| Ruth Bader Ginsburg downplays retirement rumors Posted:  Ginsburg: "I'm still here and likely to remain for a while."
|
| CIA director says sorry to Senate for improper computer searches Posted: 31 Jul 2014 09:30 AM PDT  WASHINGTON (AP) — CIA Director John Brennan is apologizing to Senate intelligence committee leaders after his inspector general found that CIA employees acted improperly when the CIA searched Senate computers earlier this year.
|
| Crashed drone tried to fly phones, pot into S.C. prison Posted: 31 Jul 2014 09:01 AM PDT  By Harriet McLeod CHARLESTON S.C. (Reuters) - A drone being flown in a novel attempt to smuggle phones, marijuana and tobacco into a South Carolina maximum security prison crashed outside its walls, authorities said on Wednesday. The contraband smuggling attempt has been under investigation since the wreckage was discovered in April outside the Lee Correctional Institution in Bishopville, said state Department of Corrections spokeswoman Stephanie Givens. Officials believe it was the first time an unmanned aircraft had been used in an effort to breach prison walls in the state, Givens said. Illegal cellphones, an issue in prisons nationwide, have drawn particular alarm in South Carolina.
|
| Tell it to the 99 percent Posted: 31 Jul 2014 08:59 AM PDT  Unemployment at five-year low, July jobs report said positive, yet many feel wallet pain.
|
| Ebola outbreak death toll rises: 729 Posted: 31 Jul 2014 06:57 AM PDT  Nigerian authorities identified 59 people who had contact with U.S. citizen who died in Lagos last week.
|
| VIDEO: UN official breaks down on camera discussing Gaza crisis Posted: 31 Jul 2014 04:59 AM PDT  UN official Chris Gunness broke down in tears while filming an Al-Jazeera Arabic interview on July 30, after a UN school, sheltering thousands of displaced Palestinians, was shelled. Gunness is a spokesman for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) and was discussing the "appalling" denial of rights for Palestinians when he broke down in tears. Gunness's appearance has struck a chord with many viewers, perhaps because, as he tweeted himself, "There are times when tears speak more eloquently than words." Credit: Al-Jazeera
|
| Twitter twister over 'Sharknado 2' debut Posted: 31 Jul 2014 05:12 AM PDT  "Sharknado 2," the sequel to the 2013 B-movie hit "Sharknado," premiered on the Syfy channel on Wednesday. And, judging by the reaction on Twitter, it was likely the most-watched movie about a tornado of sharks in the history of television.
|
| Consequential ruling for Wisconsin same-sex couples Posted: 31 Jul 2014 07:24 AM PDT  The Wisconsin Supreme Court on Thursday upheld a 2009 law that establishes a registry for same-sex couples, saying it does not violate an amendment to the state's constitution banning gay marriage. The gay marriage ban was approved by Wisconsin voters in 2006. It now has more than 2,000 couples on it, according to Fair Wisconsin, a gay-rights organization based in Madison. Wisconsin Family Action, an anti-gay rights group, argued in a 2010 lawsuit that the registry violated the amendment because it resembles marriage under state law.
|
| Matt Bai: Rand Paul reaches out to black voters; why? Posted: 31 Jul 2014 01:27 AM PDT  You've got to give this much to Rand Paul: Kentucky's junior senator is willing to do something almost unheard of in modern presidential politics, which is to make arguments that not everyone in his party already cares about. For this reason alone, Paul is probably the most interesting presidential hopeful out there, if not the most likely to succeed.
|
| Netanyahu: No ceasefire until underground tunnels destroyed Posted: 31 Jul 2014 09:08 AM PDT  By Nidal al-Mughrabi and Jeffrey Heller GAZA/JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, facing international alarm over a rising civilian death toll in Gaza, said on Thursday he would not accept any ceasefire that stopped Israel completing the destruction of militants' infiltration tunnels. The Israeli military estimated on Wednesday that accomplishing that task, already into its fourth week, would take several more days. "I wont agree to any proposal that will not enable the Israeli military to finish this important task, for the sake of Israel's security." Leaving open the option of widening a ground campaign in the Hamas Islamist-dominated Gaza Strip, the Israeli military said it had called up an additional 16,000 reservists.
|
| Blasts heard as inspectors arrive at MH17 crash site in Ukraine Posted: 31 Jul 2014 09:38 AM PDT  An international probe into the downing of flight MH17 in eastern Ukraine inched forward on Thursday as experts risked attack to reach the site for the first time in nearly a week after Kiev announced a halt to its military offensive. A small team of Dutch and Australian experts accompanied by international monitors accessed the vast site of the doomed Malaysia Airlines jet after days of fierce fighting between government forces and rebels had stopped them reaching the area. Ukraine's military had earlier announced a "day of quiet" across the entire east after a plea from UN chief Ban Ki-moon to halt fighting around the crash site, where the remains of some of the 298 victims lie festering in the sun two weeks after the jet was shot down over rebel territory. Kiev has continually blamed pro-Russian rebels controlling the site for blocking the probe and warned that insurgents were still shelling its troop positions across the region.
