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(Mar 24, 2008 6:28 PM CDT) The FBI said today it has the bodies of two US contractors who were kidnapped in Iraq, the AP reports. John Roy Young, a security worker, and Ronald Withrow, employed by an IT firm, were two of six contractors kidnapped in Iraq over the past 2 years. Journalists shone attention on the missing Americans last month after their severed fingers were sent to US commanders in Iraq. You just can't really be prepared for any news like that, especially when you had hope that your son is alive, Withrow's mother said, adding, I know he's safe from all harm now. We're bringing him home. That was what our main concern was. Young's mother confirmed that the FBI contacted her, but said she was told not to comment. The search for four other contractors is still underway.

(Jan 18, 2016 2:14 AM) The richest .000000001% has had a great few years and now owns as much wealth as the poorest 50% of the world's population combined, according to the latest report from Oxfam. The British charity says just 62 billionaires are now as rich as the poorest 3.6 billion people on the planet, making the world even more unequal than it was in 2010, when 388 super-wealthy individuals had as much as the poorest half, the Guardian reports. Oxfam, which cites sources such as the Forbes rich list, determined in 2015 that the wealthiest 1% of the world had accumulated more wealth than everybody else on the planet put together. Wealth is moving rapidly to concentrate at the tippy, tippy top of the pyramid, an Oxfam America spokesman tells CNN. It is simply unacceptable that the poorest half of the world population owns no more than a small group of the global super-rich, Oxfam UK's chief executive tells the Guardian, noting that you could fit that group on a single bus. In a world where one in nine people go to bed hungry every night, we cannot afford to carry on giving the richest an ever bigger slice of the cake. Oxfam says leaders' promises to reduce wealth inequality haven't translated into concrete action to tackle problems like tax-dodging. The charity estimates that if the super-wealthy weren't hiding trillions in offshore accounts, the world's governments would receive an extra $190 billion a year in tax revenue.

(Oct 21, 2013 6:45 PM CDT) A runner in Saturday's Kansas City Marathon broke a Guinness world record ... but it wasn't for speed or distance. No, David Babcock broke the record for the longest scarf knitted while running a marathon, with a length of 12 feet and 13/4 inches, the Kansas City Star reports. The previous record was 6 foot, 9 inch, knitted at the London Marathon. Babcock, 41, ran the marathon in 5 hours, 48 minutes and 27 seconds. So, er, why? It took a long time to do distance running. It takes a long time to do knitting. I thought these could go together. They are both kind of tedious. I thought it would be a fun challenge, he told KCTV.

(Jul 8, 2011 6:05 AM CDT) For all those up in arms over the outcome of the Casey Anthony trial, the tiniest bit of satisfying news: She's not getting out on Wednesday as announced yesterday. After a detailed recalculation of the projected release date, Orange County corrections officials now say she'll be out July 17--four days later. They didn't explain how they came up with the extra time. Anthony was sentenced to four years in prison, but has already served nearly three and gets credit for good behavior. (Click for one take on why the verdict was totally fair and correct.

(Feb 1, 2015 6:45 AM) Novak Djokovic won his fifth Australian Open title and extended Andy Murray's misery at Melbourne Park by beating the Scotsman 7-6 (5), 6-7 (4), 6-3, 6-0 in the final today. Djokovic broke open a close match with a service break in the eighth game of the third set, winning four straight points. When he took a 4-0 lead in the final set, he smacked his fist hard against his chest in celebration. Murray has now been runner-up four times here, losing twice previously to Djokovic in 2011 and 2013 and to Roger Federer in 2010. Djokovic is a perfect 5-for-5 in Australian Open finals. The second set was delayed for about five minutes after the seventh game when a court invader protesting Australia's refugee policies was removed by security. Australian Open organizers said two people had been arrested by police. Security responded immediately. Both were quickly removed with minimal disruption to play, organizers said in a statement. Security guards caught one court invader, who was wearing a white shirt with the message Australia Open for Refugees, near the baseline during a changeover after the seventh game of the second set. The players were surrounded by security staff while stadium officials took action. A group of other people who had unfurled a large banner with the same message was escorted out of the Rod Laver Arena.

(Aug 5, 2008 4:14 PM CDT) Most men have two ages, theorizes author Douglas Coupland of Generation X fame: the age we really are, and the age we are in our heads, which he pegs at about 31 or 32. Coupland explains in in Best Life magazine: When middle-aged men look in the mirror they think, 'I'm sorry, but there's been a horrible mistake.' The real me is tanned, throws Frisbees, and kayaks the Columbia River estuary without cracking a sweat, writes Coupland, who's 46, just like James Gandofini and Michael J. Fox. And he wonders if we were meant to get old at all. Once, making it to 70 was a rare feat; now everyone does it. Nobody thought of this a hundred years ago when they invented the high school reunion.

(Apr 9, 2009 2:09 PM CDT) A Marine was acquitted today in a court-martial for civilian deaths during the battle for Fallujah, Iraq, in 2004, the San Diego Union-Tribune reports. Sgt. Ryan Weemer acted in self defense and had orders to fire, there was no forensic evidence, and he was manipulated by investigators, his lawyers argued. Even the prosecutor expressed doubt to the jury, saying you should struggle with the murder charge and convict on lesser charges.

(Dec 18, 2016 4:12 PM) It's a chilling and partially inaudible 911 call, and one of only a few clues: In the wee hours of Aug. 9, 2013, Brandon Lawson ran out of gas. The Houston Chronicle reports he was along Highway 277 near Bronte, Texas, and he started walking north. Then, at 1:20am, came the 911 call, the last time Lawson was ever heard from. NBC DFW has portions of the transcript: Yes I'm in the middle of a field (inaudible) pushed some guys over, right here going towards Abilene, on both sides. My truck ran out of gas, there's one car here, the guy's chasing (inaudible) to the woods, please hurry! The dispatcher asks if an ambulance is needed. The last thing the 26-year-old father of four says: No I need the cops. A website set up about the disappearance explains Lawson had left his San Angelo home minutes before midnight and later called his brother asking for gas. His truck--keys and phone removed--was found undamaged. As father Brad Lawson puts it to NBC DFW, His cell phone battery dies so he had no flashlight, it's rocky cactus terrain out there, if he had fell down or something we would have found him in a search. But there's been no sign of him. In a press release issued in 2014, the president of LostNMissing, a nonprofit helping Lawson's family, said we also believe there is a second voice on the 911 tape and if that proves to be correct, that person has knowledge as to what has happened. Law enforcement has never confirmed this. Anyone with information is urged to call Crime Stoppers at (325) 658-HELP. (The search continues for a young Michigan woman who vanished.)

(Feb 19, 2008 4:11 PM) After three-digit Dow gains, today's record surge in oil prices knocked out a broad rally, and the major indexes closed in the red. Analysts say the market won't be able to sustain a prolonged rally for some time. The rallies we're seeing now are just bounces, not a new trend, a strategist tells the Wall Street Journal. The Dow ended down 10.99 at 12,337.22, the Nasdaq 15.60 at 2,306.20, and the S&P 500 1.21 at 1,348.78. Oil set a record, toppping $100 a barrel, following an explosion at a Texas refinery yesterday and worries that OPEC may cut production at its March 5 meeting. Investors are starting to get nervous and selling riskier stocks, an asset manager told Blooomberg. Meanwhile, mixed news from Wal-Mart and OfficeMax made things even more complicated for investors.

(Jan 31, 2016 8:03 AM) A triple bombing claimed by ISIS killed at least 45 people near the Syrian capital of Damascus on Sunday, overshadowing an already shaky start to what are meant to be indirect Syria peace talks. Syria's state news agency SANA said that the blasts went off in Sayyda Zeinab, a predominantly Shiite Muslim suburb of the Syrian capital. SANA said attackers detonated a car bomb at a bus stop and that two suicide bombers set off more explosives as rescuers rushed to the area. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an opposition group that monitors both sides of the conflict, said at least 47 people were killed in the explosions, and that the death toll was expected to rise because a number of people were seriously wounded. The Geneva talks are part of a process outlined in last month's UN resolution that envisions an 18-month timetable for a political transition in Syria, including a new constitution and elections. The talks got off to a rocky start Friday, with UN Special Envoy to Syria Staffan de Mistura meeting only with a Syrian government delegation. The main opposition group said it will not take part until its demands are met, including lifting the siege imposed on rebel-held areas and an end to Russian and Syrian airstrikes. It's the duty of the Security Council to put the pressure on Russia to stop these crimes in Syria, opposition spokesman Salem al-Mislet told the AP on Sunday. The opposition delegation is to meet with de Mistura later Sunday, al-Mislet said. Meanwhile, a Syrian official said President Bashar al-Assad's government will never accept the inclusion in the peace talks of two militant groups it considers terrorists.

(Mar 28, 2016 7:20 PM CDT) Japan has sort of lost something--a $273M satellite just launched to monitor X-rays coming from galaxy clusters and black holes, Discovery News reports. We're taking the situation seriously, says Saku Tsuneta, a senior official at the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA). We know approximately where it is. Launched Feb. 17, the Hitomi satellite was scheduled to be online March 26, but the connection didn't happen. The US Joint Space Operations Center then found signals from five objects close to the satellite, and tracking data shows Hitomi went significantly off course, Wired reports. Did Hitomi break up? Was it hit by an asteroid? Luckily, the Japanese tend to be very good at resurrecting things that would otherwise be dead, says US space expert Moriba Jah. Case in point: Not long ago, JAXA steered the Akatsuki satellite to orbit around Venus after it went adrift for five years. JAXA could try solving the Hitomi mystery by tracing the paths of those five space objects to see when the collision actually occurred, says Jah, though Wired calls the idea of an asteroid striking it on its first day of work a crazy coincidence (maybe Hitomi just blew up). Sadly, the high-resolution spectrometer on board to measure X-rays was ruined on two earlier Japanese missions, damaged on launch in 2000 and crippled by a helium leak in 2005, Nature reports. (The recent discovery of gravitational waves adds to evidence that black holes exist.)

(May 31, 2016 6:25 AM CDT) Not many people or cars pass by, and it gets totally dark as there are no lights. It's not surprising to encounter bears anywhere in the area. That's one local's rather intimidating description of the Japanese mountain forest where a 7-year-old has now been missing since 4pm Saturday after his parents left him alone briefly as punishment for throwing rocks, reports CNN. Yamato Tanooka hasn't been seen since his parents say they left him for roughly five minutes in the woods and returned to find him gone. The Guardian reports that a 180-person search party on the northern island of Hokkaido was combing the area, which has been expanded; dogs and horses have joined the search as well. One thing that search teams did reportedly find: fresh bear droppings. Yamato had no food or water on him, and was wearing a T-shirt, jeans, and a jacket when he went missing, reports the AFP. Sunday night saw heavy rain and temperatures that fell to 44 degrees; Australia's ABC News says heavy rain is again expected Tuesday night. Whether the parents will be charged with neglect remains unclear. The boy's father, Takayuki Tanooka, tells TV reporters that what he and his wife did was an unforgivable thing ... I just hope he is safe. (This story of a missing boy had a happy ending.)

