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2013-06-19 14:09:16 (1 comments, 1 reshares, 4 +1s)

Obama pledges to reduce nuclear weapons in Berlin speech

+NBC News : President Obama called for a cut in nuclear weapon arsenals in a speech delivered Wednesday in front of Berlin’s iconic Brandenburg Gate.

Obama’s speech came nearly 50 years after JFK’s June 26, 1963, speech in which he told a huge crowd: “Ich bin ein Berliner.”

The US will reduce its deployed nuclear weapons by ‘up to a third,’ Obama said, while also seeking negotiated cuts with Russia.

“…If we believe that the spread of nuclear weapons is inevitable, then in some way we are admitting to ourselves that the use of nuclear weapons is inevitable,” Obama said. 

Read more: http://nbcnews.to/15jGv4U

Photo: Obama in front of the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin. (Michael Kappeler/AFP - Getty Images)

2013-06-19 11:40:54 (37 comments, 23 reshares, 106 +1s)

House GOP to push for bases on Mars, the moon in new bill

+NBC News : House Republicans are pushing for a base on Mars and will discuss their plan at a meeting of the House Science, Space and Technology Committee on Wednesday. 

The plan is part of legislation to reauthorize NASA for two more years and the bill includes language not only advocating for a base on the surface of Mars, but also on the moon. 

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich infamously said during his 2012 presidential campaign that he planned to have a moon base in operation by 2020. A base on the moon could cost anywhere between $40 billion to $500 billion.

Read more: http://nbcnews.to/18ZRsQD

Photo: NASA contemplated setting up a lunar outpost like the one shown in this artwork back in 2007 (NASA via NBCNews.com)

2013-06-18 23:22:00 (146 comments, 31 reshares, 77 +1s)

US House passes ban on abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy

+The Associated Press:  The Republican-led House passed a far-reaching anti-abortion bill that would restrict almost all abortions to the first 20 weeks after conception.

It passed 228-196, with 6 Democrats voting for it and 6 Republicans voting against it.

The Democratic-controlled Senate is not expected to take up the bill. The White House says the president would veto it if it ever reached his desk, calling it “an assault on a woman’s right to choose” and “a direct challenge to Roe v. Wade.”

Read more: http://bigstory.ap.org/article/house-takes-far-reaching-anti-abortion-bill

2013-06-18 15:32:54 (19 comments, 7 reshares, 26 +1s)

Russian Duma passes bill to ban adoptions to foreign gay couples

+AFP  Russian lawmakers on Tuesday backed a bill which would place tough restrictions on adoption to countries where same-sex marriages are legal, following France's vote last month allowing such unions.

The bill could ban people in over a dozen countries from adopting Russian orphans even if they are single, according to an amendment that passed in the key second reading in the Duma lower house of parliament with an overwhelming vote of 443 to none.

It is likely to be swiftly passed in the third reading and the upper house Federation Council. President Vladimir Putin has already vowed to sign it into law.

More from AFP here.

2013-06-18 11:56:22 (17 comments, 43 reshares, 214 +1s)

Turkish ‘standing man’ inspires silent vigil in restive square

+Reuters : A Turkish man held an 8-hour silent vigil on Monday in Istanbul’s restive Taksim Square. 

Erdem Gunduz decided to start his silent protest as a form of peaceful demonstration against violent police disruption of protests in the square over the last two weeks.

Gunduz stood on his own unnoticed before pictures of his protest went viral. By the time police cleared the square at 2 a.m. local time, about 300 others had joined him.

Read more: http://nbcnews.to/19ftMEC

Follow the latest on the protests in Turkey at BreakingNews.com: http://bit.ly/18GfRtA

Photo: Erdem Gunduz stood for several hours unnoticed before his presence on the flashpoint square went viral on the social network Twitter. (Marco Longari/AFP - Getty Images)

2013-06-17 23:08:14 (34 comments, 9 reshares, 64 +1s)

Report: Women could begin training for combat roles in 2015

+The Associated Press reports that women may be able to start training as Army Rangers by mid-2015 under plans expected to be announced by the Pentagon on Tuesday.

Details of the plan were obtained by AP. 

Under the schedules military leaders delivered to Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, the Army will develop standards by July 2015 to allow women to train and potentially serve as Rangers, and qualified women could begin training as Navy SEALS by March 2016 if senior leaders agree.

