International Business Times

Does North Korea Have Nuclear Missiles? DIA Report Has 'Moderate Confidence' Of Nuclear Capability

ebrown — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 01:36:09 +0000

Does North Korea have nuclear missiles? A U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency report believes with “moderate confidence” that Pyongyang may in fact have access to nuclear warheads and ballistic missiles capable of carrying them.

How Much Time Does It Take Before Lobbyists Own You? 16 Years, Says Missouri

l.matthews — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 20:26:05 +0000

How long does it take for elected officials to become so beholden to special interests that they put lobbies before the public interest, and should therefore be barred from running again?

Sixteen years, say two Missouri lawmakers, who have both proposed constitutional amendments to increase the current eight-year term limit in the state's House and Senate.

Source of Senator Mitch McConnell Recording Revealed? Report Says Progress Kentucky Is Behind Recording

Charles Poladian — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 18:28:14 +0000

Progress Kentucky, a liberal group in Kentucky, was reported Thursday to be behind a secret recording of Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., which discussed ways to attack actress Ashley Judd and other potential Democratic candidates.

The tape of a McConnell campaign meeting was made public by Mother Jones, a liberal magazine, on Tuesday. The senator is up for re-election in 2014. Judd has since said she won't run.

UNICEF Report On Child Well-being Shows U.S. Near Bottom Of List

m.shwayder — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 16:35:50 +0000

Add child care to the list of “Lists on Which the U.S. Is Not Number One.” America is, in fact, number 26, behind both Greece and Portugal, according to the U.N.’s new report, “Child Well-Being In Rich Countries: A Comparative Review.”

Senate Votes 68 To 31 To End Republican Filibuster Of Gun Control Bill

l.matthews — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 16:04:24 +0000

Senate Democrats on Thursday got the 60 votes they needed to defeat a GOP filibuster and move their gun control bill to debate. In a 68-to-31 vote, 16 Senate Republicans sided with Democrats for cloture, while two Democrats -- Mark Begich of Alaska and Mark Pryor of Arkansas -- sided with the Republicans.

"This legislation and this vote is important for our country, especially for the people from Connecticut who lived through this tragedy," said Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., referring to the Sandy Hook elementary school massacre in Newtown, Conn., last December.

What Does Republican Support For A Gun Control Bill Vote Look Like?

l.matthews — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 15:35:36 +0000

It's a make-or-break week in the U.S. Senate for a gun control bill Democrats are trying to push through before the national revulsion over the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre fades.

As families of gun violence victims, including the parents of 20 schoolchildren killed in the December shooting in Newtown, Conn., lobby Congress for the stricter gun legislation, Senate Republicans are threatening to filibuster the measure.

Anonymous Claims To Have Identified Rehtaeh Parsons’ Alleged Rapists, Launches #OpJustice4Rehtaeh

j.heller — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 14:50:04 +0000

The hacktivist collective Anonymous has threatened to identify the four men who allegedly gang-raped Nova Scotia high school student Rehtaeh Parsons, a week after she committed suicide.

Gun Control News: 3 Senators Join Sandy Hook Parents To Pressure Lawmakers On Bill

l.matthews — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 14:32:37 +0000

Three Democratic senators will join Sandy Hook parents and other family members of victims of gun violence Thursday morning on Capitol Hill to push lawmakers to swiftly pass a bipartisan gun control bill waiting in the Senate.

The senators -- Chuck Schumer of New York and Richard Blumenthal and Chris Murphy of Connecticut -- will join with Newtown parents and a survivor from the Aurora shooting in Colorado around 10:30 a.m. to talk about the bipartisan compromise brokered Wednesday that could revive the momentum lost months after these mass shootings spurred national debate.

Gay Marriage 'Suicidal': Rick Santorum Says Republicans Embracing Gay Marriage Would Be 'Suicidal'

Thomas Barrabi — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 13:13:35 +0000

Former Sen. Rick Santorum (R-Pa.) has a stern message for the GOP regarding its stance on gay marriage.

In a Monday interview with the Des Moines Register, the former presidential candidate warned his fellow conservatives against supporting marriage equality, stating that reversal of course on the issue would be “suicidal” to the Republican Party.

70 Percent Chance Of War With North Korea, Expert Says

mvulta — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 07:01:06 +0000

The Korean Peninsula has more than a 70 percent chance of war as tensions continue to escalate in the country, according to a warning on Wednesday from a top Chinese expert on North Korean affairs.