Photos and videos of the operation that killed Osama bin Laden will remain under wraps, a federal judge ruled Thursday. Watchdog group Judicial Watch had requested that the photos be released, but the Defense Department denied having any photos and the CIA refused to reveal the ones it had obtained. Judicial Watch sued, but U.S. District Judge James Boasberg declined to order their release, citing warnings from the Pentagon that the images and videos pose a threat to national security. "Verbal descriptions of the death and burial of Osama bin Laden will have to suffice, for this court will not order the release of anything more," he wrote. 

The Secret Service has opened a new investigation after allegations were made Thursday that misconduct occurred during a trip to El Salvador in 2011. Agents who were on an advance trip prior to President Obama’s visit to the Latin America country were said to have paid for sexual favors at a strip club. A CBS local station in Seattle reported that one agent bragged that they “did this all the time” in reference to paying for sex on trip. But a congressman relayed that Secret Service Director Mark Sullivan said he had not found anything “credible” in his new investigation as of yet.

Syrian activists said that up to 70 people were killed in the city of Hama as United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon condemned the ongoing troop violence there, saying he “remains deeply troubled” by the attacks. State media refuted the death toll of 70, saying instead that only 16 people died in what it called an “armed terrorist group's” bomb factory. The Arab League also said Thursday that it would ask the U.N. to “act immediately” to protect Syrian civilians.

A Florida judge ruled Friday that George Zimmerman, charged with second-degree murder in the death of Trayvon Martin, could keep his $200,000 raised by supporters—despite having not disclosed it previously. Zimmerman’s attorney Mark O’Mara said that Zimmerman had experienced issues with his Twitter and Facebook accounts and may shut down his donation setup for fear of copycats making money off his cause. Prosecutors had asked that Zimmerman's $150,000 bond be increased, but Judge Kenneth Lester said he is worried about revealing the donors’ names—and is not sure he has the authority to increase the bond.

Amazon beat Wall Street’s most generous predictions for its first-quarter earnings, sending its stock price up 15 percent at the close of trading Thursday. The online-retailing giant’s revenue was $13.18 billion, up 34 percent from a year ago and ahead of expectations by nearly a billion dollars. Amazon shares jumped to $225 in after-hours trading from a closing price of $195.99

The House passed a controversial cyber security bill on Thursday, despite a threat from President Obama that he would veto the bill should it make it to his desk. The Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act (CISPA) would allow the government more easy access to individual’s personal web-browsing history in cases of potential cyber threats. Proponents say the bill is aimed more at file sharing because it also allows security firms and Web agencies to share information. The White House said the law repeals "important provisions of electronic surveillance law without instituting corresponding privacy, confidentiality and civil liberties safeguards." The bill passed with a 248-168 margin.

To explain just how well he thinks President Obama handles foreign relations, VP Joe Biden referenced Theodore Roosevelt's classic "speak softly and carry a big stick; you will go far." In attacking Mitt Romney's foreign-policy approach, Biden said, "I promise you, the president has a big stick. I promise you."

As the one-year anniversary of his killing approaches, the family of Osama bin Laden was deported from Pakistan. Fourteen members total—including three wives—left for Saudi Arabia early Friday. Two of bin Laden’s widows are originally from Saudi Arabia while the third is from Yemen. The wives were convicted of entering Pakistan illegally and sentenced to 45 days in prison, with credit for one month served. All three of the wives and at least eight children were living with him in the house in Abottabad when he was killed last May.

Break open the bubbly! A royal source revealed to CNN on Thursday that Kate Middleton, the Duchess of Cambridge, has “graduated” to become a “fully fledged member” of the British monarchy. Middleton was said to have fulfilled her royal objectives just shy of the one-year anniversary of her marriage to Prince William. St. James Palace, which oversees Kate, Will and Harry, regards Kate’s “induction” as complete in what has been deemed a smooth transition in the public eye. The nod from the palace quelled fears around Britain that a commoner wouldn’t be suited for everyday royal duties.

