Bill Chappell

Google Files First-Amendment Request With FISA Court

Bill Chappell — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 23:13:00 +0000

Google has filed a legal motion asserting its "First Amendment right to publish aggregate information about FISA orders," asking the U.S. Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court to remove the gag order that keeps the company from issuing that information. Google and other big U.S.

Perk Backlash: Do Surprise Upgrades Make Us Uneasy?

Bill Chappell — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 21:34:00 +0000

Whether it's a free upgrade on a hotel room or skipping ahead in the check-in line, many businesses give preferential treatment to some customers, hoping to make them more loyal. The practice often works — but a new study suggests that when we get perks we didn't earn, negative feelings can result.

'Days Of Rambo Are Over': Pentagon Details Women's Move To Combat

Bill Chappell — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 20:22:00 +0000

Women in America's armed services will have new options for what units they can join in coming years, the Pentagon says. The military said in January that it will end its combat exclusion that set a minimum size for units in which women could be deployed; the limit kept many women away from front-line combat units. The shift means women could join elite forces such as the Army Rangers and Navy SEALs.

Depending on the job, women could begin training to join combat units in the next one to three years, according to several military officers who spoke at a Pentagon briefing Tuesday afternoon.

Obama Would Veto House's Farm Bill, White House Says

Bill Chappell — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 23:21:00 +0000

President Obama will be advised to veto a multi-year farm bill slated to be discussed in the House this week, the White House says. The administration issued a statement on the legislation Monday afternoon, criticizing it for cutting food programs for the poor.

At more than 575 pages, the bipartisan bill was introduced by Reps.

Sentenced To Death At 16, Indiana Woman Is Now Free

Bill Chappell — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 22:46:00 +0000

Paula Cooper, 43, left prison Monday morning, decades after she became America's youngest resident of death row at age 16. She had confessed to the 1985 murder of Bible studies teacher Ruth Pelke, 78, in Gary, Ind.

FTC Can Sue Firms In 'Pay For Delay' Drug Deals, Court Rules

Bill Chappell — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 19:59:00 +0000

When the maker of a brand-name drug pays a maker of generic drugs to not produce a lower-priced version of their product, the Federal Trade Commission can challenge the arrangement on antitrust grounds, the Supreme Court ruled Monday. The ruling may end the era of what regulators call "pay-for-delay" deals.

The justices voted 5-3 to allow a case to go forward in which the FTC is challenging one of many such deals.

Australian General's Frank Talk On Sexual Abuse Wins Fans

Bill Chappell — Fri, 14 Jun 2013 20:27:00 +0000

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QaqpoeVgr8U

Lost in 1968 Battle, Marine's Dog Tag Found Again

Bill Chappell — Thu, 13 Jun 2013 23:16:00 +0000

Lanny Martinson was a 23-year-old Marine sergeant in Vietnam when he last held his dog tags. In the 45 years since, he thought they were gone forever, lost in the mad rush to save his life after he and other Marines walked into a minefield.

He'll soon be getting one of those dog tags back, after a network of people worked together to find the tag's owner.

In Gay America, Optimism Abounds As Stigma Persists, Pew Says

Bill Chappell — Thu, 13 Jun 2013 19:05:00 +0000

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender Americans say they feel more accepted in society than they did 10 years ago, and they're overwhelmingly optimistic that the trend will continue. But a sweeping new Pew Research Center survey also finds persistent levels of stigmatization and secrecy in the community.

"The Pew Research Center finds some 90 percent of LGBT people feel more accepted now than a decade ago, and believe that will continue," reports NPR's Jennifer Ludden.

Egyptian Author Sentenced To Prison For Book 'Where Is God?'

Bill Chappell — Wed, 12 Jun 2013 21:46:00 +0000

Egyptian author and human rights activist Karam Saber has been sentenced to five years in prison, after a court found his writings to have insulted religion, reports the Egyptian news website Aswat Masriya.

The complaint against Saber and his book Ayn Allah (Where Is God?) was initially filed in 2011, months after the fall of former president Hosni Mubarak's regime.