Openly-gay mayoral candidate slain in Mississippi: Many local residents believed Marco McMillian, 35, to be the first viable openly-gay candidate for public office in the history of Mississippi. As of now, the murder, discovered on Tuesday and reported by police on Wednesday, is not being investigated as a hate crime; however, police do already have one suspect in custody. Though they have not been formally charged, the unidentified suspect was found in McMillian’s wrecked car on Tuesday, with the Clarksdale mayoral candidate nowhere to be seen. (photo by Troy Catchings/The Clarksdale Press Register)
Ridiculous Story of the Day: A California high school student set up a sting operation to catch a locker thief at Linden High School, only to discover one of her teachers was actually the one guilty of taking students’ money. Naturally, after she showed the footage to her principal, he asked her to delete the footage. Yes, really. (ht Gawker) source
Only hours after a 12-day filibuster was broken, the U.S. Senate has confirmed Chuck Hagel as the nation’s next Secretary of Defense. The final vote was 57 - 41, with only four Republicans crossing party lines to vote for Hagel’s confirmation.
(Source: reuters.com)
We have moved a bill in the House twice. We should not have to move a third bill before the Senate gets off their ass and begins to do something.
The U.S. Senate is expected to confirm Hagel’s nomination at 4:30pm EST on Tuesday afternoon, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid criticized Senate Republicans for a 12-day filibuster which delayed the confirmation, saying it earned them “nothing” and sent “a terrible signal to our allies around the world.” source
The judge presiding over the prosecution of the WikiLeaks source Bradley Manning has ruled that the US soldier was brought to trial in good time within the military rules governing a court martial.
The ruling dashes the defence team’s hopes of having the charges against Manning dismissed. His lead lawyer, David Coombs, had argued in legal argument to the court that “extreme foot-dragging” by the prosecution had violated the accused’s right to a speedy trial.
The ruling has yet to be completed, with Colonel Denise Lind still set to rule on whether or not Pfc. Manning’s rights were violated under the Sixth Amendment and/or Article 10 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice, though Col. Lind is not expected to side with Manning on those claims either. Assuming there are no changes, Pfc. Manning’s 12-week trial is scheduled to begin on June 3.
Las Vegas police are looking for a black Range Rover after a sudden burst of gunshots and a car fire led to the deaths of three people on the famed Strip, shutting down the gambling boulevard in several directions.
A Range Rover Sport with black rims and tinted windows pulled up to a Maserati at a stoplight at the intersection of Las Vegas and Flamingo Boulevards around 4:20 a.m. Thursday, Sgt. John Sheahan of the Las Vegas Police Department said.
Early reports indicated that guns were fired from both the Range Rover and the victims’ Maserati; however, police say there is no evidence that the second vehicle’s occupants fired a weapon of any kind. In addition to the three casualties, three additional victims were treated and released from a local hospital for minor injuries, and a fourth remains at the medical facility for additional treatment.
I’m moving back to New York in a few days. Unlike past...
OMG. I got so...
In this week’s Newsweek, a little...
Tumblr this morning. [h/t anne]
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Here’s a hidden feature that shipped in...
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) could see a primary challenge from local businessman Matt Bevin, who sources say is reaching out to Tea Party groups in the state to gauge support for a 2014 Senate run.
Sarah Duran, president of the Louisville Tea Party, told The Hill that Bevin had been in touch with her over the phone to discuss his run multiple times over the past few weeks, and that he met with the group two weeks ago to discuss his interest in the race.
While exploring one’s options is far from being the same as declaring candidacy, the emergence of a strong Tea Party alternative like Matt Bevin could hurt McConnell in the long run, particularly if it forces the Senate stalwart to move any farther to the right on hot button issues. With many expecting actress Ashley Judd to challenge McConnell as well, the five-term Senator could have his work cut out for him during the 2014 midterm elections.
As authorities scoured Southern California for an ex-Los Angeles police officer suspected of shooting three officers, killing one, officials broadened the alert to include the entire state Thursday morning, and authorities in Nevada were warned.
The California Highway Patrol originally issued a “blue alert” for nine Southern California counties, warning that suspect Christoper Jordan Dorner, 33, was considered “armed and extremely dangerous,” early Thursday. Shortly after 9 a.m. that alert was broadened to the include the entire state.
Dorner is also a suspect in a Sunday double homicide that left a young couple dead, one of whom was the daughter of a retired LAPD captain. Dorner also isn’t the only one responsible for injuries on Thursday. Law enforcement officials have confirmed that officers shot two women delivering newspapers in Torrance after they mistook their vehicle for one being driven by Dorner. Both women were taken to area hospitals, and are expected to make a full recovery. Another shooting, for the same reason, did not lead to any injuries. We’ll have more on the story as it’s available.
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