Ukraine: Russian President Vladimir Putin is engaging in old time saber rattling, ordering air and ground military exercises in Western Russia to last through March 3rd. Russia’s defense minister cited the need to test readiness for a “crisis situation,” but …

Son of Polar Vortex: Cold and snow are moving back into the East. It’s 25 in Pittsburg, 25 in NYC and 32 down in Birmingham, Ala. But for NY and New England, it’s going to be single digits later in …

World: Two Americans and United Nations staffers were among 21 people killed when a Taliban suicide bomber blew himself up outside a popular Lebanese restaurant in Afghanistan’s capital Kabul. Gunmen sprayed the restaurant after the explosion. The Taliban said the …

Christmas City and World: In his first Christmas celebration as Pope, Francis called on atheists to work with believers of all religions toward “a homemade peace” that can spread across the world. He said, “Let us all unite, either with …

World: A storm 500 miles wide, described as the biggest in recorded history to make landfall, hit the Philippines early today. Sustained winds were 195 mph and gusts reached 235. One woman said, “Galvanized iron sheets were flying just like …

Airport Shooting: The gunman at LAX yesterday appeared to be targeting employees of the Transportation Security Administration. One witness said, “he looked at me and he said ‘TSA?’ I shook my head, no and he kept going.”   TSA officer Gerardo …

It Happened Last Night: Major portions of the federal government are shutting down this morning, but the website Healthcare.gov is up and running. About 800,000 federal workers are being sent off on furlough, although the president signed a bill to …

The Supremes: The court today struck down a key part of The Voting Rights Act that designates which parts of the country must have changes in voting laws approved by the federal government. The 5-4 ruling held that “things have …

 On the Move: NSA leaker Edward Snowden left Hong Kong for Moscow. The NY Times reports he will fly on to Cuba, then Venezuela. He could end up in Ecuador or Iceland, countries that will not send him back to …

World: Afghan leader Hamid Karzai is refusing to take part in peace talks with the Taliban unless the process is “Afghanized”. Peace talks were announced only yesterday. Karzai is angry that the US took the lead in setting up peace …