The Mock Congress Hearing on Aliens Is Heavy on Real-Life Mulders, Not Scullys

Associated Press

Six former members of Congress will hold a faux hearing this week on whether the American government has covered up evidence of the existence of aliens. This could have been fantastic, because aliens are cool, and because science says the idea of life on other planets is not crazy. But it should have come from people who actually care about science.

By J.K. Trotter

Apr 29, 2013

Virgin Galactic Is One Supersonic Trip Closer to Actual Space Tourism

Nearly a decade after Richard Branson founded the space tourism wing of his Virgin empire and more than three years after he unveiled the ship that will get humans into the suborbital vacation business, SpaceShipTwo has proven itself ready for liftoff.

Comments | 2,163 Views

By Dashiell Bennett

Apr 29, 2013

Brawl at 24,000 Feet: Inside the Ice-Axe Wielding Fight on Mt. Everest's Summit

Three veteran mountaineers were almost killed on Mount Everest this weekend, but not by the thin air or crippling cold that tried to do them in — it was a mob angry of Sherpas, and it raises new questions about the overcrowding of the world's biggest mountain.

Comments | 9,829 Views

By Elspeth Reeve

Apr 29, 2013

Would You Let This Man Buy You a Drink?

At the White House Correspondents' Dinner, President Obama joked: "Some folks still don't think I spend enough time with Congress. 'Why don't you get a drink with Mitch McConnell?' they ask… Really? Why don't you get a drink with Mitch McConnell?" It got a laugh. Today, McConnell has a snappy comeback.

Comments | 2,162 Views

By Esther Zuckerman

Apr 29, 2013

'Pacific Rim' Is All Rock-'Em-Sock-'Em Robots — Now with a Gigantic Boat

This glimpse of the robots-versus-monsters movie was supposed to be for the eyes of a privileged few at WonderCon, but now there's an extended look for all to see, with a bit more about the plot. Not that there seems to be that much plot, but still: that boat!

Comments | 786 Views

By Philip Bump

Apr 29, 2013

Chart of the Day

So Much for 350: The Atmosphere's Carbon Dioxide Tops 400

For the first time, measurements of atmospheric carbon dioxide taken at Mauna Loa Observatory in Hawaii exceeded 400 parts-per-million on an hourly basis. It's a symbolic benchmark, but an important one, suggesting that efforts to curb greenhouse gas emissions have not yet shown any significant effect.

Comments | 197 Views

By Elspeth Reeve

Apr 29, 2013

Three Things the CIA Is Doing to Undermine American Values

No one is getting off the island during the Guantanamo hunger strike, where there aren't review boards. And did we mention the latest on drones and financing Afghan warlords? Here are a few core democratic principles the CIA is glossing over these days.

Comments | 1,179 Views

By Esther Zuckerman

Apr 29, 2013

A Pivotal 'Mad Men' Scene, as Written by the New York Times 45 Years Ago

The key historial moment in Sunday night's episode wasn't just some smart move concocted inside the Mad Men writers' room. No, this scene basically wrote itself — because it really happened.

Comments | 1,179 Views

By Rebecca Greenfield

Apr 29, 2013

Will Next-Gen Social Media Wiretapping Catch the Next Boston Bombers?

The FBI's "top legislative priority" this year is a push to make tech companies comply with agency wiretapping standards in order to keep up with the changing way persons of interest — including, perhaps, the Boston bombing suspects and their family — communicate on Facebook, Google, and beyond.

Comments | 1,376 Views

By Connor Simpson

Apr 29, 2013

Is the Sports World Ready to Accept the New Reality of Jason Collins?

Perhaps the biggest worry about the future of gay rights on the biggest of stages for American role models was not if or when a gay pro athlete would come out. It was how the acceptance (or lack thereof) might follow. And based on the early reaction to the historic coming-out party of Jason Collins today, the NBA is ready for out sports, and so is (almost) everybody else.

Comments | 1,965 Views

By Esther Zuckerman

Apr 29, 2013

'Iron Man 3' Is Coming for the 'Avengers' Box Office Records

It's already kicked off a big following, legally, across the globe — and, very illegally, on the Internet. Which begs the early question: Can Tony Stark leverage his team effort last summer in The Avengers to beat it at the box office?

Comments | 1,749 Views

By Philip Bump

Apr 29, 2013

The NRA Wants to Protect Senators Who Voted Against Background Checks

Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia hasn't given up on passing an expansion of background checks on gun sales. With polls showing senators taking a hit for opposing the measure, the gight is on to convince their constituents they did the right thing.

