String of Bombings Hit Egypt’s Metro Stations
Four bombs exploded at three metro stations in Cairo during Wednesday’s morning rush hour. The explosions wounded at least five people, Egyptian officials said.
Year: 2014
Pope Francis Has Most Influence on Twitter
Pope Francis has 14 million Twitter followers, nearly a third of U.S. President Barack Obama, however according to a study; the pontiff is considered the most influential on the social networking platform.
Lerner Sought IRS Audit of GOP Senator Over Mistaken Email
Late Wednesday, Congressional investigators published emails from ex-IRS official Lois Lerner, which detailed her targeting a Republican Senator in 2012 for an internal audit based on an email she accidentally received.
Backlog of 360,000 Cases in Immigration Courts; ‘Illegal Kids May Wait Years Before Hearing’
Since October, over 52,000 illegal immigrant children have been apprehended by Border Patrol agents. While all children face deportation, it will take years before any action will be taken since federal immigration courts face a backlog of more than 360,000 cases, the Associated Press reported.
North Carolina: Student-led Prayer Bill Signed into Law (Video)
In North Carolina, Republican Governor Pat McCrory signed into law, a bill allowing student-led prayer and the ability to organize prayer groups in public school.
Utah’s Same-Sex Marriage Ban Struck Down by Federal Appeals Court
In a historic decision, a federal appeals court has ruled that a state’s ban on same-sex marriage unconstitutional, setting up a possible Supreme Court battle over the issue.
U.S. Supreme Court Bans Warrantless Cell Phone Searches
In an unanimous decision, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of privacy rights stating that police cannot search through data on a person’s cellphone without a warrant.
U.S. Economy Shrank 2.9% in First Quarter
The Gross Domestic Product fell at a 2.9 percent annual rate, the economy’s worst performance in five years. Growth has been revised down 3.0 percent since the government’s first estimate was published in April, worse than economists’ expectations.
Nigeria’s Boko Haram ‘Seizes Women’ in Borno
More than 60 women and children have been abducted in northern Nigeria by militant Muslims, according to the BBC.
Egyptian Christian Sentenced to Six Years for Blasphemy
A Christian in southern Egypt has been sentenced Tuesday to six years in prison and fined the equivalent of $840 on charges of blasphemy and contempt of Islam for simply “liking” a Facebook page, according to International Christian Concern.
Full Coverage: ISIS Targets Former U.S. Base As U.S. Troops Arrive in Iraq
The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIS) surrounded a former U.S. base known as Camp Anaconda, striking it with mortars, just 54 miles north of Baghdad. Meanwhile, nearly half of the promised 300 special operations troops arrived in Iraq, the Pentagon said.
Over 3,000 Counties Examined: Obamacare Increased HealthCare by over 40%
In a study compiling data from 3,137 of a possible 3,144 counties in the United States, the underlying cost of individually-purchased health care jumped 41 percent in 2014, Forbes reported.
Vatican Partners with Islamic Museum in Historic First
In a historic first, the Vatican partnered with the Sharjah Museum of Islamic Civilization to present “so that you may know each other.” The “exhibition is one-of-a-kind — not only because it presents excellent artwork, but also because it furthers dialogue between Christians and Muslims,” Deutsche Welle reported.
Federal Judge Says Warrantless Bulk Surveillance is Legal
U.S. District Judge Garr King denied a man’s motion to dismiss his terrorism conviction saying the U.S. government’s bulk collection of phone and email data under U.S. Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) was legal.
Cochran Barely Holds Off Tea Party Challenger McDaniel in tight GOP Senate Race
Six-term Mississippi Sen. Thad Cochran came from behind to narrowly beat Tea Party Challenger Chris McDaniel in a nail-biter that was too close to call for most of the night.
Congressional Report: ISIL’s Islamic State will be ‘Launch Pad’ for Attacking U.S.
The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) ultimately wants its emerging Islamic state to be a launch pad for attacking the U.S. homeland, according to a new congressional report.
Abbas’ Fatah Posts Video: “Death is Near”
Palestinian Authority’s Mahmoud Abbas’ Fatah organization posted a video on its Facebook page just four days after the kidnapping of three Israeli teenagers, saying “Stop and consider, sons of Zion, that death is near…”
U.S. Must Be Global Leader in Promoting Gay Rights
White House national security adviser Susan Rice addressed 200 gay rights advocates saying, “America’s support for LGBT rights is not just a national cause but it’s also a global enterprise.”
U.S. Supreme Court Backs Most of EPA Regulations
The U.S. Supreme Court said the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) can require greenhouse-gas controls on power plants, however the Court said the agency had gone too far in interpreting its authority.
Israel Retailates After Rockets Fired from Gaza
Last night, four rockets were fired from the Gaza Strip into Israel, two of which were intercepted by the Iron Dome anti-missile system. Israel retaliated destroying five concealed rocket launchers in northern Gaza, one terror activity site in central Gaza and a weapon manufacturing site in southern Gaza.