Valerie Richardson

North Korea linked to Sony hacking as studio scuttles release of ‘The Interview’

Federal investigators have connected the Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc. hacking to North Korea, even as the studio on Wednesday canceled the movie's scheduled Dec. 25 release amid a terrorist threat that prompted most of the top U.S. cinema chains to pull plans to show the film.

December 17, 2014

‘The Interview’ fallout: Theater chains pull movie, cancel New York premiere after terrorist threat

The New York premiere of the movie at the heart of the Sony hacking uproar has been cancelled while at least two cinema chains have pulled the film after hackers threatened a Christmas terrorist attack on theaters showing the comedy.

December 17, 2014

‘War on Christmas’: Atheists unveil anti-Christmas TV specials

Conservatives have been mocked for insisting there's an ongoing war on Christmas, but now it looks like they may have simply been ahead of their time.

December 17, 2014

Sony hackers up ante with terrorist threat as cybersecurity bill languishes

Congress is expected to exit this week without passing legislation to combat cyberattacks like the one against Sony Pictures Entertainment, now grappling with a terrorist threat in addition to thousands of hacked emails and documents.

December 16, 2014

Senate Democrats grouse over passage of sage-grouse rider

Not all Westerners were relieved to see the sage-grouse rider make it into the final $1.1 trillion federal spending bill.

December 15, 2014

Sage grouse protection block gives Western developers win over environmentalists

A successful Republican move to stop in its tracks the Obama administration's bid to list the sage grouse under the Endangered Species Act may be a sign of things to come in the long-running battle between environmentalists and economic developers across the West.

December 14, 2014

Federal crackdown on campus sex assault threatens free speech: report

The Obama administration's crackdown on campus sexual harassment has led to the adoption of "flatly unconstitutional" speech codes and poses what may be the greatest threat to free speech facing higher education today, according to a newly released report.

December 14, 2014

Obama administration sued by Colorado’s Gov. Hickenlooper over Gunnison sage grouse

Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper made good Friday on his promise to sue the federal government over its hotly contested move to list the Gunnison sage grouse under the Endangered Species Act.

December 13, 2014

Independent Colo. women like Cory Gardner, not sold on Hillary Clinton: poll

Democratic presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton may want to study some film on Republican Cory Gardner before wooing independent women voters in swing-state Colorado.

December 11, 2014

Voters support CIA waterboarding, harsh interrogation tactics: poll

Nearly half of U.S. voters favor the use of waterboarding and other aggressive interrogation tactics employed by the Central Intelligence Agency to procure information from suspected terrorists, according to a poll released Thursday.

December 11, 2014

Lena Dunham, U.Va. and people wrongly accused of rape

As victims go, college men who contend they have been wrongly punished for sexual assault don't get a lot of sympathy. But the fallout from the debacles surrounding the University of Virginia and Lena Dunham rape allegations could change that.

December 10, 2014

GOP holds more state legislatures than ever

Republicans control more state legislative seats and legislative chambers than perhaps at any time in the party's history. So what are they going to do with all those majorities?

December 10, 2014

U.Va. rejects calls to reinstate frats, sororities even as rape account crumbles

The University of Virginia refused Tuesday calls to reopen fraternities and sororities suspended in the aftermath of an explosive Rolling Stone article, despite the magazine's apology for "mistakes" in its account of a brutal gang rape at a campus fraternity party.

December 9, 2014

Denver mayor tells protesting students to return to class after four days of walk-outs

Mayor Michael Hancock had a message for the thousands of Denver high school students who have staged walk-outs over grand-jury decisions in the deaths of Michael Brown and Eric Garner: Get back to class.

December 9, 2014

Scathing audit says Colorado’s Obamacare exchange mismanaged taxpayer funds

A devastating state audit released Monday found a rash of problems with the Colorado health-care exchange's handling of $32 million in taxpayer funds as well as possible violations of federal law.

December 8, 2014

Eric Garner’s widow says husband targeted for illegally selling cigarettes, not race

The role of New York's high cigarette taxes in the death of Eric Garner drew more scrutiny Sunday as his widow said that he was targeted not because of his race, but because he continued to defy local ordinances by selling loose cigarettes.

December 7, 2014

U.S. Yemen raid failed due to lack of surprise

The raid to rescue hostages held by terrorist forces in Yemen failed largely because U.S. commandos lost the element of surprise, an analyst said Sunday.

December 7, 2014

Bush calls NYT review of book about his father ‘psychobabble’

Former President George W. Bush used one of his favorite words Sunday to dismiss speculation in a New York Times book review that he's in competition with his father, calling it "psychobabble."

December 7, 2014

Mike Rogers predicts ‘violence and deaths’ if Senate releases report on CIA terror programs

House Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Rogers called the anticipated release of a long-awaited Senate report on coercive interrogation techniques under the Bush administration "a terrible idea," saying it would result in "violence and deaths."

December 7, 2014

Rolling Stone apology for U.Va. rape story called ‘deeply troubling’ by Virginia AG

Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring called Rolling Stone's apology Friday for its article alleging a gang rape at a University of Virginia "deeply troubling," saying the magazine should do more to clear up the report's mistakes.

December 5, 2014