron, you know what I mean."

Spitzer, who built his career on rooting out public corruption as New York attorney general, became a national figure with a series of high-profile Wall Street investigations. He also prosecuted prostitution rings. See a timeline of his life

Now his lawyers may be questioned about how he paid for the alleged hotel encounter, whether the trail was concealed and whether any banking laws were circumvented as a result, the source said.

The investigation into the Emperor's Club, which began in October 2007, included evidence from a confidential source identified in court papers as a prostitute who worked at the club in 2006 and was given immunity.

It also included statements from an undercover officer who posed as a customer, more than 5,000 intercepted phone calls and text messages, more than 6,000 e-mails recovered with search warrants, bank records, travel and hotel records and physical surveillance.

Reuters - McCain lashes Democrats for "NAFTA-bashing"

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McCain lashes Democrats for "NAFTA-bashing"

Tuesday, Mar 11, 2008 3:45PM UTC

By Steve Holland

ST. LOUIS (Reuters) - Republican presidential candidate John McCain criticized his Democratic rivals on Tuesday for pledging to renegotiate a hemispheric trade treaty that Democrats blame for U.S. manufacturing job losses.

At a town-hall meeting in St. Louis, the Arizona senator also called for the Democratic-controlled U.S. Congress to approve a free-trade treaty with Colombia that is being stymied on Capitol Hill.

"On trade, I'm a free trader," McCain told employees at Savvis Internet company, a session dominated by questions about the ailing U.S. economy.

McCain, the likely Republican nominee to run in the November election, is spending the week hop-scotching across several states raising money for his cash-strapped campaign ahead of a trip to the Middle East and Europe next week.

McCain, going to Jerusalem, London and Paris as part of a congressional delegation, said he would talk to NATO allies about Afghanistan and the need to do a better job in fighting the return of the Taliban.

He said he would reaffirm relationships he has with leaders there but would not intervene in U.S. efforts to arrange peace between Israelis and Palestinians.

"I just don't think it's appropriate for me to do so. But I certainly will be brought up to date and made aware of the, frankly, deterioration of the situation," he said.

In recent weeks, both Democratic rivals Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama have increased their criticism of the North American Free Trade Agreement linking the U.S. economy with those of Canada and Mexico.

They pledged to pull the United States out of the NAFTA agreement if Mexico and Canada did not agree to renegotiate it. Critics blame NAFTA, China's accession to the World Trade Organization and other trade agreements for many of the roughly 3 million manufacturing jobs the United States has lost since 2000.

"I do not believe in isolationism and protectionism," McCain said. "We've got to stop this protectionist NAFTA-bashing."

The Bush administration -- noting that U.S. manufacturing output and exports set records last year -- argues that increased worker productivity and advances in manufacturing technology account for many of the lost jobs.

U.S. Trade Representative Susan Schwab argues NAFTA had been good for all three countries and warned reopening it could backfire on the United States.

McCain said promoting green technologies would help the U.S. economy rebound from manufacturing job losses.

"The moral of the story is, my friends, is we're not going back to the old manufacturing base of the economy," he said.

(Editing by David Alexander and David Wiessler)

(To read more about the U.S. political campaign, visit Reuters "Tales from the Trail: 2008" online at http://blogs.reuters.com/trail08/

Reuters - N.Y. Republicans may seek to impeach Gov. Spitzer

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N.Y. Republicans may seek to impeach Gov. Spitzer

Tuesday, Mar 11, 2008 3:24PM UTC

ALBANY, New York (Reuters) - New York Republicans will seek to impeach Gov. Eliot Spitzer if he does not resign within 48 hours after a report linking him to a prostitution ring, a spokesman for a leading assemblyman in the minority said on Tuesday.

"The governor has 48 hours to resign or articles of impeachment would be introduced," Josh Fitzpatrick, spokesman for Assembly Republican Minority Leader James Tedisco, told Reuters.

