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| Sidewalk Surfer Monday, Jan 13, 2014 08:31 AM PST Of all the new inventions I came across at this year's CES in Las Vegas, Onewheel was the most innovative. Created by Kyle Doerksen, a consumer products engineer and avid snowboarder, Onewheel is a self-balancing, electric skateboard that carves cement like a snowboard on only – you guessed it – one wheel. And at a [...] Full Story | Top |
| Who's on Hillary Clinton's 'hit list'? Monday, Jan 13, 2014 08:15 AM PST  During her 2008 presidential campaign, Hillary Clinton's aides kept a meticulous "political hit list" containing the names of members of Congress who had "burned her" by endorsing Barack Obama, an upcoming book on Clinton's political "rebirth" reveals. Full Story | Top |
| Gates: White House 'should go look in the mirror' Monday, Jan 13, 2014 12:42 PM PST Former Defense Secretary Robert Gates pushed back against critics who suggested he should have sat on his memoir about his years in the Obama administration, insisting his tell-all is not a "betrayal" of Obama. Full Story | Top |
| Feds probe Christie's use of Sandy relief funds: reports Monday, Jan 13, 2014 06:24 AM PST On the heels of the George Washington Bridge scandal, the possible 2016 Republican presidential hopeful finds himself facing another political controversy. Full Story | Top |
| Mexican vigilantes seize new town from drug cartel Sunday, Jan 12, 2014 10:31 PM PST Nueva Italia (Mexico) (AFP) - Vigilantes seized a drug cartel's bastion in western Mexico on Sunday, sparking a shootout as the civilian militia gained new ground in their struggle against the gang in a violence-plagued region. Hundreds of armed civilians riding in more than 100 pickup trucks rolled into the Michoacan state town of Nueva Italia and were met by gunfire from presumed Knights Templar cartel members when they reached the municipal office. Two members of the self-defense unit were wounded, he said, standing in the 40,000-population town's main square, surrounded by hundreds of men armed with AK-47 assault rifles, bulletproof vests and radios. Later, on a highway leading to the town, authorities found two men hanging from a bridge, though it was not immediately known if the killings were related to the vigilantes' advance. Full Story | Top |
| President's recess appointment power at high court Monday, Jan 13, 2014 08:54 AM PST  WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court has called into question President Barack Obama's use of a provision of the Constitution to make temporary appointments to high-level positions. Full Story | Top |
| Texting Triggers Fatal Movie Theater Shooting Monday, Jan 13, 2014 02:15 PM PST  Two Shot at Grove 16 Theater in Pasco County, Florida Full Story | Top |
| Pope, after conservatives' criticism, calls abortion "horrific" Monday, Jan 13, 2014 08:42 AM PST  By Philip Pullella VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope Francis, whom conservatives in the Roman Catholic Church have accused of not speaking out forcefully enough against abortion, on Monday called the practice "horrific". The pope made his toughest remarks to date on abortion in his yearly address to diplomats accredited to the Vatican, a speech known as his "State of the World" address. "It is horrific even to think that there are children, victims of abortion, who will never see the light of day," he said in a section of the speech about the rights of children around the world. Since his election in March, the pope, while showing no signs of changing the Church's position against abortion, has not spoken out against it as sternly or as repeatedly as his predecessors, Pope Benedict XVI and the late John Paul II. Both of those popes often delivered sermons against abortion, which the Church considers murder. Full Story | Top |
| Southwest flight lands at wrong Mo. airport Monday, Jan 13, 2014 02:07 AM PST  BRANSON, Mo. (AP) — Federal officials are investigating why a Southwest Airlines flight that was supposed to land at Branson Airport in southwest Missouri, instead landed at another airport about 7 miles away that only had about half as much runway. Full Story | Top |
| Kalashnikov 'repented killings' in letter to Church Monday, Jan 13, 2014 08:34 AM PST Mikhail Kalashnikov, designer of the legendary AK-47 assault rifle, turned to the head of the Russian Orthodox Church in the months before his death to express remorse for those killed by his invention. Kalashnikov, who died in December at the age of 94, in April wrote a lengthy emotional letter to Russian Orthodox Church Patriarch Kirill, Izvestia, a pro-Kremlin daily, reported on Monday. The Soviet-era legend and Russian national hero had visited an intensive care unit with heart problems only months earlier, and he was spending more and more time in hospital at the time he sent his letter to the Church. The typed letter on Kalashnikov's personal writing paper, reproduced by Izvestia, is signed with a wavering hand by the man who describes himself as "a slave of God, the designer Mikhail Kalashnikov." Full Story | Top |
| Michelle Obama to mark 50th birthday on Friday Monday, Jan 13, 2014 04:29 AM PST  WASHINGTON (AP) — Nearing a milestone birthday, Michelle Obama exuberantly describes herself as "50 and fabulous." She's celebrating already and a big birthday bash is in the works. Full Story | Top |
| Rodman apologizes for not helping US missionary Monday, Jan 13, 2014 01:55 AM PST BEIJING (AP) — Former basketball star Dennis Rodman apologized on Monday for not being able to help an American missionary detained in North Korea while he played there to celebrate the birthday of his friend and leader Kim Jong Un. Full Story | Top |
