Coroner: Casey Johnson Died of Natural Causes

Dr. Conrad Murray, the physician who allegedly gave Michael Jackson several doses of powerful painkillers and anesthetics just before his death, will likely be charged with involuntary manslaughter late this week or next week.

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Toyota Announces Gas Pedal Fix

Toyota said that it has developed a fix for gas pedals in millions of recalled vehicles and is already shipping the new parts to dealers. The fix involves reinforcing the pedal assembly in a way that eliminates the excess friction that has caused the pedals to stick. Toyota recalled 2.3 million vehicles in the United States for this problem.

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J.D. Salinger, 91, Is Dead

J.D. Salinger, the elusive and enigmatic author of “The Catcher in the Rye,” has died. He was 91. Mr. Salinger’s literary representative, Harold Ober Associates, announced the death, saying it was of natural causes.

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L.A. City Council Moves to Close Pot Dispensaries

The Los Angeles City Council tentatively approved an ordinance to close most of the city's medical marijuana dispensaries. The ordinance, if passed next week by a simple majority of the 15-member council, would cap the number of dispensaries at 70 and require them to be at least 1,000 feet from "sensitive uses" — schools, parks and other public gathering spots.

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Iraq Executes Saddam Henchman 'Chemical Ali'

Saddam Hussein's cousin Ali Hassan al-Majeed -- also known as Chemical Ali -- was executed Monday, an Iraqi government spokesman said.
He was hanged after having been convicted on 13 counts of killings and genocide, Ali al-Dabagh said.

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Ethiopian Airliner Crashes off Lebanon; 83 On Board

An Ethiopian airliner with 83 people on board crashed into the sea after takeoff from Lebanon early Monday, Lebanese army officials said. The Boeing aircraft was en route from Beirut to Addis Ababa, when it disappeared from radar 30 minutes after takeoff from Rafik Hariri International Airport in Beirut.

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Haiti Pier Opens, Road Laid Into Port-au-Prince

Relief supplies were heading into Port-au-Prince, Haiti, from ships docked at a reopened pier Thursday, brought into the city on trucks traveling on a repaired gravel road leading from the port.

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Haitian Authorities Record 72,000 Deaths From Earthquake

In the week since a 7.0-magnitude earthquake shattered this capital and jolted observers around the world, authorities have buried 70,000 bodies, about a third of the estimated final toll, officials said Tuesday.

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Aid Flow to Haitians Improving

U.S. and U.N. officials say the flow of aid to Haitian earthquake survivors is improving, despite continued gang activity, and scuffles on the streets of Port-au-Prince. U.S. helicopters are ferrying food and water to distribution points in and around the devastated capital, where 3 million people struggle to survive.

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Report: NBC to Pay Conan $30 Million

NBC has its way out of the Conan Crisis. The network has agreed to pay O'Brien $30 million to vacate the 11:35 p.m. "Tonight Show."

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Obama, Bush and Clinton Launch Haiti Aid Appeals

U.S. President Barack Obama, flanked by his predecessors George W. Bush and Bill Clinton, on Saturday said the two former presidents would lead a national drive to raise money for Haiti's earthquake survivors.

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NJ Boy, 8, on Terrorism Watch List

Cub scout Michael Hicks (age 8) from New Jersey, is believed to share his name with a suspicious person and he gets stopped and searched at nearly every airport.

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Haiti Appeals For Aid; Officials Fear 100,000 Dead After Earthquake

Rescue workers struggled to clear rubble and bodies Wednesday from the streets of Haiti's "flattened" capital, where government officials said the death toll from Tuesday's 7.0-magnitude earthquake may exceed 100,000.

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Haitian Capital Largely Destroyed In Quake

The Haitian capital was largely destroyed in the most powerful earthquake to hit the country in more than 200 years. Journalists from The Associated Press described severe and widespread casualties after a tour of streets where blood and bodies could be seen.

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Haiti Earthquake: Thousands Feared Dead

Thousands of people are feared dead after a massive earthquake measuring 7.3 on the Richter scale hit the impoverished Caribbean island of Haiti.

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2 Dead in Ga. Shooting; Suspect Was Ex-Employee

Two people were killed and three wounded Tuesday in a shooting at a Penske truck rental business in suburban Atlanta, authorities said.
The suspected gunman was a "disgruntled ex-employee," Cobb County police Sgt. Joe Hernandez told reporters.

