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Things to Stop Worrying About

In the old days, health misinformation would spread slowly. Not today. 

"The Internet has given people the ability to send everyone on their email lists wild stories that end up mushrooming around the world in a matter of hours," says Rich Buhler, creator of Truthorfiction.com, a website devoted to debunking false email rumors. 

But relax: Most of those health scares hitting your in-box are a misreading of facts or a deliberate twisting of the truth.

Drink eight glasses of water a day
In 1945, the U.S. Food and Nutrition Board told people to consume eight glasses of fluid daily. Before long, most of us believed we needed eight glasses of water, in addition to what we eat and drink, every day.

The Truth: Water's great, but you can also whet your whistle with juice, tea, milk, fruits, and vegetables-quite enough to keep you hydrated. Even coffee quenches thirst, despite its reputation as a diuretic; the caffeine makes you lose some liquid, but you're still getting plenty.

Stress will turn your hair gray
The carpool, the spilled milk, the deadlines. Who doesn't believe that stress can shock her (or his) locks?

The Truth: “Too much stress does age us inside and out,” says Dr. Nancy L. Snyderman, author of Medical Myths That Can Kill You. It ups the number of free radicals, scavenger molecules that attack healthy cells, and increases the spill of stress hormones in your body. So far, though, no scientific evidence proves a bad day turns your locks silver.
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Reading in poor light ruins your eyes
It's the commonsense refrain of mothers everywhere-reading under the covers or by moonlight will ruin your eyesight.

The Truth: “Reading in dim light can strain your eyes,” Snyderman explains. “You tend to squint, and that can give you a headache. But you won't do any permanent damage, except maybe cause crow's-feet.” Your overtired eyes can get dry and achy, and may even make your vision seem less clear, but a good night's rest will help your peepers recover just fine.

Coffee's really bad for you
Surely something 108 million Americans crave so much each morning couldn't possibly be good for you? Wrong.

The Truth: Too much may give you the jitters, but your daily habit has a lot of positives. “Coffee comes from plants, which have helpful phytochemicals that act as antioxidants,” says Stacy Beeson,  a wellness dietitian at St. Luke's Boise Medical Center in Boise, Idaho. Drinking joe gives your brain a boost, too. And, despite the jolt of energy it provides, coffee has no effect on heart disease.

Feed a cold, starve a fever
The old wives' tale has been a staple since the 1500s when a dictionary master wrote, “Fasting is a great remedie of feuer.”

The Truth: “Colds and fevers are generally caused by viruses that tend to last seven to 10 days, no matter what you do,” says Dr. Rachel Vreeman, a fellow in Children's Health Services Research at the Indiana University School of Medicine in Indianapolis. “And there is no good evidence that diet has any effect on a cold or fever. Even if you don't feel like eating, you still need fluids, so put a priority on those.” If you're congested, the fluids will keep mucus thinner and help loosen chest and nasal congestion.

Fresh is always better than frozen
Ever since scientists honed in on the benefits of antioxidants, the mantra has been “eat more fresh fruits and veggies”-implying that frozen is second-rate.

The Truth: “Frozen can be just as good as fresh because the fruits and vegetables are harvested at the peak of their nutritional content, taken to a plant, and frozen on the spot, locking in nutrients,” Beeson says. And, unless it's picked and sold the same day, produce at farmers' markets-though still nutritious-may lose nutrients because of heat, air, and water.

Eggs raise your cholesterol
In the 1960s and 1970s, scientists linked blood cholesterol with heart disease-and eggs (high in cholesterol) were banished to the chicken house.

The Truth: Newer studies have found that saturated and trans fats in a person's diet, not dietary cholesterol, are more likely to raise heart disease risk. And, at 213 milligrams of cholesterol, one egg slips under the American Heart Association's recommendation of no more than 300 milligrams a day. “Eggs offer lean protein and vitamins A and D, and they're inexpensive and convenient,” Beeson says.

Get cold, and you'll catch a cold
It must be true because your mother always said so. Right?

The Truth: Mom was wrong. “Chilling doesn't hurt your immunity, unless you're so cold that your body defenses are destroyed-and that only occurs during hypothermia,” Vreeman says. “And you can't get a cold unless you're exposed to a virus that causes a cold.” The reason people get more colds in the winter isn't because of the temperature, but it may be a result of being cooped up in closed spaces and exposed to the spray of cold viruses.

Your lipstick could make you sick
In 2007, an environmentalist group, the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics, had 33 lipsticks tested for lead. Although there's no lead limit for lipstick, one-third of the tubes had more than the limit allowed for candy.

The Truth: “The reality is that lead is in almost everything,” says Dr. Michael Thun, head of epidemiological research for the American Cancer Society. “It's all around us. But the risk from lead in lipstick is extremely small.” In fact, lead poisoning is most commonly caused by other environmental factors-pipes and paint in older homes, for instance.



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Rushdie\'s Heartless Tweet

  • Andrea Tantaros

    Rushdies Heartless TweetTantaros is a commentator and Fox News contributor

    • Follow Andrea on Twitter @AndreaTantaros

  • Bob Beckel

    Rushdies Heartless TweetAfter a political baptism as a college student in Robert Kennedy's 1968 campaign, a tour of duty in the Peace Corps and a successful stint heading up his own consulting firm, Beckel joined the government in 1977

    • Follow Bob on Twitter: @RobertGBeckel

  • Dana Perino

    Rushdies Heartless TweetPerino is a former White House Press Secretary. She is a Fox News contributor, president of Dana Perino and Company, and executive director of Crown Forum

    • Follow Dana on Twitter at @DanaPerino

  • Eric Bolling

    Rushdies Heartless TweetBolling joined Fox Business Network in March 2008 and is the host of 'Follow the Money,' exposing corruption, abuse of power and shocking betrayals of public trust

    • Follow Eric on Twitter: @ericbolling

  • Greg Gutfeld

    Rushdies Heartless TweetGutfeld has been called 'outrageous and outspoken,' neither of which he denies. A libertarian political satirist, humorist, magazine editor and blogger, he is perhaps best known as the host of 'Red Eye With Greg Gutfeld'

    • Follow Greg on Twitter:@greggutfeld

  • Juan Williams

    Rushdies Heartless TweetWilliams, who joined Fox News Channel in 1997 as a contributor, recently had his role expanded at the network. Williams serves as a Fox News political analyst

  • Kimberly Guilfoyle

    Rushdies Heartless TweetGuilfoyle joined Fox News Channel in January 2006 as the host of the one-hour crime-based program, 'The Lineup.' She also currently serves as a legal analyst for FNC

    • Follow Kimberly on Twitter: @kimguilfoyle

  • Monica Crowley

    Rushdies Heartless TweetCrowley joined Fox News Channel in 1998 as a political and international affairs analyst



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    Fonda is Reagan in New Flick

    Jane Fonda, whose outspoken criticism of the Vietnam War once earned her the nickname “Hanoi Jane,” has been tapped to play Nancy Reagan, former first lady and wife to the late President Ronald Reagan, FoxNews.com has confirmed.

    The role will be in the film “The Butler,” a historical drama following the life of Eugene Allen, who worked as a butler in the White House under eight presidents.

    Fonda joins a long list of big names cast in the film, including Forest Whitaker, as Allen. Other names reportedly in talks for the project include Oprah Winfrey, Hugh Jackman and Liam Neeson.

    Fonda's role will likely be a supporting one, considering the films span over several decades. But some critics say the choice is a poor one in light of Fonda's controversial political past and outspoken comments.

    Fonda is a self-proclaimed liberal and many of her political statements stand in stark contrast to the conservative ideals of Reagan's presidency. During the Vietnam War in the 1970s, she called American politicians and military leaders “war criminals” and decried POWs as “hypocrites and liars.”

