Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy So, as I predicted, my stint at jury duty lasted exactly one day, though I didn't get bounced for interesting reasons (my number was too high to actually get...

Prison inmates have replaced union workers in Racine County, Wisconsin, thanks to the changes to the states collective bargaining laws that went into effect at the end of June. The Journal Times reported prison inmates will now be able to do...

Former National Security Advisor Dr. Zbigniew Brzezinski appeared on MSNBC’s Morning Joe Wednesday to discuss how income disparity in the United States could lead to civil unrest. He said civil unrest was likely if the middle class became...

WASHINGTON — A planned US troop withdrawal from Afghanistan will start slowly this summer with about 800 soldiers in two Army units due to depart this month, US officers said Wednesday. The military offered the first details of the troop...

WASHINGTON — The US House of Representatives closed ranks Wednesday to warn the Palestinians that they risk cuts in US aid if they pursue UN recognition of a future state not defined in direct talks with Israel. A resolution to that effect had...

SAN FRANCISCO — Hackers infected computers, derailed websites, and plundered networks in a memorably miserable quarter, according to a report released Wednesday by Internet security firm PandaLabs. Hacking groups Lulz Security and Anonymous...

An Internet-based treasure hunt, known as geocaching, caused a bomb scare in West Yorkshire after a local cafe owner reported a suspicious package. The hidden box was blown up in a controlled explosion after being placed near the cafe, which was...

CHICAGO — An escaped convict allegedly murdered an elderly woman as part of a bizarre plot aimed at assassinating US President Barack Obama after a cross-country killing spree, court records showed. Maybelle Schein, 75, was discovered with her...

SAN ANTONIO, Texas — A US Army psychiatrist charged with the Fort Hood shooting rampage will face a military trial and a potential death sentence if he is found guilty, a top general said Wednesday. Major Nidal Hasan is accused of opening fire...

WASHINGTON — The White House Wednesday defended the treatment of an alleged leader of Somalia’s Shebab Islamist insurgency who was interrogated for two months on a US warship, saying his detention was lawful. In the first known case of the...

The version of the National Defense Authorization Act recently passed by the Senate Armed Services Committee omitted a controversial provision that would have authorized the United States to use military force in any part of the world that was...

Republicans were not the only ones flooding President Barack Obama with questions during his “#AskObama” Twitter town hall; the event also generated a huge response from those opposed to the war on drugs. Data gathered by TwitSprout...

Former George W. Bush political aide Karl Rove said Wednesday that he believes Texas Republican Governor Rick Perry will run for president, The Hill reported. “I think you’re right that he’s going to run,” Rove said on...

PALO ALTO, California — Facebook added Skype video calling on Wednesday for the hundreds of millions of users of the world’s leading social network. Facebook co-founder Mark Zuckerberg unveiled the new video calling feature during an event...

A federal appeals court in San Francisco said that enforcement of the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy banning gays from the military must be immediately halted, the Associated Press reported. Though the House and Senate...