Is Google Street View the New Nature Documentary?

Google

Google announced Thursday that they've taken their Street View cameras on a hiking trip around the Galapagos islands — above ground, and under water.

By Dashiell Bennett

Mar 1, 2013

Look Who's on Al Qaeda's Most-Wanted List

Al Qaeda has published the latest issue of its jihadist recruitment magazine Inspire, which includes a handy, up-to-date list of all the people they hate the most, including Terry Jones and Salman Rushdie.

Comments | 13,262 Views

By David Wagner

Mar 1, 2013

Today's Best

Five Best Friday Columns

Paul Krugman on Ben Bernanke vs. the man, Yochai Benkler on the Bradley Manning case, Jonathan DeHart on Dennis Rodman in North Korea, Michael O'Hanlon on intervention beyond Syria, and David Min on government-backed mortgages.

Comments | 1,207 Views

By Philip Bump

Mar 1, 2013

China's Bin Laden Almost Got Executed on a Two-Hour Primetime TV Special

It was the first time in decades Chinese state TV had shown the preparations for an execution, though it ended the broadcast just before the criminals' execution by lethal injection.

Comments | 2,242 Views

By Adam Clark Estes

Mar 1, 2013

Hugo Chávez Is Not Dead, But He's Close

Venezuela's vice president went on TV Thursday evening to bat back rumors that Hugo Chávez has died. He didn't do much to encourage the Venezuelan people about their president's health, either.

Comments | 5,000 Views

By J.K. Trotter

Feb 28, 2013

Stat of the Day

The Irish Are Gambling $7 Million on the Next Pope

Nobody knows for sure who will replace Pope Benedict XVI. But a lack of knowledge has never stopped people from gambling on uncertain outcomes, and thousands of people are placing bets, with real money, on potential candidates for the 267th leader of the Catholic Church.

Comments | 1,805 Views

By Alexander Abad-Santos

Feb 28, 2013

Kim Jong-un and Dennis Rodman's Basketball Bromance Is Strong

Vice has released the first pictures of Dennis Rodman and North Korea's Supreme Leader from their basketball date on Thursday — the first signs of the couple's apparent life-long friendship.

Comments | 2,198 Views

By Alexander Abad-Santos

Feb 28, 2013

Fukushima Radiation Is Only a 'Small' Cancer Risk, and That's the Scary Part

On the same day that Japan's prime minister declared the country would re-start nuclear reactors shut down in the wake of the 2011 Fukushima power-plant disaster, the World Health Organization released a report of the meltdown's lingering health effects — and it may say more about cancer in general than cancer from a nuclear accident.

Comments | 862 Views

By Dashiell Bennett

Feb 28, 2013

This Police Brutality Video Is Shocking South Africa

A disturbing video of taxi driver being dragged behind a vehicle by uniformed South African police officers — because of a parking violation — has outraged even a country known for horrifying acts of police brutality.

Comments | 4,705 Views

By David Wagner

Feb 28, 2013

Today's Best

Five Best Thursday Columns

Alex Pareene on Woodward's weird sequester statements, Ezra Klein on better budgeting, Adam Serwer on the Supreme Court's racism blindness, Charles Blow on the Voting Rights Act, and Boris Muñoz on Chavez's would-be successors. 

Comments | 2,904 Views

By Alexander Abad-Santos

Feb 28, 2013

China Says U.S. Is on Offense in Hacking Attacks on Defense Ministry

Ten days to the day that cyber security firm Mandiant released a blistering report on China's state-sponsored sustained hacking of the United States's vital infrastructure and top companies, the Chinese Ministry of Defense has its own report about the U.S. hacking two vital military sites.

Comments | 345 Views

By J.K. Trotter

Feb 28, 2013

Jon Stewart Plans an Intervention for Italy

After contemplating the country's recent woes — the recent resignation of Pope Benedict XVI plus the meltdown of Italy's election for Prime Minister — the Daily Show host offered some advice, and condemnation, to Italians, a third of whom voted for Silvio Berlusconi, the perpetually scandalized politician.

