I could not get on on 8/25, so I sent them a message and attached is their response. I was able to enter the newsgroups today.
-jack

****from ms****
Hi Jack,

I apologize for the difficulties you ran into at while visiting our site and
any inconvenience it may have caused. We appreciate you taking the time to
let us know. I have passed along your note to my colleagues who are working
to correct the problem. Our server is down so please try accessing the
newsgroups again later.

I encourage you to continue visiting the MSDN Online Member Community for
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Thanks for your interest and patience,


MSDN Answer Team