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.
Pope Francis I held his first audience with reporters Saturday morning since surprising everyone Wednesday as the choice to succeed departing Benedict as new Pope. He seemed to dazzle reporters with his humility and humor. Oh, one other thing: he really wants the church to go broke.
Three months after the death of a 23-year-old gang rape victim shocked India, a Swiss tourist who was brutally attacked and gang-raped in front of her husband is the latest in a long line of terrible attacks contributing to the country's "rape problem."
Just when you thought News International chief Rupert "Teflon Don" Murdoch might be powerful enough to beat the case, a suspect turned snitch is lighting a new fire under Murdoch's 2011 nightmares.
The recent reports about NBC's post-Leno plans were as surprising as they were interesting. As in, they kind of came out of nowhere. So it might make sense to hear that, behind the scenes, Leno has been feuding with one of the top executives at NBC.
So, just like the show Lost, we've now seen the white and black smoke, met our new leader, and yet we still have no idea how we got here, really. Which is to say: Pope watch is officially over, and thank God for that. Things got kind of embarrassing near the end.
Following the gruesome and very public death of 25-year-old snowmobiler Caleb Moore at the Winter X-Games in January, ESPN has decided to forego his controversial competition — not that they're acknowledging it.
It took a split decision from a federal appeals court on a gruesome case, but sodomy is finally legal in Virginia, even if holdouts remain in other states where local laws still take what's seen as an anti-gay stance to a landmark Supreme Court ruling.
As the world began to meet Jorge Mario Bergoglio, the 76-year-old virgin and Argentine Jesuit Cardinal with one lung who will be known as Pope Francis I, Catholics everywhere jumped and cried for joy. Here's the tale of celebration in St. Peter's Square, from smoke to wave.
Android just lost its head, but Google might have created a two-headed monster with its mobile and desktop platforms. The new boss has led most tech prognosticators to prognosticate that the two systems wille be unified as one.
From the White House to the Republican movement and Twitter to TV, Trump has been even more absurdly vocal than usual on politics of late, if that's even possible. And the worst part? Everyone's giving him a soapbox, and not just Fox News. Actually, the worst part is that this is all probably a ploy for Celebrity Apprentice ratings.
As pathetic as that may sound, it almost worked for Lindsay Lohan, and thanks to a push by star Kristen Bell and from the not-yet-jaded fans of the show that remain, the donations are coming in at a record-breaking rate. And, well, they have to.
Now that New York is getting used to soda as usual — which is to say, big — the war on sugary drinks moves to appeals court, where a potentially long legal battle will play out... and where Bloomberg's chance to revive his ban stands an uneven chance.
But don't worry, they are coming back: the new Hostess sale will put everyone's favorite processed guilty pleasure back on store shelves by summer. Those bakery jobs, well, yeah, they're not coming back.
The Koch brothers are reportedly considering a bid for the Tribune Company newspapers — focusing on the crown jewels of the L.A. Times and Chicago Tribune, or at least what jewels of power are left in the flailing newspaper industry — but they may face stiff competition in the form of a debt-free, full pocketed media power player named Rupert Murdoch.
In the dramatic conclusion of a trial as memorable for its being sickening as the kind of precedent it may set about fantasies of murder without follow-through, the New York City "Cannibal Cop" just got eaten by a federal jury.
Iranian media — propaganda versions and otherwise — is abuzz with reports that Iran's government, by way of Carlos the Jackal's French lawyer, is preparing to sue Hollywood over the "unrealistic portrayal" of Iranians in the Oscar-winning film.
As the winter-long controversy about gay rights and pro sports continues, the fastest growing sport in America finally may be advancing where the most popular still cannot: The Ultimate Fighting Championship is coming out in support of gay marriage outside the ring, and preemptively accepting gay fighters inside.
Either under the influence of small-business owners, soda-industry lobbyists, or people just frustrated with Michael Bloomberg, a New York judge effectively killed the city's controversial ban less than 12 hours before it was set to go into effect.
"We have no plans for Elisabeth to leave this show," Barbara Walters said at the top of Monday's show, ruining the collective schadenfreude built up since late Friday afternoon, when rumors quickly spread that Hasselbeck had been fired. Why hasn't she?
The Saturday Night Live ratings for Justin Timberlake's big fifth time came in this afternoon, and he delivered numbers the show hasn't seen since it had help from the NFL -- and that was a year and three months ago.
Let's put it out there: people wearing Google Glasses look weird. We're not used to seeing people with working computers for eyes. One Seattle bar took things a step further, though, by threatening to beat up anyone wearing the new eyewear. Google doesn't get what all the fuss is about.
Welcome to the Box Office Report, where James Franco opens at number one in our heart every week.
Jeb Bush shoots down 2016 questions from all six major Sunday talk shows, while also discussing his ever-evolving stance on immigration reform along the way. (Also: crack addicts.) And Paul Ryan discloses his new budget operates under the assumption Obamacare will be repealed.
Christine Quinn made the obvious official Sunday morning: she's going to run for Mayor of New York City. She will potentially be the first lady and first openly LBGT person to rule the city that never sleeps.
So, Justin Timberlake became the first person in the modern era to join the Five-Timers Club last night, both in the records books and in the fictional sketch world of Saturday Night Live. They brought out all the stops for the occasion, including old friends like... The Three Amigos?!
