"Chicago Tribune" Reader

"Chicago Tribune" Reader

Obama to step up military support of Syrian rebels

Posted: 13 Jun 2013 05:00 PM PDT

FILE - In this April 30, 2013, file photo, President Barack Obama answers questions during his new conference in the Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House in Washington, Tuesday, April 30, 2013. U.S. officials said June 13, 2013, that the Obama administration has concluded that Syrian President Bashar Assad's regime has used chemical weapons against the opposition seeking to overthrow him, crossing what Obama called a 'red line'. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais, File)WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama has authorized sending weapons to Syrian rebels for the first time, U.S. officials said Thursday, after the White House disclosed that the United States has conclusive evidence President Bashar Assad's government used chemical weapons against opposition forces trying to overthrow him.

Court ruling may open up breast cancer gene tests

Posted: 13 Jun 2013 04:33 PM PDT

FILE - A technician loads patient samples into a machine for testing at Myriad Genetics Friday, May 31, 2002, in Salt Lake City. DNA samples are moved from one tray to another by the eight-needle apparatus at left. The Supreme Court ruled Thursday, June 13, 2013 that Myriad Genetics Inc. cannot patent the BRCA genes, which are tested to check a woman's risk for breast and ovarian cancer. Mutations in these genes are what led Angelina Jolie to have both her breasts removed because she had such a high cancer risk. Some experts think the court ruling may lead to lower cost testing because there could be more competition. (AP Photo/Douglas C. Pizac)A ruling by the Supreme Court that human genes can't be patented is expected to increase access and drop the cost for tests for gene mutations that greatly raise the risk of developing breast or ovarian cancer.

Lawmakers: Terrorists change tactics after leaks

Posted: 13 Jun 2013 04:26 PM PDT

Gen. Keith Alexander, Director of the National Security Agency, center, leaves a Senate Intelligence Committee meeting regarding NSA programs, in Washington, Thursday, June 13, 2013. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)WASHINGTON (AP) — Two senior Republican lawmakers said Thursday that terrorists are already changing their behavior after leaks about classified U.S. data gathering programs, but they offered no details.

2 found dead in area burned by Colo. wildfire

Posted: 13 Jun 2013 05:16 PM PDT

An AmeriCorps volunteer firefighter assigned to the El Paso County Sheriff's Office, Woodland Fire Crew, helps contain a spot fire in an evacuated area of forest, ranches and residences, in the Black Forest wildfire area, north of Colorado Springs, Colo., on Thursday, June 13, 2013. According to officials, at least 360 homes have been burned, and 38,000 people have been evacuated since the fire began earlier in the week. (AP Photo/Brennan Linsley)COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (AP) — A voracious wildfire driven in all directions by shifting winds has killed two people and destroyed at least 360 homes — a number that was likely to climb as the most destructive blaze in Colorado history burned for a third day through miles of tinder-dry woods, a sheriff said Thursday.

Turkish PM meets with protesters after warning

Posted: 13 Jun 2013 03:50 PM PDT

A woman walks past graffiti sprayed by Turkish protesters during the demonstration in Kugulu Park in Ankara, Turkey, Thursday, June 13, 2013. Turkey's prime minister issued a "final warning" to protesters on Thursday, demanding that they end their occupation of a park next to Istanbul's landmark Taksim Square. (AP Photo/Burhan Ozbilici)ISTANBUL (AP) — Turkey's prime minister was meeting with anti-government protesters early Friday, hours after giving them his "final warning" to end their occupation of a central Istanbul park that has become a flashpoint for the largest political crisis of his 10-year rule.

Argentine train wreck kills 3, injures hundreds

Posted: 13 Jun 2013 03:55 PM PDT

Train passengers wait to be transported to a hospital after they were injured in a train crash in the outskirts of Buenos Aires, Argentina, Thursday, June 13, 2013. A two-level train slammed into another that had stopped between stations during the morning commute Thursday. Firefighters and police are pulling passengers from the wreckage. Train operator spokesman Pablo Gunning says there are "various fatalities" though has not specified how many. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — A speeding commuter train slammed into another that had stopped between stations during the morning commute Thursday in suburban Buenos Aires, killing three passengers and injuring more than 300 on a line that has been under government control since a deadly crash last year.

