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

Jul 12, 2012

Romney Used His Bermudan Company to Invest in Chinese Outsourcing

The Romney-as-outsourcer drum bangs on. Mother Jones reports Romney invested millions of dollars in a Chinese company that relied almost entirely on outsourcing while at Bain Capital, and invested with his Bermudan company as well

Comments | 2,484 Views

By Connor Simpson

Jul 11, 2012

California Towns Are Disappearing

California maps could be emptier the next time you buy a map, whenever that might be. Three towns have filed for bankruptcy over the last month, and now some are expecting smaller towns could just... disappear. 

Comments | 2,477 Views

By Connor Simpson

Jul 11, 2012

Everything to Know About the Dan Harmon, Charlie Kaufman Kickstarter

If anyone had "start a Kickstarter" in the "what is Dan Harmon going to do after Community?" pool, please come collect your winnings. Harmon is teaming up with Community's Starburns to produce a movie written by a very little known writer named, oh, Charlie Kaufman. 

Comments | 998 Views

By Connor Simpson

Jul 11, 2012

Jesse Jackson Jr. Located: Rehab

Missing Congressman Jesse Jackson Jr. has been found. He's in rehab, but there are conflicting reports over what he's seeking treatment for. NBC's Andrea Mitchell reports Jackson is being treated for alcoholism and addiction, but his office says he's being treated for a mood disorder. 

Comments | 5,202 Views

By Connor Simpson

Jul 11, 2012

Mayor Bloomberg Has No Idea How Many Terrorist Plots the NYPD's Foiled

New York's Mayor Michael Bloomberg says we'll never, ever know how many terrorist plots the New York Police Department actually stopped because the number could be between 1 and 100.

Comments | 948 Views

By Connor Simpson

Jul 10, 2012

Camping Comic-Con 'Twilight' Fan Dies Trying to Keep Her Place in Line

A 53-year-old Twilight fan who spent the last two days waiting in line for Thursday's Twilight Comic-Con panel was tragically killed when she tried to cross the street on Tuesday morning. 

Comments | 2,668 Views

By Connor Simpson

Jul 10, 2012

An Investigation of the 'Arrested Development' Writer's Room

Ron Howard is a wonderful, charitable man for tweeting this picture from the Arrested Development writer's room. But what can we learn from it? This is our forensic investigation of the Arrested Development writer's room based on one blurry cell phone picture:

Comments | 1,267 Views

By Connor Simpson

Jul 10, 2012

Disney Is Totally OK With Kin Jong-Un Using Their Stuff

We've been busy gossiping about Kim Jong-Un's new lady friend, who may or may not still have a husband and child, but we've also quietly wondering how Disney would respond to Kim using, like, all of their characters for a stage show. The answer: they're thrilled. 

Comments | 298 Views

By Connor Simpson

Jul 8, 2012

Romney Campaign Shocked Democrats Would Question Offshore Accounts

The Romney campaign was so offended when Democrats used the Sunday talk shows to question Romney's Swiss bank account, but then the Obama campaign fired a catty response right back. These two are fighting and gossiping like high school girls. 

Comments | 6,268 Views

By Connor Simpson

Jul 8, 2012

Taliban Member Reportedly Executes Woman for Adultery

There's a disturbing new video of Taliban forces in Afghanistan shooting and killing a woman at point blank range for allegedly committing adultery with two Taliban members. 

Comments | 5,174 Views

By Connor Simpson

Jul 8, 2012

Your Plane Was Delayed Because the Tarmac Melted

No one likes airport delays. We want to get where we're going as quickly as possible, please and thank you. But one plane on its way from Reagan National Airport to Charleston, South Carolina faced an extremely bizarre delay when it couldn't take off because the tarmac had melted. 

Comments | 3,232 Views

By Connor Simpson

Jul 8, 2012

Box Office Report

'The Amazing Spider-Man' Always Wins

Welcome back to the Box Office Report where we are welcoming our new, sticky box office overlord. 

