The above bugfix corrects my duplicate album problem.
FWIW, I finally ended up using simplepie to get what I needed.
I am able to have multiple feeds using keywords that merge into one list sorted by date. Works good enough for me.
I continue to talk to myself here. Using MultiFeedSnap I am able have a customized Yahoo News feed deliver just fine.
Is there anything unique about how Google parses their RSS urls that prevent them from showing in a newfeed?
I have since tried adding it in using the Google News Bar Wizard. I can get it work by placing the code into the text widget and it will work in the sidebar. Still cannot get it on to a page by itself.