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Haiti Missionaries Charged With Kidnap

Ten American missionaries have been charged with child kidnap for allegedly trying to smuggle 33 youngsters out of earthquake-hit Haiti.

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Report: Tiger Woods Leaving Rehab Center

Tiger Woods is leaving sex addiction rehab by the end of this week. His wife Elin has flown to Hattiesburg, Mississippi to bring Tiger home.

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Actor Rip Torn Heading to Rehab After Arrest

Rip Torn was so intoxicated when he broke into a Connecticut bank carrying a loaded gun that he thought he was home, taking off his hat and boots and leaving them by the door, according to court records.

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U.S. May Examine College Football Bowl System

The Obama administration is considering examining the legality of college football's controversial Bowl Championship Series (BCS). The Justice Department is considering whether to investigate the BCS under antitrust laws, and is also exploring other options to address college football's postseason.

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Cops Subdue Sword-Swinging Man

A dramatic showdown between cops and a suicidal man ended without major bloodshed despite a 3-story plummet through a closed window and some frightening swordplay on the street. The man attacked cops with a medium-sized samurai sword. He is now being held at Bridgewater State Hospital, where he is being treated for minor injuries.

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Italy's Disaster Chief Blasts 'Pathetic' U.S. Aid Work in Haiti

Italy's top disaster official blasted the U.S.-led relief effort in Haiti as a "pathetic" failure that is turning a national tragedy into a "vanity show for the television cameras."

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'Avatar' Passes 'Titanic's' Overseas Record

One box office record down. Two to go. After 6 rounds on the foreign circuit, "Avatar" on the weekend became the biggest-grossing offshore title in movie history. Avatar has rolled up an overseas cumulative gross of $1.288 billion, exceeding by $46 million "Titanic's" 13-year international box office record of $1.242 billion.

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Police Say Georgia Mom Forced Son to Kill Hamster

A Georgia woman is in jail after police say she forced her son to kill his pet hamster with a hammer as punishment for bad grades.

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Edwards Admits Fathering Love Child, Reportedly Separates From Wife

Former presidential candidate John Edwards has admitted fathering his former campaign videographer's child. Edwards said, "I am Quinn’s father. ... It was wrong for me ever to deny she was my daughter and hopefully one day, when she understands, she will forgive me."

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California Storms: Mudslide Threat Causes Evacuations; More Rain Coming

California's storms are bad enough that 500 homes in the Los Angeles area were evacuated for fear of mudslides. At least two people are believed to have died in a series West Coast storms this week, and the strongest is not expected until Wednesday afternoon and Thursday.

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Radio Station in the Sky Warns Haitians Not to Attempt Boat Voyage

A U.S. Air Force plane serving as an airborne radio station is broadcasting messages to Haitians urging them not to attempt ocean voyages to the United States, saying they will be intercepted and turned back home if they do.

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Virginia Shootings Leave Several Dead

Police officials in the Virginia reported that several people have been killed after a lone gunman went on a shooting rampage in central Virginia. Hundreds of police officers have surrounded the lone gunman, who is currently hiding in a wooded area just outside Appomattox.

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Glen W. Bell, Founder of Taco Bell Restaurant Chain, Dies at 86

Glen W. Bell Jr., an entrepreneur best known as the founder of the Taco Bell chain, has died. He was 86. Bell died Sunday at his home in Rancho Santa Fe, CA according to a statement posted Monday on the Taco Bell website.

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Critic's Choice Awards 2010: Sandra Bullock, Meryl Streep Kiss

Meryl Streep and Sandra Bullock kissed as they tied for the award of best actress on stage at the 15th Annual Critics Choice Movie Awards on Friday, Jan. 15, 2010, in Los Angeles. The smooch was no doubt an homage to the Adam Lambert's controversial same sex kiss at this year's MVMAs.

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Weight Watchers Clinic Floor Collapses Under Dieters

The floor of a Weight Watchers clinic collapsed beneath 20 dieters in Sweden as they gathered for a meeting this week. No one was injured.

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Conan Won’t Do ‘Tonight Show’ Following Leno

 Conan O’Brien says he’s rejecting NBC’s attempt to move “The Tonight Show” to a post-midnight slot to accommodate Jay Leno’s return to late-night.

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Conservationists File Piracy Claim Against Whalers

 A conservationist group that lost one of its ships in a clash with Japanese whalers off Antarctica has filed a piracy complaint in the Netherlands against the captain and crew of the whaling vessel, one of the group's leaders said Saturday.

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