Comments | 1,179 Views

By J.K. Trotter

Apr 29, 2013

Five Best Green Stories

Breezy Point, Six Months Later

MSNBC on Queens after the hurricame, The Atlantic on the true impact of coal, MarketWatch on our readiness for climate change, The Guardian on the U.K.'s climate change curriculum, The Associated Press on fracking's impact on climate change

Comments | 786 Views

By Alexander Abad-Santos

Apr 29, 2013

How Jeff Flake Became the Most Unpopular Senator in America

It wasn't easy dethroning Mitch McConnell as America's least favorite Senator, but Flake has done that in just three short months, a new poll out Monday reveals — and his fall from rising-star grace is not quite the head-scratcher you might think.

Comments | 31,427 Views

Black Voters Are Key to a Colbert Busch Win in South Carolina

The Democrat is airing a radio ad accusing Mark Sanford of voter suppression ahead of the only debate pitting Colbert Busch against Mark Sanford on Monday night.

Comments | 786 Views

By Philip Bump

Apr 29, 2013

The EPA Just Shook Up the Debate Over Fracking

New estimates from the EPA indicate that methane leakage from natural gas production is substantially lower than previously believed. Or, translated to English: Natural gas may be a better solution to rampant global warming than anyone believed.

Comments | 4,126 Views

By Dashiell Bennett

Apr 29, 2013

Russia Is Cracking Down on Its Own Militants in the Wake of Boston

Russian forces killed two suspected terrorists Monday in the region of Dagestan, in what looks to be part of a post-Boston crackdown on their own homegrown militants.

Comments | 589 Views

By Elspeth Reeve

Apr 29, 2013

Obama Is Not the Reason There Aren't More High-Profile Black Politicians

Answers to a Politico story today amount to a polite way of noting that since Obama's election, the national conversation about race hasn't always been enlightening. But while racism among some people, particularly in the South, plays a role, there are other barriers keeping black politicians from winning statewide.

Comments

By Connor Simpson

Apr 29, 2013

Jason Collins Is the First Openly Gay Major Professional Athlete

Before today, Jason Collins was known as a 34-year-old center on the NBA's Washington Wizards. But after an historic public admission sure to redefine sexuality in sports, Collins has now become the first openly gay athlete playing in one of the four major sports in North America. As Collins writes in his cover story for this week's Sports Illustrated: "Things can change in an instant, so why not live truthfully?"

Comments | 7,269 Views

By Rebecca Greenfield

Apr 29, 2013

Why Wall Street Is Still Better Work Than Tech Start-Ups (If You Can Get It)

The allure of Silicon Valley (and Alley) over Wall Street for would-be bankers makes sense in theory, but it's not really a better career bet. 

Comments | 786 Views

By Philip Bump

Apr 29, 2013

Six Months After Sandy, the Government Hasn't Spent Nearly as Much as It Will

Since Hurricane Sandy made landfall six months ago tonight, the government and private insurers have paid out tens of billions of dollars. Where and how much support — well, those payouts have been widely varied, a review of government spending shows.

Comments | 589 Views

By J.K. Trotter

Apr 29, 2013

Today's Best

Five Best Monday Columns

Bill Keller on erasing your Internet history, John Tamny on the "Wall Street" metonym, Jonathan Cohn on Obamacare's implementation, Amir Ahmad Nasr on the web's influence on Muslims, Rebecca Mead on the feminism of Amanda Knox.

Comments | 2,554 Views

By Esther Zuckerman

Apr 29, 2013

The Finances of F. Scott Fitzgerald, Handwritten by Fitzgerald

In the 1926 page for F. Scott's Fitzgerald's handwritten ledger, now online, the famed writer lists that he sold the "Moving Picture" rights to The Great Gatsby for $16,666. Baz Luhrmann's adaptation of that book, due out next month, cost $104.5 million to make. 

Comments | 786 Views

By Connor Simpson

Apr 29, 2013

Tim Tebow's Tabloid Dreams Are Over

Perhaps fittingly for the city and the man, Tebow's time with the New York Jets will be remembered more for the unending media hype than anything he actually did under center. And it was a local tabloid story turned national, with seemingly every outlet from TMZ to the Newark Star-Ledger going full-on New York Post at one point or another.

