Douglas Ernst

Articles by Douglas Ernst

Crystal A. Diaz, a U.S. Border Patrol agent with the Tucson Sector in Arizona, rides her ATV while on patrol. (AP Photo/U.S. Border Patrol)

FBI investigates alleged kidnapping of Border Patrol agent by Mexican drug cartel

A Texas police department near the border received a phone call on Friday claiming a U.S. Border Patrol agent was kidnapped by a Mexican drug cartel. Published December 26, 2014

Motorists ride past graffiti with the date of the Indian Ocean tsunami, in Banda Aceh, Aceh province, Indonesia, Friday, Dec. 26, 2014. The devastating Boxing Day tsunami in 2004 struck a dozen countries around the Indian Ocean rim, killing 230,000 people, most of them in Aceh. (AP Photo/Binsar Bakkara)

Federal agencies ill-prepared for catastrophes: GAO

More than a decade after the Sept. 11 attacks and a deadly tsunami that ravaged Southeast Asia, federal agencies remain woefully lacking in disaster preparedness and don't even have coordination plans to close the gap, Congress’ chief watchdog warns in a new report. Published December 26, 2014

(Associated Press) ** FILE **

NSA releases privacy-violation documents on Christmas Eve

The National Security Agency released on Wednesday heavily redacted accounts of unlawful or improper surveillance conducted since Sept. 11, 2001, in response to a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit by the American Civil Liberties Union. Published December 26, 2014

Soldiers with Battery C, 1st Battalion, 321st Airborne Field Artillery Regiment, 18th Fires Brigade, 82nd Airborne Division, fire 155 mm rounds using an M777 Howitzer weapons system, on Forward Operating Base Bostick, Afghanistan, 2009. The Army is now looking for a canon with much longer range — 1,000 miles. (U.S. Army)

Military technology on tap for 2015: Precision mortars, improved M40, IED detectors

The Pentagon has a full slate of weapons ready to test in 2015, some of which may see action on the battlefield before the end of the year. Published December 26, 2014

Shaquille O'Neal pulls himself out from under a Christmas tree during a broadcast of "The NBA on TNT," Dec. 25, 2014. (TNT screenshot)

Shaquille O’Neal crashes into Christmas tree after Kenny Smith shove: ‘This means war’

Shaquille O'Neal spent a part of Christmas dishing out punishment — on a Christmas tree. Published December 26, 2014

(Associated Press) ** FILE **

Baby Jesus stolen from Nativity scene near Washington state capitol for third year in a row

The third baby Jesus statue in three years was stolen from a Nativity scene near the Washington state Capitol grounds. Published December 26, 2014

Eric Garner is shown in an undated family photo provided by the National Action Network, July 19, 2014. (Associated Press) ** FILE **

Eric Garner’s daughter tweets address of NYPD’s Justin D’Amico on Christmas Day

The personal address of NYPD's Officer Justin D'Amico was tweeted by one of the daughters of Eric Garner on Christmas. Published December 26, 2014

The leader of the Islamic State group, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, delivers a sermon at a mosque in Iraq on July 5, 2014. (Associated Press) ** FILE **

Islamic State group turning Christian churches into torture chambers: report

The Islamic State group is reportedly turning churches in Syria and Iraq into torture chambers, particularly in the northern town of Qaraqosh, where Iraq's largest Christian community once resided. Published December 25, 2014

(Associated Press)

Wal-Mart’s higher-skilled employees pinched to ‘absorb’ cost of minimum wage hikes

Wal-Mart Stores Inc. will raise its base salaries at 1,434 stores to comply with minimum wage hikes that will go into effect in 21 states beginning Jan. 1, 2015. Published December 25, 2014

In this Wednesday, Aug. 1 2012, file photo, American Airlines airplanes are parked at their gates at JFK International airport in New York. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer, File)

American Airlines boots man from plane after ‘Merry Christmas’ prompts meltdown

A passenger was booted from his flight out of La Guardia Airport on Tuesday after the holiday greeting "Merry Christmas" caused him to have a meltdown. Published December 25, 2014

This photo released by Fox shows Neil deGrasse Tyson, the astrophysicist who hosts the television show, &quot;Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey,&quot; on Fox and simultaneously across multiple U.S. Fox networks. (AP Photo/Fox, Patrick Eccelsine) ** FILE **

