Spies, Lies and the War on Terror

Latest War on Terror News



Obama's job approval rating slips

US President Barack Obama gestures during their joint news conference with German Chancellor Angela Merkel at the Chancellery in Berlin, Germany, Wednesday, June 19, 2013. Obama will renew his call to reduce the world's nuclear stockpiles, including a proposed one-third reduction in U.S. and Russian arsenals, a senior administration official said. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)And, fewer Americans use the "S" word to describe him, a new poll shows.





Senators float new student loan proposal

Student Loan Increase Discouraging Higher EducationWASHINGTON (AP) — Students applying for financial aid for the coming school year could find some comfort in a bipartisan student loan compromise taking shape in the Senate that would prevent interest rates from doubling and set a single rate each year for undergraduate students, rich or poor.





Obama urges 'bold' nuclear cuts in Berlin speech

US President Barack Obama, left, waves to invited guests next to German Chancellor Angela Merkel . right, in front of Brandenburg Gate at Pariser Platz in Berlin, Germany Wednesday June 19, 2013. , On the second day of his visit to Germany, Obama met with German President Joachim Gauck and Chancellor Angela Merkel and delivered a speech at Brandenburg Gate. (AP Photo/Michael Kappeler,Pool)BERLIN (AP) — Summoning the harsh history of this once-divided city, President Barack Obama on Wednesday cautioned the U.S. and Europe against "complacency" brought on by peace, pledging to cut America's deployed nuclear weapons by one-third if Cold War foe Russia does the same.





FBI ends Michigan search for Hoffa's remains

Investigators stand at the scene in Oakland Township, Mich., Wednesday, June 19, 2013 where officials attempt to restore the field to its natural condition after the FBI stopped the search for Jimmy Hoffa's remains. The FBI had been digging and searching for three days for the remains of Teamsters union president Hoffa who disappeared from a Detroit-area restaurant in 1975. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)OAKLAND TOWNSHIP, Mich. (AP) — Beneath a swimming pool, under a horse farm and now a weed-grown field north of Detroit. For at least the third time in a decade, FBI agents grabbed shovels and combed through dirt and mud in the search for Jimmy Hoffa's remains or clues to the disappearance of the former Teamsters boss.





US tries saving Taliban talks after Karzai objects

Afghan police carry an injured Taliban fighter, who was captured after an overnight clash with Afghan police in Jalalabad, in the eastern province of Nangrahar, east of Kabul, Afghanistan, Wednesday, June 19, 2013. Provincial police chief Masoon Khan Hashimi said his officers ambushed Taliban insurgents outside a village in the Surkh Rod district, killing several and capturing two. (AP Photo/Nisar Ahmad)KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — Hopes dimmed for talks aimed at ending the Afghan war when an angry President Hamid Karzai on Wednesday suspended security negotiations with the U.S. and scuttled a peace delegation to the Taliban, sending American officials scrambling to preserve the possibility of dialogue with the militants.





Bill could reduce illegal immigration 25 percent

People shout out against the Strengthen and Fortify Enforcement Act in the hall outside the House Judiciary Committee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, June 18, 2013. The committee in the Republican-led House is preparing to cast its first votes on immigration this year, on a tough enforcement-focused measure that Democrats and immigrant groups are protesting loudly. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)WASHINGTON (AP) — Supporters of far-reaching immigration legislation rejected a challenge Wednesday from Senate conservatives demanding evidence that the nation's borders are secure before millions living in the United States unlawfully can gain legal status.





Fed suggests it's closer to slowing bond purchases

Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke speaks during a news conference in Washington, Wednesday, June 19, 2013. Bernanke. The Federal Reserve said Wednesday that it will maintain the pace of its bond-buying program to keep long-term interest rates at record lows. But it offered a more optimistic outlook for the U.S. economy and job market. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)WASHINGTON (AP) — Chairman Ben Bernanke ended weeks of speculation Wednesday by saying the Federal Reserve will likely slow its bond-buying program later this year and end it next year because the economy is strengthening.





Brazil officials reverse subway, bus fare hike

Riot police aim their weapons at protesters gathering near Castelao stadium in Fortaleza, Brazil, Wednesday, June 19, 2013. Protesters cut off the main access road to the stadium where Brazil will play Mexico in the Confederations Cup soccer tournament later Wednesday. Beginning as protests against bus fare hikes, the demonstrations have quickly ballooned to include broad middle-class outrage over the failure of governments to provide basic services and ensure public safety. (AP Photo/Andre Penner)SAO PAULO (AP) — Leaders in Brazil's two biggest cities said Wednesday that they have reversed an increase in bus and subway fares that ignited protests across the nation.





