Author: Connor Simpson

Tesla Is First Green Tech Company to Pay Back Its Department of Energy Loan

AP

Tesla no longer owns the federal government a dime. On Wednesday the company announced it had repaid the outsanding balance of $451.8 million, with interest,  on its 2009 Advanced Technology Vehicle Manufacturing loan from the Department of Defense. That means taxpayers earned a very, very small $12 million profit on the loan.

By Connor Simpson

Dec 16, 2012

Be Careful When Downloading Your Twitter Archive

Twitter is rolling out the long-awaited feature of downloading your entire tweet history, it seems, but be careful. You might not like what you find in there. Sometimes we remember our tweets with rose-colored lenses.

Comments | 1,834 Views

By Connor Simpson

Dec 16, 2012

Box Office Report

Peter Jackson's Big Movie Fails to Make $100 Million

Welcome to the Box Office Report where we're so happy Peter Jackson's plot was foiled by you meddling kids. Thank the skies for meddling kids. 

Comments | 4,900 Views

By Connor Simpson

Dec 16, 2012

The Sunday Grind

Dianne Feinstein Wants to Ban Assault Weapons

Gun control and Newtown dominated the conversation on every show. Dianne Feinstein announced her intentions to reintroduce an assault weapons ban while almost everyone else called for a "national discussion" on guns. 

Comments | 11,964 Views

By Connor Simpson

Dec 16, 2012

Don't Miss the 'SNL' Children's Choir Cold Open

Saturday Night Live deferred from its usual structure last night. Instead of the traditional cold open sketch, they had the New York Children's Chrous sing two verses of "Silent Night." 

Comments | 7,107 Views

By Connor Simpson

Dec 16, 2012

Morsi's Constitution Actually Passed the Referendum?

Mohamed Morsi's controversial constitution went to a public referendum on Saturday, and despite being up against a very large, vocal opposition, it appears the bill will survive.

Comments | 1,207 Views

By Connor Simpson

Dec 16, 2012

Greece to Form Group of Wise Guys to Fight Tax Evasion

Greece is planning to crack down on its tax evasion problem with a committee of wise guys. No, seriously, that's their plan. 

Comments | 1,408 Views

By Connor Simpson

Dec 15, 2012

John Kerry Secretary of State Rumor Mill Is Picking Up Steam

Well, that took long. Just days after Susan Rice took her name out of the hat to be Secretary of State, there are rumors flying that John Kerry's appointment is pretty much a done deal.

Comments | 5,499 Views

By Connor Simpson

Dec 15, 2012

Here Is the Complete List of Victims of the Newtown Shooting

Officials have released the full list of victims killed in yesterday's attack at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, Connecticut. The list can be found here.

Comments | 37,042 Views

By Connor Simpson

Dec 15, 2012

What's So Wrong with SantaCon?

SantaCon is an annual pub crawl where everyone dresses up like Mr. or Mrs. Claus. You would think it's fun and popular, but the most vocal sentiment online is that Santacon is the worst part of the holidays. 

Comments | 12,199 Views

By Connor Simpson

Dec 15, 2012

Hillary Clinton Won't Testify on Benghazi Because She Has a Concussion

Oh, gosh, the uproar this caused! We learned today that Hillary Clinton took a little tumble this week and she hit her head. Now she can't testify at her Benghazi hearing as scheduled. 

Comments | 12,242 Views

By Connor Simpson

Dec 15, 2012

Gunman Opens Fire in Alabama Hospital

During a moment when the gun control debate is at the forefront of everyone's minds, the reports of a shooting in an Alabama hospital early Saturday morning aren't helping anything. 

Comments | 24,089 Views

By Connor Simpson

Dec 15, 2012

Nancy Lanza Reportedly Wasn't a Teacher at Sandy Hook Elementary

There are conflicting reports as to whether Nancy Lanza, the mother of suspected Newtown shooter Adam Lanza, was actually a teacher at Sandy Hook Elementary.