    She apologized in 2005.

    Fonda's next role will be in Bruce Beresford's upcoming drama, “Peace, Love and Misunderstanding,” according to Variety.



    Article from FOXNEWS


    New Camaro a Boss-Kill?

    The Chevrolet Camaro Z/28 was thought to be the obvious rival for the Ford Mustang Boss 302, as history would have shown. General Motors has thought otherwise, deciding that their ultimate handling pony car shall be the 1LE, which will sell for under $40,000 and offer a claimed 1g of handling.

    This Camaro is similar to how the Corvette Grand Sport was designed. Engineers have taken some good bits from the range-topping ZL1, and put them into the 1SS and 2SS models to make the 1LE. This includes things like a transmission cooler, short-throw shifter, suspension geometry, fuel system components, 10-spoke wheels, and steering wheel.

    Other changes that separate the 1LE to other V-8 Camaros include a switch to monotube rear shocks, upgraded axle shafts for better cornering, uprated front and rear swaybars and a strut-bar. Outside, stylists have forgone a gaudy body kit and instead offer a matte-black hood, front lip spoiler and trunk spoiler. Everything else is plain old 1SS or 2SS Camaro, but only comes with a manual transmission (which will probably change much like the ZL1.)

    Read FoxNews.com Auto's review of the Mustang Boss 302

    All these changes are well and good, but may not be enough to dominate the Boss 302 from its track day, pony car pedestal. There doesn't seem to be any real weight-savings attempts on the car, something that seems to be essential for a serious track day special. Also there aren't any engine tweaks to produce more power like the Ford as well. The only thing it seems to do better with is a cheaper price than the Mustang, which starts at $42,995.

    Whether it offers a better performance than the Boss 302 will remain unseen until a comparison can be done.

    Click here for more from CarNewser



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    Celebrity Tattoo Regrets

    FoxNews.com


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    What Should Employers See?

    The way things are going, no one is ever going to be able to whine about anything -- especially about their boss being a jerk -- without fear of being fired. You won't even be able to whine to your friends -- your Facebook friends, that is.

    A virtual friending frenzy has whipped up over the past week based on reports that some employers have asked job applicants to submit their Facebook passwords as part of some misguided vetting process. Goodness help you if you've ever criticized or complained about anything online; you might not get the job.

    The only confirmed cases of such hiring harassment have occurred at government departments, such as local law enforcement agencies. But simply the idea that this is beginning to happen has raised more hackles than drug-testing potential employees. Two senators even fired off a letter to Attorney General Eric Holder and the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, requesting an investigation into the practice. 

    Meanwhile, Facebook was forced into the rather odd position of warning businesses not to pry into its users' personal pages. (It's an odd position because that's exactly what Facebook is all about: sharing personal information.)

    SUMMARY

    Employers are increasingly demanding Facebook log in information to vet potential candidates. 

    Politicians have called for investigation into the legality of the practice. 

    Facebook recently reiterated that such requests violate terms of service.

    So why all the hubbub, bub?

    Some have suggested that providing your password is like giving your employer the keys to your home and allowing them to walk in whenever they liked ("Don't mind me, Mrs. Smith. I'm just going to rifle through your family's dirty laundry and then I'll be out of your hair."). That's an apt analogy. There's also the issue of personal security: The more companies that have access to this information, the more vulnerable you are to ID theft and fraud.

    For Facebook's part, it's yet another privacy headache for a company famous for its migraines, and one that could finally scare users away. If it became standard practice for employers to demand passwords, people would stop posting vacation pictures, friending long-lost college pals and playing FarmVille.

    But I think the real issue goes beyond questions about privacy and one's public and personal spheres. It's more fundamentally an attack on your ability to express yourself and vent without fear of reprisal. And that would be no fun at all.

    I like -- and not just Facebook "like" -- the fact that my friends online occasionally say things that are outrageous or could offend someone. People should be able to argue about Tebow and Tiger, health care and homeland security, without worrying that what they think might mean they can't pay the mortgage next month. 

    Look closely at your Facebook friends' postings and you'll certainly find something that could offend a potential employer: too religious, not religious enough, too liberal, too conservative, too country, too rock 'n' roll. Too inebriated.

    Giving companies access to all this information would be like having a non-disparagement clause on your life. Don't ever criticize a restaurant, business, politician or airline, lest you might get turned down for a job.

    Some apps try to strip the personal from the professional, preserve your privacy and still let you leverage Facebook connections. The job site Monster has Beknown, for example, claims it can help you connect with employers "without mixing business and friends." 

    There's also Branchout and Find.ly. Find.ly's blog states that it allows a "candidate to voluntarily share their own contact information and work history from Facebook, LinkedIn or MySpace in order to streamline the job seeking process." 

    Some companies looking for the best applicants are using these services.

    Sears, an American-as-apple-pie brand name if ever there was one, uses Find.ly to enable those looking for work to connect with the company via Facebook. But it doesn't ask for passwords or demand that you friend the company or even have access to your wall postings, according to spokeswoman Kim Freely. 

    The service automatically informs the company if your job history or work skills listings are updated. The idea is to provide a real-time, updated list of applicants with current information, applicants who may be perfect for a new job posting they didn't even apply for, or who might otherwise get overlooked for a position.

    You can apply to Sears in the traditional way, using a resume, or "you can apply via Facebook," emphasizes Freely. It may represent a generational change, as well. "People update their social profiles more often than they update their resumes," Freely said. (Guilty as charged.) Sears now even posts jobs on Twitter at @shcjobs.

    Today, hirers are in the cat bird's seat. If you refuse to hand over your passwords, a company can quietly decline to hire you -- and there's nothing you can do about it. The employer can't be sued for discrimination, because the company never had access to information on which it could base any discrimination.

    Perhaps the best solution would be for us all to follow the Web-honored tradition of creating fake online personae. One profile lists books you really like; the other lists books you think you're supposed to read. One profile pic shows you standing on your head on a beach in Bali; the other has you in a red rep tie. 

    This violates Facebook's terms of service and undermines the company's whole business model, of course. But who are you going to obey, Facebook or a potential employer?

    Follow John R. Quain on Twitter @jqontech or find more tech coverage at J-Q.com.



    Article from FOXNEWS


    First Total Face Transplant

    • Richard Norris at his prom, after his accident and after the face transplant.University of Maryland Medical Center

    • Richard Norris, after his face transplantUniversity of Maryland

    • Richard Norris, after his accident and prior to the transplantUniversity of Maryland Medical Center

    Physicians at the University of Maryland Medical Center spoke publicly about the nation's most comprehensive face transplant during a news conference Tuesday.

    Richard Norris, 37, received the complete face transplant, which included upper and lower jaw bones, teeth, a portion of the tongue and soft tissue from the hairline to the neck â€" over the course of 36 hours, starting on March 19.

    Norris, of Hillsville, Va., who was injured in a gun accident in 1997, had lost his lips and nose and had limited use of his mouth, according to doctors. He had undergone multiple surgeries prior to the transplant.

    “A full composite maxillo-facial transplant also includes subcutaneous tissue and muscles and the nerves that innovate or move those muscles, which gives your face expression, provide sensation and also the bony structure that goes along the face â€" so it's all the way through,” said Dr. Eduardo Rodriguez, associate professor of surgery at Maryland's School of Medicine and chief of plastic, reconstructive and maxillofacial surgery at Maryland Shock Trauma Center, who led the transplant with more than 150 doctors, nurses and hospital staff assisting.

    Rodriguez said when he first met with Norris, his severe injuries prevented him from being a fully-integrated member of society.

    “He was living behind a mask, living as a recluse,” Rodriguez said. “He did his shopping at night. He went through rigorous psychological testing, and he will continue to be followed for many years to make sure he's fully integrated into society.”