Comments | 1,179 Views

By Jen Doll

Apr 29, 2013

Mad Women: 'It Feels Like Your Heart Is Going to Explode'

Last night's episode of Mad Men, "The Flood," brought our characters to a pivotal date in history: April 4, 1968, the day that Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated.

Comments | 2,161 Views

By Alexander Abad-Santos

Apr 29, 2013

The Prague Blast, Which Injured Dozens, Was Probably Not a Bomb

While the pictures of the injured look weirdly similar to the scene out of Boston two weeks ago — foil blankets, blood, and bandages in a major city — officials in the Czech capital are saying the blast was actually a natural gas explosion.

Comments | 1,945 Views

By Alexander Abad-Santos

Apr 29, 2013

The Truth About Bird Flu Is We Don't Know the Truth — but It's Getting Worse

The horror of the H7N9 strain of bird flu isn't just that it's deadly — it's killed at least 23 people, it's definitely chicken-to-human, it has a chance of "going human-to-human," and it might be on the move. Another grim reality is that China might not be telling everyone just how bad the disease has become, even as it becomes clear we don't know how to stop it.

Comments | 4,714 Views

By Dashiell Bennett

Apr 29, 2013

One World Trade Center Is About to Become the Tallest Building in the West

Construction workers will soon add the final piece of the 408-foot high spire atop the new skyscraper at One World Trade Center

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By Dashiell Bennett

Apr 29, 2013

Owner of Collapsed Bangladesh Building Caught Trying to Flee the Country

The death toll in the Bangladesh factory collapse was raised to 381 on Monday morning, as rescuers say time is running out to find any more survivors still alive inside the rubble.

Comments | 786 Views

By Adam Clark Estes

Apr 28, 2013

After Months of Hunting, HuffPost Finally Found a TV Network to Give It Airtime

The Huffington Post is teaming up with Mark Cuban to take its newish, money-losing video channel, HuffPost Live, from the laptop screen to the television screen.

Comments | 1,963 Views

By Adam Clark Estes

Apr 28, 2013

Guess Who Found the Red-Bearded Exorcist Who 'Brainwashed' Tamerlan Tsarnaev

The New York Review of Books, typically a terrific place to catch up on some literary criticism, scooped everyone on Sunday night and tracked down Misha, the radical Islamist who supposedly "brainwashed" Tamerlan Tsarnaev.

Comments | 12,052 Views

By Adam Clark Estes

Apr 28, 2013

The CIA Gave Karzai Bags Full of Cash for Over a Decade

Afghan president Hamid Karzai has a sugar daddy, and its name is the Central Intelligence Agency. Or at least it had a sugar daddy.

Comments | 3,929 Views

By Adam Clark Estes

Apr 28, 2013

Looks Like Obama's Cabinet Will Finally Get a Little Diversity

Anonymous government sources revealed on Sunday night that Charlotte mayor Anthony Foxx will soon be nominated to replace Ray LaHood as the new Transportation Secretary.

Comments | 1,374 Views

By Connor Simpson

Apr 28, 2013

This Is Not Where You're Supposed to Wear Your Google Glass

Did you expect to see someone wearing Google Glass in a box? Did you expect to see someone wearing Google Glass with a fox? Did you expect to see someone wearing Google Glass with a mouse? How about a mouse? You probably didn't expect to see them in the shower, that's for sure.

Comments | 5,299 Views

By Connor Simpson

Apr 28, 2013

The NFL Passed on Its Chance to Draft an Openly Gay Player

As the clock wound down during the final rounds of the NFL draft on Saturday, only two kickers were chosen — and 23-year-old openly gay former Middle Tennessee State placekicker Alan Gendreau was not one of them. 

Comments | 13,934 Views

By Connor Simpson

Apr 28, 2013

Box Office Report

Michael Bay and The Rock 'Gain' Just Enough to Win the Weekend

Welcome to the Box Office Report, where we're reluctant to live in a world where The Rock is a real movie star. 

Comments | 1,374 Views

By Connor Simpson

Apr 28, 2013

The Sunday Grind

Joe Manchin Wants to Bring Gun Reform Back to the Senate

Sen. Joe Manchin wants to bring that ol' background check bill back to the Senate floor, he revealed on Fox News Sunday.

Comments | 981 Views

By Connor Simpson

Apr 28, 2013

The Rolling Stones Played the Best Show You Didn't See Last Night

Last night the Rolling Stones played the ideal show that everyone wants but no one ever gets to see. They played a short set of their best hits and favorite covers at a small, "surprise" gig at the Echoplex, a 700-person Los Angeles club. Be jealous, because you weren't there.

