Twitter has suspended a British reporter’s account after he tweeted the email address of NBC Olympics President Gary Zenkel—and also tweeted criticism of the Olympics, which has a nonfinancial partnership with Twitter to promote content. Guy Adams, a Los Angeles–based reporter for London’s Independent, vented his frustration over NBC’s tape-delayed coverage of the opening ceremony, and then tweeted “the man responsible at NBC for pretending the Olympics haven’t started yet is Gary Zenkel. Tell him what u think: Gary.zenkel@nbcuni.com.” After receiving a complaint from NBC, Twitter “suspended” Adams and sent him a letter saying he had violated Twitter rules that prohibit posting personal information, which includes “private email addresses, physical addresses, telephone numbers, or financial documents.”
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A congressional probe is looking into abuses at the Dawood Military Hospital in Afghanistan, where it is said that patients were held in “Auschwitz-like” conditions. Whistleblowers within the Army revealed cases of starving patients with untreated wounds and horrific medical abuses. “Today, not just in 2010 or 2011, individuals … who perpetrated … unspeakable abuses upon Afghan soldiers, civilians, and family members walk the halls of the Daoud Khan hospital unrepentant, unscathed, enriched, and still unprosecuted,” one testifying officer said. Two investigations are studying the abuses and subsequent cover-up by Lt. Gen. William B. Cadwell, who ignored conditions and tried to block the probe.
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Massachusetts Senator Scott Brown’s newest campaign ad is taking off. The ad, called “Let America be America,” features a clip of Elizabeth Warren saying, “There is nobody in this country who got rich on his own.” It also includes footage of past presidents talking about free enterprise. The ad has had more than 250,000 views since Monday morning and is trending as No. 1 on YouTube’s “News and Politics” category.
The worst drought to plague the United States in almost 50 years is already taking a toll on crop yields and water preservation, and soon it will affect your grocery bill, too. The price of products like milk, beef, and pork will surge next year, the government said Wednesday, in response to severe heat that is eviscerating the corn crop and driving up the cost of feed. Poultry prices will go up immediately—an estimated 3.5 percent to 4.5 percent—because fowl grow the fastest and are the most impacted by higher feed prices. Consumers can expect higher prices to hit in November, agriculture economists say.
At least 12 people are dead after a shooting at a movie theater in suburban Denver, police said early Friday morning. Some fifty-nine more were shot, making the incident the largest mass shooting in U.S. history. The gunfire broke out during a midnight showing of The Dark Knight Rises early Friday. Moviegoers were in the theater when they say the shooter “released some sort of canister. They heard a hissing sound, and some gas emerged, and the gunman opened fire,” according to Aurora Police Chief Dan Oates. Witnesses told The New York Times that the gunman was dressed "for battle" in head to toe body armor, and appeared to be "having fun" while he shot off "many, many rounds."
Many are now asking why our nation does not have stricter gun laws.
Colorado shooting renews gun control debate by euronews-en
Chick-fil-A President Dan Cathy has broken his silence over allegations that his company is antigay. The fast-food chain came under criticism this month after a report published earlier this month by the organization Equality Matters revealed that the company donated around $2 million to antigay Christian organizations in 2010. “Guilty as charged,” Cathy said in an interview with the Baptist Press. "We are very much supportive of the family—the biblical definition of the family unit,” Cathy said. “We know that it might not be popular with everyone, but thank the Lord, we live in a country where we can share our values and operate on biblical principles."
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Mitt Romney received an official endorsement from former Republican Vice President *** Cheney on Thursday. Cheney said that his years in the White House give him perspective on the qualities needed for the presidency. “Looking back and reflecting on that, I think there’s only one man to be president of the United States who meets those requirements, and that’s Gov. Mitt Romney,” he said. But while Romney might have won the support of one major Republican, others are echoing calls from Democrats and the media for Mitt to release more of his tax records. Ann Romney did not make matters better for her husband when using the term "you people" in dismissing calls for the release.
A federal judge has blocked Mississippi’s controversial new abortion law. The law requires anyone performing an abortion to be an OBGYN with admitting privileges at a local hospital. The law could effectively shut down the state’s only abortion clinic, because its doctors do not have such privileges. But Judge Daniel P. Jordan III temporarily blocked the law on July 1, and he decided on Wednesday to keep the block in place. The U.S. Supreme Court has previously ruled that states cannot create substantial obstacles to women seeking abortion.
Every three years, the Fed’s Survey of Consumer Finances releases a report on Changes in U.S. Family Finances that looks at how families are doing financially—specifically, how their assets and liabilities and net worths are changing by various demographic categories. What emerged this year is a clear trend: in 2007, the median for all families was $126,000; in 2010, it was $77,300. That’s a fall of 39 percent. Consider the age breakdown for median net worth:
The emergence of social media has greatly impacted politics in our country. Recently, the following graphic has emerged which attempts to explain possible correlations between political behavior and preferences and social media usage.
Chief Justice John Roberts initially wanted to overturn the health care act but later changed his position and formed an alliance with the court’s four liberal justices. After deciding to uphold the Affordable Care Act, Roberts then had to undergo a monthlong campaign by the court’s four conservative justices to change his mind. In a strange twist, Justice Anthony Kennedy—the man that many thought would be the swing vote—was reportedly “relentless” in trying to get Roberts to side with the conservative justices.
In an email Monday to The Dish blogger and longtime friend Andrew Sullivan, Anderson Cooper comes out as gay. “Andrew, as you know, the issue you raise is one that I’ve thought about for years,” Cooper writes. “The fact is, I’m gay, always have been, always will be, and I couldn’t be any more happy, comfortable with myself, and proud.” Cooper says that in a time when people are still treated differently for saying that they love someone of the same sex, the famously private reporter has decided that “visibility is important, more important than preserving my reporter’s shield.”
Huge storms have cut off power to more than 2 million homes as record-breaking temperatures soar into the triple digits. In Washington, D.C., alone 1.5 million homes are without power, and across the country at least 13 people have died so far due to the heat wave and the powerful wind storm that has swept the mid-Atlantic and Midwest. The Weather Channel’s Julie Martin told the NBC’s Today that the 100-degree temperatures expected across 25 states is impacting 47 million people.
With this rash of weather, some have begin asking if there is a way for governmental bodies to better prepare for these situations so they can restore power to affected populations sooner.