    Rodriguez said Norris was recovering better than he expected, and was already using a mirror to shave, moving his tongue. He is on a clear-liquid diet.

    Some additional “nip/tucks” would still need to be done in the near future, but they would be outpatient procedures, Rodriguez said.

    Rodriguez said the donor also donated several other organs, saving the lives of many people.

    This is the 23rd face transplant performed around the world. Several face transplants have been performed in the U.S., including three full-face transplants at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston.

    Those transplants, which were performed on Dallas Wiens and Charla Nash, were detailed in a 2011 issue of New England Journal of Medicine.

    Rodriguez said this transplant differed from those in that it included the donor's teeth and tongue and soft tissue ranging from the hairline to the clavicle. He added that the skeletal dimensions were larger, too.

    The medical center said it has been researching face transplants for 10 years with grants from the Office of Naval Research and Department of Defense.
     



    Article from FOXNEWS


    California bill would punish student-teacher dating

    A 41-year-old high school teacher exchanges thousands of text messages with his student, then leaves his wife and three children to date her. The couple then goes on national TV, saying their relationship didn't become physical until she turned 18.

    In California, there's nothing illegal about what they did.

    Now, a lawmaker is hoping to change that with a bill rolled out Monday that would make such relationships a felony, even if the student is 18, and strip teachers of their pensions and retiree health care if they are convicted.

    To prevent teachers from "grooming" students for relationships when they become adults, the bill would also criminalize seductive communication, such as sexual text messages.

    "Our hope is that that will be a pretty strong and painful deterrent and will cause someone to think twice before starting an inappropriate, unethical relationship with a student," said Republican Assemblywoman Kristin Olsen, the bill's sponsor.

    Olsen is from Modesto, a city about 75 miles south of Sacramento where teacher James Hooker and student Jordan Powers struck up their relationship at Enochs High School. Powers has dropped out, but Hooker's 17-year-old daughter still attends.

    The announcement of their relationship made national headlines. In interviews for the "Dr. Phil" show and ABC's "Good Morning America," the couple can be seen holding hands and exchanging smiles. On "Dr. Phil," they were confronted by Powers' mother, Tammie. Online, they have also been criticized.

    The couple maintains that, while they exchanged thousands of text messages, their relationship did not become physical until she was 18, meaning that it is completely permissible under current laws.

    Hooker and Powers could not be reached for comment Tuesday. Powers moved out of her house, and Hooker's phone is disconnected.

    The elder Powers has been touring national talk shows raising the alarm about such relationships, is hoping that Hooker will be arrested and is one of the biggest backers of Olsen's bill.

    "I had no legal recourse whatsoever with an 18-year-old, and I believe that the teacher pursued her," said Tammie Powers, who attended a news conference along with Olsen to announce the bill. "So this will be a preventative measure."

    Law enforcement officials are investigating the case. In the state, affairs between teachers and of-age students are frowned upon but not illegal. The issue is left to policies set by individual school districts.

    If the relationship did not turn physical until recently, Stanislaus County Sheriff Adam Christianson said, there is little that authorities can do.

    Christianson added that his time in the high-tech crimes unit showed him the importance of cracking down on inappropriate communication between children and adults. "We know for a fact that pedophiles are predators, and they groom their victims long before they victimize them," he said.

    There's no way to know how often these teacher-student relationships develop.

    Since her daughter's story broke, Powers said she received more than 5,000 emails from all over the county, many from parents worried that their own children may be in a similar situation.

    Teacher having affairs with students over 18 are illegal in 23 states, including Texas, North Carolina, Ohio, Connecticut and Kansas, according to Olsen. In some states, it is a felony offense that forbids affairs between them at the same school, regardless of age.

    Olsen's bill is one of several measures Republicans are proposing to make it easier for school districts to fire and punish educators who engage in criminal behavior.

    One of the measures would strip convicted felons of their state pensions, a bill inspired by the recent case of a former Los Angeles teacher charged with 23 counts of lewd acts against children.

    Olsen, who has three children of her own, said teachers need to face harsher punishments when they violate the community's trust by seducing their students. "We think that when we send our kids to school, these are safe and secure positive learning environments," she said.



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    Military school hosts \'queer prom, condom olympics\'

    Military cadets are celebrating gay pride week at the nation's oldest private military academy by holding a “Queer Prom” and a “Condom Olympics” - an event that includes a game where participants smear lubicrant on condoms until they tear.

    Norwich University's celebration of homosexuality will culminate Saturday with a “Free Love Dance” at the school's armory. The university said the events are meant to have an “open dialogue on diverse opinions in a safe place.”

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    The events are believed to be the first of their kind on an American military campus. Norwich University was founded in 1819 in Northfield, VT and has about 1,300 cadets and 1,100 civilian students.

    A university spokesperson told Fox News that as an institution of higher learning they support “exploring ideas and respecting the right to a diverse opinion and having respectful conversations so that people can learn from each other.”

    The university's Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Questioning and Alllies Club held its first meeting the day after the end of “Don't Ask, Don't Tell.” Approximately 30-35 people attend club meetings.

    As an institution, Norwich never banned open homosexuality in the corps of cadets, but because many of its students were destined for the military, which prior to the end of “Don't Ask, Don't Tell” the law served to keep people quiet, said Norwich spokeswoman Daphne Larkin.

    Among the scheduled events are the “condom Olympics.” Prophylactics will be given as prizes. Military cadets will also be attending a dance where same-sex partners are welcome. There will also be a discussion about HIV testing â€" and a movie called, “Lord, save us from your followers.”

    A university spokesperson told Fox News the “condom Olympics” include a number of games ranging from filling condoms with water â€" to learning about lubricants. According to the university, the games include:

    The Condom Olympics include:

    -Rubber Relay Race
    Participants will divide up into two teams. One team will have an internal/female condom and the other will have an external condom. Each team will use their condoms to run water from one bucket to another at the opposite end of the room.

    -Safer Flavors
    Participants will be paired up. One teammate will be blindfolded while the other puts a flavored dental dam in front of their face so that they can determine the flavor.

    -Pop The Prophylactic
    Participants will be paired up. One teammate will blow up an external condom and tie it off. The other teammate will then put on of the various types of lubricants on the condom and rub it until it pops.

    -Texture Testing
    Individuals will place their hands inside boxes to assess the texture of the condoms inside.

    -Lubricated Thumb Wrestle
    Participants will be paired up. Each participant will put on a glove and have lubricant spread over their hand. Participants will then thumb wrestle with each other.

    -Condom Creations
    Participants will be placed into teams wherein each team is in charge of using various types of condoms to create something unique.

    The Family Research Council called the planned events an assault on traditional moral values.

    “It does illustrate some of the concerns we had with regard to the repeal of the law against homosexual conduct in the military which is there would be a slippery slope from neutrality very quickly to hostility towards people who disapprove of homosexuality,” Peter Sprigg told Fox News.

    Sprigg, a senior fellow for policy studies at the Family Research Council, said the gay pride events at Norwich have created a hostile environment for students with traditional moral values.

    “It's one thing to say that the military is going to become neutral on the issue of homosexuality,” he said. “It's quite different to go to the point where you are celebrating gay pride events and having a condom Olympics and a queer prom.”

    Joshua Fontanez, a past president of the university's student government, told the Associated Press that he always wanted to be a soldier but figured he would have to keep his sexuality a secret.

    “The aspects of my sexual orientation, how that played in the military, that was something I was willing to sacrifice, being open versus serving my nation,” Fontanez told the Associated Press. “It's something I feel I was truly called toward and truly loved, so it's great that I don't have necessarily to make that sacrifice.”

