Microsoft Corp. is in talks to buy Skype Technologies SA to gain the world’s most popular international calling service and its 663 million customers, according to two people familiar with the matter. A deal would value Skype at about $8.5 billion and may be announced as early as today, said one of the people, who asked not to be identified because the talks are private, Bloomberg reports. Analysts... 

In this May 5, 2011 photo, Justin Van Fleet stands at the site of where his home once stood before the flood of 2008, in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Van Fleet is among thousands who have received letters in recent weeks from the Federal Emergency Management Agency notifying them they received too much money from the agency dating back to 2005 and now must pay it back. After the raging Cedar River filled his... 

Surely not: A baby being searched by TSA Agents at Kansas City airport. A disturbing photograph which shows a baby being subjected to a full body search by airport security has caused outrage after it was posted online. The picture, which was uploaded to a social networking site, appears to show two TSA agents at Kansas City International Airport laughing as they pat down the child, who is being held... 

Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer said Monday she is “confident” the U.S. Supreme Court will lift the injunction on the state’s controversial immigration law, known as SB 1070. Brewer has asked the justices to lift the court order that is blocking enforcement of parts of the law, which the Obama administration opposes. “For decades, the federal government has neglected its constitutional... 

The Obama administration has decided to provide about $1 billion in debt relief for Egypt, a senior official said Saturday, in the boldest U.S. effort yet to shore up a key Middle East ally as it attempts a democratic transition. The aid would be part of a major economic aid package that also includes trade and investment incentives, officials said. It is intended to help stabilize Egypt after demonstrations... 

Classified U.S. intelligence documents reveal the close relations that the United States military institution with the family of Osama bin Laden, the leader of Al Qaeda killed about a week ago The documents reveal these relationships through the importance of business contracts with the bin Laden group, located in Saudi Arabia and led by the brother of Al Qaeda leader. The Saudi group has captured... 

A new national poll indicates the race for the Republican presidential nomination remains wide-open, with none of the probable or potential GOP White House contenders above 20 percent, according to a new national poll. […] What about the showdown in November 2012? According to the poll, taken before the announcement of Osama bin Laden’s death, President Barack Obama has an edge over all the... 

The Fox News-led GOP debate last night in South Carolina gave the first formal glimpse of the emerging 2012 GOP presidential field, though more thought was perhaps spent on the presumptive (selected & vetted by the establishment) big name contenders who have yet to enter or debate. Congressman Ron Paul was perhaps the most well-known face next to a field otherwise unseen in 2008. With him... 

Lady Gaga’s new controversial music video manages to enrage the Catholic Church and almost every devout Christian as she openly declares her love for the man who betrayed Jesus Christ, Judas. In this song, she has the role of Mary Magdalene and The Boondock Saints star Norman Reedus who played the role of a Catholic activist in the two movies The Boondock Saints, now played a role as Judas... 

President Barack Obama, Vice President Joe Biden and Secretary of State Hilary Clinton, along with with members of the national security team, receive an update on the mission against Osama bin Laden in the Situation Room of the White House. The head of the CIA admitted yesterday that there was no live video footage of the raid on Osama bin Laden’s compound as further doubts emerged about the... 

Despite the compound where Osama bin Laden died suddenly becoming a place for the curious, the US is under pressure to release photographs to prove the al Qaeda leader is dead. With many Muslims questioning American assertions over the raid Washington has been forced onto the back foot and is having to clarify more of the details of the operation. In particular the White House has changed its initial... 

UPDATE: The accused dog beater has been identified as an animator for DreamWorks, having worked on animal-themed films including “Kung Fu Panda,” “Shark Tale,” “Bee Movie” and “Madagascar 2″. UPDATE 2: Prosecutors now claim after he killed the dog, he carried off its body. The abuse of an animal never makes any sense. This particular abuse case however, makes the least sense of all. In... 

In a strongly worded letter to President Obama on April 16, Texas Gov. Rick Perry asked for a federal emergency declaration that would release more US resources – and cash – to fight what may be the worst wildfire season in Lone Star State history. “I have determined that this incident is of such severity and magnitude that effective response is beyond the capabilities of the state,”... 

Ex-ISI Chief Hamid Gul: CIA “Choreographing” Osama Assassination Hoax Gul is a retired Pakistani Army three star general known for heading the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), the premier Pakistani intelligence agency, after the Soviet-Afghan War. The timing was incredible! By mid May 2011, the US Army was set to be thrown out of Pakistan by the Pakistani government and just weeks before that,... 

Well, it sure didn’t take long for the Tucson Truce to collapse. After Rep. Gabrielle Giffords was shot on Jan. 8 by a berserker who killed six others, including a federal judge and a 9-year-old girl, and wounded 13, the media were aflame with charges the right had created the climate of hate in which such an atrocity was inevitable. The Washington Post story on the massacre began, “The...