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A teenager has reportedly been killed and three others have been gunned down during a Mother's Day motorcycling rally. The boy, who is said to be 14, was reportedly hit in the head by shots fired at random while attending the Mother's Day Bike Blessing in Newark, New Jersey. Witnesses on social media described how EMTs gave the victim CPR in front of the horrified crowd.

Jim Geraghty asked a good question (a frequent occurrence!) the other day on The Corner. “If you want to change American culture,” he wrote, in the light of the presidential-announcement themes of Ben Carson and Mike Huckabee, “should you be running for president?” Geraghty isn’t sure of the answer, and neither am I. It’s not immediately clear whether a political office, even the presidency, is as good a place from which to change the culture as is a movie studio or a sound stage or a college classroom. But there’s a parallel question that should concern conservatives at least as...

"......When Mr. [Tony] Rodham was short on cash in 2010, Mr. Clinton helped get him a job for $72,000 a year raising investments in GreenTech Automotive, an electric car company then owned by Terry McAuliffe, an old friend of Mr. Clinton’s and now the governor of Virginia. “I was complaining to my brother-in-law I didn’t have any money. And he asked McAuliffe to give me a job,” Mr. Rodham said during the court proceedings, which were the result of a lawsuit over unpaid legal bills filed by his lawyer in a child support case. A brother down on his luck...

Those who wish to apply a 'hermeneutic of continuity' to Vatican II, or who deny that there can be any opposition or rupture between the documents of that council and Catholic tradition, or who claim that the assertion that the authentic teachings of Vatican II formally contradict the tradition of the Church is false, might consider the following passage from the council's pastoral constitution Gaudium et Spes: Gaudium et Spes 24: 'Quapropter dilectio Dei et proximi primum et maximum mandatum est.' For non-Latinists, this claim (it is a complete sentence in the conciliar document) can be translated as follows: 'For...

(CBSNews) — An Oregon family traveling with a 15-year old autistic girl was kicked off a flight this week for what the airline calls a “disruptive” situation. The family calls it an outrage. Video shot by a fellow passenger and posted to YouTube showed Salt Lake City airport police removing the family from a United Airlines flight last Tuesday, after the pilot made an emergency landing. The girl’s mother, Donna Beegle, was shocked when officers explained why. “He said, ‘Well, the captain doesn’t feel comfortable flying to Portland with your daughter on his flight,” Beegle told CBS News. The trouble...

None from first-ever group of female soldiers training to be Army Rangers advance through first round: officials BY Rachelle Blidner NEW YORK DAILY NEWS Saturday, May 9, 2015, 5:24 PM The first-ever female soldiers allowed to train to be Army Rangers did not make it through the first round of the course, officials said Friday. Eight women and 101 men who made it through the first tests of the 20-day Crawl Phase will have to try again to pass the last few at one of the toughest soldier training schools, officials said.

President Obama plans to overhaul the Joint Chiefs of Staff this year as he seeks to replace a handful of longtime members whose terms are coming to a close. Obama on Tuesday nominated Marine Gen. Joseph Dunford, commandant of the Marine Corps, to succeed Army Gen. Martin Dempsey as chairman this fall. He also tapped Air Force Gen. Paul Selva, head of U.S. Transportation Command, to replace Navy Adm. James “Sandy” Winnefeld as vice chairman. In the roles since 2011, Dempsey and Winnefeld are expected to retire after their current two-year terms end in October and August, respectively. What’s more,...

A group of hackers affiliated with ISIS are threatening to carry out a cyber attack—dubbed “Message to America”—against a number of targets 2 p.m. EST today. The targets were not identified on ISIS forums and social channels but the hackers are promising something “surprising” that “will frighten America”.

Alcohol “possibly” played a role in the horrific fatal accident that claimed the lives of three high school students at Stony Creek Metropark, Macomb County Sheriff Anthony Wickersham said Sunday. The sheriff said investigators worked throughout the weekend on the Friday evening incident, which also resulted in severe injuries to two other teens who were in the car when it crashed. Asked on Sunday whether the investigation uncovered evidence that alcohol was a factor, Wickersham said: “Possibly. That’s a possibility. We still need to wait for the results of some toxicology tests that were conducted.” Asked if it was the...

Honor to the Martyrs! A Declaration of Gratitude to the Martyrs of Our Day By: Msgr. Charles PopeIn the Divine Office last week we read a remarkable passage on the persecution of the Church. It seems proper to consider a portion of it in times like these; more on that in a moment.Of course in writing of persecution and martyrdom, I write as an American who, though experiencing a lot more scorn these days, does not have to endure grave threat for being a Catholic. But as I consider Catholics and Christians in places like Iraq, Egypt, Syria, Nigeria, the...

