Saudi Arabia restored as defendant in suit by 9/11 families
NEW YORK -- A New York federal appeals court has restored Saudi Arabia as a defendant in a lawsuit brought by thousands of people affected by the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.Former Florida Sen. Bob Graham, who co-chaired a joint congressional inquiry into the attacks, called the ruling a "very significant breakthrough," BrowardBulldog.org...U.S. scholars’ group backs call for academic boycott of Israel
WASHINGTON - An association of American scholars has voted for an academic boycott of Israeli colleges and universities in protest against Israeli policies towards the Palestinians, the group said this week.Members of the American Studies Association voted by a 2-to-1 margin to endorse a boycott resolution, which stems from a broader...Webcams can be covertly compromised by cops and hackers
Security experts in the United States have figured out how hackers can remotely access without being detected the built-in webcams installed in millions of Apple computers, but law enforcement agencies already have that exploit in their toolbox of tricks.Researchers at John Hopkins University revealed their findings in a paper published...U.S. court urged to reject Israeli attempt to silence witness
WASHINGTON - Lawyers for the family of an American teenager killed in a 2006 suicide bombing in Tel Aviv urged a U.S. court on Tuesday, December 17, to reject an attempt by Israel to muzzle a witness in an anti-terrorism case, court documents showed.The lawsuit revolves around allegations that Bank of China knowingly allowed Palestinian...Class action lawsuit seeks to limit mandatory detention of immigrants in California
SAN FRANCISCO — Asian Americans Advancing Justice - Asian Law Caucus ("Advancing Justice - Asian Law Caucus") and the American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California (ACLU-NC), with co-counsel Keker Van Nest LLP, filed a statewide class action lawsuit Thursday to challenge the current federal policy of detaining certain...New York City cab drivers strike a pose with pinup calendar for charity
NEW YORK - Taxi drivers are putting out a pinup calendar for 2014, playfully displaying pot bellies and copious body hair in a tongue-in-cheek challenge to a popular beefcake calendar produced each year by buff and brawny city firefighters.The NYC Taxi Drivers calendar features cabbies posing in various stages of undress - a...152-year-old shipwreck found on Lake Huron
Lansing, Michigan - The wreckage of a wooden steamship that sank 152 years ago in a storm on Lake Huron with no survivors has been found, a Michigan explorer said on Monday.What exactly happened to the Keystone State and its 33 occupants in a November 1861 voyage to Milwaukee from Detroit remains a mystery, said David Trotter, who found...Data sharing among US law enforcement agencies is in ‘chaos’
New York - The sharing of intelligence among American law enforcement agencies in the wake of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks is being conducted in a manner that resembles “organized chaos,” according to a new study published this week.New York University’s Brennan Center for Justice published their findings on Tuesday by...Texas enforces “Merry Christmas Law” in public schools
Texas — Texas lawmakers sent notices to schools on Monday, December 9, informing them that new legislation allows students and teachers to dress in festive garb and say "Merry Christmas" all they want without fear of punishment.The so-called "Merry Christmas Law" is backed by social conservatives who feel that seasonal religious...California man arrested for running ‘revenge porn’ website
San Diego - A California man was arrested on Tuesday on accusations he ran a "revenge porn" website, one that featured nude pictures of women often posted by jilted or angry ex-lovers.The San Diego arrest, the latest action by the state to crack down on such websites, comes after California Governor Jerry Brown signed a...South Carolina sheriff refuses to lower flag for Mandela
South Carolina - The U.S. flag flew high outside a sheriff's office in South Carolina on Monday, Dec. 9., in defiance of an order from President Barack Obama to lower all flags in memory of the late South African leader Nelson Mandela.Pickens County Sheriff Rick Clark said he believed the lowering of the flag to half-staff was a tribute...Mormon church explains defunct ban on blacks in priesthood
UTAH - Thirty-five years after lifting a ban on blacks entering the priesthood, the Mormon church has offered an explanation for a practice that was in place for more than 100 years, saying it was rooted in the racism of the times.A church-produced essay, "Race and the Priesthood," ties the ban to an 1852 speech by Brigham Young, the...Miami suburb sued for ‘stop and frisk’ police tactics