    With reporting from the Associated Press

    Todd is the host of Fox News & Commentary â€" heard daily on radio stations around the nation. He is also the author of “Dispatches From Bitter America â€" Culture War Stories from a Gun-toting, Chicken-eating, Son-of-a-Baptist.” Click here to get a copy of the book.



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    Parents of Trayvon Martin speak at Capitol Hill- Police: Zimmerman story \'consistent\' with evidence

    Democratic lawmakers on Capitol Hill called the fatal shooting of Trayvon Martin a "murder" and the result of racial profiling, as they hosted the black teen's parents at a high-profile briefing Tuesday.

    "I tell my son, you have to be careful (wearing) a hoodie," Rep. Hank Johnson, a Georgia Democrat who is black, said. "Trayvon was murdered for walking while black in a gated community."

    Martin's parents also spoke at the House Judiciary Committee briefing on hate crimes and racial profiling. Organized by House Democrats, the briefing brought the heated national debate over Martin's death and the handling of the shooter to the halls of Congress for the first time. 

    The hearing was scheduled as new details emerged about the incident. A friend of the shooter has come forward to defend him, and one version of events has claimed Martin struck the shooter before being killed. 

    Sybrina Fulton, mother of the late teen, and father Tracy Martin arrived shortly after the briefing began at 3 p.m. and received a small applause.

    "I'd like to say thank you for the support," Fulton said. "Trayvon was our son. Trayvon was your son."

    Rep. John Conyers, D-Michigan, also called for a moment of silence for Martin, 17, who was fatally shot by a neighborhood watch volunteer Feb.. 26 in suburban Orlando, Fla. The case remains under investigation, and no charges have yet been filed against the gunman, George Zimmerman, who has claimed self defense.

    Family members and others have demanded Zimmerman's arrest, saying the teen was the victim of racial profiling. Zimmerman is Hispanic, with white ancestry.

    The briefing was organized by Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, D-Texas, and other Democrats. Among those on the witness list were Robert “Bobby” Parker, retired director of the Miami-Dade Police Department, and Albert E. Dodson Jr., chairman of 100 Black Men of American.

    “Travon was murdered,” Rep. Fredericka Wilson, D-Fla., said at the briefing. “Racial profiling and lax gun laws all contributed to this tragedy.”

    Wilson, who represents the Miami area in which Martin went to school, said after the briefing, “Trayvon was hunted down like a rabid dog, shot down in the street.

    Civil rights leaders such as the Rev. Al Sharpton say Zimmerman targeted the unarmed Martin. The debate has turned to questions about whether Zimmerman should be arrested despite possible -- though controversial -- protections under the state's so-called Stand Your Ground law that allows residents to defend themselves against force.

    However, gun-rights advocates and even Zimmerman lawyer Craig Sonner have said the law does not apply to the case.

    Protests in Miami, New York and other major U.S. cities helped fuel the national debate. Federal Justice Department officials are investigating, and President Obama entered the dispute last Friday when he called the killing a tragedy and said, “If I had a son, he would look just like Trayvon."

    GOP presidential candidates Mitt Romney, Rick Santorum and Newt Gingrich also expressed their sympathy, though Gingrich criticized the president's comments. Other details have emerged over the past 48 hours, including news reports citing police sources with evidence that the shooting began with a few words exchanged, before Martin knocked down Zimmerman with a punch and allegedly pounded his head on the sidewalk.

    A friend of Zimmerman defended him Monday, telling Fox News that Zimmerman is the victim. In addition, news reports have said Martin was in Orlando because he was suspended from his Miami-area school for having in his possession a baggie with marijuana residue.

    On Monday, the family also said Martin had earlier been suspended for tardiness and truancy.

    Sharpton, family attorney Benjamin Crump and others have said the reports are an attempt to demonize Martin and have no relevance to the shooting.



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    Western states demand land returned for drilling

    Several Western states, fed up with a federal government some claim is locking down public land against oil drilling, are demanding Washington return millions of acres to state control. 

    The pleas mark a new front in the battle over states' rights, and one state has already codified its demand into law.

    Utah Gov. Gary R. Herbert, a Republican, signed a law several days ago that asks the federal government to return 20 million acres, which could be used to develop oil and other natural resources to bolster the state economy.

    Republican state Rep. Ken Ivory said Tuesday the land is worth trillions of dollars in oil and mineral resources, which would be developed in a responsible way.

    "The first thing you do is protect the national park, monuments and other open space," he told FoxNews.com. Then, he said, lawmakers would create a so-called "public lands commission" managed by the state -- that would hold sway over the natural resources buried in the rock.

    Ivory pointed to North Dakota, where the recent development of oil and natural gas has resulted in a booming state economy, with one of the country's lowest unemployment rates.

    A law similar to Utah's passed the Arizona Senate last month, and lawmakers in Colorado, Idaho, Montana and New Mexico reportedly are preparing similar legislation for next year.

    The Utah law also has backing from the state's GOP delegation on Capitol Hill.

    "This issue is as much about state sovereignty as it is about state economy," U.S. Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, said in a written statement. "Utah can manage its priorities ... much more efficiently than the federal government. But the state needs resources, and Washington is standing in the way."

    Ivory and Herbert said the state hopes to reach a deal with the federal government by December 2014, and lawmakers then would pursue legal action that appears to have standing from a recent Supreme Court decision.

    However, Bob Abbey, the director of the federal Bureau of Land Management, recently said Utah lawmakers' efforts are "divisive and unproductive." 

    "It's sad that they are spending so much time debating something that has absolutely no chance of ever happening in the real world," he told the Salt Lake City Tribune after a congressional hearing last month.

    Beyond the arguments about states' rights and 116-year-old promises by Washington to return the land, Utah lawmakers said the state desperately needs the land to generate money to cover a $2 billion funding gap for public education -- without raising taxes.

    Right now, Utah cannot levy state or local taxes on federal land to help support public education, and the state consistently ranks last in per-pupil federal funding.

    Herbert said the only alternative would appear to be "ruinous tax increases." 

    "We don't agree with the effort," said Carl Fisher, executive director of Utah-based Save our Canyons. "It would be a huge disservice to turn national treasures over to the state for development purposes." 

    This is not the first time that states west of Colorado have joined in asking the federal government to give them more control of the land.

    The so-called Sagebrush rebellion dates back in the 1970s and had the support of President Reagan in the 1980s.

    "As a leader of the Sagebrush rebellion, I've been fighting to turn federal lands in our state over to Utahns to own and control," Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, said in a written statement. 



    Article from FOXNEWS


    Police warn: Beware of Vermont mom\'s killer

    Vermont State Police say an autopsy has confirmed that a body found off a back road is that of Melissa Jenkins who disappeared while her son was left unharmed in her idling car.

    Authorities said Tuesday that the death 33-year-old Melissa Jenkins has been ruled a homicide, but have yet to release the cause of death.

    Police are urging members of a small New England town to be vigilant as they hunt for a killer following the discovery of the missing prep-school teacher's body.

    Jenkins' body was found Monday in Barnet, Vt., a day after her SUV was discovered abandoned along a road with its engine still running and her 2-year-old son inside, unharmed, police said.  

    Authorities are now asking residents of surrounding towns, including St. Johnsbury, where Jenkins worked as a teacher, to be cautious as investigators search for the killer or killers. 

    "The public should be vigilant until we are able to locate the suspect or suspects involved," Vermont State Police Lt. Michael Henry told FoxNews.com. 

    A family friend is caring for Jenkins' 2-year-old son, who was found unharmed in the vehicle. The boy's father, B.J. Robertson, would not comment on Jenkins' disappearance. Police said the woman had no restraining orders out on anyone. 