Comments | 11,370 Views

By Connor Simpson

Apr 28, 2013

Is This Why Russian Intelligence Asked the F.B.I. About Tamerlan Tsarnaev?

A new report from the Associated Press sheds new light on everything we thought we knew about the Boston bombers parents and the Russian intelligence that tipped off the FBI. 

Comments | 5,688 Views

By Connor Simpson

Apr 28, 2013

The Best of the White House Correspondents' Dinner After Party Gossip

So everyone in D.C. is likely still in bed, or throwing back two Tylenol and heading out for brunch right now. Our main concern is what happened at the White House Correspondents' Dinner after parties, where the drinks flowed and some of the most and least powerful people in the world rubbed shoulders (among other things) late into the night.

Comments | 3,924 Views

By Esther Zuckerman

Apr 27, 2013

Here's the Nerd Prom 'House of Cards' Spoof Everyone is Talking About

One of the highlights of this year's White House Correspondents' Dinner was the House of Cards spoof that opened the evening, which brought the popular fictional D.C. to real life D.C., and now you can watch it too.

Comments | 5,295 Views

By Esther Zuckerman

Apr 27, 2013

Obama and O'Brien Cast D.C. at the White House Correspondents' Dinner

Both President Barack Obama and Conan O'Brien decided to cast Hollywood versions of D.C. at the White House Correspondents' Dinner this year. Obama's version was directed by Steven Spielberg, O'Brien's starred "Tan Mom" as John Boehner. Watch their full speeches here. 

Comments | 7,256 Views

By Esther Zuckerman

Apr 27, 2013

Fashion and Fun from the White House Correspondents' Dinner

Ah, the White House Correspondents' Dinner. The place where political reporters get to ask questions that would make Us Weekly proud and the pretty people of Hollywood get to mingle with the, well, people of the Beltway. Read our full updates from the night.

Comments | 4,510 Views

By Connor Simpson

Apr 27, 2013

Zach Braff Will Get His Dirty Kickstarter Money

The very rich Zach Braff's Kickstarter-funded Garden State sequel will see the light of a movie projector. His project reached its fundraising goal Saturday afternoon and has another 24 days to rack up as much money as possible. 

Comments | 12,179 Views

By Connor Simpson

Apr 27, 2013

Politico's Leaked Celebrity Tip Sheet Is as Bad as You Expect

Everyone knows that Poltico's coverage of the White House Corespondents' Dinner is sickening in its shallowness and shamelessness, but you wouldn't believe how lazy their tip sheets for reporters are. Seriously, they are this bad. 

Comments | 6,078 Views

By Connor Simpson

Apr 27, 2013

Great News! Only Two More Days of Terrible Flight Delays

This really is spectacular news, because airports are the worst be design, but the Federal Aviation Administration isn't waiting for the President's signature on that bill to fix the sequester-caused furloughs that were making everything so much worse. Your airport experience will go back to its normal levels of awful starting on Sunday evening. 

Comments | 980 Views

By Connor Simpson

Apr 27, 2013

Dzhokhar Tsarnaev's Instagram May Not Tell Us Anything

The already flushed out social media profile of 19-year-old bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev expanded on Saturday morning when former friends revealed Dzhokhar's since-deleted Instagram account to CNN

Comments | 29,403 Views

By Connor Simpson

Apr 27, 2013

They Arrested the Other Weird Guy in the Already Too Weird Ricin Story

J. Everett Dutschke, the 41-year-old former bluesman and taekwondo instructor who feuded with the Elvis impersonating initial suspect, has been arrested for sending letter laced with ricin to the President and two other Mississippi politicians. 

Comments | 2,548 Views

By Connor Simpson

Apr 27, 2013

How the Trial of the American Citizen in North Korea May End

An American citizen will be put on trial for crimes against the state in North Korea in what surely isn't a facade in the ongoing bargaining between North Korea and the U.S. and what will surely be a fair and balanced trial based on real facts. 

Comments | 15,091 Views

By Sara Morrison

Apr 27, 2013

No, Bradley Manning is Not the Next SF Pride Parade Grand Marshal

San Francisco Pride Board president Lisa L. Williams has released a statement denying that Manning was ever close to becoming the Grand Marshal.

Comments | 1,370 Views

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