Read more: http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-201_162-57589691/pentagon-to-begin-training-women-for-combat-roles-by-2015/

2013-06-17 15:30:12 (75 comments, 25 reshares, 85 +1s)

Edward Snowden : 'the US .. is not going to be able to cover this up by jailing or murdering me'

+The Guardian  In a live chat with Guardian readers, NSA leaker Edward Snowden criticized the US government, saying it had "destroyed any possibility of a fair trial at home, openly declaring me guilty of treason."

Snowden, who is believed to be hiding in Hong Kong, said he never leaked information  about legitimate military targets.

"The public needs to know the kinds of things a government does in its name, or the 'consent of the governed' is meaningless," he wrote.

More from the Guardian's live chat with Snowden is here.

2013-06-16 00:12:56 (65 comments, 37 reshares, 200 +1s)

Turkish riot police use tear gas, water cannons to clear Taksim Square

Thousands of people gathered in the streets of Istanbul, Turkey, on Saturday after Turkish police stormed Gezi Park spraying tear gas and water cannons at hundreds of protesters. 

Using armored police cars, fire trucks and sanitation vehicles, authorities cleared the park after two weeks of protests against Prime Minister Erdogan. As protesters fled into a nearby hotel, clouds of tear gas followed. 

Witnesses said an untold number of people were hurt in the raid. 

The protests were initially in response to the government’s plan to redevelop Taksim Square and remove the park, however quickly turned to focus on broader discontent about Erdogan's government.

Erdogan plans to respond to protesters in a pro-government rally in the square on Sunday. 

Read morefrom ... more »

2013-06-15 16:26:49 (26 comments, 11 reshares, 51 +1s)

Moderate Rohani elected as Iran’s president

+Reuters : Iran’s interior minister declared moderate cleric Hassan Rohani the winner of Iran’s presidential election on Saturday after final results revealed Rohani secured just more than 50% of the votes — enough to avoid a run-off.

Rohani has been seen as the most moderate of all the candidates running. 72 percent of the 50 million Iranians eligible to vote turned out.

2013-06-15 05:57:10 (88 comments, 58 reshares, 132 +1s)

Facebook, Microsoft release information about US data requests

Facebook announced today that it received between 9,000 and 10,000 requests for user data from the U.S. government in the second half of 2012. Following suit, Microsoft said it received 6,000 to 7,000 criminal and national security warrants from local, state, and federal U.S. government entities during that same time period. 

In total, between 18,000 and 19,000 Facebook accounts and 31,000 to 32,000 Microsoft consumer accounts were involved.

The two companies released the information after striking agreements with the U.S. government. The releases come amid fallout from disclosure about a secret government data-collection program.

Google said it avoided a similar agreement since it would be “a step back for users.”

Read more from +Reuters: http://reut.rs/12MBB5G

2013-06-15 04:11:03 (48 comments, 66 reshares, 204 +1s)

Google launches balloons in goal to provide Internet world-wide

Inflatable balloons believed to be capable of sharing Internet around the world were launched this week in New Zealand as part of Google’s Project Loon.

The project, which began 18 months ago, is an attempt to share Internet with countries that lack fiber cables. The balloons are powered by solar panels are moved via prevailing winds. Each balloon is reportedly capable of providing Internet to an area twice the size of New York City.

A farmer in New Zealand was the first person to receive Internet access this week as the balloons passed overhead. 

Read more from +The Associated Press:  http://bit.ly/12MvfDs

Photo: In this June 10, 2013 photo released by Jon Shenk, a Google balloon sails through the air with the Southern Alps mountains in the background, in Tekapo, NewZea... more »

2013-06-13 22:05:27 (61 comments, 14 reshares, 52 +1s)

Syria has used chemical weapons, US, European officials conclude
+The New York Times American intelligence analysts believe that President Bashar al-Assad’s troops have used chemical weapons against rebel forces in Syria, an assessment that will put added pressure on the US administration to develop a response to a provocation that the president himself has declared a “red line.”
“Following a deliberative review, our intelligence community assesses that the Assad regime has used chemical weapons, including the nerve agent sarin, on a small scale against the opposition multiple times in the last year,” the deputy national security adviser, Ben Rhodes, said in a statement released by the White House on Thursday afternoon.

