"I just don't like seeing those signs and I kind of wanted to put a stop to that." That's 9-year-old Josef Miles' simple explanation for why he held up a notepad that said "GOD HATES NO ONE" as supporters of the tiny Westboro Baptist Church staged another small demonstration featuring their signs that say God hates homosexuals. His Mother's Day Weekend action in Topeka, Kan., which we we reported about last week, won Josef fans across the Web after photos of him started to spread. Today, he and his mom spoke with Tell Me More host Michel Martin. Josef's mother, Patty Akrouche, told Michel that she and her son have often seen the Westboro Baptist protesters in Topeka, where the church is based. As we've ... Continue reading →
A vial that reportedly contains blood drawn from President Reagan on the day he was shot in 1981 will not be auctioned off to the highest bidder after all. The online bidding, which as we reported Tuesday had drawn sharp condemnation from officials at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation, has been halted. According to PFC Auctions, the British firm that was handling the sale, the person who put the vial on consignment is instead donating it to the Reagan foundation. Enlarge AP Photo/PFCAuctions The vial that its owner claims contains some of President Reagan's blood, along with some of the paperwork. AP Photo/PFCAuctions The vial that its owner claims contains some of President Reagan's blood, along with some of the paperwork. The auction house also ... Continue reading →
Astronauts on board the international space station got a chance earlier today to see the private unmanned Dragon spaceship that was launched on Tuesday by SpaceX, of Hawthorne, Calif. NASA astronaut Don Pettit, who is living on the station, was talking to Houston's Mission Control when he suddenly reported that he had spotted Dragon. "I'm looking at Dragon right now," he said. "We copy. Tally-ho on Dragon! That's great," replied Mission Control. Images taken by the station's cameras showed the capsule looking like a small dot as it flew along a path that took it about 1.5 miles under the outpost. NASA put video of the flyby online. The close flyby gave controllers a chance to check out critical systems on Dragon, to make sure ... Continue reading →
The number of first-time claims for jobless benefits dipped slightly last week, to 370,000 from 372,000 the week before, the Employment and Training Administration reports. The 4-week moving average for claims — which economists say gives a better picture of the trend — was also 370,000, down by 5,500. Reuters writes that the news suggests "the labor market continues to expand at a moderate pace." Meanwhile, the Census Bureau says orders for durable goods (equipment and other things designed to last three or more years), rose 0.2 percent in April from March. Though slight, the increase was a rebound after the 3.7 percent drop in March. But, orders were down 0.6 percent in April if you exclude the transportation sector. And orders for "non-military goods ... Continue reading →
State Department specialists have replaced anti-American ads put on Yemeni websites by al-Qaida with postings that detail the "deadly impact of al-Qaida tactics on Yemenis themselves," Associated Press correspondent Kimberly Dozier reports. AP/IntelCenter This 2010 image, provided by IntelCenter, shows Humam Khalil Abu-Mulal al-Balawi in a posthumous video message posted on extremist websites. The al-Qaida double agent killed seven CIA operatives, a Jordanian spy and himself when he set off a bomb strapped to his body at a base in Afghanistan in December 2009. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton talked about the successful hacking of the terrorist network's online efforts during a conference Wednesday in Tampa that was attended by "hundreds of U.S. and international special operations commanders," Dozier adds. Clinton told the group ... Continue reading →
Enlarge AFP/Getty Images Etan Patz, and the "lost child" poster issued after his 1979 disappearance. AFP/Getty Images Etan Patz, and the "lost child" poster issued after his 1979 disappearance. "An individual now in custody has made statements to NYPD detectives implicating himself in the disappearance and death of Etan Patz 33 years ago. We expect to provide further details later today," New York City Police Commissioner Ray Kelly said in a statement released this morning, New York's Daily News reports. But whether this person had any direct involvement in the 6-year-old boy's disappearance is unclear. New York's WABC-TV says "the man, who was picked up by NYPD detectives Wednesday, is not considered a suspect. No charges are expected to be immediately filed." According to NBC ... Continue reading →
You've probably know by now that Google is paying homage to Robert Moog today with a Doodle that's a virtual version of the iconic Moog Synthesizer. Moog died in 2005. Today would have been his 78th birthday. As with last year's Google tribute to Les Paul, you can use the Moog to create, record and share tunes. Folks are already doing that. Check out this video on "how to play Black Sabbath's Iron Man on the Google Doodle Moog." Now, we claim no musical talent. But we bet many of you know your way around a keyboard. So here's a challenge: Use the Moog Doodle to recreate a version of All Things Considered's theme song. Then share your work by giving us a link in ... Continue reading →
Enlarge Manuel Pedraza /AFP/Getty Images In Cartagena, a prostitute stands on a corner in the historical district. Manuel Pedraza /AFP/Getty Images In Cartagena, a prostitute stands on a corner in the historical district. The first congressional hearing into the scandal involving Secret Service personnel who allegedly cavorted with prostitutes in Colombia last month is set for this morning. As the time for that hearing approaches, a key senator is charging that such "morally repugnant" behavior appears to have been tolerated within the elite agency. According to The Associated Press, Republican Sen. Susan Collins of Maine will this morning challenge "early assurances that the scandal in Colombia appeared to be an isolated incident." In a statement prepared for the 10:30 a.m. ET hearing by the Senate ... Continue reading →
Enlarge Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images President Obama during a news conference Monday in Chicago. Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images President Obama during a news conference Monday in Chicago. Though there's no doubt about the nominees, presidential primaries are still being held. And in both Democratic and Republican contests, some voters continue to register their unhappiness with the choices before them. Tuesday, President Obama picked up about 6 in 10 of the votes in both the Arkansas and Kentucky Democratic primaries — meaning that about 4 in 10 of the voters chose to express their discontent with an incumbent who faces no serious challenge for his party's nomination. In Arkansas the other votes went to little-known Tennessee attorney John Wolfe. In Kentucky, they went to "uncommitted." The results were ... Continue reading →
Enlarge Manuel Pedraza /AFP/Getty Images In Cartagena, a prostitute stands on a corner in the historical district. Manuel Pedraza /AFP/Getty Images In Cartagena, a prostitute stands on a corner in the historical district. The first congressional hearing into the scandal involving Secret Service personnel who allegedly cavorted with prostitutes in Colombia last month is set for this morning. As the time for that hearing approaches, a key senator is charging that such "morally repugnant" behavior appears to have been tolerated within the elite agency. According to The Associated Press, Republican Sen. Susan Collins of Maine will this morning challenge "early assurances that the scandal in Colombia appeared to be an isolated incident." In a statement prepared for the 10:30 a.m. ET hearing by the Senate ... Continue reading →
