Dec 31 ACLU sues U.S. government on NSA spying The ACLU is suing the U.S. government in order to obtain information related to the NSA's surveillance data. Still by PBS NewsHour The American Civil Liberties Union is suing the United States government in an attempt to make… Continue reading
Dec 31 US stock market close 2013 on record highs PBS NewsHour screenshot U.S. stocks closed out this year with all three major indexes posting gains of more than 26 percent for the year. In 2013, the Dow gained 26.5 percent, its best year since 1995. The S&P… Continue reading
Dec 31 Putin vows to 'annihilate' terrorists after back-to-back bombings Photo by Sasha Mordovets/Getty Images Russian president Vladimir Putin promised the "complete annihilation" of terrorists during his New Year's Eve address to his country shaken by two deadly back-to-back bomb attacks in the southern Russia city of Volgograd. Continue reading
Dec 31 If you could put 10 things from 2013 in the Smithsonian, what would they be? When Richard Kurin's hefty book "The Smithsonian's History of America in 101 objects" landed on my desk this year, it made me wonder: What artifacts from 2013 would we want to keep as tangible fragments of history? My first thought… Continue reading
Dec 31 After a year of internal turmoil, Republicans see Boehner as a leader who can 'guide them correctly' *U.S. Speaker of the House John Boehner pumps his fist after leaving a meeting of House Republicans at the U.S. Capitol October 16, 2013 in Washington, DC. Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images * WASHINGTON -- It says a lot… Continue reading
Dec 31 Syria misses deadline for chemical weapons destruction A UN chemical weapons disarmament team arrived in Syria on Oct.1, 2013, to begin inventorying the country's chemical weapons stockpile in readiness for its destruction. Photo by Louai Beshara/AFP/Getty Images Ships carrying some of Syria's chemical weapons to… Continue reading
Dec 31 Apple denies reported NSA 'backdoor' iPhone access Tech giant Apple has responded to newly released documents claiming the National Security Agency has a method for gaining backdoor access to its iPhones. According to All Things D, Apple said it never worked with the agency… Continue reading
Dec 31 Walgreens attempts to woo newly insured Americans By News Desk Photo by Flickr user jsrcyclist As key measures in the Affordable Care Act go into effect Jan. 1, Walgreens is jumping to grab any and all newly insured Americans as customers. The drugstore and pharmacy chain announced Monday that… Continue reading
Dec 31 Changes over past decade spark lowest U.S. energy consumption since 2001 U.S. electricity use on the average dropped in 2013. Photo by Flickr user See-ming Lee Average electricity usage in U.S. homes declined in 2013 to the lowest level since 2001. The drop to 10,819 kilowatt-hours per household marks… Continue reading
Dec 31 One-third of Americans reject evolution, poll finds Graphic by Pew Research Center A Pew Research Center poll released Monday shows one-third of Americans now reject the theory of evolution. In the telephone survey conducted by the center's Religion and Public Life Project, 60 percent of… Continue reading