Mark Memmott

Mark Memmott appears in the following:

Aw-Inspiring Video: Sea Lion Worries When Little Girl Falls

Friday, May 17, 2013

Take a break from the scandal du jour for something that's just darn nice.

A little girl was running in circles at the National Zoo in Washington, D.C., this week. On the other side of a window, a sea lion was mimicking her moves — playing something of ...

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Washington Green? State Creates Logo For Legal Pot

Friday, May 17, 2013

T-shirts will surely be made:

Along with draft rules for how to become a licensed grower or seller of marijuana, the Washington State Liquor Control Board this week released the official "icon logo" that will need to be put on packages of pot and "marijuana-infused products sold at ...

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Famed Race Driver Dick Trickle Dies, Suicide Suspected

Friday, May 17, 2013

Dick Trickle, a "short-track hero" in the '70s and '80s who moved to the NASCAR circuit later in his career, died Thursday.

According to The Charlotte Observer, the 71-year-old was killed by "an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound, Lincoln County [N.C.] deputies said."

The Observer adds that "in 2001, ...

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Gingrich Cautions GOP About 'Overreach' On Scandals

Friday, May 17, 2013

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, who was front-and-center during the Republican-led impeachment of President Clinton in 1998, is cautioning his GOP colleagues about the risk of appearing to be too eager as they dig into the scandals now dogging the Obama administration.

"I think we overreached in '98 ...

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Kai 'The Hatchet Hitchhiker' Is Accused Of Murder

Friday, May 17, 2013

Caleb "Kai" McGillvary, who became an Internet sensation in February with his colorful account of how he bashed a man with a hatchet to stop an attack on a utility worker in California, has been arrested and charged with murdering a lawyer in New Jersey.

McGillvary, The Associated ...

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Reports: Russia Sends More Missiles, Has Ships Near Syria

Friday, May 17, 2013

Friday's major news about the conflict in Syria:

-- "Russia Sends More Advanced Missiles to Aid Assad in Syria."

According to The New York Times, "Russia has sent advanced antiship cruise missiles to Syria, a move that illustrates the depth of its support for the Syrian government led ...

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'Foolish Mistakes Were Made,' IRS Chief Says

Friday, May 17, 2013

(Most recent update: 12:50 p.m. ET.)

Saying that "foolish mistakes were made by people trying to be more efficient in their workload selection," the outgoing head of the Internal Revenue Service told Congress on Friday that he and the agency want to apologize for the targeting of some ...

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Obama Has 'Complete Confidence' In Attorney General Holder

Thursday, May 16, 2013

The Justice Department's controversial decision to search phone records of Associated Press reporters and editors while investigating the source of a leak has not shaken his trust in Attorney Gen. Eric Holder, President Obama said Thursday.

He has "complete confidence in Eric Holder as attorney general," the president ...

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Obama Names New Acting IRS Commissioner

Thursday, May 16, 2013

Update at 5:38 p.m. ET. One More IRS Official To Leave

Another official is out at the embattled agency.

The Associated Press reports that Joseph Grant, commissioner of the IRS' tax exempt and government entities division, will retire June 3. The division scrutinized Tea Party groups when the applied ...

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Police Arrest Brothers In New Orleans Mother's Day Shooting

Thursday, May 16, 2013

"CAPTURED!"

That's how the New Orleans Police Department spread the word on Facebook early Thursday that its officers had "arrested 19-year-old Akein Scott in connection with the shooting of 19 people on Mother's Day."

Update at 4:05 p.m. ET. Second Suspect Arrested:

New Orleans police and U.S. Marshals ...

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Almost Nerd Wars: 'Doctor Who' & 'Star Wars' Fans Have Spat

Thursday, May 16, 2013

Some stories are indeed too good to be true.

This BBC headline had us punching the Two-Way control board to go to light speed in pursuit of appropriate puns:

"Star Wars and Doctor Who fans clash at Norwich convention"

We were all ready to write that ...

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Berkshire Hathaway's Credit Rating Knocked Down A Notch

Thursday, May 16, 2013

Billionaire investment legend Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway Inc. has had its credit rating lowered from AA+ to AA by Standard & Poor's Ratings Services.

In a statement, S&P says that even though Berkshire Hathaway has an "excellent business profile," the lower credit rating "better reflects our view of BRK's dependence ...

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Reports: Note Found In Boat Where Boston Suspect Hid

Thursday, May 16, 2013

In a message written on a wall of the boat where he was found hiding, Boston bombings suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev claimed responsibility for the attack and said it was motivated by anger over the Afghan and Iraq wars, sources familiar with what was found have told ...

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Conflicting Signals From Latest Economic Indicators

Thursday, May 16, 2013

Thursday morning's economic news:

-- There were 360,000 first-time claims for unemployment insurance last week, up 32,000 from the week before, the Employment and Training Administration says. At 360,000, the pace was the fastest since the last week of March. But it remained well below the 400,000-and-higher rate ...

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Twitter Users Risk Damnation, Saudi Religious Police Say

Thursday, May 16, 2013

"The head of Saudi Arabia's religious police has warned citizens against using Twitter, which is rising in popularity among Saudis," the BBC reports. "Sheikh Abdul Latif Abdul Aziz al-Sheikh said anyone using social media sites — and especially Twitter — 'has lost this world and his afterlife.' "

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At Least 13 Dead, Including Americans, After Attack In Kabul

Thursday, May 16, 2013

Early casualty reports indicate that a powerful suicide car bombing Thursday in Kabul killed at least seven Afghan civilians, four foreign civilian contractors who were working for international forces and two members of the international military force.

Dozens more people were reportedly injured by the blast in Afghanistan's capital city.

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Texas Tornado Leaves 6 Dead, Dozens Hurt, Hundreds Homeless

Thursday, May 16, 2013

"A massive emergency response" is underway in North Texas, where tornadoes blew through Wednesday night, The Dallas Morning News says. A twister that hit Granbury, about 35 miles southwest of Fort Worth, left at least six people dead, more than 100 injured and even more homeless,

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White House Releases Complete Benghazi Emails

Wednesday, May 15, 2013

Update at 6:42 p.m. ET: Reaction From Boehner's Office

In a statement, Brendan Buck, a spokesman for House Speaker John Boehner, said the emails "contradict statements made by the White House that it and the State Department only changed one word in the talking points."

Here's the statement in full:

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Pffff: Hong Kong's Six-Story Rubber Ducky's Been Deflated

Wednesday, May 15, 2013

That giant rubber duck floating in Hong Kong's Victoria Harbor, which we posted about on May 6, is down for maintenance.

And when we say down, we mean it. It's been deflated.

But fans shouldn't despair. Ducky's hosts say it just "needs to freshen up" and ...

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Boehner: Who's Going To Jail For What IRS Did?

Wednesday, May 15, 2013

He doesn't want to know who's going to resign, House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, told reporters Wednesday morning.

He wants to know: "Who's going to jail" for what IRS personnel did to some conservative groups?

As we've been reporting, IRS officials have admitted that during the 2012 campaign ...

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