Eyder Peralta

The case of Army Pfc. Bradley Manning tested many complex questions about espionage, journalism and even treason. But there was always one thing that lingered as a subtext to the case: Manning's struggle with gender identity.

On Thursday, when Manning announced that he wants to be known as Chelsea ...

Details of the massacre of 16 Afghans by a U.S. soldier last spring are emerging in a courtroom near Tacoma, Wash., where survivors of that attack traveled to confront Army Staff Sgt. Robert Bales. A six-member military jury is hearing testimony at a sentencing hearing for Bales.

At least seven ...

Saying it was vital to the country's national security, New Zealand passed a controversial law today that allows the Government Communications Security Bureau — the country's NSA equivalent — to spy on New Zealanders on behalf of law enforcement.

The law was approved by a razor-thin — 61-59 — margin ...

When Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI announced his retirement in February, he surprised pretty much everyone. He was, after all, the first pope to resign since Pope Gregory XII in 1415.

At the time, Benedict cited his age and diminishing strength as his reasons for resigning.

Today, we get word ...

Army Maj. Nidal Hasan, who is accused of killing 13 people during a 2009 shooting rampage in Fort Hood, Texas, rested his case Wednesday without calling any witnesses during his military trial.

Reuters reports:

"Hasan is acting as his own defense attorney on charges stemming from the shooting spree ...

A day after journalist Glenn Greenwald's partner was detained by authorities at London Heathrow Airport, the editor of the British newspaper that employs Greenwald is making a bomb-shell allegation: Alan Rusbridger writes that the British spy agency raided the offices of the The Guardian and destroyed hard drives containing ...

This post was updated at 3:47 a.m. ET Tuesday:

The Associated Press reports: A federal judge approved Monday's request from California and federal officials to force-feed inmates if necessary as a statewide prison hunger strike entered its seventh week.

Officials say they fear for the welfare of nearly 70 ...

A task force commissioned by President Obama says that cities hit hardest by Super Storm Sandy need better construction to respond to the stronger storms spun by climate change.

In a report released today, the Hurricane Sandy Task Force lays out suggestions like building a more resilient and modern ...

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie continues to eschew convention: The Associated Press reports that he will sign a bill banning therapy that seeks to turn gay teens straight.

The AP adds:

"In a signing note accompanying the bill that will be made public Monday, Christie said he believes ...

The United States Department of Agriculture has crunched the numbers and it concludes today that if you had a child in 2012, it'll cost you $241,080 to raise him or her for next 17 years.

If you adjust it for inflation, that number soars to $301,970.

This represents a ...

The two-time U.S. Olympian Nick Symmonds won the silver medal in the 800 meter race, yesterday, in the IAAF World Athletics Championships in Moscow.

That wasn't the news, however. Instead, the news became Symmonds' dedication of his medal to his gay and lesbian friends.

The official state news agency

Jesse Jackson Jr., who pleaded guilty to misusing $750,000 in campaign funds, was sentenced to 30 months in prison plus three years of supervised release today, The Chicago Tribune and The Chicago Sun-Times are reporting.

Earlier during the sentencing hearing, the former Democratic congressman from Chicago and his ...

The Department of Defense announced Wednesday that it is extending full benefits to the same-sex spouses of service members and civilian employees.

The move is an effort to bring Pentagon policies in line with a Supreme Court decision that found the Defense of Marriage Act was unconstitutional.

"The Department ...

Update at 5:33 p.m. ET. 'I'm Sorry':

Delivering an unsworn statement before a military judge in Fort Meade, Md., Pfc. Bradley Manning apologized for perpetrating the largest leak of classified information in U.S. history.

"I'm sorry I hurt people," he said according to Reuters. "I'm sorry that I hurt the ...

(We most recently updated the top of this post at 5:08 p.m. ET.)

In what looks to be the bloodiest day since the July 3 ouster of President Mohammed Morsi, dozens of people in Cairo were killed Wednesday as government forces moved to clear Morsi's supporters from sites where they ...

Frank DeAngelis, the Columbine High School principal who helped usher students to safety during the 1999 shootings, announced he will retire at the end of the 2013-14 school year.

As KMGH-TV reports, at the time of the shooting DeAngelis promised the then ninth-grade students that he would stay ...

The 341st Missile Wing at the Malmstrom Airforce Base in Montana handles one-third of the United States' land-based nuclear missiles.

Today, it failed an inspection after making "tactical-level errors during one of several exercises," the Air Force's Global Strike Command said in a statement.

The AP reports this ...

When thunderstorms emit lightning, we see the white, snaking electricity from the ground. But if you flew above the clouds, you would see a sky phenomenon known as sprites.

These are rarely seen bolts of red light that look like very fast burning sparklers. The Capital Weather Gang over at ...

Mary Cain, the 17-year-old phenom who was the youngest female runner at the IAAF World Championships in track and field in Moscow, has stunned again by qualifying for the 1,500 meters final.

Perhaps Jason Gay, a sports columnist for The Wall Street Journal put it best, when he tweeted:

A federal appeals court ruled Tuesday that the Obama administration is breaking the law by delaying its review of a plan to store nuclear waste in Nevada. The court ruled that the Nuclear Regulatory Commission must complete its licensing process — that is, approve or reject — the Energy Department's ...