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The Huffington Post | Full News Feed         Guess The Artist Answer Revealed: David Hammons (PHOTOS) July 5, 2011 at 8:07 PM   Yesterday we showed you an image of this artwork and asked you to guess the American artist, but only a third of you correctly identified the artist as David Hammons. Hammons is a black sculptor, installation and performance artist born in Springfield, IL in 1943. He studied in Los Angeles at both Chouinard Art Institute (now CalArts) and the Otis Art Institute, and currently lives and works in New York. Deeply engaged with the civil rights and the Black Power movements, Hammons is best known for provocative works like Injustice Case (shown below), Spade with Chains, and Higher Goals. Hammons' flag, called African American Flag, is a explicit statement about race. Rather than the typical red, white and blue color scheme of the American flag, Hammons includes black, red and green which symbolize skin tone, blood and African nature. Read More... More on Civil Rights         U.S. Labor Shortages Exist In Tech, Mining, Natural Resources: Report July 5, 2011 at 7:50 PM   The mining and software industries have at least one thing in common. A labor scarcity, or a shortage of skilled workers, could affect the profit margins for both of them, according to a report issued by Fitch Ratings Tuesday afternoon. "Investors would be well served to identify companies in sectors confronting tight and/or fragmented labor supply," the report reads. These sectors include technology, natural resources (such as oil and gas, or mining), and unionized industries like autos and airlines, the report claims. The inability of certain sectors to find appropriately skilled workers would indicate some level of structural unemployment, an economic scenario in which joblessness remains high because of a mismatch between laborer skills and employer needs, rather than a lack of consumer demand. Read More... More on Unemployment         Kansas Abortion Rules Spark Patient Privacy Fears July 5, 2011 at 7:50 PM   TOPEKA, Kan. — Abortion-rights supporters worried Tuesday that regulations Kansas is trying to enact would give the state health department unfettered access to patient medical records and suggested it could endanger the privacy of women who have terminated pregnancies. Supporters of the new rules called such concerns unfounded because state law contains protections against patient information becoming public. One anti-abortion leader said the abortion providers and their allies are trying to stir up privacy fears to avoid scrutiny of their operations. Read More... More on Planned Parenthood         OfftheBus Terms of Service July 5, 2011 at 7:27 PM   Thanks for your interest in playing a larger role in the 2012 campaign through OfftheBus. OfftheBus is a forum and platform for you to share your views and information on the 2012 elections. Please read these terms below before registering for OfftheBus. By registering and submitting any items for possible consideration and inclusion on the OfftheBus site or any site owned or operated by AOL Inc. (collectively, "OfftheBus"), you agree to the terms as they are below or at the time of your submission, as they may be updated from time to time. The most current version of these terms can be viewed at any time at: OfftheBus.org. They have the same effect as an agreement in writing. If you do not agree to any of these terms, please don't submit any materials to OFFTHEBUS. HOW IT WORKS Read More... More on Politics         Arne Duncan's Authority Over No Child Left Behind Questioned By CRS Memo July 5, 2011 at 7:27 PM   Does U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan have the legal authority to move forward with a proposal that allows states to bypass school performance requirements set out by a federal law in exchange for new requirements? He might, but he might also end up in court, according to a memo by the Congressional Research Service released Tuesday afternoon. As an overhaul of No Child Left Behind (NCLB) -- the sweeping federal education law that sets most national school policy -- continues to lag in Congress, Duncan is beginning to get answers about the viability of his plan to relieve states of the law's requirements in exchange for implementing some of his choice reforms. Few are happy with NCLB and its components, which demand a rigorous focus on and testing of reading and math. The law requires 100 percent "proficiency" by its own standards by 2014. That goal has been described as "utopian," one reason why Duncan and Obama have stressed revamping the law. Read More... More on Education Reform         Gay Student