“Our intelligence community has high confidence in that assessment given multiple, independent streams of information”
More from the Timeshere.... more »

2013-06-12 23:55:14 (14 comments, 8 reshares, 34 +1s)

Black Forest fire in Colorado destroys at least 92 homes

+The Denver Post:  The Black Forest fire in Colorado has destroyed 92 homes and about 3,400 homes are impacted by evacuations, the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office said today. 

“The potential for this fire to spread is extreme,” El Paso County Sheriff Terry Maketa said at a news briefing.

The fire is at 8,500 acres and there was no containment as of this morning. No injuries have been reported.

Read more: http://www.denverpost.com/breakingnews/ci_23442660

Follow updates: http://www.breakingnews.com/topic/colorado-black-forest-fire-june-2013

2013-06-11 00:25:31 (268 comments, 47 reshares, 162 +1s)

US government to end effort to restrict morning-after pill

+The New York Times:  The Obama administration told a U.S. District Court judge it would stop trying to block the over-the-counter availability of Plan B One-Step for all women and girls.

The Justice Department had been fighting to prevent girls of any age to buy the morning-after contraceptive pill without a prescription.

In a letter to to Judge Edward R. Korman of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York, the administration said it would comply with his demands to make the drug more widely available.

Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/11/us/in-reversal-obama-to-end-effort-to-restrict-morning-after-pill.html

Photo: This undated image made available by Teva Women's Health shows the packaging for their Plan B One-Step (levonorgestrel) tablet,... more »

2013-06-10 19:09:29 (27 comments, 13 reshares, 71 +1s)

Apple unveils iTunes Radio, new Mac Pro design

+The Verge : Apple unveiled a new version of the Mac Pro and announced a new streaming music service called iTunes Radio at its annual Worldwide Developers Conference on Monday. 

The new Mac Pro desktop computer will be assembled exclusively in the US and is tiny compared with its earlier version. 

iTunes Radio will be built into the music app and will help users discover new music using Twitter music trends.

Read more: http://bit.ly/13SdTRa

Follow the latest at BreakingNews.com: http://bit.ly/11uN3fX

Photo: Apple's Phil Schiller demonstrates size difference between the old Mac Pro (left) and the new one (right), due this fall. (Wilson Rothman/NBC News)

2013-06-09 15:46:28 (28 comments, 25 reshares, 245 +1s)

Nadal wins 8th French Open title

+The Telegraph : Rafael Nadal won his eighth French Open title on Sunday after beating fellow Spaniard David Ferrer 6-3, 6-2, 6-3, at Roland Garros.

With Sunday’s win, Nadal becomes the first man to win eight titles at the same Grand Slam tournament.

Read more: http://bit.ly/111eDF9

Photo: Getty Images via NBCSports.com

2013-06-08 15:20:49 (61 comments, 34 reshares, 373 +1s)

Serena Williams wins French Open

+NBC Sports : Serena Williams won her first French Open title since 2002 after beating Maria Sharapova 6-4, 6-4 on Saturday.

Saturday's win marks the 16th major championship for Williams.

Read more: http://on.msnbc.com/ZAxlSW

Photo: Getty Images via NBCSports.com

2013-06-08 00:12:06 (158 comments, 53 reshares, 199 +1s)

At least 7 dead, including gunman, in Santa Monica shooting

A gunman killed six people and injured another five before being shot and killed by police during a rampage that ended on the Santa Monica College in California.

Police said they are unsure whether he acted alone. A second individual, described by authorities as a “person of interest” has been taken into custody.
 
The shootings started blocks from the college when a man killed 2 then fired on a car, wounding one person before leaving in another car. Police then received reports of a man shooting at passing cars and buses in two separate locations near the college campus.
 
The gunman reportedly then moved across the campus and into the library where he was shot and killed by police.

Read more from +NBC LA: http://bit.ly/11mKg7k

Photo: Police at the scene ofa sho... more »

2013-06-07 17:25:05 (106 comments, 9 reshares, 27 +1s)

Obama: NSA surveillance programs are legal and limited

+The New York Times  President Obama on Friday offered a robust defense of the government surveillance programs revealed this week, and sought to reassure the public that his administration has not become a Big Brother with eyes and ears throughout the world of online communications.

Nobody is listening to your telephone calls,” Mr. Obama said, while on a West Coast trip. “That’s not what this program is about.”