Occasionally, the job of the President is to tell jokes. He was tasked with being funny at a dinner party last night at the 128th annual Gridiron Club and Foundation dinner. It helps that he's not all that bad at it.
Based on the trailers for Star Trek: Into Darkness so far, you'd be forgiven for thinking the only actors in the sequel are Chris Pine, Benedict Cumberbatch, Alice Eve, and Chris Pine once more for good measure. So it's nice to see the rest of the Enterprise crew in the latest clip.
U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice may get the last laugh. Republicans won't be able to stop her from claiming her consolation prize, which, if a new report proves to be accurate, will be as the head of national security.
The September 2011 drone strike that killed American citizens Anwar al-Awlaki and Samir Kahn has been the focus of intense debate for the last three years. Now, thanks to a new report from The New York Times, we know how the U.S. concluded killing al-Awlaki was justifiable.
South by Southwest is a week long bacchanal gathering for bands, music writers, start-up bros, tech geeks, movie makers and critics. Essentially, the world's worst people gather in the same place to talk about stuff and get obliterated. Is that the right atmosphere for a cat, let alone a grumpy one?
An Egyptian court ruling Saturday morning infuriated fans of two rival soccer clubs, leading to protests from supporters from both teams that saw a police social club and the Egyptian soccer federation building lit on fire.
OK, not to be horrible and speculative, but tonight is Justin Timberlake's fifth time hosting NBC's Saturday Night Live, and that's a big deal. Tom Hanks once described the fifth time as "the most special of all," and, lo, Hanks and other five-timers may be making an appearance tonight.
Chuck Hagel's first visit to Afghanistan as Defense Secretary got off to a scary start as two separate suicide bomb attacks greeted him. One targeted Afghanistan's Defense Ministry, but, thankfully, Hagel was nowhere near the building at the time.
Julio Acevedo, the suspect wanted for the Brooklyn hit-and-run accident that killed a young Jewish couple and — less than 24 hours later — the baby born after the crash has turned himself into police, more than 80 miles from the crash site.
On Wednesday afternoon, despite Governor Mike Beebe's best intentions, the Arkansas House and Senate passed the most restrictive abortion law in the country — indeed, perhaps the greatest legal challenge to Roe v. Wade in its 40 years of existence. But abortion rights groups were waiting right outside the Capitol in Little Rock, ready with promises of an instant lawsuit.
It's really something: thorough federal advice for "LGBT individuals or families," even as the Supreme Court is on the verge of taking up the Defense of Marriage Act. This is progress, people.
There are so many revolving doors in NBC's late-night lineup right now that the latest rumors add up to such a stretch that they're almost good enough to be true.
If you would like something uplifting with your Wednesday, but also something heartbreaking, there is perhaps no better new long-form option than Jacob Bernstein's tribute to his late mother for The New York Times Magazine.
His death leaves a country and a region deeply divided and confused, but one of the most seemingly complex questions — who's next? — may end up being the easiest to anser: Despite a voluminous opposition movement, his successor looks like it will be Nicolas Maduro.
Armstrong's second interview since spilling the beans to Oprah is inside this week's Sports Illustrated, and the biggest nugget so far is that his first sit-down might not have been with the confession expert but the resident hero-worshipper at NBC News, which might have brought in bigger ratings.
He can't host The Daily Show forever. We'll get our first taste of extended life without the 14-year Comedy Central anchor this summer when he takes an unprecedented 12 weeks off to direct his first movie. Even Stewart himself called it "a little scary."
A group of seven Iowa Republicans are making waves for trying to ban "no fault" divorces, but their reasons can be concerning when you let them speak at length. It's all about the politics of women's pants, a problem that never seems to go away for Republicans on any level.
Republican lawmakers have tried and failed for years to urge presidents to pardon the legendary boxer. Today it looks like some key Democrats might help nudge President Obama once again.
Julio Acevedo may be a criminal with a long rap sheet and an indirect connection to a very famous rapper. He may even have returned to the scene of the crash the led to the death of a young Jewish couple — and, later, their just-born baby.
One of the best parts about crazy North Korea news is the way things are portrayed in their media. This was never more evident than in that awesome video of the North Korea anchorwoman announcing the rocket launch. But here, right now, we have another masterpiece of North Korean propaganda. This 15 minute news recap of Dennis Rodman's trip to Pyongyang is kind of amazing.
Embattled former Saturday Night Live star Chevy Chase was the one who convinced NBC News anchor Brian Williams to let his guard down, let us in, and have a little fun.
Yes, Queen Elizabeth II was hospitalized Sunday. Yes, she was experiencing symptoms of gastroenteritis, a stomach virus. But everyone can calm down, because it was only a precaution. She walked unassisted from the hospital to her car on Monday, and she's fine.
The story of a baby born after his parents were killed in a hit-and-run in New York City with the heartstrings of a city, a religious enclave, and maybe the entire Internet. Our faith in humanity was briefly restored, until Monday morning.
It can get better for you, too. Walmart Foundation head Sylvia Mathews Burwell will be announced as President Obama's new White House Office of Management and Budget nominee on Monday, according to a new Reuters report.
John Kerry announced the U.S. will give $250 million to Egypt on Sunday as a reward for President Mohammad Morsi's pledges for economic reform. If his government actually succeeds at reforming the country's economy, the U.S. will give him close to $1 billion.
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