(Sep 10, 2020 12:02 AM CDT) Ronald Khalis Bell, a co-founder, singer, and producer of the group Kool & the Gang, has died, the AP reports. He was 68. Bell died at his home in the US Virgin Islands Wednesday morning with his wife by his side, publicist Sujata Murthy said. The cause of death has not been released. Kool & the Gang grew from jazz roots in the 1960s to become one of the major groups of the 1970s, blending jazz, funk, R&B, and pop. After a brief downturn, the group enjoyed a return to stardom in the '80s. Bell started the group with his brother Robert Kool Bell along with neighborhood friends Dennis DT Thomas, Robert Spike Mickens, Charles Smith, George Brown, and Ricky West. He is survived by 10 children.

(Jun 26, 2014 1:36 PM CDT) Former Sen. Howard H. Baker Jr., a moderate Republican known as the politician who inquired what President Richard Nixon knew during the 1973 Senate Watergate hearings, died in his home yesterday at age 88, according to a statement released by his law firm today. The scion of a political family, Baker served 18 years in the Senate, winning widespread respect from Republicans and Democrats alike and rising to the post of majority leader. He also served as chief of staff for Ronald Reagan, and as US ambassador to Japan from 2001 to 2005, Baker ran for President once, in 1980. His name was floated over the years for such prestigious positions as Supreme Court justice, vice presidential candidate, and CIA director, but he turned each of those gigs down. He'll be perhaps best remembered for his famous question about Watergate: What did the president know and when did he know it? He uttered the line while serving as the top Republican on the Senate committee investigating the scandal. Senator Baker truly earned his nickname: the Great Conciliator, Mitch McConnell said on the Senate floor today, announcing Baker's death to the chamber. I know he will be remembered with fondness by members of both political parties.

(Jan 11, 2020 11:30 AM) Uneasy about the new decade? Well, it already has is own possible scam--about writing the date on checks. Media stories are warning people not to abbreviate the year 2020 as 20 in case crooks alter the number to look like an earlier or later year, Slate reports. CNN and USA Today are among news outlets quoting police departments and experts about the concern. This is very sound advice and should be considered when signing any legal or professional document, the East Millinocket Police Department in Maine said on Facebook. It could potentially save you some trouble down the road. Let's say a criminal finds an uncashed 2020 check with the date 1/1/20 ; that could be changed to 1/1/2021 and still be cashable next year. Or a shameless creditor given checks starting 1/1/20 could change one to start paying in 1/1/2019 and claim the debtor had missed an entire year of payments. Ira Rheingold, a consumer advocate, says there's far more worrisome fraud out there, but this one is getting airplay since people are bent out of shape because our numbers are turning over. Still, it looks like a valid issue--and the fix is easy. Write this: January 15, 2020, says USA Today. Not this: 1/15/20.

(Aug 29, 2017 12:14 PM CDT) It's not quite as cheap as Two Buck Chuck at Trader Joe's, but Target is rolling out some cheap wine of its own. Starting Sept. 3, the chain will be selling $5 bottles of a brand it calls California Roots, reports the Orange County Register. Customers will choose from five different blends: chardonnay, pinot grigio, moscato, cabernet sauvignon, and, simply, red. An enthusiastic and downright thankful post at Scary Mommy has specifics on each. The wine will be available nationwide at any Target store that currently serves alcohol, per MLive.com. The chain says in a press release that wine, beer, and other adult beverages are among Target's fastest-growing categories, and the inexpensive vino is meant to capitalize on that. The price is a shade more expensive than the Trader Joe's offering, which has risen from its original $1.99 to the current $2.99.

(Jun 15, 2013 3:13 PM CDT) Hundreds gathered at a rally in Hong Kong today chanting protect free speech--protect Snowden and urging the government not to extradite the NSA whistleblower back to the US, reports the Guardian. The protest comes two days after Snowden told local media that the NSA has been hacking China since 2009. It's unlawful, unjustified and unscrupulous, said a Hong Kong politician at the rally. We demand the whole truth be disclosed by the US administration, an unconditional apology from Obama and an assurance this interference will stop. A poll commissioned by the South China Morning Post has found only 17.6% of Hong Kong people believe Snowden should be extradited, while 50% oppose the move. The poll also found 33% believe he is a hero. Meanwhile, sources tell the Post that the US is yet to make any requests with Hong Kong over Snowden, and rejects claims that US and Hong Kong government lawyers have been working together.

(Oct 28, 2009 11:21 AM CDT) Public support for a troop surge in Afghanistan is surging, too, according to a new NBC/Wall Street Journal poll. Support for a troop increase edged out opposition 47% to 43%, after trailing opposition 44% to 51% last month. But 58% also support waiting until after the runoff election to make the decision on sending more troops; a timetable for which Republicans have blasted Barack Obama. On health care, it's a good news/bad news story for Democrats. The good news: the majority support a public option, by a 48-42 margin. The bad news: the public opposes the overall plan 42%-38%, and overall faith in government is at a 12-year low. I was hoping that business as usual was going to stop with the Obama administration, said one respondent, and so far I just haven't seen that.

(Dec 10, 2010 4:25 AM) Beloved jazzman James Moody has died in San Diego at the age of 85. The saxophonist, flutist, band leader, and composer had a distinguished career in jazz that began in Dizzy Gillespie's band just after World War II and lasted well into the 21st century. Moody, famed for his versatility, dexterity, and ebullient stage persona, died after a 10-month battle with pancreatic cancer, reports the San Diego Tribune. My heart is heavy with the news of the passing of my mentor, colleague, and brother James Moody, said longtime friend and collaborator Quincy Jones. James Moody had a sound, an imagination, and heart as big as the moon. Bill Cosby--who described the jazzman's greatest hit, Moody's Mood for Love, as a national anthem --said Moody was a personal role model as well as a great musician. He has taught me integrity, how to express love for your fellow human beings, and how to combine and contain manhood and maturity, he said.

(Feb 22, 2010 10:15 AM) Barack Obama today revealed the health care proposal he'll be taking into bipartisan meetings this week, a $950 billion bill that hews closer to the Senate's model than the House's. The plan seeks to resolve some of the contentious issues between the two bills, cutting, for example, the special Medicaid deal Ben Nelson negotiated for Nebraska. The White House is signaling its readiness to incorporate Republican proposals, but made clear their demand to start from scratch was off the table. It keeps the controversial tax on high-end insurance plans, but delays it until 2018. To pay for that delay, Obama's included other taxes, cuts on Medicare spending, and increased penalties for companies and individuals who don't buy insurance. Like the Senate bill, Obama's plan eschews a public option, trusting instead to state health insurance exchanges overseen by the federal government. But in a concession to House lawmakers, it increases subsidies to help those with low or middle incomes buy insurance.

(Apr 30, 2018 9:20 AM CDT) Harvard researchers say five things will help you live longer, and the list isn't all that surprising: exercise, eat a healthy diet, maintain a healthy body weight, don't drink too much, and don't smoke. More surprising is just how much of an effect those five combined factors have on longevity--an extra 14 years for women and 12 for men, according to the study in Circulation. Researchers looked at about 30 years of data on more than 78,000 women and 44,000 men and found that those who were five-for-five on the aforementioned list had a significantly better life expectancy at age 50 than those who didn't abide by any of the healthy habits. For women, it meant an additional 43 years for the healthiest group, compared to 29 years. For men, it meant an additional 37.6 years, compared to 25.5 years. When we embarked on this study, I thought, of course, that people who adopted these habits would live longer, says co-author Meir Stampfer, per the Guardian. But the surprising thing was how huge the effect was. The two big factors: Those with the healthiest lifestyles were less likely to get cancer or heart disease, notes CNN. The Harvard Gazette provides some specifics: Researchers defined regular exercise as 30 minutes or more per day of moderate to vigorous physical activity; moderate drinking is roughly one 5-ounce glass of wine per day for women and up to two for men; and the target body-mass index is between 18.5 and 24.9. Scientists say they undertook the study to better understand why the US has a shorter life expectancy (79.3 years) than most high-income countries. (Another study says it's all about eating smaller portions.)

(Nov 7, 2013 3:28 PM) Twitter, aka TWTR, wrapped up a strong debut on the New York Stock Exchange today by closing at $44.90 per share, up 73% from the IPO price of $26, reports the Wall Street Journal. The stock opened strong at $45.10 and pretty much stayed that way through the trading day, drawing the inevitable comparisons to Facebook's lousy debut 18 months ago. The closing price puts the value of the company (which has yet to turn a profit in seven years) at $31 billion, reports AP. As Bloomberg puts it, investors paid a premium for its promises of fast growth.

(Aug 6, 2008 12:14 PM CDT) Norway jumped on the United States from the opening whistle, getting two goals in the first four minutes today to beat the US women's soccer team, 2-0, at the Beijing Olympics. The US occassionally looked dangerous, but seemed to miss injured leading scorer Abby Wambach. It was America's first loss under new coach Pia Sundhage. My glass is always half full, said Sundhage, so for us it's a new experience to lose a game. Leni Laursen Kaurin outmuscled US defender Lori Chalupny to head the ball over charging goalkeeper Hope Solo and into an open net in the second minute. Two minutes later, the US lost the ball in midfield, and Melissa Wiik curled a right-footed shot just inside the far post. We are satisfied, Norway coach Bjarne Berntsen said. We are very grateful for the tremendous start we had in this game.

(Jun 23, 2008 3:58 PM CDT) General Motors is offering no-interest financing for up to 6 years on a selection of its 2008 automobiles in an effort to boost US sales, which plummeted 16% in May, Bloomberg reports. Soaring gas prices have hurt sales across the board, and falling trade-in values and general tightening of purse-strings have left fewer Americans looking for new cars. This is always a great promotion and really does drive traffic,'' the sales manager at one Nebraska lot said today. We expect to see a good-size bump in sales.''

(Oct 26, 2011 7:45 AM CDT) The top 1% of income earners saw their after-tax income shoot up a whopping 275% between 1979 and 2007, and in the process more than doubled their share of all income, jumping from 8% to 17%, according to a new report from the Congressional Budget Office. The rest of the top 20% saw their income grow 65%, while the middle three-fifths' income rose 40% and the bottom fifth just 18%. All numbers are adjusted for inflation. One Democratic congressman hailed the report, which was commissioned by the Senate Finance Committee, as the latest evidence of the alarming rise in income inequality, the New York Times reports. All told, the top fifth of earners received more of the nation's income (53%) than the bottom four-fifths combined. The report cites less redistributive federal policies as a major driver of the gap, as taxes grew less progressive, and federal benefits shifted to programs like Social Security which go to everyone, regardless of income.

(Dec 23, 2012 9:45 AM) Britain's Sunday Times once paid Lance Armstrong $485,000 to settle a libel lawsuit over doping allegations, and it would like its money back: In more bad news for the disgraced cycling champ, the Times has filed legal paperwork demanding a return of the settlement payment plus interest, as well as its costs in defending the case. The grand total? Likely to be north of $1.6 million. The original suit was settled in 2004, notes the AP.