The president’s remarks were his first since the revelations this week of programs to collect information about phone calls and Internet traffic. He said the programs help prevent terrorist attacks and they are kept in check by rigorous judicial and Congressional oversight.

More from the New York Times here.

2013-06-07 15:11:31 (27 comments, 18 reshares, 37 +1s)

Guardian: UK collected secret intelligence via covert US operation

+The Guardian  The UK's electronic eavesdropping and security agency, GCHQ, has been secretly gathering intelligence from the world's biggest internet companies through a covertly run operation set up by the United State's spy agency, documents obtained by the Guardian reveal.

The documents show that GCHQ has had access to the system since at least June 2010, and generated 197 intelligence reports from it last year.

The US program, called Prism, would appear to allow GCHQ to circumvent the formal legal process required to seek personal material such as emails, photos and videos from an internet company based outside the UK.

More from the Guardian here.

2013-06-06 23:15:45 (53 comments, 39 reshares, 93 +1s)

Washington Post: US mining data from  Internet firms in broad secret program

+Washington Post  The National Security Agency and the FBI are tapping into the central servers of nine leading US Internet companies, extracting audio, video, photographs, e-mails, documents and connection logs that enable analysts to track a person’s movements and contacts over time.

The classified program, code-named PRISM, has not been disclosed publicly before Friday's story in the Washington Post.

Its establishment in 2007 and six years of exponential growth took place beneath the surface of a roiling debate over the boundaries of surveillance and privacy.

More from the Post on the program here.

2013-06-06 04:15:37 (30 comments, 41 reshares, 282 +1s)

Woman found alive in rubble 13 hours after building collapse

Thirteen hours after a building collapsed in Philadelphia and minutes after a press conference, firefighters pulled a woman alive from the rubble.

The woman is the 14th survivor of a collapse that killed at least six.

Mayor Michael Nutter said at least one man and five women died when a four-story building crashed down on a two-story building housing a Salvation Army Thrift Store. Although initial reports indicate the collapse may have resulted from an industrial accident, Nutter said a full investigation will take place.

As of 11 p.m. local time, the rescue team had only searched approximately 60 percent of the rubble, Fire Commissioner Lloyd Ayers said.

Read more from +NBC10 Philadelphia:  http://bit.ly/13949kQ

Photo: The building collapsed in downtown... more »

2013-06-05 15:49:14 (17 comments, 18 reshares, 46 +1s)

Building collapses in Philadelphia; people possibly trapped

+NBC10 Philadelphia:  A building collapsed in City Center Philadelphia and authorities are searching the debris to see if anyone is trapped.

As many as 10 people may currently trapped beneath the collapsed structure, according to Philadelphia Fire Commissioner Lloyd Ayers.

Philadelphia police tweeted that the collapse "appears to be an industrial accident at this time."

Read more: http://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/Building-Collapse-in-Center-City-210243621.html

Follow updates, watch live video from the scene: http://www.breakingnews.com/topic/philadelphia-building-collapse

2013-06-04 16:41:03 (55 comments, 104 reshares, 374 +1s)

Oklahoma tornado widest on record at 2.6 miles

+KFOR NewsChannel 4 : The National Weather Service upgraded the El Reno, Okla., tornado that hit on Friday to an EF-5 with a width of 2.6 miles, making it the widest tornado ever recorded.

The EF-5 rating is the most powerful rating that can be given to a tornado. 296 mph winds were recorded during the storm in El Reno. Friday’s tornado was double the width of a tornado that hit just more than a week earlier in Moore, Okla. 

Read more: http://bit.ly/ZLqhoG

Photo: A large storm cell, which produced a multiple-vortex tornado, passes south of El Reno, Okla., on Friday. (Bill Waugh/Reuters)

2013-06-03 17:13:08 (12 comments, 8 reshares, 87 +1s)

Jason Kidd announces retirement from NBA

+NBC New York : New York Knicks guard Jason Kidd announced in a statement on Monday that he plans to retire from professional basketball after 19 years.

Kidd, 40, is a 10-time NBA all-star and a two-time Olympic gold medalist.

Read more: 

2013-06-03 14:25:19 (18 comments, 8 reshares, 37 +1s)

New Jersey Sen. Frank Lautenberg died early Monday after struggling with health issues in recent months.

NBC News confirmed that the 89-year-old Democratic senator – the oldest member of the chamber – passed away from viral pneumonia that had sidelined him from the Senate for much of this year.