Miami — The mayor and police department of a predominantly black Miami suburb have been hit with a federal civil rights lawsuit over allegations of aggressive police tactics, including stop-and-frisk searches and arbitrary arrests, targeting African Americans. The 11 plaintiffs named in the lawsuit are led by Ali Amin Saleh, a Latin...Soldier found guilty for running a prostitution ring at military base
Fort Hood, Texas - A U.S. military court found a soldier guilty of taking part in a suspected prostitution ring at Fort Hood, Texas, one of the largest Army bases in the United States.The Fort Hood case was part of a spate of embarrassing sex-related incidents in the military this year that prompted Congress to look at ways to make top...Obama’s Kenyan-born uncle gets green card despite DUI, resisting deportation
WASHINGTON - A U.S. immigration judge ruled on Tuesday that President Barack Obama's Kenyan-born uncle can stay in the United States as a lawful resident, despite his decades dodging deportation and a 2011 drunk-driving arrest.Judge Leonard Shapiro said his decision was based on a federal law granting green cards to foreigners who......
Driver in fatal New York train crash says he ‘zoned out’
New York City —The driver of a New York commuter train that derailed on Sunday, December 1, killing four people, told federal investigators he "zoned out" shortly before the crash, the driver's labor union leader said.The seven-car train was traveling at 82 miles per hour (132 km per hour), nearly threeDriver in fatal New York train...U.S. hospital worker sentenced to 39 years for spreading hepatitis to 45 people
New Hampshire - A former New Hampshire hospital technician who caused dozens of people to become infected with hepatitis C when he injected himself with syringes of pain killers that were then used on patients was sentenced to 39 years in prison on Monday, December 2.David Kwiatkowski, 34, admitted in August to stealing the drugs and...
The American Studies Association National Council has called for an academic boycott of Israel
December 6th, 20130 Washington D.C. — The American Studies Association (ASA) National Council made a unanimous decision for an academic boycott of Israel, after a heavily debated meeting on Wednesday, December 4.The ASA is the nation’s oldest and largest association devoted to the interdisciplinary study of American culture and history. Chartered in...Investigators release chilling details about Sandy Hook Elementary Massacre
NEW YORK — It's been almost one year since a gunman massacred 20 children and six adults at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn. This week, investigators have released chilling details about the case, which include disturbing findings on Adam Lanza, the man responsible for the murder spree.Lanza was apparently obsessed with......
Hollywood producer Arnon Milchan says he spied for Israel
HOLLYWOOD - A Hollywood producer behind hit films such as Pretty Woman and Fight Club has said he spied for Israel in support of its nuclear program.Arnon Milchan, who was born in what is now Israel, gave an account to Israeli investigative program Uvda.Milchan said he performed dozens of clandestine missions on behalf of Israel after he...Woman accused of mailing ricin laced letters to Obama gets plea deal
New Boston, Texas — A Texas actress accused of mailing ricin-laced letters to President Barack Obama and New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg has reached a plea deal with federal prosecutors, according to federal court documents.Shannon Guess Richardson, 36, whose acting career included minor television roles, had attempted to blame her......
New York Arab shop owners charged for duping customer out of $1 million lottery ticket
Long Island, New York — A Long Island convenience store owner and his son, accused of duping a customer who spoke limited English out of a $1 million winning lottery ticket, were charged on Saturday, November 23, with grand larceny. The 34-year-old Hispanic man bought a $10 "Unwrap The Cash" scratch-off game at the Peninsula...Dying Chicago lesbian gets judge’s OK to wed ahead of new law
REUTERS — A Chicago woman who is dying of cancer could wed her lesbian partner as early as this week after a federal judge ordered local officials to issue them a marriage license six months before an Illinois law recognizing gay unions takes effect.The cancer patient, Vernita Gray, 64, and her partner, Patricia Ewert, 65, had argued......