|
| Wisc. Supreme Court upholds law that ended collective bargaining Posted: 31 Jul 2014 10:20 AM PDT  MADISON, Wis. (AP) — The fight over Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker's signature policy achievement, a law effectively ending collective bargaining for most public employees, ended Thursday with the state Supreme Court declaring it to be constitutional.
|
| Ginsburg: Male justices have 'blind spot' Posted: 30 Jul 2014 11:50 AM PDT  Supreme Court justice discusses her dissent in Hobby Lobby case with Yahoo's Katie Couric.
|
| The impending death of Libya's dream to be a democracy Posted: 31 Jul 2014 05:43 AM PDT  Since then, a chaotic welter of regional militias has been competing for riches and influence. No ordinary turf war, the latest fighting could define Libya's future and perhaps end its dream of democracy. The violence is most likely a calculated attempt at politics by other means, says Karim Mezran at the Atlantic Council, a think-tank in Washington. Libya's political landscape has polarized sharply in recent months between Islamists who have dominated the interim parliament and their non-Islamist rivals.
|
| Gaza crisis overwhelms United Nations, leaves it broke Posted: 31 Jul 2014 08:22 AM PDT  By Nidal al-Mughrabi and Noah Browning GAZA/JERUSALEM (Reuters) - The United Nations in Gaza is struggling to withstand a flood of almost a quarter of a million refugees into shelters that have repeatedly come under Israeli fire. Out of cash, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), the main U.N. body in the impoverished enclave of 1.8 million Palestinians, says it can barely handle the humanitarian crisis unleashed by more than three weeks of fighting between militants and Israel. ...
|
| Argentina slides into default as debt talks fail Posted: 31 Jul 2014 05:18 AM PDT  NEW YORK (AP) — The collapse of talks with U.S. creditors sent Argentina into its second debt default in 13 years and raised questions about what comes next for financial markets and the South American nation's staggering economy.
|
| Israel calls up another 16,000 reserves Posted: 31 Jul 2014 01:56 AM PDT The new call-up orders may allow Israel to widen its Gaza offensive. |
| Archbishop says he didn't mismanage abuse scandal Posted: 30 Jul 2014 10:26 PM PDT  ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — The head of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis says he won't resign, despite criticism that he and other local Roman Catholic Church leaders concealed allegations about abusive priests, and he again dismissed allegations of sexual misconduct of his own.
|
| Israel vows to destroy Hamas tunnels Posted: 31 Jul 2014 07:09 AM PDT JERUSALEM (AP) — Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday that Israel will destroy the Hamas tunnel network in the Gaza Strip "with or without a cease-fire," as the military called up another 16,000 reservists to pursue its campaign in the densely-populated territory. |
| Congress races to finish veterans, highway bills Posted: 31 Jul 2014 09:34 AM PDT  WASHINGTON (AP) — Rushing toward the exits, Congress on Thursday scrambled to wrap up legislation addressing the troubled Veterans Affairs Department and a looming shortfall in highway money. House Republicans sought to win over reluctant, tea party conservatives on a border security bill.
|
| 10 Things to See: A week of top AP photos Posted: 31 Jul 2014 08:57 AM PDT  Here's your look at highlights from the weekly AP photo report, a gallery featuring a mix of front-page photography, the odd image you might have missed and lasting moments our editors think you should see.
|
| Investigators make it to Ukraine jet crash site Posted: 31 Jul 2014 09:54 AM PDT  ROZSYPNE, Ukraine (AP) — International investigators got their first look Thursday at the wreckage of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17, finally reaching the site two weeks after a missile brought down the plane. Fighting between Ukrainian troops and separatist rebels raged around them but the investigators called their brief inspection visit a success.
|
| AP Analysis: Putin cornered over Ukraine Posted: 31 Jul 2014 09:13 AM PDT  MOSCOW (AP) — For Russian President Vladimir Putin, there are few options left in the Ukraine crisis and they all look bad.
|
| In San Francisco real estate, $1M won't buy much Posted: 31 Jul 2014 10:31 AM PDT  SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — San Francisco Association of Realtors President Betty Taisch has two words of advice for those who want to live here and think $1 million will buy them their dream house: think again.
|
| Homeowner who fought off Trump is moving on Posted: 31 Jul 2014 09:25 AM PDT  She once called Donald Trump "a maggot, a cockroach and a crumb." This week, he remembered her as "an impossible person."
