| Kerry seeks global review of anti-gay laws Posted: 26 Feb 2014 02:57 PM PST  Secretary of state says issue will be a major focus of discussions with U.S. ambassadors.
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| Obama's next initiative: Lift up minority boys Posted: 26 Feb 2014 08:40 AM PST  After the Trayvon Martin shooting, he wants young black men to have a better chance.
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| Russian spy ship docks in Havana Posted: 26 Feb 2014 02:40 PM PST  Havana (AFP) - A Russian warship was docked in Havana Wednesday, without explanation from Communist Cuba or its state media.
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| Population explosion: NASA discovers 715 new alien worlds Posted: 26 Feb 2014 11:12 AM PST  NASA's Kepler space telescope has discovered more than 700 new exoplanets, nearly doubling the current number of confirmed alien worlds. The Kepler space telescope is responsible for more than half of these finds, hauling in 961 exoplanets to date, with thousands more candidates awaiting confirmation by follow-up investigations. "This is the largest windfall of planets — not exoplanet candidates, mind you, but actually validated exoplanets — that's ever been announced at one time," Douglas Hudgins, exoplanet exploration program scientist at NASA's Astrophysics Division in Washington, told reporters today.[Gallery: A World of Kepler Planets] About 94 percent of the new alien worlds are smaller than Neptune, researchers said, further bolstering earlier Kepler observations that suggested the Milky Way galaxy abounds with rocky planets like Earth.
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| Federal judge strikes down Texas gay marriage ban Posted: 26 Feb 2014 11:45 AM PST  AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — A federal judge has struck down Texas' ban on gay marriage, but is leaving it in place pending a ruling by an appeals court later this year.
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| NASA knew spacesuit leaked before astronaut's near-drowning Posted: 26 Feb 2014 05:58 AM PST  Accident Report to Shed Light on NASA Communication Failures
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| Ukraine protesters nominate new prime minister Posted: 26 Feb 2014 12:39 PM PST  Millionaire ex-banker Arseniy Yatsenyuk was praised by U.S. diplomat in leaked call.
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| If Republican governors did local news promos... Posted: 25 Feb 2014 01:32 PM PST  Here's looking at you.
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| Army general: Talk of Afghan impasse threatens security Posted: 26 Feb 2014 12:04 PM PST  BAGRAM AIR FIELD, Afghanistan (AP) — Depicting a grim future for Afghanistan without U.S. help, the top U.S. military officer said Wednesday that Afghanistan's refusal to sign a security agreement with the United States may make the fight more difficult this year, embolden the enemy and prompt some Afghan security forces to cooperate with the Taliban to "hedge their bets."
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| Ukraine requests international arrest warrant for Yanukovych Posted: 26 Feb 2014 08:41 AM PST  Kiev (AFP) - Ukraine's interim general prosecutor said Wednesday that Kiev has requested an international arrest warrant for ousted president Viktor Yanukovych, who is wanted within his own crisis-hit country over the "mass murder" of protesters.
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| Dems want Hillary over Biden in 2016 Posted: 26 Feb 2014 07:13 AM PST  Meanwhile, Republicans like Jeb Bush and Rand Paul over Christie, a poll shows.
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| Supreme Court: Ponzi scheme victims can sue lawyers, brokers Posted: 26 Feb 2014 01:09 PM PST  By Lawrence Hurley WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Supreme Court on Wednesday ruled that lawyers, insurance brokers and others who worked with convicted swindler Allen Stanford cannot avoid lawsuits by investors seeking to recoup losses incurred in his $7 billion Ponzi scheme. New York-based law firms Chadbourne & Parke and Proskauer Rose and insurance brokerage Willis Group Holdings Plc were all sued by former Stanford investors. Writing for the majority, Justice Stephen Breyer said the Securities Litigation Uniform Standards Act did not prevent the state lawsuits from proceeding. The law says that state lawsuits are barred when the alleged misrepresentations are "in connection with" the purchase or sale of a covered security.