A New York Times report said the man who made his name fighting corruption hired a $1,000-an-hour prostitute and was caught on a federal wiretap at least six times on February 12 and 13 arranging to meet with her at a Washington hotel. Spitzer has neither confirmed nor denied the report.

(Reporting by Joan Gralla)

CNN - Sources: Money transfers spurred Spitzer probe

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Sources: Money transfers spurred Spitzer probe

The allegations bearing down on New York's governor didn't start with a prostitute -- despite lurid details in a federal affidavit detailing an alleged tryst with a "very pretty brunette" named Kristen last month.

Rather, sources familiar with the investigation said Tuesday that Gov. Eliot Spitzer's troubles began with a federal money-laundering probe.

Prosecutors unsealed an affidavit that details a rendezvous in a Washington hotel room between a prostitute and "Client 9," who a source with knowledge of the case said Monday was Spitzer.

Spitzer, who has not been charged with any crime, stood beside his wife, Silda, on Monday, apologizing to his family without specifically mentioning accusations of a romp with a high-dollar prostitute. Watch Spitzer's vague apology

The governor -- who has three daughters and who rose to prominence as a hard-charging prosecutor with little tolerance for graft and corruption -- said only that he had acted "in a way that violates my obligations to my family, that violates my or any sense of right and wrong." Timeline of political sex scandals

He did not acknowledge the allegations, which were revealed in The New York Times, nor did he take questions.

According to two sources who spoke Tuesday with CNN, Spitzer hit the federal radar when a bank reported to the Internal Revenue Service that a significant amount of money had been suspiciously transferred from one account to another.

The IRS, upon investigating the matter late last year, found that the accounts were connected to Spitzer, the sources said. The IRS contacted the FBI, which joined the case to investigate the possibility of government corruption.

The FBI Corruption Squad linked the account transfers to a prostitution ring, according to sources. The FBI criminal division joined the probe to look into the prostitution ring, while the federal corruption team continued its investigation into Spitzer.

Besides high-profile Wall Street investigations as state attorney general, Spitzer also prosecuted prostitution rings. See Spitzer's top case, controversies

Two officials said it appears that the main motivation for the money transfers was to hide money. Watch whether Spitzer could avoid charges by resigning

The prostitution ring, known as the Emperors Club, charged between $1,000 and $5,500 an hour and operated in several major cities besides New York, according to court papers.

The source who identified Spitzer as Client 9 said Monday that the governor's attorneys likely will face questions about how he paid for the alleged hotel encounter, whether the trail was concealed and whether banking laws were circumvented.

The investigation into the Emperor's Club began in October 2007 and included evidence from a confidential source identified in court papers as a prostitute who worked at the club in 2006. The prostitute was given immunity, according to court papers.

The probe also included statements from an undercover officer who posed as a customer, more than 5,000 intercepted phone calls and text messages, more than 6,000 e-mails recovered with search warrants, bank records, travel and hotel records and physical surveillance.

Reuters - Hulu makes public debut, adds Warner Bros shows

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Hulu makes public debut, adds Warner Bros shows

Tuesday, Mar 11, 2008 1:12PM UTC

By Kenneth Li

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Hulu, the online video joint venture of News Corp and General Electric's NBC Universal, will make its public debut on Wednesday with programming from Time Warner Inc's Warner Bros Television Group, Lionsgate and from sports leagues.

Missing from the list of providers are media mogul Sumner Redstone-controlled companies Viacom Inc, which continues to hold discussions, Viacom said recently, and CBS Corp, which has said it was not averse to a licensing deal.

At launch, Hulu will offer full-length episodes of more than 250 TV series from current hits such as "The Simpsons" as well as older shows like "Buffy the Vampire Slayer." It also will offer 100 movies including "The Big Lebowski" and "Mulholland Drive."

Hulu said it has signed licensing deals with the National Basketball Association and the National Hockey League.

