Douglas Ernst

Rangel gets racial: Tea party a bunch of ‘white crackers’

New York Rep. Charlie Rangel wants the world to know: Tea party members are a bunch of "white crackers."

August 3, 2013

L.A., Chicago hold nation’s top slots — for murder: Report

Los Angeles leads the nation in the number of gun murders, according to a new report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

August 2, 2013

Geraldo: Female jurors ‘would have shot and killed Trayvon’ before Zimmerman

Geraldo Rivera asserted Friday that all-female jury in the George Zimmerman murder trial "would have shot and killed Trayvon Martin a lot sooner than George Zimmerman did."

July 12, 2013

IG: IRS policy cost U.S. $4B in tax credits for illegal immigrants

An IRS policy decision made 17 years ago resulted in the agency distributing $4.2 billion in refundable tax credits to illegal immigrants, according to an oversight committee for the Treasury Department.

July 12, 2013

Benghazi security squad nabs book deal for $3M

How much is the inside story on the Benghazi terror attack worth? If you're former members of the security team stationed there at the time, the answer is $3 million.

June 28, 2013

Labor Dept. sends $2.5M for Bangladesh factory fixes

The U.S. Department of Labor has earmarked millions of dollars in grants to improve factory conditions in Bangladesh's garment industry, where workers often must deal with shoddy buildings and overcrowded workplaces.

June 21, 2013

Downey Jr. inks deal for 2 more ‘Avengers’ films

Thanks in large part to Robert Downey Jr.'s turn as Tony Stark/Iron Man, Marvel's "The Avengers" and "Iron Man 3" has brought in almost $3 billion worldwide. Studio heads can breathe a sigh of relief, because he's signed on for two more films.

June 20, 2013

Va. kidney patient gets first bioengineered vein

Ready-made livers and hearts are not yet a reality, but Duke University has put the world on notice: bioengineered veins are.

June 11, 2013

Illinois on ‘credit precipice,’ gets two downgrades in one week

Illinois, which already has the lowest credit rating in the United States, managed to drop lower Thursday.

June 7, 2013

IRS digging through 64 million pages relevant to tea party targeting

It may take Congress considerable time to comb through the paper trail of the IRS' targeting of conservative groups — the records stretch at least 64 million pages long.

June 7, 2013

‘Awesome’: Iowa City bans drones, red light cameras and license plate readers

An Iowa town could be one of the first municipalities in the nation to ban drones — a bold move in an era of increasing concerns over constitutional privacy rights.

June 6, 2013

Deal gives Saudi Arabia ‘unrestricted’ access to U.S. airspace

Saudi Arabia's struggles with terrorism are well known, but that hasn't stopped the United States from signing an "Open Skies" agreement with the nation.

June 5, 2013

Record number of Americans on disability would make up 8th most populous state

Newly released data by the Social Security Administration shows that 10,978,040 Americans now are receiving disability benefits. What the numbers don't tell is that if all those individuals created their own state, it would be be the eighth-most populous.

May 30, 2013

Gary Sinise’s leading role: Actor’s commitment to troops goes beyond Memorial Day

There are few better ways to honor the memory of the nation's fallen heroes than by acknowledging the special sacrifices and answering the special needs of the nation's military community. Few have done more to help veterans and first responders than Gary Sinise, who traces his long commitment back to his breakthrough role as broken Vietnam veteran Lt. Dan in "Forrest Gump."

May 24, 2013

Networks’ initial coverage of London terror attack excludes Islam

The machete attack that left a British soldier dead on the streets of London on Wednesday included attackers shouting, "Allahu akbar," but the main television broadcast networks failed to reference Islam in their initial coverage.

May 23, 2013

NASA gives company grant for 3-D food printer; pizza deliverymen tremble

The pizza deliveryman might be in trouble if Anjan Contractor's 3-D food printer is a success.

May 22, 2013

Planned Parenthood ad: ‘Your baby will thank you’

Planned Parenthood has a new promotional campaign: 'Your baby will thank you' for using its services.

May 16, 2013

Obama: It’s a ‘cliche’ to say America is ‘the greatest country on earth’

President Obama told attendees at a Democratic National Committee event Monday that it is a "cliche" to call America the greatest country on earth.

May 15, 2013

Feds pay to teach endangered fish to ‘recognize,’ ‘avoid’ predators

The federal government strategy for protecting a pair of endangered fish species includes training them to "recognize and avoid predators" — a nearly half-million-dollar project funded with taxpayer money.

May 14, 2013

Reid on Associated Press scandal at Justice Dept.: ‘Inexcusable’

In the wake of revelations that the Justice Department secretly subpoenaed phone records of Associated Press reporters and editors last year, leaders in the House and Senate are beginning to weigh in, among them Sen. Harry Reid.

May 14, 2013