In an interview with President Barack Obama and Mrs. Obama, ABC News veteran Barbara Walters did not bite her tongue. The 83-year-old journalist asked the couple what happens behind closed doors at the White House, including how they “keep the fire going in their marriage” after 20 years, which made for a little bit of…

The Washington Post is reporting that Brazil is experiencing a crack-cocaine epidemic reminiscent of that of the United States in the 1980s, when addiction to the cheap drug devastated whole communities and families. The troubling news comes at a precarious time for the nation, which is in the midst of preparing to host the soccer…

Nelson Mandela is released from the hospital: A spokesman for President Jacob Zuma of South Africa confirmed that Mandela, 94, was transported on Wednesday to his home in Johannesburg’s Houghton neighborhood, according to the Telegraph. He underwent nearly three weeks of treatment for a lung infection and gallstones. Michael Moore urges whites: Stop promoting the…

Updated Dec. 27, 2:50 p.m.: Lisa P. Jackson released a statement thanking the president for his confidence in her abilities. Her appointment made her the first African American to hold the position. There is much more on the agenda: air pollution, toxic chemicals and children’s health issues, redevelopment and waste-site cleanup issues, and justice for…

Thursday, Dec. 27, 10:40 a.m. EST: The parents of Trayvon Martin and George Zimmerman cope with aftermath of killing: In the 10 months since her son Trayvon was killed, Sybrina Fulton has become a national activist who mostly stays in hotels as she travels from one engagement to another to speak about self-defense laws, the…

Swaziland police have banned women from wearing miniskirts, crop tops and low-slung jeans: Outfits apparently “encourage rape,” according to police in the small, conservative monarchy, which resurrected a law from 1889 to prevent women from wearing clothes that expose their bodies. The Daily Mail reports that officials are responding to a march last month by…

After National Rifle Association CEO and Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre blamed video games for mass shootings last week, the New York Times delved into the connection between guns and games and found a marketing link between some violent video game manufacturers and the makers of firearms. Makers of firearms and related gear have come…

Lloyd Grove at the Daily Beast lambastes Matt Drudge, who splashed the n-word across his Drudge Report earlier this week in a link to a review of director Quentin Tarantino’s upcoming film Django Unchained, about a freed slave. Other than going for shock and awe, Drudge’s purpose wasn’t entirely clear, although he linked his repetitively epithetic…