At a time of growing income disparity and poverty levels headed toward 50 million Americans, advocates say it’s time to raise the federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour. Opponents say it would be a ‘job killer,’ but polls show most Americans favor a hike.
Paul Anthony Ciancia, the alleged shooter at Los Angeles International Airport, wrote that he had decided to kill TSA employees. One of those was Gerardo Hernandez, described as a man who loved his work and loved his family.
Dozens of Republican lawmakers have demanded that Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius resign over Obamacare glitches. She’ll appear before a congressional panel this week, where she’s likely to stand her ground.
Following a state Supreme Court ruling, Newark Mayor Cory Booker and other officials will begin officiating at same-sex weddings Monday. The court rejected Governor Chris Christie’s request for a delay.
Four days before a possible US government default on its debt, lawmakers failed to reach agreement. That, says a European central banker, could be ‘very negative for the US economy and the world economy and could certainly harm the recovery.’
US officials are hopeful that Secretary of State John Kerry, who has a cordial relationship with President Karzai, can get stalled talks going again about US military involvement in Afghanistan.
Making the rounds of TV news shows Sunday, Treasury Secretary Jack Lew said failure to raise the US debt limit means ‘credit markets could freeze, the value of the dollar could plummet, US interest rates could skyrocket.’
Both sides appeared unmoved after the White House attempt to end the government shutdown. Republicans insist federal funding be tied to changes in Obamacare. Democrats say they won’t budge.
So far, no convincing evidence has been made public proving that Bashar al-Assad used chemical weapons to kill hundreds of Syrian people. That has left the door open to alternate scenarios and conspiracy theories.
The Rim Fire in and around Yosemite National Park continues to smolder and flare up as firefighters work to increase containment beyond 80 percent. Officials say that could take another two weeks.
The 200-square-mile Rim Fire that’s edged into Yosemite National Park prompted California Gov. Jerry Brown to declare a state of emergency for San Francisco, which relies on water from the Hetch Hetchy Reservoir inside the park.
Accused by more than a dozen women of inappropriate conduct, San Diego Mayor Bob Filner has been told by nearly every fellow Democrat to resign. He also faces a recall effort.
The George Zimmerman murder case in Florida focused attention on the state’s controversial ‘stand-your-ground’ law. Critics want to repeal such laws, but that seems unlikely. At least 22 states have ‘stand-your-ground’ laws.
George Zimmerman has been found not guilty in the shooting death of teenager Trayvon Martin. But the US Justice Department may pursue the case under civil rights law, and Trayvon’s parents are considering whether or not to file wrongful death civil charges against Zimmerman.
The crew of the Asiana Airlines aircraft that crashed Saturday at San Francisco airport tried to increase its speed and abort its landing just seconds before it hit the seawall in front of the runway, according to flight recorders recovered by the National Transportation Safety Board.
As more becomes known about the devastating Arizona wildfire that killed 19 members of a hotshot team, broader questions are being raised, including roles of residential development and climate change.
NSA leaker Edward Snowden hasn’t been able to leave the Moscow airport. But his revelations continue to emerge, including a report from Germany that the NSA spied on the European Union and the United Nations.
A grand jury has indicted Dzhokhar Tsarnaev in the Boston Marathon bombing. He faces 30 charges, including murder and using weapons of mass destruction in an attack that killed three spectators and injured hundreds more.
Iran’s new president Hassan Rohani is considered a reform-minded moderate. But ruling clerics and the Revolutionary Guard remain in control of Iran’s nuclear program and foreign affairs – including its close relationship with the regime of Bashar al-Assad in Syria.
The Guardian newspaper Sunday revealed the principal source for its reports on NSA telephone and Internet intelligence gathering. Edward Snowden is a hero to some, while others see him as a highly damaging leaker of important secrets that could harm US national security.
By Brad Knickerbocker
June 10, 2013