Cheryl K. Chumley

Oscar Pistorius took acting lessons in lead-up to teary trial: report

Oscar Pistorius, on trial for the Valentine's Day shooting death of his girlfriend, model Reeva Steenkamp, reportedly took acting lessons before he took the stand and gave teary-eyed testimony aimed at proving he acted in self-defense, rather than in murderous rage.

April 21, 2014

Atheists sue N.J. school over ‘under God’ in Pledge of Allegiance

Atheists have filed a lawsuit on behalf of New Jersey parents who decry the fact that their child is subjected to hearing the words "under God" during daily recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance to the flag of the United States.

April 21, 2014

Sharyl Attkisson: Media Matters ‘clearly targeted me’

Former CBS newswoman Sharyl Attkisson, who recently parted ways with her broadcast bureau and began outing the former employer over bias about "Fast & Furious" reports, now says she was targeted by the leftist group Media Matters.

April 21, 2014

Democrat Rep. Stephen Lynch on Obamacare: ‘We will lose seats’ this November

President Obama may crow that Democrats ought not to run from Obamacare during the lead-up to the 2014 elections — but rank-and-file Dems aren't so confident and filled with bravado.

April 21, 2014

Tea Party Express head steps down to aid Mitch McConnell challenger

Amy Kremer, chairwoman of Tea Party Express, has stepped away from her post in order to help the Republican candidate who's challenging Sen. Mitch McConnell for his Kentucky seat.

April 21, 2014

Boy Scout, 12, killed by rolling tree during troop outing at Washington park

A 12-year-old Boy Scout was killed during a troop outing over the weekend, when he was crushed by a felled tree while he and his friends tried to roll it into a lake at Olympic National Forest in Washington.

April 21, 2014

Joe Biden heads to Ukraine — his 2009 hot spot for ‘most beautiful women’

Vice President Joseph R. Biden is set to touch down in Kiev on Monday to discuss the turbulent situation with Russia — but if his past remarks still hold water, he will hardly consider the diplomatic outreach a hardship tour.

April 21, 2014

Kraft recalls 96K pounds of Oscar Mayer hot dogs over cheese error

Kraft Foods Inc. has recalled 96,000 pounds of Oscar Mayer hot dogs because some of them may have cheese inside, even though they're billed as the classic wiener — cheese-free — on the package.

April 21, 2014

Boy Scouts boots church as host after gay leadership dispute

The Boy Scouts of America told a Seattle-area church that it wasn't welcome to host Troop 98 any longer because congregation leaders have rallied around a gay man who's serving as cub leader, against BSA policy.

April 21, 2014

America is an oligarchy, not a democracy or republic, university study finds

America is no longer a democracy — never mind the democratic-republic envision by Founding Fathers. Rather, it's taken a turn down elitist lane and become a country led by a small dominant class comprised of powerful members who exert total control over the general population — an oligarchy, a new study said.

April 21, 2014

French president accuses Syria’s Assad of gassing his own citizens

France's Francois Hollande said during a recently broadcast media interview that he believes Syrian forces were directed by President Bashar Assad to unleash chlorine gas onto the civilian population.

April 21, 2014

Jimmy Carter’s grandson makes gains in governor’s race in Georgia

Georgia could see another Carter rise to the governor's mansion — former President Jimmy Carter's grandson, Jason, who's now serving as a state senator in the General Assembly but seeking the executive seat.

April 21, 2014

Easter worshippers shocked as car rams church, injuring 21

A car smashed through the walls of a Fort Myers, Fla., church during Easter service, injuring 21 and sending several to the hospital in critical condition, police said.

April 21, 2014

Military urged to stay away from National Day of Prayer event

The Military Religious Freedom Foundation, run by former Air Force member Mikey Weinstein, is petitioning U.S. military leaders to abstain from attending a National Day of Prayer, saying the annual event is nothing short of right-wing Christian fundamentalism.

April 18, 2014

Ole Miss fraternity shut after 3 accused of tying noose on statue of black student

University of Mississippi administrators have shut down its campus chapter of Sigma Phi Epsilon after three fraternity members were accused of tying a noose around the neck of a statue of the school's first black student.

April 18, 2014

Michigan mayor slaps back atheists’ try to erect ‘reason station’ at city hall

A Michigan mayor is standing strong against a group of atheists, telling them they can't put up a "reason station" inside Warren City Hall because, as he sees it, they're only trying to squash out all public shows of faith and turn the First Amendment on its head.

April 18, 2014

Nancy Pelosi washes immigrants’ feet in humble Holy Week act — then promotes on Twitter

Nancy Pelosi has embraced her religious roots and joined forces with Bishop Marc Andrus to -- as she put it -- "honor the dignity and work of immigrants" by taking bended knee and washing feet at Saint John the Evangelist Episcopal Church in San Francisco.

April 18, 2014

Ben Carson presidential PAC outpaces Hillary, GOP

The push for Ben Carson to run for president in 2016 is picking up steam, as a group encouraging him to run has raised more money in the first three months of this year than the group rallying behind Hillary Rodham Clinton, or those tied to Rand Paul, Marco Rubio and other potential GOP candidates.

April 18, 2014

Chocolate costs soar, becoming ‘unaffordable’ luxury

Snag those Easter bunny chocolate deals before they're gone. Market costs of cocoa — and consequently, chocolate — are soaring to such highs that some industry insiders predict its price per pound will soon rival that of top-end champagne.

April 18, 2014

Michaels craft chain confirms hackers hit 3M customers

Arts and crafts retail chain Michaels announced this week up to three million credit card numbers may have been hacked from its company computer system between May 8, 2013, and Jan. 27, 2014.

April 18, 2014