On Wednesday, Pope Francis gave his first official Christmas message in Italian, speaking from the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica. It focused on the theme of peace. “I take up the song of the angels who appeared to the shepherds
Teen pop megastar Justin Bieber has set Twitter ablaze with a message suggesting he may be stepping away from the stage — just as his new movie hits theaters on Christmas Day. The message has been retweeted more than 240,000
(AP) 2-year renovation starts for Capitol’s famous domeBy CHARLES BABINGTONAssociated PressWASHINGTONA world-famous symbol of democracy is going under cover, as workers start a two-year, $60 million renovation of the U.S. Capitol dome. Curved rows of scaffolds, like Saturn’s rings, will
(AP) Las Vegas cab driver finds $300K in back seatLAS VEGASLas Vegas cab driver Gerardo Gamboa thought someone left a bag of chocolates in the back seat. But this stash turned out to be cold hard cash. The Las Vegas
(AP) Pope’s Christmas wish: hope for a better worldBy FRANCES D’EMILIOAssociated PressVATICAN CITYIn his speech on Christmas Day, Pope Francis said he hopes for a better world, including successful Middle East negotiations in the land of Jesus’ birth, peace for
(AP) Bomb attacks on Christians in Baghdad kill 37By SINAN SALAHEDDINAssociated PressBAGHDADMilitants in Iraq targeted Christians in two separate bomb attacks in Baghdad on Wednesday, killing at least 37 people, officials said. In one attack, a car bomb went off
(AP) BERKELEY LAKE, Ga.A metro Atlanta homeowner says he hopes he didn’t offend anyone by his Christmas decoration of a mannequin with outstretched arms entangled in a string of Christmas lights and clinging to a ledge that prompted an emergency response
By JOSH LEDERMANAssociated PressHONOLULUFor first lady Michelle Obama, a joyous Christmas Eve tradition briefly ran up against the harsh realities of a world where all is not calm and bright. Mrs. Obama for the fourth year volunteered for the NORAD
By BRADLEY KLAPPERAssociated PressWASHINGTONMailing a letter is about to get a little more expensive. Regulators on Tuesday approved a temporary price hike of 3 cents for a first-class stamp, bringing the charge to 49 cents a letter in an effort
By BRADY McCOMBS and PAUL FOYAssociated PressSALT LAKE CITYA federal appeals court ruled Tuesday that gay marriages can continue in Utah, denying a request from the state to halt same-sex weddings that have been occurring at a rapid rate since
On Monday, 86-year-old multimillionaire Robert W. Wilson, who was best known for his charitable ventures toward the environmentalist movement, threw himself from the sixteenth floor of his Upper West Side apartment building, the famous San Remo. He left a note
(AP) BILLINGS, Mont.The Montana judge who said a teen rape victim appeared “older than her chronological age” has sentenced a man convicted of punching his girlfriend to write “Boys do not hit girls” 5,000 times. District Judge G. Todd Baugh also
By GRANT SCHULTEAssociated PressLINCOLN, Neb.Three years after a flood wiped out part of a bridge spanning the Elkhorn River in Neligh, residents of the small northeastern Nebraska city received a festive surprise: an anonymous, $650,000 donation to rebuild the historic
(AP) REDLANDS, Calif.Southern California hospitals are spreading holiday cheer for new parents by delivering newborns in giant Christmas stockings. The bright red stockings were provided this week for babies born at Long Beach Memorial Medical Center. The Long Beach Press-Telegram reports
(AP) 30 arrests during 49ers game at CandlestickSAN FRANCISCOPolice made 30 arrests during the 49ers final regular season game at Candlestick Park on Monday, police said. Most of the arrests were for public drunkenness, though one person was taken into
By KEVIN BEGOSAssociated PressINDIANA, Pa.For a time it looked like the Jimmy Stewart Museum wasn’t going to make it. It’s in the actor’s hometown of Indiana, Pennsylvania–an hour’s drive from Pittsburgh and off the radar of many fans who might
The film classic It’s a Wonderful Life remains an integral part of many Americans’ Christmas traditions. Yet recent documents reveal that the FBI worried the filmmakers wanted to slip communist propaganda, not just yuletide joy, into movie houses. FBI informants claimed
The actor who brought Gollum to life via motion capture technology in the Lord of the Rings trilogy is the driving force behind a new production of Animal Farm. This time, Andy Serkis of Rings fame promises not to attack
On Monday, Silicon Valley venture capitalist Tim Draper held a news conference to talk about his plan to split California into six different states. “Something is not working in our state, and I’m convinced it’s with the existing system,” he
Hopping on the Nelson Mandela publicity bandwagon, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) have now filmed tribute videos designed to be released with the new film Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom. Pelosi said
(AP) Cowboys not ruling out Romo for finale with EaglesBy SCHUYLER DIXONAP Sports WriterIRVING, TexasTony Romo limped so badly on one play against Washington, he barely made it to the spot where he had to hand off. Breitbart Sports Update:
(AP) Egypt PM calls bombing ‘worst kind’ of terrorismBy MOHAMMED WAGDY and MAGGIE MICHAELAssociated PressMANSOURA, EgyptEgypt’s interim Prime Minister says the bombing of a police headquarters outside of Cairo that left 13 killed is the “worst kind of terrorism” against
Kathy Griffin doesn’t think recently suspended Duck Dynasty star Phil Robertson deserves victim status. So she served up an over the top Tweet to make her point. The liberal comic sent out a info-graphic via her Twitter account comparing Robertson’s
Santa Claus was officially cleared for entry into the United States on Monday as federal agriculture officials waived stringent livestock checks on his nine reindeer. The US Department of Agriculture announced in a light-hearted statement that a “Mr. S.Claus” of
Just six months after first leaking National Security Agency secrets in a move that triggered a revaluation of US surveillance policies, Edward Snowden is declaring “mission’s already accomplished.” Snowden told The Washington Post in his first in-person interview since his