Threatened Days Before He Was Slayed, Prosecutors Say July 5, 2011 at 7:11 PM   Trial began this afternoon in the trial of a California teenager accused of execution-style murdering a gay classmate at a middle school in 2008. The Los Angeles Times reports that Brandon McInerney, then 14, walked into his eighth-grade classroom, took a .22-caliber handgun out of his backpack and shot 15-year-old Larry King, who was sitting directly in front of him. McInerney then threw the gun on the floor and walked out of the room. Prosecutors now say that McInerney carefully planned the murder of his classmate. Deputy District Attorney Maeve Fox said in her opening statement today that McInerney and other boys at school bullied King. When King started to wear high heels and earrings to school, he and McInerney clashed even more. McInerney allegedly mentioned he would shoot King -- the day before the actual shooting occurred, LA Times reports. Read More... More on lgbt         Kansas Abortion Rules Spark Patient Privacy Fears July 5, 2011 at 7:11 PM   TOPEKA, Kan. -- Abortion-rights supporters worried Tuesday that regulations Kansas is trying to enact would give the state health department unfettered access to patient medical records and suggested it could endanger the privacy of women who've terminated pregnancies. Supporters of the new rules said such concerns are unfounded because state law contains protections against information about patients from becoming public. One anti-abortion leader said the abortion providers and their allies are trying to stir up privacy fears to avoid scrutiny of their operations. Read More... More on Planned Parenthood         Join Off the Bus for the 2012 Elections July 5, 2011 at 6:53 PM   As the 2012 local, state and national campaigns get underway, The Huffington Post will be enlisting the help of smart readers who want to be more involved. It could include document reading, writing about campaign events or simply giving us a heads up when you get a strange campaign mailer from your local races. If you want to be a part of this effort, please leave your information below and we'll contact you. Before going forward, please read the Off the Bus Terms of Service. Loading... Read More... More on Elections 2012         Tyell Morton Arrested: Indiana Teen Faces Jail Time For Sex Doll Prank Gone Wrong July 5, 2011 at 6:53 PM   INDIANAPOLIS -- When 18-year-old Tyell Morton put a blow-up sex doll in a bathroom stall on the last day of school, he didn't expect school officials to call a bomb squad or that he'd be facing up to eight years in prison and a possible felony record. The senior prank gone awry has raised questions of race, prosecutorial zeal and the post-Columbine mindset in a small Indiana town and around the country, The Indianapolis Star reported in its Tuesday editions. Read More... More on Pranks         Jeff Sessions: Saying Millionaires Should Share Pain Is 'Rather Pathetic' July 5, 2011 at 6:53 PM   WASHINGTON -- Having the Senate declare that millionaires should share more of the pain involved in putting America's financial house in order is "rather pathetic," Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) declared Tuesday. The top Republican on the Senate Budget Committee made that pronouncement after Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) bowed to GOP pressure and yanked from the floor a resolution on U.S. military action in Libya in favor of moving to budget issues. Reid's first measure in that direction is a non-binding resolution that states: "It is the sense of the Senate that any agreement to reduce the budget deficit should require that those earning $1,000,000 or more per year make a more meaningful contribution to the deficit reduction effort." Read More... More on 112th Congress         Mitt Romney Reverses Course, TPaw Touts Shutdown And Debt Talks Continue: Your Day In Politics (VIDEO) July 5, 2011 at 6:53 PM   Economic issues were in the spotlight on Tuesday, both on Capitol Hill and on the campaign trail. Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney appeared to falter in taking aim at the president's fiscal policies while debate continued in the nation's capital over raising the debt ceiling. All of that and more in your day in politics news. Read More... More on Tim Pawlenty 2012         Strictly Come Dancing's Vincent Simone, Flavia Cacace Prove Partnership Still Strong On Midnight Tango Tour July 5, 2011 at 6:53 PM   When Vincent Simone pulls Flavia Cacace into his arms, flings her from him across the dance floor and finally draws her close once more, audiences could be forgiven for thinking they are witnessing a real-life love affair. Their history, inevitably, is far more complicated. The lives of this glamorous pair have been intertwined since they started dancing as teenagers, but the spotlight was focussed on their personal partnership when they joined the professional line-up of Strictly Come Dancing in 2007. The following year brought romantic upheaval when Flavia fell for her celebrity partner Matt Di Angelo, while Vincent bewailed his very public cuckolding from the red-tops. Three years later and the circus has very much moved along. Flavia is no longer with Di Angelo, and Vincent's a father. Meanwhile, the Italian duo is dancing, they say, better than ever - stronger, both technically and artistically. Read More... More on TV         What Is Your Body Language Saying? July 5, 2011 at 6:53 PM   Every last gesture—whether it's a tilt of the head or plain fidgeting—tells a story. Do you look down when you speak? Play with your hair? Lean to one side? Learn what you're telling others with your body language—and what others are telling you with theirs. Read More...         Los Alamos Fire Evacuation Order Lifted; 12,000 Residents Go Home July 5, 2011 at 6:37 PM   LOS ALAMOS, N.M. (AP) -- Honking horns and waving to firefighters, residents of a New Mexico city threatened by a massive wildfire rolled back into Los Alamos nearly a week after flames forced an evacuation and the closure of a nearby major nuclear weapons laboratory. Summer showers gave a boost to firefighters battling the blaze and provided authorities enough confidence Sunday to allow the 12,000 residents to return home. "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" yelled Amy Riehl, an assistant manager at the Smith's grocery store, as she arrived to help keep the store open for returning residents. Read More... More on Extreme Weather         Join Off the Bus for the 2012 Elections July 5, 2011 at 6:37 PM   Loading...Read the Off the Bus Terms of Service. Read More...         Endocannabinoids: The Human Body's Marijuana-Like Chemicals That Make Fatty Foods Irresistible July 5, 2011 at 6:37 PM   The Lay's potato chip slogan "betcha can't eat just one" may not actually be so far from the truth. Researchers at UC Irvine found that fats in starchy foods such as french fries and potato chips trigger the body to produce natural marijuana-like chemicals called endocannabinoids. Endocannabinoids make these foods irresistible and stimulate a biological mechanism that encourages gluttonous behavior. In the study, published in the online edition of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, found that when rats tasted something fatty, their upper gut cells produced endocannabinoids. This did not happen when the rats ate sugar or protein. The results suggested that it may be possible to curb overeating fatty foods by obstructing endocannabinoid activity (such as using a drug that "clogs" the receptors). The process starts on the tongue, where the fats send a signal to the brain, and then through a nerve bundle to the intestines. This signal then triggers the production of endocannabinoids, which then makes you keep chowing down. Read More... More on Marijuana         Eataly To Open DC, LA Locations As Early As 2012 July 5, 2011 at 6:37 PM   Eataly is big. The 40,000-square-foot Italian food-and-drink emporium already comprises a wine store, a beer garden, a bakery, a grocery store and six restaurants, all on 23rd Street in Manhattan. Eataly is so big that Little Italy's merchants have been complaining that it's stealing business from Mulberry Street. But by the end of 2012, if all goes according to plan, it will get bigger. That's when Joe Bastianich says he and Eataly's co-owners hope to have opened their second of three American branches of Eataly they currently have planned—in Los Angeles and Washington, DC. Bastianich says the two new locations will be at least as big as the first, and that they, too, will include both restaurant and market components. "What we've learned from opening Eataly New York," he told the Huffington Post, "is that, because this is a big idea, it needs a big platform. Whereas your instinct might be, in a smaller market, to go smaller, we're actually thinking now that we should go bigger." Read More...         