Jonathan Miller

China's big year anything but joyous
<a href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24583648/"><img align="left" border="0" src="http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Slideshows/_production/ss-080512-chinaquake/ss-080512-china-quake-jc-tease.thumb.jpg" alt="A powerful temblor kills thousands and leaves devastation and injury in southwest China. " style="margin:0 5px 5px 0" /></a>China hoped 2008 would be a yearlong celebration, a time to bask in the spotlight of the upcoming Beijing Olympics. Instead, the Year of the Rat has also brought a wave of troubles — both natural and man-made — that are putting a heavy strain on the communist leadership. 

China: Quake has killed thousands
<a href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24573168/"><img align="left" border="0" src="http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photo_StoryLevel/080512/080512-quake-hmed-6a.thumb.jpg" alt="Rescuers search the rubble of the collapsed Juyuan middle school where six children died in Dujiangyan, in southwest China Sichuan province on May 12, 2008 after an earthquake measuring 7.8 rocked the province. At least 107 people have been confirmed killed by a powerful earthquake that struck southwestern China, as the tremor, centered 92 kms northwest of Chengdu, was felt as far away as Beijing and Shanghai and the Thai capital Bangkok, where office buildings swayed with the impact. AFP PHOTO/XINHUA (Photo credit should read AFP/AFP/Getty Images)" style="margin:0 5px 5px 0" /></a>A powerful earthquake toppled buildings, schools and a chemical plant Monday in central China, killing nearly 10,000 people and trapping untold numbers in the worst quake in three decades. 

Supers put Obama within reach
<a href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24583678/"><img align="left" border="0" src="http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/ap/4d4f0d43-6a11-4817-b9df-4888e7c7fdca.thumb.jpg" alt="Democratic presidential hopeful, Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., speaks at a town hall-style meeting in Charleston, W. Va., Monday, May 12, 2008, in anticipation of the state's primary election Tuesday. " style="margin:0 5px 5px 0" /></a>Barack Obama's wave of superdelegate endorsements puts him within reach of the Democratic presidential nomination by June 3 — even if he loses half of the remaining six contests. 

Racism alarms Obama backers
The contrast between the adoring crowds Barack Obama draws at public events and the racism his foot soldiers encounter out of the spotlight is stark.

Barr announces White House bid
<a href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24582429/"><img align="left" border="0" src="http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/ap/4e93e824-b809-42b9-b00b-4d6eecc2be80.thumb.jpg" alt="" style="margin:0 5px 5px 0" /></a>Former Republican Rep. Bob Barr launched a Libertarian Party presidential bid Monday, saying voters are hungry for an alternative to the status quo who would dramatically cut the federal government. 

Military beats recruiting goals
<a href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24584577/"><img align="left" border="0" src="http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photo_StoryLevel/080512/080512-recruiter-hmed-3p.thumb.jpg" alt="** CORRECTS SPELLING TO PETTEY ** Before future soldier Tyka Pettey, left, leaves for basic training she meets with U.S. Army recruiter Sgt. Harry Harper at the U.S. Army Recruiting Station in Upper Darby, Pa., Wednesday, Aug. 8, 2007. Military leaders on Capitol Hill recently urged congressional support for they Army Incentive Fund they said would help recruit people who have not responded to other incentives like college help. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)" style="margin:0 5px 5px 0" /></a>The Marine Corps far surpassed its recruiting goal last month and could eventually be more than a year ahead of schedule in its plan to grow the force to 202,000 members. 

Monks aid cyclone victims
<a href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24582349/"><img align="left" border="0" src="http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/ap/8d84f65f-459d-43d7-9643-8f8df887a28a.thumb.jpg" alt="Monks and homeless villagers gather at the monastery of Kyi Bui Khaw village, in Pyapon, a town in the Irrawaddy delta of Myanmar, on Sunday, May 11, 2008, a week after devastating cyclone Nagris slammed into the low-lying region and Yangon. " style="margin:0 5px 5px 0" /></a>The saffron-robed monks who spearheaded a bloody uprising last fall against Myanmar's military rulers are back on the front lines, this time providing food and shelter for cyclone victims. 

Study: Hands-free phones are lifesavers
<a href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24580099/"><img align="left" border="0" src="http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photo_StoryLevel/080512/080512-cellphone-hmed-9a.thumb.jpg" alt="SAN CLEMENTE, CA - JUNE 2: Catherine Singer dials a cell phone in her car as a truck approaches June 2, 2003 in San Clemente, California. Legislation that would require California motorists to use hands-free devices for cell phones beginning January 1, 2005 cleared a major hurdle when it passed the Assembly May 29. The bill is expected to pass the Senate, but Gov. Gray Davis has not yet taken a position on the measure. California would join New York as the only states with an outright ban on drivers using cell phones without hands-free devices, though at least six other states have some limit on use of phones in vehicles. (Photo by David McNew/Getty Images)" style="margin:0 5px 5px 0" /></a>A new study has led a California researcher to boldly assert that banning hand-held phone use by U.S. drivers could save thousands of lives each year. 

