Recently in National Category

The house that was discovered to be filled with explosives was burned to the ground Thursday.

Beginning Monday, crew will be hauling scrap from the fire to local landfills for disposal.

Bomb units started sifting through the debris on Friday, AP reports. Bomb technicians were brought in to make sure that all explosives were destroyed.

Nine pounds of hexamethylene triperoxide diamine, or HMTD was found in the backyard in mid-November, CNN reports.

The man has been arrested and has a $5 million bail.

Barack Obama made a surprise visit to Afghanistan to praise the work the troops are doing overseas.

Obama boasted that that Taliban control is shrinking all over the country.

He also spoke to the Afghan president for 15 minutes, the BBC reports.

Obama's national security team should announce the new strategy later this month.

Troops should start their journey back to the U.S. in July, the Detroit Free Press reports.

Obama spoke to over 3,500 troops.

Sarah Palin is hinting to the people around here that she may be running for president in 2012.

In a upcoming interview with Barbara Walters, Palin said that she thinks she could beat Obama for president, Yahoo News reports.

Until then, Palin is staying busy by promoting herself in speeches. She earns at least $75 thousand dollars for each speech she gives.

While promoting her book in Iowa, she looked for office space to set-up camp for the future presidential election, The Guardian reports.

Palin would not be the first person to set-up camp in Iowa. Tim Pawlenty and Mike Huckabee have already began fundraising.

Five people were killed and others were injured after a motorcycle accident of over 12 people occurred on a California highway.

The motorcycles were on a highway just east of San Diego.

Police said a gold car driven by a man who was suspected for drunken driving started the accident, AP reports. The car was trying to pass the motorcycles.

The driver, Carlos Ramirez Bobadilla, slammed into the group of motorcycles head-on.

Four motorcyclists and a passenger in one of the cars died at the scene, CNN reports. The motorcyclists were taking a ride on their Harley-Davidsons to celebrate the group's 10th anniversary.

MSNBC host Keith Olbermann been suspended indefinitely after it was revealed he gave contributions to three Democratic candidates.

He donated the maximum contribution, $2,400, to two House candidates from Arizona and a candidate for Senate from Kansas.

Olbermann will be suspended without pay because NBC prohibits all employees to donate to any political party without consent of NBC, the Associated Press reports.

The results of the battles were mixed from the members who received the contributions, the Washington Post reports. One was declared the winner and another one the loser, while the third candidate will be part of a recount in Arizona.

His show is the most popular show on MSNBC, CBS reports.

The writer for most of JFK's famous speech passed away Sunday.

Ted Sorenson, 82, passed away from complications of a stroke in a hospital in New York City.

John F. Kennedy once said that Sorenson was an intellectual blood bank, the Guardian reports.

It is rumored that Sorenson even wrote the book that Kennedy won the Pulitzer Prize for.

Sorenson is considered to be the best speech maker of all-time, the Boston Globe reports. He wrote speeches for domestic policy and foreign affairs for Kennedy.

After Kennedy was assassinated, Sorenson stayed in the U.S. government for over 20 years before retiring.

A medal-winning swimmer died from apparent fatigue on Sunday in the United Arab Emirates.

Fran Crippen, 26, was in the UAE when he died during a Marathon Swimming World Cup 10km.

Crippen failed to finish the event, and the search party later found him in the water two hours later, the NY Daily News reports. Crippen told his told that he was not feeling well during the race.

He comes from a swimming family as both his sisters are star swimmers in the United States, Reuters reports. His older sister, Maddy, competed in the 2000 Olympics in Syndey, while his younger sister, Teresa, swims for the U.S. National team.

The high temperature is suspected to be a factor in the fatigue that Crippen had, CNN reports.

One man died and three other are injured after a single-engine plane crashed onto a Long Island street Sunday.

The pilot was attempting to make a practice landing and was only injured in East Farmingdale.

Ed Cerverizzo, 75, was the man who died during the accident, the New York Daily News reports. The plane hit four cars on the way down in the crash.

All four members in the crash were above the age of 55.

The pilot of the plane was taken to a local hospital with spinal injuries, Fox New York reports.

The cause of the crash is currently under investigation, CNN reports.

Solomon Burke, a well-known soul singer, died early Sunday on a plane from Los Angeles.

The former preacher who became a singer was inducted to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2001, BBC reports.

Burke became famous for his song "Everybody Needs Somebody to Love," the Guardian reports. Burke won a Grammy in 2003.

The credit to Burke's success in the soul genre has to go to Sam Cooke. On the day the day Cooke was murdered, Burke was in town ready to visit him. The death prompted Burke to write the hit "Got to Get You Off My Mind."

The producer of Atlantic Records, Jerry Waxler, named Burke as the "best soul singer of all time."

Burke's family included 21 children and 90 grandchildren.

The University of Rutgers honored a student that committed suicide last week, at the football game Saturday.

Tyler Clementi, a freshman at Rutgers, committed suicide after his roommate posted a video that revealed secrets about the life of Clementi, the Associated Press reports.

The football team honored the freshman by having a public announcement before the game Saturday versus Tulane, followed by a moment of silence.

On Sunday, the university paid tribute once again by holding a vigil, CNN reports.

The university stated that this suicide and the vigil with bring the entire university together and everyone will be able to stand united.