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  • No Love for Metals - Silver Gets Slammed May 20, 2013
    First it was gold, and now it's silver. The metal fell victim to heavy selling on Monday. […]
  • Why This Week Could See Start of of Risk-Off May 20, 2013
    The deteriorating economic and political triggers in Europe appear likely to cause a bout of serious risk-off, starting early next week, Mike Gallagher, director of research at IDEAglobal writes. […]
  • Dreamliner Flying Again in US After Lengthy Grounding May 20, 2013
    After 123 days being grounded, Boeing Dreamliners are about to once again make commercial flight in the United States. […]
  • Japan's '3 Arrows' May Run Into German Wall May 20, 2013
    Japan's prime minister will have a tough job in trying to convince the G-8 next month that his "three arrows" stimulus program is not just a subterfuge to boost exports. […]
  • Woah, Time to Slow That Yen Fall? May 20, 2013
    Eight months into the yen's steep decline and Japan's policymakers are starting to voice their concerns. […]
  • FOMC Decision Critical to Oil Prices May 20, 2013
    The Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke's Congress testimony on Wednesday will prove central for crude oil price direction. […]
  • Has Hollywood Sold Out On Tibet? May 20, 2013
    If there's one lingering sore point between Hollywood and China, it's Tibet. The Global Post reports. […]
  • What’s Important in Asia This Week May 19, 2013
    Central banks meeting in Japan, the United States and Australia put them in focus for Asian markets in the week ahead. […]
  • Can Farm Waste Save Biofuels? May 19, 2013
    A budding area of ethanol fuel aims to shift the conversation back to renewable energy. […]
  • Banned Bangladesh Factory Still Operates May 19, 2013
    A Bangladesh factory where Wal-Mart Stores and Inditex inspectors spotted cracks is still making Wrangler shirts. […]
  • 6 Weeks Key to Deciding Detroit's Fate May 19, 2013
    The next six weeks will determine if Detroit can escape a bankruptcy filing. […]
  • Winning Powerball Ticket Sold in Florida May 19, 2013
    One lone ticket in Florida has won the highest Powerball jackpot in history at an estimated $590.5 million. […]
  • Retiring Boomers Sell Their Businesses May 19, 2013
    Baby boomers preparing for retirement are driving a surge in small business sales. […]
  • Yahoo Agrees to Buy Tumblr May 19, 2013
    Yahoo has approved a deal to pay $1.1 billion for the blogging site Tumblr, the New York Times reported. […]
  • ZenoRadio Is a Poor Man's Pandora May 19, 2013
    ZenoRadio takes advantage of a loophole in a telecom law to provide a radio service to mostly immigrant customers. […]
  • Cable Feels Heat as TV Migrates Online May 19, 2013
    TV content is showing up on non-TV screens like never before. What will become of cable? […]
  • Brands Advertise Full-Force at Cannes May 19, 2013
    From gifting suites to black cars that shuttle guests around the Cannes Film Festival, there are chances to build a brand. […]
  • North Korea Fires Short-Range Missiles Again May 19, 2013
    North Korea fired a short-range missile from its east coast on Sunday, a day after launching three of these missiles, a South Korean news agency said. […]
  • Rome Protest Turns Up Heat on New PM Letta May 19, 2013
    Thousands of people protested in Rome on Saturday against austerity policies and high unemployment. […]
  • France Must Take Deficit Cuts Seriously: Bundesbank head May 19, 2013
    France has a special responsibility as a euro zone heavyweight to take deficit cuts seriously, even though its budget deficit is above target, Bundesbank chief Jens Weidmann said. […]