US and Cuba agree to resume migration talks
HAVANA (AP) — The United States and Cuba have agreed to resume bilateral talks on migration issues next month, a State Department official said Wednesday, the latest evidence of a thaw in chilly relations between the Cold War enemies.



Men's Wearhouse ousts founder, pitchman Zimmer

FILE - In this Thursday, May 6, 1999 file photo, George Zimmer, second from left, gestures to Andy Dolich prior to a meeting, in Oakland, Calif. Men's Wearhouse Inc. says it has dismissed Zimmer, its founder and executive chairman. In a terse release issued Wednesday, June 19, 2013, the company didn't give a reason for the abrupt firing of Zimmer, who built Men's Wearhouse from one small Texas store using a cigar box as a cash register to one of the nation's largest specialty retailers in men's clothing, with 1,143 locations. (AP Photo/Ben Margot, File)NEW YORK (AP) — Men's Wearhouse doesn't like the way its founder looks anymore.





Deen says she used slur but doesn't tolerate hate

FILE - This Jan. 17, 2012 file photo shows celebrity chef Paula Deen posing for a portrait in New York. Deen says she has used racial slurs in the past but insists she and her brother, who are accused of racial and sexual discrimination in a lawsuit by a former manager of their restaurant, don’t tolerate hateful behavior. In a court deposition conducted on May 17, 2013 and filed Monday, June 17, 2013, in federal court, an attorney for former restaurant manager Lisa Jackson presses the 66-year-old Deen about her racial views and those of her brother, Bubba Hiers. (AP Photo/Carlo Allegri, File)SAVANNAH, Ga. (AP) — Celebrity cook Paula Deen said while being questioned in a discrimination lawsuit that she has used racial slurs in the past but insisted she and her family do not tolerate prejudice.





Police at Patriots tight end's home for 2nd day

Two members of the Massachusetts State Police walk toward the front door of the home of New England Patriot's NFL football player Aaron Hernandez in North Attleborough, Mass., Wednesday, June 19, 2013. Their knock on the door went unanswered. State and local police spent hours at the home Tuesday as another group of officers searched an industrial park about a mile away where a body was discovered the day before. (AP Photo/Erika Niedowski)NORTH ATTLEBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — State police returned to the home of New England Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez on Wednesday, two days after a body was found about a mile away.





Sao Paulo officials reverse subway, bus fare hike

A masked protestor walks near a burning barricade as riot police stand guard near the Castelao stadium in Fortaleza, Brazil, Wednesday, June 19, 2013. Protesters cut off the main access road to the stadium where Brazil goes up against Mexico in the Confederations Cup soccer tournament. Beginning as protests against bus fare hikes, the demonstrations have quickly ballooned to include broad middle-class outrage over the failure of governments to provide basic services and ensure public safety. (AP Photo/Andre Penner)SAO PAULO (AP) — Brazilian leaders in Sao Paulo say they are reversing a 10-cent hike in bus and subway fares that has sparked widespread protests across the nation.





IRS draws new criticism over $70M employee bonuses

FILE - This March 22, 2013 file photo shows the exterior of the Internal Revenue Service building in Washington. The Internal Revenue Service is about to pay $70 million in employee bonuses despite an Obama administration directive to cancel discretionary bonuses because of automatic spending cuts enacted this year, according to a GOP senator. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File)WASHINGTON (AP) — Already reeling from a pair of scandals, the Internal Revenue Service is drawing new criticism over plans to hand out millions of dollars in employee bonuses.





'Man of Steel' promoted from the pulpit

This film publicity image released by Warner Bros. Pictures shows Henry Cavill as Superman in "Man of Steel." Warner Bros. enlisted Christian-focused marketing firm Grace Hill Media to promote "Man of Steel" to faith-based groups by inviting them to early screenings and creating trailers that highlight the film’s religious themes. They also enlisted a Pepperdine University professor to create a Superman-centric sermon outline for pastors. The tale of Superman has long been associated with religious allegories. "Man of Steel" doesn't shy away from that theme, including portraying the character as 33 years old and having him seek counsel at a church in a time of crisis. (AP Photo/Warner Bros. Pictures, Clay Enos)LOS ANGELES (AP) — Seems Warner Bros. has taken movie marketing to a whole new level — even higher than a bird or a plane.