Comments | 517 Views

By Dashiell Bennett

Feb 28, 2013

U.S. Steps Up Support for the Syrian Rebels, but Still Won't Arm Them

New Secretary of State John Kerry met with leaders of the Syria opposition today and pledged the United States to increased assistance for the rebels—but only the "nonlethal" kind.

Comments | 345 Views

By Adam Clark Estes

Feb 27, 2013

Don't Believe the Report About Hugo Chávez's Death Just Yet

On Wednesday night, one of the more obscure outposts of the CNN empire reported that Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez had died, citing a pretty sketchy Panamanian source.

Comments | 47,886 Views

By David Wagner

Feb 27, 2013

Today's Best

Five Best Wednesday Columns

Dana Milbank on Hagel's confirmation, Sheila Bair on why the GOP should care about income inequality, Richard Karlgaard on Wal-Mart's dipping sales, Simon Jenkins on Europe's resurgent populism, and Mathew Ingram on new anti-piracy rules. 

Comments | 1,724 Views

By Alexander Abad-Santos

Feb 27, 2013

Dennis Rodman's North Korea Trip Isn't Making North Korea Any Less Anti-U.S.

He's on a mission with the Harlem Globetrotters for "basketball diplomacy," but North Korea claimed its nuclear weapons were "within the range" of the United States the morning after he arrived.

Comments | 1,671 Views

By David Wagner

Feb 26, 2013

Michael Moore Breaks Down Buzzfeed's Mistakes on Emad Burnat's LAX Debacle

In statements made exclusively to The Atlantic Wire, Michael Moore and Emad Burnat say the Palestinian filmmaker's detainment by LAX customs officials on his way to the Oscars was anything but a "publicity stunt," as a deeply flawed BuzzFeed report based on a single anonymous source characterized the incident.

Comments | 12,242 Views

By David Wagner

Feb 26, 2013

This Titanic Replica Could Sink Just Like the Original

For an as-of-yet unnamed price, you too can board a massive luxury ocean liner much like the Titanic for its maiden voyage in 2016. And just as it was on that fateful journey, you too could go down with the ship, according to designs unveiled today.

Comments | 1,897 Views

By Dashiell Bennett

Feb 26, 2013

Nuclear Negotiators Agree on Wrestling, Not Much Else

American and Iranian diplomats took a controversial nuclear-proliferation summit as an opportunity to bond the Olympic committee's decision to pull greco-roman and freestyle wrestling from future Olympic Games. Yeah, the nuclear talks ended pretty quickly.

Comments | 345 Views

By J.K. Trotter

Feb 26, 2013

The Pope's New Shoes End the Papal High-End Fashion Truther Movement

B16, who plans to resign on February 28, will trade the red, shiny, and expensive-looking slippers for a pair of pedestrian brown loafers presented to him by a Mexican shoemaker. Can we quit it with the Prada Pope rumors now?

Comments | 4,573 Views

By David Wagner

Feb 26, 2013

Today's Best

Five Best Tuesday Columns

Joanne Bamberger on Silicon Valley's working moms, Jonathan Cohn on the inevitable sequester, Jeffrey Toobin on Pistorius' likely plea bargain, Hussein Banai on Iran's refusal to talk, and Arthur Levitt on an SEC failure.

Comments | 1,207 Views

By Philip Bump

Feb 26, 2013

Satellites Show North Korea's Prison Camps Expanding Under Kim Jong-Un

An analysis of satellite images suggests that at least one North Korean prison camp has been significantly expanded over the past decade, including since the death of former premier Kim Jong-Il.

Comments | 3,291 Views

By Dashiell Bennett

Feb 26, 2013

Some Republicans Come Out in Favor of Same-Sex Marriage

At least 75 prominent Republicans, including two sitting members of Congress, will file a brief with the Supreme Court this week defending the idea that same-sex couples have a constitutional right to marry.

Comments | 5,345 Views

By Adam Clark Estes

Feb 25, 2013

Saudi Arabia's Buying Yugoslavian Guns for the Syrian Rebels

A steady stream of weapons from the Balkan has been flowing across the border and into Syrian rebels hands since December, thanks to some clandestine assistance from Saudi Arabia.

