| Arapahoe High felt like 'a war zone' Posted: 17 Dec 2013 07:42 AM PST  Student Brett Stewart offers first-person account of shooting chaos.
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| Accused Sept. 11 attacker expelled from Gitmo courtroom Posted: 17 Dec 2013 11:12 AM PST  By Tom Ramstack FORT MEADE, Maryland (Reuters) - An accused conspirator in the September 11, 2001, attacks on New York and Washington was expelled from a courtroom at the Guantanamo Bay war crimes tribunal on Tuesday for being disruptive. During a pre-trial hearing in the death penalty case, Army Colonel Judge James Pohl discussed with the five defendants their right to be present during the courtroom proceedings. Each of the defendants said he understood his rights until the judge asked Ramzi Binalshibh, who is accused of wiring money to September 11 hijackers and passing information to key al Qaeda operatives. Binalshibh initially said he did not understand, but then began complaining about his prison cell conditions.
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| Tech leaders meet with Obama over NSA spying Posted: 17 Dec 2013 11:36 AM PST  Bosses from Internet giants including Twitter and Facebook Tuesday pressed President Barack Obama for reforms of US spy agency snooping, adding to rising heat from the courts and American allies. Obama met a group of the country's most iconic Silicon Valley firms and spent two hours discussing the National Security Agency's clandestine electronic data mining operation, known as PRISM, a participant in the meeting said. The Internet company bosses fear that NSA operations have crossed constitutional lines and infringe the privacy of their customers and users in the United States and abroad and could also impact their economic bottom lines. Another participant said the session started with a discussion on attempts to repair the Healthcare.gov website that undermined the rollout of Obama's health care reform package.
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| High school named after KKK 'grand wizard' to be renamed Posted: 17 Dec 2013 08:34 AM PST  A Florida high school named after a founding member of the Ku Klux Klan is getting a new name after a campaign to change it went viral.
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| Budget deal clears crucial vote in Senate Posted: 17 Dec 2013 08:27 AM PST  The bill cleared a filibuster by drawing the support of several Republicans.
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| Knox emails Italian court: 'I didn't kill Meredith' Posted: 17 Dec 2013 08:20 AM PST  FLORENCE, Italy (AP) — Amanda Knox declared her innocence in her roommate's 2007 murder in a highly unusual email Tuesday to the Italian court hearing the case against her. The former U.S. exchange student also said she was staying away from the trial out of fear of being wrongly convicted.
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| Syria activists say Aleppo air raids killed 100 Posted: 17 Dec 2013 09:39 AM PST  BEIRUT (AP) — Syrian warplanes stepped up airstrikes on rebel-held districts in Aleppo on Tuesday, the third day of an assault that has killed more than 100 people in the northern city, activists said.
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| Putin: Russia to buy $15 billion in Ukraine bonds Posted: 17 Dec 2013 11:33 AM PST  MOSCOW (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday opened his wallet in the battle with the European Union over Ukraine's future, saying Moscow will buy $15 billion worth of Ukrainian government bonds and sharply cut the price of natural gas for its economically struggling neighbor.
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| Stocks slip as Federal Reserve meeting begins Posted: 17 Dec 2013 11:02 AM PST  NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks edged lower in early afternoon trading Tuesday as the Federal Reserve begins a two-day policy meeting.
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| Banned Somali charcoal still finds ways into Gulf Posted: 17 Dec 2013 08:55 AM PST  KHASAB, Oman (AP) — Charcoal from Somalia is prized in Gulf nations: Made from acacia trees, it's slow burning and gives a sweet aroma to the region's beloved grilled meats and to tobacco burned in waterpipes. It is also banned by the United Nations, because its shipments rake in millions of dollars a year for al-Qaida-linked militants.
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| Ginsburg: justices should stay if able to work Posted: 17 Dec 2013 11:20 AM PST  RESTON, Va. (AP) — Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg says Supreme Court justices should work as long as they can and shouldn't manipulate their retirement so a like-minded president can appoint their successor.
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| Indian official: Diplomat's arrest in NYC barbaric Posted: 17 Dec 2013 10:43 AM PST  NEW DELHI (AP) — The arrest and alleged strip search of an Indian diplomat in New York City escalated into a major diplomatic furor Tuesday as India's national security adviser called the woman's treatment "despicable and barbaric."
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| Mega Millions jackpot soars to $636 million Posted: 17 Dec 2013 11:16 AM PST  DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The Mega Millions jackpot soared to an estimated $636 million on Tuesday, making it the second largest lottery jackpot in U.S. history.
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| Stocks edge lower ahead of Federal Reserve meeting Posted: 17 Dec 2013 09:24 AM PST NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks edged lower in midday trading Tuesday as the Federal Reserve started a two-day policy meeting. |
| Sochi Olympic critics get terrorist treatment Posted: 17 Dec 2013 05:34 AM PST  SOCHI, Russia (AP) — They are fearless, stubborn and increasingly under siege. Environmentalists, activists and journalists in Sochi have spent years exposing the dark side of Vladimir Putin's showcase Winter Games — and now they're paying the price.