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| NASA photo shows N. Korea is—literally—in the dark Posted: 26 Feb 2014 06:22 AM PST  A recent image taken from the International Space Station shows the mysterious, dictator-ruled country almost completely in the dark.
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| Ex-NFL player Hernandez involved in jail house scuffle Posted: 26 Feb 2014 07:13 AM PST  Former National Football League star Aaron Hernandez, charged with shooting a friend to death last year, was involved in a Massachusetts jailhouse scuffle with another inmate that left neither man seriously injured, law enforcement officials said on Wednesday. "There was an altercation between two inmates in our special management unit, and one of them was Aaron Hernandez," said Bristol County Sheriff Thomas Hodgson. "It was stopped very quickly by my staff." Neither inmate involved in the incident on Tuesday required medical attention, and officials are investigating whether Hernandez or the other man, who was not identified, will face internal disciplinary measures or criminal charges, Hodgson said. Hernandez, 24, is jailed in North Dartmouth, Massachusetts, about 60 miles south of Boston.
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| Rival factions clash in Ukraine's Crimea Posted: 26 Feb 2014 05:44 AM PST  Fistfights break out among demonstrators as Russia's Putin orders military exercises.
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| Irony strikes: Baldwin to play meddling newsman on TV cops drama Posted: 25 Feb 2014 04:47 PM PST  LOS ANGELES (AP) — Alec Baldwin is putting a twist on his rocky relationship with the media: He's playing a meddling newspaperman on a NBC drama.
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| Data-breach hits Target's bottom line Posted: 26 Feb 2014 01:28 PM PST  Revenue takes a dive as shoppers are scared away from the Minneapolis-based retailer.
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| GOP tax plan lowers rates, repeals popular breaks Posted: 26 Feb 2014 03:00 PM PST  WASHINGTON (AP) — A sweeping House Republican plan to overhaul the nation's tax laws would wipe out a slew of popular tax breaks to help pay for lower overall tax rates, a politically risky move in an election year that drew quick opposition Wednesday.
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| Texas gay marriage ban latest to be struck down Posted: 26 Feb 2014 02:30 PM PST  AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — A federal judge declared a same-sex marriage ban in deeply conservative Texas unconstitutional on Wednesday, but will allow the nation's second-most populous state to enforce the law pending an appeal that will likely go to the U.S. Supreme Court.
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| Kentucky snake handler death doesn't shake belief Posted: 26 Feb 2014 01:23 PM PST  Three days after pastor Jamie Coots died from a rattlesnake bite at church, mourners leaving the funeral went to the church to handle snakes.
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| California town shaken as police officers arrested Posted: 26 Feb 2014 04:36 PM PST  KING CITY, Calif. (AP) — A California farming town was grappling Wednesday with a profound violation of trust after learning the acting police chief and a handful of officers were charged with selling or giving away the impounded cars of poor Hispanic residents and other crimes.
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| Huge study links older dads with kids' psych woes Posted: 26 Feb 2014 04:57 PM PST CHICAGO (AP) — Older fathers may face higher risks than previously thought for having children with psychiatric problems, including bipolar disorder, autism and attention deficits, according to the largest study to examine the potential links. |
| NASA announces 'mother lode' of new planets: 715 Posted: 26 Feb 2014 03:03 PM PST  WASHINGTON (AP) — Our galaxy is looking far more crowded and hospitable. NASA on Wednesday confirmed a bonanza of 715 newly discovered planets outside our solar system.
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| Man wears 'Breaking Bad' shirt after meth arrest Posted: 26 Feb 2014 03:58 PM PST  CHICAGO (AP) — A suburban Chicago man accused of operating a methamphetamine lab appears in his booking photo wearing a T-shirt from the television show "Breaking Bad."
