New legislation in Washington state went into effect this week that legalizes for the first time in ages the possession of marijuana. Federal law still says otherwise, though, setting up the Justice Department to make some serious determinations. Even as smoking up became protected by state law in Washington starting Thursday, coast-to-coast prohibition as provided by a long-standing federal ruling... 

Iranian Troops US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has recently described Iran as the hardest issue she has been dealing with as secretary of state. In 30-minute keynote address at the annual US-Israeli forum, Clinton clearly enunciated that she has failed to find a solution to Iran issue. “Iran is the hardest of the hard boards because of the dangers its behavior already poses and the geometrically... 

The US may soon name the Syrian rebel al-Nusra Front, one of the strongest among the opposition, a foreign terrorist group. The designation is likely to complicate the opposition’s fight against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. The US Department of State has been collecting evidence against the group for several months to classify the Islamic radicals as a foreign terrorist organization. Officials... 

Stuart Atkinson combines 55 photos taken with the rover’s MAHLI camera, which sits outstretched on the end of the arm of NASA’s Curiosity rover, October 31, 2012. NASA’s Curiosity rover has analyzed Martian soil for the first time and has found some organic chemicals essential to support life. On Monday, NASA announced the finding of the robot’s onboard chemical laboratory, which had sampled... 

In just five years, China surpassed the US as leading a trading partner in the world. With 124 countries considering China their largest trading partner and only 76 having that relationship with the US, the Asian country’s influence is on the rise. In 2006, the US was the larger trading partner for 127 countries, while China dominated among 70. In 2011, the numbers reversed, with China dominating... 

The building of the US White House The White House was reportedly opposed to a new round of sanctions against Iran that the Senate approved in its latest efforts to mount economic pressure on the Islamic Republic. On Thursday night, US senators voted 94-0 to a new round of sanctions against Iran’s energy, port, shipping and shipbuilding sectors in an amendment to the National Defense Authorization... 

Palestinians celebrate in Ramallah on November 29, 2012 after the upgrade of Palestine’s status at the United Nations by the UN General Assembly. The United Nations General Assembly has voted overwhelmingly to upgrade Palestine’s status at the UN from “observer entity” to “observer non-member state” despite strong opposition by Israel and the US. On Thursday, the 193-member assembly voted... 

Americans might once again be guaranteed the right to trial: a clause in the most recent draft of next year’s defense spending bill ensures that United States citizens aren’t stripped of their right to habeas corpus. Lawmakers have included provisions in the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2013 that relieves those worried with how last year’s bill allows for the indefinite... 

In reviewing all the breaking news over the last few months and looking for the “big picture” of where America is headed, one pattern has emerged with striking regularity: America has quietly become less free in many ways than nations like Cuba, China and even Venezuela. This is especially true in California, where “justice” has become a joke, and the power of the state is unleashed in personal... 

Facebook’s new privacy policy violates EU law, raising concerns over the sharing of private data with affiliated business without user consent. US privacy experts expressed concern over how Facebook shares this data with advertisers. European Data Protection Commissioner Gary Davis has asked for Facebook to clarify its new changes to users’ privacy policy. As commissioner, Davis is responsible... 

In a secret project recently discovered, the United States planned to blow up the moon with a nuclear bomb in the 1950s as a display of the country’s strength during the Cold War space race. The secret project, called “A Study of Lunar Research Flights”, as well as “Project A119” was never carried out but initially intended to intimidate the Soviet Union after their launch of the first artificial... 

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov Moscow has called on the Arab League and the Middle East Quartet comprising Russia, the European Union (EU), UN, and US, to work together to end frequent Israeli aggressions against the Palestinians. “The Quartet needs…to work together with the Arab League representatives and work out solutions together… to restart Israeli-Palestinian talks,”... 

Honda R&D Americas, Advanced Design Studio, California Law enforcement agencies across the US are lining up to be among the first to use drones to serve and protect, but unmanned vehicles are likely to replace the traditional cop cruiser in just a few short years. In places like California, Texas and Washington State, police officers in recent weeks have intensified their demands for surveillance... 

The making of ‘The Hobbit’ movie for release this month has resulted in the deaths of at least 27 animals, wranglers involved in the film say. The main cause seems to have been poor accommodation and treatment of animals away from the set. According to the American Humane Association supervising the way animals are treated on films, the animals were not harmed during the actual filming, Associated... 

All the buzz in the aftermath of the last election is that secession is in the air. Despite the improbable prospects that the globalists, that control the federal government, would allow the upstart masses to leave the dominion of Disunion States, it is promising that the country builds critical mass for dissolution. Secession in this day is not your call to arms in the defense of home. “Honest...