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Bowe Bergdahl. The Army's investigation into the circumstances under which the Hailey native left his Afghanistan base wrapped up in October, yet no new information has been released. Bergdahl's fellow soldiers say he deserted the base, which is a crime under military law. A military defense councilman speculated Wednesday that the delay could mean no charges will be filed. The question remains a mystery. What events led up to the disappearance of Bergdahl and his capture by the Taliban in 2009? He was held captive for five years. Military officials will determine whether or not wrong doing occurred, and if those actions warrant punishment. Brian Bouffard, a criminal and military defense councilman, feels as though Bergdahl played an active role in his disappearance.

The Secret Service and that White House intruder. Rachel Noerdlinger and her disabled son. Rolling Stone and gang rape. 2014 was the year when truth was optional. 2014 was the year when convenient fabrication was the weapon of choice for celebrities, activists, big business and politicians. 2014 was the Year of the Lie. In each case, the liars used their powerful positions to intimidate, harass, marginalize or just plain bilk ordinary people who lacked access to a megaphone with which to shout back. Michael BrownPhoto: Facebook Mostly the liars didnt suffer any repercussions for spreading falsehoods, and most didnt even seem particularly embarrassed when they were exposed. Activists told us Michael Brown, who was shot by a police officer in Ferguson, Mo., on Aug.

Video images later showed that he had robbed a convenience store shortly before the police confrontation. Then an autopsy report confirmed that Brown was so close to Officer Darren Wilson that he had gunpowder residue on his hand, and that all of the bullets that hit him came from the front, none from the back. Nor where Browns palms raised, according to analysis by forensic pathologist Dr. Judy Melinek. Protesters shrugged at all of this, declaring they would continue to honor Browns memory by chanting, Hands up, dont shoot. Demonstrators chant Hands up, dont shoot! on the steps of the National Portrait Gallery in protest a day after the Ferguson grand jury decision to not indict officer Darren Wilson in the Michael Brown case Nov. 25.Photo: Getty Images Even if you dont find that its true, its a valid rallying cry, Ferguson protester Taylor Gruenloh told The Associated Press.

Negotiations among the governments of Niger, Mali and France led to freedom for Serge Lazarevic, 51, who was described by the French president as in relatively good health despite his long captivity. Tuesdays release, greeted with joy among many in France, stands in contrast to the attempted rescue in Yemen last weekend that ended in the deaths of two hostages an American and South African held by al-Qaida. Lazarevic was now en route to Niamey, the capital of Niger, French President Francois Hollande said as he thanked Nigers president for helping to free the Frenchman. We no longer have any hostages in any country of the world and we should not have any, Hollande added. Hollandes government insists it pays no ransoms and does not exchange prisoners, although in September he acknowledged for the first time that other countries have done so to help us. President Barack Obama last month ordered a review of the U.S. response to citizens being taken hostage abroad after the deaths of several Americans held by Islamic extremists.

Advocates for the Huangs suggested the lab report was fabricated and said their request with the Qatari judiciary for a formal investigation went unanswered. Criticism of Qatari justice The case against the Huangs shined a light on the Qatari justice system and drew complaints from the United States. Qatar is a key ally in the U.S.-led coalition against the terror group ISIS and host to many countries' forces involved in airstrikes. The Qatari government also helped the United States secure the release of Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl from Taliban captivity this year. Despite the close ties, the State Department had expressed concern about the legal proceedings and disappointment in the verdict. Officials requested in October that Qatar's government lift the Huangs' travel ban, allowing them to return to the United States. A United Nations special rapporteur investigating the justice system in Qatar also called attention to the Huangs' case and urged the government to release them and send them home. Fighting family After the couple's arrest, their two sons, also adopted from Africa, were temporarily placed in a Qatari orphanage.

"Everything has revolved around her case and our situation," Grace Huang said. "We haven't had a chance to really say goodbye and mourn. We just really want to be able to honor her place in our lives with our friends and family and that hasn't happened yet." U.S. ally The case put the United States in a difficult situation with a close ally with whom it is working on hot-button issues in the Middle East. Qatar is a key ally in the U.S.-led coalition against ISIS and host to many countries' forces involved in airstrikes. The Qatari government also helped the United States secure the release of Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl from Taliban captivity this year.

at Fort Sam Houston in Texas. He has a desk job after 5 years being held by the Taliban sometimes in a metal box. Republican Congressman Duncan Hunter, a former marine, wrote a letter to the defense secretary, requesting information on reports that money changed hands in hopes of securing Bergdahl's release. The payment, Hunter says, was made to an Afghan intermediary in February, through the joint special operations command. Congressman Duncan Hunter, (R) California, Number one, you can't pay ransoms. I mean the DOD can't break the law and have no repercussions whatsoever, no oversight over what they did.

Obama put the decision to Congress and the strikes never occurred. March 2014 Russian forces quietly invaded and annexed Crimea, prompting a quickly elevating cross-border conflict in Ukraine and eastern Europe. NATO allies in the region have been uneasy ever since. April 5, 2014 On a trip to Japan, Hagel said he welcomed Tokyo's steps in amending its constitution to allow for collective defense agreements. This support of Japanese militarization led to increased tensions with China, which is deeply opposed to a resurgent military power in Tokyo. May 31, 2014 The White House performed a prisoner swag with the Taliban in order to win the release of US soldier Bowe Bergdahl. The US traded give Taliban prisoners from Guantanamo Bay to win Bergdahl's release. The prisoner swap was immediately criticized as Bergdahl may have purposefully deserted his post prior to his capture, and the White House failed to notify Congress thirty days ahead of the exchange as is required by law. Also in May, the Pentagon dispatched troops to Chad to aid in the search for over 200 girls kidnapped by the Nigerian jihadist group Boko Haram. REUTERS/Kevin LamarqueChuck Hagel and Martin Dempsey July 2014 US special operations forces carry out a daring attempt to free Steven Sotloff and James Foley, two American citizens held captive by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIS).

That number compares to the facility's population height of more than 750 people after it began accepting post-9/11 prisoners. Three of the detainees -- Salah Mohammed Salih Al-Dhabi, Abdel Ghaib Ahmad Hakim, and Abdul Khaled Al-Baydani -- are slated to be sent to Georgia, in the Caucasus region at the border of Europe and Asia. The other two -- Hashim Bin Ali Bin Amor Sliti and Husayn Salim Muhammad Al-Mutari Yafai -- are scheduled to be transferred to Slovakia in Central Europe. Hakim was represented by the Center for Constitutional Rights, which identified him as Abd Al Hakim Ghalib Ahmad Alhag. Alhag (Hakim), who is from Yemen, had been detained for more than 10 years and been cleared for release "for years," but his transfer was delayed "as the U.S. inexplicably opposed his release in court," the center charged. "The U.S. finally transferred him on the eve of new litigation by the Center for Constitutional Rights challenging his continued indefinite detention based on or because of his Yemeni citizenship.

The review will seek to integrate innovative and non-traditional solutions to result in recommended actions to improve interagency coordination and strengthen the whole-of-government approach led by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the State Department." The White House confirmed what ISIS has claimed this weekend: American Peter Kassig has been executed. Like previous ISIS execution videos, this ... Under current U.S. policy, the U.S. does not pay ransoms to hostage takers, nor does it conduct prisoner swaps or deals. Additionally, nothing of value is handed over to the hostage takers. However, as CBS National Security Analyst Juan Zarate noted on "CBS This Morning," those policies became murkier this year after the administration negotiated with the Taliban to secure the release of Army Sgt.