Cheryl K. Chumley
Columns by Cheryl K. Chumley
Obama on second-round schmooze-fest with Hollywood celebs
For the second day running, President Obama is staged to meet with notable Hollywood celebrities and elites and ask for money for the Democratic Party. Published November 26, 2013
Pope Francis takes veiled swipe at ‘progressive’ Democrats
Pope Francis said Tuesday in his first apostolic exhortation that no matter how progressive-minded the world turns, the Catholic Church can never compromise on its "no abortion" rule — it's a matter of human dignity. Published November 26, 2013
Obama’s call to close Vatican embassy is ‘slap in the face’ to Roman Catholics
The Obama administration, in what's been called an egregious slap in the face to the Vatican, has moved to shut down the U.S. Embassy to the Holy See. Published November 26, 2013
‘Tis the season: Mass. mall Santa charged with groping elf
Bad Santa: A man dressed as Jolly Old Saint Nick was booted from his Massachusetts shopping mall gig after he was accused of groping one of his elves, played by an 18-year-old woman. Published November 26, 2013
China’s next step to space: A lunar launch, and a moon rover
Chalk up another space gain for the Chinese, who have stated in recent months their goal is to become the leader of the world in galaxy exploration in the coming decades. The nation announced Tuesday it would launch its first lunar probe this December — just a decade after sending its first astronaut into space, CNN reported. Published November 26, 2013
Army sics fashion police on soldiers, civilians at Hawaii base
The Army has begun monitoring what soldiers are wearing at a base in Hawaii, cracking down on clothing that's deemed too risqué and implementing strict controls on what even civilian visitors can don — a sort of fashion police mission. Published November 26, 2013
Obamacare birth control dispute weaves to Supreme Court
The nation’s highest-ranking justices could announce as early as Tuesday whether they’ll accept a case that pits Obamacare versus religious liberty, as played in the health care overhaul’s regulatory approach to birth control. Published November 26, 2013
Obamacare botch hands GOP 2-point win over Democrats in 2014
Bad news for Democrats: New polling numbers put Republicans far ahead in the vote count for the 2014 elections, due primarily to the botched rollout of Obamacare and the broken promise by the president that Americans could keep their current health care plans. Published November 26, 2013
Former Iran hostages on U.S. deal: ‘Kind of like Jimmy Carter’ again
Some of the 66 hostages who were imprisoned in Iran for up to 444 days between 1979 and 1980 said the deal forged between Tehran and the United States doesn't pass the smell test — and that it really hearkens back to the unstable foreign policy days of former President Jimmy Carter. Published November 26, 2013
Arnon Milchan, ‘Pretty Woman’ Hollywood producer, admits he was Israeli spy
Arnon Milchan, the famed Hollywood producer who’s the cinematic brains behind the Julia Roberts flick, “Pretty Woman,” admitted in an interview with an overseas network that he worked for years as an Israeli spy. Published November 26, 2013
White House tells Hamid Karzai: Take deal, or U.S. troops are leaving Afghanistan
The White House issued President Hamid Karzai an ultimatum Monday night, telling him that all U.S. troops will exit Afghanistan in 2014 if he doesn’t sign on to the newly drawn security pact. Published November 26, 2013
Mystery of beer that bubbles and foams: Solved
In case you were wondering why tapping on the side of a freshly opened beer bottle often sends the contents frothing like a volcano onto the floor — wonder no more. Science has found the answer. Published November 25, 2013
Yale University lockdown lifted after suspected gunman hoax
Police are investigating a possible hoax after reports were made of a gunman on the loose at Yale University. Published November 25, 2013
Obamacare crackdown on smokers backfires as users flee
Obamacare’s stringent regulatory approach to weaning smokers off tobacco – via much higher priced premiums than non-smokers – may actually be backfiring, driving potential Healthcare.gov participants to opt out and pay the fine for remaining insurance-less. Published November 25, 2013
AMA winner Macklemore uses thank-you speech to rail on Trayvon Martin racism
Rapper Macklemore took the opportunity during an acceptance speech Sunday night at the American Music Award ceremony to talk a bit of politics, slamming what he characterized as the nation’s racist response to the shooting death of Florida teen, Trayvon Martin. Published November 25, 2013
Police scoop up surplus Army anti-bomb trucks — to serve warrants
Law enforcement departments around the nation have been scooping up military castoffs, bolstering their crime-fighting units with "intimidating" surplus supplies — such as 18-ton, armor-protecting fighting vehicles. Published November 25, 2013
House Speaker John Boehner shocked as family health deductible triples
Add to the list of the millions of Americans who are expected to receive a massive price increase from Obamacare: House Speaker John A. Boehner. Published November 25, 2013
Snowstorm wallops West; 400 flights canceled
Thousands of travelers have been stranded by a deadly snowstorm plowing across the West, with even more flight disruptions expected as the storm moves East ahead of Thanksgiving. Published November 25, 2013
Sarah Palin slams MSNBC’s ‘hypocrisy’ for ignoring Martin Bashir’s attack
When Alec Baldwin threw a gay slur a paparazzo's way, he was suspended for two weeks from his MSNBC show. When Martin Bashir suggested on MSNBC air that someone should defecate in former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin's mouth — nothing happened. Published November 25, 2013
NYC police charge ‘Knockout Game’ suspect with hate crime
Police in New York City arrested and charged a 28-year-old Brooklyn man with a hate crime, after he allegedly targeted and attacked an Orthodox Jewish man for a “Knockout Game" win. Published November 25, 2013