| Southwest grounds pilots who landed jet at wrong airport Monday, Jan 13, 2014 02:53 PM PST  By Kevin Murphy KANSAS CITY, Missouri (Reuters) - Southwest Airlines suspended two pilots from flying on Monday after their jetliner with 124 passengers landed at the wrong airport near Branson, Missouri, late on Sunday, a spokeswoman said. A Southwest captain, who has worked 15 years for the airline, and a first officer were removed from flying duties pending a federal investigation of the landing, said Michelle Agnew, a Southwest spokeswoman. The Boeing 737-700 landed at M. Graham Clark Downtown Airport instead of at Branson Airport, the main commercial air strip near Branson, which has a much longer runway, Southwest said in a statement. Full Story | Top |
| Rodman 'sorry' after controversial North Korea trip Monday, Jan 13, 2014 05:46 AM PST  An emotional Dennis Rodman appeared to break down Monday as he apologised on his return from a controversial trip to North Korea, where he sang "Happy Birthday" to regime leader Kim Jong-Un. The former NBA star was widely criticised for refusing to bring up human rights abuses or the plight of a US missionary detained in North Korea during his week-long visit, but said he would return again next month. Rodman was also accused of pandering to North Korean authorities during the trip, which featured an exhibition basketball match involving other NBA stars to mark Kim's birthday. Former world heavyweight boxing champion Mike Tyson has described Rodman's actions as "treason". Full Story | Top |
| Confused Toddler Meets Father's Identical Twin Monday, Jan 13, 2014 01:34 PM PST A video of a toddler meeting her father's identical twin brother for the first time has racked up over a million views on YouTube. Full Story | Top |
| Supreme Court will not hear Arizona abortion law appeal Monday, Jan 13, 2014 10:13 AM PST  By Lawrence Hurley WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday declined to review an appeals court ruling that said an Arizona law banning abortions starting at 20 weeks of gestation is unconstitutional, meaning the restrictive state law is struck down. The high court's decision not to hear the state's appeal means that a May 2013 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruling that invalidated the law, saying it violated "unalterably clear" legal precedents, remains intact. Arizona Governor Jan Brewer, a Republican, signed the bill into law in April 2012. The last time the Supreme Court took up an abortion case was in 2007 when it ruled 5-4 to uphold a federal law that banned a late-term abortion procedure. Full Story | Top |
| Youth participation low in early Obamacare enrollment Monday, Jan 13, 2014 02:57 PM PST  By David Morgan WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The new private health plans available under Obamacare drew in fewer young and healthy Americans than needed for the administration to make healthcare reform a market success in the first wave of enrollment, an official report showed on Monday. Twenty-four percent of the 2.2 million people who signed up for private coverage between October 1 and December 28 belonged to a target audience of 18- to 34-year-olds, according to the first administration report to provide a demographic breakdown on enrollment in the new plans offered under President Barack Obama's healthcare law. That compares with a target of closer to 38 percent set before the program's botched October 1 rollout, when administration officials believed that about 2.7 million of a forecast 7 million enrollees for 2014 would be between 18 and 35. Health policy experts say the administration may still get closer to that ratio by the time enrollment closes at the end of March, when more young Americans are expected to sign up to avoid the law's penalty for not having any coverage. Full Story | Top |
| Supreme Court casts skeptical eye on Obama's appointment power Monday, Jan 13, 2014 03:07 PM PST  By Lawrence Hurley WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Supreme Court signaled a willingness on Monday to rein in President Barack Obama's power to temporarily fill senior government posts without the Senate's approval, a move that would curb his ability to bypass a gridlocked Congress. Most of the nine justices expressed skepticism, during 90 minutes of oral arguments, about so-called recess appointments Obama made to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) in 2012. The court is expected to issue a ruling in the case by June that has the potential to shift the balance of power between the White House and the Senate. While both are now controlled by Democrats, Republicans hope to win control of the Senate in congressional mid-term elections in November. Full Story | Top |
| Pizza Hut to offer 'by the slice' amid competition Monday, Jan 13, 2014 02:53 PM PST  Pizza Hut plans to start offering pizza by the slice for the first time in two locations this week, part of a test to refashion its image and court diners in their 20s and 30s. The chain says the two locations ... Full Story | Top |
| Nigerian leader signs anti-gay law, drawing U.S. fire Monday, Jan 13, 2014 10:59 AM PST  By Felix Onuah ABUJA (Reuters) - Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan signed a bill on Monday that criminalizes same-sex relationships, defying Western pressure over gay rights and provoking criticism from the United States. The bill, which contains penalties of up to 14 years in prison and bans gay marriage, same-sex "amorous relationships" and membership of gay rights groups, was passed by the national assembly last May but Jonathan had delayed signing it into law. Presidency spokesman Reuben Abati told Reuters he had now done so. As in much of sub-Saharan Africa, anti-gay sentiment and persecution of homosexuals is rife in Nigeria, so the new legislation is likely to be popular. Full Story | Top |