Comments | 1,207 Views

By Connor Simpson

Jul 8, 2012

The Sunday Grind

Democrats Launch Offensive on Romney's Offshore Accounts

Democrats came out swinging on Sunday, taking coordinated shots across the Sunday shows at Romney's questionable offshore finances, while poor Bobby Jindal was left to defend Romney. 

Comments | 6,207 Views

By Connor Simpson

Jul 8, 2012

Barney Frank Is the First Married, Openly Gay Congressman

Barney Frank became the first sitting member of Congress to enter into a same sex marriage on Saturday evening. Frank married Jim Ready, who he's been with since 2007, and The New York Times gave them the full nuptial treatment.

Comments | 3,074 Views

By Connor Simpson

Jul 8, 2012

Doctors Have First Clue in Cambodia Kid Disease Mystery

Doctors have discovered their first lead in figuring out what is causing the deaths of an alarming amount of children in Cambodia.

Comments | 13,259 Views

By Connor Simpson

Jul 8, 2012

Google Wants to Legalize Same Sex Marriage Worldwide

Bravo, Google. The tech giant announced a new campaign to legalize same sex marriage across the world at an LGBT conference on Saturday.

Comments | 23,652 Views

By Connor Simpson

Jul 7, 2012

A Beginner's Guide to Last Night's Big UFC Fight

We see it as our guide to make sure you're up to date around the water cooler, so we're going to give you a quick layman's guide to Saturday's big UFC main event between Anderson Silva and Chael Sonnen so you sound like you know what you're talking about Monday morning.

Comments | 8,104 Views

By Connor Simpson

Jul 7, 2012

The Cruise-Holmes Divorce Nightmare Might Be Over Soon

We all thought the divorce between Katie Holmes and Tom Cruise would take forever, or at least be extremely difficult, but their lawyers are in New York negotiating the old fashioned way. 

Comments | 14,484 Views

By Connor Simpson

Jul 7, 2012

The Obama Campaign Changed Their Answer About Health Care Fundraising

When Romney's campaign made such a big deal over the donations they received the day SCOTUS ruled the Affordable Care Act was constitutional, the Obama campaigned stayed tightlipped. But something's changed, and now they're claiming they out-raised the GOP juggernaut. 

Comments | 1,227 Views

By Connor Simpson

Jul 7, 2012

Freeh Investigation Won't Be Kind to Joe Paterno

Apparently when the Freeh Group unveils their long-awaited investigation into Penn State's handling of Jerry Sandusky next week, it won't be good for the legacy of Joe Paterno.

Comments | 3,788 Views

By Connor Simpson

Jul 7, 2012

Ron Perlman Fulfills Scariest Make-A-Wish Request Ever

It's not every day the Make-A-Wish foundation gets a request to meet a fictional demon summoned to the earth by Nazis, but one little boy's strange wish came true thanks to actor Ron Perlman.

Comments | 5,002 Views

By Connor Simpson

Jul 7, 2012

Kofi Annan Admits His Peace Plans for Syria Have Failed

On the same day that reports of violence in Syria is spilling to its neighboring countries, Kofi Annan admitted that the U.N.'s efforts to bring peace to Syria have failed.

Comments | 862 Views

By Connor Simpson

Jul 7, 2012

The U.S. and Afghanistan Are Best Friends Now

Ten years can change a lot. In the ongoing effort to build a relationship with Afghanistan, Hilary Clinton said the country is officially America's newest ally.

Comments | 454 Views

By Connor Simpson

Jul 6, 2012

What NBC Learned from the Ann Curry Debacle

NBC might have learned something from the horribly stupid way they handled Ann Curry's Today Show departure. When there are reports one of your personalities is going to get fired, immediately deny it, even if there's some truth to it. Deny. Deny. Deny.

Comments | 7,242 Views

By Connor Simpson

Jul 6, 2012

Tech Writer Successfully Inceptions Tech Blogosphere

MG Siegler casually mentioned he used to plant "sometimes false" information into his stories as a way to catch people rewriting his stuff, but now he's being coy over whether that was true or if it was a piece of false information he threw out to mess with the tech blogosphere. 

