Bridge Collapses in Washington State

via @hazhauler on Twitter

Late Thursday, a bridge over the Skagit River north of Seattle collapsed, taking at least two cars (and the people inside them) with it. 

By J.K. Trotter

May 6, 2013

The Jewelry Thief in the B Train Tunnel: How One Man Outran the NYPD in Cuffs

Vincens Vuktilaj turned the subway tunnels of Harlem from mass transit into a shutdown maze of escape after eluding policy custody on Monday — only to emerge five hours later, under a cab, still in handcuffs.

Comments | 604 Views

By Philip Bump

May 6, 2013

Chart of the Day

Solyndra Was This Much of an Outlier in the Energy Department's Portfolio

The latest data from the Department of Energy indicates that the same loan guarantee program which was roundly criticized after the failure of Solyndra has now created more than 20,000 jobs in clean energy, with several companies already paying back their obligations.

Comments | 1,610 Views

By Elspeth Reeve

May 6, 2013

The Air Force Sexual Assault Prevention Chief Arrested for Sexual Assault Looks Like He Got Beat to a Pulp for It

The officer in charge of the Air Force's sexual assault prevention office has been charged... with sexual assault, for allegedly grabbing a woman's breasts and butt in a parking lot. According to police, the woman fought him. And judging by the photo of his face, well, she beat him up.

Comments | 2,213 Views

By Alexander Abad-Santos

May 6, 2013

Nobody Hates Street Drummers More Than Helen Mirren

Today in viral videos: evidence from the streets of London that the Dame can do no wrong, a dog that will never give up, and the seven-month-old water skier who reminds us that the world is in good hands. 

Comments | 1,006 Views

By Rebecca Greenfield

May 6, 2013

Stat of the Day

Sex-Crazed Cicadas Will Soon Outnumber Humans 600-to-1

The very horny and very loud insects haven't arrived in full force for the Mid-Atlantic cicada sex invasion quite yet, but when they do, they will come with a huge body-count advantage over people, outnumbering us 600-to-1, or maybe even 20,000-to-1.

Comments | 6,472 Views

By Alexander Abad-Santos

May 6, 2013

The NFL Can't Stop Cutting Its 'Marginal' Gay Rights Advocates

The league's roster of outspoken gay rights supporters has been depleted, and just when the NFL appears to need them most: Football is preparing for its own Jason Collins moment, a week after the first major American team sport athlete came out. But were these less prominent voices released because of their loud voices on the NFL's big gay issues, or because they weren't good enough? And will the real Pro Bowlers please stand up?

Comments | 10,336 Views

By Alexander Abad-Santos

May 6, 2013

The Third Boston Bomber Buddy Is Out on Bail Because He's Just an Alleged Liar

Federal authorities have apparently determined that the biggest threat posed by 19-year-old Robel Phillipos now is telling dumb lies about visiting an alleged terrorist's dorm room, not fleeing a side investigation into how his pals threw out a backpack full of explosives.

Comments | 1,773 Views

By J.K. Trotter

May 6, 2013

Jason Collins' Ex-Fiancé Is Writing a Book That Howard Kurtz Should Read

Nobody told Kurtz, but four years before Collins came out of the closet, he was engaged to Carolyn Moos. And nobody told Moos that Collins was gay until a few days ago, but now she wants to tell — or at least sell — her story to the world.

Comments | 1,810 Views

By J.K. Trotter

May 6, 2013

Today's Best

Five Best Monday Columns

Jill Lawrence on bogus arguments against gun control, Nancy DiTomaso on how social networks affect black unemployment, Kelefa Sanneh on David Graeber's anarchy, Lisa Miller on NYU Abu Dhabi, and Marin Cogan on the intoxication of power.

Comments | 1,771 Views

By Alexander Abad-Santos

May 6, 2013

Benghazi Whistleblowers Reveal Their Clinton Cover-up Moment

At least one of three State Department witnesses at a Congressional hearing on Wednesday will testify that Hillary Clinton willfully ignored the advice of his counterterror group within the department, and that he has been threatened about saying as much in public, and that al-Qaeda was involved all along.

Comments | 11,853 Views

By Connor Simpson

May 5, 2013

The Curious Case of Burying Tamerlan Tsarnaev Anywhere but Cambridge

The funeral home where 26-year-old Boston bombing suspect Tamerlan Tsarnaev is having the hardest time finding somewhere to bury him. The city of Cambridge, Mass. where the Tsarnaev family settled when they came to the U.S. from Dagestan won't take him. 

