All USA Update
Don't put your hat away: Polar vortex bringing more cold to USThe weekend warm-up for much of the Northeast and Midwest was just a tease, and now, the polar vortex is taking over once again. However, Southerners may be spared this round of cold weather.
Cybercrime: How quickly should retailers notify customers of a data breach?Attorney General Eric Holder wants Congress to hold retailers to a standard to promptly disclose a significant data breach to consumers and to law enforcement.
California in six easy pieces? A bid to let voters decide.A billionaire venture capitalist is pushing a voter petition to break California into six states. Most observers say Tim Draper's 'Six Californias' proposal will go the way of earlier such efforts.
Shoe bomb advisory: Routine update or sign of a covert new bomb design?The Department of Homeland Security this week warned airlines to be on the lookout for shoe bombs on US-bound flights. Intelligence points to a possibility that new shoe-bomb technology may be out there.
Blizzards, tornadoes, and hail, oh my: Unseasonable warmth gives way to severe storm warningsA massive storm system brings thunderous hail to Kansas, white-out blizzard conditions in the Great Lakes, fierce winds to Texas, and possible flash flooding in the Northeast and mid-Atlantic.
Not just honeybees: Affliction may be spreading to bumblebees, scientists sayThe mysterious ailment that is decimating the world honeybee population seems to be transferring to bumblebees, which also play an important role in pollinating crops.
Why does Homeland Security want a database of license plates?The Department of Homeland Security wants a federal database of license plates, to help it track 'criminal' illegal immigrants. Civil libertarians caution against indiscriminate tracking of people who've done nothing wrong.
'Loud music' trial: Juror No. 4 says deliberations were heatedThe first juror to speak publicly about the Dunn-Davis trial said that she believes that Michael Dunn got away with murder. The slain teen's parents say that Florida's 'stand your ground' law is to blame and that 'God is the ultimate justice.'
Nun sentenced to 35-months in prison for antinuclear peace protestNun sentenced: Along with Sister Megan Rice (an octogenarian nun), a federal judge sentenced two other protesters to more than five years, after the three broke into a high-security, nuclear weapons complex in Oak Ridge, Tenn.
Package bomb in Tennessee claims second victim; reward offered for leadsSeveral federal agencies are investigating a package bomb that exploded at the home of a Tennessee couple. John Setzer, a retired bankruptcy lawyer, was killed Monday at the scene. Marion Setzer, his wife, died Wednesday.
Would Comcast purchase of Time Warner make it too powerful?The potential merger between Comcast and Time Warner Cable, announced Thursday, would create a juggernaut of a cable/Internet provider – but only if it gets past antitrust regulators.
Eric Holder: Barring ex-felons from voting is unfair, counterproductiveUS Attorney General Eric Holder called upon states to restore voting rights to ex-felons, saying not doing so disproportionately bars black Americans from the polls, and denies equal opportunity and equal justice.
The Bounty finding: Captain's bid to sail into superstorm was 'reckless'The National Transportation Safety Board inquiry into the sinking of HMS Bounty pinned blame on the captain, who steered the ailing replica of an 18th-century British sailing ship into superstorm Sandy.
Georgia governor gears up to avoid another stormy fiasco in AtlantaGeorgia Gov. Nathan Deal announces a state of emergency for 45 counties ahead of a winter storm expected to hit the state Monday evening. The measure follows widespread criticism of gridlock during the last storm.
NFL hopeful Michael Sam comes out: Is football ready for an openly gay player?Michael Sam, an All-American defensive lineman at the University of Missouri, announced Sunday that he is gay. There are no openly gay players in the NFL, NBA, NHL, or MLB.
Pussy Riot activists storm New York. What do the two Russians hope to achieve?Pussy Riot ex-members, lately freed after almost two years in Russian prisons, take their defiance of President Putin and Russia's human rights record on the road. Despite their rock-star status in New York, their tour might not accomplish all they hope.
Violin found: Stolen $5m Stradivarius recovered in Milwaukee, apparently unharmedA Stradivarius violin stolen from the concertmaster of the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra in an armed robbery last month was recovered in a Milwaukee attic on Thursday, police said.
Russia says 'nyet' to Chobani yogurt for US athletes. Trade politics?The Russian government is blocking a shipment of 5,000 little cups of Chobani yogurt to the US Olympic team in Sochi, saying that the yogurt lacks the correct paperwork to clear Russian customs.
Storm delivers another bout of snow and icy roads to winter-weary NortheastThe Northeast wrestled Wednesday with another winter storm that closed schools and snarled travel. But by day's end the storm, which previously heaped snow in the nation's mid-section, was moving out.
Why CVS decided to pull cigarettes, other tobacco products from its shelvesCVS is poised to become the first national pharmacy to pull tobacco products from its sales roster. The move could cost the retailer an estimated $2 billion in annual sales.
