Flooding Ends Year Early at Louisiana School

Flooding Ends Year Early at Louisiana School

The threat of flooding is prompting at least one Louisiana school district to end the school year early and cancel the last week of classes. That's despite the Mississippi River cresting a bit lower than expected in the city of Vicksburg. (May 20)

AP Top Stories

AP Top Stories


Here's the latest news for Friday, May 20th: Obama and Netanyahu meet, Bail is paid in Strauss-Kahn case; Pawlenty to run for president; Rand Savage dies.

Syrian Ambulance Attacked

Syrian Ambulance Attacked

Amateur video has surfaced that purportedly shows an ambulance crew coming under fire on the streets of Syria. (May 20)

Obama, Netanyahu Talk Disputes 'Between Friends'

Obama, Netanyahu Talk Disputes 'Between Friends'

Showing no concrete progress, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sat alongside President Barack Obama on Friday and declared that Israel would not withdraw to 1967 borders to help make way for an adjacent Palestinian state. (May 20)

Raw Video: Baby Okapi Greets Public, a First

Raw Video: Baby Okapi Greets Public, a First

A male baby Okapi born in Frankfurt Zoo makes his first public appearance, three months after he was born. The baby Okapi, called Maiko, was the first to be born here in six years. Okapis are known to be shy animals. (May 20)

GA Law Worries Illegal Immigrants, Onion Farmers

GA Law Worries Illegal Immigrants, Onion Farmers

A new Georgia state law is forcing farmers to check the immigration status of workers through a national database, and it could prevent them from hiring cheap labor to harvest the state's iconic vidalia onion crop. (May 20)

Aide Says Pawlenty Running for President

Aide Says Pawlenty Running for President

Former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty is running for the GOP presidential nomination and will announce his bid Monday in Iowa. That's according to an adviser with direct knowledge of the plans. The move was widely expected. (May 20)

Al-Qaida Looked at Oil Tankers As Terror Targets

Al-Qaida Looked at Oil Tankers As Terror Targets

The terror group al-Qaida last summer considered hijacking and detonating oil tankers abroad in non-Muslim seas to provoke an "extreme economic crisis" in the West, according to documents seized from Osama bin Laden's compound. (May 20)

Raw Video: Airstrikes on Libyan Warships

Raw Video: Airstrikes on Libyan Warships


The British Ministry of Defence released footage on Friday of NATO fighter jets striking the Tripoli harbour. (May 20)

Raw Video: Man Crashes Stolen Police Car

Raw Video: Man Crashes Stolen Police Car

Authorities say a man who attacked a Summerville police officer and stole his patrol car has a long criminal record and was let out of prison less than a month ago. (May 20)

Gadhafi : The Strangest Arab Dictator

Gadhafi : The Strangest Arab Dictator

from the files of Muammar al-Gadhafi .. The strangest Dictator

The debt ceiling: raise it again?

The debt ceiling: raise it again?


Raising the debt ceiling is nothing new for America. Yet, regardless, the majority of the country opposes raising the limit for the tenth time in just as many years. Is it just protocol at this point or can it help our waning economy? Charlie McGrath speaks out on the debt ceiling and what other options exist.

The Resident - Can the rich get richer while the poor get poorer?

The Resident - Can the rich get richer while the poor get poorer?

While more and more of the middle class forced into unemployment, the rich continue to get richer. How does the average America feel on the subject? The Resident takes to the street of New York to find out.

GOP debate allows for Libertarian hopefuls

GOP debate allows for Libertarian hopefuls

Eighteen months before the election, a handful of Republican presidential hopefuls participated in a debate Thursday night, allowing much of America to get a sampling of the ideals held by just a few of those considering a run. With many Libertarian-leaning candidates looking to secure a nomination, however, what does this hold for the future of the GOP? Columnist Tim Cavanaugh and blogger Reihan Salam voice their thoughts on Thursday's debate.

Raising the debt ceiling is raising suspicion

Raising the debt ceiling is raising suspicion

Congress has raised the debt limit ten times in the last ten years, so what's one more adjustment to the ceiling? Edward Harrison of CreditBreakdown.com says America could face an Armageddon scenario if a change isn't made, even if the majority of Americans oppose an adjustment as the debt reaches 14 trillion dollars and counting.

