Cheryl K. Chumley

Reader’s Digest files for bankruptcy; iconic magazine will still publish

The company that publishes Reader's Digest, one of America's most iconic magazines, has filed for bankruptcy.

February 18, 2013

Senegal activists decry beauty trend turning black women white

Senegal women seem to be facing an identity crisis of sorts. Recent advertisements and posters aimed at teaching black women how to bleach their skin — and go lighter, or whiter — have now been met by a backlash of activists.

February 18, 2013

Al Qaeda group lays claim to string of car bombings in Baghdad

An al Qaeda affiliate claimed responsibility Monday for a string of recent car bombings in Baghdad that targeted Shiite districts and left 28 dead.

February 18, 2013

It’s official: Mississippi finally ratifies 13th Amendment outlawing slavery

Life really does move slower in the South. One hundred forty-eight years after Congress sent the 13th Amendment outlawing slavery to the states for ratification, Mississippi officially has joined the ranks.

February 18, 2013

Muslims attack Coptic Christians, church in Egypt

Muslims in Egypt set fire to a Christian church in Fayoum Province over the weekend, the second such assault against the village's Coptic Christian population in just more than a month.

February 18, 2013

Bourbon distiller Maker’s Mark to stay 90-proof

As President Obama and Congress head on vacation, America can rest easy that at least one crisis has been averted: Iconic bourbon distiller Maker's Mark will stay 90-proof.

February 18, 2013

‘Roid rage killing? Steroids found in Oscar Pistorius’ home: report

A source close to the murder investigation of Oscar Pistorius said police found evidence of steroid use in the Olympic track star's home.

February 18, 2013

Andrew Cuomo’s late-term abortion push in N.Y. ahead of likely 2016 run

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, a Democrat, is trying to pass a bill giving women the right to have late-term abortions in pregnancies that pose a risk for the mother, or in cases where the fetus is not considered viable.

February 18, 2013

Rep. Paul Ryan, Sen. Rand Paul ratchet up speculation of White House runs

They didn't say they would — but they didn't say they wouldn't, either. In separate television media appearances over the weekend, Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan and Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul ramped up rumors of 2016 presidential runs. First came Mr. Ryan, who was asked directly on ABC if he would try to turn his vice presidential candidate experience into a presidential campaign in 2016.

February 18, 2013

Soaking up the money: Sen. Marco Rubio’s sip of water brings in the PAC cash

Sen. Marco Rubio's water-sipping moment has raised some serious cash for his political action committee.

February 18, 2013

Zero-tolerance policies in schools face backlash in wake of gun violence

Some experts are now calling for a national rethinking of school zero-tolerance policies, in the wake of several high-profile suspensions involving little kids who have done little more than drawing pictures and shaping fingers into guns.

February 18, 2013

EU, Britain at odds over ways to end Syrian violence

British defense officials are pushing to end the arms embargo on rebel fighters in Syria as a means of speeding a path toward peace.

February 18, 2013

Obama to top aide Denis McDonough: Stop biking to work

Going green in the Obama administration has taken a new twist. President Obama has just ordered his top aide, newly minted Chief of Staff Denis McDonough, to stop biking to work.

February 18, 2013

1993 World Trade Center terrorist requests release from solitary

A terrorist serving life in prison plus 240 years for his role in masterminding the World Trade Center bombing in 1993 that killed six and injured more than 1,000 has now filed a lawsuit to get out of solitary confinement.

February 18, 2013

Cancer-stricken Hugo Chavez returns to Venezuela

Hugo Chavez, 58, has wrapped up his treatment for cancer in Cuba and returned home to Venezuela, with plans to continue his presidency.

February 18, 2013

Country music’s Mindy McCready dies in apparent suicide

Mindy McCready, the 37-year-old country music star and mother of two, was found dead Sunday, after an apparent self-inflicted gunshot to the head.

February 18, 2013

U.N. space panel unveils plan to shoot down asteroids

The United Nations thinks it has a plan to fend off devastation from space — and it comes on the heels of a Friday morning meteor that slammed into Russia, shattering windows and injuring 1,000, and on the same day an asteroid half the size of the United States is reportedly passing by Earth.

February 15, 2013

NYC unions may end month-long school bus strike

Nine-thousand striking New York City school bus drivers and workers could return to work as early as next week, as union officials hint a "live to fight another day" strategy may be prove their best bet in the public relations nightmare.

February 15, 2013

Report: North Korea tells China it plans 1-2 more nuclear tests this year

North Korea has told China, its major ally, that it will conduct one or two more nuclear tests before the end of this year, according to a source who claimed direct knowledge of the message.

February 15, 2013

Online sales tax proposal rears head in Congress — for third time

Congressional legislators are pushing — once again — a federal online sales tax. The House brought forth on Thursday the Marketplace Fairness Act, a bill that supposedly reconciles the differences among the three introduced — and that failed — in Congress in 2012.

February 15, 2013