    Jenkins, a single mother, taught science at the prestigious St. Johnsbury Academy, a school of about 970 students that was established in the 1840s and whose alumni include former President Calvin Coolidge.

    Jenkins' 2006 silver Suzuki was found at 11:30 p.m. Sunday along Goss Hollow Road in St. Johnsbury, not far from the woman's home, Vermont State Police Lt. Bob Cushing told FoxNews.com. 

    Cushing confirmed to FoxNews.com that authorities found suspicious evidence, suggesting a struggle took place, but he declined to elaborate on what was discovered. He noted that the vehicle was not out of gas.

    Jenkins was a girls freshman basketball coach and a dorm proctor until she had her son. She graduated from Lyndon State College with a degree in natural science and geology. She was working on her master's degree, St. Johnsbury Academy headmaster Tom Lovett said.

    "She's got a real gift with students who either haven't liked science before or learning science doesn't come easy to them," Lovett said. "She's got a real gift with them."

    A shrine to Jenkins was set up in the entry to a main building at the academy. Between 100 and 200 students gathered at the academy Monday night after the news came out that a body had been found. Classes were canceled Tuesday.

    "They have a range of emotions, just like me," Lovett said Tuesday of his students. "I'm done with the numbness and I'm done with the confusion; there's a lot of sadness and a lot of anger starting to arise."

    St. Johnsbury Academy also serves as a public school for the town, of about 6,200, nearly 40 miles south of the Canadian border.

    Jenkins was a waitress at night at The Creamery Restaurant in Danville, the eatery where co-workers, friends and the father of Jenkins' son gathered Monday afternoon along with others who were curious or concerned.

    "We all know her. It's a tough thing right now," said Marion Cairns, the owner, who described Jenkins as bright, pretty, a good mother and fun to be around. "She'd cut her arms off before she'd let anybody touch that boy. I mean, that boy meant everything to her."

    Eric Berry, 44, of Lyndonville, a cousin by marriage whose daughter is Jenkins' goddaughter, described her as a beautiful, kind person whom he believes was coming to someone's aid when she disappeared.

    "She left her house with the idea, I think, to try to help somebody, and that's as far as I'm going to go with that because I don't want to damage any investigation," he said.

    The academy will provide counseling to grieving students, Lovett said.

    The disappearance recalled that of 20-year-old Krista Dittmeyer of Portland, Maine, whose car was found idling with its hazard lights on, her 14-month-old daughter unharmed, a year ago about 50 miles away in New Hampshire. Dittmeyer's body was found in a pond. Three men were arrested on charges in her robbery and killing.

    Authorities said Monday there is no indication the cases are related.

    FoxNews.com's Cristina Corbin and the Associated Press contributed to this report. 



    Article from FOXNEWS


    Media Matters \'sorry\' for calling Drudge racist

    A senior analyst with the liberal activist group Media Matters tweeted an apology on Tuesday after calling journalist Matt Drudge a racist and accusing him of using a phony photo of Trayvon Martin.

    “Racist demagogue Drudge continues to run photo of some kid, not Trayvon for incitement purposes,” MJ Rosenberg initially tweeted at 10:56 a.m. ET, after drudgereport.com and other media sites posted a photo of Martin sporting a tank top, looking noticeably older and bigger than he appears in a photograph widely carried by media outlets that have reported on the story.

    Rosenberg followed that posting by retweeting a message saying, “Matt Drudge has done more to debase American news coverage than anyone in history of country.”

    But he was tweeting a different tune at 1:03 p.m., when he wrote, “Mixed up Drudge photo of Trayvon w Michelle Malkin's. Malkin's is an admitted fake. Drudge? Don't know. Sorry.” That tweet was immediately followed by another saying, “Malkin apologized for fake #Trayvon photo. I apologize for mixing up her photo with one Drudge used.”

    Malkin's site, twitchy.com, ran a photo it said was Martin shirtless and giving two middle fingers to the camera and said it was a photo the mainstream media was refusing to show. But it was not the same photo Rosenberg objected to on Drudge, so it was unclear how he confused the two. Malkin's apology was also more unequivocal than Rosenberg's. 

    "We made a mistake," the site said in a post that later ran beneath the photo. "The photo on the right is not of the Trayvon Martin who was shot by Zimmerman. We apologize to our readers and to the Martin family."

    The new picture generated interest because it seemed at odds with the much-circulated photo of an apparently younger Martin, the 17-year-old shot by George Zimmerman, a neighborhood watch captain in Sanford, Fla., on Feb. 26. It was the earlier photo that prompted President Obama to say last week that if he had a son, he “would look like Trayvon.”

    The newer picture of the older Martin was reportedly taken from his Twitter page, and has been reposted on various websites for at least several days. The photo used on Drudge Tuesday linked to a story on The Daily Caller, which published what it called Martin's Twitterfeed.

    Martin family lawyers did not return calls requesting they verify the authenticity of the second photo. Rosenberg did not return calls to FoxNews.com for comment.

    A spokeswoman for Media Matters, a non-profit organization that professes to correct what it considers conservative bias in the media, declined to comment. But the spokeswoman noted Rosenberg's Twitter feed does not necessarily reflect his employer's views.

    The Daily Caller told FoxNews.com it stood by the Twitter page it excerpted, which had the second image of Trayvon aside each tweet.

    Rosenberg has courted controversy before. Media Matters lists him as a senior fellow, and he specializes in issues involving Israel. He is a vocal opponent of Israel's government and an ardent support of Palestine who once branded Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a “terrorist.”

    Harvard Professor Alan Dershowitz has branded Rosenberg an anti-Semite for branding pro-Israel Americans with the name “Israel-firsters.” Dershowitz, a lifelong Democrat, has called on the Democratic Party to distance itself from Media Matters. Rosenberg responded to Dershowitz by telling him to “go to Hell” and urging Dershowitz's students to boycott his class.



    Article from FOXNEWS


    Magic Johnson\'s group to buy LA Dodgers for $2B

    • October 4, 2009: Grounds crew remove a rain protecting tarp from the field at Dodger Stadium before the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Philadelphia Phillies take batting practice in preparation for their MLB National League Championship playoff baseball series in Los Angeles.Reuters

    Los Angeles Dodgers owner Frank McCourt has announced an agreement Tuesday night to sell the bankrupt team for $2 billion to a group that includes former Lakers star Magic Johnson and former Atlanta Braves and Washington Nationals President Stan Kasten.

    The agreement, revealed about five hours after Major League Baseball owners approved three finalists for the auction, is to lead to a transfer of the team by the end of April. It is subject to approval in federal bankruptcy court.

    Mark Walter, chief executive officer of the financial services firm Guggenheim Partners would become the controlling owner. The price would be easily a record for a North American sports franchise.

    As part of the agreement, the Dodgers said McCourt and "certain affiliates of the purchasers" would acquire the land surrounding Dodger Stadium for $150 million.

    The acquiring group, called Guggenheim Baseball Management, includes Mandalay Entertainment chief executive Peter Guber.

    "This agreement with Guggenheim reflects both the strength and future potential of the Los Angeles Dodgers, and assures that the Dodgers will have new ownership with deep local roots, which bodes well for the Dodgers, its fans and the Los Angeles community," McCourt said.

    McCourt paid $430 million in 2004 to buy the team, Dodger Stadium and 250 acres of land that include the parking lots, from the Fox division of Rupert Murdoch's News Corp., a sale that left the team with about $50 million in cash at the time. The team's debt stood at $579 million as of January, according to a court filing, so even after the divorce payment, taxes and legal and banking fees, he stands to make several hundred million dollars.

    Kasten is expected to wind up as the team's top day-to-day executive.