Congress is under new pressure to take action on the National Security Agency’s controversial surveillance program, as a deadline looms near and questions swirl about the legality of its data collection practices. Lawmakers have only 10 legislative days to renew portions of the Patriot Act set to expire on June 1, and there are deep divides in both parties over how to move forward. Unusual political partnerships and varying motives leave serious doubts about what Congress will do as it sprints towards the finish line, even as a top court demands legislative action. “Where I think it’s going — God...

The Metropolitan Council continues to struggle with a marketing problem that just won't go away. The projected cost of extending light rail from Minneapolis to Eden Prairie has ballooned to $2 billion, which would make it the largest public infrastructure project in state history. That certainly would be a lot of bridges repaired and lanes of freeway added. Mark Fuhrmann, the project director for Metro Transit, said the other day that delaying the project could jeopardize federal funding. In other words, if we don't act now, we could lose the government's contribution needed to build the line. The government's share?...

Explanation: What if you could stand at the top of a volcano and peer out across the universe? It the timing is right, you might see an amazing panorama like the one featured here. In this case, the volcano is the Hawaii's Mauna Kea, and the time was a clear night last summer In the foreground of this south-facing panorama lies a rugged landscape dotted with rocks and hardy plants. Slightly above and further out, a white blanket of clouds spreads horizontally to the horizon, seemingly dividing heaven and Earth. City lights illuminate the clouds and sky on the far...

Saudi monarch’s decision signals that the Arab states aren’t on board with nuclear accord Saudi Arabia’s monarch pulled out of a summit to be hosted by President Barack Obama on Thursday, in a blow to the White House’s efforts to build Arab support for a nuclear accord with Iran. King Salman’s decision appeared to ripple across the Persian Gulf. Bahrain said on Sunday that its ruler, King Hamad bin Isaa Al Khalifa, had opted not to travel to Washington. The only two monarchs from the six countries confirmed to attend the summit at the White House and the presidential retreat...

Weeks after Hillary Clinton became secretary of state, the State Department objected to a proposed consultancy arrangement offered to Bill Clinton by media mogul Haim Saban, citing concerns about conflict of interest. Nevertheless, public records show that Saban’s nonprofit gave millions to the Clinton Foundation throughout Hillary Clinton’s tenure. Saban, a billionaire best known for creating Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, has dual U.S.-Israeli citizenship and has spent heavily to support Israel. “His greatest concern, he says, is to protect Israel, by strengthening the United States-Israel relationship,” the New Yorker noted in a 2010 profile of Saban. At a conference in...

An off-duty Elk River police officer and his son were shot dead Saturday night in St. Michael, Minn., and another of the officer's sons was arrested after he called 911 saying he wanted to turn himself in, authorities say. Police say that at 7:06 p.m. Saturday, a man called 911 from a house in the 4500 block of Mayfield Avenue saying he had been shot. According to radio traffic posted on the MN Police Clips, a male caller told a 911 dispatcher that his brother shot him in the chest. "Sounds like the phone dropped," the dispatcher said. "I can...

May 11 Israel bought four German-made corvette warships on Monday to help secure its Mediterranean gas rigs, with Berlin heavily subsidizing the deal, Israel's Defence Ministry said on Monday. The ships, worth 430 million euros ($480 million), will be built by Thyssen Krupp and delivered within five years, providing significantly more fire power to Israel's navy. The German government will pay 115 million euros towards the cost. As part of its atonement for the Nazi Holocaust, Germany is committed to Israel's security and has often helped pay in the past for the cost of military equipment such as submarines. Thyssen...

Houthi rebels in Yemen say they have shot down a Moroccan fighter jet that was taking part in Saudi-led coalition air strikes against them. Rebel-controlled Al-Masirah TV reported that the F-16 was hit as it flew over Saada province, and broadcast pictures of what it said was the wreckage. The Moroccan Royal Armed Forces earlier said one of its planes was missing. If confirmed, it would be the first aircraft lost by the coalition since its air campaign began on 26 March. The bombardment has been stepped up in recent days ahead of the start of a proposed five-day humanitarian...

With California’s growing cap-and-trade program expected to yield a budgetary bonanza, lawmakers and interest groups have ample ideas for how to spend the money. Floating proposals ahead of a pivotal period for budget negotiations, they say they want to fund port improvements, pay for heavy-duty trucks and ferries, nurture urban rivers, sponge up carbon in soil and provide discounted bus passes. They are vying for a surge in new revenue that will be available this budget cycle and could continue pouring in for years to come.

The Rev. Charles Hasty, senior pastor of First Presbyterian Church in Columbus, Georgia, has announced his resignation from the congregation he's served for 13 years after members narrowly defeated a motion to leave the Presbyterian Church (USA). Hasty announced his resignation Monday evening after congregants voted 266-146 last month to leave PCUSA over theological differences; the total was just eight votes shy of the necessary two-thirds majority needed to pass. JoAnna Williams, administrative assistant for Hasty, directed The Christian Post to a local news article wherein quotes from a letter Hasty wrote explaining his reasoning was published. "Undoubtedly, there is...