Comments | 1,806 Views

By Connor Simpson

May 4, 2013

How Much Did Tamerlan Tsarnaev's Widow Know?

In an investigation that seems to go in a new direction every other day, some incriminating evidence is causing officials to take a deeper look into Katherine Russell, the 24-year-old of Tamerlan Tsarnaev. 

Comments | 5,207 Views

By Sara Morrison

May 3, 2013

Rappers Keep Getting Mountain Dew in Trouble

Mountain Dew has had a bad week in advertising.

Comments | 2,756 Views

By Alexander Abad-Santos

May 3, 2013

The One Drunk Joke You'll Like If You're Sober

Today in viral videos: a joke about chips to use this weekend, a fix for Walking Dead withdrawal, and the only Iron Man primer you need.

Comments | 4,534 Views

By Dashiell Bennett

May 3, 2013

Ari Fleischer Reminds Everyone Why Nazi Comparisons Are Never Good

You'd think people would learn by now to avoid ever invoking the Nazis to defend yourself in an argument, but the former Bush press secretary turned pundit probably wishes he could take his most recent CNN debate point back. 

Comments | 2,595 Views

By Rebecca Greenfield

May 3, 2013

Brooklyn Now Has a Park Named After Adam Yauch

The late Beastie Boy Adam Yauch (a.k.a MCA) has received the "ultimate honor for a kid from New York City" with a Brooklyn Heights park named after him as of Friday afternoon.

Comments | 1,997 Views

By Alexander Abad-Santos

May 3, 2013

Who Is Robel Phillipos, the Cambridge Buddy of Dzhokhar Tsaernev?

Robel Phillipos was the third name we heard on May 1, when the FBI announced that they had arrested three more suspects connected to the Boston bombings last month. Phillipos's past and character isn't as much of a mystery to us as fellow suspects Dias Kadyrbayev and Azamat Tazhayakov, but the question still remains, how did this former daycare worker turn into a suspect?

Comments | 7,587 Views

By J.K. Trotter

May 3, 2013

Today's Best

Five Best Friday Columns

Nussaibah Younis on the Iraqi prime minister, Pascal-Emmanuel Gobry on how to think about retirement, Marco Rubio on immigration reform, Jodi Jacobson on a "Gosnell Amendment," and Keguro Macharia on giving up.

Comments | 1,391 Views

By Philip Bump

May 3, 2013

Texas Fertilizer Plant Was the Target of 'Breaking Bad'-Style Meth Recipe Theft

In a plot more nefarious — and real — than Walt and Jessie's fictional run on methylamine, the plant that exploded two weeks ago was a frequent target of theft and sabotage. Not from farmers looking for free soil supplements, apparently, but from people looking to acquire one of the key ingredients for making methamphetamine.

Comments | 14,980 Views

By Dashiell Bennett

May 3, 2013

The Drudge Report Fell Hard for This Fake Bloomberg Pizza Revenge Story

For a few brief shining moments on Friday morning, The Drudge Report's splashy top story linked to a "news" report from The Daily Currant about New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg that is not even close to being true.

Comments | 37,169 Views

By Adam Clark Estes

May 2, 2013

When Pesticides Catch on Fire

Wildfire season is off to a troubling start in Ventura County, California, where a wildfire raged all day Thursday and burned at least 10 square miles, including a very toxic pesticide plant.

Comments | 1,193 Views

By Adam Clark Estes

May 2, 2013

Before Boston, the Tsarnaev Brothers Planned a Fourth of July Attack

As more details of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev's bedside interrogation leak out, we learned on Thursday night that the brothers originally planned a Fourth of July attack but built their bomb too quickly, leading them to consider another target.

Comments | 3,180 Views

By Adam Clark Estes

May 2, 2013

The Corrections on The New York Times' Williamsburg Trend Piece Are Delicious

Hope you're hungry for schadenfreude, because The New York Times's recent Thursday styles piece on "Will.i.amsburg" was not only laughable, it was incorrect. And somehow, so are the corrections.

Comments | 4,373 Views

By Adam Clark Estes

May 2, 2013

Ten Down, 40 to Go: Rhode Island Passes Gay Marriage Law

Rhode Island became the tenth state in the nation to legalize gay marriage on Thursday evening, when Governor Lincoln Chafee signed the recently passed bill into law. The final vote wasn't even close.