    The other two finalists were:

    -- Stan Kroenke, whose family properties own the NFL's St. Louis Rams, the NBA's Denver Nuggets, the NHL's Colorado Avalanche and Major League Soccer's Colorado Rapids, and who is majority shareholder of Arsenal in the English Premier League.

    -- Steven Cohen, founder of the hedge fund SAC Capital Advisors and a new limited partner of the New York Mets; biotechnology entrepreneur Patrick Soon-Shiong; and agent Arn Tellem of Wasserman Media Group.

    "I am thrilled to be part of the historic Dodger franchise and intend to build on the fantastic foundation laid by Frank McCourt as we drive the Dodgers back to the front page of the sports section in our wonderful community of Los Angeles," Johnson said in a statement.



    Article from FOXNEWS


    Pro-life film rejected by major studios is box office hit

    “The Hunger Games” wasn't the only film to hit box office paydirt this past weekend. Although it only opened in 390 theaters, the anti-abortion drama “October Baby,” starring John Schneider,earned the second-highest-per-screen average, bringing in almost $2 million in ticket sales.

    “I was shattered when I first learned about the story. I was moved and mesmerized. I wasn't an activist, I was just someone who was shattered by the truth,” director Jon Erwin told FOX411's Pop Tarts. “Here is our little film, small budget, in the top ten (at the box office). We are thrilled, blown away.”

    “October Baby” follows the emotional journey of a young woman who learns that she was almost aborted, but at the last minute was instead given up for adoption. The film almost didn't see the light of day.

    “This film couldn't find a home, no studio wanted to touch it. It was considered too controversial,” Erwin continued. “There was a real moment of despair at one point, the film wasn't finished and nobody would take a look at it. But every time we screened it, it attracted such intense emotional reactions. So we had to raise the money ourselves, and the release process took much longer than we wanted.”

    According to Dr. Ted Baehr, founder of the Christian movie site Movieguide.org, the success of “October Baby” can be attributed to a strong Christian and moral world view that touched the hearts of those who saw it. He says it's important for more audiences to have the chance to see it, too.

    “All who see it should be transformed, so considering the importance of the message, everyone should see it,” he said. “It needs more theatrical exposure.”

    Erwin said they are hoping for a wider release next month, and communities are so desperate to see the film they are forming “action squads” in which Christian schools, churches and residents are coming together and agreeing to buy a certain amount of tickets to cover costs.

    “We don't have the deep pockets and resources that big studios have,” Erwin added. “So we have to take the long approach. But people are really getting behind this and rallying. People identify with it, that's why the film worked.”



    Article from FOXNEWS


    EPA proposes first-ever limits on carbon pollution from new power plants

    The Obama administration forged ahead on Tuesday with the first-ever limits on heat-trapping pollution from new power plants, ignoring protests from industry and from Republicans who have said the regulation will raise electricity prices and kill off coal, the dominant U.S. energy source. 

    But the proposal also fell short of environmentalists' hopes because it goes easier than it could have on coal-fired power -- one of the largest sources of the gases blamed for global warming. 

    "Right now, there are no limits to the amount of carbon pollution that future power plants will be able to put into our skies -- and the health and economic threats of a changing climate continue to grow," said Lisa Jackson, the head of the Environmental Protection Agency. 

    Older coal-fired power plants have already been shutting down across the country, thanks to low natural gas prices, demand from China driving up coal's price and weaker demand for electricity. 

    Regulations from the EPA to control pollution blowing downwind and toxic emissions from power plants have also helped push some into retirement, causing Republicans in Congress and on the campaign trail to claim the agency will cause blackouts. Numerous studies and an AP survey of power plant operators have shown that is not the case. 

    The proposed rule will not apply to existing power plants or new ones built in the next year. It will also give future coal-fired power plants years to meet the standard, because it will eventually require that carbon pollution be captured and stored underground, or injected to extract more oil and natural gas. Such carbon capture technology is not yet commercially available. 

    By contrast, a new natural gas-fired power plant would meet the new standard without installing additional controls. 

    "There are areas where they could have made it a lot worse," said Scott Segal, director of the Electric Reliability Coordinating Council, a coalition of power companies. Still, "the numerical limit allows progress for natural gas and places compliance out of reach for coal-fired plants" not planning to capture and sequester carbon dioxide, the chief greenhouse gas. 

    Scott Miller, CEO and President of the American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity, a group of coal-burning electricity producers, took a more dismal view of the proposal. 

    "The latest rule will make it impossible to build any new coal-fueled power plants and could cause the premature closure of many more coal-fueled power plants operating today," Miller said. 

    The regulation, which was due to be released last July but was held up at the White House, stemmed from a settlement with environmental groups and states. The government already controls global warming pollution at the largest industrial sources, has adopted the first-ever standards for new cars and trucks and is working on regulations to reduce greenhouse gases at existing power plants and refineries. 

    Michael Brune, executive director of the Sierra Club, an advocacy group fighting coal-fired power, said in an interview that the regulation shows that President Barack Obama is moving to a cleaner energy future. 

    "It's a strong move," Brune said. "It means there will never be another coal plant built without new technology and it probably means even those won't be built because they can't compete." 

    Other advocacy groups, however, said the regulation was imperfect, since it "grandfathers" in existing plants. 

    "EPA also must focus on the main source of power plant carbon emissions -- existing coal-fired plants, many of them more than 50 years old, which are responsible for nearly 40 percent of U.S. carbon emissions," said Kevin Knobloch, the president of the Union of Concerned Scientists, who said the regulation was a historic step to "trim" carbon emissions. 

    Even if the proposal did result in no new coal-fired power plants being built in the U.S., the coal would be exported and burned for electricity elsewhere, contributing to global warming. Export would also increase emissions because of the pollution from the transportation. 

    But Republicans said the new rule could not come at a worse time, with concern about high gasoline prices and energy taking center stage in the presidential election. 

    "At a time when the Obama administration should be working to lower the price of gas at the pump, it is alarming that they have put forward more global warming regulations," said Matt Dempsey, a spokesman for Oklahoma Sen. James Inhofe, the top Republican on the Senate environment panel, who pledged on Tuesday to introduce a resolution to overturn the rule. "Republicans are committed to ensuring that the Obama EPA is finally reined in."



    Article from FOXNEWS


    Iraq war veteran convicted of first-degree murder

    An Iraq war veteran has been convicted of first-degree murder in the shooting deaths of two people during a west-central Pennsylvania sandwich shop robbery nearly three years ago.

    The Altoona Mirror says Blair County jurors deliberated for about five hours Tuesday night before convicting 31-year-old Nicholas Horner of Altoona in the shooting deaths of a 19-year-old clerk and a bystander during the April 2009 robbery.

    Jurors are to return Wednesday to hear evidence on whether Horner should be sentenced to death or to life in prison without possibility of parole.

    Defense attorneys argued unsuccessfully that Horner was unable to form the intent to kill due to mental problems and medications he was taking



    Article from FOXNEWS


    Georgia police search for man targeting children

    Police in Georgia say the same man has tried to lure at least four children into his car since the start of the year, MyFoxAtlanta.com reports.

    Authorities say the first incident happened in January in Norcross, an Atlanta suburb, where a 13-year-old girl walking toward her home heard a man trying to convince her to get in his car, then reportedly took her picture before driving off.

    Less than a month later, a 14-year-old girl was approached by a man in a similar car offering a ride and asking her if she would like to make a few hundred dollars.

    “In each case, children knew that something was wrong immediately. Whatever information they've gotten from their teachers, parents kicked in and they did the right thing and did not go anywhere with the suspect,” said Cpl. Jake Smith of Gwinnett County Police.

    Gwinnett Police Search for Man Targeting Children: MyFoxATLANTA.com

    Since then two more children -- a boy in Snellville and girl in Norcross -- were approached by a man believed to be the same suspect.

