Israel Says Iran Has Material for Four A-Bombs

February 2 - Israel estimated on Thursday that Iran could make four atomic bombs by further enriching uranium it has already stockpiled, and could produce its first within a year of deciding to build one. But in his rare public remarks, Major-General Aviv Kochavi, chief of military intelligence, held out the possibility stronger...

Bank survey highlights EU economic gloom

February 2 - Euro-area banks are becoming less happy to lend and consumers are more reluctant to borrow, according to an authoritative new survey out Wednesday (1 February). The European Central Bank (ECB) in Frankfurt in the past six weeks polled senior loan officers in 124 banks of various sizes across the 17-country...

EU unemployment hits record high

February 1 - The number of unemployed people in Europe is reaching record highs as the economic crisis unfolds into one with significant social consequences. In eight member states alone, over 30 percent of young people under 25 are out of jobs. The worst affected continues to be Spain where half its young are...

Full Body Scanners At Super Bowl 2012

February 2 - Fans attending the 2012 Super Bowl on Sunday will face a new level of security in addition to pat downs before they are allowed to enter the Lucas Oil Stadium – full body x-ray scanners. According to WPRI.com News reporter Matt Touchette, despite a congressional demand for an investigation into the...

Obama: I Pushed Dodd-Frank And Health Care Reform Because Of Christ

February 2 - President Barack Obama has been taking lumps from Republicans for years over his support for Wall Street and health care reform, but today at the National Prayer Breakfast he claimed support from on high to defend two of his most controversial legislative achievements. "I know the version of that Golden Rule...

Ameritopia: The Unmaking of America's Freedoms

February 2 - In the new book Ameritopia: The Unmaking of America, best-selling author Mark Levin examines what he views as a post-constitutional America caught between two warring worldviews. The first view calls for a utopian society run by elites in which the individual serves the state. Under the second, the...

Wash. State Senate Approves Gay Marriage Bill

February 2 - The Washington state Senate passed legislation Wednesday to legalize gay marriage. The vote sets the stage for the Evergreen State to become the seventh state to allow homosexual couples to marry. Sen. Dan Swecker, R-Rochester, argued that the proposed law alters the definition of marriage and "will lead to...

Israel PM Benjamin Netanyahu wins Likud leadership vote

February 1 - The Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has won an election for the leadership of his right-wing Likud party, according to partial results. With 85% of ballots counted, Mr Netanyahu had received 75% of the vote, Israeli media reported. "I thank you all for the confidence and renewed support you have...

Obama to Ignore Order to Appear in Atlanta Court

January 25 - President Obama will ignore an order by an Atlanta judge to appear in court Thursday for a hearing in a case challenging his qualifications under the Constitution to be president. According to the White House, Obama will continue with his current trip out West, starting the day in Las Vegas and then continuing on to Buckley...

Red lights newest "precrime" technique

January 20 - The police department in the city of East Orange, New Jersey is installing red spotlights to remotely shine on those police believe are about to commit a crime.

LA Military Exercises

January 24 - Joint military training exercises will be held evenings in downtown Los Angeles through Thursday, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. The LAPD will be providing support for the exercises, which will also be held in other portions of the greater Los Angeles area, police said. Training sites ``have been...

Is The NYPD Experimenting With Drones Over The City? Evidence Points To Yes

January 23 - They’re used in war zones for surveillance and military strikes. But are there plans to deploy drones in the Big Apple to keep an eye on New Yorkers? More and more people believe it’s inevitable, reports CBS 2’s Don Dahler. Drones are unmanned aircraft that can fly at low altitudes and shoot live video — or shoot live missiles.

Tel Aviv by far favorite gay travel destination

January 12 - Tel Aviv this week won the distinction as being by far the preferred travel destination by the global homosexual community, according to the gay travel website Gaycities.com. A survey conducted by the website found that 43 percent of its readers rate Tel Aviv as the number one vacation spot for homosexual travelers.

US uncovers Iranian effort to help Syria evade oil embargo

January 19 - U.S. officials have uncovered an effort by Iran to help Syria mask its oil exports and evade an American and European embargo, in a potent new sign of Tehran's campaign to bolster Syrian President Bashar al Assad as his regime cracks down on public opposition. American officials investigating the Iranian operation...

Hostess Bankruptcy: Company Files For Bankruptcy Just Two Years After Emerging From Bankruptcy

January 19 - The maker of Twinkies, Sno Balls and Wonder Bread is trying to lose the fat. Hostess Brands is hoping to cut its high costs as it heads back into bankruptcy protection for the second time in less than a decade. Hostess has enough cash to keep stores stocked with its Ding Dongs, Ho Hos and other snacks for now as...