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| Fla. school named for South general to be changed Posted: 17 Dec 2013 10:55 AM PST JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — A Florida school board has decided to end a decades-long controversy and rename a high school now named for a Confederate general and honorary Ku Klux Klan leader that some historical records say ordered the execution of hundreds of black Union soldiers. |
| Nirvana, Kiss, Peter Gabriel headed to Rock Hall Posted: 17 Dec 2013 10:02 AM PST NEW YORK (AP) — Nirvana, Kiss and Peter Gabriel will be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame next year. |
| NKorea tries to project unity on death anniversary Posted: 17 Dec 2013 04:55 AM PST PYONGYANG, North Korea (AP) — North Korea vowed to unite behind leader Kim Jong Un during carefully staged events Tuesday to mark the second anniversary of his father's death, in an attempt to show it has returned to business as usual after the purge and execution of his once-powerful uncle last week. |
| Chemical weapons watchdog meets to OK Syria plan Posted: 17 Dec 2013 12:35 AM PST THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — The global chemical weapons watchdog is meeting to approve a definitive plan for ridding Syria of its declared stockpile of toxic chemicals in just over six months. |
| North Korea enigma: American released, uncle executed ... enter Dennis Rodman? Posted: 16 Dec 2013 03:08 PM PST  North Korea remains as enigmatic as ever, releasing an American Korean War veteran detained at the end of an organized visit to the hermetic country one moment and executing the longtime, behind-the-scenes power and former trusted uncle of leader Kim Jong-un the next. Mr. Rodman, who described himself as Kim's "friend for life" during a high-profile trip to Pyongyang earlier this year, plans to return this week to help train the North Korean basketball team. Also in the works for January is an unprecedented exhibition basketball game that would pit the Rodman-coached North Korean ballers against a roster of former NBA players – although the names of the latter have yet to be released. Rodman says he has high hopes for his "basketball diplomacy," but at the same time he eschews any political dimension to his North Korea travels.
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| Obama meets with tech CEOs amid NSA concerns Posted: 17 Dec 2013 09:43 AM PST WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama on Tuesday huddled with executives from leading technology companies, including Google, Twitter and Apple. |
| Six U.S. troops killed in Afghan helicopter crash Posted: 17 Dec 2013 09:46 AM PST  Six US troops from the NATO mission in Afghanistan were killed and one was wounded in a helicopter crash on Tuesday, with officials saying it was not a suspected Taliban strike. The Afghan insurgents, however, immediately claimed responsibility for the deaths, using their main Twitter account to report that their fighters had shot down the US chopper in the southern province of Zabul. The incident was the single biggest loss of life for the NATO mission in Afghanistan since seven Georgian soldiers died when a suicide bomber blew up a truck loaded with explosives outside a base in Helmand province in June. "Six International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) service members died following an aircraft crash in southern Afghanistan today," an ISAF statement said.
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| Obama, tech execs to discuss costs of NSA spying Posted: 17 Dec 2013 02:44 AM PST  Executives from Apple, Twitter, Netflix, Google and Yahoo are due to meet with the president.
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| Six U.S. soldiers killed in helicopter crash in Afghanistan Posted: 17 Dec 2013 07:45 AM PST  Six U.S. soldiers were killed in a helicopter crash in southern Afghanistan on Tuesday, NATO said, the largest death toll in a single incident to hit the international force in months. U.S. defense officials said the soldiers killed in the crash, which occurred in Afghanistan's southern Zabul province, were American. Zabul's deputy governor, Mohammad Jan Rasoulyar, said a crash had taken place in the Shah Joy district of Zabul. A Taliban spokesman claimed on Twitter that Taliban militants had shot down a helicopter on Tuesday in the same district.
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| Boston Marathon bombing victim engaged to rehab nurse Posted: 17 Dec 2013 04:52 AM PST  James "Bim" Costello popped the question to Krista D'Agostino on Saturday in Lyon, France, during a 10-day trip to Europe with other victims and first responders.
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| Federal government has spent nearly $1 million on romance Posted: 17 Dec 2013 05:00 AM PST  We know Congress has terrible approval ratings, but who knew it was this desperate for love?
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| 'No credible evidence' Diana murdered Posted: 17 Dec 2013 05:49 AM PST  British police said Tuesday they found "no credible evidence" that Diana, princess of Wales was murdered by special forces, following a probe into the new claims over her death in 1997. Scotland Yard announced in August it was checking recently received information about the deaths of the princess and her boyfriend Dodi Fayed, including an allegation that she was killed by Britain's elite Special Air Service (SAS). Diana and Fayed were killed in a car crash in a Paris underpass in the early hours of August 31, 1997, along with their French driver Henri Paul. The Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) conducted a "scoping exercise" to assess its relevance and decide whether it warranted a new criminal investigation.
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| Budget deal splits GOP leaders in House, Senate Posted: 17 Dec 2013 08:16 AM PST  WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate Republican leaders are criticizing a bipartisan budget deal, parting ways with their House counterparts who shepherded the measure through that chamber last week.
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| Report: Snowden makes Brazil an offer Posted: 17 Dec 2013 01:06 AM PST  In an "open letter," the NSA leaker vows to help Brazil's government if granted asylum.
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| Do vitamins block disease? Some disappointing news Posted: 16 Dec 2013 04:44 PM PST  WASHINGTON (AP) — There's more disappointing news about multivitamins: Two major studies found popping the pills didn't protect aging men's brains or help heart attack survivors.
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| Shooter's parents: 'Shattered,' 'devastated' Posted: 16 Dec 2013 03:45 PM PST  As support pours in for the girl critically wounded on Friday, the shooter's parents speak.
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