Charges dropped against '20th' hijacker
The Pentagon is dropping charges against a Saudi at Guantanamo who was supposed to have been the “20th hijacker” in the Sept. 11 attacks.

No-money-down mortgages still around
<a href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24580917/"><img align="left" border="0" src="http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/ArtAndPhoto-Fronts/BUSINESS/080512/G-080512-biz-housing-11a.thumb.jpg" alt="A house is advertised at a reduced price in Stockton, Calif., Wednesday, May 7, 2008. An industry group said Wednesday that pending U.S. home sales dropped to a new low in March, signaling the housing slump has yet to bottom out even as the spring sell season gets under way.(AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)" style="margin:0 5px 5px 0" /></a>You probably thought nothing-down mortgage loans disappeared in the wake of the American subprime lending crisis, which ensnarled much of the world in a credit crunch. 

Apple: iPhone sold out online in U.S., U.K.
Apple said Monday its online stores in the U.S. and U.K. are sold out of the iPhone, a sign supplies are being winnowed ahead of the launch of the device's next generation featuring faster Internet surfing speeds.

Deadly mob beating unnerves Cleveland
<a href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24584090/"><img align="left" border="0" src="http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/ap/5b57ca41-0146-4bb2-852f-5ca5ae124f61.thumb.jpg" alt="This is an undated photo provided by the family of Charles Gooden Jr., who was beaten by a mob of 15 people on the morning of April 27, 2008 in Cleveland. It happened on a street within a 10-minute drive of the city's skyscrapers, sports venues and tourist attractions, but across a chasm of poverty and crime in the most murder-ridden neighborhood in one of America's poorest cities. " style="margin:0 5px 5px 0" /></a>Even by tough, urban-crime standards it was a grisly attack: Up to 15 people chased a man, then kicked and beat him to death on the street. Before police arrived, one attacker urinated on his head. 

Pair accused of making child dominatrix
Federal prosecutors on Monday accused a man and woman of training the woman's child to be a dominatrix, selling her sexual services and photographing some of the acts.

N.Y. man sues airline over flight spent on toilet
A New York City man is suing JetBlue Airways Corp. for more than $2 million because he says a pilot made him give up his seat to a flight attendant and sit on the toilet for more than three hours on a flight from California.

Old gas pumps can't handle higher prices
<a href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24582399/"><img align="left" border="0" src="http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/ap/16dc0bb2-3fc2-4f18-a93b-79ada456177b.thumb.jpg" alt="Chip Colville, owner of Colville's, Inc., checks the mechanical meters on a diesel fuel dispenser at his Chevron service station, Friday, April 25, 2008, in Reardan, Wash. The meters on the 30 plus-year-old dispensers stop at $3.999 per gallon. " style="margin:0 5px 5px 0" /></a>Mom-and-pop service stations are running into a problem as gas nears $4 a gallon: Old-fashioned pumps can't register more than $3.99 on their spinning mechanical dials. 

Plastic cornea helps blind dog see again
<a href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24582710/"><img align="left" border="0" src="http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photo_StoryLevel/080512/080512_Science_PlasticCorne.thumb.jpg" alt="" style="margin:0 5px 5px 0" /></a>A once-blind dog can now see to chase squirrels to her heart's content, thanks to the new plastic cornea she received in a novel surgery. 

Fla. wildfires force evacuations
<a href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24582353/"><img align="left" border="0" src="http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photo_StoryLevel/080512/080512-florida-fire-hmed-1p.thumb.jpg" alt="A fire approaches a business near US 1 as the firefighters start a back fire to stop the oncoming burn in Malabar, Fla. on Monday May 12, 2008. Dry, windy weather fueled several wildfires on Florida's central Atlantic coast Monday, driving hundreds of residents from their homes as firefighters worked to contain the blazes and protect property. (AP Photo/Florida Today, Michael R. Brown)" style="margin:0 5px 5px 0" /></a>Dry, windy weather fueled wildfires on Florida's central Atlantic coast Monday, destroying more than a dozen homes and driving hundreds of residents away as the governor declared an emergency. 

Severe storms kill at least 23
<a href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24558648/"><img align="left" border="0" src="http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photo_StoryLevel/080511/080511-tornado-wide-10a.thumb.jpg" alt="Michael Richardson, center, and his mother, Betty Lawson, right, carry a crib from Richardson's home in Picher, Okla., Sunday, May 11, 2008, as his sister, Corissa Lawson, looks on at left. Richardson's home was destroyed by a tornado Saturday. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)" style="margin:0 5px 5px 0" /></a>Crews and search dogs hunted for survivors or bodies in piles of debris Monday after tornadoes and storms rumbled across the region over the weekend and killed at least 23 people in three states. 