Roberto Nelson, Oregon State Basketball Player, Shatters Backboard At European Tour (VIDEO) July 5, 2011 at 6:37 PM   Some players bleed hoops. And some players bleed because of hoops. While we're not sure if Oregon State guard Roberto Nelson falls into the former camp, we're quite certain he qualifies for the latter after watching the video above. While on a tour of Macedonia, Nelson and a few of his fellow Beavers put on a dunking display at a local gym. Nelson apparently threw down with a touch too much gusto, however, and shattered the backboard. Beyond simple damage to the gym's facilities, however, Nelson emerged from the accident badly cut on his face, as seen in the graphic video above. According to ESPN, Nelson needed 20 stitches after the mishap. Read More... More on College Basketball         Obama To GOP: No Deal On A Short-Term Deficit Fix July 5, 2011 at 6:37 PM   WASHINGTON -- President Barack Obama signaled Tuesday that he won't support a short-term solution to resolving deficit and debt woes when he huddles with Congressional leaders later this week. "I've heard reports that there may be some in Congress who want to do just enough to make sure America avoids a default on debt in the short term, but then just kicks the can down the road," Obama said during brief remarks at a White House briefing. "I don't share that view." Read More... More on Deficit         It's David Duke's Turn To Get Presidential Speculation, Apparently July 5, 2011 at 6:37 PM   Poll after poll indicates that GOP voters are not particularly happy with the field of candidates that are vying for the 2012 GOP nomination. But how would they feel if white supremacist David Duke jumped into the race? Well, since polls also put a high premium on electability, I'm guessing they'd feel even more dispirited about it. But we'll have to see if anything comes of the news today that Duke is mulling getting into the presidential fray, as Eve Conant reports for The Daily Beast. Add to the growing list of candidates considering a bid for the GOP presidential nomination in 2012 America's most famous white-power advocate: David Duke. Yikes! That's not good news. But before we get too deep in to speculating, I'll point out that Duke doesn't exactly have imminent plans to file with the FEC or anything. Rather, he's embarking on "a tour of 25 states to explore how much support he can garner for a potential presidential bid." So, we are in the purely embryonic stage of an official Duke candidacy. Read More... More on 2012         HUFFPOST HILL - Libya Vote PWN3D July 5, 2011 at 6:37 PM   Minnesota lawmakers are doing everything they can to end the government shutdown short of purifying Governor Mark Dayton in the waters of Lake Minnetonka. We might not be able to return to the prosperity of the 1990s but at least we can return to the sensationalist media coverage of murder trials of the 1990s. And Joe Biden is now on Twitter (sort of). We can only hope that his propensity to employ adult language will be counteracted by his propensity to ramble on for way more than 140 characters. This is HUFFPOST HILL for Tuesday, July 5th, 2011: REID PULLS LIBYA VOTE - The Senate majority leader today canceled a vote on a resolution authorizing the U.S.'s involvement in the ongoing NATO-led mission in Libya (replacing it with a live quorum call, meaning that senators returned to Washington to affirm that they were, in fact, in Washington -- Hello!). The Libya measure had passed the Armed Services committee in a largely partisan vote, but Reid couldn't muster enough support from Republicans, who have no incentive to take the vote. "I've spoken with the Republican leader just a short time ago, and we've agreed -- notwithstanding the broad support for the Libya resolution -- the most important thing for us to focus on this week is the budget," Reid said in a statement. A Republican staffer close to the situation told Amanda Terkel that 37 GOP senators had pledged to oppose the measure and Sen. Rand Paul was threatening to filibuster all Senate activity until there was a debate on the debt ceiling. "Evidently, they seem to be calling the shots around here," Sen. John Kerry said of the GOP this evening. The White House has been persistent in its insistence that the action is legal and does not need congressional approval, insisting that we aren't AT WAR with Libya, we're just lobbing explosive forget-me-nots in its direction. [HuffPost] Read More... More on HuffPost Hill         David Brooks: Debt Ceiling Deal 'The Mother Of No-Brainers' For Republican Party July 5, 2011 at 6:05 PM   The Republican party "may no longer be a normal party," David Brooks writes in his New York Times column Tuesday. In negotiations with Democrats on the debt ceiling, Brooks says that Republicans have already extracted large concessions: trillions of dollars in spending cuts, including cuts to Medicare and Medicaid, so long as Republicans agree to raise taxes for the wealthiest Americans and give fewer tax breaks to oil companies. It's the "the deal of the century," Brooks writes, and "if the Republican Party were a normal party, it would take advantage of this amazing