U.S. to give Syria rebels militairy aid

Posted: 13 Jun 2013 03:08 PM PDT

FILE - This Tuesday, June 4, 2013 file photo citizen journalism image provided by Edlib News Network, ENN, which has been authenticated based on its contents and other AP reporting, shows Syrian rebels preparing to fire locally made rockets, in Idlib province, northern Syria. Rebels are pressing for a decision from the West on arming their forces to even their odds now that Lebanon's Hezbollah guerrillas are fighting alongside the regime. They are stepping up outreach to the West, warning that inaction will let al-Qaida-linked militants take the forefront in the rebellion or hand victory to Iran and Hezbollah. (AP Photo/Edlib News Network ENN, File)White House: Government used chemical weapons on the opposition.

Rand Paul says taxpayers are funding ‘war on Christianity’

Posted: 13 Jun 2013 11:59 AM PDT

Senator Rand Paul holds news conference to announce legal action against government surveillanceAmerican taxpayers are paying for a "war on Christianity" at home and abroad, Kentucky Republican Sen. Rand Paul said during a speech at a conservative conference Thursday. "There is a war on Christianity," Paul told an audience of mostly evangelical Christians and Jews during a luncheon at the annual Faith and Freedom Conference in Washington. [...]

Police: Gunman shot 3, self at St. Louis business

Posted: 13 Jun 2013 03:23 PM PDT

Police work at the scene of a shooting Thursday, June 13, 2013, in St. Louis. St. Louis police say an argument inside a business south of downtown escalated into gun violence, with a man shooting three other people before turning the gun on himself. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)ST. LOUIS (AP) — An argument inside a St. Louis home health care business escalated into gun violence Thursday when a man shot three other people before turning the gun on himself, police said.

Storms suspend play for 2nd time at US Open

Posted: 13 Jun 2013 03:30 PM PDT

Phil Mickelson hits on the fifth hole during the first round of the U.S. Open golf tournament at Merion Golf Club, Thursday, June 13, 2013, in Ardmore, Pa. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)ARDMORE, Pa. (AP) — First-round play has been suspended for a second time at the U.S. Open.

Nicaragua approves massive canal project

Posted: 13 Jun 2013 04:46 PM PDT

A demonstrator holds out a picture of Nicaragua's President Daniel Ortega that reads in Spanish "The biggest thief and traitor of Nicaragua, Daniel Ortega illegal President" in front of a line of police during a protest against a canal project outside the National Assembly in Managua, Nicaragua, Thursday, June 13, 2013. A multi-billion dollar proposal to plow a massive rival to the Panama Canal across the middle of Nicaragua was approved by the National Assembly Thursday, capping a lightning-fast approval process that has provoked deep skepticism among shipping experts and concern among environmentalists. (AP Photo/Esteban Felix)MANAGUA, Nicaragua (AP) — A proposal to build a massive rival to the Panama Canal across the middle of Nicaragua was overwhelmingly backed by lawmakers Thursday, capping a lightning-fast approval process that has provoked deep skepticism among shipping experts and concern among environmentalists.

Rep. Steve King: ‘Illegal aliens’ invaded my office

Posted: 13 Jun 2013 02:07 PM PDT

FILE - In this Feb. 10, 2011 file photo, Rep. Steve King, R-Iowa speaks in Washington. King has little use for the Humane Society, particularly when it comes to laws designed to give calves, pregnant sows and hens a little more freedom on the farm. The organization's political arm is devoting most of its campaign budget this year _ nearly $500,000 so far _ to its effort to see that King doesn't return for a sixth term. King is running against Democrat Christie Vilsack in a district that has become less conservative due to redistricting. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)Rep. Steve King, a Republican from Iowa and the House's leading immigration hawk, complained Thursday about young immigrants who had shown up to protest his bill that would defund President Barack Obama's deferred action program. King wrote on Twitter that "20 brazen self professed illegal aliens have invaded my DC office. Obama's lawless order gives [...]