(Nov 14, 2018 8:51 AM) A former University of Alaska Anchorage runner who lost both of his feet to frostbite in 2011 ran his first marathon and became an American citizen last week, the AP reports. Marko Cheseto, 35, finished 613th overall out of nearly 53,000 runners at the New York City Marathon on Nov. 4, the Anchorage Daily News reports. Two days later, he became a US citizen. Cheseto, who's from Kenya, went to Anchorage in 2008 on an athletic scholarship, quickly earning honors in track and cross-country. Grieving the death of another Anchorage runner from Kenya, Cheseto disappeared in the woods near campus in November 2011, his senior year of school. Temperatures dipped to the single digits, and it snowed more than a foot. On the third day he was missing, Cheseto stumbled back with his shoes frozen to his feet, resulting in amputations.

(Feb 29, 2016 7:30 PM) George Kennedy, the hulking, tough-guy character actor who won an Academy Award for his portrayal of a chain-gang convict in the 1960s classic Cool Hand Luke, has died. His grandson Cory Schenkel says Kennedy died on Sunday morning of old age in Boise, Idaho, the AP reports. He was 91. He had undergone emergency triple bypass surgery in 2002. That same year, he and his late wife moved to Idaho to be closer to their daughter and her family, though he still was involved in occasional film projects. His biggest acting achievement came in Cool Hand Luke, a 1967 film about a rebellious war hero played by Paul Newman who is bent on bucking the system as a prisoner on a Southern chain gang. Its theme of rebelling against authority and the establishment helped make it one of the most important films of the tumultuous 1960s. The movie garnered four Academy Award nominations, and Kennedy was named best supporting actor. After the critical and commercial success of Cool Hand Luke, Kennedy carved out a niche as one of Hollywood's most recognizable supporting actors. He had parts in several action flicks in the 1970s, played Leslie Nielsen's sidekick in the Naked Gun spoofs, and was JR Ewing's business rival in the final seasons of Dallas. One of his strongest supporting roles was in the hit 1970 film Airport, which spurred the run of 1970s disaster pictures. Kennedy said his acting ambitions were cemented when he was a young child. I remember listening to a radio program when I was young and it made me feel good and I remember telling my mom that I wanted to make people feel the way this radio program made me feel, Kennedy said in 1995. I got some great breaks, and I wound up being an actor.

(May 29, 2012 2:11 PM CDT) Facebook is flush with IPO cash, and it's going shopping. Rumors started flying yesterday that the social network was near a deal to buy Face.com, the facial recognition software company behind the Klik mobile app. Sources tell TechCrunch that the deal is definitely happening, with a final price of $100 million. There's also buzz that it's after a bigger fish: Opera. Shares of the Norwegian company, which makes a popular mobile web browser, surged today on that speculation, RTTNews reports. The Face.com move is being widely applauded by pundits.

(May 14, 2015 8:58 AM CDT) My timeline for a while has been by the end of May and that remains my timeline. So stay tuned, is how Martin O'Malley put it to reporters last night. This morning brings the news that the Democrat plans to announce his presidential intentions on May 30. The former Maryland governor will do so in Baltimore, and staging the announcement there could carry risk. O'Malley's record as Baltimore's mayor a decade ago has faced scrutiny since rioting broke out in the city following the death of 25-year-old Freddie Gray in police custody. O'Malley has defended his work to curb violent crime in the city and signaled it would play a leading role in his campaign if he enters the presidential race. O'Malley remains largely unknown on the national scene but has offered glimpses of what his campaign agenda might look like, emphasizing that he would focus heavily on economic inequality, campaign finance reform, and a foreign policy focused on national security threats and creating new global alliances. In a field dominated by Hillary Clinton, the 52-year-old O'Malley has sought to present himself as a fresh face representing a new generation of leadership. I've been struck by the number of people who say to me, repeatedly, two phrases: 'new leadership' and 'getting things done,' O'Malley said yesterday in Manchester, NH. An unnamed aide says O'Malley will discuss his plans for the announcement in a conference call with top supporters tonight.

(Jul 8, 2011 5:54 PM CDT) It sounds like a movie plot: Three men broke into an armored car company through the roof, shimmied down with a rope, then tied up and blindfolded three employees before escaping with more than $1 million in cash, police say. They used plastic tubs to load the loot into a vehicle parked near a side exit and were gone in 20 minutes, reports the Los Angeles Times. Most of the money was in small bills that had been destined for ATM machines in the LA area. None of the employees were injured, and, yep, they're all getting plenty of attention from investigators apparently well-versed in inside-job flicks. The robbers came upon the victims so fast they say they never got a look at them, says a police official. They just knew they were three men.

(Jul 11, 2017 2:21 PM CDT) If they can agree who goes first, Paris and Los Angeles will be awarded the 2024 and 2028 Olympics. International Olympic Committee members voted unanimously to seek a consensus three-way deal between the two bid cities and the IOC executive board, the AP reports. Talks will open with Paris widely seen as the favorite for 2024. If a deal falls through, only the 2024 hosting rights will be voted on when the IOC next meets, on Sept. 13 in Lima, Peru. However, an agreement seemed assured by the reaction of the two mayors. Eric Garcetti of LA and Anne Hidalgo of Paris emerged on stage holding hands to welcome the decision. A deal is also likely because a head-to-head fight for 2024 would create a loser that is unlikely to return four years later for a new 2028 bid contest. At separate news conferences, the mayors said they could work toward a deal. The mayors were united on stage by IOC President Thomas Bach, who raised an arm of each in a shared gesture of triumph. A deal to make both cities winners would fulfil a strategy that Bach set in motion last December to help safeguard a stable future for the signature Olympic event. The dual award can give the IOC a decade of stability with two world-class cities touting financially secure bids. LA plans to use only existing venues with zero risk of white elephants. This follows years of overspending by Olympic hosts and a series of political defeats that have sunk the campaigns of potential candidates. It also avoids inflicting a third recent defeat on Paris--which lost with bids for the 2008 and 2012 Olympics--and the United States. New York and Chicago both lost heavily for 2012 and 2016, respectively. Working hard to get the Olympics for the United States (L.A.). Stay tuned! President Trump tweeted Tuesday.

(Sep 6, 2009 11:10 AM CDT) A ferry carrying nearly 1,000 passengers sank in the southern Philippines early this morning, leaving at least five dead and more than 60 missing. The Superferry 9 began to list before dawn about 9 miles off Zamboanga del Norte province, rousing terrified passengers from their sleep and throwing some into the water, a coast guard spokesman reported. Rescuers transferred 900 of 968 passengers and crewmen to two nearby commercial ships, a navy gunboat, and a fishing boat. A search was under way for more than 60 missing, who may have drifted with their life jackets or have been rescued but were not yet listed as survivors. We really hope they're just unaccounted for due to the confusion, he said.

(Mar 9, 2015 3:55 PM CDT) An Amtrak train collided with a tractor-trailer that was stuck on the tracks while trying to make a difficult left-hand turn today in Raleigh, North Carolina. At least one of the train's cars toppled and 55 or more people were injured. The tractor-trailer had backed up several times as the truck's driver tried to make the turn, says Leslie Cipriani, who shot a video of the crash with her cellphone while sitting in her car at a stop sign. While the driver was still attempting the maneuver, Cipriani heard the sound of the oncoming train and saw the crossing arms hit the tractor-trailer. I saw him jump out of the truck when he knew he couldn't beat it. ... I heard the train noise and thought, 'Oh my God, it's going to happen,' she says. The truck driver jumped out in time and was not injured. A law enforcement officer was blocking the intersection before the collision, possibly trying to help the truck driver make the turn. Asked if it seemed that the officer knew the train was coming, Cipriani replied: That's what it looked like. The tractor-trailer, owned by Guy M. Turner Inc. in Greensboro, had a permit to carry an overweight load of 80,000 pounds, says a state Department of Transportation spokesman. It wasn't immediately clear what the tractor-trailer was carrying; the company did not respond to an email asking for comment. Officials differ on the injury toll, which may have been as high as 62. Today's collision was the third serious commuter train crash in less than two months. Two deadly crashes in New York and California last month killed a total of seven people and injured 30.

(Apr 20, 2008 10:31 PM CDT) Pope Benedict XVI concluded his 6-day US visit today, boarding the papal jet at JFK aqirport to return to the Vatican. The time has come for me to bid farewell to your country, Benedict said. May God bless America. Dick Cheney attended the departure ceremony, which capped Benedict's day of visiting Ground Zero and celebrating Mass at Yankee Stadium. It has been a memorable week and Pope Benedict XVI has stepped into the history of our country in a very special way, Cheney said. Until we meet again, we ask your holiness to remember in your prayers the United States of America.

(Jul 3, 2019 8:43 AM CDT) A single congregation has paid the medical debts of 1,899 Michigan families living at or below the poverty line, who will learn the good news this week. The medical debts owed by the West Michigan families across four counties has been paid in full as a result of a gift from this church, pastor Sam Rijfkogel of Grand Rapids First in Wyoming, Mich., announced at Sunday's service, receiving a standing ovation. The church partnered with New York-based debt purchasing nonprofit RIP Medical Debt, which paid pennies on the dollar to purchase $1.8 million in debt using a $15,000 donation from the Grand Rapids First's missions fund, reports the Detroit Free Press. Rijfkogel was inspired by a Texas church's decision to pay the debts of more than 4,000 families last year. His Assemblies of God church is now one of more than a dozen churches around the country to partner with RIP Medical Debt on this issue. The anonymous recipients from Kent, Ottawa, Allegan and Ionia counties--including one person owing $75,000--will learn of the no-strings-attached gift in a letter from RIP Medical Debt this week. They may be a God-lover or a God-hater, but I want people to realize that someone cares, Rijfkogel said, per MLive. So many with debt feel like nobody cares about them. We want to show them, 'God loves you and we love you.'

(Dec 20, 2008 9:32 PM) Evander Holyfield lost his bid--barely--to become the world's oldest heavyweight champ tonight, SkySports reports. Holyfield, 46, lost a close decision to 7-foot Russian Nikolai Valuev in Switzerland for the WBA title. One judge scored it a draw, and the other two gave Valuev the win by scores of 116-112 and 115-114. I saw it the other way from the judges, but I'm not disappointed by my performance, said Holyfield, a four-time champ who served notice that he has no intention of retiring. My goal is to be heavyweight champion of the world. I am not interested in fighting for the sake of fighting. I want to be a champion again and that hasn't changed.

(May 15, 2008 2:30 PM CDT) Who says documentary filmmaking isn't profitable? Sources tell the New York Post that Michael Moore will receive $20 million in advance to produce the sequel to Fahrenheit 9/11, even though production costs are estimated at only $7 million. Studio Paramount Vantage may be willing to give Moore a $13 million bonus because of his track record: The original grossed $219 million.