    In the most recent incident, Juawana Holmes said her 11-year-old niece escaped a would-be abductor. She said the fourth-grader was walking to her bus stop when she saw a man with a mask trailing behind her. The girl ran to other students, Holmes said.

    “We're concerned about stopping this trend before it becomes an actual abduction,” said Smith.

    Some parents are expressing concern. "It's awful that we live in a time like this. I hope he's caught and dealt with," said Pamela Dilworth.

    Holmes said she now walks her niece to the bus stop in the morning and is waiting for her in the afternoon.

    The suspect is described as an African American male in his 30's with short or bald hair. The suspect is believed to be driving a gold-colored car. Authorities also say in the most recent cases he's worn a black mask.

    “We've had four that were reported, but since nothing has actually happened, we fear that there were others where an incident actually occurred but nobody actually reported it to police,” said Smith.

    Anyone with information on these incidents can call Gwinnett County Police at 770-513-5300.

    Click here for more on this story from MyFoxAtlanta.com.



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    Adrift in Gulf: Man survives, but loses best friend- Panama teen survives 26 days adrift in Pacific Ocean

    Treading water hours after his fishing boat started to sink in the Gulf of Mexico, Ken Henderson made a decision that saved his life but lost him a best friend.

    He cut the string connecting their life jackets and swam for help.

    "He couldn't kick his legs to swim anymore, and I knew I had a choice," Henderson told the Conroe Courier of his friend, Ed Coen. "I told him, `I need your help,' or we would both be stranded out here and die."

    And so, more than 30 hours after Henderson's boat started taking on water and both engines failed he managed to swim to a natural gas rig where he called his wife and the Coast Guard. A fisherman found Coen's body floating in the water a short time later.

    "He was a very big-hearted person, and would do anything in the world for me," Henderson said. "We were true brothers. I really miss him."

    The men's saga began around noon Thursday when they were sitting in Henderson's 30-foot Scarab sipping soft drinks. That's when Coen noticed the boat was taking on water. They tried to get the engines running to clear out the water, but both failed and the boat rapidly began to sink.

    They tried to call 911, but had no cellphone service. They made two Mayday calls to Marine Radio, but received no response.

    Coen, meanwhile, collected anything they could use to float, so when the boat suddenly made a violent flip leaving the two in the water they had life jackets, a boat oar, a dock pole and what was left of Coen's soft drink, which he quickly zipped into a bag.

    For some 35 hours the duo worked to stay alive. Henderson ripped a spare life jacket open to leave a trail of foam behind them in the water. They tightened a strap connecting the two of them and took turns sleeping on each other's chests to try to stem off hypothermia and rest.
    Coen, though, was a thin man.

    "The hypothermia set in after a few hours, and he was violently shivering," Henderson said.

    By Friday afternoon, Coen could no longer swim, and Henderson knew he had little choice.

    "We had been best friends for 25 years," Henderson said. "All of his kids call me Mr. Ken. We were as close as two guys could be."

    Coen's daughter, Ashley, said the family is trying to take comfort knowing he died doing what he loved most, fishing with Henderson. Minutes before he left for the fishing trip, she brought him his cellphone charger.

    "Once again, I told him, `I love you,"' Ashley Coen told the Conroe Courier. "I'm glad those were the last words we said."

    Please click here for more from the Conroe Courier 



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    JetBlue Pilot Flips Out, Is Subdued by Passengers

    Passengers on board a JetBlue flight were forced to subdue the captain Tuesday after he began to exhibit "erratic behavior," including screaming "they're going to take us down," according to the passengers.

    JetBlue Flight 191, which was headed from New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport to Las Vegas, made an emergency landing in Amarillo, Texas, due to what the airline called a "medical situation."

    The captain reportedly ran up and down the aisles screaming, "Say your prayers," after his co-pilot locked him out of the cockpit, the New York Post reported.

    Sources identified the captain to Fox News as Clayton Osbon, a JetBlue flight standards captain from Richmond Hill, Ga. He was taken into custody when the flight landed, but it wasn't immediately clear whether he faced any charges.

    Osbon had ranted about Al Qaeda and a possible bomb onboard before being subdued, passengers said. Laurie Dhue, a former Fox News anchor who was on board the flight, said she also heard the captain mention "Afghanistan" and "Israel" during his rant.

    A flight attendant reportedly asked passengers to restrain the captain. Several, including a retired NYPD sergeant, came forward and pinned the man until the plane landed, the New York Post reported.

    David Gonzalez, a former corrections officer who was headed to a security conference in Las Vegas, told Fox News that the captain had tried to break into the cockpit after being locked out, and he struggled with the flight attendants and appeared to want to open the plane's side door.

    “I said, ‘Hey, what's the problem,'” Gonzalez said. “And the stewardess said, 'Can you help me?'”

    Gonzalez said the pilot began yelling about Iraq and Iran. After a two-minute struggle, Gonzalez said he was able to subdue the pilot. Other passengers then stepped in and tied the pilot, he said.

    An off-duty airline captain who just happened to be a passenger on the flight went to the flight deck and took over the duties of the subdued captain, the airline said in a statement. It didn't elaborate.

    JetBlue said the captain was taken to a medical facility in Amarillo. Sources tell FoxNews.com that Osbon sustained "minor" injuries in the incident.

    Initial reports do not suggest that Osbon has ties to counterterrorism.

    Clayton Osbon's wife, Connye, defended her husband.

    "There are several different sides to every story. Just keep that in mind," Osbon's wife, Connye Osbon, told ABCNews.com. 

    The FBI, FAA, TSA and local law enforcement are coordinating on investigating the incident, according to a TSA statement.

    Fox News' Jennifer Griffin, FoxNews.com's Jana Winter and the Associated Press contributed to this report.



    Article from FOXNEWS


    Korean Vet, 81, Fends Off Knife-Wielding Carjacker

    A Korean War veteran in Michigan is being hailed for fighting off a would-be carjacker who threatened his wife with a butcher's knife, MyFoxDetroit.com reports.

    Barney Trusewicz, 81, stopped at a Lincoln Park gas station and had just stepped away from the car when Christopher Bowens, a recently released convict, allegedly attempted to steal it.

    Bowens reportedly hopped into the driver's seat while Trusewicz's wife, Constance Trusewicz, was still in the passenger's seat.

    "He [said], 'Get out of the car. I'm taking it.' And I [said], 'What?'" Constance Trusewicz said. "And then I looked and I saw all these tattoos and I thought, Oh crap."

    Elderly Vet Fights Off Would Be Carjacker in Lincoln Park: MyFoxDETROIT.com

    Barney Trusewicz saw what was happening and rushed over to the car. He reached inside and turned off the engine. The carjacker was ready for a fight, but so was Trusewicz.

    "I spotted the knife and I held onto it," Trusewicz said.

    He grabbed the man by the wrist and wrestled with him until the carjacker just gave up and ran away.

    "He [said], 'I'm going, I'm getting out of here.' I said, OK. I just didn't want him to come and give me a parting shot," Trusewicz said.

    "He did what he had to do," Lincoln Park Police Chief Thomas Karnes said. "Probably Bowens in this case is lucky he got away without being seriously hurt from (Trusewicz), I would think."

    Bowens was ordered held in the Wayne County Jail. He was on parole, as well as probation, both for federal and state charges. He now faces a possible life sentence.

    Click here for more on this story from MyFoxDetroit.com.



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    Gingrich to Cut Staff to Focus on Convention

    DEVELOPING: Newt Gingrich is laying off a third of his campaing staff and cutting back on his schedule in an effort to retool his strategy to make a last stab at the Republican presidential nomination at the convention, Fox News confirms.