NYT: Shift in battle over voter IDs
The battle over voting rights will expand this week as lawmakers in Missouri are expected to support a proposed constitutional amendment to enable election officials to require proof of citizenship from anyone registering to vote.

Dems gain ground in the Deep South
<a href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24556600/"><img align="left" border="0" src="http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photo_StoryLevel/080511/080511-cazayoux-hmed-12p.thumb.jpg" alt="**FILE**6th U.S. Congressional District candidate state Rep. Don Cazayoux, D-New Roads, calls supporters in this April 30, 2008 file photo. Cazayoux won a special congressional election Saturday, bolstering his party's majority status on Capitol Hill by taking a seat Republicans have held since 1974. (AP Photo/Tim Mueller, file)" style="margin:0 5px 5px 0" /></a>As the House Democrats' 'big tent' expands, it is getting more Southern. How much influence can conservative Southern Democrats such as Rep. Don Cazayoux have on a House leadership headed by liberal Speaker Nancy Pelosi? 

Clinton eyes W. Va.; Obama shifts focus
Democratic presidential contenders Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton were preparing for Tuesday's primary in West Virginia, a contest that Clinton is heavily favored to win but which likely won't dent Obama's almost insurmountable lead in the delegate count.

Polygamy sect parents fight for kids
<a href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24576081/"><img align="left" border="0" src="http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Video/080512/tdy_teague_polygamy_080512.thumb.jpg" alt="May 12: Couples from a polygamist group speak to TODAY's Meredith Vieira about their struggle to have their children returned. (Today Show)" style="margin:0 5px 5px 0" /></a>More than a month since their children were removed from an FLDS compound in Texas, two sets of parents and a representative for the families alleged that the state has deliberately scattered and isolated the children. 

Spread of nuclear capability feared
<a href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24572974/"><img align="left" border="0" src="http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photo_StoryLevel/080512/080512-Baradei-vmed-1230a.thumb.jpg" alt="International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Mohammed ElBaradei arrives on March 3, 2008 to open the board of governors meeting at agency headquarters in Vienna. The UN atomic watchdog is holding its traditional March meeting, with Iran topping the agenda as the UN Security Council in New York prepared to slap further sanctions on the Islamic Republic. AFP PHOTO / Samuel Kubani (Photo credit should read SAMUEL KUBANI/AFP/Getty Images)" style="margin:0 5px 5px 0" /></a>At least 40 developing countries from the Persian Guld region to Latin America have recently approached U.N. officials here to signal interest in starting nuclear power programs, a trend that concerned proliferation experts say could provide the building blocks of nuclear arsenals in some of those nations. 

Answer Desk: U.S. in recession — yes or no?
This week readers are looking for a straight answer to what seems like a simple question. Is the U.S. in recession or not? Yes. It is simple question. After that things get a little more complicated. The Answer Desk.

Olmert investigation widens
<a href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24580032/"><img align="left" border="0" src="http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/ArtAndPhoto-Fronts/WORLD_NEWS/080104/g-newft-080103-ehud-olmert-6p.thumb.jpg" alt="Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert attends the weekly cabinet meeting in Jerusalem Sunday, Dec. 30, 2007. Israeli Cabinet ministers will consider on Sunday easing the terms for releasing some of the 9.000 Palestinian prisoners Israel holds, in an effort to win freedom for an Israeli soldier captured by Gaza militants. (AP Photo/Uriel Sinai, Pool)" style="margin:0 5px 5px 0" /></a>Israeli police raided Jerusalem's city hall and seized documents Monday as part of a widening corruption investigation against Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, police said. 

Are bite-sized games the next big thing?
<a href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24567406/"><img align="left" border="0" src="http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photo_StoryLevel/080511/brill-lostwinds.thumb.jpg" alt="" style="margin:0 5px 5px 0" /></a>On Monday, Nintendo launches WiiWare, a service that allows gamers to download games straight to their Wiis. Are the growing number of games-on-demand services and the sometimes unusual bite-sized games they offer the wave of the future? Indie developers — and big console makers — are betting on it. 

Real-life skull tale inspires movie
<a href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24547679/"><img align="left" border="0" src="http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photo_StoryLevel/080509/080509-crystallskulls-vmed-5p.thumb.jpg" alt="** ADVANCE FOR MONDAY, MAY 12 ** People watch as mayan indian priests participate in a ceremony while one holds up a crystal skull at the Mayan ruins of Palenque, Mexico March 10, 2008. There is a legend that the ancient Maya possessed 13 crystal skulls which, when united, hold the power of saving the Earth, a tale so strange and fantastic that it inspired the latest Indiana Jones movie. (AP Photo/Alexandre Meneghini)" style="margin:0 5px 5px 0" /></a>There is a legend that the ancient Maya possessed 13 crystal skulls which, when united, hold the power of saving the Earth — a tale so strange and fantastic that it inspired the latest Indiana Jones movie.