Suicide bomber kills 37 in western Iraq

(Reuters) - Thirty seven people were killed when a suicide bomber rammed an explosives-packed Humvee military vehicle into a construction site, used by the army and police, according to two police officers and a medical official. Read more HERE.

Putin calls for talks on east Ukraine 'statehood'

Russian President Vladimir Putin called on Sunday for immediate talks on the "statehood" of southern and eastern Ukraine, although his spokesman said this did not mean Moscow now endorsed rebel calls for independence for territory they have seized.Read More HERE.

Islamic State opens new anti-U. S. front with beheading video

Video. (Reuters) - Islamic State's beheading of a U.S. journalist and its threat to "destroy the American cross" suggests it has gained enough confidence seizing large areas of Iraq and Syria to take aim at American targets despite the risks. On Tuesday night, Islamic State released a video purporting to show one of its fighters beheading James Foley, who was kidnapped in Syria nearly two years ago. read more here.

Iraq's civil war

Iraqi officials said on Monday that Kurdish and Iraqi forces had succeeded in retaking Mosul Dam from fighters from the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, although it was unclear whether they had seized control of the entire dam and the surrounding complex. Read more HERE.

Ferguson Live Updates

The attorneys held a press conference to address the findings of a preliminary autopsy report. That autopsy revealed, attorneys said, that Michael Brown was shot at least six times, with the kill shot entering Brown's head at its apex. That, Pathologist Dr. Michael Baden said, caused an immediate loss of consciousness. Get More Info.

Chris Pratt's Ice Bucket Challenge

It's hard not to love Guardians of the Galaxy star Chris Pratt for the humor he injects in everything he does. The ice bucket challenge was no exception. Read More and watch video HERE.

Justice Department Orders Second Autopsy of Michael Brown

U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder on Sunday instructed the Justice Department to conduct a second autopsy of Michael Brown, the unarmed black teenager killed by a police officer in Ferguson, Missouri on Aug. 9. Read More HERE.

Gaza Tunnels

This week, the Israeli Defense Forces announced it was close to destroying the last tunnel in Gaza — one of Israel's stated objectives for its weeks-long offensive. Israel has long maintained that the network of tunnels dug by Palestinian militants underneath the borders of the Gaza Strip pose a grave security threat. “It cannot be that the citizens of the state of Israel will live under the deadly threat of missiles and infiltration through tunnels,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said last week. read more HERE.

Facebook App Brings Free Internet To Zambia

While more than 85% of people around the world live in areas with cellular coverage, only 30% actually access the Internet. Social networking giant Facebook -- along with CEO Mark Zuckerberg's Internet.org project -- announced a new app Thursday that aims to close that accessibility gap. The Internet.org app, available first to Airtel subscribers in Zambia, gives users free access to 13 websites including AccuWeather; Google Search; Go Zambia Jobs; Wikipedia; WRAPP, a women's rights app; and, of course, Facebook. Read more HERE.

Israel Is Losing Control of the Gaza Media War

The picture from Gaza seemed like so many other conflict zone photos — until you began to notice the details. The lifeless arm of a Palestinian boy cradled by an adult running across the beach. The sand studded with what looks like brush, but is really pieces of something shattered. A small child lies face down in the sand, legs jutting out at odd angles, seemingly struck dead. Read More HERE.

The Weapon That Ukraine Says Shot Down Malaysia Airlines Flight 17

The plane was reportedly flying at an altitude of 10 kilometers (roughly 33,000 feet) near the Ukrainian-Russian border when it went down. While it's unclear who shot the missile, it's likely that the plane was indeed taken down, experts say. Read more HERE

Obama takes aim at firms that shift profits overseas to avoid taxes

The Obama administration called out corporate America for its growing use of a tactic to avoid paying taxes and urged lawmakers to act quickly to put a halt to the maneuver. In a sharply worded letter to key congressional tax code writers, Treasury Secretary Jacob J. Lew pushed for legislation that would make it more difficult for U.S. companies to reorganize as foreign firms in lower-tax nations. The practice, known as inversion, enables the new company to avoid paying the high U.S. corporate tax rate on its foreign earnings. read more HERE.

