International Business Times

IRS Scandal: Lois Lerner Pleads The Fifth; Issa Issues Subpoena

l.matthews — Tue, 21 May 2013 20:48:58 GMT

Lois Lerner, director of the IRS’ Exempt Organizations Division at the heart of the scandal involving the targeting of conservative groups, has invoked her Fifth Amendment rights.

The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee on Tuesday said Lerner’s lawyer has informed the committee that she will refuse to answer questions from lawmakers at a hearing Wednesday. In the meantime, committee Chairman Darrell Issa, R-Calif., has issued a subpoena for her to appear at the hearing.

Westboro Tornado Blame: Fred Phelps Jr. Of Westboro Baptist Church Blames Oklahoma Tornado On Gay NBA Player Jason Collins

Thomas Barrabi — Tue, 21 May 2013 19:13:37 GMT

A high-ranking member of the Westboro Baptist Church says Monday’s Oklahoma tornado occurred as a direct result of the state’s basketball team’s support for openly gay NBA player Jason Collins.

Osama Bin Laden Death Photos To Stay Classified; Appeals Court Rules Against Lawsuit For Release, Citing National Security

hkoplowitz — Tue, 21 May 2013 19:02:45 GMT

The Osama bin Laden death photos will be kept classified after a federal appeals court agreed with the U.S. government that showing the photos to the public could risk national security, the court ruled Tuesday

"It is undisputed that the government is withholding the images not to shield wrongdoing or avoid embarrassment, but rather to prevent the killing of Americans and violence against American interests," the three-judge panel overseeing the case in U.S. District Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia wrote in their opinion.

Guantanamo Bay Shuts Off Wi-Fi After Anonymous Threatens #OpGTMO Attack On Prison Camp

j.heller — Tue, 21 May 2013 17:29:17 GMT

The United States military has turned off Wi-Fi service and blocked access to social networks at Guantanamo Bay detention camp following threats from the hacktivist collective Anonymous. Army Lt. Col.

Adam Kokesh Arrested In Philadelphia During 'Smoke Down Prohibition' Rally, Conspiracy Theories Surround His Whereabouts [VIDEO]

Zoe Mintz — Tue, 21 May 2013 17:11:35 GMT

Libertarian radio host, Adam Kokesh, who announced a loaded gun march on July 4, has been arrested.

On May 18, Kokesh was arrested in Philadelphia during a marijuana legalization rally. According to Kokesh’s supporters, he was taken into custody during the “Smoke Down Prohibition” rally for “assaulting a police officer.” Police say he was “violating federal law,” the Washington Times reports.

Ex IRS Commissioner Douglas Shulman ‘Saddened, Dismayed’ At IG Report

l.matthews — Tue, 21 May 2013 15:18:14 GMT

Douglas Shulman, the IRS commissioner during the time the agency began subjecting conservative groups to special scrutiny, said Tuesday that he was “saddened and dismayed” to learn of the inspector general’s conclusion in a report on the events.

Angry Mob Pelts Man In Pueblo Colorado Thought To Be Sex Offender

Zoe Mintz — Tue, 21 May 2013 14:16:56 GMT

After a girl was sexually assaulted in her home, another was a victim of a man exposing himself and a 4-year-old was almost kidnapped in their neighborhood, residents of Pueblo, Colo., thought they found the suspect and decided to capture him themselves.

An angry mob chased the man and began pelting him with rocks, authorities said Monday. The 54-year-old man was later released due to lack of evidence, AP reports.

GMO Labeling Laws Move To Forefront In Battle Over Food Policy

casac8 — Tue, 21 May 2013 13:17:47 GMT

Across the globe, 61 countries, including China, the European Union's 27 members and even Syria, label genetically modified foods.

But in America, consumers are left in the dark when it comes to knowing which foods and products contain genetically modified (GMO) ingredients.