After months of speculation, the Indianapolis Colts made it official Thursday evening when they selected Andrew Luck as the No. 1 overall pick in the NFL draft. The Stanford quarterback has a big pair of shoes to fill now that Peyton Manning has decamped to Denver. Robert Griffin III, Baylor’s quarterback, was the second pick of the evening. He’ll be heading to the Washington Redskins. The Cleveland Browns had the third pick, choosing Alabama running back Trent Richardson. The draft was held at New York’s Radio City Music Hall.

A Delta flight at Chicago’s Midway Airport was quarantined late Thursday afternoon after it landed from Detroit, reportedly because of a sick passenger. The Centers for Disease Control examined photographs taken of bug bites on one of the passengers after photos were taken by medical examiners on Delta Flight 3163 shortly after it landed at 3:30 p.m. local time. The CDC confirmed reports of a “possible illness” on the flight, but it was cleared after being held for about three hours. Midway remained open as passengers on board the flight tweeted photos of the activities occurring on board.

The Hague has found former Liberian ruler Charles Taylor guilty of aiding rebels in neighboring Sierra Leone in a bloody civil war that left 50,000 dead. The judge said that the warlord provided arms and communications equipment to the rebels in return for blood diamonds. Taylor, the court ruled, is is guilty of aiding and abetting terrorism, murder, rape, sexual slavery, cruelty, and conscripting child soldiers. However prosecutors failed to prove he had command of the rebels, and he was acquitted of commanding the militias. He's the first former head of state to be convicted of war crimes by an international court since the Nuremberg trials.

Prince William and the Duchess of Cambridge will celebrate their first wedding anniversary on Sunday, a year after their epic wedding at Westminster Abbey last April. Will and Kate are keeping their celebration plans quiet, but sources say friends have a party planned the night before the big day. The Tetley tea company is offering a free year's supply of tea to any couples named some form of William and Katherine, and American television channels are planning a weekend of wedding coverage.

Sergeant Gary Stein will be kicked out of the Marines for Facebook comments he made criticizing President Obama on a page used by Marine meteorologists. He'll get an other-than-honorable discharge and lose most of his benefits, three months before his contract would have been completed. “I'm having a hard time seeing how 15 words on Facebook could have ruined my nine-year career," he said. Stein posted, "Screw Obama and I will not follow all orders from him." Service members are allowed to criticize political candidates, but not as representatives of the Armed Forces.

A New York City crane owner was found not guilty on Thursday of manslaughter and other charges stemming from a deadly 2008 crane collapse that killed two workers. The accident, which occurred on Manhattan’s Upper East Side in June 2008, came just months after another deadly crane collapse in Manhattan, causing greater scrutiny for construction sites—renewed earlier this month when another worker was killed. Prosecutors alleged the crane fell because owner James Lomma had gotten a low-priced wielding repair job, while Lomma and his attorneys had alleged crane’s operator, Donald Leo, 30, was responsible for the accident that killed him.

It’s on. Now that Mitt Romney has cleared all challengers in the GOP presidential primary, President Obama has scheduled his first campaign rallies. On May 5, he and the first lady will visit Columbus, Ohio, and Richmond, Va. The president has already been traveling quite a bit recently, pushing his plan to help students with college-loan debt—making campaign-like stops along the way. At an event in North Carolina this week, Obama told attendees that he’s been in their shoes. "I just want everybody here to understand," the president said,  "I didn't just read about this."

What a difference a couple of months makes. When Texas Gov. Rick Perry dropped out of the race for the Republican presidential nomination in January, he threw his support to former House Speaker Newt Gingrich. Now that Gingrich is preparing to abandon his campaign, Perry has endorsed Mitt Romney for president. “Mitt Romney has earned the Republican presidential nomination through hard work, a strong organization, and a disciplined message of restoring America,” Perry said in a statement Wednesday.

After months of tension, the Pakistani Supreme Court convicted Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani of contempt of court, but sentenced him only for the several minutes remaining in the hearing. He could have served up to six months in prison. Gilani’s opposition is calling on him to resign, but his cabinet says he won’t. He could be disqualified from serving as prime minister, but that process could take four months. Gilani was convicted for refusing to ask Swiss authorities to reopen a corruption investigation into President Asif Ali Zardari.