U.S. Escalates Sanctions Against Russia Over Ukraine Crisis

The Obama administration escalated its sanctions Wednesday against Russia over the fighting in Ukraine, marking a return to confrontation with President Vladimir Putin after determining that his hints at cooperation were leading nowhere. The U.S. moves to impose restrictions on the Russian state-controlled oil giant OAO Rosneft and other top firms are aimed at squeezing Russia's already struggling economy and financial system. They followed weeks of U.S. threats that Russia would face repercussions unless it helped defuse the crisis in eastern Ukraine, where pro-Russia separatists have been fighting the Ukrainian government for months. The sanctions stop well short of crimping international business ties or blocking deals with entire sectors of the Russian economy. read more HERE.

Apple TV Inks Deals with ABC News, AOL, PBS Kids

Apple TV got a step or two closer on Tuesday to becoming a replacement for cable with new content deals with ABC, AOL, PBS Kids and Willow TV. ABC News launched a video app for Apple TV that will deliver a 24-hour video news channel; content will include about eight hours of live video per day. ABC promised live hourly updates plus video highlights from Good Morning America, Nightline and World News With Diane Sawyer. There will also be updates from nine major market ABC TV stations in the United States, plus 50 years of historical footage from ABC News' archives. read more HERE

bombs over Baghdad

With ISIS forces nearing the Baghdad's city limits, U.S. Officials don't believe the relatively small, ill-equipped army of Islamic militants will be able to take the city by a frontal assault. Instead, they fear that ISIS will terrorize Baghdad by launching a wave of suicide bombings and possibly cutting off water and electricity to the city of 7.5 million. The strategy, according to the officials, appears aimed at demoralizing residents of the city and inciting a new wave of sectarian violence that could further undermine the ruling Shia-led Iraqi government. read more HERE.

Washington Prepares for Marijuana Retail Sales

As Washington state prepares to issue the first licenses for marijuana retail stores, Gov. Jay Inslee and other state leaders on Tuesday announced a coordinated campaign to make sure the pot stays out of the hands of minors once products start hitting store shelves next month. "Those who have led the effort to legalize this product understand that we've got to make sure that parents' roles are respected and emphasized and that the health of our children is our paramount concern," Inslee said. Different state agencies are working together "to make sure the public has the information they need to make healthy decisions and the tools that they need to keep our kids safe," he said. Read More HERE.

Intelligence community warned about 'growing' ISIS threat in Iraq

The U.S. Intelligence community warned about the "growing threat" from Sunni militants in Iraq since the beginning of the year, a senior intelligence official said Tuesday -- a claim that challenges assertions by top administration officials that they were caught off guard by the capture of key Iraqi cities. Earlier Tuesday, in an interview with Fox News, Secretary of State John Kerry said "nobody expected" Iraqi security forces to be decisively driven out by the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, or ISIS, as they were earlier this month in Mosul. But in a separate briefing with reporters Tuesday afternoon, the senior intelligence official said the intelligence community had warned about the ISIS threat. Read more HERE.

Assassins Creed Unity -- E3 2014 Coop Gameplay Walkthrough

Big K.R.I.T. - "Mt. Olympus" (Official Music Video)

The CIA Gets Twitter

The Central Intelligence Agency gets Twitter TWTR -1.65% and by that I don’t mean it now has a handle on the site and sent out its first tweet on Friday to much acclaim. Rather, it understands that the best way to defuse the rough and tumble and usually quite vicious back-and-forth that can occur on social media is by humor. That first CIA tweet for example. It was pretty funny and resulted in quite a number of followers. “We can neither confirm nor deny that this is our first tweet.” Twenty-four hours later it has 448,000 and counting followers. Read Story HERE.

Violence in Iraq

Iraq security and medical officials say dozens of people were killed late Saturday in a wave of car bombings in Baghdad, part of a day of violence that saw militants attack an Iraqi university. The blasts in Baghdad targeted mainly Shi'ite areas, underscoring the sectarian violence that has been on the rise in Iraq. Elsewhere, heavy fighting between militants and security forces entered its second day in the northern city of Mosul. Officials say 38 militants and 21 police officers have died in the clashes. Read more HERE.

Post-Snowden

Thursday, June 5th, marked the anniversary of former intelligence agent Edward Snowden’s revelations about the NSA and how it gathers intelligence on American citizens. Snowden has been on the run ever since, making his presence known across Europe (even with his disguise attempts). Once Snowden leaked the news that the National Security Agency (NSA) has used Internet loopholes to gather information about its citizens, he may not know it, but he started a revolution. Consumers have become more cautious about how their data is being used and protected, and tech companies have become more suspicious of the government than ever. It was said, prior to the Snowden leak, that American wireless carriers AT&T and Verizon were in the federal government’s “back pocket.” Now, according to recent reports, AT&T and Verizon are making it more difficult to gain access to user data without a warrant. Read more HERE.

