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Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake denies a report by Fox News that she gave a stand down order to her city’s police department on the days riots broke out over the death of Freddie Gray. Rawlings-Blake defended her actions — as well as Maryland Governor Larry Hogan’s decision to not be overly “aggressive” towards rioters — on Saturday and Monday as not a stand down but an appropriate response for the time.“The situation on the ground when you are engaged in an incident is a lot different than what you can see or experience on television. Officers are doing an amazing...

On Tuesday, Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito decided to make same-sex marriages advocates face the logical extension of their position, asking bluntly why four people of opposite sexes could not marry, given the argument that two people of the same sex should be able to wed. Earlier in the day, he also challenged the basic premise of her same-sex marriage argument, prompting an apology. Alito fired the question of four partners in a marriage at Mary L. Bonauto, the attorney arguing for same-sex marriage advocates. Alito, a staunch Roman Catholic, threw down the gauntlet in the following exchange:Alito: Suppose we...

A Houston Community College police officer has survived an assassination attempt after being stabbed by her assailant 14 times. The officer was saved by civilians who stepped in and stopped the attacker. The attacker told investigators he did this to get back at police for their brutality. A spokesman from the family said it might be related to the Baltimore riots. Officer April Pikes remains in critical condition at Houston’s Ben Taub Hospital, a public relations official at the Houston Police Department said to Breitbart Texas. Her alleged attacker, Jeremiah M. Matthews, 23, was pulled off of her by a...

A 23-year-old Montana man sought for theft and forgery was arrested after he “liked” his own online wanted poster on the Cascade County Crime Stoppers Facebook page. Levi Charles Reardon, who was featured on the page as an April “most wanted” suspect, was arrested Friday. He faces felony charges for allegedly forging checks in a case involving the theft of a wallet and personal checks.

An Egyptian court has sentenced 71 people to life in prison for their role in the August 2013 burning of a Christian church in the Giza province village of Kafr Hakim, state news reports. The Virgin Mary Church was torched and looted by a mob, some of whom chanted against Coptic Christians and called for Egypt to become an "Islamic state," one of at least 42 churches and many more businesses and homes targeted that August, the advocacy group Human Rights Watch reports. Others attacked included St. George Church in Sohag, a city south of Cairo on the Nile River,...

Republicans controlling Congress Wednesday unveiled a budget plan for the upcoming year and beyond, setting up a confrontation with President Barack Obama over his signature health care law and his vow to boost spending on domestic programs like transportation and education. House-Senate negotiators on the sweeping — but nonbinding — budget plan sealed agreement Wednesday. The 10-year balanced budget plan calls upon lawmakers to repeal Obama's health care law while enacting major curbs on safety net programs like Medicaid and food stamps. It would cut future-year budgets for domestic agencies below already tight spending "caps" that the White House vows...

Madame Velazquez, whose enthusiasm for the cause of Southern independence induced her to discard the garments of her sex, and to assume male attire for the purpose of appearing upon the battle-field, is a typical Southern woman of the war period; and there are thousands of officers and soldiers who fought in the Confederate armies who can bear testimony, not only to the valor she displayed in battle, and under many circumstances of difficulty and danger, but to her integrity, her energy, her ability, and her unblemished reputation. Upon these points, however, it is not necessary to dilate; her story...

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TRENTON, N.J. (CBS) — The President of the New Jersey State Senate is resurrecting the idea of a millionaires tax to help fund the state pension system. This proposal seems to come up every year at about this time. Governor Chris Christie has shot it down every time. With a pending run for President, it’s almost certain he’ll do it again. But Senate President Steve Sweeney insists the 2011 pension deal obligates the state to fully fund the plan. And it’s not like there aren’t options.

The US Senate rejected on Wednesday an effort to make any lifting of US sanctions on Iran part of an international nuclear agreement dependent on President Barack Obama certifying that Iran is not supporting acts of terrorism against Americans. With some votes still being counted, 54 senators had opposed a proposed amendment to a bill requiring an Iran nuclear deal to be reviewed by Congress, guaranteeing that it would not reach the 60-vote threshold required to move ahead.