Comments | 46,900 Views

By Connor Simpson

Dec 15, 2012

These Are Some of the Heroes from Newtown

As details emerge about what happened inside Sandy Hook Elementary Friday morning, we're beginning to be able to piece together a narrative, and see who was responsible for preventing any further harm.

Comments | 27,819 Views

By Connor Simpson

Dec 13, 2012

Beyond John Kerry: The Secretary of State Candidates Now That Rice Is Out

It's got to be Kerry, right? Well, yes, probably. But speculation also puts some other options in front of the president between now and whenever Hillary Clinton steps down — including, but not limited to, her husband.

Comments | 3,425 Views

By Connor Simpson

Dec 13, 2012

Can Wal-Mart Save the Twinkie?

Hope exists and prayer works. Hostess is going through the bankruptcy motions, and one of the rumured parties interested in saving our precious Twinkies is the big blue retail box store Wal-Mart.

Comments | 1,950 Views

By Connor Simpson

Dec 13, 2012

How Petitions Became the White House Comments Section

As transparent as the web-friendly Obama administration wants to be, this whole suggestion-box business is pretty useless. Becaue nobody actually wants the U.S. to build a Death Star.

Comments | 1,379 Views

By Connor Simpson

Dec 13, 2012

Did 'Gangnam Style' Just Kill This Man?

A 46-year-old aged British man collapsed at a Christmas party over the weekend, complaining of chest pain after performing the song's dance. Eamonn Kilbride was eventually rushed to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead on arrival.

Comments | 7,344 Views

By Connor Simpson

Dec 12, 2012

Jerry Brown Won't Let a Little Cancer Slow Him Down

California Gov. Jerry Brown has been diagnosed with prostate cancer, but he doesn't plan on letting it stop him from doing his job. Not even while he's getting radiotherapy.

Comments | 1,457 Views

By Connor Simpson

Dec 12, 2012

Wal-Mart and McDonalds CEOs Make More Than Their Employees Dream Of

We feel for you, burger-line cooks and retail workers of America. You do hero's work. But the men who run your giant employers, well, they make an alarming amount of money — especially when you put it in the context of your own paycheck.

Comments | 3,727 Views

By Connor Simpson

Dec 12, 2012

Look Out, Wall Street: Elizabeth Warren Is Coming for You

Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren was officially named to the Senate Banking Committee, and now anyone who is a Warren fan — or just a fan of Gordon Gekko looking more like the Geicho gecko — is officially excited to see what she does next. 

Comments | 1,384 Views

By Connor Simpson

Dec 12, 2012

Further Evidence That Climate Change Is Real: This Giant Glacier Breaking Apart

There's a video going around of a glacier splitting apart in Greenland. It's super cool to see in a very Planet Earth kind of way, but it's also pretty important. Here's why. 

Comments | 674 Views

By Connor Simpson

Dec 12, 2012

Mall Suspect Jacob Tyler Roberts Liked 'Shooting' on His Facebook Page

Authorities have identified the shooter and are saying they don't have a motive yet — that it was a random act of violence — but we stumbled across what appears to be his Facebook page and discovered, well, a lot of violent signs. 

Comments | 19,310 Views

By Connor Simpson

Dec 11, 2012

The Ikea Monkey Is Looking for a Home

There's a custody battle brewing between the owner of the Ikea monkey that went viral this weekend and the authorities that seized him after he went looking for cheap Swedish furniture.

Comments | 2,801 Views

By Connor Simpson

Dec 11, 2012

One Man Is Now Tweeting Every U.S. Drone Strike Known to Man

Josh Begley's little — or not so little — social media experiment is a chilling reminder of the vastness that has been this past decade in morally questionable killing.

