Aug 12 DEA paid Amtrak informant for passenger lists over two decades By Pete Yost, Associated Press WASHINGTON — The Drug Enforcement Administration paid an Amtrak employee hundreds of thousands of dollars over two decades to obtain confidential information it could have gotten for free, according to internal investigators at the railroad. Continue reading
Aug 11 Police again disperse crowds in Ferguson with tear gas, rubber bullets By News Desk and Associated Press St. Louis County police reportedly took stronger measures than the night before to disburse the crowds, stem potential looting and vandalism. Arriving in armored vehicles and showing more force than was visible on Sunday, the police urged residents to return… Continue reading
Aug 11 Watch Why media companies are ditching their newspaper operations By PBS News Hour A number of big name media companies have shed their print divisions in recent days. Publishers including Gannett and the Tribune Company are moving away from the multi-platform model to isolate print ventures from digital and broadcast media. Judy Woodruff… Continue watching
Aug 11 Watch Killing of a Missouri teenager by police triggers unrest and outcries for answers By PBS News Hour Continue watching
Aug 11 Comedian-actor Robin Williams dies at 63 By Larisa Epatko Comedian and actor Robin Williams was found dead Monday morning at his Northern California home from an apparent suicide, according to the Marin County Sheriff's Office. He was 63. Continue reading
Aug 11 What's the deal with the ALS ice bucket challenge? By Anna Christiansen Scores of people are filming themselves dumping buckets of ice on their heads, posting the video to Facebook or Twitter, then challenging their friends to do so, too. The chilly action is intended to raise awareness of ALS, or Lou… Continue reading
Aug 11 Secret Service brings down decade-old counterfeit ring By Dave Sloan An Israeli-based counterfeiting ring produced and circulated over $77 million of mostly fake $100 bills for more than a decade without being discovered, until now. Continue reading
Aug 11 California considering universal consent standards to combat sexual assault By Charles Pulliam-Moore The California State Assembly is set to review legislation that would require schools receiving public funding to adopt an “affirmative consent standard,” clearly defining when sex is consensual and when it is not. Continue reading
Aug 11 Police shoot and kill unarmed teen, sparking riots in Ferguson, Missouri By Colleen Shalby Michael Brown’s mother Lesley McSpadden said her her son was shot eight times following an altercation with an unidentified officer. Continue reading
Aug 11 Social Security and Viagra: A case of accidental death and widows benefits By Laurence Kotlikoff There are countless rules governing Social Security benefits, and just as many exceptions to those rules, including one for "accidental death," which allows widow(er)s to receive survivor benefits even after having been married less than the requisite nine months. Larry… Continue reading