Hurricane Joaquin strengthens as it moves closer to US

Hurricane Joaquin was upgraded to a category 3 hurricane yesterday as it moved closer to the Eastern shores of the United States. Experts predict the storm will strike somewhere around the Carolinas this weekend.

Georgiea executes woman

The state of Georgia executed a woman named Kelly Gissendaner this morning by lethal injection. She was convicted of plotting with another man to kill her husband back in 1997.

Presidents Obama and Putin meet

President Obama and President Putin met yesterday at the UN complex in New York--the two discussed the situation in Syria and other undisclosed topics and then met with the press to talk and answer questions.

Foreign born population nears record high

A new study by the Pew Research Center suggests that the number of people living in this country that were born elsewhere is likely to break a century old record over the next decade. The report also highlights the changing nature of immigration, such as the slowing of people coming from Mexico.

John Boehner resigns

Congressmen and Speaker of the House John Boehner announced yesterday that he intends to resign from Congress at the end of next month. The surprise announcement comes just prior to negotiations on the budget amid whispers of another government shutdown.

China to announce carbon emissions regulations

The Chinese government is on the verge of announcing new carbon emissions regulations in that country--a cap and trade program which will help reduce the amount of greenhouse gas emissions. President Xi Jinping is expected to make the announcement as part of summit meetings with President Obama this week.

Hackers stole 5.6 million fingerprints from government

The Office of Personnel Management has reported that 5.6 million fingerprints belonging to federal government workers were stolen when that agency's computers were hacked over a period of several years. Included among those hacked were spies and other secret government workers which puts their lives at risk if they are exposed.

Yogi Berra has passed away

Yogi Berra was a famous baseball player, but was even more famous for coining phrases such as "it's not over till it's over." He was 90 years old but will be remembered always for his witty way of getting to the point in short order with such witticisms as "when you get to a fork in the road, take it," or "you can observe a lot by just watching."

Pope coming to U.S. today

The Pope is scheduled to arrive in the U.S. today to talk to/with Catholics (and others) in Washington D.C. It will be the first trip by the Argentine Pope, to this country and his visit has stirred controversy due to political remarks he has made in the recent past.

Emmy awards given last night

The Emmy Awards ceremony was held last night.

Wal-Mart to hire 60,00 Holiday Workers

In anticipation of a brisk holiday season, Wal-Mart has announced that it will be hiring 60,000 workers across the country to handle the increased shopper volume, this year, adding to its total of 1.4 million force.

Republicans held their second debate last night

Eleven Republicans held a debate last night at the Reagan Presidential Library--it was aired on CNN.

Earthquake strikes Santiago Chile

An 8.3 earthquake struck just north of the the capital city of Santiago Chile yesterday--a 13 foot tsunami was also generated.

Study shows children get 12% of calories from fast food

A new report from the National Center for Health Statistics a CDC group, claims that American children get 12 percent of their calories from fast food. They also report that on any given day one third of all children in the country eat some variant of fast food.

Massachusetts bans seal of e-cigarettes to minors

Following a national trend, the state of Massachusetts has taken action to ban the sale of e-cigarettes to minors-research has shown that they can be just as dangerous as tobacco cigarettes, and in some cases, worse, depending on the chemicals that wind up in them. The move comes as more states and local governments are tightening regulations on the new method of smoking.

Nearly 3 million advised to flee flooding

Officials in Japan have advised nearly three million people to flee an eastern region of the country that has been experiencing heavy flooding with more expected in the aftermath of a tropical storm. Rescuers have been lifting people from rooftops with helicopters reminiscent of New Orleans after hurricane Katrina struck that city.

Feds mulling first interest rate hike in a decade

The Federal Reserve will decide this week whether or not to raise the prime rate, putting a stop to historically low interest rates that have been held in place since the Great Recession.

Iran's Khamenie quoted predicting the demise of Israel

Iran's Ayatollah Khamenie was quoted as predicting that Israel will cease to exist over the next quarter of a century, during a speech in which he addressed the nuclear agreement reductions the country recently made in order to curtail sanctions against that country.

Energy Depart repeatedly struck by cyber attacks

The U.S. Department of Energy was targeted by hackers approximately 150 times between 2010 and 2014 government records indicate, suggesting that the department is a highly desirable target due to information it holds on the nation's power grid, nuclear power stations and weapons stockpile.

Poll shows wide difference in how whites and blacks view police treatment of blacks

A poll conducted by Sachs Media group found that 88 percent of black respondents felt that police treated them unfairly, compared to just 59 percent of whites asked about police treatment of blacks. The poll also revealed the differences in views in various parts of the country regarding police treatment of black people.

President considering response to Syrian refugee crisis

President Obama is reportedly considering options for allowing Syrian refugees to migrate to the United States, a spokesman for the National Security Council told reporters yesterday. Pressure has been mounting for a U.S. response as several European countries have begun accepting refugees that have run from the civil war raging in their country.

Drones invade two separate sports events

One drone crashed landed inside the football stadium at Kentucky University during festivities leading up to a game, and another crashed into the empty part of the stands at the U.S. Open tournament while a match was in play--both signal the growing threat posed by drones and the difficulty officials face in preventing them from gaining access to restricted areas.

Found plane part confirmed to be from flight MH370

French aviation officials confirmed yesterday that the airplane part found on Reunion Island two months ago did indeed come from Indonesian Airlines flight MH370, which partially solves the mysterious disappearance of the plane that vanished from radar in March of 2014. Because the plane could not fly without the missing part, it is now clear that the plane crashed--though where, is still a mystery.

China announces plan to cut troop levels by 300,000

China's President Xi announced yesterday that troop levels for his country will be cut by 300,000, a 13 percent reduction in force level. The announcement came during a speech to mark the victory over Japan in World War II.

Study claims more than half of immigrants receive some form of government assistance

A new report conducted by the Center of Immigration Studies claims that 51 percent of immigrant families receive some form of government assistance, e.g. Medicaid, food stamps, housing assistance or school lunches. They also claim that 30 percent of non-immigrants receive some form of assistance.