Inhofe: ISIS developing means to ‘blow up’ a US city

The top Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee said Sunni militants are working on the capability to wipe out a city inside the United States. The Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) has long threatened to carry out a catastrophic attack on American soil, with a spokesman recently boasting that the militant group would fly its flag over the White House. Sen.

DOD Transferred Over $4.3B in Military Equipment to Local Police

The Department of Defense transferred over $4.3 billion worth of surplus military equipment–including 345 Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicles (MRAPs), 205 grenade launchers and over 12,000 bayonets–to more than 17,000 state and local law enforcement agencies across the nation since 1997. The transfers were made under the 1033 program of the National Defense Authorization Act and administered by the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA), according to a report by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) entitled War Comes Home:

Gaza terrorists continue to pound southern Israel with rockets, drawing IDF response

Since the collapse of the cease-fire, Palestinians in Gaza have launched dozens of rockets and mortars at Israel, pounding the western Negev. Ashkelon, Ashdod, and the smaller communities within just a few kilometers of the Gaza border have absorbed the worst barrages since before dawn on Wednesday. On Wednesday the IDF struck two terror operatives in Gaza who were responsible for earlier rocket fire on Ashkelon and Gaza frontier communities.

Former CIA Deputy Director: ‘if an ISIS member showed up in a mall in the United States tomorrow with an AK-47 and killed a number of Americans I would not be surprised’

On Thursday’s “CBS This Morning,” former CIA Deputy Director Mike Morell made a claim about the Islamic State terror group ravaging Iraq that had anchor Norah O’Donnell calling it “really scary to hear.” After explaining what he thought needed to be done to defeat the terrorists (more targeted strikes and better intelligence), he said that “if an ISIS member showed up in a mall in the United States tomorrow with an AK-47 and killed a number of Americans I would not be surprised.” “Over the long-term, I worry that this group could present a 9/11-style threat,” he added, noting the group presents both a short-term and long-term threat.

Watch CNN’s Crazy Interview With Rapper Talib Kweli About The Ferguson Protests

(YT) The past 24 hours have apparently been ripe for cable news shoutfests. The latest example being CNN’s Don Lemon getting into a tussle with rapper Talib Kweli over media coverage of the ongoing protests in Ferguson, Mo. The pair also got a bit personal when Kweli noted that Lemon “didn’t even have the decency to greet” him before the segment, instead sending a producer named “Nicole” to invite him onto the show.

Iceland Volcano Bardarbunga: 1,000 earthquakes detected near volcano, adding to fears of a potential explosion

An intense earthquake swarm continues to rattle Iceland’s Bardarbunga volcano, adding to fears that a potential eruption could disrupt the region’s air traffic. Weather officials say they detected about 1,000 small quakes through Tuesday night, which were triggered by an unusually strong earthquake on Monday. The tremors are tied to the increasing movement of magma underground.

Islamic State warns it has sleeper cells in the West, raises the stakes with beheading of American

It seems clear that Islamic State is raising the stakes, aware that the gruesome death of an American and the image of another one at the mercy of an executioner who is taunting a US president could invite retaliation – heavier air strikes at least. But the United States and other Western powers may now be diverting their attention away from the Sunni insurgents innorthern Iraq to what they are capable of doing overseas. The group can draw on hundreds if not thousands of foreigners with Western passports that can keep them below the radar, like the British-sounding man who appeared to have killed Foley, to carry out its threats.

UK Police: Merely Watching James Foley Beheading Video May Be an Act of Terrorism

British police have warned the public that merely watching the James Foley beheading video may be a criminal offense under terrorism legislation, a draconian escalation that threatens to create an ominous pretext for the free flow of information on the Internet. After the video emerged, which purports to show an ISIS militant with a British accent beheading American journalist James Foley, the Guardian reported that Scotland Yard had launched a full investigation. “Scotland Yard warned the public that viewing, downloading or disseminating the video within the UK might constitute a criminal offence under terrorism legislation,” states the report.

U.S. Ebola patients released, officials declare they pose no public risk

Two American aid workers who contracted Ebola while working in West Africa have been released from the hospital. Doctors say the former patients are no longer contagious, posing no threat to others. Kent Brantly, a physician with the humanitarian group Samaritan’s Purse, was discharged from Atlanta’s Emory University Hospital on Thursday.

Sears Is Headed Straight For Death

Sears is in huge trouble. The department store has been bleeding cash, posting its ninth straight quarterly loss this morning. Sears CEO Eddie Lampert said that the company would close even more stores and cut costs in the coming months to combat the “unacceptable” losses.

63 TRILLION gallons of groundwater lost in California drought so far

The ongoing drought in the western United States has caused so much loss of groundwater that the Earth, on average, has lifted up about 0.16 inches over the last 18 months, according to a new study. The situation was even worse in the snow-starved mountains of California, where the Earth rose up to 0.

More British Muslims fight for Islamic State than for Britain

It is likely that there are now more British Muslims fighting for the Islamic State than for Britain’s military. Britain’s Ministry of Defense confirmed to USA TODAY that there are approximately 600 British Muslim servicemembers in its armed forces of almost 200,000 people. Official government estimates put the number of British Islamic State fighters operating in Syria and Iraq at up to 800.

Obamacare Is A Disaster For Businesses, Philly Fed Finds

Remember all those allegations that Obamacare would be an unmitigated disaster for businesses, especially smaller companies? Well, now we have proof. As the Philly Fed, which mysteriously soared at the headline level even as the vast majority of its components tumbled, reported moments ago, “in special questions this month, firms were asked qualitative questions about the effects of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and how, if at all, they are making changes to their employment and compensation, including benefits.

After McDonald’s, businesses wonder who’s next target in Russia

Russia said on Thursday it was investigating dozens of McDonald’s restaurants, in what many businessmen said was retaliation for Western sanctions over Ukraine they fear could spread to other symbols of Western capitalism. Russia’s food safety watchdog said it was looking at possible breaches of sanitary rules at McDonald’s, but many in the business community said it was a reflection of the deterioration in relations between Russia and the West over Ukraine, where pro-Russian separatists in the east of the country are fighting against government forces. “Obviously, it’s driven by the political issues surrounding Ukraine,” said Alexis Rodzianko, president and CEO of the American Chamber of Commerce in Russia.

+ More