Comments | 1,581 Views

By Alexander Abad-Santos

May 2, 2013

Stat of the Day

3,026 More People Die from Suicide in America Each Year Than in Car Crashes

After an 11-year study, the CDC has come to a startling conclusion: more people now die in this country by their own hand than from car accidents. And an even more shocking discovery behind the jump — and perhaps a key to the way we think about suicide next — is how many of America's Baby Boomers are taking their own lives.

Comments | 2,981 Views

By Philip Bump

May 2, 2013

FBI Adds an African-American Woman from Queens to Most Wanted Terrorists List

For the first time, the FBI has added a woman to its "Most Wanted Terrorists" list. There are a number of caveats that temper that benchmark, including that Joanne Chesimard's crime is probably not the sort of terrorism that you might assume.

Comments | 2,385 Views

By Philip Bump

May 2, 2013

The Future of the Climate Debate Is in the Laboratories of Democracy

A key fight over efforts to curb climate change is happening in the relative anonymity of various state legislatures. Colorado just voted to increase its use of renewable energy. North Carolina voted to do the opposite. But only one side wins.

Comments

By Rebecca Greenfield

May 2, 2013

The Great East Coast Cicada Sex Invasion of 2013 Has Arrived

People of the Acela corridor: The time to prepare for four to six weeks of the little six-legged sexual power saws is over. People of America: The invasion is here. Prepare your backyards — and your ears.

Comments | 77,585 Views

By J.K. Trotter

May 2, 2013

Today's Best

Five Best Thursday Columns

Alex Pareene on Howard Kurtz's Jason Collins mistake, Matthew Yglesias on Medicaid in Oregon, Matthew K. Lewis on liberalism, Gary Marcus on replication in social psychology, and Daniel Henninger on Obama's permanent campaign.

Comments | 1,779 Views

By Alexander Abad-Santos

May 2, 2013

No, You're Not Too Fat to Ride New York City's New Bikes

If you weigh more than 260 lbs. you technically (the Department of Transportation won't "strictly" enforce this) aren't allowed to use one of New York City's nifty new shared bikes. Cue the outrage, cries of discrimination and, of course, a shameless New York Post picture of a very large man on a tiny bike. 

Comments | 2,569 Views

By Adam Clark Estes

May 1, 2013

The New York Times Just Published a Slideshow on How to Be a Will.i.amsburg Hipster

Oh no. It's happening again. The New York Times is discovering that Brooklyn is a popular place, and it's running trend pieces about how hipsters love the Williamsburg neighborhood therein. But this latest edition is more trollish than the others

Comments | 4,940 Views

By Philip Bump

May 1, 2013

Highly Questionable Poll Suggests 29% of U.S. Sees Urgent Need for Rebellion

PublicMind Polls released a doozy on Wednesday afternoon. According to their research, Americans generally want new gun laws. Oh, and a quarter of us see a conspiracy in the Sandy Hook shootings and three-in-ten think armed rebellion is imminently necessary.

Comments | 2,371 Views

By Philip Bump

May 1, 2013

North Dakota Has Way, Way, Way More Oil Than We Thought

The United States government drastically underestimated the amount of oil and natural gas in North Dakota and Montana. And its new estimates may still be too low.

Comments | 3,755 Views

By Rebecca Greenfield

May 1, 2013

The Banality of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev's LOL

The most ravenously picked apart teenage digital trail in the history of American terrorism got picked apart again Wednesday afternoon: If you unravel the criminal complaint against Tsarnaev's fellow 19-year-old friend, you'll find an instantly historic LOL. But LOL has lost its historical significance, and everybody needs to calm down with their investigative linguistics.

Comments | 24,609 Views

By Philip Bump

May 1, 2013

How Tsarnaev's Friends Allegedly Hid Boston Bombing Evidence: The Timeline

According to the criminal complaints filed against the three new suspects in the Boston bombing case, here's how they became involved in the entire affair.

Comments | 7,707 Views

By Philip Bump

May 1, 2013

New York's New Gun Laws May Crack Down on TV Violence

The people responsible for a large percentage of America's gun violence are worried that New York's strict new gun laws will severely affect them. Sounds good. Except that the people all work for Hollywood.

Comments | 988 Views

By Philip Bump

May 1, 2013

Why the Tsarnaev Classmate Arrests Were Bound to Happen, and What's Next

Three of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev's college classmates have apparently been arrested for aiding Tsarnaev after the bombings, and according to one veteran criminal defense lawyer, this is a common development. We spoke with Ron Kuby in an effort to learn how arrests like this happen — and how associates of alleged criminals might be implicated.

