Cheryl K. Chumley

John Lewis, black lawmakers to skip Benjamin Netanyahu speech: ‘It’s an affront’ to Obama

Rep. John Lewis and other black lawmakers affiliated with the Congressional Black Caucus are preparing to skip Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's speech to Congress, saying the invite from Speaker John Boehner is a legislative overreach and an "affront" to President Obama.

February 6, 2015

Chicago-area daycare finds measles-positive infants

Parents at a daycare in the Chicago area were warned that two babies at the facility tested positive for measles — and possibly three more may be similarly diagnosed, public health officials said.

February 6, 2015

John Kerry scores last in survey on effectiveness — behind Hillary Clinton, Condi Rice, James Baker

The most effective secretary of state of the past five decades? Not John Kerry, who came in last — behind Condoleeza Rice, Hillary Clinton and James Baker.

February 5, 2015

Tim Farriss, INXS guitarist, severs finger: ‘I don’t know if I will be able to play’ again

Tim Farriss, the guitarist for Australian rock band INXS, underwent surgery for an incident that severed his finger -- and it's not known if he'll ever play again.

February 5, 2015

Kelly Tucker, Georgia teacher, docked 5 days of pay for criticizing #BlackLivesMatter

A teacher at Eighth Street Middle School in Tifton, Georgia, was docked five days of pay for posting a negative comment about #BlackLivesMatter on her personal Facebook page.

February 5, 2015

Justin Smith, Colorado sheriff, calls out Jeh Johnson: ‘Stop with the threats’

A Colorado sheriff took umbrage with a recent Department of Homeland Security memo signed by Secretary Jeh Johnson, saying the "veiled threat" of funding cuts was inappropriate and unprofessional.

February 5, 2015

Tom Brady’s Super Bowl win gets him five-figure tax bill from IRS

New England Patriots' star quarterback Tom Brady may have won big in the Super Bowl, but as far as taxes go, he's come up the $60,000-plus loser.

February 5, 2015

James Woods snarks: ‘Throw a cup of water’ in terrorist’s face? ‘That would be cruel’

James Woods, an outspoken Hollywood conservative, took to Twitter to issue a sarcastic response to the Islamic State's burning of the Jordanian pilot, taking seeming subtle shots at Democrats, the White House and others who decried the previous administration's use of water boarding as unnecessary torture.

February 5, 2015

Joe Barton changes bill number 666 ‘so people will focus on the contents’

Rep. Joe Barton said no thanks to the bill number that was tagged for his recently introduced legislation on crude oil exports and demanded a new one — the issued 666, he said, was too distracting.

February 5, 2015

U.N.: Islamic State guilty of ‘beheadings, crucifixions of children’ in Iraq

The United Nations put out a new report saying terrorists with the Islamic State have been seen killing, torturing and raping children and women in Iraq, and that local forces need to step up their game and start protecting their citizens.

February 5, 2015

Matthew McConaughey fields fire from animal activists over ranch deer kills

Hollywood's Matthew McConaughey is sparking fury among animal rights activists, who say his side business — allowing people to hunt caged animals at his Texas ranch — is akin to abuse.

February 5, 2015

#BrianWilliamsMisremembers takes Twitter by storm over Brian Williams lie

Brian Williams, the NBC host of "Nightly News," is being slammed on Twitter for his false claim that the helicopter he rode in Iraq in 2003 came under heavy fire — and now memes are popping up on the Internet showing the anchor in a range of historical spots with the mocking hashtags, #BrianWilliamsMisremembers and #BrianWilliamsMemories.

February 5, 2015

Dick Costolo, Twitter CEO: ‘We suck at dealing with abuse and trolls’

Twitter CEO Dick Costolo didn't pull any punches when he assessed his company's ability to respond to trolls, hackers and other social media abusers, saying simply: "We suck" at this.

February 5, 2015

Jim Clifton, Gallup CEO, on job numbers: It’s all a ‘big lie’ by the White House

Jim Clifton, the CEO and chairman of Gallup research and polling, said the White House is putting forward a false narrative and positive spin on recent unemployment rate numbers — that it's all a "big lie."

February 5, 2015

Vladimir Putin has Asperger’s syndrome, Pentagon says

A 2008 report from a secretive think tank section of the Pentagon claims that Russian President Vladimir Putin has Asperger's syndrome, an "autistic disorder which affects all his decisions," the report said.

February 5, 2015

Jeb Bush’s 2013 pro-amnesty talk shocks: ‘Wow — this is insane,’ conservative says

Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, one of the Republican Party's talked-about candidates for president, commented in an April 2013 video: Amnesty for some seems a sound idea. And now, some in the conservative camp are expressing shock.

February 5, 2015

Eddie Ray Routh trial: Jury selection starts for Chris Kyle murder suspect

Jury selection for the trial of Eddie Ray Routh — the man arrested and charged with the shooting death of former Navy SEAL Chris Kyle and another man — kicks off Thursday in Texas.

February 5, 2015

Texans tell Alcee Hastings: Apologize for calling Texas ‘a crazy state’

Republicans in Congress issued a fiery message to Democratic Rep. Alcee Hastings saying the Floridian ought to apologize for blasting Texas as a "crazy state" during a recent Rules Committee hearing.

February 4, 2015

Muslims shocked only 39 percent of Republicans say Islam is violent: Iowa poll

Iowa caucus-goers taking part in a poll said Islam, by and large, is a peaceful religion — and that finding has some Muslims shocked, particularly with Republicans.

February 4, 2015

Obama ‘irritated’ by Mitt Romney’s 2012 concession call: David Axelrod

Former presidential adviser David Axelrod said in his new book that President Obama was somewhat vexed by GOP candidate Mitt Romney's concession call in 2012, particularly by a perceived insinuation that he won by pandering to black voters.

February 4, 2015