News
Obama’s ‘Car Czar’ to Pay $5 Million Fine
Financier Steven Rattner, former head of the government’s rescue of the auto industry, has settled securities charges against him stemming from a bribery scheme that predated his time in office. Rattner, a major bankroller of Democratic campaigns, will pay a fine of more than $5 million and accept a multi-year ban from involvement with... »
Sharron Angle Has Raised $14 Million
Nevada Republican Sharron Angle announced Tuesday she raised $14 million in the past three months of her campaign — the top haul for any quarter this election cycle — in her bid to take down Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. The stunning total suggests that Angle could be well-positioned to compete financially with the... »
Donald Trump Says he is “Thinking About” Running for President
‘The Donald’ was a guest Monday on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon and talked about rumors that he is considering a 2012 presidential bid. The real-estate mogul told the Late Night host, “I hate what’s happening to the country … I’m just so tired of seeing what I’m seeing,” Trump said. “Now if somebody... »
Ahmadinejad Calls for U.S. Leaders to be ‘Buried’
According to Fox News, Iran’s president Sunday called for U.S. leaders to be “buried” in response to what he says are American threats of military attack against Tehran’s nuclear program. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is known for brash rhetoric in addressing the West, but in a speech Sunday he went a step further using a deeply... »
Tennessee: ‘Crack Tax’ Refunds – 2,772 People Eligible
Since the Tennessee Supreme Court struck down the so-called “crack tax” in 2009, the state Department of Revenue has refunded $3.7 million to 161 people but there are still 2,772 people who paid the tax that may be eligible for a refund. In 2005, State Representative Charles Curtiss co-sponsored legislation with Senator Randy McNally... »
Shooting at University of Texas: Gunman Fires Shots Then Kills Himself
According to CNN, the University of Texas at Austin was under a lockdown Tuesday morning after a suspected gunman wielding an AK-47 fired shots and then turned the gun on himself inside a campus library. The gunman died, said Robert Dahlstrom, chief of staff in the Austin Police Department. No one else was injured.... »
Mexican Mayor and Aide Found Stoned to Death
A small-town mayor and an aide were found stoned to death Monday in a drug-plagued western state, the fifth city leader to be killed in Mexico since mid-August. Michoacan state Attorney General Jesus Montejano said the bodies of Tancitaro Mayor Gustavo Sanchez and city adviser Rafael Equihua were discovered in a pickup truck abandoned... »
Virginia Executes Teresa Lewis for Role in Murder of Husband and Stepson
Teresa Lewis became the first woman to be executed by the state of Virginia in almost 100 years Thursday night. Lewis is the 12th woman to be executed in the United States since capital punishment was reinstated in 1976. Lewis, who plotted with her young lover to kill her husband and stepson for insurance... »
Quadruple Amputee Philippe Croizon Attempts to Swim English Channel (VIDEO)
A Frenchman whose arms and legs were amputated is attempting to swim across the English Channel using leg prostheses that have flippers attached. Philippe Croizon’s father said his son is making better-than-expected time in favorable wind conditions – and three dolphins even swam alongside him for a time. “We took that as a sign... »
Iran Demands Bail as Ransom for Release of American Hiker
Saran Shourd, held in solitary confinement in an Iranian prison for more than a year, may be released if a payment of $500,000 is sent to the Iranian judiciary. Although labeled as “bail money,” this demand to Shourd’s family for cash is tantamount to criminal ransom. As reported by CNN, Shourd, 32, Shane Bauer,... »
Reagan – The Movie
A full featured film depicting the life of Ronald Reagan is planned for release in 2011. According to Reuters, the film’s title is simply “Reagan” and is based on the two best-selling biographies of the 40th U.S. president by Paul Kengor: “The Crusader” and “God and Ronald Reagan.” Producers Mark Joseph and Ralph Winter... »
Human Traffickers Face Charges
An indictment was unsealed in Hawaii on Thursday in what the FBI has called the largest human-trafficking operation ever to result in charges in the United States. According to CNN, six job recruiters have been indicted in federal court and are accused of luring about 400 people from Thailand with false promises of lucrative... »
James Jay Lee Dead: Gunman at Discovery Channel Building
James Jay Lee, a man known for protesting the Discovery Channel’s environmental programming stormed the network’s Maryland headquarters carrying a handgun on Wednesday, holding three people hostage for hours until he was shot and killed by police, according to authorities. James Lee entered the building in Silver Spring around 1 p.m. and appeared to... »
Bombing in Cancun, Mexico
Several gasoline bombs were thrown into a bar in Cancun Mexico, killing eight people. Mexican state attorney Francisco Alor Quezada, described the bombs as Molotov cocktails and that the six women and two men killed in the attack were employees of the tavern. According to CNN, there were eight attackers who hurled the explosives... »
National Guard Deploy to Help Secure Arizona-Mexico Border
The first of a planned deployment of 1,200 National Guard troops to the U.S. southwest began Monday. 530 of the troops will be sent to Arizona to help local authorities secure the border with Mexico. Fox News pointed out that the troops will not serve in a direct law enforcement capacity, but will operate... »