A massive explosion in the city of Hama left as many as 70 dead Thursday, making the ceasefire in Syria look like even more of a shambles Thursday. Video shows people pulling bodies out of a crater that the BBC says would have been hard to cause using conventional shelling, raising the possibility of a rocket strike. The Syrian government says a terrorist bomb factory exploded. The Arab League called an emergency meeting to discuss the state of the truce. Only 13 of the 300 authorized U.N. monitors are in the country.

The Daily Beast has learned exclusively that Sandra Fluke, the law student made famous by Rush Limbaugh calling her a “slut” on his radio show earlier this year, is engaged. Fluke’s fiancé is Adam Mutterperl, a Los Angeles-based comedy writer and producer. Many conservative commentators have noted that Mutterperl’s father is William Mutterperl, a major donor to the Democratic Party.  Limbaugh, meanwhile, mentioned Fluke again on his show again Tuesday, accusing Fluke of “coordinating” with President Obama to “scare students about the interest rates on their loans.” Fluke and Mutterperl told The Daily Beast exclusively that, "having dated for over eight years, we're just excited that our friends and family were kind enough to pretend to be surprised at our engagement. We're really looking forward to spending the next eight years planning our wedding." They plan to settle in Los Angeles after Fluke finishes at Georgetown Law School.

Ousted Chinese Politburo member Bo Xilai has been linked to the wiretapping of fellow Chinese politicians, including President Hu Jintao, leading to an investigation by the government and his subsequent removal from office. Until recently, the story of Bo has been one of a Communist Party official who was ousted because he pushed too hard for populist reforms (with a curious twist of his wife being suspected of murdering a British businessman). The wiretapping accusations were left out of the public account of Bo’s removal from office. Bo's brother resigned as an executive from the corporation Everbright on Wednesday while his son penned a letter defending his lifestyle.

If you’re running a notorious crime syndicate under federal investigation, you might want to use more veiled language when threatening terrifying violence. Anthony DiNunzio, 53, has been arrested for racketeering and conspiracy in connection with the New England branch of the Cosa Nostra crime family. In their indictment, authorities say he was recorded boasting that he’d remain the boss even if he went to jail and telling members of New York’s Gambino crime family that he would bury disobedient members alive. “You and I get to watch you die in the ground,” DiNunzio allegedly said. DiNunzio allegedly came to power in late 2009 and oversaw the organization's extortion of Rhode Island strip clubs and other businesses.

Several TSA agents at Los Angeles International were indicted Wednesday for corruption and drug trafficking. The agents allegedly let suitcases packed with cocaine and methamphetamine through the airport in exchange for thousands of dollars. It's been a bad week for the agency, which on Wednesday defended the pat-down of a crying four-year-old  in the Kansas airport. The California indictment alleges the agents would meet the smugglers and place them in line so that they would be at the monitoring desk when they passed through, then meet them again in the airport bathroom to get their money.

Portuguese authorities said on Thursday that they will not be reopening the Madeleine McCann case, despite Scoland Yard’s comments the day before that the missing girl may still be alive. The British girl disappeared almost five years ago just days before her fourth birthday, while her family vacationed in Portugal. Scotland Yard released a photo of what they believe the girl would look like now. Portuguese authorities said on Thursday there are “no new elements” that would cause them to reopen the investigation. Hours earlier her parents, Kate and Gerry McCann, had said they were “hugely encouraged” by the recent momentum in the case.

Twin blasts shook the office of This Day, a newspaper in Abuja, Nigeria, killing at least three people. The newspaper is supportive of President Goodluck Jonathan’s government, a main target for the Islamist guerrilla group Boko Haram. Witnesses say a suicide bomber ran into the building with a Jeep. No one has claimed responsibility for the attack, but Boko Haram has been waging an insurgency against Jonathan’s government for two years.

Back before the inquiry into media ethics, Rupert Murdoch admitted there was a phone-hacking cover-up, but he blames one or two “strong characters” at News of the World—including former editor Colin Myler. He had unusually sharp words for his son James, saying he was shocked at the size of the Gordon Taylor settlement and that it showed James was “pretty inexperienced.” On Wednesday night, Murdoch admitted to having five more meetings with British Prime Minister David Cameron than previously admitted—a contradiction of earlier claims that "every contact" had been made public.

