Another 'JihadJane' in Alleged Murder Plot
A 31-year-old Colorado mom is in the custody of Irish police after being arrested as part of an alleged conspiracy to murder a Swedish cartoonist who lampooned the Prophet Mohammed. Jamie Paulin-Ramirez converted to Islam last Easter, shocking her...

Vaccines Not the Cause of Autism
The belief that autism is caused by childhood vaccines has been ruled "scientifically unsupportable" in a special court today. Parents who sought compensation in three separate cases were denied. Pediatricians applauded the ruling. "Vaccinations...

Report: Pope Allowed Pedophile to Work
Pope Benedict XVI reportedly took part in sending a pedophile priest to therapy instead of dismissing him in 1980. Despite repeat offenses and convictions of child abuse, the priest continues to maintain his role in Germany's Upper Bavaria. The priest...

Women on Birth Control Live Longer
In one of the world's largest studies on birth-control pills, researchers have found that women on the pill are "less likely to die from any cause, including cancer and heart disease," and live longer than women not taking the pill. The study involved...

New York Cabbies Rip Off Passengers
In the past two years, thousands of New York City taxi drivers have overcharged passengers a combined $8 million by flicking the meter to a double rate. The Taxi and Limousine Commission utilized GPS technologies installed in cabs to find data on the...

Hillary Clinton Rebukes Israel
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton had sharp words for Israel on Friday. After the country humiliated Joe Biden by announcing plans for new construction in East Jerusalem during his visit to the country, Clinton spoke to Israel Prime Minister Benjamin...

Bloomberg's Fling Mulls Senate Run
New York politics is about to get messier. The state's Republican Party has reportedly tapped Diana Taylor, the former state banking superintendent and longtime girlfriend of Mayor Bloomberg, to run against Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand. Sources say that...

Texas Board Passes New School Standards
Start brushing up on the Contract With America, Texans: The Texas State School Board voted Friday to approve new social studies standards that will require students to learn about the importance of Christianity in American history and "the conservative...

Dems Give Up on Stupak?
Have the Democrats found a way to work around the abortion and health-care issue? Rep. Bart Stupak, the leader of the anti-abortion Democrats, says "they're ignoring me now. That's their strategy now. The House Democratic leaders think they have the...

Congress to Overhaul Student-Loan System
A two-for-one deal maybe? Nancy Pelosi said Friday that the House will likely add measures to overhaul the student-loan industry to health-care reform bill. Essentially, Democrats would change the system so that the government lends to students in...

Police Search Amy Bishop's Home
Nothing to see here, folks: The explosions that were reported at the home of Amy Bishop, the woman accused of the University of Alabama Huntsville murders, appear to have been set off by the police. Apparently, police came across a piece of PVC pipe...

Fugees Video Director Accused of Incest
Aswad Ayinde, the New Jersey man who is charged with having six children with his daughters between the 1980s and 2002, directed the award-winning music video for "Killing Me Softly" by the Fugees. Ayinde allegedly delivered his daughters' babies...

Pelosi: We'll Vote Next Week
We'll soon know if House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has the votes for health care: She has told congressmen to clear their schedules for next weekend and promised that the House will stay in session until the vote. Politico writes, "members and staff don't...

EU Agrees to Bail Out Greece
The 16 member states of the Eurozone have reached an agreement to bail out Greece, which is teetering on the brink of insolvency, The Guardian reports. The aid, which will come in the form of loans or loan guarantees, is believed to be in the...

States May Stall Tax Refunds for Months
Thanks again, recession. Because many states are now strapped for cash, it could take several months for residents to receive their state tax refunds this year. Most states typically send out refunds within 30 days but this year, New York, for...

Gavin Newsom to Run for Lt. Gov
In January, San Francisco's charismatic young mayor Gavin Newsom told Maureen Dowd that he was quitting politics. Apparently, he's had a change of heart: Newsom will announce on Friday that he will run for lieutenant governor of California. Originally,...

Green Zone Wins Over Critics
With its striking recreations of Baghdad and delicate depiction of the early days of the 2003 invasion of Iraq, Green Zone (opening Friday), is getting a warm reception among critics. The movie tells the story of U.S. Army Chief Warrant Officer Roy...

NPR Buys a Toxic Asset
A team of NPR reporters for its Planet Money program pooled $1,000 of their own money last January to buy a Toxic Asset, one of the bonds cobbled together from homes and mortgages that was at the heart of the credit crisis from the very beginning. The...

Obama Postpones Asia Trip
Clear the calendar! With his health-care reform agenda in the balance, the White House announced Friday morning that President Obama is postponing his trip to Asia, originally scheduled for next week, so he can focus on shoring up support among...

Obama Looks to Boost Trade
President Obama the free-trade guru? With a trade deficit of $37.3 billion in January, Obama unveiled a plan on Thursday to boost U.S. exports and tear down trade barriers with an eye towards combatting unemployment. "There is no question that as we...

Lobbyists Fear Earmark Ban
The poor dears. Lobbyists who have devoted their professional lives to scoring no-bid contracts for their clients through federal earmarks are panicking after House Democrats in the Appropriations Committee adopted a new policy blocking earmarks for...

Another American Al Qaeda
Another American has turned up in the middle of a terrorism investigation, this time New Jersey native Sharif Mobley, arrested in Yemen by the country's intelligence services in a sweep of suspected al Qaeda members. Over the weekend, he allegedly...

Two Suicide Bombers Rock Lahore
A pair of suicide bombers blew themselves up in a market and a busy residential area of Lahore, Pakistan Friday, killing at least 43 people and injuring nearly 100. Authorities say the attackers were targeting military vehicles-they killed six army...

How Lehman Brothers Collapsed
A new report offers new insight into how Lehman Brothers fell into mortal peril at the start of the financial crisis, and the details aren't pretty. The 2,200 page report by a court-appointed examiner describes an accounting trick known as "Repo 105"...

How Desirée Rogers Knew It Was Over
Though Desirée Rogers didn't resign until February 2010, the first signs of her split with the White House came in spring 2009, when the social secretary was dressed down by David Axelrod for a variety of perceived offenses, among them posing...

Patrick Kennedy Talks Retirement
At age 42, after 16 years in Congress and two decades of public service in elected office, Patrick Kennedy is retiring. But despite his public battles with addiction and bipolar disorder, and his waning popularity among his constituents, the Rhode...

$657M Ground Zero Settlement
New York City officials have reached a settlement with the thousands of rescue and cleanup workers who suffered disease and injury from the polluted air at the World Trade Center site directly after the 9/11 attacks. The $657.5 million payout would be...

Wolf Hall Wins Again
The Wolf Hall juggernaut extended its reign over book honors, winning the National Book Critics Circle's fiction award to go with its Man Booker Prize. Hillary Mantel's historical novel about Thomas Cromwell was honored alongside Richard Holmes' The...

Stewart Discusses Kiss With Fanning
While Kristen Stewart has long remained tight-lipped about her alleged relationship with Twilight costar Robert Pattinson, the actress had no problem discussing an intimate on-screen moment with Dakota Fanning, her costar in the upcoming film The...

Leno Reclaims Top Ratings Spot
Jay Leno's first week back proved successful, as the once-again host of The Tonight Show brought the program back to the No. 1 spot among adults 18-49 and in total viewership, according to NBC. Since reclaiming the show from Conan O'Brien, Leno...