Comments | 1,163 Views

By Dashiell Bennett

Feb 25, 2013

Italy's Close Election Could Give Way to Chaos

The results will not only decide who controls a new government but how the country will continue to deal with economic crisis at home and across Europe. And depending on which way things swing, Rome could end up even more divided than Washington.

Comments | 862 Views

By David Wagner

Feb 25, 2013

Today's Best

Five Best Monday Columns

Paul Krugman on elections in austere Italy, Mathew Ingram on Google re-upping a nasty Nascar video, Tom Gross on the UN and modern-day slavery, Gordon Chang on Foxconn's exit from China, and Timothy Lee on Comcast as a threat.  

Comments | 1,552 Views

By Dashiell Bennett

Feb 25, 2013

Horse Meat Found In Ikea's Famous Swedish Meatballs

Ikea stores in Europe have halted the sale of their iconic cafeteria dish after it was discovered that stores in the Czech Republic were serving some their famous Swedish Meatballs that had been tainted by horse meat.

Comments | 1,035 Views

By Dashiell Bennett

Feb 25, 2013

Britian's Top Catholic Cardinal Resigns Amid New Scandal

The Archbishop of Edinburgh, Cardinal Keith O'Brien, has been forced to resign just days before the Pope Benedict XVI steps down, leaving Great Britain without a representative at the upcoming papal conclave.

Comments | 9,828 Views

By Adam Clark Estes

Feb 24, 2013

Cyber Attacks Sound Scarier When You Call Them the New Cold War

The New York Times is the latest media outlet to liken the quiet standoff between the United States and China over cyber security to "a new Cold War."

Comments | 345 Views

By Adam Clark Estes

Feb 24, 2013

Afghanistan Just Banned U.S. Troops from an Entire Province

Afghanistan's National Security Council ordered all NATO and American troops out of the Wardak province on Sunday, following allegations that American Special Operations forces tortured and murdered locals.

Comments | 2,931 Views

By Adam Clark Estes

Feb 24, 2013

Can You Imagine Cuba Without a Castro?

Raul Castro announced in a speech on Sunday that he plans to step down as Cuba's president when his second five-year term ends in 2018.

Comments | 517 Views

By Connor Simpson

Feb 24, 2013

Meet Carl, the Other Pistorius Accused of Killing Someone

The Pistorius family are going to be court room regulars before the year is through. Besides little brother Oscar's murder case, another Pistorius sibling is facing murder charges in South Africa. Oscar's big brother Carl is being charged with culpable homicide, too. 

Comments | 4,495 Views

By Connor Simpson

Feb 23, 2013

So, North Korea Phoned the U.S. and Didn't Have Anything Nice to Say

It's rare that our friends from North Korea actually pick up the phone and give the ol' U.S. a call. But according to reports in their local media that's exactly what they did. Oh, and did we mention it was to warn the U.S. they would meet a "miserable destruction"? 

Comments | 19,140 Views

By Dashiell Bennett

Feb 22, 2013

The Oscar Pistorius Trial Is O.J. Déjà Vu All Over Again

It didn't take long for the Oscar Pistorius case to be compared to the story of another famous athlete who went on trial for murdering a loved one. Naturally, that was the news media's cue to call up the old gang from the O.J. Simpson trial and see what they think about it.

Comments | 3,928 Views

By Dashiell Bennett

Feb 22, 2013

The Indian Twin Bomb Was No Surprise

The day after 16 people were killed by a pair of bombs in the city of Hyderabad, Indian officials admitted they had received a warning about terrorist activity from British intelligence just two days earlier, but weren't able stop the attack, which may have a connection to the Mumbai massacres.

Comments | 819 Views

By Alexander Abad-Santos

Feb 22, 2013

Did a Secret Vatican Report on Gay Sex and Blackmail Bring Down the Pope?

According to the Italian paper La Repubblica, the real reason Pope Benedict XVI resigned lies in a 300-page Vatican dossier that allegedly found an underground network of high-ranking gay clergy, complete with sex parties and shady dealings with the Vatican bank. Here's what we know.

