With the use of domestic drones increasing, concern has not just come up over privacy issues, but also over the potential use of lethal force by the unmanned aircraft.
Drones have been used overseas to target and kill high-level terror leaders and are also being used along the U.S.-Mexico border in the battle against illegal immigration. But now, these drones are starting to be used domestically at an increasing rate.[MORE]
Swing states show dim view of Biden
Joe Biden may not be much help to Barack Obama in key swing states this fall.
In a new USA TODAY/Gallup Poll, Americans split on whether they like or dislike the vice president – 42% said they had a favorable opinion, 45% said unfavorable – but the numbers are worse in key swing states.[MORE]
Eurozone looks at Greek exit as leaders meet
European leaders, at odds over how to resolve the deepening crisis in the euro zone on Wednesday, have been advised by senior officials to prepare contingency plans in case Greece quits the single currency area.
Three officials told Reuters the instruction to be ready was agreed on Monday during a teleconference of the Eurogroup Working Group (EWG) - experts who work for the bloc's finance ministers - and the German central bank said losing Greece would be testing but "manageable".[MORE]
L.A. does not have worst traffic congestion
Honolulu, where drivers wasted an average of 58 hours in traffic last year, earned top honors for 2011, according to an annual score card released this week by the traffic information research group Inrix Inc.
Los Angeles was not far behind, though -- in second place. Drivers in L.A. waste an average of 56 hours each year in traffic, according to the study. San Francisco was third, according to the group's analysis, and New York City fourth.[MORE]
Berkeley chief used police to look for son's phone
Berkeley Police Chief Michael Meehan, already under fire for sending an officer to a reporter's house after midnight, ordered police - some on overtime - to look for his teenage son's stolen cell phone in Oakland, authorities said Monday.
Officers did not file a police report about the January incident, "an oversight that came to our attention when researching your questions," said police Sgt. Mary Kusmiss, a department spokeswoman.[MORE]
Phillip Phillips is the new 'American Idol'
Phillip Phillips, a bluesy Georgia guitar man, was crowned the new "American Idol" on Wednesday after defeating teenager Jessica Sanchez in record viewer voting. He was the fifth male "Idol" winner in a row.
Phillips, 21, a pawn shop worker from Leesburg, Ga., looked stunned when host Ryan Seacrest announced his name, then wordlessly accepted a hug from Sanchez and congratulations from his fellow finalists.[MORE]
Ban on plastic bags at L.A. markets is approved
Los Angeles became the largest city in the nation Wednesday to approve a ban on plastic bags at supermarket checkout lines, handing a major victory to clean-water advocates who sought to reduce the amount of trash clogging landfills, the region’s waterways and the ocean.
Egged on by actress Julia Louis-Dreyfus and an array of environmental groups, the City Council voted 13 to 1 to phase out plastic bags over the next 12 months at an estimated 7,500 stores. Councilman Bernard Parks cast the lone no vote.[MORE]
Egyptians choose their leader for first time in 5,000 years
It never used to be like this. The moment Egyptians finally lost their respect for President Hosni Mubarak, whose joyless grin dominated their lives for three decades, came when a state newspaper carried a photograph of Middle East leaders at the White House grotesquely photoshopped to show him standing not behind but in front of President Obama.
Now men like Amr Moussa, used to receiving sheikhs and monarchs with due pomp and ceremony as head of the Arab League, and Mohammed Morsi, whose Muslim Brotherhood have waited decades for their chance at power, had to wait behind their fellow citizens, like everybody else.
There were few overt signs of celebration on this, the first of two days of voting in Egypt's presidential elections, at how everything had changed.
There was enthusiasm that voters would get to choose their leader for the first time in 5,000 years of glorious history, but no whoops or fireworks.[MORE]
Is Facebook looking to make a change?
In the wake of a series of embarrassing technical glitches that marred Facebook’s first day of trading on the Nasdaq the social networking giant is now open to moving its listing to rival exchange New York Stock Exchange according to two people familiar with the matter.[MORE]
As Edwards jury deliberates, speculation grows
John Edwards tried to make eye contact with each juror as they filed into the courtroom Wednesday before heading home after a fourth day of deliberations without a verdict in his campaign finance trial.
A former trial lawyer, Edwards is familiar with the old courtroom adage that jurors who return the defendant's gaze with a quick smile or a nod may be leaning toward acquittal, whereas those who turn away could be signaling guilt.[MORE]
Sanford judge rules in favor of motorist who flashed his headlights
A judge in Sanford ruled Tuesday that a Lake Mary man was lawfully exercising his First Amendment rights when he flashed his headlights to warn neighbors that a deputy had set up a speed trap nearby.
That decision is another victory for Ryan Kintner, 25, who sued the Seminole County Sheriff's Office last year, accusing it of misconstruing a state law and violating his civil rights, principally his right to free speech.[MORE]
DESPERATE: HuffPo, Oprah Team Up Now
Talk about a lose-lose situation… Recent reports say Arianna Huffington’s job duties over AOL have been greatly downsized, while Oprah Winfrey’s failing OWN remains on life support at Discovery after losing millions. So what do the two women do? Why join forces, of course.[MORE]
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