Protest over Baltimore Freddie Gray's death spreads to other cities

Protester's took to the streets in several major cities across the country (including New York, Indianapolis,Washington D.C.)  yesterday in support of the protesters in Baltimore, angry over the death of Freddie Gray, a black man who died of a spinal injury while in police custody.

US lawmakers crafting bills to stamp out government phone surveilence

Both houses of Congress are working on versions of a bill that would prohibit the US government from spying on its citizens via telephone data collection. The House sent a bill called the "The USA Freedom Act" to the floor yesterday.

Protesters riot in Baltimore

People protesting the mysterious death of Freddie Gray while in police custody resorted to violence last night as the protest turned into a riot. Buildings and police cars were set on fire causing the governor to declare parts of the city a state of emergency--clearing the way for the National Guard to move in and restore order. The riots come on the heels of several prominent incidents involveing the deaths or injuries of black men by police.

Dollar down after disappointing economic news

The U.S. dollar was down against other currencies this morning as investors responded to disappointing news about the economy from several government agencies. The biggest impact on the dollar appeared to come from news that U.S. business investment spending plans fell for the seventh straight month.

Avalanche from Nepal earthquake kills 17 on Mt Everest

The Nepal earthquake that caused widespread destruction and up to 2000 deaths has also caused an avalanche on Mt Everest killing 17 and injuring 61 other people. Among the dead was an executive with Google.

Loretta Lynch confirmed as new Attorney General

Loretta Lynch, first nominated by President Obama to be his Attorney General five months ago, to replace Eric Holder, has been confirmed by the Senate in a 56-43 vote. She will be the first black female AG.

WHO report says 1 in 5 children not vaccinated

The World Health Organization reported yesterday that 1 out of 5 children in the world don't get vaccinated against diseases. That number amounts to 22 million children needlessly put at risk of catching serious diseases, officials said, nearly half of which are in just three countries, India, Pakistan and Nigeria.

Today is Earth Day

Today is Earth Day, a day to celebrate and consider the natural environment and our impact on it.

FCC to be briefed on Comcast Time-Warner merger

Members of the FCC are to be briefed today regarding a request by Comcast and Time Warner to merge, creating a mammoth cable TV and Internet providing company--the largest in the country.

Asian-African Conference starts off with call for new world order

The 60th annual Asian-African Conference being held in Jakarta Indonesia this year started off with calls from leaders of several African and Asian countries calling for a new world order--one that is more open to emerging economic powers and averse to colonialism and military conflict.

Blue Bell ice cream recall over listeria fear

The makers of Blue Bell ice cream have issued a recall for all  of its products starting immediately because testing showed a possible health risk of listeria-a type of food poisoning-at one of its plants. Consumes are asked to not eat any of the company's products until they can be deemed safe.

Mobilegeddon set to alter Google search results starting today

Google has changed how its search algorithm works so that sites that display well on mobile devices get preference on search results starting today. That could mean that millions of people using their phones and tablets to conduct searches could find their sites missing from their normal place atop the search engine's listing.

Congressional Republicans considering tax credits for Obamacare

In light of the Supreme Court's consideration of the Affordable Health Care Act tax subsidies, Congressional Republicans are considering options should the land's highest court decide the current subsidies are unconstitutional. One option would be a refundable tax credit, which some Democrats have already labeled Obamacare lite.

Three people shot at University cook-out

Three people were reportedly shot yesterday evening at a Delaware State University student cookout.  The shooter has not been caught, but police have a description of the person they believe is responsible and have launched a local manhunt.

Boat capsizes in Mediterranean - hundreds feared dead

A boat carrying approximately 700 people, mostly migrants, capsized off the coast of Libya last night. The Italian coast guard has reportedly only saved 28 people so far. The boat apparently turned over after most of the people on board suddenly moved to one side as another ship approached.

Organized criminals caused spike in hacking last year

Software security firm Symantec is reporting that major hacking incidents rose 23 percent last year, due mostly to a rise in organized hacker groups.

Teen use of e-cigarette use tripled last year

The CDC has released a report that shows that the number of teens using e-cigarettes tripled last year as the smoking of tobacco cigarettes by teens fell 9.2 percent.

Unauthorized ultralight lands on Capitol lawn

A small ultralight aircraft landed on the Capitol lawn yesterday, after flying through restricted airspace in downtown Washington D.C. The pilot, a postal worker, reportedly said he was on a mission to deliver a message to Congress, was promptly arrested and faces charges of violating aviation laws.

Third man arrested for spring break gang rape in Florida

A third man has been arrested for his alleged participation in the gang rape of a woman lying comatose on a Panama City Florida beach last month. The woman had passed out after drinking too much and several men raped her while hundreds of people milled about around them. The rape was caught on video, which led to the arrests.

Senate passes "doc fix" Medicare bill

The Senate has passed a bill that prevents doctors from receiving a 21% cut in payments for patients on Medicare. The planned cut was part of a funding formula designed to reduce Medicare costs with many suggesting such cuts would cause a lot of doctors to drop Medicare patients.. President Obama has pledged to sign the bill.