Tracy Morgan critically injured in car accident

Actor and comedian Tracy Morgan was critically injured in a six-vehicle accident Saturday morning that left at least one person dead, police said. Morgan, 45, was traveling in a limo bus with six other passengers on the New Jersey Turnpike in Cranbury around 1 a.m. after performing a standup routine when the vehicle overturned, New Jersey State Police Sgt. Gregory Williams told FoxNews.com. Read more HERE.

5 stories you missed

read more HERE.

Man holding breath in Oregon tunnel causes crash

MANNING, Ore. – A 19-year-old man caused a three-car crash when he fainted while holding his breath as he drove through a tunnel northwest of Portland, Oregon State Police said. Daniel J. Calhon, of Snohomish, Washington, told investigators he fainted Sunday afternoon while holding his breath in the Highway 26 tunnel near the community of Manning, according to a news release. His car, a 1990 Toyota Camry, drifted across the centerline and crashed head-on with a Ford Explorer. Read more HERE.

Nigerian defense chief claims abducted schoolgirls located

Nigeria's defense chief is claiming that the country’s military has located nearly 300 schoolgirls abducted by Islamic extremists but cannot go in with force to free them. Air Marshal Alex Badeh told demonstrators supporting the country's much criticized military on Monday that Nigerian troops can save the girls, according to The Associated Press. But he added, "we can't go and kill our girls in the name of trying to get them back." Read more HERE.

'al-Qaida/Boko Haram

PARIS (AP) — Nigeria's president says Boko Haram, which is holding more than 200 girls captive, is "acting clearly as an al-Qaida operation" and is no longer a local problem. President Goodluck Jonathan joined four other African leaders and representatives of France, Britain and the U.S. on Saturday to hammer out details of an international response to the Islamic extremist group. French President Francois Hollande said the effort will involve sharing intelligence, protecting borders, and quick action in a crisis. Read HERE. and HERE

Trust in government

When it comes to Washington controversies, most American voters think Benghazi, the IRS and the government’s electronic surveillance program are serious matters. A Fox News poll also finds that less than four in 10 voters trust the federal government. Read more HERE.

Calmer Winds Help Firefighters Gain Control of Wildfires

Firefighters scoured charred hillsides north of San Diego on Saturday to guard against a resurgence of flames that ripped through the region, while the last of tens of thousands of evacuees prepared to return home. For those battling a series of blazes for days, the relief was mixed with a sense of dread that drought-sapped vegetation, high temperatures and low humidity portend a long fire season ahead. read more HERE.

1989

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1 Dead, 6 Hurt in Sacramento Park Shooting

Police say gunmen have opened fire at a baby's birthday party in a Sacramento park, killing one man and injuring six other people, including a child. It happened about 5 p.m. Saturday at Peregrine Park in northern Sacramento. Officer Doug Morse tells the Sacramento Bee ( http://bit.ly/1kXtY0j ) that attackers walked up and opened fire, then fled in a car. A man in his 20s died at the scene. Police say he's believed to be a gang member but his name hasn't been released. read more HERE.

North Korea unleashes racist slurs against Obama

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — After bombarding South Korea's female president with sexist invectives, North Korea's state news agency has fired off racist insults against President Barack Obama that U.S. officials condemn as "disgusting." North Korea is notorious for inflammatory, warlike rhetoric against its rivals South Korea and the U.S. but had rarely used racial slurs in its verbal attacks. Pyongyang's tone has grown angrier in recent weeks as it threatens to conduct a fourth nuclear test. read more HERE.

Why Apple CEO Tim Cook Needs Dr. Dre

Analyst Gene Munster is no fan of Apple's reported interest in Dr. Dre's Beats Electronics. But even he admits there is one very good reason for the $3.2 billion deal. And it's not the "coolness" factor from the high-end headphone brand and its rapper/co-founder, said Munster. Instead, one of the most valuable parts of the reported acquisition would be Beats' other co-founder and CEO Jimmy Iovine, who may reportedly join Apple as part of the acquisition, The Wall Street Journal reported. Read More HERE.

Uhhhhh...A Power Rangers movie REBOOT?