Comments | 5,014 Views

By Connor Simpson

Dec 11, 2012

Multiple UFO Sightings May or May Not Predict the Coming Apocalypse

Two alleged spottings on opposite coasts this week captured the attention of semi-local news sources and now people are actually talking about them. 

Comments | 13,992 Views

By Connor Simpson

Dec 11, 2012

You Can Carry a Gun in Every State Now

Illinois was the only state where it was illegal for Average (Licensed) Joes to carry a covered-up weapon in public — until Tuesday, when a federal appeals court struck down the last of America's concealed weapons bans.

Comments | 9,656 Views

By Connor Simpson

Dec 9, 2012

Meanwhile, in Canada, a Monkey in a Winter Coat Escapes in an IKEA...

What looks like someone's pet monkey escaped Sunday and terrorized a Toronto IKEA, all while wearing a very stylish winter coat. 

Comments | 77,243 Views

By Connor Simpson

Dec 9, 2012

Cliff Diving

Obama and Boehner Missed That Redskins Game to Negotiate the Cliff

Obama and Boehner met at the White House Sunday for an undisclosed amount of time and discussed an undisclosed amount of solutions.

Comments | 1,190 Views

By Connor Simpson

Dec 9, 2012

Box Office Report

How Did 'Skyfall' Get Back on Top?

Welcome to the Box Office Report where we're watching dreck like Red Dawn until the prestige pictures get here. 

Comments | 2,884 Views

By Connor Simpson

Dec 9, 2012

The Sunday Grind

Christine Lagarde Is Pretty Worried About This Fiscal Cliff

IMF head Christine Lagarde thinks this fiscal cliff thing is a pretty big deal; Tom Coburn thinks the Republicans should just give up already and let tax rates go up for the rich. 

Comments | 2,323 Views

By Connor Simpson

Dec 9, 2012

How Do We Tell If Hillary Is Running in 2016?

Everyone wants to know what Hillary Clinton's plan is. Like, literally everyone on earth. Newborn babies are asking, "what's Hillary doing in 2016?" before they can say "mom," or "dad." But the biggest clue as to whether she will make another White House run will be... if she does nothing. 

Comments | 4,011 Views

By Connor Simpson

Dec 9, 2012

Jamie Foxx Wants to Teach the President How to Dance

It's amazing what can happen when a Saturday Night Live host is as charismatic as Jamie Foxx. It helps that he has sketch comedy experience, but whatever, last's night's episode was alright. 

Comments | 2,113 Views

By Connor Simpson

Dec 9, 2012

Things Don't Look Good for Hugo Chavez

The normally upbeat Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez is taking his latest cancer diagnosis noticeably more serious than he did the last one. All signs are pointing to his health failing him very, very soon. 

Comments | 2,082 Views

By Connor Simpson

Dec 9, 2012

Mitt Romney Picks a Boxing Match for His First Post-Election Public Appearance

Mitt and Ann Romney have largely stayed out of the public eye since losing the election a little over a month ago. Last night they made their first public appearance together at a rather unlikely event -- a boxing match. 

Comments | 2,855 Views

By Connor Simpson

Dec 8, 2012

Egypt's President Morsi Cancels His All-Powerful Decree

So, it looks like Mohamed Morsi finally listened to his critics. Egypt's President has canceled his executive decree giving him power over the courts. 

Comments | 924 Views

By Connor Simpson

Dec 8, 2012

Twitter to Start War on Instagram In Time for Christmas

Holidays seem to be Instagram's bread and butter, so it makes sense that Twitter would fire their first shot in the war on Instagram when the app is at its most vulnerable. 

Comments | 2,716 Views

By Connor Simpson

Dec 8, 2012

John McAfee Wants to Come Home

Tired of blogging from jail, John McAfee would like nothing more than to pack his bags, ditch his young Belize girlfriend and return to the beautiful sandy, not behind bars, shores of Miami beach. 