China's economy sees slowest growth since 2009

Officials in China announced that economic growth for that country slowed to just 7%, last month, the slowest rate since 2009. Chinese Premier Li Keqiang has pledged to take measures to increase the country's economic growth which has fallen to levels not seen since the worldwide financial crises, a half decade ago.

Australian parents to lose tax benefits if they don't vaccinate children

The Australian government has put into place new rules hoping to put pressure on parent's who refuse to have their children vaccinated against various diseases. Failure to comply could result in the loss of tax deductions for childcare expenses and other child related expenses. The move came after the death last month of a child that had contracted whooping cough after his parents had refused to have him vaccinated. Similar legislation is being considered in other places around the world including the United States.

Hillary Clinton announces presidential bid

Hillary Clinton has officially announced her candidacy for President of the United States.

Tornadoes strike Illinois

Several tornadoes were sighted in Illinois yesterday and overnight, with one causing extensive damage and killing one person in Rochelle.

Boston bomber and mom that salted her kid to death both convicted

Boston marathon co-bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev has been convicted on all 30 counts against him in court yesterday and now faces either life in prison or a death sentence. Meanwhile  Lacey Spears, a New York woman who chronicled her son's illness in her blog has been convicted of killing the child by putting lethal amounts of salt in his feeding tube. She was given a sentence of 20 years to life.

Jobs mismatch keeping unemployment steady as consumer delinquencies rise slightly

The lasted figures from the Labor department suggests that job mismatches continue to be a problem for the economy. Job openings are at their highest level in 14 years, but many are going unfilled as workers look to find jobs that better match their skills or income expectations. Meanwhile the American Bankers Association reported the delinquency rates for consumer loans ticked up slightly, another indication of a fragility in the workforce.

Duke wins national basketball title

Duke University won its fifth national title last night, beating Wisconsin 68-63 at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. The win marks the end of this years' NCAA mens' basketball season.

Father and 7 children die of carbon monoxide poisening

A Princess Ann Maryland man and his seven children have been found dead in their home due to carbon monoxide poisoning. Preliminary reports suggest Todd Edwards and the children died in the night after the father had placed a gas generator in the home--he'd done so because the power company had turned off his electricity due to an unpaid bill. The mother was not home at the time.

Price of oil goes up a dollar

The price for a barrel of oil went up one dollar yesterday after Saudi Arabia raised prices for crude oil sales to Asian markets. Also influencing oil prices was news of a nuclear deal with Iran which could mean an influx of oil from that country into the market in the next few months. It is not yet clear what impact the oil hike will have at the gas station.

Today is Easter Sunday

Today is Easter Sunday, a celebration by Christians around the world, marking the day Christ appeared to the Apostles after being crucified.

Revenge porn site operator sentenced to 18 years

Twenty eight year old Kevin Bollaert was sentenced to 18 years in prison yesterday for his part in running a web site that posted pictures of women naked or engaging in sex acts. His lengthy sentence was due to his conviction on extortion charges stemming from his practice of demanding cash payments for removal of pictures from the site. The pictures were sent in by mostly men that were exes of the women in the pictures. It's still not clear if the practice of posting such pictures is illegal.

Report showed job growth slowed last month

A new report by TD Securities shows job growth slowed last month with the fewest number of new hires since this time last year. Some speculate that the slow growth can be attributed to the winter weather that disrupted much of the Midwest and Northeast.

Indiana governor signs amendment of controversial rights bill

Mike Pence, governor of Indiana has signed a revision to the state's Religious Freedom Restoration Act--the new wording which is now law prohibits business from using the law to discriminate based on "sexual orientation" or "gender identity."

Deal reached in Iran nuclear program

Representatives from several countries negotiating with Iran have announced an agreement thought the exact details have not yet been revealed. As part of the deal, Iran will reportedly limit or slow its nuclear program in return for a lift of the embargo that has been hurting that countries economy.

California governor calls for unprecedented water conservation measures

California Governor Jerry Brown ordered water conservation measures throughout the state in light of the drought that has plagued many parts of western United States over the past several years. The governor has ordered cities, towns and other communities to reduce water consumption by 25 percent. All business and homes will be impacted with the lone exception being farm lands. The new rules were put in place after officials noted record low snowpack in the mountains this winter.

Russian fishing boat sinks - 54 dead

A Russian fishing trawler with 132 people aboard capsized due to drifting ice and possibly a large wave and sank yesterday. 54 people are known to have died and another 15 are still missing. The boat was traveling off the west coast of Russia in the Sea of Okhotsk, a part of the Pacific Ocean.

Deadline missed in Iran nuclear talks

Representatives from six nations negotiating with Iran failed to meet a deadline yesterday set to outline an accord regarding Iran's nuclear program. Several of the representatives expressed optimism that the accord will still be reached, and soon.

Amazon launches hardware button for on-demand ordering

Online retailer Amazon has begun offering customers a new way to order products--by pressing a physical hardware button that can be mounted anywhere within reach of a WiFi signal. One button is used to buy one product, such as laundry detergent Tide. Consumers can mount the button near the washing machine and when they are running low on detergent, they simply press the button and more Tide will show up in the mail.