Kodak files for bankruptcy

January 19 - Eastman Kodak, the once mighty icon of the photography industry, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection Thursday. Kodak's (EK, Fortune 500) stock plunged 35% at the start of trading. The New York Stock Exchange suspended trading within a few minutes after the opening bell. The company said it has...

The Day The LOLcats Died: A song in honor of the SOPA, PIPA protests today

January 18 - Chances are if you're surfing the Internet today you've come across items about the protests today against SOPA and PIPA. And while you can read a lot more about the ongoing issue over at our sister blog, Tech Talk, we have a music video that sums up a lot of sentiment by people online. Take a look and listen.

Lawmakers withdraw support of anti-piracy bills after online protest

January 19 - Some lawmakers are rethinking their support of controversial anti-piracy bills that led to some websites shutting down in protest. The protest was in response to the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) bill, a piece of proposed legislation that is working its way through Congress. A Senate committee approved a similar bill in...

Can the World Stop Iran's Nuclear Program?

January 18 - International tensions continue to mount over Iran's nuclear program and the possibility that the Islamic Republic will produce an atomic warhead for its long-range missiles. The hardline regime in Tehran recently carried out military exercises in the Persian Gulf's Strait of Hormuz, a passageway through which most...

Gay Marriage Bill Gains Traction in Wash. State

January 18 - More than a decade after a same-sex marriage bill was introduced in the Washington State legislature, the path to legalizing homosexual marriage is now gaining traction. A new bill authorizing marriages between homosexuals was introduced on Jan. 13 in the state house. A similar measure was also filed in the state...

Ohio Muslim Inmates Settle Meal Preparation Suit

January 19 - A Muslim death row inmate has settled a lawsuit that accused the Ohio prison system of denying him meals prepared according to Islamic law while providing kosher meals to Jewish prisoners. Ohio had previously decided to remove all pork products from prison menus in response to the lawsuit, though inmates...

Egypt's 'Brotherhood' Won't Recognize Israel

January 3 - Voting is underway in Egypt's third and final stage of elections after the ouster of long-time dictator Hosni Mubarak. Some 14 million voters are casting ballots in 27 provinces over the next two days to elect 150 members of parliament. The Muslim Brotherhood is expected to win the majority of seats in the 498-member...

US in Talks with Taliban to Free Gitmo Detainees

January 5 - The White House is negotiating with Afghan insurgents and has reportedly agreed to release high-ranking Taliban officials from the U.S. military prison located in Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, a British newspaper reported. Those prisoner releases would come with an agreement from the insurgents to open a political office for...

Abortion Provider Received Nearly $500M from Gov't

January 5 - Planned Parenthood received nearly a half-billion dollars from the U.S. government in its most recent fiscal year, according to the group's latest annual report. The report for the period covering July 1, 2009 to June 30, 2010 shows the nation's largest abortion provider received $487.4 million in tax dollars -- up from $363...

Israel and US to Stage Major Defense Drill

January 5 - The Israeli military says it will soon hold a major missile defense exercise with U.S. forces. It follows a 10-day Iranian naval exercise near the strategic Strait of Hormuz. Israel's military says the drill with the U.S. was planned long ago and is not tied to recent events. The drill is called "Austere Challenge 12" and is designed...

Washington governor supports gay marriage law

January 4 - Washington Governor Chris Gregoire announced her support for gay marriage legislation on Wednesday, potentially putting the state on track to become the nation's seventh to fully recognize same-sex unions. Gregoire, a Democrat in the final year of her second term, is backing legislation to be introduced before...

'Zombie' fly hijacks bees' bodies and may explain die-off

January 4 - Northern California scientists say they have found a possible explanation for a honey bee die-off that has decimated hives around the world: A parasitic fly that hijacks the bees' bodies and causes them to abandon hives. Scientists say the fly deposits its eggs into the bee's abdomen, causing the infected bee to...

Ind. lawmaker seeks fines for U.S. anthem deviations

December 29 - Many people have murdered The Star Spangled Banner, but an Indiana lawmaker wants to criminalize deviant versions sung or played at school functions, our colleagues at The Indianapolis Star tell us. Sen. Vaneta Becker, R-Evansville, has introduced legislation that would direct state education officials to...

Obama 'naive' on Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood

January 4 - Israel's National Security Council determined during an emergency meeting last week that US President Barack Obama is "naive" when it comes to Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood and the dangers it poses. The council, which exists to provide strategic assessments to the prime minister and his cabinet, met in...

IDF rabbinate edits out Dome of the Rock from picture of Jerusalem’s Temple Mount

January 5 - Israel’s military rabbinate released an educational document ahead of the holiday of Hanukkah last month, featuring a photo of Jerusalem’s Temple Mount without the Dome of the Rock, Haaretz learned on Thursday. The photo was featured in a packet prepared by the Military Rabbinate issued to Israel Defense...