NJ Senator Lautenberg dies at age 89
+NBC News Lautenberg was first elected to the Senate in 1982, and served into that capacity through 2001, when he initially retired. State Democrats beckoned him back into public life, though, in 2002 following the withdrawal of their candidate during a competitive race.

Photo: Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images
*More from NBC News here: http://firstread.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/06/03/18722588-nj-sen-lautenberg-dies-at-89*

2013-06-02 16:33:59 (55 comments, 88 reshares, 391 +1s)

California wildfire threatens 1,000 homes

+NBC LA : California’s Powerhouse wildfire grew overnight to 19,500 acres and now threatens around 1,000 homes. The fire has already destroyed six homes and damaged nine other buildings.

The fire is currently at 20% containment and officials hope to have it fully contained by Wednesday. 2,000 firefighters are fighting to stop the fire’s spread.

Read more: http://bit.ly/13wKV9d

Follow the latest at BreakingNews.com: http://bit.ly/13wKWu1

Photo: Firefighters battle the Powerhouse wildfire at the Angeles National Forest. (Gene Blevins/Reuters)

2013-06-01 19:33:54 (49 comments, 55 reshares, 255 +1s)

Anti-government protesters clash with police in Turkey

+Reuters : Violence flared in Turkey on Saturday as thousands of protesters clashed with police for a second day in Istanbul and Ankara.

The protests were triggered by government plans to build Ottoman-ear barracks which would house shops and apartments in Istanbul’s Taksim Square, which has historically been a venue for political protest. The protests have since evolved into a wider cry of defiance against Turkish PM Erdogan’s policies.

Police fired teargas and water cannons at protesters, injuring hundreds on Friday.

Read more: http://reut.rs/13u77B2

Follow the latest at BreakingNews.com: http://bit.ly/18GfRtA

Photo: Turkish riot policemen use tear gas to disperse clashes on May 31, 2013, during a protest against the demolition of Taksim Gezi Park, inTaks... more »

2013-06-01 12:04:12 (28 comments, 28 reshares, 144 +1s)

Multiple tornadoes in Oklahoma leave 5 dead

+NBC News : Multiple tornadoes in the Oklahoma City area killed at least 5 people and left around 98 others injured on Friday night.

A mother and her baby are among the dead. The latest outbreak of tornadoes in the area last night hit just 11 days after a tornado slammed the suburb of Moore, Okla., leaving 24 dead.

Read more: http://nbcnews.to/18FK5dJ

Follow the latest at BreakingNews.com: http://bit.ly/18FLZLa

Photo: Debris hangs from a billboard, which was damaged along I-40, as traffic passes slowly just east of El Reno, Okla. (Bill Waugh/Reuters)

2013-06-01 01:18:21 (189 comments, 50 reshares, 267 +1s)

Tornadoes strike Oklahoma City area
+NBC News A tornado emergency was declared for the Oklahoma City area as multiple twisters touched down Friday night, one of them a mile-wide monster that injured multiple people, destroyed a Weather Channel vehicle and made a beeline for Oklahoma's largest city.

 At one point, the tornado passed just north of Moore, where another storm killed 24 people last week.

"This is a particularly dangerous situation," the National Weather Service warned.

Extensive damage was reported around El Reno and Yukon, NBC station KFOR of Oklahoma City reported, which said about 22,000 customers were without power.

Photo: KFOR-TV

*More from NBC News on the story here: http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/05/31/18648500-tornado-emergency-declared-with-extensive-damage-reported-in-oklahoma-city-suburbs?lite*

2013-05-31 03:48:10 (51 comments, 36 reshares, 292 +1s)

13-year-old becomes first boy to win spelling bee since 2008

Arvind Mahankali, a 13-year-old from Bayside Hills, New York, was crowned champion of the 86th Scripps National Spelling Bee after correctly spelling the word “knaidel.”

Mahankali is the first boy to win the spelling bee since 2008; he placed third each of the past two years. In addition to his trophy, Mahankali took home $30,000 in cash.

For the first time this year, contestants had to complete a two-stage vocabulary quiz to compete. The quiz was meant to show a commitment to deepen the competitor’s knowledge of the English language.