(Mar 30, 2015 3:40 PM CDT) An elementary school teacher is in hot water after allegedly developing a secret relationship with her 11-year-old student, WPXI reports via Gawker. Geraldine Alcorn, 28, was arraigned last week in Pittsburgh on charges that include corruption of minors and child luring, and freed on $100,000 bond. She was also warned to keep away from the child, and little wonder: The Beechwood Elementary School teacher is accused of planning to adopt and run away with the girl, whose mom says letters in the girl's schoolbook had labels like Things Ms. Alcorn and I can do and When we can do it. Police say Alcorn hid her phone number in the girl's math worksheet (by circling the relevant numbers) and even took the child to the teacher's Bloomfield home. Pittsburgh Public Schools officials learned about an improper attachment and suspended Alcorn, who resigned March 2. But after Alcorn returned to school to pick up her belongings on March 13, the girl discovered gifts and several letters, some encrypted, in her locker and desk, says a criminal complaint. The letters, written by Alcorn, instructed the 11-year-old female to contact her. Police don't believe the relationship was sexual, and say that text messages between the two--including 2,400 in just two weeks--express a deep love on both sides. As for who's at fault, a local mom points to the school district: Where are background checks of teachers? she asks CBS Pittsburgh. The district should better scrutinize these potential employees. It seems people just don't care anymore. (This teacher was jailed for showing students a raunchy film.)

(May 27, 2013 12:16 PM CDT) A long-forgotten dog tag that spent the past 69 years in a farm field in France is back in the hands of the western New York veteran who lost it. Irving Mann says he was skeptical when an email from a French woman recently arrived at his Rochester jewelry store. She said she'd found the tag in her barley field and was looking for its owner. The 88-year-old chairman of Mann's Jewelers says he thought it might be a scam. But any doubts disappeared when the woman, Sophie LaFollie, sent it to him in the mail, just in time for Memorial Day. Mann says he must have lost the pendant when his 90th Infantry Division stopped for a few days while fighting across Nazi-occupied France in 1944. (Click to read about a woman who finally got to read her slain beau's WWII diary, 70 years after his death.)

(Dec 29, 2016 4:33 AM) You're more than just plastic, you're more than amazing, you're more than fantastic, croons Toby Keith in his 2011 hit Red Solo Cup, a song that Robert Leo Hulseman surely loved. The inventor of the plastic chalice known as the Red Solo Cup, who lived in both Illinois and Arizona, died on Dec. 21 at age 84, reports People. A death notice describes the devoted family man and father of 10 as a philanthropist, an innovator, a hands-on manufacturing expert, and an industry pioneer. After starting at his father's Solo Cup Company at 18, Hulseman worked his way up and is credited with inventing the famous party cup at some point in the 1970s. He also developed the Traveler Lid, which has been featured at the Museum of Modern Art, notes the Miami Herald. Hulseman--who eventually rose to the position of CEO--is owed a debt of thanks by virtually every American (and quite a few imbibers overseas) for his now-ubiquitous invention, the Red Solo Cup, with rings marking 1.5 ounces for liquor, 5 ounces for wine, and 12 ounces for beer, observes People. Before that product was introduced, the Solo Cup Company had mostly focused on cone-shaped paper cups. The precise history is a bit iffy, but we know we were one of the first to introduce a party cup, a Solo rep told Slate in 2011. There may be competitors, but the Red Solo Cup remains a staple, with tweaks along the way to provide for better stability during, say, enthusiastic beer-pong matches. (More on the cup here.)

(Jul 10, 2011 6:06 AM CDT) It's been an extra-bloody 24 hours in Mexico this weekend, with more than 40 people killed in three cities in Zeta drug-cartel-related violence on Friday night and yesterday, reports the AP. At least 20 were killed in a bar in Monterrey late Friday when at least two gunmen launched an attack with AK-47s and AR-15s. Eleven more were killed just outside of Mexico City, which has largely been spared in the bloodbath that has dominated the nation, shot with high-powered rifles then piled close to a well. Ten more bodies were discovered around the northern city of Torreon. Police said that the killings all related to the Zeta drug gang, in fights for territory with various rivals. The violence is a product of this criminal rivalry ... surrounding the intent to control illegal activities in a community, said a law enforcement spokesman. Officials also announced that 1,800 federal police had been sent to western Mexico, where drug gangs have blocked highways and attacked police in retaliation for the deaths of four members at the hands of law enforcement.

(Dec 16, 2016 10:35 AM) The 3.5-second symphony covers nearly half of the sound range that humans can hear, rising from a frequency as low as 38 hertz to an 8,000-hertz metallic finale. But unless you make a detour to waters above the deepest spot in the ocean, you might never hear it. Initially stumped by the Western Pacific Biotwang --recorded above the deepest known part of Earth's oceans, the Mariana Trench--scientists now believe the noise comes from a species of baleen whale called minke whales. Minke whales are found in the area, but little is known about their vocalizations as the species doesn't spend much time at the surface, has an inconspicuous blow, and often lives in areas where high seas make sighting difficult, researcher Sharon Nieukirk tells Live Science. However, it is known that minke whales call frequently, says Nieukirk, and acoustic robots recorded the Western Pacific Biotwang on several occasions between the fall of 2014 and spring of 2015. It's very distinct, with all these crazy parts, Nieukirk says in a statement. The low-frequency moaning part is typical of baleen whales, and it's that kind of twangy sound that makes it really unique. If the sound is confirmed to come from a baleen whale, it would be significant as identifying a new baleen-whale call is a rare occurrence. It's unclear what the call might mean--a mating call would only be heard seasonally--but researchers plan to collect biopsy samples to learn more, reports the Christian Science Monitor. (The Mariana Trench is quite noisy. And dirty.)

(Apr 3, 2018 2:41 AM CDT) Being light, airy, and full of holes is a good quality in an English muffin. Unfortunately for Panera Bread, their online security system seems to have similar attributes, According to the KrebsOnSecurity blog, a data breach may have exposed as many as 37 million customer records at the bakery chain for at least eight months, including the records of any customer who ordered food online from panerabread.com, which was taken offline late Monday. The blog says the exposed records include names, email and physical addresses, and the last four digits of customers' credit card numbers. Security researcher Brian Krebs says the information was available in plain text and could easily have been lifted by automated tools.

(Apr 21, 2010 2:49 AM CDT) MGM's massive debt has done what Goldfinger, Scaramanga, et al couldn't: Stop James Bond in his tracks. The next 007 movie starring heart-stopper Daniel Criag has been suspended indefinitely because of the studio's financial woes and uncertainty about its future, the BBC reports. MGM owes $3.7 billion and has been seeking a buyer since late last year. The 23rd movie in the Bond franchise was expected in 2011 or 2012. Craig said he looks forward to production resuming as soon as possible. Industry analysts believe the Bond producers will now seek to cut their ties with MGM, owner of the franchise, and try to make the next movie with a healthier studio.

(Apr 16, 2020 8:05 AM CDT) A 99-year-old World War II veteran has raised $17 million for health workers in the UK simply by walking in his yard. Tom Moore set out to complete 100 lengths of his 82-foot garden in Bedfordshire, England, before his 100th birthday on April 30, knocking them off in groups of 10. The retired captain, who recently underwent treatment for cancer and a broken hip, initially hoped to raise $1,250, reports AFP. But donations came in so fast to the JustGiving page set up last week that it actually crashed for a time. As of this writing, a day after he completed his mission with help from a wheeled walker, Moore had raised $17 million from 690,000 people. The money will go to NHS Charities Together, which says 150 charities will benefit as a result, per the BBC. It's the National Health Service, who are doing such a magnificent job for us all, but I never even dreamt of that sort of money, Moore told Reuters as his campaign hit the $1 million mark just days ago. JustGiving said the total amount raised was its largest donation ever. We are absolutely floored by what has been achieved, Moore's daughter tells the BBC, describing her father as a beacon of hope in dark times. The veteran also received congratulations from nurses, politicians, and actors, while nearly 2,000 people signed a petition requesting that he receive knighthood. Moore, however, is content to rally the troops. For all those people finding it difficult at the moment, the sun will shine on you again, he says, per the BBC. We will get through it in the end.

(Apr 30, 2012 8:07 AM CDT) Putting in a 60-hour workweek may look impressive--but it's probably not helping the company, or you. Plenty of studies back this up, writes Geoffrey James at Time, who points to a turn-of-the-20th-century analysis by Ford Motor Company that concluded the most productive number of weekly hours for workers was 40. Another 20 hours briefly increased productivity, but after just three to four weeks, it actually made workers less productive. The same is true of extended workweeks today, writes James. In every case I've observed, the long hours result in work that must be scrapped or redone, he notes. As for the fabled competitive edge that overworked countries have, he points out that six of the world's top 10 most competitive countries ban employers from requiring more than 48 hours a week from workers. It's time we started thinking like this, too--and if you need more convincing, consider the fact that Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg leaves work at 5:30 everyday.

(Nov 5, 2013 6:59 AM) When described by his parents, Jose Reyes doesn't sound like a killer: He kissed them every day, worked at the family restaurant and saved his money, then used it to buy dinner for his parents or presents for his two younger sisters. Yet the 12-year-old shot two students and killed a teacher at Sparks Middle School in Nevada last month before turning the gun, taken from his parents' home, on himself. We did not know Jose was angry or upset about conditions at school, the boy's father, also named Jose Reyes, tells the Reno Gazette-Journal in the family's first interview since the shootings. He had never complained about any particular teacher or student, the elder Reyes continues. We knew that he had been teased and that he was trying to work through a speech problem that he had. Several students have indicated Jose was bullied at school; others have said he was shy but did have friends. Jose's father and mother, Liliana Reyes, also expressed sincere condolences to the family of Michael Landsberry, the teacher who was killed. They said their daughters, ages 7 and 8, miss their brother. The 8-year-old said the only thing she wants for Christmas is for her brother to be here, Liliana Reyes says.

(Jul 30, 2012 2:35 PM CDT) American teenager Missy Franklin won the women's 100-meter backstroke at the London Olympics today. Franklin won the two-lap race in 58.33 seconds for her first Olympic gold and second medal after taking bronze in the 4x100 freestyle relay. Emily Seebohm of Australia touched in 58.68 to take the silver medal and Aya Terakawa of Japan finished in 58.83 to take bronze. Franklin swam little more than 10 minutes after taking the eighth and final qualifying spot in the 200 freestyle semifinals. But that wasn't the only good news for US swimming: American Matt Grevers set an Olympic record to win the men's 100-meter backstroke today. Grevers finished in 52.16 seconds, 0.38 ahead of the previous mark set by fellow American Aaron Peirsol at the 2008 Beijing Games. Nick Thoman, another American, was second in 52.92, and Ryosuke Irie of Japan was third in 52.97.

(Jul 7, 2013 5:54 PM CDT) The 19 firefighters killed in the Yarnell Hill Fire are finally going home. Nineteen white hearses left the medical examiner's office in Phoenix earlier today, flanked by an honor guard of firefighters and police officers, embarking on an hours-long, 125-mile procession that will pass through Yarnell, where they lost their lives, then onto the crew's hometown of Prescott in the Arizona mountains, Reuters and the AP report. Hundreds of residents stood out in the 104-degree heat as the procession passed by, reports Reuters. Since the bodies of the firefighters were discovered a week ago, they have not been alone. Since they were discovered, they have never been out of the presence of a brother firefighter, says a Phoenix fire chief, per AP. From the time they were taken to the medical examiner in Phoenix, while they're at the medical examiner's office, when they are received in a funeral home. There will always be a brother firefighter on site with them until they are interred. ... That's something people don't realize. We never leave your side.