• BBC Front Page

  • Gay marriage plans return to Commons May 20, 2013
    Conservative Party divisions over legalising same-sex marriage in England and Wales are set to be exposed again when the plans return to the Commons later. […]
  • VIDEO: From tyres to shoes in Ethiopia May 20, 2013
    George Alagiah has been to a shoe factory with a difference in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. […]
  • China asks N Korea to free boat crew May 20, 2013
    China says it has called on North Korea to secure the release of a fishing boat and its crew seized on 5 May, as captors reportedly demand a ransom. […]
  • China leader vows better India ties May 20, 2013
    China's Premier Li Keqiang pledges to build trust with India where he is meeting his counterpart Manmohan Singh, after a recent flare-up in border tensions. […]
  • Business leaders attack Eurosceptics May 20, 2013
    A number of prominent business leaders accuse those calling for Britain to leave the European Union of "putting politics before economics". […]
  • Fierce battle for key Syrian town May 20, 2013
    Fighting rages in Syria's town of Qusair after government troops launched a major operation to seize the strategic rebel stronghold. […]
  • Deadly tornadoes ravage Oklahoma May 20, 2013
    At least one person is reported dead and several others injured in a series of tornadoes that have torn through the US state of Oklahoma. […]
  • VIDEO: One-minute World News May 20, 2013
    Watch the latest news summary from BBC World News. International news updated 24 hours a day. […]
  • Briton facing child death charges May 20, 2013
    A 48-year-old British man living in France is expected to be formally charged later with killing his two children, aged five and 10. […]
  • Ark Royal sets sail on final journey May 20, 2013
    The Royal Navy's former flagship, the Ark Royal, leaves her home port of Portsmouth for the final time later, bound for a scrap yard in Turkey. […]
  • Peru's Fujimori health 'worsens' May 20, 2013
    A senior doctor treating Alberto Fujimori says the jailed former president of Peru has severe and worsening health problems. […]
  • VIDEO: Ai Weiwei makes art from milk tins May 20, 2013
    Artist Ai Weiwei has created a map of China made entirely out of tins of formula milk, to highlight tensions over tainted baby food. […]
  • Pupils 'need early porn warnings' May 20, 2013
    Young children should hear about the dangers of pornography as soon as they have access to the internet, head teachers say. […]
  • Morsi rules out Sinai hostage talks May 20, 2013
    Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi rules out negotiating with the abductors of seven security personnel seized last week in the Sinai peninsula. […]
  • Man killed as blast destroys house May 20, 2013
    The body of a man is recovered from the remains of a house in Nottinghamshire after it was destroyed in an explosion that injured four others. […]
  • Sunshine vitamin 'may treat asthma' May 20, 2013
    The amount of time asthma patients spend soaking up the sun may have an impact on their health, researchers have suggested. […]
  • Keeping alive Gaza's culinary traditions May 20, 2013
    Preserving the spice of life when ingredients and power are scarce […]
  • Yahoo 'to buy Tumblr for $1.1bn' May 20, 2013
    Yahoo's board approves a deal to buy New York-based blogging service Tumblr for $1.1bn (£725m), US media reports say. […]
  • Do white South Africans have a future? May 19, 2013
    What is the future for white people in South Africa? […]
  • How to hack a nation's infrastructure May 19, 2013
    Looking through CCTV feeds that should not be public […]

• Human Events News Feed

  • Remington UMC 9mm: Good enough for self defense?
    Can cheap ammo still have the power to knock down an attacker?The post Remington UMC 9mm: Good enough for self defense? appeared first on Human Events. […]
    Richard L. Johnson
  • Medal of Honor Roll Call: James P. O’Connor
    Read how the hero of the Red Beach landing in southern France, thrice wounded, continued to lead his platoon clearing out German snipers.The post Medal of Honor Roll Call: James P. O’Connor appeared first on Human Events. […]
    Robert J. Laplander
  • America’s “voluntary” tax system
    Language is twisted for political ends, with grimly amusing results.The post America’s “voluntary” tax system appeared first on Human Events. […]
    John Hayward
  • Rep. Mike Kelly goes nuclear on the IRS
    The monster under the bed learns to be afraid.The post Rep. Mike Kelly goes nuclear on the IRS appeared first on Human Events. […]
    John Hayward
  • The IRS’s assault on common sense (Update: Treasury Department knew in 2012)
    The acting head of the agency thinks Americans are stupid.The post The IRS’s assault on common sense (Update: Treasury Department knew in 2012) appeared first on Human Events. […]
    David Harsanyi
  • The Obama media blackout
    The Administration claims it learns about itself by watching the news, but it's not watching the right network.The post The Obama media blackout appeared first on Human Events. […]
    John Hayward
  • Official in charge of corrupt IRS department promoted – to top ObamaCare enforcer
    The farce of Obama Administration "accountability" grows more absurd by the day.The post Official in charge of corrupt IRS department promoted – to top ObamaCare enforcer appeared first on Human Events. […]
    John Hayward
  • President Obama’s Emptiest Benghazi Talking Point
    Justice delayed is justice denied.The post President Obama’s Emptiest Benghazi Talking Point appeared first on Human Events. […]
    Michelle Malkin
  • What Should Americans Die For?
    The U.S.A. cannot be the "indispensable nation"The post What Should Americans Die For? appeared first on Human Events. […]
    Patrick J. Buchanan
  • Barack Obama Not Outraged; He Adores the IRS
    Are we just seeing the tip of the iceberg?The post Barack Obama Not Outraged; He Adores the IRS appeared first on Human Events. […]
    David Limbaugh