Comments | 65,550 Views

By David Wagner

Feb 22, 2013

Today's Best

Five Best Friday Columns

Paul Krugman on sequestration shenanigans, Heather McRobie on urging Obama to shut down Keystone XL, Michael Daly on cyberwarfare preparedness, Steve Hess on the elusive Chinese Spring, and Ryan Avent on the inflation we need.

Comments | 1,035 Views

By Alexander Abad-Santos

Feb 22, 2013

Did Wikileaks Help Kill the World's Most Powerful Drug Lord?

Guatemalan officials are still trying to confirm if Joaquín 'El Chapo' Guzman, one of the world's most powerful drug lords, died during a gunfight in Peten, Guatemala near the Mexican border, but there's a curious Wikileaks wrinkle to this case.

Comments | 7,115 Views

By Dashiell Bennett

Feb 22, 2013

Oscar Pistorius Is Granted Bail

After a four-day hearing laying out the evidence, the judge in the Oscar Pistorius murder case has agreed to let the accused be released on bail.

Comments | 5,690 Views

By Alexander Abad-Santos

Feb 22, 2013

The FBI Has a Sexting Problem Among Its Agents

An internal disciplinary report obtained by CNN shows how the FBI has had to either suspend or fire numerous employees for things like sexting, spying on their bosses, and getting "happy endings" at a massage parlor.

Comments | 5,829 Views

By Adam Clark Estes

Feb 21, 2013

The Perks of Working for Hezbollah

The trial of a clandestine Hezbollah operative in Cyprus is shedding light on the inner workings of what many believe to be the organization's terrorist activities. But even being a terrorist has its perks.

Comments | 2,880 Views

By Adam Clark Estes

Feb 21, 2013

India's Brutal Rape Problem Is Beyond Out of Hand

Police hesitated after three sisters aged five, nine and 11 went missing on Valentine's Day in a remote Indian village. Two days later, the girls were found raped, murdered and dumped in a well.

Comments | 6,896 Views

By Dashiell Bennett

Feb 21, 2013

The State of the Gun Laws Is Gridlocked

More than a week after President Obama demanded that gun violence victims "deserve a vote" on new legislation, members of Congress across the country don't appear to be budging, from Connecticut to Colorado.

Comments | 1,450 Views

By Dashiell Bennett

Feb 21, 2013

Inspectors Find Major Iran Nuclear Move Ahead of Talks

A week after being sent home from Tehran empty-handed, U.N. nuclear inspectors have revealed that Iran has being installing new centrifuges at their main nuclear plant, a clear act of defiance ahead of an upcoming round of talks.

Comments | 1,440 Views

By Dashiell Bennett

Feb 21, 2013

Bombs Across Hyderabad in Apparent Terrorist Attack

Reports say that as many as 15 people have been killed, though the number of dead and injured could rise considerably as rescuers and first responders sort through the chaotic scene.

Comments | 2,242 Views

By David Wagner

Feb 21, 2013

Today's Best

Five Best Thursday Columns

Ezra Klein on Simpson-Bowles redux, Jonathan Cohn on the inevitably growing budget, Richard Weitz on Obama's second turn toward Asia, George Will on solitary confinement as torture, and Meghan Daum on Vassar's Westboro deflection. 

Comments | 1,379 Views

By Alexander Abad-Santos

Feb 21, 2013

Massive Car Bomb Kills at Least 31 in Damascus

Just one day after Russia and the Arab League proposed to facilitate talks between President Bashar al Assad's government and Syrian opposition forces, a massive car bomb has detonated in the heart of Damascus—right where the Russian embassy is located. 

Comments | 1,035 Views

By Dashiell Bennett

Feb 21, 2013

Lead Cop In Oscar Pistorius Case Charged with Attempted Murders

The already bizarre case of Oscar Pistorius took another unbelievable turn when it was revealed that the lead police investigator is facing his own criminal charges for attempted murder.

Comments | 3,339 Views

By Adam Clark Estes

Feb 20, 2013

Egypt's Fighting Palestinian Smugglers with Sewage

So this is pretty gross. Egypt's long struggled with ways to block a series of tunnels that bring some 30 percent of all goods, including guns, into Gaza so they got creative. They're using raw sewage.

Comments | 3,839 Views

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