Comments | 5,324 Views

By Connor Simpson

Dec 8, 2012

North Korea May Delay Rocket Launch 'For Some Reasons'

That rocket launch North Korea was preparing for may not happen after all. Apparently North Korean scientists are considering delaying the rocket launch, scheduled for some time between December 10 and December 22, "for some reasons."

Comments | 924 Views

By Connor Simpson

Dec 8, 2012

Why Morsi Considering Martial Law Matters

Things in Egypt are going to get a whole lot worse before they get any better. Presdient Mohamed Morsi is considering enacting martial law until the parliamentary elections in the spring, state-owned Al-Ahram reported Saturday

Comments | 2,414 Views

By Connor Simpson

Dec 8, 2012

Silvio Berlusconi Wants His Old (Soon to be Available) Job Back

Italians tabloid editors are probably jumping for joy right now. Silvio Berlusconi, the disgraced former Prime Minister of Italy, told reporters Saturday that he's ready to return to politics. 

Comments | 1,207 Views

By Connor Simpson

Dec 8, 2012

Watch Conan O'Brien Have a Serious Conversation with Cookie Monster Fan Nate Silver

Saturday mornings are sluggish and awful and you're just going to sleep in today anyway, so why not start your day with a serious conversation between Conan O'Brien and noted Cookie Monster fan, and occasional analytic genius, Nate Silver. 

Comments | 11,198 Views

By Connor Simpson

Dec 7, 2012

The F.C.C. Joins the Gadgets-on-Flights Fight

The calls are coming from inside the bureaucracy. The F.C.C. wants the F.A.A. to stop being a bunch of buzzkills and finally let us use our phones and tablets during takeoff. 

Comments | 1,552 Views

By Connor Simpson

Dec 7, 2012

Cliff Diving

The Fiscal Cliff Talks Might Be John Boehner's Last Stand as Speaker

If John Boehner fails to get a fiscal cliff deal done, a responsibility he's now put entirely on his own back, then he might have trouble on January 3rd when he's expected to be re-elected as Speaker of the House. A conservative group is angling to throw a monkey wrench in that process. 

Comments | 2,805 Views

By Connor Simpson

Dec 6, 2012

By Connor Simpson

Dec 6, 2012

This Girl Is Not Afraid of You and Will Beat You Up

So, amazingly, this afternoon the UFC crowned its first women's champion and signed its first openly gay fighter. 

Comments | 6,897 Views

By Connor Simpson

Dec 5, 2012

How High Was Snoop Dogg During His Reddit AMA?

Snoop Dogg — er, Snoop Lion is what he goes by now — stopped by Reddit to do an Ask Me Anything sessions this afternoon, and, if his answers are any indication, he was really, really high while doing it. Let's take a look.

Comments | 6,380 Views

By Connor Simpson

Dec 5, 2012

D.C. Can Drink Seven Days a Week Now

Those puritans in Washington, D.C., well, they're finally untying their bonnets and lifting the state's "Blue Laws" that restricted liquor stores from opening on Sunday, which means liquor stores can open on Sundays in D.C.

Comments | 5,609 Views

By Connor Simpson

Dec 5, 2012

Jan Brewer Punched a Reporter When He Asked About Climate Change

You've been warned: Confront Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer about global warming, and she will curse at you and, maybe, if you're lucky, she'll take a swing at you, too.

Comments | 16,151 Views

By Connor Simpson

Dec 4, 2012

Tim Heidecker Is the New Rolling Stone Editor, for Serious

In a surprise twist, Rolling Stone replaced managing editor Will Dana and founder Jann Wenner with Tim Heidecker of The Tim & Eric Awesome Show, Great Job! — and he's doing a very convincing job already.

Comments | 3,793 Views

By Connor Simpson

Dec 4, 2012

The Food Critic Who Top Chefs Love the Most Is...

In a new survey, The Daily Meal has asked some of America's top chefs to give some pointed criticism of the people paid to criticize them, and one came out on top.

Comments | 2,391 Views

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