Comments | 7,282 Views

By Alexander Abad-Santos

May 1, 2013

Azamat Tazhayakov, Dias Kadyrbayev & Robel Phillipos: Meet the New Boston Suspects

It appears we've already been introduced to two of the three new suspects in the Boston bombing investigation: Azamat Tazhayakov and Dias Kadyrbayev, young Kazakh men now coming under the public microscope. As the federal charges against all three continue to unfold, here's a running biography of the men who may have helped their accused terrorist classmate — not roommate — after the bombing, based on combined news reports, social media, and beyond.

Comments | 10,473 Views

By Philip Bump

May 1, 2013

Chart of the Day

Here's How Much You Actually Pay for Gasoline

When you buy gasoline, as you know, you're paying for more than the gasoline itself. Twice a year, the government tracks how much people in each state are paying in tax — and the highest taxes may not be where you'd think.

Comments | 1,186 Views

By Alexander Abad-Santos

May 1, 2013

GM Is Editing a 'Chop Suey' Car Ad Based on How Much It's Offending You

The ad features a song including the lyric "ching ching, chop suey," plus other references that offended Asian viewers as well as dated depictions of the Middle East. Perhaps the strangest part of the scandal is that each of those references offended different markets in the rollout in a different way, leading to bifurcated self-censorship by one of the largest car companies on Earth.

Comments | 1,186 Views

By J.K. Trotter

May 1, 2013

Today's Best

Five Best Wednesday Columns

Blake Zeff on the real Anthony Weiner, Thomas L. Friedman on mediocrity, Amy Davidson on the hunger strike at Guantanamo, Jonathan Chait on opinion journalism, and Helena Fitzgerald on teenagers' online lives.

Comments | 1,779 Views

Three Students Charged for Helping Boston Bombing Suspect

Three friends of Boston Marathon bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev are accused of obstructing justice after the fact by destroying evidence from his apartment. Here's how a sudden development in the case unfolded Wednesday.

Comments | 34,780 Views

By Philip Bump

May 1, 2013

Is Someone Calling South Carolina Voters to Smear Elizabeth Colbert Busch?

There are anecdotal reports that the Congressional race in South Carolina just took a nasty turn, with a pollster insinuating that Colbert Busch, among other things, had an abortion. South Carolina has a history of such smears — and such reports.

Comments | 2,562 Views

By Philip Bump

May 1, 2013

Americans Support the Death Penalty for Dzhokhar Tsarnaev — If It Gets That Far

Seven out of ten Americans support the death penalty for Dzhokhar Tsarnaev if he's found guilty of his role in the Boston marathon bombings. There are some reports, however, that the punishment may be negotiated away.

Comments | 788 Views

By Alexander Abad-Santos

May 1, 2013

This Is What Colorado's First Same-Sex Civil Unions Look Like

As of Wednesday morning, at midnight, same-sex couples in Colorado were finally allowed to get a civil union — and, more importantly, to get that union recognized by the state. These are just some of the hundreds of happy couples from Denver and beyond.

Comments | 788 Views

By Adam Clark Estes

Apr 30, 2013

Those Who Lost Limbs in the Boston Bombing Will Get (Mostly) Free Prosthetics

The American Orthotic and Prosthetic Association (AOPA) told reporters on Tuesday afternoon that it would provide prosthetics to the estimated 20 to 25 victims of the Boston bombings who lost limbs.

Comments | 5,852 Views

By Philip Bump

Apr 30, 2013

Police Find Ricin in Wayne Newton Impersonator's Taekwondo Studio

Yes, this story gets weider: Police have found evidence indicating that the man arrested for sending ricin-tainted letters to D.C. attempted to create the poison. According to the AP, a dust mask found in Everett Dutschke's martial arts studio tested positive for the potent poison.

Comments | 591 Views

By Alexander Abad-Santos

Apr 30, 2013

George Zimmerman Still Thinks He Can Convince a Jury He's Not Guilty

Zimmerman and his attorneys appeared in court to waive his right to seek an immunity hearing under Florida's "Stand Your Ground" law — and keep the rest of their strategy close to the vest. His fate in the killing of Trayvon Martin will now be put in the hands of a jury beginning June 10, when one of the most emotional trials in recent American history will begin.

Comments | 1,577 Views

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