Cheryl K. Chumley

Boat carrying 500 sinks off Italy, killing at least 94

A boat carrying up to 500 people sank on Thursday off the coast of Italy, leaving at least 94 migrants dead, CNN reported.

October 3, 2013

Tech-savvy kids breach security, cause recall in iPad project for L.A. schools

The Los Angeles Unified School District is tossing in the towel on a $1 billion project to put an iPad in the hand of all its students, admitting that the security program its technology experts installed doesn't work and that kids could access about any Web page they wanted.

October 2, 2013

Chelsea Clinton: ‘God willing,’ I’ll have a baby in 2014

Chelsea Clinton, 33, said she and her husband Marc Mezvinsky are planning an addition to their household and have informally dubbed 2014 the "Year of the Baby."

October 2, 2013

Russia’s Putin nominated for Nobel Peace Prize

Russian President Vladimir Putin was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize by an advocacy group that credits him with bringing about a peaceful resolution to the Syrian-U.S. dispute over chemical weapons.

October 2, 2013

Iran passes ‘pedophilia’ law to let men marry adopted girls

Iran lawmakers passed a measure — in a bill aimed at protecting the rights of children, no less — that allows for men to marry their adopted daughters, so long as the girls are at least 13 years old.

October 2, 2013

Furloughed workers hit the bars: ‘What the hell’

The thousands of public employees who've just been placed on furlough aren't shedding too many tears over the government shutdown. From Washington, D.C., to New York City, they're taking to the bars and drinking establishments, toasting their time off with beers and mixed drinks.

October 2, 2013

Orlando authorities detonate explosive suitcase outside SeaWorld

Orlando, Fla., authorities have deactivated an electronic-packed suitcase they found outside SeaWorld that was believed to be a makeshift bomb.

October 2, 2013

U.S. retaliates, expels 3 high-ranking Venezuelan diplomats

Boot ours, we’ll boot yours. The United States answered Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro’s announced expulsion of three American diplomats with a back-at-you action late Tuesday: Three high-ranking diplomats from the South American nation were sent packing.

October 2, 2013

Raise the debt ceiling, Americans say: poll

Americans would rather see the debt ceiling raised than the government shut down, or Obamacare blocked, a new survey released Wednesday finds.Americans would rather see the debt ceiling raised than the government shut down or Obamacare blocked, a new survey released Wednesday finds.

October 2, 2013

Robert Gibbs to Obama on government shutdown: ‘Sit back and watch’

Former presidential press secretary Robert Gibbs offered some words of advice for President Obama on how best to handle the blooming government shutdown: Take it easy, sit back and wait it out.

October 2, 2013

Ted Cruz’s dad rips RINOs: ‘We, the people, are not stupid’

The apple really doesn’t fall far from the tree. Sen. Ted Cruz’s dad took to the stage at a recent Colorado event to deliver a scathing speech in support of his son’s filibuster try and to put Republicans-In-Name-Only on notice.

October 2, 2013

Florida boy, 8, booted for violating school’s ‘invisible gun’ ban

In what's becoming an almost weekly report about schools around the nation, another young student was suspended over government zero-tolerance weapon policies — this time, an 8-year-old Florida boy who fashioned his fingers into the shape of a handgun.

October 2, 2013

Obama cuts short four-nation trip to Asia to deal with shutdown

President Obama is cutting short his scheduled four-nation trip to Asia due to the government shutdown, the White House said Wednesday.

October 2, 2013

Jacksonville airport reopens after bomb squad clears takeoffs

Jacksonville International Airport in Florida was back in full swing on Wednesday, after police found two suspicious packages, evacuated the airport and called in the bomb squad to deactivate what they described as a “destructive” device.

October 2, 2013

Jellyfish wave shuts down one of the world’s largest nuclear reactors in Sweden

A massive wave of jellyfish has shut down one of the world's largest nuclear reactors, located in southeastern Sweden, and marine biologists are warning of more of the same.

October 2, 2013

Nancy Pelosi raises ghost of George Washington to condemn GOP

Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, visibly angry with Republicans for standing fast on their opposition to Obamacare and forcing the Democrat-controlled Senate to enter government shutdown mode on Tuesday, pulled out a George Washington paraphrase on Tuesday to lambaste the GOP.

October 1, 2013

Barilla pasta king says sorry — again — for gay comments

The chairman of the Barilla Group, under fire for saying his business ads would never feature gay couples, issued first an apology, then another apology, and now says he will meet with leading same-sex groups to gain some sensitivity and awareness of the issues they confront.

October 1, 2013

Piers Morgan’s gig to end? CNN ‘actively looking for a replacement’

An Internet site that reports on issues that emanate from within America’s news rooms said CNN’s Piers Morgan is on the out.

October 1, 2013

Hollywood star Rob Schneider turns Republican, citing Democratic ‘disaster’

Hollywood television and movie comedy star Rob Schneider, 50, said he's been a lifelong Democrat but can't take it any longer. He's moved into the GOP camp and announced a switch to the Republican Party.

October 1, 2013

Egyptian activist with anti-Israel posts poised for human rights prize

An Egyptian activist with pro-Palestinian tendencies and a past that includes social media attacks on Israel is one of three finalists for an elite human rights award, the Martin Ennals Award for Human Rights Defenders.

October 1, 2013