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Bowe Bergdahl. The Army's investigation into the circumstances under which the Hailey native left his Afghanistan base wrapped up in October, yet no new information has been released. Bergdahl's fellow soldiers say he deserted the base, which is a crime under military law. A military defense councilman speculated Wednesday that the delay could mean no charges will be filed. The question remains a mystery. What events led up to the disappearance of Bergdahl and his capture by the Taliban in 2009?

At least the head of the Secret Service was forced to resign after its shocking incompetence placed the president in personal danger. An armed intruder at the White House ran past the stairway leaving to the presidential family quarters and made it all the way into the East Room. The Secret Services initial claim, that the intruder had been apprehended upon entry, was simply false. Where on earth could all of these people have gotten the idea that lying is acceptable? Maybe theyre all just marching to the cadence of the Liar in Chief. Barack ObamaPhoto: Reuters Last winter, President Obama said there was not even a smidgen of corruption in the IRS scandal the investigation of which was and is ongoing. Obamas statement wasnt true: He cant know the outcome of a game that is still being played. For all we know, theres an e-mail out there from Joe Biden telling Lois Lerner, I want you to tie up these Tea Party bastards with everything youve got.

Negotiations among the governments of Niger, Mali and France led to freedom for Serge Lazarevic, 51, who was described by the French president as in relatively good health despite his long captivity. Tuesdays release, greeted with joy among many in France, stands in contrast to the attempted rescue in Yemen last weekend that ended in the deaths of two hostages an American and South African held by al-Qaida. Lazarevic was now en route to Niamey, the capital of Niger, French President Francois Hollande said as he thanked Nigers president for helping to free the Frenchman. We no longer have any hostages in any country of the world and we should not have any, Hollande added. Hollandes government insists it pays no ransoms and does not exchange prisoners, although in September he acknowledged for the first time that other countries have done so to help us. President Barack Obama last month ordered a review of the U.S. response to citizens being taken hostage abroad after the deaths of several Americans held by Islamic extremists. But the Obama administration said the review will not include changing the policy against ransoms. You have a choice between the policy of Mr.

Businesses with fewer than 50 workers are exempt. The requirement was initially to take effect this year. Now, companies with 50 to 99 employees have until 2016 to comply while bigger companies have until next year. The suit also accuses Obama of illegally preparing to make an estimated $175 billion in payments over the next decade plus $3 billion paid out this past year to insurance companies, even though Congress hasn't provided money for that purpose. According to the suit, insurance companies offering coverage under the health law are supposed to offer reduced rates to many lower-income policyholders. The law established a fund to reimburse insurers for some of those lower rates.

"The obstacles are political," he said. "Under current law, there's nothing Congress can do. Congress is entitled to be notified 30 days before release. There's nothing Congress can do to stop a transfer short of passing new legislation. All the president would have to do is to make sure they get notice and then transfer these men out." Meanwhile, Witness Against Torture, established by several Catholic Workers and others in 2005 with the goal of closing the facility, will continue its annual weeklong witness and fast Jan. 5-13 in Washington. Chris Knestrick, a Catholic Worker in Cleveland and Witness Against Torture participant, welcomed the releases, but expressed concern that the Guantanamo Bay center remained open. "Our work is letting people know that there are still 148 men in Guantanamo that continue to be imprisoned and tortured and never being charged with a crime," he told CNS. "Our work is to make these men being held by our government to be human in our eyes." He said the organization was encouraged by recent comments by Pope Francis who decried the detention of prisoners without trial Oct.

A report by pathologists hired by the defense, obtained by CNN, stated they found no evidence tissue samples were taken from Gloria's body after her death, despite the fact Qatari investigators submitted an autopsy report. Advocates for the Huangs suggested the lab report was fabricated and said their request with the Qatari judiciary for a formal investigation went unanswered. Criticism of Qatari justice The case against the Huangs shined a light on the Qatari justice system and drew complaints from the United States. Qatar is a key ally in the U.S.-led coalition against the terror group ISIS and host to many countries' forces involved in airstrikes. The Qatari government also helped the United States secure the release of Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl from Taliban captivity this year. Despite the close ties, the State Department expressed concern. Officials requested in October that Qatar's government lift the Huangs' travel ban, allowing them to return to the United States.

According to military records obtained by the Marine Corps Times, Al-Zahrani is a 45-year-old al-Qaida-linked militant who traveled to Afghanistan for training in 1999. He has been detained at Guantanamo Bay since 2002. Al-Zahrani's lawyers said that he only wanted to return to Saudi Arabia to see his mother before she dies. One of the factors in his release was his agreement to participate in a militant rehabilitation program in his home country. He left Guantanamo Bay Friday, the same day U.S. Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel met with defense officials from Saudi Arabia and Qatar to express "appreciation for the strategic partnership" in the fight against Islamic State forces in Iraq and Syria.

The embargo has accomplished nothing, said Wayne Smith, director of the Cuba Project at the Center for International Policy, a Washington-based think tank. Smith said when the embargo was first enforced there was a sense that Cubas economy would be destroyed in a few years. But five decades later, Cuba is not only surviving, but doing relatively well, said Smith, who once served as chief of mission at the U.S. Interests Section in Havana. Last month, in a symbolic vote, the United Nations General Assembly voted against the U.S. embargo for the 23rd time, by a margin of 188 to 2. While the vote was largely symbolic, it does show the limited support the embargo has internationally.

in exchange for the release of five Taliban prisoners from Guantanamo Bay. Hunter spokesman Joe Kasper said the administration review has to evaluate payments, even if there isn't going to be a policy change. "There are a lot of ways the issue on monetary incentives could be handled, including options that don't require paying captors. But we need to make sure there is a better understanding on this front, specifically for the people who are tasked with recovering Americans in hostile areas," he said. The USA Patriot Act prohibits any payment or assistance to terror groups that could boost their support, and families of hostages have been warned against breaking that law. But the issue of payments by American families or U.S.

It also came on the heels of midterm elections roiled by debate over Obamas Guantanamo closure ambitions. In Kansas, for example, incumbent GOP Sen. Pat Roberts campaigned for reelection on a pledge to prevent relocation of Guantanamo detainees to the U.S. Disciplinary Barracks at Fort Leavenworth, a prison for U.S. military criminals. The transfer left 148 detainees at Guantanamo 79 of them, like Odah, approved for release with security assurances. Of the other prisoners, one is a convicted war criminal and six others are in pretrial proceedings in prominent al-Qaida death-penalty cases.