News You Can Use for June 17

In the Internet circles I often find myself in, I often hear about how terrible the news media is today, even outside the accusations of bias. So I thought about starting a feature where I run down the top 25 stories of the day that you should know, with no fluff or filler. Think of it as what the evening news SHOULD be. Should generally be up to date by 7:45.

My verdict: There is no such thing as a slow news day. This was a big time sink the first time but I may actually go at it again tomorrow now that I know just how many important stories there really are if you know where to look.

Note that I'm only listing stories reported on by the Associated Press, and for all I know there are probably places on the Internet or elsewhere that are already a great source for substantive news. But it's so hard to get the word out because the Internet audience is so diverse.

Leave a comment if you quibble with my order or if I missed an important story, or even if I judged a story important that isn't.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Remember that this is for June 17, 2008, and may be out of date by the time you read this.

1. Fed auctions $75 billion to ease credit stresses
2. Report: Pentagon misled Congress on NORAD threat
3. Official says Iraq contract dispute cost him job
4. Bush closes defense contractor tax loophole
5. Iran says uranium enrichment to continue
6. Pakistan's A.Q. Khan denies new nuke weapons claim
7. Attorney seeks clearance for 9/11 defendant
8. Gitmo war crimes court back in session
9. Findings on the Pentagon's detainee policies
10. Radical preacher Abu Qatada to be freed in Britain
11. Hamas says it's reached cease-fire with Israel/Details of Israel-Hamas truce
12. US, activists decry Darfur 'failure'
13. Energy prices fuel US-China strains
14. GOP objects to jobless benefits extension bill
15. Bush to urge Congress to allow offshore drilling
16. Senators jab OPEC over high oil prices
17. CFTC boosting oversight of foreign oil trades
18. Weather, costs could cause record Texas ag losses
19. Bush begins effort to track state of environment
20. Fed: industrial production dipped in May
21. Study: Health costs to rise nearly 10 percent
22. Countrywide revelations muddle housing rescue
23. Republicans on tax bill: Just say no.
24. DNC wants McCain investigated
25. Obama: Bin Laden still free because of GOP tactics

Other important stories (honorable mentions):

26. AFSMCE, MoveOn ad targets McCain on Iraq war/McCain ad puts distance with Bush on environment
27. Obama to seek AFL-CIO, labor backing in meetings/Clinton asks top donors to meeting with Obama
28. Obama promises tuition tax credit
29. Conviction thrown out in Abramoff scandal/People convicted in the Abramoff investigation
30. Mexico to have public trials, presumed innocence
31. Maryland elects 1st black woman to Congress
32. Patients signing away right to sue nursing homes
33. US expects food inspectors in China by year end
34. Appeals court refuses to stop gay weddings
35. Summer job market especially tough for poor kids/Tips for teens to land a summer job (hey, a story that's relevant to me!)
36. Flood health risks exist, but common sense rules
37. Taco Bell, Wendy's starting to use tomatoes again
38. United projects 2008 fuel costs soaring to $9.5B
39. Northwest Airlines announces larger capacity cuts
40. Low sales force Ford to idle SUV plant for 9 weeks
41. Bush to inspect Iowa flood damage
42. FDA warns about fraudulent cancer treatments
43. AMA takes no action on tobacco bill challenge
44. Not important: Study: The new SAT is not much better

Also of interest:
Poll: Obama leads McCain nationally by small margin