(Feb 17, 2012 1:26 AM) Designer Marc Jacobs is flouting fashion industry recommendations by sending 14-year-old models down his catwalk. I do the show the way I think it should be, not the way somebody tells me it should be, Jacobs told the New York Times after his Manhattan presentation. There is no controversy. Health initiative guidelines set by the Council of Fashion Designers of America--which includes Jacobs on its board--recommend that runway models be at least 16 years old. The age limit has been touted as a sign of progress in an industry plagued by anorexia. The industry's hiring of prepubescent-appearing teenage girls as models of adult clothing sets an unrealistic standard; the curves that define the female figure are absent, said council president Diane von Furstenburg. Models who attempt to maintain a child's body into adulthood run the risk of eating disorders, she warned. The girls in Jacobs' show, Thairine Garcia and Ondria Hardin, are represented by Ford Models, which apparently also ignores the council's recommendations. While Ford supports the idea of health initiatives, it hasn't agreed to an age limit, reports ABC. Even the council itself said it's ultimately up to a designer. What's curious is why Jacobs decided to use the girls in designs that largely covered them up, and shadowed them with large hats. Maybe it's because the hats, as the Times points out, were Dr.Seuss-style. The cleaning staff could have been under those hats, and nobody would have been the wiser, quips writer Eric Wilson.

(Sep 26, 2011 10:58 AM CDT) The Boeing 787 Dreamliner is finally taking off--just three years behind schedule. Yesterday, the much-anticipated jet was officially delivered to its first customer, Japan's All Nippon Airways. With a ceremony planned for today in Everett, Wash., reporters are getting a look at the nifty features that set the jetliner apart, including the biggest windows in the industry, the Wall Street Journal reports. A carbon fiber design reduces fuel costs by 20%, Reuters notes. The windows sport high-tech electronic shades, manipulated with the touch of a button, which allow passengers to see outside even on the darkest setting. The Dreamliner also features moist air and lower cabin pressure, helping cut down on dry throats. And the ANA version of the jet features luxury restrooms that include multi-setting bidets and the aforementioned window. The Dreamliner's regular domestic flights will start in November in Japan. Click through the gallery for more images of the Dreamliner.

(Nov 13, 2009 5:19 PM) A federal judge sentenced former Congressman William Jefferson to 13 years in prison today, less than the 27-plus years prosecutors called for but more than the 10-year term the Louisiana Democrat's lawyer wanted. Jefferson, who was convicted in August of 11 of the 16 counts relating to the public corruption case against him, has already said he will appeal. The case captured national attention after investigators recovered $90,000 in cash Jefferson had stashed in his freezer. The judge who sentenced him made it clear that he didn't buy the argument that Jefferson's actions were unrelated to his office, the Times-Picayune reports, calling his behavior a cancer on the body politic.

(Nov 23, 2014 9:09 AM) A suicide bomber attacked a volleyball tournament in eastern Afghanistan today, killing at least 45 people. Dozens more were wounded when the bomber, who was on foot and mingling with the crowd, detonated his explosives, said a rep for the governor of Paktika province. He said the attack happened during an inter-district volleyball tournament attended by a large crowd in Yahyakhail district late this afternoon. There were too many people gathered in the one place to watch the game. Dozens of others are wounded and we have reports that many of them are in critical condition, he said. We need urgent help from the central government because we might need to transfer wounded people to Kabul for treatment. Paktika, bordering Pakistan, is one of Afghanistan's most volatile regions, where a Taliban-led insurgency is waging an intensifying war against the government in Kabul. Today's attack is one of the deadliest so far this year, a time when attacks are escalating alongside a contentious election and the inauguration of President Ashraf Ghani in September. Afghanistan's parliament approved agreements today with the US and NATO allowing international troops to remain in the country past the end of this year. Ghani's first act after becoming president was to sign the agreements, which are bitterly opposed by the Taliban and other insurgent groups.

(Nov 10, 2016 12:46 PM) Yahoo identified that a state-sponsored actor had access to the company's network in late 2014, the company reported in SEC filings related to its proposed $4.8 billion acquisition by Verizon. The disclosure directly contradicts Yahoo's previous claims that the breach was only discovered in August, the Financial Times reports. Yahoo says it launched a serious investigation into its network security in 2016, and that it lacked a complete picture of the hacks because of the sophisticated nature of state-sponsored attacks. The hack has complicated Verizon's proposed acquisition of Yahoo, which was first announced in July, before the hacks became public knowledge. Verizon believes that news of the hack should affect the deal (read: lower the purchase price), while Yahoo is arguing that the revelations had no impact on Yahoo's business. Yahoo has already been hit with 23 class-action lawsuits--both foreign and domestic--over its handling of the breach, Ars Technica reports.

(Apr 23, 2008 6:22 PM CDT) The Clinton campaign has raised nearly $10 million since Hillary made a plea to voters last night in her Pennsylvania victory speech, Reuters reports. Clinton urged supporters to contribute through her website, and she struck a chord with 60,000 donors, campaign chief Terry McAuliffe said. It's the single biggest fundraising day for Clinton since the campaign started.

(May 30, 2017 6:21 AM CDT) Manuel Noriega, the former dictator of Panama and US ally who went on to serve nearly two decades as a US prisoner, has died. The 83-year-old died around 11pm Monday at a hospital in Panama City after undergoing surgery to remove a brain tumor in March, reports the BBC. He is believed to have been placed in an induced coma after a brain hemorrhage, reports CNN. In a tweet Tuesday, Panamanian President Juan Carlos Varela said Noriega's death closes a chapter in our history. After the death of his mentor, Gen. Omar Torrijos Herrera, Noriega became general of the National Guard in 1983 and ruled as the de facto leader of Panama until his capture by US authorities in 1990, reports the New York Times. During the 1980s, he was a US ally who shared intelligence on Cuba, terrorism, and drug activity. But he was also accused of oppressing political opponents, rigging elections, working with drug traffickers, and assisting Cuban secret agents, reports the Times. He was eventually charged with drug trafficking and money laundering in the US and captured during the US invasion of Panama. He was convicted and served 18 years before he was extradited to France and convicted of money laundering in 2010. A year later, he was returned to Panama to serve a 20-year sentence for embezzlement, corruption, and the murder of his opponents, per the Guardian. In 2015, he apologized to those offended, affected, harmed or humiliated by my actions or those of my superiors whilst carrying out orders.

(Dec 23, 2019 8:39 AM) Boeing will have to recover from its escalating trouble with the 737 Max under the leadership of a new CEO. Dennis Muilenburg is resigning effective immediately, reports the AP. As the Wall Street Journal reports, Muilenburg has taken much criticism for his handling of the aftermath of two fatal crashes involving the jet that took nearly 350 lives. He defended the plane as safe even after the second crash, though he eventually apologized to victims' families and conceded that Boeing made mistakes with the plane. Earlier this month, the company suspended production of the 737 Max. Muilenburg will be replaced as CEO by David Calhoun, the company's current chairman.

(Oct 9, 2017 5:21 PM CDT) Two women who lived at a Florida nursing home that lost air conditioning during Hurricane Irma have died, becoming the 13th and 14th fatalities linked to the home, the AP reports. Hollywood police spokeswoman Miranda Grossman said Monday that Cecilia Franco, 90, and Francesca Andrade, 95, died from ailments suffered when the Rehabilitation Center at Hollywood Hills lost power Sept. 10 during the hurricane's passage. On Sept. 13, eight residents died and other residents were evacuated from the sweltering facility after the electric transformer that powered the facility's air conditioning was damaged during the storm. Grossman didn't say exactly when the women died, but said police are treating the deaths as part of the criminal investigation.

(Jan 19, 2019 5:29 AM) A massive fireball that engulfed people scooping up fuel spilling from a pipeline ruptured by thieves in central Mexico killed 66 people and left 85 others missing in what was a chronicle of a tragedy foretold. It came just three weeks after new President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador launched an offensive against fuel theft gangs that drilled dangerous, illegal taps into pipelines an astounding 12,581 times in the first 10 months of 2018, an average of about 42 per day. The AP reports the leak was caused by an illegal pipeline tap in the small town of Tlahuelilpan, about 62 miles north of Mexico City, per state oil company Petroleos Mexicanos, or Pemex. Hidalgo state police said the leak was first reported at about 5:00pm local time Friday. Hidalgo Gov. Omar Fayad said the blast occurred at the duct that carries fuel--apparently gasoline--from the Gulf Coast to Tula, a city just north of Mexico City.

(Jul 24, 2015 2:30 PM CDT) A 5-year-old girl playing with her friends died after falling into an Alaskan sewage lagoon, reports Alaska Dispatch News. Daphne Mochin and two friends were hanging out Monday evening when they were seen riding their bikes in the direction of a school playground in the village of Manokotak, KDLG reports. Instead of sticking to the slides and swings, however, the girls apparently headed over to the nearby sewage lagoon, which was reportedly fenced and locked. It appears the girls climbed under the fence, with one local woman saying she thinks they thought it was a place they could swim. When a dog started barking, a nearby resident hopped the fence and found Daphne unresponsive after pulling her out of the water (the other girls were OK). He was able to resuscitate her and keep her stable until help arrived to get her to a local clinic, then medically evacuated first to a hospital, then to another medical center. While at the final facility, Daphne's condition again worsened and she eventually succumbed to the effects of the drowning and died, troopers said. She was set to begin kindergarten this fall, KDLG notes.

(Jul 28, 2011 10:08 AM CDT) Doom, meet gloom: The nation's health care tab is on track to hit $4.6 trillion in 2020, accounting for about $1 of every $5 in the economy, government number crunchers estimate in a report out today. How much does that work out to per person? Including government and private money, health care spending in 2020 will average $13,710 for every man, woman, and child, says Medicare's Office of the Actuary. By comparison, 2011 health care spending is projected to top $2.7 trillion, or about $8,650 per capita, roughly $1 of $6 in the economy. The analysis found that President Obama's health care overhaul would only be a modest contributor to growing costs--the average yearly growth in health care spending between 2010 and 2020 will only be 0.1 percentage point higher than without his overhaul--even though an additional 30 million people who would be otherwise uninsured stand to gain coverage. The main reasons that health care spending keeps growing faster than the economy are the high cost of medical innovations and an aging society that consumes increasing levels of service. Separately, another new report finds that the United States continues to spend far more on health care than other economically developed countries.