|
| San Francisco million-dollar home sales hit record Posted: 31 Jul 2014 09:56 AM PDT SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A record number of million-dollar homes were sold in the San Francisco Bay Area during the second quarter, a research firm said Thursday, another sign that affording a place to live is a growing challenge for anyone who isn't tied to the booming technology economy. |
| State Dept: 'No American is proud' of CIA tactics Posted: 31 Jul 2014 12:08 AM PDT  WASHINGTON (AP) — The State Department has endorsed the broad conclusions of a harshly critical Senate report on the CIA's interrogation and detention practices after the 9/11 attacks, a report that accuses the agency of brutally treating terror suspects and misleading Congress, according to a White House document.
|
| Mudslide swallows Indian village; at least 41 dead Posted: 31 Jul 2014 09:36 AM PDT  MALIN, India (AP) — Rescuers using earth-moving equipment and their bare hands dug through heavy mud and debris Thursday after a landslide engulfed an entire village in western India, killing at least 41 people and leaving about 100 missing and feared dead.
|
| 1 dead as plane crashes into Costco parking lot Posted: 30 Jul 2014 10:27 PM PDT  SAN DIEGO (AP) — A small plane crashed in a San Diego shopping center parking lot Wednesday, killing an 80-year-old woman who was the lone passenger and injuring the pilot, authorities said.
|
| Suing Obama: GOP-led House gives the go-ahead Posted: 30 Jul 2014 09:25 PM PDT  A sharply divided House approved a Republican plan Wednesday to launch a campaign-season lawsuit against President Barack Obama, accusing him of exceeding the bounds of his constitutional authority. Obama and other Democrats derided the effort as a stunt aimed at tossing political red meat to conservative voters.
|
| Stowaway death triggers security review Posted: 30 Jul 2014 12:30 PM PDT  The U.S. Air Force's top civilian and uniformed leaders said Wednesday the failure to prevent a teenager from stowing away aboard a military cargo plane, apparently while on an airfield in the West African nation of Mali, was a serious security lapse.
|
| 3 killed, cops injured in N.C. shootout Posted: 30 Jul 2014 08:29 PM PDT  A domestic dispute led to a gun battle with deputies at a North Carolina trailer park.
|
| Researchers: Ship found in WTC ruins dates to 1773 Posted: 30 Jul 2014 05:11 PM PDT  Researchers: Ship unearthed at WTC site predates American independence.
|
| Human Rights Watch: Syria’s air strikes defy UN resolution Posted: 30 Jul 2014 04:08 PM PDT  Human Rights Watch sharply criticised the Syrian air force Wednesday for intensifying strikes on Aleppo, despite a UN Security Council resolution ordering all sides in the conflict to stop indiscriminate attacks. The New York-based group also rapped the Security Council for inaction over the violence in Syria in a statement issued ahead of a meeting of the UN body. "The Syrian government is raining high explosive barrel bombs on civilians in defiance of a unanimous United Nations Security Council resolution," HRW said, referring to resolution 2139 from February.
|
| 3 killed, 3 injured in N.C. shootout Posted: 30 Jul 2014 03:35 PM PDT  A domestic dispute erupted into a gun battle with deputies at a North Carolina trailer park.
|
| Pipe break in UCLA flooding points to U.S. water main risk Posted: 30 Jul 2014 03:59 PM PDT  The rupture of a nearly century-old water main that ripped a 15-foot hole through Sunset Boulevard and turned a swath of the University of California, Los Angeles into a mucky mess points to the risks and expense many cities face with miles of water lines installed generations ago.
|
| Powell at first not told of post-9/11 tactics Posted: 30 Jul 2014 06:13 PM PDT Report: Many U.S. officials initially kept in dark on CIA's post-9/11 tactics. |
| 6 Philly officers charged in massive corruption case Posted: 30 Jul 2014 02:08 PM PDT  Six city narcotics officers used gangland tactics to shake down drug dealers, relying on guns, badges, beatings and threats to extort huge piles of cash and cocaine, federal authorities charged in an indictment Wednesday.
|
| Grimes uses McConnell’s own footage in attack video Posted: 30 Jul 2014 11:37 AM PDT  Alison Lundergan Grimes uses opponent Mitch McConnell's own B-roll in attack video.
|
| Killer of actor Kelsey Grammer's sister denied parole in Colorado Posted: 30 Jul 2014 01:46 PM PDT  A man convicted of murdering the sister of actor Kelsey Grammer in Colorado 34 years ago was denied parole on Wednesday, a day after Grammer testified against his release, authorities said. Freddie Glenn, who was convicted with two accomplices in the murder of 18-year-old Karen Elisa Grammer, was turned down for release by the state parole board, said Adrienne Jacobson, spokeswoman for the Colorado Department of Corrections. Grammer was abducted on July 1, 1975, from a Colorado Springs seafood restaurant where she worked. In an audio recording of his testimony played at Tuesday's hearing, the 59-year-old actor told Glenn he forgave him for the crime, but endorsing parole for the convicted killer "would be a betrayal of my sister's life." Grammer said his sister moved to Colorado Springs to be closer to her boyfriend, and was a bright woman with a promising future.
|
