British man Gary McKinnon appeared in court Tuesday to try to prevent his extradition to the United States, where he is wanted for allegedly hacking into U.S. government computers at the Pentagon and NASA. McKinnon, who has admitted breaking the law and intentionally gaining unauthorized access to computer systems, wants to be tried in Britain rather than the United States. He is asking judges at the High Court to review a decision by the director of public prosecutions not to ...

When Sonia Sotomayor heads to Capitol Hill for the start of her Supreme Court confirmation hearings on July 13, she'll find two groups of players awaiting her: the Senate Judiciary Committee Democrats, who arguably have the easy job to flatter and protect President Obama's pick , and the panel's Republicans, whose primary task is to goad her into saying something inflammatory or indiscreet. To that end, the seven Republican Senators have prepared four lines of attack. They will ...

The 2009 Annual Homeless Assessment Report to Congress U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's Office of Community Planning and Development 168 pages The Gist: There are few economic indicators as grim as homelessness. In its fourth annual report on the state of homelessness in the U.S., the Department of Housing and Urban Development found that some 1.6 million people stayed at homeless shelters from October 2007 to September 2008. The Department also noticed some troubling trends: more families seeking shelter ...

Even as Congress struggles with how to pay for health-care reform, the White House keeps doing it its best to accentuate the positive. Last week, Vice President Joe Biden hosted the country's three largest hospital trade groups as they announced they will accept $155 billion in Medicare and Medicaid cuts over the next 10 years. It's all part of an inspiring storyline, the idea that everyone is doing their part to make this most ambitious undertaking a reality. But ...

When Sonia Sotomayor heads to Capitol Hill for the start of her Supreme Court confirmation hearings on July 13, she'll find two groups of players awaiting her: the Senate Judiciary Committee Democrats, who arguably have the easy job to flatter and protect President Obama's pick , and the panel's Republicans, whose primary task is to goad her into saying something inflammatory or indiscreet. To that end, the seven Republican Senators have prepared four lines of attack. They will ...

Last week, thirsty Utahans rejoiced. After decades of applying for "memberships" at local bars so they could legally drink alcohol, adults in Utah can now stroll through the doors of any saloon by simply flashing their I.D. For a state that forbids happy hour, ordering doubles, putting more than 2.5 ounces of liquor in a libation and mixing cocktails in front of restaurant-goers, the new law, which took effect on July 1, was cause for celebration. One enthusiastic entrepreneur ...

A former Goldman Sachs employee accused of stealing a proprietary computer code to the firm's trading program is out on bail, according to court documents. The chairman of BP Capital Management announced Tuesday that his plans for the Pampa Wind Project, designed to generate 4,000 megawatts of electricity using thousands of wind turbines, is on hold. "I had hoped that Pampa would be the starting point, but transmission issues and the problem with the capital markets make that unfeasible at ...

Billionaire oil man T. Boone Pickens is shelving plans to build the world's largest wind farm. The chairman of BP Capital Management announced Tuesday that his plans for the Pampa Wind Project, designed to generate 4,000 megawatts of electricity using thousands of wind turbines, is on hold. "I had hoped that Pampa would be the starting point, but transmission issues and the problem with the capital markets make that unfeasible at this point," Pickens told CNN's Ali Velshi. "I expect ...

A sailor found dead earlier this week at California's Camp Pendleton was shot while standing sentry, and a fire was set in an attempt to cover up evidence, the U.S. Navy said. The death of Seaman August Provost of Houston, Texas, is being investigated as a homicide, Capt. Matt Brown told reporters on Thursday. A sailor is in custody in the case, Brown said. Although at least one of Provost's relatives said she believes he was killed because of his ...

The June 30 vote by a Food and Drug Administration advisory committee to lower the maximum dose of over-the-counter drugs containing acetaminophen and to eliminate prescription acetaminophen-combination painkillers raised questions about what changes consumers should expect in the availability of the popular drug. The commonly used pain- and fever-reliever known as Tylenol is found in several nonprescription cough and cold remedies including NyQuil and Theraflu. Patients also ask what potential dangers their daily use of acetaminophen may pose. ...