A blog post about other blogs…

By Brice Buckley (Editor-at-Large, Clarion Advisory) 4-11-13

Yes…yes…we are still here.  The two key aggregators of unvarnished economic and geo-political information we direct you to until we have something worthwhile to, ahem, say are 1) Zero Hedge and 2) Jim Sinclair’s Mineset. 

What’s that? You want us to link the above sites?  OK, OK here they are… Zero Hedge and Jim Sinclair’s Mineset.

You can of course find these two gems on the right side bar of our blog…for the 3 folks reading our blog in Poland and West Texas you will appreciate this… hey, we are givers.

[editor's note - is "Side bar" spelled as one or two separate words when used in connection with a blog versus a court of law?]   Perhaps our friends over at the Volokh Conspiracy could give us an answer… after they are done, of course, discussing the very interesting and compelling Brillo Pad case .  

We are enjoying our extended blog sabbatical and will start clicking the key board in the near future.

Now get to reading.

on WFB, Jr.’s guiding principles – with note to Rich Lowry

By Brice Buckley (Editor at Large, Clarion Advisory) 2-18-13

I have obtained permission from the original author to post the following, which is a healthy snippet, from an article originally published by Clarion several years ago.  An article our friends over at The Heritage Foundation kindly referenced.  Here at Clarion, we are working on a series of editorial ideas and projects and will publish them….when we feel like it. I had to throw that in.  (parenthetically, I get that we shouldn’t end sentences in prepositions, but hey, we also shouldn’t be embracing socialism) 

In the meantime, I encourage you to review the following guiding principles as penned by William F. Buckley, Jr. some 57 years ago. Principles that are timeless.

I would also ask Rich Lowry over at National Review to 1) thoroughly review these principles or credenda (as WFB called them) and 2) re-publish the subject Credenda in NRO with a healthy dose of commentary. 

###############################  

“……Mr. Buckley established specific operating principles for his flag-ship magazine, National Review, in 1955.  National Review is a publication still going strong while staying true to its original operating principles.  National Review has become one of the most highly read and respected political publications - becoming a top publication in New Media through National Review On-line under the direction of Mr. Buckley’s hand-picked Editor- in-Chief, Rich Lowry.

Immediately below are the seven original ‘Credenda’ [principles] as penned back in 1955 by William F. Buckley Jr.  Decide for yourself if Mr. Buckley, in addition to all of  his other attributes, may have also been well ahead of his time:

The Magazine’s Credenda

Among our convictions:

1. It is the job of centralized government (in peacetime) to protect its citizens’ lives, liberty and property. All other activities of government tend to diminish freedom and hamper progress. The growth of government(the dominant social feature of this century) must be fought relentlessly. In this great social conflict of the era, we are, without reservations, on the libertarian side.                            
2. The profound crisis of our era is, in essence, the conflict between the Social Engineers, who seek to adjust mankind to conform with scientific utopias, and the disciples of Truth, who defend the organic moral order. We believe that truth is neither arrived at nor illuminated by monitoring election results, binding though these are for other purposes, but by other means, including a study of human experience. On this point we are, without reservations, on the conservative side.                            
3. The century’s most blatant force of satanic utopianism is communism. We consider “coexistence” with communism neither desirable nor possible, nor honorable; we find ourselves irrevocably at war with communism and shall oppose any substitute for victory.                            
4. The largest cultural menace in America is the conformity of the intellectual cliques which, in education as well as the arts, are out to impose upon the nation their modish fads and fallacies, and have nearly succeeded in doing so. In this cultural issue, we are, without reservations, on the side of excellence (rather than “newness”) and of honest intellectual combat (rather than conformity).                            
5. The most alarming single danger to the American political system lies in the fact that an identifiable team of Fabian operators is bent on controlling both our major political parties(under the sanction of such fatuous and unreasoned slogans as “national unity,” “middle-of-the-road,” “progressivism,” and “bipartisanship.”) Clever intriguers are reshaping both parties in the image of Babbitt, gone Social-Democrat. When and where this political issue arises, we are, without reservations, on the side of the traditional two-party system that fights its feuds in public and honestly; and we shall advocate the restoration of the two-party system at all costs.                            
6. The competitive price system is indispensable to liberty and material progress. It is threatened not only by the growth of Big Brother government, but by the pressure of monopolies(including union monopolies. What is more, some labor unions have clearly identified themselves with doctrinaire socialist objectives. The characteristic problems of harassed business have gone unreported for years, with the result that the public has been taught to assume(almost instinctively) that conflicts between labor and management are generally traceable to greed and intransigence on the part of management. Sometimes they are; often they are not. NATIONAL REVIEW will explore and oppose the inroads upon the market economy caused by monopolies in general, and politically oriented unionism in particular; and it will tell the violated businessman’s side of the story.                            
7. No superstition has more effectively bewitched America’s Liberal elite than the fashionable concepts of world government, the United Nations, internationalism, international atomic pools, etc. Perhaps the most important and readily demonstrable lesson of history is that freedom goes hand in hand with a state of political decentralization, that remote government is irresponsible government. It would make greater sense to grant independence to each of our 50 states than to surrender U.S. sovereignty to a world organization.

Given today’s political climate of liberal notions, it is worth pointing out that, progressivism’s objective is to continually reinvent itself into the contemporary.  This is what is at the core of liberalism; a core of variant interchangeable elements left only to the confines of one’s imagination. 

Imagination fuels lively thought but it should never become the substitute of principle nor the foundation of its conviction.  

William F. Buckley Jr. keenly understood this and set-forth building a conservative establishment based upon intellectual integrity.”   

on Rush and Bert Blyleven…

By Brice Buckley (Editor, at Large, Clarion Advisory) 2-12-13

Was at a party on Saturday…had an interesting conversation with a former Kansas City Royals employee.  As some of you may know, Rush Limbaugh worked for the Royals back in the 80′s before breaking into the Sacramento AM market.  While I am not at liberty to tell you the stories, I can tell you that Rush was a gentleman back then and remains one now.

Now if you want a good Bert Blyleven story…that’s different.

on the new utopia

By Brice Buckley (Editor-at-Large, Clarion Advisory) 1-29-13

Well, well, well.  Seems somebody here took a break from blogging.  While blogging can be fun, it can also be a bore at certain intervals like the current one we’re presently in.  Good grief, I can’t even make it past the second sentence here without incurring the grammatical infraction of using the words, “current” and “presently” inside the same lame clause.  Wow, a bit rusty am I, eh?  So if you can move past the grammatical redundancy (thank you in advance) let’s focus on the so called, “interval” mentioned above.  I would say this so called,  interval is simply an ironic expose of America at the dawn of its new social paradigm.  A paradigm where man is constructing an intellectual tower of babel where natural law and its sacrosanctity is being shaped as the problem.  

Yup, America is in a full state of  progressivism with a new found esprit de corps taking shape where the so called, esprit, as it were, is a viral thing gone all progressive on us.  Progressivism is the new smooth lingo of those whose brains excite with filial love of all things socialism…. and the corps part to go along with the esprit, well, the corps is the manifold of the new socialism called progressive.

I suspect there will be no need for history books in our new social paradigm as history to the political elite just gets in the way of the new utopia.   

 

Get to reading…

By Brice Buckley (Editor-at-Large, Clarion Advisory) 1-9-13

Yes…we are still here.  It’s not like we have over 100 RSS feeds constantly updating news stories on the left and right side-bars of the blog… wait…we actually do.  So get reading.  And we’ll be back before you can say… Democratic Party Induced economic collapse.  

 

joint plan…

Frank Pastore ~ R.I.P.

By Brice Buckley (Editor-at-Large, Clarion Advisory) 12-22-12

Dear Frank,

You were an inspiration to me and brought many of us closer in faith over the years when you took over from Duffy on 99.5.