Hulu's launch is a big bet by big media companies that consumers are as eager to spend long periods of time watching TV shows and movies in front of their computers as they are in front of their televisions.

Ahead of its test launch four months ago, the service, dubbed by the press as a rival to Google Inc's YouTube video sharing site, was skewered by the press and influential technology blogs for attempting to compete with the Web's most popular video destination.

Hulu has won over some of its harshest critics including technology blog, Techcrunch, which has since praised the venture for focus on professional content, clean, easy-to-use design, and video quality. Its readers voted it as the best video start-up of 2007.

With no marketing and a private test pool of users, Hulu Chief Executive Jason Kilar said they have attracted over five million viewers in the past month with its breadth of legally available contemporary shows and clean design.

Some 80 percent of its entire video library is viewed every seven days, a sign likely to be viewed favorably by programming partners seeking ways to boost profits from vintage shows, Kilar said.

Shows on Hulu also are distributed on AOL, Comcast Corp's Fancast.com, Microsoft Corp's MSN, News Corp's MySpace and Yahoo Inc.

AD FORMATS IMPRESS

Forrester Research analyst James McQuivey said he was most impressed, not with its features, but with its range of options for advertisers. "It's the part people overlook," he said.

Among the range of new advertising options, Hulu said that Nissan, for example, can give Hulu viewers the option to choose to watch any one of its several car ads.

Advertisers spend "billions of dollars getting the right ad in front of the right person," McQuivey said of marketing to traditional television viewers. Hulu's online advertising permits "self-selected targeting."

McQuivey added, "From the advertisers perspective, it can't get any better."

Hulu said most of the companies which signed up for the test also are a part of the official launch, including Nissan, Best Buy Co Inc, and Unilever PLC.

Hulu is available at http://www.hulu.com/ starting Wednesday.

(Reporting by Kenneth Li; editing by Carol Bishopric)

CNN - Is scandal enough to sink Spitzer for good?

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Is scandal enough to sink Spitzer for good?

Before Monday, Eliot Spitzer was a rising star in the Democratic Party -- his squeaky-clean image as a corruption buster led to his being mentioned as a potential vice-presidential candidate and possibly even a future White House contender.

Now, after federal investigators have linked the New York governor to a top-dollar prostitution ring, political advisers are split over whether Spitzer has any political future at all.

"There's no way he can survive it," said Ed Rollins, a Republican political consultant and adviser to former presidential candidate Mike Huckabee. "All the facts aren't out there, but as they're being reported, there's no way you can survive.

"Not only is he a hypocrite, he may also end up being a charged felon."

On Monday, Spitzer publicly apologized for an undisclosed personal matter. He did not specifically mention the prostitution sting, nor did he resign. Watch Spitzer's apology

The apology came four days after federal prosecutors announced the arrests of four people in an international prostitution ring that charged clients up to $5,500 an hour. A source with knowledge of the probe said that wiretaps in the case identify Spitzer as an unnamed client who met a prostitute on February 13 at a Washington hotel.

Many political professionals said they were stunned by Monday's developments regarding Spitzer, a man who once made a name for himself going after organized crime and Wall Street corruption as New York's attorney general.

"Obviously, the facts are going to come out in the next several days and the story will be told," said Robert Zimmerman, a political adviser and Democratic National Committee member. "But if the facts are as we suspect, it's very hard to imagine him staying in office."

But James Carville, a CNN political analyst and onetime adviser to former President Bill Clinton, said Spitzer could hold on to his position if the scandal remains strictly about sex -- or if it's revealed that his political enemies were responsible for leaking the story.

Carville mentioned other high-profile politicians who have weathered sex scandals, including Republican Sen. Larry Craig of Idaho, who pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor after his arrest in a men's room sex sting, and his own former client, President Clinton.

"All of us remember the Monica Lewinsky scandal and the immediate rush to judgment," he said. "A lot of people said, 'How could Bill Clinton survive a scandal like that?' Yet, he managed to survive.