Glen Beck Is A Mormon
Glen Beck, who is Mormon, said most Christians don’t believe in liberation theology. According to Fox News, Radio and TV host Glenn Beck said Sunday he doesn’t want to retract his controversial charge last year that President Obama is racist, but does want to amend it since reading more about “liberation theology.” “I didn’t... »
Turn Back To God
With evangelical passion Glenn Beck urged thousands attending his “Restoring Honor” rally Saturday to “turn back to God” and return America to the values on which it was founded. “Something beyond imagination is happening,” he told participants who packed the National Mall in Washington. “America today begins to turn back to God. For too... »
GOP Plans White House Probes
If President Barack Obama needed any more incentive to go all out for Democrats this fall, here it is: Republicans are planning a wave of committee investigations targeting the White House and Democratic allies if they win back the majority. Everything from the microscopic — the New Black Panther party — to the massive... »
Teen Pregnancies at Record Low
The overall U.S. birth rate fell to the lowest level since national data have been available, reports the latest Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) birth statistics released today by HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson. The really good news from the data is that the rate of teen pregnancies fell to a new record... »
Martin Luther King’s Niece to Speak at Glen Beck’s Rally
Over 100,000 supporters are expected to attend Glen Beck’s “Rally to Restore Honor” this Saturday. According to The Washington Post, the rally, which is also being billed as a tribute to U.S. troops, will be from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. Video screens and sound towers will... »
The Dark Side of Craigslist
Popular Craigslist has a dark side that include ads for prostitution and even ads trafficking children. Craigslist is a website with the original purpose to become a centralized network of online communities emphasizing the availability of free online classified advertisements. According to Wikipedia, the site includes sections devoted to jobs, housing, personals, for sale,... »
Ken Mehlman Reveals He Is Gay
Ken Mehlman, former Republican National Committee chairman and manager of former President George W. Bush’s reelection campaign, disclosed Tuesday that he is gay. “It honestly just took me longer than it’s taken other people I know to accept this part of my life,” Mehlman told Politico in a telephone interview. “Over the past several... »
Obama Administration Will Appeal Court’s Ruling Against Stem Cell Research
Obama administration officials will appeal a federal court ruling that temporarily barred federal funding of embryonic stem cell research. According to Reuters, the ruling literally stunned and disappointed the White House. Allowing federal funding of human embryonic stem cell research was one of the first acts of newly elected President Barack Obama last year,... »
Erica Blasberg Cause Of Death Ruled Suicide By Nevada Coroner
The Clark County coroner’s office ruled Tuesday that 25-year-old professional golfer Erica Blasberg’s death was a suicide. Blasberg died May 9 at her home in Henderson, about 15 miles southeast of the Las Vegas Strip. She was found with a plastic bag secured over her head. Henderson police said that while no foul play... »
Tiger and Rachel
Now that Tiger Woods and Elin Nordegren’s divorce is final, rumors abound, especially about his $10 million babe, Rachel Uchitel. According to TMZ, Rachel told a close friend now that Tiger Woods is single, she wants him back and would “give up everything” to get him. The friend told TMZ that Rachel said “I... »
Jimmy Carter Plans Humanitarian Mission to North Korea to Free an American Prisoner
Jimmy Carter is expected to leave Tuesday for North Korea to negotiate the release of an American held as a prisoner for illegally entering the Communist country. According to CNN, Mahli Gomes is a 31-year-old Boston, Massachusetts, resident who was sentenced in April to eight years at a hard labor camp for illegally crossing... »
Judge Rules Against the use of Federal Funds to Destroy Human Embryos
As one of his first acts after taking office, President Barack Obama redefined the guidelines for stem cell research. Subsequently, the National Institutes of Health set up a careful process for deciding which batches of human embryonic stem cells could be used by federally funded researchers. According to Reuters, the new guidelines do not... »
Elin Nordegren – Tiger Woods Divorce Final
Tiger Woods and Elin Nordegren both appeared in a Panama City, Florida courtroom today to finalize their divorce – nine months after his middle-of-the-night car crash outside his home set off shocking revelations that golf’s biggest star had been cheating on his wife. Sources inside the courtroom say the couple, flanked by their legal... »
Mosque Confrontation in New York
On Sunday, protesters against the construction of an Islamic community center and mosque near ground zero in New York confronted protesters in favor of the facility. CNN reported that hundreds of critics and supporters of the proposed center in New York showed up despite an overcast and drizzly sky to express their views amid... »
Obama and His Religion
President Barack Obama has become immersed in a religious turmoil. Is he a secret Muslim? The current flap stems from the Pew Research Center’s finding that the number of Americans who believe Obama is Muslim has swelled to 18 percent (which includes 34 percent of conservative Republicans). Joel Achenbach’s blog points out that, “Disinformation... »