Christmas time in Heaven Frank – Oh Happy Day my friend. God Bless you ~

gimme…more

get in line…

plan b…

Boris on Vodka and… B.S.

By Boris Bartok (Visiting Russian Scholar, Clarion Advisory) 12-21-12

Your Kirkland Vodka is far cry — Russian Standard with pravda cigarette.  As you know, I am guest in country working on thesis and tan.  Other day, friend in Hollywood gave me big heavy book, you call coffee table.

This good recycle gift, yes?   Update…this good flop, yes?

Have nice day.

 

direction…

naturally…

• Right Channels

  • Alistair Begg
  • AM 1340 KWXY (….Because Brice Buckley said link it…so we did)
  • American Spectator
  • American Thinker
  • BigGovernment.com
  • Breaking News @ Breaking News Global (Twitter Feed)
  • BuzzFeed
  • Cato Institute
  • Clarion Fund
  • CNSNews.com
  • DealBook
  • Doug Ross @ Journal
  • Drudge Report
  • Gateway Pundit
  • Heritage Foundation
  • Hot Air
  • Hudson Institute
  • Hugh Hewitt
  • Instapundit
  • Jim Rickards on Twitter @JamesGRickards
  • Jim Sinclair's Mineset
  • Kitco
  • La Shawn Barber’s Corner
  • Le-gal In-sur-rec-tion
  • Left Coast Rebel
  • London Financial Times
  • Michelle Malkin
  • MRCTV.org
  • National Review Online
  • NewsMax
  • Pajamas Media
  • Patterico
  • Publius Forum
  • Pundit & Pundette
  • Real Clear Politics
  • RedState.com
  • Rove.com
  • SCOTUS Blog
  • Sid Hartman – StarTribune
  • The Anchoress
  • The Blaze
  • The Sundries Shack
  • The Volokh conspiracy
  • Townhall
  • Trunews
  • twitchy…who said what
  • U.S. Constitution
  • Washington Times
  • Weekly Standard
  • Zero Hedge