(Feb 8, 2018 5:28 PM) A 72-year-old man with diabetes is suing a California hospital after he says an MRI burned a 2-inch-deep hole into his stomach, KTLA reports. Nick Kruth went to Glendale Adventist Medical Center in 2016 because he had low blood pressure and his legs felt weak, and doctors ordered a series of tests. However, Kruth says a tab from his electrocardiogram was left on his stomach and he experienced serious pain during the MRI. So I think at that time, 'Maybe if I'm gonna die in there, let me die,' Kruth says. Kruth says after the test a technician found the tab, which contained metal, and realized it had burned a deep hole in his stomach. He did describe that when they peeled it off, it was still sizzling, like a cooking egg, Kruth's son says. Kruth says the burn hasn't healed right and still causes him pain. One of his lawyers says the MRI technician ignored Kruth's complaints during the test; another lawyer says the hospital should have checked Kruth more thoroughly prior to the MRI. Glendale Adventist Medical Center hasn't commented. (A man in India was killed when he was sucked into an MRI machine in a freak accident.)

(Dec 14, 2011 3:46 AM) Police in Pakistan say they rescued dozens of students from an Islamic seminary where they were being brainwashed by extremists. Some of the 68 students found at the Karachi madrasa were found chained in a basement, the Los Angeles Times reports. Police say the students were denied food and pressured to join the Taliban. Two staff members were arrested but the madrasa's leader escaped. They gave us jihad training, one of the students told reporters. They warned us if we ever tried to escape, we would be severely punished. Police say some of the students were drug addicts sent there by relatives unaware of conditions at the madrasa. These young people were chained, Pakistan's interior minister said. They were brainwashed. The aggression these people felt toward society, other people, you can't expect them to feel particularly positive.

(Jan 20, 2016 3:26 PM) US stocks recovered much of an early plunge, but the price of oil suffered its worst one-day drop since September. Energy companies were pummeled as the latest fall in oil threatened more damage to an industry that has been stricken with bankruptcies, layoffs, and other cutbacks. Exxon Mobil fell 4% and Chevron fell 3%. Crude fell below $27 a barrel, the lowest price since May 2003 and a far cry from the $100 a barrel it fetched in the summer of 2014. The Dow Jones industrial average fell 249 points, or 1.6%, to 15,766. It was down as much as 565 earlier. The Standard & Poor's 500 index lost 22 points, or 1.2%, to 1,859. The Nasdaq composite slipped five points, or 1%, to 4,471.

(Oct 10, 2013 12:51 PM CDT) One reason Detroit is such a mess: lousy leaders. Witness former Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, who got sentenced today to 28 years in prison for a slew of corruption charges stemming from his tenure from 2002 into 2008. The 43-year-old appeared stunned at the severity of the sentence, reports the Detroit News, but the judge said it was necessary to send a message about politicians getting rich on the public dime. A man with the charisma and ability of Mr. Kilpatrick chose to use his talents on personal aggrandizement and enrichment when he had the potential to do so much for the city, declared Judge Nancy Edmunds, as per the AP. Prior to the sentence, Kilpatrick took the high road: I'm ready to go so the city can move on, he said. The people here are suffering, they're hurting. A great deal of that hurt I accept responsibility for. Kilpatrick has a long history of trouble, including a sexting scandal that led to his resignation from office.

(Nov 15, 2017 5:02 AM) Roy Moore says his fight is just beginning--but with even Sean Hannity withdrawing support, the writing could be on the wall for his Senate bid. The Fox host, who previously defended Moore after the candidate was accused of sexual misconduct, issued an ultimatum Tuesday night, telling Moore he has 24 hours to explain inconsistencies in his story, the Washington Post reports. You must remove any doubt, said Hannity, who was facing an advertiser boycott. If he can't do this, then Judge Moore needs to get out of this race. AL.com reports that the Republican National Committee has also withdrawn its support of Moore, though the Alabama Republican Party has yet to issue a statement on the candidate. President Trump is expected to comment on Moore now that he is back in the US, and he faces what Politico describes as a wrenching call, with congressional leaders urging him to help push Moore out of the race and conservative Moore loyalists strongly opposed to any such move. In an op-ed, the Wall Street Journal argues that Moore's credibility has fallen below the level of survivability and if he refuses to drop out, the Republican Party will be better off if Democrat Doug Jones wins. Moore, whose latest accuser says he sexually assaulted her when she was 16, spoke at a Baptist revival in an Alabama church Tuesday night but said little about the allegations, the AP reports. I want to talk about where this country's going and if we don't get back to God, we're not going anywhere, he said.

(Aug 19, 2016 4:25 AM CDT) Federal police executed at least 22 people on a ranch last year, then moved bodies and planted guns to corroborate the official account that the deaths happened in a gunbattle, Mexico's human rights commission says, per the AP. A total of 43 people, including one police officer, were killed in the confrontation in the western state of Michoacan on May 22, 2015. The National Human Rights Commission says five people were killed when a police Black Hawk helicopter fired 4,000 rounds at the ranch house after the officer was shot, the BBC reports. Another 22 were arbitrarily executed, while the circumstances of the other 15 deaths are still unclear, according to the commission. The lopsided death toll had led to suspicions that officers might have arbitrarily killed people during the operation against suspected members of the Jalisco New Generation cartel. Eighteen of the victims were found barefoot and one just in his underpants, leading the commission to conclude most were asleep when police arrived. Thirteen of the 22 people the commission says were executed had been shot in the back. Mexico's national security commissioner denies the accusations of what the commission called grave human rights violations, saying federal police ordered the suspects to drop their weapons and surrender, but were answered with gunfire.

(Feb 24, 2020 6:47 PM) Credit Karma, which had been planning an initial public offering by now, has agreed to be taken over by Intuit for $7.1 billion in cash and stock. Intuit's products include TurboTax, Quickbooks and Mint. Credit Karma offers free credit scores and free tax filing services, then sells other financial services to customers and collects referral fees from partners on credit cards and loans, the Verge reports. Credit Karma promises the services it offers will always be free. About two years ago, per the Wall Street Journal, the San Francisco startup was valued at around $4 billion in a private share sale. It was founded in 2007. The deal would be Intuit's biggest acquisition and strengthen its position in online personal finance. The two companies are working toward the same goals, per ZDNet, emphasizing personalized financial services and establishing systems for targeted recommendations to consumers. Intuit and Credit Karma will combine on a platform for individualized help. There's a lot of innovation and investment in FinTech, Intuit's CEO said, but we don't see anyone, with our collective capabilities, pursuing a personalized financial assistant to help consumers take control of their financial lives.

(Jun 21, 2016 3:07 AM CDT) Iran's transportation minister says a possible deal between the Islamic Republic and Boeing Co. could be worth as much as $25 billion. Boeing didn't immediately respond to a request for comment, but the figure would be on par with a sale already made by its European rival Airbus to Iran, the AP reports. Iranian Transportation Minister Abbas Akhoundi's remarks on state television on Wednesday are the first figures floated by Tehran about the proposed sale. The deal is believed to involve around 100 aircraft, Bloomberg reports, though Boeing is likely cautious about entering Iran's market as other sanctions remain in place against Tehran. American officials say the sale would need permission from the US Treasury.

(Mar 14, 2015 11:35 AM CDT) Americans are getting older, but not this old: Social Security records show that 6.5 million people in the US have reached the ripe old age of 112. Common sense suggests otherwise--as of last fall, there were only 42 people known to be that old in the entire world. But Social Security does not have death records for millions of these people, with the oldest born in 1869, according to a report by the agency's inspector general. Only 13 of the people are still getting Social Security benefits, the report said. But for others, their Social Security numbers are still active, so a number could be used to report wages, open bank accounts, obtain credit cards, or claim fraudulent tax refunds. That is a real problem, says Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis. When you have a fake Social Security number, that's what allows you to fraudulently do all kinds things, claim things like the earned income tax credit or other tax benefits. Johnson is chairman of the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, which plans a hearing Monday on problems with death records maintained by the Social Security Administration. The agency said it is working to improve the accuracy of its death records, but one SSA official said it would be costly and time-consuming to update 6.5 million files that were generated decades ago, when the agency used paper records.

(Oct 7, 2016 3:26 PM CDT) Donald Trump has revived the controversy over his opinion on the 1989 Central Park Jogger case. New York City was rocked by the sensational crime, in which a young woman jogging alone in Central Park at night was bludgeoned, raped, tied up and left for dead. Five teenage boys--four black and one Latino--confessed to the crime after two days under intense police interrogation during which they say they were denied sleep and food, although each person accused another of the actual rape. Trump inserted himself into the conversation two weeks after the attack by buying full-page ads in several New York papers. The ads didn't address the controversy directly, but it was pretty obvious what Trump was talking about when he called for the city to BRING BACK THE DEATH PENALTY in big, bold type. In 2002, a separate man confessed to the crime, and his DNA was matched to semen found at the scene. No DNA evidence linking the teens to the crime was ever found. The Central Park 5 were exonerated by the legal system, and in 2014, the city of New York paid the group $41 million to settle the case--a settlement Trump called a disgrace. He repeatedly refused to apologize for his stance, and just this week, Trump doubled down on his decades-old conviction. In a statement to CNN (which ThinkProgress notes he offered up because CNN was doing a retrospective on the case) he said, They admitted they were guilty. The police doing the original investigation say they were guilty. The fact that that case was settled with so much evidence against them is outrageous. One of the Central Park 5 recently spoke out, saying Trump was the one who lit the match of public opinion against them. You can watch that video on Twitter.

(Jan 16, 2013 2:39 PM) Conrad Bain, a veteran stage and film actor who became a star in middle age as the kindly white adoptive father of two young African-American brothers in the TV sitcom Diff'rent Strokes, has died. Bain died Monday of natural causes in his hometown of Livermore, Calif., at age 89. The show that made him famous debuted on NBC in 1978 and ran eight seasons. Diff'rent Strokes touched on serious themes but was known better as a family comedy that drew most of its laughs from its standout child actor, Gary Coleman. Bain, with his long training as a theater actor, proved an ideal straight man. Bain played wealthy Manhattan widower Philip Drummond, who promised his dying housekeeper he would raise her sons, played by Coleman and Todd Bridges. Today, the show is remembered mostly for its child stars' adult troubles. Coleman, who died in 2010, had financial and legal problems in addition to continuing ill health from the kidney disease that stunted his growth and required transplants. Bridges and Dana Plato, who played Bain's teenage daughter, both had arrest records and drug problems, and Plato died of an overdose in 1999 at age 34.

(Apr 6, 2013 10:41 AM CDT) Six US troops and civilians were killed today along with an Afghan doctor in attacks in southern and eastern Afghanistan. In the south, three US service members, two US civilians, and the doctor were killed when a suicide bomber detonated a car full of explosives near a convoy in Zabul province. Several other Americans and Afghans, possibly as many as nine, were wounded. Another American civilian was killed in an insurgent attack in eastern Afghanistan, the US military said. The attacks occurred the same day that US Gen. Martin Dempsey, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, arrived in Afghanistan to assess the level of training that American troops can provide to Afghan forces after international combat forces withdraw next year. The deaths bring the number of foreign military forces killed this year to 30, including 22 Americans. A total of six foreign civilians have died in Afghanistan so far this year, according to an Associated Press count.