Neil deGrasse Tyson Twitter trolls Christians on Christmas

Scientist and "Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey" host Neil deGrasse Tyson decided that Christmas was the perfect day to troll Christians on Twitter. Published December 25, 2014

Vladimir Putin pulls plug on New Year’s holiday for government ministers over economic crisis

Russian President Vladimir Putin told government ministers on Thursday that there would be no extended holiday for them due to the nation's economic crisis. Published December 25, 2014

A Girl Scout troop from Tulsa, Oklahoma convinced President Obama to don a tiara during their trip to the White House in May. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

Obama breaks head gear rule for Girl Scouts, agrees to don tiara

The Girl Scouts succeeded in 2014 where the U.S. Navy failed — at getting President Obama to break his rule against wearing head gear. Published December 25, 2014

Image: U.S. Navy

Navy’s USS Ranger aircraft carrier featured in ‘Top Gun’ to be scrapped for one cent

The USS Ranger, which was featured in the hit movie "Top Gun," will be scrapped by The Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) for a single penny. Published December 24, 2014

NYPD officers stand for a moment of silence at approximately 2:47 p.m., Tuesday, Dec. 23, 2014, near the site where New York Police Department officers Rafael Ramos and Wenjian Liu were murdered in the Brooklyn borough of New York at 2:47 this past Saturday. Police say Ismaaiyl Brinsley ambushed the two officers in their patrol car in broad daylight Saturday, fatally shooting them before killing himself inside a subway station. (AP Photo/Craig Ruttle) ** FILE **

JetBlue offers to fly police to NYPD funerals for Wenjian Liu and Rafael Ramos

JetBlue is offering police departments around the nation the opportunity to send personnel to the funerals of New York City Police Officers Wenjian Liu and Rafael Ramos — free of charge. Published December 24, 2014

Newly arrived people who were caught in Arizona by the U.S. Border Patrol are initially processed at Tucson Sector U.S. Border Patrol headquarters in Tucson, Ariz., on Aug. 9, 2012. (Associated Press) **FILE**

Illegal immigrants tracked with GPS-enabled ankle bracelets by Homeland Security

Immigration and Customs Enforcement launched a program this month to use GPS-enabled ankle bracelets to track illegal immigrant families released from custody. Published December 24, 2014

Police officers respond to a hostage situation in Sydney, Australia, Dec. 17, 2014. (Associated Press) ** FILE **

Sydney conducts counterterrorism raid; two arrested

A counterterrorism raid in Sydney, Australia on Tuesday resulted in two arrests. Published December 23, 2014

FILE - In this June 23, 2014, file photo, fighters from the Islamic State group parade in a commandeered Iraqi security forces armored vehicle down a main road at the northern city of Mosul, Iraq. It's becoming more expensive to live in the self-styled caliphate envisioned by the Islamic State group as militant-held cities grow increasingly isolated, impeding access to basic goods and services. Coalition airstrikes and ground operations in Iraq and Syria are making it difficult for products to move in and out of militant-strongholds, triggering price inflation and leading to the creation of black markets. (AP Photo, File)

Islamic State’s Garden State jihadi: Journalist finds ‘guy from Jersey’ in terror ranks

The Islamic State has successfully recruited from the Garden State. Published December 23, 2014

Guards escort a Guantanamo detainee carrying a book at the Camp 4 detention facility's open-air common area at the U.S. naval base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, on Nov. 18, 2008. (AP Photo/Brennan Linsley) ** FILE **

U.S. offers $5M reward for Ibrahim al-Rubaysh, al Qaeda leader released from Gitmo in 2006

A Guantanamo Bay detainee who was released to Saudi Arabia in 2006 on the condition that he would take part in a "rehabilitation" program now has a $5 million reward on his head by the U.S. government. Published December 23, 2014

Patrick Lynch, head of the Patrolmen's Benevolent Association, speaks during a news conference after the bodies of two fallen NYPD police officers were transported from Woodhull Medical Center Saturday. An armed man walked up to two New York Police Department officers sitting inside a patrol car and opened fire Saturday afternoon, killing both officers before running into a nearby subway station and committing suicide, police said. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)

De Blasio has ‘blood on the hands’ after NYPD shooting, says Pat Lynch, police union president

New York police union president Pat Lynch said Friday night that Mayor Bill de Blasio has blood on his hands for the execution-style shooting of police officers Rafael Ramos and Wenjian Liu. Published December 21, 2014