Supreme Court Strikes Down Abortion Clinic Buffer Zones
The United States Supreme Court unanimously ruled that a Massachusetts law that created buffer zones around abortion clinics violated the First Amendment.
US News
Microsoft: Stop “Unfettered Collection of Bulk Data”
Microsoft’s top lawyer called on Congress and the White House to reform the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) and stop the “unfettered collection of bulk data” by the government, Cnet reported.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Biden: Protecting Gay Rights Trumps Culture and Traditions
Vice President Joe Biden told a gathering of gay rights advocates that “protecting gay rights is a defining mark of a civilized nation and must trump national cultures and social traditions,” the Associated Press reported.
Full Coverage IRS Scandal: Issa Blasts IRS Commish, “You have a problem with credibility” (Videos)
IRS Commissioner John Koskinen weathered another fiery exchange where House Oversight Committee Chairman Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) bluntly told him, “We have a problem with you and you have a problem with credibility.”
“I’m Working Hard to Ensure” U.S. has LGBT Ambassadors, Kerry Says
During a gay pride event last week, John Kerry spoke about Ted Osius nomination as a U.S. Ambassador to Vietnam said, “(Osius) will be the first openly LGBT officer nominated to serve in Asia,” and “I’m working hard to ensure that by the end of my tenure, we will have lesbian, bisexual, transgender ambassadors in our ranks as well.”
U.S. Building Illegal Children Processing Center in Texas
More than 52,000 unaccompanied minors have entered the U.S. illegally and have been arrested since October. In order to handle the increased numbers of minors, the United States is converting a 55,000-square-foot warehouse into a processing facility near the Rio Grande Valley in South Texas, the Associated Press reported.
7.9 Earthquake in Alaska Triggers Tsunami Warning
A magnitude-7.9 earthquake off the coast of Alaska triggered a tsunami warning.
Declassified Memo Released: Drone Killing of American Justified
According to a newly declassified Justice Department memo, released by a Federal Appeals Court Monday, the U.S. Government can kill an American overseas if authorities cannot apprehend them, whose “activities pose a continued and imminent threat of violence,” the Wall Street Journal reported.
School Network Censors Jesus, NRA, Pro-Family, and Republican Party
A student in Connecticut was conducting research for a debate to learn both sides of an issue, only to find that the school district blocked conservative web sites across the board, while web sites espousing liberal viewpoints weren’t.