moment." Read More... More on Barack Obama         Entenmann's Twitter Fail Inadvertently References Casey Anthony Verdict July 5, 2011 at 6:05 PM   Most people on Twitter who see the hashtag #notguilty today will think immediately of the sensational Casey Anthony murder verdict. Unless you're pastry maker Entenmann's, that is. The baked goods company tweeted "Who's #notguilty about eating all the tasty treats they want?!" The company soon realized its mistake, and deleted the tweet (screencapped at TechCrunch), following up with the message,"Sorry everyone, we weren't trying to reference the trial in our tweet! We should have checked the trending hashtag first" and then adding "Our #notguilty tweet was insensitive, albeit completely unintentional. We are sincerely sorry." Read More... More on Casey Anthony         Advertisers 'Reviewing Options' In Wake Of News Of The World Phone Hack Revelations July 5, 2011 at 5:43 PM   The ongoing News Of The World phone hacking scandal has been a black eye for the U.K. tabloid dating back to 2006, when allegations first surfaced that Clive Goodman -- then the paper's editor covering the royal family -- had, with the assistance of private detective Glen Mulcaire, illegally tapped the phones of royal household members and published stories using information gleaned from those taps. That touched off a saga of further charges and scandal, as revelations surfaced that similar phone hacks had been executed against various political figures and celebrities. But with the latest revelation that the paper had hacked into the voicemail of Milly Dowler, a 13-year-old schoolgirl who was abducted and subsequently murdered in 2002, it seems that News Of The World has gone too far over the proverbial bridge. Now, advertisers are said to be "reviewing their options," with the Ford Motor Company announcing it is pulling out its money entirely. As Marietta Cauchi, of Dow Jones Newswires reports: Read More... More on Eat The Press         California Bill Targets Excess Health Insurance Rates July 5, 2011 at 5:43 PM   SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- A bill that would allow state officials to reject rate increases proposed by health insurers is under intense lobbying pressure as it faces a key committee vote this week. Groups representing insurers, doctors and hospitals are trying to have the California bill weakened or killed, although for different reasons. Read More...         Twitter Inspired By Nancy Grace's Reaction To Casey Anthony Verdict (SLIDESHOW) July 5, 2011 at 5:43 PM   It seems like the two biggest questions on everyone's mind in the wake of the Casey Anthony verdict are: 1) What will Nancy Grace do now? and 2) Has Nancy Grace's head, in fact, exploded? The polarizing CNN personality has been as prominent a figure in the sensational trial as those actually involved in it, and she made her feelings on the verdict very clear: "As the defense sits by and has their champagne toast after that not guilty verdict. Somewhere out there, the devil is dancing tonight." As is its wont, the Twitter community had a lot to say about the trial, the verdict and about Nancy Grace, in particular. Since there's just nothing funny about the trial itself, we thought we'd share a few tweets from the latter category that made us chuckle. God speed, Ms. Grace. Read More... More on Casey Anthony         Andrew Cuomo For Vice President? 'Silliness', Says Cuomo July 5, 2011 at 5:43 PM   Andrew Cuomo's had a pretty good year, whether it was winning the gubernatorial race, narrowly defeating Jimmy McMillan by about 61 points, earning high marks from poll after poll, and winning the vote on gay marriage in the Senate. Following all of this there were whispers about his prospects for 2016, but what about 2012? Over the weekend the Post's Fred Dicker (whom Carl Paladino once threatened to 'take out') claimed 'sources' said Cuomo would be Obama's next VP pick, pushing out Biden. "I don't think there's any doubt Obama is going to pick him as his running mate," said Former New York GOP boss William Powers. "The president is in trouble and [Vice President Joseph] Biden doesn't bring anything to his ticket." Daily Intel was quick to point out that Dicker's sources didn't have any inside information about Vice Presidential picks. And today the idea was rebuffed by none other than Mr. Cuomo himself. Read More... More on 2012         Hoda Kotb's Boyfriend Jay's Photo Revealed On-Air For First Time (PHOTO) July 5, 2011 at 5:43 PM   Viewers of the fourth hour of the "Today" show have slowly gotten to know Hoda Kotb's boyfriend, Jay, as she and Kathie Lee have discussed their blossoming relationship. But Tuesday morning's show