Scott Neuman

Jury Deadlocks On Jodi Arias Sentencing

Scott Neuman — Fri, 24 May 2013 01:30:08 +0000

A jury considering a sentence for Jodi Arias, convicted earlier this month in the brutal murder of her one-time boyfriend, Travis Alexander.

Arias, 32, faces a possible death sentence on her first-degree murder conviction.

According to The Associated Press "a new panel likely will be seated to try again to reach a decision on a sentence — unless the prosec

Boy Scouts Vote To Admit Openly Gay Members

Scott Neuman — Thu, 23 May 2013 23:14:00 +0000

The Boy Scouts of America has agreed for the first time to allow openly gay boys as members, but a vote of the organization's National Council left in place a ban on gay Scout leaders.

The Associated Press reports that of the local Scout leaders voting at their annual meeting in Texas, more than 60 percent supported the proposal. The policy change approved by the 1,400-member National Council would take effect Jan.

Head Of IRS Tax-Exempt Division Reportedly Placed On Leave

Scott Neuman — Thu, 23 May 2013 23:03:00 +0000

Lois Lerner, the IRS official who oversees the branch of the agency that targeted conservative groups, has been placed on administrative leave a day after she refused to answer questions in a congressional probe of the scandal.

Lerner, who invoked the Fifth Amendment in refusing to testify at a House hearing on Wednesday, is effectively suspended from her job as head of the exempt organizations division, according to a congressional aide who spoke to The Associated Pres

Alabama Republican Jo Bonner Says He's Leaving Congress

Scott Neuman — Thu, 23 May 2013 22:08:00 +0000

Rep. Jo Bonner, R-Ala., says he will leave Congress effective in August to take a senior position at the University of Alabama.

Bonner, who has represented Alabama's 1st District for six terms since 2003, will become vice chancellor of government relations and economic development at Alabama.

NOAA Predicts Above-Average Hurricane Season

Scott Neuman — Thu, 23 May 2013 20:07:00 +0000

With memories of last year's Superstorm Sandy still fresh, NOAA is warning East Coasters and those farther inland to brace for another active Atlantic season, predicting that as many as six major storms will develop between the beginning of June and the end of November.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration believes that this year, there is a 70 percent chance of 13 to 20 named storms, with winds of 39 mp

Obama To Limit Drone Strikes, Renew Effort To Close Guantanamo

Scott Neuman — Thu, 23 May 2013 18:47:06 +0000

President Obama on Thursday unveiled a major pivot in White House counterterrorism policy, calling for a limiting of CIA drones strikes and for a renewed effort to close the U.S. detention center at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

Speaking at the National Defense University in Washington, D.C., the president said the death of Osama bin Laden and most of his top lieutenants, and the fact that there have been no large-scale terrorist attacks on the U.S.

North Korean Sends Special Envoy To China Amid Tensions

Scott Neuman — Wed, 22 May 2013 23:19:28 +0000

North Korea has sent a special envoy to China, hoping to patch up relations between the two countries that have been on rocky ground over Pyongyang's nuclear program and its recent seizure of a crew of Chinese fishermen.

North Korea's Vice Marshal Choe Ryong Hae, the head of the army's political bureau, is reportedly in Beijing.

Costa Concordia Captain To Face Manslaughter Charges

Scott Neuman — Wed, 22 May 2013 21:19:14 +0000

A judge in Italy on Wednesday ordered the captain of the ill-fated Costa Concordia cruise ship that ran aground off the coast of Tuscany last year, killing 32 people, to face charges of manslaughter.

Francesco Schettino, 52, is accused of negligence that led to the grounding of the ship and for abandoning the vessel while a rescue of the 4,200 passengers and crew was still underway.