Eyder Peralta

For the first time in its centuries-old history, the St. Patrick's Day parade in New York City will include a gay group marching under its own banner.

The organizers of the world's largest parade of its kind said Wednesday that they were dropping their ban on the participation of gay ...

A Detroit man convicted of second-degree murder over the shooting death of an unarmed black teenager has been sentenced to at least 17 years in prison.

The AP reports that before the judge handed down the sentence, Theodore Wafer, who is white, apologized to the family of 19-year-old Renisha ...

In a speech delivered on the eve of an important meeting of the 28 NATO nations in Wales, President Obama vowed to defend the sovereignty of all members of the alliance.

Obama spoke in Estonia, one of the Baltic countries that has seen Russia's military involvement in Ukraine as a ...

Speaking in Estonia today, President Obama issued a warning to the extremist group that took responsibility for beheading two American journalists: "We will not be intimidated," Obama said, according to Time. "Those who make the mistake of harming Americans will learn that we will not forget, and that our ...

The morning started on a hopeful note: The office of Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said that in a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin, the two had agreed on a "permanent cease-fire."

But that was short-lived. As the state-funded Russia Today reports, the Russians quickly pointed out ...

An Islamic radical group released a video on Tuesday that purportedly shows the beheading of American journalist Steven Sotloff.

The Islamic State, also known as ISIS or ISIL, had threatened Sotloff's life when it released a video showing the beheading of American journalist James Foley two weeks ago.

At ...

Ending decades of family leadership, Washington Post owner Jeffrey Bezos announced on Tuesday that Frederick J. Ryan Jr. would be taking over as publisher of the venerable journalism institution.

Ryan, a former Reagan administration official and founding member of the website Politico, will take over for Katharine Weymouth.

The ...

The Kremlin is disputing the context of a controversial quote attributed to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

As Italy's La Repubblica reported, Putin allegedly issued a defiant warning to European Commission President José Manuel Barros during a phone call.

According to a translation by the Huffington Post U.K., Barros ...

Police near Nashville spent the night raking the city with dogs and helicopters in search for 32 teens who escaped from a detention center in Bordeaux, Tenn.

Blake Farmer of NPR member station WPLN tells our Newscast unit that 17 of them are still on the loose. Blake sent this ...

The United States conducted airstrikes in Somalia late Monday, targeting the leadership of the al-Qaida affiliate al-Shabab.

Pentagon Press Secretary Rear Adm. John F. Kirby tells The New York Times that the U.S. is "still assessing the results of the operation." Kirby would not reveal further details.

Local officials, ...

The trial of former Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell went into closing arguments today. At issue are serious allegations of corruption, but the trial has also unveiled seriously juicy details about McDonnell's personal life.

We haven't given the trial much coverage around here. So, before the jury hands down ...

California is one step closer to becoming the first state to require colleges and universities "to adopt a standard of unambiguous consent among students engaging in sexual activity," The Los Angeles Times reports.

The California Senate gave the bill unanimous approval on Thursday, and it is now headed to ...

The Syrian civil war has sparked "the biggest humanitarian emergency of our era."

That's according to António Guterres, the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees, who added that while the world's response to the crisis has been "generous," it hasn't met the needs of refugees.

The U.N. agency released new ...

Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk says his government has sent parliament a bill that allows Ukraine to open a path toward membership in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.

"The main and only goal of Ukraine's foreign policy is to join the European Union," Yatsenyuk said in a statement.

Remember, ...

A 9-year-old girl in Arizona on Monday accidentally killed her firing-range instructor when she lost control of an Uzi submachine gun.

The news has ignited a debate in the country about access to guns and the wisdom of state law and parents who allow children to shoot them. It ...

The sister of the Boston Marathon bombing suspects was arrested on Tuesday and accused of making a bomb threat against her boyfriend's ex girlfriend.

The Boston Herald reports:

"Ailina Tsarnaeva, 24, of North Bergen, N.J., turned herself in to officers in Manhattan around 2:30 p.m. yesterday and was ...

A federal judge on Wednesday finalized a ruling that strikes down part of Utah's ban on polygamy.

The case is high profile partly because the suit was brought forth by the Brown family, the stars of the TLC show Sister Wives. It's also important because as it works its way ...

The University of Southern California has suspended cornerback Josh Shaw indefinitely after he admitted to fabricating a heroic tale that explained his sprained ankles.

CBS News reports:

Shaw has been suspended indefinitely from all of the Trojans' team activities after acknowledging his heroic tale was "a complete fabrication," ...

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko says Russian troops entered his country on Thursday.

Poroshenko said he was canceling a trip to Turkey and was asking the United Nations Security Council to meet to provide an assessment of the "sharp aggravation of the situation in Ukraine."

Another Ukrainian official told ...

Some semblance of normal life returned to Gaza on Wednesday.

The day after Hamas and Israel accepted an open-ended cease-fire, Palestinians returned to their homes, markets opened and bulldozers began clearing the rubble, while in Israel, the sirens warning of rockets fell silent.

Naturally, Palestinians, Israelis and the world ...