brought a new milestone in Hoda's relationship: she showed a photo of her and Jay for the first time: Read More... More on Video         South Sudan Independence: United Nations Security Council Expected To Recognize 193rd Member July 5, 2011 at 5:43 PM   UNITED NATIONS -- The president of the U.N. Security Council says he expects a ministerial meeting on July 13 to recommend that South Sudan be admitted as the 193rd member of the United Nations. Germany's U.N. Ambassador Peter Wittig said Tuesday that the General Assembly will likely meet the following day – July 14 – to approve South Sudan's membership. Read More... More on Sudan         The Most Controversial U.S. Court Trials July 5, 2011 at 5:26 PM   Innocent until proven guilty, that's the legal right of any person standing trail in the United States, no matter how sensational the case may be, or how high profile the people involved. But what happens when the outcome that seems so blindingly obvious to the public does not stand in court? These 11 court cases prove that regardless of who is on trial or how conclusive the evidence may seem, no one is guilty beyond a reasonable doubt until the jury says so. Read More... More on Casey Anthony         Andrew Cuomo For Vice President? 'Silliness', Says Cuomo July 5, 2011 at 5:26 PM   Andrew Cuomo's had a pretty good year. Since winning the gubernatorial race, narrowly defeating Jimmy McMillan by about 61 points, earning high marks from poll after poll, and winning the vote on gay marriage in the Senate. Following all of this there was even whispers about his prospects for 2016, but what about 2012? Over the weekend the Post's Fred Dicker (whom Carl Paladino once threatened to 'take out') claimed 'sources' said Cuomo would be Obama's next VP pick, pushing out Biden. "I don't think there's any doubt Obama is going to pick him as his running mate," said Former New York GOP boss William Powers. "The president is in trouble and [Vice President Joseph] Biden doesn't bring anything to his ticket." Daily Intel was quick to point out that Dicker's sources didn't have any inside information about Vice Presidential picks. And today the idea was rebuffed by none other than Mr. Cuomo himself. Read More... More on 2012         Bahamas Bans Commercial Shark Fishing July 5, 2011 at 5:26 PM   NASSAU, Bahamas -- The Bahamas has banned commercial fishing of sharks, awarding protection to the more than 40 species circling the island chain that touts itself as the shark diving capital of the world. Activists cheered the new law approved Tuesday. They had demanded more protection for sharks after a local seafood company announced last year that it planned to export shark meat and fins to Hong Kong. Read More... More on Our Oceans         Timeline In The Casey Anthony Case July 5, 2011 at 5:26 PM   ORLANDO, Fla. — June 16, 2008: 2-year-old Caylee Anthony is last seen alive leaving the home of her grandparents, George and Cindy Anthony, along with her mother Casey. June 18, 2008: Casey Anthony borrows a shovel from Brian Burner, a neighbor of George and Cindy Anthony. Burner says that Anthony returned it an hour later. Read More... More on Casey Anthony         Campaign For Healthy Denver Submits Petition For Paid Sick Leave Ballot Proposal July 5, 2011 at 5:26 PM   Paid sick leave advocates submitted a petition to Denver's Election Division Tuesday to qualify for November's ballot. The petition signatures were gathered by the Campaign for a Healthy Denver, a coalition of more than 50 community organizations, labor groups, faith leaders, elected officials and more that are seeking a ballot initiative to protect public health by guaranteeing a basic standard of paid sick days for all employees in Denver workplaces of all sizes. In order to qualify for the ballot, the Campaign for Healthy Denver needed to gather 3,973 signatures. The Campaign claims to have more than three times the necessary signatures in a recent press release. Read More... More on Denver News         Obama Debt Ceiling Update: President Addresses Status Of Deficit Talks July 5, 2011 at 5:26 PM   WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama prodded Congress Tuesday to make a deal within the next two weeks on raising the nation's borrowing limit, and he said he was summoning leaders of both parties to the White House this week to try to get it done. Obama said he opposed any effort to "kick the can down the road" with a short-term increase, as suggested by some lawmakers – though he stopped short of ruling that out. He reiterated his position that any deal must include not only spending cuts but also new revenue – tax increases already ruled out by Republicans. Read More... More