1 minute ago 2009-12-06T23:57:23-08:00
The Starting Point is a snapshot of the news stories that occurred overnight. Look for updates throughout the day on Yahoo! News and in the news box on Yahoo.com.
Top story overnight: Nations around the globe took measures to contain the deadly swine flu outbreak, The Associated Press reported. Mexico suspended all private business and nonessential government activities from May 1 to May 5. Ecuador, Cuba and Argentina banned travel to or from Mexico. And schools in eight U.S. states closed, a move that affected more than 100,000 students in Texas alone. Switzerland also reported its first swine flu infection this morning.
In other news: The death toll from yesterday's twin car bomb blasts in a crowded Baghdad market climbed to 51. According to Reuters, 76 others were also wounded in the attack. A new poll from Quinnipiac University's polling institute showed that a majority of Americans oppose gay marriage, but support civil unions for same-sex couples. Most also favor a repeal of the ban on gays serving openly in the military. Earlier this month, Iowa and Vermont became the third and fourth states to legalize same-sex marriage. New Hampshire, which already recognizes civil unions, is currently considering a law to allow gay couples to wed. Where do you stand on this issue? Click here to share your thoughts. Finally, the woman engaged to the Craigslist murder suspect visited her fiance at a Boston jail yesterday, The AP reported. When Megan McAllister left the facility 25 minutes later, she was not wearing an engagement ring, reporters on the scene said. Click here to watch an interview with McAllister's lawyer.
Popular stories overnight: The octuplet mom is back in the news, and our readers took notice. Nadya Suleman, the California mother of six who gave birth to octuplets in January, was questioned by police and child welfare officials on Wednesday. According to The AP, Suleman's 4-year-old autistic son allegedly showed up at school with a black eye and bite marks. A teacher saw the injuries and immediately reported them to authorities. Police have made several visits to the Suleman home in the past year, responding to complaints that the children were trapped, poorly cared for or lost.
Readers were also interested in this AP article about a drug trafficking bust in Rome. Customs officers at Leonardo da Vinci airport arrested an elderly man who allegedly tried to smuggle 13 pounds of cocaine in his suitcase. The drugs were hidden inside oranges, which the man claimed he needed to consume to keep up his Vitamin C level.
Yesterday's poll: How would you grade President Barack Obama's performance thus far? The majority of respondents gave him either an F (71%) or an A+ (14%).
Today in history: In 2005, a missing Georgia woman turned up in Albuquerque, N.M. Jennifer Wilbanks originally claimed to have been abducted but later admitted she was a "runaway bride." Her former fiance, John Mason, married another woman in 2008.
Birthdays: Actress Kirsten Dunst, 27. Actor Johnny Galecki, 34. Singer Jeff Timmons (98 Degrees), 36. Musician Chris Henderson (3 Doors Down), 38. Actor Adrian Pasdar, 44. Basketball Hall of Famer Isiah Thomas, 48. Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, 50. Director Jane Champion, 55. Singer Merrill Osmond, 56. Actress Jill Clayburgh, 65. Talk show host Gary Collins, 71. Singer Willie Nelson, 76. Actress Cloris Leachman, 83.
Tagline Contest: Today is the last day to enter! The Starting Point blog needs a snappy and informative tagline. The current tagline is "Jade Walker is the overnight editor of Yahoo! News. While America sleeps…Jade keeps the rest of the world informed." Can you come up with something better? E-mail your suggestions using the subject "Tagline Contest." Include your name, mailing address and tagline suggestions in the body of the e-mail. A few notes: The tagline should fit on a T-shirt. It must indicate that Jade Walker is the overnight editor. And the tagline should have some attitude, but not snarky that it belittles the most likely sad news posted above it. Winner will receive a new iPod shuffle!
Note: The Starting Point Twitter feed is available @ystartingpoint. Sign up today!
--Jade Walker is the overnight editor of Yahoo! News. While America sleeps…Jade keeps the rest of the world informed.
**Yahoo! News bloggers compile the best news content from our providers and scour the Web for the most interesting news stories so you don't have to.