President Barack Obama Oklahoma Tornado Press Conference Live Stream [VIDEO]

Charles Poladian — Tue, 21 May 2013 13:10:46 GMT

President Barack Obama will participate in a press conference discussing the Oklahoma tornado that has killed 51 with more deaths expected as rescue teams make their way through the rubble.

Third Time Wasn’t The Charm: John Kerry Returns To The Middle East For A Fourth Go-Round

m.shwayder — Tue, 21 May 2013 13:01:58 GMT

So off he goes again, for the fourth time this year, to the deserts of Arabia, the torn cities of Jerusalem and Ramallah and then to Africa.

Our hero? U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, embarking on yet another trip to the Middle East, where he has already been three times since assuming office at the end of January.

Milwaukee Bra Ban Lifted For Holler House Bar; City Backs Down From Fire Hazard Claim [PHOTO]

hkoplowitz — Sat, 18 May 2013 21:46:34 GMT

The owners and patrons of the historic Holler House bar in Milwaukee are hollering cries of joy after the city withdrew its ban on the bras that adorn the storied watering hole’s ceiling.

Bras have been a unique decorative touch at the Holler House for nearly 50 years, but, citing a fire hazard, a Milwaukee inspector issued a ban on the brassieres after visiting the South Side bar last month. However, the city has since withdrawn its support for the ban.

Metro-North Connecticut Train Crash Cause Unknown, Collision Investigation May Take 10 Days: NTSB

hkoplowitz — Sat, 18 May 2013 18:37:12 GMT

The cause of Friday’s Metro-North Railroad train crash that injured about 70 people in Fairfield, Conn., may not be known for at least another week as National Transportation Safety Board investigators look into the collision.

Drones: Which Countries Have Them For Surveillance And Military Operations? (MAP)

Lisa Mahapatra — Sat, 18 May 2013 14:20:37 GMT

How long have drones been on your radar? Though it may seem to most people that the controversial "unmanned aerial vehicles" are a relatively recent development in military operations, drones were actually first imagined as far back as World War I, when they were known as “automatic airplanes.” Drones as we know them today -- the buzzing overhead killers with heads like aliens' -- didn’t properly exist until the tail end of the Vietnam era in the early 1970s.

Hofstra University Student Andrea Rebello Killed During Home Invasion

hkoplowitz — Fri, 17 May 2013 20:06:31 GMT

Hofstra University student Andrea Rebello was killed Friday after a gunman broke into her off-campus home, took her hostage, then got into a shoot-out with responding police officers.

Las Vegas Explosion: 1 Killed After Fuel Tank Erupts Near Nellis Air Force Base

hkoplowitz — Fri, 17 May 2013 19:29:36 GMT

One person was killed because of a fire and explosion in North Las Vegas, near Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada, as a fuel tank erupted in flames.

Anonymous Announces #OpPetrol Attack On Local Oil And Gas Companies [VIDEO]

j.heller — Fri, 17 May 2013 19:21:34 GMT

Members of the hacktivist collective Anonymous have announced plans to launch a cyberattack targeting the international oil and gas industry this week. The group has said that the attacks, dubbed Operation Petrol, are slated for June 20 and will involve the United States, Canada, England, Israel, Russia, China and Saudi Arabia.

In a video announcing plans for the attack, Anonymous said that their motivation is political. They also took Saudi Arabia to task for allegedly “betraying” Muslims by basing oil prices on United States currency.

Women Shouldn’t Wear Trousers, And Should Make Themselves More Attractive To Men: Leading UKIP Donor

gooch7 — Fri, 17 May 2013 18:23:10 GMT

A prominent donor to Britain’s UK Independence Party has triggered outrage and derision over comments regarding the dress and behavior of contemporary women.

Toronto Deputy Mayor Doug Holyday Defends Rob Ford In Alleged Crack Cocaine Video: 'It Seems Outrageous' [EXCLUSIVE]

hkoplowitz — Fri, 17 May 2013 18:19:24 GMT

As Toronto Mayor Rob Ford battles accusations that he was captured on cell phone video smoking what appeared to be crack cocaine, the conservative and controversial mayor can count on at least one ally: Deputy Mayor Doug Holyday.

