News Tidbits

Norm Coleman Concedes U.S. Senate Race To Al Franken: In Minnesota, clearing the way for Democrats to hold a 60-seat supermajority in the Senate. The Minnesota Supreme Court today unanimously ruled Mr. Franken the winner by 312 votes out of 2.9 million cast.

Wimbledon: Sister Slam? Serena Williams and Venus Williams are both in the semi-finals, with predictions that they'll both make the finals for the fourth time.

Fans Gather For Apollo Theater's Jackson Memorial: Thousands of Michael Jackson fans gave the late pop star a raucous yet respectful send-off during six hours of public memorial services celebrating his life and music at Harlem's Apollo Theater. Mr. Jackson's ties to the theater go back to 1967, when The Jackson 5 won the Apollo's Amateur Night contest.

Chicago Mixed-Income Building Has Class Clash: Hat tip to reader Mama Helena for this one. Low-income apartment dwellers and middle-class condo owners have shared Westhaven Park Tower since the building opened in 2006 -- a setup that the city hoped would unite residents and exemplify Chicago's $1.6 billion overhaul of public housing. Proximity, however, has not led to harmony. The building is part of a movement to house poor families near working professionals instead of segregating them in ghettos but lifestyle differences have led to clashes.

Cynthia McKinney Aboard Boat Seized In Gaza: Israeli naval forces blockading Gaza have intercepted a ship whose passengers include the former Congresswoman. The U.S.-based Free Gaza Movement claims the ship was carrying humanitarian aid to Gaza. It is the second encounter between Israeli forces and the leftist politico. Ms. McKinney called the boarding “an outrageous violation of international law against us.” Israel’s consulate general accused her and her allies of a “reckless political stunt” in restricted waters.

Political Leanings Drive Car Choice: A map of U.S. car ownership - produced by R.L. Polk & Co. - overlaid on the electoral map reveals the surprising extent to which how Americans vote corresponds with what car they drive. In some blue states - where a Democrat has won at least three of the last four presidential contests - foreign cars have as much as 60% of the market, as measured by vehicle registrations. It is mostly in red states - Republican strongholds - where domestic cars have 74% of the market or more. This pattern holds in 36 states and the District of Columbia. The three politically purple states - those that have evenly split the last four elections - strongly prefer domestic cars. However, one species turns the car-buying political spectrum inside out: conservative Democrats, who have the strongest commitment to buy American cars.