Cheryl K. Chumley
Columns by Cheryl K. Chumley
Huma Abedin taking vacation, not ‘leave of absence,’ campaign says
Anthony Weiner's wife, Huma Abedin, is due to take a lengthy vacation from her job with former first lady Hillary Clinton in August, and campaign officials for her husband's mayoral race have rushed to explain that the time off is not a "leave of absence." Published July 31, 2013
Water bill error sends Dallas man $60K-plus charge — twice
Talk about high water bills. One Dallas man takes the cake on that statement, reporting that water department authorities just mailed him a bill for $67,000 — in error. Published July 31, 2013
Al Qaeda head: ‘We will spare no effort to free our prisoners’ at Gitmo
A leader of al Qaeda said on an Internet audio recording posted Wednesday that militants would stop at nothing to bring about the release of detainees at Guantanamo Bay, and that America's treatment of inmates who hunger strike is deplorable. Published July 31, 2013
Sen. John McCain: Fox News is ‘schizophrenic,’ and tea party is negative
Sen. John McCain in a sit-down interview with The New Republic earlier this week called Fox News "schizophrenic" on immigration and suggested that tea party members were damaging to the Republican Party, touting negative messages that ran counter to Americans' political will. Published July 31, 2013
San Diego nixes Mayor Bob Filner’s try at taxpayer dollars for legal bills
San Diego City Council members voted unanimously — twice — late Tuesday to deny Mayor Bob Filner's request for taxpayers to provide his legal defense of several sexual harassment charges. Published July 31, 2013
TSA misconduct rises 26 percent in 3 years: GAO report
A just-released Government Accountability Office report shows that Transportation Security Administration misconduct is on the rise — and significantly. Reported instances of theft, sleeping on the job and granting family and friends reprieves from intrusive screenings have increased by 26 percent over the last three years. Published July 31, 2013
Florida gas blast investigators see human error as possible cause
Human error is one possible reason for the central Florida gas plant explosion that injured eight on Tuesday, investigators said. So is equipment malfunction — but definitely not sabotage, authorities ruled. Published July 31, 2013
Fast food workers stage strike, demanding $15-per-hour pay
Thousands of fast food restaurant employees around the nation have staged a strike, demanding to be paid a minimum of $15 per hour. Published July 30, 2013
White House presses for team of ‘nudge’ experts to sway American behavior
The White House has kicked off several federal projects aimed at influencing how Americans react to certain policy reforms, going so far as to solicit behavior experts to join a British-style "Behavioral Insights Team" to help nudge voters into accepting key political programs. Published July 30, 2013
Saudi Arabia accused of giving Egypt $1B to oust Morsi
A Saudi Arabian activist said his government provided Egypt's military with $1 billion to stage a coup against former president Mohammed Morsi and install interim leadership. Published July 30, 2013
U.S. extends olive branch to Taliban, releases 5 Gitmo detainees: Report
The United States released five inmates at Guantanamo Bay recently — a quiet attempt at jump-starting peace talks with members of the Taliban, an Israeli news outlet reported. Published July 30, 2013
San Diego press admits: We knew ‘what Bob Filner is’ but did nothing
At least one reporter in San Diego said members of the media have been fully aware of the sexual harassment allegations circling Mayor Bob Filner for some time — but chose to ignore it in their reports. Published July 30, 2013
Kevin Spacey: Actor says Americans don’t appreciate Obama’s greatness
Hollywood actor Kevin Spacey — whose most recent work includes the psychological thriller, "House of Cards," about an unethical congressman — said in a recent interview that most Americans just aren't grasping President Obama's greatness. Published July 30, 2013
Palestinian Authority Mahmoud Abbas vows not one Israeli ‘on our lands’
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas said to a group of reporters in Egypt on Tuesday that any peace plan with Israel would have to include this concession: Israelis would be forever banned from Palestinian properties. Published July 30, 2013
Saudi court sends activist to 7 years in jail, with 600 lashes
A Saudi court on Monday sentenced a human rights activist to jail and to hundreds of lashes for creating what judges deemed a "liberal" network and for insulting Islam. Published July 30, 2013
‘Dream Defenders’ dig in at Florida Capitol, demand justice for Trayvon Martin
A core group of about 15 "Dream Defenders" — so-dubbed for their stated belief in the need for legislative justice for slain 17-year-old Trayvon Martin — have dug in Tuesday outside the Florida Capitol building, refusing to leave until lawmakers pass a bill to moot the state's "stand your ground" gun laws. Published July 30, 2013
Arkansas teachers to carry 9 mm guns on campus come fall
Teachers and staff at Clarksville High School in Arkansas have undergone 53 hours of intensive weapons training in recent weeks, and they stand ready for school doors to open this fall — locked and loaded, ready to fend off the type of disaster that rocked a Connecticut community in December and left 20 children dead. Published July 30, 2013
San Diego Mayor Bob Filner wants city dollars for sexual harassment defense
San Diego Mayor Bob Filner, the Democrat facing fire from at least seven women who've come forward and accused him of sexual harassment, said in a letter to the city that taxpayers should rightly pick up the costs for his legal defense. Published July 30, 2013
Eliot Spitzer on Anthony Weiner: I wouldn’t vote for him
Former New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer, who left his office in 2008 amid a prostitution scandal, said on Monday that even he wouldn't vote for sexting scandal-plagued Anthony Weiner, who's trying to mount a political comeback to the mayor's office. Published July 30, 2013
Taliban storm Pakistani jail, freeing 250
Pakistani's Taliban claimed members stormed a prison in the South Waziristan tribal area around midnight on Monday with rocket grenades and suicide bombers, freeing 250 inmates, including several top militants. Published July 30, 2013