Homeless Middle Class

Homeless Middle Class

Simple luxuries like taking a family vacation or just taking the kids out to eat is nothing but a distant memory to many American families who once considered themselves middle class and are now just fighting to stay off the streets. After one of the worst economic downturns in our history, families who were breathing easy, just a couple of years ago, are now buried in a mountain of debt and being forced from their homes.

Candidates cashing in and staying mum on 2012

Candidates cashing in and staying mum on 2012

The 2012 Republican race officially kicked off last night after five candidates—Ron Paul, Herman Cain, Gary Johnson, Rick Santorum and Tim Pawlenty—took the stage in South Carolina for the first Republican primary debate. But who wasn't there made more headlines than who was—big names like Mitt Romney, Sarah Palin, Michelle Bachman, Mike Huckabee and even Donald Trump skipped out. Analysts say that because of campaign finance laws that cap donations to presidential campaigns at $2,500, some candidates prefer to rake in money through political action committees (PACs) for as long as possible before officially declaring.

Gaddafi a legitimate target. Obama too?

Gaddafi a legitimate target. Obama too?

As NATO intervention in Libya continues, critics consider the necessity of keeping western presence in North Africa. Now NATO is evaluating bringing ground troops in to try and take down Gadaffi. Author and Professor Alan Kuperman doesn't think there will be a speedy end through military force, however, and disagrees greatly with NATO's recent attack on a compound of Gaddafi which killed members of his family.

Osama down. Gaddafi next?

Osama down. Gaddafi next?

With the ousting of Bin Laden behind them, the ordeal over what to do with Libya's Muammar Gaddafi is once against the focal point of the western world. NATO is now looking at putting military troops on the ground to aid the rebels, but will that make things better or worse? Asia Times correspondent Pepe Escobar says that such a plan cannot end well, but in a new era where assassination is considered justice, international law is as good as dead, anyway. According to Escobar, NATO is hoping for a Hail Mary pass with a rather predictable target: another assassination.

Abolishing the Electoral College

Abolishing the Electoral College

As the UK looks toward changing their voting system, will America follow suit by abolishing the Electoral College? Former Green Party Presidential Candidate Cynthia McKinney thinks that the current system set up in America needs to be abolished, as its brimming with obstacles that create problems for those looking beyond a two-party system. According to McKinney, the current system in place does not allow voters who want peace, justice and change proper representation.

White House flip flops on Bin Laden killing. Again

White House flip flops on Bin Laden killing. Again

Four days after the death of Osama Bin Laden, the story continues to change as the American government flip-flops on the events of Sunday's assassination. As the tale continues to take on new forms daily, Lt. Col. Anthony Shaffer says the US needs to "clean this up, one way or another." Shaffer champions the release of the Bin Laden death photos that President Obama has decided to remain classified, saying "This was done in the name of the American people. They have the right to know what they did."

Ron Paul: 'Government invites conspiracy theories'

Ron Paul: 'Government invites conspiracy theories'

Adam Kokesh, the host of RT's "Adam vs. the Man" show, sits down with Representative Ron Paul in the Cannon Rotunda on Capitol Hill. Ron Paul is a candidate for the Republican Party nomination for President of the United States in the 2012 election.

Afghan withdrawal to start this summer?

Afghan withdrawal to start this summer?

RT Blogger Jake Dilliberto served in both Afghanistan and Iraq. Now with the death of Osama Bin Laden, this co-founder of Veterans for Rethink Afghanistan ponders what strategy the US should take in the Middle East. According to Diliberto, he thinks withdrawal by troops, at least to some degree, is certain.

Obama's afraid of dead Bin Laden?

Obama's afraid of dead Bin Laden?

President Obama surprised the American public today when it was released that the White House would not be making photos of a dead Osama Bin Laden available to the media. Obama has said that he doesn't want to incite retaliation from terrorists, but according to radio host TJ McCormack, it's a little too late. "They don't need any more inciting. They are terrorists—terrorists are professional incited," he says. Did Obama make the right decision? McCormack says no, and that the release would provide a sense of both closure an allow for a certain amount of, as he puts it, "animal gratification."

White House invites conspiracy theories

White House invites conspiracy theories

White House Press Secretary Jay Carney held a briefing with the media on Wednesday afternoon to relay President Barak Obama's decision not to release photos of Osama Bin Laden taken after his Sunday night execution. This announcement marks the government's latest flip-flop on the matters surrounding the al-Qaeda leader's death. Now, some well known politicians and figures are saying that the government's latest decision only invites conspiracies.

