Cheryl K. Chumley

Bad Rosa Parks essay reignite ire over UNC cheating scandal

A former professor at the University of North Carolina has brought forward a blunt example of how the college sped big-name athletes with subpar grades to the goal line of graduation, despite lacking scholastic aptitudes: One essay on Rosa Parks, fewer than 150 words and filled with grammatical puzzlers, nonetheless received an A-minus, she said.

March 28, 2014

Democrats say enough on Benghazi: It’s ‘undermining the credibility’ of committee

Democratic lawmakers on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee have petitioned Chairman Darrell Issa via a letter to stop talking about the Benghazi attacks — saying the multitude of hearings are making the panel look bad.

March 28, 2014

Conservative TV talkers bemoan jet-set Obamas for ‘royal presidency’

Fox News host Bill O'Reilly traded jabs with libertarian-leaning likewise host John Stossel on the White House administration's jet-set lifestyle, honing in particular on the president and first lady and their family's penchant for taking vacations at the taxpayers' expense.

March 28, 2014

Joe Biden: Illegal immigrants are ‘already American citizens’ to me

Vice president Joe Biden -- already known as a habitual blurter of the near-nonsensical and politically befuddling -- may have one-upped himself this week with a somewhat shocking statement on illegal immigrants.

March 28, 2014

Skidmore College touts new course — on Miley Cyrus and bisexuality

Come to Skidmore. Study Miley Cyrus. The Saratoga Springs, N.Y., college is offering a new course aimed at bolstering summer class attendance: "The Sociology of Miley Cyrus: Race, Class, Gender and Media," complete with studies of her shocking shaking at the music awards and discussion of female bisexuality.

March 28, 2014

Maine councilmen refuse to stand for flag pledge: It’s ‘ludicrous,’ one says

Two council members in Hampden, Maine, have sparked a widespread furor — that just keeps getting wider, thanks to videotape technology — for their refusal to stand before meetings for the Pledge of Allegiance to the American flag.

March 28, 2014

Anti-gun radio host wishes on NRA: ‘I will shoot you’

An angry liberal radio host with an anti-gun bent went on a rant during a recent broadcast about new Georgia legislation to expand the concealed carry laws, ultimately sending out a wish that he could shoot an NRA board member.

March 28, 2014

Facebook hires drone-making team to spread Internet around world

Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg has just paid about $20 million to hire a team of drone makers in a small community in England, with hopes of developing a system that connects the world to the Internet via a complex network of drones, satellite and lasers.

March 28, 2014

Oscar Pistorius murder trial placed on hold

The murder trial of former Olympian Oscar Pistorius was postponed on Friday, after the judge said her legal assistant had taken ill.

March 28, 2014

Baghdad bombing in busy market leaves 4 dead

At least four were confirmed killed Friday in a triple bombing that rocked a busy Baghdad market area, Iraqi authorities reported.

March 28, 2014

Steven Seagal’s new bestie: Vladimir Putin, ‘a friend’ and ‘brother’

Hollywood action star Steven Seagal has gone gaga over Russia's President Vladimir Putin, calling the ex-KGBer in a lengthy interview with a government-run newspaper in Bucharest simply one of the best leaders in all the wide world.

March 27, 2014

U.N. climate author withdraws because the report has become ‘too alarmist’

One of the authors of a U.N. draft report on climate change pulled out of the writing team, saying his colleagues were pulling too far to the left and issuing unfounded "alarmist" claims at the expense of real solutions.

March 27, 2014

Calif. state Dem Leland Yee, anti-gun crusader, arraigned for gunrunning

A California Democratic state senator with a reputation for clamping down on Second Amendment freedoms was arrested and arraigned on a range of federal charges late Wednesday — among them, for alleged gunrunning.

March 27, 2014

Russell Crowe hits ‘Noah’ critics: ‘Bordering on absolute stupidity’

"Noah" star Russell Crowe harshly rebuked critics for judging the film sight unseen — especially those in the Christian community railing against the atheist roots of both the director and storyline.

March 27, 2014

Rep. Barbara Lee slams Bill O’Reilly for ‘code words’ that hide racism

Fox News' Bill O'Reilly's comments about those in the black community who don't want to talk race, but rather only profit and advance their agenda using racism as a springboard, didn't sit well with Democratic Rep. Barbara Lee.

March 27, 2014

Taco Bell taps into Ronald McDonald to sell new breakfast fare

Taco Bell has taken more than a page from McDonald's marketing strategies — it's tapped into the power of the leading character, the Ronald McDonald clown.

March 27, 2014

Donald Trump slams Obama for ‘dumbest statements’ ever

Billionaire businessman Donald Trump had some harsh words for President Obama this week, calling the White House leader's remarks about a nuclear disaster in downtown New York City one of the dumbest ever.

March 27, 2014

Putin at 80 percent popularity: Obama, below 50

President Putin's popularity is on the rise. Fully 80 percent of Russians see the former KGB agent in a favorable light, while only 18 percent disapprove of his leadership, a new study from the Levada Center shows.

March 27, 2014

Minnesota girl wins $70K from school that tapped her Facebook posts

A school district in Minnesota will pay $70,000 in settlement fees for unlawfully demanding a student, now 15, hand over her Facebook and email passwords so administrators could check out her postings.

March 27, 2014

Connecticut makes history passing $10.10 minimum wage

Connecticut has become the first state in the nation to pass a bill that hikes the minimum wage to $10.10 an hour — the same level touted by President Obama as his wish for federal law.

March 27, 2014