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Facebook IPO: Six key dates in its debacle

Facebook's first week as a publicly traded company will go down as a terribly botched corporate launch, perhaps one of the worst in recent history for such a highly visible entity. Eight days ago, it was the tech world's most highly anticipated initial public offering in eight years. Now, the social media company faces mounting legal woes and serves as an embarrassing example of how not to run an IPO. Despite rising insider pessimism about its growth prospects, Facebook kept boosting its asking price and the number of shares it would sell. The result: billions of dollars in losses; investigations by two congressional committees, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), an industry watchdog, and the state of Massachusetts; at least 13 class-action lawsuits; and thousands of resentful shareholders who days later still were unsure how many Facebook shares they had or at what price. Here are six key dates in Facebook's unfolding IPO disaster.
Spurs and Thunder star in NBA’s Western Conference Finals: 10 extra dimensions

The clash of the Spurs and Thunder in the NBA’s Western Conference finals may fly a bit under the national radar when it opens Sunday. Here are 10 factors that make this showdown intriguing.
Major gay marriage cases in federal court and where they stand

Battles over same-sex marriage have been raging in the federal courts for several years. Two could reach the US Supreme Court within a year: one challenging California's ban on gay marriage under Proposition 8, and the other seeking to invalidate the federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA). Here are the cases to follow.
5 true crime stories you don't want to miss

These five Edgar Award nominees are true-crime stories taken straight from real life.
'Game of Thrones': Catch up on season 1

Missed the first season, but want to dive in now? Here's what you need to know.

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Sharon Stone nanny trouble: Former sitter sues her for harassment

Sharon Stone, the Oscar-winning actress, was sued by her former nanny for allegedly insulting the live-in sitter's ethnic heritage after a dispute over overtime pay.
Facebook IPO: Six key dates in its debacle

Facebook's first week as a publicly traded company will go down as a terribly botched corporate launch, perhaps one of the worst in recent history for such a highly visible entity. Eight days ago, it was the tech world's most highly anticipated initial public offering in eight years. Now, the social media company faces mounting legal woes and serves as an embarrassing example of how not to run an IPO. Despite rising insider pessimism about its growth prospects, Facebook kept boosting its asking price and the number of shares it would sell. The result: billions of dollars in losses; investigations by two congressional committees, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), an industry watchdog, and the state of Massachusetts; at least 13 class-action lawsuits; and thousands of resentful shareholders who days later still were unsure how many Facebook shares they had or at what price. Here are six key dates in Facebook's unfolding IPO disaster.
Spurs and Thunder star in NBA’s Western Conference Finals: 10 extra dimensions

The clash of the Spurs and Thunder in the NBA’s Western Conference finals may fly a bit under the national radar when it opens Sunday. Here are 10 factors that make this showdown intriguing.
Etan Patz case: Despite confession, a trial would be tricky (+video)

If Pedro Hernandez sticks to his confession and is found to be mentally competent, a judge will simply sentence him for killing schoolboy Etan Patz in 1979. But if he were to recant, prosecutors would face a hard decision.
Major gay marriage cases in federal court and where they stand

Battles over same-sex marriage have been raging in the federal courts for several years. Two could reach the US Supreme Court within a year: one challenging California's ban on gay marriage under Proposition 8, and the other seeking to invalidate the federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA). Here are the cases to follow.
Sixth day of deliberations in John Edwards begin

Prosecutors say Edwards used nearly $1 million from donors in a plan to hide his pregnant mistress as he sought the White House in 2008.
Papa New Guinea's parliament under blockade by police

The police are saying they will not allow parliament to sit until the next elections.
Facebook lawsuits: Did all shareholders get same data in IPO?

Facebook lawsuits charge that banks in charge of IPO didn't share company information with all shareholders. In addition to Facebook lawsuits, two congressional committees are also investigating the IPO.
Facebook struggles as lawsuits loom

The stock climbed a dollar on Wednesday, but it is still 16 percent below its IPO price last Friday.
Obama and the contraception mandate

The Obama administration plans to exempt only certain types of religious institutions from the health-care law's mandate for coverage of birth control. But in doing so, it redefines religion, which not only steps on a basic liberty but a basic understanding of religion's role in society.
Health-care mandate: Catholic leaders sue over birth control

Health-care plan provision for employer-paid birth control riles Catholic schools, dioceses, and health-care providers. Negotiations with White House 'not encouraging.'
Hate crime redefined? Judge sees no hate in Rutgers webcam spy case

Dharun Ravi was sentenced to 30 days jail for using a webcam to spy on a gay college roommate. He could have received 10 years. But the judge said "I do not believe he hated Tyler Clementi."
No verdict yet in Edwards trial

Jurors will begin a third day of deliberation on Tuesday as they decide whether or not John Edwards committed campaign finance violations by funneling money to his mistress.
Catholic groups take fight against Obama birth-control rules to court

Some 43 Catholic groups including Notre Dame are attempting to block rules in the new health-care law that require health insurance to provide access to birth-control services.
Why Dharun Ravi got 30 days in jail in Rutgers webcam spying case (+video)

Dharun Ravi committed 'reprehensible' acts in setting up a webcam to spy on his Rutgers roommate's gay relationship, but they did not reach the level of a hate crime, the judge said.
Can US group challenge overseas surveillance act? Supreme Court to decide.

The US Supreme Court agreed to examine whether a group of US-based lawyers, activists, and journalists can challenge a Bush-era law authorizing broad surveillance overseas.
What causes wrongful convictions? Lies, mistaken eyewitnesses top the list.

Researchers examined 873 wrongful convictions and found that perjury or false accusations were responsible for more than half. New report offers insight into what leads to miscarriages of justice.
South Africa braces for verdict on murder of far right leader

Afrikaners plan to protest as court delivers verdict tomorrow on two black men accused of murdering white supremacist Eugene Terreblanche. Is this the end of the Rainbow Nation?
John Edwards trial: Prosecution, defense deliver closing arguments

Jurors are now deliberating to decide whether or not Edwards is guilty of diverting campaign funds to his mistress.
Ratko Mladic genocide trial suspended indefinitely (+video)

Ratko Mladic, a former Bosnian Serb military chief, won an indefinite suspension of his war crimes trial in the Hague because prosecutors failed to disclose documents to the defense.
John Edwards trial: What will verdict mean for campaign finance? (+video)

Closing arguments in the John Edwards trial are set to begin Thursday. But the political significance of the trial in defining the limits of campaign finance has been greatly dampened.
Edwards doesn't testify in campaign finance trial

The former senator's defense rested without putting on John Edwards, accused of illegally funneling money to his mistress.
John Edwards trial: Defense rests without calling former senator or mistress

Defense lawyers concentrated on whether former US Senator John Edwards broke federal campaign finance laws.
New York mom gets jail for threats over Little League

A suburban New York mom was sentenced to 50 days in jail for threats to a Little League official over her son not making the team.
George Zimmerman had two black eyes, broken nose, medical report says

George Zimmerman was examined by his family doctor the day after he fatally shot Trayvon Martin, according to ABC News. The medical report provides the details of George Zimmerman's injuries.