• Headline News Stories

  • Powerful tornadoes strike in four central U.S. states
    (Reuters) - A massive storm front swept north through the central United States on Sunday, hammering the region with fist-sized hail, blinding rain and tornadoes, including a half-mile wide twister that struck near Oklahoma City. News reports said at least one person had died. […]
  • Insight: The road to a greener America is littered with road-kill
    LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - In October 2004, then California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger rolled up to a pioneering fueling station at Los Angeles International Airport in a hydrogen-powered metallic blue Hummer loaned to him by General Motors Corp. […]
  • Insight: The fight for North Dakota's fracking-water market
    WATFORD CITY, North Dakota (Reuters) - In towns across North Dakota, the wellhead of the North American energy boom, the locals have taken to quoting the adage: "Whiskey is for drinking, and water is for fighting." […]
  • Analysis: At margins of shale oil boom, a tempered euphoria
    HOUSTON/NEW YORK (Reuters) - For the past three years, the boom in the U.S. shale oil industry has outstripped all expectations. Production surged far faster than any forecasts; drillers raced to secure space in new pipelines to get their crude to market. […]
  • Officials warn of commuter chaos from Connecticut derailment
    BRIDGEPORT, Connecticut (Reuters) - Thousands of Connecticut commuters should brace for travel chaos on Monday as Metro-North workers repair damage on the United States' busiest rail line caused by the collision of two trains, officials warned on Sunday. […]
  • For Detroit in crisis, next six weeks determine bankruptcy fate
    DETROIT (Reuters) - Bond restructurings, negotiated settlements with bondholders and bond insurers, and tough talk with unionized workers are on the agenda as Detroit's emergency financial manager tries to meet a self-imposed, six-week deadline to decide whether the city can get through its financial crisis without a bankruptcy filing. […]
  • Officials warn of commuter chaos from Connecticut derailment
    BRIDGEPORT, Connecticut (Reuters) - Thousands of Connecticut commuters should brace for travel chaos on Monday as Metro-North workers repair damage on the United States' busiest rail line caused by the collision of two trains, officials warned on Sunday. […]
  • Severe Kansas tornado prompts stark National Weather Service warning
    NEW YORK (Reuters) - A dangerous, half mile-wide hurricane struck near Oklahoma City Sunday afternoon, part of an extreme weather system moving through the central U.S. and stretching from north Texas to Minnesota. […]
  • Shooting death of gay man rocks New York's cradle of gay rights
    NEW YORK (Reuters) - Greenwich Village, the birthplace of the U.S. gay rights movement, remained in shock on Sunday over the shooting death of a gay man by a gunman who police said uttered anti-gay slurs before targeting the victim. […]
  • For Detroit in crisis, next six weeks determine bankruptcy fate
    DETROIT (Reuters) - Bond restructurings, negotiated settlements with bondholders and bond insurers, and tough talk with unionized workers are on the agenda as Detroit's emergency financial manager tries to meet a self-imposed, six-week deadline to decide whether the city can get through its financial crisis without a bankruptcy filing. […]
  • Female hostage died from police bullet in New York standoff: official
    (Reuters) - A 21-year-old university student who was taken hostage in her apartment and then shot to death during a police standoff with an armed robber on New York's Long Island was killed by a bullet fired from an officer's gun, investigators said on Sunday. […]
  • Winning ticket for $590.5 million Powerball lottery sold in Florida
    (Reuters) - A single winning ticket for a record Powerball lottery jackpot worth $590.5 million was sold in Florida, organizers said late on Saturday, but there was no immediate word about who won one of the largest jackpots in U.S. history. […]
  • Ghosts of incinerator bond deal haunt Harrisburg election
    (Reuters) - In Harrisburg, Pennsylvania's cash-hungry capital city, local political battles are waged much as they are across the United States: with big personalities and bare-knuckled verbal brawls. […]
  • Danger and separation from families changing job of U.S. diplomats
    WASHINGTON (Reuters) - When the Yemen-based branch of al Qaeda placed a bounty on her husband's head, Mary Feierstein learned of it from a friend who called and said, "You must be a mess!" […]
  • Training push fails to halt military sexual assault crisis
    WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Under pressure to fight sexual assault, the U.S. armed forces in recent years rolled out education programs about proper sexual conduct through methods like role playing and video games. […]
  • Investigators examine fractured rail in Connecticut train crash
    BRIDGEPORT, Connecticut (Reuters) - A fractured segment of track has been found on the rail line of a Metro-North passenger train from New York that derailed in Connecticut and struck another commuter train, injuring more than 70 people, investigators said on Saturday. […]
  • Two men charged with killing Malcolm X grandson
    MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Two men arrested in the fatal beating of the grandson of U.S. civil rights activist Malcolm X were sent to prison on Saturday to await trial, a Mexico City court spokesman said. […]
  • Los Angeles mayoral race narrows, latest opinion poll shows
    LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - City Councilman Eric Garcetti leads City Controller Wendy Greuel by 7 percentage points in a tightening race for mayor of Los Angeles, according to the latest opinion poll, but the survey's director said Greuel could still stage an upset in Tuesday's election. […]
  • Dozens injured as car plows through parade in Virginia
    RICHMOND, Virginia (Reuters) - A car driven by an elderly man who may have lost consciousness plowed through a small-town parade of hiking enthusiasts in southwestern Virginia on Saturday, injuring dozens of people, nine seriously enough to be sent to hospitals, authorities said. […]
  • Powerball jackpot could go higher than $600 million
    AUSTIN, Texas (Reuters) - The Powerball jackpot Saturday night could exceed the $600 million figure being advertised, possibly rivaling the largest lottery payoff in U.S. history, a Texas Lottery official said on Saturday. […]