Jonathan Allen of General Electric Vox wrote a loving paean about Hillary Clinton's speech today at Columbia University which touched on the Baltimore riots. However, what was really notable about his article is what it left out. An inadvertently jarring laugh line which Allen very conveniently skips.  It might have been overlooked by Allen but Hillary's unintended humor has caused a lot of laughter on the Web. We shall get to that but first let us watch Jonathan Allen grow misty eyed over Hillary's speech:

Some states running their own ObamaCare exchanges may be illegally using federal dollars to keep them afloat, according to a new warning from a government auditor. The inspector general for HHS said officials must better inform states about the purpose of the grants to prevent them from improperly using the money to prop up their health insurance exchanges. ObamaCare required that all state-based marketplaces be self-sustaining by January 2015. For example, the audit said Washington state’s health exchange “might use $10 million in establishment grant funds to support operations” in the second half of 2015, citing budget documents. The Washington...

Baltimore authorities may soon start releasing people arrested during Monday's rioting if paperwork delays push their incarceration past a 48-hour legal window, a police spokesman said. More than 100 people, about half of the 209 taken into custody during the unrest, have yet to be formally charged, Capt. Eric Kowalczyk said at a Wednesday afternoon news briefing. Because of the fluid nature of the situation, and officers' attempts to quickly round up lawbreakers, much of the required booking documents have yet to be compiled, he said. "If we're not able to meet the 48-hour window to charge, they will be...

WASHINGTON – Taking U.S. and Russian missiles off high alert could keep a possible cyberattack from starting a nuclear war, a former commander of U.S. nuclear forces says, but neither country appears willing to increase the lead-time to prepare the weapons for launch. Retired Gen. James Cartwright said in an interview that “de-alerting” nuclear arsenals could foil hackers by reducing the chance of firing a weapon in response to a false warning of attack. Essentially adding a longer fuse can be done without eroding the weapons’ deterrent value, said Cartwright, who headed Strategic Command from 2004 to 2007 and was...

Former Florida governor Jeb Bush forcefully advocated for an immigration reform plan that includes a path to legal status for undocumented immigrants during a speech Wednesday to a Hispanic faith-based group in Houston. And he showed off his Spanish speaking skills while he was at it.

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AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Texas Republican Gov. Greg Abbott on Tuesday asked the State Guard to monitor a U.S. military training exercise dubbed "Jade Helm 15" amid Internet-fueled suspicions that the war simulation is really a hostile military takeover. The request comes a day after more than 200 people packed a meeting in rural Bastrop County and questioned a U.S. Army commander about whether the government was planning to confiscate guns or implement martial law. "It is important that Texans know their safety, constitutional rights, private property rights and civil liberties will not be infringed," Abbott wrote. "By monitoring the...

Death and taxes are just as certain as ever, except that now even more of death could be taxable. Specifically, a death or “memory” DVD. It’s big business these days in the funeral business. So the state Board of Equalization, which interprets tax law, wants to make sure California is getting its 8.25 percent cut. The board gave preliminary approval this week to new tax rules about products and services such as memory DVDs and memory books that are increasingly part of modern funerals. The state gets to collect sales tax on such personal property. So a $25 souvenir death...

Online reports are swirling that Freddie Gray had spinal surgery shortly before he died in police custody, and had collected a payout in a settlement from a car accident. Those reports — which raise questions about the injury that led to his death in April 19 — point to Howard County court records as proof. But court records examined Wednesday by The Baltimore Sun show the case had nothing to do with a car accident or a spine injury. Instead, they are connected to a lawsuit alleging that Gray and his sister were injured by exposure to lead paint.

Sr. Law Enforcement Official: Baltimore Mayor Said “Let the Protesters Loot, It’s Only Property”A senior Baltimore law enforcement official said the mayor told police officials,“Let them loot. It’s only property.” Via Your World with Neil Cavuto: