Airport Wheelchair Abuse Hurts the Truly Disabled
iStockphoto/Thinkstock(HOUSTON) — Are able-bodied people gaming a system set up for people with limited mobility, and thus taking resources away from those in need? An increasing number of air travelers are requesting wheelchairs at Houston-area airpo…
Cigarette Smuggling Ring Busted, May Have Helped Fund Terrorism
ABC News(NEW YORK) — Authorities in New York say they have broken up a cigarette trafficking ring that may have helped fund terrorism.What authorities dubbed Operation Tobacco Road involved cigarettes bought in the South, where they’re less expensive,…
“Star Trek Into Darkness” Opens Nationwide Thursday
Zade Rosenthal/Paramount Pictures(NEW YORK) — J.J. Abrams’ follow-up to his 2009 Star Trek prequel opens nationwide on Thursday.In Star Trek Into Darkness, the crew of the Enterprise is confronted with a new villain: someone from within their own orga…
Audit Finds ‘Significant Deficiencies’ in Witness Protection Program
iStockphoto/Thinkstock(WASHINGTON) — As far back as the first World Trade Center bombing two decades ago, authorities have hidden cooperative witnesses in terror cases — even those who were terrorists themselves. But a U.S. Justice Department audit f…
“Scandal” Wraps Up Second Season Thursday Night
ABC/CRAIG SJODIN(NEW YORK) — The second-season finale of the ABC drama Scandal airs Thursday at 10 p.m. Eastern time. The series centers around the affair between U.S. President Fitzgerald “Fitz” Grant and Olivia Pope, the crisis manager played …
‘F***’ America,’ Boston Bomb Suspect Wrote in Boat: Officials
FBI(NEW YORK) — As police searched for him, and as he lay bleeding in his boat hideout, Boston Marathon bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev wrote “F*** America” on the side panel of the boat, police in Massachusetts told ABC News. Officers said they als…
Healthy ‘Balanced’ Pizza: Is It Possible?
Jupiterimages/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) — In the constant battle of the bulge, pizza would seem to be off-limits. But one British professor of nutrition is aiming to change that with a pizza designed to provide all essential nutrients.Dr. Mike Lean, profes…
Locks of Love Tangled in $6 Million Dispute
iStockphoto/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) — Locks of Love, a charity that makes wigs for children with alopecia and cancer, has become entangled in a dispute with a self-appointed watchdog that claims the charity is wasting millions of dollars worth of donated…
Jodi Arias’ Lawyers Asked to Be Removed from Death Penalty Case
ABC News(PHOENIX) — Jodi Arias’ attorneys petitioned the judge overseeing her murder trial this week to be let off the case, a motion they’ve made at least once before during the five month trial in Arizona. Arias, 32, was convicted of first degree mu…
Six Americans Killed in Kabul Car Bomb Attack
iStockphoto/Thinkstock(KABUL, Afghanistan) — Six Americans — two soldiers and four civilian contractors — are among at least 14 people killed in a massive car bomb blast in Kabul, Afghanistan, Thursday morning, according to U.S. and Afghan officials…
Cyclone Mahasen Makes Landfall in Bangladesh, Threatens Millions
NASA Goddard MODIS Rapid Response Team (ISLAMABAD) — A powerful cyclone is battering a wide stretch of South Asia and could bring “life-threatening” conditions to millions of people, the United Nations warns.Cyclone Mahasen made landfall Thursday morn…
Insider Attacks Drop in Afghanistan
ROBERTO SCHMIDT/AFP/Getty Images(KABUL, Afghanistan) — Last year at this time, there was an alarming rise of “insider attacks” in Afghanistan as supposed Afghan allies turned their weapons on coalition forces, particularly U.S. troops.By the end of Ma…
Bea Arthur Topless Painting Sells for $1.9 Million
CBS Worldwide Inc.(NEW YORK) — A topless painting of actress Bea Arthur sold for nearly $2 million Wednesday night at a Christie’s auction in New York City.The New York Post reports artist John Currin’s “Bea Arthur Naked” was p…
Google Plus Tackles Photos in Social Network Fight
David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images(SAN FRANCISCO) — Google isn’t done trying to take on the behemoth social networks. That was the message from Google’s Senior Vice President of Engineering Vic Gundorta at the Google I/O conference this week…
Legislation Aims to Strengthen Prosecution of Sexual Assaults in Military
Hemera/Thinkstock(WASHINGTON) — Days after the second sex crime scandal hit the military, a bi-partisan group of lawmakers introduced a bill Thursday that would take prosecution of sexual assaults in the military out of the chain of command, preventin…
Obama: No Special Counsel Necessary for IRS Scandal
Mark Wilson/Getty Images(WASHINGTON) — President Obama on Thursday said that no special counsel is needed to get to the bottom of the scandal involving the Internal Revenue Services’ targeting of conservative groups. “My main concern is fixing a probl…
SCOTUS Watch: Keep an Eye on Srikanth Srinivasan
Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images(WASHINGTON) — Keep your eye on Srikanth “Sri” Srinivasan, the principal deputy solicitor general of the United States. Thursday morning the Senate Judiciary Committee unanimously approved his nomination to the…
Obama Vows to Get Ahead of IRS, AP Controversies
Win McNamee/Getty Images(WASHINGTON) — Playing offense, President Obama on Thursday vowed to take action in response to the three controversies plaguing his administration, calling on Congress to provide additional resources to protect U.S. embassies …
Susan Powell Tip Renews Search for Her Body
Lui Kit Wong-Pool/Getty Images(SALEM, Ore.) — Cadaver dogs and cops searched an Oregon farm for a third day Thursday on a tip that they might find the remains of missing Utah mom Susan Powell. So far the search has failed to turn up any signs of the w…
David Beckham Set to Retire After Season
John Berry/Getty Images(NEW YORK) — One of the most iconic football players of all-time is calling it a career. David Beckham announced Thursday that he is retiring at the end of the season.
Beckham signed a one-year extension with Paris Saint-German,…