The U.S. Senate passed a bill on Thursday to approve the long-pending Keystone XL oil pipeline, despite the White House saying earlier in the day that President Barack Obama would veto the measure. The Republican-led Senate passed the bill that would approve TransCanada Corp's project to carry 800,000 barrels per day of heavy Canadian crude to Nebraska on the way to Gulf Coast refineries and ports. The House has passed its own pipeline bill and will work with the Senate to send the bill to the Obama's desk. After the potential veto, Obama is expected to make his own decision on the pipeline after the State Department finishes a review in coming weeks.

Cuban President Raul Castro gave an endorsement to peace between the United States and his communist country, with the two nations in talks to restore ties after decades of animosity. Asked by a journalist at a summit of Latin American and Caribbean states what he would most like to see after the US economic embargo of Cuba is lifted, Castro barked: "Peace, peace between us, peace between the United States and us. Castro first said he would have to consider the question because the end of the economic embargo may be a long way away. US and Cuban diplomats met last week in Havana in landmark talks aimed at renewing ties that broke off in 1961.

A newly-elected Texas state lawmaker is under fire for a divisive Facebook post asking Muslim visitors to an event at the state capitol in Austin to pledge allegiance to the United States.

By Doina Chiacu and Susan Cornwell WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Secret Service cannot hire new agents for the next presidential election or make improvements at the agency until Congress settles a dispute over funding, Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson said on Thursday. Johnson said in a speech in Washington that uncertainty over the budget for the Department of Homeland Security, which secures U.S. borders, airports and coastal waters and protects the president, had put security initiatives on hold. These included recommendations made in December by a review panel on the Secret Service, which has been plagued with a series of security lapses, among them a White House intruder and a drone that landed on the mansion's lawn early Monday. Secret Service protection extends to major presidential and vice presidential candidates and their spouses within four months of a presidential election.

By Ellen Wulfhorst NEW YORK (Reuters) - Attorneys at a New York City public defenders' office participated in an online video that advocated the killing of police officers, featuring the lyrics "time to start killing these coppers," a city investigation disclosed on Thursday. The video "Hands Up," which shows singers pointing guns at someone portraying a police officer, was released shortly before the deadly ambush on Dec. 20 of two New York City officers by a gunman angry over police killings of unarmed black men. Two attorneys with the Bronx Defenders, a city-funded legal service organization, appear in the anti-police video, some of which was filmed at the Bronx office, according to the New York City Department of Investigation report. The Bronx Defenders posted a message on its website saying it "abhors the use of violence against the police." "The Bronx Defenders never approved the music video 'Hands Up,' and never saw it before it went online," it said.

By Sharon Bernstein SACRAMENTO, Calif. (Reuters) - A patient suspected of contracting Ebola after traveling in West Africa and exhibiting symptoms of the disease was admitted on Thursday to a special isolation hospital unit in Sacramento and was being tested for infection, officials said. The patient was considered at a relatively low risk of infection. Although recently in an area where Ebola transmission is widespread, the person had no known contact with anyone who has had the disease, said Laura McCasland, a spokeswoman for the Sacramento County Public Health Department. McCasland said she did not know precisely where or when the patient had traveled in West Africa, the epicenter of the worst Ebola epidemic on record, or why the individual was there or for how long.

The measure would levy a tougher penalty on Tehran if it fails to curb its nuclear program.

By Steve Holland and Susan Cornwell WASHINGTON (Reuters) - South Carolina Republican Senator Lindsey Graham on Thursday formed a political organization to explore a potential run for his party's presidential nomination, the latest high-profile politician to test the 2016 waters. Graham would attempt to use his South Carolina home base to his advantage for any potential run, since the Southern state is typically the third to hold a nominating contest in presidential election years, after Iowa and New Hampshire. "What I'm looking at is, is there a pathway forward on the ground in Iowa and New Hampshire for a guy like me?

At least three people are dead and dozens are injured.

The case involved a man who was molested by a Scout volunteer in 2007.

During Amazon’s fourth quarter earnings announcement today, the company revealed that Amazon Web Services (AWS)—essentially its cloud computing infrastructure—has over one million active customers.

The post Amazon Says One Million Customers Actively Use Its Cloud Services appeared first on WIRED.

The Federal Trade Commission has barred a man from posting nude images on women to his website without their express written consent.

The post Feds Bar Man From Posting Revenge Porn appeared first on WIRED.

Microsoft will be investing $70 million in Cyanogen, the startup that makes a popular Android ROM, according to a new report from The Wall Street Journal. The investment would make Microsoft a minority investor in a round of funding that puts Cyanogen’s value in the high hundreds of millions.

The post Microsoft to Invest in Android Startup Cyanogen, Says Report appeared first on WIRED.

Technology companies that want to sell equipment to Chinese banks have to submit to extensive audits, turn over source code, and build “back doors” into their hardware and software---presumably so that the Chinese government have the ability peek into computer banking systems.

The post China’s New Rules for Selling Tech to Banks Have US Companies Spooked appeared first on WIRED.

It’s been over 20 years since Larry Ellison made the case for cloud computing. Some speculate he only invented the idea to get at Bill Gates, the dominance of the PC and the then-newly released Windows 95. Even if the motivation had a personal edge, the point is that he had a strong case. As […]

The post When Robots Beam Down From the Cloud appeared first on WIRED.

If anyone still believes that bitcoin is magically anonymous internet money, the U.S. government just offered what may be the clearest demonstration yet that it’s not. A courtroom powerpoint presentation traced hundreds of thousands of bitcoins from the Silk Road anonymous marketplace for drugs directly to the personal computer of Ross Ulbricht, the 30-year-old accused of running that contraband bazaar.

The post Prosecutors Trace $13.4M in Bitcoins From the Silk Road to Ulbricht’s Laptop appeared first on WIRED.

McLaren has dropped Mercedes as an engine supplier in favor of a rekindling with its long-lost flame. The result is the MP4-30, the only car on the grid to be fitted with Honda's RA615H Hybrid Power Unit.

The post One of F1’s Greatest Partnerships Ever Reveals Its New Rocket appeared first on WIRED.

The TableAir is a variable-height workspace that uses a sensor to detect the height of an outstretched hand, then moves the desk surface up to match it.

The post To Adjust This Standing Desk’s Height, Just Hold Out Your Hand appeared first on WIRED.

My “aha” moment occurred in 2004 when, as a junior at the University of Illinois at Chicago, double majoring in physics and engineering, a research paper seized my interest. It was about the role that diamond could play as an electronics material — vastly uncharted territory at the time. I recognized then that diamond technology […]

The post Moore’s Law and Moving Beyond Silicon: The Rise of Diamond Technology appeared first on WIRED.

In 2014, wearables and the quantified self continued to grab headlines, from the de-emphasis of the Nike Fuel Band to the launch of Runkeeper’s Breeze activity sensor app to the backlash against attempts to feminize trackers by making them pretty. The Affordable Care Act continued to change healthcare, most notably when state insurance exchanges became […]

The post 2015: The Year of the Technologically Engaged Patient? appeared first on WIRED.