• UPI News

  • WH: Obama's Thein Sein meeting shows U.S. support of reform
    WASHINGTON, May 20 (UPI) -- President Barack Obama's hosting of Myanmar's leader Monday highlights the administration's loyalty to governments that "embrace reform," the White House said. […]
  • U.S., Italian inspectors to fly observation mission over Russia
    MOSCOW, May 20 (UPI) -- U.S. and Italian military inspectors this week will conduct observation flights over Russian territory under the Open Skies Treaty, officials said Monday. […]
  • Obama optimistic despite partisan rancor
    ATLANTA, May 20 (UPI) -- President Obama Sunday told a Democratic National Committee event in Atlanta politics are to blame for the difficulty in getting anything done in Washington. […]
  • Syrian army, Hezbollah sweep into key rebel city
    QUSAYR, Syria, May 20 (UPI) -- Syrian rebels expected a Syrian-regime onslaught backed by Hezbollah fighters of a contested city Monday after some of the civil war's most intense fighting. […]
  • 2 FBI agents killed in Virginia Beach training exercise
    VIRGINIA BEACH, Va., May 20 (UPI) -- Two FBI agents from an elite hostage rescue unit in Northern Virginia were killed Friday during a training exercise in Virginia Beach, the FBI said Sunday. […]
  • Outside View: President Obama gets an 'F' for management
    PETER MORICI || UPI Outside View CommentatorCOLLEGE PARK, Md., May 20 (UPI) -- By President Obama's own actions, he is arrogantly ambitious but sadly incompetent. He has corrupted the foundations of our republic and for that he gets a failing grade. […]
  • Philippines coast guard defensive over killing
    TAIPEI, Taiwan, May 20 (UPI) -- An investigation into the killing by the Philippines coast guard of a Taiwanese fisherman is focusing on whether rules of engagement were broken. […]
  • Walker's World: The trouble with banks.
    MARTIN WALKER || UPI Editor EmeritusLONDON, May 20 (UPI) -- Maligned and unpopular as Europe's bankers are these days, they have certainly been earning their money. Seldom have they had to operate in such a challenging environment. […]
  • Spring storms, tornadoes romp across Great Plains; 1 dead
    OMAHA, May 19 (UPI) -- Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin declared a state of emergency Sunday as at least 19 tornadoes touched down in Oklahoma, Kansas, Illinois and Iowa. […]
  • Abe for talks with N. Korea on abduction issue
    TOKYO, May 19 (UPI) -- Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe says he will keep pressuring North Korea to settle the unresolved issue of the abductions of Japanese nationals. […]
  • Orthodox Jewish prisoner's lawsuit for kosher food reinstated
    MIAMI, May 19 (UPI) -- The lawsuit of a Florida Orthodox Jewish prison inmate to get kosher food that had been dismissed has now been reinstated, court records showed. […]
  • McConnell: White House operating 'culture of intimidation'
    WASHINGTON, May 19 (UPI) -- U.S. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., Sunday accused the Obama administration of operating "a culture of intimidation." […]
  • Criminal background checks don't predict college crime
    AURORA, Colo., May 19 (UPI) -- Neither criminal background checks nor pre-admission screening questions identify students likely to commit crime on college campuses, U.S. researchers say. […]
  • Obama cheers on grads at black men's college
    ATLANTA, May 19 (UPI) -- U.S. President Barack Obama Sunday urged graduates of Morehouse College to add "role model" to their goals in life, and not to focus only on material success. […]
  • Ryan: Burden of Benghazi proof on Obama
    WASHINGTON, May 19 (UPI) -- Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., said Sunday Congress will "get to the bottom" of the Internal Revenue Service's singling out of conservatives for scrutiny. […]
  • Cornyn: Obama crafting coverups
    WASHINGTON, May 19 (UPI) -- A top U.S. Senate Republican said Sunday President Barack Obama is cultivating "a culture of coverups and intimidation" regarding recent political scandals. […]
  • White House aide Pfeiffer: IRS actions inexcusable
    WASHINGTON, May 19 (UPI) -- A senior White House aide said Sunday it was appropriate for President Barack Obama not to become involved in an investigation of the Internal Revenue Service. […]
  • Menendez: Examine tax-exempt claims by political partisans
    WASHINGTON, May 19 (UPI) -- A top U.S. Senate Democrat said Congress should expand its focus on the Internal Revenue Service and examine the use of non-profit groups for partisan purposes. […]
  • Filipino workers told to limit their activities in Taiwan
    MANILA, May 19 (UPI) -- Philippine authorities have told Filipino workers to limit their activities in Taiwan following the Philippine Coast Guard's slaying of a Taiwanese fisherman. […]
  • Canadian PM's chief of staff resigns
    OTTAWA, May 19 (UPI) -- Nigel Wright said Sunday he has resigned as Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper's chief of staff over his involvement in a financial scandal in Parliament. […]