on Deficit         Fatima Ghazali, Sudanese Journalist, Jailed For Reporting On Activist's Alleged Rape July 5, 2011 at 5:10 PM   One of five Sudanese journalists on trial for publishing articles related to the alleged rape of a female activist was jailed for a month on Tuesday. As the AFP is reporting, Fatima Ghazali -- a reporter at the Sudanese daily Al-Jarida -- was handed a month sentence for writing about Safiya Ishaq, a youth activist who claimed in videos posted online that she was raped repeatedly by three security officers after her arrest in Khartoum in February. A judge convicted Ghazali of publishing lies and ordered her to pay a fine of 2,000 Sudanese pounds ($625) or spend a month in prison, lawyer Hassan Abdullah al-Hussein told AFP. "She was given a choice to pay immediately a fine of 2,000 Sudanese pounds or go to prison for a month." Ghazali's lawyer Hassan Abdullah is quoted by Reuters as saying. "She decided to go to prison." Read More... More on Sudan         Atlanta Public Schools Shaken By Cheating Report [VIDEO] July 5, 2011 at 5:10 PM   NEW YORK -- Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal announced Tuesday that widespread cheating inflated Atlanta Public Schools' 2009 state standardized tests scores. The product of a two-year investigation, the report concluded that systematic cheating occurred within Atlanta Public Schools -- which had been lauded for its quick testing gains -- including at least 44 of the 56 examined schools. The report implicated 38 principals, noting that 178 educators pled the Fifth Amendment when questioned. Eighty-two other educators confessed to various forms of cheating, including erasing wrong answers on students' multiple choice exams and then replacing them with the correct ones. Read More...         Obama Debt Ceiling Update: President Addresses Status Of Deficit Talks July 5, 2011 at 5:10 PM   WASHINGTON -- President Barack Obama will summon top Republican and Democratic leaders to the White House this week for another round of talks on cutting government spending and raising the nation's borrowing limit, a GOP congressional aide said. Obama is expected to call for the talks during remarks from the White House late Tuesday afternoon, said the aide, who would speak only on condition of anonymity ahead of the president's announcement. Read More... More on Deficit         Reese Witherspoon Shows Tummy Tattoo On Beach Vacation (PHOTO) July 5, 2011 at 5:10 PM   While vacationing in Malibu, without even so much as a plunging neckline, Reese Witherspoon revealed much more than we'd seen before. Underneath a denim button-down, X17 snapped a photo of the girl-next-door's very sexy and very large tattoo. Who knew that Reese was hiding all that rebellion behind her down-home venere? Bravo sea-breeze, now we see the demure beauty in a whole new light. For more photos of Reese's belly tattoo and her tropical family vacation, click over to X17. Read More... More on Celebrity Skin         Harold Camping Recovering From Stroke, Radio Show To Be Replaced July 5, 2011 at 4:54 PM   OAKLAND, Calif. — The California radio preacher who predicted the world's end on May 21 has been moved to a nursing home, where he is recovering from a stroke he suffered last month. Harold Camping's daughter confirms her father recently moved from an area hospital to a skilled nursing facility. He is undergoing rehabilitation there to regain his strength following the June 9 stroke. Read More... More on May 21 2011 Judgment Day         Albert Pujols Activated: Cardinals Slugger Off DL Ahead Of Schedule July 5, 2011 at 4:54 PM   ST. LOUIS — The St. Louis Cardinals activated three-time NL MVP Albert Pujols off the disabled list Tuesday, a month ahead of schedule in his recovery from a broken left wrist. Pujols was not in the lineup Tuesday night against Cincinnati. But manager Tony La Russa planned to use him off the bench in some capacity and said he expected Pujols would be in the lineup on Wednesday. Read More... More on MLB         Snoring Seal Is Adorable, Just Wants To Be Loved (VIDEO) July 5, 2011 at 4:54 PM   This little, er... big guy is an elephant seal, and he's tuckered himself out. See the funny shape of his nose? During mating season it's really helpful in luring the ladies to his part of the beach. While sleeping, it's just plain adorable. We know it's not polite to laugh and stare, but come on, look at that little flappy face. Can we help it if the very body part he uses to attract women is the same we find oh-so-cute? WATCH: Read More... More on Funny Videos         Royal Couple To Visit Skid Row July 5, 2011 at 4:54 PM   LOS ANGELES — Prince William and Catherine's visit to the