May the 4th be with you

Say “May the 4th Be With You” out loud and you’ll hear the pun that “Stars Wars” fans worldwide have turned into a rallying cry and an unofficial holiday to proclaim their love of the beloved “Star Wars” story. Yes, today is “Stars Wars” Day, and as devoted fans celebrate and count down to the 2015 release of “Episode VII,” there’s something new from the franchise to hold them over. Disney XD is releasing the trailer for “Star Wars Rebels,” the upcoming animated Star Wars TV series, and “Good Morning America” got the global exclusive sneak peek at the trailer.MORE HERE

Gunman, 3 others killed in Ark. shootings

JONESBORO, Arkansas – A gunman shot six people at an Arkansas home Saturday, killing a man and a teenager and critically wounding two boys, before fatally shooting a worker at a nearby business, police said. The suspected gunman was later found dead of a gunshot wound in the driver's seat of a stopped car, Jonesboro police Sgt. Doug Formon said at an evening news conference. It was not immediately clear if the gunshot was self-inflicted. Read More Here

Money Team

LAS VEGAS - Pound-for-pound king Floyd Mayweather Jr. continued his perfect career, but boy, was it a tough night. Maybe the toughest of his entire brilliant, unbeaten career. Mayweather (46-0, 26 KOs) found himself in a serious dogfight, trying to fend off the super aggressive Marcos Maidana of Argentina and his wild overhand rights, but his accuracy was the difference in a majority decision victory to unify welterweight world titles on Saturday night before a sold-out crowd of 16,268 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. Read More HERE

Ukraine PM says Russia waging 'real war' against Kiev

Ukraine's interim Prime Minister on Sunday accused Russia and anti-government protesters of orchestrating a “real war” to threaten Ukraine’s sovereignty, days after an outbreak of violence that left 42 people dead in the city of Odessa. Read More HERE.

The Big Picture: Wade Larson at TEDxWaterloo (+playlist)

A better democracy will need a better press: Lord David Puttnam at TEDxH...

The drought

SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Steve Upton thinks of himself more as an "Officer Friendly" than a water cop. On a recent sunny day, the water waste inspector rolled through a quiet Sacramento neighborhood in his white pickup truck after a tipster tattled on people watering their lawns on prohibited days. He approached two culprits. Rather than slapping them with fines, Upton offered to change the settings on their sprinkler systems. "I don't want to crack down on them and be their Big Brother," said Upton, who works for the water conservation unit of Sacramento's utilities department. "People don't waste water on purpose. They don't know they are wasting water." Read more HERE.

Donald Sterlings swallows his foot

The Los Angeles Clippers players wore their feelings about the scandal surrounding the team owner Donald Sterling on their chests today before their NBA playoff game against the Golden State Warriors. The team came to the center of the court and dumped their warmup jerseys, then ran through their pregame drills wearing their red Clippers T-shirts inside out, hiding the team name, a day after a tape recording was posted online in which a man -- purportedly Sterling -- goes on a racist rant in an argument with a woman identified as V. Stiviano. Read More HERE.

Prizefighter Dies

Rubin "Hurricane" Carter never surrendered hope of regaining his freedom, not even after he was convicted of a triple murder, then convicted again and abandoned by many prominent supporters. For 19 long years, the prizefighter was locked in a prison cell far away from the spotlight and the adulation of the boxing ring. But when he at last won his biggest fight — for exoneration — he betrayed little bitterness. Instead, Carter dedicated much of his remaining life to helping other prisoners and exposing other injustices. Read More HERE.

Beefed up security for Boston martathon

BOSTON – In many ways, it felt like any other pre-marathon Sunday in Boston. Families celebrated Easter, diners enjoyed the spring weather at sidewalk cafes, and runners — easily identified by their trim builds and colorful jackets — picked up last-minute supplies for what will be the second-largest field in the race's history. But even as runners focused on the exhilaration of crossing the finish line, the festive atmosphere was inevitably tinged with sorrow, as runners, family members and spectators recalled the double bombings at last year's race that killed three people and injured 260. READ MORE HERE.

The Winter Solider

The best Marvel movie thus far? One could say that. But it brought up a good point about trust issues. Can we trust our government? Can we trust in our society? Can we trust in our community? Can we even trust each other?

Star Wars

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Dodgeball

A woman was taken into federal custody Thursday after throwing a shoe at Hillary Clinton as the former Secretary of State began a Las Vegas convention keynote speech. The incident happened moments after Clinton took the stage before an Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries meeting at the Mandalay Bay resort. Clinton ducked, and she did not appear to be hit by the object. She then joked about it. READ MORE HERE.

