| 1 dead in Copenhagen cafe shooting in 'likely' terror attack Posted: 14 Feb 2015 10:37 AM PST COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — Gunmen fired on a cafe in Copenhagen as it hosted a free speech event Saturday, killing one man in a likely terror attack, Danish authorities said. The event was organized by Swedish artist Lars Vilks, who has faced numerous threats after caricaturing the Prophet Muhammad. |
| Barack Obama thought 'Yes We Can' was 'too corny' — but Michelle did not Posted: 14 Feb 2015 06:07 AM PST  During his 2004 run for U.S. Senate, Barack Obama wondered if the campaign slogan "Yes We Can" was too corny. According to David Axelrod, Obama's media consultant at the time, it took Michelle Obama to convince the then-Illinois state senator that it wasn't.
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| Ukraine ceasefire in doubt as fresh fighting kills 28 Posted: 14 Feb 2015 01:07 AM PST  Fighting has raged on in Ukraine, throwing doubts on a ceasefire deal due to take effect over the weekend, with the US saying Russia is still deploying heavy arms and Kiev warning that shelling of civilians had intensified. Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said Friday that the continuing bombardment of civilians in eastern Ukraine by pro-Russian separatist rebels was already undermining the peace plan reached in Minsk a day before. "Unfortunately after the Minsk agreement, Russia's offensive has significantly increased.
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| Subpoenas arrive as Oregon governor announces departure Posted: 14 Feb 2015 09:25 AM PST  Federal agents are looking into the influence-peddling scandal that led to the abrupt end of Gov. John Kitzhaber's political career.
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| WSJ: Iranian leader Ayatollah Khamenei sent Obama secret letter Posted: 13 Feb 2015 06:17 PM PST  Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has responded to overtures from U.S. President Barack Obama amid nuclear talks by sending him a secret letter, the Wall Street Journal reported on Friday. Citing an Iranian diplomat, the paper said the Iranian cleric had written to Obama in recent weeks in response to a presidential letter sent in October. Obama's letter suggested the possibility of U.S.-Iranian cooperation in fighting Islamic State if a nuclear deal was secured, the paper said, quoting the diplomat. Khamenei's letter was "respectful" but noncommittal, it quoted the diplomat as saying.
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| Obama asks labor secretary to mediate in West Coast Ports dispute Posted: 14 Feb 2015 10:17 AM PST  President Barack Obama has asked Labor Secretary Tom Perez to travel to California to help spur an agreement in talks with the dockworkers' union that have led to service disruptions at ports along the U.S. West Coast, the White House said on Saturday. "The negotiations over the functioning of the West Coast Ports have been taking place for months with the administration urging the parties to resolve their differences," White House spokesman Eric Schultz said. "Out of concern for the economic consequences of further delay, the president has directed his Secretary of Labor Tom Perez travel to California to meet with the parties to urge them to resolve their dispute quickly at the bargaining table." Perez has been in contact with the parties and will keep Obama updated, he said. Negotiators for the union representing 20,000 dockworkers at 29 ports and management's bargaining agent, the Pacific Maritime Association, have agreed to a federal mediator's request for a 48-hour news blackout after a bargaining session on Thursday, which was the parties' first face-to-face meeting in nearly a week.
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| FBI monitoring investigation of fire at Houston Islamic center Posted: 14 Feb 2015 08:55 AM PST By Camilo Smith HOUSTON (Reuters) - The FBI is monitoring an investigation into a fire that destroyed a building at an Islamic institute in Houston and could take a more active role, a bureau spokeswoman said on Saturday. The blaze early on Friday at the Quba Islamic Institute destroyed one of three buildings there, but no one was injured, fire officials have said. Houston Fire Department arson investigators were working to pinpoint the cause of the fire, but no official determination has been made, officials said. The FBI says hate crimes are fully or partly motivated by bias against race, religion, ethnicity, disability, gender or sexual orientation. |
| Zaha Hadid brings her creative touch to Miami skyline Posted: 14 Feb 2015 07:22 AM PST  By David Adams MIAMI (Reuters) - For renowned international architect Zaha Hadid, something in Miami never added up: the architecture didn't match the city. The city lacked residences to back up its diverse, international population and burgeoning reputation for high-end culture, including Art Basel, a large, annual contemporary fair.With that in mind, she recently broke ground on her luxury tower on Miami's downtown bayfront. Employing her trademark sinewy curves and column-free spaces, the structure will twist over 700 feet into the sky to provide views reaching across Biscayne Bay and past Miami Beach to the Atlantic Ocean. Billed as offering a "six--star lifestyle" with a private rooftop helipad, scented ambiances and an indoor aquatic center, it seeks to set a new standard in Miami's growing number of luxury residencies with prices starting at $6 million.
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| California has 3 new measles cases; Arizona says its outbreak fading Posted: 13 Feb 2015 03:48 PM PST  By Dan Whitcomb LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - California public health officials have confirmed three more cases of measles in an outbreak that began in late December, bringing to 113 the total number of people believed to have been infected in the state. Health officials in Arizona, where seven cases of measles have been documented, said the outbreak would likely be considered over in that state if no further infections were reported over the weekend. Across the United States, more than 150 people have been diagnosed with measles, many of them linked to an outbreak that authorities believe began when an infected person from out of the country visited Disneyland in late December. The California Department of Public Health said 39 of the 113 people who contracted measles in the state were believed to have been exposed while visiting Disneyland.
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| Brian Williams' SEAL Team 6 stories are latest to come under fire Posted: 13 Feb 2015 01:07 PM PST  As NBC conducts its probe, the media is taking its own microscope to the anchor's claims.
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| Obama adviser John Podesta's biggest regret: Keeping America in dark about UFOs Posted: 13 Feb 2015 04:08 PM PST  Outgoing senior Obama adviser John Podesta reflected on his latest White House stint Friday, listing his favorite moments and biggest regrets from the past year. Chief among them: depriving the American people of the truth about UFOs.
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