Cheryl K. Chumley

Drone-shy U.S. to give Yemen 10 modified planes for ‘targeted killing’

The Obama administration is poised to give the Yemen Air Force a fleet of two-seater propeller planes — akin to what's used to dust crops — that have been modified so they can carry laser-guided missiles and a high-tech intelligence system.

March 25, 2014

Nick Cannon, black rapper, fires up Twitter with whiteface photo

Nick Cannon, a black entertainer about to release a new album titled "White People Party Music," has sparked a social media frenzy by tweeting a photo of himself painted in white makeup — a switch of the old blackface that white actors donned during theatrical performances.

March 25, 2014

Alaska petition to secede to Russia going strong at 18K signers

A petition that seeks to put Alaska back under Russian control has garnered more than 18,000 signatures in just a few days — about a fifth of what's needed to capture a formal White House look.

March 25, 2014

San Diego strip club dancers sue police for ‘arrogant’ photo demands

Twenty-five San Diego strip club dancers have launched a civil rights suit against the San Diego Police Department, alleging cops mistreated them during a recent raid and forced them to strike embarrassing poses while they took photographs of their tattoos.

March 25, 2014

Verizon gears up to fight FCC — again — on Internet control

Verizon is launching another fight with the Federal Communications Commission over what it sees as an Internet freedom crackdown — new rules aligned with net neutrality ideals that the company says actually dampen innovation.

March 25, 2014

Ethiopia to list homosexuality as ‘non-pardonable’ crime

Lawmakers in Ethiopia are about to pass a law that lists homosexuality as a crime for which there is no forgiveness — a stipulation that would have dramatic impact on those seeking amnesty or pardon.

March 25, 2014

Mark Levin blasts Mitch McConnell: ‘He’s not a conservative’

Conservative radio's Mark Levin — affectionately dubbed "The Great One" by colleagues and fans alike — blasted Sen. Mitch McConnell and his fellow GOP leaders, characterizing them as RINOs, or Republicans-In-Name-Only, whose time to leave office had come.

March 25, 2014

GOP aide on White House: ‘They’ve blown off the subpoenas’; IRS faces another hearing

House Oversight Committee head Darrell Issa, angry by what he sees as the purposeful stonewalling of White House officials to stand and account for the perceived targeting of tea party people, has set yet another hearing for the Internal Revenue Service commissioner.

March 25, 2014

Big rig hauling 42K pounds of honey overturns on California highway

A truck driver carting 42,000 pounds of honey caused a massive traffic backlog on the 605 Freeway in California, after he slid and overturned, and the honey started seeping onto the road.

March 25, 2014

Four men arrested in One World Trade Center jump stunt

Police have arrested four men they say took part in a brazen jump from the top of One World Trade Center and charged them with reckless endangerment and burglary.

March 25, 2014

Obama to unveil end of NSA mass data collection

The White House is poised to bring forth a legislative proposal that would gut and revamp the National Security Agency's data collection program and ultimately, if Congress approves, put an end to the mass seizure and storage of telephone records.

March 25, 2014

Sailor, civilian killed in shooting at Naval Station Norfolk in Virginia

A man shot and killed a U.S. sailor and then was shot and killed himself by security forces at the Naval Station Norfolk in Virginia, a military spokeswoman said.

March 25, 2014

Atheist ‘Noah’ director brags film is least biblical Bible movie ever

Note to Christians and those who believe the Bible: The producer of the movie "Noah," a self-professed atheist, says he is proud of the fact that he's taken a story inspired by God's word and turned it into something so secular.

March 24, 2014

German police on hunt for flamingo killer at Frankfurt Zoo

German police are actively seeking the identity of the guilty party, or parties, who committed at least 15 flamingo kills at Frankfurt Zoo while they slept — beheading some of them.

March 24, 2014

Michelle Obama’s hotel suite: $8,400 a night — deemed too pricey for Joe Biden

Not all the costs are in, but so far Michelle Obama's soft-sell public relations tour — little more than a vacation, some say — to China includes her stay at a hotel that charges $8,400 a night.

March 24, 2014

U.N. blames humans for wild weather patterns of 2013

A weather agency affiliated with the United Nations said in a report on Monday that humans are mostly to blame for the wild forecasts that rocked around the world in 2013.

March 24, 2014

Dems scramble as ex-NYT stat man predicts GOP Senate takeover

Democrats are scrambling to undo the public relations damage from a recent prediction by former New York Times statistician Nate Silver that the GOP will win big in upcoming elections and take back the Senate.

March 24, 2014

Teen who breached World Trade Center security apologizes on Twitter

Justin Casquejo, the teen who managed to breach the security at the World Trade Center and climb to the near-top at the spire, now says he's sorry — he didn't mean any harm.

March 24, 2014

Elephants break from St. Louis circus to storm parking lot

Three elephants broke free from their circus masters in St. Louis, then stormed through the nearby parking lot, damaging cars and trucks in their paths.

March 24, 2014

Glenn Beck: Progressives ‘nothing more than patient communists’

Conservative big-whig and tea party favorite Glenn Beck delivered remarks at the Summer Retreat for David Horowitz's Freedom Center before a crowd of hundreds, warning listeners that progressives aren't simply liberals with a louder voice.

March 24, 2014