Comments | 2,621 Views

By Connor Simpson

Jul 5, 2012

Mitt Romney Is Going on a Foreign Policy Vacation

The Romney campaign is finalizing the plans for a quick little jaunt across the world at the end of this month to make a big foreign policy push.

Comments | 1,086 Views

By Connor Simpson

Jul 5, 2012

Author, New York Times Make Up After They Misread His Book

Patrick Somerville was devastated when his wife read him the New York Times' negative review of his latest book, until he noticed the reviewer screwed up part of the plot that would have completely changed her perception of the book. 

Comments | 1,761 Views

By Connor Simpson

Jul 4, 2012

Last Magnotta Mystery Solved: The Head Has Been Found

The last missing mystery of the Luka Magnotta puzzle has been solved. Montreal police have confirmed a human head found in Angrignon Park in Montreal belongs to Jun Lin, the man Magnotta dismembered and shipped across the country.

Comments | 690 Views

By Connor Simpson

Jul 4, 2012

Hip Hop and Homosexuality: Frank Ocean's Coming Out Worries Us

It's already been a big week for the gay community, but there's another name to add to this week's coming out list: hip-hop and R&B star Frank Ocean.

Comments | 12,201 Views

By Connor Simpson

Jul 4, 2012

Solving a Mystery: Officials Agree to Exhume Yasser Arafat's Body

In an effort to solve the mystery once and for all, Palestinian officials have agreed to exhume Yasser Arafat's body to see if they can determine whether or not he was poisoned.

Comments | 517 Views

By Connor Simpson

Jul 4, 2012

Chart of the Day

Who Are the Most Compatible Supreme Court Judges?

Do you remember compatibility tests you'd do in junior high or high school to see which of your classmates you were best suited to be your significant other? Yeah, the Washington Post took that idea and applied it to the Supreme Court

Comments | 2,103 Views

By Connor Simpson

Jul 4, 2012

The Heat Is Really Starting to Bug Politicians

It's been hot recently, and that's especially hard on politicians who are expected to spend their day in suits speaking outside. How are they supposed to keep their cool in this kind of weather? They keep cursing, snapping or generally sounding stupid. 

Comments | 4,587 Views

By Connor Simpson

Jul 4, 2012

A Romney Family Vacation Scrapbook

We already know about the Romney Olympics, the annual fourth of July family competition that can get pretty competitive, but we wondered what else the Romney family likes to do while on vacation at their New Hampshire home. So, we did some digging and found out.

Comments | 8,131 Views

By Connor Simpson

Jul 4, 2012

Original Phone Hacker Ordered to Name Names

The British phone hacking scandal is going to potentially explode in the next three weeks. The private investigator at the heart of the scandal has been ordered to name who commissioned him to intercept voicemail messages for Rupert Murdoch's now-closed News of the World

Comments | 551 Views

By Connor Simpson

Jul 4, 2012

CERN Scientists Pretty Sure They've Found the Higgs Boson

The Atlas and CMS teams presented their data separately in Melbourne on Wednesday, but both concluded they've discovered a new particle consistent with what they think to be a Higgs boson at a sensitivity level of sigma 5, the "gold standard" for discoveries.

Comments | 2,410 Views

By Connor Simpson

Jul 4, 2012

Congratulations, We Wasted a Billion Hours on Netflix in June

Turns out we're not the only one who enjoys sitting around all day Netflixing in our pajamas. Netflix CEO Reed Hastings said people watched over 1 billion hours of content on the streaming site during the month of June alone. 

Comments | 2,192 Views

By Connor Simpson

Jul 3, 2012

DOJ Wants SCOTUS to Take On Defense of Marriage Act Next

Obama is following up on the goal he set in May to finally repeal the Defense of Marriage Act. The Department of Justice is asking the Supreme Court to hear appeals for two different cases to finally decide whether or not DOMA is constitutional. 