• UPI Business News

  • Yahoo! said poised to buy Tumblr for $1.1B
    SUNNYVALE, Calif., May 20 (UPI) -- Yahoo! Inc. was to announce as soon as Monday it agreed to buy U.S. microblogging, social-networking website Tumblr for $1.1 billion, several news outlets said. […]
  • Japan's Cabinet Office makes upward revision
    TOKYO, May 20 (UPI) -- The Japanese economy is picking up slowly, the Cabinet Office said Monday in its upwardly revised May monthly assessment report. […]
  • Britain weighing gasoline price-fixing probe of BP, Shell, Statoil
    LONDON, May 20 (UPI) -- British investigators say they are "urgently reviewing" whether to join a European Union probe of three oil companies for alleged gasoline price-fixing. […]
  • Nikkei tops 15,300, highest in 65 months
    TOKYO, May 19 (UPI) -- The Nikkei index, maintaining its upward momentum, jumped past 15,300 points on the Tokyo Stock Exchange early Monday, its highest level in 65 months. […]
  • Auto Outlook: Is the driving boom over; domestic cars quality up
    AL SWANSON || UPI Auto Writer U.S. automakers win "Total Quality" awards […]
  • Consumer Corner: Digitizing eating out
    MARCELLA S. KREITER || United Press InternationalCHICAGO, May 19 (UPI) -- Choosing a restaurant used to be a simple decision: fancy or casual; Italian, Chinese or American; kids or no kids; friends or alone; pile into the car; go. […]
  • Gallup: Family of four needs an average $58,000 a year
    PRINCETON, N.J., May 19 (UPI) -- The federal poverty level for a U.S. family of four is just under $24,000, but most say a family of four needs $58,000 on average to "get by," a survey says. […]
  • Bloomberg hires consultants to handle privacy breach problem
    NEW YORK, May 18 (UPI) -- Wall Street data distributor Bloomberg LP said it was taking steps to get ahead of damage that may erupt from revelations of a privacy breach at the company. […]
  • DirecTV mulls purchase of Hulu
    NEW YORK, May 18 (UPI) -- U.S. satellite service DirecTV is considering an investment in digital entertainment site Hulu, a source close to the talks told The Wall Street Journal. […]
  • GM returns to IPO levels
    DETROIT, May 18 (UPI) -- Shares of U.S. automaker General Motors Co. closed above their original purchase price on Friday for the first time in more than a year. […]
  • Accenture to buy Acquity for $316 million
    CHICAGO, May 18 (UPI) -- Consulting firm Accenture said it would buy Chicago start-up marketing firm Acquity Group for $316 million or $13 per share, more than double its share value. […]
  • New rules for olive oil in Europe
    BRUSSELS, May 18 (UPI) -- The European Commission is changing its rules on olive oil served in restaurants to safeguard the consumer, a spokesman said. […]
  • Equity rally returns with strong gains
    NEW YORK, May 17 (UPI) -- A rally in U.S. markets returned with gusto on Friday. […]
  • Crude oil pushes toward $96
    NEW YORK, May 17 (UPI) -- Crude oil prices climbed toward $96 per barrel in New York Friday with an extended equities rally returning to Wall Street after a one-day pause. […]
  • Energy Dept. approves natural gas export catalyst
    WASHINGTON, May 17 (UPI) -- The U.S. Department of Energy has approved a $10 billion natural gas exporting facility in Texas that has significant economic implications, manufacturers say. […]
  • U.S. House passes partisan SEC Act
    WASHINGTON, May 17 (UPI) -- The U.S. House approved a bill Friday that would force the Securities and Exchange Commission to review rules considered to be stalling job creation. […]
  • Israel pushed to spell out gas export plan
    TEL AVIV, Israel, May 17 (UPI) -- Nobel Energy of Houston, which discovered Israel's big gas fields in the eastern Mediterranean, is pressing the government to decide soon on an energy export policy as the prospect of an undersea pipeline to Turkey gains credibility. […]
  • North Dakota has nation's lowest unemployment
    WASHINGTON, May 17 (UPI) -- North Dakota's unemployment rate of 3.3 percent remained the lowest in the country in April, the U.S. Labor Department said Friday. […]
  • Netanyahu pulls back on Israel's defense cuts
    TEL AVIV, Israel, May 17 (UPI) -- mid growing concerns about security threats from Syria and Iran, Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu has greatly reduced planned defense budget cuts. […]
  • U.S. unveils new draft fracking regulations
    WASHINGTON, May 17 (UPI) -- The Interior Department has released revised proposed rules governing hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, for oil and gas on federal land. […]