| Venezuela knocks over its democracy. The region pushes back. Posted: 31 Mar 2017 12:50 PM PDT ![Venezuela knocks over its democracy. The region pushes back.]( "Venezuela knocks over its democracy. The region pushes back.") For years, Venezuela has flirted with authoritarianism. This week, it bid goodbye to any pretense that it remained a democratic country. The nation's Supreme Court announced Wednesday it would take over legislative powers and essentially dissolve the National Assembly, the only government pillar controlled by the political opposition.
|
| Two Senate Dems vow to cross aisle in support of Trump high-court nominee Posted: 31 Mar 2017 10:45 AM PDT ![Two Senate Dems vow to cross aisle in support of Trump high-court nominee]( "Two Senate Dems vow to cross aisle in support of Trump high-court nominee") North Dakota Sen. Heidi Heitkamp and West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin have announced their intentions to back Neil Gorsuch, Donald Trump's Supreme Court nominee, but one thing sets them apart from the dozens of other senators who've pledged to do the same: their party. Many consider Mr. Gorsuch qualified, but the memory of Republicans' refusal to consider Merrick Garland's nomination still smarts, pushing Democrats to say they intend to resort to a procedural tactic that Republicans threaten will force them to re-write the legislative playbook. Recommended: How much do you know about landmark Supreme Court decisions?
|
| 'Bathroom bill' repeal: North Carolina seeks to move on after very long year Posted: 31 Mar 2017 10:14 AM PDT !['Bathroom bill' repeal: North Carolina seeks to move on after very long year]( "'Bathroom bill' repeal: North Carolina seeks to move on after very long year") Shortly after Gov. Roy Cooper signed a law Thursday repealing North Carolina's "bathroom bill," Rep. Cecil Brockman, a Democrat who identifies as LGBT, sounded worn out. It wasn't just a long day that ended, for him, with a no vote, since the compromise bill still withholds civil rights protections from lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people. Last year, North Carolina became the first state in the nation to pass a bill that, among other measures, required transgender people to use the bathroom that corresponded with the sex on their birth certificate.
|
| A Tai Chi sweep? China bids for UNESCO cultural heritage status. Posted: 31 Mar 2017 10:01 AM PDT ![A Tai Chi sweep? China bids for UNESCO cultural heritage status.]( "A Tai Chi sweep? China bids for UNESCO cultural heritage status.") The clamoring of a jackhammer and shrill barks of two golden retrievers make a jarring soundtrack for Yan Ziteng's afternoon tai chi class, but neither he nor his students seem to notice. "Tai chi isn't something you can learn from reading books," he tells his students at Chenjiagou Thai Chi School. Recommended: How much do you know about China?
|
| Silicon Valley begins putting cyberbullies in the crosshairs Posted: 31 Mar 2017 06:18 AM PDT ![Silicon Valley begins putting cyberbullies in the crosshairs]( "Silicon Valley begins putting cyberbullies in the crosshairs") Melissa Hourigan knows first hand about the kind of online vitriol that kids encounter. In January, a fellow student began tormenting Ms. Hourigan's daughter on Snapchat and Instagram. But blocking the bully didn't stop the problem. Ever since, Ms. Hourigan's daughter has become unusually distant.
|
| A more connected military means new battlefield glitches, too Posted: 31 Mar 2017 06:00 AM PDT ![A more connected military means new battlefield glitches, too]( "A more connected military means new battlefield glitches, too") The US Army is embarking on a potentially decade-long quest to prepare soldiers to operate in the Digital Age. In a $52 million initiative to create what it's calling the Internet of Battlefield Things, the Army Research Lab plans to redesign everything the soldier wears – and uses – so that it connects to the military's vast digital communications networks.
|
| Ivanka in the Trump White House: the rewards, and the risks Posted: 30 Mar 2017 03:37 PM PDT ![Ivanka in the Trump White House: the rewards, and the risks]( "Ivanka in the Trump White House: the rewards, and the risks") Mr. Trump clearly needs help, analysts say, though whether bringing in his elder daughter will solve anything is debatable. Like her father, Ivanka has no previous experience in government. More likely, her arrival in the West Wing brings a steadying presence to Trump's side.
|