US says Assad used chemical weapons

Posted: 13 Jun 2013 03:57 PM PDT

FILE - This Friday, May 3, 2013, citizen journalism image provided by Edlib News Network, ENN, which has been authenticated based on its contents and other AP reporting, show an anti-Syrian regime protester holding up an Arabic placard reading, "If America does not know who used the chemical weapons, so it could be flying saucers from another planet," during a demonstration, in Sarmada town, in Idlib province, northern Syria. A U.N. report on Syria said Tuesday, June 4, 2013, that there are WASHINGTON (AP) — The United States has conclusive evidence that Syrian President Bashar Assad's regime has used chemical weapons against opposition forces seeking to overthrow the government, crossing what President Barack Obama has called a "red line" that would trigger greater American involvement in the crisis, the White House said Thursday.

NFL to limit bags brought into stadiums

Posted: 13 Jun 2013 02:35 PM PDT

FILE - In this Oct. 2, 2011, file photo, fans wait at a security checkpoint as they enter Lambeau Field for an NFL football game between the Denver Broncos and the Green Bay Packers in Green Bay, Wis. The NFL is tightening stadium security starting this preseason, limiting the size and type of bags fans can bring to the game. The restrictions are designed to enhance security while speeding up entry into stadiums. (AP Photo/Mike Roemer, File)FLORHAM PARK, N.J. (AP) — Bring yourself to the game. Leave the cooler and backpack at home.

Police: 4 shot in St. Louis business

Posted: 13 Jun 2013 02:40 PM PDT

Two men and two women were shot dead this afternoon in a murder-suicide at a health care business in St. Louis, a police source said. The male shooter is among the four dead, police say. Officers recovered a semiautomatic handgun from the crime scene.

Mangled facts, secrecy brew confusion about NSA

Posted: 13 Jun 2013 02:35 PM PDT

FILE - In this June 10, 2013 file photo, President Barack Obama speaks in the East Room of the White House in Washington. Wondering what the U.S. government might know about your phone calls and online life? And whether all of this really helps find terrorists? Good luck finding solid answers. Americans trying to wrap their minds around two giant surveillance programs are confronted with a mishmash of leaks, changing claims and secrecy. Congress members complain their constituents are baffled _ and many lawmakers admit they are, too. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster, File)WASHINGTON (AP) — Wondering what the U.S. government might know about your phone calls and online life? And whether all of this really helps find terrorists? Good luck finding solid answers.

Hillary Clinton turning toward nonprofit world

Posted: 13 Jun 2013 02:02 PM PDT

Former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton addresses the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) Meeting in Chicago, Thursday, June 13, 2013. The former first lady and potential 2016 White House contender offered her most extensive description of her post-Obama administration agenda since leaving her role as the nation's top diplomat. (AP Photo/Scott Eisen)CHICAGO (AP) — As she considers another White House bid, Hillary Rodham Clinton intends to work in the nonprofit world on issues like improving early childhood education, promoting the rights of women and girls, and finding ways to improve the economy — a set of priorities that could inform a 2016 presidential campaign.

St. Louis police: 4 dead in murder-suicide

Posted: 13 Jun 2013 02:45 PM PDT

Police work at the scene of a shooting Thursday, June 13, 2013, in St. Louis. St. Louis police say an argument inside a business south of downtown escalated into gun violence, with a man shooting three other people before turning the gun on himself. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)ST. LOUIS (AP) — An argument inside a St. Louis home health care business escalated into gun violence Thursday when a man shot three other people before turning the gun on himself, police said.

Juggling family and golf, Mickelson leads US Open

Posted: 13 Jun 2013 05:08 PM PDT

Phil Mickelson tips his hat on the 12th green during the first round of the U.S. Open golf tournament at Merion Golf Club, Thursday, June 13, 2013, in Ardmore, Pa. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)ARDMORE, Pa. (AP) — So much for getting a good night's sleep.

US officials: Assad used chemical weapons

Posted: 13 Jun 2013 02:29 PM PDT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Obama administration has concluded that Syrian President Bashar Assad's regime has used chemical weapons against the opposition seeking to overthrow him, U.S. officials said Thursday, crossing what President Barack Obama has called a 'red line' that would trigger greater American involvement in the crisis.