Comments | 1,976 Views

By Connor Simpson

Jul 3, 2012

Meeting of Syrian Opposition Groups Ends with Fist Fights

How can Kofi Annan expect to form a unified government in Syria when meetings of the Syrian opposition end with women crying and fights breaking out?

Comments | 857 Views

By Connor Simpson

Jun 30, 2012

Hillary Clinton Sees No Place for Assad in Syria's Future

The biggest question surrounding Kofi Annan's new plan for a unified government in Syria that he debuted on Saturday is whether Bashar al-Assad will be included. Hillary Clinton, for one, doesn't think so.

Comments | 826 Views

By Connor Simpson

Jun 30, 2012

The Internet Wants to Send Pitbull to an Alaskan Walmart

A promotional campaign to send Miami rapper Pitbull to the town that could get the most Facebook "likes" for their local Walmart has been ruined, for the better, by two goons who started a campaign to send him to Alaska.

Comments | 3,624 Views

By Connor Simpson

Jun 30, 2012

NBC News Chief Slams The New York Times Over Curry Coverage

The head of NBC News called out The New York Times for their recap of Ann Curry's Today Show goodbye that featured a description of a video package that never aired during the episode. 

Comments | 19,043 Views

By Connor Simpson

Jun 30, 2012

You Could Earn $0 Working for the White House

At the White House, David M. Kaden is a senior policy advisor, and Andrew Parker is a special assistant. Neither receive an official pay check signed by the President. They make $0 per annum. You could do it too!

Comments | 2,931 Views

By Connor Simpson

Jun 30, 2012

The NFL's New Mic'd Up App Is a PR Nightmare Waiting to Happen

The NFL is making efforts to improve the live experience of seeing a professional football game, but one of their big ideas is to make an app that lets you listen to players hooked up with microphones on the field. Does this seem like an obviously bad idea to anyone else? 

Comments | 1,552 Views

By Connor Simpson

Jun 30, 2012

Joe Paterno Reportedly Played Major Role in Penn State Cover-Up

CNN has reportedly been informed of the contents of emails between top Penn State officials that allege a cover-up of a 2001 incident involving Jerry Sandusky, and the messages seem to implicate that it was Joe Paterno's idea to not report Sandusky. 

Comments | 55,815 Views

By Connor Simpson

Jun 30, 2012

Thunder Storms Kill 4, Leave Millions Without Power

A heat wave coupled with thunder showers and high winds wreaked havoc across eight states Friday evening, and in the aftermath millions have been left without power and four people are reported dead. 

Comments | 5,615 Views

By Connor Simpson

Jun 29, 2012

Mitt Romney Raises $3 Million After Health Care Ruling

The Romney campaign is turning the Supreme Court's health care ruling into serious cash, raising $3.2 million since Thursday morning.

Comments | 1,115 Views

By Connor Simpson

Jun 29, 2012

Santorum Attacks Romneycare and Obamacare On CNN

Rick Santorum managed to jab at both Mitt Romney and President Obama and their respective health care bills during his appearance on CNN's Piers Morgan Tonight Thursday evening. 

Comments | 1,035 Views

By Connor Simpson

Jun 28, 2012

DSK's Wife Is Finally Leaving Him

After more than a year of her husband being embroiled in sex scandal after sex scandal, Anne Sinclair is finally leaving Dominique Strauss-Kahn.

Comments | 10,558 Views

By Connor Simpson

Jun 28, 2012

Edgar Wright Will Direct the Best Marvel Movie You'll Never See

Edgar Wright, beloved director Shaun of the DeadHot Fuzz and the Scott Pilgrim movie, is making a movie about a founding member of Marvel's Avengers, but you'll probably never see it. 

Comments | 1,614 Views

By Connor Simpson

Jun 28, 2012

Eric Holder Prepares for Contempt Vote with Barbecue

If you could choose how to spend the night before vote to hold you in contempt of Congress, would you go to a barbecue with the people who hold your fate in their hands? Eric Holder must really like hot dogs.

Comments | 1,636 Views

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