Aftershocks terrify survivors of quake that killed 2,500

Aftershocks terrify survivors of quake that killed 2,500
Obama turns 2016 hopefuls into comic fodder for media dinner
Baltimore protests turn violent after death of arrested man
Top U.S. court appears on cusp of declaring right to gay marriage
U.S. mulls ransom policy for families of overseas hostages: ABC TV
Two dead, five boaters missing after storm hits Alabama
Russian hackers read Obama's unclassified emails last year: NYT
A dozen arrested as Freddie Gray protests turn violent
11 stories reportedly under scrutiny so far in NBC's Brian Williams investigation
Live blog: Hollywood collides with politics at WHCD

Posted: 26 Apr 2015 10:24 AM PDT

An aftershock adds chaos to an already devastated region.

Obama turns 2016 hopefuls into comic fodder for media dinner

Posted: 26 Apr 2015 02:02 AM PDT

WASHINGTON (AP) — A presidential election just getting into gear provided President Barack Obama plenty of new material to work with on the night he describes as Washington celebrating itself.

Baltimore protests turn violent after death of arrested man

Posted: 26 Apr 2015 09:53 AM PDT

BALTIMORE (AP) — A protest over the death of Freddie Gray, who was critically injured in police custody, started peacefully with thousands marching through downtown streets before the demonstration turned violent and volatile.

Top U.S. court appears on cusp of declaring right to gay marriage

Posted: 26 Apr 2015 06:45 AM PDT

By Joan Biskupic WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Supreme Court's arguments on Tuesday over same-sex marriage will cap more than two decades of litigation and a transformation in public attitudes. Based on the court's actions during the past two years, a sense of inevitability is in the air: That a majority is on the verge of declaring gay marriage legal nationwide. Justice Anthony Kennedy, the court's pivotal member on gay rights, has been marching in this direction with opinions dating to 1996. In his most recent gay rights decision for the court in 2013, rejecting a legal definition of marriage limited to a man and woman for purposes of federal benefits, Kennedy deplored that U.S. law for making gay marriages "unequal." That 5-4 decision did not address a constitutional right to same-sex marriage, but lower court judges interpreted the ruling as an endorsement of it and began invalidating state bans.

U.S. mulls ransom policy for families of overseas hostages: ABC TV

Posted: 26 Apr 2015 10:25 AM PDT

The Obama administration is considering changing a U.S. policy prohibiting families of hostages held overseas from making ransom payments to abductors, according to a television report on Sunday. "Under recommendations contained in an ongoing White House review of U.S. hostage policy, there will be absolutely zero chance ... of any family member of an American-held hostage overseas ever facing jail themselves, or even the threat of prosecution, for trying to free their loved ones," according to the report aired on ABC's "This Week." The report said three senior U.S. officials told of the policy review, but it did not indicate when a decision might be made. A White House official contacted by Reuters would not comment on the ABC report. Last year, U.S. military forces unsuccessfully tried to rescue American journalist James Foley and other hostages thought to be in eastern Syria only to find that they had been moved.

Two dead, five boaters missing after storm hits Alabama

Posted: 26 Apr 2015 10:12 AM PDT

(Reuters) - At least two people are dead and five are missing after a powerful storm capsized several vessels off the Alabama coast, including sailboats participating in a regatta, Coast Guard officials said on Sunday. One of the bodies of those killed was found on Sunday morning and the other was located the night before in or near the waters in Mobile Bay, where severe weather struck the Dauphin Island regatta on Saturday afternoon, said Coast Guard Captain Duke Walker. Crews using rescue vessels and aircraft searched through the night for the missing people, covering 1,779 sq miles by Sunday morning, Coast Guard spokesman Carlos Vega said.

Russian hackers read Obama's unclassified emails last year: NYT

Posted: 25 Apr 2015 06:40 PM PDT

Russian hackers who penetrated sensitive parts of the White House computer system last year read President Barack Obama's unclassified emails, the New York Times reported on Saturday, quoting U.S. officials. "There is no evidence that the president's email account itself was hacked, White House officials said. Still, the fact that some of Mr. Obama's communications were among those retrieved by hackers has been one of the most closely held findings of the inquiry," the paper said. A White House spokeswoman declined to comment on the report but the White House earlier this month confirmed the breach, saying it took place last year and that it did not affect classified information.

A dozen arrested as Freddie Gray protests turn violent

Posted: 25 Apr 2015 08:32 PM PDT

Fredricka Gray tells demonstrators to "stop the violence" in her first public remarks since her brother's death.

11 stories reportedly under scrutiny so far in NBC's Brian Williams investigation

Posted: 25 Apr 2015 12:22 PM PDT

Sources report that an NBC internal investigation has so far revealed 11 occasions on which the former "Nightly News" anchor appears to have bent the truth about his reporting.