Mark Memmott

Aw-Inspiring Video: Sea Lion Worries When Little Girl Falls

Mark Memmott — Fri, 17 May 2013 18:05:00 +0000

Take a break from the scandal du jour for something that's just darn nice.

A little girl was running in circles at the National Zoo in Washington, D.C., this week. On the other side of a window, a sea lion was mimicking her moves — playing something of a game of tag without the tagging part.

Until, that is, the little miss tripped and fell.

Washington Green? State Creates Logo For Legal Pot

Mark Memmott — Fri, 17 May 2013 16:41:00 +0000

T-shirts will surely be made:

Along with draft rules for how to become a licensed grower or seller of marijuana, the Washington State Liquor Control Board this week released the official "icon logo" that will need to be put on packages of pot and "marijuana-infused products sold at retail."

A marijuana leaf inside a circle, and centered over a map of the state, the logo comes in black or green.

Famed Race Driver Dick Trickle Dies, Suicide Suspected

Mark Memmott — Fri, 17 May 2013 14:52:00 +0000

Dick Trickle, a "short-track hero" in the '70s and '80s who moved to the NASCAR circuit later in his career, died Thursday.

According to The Charlotte Observer, the 71-year-old was killed by "an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound, Lincoln County [N.C.] deputies said."

The Observer adds that "in 2001, Trickle's granddaughter Nicole Ann Bowman was killed in a car accident in front of East Lincoln High School.

Gingrich Cautions GOP About 'Overreach' On Scandals

Mark Memmott — Fri, 17 May 2013 12:54:00 +0000

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, who was front-and-center during the Republican-led impeachment of President Clinton in 1998, is cautioning his GOP colleagues about the risk of appearing to be too eager as they dig into the scandals now dogging the Obama administration.

"I think we overreached in '98 — how's that for a quote you can use?" Gingrich told NPR's Mara Liasson for a story on Friday's broa

Kai The 'Hatchet Hitchhiker' Is Accused Of Murder

Mark Memmott — Fri, 17 May 2013 12:02:00 +0000

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=16oUKdOUstU

Reports: Russia Sends More Missiles, Has Ships Near Syria

Mark Memmott — Fri, 17 May 2013 11:08:00 +0000

Friday's major news about the conflict in Syria:

-- "Russia Sends More Advanced Missiles to Aid Assad in Syria."

According to The New York Times, "Russia has sent advanced antiship cruise missiles to Syria, a move that illustrates the depth of its support for the Syrian government led by President Bashar al-Assad, American officials said Thursday."

-- "Russia Raises Stakes In Syria: Assad Ally Bolsters Warships In Reg

Congress Due To Grill Ousted IRS Chief

Mark Memmott — Fri, 17 May 2013 10:34:00 +0000
(Most recent update: 12:50 p.m.

Obama: 'I Certainly Did Not Know' What The IRS Was Doing

Mark Memmott — Thu, 16 May 2013 17:27:00 +0000
Update at 5:38 p.m. ET. One More IRS Official To Leave
Another official is out at the embattled agency.
The Associated Press reports that Joseph Grant, commissioner of the IRS' tax exempt and government entities division, will retire June 3. The division scrutinized Tea Party groups when the applied for tax-exempt status.
Update at 4:45 p.m. ET.

Almost Nerd Wars: 'Doctor Who' & 'Star Wars' Fans Have Spat

Mark Memmott — Thu, 16 May 2013 15:48:00 +0000
Some stories are indeed too good to be true.
This BBC headline had us punching the Two-Way control board to go to light speed in pursuit of appropriate puns:
"Star Wars and Doctor Who fans clash at Norwich convention"
We were all ready to write that "the force" had to be used to save these aliens from going to the "dark side." We were imagining a battle between combatants wielding plastic light sabers and sonic screwdrivers.

Berkshire Hathaway's Credit Rating Knocked Down A Notch

Mark Memmott — Thu, 16 May 2013 14:53:00 +0000
Billionaire investment legend Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway Inc.

Reports: Note Found In Boat Where Boston Suspect Hid

Mark Memmott — Thu, 16 May 2013 13:47:00 +0000
In a message written on a wall of the boat where he was found hiding, Boston bombings suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev claimed responsibility for the attack and said it was motivated by anger over the Afghan and Iraq wars, sources familiar with what was found have told CBS News correspondent John Miller.
CNN has followed CBS News' report the Employment and Training Administration says. At 360,000, the pace was the fastest since the last week of March.

Twitter Users Risk Damnation, Say Saudi Religious Police

Mark Memmott — Thu, 16 May 2013 12:35:00 +0000
"The head of Saudi Arabia's religious police has warned citizens against using Twitter, which is rising in popularity among Saudis," the BBC reports.

Suspect Apprehended In New Orleans Second-Line Shooting

Mark Memmott — Thu, 16 May 2013 12:08:00 +0000
"CAPTURED!"
That's how the New Orleans Police Department spread the word on Facebook early Thursday that its officers had "arrested 19-year-old Akein Scott in connection with the shooting of 19 people on Mother's Day."
Update at 4:05 p.m. ET. Second Suspect Arrested:
New Orleans police and U.S. Marshals have arrested Shawn Scott, 24, the brother of Akein Scott.

At Least 13 Dead, Including Americans, After Attack In Kabul

Mark Memmott — Thu, 16 May 2013 11:27:00 +0000
Early casualty reports indicate that a powerful suicide car bombing Thursday in Kabul killed at least seven Afghan civilians, four foreign civilian contractors who were working for international forces and two members of the international military force.
Dozens more people were reportedly injured by the blast in Afghanistan's capital city.
Officially, the NATO-led Afghanistan International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) is only saying at this time that two of its service members and

Texas Tornado Leaves 6 Dead, Dozens Hurt, Hundreds Homeless

Mark Memmott — Thu, 16 May 2013 11:08:00 +0000
"A massive emergency response" is underway in North Texas, where tornadoes blew through Wednesday night, The Dallas Morning News says.

Source May Have Misled Media About Key Benghazi Email

Mark Memmott — Wed, 15 May 2013 17:30:00 +0000
Update at 6:42 p.m. ET: Reaction From Boehner's Office
In a statement, Brendan Buck, a spokesman for House Speaker John Boehner, said the emails "contradict statements made by the White House that it and the State Department only changed one word in the talking points."
Here's the statement in full:
"The House interim report found that 'senior State Department officials requested the talking points be changed to avoid criticism for ignoring the threat environment in Benghazi' and that those changes were ultimately made.

Pffff: Hong Kong's Six-Story Rubber Ducky's Been Deflated

Mark Memmott — Wed, 15 May 2013 15:09:00 +0000
That giant rubber duck floating in Hong Kong's Victoria Harbor, which we posted about on May 6, is down for maintenance.
And when we say down, we mean it. It's been deflated.
But fans shouldn't despair. Ducky's hosts say it just "needs to freshen up" and will return.

Boehner: Who's Going To Jail For What IRS Did?

Mark Memmott — Wed, 15 May 2013 14:57:00 +0000
He doesn't want to know who's going to resign, House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, told reporters Wednesday morning.
He wants to know: "Who's going to jail" for what IRS personnel did to some conservative groups?
As we've been reporting, IRS officials have admitted that during the 2012 campaign cycle some groups that applied for tax-exempt status were put through extra scrutiny if their paperwork mentioned the "tea party" or included words such as "patriots" — signals that they might be engage

Military Recruiters, Sex Assault Responders To Be Retrained

Mark Memmott — Wed, 15 May 2013 13:29:00 +0000
All branches of the U.S.