| Swedish doctors transplant wombs into 9 women Monday, Jan 13, 2014 09:24 AM PST  STOCKHOLM (AP) — Nine women in Sweden have successfully received transplanted wombs donated from relatives in an experimental procedure that has raised some ethical concerns. The women will soon try to become pregnant with their new wombs, the doctor in charge of the pioneering project has revealed. Full Story | Top |
| Anti-Obama mood hurts Dems in Arkansas Senate race Monday, Jan 13, 2014 10:39 AM PST  GILLETT, Ark. (AP) — It's voters like Jammy Turner who give Republicans hope of ending an Arkansas political dynasty and taking control of the U.S. Senate this fall. Full Story | Top |
| Gay-marriage ban considered by Indiana lawmakers Monday, Jan 13, 2014 01:44 PM PST By Abdul-Hakim Shabazz INDIANAPOLIS (Reuters) - Indiana lawmakers on Monday heard arguments on a proposed state constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage, bucking a U.S. trend in the past two years of states, voters and courts allowing gays to marry. Executives from Indiana businesses, including the Indianapolis-based drug company Eli Lilly and Co. and Indiana University, warned the amendment would hurt recruitment. "Top talent will go elsewhere," Stephen Fry, senior vice president of human resources and diversity at Eli Lilly, told a state House judiciary committee. "Indiana doesn't have mountains and oceans, so all it has is a friendly and welcoming environment. Full Story | Top |
| Study Claims '16 and Pregnant' Created 20,000 Fewer Teenage Moms Monday, Jan 13, 2014 06:44 AM PST  In the face of a wall of think pieces on how 16 and Pregnant glamorizes and rewards the life of a teenage mother, a paper presented by the National Bureau of Economic Research argues that the program may have actually prevented thousands of teenage pregnancies. "We find that 16 and Pregnant led to more searches and tweets regarding birth control and abortion, and ultimately led to a 5.7 percent reduction in teen births in the 18 months following its introduction," write co-authors Melissa S. Kearney (University of Maryland) and Phillip B. Levine (Wellesley College) in their NBER paper, titled "Media Influences on Social Outcomes: The Impact of MTV's 16 and Pregnant on Teen Childbearing." That 5.7 reduction, The New York Times explains, is around 20,000 possible births to teenage mothers in 2010. Since the program's start in 2009, MTV has come under a lot of flack for not only exploiting the girls on the show, but also glamorizing teen pregnancy. And what those pieces might have done is shortchange or underestimate teenage girls. Glamorizing would only work if teenage girls weren't smart enough to see that these young mothers on television were steaming hot messes. Full Story | Top |
| Food stamp cut hits Ky. county harder than most Monday, Jan 13, 2014 05:10 AM PST  Rosanna Troyer is coping with the drop in her federal food assistance from $367 to $303 by cutting back on meat purchases and buying more canned goods and macaroni and cheese. Her 12-year-old daughter ... Full Story | Top |
| Aluminum Revolution: Ford introduces a new F-150 Monday, Jan 13, 2014 07:52 AM PST  Ford pickups have been doing the country's work for 66 years. They've hauled grain, towed logs and plowed snow. They've cleared debris after tornadoes and pulled floats in the Rose Bowl parade. They've ... Full Story | Top |
| RI gov. candidate discloses crash 25 years ago Monday, Jan 13, 2014 06:36 PM PST  PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — A leading candidate for governor disclosed on Monday that he was responsible for a crash that killed a man 25 years ago. Full Story | Top |
| High court case: abortion clinic protest-free zone Monday, Jan 13, 2014 12:34 AM PST  BOSTON (AP) — Eleanor McCullen clutches a baby's hat knit in pink and blue as she patrols a yellow semicircle painted on the sidewalk outside a Planned Parenthood health clinic on a frigid December morning with snow in the forecast. Full Story | Top |
| Student in custody after possible bomb found at Houston-area school Monday, Jan 13, 2014 11:39 AM PST  A student was taken into custody after a possible explosive device was found near the premises of a Houston-area school on Monday, local TV broadcaster KHOU reported school officials as saying. There have been no explosions and no injuries in the incident at Seven Lakes High School in Katy, a western suburb of Houston. Further details about the student taken into custody were not immediately available. The Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Harris County Sheriff's Office and the Houston Police bomb squad were looking into a suspicious backpack found just outside the school, the broadcaster reported. Full Story | Top |
| Strange Ancient Fish Had Front And Back Legs Monday, Jan 13, 2014 09:52 AM PST  These findings reveal that a key step in the evolution of hind limbs happened in fish, challenging previous theories that such appendages evolved only after the move to land. However, it also had features seen in modern tetrapods — four-limbed creatures like amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals — such as a mobile neck and robust ribcage. Prior analyses of other fossils dating from the water-land transition found their back appendages were small and weak compared with their front appendages. Full Story | Top |
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