U.S. will fittingly include a match of the "sport of kings" at a Santa Barbara polo ground and an evening of hobnobbing with Hollywood's version of royalty, but the couple will also make a stop in Los Angeles' most plebian neighborhood – Skid Row. Moving from the hoity-toity to the hoi polloi, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will be visiting Inner-City Arts, a nonprofit academy that has given children from poverty-stricken neighborhoods free classes in visual and performing arts since 1989. Read More... More on Prince William         Pratt Community Reacts With Sadness Over Pa. Shooting Involving Faculty Member July 5, 2011 at 4:54 PM   For a school used to getting almost daily alerts about crimes--large and small--around its Clinton Hill campus, word last weekend that longtime Pratt professor Monica Shay was the victim of brutal attack in rural Pennsylvania carried with it a whiff of cruel irony. "I constantly get emails about shootings, muggings, rapings, things like that," said Lior Ofir, who studies fashion at Pratt, reacting Tuesday to news of the incident. "We're told to be careful of certain areas...but that's close to campus." Read More...         Europe Debt Crisis Sparks Reminders Of Lehman Brothers July 5, 2011 at 4:54 PM   With its high unemployment and stretched balance sheets, today's US economy can ill-afford a negative shock from abroad. Yet, this is what it is experiencing. And it explains why markets go through bouts of nervousness about the debt crisis in Europe, and why American policymakers are worried about a foreign financial situation that is getting worse by the day. Read More... More on Europe         Mitch McConnell Chides President Obama For Not Accepting GOP Debt Arguments, Invitation July 5, 2011 at 4:54 PM   WASHINGTON -- Democratic and Republican negotiators tasked with working on debt negotiations sounded as far apart as ever Tuesday on a deal to keep America's bills paid -- but they agree they want the President to pay them a visit to move things along. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell's sudden request for President Obama to drop by for lunch was spurned by the White House, so McConnell invited him again Tuesday afternoon. "My hope, as I made clear, was that he would listen to Republicans and hear firsthand why we think raising taxes in a weak economy is a bad idea and what the realities are over here," McConnell said on the Senate floor. Read More... More on 112th Congress         Obama Debt Ceiling Update: President Addresses Status Of Deficit Talks (VIDEO) July 5, 2011 at 4:38 PM   WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama will speak at the White House late Tuesday afternoon on the status of the negotiations to cut government spending and raise the nation's borrowing limit. Obama and Vice President Joe Biden have held a series of meetings with congressional lawmakers. Both parties say progress is being made, but an agreement has not been reached. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell has invited Obama to come to Capitol Hill to meet again with Republicans, but the White House has yet to accept that offer. Read More... More on Deficit         Anne LaBastille Dead: 'Woodswoman' Author, Environmentalist Dies At Age 75 July 5, 2011 at 4:38 PM   ALBANY, N.Y. — Anne LaBastille, the environmentalist, sometime hermit and author whose "Woodswoman" autobiographies inspired others to venture into the wilderness, has died at a nursing home in Plattsburgh. She was 75. The city clerk's office confirmed a death certificate was filed for LaBastille but would not release other details. Read More... More on Death & Dying         White Fat Turned To Brown Spurs Weight Loss, Mouse Study Shows July 5, 2011 at 4:38 PM   In a finding that may be exciting for many, researchers were able to turn white fat -- the kind that stores calories -- into brown fat -- which acts like muscle -- by blocking a natural chemical in the body. The change led to weight loss, improved blood sugar levels and insulin tolerance in mice. Read More... More on Healthy Living Health News         Sudan Refugee Boat Sinks Off African Coast, Killing Nearing 200 People July 5, 2011 at 4:38 PM   KHARTOUM, July 5 (Reuters) - A boat packed with refugees bound for Saudi Arabia sunk off the Sudanese coast, killing 197 people, Sudanese media linked to the government said on Tuesday. Only three people were rescued, the state-linked news agency Sudanese Media Centersaid, quoting officials in Port Sudan. Read More... More on Sudan             This email was sent to venturepoliticalcapital@gmail.com. Delivered by Feed My Inbox PO Box 682532 Franklin, TN 37068 Account Login Unsubscribe Here