"If it's not a financial or monetary thing involved, I don't know." Watch a discussion of Spitzer's political future

On a more personal level, Dina Matos, the estranged wife of former New Jersey Gov. Jim McGreevey -- who resigned after an alleged affair with a male political aide -- said Spitzer should step down whether he thinks he can salvage his political career or not.

McGreevey, who announced he is gay and is now attending an Episcopalian seminary, and Matos are in the midst of divorce proceedings.

Matos said "was very difficult for the family" when her husband tried to hang on to the governor's office for several months after stories about the relationship with the aide surfaced.

"I thought Gov. Spitzer was going to announce his resignation today," Matos told CNN's "Larry King Live." "By not doing so, he's only prolonging the pain and and anguish and humiliation for his wife and family." Watch responses to the question: Will Spitzer have to resign?

If Spitzer resigns, Lt. Gov. David Paterson would complete his term in accordance with the New York state constitution. Paterson, 53, is the highest-ranking African-American elected official in New York state.

Paterson, who is legally blind, is a leading advocate for the visually and physically impaired.

The increase

400 percent increase in visitors yesterday thnx eliot spitzer :-)

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Reuters - Hulu makes public debut, adds Warner Bros shows

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Hulu makes public debut, adds Warner Bros shows

Tuesday, Mar 11, 2008 8:43AM UTC

By Kenneth Li

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Hulu, the online video joint venture of News Corp and General Electric's NBC Universal, will make its public debut on Wednesday with programming from Time Warner Inc's Warner Bros Television Group, Lionsgate and from sports leagues.

Missing from the list of providers are media mogul Sumner Redstone-controlled companies Viacom Inc, which continues to hold discussions, Viacom said recently, and CBS Corp, which has said it was not averse to a licensing deal.

At launch, Hulu will offer full-length episodes of more than 250 TV series from current hits such as "The Simpsons" as well as older shows like "Buffy the Vampire Slayer." It also will offer 100 movies including "The Big Lebowski" and "Mulholland Drive."

Hulu said it has signed licensing deals with the National Basketball Association and the National Hockey League.

Hulu's launch is a big bet by big media companies that consumers are as eager to spend long periods of time watching TV shows and movies in front of their computers as they are in front of their televisions.

Ahead of its test launch four months ago, the service, dubbed by the press as a rival to Google Inc's YouTube video sharing site, was skewered by the press and influential technology blogs for attempting to compete with the Web's most popular video destination.

Hulu has won over some of its harshest critics including technology blog, Techcrunch, which has since praised the venture for focus on professional content, clean, easy-to-use design, and video quality. Its readers voted it as the best video start-up of 2007.

With no marketing and a private test pool of users, Hulu Chief Executive Jason Kilar said they have attracted over five million viewers in the past month with its breadth of legally available contemporary shows and clean design.

Some 80 percent of its entire video library is viewed every seven days, a sign likely to be viewed favorably by programming partners seeking ways to boost profits from vintage shows, Kilar said.

Shows on Hulu also are distributed on AOL, Comcast Corp's Fancast.com, Microsoft Corp's MSN, News Corp's MySpace and Yahoo Inc.

AD FORMATS IMPRESS

Forrester Research analyst James McQuivey said he was most impressed, not with its features, but with its range of options for advertisers. "It's the part people overlook," he said.

Among the range of new advertising options, Hulu said that Nissan, for example, can give Hulu viewers the option to choose to watch any one of its several car ads.

Advertisers spend "billions of dollars getting the right ad in front of the right person," McQuivey said of marketing to traditional television viewers. Hulu's online advertising permits "self-selected targeting."

McQuivey added, "From the advertisers perspective, it can't get any better."

Hulu said most of the companies which signed up for the test also are a part of the official launch, including Nissan, Best Buy Co Inc, and Unilever PLC.