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| Arizona governor to speak on religious rights bill Posted: 26 Feb 2014 04:15 PM PST  PHOENIX (AP) — Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer was expected to break her silence Wednesday evening about a bill to add protections for people who assert their religious beliefs in refusing service to gays, a proposal that has focused national attention on the state as business groups, gay rights supporters and even many fellow Republicans urged her to use her veto power.
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| US warns Russia against Ukraine intervention Posted: 26 Feb 2014 02:32 PM PST  WASHINGTON (AP) — The United States on Wednesday warned Russia against a military intervention in Ukraine, saying such a move would be a "grave mistake," as troops in western Russia were placed on high alert for massive new war games in the area, including near the Russian-Ukrainian border.
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| Arizona governor to speak on controversial bill Posted: 26 Feb 2014 04:10 PM PST PHOENIX (AP) — Arizona Gov, Jan Brewer will finally break her silence about a Republican bill that protects people who assert their religious beliefs in refusing service to gays and others. |
| Arizona governor held meetings over rights bill Posted: 26 Feb 2014 04:00 PM PST PHOENIX (AP) — Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer held a series of private meetings Wednesday with opponents and proponents of legislation adding protections for people who assert their religious beliefs in refusing service to gays, a proposal that has focused national attention on the state as business groups, gay rights supporters and even many fellow Republicans urged her to use her veto power. |
| Justin Bieber jail video shows unsteady walk Posted: 26 Feb 2014 02:58 PM PST  MIAMI (AP) — Justin Bieber walks unsteadily and even appears to stumble while performing a sobriety test shortly after his January arrest on driving under the influence and other charges, according to police video released Wednesday.
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| Obama seeking $300 billion for roads, railways Posted: 26 Feb 2014 01:50 PM PST  ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — President Barack Obama said Wednesday he will ask Congress for $300 billion to update aging roads and railways, arguing that the taxpayer investment is a worthy one that will pay dividends by attracting businesses and helping put people to work.
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| Pressure mounts on Arizona governor over anti-gay bill Posted: 25 Feb 2014 05:34 PM PST  Prominent Republicans, including Mitt Romney and John McCain, are urging a veto.
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| GM more than doubles North American ignition-switch recall Posted: 25 Feb 2014 01:22 PM PST  General Motors Co on Tuesday more than doubled a recall, mostly in North America, to correct a condition that may allow the engine and other components including airbags to be unintentionally turned off. GM said it is aware of 31 reported incidents, including 13 front-seat fatalities, involving frontal crashes in which the condition may have caused or contributed to the front airbags not deploying. "The process employed to examine this phenomenon was not as robust as it should have been," GM's North American head, Alan Batey, said in a statement. "We will take an unflinching look at what happened and apply lessons learned here to improve going forward." GM said it submitted a detailed chronology associated with the initial recall to the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration on Monday.
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| Neighbors foil attempt to steal wall, Banksy mural Posted: 25 Feb 2014 06:11 PM PST  NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Neighbors in New Orleans foiled what police say was an attempt to steal a chunk of cinderblock wall bearing a painting created by the world-renowned graffiti artist Banksy.
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| House passes bill on 'unlocking' cell phones Posted: 25 Feb 2014 04:51 PM PST  The U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill on Tuesday that would give mobile-phone users the right to "unlock" their devices and use them on competitors' wireless networks, although Senate action was uncertain. Major carriers, including Verizon Wireless, AT&T Inc, Sprint Corp, T-Mobile US and U.S. Cellular, in December made a voluntary pledge to make it easier for consumers to unlock their cellphones, under pressure from consumer groups and the Federal Communications Commission. The notion of undoing that law has had wide support from Republicans and Democrats since the bill's introduction in the House in 2013. But the bill's author, Representative Bob Goodlatte, a Virginia Republican, added language after the bill had been approved by a partisan majority of the House Judiciary Committee, banning "bulk unlocking." Consumer advocates have argued that customers should be allowed to sell their old devices to third parties that could unlock phones in bulk, something the wireless industry opposes.
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