U.S. promises to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 28%

Officials representing the United States in a planned worldwide treaty (informally called Intended Nationally Determined Contribution) announced that the U.S. would pledge to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 28% by 2020. The treaty is expected to be signed by participating countries this December. The White House has not officially commented yet.

Arab League Summit marks change in Mideast strategy

Members of  the Arab League met yesterday to discuss options for banding together to battle Iranian backed Shiite rebels in Yemen. Saudi Arabia has already been bombing rebel conclaves in the country. The Summit marks a turning point for the Arab League as it has voted to act without input from the United States.

Thousands march in Indian to protest Religious Freedom Restoration Act

Thousands of people participated in an unplanned demonstration in Indianapolis yesterday demanding that the state repeal the newly passed Religious Freedom Restoration Act--it bars state and local governments from impinging on citizens rights to exercise their religious beliefs. Critics suggest it will allow businesses to refuse service to certain customers that don't align with their beliefs, most specifically homosexuals.

Italy's highest court overturns Amanda Knox conviction

Italy's highest court, the Court of Cassation, made up of six judges has overturned the decision by a lower court that had overturned a conviction against American Amanda Knox. The decision by the court is final, which means that Knox will not have to face any more trials in the case, and can thus can go on with her life.

Government looking to add new rules to payday loans

The U.S. Consumer Finance Protection Bureau convened yesterday to discuss possible new rules for payday loans. The Bureau is not looking to outlaw them, or to set limits on interest rates, but instead is looking to add rules that force loaners to work harder to make sure that those receiving the loans are able to pay them back.

Tornado strike in the south

Tornados in Oklahoma and Arkansas caused damage and killed one person yesterday as part of a spate of nasty weather over the past few days, marking the beginning of Tornado season in the U.S.

Report suggests pilot was locked out of cockpit in Germanwing crash

The New York Times is claiming an unnamed source has confirmed to them that the pilot of the Germanwing plane that crashed in the Alps recently was locked out of the cockpit just prior to the crash and was banging on the door in an unsuccessful attempt to get back in.

President announces slowdown of troop withdrawal from Afghanistan

President Obama told reporters yesterday that he has decided to delay a planned withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan this year and will instead maintain a force of 9,800 soldiers in that country. He added that troop levels will be reduced next year as dictated by conditions on the ground.

NFL to drop blackout rule for 2015 season

The National Football League announced that it will suspend blacking out television broadcasts of its games when home games are not sellouts--a practice that has been in place since the 1950's--for the 2015 season as a test case.

CDC says 11 million uninsured now covered by Obamacare

The CDC has announced that over 11 million more people now have health insurance in the U.S. due solely to coverage under the Affordable Care Act compared to 2010. The report also points out that there are still approximately 37 million people in this country that are uninsured.

Sen Ted Cruz announces his candidicy for President

Texas Republican Senator Ted Cruz has announced via Twitter that he is running for president of the United States in the 2016 election. He wrote simply "I'm running for President, and I hope to earn your support." He is the first person of either party to officially announce his candidacy.

ISIS post names, photos and home address of US troops

The Islamic group ISIS has posted personal information about U.S. soldiers on the Internet along with a message urging supporters to use the information to target them with attacks. Officials with the U.S. military reported that they are looking into the report.

Grandmother convicted of running granddaughter to death facing death penalty

Joyce Hardin Gerrard, was convicted last Friday of murder in the death of her 9 year old granddaughter and now faces either a life sentence or the death penalty. She was accused of making the young girl run so hard for so long that the child had a seizure and died. A trial will be conducted to ascertain her fate-no date for it has been set.

TSA agent shoots machete wielding man at New Orleans Airport

A man wielding a machete and a can of wasp killer was shot three times at New Orleans International Airport after swinging the machete at people. The man, Richard White, was taken to a local hospital.

Home mortgage rates tumble

After bouncing up and down for several weeks, mortgage rates have taken a tumble, Freddie Mac reports that the average 30 year fixed rate fell to 3.78 this week.

Man arrested following shooting rampage in Pheonix

Ryan Giroux, an ex-convict, has been arrested for a string of shootings that occurred in the Phoenix area yesterday. Police say the suspect's activities included shooting people at a motel, a carjacking and a home invasion. All told six people where shot and one died.

Kraft recalls Macaroni and Cheese

Food giant Kraft has issued a recall for boxes of Macaroni and Cheese. Stainless steel fragments somehow made their way into some of the packages. The recall is for "Best when used by” date of Sept. 18, 2015 through Oct. 11, 2015, with the code “C2” above the date.