Read more from: +NBC News http://nbcnews.to/12SGuoM

Photo: Arvind Mahankali holds the championship trophy after he won the National Spelling Bee by spelling the word "knaidel" correctly on Thursday, May 30, 2013 (Evan Vucci /AP)... more »

2013-05-29 17:05:33 (162 comments, 23 reshares, 178 +1s)

Same-sex marriages begin in France after legalization

+BBC News : A gay couple became the first same-sex couple to wed in France after the legalization of same-sex marriage in the country 10 days ago. France became the 14th country to allow same-sex marriages.

On Sunday hundreds of thousands of gay marriage opponents crowded the streets of Paris in a rally that ended with clashes and police arrests. A few small protests occurred outside the ceremony between Vincent Aubin and Bruno Boileau, but there were no disruptions to the ceremony.

2013-05-30 10:29:18 (36 comments, 38 reshares, 143 +1s)

Train derailment in Baltimore causes large explosion

CBS Baltimore: A cargo train has derailed outside of Baltimore causing a large explosion. 

The explosion caused a large tower of smoke visible from miles away. Officials are currently responding to the scene where witnesses saw at least three cars off the tracks. 

Read more:  http://cbsloc.al/18x2rgT

Follow the latest at BreakingNews.com: http://bit.ly/1311co5

Photo submitted to CBS Baltimore via Twitter by Brianna Bailey in Rosedale, Maryland.

2013-05-27 22:42:21 (14 comments, 9 reshares, 62 +1s)

European Union lifts arms embargo on Syrian rebels

+The Associated Press British Foreign Secretary William Hague said Monday the European Union has decided to lift the arms embargo on the Syrian opposition while maintaining all other sanctions against Bashar Assad’s regime after June 1.

Hague said after the meeting that the decision “sends a very strong message from Europe to the Assad regime.”

The all-day meeting laid bare EU hesitation on feeding arms in a foreign conflict only months after it won the Nobel Peace Prize

A package of sanctions against the government of Bashar al-Assad was due to expire on 1 June.

More from the AP here.

2013-05-26 19:29:55 (99 comments, 25 reshares, 242 +1s)

President Obama tours devastating Oklahoma tornado damage

+NBC News : President Obama toured scenes of devastating tornado damage in the Moore, Okla., area on Sunday, nearly a week after a tornado slammed the community killing 24 and injuring 377.

“Obviously a picture is worth a thousand words; we see what the people of Moore have been dealing with,” Obama said during brief remarks after his tour. 

The Moore tornado caused an estimated $2 billion to $5 billion in insured losses.

Read more: http://nbcnews.to/Z8M5YQ

Photo: President Obama is greeted as he tours a tornado-stricken area of Moore, Okla., on Sunday. (Mandel Ngan/AFP - Getty Images)

2013-05-26 04:07:56 (89 comments, 103 reshares, 442 +1s)

Protesters across globe rally against Monsanto

Protesters rallied in dozens of cities Saturday as part of a global protest against seed giant Monsanto and the genetically modified food it produces, organizers said.

Organizers said “March Against Monsanto” protests were held in 52 countries and 436 cities, including Los Angeles where demonstrators waved signs that read “Real Food 4 Real People” and “Label GMOs, It’s Our Right to Know.”

Genetically modified plants are grown from seeds that are engineered to resist insecticides and herbicides, add nutritional benefits or otherwise improve crop yields and increase the global food supply.

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/protesters-across-globe-rally-against-monsanto-003321365.html

2013-05-25 19:28:45 (64 comments, 50 reshares, 222 +1s)

1976 Apple computer sells for $668,000

+The Associated Press : A German auction house said Saturday that a 1976 Apple 1 computer sold for a record $668,000.

The functional model, purchased by an anonymous buyer, was built by Apple founders Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak in a family garage. It is one of only six functioning models left in the world, the auction house claims.

Read more: http://nbcnews.to/13TMexK

Photo: Courtesy Computer History Museum

2013-05-25 01:47:51 (129 comments, 25 reshares, 126 +1s)

Judge: Arizona Sheriff Arpaio violated rights of Hispanic drivers in illegal immigrant crackdown

+BloombergNews: Joe Arpaio, the controversial sheriff of Maricopa County, Arizona, violated the constitutional rights of Latinos who were stopped and detained as part of a crackdown on illegal immigrants, a federal judge said.

U.S. District Judge G. Murray Snow issued a decision Friday after a trial without a jury that ended Aug. 2.

