News Updates

SENDAI, Japan – Huge earthquakes rocked northeastern Japan on Saturday, a day after a giant temblor set off a powerful tsunami that killed hundreds of people, turned the coast into a swampy wasteland and left two nuclear reactors dangerously close to meltdown. The United States Geological Survey said a strong earthquake struck just before noon in the sea in virtually the same place where the magnitude 8.9 quake on Friday unleashed one of the greatest disasters Japan has witnessed — a 23-foot (7-meter) tsunami that washed far inland over fields and smashed towns. Saturday's magnitude 6.8 quake was followed by a series of temblors originating from the same area, the USGS said. It was not immediately known whether the new quakes caused any more damage. All were part of the more than 125 aftershocks since Friday's massive quake, the strongest to hit Japan since officials began keeping records in the late 1800s. It ranked as the fifth-largest earthqu...

“I don’t know what to order,” my friend told me over lunch recently. We were sitting in a great new Italian Restaurant near my office. “I know,” I replied, scanning the menu. “Everything looks terrific!” “Yeah, but everything is bad for you!” she exclaimed, practically in tears. “I’m passing on the veal—red meat causes cancer. And the eggplant parmesan—cheese has fat, which gives you high cholesterol. And the bread plate—carbs give you diabetes. I can’t eat anything! And I’m really hungry!” With those kinds of fears, it’s a wonder my “health-conscious” friend didn’t die of starvation: no protein, and no fat, and no carbs? What’s left? Fortunately, as author of Eat This, Not That!, I was able to calm her lunch plate panic, and explain that most of what we consider “bad for you” foods aren’t bad for you at all—they’re just innocent victims of well-intentioned misinformation. A well-balanced diet, combined with some smart choices, is all you need to lose pounds and keep m...

TUCSON , Ariz. – The parents of a man charged with trying to assassinate an Arizona congresswoman are devastated and guilt-ridden, a neighbor said, mourning their own tragedy as Tucson residents prepare Tuesday for a week of funerals and a visit from the president. Jared Loughner's mother has been in bed, crying nonstop since Saturday, neighbor Wayne Smith, 70, told KPHO-TV. Amy and Randy Loughner want to know where they went wrong with their 22-year-old son, who is charged with trying to kill U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords and killing a federal judge. "I told them they didn't fail. They taught him everything about right and wrong," Smith said. "We all know you can teach someone everything and have no control how it works out." Roxanne Osler, of Tucson, whose son was a friend of Jared Loughner's, said he had a bad relationship with his parents and had distanced himself from family. "What Jared did was wrong. But people...

Philadelphia Eagles star wideout DeSean Jackson (notes) questioned Michael Vick's (notes) decision to run a play rather than spike the ball with Philly driving for a potential game-winning touchdown with 44 seconds remaining in Sunday's NFC wild-card game. Vick ended up throwing an interception into the end zone on the first-down play, sealing a victory for the visiting Green Bay Packers . Said Jackson of Vick's choice to throw rather than stop the clock (via Philly.com): "I just felt, the last couple of plays, we just kind of rushed it. We didn't really have to rush it. We had 40 seconds, or whatever. We could have downed the ball and regrouped and just come back and not rushed it." (In case it wasn't clear, when Jackson says "we" he means "Vick.") [ Video: DeSean Jackson interrupts Aaron Rodgers' interview for postgame hug ] The intended target of the pass, Riley Cooper (notes) , agreed in principle with his r...

Within an hour of Saturday's tragic shooting in Arizona, the Twittersphere had quickly seized on a map put out by Sarah Palin's political action committee last year that had gun-sight images over the congressional districts of House Democrats she wanted to win for the GOP in 2010. Among her targets: Gabrielle Giffords of Arizona, who was critically wounded by a gunman Saturday. His motives, authorities say, are not fully known. But friends of the suspect, Jared Loughner , have suggested that he had held a grudge for at least three years against Giffords dating back to when he met her in 2007. Still, some believe that incendiary rhetoric like Palin's bears some responsibility in the tragedy. Giffords herself had previously raised concerns about Palin's map: "The way that she has it depicted has the cross hairs of a gun sight over our district. When people do that, they have got to realize there are consequences to that action." [ P...