In a move that has provoked outrage among conservatives and pro-life advocates, a Harris County, Texas grand jury has declined to indict Planned Parenthood — and instead charged the two anti-abortion activists who produced undercover videos they allege show the abortion provider illegally selling baby parts. Could it be Planned Parenthood that’s really behind… Read More
Let’s make the game even longer! MLB may shrink strike zone
Baseball’s strike zone could be getting a slight lift. Major League Baseball is studying whether to raise the bottom of the strike zone from the hollow beneath the kneecap back to the top of the kneecap. “I’m not in a position to predict whether it’s going to happen or not,”… Read More
Child abuse on the rise, authorities say
The number of U.S. children victimized by abuse and neglect increased by nearly 3 percent in the latest annual reporting period, according to new federal data. According to the report released Monday by the Department of Health and Human Services, the estimated number of victimized children in the 2014 fiscal… Read More
Former NFL star QB arrested
Police say former NFL quarterback Vince Young has been arrested on charges of drunken driving in Austin, Texas. Travis County jail records show that the 32-year-old former Texas star was booked shortly after midnight Monday on a misdemeanor charge of driving while intoxicated. His bond was set at $2,000. Austin… Read More
Severe turbulence forces plane to make emergency landing
Seven people were hurt and five taken to hospital after an American Airlines plane from Miami to Milan made an emergency landing in Newfoundland after the jet briefly encountered severe turbulence. The aircraft landed safely in the East Coast Canadian province late Sunday, where it was met by paramedics. American… Read More
Winter Storm Jonas claims at least 37 lives
At least 42 people have died as a result of the mammoth snowstorm that pounded the eastern U.S. The deaths occurred in car accidents, from carbon monoxide poisoning, and from heart attacks while shoveling snow: WASHINGTON, D.C. – 1 —An 82-year-old man who died after going into cardiac arrest while… Read More
San Bernardino bomb was poorly constructed, say cops
A homemade bomb left behind by the husband and wife who perpetrated a mass shooting at a California social services center failed to detonate because it was poorly constructed, two law enforcement officials told The Associated Press. The failure compelled Syed Rizwan Farook, 28, and Tashfeen Malik, 29, to drive… Read More
Supreme Court rejects appeal to ban the death penalty
The Supreme Court is rejecting a Pennsylvania inmate’s appeal to consider banning the death penalty across the United States. The justices did not comment Monday in turning away a challenge from death row inmate Shonda Walter. Walter’s appeal plays off Justice Stephen Breyer’s call in an impassioned dissent in June… Read More
Swedish “rape dungeon” doctor on trial
A Swedish doctor went on trial on rape and kidnapping charges Monday after admitting to imprisoning a woman in a home-made bunker in what his defense lawyer said was a desperate attempt to find a girlfriend. Prosecutors said the 38-year-old man had planned the crime for years and may have… Read More
Judge to church: Build us an Ark!
A religious group building a massive Noah’s Ark tourist attraction in Kentucky has won a legal battle over the state’s withdrawal of a potential tax incentive worth millions. A federal judge ruled Monday that Kentucky officials violated the ark builders’ First Amendment protections by blocking it from the sales tax… Read More