“The evidence introduced at trial establishes that, in the past, the MCSO has aggressively protected its right to engage in immigration and immigration–related enforcement operations even when it had no accurate legal basis for doing so,” Snow said in his ruling.
“Such policies have apparently resulted in the violation of this court’s own preliminary injunction.”

More from BloombergNews here.

2013-05-24 04:02:16 (124 comments, 67 reshares, 252 +1s)

Freeway bridge collapses in Washington river

A major freeway bridge in Skagit County, Washington, collapsed Thursday night, dumping people and cars into water. 

The portion four-lane Interstate-5 bridge that passes over Skagit River fell about 40 feet into the water at around 7 p.m. local time. The Skagit Valley Sheriff Department initially reported three people were rescued from water. 

The bridge is a steel-truss bridge with a sufficiency rating of 57.4 out of 100, according to federal records.

Read more from +The Associated Press: http://bit.ly/12RmkNi

Photo: North end of the I-5 bridge over Skagit River collapsed Thursday night. (Gina Cole / Skagit Valley Herald)

2013-05-23 22:54:51 (197 comments, 27 reshares, 152 +1s)

Boy Scouts lift ban on gay members

The Boy Scouts of America National Council removed the organization’s ban on gay kids and teens on Thursday with a 60 percent vote.

The organization will continue its ban on gay adult troop leaders.

The controversial vote came during a large debate with both sides threatening to remove their sponsorship and their sons from the scouts.

The organization, which is 70 percent sponsored by religious groups, initially reaffirmed their ban last summer after a two-year examination by a committee. Since then, local chapters and the BSA President Wayne Perry, have pressured for reconsideration.

Read more from +NBC News: http://nbcnews.to/12zovDD

Photo: Supporters of the resolution to remove the ban on gay Boy Scouts display signs promoting equality within the organization. (Win McNarnee / Getty Image)

2013-05-23 17:50:46 (31 comments, 37 reshares, 132 +1s)

NOAA predicts active 2013 Atlantic hurricane season

NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center is forecasting an active or extremely active 2013 Atlantic hurricane season.

The U.S. climate agency says seven to 11 storms could become hurricanes, including three to six “major” hurricanes with winds of 111 mph or higher.

These ranges are above the seasonal average of six hurricanes and three major hurricanes.

Read more: http://www.noaanews.noaa.gov/stories2013/20130523_hurricaneoutlook_atlantic.html

Photo: Hurricane Sandy as seen from NOAA’s GOES-13 satellite on October 28, 2012. (NOAA / NASA)

2013-05-23 01:11:22 (29 comments, 15 reshares, 111 +1s)

Oklahoma tornado victims' names released

Ten children were among the 24 Oklahoma tornado victims whose names were released earlier today. 

The EF-5 tornado that struck Moore, Okla., on Monday hit two schools and destroyed thousands of homes. Seven of the children were found dead after being buried in the rubble of a local elementary school.

Authorities estimate the tornado caused approximately $2 billion in damage. 

Read more from KJRH: http://bit.ly/10RshtM

Photo: Destroyed vehicles lie in the rubble outside the Plaza Towers Elementary school in Moore, Okla., on May 21, after the school was destroyed by a massive tornado on May 20. (Richard Rowe / Reuters)

2013-05-22 22:05:20 (35 comments, 26 reshares, 78 +1s)

Chicago closes 49 schools, largest closing in US history

+ChicagoTribune: After hearing from aldermen, angry parents and community members in a meeting interrupted several times by protesters, the Chicago Board of Education approved a plan to close 49 elementary schools and one high school program.

The board voted 4-2 to close Von Humboldt Elementary, then unanimously approved the rest of the closings in a single vote.

Before that, the board voted 6-0 to approve a last-minute recommendation by the district to spare four elementary schools.

After more than two hours of public comments, Chicago Public Schools CEO Barbara Byrd-Bennett and board members defended the plan to close the highest number of schools the city has ever shut down in a single year.

The district says it needs to close schools to address a looming $1 billion deficit and... more »

2013-05-21 17:50:50 (35 comments, 26 reshares, 161 +1s)

Oklahoma tornado kills 24; officials say toll could rise

+NBC News : A day after a tornado devastated Moore, Okla., outside of Oklahoma City on Monday, officials began to get a better sense of the damage from the storm.