Toronto Mayor Rob Ford Denies Smoking Crack, Calls Alleged Video 'Ridiculous'

hkoplowitz — Fri, 17 May 2013 15:56:29 GMT

Embattled Toronto Mayor Rob Ford, who was allegedly captured on cell phone video smoking what appeared to be crack cocaine, denied the claims Friday and called the media reports “ridiculous.”

Ford, a conservative, was asked about the video being shopped by two Somali men and viewed by reporters at the Toronto Star and the media gossip website Gawker.

Japan's Toru Hashimoto Continues Inflammatory Remarks, Said United States Should Reflect On Its Own Use Of Comfort Women

s.song — Fri, 17 May 2013 14:27:37 GMT

Toru Hashimoto, the mayor of Osaka and co-leader of the nationalist Japan Restoration Party, who made remarks that angered China and Korea earlier this week, took to Twitter to point fingers at the United States over the wartime use of "comfort women."

Hashimoto said American troops used Japanese women in the same way Japanese troops did in the rest of Asia, and that Japan is being singled out unfairly, according to Kyodo News, a Japanese news agency.

FBI Didn't Tell Boston PD About Tamerlan Tsarnaev, Police Chief Ed Davis Claims

hkoplowitz — Thu, 09 May 2013 20:34:44 GMT

The FBI didn’t tell the Boston Police Department about its 2011 assessment of marathon bombing suspect Tamerlan Tsarnaev, the city’s police chief told a congressional hearing Thursday.

But the bureau says the department could have accessed the information through a database available to the Boston PD.

Sex Change Convict Caught: Colombian Gang Member Giovanni Rebolledo Captured

j.heller — Thu, 09 May 2013 16:14:32 GMT

A wanted member of the Colombian gang Los Topos was caught by police on Friday after undergoing a sex change and numerous plastic surgery operations while on the lam.

According to the Daily News, Rebolledo, who was sentenced to 60 years in jail in 2012 for a slew of charges before he went on the run, was working as a prostitute in the coastal city of Barranquilla and going by the name Rosalinda when he was nabbed by law enforcement.

Nun, 83, Convicted Of Breaking Into Tennessee Nuclear Site: 'My Regret Was I Waited 70 Years,' Sister Megan Rice Says

hkoplowitz — Thu, 09 May 2013 15:53:10 GMT

An 83-year-old nun expressed no remorse after she and two other peace activists were convicted Wednesday of breaking into a nuclear site in Tennessee.

Sister Megan Rice and activists Michael Walli, 64, and Greg Boertje-Obed, 56, admitted that they cut the fences at the Y-12 National Security Complex in Oak Ridge last July. After gaining access to the nuclear site, which processes uranium, the activists hung banners and wrapped crime scene tape around the facility.

Rice said she didn’t feel sorry for her actions.

US Immigration Reform 2013 - American Conservative Union Backs US Immigration Bill, Urges ‘Good-Faith Amendments’

l.matthews — Thu, 09 May 2013 15:17:39 GMT

While conservative lawmakers remain split on comprehensive immigration reform, several conservative leaders from influential organizations are lining up behind the bill that would lead to the biggest immigration overhaul in decades.

The American Conservative Union, or ACU, and its allies are calling on conservatives to be the leaders on the issue. The ACU annually hosts the Conservative Political Action Conference in Washington, D.C., which brings together thousands of conservative lawmakers, thinkers and advocates.

Cleveland Suicide Note: Ariel Castro Suicide Letter Blames Kidnapping Victims, Admits Being 'A Sexual Predator'

Thomas Barrabi — Thu, 09 May 2013 14:53:26 GMT

A suicide note allegedly written by Ariel Castro provides a chilling glimpse into the alleged kidnapper-rapist’s mind-set during the decade-long captivity of Amanda Berry, Michelle Knight and Gina DeJesus.