Given Syrian first lady Asma al-Assad’s alleged shopaholic tendencies as revealed in the Assad email cache, it’s not too surprising that she appeared in Vogue. A 3,200-word article about Syria's first lady appeared in the March 2011 issue, but has since disappeared from the web in light of the country's brutal crackdown. In an interview with NPR last week, author Joan Juliet Buck said she was disturbed by Asma’s description of Syria’s ancient culture as its “hardware” and that it was “horrifying” to have been near the family. She also suggested that the children in the photos were probably not the Assads’ kids.

An earlier headline on this item erroneously stated that Vogue paid Asma Assad $25,000 for the photo shoot. A public-relations firm made the payment.

Thomas “Tommy” Martin, a 33-year-old saxophonist for rock band The Killers killed himself earlier this week at his home in Las Vegas, a spokesman for the Las Vegas coroner’s office confirmed Thursday. He was found dead on Monday. A spokesman for the Clark County Coroner said that he died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head. Martin performed with the band on live tours between 2008 and 2010 and on their albums Sam’s Town and Day & Age. The band tweeted "last night we lost our friend Thomas Marth. Our prayers are with his family. There's a light missing in Las Vegas tonight. Travel well, Tommy.”

Sandra Fluke can’t escape. Fox News analyst Monica Crowley reacted to news of Fluke’s engagement by tweeting, “To a man?”  Many on Twitter then called Crowley “homophobic” and a “terrible person.” Within a few minutes, Crowley had tweeted, “I love exposing the Left’s total lack of a sense of humor,” but she later called the original tweet a “straightforward question.”Crowley also retweeted the criticism she received for her remark, with one person calling her “a great twitter comedienne if you like hateful a--holes.”

Federal authorities are warning local law enforcement officials to be on the alert for possible terror threats ahead of the one-year anniversary of Osama bin Laden’s death. In a statement on Wednesday, the FBI and Department of Homeland Security warned that the May 1 raid on bin Laden’s Pakistan compound last year resonates strongly with al Qaeda and other terror groups, and reiterated the danger of a “lone wolf” attack as well. President Obama discussed the possibility of attacks in a meeting with national security on Thursday. Afterwards, White House Press Secretary Jay Carney told reporters that so far they had “no indication of a credible threat or plots against the U.S.”

Tens of thousands of Norwegians converged on public squares Thursday during the trial of the right-wing fanatic Anders Behring Breivik, charged with killing of 77 people in a bomb-and-shooting rampage. Over 40,000 people crowded into the central square of Oslo, singer Peter Seeger's "My Rainbow Race" in the rain as the trial took place inside. The left-wing protest song was chosen in response to Breivik's accusation that "cultural Marxists" were threatening Norwegian society. Protesters also marched on the courthouse in Oslo and lined walkways
with red and white flowers.

Will the Boy Scouts of America be swayed to change its policy banning homosexuals? Jennifer Tyrell is protesting the organization’s antigay stance after she and her 7-year-old son were dismissed by the BSA in early April. Tyrell, a former Tiger Cubs den leader from Bridgeport, Ohio, started an online campaign for the Scouts to change their policy that has garnered more than 170,000 signatures. Tyrell had reservations about being a den master when she signed her son up for the local troop last year, but another Cubmaster reassured her that her sexual orientation wouldn’t create any problems locally. It wasn’t until the head of the organization learned she was gay that she and her son were dismissed.

It appears as though Secret Service agents have misbehaved on more than one occasion. A day after U.S. lawmakers were told that the prostitution scandal in Colombia appeared to be an isolated incident, Seattle’s KIRO-TV says they have evidence that Secret Service members were also involved with prostitutes in El Salvador prior to President Obama’s trip there in March, 2011. A government contractor from El Salvador said he worked with the Secret Service before Obama’s arrival, alleging that roughly a dozen agents accompanied by military escorts went to a San Salvador strip club, with some paying for sexual favors in a VIP room.