Journalists targeted by US forces

Journalists targeted by US forces



Cases continue to mount of journalists willed while covering war, not because they are caught in the crossfire, but because they are targeted by US forces.

Assange calls Facebook "spying machine"

Assange calls Facebook "spying machine"



In an exclusive interview with RT, Wikileaks founder Jullian Assange recently called Facebook the "most appalling spying machine that has ever been invented." According to Assange, Facebook exists as "the world's most comprehensive database about people...all sitting within the United States." Further, US intelligence has an interface to access that data at any time, he says. Is he right? CNet correspondent Declean McCullagh thinks he probably is, though no evidence has so far been able to support his argument. If he is right, who will be able to access this information and under what conditions?

Bin Laden dead, let's leave Afghanistan

Bin Laden dead, let's leave Afghanistan

What does it mean now that Bin Laden is dead? "I think it definitely means that the last reasonable sounding rationale for the war in Afghanistan has evaporated," says Derrick Crowe, political director at Brave New Foundation. Now that enemy number one is dead, what scarce rationale that existed for the United States' involvement in Afghanistan has vanished, says Crowe. According to him, the US needs to begin actual political reconciliation and get out of the way while the timing is right.

Freedom of the Press for who?

Freedom of the Press for who?

America boasts being home of the free, but independent journalist Brandon Jourdan says that the members of the press aren't as free to do as the First Amendment makes them out to be. Speaking from Netherlands on World Press Freedom Day, Jourdan recounts his tales of being arrested for documenting American events and being detained and searched regularly at border crossings.

Katrina Vanden Heuvel on Osama bin Laden's killing

Katrina Vanden Heuvel on Osama bin Laden's killing

With Bin Laden being slain after years of a war in Afghanistan, will the death of the al Qaeda leader change anything for US foreign policy? "Let us hope it will," says Katrina Vanden Heuvel, editor of The Nation. Speaking with RT, Heuvel says lawmakers should use this opportunity speak out to the public and realize that there is no rationale for American occupation of Afghan.

Is Freedom of Assembly alive in America?

Is Freedom of Assembly alive in America?

Forty years ago marked the biggest mass arrest in history when 10,000 anti war protestors were arrested at the height of the conflict in Vietnam. From 1971 to 2011, however, the popularity of protests has fallen drastically in the US. Why are Americans so reluctant to protest today? RT's Adam Kokesh discusses the decline of assembly among angry and angsty Americans.

Jailed Journalists

Jailed Journalists

Media Criticism of the Establishment is Under Siege, despite the US being founded on a Constitution that includes the freedom of the press.

Mayday: biggest arrest in US history

Mayday: biggest arrest in US history

Forty years ago today, more than 200,000 protesters and veterans converged on the US capital to demand an end to the war in Vietnam on May 3, 1971. "The idea was to shut the city down because the war wouldn't stop. The only way to stop the war was to stop the government, and that was by putting your bodies on the road and blocking traffic," said Eddie Becker, a cameraman who covered the protests. Then President Nixon called in the military and by the end of the day more than 7,000 people had been arrested, the most arrests in any single day in American history. But protesters say they haven't seen the magnitude of protests—and the pressure brought to bear on government—since Mayday, despite America's decade-long war in Afghanistan and eight year presence in Iraq.

Is the press free in the US?

Is the press free in the US?
May 3 marks World Press Freedom Day, though in a country where the First Amendment allows for much, restrictions are still imposed upon the American media. Jeff Cohen, author of Cable News Confidential, speaks out on the state of the freedom of the press in the US, where, he says, those outside of the mainstream are often made the exception to the Bill of Rights.

With Osama gone why stay in Afghanistan?

With Osama gone why stay in Afghanistan?

Bin Laden may be dead, but former US State Department official Matthew Hoh says that we have a long way to go in Afghanistan. As America continues to send troops and spend money on the Afghan War, insurgency grows, says Hoh, who is now the director of the Afghanistan Study Group. While Bin Laden's death may bring closure to some, the US still remains stuck on stalemate as they intervene in another country's civil war and violence continues to grow.

