Douglas Ernst
Articles by Douglas Ernst
Wife of female soldier killed in suicide bombing to receive full benefits
The gay widow of a female soldier killed by a suicide bomber in Afghanistan will receive full retroactive benefits for her wife's death. Published May 20, 2014
Bush skipped 9/11 museum dedication to be with Medal of Honor recipients
Former President George W. Bush's absence at the 9/11 Memorial Museum dedication in New York City on Thursday may have confused some of the victims' families, but it turns out he had a good excuse: he was meeting with a crowd of living recipients of the Medal of Honor in Bentonville, Arkansas. Published May 16, 2014
Kerry: ‘We’re not going to pin ourselves down’ if Assad continues to use chemical weapons
"We're not going to pin ourselves down," was Secretary of State John Kerry's response in London on Thursday to a reporter who asked what the U.S. would do if it were confirmed that the Assad regime recently used chlorine-based chemical weapons in Syria. Published May 16, 2014
Mastermind behind al Qaeda’s first attack on U.S. now a security official in Yemen
The man who masterminded al Qaeda's first attack on the United States is now a security official in Yemen. Published May 16, 2014
Jake Tapper to Obama White House: ‘How many dead veterans do you need’ before Shinseki goes?
CNN's Jake Tapper wants to know exactly what it would take for the Obama administration to fire Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric Shinseki for deadly wait times at many VA hospitals. Published May 15, 2014
Air Force program will allow airmen three years off to start families
The Air Force is going to allow airmen to leave the service in order to keep them. The Career Intermission Pilot Program will permit a small group of officers and enlisted personnel three years to start a family, at which time they would return to service. The program will start later this year. Published May 15, 2014
Iraq plans to sign $1B arms deal with U.S. to combat terrorism
American troops are no longer in Iraq, but the country still wants U.S. weapons for its security needs. The nation is primed to receive roughly $1 billion worth of military hardware from the United States. Published May 15, 2014
Sriracha hot sauce CEO who fled communist Vietnam: Calif. isn’t much different
People love Sriracha hot sauce, but the CEO of Huy Fong Foods does not love California's officials. He even compares the state to the the communist nation he fled decades ago. Published May 15, 2014
Pentagon has plan for ‘Counter-Zombie Dominance’ during zombie apocalypse
The Pentagon has a contingency plan for just about everything — and that includes the zombie apocalypse. Published May 15, 2014
Kim Jong-un gets a video game: ‘Glorious Leader!’ takes on ‘capitalist swine’ on flaming unicorn
North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un will soon get to play the video game version of himself taking on "capitalist swine" when Atlanta-based Moneyhorse releases "Glorious Leader!" Published May 15, 2014
Bill Clinton: Putin trying to ‘re-establish Russian greatness’
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said in March that Russian President Vladimir Putin shouldn't behave in "19th-century fashion" by invading countries and redrawing global maps, but former President Bill Clinton said Wednesday that exactly such a thing is happening. Published May 14, 2014
Paratroopers go digital: In-flight Internet gives airborne warriors more mission prep time
U.S. Army paratroopers now have one less opportunity to catch a power nap before missions. The Enroute Mission Command Capability (EMC2) will provide soldiers parachuting into warzones with in-flight Internet access to plan for missions up to the moment they hurl themselves out the plane. Published May 14, 2014
U.S. Special Forces heading to Nigeria, training troops to ‘take the fight to Boko Haram’
U.S. Special Forces are heading to Nigeria to train its troops on ways to neutralize the Islamist group Boko Haram. Published May 13, 2014
No, Uncle Sam doesn’t really want YOU: Military now turns down 80% of applicants
Uncle Sam doesn't want you. At least 80 percent of you. These days, the U.S. military is only taking 20 percent of the applicants who walk into their local recruiter's office intent on enlisting in the armed services. Published May 13, 2014
Marine One fleet to get $1.24B upgrade; Sikorsky scores contract
The president's Marine One fleet of helicopters is getting an upgrade — a $1.24 billion upgrade. Sikorsky helicopters secured the multibillion-dollar contract with the Navy to build six test aircraft for the commander in chief, with the first to be completed by 2020. Published May 13, 2014
DOE awards Chinese-backed firm $47M for $188M windmill project N.J. rejected twice
New Jersey regulators rejected a Chinese-backed windmill project twice, but that didn't stop the Department of Energy. The federal government has awarded $47 million to sweeten the deal for a $188 million project the Garden State has deemed too risky for ratepayers. Published May 7, 2014
‘Simpsons’ boy band episode is evidence of U.S. plot to start Syrian civil war, says Egyptian host
An Egyptian television station believes it has evidence that the Syrian civil war was probably a U.S. plot hatched in 2001: a "Simpsons" episode featuring Bart, Milhouse, Nelson Muntz and Ralph Wiggum as a boy band with the hit video "Oh Say Can You Rock." Published May 7, 2014
Obama court nominee wrote memos justifying drone strikes on U.S. citizens
Harvard Law School scholar David Barron is an Obama administration nominee for a federal appeals court. He is also the author of government memos that make legal justifications for killing U.S. citizens overseas with drone strikes. Published May 7, 2014
France to deploy cops from China to protect tourists, deter crime
French authorities have turned to Chinese police to help them protect tourist hot spots in the nation. Published May 7, 2014
Calif. city may criminalize bullying; kindergartners would be subject to penalties
Officials in the city of Carson, Calif. are considering a new ordinance that would criminalize bullying. The proposal, which was introduced Tuesday, would make it a misdemeanor to bully anyone from kindergarten through age 25. Published May 7, 2014