    The details of the shakeup, first reported by Politico, include the ousting of his campaign manager, part of what one top aide described to Politico as a "big-choice convention" strategy.

    That strategy presumably would depend on front-runner Mitt Romney not getting enough delegates to win the nomination during the primaries, creating an opening for Gingrich to make his case to the party at the convention.

    But Gingrich has won only two primaries so far, in South Carolina and his home state of Georgia. His Southern strategy essentially was foiled when Rick Santorum picked up a series of other states in the region.



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    \'Supreme\' Doubt Raised On Fate of ObamaCare

    The man often known as the Supreme Court's swing justice posed tough questions about the scope of the controversial health care overhaul Tuesday, suggesting he might have doubts about its validity. 

    Justice Anthony Kennedy did not fully tip his hand as to how he might ultimately vote in the case -- leaving all sides to ruminate for the next few months until an expected summer ruling. 

    On this most important day of arguments for the landmark case, most of the high court bench was thoroughly engaged for a two-hour debate over the constitutional merits of President Obama's health care law. Based on the tenor of Tuesday's arguments, the justices appeared to be closely divided and this case, as do so many other close ones at the high court, may ultimately come down to Kennedy's vote. 

    Early in the arguments, the veteran justice cut to the heart of the debate over the so-called individual mandate -- which was the focus of Tuesday's hearing -- asking the federal government's attorney to explain what constitutional power the government had to force all Americans to obtain health insurance. 

    "Can you create commerce to regulate it?" Kennedy asked Solicitor General Don Verrilli. 

    That question addressed the key issue about whether Congress exceeded its regulatory authority under the Commerce Clause, which gives the federal government the power to pass laws governing economic activity among the states. Verrilli said that's not happening with the mandate; rather it is a regulation of a pre-existing health care marketplace. 

    Later, Kennedy described the law as unique and said the mandate "is different from what we have in previous cases -- and that changes the relationship of the federal government to the individual in the very fundamental way." 

    He acknowledged the Court normally gives Congress the benefit of the doubt on laws that it passes, but in this instance there was a "heavy burden of justification" necessary for supporters of ObamaCare to prove its legal worth. He also wondered about what limits to federal power would be in place if the court signed off on law. 

    What's not clear is if the answers provided by Verrilli about the narrowness of the law, or much else, satisfied Kennedy's apparent doubts. 

    The comments and questions from the other justices generally suggested they would fall along familiar ideological divisions. If that ultimately happens, it will be a 5-4 decision on this fundamental issue that will determine the law's fate. 

    At the start of his arguments, repeatedly interrupted by a scratchy throat, Verrilli plainly stated that "the Affordable Care Act addresses a fundamental and enduring problem in our health care system and our economy." That problem the ACA attempts to fix is the ability of insurance companies to drop or deny coverage based on preexisting medical conditions or other reasons. 

    The government's fix involved a requirement that all Americans obtain health insurance. This solved two problems for lawmakers. It would lead to health coverage for all people-a major issue for the president's base -- and it also covers the increased insurance costs by forcing these newly insured people, including many healthy people with minimal health care needs, into the system. 

    "So the mandate is forcing these people to provide a huge subsidy to the insurance companies for other purposes that the act wishes to serve," Justice Samuel Alito said. 

    But Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg likened the ACA to the Social Security Act, which the Court ruled constitutional, as an example of where younger healthy people cover the payouts for older and infirm Americans. 

    In this context, she offered a simple explanation for that practice: "If you're going to have insurance, that's how insurance works." 

    It's also an area that Justice Elena Kagan touched upon. "And this is especially true, isn't it, General Verrilli, because in this context, the subsidizers eventually become the subsidized?" she asked. 

    Verrilli agreed, saying people never know when they'll need coverage. 

    It was an answer Justice Antonin Scalia jumped on. 

    "We're not stupid. They're going to buy insurance later. They're young and need the money now. When they think they have a substantial risk of incurring high medical bills, they'll buy insurance, like the rest of us," he said. 

    Unlike Scalia and Alito who were more animated with their comments expressing doubt about the law's validity, Chief Justice John Roberts plainly offered some of his own concerns that at times mirrored Kennedy's. 

    He used the phrase "all bets are off" twice when talking about the ways future Congresses will attempt to fix perceived problems if the law survives. "There's this health care market. 

    Everybody's in it. So we can regulate it, and we're going to look at a particular serious problem, which is how people pay for it. But next year, they can decide everybody's in this market, we're going to look at a different problem now, and this is how we're going to regulate it. And we can compel people to do things -- purchase insurance, in this case. Something else in the next case, because you've -- we've accepted the argument that this is a market in which everybody participates." 

    Some of the justices wondered whether the government could compel people to exercise, eat broccoli or buy certain cars if the mandate is upheld. Verrilli maintained that wouldn't be the case. 

    "The (health insurance) market is regulated at the federal level in very significant ways already," Verrilli told the chief justice. "The question is, is there a limit to the authority that we're advocating here under the commerce power, and the answer is yes, because we are not advocating for a power that would allow Congress to compel purchases." 

    The government's defense of the ACA also relied upon the Constitution's Necessary and Proper Clause and taxing power. Those issues did briefly come up during the two-hour long arguments but were very much overshadowed by the debate over the mandate's relationship to federal authority in regulating commerce. 

    Justice Clarence Thomas, as is his custom, did not speak in the courtroom. But his views on the expansion of the Commerce Clause have been clearly articulated in past cases where he objected to increased federal power. Based on those writings, it is widely assumed that he will similarly object to the scheme presented here. 

    Lawyers for the 26 states opposed to ObamaCare and the National Federation of Independent Businesses also faced tough questions from the justices. But by the time each took the lectern in the second hour of arguments, the Court's direction seemed clear. 

    For the second day in a row, Attorney General Eric Holder and Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius were in the courtroom. A number of prominent lawmakers from Capitol Hill were also in attendance. Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee and major supporter of the law, looked concerned over the questions Kennedy asked. 

    Wednesday's final day of arguments will be split into two sessions. The first will examine whether the rest of the ACA is severable from the individual mandate if the high court strikes down that provision. The last case looks at the law's provision to expand Medicaid coverage. The challenging states call that part of the law coercive.

    Click here for full coverage of the ObamaCare hearings. 

    Click here for the full transcript of the hearing.

    Click here for audio of the hearing. 

    Fox News' Shannon Bream contributed to this report.



    Article from FOXNEWS


    Video: The nightmare of living uninsured in America

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    FBI said to have gathered intelligence on California Muslims

    Chalkboard, books and apple

    From Facebook communications to tweets, you're no doubt already aware that nothing you do online is truly private. But should you have a reasonable expectation that your superiors aren't actively spying on you? That's the question a lot of people are asking after Garrett High School in Indiana expelled a high school senior for cursing over Twitter during off-school hours.

    The tweet in question dropped the F-bomb a number of times, but was otherwise non-threatening. It was posted at 2:30 a.m. - a time when the student in question was most assuredly not at school. Still, despite the evidence, the school stands by its decision to expel the student.

    How did the school discover that one of its students dared to tweet an offending word during the middle of the night? Simple: Garrett High School's computer system actively tracks the social media presence of its students. Because the student logged on to his account during school hours, the system was able to find and report the foul-mouthed tweet, leading to the expulsion.

    "I don't think the school or anybody should be looking at [my account]. Because it's my own personal stuff and it's none of their business," said the student, who will be attending an alternative high school to finish out his school year and earn his degree.

    Predictably, students at Garrett High School did not react favorably to news of the expulsion. A student-led protest was put down by local police after school administrators clamped down on the students' First Amendment rights even further.

    [via Gizmodo]

    (Source)

    This article was written by Fox Van Allen and originally appeared on Tecca

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