Browsing: US News

The knives are out in some Republican circles for embattled New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R). According to Tegan Goddard’s Political Wire blog, one top Republican fundraiser described the governor as disloyal and self-promoting. “The guy, as a…

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange on Friday dismissed President Barack Obama’s proposals to curb the reach of the National Security Agency (NSA), saying they would change very little. In a speech intended to quell the furor over surveillance programs…

US lawmakers were poised Friday to seize a chance to take the initiative in reforming America’s vast digital surveillance network, after President Barack Obama opened the door to them. Under pressure after fugitive intelligence contractor Edward Snowden…

US clothing chain American Apparel has sparked controversy by putting mannequins sprouting pubic hair in the windows of their shop in New York’s boho Lower East Side. Passersby stopped to gawk, take photographs, chuckle or raise a horrified eyebrow…

In a speech earlier this morning from the Justice Department, President Obama discussed government surveillance in a speech that was as much a defense of the NSA’s activities as it was a response to growing discomfort with the agency’s surveillance…

President Barack Obama will Friday announce plans to stop the National Security Agency hoarding hundreds of millions of telephone call records, among reforms to US surveillance programs exposed by Edward Snowden. A senior US official, speaking ahead…

The document collection leaked by Edward Snowden continues to bear fruit; a collaborative investigation between The Guardian and the UK’s Channel 4 News has revealed that the U.S. government’s National Security Agency (NSA) is collecting millions…

A Pew Research Center study release on Thursday showed that US readers reach for ink-and-paper books despite the rising popularity of tablets and digital works. While the portion of people who read e-books grew in the past year, most adults in the United…

The US military has suspended 34 officers in charge of launching nuclear missiles for cheating on a proficiency test, Air Force leaders said Wednesday. The scandal at Malmstrom Air Force Base in Montana marked the latest in a series of damaging revelations…

The United States on Monday criticized Nigeria for approving a law that punishes same-sex marriage with prison, saying the move would curtail basic human rights. Secretary of State John Kerry said the United States was “deeply concerned” by Nigeria’…

British Prime Minister David Cameron on Monday promised tax breaks worth millions of pounds to local councils who encourage shale gas development, declaring the country was going “all out for shale”. Cameron announced that local authorities in England…

A Texas hunting club auctioned off a permit to kill a black rhinoceros in Namibia, raising $350,000 towards conservation efforts for the animal, but not without controversy. The Dallas Safari Club, which on Saturday said all money would be given to…

A chastened Gov. Chris Christie did everything he could yesterday to quell the burgeoning Bridgegate scandal, but the investigations are likely to continue for months, with an Assembly committee preparing to subpoena a parade of current and former Christie…

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie’s US presidential ambitions ran into a jam when he was forced to admit his staff lied to him about their role in blocking commuter traffic onto a major bridge. Christie, a larger-than-life Republican seen as a frontrunner…

New claims for US unemployment insurance benefits fell last week, the government said on Thursday in a report suggesting improvement in the labor market. Initial jobless claims, a sign of the pace of layoffs, fell by 15,000 to a seasonally adjusted…

Whenever NSA overreach is discussed, many—even the NSA’s biggest advocates—refer back to J. Edgar Hoover’s illegal FBI domestic surveillance program in the 1960s and 70s as the prime example of an out-of-control intelligence agency and…

Last week, press reports revealed more about the National Security Agency’s (NSA) elite hacking unit, the Office of Tailored Access Operations (TAO). The press also helped the public grasp other NSA activities, like how it’s weakening encryption. All…

President Barack Obama made an emotional, moral and economic case for extending long-term unemployment benefits on Tuesday, kicking off his first skirmish of the year with Republicans. The spat over prolonging the lifeline to 1.3 million Americans,…

The risk of dying from cancer in the United States has declined 20 percent over the past two decades, according to the American Cancer Society’s annual report out Tuesday. However, cancer, a complex disease that has largely eluded attempts at a cure…

Liz Cheney, the oldest daughter of former vice president Dick Cheney, is dropping her bid to be the Republican senate candidate for Wyoming, US media reported late Sunday. CNN, citing unnamed sources, said that Liz Cheney, 47, could make the announcement…