(Jan 11, 2020 11:30 AM) Uneasy about the new decade? Well, it already has is own possible scam--about writing the date on checks. Media stories are warning people not to abbreviate the year 2020 as 20 in case crooks alter the number to look like an earlier or later year, Slate reports. CNN and USA Today are among news outlets quoting police departments and experts about the concern. This is very sound advice and should be considered when signing any legal or professional document, the East Millinocket Police Department in Maine said on Facebook. It could potentially save you some trouble down the road. Let's say a criminal finds an uncashed 2020 check with the date 1/1/20 ; that could be changed to 1/1/2021 and still be cashable next year. Or a shameless creditor given checks starting 1/1/20 could change one to start paying in 1/1/2019 and claim the debtor had missed an entire year of payments. Ira Rheingold, a consumer advocate, says there's far more worrisome fraud out there, but this one is getting airplay since people are bent out of shape because our numbers are turning over. Still, it looks like a valid issue--and the fix is easy. Write this: January 15, 2020, says USA Today. Not this: 1/15/20.

(Jan 5, 2012 7:05 AM) He's baaaaack. Ripping a page directly out of Sarah Palin's playbook, Herman Cain is launching a quasi-campaign tour in a bus with a giant picture of his face on the side, he announced yesterday in an interview with Sean Hannity on Fox News. Cain says the road trip is part of his new Solutions Revolution movement, in which he'll barnstorm for his various policy ideas. First up? You guessed it: 9-9-9. The thing that didn't happen in Iowa ... is not enough is discussed about solutions, Cain said. We're gonna make the solutions the star. He intends to pressure congressional candidates to pledge support for 9-9-9, and his other policy solutions, before the election. Cain also said that he'd endorse a GOP presidential contender if they totally endorse 9-9-9, his energy plan, and his sound money plan. What about 8-8-8? Hannity quipped. 8-8-8 wouldn't work, Cain said, Not enough money! More at CainConnections.com.

(Nov 10, 2008 7:03 AM) While Congress and the nation were busy debating the $700 billion bailout package in late September, Treasury issued a five-sentence notice that could reap banks up to $140 billion in tax breaks, the Washington Post reports. The provision reverses an obscure policy written into law more than 20 years ago to close a loophole used to avoid paying taxes. Furious lawmakers say Treasury acted illegally, but they've stayed mum to avoid upsetting recent bank mergers and disrupting the economy even further. Lawmakers crafted the original policy to address a practice they considered a scam: acquiring shell companies with losses on their books to offset profits and lessen taxes. Conservatives have been lobbying unsuccessfully for its repeal for two decades. The quiet reversal stunned tax lawyers whose clients stand to benefit. They basically repealed a 22-year-old law that Congress passed as a back-door way of providing aid to banks, said one expert. More than a dozen tax lawyers told the Post the move was illegal.

(Mar 22, 2017 12:07 AM CDT) A 9-year-old Arizona boy shot in the head by his 2-year-old brother with their mother's handgun died Tuesday, and their mother told police she had previously let the toddler handle the gun when it wasn't loaded, authorities say. Landen Lavarnia was declared dead at a Phoenix hospital, where he had been since the Monday shooting. The mother, Wendy Lavarnia, 28, was jailed on child abuse charges. She told police she had put her loaded gun on a bed within reach of her 2-year-old and 4-year-old sons while she turned to get a holster, according to court records. That's when the 2-year-old grabbed the gun and shot her 9-year-old son, who was playing video games a few feet away, police said. Lavarnia told police she had allowed the 2-year-old to practice pulling the trigger of this gun when empty on previous occasions, the records showed. Lavarnia appeared in court briefly before the boy was declared dead and asked the judge whether she could go to the hospital to see him, but the judge said she couldn't get out of jail without posting a $25,000 bond, the AP reports. The father, Kansas Lavarnia, arrived home as police investigated the shooting. He was arrested because he was barred from having a gun in the family home because of a theft conviction. He was later ordered released on his own recognizance because he isn't accused of directly causing harm in the shooting.

(Apr 22, 2009 5:22 AM CDT) A controversial American fertility doctor is boasting that he cloned 14 human embryos and implanted 11 of them them into women, reports the Independent. None of the tranfers led to a viable pregnancy. A documentary filmmaker recorded the procedures involving four women who had hoped to become the first mothers of cloned babies. Transferring cloned embryos into a human is a crime in many countries. Physician Panayiotis Zavos carried out the procedure at a secret location, possibly in the Middle East. Zavos, an American citizen, has clinics in Kentucky and Cyprus, where he was born. The women who participated were from Britain, the US and an unidentified Middle Eastern nation. The cloned child is coming. There is absolutely no way that it will not happen, said Zavos in an interview. If we intensify our efforts we can have a cloned baby within a year or two. Film of the procedures will air tonight on the Discovery Channel.

(Mar 13, 2019 10:20 AM CDT) Some 70 million residents of the central US may soon come face-to-face with a bomb cyclone. The rare weather system--the Conversation has a helpful explainer--arrives Wednesday and could bring with it blizzards, tornadoes, and floods. Per CNN, more than [45 million] people are under a high wind threat; more than 10 million are under winter storm threats; and more than 15 million are under a flood threat. Wind gusts of 50mph to 70mph are expected across Colorado, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas, while some areas could see hurricane-force gusts of 100mph. Travel will be dangerous, if not impossible, at times, across the front range where the blizzard warning has been issued, CNN notes. Blizzard and winter storm warnings have been issued for parts of Colorado, Nebraska, South Dakota, and Wyoming, while flood watches are in effect across the Midwest and Great Plains. The storm will move eastward through the Central Plains Wednesday and into the Upper Mississippi Valley and Upper Great Lakes region on Thursday, per the National Weather Service.

(Sep 20, 2012 2:03 PM CDT) Contractors were in for a big--and not pleasant--surprise while cleaning out a foreclosed home in Dayton, Ohio, Tuesday: Stuffed into one of the closets were the cremated remains of 56 people, dating as far back as 1982. It appears the remains, all of which were contained in black urns labeled with names and dates, are connected to the McLin Funeral Home. The owner of the funeral home also owned the house, but the funeral home closed after its license was revoked for alleged law violations--including the possibility that a body was buried in the wrong grave. The owner also was accused of holding remains for ransom, the Dayton Daily News reports. The situation is one of the strangest things I've ever seen, but I'm not exactly surprised, given this funeral home's history, says a police lieutenant. The coroner's office is contacting the next of kin, and investigators hope family members may be able to shed some light on what happened. These remains were mishandled, and the families were possibly charged to dispose of the remains in another way, a police officer tells ABC News. So there could be a serious theft or fraud issue here as well.

(Apr 5, 2010 4:18 PM CDT) Toyota is still paying for its decision to wait 4 months before announcing a recall and notifying federal regulators of the sticky pedal defect--and the automaker will pay even more: a $16.4 million fine imposed by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration this afternoon. Toyota has 2 weeks to say whether it will appeal the penalty, the largest the NHTSA is allowed to levy under federal law and the largest the agency has ever imposed. The tough stance is an indication of a newly tough approach by the NHTSA, reports the Detroit News. We now have proof that Toyota failed to live up to its legal obligations, they knowingly hid a dangerous defect for months from U.S. officials and did not take action to protect millions of drivers and their families. For those reasons, we are seeking the maximum penalty possible under current laws.

(Jun 21, 2011 10:05 AM CDT) British police have arrested a 19-year-old that they believe is involved with LulzSec's recent wave of AntiSec digital attacks--though the group seems to be denying it. Investigators found the teen with help from the FBI, and have charged him under the Computer Misuse Act and the Fraud Act, ZDNet reports. But LulzSec's official Twitter account chimed in, saying, Seems the glorious leader of LulzSec got arrested, it's all over now... wait... we're all still here! Which poor bastard did they take down? Some tweets from LulzSec's new ally, Anonymous, might shed some light on that. The good news everybody: Ryan has little to do with #LulzSec besides running IRC, one Anonymous member tweeted, according to Gizmodo. Another member identified the Ryan in question as Ryan Cleary, a hacker who last gained notoriety for, of all things, attacking Anonymous. Cleary lived in Wickford, Essex, the same location as the man arrested today. If it is Ryan then they're alright. lol, another Anonymous member tweeted.

(Oct 28, 2008 2:41 AM CDT) A toy poodle got loose on the tarmac of Boston's Logan Airport and eluded state police and airport officials for 17 hours as planes were delayed, reports the Boston Globe. Eight flights were held about 20 minutes each, an official said, as passengers watched the poodle, named Choochy, cavorting on various runways. She was finally enticed into custody with dog food. Choochy is believed to have escaped her transport kennel after a flight from Detroit. The pooch seemed to be having a good time, said one witness, who remarked that his fellow passengers were incredulous that it would take so many men so many hours to catch this little dog.

(Jul 24, 2011 5:37 AM CDT) Anders Behring Breivik, the 32-year-old right-wing nationalist suspected of killing at least 92 people in Norway on Friday, apparently left behind a 1,500-page manifesto and a 12-minute video detailing his bizarre beliefs, reports the New York Times. The document, titled 2083: A European Declaration of Independence and posted to the Internet hours before the attacks, blasts multiculturalism and Marxism and provides a detailed daily diary of Breivik's preparations in the months leading up to the attacks. Both his lawyer and police say he has confessed to the attacks, the AP reports. The manifesto claims that a small group of like-minded militants would seize political and military control of Western European countries and implement a cultural conservative political agenda, and talks of a London meeting in 2002 to re-form the Knights Templar crusading order. The time for dialogue is over. We gave peace a chance. The time for armed resistance has come, wrote Breivik, predicting a war that would kill or hurt more than 1 million people. Some analysts say the manifesto bears a striking resemblance to the writings of Osama bin Laden and other al-Qaeda leaders. It seems to be an attempt to mirror al-Qaeda, but from a Christian rather than Muslim viewpoint, says a Norwegian terrorism expert.

(Apr 25, 2018 7:56 AM CDT) There's a contentious new issue surrounding Environmental Protection Agency head Scott Pruitt, and this one has nothing to do with security. Pruitt on Tuesday suggested a new rule that would allow the EPA to only make use of scientific studies whose data has been made publicly available in full. He called it a way to bring transparency to the EPA's decision-making process; the Washington Post reports it's a change conservatives have been hankering after for some time. To understand why many scientists aren't pleased with the proposal, know these two words: epidemiological studies. A rep for the American Association for the Advancement of Science tells NPR that these studies, which can look at the effects of things like pesticides or pollutants, often don't adhere to Pruitt's standard for good reason. Those studies involve people like you and me, signing confidentiality agreements that the scientists doing the studies won't reveal my personal health information, Sean Gallagher explains. It involves private data. The Post reports that a letter sent to Pruitt on Monday in advance of his announcement was signed by 985 scientists who called the move a restricting one that would lead to policies and practices that will ignore significant risks to the health of every American. As far as risks go, others have taken issue with Pruitt's assertion that the move would put an emphasis on science that is reproducible. As a rep for the Union of Concerned Scientists says to the Los Angeles Times, You can't ethically go back and redo studies on the impact of lead in drinking water on kids.