Gochez: US workers unite against bosses

Gochez: US workers unite against bosses

We have seen workers take to the streets of Los Angeles. They are protesting in Wisconsin and across the Midwest to protect their collective bargaining rights. What's the outcome and how effective will the move turn out to be? Ron Gochez, a community organizer lays out his expectations for the future of the US workers' rights movement.

Scahill: Osama death won't stop US in Middle East

Scahill: Osama death won't stop US in Middle East

Some pundits and experts see Osama's death as a continuation of the mission started President George W Bush. For some this is also an evidence that the Obama administration and Bush administration are not as different, as many may think. Osama Bin Laden was the initial excuse to invade Afghanistan. What will change with his elimination? Jeremy Scahill, a blogger and the author of "Blackwater: The rise of the most powerful mercenary army" shares his thoughts.

Bolivarian Revolution in DC

Bolivarian Revolution in DC

In Washington, the rhetoric most heard about Venezuela and its socialist president, Hugo Chavez Frias, is overwhelmingly negative. But just a few miles from the US Congress in working-class Washington, Venezuela isn't seen as the enemy. Activist and community organizers like Reverend Graylan Hagler are seizing on the spirit of the Bolivarian Revolution to tackle poverty and inequality in their own communities.

May Day Protests in Los Angeles

May Day Protests in Los Angeles

Check out RT's coverage of May Day protests on the streets of Los Angeles, California.

Bin Laden media hysteria

Bin Laden media hysteria

The mainstream media has been dominated today with coverage of the death of Osama Bin Laden. In the bigger picture, however, what role does his passing play? Will this end al-Qaeda? Will it end the wars? Filmmaker Danny Schecter debates the effect of the assassination of Bin Laden on America and the message that the media is missing out on.

Spencer: 'Bin Laden a useful bogeyman'

Spencer: 'Bin Laden a useful bogeyman'

Now that the US has announced that they have eliminated Osama Bin Laden, will things change abroad? Richard Spencer, director at the National Policy Institute, says the US is in a worse position now than it was ten years ago. Americans thinks they've won by killing Obama, he says, but that is total nonsense. Spencer suggests that Bin Laden was but a scapegoat and that his death falls short of providing any closure for an America at war.

Raw Video: Fire at Poss. Bin Laden Raid Compound

Raw Video: Fire at Poss. Bin Laden Raid Compound

A pakistani television station showed pictures of a fire at a compound thought to be the scene of the raid that killed Osama bin Laden. (May 2)

Obama: Al-Qaida Head Bin Laden Dead

Obama: Al-Qaida Head Bin Laden Dead

Al-Qaida mastermind Osama bin Laden is dead and the United States has his body, President Obama announced at the White House late Sunday. Bin Laden was killed in a mansion close to Islamabad, Pakistan. (May 1)

Obama: 'We Give Thanks for This Outcome'

Obama: 'We Give Thanks for This Outcome'

Osama bin Laden, the mastermind behind the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks that killed thousands of Americans, was killed in an operation led by the United States, President Barack Obama said Sunday. "Justice has been done," the president said. (May 1)

Raw Video: Crowds Cheer Outside White House

Raw Video: Crowds Cheer Outside White House

Hundreds of people gathered outside the White House, cheering and chanting after President Obama's announcement that Osama bin Laden was dead. (May 1)

Obama: Pakistan Aided US in Bin Laden Operation

Obama: Pakistan Aided US in Bin Laden Operation

Osama bin Laden, the glowering mastermind behind the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks that killed thousands of Americans, was killed in an operation led by the United States, President Barack Obama said Sunday. (May 1)

Al-Qaida Head Bin Laden Dead

Al-Qaida Head Bin Laden Dead

Al-Qaida mastermind Osama bin Laden is dead and the United States has his body, President Obama announced at the White House late Sunday. Bin Laden was killed in a mansion close to Islamabad, Pakistan. (May 1)

Source: Al-Qaida Head Bin Laden Dead

Source: Al-Qaida Head Bin Laden Dead

Al-Qaida mastermind Osama bin Laden is dead and the United States has his body, a person familiar with the developments says. (May 1)

Raw Video: May Day Rallies Held Worldwide

Raw Video: May Day Rallies Held Worldwide

Sunday marked the 121st anniversary of International Workers' Day. Workers around the globe showed their support for labor rights by participating in numerous May Day rallies. In some cities, protesters scuffled with police. (May 1)