Gay couple win suit over names on birth certificate

January 5 - An Iowa judge has ordered the Department of Public Health to issue a new birth certificate listing both members of a same-sex marriage as legal parents of a 2-year-old girl, The Des Moines Register reports. Polk County District Judge Eliza Ovrom issued the order in a ruling in a lawsuit brought by Melissa...

Use of human waste in fertilizer opposed

December 29 - Residents of a Pennsylvania township neighborhood say fertilizer made of human waste used by nearby farms has seeped into their drinking water. Several farmers in Lynn Township have obtained permits from the Department of Environmental Protection to fertilize their crops with a bio-solid called "granulite,"...

Israel says it will have to invade Gaza again

December 28 - Israeli army chief Gen. Benny Gantz on Tuesday said there is no alternative to another major military ground operation in the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip. "From time to time, we face rocket fire from the Gaza Strip and we understand the continuing buildup from the Sinai region," said Gantz. "I believe that the state of...

EU countries confront Israel on latest land-grab

December 21 - The four EU countries on the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) have used unusually strong words against Israel's latest expansion of Jewish settlements on Palestinian land. France, Germany, Portugal and the UK said in a joint statement published on the British UN embassy's website on Tuesday...

Get Ready For An Obama-Clinton Presidential Ticket

December 28 - My political prediction for 2012 (based on absolutely no inside information): Hillary Clinton and Joe Biden swap places. Biden becomes Secretary of State — a position he’s apparently coveted for years. And Hillary Clinton, Vice President. So the Democratic ticket for 2012 is Obama-Clinton. Why do I say...

Congress Frees 20% of Aid to the Palestinian Authority

December 29 - American lawmakers have freed up a little more than 20 percent of $187 million in U.S. assistance to the Palestinian Authority, The Associated Press reported on Wednesday. The assistance was frozen after the PA submitted its unilateral bid for United Nations membership. Members of Congress have...

U.S. to Sell F-15 Jets to Saudis

December 29 - U.S. officials said on Wednesday that the Obama administration is poised to announce the sale of nearly $30 billion worth of F-15 fighter jets to Saudi Arabia, The Associated Press reported. According to the officials, the deal will send 84 new fighter jets and upgrades for 70 more for a total of $29.4 billion.

More Gay-Friendly Senior Housing Needed

December 29 - At age 62, Donald Carter knows his arthritis and other age-related infirmities will not allow him to live indefinitely in his third-floor walkup apartment in Philadelphia. But as a low-income renter, Carter has limited options. And as a gay black man, he's concerned his choice of senior living facilities might be...

Gun sales at record levels, according to FBI background checks

December 27 - December holiday shoppers were not just interested in buying the hottest electronics and toys -- they also were purchasing record numbers of guns, according to the latest FBI figures on background checks required to buy firearms. With a few days left in December, the FBI reports the number of...

Pentagon: Iranian Disruption of Oil Route 'Will Not Be Tolerated' [Iran is left shaking in their boots]

December 28 - U.S. military officials warned Wednesday that any attempt by Iran to disrupt oil shipments at the mouth of the Persian Gulf "will not be tolerated," as Iran threatened for the second day in a row to interfere with the critical passageway. Pentagon spokesman George Little describe the route, the Strait of Hormuz, as...

Incandescent light bulb phaseout begins Jan. 1

December 29 - The nation's light bulbs begin facing new efficiency and labeling standards starting Jan. 1, but don't expect old-fashioned incandescents to suddenly disappear from store shelves. The congressionally mandated efficiency standards gradually phase out Thomas Edison's 131-year-old creation in favor of other light...

SOPA Anti-Porn Amendment Rejected By Bipartisan Coalition

December 19 - On Thursday, a bipartisan coalition of lawmakers directed the federal government to deploy radical new powers to enforce and protect copyrights on pornography. By a vote of 9 to 18, the House Judiciary Committee rejected an amendment offered by Rep. Jared Polis (D-Colo.), which would have barred the...

Just what is Congress illegally downloading?

December 28 - Are members of Congress online pirates, stealing copyrighted material and viewing porn while they are, ironically, working on federal legislation to stop Internet theft of intellectual property? The answer is yes, according to a report that examines the downloading habits – legal and illegal – of the U.S. House...

On Eve of Net Boycott, Dump GoDaddy Exodus Begins

December 28 - It’s a boycott of viral proportions. GoDaddy.com, one of the largest domain registrars on the Internet, stands to potentially lose thousands of customers on Thursday, Dec. 29, after the company gave and then repealed its support for a controversial bill before Congress that many fear could heavily restrict the web.