(Nov 1, 2008 2:20 PM CDT) Not even Bono is immune to the gloomy economy. Plans for a record-breaking Dublin skyscraper partly financed by the band U2 are on hold thanks to the global crisis, AFP reports. The U2 Tower, designed by architect Norman Foster, would be the tallest in Ireland and house a studio for the band. A city agency said the project was on hold, but that the objective is to see this landmark project complete.

(Aug 12, 2017 3:52 PM CDT) In March 1945, 83 German prisoners of war escaped a prison camp in South Wales. It was the biggest escape of German prisoners during World War II, and now--thanks to a report published earlier this month in the Journal of Conflict Archaeology--we know how they did it. Camp 198 in Bridgend was built to house 1,600 German officers and was one of what were ultimately 1,026 camps--numbered sequentially--in the UK, the Conversation reports. The conditions at Camp 198 no doubt made escape not only inviting but also possible: The report notes camp security measures were generally poor, with lack of either sentry towers and perimeter fence lighting, and this provided good cover for escape tunnels to be constructed. Researchers using ground-based surface scanning, ground-penetrating radar, and electrical resistivity discovered the location of a tunnel originating in Camp 198's Hut 9, which was preserved for scientists to study when the rest of the camp was demolished in the 1990s. The tunnel was relatively shallow--less than 5 feet below ground. And while its entrance was sealed by concrete, the inside was remarkably intact, with the walls and ceiling still supported by bed posts and other items from the prisoners' huts. Researchers also found a false wall in a shower room behind which the prisoners had hidden the dirt removed from the tunnel. None of the 83 German POWs who escaped Camp 198 made it back to Germany. (The discovery of a tunnel under a Nazi death camp turned legend into reality.)

(Oct 25, 2017 2:33 PM CDT) The first night was longer than I would have believed possible, writes Heiny, who had to stay on her side with her head lower than her feet. She also discovered bedpans that first night. Two hours ago you were an upright person with a little dignity, and now you're not, she writes. Heiny read books endlessly to keep her panic at bay but didn't retain them for the most part and eventually stopped pretending to do even that. I knew nothing but my belly and the endless waiting. Time had softened and stretched like taffy, pulling itself into long, gooey ribbons, she writes. After nearly three months in bed, Heiny gave birth to a healthy baby, who is now a teenage boy. She beat the odds. Read her full story here to find out why 88 days of bed rest was one of those rare experiences that transform your view of the world and yourself --and why she sometimes misses it.

(Apr 3, 2014 3:44 PM CDT) David Letterman is signing off after more than 30 years in the late-night business, reports TVLine.com. The host said during the taping of tonight's show that he will step down in 2015, reports AP. Bassist Mike Mills of REM, who appears on the show, first broke the news on Twitter: Dave just announced his retirement, he wrote. Letterman has hosted CBS' Late Show for 21 years, after 11 years at NBC's Late Night. Letterman told the audience that he phoned CBS chief Leslie Moonves before the taping, and I said, 'Leslie, it's been great, you've been great, and the network has been great, but I'm retiring,' according to the Hollywood Reporter. As the audience gave him a standing ovation, Letterman added, We don't have the timetable for this precisely down--I think it will be at least a year or so, but sometime in the not too distant future, 2015 for the love of God, in fact, Paul and I will be wrapping things up. The announcement comes just weeks after Jimmy Fallon replaced Jay Leno at NBC. Business Insider reports that Craig Ferguson is believed to have the first right of refusal to replace Letterman in the 11:30 time slot. Letterman, who turns 67 next week, recently passed Johnny Carson as the longest late-night host in TV history.

(Oct 1, 2015 6:24 PM CDT) A Salt Lake City man told police he shot three people staying at his house--including a baby--because they wouldn't move out, prosecutors said Thursday. Alexander Tran, 32, was charged with three counts of aggravated murder. He had been living in the basement of the house that his mother bought for him, and the three victims where living on the main floor, police said. When Tran's mother found out he was letting people stay there, she asked for them move out. Tran told her that they wouldn't leave but called a few days later--the day of the deaths--and reported they were gone, according to charging documents. Their bodies were found Sept. 18 after Heike Poike, 50, didn't pick up her 8-year-old grandson from school and officials called police. They stopped to check on Poike and found her dead, along with her 2-month-old granddaughter Lyrik Poike and an acquaintance, Dakota Smith, 28. Tran was also at the house with a gun, and police say he acknowledged the shootings. It was unclear if the victims were formal, rent-paying tenants or had some other arrangement with Tran. The baby's mother is in jail, and the identity of the baby's father is unclear, police have said. Tran was being held at the Salt Lake County jail on $3 million bail.

(Sep 17, 2012 10:03 AM CDT) It seems their much-publicized battle with Mark Zuckerberg hasn't put the Winklevoss twins off social networking for good. Instead, Tyler and Cameron Winklevoss have invested $1 million in another social site: SumZero, a site created in 2008 by their fellow Facebook-fighter Divya Narendra and another Harvard grad. The site, with 7,500 users, lets professional investors discuss trades and research, the Wall Street Journal reports. Like Facebook when it began, SumZero has an exclusive membership plan. While Facebook only let in people from certain universities at first, SumZero is even more choosy: Narendra reviews every applicant himself, he says, and 75% are rejected. Only buy-side investors are allowed in--those from hedge and mutual funds or private equity. Sell-side folks, such as big banks' analysts, can't join. And to stay in, members must keep submitting trading ideas. Outsiders can pay $129 per month to view some of these ideas. With their legal battle with Facebook--and their Olympic hopes--over, the Winklevosses plan to get involved and really roll up our sleeves, says Tyler. The band is back together.

(Oct 29, 2009 10:27 PM CDT) Hideki Matsui's sixth-inning home run off old pal Pedro Martinez held up as the winning run as the New York Yankees pulled even in the World Series with a 3-1 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies. The Yankees overcame an early 1-0 deficit on solo shots by Mark Teixeira and Matsui, with Jorge Posada adding an RBI single in the seventh. Martinez, well known to the Yankees after years with the rival Boston Red Sox and crosstown Mets, was charged with all three runs, striking out eight in six-plus innings. The best-of-seven series is tied 1-1 and moves to Philadelphia for Game 3, scheduled for Saturday night.

(Mar 12, 2013 1:31 AM CDT) The referendum on whether Falkland Islanders want to remain British has ended with a vote overwhelmingly in favor of the status quo. With turnout above 90%, 1,513 voters wanted the disputed islands to remain a British overseas territory while just three voted no, reports the BBC. It is a major principle of the United Nations that a people have their right to self-determination, and you don't get a much clearer expression of the people's self-determination than such a large turnout and such a large 'yes' vote, the islands' governor said. Authorities in Argentina, which calls the islands Las Malvinas and claims them as its own, described the vote as invalid. British PM David Cameron, meanwhile, urged Buenos Aires to take note, adding, The Falklands are British through and through, and that is how they want to stay, and people should know we will always be there to defend them.

(Mar 14, 2013 2:12 PM CDT) It's the $10 million question you've never cared to ask: What's the best way to secure a bag of bread? In one corner, the humble twist-tie--simple but more labor-intensive. In the other, plastic clips--less work but more room for error. You may not even notice which tiny piece of equipment is safeguarding your loaf, but in the baking industry, it's a debate that has been raging for more than 50 years, and a market that Businessweek estimates to be worth $10.6 million annually. Don't expect a winner anytime soon. We feel, based on surveys we've done, that the twist-tie is consumer-preferred, but of course the clip people will tell you the same thing about their product, says a marketing rep for a twist-tie maker. I think the two methods will always co-exist. Click for the full piece.

(Jul 11, 2015 4:05 PM CDT) Denmark raised eyebrows on Thursday by producing 140% of its electricity needs with only its wind farms. Granted, it was an unusually windy day, the Independent reports, but the Danes had enough left over to share surplus power with Germany, Norway, and Sweden. It shows that a world powered 100% by renewable energy is no fantasy, a spokesman for the European Wind Energy Association tells the Guardian. Wind energy and renewables can be a solution to decarbonisation--and also security of supply at times of high demand. Normally, Denmark's main energy source is coal, with wind power supplying just 29%. You can follow Denmark's real-time supply of wind-farm power at energinet.dk. (Or see why Danes have been called the world's happiest people.

(Apr 12, 2013 1:57 PM CDT) Russia is getting (even more) serious about space exploration. Vladimir Putin today announced a plan to pump roughly $52 billion into the country's space industry, and floated the idea of creating a special space ministry, Russia Today reports. Russia should preserve its status of the leading space power, Putin said in remarks to mark Russia's Cosmonautics Day. Therefore, the development of our space capabilities is set to be the top priority of state policy. Russia already has a space agency, but Putin says he'd like to consider expanding it to cover all the country's space industry--since most of the companies are state-owned anyway. The push will aim partially to make up for Russia's deficit in the satellite department. Russia has always thrown money at manned spaceflight, and now that the US generally hitches rides on its spacecraft, it appears to be the global leader there. But its satellite industry lags other developed countries'.

(Jun 29, 2011 9:42 AM CDT) Americans overwhelmingly President Obama's plan to pull out of Afghanistan says a new Gallup Poll, with 72% in favor and only 23% opposed. For Democrats, that rises to 87%, but even Republicans support it, with 50% for it versus 43% opposed. More specifically, Obama's plan to withdraw 30,000 troops over the next 15 months was called just right by 43% of respondents, with 19% thinking that number was too high and 29% thinking it was too low. After the elimination of (Osama) bin Laden and the steady drumbeat of bad news from Afghanistan, I think most people are ready to follow the president's lead on this--especially if his lead is to lead us out of there, a political scientist told USA Today.

(Dec 20, 2016 9:07 AM) Rachel Owen, the former longtime partner of Radiohead frontman Thom Yorke, died Sunday following a battle with cancer. She was 48. Owen and Yorke--parents to two children, aged 12 and 15--met as art students at Exeter University before starting a 23-year relationship that ended in August 2015, reports the Telegraph. Fans believe the breakup inspired Radiohead's latest album A Moon Shaped Pool, and especially the single Daydreaming, with lyrics stating, And it's too late, the damage is done ... This goes beyond me, beyond you. Owen--who tended to stay out of the spotlight--was an artist, printmaker, and lecturer at Oxford University's Pembroke College, where she specialized in medieval Italian literature, reports Billboard. Owen, who also completed a PhD on illustrations in early versions of Dante's Divine Comedy, continued to teach despite her health struggles. Prints she created with inspiration from the Divine Comedy will be displayed at the college next year, according to an obituary. Yorke has been silent on Twitter in the days since her death.

(Mar 31, 2009 8:45 AM CDT) Stocks tried to end the quarter on a positive note this morning, taking back some of what they lost in yesterday's sell-off. The Dow added 75 points, while the Nasdaq and S&P were up 1% and 1.4% respectively. GM wasn't in on the rally though; its shares slid another 3%. It's been a brutal first quarter for stocks, with the Dow down 14.3% since the year began.