New Year’s Day The Gavel: Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor yesterday blocked the provision of Obamacare that requires the healthcare plans of religious organizations to cover birth control. The justice acted on the request of an order of nuns in …

Syria: The US military is ready to strike Syria at a moment’s notice, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said yesterday. Air strikes would probably come from ship-based cruise missiles because Syria’s strong air defense could knock down bombers. Softening the political …

 Syria: The UN weapons inspection team came under fire this morning on its way to collect evidence in last week’s suspected gas attack. No one was injured but one of the their vehicles was disabled. The inspectors went on to …