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U.S. House votes to avert jump in student loan interest rate

Friday, May 24, 2013

By a vote of 221-198, the House passed legislation that would reset interest rates on federal student loans and avert a scheduled doubling of rates this summer. The bill, HR 1911, would peg new student loan interest rates to yields on the 10-year Treasury note, meaning that the rates would fluctuate. It would also set maximum caps on those variable rates. The proposal faces opposition in the Democratic-controlled Senate, where … 0

Boston suspect under scrutiny in unsolved killings

Friday, May 24, 2013

A year and a half before the Boston Marathon bombing, the man Tamerlan Tsarnaev called his best friend died in a grisly crime: He was one of three men found nearly decapitated in an apartment, their throats slashed ear to ear, marijuana sprinkled over their bodies. Now, in an offshoot of the marathon investigation, authorities are trying to determine whether the now-dead Tsarnaev … 0

President Barack Obama talks about national security, Thursday, May 23, 2013, at the National Defense University at Fort McNair in Washington. Declaring America at a "crossroads" in the fight against terrorism, the president revealed clearer guidelines for the use of deadly drone strikes, including more control by the U.S. military, while leaving key details of the controversial program secret. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

Obama defends drone strikes, but sets more stringent guidelines

Friday, May 24, 2013

President Obama said yesterday that the United States has reached a “crossroads” in the fight against terrorism and that it is time to redefine and recalibrate a war that will eventually end. Far from repudiating the controversial use of drones against terrorist targets, Obama defended the tactic as effective, legal and life-saving. But … 0

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A torn flag wraps around its pole after a year of braving the elements. Civil Air Patrol cadets and volunteers replace the flags at Blossom Hill cemetery, May 18, 2013. (ANDREA MORALES / Monitor staff) PHOTOS: Replacing the American flags at Blossom Hill Cemetery
More than 2,500 students from 64 high schools attended the New Hampshire Scholars program graduation at the State House Plaza in downtown Concord; Wednesday, May 22, 2013. TAEHOON KIM / Monitor staff PHOTOS: New Hampshire Scholars Graduation
From left: Sybil Dupuis, House Speaker Terie Norelli, Gov. Maggie Hassan and David Berry cut a New Hampshire-shaped cake at the "New Hampshire Presidential Primary 100th Anniversary" celebration in the State House in Concord; Tuesday, May 21, 2013. Dupuis is the great-granddaughter of Stephen Bullock, author and sponsor of House Bill 430, which created New Hampshire's first official presidential primary. "This is one of the biggest honors of my life," Dupuis, who resides in Wells, Maine, said about being asked to speak at the celebration. (TAEHOON KIM / Monitor staff) PHOTO: New Hampshire primary at 100
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Aides tried to shield Obama from IRS probe

Thursday, May 23, 2013

As soon as White House counsel Kathryn Ruemmler heard about an upcoming inspector general’s report on the Internal Revenue Service, she knew she had a problem. The notice Ruemmler saw April 24 gave her a thumbnail sketch of a disturbing finding: that the IRS had improperly targeted Tea … 0

In this image made from video provided by APTN, Pope Francis lays his hands on the head of a young man on Sunday, May 19, 2013, after celebrating Mass in St. Peter’s Square. The young man heaved deeply a half-dozen times, convulsed and shook, and then slumped in his wheelchair as Francis prayed over him. The television station of the Italian bishops’ conference said it had surveyed exorcists, who agreed Francis either performed an exorcism or a prayer to free the man from the devil. The Vatican was more cautious Tuesday, saying Francis “didn’t intend to perform any exorcism. But as he often does for the sick or suffering, he simply intended to pray for someone.” (AP Photo/APTN)

The pope and the devil: Is Francis an exorcist?

Tuesday, May 21, 2013

Pope Francis’s obsession with the devil took on remarkable new twists yesterday, with a well-known exorcist insisting Francis helped “liberate” a Mexican man possessed by four different demons despite the Vatican’s insistence that no such papal exorcism took … 0

Iranian presidential candidates announced; Rafsanjani disqualified

Tuesday, May 21, 2013

The final list of candidates approved to run in Iran’s June 14 presidential election was announced yesterday, generating surprise and tension with the omission of a former president considered one of the founding members of the Islamic Republic. In addition to two-term ex-president Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, Mahmoud … 0

FILE - This Sept. 13, 2012 file photo shows a cameraman filming one of U.S. consulate burnt out offices after an attack that killed four Americans, including Ambassador Chris Stevens on the night of Tuesday, Sept. 11, 2012, in Benghazi, Libya. The U.S. has identified five men they believe might be behind the attack on the diplomatic mission in Benghazi, Libya, last year, and have enough evidence to justify seizing them by military force as suspected terrorists _ but not enough proof to try them in a U.S. civilian criminal court, the process the Obama administration prefers, U.S. officials said. (AP photo/Mohammad Hannon, File)

FBI ID’s Benghazi suspects – but no arrests yet

Tuesday, May 21, 2013

The United States has identified five men who might be responsible for the attack on the diplomatic mission in Benghazi, Libya, last year, and has enough evidence to justify seizing them by military force as suspected terrorists, officials … 0

Marathon bomb victims eligible for state fund

Tuesday, May 21, 2013

Those affected by the Boston Marathon bombings have an alternative to the widely publicized One Fund when seeking compensation, Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley said. The state’s Victim Compensation Fund, administered by her office, could provide up to $25,000 in additional aid to qualified applicants. The fund may … 0

Doctor Urmen Desai, left, talks to reporters as Dr. Wrood M. Kassira, center, and Dr. Renaud Saint-Vil, right, look on during a news conference in Miami, Tuesday, May 21, 2013. The doctors gave an an update on the progress of Ronald Poppo, a homeless man whose face was mostly chewed off in a bizarre attack last year in Miami. The attack left Poppo blind, but the doctors say he's been working with an occupational therapist to learn how to take care of himself. The doctors say Poppo also has learned to play guitar and practices daily. (AP Photo/Alan Diaz)

Face-chewing victim recovering, strumming guitar

Tuesday, May 21, 2013

A homeless man whose face was mostly chewed off in a bizarre attack last year appeared yesterday to be mostly at peace with his disfigurement, strumming a guitar, making jokes and thanking people for their donations to help … 0

Senate committee approves immigration overhaul

Tuesday, May 21, 2013

A Senate committee approved a sweeping immigration reform bill yesterday that would provide a path to citizenship for up to 11 million illegal immigrants, setting the stage for the full Senate to consider the landmark legislation next month. After five days of debate over dozens of amendments, the … 0

Ex-IRS leader voices ‘regret,’ but senators aren’t satisfied

Tuesday, May 21, 2013

The Bush administration appointee who led the Internal Revenue Service during President Obama’s first term told Congress yesterday that he was saddened by some of the agency’s actions regarding applications for tax-exempt status during his tenure. But Douglas Shulman rebuffed attempts by some senators to blame him for … 1

Attacks kill 95 in Iraq, hint of Syrian spillover

Tuesday, May 21, 2013

Iraq’s wave of bloodshed sharply escalated yesterday with more than a dozen car bombings across the country, part of attacks that killed at least 95 people and brought echoes of past sectarian carnage and fears of a dangerous … 0

Officials: North Koreans holding Chinese boat hostage

Tuesday, May 21, 2013

Armed North Koreans are holding a Chinese fishing boat and its crew ransom despite the protestation of Chinese officials, the boat’s owner said yesterday. The boat’s seizure – which occurred in early May but was only revealed by Chinese officials Sunday night – is the latest dust-up between … 0

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