Chen reports first concrete step toward leaving China
Chen Guangcheng, the Chinese human rights activist who ignited a diplomatic frenzy when he escaped house arrest last month, has received passport applications for himself and his family, he said Wednesday. The paperwork for Chen, his wife and their two children was completed and photos were taken
Obama issues veto threat against House defense bill
President Barack Obama threatened on Tuesday to veto a defense policy bill in the House of Representatives that would authorize higher Pentagon spending and tie his hands on national security issues from nuclear arms reductions to handling war detainees. In a move that set the White House on a collision course with lawmakers in the
Obamas team of tech gurus to unleash Holy Grail of digital campaigning
Barack Obama's re-election campaign for the White House is poised to launch its secret weapon: an online tool that the campaign hopes will vastly increase its ability to mobilise volunteers and potential voters across the US. The new tool, called Dashboard, is being seen as the possible Holy Grail of digital political organising, one that
Libertarians nominate ex-Governor Gary Johnson for president
The U.S. Libertarian Party on Saturday chose former New Mexico Governor Gary Johnson, who was once a Republican White House hopeful, as its presidential candidate in the November 6 election. Johnson, who announced in December he would run for president as a Libertarian after mounting a long-shot candidacy for the Republican nomination,
Lawmakers push for vote to limit post office closures
A bipartisan group of lawmakers is trying to drum up support in the House of Representatives to vote on a Senate-passed bill that would make it tougher for the Postal Service to close some facilities, in part by targeting representatives who may lose postal facilities and jobs in their districts. The group hopes representatives who are
Home Smart Home
'Turn the porch light on at 3 p.m.,' he says through an intercom to the female voice that belongs to his house. She confirms that she will make sure the light comes on as instructed. 'Open my shopping list, and add apples, bananas and bread,' he continues. She assures him she will update the shopping list, as well. As CEO of
Home
Chinese activists escape like Hollywood thriller
Chen Guangcheng's voice is unwavering. For a man who has endured four years in prison and then 18 months under house arrest, he appears calm and resolute. Chen has posted a video online, detailing his extraordinary ordeal. The blind human rights activist is finally getting a chance to tell his
Cispa approved by House but critics urge Senate to block horrible bill
Free speech advocates are calling for the Senate to block controversial cybersecurity legislation they claim will give the US authorities unprecedented access to online communications. The House of Representatives on Thursday ignored the threat of a White House veto to pass the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act (Cispa). The
Cispa cybersecurity bill passed by House of Representatives
The House of Representatives has ignored objections from Barack Obama's administration and approved legislation aimed at helping to thwart electronic attacks on critical US infrastructure and private companies. On a bipartisan vote of 248-168, the Republican-controlled House backed the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act
Chinese activist flees house arrest
A blind legal activist who is a key figure in China's rights movement has escaped the house arrest he has lived under for a year and a half, fleeing to an unknown location and angering his captors, fellow rights campaigners said on Friday. Chen Guangcheng slipped out of his usually well-guarded house in Dongshigu town on Sunday, said the
Activists: Blind Chinese lawyer flees house arrest
A blind legal activist who is a key figure in China's rights movement escaped the house arrest he had lived under for a year and a half, fleeing to an undisclosed location and angering captors who then turned on his family, rights campaigners said Friday.
Chen Guangcheng slipped out of his usually well-guarded house in Dongshigu village
Afghan amputee dreams of Paralympics success
Inside a sparkling new pool house off a dusty, bustling street in Afghanistan's capital, sits a young man with a dream. Malek Mohammad, an 18-year-old double amputee, has already overcome so many challenges in his young life, some might be tempted to think he requires no assistance
Obama energy critics in fairy tale world: U.S. official
A top Obama administration official on Tuesday accused lawmakers in the Republican-controlled House of Representatives of living in a world of 'fairy tales and falsehoods' when it comes to energy. In a stinging rebuke to the administration's critics, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar strongly defended his department's record on energy
Obama stresses own struggle with loans on youth-focused trip
Describing his own struggle to pay off college debt and taking another dig at his likely White House rival's wealth, President Barack Obama sought on Tuesday to expand his popularity among young voters with a call to make education more affordable. During a multi-state trip to highlight rising education costs, a key theme of his
Cispa cybersecurity bill opposed by Obama administration
A senior Obama administration official has stressed the White House's opposition to a controversial cybersecurity bill ahead of a vote in the House of Representatives later this week. The Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act (Cispa) is intended to facilitate sharing of information on online threats across different federal
Congress presses investigation of Secret Service scandal
Two senior Republicans in the House of Representatives expressed confidence on Sunday in the head of the U.S. Secret Service, despite the agency's Colombia prostitution scandal while a Senate committee chairman planned hearings into the matter. Senator Joseph Lieberman, an independent, said that the Homeland Security and Governmental
Court upholds convictions in John Stamos extortion plot
A U.S. appeals court on Monday upheld the convictions and sentences of a Michigan couple who tried to extort $680,000 from 'Full House' actor John Stamos. Allison Coss and Scott Sippola were convicted in 2010 of concocting an elaborate plot to extort money from Stamos by threatening to release pictures of him at a party where there were
Too Cold For Coachella? Watch Couchella On YouTube
It is freaking cold here in Indio California, so cold that half of the folks in the house I'm staying with for the weekend left the Coachella music festival last night around 9pm. Even though I stayed until midnight (made it to Swedish House Mafia, yesss!), I ended up buying an ugly $60 Coachella hoodie to not freeze my buns off. A LOT of
