South Carolina House Passes Bill Making Obamacare Illegal

South Carolina House chambers

South Carolina's house of representatives passed a bill, on Wednesday, called the Freedom of Health Care Protection Act.

The act declares Obamacare to be null and void.

Adding to that, it also makes the implementation of Obamacare a criminal act.

It moved from the House, to the Senate, on Thursday.

Governor Nikki Haley has already promised to sign it if it reaches her desk.

Rhode Island Legalizes Same Sex Marriage

Governor Lincoln Chafee signed into law a bill making same sex marriage legal in the state of Rhode Island, on Thursday.

The bill passed the state house, earlier in the day, with a vote of fifty-six to fifteen.

On August 1, the law will go into effect, making Rhode Island the tenth state to allow them.

An exception was added to the bill that allows religious leaders and churches to refuse to marry same sex couples, without facing law suits.

It also ends Rhode Island's policy of allowing civil unions, which began two years ago.

Maryland Repeals the Death Penalty

On Thursday, Governor Martin O'Malley signed a bill that officially removes the death penalty from Maryland.

In doing so, he made Maryland the eighteenth state to repeal the death penalty.

According to the governor's office, "Maryland has effectively eliminated a policy that is proven not to work. Evidence shows that the death penalty is not a deterrent, it cannot be administered without racial bias, and it costs three times as much as life in prison without parole".

The law will go into effect on October 1.

Currently five men are on the state's death row, but their sentences were not commuted, by the repeal.

Planes Collide at Newark Airport

Two airplanes struck each other at Newark Liberty International Airport, in New Jersey, Wednesday night.

Both planes were taxiing for take off when the wing of Scandinavian Airlines flight 908 collided with the tail of ExpressJet flight 4226.

Part of the Scandinavian Airlines plane's left wing was lost in the accident.

No one was hurt, and all passengers from both planes were placed on later flights.

Gold Mine Collapse in Darfur Kills 53

At least fifty-three people were killed when a gold mine collapsed in the Darfur area of the Sudan.

Forty-two people are still missing, with rescuers hoping to find them alive.

Nine of those were miners sent to find the other miners, when the collapse occurred, but they did not return.

Shovels and bare hands are being used in the digging, as they worried that any machinery could cause further collapse.

Islamists Attack Egyptian Security Headquarters

About two thousand Islamists marched through Cairo, on Thursday night.

A group of them broke off and began an attack on the security headquarters.

They tore down Egyptian flags and raised Al Qaeda in their place.

Riot police arrived at the headquarters firing tear gas to disperse the attackers.

It showed a growing dissatisfaction in the government, with Muslims unhappy that the government is not enforcing shariah laws while non Muslims worry that it is enforcing too many shariah laws.

Seattle Riot Injures 8 Police Officers

Eight Seattle police officers were injured, on Wednesday when a May Day parade turned violent. Seventeen people were arrested by police.

Anarchists and members of Occupy Seattle joined together in an attack upon police. Rocks, bottles, metal pipes, and fireworks were used against officers who retaliated with tear gas.

Some protesters came with gas masks so officers resorted to using flash bang grenades to subdue the most unruly of the mob.

A woman who had been driving by the area was injured when a protester smashed her window, with a glass bottle. The woman was treated by a medic at the scene, for cuts from the broken glass.

Hagel Says US Considering Arming Syrian Rebels

US Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel announced that the US government is considering arming the Syrian rebels. Members of the US government, especially Senators Graham and McCain have been calling for doing so, for some time now.

The United Kingdom has already been considering such a move, but is blocked by a EU ban on doing so. However, that ban expires in just a few weeks, and the UK is moving to supplying arms as soon as it does. Qatar and Saudi Arabia already supply arms to the rebel forces.

Opponents of the move point out that Al Qaeda is a very active and well known part of the rebel forces. Al Qaeda still maintains their goal of destroying the US, and many other countries, through terrorist means.

France and multiple African countries are currently fighting the terrorist network, in Mali. US ally, Yemen is fighting a wing of the group in their own country. The Taliban, an Al Qaeda ally, is active in attacks against US, UK, and allied troops in Afghanistan as well as disrupting things in Pakistan.

If the US and UK begin supplying arms to rebel forces in Syria, those same arms could see their way to being used against US and UK troops. By supplying Syria's rebels, they could be giving out the very weapons and ammunition that will later kill their own troops or civilians.

Man Starts Shooting at Houston Airport and Kills Himself

A man walked into Terminal B of the Bush Intercontinental Airport, in Houston, Texas, and opened fire, on Wednesday.

He came in with an AR-15 and instantly fired two shots into the ceiling.

A Homeland Security agent drew on him and ordered him to drop the weapon.

The man responded by pulling out a hand gun, putting it to his own head, and pulling the trigger as the agent shot him.

Emergency responders reported the shooter dead at the scene, no one else was injured in the incident.

Authorities have not released his identity and are working on a motive.

For hours after the shooting Terminal B was closed, with flights and people diverted to other terminals.

Wildfire Threatens Southern California Homes

A fire in Southern California is threatening homes near Camarillo.

More than five hundred fire fighters are battling the flames, trying to keep the fire from burning structures.

No buildings have burnt, but a parking lot of RVs was lost to the fire.

Over sixty-five hundred acres have been burned so far, as the flames are pushed by Santa Ana winds.

Evacuation orders have included the California State University Channel Islands campus.

As a precaution, the California Highway Patrol has closed ten miles of the Pacific Coast Highway at Point Mugu.