Hulu is available at http://www.hulu.com/ starting Wednesday.

(Reporting by Kenneth Li; editing by Carol Bishopric)

Reuters - NY Gov. Spitzer under pressure to quit over sex case

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NY Gov. Spitzer under pressure to quit over sex case

Tuesday, Mar 11, 2008 4:48AM UTC

By Claudia Parsons

NEW YORK (Reuters) - New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer faces pressure to resign on Tuesday as well as questions about whether he will be prosecuted for any crime after a report linked him to a high-class prostitution ring.

A New York Times report said the man who made his name fighting corruption hired a $1,000-an-hour prostitute and was caught on a federal wiretap at least six times on February 12 and 13 arranging to meet with her at a Washington hotel.

Spitzer, a married 48-year-old Democrat who investigated prostitution as New York's attorney general, apologized for what he described as a "private matter" but said nothing about resigning. He neither confirmed nor denied the report.

State Republicans called for him to step down.

New York State Assembly Republican Minority Leader James Tedisco said on Monday night he had received a phone call from Lieutenant Governor David A. Paterson to discuss a possible transition of power if Spitzer resigns.

The New York Times said in an editorial Spitzer's insistence it was a "private matter" displayed arrogance.

"He did not just betray his family in a private matter. He betrayed the public, and it is hard to see how he will recover from this mess and go on to lead the reformist agenda on which he was elected to office," the paper said.

News of the scandal rocked Wall Street, where power brokers resented Spitzer's high-profile inquiries into financial cases when he was New York state's chief prosecutor.

Spitzer was elected governor with nearly 70 percent of the vote in late 2006 following a stint as state attorney general noted for high-profile investigations into Wall Street.

The Wall Street Journal said Spitzer had shown his lack of restraint in overly aggressive tactics as attorney general, making "extraordinary threats" to entire firms and to those who criticized his pursuit of high-profile Wall Street figures.

"The stupendously deluded belief that the sitting Governor of New York could purchase the services of prostitutes was merely the last act of a man unable to admit either the existence of, or need for, limits," the Journal wrote in an editorial about what it said was almost a Shakespearean fall.

"Governor Spitzer, who made his career by specializing in not just the prosecution, but the ruin, of other men, is himself almost certainly ruined," the paper said.

IF, OR WHEN, HE'LL QUIT

The state capital, Albany, was rife with speculation about if, or more likely when, Spitzer would resign and whether he would be charged with any crime. Prosecutors rarely bring charges against clients of prostitutes in such cases.

In an online poll on The Daily News web site, 83 percent of respondents said Spitzer should resign.

At the heart of the scandal is a criminal complaint unveiled last week charging four people with running a multi-million dollar prostitution ring dubbed "The Emperors Club."

The New York Times said Spitzer was an individual identified as Client 9 in the court papers filed last week. Client 9 arranged to meet with "Kristen," a prostitute who charged $1,000 an hour, on February 13 in a Washington hotel and paid $4,300 for services rendered and as a down payment for future engagements, according to the court documents.

Among the charges brought against the four defendants last week was transporting women across state lines for prostitution purposes. It was not clear if a similar charge might be brought against Spitzer if it were proven he arranged for "Kristen" to travel from New York to Washington to have sex with him.

ABC News reported on its Web site that the probe of the prostitution ring was triggered when a bank told the Internal Revenue Service about suspicious money transfers by Spitzer.

ABC quoted an unidentified Justice Department official as saying Spitzer could be prosecuted under an obscure financial statute, in what would be an irony for a man who used wiretaps to nail major names in finance.

In a interview two years ago, Spitzer, then-attorney general, told ABC News he had some advice for people who break the law. "Never talk when you can nod, and never nod when you can wink, and never write an e-mail because it's death. You're giving prosecutors all the evidence we need," he said.

(Additional reporting by Daniel Trotta, Robert Campbell; editing by Stuart Grudgings)