Automatic voter registration begins in Oregon

Oregon governor Kate Brown signed a bill that puts the onus of voter registration on the state rather than voters. The process will be carried out by automatically registering people to vote when they interact with the state's Driver and Motor Vehicle Services Division.

Today is St. Patrick's Day

Today is St. Patrick's Day, where all things Irish are celebrated and green becomes the color to wear.

Republican controlled Congress reveals budget plans

Congressional Republican leaders are making preparations to reveal their initial blueprints for the fiscal year budget this week. Leaders from both houses will be releasing their budget plans this week.

Man arrested and charged for shooting police officers in Ferguson

Jeffrey Williams, a 20 year old black man has been officially charged with shooting two white police officers outside of the Ferguson police station last week.

Several people killed by listeria cases from Bluebell ice cream

Multiple people have been infected with the listeria virus, and several have died after eating contaminated samples of Bluebell ice cream. A nationwide alert has been posted, warning consumers to not eat the ice cream until more is known.

Cyclone strikes Vanuatu

A major cyclone struck the Vanuatu archipelago last night causing widespread destruction and killing an untold number of people.

South by Southwest gets started

The South by Southwest Interactive and Film festival (SXSW) kicked off yesterday. The annual event held in Austin Texas will showcase both technolgy and films. It will run until Sunday March 22.

Indian swine flu mutating into more deadly strain

Researchers from MIT working in India have found that the virus that caused a swine flu epidemic last year in that country has mutated into something that is more deadly.

Police officers shot outside of station in Ferguson

Two police officers were reportedly shot while walking outside of a police station in Ferguson MO last night. Their condition is not known. The shooting occurred as local residents were preparing to protest racism by the department after the city's police chief resigned recently.

Utah lawmakers pass bill to allow firing squad as backup

Utah legislators have passed a bill allowing the state to use the firing squad as a death penalty in cases where lethal drugs cannot be obtained. It's not clear as yet whether the governor will sign the bill into law.

Survey shows gun ownership in US is dropping

According to a General Social Survey, just 32 percent of people in the U.S. own a gun, down from approximately 50 percent half a decade ago.

Solar powered plane begins flight around the world

A Swiss made solar airplane lifted off early this morning in Abu Dhabi beginning what will be a four or five month journey all the way around the world without using any other type of fuel. The plane will make several stops along the way and its makers say the reason for the flight is to bring awareness to alternative energy sources.

International Women's Day

Today is International Women's Day. Individuals and organizations around the world will be posting, marching and engaging in other activities to highlight achievements by women and to encourage more in the future and also to shed light on women's issues, such as rape, torture, abortion, etc.

Economists predict number of new jobs to continue to rise

A panel of leading economists is predicting that job growth will continue to be strong this spring even as harsh winter weather has slowed growth in buying. Job growth in the last quarter of 2014 was also surprisingly strong, they report.

Justice Department releases report criticizing police conduct in Ferguson

The Justice Department has released a report detailing its findings after conducting a probe into the conduct of the Ferguson Mo. In it officials for the department claim that police conduct in the city has violated constitutional law and calls on the city to overhaul its department.

Supreme Court reviewing legality of Obama tax subsidies

The Supreme Court has begun listening to arguments regarding the legality of a portion of Obamacare that makes people in all of the states in the Union eligible for tax subsidies or it applies only those states that chose to participate in the health insurance program.

Growth of manufacturing in U.S. slows to 13 month low

Government statistics showed that the growth of manufactured goods in the U.S. fell to an index of 52.9 in February from 53.5 in January. Though it's not clear why, some suspect it's because of the unseasonably cold weather in much of the eastern part of the country.

After adjusting for inflation, consumer spending was up last month

Although consumers spent less in total last month than the month before, government figures still show a gain because gas prices were so low and because of inflation. After adjustments, consumer spending was found to have risen by 0.3 percent, a sign, some suggest, that our economy continues to be strong.

Officials ponder decision to end year old search for missing plane

Officials in Australia, Malaysia and China are set to meet soon to discuss ending the search for the airplane that went missing one year ago this week. Flight MH370 disappeared from the skies March 8 last year carrying 239 people, and no trace has ever been found of it

Thousands expected to march in support of Boris Nemtsov

Thousands of people in Russia are expected to march in downtown Moscow later today to demonstrate their concern over the killing of opposition leader Boris Nemtsove