Officials revised the death toll reported yesterday as 51 down to 24, with the Oklahoma medical examiner’s office saying some bodies may have been counted twice. At least 237 people were injured, according to Oklahoma’s Governor Mary Fallin.

President Obama in a statement to the American people called the storm “one of the most destructive tornadoes in history.”

Read more: http://nbcnews.to/10MxEKA

Follow the latest coverage at BreakingNews.com: http://bit.ly/162LRI3

Photo: A man and two children walk through debris after a huge tornado struck Moore, Okla., near Oklahoma City, on Monday.(Richard... more »

2013-05-21 16:09:32 (105 comments, 17 reshares, 37 +1s)

Opponent of same-sex marriage commits suicide in Notre Dame

+BBC News A man has shot himself dead inside the cathedral of Notre Dame de Paris in the French capital, police say.

An initial investigation found that the man had killed himself in front of the main altar shortly after 16:00 local time (14:00 GMT).

Local media reports said he was a 78-year-old writer and essayist. It identified him as Dominique Venner, a former member of the Secret Army Organisation (OAS), which opposed Algerian independence in the early 1960s.

Europe 1 also said he had been close to the campaign against the government's recent decision to legalise same-sex marriage. President Francois Hollande signed the bill into law on Saturday.
More from the BBC here.

2013-05-21 01:30:08 (107 comments, 100 reshares, 364 +1s)

UPDATE: At least 51 killed as tornado tears through Oklahoma

At least 51 people have died after a monster tornado roared through Oklahoma City suburbs Monday, destroying homes, tearing the walls off an elementary school and leaving behind mangled cars and splintered wood.

“The whole city looks like a debris field,” says Mayor Glenn Lewis of the city of Moore, which appears to have been the hardest hit.

Read more from +NBC News: http://nbcnews.to/10R6A9O

Continue following updates on BreakingNews.com: http://bit.ly/162LRI3

Photo: A woman carries her child through a field near the collapsed Plaza Towers Elementary School in Moore, Okla. on Monday. (Sue Ogrocki / AP)

2013-05-20 21:07:02 (105 comments, 65 reshares, 200 +1s)

Tornado causes destruction in Oklahoma City area

A mile-wide tornado chewing through the Oklahoma City area has reduced neighborhoods to rubble and left cars and trucks crumpled on the sides of highways.

Read more from +The Associated Press: http://bit.ly/13CD08Y

Follow more updates on this story at BreakingNews.com: http://bit.ly/162LRI3

Photo: A massive twister is spotted near Oklahoma City on Monday afternoon. (NBC News)

2013-05-22 22:59:25 (26 comments, 58 reshares, 211 +1s)

Yahoo! buys Tumblr

+The New York Times The board of Yahoo, the faded Web pioneer, agreed on Sunday to buy the popular blogging service Tumblr for about $1.1 billion in cash, the companies announced Monday, a signal of how the company plans to reposition itself as the technology industry makes a headlong rush into social media.

Read more: http://nyti.ms/10PGGDq

Image: yahoo.tumblr.com

2013-05-20 01:39:39 (38 comments, 22 reshares, 105 +1s)

Tornadoes tear through U.S. Plains

Several Oklahoma neighborhoods were damaged as tornadoes tore through the U.S. Plains on Sunday. The extreme weather system hit Kansas and Oklahoma. 

Officials said multiple homes in Oklahoma County were heavily damaged and several cars and semi-trucks were overturned in the storm. Injuries were reported after one tornado tore through a mobile-home park in Shawnee, Oklahoma.

In Wichita, Kansas, a tornado that hit near a local airport knocked out power to 7,500 people. 

The system is expected to move into North Texas, Arkansas, and Missouri on Monday

Read more from +NBC News: http://nbcnews.to/13EOw7j

2013-05-19 15:50:44 (10 comments, 27 reshares, 171 +1s)

100 hours of video uploaded every minute by YouTube users

+The Verge : Google revealed Sunday on YouTube’s eighth birthday that the video sharing website has reached new uploading heights with around 100 hours of video uploaded every minute by users.

A year ago today, 72 hours of video were uploaded every minute. The site also has reached record-breaking viewership with more than one billion people visiting the site every month.

Read more:  http://bit.ly/19QmoOp

Photo: Visitors stand in front of a logo of YouTube at the YouTube Space Tokyo, operated by Google, in Tokyo, in February 2013. (Shohei Miyano/Reuters)