FedEx Truck Tragady

A fiery bus crash that killed 10 people, including eight high school students, on a California freeway burst into flames almost immediately in a collision that could be heard up to a quarter-mile away, police said today. The bus was carrying prospective college students from Los Angeles to Humboldt State University in northern California when it was hit by a FedEx truck that traveled over the median and into the northbound lane Thursday night. Police still don't know what caused the FedEx truck to cross the median. READ MORE HERE.

AP photographer killed

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — An Afghan police commander opened fire Friday on two Associated Press journalists, killing Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer Anja Niedringhaus and wounding veteran correspondent Kathy Gannon — the first known case of a security insider attacking journalists in Afghanistan. The shooting was part of a surge in violence targeting foreigners in the run-up to Saturday's presidential elections, a pivotal moment in Afghanistan's troubled recent history that promises to be the nation's first democratic transfer of power. Read more HERE.

Fort Hood Victim's Dad

The Fort Hood gunman opened fire after he tried to pick up a form to request time off and was told to come back later, according to the father of a soldier injured in the attack. The father said that he learned of the account directly from his son, Army Sgt. Jonathan Westbrook, who was struck by four bullets, and from other sources. The military has released few details about what motivated the shooting rampage. READ MORE HERE.

International Radical Muslim Leader Shot Dead in Kenya

A radical Islamic leader who had been sanctioned by the United States and the United Nations for supporting an al-Qaida-linked Somali militant group was assassinated late Tuesday, his lawyer and officials said. The killing by unknown gunmen came as the Kenyan government announced it had begun an operation to stop a wave of attacks in the country as authorities arrested more than 650 people in Nairobi following a bomb attack Monday. READ MORE HERE.

Ex-Army recruit's online terror threats exposed

A self-professed jihadist who threatened online to commit a "Fort Hood-inspired" act of terror was weeks away from reporting for basic training when the military learned of his radicalism - which had apparently been on display for months in online posts where he praised Usama bin Laden and pledged to die for radical Islam. READ MORE HERE

Digging through the mud

DARRINGTON, Wash. – The rains that have bedeviled rescuers working to find more victims in the debris field from the deadly Washington state mudslide are expected to ease this week, but searchers faced other challenges at the site like household chemicals and sewage. The number of confirmed dead rose from 21 to 24 on Monday, Snohomish County officials said in a media release. Seventeen of the victims have been positively identified, and authorities are working to identify the other remains. Read More HERE.

Crossfire

North and South Korea fired hundreds of artillery shells into each other's waters Monday in a flare-up of animosity that forced residents of five front-line South Korean islands to evacuate to shelters for several hours, South Korean officials said. South Korean Marines fired artillery shells across a disputed sea border after North Korean shells from a live fire drill conducted by Pyongyang fell into the water south of the frontier, Seoul officials told the Associated Press. READ MORE HERE.

Yahoo in talks to buy News Distribution Network for $300 million

(Reuters) - Yahoo Inc is in preliminary talks to acquire online video service News Distribution Network for $300 million, according to a report in the Wall Street Journal on Monday. Read More HERE.

Not your typical badger

Frank Kaminsky scored 28 points and grabbed 11 rebounds as Wisconsin knocked off the No. 1 seed Arizona Wildcats 64-63 in the West Regional final to advance to the Final Four next Saturday. Arizona's Nick Johnson was called for an offensive foul with 3.2 seconds left, but the Wildcats got a final chance after the officials ruled that Wisconsin had knocked the ball out of bounds on the ensuing inbounds play. The ball went to Johnson, but the referees ruled that he did not get the final shot off before time expired.

Conflict averted

MOSCOW — A day after Russian President Vladimir Putin surprised President Obama with a phone call to discuss a diplomatic solution to the standoff over Ukraine, there are signs that a deal might be on the horizon. Both sides publicly laid out positions, though they remain far apart on some issues. “We are bringing our approaches closer together,” Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said in a Russian television interview. He added that “a possible joint initiative that could be offered to our Ukrainian partners is taking shape.” READ HERE

7.5 would California survive

Experts say a bigger earthquake along the lesser-known fault that gave Southern California a moderate shake could do more damage to the region than the long-dreaded "Big One" from the more famous San Andreas Fault. The Puente Hills thrust fault, which brought Friday night's magnitude-5.1 quake centered in La Habra and well over 100 aftershocks by Sunday, stretches from northern Orange County under downtown Los Angeles into Hollywood — a heavily populated swath of the Los Angeles area. READ MORE HERE